Jason Kidd, MD

He makes moves that could boggle the mind and passes that were made with pinpoint accuracy. It really is tough to judge how good Jason Kidd is with the accolades that he received, the statistics that stand the test of time and the back to back NBA Finals appearances. Kidd was one of the rare point guards that was not only dangerous in the open court but in the half-court set as well.

Kidd was not thought of to be the prototypical point guard coming out of California but his rare blend of speed, size, and passing ability made him the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. Although it has been over 14 years in the NBA for him, he is still affective even with age running up on him.

He truly is an on-court doctor who has mastered many skills and is one of the elite in his profession. You could call him the NBA’s version of House but without the diagnostic techniques and Olivia Wilde following him around.

However, why is it that Kidd is not getting the publicity? NBA fans are currently going go-go gaga over Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and the dark horse of Russell Westbrook. The new flavors of the month are always going to be the hot topics while the former stars reclaim their past glory.

I dare anyone to search the ranks of Youtube and watch a Jason Kidd highlight tape and not be impressed with his skill while moving with and without the ball. The early years in Dallas and Phoenix during his prime are impressive or even more than all of the current stars in the league. So for anyone that said Jason Kidd was never spectacular tends to be wrong with that argument.

He also have to receive credit for averaging a triple-double in two different playoff series and lead a New Jersey Nets team in back to back Finals. You look at the team that he had outside of a prime Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson: Kerry Kittles, Todd McCollough, Aaron Williams, Lucious Harris, Rodney Rodgers, Reggie Slater, and Keith Van Horn. Even in the weak Eastern Conference, that is still impressive. Sure, Steve Nash has two MVP but he has not even played in an NBA Finals. Kidd does not have a ring but there is no shame in losing to two dynasties in the Lakers and Spurs.

Kidd is one of the all-time best point guards and it is possible that he might be the best ever. I think it is due time that he gets his respect and you do not need a second opinion on that.

By Ben Chew with No comments

“Ordinary Lebron” and the reason why you should not hook up with Ginnifer Goodwin

As I was surfing the interweb; I came across an ESPN.com poll which asked, “Which NBA player would you pay your money to see?” I was amazed to see that Lebron James had garnered 62% of the vote. Sure, I am going to say that I live in the Cleveland-area and have attended many Cavalier games. So it would not surprise you that I have already seen and gotten bored with the antics of King James.

However, the one thing that I have noticed is that Lebron is starting to receive, “The MJ treatment.” This idea was brought up by a former colleague of mine at the radio station I used to work at. The Michael Jordan treatment in the simplest of definition is that we come to expect great things from a certain player (in this case, Lebron James) that if he has a great performance, more people will notice it. If you have an average performance however, people will notice that as well and hold you to the standard of the great performance.

I usually do not buy into these arguments but to be honest this has gotten to the point where I actually believe this is the case. We all know Lebron dropped 55 points against the Bucks, the world rejoiced that the King dropped 55. Then in the next game against the Detroit Pistons, he had a pedestrian 22 points. The Cavaliers won both of the games but Lebron got more pub for the 55 point performance and some could state why did he not have a comparable performance in the Pistons game.
The treatment that Michael Jordan received is very similar; Jordan on any given night could lead the Bulls to a win with a lopsided victory but not contribute anything on the score sheet. Some would say that Jordan had an off-night. However, when he would drop 50 points in a close Bulls victory, everyone would marvel at the brilliance of Jordan.

To put it in another light, it would be comparable to having a one-night stand with a famous Hollywood actress. For this example, let us use Ginnifer Goodwin of Big Love fame and the movie, “He’s Just Not That Into You”

Let’s say you hook up with her for one night, and then you tell your boys. They want to hear about it and congratulate you on it. However, every other girl you now hook up with will pale in comparison to when you hooked up with Ginnifer Goodwin.

You have set the bar at Ginnifer Goodwin. I’m not eluding that you are not going to receive the same pleasure or stop enjoying sex. But you probably have reached the pinnacle of women that you have slept with. Your bro’s do not want to hear about that skank you hooked with at the bar but the story about the time that you hooked up with Ginnifer Goodwin. Every other woman has to be either be Ginnifer Goodwin or hotter than Ginnifer Goodwin. You see the hole you dug yourself into?

