Redeem me (for one month’s subscription)

Since my summer break started (about two weeks ago), my blogging schedule has been less than regular. This will probably be the only blog this week because Memorial Day weekend is at least four days long this time around.

Another reason I haven't been blogging much, at least this past week, is Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption. You can read my full review here (which I encourage), but I decided to discuss Redemption here as well because it's pretty much all I've been doing over the past eight days.

Basically, I think it's incredible.

When I first got this game – before it'd even loaded up – I sent Bryan an excited message simply because I'd read in the manual that we could join an online posse. Other games have allowed online gangs; I think I first noted it with Saints Row. But for some reason (that probably relates to my own slightly murky but fairly strict loyalty to society's sense of justice and morality), I was/am much more excited about joining a posse.

So excited, in fact, that I cashed in a 30-day free trial of GameFly with the sole intention of getting another copy of Redemption to play with Bryan. Even though we've had three Xbox 360s for some time now, we've yet to be invested enough in any game to use two at once. Bryan's investment in Redemption has thus far been mild, but mine is enough for both of us.

I want to join a posse.

Quote of the Week:

"bofreak knifed bofreak's horse"

Redemption posts player updates during online play that announce players' or, in some cases, players' horses' deaths. This is one of the best I've seen so far.

Mockery is the sincerest form of clairvoyance

Since I don't already write enough about the NBA, I'm going to write a 2010 mock draft with the newly announced lottery order. I'll just get through the lottery for now, but I might round out the first round or get to the second later.

1. Washington Wizards: PG John Wall (Kentucky)
   Congrats to Washington on winning the John Wall lottery. Barring any Len Bias, Darko Milicic, or Greg Oden/Blake Griffin situations, Wall should be an All-Star early and often. In case the Wizards need more incentive to take Wall, his reaction to the fall of the ping pong balls should say it all. Even though Wall would have no reason to want to go to Washington, he reacted well on ESPN's live feed of his "Congrats on going to New Jersey, now let's sign a contract" party. He wasn't at all upset by the Wizards winning #1, though he clearly could have been.
   
2. Philadelphia 76ers: F Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech)
   Everything I've read about this pick suggests that the Sixers will have to (and probably want to) shuffle some things around since they "won" the second pick. John Hollinger thinks they'll move Andre Iguodala. Hollinger also wrote a great quote about the lottery broadcast: "You could see the relief on point guard Jrue Holiday's face when the Sixers didn't land the top overall pick. Holiday was trade bait (and knew it) if the Sixers landed Wall."
   But, I'm going to assume, for the purposes of this blog, that no trades, etc. happen and every team picks where they're situated now. If that happens, I think Philly will take Favors for two reasons: (1) Evan Turner, the consensus #2 pick, is a very similar player to AI (version 2). He can do pretty much everything. (2) Teams are almost always willing to overlook things like NBA readiness for height and potential in the lottery picks. Favors isn't enormous (6'9" at 18 years old), but he has consistently been lauded as probably the best upside guy in this class.
   
3. NJ Nets: G/F/C/3B Evan Turner (THE Ohio State University)
   Poor Nets. In their (somewhat productive) wooing of LeBron James, John Wall would have been a nice carrot. But Turner wouldn't be a bad piece of broccoli. I watched a lot of Turner at OSU, and the attribute that stood out the most was his playmaking ability. He's just a gamer and a good pick at any point in this draft. Even if they don't land LeBron, the Nets could have a fun team to watch with Turner and CDR on the same court.
   
4. Minnesota Timberwolves: SF Wesley Johnson (Syracuse)
   Johnson was a surprise in the college game this year, and players like that are always scary, but the Wolves need a wing player and not a big man. They have five centers on their team, all under 25. They drafted three PGs last draft, with only Johnny Flynn ending up in Minneapolis, so I don't think they'll grab another here, especially since they have two other picks in the first round (16, 23).
   
5. Sacramento Kings: C DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky)
   The Kings have an interesting team, with a lot of young talent, so I think they'll go best available here. In terms of talent and potential, that's Cousins. Of course, the questions with Cousins come from his attitude and character. Considering that, I don't really think Cousins will be a great or even good NBA player, but that's not what this blog is about.
   
6. Golden State: PF Greg Monroe (Georgetown)
   The Warriors could use about anything except a Steph Curry backup. I'm putting Monroe here based on something Doug Gottlieb said on SportsCenter this morning. Gottlieb thinks Monroe will beat up on the other prospects in the combine (which is on tomorrow morning, by the way) and in other tryouts between now and draft day. At this point, that sort of performance could be the difference between a sixth pick and a twelfth.
   
