Glorious...

Thunder???

TWO Amazing Things!

Ok, first of all, and not to overshadow the glorious fact that DeMarcus Nelson not only MADE the team, but is officially the STARTING POINT GUARD for you Golden State Warriors!!! Snaps.

More Details on DeMarcus' New Job

BUT...

A certain Mr. Nolan was fired today from the San Francisco 49ers organization. Praise God. He was replaced by Mike Singletary, a man who is already in the NFL Hall of Fame and is also already coaching the most dominant aspect of current 49ers football: Linebackers.


That is all...for now...be stoked.

Dubs in Beijing

I know, in the words of my disrespectful roommate, Brent, "Ben, it's only PRE-SEASON."

Anywho, this was still an amazing game...

Catsup? Ketchup?...Catch-Up!

Ok, I'm not gunna lie. I've been sucking at this whole "blogging" thing.

My bad. I promise to do better...starting with the following:



Alrighty then, life in general. Here we go:

Life: Yeah, it's good.

School: In my fourth week at APU (grad-wise, at least) and I love one class and can't really stand the other...what to do, what to do...nothing. Well, it is a degree...and I do enjoy it (the practical, not the theory). Who knows where I'll be 2 years from now, but hey, hooray for a master's degree!
(I know, the worst possible outlook going into a master's program...shite. Well, if you know what I should do with my life, feel free to leave a comment, or email me at benhelms@apu.edu. I promise to take your suggestion into strong consideration...salary not necessary)

Home-Life: Got a 3-Bedroom house a mile from campus. Love my roomies. Love my house. Love the location. Still need a motorcycle though...

Job: Working in Communiversity (Student Union) and heading up the Clubs & Orgs on campus. A little hectic at times, but I still love my staff...and my bosses are pretty stellar as well.

Extra-Curricular Activites: Playing 2 intramural sports this semsester (count 'em: TWO!): Softball and Volleyball. This makes me happy. Could I get paid to play sports? ...no? Dang...the job search continues...

GTA4: Yep. Just beat it...twice.

Cohort: It's a funny word. And now I gots one.

Fantasy Football: Just started playing a few weeks ago for the first time. I'm 2-1 and well, it's looking like a pretty medial season. But hey, I have Brian Westbrook! Oh, wait...

GSW: Well with Monta injured, our leading scorer gone, and the most inconsistent SG of all time now on the roster...things are looking grim. Suck.

Niners: Loving. Life. Leading the division, baby! J-T-O!!!!


I think that's it for now.

Welcome back to the 9 to 5!

So, life's beginning to settle down again...

Just finished all the training for my job. It was a lovely 3 weeks chillin' with great people, going up to Big Bear for a retreat, sharing life stories, investing in one another, hanging around a great college campus atmosphere. Life is good. Unfortunately, life had to start sometime...CLASS!!! Dun Dun Duuuuunnn...

Oh yeah! And they changed the title (and degree!) or my master's program!!! That should be illegal or not allowed...or rude or something.

Instead of a M.Ed in College Student Affairs, they're giving me an M.S in College Counseling and Student Development Orientation. I know! A freakin' mouthful! Dang...well, at least they tell me that I'll have a much easier time finding jobs, and better jobs too...we shall see...esp if I end up becoming an audio engineer. Maybe THIS is the master's for me!

Anywho...if you hadn't heard, just when the Warriors hopes of a decent season were within our grasp...Monte Ellis fell of the face of the earth...tight.

Also, I started playing fantasy football. I think I'll suck at it...but my roomies are doing it, so hopefully it'll at least be enjoyable and bonding-able...yes.

Dubs Updates...

Alrighty, as most everybody knows, the Golden State Warriors have made some slight adjustments this offseason...

We did lose a few players... (we'll miss each of you...hopefully not TOO much tho)
- Baron Davis left, and is now officially a Clipper (although they gave up both Corey AND Elton)
- Matt Barnes is a part of the Suns organization
- Mickael Pietrus is now on the Orlando Magic (among 10 other shooting guards, so sorry J.J.)
- And so sorry (for Jorge) to say, our dear, beloved, high-flying, definitively dunking, Austin Croshere is (most likely) NOT going to be picked up...by anyone...every again...amen.
- C-Webb's also probably done for


But we also added some key figures...
- The biggest of which being Mr. Corey Maggette (!!!). When he's good, he's very good.
- We also added some post presence as well by picking up restricted free-agent and ex-Laker, Ronny Turiaf
- Then we picked up free agent, Marcus Williams to help out Monta on his off nights
- Rookie-wise we got a few new players (and possibly more to come):
- Anthony Randolph (a star in the Las Vegas summerleague)
- Richard Hendrix (our second round pick from Alabama, that made a splash in
summerleague as well)
- Anthony Morrow (a late signee that actually earned himself MVP honors at the
Rocky Mountain Revue summerleague)


