Pencilstorm's 2016 NBA Preview: Part 1 - Western Conference by Ben Galli

October 24, 2016 Ben Galli

I’d rather just write about J.R. Smith’s summer adventures in this column but unfortunately the media can’t talk about it. Something about too much swag. Is that still a thing now? Figured they didn’t want anything to overshadow the election.

But fear not, for I will incorporate J.R. Smith in a myriad other ways as I present Pencilstorm’s 2016 NBA Preview.

I’ll countdown the worst to the best teams in each conference, starting with the Western Conference, where the last 2 league MVP’s both blew 3-1 series leads and then decided to join forces. I haven’t seen that much choking on a team since, well, the Cubs and Indians last played in a World Series*.

*Look, I'm old but I'm not "alive in 1945" old. I substitute the 2003 NLCS for the Cubs example.

I'll be discussing what to look for on each team this year and will also rate the team's Excitement level using a thoroughly scientific grading scale of J.R. Smiths.

So shall we begin.

Western Conference

15. The Suns will watch Devin Booker elevate to stardom under 1st year head coach and former UCLA point guard Earl Watson. They hope rookie Dragan Bender lives up to his cool name but they are years away from making any real noise.

14. Denver Nuggets

14. This ranking could be too low for this year's Nuggets who have a good coach in Mike Malone. Point guard Emmanuel Mudiay could make a jump in his second year and promising center Nikola Jokic led Serbia to the Olympic silver medal this summer.

13. It is yet to be determined if 36 year old perennial dude Luke Walton is the next great coach or just a stoner with a heart of gold. D'Angelo Russell has been impressive in the preseason and rookie Brandon Ingram will most likely come off the bench, tempering comparisons to a young Kevin Durant.

12. Sacramento Kings

12. It's Boogie Cousins and hardly anything else. The Kings are rivaling perhaps no one in a class of their own when it comes to dysfunctional management. DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best players in the league but is starting his 7th season under his 6th different head coach.

11. I don't see the Pellies making a huge jump this year but I do see Anthony Davis re-establishing himself as the next great superstar, taking some thunder from a Mr. Karl-Anthony Towns.

10. New coach Mike D'Antoni plans to play James Harden at the point, something he kinda does anyway from time to time. It's his team now with Dwight Howard off to hometown Atlanta. Is Harden truly a great? Can he carry this team to the playoffs? Does he have a face under his beard?

9. The Jazz are Gordon Hayward's team. I'm not buying him as the best player on a viable contender. I have the Jazz missing the playoffs yet again in the stacked Western Conference. Former 5th overall pick Dante Exum should finally see some solid minutes and must prove he's not a bust.

8.Dallas  Mavericks — 8.Dallas Mavericks

8. I believe this is Dirk Nowitzki's swan song. Incredible career for the greatest European player of all time. Along with Rick Carlisle, I think this motivates and pushes the Mavs into the playoffs.

7. Excitement and Minnesota don't always go hand in hand. This year is different. With Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins leading the way with some athletic pieces surrounding them, the Wolves will make a jump this year. They're one of the most exciting young teams to watch in the league.

6. A new coach in David Fizdale and Zach Randolph coming off the bench but the rest remains the same in Memphis. Marc Gasol is back and Mike Conley Jr. has 153 million dollars to live up to. They'll be solid yet again but time is running out on any championship aspirations.

5. The Trail Blazers are in the Pacific Northwest which might as well be Alaska for how far away they are from media attention. Led by Dame D.O.L.L.A., better known as Damian Lillard, and C.J. McCollum, the Blazers are more exciting than most people know. Having added former 2nd overall pick and OSU star, Evan Turner, the Blazers are hungry for more playoff success.

4. The Oklahoma City Thunder are now officially Russell Westbrook's team and there couldn't be greater news to the ears of NBA fans. Sure, the Thunder lost one of the best players of all time in Kevin Durant but don't count this team out yet. Westbrook is on a mission, seeking vengeance, and he's the scariest player in the entire league.

3. Since Chris Paul got to L.A. (not the L.A. team he was supposed to go to, damn you David Stern), the Clippers have been a force to be reckoned with but they've never put it quite together. They hope to have a healthier Blake Griffin back and they're gonna give it another go with mostly the same lineup as last year. They have talent, but probably not enough to win the West. And time is running out with both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin able to test free agency after this year.

2. For the first time in about 20 years, the Spurs will step onto the court without that familiar number 21, Tim Duncan. And they'll be fine. Duncan was pretty solid in his later years but the Spurs had been planning for this for some time now. There's been some rumors of a rift with LaMarcus Aldridge but he's quieted those and should be a big piece for the team most likely to challenge Golden State in the West.

