D fish and my Birthday!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Hello everyone out there in blogger world.
My name is Brad, and I am a Fishoholic.

That's right, I love Derek Fisher.

Before I tell you why I love Derek Fisher, let's recount his incredibly successful NBA career.

Does everyone remember this moment?



At the moment I felt as if my entire body was on fire.
There was a palpable electricity in that arena, felt head to toe by all those who witnessed Derek's majesty.

I have followed Derek all around the NBA.

First with the Lakers

Then with the Warriors

Then the Utah Jazz

Then back to the Lakers, The Rockets, and on to the Thunder

From the Thunder Fish went to the Mavs

Then back to the Thunder.

I hear you haters and naysayers screaming chants of "too many teams!"

YOU ARE WRONG!

Brad O'Neal is here to set you straight

Check out how many teams I - Shaquille "Brad" O'Neal - played for.

Derek Fisher has an understanding of this game that is unparalleled in the modern NBA or in NCAA play.

The only two men who could understand how his genius mind functions are Phil Jackson, and the late John Wooden.

Oh, and Me.

Make it three men who can recognize and understand true genius.

Say what you will about the New York Knicks 5-33 record. I have no doubt that Fisher will be Coach of the Year.

NO DOUBT!

13 straight losses? This is all part of his master plan.

If Derek Fisher doesn't end up with more rings than Phil Jackson at the end of his coaching career, then I am a liar!

I wouldn't be surprised if the Knicks won their next 40 games under Fisher's tutelage.

God Bless America, and God Bless Derek Fisher.

Thank you.

- Brad (Derek's biggest fan)

A Jew, A Muslim, and a mormon make their NBA predictions.

Steve Balmer will be…

Mo
The center of at least one controversy this year.  Maybe he takes off his shirt at a game.  Maybe he'll tackle a ref.  All I know is it's going to be inadvertently hilarious.

ROJO

The darling of the NBA. He will be shown rooting for all of the clippers game. Mike Greenberg and Van Gundy will get so tired of having to mention Balmer’s name during their game commentary that they will almost wish that Donald Sterling was back… Almost.

Drew 

 will be willing to allow minorities to attend games

Cleveland will be… 

Mo
interesting.  I'm having a hard time trusting a rookie coach and a frontline that relies on Anderson Varejo to play meaningful minutes.  But then, there's LeBron and K Love on the same team, and that might just be too much talent for other teams in the East to overcome.  


ROJO

Still the worst major-city to live in America. Take it away Jo

Drew
Cleveland will be better than Detroit

The Spurs will be… 

MO
NBA Champions again, cementing Tim Duncan's place in the upper echelons of basketball royalty.  People seem to think that because Tim Duncan is quiet, he's not a fierce competitor. He wants those six rings to match Jordan as much as anyone. 


ROJO

The Spurs. I think this will be they’re last year on top, but no one can deny how good they were last year. I think Duncan retires after this year, but I think he does it on top.

ROJO
The Spurs will be Viagra for people who like fundamentals

The Coach of the year will be… 

Mo
not Gregg Popovich, which is a travesty.  It'll probably be Stan Van Gundy after the Pistons make the playoffs and Andre Drummond becomes a stud.  

ROJO

Steve Kerr, which is a travesty. Mark Jackson never received the type of praise that he deserved for taking a perennial laughing stock of the NBA and making it a good team. If you ask me, its because Jackson is an outspoken Christian and an African American. Kerr will ride off the success that Jackson had and the Warriors will be about the 4^th seed in an overly competitive west.

DREW

The coach of the year will be Lionel Hollins

Mo
The 6th man of the year will be…
Jamal Crawford and/or Doug McDermott.  Taj Gibson is not going to be playing late in games like last year.  McDermott might have one of those insane years and become evolutionary Kyle Korver faster than we think.  But we might be overthinking everything and it might just be Jamal Crawford doing Jamal Crawford things.  

ROJO

Reggie Jackson 

DREW

The 6th man of the year will be Tyreke Evans

Mo
The biggest draft bust will be…
Noah Vonleh.  He was soft in college, and he'll be soft in the NBA.  He's playing behind Big Al Jefforson, so we'll never see him, and after a couple years of not playing he'll be traded.

