French Furniture

Sportsfans,

I feel so old media, the way every time I pick up my pointer finger to start typing, it’s already been covered, re-covered, and thoroughly digested. Nonetheless, allow me to ponder some recent events.

Richard Jefferson.

Amazing deal for the Spurs. AND they got DeJuan Blair (whose name my brother and I were calling every time Stern stepped to the podium for picks 19 through 30). Now, this comment may bring Brickowski out of retirement, but I have to wonder how much of the Spurs’ “genius” is simply taking advantage of other teams’ stupidity. Like,

1) You don’t NOT take a chance on DeJuan Blair’s knees if you’re a non-lottery team in a pretty weak draft.

2) If you are John Hammond, don't you at least have to throw in Charlie Bell's contract or get a draft pick or SOMETHING to let your fans know you are asleep at the wheel? I'm so f'ing sick of the 'alluring 2010 offseason 'I could vomit up fishbones. Beyond the top three 2010 FAs on this list (Bosh, LBJ, Wade--the former of which are not going anywhere anyway), is there ANY body that you would want your team to throw Rashard Lewis money at? Most of these guys have are gonna be old or have a history of injuries. And any now-monetarily satiated star who is slightly appealing (e.g. Dirk) isn't going to be looking to play in Milwaukee or Minnesota...they're gonna be looking to go somewhere to get a ring.

In sum, the Spurs are now better than the Nuggets and a hair worse than the Lakers, who are right now the best team in the West.

Blake Griffin

Not much to say here, just wanted to make the prediction that he will be better than Durant and Beasley. Probably Carmelo too. Seems to be the first forward since LeBron to come into the league with a legit NBA frame. I'm sure B-Diddy will break out his good legs for this season. Am excited.

Ricky Rubio

First off, as a Wolves fan, I'm angry. This is personal-not-business. The draft has left me with a clawed-at scalp, and a head full of worries, one of which is that Ty Lawson will haunt us for years to come. On Rubio, I want to give sincere thanks to Canis Hoopus for writing this so I don't have to. Everyone take a second to go read it. No, seriously, take a look at it...Now that that's over with, let's talk about another angle on how this story is being covered/manufactured/facilitated. You know it's bad when you have to rely on Jay Mariotti to land the few big punches and point to what is the critical issue here. It's race. In his essential FCKYOU to the dream of so many inner city kids and farm boy hayseeds, Ricky Rubio is being coddled, practically ENCOURAGED by ESPN to seek a trade, to make demands, to act like he has played one goddam nanosecond of American ball.

Mariotti brings up Eli Manning and John Elway. Good start, but they (a) had college resumes to back up their trade demands, and (b) ended up talking the talk. What about Jamarcus Russell, Cedric Benson...how about Steve Francis? You think they got this sort of treatment when they made their childish demands? Hell no. And they were already proven commodities in the US!

I mean, Rubio skipped out on the Wolves first press conference. Can you imagine if TO skipped out on the Bills voluntary workouts! That would have been news! Oh wait, it was! What Rubio is doing with his passive/aggressive trade angling and failure to commit to the Wolves is as bad as Kobe/Shaq/Marbury/Cassell/etc. trade demands...except it's WORSE. He is an unproven commodity and he is shitting on the American Dream.

Thanks ESPN/athletes for keeping mid-market teams hostage!

Shaquille O’Neal

...which brings me to Shaq, or instead LeBron. Talk about keeping mid-market teams hostage, and that is LeBron's daily operation. Instead of committing to Cleveland once and for all, he forces Danny Ferry's shaky hand to getting the Big Situation Room, who at this point is simply a coach-killing token that allows Ferry to say, "Look Bron! Look how much we want to keep you around! We got a top 50 player for you!" Getting Shaq is about as good as any other Danny Ferry move: admirable on paper, questionable during playoff time, always the scapegoat after the Cavs are ousted.

