More Mid-summer Chatter

Best Coach of All-Time?
I may sound a bit biased but Phil Jackson. His accomplishments speak for themselves and his coaching philosophy is admirable. He doesn't take the cookie-cutter approach like many others, instead he's one of the best at tapping into the true potential of almost every player and team he's coached. Not to mention, they always come back to him.

Jason Kidd, Derron Williams, or Chris Paul?
Kidd can push the ball, thread the needle, and throw oops upside your head. D. Williams has good D, and plays the half-court set better than most PGs in the league right now. Chris Paul is one of the poster childs of the rising young NBA stars, but he has a lot more to prove if he wants
to be considered part of the elite. I give the nod to Derron Williams.

Kobe vs Lebron, who would win right now mano-a-mano?
My buddy asked me this. This is a tough one. Kobe's lost some weight, which makes him quicker and more capable of penetration. He has a better J than Lebron. Lebron can overpower him, but his passing skills won't do him much good in a one-on-one.

Winner: Kobe

Kevin Durant or Greg Oden, who will win a title?
I'll be honest, I haven't seen either of them play much. But I know that Durant is a natural
and Oden is a throwback center with great agility. It all depends on whether Durant ever develops other parts of his game besides scoring. There's a lot of players that can score, only few that are successful within the framework of a team to win consistently. I got a gut feeling, Oden is going to be part of something big.

Molten Lava

Puerto Rico entered the first quarter playing with the passion and urgency needed for an underdog to pull off a miracle. The score was 33-27 at the end of the first.

But then, the inevitable happened.

Just like you can't expect Vegas summers to remain cool.

There was plenty of heat inside the gym as well.

It was like Tiger Woods on the final day of a major. Nobody was stopping them.

Through the first half of the game, Puerto Rico led by Carlos Arroyo and Larry Ayuso were playing an uptempo game reminiscent of last year's Golden State Warriors. Hardly any structure, but an excellent way to keep the opponents guessing.

But the U.S. kept adding to their point total, and Puerto Rican players were harassed on all angles from a swarming defense led by Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd. And after a series of plays involving Melo crushing an alley-oop and Lebron James orchestrating a magnificent concert in the form of crisp passing and in-the-paint drop-offs, the game was over.

I'm pretty sure, Puerto Rico got the memo.

"Mamba, Melo, and the King are in town."

But there was no stopping the three greatest scoring threats on planet Earth.

The plays were different, but the story remained the same. Carmelo scorched Puerto Rico from the perimeter. Lebron showed the world, an uncanny completeness and hunger in his game. And of course the now 30 year old, and veteran of the team, Kobe, who can and will score from anywhere on the hardwood.

The total points scored read like a runningback's rushing yards:

68% shooting, good for 130 points in 8 less minutes than in an NBA game.

Even the Phoenix Suns couldn't do that.

They went 23-36 from three point land. Lithuania-esque numbers.

It all adds up to a huge W, an Olympic berth, and a renewed confidence in international play.

The drama continues....I mean, the routs continue.




















(Good vibes on Dream Team 2007)