Sad Photo of the Day

I happened to be looking for random images for research purposes and stumbled upon this. I guess Dallas was eliminated again? Does the NBA care? Does anyone care?

From this photo it looks like Cuban cares... or perhaps he is thinking about bonehead point guard moves his team has acted upon in the past few years: NOT Locking up Nash who won 2 MVPS after signing with the Suns? Trading away an up and coming point guard for an overrated Jason Kidd?

Oh yes... Cuban cares.

-J

Drive and Diss Quick Hit: Why the Pistons are Doomed

Welcome to a new feature here at Drive and Diss: Quick Hits. These are the kinds of observations Drive and Diss talk about over the course of the day, so it's kind of like bringing you behind the scenes at the Drive and Diss worldwide headquarters. In today's inaugural edition, we examine why the Pistons are doomed. Even if they get past the pesky Sixers and their legion of Andres, the Pistons are going nowhere. And it all has to do with the playoff rotation (or should we say lack thereof) of Coach Flip Saunders.

Flip has decided to shrink his bench for the playoff run. And in the process his offense has abandoned him. When Detroit traded for Juan Dixon about a month ago, we thought it was a stroke of genius. It's always been our opinion that Juan has the ability to be a new age Vinnie "Microwave" Johnson - instant offense off the bench for about 15- 20 minutes a night. So it seemed like destiny when Juan went to Johnson's old team. However, not only is Juan not playing, he was left off the playoff roster! Nice work Pistons. Enjoy your soon to be early vacation. -E

Tale of two cities: Philadelphia vs. Denver

As I sleepily watched the Denver Nuggets vs. the Los Angeles Lakers game it was obvious from the start what the eventual outcome would be. Every year there are a few playoff series where a seasoned nba fan can predict which teams phone in their appearance, and which teams relish the role of playing upstart.

In this case, the Denver Nuggets are using their rollover minutes.. and it is only game one.

Realizing the need to be more productive, I decided to take a nap rather than see the hapless Nuggets inflate the already bloated ego that is the Los Angeles Lakers. A few hours later I woke up to see how the Philadelphia 76ers would handle their gift of a second season. Needless to say, I'm happy I took my nap during the Nuggets game. The Sixers were impressive - The exact type of team that nba fans are hungrily looking for to play the role of upstart.

This isn't to say the Piston's are rattled or their season is over. But it was refreshing to see a young team play fearless against a championship caliber team. As an nba fan, I want to watch an actual series. I do not want to watch a team who celebrates the fact they enter the playoffs as an eighth seed, and have their all star over-celebrate with a DUI charge.

As I watched the Sixers from afar on my couch, I started to think about the storylines that led both of these teams to the situation they are in today. The biggest storyline that links these two teams is the trade of Andre Miller for Allen Iverson.

When this trade went down I was never a fan of it. I did not understand the need to trade a point guard with solid leadership ability for a lone maverick hall of fame shooter. Of course, I'm in the minority when it comes to this trade. Friends have asked: “How can a team pass up on the acquisition of one of the greatest players of all time?” I found the answer simple: Andre Miller is a quiet leader, which I think would have benefited the Nuggets in the long run. Allen Iverson is a flashy superstar with incredible talent and zero leadership ability. The Nuggets did not need another scorer; they needed a leadership guy that could defer to Carmelo Anthony and his talents without burdening him with the actual role of leading. They needed a player that could lead by example, possibly teaching Anthony how to be a leader for the future.

Allen Iverson was lucky when he had his championship run in Philly. He had one of the best coaches in the nba to discipline him (somewhat), and surrounded him with quality leadership guys in Eric Snow and Aaron McKie. Fast forward a few years later and Denver was duped into thinking that matching two shooter mentality superstars would translate to victories. If anything, the team has floundered and is possibly getting worse. The problem is perception in the fact Denver brass equated Philly's past championship potential success to one single person in Iverson. All this trade has done has made it that much more clearer who was clearly responsible for Philly’s success. Larry Brown.

The mess in Denver is ugly. They have no leadership, they are poorly coached, and look listless as they play. This problem isn't going away unless one of their superstars steps into leadership void or the Nuggets trade for an actual leader.

Scorers are only one piece of the puzzle.

Just ask Mo Cheeks as he coached from the sidelines watching Andre Miller run a simple floor game maximizing the talents of the young players around him. Or ask George Karl as his veteran superstar got two technicals in the fourth and left for the locker room early. For the Nuggets, Iverson ejected to the locker room with time to play is a foreshadowing of things to come - an early playoff exit.

