NBA – Page 2 – Disaesthetic

Moving on Down

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Brandon Ingram goes to the Lakers

A lot has happened since my last post. I went to Big Bear last weekend, Lebron won, I’ve been working out, Bill Simmons underwhelmed, I’m preparing to moving, and emotionally I’ve come a long way. I’m starting to see my own progress and believe in the steps I’ve taken to get better and improve myself. It’s been a long road on recovering but I’ve accomplished a lot over the last 4 months.

Big Bear had moments of awkwardness, for me, but overall I had a great time and got out of my comfort zone. I needed to get out and meet new people. Hiking Pine Knot Trail was great. I was afraid of struggling during the hike but I did just fine. Everyone was very friendly but it I had difficulties talking to them or getting to know them better. I have a ways to go with my confidence as far as socializing with people I don’t know well. At least I put myself in a situation where I could meet people. Improvements were made in that regard. I came home Sunday for father’s day only to have Lebron ruin a great ending to the weekend.

While I feel good for Cleveland, who were due for a championship, watching Lebron win bothers me. I don’t like the guy and I can’t really explain it. Anyway game 7 was great but not all time. Golden State simply couldn’t get Curry going, Klay struggled, Iggy was hurt, and Bogut on the sidelines hurt them the most. Sure Bogut is no super start but presence in the paint made going inside difficult for Lebron and Kyrie. With him gone, Cleveland dominated inside. Golden State couldn’t do enough to stay on top and close out Cleveland. The game came down to the end but honestly GSW lost the game more than Cleveland winning it. They could not score in the last 4 or 6 minutes. In a game that close it’s not surprising GSW lost when they couldn’t score at the end. I hope it doesn’t haunt them. They need to dump Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli this summer and add better depth. Word on the street is they will pursue Dirk Nowitzki which would be an unlikely addition but move them back up as front runners for the 2017 finals. They also need to find a back-up and future replacement for Bogut. His presence in the paint couldn’t be more valuable for this time. They need to prepare themselves for life with out Bogut.

This NBA season ended on a bad note with Lebron winning but next season already has me excited for the Lakers and the West as a whole. We got Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac in last night’s draft. Both will improve our team right now. Ingram’s small hips and lean frame bother me but he’s got a great skill set that will help us immediately. I don’t know much about Zubac but it’s a big center that I hope turns out like Kristaps Porziņģis. We are in need of dominate center again. Ingram, Randall, Russell, Clarkson, and Zubac looks like a great young line-up I can get behind. Oklahoma City got richer in the draft too moving Serge Ibaka to Orlando for big haul in Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and draftee Domantas Sabonis, son of Arvydas Sabonis. I’m not sure what the fuck Orlando is doing but as it stands right now OKC has the best collection of talent in the NBA. They are the favorite in my mind as the teams stand now. Imagine it, Durant, Westbrook, Oladipo, Adams, and you can pick between Kanter, Roberson, Ilyasova, and Sabonis as your 5 starters. That’s great fucking team on paper. GSW and the Spurs have catching up to.

Good job by you Billy?

Speaking of the NBA, Billy Simmons debuted his show Any Given Wednesday this week without much fan fair. Maybe I’m out of touch with things or removed due to my recent schedule or lack of attention. The first episode underwhelmed me. Ben Affleck’s appearance has gotten Simmons and the show a lot of attention but it wasn’t for anything he said. Affleck’s behavior and slurring attracted attention. I don’t think he was drunk but accusations have been made. It was a short episode that lacked anything super interesting. It was kind of like his podcast but I was watching it instead. Audio may be Simmon’s arena. Watching him did nothing for me. It’s only been one episode so things can only get better.

The past few weeks have been better superior to the past 4 months. I’m stronger emotionally and mentally. I don’t feel weak anymore. My confidence isn’t at full strength but I’ve improved tremendously. Negative thoughts don’t control my mind for hours and days. I have moments of weakness but I see them as an improvement. They don’t control me for more than a few minutes. I’m able to overcome them with reason and positive outlook. Being able to move out soon has really helped me feel good about myself. Now I can focus my new dwelling and the area I will live in. There are new experiences to have where I will live. Everything will be new. I won’t drive by places I have memories that haunt me. I can make new experiences somewhere else. Looking forward, I can’t wait to explore and live closer to the city. There are places to hike and discover in my new neighborhood. I hope to make strong relationships with my roommates and make new friends in this area. Once I establish myself again I can start looking for companionship again. I miss the comfort and affection I used to receive. I miss giving those passions to someone. I can tell I’m making progress there. I can muster enough strength and confidence to speak to women I find attractive and interesting. Sometimes they speak to me. It’s only happened at work and I don’t see anything happening there. It may not be best to seek a relationship with someone from work but it’s a boost in my confidence in myself.

June 1st & 2nd

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I don’t have anything important to write about. Just need the exercise for my mind. It helps expel so tension within. Exhume my anger, my negativity. I didn’t end up getting the room for rent I wanted. It pissed me off so much and threw me off my good streak. Of course, I should be in control and I can choose to let it affect me but I’m still struggling overcoming myself. I’m still mentally fragile when it comes to disappoint or failure. The dam didn’t break but the cracks have let water through slowly pounding the initial damage. I have to resist and hold myself accountable. Seal the cracks and keep the flood at bay. I’ll start looking for something else tomorrow. Tonight I finally get to see my close friend who now lives in Oregon with my close friend who has been their for me over the past few months. I have to drive home eventually but I’m not going to let that stop me from drinking however much I want. We’re meeting at Churchill’s tonight for drinks. No way I’m not having my way with that tonight. Pick up food on the way. Punish my body with bad food, alcohol, and cigarettes. I need that short term pleasure.

