We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

Carmelo Anthony officially retired from the NBA in May 2023, after racking up 28,289 points, making six All-NBA teams and winning three Olympic Gold medals. While he spent his last few seasons barnstorming around the League, he’ll be remembered for his tenures with the Nuggets and Knicks, where he headlined some great teams that were eventually dispatched by greater competition. But I think as time goes on, we will remember Melo for more than just basketball.

Melo was in the same 2003 NBA Draft class as LeBron James, which would put most players in danger of being overshadowed. But he shined his own light and carved his own path, which took serious work on and off the court. On the morning of the 2003 Draft, I sat down to breakfast with Carmelo, right there in the lobby of the Westin Hotel in Times Square where the NBA housed the players. His agents wanted us to meet in advance of Melo taking over the SLAM Rookie Diary, which I would help him write each month. We shared an awkward meal together, Melo just weeks removed from winning the NCAA Tournament with Syracuse, and just hours away from the biggest moment of his life. I mostly just tried to stay out of his way that day. 

But we were in constant contact throughout his rookie year—shout out tmail, IYKYK—and it was remarkable to see Melo gain confidence and start to grow into himself. He matured, became a father, had his own line of Jordans, and was starting to dabble in documentary production. At the time, you’ll remember, there was no real blueprint for an athlete looking to diversify their off-court interests. Michael Jordan was still building out Jordan Brand and yet to purchase the Hornets, and Carmelo and LeBron were feeling out similar lines of inquiry regarding what their business futures might look like. 

In the summer of 2008, we reached out to Carmelo because it was time to put him on the cover of SLAM, his fourth cover since the 2003 Draft. Melo was entering his sixth season, having averaged 24.4 ppg over those first five campaigns (all winning seasons), including two All-Star appearances. Still, it was tough for the Nuggets to break through—things were so stacked that the 2007-08 Nuggets won 50 games and still finished eighth in the Western Conference. 

Down to give us time for a cover shoot, Melo wanted to pitch us an idea: He wanted to be on the cover seated in a director’s chair. Nope, I quickly responded. Because if there was one thing the great Dennis Page taught all of us at SLAM, it was how to make a dope magazine cover. It was hard enough to do something compelling in that rectangular shape, and having someone sitting down really limited your options from a design standpoint. But Melo had legitimately thought it out. His life was changing. He felt like he was in control. He wanted to use one story to tell another story, and how better than by using a photo with him in a director’s chair? 

A compromise was reached. We would get a director’s chair and take pictures with Carmelo in it, but for the cover image, we’d use whatever worked best. As it turned out, the director’s chair worked best, turning into one of the more memorable SLAM covers of all time. 

We talked that day about his growth, and Melo noted, “It took me a while to figure out that I had everything in my own hands. It was hard to fathom that I went from a row house project building to a penthouse. It’s still hard to fathom that.”

Melo’s basketball story may have come to a graceful end, but he’s clearly not finished. He guest-edited SLAM’s Social Justice issue in 2020, addressing head-on many of the social issues in America then and now. The last few years, he’s done everything from owning a soccer team to acting on TV and in movies to launching a podcast to being profiled in Ad Week. And it don’t stop. 

People often ask me who my favorite NBA players are, and the truth is, I don’t have favorite players so much as I have favorite people. While Carmelo Anthony will go down as a Hall of Fame basketball player, maybe the better story is how he’s also grown into a Hall of Fame person. 

Photo via Getty Images.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: Carmelo Anthony appeared first on SLAM.

We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

“Are you serious? Like, for real?” 

Derrick Rose can’t believe what he’s hearing. It’s a Thursday morning in Memphis, and even though the Grizzlies don’t have an official practice on the books today, DRose is at the team’s facility to lift weights, run drills and get some shots up—things a guy in his 16th NBA season has learned how to do to keep his game sharp.

That Rose is even in Memphis at all these days is something of a miracle, a testament to how the world is reciprocal and a chance for Rose’s career to wind down in the same arena where he stamped his spot on the national scene. After playing high school ball in Chicago, where he made his name as another in a long line of celebrated ballers from Simeon Academy, Rose left the Windy City in favor of the Bluff City, joining John Calipari at the University of Memphis. After a 26-0 start, the Tigers made it to the NCAA Tournament with a 33-1 record, eventually losing to Kansas in the championship game. 

After one year in Memphis, Rose went back home, the first overall pick of the Chicago Bulls. He won a Rookie of the Year award, made an All-Star team and became one of the pillars of adidas basketball. In a League of Goliaths, Rose was David, fearlessly attacking giants and slaying each possession as if it was his last. Rose played with breathtaking abandon, and his furious styles earned him legions of fans.

And then, before just his third NBA season, Rose appeared on the cover of SLAM for a third time and called his shot: He wanted to be the NBA’s MVP. Right away. So, he spoke his truth into existence in the pages of SLAM 143. 

“That was really me gauging the talent in the League at the time and feeling like I could compete against that,” Rose says today. “So why not go for it? I wanted to go for it, and I was also thinking about getting a championship, so I said that as a way to hype myself up.”

Whatever the method, it worked. Rose won an MVP at age 22, the youngest player in NBA history to win the nod. And then, not long after, during a first-round playoff game in 2012, Derrick Rose tore his ACL, knocking him out for an entire season. He returned in 2013 and posted four consecutive seasons averaging double-digits, but it was a different Derrick Rose, and not just on the court. Rose used his forced time away from the game to “figure out who I really am as a person…Back in the day, when I first got [to Memphis], I wasn’t able to articulate myself like this. So with me expressing myself like this, someone who has been an introvert, I pat myself on the back, because I had to work to get to where I’m at.”

The changes weren’t only internal. Looking back at some of those old SLAM covers, Derrick Rose is almost unrecognizable today. The eyes are still there—that laser-sharp stare—but the old Rose had short hair and a handful of tattoos. These days, Derrick Rose’s braids brush the tops of his shoulders, tattoos run all the way up to his chin, his neat goatee has blossomed into a full beard. He’s quick with a grin and willing to drop knowledge wherever he can—when the Grizzlies struggled defensively earlier this season, it was Rose who called out their need to improve communication. He may no longer be able to stop on a dime and soar over defenses, but his accumulated institutional knowledge makes him invaluable to NBA teams in need of leadership and experience, like the Grizzlies.

Rose says playing such a pivotal part of SLAM’s history means a lot: “When you think about the AI cover, that was the most iconic one that I can remember—the hair out, everything. For me, it’s an honor to actually be on the cover, and know there are people who still rock that cover, who still have those covers framed.”

And the disbelief? That came from being told that his old covers are among the most popular t-shirts that SLAM has ever produced. 

“Are you serious?” Rose repeats. When confirmed, Rose smiles wide. 

“That’s love, right there.” 

Feature via Getty Image. Portrait by Atiba Jefferson.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: Derrick Rose appeared first on SLAM.

We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

I knew right away. Even as the words were escaping Kevin Durant’s mouth. It was the spring of 2007, and the 18-year-old Durant was in the mix to be the first pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He was tall and lanky, and in one year at the University of Texas had flashed his developing scoring chops, averaging 25.8 ppg. The other candidate for the first pick was Greg Oden, who had led a stacked Ohio State team to the NCAA title game and looked to be the next big man in a long line of next big men. 

For SLAM 110, we had the idea of putting Durant and Oden on the cover together, like one of those old boxing posters, a play on the choice NBA teams had to make. Kevin and his mom showed up to the photo studio just outside Washington, DC, and they were game for our concept, although I remember them wanting to be sure we didn’t frame it as KD and Oden not liking one another; they were rivals, sure, but it was a friendly rivalry between two kids who’d played against each other on the AAU circuit for years. 

For the cover story, I decided to separately ask Oden and Durant the same set of questions, as if I were an NBA team conducting pre-draft interviews, and then put their answers side-by-side, as a way to compare and contrast their personalities and mindsets. We’d report, you’d decide. I interviewed Oden over the phone while he was traveling around for pre-draft workouts, and he was perfectly fine to talk with, answering everything politely and thoughtfully, saying all the right things you would want to hear from a potential No. 1 draft pick. 

The question that cracked the code, at least for me, was when I asked them each why they should be the first overall pick. Oden talked about working hard, being a good person, fitting in and making whatever sacrifices were needed for his team to win. His answer was perfectly fine.

But when I asked Kevin Durant why he should be the first overall pick, he said, “I think I have a winning mentality. Even though I’m young, I can bring leadership to an organization. I’m just cold-blooded. I really don’t care. Whoever’s in front of me, I’m going to do my best to destroy them. Younger people might back down sometimes, but I think I’m a tough player and I won’t back down from anything—I accept challenges. I know it’s going to be hard, but everything you have to face is hard. I’ll be young, and I’m sure people will write me off and say I’m too small or not ready, but I’ve been going through that my whole life.”

That was when I was certain. What else could you want from a kid about to make the leap to the toughest professional sports league available to him? I’ll take all the confidence you can muster. And in retrospect, looking back at all the accolades Durant has compiled, from an MVP to two rings to a few Olympic Gold medals, we all should have known what was on the horizon. 

The rest is his story. The Blazers took Oden first overall, while Durant went to the SuperSonics (who quickly became the Thunder). Kevin Durant fulfilled the promises of so many. During a time in the ’00s when basketball was creeping toward becoming positionless, Durant pressed fast-forward on that evolution and made a series of suggestions into a reality, scoring easily from all three levels, adding defense, ballhandling, turning players like Wemby and Chet into archetypes instead of unicorns.

Durant made his journey with SLAM alongside, from the photos of him in high school as an impossibly skinny kid to the championship covers. When KD launched his own podcast, he devoted an entire episode to SLAM. “SLAM was so important to us because it was all basketball,” he said. 

Today, at 35 years old, KD is currently fourth in the NBA at 30.8 ppg and has settled into life in the desert, teaming with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to form what should be a formidable squad in Phoenix. Durant also recently slid into the NBA’s all-time top 10 in points scored, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

From beginnings that were somewhat uncertain, Kevin Durant has more than made good on the promise he showed almost two decades ago when he first appeared in SLAM.

It was written. 

Photo via Getty Images. Portrait by Rachael Golden.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: Kevin Durant appeared first on SLAM.

In many ways, it’s indicative of the competitive culture this Grizzlies team has embraced. “Get better every single day,” Jenkins says, when asked to summarize his system. “Simple as that. We know our goal is to just find our best version. I’m repetitive because I don’t want them to be thinking anything other than, Hey, there’s going to be this marker that people are going to talk about. We are really trying to find our best selves defensively, offensively, spirit-wise, all that just gets better every single day.”

Even though the season isn’t quite over yet, the Grizzlies indulging in some fun feels appropriate. One season ago, Memphis was fighting to finish anywhere above .500 and make the play-in game. This season, as the second-youngest team in the NBA, the Grizzlies finished 56-26, the second-best record in the League and tied for the most wins in franchise history. The Grizzlies are the first team in the history of the NBA to lead the League in rebounds, blocks and steals, and have contributors firmly in the conversations for MVP, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.

SLAM 238 featuring the Memphis Grizzlies is available now.

A little over a year ago, Ja Morant was on the cover of SLAM fronting a story about how the Grizzlies seemed poised to go from rebuilding to contending. Well, that future is right now. These Grizzlies have proven that a youth movement in modern sports can be a good thing, maybe even a great thing. 

The crazy part is how it almost didn’t even turn out this way. The Grizzlies began this season 9-10 and had the worst defense in the NBA. And then, just when you thought things looked dim, in the final game of that opening stretch, Morant went out with a non-contact knee injury. Things went from dim to dimmer.

While Morant avoided serious injury, he did miss a few weeks, and the Grizzlies promptly won 10 of their next 11. Ever since then, the Grizzlies have pulled off a dazzling transformation, morphing into a top-five team on both defense and offense. How did this happen? If it was easy to figure out, everyone would be able to do it. But a franchise that won only 22 games five seasons ago has turned into a victory machine. Winning time? Right now, that’s in Memphis, mane.

A few minutes after Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke is crowned the Simon Says champ, Jaren Jackson Jr sprawls on a couch near the locker room. Jackson, in his fourth NBA season, is still just 22 years old, a few weeks younger than Morant. Jackson Jr or “Trip” as he is known among his teammates, has embraced the nickname “Block Panther,” emerging as the interior defensive stopper who allows his teammates on the perimeter to swipe at loose balls and overplay passing lanes. Besides leading the NBA in blocked shots, he’s also second on the Grizz in three-point attempts, making him a prototypical modern big in today’s NBA.

“The culture here is crazy,” Trip says. “We don’t know how important it is, because we just do it naturally. It’s just ironic that we all kind of hang out and do the same stuff, enjoy the same stuff. We just ride with it. But it obviously helps—it helps us win, it helps us communicate, it helps us understand each other better off the court. It’s just a big deal for us. We love it.

“We just kick it with each other. We go out to eat, we hang out, we go to each other’s rooms on the road, we go play video games—we just chill.”

Perhaps no Grizzlies player is more chill than Dillon Brooks, who always arrives for press conferences wearing sunglasses and speaks in a whisper. Yet on the floor, he plays with ferocity, particularly on the defensive end, a clear throwback to the Grizzlies’ grit-and-grind heritage. (“I’m trying to smile more so I don’t get too upset out there and they start teeing me up again,” Brooks recently joked.) In his fifth season in Memphis, Brooks is the longest-tenured Grizzlies player, and also the their second leading scorer this season, at 18.4 ppg. Still, his relentless defense-first mindset seems to set the tone for much of what the Grizzlies do.

Brooks cites improved team defense as a reason for the Grizzlies’ current success. “Play physical,” he says. “Make the refs call every single foul and see if they can do it. Slide our feet from one to 12. We are contesting at the rim, and we are doing it as a team. Playing team defense, communicating, talking. It is really good to see us get out and run and do what we are good at. That is what we have to bring to the playoffs.”

Morant sees a major difference between this year’s team and last season’s squad: “Attention to detail,” he says. “I feel like we’re way more locked in. No matter what goes on during the game, if we’re missing some shots we move on. And I feel like last year we had times where we missed coverages, where we talked about it for two days, and teams made us pay for that. And I feel like now we’re very locked in and feel like everybody is just locked down on the defensive end and knowing we can score the basketball.”

Morant began this season with a flurry of ninja emojis on everything he tweeted, using the phrase, “Welcome to the dark.” Morant eventually provided some context, noting that the work done in the dark is eventually seen in the light. And then he welcomed the rest of the NBA into the darkness. 

Morant finished his third season averaging 27.4 points per game, and despite being listed at just 6-3, he led the NBA in points scored in the paint. There were literally dozens of highlights along the way, from Ja scoring 52 in a game (prompting an online MVP endorsement from Allen Iverson) to dunks over bigs and gravity-defying blocked shots to hitting the griddy on the way back to the locker room after every win.

Along the way, Ja turned his Twitter account into a personal bully pulpit, campaigning for Jackson Jr to win Defensive Player of the Year, for Desmond Bane to win Most Improved, for Jenkins to win Coach of the Year.

While the Grizzlies have had explosive performances from a variety of players this season—eight different players have been a game’s leading scorer this season—perhaps nobody has been more consistent than Bane, the second-year guard.

Projected as a spot-up shooter when the Grizzlies drafted him out of TCU, Bane has developed into a dynamic all-around guard, able to score off the dribble, run the offense as a secondary ballhandler and still shoot the lights out—as Jackson Jr said after a recent game, “Des is, you know, all hail Des.” Over the Grizzlies’ last 17 games, Bane led the team in scoring eight times and along the way set a franchise record for made threes in a season. 

“Coach always talks about the energy and the ball,” Bane says. “Guys tend to shoot it better as long as you just keep moving the ball. We stay consistent with our work habits and our approach. Shots are going to find a way.”

The roster that Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman and his basketball operations staff has assembled is filled with a“bunch of hoopers,” as the players like to say. Memphis finishing with the second-best record in the NBA wasn’t just because of the four guys you see on the cover of this magazine—it’s taken major contributions from guys like Steven Adams, who set a franchise record for offensive rebounds in a season. It’s been guys like Tyus Jones, who led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio. Some nights it’s been rookie Ziaire Williams, who started 30 games this season and developed into a crucial rotation player. It’s been Kyle Anderson, who gives Jenkins incredible versatility in the lineups. It’s been Brandon Clarke, who is not only apparently great at Simon Says, but has been on the finishing end of many highlights this season. It’s been DeAnthony Melton, known as “Mr. Do-Something” for his uncanny ability to make impact plays on both ends of the court. It’s been John Konchar, Killian Tillie and Xavier Tillman Sr. Even two-way players like Santi Aldama have had memorable moments this season. 

“We have a squad,” Brooks says, “so you may not get to see those guys play a lot, but they exceed. It is special to see, and we are going to need that all year. You never know what is going to happen with injuries or COVID. Teams know when they play us, no matter who is on the floor, guys are ready to play.”

“The phrase we keep talking about,” says Jenkins, “is Everybody Eats. When you’re playing with that rhythm, that just inherently creates confidence amongst all five guys out there. It becomes infectious. It doesn’t matter when we sub guys, they just kind of pick up where that first group left off.”

For the Grizzlies, the strength of the wolf is the pack, and the strength of their pack is the wolf. Every player has embraced their role, and whenever their time comes, each player is ready to play. With so many young players destined to be in Memphis for a while, the future looks blindingly bright. But don’t overlook the present, either.

“We expect to win every game we play,” Jackson Jr says. “We don’t go in thinking that we’re down, even if we don’t have players playing. Because the way we’re taught to play, everybody knows how we’re supposed to play—move the ball, make defenses work. We like to tire teams out, run them, make them work on defense. We work so hard on defense. Everybody can play defense. If you play defense, you’re going to end up hooping.”

And somewhere on the journey, the Grizzlies figured out that playing with a little attitude was a good thing. Against the Lakers in January, Desmond Bane brushed against LeBron James, who pushed back and caused a momentary pile-up in the paint. As Bane stepped to the charity stripe, LeBron could be overheard on the broadcast telling the Grizzlies to stop talking ish. The Grizzlies would go on to beat the Lake Show, 127-119, for their ninth straight win. 

A few weeks later, after the Grizz drubbed the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on national television, Jaren Jackson Jr and Morant faced the media together. 

“We play with energy, we play with intensity,” Trip said. “We love that. That brings joy to us. That back and forth, that’s just what we like, so, if you want to play that game, we can play that game. It’s cool. It’s all in between the lines. It’s never personal. I don’t care who I’m talking to, it’s just a person, and I’m just going to say what I feel, and I’m going to do what I feel, too.”

And then Morant sat up in his chair, and with a smile, summarized the Grizzlies way, for a team and a city that has been overlooked for far too long: “Ain’t no runnin’ in the M, man. We climb up the chimney.”

“Yeah, for sure,” agreed Trip.

“We gonna let everybody know that we’re here,” continued Morant. “We’re gonna play hard, trying to get a win.

“And if you don’t like it?” Morant asked rhetorically.

“Oh well.”

SLAM 238 is available now in these Gold and Black Metal Editions, as well as a Cover Tee. Shop now.

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

The post The Memphis Grizzlies Defied Expectations This Season—But This is Only the Beginning appeared first on SLAM.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 227 FEATURING JA MORANT

—

It’s a rainy Monday in Memphis, and for once, the NBA is at rest. One evening earlier, the All-Star Game finished with such a flourish that it actually made the players sweat, and now everyone is enjoying a few days off before things kick in for the stretch run.

Well, not everyone. Right around lunchtime, Ja Morant shows up in his teal throwback uniform, in the practice gym of the team that wasn’t supposed to be able to draft him, where he’s been the season’s best rookie in a league where he wasn’t even on the radar two years ago.

Here in the 901, hope abounds. A team that within the last year traded the two most decorated players in franchise history has managed to hit the reset button with the quickness, in large part thanks to the sparkling play of Morant.

Yet, even as 12 straightens his headband and glares into the camera, he is clear about his priorities with the Grizzlies fighting for the final Western Conference playoff spot: “I’m not here for the fame or none of that. I don’t want it at all, honestly. I’m here to handle business.”

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Because the truth is, the Memphis Grizzlies were in the most precarious of places. We had, by almost any NBA standard, a really good run—pairing Mike Conley with Marc Gasol, then fitting in guys like Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. We reached the postseason seven years in a row, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2013, before things started to fizzle out in 2017.

And to be clear, I am allowed to use the royal “we” when talking about the Grizzlies. I spent over a decade of my life sitting at a desk in the SLAM Dome, mixing and matching words, trying my best to describe the audacity of hoop. Three years ago, the Grizzlies hired me to make cool stuff for our own content arm (Grind City Media), as well as run Grizz Gaming, our team in the NBA2K League. So we flew South for good.

I arrived in Memphis just as the Grit and Grind era was grinding out. Z-Bo and TA got big paydays elsewhere, and even with the arrival of Jaren Jackson Jr, it was increasingly clear that the ground-bound Grizzlies were going to have to find a different way forward in an NBA defined by pace and space. 

Everything changed on May 28, 2019, thanks to the NBA Draft Lottery. There were seven teams with a better chance of winning the lotto than the Grizzlies, and if we fell outside the top six, the Grizz wouldn’t even get a pick.

Then Mark Tatum started cracking open envelopes and…we didn’t see the Grizzlies logo. Finally, the show went to a commercial break and just three teams remained: New Orleans, New York and… Memphis! I made my wife and son freeze in place until the commercial break passed, lest we screw up whatever ridiculous luck was happening at that moment. 

As it turned out, the Pelicans won the Zion derby, which is fine. 

Because we got Ja.

Penny Hardaway once noted that Memphis wants all the smoke, and that’s because way down deep, Memphis just wants the chance to prove itself, to show that this city is as great as we all know it is. Sure, it’s smaller than some NBA cities, but we got soul. Memphis has glorious sunsets and a mighty river and music and the world’s best barbecue and, more than anything else, as long as you put in the work, Memphis will give you the chance to be great. 

“One thing you can’t do with Grizzlies fans, you can’t cheat them with your work ethic,” says “The Grindfather” himself, Tony Allen. “They have a bar that they live up to. Playing hard can cover up for some of your mistakes or some of your flaws [and] it’s OK as long as you’re giving 110 percent.”

Memphis was the perfect place for Ja Morant, a player who put in unseen work on his backyard cement court to go from an overlooked prep prospect to the No. 2 pick in the draft. Plus, Ja is a Southern kid, born in Georgia, raised in South Carolina, college in Kentucky. And now he’s brought the show to Tennessee. It almost feels like some sort of bigger design is at work. 

“I feel like God has a plan for everybody,” says Ja. “You can’t put a time on it. It’s his timing. I feel like everything that’s been happening to me and the positions that I’ve been put in is because of my hard work and what God blessed me with, the talents He blessed me with, and just him. So, I’m thankful for everything and I’m just going to keep pushing.”

Ja was different from the jump. For the Grizzlies’ first official public outing with him, the team held an open practice at a local high school. When Ja was announced to the crowd, he stopped and broke into a perfect Milly Rock. Then the games started, and immediately we saw it all: Ja can score, push the tempo and make perfect reads on breaks and in the halfcourt. But what makes him so much fun are all the moves he sprinkles in throughout every game. They are pure jazz, equal parts improvisation and imagination.

We all have our favorite moments. Like that time against Utah, when he Eurostepped around a defender while simultaneously moving the ball behind his back, finishing with a scoop layup off the glass. Later in that same game, Ja caught an alley-oop and dunked on his own teammate, Jaren Jackson Jr. A few weeks later, Ja dunked on a different teammate, Brandon Clarke.

Almost every night when I come home late from our games, my son rolls over in bed and asks, “Did Ja do any tricks tonight?” And the answer is always, “Yes.” Ja has a well that never seems to run dry: ball fakes, cut dribbles, pass fakes, spin moves, around-the-back dribbles, which is ironic considering Ja’s father, Tee, wouldn’t let him watch basketball trick videos as a kid. “I never watched them for a reason,” Ja recalls. “Like, I don’t need to add that stuff in my game. I just start with my fundamentals and it will carry me a long way. People think that we did crazy workouts and stuff, but it was mainly just learning the basics and then once I learned the basics, it allowed me to just keep going, dribbling and stuff got easier, and it just made me a good player.”

But you can’t spell fundamentals without fun, and every impact play seems to come with some sort of Ja embellishment: the “too little” celebration; the “rock the baby” motion when he scores on someone smaller; how he glares at the ball after a hard dunk or the wide-eyed stares at his hand as if even Ja can’t believe what it just did. When he broke out a headband a few weeks ago, Ja asked to be introduced as “Headband 12.” After assists, Ja holds his hands up to his eyes to mimic a pair of goggles. Now everyone on the court and bench joins him. (“It was supposed to be binoculars, but everyone started saying goggles, so that’s what I’m going with,” he says.) 

“My pops always told me to have fun whenever I am on the floor,” Ja explains. “If I’m not having fun, I’m probably not playing my game. So, each and every night I step on that court, I just try to have fun, bring some excitement to the table, and I’m just trying to help my team win.”

The Grizzlies started this season with six wins in their first 22 games, and it certainly seemed like 2019-20 was going to be more about development than results. But things changed, and the new year kicked off with seven straight wins. Heading into the All-Star break, the Grizz had won 15 of 19. New coach Taylor Jenkins was named Western Conference coach of the month in January, as the Grizz found their hustle and flow. 

“It was all about growing together and jelling as one team,” explains Ja. “I just felt like we went from a group of individuals at the beginning of the season to one team, and we just go out with the same mindset and just play basketball.”

Meanwhile, Ja remains the straw that stirs the drink. From day one, it wasn’t the scoring that was so impressive to me—it was the vision. Ja genuinely seems to enjoy piling up assists as much as he does getting buckets. Whether it’s dotting guys in the corners, throwing no-looks to rim-running bigs, slinging passes along the baselines or threading the needle in halfcourt sets, Morant has assisted on 30 percent of his teammates’ baskets.

Along the way, he has won the Rookie of the Month award three months in a row. Does he deserve to be the Rookie of the Year?

“We’ll find out,” he answers.

—

For the first time in a long time, maybe ever, Ja Morant is no longer underrated. As a high school player, he made some noise, but still ended up at a mid-major. 

After two years of dominating against college competition—Ja was the first player in the history of college basketball to average at least 20 points and 10 assists per game—the excuse was Ja was playing subpar competition.

Now there’s no excuse. Now Ja is in the NBA, playing basketball night after night against the best players in the world, and he’s not only shown that he belongs, he’s shown that he’s one of the best. Or, as he told a random person on Twitter who said Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were killers: “didn’t say they wasn’t killers. didn’t say I wasn’t a fan of their game either…but I’m a killer, too.”

“I always had that mindset,” Ja says. “I feel like there’s no reason to fear anybody. They put their shoes and stuff on the same way you do.”

Ja wants that smoke, too. The next gen in Memphis is just getting started. 

“We just can’t get satisfied now,” Morant says. “We still have a half a season to go. Still got places we can get better in. We’re just going to stay locked in and continue to do what we do. Go out and compete each and every night, continue to play together and just try to get better in places that we know we need to get better in to help us come out with more wins.”

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 227 FEATURING JA MORANT

Follow Lang Whitaker on Twitter @langwhitaker.

Portraits by Pier Nicola D’Amico.

The post Memphis Grizzlies Star Ja Morant Covers SLAM 227 appeared first on SLAM.

And then there was Zaza Pachulia. The Orlando Magic drafted Pachulia in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft as a 19-year-old center out of the Republic of Georgia. After bouncing around the L his first few seasons, Pachulia eventually found a home in Atlanta, where he anchored the Hawks for much of the 2000s. After a few more stops, he ended up in Golden State, where Pachulia put in the work and went on to win two NBA titles. 

This summer, Pachulia retired after 16 seasons. Finished on the floor, he stayed near the game by taking a position as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors, where he does things like ring the opening bell at the stock market as well as get an overall view of how an NBA franchise runs. 

Yet it wasn’t just on the court that Pachulia put in work during his career. He also has always been something of a serial entrepreneur, taking classes and dabbling in various companies. His latest venture involved teaming up with some businessmen in his native Georgia to help kickstart a shoe brand, Crosty. We recently caught up with Pachulia, who if anything surely understands that on the road to success, nothing is easy.

—

SLAM: I imagine it must be kind of weird for you as training camps start, and the first time in a long time you’re not showing up as a player.

Zaza: Yeah, for 16 years I’ve been going through the same process. Mentally to be prepared for the moment it was so helpful. Another amazing thing that happened, obviously, is I joined an organization with probably the most memorable years I had, with the Warriors. So yeah, I might not be on the court, but to be engaged in the process and all that, it’s so helpful. It’s a great opportunity, first of all, to learn to see this business from this angle and obviously being on the court is great, but you really never kind of knew what it took from the front office and the meetings and how the decisions were made, so I was a big part of it for the last couple of weeks. It definitely helps the transition. It helps me to not think about playing. Of course, you miss basketball, but you’re still in basketball, so I couldn’t ask for more than that.

SLAM: You said you’re mentally ready to step away from the game, but how long did it take you to make the decision? Even if you’re mentally ready, it must still be a hard decision for you to make.

Zaza: Absolutely. I’m really curious how I’m going to deal with the first game, the official opening. I’m sure it’s going to be a different feeling. But to be honest, I look at it as a business decision. Even though basketball is my passion, I’ve been doing it for such a long period of time. This seemed the same as any team coming and offering you the chance to play another season. But maybe it’s even better, because it’s a great way to start your next chapter, especially when you’re talking about being around the guys like Bob Myers and Steve Kerr and Joe Lacob. I had the good fortune to meet with a lot of our ownership group while I played here. And the overall experience that’s around it the Bay Area and the Warriors, it’s amazing. To start this chapter this way, I’m thankful and fortunate. 

SLAM: Give me one moment from your playing career that you’ll never be able to forget.

Zaza: I’ve been for fortunate to have a few of those moments. Obviously since you and I have a lot of Atlanta ties, the 2008 playoffs against the Boston Celtics…after Game 6…

SLAM: Nothing easy! Nothing easy!

Zaza: (laughing) I feel like that’s when people really got to know me, especially being part of a young team, on the radar for the fanbase and for NBA, for teams that was trying to win the championship. We were this young team and a guy coming from Republic of Georgia—a lot of people don’t even know where the country is located at, but I kind of felt like people got to know me. Most importantly, they got to know my personality. That was the most important thing. Because this is something that doesn’t come out in the stats. I think a couple seconds of my personality was out there for everybody. I remember that night I got so many text messages and emails and phone calls, it’s crazy, like I won the championship. 

SLAM: And then you ended up going on to win two titles with the Warriors.

Zaza: Both of them were amazing, because the first is the first—it’s great. First love, first kiss, you name it, the first championship, it is just totally different. And winning the second championship was even sweeter, winning on the road. You already know that feeling, so for that feeling to come and to get to experience it again, it’s great. So, those three moments.

SLAM: I remember talking to you about fashion and style ten years ago, even before the whole NBA thing took off where guys were dressing for the runway and all that kind of stuff. You’ve always cared about how you looked and how you dressed. Now it seems kind of fitting that you’re involved in a shoe company that makes stylish shoes. How did that come about?

Zaza: Obviously, being from Europe always helps because of the fashion there. And being 6-11 is pretty challenging when you’re talking about fashion. But I had no idea back then that this was coming. It was totally, totally on accident. I had no plans to make an investment in the shoe company, especially when you play basketball at that age you just concentrate. Yeah, you want to have a shoe deal, something I have all my career, but probably I was dreaming about that more than this. 

The way Crosty and I got started together was really interesting, because after I won the first championship I got a pretty huge box and it was from a Georgia address. So I opened it and I’m pulling out this nice box, you could tell from the quality of box it was something serious. And once I opened the black box, and there was a letter from Georgia saying congratulations on your first championship, about how I made Georgia proud and here’s a little gift from us. So, I opened it obviously and I took it out. I pulled it out and it’s a shoe. It’s a sneaker. It’s my favorite sneaker color—white—and it’s leather, and everything is all in place. The message said it’s a Georgia company, Crosty, but I had never heard about it. I was like, how the hell did they know my size, especially the white color, [which is] something that I would be wearing most of the time literally with everything, either a suit or casual—I like just white colored shoes, I think it goes with anything. So, I Googled it and I read about the company. Once I went back to Georgia, I wanted to meet these people and support them because you could sense the quality there. 

SLAM: So how did you guys connect? 

Zaza: I ended up reaching out to them—Georgia is small so it’s easy to get in touch with anybody you want to, so I reached out to them and I met with them. The first meeting was great, so I asked them how they heard about my shoe size and my favorite color, and they said they checked [my] Instagram and most of the pictures I was wearing the white color shoes so they decided to send me the white colored sneakers. And obviously I’ve been wearing them pretty often. The second meeting I said, well, think about some ideas how we can work together. So then we met each other again and talked about the values, what’s your goal, what’s your big picture. It was more like the first meeting was getting to know each other, and the second time it was more of a business meeting. And I said, you know what, I love the story that they had, I love the people behind it and they were super motivated guys. 

SLAM: And what was the story behind it?

Zaza: Basically, there are the Mikaia brothers and they were born and raised in the Abkhazia region—it’s a region of Abkhazia that is occupied by Russia right now. I’m not trying to go into politics but they had to leave after the war, and they had to leave home, leave everything there. They just literally went away with whatever clothes they had and nothing else, basically. They moved to Tbilisi back in the mid ‘90s, not knowing many people. So, both brothers started searching for freedom, and the whole country was searching for freedom, and was just trying to find a way to live and operate. And they said if you want to walk forward to freedom you should have comfortable shoes, and that’s how they started making those shoes. 

SLAM: That’s a great story.

Zaza: The guys had nothing whatsoever, they lost their home, friends and everything they had. They started from zero and now they have such a cool story and such a cool brand. It’s about the freedom, it’s about the quality, it’s about walking towards that freedom. So, it’s a cool thing and I definitely got involved into it and there are motivated people behind this brand—energetic with big plans, and I would like to be part of it. And I ended up becoming their partner, so I’m very, very proud to have these kind of partners. That’s the most important thing. I mean, obviously our goal is to make this brand famous, profitable, but most importantly you’re dealing with motivated guys who are going to push you and who are going to complement you and that you’re going to learn from them and they’re working super hard and are fighting for something. As an athlete, as a competitor, it means so much to be on the same page in that regard. 

SLAM: What does Crosty mean? 

Zaza: It’s related to the freedom, that word. So, everything.

SLAM: I know when you were on the Hawks you had other businesses you ran—a restaurant, a lounge. I assume it’s sort of like being a player—you have times you lose, you have times you win, but you learn from all that and it comes together. Does that play into your involvement with this company?

Zaza: I’ll tell you, the restaurant business is one of the best things that happened to me. I learned so much and I got so much experience, my approach to things changed. I got so much motivation to be more prepared, go into more details, look at things differently. I attended so many business classes, and that still continues. Now I get to really dig into it because there’s a lot of competition out there and patience and a lot of time. I’ve been approaching every single opportunity differently. So far, so good.

SLAM: That’s cool. Last thing, which of your former teammates do you want to get into a pair of Crosty shoes?

Zaza: The shoes fit today’s style—I’ve seen so many athletes wearing the sneakers with suits. I gifted a couple of them to my teammates either with the Warriors or with Detroit. I have been getting a lot of great feedback about it and it’s always good to hear. 

—

Follow Lang Whitaker on Twitter @langwhitaker.

Photos via Crosty and Getty.

The post Zaza Pachulia Talks New Partnership with Shoe Brand Crosty appeared first on SLAM.

You’ll notice I did not say I work as “the” team’s general manager. That’s because I’m not the GM of an NBA team. No, I’m the GM of Grizz Gaming, the Memphis Grizzlies’ team in the NBA 2K League, which tipped off its inaugural season this month.

How exactly did I get here? We should probably start with the NBA 2K League, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: An esports league built around the video game NBA 2K. And by this point, if you don’t know what an esports league is, you are probably older than me. The esports industry, which is basically competitive leagues built around video games, is expected to see over a billion dollars a year in revenue by 2019. Companies and sports franchises from all sectors are getting involved, so when the NBA announced the founding of the NBA 2K League during 2017’s All-Star Weekend, it made sense.

(It is worth noting here that the original SLAM Dome was the birthplace of what many experts consider one of the world’s first esports leagues. One summer, while struggling to fill the months of mostly hoops-less content on SLAMonline.com, Sam Rubenstein and myself launched what we called the Madden Bowl, which was essentially an excuse to allow us to play Madden in the office and write about it. Unfortunately, many of those earliest records have been lost to time.)

The 2K League works like any other sports league: teams play against each other, and someone wins and someone loses. Five gamers will rep Grizz Gaming, each playing a position on the court, and we’ll square off against five other gamers, in what will look fundamentally identical to any other actual basketball game. Seventeen NBA franchises signed up to field entries in the NBA 2K League’s inaugural season, including the Memphis Grizzlies.

Which is where I get involved: Back in October, the Grizzlies asked if I’d be interested in moving to Memphis to be the General Manager of their 2K team. I knew pretty much immediately that yes, this was something I wanted to do. After spending two decades as a journalist who primarily covered the NBA, I was ready for a change. I was excited to trade New York City, where my family and I lived for 17 years, for some wide open spaces. So I loaded up a truck with my wife, son and dog and everything else we owned, and we moved to Memphis.

As it turns out, constructing an NBA 2K team from scratch is a lot like building an actual NBA team, or at least what I assume it’s like. We built a state-of-the-art practice facility, filled out the Grizz Gaming staff, met with potential sponsorship partners, sat through meetings with architects, created content to help spread the word about @GrizzGaming, printed up t-shirts, stickers, tattoos and lapel pins and pretty much created an infrastructure.

By the middle of March, I was embarking on the scouting process, trying to identify the players we wanted to build around. During the inaugural NBA 2K League Draft Lottery, we drew the 15th pick of the first round, but because it was a snake draft, we also got the third pick of the second round. I did my best GM-speak and spun it positively by telling people we landed “two of the top 20 picks.” We ended up using that first-round pick on a point guard named Larell Mitchell, a former truck driver from Richmond, VA, who plays with the gamertag Winner_Stayz_On.

As I write this, we are about two weeks out from our first game. Our players arrived in Memphis a week ago and moved into their new apartments. We took them out for incredible barbecue that first night and have tried to show them some of what makes Memphis so special—from the music to the history to the cuisine to the people. Mostly, we’ve been bunkered down in our practice facility, getting to know each other’s virtual games and getting ready for the season to tip-off.

When I set up my desk in the Grizzlies’ offices, one of the first things I brought in was a print I received for Christmas a few years ago. It’s a submarine, cruising underwater, with the caption, “This is an adventure,” a quote from Bill Murray’s titular character in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, from one of my favorite directors, Wes Anderson. I keep it just within eyesight, a constant reminder that we’re all on this ride together, as a team.

Now we just need someone to press start.

—

Follow Lang Whitaker on Twitter @langwhitaker.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Changing the Game: The NBA 2K League is Just Getting Started 🎮 appeared first on SLAM.

In high school in Florida, Deion Sanders was named All-State in basketball, football and baseball. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 1985 MLB draft but did not sign a contract. In college at Florida State, he once played the first game of a baseball doubleheader, then ran in a track meet (while wearing baseball pants), then played the second game later that day. After clocking a 4.21 40-yard dash (while wearing pads and sneakers), he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1989, and quickly established himself as the NFL’s preeminent defensive back and return man. During his offseasons, he played his way through baseball’s minor leagues, eventually making it to the majors with the Yankees. He hit a home run and scored a touchdown in the same week.

All the while, Sanders promoted himself with an unrelenting fervor. For FSU’s rivalry game against Florida, he arrived by limo, wearing a tuxedo. Upon being drafted to the NFL, Sanders arrived at the Atlanta airport wearing tons of jewelry and a black leather sweatsuit with his “Prime Time” logo and nickname emblazoned on the back. Each time he stepped into the batter’s box, he drew a dollar sign in the dirt. On the football field, he high-stepped into the end zone. And he squeezed in time to record a rap album, produced by MC Hammer. As Sanders once explained to Sports Illustrated, “They don’t pay nobody to be humble.”

It very easily could have been rather ridiculous, and in all of the best ways, it probably was. Deion was a walking viral social media campaign before social media, and it was impossible to not keep your eyes on him at all times. Hate him or love him, you had to watch. There is, after all, a fine line between being awesome and awful, and the history of athletes who weren’t able to walk their talk is vast. But what separated Sanders from those who’d come both before and after was that he was, quite simply, elite at everything he did. Growing up back then in Atlanta, we’d never seen anyone who not only talked so much trash and flexed so much flash, but was able to back it up. It was, to be certain, enthralling.

As Sanders expanded his marketing footprint, the brands came calling. After wearing Mizunos early on and turning down deals with a few upstarts, including British Knights, he signed with Nike. The only other person to have a modern day two-sport impact similar to Sanders was Bo Jackson, who split time in the late ’80s between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Raiders. Nike famously capitalized on Jackson with the “Bo Knows” campaign, which helped crack open the nascent cross-training market. But almost as soon as Jackson’s star went meteoric in 1991 at the end of his fourth NFL season, a hip injury ended his football career.

One year later, in 1992, Prime Time went primetime, making All-Pro with the Falcons and batting a career-best .304 with the Braves. In response, Nike dropped the Air Diamond Turf, Deion’s first signature shoe. It was a cross-trainer, built for speed and support, with a mid-foot strap for stability. It would be the first of five signature shoes Nike produced for Sanders, shoes that matched his material flamboyance while supporting his athletic performance. He cycled through these kicks as he left Atlanta and played in cities from Dallas to San Francisco to Cincinnati to DC. Toward the end of his career, Sanders broke out several exclusive PEs, including cleated Jordan XIs in various colorways (of which one pair resided in the SLAM Dome for many years). After retiring in ’05, Sanders went on to link with Under Armour to become a leader in the youth football space.

In this age of specialization and risk-aversion, Deion Sanders may be the last two-sport star we see, that rare specimen able to sustain two professional careers and simultaneously be world-class at both.

And look clean while doing it. Imagine that.

—

Photo via Associated Press

The post Diamond Is Forever appeared first on SLAM.

[sg-gallery]

Originally published in SLAM 75

by Russ Bengtson and Lang Whitaker

It was the summer of 1981, and the NBA was in trouble. Attendance was terrible, CBS was showing NBA Finals games on late-night tape delay, and 16 of the League’s 23 teams were losing money. Things started turning around two years later, when David Stern was hired as the fourth commissioner in NBA history. Stern aggressively marketed the League as equal parts sports and entertainment, Michael Jordan came along shortly thereafter, and things exploded. Twenty years later, the NBA is now the most popular sports league worldwide, with rabid fans from China to Yugoslavia to Brazil. All of that traces back to David Stern.

We caught up with Stern on a crisp fall day in his 15th floor corner office in midtown Manhattan, with no subject off limits. Even though he’s been around for two decades and SLAM has been around one, this was our first meeting. Hopefully it won’t be the last.

SLAM: First things first—do you read SLAM?

David Stern: I do. I’m a SLAM subscriber. I keep it in a brown paper bag. (Everyone laughs)

SLAM: Can you pinpoint one thing you’re most proud of over the last two decades?

DS: When we started out, this was a league that was supposed to be too black, that could never be accepted by America, blah, blah, blah. And we proved the skeptics wrong there. I’m also proud of the way the League and the players responded to Magic’s announcement that he was HIV positive, and I’m very proud of the impact our League had in changing attitudes about HIV. And I’m proud of the fact that NBA coaches get fired and hired, and people don’t mention race. That sort of puts the NBA in the right place. I think we can be proud of our players, coaches and general managers. It’s fun to be in a League where the overwhelming focus is on winning.

SLAM: So what do you think the biggest challenge facing the League is right now?

DS: Getting people to understand that our 400-plus players shouldn’t be defined by the weakest moments of about 15 of them. This summer, Bob Lanier led a delegation to South Africa, where we worked with 100 kids from 21 nations. We visited Kuwait City and Baghdad, just to let the troops know that people here were thinking about them. We had a camp in Treviso, Italy, called Basketball Without Borders, where our Eastern European players pitched in. All of our players gathered for exhibition games and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their favorite charities. But if you ask the average fan how we spent our summer, the police blotter would define it. And it’s not fair for the 400-plus people who do so much.

SLAM: What about the WNBA? Do you get tired of the general attitude it seems to get from most of the media?

DS: Yes, yes. The media has a bad attitude, you know? (Everyone laughs) People ask me, “The WNBA lost money, right?” And I say, Yeah, but not as much as the NBA lost. Not as much as the NHL lost. Not as much as Major League Baseball is losing. We’re making plans for not only Year 8 of the WNBA, but also Years 9, 10 and 11. People used to have the same attitude about the NBA, but no one remembers. The NBA was an offshoot of the NHL. Owners of NHL teams that owned arenas decided they’d do something with this other sport where people ran around in their underwear fighting over a sphere. They figured they’d get people into the building. And here we are. I think the WNBA will one day be to the NBA as women’s tennis is to men’s tennis. A different game, but played by extraordinary athletes and very much appreciated.

SLAM: Not knowing very much about the financial side of things, how much money does the NBA lose?

DS: It happens with some regularity to some of our teams, depending upon the situation. We’re not asking for any sympathy or passing a hat, because businesses can absorb losses. Their share price sometimes continue to go up even though their cash flow is negative, and in some ways that’s what we think about the WNBA. We’re investing very modest sums, and overall we’re very happy with it.

SLAM: Is there an answer to that loss, or is that just something you have to accept as a matter of course?

DS: No—it’s an investment. You’re investing in a product. The losses are very modest. To have a league, some teams make money, some teams lose money. We now have a women’s league that’s going into its eighth season, and the general predictions were, it wouldn’t last a year. It’s here, it’s got its fans. The quality of the game…I’ll tell you what: If you saw the Final between the Shock and the Sparks, it was a very physical and fiercely contested game, which just demonstrates that the talent level is going up.

SLAM: People have talked about an age limit for the NBA Draft. I know you’ve said you’re in favor of that.

DS: Yeah, well…I’m losing steam.

SLAM: What’s slowing you down?

DS: The flow of time and the general view that despite what I think is a good idea, I look around [at tennis] and Andy Roddick is about to be ranked number one, and I haven’t looked at his college credentials lately, any more than I looked at Agassi’s or Sampras’. So…we’ll see. I still think it would be a good idea. If we had our druthers, we’d tell kids to stay in school. I’ve been reading in the clips that Omar Cook might be sticking with Indiana, and for me, that’s exactly what the Developmental League is about: trying to provide a safety net for somebody who is a nice young man, very talented, but made a mistake coming out early. What’s happening is extraordinarily athletically talented kids are going to come out, but they’re not going to be [NBA] basketball players, even though their friends and their agents are telling them that. That’s a problem.

SLAM: And it seems like rarely these days does a guy like Antonio Davis go to Europe, become a good player and come back.

DS: And then you read about Lenny Cooke and Omar Cook, Leon Smith…you know, that’s not a great activity for us to be associated with.

SLAM: The Players Association says you don’t want kids coming out because the League wants to achieve cost certainty—the younger the kid is, the more big-money contracts he’ll get. They’re getting on the clock faster.

DS: The average playing life in the NBA is five years. I assure you, if that was the issue, we would negotiate around that as we negotiate around everything. But that’s not even a driving issue. Although I can understand why a player or an agent might say, “Come out, you’ll get more contracts.” That’s fine. But think about the numbers of kids who have it whispered in their ears that they should come out who shouldn’t. That’s what we’re talking about.

SLAM: What exactly is your job? Are you a representative of the owners?

DS: I get to talk to a couple of rubes like you. Here we are, just a couple of guys hanging out…No, I see myself as the CEO. I’m hired by the owners, I can be fired by the owners. But unless the employees of the company are doing well and are happy, unless the consumers are happy, and unless the shareholders are happy, then the CEO is doing a lousy job. And in a certain way, because I’m the CEO and because we have the labor deal that we do, I work for the players, although I don’t report to them. Really, it’s a good system that causes us to have a joined or a community interest.

SLAM: Last year the League had a series of ads with Elvis, Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones. None of the players we talked to felt those ads were representative of them at all.

DS: They’re not. We’ve got SLAM. That’s why I read SLAM. There’s a broad array of folks that are interested in our game. And our youngsters know that at our All-Star Weekends over the last three years—and I can’t name all the names—but everyone from Mary J. Blige to Alicia Keyes to P. Diddy, Britney Spears, LL Cool J…we have everybody at our games. It’s our job to not only nurture that fan base, but to remind a somewhat older base that the NBA is relevant to them as well. So even though our players might not remember Frank Sinatra or the Rolling Stones or Elvis Presley, we have many fans who do. So we’re constantly balancing there.

SLAM: Moving into the real post-Michael Jordan era—you had the temporary one—do you feel that things are in good hands?

DS: I couldn’t be more enthused about any season. This is 2003, and we haven’t been offshore in two years. So we’re coming off of a preseason in Mexico City, Paris, Barcelona, Puerto Rico; I’m getting ready to go to Tokyo to see a game. NBA TV is being launched not just here but on a global basis. Ten coaches have moved places. Payton and Malone are in L.A. Free agent signings have gone on in places like Minnesota and even San Antonio, which seems, if it’s possible, to be loaded even more than last year. And then you’ve got the rookies. And then you’ve got the continuing flow of international players, making us entirely interesting to a global audience. This is going to be a very exciting year. When you think about trades, free agents, new coaches, rookies, international …it just seems to have coalesced this year into something bigger than it has before.

SLAM: Will you let us be in charge of the Slam Dunk Contest next year?

DS: Got any ideas? Send me a memo.

SLAM: We definitely would’ve told you that the wheel was a bad idea.

DS: We’re trying to make it interesting. And no matter what I do and no matter when I leave and I think, This is the last year, we go home and get the television ratings, and it always peaks for the Slam Dunk. So send us a memo. Also, I think the three-on-three is…tenuous, shall we say. So we have to come up with a better idea than that. The skills competition was pretty fun.

SLAM: The key was, good people were in it.

DS: Right—that was a real skills competition, not the Levitra ad where the guy throws the football through the tire.

SLAM: Over the summer, Mark Cuban talked about the Kobe case and said business-wise it would be good for the NBA. You called his comments “unseemly and misinformed.”

DS: To the extent that he was quoted as saying it was “good” for the NBA. I can tell you it’s not good for anybody.

SLAM: You don’t think there’ll be a ratings bump when Kobe plays on TV?

DS: I’m not sure. The fact that there’s a media frenzy that wants to talk about a rape case is good for the NBA in the long run? I don’t think so. I don’t buy that. I think that ratings might be up because Kobe’s playing with Karl Malone and Gary Payton and the Lakers are winning and Shaq’s lost weight and is feeling good. If not, ratings are going to be down. The marketplace is very demanding.

SLAM: Do you own any throwback jerseys?

DS: If I did I wouldn’t wear them, so I wouldn’t tell you about them anyway. I own jerseys, but they’re not throwback jerseys—I’ve owned them for 20 years and now they’re throwbacks. I’ve got throwback ties. I don’t have throwback suits. My wife dresses me.

SLAM: What’s in that back room at the Draft—you know how you announce the pick and then go back through that door?

DS: You guys don’t know? We’ve got a great spread back there. Food! Actually, what we do officially is entertain people. Generally we horse around and behave like children.

SLAM: Who was the first person you shook hands with at your first Draft?

DS: I have no…oh, you know, I remember the dinner. I think the Draft was at the Garden, and we were at an Italian restaurant with a low roof, and I was with Scotty Stirling. I met Hakeem Olajuwon, his mom and his brother.

SLAM: What does the future hold for you? What do you do after being commissioner?

DS: I was thinking of becoming a reporter for SLAM. I was thinking about that. I want to get into the basketball cognoscenti. Because to me, that’s where it’s at.

SLAM: Do you have a business card that says “Commissioner” on it?

DS: I do, I do. (Fishes around in his wallet, pulls a card out, hands it over)

SLAM: Who do you give it to?

DS: My mom used to give them out to her friends. Seriously, I use it when I have meetings. The other side is in Japanese, so I can use it for business meetings in Japan.

SLAM: We promise we’ll be good with it.

DS: That’s OK, we have a file on you guys.

SLAM: We figured there might be trap doors under the seats or something.

DS: No, the trap doors aren’t working. Our security department handles that.

SLAM: We thought we’d go through the floor and end up in a dungeon, chained up next to a skeleton wearing a JR Rider jersey.

DS: No, we would never do it on the premises. OK, you guys, get out of here.

The post The Boss appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in SLAM 169

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

Kevin Durant is sitting in a seat along the baseline at Madison Square Garden. It’s a few minutes before noon, a few minutes after the Thunder finished their pre-game walkthrough. Durant is wearing Oklahoma City Thunder-branded sweats, white socks and flip-flops. Just next to his feet is a pair of Nike KD Vs—black, trimmed with blue and orange—which he wore moments earlier during the Thunder’s practice, and which he plans to wear tonight against the Knicks. But now: practice over, shoes off.

Durant is holding a stack of papers, glancing at them occasionally, but mostly he’s listening to a member of the New York media talk about the renovations impending at Madison Square Garden. When it is explained that a skywalk will be inserted into the Garden, hanging over the court, from basket to basket, allowing fans to have a drink or bite to eat while staring down at the action below, Durant joins the conversation, making several salient points related to patron safety. He is asked if he plans on wearing the shoes at his feet late tonight in the game at MSG because the shoes are Knicks colors. “Man, these are Thunder colors!” Durant laughs.

A few minutes earlier, Durant spent nine minutes and 28 seconds talking with the media. The key word in that sentence is “with,” because, even if he doesn’t mean to do this, Durant is really good at making people feel included, as if he’s not just talking at you but talking with you. NBA players frequently do this thing where they manage to avoid looking you in the eyes. When I say “you,” I mean you, the regular person, the fan. I also mean me, the media member, the interloper who has stumbled my way into their path. I don’t know if it’s because they are mostly so tall that they’re used to seeing over the top or what, but consciously or unconsciously, this seems to be a universal safety mechanism for NBA players to avoid getting trapped too deep into a conversation. Take notice during halftime/post-game interviews of how often you see players stare right over the heads of Sager or Salters. They gaze into nothingness, and perhaps in return they retain some small shred of privacy.

But not Durant. He looks people in the eyes. And in a way, maybe that’s how we should have known all along that there was going to be something special about this dude. In the spring of 2007, while we were working on SLAM 110, I wrote the cover story, comparing and contrasting the two players who were at the time being debated as possible number one overall choices: Kevin Durant and Greg Oden.

To try and find where Durant and Oden differed off the court, I asked each of them the same set of 20 questions. For the most part they answered similarly, but Kevin Durant gave me one answer that I’ve never forgetten. The question I asked was this: Why should an NBA team make you the first overall pick in the NBA Draft?

Greg Oden said, “Because I’m going to be a hard worker. I’m going to come in and I’m going to contribute. I’m going to play my game and I’m not going to try to take over and mess up the atmosphere. I’m going to be a good person, I’ll do   my part, work hard and do what’s best for my team to win.”

This was a perfectly fine and respectable answer. Until Kevin Durant looked me in the eyes and answered the same question in a completely different way. “I think I have a winning mentality,” Durant said. “Even though I’m young, I can bring leadership to an organization. I’m just cold-blooded. I really don’t care. Whoever’s in front of me, I’m going to do my best to destroy them. Younger people might back down sometimes, but I think I’m a tough player and I don’t back down from anything—I accept challenges. I know it’s going to be hard, but everything you have to face is hard. I’ll be young, and I’m sure people will write me off and say I’m too small or not ready, but I’ve been going through that my whole life.”

As those words came out of Durant’s mouth, they might as well have been spoken in blinking neon, the way they jumped out at me. They weren’t aggressive, they were just…assured. I couldn’t shake them. Still haven’t. And so on July 2, 2007, a week after Oden was selected first overall, I wrote this on SLAMonline:

If I had the first pick in the Draft, I’d take…Kevin Durant. Look, both of these guys are going to be awesome NBA players—that’s basically a given. But if I had the first pick, I’d want the guy who’s going to be a legend, or at least give everything he has while trying to become a legend. I’m not saying Greg won’t be a legend, but I can’t get this one quote from Kevin out of my head: “I’m just cold-blooded. I really don’t care. Whoever’s in front of me, I’m going to do my best to destroy them.” He didn’t sound arrogant when he said it, he just kind of threw it out there casually, but you could tell he meant it. And that’s the mindset I’d want to build my franchise around.

I still think if injuries hadn’t played a part, Oden would have been a tremendous NBA player, but all that stuff Durant said? It actually came true. Not even six years later, not even 25 years old, and Durant is already pretty much universally recognized as not only one of the best players in the NBA today, with the potential to be one of the greatest of all time. In six seasons, he’s won three scoring titles, one Gold medal, is about to be named First-Team All-NBA for the fourth time and made his first NBA Finals appearance a year ago.

For me, the most impressive thing about Durant and the Thunder has been the way they adjust and learn on the fly. It was just four years ago that they finished 26 games under .500. The next year they made the Playoffs and lost in the first round. The next year they won in the first round and lost in the Western Conference Finals. The next year they won in the Western Conference Finals and lost in the NBA Finals. That was last year. What happens now?

“We’re a different team,” Durant says. “We’ve just got to learn from our past experiences and continue to keep getting better at the small things, detail things: setting screens, setting our man up on plays, running all our plays hard, getting in the stance on the defensive end. I think those are the small things that separate good teams from great teams. If we do those, we’ll be fine.”

The big difference, of course, is that the Thunder will have to survive and advance without James Harden, their long-time third option. OKC’s big three became a big two—and then, as we were going to press and learned that Russell Westbrook was lost for the season—a big one. Still, while Harden has shined in Houston, Durant says losing him hasn’t clouded their outlook.

“We’re confident. Of course, people are gonna say we lost James Harden. The way he’s playing now, of course they’re going to say we’re not going to be as good, since he’s an All-Star, averaging 26 a game. But if he was still here, he’d still be around 18, 17 points a game. So it’s kind of unfair for people to say that about how James would play with us, because he has his own team; he doesn’t have me and Russell on his team controlling the ball. A player like that is going to flourish. With us he would have been the same type of player he was last year.”

Does such a big trade mean the Finals are a referendum on the deal?

“Nah. I don’t think so. We’re still a good team. If that was the case we wouldn’t have this good of a record, we wouldn’t be fighting for a No. 1 seed. With James last year, we had the same record, we were a 2 seed, but we happened to have a good run in the Playoffs. So I wouldn’t say that we’re hurting without James. Of course he’s having a great season, but any team would love to have him.”

Serving as OKC’s undeniable leader throughout a 60-22 regular season, KD shot 51 percent from the field, 42 percent from the three-point line and 91 percent from the free-throw line. The 50/40/90 club is elite enough, but KD came within a few late-season Carmelo Anthony buckets of being the first shooter of that caliber to lead the League in scoring while doing it.

All of which is why it’s both charming and alarming to hear Durant’s response when I asked him about the season he’s had.

“I could be a lot better,” he says, showing genuine disapproval on his face. “I’m not pleased with the way I’m playing at all.”

I want to yell at him: ARE YOU SERIOUS? Instead I say, “Well, that 50/40/90 thing is pretty impressive.”

“Yeah, but I could be a lot better,” Durant responds. He is not kidding. “I’ve been missing some shots that I feel like I normally hit. I’m not pleased with the way I’m playing. Well, I wouldn’t say I’m not pleased. The way I’m shooting the ball, it could be better. I think I’m rebounding the ball pretty well, I’m passing pretty well, I’m playing defense, but I could be a lot better. I want to shoot the ball a lot better in these next upcoming games. Hopefully I do so. I’ve just got to keep believing in myself, and have faith in hard work. And hopefully I start to make them.”

He’s already proven that hard work pays off—as a rookie, he shot 29 percent on threes. But his statement to me came after two games in which Durant had shot 40 and 41 percent from the floor. (After saying he wanted to shoot better in his upcoming games, he shot 45, 50, 38, 54, 54 and 53 percent, respectively, in  his next six games.)

Listen to Kevin Durant talk about Kevin Durant, and you might think you’re listening to high school junior varsity player sucking up to the coach. This is no breaking news, but at this point Kevin Durant is so self-effacing, he’s made humility seem macho. Still, he’s proudly a mother’s boy—he recently showed his mother how to use FaceTime, increasing their already strong connection. Just minutes after he posted 34, 8 and 6 on the Knicks in the World’s Most Famous Arena, Durant posted a photo on Instagram that became one of the service’s trending pictures. What did he call “the highlight of my night”? Getting to meet a New York-based preacher.

As the Thunder head out of the arena, Durant stands, rising a bit above his listed height of 6-9 and ambles toward the freight elevator. As much as he stood out a few minutes earlier, standing with his teammates, he easily blends in, a tall guy lost in a forest of tall guys. He cracks a joke and Russell Westbrook smiles, and then everyone slips on oversized headphones and disappears into wordless worlds of their own making.

The post Challenge Mode appeared first on SLAM.

It was just over two years ago when I showed up here on SLAMonline to announce that I wasn’t going to be writing on SLAMonline as often as I used to.

And today I’m here to tell you I’m not going to be here at all, not anymore. But I’ll get to that in a second.

When I was in college and trying to figure out how to make a career at this writing stuff, I would go to the grocery store late at night and spend hours reading magazines on the newsstand. It was late enough that there weren’t other people there to bother me, other than the angry dudes re-stocking the shelves. I was so broke that I couldn’t actually buy the magazines, so I’d leaf through them carefully and put them back uncreased. One night I picked up this issue of SLAM, and read Scoop Jackson’s story on Webber, then read everything else in the issue, and my mind was just kind of blown. I knew that this was a magazine I wanted to be part of, by hook or by crook, whatever it took.

And now, all these years later, it happened. I wrote a few pieces for SLAM, and then SLAM hired me full-time, and then I wrote so many words for the magazine and the website over the last 15 years that I have totally lost track of my production. I’ve been involved with SLAM since Issue 37, over 130 issues. I’ve traveled on SLAM’s nickel from Hawaii to Barcelona, and I’ve seen 26 of the NBA’s 30 teams play in their home arenas. I’ve played HORSE with LeBron, driven around Coney Island with Starbury, sat in traffic on the Vegas strip with CP3, talked with Michael Jordan. And all of that is just barely scratching the surface of what a crazy experience this ride has been.

But BY FAR, my favorite part of the ride with SLAM has been all of you. I started writing The Links every day in the summer of 2001, and immediately a community developed. I would write each day, and you guys would flood me with emails. Then some genius invented these things called “comments sections,” and we could all talk in real time. Hours were spent discussing important hot NBA topics, from Kidd vs Marbury to the glory of Ben Handlogten to man versus beast. I talked with you guys on 9/11. We talked when I got engaged to my wife and after I got married. You guys helped me name my dog, Starbury. (She says hello, by the way.) We talked whenever we experienced death and birth and joy and sadness.

And then two years ago, I stepped away because I needed to try something else. I was burned out, and as I wrote at the time, I wanted some free time and some freedom to try other things. In the time since, I’ve been able to do a lot of those things, from co-founding a website to writing a lot for my favorite general interest magazine, GQ, to writing for the freaking New York Times. I’ve been able to write about everything from football to TV to food to fashion. I’ve also continued writing a feature for each issue of SLAM, as well as appearing on shows on NBA TV and co-hosting the Hang Time Podcast for NBA.com. Oh, and I haven’t written about this here, but my wife and I had a son. He’s just over four months old now, and he is incredible. Hopefully he won’t mind that I named him Dominique Starbury Whitaker.

But as much fun as all the random stuff I’ve done the last few years has been, for me it will always be about the NBA. I didn’t choose the NBA, the NBA chose me. Two weeks ago I was in Atlanta and on the set at NBA TV for an episode of “The Jump.” We had a segment about the new Hall of Fame enshrinees, and as part of that topic we had a video piece on Gary Payton. We were sitting there on set watching this as it aired, as highlight after highlight played, and there was a brief clip of GP ripping the ball from an opponent, knocking that opponent to the ground, and running to the other end for a dunk. As we all chuckled at this play, one of the production people on set wondered aloud, “Who was that he knocked over?” And within about .00001 milliseconds, I blurted out, “Robert Pack.”

This is just the way my brain works: I saw a Denver jersey, I saw a number 14, I saw a hightop fade, I knew it had to be during the ‘90s because Gary Payton was involved, and so without any real complex thought, my brain just spat out the correct answer: Robert Pack. The NBA is embedded so deep in my mind that I can’t forget this stuff if I wanted to.

And so I’m getting back to basketball, and here’s the news: Starting Monday, I will be writing about the NBA full-time for NBA Digital. NBA Digital is part of Turner Sports, and includes stuff like NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA Mobile, and…I don’t know, a bunch of other stuff. Most relevantly, I will be taking over the All Ball Blog on NBA.com. I’ll still be involved with all the other stuff I do there, from “The Jump” on NBA TV to the Hang Time Podcast with my guys Sekou Smith and Rick Fox, as well as doing chats on TNT Overtime during the TNT games. I’ve been working with Turner in a part-time capacity the last few years, and have had nothing but great experiences. So when this opportunity came about, I couldn’t say no. I’ll still be based here in NYC, and I’m excited to make this move, to turn my attention to this blog and have some fun with it. Throw me a bookmark or add me to your RSS reader or whatever, and stop by for a visit.

All that said, you haven’t seen the very last of me in SLAM, because I’ve finished a few pieces that will appear in the next issue of the magazine. And who knows, maybe I’ll surface for SLAM’s 300th issue to write a think piece on the legacy of Chad Ford’s mock drafts.

On my way out the door, I do want to say thank you to everyone at SLAM and in the SLAM Dome. It was genuinely an honor to have worked with such an incredible group of people. I worked directly for three of the most talented editors-in-chief out there (Russ, Ryan and Ben). And then there was Susan and Melissa and Khalid and Sam and…well, I don’t want to list any more names because I will certainly forget someone, but there have been dozens of smart, talented people I’ve been fortunate enough to work alongside. And I probably should thank the common thread running through all the different people I’ve worked with: SLAM publisher Dennis Page, who is one of the most brilliant and hilarious people in publishing. (You remember how I’d occasionally start posts with, “What up, peoples?” That was straight from Dennis.)

In that post two years ago when I was going from full-time to part-time, I noted that I was no longer going to be in the center of the huddle, and that I was instead going to be one of the people on the outskirts. Well, now I’m going to be in the stands, watching intently, munching on popcorn and drinking an overpriced beverage. And I’ll be rooting for SLAM every chance I get.

Later…

The post Links: Movin’ Cool… appeared first on SLAM.

For a few years now, I’ve had a vote in the NBA’s official postseason awards balloting. I’ve always taken this responsibility seriously — I spend time studying stats, talking to players and execs, and I even ran some of these by a few of the SLAM fam to get their opinions. The other thing I’ve always done is posted my votes. If you disagree, that’s fine, because we’re allowed to have opposing opinions. (Even though mine are correct and yours are not.) Either way, I just wanted to be up-front with how I voted. I’ll try to stop by the comments section later on today and answer any questions/comments.

Here are the categories I was asked to vote on for the 2012-12 NBA Season…

ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM
F – LeBron James
F – Kevin Durant
C – Marc Gasol
G – Kobe Bryant
G – Chris Paul

ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM
F – Tim Duncan
F – Carmelo Anthony
C – Dwight Howard
G – James Harden
G – Tony Parker

ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM
F – LaMarcus Aldridge
F – Paul George
C – Joakim Noah
G – Russell Westbrook
G – Stephen Curry

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
1. Larry Sanders
2. Paul George
3. Greivis Vasquez

COACH OF THE YEAR
1. Erik Spoelstra
2. George Karl
3. Mike Woodson

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1. Marc Gasol
2. Joakim Noah
3. Paul George

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1. Damian Lillard
2. Anthony Davis
3. Bradley Beal

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Carmelo Anthony
4. Chris Paul
5. Kobe Bryant

The post Links: How I Voted appeared first on SLAM.

by Lang Whitaker / @langwhitaker

In the beginning, there was Brook Steppe.

Well, at least there was for me. It was the winter of 1981, and I was a little kid. Still, I remember this: We drove into the Georgia Tech campus, parked somewhere along Fowler Street and worked our way to the old O’Keefe Gymnasium. We went in one side, exited the other and then went into Alexander Memorial Coliseum via the student entrance. I was obviously not a student, but I was with a Tech student, a friend of our family who volunteered to take me to a game, and because it was during winter break, the security guards basically just waved me through. Once in the stadium, we walked down the long curving hallway, turned left and walked through the portal and into the arena.

And it hit me, the whole picture, like a sledgehammer: The music of the pep band, the gleaming wood floor with gold and navy trim, the smells of popcorn and Coca-Cola. There were thousands of other people, scattered around the circular stands, wearing matching colors, standing and cheering for their team. I had seen NBA games on TV, and I’d stumbled into a few little league games at my church, but this was the first game I’d seen in person. I was immediately an addict.

This was Bobby Cremins’ first season coaching at Tech. Eventually he would recruit a slew of five-star players, from Mark Price to Stephon Marbury to Kenny Anderson, and mold Tech into a consistent regional power. But this season, still on the early side of that rebuilding process, everything for Tech revolved around Brook Steppe, a rail-thin 6-5 shooting guard who would average 18.9 ppg and be a first-round pick. On this night, Steppe scored 23. He was the best player I had ever seen up until that point, and I did not want to miss another Tech game.

I watched as many games as I could for a while, and then I scanned box scores and magazines and did my best to follow Steppe’s career as he went on to play parts of five seasons in the NBA. Eventually I ended up attending the University of Georgia, an SEC school, which meant basketball games were just something that happened in between football seasons. Sure, we got to see guys like Shandon Anderson and Carlos Strong, but other than a Sweet 16 run in 1996, there wasn’t a lot of excitement.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I started watching the Atlanta Hawks, and once I got into the NBA, I couldn’t look back. And I never really did. For me, college basketball was a gateway drug to the NBA. I liked college basketball, but I loved the NBA. So I turned my back on the college game. Which doesn’t mean I didn’t understand the charm of college basketball. The NBA is about precision and perfection, whereas it is all the little imperfections that make college hoops so entertaining: the small stadiums, the full-court press breaks, the sloppy play, the zone defenses. Basically, everything it’s not makes it everything it is.

