SB Nation User Blog: JSun

Sean Singletary??

JSun — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:02:53 -0000

Sean Singletary??

My text message alert from Steve Kerr informs me that DJ Strawberry has been traded to Houston for rooke Sean Singletary.

No reports on the Internets yet, though.

Update. Here's one. I'm underwhelmed and a bit confused. Wasn't DJ going to be let go with Dragic on board? Stan?

Will Shaq Be Able to Keep Rapping After This?

JSun — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:51:33 -0000

Will Shaq Be Able to Keep Rapping After This?

I wonder how her ... um, maybe not. Well, maybe.

Matt Barnes: Man of Many Tattoos and Larry Brown Kidnapper

JSun — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:11:21 -0000

In browsing around, I foundthis interesting take on Matt Barnes from NY fans. I hadn't realized he spent a few months in a Knick uniform. I suppose it gives us some insight.

Some of the better mental images:

(on his crack-induced energy)

For example, on defense, he'll just randomly swing his arms in every direction possible

(on why he got cut from that god-awful 23-win team)

It clearly wasn't basketball related ... It had to have been something off-court.... Perhaps, we decided, he had attempted to kidnap Larry Brown and sell him to passers-by for 39.95 with which he hoped to purchase crack.

Leander Moves On

JSun — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:44:14 -0000

Leander's love affair with Majerle is over. Scott Williams is the new guy in town.

I'm going to miss the casual banter, Majerle's vain attempts at stifling his sarcasm and scorn, and Leander's jabs about taking a breathalyzer before broadcasting.

I'm also worried about how Thunder Dan is going to be able to unabashedly shill not one, but two, wonderful neighborhood pubs. Does this count?

Ah ... sweet, sweet memories of drooling for Bud Light, pre-party prognostications and stating that the players need to spend more time driving to the hole.

Hey, hun, don't forget the coffee!

I'll Trade you a Slovenian for a Croatian

JSun — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:14:12 -0000

Hello, Goran

Goodbye, Gordan

Not that anyone's surprised about him not being a Sun, mind you, but Giricek followed the M-Train to Europe (that's "money"). It's kind of like Milton in Office Space. He was never officially fired, but the glitch seemed to work itself out.

NBA teams just aren't offering Shaq-sized buttloads of money anymore. Apparently, the Sp*rs took at run at him, but he wanted too much. Maybe that's why they re-signed the player formerly known as Michael Finley. Fins is willing to take a touch more than the veteran minimum, which was apparently less than Gordan was willing to take.

Which brings me to money. Dragic's contract is a bit steep for a second-rounder, I suppose, but it is only a first-round rookie's money. "Grossly over-priced" is not the phrase that comes to mind. Even if he does not pan out, it's not a bigger bust than other notable first-round wash-outs. I won't even list those here, because it's not the point.

The point is that more-than-serviceable players are being drawn to Europe for bigger money than NBA teams are willing to spend to fill out their benches and rotations. Wouldn't you do it? Be the seventh man in the NBA and make $1.5M or go to Europe, be a star, and make at least double that? I don't think the elite players will leave (forget the contracts for a minute and think about the endorsements), but I'd imagine that rotation players will continue to migrate resulting in weaker benches throughout the league. Perhaps Coach D's Suns missed their window by being a few years too early where a weak bench may become the norm.

That's just Charles being Charles.

JSun — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:20:57 -0000

That's just Charles being Charles.

Dancing, Dancing

JSun — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:10:46 -0000

"Dancing, dancing," is what my 1.5 year old daught says as she gyrates around. I really don't know where she got it, but she wiggles her hips in ways usually only seen in rap videos. Occassionally, the missus watches MTV, but there's never any videos on there, so I'm at loss.

Anyway, my laziness was recently called out, so I thought I'd put something up about the Suns Dancers.

More narcisscistic stories, first, though. We were on vacation a couple of weeks ago in Carlsbad, CA (N San Diego) and eating dinner at a place called Pizza Port. They have decent local brews and its a pretty fun place. So, after dinner and a few beers (none for the kids), we decide to let the baby walk around a bit. She climbs on the table (kids tend to do those things, and it didn't seem like a big deal since the tables are essentially picnic benches) and starts dancing ... to Warrant's Cherry Pie ... like Bobbie Brown.

Here's a link to the video for you pervs persons too young to remember.

Back to the dancers. You can vote here, and the fine print says that fan voting is worth 25% of the decision. I'd like to be able to say that I watched the videos to determine who was actually the best dancer, but who has the time to do that?

Granted, this is not as cool as thedirty.com or Steve Nash/Dirk Nowitzki fanfic, but it was enough to pull me away from that stuff.

There are some kinda cool stories out there about the dancers. They do actually work hard and stuff, and many have regular jobs and career aspirations. I do also appreciate the fact that, although the outfits don't leave much to the imagination, they are not on the sluttier side of things. Have you seen some of those other outfits/costumes out there?

I also know some pro dancers and its really hard just to be average at it -- even if you've got talent. I'm torn between my caveman-chauvinism and the knowledge that it truly is not easy work. Why would somebody do that? Work so hard just to be objectified? And you guys thought Zeno said some tough stuff to understand ...

I might poke around and link some stories about the dancers. I might also throw up some thoughts for discussion (or just soap-box yelling). After all, what are we going to do for the next 55 days? Watch baseball?

In some basketball-related news, Dragic still might have a shot at coming over here. Although, I think the article says he's currently the backup PG on his Spanish team:

The biggest factor in getting Dragic to Phoenix now seems to be Tau's ability to find a backup point guard to replace him.

Am I reading that right? Isn't that a bad thing for the Suns? I was kind of figuring he was some sort of star in Europe.

Boris, I Love the Gold Smoking Jacket

JSun — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:19:18 -0000

Boris, I Love the Gold Smoking Jacket

He really does put Hef to shame, doesn't he?

Also, he looks a little trimmer than in the past.

French Fries and Families

JSun — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:15:05 -0000

Why, exactly, do we pay so much attention to ridiculously-talented athletes wearing ridiculous clothes who play a child's game? There's a watered-down colisseum/gladiator thing going on, but why are we interested? Why does someone like me, who is an avid fan, take such great joy in Boris' (and others) appearances on thedirty.com?

Now is the time to reflect on your fandom. A little lull in the action until we begin to anticipate the new season.

Last Saturday, I took my kids to McDonald's for lunch. Using my free french fries from a Suns win earlier this season and the new "dollar menu" I ate, the kids ate and the boy got a Transformer-type toy from his Happy Meal for under $7. After eating, they played on the equipment and I zoned out in the chair for about an hour. It was over two hours together for about $7 (plus a couple miles of gas).

I took JSun2 to his first game on December 15, 2006. Later, he was at the Steve Nash Bloody Nose game (he will also tell anyone that asks him that he hates the Spurs because Robert Horry pushed Steve Nash). Last year, my infant daughter sat on my lap and watched playoff games while I fed her and the misses tried to catch up on sleep.

These are fond memories, and I'm sure that as the kids age, grow up and grow away, the memories will become fonder. My dad still keeps the ticket from the first game he and I attended (it was Portland).

At the actual game (or in the downtown area), I'm convinced that whenever you can get 20,000 persons together and avoid a riot, you've done a good thing for the community.

How often do you talk about your favorite sporting team at work? Or, on the internet?

Regardless of what they do with the money, it really is hard to argue the athletes are overpaid. Every time you mention the Suns, give each player a nickel because it is something you enjoy and it is something you enjoy doing with others. Multiply that by the world and you see that these athletes are providing a consumer good. I'm staying judgment-neutral on this. Whether it's good or bad is another issue. Capitalism can reap benefits for persons pandering more socially destructive products.

At the same time, we laugh at their stupidity. Mainly becuase we're jealous. If I had that much money, I'd do something differently. I would, but I also don't have the personality (much less the skills) to get where they are. I've recently come around to the idea that persons with mucho moola are also those most likely to lose it. It's something about the genetic makeup of risk-taking. E.g., I would rather work hard at schooling and be relatively assured of an above-average income than work much harder at athletics for the slim chance of making an un-godly amount of money.

We (mainly "I") need to get over ourselves. The rumor-mongering is funny and I'm not going to swear myself off of it (mainly because I'm easily amused), but it is only a sideshow. It's like the six-minute cartoon before the movie. Fun and amusing, but superfluous and not the reason we're here.

We're here because we do enjoy watching men bounce a ball while wearing silly-looking uniforms. And they are silly. Short-shorts are disturbing, but shorts to your ankles are about as useful. Their main benefit is the cover-up.

Watch the games and have fun. Follow the team in the off-season as a hobby. Cheer your favorite player and boo the Sp*rs. Give yourself a reason to spend time with family and friends -- at the game or with your free french fries sometime after the game. Spend a few free minutes in the blogosphere and "e-hangout" with others who share the passion.

Enjoy those fries while you can, too, because there's a good chance they are going to go the way of the Dodo and the two free Jack-in-the-box tacos.

If you get a chance to hit any Summer League games, make sure to take in the spectacle that is Las Vegas. Even if you don't like the casinoes, the people-watching is fantastic. Walk slowly and enjoy the conversation with your spouse/friend/sibling/parent. Then, remember that you made the trip to watch the Suns. And don't forget to bring your camera phone -- Dan Majerle will be there and the Dirty Army needs your pictures.

The Prodigal Sun Begins to Wander

JSun — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:17:33 -0000

"Who's the bigger fool: the fool or the fool who follows him?"

-- Obiwan Kenobi, Star Wars IV: A New Hope

In case you're not sure, Dan Fegan is the former and Shawn Marion is the latter.

In a shocking development, Shawn Marion has informed the Heat that he's going to play this year and cash his $17.8M paycheck. In an even less shocking response, rumors are already brewing that Shawn Marion's expiring contract will be traded next season.

Perhaps most disturbing is that Marion was looking for a three-year extension at $13M a year but Riley only wanted to give him $10M per year. Is this the same guy that thought he was getting 3 years at $20M per from the Suns? Or, was that just Marion trying to get the Suns to push him away? I suppose it could also be a big splash of cold water.

I said it here first. On February 12. Just saying ... Then, he started appearing on www.thedirty.com and hanging out with RackStar.

Every time I think about this whole turn of events, I get sicker and sicker.

I really need to stop thinking about this.