YO-YO Ma vs. Sports

A couple weeks ago, Seattle businessman Chris Hansen wrote a guest column for The Seattle Times.  Hansen has taken it upon himself to lead the cause in getting a new basketball arena built in Seattle (otherwise known as the reason The SuperSonics Thunder moved in the first place).

NBA Draft Roundtable

The Dark Knight Rises – New Trailer

Since we here at Limited Credentials are ever-seeking top quality content, I can think of no other trailer for a movie to best represent that. Don’t forget (as if that’s possible), The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters and IMAX on July 20.

The Newsroom Episode One: Sorkin Tries Again

The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin He was the only celebrity screenwriter to interview a fellow guest. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everyone knows what they’re getting whenever Aaron Sorkin‘s name is attached to a project. Quick, witty dialogue. Walk and talks. Preachy speeches. The list goes on and on. You either like it or you don’t. So when The Newsroom premiered on HBO this past Sunday night, many people (I think around 2-3 million total, depending on if you count DVRs) tuned in to see Sorkin’s latest creation. One of those people was Mike Caroleo and the other was Andrew Bodenbach. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve already seen the pilot of The Newsroom. If you haven’t, please be warned that this discussion may include spoilers at any point in the conversation. And with that warning, we will begin what could be a very long tradition of Newsroom talks:

NBA Draft Running Commentary

The NBA Draft took place last night and we decided to have Andrew Bodenbach and Paul Brookshier have a live chat about what turned out to be a not so exciting draft.  Very few dumb picks were made (except Toronto), trades were almost non-existent, and they even waited to draft guys with unpronounceable  names until after the chat ended.

 

Paul: you ready for this?

 

Andrew:  After #1, I’m not ready for anything

 

Paul:  So a core of Davis, whoever they grab at 10, and Eric Gordon is a pretty decent core, no?

 

Andrew:  that’s very good

especially if they can get an upgrade on Jarrett Jack

 

Paul:  that #10 pick will be interesting..I’m hearing theyll grab a big (Leonard, Zeller) if Rivers is gone

Andrew:  talk about building upon your strengths.  if they take Davis and one of those two bigs that is a fantastic young, tall, and long frontcourt

if you could have one player other than Davis, who would it be?

 

Paul:  Really depends on what the rest of my roster looks like..but if you’re asking who I think the 2nd best prospect is..gotta go with MKG

 

Andrew:  Agreed.  The athleticism and hustle are off the charts.  plus I think he can defend any wing in the NBA right now other than maybe LeBron and Durant.  And even then, he slows them down

 

Paul:  Really think Washington is the best fit for him

and Beal in Cleveland

 

Andrew:  I like Beal is better in D.C. than MKG.   I think that team needs more shooters and skill.  MKG can become that, but Wall’s development is non-existent right now

 

Andrew:  Davis to New Orleans as expected.  This year is too early for the playoffs probably, but could we say they are a playoff contender in 2 years?

 

Paul:  youd have to believe theyre heading that way with the Gordon/Davis core, assuming Gordon keeps developing at the rate he was pre-injury

And if they can avoid dumb free-agent contracts

Never a given in todays NBA

 

Andrew:  Getting rid of Kaman will help with salary.  Now if they can get that point guard they will be fun to watch

Now we get Charlotte.  Last five picks have been Biyombo, Walker, Henderson, Brown, and Augustin

No wonder they were the worst team ever last year

 

Paul:  That’s pathetic…MKG is my 2nd favorite prospect but I don’t like him as a fit here

They need someone who they can eventually run an offense through

 

Andrew:  and that’s who they get

at least MKG is taller than 6 feet

and what are you talking about?  Ben Gordon is who they’re going to run the offense through!

 

Paul:  Can’t be worse than running it through Kemba

35% from the field is what happens when you run your offense through a volume-shooting rookie

Andrew:  As far as talent, they made the right pick.  Fit?  That might be different.  But MKG was the second best in the draft

 

Paul:  Yeah..Been hearing all week he’s the hardest worker in the draft..have to expect he’ll improve offensively

 

Andrew:  And the should be Bullets take Bradley Beal

now Wall has someone who actually knows which direction to shoot the ball when he drives uncontrollably into the lane

 

Paul:  That offense he was in at Florida was…interesting. Had to play next to two sub 6 foot guards who had a deep infatuation with shooting 3′s

 

Andrew:  He should have gone to Charlotte

would have been comfortable

 

Paul:  Barnes the pick here?

