Friday, February 29, 2008

Buddy Miles, RIP.

For those of you who don't know, Buddy Miles was the drummer for the Band of Gypsys, Hendrix's post Experience band. A totally different drummer to Mitch Mitchell, and not the same force of nature. But the man could put down a pocket, and move air in the same way Bonham did.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

French synthopenguins

I thought this was a funny puppet show.

England expects every man to do his duty.

The one thing you can say about the British Royal family is that they do take the job seriously, and it makes me somewhat proud to be British when I see that Prince Harry is serving on the front line in Afghanistan, without any special treatment, just like his uncle Edward did in the Falklands War. Doesn't mean to say I'm for either war, but I admire the commitment to duty.

It's the same reason I admired Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. When Buckingham Palace was bombed during WW-II, she said "Now I can look the East End in the face.". When asked why she didn't leave Buckingham Palace or London for somewhere safer, she replied: "The Princesses cannot go without me. I cannot go without the King. The King will never go.".

She, the King and Churchill kept the country in spirit during its darkest hour. For the most part, we've lost that indomitable spirit in the UK, and we're a shadow of the country we once were. Prince Harry is a reminder of what once was, and that the flame of what it truly means to be British has not been entirely extinguished.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

William F Buckley, RIP.

It's fair to say that William F Buckley was the Godfather of modern conservatism, from an ideological point of view and also from an advocacy perspective. It's important to acknowledge just how important the National Review is, both as a voice for conservative thought and also as an institution around which the activities of the modern conservative movement could be aligned.

For me, he personified the notion that there is an American aristocracy, an active ruling class in the United States, and he performed the role with a sense of duty, dignity and grace. He was a patriot with enough confidence in his own patriotism that he didn't need to wrap himself in a flag at every opportunity. One gets the sense that the real difference between the Buckleys and the Bushes is in essence one of taking away the sense of duty, and replacing it with greed and a sense of entitlement.

Buckleys patrician disposition was simultaneously a great strength, insofar as it enabled a civilized, nuanced and literate intellectual honesty (if viewed through a certain ideological prism) and a sense of noblesse oblige; and also a great weakness by failing to address the degree to which avarice, self interest and partisanship has molded the modern conservative movement. But at the end you could tell that while we was still committed to its principles, he felt disillusioned by the failure of the movement to overcome it's inherent tendency for corruption, vis a vis Iraq.

Still, he loved Bach, and that single virtue could make one forgive him for a multitude of sins, not least of which were the tacky novels. And I will say this: his passing is symbolic if the Democrats win this November.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The Godfather of Prog Guitar.

Robert Fripp is one of the most important influences in my playing, along with Steve Hackett, Andy Summers, the Edge, Ry Cooder, Jeff Beck and Allan Holdsworth.

It's hard to overstate just what a breakthrough "21st Century Schizoid Man" was for 1969. King Crimson really invented a whole new genre, and showed that Rock could not only be complex, in a classical music sense, but also avant garde.

Right place, right time, right man

When the Western world has been in crisis, we always seem to find the right figure to lead us to victory or out of danger. Wellington, Churchill, and Roosevelt come to mind.

With this thought in mind, a couple of things stick out:
  1. I've noticed a strong tendency by the right to denigrate JFK, suggesting that he was a foreign policy disaster, and that Khruschev had him by the short and curlies. And the reason they're doing it is because of Barack Osama. But nothing could be further from the truth. Kennedy was masterful with the Berlin crisis, given that there was nothing short of war he could do to resolve the problem, and his handling of the Cuban Missile crisis saved us from thermonuclear war. Don't think that people like Curtis LeMay didn't want to go and bomb the crap out of the Soviets. They did, and badly. Kennedy finally managed to get control and reign in the CIA and other organizations dedicated to their own twisted version of patriotism. His assassination led directly to the escalation of the Vietnam conflict.
  2. We have a looming crisis in this country, financially, morally, etc... Barack might be the only person capable of fixing what's broken, and restoring America's place in the world.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Per Ardua Ad Astra

If you were a geeky kid growing up in 60's Britain, this TV show was as important as Star Trek, if not more so. It's a stirring theme song.

Songs that make me happy (pt 1.)

