Debunking the "Role Player" Myth

One of the most frustrating things to come out of yesterday's horrific "Dream Team" announcement has been the mass of people falling over themselves to doubt whether the Miami Heat can actually compete for championships (at least quickly).  There are two sides to their doubt.  First, they question whether James, Wade, and Bosh can peacefully coexist.  Admittedly that's a balancing act the league has never seen attempted.  But these guys (1) have rather complementary skill sets; (2) launched this idea while playing together on Team USA; and (3) seem to have thought this whole brothers-in-arms act out pretty thoroughly.  Let's say I'm intrigued by how they'll mesh, but not exactly dubious.**

But the maddening part is the second of the naysayers' arguments.  That one goes: By "wasting" all of their cap space on 3 of the leagues 10 best players, the Heat have crippled their title hopes by pricing themselves out of what really matters: quality "role players."  With only Mario Chalmers and about $8 million keeping the Superfriends company, people are in a panic about how the Heat can possibly fill out  the roster to compete.  In essence, how does James Posey get paid?

I, as much as anyone, want the Heat to fail.  But that question is asinine.

First let's breakdown the mythical "Role Player."  He's a team-first, hardworking, limited skill-set player who fulfills a particular—get this—role (defense, shooting, energy, etc.) that every roster needs.  The key to the role player is that he stops there: he maximizes his limited role, because that's all the team needs from him.  In other words, he's not that good.  Stars are stars in the NBA (like many other sports) because they  excel in a certain aspect of the game while not being a liability in others.  It's what separates Joe Johnson from Jamal Crawford.  And while you can find any number of elite shooters, scorers, rebounders, or defenders scattered throughout the NBA, it's rare to find elite ones who are also competent in the other areas of the game.

So the "Role Player" exists on championship teams not because he is rare but because he is so common.  More to the point, championship-caliber teams find a good balance of role players because they have the luxury of plugging specific holes, not because they unearth the most diamonds in the rough.  Meanwhile, bad teams (typically) founder because they can't find the elusive core to build around in the first place.  When you run the Charlotte Bobcats, you can't get out of the basement by signing a couple of energy players and a three-point specialist.  You have to find the two or three players that are going to do all of the other work first.  We see a lot of a bad teams filled with mismatched role players because they're searching for the one who will break through and be a real star.  We don't see many collections of stars fail because they can't find a Malik Rose.

The problem is that people conflate the need for a supporting cast for a single star with the need for a supporting cast for a core of stars.  The former is the hard part, and it's what has doomed so many players (LeBron in Cleveland, Garnett in Minnesota, Wade these past couple of years in Miami).  When a star can't reach the pinnacle on his own and people clamor for roster support, they don't mean Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry.  To win, an NBA team needs a superstar and a complementary supporting star as the second option.  Cleveland is a perfect example.  They've had a well-rounded roster for the past several years, but no real #2 option to carry the team when James is slumping.  They've got shooters, defenders, and energy guys to spare: Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson, etc. are role players.  What they don't have is anything else.  And they've never reached the pinnacle because of it.

Conversely, look at the recent Big Three in Boston.  Once the Celtics had assembled their star core of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, the rest fell into place immediately.  They won right off the bat, because guys like Kendrick Perkins, Big Baby Davis, Tony Allen, James Posey, etc. are not difficult to find.  The same is true for Duncan & Parker; Kobe, Gasol, and Odom; Shaq & Kobe; etc.

People forget that, relative to other sports, basketball is played with very small teams.  Three stars account for 60% of a team's starters, and, if they each average 36 minutes per night, by themselves, bring in 45% of their team's total minutes.  (For the record, James has played 40 mpg for his career, Wade 38 mpg, and Bosh 37 mpg.)  Then remember that these three stars are all among the top ten players in the league (and two of the league's top three).  Imagine giving a baseball team five of the league's best hitters, three of its best starting pitchers, and a handful of its best relievers.  Or give a football team an elite quarterback, running back, and receiver, three top offensive linemen, and half a dozen of the league's best defensive starters.  When there's only half a game left take care of, it shouldn't be surprising that teams find sentient beings capable of filling those other minutes.

After the jump, I'll look at some recent championship rosters (and some fabled championship "role players"), and compare them to what the Heat stand to get this off-season.

