The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Cavs...
I thought I would put The Cleveland Cavaliers on blast for a few minutes. I'm unclear on where to point the finger for this mess. There is a lot of suspects: Chris Grant, Byron Scott, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson. We can sort that out as we move along in the 82 game grind. Here are just some notes.
First and foremost, what a COMPLETE WASTE of the best stretch of basketball Anderson Varejo has ever played. Andy is a basketball genius. It's like watching a virtuoso piano player out there. Not only because it's beautiful but also because it's almost literally just him playing against the other team by himself. The rhythm and flow and the art in which he plays is up there with the likes of Manu Ginobli and Steve Nash. Andy seems to be the only redeemable player on this team right now.
As unpopular and silly as this sounds, I am just not very happy with Kyrie Irving. I'm just not. He's talented as shit. He's a future Olympian. He's an all-star caliber point guard. He shoots the lights out. I just don't see any hunger and leadership. Leadership from the front. In your face, firey floor general leadership. Get on my back, follow me leadership. I just see a quiet businessman. A quiet assassin, who the game comes easy to and he's just gonna do his job and collect his dough. He seems much more interested in exploring his artistic side with his marketing. And maybe this leadership that I want to see is something he will grow into. He's 21. He can keep growing into that role. But the reality is that the best player on your team has to lead from the front. Until that happens, we'll suck. It's on him to 1. get stronger and less fragile and 2. find a way to transfer his artistic and charismatic side into fierce DRose like leadership.
Our current program as a whole is terrible. It's really flabbergasting to watch. I literally, every time I turn the Cavs on and watch for a few minutes immediately think: "are we missing 3-4 good players?" But we're not. Samardo Samuels really is our 7th-8th guy. Alonzo Gee really is our 5th guy. Booby freaking Gibson really is our 6th guy. We've had 3 picks inside the top 4 the last two drafts. We came away with Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. Throw in Ty Zeller, considered a top 13 talent by many and that's 4 lottery players. Doesn't feel that way. Where's our speed and length and talent? There's no "who the hell is that monster out there?" question when you watch the Cavs. No one ever jumping off the screen at you. It's just 5-7 average guys walking around, mixed in with Andy's genius. The Tristan Thompson development project is starting to worry me. Yes, he makes shit happen that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. But getting back to the basket buckets, developing a crunch time offensive move and making free throws have to become easier for him. Or else he can't be a core guy.
I'll leave you with a question. Let's say we are playing the OKC Thunder and Kendrick Perkins is having a bad night. He's chippy and is constantly cheap shotting players on our team. Let's say he lays out Kyrie. Is there anyone on our roster who would step to that thug other than Andy? I mean, really chest him up and be ready to punch him in the face. To want to punch him in the face and get suspended? I don't think we have anyone on our team who would do that. And that's disappointing. We need to find a thug. A Reggie Evans. A K-Mart. A Tony Allen. Someone whose feared.
First and foremost, what a COMPLETE WASTE of the best stretch of basketball Anderson Varejo has ever played. Andy is a basketball genius. It's like watching a virtuoso piano player out there. Not only because it's beautiful but also because it's almost literally just him playing against the other team by himself. The rhythm and flow and the art in which he plays is up there with the likes of Manu Ginobli and Steve Nash. Andy seems to be the only redeemable player on this team right now.
As unpopular and silly as this sounds, I am just not very happy with Kyrie Irving. I'm just not. He's talented as shit. He's a future Olympian. He's an all-star caliber point guard. He shoots the lights out. I just don't see any hunger and leadership. Leadership from the front. In your face, firey floor general leadership. Get on my back, follow me leadership. I just see a quiet businessman. A quiet assassin, who the game comes easy to and he's just gonna do his job and collect his dough. He seems much more interested in exploring his artistic side with his marketing. And maybe this leadership that I want to see is something he will grow into. He's 21. He can keep growing into that role. But the reality is that the best player on your team has to lead from the front. Until that happens, we'll suck. It's on him to 1. get stronger and less fragile and 2. find a way to transfer his artistic and charismatic side into fierce DRose like leadership.