This is one of those inherently joyful songs that never fail to cheer me up, no matter how foul a mood I'm in. Better at doing that than a Lakers loss, and that's saying something.

Sullivan... you magnificent bastard, I read your blog.

I read Andrew Sullivans' blog daily, and it's often both a hoot and thought provoking.

Given Andrew is both gay and conservative (in the Thatcherite mold) it's interesting to me to follow the workings of a mind that has to deal with often contradictory tendencies. Still, he *is* intellectually honest (in the same perverse way that Marxist historians are), interesting, and isn't afraid to admit a mistake (re: George W.). And he is the only conservative commentator to take on the Religious Right (the object of my scorn) and the Fascist tendency within the Republican Party, which is a brave and righteous stance, given the overwhelming trend of his fellow conservative commentators to just take the money and run.

While I disagree with him on *many* subjects, my only real criticism of him is when it comes to Bill and Hillary, where he morphs into the typical right-wing radio host. I've always thought he was incredibly partisan and unfair to the two of them, and completely blind to the acts of right-wingers such as Scaife, Ailes and Limbaugh, throughout the Clinton administration. But then, the basic instinct of the Rove/Bush/Reagan/Gingrich Republican political machine was, as Weishaupt said, that "The ends justify the means", and if you hang around with shitheads, you're bound to get a little dirty.

What I like about Andrew, is that he's still a romantic at heart, which we see in regard to to his support of Barack Obama, and his somewhat ill-judged support for Ron Paul earlier in the year. Like most conservatives, he's willing to compromise to get the one thing he wants, and what Andrew wants is a saner, less fanatical, and more adult administration, and the application of empiricism and common sense to policy, instead of ideology or greed.

Can't say I disagree with him on that front, and of all the candidates, Barack is the least self-deluded. That one quality makes him the best candidate, imho.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Pistons vs. Suns

30 points... Oh my.

Guess it was just one of those games. Still, it's clear this isn't going to be as easy as we all thought, and there's more work to do. But the fellas are up to the challenge, I'm sure.

So Nader's running for President again.

The problem with Ralph is that he's no longer the romantic figure in left wing politics that he once was Oh sure, he still has his core supporters and some political juice, but he's more and more viewed as the guy who enabled George Bush get elected, and that makes him a object of scorn.

Other than some weird ego gratification, I really don't see the point of Ralph doing this. The left now has a new romantic warrior, one who is smarter and far more charismatic. That guys name is Barack Obama.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Shock and Awe offense (pt 2.)

Randy Hill of Fox Sports calls it the Shaq and Awe offense. Obvious, I know, but I still wish I'd thought of it first, when I was so close to doing so.

Kudos, Mr Hill. Kudos.

McCain is toast. burnt toast.

It's really hard to see how McCain survives this floozy scandal and the funding scandal. Even if he gets off, he's going to be indelibly tarnished with a big stain on his character. Furthermore, this could set him off, and I could see him losing his temper somewhere, on film, when some reporter asks an impertinent question (and you know they're going to try and bait him), or worse still when Obama asks a seemingly innocuous question in a debate.

Worse still, John McCain has become a national figure of mockery. Every comedian, late-night or otherwise, is going to be lining up to take their potshots at him. At some point it's going to stick, and this is going to be worse for McCain than the same thing was for Giuliani or Bill Clinton (who at least had the advantage in the public eye of actually being President).

For the Republicans, this is a difficult situation. If McCain doesn't implode and sews up the nomination (and he needs about 350 to do so without superdelegates), then he's pre-Dukakied even before the General Election, and that's without taking W into account. The alternative to McCain is either Huckabee or Romney, unless the RNC makes a deal at the convention for a dark horse. The problem for the Republicans is that the only people left with enough gravitas to do the job of POTUS are cranky assholes like Bob Dole.

For the Democrats this is an opportunity for them to make even bigger inroads in the Senate and Congressional battles, the meme being "..even the best the Republicans have to offer is a lier, a crook and a philanderer". The Dems still have enough time to show enough backbone to convince the nation that there is a clear and wide difference between them and the GOP.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Suns Shock and Awe offense.