1. Golden State replaced Harrison Barnes with Kevin Durant. That's like replacing Jim Belushi with John. This team is going to be incredibly fun to watch. Countless fans will struggle the whole season desperately wanting to hate the new super villain in town yet not being able to resist the beautiful basketball being played. Durant signed with the Warriors for "basketball reasons" and he will fit in absolutely perfectly on this roster which may very well be the best offense in NBA history.

Enuff Z' Nuff: A Band You Need To Know - by Scott Carr

October 24, 2016 Scott Carr

Hailing from Blue Island, Illinois, Enuff Z' Nuff was formed in 1984 by guitarist/vocalist Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z' Nuff. Originally known as Enough Z' Nuff, the duo immediately began writing songs together. Leaning heavily on their influences of The Beatles, Badfinger, Slade, Queen, Elvis Costello and their home state heroes Cheap Trick, Vie and Z' Nuff built a catalog of hundreds of songs in short order and began hitting clubs all around Chicago.

Enuff Z' Nuff took their shot at big time success when they released their self-titled debut album on Acto Records in August of 1989. Glam metal was taking it's last gasp of breathe and Enuff Z' Nuff were pushed right into the middle of it all. While the band did have the glam image, their music was not metal and it certainly felt more sincere than their glam metal counterparts. Big media even took notice of Enuff Z' Nuff being quite different than the flavor of the week that the labels were churning out at the time. Rolling Stone magazine describe their music as "Beatle-esque song craft and ripping hard rock" while Billboard magazine called them "a truly gifted power pop act." Even radio shock jock Howard Stern took an interest in the band and often featured them on his nationally syndicated radio show, Stern would later write liner notes for the bands fourth album 1985. In the liner notes Stern mentioned a trip he had taken to a remote deserted island and he only took five cassettes with him and three of them were Ennuff Z' Nuff. Enuff Z' Nuff made back to back appearances on Late Night With David Letterman and Letterman said "when it comes to rock 'n roll kids, these guys are all you need." Kiss' Paul Stanley said "Their debut album is a classic!"

It would seem that everything was set in place for Enuff Z' Nuff to become a household name, but it just wasn't in the cards. The debut album did quite well and spawned the MTV hits "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle." By the the time the band released their second album Strength the music climate had changed and anyone associated with the glam metal scene found it tough to get any attention. Strength was a far superior album to the bands debut album and found the band delving deeper into their Beatle-inspired power pop roots. Acto Records dropped the band but they were quickly picked up by Arista Records for their third record, Animals With Human Intelligence. Almost as soon as they were signed to Arista they would find themselves without a label again. This would be the bands last go around with the majors and Chip and Donnie forged ahead releasing their music on indie labels and sometimes you could only track down their new music via Japanese imports. Although they no longer had the support of a major label the quality of their music never suffered. If anything, it continued to get better with each record.

To date the band has released 12 studio records with a 13th on the way in December. The bands has had its share of inner turmoil, including the death of guitarist Derek Frigo in 2004 and the death of drummer Ricky Parent in 2007. Donnie and Chip have been the creative force behind the band and have struggled to keep the name of the band alive. Donnie has been in and out of the group a couple times and is currently not a touring member of the band. Chip is currently fronting the band and has a entirely new line-up touring the country. Their new record coming out in December - called Clown's Lounge - is an archival release of songs the band recorded around 1988 but never released. Donnie Vie has released several solo records over the past decade or so and continues making music on his own.

My personal history with Enuff Z' Nuff dates back to 1990 when a band I was in opened for them at a teen club in Huntington, WV. We got to hang out with the band and they were really nice to us, which isn't always the case when you get an opening slot for a national act. I continued to follow the band and would open for them a couple more times over the years. The most interesting interaction I ever had with the band was sharing the stage with singer Donnie Vie for a one-off solo show he did at Oldfields On High here in Columbus in 2002. Donnie was in town for the holidays and wanted to play a show but didn't have a band. Donnie's wife at the time was a mutual friend and she reached out to me and asked if my band would be interested in backing Donnie up at this show. Of course we said we would. We scheduled a few rehearsals with Donnie and we had been doing our homework, so we already knew a bunch of songs. Donnie wanted to play mostly songs that we didn't know but by the end of rehearsals we had a pretty solid set put together. The night of the show the set list went out the window and Donnie said, "We are gonna play one we have never played before...." He looked at me and sayid, "Stand By Me, John Lennon style." I launched into the opening guitar part, the band joined in and the rest is kind of a blur. Donnie ended the set with a swan dive into our drummer's drum kit. It was a crazy night but we all survived, barely. Although Donnie knows my name, throughout this whole experience he always referred to me as "Fingers."

