Spmusic Monday: Stupid Fred Jones
(1 Cent): Go For 3!
The Lakers go for their 3rd victory in a row as they face the Indiana Pacers tonight in Los Angeles. With the next four games at home, the Lakers need to focus and win all of them so they have some momentum heading onto the road, where they will play 8 of their next 10.
Even though I'm happy with the 11-5 record and being in first place in the Pacific division, they should be 13-3. I'm still reeling from the loss in Utah, where it was a very winnable game; also, losing at home by four to the Milwaukee Bucks on the 28th of November was hard to swallow. That's why it's imperative for LA to win these next four ... because too many close losses now will hurt you in the playoff seeding later.
My one month evaluation of the Lakers as a whole is a B-. They've played above average but they've also had a very favorable home schedule thus far. 11 of the first 16 games were at the Staples Center ... they're 2-3 on the road.
I am happy with Kobe's health. He did miss all of training camp and preseason while missing the first 2 games of the regular season. He seems to be moving about with more explosion and fluidity ... as the Jazz frontline can attest to (when the Mamba dunked over 4 people in the lane twice last week). He says he'll be fully healthy by January. So, when you can score 52 points in 3 quarters when you're not fully healthy ... it's not good for the opposition. Beware of the Mamba.
(2 Cent): Kingdom Came?
This week's review is the comeback album from Jay-Z entitled Kingdom Come. Now, as with other artists that are personal favorites, I might be holding Jay to a "higher standard" and almost expect a great album. This especially holds true since it is supposed to be this highly anticipated comeback CD. Unfortunately, there's nothing too spectacular about it. Don't get me wrong -- it's a good listen, but it does fail to achieve the quality of his "final" album, which was entitled The Black Album.
I feel the first half of the album starts off kinda of "ehh" to average, but then finishes nicely with some strong tracks. Good thing, too, because those are the tracks that make the CD salvageable. I was really looking forward to the track featuring new R&B singer Ne-Yo, but was pretty disappointed. With this in mind, I'm giving his album the same grade as I gave his girlfriend Beyonce's: a 6.5 out of 10. Again, it's not a bad CD but it definitely wasn't anything that was better overall than his last 2-3 albums.
**My Fav Four**
1) Track 12, "Dig A Hole" (Featuring Sterling Simms): This is a very interesting beat (produced by Swizz Beatz) ... doesn't sound like anything else that these two have collaborated on before ... good mix of deep bass sounds and symphonic melody with Jay's flow and an added bonus of this Sterling Simms guy singing the hook ... this is actually one of my favorite Jay-Z songs (out of any album he's done).
2) Track 11, "Trouble": Another hit from Dr. Dre ... a very close second to the previously mentioned song for being my favorite on the album ... good beat with a rough, almost machine-like sound.
3) Track 14, "Beach Chair" (Featuring Chris Martin): Again, a totally different sound than anything Jay-Z has rapped on before ... a very, very chill song that's excellent to sit and think to ... you can even picture, if there was a video to this song, a scene looking over a tropical like setting in slow-mo.
4) Track 9, "Anything" (Featuring Usher & Pharrell): A decent song with the help from The Neptunes on the beats ... I would've liked a little more from Pharrell (vocally) but still a really good, up-beat song.
(1/2 Cent): Keeping Up With The Jones'
So, I was winning all 6 days of the week ... heading into the last day of the game, the Busdrivers were leading by roughly 9 fantasy points (FP's) with only Zach Randolph playing. The opposition had three (3!) Atlanta Hawks guys going (Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Tyronne "I'm Still In The League?" Lue) and Elton Brand. Of course, J.J. has a monster game (scoring over 52 FP's) with Lue scoring way (WAY) above average while Z-Bo only scores about 31 FP's (with 5 TO's). I lose by 2 FP's. It was awesome.
It's not just that I lost ... it's how I lost. I started Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus who had the flu last week, but had 4 games slated during this period. Of course, they bring him off the bench (he had been starting) and he averages a whopping 10 FP's for me for the week. (Note: I know I always tell you this, but I'd say the score for an average fantasy player is 25 FP's for the week). So, M-Piet wasn't helping me any. But wait ... it gets worse ....
This fool named Fred Jones (the "starting" two guard for the Toronto Raptors -- I know, I should've known right there) was also starting for me. His previous stats go something like this: Week 1 = 16 FP's, Week 2 = 21, Week 3= 24, Week 4 = 19 .... Do you know what he gave me when I started him?!?! FIVE POINT TWO FIVE FP's!!! Yes, that would be a 5.25 average for the entire week, which consisted of 7 days and 4 real life basketball games. His stat totals for the week -- meaning, what he did in all 4 games -- looked like this: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. IN FOUR GAMES!!!