ROJO

Aaron Gordon/ Elfrid Payton. Orlando went risky and gambled on two highly talented, underdeveloped players. My prediction is that both will not pan out. Gordon because he has no post moves, is undersized for a power forward, and has a low free throw percentage. Payton because there is a lot of marijuana in the world and that man looks like he could smoke all of it.

DREW

Shawn Bradly

The rookie of the year will be… 

Mo
Jabari Parker.  If MCW won last year, then that proves that stats, rather than actually mattering to your team, doesn't matter (It is a sham that Mason Plumlee didn't win the award last year).  Jabari is gonna put up huge numbers on a really bad (albeit entertaining) Bucks team.

ROJO

Jabari Parker. The dude can ball. He’ll barely miss the all-star team. He’s ready to play at a competitive level right now. Like Mo said he’s also on a pretty crappy team.

DREW

Shawn Bradly


The NBA MVP will be…

MO
Anthony Davis.  LBJ won't play as many games and will probably be limited minutes wise.  KD is going to be recovering from injury.  Anthony Davis grew a ton during FIBA.  I did a highlight for one of his preseason games, and everyone keeps talking about, 'When AD makes the leap.'  Well, I think it's going to be sooner than people think.  Dude is too good.

ROJO

Lebron James. He’s enchanted everyone in the NBA with his decision to go back to Cleveland. He’s going to put up slightly worse numbers than the year before, but because he chose to sacrifice his posh existence in South Beach to return to the city of broken dreams, the NBA will give him the MVP trophy.  As they should

Take it away Jo.

Drew

Lebron

Atlantic Division Predictions

How do you feel when the Oscar Award for best picture goes to the movie you have never heard of?

How do you feel when you go to your favorite restaurant (starved) only to find they closed early?

How do you feel when you go to see your favorite band in concert…and they play the “soon to be released and none of the classics?

If your answers to the above questions is “incomplete” and “maybe a little bit robbed”…STOP READING NOW….you will not like the ending here…

This week is opening night for the NBA…6 teams are in action.  We are only 2520 regular season games away from knowing who will make the 2014/15 playoffs.  That seems like an awfully long time to wait to see who will be the “Beast of the East” or the “Least of the East”.  To keep my article somewhat short…I am going to bust my prediction into 3 parts….The Atlantic, The Central and The Southeast.  Today…The Atlantic…

To accurately predict the outcome of the Atlantic Division, I will need to reach deep into the bowels of the basement storage and pull out the MAGIC 8 Ball…a few shakes here and a few shakes there…flip the ball upside down and see who will rule this season… its MAGIC… 

Here are my predictions (in alphabetical order):

ME:                                       Oh Magic 8 Ball….will the BOSTON CELTICS win the Atlantic this                                                           season?

MAGIC 8 BALL:                          

OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD

When a teams three highest paid players are pulling down a cool $34 million and your reaction when you hear their names spoken aloud is…

Rajon Rondo                         $13 million a year               Is he related to Rajon “I am injured” Rondo?

Gerald Wallace             $11 million a year                  Didn’t he play for the original John Thompson?

Jeff Green                        $10 million a year                  Who?

…you have to ask, “Is that MAGIC 8 Ball a prophet of sorts?”

ME:                                    Magic 8 Ball…will the Brooklyn Net win the Atlantic this season:

MAGIC 8 BALL:                        MY SOURCE SAYS NO

When your three highest salaries are a combined 101 years of age…

Kevin Garnett                        38 years old

Joe Johnson                        33 years old

Deron Williams            30 year old

…you realize the 8 ball is no prophet.  Visiting a “source” to get that answer = NO PROPHET ZONE

ME:                                    Big 8….what is the news on the KNICKS?  They hanging one this year?

MAGIC 8 BALL:                        ASK AGAIN LATER

Clearly the PHIL FACTOR in play here…the Zen Master is reconfiguring the universe and he has thrown the infamous split finger to the 8 Ball…and it is stumped and buying some time….so, we will in fact ask later!

ME:                                    Yo 8!  Whazz up wiff the Sixers?   They going Moses Malone in ’15?

MAGIC 8 BALL:                        CONCENTRATE AND ASK AGAIN!

