You mentioned that you weren’t happy with your fantasy basketball team. How come?

I broke one of the first rules of Fantasy sports… in that, I’ve relied too much on rookies, and put way too much weight on guards, especially with the uncertainty that is the lower body of Al Jefferson.  Seeing Jamal Crawford play only 14 minutes in Atlanta’s season opener was downright frightening… Word that Anthony Randolph WILL get the start in GSW is encouraging, but I think I’ve got too many youngsters overall.  Oh, and I’m relying on the disgruntled former-Capt. Jack for a good chunk of my scoring.  See you in the cellar fellas, and lady (What up, Nat!?).

Tell me about “Got Game.” Was it hard to get a show about video games put on a sports radio station?

I’d like to say that “Got Game” is my baby… but sadly, I can only claim that I take care of it.  I’ve played video games all my life, and the opportunity to talk about both sports and gaming on the radio is an absolute blessing.  The show started up about 6 months ago, growing from Bryan Calhoun’s blog, to the epic 60 minute show that changes weekend time slots as frequently as Shaq misses free throws.  Yes, I understand that video games on a sports radio station might not be top-peg material… but we’ve got a wonderful and loyal fanbase that can thankfully follow along via podcast (available on our blog at fan590.com and on iTunes).

Gamers, hit me up on both PSN and XBL: I’m ZCooperstown (just like on twitter).

I like your bio on FAN590.com (”I’d prefer to pick up two assists than score a goal … anyday” — a man after my own heart). Could you tell me more about the series of events that led you to radio and The FAN 590?

My radio career has spanned about 8.5 years now.  I started off writing news for 680NEWS just before the tragic events of 9/11.  Needless to say, as a 20 year old getting into the biz, it was a great time for me to professionally cut my teeth.  Watching the best do their best under dire, ever-changing, circumstances was eye-opening and enlightening.  It’s certainly somewhat sad that a newsroom feeds off tragedy, and it’s partly that… along with love, and luck, that brought me to The FAN590.

The grind of news, traffic, weather, and entertainment reporting was starting to make me cabin-crazy (long, strange, hours of downright depressing info – and I’m not just talking about the weather here).  Thankfully, the Big Red Corporate Machine (Rogers) took over The FAN a handful of years ago.  When they needed overnight coverage for the Athens games, I stepped up… apparently impressed enough to get more opportunities… and I’ve been growing as a broadcaster ever since.  Hosting shows, reporting from Raptors games/practices (my true passion), and doing the updates have been fulfilling… but I’m curious about what’s next.

You indicated that you’re a newlywed. How does married life work with your FAN 590 shifts? I assume you have odd hours.

I did just get married in July.  Thanks for inquiring.  Life at home is great.  When I get me some life.  I assure you, the most difficult part of my job is not watching sports.  It’s balancing the hours of work with the elusiveness of leisure time with the lady.

Like a lot of people involved in sports broadcasting, my hours are pretty damn loopy.  I’ll go from working an evening shift, which will sometimes end at 2 or 3 in the AM, to coming back to the station about 6 hours later for another go-round.  It’s tough… but as long as the lady can tolerate it, so can I.

Got any dirt on Eric Smith and Jack Armstrong? What are they really like?

I can honestly say that what you hear is what you get with both Eric and Jack.  Sometimes, whether it be TV or radio, certain “personas” might not match that individual… but those two are pretty genuine.  As for dirt… can’t say I’ve got much on them. Oh, except you know how Jack comes off like he doesn’t tweet? …not true.  He’s actually up to 34,980 tweets (as of Friday at 5:52pm), as RaptorJack.

…Actually, that’s a lie.  I’m sorry.  @RaptorJack is apparently some dude who hails from Guilherme, Rentroia.  That’s not him.

What do you think of E’s obsession with bringing the NBA back to Vancouver?

I think Eric’s hopes of a return to Vancity is well-founded.  Clearly that disastrous Grizzlies team wasn’t going to draw many fans… but times have changed and the game has grown immensely north of the border since.  It’s a beautiful city (which I used to visit at least once a year), with fantastic, passionate, people… and they deserve something more than just the Canucks, Lions (seriously, do any of you watch the CFL?), and the WHL.

Who are your favourite Raptor(s) on this season’s squad, and why?

I’m not gonna lie… I’m pretty stoked to see what DeMar DeRozan can bring this season.  He’s obviously got the flash-factor, with game-changing dunks and block-ability… so there’s that… I’m a big fan of Jarrett Jack, and what I’ve learned about him as a person.  He’s the kind of guy who seems like he can keep a locker room together through tough times.  I’ve also got to admit that I wasn’t sold on Antoine Wright, but speaking to the guy has me buying what he’s selling.  The guy’s grown a lot in his short time in the game.  I could keep going, because with this team… there are a lot of solid guys.  But I’m gonna stick with the newbies for now.

You said your true passion is reporting on the Raptors. Any hopes or plans for expanding that career-wise?

There are a lot of ideas that float around in my brain… but given the economic uncertainty of the times, I’m trying to keep things practical and realistic.  You never know what lies ahead… but for right now, let’s just say that I’m hoping to do more of the same.  However… play by play would be a dream come true.

I have no video game system currently. Which one would you recommend?

If you don’t have a system, and you’re looking at getting in on the game… first off, what the hell kept you?  But more importantly… if you could only have one, I’d say go with the PS3.  It’s more technologically savvy, the top-quality exclusives have seemingly swayed Sony’s way… Either way, you’ll be in good shape… but with games like Uncharted 2 (and its unbelievable predecessor), Infamous, Little Big Planet… and that thing called a Blu-ray player, my vote goes to PS3.

NBA Live or NBA 2K, and why?

2K all the way.  Graphics, fluidity, presentation, realism… it’s all there.  Live got much closer this year (with a great ball-handling mechanic), but you can’t go wrong with 2K10.

Thanks, Zack, for answering my questions. Let’s see where we’re at when we meet in our league’s Week 10.

Remember to check out “Got Game,” and follow Zack on Twitter.

Previous Rappings:

• Eric Koreen of the National Post
• Raps Fan of Raptors Republic
  

This is part of a continuing series of Q&A’s and chats with GMs in my fantasy league. In this one, I ask Raps Fan of Raptors Republic about his websites, the potential Big Bosh Problem and more.

Pete Marasmitch: The Raptors FANtasy League season opens with the two of us matched up. Who are you most excited about on your team?

Raps Fan: Gotta go with Brandon Roy. He is going to have a very big year, now that he can play off the ball. 25PTS 6AST 5REB sounds about right to me.

PM: And what about this year’s Toronto Raptors? Which player would you especially like to succeed, and why?

RF: Easy — Andrea Bargnani. The Raptors have very little chance of getting to the next level with him doing nothing but dropping 17 a game. If he can grab 8-10 boards, I would be a happy camper.

I also am rooting for Amir Johnson. The kid is raw and goes after it. I love seeing big guys who are aggressive on the boards and on the low blocks.

PM: Any thoughts on the 2-guard-by-committee situation?

RF: I hate anything by committee … I’m a dictator kind of guy. I’m just biding my time, hoping Dave Hopla can work the kinks out of DeMar DeRozan’s shot, and he becomes a legit 2.

PM: Say Chris Bosh leaves. To you, is that the end of the Raptors’ world? What could Bryan Colangelo do to fill that huge hole?

RF: There is nothing BC could do to fill the hole if Bosh leaves.

He can only do two things to make things right: 1) sign Bosh to a max deal, or 2) trade Bosh for, say, Amar’e, and up him as soon as he lands.

Raps Fan of Raptors Republic

PM: What events led to the birth of Raptors Republic and its TrueHoop affiliation?

RF: Josh (Dinosty) got Zarar (Arsenalist.com), Scott (AltRaps.com) and me (RaptorsTalk.com) together and said the sum of the parts would be greater than the whole, and he was right. We all became friends over the last couple of years from being on each other’s blogs, so we thought this would be a great way to share the load. From the get-go, we had incredible support from our readers and have been growing ever since.

Kevin Arnovitz and Henry Abbott came knocking one day, and said they liked what we were doing with the blog (especially the Stat-O-Meter 3000), and the rest is history.

PM: Who designed that trippy, Trekkie RR symbol?

RF: We have a kid (LyNx — his bio here) who does all our stuff and sends us an inflated bill at the end of the month.

PM: Tell me more about RaptorsTalk.com. What motivated you to start that site?

RF: I started RaptorsTalk.com because after every game, my buddies and I would break every aspect of the game down, and get into huge arguments. So I decided to put myself out there and document everything.

PM: Please answer a question I didn’t ask.

RF:
Q: What did you think of “The Wrestler“?

A: I’m really not a fan of Darren Aronofsky movies. They don’t go anywhere, and I don’t get what he is trying to say, or the point of them. He scores them nicely though … love dramatic orchestra music.

Thanks again to Raps Fan. Check out his posts and follow him on Twitter.

Pete Marasmitch: I enjoyed your hair-raising piece, a.k.a. Bryan Colangelo’s Personal Vendetta. How goes the faux-hawk? Are you sporting the fedora, 24-7?

Eric Koreen: The faux-hawk lives. (Although I’m writing this a few days before the season starts. I could have evened it out by the time this is published.) I have worn a hat just once, and am now pretty comfortable with it. I don’t like it, but I’ve made my peace. Amir Johnson told me he did me a favour, while Sherman Hamilton told me about three weeks after the cut that the hair was at the ideal length. (Although, perhaps I should not be putting too much stock into Sherm’s thoughts on hair.) And if I do cut my hair soon, it will be legitimate: Johnson cut his hair a week before the season started, although he did apologize to me for leaving me hanging.

PM: In your behind-the-scenes view of the Raptors, what are some things about the players, coaches, management, etc., that might surprise the average fan? (Feel free to counter-attack B.C. and Amir Johnson.)

EK: There’s not much I can share here that’s particularly interesting, but I will say that Johnson, derided for his work ethic in the past, has stayed late almost every day of the pre-season. Maurizio Gherardini likes his dark humour, and is kind of the feet-on-the-ground yang to Colangelo’s always-hopeful yin. There is also far less defiant nudity in a basketball locker room than in a hockey or soccer locker room, and I’m fine with that.

PM: Please share a funny anecdote from your time as a beat writer.

EK: Jose Calderon has a reputation as a mundane quote, and that’s fair. Players don’t owe us anything, and I certainly don’t hold this against a player like Calderon, especially considering English is not his first language. But that doesn’t mean he’s devoid of personality. Two seasons ago, during the winter that featured unrelenting snow, Calderon was late for a game. When he arrived, he went on a two-minute rant about how drivers in this city over-react to snow, driving cautiously well past the point of necessity. He was not mean-spirited; I’ve never seen him be a jerk. But he was certainly enthused by our inability to cope with the conditions as a city, and it was damned entertaining.

PM: Do you regret missing the Sam Mitchell years? What nickname would he have given you?

EK: I didn’t miss all of the Mitchell years. I became full time in January 2008, so I got 11 months of Smitch — minus the summer, of course. It wasn’t quite enough time for us to form much of a coach-reporter relationship as he had with Doug Smith or Michael Grange, but I think he called me Goldilocks a few times. He was half-right. 

PM: Who are your sleepers from this edition of the Raptors, and why?

EK: With the nature of the Raptors’, errr, fervent fanbase, and the amount of money Colangelo tossed around this summer, I’m not sure anybody on this roster can be considered a sleeper. But my favourite thing the Raptors did this summer was sign Jarrett Jack. Their second unit was just brutal last year, and Jack is poised, and up to this point in his career, he has been productive.

One of my biggest problems with this team, as constituted, is the lack of offensive punch off the bench. I think they hope Marco Belinelli would fill that role, but I was not impressed with his pre-season body of work, and remain unsold. They’ll need someone to contribute offensively off the bench, other than Jack. I like Antoine Wright’s demeanour, but I’m not sure that’s him.

PM: What were the events that led you to become a beat writer for the National Post? Did you ever seriously consider a different career?

EK: To answer the second question first, ever since I about 16 or 17, I had tunnel vision toward sports reporting. As somebody who grew up in Toronto when the Raptors were just starting, as far as beat reporting goes, this is as good as it gets for me. I’m not sure I want to be in sports for 20 more years, but there are more good days than bad days on this job, and I think that’s better than most people can say.

As for how I got here, I started as an editorial assistant as The Canadian Press when I was 18, the summer after my first year at university (Ryerson, journalism). I did that for a year and a half’s worth of weekends (nothing good happens on weekends in university, right?), and then quit, had a miniature life crisis, then got a job at the Post sports section, doing a little bit of everything. I hung around there for a while, long enough for them to gain some trust in me, and I spent six weeks in the winter of 2007  interning there, which meant far more chances to write, including some Raptors stuff.

