Empty the Bench

We have a real champ of the so-called “blogosphere” on board for the first of Empty the Bench’s ongoing series of interviews with some of the best and brightest NBA writers out there. Oh, who are we kidding: all of these interviews will feature some real heavyweights.

J.E. Skeets first made his name as co-chair of the wildly popular Basketball Jones blog and podcast. He’s since assumed lead duties at Yahoo!’s still relatively new Ball Don’t Lie, which under his expert direction has quickly developed into one of the most entertaining and informative NBA reads you’ll find on the Web.

Without further ado, ETB lobs 10 questions at Mr. J.E. Skeets.

ETB: You made your name, so to speak, with The Basketball Jones podcasts. Was the transition from podcast/radio to the written word a difficult one for you?

Skeets: Not really. I might be the worst writer in the NBA, ahem, “blogosphere,” but I was writing at the now-defunct jeskeets.com long before that Greek in the tucked-in Garbajosa jersey strolled into my basketball life.

ETB: Is the blogosphere supplementing or replacing traditional media for your gathering of NBA news and info?

Skeets: The traditional media is becoming the “blogosphere,” so, yes, most definitely. Minus actual NBA games and maybe the odd MacGyver rerun, I’d take a Ziller, Dwyer, Shoals, or Abbott post over just about anything you’d find exclusively on television or in print.

ETB: You’re NBA Commissioner for a day and have been given permission to permanently change one rule. Which would it be and why?

Skeets: Am I crowned NBA Commissioner around the All-Star Weekend? If so, I’d really like to make that one-on-one tournament a reality. Sixteen players, games to seven, and the winner takes home a cool million — with another million going to a charity of their choice.

ETB: What was your favorite or most memorable moment from the 2007-08 NBA season?

Skeets: It’s a tie between the Suns-Spurs double-overtime thriller, and unexpectedly running into Commissioner Stern in a washroom at the New Orleans Arena before the start of 2008 All-Star Game.

ETB: Which one NBA team do you feel has the most potential for significant growth next year, and why?

Skeets: The Heat. No doubt. A healthy D-Wade, Marion, Beasley, Superintendent Chalmers, and Haslem should be good for 40+ wins. What’d they win/forget to throw last year, like, six?

More Q & A with J.E. Skeets of Yahoo!’s Ball Don’t Lie after the jump…

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ETB has a special treat for Detroit Tigers fans as we celebrate the team’s season-opener this afternoon against the visiting Kansas City Royals.

Curtis Granderson is the starting center fielder and leadoff hitter for the Tigers, who’ll sport an offense that should challenge a few all-time scoring records this season. He’s also one of the nicest guys in baseball. The son of two educators, he’s one of only a handful of major league players with a college degree. Curtis does indeed take academic achievement seriously: his Grand Kids Foundation charity is dedicated to spearheading educational initiatives for youths as well as bringing baseball back to inner cities across the country.

On the field, he’s one of the American League’s brightest rising stars. As the leadoff hitter in a revamped lineup that has added the potent bats of Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria, he figures to score a ton of runs this season in addition to his typically stellar production across the board. He’s also one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, and last season joined Willie Mays, Frank Schulte and Jimmy Rollins as the only players in MLB history to record at least 20 home runs, 20 steals, 20 triples and 20 doubles in a single season.

Granderson will start the season on the DL because of a broken finger suffered in spring training, but should be back on the field by mid-April. He recently took the time to sit down with ETB and answer question ranging from his desire to steal more bases, his blogging and future broadcast career, his entrance music, and more.

Empty the Bench: Everybody knows you’ve got some wheels—you stole 26 bases last year and only got caught once. Do you want to run more on the basepaths? Think you could be a 40 steal guy in the near future?

Curtis Granderson: I would love to run, and feel that the potential to steal 40 plus bases is a possibility. I’m still learning when to run, and how to run from our first base coach Andy Van Slyke, and have already learned a lot, but still have room to learn.