LeBron's Antics: Confirming What We Already Knew

Despite speaking virtually no words in public, LeBron James has managed to turn the 2010 NBA free agency period into the most exhausting prima donna act of his career.  This week's courtship has been a long time coming for the King.  For the past two years, James has openly flirted with his 2010 suitors—from marketing not one but two pairs of special NYC themed sneakers to professing his "love" for the Windy City—and now that this week finally arrived, he's made the most of it.  As the free agency period officially opened in July, James narrowed his list of potential destinations to a few key teams and granted them exclusive access to his Highness. James demanded that those teams fly out to meet him, in an order of his choosing, at a not-so-secret compound in Cleveland.  He sauntered in and out of those meetings in a t-shirt and shorts, all the while refusing to acknowledge the media.

Most recently, James has ratcheted the pretension a notch (or ten) further.  On Tuesday, James debuted his Twitter page (a site he previously poked fun at) along with a new website.  "Hello world, the Real King James is in the Building," he announced.  James then showed up to his Cleveland-based prep basketball camp several hours late and promptly ordered all media out of the gym so that he and his boys could scrimmage the college and high school kids in privacy.  That night,  ESPN announced that the King's camp had requested (and been granted) an hour long primetime special on the network Thursday evening to announce his free agency decision.  You know, kind of like 17 year-old kids do every year; but 59 minutes longer. 

Predictably, James's self-promotion—and namely his prime time special ("The Decision")—has drawn the ire of a number of fans and commentators.  But, more puzzlingly, it has also drawn their surprise.  Brian Windhorst, Cavs beat writer and follower of James since his time at St. Vincent's St. Mary's, tweeted that James had "changed."  Writers at ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated seem to agree, and everyone's worried that, suddenly, LeBron has tarnished his image—or even his legacy.  

But how is any of this surprising?  At all?

LeBron James has been one of the America's most celebrated athletes since he joined the NBA.  He has also been one of its most arrogant.  The first time the world saw James, he was a 17 year-old kid with stickers covering a couple of tattoos on his arms (a lion wearing a crown and the word "beast") and his jersey covering an even more telling one across his back—it reads "Chosen 1."   He had also warmly embraced the nickname "King James" and was driving a Hummer.  

In his seven years in the league, James has added some new art and plenty more arrogance.  He's tattooed "Witness History" down his calves, "Hold My Own"  and "What we do in life echoes in eternity" on his biceps, and "Gifted Child" on his chest.  At 19, he announced that he wanted to the the first billionaire athlete, and he's since hobnobbed with billionaire and not-even-close-to-billionaire moguls alike.  But James isn't pinching his pennies; like any good superstar, the King dresses flashy, drives flashier, and rolls around with an entourage (all of whom, at James's request, Nike designed personalized logos and sneakers for).   He's even started passing his personal legacy onto his two sons: LeBron Jr. (aka "Prince James") and Bryce Maximus. 

On the court, where James proudly proclaims that he has been endowed with "special powers" that allow him to play "above time," James is just as self-important.  It's not his playing style—James is well-known to selflessly spread the ball around on offense.  But everything around the game itself is all about James.  He enters games like Deion Sanders celebrated touchdowns,  personally orchestrates team celebrations, and dances like an idiot while the game is going on.   And, in sourer times, we've seen him sulk (or perhaps quit) on the court and, worse, send Nike's henchmen to confiscate video of him being dunked on at his camp.  

This has been LeBron's public persona since he's had a public persona, and we've simply excused it.  I'm as guilty as anyone.  I typically ridicule arrogant athletes, but I've always been a fan of James.  Maybe because he is funny and charming, maybe because for all of his arrogance and self-infatuation he seems like a pretty nice guy, or maybe because he is just so damn good.  For some reason LeBron is a fan—and media—favorite, and it certainly isn't because he's humble. 

After nearly a decade of the James era, LeBron's lastest step in his inexorable quest to replace Michael Jordan in both game and image is neither surprising nor offensive.  At most, his act is a bit tired, but that's only because we've all seen and coddled it for so long. 

NBA Matchmaker: Where the 2010 Free Agents Should Land

Although the revival of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry has managed to (finally) draw some attention to the NBA playoffs, the biggest story in basketball remains the Great Off Season.  With Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, and Joe Johnson among the summer's unrestricted free agents, it's hard to turn away from the rumor mill.  And for good reason.

