May 22, 2017
I don’t know why you guys are so surprised the Lakers got the #2 pick in the draft. Lavar Ball told us that it was going to happen. The only guy who doesn’t understand what’s going on is Joel Embiid, who is still trying to understand the lottery. If the Lakers do actually keep the pick and not trade it, they should absolutely take Lonzo Ball. For those of you that don’t want to because of Lavar, it’s simply because you have been hanging around AYSO or Little League with helicopter parents. Those parents don’t matter in the NBA or in professional sports. They become irrelevant over time. What the Lakers do have to worry about though is the Celtics taking Ball, or even trading the pick to somebody who wants him, just to screw the Lakers. It would be a very Boston Celtic thing to do.
That wasn’t the only good news for the Lakers last week. The All-NBA teams were announced, and Paul George did not make it, increasing the likelihood of him not re-signing with the Pacers. At this point, George isn’t even hiding his desire to join the Lakers, and seems confident that he can resurrect the franchise. George was on with Jimmy Fallon last week and didn’t deny anything, which can’t make the Pacers feel too good. As for All-NBA and the media determining the outcome, they should, even if an extra $76 million is on the line. If it were up to the owners and coaches, they strategically wouldn’t vote for certain players so they would have a better chance to leave in free agency. Besides, great players will go wherever they want to play. Kevin Durant left $100 million on the table last year to leave for the Warriors.
Lavar ball is going to get some bad press for his heated discussion last week with Fox Sports One’s Kristine Leahy. However, this was one incident in which both Lavar and Kristine were wrong. Since when does Kristine actually ask guests questions on Colin Cowherd’s show? This was nothing but Leahy trying to make a name for herself by being confrontational, but in all the wrong ways. As for Lavar, he once again demonstrated his lack of business acumen by failing to suggest that the “Big Baller Brand” will not cater to women, and that they don’t need to. They actually have women’s T-shirts on their website that he didn’t even mention. No reason to give people a reason to hate your brand when you are trying to build it. In case you missed the exchange, here it is.
The Dodgers took 3 out of 4 from the Marlins over the weekend and Cody Bellinger is still hotter than the Sahara desert. However, the bad news is that their stud pitcher Julio Urias has been getting destroyed. It’s bad enough that the Dodgers are being as cautious with him as you would be with a newborn baby. On top of that’s he’s just not that effective right now. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself, the Dodgers don’t have any real reliable starting pitching beyond Clayton Kershaw when it matters. That’s why Urias needs to get on track if LA hopes to have any real chance come October. He has the highest ceiling and the most talent of anybody on the roster after Kershaw.
The Angels had a rough weekend in New York against the Mets, but they are somehow still hovering around .500. Even more encouraging is the fact that Doug Fister is joining their starting rotation. You’re wondering why that’s encouraging? Because when your #1 starter is Ricky Nolasco, adding Doug Fister feels like you just signed Nolan Ryan. Maybe now they will find a 2nd baseman and a left fielder that can hit better than .200.
Things are looking bad for the Ducks. They are now one game away from elimination after the Predators beat them at the Honda Center yesterday. This series has featured more injuries than a United Airlines flight. Ryan Getzlaf has suddenly remembered that he’s the old guy Ryan Getzlaf, and the Predators are a little better in goal and on defense. This series might go seven games, but Anaheim looks like a strong bet to lose in the conference finals again. Meanwhile, parking pass prices are rising for game 7, as Kings fans are buying them in hopes of witnessing the Ducks fans crying while leaving the Honda Center.
Tom Brady is going to be endorsing a new DB11 Aston Martin. The new car costs $211,000 , which is an amount that many of his teammates probably can’t even afford. Brady will also be designing several limited edition models that will be sold for $300,000. There will only be 12 of those made available to the public. If you can afford it, as long as those cars don’t say “Patriots” all over them, you probably want one of those. It will be one of the few cars that actually appreciate in value. For those of you that hate Tom Brady for his perfect life, now you can hate him even more.
In the latest Harris Poll annual brand report, Five Guys was named the Burger Brand Restaurant of the Year, eclipsing In-N-Out, which has won the award twice before. This poll is the biggest scam I’ve heard of in years. Five Guys is nationwide, while In-N-Out is on the west coast, skewing the poll drastically. In-N-Out serves more customers in 1 hour than Five Guys does in one day. Five Guys has no drive thru and it’s twice as expensive. The next time someone tells me that Five Guys is better than In-N-Out will be the first.
