Bullets Blog's Best of 2011 - The Chris Edition

Bullets Blog's Best of 2011 - The Jay Edition

2011 was a weird year. A lot of things of note happened in and out of the sports world. But we only care about the best here at bulletsblog, except for when we also care about the worst - which is also right now. Well shit, now I'm confused. Not worried about it. To the blog!

NBA Western Conference Preview

As promised, here are my picks for the Western Conference playoff seeds and lottery teams. Like yesterday, there are a bunch of these picks that I don't feel confident about. But let's start out with a couple that I do:

NBA Eastern Conference Preview

Now that (just about) every team in the East has played at least one game (still waiting on Atlanta), I'd like to present you with my predictions for the final standings for the NBA's Eastern Conference. I have to say, there are a ton of selections that I feel very nervous about, and I don't really feel comfortable with any of my selections for tomorrow's Western Conference post. So, with trepidation, to the blog!

NBA 2 by 4 - December 26, 2011

I want to start by thanking Chris Paul for single-handedly covering my absurd 13 point spread on the LAC-GS game last night. Also, be on the lookout for Malone. He may come after you for the money he owes me. To the blog!

The First-ever bulletsblog Tee Shirt!

To honor the worst team of the 2012 MLB season, we are proud to present the design for the first official bulletsblog tee shirt. I can't imagine anybody would want to purchase one, but if you do send an email bulletsblog@gmail.com or a tweet to @jaylike, @cmalone20, or @bulletsblog and we can talk about pricing.

starzz02, baby

Okay Chris summarized the draft in the post below this. But I want to make a case for giving myself the title of Best Fantasy Basketball Auction Owner Of All Time. Like I killed it. The 8 categories our league uses are FG%, FT%, 3-pointers made, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and points. I'm loaded like the 2012 Phillies and I really can't see myself ever losing. $200 budget limit (I only ended up spending $181 - that good), in order of when they were bought:

Starzz Draft

Since opening day of the NBA season is tomorrow, Jay and I decided we wanted to play fantasy basketball.  The brilliant idea of the Bullets Blog Basketball League came about.  Neither of us really knew anything about fantasy basketball going in, so we figured it would be relatively fair.  Unfortunately, with only two people, the numbers just weren't there to form a league comprising of just Bullets Blog writers.  We took matters into our own hands and joined an ESPN Public League, starzz02.  Due to time of arrival into the league, we were paired in the same division, which means assuming an unbalanced schedule, a rivalry will be created.  The draft wasn't particularly eventful, however the moments following were interesting to say the least.

Tomorrow is Christmas!!! #letsgamble

I'm sure that you are aware that the NBA season starts tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure you're also aware that the menu of games is phenomenal - all ten teams (maybe just 9? Golden State puzzles me/they aren't that good at the defense half of the game) will make the playoffs. Lines are from bodog.com:

Boston @ New York (-5), 12:05pm
Miami (-4) @ Dallas, 2:30pm
Chicago (-4) @ LA Lakers, 5:00pm
Orlando @ Oklahoma City (-8), 8:05pm
LA Clippers (-5) @ Golden State, 10:35pm

NBA ROY Predictions

I'm going to wait until everything is set with player signings and trades to make my team predictions - probably tomorrow or Saturday. But here is my predictions for an individual award (More on the way? Maybe? We'll see):

Wait, hold on. First, here's a picture of the woman of my dreams:

Okay, to the blog!

What the 76ers Should Do... Should

The Philadelphia 76ers have the opportunity to make two changes to their roster in the next few days that could change the face and direction of the franchise. Over the past few seasons they've been trying to build pieces around Andre Iguodala, but it's pretty much a lock that it's not going to work out like that in the long run. I'm going to post it now, before the Knicks sign Tyson Chandler and mess the whole thing up.

NBA 2 by 4 - December 5, 2011

To kick off NBA free agency, here's a 2 by 4 to let you know what's going to happen - and what isn't.
In case you didn't already have enough reasons to hate China, the Chinese Basketball Association is trying to block players including JR Smith, Kenyon Martin, and Wilson Chandler from ditching their Chinese contracts and returning to the NBA. What good would an NBA season be without JR Smith? Come on China, do the right thing. To the blog!

