Mid-Season Report

Since the Denver Nuggets finally played their 41st game on 1/27, it’s now time for the fourth annual ‘Mid-Season Report’. The gap between the conferences has never been greater, but the competition within each conference itself is still really tough. So, without further ado…

(*Teams I had making the playoffs before the season.)

EAST

1. *Washington Wizards (26-17)
Good – They lead their division, are 2nd in the league in scoring (107.19 ppg) and have a legitimate MVP candidate in Gilbert Arenas.

Bad – Their center rotation of Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas continues to disappoint.

Rookie – None.

Outlook – It’s hard for me to take the Wiz seriously when they play no defense (26th in opponent’s field goal percentage [OPPFG%] at 46.9%) and can’t rebound (25th in rebound differential [REBDIFF] at -2.90). That said, this squad should have no problems making the second round in the East.

2. *Detroit Pistons (25-17)
Good – They managed to stay near the top of the conference while Chauncey Billups missed eight games with a strained right calf. They also commit the fewest turnovers in the league (12.26 topg).

Bad – Their bench production leaves an awful lot to be desired.

Rookie – Will Blalock, from the little I’ve seen he’s lucky to be in the NBA.

Outlook – They remain one of the clubs to beat in the East, but their famous team chemistry no longer exists. Couple that with the hit their defense is bound to take with the addition of Chris Webber, and the Pistons are no longer an elite team.

3. *Chicago Bulls (26-19)
Good – Their always excellent defense (2nd in OPPFG% at 43.3%) has allowed them to stay right in the thick of the East, even though they have yet to put it all together.

Bad – They still have trouble finding enough offense on the nights when their outside shots aren’t falling.

Rookie – Thabo Sefolosha, athletic, unselfish and a lock down defender. I’m already on record as saying this is my boy. So you better recognize!

Outlook – The Bulls are a low post scorer away from being legitimate contenders. The good news is that Vice President John Paxson has more then enough trade assets to make that happen. Even if Pax can’t swing a deal, I like this club to go deep in the playoffs.

4. Toronto Raptors (22-23)
Good – GM Bryan Colangelo’s roster that included eight new players on opening night has come together just as I predicted (check the Eastern Conference Preview).

Bad – They are 28th in REBDIFF (-4.02) and soft defensively (22nd in OPPFG% at 46.4%).

Rookie – Andrea Bargnani, not a great athlete or defender, but once he develops some post moves and learns to put the ball on the floor, look out.

Outlook – The Raps have exceeded even my expectations up to this point and should only continue to get better. Even though they are definitely one and done if they make playoffs, winning the Titanic Division and getting the 4th seed is well within their reach.

5. *Cleveland Cavaliers (25-19)
Good – One of the better defensive (9th in OPPFG% at 45.0%) and rebounding (4th in REBDIFF at +3.46) teams in the league.

Bad – LeBron James has developed a tendency to coast during certain games, and his teammates have followed suit. They are also the worst free throw shooting team in the league (68.6%).

Rookie – Daniel Gibson, has a lot of ability, but needs to develop his PG skills (leadership, running a team, creating shots for others, etc.) if he wants to be a starter.

Outlook – Coach Mike Brown has quietly been molding his club into a defensive force. The Cavs are still a few pieces away, but a trip to the Conference Finals is not out of the question if they get their act together.

6. *Indiana Pacers (23-21)
Good – They finally rid themselves of knuckle head Stephen Jackson.

Bad – They are dead last in the NBA when it comes to shooting as a team (43.5%).

Rookie – Shawne Williams, long and athletic with a decent stroke from the outside. Very raw though.

Outlook – I think the Pacers will be better by season’s end due to the trade, but I don’t think they’ve improved enough to make any serious noise in the playoffs. However, given the right match up in the first round, Indy could be a very tough out.

7. *Orlando Magic (23-21)
Good – Their defense (3rd in OPPFG% at 43.7%) has been stifling and their rebounding (6th in REBDIFF at +2.72) isn’t too shabby either.

Bad – They lose a lot of close games due to their lack of a go to scorer down the stretch.

Rookie – J.J. Redick, can shoot the deep ball with the best of them, but is a complete liability on defense. I see no reason that he can’t have a long Steve Kerr type career though.

Outlook – I still think the Magic are on a team on the rise and a lock for the post season. Conversely, aside from Grant Hill they lack the big game experience needed to get out of the first round.

8. *New Jersey Nets (21-23)
Good – Journeyman Mikki Moore stepping up to fill the void on the front line and actually doing a serviceable job

Bad – Losing Nenad Krstic (torn ACL left knee) for the season and Richard Jefferson for approximately four to six weeks (right ankle surgery).

Rookie – Marcus Williams, slow footed, a poor defender and has an inconsistent jumper, but he can run a team. A career backup in my opinion.

Outlook – The Nets are going to have to tread water until RJ gets back and hope they can make a run to close out the season. If things start to go south in a hurry though, look for President Rod Thorn to make a bold move or two.

*Miami Heat (19-25)
Good – The job Dwyane Wade has done to keep them afloat has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Bad – Take your pick of Pat Riley’s “leave of absence” or Shaquille O’Neal appearing in only six games thus far.

Rookie – Chris Quinn, scrappy and gives 100% effort, but not an NBA player.

Outlook – Call me crazy, but I still think the Heat have a chance at the #1 seed. And as long as Shaq is healthy by the post season, I see no reason that Miami won’t represent the East in the Finals again.

New York Knicks (19-27)
Good – They play hard for coach Isiah Thomas and are competitive on most nights. They also rank a somewhat surprising 2nd overall in REBDIFF (+5.11).

Bad – Steve Francis went from All-Star at 27 years old to talk of a buyout at 29.

Rookie – Renaldo Balkman, good hustle guy that doesn’t need the ball and enjoys doing the little things. Hey, I’m not going to question one of Isiah’s draft picks.

Outlook – The Knicks are sure to surpass last season’s 23 wins, but what constitutes “significant progress” to owner James Dolan? To my eyes they already look much improved, and with the playoffs a long shot at best, Jimmy D must settle on a win total sooner or later.

Milwaukee Bucks (18-26)
Good – Flashed the potential to be an extremely high powered offense when healthy.

Bad – Losing four starters to injury.

Rookie – Ersan Ilyasova, nice athlete, very active and plays hard. Can shoot it from deep and put it on the floor, but needs to improve his all around basketball IQ.

Outlook – If a team from the Titanic wasn’t guaranteed a playoff spot, the Bucks might still have an outside chance. As is, it’s going to be very tough for them make a run when they get their people back because they don’t play defense (29th in OPPFG% at 47.6%) or rebound (26th in REBDIFF at -3.32).

Atlanta Hawks (15-27)
Good – Josh Smith averaging career highs in points, rebounds, blocks, assists and steals.

Bad – Multiple injuries derailed their solid start.

Rookie – Sheldon Williams, not terribly athletic and plays below the rim. A career back up in the making.

Outlook – Different year, same Hawks. They are 29th in points scored (91.50 ppg), 28th in shooting (43.5%) and 23rd in OPPFG% (46.5%). So they can’t score OR defend. I really hope their ownership limbo is remedied soon

Charlotte Bobcats (15-28)
Good –They have plenty of talented young players and oodles of salary cap room to spend when the moment is right.

Bad – They are 28th overall in average home attendance (15,440), which is not good for a third year expansion team.

Rookie – Adam Morrison, has the makings of a big time scorer in the league, but must develop another skill (passing? rebounding? defense?) to be a star.

Outlook – The Cats are still on the right track, but they have got to SPEND SOME MONEY this summer. I’m not saying to do something big just for the sake of doing something big, but at least make some kind of splash on the free agent market. If for no other reason then to give the fans some hope.

Philadelphia 76ers (14-31)
Good – Thankfully put an end to the Allen Iverson era.

Bad – 27th in REBDIFF (-4.00) and 25th in OPPFG% (46.9%).

Rookie – Rodney Carney, timid with the ball and seems to lack focus at times when he’s on the floor. Great athlete, but not sure he does anything at an NBA level.

Outlook – Blowing up your team during the season is a little unorthodox, but better late then never. If there’s any squad that should be tanking already, it’s the Sixers. But for some reason they persist in playing hard. By doing that Philly will continue to catch clubs taking the night off, hence winning games they shouldn’t.

Boston Celtics (12-31)
Good – Their youngsters getting plenty of opportunities to display their wares.

Bad – Injuries have just killed them.

Rookie – Rajon Rondo, super athlete with long arms and huge hands. Can defend, penetrate and run a team. Absolutely terrible shooter though.

Outlook – TANK ALERT! I find it more then a coincidence that both Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak have needed additional time (from the original prognosis) to get back from their respective injuries. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” The Celtics are not making the playoffs, and those two playing only costs them lottery ping pong balls in the end.

WEST

1. *Phoenix Suns (36-8)
Good – They lead the league in points (111.53 ppg), shooting (49.8%), 3-point shooting (39.9%) and assists (27.00 apg).

Bad – Kurt Thomas being out four to six weeks with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow shortens their rotation to seven guys.

Rookie – None.

Outlook – The greatest show on earth shows no signs of slowing down (two separate winning streaks of at least 15 games). Despite that, I have my concerns about the Suns. Their rotation is so short, and they play so fast, that I wonder how much gas they’ll have left in their collective tanks in the post season. Not to mention that they don’t have the depth to sustain a serious injury.

