NBA, NFL and baseball Boiler Updates (Monday Gumbo)

I tuned in for much of the fourth quarter of the Celtics hoping to see a glimpse of Smooge or JJ...and I got to see it! But what I saw was merely Moore on the bench following Rajon Rondo's spastic nonsensical pair of techs following a questionable call in the closing minute of the contest.

Much like Ron World War a week ago, not only was Rondo a bad actor in this stanza, but he lied after saying he didn't mean to run into the official.

Not only did he mean to, he put his chest out just before bumping the official for effect.  And whenever a professional athlete says they inadvertently ran into someone, our antennae should perk up.  These guys are the best athletes in the world...and are pretty coordinated as well. I'm a pretty average person, when it comes to coordination, and I hardly ever just run into someone when not pushed or throw elbows into someones neck accidentally.  Rondo isn't on the same level of maliciousness, obviously...but he's acted pretty dumb in the situation's wake by lying.

No need for Moore to wear a uni under his warm-up
thanks to Doc

Nearly Half-Way Look and Notes

Matty's boys stand at 8-2 after ten games.  They have a loss to a team that had been beaten up by Purdue two-straight times, but is also pretty good in Alabama.  They stole defeat from the mouth of victory as Hummel writhed in pain at Xavier and they've beaten two solid opponents in Iona and Temple.  We haven't been too surprised at what we've seen thus far.

We knew that this team would have some growing pains as guys tried to figure out their new roles on this team- Hummel as a primary scorer who has to look for his shot, Jackson as not only a ball-handler, but a secondary scorer, AJ and Lawson learning how to play the college game and TJohn being counted on more as a scorer.  There' no doubt that this team has shown at times that it's still a work in progress...here are a few things that are noteworthy about this year's squad thus far:

-The defense seems to still struggle when it needs a stop.  I still have faith in this part of the game as Purdue teams seem to gel in Early February under Painter.

-The injury problems that Purdue had coming into the season are still having effects on the team.  Hart still hasn't played, TJohn is showing flashes of brilliance, but still lacks consistency, LewJack is still not practicing everyday due to tendonitis and other ailments and Hummel doesn't rebound like he did before his two knee injuries.  I'm not so sure that I even want Hummel sticking his nose into every loose ball situation...for the sake of longevity, I'd like to see Rob keep doing what he's doing.  I'm still convinced TJohn will earn a starting job by January as he gets stronger.  Byrd isn't playing as much because of a bit of a nagging injury and he's now behind #4.  Not sure if he wants to, but I wouldn't mind seeing him play a bit more forward behind Lawson instead of wing.

credit: GBI's Tom Campbell

-Barlow is important. When Kelsey is playing smart, he's nearly un-guardable. When he's in the mood to pull up from 21 feet, it's pretty detrimental.  Defensively, he's a monster when he wants to be.  I'm still convinced that the way Barlow goes this season, so go the Boilers.

-Bigs playing small.  I think many Boiler fans were hoping to see Marcius and Carroll be able to take a big step forward this season and become a collective force underneath the basket.  Instead, their lack of production and Lawson's physical play have pushed Lawson into the forefront.  As a result, Purdue's most-effective line-up right now has no one taller than 6'8" in it.  That could be very problematic in the B1G.

Painter said this week that one of the biggest problems this team has is that the practices aren't very competitive right now due to attrition.  Hummel, Hart, Jackson, TJohn and Byrd have all been held out of multiple practices this season, and many of these guys are held out regularly.  I think we see the effects of this very often as Purdue seems to struggle in pulling away from teams, even lesser teams, time and time again.

This team has shown how good it can be at times (for 25 minutes v. Xavier, for 20 minutes v. Alabama and v. NIU) and has shown how flat-out lousy it can be (for the final 10 minutes v. Xavier & 'Bama, v. High Point and in the first half v. Western Carolina).  I think we'll see this all season, but I still think this Purdue team will have around 22 wins.

