Le Basketbawl

New York Vinnie like many other folks likes to be challenged in life. When things are running too smoothly New York Vinnie gets bored and starts looking for new worlds to conquer. That is why when offered the chance to turn Le Basketbawl into the “House That New York Vinnie Built” I jumped at the offer! It was something I had no previous experience in and Vinnie wanted to see if he could truly be a Frickin writer. According to the early results things are looking positive as our numbers are up and New York Vinnie’s bosses are very pleased! 

However there are sometimes when the challenge in front of you is just too Frickin tough and one has to walk away! We can not win every battle; so a smart person picks their fights wisely. There are times when it is better to leave and live to fight another day rather than to go down with the Frickin ship. One just has to know their abilities and try to look at a situation objectively. Unfortunately there are many people in this world that just do not know when enough is enough. New York Vinnie’s rule of thumb has always been if the bottom line is not worth the Crappola you put up with then the fight is not worth continuing.

The world of Professional Sports is filled with Frickin challenges every day for players and management. Players try to perform at their best between the lines no matter who their Frickin opponent is. Athletes also have to deal with the Frickin media making sure that they choose their words carefully. Many times right after a game a player is filled with emotion; the good ones are able to tamp those Frickin feelings down and say nothing that will come back to haunt them. Others allow their Frickin emotions to get the best of them and then have to live with the results.

Management also has to confront challenges every Frickin day and hopefully make the decisions that will best help their team. A coach or a manager has to make sure they have the right Frickin players on the field or the court at the right time. A General Manager has to make sure that he gives his Field General the right soldiers to get the job done! It is a fine art finding someone with the right Frickin mixture of talent and chemistry to help your team get to the next Frickin level. And that task is not an easy one which is why we see the Frickin turnover in front offices all over Pro Sports.

There have been a lot of moves that have been made during this last six week period in the NBA. Some will truly help there teams some may show little or no effect. And there are some that you just have to scratch your head and say What were they Frickin thinking? 

Although New York Vinnie has lots of respect for Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchack he may have brought in a guy this summer that could absolutely Frickin destroy his club’s Frickin chemistry. Yes you know exactly who New York Vinnie is talking about  Lakers new  forward Ron Artest. There is no doubt about the ability that Artest has when it comes to Frickin hoops! However his mindset is always in question! New York Vinnie thinks that Artest could be what doctors would label clinically as “Nutsy-Cuckoo” !

Artest has been a Frickin losse cannon since he got into the NBA and although he had a good year with the Houston Rockets this past season that does not mean he will fit in with the Frickin team from Los Angeles.  And unfortunately unlike Houston where you have a take charge coach in Rick Adelman and some strong internal leadership that is not the case with the Lakers. How much Crappola you think “Coach Zen” is going to take from Artest before he loses his Frickin patience with him? And if you think that the Black Mamba is going to baby sit him then you got to be smoking Frickin Drano!

Artest will cause divisiveness in that Frickin clubhouse and he will soon turn into a Frickin malcontent. New York Vinnie thinks that there could be a major blow-out by the end of December! However one thing you can take to the bank is there will be some big Frickin controversy this year with the Lakers and Artest will be involved!

It is tough enough to defend an NBA Title and to win it in back to back years. However the Lakers have given themselves a  huge Frickin handicap before they have even assembled for camp. And in the end the Lakers will see that the Frickin aggravation that Artest brings to his new team will not be worth what he does on the Frickin floor!