NBA season preview 2009-2010...

Just wanted to post a couple quick notes about the upcoming season which looks like a battle of 5-6 teams...yep, blame it on the recession!

Atlanta Hawks: A lot will depend on their defensive efficiency since they are now deeper (i.e. Jamal Crawford) and more experienced. Joe Johnson didn't sign an extension and is poised to hit the crazy FA class of 2010, Josh Smith didn't shoot (not made) a single 3 during this preseason and his FT percentage was bellow 50%. Coach Woodson seems unable to maximize this team's potential but they are a lock for the playoffs.

Boston Celtics: They are my pick for the NBA championship as long as they stay healthy. Rasheed Wallace playing DHoward 1-1 and KG on the weak side eliminate Orlando's advantage plus they match up well with the Lakers. Might need to sign a back up PG since Eddie House is a 2 and Marquis Daniels has played SG/F for his entire career.

Charlotte Bobcats: The team has been up for sale the last months and Larry Brown is known for taking bad teams and leading them to the playoffs but it takes time and this ain't happening this year...

Chicago Bulls: Losing Ben Gordon to free agency might have hurt them but I expect DRose to take over and the rest of the youth do develop. The mix of youth and veterans in their roster will take them to the playoffs but they only seem to be first round bound.

Cleveland Cavaliers: They needed versatile wings but they ended up with Shaq, Anthony Paker and Jamario Moon..Still, they got Lebron who claims to be a year stronger and better but it's hard to envision them taking it all the way; injuries will play a big part on their quest to success.

Dallas Mavericks: On paper they got better (Marion, Gooden, Tim Thomas), Dirk looks better than ever taking the summer off and Rick Carlisle is an established coach.; the bad? Josh Hpward could be out for a few more weeks...Expect BIG things!

Denver Nuggets: Carmelo is probably gonna have his best year in the league and like Sir Charles said he's probably the best pure scorer in the league. They lost some firepower (Kleiza, D.Jones) but J.R. Smith should explode as a starter.

Detroit Pistons: A big question mark; John Kuester (Detroit's fifth coach in nine seasons btw) seems to have abandoned Motown's traditional defense for a more up tempo style,;expect Hamilton or Prince to get traded..

Golden State Warriors: The Dubs once again have turmoil surrounding their season; it all starts up at the top of the organization though so let's just hope for more exciting basketball and less drama.

Houston Rockets: Clearly on a transition season with Yao and T-Mac probably lost for the season; don't expect them to quit though as Rick Adelman has made the playoffs for 17 years except for 2 season with, gues what, the Warriors...

Indiana Pacers: Another team on rebuilding mode, Danny Granger is phenomenal but he's gonna be alone with Lil Dun sidelined..

L.A. Clippers: They made some moves and they should be in the playoffs come season end as long as they stay healthy and develop some chemistry; Blake Griffin is either gonna be the ROY or the second coming of Danny Manning (he injured his knee during the last preseason game).

L.A. Lakers: Questions about the team's chemistry have risen since Ron Ron joined the Lakers show but this is where Zen Master comes in plus, although I hate to admit it ,Kobe is the best leader/player in the game..I can only see Boston preventing them from repeating but it's a long a season so we just have to wait and see.

Memphis Grizzlies: Yes Zach Randolph and AI are a bad fit for the exciting young trio of OJ, Gay and Conley..expect Z-Bo to get into a fight with one of his teammates and AI to be traded, a disaster in the horizon.

Miami Heat: They really haven't upgraded to any position since last year so the pressure is again gonna be on DWade to deliver unless Beasley explodes..Jermaine O'Neal claims to be in top form from his Pacers years just like Beasley said he was going for the MVP award last year..what's wrong in South Beach???

Milwaukee Bucks: Jennings leads the league in turnovers and Michael Redd gets traded for a 2nd rounder..what do you expect after this summer's sellout???

Minnesota Timberwolves: Season doesn't look good with a rookie PG running the team (no it's not Rubio) and Love, Jefferson sidelined at least for the first month but they weren't going to be good even if they were healthy..