As you read this issue of the almighty SLAM, you’ll notice there’s a lot about college hoops. That’s partially due to timing—this issue drops during March Madness. But it’s also because as a basketball phenomenon, regardless of how you feel about different levels of basketball, March Madness is something to celebrate. And when we were looking for an NBA player who represented the best college ball has to offer, we didn’t have to look far: Kemba Walker grew up in the Bronx and went to high school in Harlem at Rice, just a few miles north of the SLAM Dome.

It was less than two calendar years ago when the 6-1 Walker led UConn on an amazing run through the Big East Tournament, winning five games in five days to take it all. UConn then rode a third seed in the West all the way to the Final Four, and knocked off Butler to win the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Walker was named the MVP and the MOP, respectively, of the two tourneys.

Since then, the 22-year-old Walker has had an eventful career: He was a Lottery pick of the Charlotte Bobcats; signed a shoe deal with Under Armour; endured a lockout that shaved off a quarter of his rookie season; endured a historically terrible season with the Bobcats; and saw his coach fired. Now he’s helping rebuild the Bobcats from the ground up.

I recall Walker’s college run, but it seems like light years ago. Yet when I ask him about his college experience, it comes back in a flash. “It actually feels like yesterday,” he says. “I remember everything about it. At the time, you don’t really know what you’ve accomplished. You hear people talk about it and stuff like that. I think now you have time, and now you start to realize what we’ve accomplished.

“While I was at UConn, my game improved a lot. I had to do so much. At first I did a lot of scoring, just a lot of playmaking. That was my job, until later in the season. It took me that time to figure it out. I started to get better as the season progressed, and it kind of took off from there.”

Walker says that the difference between college and NBA hoops is “different basketball. You know, in college you have a 35-second shot clock, and in the NBA you have a 24. So all in all, everything is much faster. And the crowds, of course. The fans are a lot more intense at times than NBA crowds. In college you have zone, and people press more in college, and you can stand in the lane for as long as you want in college, and you can’t do that in the NBA. So that’s pretty different.

“In the NBA, the guys are all a huge size,” he continues. “The margin for error is very small. When you’re open, you might be open for a split-second, and then you’re not, because guys are just coming at you so fast. It’s a different basketball game. Like I said, it’s just a lot faster.”

Walker saw that transition up close. He got dropped into his rookie season with a jolt, as the lockout chewed into the time teams would normally use to develop their younger players. After 13 games, starting point guard DJ Augustin was injured, and Kemba slid into the starting role. He would eventually start 25 of the 66 games and finish his rookie season averaging 12.1 points and 4.4 assists per game.

“It was pretty tough,” Kemba says of his rookie campaign, in which he shot 37 percent from the field. “It was hard because we came in and had to get in shape, and with that short training camp and with no summer league, we had to learn on the fly. So it was pretty tough, man. It’s a tough game, and it takes time to practice and get better.”

Charlotte finished 7-59, the worst winning percentage in the history of the NBA. Owner Michael Jordan responded by letting coach Paul Silas go and bringing in Mike Dunlap, a long-time college coach who had just two years of NBA experience on his résumé. It was seen as a polarizing hire. Were the Bobcats trying to save money or think outside the box? The thinking was that these Bobcats had a lot of learning to do and a coach with teaching experience would be the right fit.

Through 66 games this season, it looks like a pretty good fit. The Bobcats started the season 7-5, and though they endured an 18-game losing streak, they are now 14-52, certainly ahead of their ’11-12 pace. Walker has assumed the centerpiece role the team so desperately needed, leading the squad in mpg, ppg, apg, spg…just about everything he can lead them in.

“We haven’t been winning as much as we want to,” Walker says. “It’s still been a great experience and we’ve learned a lot. But we’re still working, we’re still trying to win games, still trying to become a team.”

But certainly this team is better than the Bobcats team we saw a season ago?

“No question. We’re a lot better. Last year we didn’t even have the opportunity to win this many games. This year we’re in games but just having a tough time closing out. But that will come, in time. This year we’re trying to gamble, playing hard, playing with intensity.”

This season, Kemba says, “I’m just trying to be more of a leader. That’s the next step, being more vocal. It’s just growing, getting to know your teammates better. Knowing when you can speak and small things like that.” It perhaps speaks to his leadership potential that Walker has chosen to focus on improving a part of his game that cannot simply be bettered by reps or drills, but by abstract traits like character and confidence.

The list of college stars who’ve had shining moments, in March or not, and then were unable to transition to the next level is too long to get into here. The shorter, more exclusive list is of the players who figured out how to translate their game from college to the highest level. For some, college is where they will be seen and dominate. Kemba Walker found his way from college to the pros and looks to be the rare player we end up remembering for his success at every level.

But maybe that doesn’t even matter. That Brook Steppe had one very good early season game against a non-ACC opponent does not lessen the impact of the experience I had watching that game, and it does not make my basketball fandom any less valid than that of a kid who’s first game was watching Kemba Walker put up 25 and 11 against the Knicks.

As I am writing this story, I’m watching UNC and Duke play each other on ESPN, for the 325th time in this rivalry. Just to the right of my TV, my son, who is all of 11 weeks old, is sleeping soundly in his swing. I look back and forth between the boy and the ball, and I can’t wait until the one day when I can introduce them to each other. On that day, my son will have his “In the beginning…” moment, too. Maybe it’ll be college hoops, maybe it will be the NBA. What I’ve grown to realize is that it doesn’t really matter. College? NBA? It’s as much about the journey as the destination. It’s all different, but it’s all the same.

The post The Big Leap appeared first on SLAM.

HOUSTON — YO! Lang Whitaker here — remember me? I’m liveblogging tonight’s All-Star Saturday Night festivities. Who will win the Old Players Shootout? Who will dunk less worse than everyone else? Tonight we find out!

• The evening begins with a special musical performance by Ellie Goulding. All I know about her is that we can’t see her because the media seats are basically directly behind the stage, and the monitors on the tables are all tuned to a stats feed, so we can’t watch it there, either. All we can see is the back of a huge lighting rig. The hope is they move it before the stuff actually starts. Otherwise I’m reduced to a bunch of jokes about what the back of a lighting rig looks like. And we can all probably guess how hilarious that will be.

• Tonight’s in-arena host? Nick Cannon. He begins by explaining that everything about this evening “is a beautiful thing” because both the East and the West are playing for charity. We haven’t really discussed this, but the whole East v. West gimmick has some promise, although all the players actually like each other.

• Chris Paul says the East team looks “terrible,” and the crowd reacts with surprise. Maybe they don’t like each other?

• And we’re off! The Shooting Stars is sponsored by Sears. Haier is now Lower.

• First up, Team Harden. 37.9 The best part is that they’ve gone with jitterbug jazz music as the in-arena soundtrack. Not that far a leap to just using the Benny Hill music. Which would be dope.

• Now we have Team Westbrook. Should probably tell the in-arena announcer that Robert Horry isn’t crazy about being called Big Shot Bob. (“My name is Robert,” he once told me.”) Team Westbrook does it in 29.5.

• Team Bosh goes third and finishes in a whopping 50 seconds. Maybe not a great idea to have Dominique shooting the threes.

• Finally we get team Lopez, which includes Muggsy Bogues, and somehow they finish even worse than Bosh, at 1:07.

• Somehow the West gets 20 points for that. The scoring for the East/West stuff at All-Star Saturday seems more arbitrary than the house cup scoring at Hogwarts.

• Oh, now we have Finals of the Sears Shooting Stars. Team Bosh from the East really stinks it up and finishes in 1:29.

• LOL. Team Westbrook makes everything and gets to their final shot with like one minute to make a halfcourt shot for the win. And they can’t. Shots fly over the backboard, rim out, bounce off the glass, hit nothing but air…and they lose.

• During the break following the Shooting Stars, several members of Team USA (men and women) are introduced and presented with rings. Pretty sure they already received gold medals, but whatever.

• Now we move on to the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. Jeff Teague finishes in a slow 49.2. Brandon Knight almost halves Teague’s time and finishes in 32.2. Finally, Jrue Holiday finishes in 29.3.

• When Holiday finishes, a loud Taco Bell sound rings out through the arena. For whom the Taco Bell tolls!

• Lin finishes in 35.8.

• Lillard in 28.8.

• Tony Parker misses a bunch of jumpers and finishes at 48.7. Which of course means the East is awarded 30 points! I’m pretty confused right now.

• Celebrity roundup on the scoreboard includes Alicia Keys, Spike Lee, and Drake, wearing red leather pants.

• Well, apparently the Skills Challenge isn’t over. Jrue Holiday goes again and finishes in 35.6. The Dame Lillard returns and finishes in 29.8. Team West is given a 984-point bonus!

• Phillip Phillips appears to sing his hit song “Home.” Man, he must be tired of this song. Ben thought they announced Phillip Rivers. I’d actually probably enjoy hearing Phillip Rivers perform this song.

• THREE-POINT CONTEST! I’m going with Detlef Scrempf as my favorite.

• West team is Ryan Anderson, Matt Bonner and Steph Curry. East is Steve Novak, Paul George and Kyrie Irving.

• Steph Curry starts out 2-11, then makes 9 in a row, and finishes with 17. Ryan Anderson starts strong then cools, finishes with 18. Matt Bonner starts 12-15, then slows down, but finishes with 19 points, to give the West a total of 54. That’s good for bonus of 552 points for the West!

• The East comes around and Kyrie opens with 18. Paul George follows and goes for just 10. Steve Novak comes up and has to get 27 to tie. Starts strong and then cools off for just 17. Not enough. West wins and gets a bonus of 443,229 points.

• Now for the Finals, we get Kyrie against Matt Bonner. Kyries starts out red hot, and finishes with 23. Bonner finishes with 20. We all know what that means: 400,000,004 points for the East!

• 2 CHAINZ!

• Slam Dunk time. Turnt up!

• Judges include Rudy Tomjanovic, Dikembe Mutombo, Yao Ming, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler. I hope this doesn’t keep Mutombo from expressing his emotions like he normally does.

• Gerald Greene goes with a double-pump after a pass from Lance Stephenson off the side of the backboard. First try. 50.

• Flight White misses a free throw line dunk and manages to do a second dunk with his foot on the line, but with two hands. 45.

• Terrence Ross tries and fails four times to go around his back from left to right. Make that five times. Sixth time he gets it. 50

• Ken Faried gets a 360 off the backboard. He finishes with 39, in part because of a 7 from Mutombo. Deke keeps it real.

• Eric Bledsoe tries a 360 through the legs and misses four times. He finally decides to run up the left side, tap the ball off the board and reverse it. He also scores a 39.

• Jeremy Evans brings out Mark Eaton and seats him under the rim, then tries to basically do a double pump while snatching the ball from Eaton. He misses four times and finally gets it, to finish with a 47.

• After one round, East leads 145 to 125.

• James White misses a few crazy attempts and the clock runs out, and then they announce he gets one more attempt. And he misses that one, too. Final of 32 for him.

• Gerald Greene goes up and cuts out the entire net for his dunk. OK. He tries to dunk it right and then lefty a few times and can’t quite get it to work. He misses enough times that the clock runs out and he gets a final attempt, and that doesn’t work either. The judges give him a score of 32. And then he runs over and makes the dunk work. Of course.

• Best part of that thing was when he missed one dunk and the ball bounced over to the sideline, and 2 Chainz jumped up and grabbed the ball and made a nice bounce pass back to Greene.

• Terrence Ross lobs the ball to himself, 360s, and dunks it easily for a 49. So he’s in the Finals.

• For the West, Ken Faried goes off the backboard, catches, goes through the legs and dunks righty. 50. Pretty nice.

• Bledsoe lobs to himself, two-hand windmills, and reverses. Bad man, there. 50.

• Evans runs up, does a 360 on the ground, and dunks two balls, barely. Gets a 43, which is enough to move him to the Finals against Terrence Ross.

• Also, the West wins 500,998 bonus points.

• Finals: Evans dunks over a painting of him dunking over a painting. SO META. Best part of that dunk was Mutombo’s reaction when Evans unveiled the painting—he cracked up so hard, like it was genuinely the funniest thing he’d ever seen.

• Terrence Ross does a 360 on a pass off the side of the backboard, while wearing a Vince Carter jersey.

• Evans jumps over a seated Dahntay Jones and soars a bit. Nice.

• Ross jumps over a ballboy and passes the ball through his legs. Heckuva finish there.

• And your 2013 Dunk Contest Champ, with 58 % of the vote, your winner is Terrence Ross! Congratulations Canada!

That’s it from…where are we again? Oh yeah, Houston. Catch you guys tomorrow night for the All-Star liveblog!

The post Live Blog: All-Star Saturday appeared first on SLAM.

by Lang Whitaker / @langwhitaker

Numbers sometimes lie. As sports fans we have this symbiotic relationship where we simultaneously consume them and attempt to contextualize them, yet there they are, in programs, on web pages, in newspapers. Numbers tell us how to feel about teams and players. And they often do this even before we’ve ever seen the team or the player.

What matters is which numbers we weigh with faith. Before Nicolas Batum arrived in the NBA in the summer of 2008, his digits were all over the place. He was 6-8 and just 19 years old, and though he averaged just a relatively paltry 12 and 5 in France’s top league, he was still considered a first-round prospect. The averages weren’t eye-popping, but they suggested something more prominent to come.

The first time I saw Nic Batum play in person, I came away puzzled. It was New Year’s ’08, and Batum was playing for Le Mans in France’s Ligue Nationale de Basket. There had been speculation that Batum would join the ’07 Draft, but he stayed in France for one final season, and the Draft cognoscenti were beginning to chatter that the longer he stayed, the further he’d drop. Batum’s promise was known enough that I cut a day out of a Parisian vacation with my family to spend a few hours in a cement arena checking out Batum, who was playing in the LNB All-Star Game. And it wasn’t that Batum was bad, it’s just that he wasn’t amazing. He obviously had the size and the smarts—he finished exactly with his season averages of 12 and 5—but he seemed tentative and passive. And most relevantly, Batum was hard to define. Was he a scorer? A facilitator? A defensive specialist?

What I didn’t know was that he knew. Sure, scoring a bunch of points looks great, but Batum wasn’t focused on that. He cared more about being robust, about being a complete basketball player, numbers be damned.

“My first year in France, I was mad because I wanted to score all the time,” Batum says. “Then I understood that if you wanted to play, you had to do something different—you had people in front of you, so you had to do different for the team. I learned that before I got to the NBA.”

It helped his hoops education that Batum has basketball in his blood, quite literally. His father, Richard, spent a decade playing professionally in France. When Nic was 2 years old, he was in the stands at one of his father’s games when his dad suffered a ruptured aneurysm while on the court, killing him. Still, the tragedy didn’t dissuade Nic from pursuing his own hoop dreams. “I always wanted to do that, to play basketball,” he says. “All my life. I played basketball since I was 4 or 5 years old, so that was all I wanted to do, the only thing I wanted to do.

“I tried to watch the NBA, but the games were at 2 or 4 a.m., so sometimes I’d get up that early to watch the games. When the NBA Finals were on, I had school the next day, and my mom would not be too happy,” he recalls with a laugh.

It is at this exact point in the Nic Batum continuum where the equation begins to take on some sort of shape and form, and where it begins to make more sense than it does if considered without proper circumstance. Looking at the collection of basketball tools available to Batum, expecting him to be a specialist—to become a scorer like Durant or a rebounder like Varejao—was never of interest to Batum. Forget being like Mike. “I always liked Chicago, and Scottie Pippen was my favorite player,” Batum says. “When he played for the Bulls, then when he went to Houston and then Portland, he was always my favorite player. Whichever team he was playing for, that was my favorite team. I always liked that he played on both ends. He wanted to play defense, He would have 13 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks. He could do everything, and that’s what I try to do, even now.”

“I can see a lot of that, for sure,” says Clipper guard Jamal Crawford, who played with Batum in Portland last season, when informed of Batum’s childhood obsession with Pippen. “That makes a lot of sense.”

“For me, teams wanted me to score, even now,” Batum says. “But I want to do everything. I love to make assists, I love to get blocks, to get steals, to rebound the ball. I love to do everything.”

“Nic can handle the ball, make the assist, guard some of the better players in the League and then shoot the ball, of course,” Crawford says. “He’s a guy who can play on any kind of team, because he just fits on the court.”

After being drafted 25th overall by Houston, then moved to Portlandia in a three-way deal, Batum wasn’t immediately sure of his place with the Blazers. “I knew my game would fit in the NBA, I knew that,” Batum remembers. “It was no problem. When I got drafted, I remember the GM told me I was the future, and I said, No, I’m going to play right now. I didn’t stay in France, I never played in the D-League. I was like, Let me show you that I’m going to play from the beginning. And I started 72 games my rookie year.”

Part of cracking that lineup was Batum knowing his role (word to Dwayne Johnson), even as a rookie.“We had Brandon Roy, we had Travis Outlaw, we had Greg Oden. I knew if I wanted to be on the court, I had to sacrifice and play for the team and play defense, and that’s what I tried to do my rookie year, I tried to play for the team. And I played maybe 20-25 minutes (per game), and I was 19 years old, just moved here from France. But I got those minutes because I sacrificed myself for the team. Now I get more responsibilities. Back then I knew what I had to do, because we had so many people on that team.”

During Batum’s first four seasons in Portland, the Blazers went from contenders to rebuilders, mostly due to a combination of unfortunate injuries as well as mismanagement of what was at one time considered an embarrassment of riches. The Blazers slowly slipped, from a winning percentage of 66 Batum’s rookie season, to 61 to 59 to last season’s brutal 42 (28-38).

And then this summer, at the tender age of 23, Batum had four years of NBA experience and was a restricted free agent. He’d had an up-and-down quartet of seasons, but it was impossible to miss that unique and highly prized set of skills. It also speaks to Batum’s glaring potential that even after being a secondary player on a sub-.500 team, he was still considered one of the market’s most valued free agents. (Batum told The Oregonian that in the first 24 hours of free agency, 16 different teams contacted his agent to express some level of interest.)

After signing a reported $46 million offer sheet with the TWolves, the Blazers matched the deal to make sure Batum stayed in Portland. (“We were never not going to have Nicolas back,” said Portland GM Neal Olshey.) Once Batum was guaranteed a return to PDX, he went about learning the system proffered by new coach Terry Stotts, in which Batum works in a role he’s been uniquely preparing for his entire life. “Coach wants me to do a little bit of everything. We have the coach, and I talked a lot with the coach, and he wants me to be everywhere, wants me to score, rebound, assist, create for everybody. So the coach helps me a lot this time.”

While the coach may be giving Batum license to ill, it’s Batum who’s taking advantage, averaging career highs across the board, from points (15.7) to rebounds (6.0) to assists (4.9) to steals (1.3) to minutes (38.8). It’s the stuff fantasy titles are won with, and it’s working pretty well in real life, too. Batum has found common ground with teammates like LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Damian Lillard and JJ Hickson, and in the second week of February ’13, the Blazers are 25-25 and in the ninth spot in the Western Conference.

“We’ve played some good teams, but we’ve lost some games we’re supposed to win. We’ve played almost .500 basketball, but we’re a young team with five rookies, so we have a lot of young guys. So we have no pressure, but we’re trying to surprise people this year.”

While discussing the way the Trail Blazers have surprised people, Batum casually mentions, “Well, I’m the leader of this team, so I have to set an example for the young guys.” These are great words, the very sort of sentiment any franchise hopes to hear from a player they’re paying eight figures a season. Yet it’s also kind of jarring to balance them against the reality: Batum may be assuming the leadership mantle, but he’s still just a kid, isn’t he?

“Of course, I’m in my fifth year, so I have to show them how to work.”

Wait, how old are you, again?

“I mean, I’m only 24,” he allows with a  laugh. “I guess it’s more about experience than age.”

As part of that leadership role, do you feel like you can still improve? “I can improve a lot. I think I can be a better shooter, and I can get bigger. I can improve my post-up game, my pick-and-roll game, my defense. I can improve a lot, I know that.”

So if you’re going to improve a lot, that means we might see you averaging what, 30 points a game?

“We never know. We’ll see.”

The post Five-Tool Player appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in SLAM 163

by Lang Whitaker / @langwhitaker

It only took a few years for Kenneth Faried to go from sitting in the stands, watching Half-Man, Half-Amazing play NBA games in his backyard, to playing in League games himself like some ferocious half-man, half-animal hybrid. These days, Faried, a Nuggets forward, is fresh off a rookie season that saw him go from buried on the bench to a spot on the All-Rookie team. Yet for the almost 23-year-old Faried, it’s been all about the journey.

He grew up in Newark, NJ, but had to travel to rural Kentucky (where he attended Morehead State) to find his path to NBA success in Denver. He went from being a mostly overlooked recruit to a collegiate second-team All-American, as well as the NCAA all-time rebounding leader (post-1973, when the NCAA split into Divisions). Despite Faried establishing himself as a gifted college player, many NBA teams thought he was too short (6-8) or too slight (225 pounds), and he dropped to Denver with the 22nd pick of the 2011 Draft.

Even after making it to the NBA and fulfilling his dream, his story was just beginning. After totaling just 20 minutes in Denver’s first 21 games, Faried muscled his way into the rotation, and he finished the season averaging 10 points, nearly 8 boards per and drawing raves around the League for having a motor without an off switch.

As he’s proved again and again, you can’t knock Kenneth Faried’s hustle. When we caught up with Faried on the phone recently,  he was down in Houston working out with Hakeem Olajuwon, the Hall-of-Fame center who has established a rep as the preeminent post tutor for today’s NBA bigs. The Dream might be able to show Faried some footwork or post moves, but it’s doubtful he’ll be able to teach him anything about hustle. And with the Nuggets making their own moves this summer to pump up their pace, Faried should be even more of a Manimal next season.

SLAM: This time a year ago, when you were getting ready to come into the League, what sort of expectations did you have for yourself?

Kenneth Faried: I hold myself to high standards, and I believe that if I put my best foot forward, I can reach every goal that I want.

SLAM: People often equate early basketball success with height. Were you always one of the tallest kids on your team?

KF: Not always [laughs]. I was tall, but I wasn’t as tall as some of the other guys. When I was a freshman I wasn’t as tall as some of the seniors. When I was in seventh and eighth grade I wasn’t as tall as some of the other guys on the team. I was strong, but I just kept growing every year. My mother always said I grew an inch or two inches every summer. Every team I went to I had to prove myself, including when I got to the NBA.

SLAM: Did you watch a lot of basketball growing up?

KF: I always watched the NBA. I never watched college games. My friends always said, “How are you going to be ready to play in college?” Because I never watched college basketball, I always watched NBA basketball.

SLAM: You were in Jersey, so were you a Knicks or Nets fan?

KF: Both! I used to go to way more Nets games than Knicks games, but I was a fan of both. When I was younger, my high school got free tickets to go to Nets games, and I always would be there cheering, watching, especially when they had guys like Jason Kidd and guys like Vince Carter, Kenyon Martin…

SLAM: Kerry Kittles, Todd MacCulloch…

KF: You know it! Man, those Championship days, when we should have won the Finals but lost to the Lakers and San Antonio in back-to-back years. I remember! Not many people were going to see that team play, except when they hit the Playoffs—then everybody else wanted to go, and I couldn’t go anymore.

SLAM: You were under the radar a little bit when it came time to get recruited by colleges, right?

KF: Not a little bit under the radar, I was way under the radar. Nobody was aware of my school—I went to a small school called Technology High School. Everybody would say, “He’s good, but how good is he?” People said the competition level was not that good. I didn’t go to a school like a West Side, or a Shabazz, or the triangle of St. Benedict’s, St. Anthony, St. Pat’s, so there was nobody that I could play. And I was a skinny kid. I played center at my school, so people thought I was undersized, I needed to get stronger. People thought my athleticism was not going to cut it. Everybody doubted me. Plus I didn’t have the grades, so that didn’t help. Big schools just wanted to redshirt me or send me to prep school. The only school that took a chance on me was Morehead. They believed in me. So I returned the favor.

SLAM: Who was your favorite NBA player growing up?

KF: Well, I liked Charles Oakley. I liked Barkley. Patrick Ewing. Dennis Rodman. When I was growing up I liked how explosive K-Mart used to be. I liked Marcus Camby, how he blocked everything. I liked those guys because they were physical, and they just didn’t care. They didn’t take nothing from nobody, and I loved it. And it kind of helped with Dennis Rodman coming from a small school, and everybody saying he wouldn’t cut it. It helped just watching him shut everybody up and become a Hall of Famer. It really helped me do what I wanted to do.

SLAM: How did it help you?

KF: I knew I needed to focus on whatever the team needed me to do. In high school when I was a freshman, it was just learning and listening to the coach. My sophomore coach wanted more scoring out of me. I got taller but stayed skinny, and I started to score but I still rebounded. I just fell in love with rebounding. My mom would be at the games and she’d yell, “Get the rebound and put it back!” My father wouldn’t yell anything, he’d just tell me, “Get the rebound and put it back, and that’s how you can score in the paint.” My mother would yell it, though.

SLAM: When you were in college, did you stay in Kentucky during the summer, or did you come back and work out in Jersey?

KF: I mainly stayed in Kentucky. I felt like it was beneficial to me to get out there and work out and improve as a player. I had my teammates there, and we were going at each other, so it really helped, and it helped us improve as a team, with guys fighting for spots and playing time.

SLAM: So you prove yourself in college and finally get drafted and get to the NBA, and then you don’t get much burn. Coach Karl said you were using practices as your games to try and show and prove you belonged.

KF: Exactly. And when I first stepped on the court and started getting experience, I was able to learn more and see how the game is played, and I got that much better. And then I was able to play even faster.

SLAM: Where do you get that relentlessness? You seem to have a drive not a lot of other players have.

KF: From my parents. My father taught me to put forth my best effort no matter what. He’s always relied on himself. He is a carpenter and a painter, and he would always tell me about having guys working alongside him on the job who were lazy or whatever. He would hire me and he said he’d rather have me do it, because he knew I’d put forth the effort. I would complain, of course, because I was younger and I wanted to have fun, but I still always put forth my best effort, to help him. He would say he’d rather have me do it instead of guys who didn’t want to do nothing, and he would always tell me not to be like that. And my mother, I just watched the will that she showed, because she was in and out of the hospital a lot, but she never gave up.

SLAM: So one of the reasons you play so hard is because you don’t want to have to go back and do carpentry?

KF: [Laughs] No, it’s not really that. It’s that I don’t want my parents to have to go back to that, I don’t want them to have to suffer anymore. I want my parents to be able to say, “My son made his dream come true.” Because I always told them that was my dream, to make it in the NBA.

SLAM: You made the Playoffs as a rookie. What was post-season basketball like for you?

KF: The game seemed to speed up in the Playoffs. It was a great pace for me, because I just got faster as the season went along. When the Playoffs came around, the coaches were looking for me to do more stuff, wanted me to do more stuff. I was a leader. Not vocally, but I was a leader emotionally and physically, my effort, the way I play. I led by example. My coaches and GM and everybody told me that, and I was shocked. I said, “I’m not a leader,” but they all said, “You lead by example.” It was an honor for me to be called a leader, as a rookie especially. I just did what I had to do for the team to win games.

SLAM: What do you think Andre Iguodala will bring to the Nuggets?

KF: We’ll have even more fast breaks, even more energy. He’s going to bring that Gold medal mentality, that toughness. I think he’s going to bring great leadership. He’s played on a Playoff team, he has the drive that you need to win and he’s done it before. And he’s willing to play defense, and that’s how we win games.

SLAM: Where did “Manimal” come from?

KF: When I was going through the Draft process, everybody was talking about how I needed a nickname. Some people were calling me a beast, saying I played like an animal. And one of the guys at my agency, Makhtar N’Diaye, said, “You know what? We’re going to call you Manimal. You just play so hard and you’re so intense, we should just call you Manimal.” At first I was kind of like, Nah, I like my nickname from college—in college my nickname was K-Time. Took me about an hour of thinking about it and I realized Manimal did fit. Also, I got the hair for it: half-man, half-lion.

The post More Than Half Amazing appeared first on SLAM.

About a year ago, the fine folks at Brand Jordan invited a mess of editors and writers out to a launch event for the Jordan 2012. We assembled in New Jersey at an airplane hangar, where a full-size basketball court had been put together complete with breakaway-rimmed glass backboards. (In case I dunked.)

To insure we gave the shoes a thorough workout, the Jordan folks brought in Idan Ravin, the trainer known as The Hoops Whisperer (also known as a SLAM columnist) who works with all the best athletes in the NBA. For about an hour, Idan put us through a terrifying workout, doing all sorts of stretches, sprints and jumps. After about 45 minutes, Idan broke out a sack of tennis balls, and he introduced us to a drill that involved having your partner roll a ball away from you, and then you had to basically fetch the ball.

This was a real workout, and these were real drills. By this point I was seriously sucking wind, and it was taking all of my will not to go over to the corner of the court and vomit into a trash can. And so just as I swallowed back my breakfast, my partner rolled a ball through my legs, and I spun and, admittedly half-heartedly, ran after the ball. Idan spotted me and, perhaps sensing a teaching moment, trotted over and got in my ear to try and help fire me up.

“Come on, Lang,” he said. “Get after it. You can do this. This is Chris Paul’s favorite drill.”

I grabbed my hamstrings and, lost in that moment, thought to myself, “Man, I hate Chris Paul.”

I’m pretty sure I’m not the first person on a basketball court to feel enmity toward Chris Paul; if anybody hates Chris, it’s because dude makes a habit out of destroying his opposition. Way, way, way back in 2008, Ryne Nelson and I got into a fake argument in the pages of SLAM and (right here on SLAMonline) about which point guard was better, Deron Williams or Chris Paul. Not long after that issue dropped, Paul would go on that season to lead the NBA in assists per game (11) and steals per game (2.8). But the Hornets lost in the first round of the Playoffs, to Denver, and a year later the Hornets pink-slipped Byron Scott, and then Paul got injured and missed half the season, and then guys like Derrick Rose and John Wall started coming up, and pretty quickly, Chris Paul’s name started to slip from the point guard convo.

The injury and playing in New Orleans seemed to keep Chris out of spotlight. It really wasn’t until almost a year later, when CP3 hung 33, 14, 7 and 4 on the Lakers in L.A. to open the 2011 Playoffs, that everyone kind of remembered, “Oh, yeah, that guy’s pretty good.”

He can score, he has a dead-eye mid-range game, he’s an incredible defender (he’s led the NBA in steals in four of his seven seasons), he commands respect and demands respect (ask Pau Gasol), and nobody in the NBA is better at running a team. I’ve been around the NBA for almost a dozen years now, and CP3 is one of my favorite people I’ve covered. He’s a solid guy, who values family and relationships, who looks you in the eye when he speaks to you. He’s the kind of guy who, if he wants it, could have a career in politics when he retires. Then again, retirement is a ways away: CP3 is still three years shy of 30.

That stuff aside, what is so impressive to me about Chris Paul is that he excels against the best players in the world without being the best athlete at his position. Sure, he’s an elite athlete, but he’s not transcendent like LeBron or even a Westbrook. Chris once told me that he knows he’s not the fastest guy in the NBA, but that what he does have is quickness, so he tries to take advantage of that quickness by stopping and starting, and changing speeds when defenders least expect it.

He is not tall, he is not unbelievably strong, but what really sets him apart is that more than anything else, and maybe more than anyone else, he just hates to lose. And so he works his ass off to make the most of what he has. Chris Paul goes that extra mile, way past where the rest of us stop to go puke in the corner. He’s been an All-Star, he’s a two-time Gold medalist, he even made people believe in the Clippers. The only thing left is a ring.

And knowing CP3, when he puts his mind to, there’s nothing he can’t do.

[poll id=”484″]

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’12-13 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Maurice Bobb, Rodger Bohn, Brendan Bowers, Franklyn Calle, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Adam Figman, Eldon Khorshidi, Eddie Maisonet III, Ryne Nelson, Ben Osborne, Allen Powell II, Sam Rubenstein, Jonathan Santiago, Abe Schwadron, Leo Sepkowitz, Dave Spahn, Ben Taylor, Tzvi Twersky, Peter Walsh, Tracy Weissenberg, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Dave Zirin.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Chris Paul, no. 3 appeared first on SLAM.

Roll through the gallery below for CWebb’s take on what lies ahead for each of the 30 NBA teams.

[sg-gallery]

Hit page 2 for Lang’s ’12-13 Finals prediction…

The post 2012-13 SLAM NBA Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in KICKS 15

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

On a rainy Portland morning, as the NBA Conference Finals are winding down, Ricky Rubio limps up a concrete stairway on the adidas campus following a controlled workout. Rubio had ACL surgery just weeks ago, and he’s in the early stages of rehab, on his way back to where he left off for the Minnesota Timberwolves pre-injury, as arguably the most exciting rookie in the NBA. Rubio has worn Nikes his entire career, at least up until today, when he is officially joining the team at adidas.

“My Nike contract was finished last season,” Ricky, who averaged 10.6 ppg and 8.2 apg as a first-year NBA PG, explains, “and we were talking about re-signing, but they weren’t that interested, as much as other brands like adidas. Making my own shoe over here is a big deal.”

Before the ink on the new contract could dry, the team at adidas invited Ricky to Portland for a day of what they call brand orientation. “We do this for a couple of reasons,” says Chris Grancio, head of Global Basketball Sports Marketing for adidas. “The first is selfish, because we want to make sure our partners know who we are, what we expect of them and how they can help support our business. But the other is that they have great insights. They’re just a step past being our target consumer. They’re all, in some cases, one or two years outside of that 14-19-year-old kid, the consumer we’re going for. They’re sneaker geeks, they’re basketball fanatics, they’re people who embrace the game, talk about the game, are into social media. We learn so much from them, spending time in an environment where they can interact with our product and give us direct feedback.”

You often hear athletes talk about the business side of being an athlete with worldwide fame, but you don’t always see what goes into making those relationships work. Well, we did: KICKS spent an entire day with Ricky Rubio as he went through his brand orientation at adidas. Sure, there are a lot of shoes and gear thrown around, but it’s as much boardroom as basketball court, where instead of phrases like “pick and roll” and “help defense,” the operative terms are things like “partnership,” “marketing,” “activation” and “stories.”

The morning begins in the adidas conference center. As we enter the building, the flatscreen TVs that usually serve as directories have all been reprogrammed to read RICKY RUBIO IS ALL IN, a nod to adidas’ current ad campaign. As we wander through the buildings, everyone who crosses our path gawks at the tall, thin 21-year-old rocking three stripes from head-to-toe: adidas running shoes, track pants, a t-shirt and a snap-back hat with an impressively flat bill. (As we stroll past one desk, a woman asks her co-worker, “When did we sign the skateboarder?”)

We eventually reach the adidas basketball showroom, which is full of various employees. Ricky plops down on a couch in front of the room, elevates his left knee, pulls up his pant leg and idly picks at the scar. A physical therapist from the TWolves traveling with Ricky hooks him up with some ice, something he does throughout the day to help with swelling and promote healing. A few mannequins in the front of the room model Rubio TWolves jerseys, and a wall up front showcases dozens of different adidas shoes, from performance kicks to Originals.

The day begins with Grancio running through a PowerPoint presentation. Grancio, who looks like wrestler The Big Show but speaks like the Harvard grad that he is, begins with the “brand architecture,” hitting basic points about how they want this partnership to play out. The presentation closes out with Grancio discussing several of their other brand partners, the level of whom would seem to indicate Rubio is in capable hands: Lionel Messi, Derrick Rose, Real Madrid, FIFA and the NBA.

Grancio is followed by Robbie Fuller and Travis Blasingame, who present a footwear and apparel overview. They begin by talking about things like “base layers” and “transition gear,” and they ask Ricky specific questions about his uniform and his shoes. Blasingame, the Global Director of Basketball Apparel, breaks out several pieces of gear they’re working on that are so far from hitting the market that I’m sworn to secrecy before I’m even allowed to look at them. Fuller, the adidas Global Designer for Advanced Concepts, is the man who designed the adizero Crazy Light 1 and 2, as well as Rose 1 through 2.5. He shows Ricky some experimental designs that are being developed, and then they talk through exactly what Ricky’s looking for in a shoe. Ricky notes that his big toes often take a beating, and Fuller writes this down in a notebook. They talk about potential colorways for the Crazy Light 2, the shoe Ricky will wear next season, as well as little personal touches they could add to his kicks. Their presentation ends with them giving Ricky a few minutes to design a custom pair on miadidas.com.

After a break, Ricky hears from adidas Originals, and then the head of adidas sports marketing in Spain, freshly arrived in the States, takes the podium. He cues up a video of several of adidas’ Spanish stars, like Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas, welcoming Ricky to adidas. The video ends with Vicente Del Bosque, coach of the Spanish national soccer team, holding up a Spain soccer jersey with RICKY 9 on the back; then the actual jersey is handed to Ricky and he beams with delight. We pause for lunch, then return to the conference room for a brand activation presentation, in which members of the marketing and PR teams discuss everything from possible social media hashtags (#rickyisallin) to new ways Ricky can engage with fans on Facebook.

Once the presentations end, we all head over to Athlete Services, where we’re escorted into a room that looks like a high-tech shoe store, albeit a shoe store with tools hanging on the walls. Ricky sits in a seat that resembles a barber’s chair, removes his shoes and socks, and places each foot on a sheet of plexiglass. A technician boots up a laptop and painstakingly scans Ricky’s foot. As he moves the scanner back and forth, a 3D image of Ricky’s foot develops on a screen in front of us, like something from a sci-fi movie. Years ago, shoe companies took plaster molds of their athletes’ feet. These days, it takes 10 minutes and a laptop and they’ve got an exact form. Then we head upstairs, where Ricky undergoes a body scan and is fitted for TechFit padded compression—Ricky tells the technician that his thighs don’t get banged up like many guys; instead he needs extra padding on the hips, where he often gets clipped coming off picks.

Finally, eight hours after we started, we head down to Grancio’s office, where Ricky sits, icing his knee again. Before he hits the employee store to stock up on gear, we finally get a chance to sit and talk…

KICKS: Tell me about your rookie season. Was it fun?

Ricky Rubio: It was so much fun. After a tough year in Spain, I was thinking about how fun basketball was when I was a kid. But the last year wasn’t like this. Since my first game in Minnesota, when the team was together, it was a different feeling. I felt freedom again. It was amazing.

KICKS: The first time I saw you was in ’07, and people wondered when you were coming to the NBA. Were you tired of hearing that?

RR: I wasn’t thinking about that. People can ask, people can talk, people can make their opinions, but I’m the one who will have my own opinion. I was ready in ’09 when I entered the Draft, but I couldn’t come. Finally, last year I was making a big step coming here to the League. Maybe it wasn’t after my best year in Spain, but I was sure I could play here, because when we played the US in the Olympic Games, that’s the kind of style I wanted to play. Seeing a lot of NBA the last couple of years, I was thinking about playing here some day. It finally came.

KICKS: You said your last year in Spain was tough. Why?

RR: I had a lot of pressure, even when I came here, and I was worried about that. It was a different pressure over there, because you must win, no matter how. Sometimes you prefer to have fun. Sometimes you lose, but if you had fun, for me that’s the most important thing, and the same level as winning. So sometimes when I lose one of them, I lose my identity, you know?

The post Ricky Is All In appeared first on SLAM.

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

This has been an NBA season unlike any other. When the lockout ended in the middle of the night back in late November, the NBA immediately went from a standstill into hyperdrive. Literally overnight, coaches met rookies for the second or third time, free agents were courted and signed, and we observed a compressed NBA season on fast-forward.

In the SLAM season preview, we picked the Heat to win the East and the Thunder to rumble out West. Now…I’m not saying we are experts, but I’m just saying: At press time, the Heat were 35-13 and the Thunder were 37-12. Both teams were nearly unbeatable at home (Miami was 20-2, OKC was 22-4).

Actually, though, the Chicago Bulls have the NBA’s best record at press time at 41-11, and they lead the Eastern Conference by a handful of games. But last season we saw the Heat handle them relatively easily, mainly by having LeBron defend Derrick Rose. As good as the Bulls are defensively, they are just a tad limited offensively, and Miami has the pieces in the halfcourt to match up and stop Da Bulls.

The Heat started the season shot out of a cannon, playing at a crazy tempo and defending like their lives depended on it. But their pace and ferocity has slowed as the season has tripped along, which means other teams have a chance of keeping up. And as the Heat have added players here and there, there’s still a significant drop-off after the Big Three.

Out West, it starts and ends in OKC. They have the best young scorer in the NBA (Durant), and they have one of the best young point guards in the NBA (Westbrook). They have a stone-cold scorer coming off the bench (James Harden), terrific depth on the front line (Perkins, Ibaka, Collison, Mohammed), and they signed Derek Fisher to fill in for the injured Eric Maynor at the backup PG slot. Suddenly, the Thunder have Championship experience to go with the athleticism and scoring they already possess.

Coming into the season, I thought the question was whether the Thunder would have the maturity and experience to win it all. Now I’m just wondering if anyone else is going to be able to beat them over the next few years? Perhaps, but this year, I’m sticking with our pre-season pick of Oklahoma City and Miami in the Finals, and we’re going with the Thunder to win it all. Rumble, young men, rumble.

The post Thunder Up appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in SLAM 159

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

“Well, we knew this day was coming, and it’s finally here.”

It was Monday, April 23, and New Jersey Nets head coach Avery Johnson was addressing the media 90 minutes before his team hosted the Philadelphia 76ers. It would be the Nets final game of a forgettable season, but it was a memorable and historic night in that it would be—after 36 years—the final Nets game in New Jersey.

Johnson was in an unmemorable room in the bowels of the Prudential Center in Newark, which has been the home of the Nets for the past two seasons. The Prudential Center, aka The Rock, has been a fine, if transient, home, a state-of-the-art arena with a built-in move-out date since the Nets arrived in ’10. And after seven years of idle chatter and promises that at times seemed empty, the Nets’ time in Jersey was about to run out.

The Nets have marketed the idea that they’re on their way to building something big—as Johnson noted, “We knew this was a product that we need to grow, and was going to take some time, and we’re still growing this product.” Perhaps a clearer future will emerge in Brooklyn, because as Jersey sports fans have watched over the last three decades, the Nets have mostly dwelled in a murky present. As Dave D’Alessandro wrote in the Newark Star-Ledger: “Make no mistake, some extraordinary athletes passed through here—brilliant players such as Jason Kidd, Buck Williams and Drazen Petrovic, who all led some inspiring Playoff runs—but rarely has a sports franchise presented such a rigid challenge to your loyalty, your patience and your precepts about fair play, sound management and dumb luck.”

The Nets franchise was started in the late ’60s as an original ABA team. They were supposed to be based in Manhattan, to compete with the Knicks, but as has happened to many home shoppers, they couldn’t find suitable real estate and instead found space in the ’burbs. They landed in Jersey, then moved to Long Island, where the Nets won two ABA championships with Julius Erving during the ’70s. The Nets were one of four ABA franchises to join the NBA when the leagues merged in 1976, and the cash-strapped team marked the occasion by selling Dr. J to the Sixers to help make ends meet.

In ’77, the Nets moved back to Jersey and set up shop at Rutgers, and in ’81 they moved into the brand-new Brendan Byrne Arena, which would become their home—under a variety of different corporate names—for the next 30 years. Under Larry Brown they put together their first NBA winning season in ’81-82. Brown was fired at Newark Airport during the next season when the Nets discovered he’d secretly talked to Kansas about their coaching job. In ’83-84, the Nets made the Eastern Conference Semis, but would not make it past the first round again for nearly two more decades. In ’86, their All-Star guard Micheal Ray Richardson became the first player banned for life for violating the League’s drug policy; two other Nets would be suspended for drugs the next season. Their magnetic center, Darryl Dawkins, had his career cut short after injuring his back when he slipped in the shower. In ’87, the Nets drafted Dennis Hopson just ahead of Scottie Pippen and Reggie Miller. In the early ’90s, the Nets put together a fresh and invigorating team, centered around Kenny Anderson,  Derrick Coleman, and an electrifying guard from Europe named Drazen Petrovic.

“Drazen comes, Kenny comes, I’m rebounding,” Coleman remembers. “I thought the team that we had and where we were going, it changed the whole Nets franchise.”

That excitement was tragically snuffed out in the summer of ’93, when Petrovic was killed in a car accident in Germany. “When that happened, it kind of turned the organization back a few years, maybe even longer than that,” Anderson says. “I just thought we was right there, we was on the cusp. Even though it was the Chicago Bulls/Michael Jordan era, we could have competed.

“I think that was the problem with the Nets: They always settled for mediocrity,” KA continues. “They didn’t want to bring in a big-time coach. We joke around, me and Derrick, you know we used to practice at APA Trucking facility. You know, had to share a locker next to a trucking guy.”

The team was popular enough at the time—or at least, good enough at stuffing ballot boxes—that DC and Chibbs were both voted to start in the ’94 All-Star Game. Yet less than a year later, the situation was toxic enough that Nets forward Chris Morris asked to leave Jersey by writing TRADE ME on his sneaker. (He tempered the expression somewhat by writing PLEASE on the other shoe.)

In the late ’90s, the Nets found relevancy again, with an exciting team anchored by Sam Cassell and Jayson Williams that warranted the cover of SLAM 25 in ’98. Just as quickly, Williams was forced to retire due to injury, and Cassell was involved in a three-team trade for Stephon Marbury. In 2000, the Nets drafted Kenyon Martin and hired Byron Scott to coach, and appeared again to have one of the most exciting young cores in the NBA. I wrote the SLAM 48 cover story on Starbury, and he told me at the time, “I just want to win. I’m not worrying about the All-Star Game, nothing. All I want to do is win. Because if we win, I know we’re playing well.”

They only won 28 games, and when the season ended, GM Rod Thorn traded Marbury to Phoenix for Jason Kidd. Before long, the Nets were pushing the ball in transition and playing a Princeton-style halfcourt offense, and they covered SLAM again during the ’01-02 season.

“Jason Kidd, being backcourt mates with him for three years, that was a phenomenal experience,” says former Nets wingman Kerry Kittles. “It was fantastic.”

From 2001-10, the Nets finally made up some ground on their cross-river rivals. The Knicks didn’t win a single Playoff game during that stretch while the Nets had six straight winning seasons and made two trips to the Finals. But even with success and a fun brand of play, being a Nets fan was no easy task. While most NBA franchises built shiny new hoops palaces, the Nets’ arena, sitting forlornly in the hard-to-reach Meadowlands of East Rutherford, just got new names. Former SLAM Editor-in-Chief Russ Bengtson once said that Brendan Byrne/Continental/Izod had the same vibe as the inside of a refrigerator.

In ’04, the Nets were sold, and the new ownership group, a partnership including Jay-Z, announced plans to move the franchise to Brooklyn. Yet the economic downturn soon after made the move seem less certain. The Nets devolved to the point that they began the ’09-10 season with 18 consecutive losses and finished with a record of 12-70.

As the Nets moved to Newark in the summer of ’10, they finally caught a break. A controlling interest was sold to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, a man who could realistically be confused for the most interesting man in the world. The Nets would be moving to the long-gestating arena in Brooklyn, and Prokhorov promised big things, saying he was, “pretty sure I can convince the best of the best the Nets is where they need to be. Add team spirit. Little bit luck, little bit money, we go straight to top.”

Yet with the move to Brooklyn looming, despite public flirtations with the likes of Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, the Nets had leveraged several Draft picks into just one superstar, Deron Williams, and he has not committed to the team long-term.

Their future may have been in doubt, but for the game against Philly, the focus was squarely on the past. The halftime show featured many former Nets, from Richardson to Dawkins, Anderson to Coleman, Kittles to Todd MacCulloch. The fans in attendance were vocal in their support of the home team, as though they honestly hoped to see the Nets win. When the Nets cut Philly’s lead to 8 on a Johan Petro 18-footer with 5:30 remaining, the Nets players exploded off the bench and the crowd rose to its feet. Yet, as has happened many times over the last 36 years, the Nets just didn’t have enough to get the W. As MarShon Brooks said: “It would have been nice to go out with a win. We fought hard, we fought back, we didn’t let the game get out of hand, it’s just, we can’t get over the hump.”

“[The move] might help, better attendance,” posited Anderson. “I think the bad thing about this, even when we had good teams, they didn’t sell out. Even when they went to the Finals.  Now they’re gonna be in Brooklyn with mass transit, they’re gonna have a lot of walk-ups. I guess New Jersey is a basketball state somewhat, but New York is New York. We had some good teams and we never could climb the Knicks because of the tradition.”

So the Nets find themselves, after 36 years, moving about 15 miles east and finding a clean slate. Will this move make the difference the franchise has been longing for forever? Only time will tell. After all, if there’s anything we’ve learned from the Nets, it’s that anything can happen.

The post Nothin’, Not Even Nets appeared first on SLAM.

Hey everyone. My name is Lang, and I used to hang out around these here parts pretty regularly. That ended about a year ago, when I left SLAM’s full-time employ to become SLAM’s Editor at Large. What does this mean? Nobody knows! I still pop by the office from time to time though, and SLAMonline is still my browser’s homepage. But now I have time to do some things. I can, for instance, take walks during the day, and I can work on projects that take months instead of hours. And, best of all, I have time to watch even more basketball than I ever could.

A few years ago, the NBA asked me to vote in their annual post-season awards. They ask something like 150 media members to vote, so there are a lot of voters out there, but this was a big deal for SLAM. Historically, SLAM had always been a bit of an outsider, and it took us a while to kinda get a foot inside the door of the establishment. Maybe this was a good thing, maybe it wasn’t, but it did give us some legitimacy and recognition. Every year I’ve done this, I’ve posted my ballot here on SLAMonline, to be transparent and let you guys know how I voted, and also to give you the chance to call me an idiot if you disagree.

Anyway, here are all the individual categories for which I was asked to vote. I don’t know why I was picked for these categories, I just was. SO! Here’s how I voted:

SIXTH MAN
1. James Harden
2. Lou Williams
3. Al Harrington
Pretty obvious, to me. In the third slot, for me it came down to either Harrington or Jason Terry. Terry’s numbers were down just slightly from what he did last season, while Harrington’s were up, and Denver actually finished with a better record than Dallas, so I went with Al. (And he ended up finishing fourth in the actual balloting behind Terry.)

ROY
1. Kyrie Irving
2. Kenneth Faried
3. Ricky Rubio
I was so vexed by this category and the Most Improved Player category (more on that later) that I called Ben at the SLAM Dome to get his input. (And it turned out that Ben saw things the same way I was seeing them.) Irving was the clear-cut winner to me. But what to do about Ricky Rubio? He came in, earned the starting role and was one of the biggest stories of All-Star Weekend. Kid even got a SLAM cover. Now, obviously, Ricky blew out his knee and missed the last 25 games of the season. Does that disqualify him from consideration? Then again, Rubio did play in 41 games, which is only five less than Faried, who had to work his way into Denver’s rotation. So that left Ricky in at the three slot. The other guy I considered heavily was Isaiah Thomas in Sacto, who played 65 games and worked his way into the starting lineup, but he also got all those minutes on a team that finished 28 games behind San Antonio in the West, and he averaged about half the assists Rubio did while averaging about the same ppg.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1. Dwight Howard
2. Tyson Chandler
3. Serge Ibaka
Now, obviously I was in the minority here, as Chandler ended up winning this category. When the award was announced, these facts were cited: “The Knicks ranked among the top half of the League in several key defensive categories, including opponent turnovers per game (17.0, second), opponent field-goal percentage (.442, 10th), and opponent scoring (94.7 ppg, 11th). Opposing teams averaged 22.5 more points and shot .520 from the field when Chandler was not in the lineup. Opponents shot .438 with Chandler in the lineup. In addition, Chandler grabbed 22.1 percent of his team’s defensive rebounds when he was on the floor.” Yes, Dwight won this award the last three years in a row, and people talked about fatigue with Dwight winning, although to me that was no reason to discount him this season. And maybe some people were tired of the circus of whether he would or wouldn’t be traded. Fine. But I still thought no player was as important to his team’s defense and had more impact defensively than Dwight Howard. Magic opponents shot .442 when Dwight was on the floor, and he averaged 14.5 rebounds per game to go with 2.1 blocks. (Chandler averaged 9.9 rpg.) I watched more Knicks games this season than I ever had before, and Chandler was fantastic all year, the guy who just came to play every night despite the circus that was the Knicks this season.

COACH OF THE YEAR
1. Gregg Popovich
2. Tom Thibodeau
3. Frank Vogel
Really tough call here. What Thibs and the Bulls did without Derrick Rose all season was remarkable, obviously. But the Spurs finished with the same record as the Bulls (50-16), and Pop managed to consistently rest guys throughout the season. More than that, check this out: The Spurs had 10 guys who averaged at least 20 minutes per game. (And that doesn’t count Tiago Splitter, who averaged 19 mpg.) On the flip side, the Spurs had only one player average over 30 minutes per game, and that was Tony Parker, who averaged just over 32 mpg. He kept all those guys engaged and fresh and playing hard enough to win the Western Conference and still managed to get guys rest (only one guy played all 66 games—Danny Green).

MOST IMPROVED
1. Ryan Anderson
2. Ersan Ilyasvoa
3. Goran Dragic
This was probably the hardest category for me to figure out, because of one guy: Jeremy Lin. Now, one disclaimer: Pretty much everyone in this category, historically, is someone who has seen a jump in minutes from the previous season. That said, Jeremy Lin went from being cut to making two SI covers and a SLAM cover and, for a while there, being the biggest story in sports. I was at that Knicks-Lakers game when he went for 38, and after covering the NBA for SLAM for a dozen years, I can’t say I’ve ever been at a game where something quite like that happened. So he had an undeniable impact on not just the NBA, but on the entire sports world. All that said, do you know how many games Jeremy Lin actually played this season? Thirty-five, which is just over half of a season. And he only started 25 games. So I didn’t include him on my ballot at all, and he ended up finishing fifth.

MVP
1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Chris Paul
5. Tony Parker
This is exactly how the final award ended up going, except KB and CP flip-flopped. I went Kobe first only because dude averaged 28 ppg in his 16th season and managed to play in 58 games, and for everyone talking about all the problems with the Lakers all season long, they still won their division and finished third in the Conference.

The post Links: How I Voted… appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in SLAM 158

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

A few years ago, I spent a summer afternoon with Joakim Noah at his father’s apartment in New York City. Joakim had the day off, and since his father was away, Joakim had slept in. I arrived, and he eventually woke up, picked through some sushi that was in the fridge, then sat and had a frank and interesting conversation with me for SLAMonline. Then he got dressed and went out for the afternoon to enjoy New York City.

The interesting thing here is that because Joakim Noah is Joakim Noah, everything was on a different level than if he had been just a regular New York citizen. His father is a legendary tennis player turned Grammy-winning singer, his grandfather a professional Cameroonian soccer player, his grandmother a former French national basketball team captain, his mother a Swedish supermodel turned sculptor. So the apartment, for instance, was an airy loft on Central Park South, with huge windows that exposed huge green expanses of Central Park. Because his father, Yannick Noah, is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, the apartment featured photos of his dad hanging out with people like Nelson Mandela. And because he is Joakim Noah, someone who has lived openly and honestly on an international stage for most of his life, when I interviewed him, he spoke freely and thoughtfully answered every question I threw at him.

Noah mostly grew up a few blocks—and a world—away from his dad’s place, with his mom over in Hell’s Kitchen. He saw the world, spending time in Europe, but New York was home; he even shouted out Hell’s Kitchen—“Hell’s Kitchen, stand up!”—after winning one of two National Championships at the University of Florida. Noah was drafted 9th overall by the Bulls in ’07, after bigs like Greg Oden, Brandan Wright and Yi Jianlian. After a few seasons of spinning their wheels, Derrick Rose and then Tom Thibodeau joined Jo in Chicago, and the Bulls have been near world-beaters since.

At press time, 64 games into this lockout-shortened season, the Chicago Bulls were sitting at an exemplary 48-16, the best record in the NBA. Since bringing in Thibs as coach two summers back, the Bulls have found their definition with defense. Thibs ran the defense for the title-winning team in Boston back in ’08, and he’s replicated the same help principles and laser focus on defending in Chicago. At press time, this season the Bulls were first in the NBA at points allowed per game, at 88.4, and second in lowest opponent’s field-goal percentage at 42.3.

Noah, all arms and angles, is emblematic of the Bulls’ shared acceptance of Thibodeau’s defensive mania. As Dennis Rodman told ESPN: “I love Noah. He runs around with his head cut off sometimes, but I love him. He’s more like me, but a little taller…He plays for the game.” And when Dennis Rodman says you run around like a chicken with your head cut off, you really must be hustling.

There’s something to be said for continuity in sports, particularly during this truncated season. Without the chance to get together and practice or install new wrinkles during the lockout, the best NBA teams this year have been teams that were, at the least, together a season ago—Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Miami, Chicago—who have been able to build on the themes they established in the past. Thibodeau preaches defense until he’s hoarse in the throat, and when it works, it’s terrific. That’s what the Bulls are constantly striving for, some vague perfection where they hedge correctly on a screen-roll and cause the ballhandler to pause long enough to allow the defense to catch up and then force a 24-second violation. As Noah told David Aldridge of NBA.com, “It’s very hard. That’s why winning is so sweet, because it’s hard. And it is repetitive and you’re always tired, and it’s always the next one, move on to the next one…it’s emotional.”

As far as mindset goes, Joakim’s was under review, at least for a while. It didn’t help that he wore a beige seersucker suit to the Draft and let his hair fly under his Draft hat while tossing up a peace sign, and he occasionally pops up on the Web vacationing in impossibly perfect locales. Noah comes armed with a goofiness that plays broad, which he seems to rely on in front of crowds or strangers. Sit him down, and that insouciance is tempered by a worldliness that has obviously informed him.

By now, we’ve accepted that Noah is polarizing and unifying, both of which work to the advantage of the Bulls. He’s not afraid to stand up to the Garnetts and Gasols of the NBA world or call out opponents. This might be annoying to opposing fans, but it connects Noah to Bulls fans, and also gives the Bulls an edge.

As Chicago chases another set of rings, Noah has solidly slipped into that man in the middle role for the Bulls. He’s never been an All-Star. He’s solid around the rim, but has yet to develop that killer mid-range jumper (he’s shooting 24 percent from 10-15 feet this season, and 42 percent from 16-23 feet), which will force defenders to come out on him and open up the floor for him. Still, Noah is on pace to average a double-double (or very close to one) for his third consecutive season. Noah is good enough to fight for boards with and contest shots against the best centers in the L, and when he’s on the floor, the Bulls have their best chance at winning.

Derrick Rose is the best player on the Chicago Bulls, but Joakim Noah is one of the most important. Is he more important than Luol Deng or Carlos Boozer or Rip Hamilton or any other player? No, but that’s because this is the way the Bulls have been structured. Every player is exactly as important and unimportant as any other player. Nobody on the Bulls plays harder, yet several Bulls play just as hard. In that way, Thibs, Noah and the Bulls have carved out this blue-collar identity that has endeared them to their fans and made them nearly invisible to casual fans. Playing impenetrable help defense may not make SportsCenter, but it sure helps the wins stack up.

The Bulls have found success by playing team basketball. Yes, they have an MVP running the point, but instead of a clear-cut No. 2 behind Derrick Rose, there is a collective, a community. In the same way that he is a participatory member of the community of the world, Joakim Noah is an essential member of his team in Chicago. And his team has grabbed the League by the horns.

The post Community appeared first on SLAM.

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

The regional jet dropped through the clouds and settled onto the runway at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, a brand new, modern building that sits among bucolic rolling hills in the midst of a college basketball war zone. Just a few miles from the airport, equal points on an imaginary isosceles triangle, Duke University and the University of North Carolina are located just eight miles from each other.

In a few hours, UNC and Duke are scheduled to face off at UNC. Carolina enters the game at No. 5 in the AP poll, Duke at No. 10. They are closing in on a century of competition, and have played over 130 times. Coming into this game, over the last 75 matches Carolina holds a 38-37 lead. Incredibly, over that 75 game span, Duke leads in cumulative score 5,858 to 5,857. Since 1991, Duke has won four National Championships, while UNC has won three. In that time span, they’ve combined to go to the Final Four 16 times.

Despite their shared dominance, or maybe because of it, they just don’t get along. As former Carolina guard Joseph Forte once said, “They hate us, just like we hate them.” This is a rivalry, and rivalries thrive in sports. Sports are about conflict and competition. Each day, athletes square off in personal confrontations that are microcosms of the larger battles that occur between their teams, the battles and wars that for the fans make life worth living.

As humans and as fans, we feed off the passionate pursuit of a prize, and these rivalries provide us with concrete answers. We know, definitively, which team is the best, at least until they meet again. Bragging rights are established, supremacy is identified. These rivalries are reliable escapism, a respite from the doldrums and struggles in our personal or professional lives. Fans live vicariously through these schools and franchises. We imagine ourselves on the field or the court, wearing our team’s colors, and we get charged up over the raw emotion and talent on display. In the larger sense, we gravitate toward sports because they provide us with camaraderie and community. We stand arm in arm or shoulder to shoulder with our fellow fans, a band of brothers who want nothing more than to prove that we chose the correct team to support.

In this case, it’s light blue or dark blue.

—

I have nothing against college basketball. I was fortunate to grow up in Atlanta just a couple of miles up the street from Georgia Tech while Bobby Cremins was running the program. When I was in lower school, a family friend took me to a GT basketball game, the first live basketball game I’d ever seen. Tech was playing a sacrificial lamb, one of those traveling teams like Marathon Oil or Athletes in Action, and the stands were maybe half-full. The arena at Georgia Tech is a bowl, sunken into the ground, topped with an arched roof that makes the arena seem like a dome—fans call it The Thrillerdome. By modern college basketball standards, it’s tiny, holding no more than eight or nine thousand people.

I still remember walking into the arena, seeing the wooden floorboards glowing, hearing a brass band blaring away. It was like entering a new universe, and a journey that changed my life forever. In some settings, I discovered that day, perfection is just a little bit imperfect.

Over the next few years, Tech had a steady stream of All-ACC players come through town, from Mark Price to Duane Ferrell to Tommy Hammonds to Dennis Scott to Kenny Anderson to Stephon Marbury. It was a remarkable run, and I saw Tech play against some of the best players in college basketball, from Len Bias to Christian Laettner. The Atlanta Hawks shared time with the Yellow Jackets as my favorite teams, and eventually I ended up at University of Georgia, where football is king. With time, my interest in college basketball began to wane, and before long I was working at SLAM and neck-deep in the NBA.

—

I visited UNC with a group from Jordan Brand, and we were given the full tour. We walked through the Carolina basketball offices, where everywhere you look hangs an iconic image from UNC hoops history. NBA jerseys from several UNC players are displayed—on this day there were jerseys from Marvin Williams and Vince Carter, among others. (At press time, UNC has a dozen former players in the NBA; Duke currently has 15.) One of the guys from the UNC Basketball Office casually noted, “I rotate these out,” a nice way of saying there were plenty more where these came from.

From there we walked out onto the court of the Dean E. Smith Center. It was about six hours before game time, and the building was empty. Out on the floor shooting around were former Heels Shammond Williams and Jackie Manuel, getting in a quick workout before the big game. A few minutes later, we ran into Rasheed Wallace, in town for the game. Several times we heard UNC basketball referred to as “family,” a place you never leave, where former players are always welcome. Seeing those random guys throughout the day served to reinforce that.

—

A few hours later, Coach K leads his Duke team out onto the Dean Dome floor. The Dean Dome is almost full of fans, 21,750-strong, in varying shades of Pantone 278, better known as Carolina blue. The UNC players are wearing their new UNC-shaded Jordan 2012s, and the Duke players are wearing their black uniforms, fitting for their role this evening as villains. Men with shirts and ties serve as ballboys, and the fans sitting around us in the upper deck, speak knowledgably about UNC’s rotations and depth issues.

The game begins with fits and starts, as UNC somehow gets 19 and 11 in the first half from Tyler Zeller, their center who doesn’t quite seem at ease on the court. Just before the half, UNC’s Harrison Barnes gets a steal and bucket, and the arena is so loud I have to plug my ears. Barnes comes out strong in the second half, and UNC builds a lead. Duke has no interior presence, and after starting strong from the outside, can’t make any jumpers for most of the game.

Then, down ten with just over 2 minutes to go, everything changes. Duke can’t miss, UNC can’t even make a free throw. Even Zeller scores a bucket for Duke. Finally, Zeller hits a free throw to put UNC ahead 84-82. With Duke out of timeouts, they inbound the ball to Austin Rivers, who brings it up court with UNC’s Reggie Bullock guarding him. Duke’s Mason Plumlee sets a pick for Rivers, and Zeller switches onto Rivers. Recognizing the mismatch, Rivers runs to the right wing and isolates against Zeller, who stands there with his hands at his waist, as though he is waiting for Rivers to give him a dap. Rivers bounces the ball four times, steps forward until he is about six inches behind the three point line, then rises up and fires a three pointer just over Zeller’s right arm.

The buzzer sounds tenths of a second before the ball settles into the net. Rivers sprints to the other end of the court, and is quickly engulfed by Duke players. The UNC crowd, so loud and so fired up earlier, suddenly goes completely silent, as if someone hit a mute button. Another game, another memorable chapter in the most memorable rivalry in college sports.

As we all file out of the Dean Dome, a girl behind me cries, and her friends comfort her. College basketball may have its faults, but there is a fragility to college basketball that doesn’t seem to exist in the NBA. Despite the billion-dollar machine around college basketball, these are still spindly kids playing the games, and fans who have invested, usually literally, in these programs. They rise and fall, they live and die, with each and every game.

Maybe it doesn’t matter whether or not the players are being compensated. Winning is fantastic, and losing, particularly on this night, is shattering. No matter how much money is involved.

The post A Night at the Dean Dome appeared first on SLAM.

OK! After a weekend of dunks and threes and parties and meetings, we are at the end of the chain: The 2012 All-Star Game is moments away.

As always, All-Star has been surreal and strange and exhausting and fun. The most All-Star moment of the weekend probably happened just a few minutes ago as we were trying to make out way onto the elevator and to our seats in the press section. As we jostled for room in a tight hallway, on one side were A-Rod and Torrie Wilson, in front of us was Gabrielle Union, and then about a dozen mascots charged in and weaved around everyone.

What happens tonight? Who knows. I just hope the game stays close until the end, so the teams will have a little something to play for down the stretch.

Anyway, we’re here, we’re ready to go. I’ll be back momentarily to liveblog this spectacle.

• A quick word about Orlando: I’ve been to most of the arenas around the NBA, but I hadn’t been to the Amway Center before this weekend. The arena is sparkling and clean and roomy, a gorgeous venue for the game. I’ve been particularly impressed with all the people working here, who have been unfailingly polite and kind. It’s been a bit of a haul getting around the city because the arena, the hotel and Jam Session were each about 10 miles from the other, but traffic really wasn’t bad. I just wish I had time to hit Potter World. Hopefully they’ll have butterbeer tonight at media hospitality.

• As for an MVP prediction, I’ll play it safe and go with Dwight, the hometown guy.

• TNT’s Idris Elba promo, which I think played on TV, is played over the scoreboard in the arena. Pretty dope. Turner Sports stays winning with the promos.

• The lights in the arena go black, and Nicki Minaj takes the stage behind the basket furthest from us. She’s wearing purple hair and a silver/white suit thing, which for her is actually pretty understated. After two songs, we meet the Western Conference All-Stars. Scott Brooks! Dirk Nowitzki! Marc Gasol! Kevin Love! Russell Westbrook! Steve Nash! LaMarcus Aldridge! Tony Parker!

• A flap on the stage opens up, and smoke and fire comes from under the stage, as the All-Stars walk out of the smoke with some swag. Pretty cool. Griff, Durant, Bynum, CP3, Kobe.

• The West is here, so Nicki returns, now with chartreuse hair. With the crazy lights and computer graphics, the whole thing is very tech-forward and…OK, she just started popping.

• Here comes the East: Thibodeau! Pierce! Rondo! Luol (with the Africa shirt)! Hibbert! Bosh! Deron Williams! Iguodala! Then the flap opens and the East starters come dancing out, all except Derrick Rose, who looks like he could use a nap. Wade! Anthony! Dwight (who gets huge cheers)! James!

• Nicki returns, closes it out. We get the Canadian Anthem from a group called Neverest, I believe. Just as we’re wondering who’s singing the US Anthem, they announce Mary J. Blige, who gets a huge ovation. She sings it simply but beautifully, a cappella, and gets a larger ovation. Great stuff.

• OK, it’s 7:40, and we’re finally ready to rock.

• It would be kind of funny if Melo won the MVP. I’m now rooting for this to happen.

• When I stood up for the anthems, my chair feel behind me, and somehow while trying to pick it up I sliced my right thumb open. But this is All-Star, and I’m going to play hurt! There’s blood on this keyboard!

• The West opens with a pin-down for Kobe, and he curls baseline for the J. Bynum swats Dwight, and Durant rips a three. Griffin dunks the next time down to put the West ahead 7-0, and I’m pretty sure Thibs is really to burn a timeout.

• First crazy dunk of the game comes from Bron, who rocks the cradle and throws down lefty. next time down he drops off a sweet pass for Rose to bring the East within two, 9-7, and then goes around the back to Wade, who flips an oop back to him to tie it at 9.

• Dwight Howard just fired up a three that bricked. Looked like me shooting threes earlier today in the Jordan Brand pickup games.

• (At least I did make one!)

• West gets out on a break and CP3 throws a pass off the glass to Durant, who tomahawks it home. West leads 24-13 halfway through the first at the first TO.

• During the timeout, the Magic’s kids dance team comes out to perform. One of the little kids is wearing a Superman outfit. I bet Shaq’s upset with that kid.

