The Never-Ending Hypocrisy of Sports Fans

Can't Beat Em, Join Em'.

About a week ago my brother Zeph and I were discussing our thoughts on the NBA's pending free agency period. During the colorful conversation we mostly lamented the fact that our beloved Lakers didn't have a chance at any marquee superstar on the market. When the discussion shifted to Kevin Durant it was brief. Zeph pointed out something I wholeheartedly agreed with. "What does he do?", I pondered. "He stays. As I see it, he needs to be loved. He doesn't want people to hate him. He's too mentally fragile to handle the criticism of leaving like LeBron. He's never going to leave because he's too weak to leave." His words more or less. I agreed that Durant, from what one could reasonably surmise from such a far distance, DID care about being loved. He seemed overly sensitive.

Some may remember an OKC paper openly and fairly questioning Durant's performance as a clutch player after a horrid playoff game a few years back. Something every paper does in every other major city does to its star player in any sport after they have a bad game But Durant didn't like it. In fact, he was livid. The OKC front office rushed to defend Durant, putting out a statement critical of the article. Teammates lashed out at the reporter during the next media session and even Durant's mother offered a dissenting opinion. The pushback was so great from the team, the fans, and Durant's camp, that the paper actually issued an apology. So yeah. I agreed. Kevin Durant was mentally weak when it came to handling criticism, be it warranted or not.

Cut to yesterday and as I see it Durant made the ONE choice, that while it yields the best chance of professional success, it also carries the most criticism. And as I see it was the HARDER of all the choices he could have made. If he stays in OKC, nothing changes. They run it back because after all they were only one win from the Finals. He goes to the Spurs, he's seen as the true heir to Duncan and their final piece. The Celtics, he's seen as the first true transcendent superstar to pick Boston in free agency, teaming with Al Horford as a rival to combat Cleveland's stranglehold on the Eastern conference. Miami, he seen as having been lured by the great Pat Riley as the Heat pulled another horseshoe out of its tanned, sun spotted ass, and Durant offers a true challenge for LeBron in LeBron's old stomping grounds no less. But he picked Golden State.

On the surface the move look like what amounts to the United States increasing its already bloated defense spending. By all estimations the Warriors have amassed the most in their prime top level talent in league history. Four of the league's 12 best players, and all three of its greatest shooters are on ONE TEAM. Fuck! And you know what, I think they're going to be amazing. All those open jumpers Harrison Barnes misses, Durant doesn't. It's a team and culture that truly thrives off of teamwork and ball movement. Which is what made their final possession of the season so maddening. It didn't look anything like Golden State. A hobbled Steph Curry going iso, struggling to try to get past the flat footed Kevin Love to put up a hopeless jumper. Next season they may not win 73, but we would all agree even with 60-65 wins that team will be better than last season.

The New Normal

Yesterday Zeph and I talked. He expressed like many of you disappointment in Durant's decision. Called him and this whole generation of players "weak pussies." To which I say when it's not your team, yes it sucks. The Cavs fans hated LBJ and the Heatles. Not just because James was leaving them. In part it was the idea of three superstars teaming up to achieve the only goal of the sport; win a championship! How dare them! This is pussy shit Cleveland said...Until James went home and used the same formula, two all-stars (James and Love) joining an already entrenched franchise player (Irving) to take the Cavs to two straight Finals and one title. Super teams didn't seem to bother Gilbert and Cavs fans these pass two seasons.

Even Zeph doesn't mind it. He just doesn't remember he doesn't. In 2011 for one day, the Lakers acquired Chris Paul. On the roster they had Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. By all accounts they planned on using their remaining first round pick along with Bynum to lure a still very much in his prime Dwight Howard from Orlando. Bryant. CP3. Howard. Pau. Let me day dream a second.... Okay I'm back to the real world which is a hellscape where Paul is on the Clippers, Kobe and Pau are gone, and the Lakers suck.

But that day, I didn't hear any noise from Zeph about players being pussies for teaming up. It felt good to think LA was doing what Miami was doing at the time. Stacking the deck and giving themselves the best chance to win. But when it's LBJ and the Cavs, or the Heat, and now Durant and the Warriors it's unfair. The talk is MJ wouldn't do this. Magic and Bird wouldn't do this. Well they wouldn't because they couldn't move so freely. It's akin to Black people today trying to convince me, or rather themselves, if they were alive in 1820 they wouldn't conform to slavery. We are all nothing but products of our time and the work of the generations before us. Durant has seen players before him slaving away (excuse the term) on shit teams year after year with no title to show for it. He didn't want to be that guy.

73 wins are not, THIS is a better team than the 2016 Warriors.

Zeph said he'll never watch the NBA again. Which knowing him, he actually won't. Zeph's nothing if not a man of his word. But others are saying the same thing, but you will. You'll watch. Because sports is the world's great reality show. Nothing is promised or scripted. If so, the 73 win juggernaut would be the champion. Games still need to be played. And as we've seen, anything is possible.

The Great Point Guard Myth

These players ARE NOT important!

The greatest lie the devil ever told wasn’t convincing the world that he didn’t exist. No, no, no, Lucifer’s best fib was convincing anyone with a higher basketball knowledge in today’s world that guards, in particular point guards, are important to winning a NBA title. You can’t turn on ESPN, TV or radio without hearing talking heads say the same thing over and over again about the NBA. “It’s a point guard driven league.” “Point guard play is so key this time of year.” “You gotta get point great guard play or it’s over.” Every time I hear this I want to punch my laptop.

The NBA is the easiest league to figure out. That’s why it’s not as popular as the NFL. The flexibility and unpredictably of the NFL is what makes it great. Those things, flexibility and unpredictably, make it a better sport to bet on. Anything can happen. The Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons are the ultimate case study. In 2012, both were a combined 24-7, won their divisions AND a playoff game. One year later, 8-26 and now at the top of the NFL Draft!

Teams like Philly and Kansas City are the same in reverse. Loser in 2012, but winners in 2013. The players contracts aren’t guaranteed in the NFL so players can come and go almost exclusively on their production level. Look at someone like Albert Haysworth in the NFL and Amar’e Stoudemire in the NBA. Both 32 years old. (Haysworth now Stoudemire in November) Both have been shot years ago athletically but because Haysworth was in the NFL he was cut and hasn’t even sniffed a field since 2011, while Stoudemire is still sucking the life out of the New York Knicks. (Cut to Knicks fans punching their laptops and Stoudemire putting on a ski mask to pick up his check while Gilbert Arenas drives the getaway car.) If the NFL was like the NBA, Haysworth would STILL HAVE TWO MORE SEASONS OF CHECKS COMING TO HIM. (RE-READ THAT SENTENCE!)

You can rebuild and retool on the fly in the NFL. Every year you can start over and do it again. Every team has a REAL SHOT! You don’t even have to have a first round pick to find a star in the NFL. Look at the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson was a third round pick. You rarely, and I mean RARELY, get a great player outside of the top ten in the NBA Draft, much least the second round. That’s the NFL’s greatest advantage over the NBA. Philly football fans can honestly believe in their team’s chances to win a Super Bowl this season. If you’re a Philly basketball fan and you think the Sixers are going to win the NBA, you need to run outside and check the date on a newspaper because you’ve traveled back in time to 1982.

Going into this NBA season we could identify roughly five teams with a REAL chance at the title (Miami, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Chicago, and Indiana) and ten teams with the same chances as my six-year old son’s youth summer camp team. (LA Lakers, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Boston, Sacramento, Utah, Orlando, New Orleans, Cleveland and Minnesota.) There are only five guys on the court for each team at one time so naturally the eye test works so much easier in the NBA than the NFL.