2. *Dallas Mavericks (36-9)
Good – Two separate winning streaks of 12 games or more already, plus they commit the 4th fewest turnovers in the league (13.95 topg), are 3rd in REBDIFF (+4.35) and 1st in free throw shooting (81.2%).

Bad – DeSagana Diop plummeting back to reality.

Rookie – Maurice Ager, hasn’t played much, but from what I’ve seen he’s not the scorer he was made out to be.

Outlook – I suppose it’s possible that they peak too early, or expend too much energy trying for the best record overall, but I doubt it. The Mavs have it all and then some. As long as they are healthy come playoff time, they are the favorites to win it all.

3. *San Antonio Spurs (32-14)
Good – Tim Duncan is healthy again and they are flying under the radar more or less. They also manage to somehow commit the fewest fouls per game in the NBA (19.51).

Bad – Career low shooting percentages from Robert Horry (33.8%), Beno Udrih (36.3%) and Michael Finley (38.3%).

Rookie – None.

Outlook – The Spurs are deep, well balanced and playoff tested. They also play defense (7th in OPPFG% at 44.7%) and rebound (7th in REBDIFF at +1.97). Conversely, SA looks very old and unathletic to me right now. I’m not sure they can hang with the big boys anymore unless GM R.C. Buford makes a move to address that.

4. *Utah Jazz (29-16)
Good – Second year PG Deron Williams’ ongoing evolution into Jason Kidd with a jump shot.

Bad – Coach Jerry Sloan’s refusal to start rookie Ronnie Brewer at SG.

Rookie – Paul Millsap, a hustler who’s a good rebounder and solid finisher around the rim. He’s already shown the ability to defend both forward positions too.

Outlook – The Jazz are going to be a very tough out in the playoffs because they lead the league in REBDIFF (+5.42), are 2nd in both assists (24.86 apg) & overall shooting (47.7%) and 8th in OPPFG% (44.9%). Utah is a solid SG and another defensive minded big man away from being in the mix to win it all.

5. *Houston Rockets (27-16)
Good –Tracy McGrady’s back issues seemingly becoming a thing of the past.

Bad – Yao Ming fracturing his right tibial plateau.

Rookie – Vassilis Spanoulis, can run a team and hit open shots, but not enough of a defender to get regular minutes for coach Jeff Van Gundy. A solid backup PG nonetheless.

Outlook – The Rockets play great defense (#1 in OPPFG% at 41.9%) and can rebound the ball (5th in REBDIFF at +3.41), but as is the case with all JVG coached clubs, they can’t shoot straight (25th in shooting at 44.2%). Still, this is going to be a very dangerous bunch if they are healthy by the playoffs. A club “that no one will want to play.”

6. *Los Angeles Lakers (27-17)
Good – Andrew Bynum (just 19 years old) developing into a low post scoring option and intimidator in the paint on defense faster then anyone could have possibly imagined.

Bad – They play no defense (24th in OPPFG% at 46.6%) and turn it over way too much (24th in turnovers at 16.51 topg).

Rookie – Jordan Farmar, surprisingly athletic, fearless, good penetrater and knows how to run a team. Has all the tools, but needs to work on his decision making and jump shot.

Outlook – Call me a homer, but when healthy the Lakers have the depth to give any Western squad trouble in the post season. Couple that with the best player in the game (Kobe Bryant), and this is proverbial “team that no one wants to play.” Realistically though, LA must improve their defense if they are to be considered a serious contender for the crown.

7. *Denver Nuggets (22-19)
Good – Everyone is finally available to play, and the acquisition of Steve Blake is looking like a master stroke.

Bad – Even though the season is half way over, it’s like they just broke training camp.

Rookie – Yakhouba Diawara, no game on offense at all, but has already proven to be a legitimate lock down perimeter defender.

Outlook – It’s tough to make a call on the Nugs only four games into the Allen Iverson-Carmelo Anthony partnership, but here goes anyway. From what I’ve seen Denver is going to be able to score points with the best of them. However, they are going to need to play some form of defense if they expect to consistently win games.

8. *Los Angeles Clippers (22-22)
Good – They are finally starting to play with some energy and enthusiasm. They also lead the league in blocks (6.20 bpg) and are 8th in REBDIFF (+1.81).

Bad – They are dead last overall in 3-point shooting (31.4%).

Rookie – Paul Davis, good size with decent post moves and a nice touch around the basket out to mid-range. Needs to bulk up and improve his toughness.

Outlook – The Clips went from 4th in OPPFG% last season (43.5%) to 13th this year (45.4%). Therein lies the problem with this club. Yet if the chemistry issues and injuries are both things of the past, LA should be poised to make their run during the second half.

Minnesota Timberwolves (21-22)
Good – The sheer will and greatness of Kevin Garnett being able to keep this unsightly lot in playoff contention.

Bad – Firing coach Dwane Casey (more on this in my next blog entry).

Rookie – Randy Foye, has above average strength and athleticism for his size, but not enough to consistently create quality scoring opportunities. Also doesn’t possess true PG skills or instincts. Seems like a poor man’s version of Steve Francis thus far.

Outlook – The Wolves were doing everything they possibly could to stay on the fringes of the playoff chase, so what does Vice President Kevin McHale do? He makes a coaching switch. Now, a team that wasn’t that good to begin with has to adjust on the fly to a new head man, all while trying to remain in the hunt for a post season birth. Needless to say, I’m not optimistic about their chances.

Golden State Warriors (21-23)
Good – “Nellie Ball” seems to be working for them as they are 1st in both steals (8.93 spg) & turnovers forced (18.00 topg) and 3rd in both scoring (106.11 ppg) & assists (23.50 apg).

Bad – They are dead last overall in REBDIFF (-5.75).

Rookie – Kelenna Azubuike, athletic swingman with a nice stroke from 3-point range. He works hard, but is a borderline NBA player at best.

Outlook – The Warriors went from a somewhat entertaining squad to watch, to an extremely dangerous offensive club post trade. Coach Don Nelson can now put scorers at four of the five positions at all times. If GS shows a mild interest in playing defense, and shores up their rebounding, the eighth seed is within their reach.

Portland Trail Blazers (19-26)
Good – They have six players born in 1983 or later that are developing nicely while showing various degrees of “upside”.

Bad – Joel Przybilla’s nose dive after signing a five year $32 million dollar contract.

Rookie – Brandon Roy, can shoot from outside, drive to the basket, defend, pass and even rebound a touch. A prototypical SG that will have a long career as a starter.

Outlook – The Blazers don’t play any defense (27th in OPPFG% at 47.5%), but that’s to be expected from such a young team. This is a squad that gets better every day and is on the fast track to respectability. The playoffs are out of the question this season, but with a smart trade or two, and another solid draft pick, they will be in the hunt next year.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (18-25)
Good – David West and Bobby Jackson are already back playing, with Chris Paul soon to follow.

Bad – They are 29th in overall shooting (43.5%) and dead last in both points (90.62 ppg) & assists (17.30 apg).

Rookie – Cedric Simmons, a defense first guy with little or no offensive game. Can rebound and block shots, but needs to bulk up and develop some post moves or a mid-range J to stick.

Outlook – What has kept the Hornets afloat during their myriad of injuries is their defense (5th in OPPFG% at 44.2%), and credit for that goes to coach Byron Scott. When CP3 gets back their offense will start to click again. When healthy this is a playoff team in my mind, but I question whether or not they have enough time left to make a run.

Sacramento Kings (17-25)
Good – They seem to be getting along a little better now as a unit, and their chemistry on the floor has improved some because of it.

Bad – Mike Bibby shooting a career low 38.7% from the field.

Rookie – Quincy Douby, thin, not all that athletic and questionable on the defensive end. Looks like another shooter that can’t shoot to me.

Outlook – The Kings certainly have talent, but it doesn’t mesh during games (athletic vs. plodding) or get along away from the court (outgoing vs. low key). I’m also starting to lose faith in coach Eric Musselman, who seems to have lost his second group in two opportunities. They still have an outside chance at the post season, but it’s more likely time for President Geoff Petrie to work some more of his magic.

Seattle SuperSonics (17-27)
Good – Nick Collison stepping in as their starting center and averaging 14.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and .9 steals on 61.8% shooting in January.

Bad – Much like a scared turtle hiding in its shell, Luke Ridnour regressed all the way from looking like a legit third scoring option, to losing his starting job to Earl Watson.

Rookie – Mickael Gelabale, an above average athlete and defender with a decent mid-range jumper. Needs to improve his confidence and develop an off the dribble game.

Outlook – The Sonics are yet another squad that plays no defense (28th in OPPFG% at 47.5%). Meaning that without Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis healthy at the same time, they have no shot at the post season. With owner Clay Bennett unlikely to get the $300 million of public funding he requested for his $500 million new arena, this could very well be Seattle’s swan song as a NBA city.

Memphis Grizzlies (11-34)
Good – Ever since Tony Barone Sr. took over as coach they run and gun like it’s the mid-80’s.

Bad – Pau Gasol’s trade request being made public knowledge.

Rookie – Rudy Gay, extremely athletic with lots of offensive tools, but lacks the consistent focus/drive/toughness to be a star. Not sure he’s ever going to be more then a guy with great “upside”.

Outlook – The Griz, or as I like to call them, “Team Tank”, have been a joke ever since they fired Mike Fratello. They are 29th in REBDIFF (-4.17) and dead last in OPPFG% (48.4%). Those numbers are never that bad with the “Czar” in charge, which is exactly why they fired him in my opinion. There is no way this club doesn’t end up with one of the two worst records overall.

Mid-Season Awards

Defensive Player – Marcus Camby (Denver Nuggets)

Sixth Man – Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix Suns)

Coach – Sam Mitchell (Toronto Raptors)

Rookie – Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers)

MVP – Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)

All NBA

PG – Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns)

SG – Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)

SF – Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)

PF – Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)

C – Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)

Top 10 Shows of 2006

All in all I ended up seeing 60 shows (give or take) in 2006. Not a bad year, but I wish I wasn’t sick when moe. was in the Pacific Northwest in September. That said, I was really happy with my festival choices of Jam in the Dam and Vegoose. Who knows where 2007 will take me, but here’s one last look back before I close the book on the year that was.

My Top 10 of 2006…

1) 10/30/06 - Widespread Panic - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena (11th show)
I: Contentment Blues, People are Strange > You Should be Glad > John's Other Jam > Pilgrims > Greta > Sharon > Time Zones, Stop-Go > Imitation Leather Shoes > Chainsaw City
II: Can’t Get There From Here, Slippin' Into Darkness > When the Clowns Come Home, Diner > Proving Ground > Drums* > Airplane** > Morning Dew > Love Tractor
E: That Old Black Magic, Radar Love, I Want You (She's So Heavy)
*w/ Jeff Lane on percussion
**w/ Carrot Top on percussion
[Only 'Cant Get There From Here', Only 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)', Only 'John's Other Jam', Only 'People Are Strange', Only 'That Old Black Magic'; Last 'Airplane' - 07/02/02, 316 shows; Last 'Morning Dew' - 01/14/89, 1976 shows; Last 'Radar Love' - 10/31/96, 876 shows]

I already covered this show in depth on the blog (‘Vegoose in Review’), but suffice it to say that this was a magical night that made me rethink my entire stance on WSP. Great setlist, off the charts energy and the perfect way to cap a long weekend in Vegas.

2) 12/31/06 - String Cheese Incident - San Francisco, CA - Concourse Exhibition Center (11th show)
I: Can't Stop Now, These Waves, BAM! > Rockit > BAM!, Pretty Polly, Rhum 'n' Zouc, Close Your Eyes > Rocket Man > Close Your Eyes, Desert Dawn
II: Miss Brown's Teahouse > Sex Machine > Miss Brown's Teahouse > Star Trek Theme+ > Rollover > Ziggy Stardust, Rain, Farther, Dub Jam* > It Is What It Is, Bumpin' Reel, Black Clouds
E: Joyful Sound, Birdland** > Wheel Hoss > Birdland > Rollover
+w/ NYE countdown
*w/ Bassnectar on turntables
**w/ Soul Eye rapping

Another show that I already wrote about in depth on the blog (‘Sea of Dreams ’07’). I couldn’t have asked for a better setlist, and the overall positive-ness of the vibe inside the arena was something I’ll never forget. Farewell SCI, we had too few *moments* together, but the last was certainly the best.

3) 1/21/06 - Sound Tribe Sector 9 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox (15th show)
I: Instantly, Satori, Warrior, Luma Daylight, Tokyo, Circus, Rent
II: Peoples, One a Day, Four Year Puma, ReEmergence, Dem Be, Orbital, Moon Socket
E: Arigato

The Showbox is one of my least favorite places to see a show anywhere in the country. Small, crowded and no place to sit is usually not a good combo. Unless of course the band plays well enough to make you forget about your surroundings.

Luckily for me, that was exactly the case on this night.

I knew good things were ahead when bassist David Murphy came out and said “Hope ya’ll ready to dance up in here tonight.” They dropped directly into ‘Instantly’ from there and got the party started right. Following ‘Instantly’ with the melodic ‘Satori’ made for the perfect one-two show opening combo.

As high quality as the first set was, the second set was even better. A ‘Peoples’ opener set the tone. New tune ‘One a Day’ did not let up and ‘Four Year Puma’ is an always welcome oldie. But the surprise of the show was ‘ReEmergence’. ReE is a slow number, but the boys took this one way out there and produced the best version ever.

Not much needs to be said about the ‘Orbital, Moon Socket’ closing pair, other then it got real sweaty inside the “Box”. Murph let us know prior to the encore that it was keyboardist David Phipps birthday, and I think that had something to do with the band’s elevated energy throughout this show.

4) 6/10/06 - The Black Crowes - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheater (9th show)
Wiser Time, Jam > Black Moon Creeping, High Head Blues, Got to Get Better in a Little While, Darling of the Underground Press, Jam > Thorn In My Pride, Up on Cripple Creek, Soul Singing, L.A., Hard to Handle, Jealous Again
E: Around and Around

I was super-psyched to finally see my boys headlining their own summer shed tour (with the Drive-By Truckers and Robert Randolph & the Family Band opening). And the first night of their two month tour did not disappoint, even though the place was at least half empty and the lot scene prior to the show was non-existent.

A ‘Wiser Time’ opener was a welcome surprise, but the ‘Got to Get Better in a Little While’ (with Chris Robinson on electric guitar) really set things off for me. ‘Darling of the Underground Press’ was a tune I never expected to hear again, and Rich Robinson singing lead vocals on The Band’s ‘Up on Cripple Creek’ was as good as it gets. The since booted Marc Ford singing lead on Neil Young’s ‘L.A.’ was also a highlight, as was the encore of Chuck Berry’s ‘Around and Around’.

But what made this set so special were the jammers. ‘Black Moon Creeping, Thorn In My Pride, Soul Singing & Hard to Handle’ all showed why the Crowes are a force to be reckoned with when they put their collective minds to it. I couldn’t have asked for a better show.

5) 12/30/06 - Lotus - San Francisco, CA - Concourse Exhibition Center (3rd show)
One Last Hurrah, Kesey Seed, Greet the Mind, Hammerstrike, Spiritualize, It's All Clear to Me Now > Shimmer and Out

As covered in ‘Sea of Dreams ‘07’, now is the time to see Lotus so you can say “I saw them when.” The fact that this had to be many people’s first time seeing them only adds to their legend in the making.

6) 7/11/06 - Widespread Panic - Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheater (9th show)
I: All Time Low, Disco, Dyin' Man, Weight of the World, Holden Oversoul, Better Off, 1 x 1, You Should Be Glad > None of Us are Free
II: Aunt Avis > Bear's Gone Fishin', Doreatha, Tortured Artist, Greta, Mercy > Drums > Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun Jam > Interstellar Overdrive* > Astronomy Domine Jam* > Interstellar Overdrive* > Vampire Blues*, Postcard* > Space Wrangler*
E: Thought Sausage, May Your Glass Be Filled
*w/ Sam Holt on guitar
[Only 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun Jam'; Last 'Astronomy Domine Jam' - 04/19/02, 272 shows]

This was my first time back at the Cuthbert since 7/3/01 (Phil & Friends), and I was damn glad that the powers that be finally decided to let some real shows return to Eugene in the summertime.

The opening pairing of ‘All Time Low, Disco’ was HOT. Not to mention that you could walk right up to the front row if you pleased. ‘Holden Oversoul’ was PHat as well and I was actually glad to hear ‘You Should Be Glad’.

I’ll never forget the sunset and the breeze floating through the trees behind the stage during the ‘Aunt Avis’ opener. Totally picturesque Oregon summer night and Avis fit the moment perfectly for me. ‘Greta’ was high quality as well, but it was the smorgasbord of Pink Floyd jams out of drums that really set this show apart. Syd Barrett had died a few days prior and Panic did a fine job honoring his memory.

The best ‘Space Wrangler’ I’ve ever heard closed out a super night in Eugene. Here’s to hoping that more bands play the Cuthbert this coming summer.

7) 3/21/06 - Sound Tribe Sector 9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Old Hall, Melkweg (18th show)
This, Us, Evasive Maneuvers > Kamuy, Somesing, Circus, Be Nice, Tap-In, One a Day, Pianoir, Peoples, Mischief of a Sleepwalker, Moon Socket, Four Year Puma

This was the best set of Jam in the Dam for me. We walked in at the end of ‘This, Us’ and got treated to a ragin’ ‘Evasive > Kamuy’ suite. This show makes the list because beginning with ‘Be Nice’ there was no let-up until they put down their instruments. Just a full force STS9 dance party in the smaller of the two rooms inside the Melkweg on the final day of JITD.

8) 10/29/06 - The Rhythm Devils - Las Vegas, NV - Double Down Stage, Star Nursery Field (1st time)
Jam > The Center, Your House > Cumberland Blues > Comes Dawn, New Speedway Boogie, Next Dimension > Drums > The Other One > The Wedge, Fire on the Mountain, Turn on Your Lovelight
E: Good Lovin’

Since I wrote about this in ‘Vegoose in Review’ I’ve been able to listen to this show on archive.org, and it gets better every time I hear it. The best, and maybe somewhat surprising, thing about this set is the new Robert Hunter penned originals. ‘The Center, Your House, Comes Dawn & Next Dimension’ are all better then average tunes in my book.

9) 10/28/06 - Keller Williams Incident - Las Vegas, NV - Double Down Stage, Star Nursery Field (2nd show)
Burning Down the House > Once in a Lifetime, Ninja of Love, Blatant Ripoff, Luckiest Man, Mullet Cut, Sing for My Dinner, Portapotty, Lightning, Bob Rules > Restless Wind > Bob Rules, Bargain, Life > Freeker by the Speaker

I obviously hit upon this one in ‘Vegoose in Review’ too, but I feel compelled to mention again that ‘Sing for My Dinner’ and ‘Freeker by the Speaker’ have amazing jams that come out of them. Great, great show as the sun set on the first day of Vegoose.

