SB Nation User Blog: Arichmix

Newest Knick is a badass

Arichmix — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:06:32 -0000

Newest Knick is a badass

Some people say that the Knicks needed to improve their toughness. I think with this trade, it is accomplished.

Now that Larry Hughes is a Knick....

Arichmix — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:23:00 -0000

Now that Larry Hughes is a Knick....

I think we will need to use this site for reference

Scrubdown #4: Chris Dudley

Arichmix — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:43:50 -0000

(Editor's Note: I'm going to be out of town for a couple days. Let Arichmix's tribute to the the worst free throw shooter of all time hold you over in my stead. One love.)

Chris Dudley is an enigma. Of all the scrubs in the history of organized sport, the one known as "C-Duds" may be the hardest to peg. On one hand, the man was almost fully incompetent on offense and watching him shoot free throws was like playing ball with a cruel friend who enjoyed imitating Helen Keller. However, how many scrubs can say that they averaged 9 rebounds a game starting every game in a season for a team, and how many more can say that they started in the Finals for their team? Not many, that's how many. So therefore Chris is either a very good scrub or a really bad regular player. But for the sake of argument for the Scrubdown, Chris Dudley is a damn good scrub.

While Dudley had a long, fulfilling 17 year career, the only years that really mattered were the three he spent with the Knicks. Before he arrived, the Knicks were in desperate need of a backup center for Patrick Ewing. When they acquired Dudley, what they wanted was a backup big man for their superstar. What they got was one of the greatest horrible Knicks that the franchise has ever seen, and a memorable member of the legendary Knicks of the late 90's.

From the outside looking in, one may wonder why Dudley is well-regarded by Knick fans the way he is. He simply seems like a roster filler/bad role player. Aka a scrub. However as previously stated, Dudley was a special kind of scrub. He was the kind of scrub who worked as hard as anybody, but never got better in his areas of weakness. Which include everything except defense, rebounding, cheering, and being white. However, as chronically bad as he was in all areas aside from those four, he was still a rotation player during his tenure with the Knicks. Oh, and how his play brought countless oohs and aahs, shocks and laughs. Mainly laughs.

Being the token white player on a Knick team teemed with badasses in all three of his seasons with the team seems like an unnatural fit for a guy like Dudley. After all, he does not embody the typical NBA player or for that matter, the typical 90's Knick when you look at his resume. He was the first and thusfar only NBA player who attended Yale, he was a diabetic, and dammit just look at him:

However, despite his polite demeanor, charitability, and his unthreatening appearance, Dudley was just as much a part of the thuggish ruggish Knicks of the 90's as any of the other members. Dudley hustled for rebounds with a DavidLeeesque tenacity, was undaunted on defense going up against premiere big men in the NBA, and never backed down. You want proof you say? Well, proof will be provided my skeptical friend.

The setting is the Knicks playing the Lakers in Los Angeles. Shaquille O'Neal, one of the best players in the league at that time, goes up and throws down a dunk and pushes Dudley to the floor on the way down. One may expect Duds to just take it, but no. Dudley picks up the ball and throws it at Shaq. May I repeat. He throws the fucking ball at Shaq. What's even more impressive is that considering his awful free throw shooting, the ball actually hit him. This video is in Spanish, but you don't need a phd in Espanol to understand what's going on.

That is Chris Dudley right there.

Now, anything discussing Chris Dudley would not be complete without mentioning the one key component that made Duds so unique. The one thing that constantly brings Dudley's name up even in today's NBA games. His wonderfully fantastic ability to be so bad at shooting free throws. If they statisticized air-balled free throws, Dudley would be the NBA career and season leader. It was truly amazing. At times, he had the worst form imaginable, and other times, he'd shoot with Houston-esque form. But consistently, the freebies would not go in. Ever. They never ever went in. Well, they did go in 45 percent over his career, but still they did not go in. The man missed 17 of 18 free throws in a game one time. He should be inducted into the hall of fame on that alone.

That's what made Dudley so special and have such a place in our hearts. Having such tireless effort and energy, but still not being very good whatsoever. Dudley started the last two games in the 1999 NBA Finals for us. The Knicks lost both of those games. However, despite being overmatched completely in that series, the Knicks and Dudley still gave it their all. Being the only scrub as far as I know to start in an NBA Finals, Dudley has done rather well for himself. Despite never being the most talented player on the court (ever), Dudley will always be a bright, shining example of how hard work and hustle can turn even the most untalented, uncoordinated longshot into one of the greatest scrubs in NBA history, who will provide us with a lifetime of cheers and laughs. Huzzah.