I got nothin!   Total payroll is $33 million…(Boston is paying their top three $34 million)…$33 million for 15 players?   Head coach is Brett Brown.  Did I already say, “I got Nothin?”  Rita’s…Geno’s….and Flyers…

ME:                                    Crazy 8???  Do the Raptors have a chance up there in Tim Horton land?

MAGIC 8 BALL:            

WITHOUT A DOUBT

7-1 in the pre-season….the only loss was to Sacramento…maybe an over-look there?  Young, hungry and talented.  When the maple syrup starts dripping and the Leaf’s fans are done…look for the Raptors to challenge the leaders of the Southeast and Central for the East Crown…

So…early on I asked you about Oscars, restaurants and concerts.  How do I tie that into my prediction?

How will you feel if the Toronto Raptors win the Atlantic Conference and challenge The Roses, The James and The Ex-James’ in the Eastern Conference Finals?  I will tell you how you will feel?

1.     Name any player on the Raptors current roster?

2.     Name the Raptors team colors, Arena or province they play in?

3.     Is Rob Ford affiliated with the team?

Watching the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs would definitely be like the Oscar, restaurant and concert analogy….You would feel incomplete & even a little bit robbed…

Stay tuned for the Southeast and Central predictions.

Mo, Ro, and Drew’s NBA predictions

 1. The NBA’s biggest surprise will be… 

Mo
Individually or as a team?  Individually, Anthony Davis.  He's my MVP pick this year.  Teamwise, probably the Washington Professional Basketball Team.  Last year they were a team with all the talent but none of the experience.  Paul Pierce adds that.  Also sneaky good signings in DeJuan Blair and Kris Humphries, and Glen Rice Jr was one of the standouts of summer league.  Deep, talented, and deadly.

Ro

 That Andrew Wiggins is not going to be that good this year. I doubt he will get much playing time. The kid is still 18 really isn’t ready to play in the NBA. Defensively he looks sharp but he is a project on the offensive side of the ball. Teamwise, I don't think we realize how bad the Indiana Pacers will be without Paul George and Lance Stephenson. I'd say they'd miss the playoffs but they are in the east. I don't think that they will have a winning record. 

Drew: 

Hornets

2. The winner of the eastern conference will be…

                   

 Mo- Washington Professional Basketball Team for all the reasons above.  They're the biggest, the strongest, and don't have a weak spot on their roster.  If Nene and Gortat play with the sort of motivation they did all year last year, they'll be hard to beat.  

Ro- Cleveland. You just can’t deny how good this team is. LBJ’s first year in South beach the team was in the number 1 seed. This is Lebron’s second time playing with a big three. He’ll know

what to do and how to do it. I have a hard time seeing anyone in the east even holding a candle to a team that has Kyrie Irving, K-Love, and the guy that should be the MVP every year. 

Drew

Cleveland



3. The runner up of the eastern conference will be… 

Mo-Chicago Bulls.  I'm really worried about their defense, and the fact that Mike Dunleavy Jr. is their starting small forward.  I feel like this team is almost too deep - there are too many good players that will want to contribute minutes, and this might create some uneasiness in the locker room.  Would love to see a trade at some point to upgrade at small forward.  

Ro-Chicago Bulls. They drafted well. They signed well. They recovered well. Coach Thib is the best coach in the NBA not named Greg Popavich. He had a competitive team with one only All-Star last year. This year they have everyone back and have added Pau Gasol. They’ll threaten Cleveland but will fall just short.

Drew: Bulls

4. The Winner of the Western Conference will be… 

Mo-San Antonio Spurs.  Did you see what they did last year?  It doesn't matter if they get worse; they were leaps and bounds better than every other team last year.  

Ro-San Antonio Spurs. The thing I’ve learned over the past five years is not to bet against the spurs. They are like a fine wine. They only get better with age.

Drew

San Antonio

5. The runner up of the of the Western Conference will be… 

Mo- Clippers. I see the Thunder taking a step back, with KD being injured, and the Thunder didn't really do anything to get better. This is the year for Chris Paul. They wouldn't have bowed out last year if not for the chaos of the Sterling controversy, and this would be a great way to kick off the Balmer Era in LA.

