Le Basketbawl

What was it that Frickin Forest Gump’s mother used to say? Was it “Stupid Is As Stupid Does?” If so then it would definitely apply to Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum who committed a Frickin stupid act as you can Frickin get.  The “Los Angeles Times” reported that Bynum missed the Frickin team flight from New York City to Toronto because the Frickin Dim-wit put his bags outside his Frickin hotel room door and went back to Frickin bed!

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that his starting center would be fined for the act. The L.A. coach said “His bags made it to Toronto, but he didn’t. So obviously he got up and put his bags outside the door and something happened between there and the bus, like going back to sleep again, or whatever. … He’s all right. A rookie mistake you would call it, even though he’s not a rookie. There’s a standard fine for it. He paid his own plane fare.”

No Coach Zen; Bynum is not a Frickin Rookie he has played for five years in the NBA. This is another reason why the Lakers will not Frickin make it back to the NBA Finals this year. Morons like Bynum; a powder keg ready to explode in Ron Artest. Jackson has a problem with Pau Gasol and nobody can tell Kobe what to do except for Kobe. In New York Vinnie’s eyes it is a sure prescription for an early exit from the Post Season.

The “Cleveland Plain Dealer” reported Thursday that the Cleveland Cavaliers will be without a key member of its core for the next 4-6 weeks as Cavaliers starting point guard Mo Williams strained his left shoulder Tuesday night as Cleveland defeated the Toronto Raptors. Williams recorded a double-double in the contest and is the Cavaliers second leading scorer following LeBron James. The Cleveland point guard has averaged 16.9 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds this season.

Williams had an MRI on Thursday that revealed the injury. The Cavaliers do not have another “true” point guard on the team however Delonte West will be getting the start in William’s slot. West is more of a combo guard but he can penetrate quite effectively as he proved last year in the NBA Playoffs. West was the most consistent player on the team during the post season other than the Cleveland All-Star James. The Cavaliers will play the Los  Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in Cleveland. They are currently the leading team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-11 while the Lakers have the best record in the NBA at 32-9.

If you have followed the NBA over the last few years there is no doubt in your mind that Kobe Bryant is a very tough man. Last season New York Vinnie took the “Black Mamba” to task for not having a procedure done at the start of training camp that would have gotten rid of the Frickin pain he was feeling in his pinkie finger. However Kobe did not want to miss any of the season and the Lakers All-Star was up to the task playing all season long and leading his team to the NBA Championship last June.

There is also no doubt that Kobe Bryant is a very stubborn man; Bryant makes a decision and then finds it really hard to back down. He is also in a situation that he calls all the shots on when  and if he will play injured or not. In Los Angeles Kobe is the “Emperor” and nobody is about to tell him there is something wrong with his “New Frickin Clothes“!

It is time once again for New York Vinnie to tell you a very famous story about the “Emperor And His New Clothes.”  Way Way back in the olden times there was a country that was ruled by an Emperor who thought that he was always right and he would surround himself with staff that would back him to the Frickin hilt!  One day these two Frickin Con-Men show up at the Palace and they say they are the “Finest Tailors In All Of The World” and that they want to make the Emperor the Frickin Sharpest Suit that has ever been made out of this brand new “Special Material.”

Well as New York Vinnie wrote above these guys were con-men, and they were out to rob the Frickin Emperor. So they decide to play on his vanity. They say they have this incredibly special silk that only Highly Frickin Intelligent folks can see. Truth was this Frickin Pair Of PUDS had nothing in their Frickin hands except for Frickin air! But the Emperor was ashamed to admit he could see the silk so when the Frickin Con-Men started to OOOH And AAAH the Emperor did the same.

Now all the Emperors Frickin Royal Advisers were brought in and told about the special material; none of them wanted to seem like Frickin Dim-Wits so they all pretended they saw it as well! The suit was Frickin expensive as hell and the Con-Men got their money and went on their way.

