Spmusic Mondays: Whatchu Know About That ...

(1 Cent): Dallas And Miami Worse Off Than Los Angeles In The End

I don't want to talk about the Lakers victory that snapped the Mavs' 13 game winning streak yesterday ... I want to talk about how Mark Cuban's choice to not re-sign Steve Nash a couple summers ago was a worse faux pas than Mitch Kupchak's trading away of Shaquille O'Neal to Pat Riley's Heat.

Basically, Cuban let Nash walk away for free ... and then got to watch him win two MVP awards in a different uniform. Why doesn't Cuban get dissed more in the media for this? At least Kupchak received players back for his move, right? It's not like the Lakers just let Shaq walk away for free. For being such a savvy businessman, Cuban goofed up that one. It's not like Dallas seems like they're suffering as they're one of the better teams in the league, but in my opinion, Nash wouldn't have let the Mavs blow a 2-0 lead in the Finals -- no way.

One can say that hindsight is 20-20, but c'mon. At least do a sign and trade for Nash ... do something. Have a team trade some practice jerseys or 60 pounds of meat like European soccer teams do ... do something!

I understand that the ultimate goal of every franchise (except for Atlanta) is to win a championship. The Miami Heat accomplished this feat in their 2nd year with Shaq, but at what cost?

The Heat had to extend Shaq's contract for an extra 4 years at $20 million a pop ... that's pretty expensive, considering that 2006 will be the only championship they will win. Basically, Pat Riley sacrificed the future of the franchise and the prime of Dwayne Wade to win one championship ... while the Lakers received All-Star potential talent (Lamar Odom who was playing at an MVP/All-Star until his recent knee injury that will keep him out of Vegas and Caron Butler who is now with Washington and consistent scoring threat) that will make them competitive and a contender for the championship for the next half decade; will have less money going towards one player who is passed their prime and who is injured and sidelined more than he plays, while not wasting away Kobe's prime.

I can't argue too much against the Heat, since they did win a championship. But, consider these stats and thoughts:

Shaq in 2006 Finals versus Dallas:

Game1: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Game 2: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Game 3: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 7 turnovers
Game 4: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists
Game 5: 18 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist
Game 6: 9 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist

So, this is the man that helped bring in a championship? This, against competition of Eric Dampier and DeSagana Diop? It's not like he was going against Olajawon or Duncan. Dwayne Wade averaged over 40 points per game and was Mr. Clutch while earning the Finals MVP. I mean, in Game 6, the decisive game, your $20 million dollar man gets 9 points? Are you telling me that the above stat line is better than having Lamar Odom and Caron Butler? Sure, Shaq changes the opposing team's defense, he's still The Diesel, his presence alone wins games, blah, blah, blah. Well, where was this reasoning against Detroit in '04, hmm? Shaq played much, much better in '04 and the Lakers still lost (and yes, I'm still reeling from that). These are not the numbers you want from a dominate superstar ... those numbers are more like a 3rd scoring option. I'm just saying that if the Heat had not done the trade and kept Odom and Butler, with the continuity of playing together with Dwayne Wade for the past two years, I think the Heat would've still been able to make the Finals, beat the Mavs (unless they had Nash still?), and still be competitive now and for the rest of the decade.

Isn't the goal of a franchise to also plan for the future? To not be shortsighted? To not waste away the best years of your franchise player? Cuban should be more vilified than he is. If he had kept Nash, it's hard to not say the Mavs would be the champs. You can't argue with Riley too much since his move brought in a championship, but you would think they wouldn't go all Florida Marlins (i.e., buy a bunch of players for one championship) and be stuck in mediocrity for the next 5 years while over paying for an over-the-hill center (yeah, I went there). The things that bother me about Kupchak is not including Wade (instead of Butler) for the Shaq trade ... and then trading Butler for Brown. At least the Lake Show got something for Shaq and will stay in the upper echelon of teams during the next 5 years.

(2 Cent): Hip-Hop Is Dead?

A couple of weeks ago, NaS dropped his album entitled Hip Hop Is Dead. It is safe to say that after this LP, Hip-Hop is here to stay.

