'Melo Out People

Dear Dr. Brian Latwis AND fellow Knicks fans,

I could not let this moment go by without congratulating you on the signing of Carmelo Anthony….

I caught a bunch of shit this morning…perhaps deservedly so. It’s been over two weeks since my last blog (which, by the way, was one of the most favorably received blogs I have written). I’ve made promises to people, and it’s about time I deliver on them.

Hey Derrick Favors...this is how you wear a lid bro! (See last blog)

The past 6 months have been a whirlwind of emotion for the Knicks fan. After missing out on Lebron James, the bitter Knicks fan felt cheated to end up with Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire was believed (by some) to be a player who hawked big numbers, but could not play defense, could not hustle, and could not hit shots in a big spot.

However, the Knick fan subsequently watched Mike D’Antoni’s high octane style translate into early season success: the Knicks won 29 games all of last year, they have won 28 already this year. The Knicks fan watched Landry Fields turn into a viable NBA player, and Raymond Felton turn into a near-elite NBA point guard. Oh by the way...Amare has been an animal.

"Psst Melo...On the count of three, say your favorite dinosaur...." Did we just become best friends?!?!?

But all the while, the Knicks fan knew there was something missing – another star to legitimize their playoff run. They now have their man. A summary of Monday night’s trade:

KNICKS GET:

Carmelo Anthony

Chauncey Billups

Corey Brewer

Anthony Carter

Sheldon Williams

Renaldo Balkman

NUGGETS GET:

Raymond Felton

Wilson Chandler

Danilo Gallinari

Timofey Mozgov (who?)

1st Rd 2014 Pick

2nd Rd 2013 & 2014 Picks from Golden State

$3 Million (from Knicks)

TIMBERWOLVES GET:
Anthony Randolph
Eddie Curry
$3 Million

So basically, the Knicks and Nuggets have completely different teams now. The Knickerbockers obviously upgraded, but the bad news is they had better start competing for a championship ASAP. They can no longer use the Isaiah Thomas excuse. They have cleared themselves of his wrath with this trade (Eddie Curry being jettisoned is proof of that).

These two curse the Knicks franchise no more!

This is to be considered the D'Antoni/Donnie Walsh group from here on out...Which puts a lot of pressure (in a good way) on the franchise. 

By the way, the previous blog (on DeRon Williams) was done to tweak the Knick fan. It was obviously posted just before this blog, but you might want to give it a read so some of the references in this blog fall into place.

NBA Trade of the Year!

One of our local metropolitan teams has made the biggest in-season splash in recent memory, trading for one of the game's best players just before the trade deadline.



One local team is now the toast of this town!



The team? The New Jersey Nets, of course, who this morning traded for Utah’s Deron Williams.

Instead of half their team, New Jersey was able to obtain Williams for an inconsistent (at times) Devin Harris and unproven first round pick Derrick Favors.  I kind of got the feeling (even on draft day) that the Nets were not in love with Favors. I felt they kind of drafted him because he was the highest rated player available at the #3 spot.



The underachieving Derrick Favors... I mean, either bend your hat or don't, dude. Can't be walking around like that.

After “losing” out on Carmelo Anthony, the Nets gain arguably the best point guard in basketball (if CP3 is 1, Williams is 1A). Williams averages 21 ppg, and dishes out just under 10 assists per game. The Nets now have an unquestioned young star around which to build, and can provide Williams with the NYC stage to build his star. Despite being routinely one of the best in the NBA, he has been hidden away in the heart of Mormon nation. See below.

Martin Harris dum dum dum....Lucy Harris smart.

Calling a spade a spade, the Nets are not going to make any noise this year. But they are now well-positioned to become a factor when/if the franchise moves to Brooklyn.

Is there any doubt that Deron Williams is the new face of New York City basketball?



Yo Devin...let me get your uniform real quick...



Who's the best A-ROD?

I know what you’re thinking. What is this blog doing getting rolled out right after the Super Bowl? Shouldn’t the next blog be about the game itself? What about the Knicks blog I was promised?

To those who dare to hope, I apologize. But, as Michael Scott would say, the timing of the blog is nothing short of predominant. The reason… Super Bowl Sunday was a perfect storm of A-Rodry. There were A-Rods around everywhere you looked. Infused in our conversations, and all over our televisions. The moment at hand had me begin to wonder...which A-Rod is best? The candidates:

·        Alex Rodriguez

·        Aaron Rodgers

·        Andy Roddick

All three made their presence felt during yesterday’s Super Bowl. There were times on Sunday where I thought, “Damn, he’s the man…” about each one of these athletes. Below is the argument for each:

Alex Rodriguez

The original A-Rod. He was given the nickname (publicly) when he came up with the Mariners in 1995, and has gone on to a Hall of Fame career. He had the name first, so that’s a feather in his cap. However, he secures even more momentum in this discussion due to what occurred on Sunday. During Super Bowl XLV, cameras caught a glimpse of A-Rod #1 getting popcorn fed to him by Cameron Diaz. His woman was feeding him popcorn. On national TV. During the most watched broadcast of the year. That’s straight pimp.



"C'mere Alex. Let me place this kernel in between your soft purple lips."  By the way, have you seen my baseball?

Alex has 2600 hits, 613 home runs, 1800 RBI to go along with a .300 lifetime average and a World Series ring. But this past Super Bowl Sunday might have been his greatest public moment.