I am also pissed (on behalf of Cavs fans) for how much this is a gut reaction to losing out to Dwight Howard in particular (with Shaq, oddly, poised to be playing the role of Dwight-Howard-stopper). Did they forget that the reason they lost was because Turkoglu and Lewis got ridiculously hot, and Mo Williams forgot to show up every other game?

A logical response would be to attain more shooters because in this day and age, LeBron effectively IS Shaq. Nah, eff that. He is a better Shaq than Shaq. He occupies space in the lane and can attract double teams (which Shaq no longer can), and is a better passer than Shaq. How about Ferry gives Milwaukee a call and see if Hammond wants to complete that rebuilding project by dumping Michael Redd?

Too much blood has been spilled on this topic already, but I had to say my piece.

Kevin Love

Now I'm as much of a hater on Twitter's media coverage as there. I hate the Time cover, the slacktivism behind thinking we're doing anything on Twitter to aid the Iran situation, the smug "look at our bourgeoise generation talking about talking about talking about" angle to every trend piece on the topic of Twitter, but I have to be real: K-Love’s Twitter is changing my life, or at least the way I follow sports. I swore I would never “follow” a celebrity, but when he aired the McHale news, I gave it a shot. And now... well, given my Wolves’ allegiance, I mean this is like watching Twin Peaks and being able to get a phone call from Dale Cooper every now and then to see what he’s thinking. Incredible stuff.

Toss Off Those Glittery Outlaws

So that's how I found myself in the position of reputationally damaging one of my favorite players.

On Saturday, when the sun should've been setting and I should've been buying chicken broth, I ended up having an impassioned phone conversation with Chris Littmann over those Jennings/Budden tapes. I hadn't taped them off the original camera feed, or put them on message boards, hip-hip with a trace of Knicks, in the first place. But we were in a position to, as the kids say, blow up his spot in a major way. The question was, how to do so without coming over as prudish, judgmental asses who don't actually like getting to hear players really, truly be themselves.

I think we—well, actually, Chris—did a good job softening, or ambiguifying, the blow. But the fact remains: The Baseline, formerly known as the mainstream media outlet most devoted to Jennings cheerleading (and Rubio-hating), was now spearheading the movement to get out some quotes that, in the hands of the stupid, would further tarnish Jennings's already tricky image. In the past, I'd resisted putting up incriminating Twits, Here, though, I thought of throwing these videos up on FD before the whole prospect of going platinum with them came up. For anyone with half a brain, or half a clue as to how NBA players—especially an outspoken nut like Jennings—would talk in a "safe" situation, these are gold.

Are there people too foolish, or walled-in, to not catch the obviously whiff of absurdity and playfulness in everything Jennings says here? Of course. Should I spend my whole journalistic life dancing around these assholes with kid feet? I don't want to. To me, Jennings follows naturally from Beasley or Arenas, both of whom are distant descendents of Muhammad Ali. They talk. We listen. They do or don't back it up. But we listen because we know they might.

The reason we ultimately went big-time with the story was the abrupt cover-up/misunderstanding/Twitter shutdown surrounding it. As Chris said in his post, we like seeing this side of players. But it's not clear the players themselves have really thought this "people want to see the real me" thing through all that well. Most importantly, are they supposed to be showing us the edgy outskirts of their public persona, or the first shores of who they really are? That is, are Twitter, or presumably ephemeral, semi-private (if you don't know. . . ) camera feeds, meant for the hardcore fans who just want more, more, more content, and will tolerate some rough edges—or those so in tune with the player that they actually "get" them?



It's clear that ballers understand the marketing potential of Twitter, and recognize the authenticity factor contained therein. But again, are they supposed to just do them, and let the interested public see a little, or learn a whole new set of rules for how to reveal layers of their persona that are off-limits in press conferences without having to stage a Cultural Translation 101 seminar on the internet? Check out the Wade Twits in the Baseline post. Hard to see these utterances as anything other than Wade ignoring the public, or figuring anyone watching his Twitter exists in some sort of idealized fan vacuum. Either way, the question of audience, and public presentation, has gone out the window. That must be liberating—not just to get to say whatever, but to know there's an audience for it. But exactly waht "say anything" means remains to be seen.

