This is the point of this post. Anyone with an ounce of Blazer fanhood should be drooling over this article. Everyone else in the Western Conference should be worried. GO’s learning curve won’t matter when you have a guy like this at the helm.

BRANDON ROY IS FREAKIN’ AWESOME! How many words was that?

–2–
S: Shut up. The Blazers (and probably other teams, but what do I care about them?) start their draft workouts today.
B: Yessir. Your favorite on the list?
S: Russell Westbrook, for sure. You?
B: Probably Westbrook, though I’m not convinced he could be made into an NBA PG. Beyond that, I am convinced that the Blazers will trade the pick, so it doesn’t matter.
S: For who?
B: Dunno, they could either move up if KP falls in love with one particular player, or move out if they package it with a couple pieces for a veteran-ish PG.
S: So there’s no chance at all we pick Westbrook?
B: Not at 13. If KP loves him, we’ll get him. But we’ll move up to do it. That’s how KP rolls.
S: No, this is how KP rolls.
B: You know, there’s really no reason to work out any of these players.
S: Why’s that?
B: Robin Lopez is the clear pick at any number.
S: Definitely. Wait, you mean in the WNBA, right?
B: No. C’mon, Robin Lopez! The best player in the draft!
S: …
B: Fine. Here (via Truehoop). His coach said he’d take Brook and Robin #s 1 and 2 in this draft. You don’t let me have any fun.

–3–
S: The Orlando pre-draft camp numbers are out, and I have one thing to say: they’re all freaks.
B: Yeah?
S: I mean, George Hill? 3% body fat?
B: I’ve seen you with your shirt off (unfortunately), and you probably only have 3% body fat. You’re right. That is freakish. Check out some of the wingspans!
S: A guy named John Riek has a wingspan of 7′9″ and he’s 7′0″ tall! His arms would almost have to drag on the ground!
B: Holy crap! Sasha Kaun’s wingspan is a full 11″ more than his height! Who are these kids?
S: This is really creepy. You know, when I was a kid, I used to think I could play in the NBA if I just worked hard enough.
B: You were wrong.
S: There is no amount of work I could have done, at any point in my life.
B: You were always going to be a 8-5er, my friend.
S: This day suddenly got significantly worse.

–4–
B: Flip’s out. So who would be a good fit in Detroit, and would Flip fit in PHX?
S: Avery Johnson would be perfect for that franchise and its blue-collar, defense-first attitude. He’s a Joe Dumars type guy, too. But ‘Sheed can’t handle discipline.
B: If Detroit falls in love with Avery, though, it could finally be ‘Sheed’s curtain call. After at least a year of hell, that is.
S: True. That would be nice. As far as PHX goes, Flip would be a good coach there. He’s a good offensive coach, not so great on D… he’d be great. But I want Porter in there.
B: I like Terry too much for that. I want him in Detroit. He can actually succeed there.
S: He can’t in PHX?
B: Absolutely not. The Suns have nowhere to go but down over the next two years. They can’t trade Shaq, no one will take him. They could trade Amare, but you’d never get equal value. They can trade Nash (and probably should–he’ll start to decline soon), but then you’re looking at a total rebuilding.
S: They can’t contend again as is? At all?
B: Not a chance, in this west. The west has officially passed them by, unfortunately. The Spurs may be in the same boat, though I give them another year of seriously contending. The Suns will be stuck in the same first-round playoff exit hell that the Blazers were in throughout the mid 90s. No draft picks, no wins, etc. It’s going to be tough, and I don’t want Terry Porter to get blamed for it.
S: Like he did in Milwaukee. You make a good point.
B: Of course I do.
S: Did I ever tell you about the time I followed ‘Sheed home from Applebees’ in Portland?
B: You what?
S: Sorry, little off-topic but I had a flashback. I thought he was gonna kill me that night.
B: He probably would have! In fact, you probably shouldn’t mention much more. I wouldn’t put it past him to hunt you down on his first West-coast road trip of the season.
S: I hadn’t thought about that.
B: It was nice knowing you. The blog was fun while it lasted.

–5–
S: Moving on, we made Truehoop!!!
B: Henry is a saint. The spike in hits this morning has been unbelievable.
S: Even got a comment. An intelligent one. And he called you ignorant!
B: Can’t beat that! May we forever dedicate our newfound stardom to Henry Abbott and the irrefutable truth of his hoops.
S: Moment of silence or something?
B: Sure!

