Just a Jimmer Away

On the heels of Spike's Sloan/Williams post-mortem, a discussion of the future of the Jazz sparked. Its a little known fact the the Jazz will likely have two lottery picks in this summer's NBA draft. The jokes have been pouring in about which white stiff the Jazz will draft or if they'll take Jimmer just to put butts in the seats. I personally think they are going to build around Gordon Hayward, flanking him with both Jimmer and Kyle Singler Spike's rebuttal to all the jokes turned out to be a very interesting observation about team building approaches. Here is a running dialogue of our Basketball Reference navigating and amatuer analysis.

5:25:36 PM Spike: I don't want to get my hopes up about winning the lottery, besides the Jazz are better at late draft picks anyway.
Maynor at #20 in the first
Millsap at #47 in the second
Ronnie Brewer at #14 in the first
CJ at #34 in the second
Mo Williams at #47 in the second
Kris Humphries at #14 in the first
Jarron Collins (yeah, I know, but still in the league) at #48 in the second
AK at #24 in the first
Padgett at #28 in the first
Nazr Mohammad at #29 in the first
Jacque Vaughn at #27 in the first
Shandon Anderson at #54 in the second
Bryon Bussell at #45 in the second
Dell Curry at #15 in the first
Mark Eaton at # 72 the same year as Dominique
Bobby Hansen at #54
Wes Matthews undrafted
And lest we forget, Malone at #13 and Stockton at #16.

5:42:49 PM Charlie T: Very interesting to say the least. Maybe the Jazz need to trade down. I would like to say that Miami has had the same draft success as Utah, but thats not the case. At least during Riley's tenure.
Eddie House at #37 in the second
Caron Butler at #10 in the first
Wade at #5 in the first
Mike Beasley at #2 in the first
Glen Rice at #4 in the first
Sherman Douglas at #28 in the first
Steve Smith at #5 in the first
Harold Miner at #12 in the first (was good for a dunk contest and the first "next Jordan" torchbearer)
Matt Geiger at #42 the same year had a longer career
Kurt Thomas at #10 in the first

5:46:27 PM Spike: Seems like Miami is really pretty good (minus Beasley) of knowing which lottery type players to get, but their late round picks are iffier.

5:46:42 PM Charlie T: Yeah...high picks they do great at but with second rounders and late firsts, they find no value.

5:49:56 PM Spike: Talent evaluation has a lot of different approaches, I suppose.

5:50:05 PM Charlie T: Sure. Riley has always looked at picks as assets more than anything, assets to trade.

5:51:22 PM Spike: It would be interesting to see how LA drafted when he was there, same with the Knicks. In Miami, he seems to gravitate towards bringing in proven commoditites.
From 81 to 90 w/ the Lakers, the only real keepers from the draft were:
Nobody in 81
Worthy as the #1 in 82 (no brainer, he does well with high picks)
Nobody in 83
Nobody in 84
AC Green at #23 in 85
Nobody in 86-87
David Rivers at #35 in 88, but he was nothing
Divac in 89
Elden Campbell in 90

5:57:04 PM Charlie T: Riley from 91-95 with the Knicks:
Greg Anthony in 91
Hubert Davis in 92
Charlie Ward and Monty Williams in 94
And he only drafted 4 players over all during his time there. No picks in 93 or 95

5:58:02 PM Spike: Everybody else was added to those teams some other way.

6:00:01 PM Charlie T: So really, Riley's offseason this year was a microcosm of his history of putting teams together. Ship off anything that isn't proven and make room for the other pieces.

6:02:17 PM Spike: Exactly. 95-96 in Miami, he cleans house after losing to the Zenmaster in Chicago and brings in Zo, Hardaway, PJ Brown, and Majerle.

6:03:12 PM Charlie T: He had Juwon Howard signed the next year but the league vetoed the contract.

6:03:49 PM Spike: Then in 2004 he traded assets Butler, Grant, and Odom for Shaq. Then added Payton, Williams, and Walker.

6:04:40 PM Charlie T: With the Knicks it was a little different. He had Ewing to build around so some of the pieces were more complimentary, and also designed to beat MJ in Chicago.

