The Sweet Confirmation of Excellence

While NBA success evaded all three KU players who made their debuts Wednesday night, there can be no doubt that KU represented itself and its championship well in the League. One guy started and filled the stat sheet whilst outdoing the #2 overall pick (MC: 17pts 7rbs 8asts). Another posted a 2x2 in his debut en route to incredible efficiency (DA: 11pts 15rbs). And the final dude had more conventionally rookie number but still good (BR: 7pts 3-5 FGs).

In all it was a successful debut for KU ’08, not so much for the respective teams.

Wildcat

This is a great development in Professional football: doing away with the notion that you need to have a single play calling focal point in an offense. Ronnie Brown taking direct snaps a sizable portion of the time forces reevaluation of the schemes used by defenses. Players who were previously content with playing defensive defense, dropping into a short zone to read the QB, indecisively reacting to play actions, &c, are now being called upon to react in time with the offense. Every offensive player has a role that can account for every defensive player, up to and including the back responsible for beating one man.

Base conceptual changes are rarely successfully executed and thus rarely tried, but the proliferation of deep backfields suddenly offers a chance to wreak incredible change upon defenses.

Imagine a league where Jerious Norwood and Michael Turner line up on the FAstlanta turf with the singular goal of beating one or two men. I mean you would Vick back! And Ldt, a known aficionado of the thrown ball, lining up with Sproles at his flank. The list goes on and on, and, fundamentally, there is no reason that a team should artificially sequester its top talent solely by convention.

AlphaOmega

Not to gloat but I think I nailed it when I talked about speed being the ultimate arbiter of success this year and in the future. We saw the emergence of Chris Johnson, Desean Jackson and Eddie Royal, the continued dominance of the Giants speed based pass rush and the delayed yet foundational birth of Reggie Bush.

We also saw the sad reality of the NFL and injuries; but we pay to see cause so cannot deny effect.

What really did this first weekend tell us outside of beginning the narrative of speed? I think it is clear that the myth of parity is just that. Coming out of the weekend we can clearly place the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants(maybe the exception), Steelers and Bears as teams that will vie. While the Patriots, Chargers and Colts are coming off sub-par performances they will almost certainly the three of them make the playoffs. On the other hand I think there are exciting things coming out of Buffalo and Arizona (Finally), and definite sleepers in Atl, Tennessee and Denver.

A final note: the emergence of Special Teams, long the domain of sparse yet stellar constellations, as a skill position certainly warrants a mention. Not only do we here have a another instance of the speed narrative, but more and more often we are seeing guys who do, or could, play a substantial offensive role fielding kicks. Desean Jackson, Eddie Royal, Devon Hester, Dante Hall, Darren Sproles, Hightower, Roscoe Parrish are all guys who you have to watch out for everytime they touch the ball, whether on an end around, an out, a kickoff, punt or fly, these guys are almost singlehandedly deconstructing the standard classifications of the NFL.

Our Heroes are Human

Super Nintendo and DA met up to relive some good times from the Jayhawker towers. Unfortunately, they didn't put a towel under the door.
If anything, this just endears them to me even more.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3567481

Spreading the Wealth

People have alternatively decried and celebrated the increasing use of the spread offense in the college game, and there can be little doubt that this use has had a powerful impact on the pro game. A much bandied about stat has been that NE used the shotgun on more than half its plays last year and every team employed a shotgun three WR set. This is all fine and good, but aside from pulling offense away from the center (to the left I suppose), what has been the effect of the spread in college on the pro game.

I believe that what we have seen, more than anything else, is a revolution in the RB position. A back who would have been considered by every measure a speed back only 5 years ago, AD, is now planted firmly in the soil of the power game. More tellingly though, is the increasing presence of guys who would have been tracked as DBs in college, or from RB to DB in the college to pro transition. Jonathan Stewart, Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson have far more in common with Pacman than last wave of great backs from Bettis to Eddie George. Now an argument can certainly be made that backs like Marshall Faulk and Barry Sanders argue against this as a new trend, yet these guys are known far more for shiftiness than breakaway speed. Even the top guys, with bigger builds, in this past draft, McFadden and F.Jones, thrived not in pound it out style but rather as turn the corner guys in college.

In terms of strategy I think this trend will have the effect of eliminating the FB from the game, with the blocking back being aided by offensive deception teams will employ running threats as blockers out of one back sets, and spread offenses and check downs as the hedge against stacking the line in short yardage situations.

Not much of this is entirely new thinking, but the trend is important to identify, and my prediction is that this year will be the year that speed out of the backfield becomes a major talking point.

Anamesos

I’m ramping up for the NFL, and detesting this coming weekend when I’ll be busy studying for an exam while college football unrolls. So, in what is by now a personal tradition, I’m taking between lecture breaks to jot shit down in the hope of coherence at worst and insight at best.

There is so much to say about Olympics basketball, how sweet it is that that final game was competitive, how sweet it is that the Basketball seems to be on track for a European Football like international groundswell, how sweet it is that in that rosy future the ones playing the beautiful game come not from the South but from our own fertile soils, or maybe how sweet it is that we will see the best players from the USA play together more than once a decade.

But I don’t want to discuss any of that. What I want to do is use the Olympics as a lens through which posturing and the unbearable weight of career expectations are filtered out, leaving only the stark, naked reality of individual ability and basketball acumen; in the context of playing with the best I think we can see more clearly now than ever before what each player means. With no further ado:

Kobe: This guy is stone cold killer, the way he dominated, and successfully, at the end of the second Spain game was memorable. But the deeper truth is that it may very well be that Kobe is nothing more than an assassin, an ace to be played when kings are showing. Kobe requires a cast to put him in position to unleash his arsenal, while in ordinary circumstances he struggles to chain his indomitable offensive potential to the shackles of a team game.

Lebron: Although it is the ultimate injustice to Lebron to say that Mo Williams might be the one to prove me right, King James is the most gifted player on earth and can elevate the talent of anyone, anyone, around him. To be able to make the best players in the world better is the ultimate compliment. He’ll get his when it’s needed, but he had more astonishing passes over the course of the tournament than Paul and Kidd combined. And when the dude drives, there is quite literally no comparison to it in the sport. Maybe Ali or Jim Brown, but it is poetic domination, brute force constrained. This brings me back to James. He doesn’t need any specific player, he just needs a guy who knows he’ll be a hell of a lot better on the floor with James (see Boozer vs. Ilgauskas).

Wade: Maybe better than Kobe? Maybe the guy who doesn’t need the world to think he can’t in order to can. He has the interior game to match, maybe not the shot, yet, but I think he was the most impressive defender on the ball and in the passing lanes. And while Kobe seemingly put the game on ice with a four point play, there was heat, and it was Wade who popped the cork. And the look he had was pure.

Melo: The world is not his, but oh what multitudes the future may hold. Think about Rasheed and the endless horizons of potential. How many moons glowing before the sun engulfs them. There are ideals and there are shadows in caves, and Anthony dances in the light of that fire. Melo has the game right now to go from 2 to 4, not in a crowing defiance of humanity like Lebron, but rather more like a chameleon inhabiting niches as it pleases nature. Think Rasheed.

Kidd: Hard to place this guy, maybe just a guy who understands his place. I don’t believe he missed a shot for the duration. But with age, like a Washington insider, his edge has waned and only a few passes go off the backboards. The real question is whether the Mavs provide the kind of fireworks that can survive such a dim flame.

CP3: This is probably the toughest call out here. I think he might be Spanish. He is clearly a different player coming off the bench than starting. And the type of chemistry you see from Navarro and Gasol is the type of fluidity that would have come with Tyson Chandler on the team. In the absence of this well developed and flourishing connection Paul was reduced to a blind man clawing for vision, Monet wishing for his youth . He would endlessly direct the best players on the planet to fulfill his vision of a living offense. If he stays with team USA then one day the four horsemen will have a challenge stouter than God.

