Tonight the Los Angeles Lakers head to the World Famous Madison Square Garden. Even when the Knicks were terrible, and even during the 3-5 seasons of disappointing Laker basketball in my 30 years, MSG games were always something different and something to feel excited about. NY vs. LA. The established primary US city vs. the city that continues to erode the primary city's importance. East vs. West. Biggie vs. Tupac. Tonight's game feels much different.
Forget the fact that the Knicks are undefeated at home this year. Forget the fact that D'Antoni is heading in to coach his first game against his former team. Forget the fact that two future Hall of Famers are not playing. After all, this isn't about playing against a hot team, isn't about taking time to implement an offense, and isn't about a lack of chemistry on the offensive end or of offensive production components. We can look back at various stretches of the 2003-04 season to draw comparisons, and at no point did the Lakers look as lifeless and beatable as they do right now.
The game isn't until 5 on the West Coast tonight, but I'm already recouping from what will be the Lakers' fourth straight loss. Of course I'm still going to tune in and hope that they actually show up and play, but I also try to be a realist. There is no heart, and no fight in this team (exemption, Kobe), and they are absolutely going to miss the playoffs at this rate. With four future Hall of Fame first-ballot inductees.
It's gut check time, Lakers. I know fans are giving you the excuse of blaming the front office, but I don't buy the whole notion of pigeon-holing a professional basketball coach into a single, monochromatic style. Phil and Jerry are exceptions, not the rule, so a Mike D'Antoni team can play defense. Any other excuse is complete B.S. and needs to be treated as such. Better defense leads to run-and-gun offense, so the two can absolutely compliment each other. Maybe we run Shell Drill all damn practice to drive the point home, but the latest disappointment in Cleveland clearly shows that it's time for everyone in the locker room to have a long look in the mirror and ask themselves what they are doing to earn their paycheck. Mitch has done plenty, so don't let him (and the rest of us) down.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Monday, December 03, 2012
Rise Above: The Fiscal Cliff's Largest and Easiest Target
The Nation's pending financial reset known as the "Fiscal Cliff" is in the news daily, and while there is much talk about the political game of chess, there is very little being talked about in the form of solutions. And, most unfortunately for American History, even talking about compromise (the very thing that created this Great Nation in the first place) has become taboo, an excuse for ridicule from one's own party or even worse, the other. It cannot be looked at as a political black mark, it cannot be considered an act of traitorship (I may be creating words, and I'm okay with it) to engage in a process that is the very being of this country. That John Boehner has brushed aside Tom Cole's call to action to take a 98% deal is ludacris.
Obama has drawn a line in the sand at letting the Bush-era tax cuts expire for the top 2%. While I completely undersatnd Boehner's stance that the "Top 2%" of income tax returns hardly denote the wealthiest Americans, as many Mom and Pop businesses would actually fall into this category and potentially pay higher taxes, these businesses also have the ability to manage their bottom lines to reach tax efficiency. They can use their tax professional to make the system work for them when it changes.
Obama's line in the sand is frustrating and unfortunate at best, but given the way the Fiscal Cliff works, these negotiations are to his party's advantage. If the US goes over the cliff, everyone's taxes go up, and Republicans are square to blame for not playing ball. So why not start with the 98% deal? Obama has also let it be known that he's open to further negotiation, but his sticking piece is the end of the tax cuts for the top 2%. So why not work within that foundation? Tom Cole is ready to do so, and it seemed for a moment that Lindsey Graham was, too.
It's time to stop pointing fingers. It's time for Democrats to embrace folks like Tom Cole and their willingness to come to the bargaining table. It's also time for Democrats to put forth an olive branch of compromise to folks like Tom Cole in good faith. After all, once we begin bipartisan collaboration, don't we want to endorse and encourage it?
Obama has drawn a line in the sand at letting the Bush-era tax cuts expire for the top 2%. While I completely undersatnd Boehner's stance that the "Top 2%" of income tax returns hardly denote the wealthiest Americans, as many Mom and Pop businesses would actually fall into this category and potentially pay higher taxes, these businesses also have the ability to manage their bottom lines to reach tax efficiency. They can use their tax professional to make the system work for them when it changes.
Obama's line in the sand is frustrating and unfortunate at best, but given the way the Fiscal Cliff works, these negotiations are to his party's advantage. If the US goes over the cliff, everyone's taxes go up, and Republicans are square to blame for not playing ball. So why not start with the 98% deal? Obama has also let it be known that he's open to further negotiation, but his sticking piece is the end of the tax cuts for the top 2%. So why not work within that foundation? Tom Cole is ready to do so, and it seemed for a moment that Lindsey Graham was, too.
It's time to stop pointing fingers. It's time for Democrats to embrace folks like Tom Cole and their willingness to come to the bargaining table. It's also time for Democrats to put forth an olive branch of compromise to folks like Tom Cole in good faith. After all, once we begin bipartisan collaboration, don't we want to endorse and encourage it?
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