2008 NBA Preview: Western Conference

The West is set once again for years to come. Not only are unquestionably the top three teams in the league in the West (and arguably the top five), but the future of the NBA is set in Portland, Seattle, and maybe even Minnesota. None of the teams in the East has the promise of those squads.

Without further ado, here's how the West shakes out:

It's truly amazing the difference a coupla years makes.

15) LA Clippers
Wow. That's all I can say for them. Wow. No Elton Brand. No Shaun Livingston. They are now relying on a 100 year old who delights on jumping ship when the going gets tough(Sam Cassell), the second most overrated player of all time (Cutino Mobley), and a white stiff at center who has already been given his fat contract (Chris Kaman). Also...if they tank, they can get the most publicized basketball player to go through LA since Kobe first hit the scene (OJ Mayo).

The most interesting thing I can think of with the Clips this year is where Sam Cassell is going to go when they buy him out.

Up & Comers, Part 1

14) Minnesota Timberwolves
Especially since Randy Foye is now out "indefinitely" with a knee injury (which is scarily becoming NBA speak for, "We're going to wait a week or two before we come out and say he needs microfracture surgery, but basically we're hoping for God Himself to come down and fix his knee"), this team will be fighting the Clips for the #1 pick. And sadly, I don't think they'll need to tank to do it. They will be entertaining to watch with a good young nucleus, and if Kevin Mchale doesn't screw this up--which, sadly, there's a 90% chance he's going to do--then this will be a formidable team in 3 to 4 years.

13) Portland Trailblazers
Poor Blazers. They had all the right things going for them. The team was gelling, and showing up extra early for training camp to practice together. They had a talented and energetic core ready to start off the season with a bang. And then, just like that, Greg Oden is gone for the season, and is no guarantee for next year, either.

Same as the Wolves...check back in 3 or 4 years, and they'll be entertaining to watch grow next year.

12) Seattle Supersonics
They've got the Rookie of the Year--and he would have been ROY even if Oden hadn't gotten injured. They've got the potential runner up for Rookie of the Year. They've got a solid starter at the point, and one of the best backup points in the league behind him (and it doesn't matter which one you start, Watson or Ridnoir). They've got a young center who might have a little something. And they've got two veteran, grizzled power forward/centers who play hard and smart, rebound well, and aren't afraid to hit people.

If Durant plays up to expectations, this team could easily be higher. As it is, they'll take it slow and steady, learn, and get better together.

Heading in the wrong direction...

11) Sacremento Kings
Is there any reason to feel good about the Kings? They're a year older, which isn't good. They have a brand new coach who's never really coached before. Ummmm...you know, I'm not even interested in this team enough to write anything else. This is just a bad, unentertaining team.

10) LA Lakers
This is going to get real bad, real fast. Kobe looks like he's willing to kill someone every single play. He's officially reached the point where nothing would surprise me about him--he stops showing up, he gets mad and kills a teammate in practice out of frustration, he kidnaps Jeanie Buss and refuses to release her until Jerry & Phil trade him--anything can go at this point.

Oh, and Derek Fisher is their third best player. When your second best player (Lamar Odom) is going to play an absolute max of 60 games...yeah, you're in trouble.

REMEMBER KOBE! This is how you wanted it! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

9)Golden State Warriors
Oh Don Nelson. I can always count on you to be your own worst enemy. So this offseason, you:

* Traded your third best player and team veteran for a crap rookie who was an underachiever in college and won't amount for shit in the NBA.
* Named the craziest player in the NBA--and that is not a title that is easily earned--your team captain.
* Named some Italian you drafted the ROY in a stacked rookie class, and then two weeks later publicly announced that you were wrong, and basically that the guy sucked.
* Bought out the only player who had the size and weight to actually hit anyone so that they would feel it.
Hey, I'll give you this. You might still be able to beat the Mavs. But as for anyone else...no. Sorry. Ain't going to happen.

Way to shoot yourself in the foot, as usual.

Up & Comers, Part II

8) New Orleans Hornets
I'm gambling on the Hornets this season. I think CP3 stays healthy. I'm thinking that even though I've never seen anything that makes me think Mo Pete is a good NBA starter, surely everyone else can't be wrong as everyone else loves him. David West will continue to prove that he is a top 10 power forward in the NBA. The Peja can at least play half a season well, right? Julian Wright has so little pressure on him that he should be able to touch some of his formidable talent. Bobby Jackson is still one of the best bench players in the league. Rasual Butler is still one of the more underrated bench players in the league.

