http://www.yardbarker.com/users/wondahbap Recent Yardbarker Articles: wondahbap en-us Michael Phelps is awesome. What he has done is admirable. Legendary. But I appreciate Usain Bolt's accomplishments more. Sure, Phelps set 7 World Records, but there were also World Records set in 12 other events in swimming. It was commonplace, thus not as special. The 100 meters is a major record to hold, as well as the 200 meters. Usain Bolt is THE...FASTEST...MAN...EVER. There's simplistic beauty in being the record holder in the 100. There's no pacing. No strategizing. Pure power. Raw speed. You either are the fastest, or you aren't. I know Michael Phelps is the most dominant swimmer ever (so far, in his events), but is he the fastest? That means something, at least to me. I hope Phelps swims the 50 and 100 m Freestyles in London 2012. There's nothing sexy about about outpacing the next man. Bolt would've won going 3/4 speed. Wow. I have no doubt that Bolt's records will stand for a long time, unless he breaks them himself. He's only 21. I can't say the same for swimming events. Phelps times are 5,6, and up 10 seconds better than Spitz' were in '72. Bolt's are .45 seconds and .70 seconds in the 100 and 200, respectively, better than Valeriy Borzov's in '72. No special NASA suit. Track records last, and it means something to break them, because it is hard to. The World's Fastest Man. No if. No and. No but. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:46:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309631 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309631 Just finished watching the Suns v. Lakers, and it was obvious that this game meant everything to the Suns. If it wasn't obvious in the two losses they had at the hands of the Lakers, it was ever so clear in a win over L.A. . While the Lakers went deep into their bench the entire game, playing everyone available but Coby Karl, Mike D'Antoni only played 7 guys. Seven guys. As if it were Game 7 of the NBA Finals (Oops. This is the Suns right? I meant Western Conference Finals). The end result was a win, yes, but pay attention to the game within the game, and what you really saw, was a scared PHX team needing to prove they could beat the Lakers. Mind you, a Laker team fresh into recovering from Andrew Bynum's injury. But most important, regardless of the score, you saw a Laker team sticking up for one of it's own. Missing bunnies, turning the ball over and getting outrebounded, Kwame Brown received heavy boos from the home crowd, especially after missing an easy dunk. How did his teammates react? By giving him the ball right back the next time down the floor. He turned the ball over, and they tried yet again. Even Kobe... during the boos! Kobe, who just a couple of days ago remarked how the Lakers are a Championship team with Bynum in the lineup. A comment that could easily be read as, "we're not contenders with Kwame." It is this that shows the growing maturity of the Lakers under Phil, led by Kobe. The crowd be damned, the Lakers showed Kwame, that he has a role on the team, and they are going to need him, no matter what the fans say, THEY believe in him. They showed us what a team was in that 3 minute stretch of the game. No matter the score. While getting off to a hot start, Kobe played "passive" (painstakingly) for much of the 2nd, and 3rd quarters, with Phil letting the subs play for long stretches, and for much of the 4th quarter. Though they didn't pull out the win, L.A. fought back to make it interesting. The second unit is learning to deal with the adversity. Adversity that comes with coming back from with deficits. Adversity that comes with overcoming sloppy play or poor shooting. Adversity of learning to play without one of your main guys. This has been the Suns problem. Continually playing only 7-8 guys, thier bench can't be ready to play in that fast paced style of play, cold off the bench. The bench can't learn to deal with adversity, or pressure, or without their star. The bench can't see the floor when PHX has a 20 point lead to start the 4th quarter. Instead, Mike D'Antoni brings Nash (who he humorously called the "games best player" at halftime) back onto the floor after a short break to protect a lead, when it seems like it might slip away. They protected their all so important win over L.A., they won back their Pacific Division and Western Conference lead. They can treat game 39 of the regular season like it's Game 7 of the Finals, because it's that very trait of theirs to play only 7 players, and fight and claw to beat an injured Laker team, that has them watching the Finals in June. So go ahead Mike. Keep your bench unprepared and keep your starters in the floor as much as possible. Keep thinking short hair, when you should be thinking long. Your win tonight meant nothing. The Lakers learned more about themselves tonight in defeat, then your team could in victory. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:46:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/76391 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/76391 ......(Scratching my head) Great way to build momentum guys. Beat Boston then lose to the Knicks? The Knicks? Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:40:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/73625 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/73625 regarding: John Hollinger: "I get a Kobe MVP question in every chat, and I just don't get it. Look, the best way for him to win MVP is to play as well as he did two years ago. So far, he simply hasn't done that, so while he's still been really really good, he hasn't been as good as Garnett or Duncan or LeBron or Chris Paul. Bynum's presence or absence has little do with it, at least in my eyes." Really? I think you owe the basketball world an explanation of this. That is bogus. When Kobe was scoring his points and breaking his records, while carrying a young team. He was chastised for not winning enough. So Steve Nash steals an MVP because his team wins alot of regular season games. Dirk puts up good numbers (don't give me your own P.E.R. numbers either) on a great team, and wins an MVP. Now, Kobe has an elite team that is currently leading the Western Conference, all while being 2nd in the League in scoring, 5th among SG's in assists, 3rd among SG's in rebounding, and 7th in the League in steals, and a potential 1st team All-NBA defender. So, this isn't good enough? What is? When he averaged 35, 5, and 5, then 31, 5, and 5 all while leading his team to the playoffs through mediocrity, then injuries, in consecutive years, it wasn't. But now all of a sudden LeBron averages 29, 8, and 8 on a barely above .500 team in a weak conference and he's MVP material? KG is playing with 2 potential HOF's. Enough said. Tim Duncan