Seth Rosenthal talks Free Agency

The good ma'gentleman Seth Rosenthal from Posting and Toasting joined me today on LeBristmas Eve (working title) to talk free agency for the Knicks.



Thanks a bunch to Seth.


--Max Caster

Isiah Thomas Helps the Knicks One Last Time

We all hate Isiah Thomas, Knicks fans. I'm one of you. I know. He was awful. He sent the Knicks franchise into a seemingly endless downward spiral. But, Knicks fans, we have to let him back in for today. When I heard Zeke knocking on the Garden's front door, I reluctantly opened the door, to hear this from the AP:

INDIANAPOLIS — The New York Knicks fired Isiah Thomas as coach two years ago,
but he still hopes they cash in during the LeBron James sweepstakes.

Thomas said Tuesday that he thinks James should continue his career in
the Big Apple.

"Go to New York," Thomas advised. "It's the biggest
stage."

Thomas, who led the Detroit Pistons to two NBA titles and is in
the Hall of Fame, said James' presence in New York would be good for the game:
"I think that the interest in him in New York and in the league and everything
else would just take the NBA to a higher level."

YEAH BABY!!!




Alright, Isiah. I'll say something nice back. The Knicks probably should have had you oversee their draft this year. Thanks. Every little bit helps get LeBron James into a Knicks jersey.

Now back to not speaking to each other.


--Max Caster

David Lee Interview!!!

The one thing that gets me about David Lee is that through all the garbage he had to put up with last offseason, this offseason and just the Knicks regime in general, he still wants to be in New York. I swear, if he signs to another team I will shed tears. That's not a joke.


--Max Caster

Why do People Offer Bad Fantasy Trades?

I'm not a fantasy sports nut. I know some though. They have auction leagues, watch their players in out of market games and get incredibly upset at Miguel Olivo for not getting a hit. But to each his own and I can respect different forms of entertainment.

But there's a different fantasy nut out there as well. The one who likes to make trades for no reason. The kind who like to flip their team so much that by the end of the season, they'll have no original players. The type that are so desperate to make a move, they offer you unthinkably horrible proposals. Check out the one I just got:



Yes, my team name is 'Gardner with a Mustache.' If you're wondering, my picture is Brett Gardner's file photo with a mustache I photoshopped onto it. But that's not why we're here.

I'm supposed to give up Roy Halladay, who's pitched a perfect game, AND Josh Johnson, who's a boss. Two super aces at the same time? Truth be told, neither are going anywhere for anything.

In return I'd receive, Roy Oswalt, Doug Fister and Tim Lincecum. While Oswalt could head to a contender real soon, right now he's 5-10 on a bad team. No thanks. Doug Fister has a good ERA but can't buy a win with the awful Mariners. And Tim Lincecum is in a bad slump. I don't want to deal with that even though he should bounce back.

So Mr. Rubin, if you're going to send trades to people, first make sure they're not one of the top teams in your league. If that test passes, offer them a trade that makes sense.

Thanks.

PS: I sent him the link to this as the message when I hit 'Reject Trade.'

--Max Caster

LeBron James: The End of the Beginning

Over the last two years or so, there was nothing but speculation and (un)educated guesses as to where LeBron James would end up. It was just a bunch of Knicks fans standing by the side of Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni. Just Nets fans banking on Jay-Z's connection with King James. The Bulls fans offering a shot to be the next Michael Jordan. And every pundit, analyst and "insider" (I'm looking at you Chris Broussard) would swear by their sources and knowledge.

But after all that, one thing remains. No one knows what LeBron James will do. Nobody but himself. However, since the Lakers won the title, all NBA eyes are fixed on LeBron. And what once were hypotheses are now more legitimate sounding rumors about this man's decision.



Over the past week, I've read:

1.) Chicago is his definite landing spot. [Chris Bosh too!]

2.) He's choosing between Chicago and Cleveland.

3.) He's heavily leaning towards the Nets. [Subscription]

4.) Jay-Z wants him for the Nets but advertises for New York City.

5.) World Wide Wes seconds the Chicago movement.

6.) In a related story, Bosh will be a Miami Heat.

7.) If LeBron leaves Cleveland, he'll go to New York.

So according to these (and more) stories, LeBron James will be a Bull, a Net and a Knick this upcoming season. That's gonna be tough to play all those games, especially the ones they play against each other.

But for real, we still know nothing. In essence, we are where we were a year ago. Feelings fueled by uncertainty & promises and rumors stemming from what someone's cousin's friend told them. Chill out, NBA fans! I agree, this is fun, but not as fun as the Summer League, opening night or the postseason.

If I was Adam Sandler in the film 'Click,' I would use my time altering remote to fast forward through the summer before my sad and embarrassing death [Spoiler Alert!]. After two years, I'm ready to have this over with.