Derron: He is not a point guard, though his talent his enough to fool you. Were it that he were, Boozer would have been playing. But this is not a libel, he turned out to be the purest combo guard out there (well, let’s be real, the purest combo not named Kobe or Dwayne), he probably had the purest will to drive and some of the best creation out of the zone.

Bosh: KG with an inside game? Not a dominant player though, not Duncan or Olajawon, but sufficient to be great. Dude needs to develop the midrange jumper and he will elevate.

Howard: I wasn’t too impressed, he needs to learn to put the ball on the floor. As it is, he’s Shaq without the girth or the instinct. A needless waste of resources Dwight should be busy redefining the alley oop, rather than committing rote memorization of the put back.

Prince: One of my favorite players, Durant minus the hype or the mean streak. I am endlessly satisfied that Prince was the guy hitting the threes in the early games, playing D in the late games, and filling in as needed when it mattered. Detroit isn’t Detroit without Tayshuan.

Boozer: Vindication for the masses, never should have been on this team. Further he is a testament to the greatness of Lebron and Derron, having been fortunate enough to play with two guys who understand creation.

Redeem? more like reDream!

First of all word to Nathan on his post. Excitement well founded.

There really isn’t anywhere to go on the dominance of the dream team; anyone who has watched these guys play understands that this team is playing a different game. What is really striking though is how incredible the draft of 2003 was. I mean Lebron and DWade are by all accounts the top two performers on this team, the crazy thing is that ‘Melo and Bosh are probably in the top 6 or 7. That is phenomenal.

I haven’t really got into a writing flow so I’ll end with moment of silence for the 5’11 sprinter. R.I.P.

Confessions of a basketball patriot

by Nathan Rodriguez

Forget Christmas in July, I'll take basketball in August.

The start to the Games couldn't have gotten much better than a China v. USA match in the opening round. Watching Yao Ming drain a three at the head of the circle at 9am was a great way to wake up on a Sunday, and reminded me of how much I miss the process of watching football in the Fall: rolling out of bed, grinding up some bean juice and lazily watching some pre-game. For all the masterful build-up and aching anticipation of a night game, there's something to be said for waking up and diving headfirst into some competish.

This is easily the most excited I've been about watching Team USA since the first couple Dream Teams in the '90s. Nothing will ever top the first time such talent coalesced in the original Dream Team with Jordan, Bird and Magic finally sharing same-color jerseys. The second Dream Team was a little younger, a little flashier, but managed to get the job done — same with the third.
Then came the embarrassment.

Team USA had some serious performance issues. We're better than this. But the me-first mentality and one-on-one emphasis of the NBA didn't translate as easily as it used to abroad, and the scrappy international teams whittled away at a collective lack of focus and (possibly) effort by the U.S.
That stung.

Because if there was one thing the U.S. could claim to be the best at in the world, it was basketball. What happens every four years is we send out a dozen or so of our best ballers, and they make us feel a little better about ourselves by mopping the floor with the best from any other nation. That's how this is supposed to work.

There wasn't any visual comparison. One team jerks around mechanically while the other glides with grace, making the improbable look effortless. Team USA did to basketball what Brazil did to soccer. We turned basketball into "the beautiful game," creating art on the spot.

It was kind of fun being the lopsided heavy favorite: It was like rooting for the Harlem Globetrotters against the flavor-of-the-week incarnation of the hapless Generals. The games were action movies, with foregone conclusions and people tuning in for the "Ooh" and "Ahh" factor.
Fast-forward to Beijing, and Team USA has me excited again.

This year we didn't send over an All-Star team with zero prep, we sent over a team that has the unselfish ability to adapt to different styles. Sure, we've got Kobe and LeBron to fall back on when the going gets rough, but we didn't send over guys like Tim Duncan, who can dominate in certain games, but lacks the perimeter skills to hang with international bigs outside the paint. So we may not have sent the best pure players, but this collection is a well-oiled machine with a variety of interchangeable parts.

It's also an exciting year because Team USA's quest for redemption comes at a time when other nations are ascending and the talent gap is narrowing. In terms of pure athleticism, there may not be a close second, but add in thoughtful positioning and a dash of basketball savvy, and the 40-point-plus blow-outs aren't as frequent.

Good teams beat you playing their game. Great teams beat you playing your game. What this team represents is the US taking one of its best bench coaches (loathe as I am to admit it), Mike Krzyzewski, and having him mold some supremely talented team players into a squad that is humble and focused on its mission to reclaim the hoops throne.

The best example of Team USA's attitude in these Olympic games may have come in the form of a commercial. This one featured the team playing nothing but pure, beautiful, unselfish ball: Marvin Gaye provided the soundtrack, while the highlights were only of players finding the open man, favoring the pretty pass over an itchy trigger finger. There wasn't a dunk in the entire commercial.

The main reason I'm so geeked for Olympic basketball is that Team USA has gone back to its college roots. Coach K has turned professional athletes into college players again, in the best way possible. The bloated, diva aura that plagued the past couple teams is gone. They have a team-first attitude, and now play with a passion normally reserved for the playoffs.

As a fan, you live and die with the team. And serious hoops heads will generally admit to some superstitions.

This summer, some people will paint their faces red, white and blue. I'll party like it's 1992, and proudly French roll my acid-washed jeans and don a hypercolor shirt while chomping on some Tear Jerkers, rooting on Team USA as Kriss Kross gently loops in the background — for good measure and poor taste.
Maybe I'm overreacting a tad. Maybe the nothing-but-baseball sports schedule is getting to me.

But this excitement feels genuine.
I don't even like the NBA that much — I'll confess to being a college hoops purist — but this team, this year, finds me as giddy as I was back in junior high while rooting on the '92 Dream Team.

Come to think of it, I've basically reverted into one of the SNL Superfans from that era, favoring a biased-and-proud-of-it fanalysis. Only instead of being all about bratwurst, Ditka toasts and Da Bears, this summer I'm pinning my entire fanhood hopes and dreams on Team USA.

Prediction: Team USA 782, rest of the world 14.

You don’t need a weatherman…

Beasley Rose just happened again, a prelude to the future and something that can and will be certainly overdone by the media. Sure, the summer league is just that, an amateurish exercise without the best players even thinking about the games, let alone being in the vicinity, and as year after year proves, what happens in these summer time scrimmages is no more a predictor of future success than a summer tornado is a predictor of the next, but we can always feel that wind a blowing…

So on this day when Beasley pulled a Durant and rained like hail, hitting and mostly missing but reminding us of awesome nature, we also saw Rose shut down by an erstwhile diminutive guard who won the right to wear some jewelry a few months back. Chalmers did what he does, getting 11 points on 25% shooting showing some range and a fearless drive to the basket (6-7 FTs). But more importantly, and displaying what is going to get him his meal tickets, he had 6 assists to one turnover and 4 steals while holding Rose to 3-8 shooting and forcing 5 turnovers to only 4 assists.

Beasley is what gets them asses in those seats, Chalmers is what gets you a 94-70 win.

Black and/or White

South Africa, recently and to much ado, declared that its Chinese citizens were black. As can be imagined this policy decision was met with no small amount of ridicule by punditry here, and presumably abroad. I, however, applaud the decision believing that skin color plays only a small role in the actual politics of race; genetics is neither a starting point nor an end point when it comes to the crushing reality of racism (Let the shit storm rain, right?). But I don’t really want to get into a debate about civil rights or racism in the United States as such, and in fact I don’t know if the above stated opinion really applies to that, what I am interested in, in the current forum, is how skin color is used to define athletes.

Especially when it comes to basketball, race is the fulcrum upon which most discussion is leveraged. Players are usually categorized first and foremost by their race- Kevin Love as Mike Miller; Beasley as Derrick Coleman; Adam Morrison as Larry Bird- no matter how absurd or on point the comparison really is. Moreover when you read comments sections on many blogs about certain athletes there is no insignificant amount of verbiage used to defend White athleticism by culling a starting lineup of Europeans as a defense of the race.

The simple reality is that just as the Black and White of the civil rights movement must be understood as uniquely American constructs quite specific to our history of slavery and colonization, the Black and White of sports is an equally contextualized discussion that must be evaluated in very different terms than the ones that we use to discuss presidential candidates and police brutality.

