Mike's Archive

Author: mjmadaio

  • All-Time NBA Team

    I received the following IM from a friend today:

    What is your all time nba team? Mine is kobe bryant at point; michael jordan as 2; tracy mcrady at 3; hakeem olajuwon at 4; shaq oneal as center.

    I don’t even think it is necessary to comment on the absurdity of this list, but I will anyway.

    Um, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are omitted. Enough said. (But I’ll continue)

    Tracy McGrady is a fraud until proven otherwise. Play for a winner and then we’ll talk. Kobe is a great champion, but only as second banana. He needs to win one as the undisputed leader on a team, and then we’ll talk. (He’s also not a point guard, but that is so minor I’ll choose to overlook it)

    Essentially, positions 1-3 are locks: Magic, Michael and Larry. It does get interesting once you get to 4 and 5. The most dominant centers of their time are obviously Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, but the game has changed so much since they played; It is extremely hard to compare these guys to modern day greats like Shaq. Perhaps 70’s stars Kareem or Bill Walton are the ultimate compromise — skilled enough to play a finesse game but tough enough to handle today’s centers. The statistical factor comes into play here as well — Karl Malone, for example, is the greatest power forward of all time based on statistics, but if I were putting together a team I’d much rather have Kevin McHale, Hakeem or even Charles Barkley playing the 4.

    To answer my friend, I told him that my team of Magic, The Big O, Larry Legend, McHale and Kareem would blow his team off the court. Even though Jordan is the greatest competitor and winner of all time, there is no way he could overcome the selfishness of Kobe and T-Mac to keep his team in the game.

  • The Hold Steady “Separation Sunday”

    2005 has been a great year for music so far. One of my favorite albums to come out this year is the fantastic sophomore release from the Brooklyn band The Hold Steady. This album works in a big way. Lead singer Craig Finn talk-sings compelling stories of sex, drugs, and strung-out self-mutilating hoodrats all in front of a fat rock guitar-driven soundtrack. This record will invariably draw comparisons to Bruce Springsteen – and with good reason. In addition to a clear Boss musical influence, the songs are anthemic in the tradition of Thunder Road and Born to Run. Finn and at least one other member of the band were formerly of Lifter Puller and thus, not surprisingly, there is also a tasty punk rock flavor to this album. I give it a solid A-for-Excellent.

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  • Nodding Head Royal Stumble

    Tomorrow brings the annual “Royal Stumble” beer event at Nodding Head in Philly. It is always a really fun event, but don’t take my word for it — read these testimonials:

    Local Beer Expert J. Wisdom says:

    This wacked-out event pits brewer against brewer in a wrestling-style smackdown! Brewers dress in pro-wrestling garb and compete to see who can drain their kegs the fastest – awwwwwww yeahh! Always a blast and come hell or high water I’ll be there. (ed note: the 2005 theme is superheroes)

    Regional Beer Expert Lew Bryson says:

    “Best Local Beer Event”: The Royal Stumble at Nodding Head. Brewers dress up in silly outfits and chase you with beer. Sometimes they even bring along pretty young women to chase you with beer. Everyone brings their best session beer…unless they decide to just be crazy and bring something else, and they chase you with it. Why the chasing? Because whosoever’s keg kicks first, wins. It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s funny… Mothers, hide your children.

    Mike from songoose.com says:

    This event is a lazy man’s dream! Grab a booth and sit back while brewers bring you their beer and try to convince you to have more. Of course, if you like to get up and mingle, I suppose you can do that too.

    Sorry, but this event is sold out. Still, if it sounds like something you’d like to attend, keep an eye out for a beer festival near you. They are great events to try new specialty beers that you wouldn’t find at your local watering hole or distributor. Plus, since there is a reasonable cost and no American Light Lager (i.e. Miller Lite) to be found, the crowd is a bit different than that of a regular bar. These people are out to have fun, but also to do something different and expand their culinary horizons. Although typically a wine event would get higher “snob” points, it is quite easy to get caught up in the world of specialty beers and the mini-culture that surrounds it.

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  • Marvin Williams — Long Term Project

    Marvin Williams is sure to be one of the top three picks in this year’s NBA Draft, but whoever does this will be making a huge mistake. Sure, Williams is an enormous raw talent who will probably become a good NBA player, but he still shouldn’t be drafted this high.

    One thing NBA scouts don’t look at often enough is the players actual performance at the previous level. Wait a second — of course they do, you’re thinking. They do, obviously, but not enough. Too much is spent looking at the guys body, his individual skills, his length, speed, quickness, etc. All important things, but if you can’t put them together, they are useless. Marvin Williams was a bench player for UNC last year. Yes, I know — they were an incredible team and he filled his role nicely. He did, not, however, dominate. At all. How is a guy who could not dominate at the college level going to do so in the pros? There is not a chance. If he was really the best player in college, how did he not crack the starting lineup? Because Roy was being loyal to 4-year starter Jawad Williams? Come ON, if Marvin was really that good, he’d have been starting. This guy has talent, no doubt, but it is raw and he clearly has a lot to learn.

    Which brings me to my next point — by the time Marvin Williams is ready to become a star in the NBA, (probably about 3-5 years based on his current age), his initial contract with whoever drafts him will be up. If they aren’t happy with his development, they will have traded him or will just let him go, and if they like him they’ll have to compete for him on the free agent market. Obviously the cap will favor them, but the circumstances for this to work out for the team that actually drafted him seem to get slimmer and slimmer as the years go by.

    From all accounts, Marvin has a good head on his shoulders and a great work ethic. If things fall right for him, he may very well become a great NBA all-star someday. I just doubt it’ll be with the team that drafts him tonight.

  • NBA Draft Analysis

    For some reason the NBA Draft is one of my favorite sports events of the year. Last night I stayed up late watching the ’86, ’88 and ’89 draft replays on NBATV — It’s hilarious to watch moments such as when the announcers lambasted the Heat for taking Glen Rice while Stacey King was still on the board, because “in basketball size is the most important thing”. (Rice became arguably the best player in this draft.)

    Tonight’s draft looks to be one of the weakest in recent memory — without one “can’t miss” prospect. Last year we knew that Emeka Okeafor and Ben Gordon were destined to be solid NBA players (and thus far they are), and the year before brought us LeBron and Carmello. This year the two big names are Andrew Bogut of Utah, destined to be the next Will Purdue, and Marvin Williams of UNC, a raw talent packed with “P” — potential, but who didn’t even start in college. This year actually reminds me a bit of the ’89 draft I watched last night, where there was not a clear cut top player. (Pervis Ellison was picked first by the Kings over Danny Ferry and Sean Elliot.) The Spurs clearly got the best player in Elliot, but he dropped to #3 because of questions about his knee.

    Looking back at the ’89 draft today, the most notable players showed up in the late first and even second rounds — Tim Hardaway at #14, Shawn Kemp at #17, Vlade Divac at #26, Cliff Robinson at #36 and Doug West at #38. I predict that the same trend will occur with the ’05 draft — only trick is picking which players will have an impact.

    Since I really don’t know anything about the international players or the high school players, I’ll have to stick with college players. My sleeper picks:

    – Hakim Warrick, Syracuse: As long and atheletic as Marvin Williams, with experience carrying a quality team on his back. Warrick is a sick athelete who could become a great NBA player if he develops his jumper. Should go around #15.

    – Nate Robinson, Washington: Once again NBA scouts will be turned off by Nate’s diminutive size, but this guy is quick and strong enough to overcome it. He reminds me a bit of Iverson: not quite as quick but much stronger (played free safety for one year at UW), so he’ll be able to respond better to the nightly grind of the NBA. Should go early second round.

    – Jarret Jack, Georgia Tech: Everyone called Chris Paul the best point guard in the ACC the past two years, but I’d rather have Jack. He is clearly a pass first player who understands how to run a team and get everone involved, but who also isn’t afraid to take and make the last shot. Jack probably won’t become a standalone superstar, but I do see him quarterbacking a championship squad. Should go late first/early second.

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  • Eurotrip: Destined to be a Cult Favorite (for me at least)

    The Sports Guy recently discussed the lack of inherently re-watchable movies released in recent years. After some thought, I think Eurotrip warrants consideration. It isn’t exactly a “good” movie, but it is surprisingly entertaining, even upon repeat views.

    Basically, you’ve got a bunch of idiot kids on a debaucherous journey that involves quite a bit of sex, drugs and rock n roll. Plus,

    – loads of unnecessary breasts (80’s style)
    – a catchy theme song that comes into play throughout (again, 80’s style)
    – a completely improbable plot that somehow does not detract from the movie
    – a ton of great cameos, including perhaps the greatest one of my lifetime (I won’t ruin it in case you haven’t seen it yet)
    – a night in Amsterdam
    – and of course, plenty of soccer fan bashing

    scotty doesn’t know, that fiona and me…

  • Dukes of Hazzard: Family Tree & Moonshine

    I’ve been watching the Dukes of Hazzard every night at 11 on CMT, reliving the days when I was 8 years old and made my mom roll down the window so I could get in the car the proper way. I suppose that if I never had been a fan as a kid, I’d probably think this was the stupidest show ever created, but quite frankly I can’t get enough of it. Nearly everything that happens in Hazzard is completely preposterous, but I really don’t care.

    As is apt to happen when I get into a tv show, I start to overanalyze it. One might think that a flawed show like this would completely fall apart under such scrutiny, but in this case it actually make me like it even more.

    Some additional random thoughts:

    * I’ve always wondered about the family tree — the fact that a large family (7 brothers including Jesse, if you assume Daisy, Bo, Luke, Coy, Vance and Jeb Stuart Duke all have different fathers) exists is certainly believable, but how is it that those 6 other brothers are nowhere to be found? If these people are really as backwoods as the show suggests, wouldn’t they spend their entire lives in the same county?

    * As a kid I never really appreciated the moonshine lore that surrounds the show. Considering that the entire Duke family is a bunch of criminals really changes one’s perspective on the whole thing. It certainly makes their respect of the law a bit confusing. Take this example from tonight’s episode:

    The Dukes find this bag of stolen credit cards, and they decide to call up Uncle Jesse for advice. The advice: “You’ve got no choice but to turn that bag over to Roscoe.” Of course, the boys protest b/c Roscoe is as crooked as they come. Jesse then responds, “Don’t you think I know that! But the law is the law, and Roscoe is about the only law we got around here.”

    The law is the law? You’re one of the most infamous moonshine runners in Georgia! Your nephews are on probation because they got caught runnin’ shine!

    To top that off, within a minute the boys are outrunning Roscoe, which, the last time I checked, is against the law.

    You just gotta love it! Anyone got a ’69 Charger they want to get rid of???