I know a ton of people are bothered by performances like High Point and Western Carolina, and there are reasons to be concerned, no doubt.  But, college basketball is a bit of a mother- the 22nd team in the land almost was beaten by a sub-.500 St. Bonneventure at home this week, the 15th-ranked team in the nation lost to a .500 Long Beach State team in November...upsets happen and near-misses happen even more.  If the Forces of Good keep winning, regardless of the margin, I'll be a pretty happy guy.

Purdue's CCR is currently 33rd thanks to a silly high-50s RPI ranking.

Case Against the BTN for Purdue faithful

People who don't root for Purdue often wonder if Purdue fans have a complex about media coverage...and the more I observe, the more I believe we have a reason to have this chip on our shoulder. Purdue has three home, non-exhibition games this season not televised live by the BTN.  When asked why this happens, the network assures paying customers like me that they still have full coverage (read as paid internet broadcasts with awful production and broadcast teams).

One of the bones that they threw to Purdue fans was the promise of the games being on tape delay the next day just so you could get your fix if you couldn't make it to Mackey.  Of course, when they re-aired the Coppin State game, they cut in so Urban Meyer could be coronated named as head coach...then didn't show the game again.

Then of course, what happened this week for the most recent game was historically-bad.  BTN's defense was that it hadn't happened before and the cost-saving measure of not sending a broadcast team to the venue allowed them to hire Gus Johnson and Keith Jackson.

Seriously.

I think everyone who watches sports understands that technical difficulties happen.  But, instead of putting running stats on the screen and having a play-by-play, we got to see Bo Schembechler's Icon's program again. Perhaps they could have shown a Purdue-based program as salve for the wound? Nah.  They're just Purdue fans, ammiright, BTN.

If the BTN wants to save money, I'm sure they could find local TV guys to do the "less-important" pre-con games IN PERSON and they'll be able to avoid this type of thing.  Instead, they seem to say- "yeah, it happened, we're going to go ahead and keep doing things this way and hope for the best...we'll make sure it doesn't happen to the programs we value."

Hey BTN- Gus Johnson is a half-rung above Dick Vitale in my opinion (I mean that in the bad way)...and wasn't Keith Jackson fired a few years ago by a big network? You guys stink and you simply haven't fulfilled your promise to cover every home B1G basketball games...but great job on the Icon re-runs and extra-long press conference coverage!!

You can let the BTN know you care by clicking here.

The NBA Still Stinks

When I saw that the Lakers were preparing to trade for Chris Paul and Dwight Howard last week, I thought- this league is awesome- 5 super teams and a bunch of also-rans.

Then the league blocked the trade of Chris Paul and I was conflicted.

The Lakers gave up a lot to get Paul...so it wasn't like he was being stolen (as it's happened often in the crappy league), so why not?

But then I remembered, the flipping league OWNS the team that Paul currently plays for.  No wonder Stern doesn't want to allow their money maker to leave town.

In a recent conversation to a friend, I said the NBA represents all that's wrong with pro sports, in my opinion.  From a game that doesn't even resemble basketball being played, to locking-out at the worst-possible time, to rigged games, to making the worst-possible people as the face of the league, the NBA has turned me off at every turn.  Now we can add an intense conflict of interest and inconsistent trade rule enforcement to the laundry list of stink that defines this crap league.

Keep up the bad work, Stern and Co.

Trail Blazers Ownership Suffers From Time-Space Dyslexia

"Uh, yeah, Kevin? You're fired. Well, in a few hours you're fired. Now get back to work and have a good draft! You're my guy! For now, anyway."

I heard about this on my ride to work this morning, mainly because I would never have sat through the entire NBA Draft and listened to Jay Bilas rant on and on about "wingspans." (As The Big Lead put it, aren't all basketball players blessed with big wingspans? They're basketball players.)

Turns out the Portland Trail Blazers fired their GM Kevin Pritchard an hour before the draft started. Oh, and then they still had him run their draft.

What?

Now, I know a guy like this surely has the professional ethics to not sabotage the organization but, still, is there anything more obnoxious ownership could have done? If you're going to fire him, fire him last week. Or the next day. Not an hour before the draft.