As we can see from the deletion of Jennings's Twitter, it's not like agents know exactly how to deal with this newfound questions of real/too real. By its very nature, athlete social media should push the envelope a little. Remember Arenas's blog, anyone? However, that was far more mediated, vetted, and no matter how renegage it seemed at the time, a so-called "underground" version of the Arenas emerging in the press. What Jennings or Wade is saying here is irreconcilable with their mainstream personas. It forces us to acknowledge who these players might really be—a "real" that's only terrifying if you're incapable of reading "fuck the Knicks" as anything other than an off-hand joke.

So consider this a challenge not to players, but to fans, the media, and agencies. These guys want to put themselves out there. Clearly, it's seen as an opportunity for them to be themselves, in a way that the strictures of modern marketing doesn't allow for. How to reconcile this behavior with the vanilla image that moves real money? Where's the ledge? Amidst all the juvenile finger-wagging that will spring up around these Jennings comments, I want to know what's next: What happens to those of us who want to hear raw and uncut Brandon?



LIke I said after these broke, if only Jennings had cleaned up his language a little bit, this could've been viral gold and an absolute marketing coup if the plan is to sell his Hollywood persona as something for the next generation. As it is, we're plunged right back into some of the most tired culture wars, or even clash of basketball civilizations. When that clucking clears away, though, it's up to young players and their management to figure out the new rules for unfiltered interaction with their public. At least that way, maybe the rest of the world can learn the difference between Jennings acting out and the rookie PG really sowing the seeds of discontent.

Post-script worth noting: It appears (from what we're hearing) that Brandon himself pulled the Twitter page. Maybe it was reactionary, preparing for the worst from all other parties involved. But certainly, this indicates that even this most "naive" of social media doyens realizes he needs to regroup and figure out what balance to strike.

(Working slowly toward a Suns post. Maybe we'll wait to see if it actually goes down.)

You Take All You Can

Last night was totally discombobulating and snuck up on me, weird-wise, like various things that kill you. After it was all over, I tore out my teeth trying to decide if I liked the possible Amare-to-GSW trade, and realized in the process that my very being was at stake. So that's a longer post that will get written over the weekend.

In the meantime, here's 1,000 words on the Jennings/Rubio screenplay as of right now.

We Live in Crazy Times

Draft coverage starts in 35 minutes, and I gotta head home, so I don't miss any essential Jay Bilas moments. Shoals will be Covering It Live over at the Baseline, and I'll be getting all a-Twitter (ha! bet no one's ever used that one before!).

If you're looking for something to do between picks, you could do worse than downloading this polka track from legendary free jazz saxophonist Frank Wright.

Also, don't forget to listen to the latest podcast, which will soon be rendered meaningless, if it wasn't already.

Nissan Grand Livina

Após três meses do lançamento do Livina, a minivan da nissan, é lançado o Grand Livina 1.8, com sete lugares produzido na fábrica da Renault em São Jose dos Pinhais (PR).

O Grand Livina entra no mercado para concorrer com o Citröen Xsara Picasso, Chevrolet Zafira e o Renault Grand Scénic 2.0.



O modelo de entrada será vendido a partir de R$ 54.890, com câmbio manual a versão automática será vendida a apartir de R$ 59.490. O modelo estará disponível nas revendas já no mês de julho deste ano.

Na versão de entrada vem de fábrica com ar-condicionado, airbag para motorista, vidros e retrovisores com acionamento elétrico, CD player, direção elétrica e travamento central das portas. Já no modelo SL, top de linha, vem de série com ar-condicionado automático digital, bancos e volante revestidos em couro, faróis de neblina, travamento automático das portas, airbag duplo, ABS com EBD (distribuição eletrônica de força de frenagem) e rádio com entrada auxiliar para tocadores de MP3, seis alto-falantes e dispositivo que permite a abertura das portas e a partida do motor a distância.