Our current program as a whole is terrible. It's really flabbergasting to watch. I literally, every time I turn the Cavs on and watch for a few minutes immediately think: "are we missing 3-4 good players?" But we're not. Samardo Samuels really is our 7th-8th guy. Alonzo Gee really is our 5th guy. Booby freaking Gibson really is our 6th guy. We've had 3 picks inside the top 4 the last two drafts. We came away with Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. Throw in Ty Zeller, considered a top 13 talent by many and that's 4 lottery players. Doesn't feel that way. Where's our speed and length and talent? There's no "who the hell is that monster out there?" question when you watch the Cavs. No one ever jumping off the screen at you. It's just 5-7 average guys walking around, mixed in with Andy's genius. The Tristan Thompson development project is starting to worry me. Yes, he makes shit happen that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. But getting back to the basket buckets, developing a crunch time offensive move and making free throws have to become easier for him. Or else he can't be a core guy.
I'll leave you with a question. Let's say we are playing the OKC Thunder and Kendrick Perkins is having a bad night. He's chippy and is constantly cheap shotting players on our team. Let's say he lays out Kyrie. Is there anyone on our roster who would step to that thug other than Andy? I mean, really chest him up and be ready to punch him in the face. To want to punch him in the face and get suspended? I don't think we have anyone on our team who would do that. And that's disappointing. We need to find a thug. A Reggie Evans. A K-Mart. A Tony Allen. Someone whose feared.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Monday, November 26th
When planning: multiply everything by 2. 2 hours to do a project? Set aside a 4 hour window. 3 years to become a vice president? Plan on it taking 6 years.
Mark Cuban: "It was right around November when I was 27 that I remember looking at a 0 dollar bank balance at the ATM."
Loehr: If this is as good as it gets for me, how can I find a way to enjoy this time in my life, this very moment, as it exists right now, without change?
Keep busy. The worried person must lose himself in action, lest he wither in despair.
Our bodies change our minds and our minds change our behavior and our behavior changes our outcomes.
FAKE IT 'TIL YOU BECOME IT.
Persistence is making sure that "right now" you aren't taking a break from what's important to you.
We have a few years to live. We can live fantastically or robustly or we can live on cruise control.
Think quantatively, not dramatically.
Be the person you want to work for.
Enjoy and seek out places where you take blow after blow and build the endurance to bear it.
You have to be relentless. Absorb a lot of blows.
Mark Cuban: "Your biggest enemies are your bills. The cheaper you live, the greater your options.
It's better to be alive and a little weak than be dead in good health.
Live in a vision. Not in circumstances.
Carnegie: "Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment."
Who are you being with your family and friends? Are you being truly supportive or are you stuck in the negative? What about the interactions with yourself? Do you acknowledge the good things you do or are you a nagging brother to your own self?
Mark Cuban: "It was right around November when I was 27 that I remember looking at a 0 dollar bank balance at the ATM."
Loehr: If this is as good as it gets for me, how can I find a way to enjoy this time in my life, this very moment, as it exists right now, without change?
Keep busy. The worried person must lose himself in action, lest he wither in despair.
Our bodies change our minds and our minds change our behavior and our behavior changes our outcomes.
FAKE IT 'TIL YOU BECOME IT.
Persistence is making sure that "right now" you aren't taking a break from what's important to you.
We have a few years to live. We can live fantastically or robustly or we can live on cruise control.
Think quantatively, not dramatically.
Be the person you want to work for.
Enjoy and seek out places where you take blow after blow and build the endurance to bear it.
You have to be relentless. Absorb a lot of blows.
Mark Cuban: "Your biggest enemies are your bills. The cheaper you live, the greater your options.
It's better to be alive and a little weak than be dead in good health.
Live in a vision. Not in circumstances.
Carnegie: "Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment."
Who are you being with your family and friends? Are you being truly supportive or are you stuck in the negative? What about the interactions with yourself? Do you acknowledge the good things you do or are you a nagging brother to your own self?
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