SB Nation User Blog: lukeyhere

Junk Drawer 5-31: Junk Drawer Edition

lukeyhere — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:28:37 -0000

We call these things Junk Drawers everyday, but do we ever give a second thought or pay proper homage to that all important receptacle of the home? The original clutter. The junk drawer.

So what's in your junk drawer? You know, that drawer in which all the little necessities of life abide that otherwise have no home? Ok, do you even have a junk drawer? More than one? Maybe you do and you don't even know it. I don't think anybody ever creates a junk drawer on purpose: They just come to exist.

Through various homes and situations in life, my junk drawers seem to have had a few items in common. Screwdrivers and tape. I've also noticed that when any drawer gets about half way full with stuff (which would be low for a junk drawer) the prescence of either a screwdriver or a roll of tape will cause the drawer to jam every time you try to open it.

I just went and opened our junk drawer to view the contents. It did jam, but this time it was some old cell phone cradle that probably doesn't fit any current phone we have. Or maybe it does. See that's the problem. Maybe you need it, maybe you don't. Until the answer is clear, it will reside in the junk drawer.

Aside from the cell phone parts (and of course tape and screwdrivers) there was some candles, some extra cables from stereo equipment, a few stray batteries (are they still good? I don't know. Put them in the junk drawer.), some crayons, marbles, scissors, a deck of cards (no doubt missing a card), and other various and sundry items.

We had a junk drawer at home when I was a kid. It was a good junk drawer. The one I really remember was at my grandparents house. It must have had 50 pounds (that's 426 hectares for our metric friends) of stuff in it. I used to open it just to look through all the neat stuff. There was probably enough trinkets from years gone by to reconstruct a reasonable history of my grandparents lives. It had a distinct sound and a distinct smell and I miss it terribly.

So fess up. Tell all about your junk or lack thereof.

Poll

15 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

Drawer du Junque, May 19

lukeyhere — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:30:56 -0000

I've come to the realization that over the course of perhaps a year or more, I've slowly given up on washing of fresh fruit and vegetables. Now, I've always been a fruit and vegetable washer. With countless paper towels have I absorbed moisture from soggy lettuce. I think the trend towards non washing started with the cooked vegetables first. Take broccoli for example. I prefer to steam my broccoli. It is also a vegetable that is near impossible to wash, as it presents some sort of impervious barrier to water. The common saying, "Like water off a ducks back" might just as well have been, "Like water off a head of broccoli". It just isn't as catchy. Furthermore, the steam should be killing any little nasties that I am trying to remove by washing in the first place. Thus, I decided that it was entirely unecessary to wash broccoli.

Soon, whether through enlightenment or laziness, I was eating without washing a variety of cooked and uncooked foods. I was able to justify not washing uncooked foods by playing the odds, essentially. The chances of something being on this lettuce that could kill me is fairly remote. Additionally, if something is on this lettuce that is going to kill me, the odds of my removing it with a quick dash of cold water under the tap are even greater. Now certainly there may be things on the lettuce that will only make me sick. But I always remember the saying, "Whatever doesn't kill you just hurts real bad".

Benefitting the greatest from my non-wash mentality is the ability to enjoy carrots on a whim. With carrots, they had to be either thoroughly scrubbed or peeled; time consuming indeed. Now they go straight from the bag to my belly. Baby carrots you say? I scoff at the notion that baby carrots are even in the same classification as a bona fide daucus carota. The peel does appeal.

Is this fruit folly or fatalism? Is this a shortcut to the top of the mountain, or a detour into the morass? What does this have to do with firing Nate McMillan? The answers may be no farther than your vegetable crisper.

Poll

Favorite vegetable?

Broccoli

9 votes

Spinach

10 votes

Carrots

10 votes

Ho Hos

5 votes

Beets

3 votes

Green Beans

7 votes

Travis Outlaw

21 votes

65 votes | Poll has closed

Legitimate Junk Drawer May 8

lukeyhere — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:00:33 -0000

Upon realizing that the previous JD was an abomination, created within the same 24 hour period as the previous JD, I offer this as an alternative.

Questionnaire:

Did you see the new “Trek”? The reviews appear to be good. How shocking is this?

Are you BEdging from work? If so, does your chair have armrests? What does this say about you? Have you ever been having a conversation with someone and, whilst fiddling with the little release lever under your chair, suddenly plummeted about 6 inches mid sentence?