Philly? Their future is bright and is guaranteed to bring a couple of quality home games to the legendary raucousness of a Philly crowd.

-J

Drive and Diss Poll Madness! Alert: What Has Carmelo Learned from his Arrest?

Hey kids, it's time for another Drive and Diss Poll Madness! alert. Now is your time to let us know what you think Carmelo Anthony has learned from his DUI arrest. Good luck! And while most blogs would post a picture of 'Melo's mugshot, Drive and Diss is taking another route and posting a picture of 'Melo and his fiancee, former MTV VJay Lala. Did you know there were reports she refused to pick him up at the police station after his arrest? She denies it, but it's more fun to believe otherwise. Oh, and check out that shirt. Jordan must be so proud. We have one just like it, but with a picture of former NBA center Jim McIlvaine. (Currently sold out.)

Drive and Diss Eastern Conference Playoff Preview: The Atlanta Hawks Love Small Forwards

Welcome back to Drive and Diss' Eastern Conference Playoff Preview. In today's edition, we take a look at the eight seed Atlanta Hawks. This marks the Hawks first postseason appearance since 1999. A trade deadline deal for Sacramento point guard has brought veteran leadership and playoff experience into the fold. There are just a couple of problems. First of all, the GM has made repeated attempts to fire the coach (as recently as February!). And secondly, the entire roster is comprised almost entirely of small forwards. It's hard to win in the NBA when you have players at only one position. Sure you have Bibby and rookie of the year candidate, center/power forward Al Horford. But look at the rest of the roster:

• Marvin Williams - Small Forward



• Josh Childress - Small Forward



• Joe Johnson - Small Forward (He's listed as a guard on the roster, but he's 6-7, 235. According to the Drive and Diss NBA height/weight ratio chart, these measurables fit squarely in the range of small forward.)



• Josh Smith - Small Forward (He's listed as a power forward, but he's 6-8, 235. See reference above to the Drive and Diss NBA height/weight ratio chart.)



• Zaza Pachulia - Small Forward (He's listed as a center, but he's got the game of a mediocre small forward. Trust us.)



• Jeremy Richardson - Small Forward (Drive and Diss admits that we had no idea who this guy was until about 5 minutes ago, but he is indeed a small forward.)



• Dominique Wilkins - Small Forward

So unless the Hawks are competing in a contest to see which team has the most small forwards, it looks like the Human Highlight Reel will miss out on a championship ring for the 25th consecutive year. Sorry 'Nique.

-E

New Drive and Diss Innovation for Western Conference Analysis: The Heart Meter

Trying to make sense of this year's Western Conference NBA playoffs? We hear you. From the labs of Drive and Diss we would like to introduce another innovation to clarify this year's Wild West Playoff picture.

Everyone that hates reading books and dating is well versed in the language of the Legend of Zelda. I have always found a parallel with Shigeru Miyamoto's video game masterpiece and a quest for an nba championship. What exactly is this similarity?

The heart meter.


This heart meter is the perfect gauge in determining which team has what it takes to win it all. In the Legend of Zelda, the hero "Link" must complete a series of quests to attain the final goal of rescuing Zelda and restoring order to the land. During each character building quest Link aquires hearts for his heart meter to sustain the rigors of the daunting digital campaign and weather the storm for the final, ultimate prize. The nba playoffs are similar in that way. Teams that have aquired the most "heart" during the regular season prove to have the best chance of furthering their quest for a championship run. Often times, some teams are even escorted by a princess during past playoff runs. Refer back to the Suns years with Kevin "The Desert Princess" Johnson for clarification.

In our analysis today the following teams can aquire up to four maximum hearts. Each heart represents a potential round success.


Los Angeles Lakers : 3.5 hearts


Kobe Bryant alone hogs all the heart of this team... sometimes unselfishly. Nonetheless, with the squad he has around him this year (once healthy) the Lakers have a decent shot at returning the luster to those yellow banners in the rafters. However... there is a lingering problem. That is of course the laker curse.


New Orleans Hornets: 2 hearts


What can be said of MVP candidate Chris Paul? He has carried this team the entire year while making his teamates look like all stars. However, the playoffs are a different animal and the jury is still out whether experience points even warrant the Hornets current heart meter. Heart tends to disappear in the playoffs and/or championship rounds for MVP candidates... Just ask Karl Malone and Dirk Nowitzki. Also refer to Peja's famed airball during the Kings upstart attempts to dethroning that Laker championship team.


