Idle Chatter on Draft Day

Joakim Noah celebrates his arrival into the NBA with Commissioner Stern.

Since I have taken such a lengthly hiatus from Paints in the Point, let it be known that I intend to return to the web better than ever. Mediocrity may have been my calling card in the past, but tonight is the beginning of a new era. The 2010 NBA Draft marks the return of the Paints in the Point Podcast (my personal favorite) and my return to our webpage. It also marks the arrival of John Wall to the NBA and begins the weeklong countdown to July 1st and Free Agency. Big day, wouldn’t you say?

Ready My Bags

So, the Wizards? This doesn’t muddy the picture but it doesn’t clarify it. John Wall has to be the pick, which has been the case since before he declared his intentions to go to Kentucky.

Agent Six?

Gilbert Arenas is also changing his number to 6 next season, or at least he has filed the necessary paperwork in order to do so. Gone is Agent Zero, superficially I guess. Hopefully, gone will also be his foolish antics involving small arsenals of weapons and rumored jokes.

Hip-Hop Breeds Contempt

Aim here Gilbert

As the Gilbert Arenas saga evolves from comedy to tragedy, a familiar topic is once again linked to the NBA. The ever present Hip-Hop culture once again surfaces as a catch all for the actions of Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton. Somewhere along the line David Stern and other league executives decided to marry the NBA to hip-hop and, but clearly they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

Given recent player actions, it seems as though the dark side of hip-hop has also managed to infiltrate the league. With its “bling-bling” gaudiness and “I gotta get paid” ruthlessness, this culture isn’t exactly synonymous with the average NBA fan. To the NBA’s credit, welcoming the music of Will Smith and L.L Cool J is a terrific marketing move, one certain to help the league resonate with younger fans. However, when welcoming the mainstream side of hip-hop, the NBA also opened the door for violence, drug-abuse, gang related sub-culture, and other misnomers of traditional thug life personified by players such as Allen Iverson. When he entered the league, Iverson was the poster boy for this thug life ruthlessness; he was a walking middle finger pointed directly at David Stern and his efforts to improve the image of the league.

Let Bygones Be Your Enemy

Okay, so I watched bits and pieces of the Cavaliers and Wizards game when I wasn’t watching Modern Family (Wednesday nights at 9:00 PM on ABC) and I wasn’t really impressed. That is in general and on an individual basis for players on either team, except for Antawn Jamison. And Mike Miller. And the incredible Earl Boykins, but not for the same reason as the other two gentlemen.

Observations on the Miami/Washington Game

Setting: the Franchise and the Champ are watching an ESPN double header with the first game being the Miami Heat at the Washington Wizards.

A Bunch of Chicken Littles

So, being a basketball fan in Northeast Ohio on a night not named Wednesday or Friday, the only basketball on is the Cavaliers. Seeing as how it was also voting day, I couldn’t catch all of the game, however, I have some feelings on what I did see.

Paints in the Fantasy Draft

So the teams have been drafted for the 2009-2010 Fantasy Draft and here are the rosters.

Season Preview: Washington Wizards

Since yesterday’s Sacramento Kings preview was so well received by our dozens of fans, we have decided to continue the series today with the team with the 2^nd worst record in the NBA, the Washington Wizards.

History:

Can’t Stand Losing You

The Washington Wizards can’t stand to lose Gilbert Arenas for another season, and for that matter, neither can the NBA.  The Association needs flamboyant artists such as Arenas to keep the current image of the league alive. Think about it, teams do not get multi-million dollar shoe deals, individual players do. The Association is an individual’s league and Gilbert Arenas is proud to represent.

Arenas, affectionately known as Agent Zero, is a scorer through and through. At 6 feet 4 inches tall, he is a beefier Allen Iverson, but not necessarily a better scorer. Arenas man not be quite the buckets getting’ virtuoso that Tracy McGrady was when he averaged 28.0 points per game for the Orlando Magic, but Agent Zero knows how to put the rock in the hole, averaging a cool 29.3 points per game during the 2006-07 season.

The Success Recipe

Most teams around the Association have enacted the same process for going about building a team that has a great chance of winning games. They use the same basic outline and then add a few spices to the mix in order to attain the ultimate glory.

An Argument for Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin may have an unorthodox shot, play in a dying market, and draw his nickname from a lackluster department store; but K-Mart serves as the NBA’s most underrated 2 guard, and possibly it’s most underrated player.