Erick Blasco

It was extremely subtle. I was sitting with a group of people and we didn't feel it at first. Then I felt like I had vertigo for a few seconds and it stopped. A traffic cone toppled over. That was the worst of the damage. Still, I saw people running into the streets afterwards like the sky was falling. People panic too often.

Paragraphs man...33 straight lines of text are getting ignored. Before his second tour with Dallas, Kidd shot above 35.2% from downtown three times in 13 years. That's not good.

Be careful, people said working for the Spurs made P.J. Carlesimo a good choice as the Thunder coach and that turned out to be an abject failure!

I think Kidd has had the better career. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is how Kidd reinvented himself later in his career. He used to be an awful shooter, but turned himself into a real good shooter later in his career. Even when his athleticism disappeared, he was resourceful enough to adapt his game in a way which helped his team win a championship. I do think that Kidd was a worse scorer and playmaker than Kidd, but I always found him to be a more responsible decision maker, and his defense was worlds better than Nash's, especially on the ball. Seeing Kidd really limit Wade and LeBron while hitting big shots and running the offense for the Mavs is the icing on the cake.

I'd like to see Kenny moved to a game analyst then. He did okay work with the Knicks, and he'll be better than Reggie.

lol, I'll take it!

Cricket would've been my second guess and the Bahamas question is a real good one. I want to punch you for question 14...

/facepalm

lol at the pic. I forgot Kidd was acquired for Marbury. Now THAT was an awesome trade!

I'm sure it's because I'm pretty.

When the atmosphere is clear and warm, it heats the ground, drying it, but also allowing itself to get wetter with water vapor---similar to a towel in some regards.

Kobe is neither Jordan or LeBron. The comparisons only diminish either player---Jordan by suggesting Kobe is as good as MJ, and Kobe by comparing him to a better player, therefore diminishing what he himself has accomplished. He's also a different type of player than LeBron---probably with a better basketball IQ, more heart, and more skill, but with less physical talent, and more on-court irresponsibility.

Chosen One 1. Are you having a very fine day today? 2. #1 thing on your bucket list? 3. Which sport used the term 'home run' before baseball? 4. Who founded the Death Row label with Marion 'Suge' Knight? 5. Freeport international airport is in which country? 6. The World's biggest what was made at Utica, New York in January 1998? 7. What are five factors that influence demand? 8. How did money originate? 9. How do tax cuts affect the economy? 10. What is the best definition of economics? 11. Who are Canada's top three trading partners? 12. You have 200 pounds of water and 200 pounds of sand which one is heavier? 13. An electric train is moving north at 100mph and a wind is blowing to the west at 10mph. Which way does the smoke blow? 14. How can a man go eight days without sleep? 15. How much dirt is there in a hole 3 feet deep, 6 ft long and 4 ft wide? 16. Is it cool if i ask you 16 questions? 1) I just woke up (4:42 PM) after working until 5 AM yesterday morning. So far this day is going okay. I feel weird having dinner and not lunch though. 2) I’d love to pen a novel someday, but I’m really bad at writing characters. 3) I have no idea to any of the answers to the next nine questions, so I’m going to take educated guesses. I’ll assume horse racing used the term with the home run being analogous to the stretch run. 4) I don’t listen to Suge Knight so I’ll pick Rick Ross out of a hat. 5) What a generically named airport. Since it’s called “port,” I’ll assume it’s near a body of water, and since it’s a trivia question asked, I’m sure it’s somewhere obscure. “Freeport” may imply slavery so I’ll say South Africa. My second guess would be the United States. 6) Pizza? 7) Supply, price, elasticity, consumer wealth, Product/service alternatives? 8) I’m assuming as cities expanded an ancient rulers wanted a more stable way of collecting taxes than using barter—and when technology allowed easy access to smelted coins—money came into issue. 9) This is a broad question that depends on who is benefiting from the tax cut. Tax cuts to businesses offer incentives for businesses to stay domestic and to expand, which in theory helps domestic businesses and the economy, though regular middle and lower-class workers have to pick up the tax burden. Tax cuts to the working class at the expense of businesses may prevent big businesses from expanding, removing jobs, and may persuade them to set up in other countries to avoid tax regulations. 10) I have no idea what the best definition is. My definition would be something like the acquisition, trade, and distribution of goods, services, and wealth. 11) The United States, Mexico (almost has to be thanks to NAFTA), and China? 12) In a vacuum they each weigh the same. 13) To the west. 14) By being dead. 15) None. It’s a hole. 16) I hear the mods are going to ban you for that. Play by the rules dude. OTR doesn’t play games with this extra question bullshit. You’re lucky you’re still posting here. Real Deal: 1) What's better for you: beard, or clean shave? 2) You are playing a game of two-on-two. It's you, and _______ (another NBA player), against Matt Harpring and Mehmet Okur. Who is your teammate? 3) I'm selling OTR, and you don't seem to be interested. Who ends up with the site? 4) You're the owner of an NBA team, and you need a coach, general manager, and a scout. What three OTR members get the positions? 5) Name the team that you own (city and team name). 6) On that team, you get ONE superstar, one borderline all-star, and the rest is filled with role players. What two NBA players do you pick up as your superstar and borderline all-star? 7) Rate your basketball skills on a scale of 1-10. 8) What NBA player would you compare your style of play to? 9) What is your dream car? 10) Dream girl? 11) I'm making everyone change their display names. What do you change yours to? 12) Everyone must have team reps. What team do you rep? 13) If you had a pet anteater, what clever name would you give it? 14) What's the most unique display name you've seen on the site? 15) If 50 OTR members were posting once a day for the first month, twice a day for the second month, three times a day for the third, and they continued to increase their daily post count averages by one each month...how many posts would we have in a year's time? 1) Beard. It’s good for necking and it’s good for laziness. Therefore it’s good for me. Plus I look 15 years old when I'm clean shaven. 2) Serge Ibaka. I’m getting destroyed in the post by both of those guys, so I’m going to need somebody who can defend two guys at once. And Ibaka can torch Okur’s defense. We’re still losing 21-0 though, I mean, Okur can shoot over me, and Harpring is like 2% body fat, 98% steel. 3) Kyle. 4) I want Build ford Tough as the GM because he understands the game and is level headed, and I want Nitro as the coach because with all the interesting situations he’s been in, I think he relates to people well. As for the scout, I’d take His Greatness but he has to check in with the organization more often than he does now. 5) The Golden State Warriors. The franchise is backwards enough to turn to three random internet guys to run their team. 6) LeBron is my superstar because he’s LeBron, and my borderline All-Star is Nene because he can be a dominant post scorer who plays defense. 7) Hmm. I’ll use a 1-10 scale. Handles: 2 Interior finishing: 1 Perimeter defense: 3 Interior defense: 1 Post offense: 3 (I have a bad turnaround AND good footwork on a step-through that has been described, on more than one occasion, as Olajuwonesque by people who probably didn‘t watch the Rockets a lot.) Jump shooting: 3 (I have range beyond the three-point line when I’m standing still. Stamina: -5 Rebounding: -5 Passing: 1 Intangibles: 6 (I set and call out picks, making sure I’m the whitest player in the game) 8) Sasha Pavlovic because he shoots just well enough to mask the fact that he sucks. 9) The NYC MTA. I don’t drive, don’t need to drive, don’t want to drive, and when you grow up in Brooklyn, not driving has its benefits. 10) Gabrielle Union. 11) E-TRAIN because I derail suckas. And because I call myself that on occassions when it’s totally lame to give yourself a nickname. 12) The Florida Gators. Daaaa, da da da da, Go! Gators! 13) Elefunfun (There was some kid game involving an elephant shooting things out of its nose. I think Anteaters kind of look like that). 14) I don’t know. Few have stood out. I like the name Art Bart because it’s fun to say. 15) 3900 Confidence: 1. Who is your favorite and least favorite NBA Analyst? 2. In your opinion how long will the lockout last? And if the season does only end up being 50 games, what team will benefit the most? 3. Rumor is that Brandon is selling OTR to you, what changes do you plan on making? 4. Why is Brandon selling OTR? 5. Who is more likely to set foot on a NBA court again, Matt Harpring or Jerry Sloan? 6. Blondes or brunettes? Let's take it a step further.....cute eyes or sexy accent? 7. Who will have a more successful career in the NBA, Kemba Walker or Jimmer Ferdette? 8. Kobe Bryant: Michael Jordan as Lebron James:? 9. .......What do you think of them? 10. Do you follow the NFL at all? And if you do, who is your favorite player and favorite team? 1) Jeff Van Gundy is easily my favorite because he understands theory, he’s very silly, and he’s probably the most critical analyst who knows what he’s talking about (Barkley’s “analysis” is usually without basis, but because he swears and slurs words, people love him. John Starks, Clyde Drexler, Jalen Rose, and whoever Cleveland’s color guy is are the worst “analysts” in sports, with Chris Mullin, Tim Legler, Magic Johnson, and Jon Barry close behind. ESPN’s studio guys and B-Teams make Mark Jackson look like a genius. 2) Right now, the sides are incredibly far apart. This may last an entire season. Young teams would fare best in a shortened season because they handle travel better. I’d like the Bulls and Thunder if there were a shortened-season. 3) I wouldn’t buy it. I don’t really know how to manage a community, especially one as young as OTR is. From the structural side, I think OTR is already really good. Sometimes there’s petty beef between members but that isn’t going to change, and Brandon and the mods do a pretty good job of squashing that as is. The only change I’d make is allowing Vimeo to be embeddable, lol. 4) You should ask him that in his KIR. 5) I’d say Harpring. He may become a coach someday, while I think Sloan is done with the game. 6) Are you hitting on me? Mostly brunettes, but I don’t differentiate. Eyes easily though. Dumb eyes are a turnoff. 7) Jimmer Fredette looks like an unathletic streetballer. I doubt he has a successful NBA career. 8) Michael Jordan “as” LeBron James? What does that even mean? I’m assuming there was supposed to be an “or” involved? 9) They’re pretty boring. They sound generic, like Nickelback. Most of the rock I listen to is softer and/or has more complexity with the sound layers. Like Tool, or Passion Pit. Two very different genres of course, but their sound carries a lot of depth. This is just me though, if you like the band, rock out! 10) I follow the NFL a bit. I’m a huge Panthers fan, and have been since John Fox took over. Now, I don’t know how I feel about the team (I despise everything Cam Newton stands for). I may follow Fox to Denver and become a Broncos fan. I’m already a Rockies fan, so I’d have the Rocky Mountains down pat. Moeroadkill: 1.why are you getting so mad at some of these questions? 2.if your answer is "im not/i wasnt" why not? 3.How many ducks could a wood chuck duck, if a wood chuck could duck ducks? 4.do you think fish get thirsty? 5.why does a round pizza come in a square box? 6.do you have pork on your fork? 7.if not, why not? 8.not enough pork? or no forks? 9.what does 'OK' actually mean? 10.if the earth was flat what would we see if we stood on the edge? 11.you remind me of sheldon cooper, is this an issue? 12.if you could choose would you be a male or female? 13.do you think we will be living on another planet by the year 2100? 14. this is the first time i'v posted questions before feeling a sense of awesomeness? 15. are you still mad? 1) Because I never took an economics class except a half semester my senior year of high school! 2) Because I didn’t. 3) Unless there is a limitation that could keep the wood chuck from ducking, I think it could duck the ducks indefinitely. 4) No. They get dead. 5) One of the profound mysteries of our time. 6) Usually no. 7) I’m not a big pork guy. I’ll have pepperoni and sausage on my pizza, but that’s about it. 8) Usually the pork. I can always wash my forks. 9) It means “okay.” 10) If we looked down, we’d probably see the regular ground, just at a steep angle, and the atmosphere. I don’t know of the atmosphere would have any irregular properties if the Earth were flat. 11) Is it an issue that I don’t know who Sheldon Cooper is? 12) Being a dude has worked out pretty well so far so I’ll stick with that. 13) I would expect very small scientific colonies to be up on the moon at that time. 14) I think it’s the third time. 15) Like a fox! Prodigy: 1. Are u a jolly man? 2. Wassup?? 3. What gets wetter as it drys? 4. Favorite crustacean? 5. What do you think about JJ Bareas play in the playoffs? 6. Favorite OTR member? 7. One thing we don't know about you? 8. Any food that you like but is weird to other people? 9. Favorite song these days? 10. Dream job? 11. #2 thing on your bucket list? 12. Tatas or ass? 13. What would you do if you won a lottery of 10 million dollars? 14. Omgawshh I'm running out of questions!!! If you know you're going to die in a week from now, what do you do? 15. Well this is it Mr.Blasco, last question...... Why was your About Me written in third person?????? 1) The term jolly makes me think of a fat, laughing man with pink cheeks. I’m usually in a good mood and have a small sunburn, so two-out-of-three says I’m a jolly man. 2) Nothing much. Just getting into my day, even though it’s already almost over. 3) The atmosphere. 4) Prawns. I use them when I play underwater chess. When you get a prawn to the other side, you get a shark! 5) I thought he was great. He provided some bench scoring and was a tough cover in pick-and-rolls. He reliably created offense, and that was huge for Dallas. 6) Nitro. He knows more about basketball than most members. 7) I like Smirnoff Ice. Don’t judge me. 8) I’ve lived in a dorm for the past month so I eat a lot of garbage like Campbell’s soup. My healthy friends think that eating Campbell’s soup is weird. 9) Anything by Passion Pit or Machel Montano. 10) Writing about the NBA, duh. 11) Learn to speak French. 12) Ass 13) After half of it is taken out due to taxes, I’d buy a house, buy my mom a house, buy some impulsive things (nothing pricy), and then invest the rest. 14) I’d probably write a short memoir. 15) Some professional outlets write “about me’s” in the third person. I use it to distance myself a bit as a member, while trying to come off as more of a writer. Brooklyn Bound: Are you planning on becoming a Brooklyn Nets fan? Could you be a high school basketball coach? Favorite NBA arena? Which sport has the best postseason? Best rivalry in all of professional sports? Thoughts on the 2012 Draft Class? Who is the best pure PG in the game? What ever happened to your NBA video analyses? Do you still post them? Who would be the best option for the Nets in free agency at PF, all thing considered? (barring the lockout, Nene/Humphries/West) Rank the J-Kidd trade, VC trade, and Deron trade in their order of awesomeness. 1) Not really, but I would probably go to a game. 2) I don’t think so. Not playing the game hurts, as you miss out on some details. Seeing the game up close is tougher than seeing it on TV. 3) Madison Square Garden. It’s a classic and has a wonderful atmosphere. It just seems like games are more important if they’re at MSG. 4) The NBA does. There are no flukes unlike other sports. 5) Yankees-Red Sox. 6) I don’t know who these guys are—except I’m not impressed with Jimmer. 7) Chris Paul. 8) Moving to my dorm this year, we have a really crappy TV feed that doesn’t transfer to HD. You can’t really see anything clearly when I upload the games. Combined with a lot of work due for me while the NBA season was kicking off, I wasn’t able to get much done. When I move back home next year to my HDTV, I expect to get back on track with video analysis. 9) I like all three, but Nene is the best player, followed by West. Nene is incredibly quick for a center, and can also shoot and defend, while West is a bit inconsistent because he doesn’t get to the basket enough. Humphries is a great rebounder, but isn’t the scorer the other two players are. 10) The VC trade was the most awesome because there’s nothing more awesome than getting Vince Carter off your team. This is followed by the Deron Williams trade, because getting a great player for a project is pure awesomeness, and finally, the Jason Kidd trade wasn’t awesome at all. The Nets traded a declining star who was more steady than talented, for an attack-first point guard who isn’t a difference maker in Devin Harris. Thanks for the questions guys. Brooklyn Bound, you're now KIR Bound.

The assumption is that without max contract limits, LeBron would be worth well over $30 million dollars.

Much more here: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/calling-foul-on-n-b-a-s-claims-of-financial-distress/

In terms of players who were healthy this season, he was first by a longshot. And my goodness, nobody comes close to touching that negative win share of his.

lol, I feel like I walked into a rake. Keep them coming guys, I'll probably get around to answering the questions later this week.

lol, why is everybody asking me questions about subjects I have no clue about!

Extremely far. They don't have anybody who can get to the rim and finish, and Granger isn't a next level player. They'll be fighting for an 8-seed next year.

50-0 would be ridiculous, especially since travel would be harder. A 50-0 season would be one of the greatest team accomplishments in sports history.

Good stuff. I think you nominate someone else to answer now.

I got 2008 Channing Frye on my side, you have 2008 Zach Randolph. He'll be double teamed---but he'll never make the right play and tag you in. Plus he's defenseless, so when I mace him in the eyes he'll be down for the count. Because nothing says Hell in a Cell like a bottle of mace.

I'm a pretty scrawny dude. Can I just tap out now?

No, but using my methodology, a whole lot of the teams would have received C's. That draft was great though. There were a lot of exceptional players drafted in the first round that year, from Andre Kirilenko to Lamar Odom. Also, teams picking a wing are compared differently to teams picking a big man if they need different things, but despite their height, both Gordon and Gallo essentially occupy a wing. I judge a pick based on whether or not that pick was the best pick available. Did the Knicks strike out with Gallo? Of course not. He's a pretty good player. But I don't think he was the best player the Knicks could have taken, hence the reason why they get a C for that pick. Combine that with Randolph accumulating numbers at the expense of the team, and you get a D draft.

Go back and watch some of those Knicks games. He embodied all that was wrong with the Knicks at the time.