I seriously believe that the Suns new offense could be legendarily good in terms of it's effectiveness, and it's a 4 part offense:
  1. Center/PF oriented power offense. The Suns might now have a twin towers for the ages with Shaq and Amare, and remember both of these guys shoot 60% from the field, which means that they both command a double team, unlike the Robinson/Duncan duo. Defensively, you *have* to use 3 players to cover the two of them, meaning that you're leaving a big gap on the perimeter. The Suns don't have anyone shooting less than 34% from the 3 pt line, and that percentage is about to go up with all the free space caused by a missing defender.
  2. Midrange game. In Grant, Boris and Amare, the Suns have a midrange game that's probably as good as any team from the 70's or 80's. All three of those guys can shoot from 18 ft in, can attack the rim, and more importantly can pass when the offense breaks down, either to Shaq or Steve Nash.
  3. Steve Nash. In my opinion Steve Nash is the most effective improvisational player to ever play the game. Not as good as Maravich from a creative point of view, but far more effective. In addition he is the best player in the game today at playing what I like to call the "5 fingers of one hand offense", which is to say that he makes better decisions and more effectively directs the actions of other players than anyone else. And just for completeness, Steve is also the best passer playing today and one of the best ever combo passer/shooters. What Shaq does in this offense is free up Steve for more space, and that's going to make him even more dangerous because he'll have better shooting opportunities and more time to make decisive passes to open players. The only question comes from Shaq's position in the paint when Steve tries to penetrate and dish. Will he be an obstacle to Steve, or will Steve use him as a screen to do greater damage.
  4. Downdown game. The Suns have the best long distance offense in the NBA.
It's my theory that even great defensive teams can only effectively defend against at most three of the above options, but not against all of them. Any team then has to pick their poison.

The other point that needs to be mentioned is that the Speed-ball, for which the Suns have been famous is now plan B, which means that the Suns can kick up the pace with their bench. You have two stark choices against the Suns: defend against power or defend against speed. That's like being caught between Scylla and Charybdis.

Some sanity in our educational system

Education is not a privilege, it's a duty. Higher education should be a right, imho.

If this country is going to continue to be the greatest in the world, then it needs to be serious about cultivating home grown talent, helping it fulfill it's true and full potential. Educated people contribute far more to the country's bottom line in the form of taxes than they ever take out.

Anyway, I saw the following on DailyKos, and figured I'd add my 5 cents: Stanford just announced it will drop tuition for students whose families make less than $100k/year. Of course, Stanford can afford to do this because it has a $17 Billion endowment, but this is still a big step in the right direction, and overdue.

Hopefully, this is the start of a trend. God knows we need it.

Wednesday cheese

Does humor belong in music? Well.. yes it does, and this song brings out the hormonal 14 year old in me.

We all know that Eddie is my generations greatest guitar player, but this song really show what a kickass drummer Alex is, and how solid a rhythm section he and Mike were.

Monday, February 18, 2008

More all star game thoughts

I have a few more comments:
  1. If you want people to play hard in the All Star games, then you have to make it worth their while. Play for money. a big pile of money, and make it winner takes all. A $10 Million purse for the all star game and $4 Million for the Rooks/Sophs game should do the trick. And Stern would have no problem in getting sponsors.
  2. Get rid of East/West.. Just do Skins/Shirts, like Wilbon says. So instead of picking the starters for the East & West teams, the public should pick their top 8 favorite players, regardless of position or conference. The top two vote getters become the captains of their teams, and select the rest of their teams, just like a Skins/Shirts game. The other 16 players and say 4 alternates are selected by a combination of players, coaches & gms. The two coaches with the best winning percentages after 50 games coaches. abolish the consecutive year rule. coaches choose the starting lineup & get a cut of the purse if they win.
  3. I've said this before, but it bears repeating: get rid of all the 3-pt, skills & dunk contests. These are just incredibly lame. Replace them with a $5 Million purse, winner takes all, 16 or 32 team, 2-on-2 mini tournament. Limit participation to bench type players. Play the final at the half time of the all star game.
  4. The All Star weekend would look like this:
    1. Friday would be the 1 st & 2nd round (if 32 teams) of the 2-on-2 contents. Make it 1st to 11, and each games lasts about 10 mins. If you have 32 teams, there are 24 games, so this would take about 4 hrs
    2. Saturday would be the Rookie/Sophs game. Play the quarters of the 2-on-2 before the rookie game, and the semis at 1/2 time.
    3. Skins/Shirts All star game. play the finals of the 2-on-2 at 1/2 time.
    4. There would be a pre-game show, say 1 week before, where the pairings for the 2-on-2 and the lineups for the all star game are drawn.
  5. I hate the fricking half time shows.. especially the *lame* choreography. Don't need dancers with paintbrushes, and for you to trot out the kids to pluck on our heartstrings. Dr John, Allan Toussaint, Harry Connick Jr. and two Neville Bros should be enough musical entertainment for anyone.
  6. The oh-so-fake-sincere NBA cares PR bs... "Thank God the NBA's here.. it's gonna be all right." Spare me.. Appearing at some site in New Orleans to bang some nails in some wood for a few hours is not going to fix the problems caused by Katrina, regardless of how much like Superman you think you are. Either do something truly meaningful to help, or get out of the way and let people do their job. These people in New Orleans are busy.. they don't have time for inspiration.
The point of all of this, is that we would get rid of all the extraneous and non-sensical crap, and actually get some decent and competitive basketball. I know the all-star game is for the fans, but I for one do not need to be patronized by David Stern. Make the games interesting, show us something we wouldn't see during the regular season, and the rest will follow.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