For several teams, there couldn't be more riding on this off season.  The fate of the Knicks, Heat, Nets, Bulls, and the sport of basketball in Cleveland all wait uneasily for July.  But where the free agents fall has serious implications for the league as whole as well as individual franchises.  Because, while Lebron, Wade, Nowitzki, et al. could simply stay put, this summer presents an extraordinarily rare opportunity for the league's brightest stars to realign into a perfect constellation, birthing rivalries and sparking another golden age for the NBA.  I know David Stern is rigging contracts crossing his fingers that they do.  And I am too.  So, as I sit waiting for July 1, I put aside my devotion to the Dallas Mavericks, and ponder how the 2010 off season should, for the sake of the league, play out:


First, the major signings:

(1) Lebron James and Chris Bosh to the Knicks:  Lebron simply has to land in New York.  (And, no, not "New York.")  It's the country's biggest and most glamorous city, and he's of course the league's biggest and most glamorous star.  With Lebron, the Knicks are instantly the NBA's most valuable asset, and the revisionist legacy of Isiah's tenure will evaporate.  The worst decade in New York basketball history can fade away like that store that used to sell Starbury's and the league can actually reap the tremendous reward of the sports and marketing capital of America.

But respectability and star power aren't enough for the revived Knicks.  For the league to fully capitalize, New York needs to compete for championships.  And that means the Knicks take that gigantic wad of cash and sign Chris Bosh, as well.  With Lebron, Bosh, the scoring of Danillo Galinari, Wilson Chandler, and Toney Douglas, and Mike Dantoni's uptempo offense, the Knicks are immediately better than the all of the Cavs teams that Lebron has dragged kicking and screaming to the top of the East.  Round out the roster with spare parts (Puerto Rican free agent Carlos Arroyo would be a nice crowd pleaser) and poach an inflated salary with Eddy Curry's expiring contract (I'm looking at you, Jose Calderon), and meet the 2011 Eastern Conference champions.  You're welcome, Spike.

(2) Dwyane Wade and Amare Stoudemire to the Bulls:  Dynasties aren't bad for league promotion, but they're nothing like a great rivalry.  That's why ESPN can keep subjecting America to Magic Johnson's barely-literate renditions of his glory days and get away with it.  And it's why Dwyane Wade needs to forget whatever he's heard about the organization's loyalty and sign with the Chicago Bulls.  I challenge anyone to craft a better rivalry than that between a revived, Lebron-led Knicks and Wade's Bulls 2.0, both the star and the city with chips on their shoulders.  Wade, after all, is the Chicago of the NBA: a great draw, and a wide margin ahead of the crowd, but still second billing.  And those Bulls fans can hate Lebron for the same reason they hate the city of New York: because he's so clearly ahead of the competitors, and he knows it.  It's white collar glamour vs. blue collar grit; The Chosen One vs. Fall Down Seven Times, Stand up Eight; Jordan Heir vs., well, Jordan Heir.  And it's perfect.

In a perfect world, Wade lands here in a sign and trade that sends Luol Deng, Kirk Heinrich, and a glimmer of hope to the soon-to-be retooled Heat (more on them in a second).  That leaves the Bulls' heap of cash for Amare Stoudemire.   The core of Wade, Stoudemire, Derrick Rose, and Joakim Noah ensures one hell of an annual Eastern Conference Finals against James, Bosh, and crew.

(3) Joe Johnson and Brendan Haywood (along with Deng and Heinrich) to the Heat: The Heat have too much money to wilt away just because Wade had to move up north.  Even with the addition of Deng and Heinrich (see above), the Heat have only $28 million on the books for next year thanks to the miniscule salary of Mario Chalmers.  With cap holds for their 2010 first-round pick and seven unclaimed roster spots, that leaves Miami's cap hit at just under $33 million.

That gives them room to max-out Joe Johnson while still landing Haywood above the mid-level exception.  Wade leaves but the Heat are looking at a core of Chalmers/Heinrich, Johnson, Deng, Beasley, and Haywood.  Not too shabby in what is quickly becoming a cut-throat East.

(4) Dirk Nowitzki to the Suns: As much as it pains me as a Dallas fan, I'd then send Dirk Nowitzki out West to fill in for the departed Stoudemire.  Although they haven't played together for 6 seasons, it seems everyone still links Dirk and Steve Nash in their minds.  Maybe it's the stories we've heard of them being best friends.  Maybe it's their foreign roots.  Maybe the long hair.  Probably the drinking pictures.  Who knows.  But these two seem made for each other.  As great as the years have been since Nash's departure, I still have the warmest of places in my heart for Dallas's run and shoot days of "Dirty" and "Nasty."  And like everyone else, I wouldn't mind seeing them play together again.

