Author Archive

Tom Izzo will soon be a very rich man. At least, twice as rich as he already was. There aren't many people in the world who wouldn't change jobs to double their salary. Even if the new job is worse. In this case, it is. You can expect that as soon as the NBA Finals wrap up, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host a press conference to introduce their new hire. Words like ...

How the Phoenix Suns Created a Monster

Posted: 18th May 2010 by Chad Ridgeway in NBA
Congratulations, Suns! You killed the elephant in the room. The gorilla on your back. The skeleton in your closet. Whatever it was, you finally vanquished your arch nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs. And you did it with gusto. When Steve Nash went down with a gashed eye late in Game 4, the demons of a tortured past came creeping out of the court, threatening to pull them into the abyss alongside the broken ...

My Hatred for LeBron Has Turned Me Into a Celtics Fan

Posted: 9th May 2010 by Chad Ridgeway in NBA
I hate the Boston Celtics. I grew up in Southern California. Showtime Lakers and I were born in the same summer; Pat Riley had just won his first championship as coach, and James Worthy had just been drafted. The Lakers logo is etched onto each chamber of my heart, and purple and gold blood flows through my body. I have an innate and passionate hatred for the Celtics. I hate Larry Bird's ...
This season has been a bore for Lakers fans, and apparently the Lakers themselves. They got off to a torrid start which elated wide eyed optimists who had predicted 70 wins for this team. But it's April and Lakers Nation is on edge. The team sputtered to a 16-12 record after the All-Star break. Several playoff teams have a better record than them during that same span, including their first round ...

One Question Still Lingers For Lakers: Can They Beat the Cavs?

Posted: 31st March 2010 by Chad Ridgeway in NBA
It's hard to complain about a team that will be the No. 1 seed in a very competitive Western Conference for the third season in a row. Especially one favored to make its third straight NBA Finals appearance. However, the purple and gold streamers and fresh veneer of a championship trophy mask an uneasy feeling in Lakers Nation. Although this squad is proven, one question still lingers: Can the Lakers beat the ...

The Difference Between Kobe and LeBron Is That Kobe Works

Posted: 21st March 2010 by Chad Ridgeway in NBA
There was a time when Kobe Bryant was a premier athlete in this league. But even in his prime he would never compare to the Paul Bunyan-esque physical attributes of LeBron James. However, physical features are not the biggest difference between Kobe and LeBron. In fact, they're similar in many ways. They're both alpha dogs on their conference leading teams. They're the two most popular players in the league. ...
I don't know the name of every General Manager in the league, and I only care about the really good ones or the really bad ones. Kevin Pritchard of the Portland Trail Blazers is one of the really good ones. And he's inexplicably close to getting fired. Team President Larry Miller recently fired Pritchard's top aid, Tom Penn. Miller is non-committal about Pritchard's future, and the writing on the wall is so ...

The Best and Worst Contracts On The Los Angeles Lakers

Posted: 18th March 2010 by Chad Ridgeway in NBA
The Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA's most valuable franchise, both in terms of profitability and popularity. Not only do they reside in the bright lights of Hollywood with the most star-studded roster in the league, but they also have the rings to back it up. The Lakers are not only one of the most successful franchises in all of sports, they are one of the most iconic. Such prosperity can be ...

Wild Free Agent Possibilities That Will Turn the NBA Upside Down (Humor)

Posted: 26th February 2010 by Chad Ridgeway in NBA
I have looked into the crystal ball of NBA fandom to see exactly what will happen this summer. Needless to say, I was shocked to see the NBA landscape change so dramatically, with an unprecedented number of free agents bolting for new teams. á Kobe and Phil Go to Chicago Coming off consecutive championships, Dr. Jerry Buss still plays hard ball with Kobe Bryant on an extension which pisses Kobe off to no end. Kobe ...