The Curious Case of Ricky Rubio

There's a lot of buzz around the young Spaniard and the upcoming NBA draft. He could go anywhere from 1st pick to 5th pick, but the general consensus is that he's a top 5 pick, and after watching his performance in the Olympics last year it's no surprise. This kid can seriously ball...and he's only 18!

His agent Dan Fegan made some noise by implying that Rubio would not agree to play for a smaller-market team such as Memphis or Oklahoma City. From Draft Express:

"Rubio doesn't want to go to Memphis, and he especially does not want to pay money out of his own pocket with that huge buyout for the honor of doing so. Fegan [Rubio's agent] wants him in L.A., and if he can't have him there, he wants him in Sacramento. Definitely not Oklahoma City. "

So he must be another Steve Francis or Eli Manning, right? Well it's a little more complicated than that...allow me to explain.

The thing with Rubio that is going overlooked is that his current club, DKV Joventut, is forcing Rubio to pay a 7 million Euro buyout should he decide to enter the NBA draft. With NBA type salary, that shouldn't be a problem right? Well he doesn't play for the NBA yet, his yearly salary with DKV Joventut is something closer to 200,000 Euro a year. He would essentially be playing for free for his first couple of years in the NBA just to pay off his debt.

So why does he not want to play in Memphis or Oklahoma City? Endorsements. In those cities, basketball takes a backseat to other local teams (Tennessee Titans, Oklahoma Sooners, etc.) so he would not have as good an opportunity to make more money to pay off that debt. A city like Los Angeles or Sacramento where basketball is primetime would result in much more money from endorsements coming in for Rubio.

So why should we feel sorry for him, he's eventually going to be a rich NBA player anyway right? Well, first of all this kid is willing to go into 7 million Euro worth of debt just to get a chance to play in the NBA when he could just stay in Spain. Rubio's huge in Spain and likely to become even more popular, as well as earning a decent, risk-free paycheck. But in the NBA, he's running the risk of getting injured in his rookie season and then having no way to pay that debt off... he's really taking a leap of faith here so I can understand why he wouldn't want to go to smaller-market teams. This is so much more different than Yi Jianlian, Eli Manning, or Steve Francis because they were just crybabies who didn't want to play at a certain city...Rubio's got a lot more to lose than those scrubs did.

So whenever Rubio gets drafted (if he does come out), I'm definitely going to be buying his jersey to help the kid pay back his 7 million Euro debt. I can only hope that once he pays it off he can help me pay off my student loan and credit card debt... maybe even Rick Reilly can write a stupid feel-good piece about it. Hear me Ricky? I'll scratch your back now but it would be totally awesome if you could scratch mine in a few years.

Grizzlies Secure the Second Pick

The Memphis Grizzlies came out a huge winner in the NBA Draft Lottery with the 2nd pick in this year's draft. But what will they do with this wonderful pick?!

Blake Griffin is a no-brainer at the number one spot. If for some ridiculous reason Griffin doesn't get picked by the Clippers, the Grizzlies would for sure take him. Griffin is a beast and would be a great fit for Memphis. Again, the idea of the Clippers not taking Griffin is ridiculous so I'm going to quit teasing myself and move on.

ESPN's Chad Ford has the Grizz taking Thabeet in his mock draft. Thabeet could potentially be a good choice for the Grizzlies since he is a whopping 7 foot frickin' 3 inches tall. I like Thabeet but I keep thinking back about how DeJuan Blair dominated him when Pitt played UConn a few months back. The Grizzlies already have three players over the 7 foot mark so he might not be the best fit.

There has been alot of talk about the euro sensation, Ricky Rubio. He has been drawing comparisons to Steve Nash and "Pistol" Pete Maravich because of his flair and creativity on the court. He's only 18 years old which could be a good or bad thing. I'm also not totally sold on euro players. The Grizzlies wouldn't want to pick another Darko. But like most Grizzlies fans, I think Rubio has tremendous upside and I would love to see him alongside OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay.

There's no telling what will happen with the number 2 pick but I have a feeling that whatever happens, it's going to be glorious. Now I must leave you with a Ricky Rubio mix. Enjoy.

Josh Smith Is Already Preparing For Next Year's Dunk Contest

Erik Spoelstra, head coach of the Miami Heat, is upset about Josh Smith attempting a dunk between his legs in the fourth quarter of last night's game. Spoelstra said “They kicked our butts in pretty much every way possible that you could in a basketball game and there at the end it turned into a highlight show, pickup game, highlight reel, really trying to embarrass us.”

I don't feel bad for the Heat at all. These are professional athletes. These aren't little kids. Josh Smith shouldn't be worried about hurting the Miami Heat players' feelings. If a team is running up the score or throwing down ridiculous dunks, maybe you should play some defense. Crying and complaining about these things after games is kind of pathetic.

Here's the play that everyone is whining about below. I think it was great that Smith attempted it. We need more players that can entertain like this.

