The Cold Draft

One Two

2009-02-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

One of the more obvious video selections in the short history of The Cold Draft.

How hilarious was this dance from Shaq? For the duration of his routine I kept thinking "This should be winding down soon." And then it kept going. In all of its 350-pound shockingly-rhythmic glory.

A sexy dance from Nate Robinson:

Nate's pre-game warm-up:

Next season they should have a dance-off on All-Star Saturday night. Lebron can break some nice moves, Dwight Howard and Shaq are obvious choices, and you'd even get an awkward white guy like David Lee or Dirk Nowitzki to attempt 'The Worm'. Can't miss television. All-Star Saturday night needs a circus-like competition of ridiculous consequence. Somewhat like the Barkley/Bavetta race from a couple years back. That race had nothing to do with basketball skill and neither does a dance competition. If you're gonna purposely ham it up with telephone booths, costumes, and fake posturing, you might as well give us some sanctioned dancing.

The Meadowlands

2009-02-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

Let's take a quick step into the Martlet columns.

Here is the first, in which I attempt to make the argument that Bosh will leave in two years. Does the Marion trade change that? Meh, not really. Marion's contract is expiring, he's aged significantly over the past two seasons, and he doesn't make them a playoff-bound NBA squad. Some problems get patched up, others pop up. This is one of those cases. The Raps get much better at SF and get to attempt a Suns-like game approach. However, they lose a post player and bring in a character with questionable locker room attributes.

This other column is from a couple weeks back. The thrust of the article is that the fans are terrible at voting for the All-Star Game. I mean, Iverson and Stoudemire are certainly not the best at their respective positions in their respective conferences. And Bruce Bowen and Yi Jianlian were nearly voted in. AI and STAT are one thing, but the Chairmen represents a level of futility unacceptable for the game. After a couple weeks of separation from the article's release I feel strange about the argument. You can't take voting away from the fans. Stern depends on the Game/Fan relationship too much for the coaches to take those starting votes away. Yet the Bowen thing, especially, registers a furrowed eyebrow.

(Jianlian, on the other hand, doesn't surprise when you've got a nation 1.4 billion strong supporting you. In a sense, it's almost pathetic he couldn't get the votes. Shouldn't Yao-Jianlian be finishing one-two?)

Did Rudy Embarrass all of us White People?

I really don't think so. He finished one point behind JR Smith for last place. Yet both of his dunks were decent. Nothing great, however. The second, disregarding the first eight attempts in which Pau tried some cheeky passes, looks like a dunk that semi-updates the Iguodala/Howard dunk (this time a reverse) and packs a good amount of flair and style. The first was lesser Rex Chapman, a fact pointed out by Kenny 'The Jet' Smith.

Which Brings Me to this Video:

Aside from Nate's dunks - and Nate being a deserved Slam Dunk Champion - listen to Smith and Reggie Miller disagree with each other continually. Did the producers of the show say "Hey Reggie, spice things up a little and say the opposite of everything Smith says?" Or was there a bizarre competition between them as to who the Great Basketball Analyst was? Initially my thoughts were leaning towards the latter. Throughout the telecast, if they weren't arguing with each other over "tactics" for the games, they were calling each other out for failed predictions or whatever else they could dig up.

Now I realize that Miller must've felt a little pressure for taking the Chuckster's place at the head table. Maybe pressure is the wrong word. Miller was a crunch-time player, so a broadcasting situation shouldn't faze him. But filling the role that Barkley brings - ie. hilarity and insight in equal doses - comes down to personality and intelligence, neither of which Miller can fake.

Thunder Dan

2009-02-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

Reggie miller couldn't analyze his way out of a wet paper bag. Charles Barkley is sorely missed from this telecast. An example:

-Referring to Kevin Durant as Kevin Garnett, as in "Kevin Garnett was fantastic in the Rookie/Sophomore game last name." When Kevin Harlin is calling you out on basic NBA facts, this is not good for your broadcasting career.

Miller's oratory is on the opposite end of the spectrum as Barack Obama.

Good lord, they're promo-ing a Britney Spears song for the All-Star Events! C'mon TNT, just buy the rights to some songs from A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, De La Soul, etc. It would fit much better with 90s pseudo-indie conscious rap seeing as basketball fans are often into this type of music. Plus it's catchy and not something on the playlist of a 12-year-old girl.

Lisa Leslie has a terrible shot. There's this awkward hitch in the middle of the release.

"They gotta make it in." Wise words from Miller. As instructions for what you need to do to win this bizarre competition where an NBA player is teamed with a WNBA player and a former NBA star and they take a variety of shots. Whoever is in charge of All-Star weekend, and it's probably Stern, really thinks this lame shooting competition is fantastic. I guess it's the only time an NBA player sees a WNBA player during the calendar year.

Michael Cooper and Bill Laimbeer have both hit half-court shots. That's the reason why this competition doesn't involve skill. Laimbeer has the body of an elderly poker player.

Barbosa has no mid-range game.

It's so forced when the NBA player, retired guy, and WNBA player fake cheer with one another after they make the hall-courter. As if they're old buddies from the schoolyard. Except David Robinson's still nearly two feet taller than whoever the WNBA player is. Tim Duncan could be baked right now (highly unlikely) and it wouldn't matter what happens in the competition.

Rip Hamilton is by far the worst player endorsed by Jordan Brand. This difference between him, at this point, and Joe Johnson , is a wide chasm of talent. But hey, it's gotta be nice for his ego.

Gotta love the ball boy who nearly jumped in the way of bounce pass from Mo Williams. That was the difference between Williams going ahead of Harris for the final round.

The end of the NBA Cares spiel was almost cut-off by Kevin Harlin lauching into a "The Three-Point competition continues after this commercial break!"

Reggie Miller's "Homer" Count: 5.

Chris Tucker has apparently gained 100 pounds.

Adonal Foyle was given a seat behind Kapono in the stands. Ah, the perks of being Adonal Foyle.

A message to Dwayne Wade: You don't need to rock the Nelly-style band-aid under your eye. Plus the band-aid matches your sweater. Who the hell is your stylist? My guess is a girlfriend. Nobody else could possibly convince him (well, probably an agent).

Dwayne Wade and Lebron James might have a competition between them to see who can wear the weirdest clothing.

Dwight Howard is quite a bizarre guy.

I hope Rudy doesn't embarrass all the white people in the building.

Howard's theatrics are way too planned-out, however spectacular the dunk is. Having Stern on the phone, getting into the phone booth - this is all too prop comedy for me.

Nate is about six inches shorter than Cheryl Miller. Miller is 6-foot-2 , thus making Robinson 5-foot-8.

State Trooper

2009-02-03T22:24:00.001-08:00

Must say that I vehemently disagree with Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon's lauding of Kobe's 61 points at MSG as some kind of "statement" game now that Bynum, like last season, is on the fritz.

I agree with the fact that his performance was monumental and ranks with MSG's finest. But if I were the San Antonio Spurs - or any other Western squad looking to compete with a more vulnerable Lakers franchise - this is exactly what I want.

How were Kobe's other numbers? 3 assists and 0 rebounds. Hardly inspiring.

Kobe gets the benefit of the doubt since Odom and Gasol each pulled down 14 rebounds. But somebody else last night (and someone who wasn't in the Garden) pulled down one greater. It was Tim Duncan, who put up an impressive 32 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Golden State.

Maybe the Lakers simply didn't need Kobe's rebounding services. But I can tell you one thing - Odom and Gasol aren't pulling down that many against Duncan and Kurt Thomas.

And another thing: Kobe won't be getting 20 free throws against the San Antonio Spurs. He'll be lucky to exceed 12 on any night of a seven-game series. (Another note is that the Lakers were playing the New York Knicks who, while improved, are still one year removed from the Isiah Thomas-era.)

This is exactly the type of one-man basketball other teams want the Lakers to play. Remember the Lakers pre-Bynum-and-Gasol? Kobe had enough skill to will them into the playoffs, but when the Phoenix Suns had the Lakers for a best-of-seven series, they were able to expose how thin those teams were.

I'm not saying the Lakers are nearly as thin as those squads from a few years back, but a one-man Lakers attack can't possibly be seen as a good approach from a highly-talented team most successful when players aside from Kobe can alleviate his pressure by assuming a more integral role in production.

Head Spins (Extended Version)

2009-01-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

When I just went on YouTube, the box which recommends you videos - presumably based on what you continually search for and watch - featured a video of Charles Oakley elbowing John Paxson in the head and a sports broadcast feature on Kelenna Azubuike. This new YouTube feature can predict or even reinforce your fascinations. I mean, c'mon, do you really need to entice me with a five minute video of Kelenna Azubuike? I like the guy, he's a great player, but that's five minutes you'll never get back.

Oh wait, you have video of MJ making an appearance on that Wayans Bros. family comedy "My Wife and Kids?" Okay:

The thing about Jordan in this video is that deep down you can tell he's trying. And that he's trying to embarrass that Wayans guy, whose name might be Damon. Which brings me to some stuff Chuck Klosterman and Bill Simmons were talking about: Jordan's homicidal tendencies. In a new bit of information, for me, Simmons reveals that Jordan - after having murdered Clyde Drexler in the 92 Finals - continued to school Drexler well into the Dream Team practices of the Barcelona Olympics, until someone told Jordan to stop.

Of course I can't verify the facts of this story - Simmons threw it out there as such - but it's still compelling and totally Jordan-esque in its level of lunacy. There couldn't be another basketball player as little understood as Jordan. I revere the guy's success, work ethic, and competitiveness, but he was certifiably nuts, with a dark side the public either never saw or simply ignored. Kobe got the raw end of the stick in public judgment.

Well, the reason for posting is this video of Dell Curry, one of the great Raptor bench players:

A video like this makes you pine for the Carter-era Raptors.

One last thing: the latest article in the Martlet, a review of the first half of the season, including awards for Best Team, Most Disappointing Player, and more.

Will Vince Carter Make the Hall of Fame?

2009-01-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

The title gets a 2nd place award - behind some post I made about liking Ricky Davis - for the most direct title of this blog's short history.

So with that in mind, does Carter make the Hall of Fame after he unlaces his sneakers for the final time? In a pragmatic way I'll try to break down his chances, with a number of categories: Statistics, Best String of Years, Signature Team, Team Accomplishments, All-Star teams, and Other Appeal. If that's not an airtight way of assessing his chances, I don't know what is.

In lieu of the fact that the categories are self-explanatory - a couple minutes earlier I actually thought they needed explanation - I'll begin by stating that Toronto Raptors fans, myself included, have this morbid fascination with anything Carter-related. It's pathetic. When Vince does something awful or spectacular during the game, a flood of interest and emotion flare up in Toronto and across Canada. Vince Carter could walk out on a bill in a New Jersey steakhouse and I'd be fascinated.

Statistics. They've reacted well this season with the addition of Devin Harris, but after this season he'll fall off and keep up appearances for a reasonable amount of time before suffering a life threatening injury, let's say, four or five years from now.
If we evaluate his early career, there are four, maybe five solid years of basketball when Carter averaged mid-to-high 20s in ppg, over 5 boards per game, and even three seasons over 40% from the 3-point line.
Yet his stats don't really wow you. Whenever a player makes the Hall, two stats appear over-and-over on the sports broadcast byline: Stats and All-Star game appearances. Carter's statistics don't fare too well when you compare him to two other guys from the very early post-Jordan NBA: Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson. For Carter's stats to shine during his reign of a very hungover, misaligned NBA, he needed to be better than these guys, and McGrady is very borderline as a HOF candidate.
He needed a couple seasons where he cracked 30 ppg.

Best String of Years. Definitely the three seasons with the Raptors, his second and fourth, from 1999 to 2002. After that his career slid big time. The injuries piled up, Raptor nation turned on him, he turned on Toronto, and when he was healthy he wasn't the same explosive guy. Still a good player, but not the same.
After this he had a one-off shorter year with the Nets when he cracked 27 ppg for the first time.
In short, not a great string of years for Vince.

Signature Team. This one is a killer for Carter. Most great players are identified with one franchise and synonymous with that city's sports history. Do you envision Carter as a Raptor? Well, not really. He turned on his team when times got tough and revealed his true character. What about as a New Jersey Net? Um, not much better. They made the post-season with Carter on numerous occasions - even advanced beyond the first round - but the fact remains that New Jersey has been a terrible place for basketball for so long. And it looks like they could be leaving. New Jersey has a very underwhelming history that looks to get worse.

Team Accomplishments. This will be brief: Carter never was a number-one player and option. He could've been a great second banana - this banana term is really catching on, I hope - but inexplicably another good player wasn't put ahead of him in the team's pecking order, probably because Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd weren't quite good enough to fill the role. Carter had the responsibility of heading-up that threesome and it squandered his best opportunity to win big at the playoff level.

All-Stars. The other stat in the byline. This could help Carter. Eight All-Star selections, many of them voted in as a starter. Ten's a nice round number but I don't think he gets it.

Other Appeal. Another category that helps Carter a ton in the HOF debate. His dunking ability was a little bit of a precursor - during those opening stages to the post-Jordan culture - to the hyperathleticism we see from Josh Smith, Dwight Howard, and Amare Stoudamire. He might even go down as the top dunker of all time.

Final Verdict. Unless Carter has a late career renaissance as the second-option behind Lebron James in Cleveland en route to five championships, he isn't getting in. And I think Carter's the type of person who - when he fails to get in - will probably sulk about it for a while and believe that he's worthy. But it doesn't look like he is, according to my pragmatic and heavily flawed system of evaluation.

Rolling Thunder

2009-01-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

Around the half-way point of the regular season I think it's safe to assume that the Raptors have faltered, will not meet their pre-season expectations, and look poised for a trip to the Draft Lottery (as luck would have it, this draft is considerably weaker than most from the past half-decade).

On MLK Day, versus the Atlanta Hawks, it became readily apparent that Jamario Moon did not have the mental fortitude to prevent a matinee loss in - let's try out the hip lingo - Hotlanta. Not only did the watching public notice this, but so did Chris Bosh, who vented on Moon in a public forum (via the Toronto Star). Here's an excerpt:

"Watch the film. He gives him a straight line to the basket," said Bosh. "Joe Johnson. All-star. Whatever you want to call him, one of the best players or two-guards in the league and you give him a straight line? You can't.

What Bosh neglected to mention were the ensuing two plays, each nearly as deplorable as letting Joe Johnson - who I believe is terribly underrated as a superstar player - get a clear line to the bucket.

The next biggie came with the Hawks down one with time winding down. Mike Bibby threw a pump-fake, which Moon naturally jumped on, clearly forgetting he had upwards of 8 inches of height on Bibby and greater arm length. Bibby's veteran move ended up drawing the foul. He then knocked down both subsequent free throws to give the Hawks a one point edge.

All of which pales in comparison to the next immediate play.

Down one Moon received a pass outside the three-point arc, and in an attempt to win back Bosh's love and admiration, heaved an ill-advised shot, which obviously didn't go in, because let's face it - Moon got popular last season for dunking, not his three-point skills.

The fact remains that Moon received this pass with tons of time remaining in the shot clock, enough to feed Bosh in the post or run a play for Bargnani - the two players who should've been taking a crunch time jumper.

Jamario Moon needs to be thrown under the bus. But is Bosh venting in a very public forum a good manner of discourse?

Radar Maker

2009-01-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

Nash is the only one who didn't wax his chest. Idiot.

To start I have a couple columns from the Martlet I'd like to share. The first contends that the Raptors need to shore up a couple problems - and at the time this was written, coaching and Andrea Bargnani were the top candidates - to secure Bosh's trust for the longterm. Because if they don't, the franchise puts themselves in a hole for at least a few years. And given a marginal draft history - their best drafting was probably done by Isiah Thomas - Bosh's faith in the franchise's direction must be the number one priority over the next 18 months.

With a couple weeks of retrospection I maintain that the Raps could improve at the head coach position. That said, give Jay Triano the rest of the season to prove his merit. If the Raps finish well below .500, then I think you look elsewhere.

Andrea Bargnani, on the other hand, is safe. Since he took the starting centre position from an injured Jermaine O'Neal he's flourished in the new system. Bargnani has been borderline infuriating at times in his short career, but in the past two or three weeks we've seen more than enough evidence that he belongs on this team and factors heavily in their future.

