Somewhere..Bill Russell Is Doing His Happy Dance

May 17, 2017 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

And the winner of the 250 Million Dollar Lottery is……….The Boston Celtics?! Yes, you heard that right. The team set to take on former lottery prize Lebron James in the Eastern Conference Finals was awarded the #1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. And there’s no cash by the way, only the rights to Markelle Fultz out of the University of Washington. Hey Danny Ainge, how’s the view from up there?? Ainge, the President of Basketball Operations for the Celtics, orchestrated a masterful trade with the Brooklyn Nets back in 2013. The Nets received Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (both were WAY past their prime) for a pile of players and future draft picks. Enter last night’s lottery win by the Celtics. Paul Pierce didn’t wait long to say you’re welcome.

As with any lottery, there must be winners and losers. First, let’s take a look at the lottery results:

1. Celtics (via Nets)

2. Lakers

3. Sixers (via Kings)

4. Suns

5. Kings (via Sixers)

6. Magic

7. Timberwolves

8. Knicks

9. Mavericks

10. Kings (via Pelicans)

11. Hornets

12. Pistons

13. Nuggets

14. Heat

Thanks to this ridiculous system, the winners and losers are self-explanatory. Land above your projected draft spot..you’re a winner, fall below your projected draft spot..you’re a loser. Of course, none of this guarantees you a superstar player. The Knicks can attest to that (I wonder what Frederic Weis is doing right now?).

Sooooooo, why does the NBA select the draft order this way rather than award the best pick to the team with the worst record? The answer is simple; MONEY. Amidst a so far underwhelming NBA playoffs, the NBA machine has people talking about the draft, and the draft lottery, and the draft combine, and that kid with the expensive shoes (no I will not say his name here). Ratings, the all-mighty money grab, ratings, and more ratings. That’s what it’s all about. And once the buzz around the draft lottery ends, the Cavaliers/Warriors saga will commence. And once the NBA Finals is over, the actual draft will happen. And once the draft is over, free agents will be on the move. Hmmmmm..sound familiar? Seems like the NBA is doing their best NFL impersonation. Good for you Adam Silver, good for you.

The biggest winners of the night included the Boston Celtics (obviously) and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers received the #2 overall pick. If the Lakers had fallen outside of the top 3, they would have lost their pick to the (Orlando) Magic, so it’s a good thing Magic (Johnson) is on their side. And now for my favorite part of the program..THE LOSERS!! The biggest loser Tuesday night was the Phoenix Suns, as they dropped 2 spots (from #2 to #4). So much for Tank Mode.

And last but certainly not le…Oh okay, maybe they are least. Enter my New York Knicks. They can’t win right. They can’t draft right. They can’t tank right. And they certainly can’t get lucky right. The Knicks fell 1 spot from #7 to #8. I know it’s only 1 spot, but it’s just another bump in a long line of bumps in Knicks history. Let’s see how Phil Jackson screws this up. Hey Phil, Danny Ainge is running a General Managers Camp. I heard it’s a great way to improve your people skills. Want me to sign you up?? As for players we can land come draft day, the Knicks should have their choice between French guard Frank Ntilikina and NC State guard Dennis Smith Jr. As long as we don’t draft another big man, I won’t lose my mind.

Did you watch Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery? Who do you want the Knicks to draft? Tell me in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. You can also follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

One-Liner Fridays

July 18, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

Helllllooooo sports fans!! It’s Friday again. I know you thought it would never get here, but the weekend is right around the corner. I will get your weekend started a little early with a weekly segment I like to call: One-Liner Fridays. You know how it goes. Today, I will wrap up the past week in sports in One Line and One Line only. Enjoy!!

You know the dog days of summer have hit you square in the face when GOLF is the most exciting thing on TV.

Oh no wait, I forgot, you can always turn on some WNBA action……

So I heard some clown on ESPN radio last night talking about how betting on the Mets to win the World Series this year (at 200 to 1 odds) wouldn’t be the dumbest thing that has ever happened before…….NO????

I mean I’m no rocket scientist, but I’m pretty sure laying that bet would put you in the running for dumbest person ever.

