LeBron James “The Decision” Bingo

LeBron glares knowingly into your soul

LEBRON TV SPECIAL BINGO!

Instructions: Print out the LeBron James “The Decision” Bingo Card (PDF). Select any nine of the following events that you believe might happen, and arrange them in any way you want on the card. Play against friends watching with you, or against others on our Facebook Fan Page. Cross out the appropriate box in the grid whenever any of the actions on the card take place. When you get three in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally), shout “BINGO” and let us know that you’ve won on our Facebook Fan Page or tweet us @paintsdudes.

• You can tell which eye is Stuart Scott’s glass one

Looking Forward to “The Decision”

This guy (and his smug mug) will get his own TV special about his future team, tonight (July 8) at 9 PM Eastern Time.

Who would have thought that LeBron might end up looking like a good guy after he announces his new team? Announced earlier today, LeBron will have a one-hour primetime ESPN special dedicated to… him. So, who are the winners and losers of this decision?

Circling Thunderstorms

I don’t understand this Amar’e deal. I just don’t get it.

LeBron James to the Chicago Bulls. And how.

Since we have spent the last year or so wading through the murky waters of free agency, don’t you think it’s about time we started drawing some conclusions?

But before we come to any real conclusions, a little role play. Imagine yourself as Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant. In just your second week on the job you are faced with the prospect of having to trade away the best player in franchise history in a do or die sign and trade, or watch the two time and defending league MVP simply leave town as an unrestricted free agent. Of course, there is also the possibility of resigning him, but I think the chances of that are very small.

Glad I’m not that guy.

Conclusion #1: The only one that really matters.

He’s Back

T-Mac is back. In his New York Knick debut McGrady scored 26 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and notched 5 assists in 32 minutes of work. He hardly played in the overtime game against the Thunder, saying he didn’t want to be the hero and he simply didn’t have the energy. Oh well.

The Learning Curve

Its hard to pity millionaires. It’s really hard. They have access to all the pretty things in life. Yet, I have a tremendous amount of sympathy for Mike D’Antoni.

He has essentially gone from driving a Ferrari to driving a beat up Ford Taurus, yet he is still expected to accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. He may be a talented coach who has revitalized the concept of a high paced offense winning at a major level, but he isn’t a miracle worker.

Live Blogging the Christmas Quintuple-Header

Editor’s Note: This was a live blog. As the afternoon progressed, this post was periodically updated with reactions from the quintuple-header (not a “pentuple-header” as incorrectly reported in Podcast #14)

12:00 PM: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” kicks off the action, accompanied by ridiculous clips of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade shaking (obviously empty) wrapped presents, replete with equally ridiculous Santa hats. I have a feeling that I will get sick of this song by the end of the first quarter. Hopefully I’ll be able to dig up a YouTube link in case you haven’t seen it yet.

12:02 PM: Fun stat: Dwyane Wade has played in five Christmas Day (and/or Taiwanese Constitution Day) games over the past seven seasons.

12:06 PM: Dwyane Wade warms up by doing pull ups on the rim of the basket. No big deal.

12:08 PM: Tip-off. The Knicks win the tip, sporting green jerseys that look awful.

12:15 PM: Now, those are three words you don’t hear that often in the same sentence: “Knicks,” “winning,” and “streak.” Apparently, they have a five-game home winning streak, dating back to November 29.

Champ’s Power Rankings: Week 2

 

 

Week Two showed the Beast in Chris Paul, however the Hornets still struggled.

 

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers played without Bynum and Gasol last night and still resulted in victory. The Lakers are the top dogs in the league right now. No questions about it. Lamar Odum also translated well into his role on Keeping up with the Kardashians.

2. Boston Celtics: A slip up against the now formidable Phoenix Suns lost some credibility as well as the near win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves cost the C’s to slip to #2 in my rankings. However, they still head their own conference and very well could earn homecourt advantage, minus any major injuries.

3. Phoenix Suns: Surprised? Maybe a little but the Suns are the hot team in the league for now. You forget this team has Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and Jason Richardson. As well as a rejuivenated Grant Hill and an up-and-coming Channing Frye. Will they stay at three? Probably not, but this is Week Two.

Season Preview: New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers have a rich history, dating all the way back to the Basketball Association of America, of which they were a founding member. The name Knickerbockers describes baggy trousers that were popular in the early twentieth century. In 1946 they joined the NBA and are now considered to be the most valuable team in the league, worth $608 million. Based on their position in our season preview, I can only imagine that they are not expected to have a great season.

Say It Isn’t So

What would the world be if it weren’t for Stephon Marbury (one less skull tattoo, less misguided good intentions centered around cheap sneakers, less headaches)? The reason I’m bringing this up is on his twitter account Stephon Marbury has hinted that his career may have come to an abrupt end.

Breakup at the Food Court

Guess what? Ramon Sessions finally signed an offer sheet. Most of you probably already knew that, just as most of you already know that Milwaukee isn’t likely to match the offer. So, what’s the point? Why state the obvious? Because, the impact goes further than Minnesota adding another point guard this offseason (although that only makes three on the roster, one of which is Chucky Atkins) and Milwaukee banking on Brandon Jennings to grab hold of the point guard spot from Luke Ridnour.

The Defiance of a Warrior

I’m not quite sure what to think about Nate Robinson and his high-flying dunk act set in the center of New York City. Sure, his eternal struggle to prove his worth and ability is a nightly epic played out on the greatest basketball stage in the world 41 nights a year, but it is just an everlasting reminder of what could have been had some higher-ups had wised up and given the good fans of the Association what they deserved.

Robinson’s basketball dexterity was prominently displayed on a national stage while a member of the Washington Huskies alongside fellow future professional stud Brandon Roy. Starring not only on the hardcourt, Robinson was a significant player for the Washington Huskies’ football program, making a key interception against the Washington State Cougars. His dearth of height garnered Nate national acceptance and praise for his leaping ability and unexpected awesomeness as a surprising combo guard.

Inside the Name Part 2

When it comes to naming a team in the National Basketball Association, in my opinion, the name can fall in any one of five categories. Unbeknownst to many so-called “fans” of basketball, there is an unspoken hierarchy among the various team names. Well, unspoken until now. In a “Paints in the Point” exclusive, we go…

INSIDE THE NAME

In Part One of “Inside the Name,” we looked at animal team mascots in the Association. A week has passed, and now we move on to…

Part 2: Alliterations

Alliteration "art"

The Draft

The annual NBA draft is already upon us and we are nowhere near ready to fully comprehend the magnitude of greatness or stupidity that each of the teams will achieve Thursday night. Every year, teams will pick out a player among the hundreds available to either lay the foundation for their franchise, or to sew up any loose ends. Often, however, they will make a critical mistake that could cost them in the long run and be mocked nationally on radio shows. You could draft the next Michael Jordan, or the next Chris Mihm.

So, with the first pick, whom do the Los Angeles Clippers choose to be their favorite disappointment?