Posts Tagged ‘Joakim Noah’

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  • 0:48 Andy is dead this episode
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  • 9:30 Top Ten MLB HOFers that need to be kicked out
  • 19:38 Breakage
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[audio http://awmr01.podbean.com/mf/web/mnx65a/Episode013.mp3]

In this weeks episode we round up MLB, talk a little Ozzie, wonder aloud if the White Sox are for real, get a little touch and go with the Marlins uniform, we realize that almost no Cubs fans were ready for this season, discuss some Blackhawk hockey, bitch about the Heat, talk some Bulls, and we bring up our Top Ten Scrubs.

[audio http://awmr01.podbean.com/mf/web/xbqf92/Episode012.mp3]
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In today’s episode we introduce King Troll, Tony Leva (short-e), we talk some Tim Tebow to the Jets, Manning to the Broncos, call Skip Bayless an asshole, talk some Bulls, we talk some Blackhawk Hockey, wonder where Jack Haley went, we demand Tim Duncan to play DnD with us, we look at the Cubs/Sox seasons, and we reveal the top 10 pitchers in Chicago history.

Skip: BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH TRADITIONAL POINT GUARD BLAH BLAH BLAH BULLS BETTER WITH JLIII MOVING BALL BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH TEBOW SLURP SLURP BLAH BLAH BLAH

Other guy: CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH YOU ARE CRAZY CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH YOU’RE STUPID CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH LET’S MAKE OUT CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH CONTRARIANBLAH

Skip: BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH DERRICK ROSE ISN’T SPECIAL BL-

THIBS: AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

THIBS: FUCK THIS MOTHERFUCKER I FUCKING HATE THIS FUCKING ASSHOLE WITH THE FUCKING PASSION OF A THOUSAND MOTHERFUCKING SUNS!


Random Floozy: Don’t you have a game today?

THIBS: AAAHHHHHHH HH FUCK THE THUNDER!

THIBS: FUCKING ICE!

THIBS: FUCKING TIME OUT!

THIBS: FUCKING DEFEND!

THIBS: FUCKING ROTATE!

THIBS: FUCKING STOP FUCKING SHOOTING YOU FUCKING “DISTRIBUTOR!”

THIBS: FUCKING ICE CAN I GET SOME MOTHERFUCKING ICE IN THIS BITCH!

THIBS: I DON’T NEED FUCKING SLEEPING TIPS I NEED ICE MOTHERFUCKER!
Vanilla Ice: Uh that was actually Rip V-


Rip Hamilton: Me?
THIBS: FUCK YOU ASSHOLE, TRY NOT TO BREAK YOURSELF ON YOUR WAY TO THE FUCKING BENCH YOU FUCKING ELIJIAH PRICE WANNABE! FUCK YOU AND YOUR COMIC BOOK GIVING MOTHER YOU FUCK!
Rip: …dude, it-

THIBS: GODMOTHER FUCKING DAMNIT IIIIIIIIICCCCCEEEE!!!!!!! TIMEFUCKINGOUTTIMEFUCKINGOUTTIMEMOTHERFUCKINGOUT!


Lord Boozington: My good man, is there something the matter? I deduce that you are, how shall I put it, rather distressed at our lackluster performance currently. Tell me good sir, whate-

THIBS: SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I DONKEY FUCKING PUNCH YOU IN THE FUCKING FACE YOU SPRAYPAINT WEARING NO-ROTATING FADEAWAY JUMPSHOT SHOOTING FUCKSTICK! HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES ARE WE GOING TO FUCKING LET THAT LITTLE FUCKING SHIT GET INTO THE FUCKING PAINT AND SHIT ALL OVER US YOU LITTLE FUCKS! WESTBROOK IS FUCKING TAKING YOUR FUCKING LUNCH FUCKOS, THAT ASSHOLE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FUCKING PASS, HE FUCKING GETS FUCKING ASSISTS BY FUCKING ACCIDENT! THE ONLY FUCKING TIME THE BALL LEAVES HIS POSSESSION IS WHEN HE FUCKING PASSES TO LOSE HIS GUY AND NEVER GETS IT BACK! THAT FUCKER DOESN’T EVEN PASS IT TO ARGUABLY THE BEST FUCKING PLAYER IN THE FUCKING LEAGUE YOU FUCKERS!