I wasn't really much of a NaS fan. I did think he could rap, but his recent albums overall never did it for me. He did have a handful of great singles, but usually the beats throughout his entire albums (say the last three that came out) were too similar for me. This has all changed.

Bringing in some production help from super producers Kanye West, Will.I.Am, Scott Storch, and Dr. Dre, this album has the best overall vibe of NaS' career. The tracks are all unique, which make for a great aesthetic variety to go along with NaS' ever powerful lyrical prowess. He also uses a couple of tracks to display some untapped creativity, altering his rap voice and switching up his flow. NaS' move to Def Jam was probably the best thing for him and everyone who listens to him. There are no interludes or skits to interfere with the album's flow ... there are no filler tracks ... there are 16 songs ... there are great guest appearances and superb production ... it has that #1 radio hit "Hip Hop Is Dead" Featuring Will.I.Am ... NaS has won me over and I can't give him anything less than a 10 out of 10. There is nothing that I can say needs to be done better. I can't say it is better than his first album Illmatic, but I would definitely give my vote for 2006 Hip-Hop/Rap album of the year.

**My Fav Five**

1) Track 7, "Black Republican" (Featuring Jay-Z): Perhaps Jay should've copped this track for his album ... nevertheless, this beat is crazy and with two of the most revered rappers on one track, it's an event.

2) Track 11, "Blunt Ashes": A super vibin' track produced by Chris Webber (methinks not the NBA player) ... this beat coinsides really well with NaS' layed back rap style ... I'm in love with the hook.

3) Track 9, "Still Dreaming" (Featuring Kanye West & Chrisette Michelle): Kanye laces an awesome track that mixes an old school blues vibe and 80's soul with an equally soulful vocal by Chrisette on the hook ... just a chill track that is a great collaboration.

4) Track 13, "Play On Playa" (Featuring Snoop Dogg): A sweet ridin' track by Scott Storch that features another rap legend ... an almost seamless flow with beat and vocals ... I like the touch of the little bell jingle in the background ... great track.

5) Track 14, "Can't Forget About You" (Featuring Chrisette Michelle): This track sounded somewhat familiar yet new, so I looked it up and it samples Nat King Cole's Unforgettable ... it's a crazy mix by Will.I.Am while borrowing Miss Michelle's voice to give it that classic feel ... just an amazing idea that is fully fleshed out audibly.

(1/2 Cent): Winning Is Addictive

Is a five game (week) winning streak good? I thought so. The latest Busdrivers' victim came in the form of the team that is left for dead, starting retired Keith Van Horn, injured for the season Kenyon Martin, and currently injured Steve Francis, Brad Miller, and Nene. Yeah, so, it was a blow out ... and it still feels good.

Our best overall fantasy player, Dwayne Wade, had been injured all the way up until Sunday, where he managed to get 42 fantasy points. Stephon Marbury has finally started playing like I projected, averaging 32, 37, and 37 FP's that last 3 weeks. Kobe has been Kobe ... and the fact that I traded him for Kevin Martin, Corey Maggette, and Bonzi Wells now seems absurd, if only for the fact that Wells has been chronically injured, Maggette is freshly injured, and Martin has been brought back down to earth, averaging about 26.33 FP's since the trade.

For the 3rd week in a row, the Busdrivers have led the league in overall scoring. This looks promising. There is only one team that I am uneasy about ... they're 1 game better in the record column and only 10 FP's behind for the season. Honestly, though ... would you trust your championship hopes on the likes of Matt Barnes, Janero Pargo, Andre Iguodala, and the oft injured Marcus Camby? Me neither.

Week 10: W - 334.83 to 190.17 ... W-L Record: 8-2 (Second in division; tied for second in the league)

Week 10 Fantasy Stud: Kobe Bryant (LAL, G) - 47 FP's

Week 10 Fantasy Dud: Chris Wilcox (SEA, F) - 19.75 FP's ... the one game that killed his weekly average was a 3 point, 2 rebound game against Dallas ... flashbacks of Fred Jones! No!!

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I will keep you up-to-date on the columns for this week ... they might be a tad below average on quality, as I will have to dedicate a lot of time towards moving, starting this Thursday. Have a great week and don't forget to write in your questions or comments by clicking on the Comments link below or writing to HCP2007@gmail.com.

HCP