Today's Links

• Busted Coverage has the 20 best signs ever to appear on College Gameday. Plenty of good stuff there.
• Upon further review of further review...maybe Lebron should get that triple-double at MSG after all.
• Indiana's Devan Dumes throws elbows to the junk, gets suspended indefinitely. Somehow Indiana manages to get worse.
• Lil' Wayne will be on Around the Horn today. I'm not sure if this makes the show more or less watchable.
• If that crazy Bulls-Suns trade is okay with Phoenix, do Bulls fans trust Paxson to pull the trigger? If he doesn't someone will surely shoot his career right in the head.
• Lane Kiffin has to apologize again, this time to a high school. It won't be long until he is insulting your family.
• Looks like there will be some protesting going on tomorrow against Chicago's Olympics bid. Whatever gets you out of work I guess.
  

NBA League Officials Get Bored, Review Every Play of LeBron's Triple-Double

Remember the other day when Kobe dropped 61 at the Garden and set the record and everyone was like "That was f#$%ing awesome?" And then a few nights later LeBron came to New York and was like "I don't care about that, I just want to win," but everyone knew that was bullshit. Then he went and recorded a triple-double and it was like "Wow, LeBron and Kobe are awesome, who's better?" And the whole thing was just really sweet and fun for everyone? Yeah well forget everything past Kobe's 61.

The league has decided to review the game and ruled that one of the rebounds should have been credited to Ben Wallace inside the minute mark in the 4th quarter. (Thanks to Mikey for the tip)



I know, it clearly was Ben Wallace's rebound, but are they serious? Do they have nothing better to do then review whether a rebound is credited to one person or another? Why can't basketball just be fun. Lets hear from the Sternbot:

Sternbot (in robot voice): Basketball is a game of rules, we must adhere to them for the integrity of the game.

Ok I made that quote up, but seriously, why couldn't they just leave well enough alone?

You Know It's a Good Night When Tyrus Swats The King

It's moments like this that make Tyrus so frustrating, and yet so tantalizing:



Oh, and Lebron definitely traveled there.

Black Friday Links--While I Get Trampled Looking For a Deal On Rock Band Edition

• Although the circus trip isn't over, the Bulls get a break from the road for Thanksgiving.
• Tommie Harris says he's getting better. I hope that applies to the rest of the defense, I mean everyone is "getting better" after they play St. Louis.
• NQTC favorite World Wide Wes seems to hint that LeBron is going to the Knicks. I wouldn't normally talk about the lame LeBron to the Knicks story, but when World Wide Wes speaks, I listen.
• Thanksgiving football sucked, as usual. No link here, just saying 2 blowouts and a game on a network I can't watch isn't exactly good programming. Back to the drawing board NFL schedule-makers.
• This is the most extreme thing I have ever seen. You aren't so extreme now, are you Kluck?

Vinny's Offensive Scheme Is Putting A Lot Of Pressure On Rose

Basketball Prospectus has done an interesting analysis of the Rose's early effectiveness this season. What they point out is not necessarily that Rose could be the next Paul/Deron, but that perhaps the system that Vinny has the Bulls running is what is allowing Rose to be so effective. At the same time that system may be stunting his growth as a point guard:

The Bulls' style is open, with at least good spacing, and it is designed as a penetrate-and-pitch scheme, which again favors the skills that Rose brings to the table. Similar in scope to the offense used by John Calipari at the University of Memphis (dribble-drive motion), the Bulls are still discovering the actions that will yield real results. This gives Rose a lot of the responsibility as the Bulls figure out what will work best. With willing (and sometimes capable) perimeter shooters like Kirk Hinrich (when healthy), Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and others, there is not a lot of help on dribble attacks from Rose. Instead, the defense forces him to finish, and since that is one of his true strengths, he is more than happy to oblige.

The biggest question early this season is whether this type of play truly helps Rose in the long term. Right now, he is called upon to attack and score and he is more than capable of doing that. However, can he both score as he has been and make his teammates better at the same time? Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets typifies the best kind of answer to this question. A gifted scorer, Paul can dominate one game without scoring a point, then score 45 the next night. Will Rose be able to approach that kind of production on behalf of his team? Only time will tell. He should not change his style--rather, he must continue to aggressively seek out and take what the defense gives him. Right now, it is giving him scoring opportunities.

As teams gameplan for Rose and his teammates and scheme, expect defenders to slough off of him and force him to make perimeter shots rather than expose themselves to his ability to drive. In addition, teams will start to run doubles at him as he penetrates further toward the basket. By doing so, they may expose the occasional poor decision-making that is sometimes covered up, right now, by his freakish athleticism.

