Eastern Conference Finals Recap: Game 1

May 19, 2014May 19, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Well, who saw that coming? Who expected an offensive explosion from the often anemic Indiana Pacers offense? I know I didn’t. The Pacers starting five averaged just shy of 38 minutes each and all scored in double digits (yes, even Roy Hibbert scored in double digits). This helped lead The Pacers to a 107-96 win Sunday afternoon over The Miami Heat. History usually dictates that when Dwyane Wade plays well, the Heat win, however, it appears that just Lebron James and Dwyane Wade isn’t enough to beat a Pacers team when firing on all cylinders. With that being said, let us talk about what The Pacers accomplished in Game 1.

The Pacers managed an astounding 42.1% shooting from 3-point range. Their regular season average from downtown was only 38.2%. They also only averaged 92.5 points per game during the regular season, so the 107 points they put up in Game 1 was also somewhat of an anomaly. The entire Pacers roster played well, and they do have the size to counteract The Miami Heat’s smaller, more athletic lineup, however, I don’t foresee The Pacers sustaining this level of offensive efficiency. I also don’t believe that Chris Bosh will score only 9 points per game and continue to go 0 for the century from downtown (he went 0-5 from 3-point range in Game 1). The Heat also have a very solid track record when losing the 1st game of a playoff series. In the 2013 playoffs, they lost the 1st game in 2 out of their 3 series (against The Chicago Bulls and The San Antonio Spurs). The Heat went on to sweep the rest of The Bulls series and they went on to beat The Spurs as well to capture their 2nd straight NBA Championship.

Today, most people will be overreacting to The Miami Heat’s Game 1 loss, but I, as I’m sure you have already figured out, will not be. As much as I would enjoy The Heat losing in The Eastern Conference Finals, not only for my own personal enjoyment but for the mass hysteria that would cause, I just don’t see it happening. I believe Lebron James (aka the best player on the planet) will put his team on his shoulders, and on Wednesday morning, everyone will be seated (with arms and legs inside the vehicle) securely BACK on The Miami Heat bandwagon. You can catch Game 2 of The Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night @ 8:30 P.M. on ESPN. Can’t wait to watch more basketball until then? Then tune into TNT tonight @ 9:00 P.M. to catch The Oklahoma City Thunder take on The San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of The Western Conference Finals. That should be a highly competitive, fun series to watch as well. Enjoy!

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!

One-Liner Fridays

May 16, 2014May 16, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Every Friday I like to infuse a little humor into everyone’s day. Here you will find a one-liner on a topic from this past week. These gems will be one line and one line only (we’re gonna dance to one song and one song only). Enjoy.

Aaron Hernandez is the 2014 version of OJ Simpson….only dumber.

If I had essentially gotten away with double murder, I wouldn’t commit another murder to cover-up the first 2 murders that I already got away with; I would lay low for the REST OF MY LIFE.

Anyone else want Donald Sterling to go away?

Yea, me too, so here’s what we’re going to do: stop talking about him.

Michael Sam is living proof of something I say every day; everything is about money.

Unbelievably hypocritically, Michael Sam has decided to do a reality tv show about his path to the NFL as a gay player because, HE JUST WANTS TO BE SEEN AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER AND NOTHING ELSE.

With Marlin’s pitcher, Jose Fernandez, adding to the long list of pitchers needing tommy john surgery, MLB teams should just offer the surgery as an option on draft day.

Phil Jackson at the plate, and the pitch, he swings, and misses.

You know it’s bad when Phil Jackson can’t even convince his protégé to come work for him.

Now, Phil Jackson will be scouring middle schools across the country for his next coach.

I happen to like Stan Van Gundy as a coach, but you picked Detroit over Golden State?

Really?!?!

Must be the weather in Detroit that lured him in.

So let me get this straight, Johnny Manziel has the most jersey sales in the NFL since April 1st, people are actually excited and talking about the Cleveland Browns (for the 1st time in eternity), and in turn the organization will make more money, and you Jimmy Haslam, the owner of The Cleveland Browns, decide to tell Manziel to ‘act like a backup?!?!’

That makes about as much sense as the NCAA bylaws.

Oh yeah, there are hockey playoffs going on, I almost forgot.

In all seriousness, although I am not a New York Rangers fan, I fully appreciated the comeback that they pulled off to come back from being down 3 games to 1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I’m sure that Martin St. Louis will give it his all throughout the rest of these playoffs for himself, his teammates, and most importantly his mother.