–2–
B: I’m so friggin’ tired about all of the “you have to sell it” talk.
S: You realize you added to it above.
B: But I was answering the question you posed, and it was an appropriate answer. Refs don’t call it if you don’t sell it. Now I’m telling you that it’s an absolutely terrible precedent to set.
S: Agreed. Worse yet, the precedent has been set for some time.
B: Look at what it’s done, though. The TNT crew on that video, as well as guys all over the sports talks today, are advocating that Brent Barry, on the last shot of a game, fumble the ball to sell the call at the expense of getting a good shot off, thereby “forcing” the refs to make a call.
S: That was a lot of commas.
B: Thank you.
S: Agreed. An offensive player should never have to “force” the refs to make a call. If a foul is a foul, can’t you call it?
B: I’m fine with letting some fouls go, if they don’t affect the play at all and they’re not egregious.
S: Sure. But Fisher’s foul affected the quality of the shot that Barry could get. Clearly. What the bottom line here is, you are punishing a player for trying to get a good shot regardless of the refs and rewarding players who “sell a call” and put the game in the refs’ hands.
B: Reminds me of this 2000 Western Conference Semifinals game. This part, specifically:

With 1.4 seconds left, Russell inbounded the ball to Karl Malone, who gave it back to Russell, whose shot was way off. The Jazz and coach Jerry Sloan heatedly called for a foul, but no whistle came.

S: I don’t remember the play.
B: I remember Scottie’s 3 before this, and this play vividly. Rasheed bumped Russell as he was shooting, a lot like Fisher bumped Barry here–but more clearly in the act of shooting. Obviously, I was ecstatic that it wasn’t called, but as we established above, it probably should have been. It affected the shot. The difference between the two plays is how the shooter handled it. Bryon Russell, rather than focus on getting a good shot, leaned into ‘Sheed and sold the call, at the expense of focusing on his final shot. Russell was slammed by the media for letting the refs decide the game rather than trying to avoid the D and decide the game himself. I have no double standard here. I hate “forcing” the refs to call something. It takes the game completely out of the players’ hands.
S: I see all sorts of contradictions here, but we’ve probably taken this topic to its limit for now.
B: I always appreciate it when you overlook my contradictions.

–3–
S: Memphis offered Mike Miller up for Travis Outlaw and the Blazers’ #13?
B: Looks like it. I would love Mike Miller on the Blazers, but not at the expense of Trout and the #13.
S: How about for Trout straight up?
B: That would be intriguing, but I still probably don’t do it. Outlaw is still getting better, while Miller isn’t. Though his skills match what the Blazers need almost perfectly (no defense). Nah, I don’t do it.
S: This is interesting. It’s a Grizzlies fan message board. Good to see the other side of the coin. Most fans in there seem pretty level-headed. They admit that the trade isn’t really good for the Blazers.
B: Whoa! You see that guy who says that Mike Miller’s only equal on the Blazers’ roster is Brandon Roy?
S: That’s what message boards are for!

–4–
B: Chinese government says you can’t watch the NBA in China because it’s too happy for the tragic times.
S: Speaking of contradictions…
B: Yeah. Because when tragedy strikes, the last thing you need is distraction. You need to be immersed in your depression at all times. In fact, I move that we imprison anyone who is not currently crying in China.
S: Remember what a huge lift that first Saints game back in N’awlins was after Katrina?
B: I do. Apparently the Chinese government doesn’t.
S: Our country’s got issues, don’t get me wrong. Still can’t beat it.
B: Agreed.
S: I hope no other tragedies happen. They may cancel the Olympics.
B: 1) ‘Cause that’s the only reason to hope no tragedies happen? 2) Apparently they haven’t heard about Tibet. Or Darfur. Or…

–5–
S: Joakim Noah’s dad doesn’t give a rip that his son got arrested.
B: I’m guessing you do?
S: No, not really. It’s a minor-enough problem. But my issue is that Noah Sr. says it’s “no big deal.” Maybe it’s not a big deal over in France where he is, but it is here. He broke the law and got caught.
B: Good call. It may not be a huge offense and I may not really care about it, but it’s still breaking the law . Just like speeding. As long as it’s not crazy fast, speeding’s about as minor an offense as you can do. But if you get caught, don’t argue that you didn’t deserve it.
S: Yep. The best part, though, is that he got arrested at all.
B: Not sure I follow.
S: I can’t stand the kid. He’s too cocky, too ugly, and way too… not good enough.
B: Wouldn’t want to give the guy a few years in the league–you know, a legitimate chance to succeed–before proclaiming his worthlessness, would we?
S: Absolutely not. Come on. He’s a spoiled, rich, French, brat.
B: There’s nothing there that I can argue with.
S: Besides, how many good things to come out of France can you name? It’s French fries, French toast, and the Statue of Liberty. That’s it!
B: Okay, I’m shutting this post down before you get out of hand.

