Closing Time: Best Offensive Foul Ever

How is this an offensive foul? I dislike Steve Javie more than any other ref in the NBA. Like I know the old guys suck, but Javie always makes it a point to give at least one unnecessary technical in each game.  Blake keep doing your thing. Tomorrow, more college basketball and a special Tuesday Jersey Shore Power Rankings. I missed last week because of the tournament so catching up for you guys.  Also don't expect a lot of First Taste, no one is waking up before 10 am on Spring Break.

-Charlie.

First Taste: Free Blake Griffin

I saw this on Bomani Jones' Twitter feed today, this is pretty funny.  Jones has slowly become one of my favorite Around The Horn members because he brings a title belt to each show.  He calls himself the 'People's Champion' and I would like to challenge for that spot, Bomani!  Jersey Shore Power Rankings, Adam Wainwright, and much more today.

-Charlie.

Blake Decided To Dunk Over A Car, No Big Deal

I had to make an impromptu drive back to Eau Claire last night due to the bad weather today. Therefore I missed the Blake Show dunking over a car.  Of course, people are hating this move but I love it. What made it was TNT's Kenny Smith hyping it up before hand.  I swear Kenny has a future in the WWE being a manager for some superstar.  Hopefully, the Blake Show dunks over Lebron... haha only kidding.

-Charlie.

First Taste: Watch Out For That Backboard Blake!

How excited are you for the Blake Griffin All Star Experience this weekend? You get him on Friday getting lobs from John Wall, Saturday, he will have the first excited audience for a dunk contest since Vince Carter, and Sunday, he will play a little in the all star game and hopefully posterized LeBron. I am traveling and doing some things around school so I don't know what will be here today.

-Charlie.

Mitchy and Murph's Valentine's Date

Hello SNOTap followers and Happy Black History month. 


Monday night Mitch cordially invited me to see our hometown Milwaukee Bucks, who after that night's perfromance may still be doomed. Donald Sterling's Blakers were in town. Yes the Los Angles Clippers against the Bucks actually can draw a crowd at the Bradley Center these days. 





While both these teams are under .500, Mitsy and I will always be able to say we "Witnessed" Blake Griffin his rookie year. While after seeing two straight Bucks games at home, I have finally begun to believe that Scotty Skiles has lost the team and should begin watching over his children as a night job. 


Somehow I hope though we find our way into the seven seed by season's end, and get to watch the Heatles put on a Genocide at the Bradley Center for two games sometime in mid-april. 


Until then only 41 days til Opening Day.

-Murph

Thoughts On The Blake Show

Courtesy of Mr. Tom Luljak and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I got to attend the Bucks game last night for free as part of my Sports Marketing class.

It just so happened that the Los Angeles Blakers were in town.

I was rocking my "Fear The Deer" t-shirt because I knew we were staying for the game. And right off the bat, the Director of Corporate Sales of the Bucks asks me where I got it. Without reservation, I tell him "from some dude across the street out of the back of his car before Game 4 of the playoffs last year." He responds with, "Oh, so illegal merchandise?"

He didn't like my shirt too much I reckon.

Anyway, during our hour-plus tour of the Bradley Center, the anticipation was mounting from my fellow classmates about seeing Mr. Griffin in action. But before the game started, we went into the radio booth and we heard from the radio voice of the Bucks, Ted Davis. He is one of my favorite broadcasters and I stood right next to the man as he spoke to us. Just a class act.

We get our tickets and since Luljak has such great connections, we get to sit lower level and the view was just like watching it on TV. Maybe a little closer, but it was in person so that was pretty awesome.

Pretty quiet night from Blake overall. Shucks.

We didn't see our first dunk of the game until late in the second quarter and it was by Andrew Bogut off all people on the court. There was an opportunity for Blake to have a wide-open dunk but douchebag Randy Foye kept it and just layed it in. The crowd reacted negatively as you can imagine. Go back 'Nova Randy.

Blake made up for it with a sick half-court alley oop from Donald Sterling's favorite Baron Davis just before half. That was the just about the loudest the BC got last night.

The Bucks pulled away from Blake and the Clippers early in the fourth quarter and ended up winning 102-78. Carlos Del3no was 7 of 10 from beyond the arc and the Bucks in general actually made some shots. John Salmons had a career-high 12 assists.

Griffin rolled his ankle on good ole' Jon Brockman's foot in the fourth as well, but he appeared to shake it off after a time or two down the court and should be fine. The Brock Ness Monster is always in the way.

I feel like the Clippers could be good for a while if they handle things correctly. Pat touched on this a bit last night and I agree, Baron Davis should be dealt sometime in the near future. Maybe not this season but either in the offseason or by the deadline next year.