(Note: I'm watching the MLK Day action, which is fantastic for someone such as myself who works nights and thus watches far less action than I wish to. The matinee MLK match-ups might be one of the unheralded aspects to the NBA. And then Dirk Nowitzki - who looks a little Aryan - nails a buzzer-beater against the 76ers. Oh, and Mike Bibby just missed an open lay-up against the Raps. And I'm not talking about a straight-on, clanked-against-the-back-rim missed lay-up. Bibby has an angle on the rim and went SHORT on the bank.)

This is the second, and current, column in the Martlet. Which is really a more comedic piece about the five biggest career collapses among current players. I really wanted to include Tracy McGrady in this piece, but seeing as the Chinese voters might put him in the starting line-up in Phoenix, with no regard for his actual on-court play, I didn't think I could swing it. Certainly one of the better columns in a while.

So how about these JO for Shawn Marion rumours?

There's no doubt the Raptors play infinitely better when JO is out of the line-up. Bargnani has filled the centre role with ease and helps their squad play at a quicker pace. JO keeps them stagnant on offence and has increasing difficulty finding points. In short: they don't need Jermaine O'Neal on their team.

Obviously his large contract holds some trade value around the league. It expires by 2010 - in other words it passes the first question other teams might ask about your trade bait.

But does Marion fit with the Raps? From a basketball standpoint, yes. From a personality standpoint, no.

Marion could immediately step into the small forward position that has caused the Raps such difficulty this season. Does this stagnate the development of Joey Graham? Sure does, but he's had three years to prove his merit, and despite improvements to his game, he's not their answer at small forward.

Marion would give them a spark of athleticism and defence at the perimeter (which is more than some Raps SFs can offer). If the Raps really want to implement a high-tempo offense, Marion is a great option for the receiving end of some Calderon alley-oops.

The biggest downsides in a potential trade are character issues with Marion and his considerable decrease in efficiency. Throughout his tenure with the Phoenix Suns, Marion had problems with accolades being showered upon Amare Stoudamire and Steve Nash, who, unbeknownst to Marion, took his play to a much higher level with his arrival. If Marion came to Toronto, he'd be far from the top alpha dog. This is Bosh's team. It's even Jose and Andrea's team before it's Marion's.

Plus Marion's stats have plummetted since his Phoenix departure. His rebounding statistics remain passable at 9 per game, but his scoring is 10 points fewer than his best Phoenix seasons. Marion is no longer a young man, though still pretty spry. You can't say that he isn't surrounded by good players. Mario Chalmers isn't a slouch at point guard, regardless of being a rookie. Dwayne Wade, despite his scoring prowess, can pass the ball. And yet Marion isn't scoring.

Could Jose inject some moxy into Marion's career? If Colangelo pulls the trigger, with the assistance of Pat Riley, we'll find out.

At least Marion has an expiring contract. That's all anyone cares about.

Brothersport

2009-01-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

Vince Carter, in the eyes of some, has pieced together an overachieving season (with his 32nd birthday falling at the end of January) to help bolter New Jersey - a team I unequivocally thought would be terrible. And for some bizarre and deep-rooted reason I still become fascinated with anything Carter-related. Which is why I think this video of his ejection indicates that his 23 points-per-game is an early season fluke and an indicator of the frustration he might be feeling as his career enters the slippery slope of aging.

The most obvious reason for Carter's increased output can be attributed to Devin Harris's emergence as a top-tier NBA point guard. One thing we've quickly determined from Harris is that he's not your prototypical PG, at least in the role of being a pass-first facilitator. His assist numbers are pretty average for a player with the ball constantly in his possession. But he takes the heat off Carter. No longer does a team shut Carter down and trample over the Nets. If Carter is the number one option in an offence and the top priority of opposing defences, the attention directed his way will usually cripple him.

(I hate to slam Carter like that because (a) he was the first superstar for the Toronto Raptors and helped Toronto get taken seriously for basketball on an international scale, (b) in his prime with T.O. he was an electrifying and streaky offensive talent, and (c) the sheer volume of Carter highlight footage. But he's still the unlikeable guy with questionable desire and a tendency to quit on his team.)

Carter has enjoyed some success as a number-one option in New Jersey. Frequently he torches his former club, often at the Air Canada Centre. But can you remember any big game situations - we're talking playoff ball here - where Carter could not be stopped and willed his team to victory? He had some decent Raptor moments, but they were still a ragtag bunch who repeatedly were knocked out in first- and second-rounds.

Now with Harris torching Eastern Conference point guards on a nightly basis, the opposing team is more focused on keeping Harris out of the paint. Which, if you were the competition, would you prefer to happen: Harris driving to the tin and shooting mid-range jumpers or Carter settling to shoot outside threes?

You can't deny that Carter has taken opportunity of his new situation. He might be the most athletic and offensively accomplished (secretly) second banana players we've seen in some time.

But Carter is soon 32. He's always one injury away from missing significant time. He lacks the speed and athleticism from earlier in his career. (This, especially, was evident during last year's season when Carter, on the rare occasion, made a drive to the basket. Only now he can't blow by defenders for high-percentage field goals and settles for obscure maneuvers to get off his shot.) Things can't get much better for Carter than 23 ppg. Down is the only place he can go.

Which brings me back to this video. Now we don't get very much out of the videos outside of Carter barking to the referee a little, him getting T'd up, and then being escorted from the floor. But from published reports Carter was escorted from the floor by a Nets security member after initially refusing to leave.

Could Carter be reaching basketball senility? That time in an experienced players career when they lose it on the floor? Just to clarify what 'losing' it means, this is when a player gets angry and (a) has a spirited verbal exchange with a fan he wants to bludgeon, (b) fights an opposing player, (c) fights his own teammates, or (d) gets tossed from a New Year's Eve game in the second quarter for no apparent reason and needs Lawrence Frank to hold him back from a referee.

This doesn't spell good things for Carter. And why wouldn't his career - albeit successful for the moment - be headed for tough times? The New Jersey Nets could be moving to Brooklyn within a couple years. The future Brooklyn Nets should be a player in the Lebron sweepstakes, thus no room for Carter in his athletic senescence. Plus New Jersey isn't exactly a basketball state willing to get behind its athletes and inspire its players. When I watch a game being played in NJ the atmosphere resembles a sparsely attended Junior Varsity game. It's like the Nets play opponents in a local YMCA. There's very little in the way of cheering and excitement. You'd almost forgive Carter for maybe not giving it 100% every night.

Then he makes a wincing face of pain after landing on a defender's ankle and your forgiveness fades.

Sleeper

2008-12-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

My brother just said: "I hate Steve Nash." Not a good way to start the holidays in my family.

Today I'll be running a live blog on the upcoming Lakers/Celtics match. Currently Phoenix trails by one and Tim Duncan - during the past two minutes - has objected to 41 questionable calls.

Tony Parker just received a technical foul with a minute left to play. Duncan looks like he wants to murder the next ref who crosses him.

My brother: "You know what looks bad, white people with cornrows." Agreed, Charlie. Agreed.

Mike Tirico's hairline has regressed quicker than the lawn at Wimbledon's Centre Court by the second week of play.

The Suns run a beautiful play to Grant Hill for the go-ahead bucket. I thought Stoudamire was going to blow it, as he has down the stretch this game. I was even yelling at the television.

Roger Mason nails a three-pointer to win the game after Richardson comes in to defend to Parker drive. Please check the archives, where I've hyped up the Spurs acquisition of Mason in the early season. (It's Christmas, let me take the opportunity to talk myself up a little.)

Spurs 91 Suns 90

The NBA really favours those low-angle shots of players. Yeah ABC, these NBA players don't really look tall enough. More low-angle shots to spike the inferiority complexes of NBA fans.

ABC clearly put their top broadcasting crew on this game. No disrespect to Hubie Brown or anything.

Really hope we see those phony Christmas sound bites of Kobe wishing Merry Christmas to his competitors. As if he cares whether Kendrick Perkins had a nice day. Two quick fouls on Rondo.

Rondo has burned Kobe twice for open lay-ups. Then he throws a wicked baseline behind-the-back bounce pass to Perkins.

I like the Lakers feeding Kobe in the post with Ray Allen guarding him. Allen's quickness has regressed quicker than Ben Wallace's popularity.

Hey look, it's the Pandering Populist Trio sitting courtside: Mark Wahlberg, Adam Sandler, and Kevin James.

Luke Walton nails a corner three to tie the game. I had a mini-stroke during that one.

ABC just showed a Los Angeles cityscape, flanked by a mountain range behind the skyscrapers. Since when did LA have scenic beauty? That video looked like a tropical climate Vancouver.

Man, NBA players have a lot of charity responsibilities. I can't remember the last time I heard about NHL players handing out turkeys.

End of First Quarter: Boston 24 LA 23

Kevin James and his hair piece have a new movie coming out. Yawn.

The Machine vs. Eddie House. A three-point shooting orgy.

Kobe Bryant has it going early. I really think they need to establish a second offensive option quickly.

Jeff Van Gundy is a phenomenal basketball commentator. Strangely I agree with everything he says.

Derek Fisher going to the line as the Lakers open up their biggest lead of the game, 32 - 26. The Machine drives the lead to 9 points. The Celtics have gone stone cold on offence. (Note the spelling of offence, which indicates how Canadian I am.)

Kevin Garnett goes back-door for the alley-oop from Rondo. This is followed by a back-door lay-up by Rondo from Garnett. Beautiful passing.

The lead in the Notorious B.I.G. biopic might be Glen 'Big Baby' Davis.

Van Gundy: "Garnett just took a cheap shot at Vujacic running down the floor."

Garnett has started to establish himself in the second quarter, perfect from the field.

At the Half: LA 51 - Boston 45

Pierce is getting hot. That's one of the more dangerous things that can happen in an NBA game.

Andrew Bynum's D looks pretty suspect.

The Chris Paul anti-perspirant ad is terrible. Don Draper never would've let that one reach the air.

Elton John's "Benny and the Jets" melody might be the most classic in-game instrumental. Beats the Ying Yang Twins "Whisper Song" any day.

Tie game after a Ray Allen lay-up.

Pierce gives the Celtics their first lead since early in the 2nd quarter.

Play has been a little chippy at times for the past couple quarters. Lamar Odom hits a three-pointer to put the Lakers up 4. Back-to-back threes by Odom. Robert Towne - easily the coolest guy in the arena, even when Jack is there - must be pleased. May Chinatown forever live on in screenwriting workshops.

End of the Third Quarter: LA 71 Boston 67

Get ready for an intense finish. Andrew Bynum finally clocks in with a block. Unfortunately, this comes against Tony Allen, perhaps the worst player in this game thus far.

Tony Allen has two consecutive baskets. Maybe we'll undo that last comment. We'll pass off the worst player monker to, hmm, Eddie House.

Coming soon to a television broadcast near you: ABC's Homeland Security U.S.A., the biggest piece of 2009 propaganda. Watch old white guys bust Mexicans at the El Paso border.

Damn it. Eddie House just gave the Celtics the lead with a three-pointer. Worst player on the floor? Toss-up between Kevin James and Penny Marshall.

Trevor Ariza might have an angel tattooed on his neck. Very festive Trevor.

With five minutes left, the Lakers have a two-point lead.

Garnett converts the alley-oop for a Celtics lead.

Gasol hits the floater to give the Lakers a four-point lead with two minutes remaining.

Pau converts a three-point play to put the Lakers up five.

Ariza makes a ballsy reverse dunk. I would've gone for the Karl Malone special.

God bless the Celtics for not drawing out the end of the game with unnecessary fouls.

End of Game: LA 92 - Boston 83

Walk It Off

2008-12-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I hope to live blog the Lakers/Celtics Christmas Day match because: (a) this is the best holiday game we've seen from a pure basketball standpoint; (b) my undergraduate degree has been completed and affords me an inordinate amount of time to dedicate to basketball; and (c) I have nothing better to do on Jesus' birthday.

(As a little sidenote I'm staying with parents and our basement is outfitted with a large flat-screen television, a serious upgrade from the used television I bought in September and the crumby streaming video I watch online. Plus we get ABC in High-Definition. I might have to move back in with my parents.)

I can't think of a more hyped regular season game - one in which the two teams have a combined record of 50 wins and 7 losses - than tomorrow's Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers tilt. Right now head honcho David Stern must be licking his chops in anticipation. The only thing which could wipe the miniscule smile from Stern's face is a potential Garnett/Vujacic fourth-quarter throwdown in which Garnett yanks the Slovenian machine by his dark locks.

Coming into this game you can't deny that the Celtics remain the favourite to beat the Lakers. They have the better record, a mental edge from last season's win, and improved play from their role players. But I'm going to make a case for the Lakers as the better team. (Make note that I cringe at this thought, but as somewhat of a closeted Lakers fan - and someone who has a growing disdain for Garnett's posturing - I'll play the role of Devil's Advocate.)

Deeper Bench. The Lakers have gotten considerably deeper with the improved health of Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza, the latter of whom provides a nice pop of offense at 9 points per contest and a shade under 2 steals. With Bynum you get the low-post presence sorely missed when the Lakers got manhandled in the Finals.

When Farmar gets healthy - and he'll be missed tomorrow against a surging Rajon Rondo - the Lakers can throw both a veteran point guard and young guy with enough quickness and energy at Rondo. It's quite easy to make the case that Rondo's the best guard on either teams. But I think Farmar - who possesses truer point guard instincts and a far better jumper than Rondo - has the mental fortitude to play on Rondo's level and exceed it. Plus who backs up Rondo? Eddie House? His ballhandling abilities are more suspect Michael Jordan's managerial decision-making.

When you look at the Celtics roster, the only players who have made a leap in their play are Rondo and Kendrick Perkins - both starters propelled to the level of fellow starters Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. But guys like Leon Powe and Glen Davis haven't made any big leap. Who is the Celtics best bench player? Tony Allen? I can't find a star player on that bench, just a couple guys who sometimes have a break-out game.

The Lakers, on the other hand, can throw out Lamar Odom as a sixth-man when most teams in the NBA would use him as their de facto second-option. (I really hesitate to call Odom a big factor for the Lakers after his levels of Romo-esque choke jobs, but I do like him taking on a lesser role in their game plan. Mentally Odom is missing something - as opposed to, say, Garnett or Kobe - thus less pressure to perform will probably help him.) Mid-way or far down the bench you'll find two three-point specialists in Vladimir Radmanovic and Sasha Vujacic, both of whom would see significantly more burn on a team with Boston's depth. Throw in Ariza and, hopefully, a healthy Farmar and you've got a ridiculous amount of bench versatility.

Age. Yes, Rondo and Perkins have improved their play and clock in at youthful ages, but the undisputed top three players - Allen (33), Garnett (32), and Pierce (31) - carry major mileage (this is Garnett's 14th season) and probably face upwards of 100 games this season. This all becomes problematic when you factor in a weak bench which requires Allen - the most ravaged veteran from an injury perspective - to play upwards of 37 minutes per night. If Allen goes down you end up losing 19 points per and I hardly see Tony Allen filling that role with any success.

As for the Lakers, most of their key guys - Kobe (30), Gasol (28), Bynum (21) - fall on or below that 30 years of age threshold, which, in the world of basketball, is a pretty good barometer for a player's decline.

Slipping under the radar. Many of these historic regular season teams end up accumulating so much hype and expectation that crumbling under its weight becomes inevitable. The Mavericks recent 67-win season didn't end up going so well. The Pistons in recent memory posted a mid-60s win total but also bowed out early. Look at other sports too. Last year's Patriots team had so much expectation thrust upon them after going undefeated in the regular season, yet, when it comes down to it, the regular season doesn't mean jack if you can't win in the postseason. You can't look at that Patriots team and call it a success because they loss when it mattered.

With the Celtics posting the greatest start in league history and closing in on a 20-game win streak, Boston is poised to become a national story. To sustain that expectation for upwards of 100 games will be a difficult task for a team with aging stars and a shallow bench. Perhaps for the first time in ages the Lakers will end up going under the radar, an enviable position when they head into the playoffs. All the distractions that come along with being the NBA's top team - and a historic one to boot - could end up crippling a The Big Three who, combined, has as many rings as Kobe. Both teams know what it takes to win a championship, but only Kobe, at this time, knows how to repeat. (Although he did ride Shaq's coattails to an extent.)

Please. Argue with me on this.

