Business…I’ll be on the radio in Vancouver today around 4:45 EST. Check here for the station’s site and a link to the live feed. I’d love to give you just the link for the feed, but I couldn’t find it. To further endanger my pass, I’ll be talking about Nash.
**EDIT–Here’s the link for the live feed. Firefox can’t handle this, so go to IE.**
So there were a couple of passages in the Nash piece that threw people off. One of them was caused by people not reading closely. The other was caused by me not reading closely.
The first was the idea that LeBron can’t win the MVP because his defense isn’t good enough but the notoriously porous Nash can win the trophy. Remember–I said that if someone’s not going to win the division, he sure as hell be spectacular in every other way just like Jordan was in ’88. Well, the Cavs won’t win the division and Bron’s not a defensive stopper. Nash’s team does lead the division so, according to the logic, his lack of defense won’t hurt him the same way.
The second as that the Joe Johnson/Boris Diaw swap was a wash. And it was…except it wasn’t. And more than anything, I didn’t explain why it was a wash in my eyes. I’ve got three reasons, all of which I just e-mailed to the Crafty Vet who justifiably took me to task for some an incomplete explanation, which is a serious transgression when you write the way that I do.
1. I think Diaw’s role as a point forward in this offense is just as important to the Suns this year as Joe was last year as the fourth option. I know Joe has been a monster in Atlanta this year, but that was the comparison I was making. Of course, I was too stupid to make that clear.
2. This was a sign-and-trade. That’s crucial. Anything the Suns got for Joe was gravy, and no one really gave serious thought to the addition of Boris Diaw. Apparently, Diaw washed all the scrub off himself in the bathroom at Hartsfield before he got to Phoenix. But since it was a sign-and-trade, the standards for fairness become much different. Phoenix had no chance of keeping Johnson, so that qualifies as a wash to me. But that was really, really poorly explained. I mean really.
(Yes, I beat myself down pretty tough over mistakes like that. But part of the reason I make my addy accessible is for people to do just that. Only way to get better in this game, kids.)
3. I watch a lot of Suns games on the League Pass, most of which are broadcast by the Suns announcing team. I really don’t hear that, “what if we had Joe?” sentiment from them. The Suns are just fine without him. It’s the same way I saw it as a wash when the Colts traded Marshall Faulk for a draft pick in ’99. Why? Because they drafted Edgerrin James, and no one thought much about Marshall after that.
So yeah, that’s my fault for making really bad explanations. Gotta correct that in the future. So I don’t think I was an idiot for that Diaw/Johnson statement. I was an idiot for such a poor–or non-existent, if you will–explanation.
And another thing–I’ve been rewarded with the quote of the day from Will Rob. I hope Brother Minister Malcolm’s family doesn’t come sue me for that one.
And I promised Dutch footage yesterday, and I haven’t yet. I still have to do some work to present that properly. Look for that around Monday. Friday’s list day and today will be crazy busy.
18 thoughts on “Why I Am and Am Not an Idiot”
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I’m from Phoenix and have been in the valley since 1992 so I’ve seen them go from their Finals run in June ’93 to now, and I will say that most of the things you said in your article were on point. However, the fact that if Steve Nash doesn’t get it means that there is something seriously wrong is something I don’t agree with. I think the reason that Nash got the MVP last year was not because his stats were outstanding, and because Phoenix won 60+ games, rather I think it’s because that beyond Nash, there was no significant addition from the 03-04 season to the 04-05 season. Therefore, he was able to take this team, that was fairly unpopular before the 04-05 season and turn them into winners. MVP means MOST valuable player. Appropriately, that’s why he won it. Without Nash, we wouldn’t have learned how to win, and win in the playoffs. Chauncey can’t be the MVP because I highly doubt Detriot would slide if they lost him. I think they’d be okay with the Wallaces, Rip, McDyess, Prince and everyone else. Plus, the people voting are humans, so they have empathy. Meaning, they can’t just give the same person MVP year after year unless it’s absolutely clear, and I don’t think it’s absolutely clear that Nash is the MVP at this point. Realistically, we could give this award to Tim Duncan every year, but they don’t. Isn’t that an injustice? I don’t think so. Because this is a team sport, and these individual acalades are just that, you don’t see Tim Duncan crying about the voting like perhaps someone like Shaq. Remember, the Heat WOULD have gone to the Finals if Wade was healthy in the Detroit series. I’m not saying Wade is more valuable than Shaq, because he’s not, but I think Shaq should be worried about winning, and not about the MVP award. Perhaps Nash does deserve the MVP, but how can you say that when the season is only half-over? This is a marathon, not a sprint. At this point, I don’t think anyone should undoubltedly get the MVP. And I’m a HUUGEE Suns fan. I don’t think Nash will think of it as a crime if he doesn’t win. And I think Tim or Kobe deserves it just as much at this point. Without Kobe, where would the Lakers be? Without Lebron where would the Cavs be? I think the Suns would be less hurt by a Nash injury then either the Lakers or the Cavs with a injury to their star players.
