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Why the Kings Should Have Traded Mike Bibby

After an off-season of change for the Sacramento Kings, one that was supposed to bring defense and intensity to an offensive minded squad, has brought nothing but inconsistency and poor offense. Trying to repeat the Rick Adelman-led Kings of the early decade was not feasible, but the results with new coach Eric Musselman are far from expectations. The main problem for Sactown has been the play of point guard Mike Bibby. Coming off a season when Bibby averaged a career-high in points, it was reasonable to expect him to have another solid season. Not so. Bibby is averaging 16.9 points a game (his career average) on a poor 39.3% from the field and an even worse 30.7% from behind-the-arc. Bibby has always been a scoring point guard. Never in his career before last year was he the main threat. The Kings had Webber, Divac, and Stojakovic to run the offense around, allowing Bibby many open looks as well as opportunities to penetrate the lane against an off-balance defense that would double Webber in the post and stay out on Peja to prevent the open trey. These scenarios allowed Bibby to thrive. Also, Webber and Divac were two of the greatest passing big-men in the game. Now, the Kings have a totally different lineup. There is no immediate threat down-low, allowing teams to stay on Bibby out on the perimeter. K-Mart is emerging as a solid player, but none worthy of a double-team, as well as Artest. This leaves Bibby on his own, having to create his own shots. Don't get me wrong, Bibby is a good player, but he doesn't fit with the new Kings. He is too slow to penetrate the lane and breakdown a defense. And with Martin becoming the Kings go-to-guy of the future, the last things the Kings need is a shoot-first point guard. The ideal move would have been to package Bibby for a pass-first point guard. Someone who can penetrate and dish to a bunch of shooters; Martin, Artest, Miller, Garcia, etc. You can only have so many players that want to shoot. With emerging talents such as Jose Calderon of Toronto, who averaged 9.5 assists over 8-starts filling in for the injured TJ Ford, the Kings could have made a three way deal sending some players to Toronto for Calderon while sending Bibby to a point-guard hungry team. Or what about to Miami and bring J-Will back to Sactown? At least we know he can pass.

New Top Score

as i previously posted, i went bowling last nite at Sea Bowl. boy did the nicer lanes and balls really help me out. i ripped a 160, a new personal-best. that was without even getting one strike! if i bowl a couple strikes in there, im like at a 190/200. check it!

sorry no pics.

Bowling Fever!

Here are some shots from a recent trip to Serra Bowl. I might add that i bowled a personal-best 141.


Caity the south paw


Fontes thinks he has skillz


Miller dominates


going bowling again tonite, this time to the much nicer Sea Bowl off of highway 1 in Pacifica. a little farther drive than to Serra Bowl, but nicer and unexpectedly cheaper. my spin is coming together and im looking for a 150+ tonite.

NBA All-Star Saturday

well, the only good thing All-Star weekend gave me was a reason to cook some bomb quesadillas and drink. other than that, i was not impressed. thus, my post is going to be sub-par, i already know it. moving on, here are my quick- thoughts:

- 3 clock malfunctions during the co-ed shooting contest was sad. the scoreboard controller can't set the clock for 2 minutes? amateur!

- what a lame contest anyway, i almost fell asleep watching bill laimbeer and michael cooper trying to make a straight-away 3.

-lebron has no skillz. i should have never picked him first in my fantasy league.

- those commercials for Haier appliances are are a real hit. in everyone they open the drawer freezer and a meat & cheese tray (like the ones your parents get for your high school graduation party) appears. who the hell puts a meat & cheese tray in their freezer?

- i knew Barkley would win the race against Dick Bavetta. he may be fat and old, but once an athlete, always an athlete. that and the guy was 67 and ran like a woman.

- D-Wade won the skillz challenge. who cares?

- classic commentating moment when Reggie Miller made fun of Tony Parker for getting locked up with Eva Longoria. he's probably jealous.

- dwight howard is going to be a great. i believe he will lead a team to a championship. the kid is only 21.

