When Bad Players Happen To Good Bloggers

Two of my favorite NBA bloggers are Tom Ziller (Kings) and Matt Watson (Pistons).  The Kings just got a little less crazy and the Pistons got a little more busty.  Lets watch as the bloggers react.  (The following are just snippets from larger posts, which are worth the read)

This City Just Got a Little Less Zany 

Ron Artest, a talented talent with real talent, was not built to play for a rebuilding team. All the fantastic traits Ron-Ron embodies on the hardwood -- toughness, passion, shrill desire, the constant choreographed flailing -- mean the most to a winning squad. At no time was this truth, or Ron-Ron's talents, more apparent than in late 2006 when the dark, brooding, slightly frightening Kings took the galaxy by storm and gave the defending champs a fight. Despite being out of shape after a long layoff, Ron-Ron was near perfect from February to May. With Bonzi, a budding Kevin Martin, a raw Francisco Garcia, an Adonis-like pairing of Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and those old farm hands Mike Bibby and Brad Miller, the Kings made a stunning effort. That team will not soon be forgotten in Sacramento, and Ron-Ron was without doubt the motor. The irrational, belligerent, zany motor.

These Kings aren't in that position any more. A little crazy in the eyes no longer helps the cause.

The Kings will do more than just survive -- they will thrive without Ron-Ron. It's not a knock on him -- he will do wonders for Houston's spring confidence, no doubt. But the Kings are in a place where creating the right learning environment for these wide-eyed does in much more important than two steals or five assists from an unfocused, unhappy Ron-Ron.

So, Kwame Brown happened

With the acquisition of the 26-year-old-first-draft-pick-cum-journeyman-center, Joe Dumars has… Well, what has he done exactly? I’ve been vocally critical of Kwame Brown in the past, but now that he’s our 26yoFDPCJC (how’s that for a nickname?), let’s check the teeth on this deal.

Let’s get this out of the way. Kwame Brown hasn’t done particularly well at the NBA level. He isn’t a good rebounder, which is baffling given his physical attributes. Unfortunately, he is also most productive off the glass on the offensive end. The upshot is that he isn’t very productive on the offensive end, period.

So what can the Pistons expect from Kwame? The word "serviceable" gets thrown around a lot in the NBA, particularly as it relates to players who are unlikely to start. Frankly, serviceable doesn’t win championships. That said, there are reasons to think we might have a solid rotation player here.