Surpised??? My picks are already creating turmoil..

I called it but damn even me didn't expect to be so true the next morning...
Apparently Jennings twitter page went down after he proved he's unable to manage his image on the web...Jennings is tight with rapper Joe Budden and Budden does a bit of his own web streaming. Poor Brandon was trying to get on Joe Budden TV, the rapper's live video feed...well good for him he made it down there but the result is way too embarrassing, here's our little start talking about a variety of topics

Here's the transcript for those of you who really want to know about Brandon's maturity level:

On next season in Milwaukee ...

Budden: You better worry about Ramon Sessions, diggin' in your a**, pause.
Jennings: He's not going to be here. [inaudible] That money is going to Charlie.
Budden: N****, Ramon Sessions is gonna be there.
Jennings: I doubt it.
Budden: They ain't go no other guards.
Jennings: Ridnour.
Budden: N****, get that bum-a** n**** outta here.
Jennings: He's going to be a backup.
Budden: To who?
Jennings: To who? Who else n****?

On what happened on draft night ...

Budden: Who was hatin' on you?
Jennings: Jay Bilas.
Budden: What happened? You ran in the draft late or some dumb s*** like a loser?
Jennings: No, I was at the hotel. This is what happened right. My agent is like "Well, we ain't hear nothing .We ain't have no guarantee." So we makin' phone calls and s*** and n***** is saying like "The workouts is great and everything and he's the best point guard but we don't know yet, we just don't know."
Budden: They didn't say that about Rick Rubio, number one, and number two they didn't say you the best point guard. They said your jump shot is shaky, you got some potential, but your work ethic is bull****. You averaged 3 points.
Jennings: You're a liar. I know you're lying now.
Budden: I'm just telling you what they said.
Jennings: That ain't nothing but a college person.
Budden: Just tell me what happened. You end up running in the draft? I tunred it off after that.
Jennings: No, n****, I came out there and made my appearance n**** and I had the best appearance out of all them n******. And I was the best dressed, they said, by the way. I was the best dressed.

On whether he'll start next season ...

Budden: You think you gonna start for real though?
Jennings: I don't know, actually, I really don't know.
Budden: I heard that n**** Scott Skiles is an a**h***.
Jennings: That n**** tough, that n**** tough though. There must be a reason he liked me. There must be a reason.

On Ricky Rubio and the Knicks ...

Budden: Let me know when Minnesota get there. So I can watch Rubio light your f****** a** up. I never seen a n**** hate on Rubio so much.
Jennings: [inaudible]
Budden: You know what's funny? You're the only guard in the draft talking s*** about Rubio.
Jennings: The other n***** are scared.
Budden: What are you going to do when Rubio comes to the Knicks?
Jennings: Rubio is not coming, they are not giving up Rubio. You got Jordan Hill, you happy with that?
Budden: I don't really know enough about Jordan Hill to be happy ... I'm happy with Toney Douglas.
Jennings: I know they were booing this n****.
Budden: What does that mean? They boo everybody n****.
Jennings: If it was Stpehen Curry, them n***** would've went crazy in there.
Budden: Shut the f*** up, you don't even know nothing about New York basketball.
Jennings: F*** the Knicks, them n***** skipped out on me.
Budden: Oh man, you feel to the Knicks like I do about Jay-Z? [Laughs] Yo, the Knicks is your Jay-Z?
Jennings: F*** the Knicks, them n***** is always going to be weak.
Budden: This is where I f****** hang up on your f****** ass for talking stupid.
Jennings: Duhon ain't gonna get it done.

Let's just say that we are all excited for Jenning's upcoming career on and off the court!

Moving on to our next project, DeJuan Blair I'm glad that GM's followed (obviously) my advice and skipped picking him for the entire 1st round till he eventually got drafted by San Antonio at 37. Everybody says it was a steal I'm saying SA is a smart franchise..they are taking a risk but with minimal financial impact, what are you risking? $880,000? That’s a drop in the bucket...2nd round picks don't have their contracts guaranteed and that's why teams avoided getting him in the 1st round, I mean who goes out and drafts a basketball player with no ACL in both knees??? In high school, Blair tore both of his ACLs and had them surgically repaired. Blair’s scar tissue essentially got re-absorbed by his body and the result left Blair with essentially no ACLs and some team physicians feel that Blair could eventually develop a nagging issue that could wear him down a few years down the road...Really???

