I get by with a little help

Klayton Everett Korver Esquire asked if I would help promote a great Seer Clothing sale for the weekend. Details below. Check it out

SEER CLOTHING CONTEST:

From 2:00 MT time Thursday April 22, through the end of the game Sunday night, at home vs. the Nuggets, we are going to have a giveaway that goes along with purchasing a Seer Shirt. Here is how it works:

-The person who buys the 1st shirt sold will get a signed pair of shoes from Kyle.
-The 8th perso…n will get a GR8NESS shirt signed by Deron Williams.
-The 17th person will get a signed Ronnie Price Jersey.
-The 23rd person will receive a signed Wes Matthews jersey.
-The 26th person will get a signed Kyle Korver Jersey.
-The 34th person will get a signed C.J. Miles jersey.
-The 47th person, if we get this far, will get a signed AK jersey.
If you are the person, we will contact you and send you the above item.

GO TO www.seerclothing.com to get your shirt.

A Look to the West

Western Conference

(1) LA Lakers vs (8) Oklahoma City

Dangit I really like Oklahoma City. The Thunder have a good roster. Their young players play well together and Kevin Durant is awesome. I like what Russell Westbrook brings to the game. Jeff Green, James Harden, and Thabo Sefolosha have proven to be valuable role players capable of stepping up and having big games. This is a good team. It really is.

Too bad they finish fourth in their division. Wait, is it possible to win 50-games and still be fourth in your division. In the West, more specifically the Northwest apparently yes.

The Thunder have a great season and how do they get rewarded? A trip to LA against the city’s good team in the first round. Poor Thunder.

With the third best record in the league, the defending champs enter the playoffs with more question marks than last season. Showing inconsistency at times this year, the Lakers seemed almost indifferent at times. But their roster is too good to be ignored. And despite some struggles, they still are the number one seed in the brutal Western conference.

Did you know Kobe has FOUR championship rings? Kobe Bryant is a masterful playoff artist. And this year, he probably has the best overall team on either side of the bracket. The Lakers are going to be tough to beat in a seven-game series.

Because I like the Thunder so much I’ll give them two games, but LA is too good.

Lakers in 6

(4) Denver vs (5) Utah

What makes the Western conference so difficult is the miniscule separation between playoff teams. The top-seeded Lakers only won seven more games than the eight-seeded Thunder. Denver and Utah? Same record. So your saying advantage Denver because of homecourt advantage? Considering the Nuggets finished tied for the second-best home record in the NBA, I could agree. The Nuggets are just so blasted inconsistent.

Carmelo Anthony is a top-flight NBA player. Though he’s gotten better with his attitude, he still doesn’t bring it every night. JR Smith is an explosive scorer who, when hot can put up 40. Or when not, shoot Denver right out of games. I really like Chauncey Billups, Chris Anderson, and Nene Hilario (I thought he didn’t have a last name, when did that change?). But those three are complementary guys. Maybe they can change the pace of a game, but with the exception of Chaunce, it’s unlikely they’ll alter a series.

Utah, on the other hand, is a great team. Typical of Jerry Sloan coached teams, the Jazz play well together and are getting hot (and healthy) at the right time. Deron Williams is one of the most impressive players in the league. And a revitalized Carlos Boozer has been carrying the scoring and rebounding duties for the club. I love this team’s tenacity and killer instinct, led by Williams. They have role players. They have scorers. They play hard. But will it be enough?

Denver is a tough matchup for any team. Carmelo can hurt you from in or outside. But, defensive stopper Wesley Matthews, CJ Miles, and Andrei Kirilenko theoretically have the size and speed to bother the superstar (especially in combination). Billups often uses his size to overpower opposing pg’s. He can’t do that to Williams. Tough matchup, but the Jazz have the pieces in place.

Tough call, but because of the Kyle Korver alliance (I may or may not be friends with his brother) we’ll go Jazz stealing one in Denver.