-- Max Caster

Fifa Announces New Goal Lines

Fifa quietly made an alteration to the goal lines in the World Cup today. The first victim of the new line was England, losing 4-1 to Germany. Here's what the new line looks like:



Haha. 4-1? Now who's worse at soccer? Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!


--Max Caster

New Poll: Raisinettes or Goobers?

First things first: the old poll.

Would you rather have David Price or Phil Hughes long term? The online results came out as 11 to 10 in favor of Price. The tally collected by myself and Matt Soldano was in favor of Price as well, but not by a whole lot. Regardless of what the polls say, both have great potential in the majors. Actually both are beginning to reach it.

OK. Now for the new poll, my new favorite question to ask people: Which do you prefer? Raisinettes or Goobers?


Soldano and I have agreed that one person cannot like both Raisinettes and Goobers. It's scientifically proven. I'm partial to the Raisinettes, which, FYI, are chocolate covered raisins. Sometimes they give them away for free here at CW Post. Those are always good days.

As you could guess, Matthew is a Goobers guy. That's right, he likes Goobers! Those are chocolate covered peanuts. Yucky if I do say so myself.


So the question stands! Raisinettes or Goobers? Which side will you be on? The poll is somewhere on the right panel. Leave trash talk for all the Goober-Eaters err... I mean for your adversaries.


--Max Caster

Kobe Likes Kobe

Check out this picture of Kobe and family. Look close at who's on Black Mamba's t-shirt.



He's a cornball. But champions can be cornballs I suppose.


--Max Caster

2010 NBA Mock Draft - Updated

It's been awhile, I know but another Lakers championship run has kept me up many nights and unable to finally sit down and get to one of these bad boys. It still has not kept me from keeping up with everything concerning the Draft. No worries, I come bearing a two round mock for ya'll and I'll make some changes if need be before Thursday night.

Round One:

1. Washington Wizards - John Wall, PG - Kentucky - No change here. No surprise here. Wall will give the Wizards a new face to the franchise and his point guard skills/athleticism are simply off the charts to even consider drafting someone else.

2. Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner, SG - Ohio State - This has been up for some debate about whether Doug Collins would side with Turner or Derrick Favors but I always sided with Turner. He can play three positions effectively and is ready to contribute in a major way.

3. New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors, PF -Georgia Tech - The Nets are finally showing some sense here. Wes Johnson is a nice prospect but doesn't have that potential superstar gear that Favors has. Johnson's ceiling is a better shooting Shawn Marion. Favors is Dwight Howard. Need I say more? If Favors is the pick, the Nets might not be looking for big men in free agency with Favors and Brook Lopez being the frontline for years to come.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves - Wesley Johnson, SF - Syracuse - Had Johnson been taken, the Timberwolves would be selecting a guy who doesn't particularly fit a need. Johnson fits a spot that the Wolves desperately need as he hopefully provides some scoring on the perimeter and compliment Kevin Love and Al Jefferson.

5. Sacramento Kings - DeMarcus Cousins, C - Kentucky - The Samuel Dalembert acquisition should not change draft strategy come Thursday for Sac-town. If Cousins can ever improve his maturity and attitude, the sky is the limit for him. But it's a big IF for a guy who has potential superstar skill-set.

6. Golden State Warriors - Ekpe Udoh PF, Baylor - I'm a huge fan of Udoh and think he fits in nicely with Golden State. Monroe had a disappointing workout with the team and on my "board" Udoh ranks higher. Love his defensive presence and his constant improved offensive game.

7. Detroit Pistons - Greg Monroe PF, Georgetown - High basketball IQ, can run the floor like a deer, unselfish player. The Pistons need someone/something in the middle of the paint and Monroe can be a great value pick at No.7. Some mocks have him going as high as 5.

8. Los Angeles Clippers - Al-Farouq Aminu, SF - Wake Forest - Aminu is one of the most athletic prospects in the entire draft. The only question is, what position will he play in the NBA? He has the outside game of a three but can rebound like a four. The Clips desperately need a swingman and can choose between Aminu, Gordon Hayward, or Paul George.

9. Utah Jazz - Ed Davis PF, North Carolina - Losing out on Carlos Boozer will hurt this team down low, despite the fact they still have Paul Millsap. Davis is a guy who loves to crash the boards and is one of the more athletic big men in the draft.

10. Indiana Pacers - Gordon Hayward, SF - Butler - Udoh would seemingly make more sense here but it's the Pacers. Hayward is the hometown kid and fits the Caucasian profile that the Pacers unintentionally (I would hope) have grown to love over the past couple of years.