New Wave Pioneers

Television were right at the vanguard of the NYC punk/new wave scene, and they probably don't get as much respect as more well known bands. This song is classic.

More Cooder.

My last Cooder kick lasted 5 years. Let's hope this one is a little shorter.
Anyhoo.. this is from the '87 Santa Cruz show.

Light Night Cooder.

Beautiful.

No answer yet

Thursday, February 14, 2008

When mass murder is just too boring

There comes a point when one can be too cynical and blase about events in the world. Today we crossed that line. 5 people were killed by a gunman, today in Illinois, who then killed himself.

I'm watching the news right now, and this story is not being covered on *any* channel, being bypassed for Hillary and Mitt/McCain stories.

Listen News Channel people.. How many people have to die before you pay attention? 10? 20? 50?

You disgust me.. all of you.

The new clone wars movie

I think George may finally have found his true medium.

If this film makes money, you can expect to see a bunch more of these, because the cost of making them will get progressively cheaper, due to the model library Lucasfilm is building up. And I think George is more fully vested in this way of making films, than say the Wachowskis, Animatrix not withstanding.

First Hallmark Holiday of the year

There are a number of Hallmark Holidays (Valentine's day, Mother's Day, Halloween), where you go out and spend a lot of cash in order to make someone like you, as opposed to the drinking holidays (Fat Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day).
But remember, no matter how heartfelt and sincere our feelings, in the end we're just a demographic.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Why the Ruby community sometimes drives me nuts (pt 1).

The essential difference between the Ruby and Python communities is that the Ruby community comes from a Windows/Mac/Java background, and the Pythonistas come from a C++ and academic oriented background. Actually what I said about the Ruby folks, only really applies to the Euro/American contingent. But these are the guys who are making noise with Rails & the such, and they do form the majority.

Anyhoo, the point of this screed is really to complain about the tendency of the above Ruby community to head off on tangents like this, while we don't yet have a single English language book that completely documents even the standard Ruby release (as good as the PickAxe book is). Look, I know it's cool to write a Lisp inside another language, since I've done it myself several times, but first things first ok ??

And while I dislike the Python language, you have to give props for the fact that the Python community has at least had the grace to *document* their stuff, almost to a fault. For Ruby, RDoc is *no* substitute. trust me on this.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Just win baby.

Looks like Obama has won Virginia by a substantial margin, and the same seems to be true for Maryland and Washington DC.

Led Zeppelin.

I really didn't get into Zeppelin until my 30's, which is to say I didn't become a real fan until then. Certainly I knew the songs, and the melodies and even the guitar parts, but it really didn't all click together for me early on. Needless to say, I now hold the Zeps in the highest regard.

As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset, I am in Paradise

I love California, and I consider myself an adopted Californian, but there are moments I look back wistfully to the old country, despite it's many, many flaws.

Apologies for the crappy video quality.

Monday, February 11, 2008

How to improve the NBA..

