Song of the Week: 2pac - Troublesome '96

Classic.

CRS Confirmed...

The hip hop supergroup consisting of Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell called Child Rebel Soldier (CRS) has always seemed to be a myth, or some Detox-type shit that will never happen. But according to a new interview with Lupe, the supergroup is scheduled to actually release a full album sometime soon and have 4 tracks already made...6 including Us Placers and Everyone Nose Remix, which we've all heard. YEeeeeaaa.

K-O-B-E, I L-O-V-E you. Oh, wait a second Tyra. Toronto won.

LAL 105 - TOR 106
23-22

Back up to one game above .500. Let's see if they can't stay north of .500 this time around. You know, to be honest, I wasn't expecting a win here (duh) but I was obviously hoping for one. The fact that there's another in the win column tonight from beating the defending champs feels pretty sweet. Hey, I'm sure some Lakers fans are arguing that the last foul on Turk was pretty weak, but I don't give a damn. I am taking this win.

Now be honest, 56-54 for LA as the second half starts and they go on a quick run. Who else was about to give up? Seriously, it felt like the Lakers were about ready to kick up the intensity. For a long time in that 3rd there seemed to be an answer to every basket the Raptors made. But, slowly, the lead got chipped down and going into the fourth, 84-82 LA. Shit...it's Kobe time.

And then it happens, DeRozan out, Rocky Balboa in. Just a bit over three minutes of entering back, Rocky gave Toronto some serious juice, scoring 10 points in that span. This is the Belinelli that everyone's been waiting for. The shooting stroke is smooth, and the confidence unbridled. The team is still in it, and with just 11.4 seconds left, Raptors have the ball. Shit...this could end bad. Inbounds goes off pretty rough, Hedo gets the ball and dribbles around aimlessly at the top of the arc and everyone's going, "fuck...Hedo's gonna choke again." And then...he drives? What the fuck? Turkoglu drives and gets fouled? Please let this be a sign of Hedo finally starting to settle into his role with Toronto. Or at least starting to bring some consistent intensity.

Honestly, even if they had lost, this was a game that they could be proud of for their effort. Excluding the sluggish start, they matched LA's energy. And they stuck with their game plan, looking to push the pace at any chance they could. They made Kobe take 24 shots to get 27 points. By all accounts, not a perfect game, but a well played game. Oh by the way, Kobe had a career-high 16 rebounds, and was one assist away from a triple double. There's another career high against Toronto for Kobe. You'll recall that he dropped 81 on the Raptors a few years back. And a final note on Kobe, he has a broken index finger on his shooting hand.

The next game is against Miami, and it feels like the Raptors have set themselves up for one of those really disappointing games they often have. Raptors with a huge unexpected win, and Miami coming off of two 20+ point wins. Then again, Miami's set to have a bad game as well. This next one could be ugly.

Don't feel too bad for Kobe though. Sure, he may not have won, but you know what's better than winning one game?

That hand signal is "two". As in, "I get laid at least twice a day".

...fuck you Kobe.

How you re-build the Edmonton Oilers.

Although the general consensus amongst Oilers fans is that the team needs to re-build, there are a lot of different opinions on what exactly a re-build would entail and how long it would take.

Some think we could pull a "quickie" like Boston, Philadelphia, and Colorado all did after 2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2008-2009 respectively. I think that's NOT going to happen for the Oil. All those teams relied on already-established young talent in addition to the signing of solid free agents in order to get to the level they are at. That requires that you have the cap space.

Boston drafted the likes of Lucic, Bergeron, Kessel, Krejci, and others in a 2-3 year span, but had the cap space to grab legit talents like Savard and Chara, 2 players who are arguably the centerpieces of their success.

Colorado had been drafting good young players for a while (Stastny, Wolski, Svatos), before capitalizing on this year's draft with Duchene and O'Reilly. That being said, they built their defense and goaltending from free agency, and there seems to be no real "bad" contract on that front. Anderson was a boon, while guys like Hannan and Clark are playing amazing hockey. Colorado may be having a flukey season, however, and I don't know if they will do the exact same next year.

Philadelphia had already picked Carter, Van Riemsdyk, Richards, and Giroux prior to their successful 2007-2008 campaign. Plus they had the cap space before that season began. They grabbed Timonen, Hartnell, and Briere, and still had money left to re-sign their restricted free agents. The thing is, all these guys have essentially lived up to their contracts.