• Celebs on the scoreboard: Li’l Wayne, Drake, Kevin Hart.

• The West gets a breakaway 4-on-1, and CP3 goes thru the legs to a trailing Blake Griffin for the monster dunk. Love how CP made the pass, then grabbed Deng and pulled him out of the way to give Blake an open dunk. West moves ahead 34-28.

• Not sure if they’re showing this at home, but they have an NBA big-head commercial where a bunch of NBA players perform Loverboy’s “Working For The Weekend.” Pretty great stuff.

• First standing O of the night goes to a huge section of seats filled with people from the military when they’re highlighted on the scoreboard. Nice moment.

• SUBS!

• The score after 1, West 39, East 28. Kobe and LeBron each have 11.

• Between quarters, we see a video tribute to Magic Johnson’s performance in the ASG back in ’92, and then Magic takes the court and gets a standing O. Another cool moment.

• Made a popcorn run and ran into some guy named Wes.

• Just found out the halftime show is going to be Pitbull. I assume with some other performers, but don’t know who else will be involved just yet.

• Chris Bosh just banked in a three to bring the East within 9, 61-52. Now a timeout with the West up 11. I’m not really going to talk about the action much more because I’m not sure what else to say about it, unless the game gets close down the stretch.

• If I had to pick a PG most likely to break a backboard on a dunk, I’d probably go with Russ Westbrook. Ben’s going with Derrick Rose on one of his two-hand dunks.

• Not sure how much of a chance there is that the East will make a game of this. They’re down 78-60 now with 2 minutes to go in the first half, and the West is motivated — Durant and Westbrook just doubled an inbound pass and got a steal. I’m guessing Thibodeau is going to raise hell at halftime. I really hope they have a camera in there.

• Durant’s playing like he’s in a Goodman League game. He’s got 21 points and 6 boards, with 45 seconds to go in the half.

• There’s a flurry of scoring toward the end of the half, and the West ends up with Blake Griffin drilling a three at the buzzer, to put the West up 88-69 at halftime. If the East is going to come back, someone’s gotta stop KD. Or maybe they can trade for him or something.

• The 88 from the West in the first half is an ASG record for a half.

• Pitbull.

• Pitbull and Chris Brown.

• Chris Brown.

• Ne-Yo.

• Ne-Yo and Pitbull.

• And there’s your halftime show. Still have 10 mins remaining until the second half starts.

• About to get started again here. Benny the Bull has Kevin Hart’s date sitting in his lap over at courtside.

• OK, gonna take a heckuva comeback from the East to get back into this.

• And Rose turns it over on the first play of the second half, and Durant dunks it.

• BTW, Marc Gasol is in for Bynum, who left the All-Star Game early with “knee soreness.” Also known as “being careful.”

• LeBron wants us to remember he’s still in this. He hits a two and a three, and cuts the deficit to 12.

• While Kobe gets a cut bloody nose attended to and everyone stands around, Dwight hits two lefty free throws.

• Rose hits back-to-back threes, and suddenly the East is down 10, 100-90.

• The East gets it down to 7, but for most of the third, the West lead stays around 10.

• As I mentioned earlier, Ben and I played basketball for a few hours this morning. We played full-court games, and while nobody was really going all-out, I’m sitting here and my legs are throbbing and knees are sore. And it reminds me, as I sit here and watch this game, of just how unbelievably fit all of these guys are. I know they might not be playing all out today, but they’re still out there running and playing relatively hard, and there’s something to be said for what that takes.

• During the timeout, we see some footage from the Dream Team, and then Mullin, Pippen, Robinson, Magic and Drexler are all introduced to big applause.

• It is announced that Kobe Bryant has passed MJ as the all-time All-Star Game scoring leader. Kobe’s probably upset there are no more records for him to break, and he’ll now just focus on getting assists.

• After three, the West leads 124-112, and Kevin Durant has 34 points. Hoping he goes for 50.

• 8 minutes left, and seems like we’re gonna ride this out with the backups the rest of the way. And just as I say that, Kevin Durant returns. Let’s see if he can score 16 in the next 7:31.

• We just realized the fans vote for the All-Star MVP now. I’m hoping they select Jeremy Lin.

• Bron’s back, as are most of the starters. Lead is 13 with 6:23. Three from D-Will makes it 10 point game. Kobe gets called for an offensive foul. The East is running plays for Deron Williams right now, because dude is hot. He’s playing instead of Rose. This might be the first time ever that Thibodeau has resisted the urge to play Rose.

• During the timeout they show a video of Bynum and Kobe playing “Password,” where Kobe tries to get Bynum to say a certain world. Kobe says, “Sometimes Metta World Peace is out of his…” And immediately Bynum says, “Mind.”

• Out of the TO, Wade hits a runner off the glass to cut it to 8. West isos Kobe on Bron, and Kobe hits a pull up. Deron Williams shakes CP3 and misses the jumper.

• The West doubles Bron, and he hits a step-back three over the double. Melo converts an and-one, and the West lead is just 142-136, with 4:08 to play.

• It would be great if Westbrook just started shooting every time down now.

• LeBron tips a long rebound to himself, then, without a dribble, drills a three. Durant scores a two to make it 146-141. For the first time all night, there’s a real buzz from the crowd. 2:22 to play…

• During the timeout, Kevin Hart was forcibly ejected by Benny the Bull.

• Melo hits two free throws to make it 146-143, West.

• West tries to run a play for Durant, but Melo shuts him down. Instead, CP3 drives and passes to a cutting Westbrook, for a dunk. Then the East scores 4 straight, and gets a steal, and has a chance for the lead but…turns it over.

• 1:12 to go, West ball, up 148-147. D-Will and Dwight double CP3, and Dwight picks up a foul.

• Shot clock winding down, Blake misses a long three. The West gets the long rebound, and Westbrook misses a put-back, then Blake does not miss. East comes back and with 22.8 left, Wade goes to the line, and CP3 tries to distract him. He makes the first and the second. 150-149, timeout with 22.8 left.

• The West burns five seconds, before Wade is called for a foul against Kobe — Wade apparently feels he didn’t foul him and was just trying to trap. Kobe to the line: Good. MISS.

• Timeout on the floor, a timeout with the score: West 151, East 149. 16.3 left to play.

• East runs a pick for Williams, who misses the three. The East gets the ball back and Bron tries to zip a pass to Wade, but Griffin picks it off and gets fouled with 1.1 left.

• Griffin, on cue, misses the first and makes the second, and the East takes a timeout with 1.1 left, down three.

• They run a play for Wade, and he takes a corner three….that’s just short. Game time. West wins 152-149. Durant and Bron each finish with 36. Wade has a 24-10-10 triple dip. MVP announcement to come…

• The MVP goes to Kevin Durant.

• That’s it. I’m beat. Thanks for hanging with us all weekend. I think the Playoffs start in a week or so. I need a nap. Check you guys soon. Later…

The post Live Blog: 2012 NBA All-Star Game appeared first on SLAM.

This is Lang, and we’re back live at Amway Center for All-Star Saturday Night. Maurice Bobb and I are high above courtside, perhaps a bit dehyrated but nevertheless! We are excited for dunks, threes, shooting stars, and all that stuff. We’ll be blogging live throughout the night. I’ll bat leadoff tonight, and we begin with the Shooting Stars competition in just a bit…

• Those of us in the arena are introduced to our in-arena hosts for the evening, Rob Nice and Scotty B. They tell us about tonight’s entertainment, which will include the winners of “The Sing-Off,” as well as the Orlando Magic’s drum line. The drummers take the stage and start drumming, very loudly. Makes me realize if I ever have a kid, I will encourage them to be active in the arts. Except for drumming, which really must be the loudest of the arts.

SHOOTING STARS

• OK, it’s FINALLY time for the Haier Shooting Stars competition. The teams are Orlando, Houston, New York, and your defending champs, Atlanta. When the teams run onto the court, I stand and shout at the top of my lungs: “ATL SHAWTY!” This causes all the other media members sitting nearby to recoil, and a few shake their heads in disgust. I have to be proud, though, because this is the only NBA-related championship the Hawks have won since Josh Smith won the Dunk Contest in 2005. With the injury to Joe Johnson, the “active” Hawk in this competition is Jerry Stackhouse, who has played in 13 games for a total of 82 minutes this season. I guess he was the lone Hawk available tonight? Or maybe Billy Knight put this Atlanta team together?

• (I didn’t really yell “ATL SHAWTY.” But I totally will if Atlanta repeats.)

• Not sure of the name of the woman who sang the Canadian National Anthem, but the US anthem was performed by Javier Colon, winner of “The Voice.” He accompanied himself on the acoustic guitar, and did a really great job. No snark. Credit due.

• Right now there are 12 people all warming up on the same basket, while the other basket is totally unused. Kenny Smith and Steve Smith are working on their around-the-back dribbles. Wonder if Kenny’s looking over his shoulder for Justin Timberlake?

• MUTOMBO IS IN THE HOUSE! Really excited you guys, if only for his post-dunk reactions.

• OK, as our in-arena host Scotty B. just noted, East Coast is in the house, West Coast is in the house. Thankfully, tonight we can all get along. Here we go.

• We start with shots of Wolf Blitzer, Bill Russell, Chris Brown, and then Mary J. Blige, who is looking distractedly through her purse.

• The Texas team is Kenny Smith, Sophia Young and Chandler Parsons
Team New York: Allan Houston, Cappie Pondexter, Landry Fields
Team Orlando: Dennis Scott, Marie Ferdinand-Harris and Jameer Nelson
And of course, YOUR defending champs from Atlanta, Steve Smith, Lindsey Harding and Jerry Stackhouse

• Team Texas starts well, then slows down from the baseline (Young) and wing (Parsons), and after about 10 seconds, Kenny Smith drills a halfcourt shot. Time: 42.7

• New York does pretty well all-around, and when they get to the halfcourt shot, Allan Houston nails a jumper from halfcourt to finish at 38.7.

• Hometown faves Team Orlando take the floor. It takes them a while to get to the halfcourt shot — you know it’s not good when the announcer says, “Approaching 60 seconds…” They finish at 1:04 and are eliminated.

• ATL. Looking good until they get to the halfcourt shot, and things fall apart. They finish at 55.3 and are eliminated. I’m not sure I even care about this competition any more. Team Atlanta obviously rested on their laurels since the last Shooting Stars title.

• FINALS! Team Texas again struggles from the baseline and wing, though Kenny Smith, again, drains the halfcourt shot to finish at 47.6. Team New York follows, gets to the halfcourt shot pretty quickly, and Allan Houston pops the halfcourt shot at 37.3 (and throws in a post-shot pose) to take the title. Congrats, Team New York.

And with that, I’m gonna hand this liveblog off to Maurice Bobb…

SKILLS COMPETITION

What better way to start off this competition than a diss by Classic Barkley?  The Chuckster just dashed Russell Westbrook’s hope of getting the W with this line: “I think it’s going to be tough for Russell Westbrook to win the Skills Challenge. He’s going to have to pass the ball.”  Ouch.  I think Russy has a shot.  Don’t count out Deron Williams, he’s most likely still miffed about taking the heat on Jeremy Lin’s rise.  My dinero is on Kyrie Irving.  He balled out in yesterday’s Rookie game and took home the MVP, so a win here will be a nice weekend for the No. 1 draft pick.  If he does win, hopefully we won’t hear from Dan Gilbert.  And please, no comic sans jokes.

They’re explaining the rules of the competition on the jumbotron and there’s literally zero interest from the fans on it.  They must be gassy.

Rajon Rondo up first.  Let’s see if he’s still pissed about not originally making the All Star team.

All of press row just made a jump shot joke about Rondo.  All of us.

Next up, Kyrie Irving.

Rondo finished with a time of 32.8 seconds.

Kyrie gets a time of 42.2.  A full 10 seconds slower.

Deron up next.

Deron is cooking right now.  He has the record for this event so no surprise there.  He finishes with the best time: 28.3 seconds.

Westbrook is up next.  Can he shut up Chuck?

They just announced the D League MVPs.  No one recognized them.  No one.

Fan Cam in effect.  This crowd is dead like they’re constipated or on Maalox.

Westbrook can pass, Chuck.  Finishes with time of 33.8, eliminating Irving.

Tony Parker up next.  Needs time of 33.8 to continue.

Second best time of contest: 29.2.  He eliminates Westbrook that fast.

We have a tie!  John Wall ties Rondo at 32.8.  What happens now?  A duel to the death?

Tie breaker time.  Rondo up first.

Rondo shaves off 5 seconds off his time.  He’s hitting jumpers, people.  Jumpers.

Wall won’t beat Rondo.  He’s out.

So here’s your final three: Williams, Rondo and Parker.

They’re showing the promo video for the three point contest.  I think that will be the highlight of the night.  Easy.

Looks like Rondo will go first.

What’s with all the fake glasses the players are wearing?  Wade and LeBron have them on.

Rondo finishes with 34.6 seconds.

The Frenchman up next.

Parker bests Rondo.  D Will up next.

He won’t beat Parker’s time.  He finishes with 41.4.  Parker wins it.

Next up we have the Three Point Competition.  Miami has two contestants, which may explain why Wade and LBJ are here.  I really miss that Larry Bird type of moment when he went in the locker room and asked who’s coming in second.  This would be a good look for Kevin Love if he wins it.

They just talked about Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point feat in the L.  Kobe came close with 81 points, but do you think that record will ever be beat?  Players are just too good these days to let someone go off for a century worth of points.

Showing the NBA Cares video on the jumbotron.  Really good initiative by the league.  Love to see the players giving back.

That Ortiz kid had swag with the arms crossed.  The service members get the loudest applause.  Well deserved.

This ‘Say Word’ bit with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul was hilarious!  They actually got them all in time.

Did you know Michael Jordan has the record for the lowest score in the Three Point contest?  He had 5 points.

Lots of people rooting for hometown fav, Ryan Anderson.

More people piling into the arena.  They can smell the dunk contest now, but will it be worth it?

Cheryl Miller interviewing defending champ James Jones right now.

Here’s the order:

Mario Chalmers

Anthony Morrow

Kevin Durant

Ryan Anderson

James Jones

Faint chants of “Rio” from the crowd.

Chalmers looking pretty good out there.

Chalmers racks up 18 points.  Not a bad start.

Love up next.

Love started out slow, but catches up with ‘Rio for 18.

Nice Drazen Petrovic tribute by Morrow.

Morrow couldn’t finish last rack, gets 14 points.  Could advance if rest of field shoots terribly.

Craig Hodges holds record for most points in a round: 25 points.

Hodges will see if he still has it!

Still dope that they had Hodges do a round.

They just showed 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather sitting together.

Durant up next.

Durant takes the lead with 20 points to take the lead.  Morrow eliminated.  No more dope Petrovic jersey sightings tonight.

Anderson’s money ball falls short.  He’s out with 17 points.  No hometown love.

Defending champ Jones up next.

He called that last shot!

He finishes with 22 points.

Tie breaker between Love and ‘Rio.

Love wins tie breaker with 5.  Only one Heat player remains.  Guess Wade and LBJ can stop being Switzerland and root for JJ.

This mascot dance-off is wild.  Benny the Bull is killin’ it.

Love up first for the final round.

He finishes with 16 points.

Durant up next.

Another tie? Great.

JJ doesn’t repeat.  He’s dunzo with 12 points.

Love up first to break the tie.

Love finishes with 17.  Can other Kevin take it?

And Kevin Love takes it with 17.

Next up, the SLAM Dunk with Lang…

DUNK CONTEST
OK, it’s Lang, and I’m back to close this thing out with the Dunk Contest.

• But first! Flo Rida is performing. Not sure what song this is, but involves asking the audience to put their hands up several times.

• Flo Rida finishes, and the scoreboard transforms into a bunch of different screens, I guess is how to describe it, with a bunch of great dunk contest clips displayed.

• We meet our contestants: Chase Budinger, Jeremy Evans, Paul George, Derrick Williams. If Derrick wins this we could have two SLAM Diarists win tonight.

• There is an announcement about a dunk force meter. I’m not sure what that’s about, although I’ve long pushed for a strongest dunk contest, although I’m not sure it should work in concert with a style-judged contest.

• FWIW, I’m going with Jeremy Evans. Saw him in Vegas this summer and he was jumping out of the gym, then talked to him and he was the nicest kid in the world. I’m glad they included him.

• Kenny Smith is on the floor, acting as hype man, introducing the celebrities everywhere. He goes over to ask P-Diddy a question, and Diddy takes the mic from Kenny and shouts out to the crowd a few times.

• Diddy says his favorite bball movie is “White Men Can’t Jump,” and on cue Chase Budinger enters stage left, dressed like Billy Hoyle, then takes Diddy out onto the floor. Diddy stands just outside the charge line, and Budinger leaps over him, catches the oop from Diddy and dunks it home. Pretty nice dunk, especially in slo mo.

• Jeremy Evans has some sort of camera attached to his headband. He puts home a simple alley-oop to himself and films it on a camera attached to his headband. Thus far, Budinger is winning in the battle of gimmicks.

• Paul George brings out Roy Hibbert and Dahntay Jones. He positions them in front of the rim and misses the oop from Jones. Tries again and misses again. Third time he forgets the oop and brings it himself, and easily makes it over the 7-2 Hibbert and tomahawks it.

• Not sure how we decide a winner here — nobody’s keeping score. though in some ways, maybe that’s the best idea, since it’s just a show anyway.

• Derrick Williams enters to “California Love,” riding on the back of a motorcycle driven by the T-Wolves mascot. They park the motorcycle under the basket, and Williams just misses a windmill over the motorcycle. He misses a second time. Third time’s the charm.

• Things jumped over thus far: Diddy, a motorcycle, Dantay Jones and Roy Hibbert.

• Kevin Hart is introduced and he says he’s a little frustrated with the dunk contest. He does a few minutes of schtick and has everyone cracking up. Thinking Kevin Hart needs to host this thing next year.

• OK, round two. Chase Budinger goes first. He looks a lot better without the hat. Budinger comes in from the wing and misses a windmill, then makes the second one. So he did what Derrick Williams did but without a motorcycle.

• Evans puts Gordon Hayward in a chair, and Hayward tosses two balls into the air, which Evans catches and dunks one at a time. I think that might have been the most impressive thus far.

• Paul George next. Guys bring in a few rows of spotlights. The arena lights are dimmed. The spotlights are black lights…it’s Tron! George does a reverse windmill with blacklights. Odd, but it was a great dunk.

• Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio! Ricky passes it off the side of the backboard, and Williams does a 360 off the oop. Pretty awesome.

• And I think that might be it? Are there more dunks? OK, yes, there’s one more round.

• Chase Budinger is going to recreate the Ced Ceballos blindfolded dunk. If I was going to retro a dunk, it probably wouldn’t be this one. Budinger misses the first one, and Kenny asks the crowd to count him down. Budinger doesn’t use the same amount of steps, but he does make a reverse dunk.

• Jeremy Evans has Kevin Hart in a postman outfit, and he delivers a Karl Malone jersey. Evans does the Mailman dunk over Kevin Hart.

• Paul George with a tribute dunk to Larry Bird. He misses a bunch of tries, so it’s more like a tribute to Birdman. (Brrrrrrr!) He finally gets one down, and we see he put a smiling Larry Bird sticker on the backboard, too.

• Derrick Williams tries to throw it off the backboard, pass it through his legs, and dunk it, but he can’t complete the dunk. Rubio comes out to throw the alley-oop, which doesn’t make it any easier. With 30 seconds left, the crowd gets involved and cheers, and with the clock running down he finally just dunks one home to get a make.

• And the winner is announced…Jeremy Evans. I guess his two-ball dunk where he dunked over Hayward was nice. Altogether, I missed the voting dunk by dunk, which meant guys knew what they needed with each dunk.

So that’s it. We’re out for the night. See ya back here tomorrow to liveblog the All-Star Game.

The post Live Blog: All-Star Saturday appeared first on SLAM.

Rising Stars Game by Lang Whitaker / @langwhitaker

We’re late due to technical difficulties (read: couldn’t get past the L’s velvet rope), but here we are live and direct at the Sprite All Star Celebrity Game 2012.  So far, the crowd has reacted loudest to Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino, so, there’s that, but that won’t deter your favorite mag from bringing you the choice highlights from the game.  Buckle up, b-ball fans, here we go!

We start off with Dwight Howard, the unofficial mayor of Orlando (for how much longer?) being interviewed at center court with the shortest man on his roster, Kevin Hart, who has to ‘Say it wit his chest!’ to be heard in here.  The went back to back to really highlight Hart’s, ahem, shortcomings in the height department.  Let’s just hope he crosses someone over like Justin Beiber did Common last year.

Here comes the free t-shirt toss.  I swear, it’s like people have NEVER seen a t-shirt before the way they scream.  Oh well, guess it ain’t nothing like getting something “free.”

Kevin Hart missed a bunny!  Guess he can’t “hoop.”

Ok, maybe I was wrong.  The next time down, Kevin swishes a 15 footer.

JB Smoove misses two freebies at the line.  That how “he dooz it!”

J Cole is smooth on the mic, but his shooting form leaves much to be desired.

BTW, Dwight has a Clark Kent type thing going on with his outfit.  Maybe there’s a phone booth in the tunnel…

They brought out this cute kid in a Superman suit to dunk on a mini rum and he mean mugged Dwight.  Dwight comes out on the timeout and “raises” the mini hoop and Kevin Hart “dunks” on it, too.  Hilarious!

Oh yeah, the Secretary of Education can BALL!  Duece for the Harvard man.

Jersey Shore with the board and…nothing.

Doug Gottlieb has a nice J!  Who’d a thunk it?

Again, Gottlieb has a freakin’ J, B.

Kevin Hart keep calling out fake plays.  Dude is wild.

Cole almost dunked on a fastbreak.  Almost…

Gottlieb picks Neyo’s pocket and takes it in for the layup.

East leads 24-10 at the end of the first quarter.

This dance contest is telling.  People don’t dance no mo’.  They only know how to dougie.  SMH…

Tim Hardaway in the game.  He actually looks like he has a son in college now.

Penny Hardaway at the line.  Hey, we got two Hardaways in the game.  They should duel to the death or something…

Common finally on the books with two.

Good to see Nick Anderson on the floor here in Orlando.

Sec of Ed doin’ work!

Kevin Hart doing everything he can to get the ref’s attention.  Not gonna happen…

It’s always funny watching old people dance.  Always.

Mitch Richmond’s J still looks oh, so sweet!

Jersey Shore with the most awkward runner EVER.  But hey, two points is two points.

So does seeing Gottlieb ball like this make you take what he says on ESPN more seriously?  Thought so.

Sec of Ed with the three ball!

Come on, Cole!  Dunk the damn ball!  You right there!

Nick with the three!

Halftime!  East up 49-31.  This is looking like a rout!

Arne Duncan has 15 points, people.  15 points.

Pardon me, I’m gonna go get a Pop Tart during the break.  Be right back!

BIG SHOUTS to Paul Jackiewicz of ADIDAS for holding us down and rocking with SLAM.  That Adidas party is gonna be bananas tonight!

The second half is about to begin.  DJ Irie has the crowd rocking right now!

If he keeps up the pace in the 2nd, my pick for MVP is the Sec of Ed.

Ne-yo should not shoot.  EVER.

I wanna see Tim cross somebody at least once.  Please!

Mulling is toying with these people.  Stop Mully.  Don’t hurt ’em!

Kevin Durant isn’t coaching so much as he’s coasting.  See what I did there?  Ok, it was lame, but so is Durant’s sideline manner.

That was a nice play, Kevin Hart.  Go ‘head and HAM it up!

They need to switch JB Smoove out with Larry David.  It’d love to see him complain on the court.

Kevin Hart look like somebody’s little kid out there.

End of the 3^rd.  East up 71-43.

The West should just dance the last 10 minutes.  Couldn’t hurt their chances.

Kevin gets the goaltending call.

Cole World with the dunk!  Finally!  I knew you could do it, B!

Kevin Hart getting ejected was just about the funniest ish ever.  I needed that laugh!

And J Cole blocks Common at the buzzer!  How hip hop of him!

That’s ball game people!

East win 86-53.

Kevin Hart gets ejected and wins the MVP.  Gotta love this game!  That was a class move to share it with the Sec of Ed, though.  He was the real MVP of the game.  See kids?  Education does pay off.  Arne Duncan straight takin’ these boys to school!

I’m out SLAM Fam.  Next up, Lang…

AND NOW…LIVE FROM THE AMWAY CENTER IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO, IT’S THE BBVA RISING STARS CHALLENGE!

It’s me, Lang Whitaker, on the 1s and 2s the rest of the night.

• We know we have Team Shaq and Team Chuck tonight. Steve Kerr and Mike Fratello are somehow involved in the coaching staffs.

• On the scoreboard, Kenny interviews Barkley, and Charles says, “I’m overconfident, we’re gonna kick their ass.”

• Kenny turns to Shaq, who says, “First of all, what’s up Orlando?” This is met with a mixed reaction.

• So Team Chuck has Fratello and Mo Cheeks as coaches. Team includes Evan Turner, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, John Wall, MarShon Brooks (#atlshawty), Derrick Williams, Paul George, Kyrie Irving

• Team Shaq is Kerr and Ron Adams, who is either an assistant with the BUlls or a senior vice president of Amway. Team includes Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight,  Norris Cole, Landry Fields, Kemba Walker, Markieff Morris, Greg Monroe, my main man Ricky Rubio, Jeremy Lin (crowd goes wild, of course) and Blake Griffin.

• I have to say, I find myself thinking Team Shaq should be favored. I think about this while I run to the concession stand to grab dinner. I go for the Florida Shrimp Burger, and while I stand there and wait for the burger to be cooked, one of the chefs wanders up and assures me I will enjoy it. This man is prescient.

• Starting lineups:
Team Chuck: Irving, Cousins, Williams, George, Williams
Shaq: Knight, Lin, Rubio, Griffin, Monroe.

• Before tipoff, Jeremy Lin and Ricky Rubio are interviewed by Craig Sager, and Lin says Shaq didn’t show up for practice earlier. Rubio confirms this. Shaq pretends like he didn’t hear this.

• Team Chuck jumps out to a 6-0 lead.

• Team Chuck has a commanding 10-4 lead with 17 minutes left in the first. Rubio is making some slick passes for Team Shaq, though his teammates are not always aware.

• I think this thing must be pretty popular, considering trending topics on Twitter right now include: Craig Sager, Black Pat Riley, Rubio and Lin, NBA Rising Stars Challenge, and John Wall. Also, #DrakeSongsILove

• Five minutes in, and Team Chuck is up 18-7 over Team Shaq. I’m looking around the arena in vain for stats, though apparently someone with probably correct judgement decided against posting them in here.

• Wholesale substitutions for Team Shaq, although Rubio stays in. Warranted. Team Chuck responds with his second unit, which features John Wall. I kinda have a feeling Wall might get loose tonight.

• And on cue, Cole drives to the rim and John Wall pulls a JaVale McGee volleyball block, except legal.

• I love that they have three referees for this game.

• John Wall gets back-to-back buckets to push Team Chuck ahead 34-23. I find myself keeping a sharp eye on Benny the Bull, courtside, in case he gets into some shenanigans.

• Up 9, Team Chuck calls a 20. Not really sure why. In the huddle, we see Mo Cheeks angrily drawing up a play, Poor guy hasn’t slept in like 24 hours (they played the Lakers last night in OKC), so I’m sure he’s enjoying coaching this game.

• This is a really abstract game to watch. There’s end-to-end action, and a lot of buckets, but there’s not really any plays being run. And because these teams have never played together, it’s hard to root for one team over the other.

• Victor Cruz is introduced on the scoreboard, and SLAM EIC Ben Osborne applauds loudly. During the Kiss Cam segment, Jeremy Lin’s parents are showcased, as they send text messages. That last sentence is totally true, BTW.

• Ricky drops a sweet behind-the-back pass to Markieff Morris. Funny thing about this game is Ricky is essentially playing the same way he does during a regular game. Y’all better be glad I’m not writing The Links every day any more, because I’d never shut up about Rubio.

• BTW, Team Chuck leads 53-47, but this is by no means over!

• Even though one team is wearing their home whites and the other their road jerseys, I still have no idea which team it is that’s scoring when a team scores. I have to watch the scoreboard to see which team gets credited with the points.

• They tell us the halftime performance will be by someone called “Flip ‘Em Out.” I’m hopeful this will include Flip Saunders.

• As the half ends, one teams scores a 5-1 layup. Rubio takes the ball out and slings it to the other end, and his team scores a 4-0 layup. I have no idea which team is which.

• At the half, Team Chuck holds a commanding 77-65 lead. I don’t know which players are on which team, but the guys on Team Chuck must be doing pretty well.

• Second half is underway, and Team Chuck has extended their lead to 98-83. Blake Griffin’s getting nasty, and then on an inbounds play, Ricky is running down the center of the floor and a horn sounds. Which is weird. Time out. A minute later, Rubio flings a pass around his back three-quarters of the way down the floor. But I think his team is losing. I’m not even sure Shaq and Chuck know.

• Team Chuck is way ahead, 113-95.

• I take a lap around the loge level of the arena, which is really nice — sparkly and new and clean. I duck into a bathroom, and hear on the radio that team Shaq has cut it to a 127-116 deficit. Dr. Jack Ramsay, who is doing commentary, notes, “No lead is safe in this game!” I hustle back to my seat for the last 5:43.

• When I get back to my seat, there are mascots, cheerleaders and players all over the floor, as the end of a timeout bleeds into the start of play. For a moment, I suspect this is how the rest of the game will be played, which would be amazing.

• And as soon as I decide to take an interest, Team Chuck opens up a huge lead, 133-118. 3:32 to go.

• And that’s that. Team Chuck wins, 146-133. I think this means Shaq will have to take a bungee jump or something. Kyrie Irving finished with 34 points, we are told.

• So, we’re out. There are things to do and places to go. Thanks for coming along for the ride with us all night, and we’ll be back tomorrow bring and early with more from the ground here in O-Town.

The post Live Blog: All-Star Friday Night appeared first on SLAM.

Within hours of the Clippers trading for Chris Paul, the text I sent to Ben was clear and to the point: Clips cover? The only part that was unnecessary was the question mark. If ever there was a no-brainer SLAM cover, it was CP3 and BG teaming up: Dunks, slick passing, uptempo play. Lob City, right?

As it turned out, we got some time with Blake and Chris in L.A. a few weeks ago, and it coincided with the launch of the CP3.V, so I escaped a freezing NYC and spent a week in 80-degree Hell-Ay. I know, it’s tough work if you can get it.

At the time of our cover shoot for SLAM 156, the season was barely two weeks old, the Clips were just 3-2, and they were still trying to figure out how that whole Lob City thing was supposed to work. “He’s Lob City,” Chris Paul told me, gesturing at Blake. “I’m Layup City.”

Blake talked about the transition they’re trying to make, and how it’s not easy to add a guy on the fly and to have to learn to play alongside him: “I’ve seen [Chris] play on TV and all that, and you know how he plays, but it’s like you’ve got to be on the same wavelengths as far as who’s on the floor, time, score, situation, who he’s got on him, who I’ve got on me, how I set the pick, how they defend it. All of those things have be taken into account, and we’re getting to that point.”

The cover story I wrote is about them getting to that point, this process they’re going through learning how to play together. It was really interesting to hear them talk about the differences in their games and the adjustments they have to make, even with something as seemingly reflexive as an alley-oop—the key to Lob Angeles.

CP3 said the most alley-oops he’d thrown before joining the Clippers was when he played with Tyson Chandler in N’awlins, and Chandler wanted the ball aimed just outside the rim. When Paul arrived in L.A. and talked to Blake, he found out that Blake didn’t want the ball adjacent to the rim. “Instead of throwing right in front of the goal,” CP3 said, “Blake wants it back, really far back.” Paul pointed like a foot outside the rim. (“I try to add some flair to it,” Blake said.)

For the Clippers, it isn’t just about winning games, it’s about rewriting their horrid past. The last time the Clippers had a solo cover of SLAM to themselves was SLAM issue 57, from February of 2002, which was exactly 10 years ago. That issue’s cover line read, “The Los Angeles Clippers may not make it to the top right away, but they will make it. Together.” Instead, Darius Miles was moved to Cleveland a few months later, and Lamar Odom was in Miami by the summer of 2003. In the decade since, the Clips have had one winning season and been to the Playoffs all of one time.

It’s been something of a vicious circle, a swirl down a deep drain, with nothing they’ve done, from changing players to coaches, working. But since GM Neil Olshey showed up and Blake was drafted, the Clips seem to have—and hold your breath here—finally, finally found the road out of cellar and toward what they’ve been looking for forever: Wins.

Of course, the issue as a whole wins, too. Besides the Clips, we’ve got revealing features on Chris Bosh and Kyrie Irving, a perfect Old-School piece on Magic Johnson’s triumphant return at the ’92 All-Star Game and so much more great writing and photography. Check for it in NY this weekend and the rest of the country next week!

The post SLAM 156: On Sale Now! appeared first on SLAM.

LOS ANGELES — “I actually feel like I’m cheating when I play in my shoe,” Chris Paul said, holding aloft his latest signature kick, the Jordan CP3.V.

Paul was speaking this afternoon to a crowd of media gathered in downtown Los Angeles at the Cooper Tower. Jordan Brand transformed an empty loft space atop the building into a temporary showroom for the CP3.V, with several installations showing different parts of Paul’s life: his childhood in North Carolina, his high school, college and pro careers. Chris talked fondly about growing up in North Carolina and playing basketball with his brother, and losing basketballs that bounced into the woods where snakes hid in the weeds, making the Paul brothers afraid to reach for the ball.

CP3 classifies himself as “a shoe fanatic, a shoe freak,” and he said he spends time nearly every day on all the sneaker websites looking for the latest info. Jordan designer Tom Luedecke said he and Paul met “six or seven times” last year, brainstorming ideas and tweaking the designs. As for their work process, Paul said, “I talk, Tom sketches.”

Where other shoes are built for interior players or a power game, the CP3.V was designed to allow Paul to take advantage of his quickness and speed. According to Jordan designer Tim Luedecke, the aim of the shoe was “crystal clear: sprint and cut.” While the shoe was being designed, Chris went out to Portland and spent about four hours in Nike’s labs, “running, cutting, jumping… everything.”

If you want to get technical about the CP3.V, the shoe has Flywire construction throughout the upper, which makes it twenty percent lighter than previous models. Something called “Podulon Technology” gives a cushioning pillar in the midsole, and strategically placed on the heel to be responsive. Dual-density cushioning in the forefoot features Cushlon ST II on the medial side, to be responsive at push-off, and compressed molded phylon on the lateral side to enhance stability when making hard cuts. The shoe has a bit of give when you cut inside or outside—Luedecke compared the cushioning to the way cars on racetracks “bank” when going around curves.

All the guts aside, Paul clearly enjoyed talking about all the hidden hits in the shoe that nod to his life. For instance:

• There are triangles all over the shoe, but if you actually stop and count, there are 61 of them, a tribute to Chris’s grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, who was murdered at age 61.

• Somewhere along the side are five small slashes, to represent the fifth shoe.

• On the heel of the left shoe, there are a series of dots — nine, then ten, then eleven. A reference to the date of Chris’s wedding, 9/10/11.

• On the heel of the right shoe are a different series of dots — five, two, four, nine. That is for Chris’s son’s birthday, 5/24/09.

• Because Chris is so into bowling, he wanted some sort of tribute. So in a nod to the way bowling shoes have the size on the back of each shoe, each pair of CP3.V’s have the size printed on the sole.

• The tip of each shoelace has 336 printed on it — the area code from North Carolina where Chris grew up. He suggested that the CP3.VI could go with 310.

The CP3.V will drop January 11, and retail for $120.

The post Jordan CP3.V Launch appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in SLAM 154

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

Shaquille O’Neal catches the pass and sprints for the corner of the floor, moving with amazing speed and surprising athleticism. He spots up behind the three-point line, then bounces high into the air. Just as he’s about to release the shot, I catch up to him and shove him with both hands, as hard as I can. Shaq stumbles backward but gets the shot off, and as the ball swishes through the net, he punctuates the points by yelling, “Ack-Ack!”

We are able to laugh about this violence, because we’re actually sitting next to each other on a couch in a midtown Manhattan photo studio playing NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, the latest hoops game from EA Sports. Shaq is spending an October day in Gotham as the game’s spokesman, playing game after game using the Dallas Mavericks as his virtual team, jacking up jumpers with Dirk every time down the floor.

“Dirk’s a great shooter,” Shaq reasons, “and even though I’m not a shooter, I love to shoot. You can just step back and hit threes. See, he’s already got 13 points.”

A few months earlier, after his ’10-11 season was cut short by an Achilles injury, Shaq announced that after 19 seasons of wreaking havoc in the lane, his playing days were over. Among NBA fans—particularly fans of whatever team he was playing against—Shaq was always a divisive figure. Was he only good because of his God-given size  (7-1, 300+ pounds)? Was he literally just throwing his weight around?

Two decades after Shaquille O’Neal first stepped in, he leaves the NBA with four rings, three Finals MVP awards, one regular-season MVP award, eight All-NBA First-Team nods, 28,596 points, 13,099 boards, 15 All-Star appearances and just as many nicknames. Make all the excuses you need to make, but there is zero doubt: The Diesel was the most dominant post player of his era, and arguably of all time.

While we won’t see him on the court again, fans won’t lose him entirely: Once the NBA lockout ends, Shaq will join Turner Sports as their newest NBA analyst. Seems like a perfect role for the big man, because when Shaq talks, it’s always worth a listen.

SLAM: Did you play a lot of video games growing up?

SHAQ: Yes. I played NBA Jam, the arcade version. Matter of fact, I’ve still got the arcade game at the crib.

SLAM: Did you play video games on the road? Did you travel with your PS3 or Xbox?

SHAQ: Yes. I played Jam, then I started playing fighting games, Mortal Kombat. Then I put it down for a while. Then when Grand Theft Auto came out I started playing again. Now, the Call of Duty game, I’m playing that. But I’m about to go back to Jam.

SLAM: Did you play video games at LSU?

SHAQ: I did. What was that game…the basketball game…

SLAM: Double Dribble?

SHAQ: Exactly! I was the master of Double Dribble! I used to go to the corner, and it was like, “Ack-Ack!”

SLAM: How would you fix the lockout?

SHAQ: I’d try to have a friendly conversation. And then you have to try to protect people from each other. Like, I hear some of the owners say the players are making so much money. Well, why are you paying them that? The answer to that is because if you don’t pay them, guys like Mark Cuban will. So, we have to make a system that protects everybody. I also think we have to have a system where we can’t have the super teams anymore, but I don’t think dropping salaries is the answer.

SLAM: You sort of had the super team thing in L.A.

SHAQ: What we had was me, Kobe, Karl and GP.

SLAM: But it didn’t work.

SHAQ: Didn’t work. Those guys took less money, and it didn’t work for us. So I don’t know, hopefully it gets worked out. Because if it doesn’t, the people who lose out are the fans.

SLAM: What happened last year in Boston?

SHAQ: I just got hurt. That’s it. It was ripped, and I never got the MRI because I didn’t want to face the fact that it was ripped. When I finally got the MRI, it was ripped in half. I had to get surgery. That was the only thing. I didn’t want it to go like that, but I knew my career was either going to end on a sour note or a great note. It’s a fact.

SLAM: Did you think about trying to play this season?

SHAQ: No, because Achilles injuries for regular people take almost a year to heal. So I would have missed training camp, missed the All-Star Game, then tried to come back. It wouldn’t have been worth it.

SLAM: When you entered the NBA, you didn’t know exactly what kind of career you would have. Now, looking back on it, did it go about the way you thought it would?

SHAQ: Yeah, it actually did. Before I got that first ring, I thought I never was going to get one. Then I met Phil, changed my philosophy and knocked out three: bang-bang-bang. Then lost it for a while, then got another one in Miami. Even though I got four, I felt I should have six or seven. The first, with the Magic, we shouldn’t have lost that one. Then when the Lakers lost against Detroit, we shouldn’t have lost that one. And we should have made it to the Finals the year I played with LeBron, but we never quite got that far. In my mind I should have seven rings; in my mind I should be number two in scoring; in my mind I’m the most dominant big man to ever play the game.

SLAM: Who did you hate playing against?

SHAQ: Nobody.

SLAM: I mean, not players who could stop you, but guys who annoyed you.

SHAQ: Yeah, OK, that would be Oakley, Barkley—the little strong guys. And the guy from Detroit.

SLAM: Rodman?

SHAQ: No, big guy.

SLAM: Laimbeer?

SHAQ: No, big butt guy. He always used to pull the chair in the post.

SLAM: Mahorn?

SHAQ: Rick Mahorn! He always used to pull the chair! Aw, yeah, Rick Mahorn.

The post Shaq Forever appeared first on SLAM.

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

MIAMI — After having over six months off from his official NBA duties, Dwyane Wade spent this morning reminding people that he’s ready to get back on the court. And with the new Jordan Fly Wade 2, he feels like he’s got the perfect new shoes to do it.

Wade hosted a casual press conference earlier today at Jose Marti Park on the edge of Little Havana, tucked just beneath the highway, tight alongside the water. He talked about plenty of things, from fashion week in Milan to how the Heat will approach this season, but it started with the kicks.

The Fly Wade 2 is unbelievably light, weighing just 12 ounces, and was created using Hyperfuse technology, which is more about function than it is about fashion. According to Wade, he sweats so much that his shoes have traditionally broken down quickly; at times, he’s gone through as many as three pairs of shoes in one game.

“Which is crazy,” said Jordan Brand creative director Andre Doxey. ”As D said, the shoe would literally break down. He was one of the hardest players in the game, and the shoes were literally not holding up. So, this upper is using Hyperfuse technology, so what it does it give you this great fitted upper, and it doesn’t break down under the stress of playing. And it’s lighter, and it’s breathable. So we really tried to solve the problem he was having with his other shoes, which were leather or a combination of leather and other materials. That’s why we went with this Hyperfuse.”

The shoe sits somewhere between a high- and low-top. “A lot of guys wear different shoes,” Wade said. “I’m kind of a mid. I want protection in my ankle area, but also I want freedom as well. So it’s trying to come between that fine line of how do you get it where you have protection on the ankle, but it’s not too tight, not too snug.”

“If you notice the collar, the collar is asymmetrical,” Doxey noted. “It really reflects D’s foot morphology or anatomy. He really wanted to make sure he enough range of motion, so we really sweat the detail, to make sure this didn’t hit his anklebone the wrong way. I mean, we changed this thing fix, six times. We sent it to D and he’d say it was not right yet.”

From a style standpoint, Wade had to look only as far as his garage.

“We sat down to talk and he said ‘Aston Martin,’” Doxey recalled, “and I said, ‘Aston Martin, seriously? You just made my job a lot easier.’”

“Whatever you’re going through at that time in your life is kind of the look you want on your sneaker,” Wade explained. “For me, as a man, it was about cars. So we sit down and we talk about what car you’re driving, what car do you like, what colors do you like. If you look at these shoes, you’ll see a lot of matte finish, and right now you see a lot cars that have matte black, matte white. So that was kind of the thing that I sat down and talked with when I talked with designers about how I wanted the Fly Wade 2 to look.”

“When I sit down and go into the lab with what car I want or how I want my car to look, I always come back to sleek. I’m just a person who likes clean. I like Aston Martins, how clean they are, how sleek they are. You think about the front of an Aston-Martin, how it is shaped. So I always come back to that, because I like clean and sleek. And I wanted some matte, because matte is what’s hot right now. So I wanted some matte with the colors throughout the year in my shoes, and you see it’s on different shoes in different places, which I thought would be hip, thought it would be cool, to have that on my sneakers as well as on my cars, two of the most important things for me.”

Wade also said that while he wanted to stay current, he also tried to balance that against the need for a performance that works for him: “The Jordan team is always trying to figure out what’s next, get in the kitchen and come up with something with our own tweaks. Like me, I’m different, and I use different things in my shoes that other people don’t use. You see a lot of people use Flywire now, but that doesn’t work for me right now. So you try to stay current, you try to stay with the times, but also you try to stay true to who you are and where you come from as well.”

The first two colorways of the Fly Wade 2 will be available in the U.S. today, Wednesday, December 7, for a suggested retail price of $140. Additionally, a white/varsity red-black colorway will release in January 2012, with the final black/white colorway dropping in March 2012.

Also, here’s Dwyane Wade on…

Opening against the Mavericks:

“That’s the last team we played, that’ll be the first team we play this year. We’re fine with it. It’s going to be great for everyone to get back to the game of basketball.“

How he spent the lockout:

“I stayed pretty busy. I did a lot of things. Obviously, understanding there was a possible lockout, this was an opportunity to do a lot of things we don’t normally do. A week after the Finals, I had already kind of committed to going to Milan and Paris for fashion week. They had to drag me out of the house, but once I got over there, it put me in a different world, in a sense, and it took me away from basketball. It was kind of therapy for me in a sense. Then after that I just continued to broaden my horizons a bit. Went to China, spent two weeks in China. Went to Australia, just different places. From the aspect of building my brand, got to do things I’m normally not able to do, then also in my personal life, spent a lot of time with my kids and people that I wanted to, which I haven’t been able to do. Which was kind of cool.”

Returning for the new season:

“Every year you come in with a new sense of purpose, try to be in position to win a championship. Obviously, the summer of 2010 put us in this place where we’re in a position to win a championship, hopefully the team can get together soon. We’ll put the past behind us but we never forget the past, and we can move forward with our goal. Just like many teams, our goal is to win a championship, to compete for a championship. And I think we can do that if we all stay healthy and we have the right mindset, and I believe we will.“

His motivation for this season:

“I’m always hungry—win a championship, lose a championship, I stay the same. Every night I play the game of basketball, I play it to win. I’m not always going to perform great, but I always perform with that same hunger. Win, lose or draw, I’m coming in the next day with that same mind state. Obviously, losing you always want to come back the next time and do it better. Losing the Finals hurts, but if we had won last year, you still have to come back the same. The Dallas Mavericks are not going to come back with a different mindset, they want to win again. You’ve got to move on from whatever happens. Every season is different, and we gotta approach that this year is a different year.”

The post Jordan Fly Wade 2 Launch appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in KICKS 14

words Lang Whitaker | portraits Kareem Black

For NBA fans, the summer of 2011 has been more than a little disconcerting. With NBA players locked out by the owners, we’ve seen summer league canceled, free agency fried, trade season toppled, along with an endless stream of rumors about which players may or may not consider playing overseas. Basically, there hasn’t been much for NBA fans to dig into. So instead of looking ahead, fans have been forced to look back, with mostly just their memories to keep them company. For Boston fans, seeing their Celtics go down to Miami in the Eastern Conference Semis was a tough way to end the season, and a bad taste to leave in their mouths. And at one point, they might have thought they were seeing their point guard go down, too. If so, they didn’t know Rajon Rondo very well.

If there were any questions about Rondo’s toughness, he answered them now and forever and ever and ever in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semis. The Celts trailed the Heat 2-0 but returned to Boston and were sitting on a lead in Game 3 when Rondo took a spill. His left elbow bent at an angle that elbows are not supposed to bend, and Rondo had to be helped to the locker room. The elbow was dislocated, but somehow, back in that locker room, while everyone in the Garden gasped for air, they managed to relocate his elbow. Shortly thereafter, Rondo trotted back out on the floor for the start of the fourth quarter, his left arm dangling uselessly by his side. He immediately resumed his customary role, handling the ball, darting into passing lanes, directing his teammates around picks and screens. With one arm. Sure, when Rondo returned the Celtics had a lead and looked like they were in control. But Rondo’s return pushed the Garden crowd into a frenzy, and it gave the Celtics—at least on that night—an insurmountable emotional lead. And it gave Boston fans a memory to hang on to going forward, the notion that nothing, not even the basic laws of human anatomy, are able to stop Rajon Rondo.

The Celts feature a Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but it’s Rajon Rondo who makes the whole thing work. It’s hard to think of a player in the NBA who plays a game that’s as unique and uncommon and effective as Rondo. He plays from unconventional angles, zipping to the rim, then flinging the ball out to the three-point line. He sinks teardrops, occasionally punctuates breaks with a dunk, makes throwing one-handed bounce passes look as simple as bouncing a tennis ball, and he’s tireless defensively, as evidenced by his recent back-to-back nominations to the NBA All-Defensive First-Team. And he always plays with tempo, tempo, tempo. In a League where we so often look for absolutes, Rajon Rondo’s game has shading; it’s subtle when it needs to be, screams when it has to be heard.

In the era of the point guard, Boston has a keeper. And with Championship rings (Rondo has one) and All-Star appearances (two) and SLAM covers (one, so far), some level of acclaim generally follows. Yet tucked in nicely behind the Big Three, Rondo exists just below the surface, bubbling up in box scores and highlights, yet, until now, not as much in commercials and ads. As he told us a little over a year ago in SLAM 140: “I don’t have to be the man. I don’t have to be on every billboard in Boston, be the face of the Boston Celtics. If that’s not me, that’s not me. I’m fine. I’m low-key… There’s people who want it. And then there’s people who do deserve it, but could care less. Me? I’m cool.”

Rondo might have placed himself in the category of guys who care less, but he’s also obviously one of the guys deserving of attention. Now, as the face of the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011, he’s getting his close-up. And for a shoe all about performance and speed, it’s hard to think of a better fit to front it than Rajon Rondo.

The Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011, which comes in a mid- and low-cut, is a shoe that cuts a striking silhouette, jutting up high around the tongue to provide rock-solid ankle support while retaining a sleek, smooth shape throughout. If there was any question as to the goal of the shoe, Nike answered it with their commercial showing a basketball player using a blender to “fuse” all manner of things representing speed—from cheetah milk to a stopwatch—to form a Hyperfuse 2011.

While the Hyperfuse 2011 looks measured and refined on the outside, there’s plenty going on behind the scenes and under the seams. The Hyperfuse 2011 is composed of three layers—one for stability, one for breathability and the third for durability. The composite construction creates a substance made from three materials (synthetic textile, mesh and thermoplastic urethane). A seamless mesh innersleeve provides ventilation and comfort, while foam cushioning in the collar provides comfort and an enhanced fit in the heel.

“The Hyperfuse upper, which really brings that breathability and durability together, is a composite system adding this layer of skin in zonal kind of regions of the foot,” explains Leo Chang, Nike Basketball Design Director. “And then we have actually a lateral stability wing in the midsole that keeps you on the foot bed of the shoe with this higher side wall and midsole wrap. And with that too, taking some of the bulk out of the collar in the 2010 Hyperfuse and engineering some structure back into it without all of the bulk, and then zoom cushioning in the forefoot for that great responsive toe off.”

There may be a lot of pieces to the Hyperfuse 2011, but like any great team, it all works together toward one goal. For a player like Rondo, who sticks close to the ground and relies on changing direction and speed, its 12.5 oz. weight is inconsequential enough to keep him zooming for a while. And to leave Boston fans great memories for years to come. We caught up with Rondo at the end of July to talk about the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011.

KICKS: I know the Hyperfuse campaign says, “There is no offseason.” How is that true for you?

Rajon Rondo: Well, I can’t do anything right now, because I haven’t got cleared yet to start working out (due to injury). So right now it is the offseason for me.

KICKS: How long do you usually take off from basketball in the summer?

RR: It depends. Usually we’ve been going pretty deep into the Playoffs, so I’ll take maybe three weeks, four weeks off, then get back into things.

KICKS: How has what’s been important to you in a shoe changed the longer you’ve been in the NBA?

RR: Probably just…changing directions is what’s important for me—what shoe is able to grip the floor, along with my ankle not rolling at the same time.

KICKS: As far as shoes go, what was more important to you earlier on?

RR: Pretty much, I loved low-cuts. Since the Hyperfuse, I’ve been in mid-tops. But I go back and forth every once in a while. But the most important thing is ankle support. I like to support my ankle but still be able to move. The Hyperfuse are very light so I’m able to do what I do best as far as my quickness and me being able to get up and down the floor.

KICKS: Is this the lightest shoe you’ve ever worn?

RR: It’s up there. It’s a mid-top shoe, so it’s a little bit heavier, but it’s pretty light. It’s probably the lightest mid- or high-top shoe I’ve ever played in.

KICKS: Did you wear low-tops growing up, or have you always needed the ankle support?

RR: I always wore low-tops. In college I went back and forth between the Huaraches and low-cuts. But pretty much low-cuts.

KICKS: And the main reason you wore the low-cuts was just because of the weight?

RR: Yeah, the weight.

KICKS: You’ve played in the Hyperfuse; how does it help you to be more effective?

RR: Honestly, I don’t even wear an ankle brace when I’m in the Hyperfuse. Not to say that’s a great thing, but they’re pretty supportive with my ankles, and I haven’t had any problems with my ankles with the Hyperfuse.

KICKS: Style-wise, what do you like about the shoe?

RR: The different colorways. I had a bunch of different colorways last season throughout the Playoffs. The colorways are pretty nice. What I love about it most is that it’s a really light shoe, and it’s also very comfortable to play in.

KICKS: What about the style of your shoe? Do you like bright colors? Do you like them to be simple?

RR: It just depends what mood I’m in, really, or what game. I like a clean shoe, pretty much all solid, whatever color we’re in. And I’ll mix it up every once in a while with different colorways.

KICKS: Is the Hyperfuse the kind of shoe you’d wear to work out in, even if you’re doing workouts other than basketball?

RR: Yeah, I work out in them, doing my off-court training, depending what I’m doing off the court. If I’m jumping or running, I’ll wear them. If I’m not, I’ll put on some other low-cut training shoe.

The post He’s The One appeared first on SLAM.

I had lunch one afternoon during the NBA Finals with a sports media person who doesn’t primarily follow the NBA. As soon as we sat down, the first thing he asked me was, “What do you think about Chris Bosh?”

Because Chris Bosh stepped forward with Wade and Bron, he was considered part of the Big 3, at least during that introductory press conference/celebration. But Bosh never seemed to fit in, as an aesthetic or as a personality. He hung out in the Hamptons before the season started. He read books in his locker before games. Wade and Bron did their press conferences together, while Bosh went dolo. When the Heat lost a late-season game and Spoelstra said there were tears in the locker room, Bosh was fingered as a likely suspect. When the Heat lost the NBA Finals to the Mavericks, YouTube lit up with videos of Bosh appearing to cry on his way to the locker room.

As the ‘10-11 NBA season moved along, it became apparent that Chris Bosh wasn’t Wilt or Russell. Which we all knew going in, of course. He was always just Chris Bosh, a dude with a nice step-back jumper and a great pump-fake, who played better facing the basket than he did down under the rim. It wasn’t clear exactly what the Heat were looking for when they signed Bosh, but they should’ve known what they were getting: Bosh left Toronto as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, so he’d done this before.

So I found it somewhat telling that when I sat down for lunch with a person who knows a thing or two about sports, it wasn’t LeBron or Wade or Dirk or Cuban that they asked about, but it was Chris Bosh. My answer to the question? I don’t know Chris Bosh personally, but I like anyone willing to speak their mind, choosing truth, sometimes even to his own detriment. I like people who are so invested in whatever it is they’re doing that they could be driven to tears when they can’t succeed. I like people who seem to be concerned with exercising their minds by doing things like—gasp!—reading.

What we know is this: Bosh will give you about 19 and 8 every night. Yeah, he might have some 1-18 games, but on the whole he usually shoots about 50 percent. He gets to the line a few times, bothers some shots inside, mostly stays out of foul trouble.

And that’s about it. Maybe if Bosh avoided the media at all costs and refused to say anything, we’d think he was just some stoic guy who was consistent and one of the better power forwards in the NBA. Maybe if he hadn’t signed along with LeBron and Wade but had instead showed up a month or so later, we’d think he was a perfectly competent piece of the puzzle for the Heat, but not the post lynchpin some expected him to be. Or perhaps he’s just too honest or willing to reveal too much.

For all as we know about Chris Bosh and who he is, to truly appreciate him, maybe what’s most important is having an understanding of just who Chris Bosh will never be.

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Chris Bosh, no. 17 appeared first on SLAM.

Originally published in KICKS 7

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

There was a time when I believed that being born with big feet was a curse. (No, not for that reason.) I would visit Foot Locker or Champs and find a pair of shoes I wanted to buy, only to be told that they didn’t have any in my size 13. But my life changed for the better when I signed on at SLAM and met a certain someone at Nike who shall remain nameless. When he discovered that I wore size 13s, he mentioned that I shared a size with a prominent Nike athlete: Rasheed Wallace.

A few weeks later, a box of Rasheed’s shoes—one pair actually pulled from a shipment headed for Sheed—arrived at my office. I was pretty excited, not only because I’ve been a Rasheed Wallace fan ever since he got thrown out of the McDonald’s All-American Game back in 1993, but because Rasheed has always played with such passion. The mainstream media generally roasted him throughout his time in Portland for losing control on the court, but they rarely mentioned things like his considerable charity work in his hometown of Philly. But would you rather have a guy without emotion or a guy with too much? Me, too.

And then there were the shoes, money. Rasheed has damn near always worn what are in my opinion the coolest shoes in the NBA—in fact, Nike lists him as the sole “signature athlete” for the Air Force 1 line. While the rest of the League jockeyed to find what was new and (allegedly) hot and fresh, Rasheed kept it realer than Real Deal Holyfield, rocking the high-cut Air Force 1s for as long as I can remember. Technological advances came and went, and surely there have been significant improvements since the 1s first dropped way back in 1982. But Rasheed has stubbornly refused to upgrade. And that, in our opinion, is a Hall of Fame-worthy stance.

Before I was lucky enough to tap into the player-exclusive pipeline, I once asked Sheed if he wore specially designed or engineered shoes. “I just wear the regular Air Force 1s, no special cushioning or nothing,” he responded. “I’ve just been wearing these shoes for so long that my feet are used to it, I guess. My favorite shoe of all time.” Although he supposedly added some cushioning inserts this spring when he was nagged by plantar fasciitis, they were otherwise the same inside. And as someone who regularly wears Sheed’s game shoes, I will testify that they aren’t necessarily the most comfortable shoes of all time. But they look so amazing—with tongues that seem to stretch to the knee, coated in gleaming patent leather and customized with a fresh silhouette of Sheed shooting his unblockable fadeaway J—that the look really makes up for the feel.

It all goes back to emotion. Rasheed is perhaps the only man in the NBA willing to wear shoes that don’t actively enhance his performance, just as he’s pretty much always been the only guy unafraid to wear emotions that don’t actively enhance his status amongst officials and the media. If Rasheed could play under containment, he’d probably be more popular, draw less ire from columnists who don’t understand why he can’t be contained. But he can’t, so he doesn’t, and he won’t. Which is why I like him so much.

Last spring, as Sheed and the Pistons marched toward the NBA Finals, I put in an email to my man at Nike requesting a pair of the new white/blue joints. I finally got out to Detroit for Game 3, made my way into the Pistons locker room and spied Sheed’s white/blues, the ones with “X-Millennium” graf’d on the side in black Sharpie. My own shoes arrived a few weeks later. Now I just need to find a Sharpie.

The post Raw Force appeared first on SLAM.

Three years later, Nash went west to Phoenix, where he ran into Mike D’Antoni. He racked up two MVP awards and increased his stature off the court, doing everything from lighting the cauldron at the 2010 Olympics to directing commercials and documentaries. He started the Steve Nash Foundation and traveled the world to raise money and awareness for charities. In 2006, Time Magazine named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people. All the while, he kept balling, leading the League in assists per game in five of the last seven seasons.

Ten years after we first sat down, we caught up with Nash while he was in New York to host his annual “Showdown in Chinatown” soccer game, where a collection of NBA players and soccer stars gather on the pitch to raise funds for the Steve Nash Foundation.

—

SLAM: Did you have any idea 10 years ago that you’d be where you are today?

Steve Nash: You never know where you’re going to be. I didn’t expect anything. I definitely expected success, but I didn’t know how I’d get there or what it would look like.

SLAM: Two MVPs, within a shot or two of reaching the Finals, ended up playing most of your career in Phoenix. Lit the Olympic cauldron.

SN: Yeah, a lot has happened. I mean, kids, marriage, divorce, everything. So much has happened. I think the most important thing is I have enjoyed myself and loved life. That’s what counts. What got you there is secondary.

SLAM: You seem more active and open the last two or three years about doing off-court stuff than you used to be.

SN: I think I got to a point when I was younger, I just wanted to play basketball and not do other things. There was maybe even a direct disinterest with doing some of that stuff. But I think I got to a point where I wanted to try other things. Some of the things I didn’t want to do became almost necessary to do. So whether it be doing more media or fulfilling the goals of my foundation, those are relationships you have to enter into.

SLAM: Once you see what doing those things can bring you.

SN: Yeah. You can’t have a foundation and want to raise money and never do an interview. Or have a sponsor. You know, you grow up and you change your philosophy about what you want to do. If it was that big a pill for me to swallow, I wouldn’t do any of this stuff. But I wanted to help people, and I have the ability, so I look at it that way.

SLAM: Tell me about the Foundation, because that’s come about in the last 10 years, too.

SN: The Foundation is about 10 years old, but it’s been live for seven or so. I’ve always loved kids, so doing something with kids has been great. We’ve been able to have a big impact on people, which is rewarding. I basically handed it over to Jenny Miller, the Foundation director, fill her with ideas and she figures it out. She handles it all incredibly.

SLAM: How has your game changed in the last 10 years?

SN: That’s a good question. Some days I feel like it’s really changed. Some days I feel like it hasn’t changed that much. I used to attack a lot more in transition—really go hard to the basket in transition—I don’t seem to do that as much anymore. I’ve become more of a mid-range shooter. I think I’ve changed a little bit from year to year because I don’t play that much in the summer. So I come back and it’s like… it’s almost like starting over. You sometimes kind of find these little ruts or avenues that kind of fulfill themselves. I think it’s necessary for me to not play a lot in the summer so I feel mentally rested and my body gets ready at the same time. I sometimes find it’s really effective, because I’ll think, Why don’t I do this? Or, Why don’t I do that? So, I think it’s something where you play for a long time and you need a strategy to continue to be just as effective or to improve every year. My strategy is to not play a lot of basketball, ironically. I stay in great shape and become a better athlete or prevent injury, but I don’t continue the game in that way. It is kind of a weird thing.

SLAM: Do you have to compensate for your body now more than you used to?

NASH: I would say inevitably. I don’t really think about it too much.

SLAM: We see you laying down on the sidelines…

SN: You know, I’ve done that for a long time. That’s pretty much preventative, simply because when you’re tired, you have a tendency to slump, and that really stiffens my back. So to lay down just takes that out of the equation. For me, I think, it does get a little more difficult, but I still think I can do the things I’ve always done.

SLAM: What has the ride been like with the Suns?

SN: It’s been great. Obviously I’m disappointed we haven’t won a Championship. Every year it seems like something: Joe Johnson, Amar’e’s knee, Raja’s calf in the Conference Finals. There have been suspensions, Grant got hurt one year, Ron Artest’s shot. Something’s always gone wrong. That’s kind of a loser mentality or a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I don’t say those things as excuses, I’m just saying we haven’t gotten a break. Maybe we just weren’t good enough, or maybe the year we were good enough it just happened that there were suspensions. So, weird stuff has happened. The ride has still been awesome, the city has been great. We’ve had a lot of success. You take it for granted.

SLAM: What did it feel like to see not only Dirk, but also Kidd, who you backed up early in your career, get titles?

SN: It was great for a lot of reasons. One, I felt really great for them. Individually, they kind of had their moment, a kind of capping of their careers. Also, they weren’t really talked about going into the Playoffs, and for them to build a team—obviously, Dirk’s out of this world, but the rest of the team, it wasn’t necessarily a Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, or your Boston or L.A. “Big Three.” It was almost like Dirk and a small seven, instead of a big three. And that’s great. It’s great for the game, to see a team come together and be a team, be mentally tough, run their stuff, stick to the game plan on both ends of the floor. So that was great for the game.

SLAM: A decade ago the “Big Three” was you, Dirk and Finley.

SN: Yep. It’s a great testament to Dirk. He stayed with his franchise and got it done. However they did it, they did it.

SLAM: At the press conference for Showdown in Chinatown, someone asked you if you’d ever play in Toronto, and you said you can’t predict the future but perhaps if Phoenix was rebuilding something might happen. But is Phoenix already rebuilding?

SN: Well, you can make an argument that we’re constantly rebuilding. But to what extent, you know? I think it’s more like, do they choose to part ways with me? Rebuilding’s always an option, but it’s also a scary proposition. Like to completely rebuild? That’s at least five years, and that’s tough territory. If you go all the way back, you never know how long it takes you to get that foundation, to get the plumbing in.

SLAM: Early in June there were rumors online that the Suns were thinking about moving you. What’s it like, you wake up and your name is in the rumor mill?

SN: That’s the thing about it. I really, I do not read that stuff. It’s not about not wanting to know what’s being said. I’m busy. It’s not just about entertainment.

SLAM: But I’m sure you still hear things, even just walking around on the streets.

SN: Yeah, I hear things. I live in New York most of the summer, so you hear, “Are you going to the Knicks?” You can kind of tell when it’s heating up, but I could care less. I’ve gone through that so many times in my career, I know that 99.999 percent of the time, maybe just a phone call was made. It’s fun for some people. It doesn’t bother me at all.

SLAM: You seem like a goal-oriented person…

SN: Yeah.

SLAM: What goals do you have left?

SN: In basketball? Obviously the championship. But my goal, with me it’s always about being in the moment. So it’s to do the best I can today. Like, today is a busy day for me. I’m going to go from one to three with my physio and we’re going to work on the court for two hours. And then the rest of the day I want to get a great workout at the Showdown, and then have a lot of fun tonight. And tomorrow I’ll get up and try to have another great workout. That kind of thing, what can I do today more, to put myself in a better position for the next day. Every day I want to put myself in a better position. That’s kind of the way I think, and I think it’s worked for me and I’ve gotta stick to that. It’s allowed me to play for a long time and have a lot of success.

—

Lang Whitaker is a former SLAM Senior Editor who currently writes for NBA.com and GQ. Follow him @langwhitaker.

The post Still Sunny In Phoenix appeared first on SLAM.

At some point over the last few years, I got old. Growing up, I was the guy who had all the NBA Entertainment compilation dunk videotapes, and I watched “Inside Stuff” every week just for the opportunity to see any dunks I might have missed. Because I lived in Atlanta, I got a steady diet of Dominique Wilkins and his windmills and double-pumps. Even though it was only an exhibition, I was furious when Michael Jordan was awarded the 1987 Dunk Contest ahead of a clearly superior Dominique. So perhaps, even just subconsciously, I correlated dunking ability with greatness, or at least believed that the better a dunker someone was, the more likely they were to be great.

I fully understand that Tim Duncan’s game isn’t for everyone. When I was a kid, I probably wouldn’t have got it. But as I aged and my life and dreams started being lived closer and closer to the ground, I grew to have more of an affinity and appreciation for those who played basketball a bit closer to the ground. Like Tim Duncan.

There will be those who say Duncan was mostly the product of the system he played in, surrounded with talented teammates, coached by a brilliant coach, with a terrific GM pulling the strings. And sure, all of those things are true. But then, Duncan made all those things work for him. He fit in, but he also stood out, and all of that together turned one of the NBA’s smallest markets into one of its most powerful dynasties.

Last season was probably Duncan’s worst NBA season, at least statistically. He finished the year averaging 13.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, both career lows. He averaged just under 29 minutes per game, and only about 11 shot attempts per game, also career lows. If you weren’t sure, the numbers should confirm that Duncan is no longer the player he was a decade ago.

But he’s still dope. He still kisses the ball off the glass. He still pump fakes guys into the first row. He understands the angles, as if he sees the game as a series of binary numbers. He still can get up and block a shot, still put down a peaceful little one-handed dunk. I don’t know if the general basketball watcher gets all that when they see Tim Duncan play these days. I hope they do, and I hope you do. And if recognizing the value of Tim Duncan makes me old, well… call me Methuselah.

I used to have a running gag in The Links about Tim Duncan actually being a robot that was designed to be dominant at basketball. It was based mostly on Duncan’s public persona, which was really more of a lack of a persona. We didn’t know very much about him, and whenever he spoke, which wasn’t often, it was mostly rote and unrevealing. He was like Watson the supercomputer with legs and arms.

But really, Duncan’s robotic personality spoke to his greatness, and his ability to tune out all the noise and, night after night, crush his opponents. Just like a robot. Hmm.

In 2009, when we did our list of the greatest players of all time, I wanted to write about Duncan. I know he doesn’t sell magazines, and he won’t have a signature shoe dropping anytime soon, and he won’t be on the front of any video games. But he’s the greatest power forward in NBA history. Like him or hate him, he’s earned our respect. Here’s what I wrote about Duncan two years ago, and I think it still holds true today:

“Tim Duncan is the best power forward to ever play basketball. Over 12 seasons, he’s accumulated one Rookie of the Year award, two MVPs, three Finals MVPs, four championships, nine First Team All-NBA appearances and 11 All-Star Game invites. And all for the same franchise. His career numbers are dizzying, but Duncan has never been about the stats. With his quick wit, quiet grace, no-nonsense approach to the game and always, always perfect positioning, Tim Duncan playing basketball is poetry personified. At 33 years old, his career is probably winding down. Enjoy him—and appreciate him—while you still can.”

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Tim Duncan, no. 30 appeared first on SLAM.

The first morning in Vegas is always my favorite. You arrived the day before, you were beat relatively early, so you got to bed at a reasonable time. Which means you can’t really sleep in, because you’re still cranking on East Coast time. This morning I was excited to sleep late, but I woke up at 7:30 a.m. Vegas time and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I got up and went down to the lobby of my hotel to hit one of the three Starbucks. Yeah, three Starbucks in the lobby of my hotel. Vegas, you know? More Vegas? I walked into the lobby at “Dr. Feelgood” by Motley Crue was blasting over the PA system. Vince Neil before noon is a little much, even more me.