Do you eat farm raised fish, such as tilapia? Do you know where it comes from? Would you eat it if you did?

Do you drink coffee at home before leaving for work, get some on the way to work, or drink coffee on the company’s dime once at work?

Do you rotate your tires? Do you believe this extends tire life? Why?

Have you ever compared your actual electrical meter reading to that which is claimed on your monthly bill?

Why are small dogs so popular as house pets compared to cats? Bascially, if you wanted a small animal roaming your house, why not a cat? Would you ever take a fish to the veterinarian?

Does your drywall smell like sulpher? Do you?

What color would you say is most prevalent in nature?

Can you type well but still need to look when using numbers?

How many televisions do you have in your home that you never watch? Did you know that rather than spending a lot of money on HDTV, you can get the same picture quality improvement merely by wiping the dust from your current television screen?

Would you say you use paper clips or staples more often? Do you quietly smirk when opening your desk drawer and seeing that your staples are Staples brand? Do you do this every time you see the same box?

Poll

Huh?

This is disgusting

1 votes

Why, I mean.....why???

1 votes

Round, but square in the front

3 votes

Farenheit

0 votes

Fahrenheit

2 votes

Fahrhenheit

0 votes

Kelvin

4 votes

Hunger is not an emotion

2 votes

Travis Outlaw

7 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed

Junque Drawer, Saturday the 27th, Slept in edition

lukeyhere — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:27:17 -0000

It's supposed to be half way decent weather around the great Northwest today, so I need to be getting some work done around the domestic dwelling unit, not staring at B-Edge all day. Yep, winter is just around the corner now, but of course that isn't the season that is on everyone's mind, right?

Discussion topics of the day:

Oregon at Washington State...do you even care? Did Oregon State already achieve the pinnacle of their season? Will the outcome of the civil war decide a BCS bowl berth this year, or is reality not quite that exciting?

What's the deal with your name? User name that is. Care to enlighten us on how you chose your moniker by which BlazersEdge-dom knows you? Some seem fairly obvious...BlazerFan, tominhawaii, BlazermaniacAndy...or are they obvious? Others are more cryptic like BlueBooYay, amlmart1, Ben., prezofdeath. What synapses were firing amongst the grey matter to arrive at these oddities?

Courtside yesterday

lukeyhere — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:08:48 -0000

Courtside yesterday

Anybody hear Outlaw on Courtside last night? His take on practices: Bayless' agressiveness and Oden's strength have surprised him. Aldridge and Webster are in great shape. Highlight was Mike Rice trying to talk Outlaw into the dunk contest next year, with Rice designing the dunks which would include bubblegum and a fishing pole.

Oden vs. Durant

lukeyhere — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:44:59 -0000

Flashback! What were you doing 445 days ago? And now, with a year of analysis, anguish, hope and prognostications under our belt, what are your thoughts either on the debate that was, or the debate that will be ongoing?

Did Durant's one year of hoisting shots fulfill your expectations? What have you taken out of Oden's year of recovery to weigh in on the debate? Have you changed your mind on who we should have taken?

Here's the beef amongst the bun: Were you right?

Here's my take: I was not adamantly pro-Oden or pro-Durant. I really thought it was a choice that we couldn't go wrong with. BUT...some little voice in my head kept telling me we wanted Durant. Leading right up to draft day, when Oden had more or less been picked if not announced, I still wanted to be shocked by hearing, "With the first pick....blah blah blah...Kevin Durant!!". And yet I was perfectly happy with Oden, the sensible choice, the safe choice, the obvious choice. The right choice?

I was comfortable enough with Oden that I had no regrets when the knee went pop. Seeing his comittment through this year and seeing the true character that is Greg emerge, I believe that Pritchard & Co. absolutely made the right decision. I think I was WRONG on draft day.

History, of course, will be the best judge. Heck, maybe by mid-season this year a final verdict will be rendered. How 'bout a last chance to say ,"I told you so!!!"

Poll

Were you right?

Yep, I always wanted Oden and history will show I'm right.

181 votes

Yep, I always wanted Durant and history will show I'm right.

5 votes

The jury is way, way, way out. Ask me in 5 years.

62 votes

I wanted Oden, but now see Durant as the better choice.

1 votes

I wanted Durant, but I was stooopid. Oden! Oden! Oden!