But most of all, I'm gambling that last year wasn't a fluke for Tyson Chandler. I think he's finally figured out how to play. I think he was embarrassed to be cast aside for Ben Wallace. I think he knows he outplayed Dwight Howard this summer, and should be on the Olympic team over him (I still can't believe it as I type it, but I saw it with my own eyes), and I think he spends all season this season proving that.

There's a lot of "ifs" on this Hornets team, and normally I try to avoid "Team If". But I'm jumping on the Hornets bandwagon this year. I think they can pull it off.

7) Memphis Grizzlies
Remember, this team was missing its All Star for half the season, tanked for half the season, and had one of its players realize, "Dude, I'm good enough to play on the Olympic team!" They also got the player who I think will end up being the second best player to come out of one of the best drafts ever. If Darko and/or Rudy Gay play to even half of their potential, this team will have no problem pulling 7th.

Meh.

6) Denver Nuggets
Denver is everybody's dark horse pick for making it out of the West this year. And I see where they are coming from; they have a TON of talent on this team. But...

* With all of the additions on this team, who hits a 3 consistently? And no, "JR Smith" is not the right answer. There is still not a single great shooter on this roster.
* I love Ken...but its his first season back from microfracture. He's a great player to have off the bench, but he's not going to be a force this season. He's just not.
* I know every year is going to be Melo's year. I'll believe it when I see it.
* Do we not realize George Karl is the coach of this team? Do people not realize he is a crazy asshole yet? Well trust me people. He is a crazy asshole.
* Related to number 1...do we see a team with Karl, AI, Melo, and Ken coexisting long enough to make it past all the beasts in the West? One of them has to go nuts on one of the others at some point, right? There's just too many crazy people involved here for me to believe this ends well.
* And finally, the injury bug. We know Camby is going to miss time. We know Nene is going to miss time. They're already saying Ken is going to only play 15-20 a night. And I know AI has put up with a pounding for years...but that was in the weak East. Can he put up with the same pounding in the West? Are all his years going to finally catch up to him?

I understand where people are coming from with the Nugz. I just don't think it's going to happen.

The Fake Contenders

5) Utah Jazz
I've been a strong proponent of this Jazz team for years. No one outside of the true die-hard Jazz fans were as happy to see them succeed as I was last year.

But...

This team didn't get any better over the summer. Instead, their coach bickered and feuded with one of his best players. Now they aren't going to sneak up on anyone, their coach still isn't going to play their best shooting guard as much as he should, and he's going to continue to be a tough guy on one of his best players.

This is still a very good team. But they're not going to sneak up on anybody this year, and in the uber-talented top half of the West, I think they can't get any higher than this.

If Deron Williams makes another Leap this year though...nevermind.

4) Houston Rockets
I really like the Rockets...in fact, I want to like them more. I want to elevate them to true contender status, and not just fake contenders. There's just one thing:

Skip To My Lou is their starting point guard.

I love adding Mike James. I love adding Luis Scola. I love adding Bonzi Wells (adding Rick Adelman added him). I like adding Steve Francis. I of course love TMac. I really like Yao Ming.

I just don't think you can make it to the Finals in the West wit Rafer Alston as your starting point guard.

I'm sorry. It's as simple as that.

The Real Contenders

3) San Antonio Spurs
Why do I have the Spurs third? 1) Because their bench really sucks. I know they don't use it much, but when Brent Barry and Francisco Elson are your only two good players off the bench, that's not good. 2) Because I think the Spurs have reached that point where they can give a shit about the regular season, and are just interested in staying within striking distance of the Mavs and Suns and really just want to stay healthy. They're still the cream of the crop, though their crappy bench makes any injury a huge deal.

2) Your Dallas Mavericks!
I hate the Mavs' offseason. Hate it. After the playoffs last season, the best you can give me is Eddie Jones and Trenton Hassell? You can't even get me PJ Brown? I really worry that this team is going to have great regular season success, and blow up in the playoffs again.

One thing did make me happy though. Josh Howard taking out Brad Miller in the preseason...that I loved. I want to see some anger in these guys. I want to see some fire. I want them to realize they got punked like some little bitches last year, and I want them to be angry about it. That's their only hope for the playoffs.

1) Phoenix Suns
They will not win the NBA championship. The will win the West, but not the NBA championship. Why? Because they let Kurt Thomas go. It's as simple as that. I'm frustrated for Suns' fans. They make the perfect signing by going and getting Grant Hill...and then they let their only player who can play with any power go. I mean, I actually like Brian Skinner, but he's not going to get you a title. Kurt Thomas might. Brian Skinner will not.