 

Andrew:  I think so

He and Irving are buddies and Thomas Robinson is too similar to Tristan Thompson

They have to be hating that pick

  I think Sacramento is loving that Robinson is falling.  Stick him next to Cousins and that is a good reboundins and energy frontcourt

Well, blow that up.  Dion Waiters.  Didn’t work out for hardly anyone.  Was a 6th man at Syracuse.  Nothing to worry about there

But the kid can score.  And yes, I’m calling him a kid because I’m older than he is.  Good grief

 

Paul:  Yeah Waiters can straight get to the rack..has a splash of D.Wade in him. I like that Cleveland went back court there

You need an identity when you suck and are trying to get better

Great young back court is a good start

 

Andrew:  Supplants Anthony Parker in the starting lineup

I think that’s probably an upgrade

Also, my mock draft that i put up today is perfect so far.  i wish people actually looked at it

  Sacramento selects Thomas Robinson who may be the last first round pick Sacramento will ever see

He and Cousins will be filthy down low

 

Paul:  I kind of like that team? Cousins-Robinson-Isiah-Thorton and whatever Evans gives them

IF he doesnt get traded tonight..

 

Andrew:  Don’t forget Jimmer!

But seriously, I think they just took their most mature player with this pick.  He’s probably the most veteran presence of anyone on the Kings.

 

Paul:  Am i the only person who doesn’t like Lillard?

 

Andrew:  Last couple days you’ve been joined by a lot of people.  The tide swings one way and then it comes back.

Apparently the owner loves him.

He has to be better than Felton

 

Paul:  Not hard to do..but hasn’t played a top 25 team in all 4 years at Weber State

and is he a point guard? I’ve yet to see a highlight of him passing

 

Andrew:  would you have passed if you were at Weber St.?

I wish I could comment on the guy, but Big Sky basketball isn’t a hot commodity on tv in southern illinois

And now Golden State has to be thanking the gods.  Harrison Barnes comes down to them.   Good spot for him.  He won’t be the number one option.

plus, SF is the spot they really needed

 

Paul:  Stop talking me into thinking these lottery team’s can make the playoffs ..just stop

 

Andrew:  Houston is the only lottery team I would bet any money on making the playoffs

although I could be talked into Cleveland slipping into the bottom of the East

 

Paul:  We’ll see what they do at 24

The Bulls apparenlty gave Tyshawn Taylor a promise that they would draft him at #29

 

Andrew:  worried about rose it sounds like

 

Paul:  I like him..got better every year, lockdown defensively, great athlete. Can’t see them resigning Watson if they go that way

Eh you may have a point with that Rose injury..forgot he’ll miss a couple months

 

Andrew:  Whether they keep Watson or not, I love Taylor.  He would be their backup very soon

And Toronto passes on Austin Rivers.  Could he fall a ways?

 

 

Paul:  Don’t think he gets to Boston at 19

 

Andrew:  They wouldn’t really trade up to get him, would they?

That’s more nepotism than a British monarchy.

 

me: Detroit will take Drummond

I like him going at 9

less risk, plus he and monroe could work well

 

Paul:  I love the Monroe/Drummond potential..but don’t really like the situation for him

Not enough vets to show him the ropes

 

Andrew:  I have no way of arguing this

But basketball-wise, I like it

 

Paul:  Yeah if Drummond get’s coached up and motivated, he and Monroe would compliment each other perfectly

 

Andrew:  And detroit had to make this pick.  Take the upside.  There was no one else to go for at that point that fit them.

Now the Hornets get to make everyone drool.

 

Paul:  Don’t they already have a Shooting Guard?

a pretty good one?

 

Andrew:  They might switch him to the point

 

 

Paul:  And please don’t try and tell me he’s a point..

Andrew:  already did haha

 

Paul:  anndddd you did

He’s not a point

yet

 

Andrew:  Monty Williams seems like he can coach.  Maybe he can get through to the id

kid*

At the worst, he will be a backup scoring guard while Jack plays point

 

 

Paul:  i guess he won’t be over exposed that way

Andrew:  Twitter says Williams thinks he can convert Rivers.  Good luck.

Portland has an interesting pick.  Lamb, Zeller, Leonard

all would fill a need

I think they need to go big

Nathan just did something in his pants.  And it wasn’t poop

 

Paul:  Good to know…I would love this pick if it wasn’t Portland drafting a big guy

 

Andrew:  At least it wasn’t #1, it was #11.  Maybe two 1′s are better than one 1

Portland just seems depressing no matter who they were going to pick

 

Paul:  Alright..BRB time

 

Andrew:  Just went the rockets are about to have a bunch of picks

 

Paul:  Back

Im going back through the picks on DVR

I wonder if Marshall will be able to guard anyone in the league

 

Andrew:  Nash couldn’t guard anyone either

It’s a Phoenix tradition!

