May iniisip ka?
Oo.
Ano?
Ayaw kong sabihin. Baka magkatotoo.
Dahil makulit ka
Kilala kita. Oo, ikaw 'yun: Nagkasalubong na tayo minsan, sa LRT, sa Gotohan, sa kanto ng Aurora at Katipunan. Nagkatinginan tayo. Hindi mo ako kinausap, pero alam ko, nakilala mo rin ako. Kaya ka narito, di ba? Para sabihing, Oo, oo, ikaw nga 'yun. Naaalala kita.
na, mula noong 24 Enero, 2006, ang nakitambay dito
'ika nga ni carl: hide your daughters!!!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Tutugtog ang Los Chupacabras bukas sa Mag:Net Katipunan. Pero bago nu'n, mga 9 siguro magsisimula na ang Happy Mondays Poetry Reading. Heto raw ang mga magbabasa, rakenrol cast na naman:
1. Marne Kilates 2. Lourd De Veyra 3. Adam David 4. Corin Arenas 5. Jonar Sabilano 6. Kris Lacaba 7. Allan Pastrana 8. Waps San Diego 9. Kash Avena 10. Khavn Dela Cruz 11. Mikael De Lara Co 12. Israfel Fagela
Tutugtog rin nga pala ang Tabloid Lite, banda nina Karl de Mesa, Poldo, at Lope. Di ko kilala ang drummer nila, e. Di ko pa sila naririnig tumugtog. Pero dahil magkakaibigan tayo, panonoorin at susuportahan natin sila.
Nga pala, para sa mga na-publish sa Dapitan folio at sa Dapitan Prose, darating din ang mga bayaw galing sa UST na may dalang mga kopya ng mga librong 'to. Kung UP- o Ateneo-based ka, o simpleng mas malapit lang ang tirahan sa Katipunan, nood ka na para makuha ang kopya mo.
So Chicago swept Miami. I had them winning the series. In 6 games, though.
But a sweep? Malaking bagay 'yun-- beating the defending champs, with their two best players active. No matter how injury plagued this season has been for the Heat, no matter how much Shaq resembled a brokedown PNR tren as the season progressed, they are still the reigning champs. Or were, since they wouldn't get the chance to defend their title anymore. I expected a bit more heart from the reigning champs. But then again, sabi nga nila, mabilis ang karma:
2.
Detroit over Orlando in 4, now, that wasn't at all unexpected-- although the fanboy in me had wanted the Magic to win at least one game in the series. Para ba sa kumpiyansa nila, coming into the next season. Pero hindi, e. Ganu'n talaga ang buhay.
Pag nagretiro na si Grant Hill, at nag-expire na rin ang kontrata ni Penny Hardaway, whom I think they acquired in the Stevie Franchise trade (or contract dump,) humanda kayo, East. Then they can sign a big-time free agent. Then they can let go of Jameer Nelson and search for a real point guard. Then they can start a championship drive. Itaga mo sa bato, three years down the road, the Magic will be a championship contender.
Of those stars rumored to be on their way to Los Angeles, one makes the most sense to me. The story is that the Lakers turned down a trade with New Jersey that would have sent Bynum to New Jersey for Jason Kidd. If I ran the Lakers I would do it, for several reasons:
Lamar Odom has the potential to be an awesome force, and has underperformed in Los Angeles. Jason Kidd is the only big-name player who is practically guaranteed to make Odom perform closer to his massive potential. A more effective Odom mitigates, somewhat, the loss of Bynum.
Picture it! Kidd and Bryant side by side ... two ferocious winners motivated to win now. They'd win 30 NBA games playing alongside eighth graders. But they would be better than that. The Laker lineup would be much like New Jersey's current lineup. Only, in place of Vince Carter you have Kobe Bryant. In place of Richard Jefferson you have Luke Walton. And in place of Nenad Krstic you have Lamar Odom. I could keep going down the list. But the point is, that's a team that's ready to win now and Kidd solves the ball-sharing issues that have plagued this team (at the expense of the triangle? perhaps). Kidd gets the ball to spots where his teammates can use it. Odom, Bryant etc. can handle that.
Asa ka pa.
The triangle does not need a point guard who's a great passer, or who runs the break excellently. Granted, Kidd plays respectable (okay, good) D, but he doesn't have the sniping skills that the triangle needs.
Think about it: the triangle has had the most success with a superstar scoring guard, a good passing center, and quality role players. Jordan had BJ Armstrong in his early championship runs, but a lot of the crunchtime plays had Paxson in it. He had Bill Cartwright too. Further on, he had Ron Harper and Luc Longley.
Sa Alaska, they had Johnny A.-- a bulk scorer-- who had Jojo Lastimoza by his side, a steady gunner who relied mostly on jumpshots and three-bombs. Oh, and remember Poch Juinio? Not superstar quality, but a high percentage shooter who passed excellently.
The Lakers' three-peat had Kobe and Shaq-- also a spectacular passing center. And the point guard? Ron Harper, again.
The point guard's main role in the triangle, I think, is to defend and snipe. That's one reason why bigger complimentary guards were seen with the bulk-scorers: so the superstars wouldn't have to expend as much energy running around all the time, chasing after the other team's gunner.
If in an alternate universe Steve Nash were a Laker, he wouldn't be as effective as he is now, running the Suns' run-and-gun-and-runrunrun offense. Same goes for Jason Kidd.
What the Lakers need-- and I'm not even a fan-- is a consistent post presence who can pass and defend. Someone who can cover up for the lousy perimeter D with some hardcore shot-blocking ability: the Marcus Camby's, the Ben Wallaces, the Tyrus Thomases. Or a Scottie Pippen type: I high energy defender who can take the scoring load from time to time: Gerald Wallace? James Posey? Tayshaun Prince?
The passing, at least, they have in Lamar Odom. If they had to trade Andrew Bynum for a marquee player, I'd go for Jermaine O'Neal. (Kevin Garnett would be nice, but I don't think the Lakers can offer anything to the T-Wolves). If they had to trade Bynum. But I wouldn't.
I'd dangle the non-performers (Hellooo, Kwame!) for mid-level veterans who could do the job, albeit unspectacularly. Or I'd find one in the draft. They do need to replace Parker, if only for the chemistry concerns, and so that Jordan Farmar can serve as understudy to someone who's not named "Smush." But is Jason Kidd worth pursuing? I don't think so.
Sa totoo lang, I would, too. But letting the media know? And letting them know before having a talk with the player? What about trust? What about motivation? If I were Nuggets management, I'd be benching Karl.
5.
Chicago over Detroit in 6.
Remember the last game of the regular season? When Chicago lost to the Nets and dropped to fifth place, effectively placing the Bulls in the paths of powerhouses Detroit and Miami?
I think it was one of Scott Skiles' crazy plots. "Miami repeating? Detroit as Eastern Conference Champs? And for God's sake, the Cavaliers? Can't I get any respect?"
And so he purposely lost that game, or told his players to do so, to prove a point: That they don't care who they're up against. That Kirk Heinrich, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon have become mature enough, that Ben Wallace can stay focused enough, that Thabo Sefolosha and Tyrus Thomas are not as young and mentally unprepared as people might think they are. That this Bulls team can win against anyone.
6.
Siyempre di pa tapos ang first round ng playoffs, 'no? At siyempre sumablay ako sa ilan kong hula (Golden State lording it over the Mavs? Who would've thought?)
And the Nuggets in the same spot as they were two seasons ago? I think I'll owe Drey four beers for this one. Umasa na ako, e! Allen Iverson, what the fuck are you doing?!
Sagot ni Iverson:
Hindi ko rin alaaaaaaaam!
7.
Anyway, here are my predictions for the second round:
East: Chicago over Detroit in 6 (What'll it take to make everyone else believe?); New Jersey over Cleveland in 7 (if the Cavs were up to the challenge, don't you think they would've won over the Wizards by 50 points in each game?).
West: Houston over Golden State in 5 (yes, the Mavs will go home as only the third top-seed to lose an opening round match-up with the eighth-seed; their 2 wins have been cases of 'too much luck, too little heart'. And yes, Houston will defeat Utah in 7, thanks to homecourt advantage); Phoenix over San Antonio in 7 (partly because the Spurs will have to stretch this series to seven games-- I'm not being too hopeful, am I?-- slugging it out with the physical Nuggets while the Suns sip red-bull-and-vodkas in Phoenix after closing out the Lakers in, uh, an hour.)
I know that I haven't been posting as often as I should've been, and that I'd failed miserably at the intpowrimo thing (nakasulat ako pero buwakanangina,) and that motherfuck I'm ispowkening duh-larrrr when I haven't written even a hundred words in english in this blog, pero--
