Burying the lead

The top story  on the NBA page of ESPN.com features a story about the potential trade of Carlos Boozer to the Chicago Bulls, a fascinating proposition indeed. (The potential trade involves Tyrus Thomas, a freakish athlete that would be perfect for the Mavs, but I digress.)

ESPN buried the lead. If you read the entire story you learn that Bulls were potentially the 4th party in the Shawn Marion trade, before dropping out. If the Bulls had stayed in the trade, the Mavs would have received Tim Thomas from the Bulls in addition to Marion from the Raptors.  As I’ve previously stated, I’m glad to have Marion, but I would have loved to have Tim Thomas as well.

Can you imagine how awkward it would have been for Thomas to be on the same team with Dirk, after the infamous kiss (and Dirk’s subsequent 50+ plus performance) in the 2006 playoffs?

Would that be more awkward than John Kitna playing on the same team with Bradie James?

Most wheels off moment of the day?

When did Stephen A. Smith become a current events expert? I saw him on MSNBC’s Morning Meeting hosted by Dylan Ratigan. They had him on discussing the housing market.

Weird!

He could barely talk sports and now MSNBC wants him to discuss current events and politics? Even more messed up than Fox News having Miss California co-host one of their programs.

More moves in store for Mavs?

Maybe I’m reading way too much into it, but Mark Cuban’s latest Tweet excites me even more than Marion trade, RT “mcubanWelcome to @matrix31 and all of our new mavs ! The fun is just starting ! #fb“.

Could this mean more moves to come for the Mavs this summer? Possibly trading Josh Howard or Jason Terry for a 2 (think Jason Richardson or Rip Hamilton)?

The guys at DallasBasketball.com make a compelling case for keeping Erick Dampier until next summer and after reading I tend to agree.

Whether or not the Marion move is the last for the off-season or not, I’m a lot more excited about the Mavs than I was a year ago at this time.

An absurd policy

The University of Texas-Tyler is, without a doubt, the bane of my existence. Without getting into too many details, I attended UT-Tyler for two years. I made a lot of mistakes and bad decisions during those two years, chief among them deciding to enroll in classes there.

Anytime I request a transcript from this institution, I’m told that I have a hold on my account. It’s not for any outstanding fees or missing work; it’s because I earned my degree from another university and they don’t have an official copy of my transcript from that university.

UT-Tyler’s policy, as explained to me by their admissions office, states that a hold be place on any student’s–past, present or prospective–who does not supply an official copy of all their college transcripts. This policy makes sense for a prospective student. You have to know what credits a student has earned in the past. However, I have no idea why a college I attended for two years, prior to graduating from another university, would need an official copy of a transcript from degree granting institution, when I have no intention of enrolling at UT-Tyler again. 

I first became aware of this policy a year ago and a half ago when I applied to law school. All of the other schools I attended sent my transcripts to LSAC in a timely manner. A week before my application was due for SMU, I learned that UT-Tyler still had not sent my transcript. I contacted their office immediately and they told me that I had an “admissions hold.” I talked to the Admissions Office and had the hold removed with the understanding it was removed for good.

Even though I have been accepted to law school, I decided to apply for law school in June. Imagine my surprise when I received an e-mail from the graduate school that they were missing my UT-Tyler transcript. Again, I contacted UT-Tyler and was told that I had an “admissions hold” on my account. When I told the admissions office I had resolved this issue in December, they told me that they have to reapply the hold immediately after sending out my transcript.

Does this policy make sense to anyone else?

Mavs close to trading for Marion?

ESPN and the Dallas Morning News are both reporting that the Mavs and Raptors are in the process of trade talks for Shawn Marion. At first glance, I love this move. It looks like it would cost us Stack and some cash. Other sources say it may require a third team. I hope Cuban does whatever it takes to pull this move off.  This would leave you with the Damp contract to play with and it might make Josh Howard expendable. Marion is not who he was in 2006, but he is still a great player and would instantly make this Mavs squad better than the team we saw lose to the Nuggets. More on this to come….

Two different political documentaries

It’s been a lazy Sunday afternoon in my household and I had the opportunity to enjoy two, very different, yet fascianting political documentaries. The first, from the right, Waco: The Rules of Engagement, which as the name suggests focuses on the Federal governments involvement in the raid on the Branch Davidian compound outside of Waco.

The second documentary, slightly less dark, is from a far Left perspective. It is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s documentary, The Party’s Over, where Hoffman attempts to pull a Michael Moore and takes his camera and crew on the 2000 Presidential election circuit, from the training ground of street protesters through the Democrat and Republican conventions and all of the drama surronding Florida. Though a typical Hollywood Leftist lackey, Hoffman does a good job of getting opinions from people of diverse political backgrounds.

I might draft thorough reviews of both documentaries, after I’ve had more time to digest their content, but for now, I’m left with two main observations.

1.) I found it ironic watching Waco:  The Rules of Engagement, that two of the politicians most vocal in supporting the Federal governments actions in Waco were Vice-President Joe Biden (D-DE) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Their basic response to the entire ordeal was that David Koresh and his followers presented a danger to the American people; therefore, the actions of the Federal government were justified. However, these same two politicians, bitch and moan about detention facilities for terrorists, such as the one in Guatonomo Bay, Cuba, and the “enhanced interrogation” tactics employed by agents of our government.

On one hand, these Democrat politicians support harsh treatment of alleged religious warriors (i.e.  Waco), but in the other instance they decry the use of more human tactics (i.e. waterboarding at Guatonomo). How can justify this hypocrisy?