This is it for the Suns. They will win the regular season...but once more, they will come up short.

2008 NBA Preview: Eastern Conference

Normally, I would insert a joke about the East being the "Leastern Conference" and talk about how badly they suck. Even yesterday I would have done that. But when I sat down and did my research, I was shocked at the result.

"Hmmmmmmm...", I thought. "Am I high, or is the East not that bad this year?"

It's really not. Let me put it this way: the East is more level than the West is. Far more level. The top Four in the West (tomorrow!) are far and away better than the best in the East. But the West really bottoms out after 6 or 8 teams, where as the East really only has one or two terrible teams. It's a marked improvement from last year.

The East still has a long way to go to compete for a title. But...for the first time in a few years, I feel like they are moving in the right direction.

As always, predictions for the final regular season standings, in reverse order:

They're trying, but it's all going to go horribly, horribly wrong for these teams.

15) Milwaukee Bucks
I want to like Milwaukee. I don't know why I do, but I really do. But their best player can score and does absolutely nothing else, their point guard who they vastly overpaid for screams, "CONTRACT YEAR AND I'LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!", and the rest of their lineup is full of mediocre and oft-injured players. Oh, except for the 7'1" 100 pound Chinese guy who refused to play there all summer and who they've promised 25 minutes a night to.

This is going to end very, very badly.

14) New York Knicks
Ah, old faithful. The Knicks at the bottom. Yes, they traded for more talent in Zach Randolph...you know what. Nevermind. I could list the litany of reasons the Knicks are going to suck, but why bother? Just trust me: they're going to suck.

13) Indiana Pacers
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Their best player--who isn't a very good "best player"--still wants to be traded. Somehow...and for the love of everything that is holy, I still can't figure out how...their point guard is still Jamaal Tinsley. This literally blows my mind. How have they not gotten rid of him by now? Forget Ron Ron...he is the killer of this team over the years.

If Danny Granger makes a leap, which is a possibility, and if Marquis Daniels improves from his best Mavericks years, which he should do, then this team might finish a spot or two higher. But those are two big "ifs". Far more likely that O'Neal is traded during the season and this ends up being one of the worst teams this year and the worst team next year.

Frisky...but a year or two away

12) Philadelphia 76ers
I like Iggy. I really do. I think he's going to be an All Star in this league. I think Rodney Carney might have a little something in the future. I think Kyle Korver is a good player to have on a good team. I think Andre Miller is a solid point guard in this league.

That's about it. And that does not make a playoff team. This is a young team that plays hard with pride and passion, but they are 2-3 starters aways from being a good team.

11) Charlotte Bobcats
A lot of people are saying this is Charlotte's year. Maybe...maybe. But I don't think so. I think they're still a year away. If any of the teams in the next class slip, Charlotte will be ready to take their spot. I like the J-Rich trade; even though I think he's overrated as a player, he's the scorer and veteran leader this team needs. I think they're moving up, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised at all if they finish two or three spots higher. But I just don't think they're in the playoffs yet.

Also, I find it hilarious that Jared Dudley--yeah, I don't know who he is either--is ranked above Adam Morrison on the depth chart. Take it from a white boy, NEVER go with the white boy who cries. Ever. Never ever ever. I don't care how good he was in college. Why do people keep doing that?

Potentially good teams with some big question marks

10) Atlanta Hawks
A lot of people have the Hawks as a sleeper team this year. That could very well be true, I say. However...(that's right, its time, the moment you've been waiting for...THE FIRST BULLET POINT LIST! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!)

* I like Anthony Johnson...but as a starting point guard? That's a little hard to swallow. I like Acie Law, but a rookie point guard leading a team to the playoffs? That's a little hard to swallow.
* I know Josh Smith has the tools to do it all...but really? You're going to count on Josh Smith for an entire season? Are you sure?
* I know that Chad Ford is still saying Marvin Williams is going to be a stud...but really? Did you see anything that made you think last year he was anything other than an average player on a bad team?
* I know everyone is high on Al Horford...but really? You want TWO rookies to lead your team to the playoffs now?

Don't get me wrong; I see what everyone likes in this team. But let's give em a year. Let's let the rookies get their feet wet. Let's let the underachieving players reach expectations and play hard all year. Next year let's get excited about this as a legit playoff team. This year...they'll play hard, look good some nights, look bad others, be an outside shot for the playoffs as the season goes on, and just not quite make it at the end.

