Big Daddy Rides Brees’ Avalanche to the Bottom posted by Les Leonard

     What emotion described your mood after Sunday’s Superdome debacle? Did you feel disappointed, humiliated, angry, or betrayed? Big Daddy felt so humiliated by the Saints half-hearted effort. Only Brett Farve understood Saints fans embarrassment after his wood-stroking photos surfaced on the internet. Several of Big Daddy’s co-workers revisited the Madden Curse theory, citing Drew Brees’ God-awful performance in which 2 of his 4 interceptions resulted in pick-sixes. Others wondered if Cleveland Head Coach Eric Mangini instructed former Saints Scott Fujita and Mike Bell (two integral pieces to last year’s Super Bowl Championship team) to hire a Voodoo priestess to cast an Early Halloween spell on Drew. One thing is certain, the Browns’ coach unleashed his bag of tricks on the Crescent City, soundly out coaching Sean Payton all afternoon. Saints fans can only pray that the Black ’n’ Gold will collect tons of treats come Halloween night when Pittsburgh comes to town. In this edition of the Section 645 Saints Beat, Big Daddy tailgates in Champions Square, reports live from Section 645, recaps the Cleveland game, watches the New Orleans Hornets season opener, attends legendary Martinque chef Nat Carrier’s Birthday Bash, and releases his World Famous Pregame Information.

     Saints fans had Champions Square jam packed by 10 am. Some listened to the pregame concert, while others watched CBS’s coverage of the NFL Today on the big screen. No matter which option the Who Dat Army soldiers choose, they all munched down funnel cakes, hot dogs, and pretzels, watching down their tailgating eats with semi-cold $5.00 draught beers prior to entering the Superdome, where buying drinks smarts worse than a nun’s 3-sided ruler in parochial school. Once Big Daddy’s posse temporarily quenched their thirst, our group huddled around WWL’s Saints radio broadcast outside Gate C to catch some of Bobby Hebert’s, Deke Bellavia’s, and Mike Detillier’s pregame thoughts before ascending to hallowed Section 645 grounds near the summit of the Big Easy’s coolest man made mountain.

Bucks trade Gadzuric, Bell for Maggette posted by john howard

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzurik to the Golden State Warrios for Corey Magette.

 This is a good move for both teams and potentially a great move for Milwuakee.

Golden State is changing ownership and wants to get a younger nucleus to build around.  The Trade of Magette rids the team of $31 million for the next  3 years. 

As far as the Bucks go, this was a good move for a couple of reasons. One, if John Salmons leaves, then they have his replacement.  But, if they can resign Salmons, there is a lot more firepower for this team.  The Bucks made the playoffs and had a good showing without their top inside threat in Andrew Bogut. 

Small news, but could be a big deal.

Fun With Box Scores posted by Scott Shepherd

Every Monday, with the assistance of the good people over at www.basketball-reference.com, I like to take a look deep into the statistics of teams and players from around the league in a little post I like to call “Fun with Box Scores”.

Some of the gems I came across this week:

-Quinten Richardson has gone 9 games, 275 minutes played, without taking a single free throw this season.

-Even more remarkably, Jason Kidd has taken just 2 free throws in 347 minutes this season.

-73% of Daniel Gibson’s shots this season have been from beyond the three point line, by far the highest percentage of any player in the league with at least 50 shots taken.

-Since 1986, the record for most 40+ point games before December 1st is 14. Brandon Jennings’ 55 point outburst on Saturday was the 14th time that someone has scored at least 40 this season, tying the record, and we’ve still got 15 days left in the month.

-Speaking of Jennings, since 1986, no player has had a better three point field goal percentage during a 50-point game than he did on Saturday (minimum 3 attempts).

-In that same time span, Jennings is the youngest player ever to shoot at least 34 shots in a game.

-Nazr Mohammed led the Bobcats in scoring on Wednesday with a whopping 13 points. In nine games this season, the Cat’s have failed to have a player reach 20 points in five of them, by far the most in the league.

-Golden State has given up at least 100 points in every game this season. They are the only team in the league to do so this season.

The NBA, Where Desperation Happens posted by Chad

So, things aren't looking good for the NBA right now.  There are a lot of reasons, the economy, it struggles compared to the other sports anyway, superstar bailout calls, the "thug" image, and mainly the fact the refs don't really know how to call the game.  I have a hard time watching somebody get 4 steps through the lane and a 4 second later continuation call; sorry, but that's not basketball.  Toss in the fact that these refs that don't apparently enforce the rules are going to go on strike and they also gamble on basketball.. things aren't looking good.  Teams are desperate to pack the stands.