Houston Rockets: 1/2 heart


Tracy McGrady has not made it out of the first round. The same could be said during the regular season when Mcgrady sometimes does not make it out of the first quarter. Does anyone remember how he phoned it in when his team needed him most during that historical streak?

Utah Jazz: 1.5 hearts


The Smooth Jazz laid down and cried in their last outing vs. the Lakers. The Jazz were a beacon of hope against their last outing against the Spurs. The Jazz are too indecisive to be a champion and Sloan carries 4 hearts by himself. Was their participation in the Western Conference Finals last year a fluke? This particualar Jazz fan thinks so.

Phoenix Suns: 2 hearts


Nash has no one. He carries those 2 hearts on his sleeve. A valiant MVP player that is surrounded by aging stars and a coach whose offensive genius has been rendered useless. This is all thanks to a knee jerk reaction to obtaining the Big Shaqtus. Everyone knows cacti are prickly and retain water. Interesting note: The Suns were in first place in the west before aquiring Shaq. Now they are in 5th place. How can this be regarded as a successful trade? The suns were known as an elite squad the past three years. Now they are playing the role of underdog against the nba elite, and losing. Boston and Detroit enjoyed the free wins. If the Suns adopt "Bully Basketball" from Shaq they will be fine. Can they adapt in time?

San Antonio Robots: 4 mechanical hearts


It does not matter where the Spurs are seeded this year. They are programmed to fear no one. They also cheat and flop better than anyone. As they age they are perfecting old man basketball each and every play. They are robots and are progammed to do one thing: Win ugly. How unfortunate that no one outside of San Antonio considers this team watchable.

Golden State: 2 hearts


With Captain Jack and Baron Davis anything is a possibility. They are impervious to being bullied and shoot without conscience. The only team that can beat the Warriors is actually... themselves. With their hapless, "devil may care" nature they can shoot another team out of the game... and then brick that exact team back in. Will they make this years playoffs? It really depends on Denver's Heart meter...

Denver Nuggets: 2 hearts


These hearts belong to Iverson. Iverson has been in this scenario before and has performed admirably. If he decides to "rent" the leadership role from Carmelo Anthony and take the team on his back, they are guaranteed a playoff spot. Relying on 'Melo will not get it done.

UPDATE: Want more proof? Read here.



Rudy Tomjanovich once put it eloquently after his Hall of Fame center travelled his way to a championship with the "Dream Shake":

"Never Underestimate the heart of a champion"....

We hear you Rudy, and would love to elaborate and rip you off.

"Never underestimate the heart meter of a champion."



-J

Drive and Diss Eastern Conference Playoff Preview: The Philadelphia 76ers and a Whole Lotta Andres

As the playoffs approach, Drive and Diss will be breaking down all of the teams that will be appearing the most exciting postseason in the last 15 years. In today's stop, we take a look at the resurgent Philadelphia 76ers. After a 5 - 13 start, the Sixers are on a roll, including a big win tonight over Easter Conference titan Detroit Pistons. Currently in the sixth spot, the Sixers look to make some noise behind the steady hand of Andre Miller at the point and the explosive Andre Iguodala on the wing. Now that's a whole lotta Andres.


Unfortunately, it would take Andre the Giant rising from the dead to get these guys going anywhere. They are too young, too small, and too thin on the bench to do anything. In fact, that could be said of the entire Eastern Conference with the exception of the Celtics. However, the Sixers do have a wild card and his name is Calvin Booth. That's right, old friend Calvin Booth has found a home in Philly. Cal has averaged a robust .8 points a game this year. If he can somehow get that over the one point mark, then the Sixers may be able to steal a game or two. But the second round appears to be out of reach.

Drive and Diss Poll Madness Alert: Who loves to Flop?

We're back with more Poll Madness! Now it's time for you to choose your favorite NBA flopper. Good luck!

Drive and Diss Remembers the Bullets and Legally Blind Center Doug Roth

Welcome to a new feature at Drive and Diss where we remember the Bullets. While the team really never went anywhere, when the name went away, so did a little piece of our heart. Yet the Bullets leave behind an enduring legacy of promise unfulfilled and relentless mediocrity (the 1978 title being the exception to the rule). And we here at Drive and Diss want to preserve these cherished memories.