We are not these teams. We have a LOT of salary locked up in aging, declining players. And it's for a LONG time. You're not going to be able to grab 1-2 really good top-5 talents and then surround them with great talent via free agency to transform this team. Instead, you're going to have to slowly weed out poor contracts as these new young players develop.


So where does this leave the Oilers? How long would we have to wait for them to become a contender like some of the recent re-builds have produced? My return to contention coincides with the end of Horcoff's contract (2015). That will be the last remaining stain of this recent run of poor management. And that "return" could be expedited if you bury him in the minors for the last couple of years.

In my mind, this re-build began last year, with the drafting of MPS. Given Hall/Seguin this year, and maybe 2-3 more years of top-10 drafting, I think we'll have the key pieces in place to contend in 2015. Petry will not be a top-pairing defenseman, but he'll be an excellent top-4. Chorney will be lucky to ever reach that plateau. So this will involve drafting a couple of top-notch defensive prospects. Remember, most of the dominant teams focus their team on drafting superstars and signing support players. The Oilers have done the reverse, and it's gotten us where we are today. No panicked decisions should be made in signing talent in order to be competitive.


There's basically a few criteria this team needs to meet in order to reach the level we want them to be at, but they're all need to happen if it's going to be done right:

1) Destroy your immediate future. Trade the likes of Hemsky, Penner, Visnovsky in order to prevent this team from ever being a threat for the playoffs in the next 3-4 years. High draft picks are fundamental to this rebuild, and low finishes will guarantee this. Get whatever draft picks you can for these players. Remember, as good as Kane and Toews are, Chicago got guys like Keith, Bolland, and Byfuglien in the later rounds.


2) Acquire at least 2-3 top-5 picks, which means finish in the bottom-5 in the league for 3 years. And hope for about 6 top-10 players when all is said and done. (Gagner and MPS could count).

3) Allow guys like Gagner, Cogliano, Brule, and Nilsson to consistently play in your top-6 next year. These are the guys that will be veterans once you become a contender. Now is the time to weed out the ones with low potential/pliability and look for ones that can be good for us in the long-term. As you have more high draft picks taking up their spots, deal them or demote them as necessary. As for the defense, I still see some light at the end of the tunnel for Tom Gilbert. He's only in his 3rd full season, and it's honestly his only "bad" one thus far. Guys like Smid and Grebeshkov should be given the 1-2 role now as this team moves forward. They have the potential to work out, they just need some time. Chicago did the same with Keith-Seabrook for 2-3 years before they became the juggernaut they are now.

4) Deal with the contracts. This isn't really fundamental to the re-build, but it's to get rid of your dirty laundry and any signs of the terrible past 4-5 years we've had here. Moreau, Staios, Souray, Horcoff, Khabibulin. Do whatever you can to get them out of here ASAP, as none of these guys will live up to their contract in the future. Trade, retirement, buy-outs, demotions. Whatever it takes.

5) In 2013-2014, with the added cap room from some of these contracts ending, look to sign legit role players for this team. They could be good wingers, solid bottom-6 forwards, or dependable top-4 defensemen. Whatever is unecessary. Hunt for a legitimate goaltender as well, but make sure he's young. MPS will be 22 in 2013. Gagner will be 24. Petry 26. Hall 21. The other draft picks 20, 19, 18. That's when I think this team will be ready to "rise" in the standings. I'm talking a young up-start team making a playoff run a la the Caps in '08, Penguins in '07, and Hawks last year. This is when you start to bring in good surrounding players for them to play with. This is when you begin to spend money again.

By 2015, I see this team being an annual contender, one ready to challenge year after year, having a solid core group of players that stay long-term while they are constantly being fed new wingers and support players as the cap permits.

Dbuh? Where the Song of the Week at?

Looks like it's up to the Asian guy to pull through with the random-ass song of the week. While I'm sure most of you are thinking that because I, being of the Asian persuasion, would make you listen to some DDR music. Not so. Let's stick with the rappers.

The man's name is Shadrach Kabango, the song is "Wild". Best rapper out of Canada. No questions. Seriously. What can stack up to:

I ain't no hard-hustlin' muscle man thug on the curb,
The only time I use a bullet is in Microsoft Word.
Slick talk. You could say I got grease in my speech,
years rhymin' with a fried chicken piece in my teeth.

Oilers Prospect Jeff Petry: The Best Defenseman in College Hockey?

Jeff Petry, probably the best Oilers prospect not name Paajarvi-Svensson, is finally starting to receive the credit he deserves. After a dominant rookie campaign with the MSU Spartans, and a tough sophomore season on a terrible team, the 6'3, 210 lb defender is once again returning to his dominant form. This time, he's getting recognition all around the hockey world. A recent college hockey article suggested Petry may be the best defenseman in college history, based on comments from teammates, scouts, and opponents alike.

