{"id":568165,"date":"2010-05-18T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T11:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.justaguything.com\/?p=7536"},"modified":"2010-05-18T07:00:15","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T11:00:15","slug":"sports-ta-topics-and-arguments-with-amy-issue-2-nba-free-agent-faves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/568165","title":{"rendered":"Sports T&A (Topics and Arguments) with Amy. Issue 2#: NBA Free Agent Faves"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our friend Amy has decided that Just A Guy Thing could use a different perspective every once in a while (generally:<\/em> a woman’s; specifically: hers).\u00a0 We have decided to oblige her cause she’s cute and, frankly, knows more about sports than almost anyone I know.\u00a0 Her first piece was an indictment of baseball, available here<\/a>.\u00a0 This time she takes the gloves off to get dirty with some of the best free NBA free agents this summer.\u00a0 And one guy who she thinks has a cute nickname (hey, she’s still a chick).\u00a0 Away we go. <\/em><\/p>\n

I have decided to make a few promises.\u00a0 Well, not promises really\u2014more like guidelines.\u00a0 I, Amy, do hereby solemnly swear that I will never steal material from Bill Simmons (Bill, congrats on your contract renewal, by the way). I will make sure to only write what I <\/em>consider to be truthful things.\u00a0 I will never put words, or anything else for that matter, into someone\u2019s mouth (sorry, Keith Hernandez).\u00a0 I will not lower my standards to writing about something because it is hyped-up, popular, or cool. I will no longer, under any circumstances, use any Triple Crown comments made to media by any man that weighs less than I do as justification to bet on horse racing. (Damn you, Calvin Borel.\u00a0 Damn you and the horse you rode in on.)\u00a0 I will not be the 1,920,243rd person to write about the NBA free agent situation.\u00a0 Finally, I will not allow myself to hate myself if I break these guidelines\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026So, that being said, let\u2019s assess the NBA free agent situation by taking a look at a few of my personal faves in no particular order:<\/p>\n

Sergio Rodriguez<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recognize this guy?<\/p>\n

\"sergio-rodriguez\"<\/p>\n

Fact:\u00a0 He is a free agent.\u00a0 Fact:\u00a0 He is a young point guard who doesn\u2019t have the best handles, but is said to be moldable, and a very skilled passer.\u00a0 Fact:\u00a0 His nickname is \u201cSpanish Chocolate.\u201d\u00a0 Fact:\u00a0 His nickname, not his basketball skills have landed him on my list of faves.<\/p>\n

Dirk Nowitzki<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"dirk_nowitzki1\"<\/p>\n

Ah, Dirk.\u00a0 Where do I begin?\u00a0 I have watched Dirk play countless times.\u00a0 I have been a long-time fan (five whoppin\u2019 years).\u00a0 I am invested in his future.\u00a0 Well, that is a lie (damn you guidelines).\u00a0 I\u2019m really not invested in your <\/em>future, Dirk.\u00a0 I do love the Mavs, though.\u00a0 And, I have a friend that has a Grandmother that is from your home town, so you and I are practically besties.\u00a0 I watched you play three NBA playoff seasons at American Airlines Center.\u00a0 I loved the way cute, little Avery Johnson looked like someone from the lollipop guild when he stood next to you.<\/p>\n

Okay, Dirk\u2026Here is the moment of truth:\u00a0 I secretly hoped the Mavs were going to trade you for Kobe a couple years back and then the unthinkable happened.\u00a0 Worst.\u00a0 Trade.\u00a0 Ever.\u00a0 (That was dramatic.\u00a0 But in all reality, Mark Cuban, that trade did suck.\u00a0 Sorry, Jason Kidd.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that every time I look at you I think wife beater <\/em>and I feel like you are kind of swarmy.<\/em>)\u00a0 Back to the point.\u00a0 I may not be 100% invested in your future, Dirk, but I am worried.\u00a0 It seems you might not be the best judge of character.\u00a0 Lately, Mark Cuban has done nothing to help build you a solid team. I know as a life-long Mav it might be hard for you to picture yourself in a different uni, but I feel like Dallas is played out for you.\u00a0 Maybe Chicago, if they don\u2019t make a play for Lebron?\u00a0 Come to think of it, you and Derrick Rose could be magical together: his ability to get to the basket and your size, athleticism and range.\u00a0 What about reuniting with Steve Nash?\u00a0 The Suns may not have room for you under the salary cap, but do you really need that $21.5m\/yr?\u00a0 Can\u2019t put a price on happiness.<\/p>\n

On the level, though, Dirk, you are getting old.\u00a0 You need a ring.\u00a0 It breaks my heart, but I don\u2019t think that will happen in Dallas.\u00a0 Best of luck over the next 40 (ish) days.\u00a0 Here\u2019s to hoping your basketball decisions are better than your choice in women.<\/p>\n

J.J. Redick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jjredick\"<\/p>\n

While I can admit that Redick is no longer the laughing stock of the NBA, I just can\u2019t bring myself to write about him.\u00a0 Once a Blue Devil, always a Blue Devil.\u00a0 J.J., work on your defense and maybe I\u2019ll feel differently next year.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry.<\/p>\n