The First-Ever NBA 2 by 4

I don't know about anyone but myself - and I know that I'm excited as hell for the upcoming NBA season. I'm glad that the league is going to be able to build on the buzz that was created at the end of last season. Most importantly, I'm glad that I get to blog about basketball again - because the Wildcats don't deserve my attention this season. I'm trying a new style of NBA blogging - every week or so, I'll post the "2 by 4" that lists 2 good teams, 2 bad teams, and 2 of two other categories that are relevant that week. Since this is the first one (and we're still very early in the preseason), I figured I'd throw in a little bonus. To the blog!

2 Good Teams

Miami Heat

I don't care - not even a little bit - about the collapse in the playoffs/finals. If anything, that will help the Heat this season.. bear with me. Now, we have definitive evidence that this team belongs to Dwyane Wade. Lebron James is the best basketball player on the planet, yes, but this is Wade's team when they need a leader. There goes their biggest problem from last season. Prepare for domination, as long as Lebron has been reading everyone's tweets over the summer and accepts his role. 

With the new salary cap, they'll probably have to release Mike Miller which will leave them with Mario Chalmers, Wade, James, Chris "I Still Look Like A Raptor Even Though I Don't Play For Them Anymore" Bosh, and Udonis Haslem. With the size down low of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Joel Anthony, and Dexter Pittman, they can match up with any team in the NBA and overpower them. It's all on Lebron (sort of, because what I mean by this is that it's actually all on DWade). 

Oklahoma City Thunder

If I'm right (and I haven't been wrong with any NBA predictions yet this season), then the Heat will meet the Thunder in the NBA Finals. The Thunder's core is in a prime spot to overthrow Kobe, Dirk, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, and the rest of the Western Division. Despite a pretty lackluster draft, the Thunder still have a phenomenal starting 5: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha/James Harden, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and Kendrick Perkins. Top to bottom, they can guard any team in the NBA (except Dirk) and outscore any team (except the re-invigorated Heat). 

NBA Finals Prediction: Heat over Thunder, 5 Games

2 Bad Teams

Toronto Raptors

Woof. Jose Calderon, DeMar Derozan, up for grabs at the 3 and the 4, and Andrea Bargnani. Not a whole lot of points going to get on the board, especially when you factor in that they play most of their games against the Celtics, Knicks, Sixers, and Nets. This means Bargnani is going to be matched up with the likes of Kevin Garnett, Amar'e Stoudemire, and - okay, so the Sixers and Nets don't really have any talented big men but they have more talent across the smaller positions. It's not going to be a fun year for the eighteen Toronto fans that are alive. 

New Jersey Nets

I just mentioned this, but the Nets are also going to be pretty terrible. They do have a lot of young talent - don't get me wrong - and they will be good somewhere down the road. But I don't see Deron Williams balling all that hard with Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Williams, Kris Kardashian, and Brook Lopez. The key sign for me was that all of these players have women's names. Obviously not a good sign for Jay-Z. Luckily it's all gravy, I guess. Done with the Jay-Z jokes, I promise. 

2 Teams I Want To Be Good and I Think/Hope Might Surprise People

Minnesota Timberwolves

For reasons unbeknownst to be, I am a Minnesota Timberwolves fan. It happened sometime around when the Ricky Rubio talks picked up and Bill Simmons made a lot of fun of David Kahn. Whatever. It's inexplicable. But I really think this is the year they're going to kick off the dust and be a serious contender. They have a unique roster that gives them six viable starters: Ricky Rubio, Wesley Johnson, Derrick Williams, Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, and (gulp) Darko Milicic. Throw in former college stars Wayne Ellington (UNC) and Lazar Hayward (Marquette) and they have an extremely versatile lineup that can adapt to face their competition. 

Portland Trail Blazers

I'll start this by saying don't scold me for picking the Thunder and rooting for the T'wolves and Blazers. I understand that they're all in the same division. I don't care. 

With that out of the way, the major reason I like the Blazers is because Brandon Roy is a beast in NBA 2k and I generally play as Portland. Their lineup of Ray Felton, Brandon Roy (until he gets hurt, of course), Gerald Wallace (the most underrated player in the entire NBA), LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden (until he gets hurt, of course) is probably the best starting five of any team in the NBA - maybe even history. Am I getting a little too ahead of myself? 

The shortened season helps Portland because it's less games that Roy and Oden have to play. But when they both get hurt - and, odds are, they will - the Blazers will look to Wesley Matthews, three-point specialist and token white guy Jon Diebler, and Marcus Camby to take on more minutes. 