Ninja Turtle: You know I can hear you from here right?

THIBS: SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU KNOW IT’S FUCKING TRUE!


Omer: Pekala durağı, İşbirliği ve dinle Buz benim yeni buluş ile geri döndü

THIBS ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER DO YOU FUCKING SPEAK IT?

Omer: Dans, Bum hoparlör acele olduğunu bomları
Ben zehirli bir mantar gibi beynini öldürüyorum
Deadly, Uyuşturucu bir melodi çaldığı zaman
En iyi şey daha az bir suç
Onu sev ya terk et, sen daha iyi bir yol kazanmak
Daha iyi vurmaktır, çocuk oynamak istemiyorum
Bir sorun olsaydı, Yo, ben çözeceğim bunu
Benim DJ döner iken kanca Check out

Capt. Skittles: I think coach is trying to say that you guys suck right now. You can’t wee-un like that.

THIBS: FUCKING RIGHT ASSHOLES! WHAT HEART AND SOUL SAID, YOU FUCKERS AREN’T DEFENDING SHIT AND YOU’RE GETTING RUN ON THE BOARDS, THAT FUCKING NEVER FUCKING HAPPENS YOU FUCkiiiinn-

Noah: Uh, coach?
Lord Boozington: Sir?
White Mamba: Yo whitey!
Capt. Skittles: Guys…just let it happen.

Random Assistant: Here you go Lu, here’s that ice pack

Lt. Deng: Thanks man.

Lt. Deng: awww shit

[youtube http://youtu.be/z4rMuugQnBk]

by Mauricio Rubio Jr.
Email: mr@99sportsproblems.com
Twitter: MRubio52 

The Chicago Bulls have amassed a rather impressive record without their star recently, showing the trademark determination that has made them a force in the regular season over the past 2 seasons. It’s been an odd year, and most teams have been bit by the weird season bug. The Heat have lost big in back to back games; the Knicks went through their odd mid season crisis when Melo came back to play with Lin, Vinny’s Clippers hit a mid-season mire that might cost him his job. All in all, teams have gone through slumps and at various points their local medias have hit the panic button.

I guess it’s Chicago’s turn.

The Bulls got drubbed by a faster, more willing Denver team which came after the Bulls barely escaped with a win against Toronto (thank you Deng). After an 8-0 run to start the game the Bulls were outscored 108-83. Usually this is a game where Derrick Rose comes in to completely bail you out or does enough to keep it close. As well as Lucas and Watson have played of late, Rose has a tendency to control the tempo. He understands what pace the Bulls need to play to be successful, and regardless of what out-of-town-stupid talking head says about his game, the ball moves better when Rose is out there.

That’s what it looks like when Rose isn’t out there to bail you out. Anyone that is mitigating the importance of Rose to this team because they’ve shown great determination in winning without him is delusional. Deng is hurt, and his shot is pretty much done for the season. Rip Hamilton will likely never be healthy this year. Brewer is inconsistent offensively. Noah has an ugly jumpshot that does go in sometimes, but he gets to passive on defense sometimes. I’m taller than John Lucas III.

Let me break some news here, the Bulls need Derrick Rose if they want to do anything significant. Don’t listen to the bullshit arguments about him not being a true point or whatever people want to say to be controversial. Understand that Rose is the best player on the floor most nights and that the Bulls won 6 rings without a traditional point guard before, and they can do so again. The best players in this league have the ball. Basketball is a sport where you can do that relatively easy and on a consistent basis.

The Bulls have designed an offense where the point guard carries the scoring load, yet Rose was still at 8 APG on the nose. I can’t believe that I have to sit here and type that Derrick Rose makes his team better, but damnit people, stop listening to stupid and understand that Rose makes his team better. The myth that the Bulls move the ball better without Rose started most likely with Skip Bayless, and it’s been growing some odd support as detractors pointed to the Bulls record and their win over the Heat as proof that they’re better without Rose

Stop being stupid.