That’s the interesting fate that these stars enter themselves into from the fans and the media. Lebron is now just the latest individual to join the club and now he will face the scrutiny of fans, media, and even other players by the weird double-bias. The one positive for Lebron is that he is now a member of the club instead of not being one at all. (Wait..that might actually mean that you should hook up with Ginnifer Goodwin, after all.)

By Ben Chew with No comments

Devin Harris is a miracle worker.....

Sometimes in life, we look for people to make miracles happen. Devin Harris is now one of those people. The Philadelphia 76ers appeared to be cruising to an easy victory over the New Jersey Nets as Andre Igoudala hit a free throw to give the 76ers, a one point lead.

The Nets were out of timeouts with 1.8 seconds left. The ball was inbounded to Harris who originally bobbled the ball and appeared to be fouled by Igoudala. However, he hoisted up a prayer and buried a three pointer in the Nets 98-96 victory.

Although it appeared that Harris could not even have enough time to blink his eyelids and turn off the lights, he buried an impossible shot. With shades of Milt Pilacio in the background, he created a miracle out of nothing. After much discussion by many of the referees it was called good and that the Nets had won. 76ers head coach Tony DiLeo looked like he needed Life Alert after that shot went through.

Vince Carter appeared to have given up hope before Harris’s miracle. Carter almost appeared to be auditioning for Mamma Mia 2 after celebrating the winner. It's the highest Vince has jumped since the 2000 Olympics.
Devin Harris can create miracles and honestly what could he do for an encore, he could
->Cure cancer
->Create peace in the Middle East
->Create a SUV that drives like a sedan
->Get the economy back on track
->Create a diet soda that does not taste like it is diet
->Deliver me a pizza in twenty minutes or less
->and have Penelope Cruz win an Oscar

Well, the last one happened without Devin’s help (Scarlett Johansson helped there) but to only prove a theory sometimes miracles do happen. I’ll just tell Devin Harris right now to stay out of the clergy; he does not want the stigma that comes from that and the two bad Tom Hanks movies that come from it.

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Weekend Rant: Amare almost loses an “eye”, Casey Carlson gets kicked off Idol, and man-crushing on Jodie Meeks

->Amare Stoudamire and Kevin Garnett both out with injuries: After the NBA trade deadline, there always seems to be a rash of injuries. Kevin Garnett goes down with a knee injury for about two to three weeks and Amare Stoudamire could be out for the rest of the season due to retina surgery.

Stoudamire almost lost an eye because he decided to not wear protective goggles; he should have completely fired his optometrist and decided to go with the Horace Grant look.

->The NBA Trade Deadline: Well, the NBA trade deadline finally ended and the biggest deal was the Houston Rockets trading point guard Rafer Alston to Orlando. That deal clearly rocked the entire landscape of the NBA.

What is the deal with the NBA trade deadline? We always expect these large super-colossal deals that will flip-flop the power of the conferences. They honestly never happen, however people eat up the news of the NBA trade deadline for lunch at a cheap sushi restaurant in Tokyo.

Oh well, in the world of 24-hour sports networks and the Internet they have to report on something, right?

->Man-crushing on Jodie Meeks: While watching college basketball, there has been only one played who I believe is going to make waves in the NBA.

The player that I am talking about is Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks. While people gushed over Davidson star Stephen Curry for his scoring ability, Meeks is in the top 5 in college basketball for scoring. He is an all-around defensive threat who lets the game come to him. Meeks’s basketball IQ is high in a game where some players have absolutely none.

Mark my words; Jodie Meeks will change the NBA landscape as we know it.

->Casey Carlson gets kicked off Idol: Obviously since I’m just a writer, I have a fair amount of free time. Like most of America, I am obsessed with American Idol. One of my favorites to win the competition was Casey Carlson who moved onto the top 36 and performed this week.

Carlson had recently received pub from TMZ finding out that she did a bikini spread for Campus Girls.com. Obviously a pretty girl who is pretty good singer is going to go far, right?

Well, I was wrong on that. Carlson had a less than desired performance and was not selected to move on. She could still make it as a wildcard but at this point I doubt it. I should have known a pretty girl was not going to go too far. Also having interviewed America’s Got Talent singer Sarah Lenore should have helped me figure that out.