Jazz in 7

(3) Phoenix vs (6) Portland

For the first time in years, we’re finally seeing a different Phoenix team. Yes, they still lead the NBA in scoring with 110.2 PPG. Yes Steve Nash is still running the show. But, somehow watching them play is different. They run-and-gun, but are better in the half-court. They even play better defense (yes Amare Stoudemire and Nash and still liabilities, but defense is a team thing).

For the first time in the Nash-era, The Suns’ bench has an identity. Newbie Goran Dragic’s presence allowed Nash to limit his minutes to his lowest as a Sun this season. Three-point specialists Jared Dudley and Channing Frye are among the league-leaders in three-point shooting and give a big spark off the bench. The loss of Robin Lopez hurts interior defense and makes the Suns thin on the inside, but it allows more minutes for Frye. They’ll need big minutes from him against Portland.

The Trail Blazers have completed their transition from the Jail Blazer past. Resident good-guy Brandon Roy is a fan favorite. The face of the franchise is a fantastic player to boot. Too bad a partially-torn miniscus will keep him away from the Suns.

While Marcus Camby has been a big addition, I just don’t see enough on the Blazers’ roster without a healthy Roy. Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge can have big games, but are not marquee players.

Suns in 5

(2) Dallas vs (7) San Antonio

I hate the Western conference. How is a team like San Antonio, a team with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli, a seven-seed? Oh yeah, didn’t they add Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess this offseason too? How is this a seventh-place team?

I forgot. They’re not. Its just the West.

The Mavs exploded after trading for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. Finally having a center other than Erick Dampier (second best center in the West – self-described years ago despite Shaq’s insistence he was really Erica Dampier in the WNBA – see trivia), maybe its the Mavs time. Jason Kidd is approaching the end, but is still effective. Butler fits well as a third scoring option, while Shawn Marion provides hustle-plays. This is a balanced team, and if Dirk Nowitzki can stave off the playoff demons they have a shot.

I just can’t ignore the Spurs. They’re top-five are too good. They’ve been good for a decade (This hurts a little. It doesn’t seem like five years ago that the Pistons and Spurs fought for supremacy with physical defensive styles. Now the Pistons have Ben Gordon. Times have changed).

Honestly, I like Dallas’s roster better (other than Dampier). But, Gregg Popovich, Duncan, and the Spurs are playoff masters. This is my big (kinda) upset pick.

Spurs in 6

Klayton Korver And I Interrupt Our Busy Lives For A Little Chatterbanter

New exciting news! I have a new undertaking and a new partner. Joining the WebMaster and I in this blog, we’re planning on incorporating one Mr. Klayton Everett Korver. Hopefully the excessive banter Klayton and I exchange in real life will translate well into the written format. For a little opening and background on Mr. Korver, we exchanged the following emails.

Ok Klayton, to start, what are you doing now?

Newbie Klayton Korver:

Well Adam, I am planning to pick up Kyle’s car from the dealership after some minor problems. Then, hopefully I will get to catch a few minutes of Bill Raftery doing Big East games today. Which brings me to something I have been thinking about for some time now. We discussed this for a minute the other day, the NBA is so much better to watch than College Basketball. Now I feel like I am a decent judge here, as I played five years at Drake and saw plenty of college games. Now that I live with Kyle, see him everyday, and watch nearly 100 games, I can’t help but notice the skill level of NBA players. Their skills are so much better it makes it difficult to watch the college game.

I love the passion you see in college. But, even those guys can’t sustain it night in and night out. The major complaint about NBA players, “They don’t care til the 4th quarter”… may be valid, but there is a reason. Many times they played the night before, then flew for a few hours, arrived home around early in the AM, and have practice in morning before heading back to the gym for game time. I don’t know about you Adam, but when I fly it can take a lot out of me. My joints get swollen and sore worse than they normally would. It just takes a little bit more to feel healthy and energized again. These guys do it everyday. And they do it against the best athletes in the world. They don’t miss open jump shots. They are all physical freaks. When you sit close, you see just how fast the game is. So… that’s my start, what do you have to say, you with me or against me old friend?