- dunk contest was weak. the last round was poor. think of some new dunks!

- tyrus thomas is a piece.

- jason kapono with a nice win in the 3-point shootout. remember when he used to wear a headband at UCLA thinking he was the shit? he proved himself tonite.

- the entire event felt like watching those silly AND 1 street tapes. the commentator on the court yelling in a mic. the NBA has lost its class.

- how about Dick Bavetta's bloody knee after he dove for the finish line. a ballsy and determined 67 year old. fun to see.

- too many commercial breaks. of course.

- i wonder how hard those guys party. especially in Vegas. must be fun.

- nate robinson has got hops. too bad he sucks in a real game. the coolest thing i ever saw him do was fight carmelo anthony.

- you know the dunk contest has gone downhill when gerald green wins. he just doesn't compare to jordan, wilkins, carter, ceballos (for the hell of it). plus, green pulled his arm away early on the Dee Brown dunk to look at the rim. weak!

- penn & teller. those guys fucking suck.

- scottie pippen looked good in a Bulls uniform. too bad his shot looked like shaq shooting free-throws.

- jumping over a table and dunking isn't that cool. what happened to between-the-legs and spinning dunks?

NBA All-Star Weekend

i am going to sit down with some wine and watch the NBA All-Star festivities. tune in for analysis later tonite.

i might add that i hate the All-Star weekend. all of the crappy music acts and dancers. nobody i know likes that crap. you tell me one person that likes all the performances besides your mom or little sister. there better be some nice dunks.

Oakland A's 2007 Season Preview Part II

back.

lets jump into the busy outfield. ready...

OUTFIELD:
So with Swisher penciled in as the starting left fielder, no matter how long it stays that way, he is for now an outfielder. That makes 5 outfielders going for 3 spots. All of them are talented players, not doubt about it. Beane has built a strong outfield. Kotsay has center, that is a no-brainer. His glove and range is tops in the league. Can be a strong hitter, just streaky. I'd say after Milton Bradley's playoff dominance, they only guy who showed up at the plate in the ALCS, is a lock in right field. I like Bradley and I'm glad he is an Athletic. Baller. Left field is the tricky spot, with Swisher the starter, battling against Shannon Stewart and Bobby Kielty. I'm not sure if Kielty will get the nod, but he will still be a valuable backup. I mean, remember that 14-inning game against Texas when he walked off with a jack down right field? It's as if I was there, oh shit, I was. I hope Stewart comes out ballin', cause I think he can be a good player and I think he and Swisher are better than Johnson. That would make Geren have to put Swisher at 1B and Stewart at LF. Play the hot bat, right?

PITHCING STAFF:

STARTERS:
This is the young group on the team, and they need to grow up fast. Harden takes over as the ace. Please Rich, stay healthy. Don't go out partying in North Beach on a Monday nite. I just want to see the kid healthy for a full year and watch him dominate. I think Haren will improve this season. I say 17-10, 3.85 ERA. I think he is the key of the pitching staff, the A's need a solid #2, especially in the playoffs, and he seems most fit. Loaiza at #3 is solid, he had a great second half of the 2006 season and showed good work ethic and positive attitude. The A's put faith in him and he realizes he needs to focus. The partying can wait. Get the ring. Blanton returns as the #4 man. He had a great record and a poor ERA in 2006. He needs to find his fastball to go with his nasty change-up. Location, location, location. Joe Kennedy hops in as the lone lefty in the staff at #5. Personally, I'm not pleased with this, last year's staff was better. Either Kennedy/Haren/Blanton and co. step-up, or the A's offense will carry the load.



BULLPEN:
A great mix of veterans and youngsters makes this bullpen the best in the AL West and one of the tops in the league. Justin Duchscherer and Kiko Calero head the way as the top relievers. Kiko's slider was masterful at times in 2006, while All-Star Duchscherer is the stud set-up man, with the range to go 2-3 innings. Great pitches and strong focus. Chad Gaudin is a young pitcher with a prospective future. He appeared in 55 games in 2006, 9 more than his first 3 seasons combined. He posted a 3.09 ERA and finished the year pitching well. Throw in veterans Alan Embree and Jay Witasick, also lefty Brad Halsey, and the A's have depth with many pitchers that all have strengths different from one another.