America does not want to see a pretty girl with talent move on; they would rather have a train-wreck female singer or a male singer that will blow them away. Oh well, that’s Idol for ya.

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked door number 3...

When I was sitting down writing this blog post, originally it was going to be about some random rant that was going to talk about the society of the NBA in the inner city.

Then I heard the news that Tyson Chandler trade to the Oklahoma City was being rescinded due to a failed physical.

It seems almost comical now that a team would rescind a trade but I think it was already public knowledge that Chandler was injured and I guess the Oklahoma City brass thought he was better than he was.

When did the NBA turn into “Let’s Make a Deal?” I could picture the Hornets brass trying to convince the Thunder brass to door number three that had the zonk behind it. The image would be everlasting but this isn’t the 1970’s. I thought these NBA teams had the ability to keep up to date on players injuries with their fancy-dancy computers.

However, at least the one positive is that the Thunder brass was at least smart enough to include in the deal, “if said player is injured, he can be returned along with what he traded for.” The 90-day warranty probably could have been extended under some normalcy, except that fact that no one really wants the draft rights to an NBDL player.

As the Hornets continue to try flee New Orleans, I see that the Thunder again become the “butt” of the joke. It really is sad on some level since general manager Sam Presti has actually done a great job building this team and will continue with the overload of draft picks.

To be honest, this is not even the worst of it. Just ask the numerous fans who had the see the abomination of “Rumble” who is a Bison which is now the official mascot of the team.

The Golden State Warriors should sue the Thunder just out of spite for losing their mascot and stupidity to name a Bison, “Rumble.” Do not get me wrong, I love Bisons but seriously, a Bison is your mascot. Not to make Oklahoma sound like a hick-town but that’s how they get down.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Barkley's Back

The long national nightmare is over; Charles Barkley is going to be back on Inside the NBA on TNT tonight. After his little rendezvous in Scottsdale with Michael Strahan and Jaleel White (aka Steve Urkel), he will be back in the saddle once again.

Although he was not really truly missed as much since they added the tandem of Gary Payton and Chris Webber but an Inside the NBA without Charles Barkley is a sad day nevertheless.

Barkley may be the most polarizing figure in sports that can get away with almost saying anything that comes to mind. He becomes the one singular force that guides the NBA and the opinions whether right or wrong, gives the one thing that the Turner networks like ratings.

Inside the NBA makes fun of Barkley’s intelligence, weight, and well anything they could probably figure out. Charles plays along and that makes him interesting, he isn’t a serious analyst but he gives the player’s view and the entertainment factor that most sports shows do not have.

Turner Sports made the right decision by suspending him for that period of time since a DUI is serious offense and gave Barkley some time off. To be honest, there are probably a lot of men that would have drove their car 90-mph to receive the best “blowjob he ever had” but he is typified as an idiot.

Barkley gets away unscathed since it is “Charles being Charles” and once he created that image of the fun-loving and opinionated Charles it is almost assured that he can get away with most things. Also he released a statement today saying that he apologized for his action.

We hear at the site are waiting on pins and needles to see what hilarity will come from this on Inside the NBA tonight, welcome back Charles.

By Ben Chew with No comments

We’re Poor, We’re Poor

The New Orleans Hornets are currently in fire-sale mode as they rid themselves of Tyson Chandler to receive Joe Smith, A Wilcox, and rights of an NBDL player. We all know that the economy has been in tank and New Orleans is rebuilding after Katrina and the failures of the New Orleans Saints.

Hornets owner George Shinn might play the NBA version of Wayne Huizenga and start the fire-sale and in a way would not surprise me the least bit. Why should a team stay in a struggling city? I know that economic times are tough but unless Shinn is currently eating out paper bag; he could have found the money to keep Chandler and maybe make a move.

If the Oklahoma City Thunder can trade for someone in one of the smallest markets, why couldn’t the Hornets keep the player? It completely boggles my mind that the Hornets continue to make money. The rest of the city is somewhat still in shambles over three years after the Hurricane has pass through. Shinn wanted out of Charlotte and now he probably wants to get out of New Orleans.

The whole argument is that the economy is in a downturn and I am not an accountant but seriously the owners in most professional sports seem to be relatively okay.