6:05:56 PM Spike: 92-93: traded Mark Jackson for Doc Rivers, Charles Smith, Bo Kimble and picked up Rolando Blackman and Anthony Mason. Started turning Starks into a defensive stopper.
93-94: Acquired Derek Harper

6:07:15 PM Charlie T: Thats Riley. Always making big moves, with the summer of LeBron being no exception. We shouldn't have been surprised that he came away with a haul. Where as the Jazz are aquiring the assets they are used to using for rebuilding.

6:08:26 PM Spike: Fascinating. I'm sure this pattern exists with a lot of other franchises as well, but its interesting to see how it continues to manifest itself in Utah and Miami.

What A Short Strange Trip It's Been

PRELIMINARY NOTE:

This is not an edited post. It's not even thought out, at all. I will be vomiting thoughts, thoughts that I may deny before posting, thoughts that I may only half believe. But I've digested for long enough that I thought it might be nice– even just for my own mental health– to purge.

A lot has changed in the relatively short time since my last post about The Utah Jazz.

Back then, we had Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan and All-Star Deron Williams. Now we have Ty Corbin, Devin Harris, rookie Derrick Favors, and some off-year first round draft picks. Even after that notorious Bulls game, I was sticking with D-Will. I was loyal. Hearing later, from a very inside source (like, IN the locker room inside source), that Sloan leaving was "100% Williams" couldn't completely sour me on the guy. Even now, watching him dig in with the Nets (and improve his hair situation!) makes me pretty sad. But I guess he had to go. He wasn't staying.

Now what?

Injuries. Mehmet Okur played, what, a fittingly lucky 13 games for the Jazz this year and was finally relegated to Out For The Season status last week. Memo is no MVP, but he changes the lane and the opposing defense quite a bit. And this might seem way out in left field for those of you who think he's a slow white bomber, but I think he's an underrated, gutsy defender. There, I said it. He's no Bill Russell, but he's no matador either (ahem, Boozer...Amare...). And Memo is just one of many recurring, cursed injuries. Every team has them, but this year has seemed especially injurious to me.

Corbin. Give the guy some time. I don't love what's happening, but I don't know that it's his fault. I know there were some players who said that Corbin had plays that Sloan wasn't incorporating into the game plan, but it's hard for me to think that Sloan wouldn't have won more games with this lineup. That's the curse of following up a hard-working, blue collar, tenacious legend, Ty. Get used to it. Jazz fans will give you time and support, but the Statues are always there.

Sloan. There is absolutely nothing I can say about Jerry Sloan here. He coached the team for most of my life, ever since I cared about basketball. When kids were calling for his head and wanting "new basketball" to start in Utah, I defended him and called them idiots (still do). The guy deserved better. He is one of four people in the history of the Jazz that stand above the rest– two of the others are legendary players and the fourth is an owner who kept the Jazz in Utah. I'm rambling a lot for a guy who has nothing to say, but still, there's nothing I can say about Sloan that his history of old school grit and toughness and heart don't already show you.

The New Jazz. This is a new era, no doubt about it. We are rebuilding. The Nuggets left their trade with new life and playoff hopes. We left ours with a ton of question marks. But, while the trade made me mad (i have since come to peace with it) and I'll never really think that Sloan left like he should've and the initial games were hard to watch just from an emotional standpoint, I am still a Jazz fan. I love watching this team, even with the hard losses. I enjoy this team much like the early AK-47 years– getting to see rooks like Hayward, Favors, and even Jeremy Evans start to get the pro game, getting to see a PG like Harris start to find footing with this team and this crowd, still loving the heart that guys like Milsap show, the mutant martian that AK is, and the beast (and leader) that Al Jefferson has become. These storylines, yes, have to temporarily take the place of winning. Winning just isn't happening right now. But what is sportsfandom if you're only EVER winning? Then you're a Lakers fan. And we all know how douchey and bandwagony that is. Though, you do save a lot of time only having to watch 2 quarters of basketball per game.

I Can't Quit You

Spike has been trying to be angry at Deron Williams. His moratorium on all things NBA (including this blog) has been impressive and consistent, but it turns out that its all a rouse. He was outed Monday night in the highlights of the Nets/Celtics game celebrating a big 3-pointer by D-Will in the 4th quarter. (He's the one in the red and white striped polo)

I'll Go Along With The Charade, Until I Can Think My Way Out

Wednesday Spike and I had the following exchange:

Charlie T: The "W" word that ends in "inning" hasn't even been going around for a week and I'm already tired of it.

