Debate on San Antonio Spurs

I think it's time for me to express a little debate opinion against the Spurs right now. I don't usually bring my arguments into random things, like the NBA Playoffs, but this is one of the things I think I have a good argument for. So let's jump right into it.
The Spurs had the best record in the NBA (along with the Chicago Bulls) with 50 wins and just 16 losses. Gregg Popovich also won coach of the year. They had an 11-game win streak, and Tony Parker put his name into the MVP candidates list for the NBA. That's not bad. So why don't I think they can win the championship this year?
Point number one: Nobody cares about the regular season. Teams who get enough wins to make it to the playoffs don't do anything after that. The record's for the top four teams in each conference really don't matter at all. It becomes the "Glorified Recreational Basketball League" (as my brother calls it), and they basically just try to be flashy. They had a great record, sure... but I don't think that matters even a little bit.
Next point: They're old. Yeah, shouldn't matter if you're good enough. But in playoff time, these guys gotta keep up with the young ones. I think they'll get by the Jazz, but then it's on to take on Blake Griffin/Chris Paul. Maybe they can even get by that, but then its Kobe/Andrew Bynum or Kevin Durant/Russ Westbrook. Their age is gonna hurt them. They can't keep up with the young ones.
Last point: They have a decent defense, but they won't be able to stop the all-stars. By all-stars I'm talking Kobe, Bynum, Durant, Westbrook. I think Tony Parker can maybe handle the small guys. But really... who is gonna stop Kobe or Durant? I love Manu Ginobili, but he can't stop them and nobody else on the Spurs can. I don't think they will make it out of the Western Conference.
So let's say I'm wrong. Their record is a legit reflection of the team. They can keep up with the young ones. Somehow they manage to shut down Kobe/Bynum/Durant/Paul/Griffin/Westbrook. They cannot keep up with the Heat. Nobody can. It is gonna be one of the biggest flukes if the Heat fold in this year's playoffs. I don't like criticizing on classy teams, and the Spurs are definitely one of those teams. Manu and Tim Duncan are some of the best guys in the league. Just gonna say it though... They have a very slim chance of winning it all this year.

Derrick Rose Tears ACL

Derrick Rose tore his ACL yesterday in Game 1 of the opening playoff series against the Philly 76ers. This is a huge blow to Chicago.... obviously. I don't think they have a chance of winning this anymore. They have great players on that team, but he is definitely the most important part. If they can beat the Sixers, I can't see them getting any farther.
This definitely makes my favorite in the Eastern Conference the Miami Heat. I just think LeBron is gonna be too unstoppable. I would still like to see the Magic make it to the Finals, but without Dwight Howard that is gonna be super tough. Right now it has gotta be between Atlanta and Miami, just because both teams are healthy right now.
I like OKC in the Western Conference. I could definitely see the Spurs win that conference, but I like the youth of the Thunder and I can see them running the floor on the guys from San Antonio. Should be a fun NBA Playoffs to watch yet again this year.
Again, it is really sucky to see a guy like Derrick Rose get injured like this. I hope he has a speedy recovery, and good luck to the Bulls in the rest of the playoffs.

Jazz Clinch Playoffs

Big Al Jefferson absolutely went off last night! He was amazing in the final minutes of the win against the Phoenix Suns to clinch a playoff spot for the Jazz this season. This also comes as great news for Wolves fans like myself, because that means we will have a first round pick in next year's draft. With such a deep draft class, this is a huge year to get that pick back. So thank you Al Jefferson! Now I'll be cheering for them to lose so we can get that 19th pick overall!

Kevin Love Shaves Off the Beard

Hahahahahahahahahaha! Look at this goofy guy named Kevin Love! I think this picture is so funny, he looks like a little kid. His hair is super goofy too. Gotta love the Wolves. It's a cool group of guys, led by this guy Kevin Love. We had a rough game last night, losing to Golden State, when we blew a 21 point lead.... Can't wait for next year. Gotta get Love, Rubio, Ridnour, and Pek healthy. I think we can definitely have a good team next year. And Kevin Love, please grow that beard back. You are not intimidating at all looking like that!

