Simmons on MVP race (Clippers connections near the top)

[cinnamon]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/090415

"Bad times for the No Benjamins Association right now. With two-thirds of the teams losing money, one-fifth of the teams losing staggering amounts of money, the 2010 salary cap traveling backward in time like the Oceanic Six, and season-ticket renewals lagging so dangerously -- and really, "dangerously" is not a strong enough word -- that a handful of franchises have quietly moved toward Circuit City Memorial "EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!!!" status, the summer of '09 looms as the craziest for player movement since the post-lockout free-for-all in 1999.

This season's defining image: In SI.com's recent a "Day In the Life" video that followed Phoenix equipment manager Jay Gaspar, reader Shaun Ziegler noticed that the Suns "were using Purex detergent, which is what I used throughout my college years seeing as how it was about half the price of everything else. I am pretty sure it is about 90 percent water." The NBA ... where Purex happens! This will not end well. But hey, there's good news in the short term. The West playoffs promise to be wackier than Lindsay Lohan. We're probably getting Orlando-Boston and Wade-LeBron in Round 2, Cavs-Celts in the Eastern Conference finals and either LeBron-Kobe or Celts-Lakers II in the Finals. And the 2008-09 MVP race was particularly fantastic despite an obvious winner.
Let's count it down in reverse order from 450 to 1 ...
Open your eyes, Elton: You managed to destroy three franchises in one season!
450. Elton Brand
Dramatically edged out Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady for the coveted LVP ("Least Valuable Player") Award. Here's what pushed it over the top: Not only did EB destroy Philly's cap through 2035, he left the Clips with enough cap space that they reacted the same way looters react during a riot. They wanted to walk out of the store with something ... or in this case, Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis, Zach Randolph and a 27-inch Sharp LCD. In a floundering economy, should they have guarded that extra cap room and bided their time like The Team That Shall Not Be Named did? OF COURSE!!!! OF COURSE!!!!! When you include Brand's luring of Baron Davis to the Clippers, causing the Warriors to overreact with $66 million for Corey Maggette and Ronny Turiaf, you could argue that Brand murdered one franchise and gravely wounded two others. Sounds like an LVP to me."
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"Congratulations, Clippers fans, Zach Randolph made $14.67 million this year ... and will make $16 million next season ... and $17.3 the season after that.
399. Zach Randolph
The recent DUI was a nice touch. You stay classy, Zach Randolph. Not nearly enough was made of Mike Dunleavy willingly taking Randolph's 2011 figure ($17.3 million) off New York's books without getting a future pick from them. This conversation definitely happened last December in Donnie Walsh's office:
Mike D'Antoni: We have to get Randolph off our 2011 books, Donnie.
Walsh: Come on, nobody's taking that contract. You saw the November attendance figures. We're headed for D-Day. The only guy dumb enough to take Randolph is Mike Dunleavy, and even he wouldn't do it.
(A few seconds of silence pass. Walsh and D'Antoni make eye contact. They jump from their chairs.)
Walsh: You call his home number, I'll call his cell!
(Note: I might have used that joke during the Isiah Error. I honestly can't remember. I'm old.)"
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"301. Baron Davis
Is it possible Tim Thomas switched bodies with him like in the plot of that new Zac Efron movie? Baron's eerily consistent apathy and sunk shoulders look familiar."

[madmaxmedia]

So of course I read the whole thing. It's pretty amazing what the top 3 have accomplished this year, statistically and otherwise.

LOL at Elton Brand being the LVP. He really screwed himself in Philly. The injury was bad enough, but just the fact that Sixers played better without him. And he's basically untradable, especially in this economic climate. At his age and with his rust, he's gonna have to pull a monster rabbit out of his hat to be relevant next year.

[JJ LoDuca]

Another good article by Simmons. I love reading him. And great insight into the Brand/Randoloh/Davis situations, too...

[Chuck Everett]

So of course I read the whole thing. It's pretty amazing what the top 3 have accomplished this year, statistically and otherwise.

LOL at Elton Brand being the LVP. He really screwed himself in Philly. The injury was bad enough, but just the fact that Sixers played better without him. And he's basically untradable, especially in this economic climate. At his age and with his rust, he's gonna have to pull a monster rabbit out of his hat to be relevant next year.

Elton got paid and the Clippers got worse. I am not sure where the humor is, but if Dunleavy doesn't get fired/step down it's not going to matter how mad people still are at Elton.

[mattfish]

EB is kinda in the same position as Carlos Boozer was a few years ago... screwed over a team -> got injured -> 2 years later, comeback?