I worked all morning, and just after lunch went over to Impact Basketball for another day of games. Because a lot of the teams were short-handed, and because the guys had all played at least one game yesterday, today’s games were scheduled for eight-minute quarters. Also, with the playoffs starting tomorrow, you kind of got the sense that guys were taking it a little easier today. Here’s a few general notes…

GAME ONE

BLUE
Jermaine Taylor #1
John Wall #2
Jordan Crawford #5
Stephen Graham #5
JaVale McGee #6
Rashard Lewis #7

WHITE
Marcus Banks
Josh Selby
Larry Owens #7
Roger Mason Jr #4
JJ Hickson #6
OJ Mayo

OJ was the sixth man for his squad, and we saw him eating Doritos and drinking a Gatorade on the bench while the game was going on.

JaVale and Hickson were the only bigs in this game, so they were like Chamberlain and Russell. JaVale still struggles with consistency, but I found myself appreciating his hustle and willingness to go after shots and dunks.

Marcus Banks came out scoring today, both getting to the basket and hitting shots from the outside. Also realized today that he’s from Vegas.

Banks and Crawford spent halftime shooting jumpers.

John Wall wasn’t flying up and down the court like he did yesterday, but he’s still got the most explosive, crazy athleticism out here. At one point someone throws an oop to Hickson, and Wall jumps up and meets the 6-11 Hickson at his apex to knock the ball away. Another time, on an inbounds play, Wall flashes down the lane, catches a lob with one hand and nearly tomahawks it home.

A three at a shot clock buzzer created some controversy. Nobody was sure if it should count or not, and eventually the PA announcer had to ask over the speakers if it should have counted or not.

As soon as Van Halen’s “Panama” came on, JaVale McGee got a really energetic dunk. I’m not so certain these things weren’t related.

Blue team came from down 10 to take a one-point lead with 5:12 to go.

Tied at 98 with one minute left, John Wall zipped to the line to put the fake Wizards up by three—and one. Next time down, Wall pulled up for a three and nailed it to go up six.

Down the stretch, Blue leads 104-101. McGee misses a FT, but the ball bounces right back to him, so he shoots down the lane and dunks the miss to make the final score 107-101.

Spoke to Wall for a while for the story I’m working on for SLAM. He said playing against Chauncey yesterday was like getting an education. And even though Wall looked to be pacing himself, he finished with 37, 10 and 6.

GAME TWO

WHITE
Shumpert, Damon Jones, Chauncey Billups and Samardo Samuels.

Because they only had four guys, John Wall suited up and joined their team.

BLUE
TJ Ford, Brandon Rush, Rudy Gay, Jeremy Evans and Corey Stokes

Early on, Rudy Gay went to the line and started getting heckled by someone in the stands. Then when John Wall went to the line, the heckler started a “U-G-L-Y” chant. I leaned back and looked and saw it was the great Clipper Darrell!

My main man Michael Lee asked Jordan Crawford why he didn’t suit up for back-to-back games like Wall. “This ain’t AAU no more,” Crawford said, and grabbed a seat in the stands.

Someone in the back at one of these gyms loudly played “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. That’s what I call respect.

Wall reeled off 10 straight points, but with each team with just five guys, the rest of game was played in fits and starts. Guys would get a burst of energy, play hard for a few plays, then coast for a bit. At one point Corey Stokes was drinking Powerade during the game.

78-71 going into the fourth, Blue. John Wall went to bench before fourth and said to his teammates, “I’m trying to win now, trying to win.”

After Jeremy Evans got a two-handed dunk, Wall took the inbounds pass and sprinted down the middle of the floor and dunked one-handed, hard. Cries of “Oh my goodness!” went up from Clipper Darrell.

Watching Wall dominate reminded me of how two seasons ago people were going crazy to see Wall play every game with Kentucky. Now he’s in a gym in Vegas with about 200 people here and dominating a court full of perfectly good NBA talent. He’s so amazing at pressuring defenders, particularly when driving on that last 20 feet. He makes everyone nervous, and somehow he manages to avoid contact while still getting off a quality shot. He had a quiet rookie year because he was injured and the Wiz struggled, but watching him these last two days has been a really nice reminder of how dominant he is.

During a free-throw attempt, TJ Ford lined up for a rebound and looked over to me on the baseline press table and said, “You writing it down?” I nodded yes, not really sure what he was talking about. “What you writing about?” he asked. Noticing Damon Jones next to him, I told TJ that I was writing down everything Damon was saying. Damon promised he would put on a show when the playoffs begin tomorrow. TJ said he was trying to make sure I “was keeping it 100 on your blog.” I am, sir.

2.5 seconds left, white team down three, inbounds pass goes to Wall who has to take a contested jumper. No good. Blue wins.

Corey Stokes finished with 35 and 6, Jeremy Evans 21 and 8, Rudy Gay 35, 10 and 8. Oh, and Wall had 37, 6 and 7. Which means Wall played back-to-back 32 minute games and posted a combined 74 points, 16 assists and 13 boards.

Postgame, an impromptu dunk contest broke out between Rudy Gay and Iman Shumpert. Both guys missed a few dunks before it sort of petered out.

Spoke with Clipper Darrell for a while between games. He said he’s going to be camping out outside the Staples Center starting October 1 until the lockout ends. I’m thinking about camping out there with him.

GAME THREE!

BLACK
Coby Karl #3
Jared Dudley #7
Corey Maggette #1
Mo Speights #5
Kyle Lowry #2

WHITE
Al Harrington #7
CJ Watson #4
Corey Brewer #6
Jermaine Taylor #23
Someone else who didn’t make an impression on me

The black team was running off the bat. They got ahead, stayed ahead, and won pretty easily.

Maggette went to the line for an and one after a foul, and Clipper Darrell launched into a U-G-L-Y chant. Maggette broke out laughing and actually dropped the ball.

I spent most of the game talking with Joe Abunassar, the trainer who runs Impact Basketball here in Vegas. He pointed out that he’s a trainer and he doesn’t care how many people are in the stands, he just wants to make sure these guys are getting good workouts and good runs. he also said that because the guys on the black team train together, they’re used to playing with each other and that’s probably why they’re undefeated.

He’s right, as the black team plays really well together, getting out and running every time they had the chance. They were well conditioned, maybe the best-conditioned team out here playing. They pass, they cut, they share the ball. They won going away, and postgame, there was talk of Clipper Darrell taking over the mic on the PA system tomorrow. Forget playoffs, we might get Clipper Darrell on the mic!

Later we all ended up at Emeril’s sports bar at the Palazzo, where they were hosting a little party for all the players and their families, as well as some VIPs. Apparently Robin Leach came through, though I didn’t see him because I was eating some of Emeril’s BBQ chicken pizza and playing Ms. Pac-Man. Don’t tell me I don’t know how to do it big in Vegas! Thanks, Emeril. Bam!

Aiight, I’m out. More notes tomorrow from the playoffs…

The post Game Notes: Vegas, Day 2 appeared first on SLAM.

Vegas? Yep, Vegas. I’m back in Sin City — flew out mad early this morning, to get as close as I can to some NBA action. With players locked out and unions organizing and arguing with owners, it’s been a tough summer for us NBA fans, from the lack of summer league to the postponement of the free agency circus. Instead we’re just inundated with rumors about dense things like BRI and hard caps and things most fans don’t really care about.

I’ve filled my time this summer doing a lot of other random things, from doing some writing for the New York Times to watching A LOT of daytime TV. I need noise in the background while I’m working. Before I moved to New York, when I lived in Atlanta, I freelanced full-time, and I used to work from home. I don’t recall my exact TV playlist, but I believe it revolved heavily around daytime talk shows — Springer, Sally Jesse, Judge Judy. I didn’t really watch them, except for Springer, which at the time was just about the greatest thing ever on television. (Once the band GWAR was on Springer, and Jerry interviewed a female band member. My roommate Matt saw this and told me the woman’s name was Seamstress Hymen, which made us laugh. We later found out that her name was actually Slymestra Hymen. Same difference, I suppose.)

These days I try to avoid talk shows. I wake up and watch the local morning news, then around 10 or so shift over to a movie, one I’ve seen before so it won’t distract me, and there won’t be commercials. Then, around 1:00 p.m., after I make myself lunch, I go to Discovery for a daily four-hour block of American Chopper reruns. I’ve never driven a motorcycle, never build anything mechanical in my life, but I love watching American Chopper, which is a great mix of guys trying to find engineering and design solutions while screaming at each other and destroying their offices and cars. It’s a pretty brilliant combination, and now that I’ve seen every episode at least once, the show has become great background noise for working. Not sure what I’ll do when Discovery eventually juggles their schedule.

Enough! Anyway, woke up in NYC this a.m. at 4:30, busted to the airport, took a five and a half hour flight to Vegas (worked the entire time, even if some of that time was spent writing about American Chopper). Landed in Vegas at 9:30, picked up my rental car and went to my hotel wanting nothing more than to get some sleep. But there wasn’t a room ready, so I wandered around the hotel for three hours, dragging my rolling suitcase behind me, and finally got into my room for an hour before I had to run over to Impact Basketball for their Competitive Training Series.

There were three games scheduled for today, at 1:30, then at 3:30, then at 5:30. Organized by Joe Abunassar, a lot of NBA players have showed up over the last few days to get some run in. When word started circulating about these games, there was thought that a lot of people would turn out in search of basketball action. Well, the crowds weren’t huge, which wasn’t that surprising considering the games are being played on weekdays in a non-NBA city. Still, with so many guys on tap, I jumped at the chance to come out.

Impact Basketball is in a huge gym complex. The basketball court is just one area, as there’s maybe a 30-foot rock climbing wall around the corner, a baseball field in the back, even a go-kart track somewhere. The court is sunken, with bleacher seating for a few hundred people.

There were three games today. I’m doing a feature on this in the next SLAM, so I can’t empty the notebook here, but here’s a few things I noticed today…

First game is green against white. The teams were:

GREEN
CJ Watson #3
Christian Eyenga #7
Corey Brewer #1
Jordan Williams #8
James Anderson
TJ Ford #2

WHITE
Jermaine Taylor #6
Dahntay Jones #1
Corey Stokes #4
Josh Selby #2
OJ Mayo #3
Rudy Gay #5

Biggest moment early was when Brewer, who was scoring like crazy to begin, tried to bang on Jordan Williams. Didn’t get him, and got fouled instead. That was one of the few fouls the refs called early on.

Rudy Gay had been cleared to play yesterday, after sitting out forever recovering from his shoulder injury. He looked good, in shape but a little rusty. Brewer drove and scored early, and Gay inbounded the ball off Brewer’s back and brought the ball up the court.

Not many big guys here, so the bigs who might play 4 or so in the NBA, are playing the 5 throughout.

Jerome Williams (a.k.a. JYD) was in the house, coaching in Prada sneakers.

Selby doesn’t lack for confidence — he was pulling up from everywhere and burying jumpers.

Rudy drives the lane and goes up for a jumper and gets grabbed, turnover. Turns to ref: “So if grabs my arm that’s part of the ball too?”

Christian Eyenga was crazy spectacular.

Corey Brewer tried to catch and drive around Dahntay Jones, then double-dribbled and went around him. Everyone screamed for a walk, which was eventually called, and instead of arguing Brewer just busted up laughing.

If you needed a reminder that this is all fun and games with something serious behind it, at one point Josh Selby got poked in the eye someone and went down holding his face, and everyone froze and you could hear a pin drop. Selby was fine, back on his feet just seconds later, but it was a sobering reminder that as hard as everyone was playing, nobody wanted to hurt anyone else.

With 8 seconds left and the white team ahead, the refs just ended the game. Talk to OJ for a while afterward, and he was in good spirits. Said he’d been working out in L.A. but came out to Vegas to get some run with the other Grizzlies when he heard about the games.

Game Two!

BLACK
Kyle Lowry #2
Jared Dudley #3
Austin Daye #5
Mareese Speights #7
Corey Maggette #1
Coby Karl #4

WHITE/RED
Mo Williams #2
Eric Bledsoe #5
Travis Leslie #3
Samardo Samuels #7
Larry Hughes #8
Sebastian Telfair #4
JJ Hickson #7

When the PA guy announced lineups, they still weren’t sure what number Samuels was going to wear, so he said “Samuels…number to be determined!”

I actually found myself enjoying how laid back everything was. When this game started, Coby Karl continued warming up on side while game was going on.

Travis Leslie went up to catch an oop and ran into Austin Daye on the way up. One of the refs gave Leslie two shots, and four guys from black team surround the ref to argue. Eventually the other refs had to blow the whistle to get guys to line up for the free throws. No T’s called, which is great.

From somewhere else in the workout facility, Kanye’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’” started playing. I asked my main man Michael Lee if we were in “The Hangover.” I wondered if I should ask someone, “Is this gym pager friendly?”

White team went small with Bledsoe/Mo Williams/Bassy all at once, and the black team went on a run. So much for that idea.

Corey Maggette is a machine that goes to the line over and over and over. Even in scrimmage games, he just crashing into guys and getting to the line.

Black up 29-28 after one. Second quarter started with white team with 6 players on court. Black team, who were taking this all very seriously, started screaming, “That’s a tech! That’s a tech!” One of the red team players trots off the court, and the refs make no call.

Coby Karl caught a long baseball pass, flushed a two-handed dunk and slapped the glass. I’m pretty sure that really happened.

Game much more physical than the first…lots of fouls, slapping at the ball. Also taking a while because Corey Maggette can’t stop running into people and stopping the clock.

Mo Speights and Hickson must love playing this game — they’re the only two dudes over 6-7, so they’re dunking at will.

Jared Dudley gets hot and starts knocking in jumpers from everywhere. Black up 67-50. Jared Dudley catches an oop on the break and runs down the sidelines high-fiving people. He would later say that was the first alley-oop he’d caught in a game since high school.

80-60 at the half. Dudley 9-9 for 20. Lowry with 13 assists.

Hughes lead a break and missed Speights on his left. On the way back down, Hughes apologized to Speights: “Talk to me, talk to me! Say my name!”

The second half wasn’t close. J-Dudley finished with 31 and 10, 13 for 15 from floor. The PA announcer said Dudley was the player of the game, and Dudley ran over and grabbed the mic and said, “Just want to thank God, without him none of this would have been possible.”

The post Game Notes: Vegas, Day One appeared first on SLAM.

[sg-gallery]

by Lang Whitaker / portraits by Atiba Jefferson

The Houston Rockets locker room is small by NBA standards, a concrete square retrofitted with carpet and lockers. Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, the Rockets starting backcourt, have the two seats in front of the door, and as the team’s de facto spokesmen—though Franchise is 26 and Cat is 27—they’ve usually drawn the bulk of the media attention. But a significant Asian media contingent has settled into Houston this season, here to follow, pick through and dissect the rookie season of Yao Ming, the 22-year-old, 7-5 center from Shanghai, China, who’s taken America by storm. While the other Rockets sit around in various states of dress, the Asian media wait respectfully in the hallway. For now, at least.

When talk in the locker room somehow turns to actors’ poor career choices, Mobley leaps to his feet to point out that Julia Roberts once appeared in Mary Reilly, and that Leonardo DiCaprio followed up Titanic with The Beach. “Come on,” Cat exclaims. “After Titanic, you go and do The Beach? What is that? Can anyone tell me?”

In one corner, Yao sits with a blank face. Though his English has improved rapidly since he came to Houston in October, Yao doesn’t often let on when he understands what’s going on; the language barrier not only keeps people from bothering him pregame, but also lets him listen and learn at his own rate. Pretty much everything he has said to any member of the media this season has come through his American translator, Colin Pine.

Yao picks up an empty water bottle and tightens the cap. He stands, transfers the bottle to his right hand, does a slick 180 away from the locker and stops cold, facing up to a trash can in the back of the room. He bends his knees and releases a lovely, high-arching jumper. Just then a ballboy rounds the corner and swats the bottle to the ground, then yells, “You just got blocked by a midget!”

It’s not clear if Yao understands, but he calmly walks over, picks up the bottle and walks back to his original spot. He jacks up another shot that bangs off the lip of the can and clatters loudly to the floor. His head down, Yao walks over, picks up the bottle and drops it into the can. Softly, in language everyone in the room can understand, Yao mutters, “Shit!”

From 30,000 feet up in the air, the great state of Texas is just as wide and long and grand as everything you’ve read would suggest: tremendous fields bisected by dirt roads and country lanes. The city of Houston defines urban sprawl, retail strips tumbling out past the interstates with malls sprinkled throughout. With the Rockets grounded for repairs the last few years, Houston residents had turned elsewhere, mainly to baseball and expansion football.

Then about six months ago, a Chinese rocket touched down in Houston. And now the whole world is fighting to get a good seat.

—

“It sounds like church music in here! Do you hear that? You hear it?”

Steve Francis is on the Rockets practice court hollering at himself, draining threes while sliding back and forth around the arc. Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich is off to the side, surrounded by Asian reporters, struggling to understand questions and keep them happy.

“Last night,” a girl from a Chinese sports newspaper begins, “Yao Ming was not so effective down the streech, and…”

“Down the what?” Rudy interrupts, craning his neck toward her.

“Down the streech?” she asks cautiously.

Silence. Swish. Swish.

“Oh!” Rudy erupts. “Down the stretch! It’s the stretch, the stretch. That was very good, though,” Rudy says, always the coach, actually patting the flustered girl on the back.

While Yao Ming was making strides in his game and winning a fan base of 1.3 billion on the other side of the Pacific, the Rockets were reloading, and Rudy was there. As Houston’s coach since ’92, Rudy has presided over the Rockets’ renaissance, overseeing two championship teams and the team’s offense as it evolved from paint-based to perimeter-oriented and, now, to something with a little more balance.

The offense became a backcourt dream in the summer of ’99, when the Rockets swung a deal to get the rookie Francis for salary cap filler from the Vancouver Grizzlies. Steve teamed up with Mobley, and the electric duo set Houston’s backcourt in stone for the next decade. Steve’s rookie averages were remarkable (18 points, 6.6 assists, 5.3 boards), and he has stepped up his scoring each season since.

Francis missed a lot of time last season with headaches caused by a mysterious inner ear condition, eventually diagnosed as Meniere’s Disease. After changing his diet and visiting more specialists than Grant Hill, he’s been able to control the illness this season, while playing well enough to get voted a starter in the ’03 All-Star Game. “I’m still playing the same, just with more experience,” Steve says. “I think I’m shooting the ball a lot better, as far as threes and from the field. I think it’s just basically being a leader. I’m definitely the leader of the team. The way you do that is by displaying that, by being at practice every day, all day.”

As he says that, Stevie looks around the gym, realizing it’s totally empty. He was the first Rocket to arrive, five long hours ago when practice officially started. He is the last one here. He is leading. “This is what I’ve always wanted,” he says, strapping an ice bag onto each of his knees and sitting beside the court. “Always wanted to be a leader. My rookie year I wanted to be the leader of this team, and it’s just taken four years to evolve. We have to believe in ourselves and believe we can win. That’s all that’s left right now.”

“We have the second-youngest team in the League,” Rudy T. had said minutes earlier. “Nobody talks about that. Denver and Memphis, we’re just like them. Young teams never win. I’m not using that as an excuse. We’ve got to keep it somewhere in the middle, so when we’re winning it’s not way up here and when we’re losing it’s not way down there.”

Steve thinks the Rockets’ consistency will come, eventually. “It took Cat a while to find his groove this year,” Steve says. “He missed eight games early with an injury, and once he gets that groove back, we’ll be sitting real pretty.” Until then, Francis has taken Yao under his wing, ordering him clothes, teaching him English, even planning a trip to China next summer. “As a team, us improving comes with watching and being around the game and learning…and with the Lakers playing down, the West is wide open. A team like us, if we can get hot, come March or April, we can get going. You never know.”

With that, Steve stands up and sort of limps back on the court, his custom X Beams unlaced. He hobbles to the free throw line and motions for a ball. Since I’m the only other person in the gym, I run one down and fire a pass to The Franchise.

Swish.

The post The World Is Yours appeared first on SLAM.

by Lang Whitaker / @langwhitaker

On Sunday night, May 8, the Atlanta Hawks won at home against the Chicago Bulls to even the Eastern Conference Semifinals at two games apiece. Less than 12 hours later, Hawks guard Jamal Crawford arrives at a diner around the corner from Philips Arena to grab some breakfast. His booth is maybe 15 feet from the door, yet on the short walk across the restaurant, Crawford is greeted by daps and pounds and waves, as though he’s running for mayor.

He may not start for the Hawks, but for the last two seasons Crawford has been one of their most important and popular players, coming off the bench every night to energize the team and the crowd with a carefully curated collection of mixtape dribbles and rainbow threes. Switching between both guard positions, Crawford has shown an uncanny knack for getting buckets. Last season, he broke Reggie Miller’s career record for most four-point plays (though Crawford did it in 744 fewer games).

Crawford is a genuinely friendly guy, and fans in each city he’s called home have embraced him. Despite Crawford’s popularity in Atlanta, with free agency looming this summer there’s a chance Crawford could be wearing a different uniform next season. “Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it,” Crawford says, sliding into a booth. “Right now, I’m in the Playoffs, on a team that has a chance to do something. I’m just trying to get lost in the moment.”

SLAM: So you’re originally from Seattle, right?

JC: I was born and raised in Seattle. Then I went and stayed with my dad, in Los Angeles, in fourth and fifth grade. Then I went back to Seattle until eighth grade. Then, from when I was 13 to 16, I went back to L.A. and stayed with my dad. But my whole family is from Seattle.

SLAM: When did you start playing ball?

JC: My parents said I had a ball in my hand since I was 2 years old. I didn’t start playing organized basketball until I was in eighth grade. I played on my little rec league team before that. I was the center, I was taller than everybody else—I was doing all kinds of fancy layups and stuff back then like it was natural. When I was younger, I just always had a basketball with me—always, always, always, always. When I first thought I could really make it was when I was 16, I was playing in Doug Christie’s summer pro league. Playing against pros all the time—Shawn Kemp played, Cliff Robinson, Damon Stoudamire, Yinka Dare. Doug, of course. At first I was nervous, I was the youngest kid out there—these were pros, I was 16! I was playing on Doug’s team and he got hurt, and I averaged like 35 against all those pros. That’s when I was like, I can do it.

SLAM: So how’d you go from the West Coast to end up at Michigan?

JC: Fab Five—I grew up watching them. I didn’t even know how I was going to get there: I was on the West Coast, Michigan was way over there. There was also the opportunity to play right away, because Lou Bullock and Robbie Reid were leaving, and the Fab Five, those guys went there. I didn’t think about how cold it was going to be until I got there.

SLAM: And you were only there at Michigan for one season?

JC: I only played half a year. I played the first half, and the second half I was suspended. They said I was receiving gifts in high school. But it wasn’t against any rule—it wasn’t an AAU coach, it wasn’t a booster, an alumni. So they reinstated me. But I missed a whole half of the season. And it wasn’t like I was getting clothes—I had a tutor to help me with my grades, help me study for the SAT.

SLAM: So after one year at Michigan, you knew you were ready to go to the NBA?

JC: Honestly, if all that didn’t happen, I think I would’ve stayed two years. We had the second-best recruiting class in the country that year behind Duke. They had JWill, Boozer, Dunleavy, that class. My class was myself, Kevin Gaines, Gavin Groninger, LaVell Blanchard—who was actually the Gatorade Player of the Year that year. So I would’ve stayed another year. I just put my name in the Draft to see what would happen.

SLAM: But then you were the No. 8 pick and got traded to Chicago. Did you know they were interested in you?

JC: No. In fact, when I went through the interview process, I had a good feel for them, but they didn’t tell me anything. What was crazy was that day of the Draft, I was wearing Bulls gear the whole day. The whole day. I had some extra stuff from the workouts.

SLAM: Playing at Michigan and then starting out in Chicago, a lot of people probably think of you as a Midwesterner.

JC: Everybody does. I liked living there a lot. In Chicago, because I had experienced Michigan, I knew how the winters would be. The people were nice. I spent four years in Chicago, and I really grew up there. I went at 19, so I matured a lot. I remember I was upset because I wasn’t playing a lot. We weren’t that good—we only won 15 games. We were the youngest team in the League, so how come I wasn’t getting to play and get better? It was just stuff I didn’t understand at the time. I think when I went to New York I understood it better. And in New York there was a whole different crew of veterans—Steph, Allan Houston, Moochie, Vin Baker. I had veterans over the course of my career in Chicago, with Pippen, Charles Oakley was great, Jalen Rose. But I was the youngest guy there. And in New York the whole team was veterans.

SLAM: So in Chicago, is that where you first sort of learned how the NBA worked?

JC: You know, when you’re a young dude, any guy that gets drafted, they’re not going to come in and change the organization in one swoop. It happens—like with LeBron—but 98 percent of the time, you’ve got to bide your time.

SLAM: You thought you could turn the Bulls around?

JC: I didn’t think we’d be champs, but I thought I could at least make us better. And at that time, I wasn’t ready, I gotta be honest. As a player, when you’re really, really playing at your best at this level, I look at it like you’re as comfortable as you were when you were playing in high school. When you’re in high school, you feel like you can do wrong. The really great ones, they play like they did in high school, with that same confidence.

The post Self Made appeared first on SLAM.

Whassup, peoples?! It’s Lang, out of my retirement home and on the case, at least for one night.

I’m here in Newark at the NBA Draft 2011, and I’ll be liveblogging tonight’s proceedings so that we have some sort of historical record of how things go. Thus far, all I can tell you is that the tacos in the media dining room would definitely be a second round selection. Also, they don’t have wireless internet available for the media sitting in front of the stage — they actually have dozens of hardwire connections, which I am told actually works much better. My only problem is that my computer is a MacBook Air, which only uses wireless, so I had to swing a three-team deal involving secret passwords to get some wireless action out here in the seating area. I apologized for using a computer made within the last year.

While we were stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel coming from NYC to Jersey, news of the night’s first trade broke: Three-way deal between Sacto, Milwaukee and the BETcats. The Kings got John Salmons and the number 10 pick, Milwaukee got Stephen Jackson, Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston and the number 19 pick, and the BETcats get Corey Maggette and the number 7 pick. Brandon and StackJack are gonna shut down the tattoo game up in Wisconsin.

Right now the ESPN pregame show is happening live behind us, but we can’t really hear anything they’re saying. So it’s just a bunch of talking and then an occasional burst of weird music. Not sure when the actual drafting begins.

• We’re experiencing technical difficulties up in here. Now I’m using Tzvi’s computer, and he’s using mine. I’m also nominating myself for best-dressed, because I’m wearing a madras shirt. (I’m going on vacation tomorrow. CAN I LIVE?)

• OK< we’re about to start. The TV feed on all the press tables just went out. So that’s cool. David Stern takes the stage, and he just got booed. He asked the crowd to give it up for New Jersey, which they did.

• Highlights of LeBron just came on over the scoreboard, and he got a bigger boo than Stern. And he’s not even here.

• According to the TV on the press table, the first pick is…static!

• Big crowd here in Jersey, more than come for most Nets games, I’m told.

• And here we go…with the FIRST PICK in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select Kyrie Irving. Kyrie takes the stage, shakes Stern’s hand and tucks his left hand into his pocket for the commemorative photo.

• Just realized comments were off. No wonder nobody was complaining in the comments section! They’re back on now, you guys.

• The Draft hats tonights are fitteds, which is a good look. Not as good a look are the front of the hats, which appear to be airbrushed.

• With the SECOND PICK, the L-Wolves select, RICKY RUBIO! Oh wait, no, the Wolves selected Derrick Williams from Arizona (dark suit, red tie, understated). Williams pointed up into the stands to a couple of people wearing ‘Zona gear.

• The Jazz are up next. I guess taking Jimmer here would be a reach, but man that would be awesome if they took Jimmer here.

• With the THIRD PICK, the Utah Jazz select…Enes Kanter! He didn’t play at Kentucky last year. Big dude.

• I couldn’t hear exactly what he said, but I think Stu Scott just said Kanter would like to be a WWE wrestler after his NBA career is over. Or maybe I just wanted to hear him say that.

• With the FOURTH PICK, the Cavs select Tristan Thompson, my favorite member of the Thompson Twins, eliciting a roar from the crowd in Jersey. First reach of the Draft?

• OK, the Raptors are on the clock. Brandon Knight? Bismack Biyombo? Ricky Rubio?

• With the FIFTH PICK, the Raptors select Jonas Valanciunas. Not sure how that’s gonna fit on a jersey. He’s wearing an aggressively tailored suit, so he’s got that going for him.

• Lithuania in the house! Lots of people with Lithuania flags in the crowd.

• With the SIXTH PICK, the Wiz take Jan Vesely, who stands and receives a kiss from his girl, which brings down the house. Vesely was awesome in The Social Network, by the way.

• SEVENTH is the Kings, picking for the BETcats. And the pick is…Bismack Biyombo! He looks genuinely thrilled, hugging everyone at his table and threatening to snap everyone in half. His hands look like meat hooks. His nickname has to be Bismack-E, right?

• Nobody beats the Bis!

• Shot of Jimmer in the green room gets a huge cheer here in the arena.

• OK, the Pistons with the EIGHTH PICK, select Brandon Knight from Kentucky. I don’t really have anything to say here.

• The BETcats are up next with the 9th pick…and they select Kemba Walker, which gets a huge cheer here in the arena. He’s wearing a suit that matches his BETcats hat. He’s also rocking some saddle shoes that are beige with pink accents.

• The Kings are up next with the TENTH pick…and they select JIMMER!! Crowd erupts. I’m not really sure how he fits there, but it’s always a good idea to take a guy named Jimmer if there’s a guy named Jimmer available. Between Jimmer, Salmons and Tyreke, the Kings have a lot of high-volume scorers on their roster.

• Here come the Warriors, and they’re going for…Klay Thompson, from Washington State. Arena PA system breaks into “Life is a Highway.” Yes, yes it is. Hands down, man down, Klay.

• With the TWELFTH PICK, the Jazz make sweet music by taking…Alec Burks, from Colorado. A big Jazz contingent in the stands erupts. Didn’t see that coming. (The Jazz contingent, that is.)

• The THIRTEENTH PICK is by the Suns, unless they sell it. Nope, they use it and take Markieff Morris from Kansas. There’s another dude over the green room who looks EXACTLY like him. Crazy.

• I know, the Morris brothers are twins. Maybe we should call one Morris the Lesser and the other Morris the Greater?

• The Rockets are on the clock! With the FOURTEENTH PICK, the Rockets take Marcus Morris, because he’s a better player if you examine his analytics or something.

• With the FIFTEENTH PICK, the Pacers select Jimmy Chitwood! No, Kawhi Leonard! He’s winning the suit game, BTW.

• Halfway through round one. I just ran to the restroom and then around to grab a bottle of water from the press room, and I crossed paths with an ebullient Derrick Coleman. Once a Net, always a Net.

• Word is apparently tweeting out that the Pacers picked Leonard for the Spurs, and will trade him for George Hill. Like that for Spurs, not so much for Pacers.

• With the SIXTEENTH PICK, the Sixers take Nikola Vucevic, a two-time rebounding leader at USC. I’d probably know about that if I watched more than 15 college games a year.

• The Knicks are on the clock with the SEVENTEENTH PICK, and the place is getting a little rowdy.Stern takes a extra-long walk to the podium, and announces that the Knicks select…Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech…and boos erupt.

• With the EIGHTEENTH PICK, the Wizards select Chris Singleton from FSU. He’s the last guy remaning in the green room…seems to have a little Turiaf swag going with his goatee.

• With the NINETEENTH PICK, the BETcats pick for the Bucks, and select Tobias Harris from Tennessee.

• OK, we’re at 20, and the green room is still full of family and friends, because we’re in Jersey and you can’t just walk out the door and hit the clubs.

• At 20, the L-Wolves select Donantas Motiejunas from Lithuania. OK! First round is two-thirds finished, with some cool teams still on the clock.

• Attendance tonight is 8,417, which is listed as a sellout.

• In the stands to my left are a group of fans with signs that read TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS HEART KENNETH FARIED. Too bad they’re not NBA GMs!

• With the TWENTY-FIRST PICK, the Trailblazers select Nolan Smith from Duke. Really? Huh.

• Woj just tweeted that the Rockets and Wolves have agreed to trade Jonny Flynn and Donatas Montiejunas to Houston for Brad Miller, the 23rd pick and a future first rounder. Another former SLAM Diary keeper on the move!

• With the TWENTY-SECOND PICK, the Nuggets will prolly take the guy with the most tattoos left on the board. Instead they take Kenneth Faried, from Newark.

• Sounds like Faried and Nolan Smith might be swapping places as part of a Ray Felton/Andre Miller trade, according to reports on Twitter. We’ll see if that pans out.

• Although it seems odd that George Karl would trade a UNC guy for a Duke guy.

• With the TWENTY-THIRD pick, the Rockets select Nikola Mirotic, from Montenegro…and he’d be part of the deal to go to the L-Wolves. Though it sounds like he can’t come to the NBA for four more years, anyway, so of course Minnesota went after him.

• Although Woj just tweeted that the L-Wolves are flipping that pick to the Bulls for the 28th, 43rd and a gift certificate to Best Buy.

• The Thunder roll in with the TWENTY-FOURTH pick, and select Reggie Jackson from Boston College.

• Now the Celts are on the clock at TWENTY-FIVE. When the Celtics logos flash up on the screens, boos break out in the arena. Stern strolls out and announces that the Celts select Marshon Brooks from Providence. Someone in the stands has a sign that says MARSHON BROOKS IS THE NEXT KOBE. Woj tweets that Brooks is going to Jersey in a trade.

• With the TWENTY-SIXTH pick, the Dallas Mavericks select Jordan Hamilton from Texas and stay in state.

• With the TWENTY-SEVENTH pick, the Nets will pick for the Celts, and they’re taking…JaJuan Johnson from Purdue.

• Also, Marc Stein tweets “Mavs are trading No. 26 to Portland to acquire Rudy Fernandez, with Portland moving the pick on to Denver in the Miller/Felton deal.” So that means Jordan Hamilton is a Nugget. Rudy as a Mav is kinda fresh.

• At TWENTY-EIGHT, the Bulls draft for the L-Wolves. and they select…Norris Cole from Cleveland State. This is one of the few college guys I’ve heard of because I heard he was kinda dope.

• We’re almost through this third hour of Round One! At TWENTY-NINE, the Spurs (I think) select Cory Joseph from Texas. Jay Bilas says it’s a bit of a surprise. You question the Spurs’ drafting at your own risk, buddy.

• And with the THIRTIETH PICK of the first round, the Bulls select Jimmy Butler from Marquette. Great guy, great story.

That’s it for the live blog. Thanks for chilling with us, and keep rocking in the comments. I’m out…

The post NBA Draft 2011 Live Blog appeared first on SLAM.

OK, I’m heading over to AmericanAirlines Arena, my favorite run-on arena in the League, for Game 2 of the Finals. Will Dirk’s injured finger slow him down? Will Bron/Wade/Bosh come to play again? Lots to be answered. I’ll be back closer to game time to blog away. In the meantime, feel free to talk amongst yourselves…

OK, it’s 8:40 PM and I’m in my seat here in AAA. Instead of doing the media dinner pregame, Sekou, Mike Lee and I opted for Bongos, the Cuban restaurant built in to the back of the arena. The food was great, but there was so much going on — horns, smoke, sirens, music — that it was bit like eating inside a bongo.

Went back inside and watched both teams shoot around, and didn’t notice anything earth-shattering. Mark Cuban was hanging around courtside, first time I’d seen him this week. Dirk was out running through drills and looked fine to these eyes.

Anyway….we’re about to tip…

• National Anthem tonight by 10 year old Julia Dale, who is ready to win America’s Got Talent.

• I’m really curious about how Miami comes out tonight. Dallas just didn’t play well in Game 1, and I wonder if they’re due for a big night tonight.

• Same starting 5s for both squads tonight. Dallas wins tip and run Dirk off a baseline screen. He misses a 12 footer over a double team. Heat come right back and Wade hits a runner. Bosh misses, then Dirk rises and fires and scores.

• Dallas doubles Bron on the wing first time he catches the ball. They find an open Bosh but he misses on the baseline. Next time down the Mavs double/trap Wade, and he finds an open Bosh in the middle of the paint for the 10-footer.

• After a Marion bucket, Miami tries a long outlet pass and DeShawn Stevenson goes head-first into the stands and takes a while to extricate himself. I think some fans drew a few more tattoos on him while he was in there.

• Dallas comes back down and Stevenson finds himself open on the wing, and he drains the long three, then does the thing where he looks through his hand. I sorta miss the I can’t feel my face thing.

• Kidd drains a three to make it 12-6, Dallas. Remember what I wrote about Dallas getting off to a hot start?

• Wade answers with a three. Dirk misses a two, and LeBron makes a pass into the front row of the stands, then comes down and is called for a foul on Tyson Chandler on a dunk attempt.

• With about 7 minutes to go in the first, Peja checks in. Miami goes right at him, causes some chaos, and Wade ends up weaving his way to the basket for a layup. Next time down, Wade posts Stevenson, then whips it out to Bron for a three. Miami goes ahead 14-13, with 5:53 to go in the first.

• Out of the timeout, Dallas posts Kidd on Bibby, and he spins and whips a pass to the corner to…nobody. Bosh goes right around Peja and scores, and scores, and then Dallas turns it over again. Bron misses a three, and then Kidd comes off a curl and misses a J.

• Dallas isn’t able to recover fast enough on D when they rotate, and Miami’s getting a lot of open looks. Bibby just knocked down his second three of the quarter. Stevenson responded and did the weird looking through his fingers thing again.

• Some fan came out of the stands to shoot a three with a chance to win a trip to Dallas for Game 3. He shot an airball that missed by about three feet, but for some reason this meant a different fan got a trip to Dallas.

• After that there was a video tribute to Shaq’s time in Miami that was pretty great, which ended with “Congratulations Shaq on a great career.” Polite applause by the fans.

• Udonis Haslem checks in for Dallas, and Jason Terry replaces Stevenson. Almost immediately, Haslem and Joel Anthony fight each other for a ball going out of bounds and lose it.

• Peja comes down and turns it over to Bibby. Back the other way and Bibby misses a three, but Bron times it perfectly and catches the rebound with one hand and tomahawks it home. Whoa. Heat up 23-20.

• Miami brings in Miller and Chalmers. Dallas counters with Barea. Dirk strokes a 13 footer.

• Haywood gets loose and gets a dunk blocked by Joe Anthony. Marion gets the ball and gets fouled by Bron, his second foul. Bron responds by stroking a three on the other end.

• OK, so after 1, the score is tied at 28. After being outrebounded by 10 in Game 1, the Mavs have 8 boards to Miami’s 7. Peja played 5 minutes and has a -7 plus/minus. Bron and Wade each have 8 points, and Stevenson and Marion have 6 apiece. Dirk has 4.

• Barea drives and makes a floater, only his second bucket of the Finals. Next time down he drives and dishes to a cutting Marion for two. Barea’s doing Barea things tonight.

• Next time down Miami plays good defense, and with the shot clock winding down Dallas throws to Dirk in the corner. He catches with Bosh right on him, dribbles hard to his left twice, and then pulls for an off-balance 18-footer. Two things: First, I think his left hand is fine. And B, what a luxury to have a guy who can not only create a shot for himself but drill a 17-footer with a good 6-11 dude checking him.

• Nine minutes to go in the second, LeBron out, and Wade does that thing where he stands at the top of the key and somehow zig-zags through the other team and gets to the rim for a bucket. Haven’t seen enough of that this postseason.

• Loos ball and Mike Miller dives on top. Barea dives into him and appears to accidentally deliver a knee to the face. Miller shoves back and Joey Crawford sort of scoots between them. Calls a T on Miller, I guess for the shove. The technical free throw makes it 40-34, Dallas.

• Bosh misses a runner and Wade goes about a foot above the rim and slams home the miss. Moments later, Miami gets a break and Wade runs right at Barea, goes around him, and gets the dunk.

• After a TO, Dirk misses a jumper but Chandler is there for the offensive rebound and put-back. That gives Chandler 3 rebounds already tonight, 1 less than he had in 33 minutes in Game 1.

• Wade drives the paint and flips up a pass to the guy cutting along the baseline. At the end of Game 1 it was Bron, and he dunked it. Tonight, it’s Joel Anthony. He makes a nice catch and dishes it back out.

• 3:22 in the second and Bron picks up his third foul. See you in the second half, Bron! Dallas up 49-42. Wade gets loose on a breakaway and appears to get shoved from behind by Chandler, but no call. He misses the layup and spins and goes after Kenny Mauer. Dallas scores on the other end to go up 51-42.

• Moments later, Chandler catches under the rim and Anthony blocks his shot. Somehow they call a foul on Chandler. Next time down Miami has maybe their best defensive sequence of the game, forcing a 24 second violation on Dallas.

• Dos Minutos!

• Chalmers to the line and he misses two free throws. Miami’s 4-9 from the free throw line tonight. Mavs up 51-46. Next time Wade gets Marion on him on a switch, pumps him into the air and gets two free throws. Good, good. Dallas misses a J, and Miami forces it back and Wade hits a three to tie it at 51. Dirk misses a J, and that’s the end of the half. 51-51.

• Seems like both teams concentrating on rebounds — only 5 offensive boards combined in the first half. Wade carried Miami — 21 of their 51 points. Meanwhile Dallas has 4 of their 5 starters with at least 9 points. Only starter with less was Kidd, and he had 3, 4 and 4.

• After a couple of misses and a turnover, Miami gets a dunk from Bron to start the half. A few plays later, Wade gets a runout, creates some contact with Dirk and somehow slips behind him, almost like he hit the R1 button in Madden, and sails in for a sweet reverse dunk. Miami goes ahead 57-52.

• Carlisle takes a TO and the teams return and miss a few jumpers, which sort of sucks the momentum out of the place. Then Wade catches in the post against Kidd, backs him down, spins and dunks hard, which wakes everyone up.

• Dirk gets a T, I think for running into LeBron, though it’s unclear exactly why. Bron misses the free throw. Ball don’t lie.

• Bibby knocks down his third three of the game. for a guy who hadn’t scored in his four previous games, he’s having a heckuva night.

• Marion scores on consecutive possessions for Dallas, which gives me the chance to make that Matrix sound effect.

• The Custodian! Brian Cardinal checks in for Dallas, and immediately Miami steals the ball from Kidd. I was hoping they’d run something for him. Next time down, Cardinal leaves Bibby alone in the corner to help, and Bibby knocks down his 4th three.

• Sorry, internet went down there for a minute. Miami up 71-65, 1:31 to play.

• Bron turns it over in the open floor and Dallas scores to make it a 4 point game. Bibby comes back and hits a shot going to his left. I can say this about Bibby from watching him play with the Hawks: He’s really good at going to his left and shooting with his right hand. Next time down Bron gets a huge dunk in just a static halfcourt set. Geez. Thing is, Dallas is matching every bucket. After three, Heat lead 75-71. Dallas has a big advantage on the glass — 29-22 — but Miami’s shooting over 50 pct from the floor tonight.

• Haywood opens the fourth giving an intentional foul on Haslem, then limping/hopping off the court and running straight into the locker room. Marion scores for Dallas, then the Mavs force a Miami turnover and have the ball down two with 10:16 to go. Spoelstra calmly send LeBron into the game. Immediately, Dallas turns it over and Wade gets a dunk at the other end. Miami then forces the Mavs into a 24 second violation. Chalmers brings it up with Barea all over him. Three times Barea leans back like he got bumped, without a call. Chalmers runs him off a Bosh screen, gets to the rim and scores. Heat back up 79-73. 9:16 to go. TO.

• Celeb spotting during the TO: Flo Rida, Lil Weezy, Sean Paul.

• Out of the TO, MIA traps Terry as he looks to get the ball to Dirk and strips him. Wade goes one on three and draws a foul. Sekou next to me points out Dirk has outscored Mike Bibby by one point (15 to 14).

• Chalmers misses a three from the corner and Bosh comes right down the lane and dunks the follow. Dallas turns it over, and Wade comes back and draws a foul. Two more from the line.

• Dallas misses a three, and Bron comes charging downcourt on the break. He jumps into the air around the free throw lone, looks right at a cutting Haslem, who gets covered, and while he’s still in the air, he looks left and finds a cutting Chalmers. That pass was pretty ill, but then Chalmers catches under the basket and whips it out to the corner to Wade, who drains the three. Miami’s up 88-73, with 7:14 to go. Over?

• Terry gets a two, then a runout two, and now it’s 88-77, 5:45 to play. Spoelstra burns a timeout, as much for fun as anything, I guess.

• Out of the TO, Bron gets to the rim and shorts a finger roll. Terry gets to the line for Dallas and hits both, to make it 88-79. Still 5:20 t0 play.

• Dallas forces Miami into a bad shot at the shot clock buzzer. Dallas goes to Dirk, who finds Marion flashing to the rim. 88-81.

• Bron goes hard to the rim and draws a foul on Chandler. I think Miami figured as long as their going to waste the clock, they might as well try to get to the basket and draw fouls. He hits both, and Kidd nails a three to make it a six-point game with 3:36 to go. Bron dribbles and misses a fadeaway, and Dallas rebounds. Kidd finds Terry, who hits a runner to make it 90-86, with 3:11 left. So…not over.

• Since Wade’s corner three, Dallas is on a 13-2 run.

• For a second I thought the crowd was chanting “M.O.P.” But they’re actually chanting “Let’s Go Heat!”

• And out of the timeout, Bosh dribbles out of bounds along the baseline. Dirk gets an open 18 footer and rattles it in. Two point game. Haslem misses a long jumper and Dallas comes down with a chance to tie it. Miami does a nice job stopping them. Miami comes back and gets three possessions and can’t score. And then on a runout, Dirk scores — lefty, of course — to tie the game. 90 all. 57.6 left. Wow. 17-2 run since that corner three from Wade.

• Dallas doubles Bron, then Wade, and he takes a contested three and misses. Dallas comes right back and Dirk rips a three, clean. 20-2 run for Dallas. Dallas up 93-90. 26.7 left.

• Chalmers! Out of the TO, Mario drains the three and ties the game at 93. 24.5 left.

• Dallas runs the clock down and goes to Dirk. He spins to the rim, throws up ANOTHER lefty layup and puts Dallas up 95-93. Miami rushes back and Wade takes a long three that hits the rim and misses. Dallas wins, 95-93. Wow.

The post NBA Finals Game 2 Live Blog appeared first on SLAM.

So Tuesday I woke up at 5:00 AM over on the Florida panhandle, then flew to Atlanta, then to Miami, then checked into the hotel, then busted it over to the Arena for Game 1. By the time I got back to the hotel Tuesday night it was 1:00 AM, I’d been awake all day, and I had no trouble getting to sleep.

Waking up Wednesday morning was a little tougher. I had to be over at my main man Sekou Smith’s hotel by 9:30 AM to tape the latest Hang Time Podcast, with a special guest who I figured might be upset if I overslept: David Stern.

Sekou and I spoke to the Commissioner Stern literally minutes before he went in to the latest collective bargaining session, and he had some interesting stuff to say about what might happen this summer.

You can download the entire podcast here, or subscribe via iTunes. Or you can just listen below via the flash player:

After that, just around noon with the sun beating down, the assembled media assembled at AmericanAirlines Arena to discuss last night’s game with all the players.

The Heat took the floor first, although Wade, Bron and Spoelstra went to the interview room and handled their business there. Spo made it clear that Miami wasn’t taking anything for granted. “We have great respect for what they did and what they’re capable for offensively. They did miss some open shots. We affected some at times, but they’re a dangerous offensive team with the skill level and shooting ability and the passing ability they have. So we have to be on edge.”

The Heat players all credited their “string” defense, how when one guy moves all the others move with him to help cover for him. (I think “rope” would sound cooler, but maybe that’s just me.) “This is the most challenging offense we’ve played in this postseason,” said Bron, “because of the firepower that they have offensively.”

(By the way, this Erik Spoelstra feature by Kevin Arnovitz is really great. Read it.)

The Mavs came next. “They won the line of scrimmage is really what it came down to,” said Rick Carlisle. “They were more physical inside. It led to 16 second-chance opportunities for them. And that just takes the ball out of our hands and it gives them another chance to keep playing. We’ve got to do a better job of scrambling and getting bodies on bodies, and we have to come up with the ball.”

Dirk downplayed the injury to his finger, saying it might be problematic when dribbling or swiping at the ball, but that it shouldn’t mess with his shooting touch.

You also get fun exchanges like this:

REPORTER: You guys have 100 games or so under your belt. After losing Game 1 of a seven game series, how tempting is it to make a lot of adjustments? How many adjustments will you make?

Rick Carlisle: We’ll make some adjustments for sure.

REPORTER: Like?

RC: Like you want to know specifically?

REPORTER: Please?

RC: We’ll be ready for Game 2.

After the hour of media availability, I was in the hallway under the stands talking to Mike Lee and John Schuhmann about which ‘90s R&B groups the Heat and the Mavs are most like. Schuhmann went with Jodeci for the Heat, and we were just starting to talk about who the Mavs might be (After 7? Color Me Badd?) when some dude walked by and said, “Shaq retired.” We all immediately whipped out our phones and went to Twitter and saw Shaq’s tweet that he was, in fact, retiring.

I walked out to grab lunch with my main man Pascal Giberne, and as we walked I thought about Shaq. The first time I had the chance to talk to Shaq was in the spring of 2001. Shaq and Kobe had been slyly beefing for a while, and he agreed to sit with me and do a Q&A. I flew out to L.A. and went to a Lakers practice, and after everyone had cleared out, Shaq came out and sat with me on the bleachers in the empty practice facility. He was just so, so massive, and when we shook hands, his hand completely enveloped mine. Even though we were the only people in the room, Shaq spoke in that quiet, hushed voice, and when I asked him the first question, his answer was so quiet that I was afraid my tape recorder wouldn’t pick up his response. Shaq must have noticed the worry in my face, because he immediately reached out, took the recorder from me and held it right up to his mouth for the rest of the interview.

I asked him at one point about getting along with his teammates, and he said, “I don’t have to get along. I’m the don dada; they have to get along with me. I’m too big to have to ride in the backseat of anybody’s car. They’ve got to get along with me. Period.”

After that, I’d see Shaq a couple of times a year, at NBA events or games or whatever, and he’d always make a moment to speak. The most recent official Shaq interaction I had was in 2007, when we did the Shaq/Dirk Sin City covers. We did the Shaq shoot under the stands there in Miami, in the exact place where I was standing when I heard Shaq was retiring. We talked for a long time that day, about a lot of stuff. For instance…

ME: Do you ever stop and wonder why your life has happened to you? What I mean is, why did you turn out to be 7-3? Why did you turn out to be a great athlete and have a sense of humor and have millions of fans and you’re running down criminals and all this crazy stuff?

Shaquille O’Neal: No, no. Because my life is how I programmed it to be. As a youngster I used to sit there and watch everybody. When you’re building your character, sometimes you can build it from scratch or sometimes you can cheat. I cheated. I took a little bit from everyone. I took a little bit of Ewing, Robinson, Hakeem, Jordan, the smile of Magic, plus my own juvenile delinquency. And there you have me.

We talked for over an hour, and before Shaq left, we spoke a little about his legacy.

ME: Do you think the NBA has fallen off from what it was back when you were a kid?

SHAQ: It’s different. When I was coming up, every team had a star. Every team doesn’t have a star now, and then the guys that they try to make stars aren’t really stars all the time. I think you have to make yourself a star and not have people try to make you a star. I think if you make yourself a star you’ll be respected. I’ve been in 15 years, and I get respect in every arena. Sometimes they boo, sometimes they clap. I killed every ninja in front of me to become the Shogun. And that’s just how I did it.

ME: Are you still the most dominant player in the League?

SHAQ: Most dominant? Yeah. I don’t really get to showcase a lot of that because of the defenses, but yeah, I am. Everybody talks about Ming, but I’m the Shogun and he has to go through me in a championship series to take my crown. He just can’t outscore me one or two games and then say he’s the best. It don’t work like that.

ME: You still think you’ll keep playing until your contract is up in 2010 and then that’ll be it?

SHAQ: Probably. I mean, I’ll be 38, I don’t know. But again, if somebody makes me an offer I can’t refuse, I might can do something.

ME: Where did the nickname Diesel come from?

SHAQ: Diesel means power. The most powerful gas is diesel. The most powerful truck on the street is diesel. Diesel fuel burns the longest. And you can’t set diesel fuel on fire. You set a match to diesel fuel, it won’t catch on fire. You didn’t know that, did you?

ME: Well, no, I didn’t know that. But to be honest I’m not sure you’re right about that, either.

SHAQ: Look it up on the internet. I know you don’t believe me. You’re sitting there like, “What the f*ck is Shaq talking about, bullsh*tting me.” I didn’t know it either; somebody told me that. It was just a name I always had, Shaq Diesel, because I’m like a truck, a big ol’ truck with no brakes, and I can’t be stopped.

Until today, I suppose.

I know Shaq had his haters, but he was my era’s don dada. And I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Thanks for the memories, big fella.

(By the way, Shaq was right: Diesel fuel isn’t flammable, though it is combustible.)

Catch you guys tonight for Game 2.

The post Links: NBA Finals Check-In appeared first on SLAM.

OK, so we’re about half an hour from tip-off. I’m in the David Stern press conference right now, typing away on my laptop and trying to look busy. But really I’m just, you know, setting up a liveblog. I’m making this live right now, and I’ll be back closer to tip-off to get the live blog cracking…

OK, we’re about to  get going here. Michael McDonald just sang a smoky version of the National Anthem. Ya Mo B Here! The Mavs were introduced to an instrumental version of Cee-Lo’s “Forget You.” Well, maybe not that version.

• Time for the Heat intros. Fire shoots from the back of the baskets. I’m sitting with Sekou Smith at the top of section 102, and we can feel the flames from here.

• I saw people on Twitter pregame saying there was a rumor that the game wasn’t sold out. I can’t speak to the veracity of that, but this arena looks full, all the way up to the top of the stands.

• I’m trying to convince Sekou to get an Abraham Lincoln five-dollar bill tattoo on his neck. He’s not going for it.

• It’s pretty loud up in here. I forgot that in 2006 it was loud enough that I had to fashion makeshift earplugs from napkins.

• First play of the game and Bron dishes inside to a cutting Bosh, who picks up a foul on Chandler 18 seconds into the game. Bosh hits both freebies.

• Miami opens with Joel Anthony on Dirk, and everyone seems pretty confused. The Mavs get it to Dirk, Bibby doubles, and the Mavs pick up a three second call.

• Just spent three minutes trying to find the game on the TV next me. Finally got it, but missed a few buckets. Game tied at 4.

• Miami leads 6-4 with 8:13 to go in the first. Pretty sloppy thus far — lots of turnovers, blocked shots, dropped loose balls.

• Tyson Chandler misses a free throw and then makes one. Foul was on Bron, I believe.

• Bosh follows a Wade miss strong and scores, then closes out on Dirk on the other end and helps force a miss.

• Dallas posts Kidd on Bibby, and Kidd misses the turnaround J.

• Bosh with the hook shot over a double team. Heat check? He misses.

• Another loose ball scramble around halfcourt, and Bron manages to corral the ball and stand up, then drive into Dirk, force contact, and hit the fadeaway. First time out of the Finals, 5:30 to go in the quarter, and Miami leads 10-5. Dallas is 1-7 from the floor, 0-2 on threes, and has three turnovers.

• Jason Terry checks in and forces Miami to defend him outside, which leaves Jason Kidd open for a three, which he nails. Terry immediately gets a steal and draws a foul on the other end. Miami answers by putting in Chalmers, Haslem and Juwan Howard.

• Dallas starts to make a run, and Miami answers courtesy of a Bron three to make it 16-12, Miami. Timeout. Neither team seems particularly comfortable out there — they’re looking for mismatches and trying to exploit them, which I suppose makes good basketball sense, but as a result the game has no flow.

• Dos Minutos!

• Out of the TO, Dallas runs a pick/roll for Dirk and they find Terry flaring out on the wing for a three.

• JET gives Bron a little crossover and drives and tries to bang on him. Bron sort of rides him past the rim, and Terry comes down hard, on his hip. He’s down for a bit, but seems to get up and walks it off.

• After one, the Mavs have come back to lead 17-16. Both teams are shooting .286 from the field. This is looking like the NCAA Championship.

• The best performance of the first quarter might have been the Heat dancers performing to “Girls, Girls, Girls.”

• Barea opens the first quarter with a drive and miss, and the Bosh gets a tip-jam on a Bron miss. Terry and Miller trade threes.

• Next time down Dallas goes to Dirk in the post and Miller and Haslem immediately double him, forcing a jump ball.

• Play of the first half comes when Wade is trying to save a ball that’s heading out of bounds. He leaps into the air and fires it at Barea, trying to bounce it off of him…and somehow Barea just catches the ball and turns back up court. That ball must’ve been going 8,000 mph, but Barea caught it like it was a bounce pass.

• Another TO. 8:23 left int he second, and Dallas leads 22-21.

• Barea is doing Barea things! I wish the Knicks would trade for him, just because it would be fun to hear Clyde Frazier call his games. “Barea is jiving and driving!”

• Meanwhile, Dallas is zoning Miami, and Miami doesn’t quite seem sure what to do. As soon as I write that, Dallas goes man to man, Miami runs a pick/roll with Bron and Bosh, and Bosh gets to the rim and draws a foul.

• Dallas sticks in man and puts Peja on Bron. Bron posts him and scores and then draws a foul on the next play. Time out, Miami up 27-26. Have a feeling Peja won’t be on Bron after this TO.

• BTW, here’s the view from my seat:

• Celeb watch: Jimmy Buffet and Gloria Estefan are introduced. Meanwhile, Chalmers drains a corner three.

• Dallas on the break, and Dirk pump fakes and misses a jumper. He’s 1-5 right now.

• And then Joel Anthony checks in and Dirk goes right at him and scores.

• With 3:17 left in the first half, Miami leads 35-31. I’m just hoping Butler can go on a run in the second half.

• Ludacris in the house.

• Dallas hits a three, Miami turns it over, and Dirk hits a bank shot over a double team. The arena gets quiet pretty fast.

• Wade tries to shoot a jumper over the zone and misses. Kidd stands at the top of the key and sorta flips the ball at the rim. It turns out to be a perfect alley-oop to Chandler. Kidd still got it.

• Dallas seems to have their groove back — swinging the ball around, finding open guys. And then Dirk turns it over.

• With 5.9 seconds left in the half, the Heat take a 20. They inbound to Bron, he dribbles the length of the court and hits an open Miller…who misses a three. At the half, Dallas leads 44-43.

• Halftime stats: Dallas shooting 38 percent, Miami shooting 36 percent. Actually, the stats are pretty even across the board. The one thing I’m surprised by is how Miami seems to be settling for a lot of jumpers. I figured they’d drive and get calls and live on the line, but they’ve taken fewer free throws than Dallas so far.

• Dallas strikes first with a Marion runner in the lane. Miami opens the half with a Joel Anthony hook (miss) and a Mike Bibby three (miss). Then Dirk drains a three to put Dallas up 48-43. LeBron drives and misses a close shot, and Dallas pushes it back up, then Marion finds DeShawn with the cross-court pass and he nails a three. Dallas up 51-43, a 7-0 run to start the half. TO.

• Out of the TO, Wade drives to the rim and scores on a nifty reverse. Dallas turns it over, and Miami pushes it and Wade gets another layup, and misses the free throw.

• Dirk misses a 12-footer, and Miami comes roaring back. A Bron three, a Dirk skyhook miss. The Dallas makes a couple of nice passes a Brnedan Haywood gets blocked by the rim on a dunk attempt.

• Wade banks in a runner. Seems to be making a concerted effort to get the basket in this half. Dallas still on top, 57-53.

• Heckuva game tonight from Shawn Marion, who has 13 and 8. I remember once asking Marion about his unorthodox shooting style, and he said it was because he used to jump so high that he shot down at the rim.

• Dallas is buying some time with Peja in the lineup. Miami keeps trying to go after him, but he’s doing a pretty good job of sticking up for himself. No points, three fouls, but he’s just -2 on the plus/minus. JET has a +10, and Bosh has a +7.

• MVP thus far tonight has to be the wireless internet in the American Airlines Arena. Powerful and steady. Only downside is I’ve grown a third ear.

• Out of a timeout, and JET makes an unforced turnover. Miami responds with an easy bucket for Haslem. Dallas makes another unforced turnover, and Peja notches a steal. Dallas gets a nice dunk, and Peja gets another steal. Then Bron comes down and drains a long three to put Miami back on top, 60-59.

• Barea weaves his way to the basket and misses a layup. Miami comes back down and Juwan Howard fights for a loose ball and nearly breaks his hip, but he comes up with the ball and gets to the line. Considering he invented free throws, Howard’s money.

• As the quarter winds down, LeBron dribbles and wets a long three point fadeaway right in front of Rick Carlisle. Miami leads 65-61 after three.

• Half opens with Bron missing a three and an alley-oop. Dirk gets it back and goes to the line. If Dallas can get into the bonus early this could be a long quarter.

• Dallas doubles Bron, and Miami swings the ball around and finds Miller in the corner for a three. Miami fouls Haywood, which is Miami’s second team foul.

• Dallas worked the ball around and had Miami scrambling to cover, but nobody was guarding Dirk. He scores easily. If you’re going to leave someone open, probably shouldn’t be Dirk.

• Chris Bosh catches in the post and slowly dribbles his way to the ground. Looked like he was on Wipeout.

• Barea comes in and is guarding Wade. Wade immediately goes at him, forces a switch, and gets Haslem an open 15-footer. Miami leads 70-66 with 8:43 to go.

• Howard Beale clip during the timeout. Shouts to Sidney Lumet.

• Wade sizes up Terry and hits a jumper over him. Barea finds DeShawn Stevenson in the corner for a wide-open three. Words I never expected to be writing in the Finals.

• Chandler gets an offensive foul setting a pick. A few seconds later, Dallas picks up another foul, this one on Stevenson. Bron finds Haslem for a jumper, which he misses. Miller rebounds, resets, finds Bron, and eventually Bosh hits a cutting Haslem for a layup, and one. There are mismatches all over the court — Barea was guarding LeBron for a minute there — but Miami has to be patient and capitalize. On that play where Barea was guarding Bron, Wade ended up shooting a fadeaway jumper. Anyway, Heat lead 75-69, with 6:36 to go in the game.

• Dallas misses, Miami misses. Dallas goes to Dirk, and he finds Terry for a three, but he misses. Miami overpasses and Bosh misses a contested layup. Dallas comes back down and Dirk misses a fadeaway. Miami gets a nice give and go but Haslem misses. Nobody’s scored in the last 2:01. On an inbounds play, Bron tries to run through a Chandler pick and there’s an explosion of arms and legs. Foul is called on Bron. Chandler to the line: miss, make. Miami leads 75-70, 4:35 to go. At this rate, the final score might be 77-73.

• Out of the TO, Wade crosses over Kidd, makes a little space, then hits the jumper. Dallas returns and runs a play for Marion in the post. Marion turns into Miller, draws the foul, hits the bucket and makes the free throw.

• Wade passes inside to Bosh and Dirk swipes at the ball. Foul called on Dirk. Bosh to the line: make, make. Miami leads, 79-73, 3:44 to go.

• Miami shows trap, gets Dallas running all over the place, and Marion gets his shot blocked by Wade, out of bounds off Marion. Miami returns and Wade busts a long three. Miami goes up 9, with 3:06 to go. Miami has found an extra gear here.

• Haslem gets called for a foul on Dirk as Dirk is driving. Dirk to the line: good, good. 82-75.

• Miami runs a clear out for Bron, and he just goes to the rim like a freight train. Dunks and gets fouled. Dirk scores on the other end to make it 85-77.

• Dos minutos.

• Miami runs down the clock and Bron airballs a three for a 24 second violation. 1:43 to go.

• Dallas gets Dirk baseline against Haslem, and Bill Kennedy makes an advantage foul call to send Dirk to the line. 1:36 to go.

• Dirk hits both and makes it 85-79. Chalmers comes back and hits two FTs. Kidd forces a three and misses, and Wade gets the board, sprints up court and hits Bosh for a dunk. Ten point game with 1:08 to play. That play was so much like the Wade of the 2006 Finals, it was a little scary.

• Dirk misses a three and the Heat run clock, then Wade flips the ball to a cutting Bron, who comes unmarked from the weak side and tomahawks the ball home.

• And the Heat win, 92-84. Bron finishes with 24, Bosh with 19, and Wade with 22. Bron gets his first Finals win, and the Heat lead the Finals, 1-0.

• Stopped by the Mavs locker room postgame, where Jason Terry was talking about tempo, specifically saying that Miami’s slower pace was a deciding factor. He said the Mavs can play at the tempo, but they’d rather not. On anything regarding specific plays or rotations, Terry said he’d have to check the tape.

• Carlisle: “We know the tempo is going to vary some, but by and large, we’ve got to play better overall.”

• Someone asked Spoelstra why Bron and Wade have played so well in the fourth quarters of games recently. Spo said: “Well, it’s not as if we created two new players. That’s who they’ve been their entire careers. I think it just takes time for players to feel comfortable with each other and a new offensive system and playing with new guys and being in this situation over and over. We had quite a few close games in the regular season where we failed. We had to adjust some things. Every playoff game for us has been one of those that goes downt he stretch. The more times you’re in it, probably the more confident you get.

• Some numbers: Dirk finished with 27 points on 7-18 shooting (and 12-12 on FTs). Marion had 16 and 10. Tyson Chandler played 33  minutes and had 4 rebounds, including 0 offensive boards. The Mavs’ bench (Terry, Peja, Barea and Haywood) went a combined 4-22 for 17 points (Terry hit 3 threes, but didn’t score in the second half).

• Bron attempted just 2 free throws and Wade just 5, while Bosh was 9-12 from the line. Wade, Bron and Bosh combined for 28 boards, 8 less than the entire Dallas team. Haslem had 7 points, 6 boards and 5 fouls, and Chalmers and Miller combine for 18 points.

The post NBA Finals Game 1 Live Blog appeared first on SLAM.

Hey folks!

My name is Lang Whitaker, and after announcing my full-time departure from SLAM and taking the last few weeks off from SLAMonline, I’m back on the grind for the NBA Finals.

I’ve been gone from SLAM full-time for a few weeks now, which in internet time is like 8,000 years. In the meantime, I’ve been spending my days working hard at doing mostly nothing. Sure, I’m still recording podcasts with Sekou for NBA.com. I’ve been taking meetings, lunches and dinners. I wrote a couple of SLAM magazine features for the next two issues. I went to Oklahoma City for Round One of the Playoffs, then went to Atlanta for Round Two. I’ve been out pimping for my book, and I finished off my second season of “The Beat” on NBA TV, and even wrote a couple of Playoff-related pieces for GQ.

So I haven’t been completely useless. But with the weather turning beautiful this spring, and without an office requiring my presence hanging around, I’ve spent my mornings juggling emails and phone calls, then set out to enjoy my life. I’ve gone jogging in the middle of the day, taken my dog Starbury on unbelievably long walks, brought Starbury outside while I spent hours sitting on benches in the park outside my house reading and staring at the Hudson River. For the most part, I’ve worked hard at not working. I feel I deserve it, at least for a while, or until the money runs out.

I’ve also spent significant time working my way through my back catalogue of video games. Once I finished those, I recently immersed myself in the world of LA Noire, the new crime procedural video game from Rockstar. It’s a strange ride, the least action-y action game I’ve ever played. The game is set in 1940’s Los Angeles, and you are an up-and-coming police detective, running around Hell-Ay charged with solving a series of gruesome murders. The way you’re supposed to solve these crimes involves scouring crime scenes looking for clues, then interviewing suspects and trying to piece together what happened. There are a few gunfights and chase sequences, but the majority of the time is spent talking to digitized people.

As someone who basically makes a living interviewing people, I thought I’d be pretty good at LA Noire, especially the part where I’ve got the perps in the interview room and I’m grilling them for information. I know how to listen to people, how to broach sensitive topics, how to bob and weave, how to drop the hammer when necessary. Yet, at least in the world of LA Noire, I’m terrible at interviewing people. These criminals lie to me and get away with it. I accuse innocent people of doing horrible things they haven’t done, then let guilty communist sympathizers walk away free.

After a lot of consideration, I think the reason I’m subpar as a digital interviewer is because I’m trying to apply real-world logic to an unreal world. When I ask a suspect if he knew the murder victim and he tells me no, he did not, then refuses to look me in the eyes and gets all fidgety, I immediately believe I’m being lied to. What really matters, however, outside of the game, is whether or not the video game programmer wants me to think I’m being lied to. So instead of just reading and reacting to the characters in the game, you need to read and react to the people who developed the game — the producers, writers, animators, etc. How did these people expect me to respond, and how can I out-fox them? The more I play LA Noire, the more I realize how my initial, instinctive reactions are pretty much worthless. I try and think deeper and deeper, in what can quickly become circular logic. Before you know it, you’re busy trying to out-think yourself.

Similarly, in assessing these NBA Playoffs, I’m not sure if I should believe what my brain is telling me to think. At the most basic level, I think Miami has the best player in the series, and maybe in the NBA, in LeBron. No matter how you rate Dirk versus Wade, Miami has two superstars and Dallas has one. Miami also has home court advantage, and they have two superstars who can drive to the rim, who will get calls and get to the line. And they’ve got LeBron and Bosh, who can reasonably be considered able to defend Dirk one-on-one. So my initial thought is that Miami must have the advantage.

Then, the more I think about it, the more questions arise. Can Marion/Stevenson stop LeBron? Can Terry/Kidd stop Wade? Who runs the point for Miami? Does it matter if they don’t really have a point guard? Can Wade start playing the way he did earlier in the Playoffs? Will anyone on Miami be able to shut down Dirk? Will they be able to even slow him down at all? Can anyone on Miami keep up with JJ Barea? Will JJ Barea’s wifey be at any of the games? Will Miami go zone? Will Dallas go zone? Will the classic LeBron/DeShawn battle rear its ugly head and require someone to “Blow the Whistle”?