Is this man on your team? If not, chances are your team WON'T win it all.

I can’t tell you who the best lineman is in the NFL. I just look at whoever gets voted All-Pro and say “Seems right to me.” I don’t need a NBA expert to tell me LeBron James is the best player. You could bring Martians to Earth with no knowledge of the game of basketball, show them the first half of a Miami game, tell them what numbers are, then ask which player was the best and they’d say the tall one in the number six jersey.

Because the number of players is so small, you could swap LeBron in for the following teams and they have a legit chance to winning the title this season; Clippers, Thunder, Bulls, Portland, Houston, Memphis, Washington, Spurs, and Pacers.You could put James on ANY team they’d all win at least 50 games and make the playoffs. Put Peyton Manning on the Jags and the Jags are STILL gonna suck. Look at how the same roster fell apart after he left Cleveland that first season. This isn’t a best point guard wins league, it’s a best PLAYER wins league. The only time the best point guard wins the title is if the best player just HAPPENS to be a point guard. Lets look at the past champions, their starting point guard and see when best point guard wins the title.

2013-12 Heat: The Immortal Mario Chalmers.

2011 Mavs: Jason “I Became A Coach Two Years Later” Kidd.

2009-10 Lakers: Derek “Never Made an All-Star, All-Anything, NBA Team” Fisher

2008 Celtics: Rajon “At The Time I was the weak link” Rondo

2007 Spurs: Tony “Only One All-Star, not as good as I am now” Parker

2006 Heat: Jason “White Chocolate/Flash In Pan” Williams

2005 Spurs: Tony “Not Good Yet” Parker

2004 Pistons: Chauncey “You Didn’t Know I Was An All-Star Yet” Billups

2003 Spurs: Tony “Even Worst” Parker

2002-00 Lakers: Derek “As Good As I’ll Get And STILL Never Be An All-Star” Fisher

1999 Spurs: Avery “The only individual award I’ll win is Coach Of the Year” Johnson

1998-96 Bulls: Ron “Guess What? I never made an All-Star Either” Harper

1995-94 Rockets: Kenny “More famous for being Barkley’s second banana” Smith

1993-91 Bulls: John “Never made an All-Star” Paxton

1990-89 Pistons: Isiah "FINALLY" Thomas

Magic and Isiah. Last of the great point guards to win NBA Championship

I had to go ALLLL the way back to 1990 for the last “best point guard in the league” NBA title. (And Isiah being the best is debatable cause Magic was still Magic so the best point guard may have not even WON the title those seasons.) And the last best player being a point guard title was the 1988 Lakers with Magic. Having a great point guard is about as important as having a “great” pinky toe. You technically need one, but you’ll live without it.

There is one way to win a title. Have one of the five best players in the league at the time, PLUS at least one active “I can make or made” an All-Star teammate. Jordan was the best but had Pippen. Shaq was the best but had Kobe. Kobe was the best but had Pau. LeBron is the best, but has Wade & Bosh.

 

Serious how the hell did the Mavs win the 2011 title?

Only the 1994 Houston Rockets had the best player do it solo. The 2004 Detroit Pistons were aliens. (Hindsight shows us that Detroit had four All-Stars in Billups, Hamilton, Wallace Ben and Rasheed both that is. But they still should not have been able to win.) And the 2011 Dallas Mavericks themselves still can’t believe they won. 

They didn’t have the best player or an active All-Star sidekick. Dirk was an All-Star but wasn’t even a top five in the league guy at the time. I still have NO clue how they won that title over Miami. You can’t say 2008 Celtics didn't have a top five guy because KG finished second in the MVP so he was clearly one of the five best players.

This isn’t rocket science. This is as easy as it gets. We don’t need to waste time talking about point guard play. All you need from your point guard is a guy who can just keep it together. Someone who doesn’t make a huge mistake in the huge moment. You don’t need the best point guard. You just need the best guy, regardless of position. That “best point guard” moniker has gotten Chris Paul NO TITLES. Derrick Rose, NO TITLE. Steve Nash, NO TITLES. Jason Kidd, NO TITLE in his prime. Gary Payton NO TITLE in his prime.