The only problem with this analysis is that it gives too much credit to Vinny's system. While Rose is free to do what he pleases, the rest of the team is very unclear as to their roles. Luol Deng, though amassing a healthy 19 and 10 last night, looked completely lost in the halfcourt. Anyways, the article goes on to explain how Rose is unlike a traditional point guard in terms of his skill set. It compares him to a different kind of player:

While the object of this article is to consider how Rose has been so successful despite the history of rookie point guard trials and tribulations, Rose simply does not fit into the traditional point guard designation all too well. The best player to use in comparison with Rose's unique combination of size, speed, approach, skills and talent for his position is a small forward: one named LeBron James.

Like James, Rose is a more than capable scorer, particularly as a finisher in the lane. His dribble his high but forceful, he is continuously moving in straight attack lines, pushing the ball in transition after a rebound, and using his strength and body control to absorb contact and covert baskets despite the foul. LeBron is so unique--a point guard in a power forward's body with a small forward's athleticism--that it may be hard to see the resemblance between the ways he and Rose approach the game. However, if you watch long enough, you begin to see the similarity in cadence, in the way they play the game.

A very interesting point. I'm not going to get ahead of myself here and crown him the next Lebron, but he does have that unique skill set that Lebron has, although in a somewhat smaller body. It will remain to be seen how he develops personally and how Vinny's system does or doesn't work for him.

Today's Links

• Orton is out for 4 weeks with a high ankle sprain. It's the Sex Cannon's time to shine. Oh and did anyone notice Rex was growing a little neckbeard of his own?
• I love Rose as much as the next guy, but a rookie should be hazed no matter how good he is. Don't you think.
• The Eamus Catuli sign that counts the years since the last Cubs World Series on top of the building on Sheffield has been reconfigured. Some people think the sign should be taken down altogether.
  
• Nike's commercial for LeBron's new shoe is very weird. Just think of it as some sort of weird softcore porn starring King James.
• Top Ten potential White Sox pick ups this offseason.
  
• Ron Zook lands another top recruit for Illinois Football. What is this guy's secret? I hope its not cheating.
• Bears-Lions recap.
• Sam Smith weighs in on the Bulls win against Memphis. There's also a Derrick Rose interview in there.
• Brett Favre may seem old, but he's still breaking records. No longer will NFL fans be able to say that no quarterback has 300 career interceptions. Thanks Brett!
  

Today's Links--I'm Wiped So These Suck Edition

• Lebron loses in a game of HORSE to some guy. It's not like he could shoot anyways.
• Sox have to figure out who will pitch Saturday. Poreda? Broadway? Carrasco?
• Rainout on the south side, doubleheader today. They need this Jays series bad.
• Matt Forte just doing his job. Love this kid.
• What's wrong with Bobby Howry?
  

Breaking NEWS!!! A hypothetical, non-existant $50 million dollar offer could tempt Lebron if he’s interested “a person” says

Some Cavs blog really doesn't like this "news" that Lebron might bolt to Europe. That headline is pretty hilarious though. I don't see why Lebron to Chicago isn't discussed more, anyways? We will have similar cap room to teams like New York and New Jersey. We might have more and we definitely have a shot to be in a better position to win at that time. If I'm Lebron and I havent won a 'ship by 2010, I'm going to go to the place that offers me the most money and the best chance to win. Why can't Chicago be that team? And on top of that we are a huge market, one of the big three in fact (Chicago, NY, LA). If "a person" can start a buzz about Lebron going to Europe, why can't we start a buzz about him coming here? I'm starting it right now. Let's make it happen.

LeBron Loves Hookers?

Yes, Yes, Yes! This is what I wanted to hear via Deadspin:

"Hong Kong paparazzi after a special interview for the provision of services NBA superstar female technicians, three female technicians at the beginning of work before, have learned about the identity of the person, such as James, has more than once because of previous service for celebrities, so they do not show Special surprise, it is said that the three VIPs only to the 200 Australian dollars as a tip, it is hardly generous."


This was translated from a Chinese paparazzi magazine. So many questions:

1. What's a female technician?
2. Where does one get licensed as a "superstar" female technician.
3. Why is Lebron tipping only $200 Australian dollars?
4. Why is Lebron tipping in Australian dollars? Is the American dollar so bad?

By the way, that's his girlfriend in the picture. I'm sure she'll be cool with this.

Today's Links

• Lebron to Greece, not so far-fetched
  
• Who don't Cubs fans beat up?
• Fire Joe Morgan rips Kenny Williams for the Griffey deal and Mike Downey for loving the deal. I guess FJM disagrees with Top Ten Nominee, huh?
• Crrrrrrrraaaaaaaccccccckkk!....Griffey sure has a sweet swing in Sox debut.
• Yeah, I heard Grossman is winning the battle, but what about the Bearded One?