Not that I think it needs much improving, mind you, but I think the following would be cool:

  1. Dennis Rodman Defense Masterclass TV show/Video. When I was a kid growing up in the UK, they'd have these Masterclass shows on TV, with musicians like Julian Breem and Paul Tortelier working with well-known but up & coming young musicians. I'd like to see a show like that with Dennis and a couple of rookies/sophomores, and him teaching them advanced defense/rebounding. Also Kareem Center Masterclass, Jordan 2-Guard or Stockton Point Guard Masterclass.
  2. Dinner for Five (NBA version). Like Jon Favreau's program. Something like Cousy/Stockton/Kidd/Nash/Paul, Russell/Kareem/Shaq/Parish/Bynum, or Oscar/West/Jordan/Kobe/Lebron. Just sitting there, shooting the shit, telling war stories and talking about basketball.
  3. All Star Game 2 on 2 half court contest. 16 bigs, 16 smalls. Pair them by picking numbers out of a hat. Winner takes all for $2 million. Ping pong rules: 1st to 21 by 2 or more wins.

TACC Ranger

Jay and the guys at TACC have finally gotten Ranger online.

I guess IBM will continue with their stunt supercomputing and push Blue Gene to stay as the fastest machine on the planet, wrt Top-500, but this box will probably deliver more usable and useful TFlops than any other machine on the planet, which means it will be used to do more meaningful science. And that is the point of all this.

Ranger delivers 1/2 Petaflop of AMD Barcelona power in what is basically a huge cluster. And they did it at about 1/4 of the price of Blue Gene.

The Big Iron vs. Cluster argument is now, to all intents and purposes, over. Killer Micros rule the Earth.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Dudley Sunday (pt 2)

Dudley Sunday (pt 1)

Colonel Bogey meets Beethoven. Pure brilliance

Amy, Amy, Amy.

When Keith Richards is telling you to clean up your act, you're pretty f**ked up.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Lightning Hopkins

Southern Country Blues' greatest, and most people have never heard of him.
I tell you this.. Many guitar players would give a testicle or a tit to be able to play like him.

Pat Burke Hair Restoration Tonic.

Part of the reason the Suns have had such a bad locker room this year is because they let Pat Burke go. Even though some players don't get much playing time, their contributions shouldn't go overlooked, especially when they make the team gel together.

Anyhoo, this is from 2 years ago. It makes me laugh.

More from Alison...

The right man for the job.

I have no vote, but I do have an opinion.

Obama has at least as much substance as Hillary (who wouldn't be an awful president, imho), but without the baggage. I don't dislike Hillary because she's a woman, but because she's the wrong woman (I voted for Thatcher, a long time ago). And Hillary makes me feel dirty, and not in the good way.

Obama is righteous, without being self righteous, and he doesn't try to make us hostages of our own fears. This is still the best country in the world. It's time we had a leader who embodies that sentiment, and cares enough to get us all together back on that track.

I don't need to be forgiven.

Pete had his moments. One of the 10 best songs ever (at least for today).

The final nail...

So Ron Paul decided to curtail his foray for the presidency..
Can't say I'm surprised either that he did it, nor at the way he did it. IMHO, his resignation says a lot more about the man than his run ever did. And it isn't a positive vibe.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Why this trade works (pt 1)

Assuming we have a healthy Shaq (and I believe that the Sun's medical staff *will* get Shaq back to a semblance of his former Shaqness), then the Suns can now put 4 people on the floor who command a double team (Nash, Shaq, Amare & Grant), with the 5th option of Boris. Actually, those four might all be MVP quality players on their good days.

The Suns also automatically go to an 8 or 9 man rotation with Nash, Shaq, Amare, Grant, Raja, Leandro, Boris, Brian and DJ, with Tucker now providing the Vinnie Johnson role. I'd like us to have a decent backup at the 1, but that's easier said than done. Although, because we now have a true low post option, the dropoff when Steve leaves the floor will lessen.

But on paper, this team is scary good. You've got a frontline that can average 60% fg, a backcourt than can average 50% fg, and 45% from the 3 pt line, and the flexibility to go from speed ball to slow ball in an instant. And now they give up fewer 2nd chance points, and make it more difficult for the other teams big man to have a career game against us.

I expect to see Steve Nash *shatter* Scott Skiles assist record before too long.

