Apologies to all Knicks fans.

I may have spoken to soon about you not getting any good players in free agency. I still don't see Lebron going there, but it looks like Amare might be headed there.. If they can secure Amare, this could potentially be huge for the Knicks. This would give them a presence in the paint and they would still have enough money for a few other decent players to pair alongside Stoudemire. I don't know that Hakim Warrick and Channing Frye will be able to adequately replace Amare, but I guess Phoenix has to try and start somewhere. Even though I've always considered Phoenix to be a bitter rival, a big part of me will be sad to see this Phoenix team finally split up and start over. I bet Steve Nash is wishing he was able to sign on with Mike D'Antoni now, too. Aside from this slight curveball, this free agency is going according to plan.

It is ridiculous to think that these players will be making 15-20 million each to play basketball next season. I think Rudy Gay has the most to live up to out of all those players. I understand Memphis wanting to keep him locked up, but 80 million over five years? Now they have to hope this team pans out this season. I still think they could be one piece shy of that.

Apparently, Lebron is supposed to make his big decision this weekend. I still hope it involves the Houston Rockets. I doubt it will though. I just hope he goes anywhere other than the Bulls or Knicks. I like the Nets and Mavs most out of his potential suitors, but I know the Bulls and Cavs have the best odds. I am sure you will be able to hear the entire state of Ohio breathe a gigantic sigh of relief if he chooses to stay there. They are moving in the right direction with Byron Scott.

I think Chris Bosh will make his decision last out of the big three. Carlos Boozer, David Lee, and Josh Childress (missed that fro for too long) are going to quickly become hot commodities for teams that don't get one of the big name free agents.

Does Steve Blake signing on with the Lakers mean Derek Fisher isn't returning? That would be a deeo team with Fisher.

Free agency has opened

Eight hours into the period, I have noticed two trends about the summer of 2010 already. It appears as though a lot of the marquee players are going to stay (Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, John Salmons, and Tyrus Thomas are all working on new deals already). Judging by what most analysts are saying, my judgement of the Knicks has been right all along. You completely clear your roster and now you have little to no talent to pair these superstars with. Yeah you can sign two of them, but what then? I have said all along and I'm standing by the statement that I doubt the Knicks really land any big names this month. For a minute there, it looked like Joe Johnson might end up in the Big Apple. Now it looks like he will be one of the first big names to resign. If most of the big names remain with their teams, the Knicks will be scrambling to try to get Lebron or Amare, two players who I also could see staying with their teams.

It doesn't appear like this is going to really take very long at all. In fact, I think by Monday a lot of the smoke will have cleared. Of course, that still leaves players three days to change their mind.
It looks like the Cavs are getting Byron Scott instead of Brian Shaw. Is Chris Paul a part of this process and do they immediately begin recruiting Lebron to stay?
The Celtics are keeping Doc Rivers. I think that means most of their big three stays intact, although I could see Ray Allen accepting a larger offer elsewhere.

Drew Gooden has been scooped up by the Milwaukee Bucks. I am liking this team more and more by the day, as they are quietly adding depth in all of the right spots. That is going to be a good team again this year.

The Rockets reached out to Chris Bosh as free agency kicked off. What is really amazing to me is that they appear to be the first team to have met with him. Whether or not the Rockets can acquire Bosh, Joe Johnson, or Amare Stoudemire is still up in the air. Either way, there are a lot of reasons to look forward to the next couple seasons as a Rockets fan. First, Yao Ming should be back at some point this season. Not only that, but if he gets hurt again, this is the last year we have to deal with that. With all that talent though, I really hope he plays a full season this year. Give him a day off every seven to ten days! Also, this will be the first full season featuring Kevin Martin in this lineup. Let's not forget that Houston gets the Knicks first round pick the next two seasons too.

More updates to come later, today..

Forked Tongues/ Free Agency kickoff/Survival of the Dead

I went to the Such Gold show last night. It was really hot and I was really dizzy for some reason so I only stayed for Forked Tongues. If it hasn't rained yet, further evidence is outside some place next to Heat aka Soho(s). I wish I would've thrown up right on the door to that place, but I wasn't thinking about it at the time. Anyway, it would be really thoughtful of Dub Land to get an AC or maybe even a fan. Just sayin...
I only really saw Forked Tongues so I can't really comment on any of the other bands unfortunately. They were really good though. If you haven't heard them yet, check out their myspace It is great to see kids checking them out. I've known Dave and Chris for quite a while now and I know they put a lot of hard work into all of their music so it's good to see them get their due in Rochester finally. Their sound is a lot darker than their previous bands, and definitely heavier. The kids definitely eat it up though. Keep it up guys, good things are coming!




-The NBA's free agency period officially kicks off in 15 hours and I will be looking into ANY available information between now and training camp.