New Jersey Nets: Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov reached an agreement to buy 80 percent of the team last week and nearly half of a project to build a new arena in Brooklyn then went on to spend $18757 on Lunch with Six Friends..oh, and for $25K Brook Lopez will come to your house for your birthday party!

New Orleans Hornets: CP3 all alone..Byron Scott is gonna be the first coach getting the axe this season and although he's just a mediocre head coach it's the management that blew it the last couple years.

New York Knicks: Hmmm, now that the Yankees play the Phillies for the world series they should be irrelevant for another month or so..clearly, they are shooting for next year's big FA market so expectations are kinda low..

Oklahoma City Thunder: You gotta love the young nucleus of Durant-Westbrook-Green-Harden but they were afraid to spend during the summer and add some veterans who are known to win in this league; defense has to reach the NBA level, otherwise they will remain a joke.

Orlando Magic: They are deeper and tougher (Bass & Barnes); everybody slept on them last year but they made the NBA Finals and lost only because of inexperience so they are poised to make it back there..

Philadelphia 76ers: New coach (Eddie Jordan) and Elton Brand is back but they will be missing Andre Miller's leadership..

Phoenix Suns: The Nash-Amar'e era is not over but they need to rebuild as this group of players hasn't been able to take it to the next level.

Portland TrailBlazers: High expectations for a team that added Andre Miller (although he won't be a starter); Greg Oden has been playing up to his potential but for some reason they don't look like contenders.

Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans is good, the rest of the team??? ugh

San Antonio Spurs: They are back on track with Manu healthy and a new SF, Richard Jefferson; Tim Duncan will be playing with a knee brace for the season and their starting C is 35y old Antonio McDyess. Sure they will be trouble for the Lakers but I don't see them beating the trio of Gasol-Bynum-Odom..

Toronto Raptors: People expect a big season for them but I'm afraid they will probably miss the playoffs..their roster has "overpaid underachievers" written all over. And hold on, Jay Triano is an NBA head coach???

Utah Jazz: Once again, a solid team with a solid head coach, question is can they make it to the next level? Yes if they stay healthy and figure out the SG position.

Washington Wizards: Arenas needs to become a true leader and the whole team has got to stop the beef with Lebron..It appears that they are cursed as Jamison is out for a few weeks but even if they are healthy they lack the big bodies to compete with the rest of the powerhouses..

Time for some serious basketball...

Fast rewind: EuroBasket 2007, held in Spain was a wild tournament with exciting basketball, close games, crazy comebacks (most notable Greece completing a furious 14-1 to end the game against Slovenia in the quarterfinals) and a final that saw host Spain losing to a buzzer beater by a Pittsburgh native playing for Russia, J.R. Holden.

EuroBasket 2009 will take place in Poland in the next couple weeks and while there are some notable players missing the competition level will definitely be high with no clear favorites for the top 3 seeds and with 6 spots for the 2010 World Championships up for grabs.

Very few teams will appear at full strength laying the ground for potential upsets. Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman (Germany), J.R. Holden, Victor Khryapa and Eurobasket 2007 MVP Andrei Kirilenko (Russia), Jose Calderon (Spain), Dimitris Diamantidis and Theo Papaloukas (Greece), Beno Udrih, Rasho Nesterovic and Sasha Vujacic (Slovenia), Ramunas Siskauskas, Rimantas Kaukėnas and Šarūnas Jasikevičius (Lithuania), Igor Rakosevic, Darko Milicic (Serbia), Mehmet Okur (Turkey), Luol Deng (Great Britain) are all out of the tournament. Moreover Spain’s superstars Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez are plagued by minor injuries which might affect their performance and France’s Tony Parker will be playing although he suffered a sprained right ankle early in the summer.Who are the stars in Poland? The Gasol brothers, Ricky Rubio, Hedo Türkoğlu, Marcin Gortat, Andris Biedrins and Linas Kleiza among others; let’s break down the teams in groups.