This has been another edition of One-Liner Fridays. If you have a One-Liner of your own, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below. Thanks.

The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown

May 6, 2014May 6, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Monday night marked the beginning of the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs. Within the first 2 games, there were 2 emphatic statements made. One was better than good, while the other was ehhh for lack of another word, worse than bad. And Tuesday night, the other 2 games will get under way. Let’s start with The Good:

Chris Paul, and his Los Angeles Clippers, marched into Oklahoma City and sent a clear message to Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Chris Paul sent another message that I’m pretty sure his critics heard loud and clear as well. Paul put his Clippers on his back and led them to a decisive 122-105 victory to grab a 1 game to none lead in the series. Paul hit 8 three-pointers, that’s right, EIGHT three-pointers!! Yes, Paul went 8 of 9 from downtown and also added 10 assists to his stat line. He essentially contributed in half of his teams points Monday night. Paul, without a doubt will not continue to drain three’s at such a frenetic pace, however, he should be able to maintain his elite level of play throughout the entire 2nd round. This would get the monkey off his back and would land him in his first Conference Finals of his career. The MVP to be, Kevin Durant, may have something to say about that though, as I expect a bounce back performance in Game 2 from Durant and his trigger happy side-kick Russell Westbrook. By the way, imagine if Robin turned to Batman and said, “You know what Batman, I think we should change the name of this movie to Robin Returns.” Batman would have picked up Robin and put him back in his closet. Durant needs to man up and tell Westbrook to give him the damn ball and get out of his way! Anyone who knows basketball has been saying this for years, but I guess Durant doesn’t want to listen. Now, let’s move on to the bad….THE VERY BAD:

Roy Hibbert, oh poor Roy Roy. The stat line says it all: 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 5 fouls (in 18 Minutes). What in the blazing saddles is going on here?? Roy Hibbert is listed at 7’2″. 0 Rebounds?!?!?! You should get at least one rebound by accident….from the bench….when you’re 7’2″. I, along with the rest of the world do not understand what has happened to Roy Hibbert, but he better figure it out quick or else his Pacers will be watching the Heat steamroll the Wizards rather than having that dubious pleasure themselves. And last but not least, the unknown:

Only time will tell what will happen in the rest of the series’ that have yet to start, but the big conversation of the 2nd round thus far has been the Miami Heat vs. the Brooklyn Nets. A lot of people are jumping on the Brooklyn bandwagon because they swept the regular season series with the Heat this year (4-0). I for one am not buying into that. Yes, winning 4 straight games, no matter how close they were, against the two time defending champions is an outstanding feat, however, this is not the regular season anymore. The Miami Heat rest their players throughout the regular season, and from time to time honestly just don’t try sometimes. Come playoff time, Lebron, Wade, and company are all business, all the time. And frankly, they are just a better team than Brooklyn. The other question is, as a Knicks fan, if you had to root for one of these teams, who do you root for? This is not an easy question to answer, but I would have to root for the Heat. Despite what some delusional Knicks fans think, the Knicks and the Heat don’t have a rivalry anymore. The Knicks and Nets don’t have a rivalry yet either, but fuel will definitely be thrown on the fire if the Nets can somehow dethrone the Heat. Plus, Knicks fans can’t root for a team that employs Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (come on now!).

Stay tuned for my predictions going forward in these NBA Playoffs.

Thank you for reading and leave a comment in the section below.

NBA Playoffs to be Overshadowed No Longer

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

So far, the 2014 NBA Playoffs have been nothing short of spectacular. There have been 8 overtime games (including 4 in a row in the Memphis Grizzlies/Oklahoma City Thunder Series), and we still haven’t gotten out of the 1st round. More importantly, The Los Angeles Clippers and their fans showed up for Game 5 last night in L.A. and showed their support for the team. The Clippers held off the Golden State Warriors, winning the game 113-103 and now have a 3 games to 2 lead in this best of 7 series. As I mentioned earlier, The Grizzlies and Thunder did what they do, and played a 4th consecutive overtime game. The Grizzlies eked out a 100-99 victory over The Thunder to take a 3 games to 2 lead in that series as well. Another series concluded last night with The Washington Wizards defeating The Chicago Bulls and advancing to their first 2nd round appearance since 2005. Behind the youth of John Wall and Bradley Beal and the leadership of Nene, the Wizards will look to continue their run through the playoffs against the winner of the Atlanta Hawks/Indiana Pacers series. Side note: Roy Hibbert, why are you terrible at basketball? Anyway, outside of the Wizards series and the Miami Heat/Charlotte Bobcats series (that has been over for some time now), every other series has been ultra competitive and every game has been fun to watch. The biggest surprise of the 1st round has to be The Dallas Mavericks hanging in there with the battled tested San Antonio Spurs. And even though there have been 8 overtime games, I personally believe the best game so far has come from that series as well. Vince Carter’s buzzer-beater in Game 3 on Saturday was just the icing on the cake of an exhilarating final minutes of a great basketball game. In the final Minute and forty-six seconds The Mavericks and Spurs went a combined 7 for 8 from the field. Monta Ellis put forth an outstanding effort (scoring 29 points on 12-22 shooting), singlehandedly keeping his team in the game. And despite Manu Ginobli and Boris Diaw’s best efforts, Vince Carter put the nail in the coffin of Game 3 with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner. This series is now tied 2-2, and Game 5 will be played tonight in San Antonio.