Dirk's addition to Phoenix also helps consolidate power atop the West, setting up a nice Good vs. Evil rivalry with the Lakers.  L.A. would have the decided upper hand (especially after, say, two years and Nash's 38th birthday), but just the thought of Kobe's press conference following a Game 7 loss to these two makes me smile.  It takes a good amount of maneuvering to clear the room to land Dirk here, but so long as I am controlling the league, it happens.

(5) David Lee (and Eddie House) to the Thunder: The West is going to need heirs to the aging Suns and Spurs and the now-feckless Mavericks.  As terrible as it is geographically, Oklahoma City is an obvious choice for a successor.  The Thunder already have one of the most promising young cores in the conference, and the league needs that core to blossom to help promote Kevin Durant as the superstar he is.  Led by a trio of rookie pay–level stars (Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green), the Thunder are still about $14 million under the cap this summer.  That's more than enough to sign Lee, who brings much-needed rebounding and interior scoring to the Thunder and fits nicely with their glut of perimeter-minded forwards.  At 27, Lee becomes the elder statesman of a group that could be a serious force out West for several years to come.

After the roughly $10 million the Thunder will have to pay Lee, they are left with slightly less than the mid-level exception to play around with.  That's not much, but it's enough to address one of OKC's biggest remaining needs: outside shooting.  Deep as they are, the Thunder only have two legitimate three-point threats to spread the floor—Durant and back-up shooting guard James Harden.  While their leftovers won't bring in the off-season's elite shooters (Kyle Korver, Ray Allen, and Mike Miller), they will more than cover an underrated next-best: departed Knick Eddie House.   House would give OKC its most reliable outside shooter, and at point guard he fits their roster perfectly, easily taking over current backup Eric Maynor's minutes.  With House and Lee, two less-heralded moves in this blockbuster off-season, the Thunder can solidfy themselves as a burgeoning power in the West's new vanguard. [Apologies to Notre Dame great Chris Quinn, who I originally had going to the Thunder before I realized House was on the market.]

(6) Carlos Boozer Stays Put (and other Jazz excitement):  As fun as it is to shuffle players around, sometimes things are better left alone.  Unfortunately for Summit-hopeful Carlos Boozer, that's the case with him and the Utah Jazz.  With Boozer, Deron Williams, and excellent role players like Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap, the Jazz will remain a competitive, if not elite, team for the next several years.

Plus, even without cap space, the Jazz don't need to sit idly.  Instead, they can make use of Andrei Kirilenko's ridiculously bloated contract which finally expires in 2011.   Kirilenko's still useful, but not as useful as, say, Rip Hamilton or Hedo Turkoglu, both with significant contracts that their teams are likely regretting right about now.  I'll take Hamilton, who's a better fit as a more natural shooting guard, and effectively slam the door on the Eastern Conference dynasty that could have been.  Plus, I have more exciting plans for Turkoglu in a moment.

(7) Rudy Gay to the Clippers:  By jettisoning some dead weight, the Clippers have actually positioned themselves well financially this off-season.  After draft pick and roster holds, they are on the hook for roughly $37 million, about $20 million under the cap.  That means the Clips can re-sign forward Drew Gooden (above the mid-level exception if need be) and still pry Rudy Gay away from the Grizzlies with a near-max contract.  Though Gay is restricted, the financially strapped Grizzlies may balk at paying him top dollar.  In my world, they do, and Gay goes to that other team in LA.  The starting five of Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Gay, Blake Griffin, and Chris Kaman (plus Gooden and whomever they take 8th overall in a few weeks coming off the bench) bring the Clippers some real hope going forward.  The Clips will no doubt find a way to ruin that group, but in a couple of years it just may give America's greatest band-wagon city some pause when deciding which hometown team to pose for photos root for court side.

After the jump, a variety of not quite "blockbuster" off-season moves, most sincere, some not. 

Chicago "Fans" Celebrate

To the amazement of millions of week-old fans, the Blackhawks won the Cup and Hockey Town 2.0 is ready to celebrate!  TBL is on the scene to live blog NBC Chicago's excellent Cup victory coverage.

The Day After: A Retrospective on Playoff Misery

This sucks.  As those of you who joined us for The Buck List's first-ever live blog last night are well aware, the Pittsburgh Penguins, once mighty champions, have gone the way of Alex Ovechkin's fabled Capitals. Which is to say they were knocked out of the playoffs by a team much worse than them.  As a life-long Penguins fan, this is misery.  Not only did the Pens waste a pre-cleared path to the Stanley Cup Finals, but they did it by collapsing at home.  And now they are no better than the Caps.  Ugh.  So what went wrong and what to do about it?