In today's first installment, we take a look back on the thrilling 1989 draft. In the first round at pick #9, the Bullets made a stellar selection in Tom Hammonds, an undersized power forward from Georgia Tech. Sure the Bullets could have selected Tim Hardaway or Sean Kemp at that spot, but that would have made too much sense. Tom Hammonds career as a journeyman epitomized everything the Bullets were about. Kudos to then general manager Wes Unseld! (By the way, this is Wes pictured with Drive and Diss favorite Jack Sikma.)

However, it was in the second round that the Bullets truly made a splash. At pick #41, the Bullets took Doug Roth, a center out of Tennessee. He was a hard worker who could bring much needed depth to the Bullets' front court. He was also legally blind. That's right, the Bullets drafted a blind man. We could not track down a picture of Doug Roth, so we are posting one of our second-favorite Roth - David Lee.

-E

Drive and Diss Poll Madness! Alert

Welcome to a new feature at Drive and Diss: Poll Madness! This is where we alert you to great new polls up on the site. Now is the time to select your favorite player from the '90-'91 Trailblazers. Good luck! And hey look, it's old friend Kevin Duckworth!

The "LAME AIM BLAME GAME": part one of two. Trouble in Denver.

Over the past few weeks I have had brief instant messenger discussions with one of the most passionate Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns fans I know. Yes, one of the most underrated techniques that we often employ here at Drive and Diss, simply to entertain you, is researching the fan pulse through heated arguments with angry emoticons.

In part one of our series in the “LAME AIM BLAME GAME” I will spend time talking about Andy Feinstein’s Nuggets.

If you want a history lesson in basketball one can't go wrong consulting "the walking encyclopedia of nba roundball" Andy Feinstein. You can simply check out his blog firegeorgekarl.com and see what I mean. His wealth of information is scary, and if you really want to be frightened, he can summon his knowledge on cue while balancing animation production budgets in one hand and conducting a cell phone conversation in the other (usually involving a girl yelling at him… which is another blog subject entirely). With all his love of basketball the real apple of his eye is his Denver Nuggets.

These days, his argument with his team is plain to see with his blog firegeorgekarl.com but I really believe he is turning a blind eye to the true culprit and painting himself into an uncomfortable corner. His blog's namesake hinges on the failure of the Nuggets to prove his point. The url "firegeorgekarl" leads to only one, misguided path: Firing the wrong person. At the rate this is going he could be performing a type of blog seppuku through the honor of twisted, masochistic fandom. Normally, there is no love lost with typical Nuggets fans and myself being a Utah Jazz fan. However, with Andy’s basketball mind I feel a duty to preserve it. I cannot stand idly by and watch Andy's decent into madness .

Here is the problem with his argument from a purely fanatical point of view: the better the Nuggets do, the weaker the case is for justifying a George Karl exit. The problem is amplified since the nuggets are magically playing inspired basketball with their flawed star Carmelo Anthony. What can Andy do? Root for the Nuggets? Root against them? Why would a fan such as Andy place himself in such a difficult place? The reason is simple from what I can deduce; he wants results for a long playoff run.

After reading through a few of his well constructed, thoroughly fact checked, posts I have concluded a Nuggets seeding less than 2nd place is considered a failure for George Karl in Andy's eyes. Considering the talent the Nuggets have, I respectfully disagree.

Considering the powers in the west and the wealth of talent, the Nuggets have yet to have proven themselves against the playoff elite. The Spurs and Lakers should be considered the real barometer. They have true superstars that have the championship experience to weather the storms during the regular season, and the maturity to maintain an eerie calm in the playoffs. The unproven Hornets deserve a grounded third place. At best, the Nuggets are hovering around a fourth place seed tied with the Jazz. Considering the Jazz are edging them with their current record, the Nuggets could still be considered in a respectable seed at 5th place. At the rate this inspired version of the Nuggets are going, a fifth seed is a reasonable goal to achieve.

Talent wise the Nuggets are amazing. Maturity wise the Nuggets are not. This falls squarely on the shoulders of their "superstar" Carmelo Anthony. As I watch Melo I find him constantly whining and following a popular senatorial school of thought of feeling entitled to having things handed to him, like winning a playoff round.

Melo has been reported to say things fans like to hear such as "I have matured". I suppose it takes maturity to utter phrases like that. It is another thing entirely to have actions reflect words on the court. I remember when Melo was being compared to Lebron during their rookie and second seasons and then, the comparisons stopped... cold. Lebron and Melo in the same sentence? Laughable. Carmelo and Chris Paul? Still laughing.

