Well, imitation is the best form of flattery, so I thought I should roll out the original, pre-season and all….

 

Adams – can anybody give me a reason (beyond Colangelo’s piss poor handling of our cap) why we have this guy? At least he has taken the early lead in my Rasho 08/09 hate-a-thon. 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 fouls and the ugliest shot I may have ever seen. Useless. The only good thing is that while I was surfing online today, I found a picture of Hassan as a teenager.

 

Bargnani -  I like my pepperoni spicy! I, like many, am impressed with him thusfar. He went up against some big bodies today, he was banging down low, and he is consistently hitting that little jumper outside the paint.  Like the rest of the team, he needs to pick it up a bit on the defensive end, but solid showing today.

 

Bosh – you may say you are ready for the season right now, but I’m not sure. Over the years, I’ve come to understand that seeing him gasp for air is common. However, gasping for air in pre-season at the start of the campaign where we  will need you to play on average 37min a game since we have no backups…….

 

Calderon – his shot returned, he continues to look confident and remains the vocal leader.  Still, would you expect him to have a great game against Andre Miller? I would. Too bad he didn’t.

 

Graham – continues to add to his Tip Top expense account

 

Humphries – good hustle game, as usual. Some shots that made me cringe, but he made up for those few with some hustle on D.  Still think if they fed him a bit more when he comes in and he hits a few, it will open the outside for Kapono and Solomon. Like it or not, he is a big body for people to cover one-on-one if he is allowed (and is able) to use it.

 

Jawai – his heart wasn’t into it.

 

Kapono – new hair, same old game from last year. One of the richest bench players in the league and unable to crack a starting lineup of 10 players. I do like his emotion and it’s evident he is pissed at himself, but he missed some open looks and took a few silly fouls, things you can’t pin on your teammates. Nice to hear he has signed a new sponsorship deal, though. Nice to see people rewarded for their defensive game.

 

Moon – great hustle to start the game, even including that 3pt shot. I can’t say that this was a game where I noticed him floating too much, nor Sam yelling at him. Still think if he was on a team that could afford to bring him in off the bench he would thrive and make an even bigger name for himself.

 

O’Neal – I was looking forward to this game. More minutes, big name competition, an opposition that is looking to run. Plain and simple: O’Neal sucked. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Brand owned him on a few plays, there was really no sprinting up or down the court by JO, he picked up 2 insanely stupid fouls (5 altogether) and, quite frankly, seemed somewhat out of it. Hope he just stayed up late last night and we can use that as an excuse. 25min, 3 of 10, 6brds, 0 blocks and 9pts. Lovely. Good job, Bryan.

 

Parker – Not the best shooting game for the guy, but overall the typical AP game: good effort on both sides of the ball and he kind of blends in to the extent you rarely realize he is on the floor. Not a bad thing.  2 of 8 is still cause for concern.

 

Sampson – good thing we brought this guy on board to sub in for Joey, huh? Giving great rest to our starters.

 

Solomon – Roko who?  Is it just me or does he seem just as quick as TJ on and off the ball? Doesn’t have TJ’s IQ, but can run with the best of them. Sweet shooting stroke, not bad on the defensive end. Could have done without that silly foul at the end of the third, but kudos to him for immediately admitting it was a bonehead move. 12pts and 6 assists in 24min of a horrible shooting game by his team is a pretty nice piece of work.

 

Ukic – so, if we ship him back to whence he came, can we write his salary off??  Didn’t play so as not to re-aggravate an injury, but I was happy to see him beside the coaches the entire game and asking questions. Rather see him doing that than pulling a Primoz.

 

Driving the bus:  Jamario Moon

 

Under the bus: Hassan Adams