So Chad Johnson (yes Ochocinco), is playing in the CFL now, and he just scored his first touchdown the other day, but if you haven’t seen it check out the ref who is clearly not the hugger Derek Jeter is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EGDt07j7sA

I know I know, everybody just LOVES Lebron James again, but as you know from my article I know everyone read (https://davetalkssports.com/2014/07/11/lebron-james-returns-to-cleveland/), I’m not buying the bullcrap salad that he’s selling.

But seriously, Lebron just placed first in the Harris Poll, which determines the most popular athlete in the United States, I bet The Joker wishes he could figure out how to go from the villain to everyone’s hero in just 1 year.

Which brings me to another basketball player, Carmelo Anthony, also known as the most generous and most selfless man in the world.

He’s not in it for the money man, he’s all about pay cuts.

This man took $7 million less on a 5-year, $129 million contract, if that is not a sacrifice that screams TEAM than I don’t know what is.

More basketball??

Okay.

I only have one thing to say to the Los Angeles Lakers: “HAHAHAHAHAHA….Carlos Boozer….HAHAHAHAHAHA….Jeremy Lin….HAHAHAHAHAHA….okay maybe that was more than one thing, but you get the point.

When Tracy McGrady got signed by the Sugar Land Skeeters (insert immature laughter here), I figured he would have a long, illustrious career….and I was right, he pitched 6 and 2/3 innings, recorded 1 strikeout, and then said I think I’ve had enough.

So he retired.

Major League Baseball definitely handled Derek Jeter’s final All-Star Game very tastefully, but man is that game terrible.

If it wasn’t for Derek Jeter, I think there would have been 4 viewers of that game (yea, I said 4).

The only thing worse than the All-Star Game itself is the Home Run Derby, that right there is 4 hours of my life that I can NEVER get back again.

Here is a simple formula of how to fix the Home Run Derby: you give Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa a bunch of steroids and give them each their own personalized club (you know like a caveman club) and watch them bash 600 foot home runs for an hour, this way everyone’s happy and these clowns get 15 more minutes of fame….oh, and feel free to throw Jose Canseco in there if you want.

Tiger Tiger Woods y’all is back, it’s crazy how much one man can effect an entire sport.

So now that the worst time of the year in sports is upon us is it too early to ask everyone’s favorite question: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!

This has been another edition of One-Liner Fridays. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have a One-Liner of your own please post it in the comment section below.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Melo Takes Paycut to Return to Knicks

July 15, 2014July 16, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

After weeks of deliberation, Carmelo Anthony has finally decided to return to the New York Knicks. Anthony made the announcement Saturday (even though he had probably made up his mind by Friday) that he would be re-signing with the Knickerbockers. The deal will be worth $122 million over the next 5 years. Who said Melo wasn’t a team player?? This guy just made the ultimate sacrifice by taking a whopping $7 million less than the max deal over 5 years. He just saved the franchise $1.4 million per year over the next 5 years. What a guy! Now the Knicks have the cap space to sign Kurt Thomas. Can you say game changer?!?! In all seriousness, the Knicks did what they had to do and so did Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks, as much as they didn’t want to, had to throw the whole bag of cash at him, because if they missed out on Melo, where would they be? And Melo actually wanted to leave for a better, more championship ready situation. The only problem was that option didn’t exist in this years free agency. The Chicago Bulls were only a better option if Derrick Rose is healthy, and at this point I’d say that is an enormous if. I don’t believe the Lakers were ever a real option seeing as they don’t have a coach, and they actually have a worse roster than the Knicks. And as good as the Houston Rockets would have become with the addition of Melo, who wants to live in Houston??