Paul:  I think Henson is one of the more underrated players in the draft

his jumper has come a long way

 

Andrew:  I don’t like him.  His jumper has come a long way, but it was way down to begin with

I don’t think he can guard anyone straight up in the post

 

Paul:  How many guys in the league are actually a legitimate threat in the low post? (offensively speaking)

4?

5?

 

Andrew:  But if he’s going to be guarding stretch 4′s, won’t that negate his shot-blocking ability?

 

Paul:  Im saying that you can play him at the 5 against probably 20-25 of the 30 teams in the league

did you watch the finals this year?

 

Andrew:  That concerns me.  But that is the direction the league is heading

I just never really liked his game.  I never felt scared of him against top talent.  But I do hate UNC

 

Paul:  how do you like Zeller to Dallas?

 

Andrew:  That’s pick going to the Cavs

Dallas is clearing cap space to go after D-Will

I kind of like Zeller.  Always have.  Even though he’s from UNC.  He and Irving should have fun.

You caught up now?

 

Paul:  Just saw the Magic pick Nicholson

 

Andrew:  you’re caught up

Finally the Magic have someone other than Dwight who can play in the paint on offense

he has very good moves

 

Paul:  he was impressive in the tourney

 

Andrew:  Do you think Dwight gets traded?

 

Paul:  Yeah.. I think he somehow gets his way and is  shipped  to Brooklyn

 

Andrew:  The Russian is going to have to pull some “magic” to get Howard.  They have nothing.

 

 

Paul:  A third team can always get involved

they have lopez, while not a fan myself, we know GM’s love big men way too much

 

Andrew:  A Euro got drafted!  and it sounds like he is staying in Europe next year.  O well.

 

Paul:  Manu Ginobili–”I don’t have favorite players, but I love his game”. I’m sold

 

Andrew:  I’m right with ya.  Any praise from a Spur is good for me

I absolutely love Sullinger to Boston

KG is there to teach him and help him out in the frontcourt

plus he works so freaking hard and is strong.  the jumper is coming along as well

 

Paul:  He’s like a rich mans Big Baby that can score in the post..I like it.

 

Andrew:  And he isn’t fat and ugly like Baby.  Always helps

 

Paul:  Please take Perry Jones Boston

 

Andrew:  Reason?

 

Paul:  At the very least all he has to do is run the floor whenever he’s in and Rondo will find him for some easy dunks. Doesn’t have to do the things he is being knocked for on a playoff team like Boston (take over games Eg.)

 

Andrew:  He and Rondo would be a blast

Pierce and KG would be the best people for him to learn from

Or they can take Fab

They want a backup for KG, someone not named Stiemsma

 

Paul:  I’m ok with that pick too

 

Andrew:  Now Atlanta gets to pick someone that will get to stand around as Joe Johnson takes contested jumpers

 

Paul:  How do you feel about a Josh Smith/Pau Gasol swap?

 

Andrew:  I love it for Atlanta.  I heard some of a proposed deal, but I don’t remember all of it.  If I was LA, I’m not sure I do it.  Kobe already takes enough long 2′s, you don’t need Smith shooting more.

 

Paul:  he’s cut down on them considerably..he just needs to be kept in check with  heavy booing

 

Andrew:  He would hear plenty of it from Jack

You want to end this after the first round?

 

Paul:  Yeah i’m probably done

 

Andrew:  Ok, let’s finish the first because our teams (heat and thunder) are still picking and we will wrap it up

 

Paul:  yep

 

Andrew:  What spot do you want to see OKC fill?

 

Paul:  I’d like to see them get an athletic wing or 3 point shooter

Draymond Green is who I’d really like to em take

 

Andrew:  How does Perry Jones sound?

 

Paul:  If he gets past Miami…

 

Andrew:  Go Miami!

Sorry

#goodjobgoodeffort Thunder

Sorry again, I can’t help myself

Jones is who I want for Miami now that Jenkins was picked

And whoever gets Green is getting one of my favorite players in the draft

 

Paul:  What doesn’t he do? One of the more skilled players in this draft

 

Andrew:  If they get rid of Perkins (they need to) he would be a good guy to come in and get minutes in the frontcourt rotation

Along with Collison getting more time

 

Paul:  Uh…don’t say these true things

Did i not say in our two-man roundtable that playing Perkins in this series would be ineffective and that Collison was better suited for this series?

