"Let the Sh*t Talking Ensue!"

Well, well, well.

This is an interesting part of the year. The weather's nice, school (for some of us) is ending and we're all thinking about that park on Lillie Ave., and what will happen there.

And, from that, comes a phenomenal amount of boasting, bragging, bitching, and lopsided-predictions from all the "experts" in the league.

I enjoy it personally because sometimes it's fun to get involved in, and other times I try to use the stuff said about me as motivation...but in one person's case, the stuff that he said is so damn far off base that all I can do is laugh.

One guess who it is? You there, the man in the front row with that "Reel Big Fish" jacket? "PureSugar"? You're right!

Once again, Pure has outdone himself by writing another magnificent little article showing how off-base he can really be. I mean, I swear sometimes I think he just likes to write the most illogical things possible to get attention...I don't know what it is. But honestly, I don't have any idea how he can think Domino and I will come in THIRD this year.

Nope, I couldn't believe it, but there it is..."These two don't have good chemistry together, I can see them getting frustrated and beaten by teamwork, 'cause these guys have no teamwork."

That's funny, I don't know where he got that idea. Derek and I have played together 2-on-2 many times the past few months...was Craig around to see any of those games. Oh, he wasn't? Then I guess he didn't see me and Derek working the ball back and forth nearly every play, and me taking the ball up top on a majority. I get the ball plenty. And of course, Derek will shoot more than me. He SHOULD. He's the best scorer in the league, and I'm the best passer. So obviously, I'm not going to shoot as much as he will. But I will handle the ball plenty, and I am guaran-damn-teeing that we will easily have the BEST teamwork in the league.

Then we have Ryan. He's the only unbiased guy in the league, cause he's not playing. Everyone else will always pick their team to finish in first, but Ryan's not on one, so he must have a reason for picking the Warriors to come in first. However, he got a couple shots in on me anyway, which I appreciate... :) He said what I'm sure to be hearing all season, that I will be "riding" Derek to success. That's a matter of perception. He will score, rebound, and block shots much more than me. It's safe to say that he'll shoot better, also. But you're all forgetting that he also does these things BETTER THAN ANYONE IN THE WHOLE LEAGUE. So that doesn't necessarily mean I'm won't be doing my part to help the team win.

Here's the thing about Derek...he gives me great opportunities. This guy makes more off-the-ball cuts than anyone I've ever played with or seen in our league. What that means is that I have more opportunities to make great passes that lead to great scoring opportunities. Now you can say what you want, but I think Shooter will attest that having a guy who can get the ball to you anytime, anywhere is a great asset to your scoring. I don't get a lot of "routine" assists, where you pass to the guy and he takes a guarded three and happens to make it. No, I get my teammates layups, I drive and draw defense and pass out for open jumpers, and here's the bottom line..I make sure my team gets the ball in the basket, whether I'm doing it personally or my teammate is.

Anyway, since everyone is predicting the standings, I think I'll do so as well:

First Place-The Warriors

I'm a logical guy. I look at things like this. Derek fairly easily won a title with Craig last year. I put up better numbers in almost every category than him. Therefore, we should be much better than they were last year. And I think to myself, "if we're better than he and Craig were, and they won the Title..." You see where I'm going with this. Let's put it this way...Derek's the all-time leading scorer, I'm the all-time leading passer, and between us our career averages equal about 70 points per game. And yeah, I may only average 10-11 rebounds, but put that with Derek's 18-19, and that's about 30 a game. Enough about us, let's talk about why the others won't finish first:

Second Place-The Lightning

These guys are in great shape (although Chris' hustling habits are in question), both shoot well (although KG didn't shoot like he thought he could last year), and are very capable as players. I've seen Shooter recently, and his shot is better than ever. I think he could take the shooting titles back again this year, if he's selective with his shots. KG will probably win another Hustle Award, and get a fair amount of steals and loose balls. What do they lack? Consistency. Come on, between the two of these guys they shot 360 three-pointers last summer...any team who relies on the three ball that much will have ups and downs. I don't think these guys will know when their shots are off and they need to work it inside. They are a very good team, but against us, Derek's proven he can take Shooter (sorry Chris, but until you prove him wrong...) and I wholeheartedly believe I can outperform KG (we'll see, huh?).

Third Place-The Titans

Bruce Kreider, 6'8" and able to shoot the three? At first look, with him and Craig, these guys look unstoppable. I mean, between Bruce, who can outrebound anyone and will block a ton of shots this year, and Craig, a capable player and great three-point shooter, should be a great team. The possibilities are endless with Bruce drawing double-teams and Craig knocking down the open "three" as he did with Domino. But look closer, and you see some chinks in their armor for sure. For one thing, Bruce is huge but in 2-on-2, he will have to create many of his own shots. Craig isn't confident enough in his ball-handling skills to run the offense while Bruce gets set in the post. Bruce will have to play the perimeter to help the ball movement, and he will have a hard time driving to the hole on Domino, Shooter and Jay, who are shorter and quicker and could steal his dribble consistently. Bruce also loves the three, which will be on very much, but when it's off, it's a definite automatic defensive board for the opposition. This is a good opportunity for Craig, since Bruce hates hogging the ball and he will get it nearly every play, but Craig isn't confident enough to do anything with it unless he's wide open. Defensively, Bruce can only guard one guy and many players can expose Craig's defense. That's why this team won't be able to keep up with the top two.

Fourth Place-The SabreCats

Jay has kept the tradition going after Joker's retirement of last year, and will now lead a team that has made it to two Finals in a row. Jay has been to the Finals all three years of his HBL career, so he's a proven winner. But this will be his biggest challenge yet. He's playing with rookie "Sir Swish" Lee Eberhart, who is capable of doing a lot of things on the court, despite what Ryan says. I think Craig was pretty accurate with his appraisal of Lee's skills. They will be best against the Titans, because Jay and Bruce will battle it out, and I think Lee can get the best of Pure because he's more mobile with the ball and a better rebounder. However, I also think Lee will be nervous and it will take him awhile to adjust, and although Jay will have a strong season and in my opinion, contend for the scoring title, they just won't be able to match up with the other teams for a full 24 minutes. They will have some great wins, but unfortunately, more losses than wins. I just hope these guys can keep their heads up like me and Shooter did when we were getting our asses kicked every week.

Oh, I'll also go out on a limb and predict the major award winners this year. Here we go.

MVP-Derek Hendrickson
Scoring Title-Too close to call
Rebounding-Derek Hendrickson (Bruce will be on the perimeter too much)
Blocks-Bruce Kreider (duh)
Assists-Dee again
Steals-KG or Domino
FG Shooting-Chris, Bruce or Domino
3 pt. Shooting-Bruce
Most Exciting Player-Domino or Bruce
Sportsmanship-Bruce or Lee
Team Player Award-Dee or KG
Clutch Player-Derek or Pure
Most Improved Player-Dee (you'll see)
Only Guy Ever To Average A Triple-Double Award-MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME!

With that said, I do sincerely wish everyone luck. This is all in fun and I want everyone to be as successful and happy as possible, and I want us all to have a good time together. I love the competitiveness, but I hope we leave the games on the court and keep our composure! This could be the best year of HBL ever!!!

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