Ron Artest is Back

Yeah, that just happened. Ladies and gentlemen, Ron Artest has come back to the NBA. Metta World Who? I hope James Harden is okay. He came out at halftime, but evidently he's going back into the locker room to get checked out, and he will not be returning. It could be a concussion.
I was hoping that Serge Ibaka would have just straight up brawled with him and punched his lights out. Metta World Peace is one of the biggest idiots in sports. He's gonna get a huge suspension. I'm a big James Harden fan, so it was disappointing to see. But we know how Ron Artest is. Nobody could ever forget this...

Dwight Howard Out for Season

Dwight Howard will be undergoing back surgery and will be missing the rest of the season, including the entire playoffs. This is a huge development as we are entering the last week of games. This is gonna be big trouble for the Magic, especially since Big Baby Davis is having trouble with injuries as well. Sucks to see that Dwight will be out, which just adds to more drama for the season in Orlando. I'm thinking Dwight will be out of a Magic uniform next year and I could definitely see him going to New Jersey. The playoffs should be interesting and we'll look forward to seeing how that picture turns out. Good luck to Dwight and the Magic in both their futures.

Timberwolves Are Pretty Much Done

The Wolves are now 3 and a half games out of 8th place in the Western Conference. In a battle with four other teams, and falling far behind, I don't think they can make it. They were awesome at the beginning of the season and I gotta salute them for trying, but I just can't see them making the playoffs right now. Hopefully this is the greatest obvious jinx attempt ever though... With the loss of Ricky Rubio, and later the loss of Nikola Pekovic, the Wolves have not bounced back to the team they were before. But how can you do that without two of your three best players? Not possible.... They got the Kings tonight, so hopefully we can just scrap up some of these wins against bad teams. Still a big Wolves fan and I'm happy that we've changed the atmosphere here in Minnesota.

Ricky Rubio Out for Season

The worst day of the Wolves season was yesterday when it was announced that Ricky Rubio would be out for the season. He tore his left ACL late in Sunday's game against the Lakers in a collision with Kobe Bryant. This was absolutely one of the worst things that could happen for not only the Wolves, but Ricky as well. We know it is tough for anyone to come back from this kind of injury, but at such a young age, this is especially difficult to see happen to Ricky Rubio. I hope he is able to bounce back next season, and he is very confident in himself:

Ricky Rubio ‏ @rickyrubio9

Ok,I got injured in thebest moment of my career, but honestly, 2day im happy thanks to all the support Ive received.I'll come back stronger

It's awesome to see that he has positive thoughts about his return next season. Last night the Wolves played the most pathetic game I think I've ever seen. Obviously the absence of Rubio got to them, but hopefully that isn't a big deal in the future. Look for a trade soon bringing a point guard to Minnesota. I think Beasley is probably on his way out... #sucky.

Minnesota is the place where great athletes come to get injured I've decided. Some of the best players from each of the big three teams in Minneapolis have some awful injuries. Justin Morneau, former AL MVP, is likely to miss a lot/all of the season for the Twins. Adrian Peterson tore his ACL last season and may have a difficult comeback to the Vikings this year as well. And now Rubio is in trouble... I just hope that all these guys get healthy and back into sports. Good luck Ricky!

Wolves' Bench Dominates Clippers

Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley went off last night against the LA Clippers. Each of them put up 27 points and shot out of their minds. Both of them coming off the bench, helped the Wolves in getting the win. The bench put up a total of 72 points last night, which is the most of any bench in the NBA this season. Even Darko Milicic had a great game last night coming off the bench. He came in at the beginning of the fourth quarter to take on Blake Griffin who had 29 points on the night. Blake ended up scoring a total of 30 points all game as Darko shut him down.
This is just another reason that you gotta love the Wolves. Love wasn't having his best game and even got hurt, but there are so many guys on this team that work hard and get the job done. After this game I hope the Wolves realize that we need to hold on to these two young guys to help us work toward a championship in the future. At such a young age, they are only gonna get better. The Wolves are now 18-17 and fighting toward a playoff spot. We seem to be shooting better and finishing games very well lately, so I'm thinking we have a really good shot at getting a seven or eight seed in the playoffs. We just gotta keep up the good work now!
Look for the Wolves tonight who are playing in Los Angeles again, this time against the Lakers. Another late game, starting at 9:30 tonight, but I'm definitely staying up for it. I really hope the T-Pups come through and get a victory here, especially with the absence of Kobe Bryant. This is a game we need to capitalize on and win big to keep the momentum going.