I would bet you about $1000.00 that I could do more than that in 4 games in the NBA right now -- no extra training, no practicing with the team, not knowing the Toronto offense, and being all of 5'11". That is pathetic. He is going to make $11 million for the next 3 years (info courtesy of USAToday.com). That's roughly $3.67 million a year. I'd say that is a waste of money (or at least a waste of a game for me this week). You could give me $500,000 and I could put up those numbers, easily. Save the extra $3+ million, will you? Geez!
Let's put this in another perspective. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points in the 3rd quarter on November 30th ... he finished the game with 52 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and only 1 turnover. So, Kobe had about as many rebounds and assists in 1 game as Jones did in 4 ... while putting up 42 more points in that 1 game as Jones did in 4. Okay ... I'll be more realistic. Luke Walton, starting small forward for the same Lakers, had 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in that same game in only 26 minutes of play. Am I missing something here? It's not just Kobe ... but it's the Waltons and the Millsaps of the world that outplayed him too. Needless to say, Jones has been dropped like cow dung down an elevator shaft ... I'll now have to start my "iffy" guys in Ryan Gomes and Stephon "Remember How Good I Was?" Marbury.
I only lost by 2 FP's!! 2!! All I needed was another assist or two, Jones! A couple more free throws ... a rebound!! My goodness, this is brutal. Now, my dear readers, you are beginning to see the pains of fantasy sports. Anomalies such as this, like smoking 3 packs a day, will kill you.
I should be 4-1. I am not. If I miss the playoffs by 1 game, then you can point back to this week ... and Jones should sleep with one eye open. (Just kidding! But, seriously, he should).
Week 5: L - 302.58 to 304.33 ... W-L Record: 3-2 (Tied for 2nd in division)
Week 5 Fantasy Stud: Kobe Bryant (LAL, G): 44.67 FP's
Week 5 Fantasy Dud: You don't know already? Fred "DOA" Jones (TOR, G): 5.25 FP's
-----------
Ahhh ... feels good to vent. Thanks for reading and click back for this Thurdsay's pet peeves. Feel free to write in about anything (previous articles, thoughts, comments) to HCP2007@gmail.com or just click the Comments link below.
HCP
The Lakers go for their 3rd victory in a row as they face the Indiana Pacers tonight in Los Angeles. With the next four games at home, the Lakers need to focus and win all of them so they have some momentum heading onto the road, where they will play 8 of their next 10.
Even though I'm happy with the 11-5 record and being in first place in the Pacific division, they should be 13-3. I'm still reeling from the loss in Utah, where it was a very winnable game; also, losing at home by four to the Milwaukee Bucks on the 28th of November was hard to swallow. That's why it's imperative for LA to win these next four ... because too many close losses now will hurt you in the playoff seeding later.
My one month evaluation of the Lakers as a whole is a B-. They've played above average but they've also had a very favorable home schedule thus far. 11 of the first 16 games were at the Staples Center ... they're 2-3 on the road.
I am happy with Kobe's health. He did miss all of training camp and preseason while missing the first 2 games of the regular season. He seems to be moving about with more explosion and fluidity ... as the Jazz frontline can attest to (when the Mamba dunked over 4 people in the lane twice last week). He says he'll be fully healthy by January. So, when you can score 52 points in 3 quarters when you're not fully healthy ... it's not good for the opposition. Beware of the Mamba.
(2 Cent): Kingdom Came?
This week's review is the comeback album from Jay-Z entitled Kingdom Come. Now, as with other artists that are personal favorites, I might be holding Jay to a "higher standard" and almost expect a great album. This especially holds true since it is supposed to be this highly anticipated comeback CD. Unfortunately, there's nothing too spectacular about it. Don't get me wrong -- it's a good listen, but it does fail to achieve the quality of his "final" album, which was entitled The Black Album.
I feel the first half of the album starts off kinda of "ehh" to average, but then finishes nicely with some strong tracks. Good thing, too, because those are the tracks that make the CD salvageable. I was really looking forward to the track featuring new R&B singer Ne-Yo, but was pretty disappointed. With this in mind, I'm giving his album the same grade as I gave his girlfriend Beyonce's: a 6.5 out of 10. Again, it's not a bad CD but it definitely wasn't anything that was better overall than his last 2-3 albums.