Steve Smith suspended for two games

Arichmix — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:22:17 -0000

Steve Smith suspended for two games

Panthers should just up and trade him now, this is just getting ridiculous

CJ Miles signs a 4-year, 15 mil deal with Oklahoma City, Jazz have 7 days to match (Poll)

Arichmix — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:56:35 -0000

Source

Posted: 5:51 PM- There won't be anybody questioning C.J. Miles' decision to skip the Rocky Mountain Revue any longer. Now the Jazz's biggest concern is whether Miles will be playing for another team entirely this season.
    Miles signed a four-year, $15 million contract with Oklahoma City, sources said Friday. Utah will have seven days to decide about matching the offer sheet and keeping the restricted free-agent guard.
    The Jazz will have to take into account the luxury-tax implications of matching the offer, especially with young guards Ronnie Brewer and Morris Almond already on their roster. Miles averaged 5.0 points and played in 60 games last season.
    Miles would be able to compete for a starting job with the newly relocated Oklahoma City team, which went 20-62 last season in Seattle but is building around top draft picks Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook.
    "I'd be excited for C.J.," Deron Williams said. "I want him back here in the baddest way. I think he can be a great player for us if he gets the opportunity. I don't think he's ever been really given an opportunity to come in and prove himself."
    Troy Weaver, who spent four years as the Jazz's director of player personnel and head scout, left in May to become Oklahoma City's assistant general manager. Although Weaver liked Miles, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti was said to have driven the deal.
    Even though he has played three seasons, Miles was the 14th youngest player in the NBA last season. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick by the Jazz in 2005, part of the last class of high school players able to enter the draft.
    He showed flashes of his potential during a 10-game stretch at the end of December and beginning of January. With Gordan Giricek banished by Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, Miles stepped in and averaged 10.5 points on 55.6 percent shooting.
    But Miles found himself the odd man out of the rotation after Kyle Korver's arrival in a trade with Philadelphia. He bounced game to game from the end of the bench to the starting lineup as an injury replacement for Brewer or Andrei Kirilenko.
    The Jazz and Miles also were at odds over his decision to skip the Revue both this summer and last. Miles' camp saw it as an injury risk with potentially millions at stake as a free agent; Sloan saw it as the wrong decision for a young player trying to develop.
    This week, Sloan described Miles as having been "way, way behind" at the start of training camp last year. Miles' representatives believed he was punished for the decision and questioned why it was being revisited months into last season.
    Williams said he thought Sloan "held it against [Miles] a little bit last year" that he didn't play in the Revue while adding that Miles "put himself in a position to get a lot of money in this league, and I think a lot of people speak highly of him."
    "I think people think that C.J. was just not going to get any offers or he's just sitting at home, but he works out hard every day," Williams said. "I talk to him once a week and he's always working out, always getting better."
    When he was in New York as part of a USA Basketball promotional trip, Williams said "a lot of guys, LeBron [James] and some of those other guys, were saying how impressed they were with C.J."
    What was missing was evidence that some team was prepared to make Miles a serious offer. He returned to the Jazz last season on a $945,610 qualifying offer. But that all changed Friday.
    Miles' offer from Oklahoma City is on par with what Detroit's Amir Johnson (three years, $11 million) and Washington's Andray Blatche (five years, $15 million) signed for last summer. The two were fellow high school players and second-round picks along with Miles.
    The offer to Miles is guaranteed for three years with a fourth-year team option. It is said to dwarf previous multiyear contracts the Jazz had talked about with Miles, believed to be worth no more than $4 million for two years.
    Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said, "If he does get an offer sheet, we'll look at what the numbers are and we'll make some determination." O'Connor added: "There's very few restricted free agents who have signed yet. They are the last ones to sign."

What do you guys think, I personally think the Jazz should match the offer sheet and try to keep him, he can be a special player in the future.

Poll

Should the Jazz match the contract that Oklahoma City signed CJ Miles to?