CLOSER:
Huston Street will start his second season as the closer and upon an injury-free season is one of the best closers in the AL. He needs to stop giving up the big dong or blow a three run lead in the bottom 9 though. Those mistakes must go, and I think being injury-free is the key. He throws extremely hard and his body needs to be able to hold up and withstand the pounding. Duchscherer backs up and had 9 saves in 2006. He is capable of the position.

DESIGNATED HITTER:
The big off-season signing of Mike Piazza to replace Frank Thomas works, he is in no way as good as Thomas, but I think he will have an impact. My problem is that Piazza was a guy I never thought was good. Almost a poser. Like Karl Malone. Or John Elway. Not that good, but are somehow greats. And Malone is such an goof. Anyway, back to the A's. I think having him at the plate 3-4 times a games, hacking away at whatever he sees fit, is going to be effective. Erubiel Durazo, currently on a minor league contract but at spring training, could be healthy and effective as well. He batted .321 in '04, take it for what it's worth.

COACHING STAFF:
Bob Geren is the new head coach of the Oakland A's, replacing Ken Macha. Geren, former Sacramento River Cats (AAA) head coach, is groomed in Billy Beane's system. Geren understands the type of game Beane wants his players to play. Geren joined the A's organization in 1999 as manager of Single-A Modesto. A year later he was promoted up to manager of Triple-A Sacramento. The River Cats won two Southern Division PCL titles. Geren's overall minor league record is 452-390, a .537 winning pct. Seems liek a calm, focused manager. Technical. I think he will do just fine, he coached some of the guys in the minors.
The loss of Ron Washington as infield/3rd base coach will be significant, but as stated before, Chavez takes on a leadership to continue his teachings. Rene Lachemann moves from first base coach to third bas coach. Curt Young has a young group of pitchers to handle. I think he has done a fine job with the talent the A's have. Haren and Blanton improved in their second year with Young. He also turned Loaiza around after a drunken first half. New hitting coach Ty van Burkleo, a native of Oakland, played only two seasons in the majors with only 38 plate appearances. He did rip 1 homer, but from the looks of it this guy does not know how to hit.

What would be a preview without a prediction? Here it goes...

96-66. First place AL West.
Young bats lead the way. Harden All-Star.
A's will win the World Series over the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees have holes in the pitching staff and are not clutch anymore. Daisuke doesnt make up for a shitty offense. Minnesota will not be as good without Liriano. Chicago was a one-hit wonder. No, really, I think the AL is a toss-up and the A's are in the group of possible AL champions. As always, it depends on health and a young pitching staff. I love to gamble.






*off topic side note:
Tim Hardaway is a fucking idiot. Embarrassing, but in no way am I surprised. I hear people talk like that on MUNI. Sad, King Crossover. Then he gets banned from the NBA. You'll never see him on highlite videos again. I bet he was drunk at the time.

Sure, I'm a little Slow: Oakland A's 2007 Season Preview

After a successful 2006 campaign, the A's of Oakland return in 2007 with some new faces, but the same moneyball. First off, I hope Ken Macha's unexplainable and often times ludicrous pitching substitutions left with him, and new coach Bob Geren manages with his gut and not by the numbers. Geren, a first time big-league manager, has grew up in the A's system and knows what Billy Beane expects and the game he likes to play. As for the players, losing Frank Thomas and Barry Zito to free-agency in the offseason doesn't help, but Beane has decided to make small deals that bring more depth to the A's lineup. The mix of young and veteran talent still exists and should play an important role in the success of the 2007 year. New additions Mike Piazza, Shannon Stewart, and Alan Embree provide veteran leadership, knowledge, and work ethic to the young A's talent. Following are my previews of each position, bench, and coach:

CATCHER:
Jason Kendall returns as the starting catcher in 2007 after a good year in 2006. Kendall improved in his second year in Oakland hitting .295, much improving from .271 the year before. He looks to be fully acclimated to American League pitching and expect him to hit over .300 this season, something he did 6 out of his 9 seasons in Pittsburgh. Defensively, Kendall had a solid year. His 31 caught steals was his career fourth best and his 71 steals given up was much better than 101 in 2006. In a fast AL West, Kendall's defense will prove to be a vital factor in 2007. Backup Adam Melhuse will not see much time in the field but supplies an offensive lift off the bench that has often times been clutch.

CORNER INFIELDERS:
Gold-glove winner Eric Chavez returns as the anchor of the A's infield and should receive his 7th straight Gold-glove at the end of the season. The concern with Chavez is his bat. After a career-low year in batting average and low marks in the power stats, A's fans must be worried about his production in 2007. Chavez success will be based upon his health (he was playing hurt most of last season) and desire (he comes off as slightly unmotivated, at least to the media). Chavez is a streaky hitter, if he can stay consistent he will be a big boost to the A's lineup. One positive from 2006 is his 84 base-on-balls, second most in his career.

First base is an open position to three or so players, with young sensation Nick Swisher leading the way as the starter. A converted outfielder, Swisher slowly worked his way into the starting role at first base last season with exceptional glove work and a passion to play. With 4 or 5 player capable playing outfield, expect Swisher to stay at 1B. Also, Swisher carries a powerful bat and is on track to have a break-out year at the plate in 2007. Backups Dan Johnson and newly acquired Erubiel Durazo (after a short layoff) will contend to play because of their strong bats, but Swisher has too much talent not to keep on the field. *As of February 15, 2007, the A's depth chart reads Johnson at 1B and Swisher in LF. This is Johnson's chance to prove himself. Perfect move by Beane to make the yougn kid step-up. I hope he does, I think he is talented. Swisher in left is backed by the veteran pick-up Shannon Stewar. This makes a perfect situation if Johnson fails to play well; Swisher can move to first and Stewart came come into left as an experienced starter. The A's depth covers the loss of talent in Johnson, if not improves the talent. Great job Billy Beane.

*edited 2/15

MIDDLE INFIELD:
Many people believe the question in the A's infield is whether or not Bobby Crosby will be healthy. I disagree. I ask; what should the A's do with Crosby? Crosby is fragile, too fragile. Shortstop is a physically demanding position, and I don't see Crosby's body holding up. He has been in the league 3 years and twice never played over 100 games. What is going to change? The A's have proven they can win with Marco Scutaro at SS, and Scutaro has proven he can be a clutch hitter (8 game winning hits in 3 seasons). Although his glove and range are not as great as Crosby's, Scutaro can still flash some leather and he makes the plays a starting SS in the MLB is expected to make.

Mark Ellis returns to start at second base after a year which ended in disappointment (breaking his hand in the divisional round) and getting screwed out of the gold-glove after committing only 2 errors. Ellis' bat was poor in 2006 and the A's need him to hit like he did in 2005 (.313 avg. and .861 ops.) If he does, the A's will have a formidable lineup, top to bottom.

OVERALL INFIELD EVALUATION:
The A's infield plays exceptional defense. They are in-sync (no, not the group), smart, and quick with the ball. The loss of infield coach Ron Washington to Texas sucks, but the players have soaked up all the knowledge from Ron they could over the years he was there, and Chavez will now to take over the role as mentor for young-ins Swisher and Crosby. The A's season relies mostly on the bats of the infield. If Swisher continues to get better, Chavez returns to old form, and Scutaro/Ellis/Crosby have high on-base-percentages and continue the timely hitting they have shown, than the A's lineup will pose a problem for most big league rotations.

Previews of the outfield, pitching staff, and coaches will be up tomorrow. Go A's!