As for the Knicks, in the horrid eastern Conference, they shouldn’t fare too badly this upcoming season. They are no championship contender, don’t get me wrong, but don’t be surprised if they creep up to the 4 or 5 seed. Yes, Derek Fisher is a wild card in this equation, but I have the utmost confidence that Phil Jackson will steer him in the right direction. Now, I need to say something to all of the Carmelo Anthony haters of the world. Y’all are out of your damn minds!! As much as critics and fans alike enjoy picking Anthony’s game apart, he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the NBA. He may not be the best defender in the NBA, but does defense really exist in the NBA?? And the notion that a team can not win with Carmelo Anthony on its roster; is ludicrous. Carmelo Anthony is what he is. He is one of the best pure scorers the game has ever seen who also happens to grab 8 -10 rebounds a night. Everyone is trying to turn him in to a player that he simply will never be. You know what Melo’s biggest mistake is? That he isn’t Lebron James. Ever since high school, the two have been linked. Their head-to-head matchups in high school were televised, they came out of the same NBA draft class, and most recently they shared the same free agency spot light. Melo is not the passer Lebron is, he’s not the defender Lebron is, and he simply is not the all around player Lebron is. And you know what? That’s okay. That doesn’t mean that you can’t win a championship with Carmelo Anthony on your roster. Phil Jackson will put a roster in place that highlights the strengths of everyone on it, and most importantly, Carmelo Anthony will be utilized correctly for the first time in his career. Just watch for Anthony’s 4th quarter contributions under Phil Jackson opposed to the tired, wobbly legged Anthony we’ve grown accustom to seeing under the likes of Mike and Mike (no not that Mike and Mike); Woodson and D’Antoni. Anthony has always been asked to do too much. With a real point guard and a proper system in place, don’t be surprised to see Anthony thrive as a member of the new look Knicks.

Any Day Now……

July 10, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

It’s funny how in the world of Social Media and the instantaneous reaction it feels like we’ve been enduring the process of NBA Free Agency for forever now, but in reality, teams have only legally been allowed to talk to players for 9 days. And players are only allowed to officially ink deals as of today, July 10th at 12:01 a.m. It only seems like forever since Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James opted out of their contracts because we talk about it every second of every day. Between sports talk radio, twitter, and the nonstop “updates” from Chris Broussard, Brian Windhorst, and Marc Stein on ESPN every 4 minutes, we have had Lebron speculation shoved down our throats all day long. And that’s all this is; speculation. Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and the rest of this years free agents are taking their time with their decisions, and rightfully so, as this is potentially the biggest decision of their lives.

We all know the rumors swirling around Lebron, Melo, and Chris Bosh: Lebron could return “home” to Cleveland (believe it or not Akron and Cleveland are not the same place), Chris Bosh could return “home” by going to the Houston Rockets (he’s actually from Dallas), and Melo can do the only thing he was ever going to do and stay in NY. There are many other outside possibilities of what is going to transpire, but I unlike the rest of the world, am going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. That show should start today when Melo re-signs with the Knicks. I mean, cbssports.com already prematurely broke the story that Melo will be re-signing with the Knicks, but hey maybe he’ll go play for the coach-less Lakers (because that’s a real option).

The most unfortunate part in all of this is that when someone wins (as in winning their free agent of choice), someone else has to lose. And this is the part where you can bust out your violin for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland is probably being duped once again. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice……you know how the rest of that one goes. Not only is Cleveland banking on Lebron’s desire to return home, but they are clearing cap space to ensure that they have enough money to sign Lebron James. Let me just say that the only way Lebron is going back to Cleveland is if Kevin Love somehow gets traded there this week and agrees to sign a long term deal. Good luck. As much fun as all this speculation is, we are just going to have to take a chill pill and wait out these decisions. Once again, if you actually pull out the calendar, we haven’t been waiting that long. The funniest part to all this is we are most likely going to watch all of this hype suddenly fizzle out when every major free agent ends up staying put. That would be funny wouldn’t it?

Everybody Ready For the Miami Heat To Start Trying??