Yes

31 votes

No

49 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

Third SL game: SummerKnicks (85) vs. SummerSuns (80)

Arichmix — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:20:59 -0000

Sup fellas. This is the third game of the 2008 Knicks Summer League. We've split the first two games 1-1, and it's coming down to the wire! This may very well be the most significant of all these insignificant games in terms of unimportant momentum needed to finish out the rest of this meaningless mini-season. Today we'll be facing D'Antoni's former team's team, the Phoenix SummerSuns, who also maintain a 1-1 record. Introductions!

SummerKnicks starters: Mardy Collins, Von Wafer, Anthony Roberson, Wilson Chandler, Paul Miller

Rounding out the SummerKnicks: Antonio Graves, Dan Grunfeld, Marcus Hall, Delonte Holland, Brandon Hunter, Antione Johnson, Zhang Songtao, Renaldo Balkman, Nate Robinson, Danilo Gallinari (italicized means injured)

SummerSuns starters: DJ Strawberry, Alando Tucker, Marcus Vinicius, Judson Wallace, Robin Lopez

Rounding out the SummerSuns: Jiri Hubalek, Taquan Dean, Justin Cage, Jared Jordan, Vladimir Golubovic, Ekene Ibekwe, Ivan McFarlin

Hey kids, remember Haywoode Workman? Former point guard for the Indiana Pacers who's whereabouts you've been wondering about for the last 11 some odd years? Well, if you guessed that he's trying to become an NBA ref and is doing NBA summer league games, you are correct.
Jared Jordan is on the SummerSuns! Remember him? The lovable caucasian on our preseason team last year that everybody in the world was rooting for, even though we knew he had no chance. He's trying to make it happen with Phoenix, I guess.
Just a thought. You get rid of the beard, and have a few drinks, Robin Lopez would be a somewhat hot chick.
Von Wafer and Anthony Roberson REALLY like to shoot.
Nate Robinson isn't playing, but is on the sidelines "cheerleading" as Crispino says. He's rocking an oversized white t-shirt with a visible wife-beater underneath and a big-ass hat worn backwards and slightly to the side. I wouldn't expect anything less.
D'Antoni is miked up. Doesn't say anything all too funny or interesting, although he does say that Nate Robinson is one of the 10 most athletic players in the league. Sweet.
Chinese guy suck.
Delonte Holland is not human. Without exaggeration, if you watch this guy play, you will not think he is from this planet.
I hope the people who vote for the contestants for the Slam Dunk Contest watch Summer League games because Wilson Chandler can give Dwight Howard a run for his money. Given that Dwight Howard is replaced with a summer league player.
Ooh, a special on the New York Liberty on the Boomer Esiason show tonight at 6:30, count me in.
According to Mike D'Antoni, he spends more time with Phil Weber, than he does with his own wife. How wonderfully disturbing.
At one point, the camera panned on Wilson Chandler for a full 8 seconds, and that still wasn't enough time to count the number of tattoos on his arms alone.
The really good chemistry that Mardy Collins and Wilson Chandler have on the court is kinda ironic considering they seem to be opposites of each other.
The Chinese guy is the worst player in the history of organized sport.
First D'Antoni, now Greg Brittenham is gonna be miked up. Ooh, excitement is likely to ensue.
Greg discusses how he stresses the importance of a well-balanced diet and exercise regimen for each of his players....I'll skip the Curry/ZBo/Jerome joke for now
Brit is asked who the most fit Knick is, and he agrees with Crispino that it is Nate, but says that a lot of guys have been working hard, like David Lee who he says has not missed a single workout since the season ended. Seriously, if David Lee is traded, Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni better keep an eye open behind them at all times for Arichmix with some sort of weapon.
Near the end of the third quarter, Zhang Songtao bumps himself up from the worst player to ever step foot on a court, to one of the top 40 worst players to step foot on a court; at this rate, he'll be on the level of Jermaine Jackson by the end of the game.
Nate Robinson is miked up!
He always knew he wasn't going to be very tall, so he worked hard, he's talking about all, "Just believe in yourself, and try your best". He'd make a great host of a show to inspire people.
Listening to Nate Robinson speak and his voice, I really regret that he was not miked up the day of the Knicks-Nuggets brawl.
Nate Robinson said "suck" on TV, saying that the Seattle not having a team now is gonna suck .
Another funny Nate quip involving the word "suck". He says regarding the Sonics situation that, "he's gotta suck it up....pause." Ahahaha, he and Gus Johnson would be best of friends.
I really hope Mardy Collins doesn't get cut or nothing, he really would be a good player for this team.
Hurray, another SL game coming down to the wire! The Knicks are up by two with 20 seconds to go. Expect this to be on ESPN Classic soon as an "Instant Classic",
The infalliable Delonte Holland saved our game! Knicks up by three, DJ Strawberry puts up a three, Holland blocks that shit. Somebody raise his summer league jersey up to the SL rafters! Right next to Roderick Wilmont and Brian Greene!
Yay, SummerKnicks win! Suck it all those who play and root for other teams.

Key Performances:

Wilson Chandler - 31 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block - Looking very bright here, passing could use a little work, but still very impressive.

Mardy Collins - 13 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists - On the bright side, he didn't shoot below .500 in either FG%, FT%, or 3P%, but he didn't shoot all that much. Very good passing though.

All the people you never heard of who won't make the team - Everybody except Paul Miller scored

Zhang Songtao - 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 7 fouls - Chinese Jerome James? I want that poster in my room.

James Posey signs with Hornets

Arichmix — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:41:29 -0000

James Posey signs with Hornets

" New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Hornets bolstered their defensive presence by reportedly coming to terms with free-agent James Posey.

The New Orleans Times -Picayune reports the contract for the guard/forward is for $25 million over four years.

The 31-year-old Posey played last season for the Boston Celtics and averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. He also shot 38 percent from three-point range over his 74 games for the NBA champion Celtics. It marked his second league championship in three years.

Posey has career averages of 9.2 points and 4.9 boards over 663 games with Denver, Houston, Memphis, Miami and Boston."

4 years, 25 mill? Damn.

Marcus Camby traded to Clippers

Arichmix — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:50:45 -0000

Marcus Camby traded to Clippers

"The Los Angeles Clippers, exactly one week after finding out they had lost their face of the franchise, have rebounded with a significant trade acquisition.

The Clippers on Tuesday agreed to terms on a deal with the Denver Nuggets to acquire center Marcus Camby as their replacement for Elton Brand, according to NBA front-office sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Clippers will only have to surrender a future second-round pick to acquire Camby, who is being jettisoned into the Clippers' salary-cap space vacated by Brand to generate payroll relief for the Nuggets.

A trade call with the league to approve the deal has been completed, sources said, clearing the way for the teams to announce the swap later Tuesday.

Camby, 34, is coming off a productive season in which he averaged 9.1 points, 13.1 rebounds and 3.61 blocks for the Nuggets, who won 50 games to claim the final playoff spot in what is regarded as the most competitive conference race in league history.

But the Nuggets have yet to advance out of the first round with their Allen Iverson-Carmelo Anthony-Camby core and, according to sources, opted to shed the remaining two years on Camby's contract (worth nearly $15 million) to create the flexibility that could allow for more changes.

The Nuggets had the league's fourth-highest payroll last season and are required to pay $13,572,079 in luxury taxes for last season by July 23."

Kevin Jones, Bears agree on a one-year deal

Arichmix — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:09:50 -0000

Kevin Jones, Bears agree on a one-year deal

" The Chicago Bears signed running back Kevin Jones to a one-year deal on Tuesday.

During four years with Detroit, Jones rushed for 3,067 yards and 24 touchdowns on 761 carries. Jones, who played for Virginia Tech, was drafted by Detroit in 2004.

Terms of Jones' deal were not disclosed.

Last season, Jones rushed for 581 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns on 153 carries. He also had 32 receptions for 197 yards."

Dammit, going to the division rival. Considering Chicago's futility at the running back and Jones' potential still, he may be their top back this season.

Fahv-ruh (Poll)

Arichmix — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:52:57 -0000

The Packers want Favre to go to an AFC team or stay with them as Aaron Rodgers' backup. As far as AFC teams go, the Ravens may be the best fit. They are a good team that have a closing window and needed help on offense. They still have a great running game and defense, but their passing game needs help. Brett can provide that and make us contenders again. So yeah, we should go for Favre.

Poll

Do you want the Ravens to acquire Brett Favre?

Yes

2 votes

No

9 votes

11 votes | Poll has closed