Chip Z' Nuff, myself and Derek Frigo 1990

On stage with Donnie Vie at Oldfields On High.

Donnie's infamous dive into the drum kit.

I'm writing this piece with the hope that it will shed some light on this great little band from the 1980's that not many people remember, but also as a tribute to the loyal fans that have stuck by the band for almost 30 years. Illinois has spawned so many great power pop bands like Shoes, Material Issue, Off Broadway, Pezband, and of course Cheap Trick. Enuff Z' Nuff has elements of all those bands in their music and they also managed to carve out their own unique sound. If you are looking for a "new thing" to listen to, I would suggest picking up an Enuff Z' Nuff CD. I think you will be pleasantly surprise.

The current touring version of Enuff Z' Nuff will be playing the Alrosa Villa on Saturday October 29th.

Check out the clips below for a little taste of what Enuff Z' Nuff is all about....

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps andReturning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

NCP Answers Your Questions on the Battle of Ohio

October 23, 2016 Sean Casey

It’s the Battle of Ohio and the NCP will be watching the game at Four String Brew with the League Bowlers playing before the game. FREE.

1) Who should feel more excited about the future of their team, Bengals or Browns fans?

K-Dubs, the Soldier: The Browns. I know they are 0-6, but each week we can see the young players, like defensive tackle Danny Shelton and quarterback Cody Kessler, getting better. The Browns have shown a lot of fight in their losses, too. I truly believe we are witnessing a culture change in Berea and the building of a winning franchise. Cincinnati maybe a perennial playoff team, but they have an aging roster that I think has already passed its peak potential. This year, the Bengals will be at home during the postseason, just like Cleveland, and I think Cincinnati’s win total will trend down the next few years while Cleveland’s should trend up (I do realize that the Browns’ win total can only trend up).

Big$: I truly feel that future is brighter moving forward for Hue Jackson’s Browns, but the singular reason it’s better to be a Browns fan, is that we do not have to defend Vontaze Burrfict. There is no room for a player like that in professional sports or everyday life, for that matter. It’s impossible to take Roger’s assertions on player safety seriously, when he won’t take that goon off the field.

2) Cody Kessler has quietly put together some pretty good numbers. Is there QB worth drafting in the 1st round next year or could he be the QB of the near future?

Big$: The Commander’s competence has bought the front office some time. It’s crucial that defense is addressed this April, and using both 1st-round picks towards that end will be big league. I have my eyes on Myles Garrett, the defensive end from Texas A&M, and would love to couple him with some secondary help. Cody can continue to keep the seat warm for the NCP’s favorite son, Mitch Trubisky, the quarterback from UNC.

K-Dubs, the Soldier: I really like Kessler. I don’t think I would have ever said that when Josh McCown went down. He throws an accurate ball, he makes good decisions, and he can create plays by scrambling and buying himself more time in the pocket. His growth has been impressive, and his performance should give the Browns’ brain trust some leeway to fill other needs at the top of the draft. That said, if the front office believes there is a quarterback in next year’s draft that is a can’t-miss prospect, they have to take him. Keep an eye on Jake Browning from the University of Washington.

3) Is TP going to sign a long term deal?

K-Dubs, the Soldier: Word on the street is that they are already in talks. I think it is a great move to lock up Pryor. He is a unique talent. At the very least, he is a possible target for the franchise tag, which could keep him around for an extra year.

Big$: I think he likes playing for Hue and will reward the loyalty with a signature on the dotted line. Should be easy for the Harvard crew to find the cashola considering roughly 87% of the team is on rookie deals.

4) If the Bengals lose today, should they re- locate to Las Vegas or just fire the head coach?

K-Dubs, the Soldier: I love a team that has stunk for what seems an eternity. They always find new ways to break my heart. I have wasted a lot of time, money, and emotion on the Browns. And yet, I have no idea how anyone can be a Cincinnati fan. The Bengals are the Crocs of the NFL. I know they exist, but I can’t fathom why anyone buys a pair. I don’t think a new address will help the Bengals, but I would like to see it happen. That way at least we wouldn’t have to get their games on local TV anymore.

Big$: I’m too busy making championship parade plans to worry about what’s happening down I-71.

5) Who should Lebron start for today?

Big$: I’ll start LBJ for Joe Haden. It’s pretty obvious ole Joe isn’t too motivated to get his highly paid keister on the field, so let’s get a true champ on the corner.

Baver Gives Odds on Which Buckeyes Stay and Go + Penn State Thoughts.

