Jul 09 2008
Tags: Elgin Baylor, Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers
I can haz Elton Brand and Baron Davis togedder on same team? NO WAI!!!
The Los Angeles Clippers have never looked so futile, with Brand’s imminent departure to the Philadelphia 76ers. General manager Elgin Baylor has some fixin’ to do. As per usual.
Jul 08 2008
Tags: NBA Jam
Inspired by this excellent recollection of NHL 94, I felt basketball was equally deserving of such an honor with none other than the original NBA Jam.
Looking back at the rosters, some of these 2-player combinations seemed utterly ridiculous. Its also definitely entertaining to see all the names and realize what they’ve been through and where they’ve ended up since Jam’s release in 1993.
Time to boot up the ol’ SNES/Sega Genesis and see where we were 15 years ago in the West…
Harper was a fixture on most consoles, and with a moustache like his, how could he not be? Kudos to Jim Jackson for still being on the active NBA radar. He actually originally replaced Mike Iuzzolino, a 2nd round draft pick that played a tidy 2 seasons in the NBA before bolting for Europe
After asking the coeds of Georgetown who wanted to sex Mutumbo, the big man burst onto the NBA scene. He could have definitely used help in this game though from a quicker shooting guard, a la Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. C’mon - the big man/guard dunk/outside shooting combination is necessary for Jam success.
Too bad John Amaechi wasn’t in this game to potentially complete one of the most awkward pairings possible. Mullin made it rain and is still a Warrior, acting as their current GM, but you really needed a guy like Latrell Sprewell to throw it down here.
Bam - perfect combination right here. The Dream would stuff you on one end and then stuff it down your throat on the other, and Maxwell was the outside touch. They HAD to have given Mad Max some extra attributes for his turbo elbow throws based on the fact that he was, well, mad.
Is it just me, or has Ron Harper always seemed old and cagey, even though he had only been in the league for like 7 years at this point? Also, does anyone realize that Elgin Baylor was an executive with the Clips even back then and was responsible for drafting Manning? Also part two: Loy Vaught. You were awesome.
Post-Showtime rebuilding Lake Show. Magic-less and scared. Nick Van Exel probably would have been a better pick. Paired with a young Vlade, they presented the most tremendous upside potential to maybe squeak out wins.
Surprising that Doug West wasn’t in this pairing, considering he was the team’s leading scorer the previous season. The wizards at Midway did the right thing in pairing Person with budding big man Laettner.
Where’s Barkley, you ask? Oh he was busy teaming with Accolade on Shut Up And Jam, thus keeping his rights to himself and out of the hands of midway. KJ was the next clear choice, despite his prior injury-riddle campaign. For the sake of the outside/inside balance, Cedric Ceballos may have been better. Sigh… Sir Charles would’ve been a stud in this game given the use of glowing turbo sneakers.
Before they were the Jail Blazers, Portland was a high caliber team that had been to the Finals 2 of the previous 3 years. But alas, Clyde was already gliding downhill and this franchise would turn ugly fast. Bold prediction: Terry Porter is fired as Suns head coach by the All-Star break.
One of them piggybacked his way to a championship, the other started cutting jazz records. Excellent omission of Spud Webb. Dude would’ve gotten KILLED by one of Vernon Maxwell’s turbo elbows.
The three-point prowess of a Dale Ellis or the speed of an Avery Johnson may have been better pairings next to the Admiral. Perhaps the powers that be were simply letting Elliott shine knowing that he would be suffering some hardships down the road. Additionally, Chuck Person was the starter in the Sega CD version, yet appears with the Timberwolves in this SNES/Genesis version were using as a template. Shenanigans!
Astute move by Midway adding Schrempf to the roster despite his existing as a Pacer the year prior. Everyone knows this should have been Gary Payton feeding the Reignman. Any guesses on how many kids Kemp had fathered at this point in his career? I’ll say 4.
Of COURSE it was gonna be these two. Who did you think it was gonna be? A young Ike Austin? As good of a pair as these two were throughout their careers and in the game, did anyone ever even want to play with them?
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Do you remember playing the game as well? Got something to add to the post? Did I screw up anywhere (I’m sure I did)? Let me know!
Thanks to Basketball-Reference and Wikipedia for making this happen. Check back in the coming days for the Eastern Conference recap!
Jul 07 2008
Tags: Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
The NBA Orlando Pro Summer League kicked off with a couple of games today, including a live webcast of the slightly anticipated first meeting between #1 draft pick Derrick Rose and his Chicago Bulls against #2 draft pick Michael Beasley and the Miami Heat.
Beasley was outstanding with 28 points, but was clearly overshadowed by Mario Chalmers. Chalmers put up 11 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals, but most importantly, was bequeathed a special nickname by J.E. Skeets:
I decided to take it one step further, so without further ado, I present:
Mario Superintendent Chalmers.
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