Don't worry fans!  The Nets have an amazing, really incredible, inspiration, and entirely chaotic way to get fans in teh stands.  Only good things can happen here, and that's a promise.  If you fork out 25g's for 10 games of the team's best seats you can put in a list of players that you want to come hang out with you for an hour.  You can have them at home, a birthday party, the office, or anywhere else you'd like to go.  No word on bachelor parties, hanging out at their house, or even the Gold Club all the guys love so much down in the ATL.  Patrick Ewing knows what I'm talking about.  So, lets say you have the cash and the desire to do this.. you really need to consider your options.  I'll help you take a look at the Nets top guys:

1.  Yi.  How could he not be #1?  The possibilities are endless!  Does a translator come with or do you just have to akwardly try to teach him English in that hour?  Where would you go with the guy.. the zoo?  Your crib?  What if you want to drive somewhere, does that mean you get to ride in his car since he can't fit in yours?  Does you have a lazyboy at home?  If so, you might be able to tape him going one on one against it.  My money says put it on Yi; it wouldn't be the first time he's knocked a chair to the ground in victory.  I'd love to see it.

Breaking down the Blazers....Part Five posted by ucatchtrout

The center position is one of the strongest spots on the Blazers roster.  And if you combine last seasons stats for Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden the numbers look pretty good. 13.4 pts, 15.7 rbs, 2.3 bks.  What team wouldn't be happy with that? 

Last season began with the Trailblazers annointing Greg as their starter at the 5 spot.  It was and up and down year for the youngster from Ohio State.  He started 39 games for Portland, had a career-high 24 points and 15 rebounds in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 19.  If he'd been able to average 36 minutes per game his PER would have been 14.8 pts, 11.6 rbs, and 1.9 bks.  The season also had its low points for Oden.  Not only did he have trouble staying in games due to foul trouble, ( his PER for fouls if he'd averaged 36 min was 6.5) he had physical problems as well and suffered an injury to his foot during his first game against the Lakers, and fractured his kneecap in February during a collision with Corey Magette and missed three weeks. 



Much was made of the fact that Greg was only able to play in 61 games last season.  But if you compare that with Joel Pryzbillas 11 year NBA career, there were only 4 seasons in which Joel was able to play more than 61 games.  And it was only the second time in his five years in Portland that he was able to do so.  Fortunately for the Blazers, last season the grizzly veteran was a bit of an iron man and played in all 82 games for the first time in his career.
Continue reading "Breaking down the Blazers....Part Five"

Milwaukee Bucks: Where Are They Going? posted by Chad

The 2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks roster is not yet set, but that doesn't mean we don't know where they are heading.  We do know where they are heading though, and that is straight down.  They are dumpster diving for young "talent" to try to turn themselves into a young, exciting squad.  Unfortunately, the young pieces that they have are either:  raw or simply not talented enough to make an impact, and this is going to be a long season in Milwaukee. 

PG:  Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour, Ramon Sessions (FA)
Jennings is getting a lot of hype around Milwaukee and from the coaching staff because of his speed and ability to get to the rim.  He is an extremely quick guard that can get end to end in a flash, but his jumpshot, experience, and cockiness all had NBA teams sour on him at the draft.  He could be a good player, but he is going to experience a lot of growing pains and spend a lot of time trying to defend bigger PG's on the block. 
Ridnour has been around the block and carries a hefty price tag, as he averaged 9.6 points and over 5 assists a game last year.  Those aren't bad numbers, but he isn't a great defender either.  I think you'll see Ridnour stay a Buck if Sessions signs elsewhere.  If Sessions re-signs in Milwaukee, then I think Ridnour will be traded for a pick, cap relief, and/or a young player.
Sessions is a young PG that put up pretty good numbers in Milwaukee, but apparently he isn't "exciting" enough for the Milwaukee brass.  He averaged over 12 points and 5.7 assists per game only playing 27 minutes a night.  His 3-point shooting, however, was atrocious at 17%.  Regardless, he did drop over 20 dimes in a game and also finished his NBA season with games of 10 points/9 assists, 19 points/7 assits, and 9 points/12 assists.  At his age and with his ability to see the floor, I am shocked the Bucks went with Jennings in the NBA draft and have not re-signed Sessions.  He might not be a potential Buck much longer, and that is disheartening to the Milwaukee fans.

Summer league--July 11 posted by john howard

Summer league is a time for development.  The Lakers are still deciding on what to do with Lamar Odom.  But, in the meantime, Adam Morrison is making the most of summer time.  He had 24 points 5 rebounds, 3 assist, and 1 turnover in his summer league debut.  Then, he had 22 points and hit 4 three pointers in his second game. Great numbers and improvement.  If Morrison can contribute off the bench, it will provide much needed insurance for if/when Ron Artest melts down.

The Milwaukee Bukcs are rebuilding and Joe Alexander had 14 points and 7 rebounds in his summer league debut.  Brenden Jennings had 10 points and Meeks had 14. 

News Review posted by z

The Vince Carter Trade:  Ok, getting Vince Carter is good.  But losing Courtney Lee and forcing Turkoglu out of town as a result of it isn't good.  I would rather have Lee and Turkoglu than Carter.  So, to me, Orlando is now worse.  This is a downgrade.  New Jersey's still not a very good team.

The Richard Jefferson Trade:  Plain and simple, this was a steal for the Spurs.  They got younger, and now have 4 guys who can fill it up.  The Spurs are very close to being able to win another title.  They need to add one more quality center.  They don't have enough height on their roster right now.  The Bucks just wanted to save money.

