They call it the "Bunker Suite" because it's deep in the heart of the American Airlines Center. It's a rarely seen hideout for one of DFW's most famous billionaires. It's the exclusive home away from home for Mark Cuban. He works there on game day, hangs out with family, and hobnobs with some of the world's top entertainers. But, you can't get in without the secret code.
Maybe the artwork is from a disgruntled fan - or somebody who made some fatal choices in a gambling situation. My guess is some extra happy Hornets loving employee. Mavs can't catch a break anywhere.
Sit down, shut the F up and pass me the beef sprinkler... it's time for some Friday Scatterblogging.
My Only At-Bat -- Based on the fact that I look like I ate Cecil Fielder, Team Musers chose to use me sparingly in last night's incredible game. Sadly for Middle America, I was only able to get one at bat in this historic game after spending two months training for the opportunity. Meanwhile, Rich Phillips (who could be the worst baseball player in the history of sex) was complaining about how many at bats he would have to find the courage to fight through from the 9 hole of the batting order. I later offered him $100 to pinch hit for him, but he was too busy thinking about NASCAR to respond to the offering.
You may have heard that Bill "hip-hop is evil" Cosby is planning to release a squeaky-clean rap album that won't poison America's youth. What a guy. Here are two decidedly different takes on the matter: the above spoof video, which jacks a killer Dre beat; and Ta-Nehisi Coates' excellent (and really long) piece in the new issue of the Atlantic, which explores Cosby's conservative ideology and vintage Black Nationalist cred.
Keeping the Wu-Tang theme flowing, here's a look at an upcoming documentary based on the now deceased O.D.B aka Ason Unique. It's being edited by his brother so there should be some rare behind the scenes stories about the crazy Bastard. *Language Warning*
As fans of the Wu-Tang Clan know, Ghostface Killah has been known to use the alter-alter-ego Tony Starks as an homage to the dude behind the red-and-gold suit. (Why a guy named Ghostface Killah needs yet another alias is open to debate. But that's the Wu). Said Wu heads might also know that Ghost was originally supposed to have a cameo in the mega-blockbuster, but he got left on the cutting room floor. This may be cause for fans to swarm like killer bees, but at least he can be heard briefly on the soundtrack.
Speaking of matters Wu, the RZA will dropping in to the Palladium June 12 as his alter-alter ego, Bobby Digital. Word is he might try out a new character as well.
Reminded me of this classic piece. It's the kind of thing that if they put it in a movie you'd say it wasn't believable and on some ole fake Hollywood BS.
Still gives me chills every time I watch that free throw attempt:
Check out Mark's recent blog post about the Kidd deal and how it impacts the team moving forward.
I really like that he doesn't seem to be taking any overt shots at Avery, especially in light of what's been going on the last few days in the press.
I just don't see the financial flexibility he's talking about. Keep in mind sites like Hoopshype aren't dead-on accurate, but they're close enough for jazz.
One thing he mentions is that they only have two guaranteed contracts in 2010-11. I'd always heard that Damp's last year wasn't fully guaranteed, so I hope he's referring to JET and Dirk (who has a player option).
Is it a bad sign when you barely made the playoffs and you don't have draft picks, nothing but your exceptions, a giant payroll, huge roster holes that need to be filled and you're wondering how many contracts are guaranteed three seasons from now?
Gentle reader, I'd like to introduce you to Steve. He is a cat. He wears a toboggan. Steve parties to pretty much any beat you like, but for whatever reason, he particularly likes the following joints:
Embrace Steve, my friends (why is Dirk in this picture?). And don't be afraid to expose him to some of your favorites. Steve does require a respectable BPM, though. He is not a quiet storm-type of cat.
When I was a kid (I've immediately offended the dude I'm about to hype up) I wanted to be an NBA beat writer.
Partly because I thought about basketball non-stop, but realized I wasn't good enough to play.
Partly because when you're a nerd, journalism seems cool.
And also because I thought Jan Hubbard was a genius. I couldn't wait to read his columns. I loved his writing style and always thought his analysis was dead on.
I wanted to be like Jan Hubbard.
Hubbard is covering the Association for the Telegram these days and he's still cranking out the good good.
Wouldn't it be ironic if Avery took over the reins for a Chicago team that struggles in the half-court because they have a bunch of jump shooters and no low-post threat?
I've got my tivo on pause before tip of this series as I wanted to throw one more idea out there that's been rattling around in my head.
With the official news that we won't see Bynum again this season coming down in the last 24 hours, it reminded me that the Lakers are an example of a team that could win a championship without adequately protecting their basket on a consistent basis.
Work with me here.
With all due respect to the Jazz, I fully expect the Lakers to handle them. Sorry Deron Williams fans - I just don't see it.
That means I'm thinking ahead to how they match up against either the Spurs or the Hornets.
Though I think the Spurs will ultimately be too much for New Orleans, the Hornets did crush them twice this year in the regular season.
But who is going to cover Manu? Peterson maybe? Pargo? C'mon, Ginobili is going to go crazy. Right? Am I wrong?
And if Chandler gets in early foul trouble like he did twice against the Mavs - curtains.
But I could certainly see D West killing Oberto and CPIII killing Parker, so it goes both ways.
I'm saying all that to say that if the Lakers draw the Spurs, their weak middle will get exposed. If they draw the Hornets, that weakness won't be under constant attack like it would be against Duncan on the block and penetration from up top.
Just something to ponder as the second round gets started.
I know the chances of them winning Game 7 at Boston are very slim. But I pray that Atlanta gives us more home games this year so we can all enjoy more of this.
Atlanta's unlikely home wins against the mighty Celtics can probably all be attributed to this.
I have a hard time believing the Mavs would settle in on one guy this early in the process.
Especially one who didn't open things up enough offensively at his last gig to the satisfaction of his bosses (which included pal Larry Bird).
But those things are always situational and a coach does what he feels gives his team the best chance to win. Rick Carlisle is a very good coach - his record speaks for itself.
I just anticipated a little different style. But maybe he is so prepared and so together in his interviews that the Mavs feel like they have to look no further.
Fish makes the point on his home page (the Fo' Shizzle piece) that Josh's value is too low right now to consider trading him.
That was my initial reaction immediately following the playoff debacle too. But is that really the case? Just because we've seen his warts up close doesn't mean that they're as apparent to others.
I bet Jason Kidd wasn't as brilliant once he got here as the team had envisioned him to be. But they weren't with him everyday before the trade either. That's why trades happen in the first place - the grass is always greener and every coach and personnel guy believes he possess the magic fertilizer.
Josh is one year removed from an all-star appearance and coming off his best statistical year as a pro. His trade value is higher then we think right now. It was definitely higher around the all-star break last year, but we didn't want to trade him then, right?
This limited edition 12" is a classic, roots-styled joint originally recorded in 1979 and is issued with the full 6-minute plus discomix version that was so popular at the time.
If you aren't familiar, that basically means that halfway through the tune it gives way to the dub treatment, which is nice and smoked out. And since we're just bringing you a snippet, we don't make it that far so you'll have to order it to get the full hit.
Hey, it was worth a shot. For this amount of money, and assuming a sales price at 10X annual revenues (OK, maybe it should be 5...whatever), this dude could have bought American Airlines ($230B), the Starwood Hotel chain ($70B), and the Brinker family of restaurants ($43B). Why would he need an airline, a hotel chain, and a restaurant chain?
Because with the remainder of his cash, he could buy the NFC East. THE WHOLE NFC EAST. He'd need to travel to his games and stay in style.
By the way, after all of this greatness, he'd still have about $10B left over to spend, Brewster's Millions-style. There'd probably also be a few table dances thrown in. I'm just sayin'.
Come to think of it, we should probably all pitch in and help this cat recoup his bail money...just in case it works next time.
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