Not that we like the NBA at all, but Pritchard made the Blazers competitive again and got them back to the playoffs, as well as sort of got rid of the criminal theme the Jail Blazers always had. But no, he should have know Greg Oden was going to be hurt for the rest of his life.

The NBA sucks.

Thursday Notes

Bucking the Trend
I just read one of the best stories ever on GBI. It's about a young kid who plays his HS basketball for Park Tudor in Indy. The young man, who was once called "the best fourth grader in the nation" by one publication (I have no idea who rates fourth grade basketball players), decided to take two summers off of AAU basketball. He and his Dad decided the pressure had become too great and probably Kevin had simply stopped having fun playing summer ball.

If you've read BS regularly, you've probably heard me bemoan the evils of AAU ball- I know, it makes the players better, but there's a ton of shady business going on as these young men, many well-younger than driving age are deciding to spend their entire summers away from parents and under the supervision of someone else. Sometimes these guys are caring parents or mentors, but most of the time, they're slimy characters looking to wring as much out of these kids as possible.

So am I anti-AAU basketball? Absolutely. Good for Kevin Ferrell for bucking the trend to play basketball non-stop from the time a kid turns 10 to when he heads off to college...sounds like his two-year haitus is paying off. Might the young Mr. Ferrell be fresher, both mentally and physically, than the rest of his counterparts?

You in the market?
The Pacers made the difficult decision of ending the thugged-out era of professional basketball in Indiana quite quietly earlier this week. They decided to pay out Jamaal Tinsley's contract instead of allowing him to collect his salary while getting fatter and slower at home.

So, if you're in the market for a slowish point guard with a lousy attitude who's always packing heat, I know where you can call.

A Handsome Outlook
Alright, I've been a bit critical of Danny Hope's recruiting effort and the inconsistencies from last season to this season...I'll admit it. But I do really like Coach Hope. And, I think this class, like last year's, will probably turn out to be pretty solid- especially if a few guys decide they want to spend the next four years in West Lafayette.

But, one thing that can't be debated is the fact that Coach Hope is saying the right things and sending the right message. I don't know everything that goes on behind closed doors in the offices of Mollenkopf, but I do know a little bit...and his internal image is as positive as the face that he showed to the media in Chicago earlier this week.

Unlike his predecessor, there's not cautionary speak or "managed expectations". Coach Hope believes his team has the ability to surprise some teams...and anything other than utter failure will be surprising to most media outlets.

Plus, he wore a suit during the media meetings...a very refreshing departure from Coach Tiller's golf shirt and khakis look that became the norm. At least the new head boss acts like he wants to impress some people.

Stupid Nike
Something that I've wanted to see for a long time is some is a couple of good retro Purdue football jerseys...specifically a Drew Brees jersey. Well, the request has been answered...kinda.

I know it wouldn't make much sense to sell a retro Brees jersey without his name, but I'd think the Purdue purist would want it to be as close to the original as possible...especially for $79.00. Yikes! Granted, I'm not a big jersey-wearer, but eighty bucks for a lousy knock off seems steep.

Speaking of lousy knock offs...Holy Moly is this awful!
Is Nike really trying to tell me that their offering is the best their talented and large staff could achieve? Nike stinks. Their retro Alstott jersey reminds me of the jerseys people get at Wal-Mart...but the Wal-Mart version will allow you to keep about $65.00 more in your pocket.

Sizable Entertainment

Not a lot of players/personalities in the NBA make me want to watch the game...but I like Shaq O'Neal. He's one of the best, most-dominant big men of all time...at least he was a few seasons ago. But, even when not on the top of his game, he's still great.

Well, he's now going to be teaming up with Bron Bron. If nothing else, it should be fun to watch. Both of these two are clowns; I mean that in a good way. Perhaps next season, I'll watch more than one NBA regular season game from start to finish...alright, maybe not, but highlights will be entertaining.

Futbol
Another sport I don't watch is soccer. But, a few of my friends do- and I'm told the US team beat the No. 1 team in the world, Spain. The loss breaks Spain's 35-game unbeaten streak...and it helps the US team look like it doesn't suck, which it did the last ten days-or-so, I'm told. Congrats, soccer fan.


**This post should have been made by our resident Clevelander (a real NBA fan, mind you), but I did it instead because Tim's feet are still recovering from surgery.

Carl Landry: Representin'

How's this for a stat line:
27 minutes 6/6 shooting 15 pts. 2 blks.

I love seeing the Lakers lose.

Before you say anything...it's Purdue related

This time of year helps keep my home in good shape. Right now, in fact, I'm stripping wallpaper off of my kitchen walls- a job that was long over-due. That said, I still have time to listen to NBA games in the background while updating the house.

Here's what I learned last night: NBA officials love the Celtics.

As if you had any doubt.

The did the right thing and made a foul call when the unlikeable, over-rated Rajon Rondo landed a full-swing smack on Brad Miller across the face while "attempting" to defend Miller. Problem was he was no where near the ball and was making no play on the ball.

I looked up the NBA's flagrant foul rule, and it's written so vaguely that it's completely subjective...and the officials can look the other way in occurrences like this and be unjust in the process. This is yet another case where college basketball has it right; but you already know my thoughts on the NBA.

But regardless of the verbiage of the rule, the crappy, crooked NBA officials had a chance to make the right call, and even with minutes to make their decision (due to Miller receiving medical treatment) they did not do it.

The C's move up to 3-2 in what has been a very good series.

I really don't care who wins, but I know Rajon Rondo and Joakim Noah are both in the same category in my mind...and would like neither to get a chance at an NBA championship this season. Sadly, one has to advance a step closer to that goal.

Sunday Poll

-Steve Curry made a good NCAA tourney run last season that nearly propelled him into the lottery of the NBA draft (let's be honest, he probably should have left after last season).

-Carmello Anthony left Syracuse after just one National Title season for the Orange(men).

A great NCAA tournament run can make a solid player into an overnight high NBA prospect. So, let's say one of Purdue's talented Sophomores gets on a hot streak. What would the team have to achieve for you to be A-OK with his hypothetical departure?

My Favorite Moment of the College Football Season So Far

There haven't been a whole bunch of moments during this football season that have been enjoyable to me (don't know if you know this, but I'm a Purdue fan). But, last night's Cincy v. USF game yielded a surprising one. I'm kind of a sucker for athletes acting like human beings...or even more, being good guys. During the game last night, we saw a good example of that.

Cincinnati's QB, Tony Pike, was looking to score on a long pass thrown to Mardy Gilyard..the pass was just a bit overthrown and Gilyard's momentum took him into the stands (I have no idea why there is no gate on this entry from the stands). In the first row, watching the game with some other young Bearcat fans was 7 year old, Garrett Monroe.

Gilyard didn't hit Monroe squarely, but seemed to catch him with his left knee. It knocked down Monroe and brought him to immediate tears. Gilyard jumped up, gave Garrett a hug and picked him up to console him. The thing I like most about the moment is that it wasn't canned; it was reactionary. Gilyard probably felt pretty awful and did his best to make the situation better. I don't know anything about him, but I really appreciate the way he reacted.

Monroe's night wasn't done though; his pain was further lessened by Erin Andrews interviewing him...then his buddies asked for his autograph after his appearance on TV. Honestly, the only thing that bothered me was that the youn Monroe was wearing an aOSU cap.

Other Notes
Here's the good news- two nights ago the MLB season went out with a whimper as the World Series proved to be the least-watched WS ever. The bad news is the NBA and NHL are both back. Ugh. My Grandpa's old team started the season where they left off last season...and despite their new roster, they're 0-1. Check back into Boiled Sports every 5 or 6 weeks for Pacers updates.

Purdue's exhibition season starts tonight as our Boilers host the Florida Souther Moccasins...I'm looking forward to listening to it on the radio between trick-or-treat stops with my son.

College basketball season can't come soon enough...The Colts are pretty lousy right now as the young offensive line isn't up to snuff yet, and the rest of the offense doesn't look much better. I don't blame the defense; that unit's simply not designed to carry that team. So between the Colts on Sundays and Purdue on Saturdays, this fall's been awesome for me as a sports fan. The good news is my yard looks really good just in time for winter.