Spike: Is this a heat reference?

At the time it wasn't, but as the weekend went on I wasn't so sure.

I originally wrote it to declare my departure from the Crazy Train of Sound Bites and Video Clips coming from He Who Shall Not Be Named. (both to be referred to as CTOSBAVC and HWSNBN from here on out) Thanks to this deluge of pop culture fodder, certain words have instantly lost their meaning. One is a flavor of Sno-Cone and the other is a word used to descibe what happens when you have more points than the other team at the end of the game. The Sno-Cone reference is less relevant here. I'm more interested in the word that starts with "W" and ends with "inning".

During Weekend Update, Seth Meyers ran down the Winners and Losers of the whole CTOSBAVC coming from HWSNBN. The biggest loser was the "W" word. According to Seth, it just doesn't mean the same thing anymore. I thought it was a very valid point and it gave me a clue as to what was going on with the Heat.

Back in August, LeBron completely changed the way NBA players handle free agency. He collaborated with ESPN to have a one hour special to announce his intentions. You may have heard about it. This set off a chain reaction with Bosh and Wade both opting to join him in Miami, which set off another chain of events that led to Mike MIller and Udonis Haslem taking huge discounts to join as well as a bunch of other veterans and 3 pt specialists to join the Heat for the minimum. By themselves, these were not new ideas. But all together, now that was something new. The Heat became the first team to completely strip their roster down to the league minimum of one player. They also became the first team to have 3 of the top 5 draft picks of a single draft. The firsts continued for this trend setting team. They were ahead of the curve, transforming the way things are done in the NBA on the fly.

Now back to the "W" word. The Heat had to stay ahead of the curve. The word had lost all meaning and significance. They wanted nothing to do with this bandwagon. Almost instantly the world shifted its view from "W#%&ing is Everything" to "Everything is W#%&ing". So like all good trend setters, the Heat decided that they were done with the "W" word. Even if it was painful and might come with some sad eyes, there would be no more W#%&ing.

And so it was. They settled in trying out as many different methods of not W#%&ing as they could. Close games, blowouts, last second decisions, against good teams, against contenders, blowing big leads. It has proven to be a fairly difficult task, requiring creativity at the end of games and poker faces during press conferences. We know this is some of the best talent in the NBA, so I have faith that they will be able to keep this up as long as they need to. If I could be on how long the CTOSBAVC will last versus the Heat's counter-culture movement, I would be the farm on the Heat.

While I don't doubt the Heat's resolve in standing up to HWSNBN, for my sake I hope HWSNBN folds. And soon.

A Tale of Two Trades

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. It was the end of a life-long saga, it was the end of a week-long surprise. We had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going to heaven, we were all going directly the other way. In short, it was Carmelo and Deron, it was Axl and Thom.

It’s the best of times in Manhattan. It’s the best of times in the house of Melo and LaLa. Oddly enough, it’s also the best of times in Denver. Denver can move on. They have played a tiresome role throughout this saga. I would like to liken them unto the studio engineer who got stuck working on “Chinese Democracy” with Axl Rose. A thankless job in more ways than one. But that’s not where the similarities end between Carmelo to the Knicks and “Chinese Democracy”. Just like Axl’s final opus, we knew it was coming for so long that, when it finally happened, we didn’t even care. Collectively, as sports fans, we were more relieved that it was over. You can see this relief on the faces of Nuggets fans as well as the players. I don’t think the fans will remember this trade beyond the end of the season, much in the same way we don’t remember that “Chinese Democracy” finally came out.

Across the river, something different was happening. New Jersey somehow landed a guy who was candidate numero uno for the NBA’s version of a franchise tag. This was about as unexpected as Radiohead dropping a new album just days after announcing it (and then releasing it a day earlier than that). The world seemed to stop and jaws dropped when Williams got traded. Likewise when ‘King of Limbs” hit. It consumed everyone with ears to hear and twitters to tweet. But that’s not where the similarities end between Deron to the Nets and “King of Limbs”. Nobody knew what to make of either happening. We figured “King of Limbs” was a big deal, but opinions were across the board. It was too much to digest without fair warning. Same with Deron to the Nets. It had to be a good thing. He’s the best PG in the league going to the richest owner in the league and eventually to Brooklyn. But it didn’t seem to instantly energize the Nets. Or their fanbase. But it should be a big deal. I think ultimately both “King of Limbs” and Deron as a Net will matter and we will figure out how to understand them. It’s going to take longer than a week or two, heck, it might even take a couple years.