After I finished school (not to mention an appendicitis scare; I started the Toronto sports year of appendicitis in which Andrea Bargnani and Roy Halladay also suffered from the same ailment) I interned for the Post for the summer. I stayed on in a freelance role, and Matthew Sekeres, who was briefly the Raptors reporter, left the Post in around November to go be the Globe’s sports guy in Vancouver. I got the job at that point. (Matt recommended me, so I owe him a thank you.)

PM: Who are you most excited about in your Raptors FANtasy team lineup, and why?

EK: Durant! I co-run a keeper fantasy league with some friends, and I drafted Durant in the fourth round of his rookie season. He has been on my team for the last two years, and he is the only player in the league I can no longer write objectively about. (I’m joking about that. Kind of.)

Elsewhere, I thought getting Caron Butler in the third round was good, and Troy Murphy in the fourth round was absurd value. It’s easy not to like his game, but he was a points-rebounds double-double last year, with 45% three-point shooting. That last number will probably go down, but still, I was very pleased with that pick. I keep waiting for Al Horford to blow up, and that could happen this year. I was excited to get Allen Iverson as low as I got him. It’s a risky pick, but so is anything in the 10th round. If one of D.J. Augustin and Mike Conley has a good year, I think I have a chance, although I’m not sure I have the requisite hustle stats. That’s always my blind spot.

PM: You talk a lot about TV in your personal blog (A Snack and an Ego Stroke) and on Twitter (@ekoreen). What are your favourite shows? How do you feel about the final season of Lost?

EK: Oh, how you’re going to regret asking me that question. My two favourite shows on television are Friday Night Lights (inside every cynical sportswriter is a beating heart that is dying to feel good about athletes and coaches; FNL feeds that, and gives interesting portrayals of small-town life, too) and Chuck (as far as I know, it’s the only comedy-action-romance-straight-up-drama hybrid with unremitting ’80s pop culture references on television.) Yes, I suppose I’m doomed to love poorly rated shows. I also enjoy new comedies Community and Modern Family. I liked a pair of little-seen comedies from last year, Better Off Ted and Party Down, as well as stalwarts How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock. If we’re talking all-time (or at least this decade), I loved both Veronica Mars (Buffy with a little more heart and more propulsive serialization) and like everyone else, The Wire. The latter has kind of ruined cable shows for me. The Wire is great, but so much effort was required for it to really kick in that I’m just too lazy to give Mad Men or Breaking Bad a chance. I know they’ll be great, but I feel like I need to clear my schedule for a month to give them a shot.

As for Lost, I’m a fan, although not a huge one. The only season I can say I really loved was the fourth. They changed up the formula just enough, but were still telling compelling character stories that year. I like my cult television, but the sci-fi-ness of Season 5 sort of lost me. And I stand by the notion that Seasons 2 and 3 were kind of a waste of time.

I think Lost is more plot-driven at this point than character-driven, and that’s perhaps why I can’t embrace it as much as people seem to think I should. (And I don’t think many of the characters are that compelling; the only two I really care about are Desmond and Penny. Sun and Jin used to be in that group, but they’ve been too de-emphasized lately. I also think Ben is one of the more overrated characters in TV history; he’s more of a plot device than a character, but that’s a whole different conversation.)

Despite all of that, I’m hopeful for this season. I’m positive they’ve left themselves with too little time to address all the questions they’ve asked. But there should be enough time to resolve the major questions as well as give resolutions for the main characters. As long as they have the guts not to end with an abrupt fade to black, I’ll be good.

PM: Thanks, Eric. Looking forward to our Week 2 fantasy matchup. Go, Channing Frye!

Don’t forget to check out A Snack and an Ego Stroke, @ekoreen, and Eric’s work at the National Post.

I predict the FG% will be low in this league.

Today’s a special day: The draft begins in the Raptors FANtasy League, where Toronto Raptors fans, bloggers and media collide.

Here is the complete list of fantasy GMs vying for that coveted RFL Championship Trophy*, in draft order, along with links to their sites and Twitter accounts:

1. Dr. J. Naismith, Raptors Forum, @RaptorsForum
2. Romes, Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North, @romyaquino
3. AltRaps, The AltRaps Blog, @altraps
4. James Borbath, Dino Nation Blog, @dinonationblog
5. Nat, Heels on Hardwood, @Nat77
6. Eric Koreen, National Post & A Snack and an Ego Stroke, @ekoreen
7. Raps Fan, Raptors Republic, @RapsFan
8. Vicious D, Raptors HQ, @RapHQVicious
9. Cuzzy, Cuzoogle, @cuzoogle
10. Me
11. Tim Chisholm, 3 in the Key on TSN.ca, @timpchisholm
12. Zack Cooper, FAN590, @ZCooperstown

And here’s the neat thing for those of you who care about the above people and/or fantasy basketball: You can watch the picks unfold in real time on this Google Spreadsheet!

