Mid-Season Awards

We are almost at the halfway mark of the 2009 season and much has changed since opening night. Some teams have lived up to the hype while others have flamed out, and then there are a few surprise teams in the mix. Also, there are players who have bounced back from injury, MVP candidates and budding superstars. Here is a look at the biggest milestones thus far..

MVP

Kobe Bryant has picked up where he left off last season and is still in MVP form. The Lakers are off to the 2nd best record in the league at 35-9 and have a stronghold on the tough Western Conference. KB24 is practicing less is more by succumbing to only 20 shots a game, and his teammates seem to be reaping the rewards. The early favorite for the award was LeBron James but after the duo squared off in LA; its Kobe's race to lose.

NEXT BIG THING

Danny Granger has been taking great strides since coming into the crowded draft of 2005(CP3, C-Bosh ect.) Once Jermaine O'Neal was traded the team needed a new leader and Granger has lived up to the bill. He is currently 4th in scoring at slightly under 26pts a game. Not only is he turning into a proven scorer but he also has shown a nac for hitting the big shots. He has 2 buzzer beaters under his belt this season, and a would be 3 only to be 1 upped by CP3 in New Orleans with a walk off 3 pointer. Granger should be an All-Star reserve, and he currently has Indy eying the 8th seed in the East.

SURPRISE TEAM

The Orlando Magic have taken the league by surprise and are proving to be contenders not only in the East, bur for a Championship. Led by; Superman 2 Dwight Howard(20pts-13rpg), the Magic are off to a 34-10 record and just completed an impressive 4-0 West coast trip only to return home and get beaten handedly by the Boston Celtics. This team lives and dies by the 3pt shot, when they are effective they are truly unbeatable, but some nights the shot doesn't fall and they are exposed. Time will tell whether this team is a true Contender.

6TH MAN OF THE YEAR

Jason Terry has been a proven scorer in this league for a quite a few years, bur only a few players can match their production coming off of the bench. Not only has he matched it, but he is playing some of the best ball of his career. At 20ppg he is proving to be a great compliment to Dirk Norwitzki as they are slowly becoming a dangerous team in the crowded Western Conference.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
This was a tough choice, even halfway through the season its hard to pick a clear cut favorite for the ROY. Derrick Rose is slightly ahead of O.J Mayo at this point just
because of the pressure that comes with running the point in the NBA. Also, the Bulls have a much better record than the Grizzlies and should vie for a playoff spot. Rose is second in scoring at 16ppg and is learning to trust his teammates more with a above modest 6.3 assists a game.






Peace,
Agent34

A "Notorious "Review

Today I took my friend Michelle's advice (her blog) and took advantage of the $5 movie special at the Fork & Spoon (Formally Buckhead Backlot). I didn't even look at the other movies that were playing, I was there for only 1 reason and that was to see the adaptation of the Greatest Rapper of All-Time..The Notorious B.I.G.

The movie in my opinion was very well researched and this is coming from a Hip-Hop head who followed the rise of Biggie Smalls as a young kid. Notorious showed a young Christopher Wallace struggling between the 2 worlds of drug dealing and rapping while being pursued by an ambitious Uptown intern Sean "Diddy" Combs (played by Derick Luke).



Here are some of the Highs and Lows of the Move..

Highs:
-Lil Kim and B.I.G (How they Met)
-Angella Basset as Voletta Wallace
-Tupac and Bigs friendship
-The actress who played Faith (You will understand after you watch..LoL)
-Derrick Luke as Diddy (He definitely went to Diddy's dance school)
-Lil Cease who was played by the actor from Losing Isaiah (He was hilarious)

Lows:
-Lil Kim (She kinda got the played in the movie)
-Death of B.I.G
-East Coast-vs-West Coast Beef

Overall this was an excellent movie that portrayed a legend that I grew up listening too at a young age. Even though it was years overdue it was right on time, hopefully people will be able to take away the positive messages that were on display throughout the story. The rise of a man who chased a dream and in the process helped launch a billion dollar industry.
R.I.P CHRISTOPHER WALLACE
'Peace
Agent 34

Teammates You Forgot About..

A lot of times in the NBA a young superstar is paired up with an old seasoned veteran to try and create a tag team of sorts. Today we revisit some of the duos that just never panned out and wonder what if..

Steve Nash and Jason Kidd

These two future Hall of Famers only played together for 1 season, but they are arguably the top two point guards in the last 10 yrs of the NBA. A back court of Nash and Kidd seems like an All-Star lineup, but after Nash's emergence as a solid point guard Kidd was shipped to New Jersey.


LeBron James and Darius Miles

This duo saw limited action together in 2003 due to a D. Miles knee injury that pretty much ended his career as an explosive dunker. If Miles had not suffered that injury rookie LeBron would have had a very good sidekick in his quest for an NBA Championship. Other critics will argue that having 1 premier player on a team is a natural maturation process for a rookie to become a superstar and in this case that was true. LeBron went on to be..well Lebron and Miles is currently trying to find a home while recouping money from the Portland Blazers.