Petry, a 2nd round pick in 2006, currently has 19 points in 26 games, and is playing big minutes in all situations for the Spartans. Look for the Oilers to try and get him signed and playing pro hockey next season. He's much further along in his 3rd year than Tom Gilbert was in his 4th year, and playing much better fundamental hockey. He's a faster skater, has a better shot, and plays much more physical than Gilbert. His offensive game is more developed, and he's much more confident handling the puck. A steal for sure.

Apple pwns PC once again

So it's been made quasi-official...Apple is releasing a tablet that will take massive shits on anything HP, Toshiba, Sony and other gay PC manufacturers have ever created. It is predicted that this machine will revolutionize technology much like the iPod did.

Apple will unveil everything completely Jan 27th...Aww sheeeeeeit.

Somebody stop the afternoon Sunday games.

DAL 88 - TOR 110
21-20

My eyes are still hurting. These early games hurt me just as much as the teams. I actually woke up about two minutes into the first and could barely keep my eyes open. Anyway, I saw one ugly ass first quarter. But you know, after that, the second quarter really unraveled the game. The Spaniard came off the bench (again) and absolutely shifted the momentum during his time. That was about as energetic and forceful a game that Jose has played in a long time. Even better than what he did against the Knicks.

Nowitzki (team-high 19 points) was pretty much a non-factor for most of the game. He was a very un-Dirk-like 1 for 4 from the stripe, to say the least of his day. Despite that, even more telling was the fact that Josh Howard was 3-12 from the field. If I'm not mistaken, he was a big factor in the beating Toronto took last time they were in Dallas. Should the Mavericks make a big run in the playoffs, they are going to need Josh Howard to play at a much higher level. Because, quite frankly, he is option two on that team. Unless of course, they randomly decide to make Jason Terry a starter (which isn't happening).

For Toronto, it was more of the same. Bosh and Bargnani led all scorers with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Jackeron again played a solid game, posting up a combined 26 points on 11-20 shooting, with 14 assists thrown in for good measure. And once again, Turkoglu was practically invisible in the game. He ended the game with a paltry 1-5 from behind the arc, and was 2-9 overall. Maybe he's got a nagging injury that nobody's talking about, or maybe he's just plain out of shape, but the man has got to pick up his game. Despite his recent complaints about not being able to adapt his game well to the system, Hedo should be more than capable of adapting. He has a great set of skills that can be applied to a myriad of situations, including being able to spot up for three.

Cleveland on Tuesday. Another game that will be interesting to test their mettle with. They beat the Cavs on opening night with one of their best efforts. Regardless, the Raptors are now one game above .500 halfway into the season, which is quite honestly where they should be and where they had aimed to be at worst. Would I like them to be better, record-wise? Of course. Have they had a bunch of shit games? Yeah, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had a few more over the second half. But, this is a team that has shown themselves to be one of the top offensive teams in the league. Even if their defense remains average at best, the Raptors have enough firepower to overcome defensive lapses that they will fall to. At this juncture, it feels like the roles are finally becoming clearly defined and giving, at least the offense, the team a consistent effort on most nights.

Song of the Week: Jay-Z and R. Kelly - Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Wasn't me. Not guilty.

From Cash Money Millionaires to Cash Money Bitches

Birdman, the over-extravagant and flamboyant CEO of the upstart "Cash Money Records" label of Lil Wayne, Jay Sean, and Drake fame, has created a lot of buzz around the industry lately by taking shots at Jay-Z (which is apparently the new way to make headlines).

Some of the more recent allegations are that his "son" Lil Wayne has more than Jay-Z when it comes to both lyrics and wealth. Here's Jay-Z's response:



He just turned those Cash Money bozo's into bitches. What were they thinking. They're the latest fad in the industry, just like Murder Inc was back early in the last decade. They don't have shit in terms of future longevity.

Song of Last Week: Puff Daddy ft. Notorious B.I.G. - Victory

To celebrate a new year and saying goodbye to old shit and taking on the new with only intentions of victory, I bring you this legendary track.

Olympic Flame passes through Edmonton, why are we celebrating?

I know we only get the Olympics once every generation in Canada (if that), but how is there so much hype about the freakin' flame passing through our city? It's a person running with a torch, that's it. A torch headed to Vancouver, just like it was to Calgary a couple decades go. Why does this get it's own countdown, it's own celebration, in our city? I know it's a national event, but as an Edmontonian I'm getting pretty sick of having to celebrate huge events happening in other cities.