O Grand Livina 4,42 m, 24 cm a mais que o Livina, apesar de usar a mesma plataforma. O porta-malas tem 589 litros com cinco passageiros e 123 litros usando os sete. Os bancos traseiros são reclináveis e deslizantes o assoalho é plano quando os bancos estão rebatidos.



O motor é um flex de 1.8 litros e 16V gera 125 quando abastecido com gasolina e 126 cv com álcool o mesmo motor usado no Livina e no hatch Tiida.

O consumo do câmbio manual é de 11,4 km/l na cidade e 15,7 km/l na estrada usando gasolina. Com álcool o consumo é de 6,9 km/l e 9,4 km/l, respectivamente. Tem um desempenho bom, visto seu grande porte, vai de 0 a 100 km/h em 11s0 e atinge 189 km/h. Com transmissão automática leva 11s9 e chega a 180 km/h de velocidade máxima.

O Darkest Night

Below please find some amazing links, and the latest podcast.

-Earlier posts here, on draft fashion psychoanalysis and important details culled from past telecasts.

-My virulent, FD-friendly, reaction to the Shaq trade.

-Joey, after being crucified for his NY-centrism, has decided to change horses and look to the Wolves that could be.

-On the latest FD Presents: The Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast, Dan, The Recluse, Eric (Ty Keenan), and myself attempt to talk about the draft, and instead spend almost 20 minutes trying to say something about the Bucks. Performance at its finest.



Songs:

Soundgarden - “Outshined”
What Made Milwaukee Famous - “Resistance St.”
Gang Starr - “Just to Get a Rep”
Deerhoof - “Whither the Invisible Birds?”
Man or Astroman? - “Principles Unknown”
Peanut Butter Wolf and Charizma - “Devotion ‘92″

If you want to settle down and make a serious commitment, try iTunes and the XML feed.

Social Studies Was Fun

If you haven't already, read Shoals's analysis of the 2009 Draft portraits.

Over the last three days, I've spent each morning watching old drafts on NBA TV. Please enjoy these remembrances, observations, and lost moments from years past:

- Bob Neal, in 1991: "If Bill Walton wrote the book on big-men passing, Luc Longley probably read it." Unfortunately, he relied on Cliff's Notes for the rest of the coursework in Intro to Walton Studies.

- Hubie Brown, in the same year: "... Atlanta, with their small forwards and their need for a shooter." It's nice to know that, no matter how many things change in the league, certain teams remain as dependable as ever.

- Brian Williams/Bison Dele's dad was in The Platters. Not an original member, but still important.

- It's widely known that Greg Anthony is a conservative (though he endorsed Obama), but did you know that he was vice chairman of the Nevada Young Republicans while at UNLV? How does this affect what we know about the Runnin' Rebels reputation, both on-court and off?



- The 1992 Draft opened with extended Shaq highlights set to "Love Shack," a pairing that unfortunately never caught on. Also, there was apparently talk of Shaq not signing and sitting out a year, which, however far-fetched it seems now, says something about his personality. He never denied the possibility in his interview with Sager.

- If you want evidence that, for all their humor, these drafts are incredibly painful to watch, try listening to four people talk for three minutes about Reggie Lewis's health just a year before he died.

- The most important thing I learned this week: in the early 90s, they played "Thus Spake Zarathustra" after approximately half of the draft picks.



- JR Rider: "Other than that, I'm a perfect man in society."

- Jalen Rose carried a 3.4 GPA at Michigan. And remember, he was the only one involved in the Michigan scandal who wasn't listed as having received payments. We had a moral stalwart in our midst and didn't even know it.