April 20, 2013April 20, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Ready or not here come the NBA Playoffs. They will start today Saturday, April 20th at 3:00 p.m. when the Boston Celtics travel to New York to take on the Knicks. This is a very interesting series that carries many subplots on and off the court. As you all know, the city of Boston has gone through a heart wrenching week. While all are relieved that the persons responsible for the tragic bombings in Boston are dead or in custody, the city is still emotional right now. They also have a great sense of pride right now (as they should). The Boston Celtics would love to show their support to their great city and give it’s people something positive to cheer for. Beating the New York Knicks in the scheme of life means next to nothing, but it would even further unite the great people of their city. I personally feel for Boston. I think it is a great city filled with great people, and no one should have to experience what they have experienced over the past week. Again, sports are what they are, they are just games, but at times can mean so much more. New Yorkers know a little something about that. I feel that the Celtics team will give it their all and will take the Knicks to the limit in this playoff series. Now let’s talk about basketball for a minute. From a skill standpoint the Knicks are the better team with better players. However, if the Celtics are healthy and the Knicks are not, Melo and his boys might be in some trouble. The Celtics are a veteran squad who have playoff tested warriors. They know exactly what it takes to win. With all that being said, I still believe that Melo and the Knicks will be too much to handle for the Celtics. I believe this will be a hard fought series that will go the full 7 games. The home teams will stay undefeated throughout this series, and the Knicks will pull out a win at home in game 7. As for the rest of the playoffs, let me run down the schedule of games with each matchup and who I think will prevail:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

MIAMI HEAT (1) VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS (8)
Game 1 @Miami: Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 @Miami: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3 @Milwaukee: April 25, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4 @Milwaukee: April 28, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
*Game 5 @Miami: April 30
*Game 6 @Milwaukee: May 2
*Game 7 @Miami: May 4

NEW YORK KNICKS (2) VS. BOSTON CELTICS (7)
Game 1 @New York: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2 @New York: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 @Boston: April 26, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 @Boston: April 28, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
*Game 5 @New York: May 1
*Game 6 @Boston: May 3
*Game 7 @New York: May 5

INDIANA PACERS (3) VS. ATLANTA HAWKS (6)
Game 1 @Indiana: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 @Indiana: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3 @Atlanta: April 27, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 @Atlanta: April 29
*Game 5 @Indiana: May 1
*Game 6 @Atlanta: May 3
*Game 7 @Indiana: May 5

BROOKLYN NETS (4) VS. CHICAGO BULLS (5)
Game 1 @Brooklyn: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 @Brooklyn: Monday, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 @Chicago: April 25, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 4 @Chicago: April 27, 2 p.m., TNT
*Game 5 @Brooklyn: April 29
*Game 6 @Chicago: May 2
*Game 7 @Brooklyn: May 4

WESTERN CONFERENCE

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (1) VS. HOUSTON ROCKETS (8)
Game 1 @Oklahoma City: Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 @Oklahoma City: Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 @Houston: April 27, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 @Houston: April 29
*Game 5 @Oklahoma City: May 1
*Game 6 @Houston: May 3
*Game 7 @Oklahoma City: May 5

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (2) VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (7)
Game 1 @San Antonio: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2 @San Antonio: Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 @Los Angeles: April 26, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 @Los Angeles: April 28, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
*Game 5 @San Antonio: April 30,
*Game 6 @Los Angeles: May 2
*Game 7 @San Antonio: May 4

DENVER NUGGETS (3) VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (6)
Game 1 @Denver: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 @Denver: Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 @Golden State: April 26, 10:30 p.m. ESPN2
Game 4 @Golden State: April 28, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
*Game 5 @Denver: April 30
*Game 6 @Golden State: May 2
*Game 7 @Denver: May 4

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (4) VS. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (5)
Game 1 @Los Angeles: Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 @Los Angeles: Monday, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 @Memphis: April 25, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4 @Memphis: April 27, 4:30 p.m. ET, TNT
*Game 5 @Los Angeles: April 30
*Game 6 @Memphis: May 3
*Game 7 @Los Angeles: May 5

“*” = if necessary

I will start with the Eastern Conference, as I think this it is the easier conference to predict. The Heat will sweep the Bucks. If they don’t it means something went horribly wrong. As I stated earlier I believe the Knicks will beat the Celtics in 7 games. The Pacers will take out the Atlanta Hawks in 5 low scoring affairs. Now, the Nets vs the Bulls will certainly be a fun series to watch. You have the tough physical defense of Chicago going up against the tough physical offense of Brooklyn. While I like Chicago’s style of play, I think they are too banged up and Brooklyn’s roster will prove to be too much. I like the Nets in 7 grueling games.