17 votes

I wanted us to use the #1 pick on euro prospect Rukjvanwksyk Gvrnksyemyem

12 votes

278 votes | Poll has closed

How much experience is needed to win a championship?

lukeyhere — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:46:11 -0000

I was curious about the age of our young team relative to other championship teams, including the tenure with that specific team of their stars when a championship was won. No, I didn't say we were champions. Just more mind numbing speculation of the summer months. However, if we are moving into the "Championship Contention Window", the CCW, within the next 3 seasons, then the numbers are at least, interesting.

I looked at only two simple numbers. Firstly, what is the average experience in years of the starting five (Career average). Secondly, what is their tenure, in years with the championship team (Team average)? Right off the bat this makes for a little confusion as the starting five aren't always exceedingly clear cut. In some of these cases I used the main five guys, or the five playing the bulk of the minutes, or the five that got the bulk of the playoff time. Probably a mistake or two factored in as well.

So, fire up the wayback machine for a recap of champions back to the mid-90's, which is approximately when my eye's glazed over looking at stat sheets.

Year Team, Career avg, Team avg, Notes

2008 Celtics, 8 3.6 - The next Pistons or Heat? Or dynasty?

2007 Spurs, 8.6 5.2 - Another year or two left in these "old timers"I think.

2006 Heat, 6.6 1.4 - I completely forgot The Glove was on this team.

2005 Spurs, 6.2 4.2 - Duncan is a stud.

2004 Pistons, 6.2 2 - Burn hot, burn quick...and beat up a Shaq-less Kobe. Edit: Shaq probably wants to forget he was on this team too.

2003 Spurs, 6.2 5.2 - An elder Admiral skews this relatively young team.

2002 Lakers, 8.6 5.8 - Robert Horry equals success!

2001 Lakers, 8.6 4 - Rick Fox becomes a household name.

2000 Lakers, 10.4 2.4 - Phil doesn't need Jordan to win (merely Shaq & Kobe)

1999 Spurs, 9.4 4.6 - Duncan was a stud right out of the box.

1998 Bulls, 10.6 7.8 - Jordan retires again, sets course for future Favre.

1997 Bulls, 9.6 6.8 - Jordan's stomach virus series.

1996 Bulls, 8.6 5.8 - Remember when Shawn Kemp was really, really good?

Edit: Added these young teams. Factored into the averages below.

1991 Bulls, 7 4.8 Remember Bill Cartwright's freethrows?

1981 Celtics, 4.6 2.6 - Rookie McHale, Soph Bird

1980 Lakers, 5.6 2.6 - Rookie Magic

1977 Blazers, 3 2.6 - !!!!!!!

Average career experience for all these teams is 7.5 years.

Average team experience for all teams is 4.2 years.

So what does any of this mean? The numbers for our current Blazers, for the 2009 season will look like this (Oden, LMA, Roy, Webster, Blake)

2009 Blazers, 3.2 2.6

A very young team, as if you didn't know. There are a few teams in recent history with low team experience averages, and the Heat and Pistons stand out. In both instances, the career averages are high, and if you were to look at a 12 or 15 man roster average they would probably be even higher, particularly in the case of the Heat with it's veteran heavy bench. Interestingly, both teams with the lowest team experience numbers are one-and-done's.

Now project the Blazers out 2 more years, to the 2011 season and assume a starting lineup of Oden, LMA, Roy, Webster and Bayless (Rex if for no other reason than to make this next set of numbers look really cool).

2011 Blazers, 4.4 4..4

At least in recent history, no other team comes close to being this young in terms of career experience, and possibly more notably, it is all "home grown" experience. This also puts us squarely in the middle of the pack for team experience and way, way low on the career experience end, but there aren't any 14 year Shaqs to skew the number higher either.

I started to list values of the "Big 3" or "Big 2" of championship teams also, but this didn't seem to have much value, e.g. averaging an old Shaq and a young D-Wade gives you two experienced players in their prime. Or what does 10 years on a team for Paul Pierce and 1 year for Garnett mean? I dunno.

So does this team's CCW begin in 3 years? Is this team really that unique to contend with young guys that are playing for the team that drafted them (not to mention a couple more at the fifth and sixth options)? How many years are we an effective contender with the same core? Even the teams that you would call perrennial contenders over an extended period have some changeup in some key role players from year to year while retaining their stars, e.g. Bulls '91-98, Spurs '99-07, '80-88 Lakers.

It's all speculation right now, but it's July, and that's what we do in July.

And hey, it's my first Fanpost, too!