And the rest of the team is already looking solid...
- Luckily we signed back two key players in Monta Ellis and Andris Beidrins
- And then we also resigned bench player extraordinaire: Kelenna Azubuike
- Brandon Wright and Marco Belinelli both had great summerleague appearances...again.
- Stephen Jackson is ready and raring to go and be the veteran leader of our rather young team
- Al Harrington (despite being at the center of many rumored trade talks) has definitely got Stack Jack's back in the leading veteran side (and hopefully can produce better than he did in the second half of last season...oye...
- C.J. Watson is back as well, and will probably be a backup to our (new) backup point guard (sorry C.J.)
- Kosta Perovic is still around, but my feeling is he'll probably just be extra trade fodder (whether it's with Williams, Harrington, Wright, and/or Belinelli for a more solid power forward, which just so happens to be our the only hole in our lineup keeping us from our next NBA title...)

So if you've actually been reading this, our starting lineup (graced with the face of our veteran leader), will most likely look something like this:


Well, I'm excited, and I know you're excited, well, only THREE MORE MONTHS (only two if you include training camp and preseason exhibitions...and yes, I do!!!) till the start of the regular season!!!

Well...the Inevitable Finally Happened...

That's right. The Dubs missed the playoffs...again... and just when you think they're getting better at this whole thing. Damn.

Well, we made headlines last year beating the Mavs in 6, going down as "The Biggest Upset in the NBA Playoff History" (arguably, and only because of the previous--and only West Coast--championship in '75). Trust me. WATCH THAT VIDEO. It'll keep ya believin'.

ANYWHO, besides the fact that we took more than 100 shots, had more than 20 more than the Suns, came back from a 17 point deficit, lost an 11 point lead, and are still currently 15 games ABOVE .500 and will miss the playoffs...today wasn't that bad of a day. Eh? Yeah, it's pretty bad, huh? Damn...again.

Good News: We're one of the youngest teams in the league, and we apparently DO have what it takes to have a great record, and because of last year, we know we can win in the playoffs.

I hate to sound like a 90s Warriors fan (hell, a Warriors fan for the past 33 years!), but I got to. Here's to "next year".



Here comes baseball season...uh-oh...

Redick: From Front Page to Afterthought

Remember when you couldn't turn the TV on, open a newspaper, or talk to anyone about sports without hearing all about the Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick battle for leading scorer in NCAA basketball in the spring of 2006?

Remember when J.J. Redick demolished Duke, ACC and NCAA records for free throws, three pointers, and total points?

Remember when he was drafted 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in Spring 2006 and scouts were predicting him to be of the caliber of catch-and-shoot snipers the likes of which we haven't seen since the Mark Price era?

Well, his pro career in Orlando hasn't gone exactly like predicted.

In two years in Orlando, Redick has started zero games (not unheard of, even for some of the best rookie/sophomores), has played in only 73 games (31 this year, 12 less than his freshman year), and averages less than 8 minutes per game (almost half of what he averaged last year).

All this, while he's averaged 38% from three, 42% from the field, and 88% from the charity stripe.

During this same time, Redick has only been able to shoot 130 three pointers (his specialty in college). And all of those were coming off the bench, not playing more than a few minutes at a time, without being able to find a rhythm at all, and he somehow still managed to make 49 of 'em.

To put those numbers in perspective, here's a few numbers from Stephen Jackson of the Golden State Warriors, one of the leaders in three point attempts in the league this year. The past two years, in 145 games, Jackson has attempted 788 three pointers, and made only 275 of 'em. Yep. That's about as bad as it sounds. Just under 35%.

But enough about Stack Jack, J.J. recently asked Orlando for a trade, seeking more playing time just about anywhere else. Otis Smith, Magic general manager, refused to even look around the league before the February 21st trading deadline, despite several meetings Redick and his agent had with coaches, owners, and Smith himself.

During the 2007-2008 season, Orlando has started Maurice Evans, Keith Bogans and Keyon Dooling all at Shooting Guard over Redick. Each shooting 38%, 36%, and 35% from beyond the arc (respectively). Not too bad. However, each of these players has had the opportunity to build up momentum and rhythm by getting both starts and solid minutes to follow.

The answer: ...well, the reason the Magic give is defense and rebounding.

"We know that he can play, but as with a lot of young guys he just has to be patient," said Smith, "If I trade him and he goes somewhere else and plays well, then what?"

Then at least he's playing. At least he'll be working on his game and improving.

If you're not playing him, then you obviously have players better than him, so who cares if he goes somewhere else and plays well against you? You've got the tools that're better, right? Make up your mind, Smith. Is the kid good? Then play him. He's not the all-time leader in three pointers in the history of D-I NCAA Men's Basketball for no reason here.

So, what's next? Well, this summer Redick will surely seek other trade routes and will most likely have several more talks with admin from the team, as well as his agent, likely primarily concerning the topic of getting him more playing time, either in Orlando, or, well, pretty much anywhere else. (Oh yeah, J.J. will also be helping Team USA this summer in avenging their nasty bronze medal in the 2004 Olympic games--now under the command of old Duke coach, Mike Krzyzewski.

For now though, it looks like Redick will be living the high life on the bench of the 3rd ranked (in the Eastern Conference) Orlando Magic through the rest of the Spring on into the playoffs. Who knows, maybe if they make it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, he could lock in a solid 112 total playoff minutes in 14 games (max). That'll pad the stats.

Well, hey, at least that's 112 more than Adam Morrison will get this year.

Nellieball to Challenge Owners...

Here ya go, Jorge, Nellie's on your side...

Nellie call for change in the Association

Freakin Warriors...

Yeah...it happened...



There IS a chance we can make the playoffs still...however, highly improbable...snap.

...three games to go...

Dubs and Nugs in Dogfight

Straight from TrueHoop:

In East and West over the last few weeks the playoff race has been all over the place. It has been wild, and it has been wooly!

But at the moment, after Dallas has turned the magic back on in some key games, Atlanta nearly has the East's last spot buttoned up, and the Portlands, Indianas, and New Jerseys of the world have dutifully faded, there will likely only be just one playoff spot at stake over the last few days of the season.

That's the eighth spot in the West, and it's a dog fight between Golden State and Denver.

(Dallas, which now has Dirk Nowitzki back, is two games ahead of Golden State and Denver in the loss column. Two of the Mavericks' five remaining games are against patsy Seattle, and another is against banged-up Portland, which is mired in a season-long losing streak.)

Golden State and Denver are currently tied.

John Hollinger's playoff odds predictor likes the Warriors -- who play four out of five games at home the rest of the way. Hollinger's machine calls Golden State 63% likely to make the playoffs, as opposed to 38% for the Nuggets.

The two teams meet at Golden State this Thursday. Denver also has road games at the Clippers and Jazz, as well as at home against Memphis and Houston.

The Warriors are home against Sacramento, Denver, the Clippers, and Seattle. Their lone road game left is at the Suns.

Most likely it comes down to that game on Thursday.

Monta being Monta

The Giants are sucking...
The Warriors are sucking...
The Niners are sucking...
Hell, even the A's are sucking...

But Monta Ellis is still...Monta Ellis.

TWO of The 30 best international players in the NBA today

So according to this list on ESPN.com, the dubs have some of the best international players in the league. We may not have a crazygood rook (sorry Brandon), but we gots crazygood foreigners like no other!

Down the Home Stretch...

Prepare For Glory!!!

I know, it's been awhile. I had a long weekend okay? Anywho, check out this stellar video that just popped up on YouTube. Props to DarkStage for that megagoodness right there.

Aw yeah, for those of you who missed the APU/Cal Baptist Basketball game (our senior night), check out this article on the amazing game. Honestly, one of the top 3 finishes to a basketball I've ever seen. Period.


Can you spell MVP? Here at APU, we spell it D-A-V-O-N.

Other than that, we play Biola (in La Mirada...I know...) Monday night. It's always interesting...

Straight from TrueHoop...

Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle: "By now, it is a cliche to point out that Stephen Jackson controls the Warriors' pulse, their emotional core, even more so than Baron Davis. Nobody saw that coming when he arrived here 13 months ago, at least not the people who knew Jackson's reputation better than they knew him. Now the question is: Can someone with such transcendent leadership skills someday do great things off the court, too? Neda Barrie, the team's vice president of business development, wasn't expecting much when he was traded from Indiana. She had seen the video of him fighting Detroit fans in the stands, and she knew about the charges of gunfire in a strip-club parking lot. Then she spoke with counterpart from the Pacers, who told her: You're going to love him. He'll be your community-relations go-to guy. ... Every member of the club is supposed to do a certain amount of public service. Jackson doesn't quit at the minimum, she said, 'and he's never shy about dipping into his own pocket.'" Read More

Hilarious...

B-Diddy at it again

...nuff said.

APU it is!...again...

So yeah, today I found out I got into Azusa Pacific University's graduate program.

Yep. That is tight.

Plus, I might've bought a Baron Davis jersey to celebrate...woot.


In other news...The Dubs play the Boston Three Party tonight and well...things aren't exactly looking too good on that. Although, we might have a shot right? I mean, anything's possible at Roaracle!

(Ummm...also, Mike Miller should be a Warrior. Mully, go make that happen.)

A Clean Look

Here's a sick article in ESPN the Magazine that my roomie Ryan found. Yeah, it's pretty much amazing. If you thought you knew who Stephen Jackson was, get ready...