When we can finally wrap our heads around Deron the Net and “King of Limbs”, we will realize that Deron as a Net is to Carmelo as a Knick, just like “King of Limbs” is to “Chinese Democracy”. One will have a lasting impact, and the other will become a catch phrase for players refusing to sign extension and instead wanting to be traded. That’s an incredibly long phrase that desperately needs some help.
I can’t wait for next season when Dwight Howard starts pulling a Melo. Wake me when that’s over too.

Brothers?

Or the same person....? Come to think of it, I've never seen them both in the same room at the same time.

Jazz vs Jazz East Roundup

Just some thoughts about last night's Jazz vs Jazz East (or Bulls, as some might call them) game:

I STILL DON'T MISS BOOZER

I'm not going to overstate it and tell you that the inspired performances by Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap (who was especially gritty and teethy at the start) are proof positive that we're better off without Boozer. That's what the local media is for. I realize that it's one game and you can't get too hot or cold on one game. And I realize that, if you get really statty about it, neither Jefferson nor Millsap is necessarily out-statting Boozer either this year or when he was with the Jazz. And of course there are other factors, but...I don't miss his lack of heart at all. Compare Boozer's limp showing last night to LeBron returning to Ohio. Anyone with even a little heart would really wanna show up in a game like last night. But Boozer just continues to punch the clock. And Millsap continued to show why his game and heart are endearing and 1000x better for the team than a guy who puts up good numbers with no heart. ESPN's headline "Boozer Helps Bulls Beat Old Team" is true in the same way that "(Insert Any Non Crucial Player On Bulls) Helps Bulls Beat Jazz" is.

I STILL LOVE ANDREI KIRILENKO

OK. He's overpaid. That's old news. And he probably hasn't worked like a guy making Alpha Dog money should. But, even while watching him gun ill-advised airballs last night, I found myself loving the guy. Great passer. Unusual herky jerkiness that makes him hard to guard (if not occasionally hard to watch). FOUR blocks, most of them on Boozer. Steals. Basically, and I have said this a million times, he is not the best player on the floor ever, but he is a completely unique player, whose skillset is unseen in any other one player. He may leave us for a team that's a better fit, but I'll always have a soft spot for the Russian headcase.

I STILL WOULDN'T TRADE D-WILL FOR D-ROSE

But I'm willing to admit that, at least last night, Rose is the better PG. He's quick, almost impossible to stay in front of, and does so much– distribution, rebounding, tough D, running the O. Granted, D-Will's not 100% healthy with his jacked wrist, especially shooting-wise. But Rose had his way (as he does with every team and, probably, every elite guard), got to the hole, distributed, etc. It's hard to say, but I'd put Rose above Williams on the depth chart for now. I don't think D-Will will play that poorly against Rose again, though. And I'm a loyalist, so I'm sticking with my guy. They're close and I don't doubt D-Will's fire, heart, or ability. He's not gonna sit around and let the other dudes run the league. And, like I said with Boozer/Millsap/Jefferson, let's not use one game to make big blanket statements.

I STILL MISS SOMEONE

He showed us a few times last night that he still doesn't have an outside shot. But I still miss Ronnie Brewer. The missed shots and the clutch steal are RB in a nutshell. Maybe we get a little of that with CJ Miles, but (and I like CJ) Brewer seemed to just go out and get the job done, where CJ seems to need more encouragement and swagger and momentum. I guess I miss Ashton Kutcher, but I know as well as Bulls fans that for every clutch shot like last night's, there are plenty of moments where you think, "But...I thought Korver was supposed to be money..." as the losing buzzer sounds.

I STILL BELIEVE

I'm probably alone in believing in guys like Hayward and Fesenko, who show me just enough to believe they can be differencemakers (not all-stars, probably not even starters). What's wrong with being fans of Lifetime 8th Men? Hayward showed some grit and Fesenko doesn't seem to know how to back down (when properly motivated).

Toilet Bowl Halftime Show

This should be the post where Spike and I try and guess the setlist of the Old Rock n' Roller during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. I got excited to make my predictions until I remembered that a.)there will be no rock n roll during the world's largest bathroom break and b.) I don't know enough Black Eyed Peas songs to even attempt an entire setlist (unless you can include "seductive dancing in a mini skirt" as a song). And lets face it, even if I did guess I would probably be 100% right because they will play the two songs everyone knows and then stretch it into a 15 minute crapshow.