Next year, if things go right this year, I'll be excited about this team.

9)Orlando Magic
The Magic to me are the embodiment of two steps forward, three steps back. God bless them. They try so hard. But...Keith Bogans is their starting shooting guard. Yes. Keith Bogans.

I'm sorry, but I just can't do it. I don't care if they spent $100 million on Rashard Lewis, who's only a marginal upgrade over Grant Hill last year (and I like Rashard Lewis). I don't care if Dwight Howard has supposedly added an impressive array of offensive moves to his repertoire, even though I was watching him play for Team USA less than two months ago and saw none of these. In fact, I saw him get outplayed by Tyson Chandler. But whatever. I don't care if Jameer Nelson is in a contract year, and he's playing for his possibly murdered father's memory, and this is the year who puts it together, even though he's still a hopelessly undersized two guard playing point guard. I don't care about all that.

I can't put a team that has Keith Bogans as its starting two guard in the playoffs. I just can't.

8) Miami Heat
I can't believe I'm writing this, but I really do like the Antoine Walker for Ricky Davis & Mark Blount trade. Look, this team had a serious lack of talent. This isn't any earth-shattering news. It had old, washed up veterans who may have been good once, but don't bring shit to the table anymore. So they traded the founder of the Antoine Walker Most Overrated Player Award for a 1) crazy but incredibly talented veteran who I can see responding to two supremely talented players/leaders, even if one is over the hill, and 2) a lazy but somewhat talented player who will play harder and put up decent numbers because Shaq will eat him if he doesn't.

I don't think D Wade and Shaq can make the playoffs. But I do think Shaq, D Wade, and Ricky Davis can make the playoffs. End of story.

It's Agent 0's contract year, so fucking anything could happen.

7) Washington Wizards
I'm almost giddy to watch the Wizards, because I'm not kidding. ANYTHING could happen. Gilbert could take his game to another level, which means he goes from being a poor man's Kobe to just as good as Kobe, except with better leadership skills in a worse conference. Or, he could try too hard, it all falls apart, he kills one of his teammates (odds on it's either Brendon Haywood or Etan Thomas...or both), and has a nervous breakdown and never plays basketball again. I swear I could honestly see either happening.

Either way, this team could finish four spots lower, or four spots higher. Just sit back and enjoy the ride people.

Legitimately good teams.

6)Toronto Raptors
Basically, the Raptors are the same team they were last year, except this season they won't sneak up on anybody. They finished fourth (remember, I don't do the gay division format, I do by overall record), and that will cause them to drop a coupla spots in a tight upper echelon.

5) Cleveland Cavaliers
This season just feels wrong to me for the Cavs. They're a year older, and that's not good. They fucked with two of their top 6 players contractually, and now they're showing up not happy. They've made absolutely no changes from the previous year, while everyone else has improved. I just feel like this season ends up being a mess for this team.

They should finish higher, but my gut says they won't.

4) New Jesey Nets
I like this Nets team, and I think there will be three teams that have a legit shot of winning the East come season's end: the Nets, the Celtics, and the Pistons. Then why am I putting the Nets below the Bulls? Because I think they are going to have to get used to having Nenad Kristic back, and that's going to cost them a coupla games early on in the season. And when every team in this area is separated by only 1-2 games, I think it will end up causing them to slip a spot or two. But I feel good about them; I think they stay healthy this year and make some noise.

3) Chicago Bulls
The opposite is true for Chicago. I'm not near as high on them as everyone else. They have a ton of talent, yes. But this team still can't score if the jumpers aren't falling. That means they will have some pretty good regular season success, but they'll hit a point in the season where they go on a pretty big slide when they all go cold at once. This is basketball 101.

Also, I think the Kobe saga is going to surround this team all season long, and it's going to affect their play. At this point the ENTIRE FRICKING TEAM is being rumored to be traded, and that is NEVER good for team morale. The Bulls need to give an ultimatum to the Lakers, and if they don't take it, then just say, "We're out; the team stays as is" otherwise the players will be playing looking over their shoulders all season long.

2) Boston Celtics
I think next year Boston wins the whole thing. And I think if Sam Cassell succeeds in convincing the Clippers to buy him out (can't you see him coming to Elgin Baylor today and saying, "Look, just buy me out now, before I have to throw a fit and make your life miserable for the next 3 months" as KG's ring keeps going off on his cell phone and Elgin just sits there, dazed and confused? It's hilarious in my mind, trust me.) early enough in the season, this team could win it all. But...they're going to need a half a season for all the pieces to get used to each other. I think that the Big Three will mesh great and end up feeding off each other really well, but Rome wasn't built in a day. It'll take a little time.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the roster of this team. So what if Rondo can't shoot; you have one of the best shooters in the history of the game at the 2. James Posey is a solid veteran who does all the dirty work. I still think Glen Davis landed in the perfect situation, as KG will keep his fat ass in shape and he'll actually be able to use his talent. And if Tony Allen recovers from his knee injury and continues on his success last season (you know how I feel about him, that's a HUGE if), then that's a pretty good bench.

Add one or two more veterans hungry for a title...and watch out for this team. GO KG!!!!

1) Detroit Pistons
I'm not a huge Pistons fan, but I just don't see anyone who has improved enough to overthrow the Pistons, especially in the regular season. I do think Rasheed is going to have a better season this year than last, and if Jason Maxiell continues to improve and Amir Johnson, Jarvis Hayes, or Rodney Stuckey are able to give you anything, then this team will be as dangerous as ever.

Tomorrow...the Western Conference, and my beloved Dallas Mavericks.

Coupla Things...

* First, I'm sorry. I've been swamped. Got a lot of things on my plate. I was in a rock. The dog ate my homework. I had a flat tire. The cleaners lost my tux. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IT'S NOT MY FAULT!

* Is there anything more uncomfortable in the world than wet socks?

* I totally agree with this guy.

This has always been a huge beef I've had with churches--all of them. I'm all for preaching abstinence. In a perfect world, yes, your first time with your husband/wife should be your first time. Do I think that happens very often? No. Will that be the case for me? No. However, in spite of the world's and my own shortcomings, I still think that's a great ideal to hold to.

However, once a couple is married, I think all bets are off as far as a church's interests in the bedroom are concerned. That is one of the great gifts of the Sacrament of Marriage is the sexual love a husband and wife share with each other, and how they express that love is entirely their business. You want to do crazy positions? No problem. Love oral? Everyone does. Anal? Whatever floats your boat. Want to get dressed up? Role play? S&M? Have at it, you kinky freaks you.

Why is it anyone's business--especially a church's--what happens between two married people? I've never seen a single passage in the Bible that even remotely hints that a church should have that power (before marriage, yes; after marriage, no, outside of Old Testament rules about when you can have sex with a menstrating woman). Yet for some reason, the vast majority of Christian churches try to tell married couples how they should be doing the deed.

Well fuck that, I say. You two crazy kids go do whatever you want. Hell, variety is the spice of life! One of the main causes for divorce is lack of fizzle in the bedroom. So go try new and exciting things as time goes on in your marriage! It can help keep you together.

So once a couple gets married, churches--like the rest of us--please go ahead and give the bride and groom some privacy. They got some bidness to attend to :-)

* Is there anything better than the Madagascar penguins? I think not.

* Is it just me, or are male gynecologists weird? Why would you choose that profession to go into when you're in med school? I just don't understand why, with all of the available options out there, a guy would decide, "You know what, I want to make SURE everyone knows how much I love pussy, so I'm going to be a gynocologist." Go ask women: almost to a woman they prefer female gynos. So why? I just don't get it.

Not on the same topic, but similar: male athletic coaches (volunteers, not professionals; that can be a case of best job available) who don't have daughters but coach girls. Why? As a single adult male who's coached kids, I can't imagine choosing to coach girls over boys. There's just going to be differences there that I A) just don't get and B) don't want to. If I had a little girl, it would be entirely different. But I must say, I'm perplexed why any guy would choose to coach girls over boys. I find it odd and a little creepy.

* Interesting piece of airline advice that is most certainly worth the read.

* Thanks to Family Guy, I now laugh internally everytime someone uses the word "duty". HEHE. "Duty".

On another related note, Seth MacFarland has officially made my "list of tools" that Mayra and I are working on. Family Guy used to be a funny show that did a great job of making fun of everyone and everything. Now it's become a mediocre show that MacFarland uses to shove his political views down our throats.

We get it. You hate Bush. He's a bad President. I think most of us agree on that now. Just drop it, and let's move on.

* There are two types of people in this world: people who use clicky-top pens, and people who use pen caps. The question is, which one are YOU?