Another important news story that has been completely overshadowed thanks to Donald Sterling, is the passing of Dr. Jack Ramsay. It’s a shame that a story as pathetic as Donald Sterling’s can overshadow the remembrance of one of the greatest NBA coaches of all-time. But, let’s see if we can pay the proper respects to a man who was so vital to the progress of the NBA. Dr. Jack Ramsay coached in the NBA for 20 years, and is currently 13th on the all-time wins list. He won an NBA Championship in 1967 as the General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers and also won a Championship in 1977 as the Coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. After retiring from coaching in 1988, Ramsay got into Broadcasting where he did play-by-play for The Philadelphia 76ers and The Miami Heat for 9 years. Ramsay was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 capping off a truly memorable career.

Thank you for reading and leave a comment in the section below.

Adam Silver Drops The Hammer!! (Thor Style)

April 29, 2014April 29, 2014 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 5 Comments

Today, April 29th, 2014, marks a historic day in NBA history. Adam Silver, the NBA’s new commissioner, held a press conference banning Los Angeles Clippers Owner, Donald Sterling, for LIFE from the NBA. Silver has also enforced a fine of $2.5 Million; the biggest possible fine allowable by the NBA. Despite Adam Silver’s obvious nerves and shaky voice in his press conference, I say AMEN to you Adam Silver. He simply did what HAD to be done. I honestly did not expect Silver to bring a lifetime ban upon Donald Sterling, but I couldn’t be happier that he did. There is NO place in the NBA, make that the world, for animals like Donald Sterling. Now, the other important tidbit of information we received today from this press conference is that the other majority owners in the NBA have the authority to force Sterling to sell The Clippers. In order to do this there must be a 75% vote amongst the other 29 owners in the NBA (this would translate to 22 out of these 29 owners). I say that Adam Silver has basically forced the hand of the owners to do just that; force him OUT!!

While the result of this press conference is a tremendous step in the right direction, there is more to this situation than meets the eye. This situation is about equality. It is about self-respect and human decency. And now that the NBA has done its part in banning Donald Sterling for life, the players and fans of the great NBA must stand up and do what’s right. The tough question that you must be asking yourself at this very moment is: What is the right thing to do as a fan or player? To that I have my opinion that I will express here. Sports, and basketball more specifically, while just a game, represents much more than that. Basketball gives people hope and creates unity among many different groups of people. Every player in the NBA, whether black, white, or any other color, can band together to create change. The players in the NBA can make a difference if they stick together. I don’t know individual players opinions in the NBA, but I’d like to think that most human beings feel that Sterling’s point of view is completely irrational and unacceptable in any walk of life. I believe that the players of the NBA need to stand up together and make an even stronger statement than Adam Silver and the NBA already did. Every player in the playoffs should take time before every game to lock arms and stand together as one. They should show bigots like Sterling that they are above the scum of the earth like him. They should show everyone in the world that blacks, whites, and any other race of people can and should live together in harmony. Anyone and everyone in the public eye should stand up to people like Sterling and voice their opinions.

Now, we wait for Sterling’s response (if he has one). What he should do is sell his team tomorrow, move to the middle of nowhere, and die, out of the public eye. What he will probably do is sue the ex-girlfriend (no I will not mention her name because she is simply a prostitute with no values) who leaked the tapes, and fight this to the bitter end. Either way, he will die in the near future as a hated racist. Today, as I said earlier, is a historic day in NBA history. I applaud Adam Silver and his team of people for doing the right thing today. He has forced the hand of the owners to rid the league of Donald Sterling. Don’t think so? Trust me. If any of the 29 other owners in the NBA vote NOT to force Sterling out, they will be in a world of hurt and viewed in a very negative light. Bye-Bye Donald Sterling. Enjoy your extra warm seat next to John Rocker and Marge Schott for eternity.

Please leave feedback in the comment section below. Thank you.

One Liner Friday’s

September 27, 2013September 27, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. After a 3 week break, I’m back!! Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in One Line and One Line only. Enjoy!!

All I have to say about the Jacksonville Jaguars idea to give any fans who purchase tickets to their game this weekend 2 free beers is: MMMMMMMMMMM BEER.

And, where can I buy some Jag’s tickets?

I wish everyone would understand that this 10 year/$305 million number Robinson Cano is “asking” for is just a bunch of white smoke.

No one is going to give him more than 7 years/$196 million (which is still absurd but it’s quite a bit less then $305), I mean the guy literally walks to 1st base on groundballs.

Hey Jay-Z, I know you like money because it ain’t a thang but stop trying to steamroll The Yankees and let’s get real.

Speaking of The Yankees, let’s get serious.

Thursday night marked the last time the best closer of all-time, Mariano Rivera, would ever step foot on the mound in Yankees Stadium.

His career is unparalleled and is one of the finest human beings to ever play the game of baseball.

Good luck filling those shoes David Robertson.

Andy Pettite is also hangin ’em up after this season, making his final start this weekend in Houston.

He had a very solid career and will be missed in the Yankees organization as well.

Let me preface the next few statements by saying I Love The New York Jets.

But, they are NOT as good as everyone thinks.

I repeat, they are not very good.

The Defense is very good, but this is still a 6 or 7 win team at best, and for people to think they are going to make the playoffs all of a sudden because they are 2-1 is RIDICULOUS!!

Oh they beat The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and The Buffalo Bills, both at home, yeah you’re right they’re great what was I thinking?!?!

Is it awkward for The Sacramento Kings organization to have Shaquille O’ Neal be part owner now considering he called them The Sacramento Queens back in the day??

I hate Floyd Mayweather Jr. with a passion!!

But, he is the best in the world right now, so you gotta give him credit where it’s due.

Bye Bye Bud Selig, you will not be missed.

I think he wanted to retire before Major League Baseball’s squeaky clean name got tied to Steroids, haha.

RG3 says he doesn’t know how to slide, and to that I say: What are you retarded?

Way to grow some cojones Carlos Gomez!!

I mean Brian McCann would have kicked your ass, but at least you didn’t back down or hide behind an umpire in a scrum like Chris Johnson.

Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant don’t have real beef with each other, rather they are in cahoots in some major marketing scheme….just wait and see.

So The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are going to split the 2015 All-Star Game Festivities right down the middle???

Yeah, nothing says heated rivalry like a little sharing.

Have you ever seen someone take a bigger beating in a victory before in your life?

Don’t know what I’m talking about just see exhibit A: UFC Champion Jon Jones’ face after defeating Alexander Gustafsson.

Someone let The New York Football Giants know what time their game is this week because I don’t think they knew last week; that’s why they didn’t show up!

Ouch!

Have you ever watched (or not watched) a more pathetic display of football in your life?

Maybe they’ll put forth a better effort in Kansas City this week….eh probably not.

Yeah, we believe you Colin Kaepernick when you say you don’t care what anybody has to say about you.

So is that why you SAVED AND FAVORTIED all of your hate tweets online last week?

Idiot.

Well, this has been another edition of One Liner Friday’s. I hope you enjoyed them!! If you have your own One Liner’s you want to leave me, please write them in the comment section below. Thanks.

One Liner Friday’s

August 23, 2013August 23, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!!

Ah yes, I must start with Ryan “Put Him In The Dumpster” Dempster.

I figured it out, The Dumpster thinks he is Batman, and felt taking the law into his own hands was perfectly acceptable (“They’ll have to understand, I’m Batman!”).

You know, it’s a shame Dempster had do this, I actually used to like him thanks to his hysterical Harry Caray impression.

Ryan Braun is O.J. Simpson.

Think about it, if you obviously committed a crime and got away with it, wouldn’t you go hide in a cave somewhere and make sure you never repeated such an egregious error again?

Enough of this Preseason nonsense, let’s bring on the real football already!

Are you ready for some fantasy football??

How bout dem’ Yankees!!

