Week 26 Power Rankings
This was the week L.A. hoops fans were taken to school and re-educated about a certain fact of life in the NBA -- i.e., the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Indiana Pacers and the rest of the league do not exist solely for the pleasure and privilege of serving the Lakers’ championship needs. . . .
1. Kevin Garnett: Fact: Garnett says he wouldn’t mind moving to the Pacific Division. How Lakers fans interpreted that: “YES!!! Kobe and Garnett TOGETHER!!! The glory days are B-A-C-K!!!” Reality: Garnett was referring to the Phoenix Suns, or maybe Golden State.
2. NBA Western Conference: Portland (Greg Oden) and Seattle (Kevin Durant) just got a whole lot better. If Garnett moves to Phoenix, the Suns also rise. Even the Clippers made an upgrade with their draft. The Lakers don’t need to keep Kobe –- they need to find a genetics engineer who can replicate the ‘92 Olympic Dream Team.
3. Cause is not lost, L.A. fans: Garnett or no Garnett, what if I told you a big-name superstar is bound for L.A.? A name so big there really is none bigger? Someone who can turn around the athletic fortunes of a team, a city, a league and an entire country? Someone more famous than Kobe and more popular than Shaq, Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash put together? Ladies and gentlemen of L.A., I bring you . . . David Beckham.
4. Oden or Durant?: If Oden was such a sure thing, why are so many people in Seattle feeling so undepressed today?
5. Craig Biggio: Collects his 3,000th hit during Thursday’s NBA Draft and ESPN doesn’t see fit to cut-away to cover this bit of breaking news. Was that because Biggio plays in Houston and not for the Yankees or the Mets? Was it because Biggio was thrown out on the play trying to stretch a single? Was it because everybody back at Bristol left the building as soon as Stephen A. Smith started screaming?
6. Frank Thomas: Remember when 500 home runs used to be a big deal? As of Opening Day 1987, there were a dozen names in the 500 club. Today there are 21. Steroids? What steroids?
7. Victoria Beckham: She wowed the crowd when she soft-tossed the first pitch at Dodger Stadium. She helped re-unite the Spice Girls -- for better or worse, a considerable feat, you must admit. So do you suppose her husband might be able to win a few games with the Galaxy?
8. NBA China: Disney wants to buy in and own a franchise. Disney plans to call it “the Mighty Peking Ducks of Beijing.”
9. Wimbledon: I think somebody said something about a tennis tournament being played on some grass somewhere. But I could be wrong. I was going over my mock draft at the time.
10. Kobayashi: The hot dog-scarfing dynasty is doubtful for Wednesday’s Nathan’s Famous title defense after, it says here, “suffering a serious jaw injury while training.” It seems the old equipment isn’t what it used to be. Eventually, it happens to all the great ones.
hahah, great first paragraph
Posted by: lubo | June 30, 2007 at 12:03 PM
Where is thiswasabi, I love that stuff and want to start training!
Posted by: charles | June 30, 2007 at 02:28 PM
David Beckham couldn't wash KG's ... socks.
Posted by: Lee Stevens | June 30, 2007 at 06:01 PM
I don't know about the whole Beckham deal though, Christine; that he still has an indefinable it is shown in Real's triumph in La Liga, but do you think this will kick up the league here to the next level? I fear Pele in the Cosmos redux.
(As it is, my musical conspiracy theory -- this was all done so that way the Spice Girls reunion tour could start here in LA. For my next trick, I will seek to prove that Posh is an alien robot from the future.)
Posted by: Ned Raggett | June 30, 2007 at 08:34 PM
NO-body cares.
Seriously NO body cares.
Soccer gets lower ratings than the NHL.
This is America. We hate soccer. HATE.
BoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringBoringGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAL.
Does not do it. Deal.
Posted by: hbbengal | July 01, 2007 at 10:21 AM
Anyone who knows the sport knows that Beckham is well past his prime. He long ago turned his attention from soccer to product endorsements.
Posted by: Paul | July 01, 2007 at 11:43 AM
David Beckham who the heck is he. This is America not some banana republic. We don't do soccer, those leagues never make it here in America because soccer sucks.
It's played by a punch of non athletic guys who couldn't possibly play any of our majors sports
Posted by: Derek | July 01, 2007 at 02:42 PM
It's all soccer, soccer, soccer at our house, 24/7, and we have been Galaxy season ticket holders from the get-go. *Nothing* has been more exciting news here than the possible appearance of Beckham. We all can't wait to see him play!
Posted by: Susan | July 01, 2007 at 03:59 PM
Beckham won't have any impact in the US. The reason is simple: Soccer is not viewed as a very interesting sport by the vast majority of US sports fans. Beckham will not change this perception. Now if soccer wants to change their rules so more scoring will occur...anything is possible.
Posted by: Mr. Chris | July 01, 2007 at 08:23 PM
soccer is not the name of the sport, it's FOOTBALL and American Football
Posted by: rosado | July 02, 2007 at 06:32 AM