The draft will be going on for days, so keep checking back to follow the action, and to praise or pan our choices in the comments below.

* No, there is no real trophy.

The ultimate fantasy basketball draft guide is now available, and Give Me The Rock gives you some nice discounts on it.

Regarding the league-participation bonus (at the end of the GMTR post): I was in their first Mock Draft League last year and it was a blast. I highly recommend that one for low-maintenance fun. And winning the regular season didn’t hurt.

I got my draft guide. Go get yours NOW!

Now I’m gunnin’ for that #3 spot, which would put me on par with my career record thus far as a fantasy GM. Keep this up and I’ll be fired.

So click plenty on the Project Spurs banner this week. Michael earned your page views.

Pete Marasmitch in first place, baby!

Wow. First place. Now I know how the Cleveland Cavaliers feel. Maybe I ought to strike a pose, too.

True, the Give Me The Mock league didn’t require any in-season participation (don’t pooh-pooh my achievement, Nels!), but I’m still pretty happy. I’ll be even happier if I can get past the SA Spurscasters, headed by Project Spurs‘ Michael De Leon.

Looks like you called it, Erik.

UPDATE: Erik listed the lineups and gave the analyses here.

Pete: Brendan! How goes?
Brendan: Heya. Goes pretty well, considering it’s Monday.
Pete: And considering the status of your founder, Andrew Bynum?
Brendan: Indeed. Mookie talked me off the ledge but… jeez…
Pete: How bad is it, anyway?
Brendan: Still not sure. It looks like a fracture rather a sprain. Don’t know why I said that
BUT
There’s still no definitive word after seeing the specialist in NY, which strikes me as bad.
I’d guess Kidrew is out at least a month. [Pete's note: Latest report says at least eight weeks.]
Pete: They often blame swelling, don’t they, for the late word?
Brendan: It’s the indeterminate factor I suppose. But if the x-rays are negative, why can’t you help a fantasy owner out, you know?
I’ll make it.
Pete: Who takes Bynum’s place in the meantime?
Brendan: It ain’t Chris Mihm, I’ll tell you that.
I think Lamar Odom is the obvious pick, with extra minutes for the bench corp (and Trevor Ariza in particular).
How this might disrupt Odom’s play when he returns to the bench nobody’s sure.
Pete: Hey, speaking of Odom,
Brendan: As we are… (nice segue)

Pete: Any talk of him being traded, to beef up for the playoffs?
Brendan: Honestly, nothing more serious than any other rumor we’ve heard for the last few years. With Shawn Marion clearly on the market and a more proven commodity, I’d be surprised if we saw anybody trade for Odom. People think he’s overpaid.
Pete: But his contract is expiring…
Brendan: True.
I wrote something down about this…
See, I have a suspicion that no contract worth more than $8 million is getting dealt this year.
Last season’s big deals were about a glut of highly competitive teams trying for the push over the top and into the finals. This year’s contenders are pretty solid as they are, but everybody else would only be negotiating position for the free-agent feeding frenzy to come, and all the biggest players in that world seem pretty poised already.
Pete: Ugh. Bad news for Raps fans.
Brendan: How much is left on Jermaine O’Neal’s deal?
Pete: $23 mil in 2010.
Brendan: Ouch.
I take it back. Bryan Colangelo will try to make something happen there.
Pete: I sure hope so.
Brendan: Not sure if they’ll pick up an expiring deal to re-sign a player though. It’s not like players are busting the door down to play up north.
(No offense, my father is a canuck.)
Pete: You do have a point. Winning attracts.
Brendan: And the Raps are going the wrong way on that elevator.
How nervous are you that Chris Bosh leaves?
Pete: Not really.
Brendan: One more season, right?
Pete: Yes. The big 2010. [Technically, he's got a player option for the 2010-11 season. Thanks, Carolyn.]
Brendan: He’s got to like making franchise money there, anyway.
I’ll tell you a secret.
Pete: Okay!
Brendan: He was my pick as the bird-man in my banner.
I’ve always thought that Bosh looks like a raptor, like a bird of prey. I’ll tell anybody who listens that I think he looks birdlike.
Pete: Or ostrich-like?
Brendan: SURE! Facial features, thin limbs. He’s, like, two evolutionary steps from defunct patagia.
Pete: Hahaha.