Applied Redology (part 1)

The five best coaches in NBA history are Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Bill Sharman, and with Greg Popovitch a *close* sixth. And they are all worthy of the title "Red", much like a mafia chief is called a Don.

Why do I think Bill Sharman belongs in this list ?
Well, Bill is the Bill Walton of NBA coaches.. He didn't coach much, due to injury (he damaged his vocal cords), but he was the great innovator (he invented shootarounds, among other things) and his best was the best. He and Pat Riley are the only people to have won NBA titles as a player, coach and GM.

One of Bill's greatest achievements was in coaching Wilt during the 72 season, when the Lakers went 33 in a row and won the NBA championship. Basically he got Wilt to do what he wanted by making Wilt think that any instruction was in fact his own idea.

Mike D has the same challenge with Shaq, imho. and the solution is the same. I, for one, am looking forward to the rest of this season. Next year.. well if Shaq can stay healthy they have a shot at 70 games. Truly.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

More from the 60s

This was once voted the greatest rock song of all time by the British music press. I don't know about that, but Robin Trower's old band were awesome.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Showtime 2.0

I don't often agree with Stephen A Smith, but he's right to compare this new Suns team with the Showtime Lakers. This team, when it gells, might actually end up being better.

The point that everyone is missing is that teams will have to deal with *both* Shaq and Amare, and that's gonna be a handful for anyone. Both of those guys are a force in the middle. For the Lakers it means that Pau will have to defend against Amare, while Stones tries to hold down Shaq, who is not as old and busted as everyone seems to think. For the Mavs and the Spurs, they'll have to pick their poison.

It's gonna be a fun ride. I'm stoked.

Sun Shaq's art of War (part 2)

The thing I find amusing in all of this is that the *exact same* people who say the Suns can't win with their style, are the same people who are criticizing this move. It doesn't seem as if any of those folks have actually watched a Suns game this season.

I'm more enthusiastic about this deal today than I was yesterday.

Shaq *will* bring order and fun back to the locker room, because despite his ego he was always a good locker room presence (as opposed to, say Kobe, before this year)

This team is more balanced than before, with people playing their natural position, and with Shaq to cover for him, Amare's defense will improve. All I can say is I'm looking forward to the Nash/Shaq pick & roll.

Shaq to Nash: "I won't let you down".
I believe him.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Joe Pass..

One of Jazz Guitar's true greats playing a tune written by another.

I once went to a guitar clinic Joe was doing in London. Sat maybe 8 feet away from the guy. Totally mesmerizing.

And he was a great guy.. like a friendly Italian uncle.

Changed my life.

The King of Polyester

and one of rock's great multi-instrumentalists.

Shaq to the Suns... Oh my goodness.

At first I was stunned.. WTF could these guys be thinking ?
But as I thought about it, the more sense it makes. What this move does is bring balance to the Suns, in terms of size, at the expense of some speed and some perimeter defense. The Suns would shore up their interior defense, and limit offensive rebound opportunities for the other team..

Now I love Shawn Marion, and I'd rather Amare left than him, but if Shaq replaced Amare, Shawn would still be the 3rd banana on this team, and that's not something I think he could handle. It's a shame.

I should point out that the Phoenix staff do a better job than anyone keeping their vets in shape (cf. Steve Nash & Grant Hill), so once Shaq is healthy, he should stay healthy.

The more I think about it, the more I like this move. Shaq for 2 years.. shore up the center & pg positions through the draft.. And remember a 50% Shaq is still better than a 100% Stones Bynum, at least for the next couple of years.

Stranded starfish have no place to hide

Gasol trade thoughts.

For a Suns fan, I spend a lot of time talking about the Lakers. It's not clear how this affects things.

In normal times, you'd say that the Lakers won't win this year because it's just too difficult to assimilate that kind of talent into a functional system mid-season. This used to happen to the Mavs during the Nash era. Every March they'd make a big trade that would supposedly push them over the brink, and then stumble during the playoffs. The one year they didn't trade, they were a Steve Kerr good quarter and a Dirk injury away from making the finals against the Nets.

This year, it's harder to call because none of the big teams have jelled yet. The Suns in particular, while showing moments of transcendent ball, have played some bonehead games this season

But next year, with a pre-season behind them, the Lakers could be scary good.