SB Nation User Blog: MiledAnimal

Magic's new book comes out, Isiah goes ballistic

MiledAnimal — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:02:58 -0000

Magic's new book comes out, Isiah goes ballistic

"People who know me and my family and what I stand for will laugh at Magic and his beliefs. I'm tired of getting punched and people using me because they think I'm not going to say anything. Those days are over. Game on.''

10/18 Sunday Junkday

MiledAnimal — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:07:39 -0000

We talk a lot of basketball here at Blazersedge, but what other sports do you enjoy on weekends? What kind of sports junk do you have kicking around the house and garage?

via www.sevilleclassics.com

Here in Brentwood, California, which is on the Sacramento River Delta, it seems like half the folks own a boat. I'm not sure how many actually get into the water, because I see them being towed around town a lot. That's probably what I would do if I had a boat, because it's easier than actually putting the boat into the water and you look pretty cool pulling a boat.

via acctowing.com

Golf is also a popular pastime here. There are a lot of golf courses in this town of 50,000. I don't play anymore, but when I lived in Portland I always enjoyed playing at Hoyt Park, next to OMSI, because I had a good short game but couldn't drive the ball to save my life. When I had to use a wood, the worms ran screaming for their life. Is Hoyt Park still there? For that matter, is OMSI still there? Off Sunset Highway?

via travelmalaysiaguide.com

Brentwood is a Bronze-level bike-friendly community, which is nice, but it's not a large town like Portland, so after a couple of weekends you've biked everywhere there is to bike. I've been biking lately with some co-workers after work on trails in Walnut Creek, Concord, Benicia, and Moraga. I love biking! For me, the best part is when I first hop on my bike, that feeling of smooth forward motion with little effort is intoxicating.

via eternallycool.net

Tennis, basketball, and racquetball were my three favorite sports for years, but I seldom play them anymore. My daughters are both on the tennis team, which makes me happy in a goofy-dad sort of way. Those sports taught me something sad about myself: hard work, love of a sport, and practice are not enough to rise to the top in that sport. You need athleticism, else Steve Blake, not Brandon Roy, would rule Portland.

via media.techeblog.com

Oh yeah, this is my inagural junk drawer. I guess it had to happen sometime. I was going to post it yesterday, but just before I posted it I refreshed BE and Tinfoil's JD was there. Just as well, because we had to leave to spend the day in San Francisco and see "Wicked," so I would not have been able to read your responses until late last night.

Last but not least, no JD is complete without a poll:

via hilarygardner.files.wordpress.com

Wendell Maxey on Tyreke Evans

MiledAnimal — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:51:12 -0000

Wendell Maxey on Tyreke Evans

"Self-dubbed Team Tyreke, the three brothers – Reggie, Eric and Julius – can now take pride in knowing the boy they helped raise already have Kings’ fans dubbing Tyreke "The Man" on both sides of the ball in Sactown."

Sean Deveney ranks Blazers #6

MiledAnimal — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:54:17 -0000

Sean Deveney ranks Blazers #6

6. Portland. Andre Miller could be the piece the Blazers are missing to get this young bunch to championship level. But by the time the young pieces reach their prime, Miller might be too old.

Rosen on Roy and other young NBA up-and-comers

MiledAnimal — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:30:54 -0000

Rosen on Roy and other young NBA up-and-comers

Here's Rosen's blurb on Roy:

"Brandon Roy (25 years old, three seasons): Virtually everything about Roy's game is commendable. Of course, his defense could be a tad better, but that's true of just about every player in the league.

"Other than that, starting this season, Roy must avoid settling for jumpers and become more intent on attacking the hoop. Indeed, he only averaged 6.47 free throws per game last season — good enough to lead his team, but not good enough to be a reliable scorer in the endgame."

Rosen thinks Roy is not a reliable endgame scorer? Charlie, Charlie, Charlie...

ESPN poll: Which player would you rather have, Carlos, Kirk, or Tyrus?

MiledAnimal — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:32:51 -0000

ESPN poll: Which player would you rather have, Carlos, Kirk, or Tyrus?

The nation's voters have spoken. Be sure to check the Ohio results.

Chad Ford grades the Blazers' draft

MiledAnimal — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:19:54 -0000

Chad Ford grades the Blazers' draft

Grade: B-

Bottom line: "The Blazers had a solid draft, but Pritchard's rep has made "solid" seem disappointing."

The Top 32 NBA draft busts of all time.

MiledAnimal — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:54:21 -0000

The Top 32 NBA draft busts of all time.

[I could not get a direct link to the slide show to work, so this goes to the MSNBC.com NBA page. Look for the Special feature box at the right and click the Draft do-overs? link to see the slide show.]

No Blazer fan will be surprised to see Sam Bowie's dental-braced likeness at #1. Number 3 may surprise and will offend you, especially since, with Bowie at #1, the list appears to be ordered from worst-bust to least. Numbers 12 and 13 are no-brainers.

EA Sports' Mike Fratello & Ryan Blake on Blazers draft

MiledAnimal — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:22:59 -0000

EA Sports' Mike Fratello & Ryan Blake on Blazers draft

They have us drafting Sam Young or Nick Calathes.

Bill Simmons on nanny officiating

MiledAnimal — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:19:00 -0000

Bill Simmons on nanny officiating

Today's games should be easier to call because they're more predictable. Teams run the same play five or six straight times down the stretch. For Cleveland, it's the high screen with Ilguaskas and James. For Boston, it's the high post play with Pierce. For the Lakers, it's the "Let's run the triangle for 42 minutes, then we'll just clear out for Kobe for the last six" offense. For Denver, it's either a high screen for Chauncey or a clear-out for Carmelo. Only the Magic (God bless them) seem interested in playing a style that doesn't revolve around the same guy hoisting 3s or barrelling toward the basket again and again.

You would think that seeing the same types of plays run again and again and again and again would be an advantage for referees. It's not. The question is why.