Blogger:

Well here’s the thing Klayton, I wasn’t asking what you were doing at this moment. To be honest, I really don’t care. I was more looking for an update of what you were doing in Mormon country out in Salt Lake City Utah. I mean, if you’re going to be mentioned, I think people will at least want to know why they don’t see your pretty face on the streets of Des Moines. So please, inform our audience (or just humor me because we don’t exactly have an audience) what you’ve been up to since college. You know, a little background. You do that and maybe, just maybe, I will tell you my thoughts. Your move.

KEK:

Well Adam.. I first went overseas to Treviso, Italy, to tryout for some teams in Europe. I had a few offers, the best being in Serbia, but decided that my knees would not be able to handle the daily grind. As you know we didn’t practice a ton our senior year because of injuries (Adam’s note – For those unfamiliar with Klayton’s injury history, the kid’s had more knee surgeries than most people have doctor’s appointments. He spent his entire career, well last three years anyway, dealing with swelling and chicken legs. In his defense he couldn’t really lift, but still.)

So I decided to hang up the sneakers and join the rec- ball leagues. Kyle asked me to move out to Utah and help him with his foundation work, and also a clothing line he was starting up. About halfway through last year, we started Seer Group, a non-profit construction group providing labor and materials to families in desperate need of home repairs. We have done roofs, kitchens, bathrooms, doorways, window wells, pretty much anything necessary. Now, we are finding our passion is in handicap ramps and making homes handicap friendly.

All while we were going through the paperwork on that, we also threw a Dodge Barrage with Deron Williams and his foundation, Point of Hope. We had 40 teams join in, one with Kyle, Deron, and Ronnie Price, and raised over $20,000 for the Christmas Box House, a group assisting in housing children who have been taken from their homes because of dangerous situations with their parents.

In December of this year, we started up Seer Clothing, a for profit clothing line. Even though the clothing line is for profit, we donate all the proceeds to the Kyle Korver Foundation. We have 8 guys shirts and 8 girls shirts, all with different meanings. My personal favorite is Strength, not being the bully on the block, but its being confident in who you are, and being able to stand for what you believe when times are tough. Inspiration for many of the T-shirts comes from Kyle’s experience with the ministries in Philly. Located on the North side with a lot of under-privelaged inner-city kids, Kyle had themes he wanted to get across to them. I’m really excited about what we are doing and the direction of Seer Clothing. Check it out.

So that’s about what I have been up to, catching a lot of NBA games too, and enjoying the mountains, which is a little change from the hills of Iowa, aka “God’s Country”.

Blogger:

Klayton, thanks for finally answering my question. From what I hear you are quite a roofer. But believe me, after talking to you the other day as you were staring at a leak I’m not so sure. Anyway, onto your first message…

I agree in a way with your opinion of the NBA, but college basketball is still more exciting. Playing professionally opened my eyes to the difficulties associated with playing so many games. Mentally and physically it is without question much more difficult than high school or college. That being said, the college game represents a dynamic all its own. Players play hard every game (good ones do anyway). They play hard because they want to be there. They play hard because of the love of it sport. Even during my professional endeavors my love for the game suffered.

Now it is true, watching the NBA is amazing. No one misses. Even the people that can’t shoot don’t miss open looks (unless your name is Bruce Bowen or you are a member of the Detroit Pistons this year. Oh wait, they don’t get open looks). Athletically, its unbelievable watching such large, physical specimens devour the open floor. I get that. And my background now allows me to understand just how great it is. However, there is nothing better than college basketball. If nothing else, the fans make it a better game. The NCAA tournament is the best sports action on television. Period.

Next up for Korv and I will be our attempts to podcast. We’re both working on it, but found out through the WebMaster that posting on wordpress is not the way to go. Hopefully we can figure this out (Three Drake degrees later its still a struggle. Maybe after the tournament is over we’ll get this moving.)