As the first principle it is worthwhile to note that athleticism, and differences in ‘innate’ athletic ability cannot, should not, and aren’t the defining characteristics of race in sports: although I’m sure you could use statistics to point towards certain trends, I feel rather strongly that there are many players on either side of the race lines that do not fit any standard classification. Compare the athletic ability, for instance, of CDR, Paul Pierce, Joe Alexander, Manu Ginobili, Larry Bird, Brent Barry, Chris Paul, Yi and Yao, or to expand, Don Beebe, Donovan McNabb, Christiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henri. If you can come up with any type of ranking that takes into account ability AND race, you get a cookie.

If, then, we can eliminate genetic ability according to the first principle, and genetic race as a reality contextualized by politics (see CHINESE PEOPLE ARE BLACK out of S.A.) then what exactly are we talking about when we talk about race as a defining factor in sports. In the United States certainly we can point to underlying bias that is the direct result of American history, which then allows (forces?) people to create artificial distinctions that classify people based on skin color (question: if Karl Malone and Jason Williams got in a fight, who would Rush Limbaugh support?) rather than culture. In Europe we can point to nationalisms that out-class American conventions of race by many fold, which utterly crushes any type of genetic reality: think Moors in Spain, Sicily as a NYC of the dark ages conquered by Romans, Arabs and Normans in a couple of centuries, the Balkans as, well, the Balkans, or Russians who have Chinese hair and Scandinavian eyes while they hate on anyone south of the Alps.

The point you ask? As an artifact of American culture it is hard, if not impossible, to discuss sports without looking through the lens of race. Yet as a human, an individual that is, the task is far less imposing, and in fact it can be impressively liberating to replace the standard bearer of athletic difference, race, with far more interesting differences such as class, culture, nationalism and personal histories, which certainly can, but don’t necessarily have to, include race.

Brandon Jennings: Possibly the Greatest Blessing to Team Sports

In my preparation for the Germany-Turkey match (which consisted of placing a bet and reading sports news) I read a story on Brandon Jennings possibly bypassing one-year in college to play in Europe. 

Well, I already like the guy because his flattop is fly enough, that had he been around Philadelphia in 1989, he could have made a cameo in Bel Biv Devoe's 'Poison' video. Bottom line, the flattop shows a confidence that is rare, and could be the greatest blessing for the future of college basketball.

I must start by saying that I am in favor of paying college athletes when they participate in sports that make the university and sponsors unknown quantities of money. The value of these players clearly surpasses the value of a four-year education. In my opinion, the whole system is a sham and a pathetic pr stunt. Seeing as how the system will never be changed, I must not rant more about this.

But. I will rant about a few things. 

If phenoms went to Europe instead of one-year in college:

1)  it would strengthen teams by allowing for better development of all the players, as well as decrease the distractions that the rest of the team would have to endure 

3) coaches would have to actually coach (e.g. frank martin, tim floyd, thadd motta,  jim calhoon, etc.), and not just rely on their one and done [paid] talent

2) there would be less ncaa rules infractions

3) these phenoms would be humbled, and would thus likely mature better. this means that we can let the europeans take care of our kwame browns and william avery's

Just think how good Brandon Jennings would be if he knew the metric system, had the taste for fine wines and cheeses, and had lived in a culture that didn't glorify him as much as they do a foootball/tennis/rugby player...

I read the other day that wikipedia will be the basis of all education in the future. Mr. Jennings will clearly have the money to buy a computer. Go to Europe Brandon, and take all the arrogant, immature, and untested 'phenoms' with you so we don't have to read and write about them in our second sport.

Okay, the match has started, i must go.

How good will Brandon Jennings be once he has experienced fine wine, cheese, and siestas...

 

Evaluating Evaluating

First thing I want to say is all this draft prediction and should this should that is an exercise in futility. Second thing is I read it nonetheless. Third thing is only in about five years can vindication be had or blame be shouldered.

Rose or Beasley. So many say the former and that you MUST have a PG as superstar in this day and age. But really, if, say, a violent revolution took place here in the US and all the ownership were put away and the proletariat decided to redo the NBA and re-draft the teams in the name of Unity and Brotherhood and YOU were given first swipe at the player of your choice: Who would it be?

Maybe CP3, maybe Dwight Howard, but in all likelihood it would be LeBron or Kobe. And if you are disagreeing right now you are lying to yourself to preserve your own ego. What’s more is that none, NONE, of the recent NBA champs had an elite prototype PG, Rondo is good sure, and necessary to the Celts’ success, but can be had yearly in the lower half of the first round, Tony Parker is great as well, but an elite PG?, no way, more like a small 2. Chauncey? He’s certainly your best counter argument but once again, he’s as much a combo guard who plays a step above Rip than he is a pure PG. The Lakers had, uh, who? And before that the Spurs again, then the Bulls, the Rockets, the Bulls again? Well I guess if you go back two decades you had Ike and Magic (who today would NOT be considered a PG but more akin to Lebron, in today’s under enlightened NBA bureaucracies).

So what if you could have a pure scorer who just might be able to play point forward and has all the athletic ability needed to play NBA D, would you call him Lebron, or Kobe, or Paul Pierce, or Michael Beasley. I love how mother****ers psych themselves out trying to play trends and what not and hold onto the silt for want of gold.

Get a guy like Chalmers at pick 27 and I’ll play Rose and his boys any day (wait, did this already happen).

In other news I think Hollinger does some fantastic stuff with his numbers games in predicting greatness, at least a more materialist approach than could be had by other outlets, and has Mario, DA, and DJ all highly rated for success with Rush doing reasonably well (and these numbers don’t really account for D, as Hollinger mentioned himself in regards to Rush).

So at the end of the day what yield is there for my nihilism? Take it to the bank: teams that pick at the top of the draft do so because they are poor evaluators of talent, and as such mistakes are more likely than success and when success does come it’s usually by chance.

Reading Between the Lines

Erick’s post brings up some interesting issues that are not at all specific to European Football, but rather are universal complaints of sports fans. Ultimately we search for the fulfillment of a platonic ideal in our everyday viewing of sports; the events that captivate us and imprint permanently in our synaptic memory are those events that in fact approach this ideal. How many of us have replayed in our minds Chalmers drilling that three pointer or David Tyree grasping the football with sheer will power. On the other hand how many hundreds if not thousands of sporting memories have all but vanished from our minds mere moments after they passed. We can only rarely be satisfied with sports because we invest so much in their potential.

But. This is in fact the nature of the game, and raison d’etre of 2nd sport-dom, by adding context to every game, and subtext to every player, the dialogue created between the viewer and the event should surpass the otherwise subscendent reality of a lot of sporting events. And European Football offers this type of context in spades.

Turkey vs Germany screams for such a context, and the beauty of the game, or the utter lack, can be seen, less as a failure to achieve an ideal of the game itself, as a particular cultural iteration of a largely rule bound exercise. And in this unique manner of viewing the game we can watch with rapt fascination as a team trying to pry into the very core nature of Occidentalism via a base Oriental nature clashes with a cultural identity that is almost the definition of the former. While the Turks struggle to handle the game and chain their wild desires to a codified method, the Germans are masters of the set piece, turning subtle cracks into gaping holes. Watching them eviscerate the Portugese one set piece at a time was not ugly but a very different beauty than Ronaldo’s preening vanity.

Spain-Russia is almost the exact opposite, much as they inhabit opposite corners of the Continent, they are opposites that happen to converge on a very similar essence. This is anarchy via Liberation contra anarchy via Ultimatum. This is eating dinner at 1230am against drinking vodka at 830am. And these two teams gun at the goal like they burn their own capital in spite or live in the hills out of a crazy desire to live as they wish. I think anyone who loves attacking Football will love the way these two teams abandon convention for a unique vision of perfection.