I do think everyone will be a little more excited for a knee slide into the camera if it happens again this year.

The Fourth Heatle

A few weeks ago, LeBron polarized the world by telling a reporter that the team refers to themselves internally as "The Heatles" only because of the massive amounts of attention they get when they are on the road. The world then went crazy saying that the Heat will never be comparable to the Beatles becasue the Heat will never have the success of the Beatles.

My take: Yeah, yeah, whatever. The Beatles are the greatest thing ever. I get it. I don't think LeBron was going there, but even if he was it is still the best nickname that has been suggested. I like how it sounds and I'm rolling with it.
Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest, its time to delve into a Heatle topic that is much more fun. The Fourth Heatle. Many suggestions have been floated around based on free agency or trade speculation. The idea has even been around since before the Heatle moniker was around. Being that this blog is a mix of sports and music, I feel more than qualified to break down the field.

Note, becoming the fourth Heatle is more than just being a memeber of the Heat. You have to have a Yellow Submarine every now and then...and be memorable even with the big shadow cast by the other Heatles.

Dwight Howard. Odds 20 to 1.

Deron Williams. Spike isn't going to like the thought of this, but he hates the name Heatles so he probably won't make it this far. He might be the biggest catch for any team post-lockout. One might argue Dwight Howard, but Williams has done much more with much less. And he is a proven leader on the floor. If he leaves Utah, he's probably going somewhere to spite the Jazz like to the Lakers rather than to run the show in South Beach. Odds 14 to 1

Chris Paul. This is a difficult one to predict. Stern will never trade him and subsequently sink the Hornets. And it would be cruel for him to leave the team just before they move to Seattle, sending Sonics fans a shell of a team. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who wants to be a fourth wheel anyway. Odds 12 to 1

Ricky Rubio. The mop top. The point guard with some flare. Won't be an option until 2012-2013. He might be too late to the Fourth Heatle Party. I'm not sure that he will even pan out as a pro anymore. Odds 12 to 1

Devin Harris. LeBron has covertly lobbied for this, but does he add the backbeat they need? Is he even better at thsi point than anyone they've got? Odds 12 to 1

Mario Chalmers. Even if LeBron has taken 'Rio under his wing, I'm not sure he will be known for much more than a NCAA Title winning three pointer. Plus he's got the Pete Best thing going. Odds 10 to 1

Greg Oden. This was floated out as a possibility since the Heat need a big man and Oden needs a change of scenery. I'm not so sure his legs can hold up to the legendary, though now less frequent, Heat practices. Insert joke here about his alleged talents on South Beach. Odds 6 to 1

Nene. Another big man scenario. This one probably hinges more on what happens in Denver in the next couple months. The Nuggs could be on the verge of a total implosion and Nene's future will simply be collateral damage. Odds 6 to 1

Mike Miller. Many are anoiting him the fourth Heatle since his 32 point outburst vs the Raptors. Thats all fine and good, but we forget that Ringo, most commonly recognized as the fourth Beatle, was not a founding member. Pete Best was. The question with Miller might be better formed as "Is he the Pete Best of the Heatles?" Odds 5 to 1

Kevin Love. LeBron has already been lobbying for him. You've got to think he is leaving Minnesota, so why not trade the Twin Cities for South Beach? Odds 4 to 1

Steve Nash. Here is where it gets interesting. Could he be Jason Kidd for the Heat? We all know Nash is a better shooter than Kidd, Chalmers or any other PG the Heat could pick up. Imagine Nash getting wide open threes a half dozen times a game. Also he is great with the high pick and roll, which has become the Heat's bread and butter. Imagine him running it with LeBron while Wade cuts backdoor, Mike Miller/James Jones stands in the weakside corner with Bosh at the free throw line extended. Pick your poisen on that one. And he has the hair for it. Only problem with this one is how he gets there. Trade? Not happening. Buyout? Not with 22 mil left on the books. That leaves free agency in the summer of 2012. Odds 3 to 1 (a guy can hope, right?)

A Message from 1990's Charlie T.