General
1) Spanish basketball, not surprisingly, is similar to soccer: hairy arms flailing everywhere. One of the most interesting parts of the game to me was when a defender tried to flop to sell an illegal pick call, and injured himself taking the dive. Nice.

2) Defense is nowhere to be found overseas. Which is unfortunate, because it’s nowhere to be found here either.

3) Some of those guys are better athletes than I expected them to be. I’m not saying there was a lot of above-the-rim play, but they were very quick. Then again, that could have been the defense talking.

Rudy
1) He’s better than I thought he would be. He’s clearly the best player on the floor. In Spain. Which, if he’s going to be an NBA-caliber player, he’d better be.

2) Not always the best decision-maker, but he wasn’t terrible either. He had a couple Manu Ginobili patented jump-pass-to-no-one moments, but he also showed surprisingly good court vision. A lot of wrap-around passes to a cutter.

3) He would make a good point guard offensively. Along with his court vision, he handled the ball very comfortably at all times. He would, however, be a liability on defense against the west’s best guards. That may not be that important, though, with Oden there to bail him out. And really, after this year, who hasn’t been shown to be a liability against Chris Paul and Deron Williams?

4) He’s probably not that good. The defense really was bad (olé!), and the refs were visibly infatuated with Rudy and his beautiful curls. He sparked a 12-point comeback for his team with 3 minutes left almost entirely from the free-throw line. He was getting Kobe calls (really! Watch that clip–:52 seconds in is fun).

5) He dominates the ball, and seems to need it to be good. It also shouldn’t be ignored that on his team he needs him to dominate the ball to create for them. Either way, he’ll need to make an immediate adjustment to his on-court style to mesh with the Blazers as presently constituted. There was one particular play in which he saved the ball to a teammate, then ran to an open spot, got the ball back, and sunk the shot. It gave me some confidence that he’s got the smarts to be good off the ball. Then again, it was only one play. And even Shawn Bradley had highlights.

It was probably the last Spanish League game I’ll ever watch, but it was great to finally get to see the player that Kevin Pritchard is so excited about having here next year. I’m guardedly optimistic. As long as he keeps the turnovers down, he should earn some minutes on this team.

–2–
S: Can I do it now?
B: It is time, young grasshopper.
S:
B: It’s just… so beautiful.
S: Are you crying?
B: Define crying.

–3–
B: Okay, shifting gears I suppose. If I think about this lottery any longer I’m going to start believing that Portland’s got a chance at #1 again.
S: .6%, baby!
B: So here’s something to wake you up!
S: Okay, 2 things. 1, you’re at a track meet where things like javelins, shot-puts and discusses (or is it disc-eye?) are flying all over the place and you wander into an “off-limits area?”
B: Please, this guy was a Marine! He’s been in places where things like bullets, grenades and tanks are flying all over the place. Ain’t no javelin gonna stop him!
S: Apparently. And 2, he got a picture.
B: Semper Fi.
S: So it appears.

–4–
S: I suppose we should talk actual basketball, since the conference finals are all set.
B: Whatdya got?
S: I was all excited to have a good, fresh observation for you and the internets. As it turns out, if I observe something, everyone else does too.
B: Well throw it out there anyway.
S: Jannero Pargo was the reason the game was close, but was also the biggest reason NO didn’t get over the hump.
B: It was amazing to me that he repeatedly pounded the ball for 10 seconds before giving it up to his MPV-level teammate, Chris Paul. If Pargo’s going to take some shots, Chris Paul has to be the one to give the ball to him. When you have teammates like Paul and West, you can’t dominate the ball. You tell them where you are, tell them you’re feeling it, and leave it up to them to defer to you if it’s right.
S: So you made the brilliant observation too then.
B: Sorry.