10) 3/20/06 - Umphrey’s McGee - Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Max, Melkweg (6th show)
Atmosfarag, Der Bluten Kat, Liquid, Wife Soup, Eat > Nothing Too Fancy, Thin Air, In the Kitchen

I’ll admit that maybe I didn’t quite appreciate this show for all it was at the time. I mean, I knew it was solid, but after listening to it on CD my eyes were opened to it’s true quality.

Not many songs, or lyrics for that matter, but the ‘Der Bluten Kat’ (32 minutes) and ‘Nothing Too Fancy’ (27 minutes) took the technical type jams Umphrey’s is capable of to a whole ‘nother level. I also have to mention that of the four bands at JITD, the Umph was by far the tightest unit. I mean, just the jaw dropping mid-song changes that they were able to consistently pull off were something to behold.

The next three…

11) 10/28/06 - Yonder Mountain String Band - Las Vegas, NV - Double Down Stage, Star Nursery Field (2nd show)
Up on the Hill Where They Do the Boogie, Angel, How 'Bout You?, Night Out, Too Late Now, Night is Left Behind, Mother's Only Son, Get Me Outta This City, Left Me in a Hole, 40 Miles from Denver, East Nashville Easter, Damned if the Right One Didn't Go Wrong, Sidewalk Stars, Death Trip

Again, already covered this one in ‘Vegoose in Review’, but is it too much to ask that the YMSB boys play a few non-Horning’s shows in Oregon this upcoming year?

12) 3/19/06 - Sound Tribe Sector 9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Max, Melkweg (16th show)
Ramone & Emiglio, Aimlessly, Warrior, Tokyo, Music, Us, Surreality > EB, Instantly, Lo Swaga, Really Wut?, Open E
E: Grow

The set that kicked off JITD (The Disco Biscuits closed it out if you were wondering) had it’s moments of greatness, but wasn’t strong all the way through. The opening combo of ‘Ramone & Emiglio, Aimlessly’ certainly got things off to a stellar start. The highlight for me was the ultra-rare ‘Surreality > EB’ followed by ‘Instantly’. The ‘Grow’ encore was also mighty fine.

13) 3/21/06 - Umphrey’s McGee - Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Max, Melkweg (7th show)
Hangover, 40's Theme > Dump City > 40's Theme, Passing, Professor Wormbog, Waiting Room > JaJunk, Divisions, Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution > Divisions, Miss Tinkle's Overture, Higgins
E: Pay the Snucka

The boys from Chicago certainly brought it on the final day of JITD. Again, I can’t stress enough just how tight these guys really are. How they can play so fast, change on a dime, keep going and never lose their togetherness or flow is amazing. Other then that, ‘40’s Theme’ and ‘Pay the Snucka’ are always nice to hear.

Honorable Mention…

3/20/06 - Benevento/Russo Duo - Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Old Hall, Melkweg (4th show)
setlist unknown
w/ Brian Haas, Jason Smart & Reed Mathis from Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Charlie Hunter & Bobby Previte

I just had to mention this show for the sheer madness we walked into right after having our collective minds blown by Umphrey’s McGee in the other room. Such is why you go to JITD though I guess. I was going to try and explain it, but I’ll let this link do it for me. Remember, there are only two people in The Duo proper.

Worst show of the year…

5/15/06 - The Coalition of the Willing - Eugene, OR - The WOW Hall (1st time)
setlist unknown

How can a super group consisting of Charlie Hunter on guitar, Marco Benevento on keys and the inimitable Skerik on sax end up here? I’ll tell you how. They all end up reading sheet music written by drummer and group founder Bobby Previte.

I’ve never been at a show where a group of guys this talented are reading charts on stage six shows into a tour. When the goal is improvisation, not knowing the songs, much less the changes, much less who’s turn it is to solo, tends to be a major problem.

Now, if the songs were good maybe this would not have mattered all that much, but they weren’t. This band sounded like heavy metal jazz or something, and if that wasn’t bad enough, you literally could see the lack of confidence on everyone’s faces (minus Previte himself) throughout the first set.

Obviously, we were out at set break, and almost didn’t last long.

Blockbuster, C-Web & Team USA

- The first blockbuster deal of the NBA season went down on 1/17, and not a moment too soon. Let’s hope this is just the initial salvo in what turns out to be a very busy trading season league wide.

Golden State Gets: Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius & Josh Powell

Indiana Gets: Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Ike Diogu & Keith McLeod

For the Warriors…

I’ll admit, my initial knee-jerk reaction to this trade was, “Why on earth did they dump Diogu after 1.5 seasons (86 games total)?” Then I got to thinking about it, and realized that GS Vice President Chris Mullin dumped four guys that basically were not playing, for three that are going to step right in and play big minutes. Mully also managed to unload two more of the four terrible contracts (Murphy & Dunleavy) he doled out in his first summer on the job (2004).

(He already dealt Derek Fisher this past summer. So if he can somehow manage to find a taker for Adonal Foyle’s $26.8 million over the next three years, the purge will be complete!)

Harrington – He figures to step right in and start along side Mickael Pietrus and Andris Biedrins to give the Warriors an extremely athletic and young front court. Look for Al to excel offensively in coach Don Nelson’s system.

Jackson – This one is a little more dicey in my estimation. Calling S Jax a loose cannon is being kind. I’m sure he’ll be all smiles gunning away while Jason Richardson is out with broken right hand, but what happens when J-Rich gets back? Unless Nellie plans on moving Pietrus to the bench, I’m not sure Jack will accept the role of sixth man willingly. Stay tuned.

Jasikevicius – GS needed a legit PG to back up the injury prone Baron Davis. I like Monta Ellis, but he doesn’t have the make up or game to run a team. Enter Sarunas. He never really was a fit in Indiana after starting in the Euroleague and winning three straight championships (FC Barcelona in 2003 & Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2004 & 2005). Jasikevicius’ game should be a perfect fit with the Warriors, and if he can’t make it work under Nellie, he never will.

Powell – Theoretically his game is well suited to GS’ style, and since Nellie usually gives everyone on his roster at least one shot, Josh will get his. He could work his way into the rotation if plays well. However, if he bombs he could be looking for work within two weeks.

For the Pacers…

CEO Donnie Walsh was willing to take on $33 more million in long term salary to improve his club’s overall chemistry. Of course it doesn’t hurt that he also received what could turn out to be the best player in the entire deal (Ike).

Murphy – Troy has been hampered all season by a sore left Achilles’ tendon, but when healthy, I think he is a much better fit with Jermaine O’Neal (when Indy goes small with JO at center) then Harrington was. Realistically though, Murphy is probably no more then a third big man on a good team. Don’t get me wrong here, because his combo of toughness, outside shooting and rebounding make him a very valuable bench player.

Dunleavy Jr. – He is the prototypical “guy that needed a change of scenery.” The fans turned on him this season after Nelson ripped him in the press and Mullin backed Nellie up. But c’mon already, how much do we need to see of this guy before we’re ready to admit that he can’t play? I, for one, am ready right now. Mike is a nice role player that can do a little bit of everything, but he does absolutely nothing at an NBA level. Look for Junior to be the starting SG for the Pacers.

Diogu – To me, his inclusion is what got this deal done. I know he’s hardly played, but in 17 games this season he was putting up 22.2 points per 40 minutes and 11.4 rebounds per 40 minutes with a true shooting percentage of 60.1%. His defense is brutal, but playing with JO can hide some of that. He’s a nice fourth big man right now, and if he develops as I suspect, he gives Indy the flexibility to trade JO further on down the line.

McLeod – The Pacers moved Jasikevicius in part because they wanted to give more minutes to second year man Orien Greene as backup PG. And with veteran Darrell Armstrong still on Indy’s roster as the third PG, don’t look for McLeod to be around very long.

Overall…

GS gets more athletic players that are a better fit for Nellie’s system. An underrated facet of this trade for the Warriors is that Harrington and Jackson are the two best defenders out of the eight players involved in the deal too. On the flip side, I worry about Jackson’s long term affect on the locker room. And while it’s nice to see a GM getting players that fit his coach’s style, giving up on the 9th pick overall from a year ago could come back to haunt them.

Indy also got players that are more suited to coach Rick Carlisle’s slow down control the tempo approach. But the main thing the Pacers accomplished was improving their chemistry. Both Al and Stephen have had run-ins with Carlisle already this season, and Jackson was a pariah in that community for many reasons. I hesitate to call it addition by subtraction though because the Diogu acquisition reminds me a lot of how Walsh fleeced Portland for JO in the summer of 2000.

And the winner is…

I think this trade helps both squads. It actually reminds me a lot of the Boston–Minnesota swap from last year, in that a lot of players were moved, but the teams really aren’t that much better off.

I know, get off the fence Sura.

I’ll take the Warriors in the short term because this deal may be just enough for them to break their 12 year playoff drought. Long term though, I gotta go Pacers. Not only because of the flexibility this move gives them to make future trades, but also because I like the potential of the Ike-Danny Granger forward tandem.

- On 1/16 the Detroit Pistons signed Chris Webber off the scrap heap. Unlike most media pundits, I don’t view this as a landscape changing transaction in the East. Nor do I necessarily think this move makes the Pistons that much better.

Let’s discuss…

The plan in Detroit is to eventually make Webber the starting center. Ok, that makes sense because manning the middle can at least hide some of his lack of mobility. It also gives the Pistons a scoring threat at every position on the court, which is something new for them. The passing ability and unselfishness of their first five should rival that of any team in the league.

That said...

What I don’t get about this move is what was *big* free agent signing Nazr Mohammed doing wrong? His scoring, rebounding and block numbers are all right on his career averages. Nazr’s defense in the middle has been above average as well. Why he was only playing 18.9 minutes per game, I don’t know. I mean, the guy was delivering exactly what should have been expected of him.

So Detroit is replacing a defensive specialist with a defensive liability, and that’s supposed to make them better?

Huh?

Oh, I see, Webber’s offense is going to make up for his defensive shortcomings.

Uh, what?

Have President Joe Dumars and coach Flip Saunders been watching the same games I have? Sure, C-Web will make his share of stand still mid-range jumpers, but the guy was shooting 38.7% with the Sixers this season. He also has no game to speak of anymore besides the afore mentioned mid-range J.

Look, Webber can still play in the NBA, but as a 17-22 minute role player off the bench. He’s not a starter anymore on a quality club, and it really is that cut and dry.

What separated the Pistons from the rest of the East was their ability to defend as a unit. Now, all of a sudden, they are modeling themselves after the offensive style that the Wizards, Nets, Bucks, and Raptors employ. Rather then the defense first mentality of the Bulls, Magic and Pacers.

Well, they better have enough offense to pull that off because when Webber is on the court the opposition is going to use his man as the screener on the pick & roll and force him to move ad nauseam. Get ready for it Detroit fans, because any coach worth his salt is going pick & roll him to death.

Which brings me to my final point.

The chemistry in Motown has been less then stellar with Rasheed Wallace in an ongoing feud with Saunders and Nazr already asking to be traded. So what happens when Flip realizes that Chris can’t be on the court in crunch time, and subsequently benches him every night down the stretch?

Can I have some gasoline to pour on my dynamite please!

(I have to end with this quote by C-Web: “This is the best I've felt in three years.” Oh yeah? Then why did you miss 17 of 35 games in Philadelphia? What a punk a** biatch!)

- It has been rumored that USA Basketball is going to invite both Jason Kidd and Carlos Boozer to the tryouts prior to the Tournament of the America’s (the qualifier for the 2008 Olympics).

Great move by Jerry Colangelo says me.

As much as I like Chris Paul and Kirk Hinrich, I’d much rather see Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd running the National Team.

As for Boozer, he’s probably the best high post player in the NBA right now. So his addition should really be a no brainer. With Booz up high and Elton Brand, Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire down low, our big men should dominate the competition.

Sea of Dreams '07

I have to start out with a nod to San Francisco.

I hadn’t been back to the City by the Bay since 10/31/04 (STS9 at the Fillmore) and had kind of forgotten how much fun SF really is, especially Union Square on New Year’s Eve (NYE). I had spent two previous NYE’s there seeing STS9 at the Regency Center (12/31/02) and Galactic with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at the Warfield (12/31/01).

Ahh, good times.

Anyway, it’s a close call for me as to which city is my favorite spot to cut loose in, but I’ll say Las Vegas is 1A and San Fran in 1B.

Ok, on to the business at hand.

This was my second go around on NYE with the Bay Area production company Anon Salon. The STS9 event I saw on 12/30+31/02 was dubbed “Fanta-See”. This year it was “7 Heavens”. So the deal is each NYE they pick a theme and then deck out the venue accordingly.

And man did they ever do a fine job on the Concourse Exhibition Center (CEC).

The place was top to bottom a complete feast for the senses. If I could ever figure out how to post pictures to this blog you could all see what I mean. Performances took place on three stages, a mezzanine and a Circularium. There was also an art gallery, a vendor’s village and all kinds of hands on type exhibits to get involved with.

Basically, there was always something going on.

Probably the smartest thing they had set up though was the outside smoking area that had a plethora of port-a-johns. Why certain people were waiting in those long lines inside to use the facilities (when there was absolutely no waiting outside, ever) I’ll never know.

It was $10 dollar cab ride (with tip) from Union Square to the CEC. When we first arrived there a small lot scene happening, but not much else. Luckily we found the Mars Bar one block away. Nice place, good atmosphere and not crowded in the least.

We ended up taking to these dudes that had flown in from England to see String Cheese Incident (SCI), their favorite band. Man were there every d-r-u-n-k drunk, and it was only 7 o’clock. We chatted about football (soccer) and music, but the most important thing we imparted on them was to get in early to see the opening act.

Lotus on the LunaSea Stage 8:00-9:15 (3rd show)
One Last Hurrah, Kesey Seed, Greet the Mind, Hammerstrike, Spiritualize, It's All Clear to Me Now > Shimmer and Out

Upon entering the venue (around 7:50) we were kind of taken aback by the lack of people in attendance for my boys from Philadelphia. Oh well, more room for us to boogie. We sauntered right up to the rail and almost couldn’t believe where we were and how easy we got there.

They came on right at 8:00 sharp and broke into my favorite new song ‘One Last Hurrah’. OLH starts out slow but drops into this very catchy hook (like a lot of their songs do). The difference in this one from all of the other versions I had heard on archive.org is that the closing jam was absolutely monstrous.

They already had the crowd in the palm of their hand, but went into ‘Kesey Seed’ next. This proved to be the only really *down-tempo* portion of the show. I’m very good on KS myself, but the cool thing about it was that we were so close we could literally feel puffs of air shooting from the speakers during any and all bass bombs.

‘Greet the Mind’ was next and is always welcome in my book. About mid-way through it I turned around and noticed that the floor was filling in nicely, and that everyone was grooving their behinds off.

‘Hammerstrike’ is another new tune that I had heard in Eugene at my first show and didn’t love. I don’t think they re-worked it, but there was something slightly different about this version. I’m not sure if it was the tempo or the steadily building energy inside the venue or what, but this time around ‘Hammerstrike’ did not disappoint.

By the time ‘Spiritualize’ started we had to move off the rail because we are far too old to deal with the jostling that comes with being front row. So we moved back from dead center up front to about the 4th-6th row slightly off to the left. Still not too shabby at all. About 10 seconds into the song I leaned over to Teri and said “They’ve got this entire crowd, and are going to take us wherever they want to.” And boy did they ever.

I don’t know what it looked like from the stage, but the band had to see the steadily growing crowd the entire time. I know they could feel the energy level rising and rising, that’s for damn sure. This is the great thing about Lotus, especially as the opener of a big show. If you want to take it higher and boogie until you drop, they have more then enough tunes to oblige.

What came next was the icing on the cake for me. Since I had already heard ‘Flower Sermon’ and ‘Intro to a Cell’ at my first two shows, the only thing left on my top 3 was ‘It’s all Clear to Me Now’. As soon as I heard the opening riff I again turned to Teri and said “This tune is going to blow the roof off the place.” Yep yep. I had no time to do anything but dance my arse off at this point, but I imagine the rest of the crowd was doing the same.

(Sidebar: the ‘All Clear > Intro Cell’ on NYE in Pittsburgh to end set II must have been completely off the chain. Yes, they played Pitts on 12/31. After playing SF on 12/30 and Denver on 12/28+29. Oh, to be young again.)

The transition into ‘Shimmer and Out’ was flawless and took the crowd up even another notch, higher then I’m sure anyone ever expected the opening act to.

When it was all over and the house lights came on I turned around and the entire place was 100% packed, including the mezzanine. They put their instruments down to thunderous applause and were all smiles as they left the stage.

I guarantee Lotus made a ton of new fans with that performance. To me they are kind of like a cross between theNEWDEAL (for their non-stop four on floor dance party energy) and Sound Tribe Sector 9 (for their capacity to layer ambient jams while building them up to a frenzy inducing crescendo).

In a first for the NBA-Jam blog, we are going to have a guest writer inside one of my own columns. Teri, take it away…

“Lotus!

They were incredible, nonstop. They just kept coming at you, full force.

There we were, riding the fence in front of the stage, hovering between the first and third "rows" - sweet! Plenty of room on the floor to get your groove on surrounded by the sound & lights, with the band right up in your grill.

I was a prisoner, albeit a happy one, unable to do anything but conform. I could have literally crawled inside the set, built a motha f'*&%!n' house right there in the front, it was just that right.

They had us and they knew it.

I am sure they added to the Lotus fan base that night. The crowd just kept growing as their set went on. They delivered with confidence, and they knew they were delivering. It snowballed . They pushed themselves, and the energy of the crowd fed their journey.

Lotus is the new "I should've seen them when..." band of the jam scene, at the top of their game. (Think back to moe. '97 or Leftover Salmon of the early 90's for reference.)

Do not miss opportunities to check them out. They are young and not as polished as STS9, but boy, can they deliver.”

SCI on the GalaxSea Stage 9:30-1:30 (10th show)
I: Looking Glass > Just One Story, Doin' My Time, Tinder Box > This Must be the Place (Naive Melody) > Drums > Valley of the Jig, Way Back Home > Across the Universe > Way Back Home
II: Samba DeGreeley > Come as You Are, Restless Wind, On the Road, The Road Home, Galactic > 100 Year Flood > MLT, Got What He Wanted > Round the Wheel
E: Good Times Around the Bend, I Wish

I suppose I have to start out by saying that I’m not a huge SCI fan at all, and am familiar with only a fraction of their deep song catalog. That said, this was really, by happenstance more or less, the third New Year’s run of theirs that I’ve been a part of (12/31/00 & 12/29/02).