- For a Warriors fan, watching them take Adonal Foyle over McGrady is very depressing. But not as depressing as learning that Todd Fuller's strength was "free-throw shooting." If you're curious, he shot 67% from the line in his career.

- Kobe filmed a short piece giving T-Mac advice on how to adjust to the NBA. If you removed the names, you would think it'd been filmed this season.

- The commentators couldn't even get excited about the 2000 Draft. Incidentally, Rick Majerus was way better on these broadcasts than I remember.

- In 2002, Nikoloz Tskitishvili was asked about his ballet training. His response: "It's more national folk dance. In Georgia, we dance with knives and bullets in our inside pockets."



- Kenny Smith thinks Brazilians speak Spanish.

- If you can, try to remember that Kiki Vandeweghe addressed Nuggets season ticket-holders in a ski lodge, telling them that Skita, Nene, Camby, and Mark Jackson were going to be the foundation of their team for years to come. Except he paused for applause after every name, as if he were an emcee introducing a performer by listing well-known accomplishments. All the while, men lurked in the background, half-hiding behind walls. Someone get this on YouTube!

- Chris Wilcox went right before Amar'e, but that's not the weird part: Wilcox was supposed to be what Amar'e became, and STAT was going to be "another Ben Wallace." There has never been a less accurate comparison of styles.

- A viewer email asked Barkley how the language barrier would affect Yao Ming. Why would you ever ask Barkley that question?

- After every pick in every draft, without fail, Hubie Brown explained the pick in terms of the team's summer personnel decisions. Sometimes this worked, but it also produced wondrous moments, like when he said the Sixers took Jiri Welsch because Corie Blount was a free agent.

Pajero Sport Flex

A Mitsubishi apresentou a nova Pajero Sport Flex, modelo 2010. A primeira com V6 flex do Brasil.

O Bloco vem do Japão e recebe aqui no Brasil, mais precisamente na fabrica em Catalão (GO), as modificações para poder utilizar o álcool.

O motor 3.5 V6 de 24 válvulas desenvolve de 200 cv (cavalos) se abastecido com gasolina a 205 cv com álcool. A transmissão é automática de quatro velocidades, com tração 4x2, 4x4 e 4x4 reduzida. Seu preço sugerido é de R$ 109.990.

O tanque de combustível ficou maior, passando de 75 litros para 90 litros. O Pajero Sport Flex tem preço sugerido de R$ 109.990 (somente automático). São R$ 10 mil a menos que o mesmo carro com motor diesel e a mesma transmissão sem embreagem (R$ 119.900). Já o Pajero Sport diesel com câmbio manual custa R$ 115.490. Todos possuem tração 4x4 e reduzida.

You've Got The Look!

I always thought these things came out after the draft, but here these are. Okay, so maybe they always come out beforehand; perhaps I didn't notice until this year because so much is unsettled, so many players looking to define themselves amidst the din, that such images matter more than usual. Anyway, here's my cursory do/don't take on these, with apologies to Billups:



For someone so gangly on the court, Thabeet, unlike most seven-footers, sure knows how to look natural in the suit. He also has a face that looks like it could be put on a normal-sized person, a big plus when it comes to centers seeming human. The guy even shrugs and grins naturally, effortlessly, in a way that puts you at ease. This is wholesome point guard territory, not the usual awkward weirdo introvert.Counterbalance all that on-court scouting, now no one will whisper when he goes top three. For hell's sake, what other big man can drape a sweater over his shoulders without looking like a demonic scarecrow?



Everyone else is trying to tell us who they are, or really are, or want us to think they really are, with these shots. Ricky Ricky could give a fuck less about that. This is all about "how will I like in a fashion shoot" or "am I paparazzi worthy," maybe even "imagine this billboard over Times Square." Because see, Rubio isn't a person, he's an icon, a cute little sensation waiting to, however briefly, make an NBA city feel like it's the center of the basketball world. If that ugly-ass dude who is always on the Clippers could bag a model, imagine what kind of arm-candy this guy will come up with? You other kids get sneaker contracts; he's busy moving Armani.