They have now won 5 games in a row, and they’re coming for a playoff spot; watch out everybody.

I know A-Rod has helped the team in their latest surge, but for people not to thank Alfonso Soriano for the teams offensive resurgence is ridiculous.

Tiger keeps playing well before and after Majors, hmmmmmm.

Anybody else tired of hearing about Jhonny Manziel?

Oh okay good, it’s not just me, for a second there I thought everyone was enjoying that drivel.

Roger Federer ranked 7th in the U.S. Open?!?!

It’ll be sad to watch him go, but this is the beginning of the end for the best tennis player in the history of the world.

I bet you didn’t know this, or even know who they are, but the Bryan brothers are the Tiger Woods (if you could clone him) of Men’s Doubles in Tennis.

They are twin brothers, and they currently hold the ‘Tiger Slam’ in tennis and will make it the traditional Grand Slam when they win The U.S. Open and hold all 4 Slam titles in the same calendar year.

By the way Ryan Braun, no one wants your stupid fake apology so just shove it somewhere painful.

Clayton Kershaw is one of the best pitchers baseball has ever seen, his e.r.a. this season is 1.72!

Cliff Paul’s twin brother Chris was named the NBA’s new President of the Player’s Union.

I think it’s a solid move (I mean who wouldn’t want a car insurance agent working for them?).

I know I’m repeating myself with this one, but I want everyone to know who predicted Mayweather’s first loss first.

Canelo Alvarez will take down Floyd Mayweather Jr. on September 14th.

Major League Baseball is getting to the exciting part of the year when the rest of you start watching and football is right around the corner, man this time of the year is great.

Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone!!

One Liner Friday’s

July 26, 2013July 26, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Hello and welcome back to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you can find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!!

Hey what do you know, Bill Belichick does have a heart.

I was actually starting to wonder if he was a robot.

Has anyone seen that picture of Tyson Chandler in a pair of shorts?

Forget one line, I have one word for Tyson Chandler : SQUATS!

I know virtually no one has noticed, but we must be in bizarro world because the U.S. Men’s Soccer team has won 9 games in a row!

Dear Derek Rose, I love the confidence, but you must be high as a kite to say that you are the best player in the NBA.

We all know you didn’t play any games last year, but apparently you didn’t watch any games either.

The Hefty Lefty shot a remarkable final round 66 to win the Open Championship, I’m just glad there were no tents in his way this year.

From now on, I think Tiger Woods should wear Pink on Sundays.

Is anyone else tired of hearing about A-Rod?

Here, I will be taking a stand against the meaningless A-Rod drivel that everyone else is pushing.

I will give you one last line: he cheated and lied, but he’s clearly The Yankees best option at 3rd base so play him until he gets suspended.

Isn’t it sad though that The Yankees are going to rely on Alfonso Soriano to be their savior?

Wait a minute, Alfonso Soriano, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettite, and Mariano Rivera, where is Chuck Knoblauch when you need him?

Lebron left his city, now he’s turning his back on his own country, what’s next? (Maybe he’ll move to Canada)

Ryan Braun bet his life and he’s still alive and Aaron Rodgers bet his salary and he’s still living large, let’s bring out the electric chair so we can move on with our day. #welchonabet

Matt Ryan gets paid!!!!!!

Apparently winning 1 career playoff game is the new benchmark for a $100 million dollar contract.

So big hits at the college level are now cause for ejection, I’m glad the NCAA is attempting to completely ruin another aspect of their game, what a shocker.

They might as well put tutu’s on these guys and let them hit each other with pillows.

Football is a violent sport, let’s leave it that way!!

Speaking of football, Jaws must be sharing Derek Rose’s stash if he thinks Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan are both better than Drew Brees.

On a serious note: I feel horrible for Tim Hudson, who over the past 15 years has been one of the most solid and consistent pitchers in all of baseball.

I feel really bad that he got injured the way he did, and I hope he is able to return to form and pitch in the Major League’s again.

The Mets are not just ruining their own players careers, but have now figured out how to ruin their opponents careers too.

Jaromir Jagr was born during World War II, and he is still playing in the NHL; amazing.

With the start of training camp it’s time to get excited about football, but I think it’s cute that Jets fans are actually convinced that they can win 9 games this year.

4 spot, if they’re lucky.

Have a nice weekend everybody!!

One Liner Friday’s

July 19, 2013July 19, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

Hello and welcome to another edition of One Liner Friday’s. Here you will find the past week in sports wrapped up in one line and one line only. Enjoy!!