Lebron has single handedly taken his team to the championship round in the same amount of time Melo has done absolutely nothing. Since his maturity line Melo has done nothing but score a series of pretty looking points and sucker punching an opposing knicks player in the face while running backwards. A knicks player of all people! Melo does not get it yet. Perhaps he never will.

Take the latest example of Melo in action in last night’s crucial game vs. the Suns. In one series on defense Melo had guard duty on Nash, one and one in the third quarter. After Melo blinked Nash blew right by him making an acrobatic layup. Never mind this critical moment in the game... moments later I watched him take it to the rack and blow a layup followed moments later by a second. Bucket by bucket, I watched the Nuggets squander their nineteen point lead halftime score. Kobe? Lebron? Even Chris Paul? They play on both sides of the court in critical games while providing the superstar leadership their teams need. The only thing I see Melo do is slump when things do not go his way and expecting things to happen in his favor. He needs to start taking lessons from the crafty point guard that embarrassed him last night... or step aside and let a true superstar run the team... If only AI was in his prime.

PLAY BY PLAY: Fourth quarter with 3:18 left. Melo takes it to the rack, and misses yet another layup.

Advice to the Nuggets: Trade Melo while he has value as a scorer... or be prepared to role the dice and see where Melo takes the team in 4 more years in hopes that he matures. I'll save my nickname "Marshmallow Anthony" for the Nuggets playoff run this year.

Andy, for your sake I hope I'm wrong. You have suffered enough as a Nuggets fan. I implore you, take off your rose-colored signature black rimmed glasses and look at the franchise player on your team. Your current path will only lead to fanatical madness and ruin any temporary enjoyment you can spend with your team.

-J

Drive and Diss Double Takes: Elite Eight Edition

Welcome to a new feature at Drive and Diss: Drive and Diss Double Takes. This is where we, appropriately enough, do double takes while scouting the sports landscape. Today's first edition focuses on the excitement of the NCAA tournament.

Double Take #1: Was that former NBA point guard Rod Strickland on the Memphis bench? Indeed it was, but we still can't believe it. While Rod was one of the most talented point guards of the past two decades (especially with the Trail Blazers and Bullets), he was also one of the era's biggest underachievers. Off the court, he had multiple brushes with the law (read more here). And on the court, he was known to regularly vomit after a pre-game hot dog eating ritual. True story. Maybe he has matured with age? After all, Memphis' Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the country and you've got to think Strickland had a hand in that. Or maybe he's just teaching the team how to bowl.

Double Take #2: Does R & B superstar Chaka Khan play for Kansas? The answer to this one is no, but we did a double take during today's game between Kansas and Davidson. We thought we heard the great CBS announcer (and NewsChannel 8 veteran) Gus Johnson talk about big plays by Chaka Khan. He was actually saying Sasha Kaun. The Kansas center was a difference maker in the game. Davidson had no match for his size in the low post. We guess you could say that Davidson got "Kauned."

-E

Wrong! 24 second Shot clock violation. Injury changes everything.

Here at Drive and Diss we love to innovate at certain times, other times we don't. This is one of those times when we don't. When we need to come clean and admit wrong doing we have felt compelled to innovate yet again. "The 24 second Shot clock violation" is our new method of coming clean. Welcome to our first, official installment.

It turns out an unforseen event has happened moments after predicting the Suns having no chance at a playoff run this year. Despite recent losses to Boston and Detroit the Suns have nothing to worry about now. This is all because of Dirk Nowitzki's injury nanoseconds before the playoffs. This injury could not have come at a better time for the Suns.



Dirk has survived injury before, just refer to the above photograph to see what I mean. But the timing of this injury is huge for the Mediocre Mavs. The timetable for the mvp is set for about a week... but open to being longer. Meanwhile, 9th place Denver looms tonight to pick away at the Mav's flimsy holding of their seventh seed. Our prediction was seeing Denver sneak into the playoffs pushing the setting Suns out of the horizon. It appears now the Mavericks have volunteered their spot so viewers are forced to watch a slower, confused, repackaged Suns team for a few more weeks. Oh goody, more Shaq quotes....

Thanks Dirk.

-J

A Drive and Diss 3-Second Violation: Bold Playoff Prediction

Welcome to Drive and Diss' newest innovation - the 3-second violation. This is where we take a maximum of 3 seconds to create hard-hitting blog entries. In today's first installment, the Suns will not make the playoffs. Even with that special glow around Shaq.

- J and E