 

Andrew:  You and everyone not named Scott Brooks said that

But yeah, I recall you mentioning that

 

Paul:  Ha…I like that Tony Wroten guy. Reminds me of good Tyreke Evans with what he can do athletically, and bad Tyreke caause he has no position

 

Andrew:  Fortunately he gets to go to Memphis and not Sacramento.

I like what Bilas said about him and Rondo.  We obsess about shot-making (and rightfully so), but if you are really good at a lot of other things you will have a spot

Let’s go Heat!  Let’s go Heat!

This highlight montage is making me smile all over again.

 

Paul:  I was ready for him to get one

 

Andrew:  The NBA can go back to being about basketball.  Praise the lord

O, and apparently they are trading the pick

No Perry Jones.  That’s disappointing

 

Paul:  wait so it’s Moultrie to Miami?

 

Andrew:  Miami made the pick, but he’s going to Philly

Chad Ford just tweeted that Miami gets the 45th pick this year and a future 1st rounder                        And now it sounds like OKC gets Jones

 

Paul:  YES

 

Andrew:  Thank goodness we have Twitter to keep us updated of these trades.

If Jones was drafted higher I’m assuming you would be worried.  But this late in the first it doesn’t hurt to take a flier, right?

 

Paul:  You nailed it..Especially on a team like the Thunder who wont demand minutes from him right off the bat

 

Andrew:  The athleticism on that team just went through the roof

Even if he doesn’t ever get good, there will at least be a couple jaw-dropping plays from him at some point

If he does get there, that would mean in a rematch against Miami, Ibaka can play the 5 and guard Bosh and Jones could play the 4 and guard LeBron.  I think Miami screwed up

Teague instead of Taylor for Chicago, I think I would have preferred Taylor

Teague doesn’t have the scoring ability that Chicago needs

 

Paul:  Me too..Even when he comes back, Deng can’t keep playing 40+ minutes a game

Must be expecting big things from  Jimmy Butler

They need wings

 

Andrew:  That team is so close, but they can’t figure out what they need to get over the top

Rip Hamilton was not that guy, Teague isn’t that guy

 

Paul:  Not that will help right away, no

 

Andrew:  You’re right.  They need wings.  Wings that can shoot 3′s

At least Taylor could have filled in for Rose and then played alongside him to shoot 3′s

Last pick!

Ezeli.  I would be more excited but he’s going to the Warriors

 

Paul:  Yeah..looks like theyre building with bigs

Bogut

Ezeli

 

Andrew:  Biedrins!

 

Paul:  Is he still under contract?

 

Andrew:  I saw his name on a depth chart

It’s the Warriors.  He has to still be under contract

Well, this was fun.  We should fine more times to do this thing.

find more times.  oops.  I think it’s time to end this.  The Jay Bilas drinking game is killing me.

 

NBA Mock Draft

It’s NBA Draft day.  Personally, this is my favorite of the drafts.  There are only two rounds.  We know most of the players, except for the Europeans but there are a lot less of those than there are obscure offensive linemen in the NFL Draft.  Like this guy!  And the stupidity and drama are at levels unseen in any other professional sports league.  The only other place I’ve seen the kind of absurdity that these NBA GM’s have is Haggy in our fantasy football draft (inside joke, sorry to those outside).

With all that said here is my mock draft.  On the left will be those I think will be picked and on the right those I think should be picked. 

What to Say about LeBron and the Heat

I don’t know what to say.  I’ve been thinking of something to write all weekend and haven’t come up with one thing with which I am happy.  The Miami Heat won the NBA title giving LeBron James his championship and forever ridding himself of all the demons of the last several years.  As one of the few who fully supported him[1] from the collapse against Boston in the 2010 playoffs, through the Decision and the Welcome Party, the Finals against Dallas, and now this magical season, I was ecstatic watching LeBron get his ring while performing at a level few will ever reach in any profession.  I was so happy to see a great player reach what he have hoped his potential could be and to watch this man who had faced so much pressure and adversity (brought on both by self and others) fight through all of it to accomplish one of his goals and be back to being the joyous version that we all enjoyed watching when he was first reaching the height of his powers.  And yet, I still don’t know what to say.

The first thing you want to do in a situation like this is to tell people, “I told you so”.  “I told you LeBron would win”, “I told you the clutch argument was a waste of time”, “I told you”.  But that is disrespectful and un-productive.  Trust me, no one wants to hear the “I told you so” response.  It doesn’t get anywhere.

LeBron and the Heat won, if they choose to say “I told you so”, that is their prerogative.  For the rest of us, the old talk of Lebron’s “clutchness” or talk of the Decision is over.  It is time to look ahead.

