Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 33

The color white gives me different vibes when evaluating the quality of a uniform. Most of the time, I find white ordinary and mundane, but ironically, when white is taken to new and extreme levels, I seem to like it more. Take these Louisville jerseys, for example. Aside from that consistent swagger the Cardinals seem to have, these white jersey can actually stand alone as good. The white letters outlined with red gives the uniform a sleek look that most schools can't pull off. Click Here

Podcast #36

What Am I Wearing?
Reaction to Celtics/Cavs Megadeal
Top 5 Sidekicks
Guest: RJ Bottalla
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Yay for Cavs, Nay for Celtics

I've come out of my writing hibernation to talk about the latest blockbuster NBA deal. In an offseason where we've already seen Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler and others switch teams, two more just had their place of employment changed. The Cavaliers just sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and the 2018 Nets 1st round pick (a pick that will most likely land in the top 5). I knew (along with everyone else who has a TV) that Kyrie was sure to leave Cleveland. I wasn't expecting anything like this, though. I was hoping for the Spurs or some other Western Conference team to get him so that Conference would get even more interesting. Because of that, this deal seems somewhat disappointing. This feels like two opposing armies switching soldiers. 

For the Cavaliers, this is a very good deal. They unload Irving and get another All-Star point guard in Thomas along with a quality rotation piece in Jae Crowder. On top of that, they also are getting a top-5 pick in next year's NBA Draft. They got all that for a player which the whole league KNEW wanted a change of scenery. When that happens, usually the market for that player worsens. Regardless, the Cavaliers did a really good job in getting a reasonable value for their superstar.

For the Celtics, I don't see why this deal was made. Irving is a tremendous talent, but he's not that much better than Thomas. And he's certainly not worth Thomas plus Crowder plus a valuable pick. The Celtics overvalued Irving and paid the price for it. The Celtics were building a great thing with the addition of Gordon Hayward in free agency, but now they tore it all down by going for Kyrie. Remember that video of Isaiah Thomas dancing when the Celtics signed Hayward? That aged really well. I don't understand what Boston's motive was here. 

If I had to grade the trade on both ends, I'd give the Cavs an A+ and the Celtics a C-. I'm not giving the Celtics a worse grade purely because I still think Kyrie Irving is the best player in this deal. It's not like the Celtics gave all this up for Milos Teodosic or something. But I still don't think it was necessary for the Celtics. 

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 32

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday goes to the Virginia Cavaliers navy uniforms. I like these because of the orange stripe on each shoulder. That's a unique look for Nike teams. The font is also pretty cool and that logo is marvelous. The navy/orange/white combo rarely falters, and Virginia is just proving that point. Click Here

Podcast #35

What Am I Wearing?
Marvin Bagley
Other Recruiting News
Nike NBA Jerseys
Top 5 Basketball Annoyances
Guest: John Lichtenstein
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Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 31

Wow. I suck at remembering Friday. Weird. Anyway, this week, I'm appreciating the jerseys of the one team called the "49ers" that doesn't bother me. Nothing against you, Charlotte, but the Long Beach State 49ers have a nice black and gold combo and what makes it cool is that the jersey doesn't say "Long Beach State" or "49ers." Nope. It just says "The Beach," which is totally badass. Click Here

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 30

I forgot Jersey Appreciation Friday, so I'll make it my third Jersey Appreciation Saturday. I've been holding this one in the bank for a while now, and it's about time I bring it out. The Atlanta Hawks from 2011 were a really good team.  They also had awesome uniforms. The navy and red always looks good. It's a shame the Hawks went from that to neon, black and red. Click Here

Podcast #34

I'm Baaack
What Am I Wearing?
MJ vs LeBron in Europe
Potential Suitors for Kyrie Irving
Impact of Marvin Bagley III's and RJ Barrett's Reclassifications
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