Brendan: Not that I dislike Bosh, though I’ve always thought him an overrated fantasy player. Unless you’re playing roto, he’s a second rounder for sure (at best).
Pete: Agreed, but he does have the drive to improve, and he has improved over the years.
Brendan: Absolutely.
I kind of like him in real life.
But you said it, winning is all.
And he might be devalued a tiny bit by 2010.
Lebron + Bosh = rings. All I’m sayin’…
Pete: You believe the rumors – Bosh and LeBron (and Wade?) in New York?

Brendan: Nah, not really.
It’d be terrible for the league, too. As much as we all think talent has been diluted by expansion, the spread of wealth keeps each team profitable.
Pete: Good point. But it would be fun to see the New Big Three.
Brendan: Oh, absolutely, but they’d also be the ONLY thing anybody ever talked about, and that would get old.
As long as they ain’t Celtics, I’m cool.
(there’s no angry-face emoticon)
Pete: (Sure there is!)
x-(
Brendan: Haha. I’m internets-lazy, apparently.
Pete: Hey, I wanna talk to you about a particular player.
Brendan: Bargs, right?
Pete: No…
Brendan: Ah… hit me.
Pete: Check out the poll. See who’s the top pick for Raps SF.
Brendan: Ahhh. I thought that was interesting. Marion vs. Hedo.
Pete: Hedo won. Who-da thunk?
Brendan: That’s the big debate.
I’ve been pretty adamant that Marion needs a pass-first PG, and I think he’s the obvious choice for Colangelo’s Suns-North ideal.
Plus I’m not sure (from what little I’ve seen) that the Raptors’ problem is ball movement.
I’m a little convinced that Turkoglu’s value has been meshing with the system in Orlando, and (sorry Jermaine) O’Neal just isn’t Dwight Howard.
I’m thinking it’s more likely that Marion has a resurgence with fewer expectations (and probably less money) in the new setting than Hedo fits and pushes you guys over the top.

Hedo’s in sync with D-Ho. (from SlamDunkCentral.com)

Pete: So you think Marion’s not breaking down? Still something left in the tank?
Brendan: I think he’s DEFINITELY got some great game left, but he – more than ANYBODY on those Suns teams – thrives under pace and with a PG feeding him on the break.
Plus I think Turkoglu’s a little flukey.
Pete: I know – he’s on my fantasy team for the second year in a row.
Brendan: Oooohhh. I warned ya. One of my few correct calls this season.
Pete: And I agree, Raps need a Marion-type more than a Hedo-type.
What about your Lakers? Offseason, that is.
Brendan: I like this team. I do.
I think they might actually benefit from losing Odom, as horrible as that sounds. He’s been a warrior for us, playing hurt in the playoffs.
And I’m not nearly as hard on him as a lot of folks, but he’s just not being maximized by any stretch of the imagination.
I’m not fully convinced of our ability to score off the bench. Jordan Farmar is nobody’s Pistol Pete.
But as constructed, I think they’re a title contender for years, obviously. It just means more minutes for the starters.
I’m very content, ultimately.
(And, incidentally, the Ariza-for-Cook trade was the beginnings of Mitch Kupchak’s emergence as a good GM!)
Pete: And once Odom’s gone, do you guys have much cap space?
Brendan: Not really. Haha. He’s got a sizeable contract, but we’re pretty well over the cap. Not a big 2010 destination for anybody.
Pete: And Bynum’s contract starts?
Brendan: That seems to be the plan.
Would you go to war with Bynum/Kobe/Pau as your core?
Pete: It seems to work, no?
Brendan: Absolutely.
I was up and down on Bynum – I honestly was – but you don’t score 40 points by accident, you know?
He could be a legit offensive presence someday, and maybe rather soon.
Pete: You know, I was thinking: Hedo would work in LA.
Brendan: HE WOULD! But he’ll command around $10 mil this year, and we don’t NEED him. He’s not the best wing defender, and our intermittent/lazy D is our achilles heel.
But that’s a triangle player right there.
Pete: True. That’s what I thought. But his so-so D … another reason why he’s not good for the Raps.
Brendan: Honestly, we have an embarrassment of riches.
And Marion is forgotten as a tenacious defender. He was the ONLY actually defender on those Suns teams. He can guard 4 positions, etc. You don’t lose that in your early 30s.