–5–
B: Jerry Stackhouse was on Cowherd this morning, and admitted that he hates the Spurs.
S: Yeah? Did he mention the flopping? The dirty play? The constant whining?
B: Sadly, just the whining. He said Tim Duncan’s the biggest whiner in the NBA. Cowherd then asked if there are any other teams he doesn’t like, and Stack said no one likes Kobe because he’s so arrogant. But they all still love to watch him play.
S: Wow. Hating on the Spurs and the Lakers in one segment? Radio gold!
B: Warmed my heart.

B: So enjoy the lottery tonight. Should be the last in a long, long time for the Blazers.
S: Cheers to that.

–2–
S: All of Yahoo!’s NBA page headlines are ridiculous.
B: Lay it on me.
S: Okay, so are the Spurs “Down and Out?” Of course they are! Just like they were after Game 2. How come nobody can ever think of anything new to say?
B: And we’re aggressively original?
S: Not the point.
B: Good point. Okay, #2.
S: “Pass Performance?” Since when does 7 assists equate to a guy leading his team to a win by facilitating? I know Kobe had a good game, but…
B: You’re looking at this the wrong way. If it’s a headline that Kobe has 7 assists, that just shows how out of the ordinary it is for him to facilitate anything.
S: Oh, I like that so much better. Okay, then “Cleveland might have blown its last opportunity to take out the Celtics.”
B: That’s the one I thought was the worst. Of course they might have. Of course, they might not have. It kind of depends on what happens next game. Anytime “might” is in your headline, you’ve gotta be doing something wrong.
S: Might be. And then “Shades of Red?” C’mon!
B: What’s the problem? He’s making a reference to Red Auerbach. Did you even read the article?
S: No, but that’s not the point. The Pistons are Blue. They have only one shade of red, and only as an accent.
B: You’re reaching. And missing.
S: I felt like I had to have something for the last one.
B: You don’t though.
S: Wetzel is a funny name?
B: Now you’re onto something.

–3–
B: Henry Abbott uses one play as an example that proves something I have suspected for a really, really long time.
S: What’s that?
B: Reffing, which is often downright terrible, will not even be able to improve until flopping is addressed.
S: We should address flopping later at length.
B: Yes, we should. Just using the youtubes alone will provide the most fun blogging experience I’ve ever had.
S: You mean like this?

B: Dang you! You know that’s my favorite flop clip of all time. That was low. Now what am I going to use for the later discussion?
S: Hehehe.

–4–
S: Syesha got kicked off.
B: You going to be okay?
S: I’ll live.

–5–
B: I know it’s a day old, but this is one of the best crunch-time playoff blocks I’ve ever seen.

S: Remember early in the year when Prince was playing horribly and you wrote him off?
B: I did?
S: I don’t remember. The point is, he’s come a long way in one season.
B: You have a knack for making good points in stupid ways.
S: It’s a gift.

As a kid I spent more time watching sports than reading comic books, so I had to use Wiki to really figure out who Ironman is. From my reading I have synthesized three things that an NBA Ironman must be. First, he must be a genius of enormous proportions. We’re talking court IQ like Einstein (was Einstein a baller?). Second, he must be strong as an ox, or at least as durable as one (are oxen durable?). And finally, he must be a good guy (sorry San Antonio, Bruce Bowen has been eliminated by the final qualifier. I realize he may be a saint off the court, but for the purposes of this post we are only addressing on court issues. And on the court you get too much of this.

Who in the NBA meets all three? Do a quick search on the Google and see what you come up with. I got A.I., Mo-Pete, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Bruce Bowen and a lot of references to AC Green and Cliff Robinson (links for those under the age of 18). Let’s say he has to be current to win the award, so that rules out AC and Uncle Cliffy.

Kobe Bryant is ruled out because, one, his good guy-ness is very debatable and two, he’s a cry baby. A.I. is probably the most durable athlete of the century, but is ruled out for reasons similar to Kobe. Mo-pete? Maybe he has all three, I don’t know, but that is the problem. I don’t know. He hasn’t arrived. He just doesn’t have that superhero x-factor. Jason Kidd might have the IQ (or maybe it’s just court vision) and he may have the durability and toughness, but when the toughness comes out on the wife you start losing the good guy points pretty quick.

Okay, so The Google backfired on me. It doesn’t matter though, I really had my mind made up before I started doing “research.” So, who is this elusive NBA Ironman, this brilliant Ox of a man?