Lebron rumors are EVERYWHERE. It seems like every one has a theory for him to end up on the Heat, Bulls, Cavs, Knicks, Nets, Mavs, and Rockets. And of course the Rockets is my own personal dream theory. I still think the Bulls and Heat are his most likely destinations, with the Nets and Mavs picking up steam. The Nets trading Yi yesterday pulls them just about even with the Heat, depending on who you believe. What will happen if Lebron, Wade, and Bosh all end up on the same team? Will they be able to coexist? How many championships would that three be the centerpiece for?

I've never thought that Dwyane Wade was going to leave Miami. He is more than likely going to add a couple of the marquee free agents to his team. I would expect that to be a power forward and a wing player. I don't like the pairing of him with Lebron, but I know they will pursue that rout if given the opportunity.

Chris Bosh is in no way, shape, or form returning to Toronto this season. A lot of people expect him to pair with Lebron or Dwyane Wade, or both. I expect to see him on the Heat, Bulls, or Knicks next season. I hope houston makes a strong push for him though.

Once you get through the big three, there is Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, Carloz Boozer, Rudy Gay, David Lee, Ray Allen, John Salmons, Luis Scola, Brendan Haywood, Richard Jefferson, Ronnie Brewer, Tyrus Thomas, Raymond Felton, Al Harrington, and Brian Scalabrine.

Paul Pierce has officially added his name to the list of players that will become available in the morning. I would retire a Celtic if I were him. While I do think he might just be testing the waters, an offer might get made that the Celtics choose to refuse. This is quickly turning into Rajon Rondo's team. This team might end up losing a lot this summer.

I've always liked the idea of Joe Johnson STAYING in Atlanta, but that doesn't seem all that likely with the offers he is about to field. If anyone else offers him a max contract, I doubt he will go to New York. Unfortunately, Johnson will be the best free agent the Knicks get a response from and thus he will get their max offer. Other options still include the Heat and Bulls. If Bosh and Lebron go to Miami, I think Johnson is almost a lock to the Bulls. The Rockets and Mavs also could make some noise via sign and trade.

I've said all along I doubt Dirk will go anywhere else, However if Amare leaves Phoenix, they could make an offer for an interesting reunion between Dirk and Steve Nash.

I would like to see Amare Stoudemire stay in Phoenix so they can build on what they have. They will need to pay him very well in order to do that. The Knicks, Nets, Heat, and Bulls all could still make a pitch for his services.

I know Utah wants to keep Carlos Boozer, but as with Joe Johnson in Atlanta, I doubt they will want to match a max offer. The Knicks and Nets will likely be able to have the flexibility to do this and this is where I think he will end up. The Bulls remain a strong option too.

At this point if the Bulls, Heat, Nets, and Knicks don't each have two of those eight players, they will begin to scramble a bit at the second tier of free agents. I don't see any immediate movement with this group of players so I'll speculate more on that later.




Last weekend, I went to see Survival of the Dead at the Dryden. I am not usually a fan of zombie or horror movies for that matter, but I feel a certain amount of respect is owed to George Romero. I'm not sure what the deal with his last couple movies has been, a lot of short run/straight to video. Most people I told I was going to or had seen this movie had no idea it was even released. As I mentioned before, these kind of movies aren't usually my bag. I did however find myself entertained throughout most of the movie. Some of the "zombie kills" were very creative and entertaining to say the least (was that a mushroom or someone's head slicing in half?). The characters also use a lot of funny, overly cheesy one liners left and right. And there is definitely a "Samuel L. Jackson in Deep Blue Sea" moment in this movie. Of course, the finale had me feeling like I was playing Left 4 Dead. Against other zombie movies, I would give this a decent review, as I was entertained all the way to the end.






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Vinnie Paz, Grave Maker

I finally posted a couple more record reviews! This is the closest I will ever get to doing a fanzine again. Speaking of which, I wouldn't mind archiving some old TRP issues on here at some point.

Vinnie Paz- Season of the Assassin (Babygrande/ Enemy Soil )
Philadelphia's Jedi Mind Tricks and (from all over) Army of the Pharaohs have been part of the soundtrack to my life for most of the last decade. Most of that has revolved around Vinnie Paz's rugged lyrical style. Whether it is due to the intense lifestyle or the heavy metal/hardcore influence, Paz's voice has gotten more and more rugged with each release. The subject matter has almost always stayed violent and angry throughout. I guess that's one way of getting out your frustration. On his debut solo release, Paz displays his versatility as a rapper. On the opening track "Beautiful Love" I am reminded of why I became obsessed with Jedi Mind Tricks As Vinnie says himself on the track: "I'm just giving the fans another anthem, this is just another example of my expansion." That basically sums up this whole record for me. While he is still always developing as a lyricist, it is good to see Paz still kill it on a tight beat. He also goes off like this on the joint "Righteous Kill." Produced by Lord Finesse and Davel "Bo" McKenzie, this is one of the tightest beat on the record. My only complaint about this record is that there's 21 tracks on this record and no interludes. I would have been happy with 16. Twelve of those tracks feature an eclectic bunch of guest appearances. Aside from his usual go to guys (Ill Bill, R.A. The Rugged Man, Demoz, Block McCloud), there are a few appearance that are somewhat surprising (Freeway, Clipse, Beanie Sigel, and Paul Wall). My favorite Paz verse of all the collabo cuts is on the track "Street Wars." Other producers featured on this record include DJ Muggs, Madlib, Shuko, Bronze Nazareth, DC The Midi Alien, Fizzy Womack (of the World Famous M-O-Fuckin-P!), Da Beatminerz, and 4th Disciple.
I really enjoyed this record, more than the last two Jedi Mind Tricks and at as much as Legacy of Blood. All of the heavy hitters on this record really make me excited to hear another JMT record. Check out the video, and tell me the guest appearance at the end isn't ill (one legged army dude...). That makes me feel even dumber for not going to Buffalo tonight.




