Sorry for the long wait since the last Post-Up Play, but I’ve been extremely busy as of late. It sure is a long journey to make it off this couch. On Sunday night the Sacramento Kings topped the Milwaukee Bucks 88 to 79. For the first time in quite a while, Chris Webber woke up! Webber put up 18 points and brought down 14 rebounds for the Kings. Maybe if Webber did this more often the team wouldn’t be in seventh place in the Western Conference right now. It’s still early in the season, and I expect the Kings to finish with a decent seed in the West, probably around 5th or 6th. Sacramento is currently second place in the Pacific Division, an easy division to say the least, consisting of both the Warriors and Clippers.
Last year if I asked you who would have the better record of Kings or the Lakers, it might be a tough choice. But I don’t think anyone could’ve expected them both to be lower than the Phoenix Suns this year! The Suns burnt the Clippers to a crisp on Sunday, defeating them 122 to 111. I’m still not exactly sure how a strong defensive team like the Suns let the Clippers get over 100 points, but then again I’m not exactly sure how George Bush could get elected to two terms with the whole country hating him! Amare Stoudemire put up 33 points in the contest, and it seems lately that he’s been putting smiles on fantasy basketball owner’s faces as this was his fourth straight 30 point game. If Amare doesn’t make the all-star team this year, then the league is about as corrupt as Enron and the Guatemalan power project.
Hey did you know that Jermaine O’Neal had a double double on Friday night? Or that Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton had a combined 39 points in the contest? I doubt it as it seems the only thing the news has told America is about the fight that broke out between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans. I don’t like to give my opinion on these kinds of issues but I will say that there comes a point in time, where enough is enough. I cannot condone the actions of Artest, O’Neal and Jackson, but I will say this was not just a "he called me a name, so I fought back," kind of thing. These fans had been taunting them all night, violently threatening them, throwing beer at them, and it makes you wonder, where the hell was security? The suspensions, though maybe a little too harsh against Indiana, needed to be done. The league has to make it clear that their players are world-class athletes and are not fans. They cannot engage in violent brouhahas, they have to show respect on and off the court. The reputation of the National Basketball Association was tarnished on Friday night, even leading to a mocking on Saturday Night Live. Nevertheless, the Pacers won 97 to 82.
One more issue I have to address this week is the situation in New Jersey. Being from the Garden State, I cannot understand what has happened to this franchise. You don’t give Kenyon Martin the money, but you give it to Jason Collins? Letting Kerry Kittles get away was another huge mistake, as he’s been so vital to this organization for so many years. Rodney Buford this season is averaging 18 minutes per game and contributing absolutely nothing! 5.5 PPG, 1.0 APG, less than 2 rebounds per game and less than .2 steals per game! Those are horrible statistics. The Nets could not even defeat the Washington Wizards on Saturday on their home floor. In fact, if you had the Nets and 10 points, you still lost! The Wizards upset the Nets 97 to 86, with Antawn Jamison leading the way for Washington with 27 points. Jamison has done so much for them this year, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think the Washington Wizards have a shot at the Playoffs this year! And now for the awards…
Player Of The Week : Amare Stoudemire
Player To Watch : Amare Stoudemire
The first double winner!
Until next time everyone, remember, why shoot when you can post-up?