Michael Beasley Trade Rumors

So with the All-Star break wrapped up, we now are getting a ton of reports that the Lakers are interested in a trade with the Wolves for forward Michael Beasley. The trade would most likely involve just Beasley and a draft pick. I've been a huge Be-Easy fan since he joined the team a couple years ago, and I would not be happy to see him go. He's a big dude with a lot of raw talent that he can certainly develop. I don't get why teams in the NBA give up on guys like Beasley after a few years, especially when they are really young. Beasley is just 23 years old and has a lot of game ahead of him. And to give him up for just a draft pick?? Come on, no way! I hope the Wolves will do the right thing and keep Beasley around, because I would definitely hate to see him go.
The trade rumors initially involved the Lakers giving up Pau Gasol, which would have also thrown Derrick Williams into the mix. I'm a giant Pau fan, but even I know that would be a dumb trade... I just think the NBA has some weird ass trade situations and I don't understand them half the time. I definitely think we need to stick to our younger guys and build around them. Kevin Love, Wes Johnson, Ricky Rubio, Michael Beasley, and Derrick Williams are all young guys and we need to hold on to them so we can be an awesome team in the near future.

K-Love Wins 3-Point Contest

NBA All-Star Weekend just wrapped up. It was a fun weekend full of a lot of excitement. I'm a little upset that Derrick Williams didn't win the Dunk Contest, but it's all good. This is what Kevin Love was able to do Saturday night, which was really fun to watch. Just to get into the finals he had to go to an overtime round against Mario Chalmers. Then in the finals he tied with Kevin Durant which gave him another overtime round for the win. Of course, K-Love came through like always and got the win. Congrats to Kevin Love on his win!

Kobe Bryant vs James Harden

Last night the Thunder took on the Lakers in Oklahoma City in a pretty good matchup. Things got a little chippy at the end, and there was a minor altercation between Kobe Bryant and James Harden. I just thought the whole situation was funny and I was happy to find the video on YouTube this morning. I'm a huge "Fear the Beard" fan, so I was cheering for Harden and OKC. He finished with 16 points and the victory, so I was happy for him. After the game Kobe had something to say.
"Maybe one day they'll be able to sit at my lunch table," he said. "Right now we're at two different lunch tables, man. The conversation's pretty brief."
Kind of a cocky quote from someone who just got crushed. I'm thinking James Harden is gonna be a huge part of this Thunder team down the road this season. Right now they are definitely my pick for the championship. Maybe I'll buy this shirt...

Luke Mothaluvin' Ridnour

Just got back from the best Wolves game ever. Thank you Luke Ridnour!! I love you guy. After missing a pretty huge open layup in the last game against the Nuggets, I'm really happy to see Luke bounce back and have a huge game that ended like that. His whole game was tremendous.
I gotta admit, I was hating on the Wolves the whole game going into the fourth, but they proved me wrong with some awesome clutch play. Big plays out of Derrick Williams and JJ Barea were key to getting us back in the game. Trailing by 16 with just 9 minutes to go, I thought we were done. But that is definitely how you overcome your mistakes and finish a game. An overall great performance tonight to get us back to .500 and close to the playoffs. I love that going into the All-Star break!
I went absolutely nuts when he hit this shot. The whole place exploded with enthusiasm, and it was funny seeing Ridnour jump into Anthony Tolliver's arms. Great work guys! And good luck to Rubio, Love, and D-Will at the All-Star break!

Nikola Pekovic 2012 Highlights

With the absence of Nikola Pekovic, I had to commemorate him by giving you some of his best highlights of the year. I hope he can make it back soon, because he has turned into a much needed part of our team. He's just too dang bossy!