I’m sure we all remember this incident. Nash bloodied and and banged up comes to check on Tony Parker after their collision. Every time I see this picture I am reminded of how much of a sissy Tony is. Eva must like the sensitive type. Back to Ironman.

Think about it. He really has no super physical talents at all. He relies on durability, toughness, intelligence, and his passes can be as deadly as Ironman’s laser beam. Finally, he is probably the nicest guy in the NBA. The Baron has pointed out to me that some morons may argue that Nash is unworthy of such a title based on his rare flopping incidents. I would like those of you who agree to understand that Nash flopping is merely a result of his environment. When you have to play the super-flopper so often I am sure some of his evil South American magic is bound to wind up on your jersey. Regardless, Steve Nash is the NBA Ironman. The evidence is irrefutable and the logic undeniable.

The only question that remains is, if Steve Nash is Ironman who is Robert Horry? Every superhero has an arch-nemesis. Anyone know who Ironman’s nemesis is? Quick, somebody call a geek.

–2–
S: Seeing as it’s the talk of the sports world right now, thanks to Boston’s Jekyll-Hyde act, maybe we should discuss home-court advantage.
B: HP had a great bit on playoff rules, and discussed it a bit. Good points. I even commented.
S: Your comment is great. The intelligence that spews from your mouth is astounding.
B: Deadspin brought it up too, but didn’t really discuss answers as to why.
S: So let’s do.
B: There are a bunch of theories. Emotional lift from fans make you play harder, emotional lift from fans cause you to be the agressor and agressors get calls, refs don’t want to cause a ruckus with the home crowd, etc.
S: I blame it on the refs.
B: You didn’t read HP’s rule #2.
S: Yes I did. He’s just wrong. Refs suck.

–3–
B: This’ll bring back some painful memories for you.
S: Talk about Jekyll and Hyde. Oh, and I watched the play in question, and he did foul Howard.
B: Yes he did.

–4–
B: I mentioned Ironman’s Rotten Tomatoes approval rating the other day. So who is the NBA’s Ironman?
S: Wait, jerk! I have a whole post about it!
B: Oh.
S: I’ve been working on it for hours!
B: I’m really sorry.
S: Right.

–5–
B: To make it up to you, can Brandon Roy be the NBA’s Spider-Man?
S: Dude, shut up! I’m working on a whole superheroes of the NBA post too! That’ll be in a few days. Jeez, you’re a jerk today.
B: You always get like this around the playoffs.

The all-defensive teams were released by the NBA yesterday, and Kobe Bryant was named to the first team for the 8th time. I can’t argue with that. Not because I think he deserves to be named to the team, but because these teams are picked by the NBA coaches. Believe it or not, NBA coaches know more than I do about the NBA. And believe it or not, I know it. Furthermore, I have fairly recently heard insiders such as Jason Quick and Kevin Calabro, two of the very best at what they do, say specifically that Bryant can “literally lock guys down.”

Herein lies the essence of my post. Because I absolutely, unequivocally, and in all other ways disagree. In going against those that know, reason suggests that I’m very wrong here, which I am fully prepared to admit. In fact, I made a concentrated effort to do so a short time ago. Surprised? Me too.

I had reached my conclusions about Bryant’s defense in the past based purely on homerism and the plays I wanted to remember (”Brandon Roy blew past Kobe repeatedly in the 4th, so Kobe’s sucks at D”). The problem with blatant homerism, though, is that it doesn’t always mesh well with wanting to be right–which I also like. So after hearing countless basketball geniuses praise Bryant’s unmatched defensive abilities, I decided to re-visit my conclusions and watch a few games with the express purpose of finding reasons to be wrong.

Unfortunately, I found them. Sort of. What I saw was a fantastic amount of highlight-reel blocks and steals that inspire awe and are indispensable for a winning team. (I’d embed that video, but I just can’t do it. Not on my blog. Be proud of me just for linking to it.) The truth is, Bryant may very well be the best off-the-ball defender I’ve ever seen. He has instincts like a cat, or even a… uhh… black mamba (I just threw up a little in my mouth) in knowing where the ball will end up as a play unfolds. He constantly baits the savviest of players into thinking that his attention is elsewhere, and then turns the tables for a steal. His blocks are nearly always of the same come-out-of-nowhere fashion that is fun to watch for everyone (who doesn’t have a seething hatred for the Lakers). Even worse, his defense almost always leads to offense and that is , undeniably, special.