Want to know if your team is going to win the title? Ask yourself two simple questions. “Does my team have the best player?” “Does my team have one of the five best players?” If the answer to either or both was no, then no. If the answer to one or both was yes, then maybe. And maybe is a hell of a lot better than no.

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It (Episode 16 PT. 1)

We talk about it all today!

If you guys listen to the podcast, by now you know how my brother Zeph feels about LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Due to a lot of traveling, on my part near the end of the NBA Finals, Zeph and I haven't had a chance to talk about it. So here it goes.

We talk LeBron's legacy versus Michael Jordan's legacy and the new age of NBA superstars joining forces. We also discuss the Los Angeles Lakers "courtship" of Dwight Howard and the new look Celtics Brooklyn Nets. This is part one of a two part mega podcast. Click this link to hear part two, where we talk Aaron Hernandez. Subscribe, share and join the debate by leaving a comment below. You can follow me on Twitter @ParisLay and you can follow my brother Zeph @NeecySon81. Thanks for listening and enjoy the view!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 14)

LeBron James and Tim Duncan both rose to the pressure of Game 6.

Like I said in the last podcast, if I said I knew what was going to happen in this series, I'd be lying to you. Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, will go down as one of the best Finals games in NBA history. From Tim Duncan turning back the clock, to LeBron James going legendary in the forth, to Ray Allen's game-tying/overtime forcing three and Chris Bosh's big block to seal the victory. I'm joined by my brother Zeph and special guest Evan Barnes, a sports writer and good friend of mine back in Los Angeles.

We break it all down and discuss whether or not the Spurs can come back and win Game 7 in South Beach. Share, subscribe, and leave a comment below to join the discussion. You can follow me on Twitter @ParisLay. You can follow my brother Zeph @NeecySon81. You can follow Evan @evan_b. Also, check out Evan's writing by clicking this link. Thanks for listening to the podcast and as always, ENJOY THE VIEW!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 13)

Big 3 versus Big 3!

This is just unreal at this freaking point! Death, taxes, and the winning team from the previous game losing the NEXT game in the 2013 NBA Finals are apparently the three certainties of life. Even though I called it, including Manu's big game, I was still genuinely shocked. My brother Zeph and I breakdown the San Antonio's victory in Game 5. We also have a big discussion on LeBron not stepping up, his legacy, (And I'm starting to change my mind on him.), Danny Green as the Finals MVP and why I can't root for the Spurs or Boston Celtics. (Even though I really, really respect the Spurs. So much so I wrote this about Tim Duncan.) Share, Subscribe, Feel free to join the discussion by leaving a comment below. You can follow me on Twitter @ParisLay. You can follow my brother on Twitter @NeecySon81. Thanks for listening and as always ENJOY THE VIEW!!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 12)

This photo says it all... LeBron, while present, was in the background
as Dwyane Wade's game took the for forefront in Game 4 versus the Spurs.

If I said I knew what was going to happen next, then I'd be lying to you. The NBA Finals between the defending champion Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs zigged when it was suppose to zag. For the first time in a long time, Dwyane Wade played a great game, helping the Heat pull even with the Spurs at 2-2. My brother Zeph and I talk about Wade's performance as well as the Chris Bosh sighting in Game 4. We also talk about San Antonio, the impact of Parker's injury, Manu's no-show so far and what the Spurs must do to win Game 5. Share, Subscribe, Join the Discussion by leaving a comment below. You can follow me on Twitter @ParisLay and you can follow my brother Zeph @NeecySon81. Thanks for listening and as always, ENJOY THE VIEW!

PLEASE NOTE! I'm currently out of town, so the quality isn't the best it could be.  I apologize in advance if it sounds a little off, but I still felt like it's good enough to post. 