As for Tyreke??? He went as high as No 4, Sacto is totally excited but really he ain't no PG and once Ricky Rubio's star starts to shine he'll already be the second coming of Larry Hughes...

Memo to NBA teams: stay away from these cats...

With NBA draft 2009 only hours away, endless mock drafts, lots of trade action and Shaq joining Cleveland and becoming "The Witness Protection" I want to take a step back and alert NBA teams on how to avoid drafting poorly and risking their jobs (I still can't believe Steve Kerr, John Paxson and Chris Wallace have a job as an NBA GM - just check their track record, it says FAILURE)..I don't claim to have any secret insight or something but I've been keeping notes on all those pospects for the last month or so..Inspired by this great article on biggest NBA busts here are my candidates for this year's draft:

• Brandon Jennings, PG: "Most Important thing about the Draft/NBA, Get on a TEAM that fits your game and kill those 3yrs and GET THAT Big 2nd contract! O yea and WIN" That's a line from his twitter account a couple weeks ago..Let me get it straight to you guys, BJ is Marcus Williams' cousin, for those of you who follow NBA Marcus is a very talented PG who was drafted by the Nets, had a great first-half season and then got traded to the Warriors...Word is that the reason he's out of the league now is his attitude, no surpise there...A year ago today, Jennings was the best high school point guard in the country, a sure-bet to crack the top five in this year's draft. Jennings committed to play at the University of Arizona but failed to meet academic standards and therefore became the first American to skip college and play professionally in Europe since the NBA's age restriction rule was implemented. He signed with Lottomatica Roma, a top professional team, for $1.2 million, plus a $2 million endorsement deal with Under Armour. In Italy, his practice time far exceeded his playing time. European style revolves around the entire team getting involved, rather than exploiting individual skills. He claimed the team treated him "like a little kid," and couldn't understand why the coach insisted on getting every player into the game. What was this, the YMCA? He played in 27 of 30 games for Lottomatica Roma, which went 20-10 and reached the Italian League semifinals. The ostensibly best point guard American high schools had to offer averaged 5.1 points and 2.1 assists....There are those darn numbers, mocking him, possibly reducing his value in the draft. He went to Europe to polish his skills, to bide time until the moment he fantasized about finally materialized. Today, word is he will be slipping in the draft just like Rashard Lewis a few years ago...
• Tyreke Evans, SG, Memphis: His talent is unquestionable but what everybody is missing is that on Tuesday, 18-year-old Pennsylvanian Jamar Evans was sentenced nine-to-20 years in prison for the drive-by shooting murder of 19-year-old Marcus Reason..Jamar is Tyreke's cousin and as we know all too well, many professional athletes have relatives who commit heinous crimes. But there's a twist in this case, one which doesn't implicate Tyreke but pops your eyes wide open: when Jamar Evans shot and killed Reason, Tyreke Evans was his driver. Tyreke Evans was never charged in connection with the murder. The prospect was expected to testify on behalf of his cousin, the Times reports, but never did before Jamar Evans pled guilty. A relative of Reason told the Times he felt Tyreke should have been charged with accessory to murder...you know the facts, now who's willing to take such a gamble???
• DeJuan Blair, F, Pittsburgh: This has nothing to do with character issues it's just that I've been around long enough to be able to identify talent, Blair is the second coming of Robert "Tractor" Taylor, undersized, crafty but not NBA bound...if you think that thing will be able to survive with the Duncans and the Stoudemires good luck...
  
  
  
  
  

Will Ferrell..period!

Add this to why he's my favorite comedian...best skit ever!!! It's called "Let us play with your look" and no I don't want to take anything away from Jimmy Fallon..

California living...

I've been practicing my photography skills lately only to find out that I probably need a better (professional) camera...(That's probably the most boring sentence of this post, trust me keep reading...)

Both my late night drink exits last week were violently interrupted due to a bar fight ..I'm getting tired of that shit and the smurfs jumping into the conversation I'm having with a French girl who is obsessed with Sakis, telling me I have to clear the premises asap...oh and please don't forget to pick up the tab...
It's getting even harder to have good times around Broadway since San Francisco is the first city to ban loitering outside nightclubs...too much regulation might end up killing one of the most funny places in earth to party...

DNA lounge gets my vote for the most interesting spot around the Bay Area as it offers everything: A full service kitchen with Mexican food, while computers are made available throughout the club that features a wireless network as well. There is a main stage and a second stage that boasts its own sound system, and there are three bars...Did I mention that they also have a webcam just so that you can check the action???

