It's Over

Have a good life

Okay, so the only reason I'm actually writing this is because I need some kind of closure to it. This is the last post for The Hot Route. It's been fun, and I want to thank anyone who read it, I really appreciate it. But I've moved on and it's time to put my first blog to rest - officially.

If you want to keep up with me, please visit my new blog at survivingmyselfdotwordpressdotcom.

I did that thing with the "dot" to keep spam away from my new site, because although I do enjoy getting emails from Russian brides who are "very excite to meet me," I'd like to keep it to a minimum.

And a couple last things...

The Steelers are better than your favorite NFL team.
The Pitt Panthers are better than your favorite college football and basketball team.
The Knicks suck so I can't say anything other than David Lee makes me happy.
Tiger is the best golfer of all time.
Federer is the best tennis player of all time.
College football will never be worth a damn until they implement a playoff system.
And....
Baseball still fucking sucks.

Peace!

MVP Race Comes Down to One

The choice is clear

The end of the NBA season is fast approaching, and with that, the talk of MVP is becoming louder and louder. Generally, you'll get this discussion - that it boils down to 3 dudes - BronBron, Kobe and KG. What I don't hear enough is the name of the player who should be the MVP, but won't. This guy has elevated his team to the highest of the league, has outplayed the other players who are considered the best at his position, put up insane numbers the entire season and made his teammates better along the way. This man is Chris Paul, and he should be the NBA's MVP this year.

The only other player who is close is LeBron. No other player comes close to making more out of nothing than Paul. He's made Tyson Chandler a relevant player after years of wallowing in mediocrity in Chicago. Chandler's number have jumped to double digits in both points and rebounds because of Paul. And what about that guy no one's ever heard of - David West? Yes, the All-Satr David West. He's dropping career-high numbers as well because of how amazing Paul is as a player. Stojakovic? Who do you think gets him those open looks so he can be shooting an awesome 47% from three point land? Paul.

Paul needs to get some love from people. The Hornets are only one game back from the defending champs Spurs. The Hornets! No one saw that coming, and it's all because of Paul. Plus, I know you saw him torch Nash the other night. The Hornets have swept the Suns this season. Swept them! And the Suns are a team that people are saying can win it all. Better make room for the Hornets in that category, along with The Hot Route's Officially Approved MVP, Chris Paul.

Source: SI.com

Yao Ming Out for Season

Down and out

Man, did I just curse the Rockets or what? Yao has just been declared officially done for the rest of the season, suffering his second major injury to his left foot in 3 years. Well, if you think I didn't have love for the Rockets before today, you can forget about it now. They're done. Mutombo in the middle, please. Dude hasn't been effective since he was a Sixer.

All I can think of is poor Yao. He's playing his best ball, the Rockets are feeling it and now this. Well, the race to the playoffs just got a little clearer. No way the Rockets make it in - unless McGrady finds his inner chi. But like I said yesterday, I wouldn't count on that happening.

Source: ESPN.com

Rockets Win 11th Straight

Running on empty

The Rockets are finally looking like they aren't underachieving as they won their 11th straight game last night with the help of newly aquired Bobby Jackson. You know, even though this was their 11th straight, they've only played 4 teams during that stretch that currently have winning records, so I'm still not sold on the Rockets.

The Rockets are just one of those teams that should be better than they are. They have Yao playing his best ball yet, they have Battier - a great defender and locker room guy - and they have T-Mac - who depending on who you talk to, is still one of the best players in the league. They also brought in Adelman to be their coach, supposedly because they thought his free-flowing offense would work for Yao and company the way it worked for Divac's and the Kings back in the day.

Now the Rockets finally have something going for them, but I still don't buy them as a playoff threat. I don't think they could beat any of the other teams in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.

Why is that? Well, I guess I have to say that I subscribe to the popular notion that T-Mac can't get it done in crunch time. I don't think he has the killer inside him, like BronBron and Kobe have. And because T-Mac doesn't have it, it makes this team hollow. Yao is their next (maybe first) best player and there's no way he'll ever have it. If Yao develops a killer instinct then I will buy season tickets to the Mets. That's how sure I am.

Without a soul, the Rockets are going to hang in the playoff race, maybe make it - and then fade away in the first - maybe second round. It's too bad. Now you know because I said that about the Mets Yao is going to go nuts over the remainder games and ESPN's going to be all, "Where did this new version of Yao come from???" Lets go Mets. Lets go Mets...