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 11)

Much like Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, Danny Green can too make it rain!

I have been wrong about a lot of things in my 26 years of life, but the blowout victory from the San Antonio Spurs over the Miami Heat will surely be in my top ten five three of all time. (Predicting that The Adventures of Pluto Nash would be a hit and thinking my marriage would last even though I went to Iraq literally THE DAY AFTER I said "I do" are still number two and one respectfully.) My brother Zeph and I talk about the commanding 36 point massacre victory by the Spurs, what game four means for LeBron/Miami Heat and what they must do to push the series back to South Beach. Zeph also reveals a scenario in which LeBron James can actually earn "some" of his (Zeph's that is) respect. (I know, I know... Hell Officially Has Frozen Over!) Share, Subscribe, Join the discussion by leaving a comment below, follow me on Twitter @ParisLay, follow Zeph on Twitter @NeecySon81 and as always ENJOY THE VIEW!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 10)

LeBron James and the Miami Heat even up the NBA Finals 1 to 1 going into Game 3.

Well I didn't see that coming. My brother Zeph and I break down the Miami Heat's victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game Two of the NBA Finals. Plus we look ahead to Game 3 down in Texas. Zeph's still holding on to his San Antonio in five games prediction while I try to talk some sense into him. Share, Subscribe, Leave a comment below to join the discussion, follow me on Twitter @ParisLay and follow my brother Zeph @NeecySon81. Thanks for listening and ENJOY THE VIEW!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 9)

This should be good...

The NBA Finals are starting, and I haven't posted one in awhile, so here's a fresh podcast to get you ready for tonight's game. My brother Zeph and I look back at the Eastern Conference Finals and the Indiana Pacers. Next, we preview the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and defending champion Miami Heat.

We also talk about our fantasy All-Time NBA Team, but STAY TUNED UNTIL the end because my brother says the CRAZIEST THING HE'S EVER SAID! (Which is REALLY saying something, if you listen to this podcast.) Trust me, it's worth a listen alone for that moment. Share, Subscribe, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW, (You can ALWAYS leave one on Facebook, of course, but leaving one here lets you join in on the debate.) follow me on Twitter @ParisLay and follow my brother Zeph on Twitter @NeecySon81. Thanks for listening and Enjoy The View!

The Unspoken Greatness of Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan...Greatness has never been so quite.

Once upon a time, someone asked me who I thought the best basketball player of this generation was. Who was the one player I’ll remember the most? Who was the player that I’ll proudly look back to and gloat that I was able to see? The easy answers would be players like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. All of these guys great. All of these guys NBA Champions and NBA MVPs and NBA All-Stars and blah, blah, blah, but none can ever really be called the “best” player of their generation. Shaq was the most "dominant". On the nights when Shaq gave a f**k, no one, and I mean no one in the history of basketball, was stopping him. Part of it was skill, but a good chunk of it was Shaq hitting the physical lottery. No one is stopping 7’ 2” and 325 pounds when it’s engaged and motivated. Garnett was the most "intense." KG always gave a crap. Even on those hopeless T-Wolves teams in the early 00s he always gave 110% and played each game like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Bryant was the most gifted and most fun to watch. He's the closest thing we will EVER see to Michael Jordan and enough can't be said for that. He runned-and-gunned his way to over 30,000 career points and has played at a 1^st Team All-NBA level for over 16 years. I can’t even begin to explain how hard that is to do.

