Even T-Mac Thinks the Heat Suck

Tracy McGrady ripped the Miami Heat on Monday and said that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade look terrible together, according to the New York Daily News.
"When they're on the court together, they're terrible," McGrady reportedly said. "Him and D-Wade don't complement each other. They're somewhat the same type of players, 'Bron and D-Wade."
The 31-year-old went on to say that the two Heat stars are different than Ray Allen and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics, explaining that James and Wade both need the ball.
"That's why they're having trouble scoring in the half court because they can't get a rhythm, because one of them is dominating the ball," the Detroit Pistons guard reportedly said. "That guy might be getting off, but the other guy (isn't)."
It was reported on Monday that the Heat players are frustrated with coach Erik Spoelstra.
The Heat have lost four of their last five games and are 9-8 overall.

Haha, I can't get enough of this Heat downfall. Eric Spoelstra seems like a good person (and good coach), but I love seeing LeCon James and these fake tough guys spiral into a .500 record. Even T-Mac, a guy who looks toast out on the court as a Detroit Piston, and is averaging less than five points per game, is pointing out the obvious.

LeBron and D-Wade are too much alike as players. Both are alpha-dogs of some sort who absolutely need the ball in their hands to be most effective. Neither is a spot-up shooter, and neither has ever been in a position where they have ever had to defer to another player. Wade carried the Heat to the championship over the Mavs, and Shaq was a great second banana. LeBron has never played with someone even worthy of being a No.2 on a championship team. I mean, who's the best teammate he's ever had? Antawn Jamison for a minute? Big Z? Larry Hughes?

It's amazing people thought they were a shoo-in for the championship. Eddie House is one of their better players, and their core underrated/gritty player - Udonis Haslem - may be out for the year. Mike Miller is still hurt, they have no depth, and can easily get out muscled by bigger teams (a la the Magic, Celtics, Lakers, etc.).

But it's not like they brought all of this negative press on themselves. Oh wait, they did. From "The Decision", to the rock star entrance before training camp even began, to the feeling of superiority and having won a championship before the season even began, the Heats pity party is completely self-motivated.

That's the difference between this Heat team, and the Celtics 07/08 Championship team. The Celtics played with a collective chip on their shoulders, knowing they hadn't won squat. The Heat? They're playing like a bunch of individuals who can't handle the pressure of knowing the high expectations they 've created.

P.S.
T-Mac looks completely washed up. I mean, he looks chubbier and slower, perhaps not a good sign for a guy known to rely on athleticism. Meanwhile, this is his highlight of the year thus far: His first points of the season.

Because I Always Need a Laugh on Monday

I know they just replay the same clip over again, but this never gets old for me. One of those special dumb Youtube videos that is very dear to my heart.

Leslie Nielsen Passed Away at 84

R.I.P. Frank, should have been Nordbert

Maine Hockey Journal

This weekend was my first taste of writing for the Maine Hockey Journal. Wrote game recaps for Bowdoin's first two games of the season, and had a blast doing it.

LeBron! Hide your mother, Delonte West is back

Tonight's Celtics/Wizards game marks the return of Delonte West from a 10 game suspension to start the season. Normally the return of a player whose career scoring average is 10ppg, and who plead guilty to carrying a concealed weapon, is not the saving grace for an NBA franchise with 17 championships. Although West's troubles should be of some concern to Celtics fans, his contributions on the court by seasons end should put to rest those concerns.

Drafted by Danny Ainge in 2004, Delonte West earned initial recognition from fans for his hustle, outside shooting, and his basketball IQ. It wasn't until his second NBA season before he put up solid all around numbers. In a mostly starting gig, West produced great percentages, low turnovers, and averaged 11.8ppg, 4.1rpg, and 4.6apg. The St. Joe's grad produced similar numbers across the board the following season, as the Celtics stumbled all the way to 24 wins, their third worst total since joining the NBA. He wasn't a pariah in the locker room, and his play on the court was one of the few positives out of a truly dreadful season (Sebastian Telfair was not). Losing brings change, and Ainge saw an opportunity to get better, and traded West, the No. 5 pick, and Wally Szczerbiak to the Seattle Sonics for a sharp-shooter and well known "Jesus Shuttlesworth" Ray Allen.

Thanks to Kevin McHale, the Celtics landed Kevin Garnett and the rest is history. Meanwhile, West toiled away on the Sonics bench before Cleveland saved him. The Cavs, looking for a solid playoff run for LeBron to have (oh, how times have changed), needed more than Boobie Gibson and Larry Hughes at the guard spots. West came in and sparked the Cavs, but were eventually put down by the Celtics in seven games. Everytime West had an open three during that game, I had to turn away. The following year, Cleveland owned the best regular season record, and were nationally revered as the team to beat. LeBron and Delonte may have been the only two Cavs who showed some guts during the Orlando series, but it wasn't enough, as the Cavs once again went home.

It was during that successful regular season With Cleveland, that West began having problems. From his time with the Celtics, it was clear that Delonte was a goofball(the guy tapes SpongeBob episodes). With the Cavs, he began showing signs of depression, and even being bipolar. Problems began before the gun incident, but that event was what pushed his troubles into the limelight. The Cavs fizzled in the playoffs once again (to Boston yet again), as LeBron infamously dogged it during at least one of those games. Not surprisingly, West appeared in all of the games. What was surprising was the fact that West totaled eight points in the final three games, and looked like a complete non-factor for most of the series.

With his problems growing, and his play appearing more average than superb, West was sent packing to Minnesota in the offseason, where it was clear he would never play for the Timberwolves. In need of depth at the guard positions, and a clear fan of his game, Danny Ainge made a late signing of Delonte West on September 2nd for the veteran's minimum.

It's clear that West's troubles are not far behind him, and there is still baggage riding the coattails of the lanky lefty. He's been diagnosed as being bipolar, and the Celtics will be monitoring everything that comes from West this season. He's also in a familiar spot, being back with Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, and Shaquille O'Neal, whom he was with last season in Cleveland and are reportedly very close.

We're not talking about an MVP caliber player joining the Green, but West's point guard abilities will allow Nate Robinson to move to the off-guard position where he is more comfortable, he's a smooth shooter who will spread the floor, and is also adept at picking up steals and even weak side blocks. God forbid anything should happen to Ray, Rondo or Pierce, West could step in in a heartbeat and fill in admirably. Heck, he could start for a handful of teams this season. Everything appears to be looking in West's favor, let's hope it stays that way.

UPDATE: Delonte broke his wrist and is out for at least three months. Hopefully he can come back and give the Celts a boost come playoff time.

So What's the Deal with Politics?

I'll spare you my Jerry Seinfeld routine, but I thought that considering the elections just took place, now would be a good time to test out my political thoughts on the Freeze. When I first started this blog I had planned for it to be a sports/politics theme. I do have more thoughts than my favorite drunk foods, or just how good the Patriots are (awesome!).

With a significant backing of many Republican candidates, the Tea Party Movement managed to bring an energy that seemed to overshadow what Democratic leaders and candidates were trying to do. I'll come out and admit that I consider myself to be liberal and a supporter of Barack Obama and many of his policies. However, the lack of recognition and communication to the American public from his administration paved the way for disgruntled Democrats and young people to bail on the polls. Weren't young people a large majority of his presidential campaign. Although I can't say for everyone, it felt as though this midterm election was lacking in participation. The Tea Party capitalized on this, and with it's propaganda-based campaign, swayed undecided and disgruntled voters to vote Republican.

The Republicans managed to gain a majority of at least 60 seats in the House of Representatives - the biggest swing since 1948. In addition, at least 62 Tea Party backed House and Senate candidates were victorious on Tuesday. With the Tea Party's blessing comes its curse. Key senate races in Nevada, Colorado, Delaware and California failed, and the Democrats remained with the majority in the senate. Perhaps some old-school Republicans didn't appreciate the circus that is the Movement, and would have preferred better candidates, such as Delaware's well-tenured Mike Castle in favor of Sarah Palin's understudy, Christine O'Donnell. The same O'Donnell who once dabbled in witchcraft and believed that masturbation was the same as adultery.

I know that one person doesn't represent a whole, but what's the saying I'm looking for? Oh, let's just call a spade a spade. Here is footage and interviews from the Tea Party's September rally in Washington D.C. Notice they don't understand that a czar is not a synonym for Russian-Commie-Bastard-Puppy Killer:

Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (I'm back from the dead)

Not dead, but I decided to take a little hiatus just for the heck of it. Funny thing is, I left off with a long post about Randy Moss and his departure from the Patriots to the Vikings. Now, I return and Moss is gone from Minnesota and on the NFL waiver wire. If you would've told me at the beginning of the season that Moss would be traded a 1/4 of the way through, Ben Jarvis-Green Ellis would be leading the team with 371 yards rushing, a guy named Danny Woodhead would be making great contributions, and Deion Branch would be back in a Pats uniform, I would have looked at you funny.

But at the same time, this is a Bill Belichick coached team, and the man/myth/genius/Greek god has performed his job differently than every other coach on the sidelines this season. He cut fan favorite Lawyer Milloy to begin the 2003 season (they won the super bowl); he traded away his best pass rusher Richard Seymour to begin the 2009 season (they own the Raiders 1st round pick this year; and he just received a 3rd round pick from the Minnesota Vikings for four games of Randy Moss (one of the best wideouts of all-time, but at this point, a complete nutcase).
Moss was cut by the Vikings on Monday after one of the greatest speeches in NFL history. To summarize: I miss the Patriots like hell, I F-ed up, Brad Childress is a moron, and Belichick is the greatest coach ever.