As a side note, the Blazers have an amazingly talented college roster: Oden (Ohio State), Felton (UNC), Aldridge (Texas), Diebler (Ohio State), Matthews (Marquette), Paddy Mills (St. Mary's), Nolan Smith (Duke), and Elliot Williams (Duke/Memphis - good story, by the way)

2 Sophomores That Are Going To Explode

John Wall, Washington Wizards

Okay, so maybe he's already exploded. But I mean explode in that he will become a legitimately great NBA point guard, and not just a cocky kid who was great in college and invented a dance. He has as much - probably even more - athleticism and raw talent as any other point guard, but the Wizards finished 23-59. I expect them to increase that win total - by a lot. They have, with Wall, Jordan Crawford, Jan Vesely, and JaVale McGee, the potential to run one of the most electric offenses ever. Similar to the Philadelphia Eagles this season. It's up to Wall to be either the Michael Vick of last year (stellar) or the Michael Vick of this year (...not so much). Either way, the Wiz have the dopest jerseys in the NBA. 

Landry Fields, New York Knicks

There's been some talk that Landry Fields is as good as Michael Jordan - all of it has been sarcastic. But the Knicks roster is set up for Landry to have a breakout season. Since it looks like they're trying to save cap room for Chris Paul next summer, they won't add anyone of note and will start Chauncey Billups, Fields, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Ronny Turiaf. Billups being way past his prime makes this a less-than-stellar lineup.. and the bench is even worse. That means nearly all of the scoring load is going to fall on Anthony, Stoudemire, and (to a lesser extent than those two) Fields. Look for him to bump up his 10 points-2 assists-6 rebounds stat line to something closer to 20.0 points-3.8 assists-6.1 rebounds. If you were curious, those are MJ's stats from his final year in the NBA. Maybe they aren't so different after all....

Bonus - 2 Preseason All-NBA Teams

Eastern Conference: Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard

Western Conference: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Lamarcus Aldridge 

Yes, I said Lamarcus Aldridge. 

Double Bonus - 2 Rookies That Are Relevant To This Blog Post (But Not Really)

Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks

A lot of Knicks fans were upset at this pick, but I really don't know why. If you look at their draft history, you'll see stars like Wilson Chandler (23), Renaldo Balkman (20), Mardy Collins (29), Channing Frye (8), Michael Sweetney (9), Maybner Hilario (7), and Donnell Harvey (22) taken in the first round. 

In all honesty, the Knicks are bad at drafting. Aside from the fact that I think Maybner is more commonly known as Nene, the Knicks are generally awful at selecting players. I don't think Shumpert (who was taken 17th) will be any different. He doesn't bring anything to the table. 

You know who brings a lot more to the table?

Jan Vesely, Washington Wizards

NBA Draft Live Blog

Taking a page right out of Bill Simmons' book on this one, and blogging along with the NBA Draft on ESPN. I am very biased and only admittedly only slightly knowledgeable on the topic of basketball, but I watched a lot of college basketball this year and I've been watching ESPN and listening to podcasts all day so I think I can do a fair job of analyzing.

Throwing The Curveball

Today, I'm not particularly sure what day it will be since I'm writing this fairly late, I will throw whoever actually reads this stuff a little curveball.  Well, it's more like a Jon Niese curveball (for those of you who are fortunate enough to not be Mets fans, he gets quite a bit of break on it).  It's time for me to talk about...idol.  Hold on everybody, before you click the "X" in the corner, just know that all we care about are views and comments, and we already got our views if you're reading this, so all you can do now are write back comments, and any are greatly appreciated even if you're swearing at me or making fun of me.  It's great television, people.  So, love it or hate it, here's my take on American Idol's Top 8:

Phillies: 9 Games In

I know it’s been a while since we’ve posted anything, and for that, we apologize. We vamos’d a la playa to film a music video and it took four and a half months. Not really.

I figured now would be a good time to get back into it because it’s a great time to be a sports fan: the NBA and NHL playoffs are right around the corner, the Premiere League is on TV sometimes (not enough times), it’s almost time to hit the golf course and dress in a mildly homosexual manner, there’s lacrosse to watch on TV and in person (shoutout to Villanova Men’s Lax being #11 in the nation),and – best of all – the MLB season is underway.