When Euro 2008 commenced I was eager to contribute blogs on 'the beautiful game', in which I thought I would be singing the praises of the French, Dutch, Portuguese, and Croatians. Unfortunately this eagerness continued to wane after the first match between the Swiss and Czech Republic, and finally culminated in the Russian defeat of the Dutch. On Sunday night the Italians will attempt to make the semifinal matches full of teams that play anything but 'the beautiful game'. What does this indicate? Well, I guess it could conjure up some of the sentiments felt for the Cobra-Kai Spurs. Although, this time I am not supportive of stubborn, ugly play. This is supposed to be 'the beautiful game' after all.

If Euro 2008 has taught me anything, it has taught me that beautiful doesn't translate into success, not even in 'the beautiful game'. Leave it to the Abromovich funded Russians to spark my awakening. While Arshavin does play with the grace that will soon land him in one of Europe's biggest clubs, the Russian drubbing of Holland killed any change of recuperating 'the beautiful game'. Advice to those who have not watched many of the matches: Do not watch the rest of the tournament because you will be turned off of the sport forever.

And, what do we have to look forward to after this atrocious tournament? Most of our sensory organs will be bombarded and subsequently tortured by the news regarding Christiano Ronaldo's departure from Man U. It is all enough to make me start watching cricket!

Lets root for Turkey and the death of all things beautiful!

The future has begun

This report comes live from KCMO, Penn Valley CC. I attended the game last night and will offer my own preview of the recruits.

First off I think this class will ensure the genius of Self’s recruiting prowess. We always knew that he was a great recruiter, he proved (like Doc maybe?) that he was also a more than capable in game coach, to say the least. But in the past, his skill at recruiting could be seen largely as the ability to recruit top flight recruits who were labeled as such (think Brandon Rush, Darrel Arthur or Mario Chalmers). However, this year I think we will remember him for the skill that brought Illinois and Oral Roberts to the national scene (think Deron Williams). And now for my take:

Tyshaun Taylor
To my eye Tyshaun was the most impressive performer on Day One, he showed an excellent ability to lead the fast break and finish hard at the rim. Over the course of the evening he put down two ally oops and handed out a few others. It was hard to evaluate his Defense because of the nature of the game, but he showed excellent quickness and quick hands. My guess is that Ty will be the first off the bench to run the point behind Sherron. For the game he plays Tyshuan has excellent size, he’ll need to improve his strength, but scoring at least all of his field goals on dunks and at the line shows that he knows how to play a physical game, and 6 of his 11 off dunks is a showcase of his athleticism. He needs to work on his outside shooting but has a silky smooth free throw. Comparisons: Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo.


Travis Releford
Releford is a very interesting player, he has great size and plays hard inside on the defensive glass. The combination of these two abilities will make him an instantaneous asset to KU and he will certainly give many teams severe matchup problems. He does not seem to have the superior athleticism that would make him an elite prospect, but don’t be surprised if he overcomes that negative through size and skill. The best comparison that comes to mind is a small Tayshuan Prince, and Travis will be a great defensive presence. He needs to work on his shooting both at the line (he looked terrible here) and from the field, although this could have been the result of an off night.


Mario Little
This guy has superstar potential but will struggle to fit into a structured offense with teammates of similar caliber to himself. He has elite athleticism and on one play, Tyshuan tossed up an ally-oop on the fast break and Mario and Ronnie Brewer (!!!) went up and both grabbed the ball to finish. If this guy can get up with Ronnie Brewer he has some special calves. He also showed great range and was comfortable behind the three point line. There will be some concerns about his Defense and selfishness on the ball. But in the end this could be exactly what we need next year as a young team. I watched him and thought of him as a Bill Walker type player, a guy with who plays bigger than his size and has great strength.

I’ll have more complete previews as the summer league continues…

The Truth is Green

First, see J-Gill's post on the champion inherent.

J stated Pierce being the Most underrated scorer in the game? - I think this is a byproduct of Pierce just laboring in relatively low fanfare, considering what an outstanding player he is, as the Celtics toiled in mediocrity over his career (until this season). The team change in mindset, attitude, and the overall increase in talent level profoundly affected double-P. By the time the Celts reached the Finals, the shift was complete, Inglewood-reborn in Boston. As part of the quest for a championship, it seems each of the Big Three embraced a different role, they deferred to a subset of their responsibilities from being The Man on teams' past. Pierce, however, recognized there were moments that he was the only Celtic capable of dominance. Dominance was needed in this series and the Truth was issued. Does the underrated label stem from the aesthetics of his game? While clearly efficient, he's a mix of grace and awkwardness. Seems to sneakily creep up his point total. Regardless, he is deserving of being The Truth.

Kobe's failure to lead his Lakers to a championship has inevitably led to the Jordan comparisons as being without merit. I'm a Kobe apologist of sorts, but will state I think he could have done more this series, although I think Phil Jackson and his teammates had much more to do with the loss than Kobe. Don't forget it took Jordan four years to just lead the Bulls to a winning record, and six years to get his first championship. Kobe will be back, his teammates may or may not be better, but to definitively state Kobe is lacking whatever that makeup is that made Jordan a champion is to not fully examine this Lakers team, or Jordan's past before the championships started rolling in. Lamar Odom is certainly no Scottie Pippen, Vujacavic no Paxson. Jordan failed to get past the Pistons multiple times in the playoffs, finally passing his way out of double and triple teams in '91 en route to his first championship. I'm willing to give Kobe the benefit of the doubt, he led an inexperienced group to the brink...Did he teeter at the summit and falter, yes, but just making it this far will only propel him to greater moments.

Tiger - I'll say it again, he's straight mental. But, at a price, more surgery means See ya in 2009, Tiger...

The Next Jordan

This post will probably rehash some of the ideas that I’ve bandied about lately, but I think this past week offered a great deal of insight into the championship mindset. We learned, unequivocally, that Kobe is not the next MJ, we learned also that Pierce is the most underrated scorer in the NBA and that he is the first black European to be born in Inglewood CA. We learned Garnett is intense because he has stage fright, and that this is the reason that he can’t hit clutch shots. Finally we all came to realize that rooting against the Celtics is losing sight of the forest for the desert that surrounds it; the Celtics on Tuesday played better ball than the Lakers on every facet, aesthetic and otherwise, of the game. In another world we learned that Tiger plays a different game than everyone he competes against, and this fact alone makes him more like Jordan than anyone we’ve seen in the interim. As an aside I’d like to point out that when you watch Tiger or Jordan you see what being the most intense is all about, while when you see KG being ‘intense’ you are seeing someone trying to create, rather than BE, intimidation.

Now that everything is on the page let’s talk specifics here: The Lakers did nothing in this past game or, really, in this whole series. Nothing Kobe did transcended; the player with the most style and the best execution was clearly Paul Pierce, Ray Allen quietly assumed his place alongside KG as a transcendent role player, quietly knocking down (a finals record) 22 three pointers over the course of the series while having the ability to exploit mismatches off the dribble (ie game 4’s working over of Vujacic), KG was KG and remained the best player between the three point line and lane on offense and the best player IN the lane on D. The comparison between the benches was laughable. And most impressively, Doc Rivers shape shifting rotations kept Phil Jackson off balance throughout the series. For whatever you want to say about the value of consistency Doc ‘coached by feel’ and utterly embarrassed Phil.

On to Tiger. I know many of you are likely not huge fans of golf, but you needn’t be in order to appreciate that his approach to the game so clearly precedes his success; he took about 3-4 times the preparation for each shot as compared to Rocco. Sure, this isn’t necessarily impressive (rather it is amazing that Rocco could step up and swing and keep pace with Tiger over the course of 90 holes) but it is evidence of the value of concentration, or intensity, in overcoming. KG lacks this, Kobe certainly lacks this, and MJ did not.

Reign of Terror

Putting my life on hold to post some random thoughts. As J-Gill stated, apologies for adding nothing new in some time.

Crimson and the Blue news of the day - In the tradition of his fun-loving predecessors, Sherron Collins has a bit too much fun in an elevator.

Super Mario won't be around for more miracles.

