Video from Dave C

Watch this...Reminds me of a great commercial.

Mike always dressed so cool - I love the shorts set.

And if you are wondering who finally won, check here.

Piston Haze

From Need4Sheed via TrueHoop:

http://www.need4sheed.com/2006/08/rasheedexcuse-me-while-i-kiss-sky.html

Is Run T-M-C Coming Out of Retirement Too?

Nellie's Back

Moonball 2006 -2007 Draft Order

Hey everyone -- we had a great canoe trip up north with Mike and Lori. Then met Josh and Jenny for the big moonball drawing. You'll be happy to know that all of your teams were picked! Madeleine did the honors of choosing the names from the hat.

Draft will be held the afternoon of October 28, in Minneapolis and over the internet. Mark it down!

Now without further hesitation, the moonball draft order (with pics) can be found at http://www.homeskillet.com/moonball/picks06 . Have fun with your fate!

What's the draft order?

I thought it was getting drawn this past weekend, in a secluded getaway in the North Country.

Just Dreamy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk0MPyiJBbc

Yao the Successor. And very nice to see those Hakeem sequences, I miss that guy.

Lamar Odom?

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/testgen/4249/

This is a funny survey about one's game--what NBA player do you resemble most? I ended up with Lamar Odom!?

One more Vote, plus a Goat

I'm back from hiking with the goats and grizzlies at Glacier Park. It was beautiful, and if you ever have a chance to go, don't hesitate!

Since there hasn't been any more discussion on league options for next year, I think we've all said and heard enough.

We finally got a quorum on the last vote, and the 82-game Yahoo option gained the highest total with 5 votes out of 11.

However, because the 2 weekly options are no longer valid as they were stated (partially locked rosters will not work at Yahoo), we're going to do it one more time. Please cast your vote!

Here are our options:
Yahoo - 4 man bench. Roster open all week for bench replacements, supermoves, etc. -- 82 game limit per position
Yahoo - 4 man bench. Locked weekly roster where bench replacements, trades and supermoves take effect only once a week -- no game limit
TQStats -- same as last year, injury replacement when a player becomes inactive, no bench

I think these options cover what's been discussed, and will create a season that is fun, fair and just. My lovely assistant Jason has prepared another poll:

Vote at Surveymonkey

If you have any questions, or require clarification, let me know. And, don't forget Draft order will be determined at a Minnesota meeting of the moonball minds next week. Results to be posted here!

Slow work day

Enjoy!

A Post For KG Fans...And Who Among Us Isn't One Really?

Great KG video courtesy of Free Darko

Moonball Off-Season Continues

For those of you that enjoy following the NBA off-season, I hope you have enjoyed the moonball version this year. It's all action, yeah? And we’re not done yet.

The vote that was carried out a couple weeks ago was inconclusive. I haven’t received the final tally, but was pretty evenly divided, with the exception of the TQStats option, which no one voted for. Also, there weren’t enough votes to make it valid (the constitution says we need 11).

In any case…some of the options we discussed are no longer on the table.

With the limitations on commissioner controls, I feel the weekly options at Yahoo are too risky. Since commissioner controls are only able to make adjustments in real time (not retroactively), the rosters would have to be unlocked and wide open to allow you to make supermoves, trades and waiver pickups during the week yourselves. Even as bright as you all are, we’d probably have some mistakes. And any mistakes would be reflected in the scores, which are uncorrectable.

Some have suggested we head back to TQ Stats. If that’s our final resting place, I know we’ll still have fun, and it’s good to have that in our pocket. But there’s still time to figure out our options. And since no one voted for TQStats, it’s worth a try.

I still think the 82-game limit at Yahoo is a good option. With some small changes, it preserves most of the rules we had last year, while eliminating the “inactive” conundrum. And since it’s also aligned with how Yahoo operates, I see little chance for mistakes.

For the superslackers, we could also do the once-weekly roster in Yahoo, with supermoves, trades and waiver pickups becoming effective only once a week (not daily, since rosters would be locked all week). I could also look into using a bench at TQStats, or using different services like CBS Sportsline.

Rather than jump right into another vote, I think we should discuss some more. Comments?

Humans fail to treat animals as friends

Says Yao Ming...

Yao and Carmelo Anthony have hooked up with WildAid.

Melo's video is worth checking out.

Unfortunately, WildAid has not yet posted Yao's television commercial.

Quoted from Asia-Basket.com

In the spot, Ming literally uses his shot-blocking ability to save an elephant. We first see the elephant, then a gun being locked and loaded. Ming is shooting hoops, but turns into a superhero when he races off the court, flies through the air and knocks down the bullet before it reaches its intended target. Voiceover: "You don't have to play ball to be a great shotblocker." Ming adds, "When the buying stops, the killing can, too."

If you can find the video out there...please - I want to see it.

UPDATE: Yao's video is in. If you need more Carmelo, check here and here.

Last few years prove Nash sucks (a story of hope)!

John Nash, that is. . .

When the Blazers' testament to misery ended this season, my friend Josh and stood chatting on my front porch, reflecting on how it felt to root for the suckiest team in the League, and just how far the Blaze-Crew had fallen from the days of JR, Rasta Monsta, Sheed, Sabo and a bench as deep as the game has seen.

But what bummed us out the most, it that we felt nearly hopeless about the Blazers immediate future. Significant internal improvement seemed unlikely, and our tradable players were few and of suspect value.

Portland had a log jams of promising but super young point guards, a gaggle of unpolished super young small forwards, two high paid "stars" in Zebo and DMiles that quit playing for the last 10-12 both figuratively and literally for the last TWO seasons, no bona-fide starter at two, and two defensively talented but injury prone centers.

The only guy we could get excited about was Martell Webster. . .who has so, so long to go.

In our estimation, Portland simply did have any assets to leverage significant change other than a talent dump to get rid of the discontented (and overpaid) Miles. The Blazer office had been so unimaginative and unsuccessful with maintaining Portland's competitiveness while they slashed salary to get below the cap.

Then Portland cans GM Nash, and the front office blossoms. Between the draft, free agency and trades, Portland has acquired Jamal McGloire, Raef Lafrentz, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dan Dikau and Sergio Rodriguez, as well as re-signing Joel "the Pole" Przybilla. What Portland gave up was little in comparison--Victor Kryhapa, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Steve Blake, Brian Skinner and Ha Se Jeung.

Now Portland has both big time young potential in Roy and Aldridge, and three talented (and trade-able) centers, and perhaps some crazy luck with the acquisition of Rodriguez, who from what I have researched of his play in Europe, could be one bad assed play-maker. I think Zach will likely come around and Miles will likely continue his petulant behavior and disappoint, but now with a deeper talent base, losing those guys is not such hit to the teams meager core.

Portland will still be bad next year. The front court may be real effective, but Portland will be relying on unproven and likely inconsistent perimeter players. Even if they shock the world with break out seasons, the likely starting back court of Jarret Jack and Brandon Roy will still be too young to make noise in the West. Too many good teams rule the roost.

But the Blazers are finally building again, and at long last things are looking up in P-Town, and that makes a weary fan get excited all over again.