What you need to understand is that Tommy Thibs is the best damn coach in the game, he should win his second Coach of the Year award. His end of game substitution patterns have been masterwork all year long. He’s unafraid to bench the highest paid players on the team if they aren’t performing and his defensive teachings have turned the Bulls into a juggernaut defense. It’s impressive when it’s on.

There’s only so much energy you can expend in a game before it starts catching up to you. The Bulls have grinded out maximum effort wins lately, but last night the Nuggets beat the shit out of them. We all need Rose to come back healthy, because the playoffs are looming and this team can’t be exhausted then.

If you had told me that LeBron James would be helping trap John Lucas III in late, critical possessions I would have made a bad joke referencing the absurdity of that statement and then I would have punched you straight in the face. All Brandon Marshall like.

The Chicago Bulls just plain outworked the Miami Heat en route to an improbable 106-102 victory. They did it with the reigning MVP on the bench too. I have to be honest, I was…less than optimistic about this game.

A pg by any other name does not smell just as sweet. No Rose sucks.
I might have to stay away from the Internet for awhile.
On my way towards drunken anger.

But I’ll be damned if those underdog assholes didn’t prove me wrong. It did take a remarkably efficient night by the most unlikely hero. We know him by many names, the Third, Carlton, LeBron’s hurdle, but for today we can simply address him as “Giant Slayer.”

Suck on that, you dancing assholes. This dudes doppelganger just whupped your ass.

How crazy was Carlton’s night? He doubled Bosh’s point production while taking 3 fewer shots. John Lucas III was 9-12 for 24 points. That’s clownshoes ridiculous. The degree of difficulty on his shots seemed to increase as the game wore on too. Lucas had open looks to start the game, he started 4-4 and mixed in a few threes when he first came off the bench.

He also did this.

The Heat’s interior defense was porous to start, the Bulls designed plays and took advantage of lazy rotation on the inside and did yeoman’s work inside the paint. Luol Deng played the warrior once again as LeBron was taking every chance he could to slap at Luol’s gimpy wrist. The total team effort by the Bulls was greater than the individual efforts of Wade and LeBron.

It seems that the Thibs gameplan was to single cover Wade and LeBron and shut down the help. James and Wade had big nights, 35-5-4 for LeBron, 36-7-1 for Wade, but the rest of the Heat seemed to be spectators. They combined to score only 31 points. Bosh in particular had a rough night. He was 3-15 and if not for some bailout calls, his point production would have cratered by an even deeper margin.

And then there was that 4th quarter thing with LeBron again. James was outscored by another James in the final frame. The Heat designed plays that used LeBron as a decoy twice in the closing seconds to get an open look for noted superstar, James Jones. LeBron didn’t show up on the screen on the offensive end in the 4th, doing nothing to help the unfortunate reputation he has built up for himself. Wade closed the gap and kept the Heat close, leaving the door open just a crack, but James was noticeably absent for most of the quarter. He did have a great steal on an ill advised pass, but for the most part he was invisible in the closing minutes.

So what can you take from last nights game? What does it all mean? It’s a confirmation of what we’ve believed from the start. The Heat have Talent (yeah, capital T talent, it’s that good) on their side, the Bulls have heart on theirs. This isn’t to say that the Bulls lack talent, rather it means that for the Bulls to beat the Heat, they’ll need to outwork them in every phase of the game like they did tonight. The defense was superb. The Bulls won the rebounding battle. The Bulls limited the bad shots early in the shot clock. LeBron disappeared in the 4th quarter. Wade hit tough shots. Bosh Boshed.

Offensive patience will help the Bulls, and while they are still the underdogs in what should be an eventual rematch in the ECF, there is some hope to be gleaned from this game.

It can be done.

And Fuck LeBron.

LOL

I’ve spent a lot of time writing about baseball games these last couple of months. It’s only natural. Baseball is my favorite sport after all. I don’t feel like I’m doing anyone a disservice by writing solely about baseball, but a little variety now and then can’t hurt.