11. New Orleans Hornets - Luke Babbit SF, Nevada - Morris Peterson, James Posey, Peja Stojakovic. All of these free agent forwards have been swings and misses for the Hornets. Maybe going the route via the draft will bring better fortunes. Babbit will have to adjust defensively but is ready to contribute offensively right away.

12. Memphis Grizzlies - Paul George, SF - Fresno State - George has been rising up draft boards over the weeks and an invite to the Green Room is evidence of that. The Grizz could potentially lose Rudy Gay in the off-season and George could serve as an appropriate replacement.

13. Toronto Raptors - Cole Aldrich, C -Kansas - With Chris Bosh all but gone from the Raptors, Toronto needs to find a replacement. This pick will come down to Aldrich vs. Patrick Patterson but I feel more comfortable having Andrea Bargnani playing the four and not the five.

14. Houston Rockets - Patrick Patterson, PF -Kentucky -The Rockets don't have a ton of glaring needs and with Yao Ming future looking bleak, they could always use front-court depth. Patterson was one of the few lottery prospects to work out at the NBA Combine.

15. Milwaukee Bucks - Xavier Henry, SG -Kansas - This is a slam dunk pick for Milwaukee. Michael Redd is all but done, John Salmons is opting out and the Bucks need a guy who can score the ball. Pair Henry up with Jennings in the back-court and the Bucks are rocking a sweet pair of lefties.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves - Damion James, SF - Texas - James was one of my favorite players in college to watch. He dominated many games but made it look so effortless. With a need for a swingman, the Wolves will be high on James.

17. Chicago Bulls - James Anderson, SG - Oklahoma State - The Bulls missed Ben Gordon last year and need someone who can consistently score with Derrick Rose. Anderson may struggle on the defensive end, but he dominated games offensively in the Big 12 and is a nice pick here.

18. Miami Heat - Avery Bradley, PG - Texas - With the way the Miami Heat pretty much abandoned Mario Chalmers last season, the need for a PG seems evidence. Bradley needs to work on a more consistent jump shot but he is one of the best if not the best perimeter defender in the draft.

19. Boston Celtics - Solomon Alabi, C - Florida State - Rasheed Wallace could be heading for retirement so Alabi could be the perfect guy to add to the Celtics bench and provide meaningful minutes for Kendrick Perkins. He's raw offensively but has great size and a great motor.

20. San Antonio Spurs - Hassan Whiteside, C - Marshall - The Spurs need to add size and Marshall possess the largest wingspan in the draft. He has wowed in workouts but Whiteside's maturity has been questioned to the point where people feel like he actually needs to have a babysitter next season.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder - Larry Sanders, PF - VCU - Sanders has been creeping up some boards as of late and could be a nice addition to an already athletic Thunder team. Great length and defensive ability.

22. Portland Trail Blazers - Kevin Seraphin, C - France - Looking at different draft sites across the 'net. One thing is constant: The Blazers love Seraphin. They need insurance for Greg Oden but could keep Seraphin overseas for a year or so to continue to develop.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jordan Crawford, SG - Xavier - This is a little bit of a reach pick for me but Crawford's ability to fill up the box score is something the Wolves need from their back-court.

24. Atlanta Hawks - Eric Bledsoe, PG - Kentucky - Mike Bibby is about 50 years old and has literally nothing left. Bledsoe showed some point guard skills at Kentucky but played his best when he was on the court with John Wall.

25. Memphis Grizzlies - Dominique Jones, SG - South Florida - Was a great scorer for a South Florida team who was constantly the inferior team in the Big East. He could translate to the NBA well and provide solid minutes off the bench.

26. Oklahoma City Thunder - Stanley Robinson, SF - Connecticut - Robinson hasn't been able to put it all together for a full season and that is what has kept him out of the lottery. But his flashes of talent are good enough to land him in the first round of my mock and on a team that fits his up and down style of play nicely.

27. New Jersey Nets - Terrico White, PG - Ole Miss - The Nets need help at the guard position and this is a toss-up between White and Dominique Jones. White has lottery talent but needs to become more aggressive and maximize his skills.

28. Memphis Grizzlies - Greivis Vazquez, PG - Maryland - Vazquez can also play off the ball in the NBA. Defensively he won't give a team much but can be explosive offensively in spurts. The Grizz have said that GV has wowed them in workouts and could have made a promise.

29. Orlando Magic - Devin Ebanks, SF - West Virginia - Crashes the boards, lengthy and versatile. If he can improve on his jump shot, he has the chance to really improve his role in an NBA rotation.

30. Washington Wizards - Darington Hobson, SF - New Mexico - Despite his size, Hobson has fantastic playmaking skills and can even multiple spots. He's a guy that started in the second round and worked his way up into the first.

