NBA Middle Names: Chris Bosh

We at No Regard spend a lot of time in our NBA knitting circles trying to figure out the human side of these players. Whether it's musing about their commutes to work, how much "Call of Duty" they play, or what their favorite snack food is, we like to remind ourselves that NBA players are nothing more than young men with enviable jobs. What better way to humanize our heroes than look up their middle names?

Christopher Wesson Bosh

Carlos in Green?

This move baffles me. When I heard that the Cs would be picking up the recently cut Carlos Arroyo, I didn't understand. I have not followed Arroyo's career too closely and the majority of my exposure to him was from this season when the Heat and Celtics played each other. In those games, Rondo made him look like a small child walking into the middle of the movie. He played as if he couldn't guard the 8-year-old Steph Curry from that NBA ghost commercial. (Although, that may be a bad example, young Steph was probably pretty wet.)

So I checked out his stats from this year: 5.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and two assists per game. Not that sick. Then I examined his career numbers prior to this season: seven years, 7.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Slightly better, but again, underwhelming. And for a team that prides itself on defense, Arroyo, who couldn't check a Cheeto-stuffed Baron Davis, does not seem to be the answer at guard in Boston.

My best guess is they believe he'll be motivated after getting the shaft from the Heat to make room for our very own Mike Bibby (who, by the way, is averaging 2.3 points and shooting 14.3% from behind the arc in his first three games on the Heatles. Keep up the solid effort!) but that's the only reason I can think of. Anyone have a reasonable explanation for this? Or is Danny Ainge trigger-happy and/or bored since the trade deadline is over with?

If You See Something, Say Something: Crying, Cakes, and Crossovers

IYSSSS is our semi-regular internet intelligence report, a liberal arts approach to following the NBA on the Web. E-mail us at jewsforjesusshuttlesworth@gmail.com if you've got any suggestions.

Greg Payne ESPN: Shaq turned 39 a few days ago, so someone gave him a cake the size of the galaxy. Then he cut it and shared it with friends. Sometimes I forget if Shaq still plays basketball, but that really doesn't matter at all.

New York Times: So many great scraps of useless info in here about NBA players' napping habits. "Kobe Bryant checks into a hotel before home games for his pregame nap." Let's be honest, more likely he checks into a hotel before home games to set up his kill room. (But seriously, no "Dexter" spoilers in the comments, my girlfriend and I are behind.)

Rod Benson's Blog: As much as I loved Adam's post about crying, I think Rod Benson gets the trophy here for his take on this very silly explosion about the Heatles' desire to win.

Shaky Ankles: Last time a Net point guard went to London, this happened. This past weekend, the new Net point guard traveled across the pond and they actually let him inside the arena this time. Then he almost killed Sonny Weems.

Negative Dunkalectics: A great piece on the revelation that is the wonderfully puckish new Nuggets squad. We're getting to excited to watch this team in the playoffs.

After Laughter

First thing's first: I, along with 99% of those watching, loved seeing Derrick Rose and the Bulls complete their season sweep over the Heat yesterday. Rose is quite possibly the most likable star in the league (or at least second behind Durant), and one can feel the weight of the Chicago bandwagon getting ready to blow the wheels off the damn thing. Plus, everyone here knows that there’s no love lost between me and LeBron. So, no, I’m not above anyone.

Bibby's World: I Made It

Don't know how we locked this down, but we'd like to introduce you to No Regard's newest blogging sensation... Mike Bibby! He'll be checking in whenever he can, just to remind us: It's Bibby's World, we just live in it!

I did it. I made it. I won. I won all the prizes. The Miami Heat read my letter to them and have signed me as their starting PG!!! By this time next year, I'm going to have a big, fat ring on my finger. But that's not even the best part. The best part is that I get to coast to the championship with my new best friends, Dwyane LeBosh (That's what I call them. They think it's awesome.).

So what have I done in Miami so far?

No Regard Daily Previews: Florida Rivals

The First Game We'll Be Watching Tonight: Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat

Tonight's Florida-on-Florida NBA action has the potential to be some serious eye-candy for NBA junkies and casual fans alike. Outside of the tight Eastern conference playoff race in which the top three seeds are barely separated by a few games, Miami, a side that's been criticized for both its inability to win close games and have success against the top-tier teams in the league, has a chance to gain some confidence and silence their haters temporarily. For Orlando, it's an opportunity to continue the momentum it gained from their comeback victory over the new-look Knicks and tinker with a roster that still hasn't figured out its identity since being revamped a few months back.

D-Will Loves Mexican Food, Other Stuff

Last night, No Regard and friends attended the first home game for Deron Williams in a Net uniform. If you haven't heard about it, the game was incredibly exciting and featured clutch shots, serious dimage from Jersey's newest point guard and a heartbreaking and controversial loss for the home team.

Outside of the amazing basketball, half-court buzzer beater by Vujacic, rowdy crowd, and free D-Will tee-shirts for the first 10,000 fans (I didn't get one though, damn PATH train) the Nets also had a pretty cool introduction for Williams on the Jumbotron in between quarters. During this, the newest Net discussed some of his favorites. Seeing as I had imbibed in a fair amount of sodas before and during the game, I don't remember most of them. (Although, I was giddy about them at the time.) That said, I do recall him stating that Mexican is his favorite kind of food, specifically steak burritos, or steak something.

Sasha, you listening?

NBA Middle Names: Troy Murphy

We at No Regard spend a lot of time in our NBA knitting circles trying to figure out the human side of these players. Whether it's musing about their commutes to work, how much "Call of Duty" they play, or what their favorite snack food is, we like to remind ourselves that NBA players are nothing more than young men with enviable jobs. What better way to humanize our heroes than look up their middle names?

 

Troy Brandon Murphy