Me

2008-12-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

Well folks, it's official. The Jay Triano era has officially hit new levels of disappointment.

The Toronto Raptors dropped a game to the Oklahoma City Thunder this evening by a score of 91 - 83. Yes, the same OKC Thunder who have appeared in numerous sports websites under speculations of being the worst team in NBA history. With the victory OKC improves to 3 wins and 24 losses on the season.

A couple years back, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets played a fair share of games in Oklahoma City as a test-run before Seattle got absolutely ransacked for their beloved franchise. This is like the basketball equivalent of foreplay with Joan Holloway of Mad Men only for Kathy Griffin to come in for the real deal.

For the Raps to lose to the lowly Thunder doesn't bode well for Triano, the first Canadian to coach in the NBA as the head guy. Bosh looks disgruntled. Bargnani remains inconsistent. The wing players are severely outmatched. Jermaine O'Neal is an absolute shell of his former self. But in short, the motivation and hunger has been replaced with apathy and complacency. This team, given the way they've performed since Sam Mitchell's departure, is destined for the draft lottery.

Yet the season is barely past the quarter mark. The playoffs remain a reasonable expectation, but management needs to act now. Which is why I propose two names to take over in Toronto: Eddie Jordan and Avery Johnson.

To start, I realize Avery Johnson's reputation in the league took a serious hit after the 67-win Dallas Mavericks bowed out in the first round to the Nellie-ball G-State Warriors. People say he's too much of a hard-ass, he's too controlling, and with the emergence of Devin Harris as an elite-level point guard, that he stifles the development of young players. All of this is true, to an extent, yet you can't deny that Johnson's Mavericks played wildly successful basketball during his brief tenure. Outside of Don Nelson sticking it to him in that opening playoff round, the Mavericks were greatly improved with Johnson's arrival as opposed to Nelson's former loose style. The Raptors could use some discipline. Triano, like your typical Canadian, seems like a mild-mannered, patient fellow. Sorry, but that's not going to work with this sack of unmotivated guys (save for Bosh and a couple other exceptions).

Eddie Jordan is another name which could help the sorry state in Raptorland. Over his tenure in Washington Jordan has repeatedly extracted maximum results from injury-depleted teams. The make-up of those Wizards teams was never built for success - rather based around two or three big-time players - yet Jordan could take them to the second round of the playoffs. Finally, this season, he met a situation which he couldn't remedy and received a pink slip. But he remains a bona fide leader and motivator, both characteristics which a future head coach in Toronto should exemplify. (Something tells me his style would take really well to the college game...)

So please, for the sake of Raptors fans, let Triano slip back to the outside of the huddle as an assistant. Plenty of talented NBA coaches have drifted from their professions and need to be dragged from the commentator's booths. Either one of these two guys will suffice.

A Rainbow Aims

2008-12-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

There are few more pleasurable or infuriating looks than the patented Vince Carter sulk. After quite possibly one of his worst games as a professional basketball player Friday night against the Raptors, he had that look going for two hours-plus. The look of a kid whose Power Ranger was stolen by a bully in the playground. Or worse, the look he might display after discovering a ding on his Mercedes in the parking lot of a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

And there are few things more hilarious than watching Jermaine O'Neal decide that he'll take Devin Harris one-on-one for a possession.

After watching the Raptors completely demolish the Nets the most glaring thing - outside of putrid performances from the Nets' starting guards - might be that New Jersey really doesn't give a rip about basketball. With a potential move to Brooklyn on the horizon, and more competitive professional sports franchises in the area, you could see that sports apathy has reached East Rutherford in a big way. Tons of empty seats and little fan involvement. The game could've packed more excitement in a local YMCA. Not to mention that eight-foot nets could've helped Carter immensely.

One thing I took away from this non-game (and I say that in the most caring way) is that the Raptors need to make Jason Kapono a pivotal player in their offensive attack. And it looks like Jay Triano might do that. Sure, Anthony Parker rode the bench in his CNN political correspondent duds, and Kapono remained lukewarm from the field for most of the game, but when he started nailing shots he injected the Raptors with a surge of potency like few players on their roster are capable of. Shooters like Kapono keep shooting until they start to fall. And that's what he did.

Another note: does Izod really have enough money to buy the namesake of the Nets home arena? Do people wear Izod? I suppose they do if Izod is still affiliated with Lacoste, but even still, they make golf shirts. It's not like they're making Pepsi.

Despite Devin Harris's lack of offensive output, you can plainly see that Lawrence Frank has done an impeccable job in making him their number one option and unleashing his offensive arsenal. That step-back jumper is deadly.

Another Triano positive has to be the play of Joey Graham. For the first time in years Graham looks like he belongs in the NBA.

The Visualz

2008-12-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's been more than a minute since I last posted. I could blame clinical depression from the Raptors' horrendous slide of late, but that would be a cop-out. My (hopefully first) degree has taken precedence in its waning hours. As it should.

(Outside of final touches on a degree, I've written a few things for the Martlet: a dated article on the Suns; some thoughts about the 2010 Lebron sweepstakes, most of which manages to slander King James despite the fact that he's playing basketball better than anyone in the world; and a review of Q-Tip's latest album, The Renaissance.)

I'll toss a couple links your way:

Malcolm Gladwell, via an old article from the New Yorker, tackles the age-old question: why are African-Americans kicking such serious ass in professional sports? Now I'm sure some of his facts could be disputed on several grounds - as is common with his articles - but there's some good reading here. And it's nice to have a sports writer who may have been a good athlete. Not that Mike Toth doesn't dominate his rec league squash tournament or anything.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, a solid young writer I recently got hip to, has a friendly discussion with John McWhorter over hip-hop and society, via BloggingheadsTV (fantastic site). McWhorter takes a black conservative approach and states that hip-hop, beyond its role as music genre, does not inspire constructive thinking in poor black culture, but rather influences its followers with a message of cynicism.

So while McWhorter makes some valid points, I must lean to Coates' side of the debate. Sure, a lot of music which comes out of political inequality uses a cynical tone, but cynicism doesn't necessarily beget cynicism. There's a reason why Chuck D called himself and Public Enemy the 'Black CNN.' And that was the need to present black history from an African-American perspective. You can inspire people even when your work uses a jaded tone, and that's what socially-conscious music has done across more genres than rap.

On the first day of a poetry workshop our professor told us not to assume that the speaker in the poem is the writer. This is the type of thing you need to tell undergraduate writers or they'll start thinking that half their peers are doing smack or come from abusive households. (ie. Many student writers write about incredible sex, only most of them are quiet and solitary and write a fantasy land to dwell in. So yes, do not make assumptions about someone's personal life from their poetry.)

Hip-hop is probably the closest in mainstream music genres to poetry, from its rhythms to line structures, and like poetry, the writer can and will access different states of emotion and/or write from another perspective. Do not assume that Big Boi in "Ms. Jackson" (by Outkast) is referring to himself when using the 'I'. The song is an examination of custody battles, money, and post-relationship frustration from the perspective of a slightly angry young man. The song succeeds in part because of Big Boi's ability to juxtapose down-tempo vitriol with Andre 3000's falsetto-laced fairy tale hook. A reproduction of these emotional states through hip-hop seems like an awfully constructive activity.

I could go on forever about, what I believe, are faults in McWhorter's argument, but I'll leave with one thought: how terrible would popular music be without cynical artists?

Luchini

2008-11-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

So much has been made about the 2010 free agency pool. And for good measure.

The list of players - Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, etc. - has some of the game's biggest superstars. If you're a struggling team looking to spend some money and buy the Rock of Gibraltar upon which to build a team around for the next decade, then this is your best shot at legitimate talent (AKA it's not a year when a Ricky Davis or Anderson Varajao has you pondering a desperation signing).

After his game tonight against the Knicks, Lebron James was asked some questions about the 2010 free agency pool. He tried to keep everything cool, but there were more than enough hints about a move to New York, and I'm not just talking about his hobnobbing with Jay-Z. Okay, it has something to do with Jay-Z.

To start, he left all his answers very open-ended, as if he had no say in the matter. In Lebron's world, or the one he likes to depict for the media, anything can happen in this free agency class. Well it won't. A select group of teams will have a serious chance at Lebron and I would wager he has an idea which ones they are. Good luck putting together an offer that Lebron and his buddies wouldn't kill themselves laughing at if you're Oklahoma City or Memphis.

But later, when asked about his free agency speculation, he started using New York and Brooklyn as potential locations to go to. Here's another layer! Looks like only a few have a chance, indeed! So you don't include Cleveland in that category. Really, Lebron? The team you're playing with for the next year-and-a-half? Your best line-up ever that will allow you to seriously contend this season - you won't mention them in the argument?

Something about the Brooklyn talk makes it seem like Lebron thinks their move is a foregone conclusion. For Christ's sake Lebron is already calling them the Brooklyn Nets! Which is another bad sign for Cleveland fans.

I think we all know that Jay-Z is a part-owner of the Nets and that him and Lebron pretend they're brothers in a weird protege-scholar relationship. When you have Jay-Z on your speed-dial I'll make the assumption that he's giving you a bunch of advice, most of which would incense Cavs fans.

ESPN also showed the debut of some Lebron-endorsed Nike kicks. Gee, do you think Nike isn't in his ear about how much they'll give him in endorsement cash if he could only move to New York? They're debuting new shoes when he plays in the Big Apple!

I think Lebron needs to tell the media to stop asking these questions, especially for his sake. The guy has tried to be suave in the face of questioning, but way too much evidence stacks up which supports his departure of Cleveland.

When Doves Cry

2008-11-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

Jermaine O'Neal. Rebound Specialist.

Things are a little hectic on my end right now, so I'll keep it brief.

Here is my latest column in the Martlet. This one is about the Toronto Raptors, mainly about how they're incapable of competing in a stronger Eastern Conference unless GM Bryan Colangelo pulls the trigger and gives them some depth.

So the column came out this evening, a Wednesday. The column was submitted on Saturday. In the span of a few days the Raptors have gone 2-1 and addressed many of the key issues I outlined in the article. For instance, they've outrebounded the competition behind some monstrous efforts from Jermaine O'Neal. Jamario Moon was yanked from the starting line-up (thank goodness) in favour of Bargnani, who, this evening, notched 25 points on some highly efficient shooting.

This is one reason why I love the immediacy of the internet. Because it doesn't make me look like a bit of a jackass in the time it takes for my words to reach print. The issue is out for the next week. Meaning the Raptors get the next seven days to screw everything up and make me look better.

To close, here is a link (via Pitchfork) about Prince magically appearing for some guitar jamming during a Q-Tip show, while the latter broke into his backpacker bling escapist hit "Vivrant Thing." Scroll to the bottom for a rundown. Completely bizarre and very Prince.

Don't Watch Me Dancing

2008-11-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

The NBA season thrives on award season speculation.

Last season Kobe Bryant took home his first MVP award under a newfound media-friendly rubric, much to the dismay of Chris Paul supporters (myself included). Since the awards are announced early in the playoff season, the outcome can often propel cheated players to higher levels of excellence, particularly against those awarded ahead of them. (I think we all remember what Michael Jordan did to Karl Malone in the NBA Finals after Malone was crowned the league MVP.)

Look, I love award season. It provides NBA writers with some of the game's finest debates. But it's way too early to make predictions when the regular season just entered double-digit game totals. The Rookie of the Year has at least five or six legitimate candidates thus far. The MVP has no clear front-runner and won't have any legitimate candidates until a third into the season.

But the Most Improved Player has kicked off to a nice start and it's not too early to speculate. Here are some players who will most definitely garner some votes:

Devin Harris has posted multiple 30-point-plus games and surpassed Vince Carter as the de facto scorer in New Jersey. Could the Mavericks have made a worse move last spring to bring a mid-30s Jason Kidd back to Dallas? Kidd has a decade on Harris, considerably less foot speed, and a crazy (ex-)wife. In 40 minutes of play today, against the Knicks no less, Kidd tallied 3 points on 1 of 7 shooting. Last evening, in fewer minutes, and against the upstart Hawks, Harris racked up 33 points and 10 assists on 9 of 15 shooting. Most impressive was that Harris took 14 free throw shots. Something tells me the Kidd deal might have murdered the Mavs franchise for the considerable future. Looks like Devean George almost did Dallas a favour.

I love the moves Bryan Colangelo makes and I'll always worship the throne of the NBA's foremost metrosexual general manager, but how did he pass up on Danny Granger in favour of Joey Graham a few drafts ago? Granger has developed into a go-to scorer in Indiana, averaging well over 20 points per game and filling up the score sheet in other ways. Not only that, but his tooth loss accident, and the fact that he came back to play looking like a much taller Dougie Gilmour, would have the Raps faithful smelling a deep playoff run.

I don't play fantasy basketball, but whoever nabbed Andris Biedrins in their drafts is counting their lucky stars. Just check his stats: 16.8 ppg, 14.9 rpg, 52.8 FG%, 1.5 bpg. Overnight the young Warriors centre has become the preeminent league-wide rebounder alongside Dwight Howard. Must be the ludicrous amount of hair gel.

This one feels a bit weird, yet Nate Robinson definitely deserves a couple votes. Every bench needs a gunner to throw in when the starting line-up gets a little stagnant. And Robinson has filled that role well with over 14 points per. Not only that, but he's averaging over 2 steals per game and up to 4 rebounds and assists.

A couple others deserve credit, including Jeff Green, Nick Young, Mickael Pietrus, and Aaron Brooks. Let the speculation begin.

Players I Shouldn't Like: Part I

2008-11-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have tried to comment on any posts but couldn't because you didn't have a Blogger ID, I just turned that off. Anyone can now comment. Thus, comment away!

There's a lot of talk about playing the 'right' way.

Whether mentioned by commentators, coaches, or players, the 'right' way to play is an admittedly vague way of putting things. The best professional basketball players are aware of this vague set of rules but cause the unidentified framework of proper play to bend within their skill-set.

In other words: You can't break the rules unless you know them.

Lebron barrels through the lane like a reckless animal and tucks the ball in his side like a running back penetrating the defensive line. Kobe calls his own number with time running out, often passing up the opportunity of passing to an open teammate. I'm not sure where either of these fall under the 'right' way, but the game concedes to style.

For most professional players they'd get yanked if they pulled half the shenanigans of a Kobe or Amare. Think back to high school: most of us were benched for taking an ill-advised three, whereas the top couple players had free reign of the court. Granted these top-tier guys make unbelievable plays, but on the flipside they're given the opportunity to test the boundaries of the spectacular. Most aren't.

This will be an ongoing series for those other players.

Lebron scored 41 last night. His execution is a lesson in monotony. Give me an unbridled Al Thornton or a trigger-happy Nate Robinson any day of the week.

First up is Ricky Davis, or what I'll dub Player With Nice Stats But Always Plays on Shitty Teams.

You know a guy is not playing the 'right' way when his most memorable professional moment came from shooting on his own net and retrieving the rebound for the purpose of notching his first career triple-double. (Jerry Sloan was one anger management class away from sprinting on the court and clothes-lining Ricky.)

But I follow Davis for other reasons.

He is the only NBA player to dunk after putting the ball through his legs, during an NBA game. (Lebron did it in high school, Josh Smith in international competition, but only Davis possessed the testicular fortitude to pull such a stunt in-game.) The tales of Davis's clubbing history should be published by Random House, or at the very least influence some Penthouse Forum letters. Plus, the dude can flat-out score with the best of them.

For a long time I've been attracted to players who can catch fire, who for a five minute stretch reach levels of offensive excellence unparalleled at that very moment. And Ricky Davis, throughout his career, has proved that he can get hot.

He does not play the 'right' way. He may not even care about winning. But he's part of a small group of basketball players on the planet who could notch 40 on a whim and infuriate his coach at the same time.

Truth is, Davis' game is not nearly as selfish as it seems (or maybe he's matured) and far more well-rounded than that of your typical gunner (ahem, Ben Gordon).

But, without fail, Davis finds himself on yet another underachieving team (the Los Angeles Clippers) where he'll pick up stats, inevitably partake in the club scene, and launch into summer break around the same time as college kids. In his own way he makes consistency pretty damn exciting.

And, of course, there is this video, which adds to the Davis lore:

Dance on Glass

2008-11-11T00:29:00.000-08:00

I had to post something about this Garnett/Calderon dust-up in Boston.