Mark my words: Everyone at the Open Championship needs to watch out for Tiger Woods.

I know I know, that’s a really hard prediction to make, but I’m making it because he has found a nice rhythm and he’s got the putter working (he doesn’t lose when he putts well).

That’s a scientific fact!

Anchorman anyone?

The MLB All-Star Game is the only one of the major sports that I look forward to not watching.

It can’t be an exhibition and mean something at the SAME TIME!!

The HomeRun Derby is still cool though.

Watching human beings (albeit human beings on massive amounts of growth hormones) hit baseballs 500 feet never gets old.

Yoenis Cespedes is a beast!!

For those of who didn’t watch the ESPY’S (like me), you need to check out Lebron James’ outfit:

Umm excuse me Mr. usher, can you help me find my seat?

Whatever happened to the regular old black tux?

So little Johnny Manziel is getting drunk, getting arrested, and is in the process of ruining his future, it sounds like he’ll fit right in in the NFL.

But, whatever you do John, just remember that NOBODY CARES!!

A-Rod says he’ll be back on the Yankees on Monday, I want to believe him, I just don’t.

Oh you want a $25 million dollar contract?

But you don’t have any major injuries?

Oh no I’m sorry I can’t give you a contract unless at least one of your body parts is falling apart.

What’s that, you do have knees that are deteriorating, by all means then J.R. Smith, please sign right here.

Jaws must have been smoking that good stuff when he made is QB list because there is no way in hell that Matt Ryan is better than Drew Brees.

Lebron, Kobe, and Melo are not going to wind up on the same team.

That’s crazy, that would be like Iron Man, Thor, and The Hulk all teaming up to……..ahhh or maybe it could happen.

Does Kevin Garnett know that he’s going to have to coach the Nets while Jason Kidd is in jail??

I’d like to end on a serious note.

This year is the 20th anniversary of Jimmy V’s famous “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up” speech.

I’d just like to say that we should never take anything, anyone, or any day we have for granted because you never know when it’ll all be gone.

Cherish your lives every day, and appreciate the life that you have.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend everybody!!

We Take The Good With The Very Bad

July 16, 2013July 16, 2013 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Just when you think the New York Knicks are heading down the right path, they turn around and drive the wrong direction on a one way street. On the heels of good news comes devastating news. With a smart pickup comes a head scratching decision. There is simply not enough time in New York Knicks land to enjoy one of their managerial moves. For those of you who aren’t quite sure what I’m talking about, the Knicks have agreed to a 2-year deal with Metta World Peace (a deal worth $3.2 million and has a player option on the second year). At the same time the news of this signing broke, the horrifying news of J.R. Smith’s knee surgery hit “news stands”. All you twitter children out there are probably saying uhhh, what’s a news stand? Now I know it’s hard to figure out which is the good news and which is the bad, but rest assured I’ll clear it up for you.

Metta World Peace is a slight risk at all times, but if he plays the gritty physical defense we know he can then the reward will outweigh the risk. Personally, I like the signing because he brings to the floor exactly what the Knicks lack; psychotic tendencies. Even at the ripe ‘old’ age of 33, the artist formerly known as Ron Artest can still contribute at the defensive end. Now while I like the signing, World Peace is not the savior for the Knicks franchise (like some unrealistic and over zealous Knicks fans think). J.R. Smith is also not the Knicks savior, but he is an integral part of the Knicks game plan. And that is why it was horrifying to learn that just weeks after the ink dried on his 4-year, $24.7 million extension, Smith is currently laid up after patellar tendon surgery and arthroscopy on a torn meniscus. Such a surgery will require 3-4 months recovery time, and trust me Smith will never be the same again. Of all the absurdly stupid decisions the Knicks have made in the past, this is by far the most ridiculous. The Knicks claim to have known that Smith would need surgery for his chronic and gradually worsening injuries. ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?!?! Did the Knicks not learn anything from the Amar’e Stoudemire disaster? To answer my own question, obviously not! This is worse than the Amar’e Stoudemire deal by a landslide because even if Smith returns healthy and produces at a high level, you should learn from your mistakes. That is the first thing parents teach their children, but obviously Glen Grunwald’s parents nanny didn’t remember to teach him that one. Here’s a bit of advice for every president or general manager of a club thinking ofsigning a player with a chronic injury to a long term deal; DON’T DO IT! The Knicks are as poorly a run franchise that you’ll ever find. The end.

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