Bell, Brand, Riles and Why Vandeweghe is Better than Nash

I love Raja Bell. And not just he tossed Kobe to the earth. On the NBA scales of athleticism, quickness, and strength he is squarely average. Yet he brings a consistent intensity and aggression that make him factor in most every game he plays. He is smart. His defense is really exceptional for how under-sized he is night in and night out against other NBA 2s. His most proficient offense trait is his timing. Like a less prolific Sam Cassell, Bell goes on mini runs that regularly swing the momentum and the scoreboard in his teams favor. Nash, Diaw, and Marion are all clearly the stars, and by many standards Leandro Barbosa may be better, but Bell is playing at a very high level, and that is always nice to see from a guy who came up via a 10-day contract straight from the CBA. Plus he tossed Kobe to the earth.

Too big, too strong, mach 2: The Elton Story. Now myself and many others among this crew have in the past chided HP for his proclamations of Elton Brand greatness. As Brand begins to add post-season accolades to his monster regular season play, I will give it up to Mr. Brand, the one Dukie that does make me pukie. He has been awesome. The first game against the Suns was stellar. Sure the Clips lost, but with the Suns lack of size, Brand will top 40 at least twice more, especially as the Clips push for a slower tempo.

David Blaine’s Drowned Alive show brings back memories of Riles dunking his own head into a tub of ice water while trying to inspire the Miami Heat to ‘win it all.’ I forget how long that sucker was able to stay under water, but apparently it was not long enough. I say if Riles can top 9 minutes, the Heat win the whole damn thing.

Back to a long ago thread about the League’s worst GM, a question was posed to us Portland folks if Nash was as bad as his team would indicate. . . my long awaited answer is hell yeah. Nash is up for contract renewal, which makes for a great time to dump him. My money is on Kiki Vandeweghe to take over the reigns in P Town. I hated Kiki as a player. No D. But he seems good in the front office, Kenyon Martin aside. Certainly he is better than sorry ass John Nash. Geesh!