THE CONTENDERS:

GREECE: They will be missing 4 starters (Papaloukas, Diamantidis, Papadopoulos and Tsartsaris) and they have a new head coach, experienced Lithuanian journeyman Jonas Kazlauskas who promised to play a more up-tempo style of basketball. Ex Rocket Vassilis Spanoulis is the leader of a team who added former Gator Nick Calathes and upcoming big Jazzman Kosta Koufos. They are deep and talented and can still play the pick n roll but they will be missing their 2 best defenders and that’s something that will probably come to haunt them.

LITHUANIA: A traditional superhouse but they will be missing the heart and soul of the team Šarūnas Jasikevičius (among others). Many expect Linas Kleiza to take over and lead this very talented but he will need lots of help. Again, Lithuania is missing experience and leadership but the team is consisted of a relatively young group eager for success and personal recognition. Watch out for young point guard Mantas Kalnietis who might be the best newcomer of the tournament.

SLOVENIA: Scoring PG Jaka Lakovic, former NBAer Boki Nachbar and post player Matjas Smodis will be leading an experienced group looking to make some noise. Slovenia has always competed at the highest level but personal feuds and constant turmoil in the locker room has kept them away from the top. This tournament will be another chance to prove people wrong but anything less than a medal will be considered a failure.

SPAIN: A tremendously deep team even without Jose Calderon and former captain Carlos Jimenez they are the clear cut favorite of the tournament. Injuries to Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez might slow them down but this is a thirsty team that could be competing in the NBA level. They destroyed opponents in exhibition games showing the world that they are on a mission.

THE PRETENDERS

BULGARIA: Let’s just say that Bulgaria is happy to have qualified in the tournament. There are zero expectations for this team as its best player Ibrahim Jaaber won't play at the EuroBasket because of his Muslim faith. Other than naturalized former NBAer (with Utah and Indiana) Andre Brown, the overall talent is below average and they will have to pull a miracle to get past the first round.

GREAT BRITAIN: This squad looked good on paper a couple months ago with talented NBAers Keleena Azubuike, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon; unfortunately none of them is playing, for different reasons, so all eyes will be on big man Pops Mensah-Bonsu.

ISRAEL: They have been consistent but only as mediocre team and they will be entering this year’s tournament with confidence and a group of proven European players, notably SG Yotam Halperim, and F Lior Eliyahu. King’s first round pick in this year’s NBA draft Omri Casspi decided to pull off the team and focus on making it to the NBA hurting Israel’s chances.

LATVIA: Led by Warriors big man Andris Biedrins they are poised to succeed after two straight EuroBaskets without a win and a similar disaster two years ago. Problem is they are relying too much on Biedrins and they are lacking the necessary perimeter shooting to complement the inside game.

THE UNDERDOGS:

CROATIA: They are lacking a flashy superstar but they are a solid, well coached group, relying on a consistent system. They are always trying to take advantage of match-ups with their opponents and they have a balanced group of players. Sharpshooter Marko Tomas is the late victim of an injury bug that seems to have hit this year’s EuroBasket so Bucks PG Roko-Leni Ukic will have to deliver big for them.

FRANCE: You really don’t know what to expect from a French team that had to work hard during the summer going through an additional qualifying round. It looks though that France is finally peaking at the right time and appears to be ready to take on the best in Europe. Tony Parker, Ronny Turiaf, Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum will provide an outstanding combination of speed, athleticism and quickness but defense has always been the black hole for team France.

RUSSIA: Yes they are the returning EuroBasket champions but key subtractions make them a whole new and young team that lost much firepower on both ends of the floor and their top 3 players (Kirilenko, J.R. Holden, Khryapa). Russia coach David Blatt promised his team will be competitive enough to defend its title but it’s hard to see that materialize on the court.

SERBIA: Serbia has been trying to reclaim its power as they traditionally produced great players (Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic). At the moment they are a very talented but young team as outside of Nenad Krstic, Popovic (26) and Kecman (33), every single player is under 24. Expect to see a preview of their future but it seems as they are not ready to compete at the highest level right now.