90's Charlie T caught wind of the Gospel of Hustle debate and decided to cast his two cents into the chatter. 90's Charlie T has email, but isnt totally comfortable with it yet as a communication tool. He just likes to IM. The following is a except from his chat with 2010 Charlie T.

chuckt90_33: (9:36 AM) I really like Coach Spo. He talks about defense and adversity and is never satisfied. He probably spends four hours every morning and four more before bed locked in a room with Riles and Zo. Thats the only way to explain his dedication to the message. He is scared to death about what will happen if he strays from the Heat Way, knowing that he will have to answer to both of them.

charlie_T2010: (9:41 AM) Never underestimate the power of Alonzo's scowl or Riley's silence.

chuckt90_33: (9:42 AM) Exactly. One will tear your arms clean off and the other will find you a cozy place at the bottom of Biscayne Bay. I'm glad to see the two of them keeping the Heat Way alive. It seems like everyone is buying in too...except for JaChris Boshburn. I always wondered why Riley put up with Mashburn. The guy just wanted to put up threes from the corner. And when we brawled with the Knicks, he was looking for the back door, like the prep school kid in a bar fight.

charlie_T2010: (9:50 AM) Yeah, Bosh really fits that Mashburn role. Mash was third fiddle to Zo and Hardaway, and without the grittiness of PJ Brown and Keith Askins. We needed Mash at the time because points were at a premium though. Even if he was a bit soft.

chuckt90_33: (9:53 AM) A bit soft?! The guy couldn't crack an egg even if he smashed it against his forehead. He was unbelievable. Just like this Bosh guy. You saw what he said about getting hurt during a scramble for a loose ball. Please. I'd be surprised if he wasn't really hurt, but suspended by Riley for being a pansy.

charlie_T2010: (9:58 AM) So you agree with Spike? I mean I know Bosh is soft, but he does what we need him to. 18 and 10 and then stays out of the way.

chuckt90_33: (10:01 AM) Of course I agree with Spike on this one. Spike once rooted for a guy who wrestled WWF. I rooted for teams who wrestled on the floor. Toughness is part of our basketball fan DNA. What happened to you? Remember when the Heat would roll into MSG? What we saw in Cleveland may have been loud, but it wasn't as fierce as what we saw in New York or Chicago or Indiana. That was true hatred. And The Decision? Riles FAXED in his resignation. Thats what villains and tough guys do. They body slam when they box out and they fax in their resignation. They don't whine about an ankle. They play with one kidney and a cocktail of meds just so they can stay alive! They shred their knee getting back on D, and then rehab even though they are going to retire anyway. Who cares about 18 and 10. My little sister can put up 18 and 10 shooting 20 footers. I'm disappointed in you, future me.

charlie_T2010: (10:09 AM) I

chuckt90_33: (10:09 AM) You need to get back to your roots. You're in love with the fast breaks and the highlights against the Warriors.

charlie_T2010: (10:09 AM) I guess you're right. I am looking past some of the pretty boy stuff going on. But Wade is a tough guy. So is Bron. Udonis. Eddie House will mix it up. James Jones is taking charges. Big Cat is bustin up guys even when he's on the bench in a suit (see vs Ron Artest). I don't even like Bosh that much. So what if he is soft. We are winning.

chuckt90_33: (10:12 AM) We are winning now. But what happens when KG pushes him around in the Playoffs. Or when Bogut mixes it up with him. Or when Noah has his way. He wont be getting his usual then. He'll be getting his swim trunks ready to go chill.

charlie_T2010: (10:14 AM) I see your point. Right now he would be getting the PJ Brown hustle like Pau Gasol got in 08.

chuckt90_33: (10:15 AM) There you go. Stop pretending the regular season matters. For the teams that have a shot, its a chance to get it figured out, and right now Bosh needs to do a lot of that. And for our sake, I hope he does.

charlie_T2010: (10:18 AM) I hope so too. I know they are listening to the doubters because they've done a lot of disproving so far. Turning into a team so quickly, Bron and Wade playing well together, getting it done with a four headed center, making it work with a minimum salary roster.

charlie_T2010: (10:20 AM) I'm glad we had this little chat. I have been too soft on my guys. I'm just excited to have some hope...and some exciting basketball to watch. But you're right. I am not giving it the full Zo effort. I'm standing by the back door when i should be mixing it up.

spike_dub_12 (10:23 AM) And on the fourth day, there was light.