The Nuggets have seen 3 of their free agents sign in China, which means they can't come back to the NBA until that season is over (which will be toward the end of the NBA season) even if the lockout is lifted, and multiple other players are playing overseas with out clauses, which means they can return if the lockout is lifted.  

I'm in favor or players going over and playing, expanding their game and learning to play different ways, and strengthening parts of their games that may be weak.  Of the 3 players from the Nuggets who signed in China, at least 2 of them weren't expected to sign again anyway, and the other I believe can be replaced.  

Even if Nene leaves, as he suggested testing free agency and chasing a ring in and interview, I think they'll be okay.

As it stands right now, the Nuggets don't have enough guys to man a roster, but I think they can be fine if the lockout is lifted.  They have a strong front court with Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo (currently a free agent who has shown interest in staying), then you throw in Gallinari and the two seven-footers (Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos), the promising Kenneth Faried and the scorer Jordan Hamilton who dropped to them in the draft and you have a young core with promise to build together and play as a team.  They also have Gary Forbes who is a free agent, and has shown interest in staying.  He wasn't the greatest last year, but showed glimpses of high quality, and has shown he can play in multiple pickup and street games featuring other NBA players this summer.  He's young and could turn out to be an asset.

I understand the concerns about the go-to guy who can take over a game when needed.  I also think some of the Nuggets players could step up to be that guy (Afflalo and Gallinari come to mind, possibly Nene if he signs, maybe even Jordan Hamilton).  If not, I think they have a solid core to drop a special player into.  The Nuggets payroll is low now, with Carmelo and Chauncey now in New York, so they could pick someone up or possibly make a trade.  

If they can run with this team state of mind they've started, maybe they can make some noise with undervalued guys.  I'm personally excited about the team.  Maybe I'm just a fan with rose colored glasses, but I like to think they've got a chance to build something great out of what they have.  These guys are young and can grow together.

I have faith in Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke.  I think they know what their doing.  At least, it seems like they do.

NBA Lockout: Still Going...

The NBA lockout has already taken away the preseason, the first two weeks of the regular season and sent numerous players overseas.  I really wish it would end, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

I believe both sides deserve their fair share.  The players bring the talent that brings in the money.  They also deal with being in the public eye, taking the blame when things go wrong and the credit when it goes right.  Most, if not all, of the scrutiny lies on players.  That being said, the owners provide the outlet and make the deals to bring in the money that the players' talent attracts.  Both sides deserve their share.

I know I probably don't know the whole story, but I've been following what I can throughout the lockout.  From what I've taken, the players have shown willingness to negotiate, they've given in areas.  The owners have not from what I've seen/read/heard.  Both sides must show willingness to compromise for this to work.

I'm trying to stay in the middle, but maybe I am leaning toward the players' side.  Many of the owners have made horrible decisions and now are looking for ways to get out of dealing with it when they make more.  If more owners took a genuine love in their team and the game, maybe it wouldn't be so hard.  It's usually pretty obvious which owners are interested in winning for love of the game, and not just in making money.  

After all the buzz created last year that aided in getting the fan base back up, and getting more revenue, it's terrible that this is happening now to set the Association back instead of building on it.  

I don't know what kind of deal needs to be made.  All I know is I'm a fan missing out on the highest level of my favorite sport because people can't figure out how to divide their money.  I'm sure there's more to it than I realize, but I'd really like to see some NBA basketball and see the next chapter in its story.  

Winter is Coming.

It's been getting colder outdoors, and I've come to peace with it.

I've been finding enough things to pass the time with, here's some things I've recently heard, seen, experienced and some things I'm looking forward to that I think anyone I know should take note of.

MOVIES (In Theaters): I've seen Moneyball twice now, it's a great movie.  I think anyone would enjoy this movie.  Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill star in it, it's about the business side of baseball.  It's the story of the 2002 (correct me if I'm wrong on that) Oakland Athletics and their small bankroll competing with teams spending WAY more money than they did.  It doesn't focus so much on baseball as the business.  It also has a good enough and broad enough story to appeal to anyone, in my opinion, so check it out.





I also just saw 50/50 last night.  It's the story of a 27-year-old guy getting cancer, and how he deals with it with some humor.  It's funny, emotional and well done.  It was loosely based on the writers actual experiences.  Seth Rogen was a friend of the writer (they worked together on The Ali G Show) and produced it and played his friend in the movie.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt took the lead role.  It also featured Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air) and Angelica Huston (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) as his grief counselor and mother.  Bryce Dallas Howard is also in it, I hadn't seen her in anything expect Spider-man 3; she's more attractive as a redhead.  The acting was great, the story was great.  Solid film.  It is sad and emotional, but also funny and enjoyable.  I recommend this one, too.  There is a lot of adult language and sexual reference, it's rated R, so not for the whole family, though.






MOVIES [and a TV Show] (On DVD/Blu-Ray):  I wrote a blog about The Beaver with Mel Gibson.  Go read it if you want to know more about it.  I bought it on Blu-Ray.  I love this movie.

Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut will be released on Blu-Ray on October 4.  It's a great movie, I haven't seen the bootleg version, but plan on owning this eventually.  I own the DVD of the original version, so I'm not in a super hurry for it, but I do want it.  The Bootleg Cut was previously released on DVD, and still goes for just under $50.

Community: Season 2 was recently released, as well.  It's great, my favorite show on television.

MUSIC:  If you haven't heard Watch The Throne by Kanye West and Jay-Z, I urge you to.  It's a great album by two of the biggest names in music.  Great all the way through.

Childish Gambino's new album, Camp, will be released on November 15.  It was originally supposed to come out at the end of September, but he got put on a label (Glassnote, the same label as Mumford & Sons and Phoenix) so it got pushed back so they could do their stuff to it.  The first single "Bonfire" is out and it's awesome.



Cole World by J. Cole just came out.  I haven't listened to it yet, but he's a great up and coming rapper, so if you're into it, check him out.

The next album I will for sure be purchasing will be Ryan Adams' Ashes And Fire, which is steaming at NPR.com (http://www.npr.org/2011/09/25/140640429/first-listen-ryan-adams-ashes-and-fire).

Also, She & Him are putting out a Christmas Album, which I will probably buy, I'll have to give it a listen first, though.  Great band featuring M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel, if you've never heard of them.

RANDOM:  Someone finally made a mask of Sloth, from the Goonies.  This is something I've wanted for years, and plan on buying one eventually, but I don't want to drop sixty bones on it right now.  Here's a link if you want to check it out.  http://www.80stees.com/products/Goonies-Sloth-Mask.asp

My Halloween costume has been chosen.  The Macho Man Randy Savage! Oh Yeah!

Oh...and for all the 90s VH1 Fans....

POP UP VIDEO IS RETURNING, SUCKAS!

Stay Fresh and Keep Calm,
KK

We're All In This Together.

I support Lady Gaga more than most people would expect of me, but I'm not sure what she's doing calling for a meeting with the President over bullying.  I understand its a problem because kids are killing themselves, but there's a lot going on right now, and I don't see it becoming a top tier topic right now.  Although, she did hold the press conference on Don't Ask Don't Tell, and its over now.  So maybe I'm wrong here.  Maybe she has more political power than I think.

"Bullying" has been a buzzword in the media for the past year, at least, maybe longer.  It has been around forever, though.  I'm not sure if its just becoming more popular due to media coverage or if kids are assholes more now or what.  It seems we hear about more kids who would prefer to die rather than put up with it until they can get away from the situation.

It Gets Better is a project to tell kids that things will get better, that no matter how bad things are now, they will improve.  If nothing else, they will have more important things to worry about.  I think this project is good and will hopefully influence young people who are miserable into not killing themselves or cutting or whatever they (plan to) do to themselves.

Lady Gaga has called to make bullying illegal.  This seems like a hard thing to do.  Some of it could definitely be prevented and and lessened, but some of it will happen anyway.  The Nation is dealing with a lot of different things right now, and while i'm in favor of preventing bullying, I also believe there are better ways to go about this without the government right now.

We as people, should start keeping an eye out for signs.  Parents and teachers could pay more attention.  I'm sure many do a fine job, but I'm also sure there are some slacking off and even probably just letting things happen because they don't want to deal with it.  We can all show a little compassion for our fellow man and be better role models for those who look up to us.  Whether we want to be or not, we're all role models.  There is someone who looks up to us and we affect them in one way or another.  We should show younger people to embrace differences and learn from each other instead of pushing others away and holding them down.  "I get by with a little help from my friends" is what the Beatles said.  We could all use some help from time to time, so we should be there for each other and not just expect people to be there for us when we need it.

All bullying does is push others away.  It should be stopped, but I feel our elected officials can deal with some other things right now.  Don't let your kids be assholes.  Help them to understand that we're all in this together.

And if you're being bullied, keep your head up.  Things will get better and you'll have more important things to worry about.  Just be yourself and try find ways to better your situation.  I understand involving adults may not always work and it may just complicate things, but tell someone about it.  Talking to others can help.  You may find someone going through similar experiences with some good advice.  We're all different so embrace it.


Stay fresh and Keep Calm,
KK

The Beaver with Mel Gibson.

Many of you who know me know I enjoy weird movies.  My favorites are movies with strange stories, most likely some mental illness, with comedy mixed in.  Laughing during bad times is something we should all be able to do.  If you take yourself too seriously you'll never be happy.  Movies like The Weather Man and Lars and the Real Girl.  I have a new film to add to this list of beautifully crazy movies.  The Beaver starring Mel Gibson, Anton Yelchin (Star Trek and Charlie Bartlett) and Jodie Foster (who also directed).

The movie is about a man (Gibson) who is depressed and burnt out on his life.  He came to his job by being his fathers son; a job he was under-qualified for and overwhelmed by.  He stops talking to anyone, and tries to kill himself, but then starts communicating to the world through a beaver puppet that he never takes off his hand, not even to shower.

This film has a great story, great acting and was well put together.  This was meant to be Mel Gibson's comeback after the drama with his ex (leaked phone messages, a battery lawsuit, etc) and alcohol ("sugar***s", rants against Jews).  It didn't work out, as no one saw the movie.  It didn't play in many theaters, and didn't make much money in the few it was in.

Anton Yelchin has quickly become one of my favorite actors.  I loved Charlie Bartlett and this movie is another amazing one.  His only big blockbuster so far was Star Trek but I urge you to check out some of his other work.

It's one of those movies, like The Weather Man and Lars and the Real Girl, that teach us that life isn't perfect, and we all have to deal with our share of things in life.  Some people probably don't like these movies.  They may even think these movies make people depressed.  This may be true for some, but these movies invigorate me.  I feel they teach us about life and a little of how to deal with it.  They teach us to be there for one another and to respect each other.  They have heart, humor and are realistic and artistic.

I know I have weird taste in things.  All of you may not feel the same about this type of film.  I hope you at least check them out, though.

Stay fresh and keep calm.






Also, if you haven't seen these, check them out.

"I Can't Do One Thing, I'm Just Too Good."

In these times, some of us find ourselves waiting for everything to fall into place while we try our damnedest to make them.  We went to college and pursued our interests in the hope of making a living at them only to be released into the worst job market of our lifetime. This job market, as the years pass, seems to get more crowded with the new batch of graduates every semester.  Some drop their heads and hope for something to happen, others of us keep our heads high and smile in the face of the high school dropouts who started careers and are now living much more comfortably than we are.  

Is it a surprise our generation drinks cheap beer and isn't willing to drop 40-bones to watch one band play a few football fields away?  We were taught the value of the dollar and we learned that we aren't getting where we planned.  That's why we sip our PBR and prefer our entertainment to be on a large scale with general admission.  It's why we shop at thrift stores and it’s why we destroyed the music industry which is being reinvented on our terms.  

Every generation has been affected by the economic state it was brought up in, and by the economic state it comes to fruition in.  Notice the age of most of the people on Hoarders; they're older people who grew up during or in the aftermath of the Great Depression.  They didn't have anything growing up, so they keep everything they get.  This was also a time when many successful businesses and franchises were started.  People from the 80s, the decade of excess, worked their way to the top and got every ridiculous thing they could and threw it away as soon as they found something new.  The 90s had the internet's rapid growth with its share of both successes and failures.  Now, we're in the state we're in, the Great Recession as they call it, where it seems no one has money except the people who already had it.  

We were brought up by a generation of hardworking people who took pride in their work.  They instilled this in us, and told us repeatedly the importance of education and urged us to follow our passion to find our careers.  We followed our passions right into this recession. 

We still follow our passions, but we do it on our own time.

The positives show through the negatives if you look for the light.  We're learning lessons; lessons that have been learned before and are sure to be learned again.  We keep our heads high and keep trying for success, because failure only comes to fruition when we stop trying. 

We're finding our way.  We make mistakes, just like those before us did.  We're educated, but we don't have jobs to use our education on, so we use it on our hobbies and in our free time.  This is why it seems everyone is drawn to the arts.  We can't find the money to use our joy on materials, like the generation before; so we use our joys on expression, as the philosophers told us to.

Our generation seems to be learning how to get cheap thrills with cheap beers and entertainment, and making the most of what we have.  The newspaper, music and television industries have struggled greatly and have been forced to reinvent themselves (which they're still in the process of), because we realized we can get all of that content on the internet and don't need to waste time, energy and money on going around to find it all.  

Don't question it, we'll figure it out.  We're enjoying the journey, like you told us to.

Why Charles Barkley Was A Good Role Model.

Growing up, I was a big NBA basketball fan.  While my brother was a huge Michael Jordan fan (like everyone else in the world), I was idolizing Charles Barkley.  He did not want to be a role model and proclaimed that he wasn't, but to me he was.  I know my mother agreed with him in thinking that he shouldn't be.  She seemed disgusted at his outspoken and scandalous behavior.

Many comparisons have been made and Jordan is known as the greatest ever, I personally don't believe that anyone deserves that moniker because so many things go into it and it is objective (I am not looking to get into this argument here).  Charles Barkley had no championships, he also did not have the coaching and as strong of a roster around him in his prime.  He was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984, a year after they won a championship (the beat the Lakers!).  In the 1992-93 season, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he would play his best years, before going to the Houston Rockets to join Hakeem Olajuwan and Clyde Drexler and to try to win a championship in his latter years before retiring before planned in 2000 at the age of 36, after rupturing a quadricep.  Barkley was an undersized post man who made a bigger impact on the game than most in his era with hard work, honesty and passion.

Sir Charles began his career on a championship team.  He was not a leader of the team, but he learned from the veteran leaders.  Something we should all do, learn from those who have come before.  While playing with Dr. J surely benefited him, he obviously took the most from Moses Malone.  Moses Malone was a fellow post player, who prided himself on rebounding was a great mentor for "The Round Mound of Rebound" to have show him the way.  He taught him to work hard and prepare for games, the seasons and the life of a professional athlete.

By 1988, Malone and Erving were both gone (trade and retirement), and Barkley was the team leader.  Doing all he could with the limited resources the 76ers management gave him, he relocated via trade to Pheonix.  When you try and try and things aren't working, change something.  This obviously helped, as he was the league MVP that season and led the Suns to the Finals to an eventual six-game loss to Michael Jordan's Bulls.


"Just because I can dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids." - Charles Barkley

I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL.  This was a popular Nike ad campaign designed around Sir Charles in the 90s.  He didn't want to be one, but he was.  I'm sure there were other kids around the country and the world looking up to him besides me.  I mean, he WAS one of the most popular players in the league and he was a polarizing personality.  He was honest about his thoughts and feelings and didn't sugarcoat anything for the public.  He owned up to things he did, and did not make excuses for his mistakes.  He took the credit for his faults as well as his achievements.  He was passionate and competitive and often had skirmishes with players during games.  Afterwards he was not afraid to say what he thought about it, rather than playing to the media as most did.  He always left these grudges on the court, though.

He learned from his mistakes.  Once, during a close game in 1991 he became agitated by a heckling fan and turned to spit on him, and ended up hitting a little girl.  He apologized to the girl and became friends with her family and provided them with tickets to games.  He also served a suspension and paid a fine for the incident.  He learned from this.  Here's a quote from around when he retired.

"I was fairly controversial, I guess, but I regret only one thing—the spitting incident. But you know what? It taught me a valuable lesson. It taught me that I was getting way too intense during the game. It let me know I wanted to win way too bad. I had to calm down. I wanted to win at all costs. Instead of playing the game the right way and respecting the game, I only thought about winning."


Charles got in many fights through his career.  He threw a guy through a window, he jawed refs, he played rough and took some cheap shots, but he was always standing up for what he believed.  He stood by his opinions and fought for them.  


Barkley never won a championship, but in later years of his career he chased his dream, joining Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler and the rest of the Houston Rockets to try to achieve his goal.  You should always try for what you want, don't leave yourself wondering what if.  Though he did not succeed, he tried.

For the best years and majority of his career, he was competing with Michael Jordan.  The two are widely known as being good friends.  They had a healthy competition between them, which is important.  Competing with our friends is always important.  It does sometimes get out of hand.  We've all had times when a pickup game at the park, a board game or even a game of Halo got out of hand and we lost our tempers.  Competition brings out our adrenaline and testosterone and things get heated.  This is why we should surround ourselves with good people.  Our friends understand and don't hold these things against us.

I could go on, but I feel this is enough for now.  Charles Barkley taught me a lot about life through his achievements and downfalls.  He was a league MVP, an 11-time All Star, and All Star Game MVP, SEC Player of the Year and named one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time in the NBA.  He taught me roads to take, and roads to avoid.  He taught me to be passionate about what I do, to voice my opinion on things, hard work and to stand up for what I believe.  I am glad I went through life looking up to him.


I am a better man for having Charles Barkley as a role model......because he could dunk a basketball.


[I used Wikipedia to get some of the details like years and stats right, because as a kid, I didn't pay really pay attention to that stuff.]

Here are some of the gems from Youtube, there are more if you feel like checking them out.












^Start that one at 1:44