Speaking of sound systems I was trying to get some gas the other day at this station next to my place when a totally decent guy pulled over with his truck right next to me; I was like, "U r lost or something, need help finding your way???" Apparently he wanted to sell me a 42'' Plasma TV with a Dolby Surround system for only $150 because he had missed the deadline and his boss was going to be mad at him...well I didn't buy into that story and after offering $100 I said thanks but no thanks!
Little Star Pizza is another food paradise I recently discovered...It offers deep dish pizza with cheese at the bottom and all kinds of toppings at the top for a reasonable price..don't tell me you are not hungry!!!

Saving the best for last check out what a 30ish lady told me the other night: "I'll be your sexual bunny and entertain your every fantasy..All I am asking is for you to assist me with my mortgage...
See yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Stay classy Panathinaikos....

Το να εισαι αξιος πρωταθλητης και μαλιστα επι σειρα ετων σημαινει οτι σαν προπονητης εχεις καταφερει να γινεις απολυτος κατοχος και δασκαλος του παιχνιδιου, example Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson... it's about reaching that point where not only you don't care about what other people are saying (from fans, to media, to referees...) but you are able to deceit and manipulate them...I mean Zen Master is the perfect example, check this video here, where Phil Jackson calls a timeout with his team up by 30 and then tells D'Antoni (the opponent's coach) "What the (beep) is wrong with you? Go sit down!" without getting whistled for a T...
Apparently Zelimir Obradovic prefers to act like the 5 year old kid whose candy was stolen...Οχι πως λεω οτι ηταν σωστο το timing της ερωτησης απο τον αστειο αυτο δημοσιογραφο Καρμοιρη αλλα η αντιδραση του δειχνει την αδυναμια του να τον αντιμετωπισει και να τον γελοιοποιησει...

obradovic vs karmoiris
by dubbit13

Τι να πει κανεις ομως και για την διοικηση αυτης της ομαδας η οποια αδυνατει να δειξει οποιοδηποτε επιπεδο αξιοπρεπειας και μετα την κατακτηση του Ευρωπαικου τροπαιου εξέφρασε και επισήμως τα παράπονά του για τη διαιτησία του Αρτεάγκα στον τελικό του Final Four...

"Με μεγάλη μας έκπληξη διαπιστώνουμε πως δεν έχετε τιμωρήσει ακόμα τον συγκεκριμένο διαιτητή όπως έχετε κάνει στο παρελθόν με άλλες παρόμοιες διαιτησίες. Ελπίζουμε πραγματικά πως θα τον τιμωρήσετε παραδειγματικά για όσα διέπραξε".

Ποιος??? Η ίδια ομάδα η οποια λογω ενος εσφαλμενου σφυριγματος εκλεψε τον 1ο ευρωπαικο της τιτλο το 1996...

Quick Picks Second Round...

The Chicago - Boston series was sure 1 for the ages (a very nice collection of highlights here)...The Bulls played a good game and made it an epic series but the truth is they are still young and inexperienced, let's hope they can capitalize on this year as they have a tendency to get worse after promising seasons...Cleveland, Denver and the Lakers looked great in the first round while Orlando, Dallas and Houston showed that they are capable of moving past solid teams...Round 2 is next with some equally exciting and promising match ups, let's break them down...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland vs (4) Miami
Atlanta has a very athletic team and is so dominant playing home but they are such a bad matchup for Cleveland...They might have a chance stealing 1 if the Cavs appear lethargic and grumpy as they haven't played a game for 10 days but on the other side the same Cleveland team lost only 2 games at home this season.. Bibby did a good job defending Wade at times, but he’s too small for Lebron, and while Evans/Johnson are far more athletic they’re also too small. FYI Josh Smith doesn’t do one-on-one defense. Hawks need Joe Johnson to stay HOT through the series but that’s it. Atlanta showed very little in the first series - teams that get blown out three times in a series by Miami don’t exactly earn my vote of confidence.
Prediction: Cavs in 5 (sweep alert)