Why the Penguins Lost

(1) Some Stuff the Other Team Did:  I guess it wasn't all the champs' fault they lost.  There was Jaroslav Halak who made a habit of completely taking over games (1.83 GAA, .944 S% after Game 1), that midget Mike Cammalleri who somehow scored 7 goals in the series, Hal Gill who, I hate to admit, bottled up Crosby pretty well, and rookie PK Subban who emerged as one of the league's best young defensemen (and 2011 Calder frontrunner) after being called up to the NHL in April.  But I couldn't care less about the Canadiens, so all that is nonsense as far as I am concerned.

(2) Marc-Andre Fleury:  He was great in Games 3 and 5 (1 goal allowed, .980 S%), but there were five other games in the series.  In those, "Flower" allowed a combined 17 goals, and stopped a dismal 85% of Montreal's shots.  In his magnum opus, Fleury allowed 4 goals on 13 shots in Game 7 and was pulled halfway through the game for the league's worst backup Brent Johnson.  More on this Montreal native in a moment.

(3) The Defense: Yeah, the Penguins greatly outshot the Canadiens in the series, but the quality of those few Habs chances was something I'd rather not see again.  Time and again the Penguins failed to clear out the front of the net for Fleury and, worse yet, completely botched odd-man rush assignments.  Kris Letang probably led the way in this latter department (more on him in a second), but in Game 7, even the Penguins best looked hopeless.  On the second goal of the game, Brooks Orpik was busy cross-checking Maxime Lapierre into the back of the net for no apparent reason, while all-world blueliner Sergei Gonchar let Dominic Moore have the entire slot to do as he pleased.  Later, Gonchar bungled a power-play 1-on-2 (yes one forward, two defensemen) so badly, I wondered if he had simply given up trying,

(4) Evgeni Malkin:  One goal, two assists.  That's all Malkin contributed in the seven game series.  He was mediocre against Ottawa in Round 1 (despite pretty gaudy numbers), but the Penguins could handle that because Sidney Crosby was busy conquering the world.  But when the Canadiens matched Crosby's line night in and night out with the same defensive crew that had just shut down Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom for 5 out of 7 games, the Pens needed Malkin to shine.  But other than a standout Game 5 performance, that didn't happen.  No, like his Russian counterpart (more on this in a second) Alex Semin on the Capitals, Malkin instead wilted.  No single moment from a hockey game has made me as angry as his botched rebound on the Penguins power play mid-third period of Game 7.

(5) Dan Bylsma:  I love Dan Byslma and I think he is a great coach.  But he was totally outmatched.  Even at home, he could not get Crosby's line away from the watchful eye of Hal Gill, and he certainly did nothing to figure out Fleury's woes (not that anyone could).  Malkin's line was flat throughout the series, and Bylsma, ever a juggler of forward groupings, couldn't figure out the answer.  His go-to Malkin and Crosby duo failed to cure the Penguins scoring troubles (as it always seems to do), and Bylsma seemed without any second option.  Then there are the defensive failings.  And I don't even want to discuss how the Penguins opened Game 7.  Other than Jordan Staal's third line, none of the Penguins' groupings seemed to be clicking with any consistency.

(6) Traitors and Double-Agents:  But really the reason these Penguins lost is because they have allowed themselves to become infested with traitors.  Read above; who is most to blame?  Well first, two French Canadians, Fleury and Letang.  Any coincidence these backbones to the Penguins last two Cup runs suddenly faltered so grandly against Les Habitants?  While the Penguins' non-francophones were playing their hearts out, Letang was kicking goals into his own net and Fleury was cutting holes in his pads.  The Penguins could maybe withstand a couple of traitors if it weren't for the prominence of a Malkin, whom TBL writer Kevin has long identified as a "double agent."  I wasn't so sure before, but I am starting to believe it.  Especially considering the Game 7 disappearing act of Malkin's countryman,  landlord, and father-figure Sergei Gonchar.  I am not sure what Russia's interest in this series may have been exactly, but they probably hate the United States more than Quebec.  Throw in the no-shows from Semin and Ovechkin (for five games) in the first round, and we might really be onto something.