After watching it a few times I think it's safe to say that Garnett got a little too fired up and started acting like a dick. Sure, part of Garnett's shtick is that he's a really intense dude, but what other player in the league doesn't get a technical foul for that level of taunting? He was waving his finger in Jose's face Dikembo-style.

Taunting fouls are always a point of contention with me. You can show a little emotion, maybe look at a defender in the wrong manner, hang on the rim a little too long - all of which could book you for a T on a bogus call. We've seen them before. Those are the moments when a ref can get in the spotlight over a bad call. Very little is definitive about what 'constitutes' a taunting foul when outside of the extreme (ie. OJ Mayo dunking and heaving the ball in the crowd).

But that Garnett play crossed the line. I don't mind the guy playing a little D on Calderon, but being an ass while going about it brings down the class of such a likable athlete. (Good on Calderon to get back in his face, and also dish out to Kapono for a three-point make. Carmelo Anthony would've slapped him and run away.)

Dead Ringer

2008-11-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

Just spent the weekend in Vancouver with some friends, hence a slow start to the week for The Cold Draft. Alas, here are some links and thoughts for a Monday afternoon.

For those of you literary folk out there, I stumbled across this article about Milan Kundera's recent political struggles. After just having read The Book of Laughter and Forgetting I find it astonishing that political turmoil has continued to follow him nearly thirty years after the book's release.

A line from a recent post on Inside the Clippers: "Marcus [Camby] has taken a liking to the underwater treadmill the team has at its new facility." The same post also mentions Tim Thomas and Al Thornton doing yoga. The Clippers have a better shot at releasing a workout video in time for Christmas than a berth in the postseason. If anyone knows what an underwater treadmill is like, please share. I wonder if the Knicks accidentally rig one up that electrocutes Stephon Marbury.

Plenty of talk on the internet today about the Raps looking to the Warriors and Bobcats for perimeter help. The two obvious choices are Al Harrington and Gerald Wallace, both of whom are being shopped around by their respective teams.

Personally I think the Raps should make a move for Kelenna Azubuike. Against the Raps earlier this season he penetrated their D with ease, especially late in the shot clock. Unfortunately this move wouldn't help their rebounding woes, but would help the fact their perimeter players have been severely outscored in the past three games.

So who's on the chopping block in Raptor land? Moon? Humphries? Bargnani? Colangelo won't dangle AB in a deal, but I can't find many other guys on that roster (Bosh and Calderon excluded) who would pique interest from another GM.

I watched this new video from Q-Tip over the weekend and started mulling it around with people as to whether Tip was the trailblazer for Andre 3000. Maybe Dre 2000? Or does his raccoon hat/cadet blazer look only follow a gauntlet thrown down by Andre Benjamin when his eccentricities became widely accepted? Regardless, this is nice form from Q-Tip, chock full of his hypothetical raps in female persuasion.

Welfare Bread

2008-11-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

A more official NBA preview has gone up on The Martlet right here.

I think we're all familiar with the old adage that NBA players do well with the ladies. Here's a Flickr site of professional ball players with women. Most of these women are, uh, not so attractive. But the site does feature cameos from Luke Jackson, JJ Redick, and various other bums (ie. Martynas Andriuskevicius). Worth checking out if, like me, you enjoy candid photos of awkwardly tall men next to drunk chicks in the club.

Three key acquisitions in the off-season: Roger Mason, Mickael Pietrus, and Matt Barnes. I can't stress how important these additions were for each of their playoff-calibre teams.

Pietrus rounds out a starting line-up with athleticism. Mason, on a bad Spurs team, has shown the ability to slash and drain buckets from the outside. Barnes could possibly the greatest addition of them all. He can give the Suns starter's minutes and contribute point totals in the double-digits. Plus, he makes that bench longer. There's no pressure on Grant Hill to force a predictable mid- or late-season injury. And the guy has heart. Check the Warriors from a couple seasons back.

(PS. Tony Parker with 55 points, 10 assists, and 7 boards in a 2OT win against the TWolves. Good lord. What's his previous season-high? I'm guessing 40.)

We talkin' bout practice.

2008-11-05T17:44:00.001-08:00

I couldn't resist posting video of Iverson being unveiled to the Detroit media by Joe Dumars. For those of you who have seen the original, you'll find this pretty funny.

And the original:

Guest Post: James Kot

2008-11-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

Today we have the first guest post in The Cold Draft's short history from James Kot, most recently of Canadian war epic, Passchendaele. If you haven't checked out the film, go to the theatres. Unless you're from the States, in which case you should try to download it illegally. James offers some thoughts on the upcoming NBA season.

Originally, I was set up to write a more comical piece that centered around Darius Miles on the Boston Celtics. I had plans for an over/under on Garnett-Miles stare downs, possible conversations with Ray Allen about his art collection, and the generally strange fact that Darius has worked with both the newly married Ryan and Scarlett…in films. (IMDB Darius Miles; seriously, I dare you.) But that idea got thrown in the crapper faster than young Darius’ career after he tested positive for drugs before the season even began. Instead, I did some random and quite possibly idiotic NBA hypothesizing three games into the season.

Here are some of my predictions.

Allen Iverson will get traded to Detroit for Billups, McDyess and a guy I’ve never heard.

MVP. Lebron. The more I think about it, the more I realize CP3 got robbed last year. Kobe wasn’t the MVP until Pau dropped in Los Angeles. New Orleans is a .500 team without Chris Paul instead of the two seed. I still think Kobe is the most talented player in the NBA but Lebron is a monster every night. The NBA gets it right this year and shows King James some love.

Rookie of the Year. Rudy Fernandez. The second half of the Olympic gold medal game signified this decision for me. If you can throw down on Dwight Howard, and not think twice about getting in Kobe’s face on the world stage, you’re destined for great things. Beasley will be a close second. Mayo gets the bronze on a stinker in the dirty south.

Biggest Disappointment. Artest in Houston. I think Ron-Ron will play fine for them, but the idea that he makes them a contender baffles me. The expectations are way too high. If I were the GM of that team, I would rest Yao until the last ten games of the season. There’s no way Yao plays 75 games this year.

Not as Bad as You Think. The Knicks. They are going to surprise people. They win ten more than last year and will be surprisingly exciting as David Lee’s set to break out with more playing time. I love that D’Antoni kicked Marbury to the curb too. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about that guy for any reason other than his affordable sneakers.

Comeback. If the Olympics were any sign of what’s to come, Dwyane Wade could be considered an MVP Candidate if the Heat win 45. His health being worth 30 more wins could be a real case for Wade.

Kevin “My Uncle was in the Beach Boys” Love will have an average year but will be my guy to watch in Rookies-Sophmores game at the All-Star Break. That kid is more competitive than “Pet Sounds” in Top 10 Lists and will want to make a statement on the big stage.

Philly will make the playoffs only to last four or five games. The Elton Brand signing was a mistake. Enjoy the World Series and the Flyers making a run.

I feel bad for Baron Davis. That team is going to be terrible and it’s not his fault. Luckily, my friend Rachel doesn’t work in the Clippers PR department anymore. It’s going to be tough trying to spin eleven wins.

Dwight Howard will have five 20- 20 games. God, I wonder what the odds are like on that in Vegas!

There will be an Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics brawl this year. The Atlanta Hawks seem like a disgruntled franchise that has WAY more confidence than they should. The aggressive nature of that first round series last year - plus, the Boston Celtics taking being the Champs quite seriously this year and Kevin Garnett taking being Kevin Garnett extremely seriously - should be the perfect recipe a good dust-up. I dare Zaza Pachulia to get in Garnett’s face like he did last year. I bet Garnett does a Gatorade Fierce commercial at some point during the proceedings.

Less technicals for Rasheed Wallace this year. A.I. gets his share in Motown. Maxiell is also a beast this year and earns his contract. I like him as darkhorse for sixth man of the year if he can get the minutes.

I love the Suns but I think the dream is over for the Steve Nash era out in Arizona. A half court Phoenix Suns team makes me want to cry. I don’t think it will work. I hope that I’m wrong. And I’m melancholic that I honestly believe the chances of Steve Nash winning a championship in Phoenix are slimmer than they are if he concludes his career north of the border with the Raptors.

The Jermaine O’Neal deal works out surprisingly well. As Calderon finishes only behind Chris Paul in assists and Chris Bosh has a tidy 24 points, 10 rebound season, O’Neal can have a twelve and ten season and be an impact defensive player this year. Raps win a playoff series in the postseason.

The Final. We’re going to have a repeat of the Celtics-Lakers final. I think the Lakers take it this year with much more depth in their line-up and a much missed James Posey no longer on the Boston sideline. Kobe wins the finals MVP with more weapons in his arsenal.

But you never know what’s going to happen. I haven’t ruled out a Detroit-New Orleans final as a possibility…

In closing, I’ve written this. A bit of rant trying to explain why we should embrace and not fear the globalization of the NBA.

The NBA is becoming an increasingly global league with basketball’s popularity soaring world wide following the success of the Olympics and subsequent growth in European markets. Josh Childress opting out of sitting on the bench in Hotlanta to make double his quote in Greece and Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings going pro in Rome (in order to forgo the mandated collegiate year) signifies to me that basketball is bigger than the house it’s been given. While some purists gasp at the idea of US born players leaving home turf, (and the excitement that comes with playing a road game in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night or the constant exploitation of the NCAA) I’m not one of them.

I see it differently. I see the NBA as a jump off point for the Champion’s League of Basketball. A global league with teams in Europe, North America and the Middle East will leave no doubt who the greatest players are and where they play. They will be in this league.

But we’re not there yet.

For now: the best are still in the NBA, The Slam Dunk Competition will garner another party at my house, and March Madness will still be the most exciting time of year.

It's great to be an arm-chair athlete this year.

Live Blogging the Raps/Warriors

2008-10-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

I won't lie. I stumbled onto this game five minutes before the tip.

This will be my first look at the Bosh/O'Neal/Calderon-era Raptors. And I'm just as excited about the Golden State Warriors. They've got a much different look this season. For instance, DeMarcus Nelson at starting point guard. Yikes. The following is a running commentary of the game.

-Nathan Jawai could be 45 years of age. Now that I've looked it up, he's a year younger than I am. That defies all explanation.

-Is there anything stopping Corey Maggette from jacking up twenty shots per night? Maggette is perfect for a run-and-gun system. He's one of those guys with such a preternatural ability at the offensive end.

-Andris Biedrins is killing them at 7:20 mark in the first quarter. Must be the aerodynamic gel application.

-Nelson knocked down an ill-advised mid-range jumper. Label Nelson a Warriors conformist.

-Gilbert Areans explained the term 'hibachi' in an Adidas commercial. Thank goodness we cleared that up.

-Bargnani has come into the game. Still has that classic look of lethargy.

-After one quarter the game hasn't taken shape. Nothing seems too methodical. Pretty loose affair thus far.

-Jermaine O'Neal stuffed Brendan Wright, followed by a two-handed slam from Bargnani. For Raptors fans this is basically a wet dream.

-Bargnani crams on Turiaf. Doing much better than that scoreless game a couple nights ago. I tried to make some sort of pizza versus croissants joke here, but nothing materialized.

-The Warriors have found their swagger and, subsequently, the lead. And by swagger I mean the ridiculous shots are falling. JO's cold post moves aren't helping the Raps much.

-Jason Kapono looks like those frat boy douchebags you encounter at the bar.

-We're at the half, which means an NBA commercial telling us how charitable its players are. Something tells me Randy Foye stuck out like a sore thumb in Turkey.

-Is that Paul Romanuk commentating the game? I didn't know it was World Junior Hockey season yet.

-Seriously, someone needs to guard Biedrins.

-It's always awkward when white commentators say Hotlanta.

-Jamario Moon has finally made an impact on this game, half-way through the third quarter. I really doubt last year's Jamario Moon craze will sustain itself. In fact, I think all Jamario Moon crazes will cease to exist for all of eternity.

-Apparently the commentator's name is Matt. I have no idea who this Matt is but he sucks compared to Chuck Swirsky.

-Looks like shitty Bargnani is back in the game.

-Tied at 71 apiece. How was Maggette never a part of those Warriors team from the past couple seasons? His move to Golden State was perhaps the most obvious/logical move amongst this summer's transations.

-Raps with a two-point lead after three.

-The current line-up of Kapono, Ukic, Bargnani, O'Neal, and Moon could seriously lose us the game. But oh wait, here comes Joey Graham. That'll stave off defeat.

-You know who's a decent NBA player? That Azubuike guy. I'm not being sarcastic either.

-Maggette has only taken five shots. He must have mono.

-"Four-point game with six forty-five to go." I stole that from the commentator.

-BIEDRINS!!!!!

-Azubuike has the most under-rated first step in the game. Golden State by five.

-Maggette with the fall-away. Golden State by five with 4:40 to play.

-Bargnani brings the Warriors lead to two. He's got 17 on the night.

-Stephen Jackson: "I make love to pressure."

-The Raps are down one with forty-some-odd seconds to play. You need to go to Bosh right now.

-Bosh goes baseline and dunks over a couple guys. Seriously, that stuff about going to Bosh came before it actually happened. Of course I don't have any proof...

-The Air Canada Centre already has playoff intensity.

-Jermaine O'Neal with a huge block. Unfortunately the block goes directly to Al Harrington, who promptly nails a three-pointer. Warriors by two with 22.1 to play.

-Tie game with 14.5 to play off two Bosh free throw. The last two minutes, characteristically of the NBA, are taking a half-hour to play.

-Maggette doesn't get the call on a last-second drive. The Raps have 0.7 remaining. Run a play for Kapono.

-Parker narrowly misses a three-point try. Over-time. Tied at 96.

-Without Parker's defensive abilities the Raptors would have lost this game already.

-Bagnani, Bosh, and Calderon have pushed the Raps lead to six with under two minutes remaining.

-The Raptors win 112-108. Two games, two wins. Two completely different versions of Andrea Bargnani.

NBA Preview: Condensed & Tangential

2008-10-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

The NBA season is upon us. Last season the league went from fledgling arena for die-hards of pituitary cases to professional sports' most vibrant young league. This season, the fans will actually care about the Larry O'Brien champions' quest for a title defense. The upstart youth will track down and possibly surpass their elders. And Isiah Thomas will throw each of his children under the bus for each subsequent overdose. Good times indeed.

Three games tipped off this evening. Aside from Greg Oden continuing his quest to become his generation's Bill Walton, there wasn't much to report. The favourites won their games and big names were slow out the gates. That said, I've compiled some notes about each team in the NBA. My preseason picks have been lacking. Thus, they'll become early season picks. Tonight is the Eastern Conference.

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics
I love Jesus Shuttlesworth (ie. Ray Allen). He has one of the great all-time shots and he was one of the only good players post-Jordan for the Jordan Brand (I'm looking directly at Darius Miles and Q-Rich right now). But he's the stick in the spokes for the Celtics. Did you see those stinkers he threw up in the playoffs last season? His legs are gone and he's become one-dimensional. If the shots not falling, he becomes useless on the floor. Look for Leon Powe to break out.

Philadelphia 76ers
I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid on these guys. Individually I like their players. As a team, they even have some swagger after last year's finish and performance against the Pistons. But aren't they a bit too much of a rag-tag group of kids? They're like the Little Rascals of the NBA. Their guys are all pretty good. But no one player is going to bowl you over. Look out, however, for Thaddeus Young. I sense an MIP season from him.

Toronto Raptors
Colangelo swung his balls on that O'Neal deal. It was great to get rid of Ford. He had to go somewhere. The Raptors faithful would prefer he take his neck sprains south of the border. But depth, which hadn't been a problem the past couple seasons, is a weak spot. Who steps up between Ukic/Solomon? That makes me queasy. And losing Delfino, who could've functioned as a point forward behind Calderon, is a bigger loss than most realize.

New Jersey Nets
The elder statesman to your 08-09 New Jersey Nets? Vince Carter. Mentor to Yi. A former all-star without the hops to carry him in his senescence. Their roster list made me pop a Xanax. It's that bad. Outside of Chris Douglas-Roberts and Sean Williams, I see no reason why anyone would watch this team. I think they're headed for the Eastern Conference basement.