Ro- Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Clippers will be a very close second. KD will only miss the first six weeks of the season. That event will help Russel Westbrook grow. OKC will be what they are every year. KD and Westbrook will be just good enough to hide the fact that Scott Brooks has no idea how to run a basketball team. Just watch them for more than a highlight and you’ll realize that the team doesn't have an offense.

Drew-

Blazers

6. The worst in the East will be… Mo-The 76ers.  Unlike other bad teams, they're not even interesting to watch (sorry Rojo).  I honestly believe that taking to this extent is damaging; players get better by tasting success, not learning bad habits because they're being pummeled into the ground over and over again.  Long term, I think this is a very damaging approach.  

Ro-The 76ers. I lived in Philly for two years and everyone’s favorite player was Iverson (this was when Iverson was completely irrelevant/retired/Skidrow drunk). The fact of the matter is no one in that city pays attention to basketball and that includes the front office of the 76ers. 
Drew

Magic 

7. The worst in the West will be 

This is tough, because every team in the West is so good.  I guess you have to say the Lakers, if only because Kobe will try to do too much every night, and the team won't be able to guard pretty much anyone.  

The Utah Jazz. Despite their preseason, I don’t not believe in a team that offers a max contract to Gordon B. Hayward and then drafts a combo-guard that no one has seen play in a year and a half. Yes Exum had a marginally productive preseason. Yes they won all but one of their games.  Yes, I am in complete denial that the Los Angeles Lakers will probably be the worst in the west.

Drew 

Jazz 

Lane Kiffin

Is Lane Kiffin responsible for the downgrade in the Alabama football program?

            As a southern California resident there are a couple of sports staples. The Lakers rule the world of basketball. Every Mexican loves the Dodgers and the Oakland Raiders. And the USC Trojans are LA’s professional football team team. However, as of recent years, much of these statements are no longer true. While every person that claims their heritage as latin American still adamantly follow the Dodgers and Raiders, the Lakers are piss poor aweful. The Clippers are better. Somehow UCLA is good and USC is lacking. 

            Ladies and gentlemen the only question that remains, is how did this happen? Who and what entity is responsible for turning the world of Southern California sports on its head? Who or what is responsible for a world where we call black white, darkness light, wrong right? What event is responsible for the simultaneous degradation of the two greatest hallmarks of Southern California? The answer is this man

Think that I am wrong? 

Look at the winning percentage of USC and the Lakers before Kiffin was hired 

Observe the winning percentages of the USC Trojans and the Los Angeles Lakers since the time that Mr. Lane Kiffin was hired as head coach of the USC Trojans.

 Correlation does denote causality.

And with that in mind we look at the proud state of Alabama who’s only claim to fame is the fact that they have hella good football and nothing else. One year ago they were one crazy play away from playing for a third championship in three years. Now after the hiring of Lane Kiffin they are barely beating a piss poor aweful Arkansas team and losing to Ole Miss (which happens to be the only place that has less to offer than Alabama in the United States). 

It is obvious that Mr. Kiffin has a great deal of influence destroying once proud sports teams. Lets take a look at some other tragedies that are a direct result of Lane Kiffin being hired. 

and lastly 

Rebuild

The rebuild is never a pretty scene.

And as Lakers fans, it's time to pick up the pieces and deal with reality.

It's 2014. Free agents are not going to sign to the Lakers just to live in LA, play for a storied franchise, and have an access pass to Hollywood.

That's not enough to entice the big names.

Sure you can grab a Lance Stephenson or a Nick Young based on those things and the right amount of money. Sure you can have a journeyman like Kendall Marshall become a respectable NBA bench player because he put on purple and gold last year.

But the big guys know that their success will ultimately be tied to winning. They are financially secure. Money will continue to follow them as long as their successful. Do you think Chris Bosh, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade ultimately lost money when they each took a few million dollars less than their market value to team up on the Heat? Of course not. Their stars only grew.

Players have the internet and social media to build their brands these days. Kevin Durant has done just fine in OKC. Even guys like Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, who have never seen a playoff game and play in the middle of nowhere, are in national commercial campaigns and are highly regarded by basketball fans everywhere.

Free agents want to go to teams that can offer them the best basketball opportunities, fair market contracts, and success.