Celtics fans really hate this picture for some strange reason

But again, none of these guys were the “best”. All except, Kobe where traded at least once. (Before LA hijacked Pau Gasol from Memphis, Kobe did everything but wear a “for sale” sign on the court.) Shaq was too busy rapping or being funny to truly care about basketball the way he should have. (Shaq is the GREATEST WASTE OF TALENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA. Again, dude hit the physical lotto, but didn't do everything he could have done to be the best player ever. And that pisses me off. Shaq only made 3 All-NBA Defensive Teams and each was only 2nd team. He only won one MVP and had he gave a crap about making at least 70% of his free throws, he could have scored at least 2,500 more points. Shaq, you owe my Lakers at least 2 more titles and I say they should have waited at least 10 years to retire your jersey. AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT KNOWS YOU WERE A F***ING CELTIC!!! Ugh!!! Let me move on before I get madder.) Garnett wasn’t good enough to build around and had to go to Boston to win a ring and he may even be traded again after this season.

 

The Debate can go on for years. Kobe or Duncan?

I’m the world’s biggest Kobe fan, but I have to admit that there were a lot of years Kobe wasn’t the best teammate and/or, by all accounts anyway, the best person to be around. Trade talk not withstanding, Kobe had his troubles off the court (Lakers fans seem to forget about Colorado.) and was so un-coachable at one point in his career that Phil Jackson said "Screw it! I'm out!" (Do you think Phil Jackson ever thought about NOT coaching Michael Jordan during his prime?! How bad of a person was Kobe to have a coach give up on him during his prime?!) Only one player was good enough to truly build around. (As in, other players would have killed to play with him. And if they couldn't kill to play with him, they'd take less money to play with him.) Only one player NEVER, EVER, EVER had his team think, even for a millisecond, of trading him. Only one player has won 70% of his games. Only one player has won at least 50 games  every year. (Strike shorten season of 1999 not withstanding.) That player is Tim Duncan.  Even his nickname is boring. The Big Fundamental?

We, basketball and sports fans in general really, have romanced over the “flashy” athlete. Over the ESPN SportsCenter highlight warriors like T-Mac (Who looks like he’s going to ride Duncan’s coattail to his first title. Feel free to run outside and scream at the thought of that like I just did.) and Vince Carter. But we get mad when a guy complains about not making enough money. We think it’s the end of the world when a guy beats his wife or girlfriend. We can’t stop “killing” a guy when he has a “me” first attitude or when a superstar throws his teammates under the bus. We "say" we just want our athletes to play hard, always give a crap, make their teammates better, get better when it counts and not be a complete tool off the court. 

For years now Tim Duncan has done all that and MORE but what does he get? He gets called “boring”. Funny huh? Duncan does it right all the time and yet we don’t give him the props. We can "say" we like all that "good guy" stuff but we secretly like watching the car wreck. We love when a guy is a d-bag. We can't get enough of it when a guy gets the talking heads on sports radio or First Take and PTI going. Tim Duncan is like a mini van doing the speed limit, where as Kobe’s like a Ferrari doing 95 in a 55 zone. It’s just more fun watching the Ferrari, even if it’s gone off the road a time or two and could possibly kill us. In a week or so, Duncan has a chance to win his 5^th NBA title (Tied with Kobe and Derek Fisher for the most by an active player.) and his 4^th Finals MVP, some 13 years apart from this first Finals MVP. A feat only Kareem can lay claim to. 

Duncan and Shaq in one of their epic battles.

Sure, Duncan did have some good luck on his side. He’s had the same coach, a steady organization and a string of good teammates throughout the years. But that’s like early man beating his chest about all the great things they accomplished. It all starts with the sun homie. Tim Duncan gives life to the Spurs the same way the sun gives life to the planet and everything else falls in line. You can’t have ANYTHING WITHOUT THE SUN. (Extreme example I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else damnit so sue me.)

This very well could happen again.

As a Laker fan, I know all too well of the heartbreak Tim Duncan and the Spurs can bring. Duncan has at least two LA championships and the Spurs were the “harbingers of doom” again this season for the Lakers. (A four game sweep in round one of the playoffs.) So I’m sure when I post this, only a few people will read it because after all, it is Tim Duncan I’m talking about. I mean, who wants to read about Tim Duncan?  But when I look back on these last 15 years of basketball and I’m really honest with myself, there’s one player I’d start a team with. God love him,and he’s my favorite player ever, but it ain’t Kobe Bryant.