New York Knicks
It won't get better for basketball's version of the Jackson family. But I like that d'Antoni is kicking the fat guys (ie. Curry) to the curb in favour of speed. The thought of Nate Robinson throwing up eight 3-pointers per game is salivating. And David Lee will get some burn. There are so many bad teams in the NBA worth watching and the Knicks are one of them.

Central Division

Detroit Pistons
I'm one of the few people who thinks the Pistons have a legitimate shot at going deep. Their older players are on the down slopes of their careers, but still have some good basketball in them. And with the system Joe Dumars has created, a number of key role players can step in and lighten the regular season load for guys like Rasheed, Chauncey, and Rip. Both Amir Johnson and Rodney Stuckey will garner votes for the MIP.

Chicago Bulls
Let's forget about last season. Let's call a mulligan. This season is a do-over. They're young and deep. Tyrus Thomas is going to be a homeless man's Shawn Marion, albeit without crippling insecurity. I love Joakim Noah, unlike 90% of the basketball-loving population. They need to shed some weight in the guard category, but otherwise, I can't see how they miss the playoffs on consecutive years.

Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have finally completed their white-out in the post-Auburn Hills era! This is another team, like New Jersey, that is without personality. Why would I watch them? How could Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy interest me? Unless Marquis Daniels takes them to Jamal Tinsley's favourite hang-outs I'll never show an interest in this team.

Cleveland Cavaliers
The Mo Williams acquisition is bigger than people realize. For the moment, he provides the Cavs with a second scorer. And when they unload Szczerbiak's (the spell check is going bonkers of that one) expiring contract for a player of Michael Redd's calibre, the Cavs will be poised for a deep run in the playoffs. You can pencil them into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Milwaukee Bucks
Welcome to the land of small forwards! Apparently the state of Wisconsin has a penchant for dudes in the 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8 range. How long will it take before the Joe Alexander pick looks like a joke? Wow, he can put it through his legs and dunk! He's like a white Gerald Green! (By the way, being a white Gerald Green is not good.) Once again, we have a team of capable players and some borderline all-stars, but cohesion is the main problem here. Another season of missing the playoffs.

Southeast Division

Orlando Magic
Here's something I haven't written on: the acquisition of Mickael Pietrus. I've always liked this guy, only he got buried in that deep run-and-gun Warriors team. I think Pietrus will surprise people. And J.J. Redick could make his way into the line-up. What's the over/under on his point average? a 6.5? I might take the over on this one. Look out ladies of Orlando!

Atlanta Hawks
I really don't like the Hawks to make any noise this season. Al Horford is a beast in training, but Atlanta's upswing kind of reminds me of the Clippers when they had that one-off season when they lost to the Suns in the second round. The only thing keeping them on the cusp of an eighth spot is Horford's improvement from first to second seasons.

Miami Heat
I like this Miami team, mostly because of how dysfunctional they look on paper. On one hand you have bona fide stars, on the other you have Chris Quinn. But with a healthy D-Wade they should contend for a playoff spot.

Washington Wizards
Gilbert Arenas keeps this team in the news. But to be frank, I haven't done much thinking about them this off-season. Arenas got his money. Jamison got his too. I like Tough Juice and Nick Young, but there's something missing. In the end, I think it'll be that financial motivation from last season.

Charlotte Bobcats
Christ. The Bobcats. They might be the most poorly run franchise in the NBA. How can Charlotte even support these guys? Individually there's a lot to like on this roster (and their rosters from the past couple seasons), but in true Bobcats fashion, they'll disappoint. And Larry Brown will find a scapegoat. Raymond Felton, I have a feeling it could be you. And Adam Morrison cut his hair. Dammit! I was holding out for an awkward five-game road trip when Morrison rocked corn rows courtesy of Gerald Wallace's sister.

Chocolate Thunder

2008-10-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today I can't find the time for a full post, so I'll leave you with some videos.

This isn't the exact video I wanted to find, but here you'll find some highlights of a celebrity dunk competition featuring Deion Sanders, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Conley Sr., Olympic Champion long jumper and father to Conley Jr. Conley is far and away the strongest dunker in the competition. Still nice to see Neon Deion and Griffey throwing down with their flat top hairdo's.

Scottie Pippen from the foul line? I had never heard of Pippen participating in a dunk contest. Someone of his calibre and skill-set just wouldn't do it in today's game. Does this dunk go down as one of the most underrated in dunk competition history? It's certainly not in the canon.

Pre-Amare Stoudamire and part-Blaxploitation film. Darryl Dawkins said he was from the Planet Lovetron. And people think Gilbert Arenas is weird? Dawkins was like an overgrown Kool Keith.

Links & Thoughts

2008-10-22T20:31:00.001-07:00

To start, some links:

Larry David's thoughts on the upcoming US election. I think most of us are in a similar state of anxiety.

This is a great interview in the New York Times with Josh Childress regarding his European experience thus far. (via TrueHoop)
What I found particularly interesting about this article was how the camaraderie of a European team (ie. team meals) was similar to that of a collegiate basketball program. For intellectual guys like Childress (those who value certain things more than basketball) this aspect of European basketball sounds appealing. And the money. Childress likes the money.
Overall the team experience in Europe isn't quite like Kobe Bryant being flanked by body guards on team outings. Though maybe Bryant will bring that to Europe some day.

Lastly, a profile I wrote about Ryan Cochrane for the Martlet. Since the article is more formal (aka standards of journalism this site doesn't aspire to) I wasn't able to mention that Cochrane is a cool, down-to-earth guy. Definitely an athlete worth cheering for. Cochrane recently won a bronze medal in swimming in the 1500-metre event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I hope to see him at the top of the podium in London in 2012 and at next year's World Championships in Rome.

I caught my first televised basketball of the season this evening. Well, sort of.

To start I watched only twenty minutes or so. Secondly, this was over the internet. Cavs-Pistons & TWolves- Bulls pre-season may sound appealing to a basketball junkie, but it ain't. And when the resolution of the live feed actually allows a viewer to count the pixels on the screen, that is also not good.

The clincher? To the side of the action, and taking up half the screen, was a live chat during the game. As a society, I think it's safe to say that we are much more racially tolerant and tolerant of homosexuality than in past decades. So where has all the homophobia and racism gone? The internet, of course!

This live chat in particular featured a string of gay-bashing, some of which was directed towards Kirk Hinrich or other players of potential mediocrity. Not a lot of racist stuff, however. (Go to a YouTube comments section for that.) Anyway, the homophobia is so rampant that gay is edited on the website as such: ***. Example: Kirk Hinrich is so ***. So, in an ultimate moment of creativity, users such as PISTONSFORLIFE and KOBEBRYANT have started saying 'ghey'. Well done, gentleman.

What did I glean from twenty minutes and for teams? Not much. Tayshaun Prince looked nice. The Cavs were lost without Lebron on the floor. McCants & Foye are chuckers, only Foye's shots go in. Of course I haven't yet checked the box scores. And now that I have I am pleased to announce the T-Wolves both started and ended the game with nine-point quarters! Welcome to post-KG era!

Manifesto?

2008-10-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Sam Cassell. Easily amused.

This is a short post. This is a way for me to sacrifice a major portion of the upcoming seven or eight months of regular season play.

Most journalists, and sports writers, myself included, make claims about teams and other players without fully examining them. By examining them I mean watching them play. It's easy for me to talk up David Lee or Amir Johnson (especially in an age where highlights are easily found on the internet/YouTube) but nothing compares to watching the actual game. Stats are great, but sometimes I rely on them more than in-game analysis.

That is why I will watch every NBA player this upcoming season.

Here's how it breaks down: I will watch every NBA player who is on the opening day roster lists. Inevitably I'll catch some in-season signings on the court, but I'd be a sadist to keep up with every 10-day contract the Clippers or Thunder sign this year.

Another catch is that it'll be tough to watch 11th and 12th men. But I'll do my best.

An even greater catch is that I don't have League Pass. And so it begins...

Sweet and Lovely

2008-10-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the lack of updates lately. I'll resume with some scattered thoughts about the Raptors, and one of my favourite non-players, Adam Morrison.

Joey Graham or Jamario Moon?

I'd be lying if I said this conundrum was chock full of potential success for the Toronto Raptors. It's nothing like the Ford/Calderon debates. It's a debate between two marginal NBA players, neither of whom will average over 10 points per contest this season.

And yet the Raptors are faced with a dire situation at Small Forward, even Shooting Guard for that matter. Jamario Moon came out of left-field last season. Between his shot blocking capabilities and dunks he became a fan favourite. No other player contested for that starting spot, and Moon hustled his way into the rotation.

So what would any professional athlete in a contract year do after surprising fans and management in his rookie campaign? Come into camp out of shape, of course!

For all the great things Moon did last season, he seems to be a poor man's Keon Clark. And Keon Clark could be a homeless crack addict right now. Moon's game is just too limited. He tends to fall in love with the outside shot (otherwise known as Vince Carter Syndrome) when his strengths lie in length and athleticism. The guy drives Sam Mitchell nuts.

Joey Graham, on the other hand, hasn't had any opportunity to showcase his abilities. In fact, I've rarely seen him play on television. The trouble with Graham, from what I've gleaned from those games and some commentary, is that you get one or the other: Good Joey or Bad Joey.

But I can't help but feel Graham needs a fair shake, whether it's 20 minutes per game or a starting position and slightly more burn. A lack of consistency often comes down to confidence, and it's difficult to gain any when you're planted on the bench. There must be a reason the Raptors have held onto him as long as they have. Graham is not a step down from Moon. As athletes, both are great, but Graham brings a definite physicality which the Raptors could use on perimeter defense, possibly their weakest area last season.

Yet as much as I think Graham should get his chance to play, Colangelo needs to make a definite move towards strengthening a weak backcourt and front-line.

Shortly after a post I made about Adam Morrison and JJ Redick between a week and two weeks ago, the online hoops world had a few things to say about Morrison. Most of the news revolved around his future, or lack thereof, with the Charlotte Bobcats. I mentioned his terrible efficiency, yet another writer went a step further in announcing that Morrison, during his rookie season, was the least efficient player in the NBA who received considerable playing time (over 25 minutes per game or thereabouts).

The Bobcats recently extended his and Sean May's contracts, yet talks have swirled around Morrison being shopped around. A DNP-Coach's Decision certainly doesn't help his cause for a future in Charlotte.

Would Morrison be a decent pick-up, or even a steal? Like I mentioned before, I can't help but think his career is over. The NBA is too athletic. His forty-year-old man legs only got slower with knee surgery. Outside of picking him up off waivers I can't see any reason why a sane NBA GM would take a chance on him. Then again, most of them are idiots.

Self Portrait w/ Electric Brain

2008-10-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Due to time constraints, here is another edition of things to be excited about in the coming NBA season, in typical loose fashion.

-The play of Monta Ellis. Imagine signing a huge contract (enough money to support yourself, a large extended family, and two ex-wives) and then promptly losing the faith of your organization at the hands of a Mo-ped accident. Athletes and motorcycles don't mix. Ask Jay Williams. A Mo-ped seems like a logical move towards less danger and excitement, but alas Ellis couldn't handle to feminine curves of Bay Area roads. Will the injuries sustained to Ellis's ankle impede one of the NBA's quickest guards? Between Jay Williams and Ellis I could have a nervous breakdown if another promising guard goes down on a two-wheeler.

-The Raps starting small forward spot. Kapono? Moon? God forbid it goes to Joey Graham. Easily the weakest area of the Raptors attack.

-David Lee! In a move which indicates that the Knicks organization has a serious lack of mentally retarded individuals this season, David Lee will get some more burn in New York. Which must excite the Knicks faithful as Lee is about the only player they liked in the Isiah-era. Here is the prediction: Lee will be voted into the All-Star Game by the Eastern Conference coaches. You heard it here first.

-The Artest experiment. There's no way Yao and McGrady will let Ron-Ron get out of line. In fact, I expect some workman-like production from Artest and great returns. Only Yao and McGrady (who is 30 going on 37) will never hold up for an entire season for the Rockets to make serious noise.

-Celtics Boot Camp. I love what they're doing in Boston, which is essentially running a regular season six-month boot camp for NBA delinquents, with KG as the principal. Would Darius Miles have the audacity to tell off someone in the Blazers organization, let's say Brandon Roy? Sure would. How about Kevin Garnett, the scariest man in the league? Nope. Whether Miles actually puts together some semblance of a career is another matter, but I love this approach. After winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy the Celtics feel they can mesh anyone into their system. Same reason why they drafted J.R. Giddens.

-Anything Trailblazers-related. Between Roy, Aldridge, Oden, and the insurgency of Rudy Fernandez and (fingers-crossed) Sergio Rodriguez they'll easily be the most dangerous, and fan-favourite, young team in the NBA. Let's all pray they keep their health together. Or else the Blazers will be like a more tragic, fun version of the Rockets.

Year of Judgment

2008-10-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

History very well could peg Adam Morrison as another mis-step in the post-basketball management career of Michael Jordan and little else. Only three years ago Morrison and Redick slugged it out for the nation's scoring title and captivated a national audience. It seems like that happened more than ten years ago.

Since being drafted I've had few opportunities to watch them on television. To start, the Bobcats aren't exactly in high demand for those outside of North Carolina. (Or in North Carolina from the looks of it.) But more importantly, the play of both guys was mediocre. Redick rode the bench when I believed he had a legitimate shot at competing for a starting position in a weak Magic backcourt. Morrison's season was less mediocre than Redick's though fraught with inconsistency and absolute stinkers with respect to field-goal percentage and overall efficiency. Watching Morrison, on the couple occasions I managed to, revealed a one-dimensional player: Morrison could only jack up shots. And they missed.

Which brings us to Year Three for JJ and Morrison. Early reports out of Orlando indicate that Redick should see a little more action this season. Morrison looks destined for worse. On a highly athletic (though terrible) Bobcats team, I simply can not find a spot for a one-dimensional player coming off a down season after tearing his ACL.

(And apparently Morrison's hair is longer. Like waist-length ponytail. And more facial hair. What's with these wholesome-looking white dudes in the League who go nuts overnight? Case example: Robert Swift. His career has been packed with injuries, so what did he do with all that free, rehabbing time? Got a bunch of tattoos and grew a huge ponytail. What possesses these white NBA players to go all Cherokee Parks? CP is the white man's trailblazer for freedom of expression.)

How much of the Redick/Morrison thing was a fabrication of the white sports media (which is really, really white)? As a collective entity did they project their want of white sports heroes in collegiate basketball in the form of JJ and Adam? Granted, both players put up big numbers in big programs, but the media certainly elevated them to levels of Bird-esque grandeur. NBA scouting services went so far as to call Morrison the next Bird.

Isiah Thomas famously remarked that Larry Bird was a fabrication of the white media. I'm not sure how the media fabricates three Championships, but hey.

Were Isiah Thomas to ask the same of Redick and Morrison, you'd have a difficult time arguing against him considering the perspective we now have, their professional output in tow. Their respective games just don't translate to the NBA-level. A part of me wishes for both of them to find some modicum of success, which, realistically speaking, means earning 'role player' status. Redick in particular has something to offer. His shot is still textbook. During the two or three times I've seen him make late entries into a game, he never failed to work hard for his shot and nail a couple threes.

With Morrison coming off surgery I don't see a bright future for him. At least not in Charlotte. The Second Coming of Larry Bird he is not. Ultimately, his legend was the greater of fabrications. And I think that's what history will ascertain from his career.

Banana Question

2008-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

A quote from Amir Johnson's Wikipedia page:

"Amir has a brother that he dont know about and his brother plays basketball at Penn State and his name is David Jackson."

(Quick Amir, check your Wikipedia page! Your brother has been revealed! Ungrammatically!)

The Wiki editors let an abominable opening paragraph reach the interweb. Regardless, one of the NBA's most efficient, albeit unused, players will begin the pre-season as a starting power forward.

The Pistons, despite multiple years of uninspiring play in crunch-time, look like a dangerous team.

The biggest issue with the Pistons has always been motivation, namely that they believe they can turn it on whenever it counts (ie. the playoffs). But they can't turn it on whenever they want. If first-year coach Michael Curry can get through to them - and new coaches can always light a fire under their player's asses - they'll be fantastic.

Amir Johnson will finally get some burn. I believe him and Stuckey will tally up many MIP votes. Maxiell is still a fantastic piece off the bench. The only drawback is age. It won't be a major issue this season, but the window is quickly closing for one of the most successful core groups of players of the 2000s. When you look up and down that Pistons roster, they're still menacing. And they have more talent to unleash.