Basketball is not my game. I tried playing it when I was a kid and found that my two main skills, free throw shooting and fouling other players, weren’t a recipe for a star hoopster. Subsequently, I only enjoyed it when winning or losing didn’t matter to anyone involved. I loved playing 21 and horse during PE in both elementary and high school and to this day still love the idea of just shooting a ball around, not that I ever do. At the end of the day basketball is just a fun game that I can’t take seriously. At least I can’t take it seriously enough to watch others play.

That’s why I love NBA Jam.

It’s a basketball game that doesn’t take the sport seriously. While winning and losing may be a personal matter within the game, there’s no season riding on it. There are no teammates to ridicule or be ridiculed in the locker room after a blowout loss. There isn’t a shred of remorse or hurt feelings when a game is over. Just another couple of coins dumped into the slot. There have been several games released with the NBA Jam name, and many more similar games of varying quality under different titles. All hipster douchebaggary aside, the original arcade cabinet is still the best version available if you can find a place that has one. It had balanced teams and it just sounds and feels right. Plus it had Shaq and Barkley so there.

When you play NBA Jam on the original arcade cabinet, you are playing a caricature of one of the most exciting and storied times in basketball history. It was a time when old greats faced off against young new stars, new dynasties were being formed as old standbys crumbled, the NBA was taking chances by drafting new talent from Europe and for the first time sent its top stars up against the increasingly tough talent in the Olympic games. That’s not even mentioning that Micheal Jordan had just forced his name into the world’s collective consciousness, whether they liked it or not, by winning his third consecutive championship ring and five MVP awards in the process. (Two regular season, three finals.)

So why is NBA Jam still such a popular game? How has it endeared itself to so many fans? What’s the magic? What’s the trick? The gimmick? What’s the secret?

For one, it’s fast. The 3 minute quarters blink past without a care. It’s really a testament to how great a game is when people don’t even realize they are being duped into dumping extra coins in a game due to a fast counting clock. Then there’s the gameplay. Through all the shoving, turbo passes, flaming dunks, and shattered glass you don’t even realize how much time really goes by or how many games you’ve played. You put in your first quarter, you play, you look up and your pockets no longer jingle and its been three hours. What the hell?

Another reason people like NBA Jam is the flamboyantly comical art style and presentation. Between the static player photographs put on what seems to be a single body that is repeatedly pallet swapped and re-sized, and commentary provided by Tim Kitzrow it’s hard not to smile while you watch and listen to the game. Everything is so over the top that there’s no room for rational basketball rules. I mean, how do you call a foul in a game where you can set the net on fire with a dunk? How could you allow the game to stop just because the ball goes out of bounds when any given player jumps higher than the rim? You just can’t. It’s an arcade sports game at its core and NBA Jam does it so right, there’s no way to really improve it. Even the newest version on the Wii, PSN, and Xbox Live is just the same game with updated rosters and visuals.

There is, however, an underlying theory as to why people love NBA Jam. One that is buried within the confines of sports history and the evaluation of what was happening in basketball between 1991 and 1993. The 1980’s were a period of rising popularity for professional basketball. Starting in 1979 when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson entered the league, star player after star player emerged culminating in a virtual renaissance in the NBA. The 80’s saw the retirement of some of the game’s most storied players including Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Julius Irving, and Walt Frazier. But while these greats were taking a seat players like James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullen, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and Micheal Jordan were easily making names for themselves in a sport that was fast becoming a contender for the worlds most popular sport. Basketball was clearly evolving and it would take a loss on the world’s stage for America to understand just how far the sport had come.

In 1988 the US men’s basketball team finished third in the Olympics. Third. They lost to Russia and Yugoslavia. What was happening? All the time the US was sending college kids to play in the Olympics in basketball the rest of the world was sending its best players to compete and they were getting better every year. The best players from the United States were in the NBA and weren’t allowed to play in the games due to their professional status. In effect, that gave the US a huge disadvantage. Sure nine of the players on the Russian and Yugoslavian teams that beat the American team ended up playing for the NBA at some point and with varying success, you may remember Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, and Drazen Petrovic, but that was no excuse. So in 1989 when the worlds governing body over international basketball, the FIBA, decided it was cool to allow professional players to compete the stage was set for something crazy to happen.