The last time these teams squared off in the Finals, back in 2006, was the first time I covered the Finals in their entirety. I spent over two weeks going back and forth from Dallas and Miami, flying over 8,000 miles, even hitting NYC for a day between each stop. My saving graces during that time were the 2006 World Cup, and discovering The Ricky Gervais Show, the greatest podcast on earth. Last night I went back and re-read all my notes from that series. I remember thinking Dallas had it locked up after winning Games 1 and 2, then thinking Miami would definitely win it after taking all the games in Miami, which they eventually did. What ended up making the most difference in the entire series was Dwyane Wade. Yes, he shot a lot of free throws, but he also drove to the basket and forced contact over and over again.

So Wade was the best player in that series. And his team won the series.

Maybe I’m overthinking these Finals. Perhaps, like in LA Noire, I’m overthinking the thinking behind the questions and not looking at simple logic. This all makes me sympathetic toward Ricky Gervais’s sidekick, the great philospher Karl Pilkington of Manchester, a man who once asked, “Does the brain control you or are you controlling the brain? I don’t know if I’m in charge of mine.”

Boiling it down, the best player in this series will lead his team to a title. And I’m guessing that LeBron James will be the best player in this series. Which leads me to believe that his team will win.

Then again…what if Dirk turns out to be the best player? And what if having a lot of really good players is more important than having two superstars?

Crap, I’m doing it again.

OK, look, I don’t have any idea who’s going to win. Trying to keep it simple, I’ll pick Miami in 6. But I wouldn’t be shocked if Dallas pulls this off.

On Tuesday, I’m flying into Miami and I’ll ride with you guys here on SLAMonline throughout Games 1 and 2.

Let’s have some fun.

And I’m glad to be back.

The post Links: NBA Finals Preview appeared first on SLAM.

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by Lang Whitaker / @langwhitaker

Thunder pride has come sweeping down the plain here in Oklahoma City. Windows of office buildings sport paint proclaiming various pro-Thunder slogans. Sidewalks in the Bricktown area have been marked to lead the way to the Ford Center, while reclaimed warehouses sport tinsel and lights. The streets are jammed with people, nearly all of them wearing some sort of Thunder gear. There are banners, street fairs, bands—the kind of pomp and excitement that’s usually reserved for an All-Star Weekend.

Though the Oklahoma City Thunder won’t begin Game 1 of their 2011 Playoff run against the Denver Nuggets for 90 minutes, in the OKC locker room, Russell Westbrook is holding court, simultaneously watching film and cracking on teammates. Near the middle of the room, 6-10, second-year power forward Serge Ibaka is sitting before his locker, headphones on, head down, back to the room. He seems to be in his own little world.

Weeks earlier, at the end of February, OKC rattled the NBA by moving swingman Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic to Boston for bruising center Kendrick Perkins and diminutive guard Nate Robinson. Ibaka moved from the bench into the starting lineup at the 4, and, in turn, opened up his game: For the month of March, Ibaka averaged 11.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 3.4 bpg. He finished the season with 198 blocked shots, leading the NBA. (He also adopted the habit of punctuating the blocks with a Mutombo-style finger wag.)

“[Ibaka is] a terrific player, potentially,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, a few days before the Playoffs began. “He’s not yet, but he’s got great potential to be a player, and they probably made the move because they saw it would be the right thing to do in that regard.”

Settling into a chair in front of his corner locker, team leader Kevin Durant considers Ibaka. “I don’t really know his story. He has a lot of brothers and sisters, that’s about it. I haven’t asked him about it. I don’t know what he went through as a child, whether it’s good or bad.

“Sometimes people say a guy should sit and watch and you’ll learn,” Durant continues. “And that’s good sometimes. But to go through it, and to mess up, and to go through adversity? That’s what I went through. Coach said, ‘Hey, just go out there and go play. Do what you do best.’ Serge is teaching himself along the way, and that’s kind of what he did, moving over here and playing in the NBA. Everything’s parallel, basically.”

That evening, before their epically raucous crowd, OKC goes on to win Game 1, 107-103. Twelve hours later, the Thunder reconvene at their temporary practice facility, a converted roller skating rink just north of downtown in Edmond. (Their new custom spot should be ready to open this summer.) While Durant posts up against a wall and discusses the Game 1 win with the assembled press, Ibaka sits quietly a few feet away. He sips from a bottle of orange Gatorade as he begins to unspool his remarkable life story.

Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila was born in The Republic of the Congo in 1989. He grew up in Brazzaville, the nation’s capital, and he says he “grew up around basketball.” His father, Desire Ibaka, played professionally in Africa and for the Republic of Congo National Team; his mother, Amadou Djonga, played for the National Team of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “When my dad would go to practice—he was playing, my dad. After he was finished with his practice, he tried to show me how to shoot ball. That was how I learn basketball.”

Serge was the third-youngest of 18 children. Fortuitously for him, he was also the tallest. “When I was a kid, my dream was always to just play one game. I wanted to attempt to play professional basketball. My father’s dream was for me to play professional basketball.”

In ’97, when Serge was 8, his mother passed away. A few months later, the Second Congo War broke out. With over five million people killed, it was the deadliest war the world had seen since World War II. Hoping to escape the terrible unrest, the Ibakas left their home in Brazzaville and moved north. A few years later, upon their return home, Serge’s father was jailed, arrested basically for being on the wrong side of a battle line. With his father locked up, Serge was raised by his grandmother.

“I was two, three years with my grandmother. Then my father get back. It was real crazy. It was a tough moment for everybody. After that, everything was quiet, everything was good.”

When the war ended, Desire was released from prison, and Serge was able to focus on basketball. He played for a local club, Avenir du Rail, and made a splash when he won MVP honors playing in the Junior African Championships in ’06. Soon after, the 17-year-old Serge went to France to play second-division basketball, then jumped to Spain to play in the ACB’s second division. He not only didn’t speak any Spanish, he barely spoke basketball.

“My first time to play in Europe, I was shooting the ball well, I was blocking shots, I was rebounding. The most difficult for me was how to play team play, five against five, learning the offense. That was a real problem. I never played basketball with a shot clock in the Congo. In Congo, we played on playground. No clocks. So for me, everything was new—the clock, new referees. It was difficult. I wanted to keep working, with my team, to be more focused, to learn. Now I’m getting better. And I get more better.”

His skills may have needed developing, but his raw tools were wowing scouts around the world. He played in several international showcases in 2008, including the Nike Hoop Summit, and he won MVP at the Reebok Eurocamp. As an NBA scout at the Hoop Summit told SI.com, “He doesn’t know how to play. But athletically he’s off the charts—there’s no telling how good he can be.’’

The post Power Serge appeared first on SLAM.

Here at the Highlight Factory for Game 4. Should be an interesting night. Both teams really need the win, and not sure who really needs it more. The Hawks are going with their “big” lineup tonight, which means Jason Collins gets the start, Marvin comes off the bench, and Horford and J-Smoove slide down a spot. Not really sure how this helps the Hawks, other than it gives them a big body to crash into Rose if he drives into the lane. It also takes Horford off of Noah. Those guys have known each other forever — they were roomates at Florida.

• When I was driving in, I saw a kid outside the arena wearing a FREE JEFF TEAGUE t-shirt.

• Before the game tipped, the Hawks’ president presented flowers to the mothers of a bunch of the Hawks players. Happy Mother’s Day, y’all!

• BTW, Billy Donovan is at the game tonight.

• At tipoff the crowd seems much more into it and pro-Hawks than they were for Game 3. Still see a smattering of Bulls jerseys throughout the arena.

• Hawks open with the same play they opened Game 3, that pin down for Joe Johnson. Only this time Joe knocks in a jumper from the top of the key.

• Tied at 6 early on. Hawks haven’t had to call a time out within the first minute, so I guess that’s something.

• DRose picks up a foul with 8:38 to go.

• Jason Collins gets a dunk and flexes on the rim a little bit, and PA man Ryan Cameron sings a little Guy: “Jam, oohh-ohh jam.”

• Joe Johnson drives baseline and hits a floater, puts ATL up 12-10. Joe’s got 6 early on.

• Collins picks up his second foul and Zaza checks in. Almost immediately, Joe Johnson crosses over Keith Bogans, who slides and appears to pull a hammy or maybe sprain an ankle. Hawks score, Bulls call timeout, and Bogans limps back to the locker room. Hawks up 16-13.

• Rose draws a shooting foul and goes back to the stripe. Bulls are getting to the line often already — they’re 7-8 from the line. Hawks haven’t shot any free throws.

• Zaza and Boozer trade buckets. Of course.

• Josh Smith catches a step in front of the free throw line and drives to the rim. He scores and gets fouled, and hits the free throw. Rose misses a layup, and Josh Smith misses a runner but draws Boozer’s second foul.

• JJ drills a three. 6-0 run for Atlanta.

• Marvin forces Deng to take a bad jumper. Josh Smith misses a midrange J.

• Bulls spring a 3/4 court trap on Jamal Crawford and rip the ball, and Gibson gets an open dunk. Next time down, Joe Johnson dribbles, waits for the trap, and hits Jamal for an open 18-footer.

• Just before the quarter ends, Gibson gets fouled and spins to dunk after the whistle. Zaza fouls him and gets hit with a T from Danny Crawford. Feels like a reputation call, though on the replay Zaza did hit him more solidly than it seemed at first. The Bulls miss the T,  though. Ball don’t lie.

• After one, Hawks lead 28-26. Bulls are shooting 42 pct to Atlanta’s 54 pct, but they’ve shot 13 free throws (and made 9) to Atlanta’s 1 free throw attempt.

• Second quarter begins and after a loose ball situation, Omer Asik gets an open dunk attempt. Joe Johnson fouls him to send him to the line, and somehow Joe appears to tweak his left elbow.

• Second quarter starts sloppy. Bulls reserves making Atlanta work hard, and the Bulls manage to take a 29-28 lead. All of a sudden the Bulls can’t make a shot, missing a few layups and short shots, and the Hawks get boards and get out on the break. Jeff Teague even does a pretty good Derrick Rose impression, going coast to coast at top speed and banking in a reverse layup. Hawks lead 32-29 with 8:43 left in the first half, timeout Bulls. Score seems to reflect the score the Bulls would prefer, but Atlanta seems to be much more emotionally invested in this game than they were in Game 3.

• Rose returns. Hawks come out of the timeout in a full court man-to-man. Korver misses a three, and Smoove gets the rebound, dribbles the length of the floor, does a spin move on Boozer, misses a layup, then gets his own tip in. Korver misses another three from the same spot, and Crawford hits a jumper. Bulls run the same play a third time in a row but this time go to Boozer, and he scores to cut it to a 36-31 Hawks lead.

• Dan Crawford calls a touch foul on Zaza, his third. With all the pounding and hacking that’s been going on by both teams, seems like a weird call to make.

• They come back down and Crawford calls Joakim for a foul off the ball. Danny Crawford is taking over.

• The Hawks get an alley-oop from Smoove to Horford that shakes the building, and then Rose answers with a layup that he misses, then dunks the follow-up. Whoa.

• Horford picks up his third foul with 4:49 left in the third. Zaza returns.

• With 4:01 to play, Joakim Noah hits a layup to tie it at 43. Joe Johnson answer quickly. Derrick Rose hits a three to put Chicago ahead 44-43. Hawks get an offensive three-second call, and Boozer comes down and Zaza draws his third foul, sending Booz to the bench.

• 2:29 to play in the half, and Bulls lead 44-43. Not sure if it’s being reflected in the box score or in these notes, but Josh Smith has played really well tonight. Yes, he’s 3-11 from the floor, but he leads everyone in minutes played and has 9 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, no fouls and no turnovers.

• And on cue, Smoove blocks a Rose layup, then finds Joe Johnson for a three on the other end. Hawks lead 47-46 with 57.5 left in the first half.

• Last play of the half, Damien Wilkins drives and misses a dunk. So at the half, the Hawks lead 47-46. Joe Johnson has 15 points on 6-8 shooting. Smoove has 9, 8 and 4. Other than scoring from the line, which the Bulls have done at a pretty good clip — 12 for 17 (Hawks are 7-11) — the Bulls are struggling from the field (39 pct, 22 pct on threes). They’ve missed a lot of short shots, and the Hawks have contested the longer jumpers.

• Second half starts with the teams trading baskets. Smoove misses a three, then the next time down pump fakes and drives to the rim, drawing an and-one on Deng. Hawks up 52-50.

• Bogans is back, by the way.

• Al Horford is so deliberate with his post moves. This time he got inside and dunked, but it was almost like slow motion. Hey, whatever works.

• Teague draws a foul on Joakim Noah in the open court by taking a hit and going down, then driving and scoring on the other end. Hawks push the ball back and Teague scores, pushing the Hawks lead to 56-50.

• Out of the timeout, the Bulls get Rose heading toward the basket and he crashes into Jason Collins and gets to the line.

• Next time down for the Bulls, Horford grabs the rebound of a Boozer miss and gets poked in the eye by Noah. It takes Al a while to sort of catch his breath, but as he runs back down court he and Jo exchange a stealthy handshake.

• Hawks go up 8 and Bogans answers with a three from the corner. After he hits the three he turns to the Hawks bench and says something. Probably just wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.

• Rose gets back to the line and hits two free throws, making it a 60-57 Hawks lead. Horford misses a jumper, and then Rose misses a runner, and then the Hawks turn it over. Not exactly a great exhibition here tonight.

• Deng drives and draws a foul, makes both free throws to cut it to 60-59. Then it’s time for Kiss Cam. Highlight is probably when an older couple is spotlighted, and they each remove their dentures before kissing.

• Out of the timeout the Hawks run a nice play for Joe Johnson, and he bangs in an open three. 4:04 to go in the third. Rose answer right back with a two.

• Hawks go big and put Joe Johnson on Rose. Bulls match them and go big, sending in Asik and Boozer. Hawks force the Bulls to take a timeout.

• The Bulls get the Hawks to switch and Josh Smith ends up guarding Rose. Rose backs up and drives on him, and Josh spikes the shot to the floor with two hands. Josh gets rewarded with his first break of the quarter.

• Next time down Rose finds a cutting Asik, who dunks and manages to do a pull-up on the rim with getting T’d up. The Hawks try to go two for one but and up with Jamal Crawford missing a three from the corner over a double team, and the Bulls get a bucket from Boozer just before the quarter ends to put them ahead 69-67 after three quarters. Bulls ended that quarter with an 8-0 run.

• Fourth begins, Josh is back in. Rose hits runners on back-to-back possessions and gets an and-one on one of them. Josh Smith scores on a nice give from Joe Johnson on the other end, and Rose drives and scores again. Zaza manages to draw a foul on the inside and sends Brewer to the bench for Watson. Bulls lead 76-75 with 8:59 left to play.

• Hawks do a great job switching and chasing Korver and force Rose to miss a 15 footer, and on the other end the Hawks get Smoove a dunk on the inside to take the lead. Korver responds, and after a Hawks turnover, Gibson hits two free throws to put Chicago ahead. Smoove answers by missing a dunk but getting his own rebound and dunking it.

• Bennett Salvatore gets tired of waiting for the Bulls on an inbounds play and sets the ball down and just starts counting. The Bulls get it in to Rose, but he misses a long shot. Haven’t seen that in the NBA in a long time, the ref setting the ball down and counting.

• So! Game tied at 80, with 5:58 to go.

• Out of the TO, Rose tries to hit Deng but throws it out of bounds.

• Hawks come back and Josh Smith catches on the baseline and faces up Boozer, then crosses him over and gets inside and draws a foul. Two shots: Good, good.

• Bulls looking a little disjointed on offense. So they give it to Rose and he draws a foul and scores. Misses the free throw. Game tied at 82. 4:59 left.

• Teague shakes Korver and hits Horford for a 9-footer.

• Rose flies through the lane and scores.

• Teague takes Korver again, this time he scores. Hawks up 86-84.

• Rose drives and Smoove gets a piece of his shot and grabs the board. Throws it out to Teague, charges into Korver (with no call) then drops it off to Horford for a layup. Hawks go up 88-84, 3:47 left. Timeout, Chicago.

• During that timeout they play “Eye of the Tiger,” and the crowd gets the loudest they’ve been tonight. Survivor must still make a mint off that song.

• Rose drives and crashes into Horford, no call. Hawks ball.

• Hawks burn clock and JJ misses a long two. Teague then rips Rose in the open court. Hawks reset and Smoove finds Horford inside for an easy two. Hawks go up 90-84. Remember a while back I said Smoove was playing great? Smoove has 23 points, 16 boards and 7 assists.

• Rose seems to draw a foul but…well, I’m not sure what happened. Bennett Salvatore blew his whistle. Well, they jump it up at midcourt and the Hawks get the ball back.

• Smoove picks out Horford under the rim for a dunk. 92-84.

• Korver misses a three.

• Teague ends up with the ball with the clock winding down, and he breaks down Korver and hits a running layup to put the Hawks up 10, 94-84, with 1:26 left. 10-0 run for the Hawks. Crowd going nuts.

• Bulls hit a nice play to Deng out of the timeout. Cut it to 8. Teague breaks down the defense, finds JJ in the corner, and he hits Crawford for a three. And…that should do it.

• Wait, one more strange thing happened: With 18.3 left the Bulls called a timeout that they didn’t have. And a chant of A-T-L! broke out.

• That’s it. Hawks win 100-88, end the game on a 16-4 run. Smoove finishes with 23-16-8. Joe Johnson goes for 24 and Horford for 20.

The post Links: Game Notes: Bulls at Hawks, Game 4 appeared first on SLAM.

ATLANTA — What up, peoples? It’s Friday night and I’m sitting halfway up the lower bowl here in the Highlight Factory. I’m working on some stuff for the next issue of SLAM, and I figured this weekend was a great opportunity: I can be here specifically for Mother’s Day (as far as my Mom knows), and while I’m here also catch a couple of NBA Playoff Games, between the Bulls and Hawks.

It was interesting to arrive here today and hear so much Hawks talk on the radio. Usually, by the time May comes around, Atlanta talk radio is all about the Braves and spring football. But the Hawks are alive and relevant right now. Which doesn’t mean anyone has any idea what’s going to happen tonight. I taped a little piece for NBA Entertainment, and they asked me for a prediction, and my prediction was that the Hawks could either win by 10 or lose by 20. I really have no idea how this is going to shake out.

• Went into the Hawks locker room tonight for the first time in a while, and Zaza Pachulia claimed it was the first time he’d seen me at a game since 1998. I also had a long discussion with Al Horford about the singer Juanes.

• There are tons of former NBA players here, enough to have a pretty solid squad of NBA alumni. My starting five:
PG Steve Smith
SG Scottie Pippen
SF Dominique Wilkins
PF Chris Webber
C Dikembe Mutombo

• Was hoping to get Mutombo around Hawks VP Arthur Triche to re-enact a “You still work for Hawk” moment, but couldn’t make it happen.

• Tipoff is at 7:00, which sort of stinks because Atlantans are not only late -arrivers, but Friday afternoon traffic here is not a game. I took some surface streets to get here (shouts to JR Rider) and made it with time to spare.

• Time to go. Bulls start their regular lineup: Deng, Boozer, Noah, Bogans, Rose. Hawks go with Marvin, Smoove, Al, Joe Johnson and Jeff Teague. Crowd seems pretty rowdy, if a bit late-arriving.

• Bulls open with screen for Deng, who bangs in a jumper. Hawks run their customary game-opening pin-down for Joe, who holds the ball then misses a long jumper. Rose gets the rebound, zooms upcourt and gets a layup. His ankle looks fine. It’s 4-0 Bulls, 11:11 left in the first, and Larry Drew burns his first timeout of the game. I’m just guessing here, but that’s probably not how the Hawks wanted to open the game.

• Out of the timeout the Hawks work inside to Horford, who misses and Rose gets to the line on the other end. Hawks finally get a defensive three second call on the Bulls and Marvin Williams gets them on the board, 6-1.

• Well, there ain’t no party like a Jeff Teague party. Dude gets a running layup with an and-one, drives and gets another layup, bangs in a 19-footer, then scores another layup. Only problem is the Bulls are scoring, too. Bulls lead 15-12, when Jamal Crawford checks in for Marvin Williams.

• The Bulls are apparently using their “Let Jeff Teague dominate and stop everyone else” defense. Teague has 11, the Hawks have 16. The Bulls have 22, and are 9 out of 11 from the floor.

• Well, 4:15 into the first, and Boozer and Bogans each have two fouls. J-Smoove drew both of those fouls on Boozer.

• For all the good he’s doing on one end of the floor, Teague isn’t really doing much to slow Rose, who has 15 (shooting 6 of 6) of Chicago’s first 26 and is putting on an offensive clinic.

• Finally, a moment of unity between the Hawks and Bulls fans here when “Just a Friend” plays over the PA system, and everyone sings along. It’s still true, decades later: Nobody beats the Biz.

• After one, it’s Bulls 29, Hawks 23, Rose 17, Teague 11. Bulls are killing Atlanta on the boards, 12-6. Rose is 7-10, with 2 assists and no turnovers.

• Hawks start the second with Zaza, Al, Marvin, Teague and Crawford. Not sure if I expect these guys to really crank up the defense. Bulls give Rose a break.

• And then my night took a turn. I ran into someone I know, and stepped out into the hall to talk to him. Then I ran into someone else, and then someone else, and then someone else. So I missed most of the second quarter. I saw the Bulls crank up a big lead, and then the Hawks creep back and at the half, the Bulls were up 56-43. Rose only scored 4 in the second quarter, but Watson and Korver all turned in big performances. Bulls bench has 21 points at the half. Hawks bench has 6 (Crawford 5, Zaza 1). And then Jamal Crawford got a technical foul as the Hawks were walking off the floor, as sort of a rotten cherry on top.

• Rose hits the techincal free throw to start the half, and then a three, to put Chicago up 60-43. Marv gets 2, Bogans gets 3. The Bulls have just had more energy and effort tonight, the Hawks have seemed a step slow all night.

• A Horford bucket makes it 63-49. Boozer misses, Smoove rebounds and cautiously drives the length of the floor before sinking a runner, cutting the Chicago lead to 63-51. Tom Thibodeau calls a timeout.

• Bulls turn it over out of the timeout, and the Hawks end up with Josh Smith throwing an alley-oop to Marvin Williams on the break. I would’ve felt better if that was the other way around.

• Since that timeout, Bulls outscored the Hawks 6-0, until a Smoove running hook shot in the lane makes it 67-53.

• Boozer hammers a dunk on Josh Smith, but is called an offensive foul. I didn’t know Boozer had that in him.

• The amazing thing about watching Rose play, particularly in person, is when he gets out into the open floor with the ball and turns up the speed, and he just flies past everyone else. It reminds me of when I went to that race car driving school a few months ago, and we were on the track with Joey Logano, the NASCAR driver. Even though we were all in the same cars, he was somehow able to make his car go significantly faster than the rest of us. It looked like our cars were parked, as he weaved in and out of us and sped past everyone on the track.

• In between the third and forth quarters, I ran to the bathroom on the concourse, where a fan in a Mike Bibby jersey was lecturing everyone else in line about how the Hawks were still in this game. I came back out and the Hawks were down 15 with 10 minutes to go.

• As good as Chicago’s defense has been all season — and it’s been pretty good tonight, too — tonight their offense has been pretty great: With 9 minutes to go, they’re shooting 48 pct from the floor, 47 pct on threes, have 17 assists and 17 offensive rebounds. And it’s all coming from Rose. Bulls up 86-71.

• During a timeout with 8:57 to go, a bunch of t-shirts are parachuted down from the ceiling. Of course, one drops right to me. (I gave it away, I swear!)

• Hawks score, get a steal and score again, and suddenly it’s an 11 point game with 8:12 to go. Thibs calls a TO, and the Hawks fans start coming alive a bit. Al Horford and Larry Drew are applauding…and Philips Arena is back up in this.

• Out of the timeout, the Bulls try to run a double-screen for Kyle Korver. Jamal Crawford defends it well and keeps the pass from being made. The Bulls re-set, Korver comes off the screens again, and Crawford once again keeps the pass from being made. So Derrick Rose just dribbles around and creates a 15-footer that he wets. Huge.

• The teams exchange misses, and Rose hits a 3 with 6:51 to go. Bulls up 91-75. They exchange a few more misses, and Rose crosses over Jamal and hits another step-back three. 94-75, Bulls. MVP chants breaking out around the arena. Rose has a career-high 44 points by the way.

• Khalid texts me and says he can’t believe he can hear MVP chants for Rose here in Atlanta. I text him back and say the way he’s playing, I’m about to start chanting it, too.

• 4:21 to go, the Hawks yank Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Horford and Crawford. Thibs takes out Joakim, but leaves in Rose. Couldn’t his ankle use the rest?

• Emanuel Lewis just walked by the press table. That was fun.

• And with 3:07 to go, Rose comes out to a standing ovation from all the Bulls fans. Rose finishes with 44, 7 assists, 5 boards and 2 turnovers. Went 4-7 on threes and 8-9 from the free throw line.

Basically, Rose went the heck off tonight. I’m not sure that NBA All-Star alumni team would have stood a chance.

• Final score, Bulls 99, Hawks 82.

The post Links: Game Notes: Bulls at Hawks appeared first on SLAM.

I spent most of the last decade writing and talking about the Atlanta Hawks.  This wasn’t some shrewd career move. If you want people to pay attention to you, you write about things people pay attention to: the Lakers, the Celtics, the NFL, politics, boobs.

I didn’t write about the Hawks because I was looking for attention; I did it because the Hawks are what I know. I grew up in Atlanta, watched Hawks games as a kid, went to Hawks games as a teenager. Even after I moved to New York, I watched every Hawks game I could get my eyes on. This was my team, these were my players.

For most of that last decade, they just weren’t very good. You know the last time the Atlanta Hawks won an NBA championship? Never. They last title they won was when the franchise was based in St. Louis, back in 1958. You know the last time the Atlanta Hawks went to the Eastern Conference Finals? Never. Since I’ve been alive, the Hawks have never been one of those teams with money to throw around. So they competed and tried, and there were years that they played hard, but most of the time they just weren’t good enough. We knew the Hawks weren’t going to win the title before the season even started. The most we could ask for was for the Hawks to exceed our expectations.

Still, for the last decade, I was completely and utterly obsessed with the Hawks. There were times when I was watching important games, sitting on my couch, my heart in my throat, and I was so obsessed that I’d throw things or yell at people. (Probably better than throwing people or yelling at things.) I wrote about the Hawks so often that the Hawks organization eventually hired me, and for three seasons I wrote weekly columns about the team for Hawks.com. I got to call a couple of Hawks games on radio thanks to the great Steve Holman. Due to the relationships I was able to forge with the players and front office, I managed to talk my way getting more access with the team than most journalists will ever get.

This season, I decided to take a step back. I needed to, for my marriage. In fact, I didn’t make Wifey watch a single Hawks game all season. I didn’t write a word about the Hawks all season on SLAMonline. I didn’t do a Final Point about the Hawks on NBA TV, and I don’t think I tweeted about the Hawks all season, either. I’d spent a decade as Mr. Hawk, and I needed a break.

Which doesn’t mean I wasn’t watching.

The Hawks made one major change coming into this season, swapping out Mike Woodson for Larry Drew. Drew promised to get more active on offense, less predictable on defense. And perhaps surprisingly, that’s exactly what the Hawks did. What didn’t surprise me was that the Hawks finished the season 44-38, with the fifth seed in the East. Above average. Not terrible. Not great.

That has been the story of the Hawks for the last few years. They got over that hump, survived that 13 win season in 2004-05, survived the lawsuit amongst the owners, even survived the crazy Lon Kruger Playoff promise. And for all of Mike Woodson’s predictability, he dragged the Hawks past horribility (#clydeword) into mediocrity, and then beyond.

Last night, while the Hawks were knocking off the Magic, the Falcons traded four draft picks to move up and draft Julio Jones. Now, whether or not you think this was a smart move by the Falcons — and I happen to think it was, because as an SEC fan I saw a lot of Julio Jones, and Julio Jones is dope — it showed that the Falcons were willing to gamble on themselves. The Hawks have made two big trades the last few years, both of them for aging guards (Hinrich and Bibby). Not exactly rolling the dice. I believe the biggest move the Hawks made in the last year was swapping Woody for Drew. I still don’t know that this was the best way to move beyond mediocrity, but at least it was something.

I didn’t come out and pick the Hawks to win this series, but I believed they had a chance. (I went to lunch two weeks ago with former SLAM EIC Tony Gervino and repeated this claim, so he can attest I am not lying.) On the surface, even giving the Hawks a shot in this series wasn’t a sure thing. Last year in the Playoffs, the Hawks got curb-stomped by Orlando, four games to none — by a combined 101 points, the most lopsided four game sweep in the history of the NBA(!). They lost Game One by something like 334 points, and it was at that exact moment I knew they were done for the 2009-10 season.

I’ll allow that the Magic have probably worsened themselves with the flurry of moves they made since reaching the Finals in 2009. And this season’s trades, especially trading Rashard Lewis for Gilbert Arenas, seemed like they were swinging for the fences. Still, they went 52-30 this season and finished 8 games ahead of Atlanta in the Southeast Division. The Hawks beat them 3-1 in the regular season, but one of those games was before Orlando traded everyone away, and one was without Joe Johnson. Post-trade, the Hawks and Magic split the series, 1-1.

So I really wasn’t sure how this series was going to play out. But give the Hawks some credit: They freaking did it. The Hawks won the series 4-2. Credit goes to several people, but here’s three:

1) Larry Drew: One of Mike Woodson’s peccadilloes was that he believed the best way for the Hawks to defend Dwight Howard was to double-team him when he caught the ball. The Hawks did this in Game 1 of the Playoffs last year against Orlando, and the Magic shredded them. The Hawks refused to adjust, the Magic didn’t have to adjust, and they crushed the Hawks. Larry Drew instead decided to play Dwight straight up with a variety of bench players, and shift Horford to the four and Josh to the three. And it worked.

2) Jason Collins: Twin was out of shape last season, but this year he came in leaner and meaner and the Hawks used him as a foul machine against Dwight Howard.

3) Jamal Crawford: Mr. Creezy came off the bench but was Atlanta’s leading scorer in this series. More than that, he was Atlanta’s spirit, making big plays whenever it seemed they were done.

I don’t know if the Hawks are going to beat Chicago. I don’t expect them to, but then again, maybe it’s better to manage my expectations. Because with these Hawks, you really never know.

And right when you count them out, they pull you back in…

The post Links: ATL, Shawty appeared first on SLAM.

(I realized yesterday that this post was going to be going up on the site on April 1, better known as April Fool’s Day. But this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke. So i almost held it until next week, but figured I wanted to go ahead and get this out there.)

For the last eleven years of my life — roughly 4,015 days — through rain (like today), sleet and snow, I’ve moved myself out of bed every weekday morning and made my way down to Manhattan’s Flatiron District, to enter the SLAM Dome. I moved from Atlanta to New York City  to work for SLAM in the fall of 2000. The first issue I worked on was SLAM #46, the issue with T-Mac on the cover in his Orlando uniform. I worked at the SLAM Dome through getting married, through losing family members, through gaining family members, through 9/11, through the New York City blackout. There were snowstorms and rainstorms and heatwaves and subway outages.

Last summer, I started thinking about how I was surpassing a decade of obsessively covering the NBA full-time for SLAM. The thought was staggering. Almost one-third of my life has been spent sitting here at this desk in the SLAM Dome, where I am sitting right now, trying to tell stories as best as I could, and also doing whatever I could to help other people’s words sing, too.

The more I tried to think about not leaving, the more I thought about what it would be like to not be here every day. And I constantly have ideas and thoughts and dreams and other things I’d love to pursue, but I haven’t been able to.

So, getting to the point: As of this Friday, I will no longer be a full-time editor here at SLAM.

What does that mean? Well, we’re not really sure just yet. I’ll get a fancy new title like Editor at Large. I’m still going to write a lot in every issue of SLAM, will still write on the site. The Links will probably go from the homepage to the drop-down menu, but the biggest change is that I won’t be working out of the SLAM office any longer. And now I’ve got the free time I’ve been dreaming about to chase down other dreams.

What are those dreams? Well, that’s a great question. Right now, besides SLAM, I’ve already got a few pots on the stove. I’m still rep for SLAM on bigger stages, doing things like NBA TV and the podcast on NBA.com (50th episode is available here). My memoir is out and, kinda amazingly, has been getting some great reviews. (BTW, if you’re around NYC, I’m doing a reading on Monday night, April 4, at 7:00 PM at The Half King.) I’m writing essays about random lifestyle things in each issue of Antenna magazine, and I’m working on a food website for guys (it launched this week and my first column is up here).

That’s what I’m up to now. And I love all of that. We nailed all this down on Tuesday, and I left the office on Tuesday night and felt excited. For the first time in a really long time, it feels like I’ve got an open road ahead of me. The only excuse I have for not making my hopes and dreams come true will be that either I screwed it up or that I wasn’t good enough.

Am I good enough? I think so, and I hope so. Mostly, I’m looking forward to finding out.

It feels weird to write this, because it feels like I’m writing a goodbye letter. But this isn’t goodbye, it’s just…I’ll be seeing less of you, at least around here on SLAMonline. Most people who read SLAM might not be able to tell any difference. I’m already working on a couple of things for issues of SLAM down the road, including something for issue 150 that should be tremendous if we can pull it together.

Anyway, let me know if the site gets crappy and I’ll post Ryne’s cell phone number in the comments section so you guys can complain directly to him. But I don’t anticipate having to do that. SLAM is in great hands. I’m still in the huddle, I’m just not one of the guys in middle.

I have no idea what’s next, but I hope to see you there. And I’ll definitely see you here.

–lang

The post Links: Changes… appeared first on SLAM.

You guys saw the new SLAM covers, right? Well, the last week or so has been about us here scheming up a new SLAM cover that will drop right around the time the Playoffs start. Hopefully we won’t have the problem we had a few years ago where we put Shaq and Dirk on the cover and the both of their teams lost in the first round, before the issue even really hit newsstands. That was not good!

Anyway, last weekend we did a contest asking for your most embarrassing moments on the basketball court, and we got about 50 responses, all of which were great.
I think winner has to be Allenp. As I said in the original post, the winner will be whoever makes me laugh the most. And this story from Allenp made me LOL…

Once, during youth ball, we were doing baseline slides. I was tired of doing it and I had the bubbly guts because I needed to take a dump. So, at one corner, I stomped my foot really bad to express my disgust. Unfortunately, that also loosened my sphincter and I let out a massive fart that the entire gym could hear because it was so quiet. They all thought I had stomped to hide the fart and teased me about it for the rest of the season.

Ah, the dreaded stomp-fart. Thanks for sharing. Allenp wins a size XL Li-Ning Baron Davis Beardman letter jacket, and also a dope Baron Davis action figure that Li-Ning kicked in. (And thanks, Li-Ning!) Allenp, click on my name above and email me your address.

• We’re finishing the new SLAM tomorrow, and then I’m taking off for the weekend, and then next week I’m back and we’re going to be just weeks away from the PLAYOFFS!

In the meantime, if you’re looking to kill several hours, here are the last two podcasts Sekou and I did for NBA.com.

— First, from last week, a March Madness podcast with a stellar guest lineup: the always great Kenny Anderson, NBA.com’s college hoops and Draft guy Chris Dortch, Philly’s Evan Turner, and Indy’s Tyler Hansbrough. If nothing else, listen to Kenny’s response when I tell him that we did a story on SLAMonline.com where we polled the various SLAM writers about their favorite college players of all time, and he was the only player to get multiple number one votes.

To download the podcast click here. To subscribe on iTunes, click here.

Or you can listen via the flash player here:

— This week, we had NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner and Drew Packham on, as we talked Bulls and Rookies and tried to get back to talking more about the NBA…although we ended up talking Jimmer, anyway.

To download the podcast click here. To subscribe on iTunes, click here.

Or you can listen via the flash player here:

The post Links: Podcasts, March Madness and Winning appeared first on SLAM.

Spent the last few days on the road doing interviews and a book signing to try and sell some books. (BTW, shouts to the Wall Street Journal for the terrific review earlier this week.)

The other day while I was killing time in the airport, I came across a travel magazine that had asked its readers to send in their most embarrassing travel stories. The reader who’d submitted the most embarrassing story won a free trip. It was fun to read the stories, and it reminded me of a few years ago when I ran a similar contest here on The Links, where I asked you guys to email in your most embarrassing basketball stories.

But mostly it reminded me that we should probably do it again. We’ve all had experiences where we’re playing ball, either with friends or in front of people or even alone, where we something happened that we wish hadn’t happened. When we did this last time, I gave the example of the city championship game I played in when I was in 11th grade. The gym was packed, and I checked in and promptly tripped on my own feet and bit it while trying to grab a rebound.

This morning Ryne and Tzvi were watching this Youtube video…

That clip reminded me of back when I was in high school, during my junior year. The church my family attended had a big gym/fitness facility that a lot of people in the community used, and I had a part-time job working there. During the school year I mostly worked on Saturdays, helping organize and run the recreational basketball leagues for little kids up through high schoolers (making sure we had scorekeepers, refs, etc.). I couldn’t work much during the week because I had school and basketball practice, but I’d stay all day every Saturday and would be the last person to leave the building. I needed to have some sort of a job so I could have a little spending money, but really, the best thing about the job was that I got a set of keys to the building. So I could come to the cavernous gym whenever, crank up the sound system, and have an entire basketball court (with glass baskets and breakaway rims) to myself.

One day my boss told me that the gym floor was going to be refinished, and he needed me to get all the tape up off the court. (Rewind a bit: For the younger kids games on Saturdays, we would have two games going at the same time, side-to-side on movable baskets, and we had those smaller courts marked off on the floor with multicolored tape.) So after we finished our Saturday schedule of games, I’d have to lock up the building and then get to work pulling up the tape and have it all done by Sunday morning, so the guys from the refinishers could come in and get to work.

That tape had been on the court for a year, and it had absorbed so much pounding and abuse that as soon as I started to try and pull it up, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to do this job by hand. I went around to one of the janitor’s supply closets and found a pair of latex gloves, a couple of metal scrapers and a box of cans of Goof Off. I went over and flipped on the stereo system and went to work.

It was intensive labor. I dropped to my knees and slowly edged my way around the court, pouring on the Goof Off, waiting for it to soak into the tape and eat through the adhesive, then scraping up every bit of the tape, then picking up every scrap that remained.

After a few hours I looked up and realized I wasn’t even halfway finished; I’d be lucky if I was finished before midnight. At least I was getting paid by the hour.

I stood and stretched my legs. While I waited for the Goof Off to work its magic on the next few feet of tape, I went to the other end and shot some jumpers. Maybe it was the fumes or maybe I was just getting stir crazy, I’m not sure, but I decided I needed to see what it was like to dunk on a breakaway rim. I could jump and touch the rim, but to really throw it down I would need some help. I walked around to the edge of the court and pulled out a metal folding chair and set it a few feet in front of the rim on an angle, so I could come in from the wing as if I was on the break. I did a few slow-mo walk-throughs, trying to make sure I had the spacing correct. Finally, I backed way up, took a few dribbles, then took off on a sprint toward the chair.

As it turned out, I had gauged the spacing perfectly. What I had managed not to consider was that a metal folding chair probably wasn’t the sturdiest device from which to launch myself. As I planted my right foot on the seat of the chair, my moving body mass immediately transferred to the chair. What was formerly in motion was now moving, and suddenly I was awkwardly surfing across the basketball court, one-footed, atop a metal folding chair. Together we slid under the rim and out of bounds, where the chair slid into some tape I had not yet removed and came to an abrupt stop. At which point our combined inertia left the chair and transferred wholly back into my body. I launched into the air and sailed, feet-first, maybe three feet. I landed hard, flat on my back, about two feet shy of a bank of metal bleachers that were pushed against the baseline wall. Somehow I was still clinging to the basketball.

I laid there for a few seconds, wrapping my brain around what had happened, then slowly starting working my way through my body parts, making sure everything was still working. I wasn’t in any serious pain, and luckily nothing was broken. I’d come pretty close to landing on my neck, which could have been disastrous, not to mention what might have happened if I broke a leg or arm or something and was stuck out there on the middle of a basketball court all alone without a phone or anything within reach.

Eventually I got up, put the chair away, and went back to work. I suppose it was a situation that could have been terrible. But now, in retrospect, even I can admit that it must have looked pretty hilarious.

That’s the kind of embarrassing moment we’re looking for. Now, in the comments, tell me your most embarrassing hoops epic fail. Oh, and how’s this: For the best story, I’ll kick in a size XL Li-Ning Baron Davis Beardman varsity jacket. Li Ning gave it to me a while back, and I tried it on but found it too snug, so it’s never been worn, but it is really dope.

You’ve got until Monday at noon, and the winner will be whatever story makes me laugh the most.

Now go at it, embarrass yourself…

The post Links: Embarrass Yourself appeared first on SLAM.

OK, many things to cover today…

• I mentioned a few years ago that I’d signed a book deal and was working on a book. Since then, I’ve spent many, many, many late nights on the couch, writing. Wifey would go to bed around 10 or 11, and I’d stay up until 2 or so, watching NBA games from out West and working on this book.

And now it’s done. It’s in stores now, or you can order it online from sites like Amazon, or Borders, or Barnes and Noble or Books A Million.

The book is called, In the Time of Bobby Cox: The Atlanta Braves, Their Manager, My Couch, Two Decades and Me. The book is a memoir, which basically means it’s autobiographical. So in that sense, it’s the story of my life — how I got to where I am today — and the big part in my life that the Braves, specifically Bobby Cox, played in that journey. It’s the things I learned about life from watching Bobby Cox manage the Braves, and what various Braves players from the last two decades have meant to me.

This is a book about life, living, learning, love and death. It’s about the ways I connected with a specific manager and particular franchise. It’s about all the things that sports can mean to a fan, and the life lessons I extracted from watching someone manage a baseball team on television.

So, in broad strokes, that is what the book’s about. I talk about basketball a bit, but I also talk about…well, lots of other stuff.

The good news is, I think it all makes sense. My father-in-law emailed yesterday and called it “a charming little book,” which is about the best review I could have asked for from one of the toughest critics I know. I also got a great review from Atlanta magazine that surfaced over the weekend, but the review from my father-in-law was the best because he never says anything nice. Which is why I love him.

Anyway, I am not vain enough to think that because I write for SLAM and SLAMonline, and because you read SLAM and SLAMonline, every one of you will immediately run out and cop this book. But if you do buy this book, thank you, thank you very much.

And most of all, I hope you enjoy it.

• Speaking of SLAM and books, there was a terrific coincidence yesterday: Not only did my book hit yesterday, but so did a book from longtime SLAM writer Alan Paul. Alan’s book is called Big In China, and it’s the story of his recent stint in Beijing with his family. He kept a blog while he was over there, which I read religiously, and it’s great to see all those stories and experiences come to life in a book. You can get Alan’s book at Amazon or any of the online booksellers I mentioned earlier, and also in bookstores everywhere. Go get it.

• A couple of weekends ago, Ben and I were out in L.A. for All-Star Weekend when we heard rumors that Troy “Escalade” Jackson had passed away. Terrible, just terrible news.

Thought maybe I should share this one story that always make me laugh whenever I think about it. I started full-time at SLAM right as the whole And 1 Tour was just blowing up, and it was really fascinating to watch it happen. One afternoon, Escalade and A.O. were in town for a game or something, so they came by the SLAM Dome. I’d never met either guy before, but they were both personable and funny and just great to be around. They hung out for about an hour, and then had to bounce. I walked them out of our office, which means leaving the SLAM Dome and going down two really long hallways, and walking past dozens of offices and cubicles from different magazine, to get to the front desk.

So we were about halfway to the front desk and walking past an office that just happened to be the SLAM advertising office, although there wasn’t really any way to tell that from the hallway — it just looked like two guys sitting at computers with their backs to the hallway. Right as we reached the door, Escalade suddenly turned and gave A.O. a huge shove into the office, knocking him a good five feet into the room. As A.O. went flying into the office, Escalade yelled, loudly, “Hey guys!”

I stuck my head into the room just in time to see the two guys at their computers spin around to find streetball star A.O. randomly and awkwardly standing there behind them, forced to introduce himself. Recalling the looks on all three of their faces still makes me grin.

Rest in peace, Escalade.

• A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon this computer game called Continuity. I was actually looking for a new iPod game, as I’d finished the latest level of Angry Birds. Continuity is a flash game, so you can’t play it on an iAnything, but play it on your computer and you will quickly discover that it is one of the most addictive games on the internets. Fun to play, simple, etcetera, etcetera.

Now, to the crowd! What other games should I/we be checking out?

The post Links: I Wrote A Book appeared first on SLAM.

Hey, did you hear the NBA Trade Deadline is today at 3:00 PM EST? Well, we’re gonna chop it up this afternoon live here on SLAMonline.com. We’ll start at 1:00 PM and roll until 3:30 or so. See ya at 1:00 PM EST…

The post Links: Trade Deadline Live Chat appeared first on SLAM.

LOS ANGELES — After a weekend of meetings and events and, oh yeah, some basketball, it’s finally time for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. The SLAM crew is live, high above courtside here at the Staples Center, ready for All-Star 2011.

Had a late night last night, as All-Star Saturday nights tend to be. Ben and I ended up at the adidas Originals party at The Standard hotel, where the lineup was pretty stellar. The opening acts included Far East Movement, Miguel, DJ Khaled, and finally Chris Brown, who also brought Busta Rhymes up on stage for a song. The headliner was Snoop Dogg, and Snoop had Warren G. and The Game with him on stage all night. He also brought out DMC, and together Snoop and DMC ran through a collection of Run DMC’s greatest hits, which was tremendous. Snoop didn’t even come on stage until near 2:00 AM, so…well, this morning was a slow one.

BUT! We’re here now and ready to get this game stizzarted. Sorry, Snoop overload last night. I’ll be back with more as we tick closer to tip-off in a few…

• OK, a pregame video narrated by Cuba Gooding started this off, and now we’ve got another video narrated by Cube, sounds like.  Arena is dark…and here’s Lenny Kravitz!

• OK, I know “Are You Gonna Go My Way” is old, but it’s a dope song. And I think he has the same lead guitarist he had a decade ago…or at least the new guy borrowed the old guy’s afro wig.

• Eastern Conference reserves are announced and the guys are all pretty straight-faced here. No dancing, no choreography, no Jabbawockeez.

• Starters come out one-by-one and each do a little dance move…except for Derrick Rose, who seems locked in, and D-Wade.

• Second song from Lenny Kravitz is…I dunno, never heard this one before. Has sort of a classic rock/retro feel to it, though. Very Kravitz.

• Here come the Western Conference All-Stars. Pop looks like he wants to knock over Kravitz’s drum kit and smash an amp. Gasol gets a huge cheer from the home crowd, louder than Blake gets. No dancing from the Western Conference guys.

• Flags from the countries of all the All-Star participants are brought in. Melanie Fiona sings the Canadian anthem. Josh Groban handles the US anthem. Nice work by both. Now, can we get started?

• Blake Griffin welcomes the crowd to LA, and then Pau Gasol welcomes everyone in Spanish, and then Kobe says, “Enjoy the show.”

• Dwight Howard doles out talcum powder to all the East starters, and they simultaneously perform the powder toss in front of the scorer’s table. That was either a tribute to MJ, KG, or Bron.

• Amar’e scores 4 points in the first 50 seconds. He’s on pace for 186 points. Pretty sure that would be an All-Star record.

• BTW, let’s take a second to say Rest In Peace to Troy “Escalade” Jackson — reports are he passed last night. Cool guy and a streetball fixture.

• West leads 8-6 with 8:14 to go in the first. Apparently someone spilled a drink along the sideline, so there’s a delay to clean that up. Durant comes back and rips DWade and throws down with two hands.

• Kobe’s got 9 points early and already drawn one MVP chant from the crowd. West has a 21-10 lead. Stevie Wonder is shown on the scoreboard and he receives a polite cheer. Jay-Z and Beyonce are shown next, and they receive similarly polite applause. These folks in L.A. are used to the celebs, I guess. There are a lot of Lakers fans here, as evidenced by the loud boos every time Paul Pierce PA man Lawrence Tanner mentions Paul Pierce.

• With 4:21 to go in the first, the East has a Celtics-plus-Bosh lineup in now. West is up 23-13. Curious to see if the East can make a push here.

• As the first quarter winds down, Blake gets his first flush on an oop from D-Will. West leads 37-27.  Not much flow to this game, as is usually the case in All-Star Games.

• Westbrook gets a powerful tomahawk on the break. West lead down to 7, 45-37. Quick celeb watch:  Neyo, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Dr. J, John Legend.

• Westbrook crosses someone in the corner, then turns and has a few words for the East bench. Seconds later, Rose crosses Anthony and leaves him in the dust. West lead 49-43. No need to really talk about strategy or anything. Whichever team scores the most, wins.

• Bill Russell is introduced the crowd and it is announced that he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this week. First standing O of the night in the Stapler.

• Darryl Dawkins is shown on the scoreboard, and sitting just behind him, Nicki Minaj photobombs him.

• Kobe with the double-pump reverse, followed immediately by a steal and a Durant dunk on a sweet oop from CP3. West pushes the lead back to 70-58.

• They should play the fourth quarter with a KIA parked in the lane.

• Halftime! And tonight that means Rihannatime! Kobe has 21 and 6, as the West leads 76-64. Bosh leads the East with a dozen.

• Rihanna runs through a couple of her hit songs, the Yeezy rises up from under the stage as though he’s one of the All-Star starters and joins in on “All Of The Lights.” Dude’s manic on stage, lots of fun to watch.

• Rihanna and Ye > Black Eyed Peas and Slash

• Fewest minutes played in the first half were KG (3:59), Joe Johnson (4:51) and Tim Duncan (5:23). Rondo and CP3 have 5 assists apiece. Kobe leads everyone with 6 boards. And there’s no plus/minus on the box score. Maybe the guy who tracks plus/minus got a vacation this weekend.

• East cuts it to 5, 81-76, and Kobe drives and draws a foul, then bangs in both free throws. East comes back and hits Dwight in the post, and Kobe gives a foul to send him to the line. Kobe knows this is an exhibition, right?

• Whoa! Kobe just boomed on Bron with two hands! And gave him the pat on the butt on the way back up court. I’m guessing instead of going out last night Kobe hit the gym and got up 1,000 jumpers.

• Kobe follows that by draining a three and giving the fist-pump. KB’s got 30, and the West lead is ten.

• Funniest part of the dunk from Kobe was that Durant was running the right side of the floor and looking like he wasn’t sure if Kobe was going to pass or not. As Kobe kept getting closer to the basket I was thinking, OK, he’s going to pass this sooner or later, and it looked like Bron was sort of thinking the same thing. When Kobe jumped, I thought to myself, OK, he’s going to pass, going to pass…WHOA! And Durant had the best view in the house.

• Kobe just scored again, giving him 34 and 9 and pushing the West lead to 100-86. Doc Rivers actually burned a timeout to try and stop the momentum. Wondering if Kobe is going for 50 tonight?

• The most consistently loud the crowd is comes whenever Paul Pierce is mentioned, as he is immediately booed.

• So after three, the West has a commanding 117-100 lead. Guess the big question now is whether Kobe will break the all-time All-Star scoring record, which, surprisingly, is just 42 points (Wilt in 1962). Sure, Kobe should probably get a rest, but records are records.

• As the fourth starts, a chant of “WE WANT BLAKE.” Pop shows he has a heart and sends Blake to the scorer’s table.

• D-Rose goes to the line and hits one free throw to make it a 118-105 game. The West misses on a long outlet pass for a turnover, and Amar’e cuts it to an 11 points game. Maybe they’re just making it close so Pop has an excuse to put Kobe back in.

• Fresh lineup for the East right now: Rondo/Rose/Bron/Dwight/Amar’e. Like something you’d use in 2K11.

• Oh, should mention that I ended up hanging out for a while earlier today with Dennis Dixon, backup QB with the Pittsburgh Steelers, formerly with the Oregon Ducks. Really cool dude, and a big hoops fan.

• 7:44 to go and Kobe returns. The East cuts it to 129-118, then Bron misses a three that would have made it a single-digit game.

• Kobe makes a free throw, misses the second as the ball bounces right back to him, and he drains the 15-footer to get to 37 points.

• Bron hits Bosh for a score, giving Bron 25, 12 and 9, and making it 134-127 with 4:34 left. Could the East come back and win this?

• The East shows a double on Kobe, and the West works the ball around finds CP3 for a 3. Next play down, Bron gets an assist and ticks over the triple-double mark: 25-12-10.

• Amar’e scores to make it 137-133, and then the East gets a rebound and Bron draws a shooting foul.Durant answers to keep the lead at 4 with 2 minutes left. Durant then drains a three (on a dish from Kobe, who is willingly giving it up as the defense focuses on him) to make it 142-135. 1:44 to go.

• Out of a timeout, Amar’e nails a three to cut it to 142-138. Not sure that was the play Doc drew up.

• Kobe misses a jumper from the wing and Pau tips in the miss. Players on both benches all standing up, as Bosh misses a three that could have cut it to one.

• 20 seconds left, Bron gives a foul and sends CP3 to the line with the West up 144-140. Makes the first, and the second. Doc Rivers calls a TO to draw up a 6 point play.

• Bron misses a three, but Ray Allen gets the rebound and hits a three while falling out of bounds in the corner. Three point game. East fouls Durant with 5.2 left.

• Pop sends in Kevin Love for Kobe, giving the crowd a chance to cheer for him. They don’t cheer because it’s all celebrities in the arena.

• And that’s it. The West wins, 148-143, in a game that was actually a lot closer than it looked like it was going to be. Kobe finishes with 37 and 14. Bron went for the triple-dip, but the East couldn’t keep up with the West.

Thanks for hanging with us tonight. We gotta bounce to make the red-eye back to NYC. Trade deadline coming up this week…stick with us on SLAMonline…

The post Live: 2011 NBA All-Star Game appeared first on SLAM.

Hey! So we’re here in The Stapler for All-Star Saturday night. Which means the Haier Shooting Stars Competition, the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout, and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. Which potentially means, as we all know, Blake Griffin doing insane things. Excited? Yeah, I am too. Also, we saw Keri Hilson ride past us on a golf cart earlier as we were waiting for the elevator to the press box, so that’s something. Also hear that there will be performances tonight from Cee-Lo Green and Ben’s fake dad, Jeffrey Osborne. Actually, right now there’s an acapella group from NBC’s show “The Sing Off,” onstage singing an acapella version of “Love Shack.” I’m not kidding about that.

It’s pouring rain outside right now, which probably isn’t going to be helpful as far as the All-Star Party circuit tonight, but we will do our best to report for you. And you know what? I’ve got a feeling…that tonight’s going to be a good night…a good, good night.

I’m gonna pop in from time to time with stuff up here, but mix it up in the comments, folks.

HAIER SHOOTING STARS

• My money is on Team ATL for no reason at all, other than I’m from ATL. Also, because Steve Smith is on Team ATL and when we asked if he’d been practicing his jumper, he said, “Not at all.”

• Al Horford drains a three to give Atlanta a time of 47.6. Nobody alive knows if that’s a good or bad time. #atlshawty

• Team Chicago went second and had a good shot at beating Atlanta, but couldn’t get a halfcourt shot to drop. didn’t help that Taj Gibson’s first halfcourt shot went all the way over the backboard. Chicago finishes at 1:06.

• Los Angeles is next, and they get slowed down by Rick Fox missing a bunch of threes from the wing, a shot he was great at during his career. LA finally finishes at 55.8, knocking out Team Chicago.

• Team Texas goes last, and Kenny Smith drills the halfcourt shot on the first try, giving them 31.8 seconds and putting Team Texas against Team Atlanta in the finals. Just to point out, it’s all of Texas against just Atlanta. #atlshawty

• FINALS! They played big band music in the arena during the contest, but should have switched to Benny Hill music when both teams went to halfcourt, because neither team could hit a shot to save their team’s life from halfcourt. Each team fired away for about 40 seconds from halfcourt and couldn’t get a shot to fall. Atlanta finished at 1:10, Texas at 1:20. Team Atlanta is now the reigning champs of the Haier Shooting Stars Competition. Who says Atlanta can’t win a title!?

• ATL, shawty!

• And now a special smooth R&B performance from Ben’s Dad, Jeffrey Osborne. On the wings of love, my friends, on the wings of love. It’s the quiet storm up in this piece!

TACO BELL SKILLS CHALLENGE
• Oh, totally forgot about the skills challenge. Contestants run through a timed obstacle course that involves dribbling, passing, shooting, and eating a dozen tacos.

• Contestants are Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, John Wall, Russ Westbrook and Derrick Rose.

• Curry goes first. Are we going alphabetically? Curry started well, struggled with the 18-footer and outlet pass, and finished at 34.1 seconds.

• Westbrook. Misses a bounce pass but otherwise pretty flawless, finishes at 30 seconds.

• Wall. Missed a jumper and a few passes, and finishes at 39.3 seconds.

• Rose. Stumbles on the speed dribble and finishes at 35.7, so he doesn’t qualify. He’s wearing the yellow shoes most of the adidas guys are wearing this weekend. I asked someone from adidas about them this weekend and was told they went with yellow to rep for Cali — sunshine, the Golden State, etc.

• CP3. 42.7.

• Finalists are Westbrook and Steph Curry. But first, a break to eat tacos.

• Jordan McCabe, the YouTube dribbler, comes out and does a dribbling exhibition while Brandon Jennings watches and eats popcorn. Nice.

• Finals! Contains your excitement! Steph Curry runs an almost perfect round and finishes at 28.2 seconds. Westbrook coasts to a 44.2 finish, so Steph Curry is your new Taco Bell Skills Champion! Yay!

• Cee-Lo Green comes out and performs “Forget You” while wearing a green, studded adidas sweatsuit. I totally wish he was wearing that crazy Dr. Teeth outfit from The Grammys. I take this opportunity to go get dinner: Nachos. While I’m on the elevator back up to the press box, an usher in the elevator tells me corn clogs the arteries in your neck. Thanks!

FOOT LOCKER THREE-POINT CONTEST
• James Jones goes first and starts slow, but finishes with 16, a respectable showing.

• Boobie Gibson misses his first 9 shots before hitting a money ball, doesn’t get all the shots off in time, and finishes with a weak 7 points. Insert joke about him playing for the Cavs here.

• Ray Allen red hot out of the gate…finishes with 20 and doesn’t even get all the shots off in time.

• Kevin Durant starts slow and never does get hot. He finishes with 6, worse than Boobie. I have a feeling Durant will be more upset about his score than Boobie will be with his.

• Dorrell Wright comes out smoking, then gets ice cold, then gets hot at the last station and finishes with 11.

• Paul Pierce gets booed as he steps to the rack. I picked Paul on NBA TV a couple of times the last few days, and he looks like he’s not going to make it…until he drains his last three shots to advance by the skin of his teeth with 12.

• Things overheard on All-Star Saturday Night: “No basketball game in L.A. is complete without Penny Marshall!”

• Finals! Pierce goes first and looks good, hitting consistently, finishing with 18. James Jones goes for 20. Ray Allen goes for 15. So James Jones is OFFICIALLY the best three-point shooter in the world. Or something.

• Dunk contest coming up…but first! Far East Movement featuring Miguel! Should have ended that with a question mark.

FOOT LOCKER SLAM DUNK CONTEST
• So we’ve got DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, JaVale McGee and Blake Griffin.

• Judges are Clyde Drexler, James Worthy (who will only gives 50s for 1-handed dunks), my main man Brent “Bones” Barry, my other main man Dominique Wilkins and Dr. J.

• Darryl Dawkins is wearing a suit that I think is make from a green leopard. Dawkins says this is the East Bay Funk Remix. I wish JR Rider was here for this. Amir Johnson is passing him the ball off the basket support, and after about 10 tries, DeRozan goes through the legs for the dunk. Birdman was having flashbacks during that.

• Ibaka marches in with banners and gets the mascots applauding while “Power” plays. BTW, can we call him Ibaka Flocka Flame? He goes full court, doesn’t dribble, jumps from behind the line and dunks it in pretty easily. Made it look too simple, almost.

• Chris Webber goes on a confusing rant about Dwight Howard, and Dwight looks genuinely confused about what it going on. A second goal is brought from the back and McGee sort of explodes and makes one dunk. After a couple of false starts he nails it and gets a 50. That was pretty much insane. I tell you this, if the NBA ever goes to two baskets side by side on each end of the floor, JaVale McGee’s going to be a handful.

• Blake Griffin comes out with no props, no shenanigans, and does a two-handed 360, just straight power. Gets a 49.

• I’m sure Dunk Contest purists will be upset by the heavy use of props and showmanship and non-dribbling early on, but that was the most entertaining first round of dunks that I can remember in a long time.

• Darryl Dawkins announces that DeMar is going to perform a dunk called “The Showstopper.” And it was…an alley-oop to himself with a half-windmill with one hand. Wow. He gets a 50. The dunk contest is back, by the way.

• Serge Ibaka rescues a toy from the rim in a stunt involving a child actor. Maybe the dunk contest isn’t back.

• Blake Griffin misses a bunch of attempts involving a pass from Baron Davis, and then finally catches a pass off the side of the backboard and flushes an emphatic windmill. Blake gets a 46, so he’s in the Final no matter what.

• Finally, JaVale McGee, with hype man Chris Webber. In the most laconic announcement of all time, he says he’s going to dunk three balls. His Mom brings out a third ball and John Wall tosses it at the rim as McGee tries to dunk two, and after a few misses, he finally gets all three balls to go. He gets a 49, which means the final will be McGee and Griffin.

• Blake goes off the glass and sticks his arm through the rim and dangles there, Vince -style.

• McGee puts on two different colored-shoes as Journey’s “Separate Lives” blares through the PA system. I wonder if this is the first time McGee has ever heard this song. He goes baseline, jumps under the rim and does something like a reverse windmill as he flies under the basket. Kinda dope.

• Instead of people like Kenny Smith and Chris Webber as hype men, next year they should bring out Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.

• Griffin brings out a KIA and the Crenshaw Elite gospel choir, who sing “I Believe I Can Fly” as Baron Davis throws an alley-oop throw the car’s sunroof and Blake jumps over the car, catches the oop and dunks.

• The only way to top that would be to immediately take everyone watching on a tour of Willy Wonka’s Factory. Instead, McGee throws himself an oop off the glass and makes a big dunk that’s good but…that’s a wrap.

• Blake wins by about a 2-1 margin. Thanks for hanging with us. We out. See ya tomorrow.

The post Live: All-Star Saturday Night appeared first on SLAM.

Hey all — Lang here, live from the Rookie/Sophomore Game at Staples. We’re trying to workout the kinks on the liveblogs tonight — especially trying to find out whether or not the wireless will work — so I’ll pop in up here with notes from time to time. In the meantime, feel free to comment below…

PREGAME: OK, I’m in the press box high above the Stapler, waiting for this game to get started up in here, up in here. I think we’re about 15 minutes from getting cracking. I haven’t actually seen anyone else from SLAM all day — people have been running all over the place, at all sorts of events. I spent my day working on some stuff for NBA TV, including a live episode of “The Beat,” during which David Aldridge and I nearly starved to death on live television. That would have been fun!

After that I bounced over here to the arena, and finally hooked up with our guy Nima Zarrabi. So! We’re here now. I’ll file occasional notes during the game…

• I have not been outdoors all day — which is really how I hoped to spend my time in L.A. — but I’m told by reliable sources (well, Nima) that a crazy storm is hitting outside right now. Which might explain why this arena is quiet right now.

• We had Brandon Jennings with us on NBA TV earlier, and he said at the Sophomore practice today, Sophomore coach Lawrence Frank put them through drills and had them running plays. Love Lawrence Frank.

• I just noticed that this event is officially called “T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.” No mention of the sophs? Putting all the pressure on the rooks, sounds like?

• Gary Neal — who is 26 — has to be oldest player in this game, right? Is Neal the oldest rookie of all-time?

• Oh, the game started! Sophs are up 10-4 early, and Blake gets called for an offensive foul. It would be great if Blake Griffin got in foul trouble and had to ride the bench for the entire game.

• Taj Gibson dunks and the PA system plays the old NBA Jams “Boomshakalaka!”

• So the Sophs lead 28-25 with 11:20 to go in the first half. Yeah, forgot to mention they play halves in this game. No dunks too outlandish thus far.

• Most impressive performance of the first half thus far might be the job Nima’s doing on these nachos. Total destruction.

• DaJuan Blair just tossed himself an oop off the glass and flushed it, drawing the biggest cheer of the night.

• The bright yellow adidas kicks a bunch of guys are wearing on court tonight are getting the most attention. And derision.

• Halftime, and the Rookies are winning 71-69 — Wes Johnson is 7-for-8, and the Blair and DeRozan are have 14 apiece. DaMarcus Cousins has tried a couple of ridiculous dunks, and made about as many as he’s missed. The halftime show was a live performance by the Cali Swag District, which means we must have made a wrong turn somewhere.

• Also worth mentioning from earlier, DA and I were eating dinner in the hotel bar across the street from the arena and Shannon Brown walked past wearing a backpack that had speakers built into it, with loud music blasting. This meant it was the first time in my life I had the chance to say the sentence, “Hey man, can you turn down your backpack?”

• Highlight of the night thus far was a Wall bounce pass oop that Griffin reversed. This isn’t much of a game, but that was a heckuva play.

• The wireless internet up here has been spotty every since Cali Swag District performed. Which obviously means The Dougie isn’t conducive to internet connectivity. The good news is that I now have been taught how to Dougie.

• Gary Neal’s got 14 points, 4 boards and 4 assists. Would be kinda fun if he could win the MVP, just because I’m pretty most of the kids in the arena here have no idea who he is.

• Biggest cheer of the night thus far just came for Kobe…who made an announcement on the scoreboard.

• When does this turn into a real game? I’m guessing when we get under 5 minutes…

• Sophs lead 128-125 with 4:46 left. Should be a good finish…but first?! Free t-shirts! AHHHHHHHHHH!

• John Wall just got his 20th assist with about 4 minutes to go. Rooks up 133-132. A WE WANT BLAKE chant takes over the arena, and the Sophs immediately turn it over as Blake…still doesn’t check back into the game.

• Blake gets shown on the scoreboard and crowd goes nuts, and he cracks a huge smile…but he still doesn’t get back into the game.

• Rookies lead 140-134 with 1:21 to go. Cousins has 29 and 12. Gary Neal scores again (20 pts) to put the Rooks up 142-134. Harden bangs a three to make it 142-137, with 36 seconds to go. Wall to the line, hits one free throw, then Boogie Cousins grabs the rebounds and dunks for 31 points.

• Steph Curry hits a three to make it a 144-140 lead for the rooks. Highest scoring Rookie/Soph game in ASW history. Yay!

• And with the clock running down, on a breakaway, Cousins throws an oop off the backboard to Wall for the two-handed slam. The Rooks win, 148-140.

• That’s it! Thanks for hanging with us tonight…be back with more soon on SLAMonline!

The post Live: Rooks vs. Sophs appeared first on SLAM.

In the SLAM NBA Preview issue that came out back in October, I picked the Lakers and the Magic to advance to the NBA Finals. I went with the Lakers because they’re the two-time champs, they’re returning the same team that won last season’s title, and they improved their team by adding Matt Barnes and Steve Blake. Picking the Magic was a swing in the dark. I figured Miami was going to need a season to hit their groove and get enough players to seriously contend for a title, which left Boston and Orlando at the top of the heap. And as close as Boston was to beating the Lakers in the Finals, I thought this was going to be a breakout year for Dwight Howard, so I went with Orlando.

Well, since then Orlando’s tried to flip their roster, and while Dwight’s averaging a career-best 22.4 ppg, he’s not getting much help otherwise.

Meanwhile, the Celts have looked like world-beaters. Maybe this is poor timing to write about how good they look, considering the Celts—who were terribly shorthanded—lost to the BETcats the other night. Yes, I picked Orlando, but right now I think the East is Boston’s to lose. The one area where Boston doesn’t seem to be that deep is on the wings, especially now with Marquis Daniels out. And while Miami seems like they could attack Boston from the wings with Bron and Wade, Boston is so strong up the middle, I don’t know that any teams out East have enough size and depth to knock off the Celts.

And then there’s Chicago. Haven’t mentioned them yet, but they’re a very real 34-16. They’re much better at home (23-4) than on the road (11-12), and they haven’t really had an entirely healthy roster all season. Out of the top five teams in the East (BOS, MIA, CHI, ATL, MIA), the Bulls are the one team I feel like I don’t really understand just yet.

Anway, Sekou and I talked a lot about the Eastern Conference on this week’s Hangtime Podcast. As far as guests, we spoke with ATL’s Jamal Crawford, Yahoo’s Kelly Dwyer and NBA Entertainment’s David Thomas, who helped put together the Kobe Top 10 video clips that have been running on NBA.com.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking here…

You can download the podcast here, or you can subscribe via iTunes here.

• I feel like I should point out that last week I gave my All-Star reserve picks a day before the official selections were announced. AND I PICKED ALL 15 REPLACEMENT PLAYERS CORRECTLY. Yeah, I did flip Duncan and Love, but all 15 of the guys I picked made the All-Star Game. What does this mean? Well, not much, I suppose. Just that I control the minds of NBA coaches.

• Speaking of superpowers, according to a recent poll, here are the superpowers most Americans would want, in this order…
1. Time travel and mind reading (tie)
3. Flying
4. Teleportation
5. Invisibility

Nobody asked me for my vote, but here’s how I would have voted:
5. Teleporting and time-travel (tie) — I’ll explain why these are last momentarily.

3. Mind reading — I would think this is a power for people who are insecure. You talk to people, you want to know what they’re thinking about you, you read their mind. “Oh, hey, this guy secretly thinks I’m a jerk!” Great. Or you can find out that the woman sitting across from you on the subway and listening to her iPod is secretly thinking about that time she got a zit on her forehead. Wow.