Life is all about stark contrasts. Here's Rubio's arch-rival, humorless, smile-less, and without frivolity, dressed up just enough to show you he knows he, dressed down to show you he will roll up those sleeves and get to work. That expression says STRICTLY BUSINESS, and he's even hiding the ball in a non-flamboyant way. "My name is Brandon, and I control the rock." This shot also makes you believe he's just a weird-looking dude, not a teen still growing into his face. It's all gaze, no market, just the portrait of a player who wants respect. Which is overdoing it, of course, since this shit about him falling to #20 is just a Masonic conspiracy.



They say Jrue Holiday isn't ready. They say he only looks good on paper. The answer? Make him look a very sensitive golem emerging from a long lunch break in the void of un-being. I hope that's a satisfactory explanation.



Jordan Hill is just trying to figure it all out.



You know the ultimate mark of either a very young athlete or a total mama's boy? When they can't rock an outfit without looking like someone else picked it out for them. It also doesn't help that DeRozan, who is going to get drafted based on athleticism, looks like he's running for student body president of Dead Person University. No color? No expression but that wan grin? I don't even believe this guy can move. Or maybe I'm reading it all wrong, and that's the point: Seriousness and composure, to preempt all the "jump out the gym" talk. Even something resembling a wrap-around pass. Hidden secrets. Unknown pleasures. Whatever the last Joy Division album is called.



First of all, I own that same outfit. But not the socks. I like the socks, and think that's the next frontier of NBA fashion. That said, Curry looks perfectly comfortable and convincing until you get to the point of contact between his hand and the ball. NOT A GOOD SIGN. If he's going to be anything more than a friendly catch-and-shoot fella, he could at least look like he sometimes takes the ball out at night and does tricks in front of the mirror. . . in that outfit. That's what the people want.



Does Hansbrough mean to be wearing exactly what Adam Morrison rocked in 2006?

Corvette ZR1 contra F/A-18 Hornet [Vídeo]

A equipe do programa MotorTrend resolvel apelar e desafiar o esquadrão Anjo Azul, eles com um F/A-18 Hornet que é capazes de ir Mach 1,8 e a equipe do MotorTrend com o Corvette ZR1 que vai de 0 a 100 em 3,3 segundos. A corrida é simples, quem completar uma milha primeiro ganha.

Se você quiser ir direto para corrida veja o vídeo a partir dos 8 minutos.

Smart Fortwo elétrico em 2010

A Daimler, fabricante do Smart anunciou que fabricará uma versão do Fortwo totalmente eléctrica, chamada de Fortwo ED (Electric Drive).

O Fortwo ED terá um motor com 41 cavalos com aceleração de 0 a 50 km/h em 6,5 segundos.

A produção será limitada e irá somente para os consumidores britânicos já na segunda geração quem será avaliada nos Estados Unidos, Roma, Milão e Paris.

No mercado britânico o preço proposto ficou em torno de 16.340 euros.

Clique nas fotos para ampliar

BMW M3 GT2 no Need for Speed Shift

Como a maioria dos fabricantes, a BMW sabe da importância de se ter um de seus carros em games. O vídeo abaixo mostra o BMW M3 GT2 no novo game da eletronic arts o Need for Speed Shift.

Troca de Anéis - 13ª Parte

Se você ainda não leu a 1ª parte, 2ª parte, 3ª parte, 4ª parte, 5ª parte, 6ª parte, 7ª parte, 8ª parte, 9ª parte, 10ª parte, 11ª parte e 12ª parte de Troca de Anéis, pode ser que fique em duvidas no texto seguinte.

Teste do motor

Após a montagem do cabeçote e demais componentes do motor, faz-se a regulagem do ponto de ignição, o abastecimento com óleo e água e teste de funcionamento.