(2) Celtics vs (3) Magic

Orlando has a great chance of making this a quick series. They have to take advantage of Celtic's fatigue and injuries, play some aggressive defense and kill them in 5 or 6 games. Boston has the home court and they've proved that they are too hard to die in a 7 game situation...I just can’t go against guys like Pierce, Ray, Rondo and Doc Rivers down the stretch of a close game..Orlando has a tremendous advantage at the 4 and 5 position: Rashard Lewis should explode as there's no 1 that can defend him on the Celtics team (except if Brian Scalabrine decides he's a actually an NBA player and not a mascot) and Dwight...well he's Superman..Bench production is also gonna be huge, Celts bench nearly cost them the first round series, adding nothing in all but two of the games...Magic were supposed to lose game six in Philly, with Howard being suspended but with the great play of the "Polish Hammer", they were able to handle the ’76ers with ease...
Prediction: Magic in 6 (Boston will win it if it goes to a 7 game series)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Los Angeles vs (5) Houston
Kobe Bryant missed practice yesterday with a sore throat...I hope he has the swine flu and he contaminates all Lakers fans...ok, excuse me for the outbreak back to reality. The Lakers are just too versatile and Houston is strong enough defensively to slow them down a little....The combination of having to contain the game’s most potent scorer while keeping tabs on two talented postmen is too much for almost anyone..The Rockets are physical and playing extremely well, but the Lakers just survived a team on-par with Houston for physicality (Utah), and besides, I get the feeling LA haven’t even begun to stretch their legs. . If Yao can finally step it up and take advantage of Bynum's injury they might have a chance. Key factor will be the play of Rockets PG Aaron Brooks; if he can constantly score 15 through the series Lakers might be in trouble and again don't forget that home team will be a little rusty for the 1st game.
Prediction: Lakers in 6

(2) Denver vs (6) Dallas
I really like Denver to win it all only because of the solid leadership of Chauncey Billups. Their bench has emerged and they are the best lteam in the league to take a 10 point lead and push it to 30...just check what happened to the poor Hornets..Arguably the two most in-form teams in the playoffs but Denver has the edge here. A final note: JR Smith's nickname should be Morton 'cause he's always pouring salt in wounds...
Prediction: Denver in 5

NBA PLAYOFFS 2009 - 1st Round Predictions...

Best 2 months of the season about to start, some great match ups in this year's first round will make things even more exciting! Other than that Sixers team everybody is going to be in totally competitive mood..And 1 quick note, everybody says it's gonna be Lakers - Cavs playing in June's Finals and I guess it's happening for a couple reasons mostly because of ratings and NBA looking to create a new rivalry (insert Lebron vs Kobe here) BUT I got a feeling somewhere down the road there's gonna be a big time upset...Let's break them down:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland vs (8) Detroit

It seems that after the epic performance of Lebron during the 2007 Playoffs this Detroit Pistons team is in its downfall..The Pistons are still the most dangerous below .500 team ever to be in the Playoffs because of the collective experience of their veteran starters but where's the motive??? Michael Curry has done a great job coaching a group of veterans who are so hard to be coached, Detroit has had 4 coaches in the last 6 years!!! On the other side there's Cleveland , a team with great chemistry, playing with home court advantage and 1 goal, the ring...The biggest factor besides the presence of LBJ is the absence of AI. Without him the Pistons don’t have anyone else who can compensate for his 18 points and 5 assists...this team has so many holes, and has also lost its leader so can the Pistons make a series out of it??? Let's just say the odds are better for Charlie Villanueva to grow some hair...
Prediction: Cavs in 5 (sweep alert)

(2) Celtics vs (7) Bulls

Well Chicago already managed to pull the upset with a historic game by ROY Derrick Rose (first ever rookie to have 35 & 10 in his playoff debut, he actually had 36 &11) but I'm really not so sold on those Baby Bulls..While the mid season trade has made them a better overall team they are still too inexperienced to pull the upset.. Boston isn't looking good too, with KG probably out for most for the season, but worst case scenario would be for the Celtics to go back to their last year's habits (e.g needed 7th game to win series against Atlanta and Cleveland), they are so damn good to get eliminated even without their emotional leader.
Prediction: Celtics in 7 (although for those of you who watched the game the Bulls have unveiled their well hidden weapon for the series, Vinny's Del Negro's dad, great story here).