Derrick Williams Monster Dunk

Went to the Wolves game last night and we had a monster win against the Bobcats. It was a pretty exciting second half for the T-Pups as we rolled away with the victory. Big games out of Kevin Love and Niko Pekovic. And of course, with this dunk, Derrick Williams gave us a huge highlight to be excited about. Wolves play the Rockets tomorrow night. Hopefully Kevin Love won't be stomping on anyone's face tonight.

All-Star Snub: Ricky Rubio

Why isn't Ricky Rubio an All-Star? Can you say snub?? Yeah dude, this guy is awesome and is gonna get rookie of the year. He is 3rd in the NBA in assists! How does he not make it?? You are funkin' high! That's all I have to say about that...
At least Rubio and Derrick Williams will be playing in the Rookie-Sophomore game before the All-Star game. Hopefully we'll see him a lot over the All-Star break. I think Rubio would definitely be a great candidate for the Skills Challenge. Right now I'm just excited to see him take on Jeremy Lin tonight. Should be an awesome matchup.

Jeremy Lin

Haven't had a new post in a minute, so I gotta do one today for sure. I couldn't really think of much going on, but the Wolves play the Knicks tonight and there's one guy that is gonna be hard to stop. The newest basketball sensation this season has been Jeremy Lin. Yeah, that guy right there has been a stud. Who said Asians can't ball?? Jeremy Lin is here to prove them wrong. After dropping 38 against the Lakers last night, I'm kinda worried that the Wolves defense won't be able to slow this man down. We had a pathetic game against the Mavericks, in which Dirk put up 30 points. But it is very nice to have Kevin Love back in the lineup. The T-Pups are actually a really fun team to watch this year, and with Jeremy Lin playing tonight it should be even more entertaining for everyone. Unfortunately I won't make it to the game tonight, but I'll be cheering from home. Let's go Wolves!

Niko Pekovic

Nikola Pekovic has been a boss lately for the Wolves, putting up a couple 20 point games lately. Recently, he destroyed Kris Humphries and the Nets, and last night had another huge game against the Kings. It really helps having him in there with the absence of Kevin Love, because he is playing out of his mind right now. I hope we can keep Pek around for a while because he is a huge fan favorite in Minnesota. We'll be cheering for him again tonight as the Wolves go to Memphis to take on Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies.

Kevin Love Suspended Two Games

Kevin Love suspended for two games for "stomping" on Luis Scola's face in Saturday's game. It sucks that he's gonna be gone but hopefully we can play pretty well in his absence. I've watched this video many times, and it is very hard to tell if he intentionally stepped on Scola's face. I really can't see Love doing this, and he didn't really react as though it was a big deal after it happened. From what I've read, Scola has been known to flop and kind of be a bitch on the court. I would even argue that he gave a cheap shot to Love in the game before by throwing the ball at Love's nuts. To me, in this play, I would say Love got tangled up and he had no where else to put his foot, but you can be the judge. The refs have been ridiculously bad this season and they should have called the foul before the "stomp" anyway. The NBA need new refs without a doubt, because this is just insane. I don't think Love even deserves a suspension, as he said himself that it was unintentional and even went to the Rockets locker room after the game to apologize. Regardless, we'll just have to play the next couple without him and rely on some big games out of Beasley and Pek. Good luck to Kevin Love in this one, and I can't wait for him to be back this Friday against the Mavericks. I will be at the game for sure.

Where is Anthony Randolph?

I have a problem right now... Anthony Randolph is not playing as much as he should. Is he injured? I haven't heard anything. Discipline? I haven't heard any of that either. All I know is that he came in that Lakers game at the end of the third quarter for the first time and totally changed the game. Where was he against the Pacers last night late in the game? The guy is a total game changer, and I think the Wolves gotta use him more. I'm a huge fan of Rick Adelman, but he's gotta learn how to use his players a little better. I don't what the deal is. I would also like to see a little bit more of Anthony Tolliver, who always seems to hit a big shot or play some good defense in every game. He's had his ups and downs, but at least throw him in there and see what he can do. Where are the Anthonys?? We played a horrible game against the Pacers last night, but we will bounce back this weekend as the Wolves play the Nets and the Rockets. We gotta get back to .500, because I think this team has the potential to be a solid playoff team. Let's go Wolves.