The next day the Emperor went out to show off his new suit. Everybody pretended they could see the suit except for one old senile lady. This woman walked up to the Emperor and asked him why he was walking around stark Frickin naked. The Emperor and his advisers were outraged; and told the woman she clearly was not intelligent enough to see the special material. The  Old Lady would have the last Frickin laugh though as she walked up to the Emperor and pulled a clump of hair off his chest and handed it to him!

The Los Angeles Lakers do not have someone on that club that is going to tell Kobe what to do. It sure is not going to be Coach Zen who spoke with the “Los Angeles Times” about his star. Jackson told reporters “I don’t see why unless he’s hurting the team out there and there would be a long-term situation in which if he played now, it could affect him for five to 10 games later on. The team would have to suffer with him on the floor. We’re not at that point yet.”

New York Vinnie has a question for you; if that point had occurred do you think Jackson would have the stones to tell his All-Star? New York Vinnie would say no Frickin way is Jackson going to say a thing. A reporter asked Kobe if he was planning on playing Friday against the Clippers. Bryant responded “That’s insulting.”

New York Vinnie admires The Black Mamba’s attitude that he does not want to show weakness. However New York Vinnie knows that the Frickin inmates can not run the Frickin Asylum. That is what seems to be the relationship that has developed in Los Angeles. What Kobe wants Kobe gets! It worked last year but will it work again this year?

New York Vinnie will tell you this; Kobe Bryant is not doing himself or his team any favors by playing through the pain. Get healthy and come back at full strength when it means something. Sometimes it takes a real Big Man to admit they are wrong. Is Kobe Big enough to do that ?

Doesn’t it seem to you that every time Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson talks about his big man Pau Gasol there is kind of a Frickin derisive tone in his voice? Like he truly has no respect for the guy and he thinks he is a “Frickin Sissy Boy” who just is not tough enough for “Coach Zen’s” standards? That is the way that he comes off to New York Vinnie and I really don’t understand why he does it. Does he truly believe that that is the way to motivate his player; to call out his Frickin Man-Hood?

In New York Vinnie’s neighborhood that is the worst thing you can do to a man is to call them out for not being Frickin tough enough. In New York Vinnie’s neighborhood people have died for calling out somebody else’s  Man-Hood; that is no exaggeration! That is hitting somebody where they Frickin live; if you catch New York Vinnie’s drift.

New York Vinnie learned a long time ago not to judge anybody until you have walked a Frickin mile in their Frickin shoes. There are some poor souls out there that are constantly bombarded with Frickin pain from morning until night and they still do what they need to Frickin do. In New York Vinnie’s eyes people like that are incredibly Frickin tough.

According to the “Los Angeles Daily News” Gasol could be out until the end of the week as he recovers from a strained left hamstring. The veteran suffered the injury on January 3, against the Houston Rockets and has not played since. Jackson has been rather snide in his remarks ever since his big man got injured. He told reporters “Any time Pau has an injury we’re concerned.”

If the Lakers were deep into the Frickin season trying to secure a Playoff spot that would be a different story. But the team has the best record in the NBA and it is not even half-way through the Frickin season. What exactly is “Coach Zen’s” problem? Why is he not handling Gasol like Celtics coach Doc Rivers is handling Kevin Garnett?

Garnett has missed the last few games with injuries but Rivers does not want his star to rush back saying he would rather err on the side of caution. In New York Vinnie’s mind that is how you do things. Jackson apparently believes that Gasol in a malingerer who is trying to milk this injury. New York Vinnie thinks that Jackson is just being a PUD for treating his player with such little respect.

The “Los Angeles Daily News” Monday reported that Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol may miss the game Tuesday night between his club and the Houston Rockets. Gasol has what has been classified as a mild to moderate strain in his left hamstring which caused him to play just 7 minutes Sunday as the Lakers bombed  the Dallas  Mavericks by a final of 131-96.

Gasol had a MRI performed on Monday which revealed the source of his pain. Gasol missed the first 11 games of the season with a strained right hamstring. Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson when asked about his veteran responded “Any time Pau has an injury we’re concerned.”