Para realizar esse teste proceda da seguinte forma:

1º - Mantenha o motor funcionando a 1/3 da rotação até atingir a temperatura normal de funcionamento, (geralmente entre 80º e 90º) prestando atenção quando a ruídos estranhos ou funcionamento irregular do motor.

2º - Desligue o motor e verifique se não ocorreu nenhum vazamento.

3º - Faça os reapertos e aefrição de regulagens onde necessário.

4º - Estando tudo em ordem, passe ao amaciamento conforme descrito a seguir.

Amaciamento do motor

O consumo inicial de óleo e a fuga de gases de compressão após a instalação de anais novos, são, frequentemente, mais elevados do que o normal, durante um breve período, até que os anéis se assentem.

A fuga dos gases é raramente tomada em consideração, pois é impossível medir sua diminuição para qualquer finalidade prática, durante o período de amaciamento, a não ser no caso de algumas aplicações de motores diesel. O consumo de óleo é o ponto de referência principal para se determinar se os anéis de pistão e as paredes dos cilindros já estão assentados. Embora existam vários instrumentos para medir, com precisão, as diversas características dos anéis de pistão, o próprio motor é o único aparelho conhecido que indica se os anéis já estão assentados.

O assentamento dos anéis consiste no amoldamento de uma faixa ininterrupta da face do anel à parede do cilindro em todo o curso do anel; isso é conseguido com o desgaste das levíssimas irregularidades das faces dos anéis e das paredes dos cilindros.

O período de assentamento tem sido reduzido à medida em que os anéis e os cilindros são fabricados com maior precisão, mas, todos os motores novos, retificados ou com anéis novos, exigem um certo período de amaciamento para obter o máximo de controle de fuga de gases e do óleo.

A quantidade de horas trabalhadas ou de quilômetros a serem percorridos antes de se obter um bom desempenho no motor, varia conforme sua própria construção, condições de operação e tipo de serviço. Entretanto como regra geral, deve-se esperar uma boa vedação e economia de óleo após cerca de 4.000 quilômetros rodados, ou 65 horas de serviço, independente de serem os anéis cromados ou não.

Este processo de amaciamento é realizado sem exigir quase desgaste e não é necessário que desapareçam as marcas de usinagem das faces dos anéis de compressão como se supõe em geral. Note que as marcas de usinagem são claramente visíveis no anel indicado na figura abaixo, após quase 5.000 quilômetros de rodagem. Sob condições normais de operação, as mercas de usinagem nas faces dos anéis deverão permanecer visíveis por ainda muitos milhares de quilômetros.


Sinais de usinagem ainda visíveis.

Além disso, os aperfeiçoamentos introduzidos na fabricação de motores e no seu material, bem como a melhor qualidade dos combustíveis e lubrificantes e a maior precisão de fabricação, eliminaram a necessidade dos longos períodos de amaciamento.

Entretanto, deve-se sempre ter em mente que o amaciamento correto é tão importante quanto a instalação correta de anéis, a fim de se obter o máximo de economia de óleo e longa vida útil do motor. Portanto, a execução da reforma do motor deve considerar como de sua responsabilidade o amaciamento, pois isso, além de tudo, também lhe proporciona uma excelente oportunidade para verificar o funcionamento do motor, fazendo as correções necessárias para conseguir um motor sem ruídos e com o máximo de desempenho.

Collapse in Reverse

Read the official FD Mock!

You don't need to warn me about the perils of drafting based on potential—what it seems like a player might be able to do one day. I have both been seduced by, and gotten endless mileage out of, this rotting cliche of NBA scouting. There's a distinction to be made, which I've done several times and don't feel like doing again, between "might be able to do" and "could be the kind of player who might be able to do." But while the latter is more immediately compelling, it's not like the former is more empirically sound, just not so utterly Romantic or suspended in a dream-like state not unlike religious conversion.