ETB: You struggled versus lefties last year, but I know you’ve been working on hitting left-handed pitching this offseason. What kinds of things can you do to prepare for lefties, and what can you change in your approach at the plate?

Curtis Granderson: I need to continue to face more lefties and continue to get repetitions against them and for the most part that’s the main thing I can do to get better hitting them. In the past, I have been able to hit lefties, but this past year, they figured me out. My approach has to be to go the other way against them like I have done in the past when I had success and continue to stay positive.

ETB: You had some of the best entrance music in baseball last year. You putting together a new set of tunes for 2008? Got anything in mind? What albums have you been listening to lately?

Curtis Granderson: As for my entrance music I’m going to most likely stay old school again. Old school never really can get old. New music I still need to grab the new Lupe Fiasco CD and add it to the collection, and see what new is coming out this spring.

ETB: You did some work with TBS covering the 2007 MLB Playoffs this year. Do you see yourself getting into broadcasting sometime down the road? What about it appeals to you?

Curtis Granderson: The broadcasting was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I would like to get into it after baseball is done (hopefully a long time from now). The things I really liked about it are that I was talking about guys I’ve either played with or against, and able to remember what happened which made it a little bit easier to be able to commentate along side with Frank Thomas and Cal Ripken. Remember, I also got to commentate next to John Kruk and Dusty Baker over at ESPN.

ETB: You weren’t on the All Star Game ballot in 2007 because of Sheff, but you will be this year. How important is to you to make the All-Star Game? Is that a big goal of yours?

Curtis Granderson: It never has been a goal of mine to make an All-Star team. I think that the All-Star vote is a great accomplishment, but when you look at it, you are really only rewarding a player for what they have done for just over a half of a season. My goals are the end of the year awards which cover the entire season (gold glove, silver slugger, players association all-outfield team, etc…) If I do happen to make an All-Star team, I will be extremely happy and I hear it’s a great experience, but I’ll have to leave and get right back to finishing up that second half.

Much more from Mr. Curtis Granderson after the jump…

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Jarvis Hayes, the Pistons’ biggest free agent acquisition of the summer, was gracious enough to take a few minutes to sit down over email and answer some questions for Empty the Bench. Mr. Hayes was the 10th overall pick out of Georgia in the 2003 NBA draft and spent his first four NBA seasons with the Washington Wizards. The 6’8″ forward is known as a versatile, athletic and efficient wing who can score from all over the floor and plays strong defense. Although he’s suffered a number of unfortunate injuries in his young career, the 25-year-old is now fully recovered and ready to provide Detroit with an excellent backup to Tayshaun Prince in the team’s quest for a title. He’s looked fantastic in preseason play–even taking minutes at PF due to injuries–and is poised to provide instant offense off the Pistons bench. Mr. Hayes talks with ETB about his charity, The Jarvis Hayes Foundation, the Detroit Pistons’ chances against Boston, and reveals his favorite restaurant in Washington DC.

Empty the Bench: You’re joining a veteran squad with some clearly defined roles. What do you think you can bring to the table? How do you envision your role in Detroit this season?

Jarvis Hayes: I think I can be a sparkplug coming off of the bench. These guys have great chemistry, and I believe I can be a good bench scorer and put some points on the board.

Empty the Bench: Are you friends with any guys on the squad?

Jarvis Hayes: Basketball is like a fraternity, so I knew some of the guys from college and just from being in the league for a few years.

Empty the Bench: How familiar are you with Flip Saunders and the rest of the coaching staff?

Jarvis Hayes: I personally wasn’t too familiar with Coach Saunders prior to coming here. I did know though he has an impeccable record as far as coaching winning ball clubs, so I am very happy to play for him.

Empty the Bench: The Celtics are the talk of the NBA right now, but these guys have never played together before. How important is a team like the Pistons’ chemistry and experience together, and how well do you think your new team matches up with Boston?

Jarvis Hayes: The good thing about the Pistons is that we only have a few new pieces to the puzzle. There is a good core group here, which is great. I think we will match up well with Boston and I look forward to playing them.

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