Its a three-part theme post. Enjoy. ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence
You know who I feel sorry for? The Eastern Conference All-Stars. The Eastern Conference has had something of a resurgence lately, with the addition of new front offices propelling some previously worthless franchises higher than was previously thought possible. With that resurgence came the expected boost in confidence to the players on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Sure, they had been beaten handily the year previous, but now they had Alonzo Mourning and Grant Hill back, and what’s more - they knew how to win. For the first time in a while, the Eastern Conference had the confidence of a winner. “They ain’t gonna know what hit them”, said Pacer’s forward Tyrone Hill, “We’re gonna go Charles Oakley upside their head.” “What ‘till that big lug O’Neal gets a load of my Nazr-Shake”, groused Atlanta center Nazr Mohammed, “I’m gonna be like a blur, lay-ins all day man, lay ins all day long.” Mohammed was right, it was lay-ins all day. But not for the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference jumped out to an early 20 point lead behind the play of Vince Carter and Keyon Dooling, and proving they weren’t there just for fun, they kept adding to the lead until the final tally stood at 115-87. “That game gave me enough poster material for the next ten years”, said the game’s MVP, Kevin Garnett, “I mean, look who they had guarding me, Antoine Walker! Nazr Mohammed! I felt like I was back in high school.” Garnett finished the game with 28 points on 13-14 shooting, that one miss being a half-court heave at the end of the first quarter. “It was a conspiracy,“ Ray Allen complained after the game, “David Stern knows that having the Western conference blow us out would get higher ratings than a competitive game. You all saw what happened out there, I think that speaks for itself. They’re out to get us, and no one wants to win.” Later Allen was seen constructing a hat out of aluminum-foil and duct tape, the purpose being, according to Allen, to ward off the evil satellite rays that caused him to go 2-15 from the field and turn the ball over 6 times. Gary Payton could not be reached for comment, but he did begin throwing things at random passerbys, evidence of his frustration at being thoroughly outplayed by second year point guard Keyon Dooling. “It was cool,” said Dooling of playing opposite Payton,“I learned so much just from watching him play, next year, I hope to get him to teach me how to shave.” ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence [This message has been edited by Puedlfor (edited June 16, 2001).]
You know who I feel sorry for? The Eastern Conference players who got snubbed for the All-Star team. Theo Ratliff, Jonathan Bender, Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, Peja Stojakovic and Shawn Marion. Each of these players has proven through their tough play, and gritty performances that they deserved a shot at being an All-Star. However, through fate, chance or gross incompetence, these players were passed over for the All-Star game in favor of Tyrone Hill, Raef Lafrentz and Nazr Mohammed. Is Tyrone Hill a better player than teammate and up-and-coming star Jonathan Bender? Is Raef Lafrentz a better player than shot-blocker Theo Ratliff? Or is Gary Payton a better point guard than Sam Cassell, keeping in mind that Payton has played the entire season as the starting shooting guard for the Sixers? Is a bear Catholic? Does the Pope **** in the woods? No to all of the above. Its impossible to explain what was going through the coaches minds when they selected this motley bunch of ne’er-do-wells called the Eastern Conference All-star team. It certainly wasn’t a desire to win, perhaps I’m too “old-school” as the kids call it to understand the logic behind those selections, but selecting an inferior player over his obvious superior doesn’t strike me as being conducive to winning. Perhaps the complete and utter drubbing the Eastern Conference got his year wil shake some sense into the heads of the respective coaches, perhaps next year we will truly get a team comprised of the twelve best players in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps pigs will fly. Perhaps. ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence
You know who I feel sorry for? The Nets equipment manager. It must be an ardous task simply to prepare a dozen or more jerseys for a group of athletes used to excellence. It must be unimaginable when you combine that task with the Nets ever-changing lockerroom. “Here today, gone tomorrow”. That motto is scrawled across the blackboard in the corner of the lockerroom, a reminder that just because you woke up this morning as a member of the New Jersey Nets does not mean that you will go to sleep the same way. Take for example, the story of Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The talented forward once composed one-third of the fearsome “Vancouver Triumverate”, a union of Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson and Shareef Abdur-Rahim that promised great things for the future. But things did not turn out so well in Vancouver, and Abdur-Rahim was shipped east - to New Jersey along with Morris Peterson for Latrell Sprewell and Antonio Davis. Abdur-Rahim and Morris Peterson had just gotten off the airplane in Jersey, and were at the backage carousel collecting their luggage when they heard the news : They had been traded back west - to Minnesota for Tracy McGrady and Wally Sczerbiak. Those, of course, were not the only deals the GM pulled off. He pulled off a 10-player deal with the Rockets centered upon Keith Van Horn and Brian Grant for Antwan Jamison. He pulled off another deal where he essentially traded his bench to Atlanta for their starting five. I think there is no need to tell you that these former-Nets feel no love toward their former GM. “I just thank goodness that I eventually got here, where the GM isn’t threatening to send me to the Nuggets or the Warriors every week,” said former-Net and current-Celtic Jamie Feick. “It was strange at first,” said Johnny Newman, like Feick a former-Net, current-Celtic, “I had trouble adapting to life in Boston. It wasn’t so much the town or the people, as it is this sense of stability I get here that I didn’t have in Jersey.” The General Manager of the Nets has currently forsworn trading for the while, but how long that attitude will last is anyone’s guess. Stephon Marbury may have put it best, “Every day I call an airline, just to check the ticket prices. You never know man, you never know." "Now get outta my way, I’m late for my ballet class.” ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence
Do we really need reasons to feel sorry for the East? ------------------ All right ramblers, let's get ramblin'...