I doubt Eric Bledsoe is ready to a starting PG in the NBA but maybe by this time next year, he will be. He's got talent and another budding star in Eric Gordon right next to him. Patrick also asked me if I thought that the Clips could get Chris Paul. I seriously doubt it but it could be something to watch. Who wouldn't want to play with Blake Griffin? He's the first Clippers #1 overall selection to pan out since....Michael Olowokandi? Wait, no.

-Mitch

DOY: Blake Griffin... Who Else?!

This is absolutely filthy by the Blake Show.  Today, the All-Star reserves are revealed today so it will be interesting to see if they put Griffin on the team.  I personally think he deserves it not just because of his good season, but he is the most exciting player in the NBA. The All Star Game would be a whole other level if he is apart of it.

-Charlie.

Durant v. Griffin: Who Ya' Got?!

 One of our readers Adam asked me on Facebook: "You are the GM of a NBA team. Who would you rather build your team around, Kevin Durant or Blake Griffin? I'm saying Durant, just curious as to your thoughts..." So I decided to break it down to the very core. 



                                        Shooting- ADV: Durant

This is probably the easiest one for Durant to win. Right now, Griffin is excellent underneath the basket but he hasn't mastered that 12 to 18 foot jumper that guys like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan mastered throughout the years. When Griffin gets that jumper down, look out. He will be near unstoppable, but today, Durant can do it from all places on the court. 


Passing- ADV: Griffin 
This has been heavily discussed on the blog in the past couple weeks. Durant needs to work on his court version, no question about it. Griffin isn't that much better than KD, but he creates a ton of problems when the Clippers throw it down into the post. I expect Griffin's assist numbers to grow as he gets better because teams will start to double team.   


Rebounding- ADV: Griffin
A runaway category for Griffin.  He averaging near 13 rebounds a game as a rookie. He is currently 4th in the NBA right now.  Durant does get his rebounds, but in my opinion, he doesn't crash the boards enough. I would like to see more from Durant in terms of rebounding. 


Match Up Problems- ADV: Durant
While Griffin is physically a monster, Durant creates so many problems as a shooting guard and a small forward at 6'9. The Thunder can run a smaller lineup with KD at the wing, or supersize the lineup.  Honestly, you can play Durant at every five positions, but Griff can only play the four or five.  


Scoring- ADV: Durant 
He squeaks by in this one. Griffin scores in bunches, but not like Durant can. It really happens because Durant is a decent three point shooter plus he can slash. Griffin is really all about the alley oops, dunks, and the layups inside. But as I said earlier, Griff needs to get better from the outside.  


Defense- ADV: Durant 
This one might surprise you, but if you looked at advanced statistics using opponents PER 48 minute production, Durant takes it. When KD is playing his natural 2 and 3 position, the opponents are averaging 13.2 and 12.2. At Griffin's spots, his counterparts are 14.5 and 18.3. I actually would have guessed the opposite, but statistically, KD has it.   \


Late Game Situations- ADV: Durant 
Once again, it comes down to all the spaces that Durant can score from on the court. He hit a game-winner a couple of nights ago against New York, and I am not sure if Griffin has a winner under his belt.  Not to mention, I would rather have a wing guy taking the final shot then throwing it down to the post, but that's just me.  


In three years, all of this could change but today, the answer is Durant. Both players are going to continue to grow, and take their game to an impossible level. You want to know a scary thought?  What if Griffin after his rookie contract is up decides to take his talents back to Oklahoma City. Westbrook-Durant-Griffin would be a dynasty for years to come. 


-Charlie.

Blake Griffin: The Real Deal

Blake just being awesome and
hanging out with some smokes.

My friend Brett admitted how good Sam Shields was on Saturday night, and now I would like him to admit something else: The Clippers are a good NBA team.  Even though their record might not show it, the Clips beat the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers at home and are now only six games out of the 8th spot in the NBA Playoffs.  It's all due to the play of Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.

I was curious to see how Blake's rookie season so far has stacked up against some of the best NBA players still playing today.  After the name, it's points, rebounds, and assists...



