A couple NBA tidbits

I found these tidbits interesting from an NBA column at si.com.

"Prokhorov would reveal a fine grasp of the NBA if he were to retain Thorn, who, with GM Kiki Vandeweghe, has created a promising future of cap space and a high lottery pick to join a young core led by point guard Devin Harris and center Brook Lopez."

I mean, I know what he's saying. Future cap space, high draft pick, a couple of good young players, I get it. But at the same time, I don't know you can use the phrase "promising future" at all in connection with the New Jersey Nets. They have four wins. Four. I don't think retaining the person who created this mess would show a fine grasp of the NBA. The best thing you can say about the Nets is that they aren't held down by horrendous contracts.

"Only five insiders believe Bosh will re-sign with Toronto. Yet, I view this as a positive sign for Raptors, because those five votes offset widespread speculation that Bosh is certain to leave this summer. The Raptors can pay him close to $30 million more than other teams over the length of a six-year contract, compared to the five years with smaller annual raises he would receive elsewhere."

Chris Bosh will be a great test case for whether NBA teams have learned their lesson or not. Chris Bosh is not a max player; repeat, not a max player. He'd be a valuable player playing alongside another star player, but he's completely unacceptable as the top player on the team. Has anyone seen the Toronto Raptors while he's been there? Never been out of the first round, completely floundering right now. If you're Miami and you can keep Wade and sign Bosh, that would be pretty good. If you're the Knicks or Raptors and you sign Bosh to be your top guy, that would be very bad. How many max contracts have to go awry before teams learn only the best of the best (LeBron, Kobe, Duncan) deserve it.

"Boston Celtics. Until they prove otherwise, this team -- 9-13 since Christmas -- no longer belongs in any of the championship conversations."

Boston is a mess right now. Their star players are old, and Garnett looks like he's from the jurassic age. The signing of Rasheed Wallace has been nothing short of a disaster. They'd have been better served bringing back P.J. Brown from the grave; at least he's a player who knows his role. Outside of Rajon Rondo, the Celtics are severly lacking in athleticism. I don't think there's any way their beating Orlando or Atlanta in the playoffs.

"It's not like they're alone: The elderly Spurs are suffering through a similar melancholy."

Was I the one who told them to sign Richard Jefferson? No I was not. Richard Jefferson has always sucked, and he will suck forever. I wish we could strike the 2001-2004 New Jersey Nets from the record; they took advantage of an awful Eastern Conference and made people believe Jason Kidd was a top flight point guard, and that Richard Jefferson was a good player. Their only competition back then was Boston with Pierce, Walker and a bag of shit.

THOUGHTS ON THE SUPER BOWL

I haven't done an adventures in game management for the Colt's performance in the Super Bowl, and I don't think I will, but just know that their play-calling at the end of the first half was horseshit (running Mike Hart into the middle of the line on 3rd and short...ugh), and the decision to send Matt Stover out to kick a 51 yard field goal was ludicrous. There's a reason Baltimore willingly let Stover walk; it's because he can't kick long field goals. The Saints do thank you, though, for the short field that set up their winning TD.

(By the way, the reason I say the Colt's performance, and not Jim Caldwell's, is because it's not entirely clear that Caldwell actually makes decisions. I'm quite convinced that Petyon Manning coaches that team. Did you know Caldwell coached at Wake Forest in the 1990s and had a terrible record?)