Jerome Beasley, Movie Critic

The 2003 NBA Draft class could possibly be the best draft class of all time. Some of the NBA's biggest superstars were drafted in 2003: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade being the best of the bunch. Just recently I was reading a book called The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac and, to my surprise, one of the most obscure and forgotten players from this draft was mentioned (on page 207). The player mentioned was Jerome Beasley. The reason I find this so interesting is because I see this guy around all the time. At the bars, in stores, and at movies. My favorite Jerome Beasley moment actually happened at a movie theater after me and some friends just saw The Dark Knight. Someone in the bathroom said "Yo, JB, what did you think of the movie?" and Jerome Beasley responded with "that shit was excellent." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Jerome has played pretty much everywhere since being cut by the Miami Heat. He was an amazing player in college and I guess he just didn't take his game to the next level. What makes Jerome's career more depressing is that he ended up back in Grand Forks, of all places.

Kevin Durant is the Irrelevant MVP

The voting is finally over and Kevin Durant is the Irrelevant MVP. He had a great season while leading his team to only 23 wins. In only his second year, Durant averaged 25.3 points per game. Durant also had a great All-Star Weekend. He led the Sophomore team to victory in the Rookie-Sophomore game while putting up 46 points. He then followed that up by winning the HORSE competition the next day.

The Thunder had a dismal season but having Kevin Durant makes them a team to watch out for. They only need a couple more pieces and their puzzle will be complete. Who knows what the offseason has in store for the Thunder. We might be seeing them in the playoffs sooner than we think.

Now go ahead and enjoy this mix of Durant highlights.

Schrempf Scampi's 2009 NBA Playoff Predictions

JP

Cleveland over Detroit ( in 5)
Atlanta over Miami (6)
Orlando over Philly (6)
Boston over Chicago (5)

Cleveland over Atlanta (6)
Orlando over Boston (7)

Cleveland over Orlando (7)

East champ: Cleveland


LA Lakers over Utah (6)
Portland over Houston (7)
San Antonio over Dallas (6)
Denver over New Orleans (7)

Lakers over Portland (6)
Denver over San Antonio (5)

Denver over Lakers (7)

West Champ: Denver

NBA Finals:

Denver over Cleveland (6)

---

Ben15

Detroit over Cleveland (in 6)
Miami over Atlanta (in 7)
Orlando over Philly (in 5)
Boston over Chicago (in 6)

Detroit over Miami (in 6)
Orlando over Boston (in 6)

Orlando over Detroit (in 5)

East Champ: Orlando

LA Lakers over Utah (in 5)
Portland over Houston (in 4)
Dallas over Spurs (in 7)
Denver over NO (in 6)

Lakers over Portland (in 6)
Denver over Dallas (in 7)

Lakers over Denver (in 6)

West Champ: Lakers

NBA Finals: Lakers over Orlando (in 5)

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Pederman

Cleveland over Detroit (5)
Atlanta over Miami (5)
Orlando over Philly (6)
Chicago over Boston (7)

Cleveland over Atlanta (6)
Orlando over Chicago (5)

East Champ: Cleveland (7)

LA over Utah (6)
Portland over Houston (5)
Dallas over Spurs (6)
NO over Denver (5)

Portland over LA (6)
Dallas over NO (7)

Portland over Dallas (7)

NBA Finals: Portland over Cleveland (7)

---
Beard

Cleveland over Detroit (in 5)
Atlanta over Miami (in 7)
Orlando over Philly (in 6)
Boston over Chicago (in 6)

Cleveland over Atlanta (in 6)
Boston over Orlando (in 7)

Cleveland over Boston (in 6)

East Champ: Cleveland

LA Lakers over Utah (in 5)
Portland over Houston (in 5)
Dallas over Spurs (in 6)
Denver over NO (in 7)

Portland over Lakers (in 7)
Denver over Dallas (in 7)

Portland over Denver (in 6)

West Champ: Portland

NBA Finals: Portland over Cleveland (in 7)

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Boobs

Lakers over Utah (5)
Nuggets over Hornets (6)
Spurs over Mavericks (5)
Blazers over Rockets (7)

Cavaliers over Pistons (4)
Celtics over Bulls (6)
Magic over 76ers (4)
Hawks over Heat (5)

Lakers over Blazers (5)
Nuggets over Spurs (7)

Cavaliers over Hawks (7)
Magic over Celtics (4)

Lakers over Nuggets (6)
Magic over Cavs (6)

Lakers over Magic (6)

For Sale: Pistons Allen Iverson Jersey

What the hell was I thinking? I would like to say that my excuse was that I thought it was a Chauncey Billups jersey without looking at the name on the back, but sadly that's not the case. I'm a bit of an impulse shopper and I was trying to decide between a Chris Paul jersey shirt and an Iverson Pistons jersey (the pickings were pretty slim at this particular store). Being a Pistons fan, I figured the jersey would be a much better idea...how could the Allen Iverson experiment possibly go wrong?!

Well now I'm that guy with an Iverson Pistons jersey... I no longer want to be that guy. It represents one of the most painful seasons in recent Pistons history which will probably end with LeDumbass sweeping us right out of the playoffs. That jersey represents pure evil and I have to get rid of it. Someone please take it off my hands. It's large, red, screened, and awkward... the bidding starts at 1 penny.