1984 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers have had a slew of NBA players who are Hall of Famers over the years but arguably no team in history had more than the 84 Sixers. Not only did this team include Moses Malone and Dr. J, they also had a young rookie by the name of Charles Barkley and seasoned veteran Maurice Cheeks. The 4 HOF's made it to the NBA Finals that year but eventually lost out to the Boston Celtics. During this era it wasn't uncommon to see a loaded team draft a budding rookie, due to the structure of the collective bargain agreement and the lack of a salary cap. (The only reason the C's won 11 straight years) Although this team only played together collectively for one year, if all were in their prime; I'm not sure they would be beat.

These are just a small collection of great teammates, watch out for more to come..

'Peace
Agent34

LG Watch Phone!?!

So while surfing the net (yeah I do that) I stumbled onto a video of a revolutionary phone that is actually a watch. Yeah a watch..so apparently the new phone will hit stores sometime in 2009, but is without a carrier thus far. Here is a look at the phone from the showcase...



I'm not sure how this phone is going to work, it has to use bluetooth right? I mean walking around with your watch on your ear and mouth is not a trend that will catch fire in 09, so it has come with bluetooth only. Also, what about text messaging? This phone seems like it will be a hot commodity but nothing like the Iphone or G1 craze that we saw in 08. Below is another video of the new LG phone up close and personal, oh and I'm not going to lie I may have to scoop it up ASAP...come on I grew up on Dick Tracey and James Bond.



'Peace
Agent 34

HBO's The Wire Recap

The Wire was one of the best shows in cable history, besides the Sopranos. Skillz (rapper) did a great job of recapping all 5 seasons of the hit show in under 5 minutes. So if you're a fan enjoy, and if you have been living under a rock and never heard of the show; I promise you will go rent all 5 seasons after watching this video.



Peace,
Agent 34

Chasing History

Here we are almost halfway through the NBA Season and so much has changed, while a lot has remained the same throughout the league. The emergence of the Celtics as one of the All-Time Greatest teams is the biggest story of the season.  After defeating the Philadelphia 76ers lastnight; Boston has pushed their win streak to 19 and setting up a showdown in LA for 20 in a row on Christmas Day. 

1971-72 Lakers won 33 Consecutive Games...

If Boston wants to achieve this feat they will first have to match the 22 game win streak (2nd All-Time) that the Houston Rockets put up last year on their late season playoff run.  To put these Celtics in perspective, dont forget that they are the defending NBA Champions and historically are supposed to be still in celebration mode following the ring ceremony on opening night.  But these guys are different led by a fiery leader in Garnett who seamingly injects heart into even the less exasperated  players (Ray Allen-Shows the same emotion he portrayed as Jesus Shuttlesworth in He Got Game) and its contagious on the defensive end; where championships are won I might add.  The C's have already written themselves a page in the history books as they just set the record for most wins by ANY celtic team.  Thats saying a lot seeing as how they won 11 straight titles, and that is something that will NEVER happen again.  Stay tuned as we see how far this improbable run will last and if we could see our first repeat champs since the 2002..Lakers.  See you in LA.

Merry X-Mas,

Agent34

What's In Your Deck?

Over the last week several albums have hit the shelves; some with high acclaim while others have floated under the radar.  Here is a list of LP's that stood out from the rest...

Q-Tip:The Renaissance-This is the sophomore LP from the legendary member of The Tribe Called Quest.  After his first solo joint Abstract  was welcomed with lukewarm reviews, The Renaissance shows what a Hip Hop album is all about.  Tight beats, Real lyrics, and soulful samples makes this cd one of the best of 08.  The album has a highly touted guest list with vocals from Corrine Bailey Rae, Raphaell Sadiqq, D'Angelo and production from Kanye West.  Once you get past the fact that he hasn't been overly relevant lately, you will understand why Hip Hop can never die with pioneers like Tip still refusing to hang up the mic. 
Hot Tracks: Getting Up, Wont Trade. You, Life is Better
Rating: *****

Kanye West:808 and Heartbreak-Kanyeeezeee totally went to the left with this one.  If you listen to Kanye for soulful samples and clever word play then this is not the album for you.  Heartbreak showcases the annoying usage of auto tunes(t-pain effect) but with a twist.  It took me 3 listens to this cd to actually come to grips that this is a Pop album and not  a Rap album; which helps to understand the brilliance that comes with it.  The beats on this album are up to par with his other cd's, but Kanye is a featured "singer" this time around.  Most of the production is kept in house and the only guest spots are from Young Jeezy who shines on "Amazing", and a lackluster Lil Wayne on "See You in my Nightmares"  Overall, the album is solid; and can not be truly appreciated for years to come. 
Hot Tracks: Amazing, Heartless, Love Lockdown, Street Lights, Coldest Winter
Rating: ****

Peace,
Agent 34