We saw what happened last season what happened when Nash was out. It wasn’t pretty. If you get the chance, check my ESPN archive on my site’s main page to check that out for more info.
I’m from Phoenix and have been in the valley since 1992 so I’ve seen them go from their Finals run in June ’93 to now, and I will say that most of the things you said in your article were on point. However, the fact that if Steve Nash doesn’t get it means that there is something seriously wrong is something I don’t agree with. I think the reason that Nash got the MVP last year was not because his stats were outstanding, and because Phoenix won 60+ games, rather I think it’s because that beyond Nash, there was no significant addition from the 03-04 season to the 04-05 season. Therefore, he was able to take this team, that was fairly unpopular before the 04-05 season and turn them into winners. MVP means MOST valuable player. Appropriately, that’s why he won it. Without Nash, we wouldn’t have learned how to win, and win in the playoffs. Chauncey can’t be the MVP because I highly doubt Detriot would slide if they lost him. I think they’d be okay with the Wallaces, Rip, McDyess, Prince and everyone else. Plus, the people voting are humans, so they have empathy. Meaning, they can’t just give the same person MVP year after year unless it’s absolutely clear, and I don’t think it’s absolutely clear that Nash is the MVP at this point. Realistically, we could give this award to Tim Duncan every year, but they don’t. Isn’t that an injustice? I don’t think so. Because this is a team sport, and these individual acalades are just that, you don’t see Tim Duncan crying about the voting like perhaps someone like Shaq. Remember, the Heat WOULD have gone to the Finals if Wade was healthy in the Detroit series. I’m not saying Wade is more valuable than Shaq, because he’s not, but I think Shaq should be worried about winning, and not about the MVP award. Perhaps Nash does deserve the MVP, but how can you say that when the season is only half-over? This is a marathon, not a sprint. At this point, I don’t think anyone should undoubltedly get the MVP. And I’m a HUUGEE Suns fan. I don’t think Nash will think of it as a crime if he doesn’t win. And I think Tim or Kobe deserves it just as much at this point. Without Kobe, where would the Lakers be? Without Lebron where would the Cavs be? I think the Suns would be less hurt by a Nash injury then either the Lakers or the Cavs with a injury to their star players.
We saw what happened last season what happened when Nash was out. It wasn’t pretty. If you get the chance, check my ESPN archive on my site’s main page to check that out for more info.
And both the Lakers and Cavs will likely make the playoffs.
The Cavs will make the playoffs. The Suns will win the dicision and can win the West if Amare comes back. As for the Lakers, please tell me how the 8th seed is likely to make the playoffs when it’s played so much better than expected just to be at .500
And both the Lakers and Cavs will likely make the playoffs.
The Cavs will make the playoffs. The Suns will win the dicision and can win the West if Amare comes back. As for the Lakers, please tell me how the 8th seed is likely to make the playoffs when it’s played so much better than expected just to be at .500
Because the season is half over and this is the Lakers. This is when Phil Jackson starts grinding, and this is when Kobe starts feeling that grumbling in his stomach. We can call that grumbling the playoffs. Kobe is an assassin. There’s no way anyone is keeping Kobe and Phil Jackson out of the playoffs. They are playing better than expected however, can’t you say that about any team coached by Phil Jackson minus the year they rolled the dice on two veterans (Payton/Malone) that practically were begging for a championship? How can anyone think that the Lakers, coached by a man who has 9 rings, and with a player like Kobe (whom even Michael says is the closest one to him), won’t make the playoffs? I just don’t get it. Who’s going to come up and take that 8th seed? I don’t see any fire in any of the teams’ rosters fighting for that 8th position besides in Kobe and Phil. Portland is out of the question, Seattle is out of the question, Utah Sacramento have a chance however they are one injury away from calling it a year and Minnesota and Houston have a slight chance. And I mean slight. So what are we left with, Golden State? Asking them to finish strong, or expecting them to would be quite a stretch given the make-up of that squad. If you had to bet on one team to end up in that 8th seed, you wouldn’t put your money on L.A.? I just don’t see how the best educated guess looking at the current standings wouldn’t be to say L.A. is going to make it. You’re asking a lot if your expecting the teams remaining to make a big push.
“…and this is when Kobe starts feeling that grumbling in his stomach. We can call that grumbling the playoffs.”
And we can call that comment stupid. Whether the Lakers get in the playoffs or not. That’s the kind of ignorant, would be sound bite shit you hear from a fat drunk guy at a bar.
“I don’t see any fire in any of the teams’ rosters fighting for that 8th position besides in Kobe and Phil.”
That’s because you don’t see them at all, and wouldn’t know what to look for if you did. Seriously, comments like the ones above are why people don’t take you seriously.
