The JB Random Report: Let The Pigeons Loose! 3/15/12

It was my birthday weekend last week, so I figured I would take it off, that coupled with the harsh realization that I share my birthday with Mitt Romney, (I’m serious) put me in such a foul mood I couldn’t inspire myself to write. I did celebrate well though. There is nothing like starting off the day with great Spring-like weather in March, then ending said day at Hooters!

Well it’s that time again folks. That’s right…the time when I face my nemesis yet again, as I do every March. The time where I test my wits against the most worthy of opponents…yup, it’s March Madness, and I am once again ready to compare my brackets with that of my chief rival…President Barack Obama!

Last year I admit he beat me by a few games, but this year I am once again ready to face the most powerful man in the world in something I actually might be able to beat him in, so let the pigeons loose!

Of course I am, as I do every year barring some miracle, picking the Tar Heels to win it all. I agree with the top seeds, but I think Syracuse is going to have a hard time due to the absence of Fab Melo. Kentucky will go deep but ultimately does not have the maturity to win it all. So in the words of Dick Vitale…It’s tournament time baaaby!

Sticking with basketball, the trade deadline came and went, more with a whimper than a bang. Seriously when was the last time that the trade deadline in the NBA brought us anything really interesting? The biggest name in all of this, Dwight Howard is a flake, and this circus surrounding where he was to play next year hurt both his team and his reputation. In dragging this out as he has done, he has gotten the owners to publicly state that Howard can fire both the head coach and general manager.

Needless to say, that is power a player should never have. Ok which quality basketball coach wants to go to Orlando now? At this point they would have to drag Mickey Mouse out of the Magic Kingdom by his ears. The Magic really should treat this situation carefully, as they have mad horrible free agency decisions throughout their brief history, the worst being letting Shaquille O’Neal just leave the team via free agency and not getting anything in return for him. It took them nearly two decades to recover from that, and they would be foolish to allow that to happen to their organization again.

As for the Knicks, don’t think for one second that the team collapsing onto itself was entirely the fault of Mike D’Antoni who quit yesterday because his superstar quit on him and his system. Carmelo Anthony just needed the ball in his hand and was not happy with D’Antoni’s style of run and gun for the first guy open. This style made the benchwarmers happy, (right Jeremy Lin?) but it took shots away from Anthony. Ironically enough, in dismantling Portland (which also led to the firing of their coach, Nate McMillan) last night, they finally bought into D’Antoni’s system, the only problem being that he was no longer coaching the team.

Now, do I believe that Anthony was responsible for D’Antoni resigning a-la Paul Westhead vs. Magic Johnson with the 80's Lakers? No. But it was the frustration of losing that locker room and not having the support of his stars that ultimately caused him to quit. And by the way, his contract was up this year and there was no way it was getting renewed. Had D’Antoni at least attempted to stress defense they might have won more games in spite of the friction, but alas it was just not to be.

But don’t judge this man too harshly Knicks fans. As you spend the next off-season kneeling before Phil Jackson and kissing the 11 Championship rings, remember this; had it not been for D’Antoni rolling the dice on some of his lesser known players, you would have never known that Steve Novak could shoot, or that Jeremy Lin could really play. And on that subject, let me say that I’m still all-Lin, regardless of the fact that the team had not been winning. Give Lin some time; he is your point guard. In a Phil Jackson triangle offense, he could thrive just as Derek Fisher did, and Lin is a better player, so imagine that scenario.