What does the Sherron issue mean, what are the repurcussions for him and the team? Will Cole Aldrich be forced to drop the mild-mannered Midwestern persona and be rushed into assuming the resident badass mantle? I'm ready to put the weight on Cole, he's got some heavy swag, some untapped potential only found in those worthy of 2ndsportness- with Kaun, Arthur, and Jackson gone, he'll embrace his newfound freedom and leave us all forgetting there once was an Ostertag.

Can't stop me now -Regardless of my disdain for the Celtics, Pierce is the Truth. No one on the Lakers can guard him. The Lakers can't guard anyone and where's the KOBE we all once knew? He can't get free at all, what the fuck is going on? I miss Kobe dropping any shot he wanted, good shot , bad shot, who cared - the court was his and he did what he wanted. Are the Celtics really that good at defense? And if they are, why can't I appreciate it? They just annoy me.

Thanks for live streaming links - Rocco and Tiger going to a sudden death playoff hole after they remain tied 18 holes into the playoff. Wow, good stuff....I like this Rocco guy. I mean, his name is Rocco, he's just out there having fun, waving to the crowd, laughing, shrugging in disbelief as his puts keep dropping. A good foil for the uber-intensity of Tiger. I don't think Rocco is gonna yell at the spectators ala Tiger if he hears a sneeze.

Euro Cup - more good stuff. Keep the stoppage time goals coming!

Looks like Rocco's luck just ran out. Tiger is fucking mental.

David "Don Sternleone" - on the take???

Three feet high and rising

Certainly every game is the most important until its over, when the next game becomes the most important, but seriously, tonights game is the most important for this finals. Not necessarily for the reasons you might imagine though. The Celts going up 3-1 would be huge, the Lakers tying the series at 2-2 would be huge, but these two quotidian point pale in comparison to the more subliminal facets of the game:

We will see if Lamar and Pau and the will of underachievers can step up under the patronizing glare of the opposition; if these guys fail to overcome then the series will certainly go in favor of the Celtics, regardless of the outcome of this game. On the Boston side we’ll see if Rondo is a go for the rest of the series: all you athletes know this but with a sprained ankle, either its ok, or it’ll linger for weeks. If Rondo is stumbling tonight Boston is in a world of hurt – Cassel and House are much better shooters/scorers than Rondo but they have neither his swagger nor the rest of his game (handle, passing, D). Points do not need to come from the point, especially with the Big 3 hanging around.

Understanding the Present

I apologize for such a delay between posts, the excuses: starting a research rotation, basking in completion of the first year of med school, getting caught in the dead air of the horse latitudes of American sports (thank god for the Euro Cup)

People are up in arms about this whole game fixing thing. Maybe they should be, but I and many other lovers of this game have enjoyed the league much more up through the first round of the playoffs for a long time, watching with declining interest as things advance. My perspective on the this is that of course refs play to bias, their own or that of the league office. If a player has been committing a certain infraction then it should be called after review (Especially this whole moving pick thing, first Yao and now it should be KG, dude waits for contact on the screen and then just moves right along with his man). The sad thing is that everyone was expecting a poorly officiated game in favor of the Lakers in game three before anything from Donaghy (sp?). It is refreshing, however, that the coaches and players are not in on it, this is the silver lining of the whole thing.

On to the game itself: I read somewhere an article decrying the lack of respect Thibideau and the Spurs assistant coach get when it comes to coaching vacancies. This is not due to some reverse affirmative action or the like, the simple reality is that these guys improve a teams D by teaching tactics that evade the eyes of the ref, Gasols heave over the backboard is only the most obvious example, but wrist grbbing and hip checking abound around the nominally best D in the NBA. This goes back to my previous post about Rasheed. These guys play to win, not to the glory of the game. Think Brazil in opposition to Italy, or perhaps (oh the pain) Iberian ball verse the Teutonic brand: there is a certain beauty in integrity that is hamstrung by the playoffs, the league and the most successful teams (at least of recent).

In other news, Kobe is playing some inspired basketball, but his insufferable temperament is rising by the game. On the other side PP was so close to sipping from the grail before reminding us why he has yet to assert himself into the pantheon, Jesus Shuttlesworth, similarly, saved his best for the worst, remarkably keeping the Celtics close in a losing effort. It’s the games when others are on that he needs to be on.

Bring on the Olympics and impartial refs!! (Is this what its come to?)

Meta: Rasheed and the Right Way

Rather than doing a preview for the finals, while boredom eats at my sports soul, I’ve decided to try to complete a synopsis of my worldview. Critically, this has to include the visceral contradiction of my hatred for the Spurs and my adoration of the Pistons.

While many are quick to point out the similarities between these teams, from half court offenses to hat hanging defense, it is my belief that these teams ultimately lie at the opposite ends of the spectrum, and similarities are either chance or selective convergence on a universal winning formula.

To elucidate my thoughts I hope to use the similarities between the teams to show the stark differences. Both of these teams have been known to take part of the season off. With the Spurs the underlying motive for this is surely a wily ploy to have supreme energy for a playoff push, necessary for an aging team. The Pistons, on the other hand, could never be considered so cynical as to do such a thing. When they are not playing up to snuff, and losing to inferior teams, it is due to a lack of interest in the situation. They play when they want to because they love basketball, sometimes the love isn’t there and you can see it in their play. For the Piston’s this is just s likely to be Game 3 of the Conference semis as it is to be the 10th game of the season. For the Spurs loving the game is secondary to winning.

The next defining opposition between this two teams is the birthplace of their styles. Driven by the players far more than the coaches the Spurs play a supremely Occidental style, infecting blankets with small pox to conquer formidable opponents on their own terms, rather than engaging in a test of styles. Detroit, on the other hand, plays an American brand of ball, pure emotion and wasted potential abound. It is no surprise that even with a deficit between what is and what could be with the Pistons they still made it to the conference finals 6 straight years.

The difference between the marquee players of each team brings it all back home: Duncan is the ultimate win first enjoy later player. It is hard to watch him play without thinking that he would rather be swimming. Rasheed on the other hand loves the game, and his latest interview, the one about flopping and maybe being done playing, is Zidane’s head butt made verbal. Flopping is the ultimate betrayal of sport for victory, just as are the Spurs.

Finally the future of these two teams, long term, makes a compelling case for my argument: The Piston’s are reloading with guys who are fun to watch, dynamic and successful, but mostly guys who love the game. As for the Spurs, I can’t really speak to their future, but the fact that it is taking place across an ocean is certainly indicative of something.

