Coaches Gone Wild

Coaches are lucky they can't get flagrant twos because there have been a couple incidents in the past week or so that might cause a change in the rules for where coaches can be.

First up is Jason Kidd. Even though he is a rookie coach he already has some tricks up his sleeve. To gain an extra "time out", Kidd told Tyshawn Taylor to hit him so he could accidentally spill his drink. The stoppage in play because of the spill let Kidd huddle his team together. Unfortunately for him the Nets still lost.

Next up is Kevin McHale. McHale intentionally walks back and forth in front of Duncan and then gets to the side of Duncan that Duncan is going to throw to. Pop about blew a gasket at this and ends up getting a technical for calling out the refs on not stopping McHale from doing this. Between these incidents and recent issues with coaches being too far onto the court I wouldn't be surprised if a rule mandating that coaches be in a certain spot throughout the game is implemented.

Bar Bash

Finally a video has been released of Larry Sanders bar brawl in Milwaukee. Larry is the one who is having trouble standing. Click here for the video.

Karate Kick

Not sure what Tony was thinking here but he really only got him with the shin.  

Super Mario Throwing Elbows

Chalmers vs Dirk

Chalmers vs Blake

Mario Chalmers got called for a flagrant two on the top play where he hit Dirk Nowitzki with his elbow. This just after a similar play happened in the previous Heat game where Chalmers hit Blake Griffin with the same move. The Griffin one seen below is bad but it looks like Blake embellishes it a little, while the Dirk one seems much more real. Chalmers did tweet out he isn't a dirty player and never has been after he got suspended for the 2nd infraction. Either way probably not a great trend for Chalmers to start when this a contract year.

First Flagrant Twos of the Season

First flagrant two of the season belongs to Vince Carter for throwing an elbow at Steven "Kiwi" Adams.

Not sure if this actually got retroactively put as a flagrant two but Schroder did get suspended for throwing a low blow at DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins. Check back for more flagrant twos throughout the season.

Who owns the belt?

Transitive Belt

I read this article and thought it was pertinent to repost here. While it's the reddit community doing it, this grantland post explains it pretty well.  Whoever wins the game against the last holder is the Transitive Belt Holder. Let's go Sixers.

Joe's Predictions for 2014

I always thought there should be more posts here for discussions and so I asked Chuck if I could be a contributor. As a first post, I thought I would make some predictions for the year.  

Spicy picks:

Anthony Davis will have a big year: This is the consensus probably anyways, but I am talking 2nd team NBA and Pelicans make the playoffs big year. In college, he was a matchup nightmare and I think this continues in the NBA. Even though he was hurt last year, he was the best rookie. He had both a better PER rating and wins share percentage than Damian Lillard. He's ready to make the leap and to let everybody know to respect the brow.

Pacers underachieve: The Pacers won't live up to everybody's expectations of them because for one, they weren't that great of team last year.  Their PG play is still questionable, and they seem to go on long stretches without scoring. They will still make the playoffs no doubt, but once Hibbert and West get called for 2 bad screens every game, you will see the result in the win/loss column.  I think calling cheap picks will hurt a lot of players this year (*cough* Garnett) but Hibbert and West seemed to do it a lot also.  They did play the Heat tight but I think that was really more about the matchup per position and not so much on their overall talent level.  Playoff seed somewhere around 4-6 but not top three in the East.

Bold Picks:

Rondo gets traded to the Mavericks: Rondo is going somewhere and Cuban has been silent too long.  Dirk is in a contract year and so they will resign him at a lower price, get Rondo, and then have some room for a FA next year. I can't see Lebron really going there but maybe a Bosh.  Not sure that would make the Mavs good, but if they added some pieces around a Rondo/Dirk setup, I would watch it.

Kobe kind of comes back, but can't do it anymore: Kobe comes back and looks pedestrian.  Like MJ 2001 Wizards pedestrian.  I think people, along with Kobe himself, are underestimating what a ripped achilles does to the actions you perform on the basketball court.  Google it if you want but it's not good.  Say he doesn't have a first step anymore, and can't jump.  The Lakers probably won't ever trade him but maybe they will put him in the WNBA.

Wizards get the #4 seed in the East: Can you say Polish Hammer? Gortat will help the Wizards establish a spot in the playoffs.  I love him as an NBA player, and the Wizards are ready to move on up. Wall has been due to make a splash and this year is it.  He probably still can't shoot but he gets easy transition buckets off steals, and is faster than most of the people guarding him.  Beal is a sophomore which always is a big stat boost.  No real bench but just play the starters all night and see what you get.  

A1 picks (Bold and Spicy):

Kevin Durant gets hurt and Westbrook comes back to lead the team: Durant is due for an injury and while it may be longer, I expect him to miss 15-18 games this year.  Hopefully for the Thunder, Westbrook comes back to take his place.  He will end up having a monster few games while Durant is gone paving the way for controversy which leads to Westbrook leaving down the road.  On a plus note, Steven Adams looks good for a Kiwi.

Warriors win the West (and maybe the title): Way out of left field but I think they have a good shot.  I think they match up well with most teams and can outscore most anybody.  They will win the West on a great season by not only Curry, but a healthy Bogut.  Iggy will do enough on defense that they won't need his points on offense.  Also, as much as I hate UNC guys, Barnes should have a better year too.  Heat still are the champs and they are tough to pick against but I will take the Warriors over everybody else.  Iggy is good but no one can keep LeBron in check.

If you disagree, discuss.

Drafting for the Future

Before the draft I thought I would throw up the names of some players who will be valuable in the future and that will become all-stars. The two players I really like are Victor Oladipo and Gorgui Dieng. I feel like their skill sets will benefit any team they are on and have the potential to become an all-star caliber player.

NBA Finals Prediction

I got the Heat in 6.

Sheed Retires (Again)

Super sad Sheed retired today. Hopefully he becomes an analyst. One thing I do know is someone needs to bring back the belts.

Shane Battier being Shane Battier

I can't imagine a more Battieresque play than him inbounding off the opponent.

Should have been a flagrant 2

For some reason the refs saw this as only a flagrant 1. I bet Blake doesn't thinks so.

LeBron is Becoming Incredibly Efficient

Friend of Flagrant Two

If your interested in fantasy basketball and some tips on how to improve your team please take a look at the Beantown Fantasy blog. http://beantownfantasy.wordpress.com/