Shaq<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\"shaq\"<\/p>\n

In addition to rapper, actor, reserve police officer, and U.S. Deputy Marshall, you can add free agent to Shaq\u2019s biography line.\u00a0 He\u2019s no spring chicken, he doesn\u2019t play a lick of defense, and even I could take him in a game of horse if it was set from behind the free throw line, but Superman still has a strong court presence.\u00a0 He still turns in pretty good numbers.\u00a0 He is a fantastic partner for a young and scrappy guard.\u00a0 He may not have the draw he once had, but he is still one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, (not bad for ticket and merchandise sales) and at this point in his career he can afford to be affordable.<\/p>\n

So where should you go, Shaq?<\/p>\n

Bury the hatchet.\u00a0 Move back to LA.\u00a0 Kobe told me to tell you he misses your musk.\u00a0 Okay, he didn\u2019t say that, but I did think you guys made a cute couple.\u00a0 As it turns out, Phil, Kobe, Lamar, and Pau are fine.\u00a0 They are better than fine without you.\u00a0 They are focused on revenge.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe I am saying this, but I hope they get a shot at the Celtics.\u00a0 TNT would be thrilled with those ratings.\u00a0\u00a0 Anyhow, Shaq, you are going to continue to face ageism.\u00a0 You are going to continue to be hammered by younger, quicker players (that\u2019s what she said\u2026giggle).\u00a0 I still think you have a few great years left in you and I like watching you play.<\/p>\n

I am going to do you a favor and leave you with a list of people you may want to call for inspiration as you contemplate potentially playing\u00a0 into your 40\u2019s:\u00a0 George Blanda, Buddy Helms, Skip Hall, Wayne Gretzky, Nolan Ryan, and, who can forget, Brett Favre.\u00a0 Godspeed, Superman.<\/p>\n

LeBron James<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\"lebron\"<\/p>\n

Hyped-up, check.\u00a0 Popular, check.\u00a0 Cool, debatable.\u00a0 Coffin, hammer, nail– So much for my guidelines. What could I possibly say that hasn\u2019t already been said?\u00a0 Well, because we are all probably in agreement that I am not going to bring anything new to the table here, I thought I would include a letter to King James:<\/p>\n

To all concerned (LeBron & team):<\/em><\/p>\n

Can you please send me preliminary thoughts on the situation?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to know about that Jersey Shore douche bag.\u00a0 I want to get inside the \u201cthink tank\u201d of the Chosen One.\u00a0 Is the Buckeye state still home for you?\u00a0 What about Chicago?\u00a0 I would love for you to land in Miami.\u00a0 Are you going to New York?\u00a0 Knicks?\u00a0 Nets?\u00a0 If so, do you plan to pimp \u201cEmpire State of Mind\u201d as hard as the NFL draft did this year?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the best decision for you, LeBron.\u00a0 That song is a pretty sweet orchestral rap ballad, and New York is the biggest market, by population, for basketball, but what are you going to do with all your black and red shoes?\u00a0 On that note, does Nike have to approve your decision?\u00a0 Where does Phil Knight want you to go?\u00a0 What does Will Wesley have to say? Bottom line, LeBron (&\u00a0 team), I lost some money this weekend betting on Super Saver.\u00a0 I was thinking about organizing a friendly wager on where you might land.\u00a0 Do you believe in insider trading?\u00a0 I know you are a \u201cgood guy\u201d and everything, but if so, call me.\u00a0 Tell Worldwide Wes I\u2019ll cut him in.<\/em><\/p>\n

xoxo,<\/em><\/p>\n

Amy<\/em><\/p>\n

*Note to reader: If you are a man, consider yourself a sports fan, and are wondering who the heck Will Wesley is, this is your heads-up to hit Google stat.<\/p>\n

Looks like I do care about your opinion: Where do you think BronBron should go? Can we do polls? (Editor\u2019s note: not really)<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Stay put.\u00a0 Cleveland needs you.<\/li>\n
  2. Miami!\u00a0 D-Wade (considering he stays) and LeBron would be unstoppable.<\/li>\n
  3. Be like Mike.\u00a0 Chicago is ready for another title.<\/li>\n
  4. Empire<\/em> State<\/em> of Mind. <\/em>New York all the way.<\/li>\n
  5. Who cares where the heck he goes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The cool thing about this is that almost every outcome is exciting.\u00a0 Short of LeBron starting an “I Sold It on eBay!” store,\u00a0 this is going to remain a compelling story for a while.\u00a0 If he goes to a big market, you get to see Chicago or New York (Concrete jungle where dreams are made of!<\/em>) rebuild their storied franchises with the bluest chip of them all.\u00a0 In Cleveland, we could see if he could regain focus without all this free agency hoopla and focus on going from “Hall of Fame player” to “Greatest player ever”.\u00a0 With Miami, the combination of Wade and James would likely be the most deadly since Shaq and Kobe mixed it up in their primes.\u00a0 I’m pretty sure they won a championship or two.\u00a0 Strangely enough, the off season is looking to provide the most compelling basketball stories we have seen in a while.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Related posts:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Sports T&A (Topics and Arguments) with Amy. Issue #1: Hernandez Sleeps<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. A Toast to the Better Days of Shaquile O’Neal<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. Buy A Car, Get a Free AK-47!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Our friend Amy has decided that Just A Guy Thing could use a different perspective every once in a while (generally: a woman’s; specifically: hers).\u00a0 We have decided to oblige her cause she’s cute and, frankly, knows more about sports than almost anyone I know.\u00a0 Her first piece was an indictment of baseball, available here.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6885,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-568165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6885"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568165\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}