So, Kirk, answer the questions, a) who’s got more fire than Kobe out of the teams fighting for the 8th spot and b) if the Lakers don’t get the 8th spot who will and what is that based on? It’s easy to not agree with me, but it’s a little harder to present a logical argument. How is that “sound bite shit you hear from the fat drunk guy at a bar”? And what is that implying. Your entire comment brought nothing to the table but it definitely highlighted your inability to logically counter a statement. So far, no one has countered my statement in a logical way. And what don’t I know what to look for? I know that the Lakers are in the 8th spot, that Phil has 9 rings, that Kobe has 3, and that Kobe is at the top of his game. Nobody fighting for the 8th spot besides the Lakers has won anything. This game is about winning, not about your personal bias towards players. And when I say no one else remaining has won I mean that NO ONE else remaining has won in the NBA. And for the record, I think a lot more people take my comments seriously than they do yours. I mean, look at what you wrote. It has no substance or basis.
My comment is stupid whether the Lakers make the playoffs or not???
That makes no sense, Kirk. Sorry.
My comment is stupid whether the Lakers make the playoffs or not???
That makes no sense, Kirk. Sorry.
I think my comment took a little more thought and creativity than yours.
There are 2 reasons that no one, myself included, has argued against your assertion that the Lakers will end up being the 8th seed in the playoffs.
First, there’s really only one opinion that people visiting this site care all that much about. If you’re not sure whose opinion that is, I’ll give you a hint. It isn’t mine, and it isn’t yours.
Second, the words you chose to express your opinion make it sound like someone gave you an ESPN phrase book, and you studied and studied before regurgitating your favorite ones. That is typical of the “fat drunk guy” I mentioned. If you think I’m implying something by that, you’re mistaken. I don’t know if you’re fat, drunk, both, or neither. I don’t even know if you’re male or female, and I don’t particularly care. Besides, why imply anything? I already called your comment..and by extension, you…stupid. I’d say we’re past the point of subtlety, no?
As far as thought and creativity in commenting, I would question whether you have that much of either. After all, it took you 2 follow up comments to say what you failed to say in the first one. Consider a rough draft next time. Maybe get some people to read it, edit for grammar and clarity, maybe even draw a nice picture to go with it. Give it some time before you commit your powers of thought to virtual paper.
So, yes, your comment is stupid regardless of whether the Lakers make the 8th seed or not. It’s not stupid because of the argument you’re making, but how you’re making it.
Anyway, hope that helps.
Regarding matters of opinion, I think that if we were only on here for one person’s opinion, surely their wouldn’t be a section where we as net-surfers could post commentary. That statement in itself is stupid, especially considering that your mama should have taught you to speak for yourself and not others. I am a regular at visiting this site, and surely I care about other readers’ opinions. That in itself disproves your theory or lack thereof. As far as calling me stupid, that seems quite ridiculous considering you are probably a grown man. At no point did I resort to meaningless name calling, I only asked questions in order to give you a chance to re-think your initial post in which you disagreed with me. As for the ESPN phrase-book, surely you must be joking? None of the comments I have made have been from any phrase book, virtual, literal, or otherwise…but I will take that as a complement considering you are likening my grammar and phraseology. As for me creating a rough draft, that seems a little proposterous considering that a I’m entering a comment via a website and not writing an epic novel. However, if you want to criticize my writing, punctuation, grammar or word choice I just hope yours is always perfect. It seems like quite a petty thing to correct one’s grammar on a comment section, obviously I believe that it was stil good enough to where you could understand what I was saying. If not, you can always ask me to clarify anything you don’t understand. Hopefully, without calling me stupid. And as for my powers of thought, I will continue to consider our delightful exchange a win for me, considering the best rebuttle you came up with for my commentary was pretty much, “well, you’re stupid.” Have a good day.
P.S. Where can I get this ESPN phrase book and how much does it cost?
Correction: …likening my grammar and phraseology with that of ESPN.
Sorry for not doing a rough draft, Kirk.
I guess Kirk finally got it.
No, I just didn’t make the effort to respond. If you want to look like a moron and try to have arguments over the internet, then more power to you. I, however, decline to participate. My 2 comments more than got my point across, and you just keep driving the point home, whether you realize it or not.
P.S.: Just curious. How many drafts did that last comment take?
I don’t see how making a point with a substantial basis could be considered moronic, argument or not. I will however say that your inability to respond professionally and without immature name-calling continues to drive my point across, whether you realize it or not. And for the record, I don’t consider this an argument, more like a discussion that you unfairly escalated with your non-sensical metaphors and crude language. If anything, I have kept my self-respect in tact. Enjoy your weekend.
P.S. You never told me the name of the ESPN phrase book or how much it costs.
Oh, and to answer your question, it only took one draft. I’ll be referring to you as “Rough-draft Kirk” from now on. Until we meet again.
And you got your point across, what was your point? That I own an ESPN phrasebook and Fat Drunk Guys at Bars use ESPN lingo? Those are just terrific examinations Rough Draft Kirk. Very thoughtful.