The Lakers have only 1/3 of those components. The only problem is Kobe Bryant's obscene contract dampens what their capable of doing with that salary space.

Here's a newsflash...

NO STAR PLAYER IN THEIR PRIME WANTS TO PLAY ALONGSIDE A STUBBORN, OLD, INJURY PRONE KOBE BRYANT MAKING MORE MONEY THAN THEY ARE.

It's easy to dump on Kobe these days, but that is the reality.

Kobe Bryant is embarking on his own Derek Jeter tour these final two years.

Think of the Godfather Part III. That's Kobe's 2 year $ 48 million dollar contract. Think of Michael Corleone in Godfather Parts I and II and compare him to Michael Corleone in Godfather Part III. That's Kobe Bryant before his injuries and in his prime compared to Kobe Bryant with a torn achilles and broken knee.

But hey, it's not his fault...someone actually had to offer him that contract in order for him to accept it.

After a failed free agency that I believe Lakers management w
as semi-expecting, they have traded for Jeremy Lin who is owed a ridiculous salary this next season. But even more crazy is the 2 year, 18 million dollar contract that they've signed Jordan Hill.

One thing is clear. Lakers are probably not taking any long term contracts until Kobe's runs off the books in two years.

The bright side is that Julius Randle can really develop these next two years.

And the Lakers are really going to need that. Because hopefully the next time the big stars are free agents, it will appear that they have an actual plan and are building towards something.

I am Switching Cable Providers

Ladies and Gentlemen the the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard, and the Jell-O's jigglin'! The Lakers are in the refrigerator. I am sure that you all have heard the news, Lebron James is coming home to Cleveland, Kevin Love will probably be joining him, and Carmelo Anthony has told the front office in El Segundo that he is no longer interested in signing with the Lakers. It appears that this series of events has left the Lakers void of any hope of winning in the next two years. And so the Lakers have decided to take on what is the worst contract in the NBA. Yes, Lin Sanity is headed to Los Angeles. The back up point guard of the Houston Rockets is now going to be the third point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.

            As I am an avid  fan of the Los Angeles Lakers you may be wondering how upset I am about this move? I am not that angry about it, but I am going to cancel my cable subscription. I have no need to watch my team for the next few years. It just doesn’t make sense.

With this single move, Laker management has waived the white flag for the next year. It is obvious that this move is not for the betterment of this team. If there was one position that was already quite solid it was point. I mean we only had four players signed and two of them were point guards, if you can really call a forty-year old Steve Nash a point guard. So lets go with the Lakers already have one and a half point guards. 

The addition of Lin’s 15 million dollar contract to the Lakers pay roll is fitting. It matches the ten million dollars that we are spending to watch Steve Nash wear very fancy suits. Not to mention the 24 million dollar contract to see Kobe Bryant send twit pics from around the world. In a league where it takes a big three to win a championship or even get in the playoffs, the Lakers have nothing. Unless Kobe Bryant miraculously heals from his knee cap fracture and torn Achilles the team has no one. I believe in a healthy Kobe. I believe that if he turns to the Kobe of old, the Lakers will manage to make the playoffs once in the next two years. However, it is apparent that Mitch Kupcheck does not.

Now with all this being said I am sure that you assume that I am going to say that I am furious at the front office of the Lakers. I am sure you think that I think that they are fools and that they should be euthanized.

While the emotional side of me feels as though the world would be better without Mitch Kupcheck and Jim Buss, the reasonable side of me understands what they are doing. Sometimes you just have to let the dream die. We are buckling down for a cold winter in hope that spring will be far more kind to us.

The trade for Jeremy Lin was not about Jeremy Lin at all. It was about the first round draft pick. The only thing that I am mad about the front office is the fact that we only got one first round draft pick. I am confident that Jeremy Lin’s contract was so bad that we could have obtained at least another first round draft pick. Really as I am writing this post I am getting more more and more upset. 15 million dollars to purchase a freaking 21^st pick in the draft is absurd… Its been a while since America has seen a good riot. Ladies and gentlemen grab your pitch forks, grab your torches, hide your kids, hide your wife, meet me tomorrow in El Segundo, we are gonna burn this mother down.