This just seems like a really lame superpower. I suppose you could want to have this superpower for nefarious reasons. Like, so you could find out what company is about to introduce a product that could make you a lot of money. Or so you could run for office and read your opponent’s mind and make him sound like an idiot during a debate or something. But if you’re going to use a superpower for nefarious reasons, mind reading seems limited.

(We should also probably just allow that almost any super power would have to be used for nefarious reasons in order to get the most appreciation out of it. Maybe you could steal from bad people or something, but it’s still stealing. Or you could dedicate yourself to using the power for good, but then you’d have to work a job and live in a crummy place, like Superman or Spiderman. Either that or be independently wealthy, like Batman. And I already know at this point in my life that’s not going to happen.)

2. Invisibility — Spying would be the main advantage of invisibility. And while spying (on meetings, enemies, etc.) would have certain advantages, it again feels like it would be a rather limited power to have.

1. Flying — First of all, disregarding effectiveness, out of the options presented in this poll, flying would definitely be the *coolest* superpower to have. Imagine talking to someone and then just shooting up into the air and flying away. Can’t get a ticket to the Superbowl? How about I fly into the stadium and hover over the field?

I listed teleporting and time-travel last because I think having the ability to fly would basically render both irrelevant. If you want teleporting to use as a travel tool, that’s extremely short-sighted, because what are you going to save, thirty minutes commuting to and from work? And what would you do with that extra half-hour, play PS3? Teleporting might allow you to be able to zip in and out of a vault, but you’d still be visible on security cameras. Then again, no jail could hold you, I suppose.

And flying would also render time travel extraneous because if you could fly you could just do like Superman and fly around the world really fast and speed up or slow down the earth’s rotation and go back or go forward into time. In that way you could find out who wins sporting events or lottery numbers and make a fortune.

Flying would also be a good way to make an honest living, perhaps by appearing in a Vegas stage show or traveling around in the circus. You could be the greatest stuntman of all time or star in your own reality show. Or heck, play in the NBA and just dunk on people on every play.

• This story cracked me up. I can just imagine an army of old people with walkie-talkiessneaking around and making sure basketball players go to class. This would be a great movie.

• Peja Stojakovic considers himself “quite the dancer” apparently?

• This Peter Vecsey interview with Blake Griffin is really good.

• Finally, I thought this was hilarious…

The post Links: Podcast, Contenders and Superpowers appeared first on SLAM.

A few weeks back, I mentioned I’d been in L.A. working on the next SLAM cover story. Pretty much immediately, people started tweeting and commenting and asking if it was going to be a Blake Griffin cover.

Um, no. This issue of SLAM, number 146, drops on newsstands here in NYC over the weekend, in bigger cities the next week or so, and will be nationwide by the weekend of the 19th/20th. And do you know what weekend that is? NBA All-Star Weekend. And do you know where the All-Star Game is this season? Los Angeles. And do you know who the most popular athlete is in Los Angeles? The two-time defending NBA Champ? The back-to-back NBA Finals MVP? The guy who is, yep, more popular than Blake Griffin?

Mmm-hmm. Him. Kobe.

“Son. Prince. King,” Lamar Odom said, when I asked him to describe what Kobe meant to L.A. “He’s been here in L.A. his whole career, so he’s definitely one of the most popular people in the city.”

“People in L.A. love their basketball,” said L.A. native and Clippers point guard Baron Davis, “and they love the Lakers, because the Lakers have been putting it down, winning championships. And everybody loves Kobe here. This is his spot. He captured it. He’s been winning championships. He’s established a legacy and he’s deserving of everything he gets.”

Watching Kobe play over those few days, and spending time concentrating on considering Kobe, I realized that I can’t remember a time that Kobe has ever been so respected by NBA fans. Notice I didn’t say liked — Kobe has his haters and I’m sure he’ll always have his haters. But I do think he’s as respected for his basketball talent and skill and acumen as he’s ever been.

For a long time now, one of my jobs here at SLAM has been to monitor the SLAM Trash Talk email account. Which basically means that every email we get for Trash Talk comes into my account, I file them all away, and then when it’s time to put together Trash Talk for an issue of SLAM, I forward the most relevant ones to Ben and he chooses which letters make the cut. Basically, I’m a human spam filter.

But this means I read a lot of your letters. We used to get a lot of letters that read, “I hate Kobe.” Now we get a lot that read, “I hate Kobe…but yeah, he’s really good.”

And I don’t think Kobe has changed. Ever since he came into the League he’s been super-serious, hyper-focused. For a long time, NBA fans weren’t exactly sure what to make of him. Sure, Laker fans loved him, but the rest of us didn’t quite understand. Was he really a guy almost scarily obsessed with winning? Did he care more about his personal statistics than he did about his team? Was he a player who genuinely wanted to help his teammates improve? Was he really as fixated with the game of basketball as he seemed to be? As time went by, what became increasingly clear was that what we thought didn’t matter. While we tweeted jokes and debated Kobe’s greatness on message boards, Kobe just kept winning. He copped three rings early on, then drove the Lakers back from that terrible 34-win season in ’04-05, back up into the NBA elite, picking up an MVP award and back-to-back rings along the way.

Basically, the more the Lakers won, the more Kobe Bryant made sense to us. So it wasn’t Kobe Bryant who changed. We did. The constant coaching on the floor, the hours spent compulsively honing his game, the personality that only seemed to soften after winning a title, the remarkable focus—all of it was to facilitate winning. He told us that over and over, but we needed confirmation. He wanted to win, and he did, and once he did, it clicked for the rest of us.

When I was at the Lakers practice out in L.A., I ended up talking a lot with Brian Shaw, who played with Kobe on the three-peat teams a couple of years back, and now is an assistant coach for him. I asked him if he’d noticed an uptick in respect for Kobe, and he said he had.

“I think people recognize now that he’s a killer out there on the floor,” Shaw said. “That’s what people are recognizing, and that’s what’s gotten those fans who were hating on him, who didn’t respect what he was doing out there on the floor, to turn, to respect him now.”

A few minutes later, Shaw said, “Year in and year out, Kobe’s been able to will his team into these situations to have a chance to win, and Kobe’s able to get them over the top and win. He walks out there on the floor, it empowers all of the teammates he has to feel like they’re even better than they really are, because they feel like they’re going out there with the best player in the game. And also the fans, they think, ‘We’re not going to lose, because no matter what, we’ve got Kobe on our side.’”

So, all of that’s what I wrote about. As for the cover line — Watch The Throne — the idea came from this. But also, we thought it was applicable because no matter how well everyone else in the NBA is playing, the Lakers are still the reigning champs, and you can’t take that away from them.

There’s plenty of other great stuff in this issue. We have features on guys from Russell Westbrook to Allen Iverson, from Josh Smith to Andrew Bogut. Plus tons of other great stuff.

And here you go…

The post SLAM 146: On Sale Now! appeared first on SLAM.

OK, a bunch of random stuff to get to today. New SLAM cover coming tomorrow.

• I thought of about a dozen ways to intro this, but I think it’s probably just better to post it and let you enjoy it:

It’s funny because I have a really vague memory of a rap song about Dominique Wilkins being around when I was a kid, but I was too young to remember much about it other than the “D-O-M-I-N-I-Q-U-E” refrain. Then yesterday my friend Scott sent me a link on The Facebook to the song above, the 1985 classic, “Dominique (Got To Be An All-Star)” by G-Mann, whoever that is. So dope. 1985 ruled.

• Regarding yesterday’s column and the list of guys who deserve All-Star reserve consideration…the Trail Blazers have mounted a campaign to promote LaMarcus Aldridge, while the T-Wolves sent out cologne to promote Kevin Love and the Warriors sent out wine to promote Monta Ellis. For the record, I didn’t receive any of these things, so my picks were completely untainted; actually, the only All-Star voting swag that came my way were posters of Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay via the Memphis Grizzlies.

• This right here is what the internet should be used for: Hoopism.com came up with an ingenious, interactive page, on which you can watch every dunk from every NBA dunk contest ever. You can see video of each year and each score, and the whole thing is just awesome. Great work.

• Also, the internet should probably have more movie reviews from Charles Barkley. Here’s The Chuckster reviewing “The Fighter.” (Spoiler alert: He says it’s “Not Turrible.”)

• The Puppy Bowl starting line-ups have been announced. Looks like another strong year. My early money for MVP has to be on no. 14, Little Red.

• We’ve talking for a few weeks about all the weird things happening in the animal world. I guess we should call the situation “developing.” In a zoo in England, a gorilla has started walking around on two legs.

VIDEO EVIDENCE:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The animals are getting ready for something. For what, I don’t know. If that gorilla opens a twitter account, it’s on.

• Meanwhile, humans aren’t so dumb. Scientists have finally made an invisibility cloak. So far they can only make one big enough to hide a paper clip. But still.

• Knicks fans don’t play.

• Finally, Linkstigator Rob Zimmerman writes with an interesting note…

Hi Lang,

If Kobe and Shaq keep on scoring at their current season averages of 25 and 10 points per game respectively (and play every regular season game until the end of next season), Shaq will finish as the leading career scorer between the two when he (most likely) retires at the end of next year. He would have 29,792 points, Kobe would have 29,638. That’s a difference of only 154 points. But if Shaq keeps missing games at his current rate (already 10 this season), Kobe is more than likely to overtake Shaq while Shaq is still playing! Both players say that they only play for championships, but come on!

The post Links: Best NBA Song Ever? appeared first on SLAM.

Hey, how about some links?

• The big news today comes from ESPN’s Marc Stein, who reported this morning that Ron Artest would like to be traded away from the L.A. Lakers. At first glance this sounded surprising: Artest has tried to win a title his entire life, finally wins one and is just about the happiest person on the planet. And now he would want out?

•Update: Ron Artest’s agent says Ron doesn’t want to be traded.

• We talked about snow yesterday, just as a huge storm hit the States. The Raptors got stuck in Indianapolis last night and just got into Atlanta a few hours ago for their game tonight. Meanwhile, the Celtics are stuck in California, unable to fly back to Boston. I hope the Sacramento airport has a Delta Sky Club! Someone tell the guys not to leave glasses of water above their laptop bags.

• I mentioned before that I am really good at Angry Birds. But what do you guys know about Angry Larry Birds?!

• My main man Pascal just sent me this photo. According to Pascal, that is Gul Mohammed, who was considered the world’s smallest man when that photo was taken back in 1988. He stood one foot, ten-and-a-half inches. I almost left off the half-inch, but I imagine that half-inch was pretty important to him. This is what The Links have come to: throwback world’s smallest people.

• This interview is terrific. Timofey Mozgov spits mad prose:

“It was a couple minutes before the end of the game. We were losing hopelessly, and D’Antoni put me in the game. I was overwhelmed with desire to prove myself.”

I like to think that Mozgov is a student of literature and he pains himself to speak as descriptively as possible. Mozgov also talks about going to a Russian restaurant here in New York where he ordered his favorite salad, which is called “Herring Under Fur Coat.” I wondered if this salad’s title was a gift from the Google Translator gods, or if there was actually such a salad. Turns out there is indeed such a dish! Guess I know what I’m having for dinner.

• UGA signed no. 1-ranked RB Isaiah Crowell. You know, in case you were wondering.

• Finally, yesterday on “The Beat” on NBA TV, David Aldridge and I picked our All-Star reserves. The real choices are going to announced tomorrow, but for now, here are my picks…

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Yeah, I went with four Celtics. If Noah was healthy I’d have put him on here. And between Boozer and Bosh, I went with Bosh.
G Rajon Rondo — As of today he’s averaging 12.6 assists per game.
G Ray Allen — The second-leading scorer on the best team in the Conference. And for as long as we’ve talked about Ray having one of the most textbook jumpers in the game, this season he’s shooting 45 pct on threes, the highest average of his career.
F Paul Pierce — The leading scorer on the best team in the Conference.
F Kevin Garnett — His averages aren’t all that amazing — 15 and 9 — but he’s the leader of the best team in the Conference. Also, he’s averaging the most rebounds per game since arriving in Boston and the most steals per game he’s averaged in a decade.
C Al Horford — Averaging 16 and 10, career high ppg. Also, Al has evolved into a leadership role as Atlanta’s fiery spirit.
F Chris Bosh — Posting 18 and 8, but it wasn’t until Bosh kicked things into gear in late November that Miami went on that 21-1 run.
G Joe Johnson — Had a slow start, but then had elbow surgery and missed 9 games. But Joe returned 2 weeks early from the surgery, and in January he averaged 26 ppg and shot over 50 percent from the floor. In my mind, it came down to Joe and Ray Felton for this final spot. And as good as Felton’s been, the Knicks are still just 3 games over .500 while the Hawks are a dozen games over, so I went with JJ.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
A lot of tough choices to make. I basically went with Deron Williams over Steve Nash, and Griffin over LaMarcus Aldridge. Both incredibly tough calls.
G Russell Westbrook — He’s averaging over 22, 8 and 5, all career highs, and he’s the only player in the NBA averaging at least 22, 8 and 5. Most impressive to me is that he averages almost 9 free throws a game. He and Kobe are the only two guards in the top 10 in free throw attempts per game.
G Deron Williams — He’s almost at that same 22/8/5 mark as Westbrook.
F Dirk Nowitzki — Averaging 23 ppg and shooting 52 percent from the floor.
F Manu Ginobili — The leading scorer on the best team in the NBA. And I put him at forward because there’s already a logjam at guard.
C Pau Gasol — I know he’s slowed down the last month or so, but he’s still averaging 18 and 10 as LA’s second option.
F Kevin Love — As DA said, if it’s so easy to average 15 rebounds in a game, why doesn’t everyone do it?
F Blake Griffin — As much as I looked at records and stats, we’re not picking All-NBA teams. We’re choosing All-Stars, and nobody’s been more of a star this season than Blake. Besides, the Clips have won 9 straight at home and in January, Blake is averaging 26 and 13. Also, it would be fun to see CP3 and Deron Williams throwing alley-oops to Griffin.
Yao Replacement: Tim Duncan. Averaging just 13 and 9, but I’d let him start at center and play five minutes and then get some rest.

So there are my subs, but as always, what do I know?

Give me your All-Star reserves in the comments below…

The post Links: Ron Goes? Ron Stays! appeared first on SLAM.

So let’s talk dunks. All-Star Weekend is just around the corner, which means we’re about to see one of the more anticipated dunk contests in recent years. And that’s mainly for one reason: Blake Griffin.

As you guys know, this season I’ve been cohosting NBA.com’s Hang Time Podcast with NBA.com’s Sekou Smith, and along with our super producer Micah Hart, we’ve been scheming on a Dunk Contest podcast for a while now. We actually had all of the dunk contest participants lined and ready to go a few weeks ago for a podcast, but then Atlanta froze over and Sekou and Micah couldn’t make it in to the studio.

But we regrouped! And somehow, yesterday, we managed to pull it off. So yesterday on the Hang Time Podcast, we welcomed all four contestants in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest: DeMar DeRozan, Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka and JaVale McGee. We also managed to wrangle one of the greatest dunkers of all-time, Dominique Wilkins, to talk about the history of the dunk contest. And while we were taping the podcast, I started looking over the list of the people who’d won the dunk contest, and there was Brent Barry. So we put in a call to Bones and got him on the podcast on the fly. All in all, great stuff, and these guys had some great things to say.

You can listen to the entire podcast via our flash player here:

If you want to download the entire podcast, click here. And if you want to subscribe via iTunes, click here.

• The other big event on All-Star Weekend is the three-point contest. SLAM reader Viktor Meijer, who plays for Alvik Basket in Sweden, sent along this clip of Marcus Eriksson, a Swedish baller who was MVP of the Junior Euroleague a few years back. And it seems Mr. Eriksson can shoot…at least the straightaway three. Here he is hitting 78 out of 80 threes. All while dressed like Mark Zuckerberg.

Crazy.

• Here’s a fun story: It is snowing today in NYC. I think I am one of the few people in New York still fascinated by snow. More specifically, falling snow. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in the South, where we averaged about one inch of snow every two years, but whenever it snows in NYC, I love to open the curtains and sit near the window and just watch it float down to the ground. Like everyone else here in NYC, I don’t particularly like dealing with the aftermath of the snow — being unable to walk along sidewalks isn’t a lot of fun — but those moments when it’s actually snowing are still special to me.

We’ve had two huge snowfalls in New York this winter, and I was stranded in airports for both of them. The first time was a couple of days after Christmas, when I got stuck down South for a week. The most recent huge storm was last week, when 19 inches came down overnight. I was in L.A., returning from my driving adventure and waiting around at LAX, hoping I’d be able to fly home to NYC on the red eye as soon as the snow passed. I arrived at LAX at 5:00 PM, and my flight was supposed to leave at 9:30 PM. I figured I could wait out four hours by posting up in a corner with a couple of electrical outlets and getting some work done. Almost as soon as I checked in, I got an email noting that our departure was delayed from 9:30 PM until 12:30 AM. This meant I was staring at what would be at least an 8-hour delay. I did not want to spend eight hours hanging around the Delta concourse at LAX, so I went up to Delta’s Sky Club and bought a one-day pass.

As much as I’ve traveled over the last decade, I’d never been in one of the premium lounges the airlines run for their best customers. Because even though I maintain enough miles to qualify as a medallion member with Delta and I get upgraded on flights pretty regularly, I have never traveled quite enough to reach that upper echelon of business travel warriors who get the bulk of the airline perks, like George Clooney in Up In The Air.

Never having set foot in a premium lounge before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It was a huge space, with a few areas that seemed to be designated for certain things: a quiet room; a bar-like area with snack food, TVs and free drinks; a bigger room with space for groups of people to sit together. People were quiet, relaxed. I found a spot at a row of desks across the back of the room and plugged in my various devices, then got on the free wireless and sat down to write. I wrote, caught up on emails and reading, wandered over and ate and drank, made some phone calls. I overheard the man next to me calling his wife, and he was obviously on the same flight I was on, so we commiserated about our shared bad luck and strategized about the best way for us to get back to NYC.

Around 10:30 PM, they announced that the flight was going to be canceled and that we would all be automatically rebooked for the next available flight. A bunch of people made a run for the front desk in the Sky Club to talk ticketing, to find out when they’d be flying or to try and adjust their schedules. I spun around in my chair and got online and checked, and I’d been booked onto a flight leaving the next morning at 6:30 AM, as had my compatriot next to me. I selected a seat (only middle seats available, ugh), bypassed the line and went to one of the automated machines to print out my ticket, and went back to compare notes with my fast friend. We talked about trying to find a nearby hotel to get rooms, but by this point it was 11:00 PM. By the time we found a hotel with vacancies and caught a cab over, it would probably be close to midnight, and we’d have to be back to check in for our flight five hours later. We agreed it just made more sense to try and crash in the Sky Club for the night.

I went over to the large domed entry room filled with high-backed love seats and claimed one for myself. I set my cell phone alarm for 4:50 AM, drained a glass of red wine and fell asleep pretty much immediately. The only time I woke up was around 2:00 AM, when another stranded traveler sleeping nearby awoke and apparently spilled a full glass of water into his laptop bag and kind of freaked out about it. (I couldn’t blame him: I can think of lot of places I wouldn’t want to spill a full glass of water, but not many worse than my laptop bag.) But after he settled down, I went right back to sleep, my legs on top of my bags, clutching my cell phone in my hand so I wouldn’t miss the alarm going off.

Sure enough, I woke up at 4:50 AM, still holding my cell phone, which must be some sort of a record. Brushed my teeth, grabbed a bagel and coffee, then strolled downstairs minutes before boarding. All told, spending that fifty bucks made what could have been a miserable situation into a perfectly tolerable one.

I made it back to New York last Thursday night and missed the snow. But then it snowed again on Saturday. And it’s snowing outside right this second, the fourth Tuesday in a row we’ve had snow and the eighth “winter event” of the season. And it’s supposed to snow again on Saturday.

But I am not complaining! Just saying, if you like snow, right now New York is the place to be.

Catch you guys tomorrow…

The post Links: The Slam Dunk Podcast appeared first on SLAM.

I’ve been trying to update this column once a week, but even that schedule has proved, at times, ambitious. Like last week, for instance. So to make it up, I’m going to try and update every day this week. (Cross your fingers.) And we’ll talk about basketball tomorrow. But today? Race car driving, what else?

Two weeks ago, we finished the next issue of SLAM—which you guys will see later this week, I believe. I took the weekend off and hung with Wifey, and then last Monday, I hopped a flight for California so I could learn how to drive a race car. Seriously, I did.

Last week, Toyota brought a couple of writers and bloggers out to California to show off the Toyota Yaris by letting us race is at top speeds. I flew out from NYC on Monday morning, and after landing at LAX, I took a cab to the nearby Toyota offices, picked up a brand new Yaris and drove up into the mountains about ninety minutes north of Los Angeles. We had dinner together that evening, then the next morning drove up to the Willow Springs Raceway. Once there we met the instructors and received a briefing about basic driving rules and about the “streets” track, where we did our driving. We then each picked out a Celica race car. (I ended up with the number 4 car.) We started at the skid pad, learning how to control skids without losing control, and then we were basically turned loose on the track.

Most of the writers at this event were from car magazines or websites, so they’d been to things like this and had experience on tracks. I was there representing our sister magazine Antenna (for which I’ll be writing much more about this experience in the summer issue). Conversely, I haven’t owned a car since 1999. But I do love to drive, and I’ve driven hundreds of thousands of miles in my life. Also, my favorite show on television is probably Top Gear.

So I was secretly hoping all of these shared experiences would somehow culminate in my having surprising skill at driving a race car. I thought of the scene from Days of Thunder when Tom Cruise (Cole Trickle) first shows up and meets Robert Duvall (Harry Hogge)…

Harry Hogge: What do you know about stock car racing?
Cole Trickle: Well… watched it on television, of course.
Harry Hogge: You’ve seen it on television?
Cole Trickle: ESPN. The coverage is excellent. You’d be surprised at how much you can pick up.
Harry Hogge: I’m sure I would.

As it turned out, this was not true, at least not in my case. I did not wreck, though on my first lap I did slide off the track on the third turn. I went back to the start/finish area and one of the instructors hopped in my car with me, and I ran a few laps with a pro sitting next me. This was invaluable, and by the time I dropped my main man Raul off, I was able to at least keep up with everyone else. And I even passed a few people (although I think they were the people who’d never driven a manual transmission before).

We broke up the laps with time practicing on Gran Turismo 5 (more on that in a second), lunch, and some time on the skid pad learning stunt driving tricks. They told us that this was important so we could learn how to control skids, and I learned how to not only do a 180, but also learned how to drive in reverse and spin a 180 so I was facing forward and then drive away, like you see people doing in movies. So if either of those situations ever occur in my life, I’m good.

We did a ton of laps on day one and got a lot of track time. That evening a couple of Toyota drivers (like NASCAR star Joey Logano) and a car owner (former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who let me try on his blingtastic Super Bowl ring) arrived. We had dinner with them that evening, and then they joined us for day two. 

The second day we traded in our Celicas for a few race-equipped Yaris. They told us that all the cars were all equal, that driver skill was the main thing that mattered.

This was never more evident than when Joey Logano went out to run laps with us. Joey, who is all of 20 years old and who drives the Home Depot Toyota #20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR, jumped in one of the Toyota Celicas that we’d been running the day before, got out on the track with all of us, and suddenly it looked as though all the other cars were parked. Logano passed everyone out there at least once, reminding us that it was about technique more than it is about equipment. And while I’m sure Joey was able to squeeze more MPH out of his car than I could, going on such a curvy course meant we were forced to slow almost to a crawl at a few spots, which served as something of an equalizer. 

But I’m pretty sure Joey could have driven the entire track in second gear and beat me, because he obviously understood the geometry of driving around a track. Our instructors drilled into us the importance of finding and hitting the apex of every turn, and I did my best to come in slow and then accelerate through each turn, but watching Joey, it was like he was competing in a different sport than the rest of us. You might not picture race car drivers as mathematicians or physicists, but in some way they absolutely are. Because unless you can read the lines out there on the track, you don’t stand a chance.

Sony was also involved with this event, with their game Gran Turismo 5. We writers did timed runs, and then we did timed runs on an original track made especially for us in Gran Turismo, and our combined times were posted against each other. As it turned out, one of the writers was ranked among the world’s best in Gran Turismo, and he ended up winning the event.

Going in, I tried to be realisitic: I was wildly inexperienced, and I just didn’t want to finish last. And I didn’t — two writers didn’t participate on the last day, and one writer who did race legitimately finished behind me, even after I received a two-second penalty for dropping a wheel off the track on my times runs. (At least, it was alleged that I did this. I don’t remember doing it, but when they revealed our final lap times, I had been assessed a two second penalty for going off the track. If this had been some sort of legally binding decision, I would have lodged a protest and demanded video evidence, because I was actually trying really hard NOT to go off the track.) Without the penalty, I think I would have jumped a spot higher.

But whatever. I had so much fun. The cars were amazing, and they were so much fun to drive, specifically the #20 Yaris that I drove, which gripped the track like crazy and took so many G’s on the corners that I was pinned to my seat. 

Everyone I’ve told about this experience has asked me the same question, and the answer is, I’m not sure how fast I drove. Because when you’re approaching what’s basically a 90-degree turn with the gas pedal on the floor and your car just barely in third gear (which means you’re probably around 65 mph), there’s not a lot of time to even look at the dash, much less check out the speedometer. (By the way, how ridiculous were these cars? I used to drive a stick-shift Jeep Wrangler when I lived in Atlanta, and in that car, second gear usually meant I was driving somewhere between 10 and 20 MPH. In the Celica and the Yaris, when I shifted out of second and into third, it meant I was going from the 60s into the 70s.)

I think I hit 75 or a bit higher on the straightaways, but most of the time, you’re looking just in front of your car while also stealing glimpses up ahead forty or fifty feet so you can prepare for whatever crazy curves are waiting for you. Meanwhile, you are constantly, constantly, constantly weighing speed versus caution. You want to go at all times as fast you can physically go without crashing, and I was also generally travelling fast enough that I never felt comfortable. Still, you push it to the edge because you know you’re being judged by the time you post on the stopwatch. 

Also, with every turn and every skid, you get an adrenaline rush like nothing I’ve ever felt before. And that has to be worth something.

What I never anticipated was just how taxing driving is, both mentally and physically. Pretty much immediately I realized why drivers need to be in shape, as it was hard to just climb into the car, where you have to step over iron bars and strap yourself in with a five-point seatbelt. After two days, my knees were sore, my back aching. And mentally, there’s nothing more important than staying completely engaged at all times. The second you let your mind wander, you find yourself skidding around a corner at 60 miles an hour and on the verge of flying out of control. More than once I found my mind drifting to work or family and had to force myself to concentrate on the road in front of me.

After Joey ran a few laps in the Yaris, I asked him for some advice, and he said one thing he’d picked up was that when you felt the Yaris was on the verge of losing it on a corner, if you gave it more gas you could hold the corner and make it out of there. This went directly against what your reflexes told you to do when in trouble — HIT THE BRAKES!! — but on one of my laps I started skidding, and before I hit the brakes I remembered what Joey had said, so I mashed the gas and, lo and behold, I made it out intact.

I learned so much in two days, and I had an amazing time. If I am one of the Top Gear presenters, I had hoped I could be Jeremy Clarkson or maybe even Richard Hammond, but it appears that I probably most closely resemble James May, who is often referred to on the show as Captain Slow. I did not set any land speed records, though I drove respectably and I like to think I can be both thoughtful and introspective and perhaps even funny from time to time, like May.

Anyway, thanks so much to Toyota and Sony for having me out and letting me wear out the clutches and brakes on their cars. I hope I get the chance to do it again some day.

As it turns out, driving a race car isn’t easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. But let me tell you, it is incredibly fun.

Oh, and in case you’d like to mock me, here’s a video of me in the Yaris doing one warm-up lap and my first timed lap…

The post Links: Go Speed Racer! appeared first on SLAM.

What up, people? It’s Friday and things are sloooow here at the SLAM Dome, which is nice because the last week or so was a sprint to finish our next issue, with a 4,000-mile round-trip to Los Angeles over the weekend thrown in for me, so I could report this next issue’s cover story. Our office was closed on Monday for MLK Day, so I took the redeye back to NYC that left Sunday night, worked on the plane the entire time and didn’t sleep, got to NYC on Monday morning and went directly home. I slept three hours, woke up and did a conference call for Tuesday’s episode of “The Beat” on NBA TV, went back to sleep for a few hours, woke up and recorded this week’s episode of The Hangtime Podcast (link below), went back to sleep for a few hours, then woke up and got back to work on the cover story for this issue of SLAM.

Then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday featured all of us in the Dome running around like chickens with our heads cut off, finishing writing things and editing things. And now we’re done with the issue that will drop right around All-Star Weekend. I get the weekend off, and then I’m leaving town again, to work on a different story, and coming back later next week. It really don’t stop.

On “The Beat” this week, David Aldridge and I did our midseason awards, and it was much tougher than I expected to make my choices. Perhaps that was because of my zombie-like state of unsleep, but I really struggled deciding.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: This one was so easy that we ended up not even debating it on the show — Blake Griffin, obvs — and instead talked about whether or not Blake will be an All-Star. We both agreed that he will be, because there’s no way Stern would miss this marketing opportunity. I should also mention that I wrote the John Wall cover story a few months ago arguing that he was a legit ROY candidate. And he was. But he’s only played in 28 games because of injuries, and as good as he’s been — he’s 5th in the League in assists — Blake Griffin has been unstoppable.

MOST IMPROVED: DA and I also agreed on this one, as we both went with Kevin Love. I thought about choosing either Wes Matthews or Dorrell Wright, because they’ve both been terrific, but I couldn’t overlook what Love’s doing. You know, he averaged 14 and 11 last season, both perfectly respectable averages, but this season he’s averaging 21.4 and 15.6. So he’s averaging more rebounds per game this season than he did points per game last season. Some of that is an increase in playing time, sure, but he’s only playing about 7 minutes more per game. As DA said, if it was that easy to average 15 rebounds a game, everybody would do it.

COACH OF THE YEAR: I think this is the most wide-open category. DA went with Popovich, which I totally get. I thought about Thibodeau, Doc Rivers, Rick Carlisle, even Jerry Sloan, but eventually went with Erik Spoelstra. It was just a few months ago that there were rumors about whether or not Spoelstra was the right guy for the job. They started 9-8, and since then are 21-5, which includes that 21 of 22 run when everyone was healthy. They’ve lost Haslem and Mike Miller to long injuries, but nore than anything, I went with Spoelstra because he’s had a bigger spotlight on him than any other coach, and he not only didn’t screw it up, but he’s also been very successful.

MVP: I thought hard about Derrick Rose and Amar’e, and DA went with LeBron and made a good case for him. I came really close to going with Rose, but to me, the two best teams for most of the first half were Dallas and San Antonio, and the main reason Dallas was there was because of Dirk Nowitzki. Before Dirk went down with that injury, Dallas was a crazy 24-5. He’s averaging about 24 ppg, right around his career average, but the most impressive thing to me is that he’s the most efficient he’s ever been, shooting a remarkable 54 percent from the floor. As if to prove Dirk’s value, when he went down injured, Dallas went 2-7 without him. Since he came back they’re 1-3, and trying to figure out how to play without Caron Butler. But that 24-5 start suggests to me that there are big things ahead.

But what do I know? Give me your picks down below in the comments section.

• Here’s this week’s Hangtime Podcast. This week Sekou and I welcomed the guys from The Basketball Jones, Tas and Skeets, who are celebrating their fifth anniversary this weekend up in Toronto. We also had Jenni Carlson from The Oklahoman on with us to talk about her efforts to get Charles Barkley to visit Oklahoma City for a game.

To download the podcast, click here. To subscribe via iTunes, click here. Or you can listen via the flash player below:

Other links…

• I’ve always enjoyed the BBC nature series like Blue Planet and then the Planet Earth, especially getting to watch them in HD or on Blu-Ray. And now there’s a new BBC series about a different animal: Humans!

Check this clip out, and if you can, click the little button on the bottom right of the YouTube player and blow it up full-screen, because it’s pretty amazing.

• The most stone-cold outside shooter this season has to be my main man Rolandas Dovydaitis. Who? Exactly. In an amateur game in Lithuania, Dovydaitis attempted 124 three-pointers in one game, and he made 24 of them. And I love that he finished the game with 73 points, so he scored 72 on three-pointers and also got one free throw. His team won 103-70, but I particularly liked this note in the story:

Despite collecting a total of 73 points, Dovydaitis managed to get a total efficiency ranking of minus-30, mostly due to a hundred missed three-pointers.

• Great story here on Robert Swift, the high schooler drafted by Seattle who was injured a lot and got mad tattoos, then stepped away from basketball. He became an amateur ultimate fighter and ballooned up to 340 pounds, but now is back playing in Japan and playing pretty well.

• Most exciting news this week for me is that the Sidekick is coming back! I was among the world’s most avid Sidekick users for years, until a few years ago when I realized that I wasn’t a 7th grade girl. But the interface was amazing and intuitive, and the keyboard on it was the best phone keyboard I’ve ever used. A couple of years ago Microsoft took over the Sidekick and then everyone had all their data deleted somehow, but luckily I was out before then. I used a G1 for a while, and really liked the Android O/S, but didn’t like the keyboard. For a while I used a Blackberry, which worked fine but isn’t really much fun. For the last few months I’ve been using a Samsung Galaxy S, which is a beautiful phone, but doesn’t have an actual keyboard, which keeps me from typing/texting as much as I probably would otherwise.

The new Sidekick is going to be Android-based, which is awesome, and if the keyboard is even close to as good as the old Sidekick keyboard, I am so in.

• Finally, I’ve been a fan of Natalie Portman since Beautiful Girls, but after she uncorked a laugh on the Golden Globes, the internet has run with it. Here’s a funny video from College Humor where they took the Portman laugh and recut it a bit, to great effect.

• That’s it. Have a great weekend everyone, catch you next week.

The post Links: Awards, Sidekicks and Humans appeared first on SLAM.

I’ve had a cold for about three weeks now…coming and going and coming and going and coming and going. Which is fun. And I will be treating it in possibly the worst way imaginable, by getting on a plane tomorrow and spending the weekend traveling to write a story for the issue of SLAM that we’re trying to finish up right now.

A few things before I hit the road…

• There’s been a lot of talk about the dunk contest this year, specifically the surprising inclusions of Brandon Jennings, Serge Ibaka and JaVale McGee. I knew Brandon used to dunk a lot in high school, and he’s an L.A. guy, and he’ll be the smaller guy that the crowd will hopefully get behind. So Brandon’s inclusion, I understand. And I know McGee and Ibaka are both crazy athletic, but I didn’t really know either was considered a dunker. Then we ran this video of McGee putting in work getting ready for the contest, which looks promising.

And my main man Pascal Giberne tipped me off to the video below of Serge Ibaka as a 19 year old competing in a dunk contest in Spain. Some nice stuff here…

• Last week I talked about the crazy animal deaths happening around the world. Well, they’re continuing. If you want to keep up with them, someone made a handy clickable Google Map listing them all…

View Mass Animal Deaths in a larger map

• Anyone watch the BCS title game? Oregon wore some crazy uniforms, and the story of why Nike designed them the way they did is here. By the way, I’m guessing Tostitos was really excited that there was a coach named “Chip” involved in the game.

• Couldn’t be more excited about season two of “The Ricky Gervais Show,” starting this week on HBO, and Discovery Science showing “An Idiot Abroad” here in the States, beginning next week.

• Finally, if you want some NBA talk, here’s this week’s NBA.com Hangtime Podcast hosted by myself and Sekou Smith. We talked LeBron, Carmelo Anthony and all kinds of other stuff. Sekou and I had a star-studded line-up of guests: TNT’s Steve Kerr, Yahoo’s Marc Spears and SLAM columnist and author Dave Zirin.

Listen here…

You can download the entire file here, or subscribe via itunes here.

OK. I’m gonna take some Mucinex now. Later…

The post Links: Ibaka the Dunker appeared first on SLAM.

I’m pretty sure that we’re all about to get attacked by aliens. Has anyone else been following these stories about the birds falling out of the sky all over the world, thousands and thousands of them? Meanwhile, rivers are turning green, 40,000 crabs washed up on a beach in England, about 100,000 drum fish washed up along the shores of a river in Arkansas. And these have nothing to do with the Siberian Tiger who attacked a bus driver while all his passengers sat and watched.

I’m sure there might be logical explanations for all of these things, but I am not ready to discount the possibility someone it preparing to try and take over the earth. And if this is the case, I am prepared, and have been preparing, because I’ve been playing a horrifying amount of Angry Birds. On the subway, on the couch late at night while watching games, on airplanes…wherever. Just know this: If we are ever attacked by aliens who build easily-destructible wood frames, if you guys give me access to a slingshot and allow me to use the piles of dead birds as ammunition, I’ll take care of us all. The aliens might be killing the birds, but they’re also arming us at the same time!

Angry Birds has been dominating my life for a few weeks now — more specifically, the Holidays Angry Birds edition — but I know it’ll fade out in a few weeks. Before that it was Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and eventually I’m sure I’ll transition to a new game or hobby or something. The only real daily constant in my life over the last decade has been the NBA. It’s the first thing I read about in the mornings, the last thing I watch before going to sleep.

So maybe I’m not obsessed with those other things; those things are just temporal, but I’m obsessed with the NBA. All that got me thinking about ways you know you might be obsessed with the NBA.

With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, you might be obsessed with the NBA…

If you’ve ever seriously thought about how you might look with a neck tattoo.

If you’ve ever woken up on the couch in the middle of the night with the TV on and the NBA League Pass music blaring.

If you know how to explain the defensive three seconds rule.

If your spellcheck knows words like Sagana and Varejao.

If you’ve ever played Boo-Ray.

If you consider yourself a big fan of the Red Panda Acrobats.

If you’ve ever considered getting a Mohawk just before an important event in your life.

If you’ve ever been inside an NBA arena before noon.

If you’ve ever dreamed of being called a “column castigator.”

If you know more than two of Dikembe Mutombo’s names.

If you’ve been to a D-League game.

If you own more than one pair of hightops.

If you’ve ever stayed in the Troy (MI) Marriott.

If you’ve ever worn a sweatband just around the house.

If Joe Smith has ever played for your favorite team.

If you miss the halftime performances of Christopher.

If you’ve ever thought about what it would be like to jump off a trampoline and dunk.

If you’ve ever thought about what it would be like to ride a sled down an arena aisle.

These are all just off the top of my head. What did I forget?

Leave it in the comments below…

The post Links: You Might Be Obsessed With The NBA If… appeared first on SLAM.

To be honest, I’m not really sure what day today is. We had a hellacious few weeks at the SLAMDome leading into the holidays, finishing not one but two issues of SLAM at the same time (a regular issue of SLAM and a special issue, too). Closing one issue of SLAM is tough enough. As it turns out, closing two at once is ridiculous. The upside was supposed to be that we had the week between Christmas and New Year’s off. So as soon as we closed up the issues, I took off for Atlanta for Christmas, and planned on spending a few days in The A, then coming back to NYC for my week off. I was actually looking forward to having a free week in NYC, and getting a chance to do the things I never have time to do, like hitting museums or maybe a Broadway show or two.

But the day before I was supposed to head back to NYC, a snowstorm hit the city. Wifey and I got re-booked onto a flight to NYC on Tuesday morning, hoping the New York airports would be cleaned up by then. But Tuesday morning, our flight got cancelled again, and the next flight we could get booked onto wasn’t until Friday, FIVE DAYS after we were supposed to be back home. Meanwhile, my parents were leaving ATL and heading down to Florida for the New Year, so Wifey and I basically said forget trying to get home, and instead we hitched a ride to FLA with the parents.

So now I’m at the beach, although it isn’t warm enough to actually go to the beach. It isn’t home, but it isn’t being stuck at an airport either. Secondary downside: When I left NYC, I packed for three days, so I brought one pair of jeans, two shirts and three pairs of underwear, all of which is now having to last me 10 days. At this point my socks are walking around the room on their own.

Anyway, to basketball. A few weeks ago I was at the Knicks/Nuggets game at Madison Square Garden, which was somewhat inexplicably held at noon on a Sunday. (Seriously, basketball at noon on a Sunday? That makes about as little sense as canceling an NFL game because of weather.) Because the game tipped so early, I watched the game through crusty eyes, and in some ways, maybe because of the early start, I saw the game a little differently.

At one point in the third quarter, in the middle of a halfcourt set, Denver’s JR Smith found himself briefly unguarded, and he drove to the basket. Just as JR reached the rim, Amar’e Stoudemire rotated over to contest the layup. There may have been some contact, or maybe there wasn’t — it wasn’t obvious either way, and it happened right in front of me.

JR got the shot off over Amar’e. The ball caromed off the glass, hit the rim, bounced high in the air, hung around the rim without any real intent, and then, what felt like seconds after the initial shot, the ball lazily dropped away from the rim and into the hands of a Knicks rebounder. By this time, Amar’e had already turned and begun running to the other end of the floor, as every Knicks player seems to be required to do at even the slightest hint of a break opportunity.

And then a ref called a foul. On the shot. Which had literally been taken about two seconds earlier.

Whether or not a foul actually occurred is debatable, but frankly, in this circumstance, it felt like we should have moved on already. Because fouls are supposed to be called when they occur, right? This happens regularly in NBA games, and it’s always frustrating when it happens against your team. There may not be a time limit, but there is some sort of unwritten statute of limitations on calls. If someone walks, passes the ball and one of their teammates scores, the walk is not retroactively called. You either whistle the walk when it happens or you don’t call the walk at all, right?

Yet when JR Smith’s shot missed, the foul was called, even though the foul had actually happened a while before the call. And it felt like if the ball had gone in the basket, the foul wouldn’t have been called at all.

That’s what is so frustrating about the late foul call, to both players and fans: It’s a late call. This suggests some level of discretion being enacted by the officials, and that discretion can feel inauthentic because it’s not a written part of the rules.

That morning, for some reason, my mind immediately went to soccer; maybe it was because on Sunday mornings, I’m usually parked on my couch watching soccer. Either way, I thought of soccer, particularly the advantage rule.

The advantage rule, as I’ve seen it called, comes into play often in soccer games. Say a midfielder has the ball and is dribbling down the field, nearing the opposing goal. A defender comes at him and tackles him hard, knocking the ball away from him, but accidentally knocking it directly to one of the offensive player’s teammates, who is able to continue the attack on goal. In most cases, when the foul occurs, the referee would blow his whistle and call a foul. The problem is that calling the foul would stop the flow of play, and stop the attack from developing, which is why the defender committed the foul in the first place.

This is where the advantage rule comes into play. When the foul occurs, in soccer the referee has the discretion to not call the foul immediately and instead let the play develop, so as not to let the illegal play interrupt the team on the attack. The ref signals that “advantage” has been called by extending both arms in front of him, in sort of a “play on, gentlemen,” motion. If the attacking team loses the attack soon after, the whistle is blown, the foul that occurred is recognized, and the team that was originally on the attack is given the ball back.

It’s a completely sensible and logical rule, at least in the context of soccer. If the foul matters, whether in the moment or in retrospect, the foul is noted. But if it turns out that the foul doesn’t directly affect the game as it is being played, it isn’t called.

(And I used the “in the context of soccer” qualifier because there’s one major rules difference in soccer and basketball: you can’t foul out of a soccer game. If you get called for too many flagrant fouls, you can get ejected, but if just get called for hard, clean fouls, you can rack up dozens of fouls and it doesn’t matter, at least as far as getting ejected or fouling out.)

So here’s my grand idea: The NBA should adopt the soccer advantage rule. I know it’s not really an earth-shattering notion, but it would make a lot of sense in NBA games.

Legalizing the advantage rule wouldn’t really change anything, because the refs basically already play the advantage rule: As in that JR Smith/Amar’e sense, there are times when refs wait and see if they need to call a foul before making the call.

I mentioned this idea to a soccer-loving NBA writer friend, and his initial reaction was that perhaps it’s not a good idea to ask the NBA referees to use their discretion to make calls. I had a similar thought when I first imagined the NBA using this rule: Will players, coaches and fans be comfortable with asking referees to use judgment to make calls?

Thing is, the refs already do. In that situation I described above, the ref used his judgment not to call a foul when the shot was taken, and then later used his judgment to call a foul after the shot was missed.

The advantage rule could be used in situations other than shooting fouls, such as at the end of shot clocks when a team throws up an airball and the defending team takes off on a break, only to be stopped because the refs are forced to whistle the shot clock violation. Or what about when a team gets a steal and takes off on a break and the defender commits a foul to stop the break? Shouldn’t the ref have the discretion to allow the break to continue?

Is there a downside I’m missing? The one big sticking point I see in this would be that in the NBA, because the fouls are counted up, fouls in the NBA are much more precious than they are in soccer. But the more I think about it, the better I think this rule would be if it was adopted by the NBA.

Anyway, just something I’ve been chewing over in my head the last few days, as I enjoy my forced homelessness. Hope you guys have a great vacation, and catch you all in 2011.

The post Links: Play On? appeared first on SLAM.

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

Change is about to come to Washington DC. It’s a Monday night, the first day of November, and the nation’s capital is quiet as twilight passes. Tomorrow morning will commence mid-term elections, which are in turn expected to bring about serious modifications to the federal government. Walking through the District, you can read the uncertainty on people’s faces, feel it in the air. By tomorrow night, control could be shifting. For a city so predicated upon clout and influence, the prospect of power changing hands seems to be having a sobering effect, at least on this evening.

In the middle of DC, on the Wizards’ practice court deep inside the Verizon Center, another Washington newbie is looking to run a takeover of his own. In less than 24 hours, John Wall will be formally introduced to the DMV at Washington’s first home game of the season. He spent the morning at practice, got treatment on a sprained ankle, paid a visit to the dentist, got in a nap at his condo around the corner from the Verizon Center, and now he’s back in the gym, in front of the camera, posing for his first solo SLAM cover.

“I was like 2, 3 years old playing on my little Fisher Price goal,” Wall is saying, in response to a question about his earliest basketball memories. “I remember when I was 4, the Boys and Girls Club had a little 5 and 6 league, playing on shorter goals.”

Click-flash. Click-flash. Wall glares into the camera with his heavy-lidded eyes. He is asked if he can recall the moment he realized he was above average at basketball. He speaks fast, almost as fast as he plays, the words spilling out in a rat-a-tat flow, dipped in a slight southern accent reflecting his Carolina roots: “When I first tried out for the Garner Road Bulldogs—it was an 11-and-under team, I had just turned 11—I played one scrimmage with them and then coach took me out and said, ‘You’re on the team automatically.’ It was shocking, because they already had players that was returning. But I was basically out there doing whatever I wanted to. I was short then, but I made the team and that was when I realized I needed to take basketball seriously. That was a lot of fun. We went to nationals, and it was my first time traveling, really. So that got me the experience of traveling and visiting places I probably wouldn’t have been to if I hadn’t played basketball. When I got to high school, I started really noticing that maybe I could play in the NBA. But I always had dreamed of playing in the NBA.”

Now 20 years old, the 6-4 Wall, who moves up and down the floor faster than a rumor, is living the dream. His dream. A never-ending stream of Lil Wayne flows from a nearby MacBook Pro, and Wall seems to have every lyric committed to memory, effortlessly spitting along. In between songs and set-ups, Wall fires up full-court shots, talks video games and home electronics, even laughingly commiserates about dental hygiene with Gilbert Arenas, who swings by the gym for a late-night workout. Wall has the concerns of any young adult, though not many 20-year-olds are about to shoulder an NBA franchise.

If any NBA franchise needed a little help, it was the Wizards. A year ago, long-time Wizards owner Abe Pollin passed away at 85. A few weeks later, Arenas was suspended for the rest of the season following a gun charge. For most of the early ’00s, the Wizards were a Playoff team, winning at least 40 games four years in a row, but never advancing past the Eastern Conference Semis. With Arenas out, the Wizards hit the reset button, trading away Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson and Antawn Jamison. The ’09-10 Wizards won just 26 games.

And then they struck gold, winning the first pick in the 2010 Draft Lottery, better known as the John Wall Lottery. Wall led the Wizards to the Vegas Summer League, where he won League MVP honors and, more importantly, showed Wizards fans change they could believe in. As new Wiz owner Ted Leonsis blogged, Wall “injected a shot of cappuccino into our franchise—strike that—it is ESPRESSO! A double shot of ESPRESSO!”

Wall’s first few weeks in the NBA were a tour de force. He went for 14 and 9 on his opening night in a blowout loss to Orlando. In his second game, Wall posted 28 points and 9 assists in a 4-point loss at Atlanta, scoring 10 points in the fourth despite a sprained ankle to keep Washington in the game. Wall’s third game was Washington’s home opener, the day after our shoot, against the Philadelphia 76ers. He busted a particularly heated version of The Dougie during pre-game introductions before segueing into his own eponymous dance, then finished with 29 points, 13 assists and 9 steals, making him the first player in the history of the NBA to have those digits in one game. He also became the fourth rookie in NBA history to have at least 20 and 10 in his home debut, joining Norm Nixon, Isiah Thomas and Oscar Robertson. He followed these performances up with 13 points and 7 assists against the Knicks, and then 13 and 10 against the Cavs.

Wall’s approach to the game has been incredible to watch. The first two weeks of the season, he raced up and down the floor like a Bugatti Veyron. Hawks coach Larry Drew compared Wall to Rickey Green, and then noted, “John may be faster. And he’s powerful, he’s got size.” (If you don’t know, Rickey Green was a 6-0 point guard who played 14 NBA seasons, retiring in 1992. Green was so fast that Lute Olson once said, “Three defenders on Ricky Green is a mismatch in Green’s favor.”) Josh Smith called Wall “a blur.” Stan Van Gundy noted that Wall’s speed is “up there with anybody in the League.” Byron Scott said Wall is “one of the quickest guys that I’ve seen in the League with the ball.” Lou Williams said simply, “Dude’s a rocket.”

“He has the speed that you don’t see in the NBA anymore,” says Arenas. “Either you’re straight fast, or you’re laterally fast. He’s both. He’s quick and fast.”

Arenas then extends his right arm, flattens his palm and holds his hand perpendicular to the floor, then moves his hand in a swerving motion to his right, like a shark cutting through the ocean. “What makes him look so fast is when he’s going this way and then…”—and here Arenas abruptly jerks his hand back to the left, as though the shark is making a 90-degree turn in pursuit of prey—“…he cuts back that way. He can cut. He has that Tony Parker and TJ Ford in him, so he can just maneuver and it just makes him look so fast.”

It isn’t just that Wall looks fast, he is fast. At the end of the first half in the Wizards’ loss to Cleveland, trying to score before the half ended, Wall took an inbounds pass and went end-to-end with two dribbles, taking just over 2 seconds. Before the Draft, Wall was tested by ESPN’s Sports Science program, and they found Wall was able to react to a light trigger in 253 milliseconds, which is faster than a cheetah at top speed takes a single stride.

“It’s great,” says Arenas, smiling. “Just like when I used to play, and people just watch you play? I sit there and do that when he has the ball. I just watch and see what he’s going to do next. I used to yell at guys, and now he’s doing the same thing, yelling at everyone, ‘You guys gotta move somewhere!’ So that’s kind of funny.”

Speak to Wall, and the numbers he cares about are wins and losses. And for all Wall’s individual brilliance, the Wizards exited their first five games with only one victory, that home debut against Philly. “The main thing I tell everybody is it’s a learning experience,” Wall says. “We’ve got a couple of returning players, a couple of new guys coming in, so we’re all trying to get adjusted to the system. We’re working hard individually to get better, and as a team we’re working on defense. I feel like we’ll continue to get better. If we just focus on getting better and competing, we’ll have an opportunity to win a lot more games than they did last year.”

Through those same five games, Wall averaged 5.8 turnovers per contest. Wall promises he’s working to correct it—“I’ve got to be a better decision-maker for my team.” It’s Wall’s fearlessness on the floor, the same audacity that generates YouTube content, that sometimes works against him. “With John, his greatest strength can be his greatest weakness,” says Wizards coach Flip Saunders. “He wants to try and make something happen, and in the last couple of games he was trying to create something that wasn’t there. It’s almost like a young quarterback in football trying to throw into coverage.”

“The first things I’ve noticed are the speed and size of everyone,” Wall says. “Like when we played Atlanta, Josh Smith is so big and athletic. He showed me one time when he swatted my shot back to halfcourt. I knew he could do it, but I thought I could get into his body and get my shot off. But the veterans are so smart.

“The thing is, every game you’re going against talented guys. There’s not a night off, there’s not a night that’s any easier than any other night. And it’s great. You have to learn how to develop your game and add things to your game. Things are going to come game by game.”

A few nights after the SLAM shoot, about an hour before John Wall’s NBA debut in New York City, Wall is out on the court being led through a very specific drill by Washington Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell. The rest of the Wizards have trickled back toward the locker room, or perhaps to visit the chapel or the trainer. Wall is still working.

If you listen to John Wall field inquiries from the media, he repeatedly makes references to defenses “going under” against him. As it’s played out early in his NBA career, defenders going under picks are John Wall’s few moments of freedom on the basketball court. Every other second Wall is on the floor, defenders focus on him like politicians trying to find earmarks. Yet whenever Wall dribbles around a pick, defenders mostly seem content to lose him for a second or two, balancing the time it takes to recover defensively versus allowing Wall the chance to shoot a jumper, and usually deciding they’ll give him that jumper.

Wall and Cassell are working assiduously to make it easier for Wall to take what he’s being given. “He’s helping me a whole lot,” Wall says of Cassell, “especially in the mid-range area, where he was dominant. He wasn’t the fastest or most athletic, but he was smart and a legend in the League.” Cassell was so good at the mid-range game that when TNT made a series of basketball instructional videos, Cassell was the player chosen to demonstrate how to excel in the mid-range game.

And so each day, Cassell has Wall facing up from 16 to 18 feet. With a defender trailing him, Wall runs toward Cassell on the right wing, catches a pass, approaches a pick. Time and again, as Wall goes around the pick, the defender doesn’t even bother to chase him, instead going under the screen and letting Wall briefly roam free with the ball. Wall squares himself, hoists a jumper, snaps his wrist. Again. Again. Again. Again.

Wall is no stranger to hard work. Born and raised around Raleigh, NC, despite his dominance of adolescent leagues, John Wall wasn’t always a household name. It was a run during the summer of 2007, at the sneaker camps and while playing AAU ball for D-One Sports, that Wall really stated his case.

“Everything I did I tried to take advantage of it,” Wall says. “When I went to Reebok U as a special invite to the underclassmen camp, I knew you had to be top five to get invited to the main camp. So I was going in with the mindset of having to prove myself. Then going to the main camp, the main event, going up against players I looked up to and guys I was watching on scout.com, I had an opportunity to play and prove myself against them. I used to watch all of them—Brandon Jennings, Renardo Sidney, Isaiah Thomas. I’m still cool with most of them and still talk to them. But those are guys I looked up to, since they were top of their class. I wanted to see where I stood against them.”

By the end of the summer, according to several ranking services, Wall was atop the Class of ’09. After just one season at the University of Kentucky, Wall again found himself at the head of his class, although this time it was the 2010 NBA Draft class. Wall declared for the Draft, and a few weeks later the Wizards hit the lotto.

In many ways, so did Wall. Washington is a passionate sports town, about four hours from Raleigh, with a new owner intent on turning the franchise into a contender. And it was also a franchise in need of exactly what John Wall brings: a touch of magic; a dash of electricity; a double shot of espresso.

What matters now is what Wall accomplishes now that he’s here. Weeks into his NBA career, he’s been drawing the sort of awe-filled reviews that make the Double Rainbow Guy sound jaded. The highlights are great, but in order to effect real change in DC, Wall has bigger plans.

“I got goals. Hopefully win Rookie of the Year, that’s everybody’s goal. I want to keep developing, improve my jump shot and prove I can make it so people will stop going under screens. Keep learning as much as I can, prepare every day, get better every day. Watch film. Listen to Coach Saunders, Sam Cassell, listen to all the coaches I can. See how teams are going to guard me so I’ll know how other teams will try and guard me.
“But the main focus is really the team goal. I really want to see what we can do as a team.”

The post John Legend appeared first on SLAM.

Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays. At least, that’s how the song goes, and it’s been true in my life, too. While locations have varied, I’ve spent every Christmas Day of my life with family. This year, because things here at SLAM are so crazy — we’re literally shipping pages so late that Santa will be delivering the last few columns — I knew I was going to have to make my holiday visits brief. I was even starting to allow myself to feel sorry for myself.

And then I got an email from James the Balla.

If you’re relatively new around these parts, James the Balla was a frequent commenter here on SLAMonline. Even though I didn’t really know much about him, I felt like we knew him, same as I feel about most of you who spend all day arguing in our comments sections. A few months ago I ran an email from James, explaining why we weren’t going to be hearing much from him anymore: James was in the military, and he was heading off to the Middle East. James’ email drew a lot of comments and well-wishes from you guys, and it was cool to be reminded that each and every one of us who partakes in this big SLAMonline.com party has a life that takes precedence, even above and beyond our opinions about who should be the MVP or which team is going to win the NBA title.

As I’ve said before, maybe all of us here on SLAMonline all don’t agree on everything, but we are a family. To me, that’s what makes SLAMonline so great. We argue, we fight, we disagree, we agree. But at the end of the day, we’re a community, a family.

Anyway, I checked my email the other day and had an email waiting from James:

Happy Holidays SLAM,

Over the last month I have been wondering what to write and if I was going to keep this short. I will write what I can and leave it up to Lang on if he wants to cut some out or post it how it is (if Lang even posts it). So here we go: 

I have been here for roughly 40 days, and time is flying. It’s hard saying anything about what I do, or describing anything (the picture is me heading to dinner). But what I can tell you is that I am doing great.

Not being on SLAMonline sucks! The computers here are too slow and there isn’t enough time to get on to the site. I do, however, stop by every second day usually to read some titles, trying to catch a glimpse of anything on Kobe and my Lakers. I don’t know much about what is going on in the NBA, but it seems like my Lakers lost a few games in a row at one point. My amazing Mother though has sent me some Christmas gifts, along with the Lupe Fiasco SLAM… sorry, I mean the John Wall SLAM. God love her, she didn’t wrap it because she knew I would want to read it right away.

Before I get into what I want to say, I have a few questions and comments about the season so far.

— What happened to Jennings? He seems to have fallen into some mediocrity?
— Blake Griffin seems to be killin’ it!
— Spurs, WTF?
— I think my Lakers will win the chip this year, and they will beat out Orlando in seven games.
— I also am wondering how LeBron’s fans are doing? With Kobe having better stats, does this mean that Kobe is better than Bron now? Because that’s why LeBron has been regarded as the best basketball player the last two years, correct? LOL, just trying to get the Bron fans going!

Last thing: I was able to watch 4 minutes of a NO/OKC game the other night while sitting at mess. I was on a 30 degree angle so I couldn’t make out who was who, but it was 4th quarter and the game was close. Also had no sound, and I was far away from the TV, but it still made my night!

To the meaning of this e-mail now. I wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone, where ever you are or where ever you live! I miss being on SLAM every day, and arguing about stupid basketball topics. To anyone reading this, if you get to spend the Holidays with your family or friends, a loved one, or boyfriend or girlfriend… Take this time and cherish it. Drop stupid arguments and really enjoy your Holidays and the Christmas spirit… or whatever you celebrate during this time of year. Next year you may not get the same opportunities as this year.

I myself will be working roughly 8,600 kms away from any of my family or old friends. So please, spend as much time as you can with the people closest to you. I would give up a lot of things just to eat my Mother’s dry turkey (don’t tell her I said that), but instead I will be eating turkey off of a tray…or maybe out of a box, LOL. Enjoy the Christmas Day games, and if it isn’t asking too much, cheer for my Lakers…

No? Too much? I miss y’all like a step brother. 

Merry Christmas everyone, have a safe and happy holidays. Please don’t drink and drive! A special shout out to (in no particular order Eboy!): Eboy, Jukai, DP, Moose, BET, Bryan, Anton, Teddy, Cheryl, Holly, and anyone else I am forgetting. I apologize if I missed anyone I talk to a lot — this e-mail has to be done rather quickly. 

A special shout out to Lang. If this gets posted or whatever he does with it, I appreciate him giving me the opportunity to say what’s up and Merry Christmas.

Talk to you guys in a few months.

James

So I wrote James back…

James:

Great to hear from you man. The pic of you with the SLAM over there is so cool — thanks for sending that along. I’m going to post your email just before the Christmas break, so I’ll hang on to this for now.

In the meantime, to answer your questions:

— Brandon’s played OK, but Milwaukee’s had a lot of injury problems. They’re finally just now getting everyone healthy. [I wrote this before Brandon broke his foot.]
— Griffin’s been dope. Mostly just dunking on everyone, but yeah, he’s had a great start.
— The Spurs have turned back into the old Spurs, grinding everyone down. They’re playing great so far.

Some follow-up questions for you: What’s it like there? Where are you (if you’re allowed to say)? What’s your schedule like? Are you out and about or are you mostly on the base? How much longer are you there for?

Last thing: Is there anything you need that we can send you?

–lang

James responded…

Lang,

Hopefully the computer doesn’t miss too many words. This thing is horrible! Plus I have a time limit so I will be quick.

I was hoping Jennings would have had a crazy good year. Blake’s seems like old KMart with basketball IQ and tons more skill. The Spurs record is making me nervous.

Here? Not much you can say. The country is amazing, the mountains are breathtaking. It’s just hard to look past a lot of things.

Time is going by fast. I should be out of here next July, so it’s not too bad. Unless plans change (which happens almost every day in the military). I can’t take any chance on violating opsec (operation security), so I won’t say anything about anything LOL, sorry.

My schedule is good. It started out with a lot of 16-hour days with not a lot of sleep, but we have calmed down. Starting Christmas day I start working 12 hour days basically. So it’s good, it helps time go by and when you’re at work you don’t lose situational awareness. It’s the one place where being at work is actually good. (Other than working at SLAM, but unfortunately we all can’t be writers or editors!)

Lang, man, thanks for asking, but no! My Mother has me covered on anything I need, but thanks for asking. Plus, there are a few chickies that worry about me too LOL! Just keep doing your thing with SLAM, and enjoy your holidays. Anyways, I have 4 minutes left on this thing. I am trying to check my e-mail everyday now. I just wish SLAM would run on these computers better.

Peace out, Lang

James

PS: Sorry for the swearing.

For a lot of us, the holidays may be about eating a lot of food and watching a couple of dope games on TV that could establish some sort of pecking order atop the NBA, but more than that, I hope for all of you the holidays are about friends and family, not only those you’re able to visit with and hug, but also the friends and family who aren’t able to be with us. It took someone who’s going to spend his holidays 5,000 miles away from home to remind me of that. Thanks, James. Stay safe and happy holidays.

James is going to try and check this post a few days after it goes up, so if you want to drop him well wishes or anything, comment away.

And happy holidays to you, too, peoples.

The post Links: Happy Holidays appeared first on SLAM.

These days magazines can’t just be magazines anymore. Seriously, who in their right mind wants to just read words or look at pictures when you can go on the internet and see the pictures MOVE? Sure, we could post a cool photo of Blake Griffin dunking. But wouldn’t you rather just watch an animated GIF of a soccer ball hitting a kid in the head over and over?

When I went to DC a couple of weeks back for the John Wall cover photo shoot, I brought the SLAM Flip cam along with me. I spent some time editing the footage to try and make it a little exciting, although that’s easier said than done. The truth is, photo shoots aren’t very interesting. There’s an NBA player there, and there are cameras and lots of expensive cameras and rented lights. But you’re capturing frozen moments, and in between all those moments there’s a lot of sitting around. So most SLAM photo shoots — because there’s a inevitably a basketball and a basket involved — eventually devolve into some sort of trick shot competition. The John Wall shoot was no different.

Other notes from the shoot:

— We did the shoot on a Monday night at the Wizards’ practice facility, which is in the Verizon Center. The Wizards had an off day, so they’d practiced that morning and had the afternoon off. Wall had home to take a nap (he lives near the Verizon Center) then gone to the dentist, then swung by our shoot. The date of the shoot was actually November 1, meaning the following day was Super Tuesday, with the election going down. The balance of power was about to shift in DC, and I swear you could feel the unease in the air. When we finished the shoot, it was a nice night, so I walked from the Verizon Center back over to Union Station to take the train back to NYC, and the streets were deserted. It wasn’t even late — maybe 7 o’clock. I imagined that all the politicos were bunkered down, making their final pushes for votes.

— Our main man Atiba Jefferson did the shoot for us. You’ll see him in the vid several times.

— About an hour into the shoot, Atiba and Wall were down on the court, when Gilbert Arenas strolled in. He’d come by to get some shots up, not knowing we were having a photo shoot on the court. Gil came down and hung out with us and talked to John for a bit, then started working out on the other end of the court while we finished up the shoot.

— The plan was to shoot John in front of the blue backdrop for the cover, but when we were wandering around the empty arena before the shoot, Atiba had the idea to walk out into the arena and take some shots with John seated in the stands, because the seats kind of looked cool. The arena was actually set up for hockey —  you can see the ice in the some of the video. And we ended up using one of the shots from the stands as the cover photo.

• We had a blooper last month in SLAM brought to our attention this week by a reader. Each month Josh Childress writes our Tech Corner column. Just before we go to press, I get Josh on the phone, we iron out everything, and then I edit it and we send it out to be printed. For some reason, when we got copies of the new issue of SLAM, the magazine had printed in it last month’s column from Josh. We didn’t ask to run Josh’s column from September twice, it just happened.

In the meantime, while we try to figure out what exactly happened there, here’s what Josh wrote for this month. (Free! Bonus content!)

What’s up, everyone? We’re two weeks into the season, and the Suns are 3-4 right now, but I feel like we’re getting better every day. There haven’t been any games where we were blown out, and in most of the losses we really had a chance to win them. We just have to improve at finishing games, and I think that’s something that will improve with time.

I broke the index finger on my right hand on the second-to-last game of the preseason. I had jammed it before, and I went up to dunk and got fouled and it hit on the rim, and it broke. It’s really right at the joint at the tip of my finger. I’ve been playing with a splint on every game this season. It doesn’t really hurt that much to play with this break in my finger, but it’s been tough getting used to playing with the splint on. I have about three more weeks of wearing the splint to go, and I can’t wait to get it off.

I like Phoenix a lot. The fans are great, the weather is great, the city is great. I moved into my house a few months ago, and I’ve been having a lot of work done to it. A lot of stuff is finally going to be done next week—painting, furniture, all that stuff. The biggest project, and the thing I was most excited about, was the A/V stuff. I’m having a system called Savant put in. It’s basically a system where you can control everything about your house from your phone. So when I come home I can control the lights, the climate, turn the jacuzzi on, all that stuff. I have cameras all over the premises that I can view on my phone or iPad, even if I’m not in town. Throughout the house, instead of having a universal remote, they give you iPod touches with the system, so each room has a proprietary iPod remote. And then I have the Master controls on my phone and my iPad. Controlling it is not that complex; it’s really user-friendly, and the hard work is really getting it all set up, which the company comes in and does for you. All I have to do is install the software on my phone. It’ll be done next week and I’m really looking forward to it. Catch you guys next month…

The post Links: John Wall Cover Shoot Video appeared first on SLAM.

Whenever a new issue of SLAM is dropping, we do a post here on SLAMonline that we call the “On Sale Now…” post, meaning the issue is on sale now. Duh. Today is my turn to write one of these posts, because I wrote the cover story for SLAM 144. This issue is actually going to be available a few days from now, but we wanted to drop it before the holidays.

We’re actually going to debut the cover live this afternoon on NBA.com on The Jump, the show that airs live on NBA.com at 1 PM and then re-airs a few hours later on NBA TV. (I’m in Atlanta sitting in today on “The Jump” and then doing my regular spot on “The Beat.”) Once the video goes online, we’ll link it up here.

Anyway, about this cover. You may have noticed that one of the best rookies thus far this season has been John Wall down in DC. He’s leading the entire League in steals, he’s fourth in assists (well, he was earlier today), and he’s generally playing about as awesomely as we at SLAM suspected that he would.

We shot John down in DC earlier in the month, and I went down for the shoot and to interview John. He talks fast, and it wasn’t until a couple of days later when I was listening to the interview that I was struck by how much John’s voice reminded me of another NBA player: lower than you’d expect, a little bit of a Southern accent. A few days later I asked my main man Michael Lee at the Washington Post, and he agreed. It wasn’t just me—Wall sounds a little bit like Allen Iverson.

It’s not just the voice, or the fearlessness or the creativity, or John becoming the new face of Reebok. More than anything, Wall reminds me of AI because of his speed. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone as fast with the ball as John Wall. Earlier this season, at the end of the first half in the Wizards loss to Cleveland, Wall was trying to score before the clock ran down. Wall took an inbounds pass and went end to end with two dribbles, taking just over 2 seconds. Before the Draft, Wall was tested by ESPN’s Sports Science program, and they found Wall was able to react to a light trigger in 253 milliseconds, which is faster than a cheetah at top speed takes a single stride. Josh Smith called him “a blur,” Lou Williams called him “a rocket.”

For all of Wall’s physical gifts, he still has room to improve, and he knows it. Teams early this season have regularly been going under picks against him, daring him to take midrange jumpers. John has mostly been passing up the shots, instead sharing the ball and perhaps even overpassing. But the Wiz and Wall have been working diligently to remedy this, mostly by having Wall do drills led by Wiz assistant coach Sam Cassell. And if there was ever a guy who dominated in the midrange game, it was Sam Cassell — I once wrote that when Cassell was done playing, instead of retiring his number, teams should retire a spot on the court about 16 feet from the basket on the free throw line extended.

Wall seems to be embracing the coaching and working hard to improve. “I got goals,” Wall said. “Hopefully win Rookie of the Year, that’s everybody’s goal. I want to keep developing, improve my jump shot and prove I can make it so people will stop going under screens. Keep learning as much as I can, prepare every day, get better every day. Watch film. Listen to Coach Saunders, Sam Cassell, listen to all the coaches I can. See how teams are going to guard me so I’ll know how
other teams will try and guard me. But the main focus is really the team goal. I really want to see what we can do as a team.”