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 8)

The Heat celebrate after LeBron James' game winning layup.

After an epic Game One victory by the Miami Heat over the Indiana Pacers, you know I gotta get at my brother Zeph. (Come on guys I had to, it's my one moment so far!) We talk about the greatest of the game, the greatest of LeBron (Or at least I do.) and what both teams need to do in order to come away with a win in Game Two. Share, subscribe and ENJOY THE VIEW!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 7)

It's been a minute, but the podcast is back! With the Western Conference Finals heading to Game 3, my brother Zeph and I, breakdown the series between the Memphis Grizzles and San Antonio Spurs so far. (Which is playing out just like Zeph said it would...again...) We also talk about the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the defending champion Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. Zeph gives us another epic Anti-Lebron rant and we both give you our series prediction. (I'm sure you guys know which way my brother is going.) Share, Subscribe and please feel free to join the debate by leaving us a comment below. Thanks for listening and as always ENJOY THE VIEW!

  

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 6)

I've been away but I'm back! I had a few personal things going on, good personal things, and I'll tell you about them soon. (I'm going to blog about it.) Anyway, the first round of the NBA Playoffs is over and round two is in full swing. My brother Zeph and I break it all down. Feel free to leave a comment below and as always, enjoy the view!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 4)

With the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs in the books, I thought it best my brother Zeph and I breakdown all the happenings. Or lack there of that is. We talk about each match-up. (Sorry Hawks and Pacers fans, but we won't be talking about your teams very long at all. And honestly, can you really blame us? Thought so.) Plus Zeph finally gets to vent about his "dislike" for LeBron James. Not going to lie, he actually brings up some very good points. May change your mind on LeBron's greatness. Anyway, let us know what you think of the podcast by leaving us a comment below and as always... enjoy the view!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Episode 3)

With the NBA Playoffs on the horizon, I thought that I should break down the first round match-ups. That being said, I thought who better to help me out than my good friend, Evan Barnes. Evan's a sports writer here in California and you can find his work by listening to the podcast where he'll give you all the info to his websites. I apologize in advance for the shake quality. The connection was a little "iffy" but it's not too bad. Thanks for understand and enjoy the view!

I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It! (Podcast Pilot)

How did this team not win 60 plus games?!

So I've finally done it. It took awhile but I actually did it. I've been wanting to do a podcast forever, but for whatever reason, I've just been too "busy" to do it. When Kobe Bryant went down for the season that was the final straw. I have way too many thoughts on the Lakers, Kobe and this season as a whole, to just blog about it. (It would have been a 10,000 word rant. Trust me, this is for the best people.) I'll still be writing because that's what I do. I'm a writer, so I'll always write but the podcast will allow/give all you none "readers" a chance to hear my opinions on sports or whatever else I want to talk about. The podcast will mainly feature my brother, Zeph Jones, but I'm going to try to bring on guests to discuss other things as well. Just remember that this is the pilot episode, so we're still working out the wrinkles and all that jazz. Still feel free to give us feedback and your thoughts. Anyway, hit play and enjoy the NEW view!

When It All Falls Down

RIP Dr. Buss

I was once told that it’s the hard times that let’s us see the true nature of people. Sometimes, we need things to go as far south as possible before we can pull ourselves out of the ashes and for the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers, things just went really far south. Like Antarctic south. Legendary team owner, Jerry Buss, passed away on Monday adding another black cloud on an already abysmal Laker season.

It comes as no real surprise that the Lakers have been a total dumpster fire since Dr. Buss passed the day-to-day operations of the team over to his son, Jim Buss. (A guy that’s about as accomplished professionally as I am. No really, look him up.) It’s long been rumored that even the people close to the Lakers organization were worried what would happen to the team once Dr. Buss passed away because no one had any real confidence in Jim Buss. This season has all of their worst nightmares coming to life.  