Just don't let Kwame Brown see the court.

Down with James White

2008-10-03T23:39:00.001-07:00

James White's athleticism has been on my radar for a while.

During my adolescence, I went to a school where all kids were required to own laptops. When developing this program, the school mistakenly thought the technology-infused academic environment would enhance our academic abilities. Most students ended up playing Quake III or Mario World on a SNES emulator during class. When a teacher walked by someone playing a game, a flurry of hand movement would occur and the game exited safely from the student's screen. Eventually the teachers were wise to these spasmodic actions when their entering our vicinity. My thing was basketball videos. Scouring shitty websites looking for anything basketball related.

(My buddy Tumelo and I used to watch Rucker Park highlights during Canadian History class. Our teacher often showed up to class twenty minutes late. Some girl in the class thought our oohing and ahhing came from watching porn.)

For the first half of high school, I went really big into University of North Carolina basketball. I think a UNC basketball website was my home page. I was up on all their recruits and everything, one of whom was Jawad Williams. Williams participated in a McDonald's All-American dunk contest. David Lee edge out James White in the finals. Lee was pretty creative, but White was an all-out athletic freak. Some videos were posted on the internet and White became a teenage hardcourt myth. Here was a high school kid converting free throw line dunks with more flair than any man who converted the same dunk in the League's version of the contest (Jordan, Dr. J, Brent Barry [obviously]).

Things didn't work out with the University of Florida (where Lee played his ball) and he ended up with the Cincinnati Bobcats for the remainder of his collegiate career. He hasn't held down a permanent NBA gig. Which doesn't matter because his potential move to China spells certain fame for one of basketball's greatest athletes (link via HoopsHype).

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, basketball is built on the spectacular. The greatest moments from most NBA games are when a player defies the conventions and framework of typical NBA basketball and complete a play which challenges the viewers notions of basketball's limits. And this is why James White will succeed in a global market.

White possesses athletic abilities few NBA players, if any, can replicate in the most competitive professional sports league in the world. Against professional competition in China White will dominate and find an ideal venue for his dunking abilitity.

Basketball is rapidly expanding. China's enthusiasm for American players during the 08 Olympics is all the evidence you need. Kobe Bryant's popularity compares favourably with Yao Ming's. And in a sport built on the spectacular, James White could enter a fruitful career in a flourishing global economy.

Oakley Cafe

2008-10-02T14:49:00.001-07:00

When you speak of unrealized potential in the NBA, former player Keon Clark has to come to mind. As a player he defied any sort of categorical classification with regard to position. He weighed next to nothing. He liked drugs. He left us with too few highlights from a heavily blemished career.

Regardless

2008-10-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

"Move, trick. Get out the way."

Some things which excite me before the coming 2008-09 NBA season:

-Nathan Jawai's health. Did Colangelo pick up a Mike Sweetney character here? Is his blood-type Dr. Pepper? This guy is a year younger than I am, is a professional athlete, and has cardiac problems. Jawai might have Eddy Curry-syndrome.

-Jose Calderon getting full burn in Toronto. Is Calderon more effective as a spark plug off the bench? Can he progress from last year's breakout season?

-Greg Oden. Part of me feels like he'll be his generation's Bill Walton. Which could bury a promising TrailBlazers franchise.

-Darius Miles, namely how long it'll take before he starts sweating red wine in practice.

-Clippers fans. Expect some big names to fill up the courtside seats at atrocious Clippers home guys while they support their new best friend, Baron.

-Like any year, the shitty teams. I can't wait for the Jefferson-Love-Miller era in Minnesota or the Gay-Mayo era in Memphis. Wow, Gay-Mayo. That's great.

-Denver Nuggets. I fully don't expect them to make the Western Conference playoffs, but with Camby out of town, an already dismal defense gets even worse. What's the over/under on how many times they give up 135+ points? I think a 9.5 makes things interesting.

White Boy

2008-09-27T18:10:00.001-07:00

In the late 90s the Sacramento Kings became one of the league's great teams - and ultimately one of its underaccomplished - due partly to Jason Williams arrival. Catching the Kings on national television now became easy. Here was a team both charismatic and reckless, balanced and flawed. For the start of the 1998-99 season, Jason Williams and Paul Pierce were the early favourites for Rookie of the Year before Vince Carter usurped their spots at the top of the rookie class. Regardless, Williams netted a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team with his flash and style. Whether by side-arming no-look passes or crossing over opposing point guards, the Kings became must-watch NBA basketball. None of us wanted to miss his next highlight.

Which is why Jason Williams' (affectionately known as White Chocolate) retirement from the NBA, just yesterday, is as underwhelming as the eventual plight of those cherished Kings teams. There's that old Neil Young line (it's a bit overused I realize, but I digress), "It's better to burn out than to fade away." And Williams did fade away. He managed to sign on with the Clippers this summer, during, what was for him, a quiet off-season of free agency. The news of his retirement will barely register with most sportscasts, though at one time his jersey was the highest-selling of any NBA player.

What I remember about Williams is that he made the pass cool. For ninth-grade basketball players, most of whom could barely touch the rim, we took unprecedented levels of influence from his game. Granted, we were taking influence of that infamous, reckless style, but scoring was no longer the most important aspect to the game. If we could fire a no-look pass with flair, that was just as good.

During English class in Grade ten, my teacher requested the class write a report on someone who greatly influenced our lives. Not wanting to go with the requisite choices of Pierre Trudeau or Martin Luther King Jr., I chose Jason Williams. A guy who was suspended from the University of Florida towards the end of his collegiate career for smoking pot. A guy who was the Eminem of basketball. He was a little misunderstood, a little trailer park trash, but his game was undeniably fun to watch. A logical choice for an impressionable NBA junkie. At one point his Kings team was the only in the league to average over 100 points per game. Offense was going down the tubes and Williams did his best to keep it alive. Shockingly I received an outstanding grade for the report.

When Williams ended up on the Memphis Grizzlies, his individual play flourished. Hubie Brown did his best to tame J-Will's wild tendencies. The reckless point guard was now among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. He posted his best statistical season as a Grizzly. But we all tuned out. The half-court bounce passes were few and far between. I have no idea how to sum up the career of a guy like Williams. He faded away, my support diminished. Though I always felt a twinge of excitement when Williams came in for the Heat and occasionally launched up some ill-advised three-pointers. There was a joy to his game that wasn't really conducive to the pro game. Here I'll leave you with a video of some moments in a difficult, and awe-inspiring, career:

Formatting

2008-09-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

The NBA dunk contest continually ranks as one of the top moments in any NBA season and the hallmark event of All-Star Weekend. (As much as I enjoy Bill Laimbeer and Michael Cooper tanking half-court shots with WNBA players whose team names elude me at the moment...) My first memories of the dunk contest are as follows: the older guys at school putting the ball through their legs and sorta-dunking on the monkey bars a la Isaiah Rider (no word on whether they emulated anything from Rider's personal life); and watching my first televised dunk contest, the year in which Brent Barry defied the racial odds and beat out such NBA luminaries as Jerry Stackhouse & Michael Finley. (Rick got the scoring prowess, Brent the hops, Jon the, uh, broadcasting skills?)

For any basketball fan who is beginning, in childhood, to take awe of the game and its freakish levels of athleticism, the dunk contest becomes an annual event of pure indulgence: for a moment we take away all the notions of 'proper' basketball - as preached by coaches at any level - and eschew its constrictions in favour of basketball's equivalent of candy. The game frequently dazzles on any given night, but there's also the final three minutes of a game (which take a good twenty to thirty minutes to complete), the lackadaisical beginnings of the third quarter, and the overall gamesmanship (READ: defense) which requires teams to put away any notions of the spectacular.

Vince Carter, in an interview with the Toronto media several years ago, said he was going to stop dunking. That two points were two points. That, basically, dunking was a frivolous skill. (At this point, Vince was already wildly unpopular with the Toronto media and, days later, was dunking during games.) And sure, he's right - a dunk and a lay-in are worth the same on the score sheet. But a lay-in doesn't inspire, nor does it make the highlight reels or ensure any level of endorsement. The foundation of basketball is built on the spectacular.

My cynical eleven-year-old self noted that Barry, in his winning foul-line dunk, had technically taken off from inside the line, if one were going by the location of his toes. Yet it was still the stuff that sent kids to their six or seven-foot rims.

Over the years the dunk contest has gone through some great highs and the occasional lull, but the same enthusiastic sentiment remains. However, if I could find one fault in the current system, it's that the NBA is doing everything to discourage its superstars from participating. Sure, we occasionally get players like Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudamire, but we've had some underwhelming winners, players like Gerald Green who don't see any significant NBA minutes. The Dunk Contest, I believe, should be about the best dunkers in the league. So yes, Green deserves a spot. But there are players like Lebron James who possess otherworldly athletic abilities and vertical leap, yet would never go near the dunk contest, and frankly, are afraid to do so.

In the dunk contest years post-Carter (there's room for another jab at VC), the superstar player has shown apprehension with taking part. Let's take a look at Carter's dunk contest year: Vince Carter, Steve Francis, Tracy McGrady, Jerry Stackhouse, Ricky Davis, and Larry Hughes all participated. Regardless of how we all feel about their respective talents, the fact remains that four all-stars competed in that competition and two elite-level players. The contestants from 2008 featured Dwight Howard (a superstar), Rudy Gay (nice sophomore player), Gerald Green (one year from a career in Italy), and Jamario Moon (energy player, ultimately nothing special).

Another point: Jordan participated in the dunk contest on three occasions, Dominique Wilkens an astonishing five times. Dr. J participated in two during the twilight of his career and on neither occasion did he win. The dunk competition has become an exhibition for capable athletes who are largely one-dimensional, with maybe the room for one I-don't-give-a-fuck type superstar. And it's got more to do with the system.

What I loved about the Barry-era dunk contest was that you had 90 seconds to put together three dunks in the first round of competition, then 60 seconds for two dunks in the final round. Players would rattle off whatever they could in that amount of time. The pressure of nailing dunks on one opportunity didn't exist. You did what you could in the allotted time and saw how it panned out. Some things didn't work, others did. When some failed you had time to think up something on the spot and try it out. This was a free-wheeling era in dunk competitions.

But ultimately, the prospect of competing wasn't nearly as scary. The whole thing is hyped up so much these days, and rightly so, but with so few competitors and so little room for error, why would a superstar, someone of Lebron's caliber, risk embarrassment as a global audience tunes in? In Carter's day, there was at least some modicum of honour in winning the title. Now we're all too scared to step out and take some risks. The honour is still present, but the journey to that desired end result is difficult and not-at-all conducive to NBA stars. Let me repeat: Jordan competed in three of these things. The chances of Lebron competing in one is suspect. It's much more comfortable videotaping it, next to Damon Jones in a leopard suit, on the sidelines.

Baron Davis, a Bit Chunky

2008-09-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

That's some lame shit right there.

Over the summer Elton Brand left the once again-hapless Clippers in favour of the surging (and young!) Philadelphia Sixers. One of the key stories to come out of the transaction, aside from the Sixers' predicted rise in the Eastern Conference, was that of Baron Davis, who had signed with the Clippers after receiving confirmation from Brand that he'd stick around in LA. A number of journalists came out and tried to rank/assess the level of backstabbery on Brand's part. Needless to say it was often not a favourable response to Brand's character (though Brand has been a pretty classy, workman-type player in his basketball career).

So what about Baron Davis' reaction to the whole thing? Davis didn't care too much. Brand made his decision. Davis respected it. And thus the story deflated. At this point the Sixers look like a so-so contender in the Eastern Conference and the Clippers look to fall even further in the West, thus assuming their former perennial mediocrity.

Few journalists, however, commented on Davis' post-basketball career. Baron has made no attempts to disguise his leanings toward a film career once his career ends. He runs a movie blog. He's gotten into documentary producing. This move to LA only cements his ability to further schmooze with the Hollywood elite as his career winds down (which it will, very soon). Did you see the guy sitting courtside with Adam Sandler during the Lakers playoff games? Dude was already hanging out in LA with actors. He's been linked to Teri Hatcher (yikes). And now TrueHoop links to some photos of Jessica Alba, Baron, and some other shirtless dude hanging out on the beach. In what universe are we living in when Baron Davis, Jessica Alba, and some other guy (probably her husband) are frolicking on the beach? Baron Davis: richest third-wheel in date history.

I see this move for Davis as purely post-basketball finances. He wants to hang around LA, make some connections, and further his career in film production (AKA chill out with attractive celebrities and lay some of the Desperate Housewives). I also see Davis' career taking a nose-dive in the immediate future. To start, look at his body. The man looks like Oliver Miller in point guard form (well, not quite). But he doesn't look to be in the greatest shape in the weeks preceding training camp. (Thornton's gonna dunk on his face. Kid is nice.) Baron was a great story last season. He faded down the stretch, and the Warriors faltered in their playoff pursuit, but he still put together a solid season, especially for a point guard with that amount of mileage. I just don't see Davis holding up over the course of 82 games. Playing with the Clippers only makes matters worse. It's one thing to try and hold onto your health with a contender, but another thing with a bottom-dweller.

I caught the news of Shareef Abdur-Rahim retiring after 11 seasons in the league. Shareef easily had one the most understated and underwhelming careers in recent memory. He notched some impressive statistics in his career, though never played in a big market or for any particularly formidable teams. The one thing his retirement brings to mind is a dinky little home page I started ages ago in middle school. I provided a ranking of the top-ten NBA players. Rahim placed third (!), finishing behind Shaq, and either Tim Duncan or Jason Kidd. My rankings were clearly flawed, but Rahim was a player in those Grizzlies days. His placement was largely influenced by averaging 24.5 ppg in the preceding season. The Grizzlies were terrible mind you (Royal Ivey could've notched 17 on that team), but Rahim was an interesting SF/PF hybrid, maybe even a trailblazer for tweeners like Beasley who fall somewhere in between the post and perimeter.

Meditations on Bargnani

2008-09-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Excuse the lack of updates. We'll get back to it.

Andrea Bargnani has become a sore subject for Raptors fans in the past year. And things turned quickly. After his rookie season - one in which Bargnani regularly drew comparisons to Nowitzki and Europe's finest exports - the Raptors faithful thought we had a one-two punch between AB and Chris Bosh that was sure to compete, and potentially dominate, the Eastern Conference for a good decade. (Foolishly I thought Bargnani had a chance to usurp Bosh as the team's number one offensive option, or at least become the go-to guy in the game's final moments. His first couple games of his sophomore season featured offensive performances that outshone Bosh's - this didn't help my radical and idealistic viewpoint w/r/t Bargnani's future worth.)

But then all of that talk dissipated in a season of inconsistency which came to exemplify all the reasons why "sophomore slump" is an appropriate and cliched term to throw out there in reference to out-of-the-gates blazing talent in sports, music, whatever. Most sports columnists and commentators chalked it up as a lack of confidence. This is an understatement of sorts. Bargnani looked like a corpse for large portions of 07-08 campaign. The vacant eyes, the gaping mouth - he had the look of a village idiot. Only he was 7-feet tall and could ball at a reasonable level. Perhaps Bargnani is just a sensitive guy. More recently we've seen Vince Young's fragile interiority reach a sort of breaking point in a promising young career. I don't expect suicide concerns or dispatching the Police to look for AB in Sarnia, but he could be another one in a series of athletes who - though physically blessed and holding the required physicality to excel in their respective sports - is missing something in the head to push him into consistent productivity.

So what's going to happen with Bargnani? Some fans want him canned. This is a bit rash. His stock couldn't be that good right now. There's no chance the Raptors could grab David Lee from the Knicks for him (purely as an example, disregarding fiscal terms of said deal), though, in reality, Bargnani's ceiling is much higher than a guy like Lee. The difference is that you know what you're getting from Lee: hustle, about 10/10 per night in minimal minutes, and he gets his numbers without having to run any plays his way. He's a garbage man. And I reliable one at that.