October 21, 2016 Brent Baver

Colin: The youngest team in the country has already had two road night wins against highly ranked opponents. How impressed should we be?

Baver: I think you really have to be impressed with the heart that this young team showed in the 2nd half and OT on a night when Ohio State clearly didn’t have its best stuff in Madison. It was Wisconsin’s night…and Ohio State took it from them. As for the way the Bucks jumped on Oklahoma from the get-go and never looked back, that was certainly impressive too. Young teams aren’t supposed to do this.

Colin: Bucky Badger took advantage of their bye week and really seemed to have our young D confused in the 1st half. What was working for them and should we expect Penn State to try something similar?

Baver: The jet sweep, that’s for sure. The Buckeye corners seemed to react slowly to the play, even after Wisconsin had run it several times. One tweet I saw summed it up: “Jazz Peavy jet sweep, rinse, repeat.” Peavy ran 6 jet sweeps for 70 yards. It wasn’t until the 5th time the Badgers ran it that Ohio State stopped it for shorter than an 8-yard gain. Wisconsin also hit their TE Troy Fumagalli 7 times for 80+ yards in total. Thankfully, Penn State has no one to run the jet sweep like Peavy and PSU’s TE Mike Gesicki has modest numbers so far this season.

Colin: At any point in the game did you think we were going to lose?

Baver: Yes…at halftime, I thought we were probably staring at a loss. And when Wisconsin had the 11-play, 81-yard drive to take back the lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, I had my doubts.

Colin: Other than JT having ice water in his veins, our offense still seems to struggle with an identity. What is our offensive identity?

Baver: I agree. For the most part, the read option is still Ohio State’s identity, and JT runs it very well. But, as everyone has been saying….at some point, this offense is going to have to throw the ball down field. And I wouldn’t expect to see much down field passing in Happy Valley with the forecast calling for ridiculous winds.

Colin: Penn State took our 2014 National Championship team to OT last trip to Happy Valley. Could we be forgetting how tough it is to play there at night?

Baver: I think the Bucks got a pretty good wakeup call at Camp Randall, not to mention the wakeup call they got in Happy Valley in 2014. So, no…I don’t think so.

Colin: You are heading to the game. What is your favorite and least favorite thing about attending a game at Happy Valley?

Baver: How ‘bout just some good and some bad?

Even though that program has been down, the atmosphere in that stadium is big time. The white out, the noise level, the intensity….the place rocks. In 2014, when PSU had the pick-6 early in the 2nd half that turned the game around, the place was insane….and it was insane/crazy until the final play when Bosa blew up the PSU O-lineman and Christian Hackenberg simultaneously. It’s what college football is all about.

On the flip side, while we were treated very well in State College by almost all of the Penn State fans in 2014…2005 was brutal. Ohio State was of course a few years removed from a Nat’L Title and a group of kids were relentless in harassing us all day long. One climbed up on a Buckeye fan’s RV trying to tear down his Buckeye flag. That was also the year the OSU band had bags full of urine thrown at them. It was pretty hardcore.

Colin: I know it still feels like the season has only started, but are there any rumblings about Buckeyes who might already be thinking about playing in the NFL next year?

Baver: Word on the street is that everyone that you think might consider leaving early is considering leaving early….and everyone that you wouldn’t think could make the early jump is considering making the early jump. My best guess at handicapping the OSU underclassmen that are draft eligible, based on what I am hearing…

Likelihood of leaving after the season:

Malik Hooker: 75% (draft eligible sophomore)

Raekwon McMillan: 60%

Marshon Lattimore: 50% (draft eligible sophomore)

Gareon Conley: 50%

JT Barrett: 40%

Curtis Samuel: 35%

Sam Hubbard: 35% (draft eligible sophomore)

Jamarco Jones: 25%

Billy Price: 15%

Tyquan Lewis: 15%

Noah Brown: 15%

Chris Worley: 10%

Michael Hill: 10%

Marcus Baugh: 10%

Colin: Give us an update on your picks so far and other games you will be keeping an eye on this weekend?

Baver: 10-12 against the spread. I saw that the great Phil Steele went 0-9 against the spread last week…so I am feeling a little better about my numbers. Too many points in Happy Valley. The Nits have a bye and the Bucks are of course off the emotional/physical game at Camp Randall. I like the Bucks 28-14, and the Nits +19 ½ is a good play. I like TCU catching 6 on the road at West by God. The ‘Eers luck finally runs out against a more talented TCU team that will thrive on the underdog role. And, okay, I’ll bite…I like the Aggies getting 18 at Alabama. Bama is the best team in the land and if they play their game, they will smack A&M….but Bama is prime for a letdown, and 18 is a lot of points.