Doesn’t it always seem that Jackson wants to call Gasol out when he gets hurt? New York Vinnie keeps waiting for the day when “Coach Zen” says that his  big man is a “Frickin Sissy Boy” for taking as long as he does to return from an injury. New York Vinnie has written this before; there is no Frickin connection with your pain threshold and how much of a man you are. People have different limits; it has nothing at all about being tough.

New York Vinnie had always thought Gasol was soft until this past NBA Finals when we watched him go up against the best center in the current age Dwight Howard. After seeing the way Gasol rose to that occasion it convinced New York Vinnie that Pau Gasol is certainly not soft.

When it comes to a hamstring injury better to wait a day too long than to start a day too early. You rush back and you only make things Frickin worse. Yo, Phil; you got the best Frickin record in the NBA. You willing to mess that up so one of your players comes back too soon from being hurt? New York Vinnie would rather you react like Doc Rivers is doing in Boston. Better to be too cautious than not cautious enough.

When did the inmates take over the NBA asylum? It’s the New Year and I awaken hung over to the “New York Post” headline “NBA Gun Play” as Agent Zero drew a gun on his teammate. This is just one of the oddities. Last week our other crazy Ron Artest fell up the steps then changed his tune and said he fell on concrete. The kicker? He can’t even remember what happened.

Seems that Ron may have had a bit too much to drink and blacked out. Now Artest isn’t playing due to a concussion and it’s a sure thing that Arenas will not be playing in the association in the near future. I’m afraid I’ll wake up tomorrow and Al Harrington will be running around NYC naked drinking a bottle of Hennessy with Dennis Rodman in a dress. I’m sure New York Vinnie would love to write about that!  

The NBA is becoming the laughing stock of the four professional sports. I feel like the NBA is becoming the romper room of death.Why is it that David Stern isn’t speaking up? If you don’t look you can’t speak David. Take your head out of your keister and lay down the law. Take control of your league so that the “basketball purists” get back to debating the amazing play of the Suns and Lakers.

The Suns are on a role starting the New Year with 21 wins (only 4 wins away from the Lakers). They unloaded Shaq and went back to the system that D’Antoni perfected (and is failing at implementing in NYC). Add that to MVP candidate Steve Nash and we have a contender. Not a championship caliber team but a legit 3 seed out of the West. They score a league leading 110 PPG. The drawback as usual is that they give up 105 PPG.

The Lakers score 104 PPG and only give up 97 PPG. Better yet look at the Spurs who score 102 PPG and only give up 96 PPG. Leopards don’t change their spots. Alvin Gentry has them back in contention. Without defense they will not win the big dance but they will be a blast to watch. Though with Nash playing the way he is and the resurgence of Amare they are back to their 2004 glory.

The biggest change is a constant up tempo style with spot on 3 point shooting from Steve Nash, Channing Frye and Jarred Dudley. Frye is 9th in the NBA with a .442 three point percentage. Dudley is first with a .505 three point percentage. It doesn’t hurt that Nash is 12th in three point percentage at .433 and 1st in assists at 11 per game.

I love two types of ball. 1) ALL OFFENSE ALL THE TIME like the traditional Suns and 2) ALL DEFENSE like Larry Brown coached team (aka the Bobcats) or the current version of the Celtics and Spurs. There is nothing better in professional basketball then those styles clashing.

I’m rooting for a Celtics/Suns NBA Finals. Though the odds of this are remote I yearn for this. I’m tired of the Lakers dominating the NBA. Without Ron Artest the Lakers struggle. How can this team repeat as the champions when they lose one player? Not even their superstar. They definitely don’t have the heart of the Rockets.

The Rockets don’t have any superstars and they are 20-13. They are winning with players like Chuck Hayes, Aaron Brooks, Trevor Ariza, and Shane Battier. They are a gritty team of role players that play great defense with clutch shooting. They bought into the Rick Adelman system. Adelman is the most unrated coach in the NBA. Heck they are playing so well Tracy McGrady will be moved. I give the Rockets organization mad props.