THE QUESTION MARKS:

F.Y.R.O.M. : A very interesting team that showed lots of promise during exhibition games they are led by veteran G Vrbica Stefanov who is ending his legendary career and a group of naturalized American players, former Tiger Darius Washington, former Wildcat Jeremiah Massey (who is enjoying a very successful career in Europe) and big man Mike Wilkinson. They are ready to perform on the big stage again and are considered a possible upset.

GERMANY: Team Germany has been very successful in the recent years due mainly to no other than NBA All Star Dirk Nowitzki. Even though without Dirk and Chris Kaman, expect a very competitive hard working young team which again will be led by successful veteran coach, Dirk Bauermann.

TURKEY: Team Turkey has been traditionally a good team but only on paper. Hedo Turkoglu, coming from a fantastic season with Orlando teams with former Buck Ersan Ilyasova, to form a dynamic duo at the forward positions but they will be missing the other NBAer, big man Mehmet Okur who apparently clashed with head coach Bogdan Tanjevic.

POLAND: They obviously have the home court advantage but they will be relying on 40 year old Polish legend Adam Wojcik and C Marcin Gortat, who is not Dwight Howard. They might be dangerous as they showed flashes during exhibition games and don’t forget that home teams have traditionally been very successful.

For complete coverage of the tourney, news, schedule and rosters visit the official website of 2009 EuroBasket: http://www.eurobasket2009.org

Social Networking = trouble!

Most of you probably know the dangers of social networking today; yap a facebook account is fun and might help you get together with old classmates but nowadays employers are doing extensive research on people's accounts looking for reasons to hire or even worse fire potential/current employees..Anyway. I don't want to go too deep you can always check a couple sites about people tweeting or texting too much...Things can get really ugly when it comes down to famous people like I've explained in the recent Brandon Jennings fiasco and the reason of this post is to try and share with you a couple notables tweets from basketball people who keep proving that they don't get it and that they just live in a different planet...

• Enter Rashad McCants, a 5year NBA veteran known for his scoring ability and selfish play on the court but also for his erratic persona out of it. Rashad is a straight forward guy who uses his twitter to give all kinds of opinions/advice, let's check his thoughts:

That doesn't sound bad; instead it's a totally legit point coming from a guy with a fat pocket who probably dated a couple groupies looking to hit the jackpot. Btw Rashad also used to date Khloe Kardashian...
Another solid advice by Rashad although it makes you wonder about how well he manages his bank account; to his credit the Louis Vuitton toiletries bag is as much of a requirement as Beats headphones in the NBA league.
I failed to mention that Rashad is a Free Agent this summer and he's been looking for a new K, he's only 24y old and his future looks bright right??? If you were wondering where is he spending his time until he finds a job Rashad is too kind to give you the answer...

• On to my favorite overrated NBA player, Stephon Marbury; Stephon was given the opportunity to resurrect his NBA career last year after being released by the Knicks and playing with the Boston Celtics. This couldn't be a better situation for a player who has been labeled as selfish and not a winner. Well Marbury is also a free agent and he recently rejected an offer from Boston for the veteran's minimum for a chance to compete for an NBA championship, I mean who would say no to that opportunity at the age of 32?? Well Stephon did showing how much of a disconnect there is between professional athletes and the real world...
• Jeanie Buss is the daughter of Los Angeles Laker owner Jerry Buss. Jeanie went to school at USC and studied business administration. She posed nude for Playboy magazine in 1995, and two years later she posed naked for Sports Illustrated. Jeanie is currently dating Laker coach Phil Jackson, and used to date tennis star John McEnroe..In other words a typical SoCal spoiled broad, oh wait she's also the Executive Vice President of Business Operations of the Lakers!!! Want proof of her basketball operations skills??? Check her twitter from a Finals Game, she's probably talking to her dog about all the important decisions she has to make...
  

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!