http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...=simmons/041104 Man, this one and the one about the East are must reads- this guy's hilarious and I agree with a lot of his points, especially the bit about predicting the Lakers. Particularly funny bits: Portland "Out of all those events, my favorite was the Randolph signing. Here's a guy about whom his high school coach said, "I just don't want the day to come where I pick up that paper and it says [Zach] shot someone, or that he was shot. Every day that goes by that I don't see that, I feel good" ... and they hand him $86 million? I'd be afraid to loan the guy 20 bucks. Seriously, who's a shakier investment than Zack? Anyone?" Utah "When your starting five hails from Turkey, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Moscow and Croatia, and people are STILL picking you for the playoffs, you know you're good. These guys need three translators just to execute a chest-bump, yet they'll probably win 49 games together." "Does that $87 million contract make Andrei Kirilenko the most successful Russian of all-time? He just doubled Russia's GNP, didn't he? And how has Anna Kournikova not made a run at him yet?" Dallas "So what happened? A month passed and Cuban was roped into $72 million for Erick Dampier, the quintessential example of a player who should only be paid on a year-by-year basis. Remember the caution with the Nash contract? Out the window. Maybe Cuban is bipolar. Maybe he has amnesia. I don't know. But how can you give away the heart and soul of your team over money, then immediately overpay a con artist like Dampier? How does that happen? And why would you keep overhauling a 50-win team year after year?" Lakers "There isn't a better running subplot this season than Kobe running his own team. Sure, watching him go down in flames would be almost as fun as seeing Qyntel Woods getting jumped by a pit bull."
As I stated in the East preview, Bill Simmons is one of my favourite writers. He actually knows what he's talking about and combines it with humour and numerous movies and musical references. I love his style of writing. Numerous humerous things on this article as well. More entertaining then the Eastern one even. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Here's what WILL happen: Kobe springs for 33 a game. The first wave of "Wow, the Lakers are better than we thought" start popping up in mid-December, as people realize that Odom, Grant, Butler, Divac and even Chucky Atkins are quality supporting guys. You'll hear about how Kobe has taken on a much more active leadership role, and you'll see SportsCenter features showing Kobe slapping butts and rubbing heads in slow motion. By February, Kobe will make himself cry in an extended interview with Jim Gray, just to prove to everyone that he's capable of human emotions. By March, everyone will be saying, "Maybe Kobe WAS better off without Shaq." By April, the Lakers will be losing in the first round of the playoffs... (Sound of a record screeching to a halt.) </div> Lmao. I love this guy.
That "Wow, the Lakers are better than we thought" phase has already started, as evidenced by Ric Buecher's article on espn, and I think the rest of that quote will substantially hold true. Btw your Kobe pic is sic!
Yeah, I love the sports guy for his humor. And his obviouse Boston bias, which he never hides, is nice for me too.
I just hope that his articles don't become one of those Insider ones where you have to pay for it. So many articles have been labelled as Insider it takes all the fun out of espn.com, but this guy makes up for it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">(You know what? I think I'm in the Anti-Boozer Camp. I can't get over the fact that he stabbed a blind guy in the back. He should have just hit him over the head with a steel chair as Jim Ross screamed "Nooooooooooo! Noooooooooooo! My God, what's happening! Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!")</div> This guy is type funny. I agree with most of his predictions except Knicks Cavs and Lakers
Like i said in the Sports Guy checking in on the East thread,he has some great insights with a sense of humour. The West seems no different here.