Pacers Should Get Better...Will Anybody Care?

Baston will make the Pacers World Champs! World Champs I tell you!

My hometown professional basketball team, the Indiana Pacers have burned bridges with thuggish behavior in strip clubs and on the streets of downtown Indy...but the organization looked to mend some of these bridges in a flurry of activity Thursday afternoon/evening.

The Pacers got rid of Jermaine O'Neal, who much of the city's sports fans have grown wary of...sent Ike Diagu away (which I wish they wouldn't have) and in return, got T.J. Ford, Jarrett Jack, Rasho Nesterivic, the rights to Roy Hibbert and a whole lot of cap room in '09. They also traded for Maceo Baston and (Crazy) Josh McRoberts. Plus, they picked up Brandon Rush in the draft.

I'm not a math guy, but according to my numbers, the Pacers will have about 100 players on the roster next year if everything goes through. That seems like it's illegal or something. Regardless of the amount of players, the Pacers need to drum up some interest because Conseco Fieldhouse regularly had WNBA-type crowds (and I'm not talking about flannel-wearing ladies) for the Pacers' games last season.

On July 9, the league and the Pacers should be able to talk about all of the Pacers moves so far...and Bird says there may be more to come. Hopefully, Granger is still around when it's all said and done- he's the one guy on the Pacers that I like watching AND think is actually worth cheering for.

Last thing, the NBA stinks.

There Can Only Be One

Does anyone else think the half-and-half "There Can Only Be One" Commercial with Magic and Bird looks like a stroke victim talking? Furthermore, isn't it kind of weird to see both guys are wearing jerseys? One is a successful businessman in the LA area, the other is now an executive for the Pacers...and they're wearing jerseys like a 15 year-old fan. Odd.

I actually like this ad campaign because its focus is developing the personalities- something the league did very well in the 80s and 90s. That said, the NBA still stinks.

Is There Anything Redeeming About The NBA Finals?

Okay, NBA and David Stern, you got the series you wanted -- Lakers/Celtics. Hoo-freaking-rah. And sure, I guess I'm a little more likely to take an interest in this series because of the two franchises and that's exactly what they want. But there's so little that's redeeming about these NBA Finals and it irritates me that people still worship these clowns. To whit:

- Why would anyone cheer for Kobe? Can someone explain this to me? I mean, other than Lakers fans, why would you like him? He's a transparent, backstabbing, childish, adultering (and maybe rapist), juvenile brat who pouts and spouts off when he doesn't get his way... and who never really knows what's good for him or the team. I give the Lakers front office amazing credit for the way they put this team together and resisted the urge to dump Kobe last summer. It turns out that the Lakers are freaking good now and that the players Mitch Kupchak was stockpiling have nearly all worked out, and they'll probably be good for a while now. It's not inconceiveable that Kobe and the Lakers will be back in the Finals on a regular basis for the next five years. Yet just a year ago, the little a-hole was saying he wanted to leave... then he didn't, then he did. Maybe he just didn't realize radio shows in LA could eventually be heard by people in New York and vice versa. Or maybe he's just a crazy little brat who should stick to basketball and let others run the team. Shut up and play and make your $20 mill, Kobe. Ugh. Who would want to see him win? He deserves a 23-59 season, not a title.

- The Celts big 3. Well, these guys aren't awful, I guess. But it's kind of hard to root for guys who cruise into town to cash in on a fortuitous situation and wind up with a title. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were their teams biggest stars for years and absolutely never delivered. Garnett couldn't get the T-Wolves out of the first round for years and probably sullied the image of Flip Saunders, which Flip is clearly still paying for. As for Allen, likable guy, but never a winner. If these guys win it all, will you feel happy for them? Maybe, I guess, since they've all been longtime players who haven't been able to win. But winning in a uniform they've spent the least amount of time in? I don't know. Also, Doc Rivers is not a very good coach. That will come to light in this series, I think.