He’s going to improve. But for now, he’s all speed. And that’s pretty dope to watch.

There’s a lot of great stuff in this issue, from a great old school piece on Manute Bol to…oh, right, I’m here to talk about the cover.

So here’s John Wall’s first NBA SLAM cover. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing plenty more as the years roll on…

The post SLAM 144: On Sale Now! appeared first on SLAM.

News broke yesterday that Greg Oden will be having season-ending microfracture surgery on his left knee. This, of course, represents just the most recent entry in Oden’s already-voluminous medical file.

There are two names brought up whenever Greg Oden suffers an injury: Kevin Durant and Sam Bowie. Durant gets mentioned because the Blazers picked Oden over him. I understand the comparison, I guess, although it’s a bit unfair since Oden’s injuries have kept him from ever being the player we thought he might become.

In some ways, Sam Bowie is a more fitting comparison, I suppose. Both he and Oden were big men, both drafted by Portland, both with suffered a lot of injuries, both with the supreme misfortune of being picked ahead of guys (Michael Jordan and Durant) who quickly found a home among the best players in the League.

But what do we really know about Sam Bowie? I started thinking about that this morning as I read about Oden. It’s such an obvious comparison to make between Oden and Bowie, but is it really accurate?

I did some digging today, as much for my own edification as yours. Bowie played three good seasons in college at Kentucky, though he also missed two entire seasons (guessing he got a redshirt) with injuries. As a rookie with Portland, Bowie made the NBA All-Rookie team, playing almost as many games as a rookie (76) as Oden has played in three-plus seasons (82). Bowie was injured for most of his second season, and then five games into his third season he suffered a compound fracture of his tibia during a game. It was such a severe injury that Bowie the following 77 games of that season (‘86-87). He was going to return for the following season (‘87-88), but re-broke the same bone during the preseason and missed the entire year. Bowie returned in ’88-89 but played in just 20 games, and the Blazers traded him to New Jersey.

And that’s where things changed. The next four seasons—from ’89-90 through ’92-93—Bowie had the best years of his career. He averaged 70 games per season over that span, and in ’91-92 he played in 71 games and finished the season averaging 15 ppg and 8.1 rpg. He wasn’t Michael Jordan, but this Sam Bowie wasn’t terrible either. After four productive seasons in Jersey, he played two years with Lakers, then called it a career.

I guess the most obvious difference, besides their ages — Oden was one year younger than Bowie as NBA rookies — was that Bowie had a history of leg injury problems in college. Oden had that one freaky wrist injury and missed a few games, while Bowie missed two entire years with shin injuries.

Is it fair to compare Greg Oden to Sam Bowie? I think it is, at least in a general sense with as much as the two have in common. But is it an accurate comparison? Meaning, we CAN compare Greg Oden to Sam Bowie, but SHOULD we compare Greg Oden to Sam Bowie? I don’t think so, not yet, at least. Oden’s still young and we don’t know — he could still have a long career ahead of him.

Say what you want about Sam Bowie, but he did have at least one sizable chunk of his career where he was consistent and productive. And that’s something we’ve yet to see from Greg Oden.

• Speaking of Oden, The Onion ran this eerily prescient story on Oden earlier this week.

While I was reading that, I ended up clicking around on their site and coming across this hilarious fake story about Obama’s fake plan to replace high-speed trains with high-speed buses, which cracked both me and Ben up pretty good, particularly the animated buses on the highway.

Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan

• Did anyone catch this Ben Wallace story on Yahoo? After Wallace retires, he wants to become a defense attorney.

“That’s my ultimate goal,” Wallace said. “It’s always been one of my dreams. I think I can argue a pretty good case. I think I can convince a couple of people to see things my way.”
“I’m very serious about it. Very.”

The story also notes that Wallace watches Court TV 24/7, and the one drawback might be that he doesn’t own a business suit or a tie.

I’m calling for it right now: Whenever Wallace does anything in a Pistons game (scores, gets a rebound, blocks a shot) they need to play the Law & Order sound effect. You know what I’m talking about…

Also, I think NBC should invent an iPhone app based on that sound effect, where you can play that sound with one click of a button. Let’s say you walk into a restaurant: DUH-DUH! You sit down at your desk: DUH-DUH! Your wife screams, “Where were you last night?!” DUH-DUH!

(Something else I struggled with: How do you spell the Law & Order sound? I went with DUH-DUH, though there seems to be a lot of argument as to how to spell it.)

• One other thing: A new issue of SLAM is going to drop next week, and we’re going to debut it in a way we’ve never debuted a mag before. Stay tuned for details…

The post Links: Oden/Bowie and…links? appeared first on SLAM.

Yo. Yeah, I’m still here, just been underwater trying to get work done. Actually, just seconds ago I finished writing the cover story for the next issue of SLAM and IM’ed it to Ben. And now I need to post something on The Links because something needs to go on The Links. So I present you two things for your perusal.

1) Here is this week’s NBA.com Hangtime Podcast, which we taped yesterday. Besides Sekou and myself hosting, we’re also gonna have the great Dennis Scott sitting in with us every other week. As I told 3D yesterday, it’s always good on an podcast that’s all about the NBA whenever we can have someone who ACTUALLY PLAYED IN THE NBA hosting with us. Plus, 3D is a genuinely funny dude.

On yesterday’s show we talked mostly about the Lakers and Celtics. Our guests were Sherrod Blakely, who covers the Celtics for ComcastSportsNet and CSNNE.com. Then we talked with Lakers executive VP Jeanie Buss, who just released a book called Laker Girl, about her life and last season’s title run.

You can subscribe to the podcast here, or listen live right here.

2) Last Friday night here in NYC, I went to the Knicks/Wizards game, which was mostly hyped as John Wall’s NYC NBA debut. It also turned out to be the season debut of Gilbert Arenas.

Gil mostly spent the preseason on his own Operation Shutdown, but after his season debut, Gil sat in his locker and talked freely and openly and interestingly about a variety of subjects.

I ended up standing there for the entire session as various people peppered Gil with questions, and I thought I’d run the entire thing here.

MEDIA: Does it seem like John Wall is too unselfish at times?

GILBERT: You know, like I told him in the fourth quarter tonight, I’m getting tired and I need you to perform. We need your spark, we need that speed to kick in, get them off balance a little bit. And that was when he started driving.

How good did it feel when you drained your first three?

Just making your first shot, just feels good. First couple ones I rushed it, but in the fourth quarter, I felt comfortable. It’s really been a long time. They kept yelling at me to be aggressive, and I was like, I forgot how to! (laughs) Kirk found me with some easy passes, and I just concentrated and knocked the shots down.

What was going through your mind pregame? You were sitting here in the locker room with your headphones on, dribbling a ball.

I don’t know. I just tried to black everything out and go out there and give good energy and just be a professional. I didn’t know what was expected of me, and I didn’t want to interfere with what John’s been doing, because he’s been playing phenomenal basketball. Once I got on the court, I didn’t want him to think or focus on me. But he knows hey, when he’s going, I’m spotting up and when you get tired, I’ll go.

How are you feeling physically?

I’m feeling good, just little aches, being away from it for so long. Just moving again, I guess I’m going to have little nick-nacks until my body gets used to it again.

How did it feel playing off the ball?

There’s no difference. Throughout my career I always had another guard who came in. Last year it was Earl Boykins, some years I had Larry, AD…so I was used to just catching and shooting. But I don’t get as tired and I don’t have to worry about turning the ball over.

Were you anticipating coming off the bench?

Yeah. I haven’t been consistent with the team since training camp. So those guys earned those spots. I’m surprised I got in as fast as I did (laughs). I mean, I’m appreciative of that. So I should be coming off the bench for another couple weeks, couple months. It’s fine with me. When I come off I just gotta be ready, like the Microwave.

What is it like playing with young guys who are still learning the game?

It’s frustrating at times because, you know, you want to yell at ‘em for little things, but you have to remember this is the first time they’re getting the opportunity to play. That’s why I just back up and I say, We can’t keep making the same mistakes. When I came in as a rookie, the veteran guys told me I was going to make mistakes, but just don’t keep making the same ones. I talked to Dray, JaVale and John, like, whatever mistakes you make, just don’t keep making them. I’d rather you just make a different mistake. And they’re learning, they’ve been playing great. I’m happy with what they’re doing.

You joked about being nervous. When was the last time you were nervous before a game?

It’s been a while (laughs). I think it was just the unknown. It’s that whole unknown thing. I think that’s what got me. Just like my preseason game at home, I didn’t know what to expect so…I said I was hurt. It was one of those things, my nerves kicked in and…human nature I guess?

So your first shot and miss tonight, you attribute that to nerves?

Yeah. I’d been on fire…in practice (laughs). I knew eventually I was gonna catch fire. I was just rushing the shots. Once I got the first one I was like, OK, here we go. Then from there I was like, I gotta get to the basket. I’ve just got to get used to getting my shot.

You’ve got a back-to-back tomorrow night. Do you think you’ll be ready?

I feel fine. I’m not as tired as I though I’d be, being out so long. The other guys, they’ve got young legs, they should be fine.

Coming back at Madison Square Garden is a pretty big stage to come back on.

Yeah, yeah, I was thinking about it (laughs). I felt good enough to play, and I had to come back at some point.

What is it like playing with John Wall?

It’s great. Just like when I used to play and people just watch you play? I sit there and do that when he has the ball, I just watch and see what he’s going to do next. (laughs) I used to yell at guys, and now he’s doing the same thing, yelling at everyone, You guys gotta move somewhere! So that’s kinda funny.

Have you ever seen anyone that fast?

Yeah, there was…me, at 20. We still have a debate to see who’s faster now.

Do you think it was you at 20?

No, no, no, we’re talking about right now. I said I’m faster than him, if we just run a hundred. He has the speed that you don’t see in the NBA anymore. Either you’re straight fast, or you’re laterally fast. He’s both. He’s quick and fast. What makes him look so fast is when he’s going this way and then he cuts back that way. He can cut. He has that Tony Parker and TJ Ford in him, so he can just maneuver and it just makes him look so fast. I can just go straight. So we still have the debate.

Do feel a sense of relief, sitting here reflecting?

Yeah. You know, I was anti-media for a while. But it’s part of our job. Eventually my personality is going to come back and kick in. You know, I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve got to live with it. I’m just ready to move forward, and try to forget about the past. I know it’s going to always be there, but try to be a better person and a better teammate.

Earlier this year when you were anti-media, was that the real you or was that you putting something on?

Come on. I’m a smiling guy. It’s hard for me to actually be angry, so that was me just trying to dodge, just saying, “Ahhh!”

Conflict avoidance?

Yeah.

Is being back on the floor comforting for you?

Yeah. I’m a big fan of basketball. I interact. I’m a performer. When I’m on the court, it’s the whole environment, talking with the fans, the other players, I just love the environment. And that’s what I missed the most. I just didn’t know what to expect. They’ve been playing without me so long, and I didn’t want to mess up what they’ve been doing. But just like I expected Dray to say, Come on, take over now. And it felt great that he still believes in my talent.

How has the reaction been from fans?

It’s been great. I expected worse. But just like any fan, if they are negative, you just acknowledge them and it’s a big joke. Everyone around the country knows I’m a big jokester, and I’m not getting heckled too bad.

Have the fans said anything to you, like when you’re out walking around the cities?

No, no. I haven’t. Not yet. I haven’t been to Philly yet (laughs). In D.C., I tried not to leave my house for a while, because I didn’t know what to expect. When I got out into the community, they just always say, Keep your head up, we’re behind you.

How did you deal with everything you went through last season?

I had my teammates telling me keep your head up. And then once the season ended, I didn’t have anyone to talk to. It was like I was just stuck on that island, and it just really hit me hard.

Can you describe that breaking point?

I thought about retiring for a minute. Because I really didn’t know what to expect. I thought there was just too much negativity for me to come back. I just didn’t know if I was mentally prepared for it again.

Do you think you did the right thing?

(exhales) Yeah. I couldn’t stay home. When you’re a father and you’ve got kids, eventually you’ve got to get out of the house (laughs).

The post Links: Lakers, Celts and Wiz appeared first on SLAM.

Well, I’m back. I squeezed in a quick vacation last week, returning the day before the season tipped off. The most exciting moment of my vacation came when I was attacked by a school of jellyfish. I survived, obviously. But man can those dudes sting!

Random aside: Our managing editor Susan Price went to a Spring preview for New Balance, and for some reason, while there Susan ran into a sumo wrestler. So of course she asked him to take a photo while holding our NBA Preview issue:

But anyway, I ended up telling the story of the jellyfish attack on this week’s Hang Time Podcast, where Sekou and I forecasted the NBA season, and then chatted with our special guest, an NBA executive by the name of David Stern. You can download it via the link above or listen to it here…

And speaking of NBA Digital, just like last season, I’m going to be appearing each week on NBA TV’s “The Beat,” with my main men Marc Fein and David Aldridge. Our first show airs this Tuesday on NBA TV at 6:00 PM EST.

Real quick, before the season gets rolling in earnest, I wanted to post some predictions. I wrote an NBA preview about four weeks ago, so it would be finished in time to run in SLAM 143, our NBA preview issue (on stands now!) As always, I didn’t use any concrete calculations to divine the standings. Instead, I just guessed, like I always do. If you want to read the entire preview, go buy the mag, you cheapskates. Here I’m going to run my eight playoff teams in each division…

Some comments and explanations at the end…

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Orlando
2. Miami
3. Boston
4. Chicago
5. Atlanta
6. Milwaukee
7. Philly
8. New York

And I have Charlotte ninth and Detroit tenth, if you were curious. I picked Orlando to win the whole thing because I thought they were so close last year, and from what I’d read this summer, everyone was making a concerted effort to improve, including Stan Van and Dwight. I think Miami and Boston are almost interchangeable, because Miami is going to need time to come together, and Boston’s going to need time to rest. I figured Philly has a shot at making the postseason, because, well, why not. And I picked New York because I always pick New York and they never make it. One of these years I’m going to be correct!

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Phoenix Suns
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Utah Jazz
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Portland Trailblazers

And I have Houston and New Orleans nine and ten. I’m convicted that the Lakers are going to win it all, and I think they’re going to run over everyone this season. Maybe it’s too soon to promote the Thunder to such a high spot, but it’s always better to be early than late. I think Phoenix is going to surprise some people even without Amar’e. The one team I really have zero feel for is Denver — they did win their division last season. But this Melo melodrama makes forecasting their chances cloudy.

Anyway, there’s that. More stuff next week. Have a great weekend everyone…catch you next week.

The post Links: Predictions appeared first on SLAM.

I’m on vacation right now, squeezing in a few days of peace and quiet before the season gets cracking, one week from yesterday. And while I should be hanging out thinking about nothing, instead I find myself here sharing some thoughts about the Atlanta Hawks. Which, actually, I’m OK with. As a lifelong Hawks fan, I think about the Hawks most of the time anyway.

Last season the Hawks finished 53-29, were the third seed in the Eastern Conference, and advanced to the second round of the Playoffs. Joe Johnson and Al Horford made the All-Star team, Josh Smith should have made the All-Star team, and Jamal Crawford was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.

These tidbits are all facts, supported by hardware and statistics, and looking at them, at least on the surface, you might think the Hawks would have considered last season a success.

Well, the Hawks allowed coach Mike Woodson to walk as soon as the season ended, which would seem to indicate the Hawks ownership/front office thought the Hawks had room to improve on a couple of things and become an even better team in 2010-11. Hawks fans would probably mostly agree with this sentiment, as many of us grumbled from time to time during Coach Woodson’s six year tenure. The two points that received the most airtime were these:

1. Switching on defense — The Hawks have a lot of interchangeable parts, and Woodson tried to take advantage of that (as well as simplify the Hawks’ basic defensive schemes) by having the Hawks switch defenders pretty much every time an opposing team set a pick against them. This was successful to some degree, although the better teams in the NBA, knowing the Hawks’ plans, would often simply run picks to create mismatches and get buckets.

2. Stagnant offense — Under Woodson, the Hawks were one of the League’s most efficient offensive teams, largely due to their lack of pace (and resulting lack of possessions). For a team that with so many athletic players, the Hawks seemed to prefer slowing down the ball and then allowing Joe Johnson to dribble down the shot clock and go one-on-one against his defender. If the NBA improbably decided tomorrow that from now on there were no more teams and every “game” would now be replaced by a one-on-one competition, Joe Johnson would fare really well. But the NBA is not and will not be a one-on-one League. As a result, the Hawks had to work very hard — harder than most teams — to create chances on offense, particularly in their halfcourt offense.

And so the Hawks replaced Mike Woodson with his former lead assistant, longtime NBA assistant coach Larry Drew. Giving Drew the big office is the most relevant move the Hawks have made this summer, at least in terms of the upcoming season. They didn’t sign LeBron James, didn’t even sign Shaq, so any significant improvement is going to have to come from within.

Pretty much immediately upon being hired, Drew began talking about the Hawks adopting a new motion-based offense, while simultaneously noting that they will no longer be switching every pick. Which would seem to indicate Drew has an eye for what needed fixing. Implementing those changes will be the first test for Drew.

Another indicator for Drew will the play of rookie Jeff Teague. Mike Bibby still has plenty of savvy and smarts, and in a halfcourt defensive set he knows how to position himself, and he did an admirable job fighting against bigger players when posted up. But Bibby was too often beaten off the dribble by athletic point guards. Last season, the Hawks had then-rookie Jeff Teague behind Bibby, but Teague never received consistent playing time and, as a result, he was often inconsistent and wasn’t able to contribute with any regularity. Drew has said he wants Teague to win the starting job from Bibby. Now it’s up to Teague to seize the job and give the Hawks a shot of caffeine at the point, and it’s up to Drew to put Teague in a position where he can be successful.

One thing I came to appreciate about the Woodson era was the constancy of his approach: switch picks, don’t turn the ball over, win mostly low-scoring games. It wasn’t very exciting basketball, but it certainly worked, and in six seasons under Woodson, the Hawks methodically went from a 13-win team to a 53-win team.

I think there’s something to be said for a group of guys all improving from season to the next, growing in their skills, being more used to playing with each other. What’s to say Josh Smith and Al Horford won’t improve as much this summer as they did last summer? Maybe the new offense and defense will click, Teague will slide right in, rookie Jordan Crawford and Jamal Crawford will give lots of buckets off the bench, Josh Powell will move into the rotation at forward/center, and the Hawks will improve enough to win somewhere between 57-60 games. Or, worst case scenario, the Larry Drew era doesn’t work out, and the Hawks slip somewhere back below last season’s 53-win threshold.

The last few years the Hawks have played with the slimmest of margins of error, and they’ve actually done pretty well, all things considered. This year they’ll again be living on the edge. At least it gives us Hawks fans something to think about.

The post Links: Hawks ’10-11 Preview appeared first on SLAM.

It’s that time of year again, time for us to take a peek at the shape of the NBA as the season begins.

When I did a post a few weeks ago previewing MUSCLEWATCH 2010, commenter Fat Lever (no pun intended) asked if we could get a MUSCLEWATCH for the SLAM staff. My initial reaction was no, because our jobs are not to be in the best possible shape. And then I figured, why not?

Take, for instance, me. Over the last eight months, I’ve lost about 30 pounds. I went to the doctor back in February, and he told me that I was overweight and that my cholesterol was too high. These things were, obviously, connected, and could be traced to one main factor: I never exercised.

I played basketball every day of my life for about 20 years, and after moving to New York, I threw myself into this job at SLAM, and let everything else, most prominently my health, slide. It didn’t have far to fall. I’ve never been thin, even when I was playing basketball in high school and running 5-6 miles each day at practice. When I reached my 20s, my knees started giving me trouble (mild arthritis in both of them), so I just gave up.

But in recent years, I knew I needed to do something. I was heavy, and tired all the time, and didn’t like always having to buy XXL clothes. I didn’t want to join a gym, and I live literally feet away from one of NYC’s most beautiful parks, of which I wanted to take advantage. Running is free, so that was appealing. My doctor had actually suggested I take up running, and he said he thought my knees could handle it. I went to lunch one day with SLAM columnist Idan Ravin and mentioned this, and he said he thought my knees would probably stop giving me trouble if I lost some weight.

Around the same time as my doctor’s visit, I spoke to someone who uses the Nike Plus running system. If you don’t know, it’s basically a small plastic disc that goes in your shoe, and then it wirelessly connects with your iPod and tracks your runs or walks — distance, time, calories, everything. So I ordered the Nike Plus thing from Amazon (it cost less than $10) and a Velcro pouch ($5) to attach it to my shoes, because I didn’t have the Nike Plus shoes. And then one morning I started running.

That was in February. For the first few weeks, my knees killed, but I iced them and stretched them and started losing weight, and one day they stopped hurting all together. Since then I’ve cut back on the amount of food that I eat, started drinking pretty much only water all day long, and forced myself to stick to a regular exercise schedule. I don’t run marathon distances — I’ve now built up to running about 3 miles at a time — but I do it regularly, two days on and one day off, and I don’t allow myself to skip a day. When I was sick a few weeks ago I took five days off, and not being able to go and run made me feel worse than having the stomach flu. This morning I went for a run and came back in and synced my Nike Plus thingy, and discovered I’ve now logged over 150 miles since I started running. Also, I’ve lost a lot of weight. It didn’t happen overnight, but it keeps happening, slowly but surely, about one pound a week. Which isn’t that extreme when you think about it. Yet seeing it happen makes me want to continue at it.

My point is, MUSCLE WATCH isn’t only about adding muscle, it’s also about transformation. And I believe it’s possible for anyone to transform their body. Obviously you have to put in the work and be completely committed to the task. Actors do it all the time: for his role in American History X, Edward Norton supposedly added 30 pounds of muscle; for his part in Wolverine, Hugh Jackman put on 20 pounds of muscle thanks to a vegan diet; before portraying Tony Stark in Iron Man 2, Robert Downey packed on 20 pounds of muscle.

All that said, this year’s MUSCLEWATCH was a bit of a disappointment. It seems that I saw fewer stories about guys putting on the hyperbolic pounds of muscle than we’ve seen in previous years. I wonder if this is symbolic of some sort of change in direction for NBA players? In an article in the Racine Journal Times, Bucks coach Scott Skiles says gaining weight is “totally overrated. We’re not a big weight-conscious team. We’re concerned about body fat. Body fat is what slows guys down.”

Perhaps more NBA players are looking to be slimmer and more agile than they used to be?

Or maybe I’m just not as good at using the Google News search functions as I used to be? (By the way, shout outs to Linkstigators Ken, Todd, Shae, Garrett and Seth for sending along MUSCLE WATCH nominations.)

Look, this is hardly scientific. It’s just a collection of stories about how much guys weigh.

Let’s go to the scales…

• Sacramento’s Hassan Whiteside, the Examiner casually reports, gained 25 pounds of muscle over the summer. Researching further, it appears Whiteside added the 25 pound of muscle since summer league ended, which means he put on 25 pounds of muscle in just a few months. (Random thought: The Kings should play “Mr. Brightside” whenever Mr. Whiteside scores.)

• CJ Miles has added 12 pounds of muscle, leaving him just 3 pounds from the magical 15. And in other Jazz weight news, Sundiata Gaines gained 15 pounds, Al Jefferson also added 15, and Kyrylo Fesenko lost 15 pounds.

• According to the Washington Post’s epic blogger Michael Lee, Wizards center JaVale McGee not only gained eight pounds of muscle, he also was diagnosed with asthma and, thanks to an inhaler, has more stamina. Also in DC, Nick Young has reportedly added 10 pounds of muscle.

• Roy Hibbert showed up for training camp having lost 23 pounds over the summer, and he’s now down to 255 pounds. “Roy Hibbert has had one of the best summers I’ve ever witnessed in my years of coaching,” coach Jim O’Brien told the Indy Star. Hibbert worked out with Bill Walton, and like McGee, Hibbert also discovered he has asthma, which he’s now treating with an inhaler, and which should increase his time on the floor.

• Evan Turner reportedly put on 10 pounds of muscle, but the Sixers didn’t want him so big, so he ended up losing weight. He weighed in at camp 4 pounds heavier than he’d been in college.

• DeJuan Blair’s body fat is down to 8 percent.

• In Orlando, Rashard Lewis lost 10 pounds, Vince Carter lost three percent body fat, and most impressively, Stan Van Gundy has hit the gym this summer and has shed a few pounds.

• Pistons forward Austin Daye has been trying hard to put on weight. According to the Detroit News, Daye ate a lot of In-N-Out burgers. Well, who wouldn’t? This season, after hiring a nutritionist and personal chef, he’s added 9 pounds, but he’s still 6-11 and 205 pounds. Meanwhile, point guard Rodney Stuckey has dropped 10 pounds.

• Anthony Randolph has purportedly added weight this summer, making it a whopping 50 pounds he’s put on since entering the League (even though he’s still only about 225). And for Eddy Curry, the struggle continues.

• Mike Cunningham at the AJC reports Jeff Teague has added 6 pounds through focusing on building leg strength.

• Lakers rookie Derrick Caracter weighed 305 in college, but going into training camp he weighed in at 265. The LA Times has an interesting interview with the trainer who helped Caracter shed weight, and he says Caracter lost the weight by doing a variety of things, including Bikram yoga.

• According to the News Observer, DJ Augustin has added 5 pounds of muscle while reducing his body fat, putting him at 180 for this season: “Augustin said he took just one week off, following the playoff loss to the Orlando Magic, before hitting the gym. Pilates, yoga, running and weight-lifting were his summer.”

• Brook Lopez reportedly lost 25 pounds from having mono, but he’s since put the weight back on.

• Kendrick Perkins is rehabbing his knee injury, and he told the Boston Herald, ““I’ve lost fat, not muscle. I’m staying in the weight room. I’m on the bike. I walk a lot. I eat right.” According to the article, Perkins weighed 285 at the time of the injury, weighs 275 right now, and hopes to get to 265 by the time he returns.

• Also on the recovery trail, Blazer’s Edge reports Greg Oden lost 30 pounds this summer, although Oden says he’s since added 4 pounds of lean muscle. “I had a really good chef in Indiana. I would love to say it’s my mom, but she would cook me up greasy food.”

• There was a report earlier this summer that LaMarcus Aldridge had put on 20 pounds of muscle, though in that same link above, Aldridge says he only expects to be 4-5 pounds heavier this season than he was last season.

• Eddie House lost 15 pounds this summer. Bonus points to Heat.com for actually using the phrase “15 pounds of muscle.”

• Chuck Hayes also lost 15 pounds.

• And finally, Ron Artest is on his way to losing 15 pounds.

The post Links: MUSCLE WATCH 2010 appeared first on SLAM.

I’ve spent the last two weeks dealing with health issues. First my own, battling the flu, and then my wife’s. I missed a couple of days of work, couldn’t travel to Atlanta for Bobby Cox’s final regular season game, couldn’t even do the podcast on NBA.com yesterday with Sekou.

All, however, was not lost. I received a copy of NBA 2K11 over a week ago, and every night, once things were quiet and everyone was snug in their bed, I’ve been settling down to attempt to recreate the legacy of Michael Jordan. And it has been nothing short of awesome.

I was planning on writing a column for today’s Links comparing and contrasting NBA Elite 11 and NBA 2K11, which were both supposed to drop today, October 5. Until last week, when, just days before the game was set to hit store shelves, EA Sports announced they were indefinitely delaying Elite.

Instead, all we’ve got dropping today is NBA 2K11, so let’s get right to it: This is the best basketball video game ever released. And one of the deepest sports video games of all time.

2K11 not only has the Jordan Challenge mode, which I previewed here, but you can also play online, you can play franchise mode, you can play the My Player mode, the streetball mode… put it this way: I’ve spent about 15-20 hours on 2K11 and have barely scratched the surface.

I’ve written in the past about basketball video games and how the basic nature of video games keeps them from accurately relaying a true basketball experience. Part of the fun of basketball is the improvisational nature of the game, and it’s always been pretty much impossible to translate that to video games, which rely on structure and formulas. But to me, 2K11 is the closest we’ve come to accurately replicating it. For the first time I can recall in a game, 2K11 pretty much nails defensive switches. For instance, I was playing an ‘86 Bulls/Celtics game with the Bulls, and I missed a shot and the Celts got the ball and threw an outlet to Danny Ainge. I scrambled back to defend and the first guy who got back was Charles Oakley, and he (obviously) cut off Ainge’s drive. Ainge pulled the ball back out, and Oakley just naturally picked him on defense as the Celts set up their halfcourt offense. This is something that would probably happen in an NBA game, but hasn’t always happened in NBA video games.

What pushed things to another level was that Michael Jordan had to pick up Oakley’s man, Robert Parrish, and the Celtics ran a play for Parrish in the post against the smaller defender! Ainge dumped it down to Parrish, I ran down and doubled him as Oakley, and Parrish threw it back out to a wide-open Ainge for a three-pointer.

One facet of the game I’d like to see 2K address next year is the ballhandling. I’m not sure if the NBA Elite demo is still online, but the thing I really enjoyed about the demo was the new dribbling system. By utilizing both joysticks, you really had a terrific amount of control over your player. In 2K11 the ballhandling is responsive, and the more you use the isomotion controls the better you become at it, but it still feels as though there’s some luck involved with getting your guy to do exactly what you want him to do. At the same time, this isn’t NBA Street. It’s not easy to shake loose from guys, and you need to be smart when calling for a pick or an iso. Just like in the NBA.

Still, the first week or so I was playing the game, at least once in each game I went in to do a move with MJ, and I hit the dunk/layup button, and he broke off something that made me blurt out “Oh!” When’s the last time a video game pulled an audible reaction from you when you were playing alone? It’s also pretty awesome getting to play against, say, the 1986 Celtics, and remembering just how bad-ass Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale and the others were.

One other visual thing jumped out at me, and it’s really miniscule but it did intrude on my gameplaying experience a few times: For some reason when players have their white socks pulled up to their knees, the socks continually turn black from different angles, almost as if they’re hypercolor or something. I’m guessing 2K will fix this when they release the next patch.

I’m sure I’ll get around to playing My Player mode or The Association mode eventually, but for now it’s still me and MJ. It took me about a week, but I finally completed step one of the Jordan Challenge: Play against the 1986 Celtics, score 63+ points, shoot at least 50 percent from the floor and have at least 6 assists. For some insane reason I decided to try and accomplish this using 8 minute quarters, and I spent much of that time cursing the Celtics for constantly slowing the tempo. It was hard to get the Bulls to score 63 points, much less Michael Jordan alone. But eventually, the other night he finally did it. I mean, I did it. Actually, I guess we did it, Mike and I, together. (Next up, trying to put 70 on the Cavs. Craig Ehlo, get ready.)

As EA and 2K have battled for dominance in the NBA video game market the last few years, pushing each other to improve their games, the real winner has been those of us who play video games. This year, if you’re in the market for an NBA video game, you don’t have a choice. But with NBA 2K11, I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed.

The post Links: NBA 2K11 Review appeared first on SLAM.

EA Sports president Peter Moore announced a few hours ago that EA will be indefinitely delaying the release of NBA Elite 11, which was set to drop next week. As Moore posted on his official blog:

We are creating a game that will introduce several breakthrough features that have been missing from the basketball genre. Unfortunately, NBA ELITE 11 is not yet ready and we have made a decision to delay next month’s launch. We are going to keep working until we’re certain we can deliver a breakthrough basketball experience.

Considering an NBA title has historically been one of EA’s major annual releases, this is huge news. It’s even more surprising considering EA spent this past weekend hosting events all around New York City promoting the imminent release of the game, which was set to release next week, both to go up against 2K Sports’ NBA 2K11 and benefit from the shared buzz of two NBA games hitting the market. Now 2K11 will have the window to itself.

I played the Elite 11 demo last week when it became available for download, and while the game certainly felt like a demo — some people found some egregious errors — I found the new gameplay system to be promising, particularly using the right joystick to dribble. One knock I’ve always had against basketball video games is that too often the gamer has to be reactive to whatever the player on the screen is doing. With the new dribbling system, it was possible to be proactive while dribbling the ball, which is something that’s been missing for a while and kept both NBA titles from feeling as authentic as they could.

NBA Elite was scheduled to drop with NBA Jam bundled with it. Instead, Moore says, Jam will drop next week on the Wii, and then as a standalone game for the PS3 and Xbox before the holidays.

The post Links: EA Sports Delays Release Of NBA Elite 11 appeared first on SLAM.

As I mentioned yesterday, EA Sports and 2K Sports are currently engaged in an NBA video game turf war on a global scale, and I’ve been trying to see both sides of the tale. I spent some time yesterday afternoon with Dwight Howard at EA’s Triple Double event space, and then last night, with our man Sean Brown covering the NBA Elite launch, I went over to the NBA 2K11 Launch.

There were a ton of NBA guys at the 2K event, including Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Brook Lopez and Andre Iguodala. I ended up sitting with Josh Smith for a while, and he was still worn out from the workouts he’s been doing with SLAM’s own Idan Ravin, a.k.a. The Hoops Whisperer. Josh said he’d never worked out so hard in his life, and to me he looked great, a little slimmer than he did at the beginning of last season. Josh also mentioned that he heard new Hawks coach Larry Drew is planning to begin training camp next week with a timed mile run. My high school coach also did that on the first day of practice, and one of my teammates celebrated the end of the run by puking. Hopefully the Hawks avoid that happening.

This afternoon I swung back by EA’s event space to catch up with Tyreke Evans, the reigning Rookie of the Year and former SLAM Punk diary keeper, who was spending some time hanging out and signing autographs for fans. I knew the EA space formerly had some sort of commercial use, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was until Tyreke and I went down into what EA was using as the green room, but what was once a bank vault, complete with a huge door with mean-looking dials and locks. While found a couch, and while Reke grabbed some lunch, we talked…

SLAM: I heard you were dominating out at the Elite 24 thing in Cali last month.

TYREKE: You seen it on YouTube?

SLAM: Yeah. So what else did you do this summer?

TYREKE: I’ve been working out with my brother at New Beginnings, it’s a school, where I went to school, there’s a gym out there. I think next summer I’m going to work out with the Kings, stay in one place. I had a lot of traveling to do this summer, that’s why I worked out mostly with my brother.

SLAM: Did you take a break at all?

TYREKE: I took a month off after the season. Hardest month of my life.

SLAM: Because you wanted to play?

TYREKE: Yeah. The games were still on TV, and I’d watch them play and want to go get in the gym, but everyone was telling me to rest my body. So that was pretty tough.

SLAM: Did the rest pay off?

TYREKE: Yeah, I felt rested. Actually, I felt too rested when I came back, I was too hyped up. Once I got back into game conditioning shape it all started coming together from there.

SLAM: I talked to Dwight yesterday, and he said he took a couple of weeks off but he afraid to let his body get too far from game shape.

TYREKE: Yeah, next time I might just take three weeks off instead of a month. I got back into game shape pretty quickly though.

SLAM: What do you think about the Kings this year?

TYREKE: We’re looking pretty good. We got DeMarcus to help, and he’s a great big man. We got Dalembert, and he’s a good shot blocker, that should help us out a lot. Then we got Carl [Landry], who will be with us for the full season. I think we’re going to do bit things. Getting into training camp and starting strong I think is going to be important for us.

SLAM: You told me last year that you were kind of learning how to be a point guard on the fly. Now you’ve got a lot of big men, probably more than you’ve ever played with before.

TYREKE: That’s true.

SLAM: How will you incorporate them into what the Kings are doing?

TYREKE: I think my assist rate will go up, because it’s just me driving and those big men step up, I can just throw the lob — Dalembert is really athletic. That’s going to help my assist rate a lot. I’m looking forward to playing with those guys, getting the hang of things.

SLAM: You have any advice for DeMarcus coming into the League?

TYREKE: For him, just stay focused. People will talk about him, people have talked about his attitude or whatever, but he shouldn’t worry about that, he should just come into the League and change that around and work on being a better player.

SLAM: You had to change perceptions when you came into the League, that you couldn’t be a point guard. Was that process harder than you thought it would be, easier than you thought it would be?

TYREKE: You’ve just got to get out there and show people. When I was at Memphis, that was my first time ever playing the point. Once I practiced it, I knew it wasn’t the hardest thing ever to do, but with practice I got better and better at it.

SLAM: And I read you’ve been working on your jumper this summer. How’s that going?

TYREKE: It’s going pretty good. I’m feeling confident. Last year pretty much if I missed, I knew I had to get to the basket or get the assist. This year I’ve got to keep confident in my shot.

SLAM: Do you think the Kings are a Playoff team this year?

TYREKE: This year we could be. We can change things around. We could be one of those teams like the Oklahoma Thunder, try to change things around.

The post Talking With Tyreke Evans appeared first on SLAM.

On Tuesday, October 11, both EA Sports and 2K Sports will release their newest basketball video games: EA will drop NBA Elite 11, and 2K will present NBA 2K11. If you’re a basketball fan and a gamer, you know the deal. EA came first, dropping games all the way back to the Sega Genesis days (anyone remember Live 95?), but 2K arrived in 1999, and has made steady inroads ever since. Each fall, both games drop, and gamers spend hours and days and weeks not only playing the games, but also arguing over which game is better.

This year is no different, and even though we’re a couple of weeks out from either game dropping, both companies have invaded Manhattan this week to show off their wares. (For whatever it’s worth, I haven’t played the full version of either game yet, so I’m withholding judgment. Once I’ve had a chance to play both I’ll blog about them here.)

Earlier today I went over to EA’s Triple Double Event space near Herald Square that’s set up for the launch of Elite 11. It’s basically a huge pop-up shop where everything’s free, and it’s open all weekend. They’ve got old games, NBA Jams, even a barber in case you need a fresh cut.

As far as Elite, EA thinks this game is so advanced from their longtime NBA Live series that they dropped the Live name. I played the demo game the last two nights and at least from a controls perspective it’s very different than Live, with the two joysticks controlling everything, from dribbling to passing. I found the dribbling very intuitive, but the other stuff is taking some adjusting on my part.

This afternoon, EA had current SLAM cover dude (and last year’s NBA Live cover-er) Dwight Howard in their house, so I swung by to catch up with him…

SLAM: Did you play a lot of video games growing up?

DWIGHT: Yeah, I used to have a whole set-up in the basement.

SLAM: What was your game back then?

DWIGHT: I played Live. We also played Madden, but the big game was Live.

SLAM: Who was your team back then?

DWIGHT: The Lakers and the Knicks. This was on Live 97. As I got older it didn’t matter.

SLAM: Do you still play games now?

DWIGHT: Mm-hmm, all the time.

SLAM: When?

DWIGHT: At night before I go to bed, I’ll play for like an hour, just chill.

SLAM: I do the same thing and my wife doesn’t get it.

DWIGHT: She’s like, Don’t do it?

SLAM: Well, it’s more like she doesn’t understand why I like to play video games, and I had to explain that’s how I relax.

DWIGHT: Yeah, you just play. I play sometimes to get myself to sleep, to get away from whatever I’m doing. Maybe I’ll go online, play a game against somebody.

SLAM: Do you go on and play against random people?

DWIGHT: I do play against some friends, but I like playing online against random folks. I haven’t done it lately because they’ll be cheating, and then if they’re losing they quit the game, so it’s not fun.

SLAM: Do you have the headset on? Do you talk to people?

DWIGHT: I do. Half the time they don’t know, so I don’t really say nothing.

SLAM: Do you play with the Magic?

DWIGHT: Yeah, any time I’m playing basketball I play with the Magic. If I’m playing Madden, I’ll play with any team that has a fast quarterback so you can roll out, or any team that has a new running back.

SLAM: Have you played the new Elite?

DWIGHT: I haven’t played the new Elite. I know it’s very different, from having the real faces to the controls being very different — everything’s on the left side, and I’m used to the right side. But it sounds cool.

SLAM: You ready to get back to basketball?

DWIGHT: Training camp starts Tuesday. We have media day on Monday. I’m very excited. Our team has been working extremely hard in the offseason. We’ve been in the gym together working out, and everybody’s been doing whatever we needed to do to get ready for the season.

SLAM: What have you personally done to get ready for the season?

DWIGHT: I trained every day, twice a day. In the morning there’s weights and track stuff, and at night I work on post moves and shooting.

SLAM: You’ve obviously let yourself go this summer, let your body fall out of shape.

DWIGHT: (Laughs) Who me? Nah. I mean, I took a little time off, but in the process of taking time off I always made sure I kept my body right — push-ups, sit-ups. I didn’t want to get out of shape.

SLAM: How many push-ups do you do?

DWIGHT: We start off doing 100 a day, then 200 a day, then get up to 400. Same with sit-ups. We just do it all day.

SLAM: Are you tired of people asking you about LeBron and the Heat?

DWIGHT: It’s nothing against those guys, and those guys are all great players, but when you hear something over and over and over again, it’s a turn off, because there are other teams and players in the NBA. If you focus on one team it will work against you. I’m more concerned with what we do as a team when we play Miami. We could beat Miami four times but lose the rest of the games. So we’re focused on playing everybody. They’re going to be a good team, but our main goal is to win a championship. Everything we do is geared toward getting to the Finals and winning.

SLAM: I talked to LeBron a couple of weeks ago and he said he thought the reason Boston made the Finals last season was that they were the most consistent team in the East.

DWIGHT: Yeah, they were, they were very consistent and they picked it up toward the end of the season. Any time you have a team like Boston, you know that they’re always going to be at the top or around the top every year, because they have veterans and they know how to win. That’s why they went to the Finals, because they were consistent and they played hard.

SLAM: How does the Orlando Magic get to the Finals this season?

DWIGHT: Just being consistent. Being physical, tough. I don’t think there’s a team that’s forgotten about us. Every team is looking forward to playing the Magic and they know we’re a tough team. Other people may have forgotten about our team, which is cool, because we’ve always been underdogs, underestimated. That doesn’t really matter. We don’t play to prove ourselves to people, we play to win a championship.

The post Links: Talking With Dwight Howard appeared first on SLAM.

Do you smell what the NBA is cooking? Trainers are getting the icy hot ready, equipment managers and laundering the uniforms, coaches are figuring out playing rotations, media relations guys are filling out credentials… It’s time for training camp!

But more importantly, it’s time for…

drumroll please…

MUSCLEWATCH 2010!!

I explained this phenomenon during Musclewatch 2009…

What is MuscleWatch? Well, I started doing this here on SLAMonline about six years ago, but in actuality, MuscleWatch started in the fall of 1995. Matt Harpring was playing basketball at Georgia Tech and was heading into his sophomore season. Suddenly, there were a bevy of stories in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about how Harpring had spent the summer working out and had gained 15 pounds of muscle. My friend Matt and I thought it was strange that this was mentioned about two dozen times heading into the season, and even stranger that it was always mentioned as 15 pounds of muscle. Never 16, never 14, never 13, but always 15 pounds of muscle.

We took note of that, and suddenly we started seeing it everywhere: athletes from various sports all over the world were gaining 15 pounds of muscle. Once I started writing The Links, I noticed that magic “15 pounds” again showing up everywhere.

The suspicious thing to me is the number 15. Is that a target guys know they can reach? Is that just a good general number to throw out there? Is 15 impressive without being overwhelming?

There are some people who contend that Musclewatch simply rewards those who have regained weight they lost during a season, and perhaps this is true. But there are other players who have shed weight, or lost fat and added muscle (or so they say). Also, we long ago moved past the benchmark 15 Pounds Of Muscle to become a record of most of the interesting fitness fluctuations.

All I know is that it falls to me to chronicle the proverbial pounds. Which players have spent the off-season shaping their bodies? I feel like we need to know. And if this be my legacy, my friends, then so it must be.

But I need your help. Despite the wonders of Google News, one man alone can not possibly keep his eye out for every bit of MUSCLEWATCH news. Last year, reader Ken Somolinos cemented his lifetime Linkstigator status by sending me literally dozens of links to stories related to MUSCLEWATCH. Luckily for all of us,  Ken is already on top of MUSCLEWATCH this year as well, sending me a link last week about The Tim Duncan Robot, who came into camp a year ago having shed 15 pounds, and this year has apparently arrived having dropped even more weight than last summer. (I guess Duncan is one of the rare guys who gains weight each season? Either that or he now weighs about 180 pounds?)

Now, it’s time. Email me or tweet me, whatever, by clicking on my byline at the top of the column.

Keep them eyes peeled and muscles popped!

The post Links: Prepping for MUSCLE WATCH 2010 appeared first on SLAM.

It’s that time of year again, when we ramp up for the NBA season by painstakingly revealing our rankings of the Top 50 Players in the NBA. We’ve done it each summer for a few years now. The criteria is simple: The players are ranked based on what our esteemed panel expects them to contribute on the court this upcoming season.

To be totally fair, I’m not really sure who our esteemed panel is comprised of. I do know that Ryne sent out an email to a huge list of SLAM and SLAMonline contributors. If they got their rankings back in time, their opinions were factored into our list. In fact, I wrote a Top 50 and sent it in, and I didn’t even have Ray Allen on my list. And yet here I am announcing to the world that Ray Allen finished as number 50 on SLAMonline’s list of the NBA’s Top 50 players.

It’s not that surprising Ray Allen cracked the 50. He was on my original list of names that I compiled, but I had to drop him to make room for Pape Sy. (That’s a joke.) Actually, he was the last person I cut from my list. Ray finished 36th last year on our list, and our voters seem to be expecting Ray’s skills to continue to wither with age. After all, last year his points per game dropped for the fourth consecutive season down to 16.3, the lowest since his rookie year. Sure, that’s partly a function of his age — he’s totaled almost 38,000 minutes over 15 seasons and is entering his 15th season. But it’s also a sign of his willingness to step back and allow his teammates to shine — his 12.2 FGA per game was his lowest number in that category also since his rookie season.

Despite his age, Allen’s still remarkably durable, missing only 12 games over the last three seasons. Most importantly, Allen’s specialty is shooting, and shooting touch doesn’t necessarily fade with age. He might be a little slower fighting through picks or making defensive rotations, but give him space to launch and he’s probably going to knock it down. Don’t forget, just three months ago the man put 27 points on the Lakers in the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

I’ve been a basketball fan my entire life. I may never have been a huge Ray Allen fan, but I have always appreciated that he always plays the game so freaking elegantly. He consistently makes the tough stuff look simple, easy even, as though he were some kind of humanoid programmed by Dr. Naismith to play perfectly fundamentally sound hoops. Probably the most interesting thing Ray Allen ever did was play a character in a movie. Or that time he got his face painted like a tiger. But that shouldn’t make us less grateful for Ray being graceful.

Ray Allen has won a gold medal, an NBA title, been an All-Star (nine times) and a three-point contest champ. He once played the lead, but these days he’s content to be just a player in the band — a really good band, granted — with a realistic shot at winning another NBA title before his freshly inked two-year, $20 million contract expires. And according to us, Ray Allen will be the 50th best player in the NBA this season.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be counting down toward that number one spot, so check back in with us and see where your favorite players landed.

And of course, if for some crazy reason you feel like commenting on our rankings, we have this system down below the posts where you can make your voice heard.

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’10-11 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jeremy Bauman, Maurice Bobb, Erildas Budraitis, Sean Ceglinsky, Ben Collins, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Manny Maduakolam, Eddie Maisonet, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Charles Peach, Branden Peters, Quinn Peterson, David Schnur, Todd Spehr, Kyle Stack, Adam Sweeney, Dennis Tarwood, Tracy Weissenberg, Lang Whitaker, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Ray Allen, no. 50 appeared first on SLAM.

You had to know this was coming, right? The biggest story in the NBA this summer was the free agency of LeBron James. Which means he gets the cover of the next issue of SLAM. (Well, one of the covers. There’s two. We’ll have both covers on the site later this week.)

To me, the most amazing thing about LeBron’s summer was after The Decision, when it seemed like open season on LeBron. The criticism came from people like Barkley, Jordan and Magic, not to mention pretty much every person using any form of social networking, criticizing Bron for his work ethic, for his decision-making process, for a perceived unwillingness to be the centerpiece of an NBA team.

Perhaps this is oversimplifying, but here’s my thought on it: LeBron has a better chance of winning a title with Miami next season than he would have with Cleveland.

If you accept that, then the criticism comes down to people being upset about the way LeBron is choosing to try and win. Forget the why’s: What if LeBron doesn’t care about that stuff? He’s now 25 years old, the two-time reigning MVP, and he’s not only playing on one of the best teams in the NBA, he’s playing for a franchise that’s shown it’s willing to spend smart money and will win titles. Perhaps he will never win a title as a sole franchise player. Maybe he will never be Michael Jordan. But being LeBron James is a pretty good place to be.

I spoke with LeBron over the phone two weeks ago. He was in Miami, working out and getting ready for this season. We talked about plenty, from last season’s Playoffs to his elbow injury, about how he knew Miami was the move for him, and — you might not believe this — we even talked about basketball, how the Heat will play this season and what their expectations are.

Here’s a few snippets of the conversation. To read the full interview, go buy SLAM 142, on newsstands everywhere in the next week or so…

SLAM: You guys haven’t even played a game and already people don’t like you.

LBJ: Well, that’s our thing now. For us, we haven’t proven anything. It doesn’t matter how many players you have, or the collective group you have until you actually go out there and play the game as a team, because this is the ultimate team sport. It doesn’t matter what you have as individuals.

SLAM: You mentioned “team sport.” A lot of former players have come out and said, I can’t believe LeBron’s teaming up with these guys, he should want to play against these guys. What’s your take on that?

LBJ: For me, I feel like my competitive nature is still the same. No matter if I’m teaming up with D-Wade or I’m teaming up with Bosh. My competitive nature is to want to beat the opposing team or the opposing player, whoever is put in front of me. That has not changed. For me to harp on other people, how they feel about my own career, that’s not for me to worry about. I think people should just focus on what they have and go worry about that. For me, I have my goals and I’m going to continue to get better.

SLAM: I get what they’re saying, but aren’t you allowed to want to play with the most talented people you can play with?

LBJ: That was a huge reason. I had an opportunity to go against these guys for seven straight years. I’ve had great battles with D-Wade, great battles with Bosh, and great battles against the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors. The opportunity came up where I could play alongside two of the best players we have in the game today, and I took full advantage of it.

SLAM: Before we get too far into the upcoming season, what happened in the Playoffs last year? The Cavs were up 2-1 on Boston and beat them pretty good in Boston, and then they came roaring back.

LBJ: We had a good chance to win that series, and we played well in spurts, but we didn’t play as consistently as Boston did. And I think every Eastern Conference team saw that when they went against Boston, how consistent they were from game to game. Now, they may have lost one game or two games, but I think they were the most consistent team in the Playoffs in the Eastern Conference. That’s why they were able to get back to the Eastern Finals.

SLAM: And you got knocked for not playing well. Not just in that game but really in life, does it ever feel like you really just can’t make everyone happy?

LBJ: I think that’s one thing learned over the summer. I learned throughout my life, that’s one thing you can’t base your life or base your career on, trying to make everyone happy. You have to go out and do what’s best for you and your family, and at the end of the day you know that you played as hard as you can, you know that you gave blood, sweat and tears, then you can be satisfied with that.

* * * * *

SLAM: How do you think it’s going to work with you, Dwyane and Bosh on the floor together? Especially because you and Dwyane are both such perimeter players.

LBJ: I think that’s Coach Spo. Coach Spo is going to put us in position to win ballgames. We’re all ballplayers, we’re all playmakers. We know our ultimate goal is to win championships. I think from the first guy all the way to the 15th guy, if we all have the same goal, it shouldn’t be hard to go out and play the game the right way.

SLAM: How do you know it will work with you and Wade and Bosh playing together?

LBJ: For me, you don’t even think about knowing it will work. You know it’s going to work. You don’t say, I’m going to make my decision and hopefully this works out. D-Wade is a playmaker. I’ve played with D-Wade and I’ve played with Bosh for four years in the summertime. It’s not as long as an NBA season, but you see the sacrifices we was able to make in the summertime, so it wasn’t a hard choice for myself because I know how hard they play the game and I know how much they want to win.

SLAM: Is that going to be the most important part of it, sacrifice?

LBJ: Sacrifice is a part of the game. Now, if you’re talking about sacrificing a few more shots or a few plays here, that’s not a problem. The goal is to an NBA championship, and however we do that, it has to get done. That’s ultimately what we want to do. That’s also why we all came here, to win an NBA championship. It wasn’t so all of us could try to get an MVP award the same year. That’s not what it’s about.

SLAM: The season’s about to start and we’re talking about the way the team’s going to play, but do you think it’s kind of crazy that everyone else is talking about everything but the basketball part of this?

LBJ: I think at this point it’s a little bit easier to sell papers by not talking about the basketball part of it. In the summertime there’s no basketball going on, so the easiest way to get people to read what you’re writing is to write negative things.

SLAM: What will you consider a success next year?

LBJ: We’ll consider a success winning an NBA Championship next year.

SLAM: Nothing less?

LBJ: Nothing less. We came here to win and win now. This isn’t a “jell” year for us because we know we have a five-year, or six-year deal. This isn’t a “jell” year. We want to get it done now, and try to get it done every year.

* * * * *

SLAM: What’s been the best part of the summer for you?

LBJ: They best part of the summer for me has been change. It’s a new beginning, a new start. I’m excited about that. The seven years I had in Cleveland, I loved, and I love those fans and will always love those fans for giving me seven great years. I tried to repay those fans the right way by doing what I did on the court. But it’s been exciting. The change, to know I’m going into a situation I haven’t had since my rookie year, and that’s a new beginning, a fresh start. That’s exciting for me. It’s been a great summer. You’re going to have forks in the road, bumps in the road, throughout life. But if you have your goal and you know which way you’re headed, you just go for it and you don’t stop until you get it.

SLAM: The other day you tweeted a quote from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

LBJ: When I read that, it was unbelievable. It almost seemed it was like perfect timing. It was like exactly what I’m going through right now. You learn a lot from those who’ve paved the way for all of us.

SLAM: Do you feel a little beat up right now?

LBJ: Nooo. I feel refreshed. I’m ready.

SLAM: Not physically, I just mean from everything else.

LBJ: Well, I don’t feel beat up, not at all. I knew there was going to be some negative point to it. But at the end of the day, I think I made the right decision, and I’m happy with my decision. Just like you said, you can’t make everyone happy at the end of the day, and I knew that, I knew that from the beginning. And I understand. It’s OK.

The post Talking With LeBron James appeared first on SLAM.

Got an email the other day that I thought was worth sharing with you guys. We have a lot of great commenters on SLAMonline. And I know there are some inter-commenter beefs and some people who don’t like other people, or whatever. But I look at SLAMonline as a family — maybe a dysfunctional family, but a family. Not everyone gets along, but at the end of the day we’re still a family.

Anyway, I got an email the other day from our longtime commenter who goes by the handle “James the Balla.” I’ve seen him post hundreds of times on SLAMonline, probably even interacted with him from time to time, but I had no understanding of him as a person until I got this email. I asked him if I could run it here on The Links and he said he was cool with it. To me, this email was a great reminder that even though we might not even really know each other, we’re all real people with real lives and things we have to face…

Hey Lang,

“James the Balla” here. I have been very busy and not on the site much recently, the main reason being I am about to deploy to Afghanistan. I am actually writing this letter inside of a tent, LOL. But to get to my main point, I wanted to shoot an e-mail off for a couple reasons.
 
The first being that since I won’t be able to watch many games, if any at all, my Lakers will be without my fan support. And if I do get any games, they will all be in French (I am going with a French Battle Group and Brigade). And there is something like an 18-hour time difference between Ontario and Afghanistan. So the only place to catch up on everything will be your site, which I look forward to.

Second, the site is awesome, even in the long, boring months of summer. I have been reading for a long time now and have almost every SLAM, from number one to the most recent. So that is where this e-mail became something I wanted to write.

Two months back I found myself writing letters to people (family and friends) who are close to me so that if something ever happened to me they would know how I truly felt about them and could share some memories. I haven’t gotten that far with them; I will finish them when I get back from my last bit of training here in Alberta.

But something that has been a big part of me since I was roughly 13 or 14 years old has been SLAM. It’s when I started ballin’, started hanging with my friends who are now my brothers, and it’s when I started reading every article in SLAM instead of just looking at pictures. So one thing I am writing out in my journal that my Mother will get if the worst happens to me over there (it won’t, but sh*t happens), is the small section I am writing about SLAM. In the event of my untimely demise (I have always wanted to say that lol … and I think that is how you say it? lol) I figured that I enjoyed my SLAM’s so much that it would be cool to hand them back to SLAM and let someone like Moose or someone who doesn’t have a lot of SLAM’s get the chance at having them. Win them in a contest or whatnot. They would only be going to waste in one of my family members basements if I didn’t figure out what to do with them anyways.

So that is it, nothing crazy. But if you get any e-mails from a Susan S., she is a very nice woman lol!

James S.

James, thanks so much for your email. Whenever you get a chance, please hit me up and let us know how it’s going, and I’ll share it with folks here on the site. Good luck and stay safe, and we’ll be thinking about you.

Oh, and while I and everyone looking to collect back issues of SLAM are all grateful for your offer, I think everyone will agree with me when I say I hope we never get to see your SLAM collection.

The post Links: When Ball Is Life appeared first on SLAM.

I’m not sure how this column became a clearinghouse for all things little people, but during the dog days of summer, when most of the NBA is hibernating, well…we have to write about something. (Actually, I have a basketball post coming later this week that’s kinda awesome.) But three years ago, I threw in a random link one day about a gentleman named He Ping Ping, and it really took off from there. Sadly, Mr. Ping Ping passed away in March, a tragic event that shocked the world.

Well, now there’s good news, because the world — and The Links — has new smallest man to look up to: Edward Nino Hernandez. (Thanks to reader Michael Read for the tip.)

Here’s what we know: Mr. Hernandez, a Colombian, is 27 inches tall and weighs 22 pounds. He has a girlfriend. He works — part-time — as a dancer, and he enjoys reggaeton, merengue and salsa music.

Here’s a video from the Guinness people about Mr. Hernandez.

I like how the editor-in-chief of Guinness notes that being the world’s smallest man is “one of the most important titles.” I really couldn’t agree more.

But wait! There’s intrigue! According to the Guinness EIC, a job I hope to one day qualify for, there could soon be new world’s smallest man! There’s a 17-year-old in Nepal named Khagendra Thapa Magar, who is 5 cm shorter than Mr. Hernandez. Magar will turn 18 in October, which in the eyes of the Guinness people will qualify him as a man, and makes him squarely in line to succeed Mr. Hernandez.

Don’t worry, I’ll keep my eyes on this developing story. Until then, a hearty Links welcome to Mr. Hernandez.

The post Links: The Nino appeared first on SLAM.

As I wrote the other day, we’re nuts around here this week, so much so that I didn’t even have time to watch the USA/Brazil game in the World Championships yesterday. But I did take an hour yesterday so Sekou and I could record a new episode of the Hangtime Podcast for NBA.com.

When we started planning this week’s show, I reached out to a couple of NBA players to get on as guests, but as we’re in the middle of the summer, it seemed like everyone was gone on vacation. Then Adonal Foyle announced his retirement, and we managed to get him on the show. Also, just because we love him, we got the always awesome Kenny “Mr. Chibbs” Anderson on the program. Both guys were lottery picks, both played over a decade in the L, and now they’re both chasing their goals and dreams for their post-playing career.

You can stream the show here…

Or you can download the file here, or get it on iTunes here.

The post Links: New Podcast appeared first on SLAM.

All of this made the way Ben and I spent yesterday all the sweeter: On the golf course.

For a couple of years now, Ben and I have been talking about wanting to do a story about an NBA player with golf as the setting. I don’t know about you guys, but Ben and I both love to play golf, and I know a lot of NBA players get out on the links as well. Being on a golf course is such a relaxing, peaceful experience, and since it takes about 4 hours (give or take an hour) to play a round of golf, playing golf while writing a feature on someone would provide plenty of time to interview and observe a player. A few weeks ago we got something in the email about JR Smith’s annual Charity Golf Tournament, and we asked if we could be involved. So we sent over a couple of boxes of magazines to give away to the participants, and they invited Ben and I to come out and play.

And so around noon yesterday, Ben and I pulled up at the Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood, NJ, where we were set to tee off in the JR Smith Youth Foundation’s Fourth Annual Golf Classic. It was a gorgeous day — temperature around the high 70s, not a cloud in the sky — and the clubhouse was buzzing with activity, as close to 70 golfers were there to take part. Hot 97 had a tent set up outside playing music, and back behind the clubhouse, golfers were lined up to sign in and get their carts.

JR’s mother, Ida, was running the welcome station, which was staffed by a sizeable group of volunteers, and JR’s dad, Earl, was making the rounds, shaking hands, making sure everything was set up and ready to tee off. JR was also there greeting people, rocking a white JR Smith Youth Foundation polo shirt, a pair of Nike golf shorts, topped off with a Louisville fitted. (JR’s younger brother Chris is a guard for the Cardinals.)

Soon after we arrived, I found myself talking to a young man named Brad Hennefer. Brad, a native of Cherry Hill, NJ, was in the news a couple of years ago as the only high school athlete in the country with Down syndrome to letter in two sports (basketball and golf). Brad had come out to play in the golf tournament, and Earl Smith had paired him up with JR. Brad told me that JR was actually the second member of the Denver Nuggets he’d met, as he’d actually met Carmelo Anthony previously. I asked him which guy was his favorite Nuggets player, and Brad diplomatically replied, “I like both of them.”

We teed off around 1:00 PM. Because it was a shotgun start, JR’s group was assigned to begin on the 15th hole. Ben and I decided to just squeeze in behind JR’s group, so we could watch them play all day. They were playing best ball format, and from what I could tell, Brad was outdriving everyone off the tee. Sometimes tall guys look awkward when golfing, but JR looked really smooth, both on the tee and from the fairway. Later, I asked him JR if he’d ever taken a lesson. No, he said, but he admitted that the watches The Golf Channel obsessively and picks up tips there.

“I played OK today,” he would say later, before reverting to an NBA cliché: “I had a lot of help from my teammates — my team was me, Brad and his father. Brad was really good, dead center every time.”

I hadn’t played golf in about a year, so I was spraying errant drives all over the course. I didn’t watch JR much, since I spent most of my time searching in the thick grass for my previous shots.

When we finally rolled up to the clubhouse at the end of the round, JR and I sat down to talk for a feature in the upcoming issue of SLAM. Earlier in the day, news had broken about JR being involved in an investigation over an alleged altercation in a pick-up game out in Denver. I asked JR for a comment about it, but JR said he wasn’t allowed to speak on it.

“People are going to talk regardless,” JR said. “I just try not to focus on the negative stuff as much as I can and stay focused on the positive stuff, stuff like we were able to do here today.”

“Really, today is a great chance for me to give back, and seeing all my family and my friends here, it gives me a chance to just appreciate everything we’ve gone through to get here.”

Regarding what they were able to do yesterday, Earl Smith and I talked for a while about the JR Smith Youth Foundation.

“I spent today day riding around and just watching all the kids have fun, and that’s why I do it. I do it for them — that’s the pleasure I get out of it. That and giving the proceeds to kids who really need it. Last year we were able to give out a couple of scholarships. We bought a food card for a young lady at Penn State who didn’t have the money to be on a meal plan. We help cheerleaders, kids playing Pop Warner football, things like that.”

I’m just giving you guys a taste of what we talked about, because I actually talked for a while with both JR and Earl, about all kinds of stuff, for a feature that will run in SLAM 143, our season preview issue (which will drop in October). Anyway, a big SLAM thanks to JR and the entire Smith family for letting us be a part of yesterday.

The post Links: The JR Smith Youth Foundation Golf Classic appeared first on SLAM.

My phone rang yesterday, and it was an NBA player wanting to talk about playing golf. If you had to choose an NBA player who was an avid golfer, JR Smith probably wouldn’t be the first to come to mind — you don’t see a lot of golfers with “SWISH” neck tats.

But it’s true: JR Smith loves playing golf. Two years ago, there was a story of a man who randomly was paired with JR at a municipal course in Denver, and the writer went for a hole-in-one and got a chest-bump with JR.

Since then, JR’s hit the links more and more. Next week in his home state of New Jersey, he’ll be hosting the 4th Annual JR Smith Youth Foundation Golf Classic.

SLAM: So, you’re a golfer?

JR SMITH: Yeah! I got into the sport within the last year and a half. I like it, it’s challenging. It just gives me another thing to think about when I’m not playing basketball.

SLAM: I’ve talked to other NBA guys who play golf, and they say they like that it’s peaceful, getting to be outdoors, having time to yourself.

JR SMITH: Yeah, you get time to yourself. You get to be in a nice environment — being outdoors is always a plus for me. It’s just enjoying nice days.

SLAM: How often do get to play?

JR SMITH: I play at the end of the year and at the beginning of the year. Last year I played a lot during the Playoffs. Played a lot during the Lakers Playoffs series.

SLAM: Tell me about the JR Smith Youth Foundation?

JR SMITH: My foundation is pretty much to get kids scholarships to camps, schools, I give scholarships to a bunch of little girls so they can go to cheerleading camps. Just things that can keep kids doing something positive. It’s based out of Jersey, because that’s where I’m from, but we try to give and help out everywhere. We did Hurricane Katrina relief my rookie year, and we just keep going on.

SLAM: What do you want to come from this golf tournament? Raise money, raise awareness of your foundation?

JR SMITH: For me, I really want to get kids into playing golf, the younger generation in my area. I think golf can be a great sport for kids. I never really had the opportunity to play growing up, and it’s a way to keep kids involved in something positive and keep them active. People always complain about how big kids are and say we should get them involved in more stuff, so why not?

SLAM: You know, I didn’t play golf growing up and only started playing about ten years ago, and now I’m hooked on it. Do you think kids have the patience to really embrace golf?

JR SMITH: I think it’s about the individual. I thought I would never be interested in it, and now I’m hooked. So I think it’s just the individual.

SLAM: Why didn’t you think you’d be interested?

JR SMITH: I just thought it was boring, just watching golf and stuff like that. But after playing it on the Wii, I wanted to really play it, and I just got hooked.

SLAM: Don’t you think people don’t realize that golf is actually really hard?

JR SMITH: It really is. People who criticize golfers when they’re struggling, they don’t ever really see how hard golf is.

SLAM: How’s your summer been? You been working out?

JR SMITH: Yeah, it’s been going great. Working out, been down in Louisville with my brother working out. It’s been great so far.

SLAM: You also played for the Nuggets summer league team. How was that?

JR SMITH: Summer league was cool. I was rehabbing my injury from my ankle, so I really didn’t play like I wanted to, but it was fun to get out there with the younger guys.

SLAM: What do you make of all the rumors circulating that Carmelo Anthony wants a trade?

JR SMITH: Uh, I really don’t know. I’m just excited to see what happens. I’m lost for words.

SLAM: You excited to get Coach Karl back?

JR SMITH: I can’t wait to get him back. He’s the biggest asset that we have.

SLAM: Nothing against Coach Dantley, but it seemed like you guys really missed Coach Karl during the Playoffs.

JR SMITH: Like you said, nothing against Coach Dantley, but you always want to go into battle with your big guns, and that was what we needed.

The 4th Annual JR Smith Youth Foundation Golf Classic will be held next Thursday, August 26, at the Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood, NJ. For more information, please call 609-223-0380.

The post Links: Talking Golf with JR Smith appeared first on SLAM.

Because it’s now after 1:00 PM EST on Tuesday, August 17, I am now free to tell you about what I did last Thursday morning: I got to play NBA 2K11.

The game drops in North America on October 5th, so we’re still a ways off from it hitting the market. I enjoyed playing last year’s game, even though it had some flaws. Last week, I only got to play 2K11 for about an hour, so I didn’t have a chance to get very deep into the game or even check out the My Player mode at all. But from what I saw, 2K11 is going to be just as addictive, if not more addictive, than it was last year.

I started by playing the first half of a Heat/Lakers game, and I was given the Heat to use. The game felt a little smoother than 2K10, with less robotic movement from the players than in previous basketball games. To be fair, I really didn’t have much opportunity to check out the AI or playcalling, which are the parts of basketball video games that have always bothered me.

What I did for the remainder of my hour with the game was what really impressed me. By now you’ve probably heard that Michael Jordan is on the cover of 2K11. Well, there’s a game within the game called The Jordan Challenge. In this Challenge, there are ten sequences to play — The Flu Game, The Shrug, and plenty more — where you play as Michael Jordan and are tasked with replicating some of Money’s most famous performances.

I played the game called “The Arrival,” also known as MJ’s 63-point Playoff outburst as a rookie against the big bad Boston Celtics. To pass this game, you need to at least equal MJ’s 63 points, as well as shoot 50-percent from the floor.

The game wasn’t a perfect replica of MJ’s game in ’86 — for instance, in 2K11 it was set in the new TD Banknorth Garden, not the old Boston Garden — but it was pretty damn close. The players wore short shorts, and the rosters were perfect. So I played as MJ with teammates like Kyle Macy, Dave Corzine and Orlando Woolridge. (Sixth man? George Gervin!) Meanwhile, the Celtics had Bird, Parrish, McHale, DJ, Ainge, etc.

Just having those classic rosters would be enough to get me interested, but the added wrinkle of needing to score 63 made it even more entertaining. MJ in this game is like MJ was at the time — faster, quicker, more athletic than the rest of the guys on the court, and it was fun as heck to play with him. At one point I drove baseline and pump-faked a shot, and the Jordan on-screen executed a one-handed pump-fake while palming the ball, exactly like MJ used to do.

I only had time to play one half of this game and didn’t call any plays, and I scored only 18 points. Seems like I’ll have to put a lot more work into it once the game actually drops in October. (“Sorry, Wifey, I have some work to do!”)

The one question I get from you guys every year is which game to get, 2K11 or EA’s NBA Elite (formerly NBA Live). I haven’t had a chance to play the new Elite, and EA’s making so many changes to the game this year that I don’t think I’m going to have a chance to play it before it actually drops.