The 1992 US men’s basketball team featured eleven NBA players and one guy from Duke (pfft they couldn’t get one more?). Not only did they tear up the world qualifying tournaments, beating the six teams they played by an average of 52 points, but they flew through the Olympics with ease. They averaged 117 points per game and beat the opposition by an average of 44 points per game to win the gold medal that year. It was a great moment in sports history and The Dream Team is one of only eight complete teams to be elected to the basketball hall of fame. Combine that with basketball’s general rising popularity and you have a country ready to eat up anything basketball related. NBA Jam couldn’t possibly fail in at atmosphere like that.

NBA Jam represents a time in sports history where everything was on an upswing and a time in video game history when new avenues of game development were being explored. These two elements combined to bring about a classic game that painted a bombastic and flashy picture of American culture. One that I dearly miss and has yet to be matched.

Stay tuned for part two, The ghosts of Reggie Lewis and Drazen Petrovic.

Boomshakalaka.

The Miami Heat are the best team in basketball right now. They’ve managed to augment their talent with a modicum of depth. Shane Battier, a healthy Udonis Haslem, ditto with Mike Miller, Norris Cole came out of nowhere to provide meaningful minutes, the Heat have a bench now and that makes them deadly. It’s a forgone conclusion that the Heat will meet the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals once again.

That’s part of the reason the Heat are so criticized. When you add to a core that boasts 3 of the 10 best players in the NBA, you’re supposed to be unstoppable. The roadblocks that remain for the Heat are the same ones as last year. They have difficulty figuring out who will be the man in the closing minutes, you can frustrate them with a zone defense, and they have some difficulty with rebounding.

And there’s that really weird LeBron issue too.

Which of course brings me to Derrick Rose. I have no idea where the excuse of “That’s the proper basketball play,” came from, but it’s complete utter bullshit. The Heat were in trouble last Friday against a tough Utah Jazz team. Yeah, LeBron spearheaded an inspired comeback that came up just short, he was hitting ridiculous three pointers and taking odd shots from odd angles because, damnit, he’s the best damn player on the planet and he should be forcing up shots like that because he can hit them.

On the final play however? “I gotta pass to Udonis. Crunch time.”

Don’t even give me Kerr or Paxson. Those assholes were jump shooters, deadly threats from the outside. It made sense to pass it out to the top of the key when the defense was collapsing on you. LeBron is an absolute force of nature. No one is going to bother him much when he drives the paint. You can’t slow that down.

Look at Rose. In the waning moments of a close game against a tough Philly team, when the Bulls needed a bucket, who was throwing his small frame into the teeth of a pitbull defense that was looking to make sure that it wouldn’t be Rose who scores? Onesanity, that’s who. A stupid, ill-advised shot that makes you go, “NONONNONONONONNO!!!! WAIT WHAT!!!!!! YES! SHIT YES, YOU LITTLE SHIT YOU KEEP DOING THAT AND IT MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER GODDAMNIT!”

Well, maybe that’s just me, but Rose is the same guy that dominated a state playoff game and only scored 2 points. He can distribute and he loves getting his teammates involved. Remember early in his career when we were all begging him to quit deferring?

And then he did the damndest thing and quit deferring and became the MVP because of clownshoes ridiculous shot after shot that won the Bulls games? Yeah, it’s crazy but I think someone (Thibs) sat Derrick down and said, “Now, I know that you don’t want to step on any toes, but seriously, asshole, you’re passing to Bogans and Jo for jumpshots. Cut that shit out and just take it to the rack.”

LeBron needs that speech. Yeah, passing to Haslem is the proper basketball play, but everyone needs to shit on that stupid theory. Legends don’t follow the rules. They reinvent the book in their own image by throttling the game by it’s throat and making it bend to their will. “Oh what’s that? I’m too selfish? I’m only a scorer? Here, have some of this 35-8-8 up your asshole. And then I’ll win 6 titles.” “Oh, I can’t win without Shaq? Taste my asshole, I’ll win two more and solidify my legend. And I’ll do it by being a maniacal asshole who makes funny faces and takes a lot of ‘bad’ shots.”