What to Do About It 

(1) Stuff the other team did:  Well that's about the other team, so I don't care.  I guess don't play the Canadiens or something.  So here I will put my annual plea instead:  Ray Shero, please sign a winger who can score the damn puck.

(2) Fleury: First, make him see a lot of shots.  This is the first series in a long time that the Penguins have so consistently outshot their opponents.  And I guess Fleury doesn't like that.  He was, after all, at his best in Game 5, when the Pens were outshot 33-25.  So, fine, Marc-Andre, if you want 35 shots a game, then that is what you get.  Second, get a worthwhile backup.  Flower-boy knows his job is safe when it's Brent Johnson waiting in the wings.  Maybe he won't be so keen to build his soft-goals reel if he knows he might have to sit on the bench.  It's too bad the Penguins will be in a new arena next year, because making him stand in the runway to the dressing room would probably be be even more embarrassing.  Third, show him tapes of himsel from March–June 2008 & 2009.

(3) The Defense:  Oh, I don't know, sign a damn defensive defenseman worth his salt.  Or maybe even play the ones the Penguins have.  Jordan Leopold is a fine player, but he's not shutting anyone down.  Alex Goligoski certainly isn't either.  And that's who the Penguins have turned to with the departures of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi to free agency.  No one thinks much of those two exits, but they more or less decimated the Penguins' defensive zone presence,causing the Pens to rely too heavily on Kris Letang to match opponents' top forwards defensively.  We all hope that Letang will fill that role well some day—and he does so at times now—but he isn't consistent enough yet for that to work in the playoffs.  With apologies to Notre Dame product Mark Eaton, the Pens only have two defensemen (Gonchar and Brooks Orpik) who are, and Gonchar is a free agent.

The Pens' forwards are remarkably good in their own zone, and the Pens' breakout is among the best in the league.  But when it comes to clearing out the front of the net or, heaven forbid, effectively countering a rush, the Pens struggle.  With swiss-cheese boy in the back, there is no reason to favor Goligoski's ability to move the puck over Jay McKee's ability to actually defend.  But for whatever reason Bylsma does.  Hopefully they sign someone Bylsma trusts to fill these unsung roles. 

(4) Malkin: Trade him or something.  I say that only half-seriously, because I don't trust the Penguins could get fair return on someone as talented as Malkin without having to wait around for some young prospects to develop.  Dominant in the regular season, Malkin is completely hit or miss in the playoffs.  Yes, he was last year's Conn Smythe winner, but he built that largely on his early-round play.  He was good in the finals (and surprisingly emotional) but several Penguins had better a series than him.  More concerning, he has a tendency to completely disappear.  He did it in the 2008 finals, and he did it this series.

But I know he is too good to trade, so instead put a gritty, emotional player on his line.  Not some meathead who can't hack it, but stop pairing him with detached flameouts like Ruslan Fedotenko, Miro Satan, and Alexei Ponikarovsky.   I would love for the Penguins to sign an elite winger to play with either Malkin or Crosby and deflect some of the attention from the centers.  But I don't see that happening with the cap, so they are going to need to find another way to do it.  Having an emotional player in the mold of Chris Kunitz could go a long way to waking Malkin up and possibly even drawing attention away from him on the ice.  Remember how good his line was with Ryan Malone on it?

(5) Bylsma:  Bylsma's fine.  Just fall out of love with the Malkin and Crosby even-strength pairing. And figure out how to replicate whatever he does with the third line every game.

(6) Traitors:  Here's the real problem.  Fleury and Letang have to stay because they are key parts of the team and, well, the Pens only play Montreal so many times a year.  But if the Pens run into the Habs again in the playoffs, these loyalists might need to take a seat.  As for Malkin (and potentially Gonchar), I think the threat of double-agency is going to remain until the Russian KHL definitively fails.  The Penguins may be in for it so long as there is a Russian counterpart to profit from the ruin of great NHL teams like the Penguins and North American stars like Crosby.  Kevin has been monitoring Malkin's situation for TBL for quite some time, so I may have to put him in contact with Ray Shero. 

So, yeah, there you go, Pens.  It's that simple.  Don't ruin my life next year.

Game 7 LiveBlog: Penguins v Habs

The Buck List is back and better than ever.  Tonight, we make our first attempt at live blogging.  I'll be watching game 7 of the Penguins-Habs series with Penguins fanatic Ryan (of Ryan's Den fame).  Keep it here to follow Ryan's intense emotional swing.  Holla:

That Laser Works Good

And just like that, quick as a laser, The Buck List makes its triumphant return. For a night, at least. Thanks, Mike Shannon.