The point of this Bryant love-fest in which I’m partaking is, one, to tell the truth as I saw it, endeavoring objectivity: he is phenomenal off the ball. The other reason for that last, most painful paragraph I’ve ever had to write: I want to convince you that when I say what I’m about to say, I’m not just talking out of my… ignorance.

And here it is: Kobe Bryant’s a terrible defender. Yeah, you heard me.

When I play pickup basketball, I’m actually a pretty good off-the-ball defender as well. That’s because in an effort to conserve energy (because I’m terribly out of shape and not very quick anyway) I do my best to pick out the worst guy on the court to guard. That way I can leave him, roam around, and help teammates with guys who are better. A fantastic side-effect is that my inability to stay in front of anyone off the dribble also remains unexposed.

This is exactly what Bryant does. No, not because he’s terribly out of shape and not very quick–his practice regimen is legendary and he’s got athleticism that most NBA players can’t even comprehend. But he does do it to conserve energy, just like my own terribly slow and lazy self. The difference between Bryant’s conservation of energy and mine is that his is actually a smart thing to do. It would be terrible coaching to have your best offensive player–even if he is your best defender–spend all of his energy chasing around the other team’s top player. If your team depends on you to take 30 shots a game and make at least 4 of them (can’t always suppress the homer), you’d better have the energy to do it. It’s far smarter to check other, less-agile players for most of the game and then switch to guard the #1 on key possessions.

That’s right. When you hear analysts say that “Kobe guards the best opposing player night in and night out,” it’s false. I don’t blame them, though. When I did this “research” I would just watch Bryant all game. Analysts have a lot to pay attention to, and a lot of games to watch. Either way, when they say that, I am now convinced that they haven’t paid close enough attention. It would be a downright idiotic thing to do to actually have him expend his energy in that way, and Phil Jackson knows better.

The other important distinction to make is that Bryant isn’t the Lakers’ best defender anyway–he has either a complete lack of ability or interest in staying in front of guys off the dribble. Bruce Bowen, while I’m on the subject of admitting terribly painful things about players I don’t like, is a guy who has that ability and that interest. He literally does guard the opposing team’s best player every night, every play. He also averages fewer than 6 shots a game for his career. The Spurs don’t need him to take a lot of shots; technically, I don’t think they want him to either. He’s as dirty a player as I’ve ever seen and may actually attempt to injure other players on a regular basis (see videos), but he is quick and smart enough to stay in front of a dribbler.

Bryant isn’t. Some of it is due to coaching strategy, and and some is due to the fact that he’s an uncoachable putz. What? Homerism again, you say? Try this on for size. Lakers’ assistant coach and the architect of the triangle offense, Tex Winter (via TrueHoop) says the same thing:

“I’d like to see him play better defense,” Winter said, adding that he had addressed the issue recently with Bryant but didn’t come away with the idea that Bryant was intent on changing his approach.

“You know Kobe,” Winter said with a chuckle. “He has his game plan. I think he heard me. But he feels there’s a certain way he’s got to play the game. But it doesn’t involve a lot of basically sound defense.”

Because the Lakers need so much of his effort at the offensive end, Bryant has adopted a save-energy plan on the defensive end, Winter said. “He’s basically playing a lot of one-man zone. He’s doing a lot of switching, zoning up, trying to come up with the interception.

“The way Kobe plays defensively affects the team,” Winter added. “Anybody that doesn’t play consistently good defense hurts the team. That’s not only Kobe. Our other guards tend to gamble and get beat.”

That’s right. Tex knows ball. Tex knows Bryant. And Tex knows that Bryant isn’t a good defender.

So does this mean that all of the other NBA coaches, analysts, announcers and fans have been duped? Some of them, probably. The others (coaches, I’m sure), I have to believe are just weighing his defensive strengths against the defensive liabilities. Like every NBA player, Kobe Bryant has strengths and weaknesses. He is as good as anyone I’ve ever seen at maximizing the good and hiding the bad. Bryant’s 8th nomination to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team just tells me that NBA head coaches value his off-the-ball defense more than they have a problem with his on-ball defense (or lack thereof). That’s a conclusion I can live with, as long as others can live with my disagreement. There’s only so much of the homer in me I can set aside for the sake of objectivity.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Kobe sucks.