Page 1 of 1

Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 6:01 pm
by Donkey McDonkerton
It's quiet around these parts. I'm trying to keep my excitement toned down...yes, we are a DC sports team!

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-a ... gs-part-1/

America’s Team

Simmons: A.k.a. the 2015 Washington Professional Basketball Team! Guys, you had me at hello. You didn’t have to go and sign Paul Pierce. You had me at hello.

Lowe: I do not endorse this nickname. I do endorse John Wall fast breaks, Bradley Beal stretching his game, Nene’s passing and angry dunks, everything about Marcin Gortat, and Paul Pierce already getting four guys suspended and nearly smushing poor Tom Thibodeau in a Pierce–Joakim Noah sandwich. DeJuan Blair and Kris Humphries were sneaky good signings, and Professor Miller, PhD, is still holding office hours down in the low post for all you suckas. Maybe this team should be higher?

Simmons: I think you’re right. We did our rankings before we found out that America’s Team wants to thug it up and embrace the spirit of the Bad Boy Pistons. It’s a great idea. Maybe they can’t beat Cleveland in a talent show, but they can beat them up inside, use their depth to wear them down, and maybe rattle them with the whole hard fouls/trash-talking/eyeballing routine. It just can’t be forgotten how many key Cavs have never been in a seven-game war. That’s their biggest issue in my opinion.

Lowe: I was just having this conversation with a front-office guy the other day. Sometimes you get so deep in the weeds, you forget about the obvious stuff: Cleveland’s second- and third-best players have never been to the playoffs.

Simmons: By the way, I would have picked America’s Team for the Finals if I hadn’t watched Randy Wittman coach last spring, or if I hadn’t seen John Wall trying (and failing) to run a half court offense against a tough defense in Round 2. They’re a year away unless Bradley Beal comes back from that broken wrist and makes “The Leap.” (INJURY GODS — LEAVE BRADLEY BEAL ALONE!!!!) And even then, they’re a Washington pro sports team, which means they’re destined to choke in the playoffs to a less talented team in the worst possible way. (Cut to Dan Steinberg and Joe House nodding sadly.)

Lowe: I thought Wittman did a nice job against Chicago in the playoffs with some X’s-and-O’s tweaks that worked, but yeah, the jury is still out.

Simmons: I notice you didn’t mention the Indiana series.

Lowe: The only bad thing about Washington being good: No more of Steve Buckhantz, their play-by-play guy, being unable to hide his anguish during broadcasts. I loved that. “Nick Young shoots … and it’s another miss.”

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 6:59 pm
by FreeBalling
My first read of anything from Fart Land and this guy refuses to address the Wizards by their name, not a good start.However, he does address other teams by their names.

Then he's calling us thugs because of finger pointing in a preseason game? WTF. Needless to say, Paul Pierce first Washington Wizards preseason game. There was no fight, however, he blogs about the Wizards being thugs. I take offense to Bill Simmons calling our player THUGS.

Grow a set of balls and man up in life. Keep this in mind....anyone can write a blog for FREE!

I could careless if he like the Wizards.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 8:29 pm
by Zonkerbl
I agree 100% that the name Wizards is so heinous and childish that it should never be mentioned. Good on them. Don't like "America's Team" because that's what bandwagoners call "their" Dallas Pantyboys.

But whatever. Nice to get some good publicity. No mention of Otto Porter - I think he's going to be the reason they get 50 wins, not PP.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 9:22 pm
by jangles86
Steve Buckhantz is a legend.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 9:42 pm
by keynote
FreeBalling wrote:My first read of anything from Fart Land


? You're missing out on some good and/or fun analysis. Skip the Simmons stuff if his schtick isn't your bag, but you should definitely read Lowe and Sharp.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 9:46 pm
by keynote
jangles86 wrote:Steve Buckhantz is a legend.


Ah, the pained sound of his voice during a bad loss... He didn't intone anger so much as disappointment -- and, later, resignation. His very inflection was #soWizards.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2014 6:26 pm
by Severn Hoos
keynote wrote:
jangles86 wrote:Steve Buckhantz is a legend.


Ah, the pained sound of his voice during a bad loss... He didn't intone anger so much as disappointment -- and, later, resignation. His very inflection was #soWizards.


Image

Yep, believe it or not, I kinda miss those days...



Well, we'll always have "Not Possible! Not Possible!"

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2014 7:46 pm
by Higga
Wizards is more offensive than Redskins.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 12:03 am
by montestewart
Severn Hoos wrote:
keynote wrote:
jangles86 wrote:Steve Buckhantz is a legend.


Ah, the pained sound of his voice during a bad loss... He didn't intone anger so much as disappointment -- and, later, resignation. His very inflection was #soWizards.


Image

Yep, believe it or not, I kinda miss those days...



Well, we'll always have "Not Possible! Not Possible!"

Too Strong would be a good Wizards slogan.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 5:49 am
by bealwithit
FreeBalling wrote:My first read of anything from Fart Land and this guy refuses to address the Wizards by their name, not a good start.However, he does address other teams by their names.

Then he's calling us thugs because of finger pointing in a preseason game? WTF. Needless to say, Paul Pierce first Washington Wizards preseason game. There was no fight, however, he blogs about the Wizards being thugs. I take offense to Bill Simmons calling our player THUGS.

Grow a set of balls and man up in life. Keep this in mind....anyone can write a blog for FREE!

I could careless if he like the Wizards.

"Fart Land", very creative.

Bill actually loves us and picked us to go to the ECF last year. Knowing his personality, not saying Wizards is just a joke about people calling the Redskins the Washington Professional Football Team (which he actually does do) and of course, Wizards being an awful nickname. And if you somehow couldn't tell from what he said, he loves the Bad Boy Pistons and would like to see us be "thugs", because it would be fun to watch.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 12:54 pm
by 80sballboy
There's a difference between being tough and acting like a bunch of thugs by laying cheap shots and trying to instigate fights. That crap is only going to lead to suspensions and fines. That type of play helped nearly destroy pro basketball in the late eighties through the nineties and there's no way the NBA wants to go back to that era. We have as much depth up front as anybody in the league. We don't need to be the Bad Boys. Just need to play hard and physical.

Re: Grantland: The Annual NBA League Pass Rankings, Part 1

Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2014 4:45 am
by pineappleheadindc
Severn Hoos wrote:
keynote wrote:
jangles86 wrote:Steve Buckhantz is a legend.


Ah, the pained sound of his voice during a bad loss... He didn't intone anger so much as disappointment -- and, later, resignation. His very inflection was #soWizards.


Image

Yep, believe it or not, I kinda miss those days...



Well, we'll always have "Not Possible! Not Possible!"



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWOwVb2OtyY&sns=em[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY95p_ELquI&sns=em[/youtube]

LOL, I love Buckhantz.