Reactions

JSG: LAkers what what
Adam: dude, they are so set for so long maybe
The new spurs?
JSG: no shit, D fish is the only one over 30
and farmar will take over for him anyway
they should totally get chalmers
Adam: although, i dont necessarily go for all this jazz about the demise of the spurs - I mean, are they really just going to fall apart. Some media peeps are acting like the spurs are going to literally just break like china before our eyes.
chamlers on LA - that would be money
JSG: I don't know that shit did happen with Miami after all
but its a pretty different scenario
Adam: yea, but its diff
JSG: really all about manu being sub 100%
Adam: Spurs just weren't rocking shots like normal..they have to have some randish guy step up and hit some big 3's it seems...didn't happen this series
JSG: yeah, Horry is done though
finley probably also
oberto's nothing special
Adam: the best worst player ever = oberto
JSG: and Duncan will be good for a while but his dominance might be waning
seriously
but they are supposed to have a shed of good euros chomping at the bit
Adam: yea yea - i saw that, theyre always stockpiling euros...
it's humorous
me: smart as hell
Adam: Why are people not embracing the Lakers? like why is there such malice for Kobe
he's friggin sick dirty
JSG: i don't know, people are still caught up in Colorado or some shit
he is so fucking good
Adam: he'll grab your throat, break your windpipe, then cut out your heart for affect
JSG: its pretty sick that they can go down 17 or 20 and then just win
not even trying hard
dude just waits till the 4th and then unloads
Adam: I just don't understand why people can't roll with Kobe, so what if he's ego. He's super-smart, incredibly insanely good at bball,
JSG: and his connxn w/ pau is for real
Adam: he's like above everyone else in the nba on so many levels - and he knows it, so why shoudln't he be aloof
JSG: yeah, and he's not the little bitch he was when he came into the league
Adam: What's funnny is the NBA no flopping rule - kicking the spurs when they're down..ha
JSG: yeah, but the celts too, glen davis and rondo are all about that shit
Sheed dropped the knowledge on that
Adam: oh i know - Davis is like on the floor on every play
sheed is hilarious, the truth
JSG: He's one of the best dude's to watch in the NBA
his O repertoire is out of control
Adam: yes, but lately I feel like everyone has been on his tip, he's very very legit..but, his consistency or something just makes him so random
Everyone has been talking about how he's the best player in the league if he wantd to be....well, dude hates losing, so why shouldn't he step up and make it happen nite in nite out -
JSG: Yeah, he's getting old also
Adam: and to think he used to be a Hawk
JSG: I mean he came into the league with garnett, but out of college
he was at UNC with Stackhouse, he's old
that's why hes out at the perimeter so much now
but talking about the spurs and not going downhill- the pistons are the best talent scouts in the NBA
Adam: yea for serious
They're stacked
JSG: Stuckey, maxiell, Amir johnson, herrman
Adam: Stuckey, i thought we were looking at the beginning of his legacy the other nite when they were coming back...he hit free throws, then that 3, then he missed that free throw - i just felt he wasn't going to miss. He's got an aura
JSG: there was some shit on true hoop about how dumars sat down w/ management and decided who to activate for the series, they activated amir and he played same day
thats like 13 deep right there
Adam: yea, stacked
JSG: You could tell he was surprised when he missed the ft
Adam: Maxiell's blocks
JSG: or when he went up for 3 ally oops on three straight possesions
yo im on luch break i gotta go eat
take it easy
Adam: yea me too
later...i'm a try post this weekend. been slammed al week
JSG do it

The Worker and the Queen

In the last two nights Kendrick Perkins and Brent Barry had huge games, perhaps career games. And it reminds us of how good the NBA really is. And how hard.

KP is a big boy, he’s got skills, and he can outrebound a good rebounding team in the Pistons. Yet dude only averaged 6pts and maybe 8 boards during the regular season.

BBarry, similarly was WAIVED by Utah (or something) for cap space, yet exploded for 23pts against the Lakers and had the ball in his hands for the game winning opportunity Tuesday night.

What is amazing is that these guys have all the potential to be outstanding players, yet they will wallow in the mire of mediocrity for the rest of their careers. Is it that they lack some drive to pull these types of games off at this level consistently; did they get lucky; or is it rather a situational thing where they are willing to take a backseat to be on a better team. What, I guess, is the difference between KP and David West, or BB and T-Mac (Barry did win the dunk contest after all)?

Maybe it is really an issue of motivation at the intersection of skill, certainly one can compensate somewhat for the other, but you need to have both at a high level for true success in the League. Which brings us back full circle in questioning KP and BB, which of those two components do these guys lack?

LA-SA

This is going to be the best game of the playoffs. On one hand you have the defending champs against the wall, needing a win to keep playing. While across the court you have a Kobe, the reigning MVP, a group of kids that don’t know any better, and maybe the best coach of the modern era (which I’m certain Pop has something to say about).

It’s too hard to predict the outcome of this one, although Manu’s ankle will likely be the biggest factor in the game, which, to say the least, is sad.

The Maybe and Never King

Lamar Odom was the difference last night. Lamar Odom will be the difference against Boston or Detroit. Lamar Odom is the toughest matchup in the NBA right now.

Too much you say? Admittedly, were LO the number one or two option, and you could play him with Pierce, Bowen or Tayshaun, then things would be different. But you can’t thanks to the Tree Leopard, and your best big man has to be on Pau (which is not to say they would be worthwhile on Odom anyway, I mean did you see when Oberto was on him? That was a laughably easy three point play).

Essentially what this boils down to is that you have to have your third best defender guarding a 6-10 small forward who actually does play like a 6-10 combo guard, and this is why the Lakers deep is deeper.

Boston’s Big 3 has become a Big 2, Ginobili’s ankle has given the Spurs a collective hobble, and Detroit’s Big 4 just doesn’t have the size to or speed to play with LAs 3.

Right now I see the Celtics rooting hard for the Spurs because they just can’t match up with LA. Detroit will roll with the punches and has as much of a chance against anybody, past present or future, which is not to say they have a chance in this series or the next. They are the true residue of our American generation, too talented to fail but too assured to take the throne.

Living two lives

The Detroit-Boston series brings to the fore an interesting contrast in managerial efficiency. This contrast bodes exceedingly well for the Pistons while Boston fans will probably be a little disappointed at the ongoing outcomes of this whole playoffs.

While Boston has mortgaged young talent (Al Jefferson most clearly) for a rise to success, Detroit has kept together a championship nucleus for half a decade, continued winning, and still found a way to energize its reserve with players of unique and devastating ability. Both Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey are not only good, but more importantly these guys play with an abandon too talented to be reckless but loose enough to avoid quantification.

Maxiell in particular went crazy in a Ben Wallace circa 2003 manner on D (the blocks he’s had on Garnett in the last two games could well be on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in an enlightened future), while raining on O like the other Wallace(6-6 including flailing dunks on fast breaks and spot ups from the top of the key.

Stuckey on the other hand plays like Rondo with twice the swagger plus the ability to hit jumpers. He doesn’t think about deferring: never, and more: Last night in the fourth he had a play that aged him 10 years: he was guarded one on one at the top right of the lane dribbles hard to the hoop, beats his man to draw the post guy off the block and then feinted in and pulled up for a jump pass to a lay-up. I mean he clowned the man D of the widely proclaimed best D in the League like he was Nash or Davis.

This is all to say nothing of the guys who are barely playing but will, Amir Johnson, Walter Herrman and who knows who else.

The Celts, meanwhile, are aged like the Spurs with none of the backstory, rather coming together 3 titles too late. They certainly have some young guys getting minutes in Rondo and Glen Davis, but both of these guys are only a little bit more than space. The talent is there but you don’t see these guys overcoming. This may be a little harsh in the case of Rondo who did have a few good games this playoffs, but Davis doesn’t have the athleticism to really be more than a body off the bench.
On the other side of the country the Spurs and the Lakers can hang with the Pistons in terms of reloading talent. The Spurs literally get their players fully formed from foreign leagues, while the Lakers have the drafting acumen of Dumars. The hope for the Lakers is that the Spurs are too late in the cycle, and that Gasol will have a breakout game on the road. If that happens the Lakers can wrap it up early, while if not 7 games can fall either way.

Another interesting thought is how big the Big Three are, but only by having garnered individual accolades as the Great Players on Bad Teams. How good could Parker or Ginobili have been had they been alone on the Sonics, Celts or Timberwolves? And is it their fault that a good team picked them up before they could go the way of French Reds, creating a legendary vintage through slowly aging in seclusion?

Wednesday Night Thoughts

Great Sports Day.

Watching the Champion's League final was a unique experience in humble. And then a Lazurus inspired return of Ronaldo's own fear of overcoming.

For the first 40 minutes of the game Cristiano was the dominant force in the game, he was the funnest player to watch, the most ready to step on the pitch, and the best able to execute his game (oh Tevez, how nearly you destroyed your club!). I mean really, dude came out dancing with the prettiest girl and took her right to bed.

But then Chelsea found the back of the net from a out of nowhere. And then from the best silence. That second half Ronaldo (and the rest of the team in all fairness) was nowhere to be found. And that miss on kicks was probably on of the most visible acts of choking you will ever see in sports. It's hard to make kicking a penalty look bad, but he did. He should have a thank-you card already on the way to Terry.

But anyway, he came out and proved me wrong, then proved me right, then walked away with a Champion's league trophy and a goal, so all will be forgotten and his march to history can continue.


And Kobe is SO FUCKING GOOD.