The person that I feel sorry for the most is Chris Paul who probably has the most to gain from leaving New Orleans. He is the consummate team player who can take over games by himself and this can only discourage him from making any long-term plans at this point.

Maybe the “We’re Poor” argument might work in some lines of work but not in the NBA.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Sam Cassell phones Sacramento.....

I know most of you could not resist the Sam Cassell looks like an alien joke. On all serious, the only trade that might be approved before the tradeline is the Sacramento Kings have traded a protected second round pick for Sam Cassell of the Boston Celtics.

From most of the analysis done by the NBA big-wigs have determined that the trade is being made regarding the NBA luxury tax and the amount of money that Cassell could be costing the Boston Celtics.

Assumingly the Kings are going to do the deal just for the sake of possibly having a rent-a-player as Cassell. However it is currently being assumed the Kings might just waive Cassell for the Celtics to restructure his deal.

Honestly, this might just be the economy once again and well the Boston Celtics get another favor from the NBA team. (I'm looking at you Minnesota) Did the Celtics become the Godfather of the NBA?

Also, Sam Cassell is not the greatest looking brother. We all know that, here are a couple things that look better than Sam Cassell:

->A Swanson TV Dinner
->Rafael Nadal's Hair
->A marathon of the Golden Girls
->and Popeye Jones

Wait, scratch Popeye Jones. I have to give a little credit to Cassell.

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Courtship of John Salmons

Much like the courtship of heroine's of Jane Austen Novel's, NBA players are richly sought-after just before the NBA trade deadline.

The latest name to be added to the list is Kings swingman John Salmons, the rumor regarding him has created a huge buzz among many NBA teams and it has been noted that up five different NBA teams are interested in him.

Salmons who has currently with the Sacramento Kings has been one of the lone bright spots for a team that is trying to gain leverage in the The Blake Griffin Sweepsteaks. Salmons has also been noted as a undersized shooting guard who can score when needed.

The team that is most interested in the Portland Trail Blazers who have been offering a combination package that would include the expiring contract of the Channing Fyre and Oklahoma City is offering the expiring deal of Joe Smith.

Honestly, this is what the state of the NBA has come to offering trading pieces for John Salmons. The 76ers didn't want to keep him and I guess people are now passing out just to get him.

To put a literary analysis, it is trying to gain the fairness of trying to go after Jane's sisters instead of Jane herself.

John Salmons, it still boggles my mind to say that name.

By Ben Chew with No comments

More About Us

More About Us

Managing Editor Ben Chew founded That NBA Lottery Pick back in January 2009. Ben is full-time sports blogger and also runs Outside the Boxscore, a general sports blog. He also the Weekend Editor at NBC Sports.com "Off the Bench"

He remembers when the NBA was king in Seattle, Ricky Davis trying to get a triple-double by shooting at his own basket, and the great white hope was someone by the name of Keith Van Horn.

He also will make random musical references to Cheyenne Kimball, American Idol's Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, How I Met Your Mother, the literary theory of Jane Austen, Community's/Mad Men's Alison Brie, ESPN's Michelle Beadle, Twilight/Up In the Air's Anna Kendrick, Sonny with a Chance/Camp Rock's Demi Lovato and sometimes Reefer Madness (musical, not the drug).

About That NBA Lottery Pick

The idea of "That NBA Lottery Pick" came from an epiphany that was stolen from prior blogs and came to fruition back in Feburary of 2009. There are alot (we mean alot) of quality NBA blogs that give you quote-unquote "analysis" and some other random stuff dealing with your favorite NBA teams.

This blog is not that. We will focus on off-topic stories and funny stories in regards to the National Basketball Association. So if you want to see funny commercials with NBA players, Charles Barkley's exploits on Inside the NBA, and just utter randomness, this is the blog for you.

That NBA Lottery Pick has also been featured in many of the best sports blogs on the web which includes:

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By Ben Chew with No comments

Welcome to That NBA Lottery Pick

Welcome to That NBA Lottery Pick, the NBA site where the rules are no-hold barred and will speak of the NBA on a variety of subjects.

The NBA has become of the few international sports that people have taken into their hearts and then spit out a blog. Whether we are negative/positive/or between, there will be an opinion and create interesting posts regarding the association.

Come one and all, tell your friends, and stay tuned.

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