But let's put away any thoughts of a trade. He still averaged double figures (barely) in 07-08. And when he played well, much like his first season, he can elicit excitement like few players in Raptors history. When Bargnani knocks down a series of three-pointers and shows some genuine passion for the game, there's no way you don't go berserk. He possesses a game-changing ability no other player on the Raptors does. Sure, we've got Bosh, and this talk may seem blasphemous in some Raptors circles, but Bosh is a whole different thing. He plays hard every night, he gets his stats by using his brain (something mentioned by Lebron on CBC's The Hour), not his physicality, and he's a great first option. But he's not a game-changer. Do I feel comfortable with Bosh having the ball in his hands as the clock runs out? His mid-range game is probably a little under-rated, but he's not a shooter (even a scorer) by any means. His offensive repertoire is equal parts hard work and intellect. He picks his spots, stays aggressive, takes the ball to the hole with intensity, and has great shot selection from 15 feet out. But Bargnani is the type of player who could throw up a twenty-five footer to win a game. I've seen enough passion in the kid to know that the vacant look in his eyes is a symptom of his disillusionment with his respective game. You can't blame him too much. Or at least I hope that's what it is. General complacency would be a whole thing altogether.

Colangelo should be lauded for keeping him around. He could've swung a deal before Bargnani's trade worth plummeted. But as it stands he still has that huge ceiling we caught glimpses of in a largely positive rookie season. Season three, however, is the last opportunity for him to take the next leap in his career. If not, I expect to see him back in Europe and end up an even greater disappointment that Darko. At least that dude is still kicking around.

Gist I Say!

2008-09-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite individuals in the NBA game is the 'role' player one would define as an undersized power forward. Second-round draft picks like Houston's Carl Landry and Utah's Paul Milsap are the prototypical new-age power forward: a couple inches under the preferred height, loads of NCAA experience, the ability to pick up points without a play ever being called for them, and a preternatural ability to find boards, often on the offensive glass. These guys are almost always steals in the draft. I fail to see how three or four-year collegiate players from major conferences who put up big numbers and have a knack for finding the basketball are often over-looked in lieu of 'projects' or European dudes who play in suspect leagues. Simply put, you can't teach aggression and tenacity, and Landry and Milsap have it. Last year Landry was a huge steal, and looking at this year's draftees, I believe the same could happen to James Gist out of Maryland. I'd call him a SF/PF hybrid - certainly his ability to run the floor and finish around the hoop is reminiscent of wing players or only the most athletic of PF's. It'll be tough to get burn in San Antonio, but Gist injects some much needed athleticism into a locker room starting to resemble a geriatric unit.

Here's an article from Sam Smith on Hoopshype in which he talks about basketball players being a little more politically-charged and opinionated during this election campaign, in comparison with other years. For the most part, NBA athletes have pledged their support support for Barack Obama - fair enough, my politics seem to coincide with theirs. But I hardly agree with Smith that athletes have become any more politically opinionated with this election. Earlier in the article he references Bill Walton's attempt to deliver a letter to Nixon asking for his resignation and, in addition, Walton's on-campus protesting at UCLA. We're all familiar with Muhammed Ali, the pinnacle of sports and politics intersecting in a manner of discourse. There's a big difference between an athlete taking a stand for issues than Greg Oden posting his preference for Obama on his blog. The athletes mentioned in Smith's article have done nothing more than say they support Obama. We don't even know whether they're in favour of his politics, simply that they support him.

The race card is a difficult thing to get into. Look, I'm all for Barack Obama and feel he's the superior candidate. But let's go over some statistics: the NBA is around 80% black; the Democratic NBA supporters mentioned in the article were black; the only Republican mentioned was Spencer Hawes, a big white dude who most likely hunts bucks with his pa. There's nothing revelatory about several black athletes showing their support for a black presidential candidate, yet somehow Smith has misinterpreted the degree to which athletes are getting involved (apparently Baron Davis has hosted events, so he's off the hook). Offhandedly mentioning you're a Barack supporter during an interview does not qualify you as a politically-charged individual when the candidate is of the same race as you. I am glad athletes are lending their support, yet somewhat feel there's an inherent moral obligation to support a leading member of your racial community. Once again, I'm treading in difficult water here, but a truly maverick guy would be the black athlete who openly expressed his preference for McCain/Palin. And I think most African-American athletes share more in common than you'd think with McCain and Palin's policies, especially those individuals who hold the same religious beliefs.

It's nice that Sam Smith could point out some instances of athletes eschewing their standard sense of political apathy, but the comparisons to truly passionate individuals who were willing to risk and/or sacrifice their reputation and image for the greater good are out of place. It's sad that we're willing to pat an athlete's back for having an opinion. Very little is at stake for African-American athletes showering praise and support upon Obama, so there's no need to congratulate them when other athletes have used their public platform to not only announce their opinions, but strive for social change.

McLuhan and Team Dynamics

2008-09-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

After Friday's move away from basketball and into the finer points of club security and interior design, this post resumes with hoops content, albeit somewhat academic. Please excuse the academic nature, I'll try to lace my finer points with the requisite sarcasm and criticism you'd expect.

This morning, while lying in bed half-asleep, I was thinking of team dynamics in basketball. (Morning sleep-ins usually consist of surrealist imagery and boners, so I'm not sure what Marshall McLuhan was doing in there.) Specifically I was thinking of the Boston Celtics, hailed by the media as a great 'team' and the embodiment of twelve players buying into a system where personal statistics were secondary and winning came before everything. This is about when it occurred to me that the Celtics, despite being the best 'team' in the NBA last year, really weren't a team in the least. Same goes for the Lakers, Spurs, and any other respectable team. Basketball is a sport about one or two superstars and a host of other guys filling specialized roles. Fortunately for the Celtics both Garnett and Pierce were the thoroughbreds you could mount a team's expectations upon. Any notion of 'team' seems a bit ridiculous when dudes like Scalabrine couldn't even get any burn. I'm sure having a tall, Irish-looking goofy white guy on the team is good for morale, but I'd hardly call that a specialized role within a team. Look at some of those great Suns teams from the previous few post-seasons when they were working with an eight-man rotation. One-third of team only saw the court when the outcome of the game was a foregone conclusion (ie. Pat Burke!). Their hopes depended upon Nash, Stoudemire, and one or two guys on each night stepping up and contributing beyond their usual means, whether it was Barbosa, Diaw, or Bell.

In a podcast earlier this year between Bill Simmons and Bill Walton, Walton bemoaned how basketball players these days are only able to do one or two things on the court. (Walton was also unhinged for the duration of the hour-length interview. Simmons probably had a nap mid-way through as Waltron drove that thing from one tangent to the next. I'm thinking ABC gives Walton a shock in order to reign him in on their telecasts.) And you can't really argue with Walton on that. In another example, Paul Shirley speaks about the differences between European and American basketball in his book Can I Keep My Jersey?, mostly the American brand of specialization is non-existent in Europe, where a "Why not?" attitude is adopted by most coaches. (As in, "Why not let our big man learn how to shoot threes?") Shirley chalks it up to laziness on the part of coaches who want to peg guys and teach them a limited skill set. Let's take a guy like Raja Bell. In terms of his team role, his most important assignment is this: defending the other team's best perimeter player (ie. Kobe, Manu, etc.). The Suns brass wouldn't readily admit that's his one function on the team, but knocking down threes is a distant second. Anything other than defense is a bonus. When Bell gets hot and cans 20 points, it's a relief for other players who carry the offensive load. But that's not his job. His job, on a defensively weak team, is to be the guy who is a defensive stalwart and make up for the deficiencies of Nash and Stoudemire. Without defense Bell would be without a job.

So the whole notion of team dynamics becomes an interesting one when players are limited in the breadth of their abilities. (Here's where I get academic, so bear with me.) The 'team' model we see today is a reflection of the fragmentation seen in the mechanized era following the invention of the printing press. McLuhan coined the terms 'hot' and 'cool' mediums; 'hot' being a medium without audience participation and high-definition, 'cool' being a participatory medium and low-definition. In the sense of relations between different systems within the larger whole, the mechanical era ushered in specialization whereby certain parts existed for the sake of completing one set purpose or goal. In tribal or electrical societies, participatory models have been the norm, yet in our electrical society, basketball hasn't taken the lead of participatory media, which I think is the antithesis of the 'team' labels being hammered into us by the print/web/broadcast media concerning teams like the Celtics, Suns, etc. If we're comparing basketball to free jazz, then the electrical model holds up. Jazz and its interplay amongst players conjures up participatory, 'cool' models, something that can certainly be applied to basketball. But on the whole, especially when we're seeing players pigeon-holed into certain roles, the game becomes a reflection of a mechanized society where people exist to fulfill one role. Football is perhaps a better example. Teams draft for need (this occurs in basketball, though not to the hyper-extent of a sport like football, where the need for an offensive guard with a specific skill set becomes such a draft-day priority). Each year there are holes within an NFL team's roster and the draft serves as an opportunity to fill those roles and peg draftees into specified roles. Look, my arguments here can be refuted on so many levels. There is always a certain amount of interplay between the individuals (ie. parts) within a team (ie. whole system), otherwise the game would be unwatchable. Further, to take the Raja Bell example, he isn't only there for defense, but that is his chief purpose. That's what earns him a role in the starting line-up and big minutes. His role almost has more to do with the offensive abilities of his opponents rather than his own. The whole concept of 'role' players best explains my argument. Certain players in the league are known for the 'role' they bring to their team. Robert Horry's role on various teams has been to take big shots in big moments. Similarly Michael Finley and Brent Barry have become largely three-point specialists for the Spurs. Often, teams like the Spurs, are lauded as a team for having such a formidable number of 'role' players. But that notion seems paradoxical. Role players seems to refute the notion of team in a tribal or electrical context. There are a lot of holes in my argument, but team dynamics, at least for me, comes down the ability of cogs to carry out their specialized functions.

Old Show

2008-09-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

This post will diverge from basketball and recount the story of the worst concert I've ever been to: a Clipse show, in Victoria, British Columbia, from around 14-15 months ago.

Certain genres of music can elicit appreciation from different sects of the consuming public. Kinda goes without saying you'd think. For instance, those persons (myself included) who listen to indie music - which I realize is a loaded term and really means nothing since half the bands aren't truly independent in the first place - poach from other genres and bring artists/bands into the fold of our fandom. Occasionally electronic, techno bullshit or whatever can slip through the cracks, but more often some hip-hop will filter from its intended audience (either left-field hip-hop heads or mainstream top-40 types) and into the playlists of individuals who consider Stephen Malkmus a God or attend Polvo reunion shows.

Enter Clipse, twin-brother coke-rap duo from Virginia Beach, most notable on a grand scale for their affiliation with Pharrell of The Neptunes. These guys sorta talk about dealing coke all the time, but at the heart of their music lies a certain charisma and, most predominantly for me, chilling and sparse production. Their music appeals primarily to different groups of listeners: those who like the aggression and tenacity of so-called coke-rap (is that a term people even use?) and those, like myself, who wear too much plaid and are in the midst of receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from an accredited institution. Not closely linked. At all.

So when I heard Clipse was coming to Victoria, only six months after releasing Hell Hath No Fury, I jumped at the opportunity and purchased tickets for my girlfriend and myself.

Quickly, a sociological make-up of Victoria, if you will: this city is comprised of senior citizens. Bus routes take an average of five to ten-minutes extra to reach your destination on account of the number of walkers and motorized vehicles which need assistance in order to both get on and escort the bus. After old people, there are many students, and even more hippies. The city of Victoria exists within a strange liberal bubble made of flax seed and granola. Part of this has to do with our isolation on the island, and, living here for the past half-decade, I really don't feel part of the rest of the country. People bike everywhere. They believe in naturopathic medicine. They ingest oregano and garlic as an alternative to cold medicine. Seriously. So naturally the idea of Clipse coming to Victoria was a strange one. Unless "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" was remixed by Phish or Ani DiFranco, the likelihood of Clipse finding a local audience remained unlikely.

(Another side-note: the last time - and only other time - I had attended a hip-hop show in Victoria I was kicked out under false pretenses. This was at a De La Soul show, and they're basically hippies that rap. The crowd make-up consisted of douchebags who thought it was like any other night at the club (ie. they were trying to get laid) and white guys who made me embarrassed to be white on account of their giddiness of being at their first hip-hop show (ie. dancing around in their American Eagle polos). One girl behind me asked me if the show was over before De La Soul hit the stage.)

Around 10 PM my girlfriend and I arrived at V-Lounge, a Victoria venue I had never been to in my five years of regularly hitting up shows. For the first time in my concert-going adulthood I was patted down and walked through a metal detector upon entering the show. A male bouncer said to me, as he was essentially feeling me up, "How do you feel about your girlfriend getting touched?" At the time, my girlfriend was being frisked by a female bouncer. My reply: "As long as it's not you, bud."

Once the staff of brain surgeons at V-Lounge had assessed that I left my Tec-9 and machete at home, we were free to roam around the venue. I'd like to take this opportunity to tell the owner/interior designer of V-Lounge that, despite their best efforts, their establishment is not a classy place. In theory, the idea of fashioning the club after Caesar's Palace or, say, Athens, may have looked good on paper (certainly not to a polymath, or a successful entrepreneur), but it in facts looks really hokey to have Greek-style white pillars around the perimeter of your interior. Furthermore, the club itself was part of a complex of buildings that included a liquor store, seedy motel, strip club, and Chinese restaurant. All the components for one hell of a guy's weekend.

My initial inquiry, as per the make-up of the concert's audience, was quickly determined by the influx of white guys who thought they were thugs. I am not sure where they came from (Sooke? Esquimalt?), but there is clearly an unidentified habitat of 'wiggers' living amongst us who have taken a monopoly over the city's supply of XXXL white t-shirts. As mentioned earlier, Clipse draws a crowd of coke-rap fans and hipsters. Only coke-rap fans and small-time drug dealers showed up this night. Maybe it was due to the show's nearly non-existent promotion or maybe I was the only person in Victoria unaware of V-Lounge's reputation for white guys in FUBU and whores. Thank God there were metal detectors at the door.

Speaking of whores, there were plenty. The show didn't start for another hour and a half after our arrival so my girlfriend and I played a game of Spot The Hoochie, in which we spotted hoochies on the dance floor and assessed how long it would take for a Federline look-a-like to spit some game on them (or slip them a date rape pill). This is how the situation played out: two girls would head up to the dance floor, as a tandem, and seductively dance with their ass hanging out of their skirts until a couple of noble suitors would approach and ask for their hand in dance (READ: rub their denim-covered penis up in that chick's ass crack). It seldom took more than a minute for the girls to get picked up and never involved the guys buying these young ladies a drink (that's one for us, guys!). Our favourite skank-tandem was easily two girls who, despite upwards of thirty minutes on the dance floor, attracted few suitors on account of one of the girls being rather, well, large.

The show got off to a rousing start when (...struggling to find the guy's name...), uh, a local white guy took the stage and rapped, about, some things, poorly. Yes, there were local Victoria openers! Clipse didn't bother to bring anyone out on tour with them so the crowd was treated to not one, not two, but three local rappers. By far the greatest opener was a short black man in a leather jacket who was basically copying DMX's shtick from ten years ago. Needless to say he spent much of the set yelling, barking, and generally getting angry. He was able to get the crowd on his side early by making a disparaging remark about the cops outside (well played). Here's the thing: Victoria is consistently ranked as one of the ten-greatest cities in the world in which to live. We live by the Pacific Ocean, the crime rate is low, and we offer an astounding number of vegan bakeries. What is there to complain about DMX-man?

By the time 1 AM rolled around I was seriously thinking that Clipse didn't bother showing, or perhaps were never even slated to perform. I mean, c'mon, Clipse coming to Victoria? The whole thing sounded like a local promoter's sleazy way to steal $35 from a bunch of unsuspecting dunces (myself included). Luckily for the promoter's life, Clipse did hit the stage at about a quarter past one. This was about the time when we realized that the sound system was perhaps borrowed from Delta Bingo. This was also about the time when the fights started breaking out.

For the duration of Clipse' set, which I could barely hear because the speakers were barely fit for a banquet at the Canadian Legion, fights continually broke out, often spilling into my girlfriend and I. The entire night you could practically smell the testosterone wafting through the white t-shirts. I think even a couple of the ivy leaves on the ceiling wilted. Fights were brewing the entire night. Only these guys waited until Clipse finally arrived in order to show off.