So it is with great trepidation that I seek to advance a serious scouting theory based on a hypothetical. However, since seeing that Brandon Jennings Euromix, I've been thinking about a line I've heard, and read, in several places: roughly, "there's just no one else in the draft who can do the things he can." The legend of Ricky Rubio aside, Jennings's slippery, high-speed trickery with the ball is an asset that just can't be ignored. Jennings is accused of showboating, streetball, next Marbury, and all the usual. But as a passer and facilitator, Jenning's game isn't bullshit, it's the kind of Nash/Paul skill that could pull together an entire offense in this PG-friendly (or -centric, you choose) era. And Jennings doesn't merely have great vision. When it comes to this one, rarefied aspect of the game, he can hang with anyone in the league.



If you don't believe me, ask Stephen Curry, speaking to Chris over at The Baseline:

CL: Tell me what you thought of Jennings. Everywhere he's going, he seems to be leaving a trail of fire, one way or another, like what he said about Rubio for example. Tell me what he was like as a player and what he was like as a person.

SC: As a player, he's very quick. You don't know exactly what he's going to do. He's got an unconventional style about him where you think he's going one way and he'll throw back between the legs and go another way. He's tough to guard because he keeps his dribble active and looks for open spots on the floor. He definitely is a solid point guard. I think his season in Italy really helped him develop going against physical guys.

CL: Did Jennings remind you of that you've seen?

SC: No, he plays different than anyone I've seen before.

CL: What makes him unique?

SC: His creativity with the ball. He's always moving. Even without the ball, he's just always active on the floor. When we were doing 3-on-3 drills he'd do the Steve Nash dribble from one side of the court, underneath the basket, to the other and do a turn around. He's a great passer, so you've got to stay in front of him

I know I shouldn't take the word of a player I'm not so high on. And as Henry noted, Jennings still has major holes. However, this is exactly the point I'm after here. Jennings isn't a gaseous cloud of could-be, nor a good young player whose past offers a template for future success. He's both more and less than each of these. In some ways, he's the best PG in the draft; in others, one of the shakiest, a project needing not only technical tutelage, but some basic help getting in tune with the pro game. The level of competition in Europe may be higher in the NCAA, and it helped Jennings grow up; at the same time, is there any question this kid's recent history leaves him with a lot to work through on the court?

But again, that brilliance with the ball, the total unpredictability and idiosyncracy Curry refers to. Yes, it could lead him to self-destruct. As of now, though, it's an enormous asset, at least one facet of what it takes to be a first-tier PG. I want to compare it to drafting Thabeet on the basis of his shot-blocking, and yet this isn't about a specialist. It's about a player with a gift, one that, if a team's ready to look past or committ to sanding down the rough edges, could be the basis of not just an All-Star, but a dynamic team. This is exactly why point guards can be the new franchise these days.



I like Evans, and he's ready right now. But he's not precocious, ahead of and behind himself, like Jennings. Rubio, who knows. At this point, it's impossible to separate his actual ability from the rhetoric (no, not "hype"), a lot of which is glib and contradictory. I don't blame him for not working out, but that's keeping us from getting the same measure of how he stacks up against other prospects. Please, discuss the Olympics below. However, regardles of what Rubio is or isn't, people seem either sold or not sold on him. Everyone agrees on Jennings. The question is whether you take a player on the assumption that from one great thing, other good things will inevitably follow.

Fotos e vídeo do Bugatti Grand Sport

A Bugatti acaba de lançar o novo modelo do superesportivo Veyron 16.4, o Grand Sport.

O superesportivo tinha sido exibido apenas para alguns clientes em Cannes e agora a Bugatti revela as primeiras fotos oficiais.

Serão fabricadas apenas 149 unidades destas 50 que já estão reservadas (então corre e reserve também a sua) a primeira unidade foi vendida por US$ 2,9 milhões as outras custarão em torno de US$ 2 milhões.

Sem a capota ele atinge a velocidade de 360 km/h e com ela só chega a 407 km/h. O tornando o conversível mais rápido atualmente.

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