I’m also probably the type of person that most hardcore Cheese fans despise. Reason being, I actually like their new direction and harbor no agita toward them whatsoever. I like the change their sound has undergone from a more bluegrassy type style to the techno-jamming odysseys that they are now capable of.

That’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla ice cream I guess.

As for the music, I thought the first set of four fell pretty flat. It could have been because I didn’t know many tunes, or that we were in the mass of people on the floor for the start of it, or that we had just had our minds blown by Lotus. The lone highlight being The Talking Heads’ ‘This Must Be the Place’. I don’t get the big deal, but Cheese people go nuts for this song (as I learned on 8/4/06).

By the end of the first set we had found the perfect place to stand and never left that vicinity again when SCI was playing. Off to the right, a step up from the floor, there was a set of speakers that rang out crystal clear. Now you couldn’t see the stage from there (my eyes are closed 70% of the time anyway), but who cares? The sound was fantastic, and unlike many of the people at these events, I’m there for the music. That’s not to say there wasn’t plenty of sights to see though, because the people watching was mighty fine from our vantage point.

The second set was much improved and a forecast of things to come the next day. I had no clue that the entire set and encore (not including ‘I Wish’) was a complete rendering of their album ‘Round the Wheel in order. That was probably a huge treat for the hardcores in attendance.

I really liked the opener of ‘Samba DeGreeley’, complete with the band parading through the audience on various drums. It was very peppy and got things off to a fine start. Other highlights for me were the back to back ‘Restless Wind & On the Road’ combo, as well as ‘Galactic’.

Being that Billy Nershi has already announced he is leaving the band after summer 2007, it was nice to hear him singing one of his classics in ‘Restless Wind’. ‘On the Road’ is hands down one of my favorite Cheese tunes and they ripped the holy hell out of this one. I had never heard ‘Galactic’ before 8/6/06, but I really like the low down funky vibe it puts off.

We left during 'Got What He Wanted'. We had nothing left. Seriously, that’s how hard we got down during Lotus. Out the door, caught a cab, bought a slice a pizza and went to bed.

After some pre-gaming on Union Square we were off to night two.

Animal Liberation Orchestra on the GalaxSea Stage 8:15-9:30 (4th show)
Waiting for Jaden > Kolomana, Plastic Bubble, Ophelia, Sweetheart*, Walls of Jericho, Possibly Drown, Barbeque, Yes We Can, Shapeshifter, Maria
*w/ Bill Nershi

I’ll admit, I was psyched to see ALO again being that my last time was 10/30/05. I don’t think I was alone either, as the floor was pretty packed (compared to Lotus) for the boys from Santa Barbara.

Unfortunately, they did not deliver.

This was easily the low point of the weekend for both of us. For some reason ALO is still in that “we-have-to-play-our-hits-to-impress-everybody” mode. Even though it was very apparent that the majority of the crowd was quite familiar with their stand-bys.

The ‘Waiting for Jaden’ opener seemed an odd choice, but the segue into ‘Kolomana’ raged and was one of the few highlights of this lackluster set. I had been hoping for a ‘Kolomana’ and this version was rock solid.

I thought the show was going to take off from there, but the flight was grounded, and we found ourselves actually not dancing way too much.

The other highlight was ‘Sweetheart’ complete with a Nershi sit in. ‘Sweetheart’ is a pseudo-bluegrass number, and the jam featured Nershi and Dan Lebowitz having a dueling guitar battle where they went back and forth exchanging licks. Very nice indeed.

The cover of The Band’s ‘Ophelia’ was pretty cool, and the set closing ‘Maria’ from their upcoming album was nice, but the rest of the set was mailed in. Did they have their mind on Jam Cruise already? We’ll never know, but they did come on late AND finish early. Teri and I both walked away let down.

SCI on the GalaxSea Stage 10:00-2:00 (11th show)
I: Can't Stop Now, These Waves, BAM! > Rockit > BAM!, Pretty Polly, Rhum 'n' Zouc, Close Your Eyes > Rocket Man > Close Your Eyes, Desert Dawn
II: Miss Brown's Teahouse > Sex Machine > Miss Brown's Teahouse > Star Treck Theme+ > Rollover > Ziggy Stardust, Rain, Farther, Dub Jam* > It Is What It Is, Bumpin' Reel, Black Clouds
E: Joyful Sound, Birdland** > Wheel Hoss > Birdland > Rollover
+w/ NYE countdown
*w/ Bassnectar on turntables
**w/ Soul Eye rapping

You could tell SCI meant business right off the bat. ‘Can’t Stop Now’ is high energy bluegrass number (Newgrass Revival cover) that tells an amusing story. However, the ‘BAM! > Rockit > BAM!’ really let you know they had something special planned.

‘BAM!’ is another one of my favorite Cheese ditties, but the jam that led to Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit’? I mean, are you serious? I can’t explain just how great it was and where they took it, but if you remember ‘Rockit’ from your youth, and know anything about SCI’s ability, you can imagine.

The next highlight was Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ sung by keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth. Out of nowhere says what? ‘Rocket Man’ was just an absolutely perfect change of pace song. After the initial shock-turned-to-joy wore off, the entire crowd was singing along too.

Yes, it was one of *those* moments.

The ‘Desert Dawn’ closer did not let up either, and is yet another one of my favorite tunes BTW. I was looking forward to the jam in the middle that usually goes disco-dance-party-insane, but this version kind of rocked out instead.

Dare I say it was Phish-esque?

Well, according to Teri (and I’m paraphrasing here) it took her to that place where Phish used to. As in there’s a big time jam going on where the whole band doing their own thing, yet still in sync as a unit, but there’s this other jam happening on top of all that.

And that sums up this ‘Desert Dawn’ perfectly.

The set break was complete mayhem. Just masses of people milling about enjoying the surroundings. We were actually late to the start of the second set, but for good reason. We had to stop and see a young lady wearing nothing but a half top get escorted out of the venue. That’s right, she had no bottoms on at all. Priceless.

As we walked into the main stage area ‘Miss Brown’s Teahouse’ was already playing, and even though this is without a doubt my #1 favorite SCI song, I didn’t care that I missed the beginning. I think we arrived on the tail end of the ‘Sex Machine’ tease with Nershi shouting “James Brown’s Teahouse!” So great.

The ‘Star Trek Theme’ may look lame on paper, but it was unreal live. Just like ‘Rockit’ they took this thing where only Cheese could. It went way out there, in a good way. The ‘Rollover’ after the countdown was to be expected I guess. Yet another thing Cheese fans gripe about that I don’t get. Anyway, I thought ‘Rollover’ was fantastic and fit the mood of the place just right with the balloon drop and all.

Then, in the out of nowhere category again, came David Bowie’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’ sung by drummer Michael Travis. He was in full on rock star mode clutching the mic stand and all. Comedy, but he still pulled it off nicely.

The ‘Rain’ that came next was sick. I had never had heard this song before, but the funky somewhat African groove was just right. ‘Rain’ really took it out of us. We had been dancing non-stop for who knows how long, so we kind of chilled in the background for a while (i.e. sat down). Until the closing ‘Black Clouds’ (favorite song alert…again) got us to at least stand up.

We were flagging big time by this point, but did manage to throw out a few last moves to ‘Joyful Sound’, but when the rapper came out during ‘Birdland’, that was it, and we were out. No Pnuma Trio (2:15-3:30) for us. The only problem being there was not a cab to be found anywhere (by us, or anyone else). So we had a nice 45 minute walk back to the hotel after dancing all night. Ugh.

Although I will say that the city was still pretty lively for after 2 AM. We saw at least three people puking on the sidewalk (one woman in a full on evening gown with what seemed like her entire hand down her throat), and every restaurant on Union Square had a line stretching out of it. Silly us, we thought we had left the freak show behind. I swear, straight people need to handle their business better. Lightweights!

Overall, this was easily the best “Incident” I had ever seen. From reading the message boards afterwards though, it seems like my view may not be universal, which is very surprising to me. I’m not sure how anyone could complain?

The music was great, the venue was done up to the nine’s and the vibe inside was so positive it was almost a little surprising (to me anyway). I don’t know what more these Cheese people wanted out of a NYE experience? For it to be 1998 again? Whatever. Get over it already.

As for me, I was as happy as Trey Anastasio with the keys to a pharmacy. I really want this to be my last experience with String Cheese before they retire, because I don’t see how anything they could ever do would top this. In spite of that, if they play the Cuthbert again this summer, I’ll probably be there.

COMING SOON! My top 10 shows of 2006…..

Trade, More Injuries & Rookies

- On 1/11 the Denver Nuggets traded Earl Boykins, Julius Hodge and $700,000 to the Milwaukee Bucks for Steve Blake.

This trade includes all relatively minor players, but addresses the needs of both teams.

The Bucks high powered offense was in need of a serious infusion of talent with all their injuries (more on those below). I’m not a big fan of Boykins’ game, but he can score the ball with the best of them, and in a hurry too.

Not to mention that Earl is a much better fit with the way Milwaukee plays then Blake was. Now, rather then slowing the pace down when Steve checks in, the Bucks will play at an even faster tempo (against the opposition’s 2nd unit too) when Boykins checks in.

Hodge is a bit of an unknown quantity after playing only 35 minutes his entire rookie year. He was just four games into his return from gun shot wounds sustained while driving on I-76 in north Denver on 4/8/06 too.