The Shaq Trade:  Great trade for the Cavs.  Shaq can slow down Dwight Howard if the Cavs meet the Magic again in the playoffs.  Shaq can get a bucket on his own, and take pressure off LeBron.  Shaq even still commands a double team, at times.  There's no serious commitment to Shaq either, because he only has 1 year left on his deal.  Awesome trade for Cleveland.  The Suns also just wanted to save money.

Minnesota drafting Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn:  I don't like it.  You can't piss off your young point guard with tons of potential by drafting another point guard immediately after him.  I bet Rubio would be happy right now if he was the clear cut point guard on the team.  Minny clearly should've drafted Curry or DeRozan, both of whom could play shooting guard.

Milwaukee Bucks posted by john howard

The Milwaukee Bucks had a dissappointing year.  After trading for Richard Jefferson and having Michael Redd, it looked as if a serious move was going to happen.  Andrew Bogut and Redd played for less than half the season.  And that made all the difference.  This is a crucial time for the Bucks.  Keith Bogans and Damon Jones are both free agents. Charlie Vllanueva had a break out year and is a restricted free agent.  And, to top things off, Jefferson and Redd both could opt out of their contracts next summer.  If things don't go well this year, that could happen. Also, Ramon Sessions was a nice surprise. He is also a restricted free agent.

They have a nice starting lineup: PG-RAMON SESSIONS SG-REDD SF-JEFFERSON PF-VILLANUEVA C-BOGUT.

And the bench will have Luke Ridnour backing up the point and Charlie Bell with starting experience at the other guard.  Joe Alexander did nicely as a rookie last year. Help inside off the bench would be nice.  There are many good point guards in this year's draft and many mock drafts have the Bucks taking one.  This would make sense if they plan not to match offers on Sessions.  Or if they plan on more trades.  The Bucks have the 10th and 41st picks of the draft.  The 10th pick in the past 14 years has produced 2 all-stars and 7 starters and 6 bench players.  So, it figures that they will get a quality player.  The 41st pick has produced one starter and 2 bench players during the same span. The Bucks could be a viable threat this year if they stay signed and healthy.

Bucks Draft posted by Chris

Only being a couple weeks away from the draft, you look at what can the bucks do in the draft to take a step in the direction of at least having a winning season? Is there someone out there who can contribute instantly and make us a better team at pick 10? I would like to think so the bucks are slim at PF but there is no one that really wows you at 10 at PF, the bucks also have a huge need at PG with Luke being on his last year and Ramon being a free agent. This years draft is especially deep at PGs with Steph Curry, Ty Lawson, Johnny flynn all who could be available at 10. I truly believe one of the these guys could really make an impact I hate the last few years of decisions we have made starting back with getting rid of our talent every year Allen for Mason and half a season of Grandaddy Gary Payton, Tj ford, Sam Cassell Glenn Robinson, and the list continues. Also we have had horrible luck in the draft with the exception of Andrew Bogut, which if you look at it that draft that draft was the worst possible draft to have the number one pick, we could have gotten bogut at 5 any other year he would have come out. Yi was and will be terrible, Joe alexander is athletic and thats it, he will never start, the other year we didnt even have a first round thanks to the ray allen trade. This franchise is due to start winning and i love the moves we made last season but it is going to take a lot to undo all that has been done to us ( the organization, the fans, the nba) I believe a good franchise PG could be exactlty what we need and i believe we can get that at 10.

Bucks F Mbah a Moute has successful knee surgery (Yahoo! Sports)

MILWAUKEE (AP) The Milwaukee Bucks say forward Luc Mbah a Moute (look EHM'-bah ah MOO'-tay) has undergone successful surgery for tendinitis in his right knee. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bucks' Delfino has sports hernia surgery (Yahoo! Sports)

MILWAUKEE (AP) Milwaukee Bucks swingman Carlos Delfino has had successful surgery for a sports hernia related to his right groin injury. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Skiles to return for final year of Bucks contract (Yahoo! Sports)

MILWAUKEE (AP) Scott Skiles will return to coach the Milwaukee Bucks next season. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Pierce scores 12 as Celtics top Bucks 87-74 (Yahoo! Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Phil Jackson might be offered a reported $50 million to coach the New York Knicks (Ball Don't

Buried at the bottom of a seemingly random notes column penned by the respected NBA columnist that covers a team that isn't making the playoffs this year is a note about the NBA's most famous potential coach possibly joining the team in the league's biggest market. Something to dismiss? That's your call, but after working your way through the Racine Journal-Times Gary Woelfel's tidbits about Milwaukee Bucks guard Beno Udrih contract option and Carlos Delfino's groin injury, you get to read this bit about former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson possibly returning to the team that drafted him in 1966 : If the New York Knicks don't advance beyond the first round of the playoffs, I'm hearing they'll make a major —repeat, major —push to lure legendary coach Phil Jackson out of retirement. With money being no object, the scuttlebutt is the Knicks brass may offer the "Zen Master" a four-year, $50 million deal. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports