Bad bloggers! It’s Thursday and still no Final Four talk. Time to rectify that.
So Florida won. Again. As if Florida fans (and the state in general) weren’t obnoxious enough, now they have yet another championship. As a native Hoosier and long time Big Ten fan, I was naturally pulling for Ohio State. The championship game ended up being just the boring pinnacle of one of the most boring Final Fours in a long time. No Cinderellas to root for. No real intriguing close fought games. No drama. No shining moments.
After a mediocre tournament from future NBA star and freak of nature Greg Oden, he put up what was easily his best game of the year against a tough and deep Florida front court. You certainly can’t blame him for the OSU loss: 25 points, 38 minutes, 10-15 from the field, 5-8 from the line, 12 rebounds and 4 monster blocks. He stayed out of foul trouble and willed his team into staying in the game.
Greg Oden: Man or freak genetic engineering experiment? (Photo courtesy Slate.com)
To me it seemed that OSU, once the perimeter and medium range jumpshots weren’t falling, failed to adjust their game. As Einstein said (paraphrasing) “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” With Oden taking up so much space and attention down low (and getting the Florida frontcourt in a bit of foul trouble) that is when you start driving the lane. It’ll shift some of the attention from Oden and hopefully get Florida’s big guys in more foul trouble.
Credit where it is due, Florida just could not miss from outside. Every tiem OSU had a big play, a big block, anything - Florida had an answer, usually Lee Humphrey. They won the game outright.
But Joakim Noah is still annoying and the ugliest man in sports.
Joakim Noah: Not just hit by the ugly stick. Fell down the ugly tree and hit every branch. Then the ugly tree fell onto him. (image courtesy espn.com)
Speaking of the most overrated player on the Gators squad: Who’s the idiot GM that’s going to take him in the first 5 or 6 picks based on “upside” and look like an idiot? Who is the last skinny tweener that was a good low post college player but too undersized for the position in the pros to be a star in the NBA?
The Gator that deserves to be a lottery pick is Al Horford. That guy is going to be a long time solid player for some NBA team. He’ll make one or two All-Star games and be that sort of contributor that ever team needs. But since he’s not viewed as the “upside type” idiot NBA GM’s will let him drop. Here’s hoping the Pacers tank their last few games and are up in the draft enough that he falls to them. But that’s another post.
Finally, some of the chat exchange between fellow CWAMB writer nca and myself during the game.
Charles: I guess we’ll have to take solace in that he’s going to make some NBA GM look like an idiot when they overdraft him [Noah].
Jason: and i will LAUGH
Charles: He’s the fourth-best player on his team, and he’ll be a top 5 pick, watch.
Jason: how the hell anyone would take him top 5 is beyond me
Charles: Oh, I know, but the hype will sucker someone in, you just know it.
In a just world Al Horford would go ahead of him, but he has less “upside” and you know how that goes.Jason: Horford is going to be a really solid pro player. one of those guys on the verge of all star trips, maybe one or two in his career.
Charles: Exactly. He’ll be a solid contributor for some team for years, but since the GMs won’t see him as one of those guys who can be the NEXT BIG THING they’ll pass him by. The way teams draft in the NBA is insane sometimes.
I mean, yeah, you have to take Durant and Oden first, but after that, stop taking flyers on guys. Noah is just not going to be a superstar, I’m sorry.
Durant is freaking insane. The thing that amazes me is that his numbers kept getting better all year. He performed better against conference opponents than against the non-conference pushovers.Jason: he’s just too damn skinny. how many skinny tweeners really are superstars in the NBA worth top 5 picks?
i’d rather have the solid 10 year contributor anyway (but maybe that’s just my frustrated pacers fan desperately wanting someone like that talking)
Come on pacers, tank just enough to get Horford.
heh
hands? what the fuck is this?Charles: Beats the hell outta me.
Jason: let’s get hte carpals clapping? who writes this shit?
Charles: I would tank at this point if I was the Pacers. Seriously, what’s the point of being the 8 seed in the NBA JV?
It’s like going to the NIT, no one cares.Jason: exactly. just put in young guys, builod them up, blow up the team and start the fuck over.
Charles: Trade JO while we can still get some value for young guys and/or draft picks.
Jason: yup. and I think they’d actually get some pacers fans back into things if they had young guys playing hard, even if they are losing (exhibit a: those games right after the brawl suspensions)
Charles: Yeah…
Conley needs to start hitting shots it looks like.Jason: “it’s not three pointers, it’s three pointers with UPS” (wow… i can’t believe I made that UPS commercial reference to Bilyl Packer’s telestrating… kill me now)
Charles: lol
Jason: yeah if Conley doesn’t start taking over like he did against GW they’re hosed
Lewis - your OSU tournament MVP if just for that shot against Xavier.Charles: heh, yeah
Jason: 3 fouls on noah. is Quasimodo going to cry now, or just try and hit a cheerleader again?
fact I’m shocked they have not mentioned yet tonight: Conley and oden have never lost a postseason basketball game together.Charles: Yeah, someone was talking about that on something else I was watching.
Jason: in the NBA Conley’s going to be passing it to any #20 on his team convinced it’s Oden.
if I’m a bit player big man on the team that drafts him I switch to #20 NOW
Does anyone want to be the New Bobby Hurley?
“Currently, Hurley is a middle school basketball coach at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale.” Wow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_HurleyCharles: Hehe.
One good thing about today. After this is over I’m quite sure I don’t have to watch CBS or their damn commercials again until football season.Jason: Ah Wikipedia. Ed O’Bannon (Tournament MOP in 1995) now sells cars in Las Vegas
and if I see another fucking commercial for the Masters with that god damn musak theme I’m going to go on a rampage.