I think the city should be spending more time wondering why they can't attract any big-name sports events to our city, while Calgary and Vancouver have managed to easily host Olympics over the past 21 years. The worst part is, we try to act like we're so big going for things like the Expo. No one cares about the god damn Expo, it lost it's hype a long time ago. This is the freakin' Olympics we're talking about. If you want something to do don't celebrate someone running with a torch, how about planning some serious infrastructural developments that'll help build this city's reputation?

I know it's probably going to be another 20-25 years before Canada even gets considered for another Winter Olympics, so that gives this poor excuse of a city a little more time to dig itself out of the proverbial hole it has created with its poor planning, stupid engineering, and small-city thinking. Calgary's basically our twin-city, yet they've managed to grow into a legitimate big city. You walk into that town and you feel big things are brewing, whether it be events, construction, or expansion. Why can't we do that?

Someone Needs to Bitch Slap Dre

In a not so surprising move, super-producer Dr. Dre recently announced in a SLAM Magazine interview that his much-hyped, much-anticipated album "Detox" would now be delayed once again. This time, the predicted release is 2011.

"Well, I'm working on it, but also I've been working on other people's projects; you'll probably hear something in a year or so," he said.

Haven't we heard this before? Didn't he say that in 2009? and 2008? and 2007? And basically every year dating back to 2004?

As much as I love the dude, there's only so long fans can await the album without building up some animosity for it. Dre's delaying of it's release coupled with his allowing it's over-hyping is going to cause a lot of disappointment once it actually drops. There's no way it's going to reach the hype it has generated. And by then, I'm sure fans will actually be happy to diss it, just to teach him a lesson for delaying it so long.

I got a ton of respect for the guy, and I understand he's working on a bunch of albums, but there's no reason to let this hype machine keep rolling when whatever sounds we've heard from Detox  (T.I's "Shit Popped Off" and the Ludacris-ghostwritten "O.G's Theme") sound average at best. Especially when all these albums he's supposed to be producing aren't even being released. His recent protege Bishop Lamont just left Aftermath, citing Dre's slow work as a reason for his departure.

While Bishop didn't explain, in detail, the politics and/or conflicts behind his desire to leave, he did say he started to feel like his solo debut was becoming a myth like Dre's long awaited Detox record. And, with most of his music never seeing the light of day, it was time for a change.

"After almost five years of sitting there and working with every producer in the world, it's kinda unfair to the fans and my family, and myself to keep telling people something when the release dates change," the rapper explained. "People are waiting. People are anticipating. [They be like] 'When's it gonna happen?' After a while, it's just like 'Damn.' It kinda becomes like my album is Detox like, 'When is it coming?'

I'm sure a lot of people will be pissed off at at the Detox delay...even this loyal, patient fan is.

A game as ugly as the girls Jasminder checks out.

TOR 108 - PHI 106
19-18

Ugly. That was one ugly-ass win. Toronto pretty much got outplayed the entire first half. The win was made through effort on the part of Toronto, and absolute choke on the part of Philly. Just to give you a slight idea of the ugliness, Bosh had six turnovers. Practically triple his career average.

What's really been promising, or at least comforting, in the past three or so games is Bargnani. Going through three seasons of relatively stoic facial expressions, it's really nice to see him let out some emotion during the games. Two moments stood out for him, one in the first and another at the end of the game. In the first, after getting a non-call on Dalembert, Bargnani raced back down on defence and basically hacked Iverson with one of those frustration fouls and immediately started barking at the referees. He, being of the not Kobe variety, got a tech pretty quick. One other moment came after Bosh's play to foul out Dalembert where he just ran over to Bosh to celebrate the play. It's not an earth shattering observation, but it's something that feels like it could be another turning point for Bargnani.

By the way, Andre Iguodala. I still dream about the Raptors that drafted Iggy. God damn. He is the poor man's LeBron. A quiet 17 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. And just think about how this game went. He was basically option 2B. Thaddeus Young took the most shots (24) for Philly, and double the shots that Iggy got. Plus, it seemed like even Iverson was handling the ball more often than him in this game. God damn. Just imagine a front court of Bargnani-Bosh-Iguodala. Fuuuuuuuuu...

Anyway, Celtics are next on Sunday. I think Pierce is still out, but Garnett's back. Can't quite remember. Pretty sure Rondo's back. Hopefully Bosh and Bargnani can keep things rolling. It feels like they've begun to develop a lot of chemistry on the court. Not to say they weren't doing well before, but it seems like they're on the verge of becoming a strong pairing on a consistent basis. Though make no mistake, Bosh is still number one for this team.

