Inside Frattohouse
The Blog
Panic in
Detroit
May
9, 2008
Arguably the best
sports city in
America, the locals
are in a lather.
First, the Tigers.
Sports Illustrated
picked them to win
the World Series,
they might struggle
to finish well above
.500. They've got a
nice team assembled,
but the parts simply
aren't firing.
Pitching has been
suspect, and even
the offense has been
inconsistent. It's
nobodies fault,
that's the essence
of sports, you can
plan everything but
the outcome.
Lions QB Jon Kitna
has reiterated his
belief that his team
should win 10 games,
and he'll be very
disappointed if they
don't.
Meanwhile, the
Pistons Chauncey
Billups
groin/hamstring
malady is causing
great concern. Do
you play him or rest
him? If he's not
100% you risk losing
him for the
playoffs. On the
other hand, the
Pistons without
Chauncey is like
Disneyland without
the Matterhorn. He
is the heart and
soul and is the most
visible relied upon
leader. They've got
plenty of talent,
but he makes the
engine go.
The Red Wings are
teeing it up against
Dallas, but
typically they've
struggled in the
playoffs against
big, physical nasty
teams. Stars goalie
Marty Turco has
Michigan roots, but
has not fared well
against the Wings
over the years,
particularly in Joe
Louis.
All of a sudden, the
Tigers, Pistons and
Red Wings look
vulnerable. That
doesn't sit well in
a city where sports
is religion.
A Hornets Nest
May
7, 2008
Don't count the
Spurs out just
yet...I'm still
having a hard time
believing that the
road to the NBA
Finals goes through
Gennaro Pargo.
Having said that,
there is clearly a
new sheriff in town.
His name is Chris
Paul, he is 6'0 170
lbs and he is
turning the league
on his ear with his
quickness, vision,
ball handling,
scoring and general
greatness.
I
have never seen a
Tim Duncan led team
look so out of
sorts. They looked
lost, confused, even
intimidated. Now
they get a chance to
rebound at home.
But, it they don't
take the series back
to New Orleans 2-2,
they're done like
dinner.
This reminds me of
the New Orleans
Saints/Drew Brees/Reggie
Bush run the year
before last. They
looked invicible,
but weren't quite
ready for prime
time. And the
Hornets have one
additional thing
going for them...
The Spurs seem to
only fire up every
other year, and last
year they won it
all, so perhaps the
script has already
been written.
Celtic Pride
May 5, 2008
The Boston Celtics
are having a great
season. But, they
are not a great
team. Sure they
walloped the Hawks
by 35 points Sunday
to advance to Round
2, but why did it
take seven games?
The answer is
simple. Boston
couldn't win on the
road. That is not a
fact the should be
overlooked for any
reason. Every other
playoff victor
managed at least one
road victory, and
after all this was
the Atlanta Hawks,
the team with the
worst record (37-45)
in the entire 16
team NBA playoff
field.
Now, cycnics will
argue the Celtics
have Home Court
advantage all the
way so they
technically don't
have to win on the
road, as long as
they hold serve at
home. That might not
be so easy.
Next up, LeBron
James and Company,
and they will give
the Celtics fits.
The upstart Cavs
have won (6) playoff
series' in the last
three years and
they've been
extremely
competitive on the
playoff road.
I
expect Boston to
win, and get into
the ring in a much
anticipated matchup
against the Detroit
Pistons, and if they
don't have their
road issues solved
by then they will
have a major
problem.
I
say this because the
Pistons know how to
win on the road, and
they already beat
the Celtics in
Boston once this
year, and they'll do
it again...
Which means KG and
Company will have to
repay the favor in
Motown, or they'll
be hitting the road
for the summer.
Wooden Change
a Thing
May
2, 2008
Legendary UCLA
basketball wizard
John Wooden made it
to (14) Final Fours
in his illustrious
career. However, it
took him 14 years to
get to his first
Final Four. What if
he was coaching
today? He would have
been fired 10 years
before.
Mavericks Coach
Avery Johnson was
fired after only 3
years, even though
he averaged 60 wins
per season. However,
no championships.
Phoenix Mike
D'Antoni is on the
hot seat as well and
is currently denying
the SI rumors that
he'll be fired.
In
this fast food age
of instant
gratification, a
John Wooden would've
never even been
given the chance to
be a John Wooden and
that would've been a
loss to society that
could never be
measured.
The irony is that
the successors to
most coaches that
are unceremoniously
dismissed almost
never do any better
either. The
quick-trigger
syndrome has become
endemic.
Now even Larry
Brown, the ultimate
re-cycled white guy
is back with the
Charlotte Bobcats
after Sam Vincent
was let go while
just completing his
first year! Vincent
didn't do a very
good job, and
neither will Larry
Brown, you can bank
on it.
Just wait a minute,
you'll see.
It's a Young
Man's Game
April 30, 2008
The future always
has a way of
arriving ahead of
schedule. And for
Jason Kidd and
Shaquille O'Neal, it
arrived way too
soon. As I write
this both the Dallas
Mavericks and the
Phoenix Suns trail
their respective
series three games
to one and make no
mistake they will
not come back.
I
actually feel badly
for Mark Cuban and
Steve Kerr. Both
took risks in
acquiring veterans
Kidd and Shaq in the
hopes they could
help deliver their
franchises to the
promised land and
they won't even come
close.
San Antonio and New
Orleans showed the
Suns and Mavericks
that simply adding
aging Hall-of-Famers
won't help a team
win on reputation
anymore.
Young, quicker,
hungrier players are
the staple of this
year's playoffs.
Simply put, Jason is
not a 'kidd'
anymore, and Shaq's
5 rings are going to
have be enough.
The future has
arrived, they are
from the past.