The rules that dictate what is and isn’t a good basketball play are completely open for LeBron to reinterpret and rewrite. Bad basketball plays are good ones for him because he is such a physical freak. The man can do whatever he wants on the court, and if he’s going to shake off the demons, get the monkey off his back, he’s going to have to forget about that “good basketball play” bullshit.

Impose your will asshole, if you don’t, good luck getting by the Bulls.

[youtube http://youtu.be/-i51QLznR2g]
Goddamn that’s an awful shot…awesome.

Don’t panic, Bulls are slowly righting the ship.

This play is ridiculous. Derrick Rose is used to playing against men taller and bigger than he is, this is a playground layup, crafted on concrete courts, perfected against men whose defense was to hit hard and often, and finally being showcased on the big stage in the NBA.

Rose has playground game infused with collegiate fundamentals. He isn’t out of control, even if it looks like that often. He’s fucking fast, and that’s probably the best way to describe the 6’4 demon in sneakers. I can’t fathom what it must feel like to have total command of the court like Rose does. He seemingly gets to the rack at will, imposing NBA trees be damned.

His back spasms flared up again, and that will be an issue for the next couple of days, but the Bulls will be fine. This is about a deep playoff run, not a few regular season victories to pad the victory total. It’s not even really about home court advantage either, the Bulls had that last year and it didn’t help them much againss the Heat. No, it’s about avoiding the Heat as long as possible.

The Heat are kind of a bitch. They’re playing an oddly poetic brand of violent, aggressive, rim rattling basketball, the likes of which have never been seen. This isn’t Showtime, this is Showtime’s evil, ‘roided up cousin who drives the black camaro and listens to Sabbath.

Deng is pretty awesome, and you should start to appreciate him more.

I'm putting you on noitce, asshole.

The team looks completely different when Deng is out there, the rotations are different, the defense is different, the offense is different, Deng makes everything better.

I mean, it is a small sample size, but the Bulls looked lost on offense without him. Derrick went into “I’m going to do everything now.” mode as the rest of the team looked on in awe and forgot they had to contribute on the offensive end. They’ve blown out two opponents since Deng has returned, and it’s passed the eye test as well.

Fuck the Knicks

Overrated pieces of shit

Truth.

They were supposed to be Miami Heat pt. 2. fuck em, the Mecca of basketball hasn’t won shit since 1973, and they aren’t going to win it this year. Coach Pringles is fired, and I’m glad the Bulls didn’t hire him when they were looking for a coach. I mean, it lead to a few years of Vinny, but I’ll take the hair over the ‘stache any day.

Besides, the important part here is that the Knicks suck after trying to copy another business model. ‘Melo is an enigma, and I’m glad D’Antoni hasn’t solved it.

Stop pissing Derrick off. He doesn’t like it.


Man, the United Center was loud that night.

When he was a rookie, Brandon Jennings scored 50 pts. in a game once. Did you know that? I remember it because people started asking if Jennings was better than Rose. It was stupid then, and it’s stupid now, and Rose will always take the opportunity to show you exactly why. He doesn’t forget. If you disrespect him, he’s coming after you. Rose is a silent assassin. I would stop pissing him off. Immediately.

Gimme dat Jo!

Yeah, you jelly.

As Terry wrote, Jo is back! He’s been more active lately and his defense has been outstanding over this recent run of success. Jo is important, he can’t be tired and lazy if he’s going to have any worth to this team. His passing from the top of the key is a big part of the Bulls offense.

Moving forward, if the Bulls are going to beat the Heat, they need all their parts running at as close to full capacity as the season will allow. Their best player is 6’4, the Heat’s best player is 6’8. That’s a problem, because LeBron can guard Derrick and shut his ass down. Teams are starting to trap Derrick when he brings the ball up the court, it’s a pain in the ass mainly, but for the Heat, it’ll be a useful weapon.