(3) Orlando vs (6) Philadelphia
I heard some people talking upset in this series mainly due to the Magic finishing poor the season (by losing games to Knicks and Bucks) while resting injured stars Turkoglu and Lewis...well guess again, Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard is going to bring his A game against a team that is lacking it's best interior presence, Elton Brand and is last in the league in hitting 3's..Orlando will probably double team Iguodala so role players will have to hit big shots...
Prediction: Magic in 5

(4) Atlanta vs (5) Miami
For me, the most interesting series in the East, Hawks look ready to take it to the next level but can they do it again Flash??? Dwyane Wade this year has been injury free creating highlight reels every single night, most important he showed us that he's back and ready to take the Miami franchise on his shoulders. Atlanta clearly has the edge with a balanced, athletic team that can run and shoot from everywhere but Miami's goal should be to try and stay close till the end of the games..if they can manage that then Wade, 1 of the best finishers in the game will be able to take over and deliver...BIG. It's Atlanta's series to lose folks and I never liked coach Woodson for that team!
Prediction: Miami in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Los Angeles vs (8) Utah
...Mmmm, I really don't have anything left for here, like.. seriously, the Jazz lost home games against the Wolves (24-58) and the Dubs (29-53) last week to finish a horrendous season where they witnessed: their starting PG, All Star Deron Williams missing the first 20 games, then coming back, then losing F Carlos Boozer for most of season, him coming back but never being the same old Booz (reason possibly being going through a painfull divorce), owner Larry Miller dying after battling diabetes for years,want more??? Yes, it appears that the team's chemistry has been damaged and with Memo Okur not being 100% I don't see them getting it done against a cocky Laker team claiming that everything THAN winning the championship makes the season a failure (yap, it's that kind of attitude people in LA are known to have...)
Prediction: Lakers in 5 (Jazz has 1 of the best home courts in the history of NBA so they might be able to steal 1)

(2) Denver vs (7) New Orleans
It's very unfortunate that 1 of those teams will be eliminated in the 1st round..Denver is coming off a great season, the difference being made by Chauncey Billups; he was the missing part, a general, a true leader and a clutch performer who makes solid decisions and loves to play under pressure..Now, Denver is coached by George Carl, first thing that comes up to my mind??? This!Biggest upset of all times...I enjoy watching the Nuggets play but I'm not afraid to say that other than Billups I consider this team a bunch of immature gangsters from Martin, to Melo, to J.R. Smitht to Chris Andersen who are known to do stupid things in n out of the court: from flagrant fouls, to brawls, to ill advised plays, to refusing coming out of the game, to meaningless confrontations, to drugs, DUI's blahhhhh blahhh blahhhh...
Many people have been saying that Melo is a different person after last summer's experience with the US team in Beijing but really, Chauncey has been the stabilizer....against a very poised New Orleans team run by NBA sensation Crhis Paul the only certain thing is a long and exciting series as long as New Orleans stays healthy..they are not deep but other than Paul they have a great starting 5 with the best offensive rebounder in the game (Chandler) and my boy Peja, 1 of the best all time 3 point shooters.
Prediction: Denver in 6

(3) San Antonio vs (6) Dallas

Dallas has been cruising under the radar for the last couple weeks going from potentially missing the playoffs to climbing at the No6 seed and so the ailing Spurs without Manu Ginobli and a quickly aging Tim Duncan will try to hold court against the surging Mavericks who have won seven out of nine! If Ginobili was healthy, this isn’t even a series. but with his injury, it makes the spurs vulnerable..Duncan ALWAYS turns it up in the playoffs, he looked slower last year, then game 1 of the playoffs, he drops 40...even on one knee, he’s gonna eat Dampier and Bass alive. Howard is a spurs killer, so he’ll be that x-factor... I'm going with experience here, San Antonio always comes up with phenomenal plays, they just deny to lose...Have to say though that this is a totally winnable series for a Dallas team that lost its swagger after getting humiliated in the 1st round of the 2007 playoffs by those Dubs!
Prediction: Spurs in 7

(4) Portland vs (5) Houston

There’s almost no difference between these teams statistically and that's why it makes sense for them to be the number4 and 5 seed respectively..In a playoff year that is full of entertaining first round match-ups, the showdown between Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets has to be at the top. The Trail Blazers have been tagged as the team of the future as their blend of youth and a defensive mindset has them maturing rapidly. The inexperience of the Blazers is going to be a factor many will bring up, but it could actually help a team that is ignorant to how big the moment is. The Rockets have the T.O.-esque diva, Tracy McGrady, who bounced back and forth before finally ending his season to get knee surgery. Then there is Ron Artest, who has the ability to break down his opponent, or just plain break down and Yao has not found the keys for a playoff success..add this to Rick Adelman's woes during his stints with Portland (lost to NBA finals by Bulls) and Kings (lost memorable 7th game by Lakers) and I see the youngsters advancing and giving some serious trouble to the Lakers...
Prediction: Portland in 7