Edit: Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. Raef LaFrentz was selected in the 2001-02 eastern all star team. I need to get my facts straight before I correct our pulitzer prize journalist. Doh. My previous dribble: Excellent stories. I should take them and put them up on the homepage, David Halberstam. But one error slipped into your pulitzer caliber stories. Raef LaFrentz didn't get to be selected as an all-star, and should perhaps feel left out as Nazr got to go, but then again Theo was even more worthy of that spot. BTW is it possible in NBA Live 2001 to let the GMs select the all stars by voting and have The Cat manually select them? (I guess to make it fair, no one should vote for their own players if possible) ------------------ The CC.net NBA Sim Board/Homepage [This message has been edited by Heath2000 (edited June 16, 2001).]
I didn't think Raef got selected either, but according to the All-Star post by TheCat, he did. http://bbs.clutchcity.net/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000455.html ------------------ "I always thought it was something that went around my house" - World B. Free on Defence
According to my voting suggestion over this could be an example of my votes: C-Alonzo Mourning, Celtics PF-Antawn Jamison, Nets SF-Grant Hill, Knicks SG-Tracy McGrady, Nets PG-Stephon Marbury, Nets C-Dikembe Mutombo, Cavs FC - Theo Ratliff, Celtics PF - Antoine Walker, Wizards F - Glen Robinson, Bucks SF - Jonathan Bender, Pacers SG - Ray Allen, Bucks PG - Sam Cassell, Bucks On the outside looking in: Raef LaFrentz, Nets DerMarr Johnson, Celtics Jerry Stackhouse, Pistons Tyrone Hill, Pacers Players on my team aspiring for a spot: Mike Bibby Gary Payton Shawn Marion ------------------ The CC.net NBA Sim Board/Homepage
believe it or not, Raef's and Theo's numbers are quite comparable -- Theo- 12.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.26 blks(as of the 6th) Raef- 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.2 blks(as of the 7th) and they both played about the same minutes. If i were building a team, i would pick Raef over Theo, at least in the sim. and if Payton were to be eligible for pg, i would have had picked something like this: Mourning Jamison Grant Hill Ray Allen Payton Dike LaFrentz Walker Glenn Robinson Mashburn Marbury McGrady(though stack is good too) ------------------ .,.·^*'´'|'\..........,.·^*'´¯¯¯'`*^·,...,/|'`*^·-, '|.......'|::\......,·'.....,.·:*:·,......'`i:'|.......| '|.......'|:::|.....;.......':,:::,:·.......';:|.......| '|.......|::;i - ·;i'`:,......¯¯.......,·´|::|.......| '|.......'´.......'|'i:::`*:~·.–·~^*'´: :'|::|.......'`*·-, '|........,.-:^:':'\:'`:;:: :: : : : :: ::;·'i::/`':^·.,......`'i '|..,.:'´:::::::::::'\| '`*^~·:–:·~^*'´..'|/:::::::::'`:^:., | '´:;:::::::::;:-·^*'´.....................`'*^·:;-.....:;·' ....`·;:·'´........................................'`^·:;·´
Of course Payton is eligeble to play PG, but you picked/voted for your own players. I held my own players out of my vote - if I hadn't done that I can promise you that Payton had been starting, and maybe more Sixers had come of the bench. ------------------ The CC.net NBA Sim Board/Homepage
oh, well im not biased, i just go with what i thought the all star team should have looked like CriscoNets probly would have done better though ... ------------------ .,.·^*'´'|'\..........,.·^*'´¯¯¯'`*^·,...,/|'`*^·-, '|.......'|::\......,·'.....,.·:*:·,......'`i:'|.......| '|.......'|:::|.....;.......':,:::,:·.......';:|.......| '|.......|::;i - ·;i'`:,......¯¯.......,·´|::|.......| '|.......'´.......'|'i:::`*:~·.–·~^*'´: :'|::|.......'`*·-, '|........,.-:^:':'\:'`:;:: :: : : : :: ::;·'i::/`':^·.,......`'i '|..,.:'´:::::::::::'\| '`*^~·:–:·~^*'´..'|/:::::::::'`:^:., | '´:;:::::::::;:-·^*'´.....................`'*^·:;-.....:;·' ....`·;:·'´........................................'`^·:;·´
LOL! lemme guess your in the west?? ------------------ "It well be a Thrilla when i beat the gorilla in Manilla"!
you no who i feel sorry for?? the Denver Nuggets damn do they ever suck and that damn GM of theirs should be fired ------------------ ***FRANCHISE***
Will he ever just let it go??? So my plan didnt work. Ive moved on. So should he. "Vancouver Triumvirate" I like the sound of that... ------------------ The next time I have meat and mashed potatoes, I think I'll put a very large blob of potatoes on my plate with just a little piece of meat. And if someone asks me why i didn't get more meat, ill just say, "Oh, you mean this?" and pull out a big piece of meat from inside the blob of potatoes, where ive hidden it. Good magic trick, huh?