Aaron Rodgers

In this discussion for obvious reasons. Super Bowl XLV Champions & Super Bowl XLV MVP. Got out of Brett Favre’s shadow in the biggest way possible. At times on Sunday, it looked like the only one who could stop A-Rod #2 was Jordy Nelson. Luckily, Nelson found it necessary to catch 9 of the 15 balls thrown his way, to the tune of 140 yards and a score.

On the left, a Super Bowl MVP. On the right, a total douche. Although less so than Jay Cutler.

Rodgers elevated himself into company with Brady, Manning, and Brees as elite QB’s (stat-wise) who also have a Super Bowl ring. Like A-Rod #1, Rodgers is in the discussion based mostly on his athletic merit. It is said that Rodgers is low-key, humble, and prefers to keep his personal life out of the spotlight (unlike the other two). This makes him an intriguing A-Rod.

Andy Roddick

What’s he doing in this discussion? The oft underachieving tennis star has a propensity to rub me the wrong way. He has been on the US tennis scene for about 10 years, being heralded as “the future” on many occasions. While he has had relative success and made a lot of money, he only has ONE grand slam title under his belt. In terms of athletic achievement, he falls a distant third to the other two.

So, why is he in this company? Those who pay attention know exactly why. Two words. BROOKLYN DECKER. A-Rod #3’s supermodel wife was all over the television this weekend, as her movie Just Go With It was highly publicized this weekend. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston were even on the NFL Network’s pregame show to talk about the movie. Every man in America watching yesterday’s Super Bowl will now go to see that movie. A stroke of marketing genius.



Who cares if Andy Roddick never wins anything important? Brooklyn Decker picks up the slack in the area of A-Rod legitimacy. By the way, I bet you're glad you read this blog right now! How many of you rewound your DVR a few times when this commercial came on last night?

Andy Roddick is above average as a tennis player, but he enters the mix here as a viable candidate because of Brooklyn Decker.

THE "BEST A-ROD" PICK = ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Although I had fun with this, there is only one A-Rod if you are a Yankee fan. Aaron Rodgers is the man of the hour, so I have no problem going with "A-Rodge" instead of "A-Rod". And Andy Roddick....well, he's an underachieving weenie. He moves up a notch (to notch #1) in my book though after this weekend.

Super Bowl XLV

This is about as intriguing a Super Bowl matchup as one could have possibly asked for this year. Perennial AFC contender Pittsburgh against “new guy” Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Somebody who understands gambling will have to explain to me how the Packers are favored in this game (#6 seed…so many injuries…no Super Bowl experience)

Both teams possess a storied tradition. The Packers will be looking to close the gap on Super Bowl wins to 6-4.

The Packers have tradition. The Steelers have tradition (including more recent tradition).

The Steelers have a great defense. So do the Packers.

The Packers have a Pro Bowl-elected quarterback. The Steelers have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Both teams have run the ball well in the playoffs.

The Steelers are a franchise much like the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, or Los Angeles Lakers. You are either a fan, or you DESPISE them. They have players like Hines Ward, James Harrison, and Ben Roethlisberger who you love if you are a towel-waver, but whom you’d like to kick in the nuts if you’re not.

If Hines Ward is on your side, you think he's one tough SOB. If he's not, then you think he's just an SOB.

The Packers have seemingly cornered the market on bandwagon jumpers (myself included) during the playoffs. Each win has brought more and more Super Bowl bravado for Green Bay, and on Sunday it all comes to a head. I’d like to be able to say that pulling for the Packers is NOT fueled by my Brett Favre hatred, but I can’t really do that with a straight face. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than watching Aaron Rodgers celebrate a Super Bowl victory with HIS team, validating the faith that Green Bay had in him.

It sucks that when you Google Image "Aaron Rodgers", the first four pictures that come up are pictures of him with Brett Favre. Maybe after Sunday, the first four will be pictures of him with the Lombardi trophy. 

 Gun to my head, I’m picking the Steelers. They have a host of players with a Super Bowl ring, including their QB with 2. They are proven, balanced, and seemingly focused.

I just really want to be able to root for my pick in the Super Bowl. Sometimes, to become a “Super Bowl-winning quarterback” you have to beat a "Super Bowl-winning quarterback." Drew Brees proved that last year. Here’s hoping A-Rodge does this year.

THE PICK: PACKERS 23, STEELERS 20 (OT)

And now for some Super Bowl quick hitters….Some of these are “prop bets” I have come across in doing my blog research. I’m going to have some fun and make some picks!

1.       Over/Under 45 points à The Pick = UNDER  (that’s a tough one to pick!)

2.       Game’s first touchdown à The Pick = PACKERS

3.       Over/Under 2.5 times the announcers talk about Brett Favre à The Pick = OVER (that’s a slam dunk)

4.       Game’s first punt à The Pick = PACKERS

5.       Aaron Rodgers over/under 300 yards passing à The Pick = UNDER

6.       Ben Roethlisberger over/under 225 yards passing à The Pick = OVER

7.       Game’s longest rush over/under 35 yards à The Pick = UNDER

8.       Game’s longest pass over/under 50 yards à The Pick = OVER

9.       First forced turnover à The Pick = STEELERS

10.   Team to call the first timeout à The Pick = PACKERS

11.   Game’s leading rusher à The Pick = Rashard Mendenhall

12.   Game’s leading receiver à The Pick = Greg Jennings

13.   Halftime score à Steelers 10, Packers 10

14.   Team with the most sacks à The Pick = PACKERS

15.   Team with the most field goals à The Pick = PACKERS

16.   Super Bowl XLV MVP à The Pick = Aaron Rodgers