- Nice start times, ABC/NBA money-printing machine. Yes, tonight's Game 1 begins at.... wait for it... 9 effing o'clock, Eastern time! That's nucking futs! 9 PM!!! This is inexcusable. I understand the Lakers play in LA and thus, it's only 6 PM there, but people in LA don't even work that late so why not start it at 8 PM, at least, Eastern time, so that people in Boston can kind of enjoy it. Morons. And don't even get me started on the wait time we just had for the Finals to start. How come the Celts first-round Game 7 with Atlanta was on the same day as other Game 1s of the second round? How can you begin the second round without some teams being out of the first? Oh, you're in a hurry to keep things moving? Fantastic. But then why have four off-days before starting the Finals? Ohhhhh, so games can land on the weekend. Well-played, NBA. Not moronic at all.

- The NBA's archaic 2-3-2 Finals format. And it's only for the Finals! Brilliant! And don't give me the "travel" argument. These teams travel on private charter jets with the finest creature comforts, replete with masseuses and probably BJs from fluffers. I don't want to hear anyone feeling sorry for these guys for having to take a couple of cross-country flights. I have to do that for my job oftentimes and I don't get days off in between and I also don't get, oh, you know, three effing months off after a project. And if you're going to use this argument that, well, the 2-3-2 cuts down on travel, well, then, okay, I want to see Games 1 and 2 on back to back nights, and then one day off and then Games 3, 4 and 5 on three consecutive nights, with one day off to go back to Boston for Games 6 and 7. But that's not how it will be done. These guys are so delicate that they get days off all over the place. Oh, wait, that's right -- it's for money/TV reasons. Even this Sunday's Game 2 (Game 2 not until SUNDAY -- if it goes 7, it will take two weeks; ridiculous) will be at 9 PM, Eastern. For what reason? Idiotic NBA.

So tell me... am I wrong? What's awesome about this series?

Unwatchable

The NBA, as you know isn't the most interesting product on the television. But, in a typical summer, I usually really enjoy taking in quite a few playoff games. The reason is simple- for me, there's not much else that's sports-related and by this time, with only NHL, WNBA and MLB on the TV, I'm sports-starved.

As usual, I've tuned into the games as I flipped around. Problem is, the product is horrible to watch. It's not the fact that the quality of athlete isn't there. No one will argue that Manu Ginobli, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, The Big 3 in Boston, and the veterans in Detroit aren't talented, but their games surely have become unwatchable.

I understand why the league instructs its officials to swallow their whistles a bit for the home teams, but what we've witnessed in the '08 playoffs has been goofy if not ridiculous. Last night contest in San Antonio was no exception. The Lakers were getting beaten up...that's what the Spurs do, but they were also getting jobbed while they were on defense. Derrick Fisher got 3 quickly in the first half and the superstar of the league (arguably) was getting smacked every time he shot the ball...and never went to the free throw line for shooting fouls.

I'm by no means a Kobe fan- the guy's an arrogant jerk...but, he does draw fouls. What we've been watching isn't basketball; it's really become like the Harlem Globetrotters, except the Washington Generals change every two games or so.

It's really no wonder the US has been less-than-stellar versus international competition the last few years. But, it's no less sad as it used to be one of America's past times.

Instead of watching the playoffs, I've caught up with Jon & Kate Plus 8 with my wife, Mythbusters reruns, Modern Marvels (any topic) or even Women's college softball (as long as Arizona's playing). I'd love to watch a classic Purdue game, but my pals at Comcast don't carry the Big Ten network, and my buddies at AT&T finally let me know that I can't get UVerse much to my chagrin. I'd love to tell you that I've dug into a book or tow during the last month, but I'm not much of a reader...In fact, reading books usually ends with me napping (a la watching Pistons v. Celtics)...so that's no good.

It's a good thing that it doesn't get dark until 9:00 in Indiana so I can stay outside as long as possible working on my skateboard skills or my killer raindrop jumpshot.

Thanks for nothing, Mr. Stern. I know I'm no longer in the ideal market age group, but seriously, not one of my friends finds the NBA worth a damn any longer.