As I move through my random reflection of basketball purism how can I leave out my favorite rent a coach of all time…Larry Brown! Brown and MJ have shaped the Bobcats into a playoff team. They will sneak in as a 7 or 8 seed. The Stephen Jackson acquisition was a great move. They have the best defense in the NBA only giving up 92.5 PPG. But their offense is only scoring 91.7 PPG. Stephen Jackson may turn into the Allen Iverson of the 76ers in 2001.

Obviously he won’t be as successful because the puzzle pieces Brown has don’t quite fit. S-Jax isn’t as prolific as AI. S-Jax is 27th in the NBA in scoring at 18.4 PPG. By the time the Playoffs role around he will be in the top 15 in scoring. S-Jax does have a bit more help then AI had in 2001 with the presence of Gerald Wallace (who averages 17.9 PPG). If anyone can keep the egos of S-Jax and Wallace together it is Larry Brown. He has had plenty of practice over the years.

As I wrap up my random thoughts of the New Year I wonder if the LA Clippers will ever get it together. How Mike Dunleavy keeps his job is a mystery to me. That team has so much talent yet they always underachieve. Even with an older Baron Davis they have so many promising players with Kaman, Butler, Thorton, and Gordon. If they don’t get it together when Blake Griffin finally gets back on the court Dunleavy better get the pink slip. I guarantee you if Byron Scott could get this team in the playoffs. He was fired for a lot less then Mike Dunleavy. Mike you’re on notice. Get the job done or get a packing out of LA…you’re stealing money!

New York Vinnie learned a long time ago that you can not judge others based on “YOUR” values.  What New York Vinnie finds despicable you may find totally acceptable. That does not mean either of is correct or incorrect it is just shows we perceive things differently. The same thing applies in New York Vinnie’s mind to pain; we all have different tolerances of pain. Some people can be bed-ridden by something while another person carries on without skipping a beat. It is no reflection on either person it is just a fact of life.

Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant has an “incredible” tolerance for pain; that is something that can never be disputed.  For the past couple of years the “Black Mamba” has been playing with a mangled pinkie finger that could be fixed if he was willing to  have an operation and take some time to recover. So far he has refused to go that route unwilling to give up the time to recuperate.

Last season New York Vinnie was dead positive that Bryant would reach a point in January of February in which the pain got be unbearable and he would have the procedure. New York Vinnie was dead wrong as Kobe played through the pain all last year and won the NBA Championship and to this day that pinkie is still not fixed.

Friday night as the Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-92 Bryant fractured his right index finger in the first quarter and played for the rest of the night with a splint on the finger. Now to his credit the veteran still scored 20 points in the game, which is pretty Frickin incredible. The broken finger is on his shooting hand and if you have ever shot a basketball you know how important that finger is in being able to get a shot off correctly.

After the game Kobe spoke with the “Associated Press” about the injury. He does not expect to miss any games and told reporters that the only thing he needed to get used to was playing with the splint. The Lakers guard said “It’s pretty painful. I just tried to play through it. … You just get used to it, that’s all. It’s just a different technique to shoot the ball with this.”

New York Vinnie admires the “Black Mamba’s” attitude, his courage and his devotion to his team. However New York Vinnie does not agree with Kobe’s decision to play through the injury. Reports state that it currently is a small break in the bone. However after every opponent who guards him over the next few games keeps whacking that finger that small break could get a lot worse.

There is only one problem; there is not going to be one person that forces him to sit games out. It will not be Lakers Team Owner Jerry Buss; last time we heard anything about him was the summer of 2008 when he was charged with a DUI. It will not be Los Angeles General Manager Mitch Kupchack; who can put together a great team but is not a forceful guy. It certainly will not be “Coach Zen“; instead Jackson will give him some book.

No, in “Lakers-Land” Kobe calls the Frickin shots and makes the decisions of whether he will play or not. Now New York Vinnie  has already admitted to you that Kobe was a lot stronger than I gave him credit for as he has played with the Frickin mangled pinkie. We will have to find out if this is the right decision or not and the next couple of weeks should give us an indication of that.