The State Physicality in the NBA

Michael Jordan and other NBA players from the 1980s like to claim that today's current players would've struggled in earlier NBA play on account of the contemporary game becoming far less physical. Last night's "fight" (i.e., shove-match) between Golden State and Indiana provides an interesting perspective on the state of physical intensity in the NBA. If you watch the video there are multiple pushes, David Lee and Roy Hibbert imitate mating walruses with a full-on chest thumping, a surprising number of people trip considering they are all professional athletes, and after about 15 seconds all walk calmly to their bench.
[See fight here . . . NBA took it off Youtube.]

To offer some context compare the above with this 1984 fight started by Larry Bird and Dr. J, two superstars not known for being particularly belligerent. What begins as a scrum quickly turns post-apocalyptic riot where players are running and just throwing punches at anything that looks like an opposing player. At 1:24 Bird is getting head-locked from behind while Dr. J unloads on him.Stern has to be pleased about the NBA's post-Artest comity but last night's shove-and-trip-fest gives credence to Jordan's argument.

Psychodellic Hallucination or Late 70's SI Spread?

Vince Young: Bernie Madoff Victim?

News came out this week that between jobs QB Vince Young may be the victim of some elaborate ponzi scheme. Apparently Vince took out a $1.7 million loan at a very reasonable 20 percent--reasonable, that is, in a parallel world where the global economy has collapsed, currency has lost all value and meaning, humans have regressed to a pre-agrarian nomadic state and all debts and obligations are predicated on physical size and violence--to fund among other things a $300,000 birthday party.

As Vince is now largely sans money, some Madoffian schemer must have duped the QB out of the non-birthday $1.4 million, whose financial acumen is otherwise quite astute . . . well, except for this minor excerpt from testimony on Vince's failure to meet other financial obligations, "'It's almost like I can have a $30,000 budget that I know we had to pay here, but then, you know, I get an invoice for a Ferrari that he just bought for $176,000, and they want their money.'' 

Yes--being able to manage a $30K a month budget is admirable Vince, but it is also critical that you appreciate the fact that debtors for major acquisitions, like luxury Italian sports cars, expect repayment for their goods. In other words, the fact that you were able to live modestly at $30K a month doesn't mean you are rewarded with being able to forgo responsibilities from other major purchases.

Mirza Teletovic: Excellent Moving-Picker. Developing Shooter.

Mirza Teletovic's three air balls were a tough stretch. No questioning that. But on the bright side he gets open on the first with two promising, albeit moving, pics. All three miss long and wide-right so it's more that his internal calculus is off than it is that he's completely oblivious to the basket's whereabouts. And in his defense his hands were still cold and the score never changes despite the air balls. That and Kobe had four in a row once.