Jimmy has some big shoes to fill as Dr. Buss was, arguably, the greatest owner in the history of sports. The level of excellence that the Lakers enjoyed under Dr. Buss will likely never be matched, by his son or anyone for that matter. Since buying the team in 1979, the Lakers have won ten NBA championships, sixteen Western Conference titles, and eighteen division crowns. Hell, under Buss’leadership they only missed the playoffs twice! (People REALLY want to talk about the Clippers taking over LA?! Excuse me while I literally laugh my ass off.)

Kobe Bryant delivers an emotional speech before Lakers vs. Celtics

Originally, I wanted to wait until the Laker’s played their first home game after Dr. Buss’ passing to gather my thoughts on them. My first instinct; see the team’s energy and fight after such a huge psychological blow and then judge them. I’ve come to realize that wasn’t such a good idea. With all the emotion in the Staples Center on Wednesday, the 97-98 Chicago Bulls (Greatest Team Ever, 72-10.) with five Michael Jordans couldn't beat the Lakers. No one was beating the Lakers on that night. How they perform from here-on-out is really going to tell us a lot about the Lakers. I say things are going to go one of the following ways for LA. One) The Lakers rally, they make the playoffs and make some real noise. Two A) The Lakers continue to play the same lackluster basketball, make the playoffs and get rolled in the first round to OKC or San Antonio. Two B), they play the same and miss the playoffs. Three) The Lakers totally implode and get even worse.  In my opinion, all of those scenarios are completely and equally "up-in-the-air" and nothing else. Come season’s end, we’ll see which plays out.

Dr. Buss' blend of hands-on ownership when needed and
     hands-off when it wasn't, helped the Lakers to ten titles.

You see, what this whole thing really boils down to is one of the absolute truths I‘ve learned when it comes to sports. For example, if you're missing a franchise QB, you’re royally screwed. (Cut to Browns, Chiefs and Cardinals fans banging their heads into the computer.) If your favorite team has a bad owner they're much worse off. Just think about all the different ways a bad owner affects your team. Coaches don’t want to work with your team and agents will steer the best free agents away from your team if the ownership sucks. A prized franchise player will almost certainly jump ship and high draft picks will always suffer under bad management. When an owner is cheap, they only look at your favorite team as their personal ATM. They don’t spend money on coaches, they try to low ball or underpay their own stars and they cheap out on little things like staff members or team facilities. These cheap, money hungry bastards would charge you for breathing air in the arena, if they could get away with it.

That being said, the ignorant/hands-on owner is a whole other ball of wax. Sure, they'll spend money on the team and their hearts are in the right place, but they can never seem to get out of their own way. This type of owner thinks he/she knows more than the people they’ve hired and even worse, sometimes he/she puts themselves in positions they have NO business being in. This forces/allows them to make stupid decisions based solely on their “I CAN DO THIS MY WAY” ego. (Cut to Cowboy fans banging their heads into the computer.) That’s why Jim Buss hired the wrong coach. It was all Jim desperately wanting to prove that he can do this his way and that he didn't/doesn't need Phil Jackson.

All my life I’ve been a Laker fan and that's not changing. I’ve only known the Lakers one way and that's Jerry Buss’ way. The way that proved you could blend entertainment basketball without sacrificing championship caliber basketball. He always strived to make the Lakers not only the best team in the NBA, but the best “show” in the NBA. I'm also a longtime/long suffering Detroit Lions and Chicago Cubs fan so the Lakers have always been the only source of joy for sports in much of my life. Even during the "down" years, my dad always told me this, “Don’t worry son, Jerry will figure it out and make it work.” For 20 years my father was never wrong about that. Dr. Buss always figured it out. Funny thing is, my dad hasn’t told me that one time about Jimmy Buss. Rest well Dr. Buss. You’ll be missed.

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