**My Fav Four**
1) Track 12, "Dig A Hole" (Featuring Sterling Simms): This is a very interesting beat (produced by Swizz Beatz) ... doesn't sound like anything else that these two have collaborated on before ... good mix of deep bass sounds and symphonic melody with Jay's flow and an added bonus of this Sterling Simms guy singing the hook ... this is actually one of my favorite Jay-Z songs (out of any album he's done).
2) Track 11, "Trouble": Another hit from Dr. Dre ... a very close second to the previously mentioned song for being my favorite on the album ... good beat with a rough, almost machine-like sound.
3) Track 14, "Beach Chair" (Featuring Chris Martin): Again, a totally different sound than anything Jay-Z has rapped on before ... a very, very chill song that's excellent to sit and think to ... you can even picture, if there was a video to this song, a scene looking over a tropical like setting in slow-mo.
4) Track 9, "Anything" (Featuring Usher & Pharrell): A decent song with the help from The Neptunes on the beats ... I would've liked a little more from Pharrell (vocally) but still a really good, up-beat song.
(1/2 Cent): Keeping Up With The Jones'
So, I was winning all 6 days of the week ... heading into the last day of the game, the Busdrivers were leading by roughly 9 fantasy points (FP's) with only Zach Randolph playing. The opposition had three (3!) Atlanta Hawks guys going (Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Tyronne "I'm Still In The League?" Lue) and Elton Brand. Of course, J.J. has a monster game (scoring over 52 FP's) with Lue scoring way (WAY) above average while Z-Bo only scores about 31 FP's (with 5 TO's). I lose by 2 FP's. It was awesome.
It's not just that I lost ... it's how I lost. I started Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus who had the flu last week, but had 4 games slated during this period. Of course, they bring him off the bench (he had been starting) and he averages a whopping 10 FP's for me for the week. (Note: I know I always tell you this, but I'd say the score for an average fantasy player is 25 FP's for the week). So, M-Piet wasn't helping me any. But wait ... it gets worse ....
This fool named Fred Jones (the "starting" two guard for the Toronto Raptors -- I know, I should've known right there) was also starting for me. His previous stats go something like this: Week 1 = 16 FP's, Week 2 = 21, Week 3= 24, Week 4 = 19 .... Do you know what he gave me when I started him?!?! FIVE POINT TWO FIVE FP's!!! Yes, that would be a 5.25 average for the entire week, which consisted of 7 days and 4 real life basketball games. His stat totals for the week -- meaning, what he did in all 4 games -- looked like this: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. IN FOUR GAMES!!!
I would bet you about $1000.00 that I could do more than that in 4 games in the NBA right now -- no extra training, no practicing with the team, not knowing the Toronto offense, and being all of 5'11". That is pathetic. He is going to make $11 million for the next 3 years (info courtesy of USAToday.com). That's roughly $3.67 million a year. I'd say that is a waste of money (or at least a waste of a game for me this week). You could give me $500,000 and I could put up those numbers, easily. Save the extra $3+ million, will you? Geez!
Let's put this in another perspective. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points in the 3rd quarter on November 30th ... he finished the game with 52 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and only 1 turnover. So, Kobe had about as many rebounds and assists in 1 game as Jones did in 4 ... while putting up 42 more points in that 1 game as Jones did in 4. Okay ... I'll be more realistic. Luke Walton, starting small forward for the same Lakers, had 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in that same game in only 26 minutes of play. Am I missing something here? It's not just Kobe ... but it's the Waltons and the Millsaps of the world that outplayed him too. Needless to say, Jones has been dropped like cow dung down an elevator shaft ... I'll now have to start my "iffy" guys in Ryan Gomes and Stephon "Remember How Good I Was?" Marbury.
I only lost by 2 FP's!! 2!! All I needed was another assist or two, Jones! A couple more free throws ... a rebound!! My goodness, this is brutal. Now, my dear readers, you are beginning to see the pains of fantasy sports. Anomalies such as this, like smoking 3 packs a day, will kill you.
I should be 4-1. I am not. If I miss the playoffs by 1 game, then you can point back to this week ... and Jones should sleep with one eye open. (Just kidding! But, seriously, he should).
Week 5: L - 302.58 to 304.33 ... W-L Record: 3-2 (Tied for 2nd in division)
Week 5 Fantasy Stud: Kobe Bryant (LAL, G): 44.67 FP's
Week 5 Fantasy Dud: You don't know already? Fred "DOA" Jones (TOR, G): 5.25 FP's
-----------
Ahhh ... feels good to vent. Thanks for reading and click back for this Thurdsay's pet peeves. Feel free to write in about anything (previous articles, thoughts, comments) to HCP2007@gmail.com or just click the Comments link below.
HCP
posted by HCP @ 12:36 PM
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