is below his career averages across the board. He's more of a candidate? Which leaves CP3. The only other legitimate candidate you mentioned. His team is playing at a high level, while he posts career highs. In the meantime, Kobe has mantained assist and rebounding averages, boosted steals, and upped his defense, while dropping 4 PPG in scoring, due to increased production from his teammates. An average sure to rise during the absence of Bynum. Which should pacify you since you feel he isn't playing at as high a level as 05-06, and that being the only real difference (according to the numbers you claim so dear). Then what? So then you look at the teams standings (it gave Nash his 1st deserved MVP, and Nowitzki his). According to your own Play-Off Predictor, as of today, the Lakers are the the prohibitive favorites to win the Pacific, and Western Conference. so his team is better right now. So, please, explain how you do not get why people ask if Kobe should win MVP. I do not get how you can't. Is it because it wouldn't validate your P.E.R system, when kobe had a better 05-06 (did you think he deserved it then?), but currently trails Lebron and CP3? Is that it? I'm really trying to find out why. Please answer this email. I've posted this in various places in hopes that you will explain this. To me, it is contradictive and well, nonsense. wondahbap Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:31:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/73208 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/73208 If this game is a sign of things to come, then LakerNation should be worried. Kwame is back to be the weak link in the starting line-up. He can't score, can't finish, can't catch, can't defend the pick and roll, and can't stop Nick Collison from having a career night. Even though it was all his fault, Bynum presence would have prevented it. Sonics scored way too much in the paint.Also, although he scored 48, this is not the Kobe we need to see. Too much reliance on #24, and no flow on offense. Missing Bynum was very evident. the Lakers have no low post scoring, and barely tried. Lamar looked bewildered on offense. I hope this won' be a trend. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:18:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72744 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72744 If Pat Riley didn't quit before, then waited for his team to get better before he stole the glory, he wouldn't have this problem. He sold his soul for another, and now he's paying the price. He's reaping what he sowed. Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:21:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/65866 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/65866 Okay Pat. Dwayne was hurt. We knew that. What was that? He was hurt more than we thought? No surprise. But why is he just playing some terrible basketball. Right now, it isn't his body betraying him. It's his mind. I can't bear to watch the Heat play. They stink, and sure, you can blame Shaq, but it is Dwayne Wade, the supposed superstar gunning his way to prove the Heat are the worst team in the League. They lost to Minnesota last night folks. Minnesota!! While Dwayne Wade dribbles through 2-3 defenders, ignoring teammates, and trying to draw fouls, basically playing playground isolation basketball. If he's the star he supposed to be, the Heat would at least be mediocre. Step it up D-Wade. You're playing VERY selfish. You were much hyped. Damn near deified. Even T-Mac's teams are mediocre. Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:09:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/65727 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/65727 Tony Allen? Eddie House? The Celtics can not win a Championship with these two playing the point when Rondo is out, or hurt. Expect Billups and Lyndsey Hunter to expose this AGAIN on Saturday. Expect Doc to try to remedy this by taking KG away from the basket to set high screens to free the PG from pressure, playing right into the Pistons hands. Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:20:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/60704 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/60704 What amazes me, is that even with all the haters he has, Kobe always is in the top 2 in the West voting (and Yao has a whole country voting for him!) or top 3 in the League. No other player in the League has as many haters or fans. If he wasn't viewed as a bad guy by so many, it wouldn't even be close. He's be the most popular player in the League by light years, and still the NBA manages to mishandle the marketing of him. He is the person who is carrying this League, whether they choose to accept it or not. The Lakers are the most nationally televised team, year in and year out. The Kobe summer soap opera dominated the news, throughout the summer, and een fall during the MLB playoffs. If the Lakers can make the Finals this year. It will be the highest rated Finals the NBA has ever had, with or without the Celtics (which the NBA has to realize by now, is their dream outcome). We had LeBron in the Finals. No one cared. We had Shaq win another without Kobe, with D-Wade (whom the League stuffed down our throats so hard, I can't stand him anymore), and the fans didn't care anymore than any other year. These are supposed to be the next in line to carry the torch, but they just do not generate the same buzz as Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant. I think the League is begrudgingly realizing that they can't stop Kobe's star. They have continually tried to supress him, by letting the voters screw him out of at least one, and maybe 2 MVP's (Nash did not deserve the 2nd one, and Kobe could have very easily won one while playing with Shaq in that year he scored 30 ppg), the League can create buzz or promote who they want to, and Nash and Dirk fit the new Euro friendly concentration the NBA seems obsessed with, and they are looking for the Next Jordan with LeBron and D-Wade. His 35 ppg season one of of the best ever, a year the Lakers over achieved, and nearly took out the Suns, but somehow steve Nash, who will NEVER make the Finals wins a 2nd straight? Bogus. They have suspended him, made an example out of him, but do not suspend other players for similiar "un-natural basketball acts," but he still survives. Even when he seems to try to sabotage himself (Colorado, the poorly handled trade request), people are drawn to him. He is the best player, and the most popular and he will make sure we all know this, especially now that the Lakers are good.. Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:13:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/59869 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/59869