A Retort

Sound the Horn

Hockey Night at TBL: Meet an American Hockey Player

To cap off Hockey Night at TBL, I introduce you, dear readers, to a new feature which will run almost daily for the next month: Meet an American Hockey Player.  In the month leading up to the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on February 22, I will introduce you to each member of the 23-man Team USA hockey team.  Because if TBL doesn't give these unheralded youngsters their day in the sun, who will?  Plus, you never know—maybe these kids will do something unexpected.   And you wouldn't want to miss that.  Now, our inaugural Team USA member:  Captain America David Backes. 

Name:  David Backes (#42)

Essentials: Right Wing, St. Louis Blues; 25 years old;  6'3" 216 lbs;    Hometown: Blaine, Minnesota; thoughtful husband

Background: To be honest, Backes doesn't have the most inspiring career.  He's basically your run-of-the-mill American hockey player.  He starred in Minnesota high school hockey, had a brief stop in the USHL (where he was drafted 62nd overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2003), played in college (for the Minnesota State Mavericks), and finally got called up to the big show after a momentary stay in the AHL.  He racked up moderate scoring numbers and impressive penalty totals, and was basically like every American player not on the national team.  Last season—his third in the NHL—Backes burst through with 31 goals, and through the first half of this season, he's third on the lowly Blues with 25 points.  Backes, like so many Americans before him, looks headed to a long career as a good, but not great, power forward.  He provides grit and some scoring; but he's never going to be the guy you can build an offense around.  Basically Ryan Malone without the 'Burgh in his blood.

Why he should be your favorite Team USA member: Backes isn't exactly the most talented member of the U.S. team, but he embodies the style of play that America needs to adopt if it's going to be successful in the Olympics.  He loves playing for America and he's earned a reputation as a hard worker.  And he should unequivocally be your favorite Team USA player.  Because he is a supreme bad ass.  Since the American roster was announced on New Year's Day, Backes has taken it upon himself to beat Team Canada into submission.  He has, you could say, pummeled his way into my heart.  In the two weeks that he has been an official member of the U.S. team, Backes has picked fights with three Canadian Olympians:  He pounded Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry, and unfortunately met his match in Rick Nash.  Apparently Toews threw up (twice) in the penalty box following their fight.  And it's not like Backes makes a living out of this—he had only fought once all year before his intracontinental rampage.  If it weren't for his Canadian-beating ways, I'd be lukewarm on Backes's membership on the team—I'm not sure he's as helpful as, say, Bill Guerin would be.  But so long as he keeps this up, Backes can play on the first line for all I care.  With all due respect to Jamie Langenbrunner, here is the real Team USA captain.  Let's only hope he can get one of the canucks to drop gloves with him on the international stage.

Why he shouldn't:  He took Mike Modano's spot.  And Bill Guerin would probably fight two Canadians at once to get a spot on the team.  Plus he's not exactly "skilled"—which may matter a lot in the international game.

What to watch for in the Olympics:  Well, obviously whether he can get a Canadian to fight him.  But also how he gets along with teammate Ryan Kesler.  Kesler has not always had the kindest words for Backes and his family.  I really hope head coach Ron Wilson pairs these two together at some point. 

And something for the ladies:  Backes isn't all fists; he appears to have quite the sensitive side.  He even delivers puppies.

So that's David Backes, America's faithful defender.  Next on tap, "real" Team USA captain Jamie Langenbrunner. 

Hockey Night at TBL: The Great Divide

Hockey Night at TBL marches on, albeit depressingly.  Up next: The US learns how the rest of North America usually feels. 

I know the U.S. hockey team doesn't stand a chance at the Olympics.  I know it pales in comparison to Team Canada.  I know the Americans will be lucky to get even a bronze medal or a meaningless preliminary round victory over the Canadians.  I know all that.  But does it have to be so depressing to see on paper?

Here's the thing:  Team USA is not good.  And to make matters worse:  rival Canada is completely (if predictably) stacked.  The difference between the two teams is staggering.  And it reinforces just how far U.S. hockey has to go until it can be elite again at the international level. 