2.) Throughout the movie The Party’s Over, Hoffman attempts to show that there is no difference between the Democrat and Republican Parties, both are run by corporate interests and greed. He continually asks the question, “what is the difference between the two parties?” Mr. Hoffman, as someone who has worked actively on campaigns in both parties, I can tell you the main difference, from a philosophical perspective, is the proper role of the Federal goverment.

Avery Johnson the Pistons’ leading candidate?

This piece from the Detroit Free Press seems to suggest that former Mavericks’ coach Avery Johnson could be the leading coach for the Pistons’ head coaching job. Mike Bacsik, filling in for Norm Hitzges earlier this week on The Ticket, devoted an entire segment of his radio program to the possibility of Avery becoming the Pistons’ new man. Bacsik felt that the hiring of Johnson, coupled with the recent signing of Ben Gordon, could set into motion a series of events that could vastly improve the defense of the Mavericks.

Bacsik contends that Rip Hamilton will not accept a back-up role. He tried it last year and hated it and it’s one reason the Pistons fired their coach. When Avery was in Dallas, one of his favorite players was Jason Terry, a 2 guard who thrives on coming off the bench. Bacsik felt that Avery, if hired, might contact the Mavs about a possible trade of Hamilton for Terry. Both players are the same age and have similar contracts,  so at least theoretically the deal might work.

It seems highly unlikely that all the pieces would fall into place in order for this trade to happen, but at least the first piece might be about to be set in place.  As much as I love JET, I would certainly welcome the addition of Hamilton to our team.  Again, even if Avery is hired by the Pistons, I think there is probably less than a 10% chance this deal would go down, but I do think it’s worth discussing now that it appears he is the Pistons’ leading candidate.

Proud to be an American!

It began with  “fuck you!”  In essence, that’s what our founding fathers shouted to England and the rest of the world as they declared our independence.  It’s been a little over 230 years since that proclamation was made. Today, we celebrate that act and this independence.

Over that time, our nation evolved from the red-headed step-child of England to the world’s lone super power. We’ve had our share of bumps and bruises, but through it all we have proven to be the most creative, innovative and compassionate nation the world has ever seen.

We reached these great heights, not because of our government, but because of the people throughout this great nation’s history. We are an exceptional country full of exceptional people.  The exceptional are not exceptional by birth right, but because of their beliefs, a belief in “rugged individualism” and “self reliance,” a belief in the principles espoused in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, a belief that the common man is more capable and more competent than any elected official.  Today, we celebrate these principles.

Because of this, I am damn proud to be an American, regardless of who is in the White House. American pride is pride in the American people, not pride in the idiots in Washington. People like the men and women of our Armed Forces. Because of the bravery of this select group of exceptional Americans, some of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice, we are able to enjoy the freedoms we do today. Today, we celebrate these men and women.

Happy 4th of July and may God bless America!
—————-
Now playing: Leonard Bernstein; New York Philharmonic Orchestra – Copland: Fanfare For The Common Man – Molto Deliberato
via FoxyTunes

Marcin Gortat

Thus far, the most compelling news of this NBA off-season has been the jail sentence of the Denver Nuggets’ J.R. Smith. Out of all the adjectives in the English language,  “underwhelming” best describes the Mavs draft picks–a Euro point guard, a mid-major project and a guard with potential who will spend a year in Greece. At first glance, I was equally unimpressed with the organizations interest in the 6-11 Marcin Gortat.

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t watch much Orlando Magic basketball, and  Gortat’s 3 ppg and 4 rpg average doesn’t instill a lot of confidence. However, Gortat got those numbers as a back-up, averaging 12.6 minutes per game; Erick Dampier averaged 5/7, as a starter, in 23.0 minutes per game, so if the numbers hold, Gortat wouldn’t be much a drop off–production wise–from Dampier.

Perhaps the most exciting prospect Gortat brings is his youth. The Mavs looked old against the Nuggets and looked middle-aged against an ancient Spurs team. They need some youth. I still hope that Ryan Hollins is the future at center for this team, but a Gortat/Hollins combination is younger than a Dampier/Hollins combination and should translate into more energy on the court.

In order for this to be relevant, the Mavs must remain committed to the youth already on the team. This means going out and resigning Brandon Bass and ironically making sure Jason Kidd signs his three year offer. Kidd will be instrumental in shaping the future of this franchise. If we expect any of the young guard prospects on this team to develop, it will require Kidd’s experience and tutelage. Additionally, the Mavs must make sure they turn the expiring contracts of Jerry Stackhouse and Dampier into youthful contributors during the course of this off-season. I know it may be asking for too much, but it would be nice to get a young prospect in exchange for Devean George.

As I step back and look at it, the Gortat signing has potential as the first piece in a much bigger off-season puzzle for the Mavericks.  In order for it to work, the Mavs must make additional, more substantial moves this off-season.

Question for the Weather People

We hear words like “climate change” and “global warming” thrown around a lot these days. While I wouldn’t describe myself as an “warming” denier, I am very skeptical of the agenda fronted by many of the Leftist environmental organizations out there. 

It seems that these radicals begin with that assumption that emissions of “green house” gases lead to a general warming of the Earth. While they may not discount it, they never really explain the effect of emissions on the pressure gradients.

As a Texan, I’ve suffered through some pretty hot and miserable summers. I’ve noticed that periods of extremely hot weather–days with highs 100+ and lows that don’t get below 80–are due to high pressure ridges/systems. The brutal heat continues until a low pressure system comes along that is strong enough to overtake the high pressure system. At this point, you usually get some nice showers and storms and the temperature drops.

If we assume that man emits “green house” gases. What effect do these gases have on the pressure systems? Is there an established correlation between the two? If man emits more gases, will there be more, stronger, longer lasting high pressure systems?