Tomorrow I’m off and I’m watching game 1 of the Finals with those guys. We’ve been waiting for this since last summer. I definitely felt like Golden State were favored to get back to Finals unless they lost to the ole Spurs. We all knew and predicted the Cavs would be back in the Finals. The team definitely have themselves more figured after almost two seasons together, their second Finals appearance, and most importantly everyone healthy. I don’t think the Channing Frye upgrade will make much of a difference but this one will be far more competitive than last year. I expect this to go seven with Golden State winning in the final minutes of the last game. Their personnel runs too deep and I’m not sure Coach James and Lue will magically find a line up that can deal with Curry, Thompson, Green, Barnes, and Iguadala like Oklahoma City developed throughout the playoffs. They don’t have long stretchy guys like Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, and Andre Roberson that can move on the perimeter.

Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are defensive liabilities and can’t be expected to play all series long for extensive stretches. Matthew Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, and the zombie of Richard Jefferson will have to play serious minutes. The Cavs will certainly push the Warriors to game 7, they may even steal one in Oakland, but they just don’t have the right guys to match with the death line up Golden State uses to finish games or catch up if Steph or Klay get hot from 3. I’m excited to watch this series start to unfold tomorrow night. I’ll be interested to see how the guys will watch. My friend from Oregon works in the sports media world so going back and forth with him will be fun and productive as far as understanding the game. My other friend hasn’t watched as much NBA over the year but I hope to see him entertained. Maybe I can turn him on to professional sports a bit more to getting him into more conversations. Thursday should be a better day. My outlook for that day has risen. Going to therapy will help me feel better and make progress. I look forward to tonight and all of tomorrow.

Dwight Howard on Inside The NBA

Watch the interview here

I just watched a thriller with the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs could have definitely won the game but the obligatory blown calls and a few missed rebounds opened the door. Russell Westbrook took the opportunity and won the game for his team. When Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Steven Adams, and EnesKanter have played together they have dominated the boards and exposed the age of Tim Duncan and inability of David West. I knew this event would play out in the last few minutes of the game. Now we can confirm neither of these players can handle either Kanter or Adams together.

As Chris Webber and Marv Albert wound down the game they pointed out how the Spurs haven’t had an answer for the Thunder’s bigs. It occurred to me they haven’t tried Boban Marjanovic yet. He was DNPed this game but they’re down three games heading into Oklahoma. They ought to try Boban. He’s inexperienced but far more athletic than Duncan or West. I may be going out out on a limb here but I see him as their future starting center. He, Kawhi, Danny Green, and LaMarcus Aldridge seem like the future of the team. Not sure if Patty Mills is their point guard of the future but this line up with Boban feels legit. He gives me the same impression Kawhi did when he was coming up.

After the game, Inside The NBA discussed the game with special guest, and future ex-Rockets center, Dwight Howard. I was a bit surprised he was on the show but intrigued to listen to his take on the game. To my surprise he suggested Boban too. Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith were both impressed since they hadn’t thought of it first. Good call Dwight! Chuck moved quickly into asking Howard how he felted about being hated, if he checked out on the Rockets, and if he was opting out of his deal. He did check out but who wouldn’t when you’re playing with James Harden. The guy plays 90’s isolation ball and doesn’t know what defense is. As Chuck pointed out of course he’ll opt out of his contract. Sure he’s probably over Houston but this comes down to money. Opting out allows him to cash in one last time in his career. This summer’s free agency sees a huge cap increase for teams to play with. If he’s healthy and not cast as one of the main guys he may help a team push for a championship run.

Howard’s response to being hated was quite interesting though. He acknowledged when he was winning in Orlando everyone loved him. I remember when my Lakers beat him in the Finals. He was a faster and more athletic version of Shaq. When he went to LA I was over the moon. He was going to prolong Kobe’s career and help us get another championship. When it didn’t happen we hated him. Howard failed in LA for many reasons. Kobe didn’t exactly help matters and injuries unfortunately hampered his abilities. Now Howard never had the stuff needed to play in LA or deal with guys like Kobe. You don’t have to get along with guys off the court but do your job on it. He acted like a baby. It’s not all been on him in LA or Houston but his attitude doesn’t help his case. I think he floundered in LA but Houston failed him.

Dwight came off genuine and believed what he said for the most part. Like all players he listens to what people say about him and he’s going to opt out of Houston. He can’t say it on record yet but he will. I think he understands people don’t like him. I’ve personally cooled off a bit but Laker nation still hates him. I liked his explanation for not looking engaged, not famously smiling, saying he doesn’t like to lose. He’s “interested in winning” and obviously losing sucks. They had a shitty record this year coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance and getting embarrassed by Golden State, minus some Steph Curry, in the first round. Many like my guy Zack Lowe had predicted a big season for them and they failed miserably. I blame Harden who is fool’s gold much like Allen Iverson (most overrated guard ever), Stephon Marbury, and Steve Francis. He’ll probably opt out and hopefully he’ll go to another team. With a healthy body it could get real interesting for him.