* I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was when I saw The Monster Squad on Netflix the other day. This was a Pondrom Family favorite growing up. Just a quality monster movie for the kids, with all the bad guys involved, and all the right elements thrown in there. It even has the requisite cheesy final line of the movie that even as a 12-14 year old made me smile and groan out loud at how corny it is. If you don't think I'm going to own this movie, well, then you just don't know me.

* Here's a car note for you (speaking of, Fuck the City of Van Alstyne): explain to me why most delarships charge you an outragous sum of money (typically between $50-100) to check your computer when your "Check Engine Soon" light comes on.

So let me get this straight. I'm about to pay you an absurd amount of money to fix my car. Now you can't fix my car unless you know what's wrong with it. When the car was designed, they wisely hooked up a computer to it that will simply and easily tell you what's wrong, so you don't have to go digging around looking for what's broken.

Explain to me why I should be paying you to use this computer? What fucking sense does that make? None. If you can't figure out what's wrong with my car in the first place, then I'm not paying you an absurd amount to fix it. End of story. It's called "the cost of doing business". That would be the same as me telling my job, "yeah, so I have to use this computer to do my job...I'm going to have to add a fee ontop of my salary for having to use this." To quote Kyle quoting me: "NO! FUCK YOU!"

* For all you ESPN fans out there: God I miss Charlie Steiner. And let's not forget his fantastic contribution to the greatest ESPN commercial ever.

* Quick notes on my TV list to the right:

Eureka is fantastic, and got even better the second season, which has become a rareity these days. I also bought Season 1 on DVD, and I highly recommend it. There's tons of extras on there, including tons of commentary with the actors. I hate it when the commentary is just with some Junior Producer, which is usually the case. Like I give a shit what they have to say. I want to hear from the people I identify with, and that's the characters themselves. Anyhoo, it's a fantastic that you should all be watching.
HIMYM slipped just a little bit it's second season. However, it's third season has been great so far; it started exactly as it should have, and last night's episode ("Third Wheel") was a classic that stacks up against some of the best of the first season.
I was flipping through the TV on Saturday, and caught the second half of the first episode and the entire second episode of NBC's new show Life. It's about a cop who was accused of butchering a family, and was sent to prison for life. After 12 years, he was released when DNA evidence exonerated him. While being horribly beaten and raped in prison, he studied and developed a very zen attitude towards life. He's now a fantastic yet quirky detective with the LAPD, and is also investigating the murder he was accused of committing, beleiving that there was a conspiracy that framed him. It's very Count of Monte Cristoish, which is one of my favorite stories of all time. Very happy I found this show.
I'm not going to lie: I'm very disappointed thus far with Heroes. The Kensei/Hiro story is so predictable it's almost painful, and the way they've set it up if they do anything but take the predictable route, then it's just not going to make sense. The Peter storyline is so dumb I don't even want to go into all of the reasons why it sucks; it would take too long. I'm not interested in fighting Sylar again; it's time for a new bad guy, and as usual they're taking FOREVER to develop the guy that Molly (who is adorable) is so afraid of.
I'm also sick of them ripping off comic books. The Watchmen, the X-Men...I swear, before each episode airs, I think they sit down with their legal team and watch it and then say, "Okay, are we absolutely sure that we changed just enough details that Stan Lee can't sue us for stealing his characters?" The creator (Tim Kiring) loves to toss his name out there, like he's a genius for coming up with the show. Sorry dude. Standing on the shoulders of giants does not make you a giant.
This is what Heroes did last year though; just when I thought I was done with them, they'd have 1 or 2 great episodes and suck me back in. Well, it's time guys; I'm about to check out.
And last but definitely not least, Scrubs is still fantastic. Comedy Central now has Season 6, which is another outstanding season. I can't wait til October 25th when Season 7 premieres.

* And, finally, if I may, a word of advice. If ever you are going to begin a conversation and have to start it with "Don't worry; I'm not crazy", well, guess what? You're wrong. You are crazy. You should not be having this conversation. You probably shouldn't be wherever you are, nor should you be doing whatever it is you're doing at that moment. You are, in fact, scaring the person you're talking to. The very fact that you choose to begin said conversation with a refutation of the current state of your sanity is proof enough that reasonable, rationale persons would have to disagree with your personal assessment of your mental health. You're fucking crazy bitch, and think twice about whatever it is you were going to do or say, and just turn around and walk away. Save yourself the embarrassment, and save everyone else the discomfort of having to deal with your crazy ass.

So just live by this personal rule: if I'm doing or saying something that makes it necessary to state, "No I'm not crazy!", then stop whatever it is you were going to do or say, and turn around and walk away. We'll all be better off.