First, Let's compare some numbers.  We'll start with the teams' forwards:

These tables show the current NHL stats for Team USA's and Canada's respective forwards.  It doesn't take Mike Milbury to see the difference.  Collectively, Canada has scored 66 more goals and tallied 116 more points than the United States—or about 5 goals and 9 points per player.  They're also +27 better (a 63% increase over USA's +43).  Canada has only one player with less than 30 points: Brendan Morrow with 27 (and he's not on the team to score anyway).  USA has 5.  Canada has 6 of the NHL's top-20 scorers—and they left four more off the roster (Brad Richards, Marty St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, and Nathan Horton).  USA has two—they didn't leave any off.  Ten of the thirteen Canadians are either first or second in scoring on their NHL teams (all but Marleau, Morrow, and Toews).  Four Americans are (Kane, Kesler, Langenbrunner, and Parise).  But it only gets worse . . .

Hockey Night at TBL: Matt Bradley is Nobody's Hero

Time to initiate the Buck List rebirth the way any American would—with a whole bunch of hockey.  Mom and Pop left me the keys to the Buck List, and I am officially declaring Hockey Night at TBL, our readers be damned.  Up first, Matt Bradley is a bum.

Matt Bradley has somehow made himself a Washington Capitals cult hero by interrupting a would-be fight between Steve "Call me Colby Armstong" Downie and some guy named Ovechkin.  But I don't care who Bradley thought he was protecting, he's nobody's hero.

Here's the story:  In the third period of Wednesday's Captials-Lightning game, Alex Ovechkin and Lightning forward Steve Downie emerged from the penalty box at the same time following coincidental roughing penalties (sparked by a potentially dirty hit by Ovechkin).   After exchanging a few words, it was clear the two weren't done with each other, and they dropped their gloves and discarded their helmets to throw down the gentlemanly way.  But that's when Capitals' worthless spare part pest Matt Bradley came flying in to intercept (and nearly blindside) Downie.  In other words Bradley stole Ovechkin's fight (video after the jump).

Since Marty McSorley made star protection famous by watching Wayne Gretzky's back for a decade, fans expect teams to provide bodyguards for players as talented as Ovechkin.  So I get it.  Bradley's a hero because he kept Ovechkin's Adonis face in order and his $90 million stick on the ice.  Sure Alex looked eager to fight, but thanks to Bradley, the two-time MVP got to play it safe.

But that's not what "protection" is.  Stars are protected from opponents taking liberty with them; enforcers are around to make sure the Steve Downies of the league don't take cheap shots, rough up, or goad a player like Ovheckin when he's just trying to go about his everyday business.  But enforcers aren't paid to keep Ovechkin—or Crosby, Gretzky, Lemiuex, whomever—from making dumb choices.  Simply: Ovechkin is a grown man (a rather large grown man at 6'2" 212 lbs), a professional hockey player, and Matt Bradley's team captain—if he wants to fight, then he gets to fight.

Moms may not like it, and fans of other sports may not quite understand, but that's just the way hockey works.  A lot goes on between players on the ice, and eventually they may choose to take a stand.  Even the stars with bodyguards.  Gretzky fought.  Lemieux fought.  We know Howe fought.  Crosby's fought several times.  Even  famously passive stars fight: Joe Sakic, Steve Yzerman, Henrik Zetterberg, and Jonathan Toews just to name a few.  These and any number of other superstars have fought over the years—and their teammates let them.  Ovechkin?  He, well, hasn't quite.

No one says Ovechkin has to fight.  If he chooses to avoid fights—if he skates away from conflicts and goes about his business—fine.  Indeed there's a very simple way for Ovechkin to stay out of fights: don't start them.  But if he decides he's had enough and he wants to stick up for himself, then (like every other hockey player) he should get to.  Maybe Ovechkin didn't really want to fight Downie; maybe he was perfectly happy to have Bradley cut in.  But for now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.  And the next time he drops his gloves (first) and throws off his helmet (first) and chooses to take a stand (in a controversy he started), let's just hope Matt Bradley isn't around to come to the rescue of someone who needs no saving.

After the jump, video of the fight and why Matt Bradley should be suspended.

An Apology

As our four (three?) loyal readers have carefully pointed out, we at The Buck List have been a bit absent lately.  All right, so we haven't posted in two weeks.  While not an excuse, we have a perfectly good explanation:  We were working with LaDainian Tomlinson to bring you America's newest dance craze.*  Please accept out sincere apologies—and LT's new dance as an olive branch.  And please accept our pledge to get back on the horse over the next week.**

* Okay, we weren't working on anything.  This is a video Nike filmed over two years ago and released this weekend.

** I have not spoken a word of this pledge to 2/3 of The Buck List.  But surely they're good for it, right?