7. Detroit Pistons: SF Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest)
   The Pistons haven't made great moves lately, and I don't think that'll change. The problem with this team is that they don't have any players that demand minutes at their positions or any spots that need an immediate replacement. They have decent players everywhere.
   They don't need Aminu, since they've recently added Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye, but I think they'll go best available with plus upside and take Aminu.
   
8. LA Clippers: SG Xavier Henry (Kansas)
   It's starting to get complicated. Again, LA doesn't have any pressing needs. They have Eric Gordon, one of the best picks of the past few drafts, at shooting guard, but I think they'll get Henry, let them play together on occasion, and then put 6'7" Henry in to replace 6'3" Gordon to guard some of the bigger SGs that they'll face. Henry is definitely an upside pick at 19 years old, but so was Gordon, and that's worked out pretty well so far.
   
9. Utah Jazz: C Cole Aldrich (Kansas)
   I've seen Aldrich going earlier than this, but I have a hard time putting him ahead of here because he is a known quantity. His upside is behind him. The Jazz, as a playoff team and with no need to rebuild, are in a perfect spot to draft a known quantity. They don't really need a center, but Aldrich, with his tenacity and work ethic, is a Utah-type guy.
   
10. Indiana Pacers: PF Ed Davis (UNC)
    The Pacers have multiple reasons to take Gordon Hayward here, and maybe they'll trade down to get him. But, if they stay here and Davis is still available, I think they'll take him.
    Davis was projected as a #3 pick last season and going into this year. Two things really hurt his stock: (1) He was injured (again), showing his frailty and limiting his exposure. (2) He dominated number-wise while healthy, but has not shown much emotion or motivation. If I'm an NBA GM, I'm not trying to build a team around Davis. He's also got the Psycho T connection in Indiana and can compete with Roy Hibbert for next Gentle Giant of the NBA.
    
11. New Orleans Hornets: SF Luke Babbitt (Nevada)
    The Hornets were one very serious injury away from a playoff season. Their most pressing needs are on the wings since James Posey has been mostly a disappointment and Mo Peterson and Peja Stojakovic are both 32. I like Babbitt because he can train under Peja and eventually replace him. He's not a big name, but he could be a solid pick here.
    
12. Memphis Grizzlies: C Daniel Orton (Kentucky)
    The Grizzlies need SFs with Rudy Gay probably leaving and literally no one behind him, but they have two other picks in the first round (25, 28). I think they'll fill need with those spots and draft potential now. Orton, who averaged only 13.2 minutes/game in his sole year at Kentucky, is nothing but potential now.
    
13. Toronto Raptors: C Hassan Whiteside (Marshall)
    Every mock draft I've looked at has Toronto taking a big, with Chris Bosh a likely defector. Whiteside and Epke Udoh are both options here, but I think Whiteside is both a better Bosh doppelganger and Andrea Bargnani compliment than Udoh.
    
14. Houston Rockets: PF Epke Udoh (Baylor)
    The Rockets are an enigma, as they seem to play better with fewer stars. The mock drafts I've seen suggest they would be lucky to get Udoh here, but I think he'll be available since he lacks the name recognition that most teams need in the lottery. Houston should definitely take a big, since they have Aaron Brooks, Kevin Martin, Trevor Ariza, and Shane Battier as backcourt scorers.
    

That's it for now, and it was exhausting. I may try to get Gordon Hayward drafted in my blog with further mockery, but I think I've made my key picks here.

Quote of the Week:

"They're probably going to continue to be taller than us as the series goes on."

-Steve Nash on the LA Lakers

Maximum value

Last night, after another rousing defeat at the hands of the Celtics, LeBron James was asked (surprise) about his plans for free agency. His vague and diplomatic response was to establish winning as his #1 priority.

I wish that were true.

If winning were LeBron's #1 priority, the Knicks and the Nets wouldn't even be in the conversation – especially not the Knicks. Not only are they missing a lot of key pieces (more than two), but they seem to have turned into a toxic franchise. The Nets may be the same way, though with new ownership and a few interesting players (CDR, Lopez, and Devin "Injury List" Harris), they might have hope, but not much.

If LeBron signs with either of those teams, he proves that his top priorities are a big stage, fame, and – of course – money.

It's hard for me to believe a guy who says winning is his top priority but then signs a max contract. If winning were LeBron's #1 priority, he'd sign with the Lakers for the league's minimum salary. If the Lakers had LeBron – chemistry aside – they would win. Easily. Bryan's psyche would be shattered, but the Lakers would win.