Julius should get a sink or swim opportunity for the rest of the season in Milwaukee. He’ll either impress someone around the league or be in Europe next October.

For the Nugs this was a little more then addition by subtraction. It’s true that Earl was the odd man out in Denver with the arrival of Allen Iverson and had to go. However, Blake is more then just a throw in.

While not the most athletically gifted guy in the NBA, Steve knows how to run a team and is not the liability on defense that Earl was. The problem with Blake in Milwaukee this season was that he could not throw it in the ocean.

A career 37.7% shooter from behind the arc, Steve is bricking it up there at an alarming 27.9% this year after posting a career high of 41.3% from distance the previous season. His shooting overall is no better either at 34.9% from the field and an almost silly 55% from the line (78.1% career at the stripe).

Where his shot went nobody knows, but there’s already going to be a scarcity of touches in the Mile High City anyway with AI, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. That’s why acquiring Blake is so key for the Nugs.

He’s a guy that can at least *attempt* to keep everyone happy by just playing his normal game. And if he finds the range again he could easily get 8-10 points a night by just making open shots.

Quick AI slam here – Denver has gone 3-7 since the “Answer” showed up. Beating Boston (without Paul Pierce), Seattle (without Ray Allen & Rashard Lewis) and Milwaukee (without Michael Redd). Oh yeah, and they look more and more like the Sixers every day Melo is away. Just throwing it out there…

- More freaking injuries to report on. I’m sick of writing about them at this point.

1. Maurice Williams (1/8 sprained left shoulder, out 2-3 weeks)
Michael Redd (1/5 strained left patellar tendon, out 4-6 weeks)
Charlie Villanueva (right shoulder tendonitis, day to day) – Just when the Bucks were starting to play some ball, their backcourt implodes. Redd hurt his knee on a meaningless dunk with 14 seconds to go in a 95-86 loss to Cleveland. While Williams injured his shoulder just before halftime in Denver when he collided with Linas “the Menace” Kleiza while going for loose ball near mid-court.

Villanueva’s case is little different in that no one, not even him, knows when he hurt his shoulder. What makes it worse is that it’s not getting better and surgery is looking more inevitable by the day.

Factor in that Bobby Simmons is already done for the season with right heel and ankle surgeries, and Milwaukee is down FOUR starters.

Now you see why they needed Boykins’ scoring so badly and why Hodge is going to finally get his shot at consistent minutes.

The Bucks had climbed up to the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, but there is no way they are going to stay there. (I’m sure that makes a certain team from South Beach very happy BTW.) Yet Milwaukee is not completely out of it because they do play in the East.

Second year center Andrew Bogut is going to really have to step up and carry the load as the #1 scoring option. Hopefully (for them) Earl can come right in as the #2 and Ruben Patterson continues his career year in the third slot.

I know that is a lot of “ifs”, but at the very least coach Terry Stotts has earned a reprieve and should last the season now.

2. Tony Allen (1/10 torn left ACL & MCL, out of the season)
Brian Scalabrine (1/10 bruised meniscus & sprained MCL in his right knee, out *at least* three games) – Allen's injury is a cryin’ shame as he was playing the best ball of his short career. What makes it worse is that Tony landed awkwardly while trying for a crowd pleasing dunk after the whistle had blown. Ugh.

The Celtics are already without Paul Pierce (left foot), Wally Szczerbiak (both ankles), Theo Ratliff (back surgery) and Delonte West (sore back).

When it rains it pours.

Boston is dead in the water if Pierce and/or Wally don’t get back soon, even in the Titanic Division. Kendrick Perkins just returned to action, but Al Jefferson is cooling off, so it will be up to guys like Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes to carry the load in the meantime.

(Did I really just type that?)

Anyway, the one good thing that may come of this is that rookie Leon Powe may finally get some burn. Say what you want about Celtics Director Danny Ainge, but the guy can draft with the best of them.

- I know it’s still early but this year’s rookie class has been…..in a word…..awful. No one has separated themselves from the pack even slightly thus far. My Quarter Pole rookie award came down to Adam Morrison or Jorge Garbajosa for cripes sake, neither of which really deserved it.

The good news is that help may finally be on the way.

Brandon Roy (Trail Blazers) looks like a solid NBA starter, but I’m not sure I see “star” in his future.

Randy Foye (Timberwolves) has started to show some signs, but I’m far from sold on him, and the Dwyane Wade comparisons I’ve yet to see myself.

Rudy Gay (Grizzlies), same thing. Great athlete that has flashes of above average-ness, but is way, way too inconsistent for my liking. (That has less to do with him being a rookie and more to do with his make up if you ask me, which you didn’t.)

Garbajosa (Raptors) looks like a solid 29 year old role player.

Morrison (Bobcats) is completely a one trick pony (scorer) and needs to figure out the difference between good and bad shots. He is much better suited to coming off the pine right now due to his lack of…well…everything besides scoring.

I’ve mentioned Craig Smith (Wolves, #36), Paul Millsap (Jazz, #47) and Leon Powe (Celts, #49) already as second round picks that I like, but I need to add Alexander Johnson (Griz, #45) to that list as well. The difference between Johnson and those other three is that Alex is not an undersized PF at 6’10, 240 pounds. The dude is a *man* down low. He’s surprising athletic, plays with energy, takes no guff from anyone and is built like a brick shiest house.

This was supposed to be a weak draft for PG’s, but I’ve seen a few with potential in Jordan Farmar (Lakers), Daniel Gibson (Cavaliers) and Sergio Rodriguez (Blazers). They all are at least two years away though. Marcus Williams gets all the press, but follow Flava Flav’s advice and “don’t believe the hype.”

Man, I meant this to be quick piece on the rooks, but it has quickly careened out of control. Back to my point, which was I’ve seen only two potential “stars” so far…

Andrea Bargnani (Raps). Why people questioned/panned Bryan Colangelo for picking him I don’t know. I also don’t think the Dirk Nowitzki comparisons are that far off. In fact, I’d venture to say that Bargnani looks better then Nowitzki did as a rookie. Now, I’m not saying for a second that Andrea will develop into the kind of player Dirk is, but he certainly has the skill set to do it if he wants to.

LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers). People had reservations about his motivation coming into the draft, and I can see that (although I like his intensity better then Gay’s). LaMarcus has been caught in a numbers crunch behind Joel Przybilla and Jamaal Magloire, but Aldridge has easily out played both of those journeymen. He’s athletic and long with decent range on his jumper for guy his size (6’11). He also has a post up game, and has shown a willingness to block shots and rebound as well. The problem with all three of those aspects for him right now is that he’s not strong enough to bang with the big boys down low just yet. If he can bulk up and discover a more consistent motor, he should be the best player of the 2006 draft class.

- I know many of you out there have been waiting with baited breath for the next guy in the line of my favorite type of player.

First there was Andrei Kirilenko.

Next was Josh Howard.

Now, introducing my new main man (drum roll please)……….Thabo Sefolosha (Bulls)!

What do all these guys have in common? Well, other then me being onto them when they were rookies, they are all lock down defenders that are unselfish and can do a little bit of everything offensively.

It might take Thabo some time to get regular minutes, but if/when Luol Deng is traded for Kevin Garnett or Zach Randolph, my boy will be ready to step in.

- Scary thought I had the other day…..

So the Sixers end up with the number one pick and draft Greg Oden.

NICE!

Then Larry Brown steps in to coach again.

NNNNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!

I can’t think of anything worse then LB playing his mind games and “Darko-ing” the next great big man in NBA history.

(I’ll cover the Chris Webber buyout situation after he signs with his new club.)

New ball, Riles & Injuries

- On 1/1/07 the NBA dumped it’s new composite ball and went back to the old leather model.

My take?

Big deal.

Old ball, new ball, it really doesn’t matter to me. The players had adjusted to the micro fiber and scoring was actually up 2 ½ points per game, as were field goal and free throw percentages.

My only issue is that the league made the switch in the middle of the season. This means two things to me.

1) They are plainly admitting that they made a mistake.

2) More importantly, now the players have to adjust mid-stream to a more slick ball. I’m sure they will all get the hang of it again relatively quickly, but messing with the product on the court just when teams are finding their groove is not the best idea.

The reason Commissioner David Stern finally gave in was because of the so called injuries players and coaches were suffering. These “injuries” consisted of several little cuts on the finger tips that would then merge into one big cut.

That’s fine, but I hope this puts to rest the notion that the composite ball was tested “rigorously” before it was introduced. There’s just no way that could have been the case.

For all you leather ball fanatics out there, don’t get used to it’s return. I’m fairly certain that the NBA will be going to a *different* composite ball within the next two seasons.

Here’s to hoping that the Commissioner’s office learned it’s lesson the first time around and heavily involves the players in the picking of the new, new ball.

- On 1/3 Miami Heat President/coach Pat Riley took an “indefinite leave of absence” from the team because of knee and hip problems. He already had successful surgery to remove three large pieces of cartilage from his right knee on 1/5. Surgery on his left hip is not yet scheduled, but the recovery time is bound to be at least a month, if not more.

It’d be one thing if Pat didn’t have a track record with things like this, but he does.

Remember him quitting a few days before the 2003-04 season started (because the team was terrible) and shoving Stan Van Gundy into an almost impossible situation? (Where SVG completely made something out of nothing BTW.) Only to shamelessly run Stan Van from public sight (anyone seen his mug since?) 21 games into the ’05-06 season and take over a title contender.