On to the Power Rankings

1. New England (6-1): With the NFL's best record, the Patriots still will look to improve the fluidity of their newly installed offense.

2. Pittsburgh (6-2): Passing game struggled against spotty Saints defense. James Harrison is one scary man.

3. Baltimore (5-2): Had a bye last week, but their record remains very good, and the Jets failed to make a showing at the Meadowlands.

4. New York Jets (5-2): When the offense is on, this team is scary. Likewise when Sanchez and co. struggle.

5. Indianapolis (5-2): Despite the early season fawning over Houston and Tennessee, the injury-riddled Colts remain atop the tough AFC South.

6. New York Giants (5-2): Playing great football after looking toast at the beginning of the season. Eli Manning must remain consistent for them to be contenders.

7. Atlanta (5-2): Can't get a feel for what type of team this is offensively and defensively. The next two games will be huge against Tampa for the NFC South, and on of the AFC's best with Baltimore.

8. New Orleans (5-3): Putting the Saints at eight based on the way their defense played. Getting Reggie Bush back (probably after their week 10 bye) is vital for this offense.

9. Green Bay (5-3): Hey, maybe the NFC isn't so bad after all. The Packers defense showed up big in their bagel of the Jets.

10 Kansas City (5-2): Squeaked past the pesky Bills in OT. For all of the clamoring over their offensive struggles, Matt Cassel has a 90 QB rating, and Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones combined have over 1,000 yards rushing.

11. Tennessee (5-3): Followed up their trouncing of the Eagles with a disappointing loss against a Chargers team on the ropes.

12. Philadelphia (4-3): Mike Vick is back, which is good for fans everywhere. Peyton Manning is coming to town, which is not good news for Eagles fans.

13. Miami (4-3): Field goals are good if you own Dan Carpenter on your fantasy team. They're not good for an NFL team trying to sneak into the playoffs.

14. Tampa Bay (5-2): Earned a tough victory in Arizona. If they earn a win at Atlanta, the Bucs will have to be taken seriously.

15. Houston (4-3): The defense is playing awful, and the offensive line treated Matt Schaub as if he was a pinata and they wanted some candy. They look to be in a serious funk.

16. Chicago (4-3): Have a lot of things to sort out, but at least the defense is tough.

17. Oakland (4-4): Out of all of the years this past decade that the Raiders won no more than five games, why do they have to pick the year the Patriots have their first round pick to make some moves?

18. San Diego (3-5): Obviously not as bad as their record says. The Chargers schedule is more than manageable, and Phillip Rivers is in top form.

19. Washington (4-4): What was Mike Shanahan thinking? Donovan McNabb is certainly frustrating at times, but was there a better chance to win the game with Rex Grossman behind center? Jamarcus "syzerp" Russell next week?

20. Jacksonville (4-4): Pulverized the sinking ship that is Dallas. Despite some rough games, David Garrard has a 98 QB rating and 15 TD's scored.

21. Seattle (4-3): Plain and simple: the Seahawks are a terrible road team, but a great home team that is helped out generously by the home crowd. They have five left at Qwest Field.

22. St. Louis (4-4): The Seahawks being the highest-rated NFC West team shows just how bad a division the west is. Would the Rams think about bringing in Randy Moss?

23. Minnesota (2-5): Straight Cash Homey obviously didn't pan out. This shows just how poorly ran the Vikings franchise is.

24. Cincinnati (2-5): Like the Vikings conundrum, fantasy players and great names don't always make for a good team.

25. Arizona (3-4): If they had a real QB they would be much better. Why didn't they try to land McNabb in the offseason, it's not like he has a home there or trains there in the offseason. Oh wait, he does.

26. Detroit (2-5): Their record should be better than it actually is. They look like a team that is starting to come together, especially now that Matthew Stafford is back.

27. Cleveland (2-5): Like the Lions, they are playing better than their record indicates. Will face a tough test this week against the Pats.

28. San Francisco (2-6): Coming off of a win that no one noticed in Frisco. Amazingly, they still have a good chance of winning the NFC West.

29. Denver (2-6): Have lost four straight, and appear to be finished. Wideout Brandon Lloyd has resurrected his career to a tune of 878 receiving yards in eight games.

30. Dallas (1-6): Wade Phillips has to be fired. Once the team fails to be held accountable, the coach is the first to blame. Although for the Cowboys, that was a while ago.

31. Carolina (1-6): The offense is terrible, the defense is filled with little impact players, and it's only a matter of time before Steve Smith decks someone. Probably Jimmy Clausen.

32. Buffalo (0-7): May be better than the Panthers, but the Panthers have what the Bills covet: a win.