Kobe Bryant:        7.6    1.9  1.3
Tim Duncan         21.1 11.9  2.7
Kevin Durant       20.4   4.4  2.4
Kevin Garnett      10.4  6.3   1.8
Grant Hill             19.9  6.4   5.0
LeBron James      20.9  5.5   5.9
Jason Kidd           11.7  5.4  7.7
Dirk Nowitzki        8.2   3.4  1.0
Shaquille O'Neal   23.4 13.9 1.9
Paul Pierce            16.5  6.4 2.3

So far this season Blake Griffin averages 21.9, 12.7 and 3.4 and has become the most exciting player to watch in the NBA. I know LeBron does some great things, but I really think no one compares to the things Blake does on the basketball court. I am saddened that Blake was not in Milwaukee when I have been here for the last five weeks. It's become a cliche comparison nowadays; to say Griffin reminds me of Shawn Kemp with a jumper.  Kemp did more things inside than Blake does, but Kemp didn't do the stuff  around the 15 foot range. Both of those guys had the same explosiveness, and keep you on the edge of your seat with every possession.

I started on this post before Blake dropped 47 and 14 against Indiana today.  Obviously, people know who Blake Griffin is, but I really think he will explode on All-Star Weekend.  Kind of like Durant last season, who people knew about, but didn't get the SportsCenter top highlights until the middle of the year.  I personally feel he deserves an All-Star bench spot, but if he doesn't get that, he will have a huge rookie game with John Wall passing the ball to him, and destroy the dunk contest.  To finish this post off, here is a montage of what Griffin has done this season. Enjoy



-Charlie.

Thunder & Blazers Both Open With Win

Paging Matt Bonner

Things have been pretty hectic at Blowtorch Consulting the past few months. After I put together the Brandon Jennings proposal, business boomed. And as the business has grown, I've had to sign a lot of non-disclosure agreements. This is the nature of commerce, I suppose.

But we are MAKING THINGS HAPPEN. For instance, last night while shopping for ingredients for a sausage casserole, I found our newest product endorsement.

GINGERBOY COOKIES - "Like gingerbread men, but younger in a not creepy way."

Some people say, "always be closing." I say, "always be brainstorming," which is probably more effective; some doors should remain open. Last night, in a split-second, I stormed my brain for a shortlist of possible Gingerboy endorsers. Here it is with each candidates pros and cons:

Blake Griffin

Pros: Has red hair. Actually marketable. Young, which correlates to the boy part of Gingerboy. Loves nutmeg.
Cons: May not be receptive to endorsing an offbrand cookie as he has other opportunities. Probably would want to change product name to Gingerballs. Hates cloves.

Brian Scalabrine

Pros: Has red hair. Kinda chunky, target market will identify with him.
Cons: No one wants to see Brian Scalabrine while they're eating.

Matt Bonner

Pros: Has red hair. No other marketing opportunities, so he would probably jump at this one. Avid baker.
Cons: Often sports a red beard. Possibly Canadian.

After careful consideration, I've decided to target Matt Bonner and his agent, Kenny Grant. Considering the other players Grant represents, I think he'll be pretty intrigued that someone actually is marketing one of his players. That's the Blowtorch Consulting strategy: make people who aren't marketable feel marketable so that they will pay you to market them.

Let's make this happen.

Various NBA Mafia Impersonations

Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!!!!

Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!!!!

Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!!!!

Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy....??

Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy!!!!

Hey.

Little Baby Blowtorch

I've been reticent to mention this because I feel like it might be a little too personal. However, I need all of your help. My wife has been pregnant the last nine months.

Last night, our baby was born. Despite my protests, she wouldn't go for the name Bonesaw Michaeljordan Kerby. I don't know why not, either. But since it was the start of the NBA season last night, she agreed to let me name it after whoever I want. I've got some ideas.

Might go with the 'best player in the game' strategy.

LeBron Treymes Kerby

Might try to make him more exotic.

Pau Kerby

Might go old-school.

Bill Kerby

Might go new-school.

Blake Kerby

Might go for the best look.

Dirk Nowitzkerby

This is basically the most important decision of my life, so I need your help.

What do you think?

I Have to Admit It's Getting Better

A brief recap of the #32 throughout Clippers history...

A Michael Jackson Tribute Post

EEEE-HEEE

Blake Griffin 2009 NBA Draft No.1 Pick

LA Clippers began Thursday night’s draft with the obvious choice: Blake Griffin. The 20 year old Griffin was the consensus college basketball player of the year after leading the nation with 14.4 rebounds per game while averaging 22.7 points last season for Oklahoma Sooners. Clippers would take Blake Griffin with the top pick just hours after they won the 2009 NBA Draft lottery last month, and never considered changing their minds.

The 2009 NBA Draft followed a day of big deal in the NBA: Shaquille O’Neal will join LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Vince Carter to play for Orlando Magic.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Planet Earth

In an effort to promote racial equality, I just want to let you all know that when Blake Griffin comes to the NBA next year, his nickname will be "Gingerballs." Rhys Darby would be proud.

That is all.