To me this reeks of Riles saying to his troops, “You guys don’t care about the regular season, so neither do I. Here’s Ron Rothstein (named coach in Riley’s stead) for ya. Enjoy.”

But wait, it gets better.

Later that day Pat put James Posey and Antoine Walker on the inactive list for failing to meet a club “conditioning goal”. Said goal was to be at 8% body fat by 1/1. Both players could face suspensions if they don’t meet the “goal” by 1/15.

Wow.

Other then Gary Payton, Pose and Toine are the two guys I wouldn’t ever pull a stunt like this with. Reason being, Riley runs the risk of losing them for the entire season if and when they come back. Both players and their agent (Mark Bartelstein) have already had quotes expressing their displeasure.

For a bad team already without their two best players and coach, that is a bold (and somewhat idiotic) move.

Dwyane Wade has missed the last four games and is day-to-day with a sprained right wrist. The spin from Miami is that this is nothing too serious, but I beg to differ. This is the same wrist that has been bothering Wade since he hurt it in last year’s NBA Finals. This is also the second re-injury of it (FIBA World Championships), and even though the MRI’s keep coming back negative, you don’t have to be Quincy to figure out that this is turning into a chronic thing.

As for Shaquille O’Neal, he is said to be targeting 1/15 (in L.A. against the Lakers) as his comeback date from left knee surgery.

In my opinion, Pat’s return really depends on what the team looks like when those two are back. If the Heat still look disinterested on the defensive end when Riles is healthy, I don’t think you’ll ever see him roaming the hardwood again. However, if they show flashes, then I think you’ll see Riley “cowboy up” for one last hurrah.

These “flashes” I speak of will have to be led by Shaq himself. You see, the whole mind set in South Florida is “We’ll be fine when the big fella gets back.” That implies that the big fella actually gives a damn though. There’s also a chance that Shaq has reached the point where the mind is willing but the body is no longer able. Either way, it’s all on The Diesel.

All that said, the East is so bad that if a relatively healthy Miami Heat does sneak into the playoffs, they’d probably still be the favorites to win the Conference.

- Also on 1/3 the Charlotte Bobcats and New Jersey Nets completed a small trade. The Nets received Bernard Robinson and the Cats Jeff McInnis and cash.

Charlotte needed a backup PG badly with Brevin Knight out at least three more weeks while he recovers from abdominal surgery. This move also finally puts the Cats over the league’s minimum payroll by 1.4 million.

McInnis is a well known team cancer, but Charlotte is so bad that it probably won’t matter. On the court he should be fine as Ray Felton’s backup until Knight returns.

NJ made this deal to get under the luxury tax threshold, which they now are by a little more then 1 million. Conversely, I don’t see how Robinson improves the Nets at all other then giving them another warm body. Bernard hustles, plays hard, is athletic and a nice defender, but has ZERO offensive game. In other words, he brings the same things to the table as rookie Hassan Adams.

- On 1/6 the Philadelphia 76ers named Larry Brown Executive Vice President. Apparently his job will be to help advise President/GM Billy King on personnel decisions.

I….just….I mean…..it’s like…..umm….well…..

It’s rare that I don’t know what to say about a move in the NBA, but I really have no idea what the Sixers could be thinking here. NONE.

It kind of bums me out though, so maybe a metaphor will work.

Just as I was about to take my first step on the track where I could finally see the light at the end of tunnel, the entire tunnel collapsed before I could get started.

- The injury bug has been hitting NBA stars relentlessly over the past couple of weeks, so here’s an update for you.

1. Yao Ming (12/23 fractured right tibia, out a *minimum* of six weeks) – This is a major blow to the Rockets as Yao was having his best season yet. There’s really no replacing all he brings to the team. From low post offense to defensive presence, Yao has been Houston’s best player.

I worry about his return from this injury since the break was supposedly right below his knee, and with guys his size, you neva eva know. All the Rockets can hope for is that a healthy Tracy McGrady is enough for them to maintain a low seed for the playoffs until Yao is back. Then they can make their move and with a bit of luck get hot enough to go on a deep run.

2. Nenad Krstic (12/22 torn left ACL, out for the season) – I saw this one live and knew right away he was done. He planted to make a post move, his knee stayed straight and he just crumpled to the floor. It’s a shame really. I kinda like Nenad as a player because he’s one of the few young centers that actually has a back-to-the-basket game.

This is a devastating blow to the Nets who have nothing else to turn to in the post now. Clifford Robinson? Please. Jason Collins? Umm no. Mikki Moore is a nice energy guy, but not much else. Mile Ilic was brutal the one time I saw him play. That leaves rookie Josh Boone. A long shot I know, but he’s shown a few flashes thus far. Not on Krstic’s level (leads team in blocks, and is second in scoring & rebounding) for sure, but not terrible either.

New Jersey still has enough talent that they should win the Titanic, but any aspirations beyond that need to be put on hold for now. On the other hand, if things start to go South don’t be surprised to see President Rod Thorn make a bold move or two to reshape his roster.

3. Chris Paul (12/26 sprained right ankle, out *at least* a month)
David West (12/19 right elbow surgery, out up to eight weeks)
Peja Stojakovic (12/17 back surgery, out up to two months)
Bobby Jackson (11/28 five cracked left ribs, day-to-day) – No team has been hit harder by the injury bug then the Hornets. Just look at that list for cripes sake. It includes their three main scorers AND sixth man. Yikes.

Obviously, there’s really not much coach Byron Scott can do here. When your offense is centered around Desmond Mason, Rasual Butler and Jannero Pargo, you’ve got problems.

I’ve said before that I actually like New Orleans/Oklahoma City’s prospects when healthy. Unfortunately, I don’t think that they can stay close enough in the West to make a run when everyone gets back. It’s an extreme long shot that becomes no shot if at least two of those four are not back 100% healthy by the All-Star break.

4. Rashard Lewis (12/20 torn tendon right hand, out eight weeks) – R Lew was going along great in his contract year, then this happens. This is why NBA players are funny. Before this injury he was almost certain to opt out of his current contract and become a free agent. Now, post injury, he’s talking about signing a contract extension with the Sonics.

Anyway, Damien Wilkins is a decent fill in for Lewis, but he’s nowhere near as versatile offensively and doesn’t hit the glass as well either. Seattle seems to be heading into their annual tailspin right about now, but it’s hard to know what new owner Clay Bennett wants to do. My guess is that coach Bob Hill is the first to go. Then maybe a blockbuster trade of Ray Allen at the deadline follows that.

5. Paul Pierce (12/21 stress reaction right foot, out four weeks) – PP was going along great as usual, then he had an MRI that revealed the “reaction”. A stress reaction is a precursor to the dreaded stress fracture, so it’s a good thing Boston found out when they did. Paul was getting close to taking the boot off his foot, but is not healing as fast as originally anticipated.

Not like this is a news flash, but the Celtics are not good without Pierce. Nonetheless, PP (and Wally Szczerbiak to a lesser extent) being out has allowed young guys like Al Jefferson, Tony Allen and Gerald Green to step up and show what they are made of. The experience those three are gaining right now as primary offensive options is going to be invaluable when Paul and Wally are back to 100%.

Remember, Boston plays in the Titanic, so they are not out of it yet at all. The question I have is can the young players continue to contribute, while at the same time gelling with the “Truth” and “World”? If they can, the C’s will be a very dangerous squad (by Titanic standards, mind you) down the stretch.

6. Chauncey Billups (12/29 strained right calf, out 10-14 days) – Another news flash, the Pistons need their leader to be at their best. As long as “Mr. Big Shot” takes his time coming back so this injury doesn’t linger, Detroit should be fine in the long run.

Short term though, they won’t be able to run away and hide from the rest of the Eastern Conference. Especially with Ronald “Flip” Murray and rookie Will Blaylock having to run the point in Chauncey’s absence. (Normal backup PG Lindsey Hunter is day-to-day while nursing a sore right Achilles’ tendon.)

7. Kwame Brown (12/31 sprained left ankle, out four to six weeks)
Lamar Odom (12/12 sprained right MCL, originally out a month, but now it may be “longer then expected.”) – It’s hard for me to shed a tear when Kwame gets injured. Nothing against him personally, but I just like to see 19 year old Andrew Bynum starting. I also like the consistent energy Ronny Turiaf brings off the pine as an undersized backup C. Don’t get me wrong here, my boys do need Kwame come playoff time, if for no other reason then he’s a big athletic body.

(Sidebar: Since I had no blog at the time, I just have to get this out there. I was all for trading Caron Butler in the summer of 2005, just not for Kwame Brown. Butler was very inconsistent back then, but he should have brought more then Kwame in return. That’s just one of many grievances I have on file with GM Mitch Kupchak.)

The Lakers have impressed me thus far with their ability to hang around the fringes of the upper echelon without Odom. Clearly LA won’t hit their full stride until Lamar is back in the swing of the things, but guys like Luke Walton, Brian Cook, Maurice Evans and Vladimir Radmanovic are doing a fine job picking up the slack in the interim.

8. Josh Smith (12/22 hernia, out up to four weeks) – According to “J Smoove”, he had been playing with this injury since the start of the season. If that is really the case, WOW is all I can say. I watch the Hawks play a lot (they play hard every night) and he seemed just as athletic as ever when I saw him. Almost hitting his head on the rim when he’d dunk. Flying in from nowhere to block a shot or get a rebound. I can’t wait to see him play 100% healthy. Look out!