Let’s move on to the Western Conference and see what’s going to happen. James harden had a great season. He will also have the privilege of facing his former team in the 1st round of the playoffs. Sorry James, you are going to get swept. If you go off for 45 at home in game 3 or 4 you may have the pleasure of losing in 5 games. Otherwise you’ll get a souvenir broom to bring home with you. Everyone is telling me how good of a matchup this is for the Lakers. To that I say HAHAHA. The Spurs will handle Dwight Howard and the Lakers without much of an issue. Yes, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol will play well, and two 7 footers are a lot to handle, but the Spurs are too good for the lakers. Period. I have the Spurs moving on in 5 games. The series that will be the most fun to watch is the Nuggets vs the Warriors. These are too fast paced high powered offenses that should try to outs ore each other. If you haven’t seen Stephen Curry play basketball yet, I have one word for you. Enjoy. However, Curry and David Lee can’t beat the Nuggets by themselves. Plus the Nuggets don’t exactly lose at home. I like the Nuggets in 6 games. Lastly, you have the best team in Los Angeles (the Clippers) taking on the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are big and physical and they play defense, but they can’t beat the Clippers in a 7 game series. Sorry Memphis, but you will be going home in 6 games. Better luck next year.

Check back next year when the 1st round is finally over and I’ll give you my predictions for the 2nd round. Cut down the number of teams in the playoffs and you’ll solve a lot of problems. You may take money out of someone’s pocket, but it would be the right thing to do for the sake of the game. Enjoy the games everybody, and for objectivity’s sake: Let’s Go Knicks!!!!

I Aint Mad At Cha

March 18, 2013March 18, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

The New York Knicks lost their 4th straight game on the road Sunday afternoon. However, I can’t really yell at my favorite basketball team today. They put forth a solid effort against a superior Los Angeles Clippers team. By the way, Chris Paul is really really good at basketball. I know everyone knows that, but I felt the need to reiterate that point. If it wasn’t for Lebron James or Kevin Durant, Chris Paul would be the MVP of the league this year. His defense is extremely underrated and his patience with the basketball is second to none. While his defense Sunday was stellar on Raymond Felton, I found it funny that Felton waited until the game was just about out of reach to start playing hard. Felton scored 8 of his 16 points in the 4th quarter, and he looked good doing it. He was shaking and baking and taking the ball to the rim with authority. If only someone, ahem like the coach, had told him to attack the basket in the 1st quarter maybe the Knicks would have had a chance in this game. The Knicks never had a chance to win this basketball game though, however they never quit. They kept fighting until the final buzzer, and that is the kind of effort they need to sustain when Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler return to action. As for the game yesterday, there isn’t much to figure out. The Knicks starting lineup consisted of Kurt Thomas, Kenyon Martin, and Chris Copeland. That’s all you need to know to figure out how this game played out. The Clippers defeated the Knicks 93-80, but not without putting up a fight first. The Knicks played a tough physical brand of defense yesterday (just ask the Clippers front court if they like Kenyon Martin). I think Kenyon Martin is really funny by the way. Every time there is a questionable call against him, he looks at the referee and his eyes do the talking. So now that we’re assuming that Kenyon Martin’s eyes can talk they say, “Come on man, you know you’re making that call because my name is Kenyon Martin, not because that was a foul.” Anyway, it was an impressive feat to hold the Clippers high powered offense to only 93 points. The only problem was the Knicks “C” squad was only able to muster up 80 points (and that included 12 3-pointers). This game, if for nothing else, should be a nice confidence boost for Steve Novak, Jason Kidd, and Chris Copeland. All hit 3 3-pointers, and kept their team within striking distance throughout most of this game. Unlike everyone else in the world, I am not jumping ship on the Knicks, not just yet. Their success depends entirely on the health of Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony going forward obviously, but I see the Eastern Conference as a toss-up outside of Miami. If the Knicks get healthy and hot at the right time, they could still make some noise in the playoffs. For now, they will have to make do with the roster they’ve got. We will see if they can finally win a game against a desperate Utah Jazz team on Monday night. This is the final game of their tough 5 game road trip. The Jazz haven’t been playing too well as of late, but they need a win to keep pace with the Lakers for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. You can watch the Knicks take on the Jazz Monday night at 10:30 P.M. on ESPN.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook athttp://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

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