Reactions

Adam: welllllllllllll
spurs
JSG: surprise surprise
should bea good matchup
Adam: yea, i mean, like i wrote in my email, i don't like the spurs - but, they do have my respect
JSG: yeah
they're alright to watch, i just don't like how they win
they could've ran through NO,
Adam: actually, i know it's contradictary, but i do like the way the play often....I just get so annoyed with their whining
JSG: I just feel like the only part of their potential that they live up to is winning
they could do so much more as a team
Adam: yea - they're just weird sometimes. it's like they have to get inside their opponents heads' in order to win in a decisive fashion
JSG: like the suns win even though they lose
and the spurs lose even though they win
Adam: yea
agreed
it's like they should be in the east
JSG: yeah, but I mean the spurs would roll against the celts
Adam: How anticlimactic are Eastern conf games btw?
JSG: I don't know who I would go for in that match up
Adam: yea, they both annoy me
JSG: I think that there is some potential in the east matchup
i actually like the pistons
Adam: well...if you like halfcourt basketbal
JSG: im a huge rasheed and tayshaun fan
Adam: but i mean, i'd go watch a big ten game if i wanted to see that kind of bball
but of course i'll be watching
ha
JSG: well, its certainly not atl washington
hopefully in a few years it will be
but its become expected for good teams to lose early
Adam: are they truly good then?
JSG: right
Adam: i mean, i understand the concept of the spurs as this 'complete' team, etc etc....but, i just wish that certain teams that make you FEEL (like the suns, the lakers w/kobe) they inspire and make me at least not want to turn away....i just wish those types of teams could transcend what i feel is the almost boring nature of the 'team' concept the media harps on with teams like boston and the spurs
but, it really has yet to happen. gotta get past the spurs apparently
but do you know what i'm trying to convey?
JSG: yeah, i think itll happen soon
i mean back in the day the lakers were awesome (showtime)
and the bulls were good to watch also
Adam: yes, and the bulls w/ mj exemplified that to a degree
JSG: Maybe the lack of talent from 97-02 coming into the league made this happen

Adam: hmm. interesting
JSG: there seems to be so many good young players that things will pick up soon
I mean when its kobe in mid 30s, cp3 and derron lbj arenas in late 20s
and beasley durant rose oden in mid 20s
this league should be fire
Adam: yea
speakign of young stars - derron or cp3, who is it for you ?
JSG: hard to say
cp3 is better
but he can get a little testy in a bad way
i like Derrons style, but he doesn't step up enough
Adam: i dont konw....williams i just don't think is expected or asked to do as much as paul
i mean, there is no boozer on NO
JSG: well ask 10 people if they'd rather have west or boozer
i would probably say west for next season
Adam: ehh, that's a tough one too...different systems. Boozer fits in what Sloan wants to do. Utah could be for serious good next season
Brewer and Price off the bench...
JSG: yeah, millsap too, that guy can hop
Adam: another season of playing together, Williams and Boozer
yeaaaaa
JSG: yeah but ak and boozer have been getting worse over the past 15 mos, if u ask me
where was boozer against LA
Adam: just a bad stretch?
AK i agree with, i have no idea why he is such a weird player....i don't know, maybe he needs a defined role
JSG: Im not sure if AK really likes basketball, thats what it seems like sometimes

Back to the Future

Last night’s game was the outcome expected and hoped against. It brought the mountains to the valleys and affirmed a respect for the defending champs that I had been too keen to ignore. Chris Paul fell short of his own legend but certainly tried his best to be a Spur, with all the toughness but none of the flair that we had hoped for.

Moving into the western conference finals the matchup calls for our rapt attention, and for the first time we have capable bearers of opposing styles into the ring together. For a long time I have thought of the Spurs as a sort of chameleon, adapting to the surroundings and then conquering by slowly adopting a new style. The problem with the coming matchup is that even a chameleon can’t mirror a singularity; Kobe’s talent falls from the sky and eludes the grasp of finest shape shifter.



Sure, the Spurs have player(s) capable of outbursts of 35, maybe even 40, but over the course of the series they are going to have to oppose an earthquake with the finest balance, not an easy task but entertaining to watch. Which is more impressive, a pinnacle or a plateau, the answer will by this series be determined.

Pistons-Celtics

Tonight in the Garden a mirror will see itself for the first time. Veterans and defense, experience and inevitability, all of these are on the table in spades for this series. Tayshaun Prince of Compton will be on a talent that survived a stabbing, KG will be down low with Rasheed, Blue and Orange, Ray and Rip, the best spot up shooter against the best off picks, and Chauncy and Rajon, a father and a son.

That’s all too easy, but for real these teams are so similar that attrition may be the best we can ask for.

One and the World

I’m sure many of you saw Game 7 last night, light shining like headlights on a summer day, where Pierce and Lebron steered the ball into the rim for a combined 86 points. We here, many of us, are KU alum and should have Paul’s knife wounds deep in our souls.

But a game where the lead doesn’t change hands after the first minute only inspires so much confidence in sheer power.

I don’t love this Celtics team for what it was yesterday; how were they different last night than a year ago save for context. PP took the load on his European shoulders and hung his team in there. KG played like a Frankenstein of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace, Ray Allen raced to the bottom as hard as he could with Wally, Delonte played the fiddle to Rondo’s violin while Stratovarius wept for the absence of craft. The game was a shining sea of mediocrity overwhelming the best intentions of two scorers. Paul Pierce carried a mediocre team past the mediocrity that is Cleveland, and we will be paid in a pound of hype.



As for tonight I’m certain we will see the counterpoint to last night’s game, antipathy yielding to anxiety and a son fulfilling his legend to conquer the father. CP3, for lovers and haters, carries the genetic mettle of the, all of them, Spurs in his wily game and hardened mind. A punch in the balls for a drive through the lane, a pirouette after a nudge for a clutch clutch game; the dude is in one what the Spurs are in many.

What will determine the outcome, though, is how the cast responds. Will Julian, in his college spirit, carry forth with 5(2-3), 3, 2, 1, 2 or be silent; will David West’s broken back quiet Horry like so many CCs of novocaine; will Tyson Chandler play like he didn’t go to college or will he play like HE DIDN’T GO TO COLLEGE!.

As for the Spurs it is not who they are (after all ADS let us know that) but it is what they are, and they are steel souled assassins with a barrel full of timely threes and nitroglycerine in their jowl. And for that tonight will be what Bos-Cle was not.

To be or you aren't

Clutch and the mentality of greatness is the issue that I’m hoping to address today. Especially as this relates to C. Renaldo. It would be a fool’s errand to argue against the poetic skill of the 23 year old Renaldo; his surname alone seemingly ensures his spot in the pantheon. What irks me about his talent though is his willingness to hide his ability, to guard his brilliance until success and applause are ensured. Those of you who watch the premiership certainly understand this: C. Ronaldo will bide his time and fill a role until his team secures a 1-0 lead, he’ll then unleash his vast array of baroque footwork and incisive passing.

A player with such talent should perform on a high level at all times. The manner in which he is emboldened by leads is the first and most damning critique of his mettle. His performance throughout the premiership, his monumental stats, are little more to me than a reflections across an ocean of another superlative regular season talent, Alex Rodriguez. Time and time again Ronaldo falls short in the clutch, the world cup, the euro cup, the champion’s league, he has in these events no hardware to boast of. There is no doubt that he has a chance to serve his doubters this week, but he must.

To add a little about what being talked about here of recent, Robert Horry is the one Spurs player who plays as if he is a real person. Having learned his game from other greats, rather than Duncan and David Robinson, he has the guts and the glory, not just the latter for the soul of the former.

Notes on a Scandal

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the non-stories.

Naturally, the headline “Report: Arthur’s Grades Altered” on KUSports.com gave many Jayhawk fans mild arrhythmia.

The story is this: a Dallas TV station, in performing its solemn duty as a watchdog, talked to a local algebra teacher, Winford Ashmore, who claimed Darrell Arthur had his grades altered by the principal and basketball coach to ensure his eligibility. This is nothing new for Oak Cliff high school, as it has forfeited games in the past few years due to academic irregularities.

The Dallas station, WFAA, clearly had a well-documented, polished news package. But it lacked a news peg.

So it got a little creative, played loose with the facts and raised all-in. The video montage evolves from shots of Arthur playing at Oak Cliff to Arthur soaring for alley-oops in a Jayhawk uniform and hoisting the national championship trophy. WFAA closed the broadcast with a statement dripping with suggestion: “the NCAA rules state that if a player is ineligible, a penalty can be forfeiture of any and all games.”

Bravo.

I nearly had to change my pants.

Until, that is, I regained my senses. The one answer that seemingly devastates the story is that the NCAA declared Arthur eligible to play for KU. It is not the responsibility of any collegiate coach to perform his own investigation to double-check the NCAA. As long as there are no fingerprints on this story from the KU athletic department, it will eventually waft into the ether.

But it does bring up an interesting topic: Is it really that bad that Arthur had a little help on the way to achieving his dream?

Now before you saddle up the high horse, I’m not advocating special treatment for anyone. I certainly don’t feel that all athletes should be given a free ride due to their ability outside of the classroom.

But we’re talking about a one-in-a-million type of talent in this situation. Would you have denied Mozart a spot in music class because he was borderline in home ec? Face it, you don’t want Mozart serving you crème brulee any more than you want Darrell Arthur working a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral.

So what would have happened if Arthur’s principal and coach had not intervened? Winford Ashmore would have gotten his jollies by making Arthur hate algebra more than anything on earth. Arthur would have lost the one thing that mattered, the one thing at which he was unparalleled. He may have persevered and developed into a well rounded student athlete. Or he may have become frustrated, withdrawn, and yet another depressing story about wasted talent.

But we’re starting to get off-track.

What’s surprising about this grade-changing scandal is that it’s actually called a scandal in Dallas. Dallas, Texas. Home of the 40,000 seat stadiums that are virtual shrines to pubescent athletics.

There is something fundamentally troubling about sports culture today. 8th graders are now declaring their allegiances to colleges. O.J. Mayo appears to have more or less struck an agreement with an agent before half-heartedly skipping off to USC for a year. The game has gotten so big, the paychecks so large, that “the next best thing” seems to be getting younger and younger each year. There’s too much money involved for there not to be corruption.

Arthur’s story isn’t nearly as dispiriting as Mayo’s. With Mayo, it was about money, and it was about 40-year old men stalking teenage boys in gymnasiums for 15% of their future income.

It looks now like Arthur had some people in his corner, in that his coach and his principal—either for him or for the school—wanted to see him succeed in that at which he excelled. They got two state championships in the process, but part of me is naïve enough to believe that they also wanted to see doors remain open for him at the next level.

Whatever the case may be it is unfortunate that the story comes out now. Winford Ashmore should have said something about Arthur’s eligibility issues before he left Oak Cliff. Instead, he decides to wait until Arthur declares for the NBA? Very odd.

Until you consider that it’s Sweeps Week.

Then it begins to make a little more sense. WFAA was hurting for a story, and finally had some semblance of a news peg with KU winning the championship. Ashmore (putting on my psychologist cap here) may have been bitter about devoting his life to the quadratic equation, as Arthur, who can put a ball in a basket, will become a multi-millionaire in a couple weeks. Who knows?

Everything is bigger in Texas, especially the non-stories. This non-story came during baseball season, which was enough to make me lose half a morning tilting at windmills.

-Nathan Rodriguez

“…like the Pythagorean theorem”

I open this post with a bit of trivia. Who are the only group of players to have winning records in the playoffs against Bird, Magic, and Jordan? Answer: The Bad Boys.

The funny thing is that these Bad Boys were not only hated because of their overly physical play, but also for their ‘flopping’ to get opposing players in foul trouble.

A common thread has been developing in previous posts, which I will attempt to introduce in this post. This thread is the evolutionary approach to athletic genius. In my opinion, our definition of athletic genius as embodied in a single individual is flawed. This flawed definition does not allow us to see genius in the Bad Boys or the Cobra-Kai Spurs. Evolution attempts to explain heritability through time in terms of populations, not individuals. There is no doubt that contemporary neo-Darwinian studies are crafting a rhetoric for dealing with individuals, however, the population determines heritability, not the individual.

Why reduce the definition of athletic genius to certain freakish talents like Kobe, Lebron, or CP3? It seems we must broaden this definition to include groups of people (teams) that will do whatever it takes to ensure their ‘fitness’ in no matter what ‘niche’ they may encounter. No two teams have ensured their fitness during our lifetimes better than the Bad Boys or Spurs. We must applaud their genius, not admonish it!

Kobe’s MVP acceptance speech was very telling. It was the team that actually facilitated his first MVP! Genius is not sustainable without the team. If asked what teams they admire, I am confident that most of the individual geniuses of today would mention the Bad Boys or Cobra-Kai Spurs.

We will not remember the Spurs as whining floppers, but a major contribution to the modern game. They are the platypus of basketball. They are ugly as hell, but their design ensures their successful genetic fitness. We should be more awestruck by their genius than that of Kobe, Lebron, or CP3.

However, if they lose game 7, then their time has passed, for good. Yet, their success will ensure that another team with their genius will arise soon. Evolutionarily speaking, this is the kind of genius that can be copied and replicated easier than it can from a single individual that can score 81 points in a game.

I’d rather be a bitch with rings [sporting a mullet and dressed in a skeleton costume] than a genius that does not know how to operationalize his talent.

--the fire-crotched sensei

they are who we thought they were

My first 2ndsport contribution - expect a frustrated, incomprehensible rant. Maybe even made-up words, definetily some stream of consciousness. Most of the vitriol and sarcasm is directed at ATG....My hatred of the Spurs grows with each flop and incredulous face I see.

Well, Austin, ole' BoB Horry certainly came through when they needed him most. As Horry leaned both elbows into David West's back in what was ALREADY a foregone conclusion (Spurs up 21), game 7 may have been swung toward The Cobra-Kai Spurs. Cheap Shot Bob had struck again, and an integral part of the Hornets was leaving in a body bag.

Granted, the Spurs are the epitome of a team, superb passing, excellent fundamentals, not complaining about teammates as you mentioned, but this is because the Spurs spend most of their time whining about officiating and how they've been slighted. Perhaps your comments on the multi-cultural Spurs do shed light on the flopping and complaining phenomenon. With each European or Latin American that passes through the clutches of Popovich, new levels of 'bitchness' are achieved. Maybe it's the soccer backgrounds of many of these players that limits their tenacity or true toughness. They grew up learning the art of the flop, the art of the "What, you called that foul on me?" face.... However, that background in no way excuses such play. If being a bitch is the product of 'our isolationist imperialism,' then count me as an isolationist until the end.

Am i not progressive enough, am I too American because my desire is to see an NBA that reflects the freedom of expression, the artistry in motion that a certain gold and purple clad MVP can generate each time he touches the ball? I prefer wins and losses to be generated via the actual play on the court, not via dirty play and bending the rules. There is something to be said for admiring the spectacular, and disdaining the lack of truth emanating from the Spurs. You will have to excuse me if I have fallen out of step with the times.As for reinvention, that very MVP took it upon himself to make certain changes to his game, when to pick his spots, when to pick up his teammates, and when to defer. These changes led to the best record in the West, and no one saw that coming.

"To create a franchise built on the fundamentals of basketball, those past and those future." Certainly, the Spurs are the standard by which the rest of the NBA must be measured. The Suns and Mavs, for example, have not been able to pass the litmus test that is the Spurs. However, if the questionable tactics that denigrate the success of the old-school fundamentals so extraordinarily displayed by the Spurs is the future of basketball, I don't believe I'm alone in being turned off by such a product. For all of their superbness, I can not get past their, and again, for lack of a better word, bitchness. Each and every Spur drinks the kool-aid that is their bitchiness. True champions just win. True champions are not bitches.

"they are who we thought they were"

-ADS- hopefully my next contribution will expound on the NBA theme in a more cohesive manner. Something like an SAT analogy - NBA : jazz