Round Two:

31. New Jersey Nets - Keith Gallon PF, Oklahoma

32. Oklahoma City Thunder - Elliot Williams, Memphis

33. Sacramento Kings - Ryan Richards C, England

34. Portland Trail Blazers - Trevor Booker PF, Clemson

35. Washington Wizards - Gani Lawal PF, Georgia Tech

36. Detroit Pistons - Willie Warren PG, Oklahoma

37. Milwaukee Bucks - Daniel Orton C, Kentucky

38. New York Knicks - Craig Brackins PF, Iowa State

39. New York Knicks - Jarvis Varnado PF, Mississippi State

40. Indiana Pacers - Tibor Pleiss C, Germany

41. Miami Heat - Quincy Pondexter SF, Washington

42. Miami Heat - Jerome Jordan C, Tulsa

43. Los Angeles Lakers - Armon Johnson PG, Nevada

44. Golden State Warriors - Lance Stephenson SG, Cincinnati

45. Minnesota Timberwolves - Miroslav Raduljica C, Serbia

46. Phoenix Suns - Da'Sean Butler SF, West Virginia

47. Milwaukee Bucks - Dexter Pittman C, Texas

48. Miami Heat - Dwayne Collins PF, Miami

49. San Antonio Spurs - Sylven Landesberg SG, Virginia

50. Dallas Mavericks - Lazar Hayward SF, Marquette

51. Oklahoma City Thunder - Thomas Huertel PG, France

52. Boston Celtics - Sherron Collins PG, Kansas

53. Atlanta Hawks - Charles Garcia SF, Seattle

54. Los Angeles Clippers - Mikhail Torrence PG, Alabama

55. Utah Jazz - Hamady N'Daye C, Rutgers

56. Minnesota Timberwolves - Nemanja Bjelica SF, Serbia

57. Indiana Pacers - Jerome Randle PG, California

58. Los Angeles Lakers - Derrick Caracter PF, UTEP

59. Orlando Magic - Manny Harris SG, Michigan

60. Phoenix Suns - Samardo Samuels PF, Louisville

Alright kiddies, there's the official 2010 NBA Mock Draft. I'll be hosting a live chat on this site on Thursday night to follow the Draft as it happens. We'll hopefully have it launched by 6:45 PM (ET). Join me then and contribute!

-Matt Soldano

"Champions" - Ron Artest

Uh-oh! It's the most anticipated single in the history of music! Here is the long awaited, "Champion" by Los Angeles Lakers forward, Ron Artest!

Now, it's time to get back to watching the Lakers parade...

-Matt Soldano

Jimmy Kimmel Dogs on Adam Morrison

Some of the Los Angeles Lakers were on the Jimmy Kimmel show on Friday night to discuss their recent NBA Championship.  As always, it was great, but one specific part of the segment was absolutely hysterical.  Here's Jimmy dogging on Lakers reserve Adam Morrison and presenting the "Adam Morrison 2010 NBA Finals Highlights":

I recommend checking out the rest of the interview as well. Also, great pants Ron.

-Matt Soldano

LeBronathon of Rap Week 5 - Los Angeles Clippers/Cleveland Cavaliers

Max and I have thoroughly enjoyed the past five weeks, putting these together as part of the LeBronathon of Rap. We hope that you have gotten a kick out of them just as much as we have. Without furthur ado, here are the last two as we have made our trip across North America (thanks T Dot...). Los Angeles and Cleveland, you're up...






We'll be posting a file on the site in the near future, so you can download the raps and make it a part of your summer soundtrack along with "Thank Me Later."

-Matt Soldano

Rasheed Wallace has Never Committed a Foul

Congrats to the Lakers with the win! It must've been tough having to deal with this drama queen.


--Max Caster

Overhead Look at New Meadowlands Stadium

Photo from WCBS 880's Chopper. Click photo for full size.

This place is going to be awesome.


--Max Caster

LeBronathon of Rap Week 4 - Toronto Raptors/Dallas Mavericks

More of the double dips of these bad boys. A little overdue, but this week, Max and I present you with the Toronto and Dallas raps. Enjoy 'em and enjoy Thank Me Later...






-Matt Soldano

Wally Backman Goes Nuts!

Check out this video as Wally Backman gets ejected from a minor league game.  The best part? He happened to be mic'd up for the game, so you hear everything Backman is yelling, oh so well. Audio definitely not safe for work...

-Matt Soldano

LeBronathon of Rap Week 3 - Chicago Bulls/Miami Heat

There's nothing worse than some jerk-face double dipping at a social gathering. But when it comes to the Lebronathon of Rap, double dips is totally acceptable. So here we go, with Miami and Chicago each trying to lure the King.

Courtesy of White Base Coat Productions:





Next week, we roll with Toronto and Dallas...

-Matt Soldano