Possibly the source of Bargnani's newly found emotions

Oh, and Gilbert Arenas is fucked. Acted like an absolute dumbass during this whole gun ordeal. What happened to this guy. I still remember when he was dropping fifty points and hitting game-winning shots left and right.

Douche-baggery: Brit Hume/Tiger Woods

Really now? Really? I don't think I can say much else that could add to how stupid he made himself look. Oh, oh, no wait. Humester isn't done yet. Due to some angry e-mails he got over the internets (crazy, I know), he later was on O'Reilly's show.

Uh, yes Humester, that was fucking proselytizing. Man, I had to make up a new label, just for this post.

USA Takes World Juniors; Announces Olympic Roster

Although the talent pool at this recent WJHC wasn't as great as we've seen in years past, you've got to admit it brought some of the most competitive and exciting hockey we've seen in a while at the tournament. Good to see Canada fall off to a more united, harder-working American side. The best TEAM really won this tournament.

In my eyes, the deepest 2 teams were Sweden and Canada (in that order), yet both failed to coalesce as teams. The Swedes sat back in each game, assuming their system and skill were good enough against any opponent. It worked for a while, till they faced an American side with enough skill and speed to overwhelm their till that point untested defense. As for the Canadians, there was a lot of individualism shown in many of the players on the roster, including Kadri and Hall, and the inclusion of guys like Nemisz and Henrique in order to play with Hall proved to be a failure, as both were underwhelming. Imagine a guy like Tyler Seguin playing instead, with his complete game and great hockey instincts. It's a lesson learned for Hockey Canada heading forward, as there were few bright spots other than the play of Jordan Eberle.

Speaking of Eberle, what a tournament this was if you're an Oiler fan! This is the first time an Edmonton Oilers prospect has won the tournament MVP Award. Eberle also went on to win every other possible award he could have, an amazing accomplishment. Keep in mind, however, that he is 19 years old, and he dominated the tournament as he should given the competition. That being said, how about the play of 18-year old Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson? The Oilers' 10th overall pick in 2009 emerged as a true superstar in the making in this tournament, dominating the offensive workload for the Swedes. I can't believe he fell to 10th, the guy chugs around the ice like Ovechkin, and was honestly the biggest on-ice presence for any team in the tournament. Many scouts said he "lacked finish", yet we saw many highlight-reel goals from this guy in that tournament, and a few snipes as well. I think with him we're going to see a situation that occurred a few years back with Anze Kopitar, where pre-draft scouting reports criticized his finishing ability, only to see him become the steal of the draft.

As for other prospects, Teemu Hartikainen looked great for the Finns, and was easily one of their best forwards, and showed much improvement in his skating. And although Toni Rajala had a few bright spots, he was largely invisible for the Finns in the tournament. He is only 18 however, and has one more year left. He's definitely a project, and it'll be quite some time before we see him in an Oilers jersey.

The Americans also unveiled their roster for the upcoming Olympics a few days ago, here are the projected line combinations:

Bobby Ryan - Paul Stastny - Patrick Kane
Phil Kessel - Zach Parise - Jamie Langenbrunner
Ryan Malone - Ryan Kesler - Dustin Brown
Joe Pavelski - Chris Drury - David Backes
Ryan Callahan



Erik Johnson - Bryan Rafalski
Paul Martin - Brooks Orpik
Ryan Suter - Mike Komisarek
Jack Johnson

Ryan Miller
Tim Thomas
Craig Andersen



All in all a very similar roster to the one they sent to the World Juniors. Those forwards don't really stack up to the other nations in terms of individual talent, yet this group of young Americans have had a long history of playing together in international competition, and should surprise a lot of people with their chemistry, speed, and skill. Questionable selection in Mike Komisarek, but I guess they like his physicality. If he can be disciplined, he'll be valuable for his shutdown ability. Although not the best team on paper, this team is definitely one ready to play head-to-head against the biggest contenders come the Olympics.

The 10 Most Hyped Albums for 2010

MSN just released this list on New Year's Eve. Seems pretty good, I'm surprised Dre and Detox haven't been mentioned. That thing's been an enigma in the making since 2004, and he's promised a 2010 release.

Cool to see Chamillionaire's "Venom" #1. Cham's promised something wicked on this album, and has been feeding us various additions to his "Mixtape Messiah" series while we await Venom.