The NBA “Too Soon To Sign” Debate – The Coachless Team

July 8, 2009

Read Bleacher Fan’s argument that a player signing before a team has a coach is smart and Sports Geek’s argument that it’s not.



After two spirited debates to start the week, including a controversial verdict to the Sampras-Federer debate (had to throw that in there Bleacher Fan… :) ), we come to another interesting topic – one that caught the attention of all three of us when it happened late last week.

Free agent NBA guard Ben Gordon, and the NBA’s favorite Tweeter, free agent power forward Charlie Villanueva, separately agreed to five year contracts with the Detroit Pistons. They can’t actually sign the contracts until today, but all indications are that they will sign them.

On the surface, it’s a great move for both of them. Gordon is coming off an outstanding first round playoff series against the Boston Celtics as a member of the Chicago Bulls. Villanueva is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. The Pistons, who were dominant at times against the Eastern Conference earlier this decade, have gotten older, and Pistons general manager Joe Dumars is trying to rebuild the team. These two players, together, could help speed up the rebuilding process in Detroit.

It’s a process that would be more smooth if they actually HAD A COACH!!!

When the Pistons fired Michael Curry on June 30, I wondered if they thought the search for the new coach would be this bumpy! First, Doug Collins was at the top of the list. That didn’t work out. Avery Johnson was brought in, but they couldn’t reach an agreement. Now, it appears that Cleveland Cavaliers assistant, John Kuester, is in line for the job. But, let’s not count those chickens before they hatch. He hasn’t signed anything yet. You cannot assume anything in the NBA, as Portland found out the hard way with their Hedo Turkoglu courtship.

Who the Pistons have, or have not, hired isn’t the question today. The fact that they haven’t hired anyone is what today’s question is built around.
The question is…

How smart is it for a player to sign a contract with a team that currently doesn’t have a head coach or manager in place?

Bleacher Fan will argue that it’s a very smart move for the player. Sports Geek, on the other hand, will argue that it’s a dumb move.

Feel free to leave comments. We always love hearing from you, and you might even be able to sway my decision, too!!!

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Posted by Loyal Homer

2009 NBA Finals Debate – There’s Still Some Magic in Orlando

June 8, 2009

Please read the site note at the bottom of this post.



Attention NBA Fans: The Los Angeles Lakers are about to make history! After winning only 2 games in the NBA Finals, it appears that the rest of the world has decided to appoint them as the 2008-2009 Champions. Therefore, we will forget the rest of the Finals, and hand them the Larry O’Brien Trophy over today… right?

Sounds kind of stupid when you hear it put in words like that, doesn’t it? Well, that’s what Sports Geek will try to sell you. In essence, this series is over, and his message to the Orlando Magic is “Thanks for playing; here’s your participation trophy.”

Well, it’s a good thing for the Lakers that the Magic know how to take a hint, isn’t it? Just ask the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom had written off the Magic before their series began.

Here are two key reasons why the Magic, and their fans, are still in this series:

Reason #1 – Three games in a row in Orlando

Only fantasy sports are played on paper. Real sports are played on a court (at least in this case), where multiple factors come into play that you cannot quantify. The first of which is the task of winning on the road. While they were not successful in winning, Orlando proved last night that the Lakers are at least vulnerable at home. How vulnerable do the Lakers have to be? Only vulnerable enough to give up one game in LA. That was all it took for the Magic to beat the Cavs, and that’s all it will take for them to beat the Lakers.

Conversely, the Lakers have not yet tested their mettle in Orlando this post-season. The city of Orlando, whose citizens want nothing more than to show their support of a team making its first Finals appearance since 1995, can’t wait to show the Lakers what REAL fans are like. This series will likely end up heading back to Los Angeles with the Lakers trailing 3-2.

Reason #2 – Stan Van Gundy

There is no better coach in the NBA than Stan Van Gundy. His ability to anticipate and adapt is uncanny! I’ve never seen a coach make so many right decisions with the game on the line. Whether it’s trailing by 16 at the half, or taking a last-second shot at the buzzer. Van Gundy can read his game-time counterpart like an open book.

Beyond that ability to anticipate and react accordingly, Van Gundy trusts his entire team, not just one player, like the Cavs do in LeBron James, or the Lakers in Kobe Bryant. That makes them even more dangerous. When the game is on the line, Van Gundy has the utmost faith that his TEAM, regardless of who is on the court, will perform. That’s why, in this post-season of many nail-biter finishes, the Magic have come back with plays where Hedo Turkoglu takes the last-second shot, Rashard Lewis takes the shot, or Courtney Lee takes the shot.

If you are playing the Cavaliers in that situation, you know that LeBron’s getting the ball. For the Lakers, it’s Kobe. When it’s Orlando, though, you have to cover EVERYONE! Courtney Lee was uncontested in what should have been a game winning shot last night. The ball just didn’t fall right. However, no one could have predicted that as the play to end the game. Van Gundy knew his options, and implicitly knew which would give him the best opportunity to win.

Make no mistake, I am not predicting a Magic championship. They have a very steep uphill climb. They are down 0-2 against a very tough opponent. Nothing in this Finals series will be easy. That is no reason to write them off, though. The series is far from over, especially when you have a 3-game home stand with the best coach in basketball!

Site Note: Don’t forget to read the intro andSport Geek’s first rebuttal.

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The NBA Championship Debate – It’s Kobe’s Time

May 29, 2009

(Site note: If you missed the set up to this debate, click here. If you missed why the Magic will win, click here. If you missed how the Cavaliers will win, click here. Read Loyal Homer’s argument for the Lakers, then vote!).



As it stands today, four teams are left in what has been one of the most entertaining playoffs in recent memory. All four teams have strong credentials and a superstar – which is good for ratings. We all know what matchup the NBA and ABC are hoping for. It’s what most fans are hoping for also. But, when all is said and done, no matter what the matchup is in the Finals, I believe the Los Angeles Lakers will come out on top, and win their first championship since 2003.

Sports Geek has given you his reasons why Orlando will win with all of his numbers and statistics. But, that’s what sports geeks do! Bleacher Fan has given his reasons why Cleveland will win. Let me tell you why the Lakers will win.

Kobe knows it’s his time. It’s not quite “now or never” time but it really isn’t that far off. Lebron is only getting better and Wade, Anthony, and Howard are on teams who are only going to get better in the coming years. Perhaps Kobe just isn’t ready to hand over the throne to King James just yet.

It’s been an ongoing debate amongst NBA fans about who the best player in the NBA is right now. The pendulum has swung to Lebron James’ favor in the past year. Heck, even former Laker player (and Kobe Bryant’s former boss) Jerry West agrees. Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard have had their moment in the spotlight, also. Meanwhile, there’s a guy that plays at the Staples Center. You may have heard of him.

I will say that Andrew Bynum is going to have to consistently step up his game for the Lakers to win. Bynum had an awful two first rounds against the Jazz and Rockets, respectively, but he has picked it up slightly against the Nuggets. To beat the Cavs or Magic, he will have to continue to pick it up.

Let’s not forget the Lakers are coming off an NBA Finals loss last year to the Celtics. Couple the taste of that recent loss with the loss to the Pistons in the 2004, and the Lakers are on what you might call a mini-championship slump. It’s time to right the ship. It’s time for Kobe to get his fourth ring and continue to climb the ladder of the all time greats.

Lakers over the Nuggets in 6. Lakers over The Sharply Dressed Coach Stan Van Gundy and his Orlando Magic team in 6!!!

2 Comments | The NBA Championship Debate May 09 | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Loyal Homer

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