Source: ESPN.com

Cavs Make Last Minute Deal

Making moves

I was waiting until the trade deadline passed today because I kind of felt like the Cavs might do something - and that they did. They got Ben Wallace, Joe Smith and a second round pick from the Bulls and Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from the Sonics. Damn! And all they gave up was Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons. I have to say, it looks like the Cavs got a big boost to their roster and came away the victors in this one - but only if some things work out the right way for them.

First, Larry Hughes has to cool back down. Hughes had been having a horrible season, and then, all of sudden - he started scoring at will like the old Philly-version of himself. If Hughes continues to play well, the Cavs are going to wish they had him back. Second - Wally (hell no I'm not typing his last name again) has to fill-in for Hughes and knock down those open jumpers hand delivered by LeBron. And last, but most importantly, Wallace has to give a crap. He didn't care about the Bulls and you could tell - I'm sure the Cavs are gambling on the notion that putting Ben back on a playoff bound team will re-energize him. Oh, and I also love West, he's going to be a great addition to the Cavs lack of point guard depth.

If all those things work out, the Cavs are going to be sitting pretty when the playoffs come around. Really, putting any more talent around LeBron, who just dropped his second straight double-double last night, makes the Cavs that much more deadly. I bet you the entire Eastern Conference is pissed that this deal went through. And Lebron is very, very happy.

Source: ESPN.com

Kidd to Mavs Official

Nice

The trade finally went through. The Mavs got their man and the Nets got Devin Harris, about 40 other players, Keith Van Horn and 2 dead guys. Word from NBA Insider Marc Stein is that the dead guys were once serious ballers, so I'll keep you posted about their integration into the Nets lineup.

So there you have it Dallas fans. This is basically it for you. If you don't win the title in the next year or so, this trade will not have been worth it. If you do, well, it's all good then, right?

This trade reminds me of the Heat getting Shaq a couple seasons ago. They sold their collective soul to finally get that ring, and right after that went into a hole as a franchise. Dwayne Wade now may be Dirk Nowitzki in three seasons. We shall see.

Like I said a couple days ago, I like this trade. Did Dallas give up a little too much? Well, yes, but like I just said, if Kidd gets the Mavs that ring then it was all worth it. Isn't playing the game about winning it all? So if Kidd accomplishes that, then who the hell cares how good Harris is going to be one day?

I love how everyone is saying how great Harris is, by the way. All this buzz about him being just as good as Kidd is BS. Just wait and see. Kidd didn't care about the Nets. Everyone who knows anything can tell you that. But he was still having a quality year, just because he's so damn good, that he can not give a crap and still drop sick dimes past awestruck opponents. Now he's playing along side Nowitzki and Josh Howard, he's playing for a title contender and on top of all of that - everyone is hating on him. Kidd is going to play very well and make people wonder why they thought this trade was bad. I promise you that.

I also wanted to remind everyone that I was a fan of the Shaq trade too. Before the Sports Guy read my post and decided to get on board.

Respect The Hot Route!


Source: The Dallas Morning News, ESPN.com

Dwight Howard Wins Dunk Contest

More fun to come

The dunk contest is officially back. Dwight Howard won the contest yesterday by pulling off some of the most creative and thunderous dunks in the history of the contest. When he revealed the Superman shirt and tied on the cape - I lost my mind. It was crazy. Add this to the list of reasons to love Howard. He (along with Gerald Green, whose cupcake dunk was ridiculous as well) has brought back the contest that makes the NBA All Star break/game fun to watch. And for those of you out there that still have some hate for the NBA - time to tune in my friends. The rest of the season holds many story lines, ones that if you aren't a fan of the NBA, will make you one by the time playoffs come around. Let's check out some of the things to look for in the second half of the season:

• Can LeBron do it again? Can he carry his talent-lacking team on his back all the way to the Championship?
• Will the Magic make noise in the playoffs? How much can Howard impose his will on the games that matter?
• How will Kidd influence Dallas' play? (I'm assuming this trade is going through.)
• Will Shaq be the difference in Phoenix? Will he finally get Nash that elusive first ring?
• How will Kobe, Gasol and Bynum play together once they all get healthy? And will Bryant even make it through the season without reinjuring his thumb?
• Are the Warriors going to run some team into the ground again, just like they did Dallas last season? Will Webber actually make plays for them?
  
• Are the Pistons poised to win it all, or will they collapse internally?

If that's not enough for you to tune into the NBA for the rest of the season and the playoffs, there's really no hope for you. Seriously. Just go ahead and kill yourself. It'll be better that way.

Source: ESPN.com