That is actually what I next thought of.  What is ahead?  Now that LeBron has won a title what can he accomplish the rest of his career?  Not two, not three, not four…You get it.  This Heat team came with a promise of winning multiple championships and they always were a safe bet to attain that goal.  Now that they have won one, the question shifts to just how many can they.  How true will that proclamation by the King be?

One of the story lines during the whole Finals that has carried on in the days since has been the thought of LeBron’s Heat and Kevin Durant’s Thunder meeting in the Finals for the rest of the decade a la Bird’s Celtics and Magic’s Lakers in the 80′s.

This comes out of the love of history and nostalgia that so many sportswriters have, but even for those of us who weren’t around for short shorts days of the NBA the idea of LeBron vs. Durant and Heat vs. Thunder becoming a defining moment in NBA history is awfully romantic.  It would be something we told our kids about, wrote about in whatever medium has replaced the Internet by that time, and held onto while some new rivalry took its place.

As a basketball fan, I would love to see these players and teams do battle for the next ten years.  But so much can change in the world of basketball and it is foolish to think that two teams can so easily dominate the rest of the league for so long.  This shouldn’t be the last time they face off with it all on the line, but I’m not going to wax poetic about something that the odds tell me isn’t likely to happen.

Along those lines, I could have written about the future of LeBron.  Can he win four or five titles?  Is he a top-10 player ever right now?[2]  Can he become a top-5 ever?[3]  There has never been a limit on what LeBron could achieve and there still isn’t.

But one of the travesties of LeBron’s career to this point have been the unfair expectations we have placed on him.  Unlimited potential is one thing, but fulfilling that potential requires the necessary skill (which he has) and a lot of luck (which you can’t control).  LeBron should, should, wind up as the best athlete I have ever seen and ever will see for a very long time.  He is to good not to be.  But if he doesn’t live up to my expectations it won’t be fair to blame him.  The only person I can blame is myself.

So, I don’t know what I want to write about LeBron and the Heat winning the title.  Maybe I could have written about all of Mike Miller’s back-breaking 3′s.[4]Or I could have done something about Chris Bosh, how valuable he is to this team, and how I was right about him when everyone else made fun of him.[5] [6]  Maybe Shane Battier would have been an interesting angle to look at, or Juwon Howard getting the Fab Five a championship.  Mario Chalmers going from the most yelled at person in America to a champion or Eddy Curry and Ronny Turiaf getting rings.

O well.  I guess I’ll just keep thinking.  Maybe something will hit me.

---

[1] And by fully support I am not meaning anything special.  I rooted for the guy and tried to defend him.  But it’s not like I helped him with anything or that this title means more to me than other fans because I was on his side.  I am simply saying that I didn’t have the anger toward him that most of the rest of the American sports scene did.

[2] I can’t help myself.  Yes.  Even if he never wins another, he is safely in the top nine all time.

[3] Again, I can’t help myself.  Yes.

[4] I had to.

[5] I told you!

[6] Sorry.

Things I would rather do than face an R.A. Dickey knuckleball

Right now, I’m watching in bewilderment as R.A. Dickey continues to flabbergast the Major Leagues with his knuckleball.  We have seen great knuckleballers in the past, such as Phil Niekro, but none compare with Dickey.  What’s amazing about him is that he throws it in the 80-85 MPH range–a technique that allows him to use a fastball in his arsenal because his arm speed doesn’t change.  We are used to seeing guys like Tim Wakefield, who consistently deliver pitches at interstate speed limits.  Dickey transcends the previous ideas of what a true knuckler throws like.  That’s what makes him so fun to watch, but so frightening for hitters.  In honor of this, I have compiled a list of things I would rather do that attempt to hit an R.A. Dickey knuckleball in front of 40,000 fans:

Linkin Park “Living Things” Review and Album Ranking

For those of you that haven’t had a chance to listen to the new album yet, I thought I would go ahead and give you an overview of the album “Living Things” by Linkin Park.

Why We Needed (And Are Better For) LeBron Being Great

The following is something I wrote about LeBron James after the conclusion to the 2011 Finals when he and the Heat lost to the Mavericks in six games.  I titled the piece, “Why we need LeBron James to be great”.  The main problem I have with the piece is that LeBron always was great.  I didn’t need to pander to people to realize that.  A ring doesn’t define greatness, but a ring does magnify that greatness.  The ring gives a tangible and finite quality to that greatness.  LeBron is now “great” in every sense of the word and we can all stop worrying about if he can win and can now go about figuring where he can go in the NBA stratosphere.  We are watching one of the greatest NBA players of all time.  And we can now enjoy it.  Here is the column.