(Let me take a minute to reiterate: the crowd actually waited until Clipse started performing before they began to pummel one another. The crowd, comprised of white guys in one of the nicest cities in the world, tried to to impress the rappers, a couple of ex-cocaine dealers. Clipse were not impressed. Appropriately, they asked the audience why they were fighting.)

Any attempts to impress Clipse were quickly thwarted by V-Lounge security, who were, without a doubt, the finest bouncers. Say what you want about the interior design, but the bouncers put every unsuspecting thug into a crippling choke hold within seconds of a fight erupting. Most impressive was a female bouncer in her mid-40s who manhandled a good half-dozen wiggers. Said woman also approached a man behind me, during the set, to have a word with him. I turned around to find the angry black rapper hiding behind me, puffing away at a cigarette. Bad-ass move DMX-man. You really showed the employees of V-Lounge by lighting a cigarette and getting busted for your indiscretion. The man is still keeping you down, I see.

There is perhaps no other way to end this story other than my girlfriend and I leaving with a couple songs remaining in the set. Clipse didn't play for long, and really, I have no idea whether they're good live performers or not on account of the aforementioned fights and shitty sound quality. On the outdoor lawn of V-Lounge, around 2 AM, a mess of handcuffed wiggers lay face-down in the grass. If that isn't a fitting end to a Wednesday night, I don't know what is.

One-half of Clipse with Cat Power.

2008-09-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Oliver Miller: sadly one of the better players in early Raptors history.

Strangely Shawn Kemp has made two sightings on this blog in its first week (which is about two more sightings than he's made to his children, but I digress...), so I thought I'd share an excerpt from Paul Shirley's Can I Keep My Jersey?:

"During one of our first four preseason games, I found myself on the court with Shawn Kemp. He was wearing an Orlando Magic uniform, which was odd - Shawn Kemp will always wear a Sonics uniform in my mind. But the strangest aspect of Kemp's appearance was not his uniform. It was what was under it. Shawn Kemp is huge. And not huge like tall and strong - huge like Oliver Miller. Huge like Chris Farley, post-Saturday Night Live and pre-overdose. Kemp is listed at 280 pounds in the media guide, but he looks a lot bigger than that. I think they weighed him on the moon."

Shawn Kemp will remain a subject of fascination for hoops fans for three reasons: (a) few players have possessed as much raw talent and power as Kemp; (b) few men outside of a polygamist ranch have fathered as many children by as many women; and (c) like Bo Jackson, Kemp is firmly entrenched within the pantheon of transcendent video game characters. Picking the Sonics in NBA Jam was like injecting Secretariat with steroids prior to the Kentucky Derby - any opponent wouldn't have the physical tools to keep up.

On a slightly dissimilar note, I've been thinking of ways to bring Kemp back into the media. Some may call them exploitive, but hey, he'd be paid for his services, and frankly, Kemp needs all the money he can get, hence the dozens of failed come-back attempts with a myriad of NBA and European teams. (His agent: "I swear to God, he's lost weight!") Most of my ideas involve VH1-style television series. The first is simple: a drinking competition between Kemp and Vin Baker. If Darius Miles can't find a team by November, then we'll bring him on board. Really all you need is a room, a couple (rented) cameras, a table, two chairs, and about three 26 oz. bottles of hard liquor. The budget could squeak in under $200.

There are more ideas in hand, but most of them involve A Night at the Roxbury-style clubbing with Kemp & Baker to Scott Baio-esque redemptive tales of monogamy.

Nostalgia, Pt. 2

2008-09-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

The last entry really diverted from the intention of its initial aim: nostalgia for Tom Chambers based purely upon video footage (culled from YouTube) of a dunk in which he looks directly at the rim. Nostalgia is defined (and I’m paraphrasing here) as a longing for home or for the past, which is exactly why I’m dumbfounded by my undying love for this video and, to a slightly lesser extent, Tom Chambers. When I started seriously watching basketball (and I mean seriously in the loosest fan-boy, elementary school way) I was around nine years of age. My earliest memory was watching Michael Jordan return from his first retirement against the Indiana Pacers while I worked away on a bristol board presentation about Ancient Egypt. (I was gluing a photo of a decomposed King Tut as Jordan went up for his first post-baseball dunk, an awkward dunk of little elevation). Needless to say, when I first started watching, I knew nothing of Tom Chambers. As it stands I still know little about Chambers outside of his legendary dunk, his prolific scoring, height (6’10”!), and an All-Star game MVP.

But I do harbour intense nostalgia for Chambers and multiple other players of his generation. What’s getting me is whether one can have nostalgia for something they never saw the first time around? Basically the notion of home in the definition of nostalgia. I have no roots to basketball in the 1980s, so why would I like Chambers, Larry Bird, and Bernard King? How would my perception of Chambers change had I witnessed his career? There’s the possibility I wouldn’t have liked him at all. There are plenty of NBA players who, years from now, will look formidable on paper, yet, for whatever reasons, may not have possessed any likeability in the present. (Chances are that history will treat Gilbert Arenas splendidly, but from my own fan’s perspective I really don’t like his game. Call me a purist, but I have no interest in watching a point guard jack up unnecessary three-point attempts. That, and his personality.) But, to run with the parenthetical on Arenas, we have plenty of YouTube videos to show only a slice of his game – notably, his game-closing daggers from thirty-five feet out. You’d have to be a complete dick not to appreciate any athlete in a team sport with the nerve to make – or even attempt – such an exceedingly difficult play with victory in the balance, especially when deference (including the deference of blame) is an option. The only people who do this are overly-confident individuals and playground "chuckers." Likewise, with Chambers, we have the dunk footage where he launches himself off Mark Jackson’s sternum. But as formidable a highlight as that was, it’s only two points in a career of over 20,000. And I never witnessed any of those baskets.

Presumably YouTube will come to affect our perceptions of basketball history and its players, and most likely to a great extent. Without YouTube I wouldn’t have seen Chambers’ dunk on Jackson, Bernard King dropping 50 on consecutive nights, or Crispin Glover attempt to drop-kick David Letterman. YouTube has become a carrier for nostalgia. Your new favourite player could be older than your father or currently the assistant manager of a Wal-Mart in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The editing of an athlete’s career into four or five-minute video bytes (complete with backing music from the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Cam’Ron!) will largely dictate how future generations come to perceive their worth as athletes. One of the best examples of a basketball player who will always survive in the minds of fans based upon highlight-reel footage is Shawn Kemp. The guy didn’t have a long career, his numbers were merely good, and, with present perspective in mind, seems to be a poor man’s Amare Stoudemire. None of this really matters however, since, as in the case of Tom Chambers, his ability to invoke nostalgia is off the charts.

Nostalgia

2008-08-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

To clarify a poorly-written sentence near the end of the last post, when I mentioned that athletes in individual sports are "hung out to dry," I was referring to the opponents of athletes like Nadal who, without the option of compensation from teammates, stand little chance against an athlete who imposes a style of play without reference points. Although it could be read that someone like Stoudemire is hung out to dry, so to speak, as his skill-set isn't able to reach its full potential in his respective sport. But that's not what I really meant.

Today's post is about nostalgia, but first, a few notes about this video:

-I was never old enough to see the Arsenio Hall Show, but where does it rank on the scale of 1 to 10? (10 would be Letterman in his prime a couple decades ago, 1 would be Mike Bullard). I'm leaning towards Craig Ferguson territory for the sole reason that Arsenio had Tom Chambers and Cotton Fitzsimmons as guests. Granted, Chambers was a good NBA player, but worthy of a booking agent saying "Hey, you know what? I think our show tonight could go for some Tom Chambers and Cotton Fitzsimmons."
-Arsenio's interview skills are akin to sideline reporters at the half. On a more obnoxious level, he continually sighs "Yeah" after his guests finish a statement.
-Who in wardrobe allowed Fitzsimmons to waltz out in a leather licorice sweater? I hope his clothes are kicking around a Phoenix-area Value Village and inspiring a new generation of middle-aged dads to dress like Color Me Badd.

The topic of nostalgia is one that frequently intersects with professional basketball. Many count some of their favourite athletes as those having played before their viewing era. I was a viewing fan of Michael Jordan for the final three of his championships, yet, despite calling myself a fan of MJ, never saw his most dominant years (pre-baseball). I harbour intense nostalgia for tennis players of yore, from McEnroe to Borg, Nastasie and Connors. Some sporting fans consider Muhammed Ali their favourite athlete, yet how many in my generation have seen an Ali fight in its entirety? (For most in their 20s and younger, many would turn to Mann's Ali as a testament to Ali's greatest and legacy. Which is ridiculous, by the way). How about Bobby Orr, Carl Lewis, Maurice Richard, Chamberlain, Russell, Dimaggio? Further, and this is somewhat along the same lines as the question of 'favourites,' but most people, when you ask their opinion of the greatest athlete in a given sport, will give the name of someone from a past decade, often before they were born, or old enough to fully comprehend his/her respective impact upon their sport. To answer the question 'Who is the greatest basketball player of all-time?' I would answer 'Michael Jordan,' yet, like I said earlier, I never saw him drop 63 on the Celtics in the playoffs, or witnessed the season he averaged 37. My opinions are completely based off my elders, older sports writers, my father, whoever's viewpoint I value as having merit in the debate.

This is getting further and further away from my initial subject, which was going to discuss my nostalgia for Tom Chambers based solely on YouTube videos of his play, most notably the dunk over Mark Jackson, which continues to amaze and reverberate with white-boy hilarity. But the subject I find most troubling in regards to our opinions of 'greatest-ever' and 'favourites,' especially when the players in question pre-date our birth, is how these opinions are really just based off years of repetition by the media and the sporting public. There are individuals in sport whom the media loves (ie. Jordan) and those who the media is less than enamored with (ie. Kobe). To say that Jordan was the greatest player of all-time has become the cliche. Was he the greatest? It's likely, but it also helps that every sports journalist in North America had a man-crush on the guy. Kobe's flare for theatrics and balancing act between arrogance and confidence yields disdain from the media. Here's the thing: Jordan was an even bigger asshole than Kobe. We all know that. The guy punched Steve Kerr the fuck out in practice. He told his teammates not to pass to Bill Cartwright. His gambling was out of hand, his infidelities just as bad. Speaking of gambling, most other athletes (ie. Pete Rose) are lambasted in the media for their indiscretions. Jordan, in the midst of his myriad of character flaws, remained a subject of adoration for the media.

Another example: Bill Russell. There's been a big lovefest for this guy over the past few years, especially with the Celtics revival. But who actually saw Russell play? I sure as hell didn't. We have some black-and-white grainy footage of him, but once again, it comes down to the media loving him. Yes, he has 11 rings, but so did Henri 'the Pocket Rocket' Richard with the Montreal Canadiens, playing a sport that (okay, I'll admit it) has a more taxing and grueling off-season. Russell played against short white guys. Nobody places Henri Richard in the same category as Maurice Richard, Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr, or Howe, yet he's the most accomplished hockey player in terms of Stanley Cups, which is the same criteria many use when anointing Russell the greatest basketball player of all time, or greatest 'team player.' Bill Russell has an incredible personality and boat loads of charisma. His laugh is infectious, he wears a bright smile. You'd have to be an ingrate to find anything wrong in him. He's also a retro media darling. Did you see all those spots with him and Garnett during the Finals? He offered to give Garnett one of his eleven rings if Garnett retired with none. How do you dislike a generous, charismatic guy like that? And how does that bias affect our judgment of NBA talent?

If our opinions are largely influenced by the NBA-covering media, then the legacies of certain players can either be heightened or lowered as per their dictation. Another instance: Reggie Miller. The media loved this guy. He played late into his career at a reasonably high-level, broke a few records, and - here's the kicker - played for one team his entire career. The media, and sports fans, command a high level of respect for accomplished athletes who opt to start and finish their career in the same jersey. But really Reggie Miller was never a top-tier NBA player (though very close) and never won anything of substance. A player like Carmelo Anthony possesses a far more polished offensive game than Miller (this talk would be blasphemous in Gary, Indiana) yet I sincerely doubt Anthony receives the same level of accolades in his career, or accrues a legacy of similar value, despite sporting a better all-around game. Chalk this up to the media. They aren't huge Anthony fans. I could bring race relations into this, but I'll keep it short: Miller is "white-friendly". How else do you sustain a storied career in Indiana for upwards of two decades? (Especially when the Pacers faithful are pushing towards a more "white-friendly" team, hence no more Artest, Harrington, Jackson, and others.)

With all due respect to Tom Chambers, there is no time remaining. I'll leave you with this.

Preliminary

2008-08-30T00:25:00.000-07:00

This is the first post for The Cold Draft, and while I have no grand manifesto in place, I'll kick around a few ideas to start. (The title of the blog itself is loaded. Intuit what you will. Beer, NBA drafts, faulty caulking, etc.) By and large, the topic will be NBA basketball, and while I could bat around some theories as to why it's the only professional sports league I truly give a damn about, I simply don't have the time. Chalk it down to the personalities, race relations, globalization, and sheer physical prowess (amongst others). Expect the posts to run a wide gamut.

To start on the topic of Amare Stoudemire is puzzling. There isn't another player I can think of off-hand that I meet with such indifference. At one moment his abilities are transcendent and awe-inspiring. At another, a more rational side would indicate that his skill-set, borne from the genesis of athletic freaks like Darryl Dawkins and Shawn Kemp, really doesn't have a chance at winning (especially considering how defensively-challenged he finds himself). I would never buy his jersey, go out of my way to catch a game of his, and, despite possessing athletic gifts few players in the history of the sport can/could match, my attitude towards him remains blasé. But he is a new model, a new prototype I expect to be replicated in the future, though, up until this point, hasn't had a close follower.

How I got onto Amare Stoudemire, and the consideration of his skill-set, actually came from watching Rafael Nadal and his emergence this past season. The cross-sports comparisons are tricky. To completely dominate your sport has you labelled as Michael Jordan, whether it's Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, or whomever. But it's tricky because things really don't add up. They're different games, requiring different skill-sets, within different rules, regulations, and parameters, etc., etc. In the case of Nadal, however, I find an extension of Stoudemire, or at least a more plausible venue for Stoudemire's abilities. Between the two I haven't considered stylistic similarities in how they play their respective sports, because that's besides the point. When speaking of Stoudemire, for instance, the discussion inevitably returns to how he impacts the game, other players, etc. Few can describe his game. Like mentioned earlier, you find the genesis in guys like Kemp, power players who could finish with acrobatics, but that only scratches the surface. Kemp, no matter how glamourized and fetishized his game remains in our nostalgia, never had the capability of averaging 26 and 10. Without reference points, description of Stoudemire remains elusive and inevitably turns to his impact, or, perhaps more importantly in this case, how players adapt to him.

Which is the crux of the whole argument really: how players adapt to him. Nadal, in much the same way, has taken an electric, aggressive style of play more conducive to clay courts and successfully implemented his skill-set to other surfaces with success (albeit, not nearly as successful as his clay record, which will surpass Borg's in due time). His success actually has little to do with implementing a surface-specific game and more to do with imposing a style of play on his opponent. The surface, quickly following the lead of an inferior opponent, also plays to his style. Nadal, like Stoudemire, is a new model.

Stoudemire, though it's tough to compare accomplishments across sports, has definitely not had the same level of success as a guy like Nadal. He is a new model of player, impacts the game in new ways, and causes his opponents to adapt to him. Defensive schemes are dedicated towards him. They have to. If he pulls down 42 & 16 the game is over. But even on occasions where his statistics reach haughty levels, which is frequently, his team is liable to lose, as the Suns have for the past few post-seasons. And that's the whole thing: the team concept fails to fully express his potential on some scale of wins/losses, championships, individuals awards, etc. A guy like Nadal can impose his game on another player, force him to run with a new model of execution, and thus demolish someone for even attempting to do so. In Stoudemire's case, he's still one cog on the hardwood. As much as his model can be imposed on the overall framework of an individual game, statistical areas will prove how Stoudemire is just one part of the Suns machine (a big part, but, alas, only one). Not to mention the ball runs through Nash's hands. That is why I believe Rafael Nadal, as an extension of Amare Stoudemire, is a more successful individual to execute that particular brand of physical, athletic, dominant imposition. Like the human body in its levelling with homeostasis, a team can implement their own compensation to deal with dominant athletic forces. In the individual game you're just hung out to dry.

I have more thoughts on Amare, but that's more than enough.