Grave Maker- Ghosts Among Men ( Victory Records)
Hailing from the Northwest on their second LP and Victory Records debut, Grave Maker really rip it up. Of course when you play a style like this you know you aren't going to breaking any new ground. But I will always have a place in my mind for a band that plays good traditional hardcore. Most of my musician friends that don't like hardcore will call this an easy task, but I like to think differently. So many hardcore bands come and go but very few can actually have staying power. Bands like Terror, Bane, Madball, Sick of It All, and the like have been able to stick around mostly for the same reason. I'm not saying Grave Maker is in that class of hardcore bands yet, but I do think that bands like them and Trapped Under Ice can carry that torch far into the future. This album is twelve tracks of well produced, well written hardcore. They have all the chant sing alongs, the mosh parts, and the good fast parts that you need from a band like this. What sets this band apart from a lot of other current hardcore bands is the songwriting and the musicianship. This isn't just another run of the mill borecore band. I still have yet to see this band live yet and they are even playing in Buffalo tonight with Terror! I plan to see them at some point before this year is over.

FA Madness V. 2

Less than three days until the free agency period kicks off, news around The Association is starting to heat up. I still don't think some of these big names are really going to go anywhere at the end of the day, but it will be interesting to see all the outlandish rumors sprout up this week.

As a diehard Rockets fan, I feel the need to get these rumors out there first. First off, Chris Bosh. Pair him with Joe Johnson (??!!!!) and a healthy Yao Ming? I don't know if they can keep Aaron Brooks around for all of this, but Houston would suddenly become a force in the West again. Of course, Bosh and Johnson will probably end up elsewhere, but it's nice to hope for this for a few days. One thing I haven't heard about Johnson is the possibility of him returning to the Hawks. All of these teams are going to pursue him, but he might have to much of an attachment to Atlanta at this point.

As some of you have probably heard, to kick off free agency Joe Johnson will be meeting immediately with the Knicks. Pairing him with either Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, or even possibly Dirk Nowitzki would obviously be a vast improvement for the Knicks. If they add two of those players and possibly a few other decent pieces, the Knicks will finally have a very competitive roster for the first time in a decade. Like I said yesterday, I really don't think Lebron is going to the Knicks. I could be wrong, but I think he has better options that will be on the table for him elsewhere. I can still say that for all max level free agents. I think the Clippers would actually be a better option for most free agents than the Knicks would.

I hope the Nets get at least one of the big free agents. I personally think they would be wise to just go for a power forward, unless they can of course get Lebron. They will be building on a good core for years to come and last season will soon be a distant memory for Nets fans. This is one of the funniest stories ever, though probably untrue.

I think all of this talk of Dirk becoming a free agent will only lead to him resigning in Dallas, possibly with Lebron as his teammate. I could see the Knicks and Suns making a decent pitch for him though.

It is going to be interesting to see all of these dominoes fall into place this week as free agency kicks off on Thursday.

Dallas is about to court the NBA's most sought after Free agent...

I first mentioned this as a possibility last night. Obviously, again this is all speculation. The City of Dallas has been doing it's part to help get Lebrontothemavs though. Whether or not he ends up in Dallas will all be figured out within the next week or two. I like that and Chicago most out of his possible destinations. Again, I would not be rooting for either team if he went there. As a lifelong Rockets fan, the Mavs would be larger enemies than usual and the Bulls would become mortal enemies of mine for the first time in over a decade. Again this is all pure speculation, no one other than Lebron is going to be able to make this decision, apparently anyway. No matter where he goes, he is going to end up getting surrounded by some of the best talent in the NBA.

There hasn't been too much NBA news today, aside from the Celtics apparent interest in Brad Miller. Losing Kendrick Perkins was and is a big loss for the Celtics and it is going to effect a lot of what happens with the 2010 Free Agent Class.

I will be updating all free agent rumors in the next few days, as well as possibly doing an extensive (for me) free agent preview.