Today's Thumbs Up & High Five Awesomeness Award Winner...

Lakers guard, Kobe Bryant. Bryant is ready to retire after last night's game against the Kings after witnessing a vicious dunk by teammate Sasha Vujacic. Kobe said "I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody. I'm ready to retire now."

Kobe Bryant is such a great guy that he is going to retire before the playoffs start and give someone else in the Western Conference a chance. Congrats Kobe. Nobody deserves this TUHFAA more than you.

Here's the ridiculous dunk below..

The Allen Iverson Experiment Officially Gets Plug Pulled

Let me preface this by saying that I'm a Pistons fan...(sigh). It's awesome going from six consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals to on the verge of being knocked out of the playoffs by the Charlotte freaking Bobcats. I was extremely stunned to see the Pistons trade Chauncey Billups away...stunned and heartbroken. Chauncey was my favorite Piston and will always be one of my favorite players. I know Joe Dumars said that no one was safe but jeez...Chauncey? Now at the time I was a little excited about the prospect of one of the best pure scorers in NBA history joining a team that needed..well...scoring. It didn't look good from the start, and Iverson just never really meshed completely with the rest of the team. Michael Curry (read: idiot) was pretty adament about young Rodney Stuckey starting, so he gave AI the start and sent Richard Hamilton to the bench (another one of my faves). This didn't sit too well with Rip, who was already pretty heartbroken that they shipped Chauncey away, but he accepted his new role.

Long story short, Iverson got hurt somewhere along the way and Rip came back to the starting lineup to kick some ass and the Pistons actually started..you know... winning. This was great, except it was inevitable that AI would come back and screw it all up. This past week, Iverson yapped to the press about how hard it was to come off the bench and how he would rather retire..blah blah blah, so he immediately comes out the next game and goes 1-8 from the field. Do you forget how to shoot if you sit on the bench too long? Give me a break. Now he has a "back injury" that's going to keep him out for the rest of the season...I don't know if this is Joe Dumars' doing or Iverson's, but I'm pretty sure he could play if he wanted to...not that I'd want him to. Oh well, now the Pistons clear around $20 million in cap space from him alone, definitely enough to make some big splashes in free agency, which is something they'll need to do if they want to get back to the glory days of losing the Eastern Conference Finals every year. If Chris Bosh doesn't retire, then I'd LOVE to see him in Mo-town. Meanwhile the Nuggets are looking very solid out west, poised to make a deep run into the postseason...good luck Chauncey, you deserve it.

If the question is "How can we make an awesome team completely self-destruct?" then Allen Iverson is definitely The Answer.

Chris Bosh Announces Retirement

I was stunned to turn on my TV today and see a press conference of Toronto Raptors center and Indie-film star Chris Bosh announcing his retirement from the NBA effective at the end of this season. The woes of the Raptors franchise seemed to have taken their toll on the big man. Bosh announced that after his retirement, he will pursue his first love: fashion design. A photo from the press conference can be seen below:





Bosh also stated that the nerdy look might take some time to catch on, but he thinks that the world is ready to embrace this new trend. More details on his new fashion line will come soon.

A video of the press conference can be seen here.

Dwyane Wade Cries Less; Scores More

So D-Wade's been on a tear lately, there's no denying that the kid's got skill. I'm even hearing MVP talk, which really is a moot point. There are only two words that should be in the same sentence as NBA MVP and that's "Kobe" and "LeBron."

I'm sorry but I'll never be able to take Dwyane Wade seriously, not after the wheelchair thing. How pathetic does he look there? Okay, I would probably cry too...for things much less painful, but that's beside the point. Why does he need to be carted off in a wheelchair for a shoulder injury? And the towel over his head.. is he a 90 year old woman being brought to her monthly cholesterol screening?


The wheelchair incident aside...there's still the issue of him being linked to former whale Star Jones. Fat or not fat, the woman's face looks like the Scream mask. I gotta think that being an NBA player in Miami with a title would be enough to pull hotter chicks than Star freaking Jones.

The band-aid thing was a little ridiculous too, I mean come on, if you're ripping off styles from Nelly then you're in serious need of an update.

I could go on about his "alleged" STDs and weed/sex parties, but really, who doesn't love STDs and weed/sex parties?


The whole point of this post is I'm bitter that the Pistons drafted Darko instead of Wade. The end.

Rudy Fernandez... Pick Up Your Face

Chris "Birdman" Andersen shows no mercy to anyone and will not hesitate to lay waste to your entire village. One example was caught on TNT Thursday night, be warned...this video is not for the faint of heart.


Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

You Probably Didn't Watch This Game

The Grizzlies ended their 8 game losing streak tonight by beating the Clippers in L.A., 118-95. Rudy Gay was dominant in the second half and finished with 35 points. I shouldn't be excited about beating the Clippers but when wins are few and far between you have to take what you can get.

Oh My Bosh!

I'm constantly on YouTube watching mixes that people have put together and I found this Chris Bosh mix that I had to post. He might only be my second favorite Toronto Raptor (Jason Kapono is my favorite) but the guy has some mad skills.