around the league

I have my moments, especially considering the relatively abrupt end to my IT blog, that i wonder if i should be doing this, but i am feeling some solace in scanning over other NBA blogs around the blogosphere, and i am really trying to make myself enjoy rather than fight, srsly...so, though i obviously have this weird condition where i feel the need to shout as loud as possible when people like Stern and Simmons aggravate me, i got to remember that honestly this blog on basketball is a privilege that i do not want to have to give up, at least not yet...

So, i gave some thoughts as an overview response to that eternal article by Simmons, and though i think he is a crackpot, i appreciate when anyone puts analysis on-line, and doesnt just regurgitate the 'facts' as i accuse my collague, DD2K, of doing on the mlive.com forum...with that, i will put some more thoughts in to the Google cloud, so that it will live on in finitum, so that my kids, if i ever have any, when they are having a rough day at school, or in dealing with a manger, let's say, can simply google me, and see: 'wow, doug was crazy, as well, so maybe i can learn from my mistakes, and handle it better, next time...', or something like that...

Let's start with the class of 2003, as this is a very frequently re-occurring topic among the Pistons Nation, simply because somehow Joe had a good team building, and the #2 overall pick in the draft, that year...it would be like the Hawks, this past year, getting a chance to select Beasley, except, of course Joe had his pick of Wade, Bosh, and Carmelo, before settling on Darko...unless you are a complete newbie to this discussion, you will not feel the need to have to pick yourself off the ground from laughing, though if this is the first time in awhile that you have heard that reality, take a moment, and rejoin the conversation when you can...yes, Darko...

Lots of arguments are made:

- Rasheed wouldn't have some in the middle of 2004, if Joe would have taken Bosh...

- Tayshaun would not be a Piston if either Wade or Carmelo were selected...

- It would have been short-lived considering the type of team the Pistons are, and the type of players they are and the kind of money they would have commanded after their entry 3-year contract...

all decent and valid points, and the beauty of history is that you cannot go back in time, and try again, and have to live with the consequences, that would be more than time-consuming and exhausting, it would be potentially destructive...second-guessing is a tough game to play...but, needless to say, Joe is dancing around with the joint-title of best basketball executive in the league, and the designee of the responsible party for the single worst draft-day decision of the decade...in short, he has to succeed to keep his credibility...

Currently, Carmelo is the most de-rided of the 3 the Pistons could have had, but from my vantage point the only sure thing to be an ongoing threat in the NBA...Wade and Bosh, i dont know: one has a title, one has been hyped on a hyped team, but neither excites me too much, except for the ocassional amazing game...i honestly dont think i would throw-down a max. contract on either of them, and yet that is exactly what they will seek, as they feel they are worth, and it is most likely that someone is going to bite, considering what DeVos did with Rashard Lewis...

typical Webber aside: i remember the banter in Sacto about soul food, and getting that 7 year/$128M re-up was deserved, considering the state of that team in 2000, and yet it is tough to gain much traction with someone, like say Simmons, if you were to argue that was a good move for the Kings...i will agree putting big money behind Arenas is a bigger risk than you would like to take on $100M, but without getting in to a dreary, or incomprehensible discussion on 'intangibles', i will return to the previous discussion, as the casual reader should know my perspective by now...

moving on, Carmelo: yes; Bosh and Wade: not sure...

i got to admit, outside of Iverson (though only barely) and the Hawks (probably always going to be a Bibby fan), there isnt much going on in the EC...the Celts and LBJ have a strangle-hold on the press coverage oxygen in that room...the WC has a lot of would-be contenders, like Utah, Dallas, Phoenix, and Houston, but i agree with Webber, that until someone actually proves that San Antonio is officially done, they are the favorites, even considering the hype in Hollywood...

thats it, thats all i got on the NBA right now, its a little dry, though the bloggers i read do have a way of giving me different perspectives that help me through the week...i hope i do the same, once i get the hang of it, and actually find my appropriate voice...until then, i welcome your feedback...