Tailgate w/ The League Bowlers @ Four String Brew Before the Battle of Ohio

October 18, 2016 Colin Gawel

Big $ and K-Dubs the Soldier - collectively known as The North Coast Posse - have been slogging through blogging another tough Browns season. To cheer them up, Pencilstorm will be throwing a pre-game party at Four String Brew (985 W. 6th 43212) Sunday October 23rd. As always, The League Bowlers (featuring Four String Founder Dan Cochran on the four-string) will provide the tunage. People start staggering in around 11:30 am and the Bowlers play at noon. Kickoff 1 pm.

Fans of the Browns, Bengals, Day Drinking and Rock n Roll are all encouraged to attend. Admission is FREE.

Kick Off Party with Carl Rose Jr, (The League Bowlers), Big $, Neil Sika, and K-Dubs The Soldier. @ Four String Brew. Next party Sunday Oct 23rd. Doors 11am. Music at Noon. FREE.

Will Buckeyes Again Make Bucky Badger Their B---- ? Baver Answers Colin's Questions

October 14, 2016 Brent Baver

Follow @baverbuckeyebag

Colin: For a team that constantly brags about how much depth and talent they have on offense, why does JT have to carry such a heavy workload against an underdog as Indiana?

Baver: I think it’s an Urban thing (as opposed to Warriner or Beck). It’s been this way since Urban arrived. And there have been a handful of post-games where Urban basically admitted that they ran the QB too much, and didn’t run the tailback enough. Seems like the common themes in these games are: (1) The game is in doubt or closer than it should be, and (2) Urban’s QB isn’t throwing the ball well. Those were certainly the themes against Indiana. But one would have thought they would have gotten Curtis Samuel involved more….it’s big mystery why they didn’t.

Colin: Along the same lines, Indiana used a lot of press coverage and disrespected our WRs ability to beat them one on one. Could this formula work again this week against the Badgers?

Baver: Yeah, I don’t think Wisconsin is going to respect Ohio State’s X and Y receivers…and there’s really no reason to right now. It seems like Noah Brown can’t stay healthy and doesn’t have the speed to beat a DB down field, maybe because of the injuries. The Buckeyes are going to have to have at least some success throwing downfield Saturday night, or they could be in trouble.

Colin: Still, our young D is looking surprisingly strong, how many points can Wisconsin expect to put up on the Bucks without fluky conditions or turnovers?

Baver: If weather plays little to no factor in the game, I would think the Buckeyes hold Wisconsin to 21 or less. Looking at the Vegas spread and over/under, the sportsbooks have the Badgers scoring about 17 pts….sounds ballpark to me. The emergence of Jerome Baker and Nick Bosa is starting to make this Buckeye defense downright scary, and Wisconsin’s offense is anything but scary.

Colin: Camp Randall at night is a bitch. As nice as the Sooners win was, this is a different beast. Especially considering the last time we met, the Bucks won the Big 10 title 59-0 despite entering as underdogs. AND..ESPN Game day is in Madison and all that hype. So on a scale of 1 -10, how tough of a road environment is Camp Randall?

Baver: I’d say 9 ½ outta 10. It’s right up there with Clemson Memorial Stadium and Tiger Stadium (LSU)….maybe a hair behind those two. In terms of the NFL, I’d say Camp Randall is on par with Lambeau Field and CenturyLink Field in Seattle. I don’t think this Buckeye team rattles easily, but if there is a place where that can happen….it’s Camp Randall.

Colin: So final thoughts on the game?

Baver: I’ve stopped doubting Urban period. When you dive into the matchup, i.e. OSU’s run game vs Wisc run D, vice versa, etc…..I think it’s easy to come away thinking this game is a toss-up. But I think 80% of the big plays Saturday night will be made by the scarlet and gray….just too much athleticism on the OSU side. And I don’t think many fans realize what a weapon Cameron Johnson has become, and how much “flipping the field” works in the Buckeye’s favor. I see Ohio State rising to the occasion….I like the Bucks 34-17.

Colin: What other games and lines will you be watching this weekend?

Baver: I’ve made a nice little comeback, hitting 5 of my last 6 to bring me to 9-10 on the season ATS, including hitting the last 3 Buckeye games. With the Madison weather forecast looking not-so-bad as of Thursday night, I think you take the Buckeyes and lay the 10 ½. I think Tennessee may fall apart this week after finally losing a close game…I like Bama laying the 12 ½ in Knoxville. And I like Texas Tech catching a point at home against West Virginia. I think Tech will have added motivation facing a 4-0 Mountaineer team.

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