Pursuit of Happiness

Finally got to listen to Cudi’s album all the way through. You’ve gotta listen to it and especially this song…

The Shootout: Opening Week Power Rankings

Ron Artest’s hair is ready. Is yours? Season starts tonight!

1. Dunkin’ Dan Returns: Last year’s runner-up wants his panties back.
2. HEADS UP 7UP: Third place last year makes Christopher Walken horny.
3. beans&rice: I would hype this team but do I really need to?
4. Super Ballers: The three-time champ wants to prove that he’s still relevant.
5. AIR FACE 2.0: If he doesn’t win the 3PT category, I will make him sign Novak.
6. sandbox: Matt Barnes=Gerald Wallace 2.0
7. K Street Baller: CP3 has carried teams before but he can’t log into Yahoo for you.
8. TheBigFish: Amare leads a cast of versatile dudes over 6′6″.
9. TeamLouie: This team looks really versatile but do they have a strong point?
10. The Innovator: Lots of glasseaters but can they do anything else?
11. The Hop-Ons: D-Will leads a solid cast.
12. Balding Is Beautiful: Blake Griffin is a piece of shit. So much for threepeat.
13. The Avengers: Can Agent Zero stage a comeback?
14. 8===D~~~Bebe juice: OH BABY!
15. Frankenstein McHale: It’s going to be a season for the ages.
16. Jcons: D-Wade and a lot of youth.
17. Luolapalooza: Iggy and Joe Johnson lead the way but not much depth in the frontcourt.
18. Toni Kukoc: Why didn’t he pick up Aaron Gray?
19. Posers ‘10: What a fitting name.
20. Team Name: Description line.

When You Draft Like The Pros

… You’ll most likely get burned.

I’ve been a part of this fantasy basketball league since 2003. It’s a good, competitive league.

I had been looking forward to the fantasy draft like a young, wide-eyed, obese boy sitting in his kitchen on the eve of Thanksgiving.

I had been crowned the champion for the last two years and am eager to threepeat, complete with a postseason parade down Michigan Avenue here in Chicago.

The parade would be met by warm Chicago weather and a crisp acknowledgement that dreams are possible: fantasy champions can threepeat.

But today, with Blake Griffin’s fractured left patella, it all came crumbling down.

For whatever reason — because I’m a dumbass — I strayed from my usual, objective strategy of drafting boring players with great statlines and sprinkling the team with young role players on the cusp of increased rotation minutes.

Here’s a breakdown of my fantasy team…

Reliable Major Players: Carmelo Anthony, Tony Parker
These are guys that I can hang my hat on. I know both will score but not much else.

Oft-Injured Almost All-Stars: TJ Ford, Al Jefferson
These guys may make me look like a genius or a complete idiot. They’re both up for big years — if they can stay healthy.

Productive Role Players: Rodney Stuckey, Jeff Foster
If Foster gets 20 minutes, he’ll get you 10 boards. If Stuckey gets minutes, he’ll get you some scoring and a handful of assists and steals. If Stuckey starts, he could be up for a breakthrough season. Those are all big “ifs.”

Young Guys On The Verge: Marreese Speights, Brandon Rush, Amir Johnson
These guys have impressed when they’ve played, especially Speights.  But can they edge out teammates to win jobs on the rotation?

Rookie Phenoms or Bust? Griffin, Terrence Williams
There’s been a lot of preseason hype on both players. Can they produce?

Why Did I Pick You, Again? Kwame Brown
Oh yeah, because you’ll start and get me 2 points and 7 boards a game.

All this to say, when you draft on potential, you’re going to get burned one way or another.

NOlympics? Yes!

Chicago lost its Olympic bid for the 2016 Summer Games. I, for one, am relieved. Excerpt from an excellent piece at the East Coast Bias:

To prepare Chicago, Mayor Daley would have needed to remove a number of poor communities from the south side, relocating them outside of the county, or far west within the city. There would have been cost overruns, as previously stated, cutbacks on services for current residents, the creation of structures at a high cost (in a time of fluctuating value) that will NOT be used after the Olympic event. It’s the kind of production that loves a blowhard that promises big things and scrambles to deliver. It’s the kind of production that would be better served by a more lax news media, easily-manipulated fiscal policy, and disenfranchised/ easy to move residents.

I would also add that although Mayor Daley guaranteed that no city tax money would fund the infrastructure changes or any other Olympic expense, in an effort to step to the plate, the Chicago City Council voted unanimously to cover any financial shortfalls were it to win the Olympic bid.

The City Council had already promised $500 million to the cause, not to mention the other $50 million used just to prepare for the bid.

I realize that most Chicago residents don’t know where the “poor people near UIC, the United Center or McCormick Place” went.  They just know that it’s nice and clean now and they go on their merry way.  It doesn’t really cross their minds that there are people hurting in this city.

I would love to see this zeal for an Olympic Games diverted to fixing the problems of this city.  Put it towards Chicago Public Schools, perhaps?

Damon Weaver With Dwyane Wade

Damon Weaver’s interviews are great. Check this one out with Flash.