Or, at the least, if winning were his #1 priority, he would take a pay cut to go to a winning franchise.

Personally, I don't think LeBron would do that. I think that winning could only be his #1 priority if he's paid the max salary. Unfortunately, there's no way we'll find out if LeBron values winning over money because the NBA Players' Association would not let him sign a contract for less than the max.

What we will find out is if LeBron values winning over personal fame and glory. If he signs with New York or New Jersey, he's doing that for his ego. But, if he stays in Cleveland or goes to a winning franchise like Miami or Chicago, I might believe that winning (with the max salary) is his #1 priority.

Question of the Week:

Which potential max-contract 2010 free agent is most likely to win the NBA Championship next year?

1. LeBron James
   
2. Dwyane Wade
   
3. Chris Bosh
   
4. Joe Johnson
   
5. Carlos Boozer
   
6. Amar'e Stoudemire (early termination option)
   
7. Dirk Nowitzki (early termination option)
   

My take: I'm going with Bosh. Of the players listed, I think most are going to go to a team and be THE star on that team. Bosh, on the other hand, is more likely to be the Scottie Pippen/Robin/Cortana figure that everybody claims LeBron needed this year. If Bosh teams up with any of the other players on this list, that team will have a pretty good shot at the title.

Bryan and I should have a new blog up soon. I may stop advertising those soon, so follow if you're interested.

Antiquing

There are very few things that Americans can buy pre-owned in an organized, institutionalized fashion. For most pre-owned consumer goods – like toilets or kegerators or bunny rabbits, we have to turn to Craig's List or Ebay or just "know a guy."

There are a few exceptions.

Used cars obviously sell like lemonade in summer. It seems like anybody (including Tim) will sell used cars, but there are also established businesses that deal in just such an economy.

I would argue used collectibles are in a similar situation, though much of that business has already moved online, like sports memorabilia, comic books, and lunch boxes. There are still quite a few antique stores though.

One of the most recent additions to the institutionalized trade-in markets is the video game market. Since stores like Buy-Rite have gone out of business, GameStop/EB Games have picked up the slack selling used, traded-in games to customers light on cash or just late to the game (literally and figuratively).

According to some people on the non-retail side of the industry, the trade-in market is a major problem for video gaming. Andrew Oliver of Blitz Games called it a bigger problem for console gaming that piracy, which makes sense in a discussion of scale, but at least he's seeing some money from the trade-in market.

Another pre-owned games detractor – and one with a bit more sway – is publishing giant EA. In fact, the stink right now is caused by EA Sports' move to include a one-time-use online multiplayer pass with all new games. Without said pass, gamers will have to spend $10 in Microsoft Points (or whatever) to get into the online portions of the games.

EA's CEO argues that the extra $10 pays for additional value by allowing EA's developers to work on games for longer and after they've gone "gold". This argument seems spurious in light of the fact that the same value is included for free with new versions of the game. If there were only new versions of the game, then EA wouldn't receive this additional revenue but would presumably be under similarly trending market demands to provide post-ship support.

Regardless of their logic, EA is already going through with this measure, and it seems the gaming industry has already changed. Microtransactions and up-sells are the future.

For now, EA's online pass is free – or as I like to call it, included – with new game purchases, but the industry may have already started down a slippery slope towards 20-ounce Cokes that cost more than two liters.

Quote of the Week:

"I don't know who the fuck is going to read rants from two dudes who are nicknamed Benis and BISdom. Is B and B not more reasonable? Though the nicknames are definitely more eye-catching than B and B. Plus we probably don't want to confuse people with the title. Bed and Breakfast enthusiasts might be upset."

-Benis

Bryan and I decided to try out a new blog, which may or may not interest you. You can find it here, if you'd like.

Graduate graduation

So, Bryan graduated from the UNCW MBA program this weekend, as did our buddy Derek.

(You can tell it's a good post when I start with the word "so.")

Despite the fact that this is our family's third graduation in Trask, it was the first one I've been to. I'm not a huge fan of attending graduations, either mine or others'. I think the title of the theme song says it all: "Pomp and Circumstance." I'm not a huge fan of either of those things, especially in conjunction.

But this was the best graduation I've ever been to, specifically because I took a book to read.

The ceremony itself was pretty standard fare, right down to the Dr. Seuss references in the commencement speech.

The other near certainty of graduation ceremonies is that people refuse to "please hold their applause until all names are called."

So, good post.

If you want to read something that's a bit more interesting, you can read my thoughts on the Halo: Reach beta over at the Star-News
blog.

Event of the Week:

In what should be an easy series sweep, the Cardinals play the Astros this week.

Tada: