A Few Thoughts

Hire Thibodeau
Teams should really consider Tom Thibodeau as head coach. His current tenure with the Boston Celtics should prove beyond a doubt that he is one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA. Against both the Cavaliers and the Heat, his defense has shown remarkable ability to adapt its style. The Celtics also dominated an Orlando Magic team which had given every other team fits.

Character Doesn’t Count with the Redskins
While the Bengals get all the headlines, the Redskins have signed quite a few terrible people. Albert Haynesworth, who is now refusing to play because of the shift to a 3-4 defense, stomped another player on the head before they signed him. The most recent travesty is Darrion Scott. Darrion Scott admitted to placing a bag over his infant’s head. He claims it was to “test him” to see if he could get the bag off. That’s his defense.
A football team can function with terrible people on it. It’s just better to have a team that doesn’t have these issues. The Redskins always look better on paper than they perform. This may be one of the reasons.

My heart says Suns; My head says Lakers.
I would love for the Suns to win a championship. I would love for teams to copy their up and down style of play. I used to joke with friends that if the NBA wanted better ratings, it should clone Don Nelson and make him coach every team. The Suns plays basketball the “right way for fans.”
Nevertheless, the Lakers are the better team. I think they win in 6.

Kobe>Lebron
Comparing the two teams, I believe the Cavaliers have almost as much talent as the Lakers. The Lakers have Artest, Gasol, and Odom to support Kobe. The Cavaliers have Mo Wiliams, Jameson, and Shaq. If I played those three against each other, NBA Jam Style, I’d give the slight edge to the Lakers. The two biggest difference between the two teams: the conduct of their star player and the skill of their head coach.
Given the extent of injuries that Kobe has been managing this season, I think it’s important to point out that Kobe Bryant, right now, is a better player to depend on to win a championship. Lebron’s phantom elbow injury dramatically impacted his game and the whole team. Kobe Bryant has worked through his injuries. He has two bad fingers. Kobe Bryan understand how you have to play to win a championship. Kobe understands pain. Lebron does not.

Breaking News: NBA Refs are still terrible
The NBA is constantly hurt with allegations of games being fixed, star players getting to break the rules, and other things calling into question its integrity. You know who the Mavericks fear to face in the playoffs? Dick Bavetta. While its probably true NBA refs also have biases, it’s also true they’re just terrible.
In game 1 of the Magic-Celtics game, they totally ignored the lane violation that occurred when Jameer Nelson hit his last minute shot after a Vince Carter FT miss. There should have been no basket. Immediately after, Kevin Garnett threw the ball “inbounds” to Ray Allen before the Magic set-up their press. Normally, this is a smart player, since Ray Allen is exactly who you want to take free throws at the end of the game. However, Kevin Garnett was nowhere near behind the line. It’s a turnover.
The truth is that rather than improving the game, the NBA’s desire to have refs swallow the whistle at the end of game makes the game worse. Colleges games come down to free throws. College games come down to turnovers. Fans love it. Switching sports, the NHL has seen a renaissance in playoff interest since it stopped the old rule of ignoring penalties during the playoffs. The NBA should do the same.
What’s the worst that could happen? People will say the same stuff about the NBA they’re saying now!