The Matrix can still defend like old times. (from Basketbawful)

Pete: That’s why I want him!
Brendan: As well you should!
Pete: Just scared by his health.
Brendan: Yeeeah. But again, your options are slightly limited.
And he’s nowhere near the risk you took in acquiring JO.
I think it’s a fit, but a trade would have happened by now if it’s gonna.
I’m thinking the FA price of Marion is around $13 mil. Somebody’ll give him that, maybe a little less. And that’s a paycut.
Pete: Would Matrix be too proud? Go to Europe?
Brendan: Probably not. He’s got the NBA bonafides, and somebody will pay him, probably the Raps if they can make the cap work.
I like your GM. I do.
Pete: Me too!
Brendan: Hang in there, Toronto.
(Maybe the best Raps blog name: Mediocre Forever.)
Pete: I thought the best was Pete Marasmitch.
Brendan: OMG! I am SO SORRY Master Pete! Look what I’ve gone and said.
Seriously though, “Smitch’s Smash” is great. If only you had the Smitch…
Pete: He’s now hanging out at the Atlanta Hawks games.
Brendan: Is he?
Pete: Apparently.
Brendan: Is Mike Woodson on the outs?
Pete: Smitch – whatta vulture.
Seriously, I dunno.
Brendan: I can’t see them firing Woodson after sticking by him and them becoming a playoff team. I wouldn’t mind him in Memphis though…
Pete: Hey, one more thing before we leave the fire.
Brendan: Sure.
Pete: How goes the Chinese Magic Johnson?
My countryman?
The Monkey King?
Brendan: He prefers “The Monkey King”!
Pete: Snap!
Brendan: Sun Yue’s a fan favorite. A Chinese victory cigar.
I don’t see anybody that deep on the depth chart in LA making a name there. But from what I’ve seen, he wears warmups VERY well.
Pete: Haha. But he hasn’t been cut (yet), so that’s positive for him.
Brendan: Sure. I guess he’s got some talent.
And remember, Sasha Vujacic was a practice player for a few years, so maybe that contract is coming after all.
Pete: The Machine, The Monkey King, and Kobe. LA has it all.
Brendan: Best buddy-cop movie ever?
“The Machine, The Monkey King, and Kobe”
I’d shell out nine bucks, ’cause I sure can’t afford Lakers tix.

Looks more like a crime drama to me. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

Pete: Kobe has to feed his family.
Brendan: Hehe.
Rick Fox is crying to himself somewhere becaus he thinks we could be serious, and that Kobe could get cast in something.
Pete: I could see that. MJ got to work with Toons, why not Kobe?
Brendan: In this economy, why not? Mother of all career reinventions…
Eagle, CO to a new Looney Toons flick.
I honestly shudder at the possibility.
For all the world, really.
Pete: On that note…
Brendan: On that thoroughly depressing note…
Pete: Thanks for sitting down by the fire with me.
Brendan: Hey, it was honestly my pleasure. I love Pete Marasmitch!
(Was that the line we agreed to?)
Just kidding!
Thanks a ton. I’d love to do it again.
Pete: Great!
By the way, what does the “K” stand for?
Brendan: “Kelly.” My lineage is apparently of Irish cop characters from old Hollywood movies. I am “Brendan Kelly O’Grady.”
Try not to do a borderline-offensive accent on it.
Pete: I can’t help it now!
Brendan: Ha! Nobody can.
Thanks, Jeff.

Andrea Bargnani, special thanks to you for proving the doubters wrong. Same to you, Jason Terry. Al Horford, get well soon. Earl the Pearl, time for you to shine.

****************

Oh, and to top it off, Our Roko might start tonight in Boston against the Celtics.

Best Monday ever?

I finally broke down and bought Comic Life. Thanks to The Cavalier for recommending it. And thanks to my wife for letting me indulge.

The above photo was taken from the Create-a-Caption featuring Byron Scott and James Posey. Yes, I am Jeff W. Looks like I have a chance to win this latest one, too.

Speaking of Posey, I got him in the last round of Give Me The Mock. Go, Jimmy Po!

(Photo courtesy Getty Images, but mutilated by me.)