But what I do know is that the brief taste I had of The Jordan Challenge alone has me ready for more 2K11.

The post Links: An Early Look at NBA 2K11 appeared first on SLAM.

Hey. I’m Lang. What’s up?

I haven’t blogged in the last week because I just needed to catch my breath. In the last three months we’ve cranked out five issues. You’ve seen four: Kobe/LeBron; SLAM 140; SLAM 141; World Basketball. And Kicks 11 will drop early next week. And now we’re hard at work on SLAM 142. I’m filling in here and there writing news things on SLAMonline, going to the World Basketball Festival, and I turned in about 95 percent of my book earlier this week. Also, I’ve got a couple of other things going on that I’m not allowed to talk about yet but that will be dope.

So…I’m here, but I’m also not here. In the meantime, some other things…

• You might have heard about the World Basketball Festival, which is going down in NYC right now. Well, the WBF kicked off last night with a big event at Radio City Music Hall, which I was lucky enough to score a ticket for.

When we first heard about the WBF, it was originally announced that there was going to be a basketball game played in the middle of Times Square. For whatever reason — I’m guessing a combination of weather fears and permits — almost immediately the location was changed to Radio City. Last night, as Ben and I walked up Sixth Avenue toward Radio City, the sky started opening up and the rain began coming down. So as it turned out, having it in Radio City was the right move.

We knew the event was going to be a scrimmage for Team USA followed by what was being billed as a “special music performance.” The iconic marquee outside Radio City revealed the secret, as it added a few words to the phrase: “special music performance by Jay-Z.” And even though it was on the marquee outside, on the inside, the people on the mic’s (Kevin Frazier and the always entertaining Anthony Anderson) never said it was going to be Jay-Z, like they were still keeping a secret or something.

Even though I’ve lived in NYC for a decade now, I’d never been inside Radio City Music Hall. It was cool enough to be in such a historic theater, even cooler to see a full basketball court set up on the stage. It fit perfectly on the stage, and made for a really dramatic setting.

Maybe too dramatic, actually, as the game itself wasn’t much fun to watch. It was just a scrimmage, after all, so the guys weren’t going all out. Also, it was just too inconsequential to be riveting viewing. What makes the Olympics and the World Championships fun to watch is the national pride at stake. In this game, there were no stakes, other than this team trying to get ready for the Worlds. (And on that tip, my man Matt Lawyue broke down how the team is looking.)

When the game ended, DJ Premier got on the wheels of steel and started playing stuff to keep everyone distracted, and a curtain came down on the stage as they prepared for Jay-Z. I had just assumed Jay was going to come out and do two or three songs with a CD as his backing track, but after a delay of about thirty minutes, I started getting a sense it might be a real concert. About forty-five minutes later, the large screens on either side of the stage switched over to a clock that started counting down from ten minutes, which sent all the kids in the lower levels into hyperdrive.

After the ten minutes had elapsed, the curtain dropped and there was a full band on stage, including a full horn section. There were huge video screens behind the band, and then there on the stage was Jay-Z, the most iconic rapper alive, in an iconic theater, performing some of the most famous songs of the last decade.

And there Ben and I were in the stands. Doing our jobs.

I have to say it was a good day.

• One thing we did the last few weeks was set up a SLAM account on Tumblr. We really did it just to reserve the SLAMonline name on there, but now that it’s up and running, it’s kind of cool. It’s a good way to just see everything that we’ve posted on SLAMonline in the order that it’s gone up. It’s obviously not as rich an environment as SLAMonline, but it works. If you’re already on Tumblr, follow us and we’ll follow back.

• This video has gotten some popularity over the last week and it reminds me of something that happened to me one time.

Back in 2003, I was in Dallas working on a feature about Dirk Nowitzki. I was there for a preseason game, and I guess there wasn’t a lot of media there, because I was given a seat at a press table courtside on the front row, just along the baseline.

You know how every once in a while some NBA player crashes into the press table and wrecks some poor guy’s laptop? I was on high alert, because I didn’t want that to be me. Any time a player got within about 10 feet, I’d make sure to look up and be ready to move if I needed to.

At some point in the game, the teams were in action right in front of me, and Steve Nash made a one-handed bullet pass to a cutting player. The player missed the pass, and all of a sudden the ball was whizzing at my head at about 200 mph. I had just seconds to comprehend what was happening, and I realized I really had two choices:

1) Attempt to catch the ball, which wasn’t a sure thing, considering my hands weren’t in position to catch the ball. Also, if I tried to catch the ball and for whatever reason was unable to catch it and it ended up bouncing into my face or something, there was a chance the play would live in perpetuity on some blooper reel somewhere.

2) Duck.

Since the first option was so fraught with peril, I chose the second, more simple option.

I ducked, and the ball zipped over my head. And it drilled a 40-something year old woman sitting behind me directly in the face. POW!

I grabbed the ball and tossed it to the ref as the woman assured everyone that she wasn’t injured, and play continued. I turned around to check on the woman, and she had her hands clutched to her nose, as reactionary tears streamed from her eyes. She looked at me and, her voice breaking like her nose probably was, said, “Why did you duck?”

What I didn’t say but really wanted to: “Why didn’t you?”

• Last thing, in case you want to kill two hours…

I’ve been sitting in with my main man Sekou Smith the last few weeks co-hosting his NBA.com Hang Time Podcast, and we’ve had a lot of fun. Here’s the show from two weeks ago with guests John Schuhmann from NBA.com and Ben Golliver from BlazersEdge…

And here’s the show from this week which was tremendous, with our guests the amazing Coach John Thompson and recently returned SLAM columnist Josh Childress…

You can also download the shows or get iTunes links here or here.

• That’s all I gots. Have a great weekend everyone, and catch you back here next week when I will legally be allowed to tell you all about what I did for an hour yesterday morning:

I played NBA 2K11.

That’s really all I’m allowed to say. For now. Thoughts on that coming Tuesday…

The post Links: WBF x Jay-Z x Radio City appeared first on SLAM.

Today, a few words about video games. This has nothing to do with basketball, so skip it if you don’t want to read it.

Almost two weeks ago, just before I left for vacation, EA Sports dropped NCAA Football 11. I know Madden has become the gold standard for sports video games, but the NCAA series is my favorite game, mostly for the dynasty and career modes.

Even though I’m 30-plus, I play a lot of video games. Pretty much every night, once Wifey’s asleep, I fire up the PS3 and just veg out for an hour playing either soccer, football or baseball. Sometimes I’ll play a first-person shooter or an adventure game, but those are almost too intense. One Saturday when I was home alone, I’d spent three or four hours deep in some Tom Clancy game that required a bunch of sneaking around through the dark alleys of a run-down city. I turned off the game and turned on some travel show where the host was walking through dark alleys in a run down city, and I nearly yelled “Watch out!” when the host turned a corner without looking both ways. That was when I realized I probably needed to get out of the apartment for a bit.

The sports games are a little more brainless, requiring less strategy, more reacting. I keep coming back to these games because they’re the most relaxing part of my day. Most days, I spend all day at a computer juggling words and plans and thoughts and ideas. At the end of the day, pretty much every day, I’m fried. So video games have become my palette cleanser, a way to let my dome rest, my thoughts reorganize, new ideas bubble up. For me, video games are a way to temporarily think about nothing so that I can eventually think about something.

With the sports games, I love creating a character, starting at the bottom and trying to work my way to the top. It allows me to have the career playing or coaching that I never had, and gives me a narrative to follow that I can pick up and set down on my own timetable (e.g. pretty much every night). So when the newest version of NCAA dropped, I could barely wait to get home, throw it in and start a new career as a head coach at a low Division 1 school who, through terrific play schemes and shrewd recruiting, would quickly but methodically work my school into a BCS bowl and then leave the small college for a larger school, ultimately seeking my dream job at the University of Georgia, where I would settle down and coach for decades, winning an staggering streak of national championships.

I was about three minutes into my first game as head coach at Tulane when the PS3 suddenly just switched off. Weird, but not without precedent. I’ve had the same PS3 for about 4 years now. Sometimes it would get too hot and a loud exhaust fan would kick in, and occasionally it would freeze up in the middle of a game. But it had never just unilaterally decided to shut itself completely off in the middle of a game. When I tried to flip the PS3 back on, the machine refused, and the power light, which was usually either red (off) or green (on), flashed yellow, a color I didn’t even know it was capable of becoming. More than anything, I was confused by this — it was as if I’d pulled up to a red light in traffic and it turned blue.

Since I was leaving the next day on vacation, I didn’t really sweat it, other than to google “PS3 yellow light” and discovered that eventually some PS3’s die a valiant death. Considering the warranty on my PS3 had run out years ago, I had two choices: 1) Pay $150 to get a refurbished PS3; 2) Buy a new one.

Once I returned from vacation, I copped a new PS3. The was I see it, I had that last one 4 years and it worked like a champ. And I don’t expect much of anything that I buy to last over 4 years. So Tuesday night, I waited for Wifey to go to sleep, then went to the closet and removed the PS3 from where I’d hidden it in the hopes that Wifey wouldn’t noticed I’d dropped a few bills. I disconnected the old one, connected the new one and sat down to play some NCAA 11…only to realize the game disc was trapped inside the broken PS3! I ran and grabbed the broken system and plugged it in (in my kitchen), hoping that it would stay on long enough even to eject the disc. But it wouldn’t. So I went back to 2K10 The Show. (And my folks at EA are replacing my NCAA 11. Thanks!)

You know, I get it. Video games are for losers, for nerds, for kids. Whatever. Trying to relax, some people smoke, some people drink, some people shoot up, some people do all of that stuff. Maybe I’m getting old or something, but I just play video games. And I love ‘em. And I’ll keep playing for as long as I can.

I mentioned earlier how fried my brain gets from work, and a lot of that is because it seems like I’m always working on about 10 different projects at the same time. One thing I’ve tried to help out on a little bit is the magazine Antenna, a quarterly mag which is published by our parent company. I write little essays in each issue about stuff other than sports, and two years ago I wrote an essay (in the guise of a fake news story) about video games…

by Lang Whitaker

Amidst Controversy, Sanders Deleted In Career Prime

NEW YORK CITY (AP) — Video game characters around the world expressed emotions ranging from disappointment to outrage yesterday upon hearing the news that Snake Sanders, one of the most promising “MLB 08 The Show” video game characters of all time, had been deleted by his creator.

Sanders was 28 years old.

“We had a good run, but I felt it was time for us to part ways,” said Sanders’ owner, Lang Whitaker, a writer and video gamer who lives in Manhattan.

Sanders will leave behind a storied “MLB 08 The Show” career. In just his sixth major league season, Sanders, a dynamic second baseman, was leading the Colorado Rockies with a .345 batting average and 15 home runs at the 2017 All-Star break when Whitaker deleted him.

Sanders could not be reached for comment.

The deletion of Sanders wasn’t received well by many of the characters within the video game universe.

“If that Whitaker guy can delete Snake in the prime of his career, what chance do any of the rest of have?” wondered Oakland A’s left fielder Kanye LeBron, who was created as a character in “MLB 08 The Show” by Amarillo, Texas, video gamer Steven Jenkins. “This really sucks. If it can happen to Snake it can happen to anyone.”

In a statement issued by his publicist, Super Mario said, “Speaking on behalf of everyone in the Nintendo world, this seems like a horrific, cruel and unjust decision by Mr. Whitaker. We video game characters will not take this lying down.”

In an interview with the Associated Press, Whitaker seemed oddly unaffected by the criticism. “Yeah, I deleted Snake,” he said, chuckling, not seeming to realize the backlash he’d generated. “And I’d do it again, too.”

Speculation amongst the video game characters seemed to suggest Whitaker deleted Sanders because he was simply tired of playing “MLB 08 The Show.”

“Oh yeah, Whitaker had definitely been playing less and less. He’d gone from a few hours every day to a few hours a week,” confirmed LeBron.

Whitaker denied boredom was behind his decision, stating he was curtailing his play of “MLB 08 The Show” because he was increasingly interested in the new release “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.”

Sources close to Whitaker’s wife insisted to the Associated Press that Whitaker had done little else after acquiring “Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.”

Whitaker declined to comment on the allegations except to say: “My personal decisions had nothing to do with the deletion of Snake Sanders.”

Sanders was created by Whitaker in March of 2008, soon after “MLB 08 The Show” was released. While Whitaker claimed he never intended to make Sanders physically resemble himself, Sanders and Whitaker shared the same birth date, hair color, facial hairstyle and height. Sanders did, however, weigh approximately 40 pounds less than Whitaker.

Many characters thought Sanders ended up looking more like actor Jake Gyllenhaal than Whitaker.

“If Whitaker thought he looked at all like Snake, he was insane,” said Sanders’ infield mate, the computer-generated Young-Il Ma. “That just shows you how self-absorbed Whitaker is.”

Whitaker named the character after two of his favorite retired athletes, Ken “Snake” Norman and Deion Sanders.

“I always name my video game characters after athletes I like,” Whitaker said, “or if I’m working on a story at the time, sometimes I’ll name a created character after whomever I’m writing about. Although there was that one stretch I spent playing the college football as Flava Flav. I actually won the Heisman with Flav.”

As an 18-year-old professional baseball rookie, Sanders signed with the Atlanta Braves organization, where he was assigned to the AA team in Mississippi.

Whitaker simulated most of Sanders’ first two seasons in the minor leagues, pausing occasionally to spend accumulated bonus points and increase Sanders’ ratings in offensive categories.

Going into the 2010 season, Whitaker forced Sanders to be re-assigned from the Braves organization to the New York Yankees.

“Even though I’ve been a Braves fan my entire life and would like nothing more than to play second base for the Atlanta Braves, if I had a better chance to play in the majors with another franchise, frankly, I’d have to consider it,” said Whitaker.

After Sanders played with the Yankees throughout spring training, New York declined to offer Sanders a contract.

In 2011, Whitaker sent Sanders to spring training with the Florida Marlins and suffered the same fate.

After sitting out a consecutive seasons, Sanders returned in 2012 with the Colorado Rockies and was offered a minor league contract with the AAA franchise, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

“That was a tough period, for both Snake and myself,” admitted Whitaker. “Neither of us wanted to be out of baseball for two seasons, but Snake was still young enough that we were able to wait for the perfect situation to come along.”

Midway through the 2012 season, Sanders was called up to the majors with the Colorado Rockies. After a brief adjustment period, Sanders shined. Before his deletion, Sanders was approaching 100 career home runs and had played in two major league All-Star games.

“I’m not going to lie to you: Deleting Snake was a load off my shoulders,” stated Whitaker. “I was starting to feel an insane sense of responsibility toward Snake. I needed to take a break, to move on. If I play the game again a few months from now I’ll just create a new player.”

“[Snake] had such a bright future…” said LeBron, his voice crackling with emotion. “It is really inhumane to just delete him like that.”

LeBron later added that the video game characters were talking about unionizing in order to avoid similar future situations.

Despite the vehement criticism, Whitaker was convinced deleting Sanders was the right thing to do.

“I don’t see why this is such a big deal. I mean, these are just video games. Aren’t they?”

The post Links: Games People Play appeared first on SLAM.

Last year I explained how Wifey and I always try to spend at least a few days each summer off the grid, away from phones and emails and the non-stop news cycle. Last summer we went to Africa. This summer we stayed closer to home and went out West, to Montana.

For me, visiting Montana fulfilled two goals. First, I’m trying to get to all fifty States. I’ve now been to 46. (I’m missing Alaska, Nebraska, and North/South Dakota.) Second, it allowed me to see the land of Norman MacLean. You’re probably at least familiar with the movie A River Runs Through It, and it’s a beautiful movie, well worth seeing. But what I really love, and have loved ever since I read it decades ago, is the novella upon which the movie is based. It’s one of the works which got me interested in writing, and it’s a gold standard I chase after every time I sit at the keyboard. So I’ve always wanted to see Montana for myself, and when Wifey got a great deal at a wonderful place out there, we figured it was time. So I unplugged and checked out and spent some time riding horses, hiking mountains, and fly-fishing in the Bitterroot, like my man Norman MacLean.

(And I caught that 17-inch cutbow at left. Funny thing was I caught it about 30 minutes after we set out, before our guide had really even had time to explain what we were supposed to be doing. I just dropped a fly in, was letting it float alongside the raft, and then BANG! So I reeled it in. Then after I learned the right way to do it, I didn’t catch anything else anywhere near the size of that one the rest of the day.)

For me, the big surprise on the trip was discovering Yellowstone National Park. I didn’t know much about it, other than it was, well, a huge park. But after five days in Western Montana, Wifey and I figured we were so close to Yellowstone, we might as well check it out. So we drove down and got there Friday afternoon just in time to see Old Faithful blow its top, which was cool but relatively one-note. (It’s a geyser. It sprays water into the air.) Woke up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and started exploring the park, and it was really a special. There were areas that were flat and almost prehistoric, with salt-crusted landscapes and steam rising from underground, like we were in the Land of the Lost. There were lush waterfalls, and there were soaring rock formations in arid desert-like environments. And then just minutes away there were these huge tree-covered mountains. At one point in the afternoon we were driving along and I saw a sign alongside the road advertising something called “MUD VOLCANO.” I immediately pumped the brakes and wheeled into the small parking area. Wifey asked if the Mud Volcano was some famous site or something. I told her I had no idea, but I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to see anything called Mud Volcano.

And then there were the animals. Everywhere you looked there were wild animals roaming around: bison, deer, elk, coyotes, grizzly bears, etc. Early on Saturday I was driving around the Southern part of the park and rounded a bend, when I saw a bison slowly walking down a hill toward the two-lane road we were traveling. There were no other cars around, so I pulled off to the side of the road about 25 yards away. The bison ambled down the grassy slope and up onto the pavement, then started walking slowly down the center of the street as though without a care.

A car approached from behind me, driven by an older man. I think he had a smug look on his face. (I can’t confirm that, but I like to imagine he had a smug look.) Instead of getting out of the way, this dude swerved a bit to the right and tried to accelerate past the bison. Without hesitating, the bison dropped his head and tried to ram into the side of the car. The bison was actually bigger than the car, so it kind of would have been awesome if the bison had connected. But he whiffed, and the car sped off and the bison just kept on walking up the road.

Having been around all the wild animals in Africa, I figured the same rules would apply. So I rolled down my window, stayed in the car, shut my mouth, pulled out my video camera and filmed this:

Yellowstone was the closest sensation I can imagine to experiencing the wildlife of Africa. And instead flying for two days to get there, it was only about 4 hours from NYC by plane and a $25 entrance fee (which gets you in for a week). If you’re ever in the area, don’t hesitate to see it.

• We’re in the final stretch of finishing our KICKS issue here, so things are sort of crazy for us the first half of this week. But here’s two things to fill your day:

First, another great thing about going on vacation was getting to catch up on my reading. I was a few issues behind on the New Yorker, and I’d been carrying this one issue around in my bag for three weeks. Finally I cracked into it and started reading this story, which might be the best magazine story I’ve read all year. I don’t even really care about the subject matter, but it’s very well-written, and after the first third of the article, the story reaches what would be a logical ending point for most magazine articles. And then it makes a dramatic U-turn and the story becomes about something completely different.

It’s a long read, but it’s completely worth it.

Also, my main man Sekou Smith asked me to sit in with him yesterday and guest co-host on the NBA.com Hang Time Podcast. We had the great Steve Smith on to talk about CP3 and the possibility of Shaq coming to the Hawks, and then Cleveland.com’s Branson Wright to talk about the fallout in Cleveland from “The Decision.” First, though, Sekou and I talked about how white I am, which is always fun.

You can listen here.

Or download the entire file here, or cop it on iTunes here.

The post Links: Summer Vacation appeared first on SLAM.

Last summer on the day after the NBA Draft, I spent a couple of minutes IMing with a writer friend about the Draft. I’d seen an interview with the new L-Wolves GM David Kahn during the Draft, and I just got a weird vibe from him. The person I was IMing with had known Kahn for a while, and this person spent was telling me that Kahn was not only the perfect person to be the GM of the L-Wolves, but also that he’d done a great job in the Draft, picking Rubio and Flynn back-to-back. Even though I didn’t understand those picks, I reserved the right to pass judgment because it would obviously take some time to figure out how to turn that franchise around.

I’d love to be able to upgrade them from L-Wolves to W-Wolves, but one year later, and the Wolves still deserve the L. It gives me no real pleasure to see them make so many strange moves and flounder about. It’s more fun to see franchises improve and become contenders, and maybe the Wolves will get there eventually, but for now the Wolves keep making weird draft picks, overpaying for guys and pulling off terrible trades.

Which brings us to last night. With the L-Wolves playing in the Vegas Summer League, Kahn sat in with Matt Winer and Chris Webber for a few minutes to talk about the future of the franchise and…well…the video is embedded here:

I was going to break this thing down but Kelly Dwyer beat me to it and killed it here. This interview is probably the highlight of Summer League thus far.

A few bits I particularly enjoyed were when they talked about Darko Milicic:

KAHN: I haven’t seen a big man pass like him.
WEBBER: (bursts out laughing) Wow.
KAHN: He really does pass like Vlade.
WEBBER: Wow. Like Vlade Divac?
KAHN: Absolutely.
WEBBER: Whoa.

And then there’s this…

WEBBER: One thing that every guy who’s played this game knows is that it only takes one guy to believe in you and put you in a position for success, so… I’ll definitely be looking forward to watching his growth with you guys this year.
KAHN: Well, and I think your career is somewhat indicative. What year was it that you really felt like…kind of, felt like you were in your own. In the League.
WEBBER: Yeah. I’m…you know…I’m not really sure. But…(laughing) we’re not talking about me and Darko at the same time.

For what it’s worth, I’d assume Webber felt pretty confident in the League by the first game of his rookie season, when he started and went for 15 and 7, with 3 steals and 3 assists and 2 blocks.

• Unrelated to basketball but also worth checking is this story about an epic prank that was pulled on a writer over at the New York Post.

• This is also worth your while:

(Background on how it happened is here.)

• And don’t miss this great story by Marc Spears on Chris Washburn.

• Last Thursday night was one of the stranger nights of my basketball life. Of course there was “The Decision,” that odd, awkward hour of programming. If anything, I’m guessing whoever produced that show for ESPN has a lot more respect now for the people who produce finale shows for “Survivor” and “The Bachelor” and whatnot. It’s tough to make anything feel interesting for an hour on TV, much less a show based around one person making one announcement which takes all of three seconds.

And did you notice what Davis Stern said about the show earlier this week? “I think that the advice that he received on this was poor,” said Stern. “His performance was fine.  His honesty and his integrity shine through. But this decision was ill-conceived, badly produced and poorly executed.”

But how did you really feel, Mr. Stern?

I liveblogged the show for SLAMonline, and as soon as it ended I went on a couple of radio shows to talk about it. Mostly, I was just surprised that he was leaving. I thought he would stay, because I thought it would be impossible for him to leave his home behind. But sometimes you have to leave home to find yourself or find happiness. I get that. I was 25 years old when I left Atlanta, the city where I’d lived my entire life. It’s his life, his choice. I feel bad for Cavs fans, losing the best player their franchise has ever had, but I’m excited to see how all this is going to play out in Miami.

Anyway, by 11:00 PM last Thursday night I was ready to shut it down for the night, but I checked Twitter one last time and found out about Dan Gilbert’s letter, which really was just about the perfect bizarre ending to a bizarre evening. I still smile when I think about that letter being written in Comic Sans. And I definitely know who the fake Twitter account in the next SLAM will be.

Speaking of the next SLAM and what’s coming down the pipe, I should probably mention that earlier this week I turned in a massive round of edits on my book, which means it’s about 90-percent finished. I’m still not sure of the release date because the Braves won’t eliminate themselves from contention this season. So there’s a chance it’ll be out this fall, or next spring at the latest. And today we’re finishing up a special issue of SLAM that will be out in about a month, and then next week we get rolling on our annual KICKS issue. After that we crank out another SLAM.

Before we get to all that, though, I’m taking next week off and taking my talents somewhere with no internet access, no cell phone signal, no Twitter, no email, nothing. I’m unplugging so I can return charged up for the next few months.

And so I don’t leave you completely empty-handed…I got an email the other day from my man Sekou Smith, who allowed me to sit in with him and Micah Hart this week on the NBA.com Hangtime Podcast to talk about what we agreed was one of the strangest weeks in the history of the NBA. So here’s an hour of NBA talk, from the whole Bron/Cleveland situation, to what to expect from the Heat, to summer league action and the moves Phoenix has made, plus Derek Fisher re-signing with the Lake Show. (Also, I give my prediction for next year’s champs.)

It’s on itunes here, or NBA.com here, or here’s a direct link to the audio so you can download it or listen over your computer.

Catch you guys next week…

The post Links: Bron, Kahn and Webber appeared first on SLAM.

Thurs, July 8, 4:24 PM — In case you haven’t heard, tonight around 9:00 PM on ESPN, LeBron James is going to announce which team he will be playing for next season. This is the most important decision OF ALL TIME, as evidenced by the live hour of TV time ESPN turned over to Bron. Guess they were out of re-runs of “The World Series of Poker.”

Jokes aside, this has been a crazy few weeks. He was staying in Cleveland, he was going to Miami, he was coming to New York, and as of Wednesday night it appeared Miami was back in the lead. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that this has been the overriding sports story of the last few weeks, and right now (at least in the US) it’s a bigger deal than the World Cup Final. I’ve been doing hits on radio shows ad nauseum all week to talk about this, and yesterday a woman here at the office who I hadn’t spoken to once in ten years asked me where LeBron was signing.

And I don’t know. I really don’t, and I’m not even sure that right now, less than five hours before the announcement, that LeBron knows what he’s going to do. I think Ryan summed up the current state of affairs the best earlier today. If you haven’t read that, you should.

Since we can’t run from it, I’ll be embracing it and watching live tonight and liveblogging it below. Hang around, make some comments, and once LeBron spills the beans, we can break it all down.

8:40 PM — Well, the LeBronathan is rolling on ESPN. Just caught Brian Windhorst from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer on ESPN saying that it would be devastating to Cleveland and Ohio if LeBron leaves. No kidding. For all this talk about Miami over the last 24 hours, I just don’t see how Bron can leave Akron, leave Cleveland, leave Ohio…especially in an hour-long special on national TV. I haven’t talked to any inside sources, haven’t heard anything…just a gut feeling.

8:47 PM — Lots of NBA folk on Twitter seem to think Miami is going to be the choice. Tim Legler just said he thinks Bron could play point for Miami. He may have to if he goes there, because the Heat will only have 5 players on the roster. Our man Eboy may start at the two on opening night.

8:55 PM — Chris Broussard just said it’s still Miami in the lead and Cleveland is still in the picture. Windhorst just tweeted “remember this is LeBron’s decision and his alone.” Time to go!

9:00 PM — And we’re on! Well, I thought the theme song might be “Empire State of Mind,” which would’ve been telling. Instead we see a montage of LeBron highlights and a seriously-narrated series of video clips. LeBron is described, rightly or wrongly, as the most coveted free agent in the history of the game.

9:02 PM — This special, “The Decision,” is being sponsored by Bing. I’m going to have to google that and see what it is.

9:04 PM — Mike Wilbon plays the “economically depressed” card when talking about Ohio and notes that LeBron means so much to Ohio, but ABC TV’s Jon Barry interjects that LeBron doesn’t owe them anything. Which I disagree with. Cavs fans have supported him for the last seven years. Surely that’s worth something?

9:09 PM — We’re almost ten minutes into this show and the ABC halftime crew is still sitting around talking about the same possibilities everyone on ESPN and sports talk radio has been chewing on since July 1. Not exactly compelling viewing here.

9:11 PM — First commercial break of the night. BTW, absolutely NOTHING HAS HAPPENED so far. Except when they just showed a bunch of photoshopped images of what LeBron would look like in different jerseys. Maybe the best thing about this so far is that if anything it’s actually cut down on the amount of talking heads popping up on ESPN gabbing about this.

9:16 PM — Still nothing has happened. Stuart Scott just asked the guys on the panel for their predictions. Great.

9:17 PM — Scott: “We’ll find out LeBron’s decision in just a few minutes…but first…” Sigh. Another commercial break.

9:22 PM — Finally, we’re back and LeBron is on the set at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, CT, alongside Jim Gray. Time for the announcement…

9:23 PM — LeBron says the process has been “everything I thought…and more.” He says he’s enjoyed the recruiting process and thanks all six teams he sat with. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff here.

9:24 PM — LeBron says he decided this morning. Felt different ways on different days, but this morning he woke up, had a “great conversation” with his Mom, and after that conversation he was set.

9:26 PM — LeBron says he has no doubts about his decision and he’s ready to announce it…

9:27 PM — MIAMI. LeBron mumbles that it’s tough for him to say it just before he says it. A murmur goes through the room there in Greenwich.

9:28 PM — Wow. Wow. Wow.

9:30 PM  — Bron says it’s not like “leaving Cleveland is the whole logistic of it.” Says he would have loved to stay in Cleveland in a perfect world, but it was time for him move on. Bron says Akron will always be home for him.

9:33 PM — Bron says his mother told him to do what’s best for him and what will make him happy, and that was what helped him make the decision.

9:34 — Gotta say, for all his talk about doing this to make him happy, LeBron doesn’t seem very happy right now.

9:36 — Back to the studio, where Chris Broussard has now disappeared. Dude probably ran off on vacation. He totally deserves one.

9:37 PM — Wilbon asks Bron how tough this has been and Bron says it’s been heavy. He thanks a bunch of former coaches and teammates and ownership back to Gordon Gund.

9:39 PM — Tell you what, Pat Riley’s nickname from now on should be The Closer.

9:48 PM — LeBron is working hard not to say anything much of interest — he definitely doesn’t seem thrilled about this, but I’m guess that’s as much out of respect for Cleveland as anything else. He says that while Miami doesn’t have much besides himself, Bosh and Wade, their job is going to be to lift the guys around them. Wilbon asks about the contract and Bron says all three guys are going to take less money so they can play together. Bron also notes that the upcoming CBA negotiations did play into his decision, but also notes that he did leave money on the table in order to have this opportunity.

9:50 PM — Wilbon shows Bron footage of fans in Cleveland burning his jersey, and LeBron says “I can’t get involved in that… I hope the fans understand it, but maybe they won’t.”

9:51 PM — Bron says to the fans of Cleveland “I feel awful that I’m leaving,” and he seems as genuine as he has all night.

9:56 PM — LeBron said it had nothing to do with money. This is a somber show. Jon Barry finally asks how long it’ll take Bron to disrobe Mario Chalmers of the number 6, and Bron cracks a smile.

10:00 PM — Bron actually mentions Joel Anthony having to be able to hit a big shot at the end of a game. Somewhere Joel Anthony just high-fived whoever is watching this with him.

10:02 PM — Now they’re asking LeBron questions from his Facebook page, which seems to me like a pretty good time for me log off.

Final thoughts: Orlando/Miami just became a bloodthirsty rivalry. Miami might get 82 games on national TV next season. But more than any of that, Bron, Wade and Bosh are an amazing trio, but Riley is going to have to pull a couple more magic tricks in order to get some other guys around The Three.

We’ll talk more about this…maybe forever? But I’m done. Thanks for hanging here. Keep it going in the comments. Does this make Miami the favorite to win the East? Are they even the favorite to win the Southeast Division?

The post Links: DECISION 10!!! appeared first on SLAM.

In some ways, the Joe Johnson free agency was a lose-lose situation for the Atlanta Hawks. If the Hawks bid somewhere lower than the max and lost Joe, the chorus of “The Hawks are afraid to spend money” would have rang out. And if the Hawks *had* bid lower than the max, they probably would not have re-signed Joe. As it turned out, the Hawks decided not to be cheap, and when free agency began they aggressively offered the most money possible to Joe, who happily agreed to take that money.

The Hawks really had just two options:

1) Spend whatever it takes to keep Joe Johnson

2) Let Joe go and have about $7 million to spend on a free agent to replace a four-time All-Star

In the NBA, there’s no such thing as wrong or right. Instead there are levels of correctness, shades of gray. And what the Joe Johnson max contract comes down to is this: The Atlanta Hawks overpaid for Joe Johnson. Probably. Maybe. Or maybe not. Hey, it’s easy to look at $120 million being wired into the account of a guy who got knocked out in the second round of the Playoffs and say he’s not worthy. But Wade, Bosh, LeBron…none of them went any further than Joe in the Playoffs this season, did they?

A lot of people are predicting Joe to have a precipitous decline before this contract is over, and maybe he will fall apart. He is already 29 years old after all — six months older than Dwyane Wade, BTW. Then again, maybe Joe won’t break down. Talk about it all you want, but we just don’t know. Still, there’s a chorus of fans protesting not only the finances of Joe’s contract but also the length, because they’re afraid of where this could leave the Hawks somewhere down the road, in maybe 2014 or 2015. If Joe’s skills fall off a cliff or he suffers a debilitating injury, will the Hawks be stuck with a terrible contract that leaves them unable to move Joe and trapped behind a boulder of luxury tax space that makes them incapable of rebuilding?

I’ve often said there’s no such thing as a bad contract in the NBA. Guys with huge or “untradeable” contracts get traded all the time. Like Shaq or Vince Carter or Jason Richardson or Antawn Jamison. They’ve all been traded despite having contracts that got their teams pilloried at the time. Hell, Shaq and his massive deal got traded twice. It’s all about finding a fit and meeting a need and pulling the trigger at the right time. That time will eventually come for Joe Johnson, and it will be up to the Hawks not to miss it.

If the Hawks had lost Joe, they probably would have had to shift Jamal Crawford into the starting line-up. I know he had a great season last year as a sixth man, but considering Jamal Crawford had never posted a Playoff appearance in his previous nine NBA seasons, he clearly seems better positioned as a sixth man. Maybe they could have signed someone else to take Joe’s place, but they’d have been limited by about half under the luxury tax on money they could spend from what they lavished on Joe. And there was no guarantee they’d even get anyone nearly as capable as Joe to fill that spot. Kevin Pelton wrote that there were 16 free agents likely to be more productive than Joe over the next three seasons. As it turned out, Ronnie Brewer was the only one in Atlanta’s price range available in free agency, and as much as I like Brewer, he is no Joe Johnson. (The oft-mentioned replacement possibility John Salmons, who is two years older than Joe, ended up getting about $8 million a year.)

If we’re searching for certainty, I know this much is true, and I think this is the key to making sense of Joe’s contract: If Mike Woodson was still the coach of the Atlanta Hawks, then the Hawks definitely overpaid for Joe Johnson. Despite winning 53 games this season, we saw how inflexible Woody’s offense was, and how Joe Johnson in particular seemed to repeatedly be a fly in the ointment. Time and again the ball would swing around to JJ and time would freeze, as Joe would patiently dribble in place, his teammates all watching Joe watch the shot clock dwindle, and usually the Hawks’ scoring percentages ticking down along with it. I still have a hard time blaming Joe for this, as Mike Woodson seemed to endorse and enable this plan. Joe was a willing participant in it, of course, and he was actually pretty good at going one-on-one against above-average defenders. It worked, for a few years, to a degree. And then it didn’t.

Enter Larry Drew, who told me a few weeks ago, “Offensively, a lot of people are seeing the same thing. When you have five guys out there playing together, five guys out there moving the basketball, and five guys out there who are a threat, you become a much more potent team, and that’s something that I’m definitely planning on implementing, so we can have all guys out on the floor being a threat.”

So Larry Drew, a much-coveted assistant coach who Hawks players have told me they respect and who is currently the lowest-paid coach in the NBA, says the Hawks are not going to play Iso-Joe any longer. Maybe Joe will embrace the new offense, save himself some wear and tear and be able to score more efficiently for the next four-five years.

The Miami Heat are spending about $40 million next season on two players who they feel will significantly alter the way their team plays.

Maybe the Hawks paid Joe Johnson too much money. But in overpaying for Joe Johnson and underpaying for Larry Drew, the Hawks seem to be betting that they can achieve results that are just as profound at nearly half the price.

Now we sit back and see what happens.

The post Links: About That Joe Johnson Contract… appeared first on SLAM.

Over the last 48 hours, I’ve seen reports that Joe Johnson is definitely going to sign with the New York Knicks, he is surely going to Dallas in a sign-and-trade, he could be going to Houston in a sign-and-trade, and he’s almost certainly staying in Atlanta.

Welcome to the summer of 2010. I said something about the ridiculousness of all these Joe Johnson rumors yesterday on Twitter, and my main man Sekou Smith responded that as a Hawks fan, I must be nervous.

The truth is, I’m not. The way I figure it, the next couple of days are going to be completely insane. Rumors will begat rumors which will begat more rumors. And maybe ten percent of what we hear will actually be true. I know a lot of NBA writers and columnists have been gearing up for this strange season — stoking their sources, emailing and texting, staying glued to the internet.

Me? I’m celebrating the start of free agency on July 1 by leaving on vacation. Partly because Wifey and I haven’t taken a vacation since Christmas, but moreso because there’s about to be a media battle royale to figure out who’s signing where. I think it might end up being like the fight scene between all the news teams in “Anchorman.”

So I’m just gonna get out of the way until the dust settles.

But you know what I’m waiting to see? I’m waiting for one of these guys to leave some money on the table.

Back in the summer of 2003, Jason Kidd was an impending free agent and probably the hottest target on the market. He led the Nets to back-to-back Finals, and underwent a barrage of questioning about what his free agent plans were going to be. I had a chance to sit with him just before that summer kicked off.

What’s your answer about next year, because you’ve been asked about this every day for three months.

Yeah, it’s just…you know, I’ve enjoyed New Jersey, it’s been great, and we’ll see what happens July 1. Hopefully I can end my career as a Net.

Do you wish you’d never agreed to even answer these questions?

Yeah, I can’t do anything. So the big thing is, Jersey’s been great to me. Hopefully I can stay in Jersey.

What’s going to be the deciding factor in where you sign?

Well, the chance to win a championship, that’s what we play this game for, to be able to win and legitimately have a chance to win a championship, and I feel I can do that here.

So why don’t you take a million and sign with the Lakers?

Well, you still have to have that challenge too, You don’t want to take the easy way out. Because it’s never guaranteed it will work out. It’s never guaranteed that you’re going to win a championship.

Kidd nearly signed with the Spurs, but he eventually re-signed with the Nets for six years and about $100 million. They got rid of Byron Scott, then started shedding salary, and they never made the Finals again.

My point is, NBA players love to talk about sacrifice. They may lay their bodies on the line night after night, but very few, if any, of them are going to put their own money on the line. They play a limited number of seasons and they are very aware that their earning clock is ticking.

Maybe winning really is the most important thing, and maybe LeBron or Wade or Bosh or Amare or someone will take less than what’s on the table for a better shot at winning a title.

But I’m done with the rumors. Call me when it’s official.

• You remember last year when the guys from 0484 Creative out in SoCal did a street art project they called Represent Kobe? Well, they’re at it again, this time with a more avant garde theme, where they depicted Kobe as Batman. They sent me a shirt which I wore out jogging the other morning, and I got so many double-takes that it was pretty hilarious. You can check that out here.

• Finally…

Last week during the NBA Draft, news broke that Rasheed Wallace was going to retire. Dude played 15 NBA seasons, scored over 15,000 points, won a title and played in four All-Star Games. He won two national titles in high school and was a first-team NCAA All-American as a sophomore.

And yet to a lot of people, Rasheed Wallace never became the player they thought he could become. Instead of doing work in the post and dominating the boards, he hung around the three-point line shooting threes and yelling at refs. He had size, mobility, skills (I always thought his outlet passing was underrated), fundamentals, finesse, power. Fans thought he was a waste of talent or a waste of money or maybe both.

In the largest context, Rasheed Wallace never seemed to make sense in the NBA. I am not here to defend Rasheed Wallace, to try and convince you that you should have appreciated him for what he was, for being always honest and frequently hilarious, even if unintentionally. All I can tell you is that I enjoyed the Rasheed Wallace experience. This is the man who gave us the phrase “Ball don’t lie” and made “Both teams played hard” immortal. When he won an NBA title, not only did he get wrestling championship belts made for his teammates, but he got his championship ring re-sized to fit his middle finger.

Who was Rasheed Wallace? I asked him that question once, in the fall of 2000.

Before we get to his answer, fast-forward a decade to earlier this season, when we were working on “How To…” issue of SLAM and we realized that we needed to speak to Rasheed Wallace. This is a more difficult proposition than you may realize.

The NBA has a rule that NBA locker rooms are open to the media from 90 minutes before tip-off until 45 minutes before tip-off. This means if you’re a credentialed writer at an NBA game that starts at 7:30 p.m., from 6:00 until 6:45 you can be inside a locker room and can ask the players questions. At least, in theory, you are allowed to do this. In practice it’s never that easy. Some guys completely avoid the locker room. Other guys sit around but politely tell everyone they’ll only speak after game.

And a few guys sit there in the locker room and just refuse to talk to anyone. This is Rasheed Wallace. Headphones on, rapping aloud, head down. He was there but he wasn’t there. But for some reason that remains unknown to me, ever since I wrote my first story on Rasheed, he would always speak to me; I guess I’d passed his unspoken test or something.

For the “How to…” issue, I went to a Celts/Knicks game, went into Boston’s locker room and talked to Sheed for about five minutes about how to shoot off the glass. We finished, and I got up and walked away. Another reporter immediately walked over and began asking Sheed something, and he responded, “Naw man, I don’t talk pregame.” Even though he’d just sat there and talked to me for five minutes in full view of the entire locker room.

Disbelief on his face, the reporter looked at me and then looked back at Sheed, who by that point was just looking back down at his iPod. I would’ve felt bad for the reporter if I hadn’t been put in the middle of the dichotomy of Sheed before.

Many moons ago when our company launched KING magazine, the editor, Datwon, wanted to include Sheed in the mag. There was a section in the book about things celebrities collected, so I was told to ask Sheed if he collected anything. (Anything tangible. Not technical fouls.)

So I asked him and he nodded yes, indeed he did have a collection, that he collected “nails.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Like, hardware? Nails that you hammer?

“Naw,” he said. “Fingernails.”

“Wait, you mean your own fingernails?”

Rasheed nodded.

“The entire nails? Wait, you must just mean the clippings.”

Rasheed nodded. I definitely wasn’t expecting him to collect his fingernail clippings. Then again, this was Rasheed Wallace I was talking to. I should have known to expect the unexpected. I pressed on.

“How do you collect them? I mean, where do you keep them?”

“In a jar,” Rasheed said.

I fell silent for a moment. As I thought of a way to ask him why in the world he collected his own fingernails, he said, “Hey…I’m just messing with you.”

Anyway, who was Rasheed Wallace?

We’d decided to put Sheed on the cover of SLAM 49. Russ assigned me the story, because I loved everything about Sheed, but mostly the controversy that seemed attached to his hip. I called the Blazers and asked if we could even get Sheed to do a sit-down interview, and they eventually said yes, he’d be willing to do it. I offered to fly out to Portland to spend a couple of days around the team, but the Blazers were coming to NYC a week later, so Rasheed passed along word that he’d be willing to do the interview when they were here. I said that was cool but that I’d need at least 20 minutes or so, and they said I’d get it.

I was told to come to Portland’s shootaround the morning of their game against the Nets — they were staying in Manhattan, so they had their shootaround on the Upper West Side at the New York Athletic Club. I got there early, and when the team finally arrived the PR person for the Blazers introduced me to Sheed. He was holding a two-way pager and had his eyes glued to it. I asked if we could talk, and he asked if we could do it that night at the game instead. I said OK, but reminded him I’d need time. He said OK.

A few hours later, I went out to Jersey and was waiting outside the locker room door when media time commenced. I charged in, found Sheed in front of his locker, and asked if we could talk. Sheed asked if we could do it after the game. I didn’t want to do it after the game because I just wanted it to be over with, but whatever. OK, I told him, and reminded him I’d need about 20 minutes. No problem, he said.

During the game that night, Rasheed got T’d up just before the half, and I briefly got terrified that he’d get tossed out and would leave the arena before I’d get to talk to him. But he didn’t — he calmed down, he stayed in the game and finished with 16 and 11, and the Blazers hung on to win it, 94-82.

After the game I ran down into the Portland locker room and staked out a place in front of Rasheed’s locker alongside 5 or 6 other writers from newspapers who were covering the game.

(ASIDE: Following games, newspaper writers are generally on tight deadlines to get quotes, write their stories and get their stories into their papers as fast as possible. Since us SLAM writers are usually working on stuff completely unrelated to whatever game we’re at, we let the writers on deadline go first and ask their questions, and once they’re done, we go to work.)

Rasheed emerged from the shower and stood in front of his locker getting dressed. And then this happened:

RASHEED: [TURNS AROUND TO THE REPORTERS BEHIND HIS LOCKER WHILE POINTING TO ME] “I’m only talking to him.”

ME: They want to ask you about tonight, first.

RASHEED: Naw, I’m answering you, man.

The reporters all looked around at each other, sort of bewildered. Then they all looked at me like I’d stolen their wallets. I figured I’d try to ask something about the game that night so Rasheed would talk about the game and hopefully say something these guys could use in their game stories.

ME: Alright, tonight, what was the best part of your game?

RASHEED: Um, we played a pretty good team game, overall. Oh, hold on… [HE RUNS AWAY FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS THEN RETURNS]

When Rasheed walked away the other reporters moved on to other players, leaving just me there. So when he returned I started asking some of the stuff I wanted to know for my story.

ME: Where did your shot come from, because your shot is more textbook than most guys your size.

RASHEED: Just hooping in the schoolyard.

ME: Back in Philly?

RASHEED: Yup. You know, watching my older brothers when they played. When I was younger I tried to be like them. [HIS ELBOW KNOCKS MY NOTEBOOK OUT OF MY HAND] Oops, my fault.

By this time the other writers were back and were all standing there waiting to ask Rasheed questions.

ME: Don’t worry about. [AS I BEND DOWN TO PICK IT MY NOTEBOOK, I TURN TO ONE OF THE BEAT WRITERS AND SAY, “You wanna go?”]

BEAT WRITER: You guys have won four in a row…

RASHEED: [CUTS WRITER OFF, LOOKING AT ME] Go ahead man.

At this point I figured, screw it. He doesn’t want to talk about the game tonight, he’s not going to talk about the game tonight. And I had about 25 questions in my notebook I wanted to ask him, and I was going to have to write a cover story based on this.

ME: Tell me about balling at Gratz.

RASHEED: Shoot, we was the best high school team in the nation. Two out of my four years there, my sophomore year and senior year, we finished first in the country.

ME: Your senior year you got player of the year, right?

RASHEED: Co-player of the year, with the Bull, Randy Livingston? He went to LSU.

ME: Before he tore his knee up.

RASHEED: Yeah, yeah.

ME: Why UNC? What did you learn there?

RASHEED: I just learned to play more of that team game. You know, Coach Smith had a bunch of McDonald’s All-Americans down there, and he just brought them all together, figured out a way to make them play under one roof.

The other writers were still hanging around, wanting to talk to Rasheed. I could guess at what was going to happen, but I gestured for one of them to ask a question.

BEAT WRITER: Tonight you guys were really…

RASHEED: [CUTS HIM OFF, SAYS TO ME] Go ahead, man.

At this point the other writers all walked away, angry. I felt a little guilty for monopolizing his time, though I knew if I hadn’t been there, Rasheed wouldn’t have stood around to answer anything. Anyway, Rasheed was dressed and he slung his bag over his shoulder, as though he was ready to go. I’d been planning on trying to build some sort of rapport and gently work my way toward some more serious questions, but it was evident that time was running out. So I went straight to the meat of what I was hoping to get him to talk about…

ME: What do you think people don’t understand about you? Or, what do you want people to think about you?

RASHEED: Honestly man, it don’t matter to me what people think about me, as long as my wife and my kids and my mom think cool of me. As long as my inner-circle thinks cool of me.

ME: Not at all?

RASHEED: Nope, because them the people I gotta face every day.

ME: Do you think you’re misunderstood by the rest of the people?

RASHEED: Um…as far as what?

ME: Just their perception of you. A lot of people think you’re crazy. Do you think that’s a misperception?

RASHEED: Well, that’s good then. That means I don’t need their negativity near me if they’re scared of me.

ME: What about your attitude on the court, the way it’s so — not that it’s negative — but that it’s so up-front and loud. Does that project negatively?

RASHEED: Um…

ME: Because you get T’d up a lot, too. That doesn’t reflect negatively?

RASHEED: I’m not worried about it. It’s all out there on the floor. That’s where I leave it at. So, it’s cool with me. People can say whatever. People can say that I’m “this,” I’m “that”…it don’t matter. As long as I’m there to get the job done. Hey, I gotta go, man…

My twenty minutes had become four, and my four minutes were apparently up. Time enough for one last question. I skipped directly to the last question I’d written on my list…

ME: Last thing: Who is Rasheed Wallace?

RASHEED: Um…the person or player?

ME: Person.

RASHEED: I’m an everyday person just like yourself. I go to the supermarket, make sure the kids are at school, make breakfast, this and that. I’m just a regular dad. On the court, I just try to go out there and play, be a monster, be a beast, be a goon. And that’s me.

As Sheed memorably said, God bless and good night.

OK, I’m out. Catch you guys next week…

The post Links: Both Teams Played Hard appeared first on SLAM.

Hey everyone, Brandon and I will be live here from Madison Square Garden starting at 7:15 PM EST. Join us, ask questions, etc. Should be fun…

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The post NBA Draft 2010 Liveblog appeared first on SLAM.

A couple of notes to begin…

• The NBA Draft is on Thursday night, and as usual, the SLAM crew will be at Madison Square Garden to cover it live here on SLAMonline. This year, however, we’re going to try something a little different: We’ve added a new member to our crew. I’ll be liveblogging it, like I’ve done the last few years. But this year I’ll have a guest sitting in with me throughout the first round: Milwaukee Bucks PG Brandon Jennings.

No player had a crazier Draft night last year than Brandon — remember him showing up late to shake David Stern’s hand? — and only one or two rookies had better first seasons than Brandon. Few of the Draft “experts” you’ll hear from on Thursday night (including myself) actually played in the NBA. But none of them averaged 15.5 ppg and 5.7 apg and led their team to the Playoffs last season.

Brandon and I talked last night about how we’re gonna do the live blog: Brandon and I will both share thoughts and comments in the main part of the post as the Draft rolls along, and we’re also going to turn Brandon loose in the comments section to interact directly with you guys during the Draft. (There’s more from Brandon on what you can expect from him on Draft night coming up at the end of this post.)

I’m pretty excited about this. And I really hope you’ll join us here on SLAMonline.com during the NBA Draft.

• BTW, anyone catch this BEN HANDLOGTEN sighting yesterday!!! Yee-uh.

• Finally, this is Draft Week in NYC, which means a bunch of events with players and agents and GMs and media and parties and…all kinds of stuff. Last night EA Sports threw a bash at the Bryant Park Hotel to announce that Kevin Durant would be on this fall’s cover of NBA Elite 11. Remember NBA Live? Well, forget about it, because EA’s changed the name from Live to Elite, which is representative of EA’s attempt to completely reboot the franchise. Elite 11 will introduce something they’re calling Hands-On Control. Instead of hitting a button or button combo to trigger a player animation, in Elite you’re able to control everything, from dribbling to moves to the basket. The two control sticks work in tandem — one moves the player, the other moves the player’s hands. It’s a big departure from any basketball game you’ve played before, and it’s EA’s attempt to take over the basketball video game category.

The game isn’t quite finished yet, but there were demos set up all over the Cellar Bar, and everyone from J. Cole to Steph Curry was there putting the game through its paces. I managed to snag some one-on-one time with both Kevin Durant and Brandon…

Talking With…Kevin Durant
LANG WHITAKER: SO WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM LOSING TO L.A. IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS SEASON?

KEVIN DURANT: No matter what — how bad you’re shooting, how many turnovers you have — you just have to keep playing because every possession counts. Down 20 or 10 or 5, you have to keep playing, you have to play through it and do whatever it takes for your team to win. Trying to get stats, all that stuff is out the door. It’s all about winning basketball games, ugly or pretty, it doesn’t matter.

WERE THE PLAYOFFS ALL YOU THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE?

Yup. (laughs) It was tough, a grind. They let us play a little bit more than they did in the regular season.

HOW ABOUT THE CROWD IN OKC?

The crowd was unbelievable.

YOU GUYS ALWAYS HAVE AN AMAZING CROWD. YOU MIGHT HAVE THE LOUDEST FANS IN THE NBA DURING THE SEASON.

We might, but during the Playoffs it was on steroids. In both arenas, in ours and in the Lakers, the crowds were great. And playing in L.A., you see all those celebrities all around the court. And in Oklahoma City, to see how dedicated and energetic our fans were, it was…it was…

WAS IT LIKE COLLEGE A LITTLE BIT?

It was better than college. They were up all game, they were there two hours before the game. It was like the Superbowl.

YOU SAID DURING THE SUMMER YOU’RE WORKING ON YOUR GAME. IS THAT A FULL-TIME JOB FOR YOU?

Every day. I’m lifting weights, trying to eat good, trying to eat as much as I can. Just getting in the gym man, that’s what I’m about.

ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE DUDES WHERE IT’S JUST HARD FOR YOU TO GAIN WEIGHT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO?

Yeah. They used to call my Mom “Tweety Bird,” because she was real skinny. My Granddad was real skinny. But my Dad and my brother are fat. So I guess I take after my Mom and my Granddad.

I DON’T HAVE THAT PROBLEM OBVIOUSLY…

(laughs)

BUT MY WIFE WAS THE SAME WAY GROWING UP AND HER MOM USED TO FORCE HER TO DRINK MILKSHAKES, WHATEVER…

Yeah, man. I’m trying everything. They say eat peanut butter and jelly, I did that. Eat potatoes, I do that. I can’t gain weight! But I’m getting stronger, I feel myself getting stronger. I’m just naturally skinny. I think when I get old I’ll get a belly on me, but other than that, I’ll just stay skinny.

DURING THE PLAYOFFS I NOTICED THAT YOU WERE THE FIRST GUY I’VE SEEN WEARING AN ARM SLEEVE WHERE THE ARM SLEEVE WAS LOOSE AROUND YOUR ARM.

Yeah, a little baggy up top! I tried to pull it and pull it because it was baggy. I guess they don’t make ’em my size. But I think that’s what makes me unique, man. A lot of people hit me on Twitter and say, You’re an inspiration to skinny guys.

I MEAN, BUT YOU’RE NOT COMPLETELY SKINNY. SITTING HERE, YOUR FOREARM IS BIGGER THAN MINE.

Yeah, I’m skinny compared to guys at my position. So a lot of people say it’s inspiration for them to continue improving. I’m me. I can’t go put 20 pounds on tomorrow.

HAVE YOU THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT THE WORLD BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SINCE THEY NAMED YOU TO THE TEAM LAST WEEK?

I’ve thought about it, of course. I’m really waiting to see who else is going to be on the team. I’m really going to enjoy getting better with those guys, and that will help me next season and in the Olympics as well. And I want to see how they are, off the court. I’m the type of guy, if I watch something, I can learn from it — I pick things up quick. So guys like Lamar Odom, Iguodala, Rudy Gay, those guys have been in the League longer than I have and I can learn from them.

LAMAR SAID TODAY THAT HE’S GOING TO PLAY.

He’s going to play? I can learn from a guy like that, a guy with a body similar to me, I can definitely learn from that.

HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO PLAY NBA ELITE 11?

Yeah, I played it. It’s different. Some games you can press one button and do everything, but in Elite you’ve got to control everything yourself. It’s going to be tough, but in video games you want a little challenge, and I think that’s what this game is about.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET TO PLAY DURING THE SEASON?

Not too much on the road, but I play every day when I’m at home against my teammates, my brother. Every game day when I’m at home I gotta win a game before I go to the arena.

DO YOU PLAY IN THE GAME AGAINST THE TEAM YOU’RE GOING TO PLAY AGAINST IN REAL LIFE?

Sometimes. We usually play random teams, and we play with like the ’70s East All-Stars, someone like that. We just have fun with it. When I see guys in the game playing, it kind of gets me pumped up to play the real games.

I KNOW THERE’S GUYS IN BASEBALL WHO PLAY IN THE CLUBHOUSE AGAINST THE PITCHERS THEY’RE GOING TO PLAY THAT NIGHT AND SEE WHAT KIND OF STUFF THEY HAVE.

Oh yeah? I never took it that serious, but I might try that — hook up a little game in the locker room and play. Because we got a lot of time from when you get to the arena until you play, so that would be the perfect time. I might try that.

DON’T BLAME ME IF IT DOESN’T WORK. DO YOU PLAY OTHER GAMES?

Madden, Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, stuff like that. That’s all fun to me, riding around, trying to complete missions. I always like a challenge.

I JUST FINISHED ASSASSIN’S CREED 2 AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE, WAY BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE.

Oh yeah? You play all that stuff online?

NO, I LIKE JUST PLAYING BY MYSELF IN THE SINGLE-PLAYER MODE.

Them dudes online, they get too into it.

YEAH, ESPECIALLY ON CALL OF DUTY.

Right? I get so frustrated. Then they talk trash to you.

RIGHT, THEY KICK YOUR BUTT, AND THEN YOU FIND OUT THEY’RE LIKE 12 YEARS OLD.

Yeah! I played Madden one time and this little kid kicked my ass, beat me by like 30, and he was like, ten years old! I was like, Aren’t you supposed to be in school or something? But it’s all fun.

Talking With…Brandon Jennings
LANG WHITAKER: SO, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS SUMMER?

BRANDON JENNINGS: Chilling man. I’ve been in L.A., working out. Just got back to working out. I saw the Finals, and that’s about it.

I SAW YOU TWEETING ABOUT GOING TO ROSCOE’S.

Aw, I go to Roscoe’s all the time. Roscoe’s is the spot! That’s the best spot.

I WENT WHILE I WAS OUT IN L.A. FOR THE FINALS.

Oh you was there? You were in L.A.?

YEAH, DURING 1 & 2.

Which Roscoe’s did you go to?

WE WENT TO THE ONE ON PICO…

Yeah, that’s the one I go to.

BUT IT WAS CLOSED FOR A SPECIAL EVENT, SO WE WENT TO THE ONE IN HOLLYWOOD INSTEAD. THAT ONE’S KIND OF WEIRD BECAUSE IT’S ALL DARK IN THERE.

Yeah, and there’s no parking. The one on Pico’s the best one.

RIGHT. WE PARKED ON THE STREET IN HOLLYWOOD WHERE IT WAS A DOLLAR, AND THE DUDE IN THAT LIQUOR STORE ON THE CORNER TRIED TO MAKE ME PAY HIM FIVE BUCKS FOR US TO PARK THERE.

(laughs) That’s L.A.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON THIS SUMMER?

Everything. I’m getting back to the basics. Working on my right hand more, dribbling, dribbling right to my shot, finishing with my right. And also Euro stuff, everything I’m doing is Euro stuff.

REMIND YOU OF BEING BACK IN ROME?

Yeah. You know, just having a different outlook on the game, being open-minded about it, doing things I know I can’t do and working on them.

DURING THE SEASON WHEN YOU GOT FORCED INTO A SITUATION WHERE TEAMS WERE MAKING YOU DO SOMETHING YOU, AS YOU SAID, KNEW YOU COULDN’T DO, HOW WOULD YOU REACT?

I just had to have confidence to do it. Now I have more confidence and it’s going to be a lot harder to guard me; guys are going to have to guard me straight up. If I’m able to make more plays going right — everybody knows what I can do going left — going right it’s going to be really hard to guard me.

WHAT WAS THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING FOR YOU LAST SEASON?

When guys started getting hurt. When Bogut went down, that was terrible, the timing was just bad. Delfino was out for a while, and also when Mike Redd went down. Mike Redd went down early, but when Bogut went down, with the Playoffs coming up, it was like, “Damn.” We were trying to stay between 5 and 6, and we weren’t sure how we were going to do it, but guys stepped up, Salmons stepped up. It all worked out.

I’M A HAWKS FAN, AND YOU GUYS PUT A SCARE INTO US.

I thought we had you guys. I thought we had Game 6. I thought we were going to go home and take care of business.

I COULDN’T EVEN WATCH THAT GAME, I WAS SO NERVOUS.

(laughing) For real?

YEAH, I WENT OUT TO DINNER WITH SOME FRIENDS AND JUST FOLLOWED ON MY PHONE. WAS THAT SERIES FUN FOR YOU OR WERE YOU NERVOUS?

It was more fun. I felt like, it was a whole new season. Everybody puts so much on the Playoffs, but it was fun because the fans really come out. During the regular season the fans are not as loud as during the Playoffs. During the Playoffs the Bradley Center was ROCKING every night. Just to experience that. It was crazy in there. I’m not gonna front, our fan support was way better than the Hawks’ was. People were there way before tip-off.

WAS THAT ENOUGH OF A TASTE OF IT KEEP YOU WANTING MORE THE REST OF YOUR CAREER?

Oh yeah. Now you want to come back and win 50 games and get out of the first round. For me, I just set my goals even higher. I proved to everybody that I could ply, I could hang. Now the hard part is trying to come back next year and do it again. Now the pressure is on me.

AS A ROOKIE, IS IT HARD BEING A POINT GUARD?

It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, playing for Skiles. You know, Skiles let a lot of things go.

BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE AS A POINT GUARD?

Well, I think after the 55 (laughs)…things were a little bit easier after that. He was still tough. Training camp was tough, and he was always riding me, always riding me. But he was doing that because he wanted me to be on that top level, because he cared. If it wasn’t for him, none of this would have been possible.

WHAT DID THE 55 FEEL LIKE?

It was crazy because I didn’t score in the first quarter. That’s the crazy part about it. If I’d scored 5 points in the first quarter I could have had 60. But just to be in that zone and hit back-to-back jump shots, to score 29 in a quarter…and you know, a lot of people didn’t understand that we almost lost that game.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THAT HOT BEFORE?

In high school when I scored 63. I scored 63 and came out the game with 4 minutes to go. But the 55, what was crazy was I got there at 4:30. The game was at 7:30. I got there three hours before the game and was shooting, shooting, shooting. Things wasn’t falling in the first half and I was like, Damn, what’s going on? Next thing you know, things just started falling and I just couldn’t miss.

THURSDAY NIGHT YOU’RE GOING TO BE OUR GUEST NBA DRAFT ANALYST ON SLAMONLINE.COM. WHAT CAN OUR READERS EXPECT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

Um…a lot of trash talk. I’m going to be the guy critiquing everyone.

The post Links: Talking With Kevin Durant and Brandon Jennings appeared first on SLAM.

A couple of quick thoughts about Game 7…

• Pau Gasol came out smoking — not literally — and had 5 rebounds (4 offensive) in the first three minutes of the game, and I thought that really set the tone for L.A. The Lakers had a huge rebounding advantage early and ended up with a 53-40 edge on the boards, and they just felt like the more energized team all night. So the team that had more rebounds won each of the seven games in the series. And while Kobe finished with 15 boards, Pau finished Game 7 with 19 boards and 18 rebounds, and he officially exorcised that 11 point/5 turnover performance from Game 6 in 2008. There has always been talk about Gasol being “soft,” and even Kobe felt the need, unprompted, to say that Pau isn’t soft on the NBA TV postgame coverage. But who cares? If a guy can give me 19 and 18, call him whatever you want. I’ll take him on my team any day.

• I saw a lot of people say that if the Celtics had to lose one of their starters, Perkins was possibly their most expendable. But from the time Perk went down in Game 6 through the end of the series, the Lakers outscored Boston 154-134 and outrebounded Boston 98-76. That’s not all Perkins’ presence, but it played a huge part.

• After interjecting themselves throughout the series, the refs finally were more or less a non-factor. They called a total of 46 fouls, which tied for second-fewest in these Finals (with Game 4). (The fewest in these Finals was 38 in the Game 6 blowout.) The refs let both teams play early, let the game get a little physical, clamped down when Pierce and Ron Ron got tangled up, and then called obvious shooting fouls down the stretch. Actually, they called it like a regular season game. It is always said that the best refs are the ones you don’t talk about after the game. Last night, this held true.

• What was awesome was that as bad as Kobe looked offensively for long portions of the game — turning the ball over, forcing shots over double-teams, over-dribbling and giving Boston time to catch up defensively; Kobe finished with just two more field goals than turnovers — in the fourth quarter he simply made plays. After beginning the quarter with a turnover and a foul, Kobe drew those three free throws when Ray Allen played him too close, he drilled that fade-away with about 5 minutes to go, he drove the ball hard into Rasheed to foul him out and go to the line, and he grabbed four straight rebounds just under six minutes.

• Doc Rivers did a heckuva job all season managing the Celtics, keeping them healthy and making the most of a bench that included a couple of guys (Nate Robinson, Shelden Williams) who couldn’t even get playing time on bad teams. And he also has managed to get all his best players to buy into whatever it was he was selling. But why didn’t Boston make more of an effort, particularly in the fourth quarter, to get Paul Pierce going. He went 1-5 in the fourth quarter and finished 5-15 for the game, so Pierce — like everyone else on the floor, actually — wasn’t his best. But it seemed like Boston was spending a lot of time running an ice-cold Ray Allen off screens instead of posting Pierce on the free throw line extended where he goes to work a lot.

• Kobe is now tied with Magic Johnson with 5 NBA titles. He’s 31 years old, the same age Magic was when he retired the first time. He’s obsessed with winning, and he’s probably got at least 3-4 more years playing at the level he’s playing at now. And Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Artest and Odom are all signed at least through 2013. So it’s not unrealistic to think Kobe will get at least one more ring, and maybe two or three more. If he’s not already considered the Greatest Laker of All-Time by the majority of hoops fans, he will be in a year or so.

• Ron Artest was simply bad ass. He played 46 minutes, scored 20 points on 7-18 shooting, and he was probably the reason Boston didn’t bother going to Paul Pierce down the stretch. Describing his play throughout the Finals as uneven is probably a little generous — I still love Phil Jackson describing Artest dribbling out the clock in Game 2 when the Lakers desperately needed a basket as “one of the more unusual sequences I’ve ever witnessed.” But he played about the best he could have played last night, including nailing a 3 with a minute to go to put L.A. up 6.

And then after the game he gifted us with this:

The post Links: Some Game 7 Thoughts… appeared first on SLAM.

Summer in New York City is always a fun time, because we here at SLAM get random calls about NBA players in town to promote random products or take part in one-off events. Yesterday, my main man Tony Parker was in town to take part in an event for Gillette, which he explained quite neatly, as you’ll see shortly. So last night I sat down with Tony in a basement lounge at the Hudson Hotel before the big Gillette event.

As I sat down, I mentioned something about the NBA Finals…

TONY: Wait, what’s your team?

LANG: The Hawks. I’m from Atlanta originally.

So the Hawks are your team? Oh, so you don’t want Joe Johnson to leave.

No!

(laughs) If he refused 15 million last year, I think somebody else might give him more.

Who? I’m recording by the way, so you’re on the record.

I just think somebody will give it to him. I don’t know who, but somebody might.

So what’s up with you guys, the Spurs? Are you coming off the bench next year? Are you a bench player now?

(laughs) I’m a bench player now! (laughs) No, all my meetings went well, with Pop, with RC. Hopefully we’ll make some tweaks and get better and try to improve our team, because I think next year, realistically, is our last chance to try and make a run at a championship. Timmy’s getting older and he’s the anchor of our team, so I think realistically it’s our last chance with our core, with our team.

So you think Timmy’s got one year left in him?

No, he’s going to play two more years, but I think realistically, to go after a championship, I think it’s our last chance, like a realistic chance. Everybody says they want to win a championship, but it’s only 4 or 5 teams that can really win a championship, and I think next year is going to be our last chance.

I thought you guys had a good shot this year.

We were looking good, and then Phoenix just came out blazing on us.

Yeah, but then the Lakers handled them pretty well.

In basketball it all changes. We beat Phoenix for four or five years in the Playoffs, but at some point they had to beat us. Let’s give them credit, they played great against us.

Are you tired of people asking you what LeBron’s going to do?

(laughs) Yeah, people ask me. But no one knows.

I don’t think he knows.

Yeah, I agree with that. I don’t think he knows. I think he’s still weighing the pros and cons and figuring out what he’s going to do.

People have mentioned you being trade bait. So what about your future?

Me, hopefully I’ll be in San Antonio next year and then we’ll see what happens.

You said that really politely.

Yes, very politely (laughs).

Have you been watching the World Cup?

Of course, of course. I’ve been talking to Thierry (Henry) every day, getting my inside updates.

Are you going to come to a Red Bulls game?

For sure, for sure, I want to come see him play. I know they have a brand new stadium, and I heard it’s super nice.

It’s funny though because in America, a really nice soccer stadium is like 10,000 seats.

It’s going to be weird for Thierry, because he played in Barcelona, and there they have 100,000 seats.

So…why would somebody ask you, a guy who always has whiskers, to promote a razor?

Actually, I’m here to be a judge for the Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide Ultimate Summer Job Contest.

Wow, you nailed that. So what is it?

Basically, I’m going to judge some kids who have a chance to win $50,000 and they’re going to go across the states all summer and get people to try the new product. It’s pretty awesome because I never had a summer job like that. That’s pretty nice.

What was the best summer job you ever had?

Actually, I never really had one, because I’ve been playing with the National Team since I was 14, and I started playing professionally when I was 15. So summer we were playing, in the European Championships or the World Championships for the younger ages. So I never really had a summer job. But it’s pretty amazing to see these kids. I was watching the tapes this morning and they were funny, so I’m looking forward to seeing them live. You know, usually I’m the competitor, being judged, and now I’m the judge.

Are you going to be like Simon Cowell?

No, I’ll be more nice. (laughs) We’ll see, as long as they make me laugh, bring the passion for the product, have good teamwork, they’ll get my vote.

What’s the best job you’ve ever had besides basketball?

Besides basketball? Basketball. (laughs)

Have you ever had a job besides basketball?

Husband to Eva Longoria. (laughs)

That’s not a job, that’s something you do out of love.

That’s a full-time job, that’s a full-time job. (laughs)

So you’ve never had a job outside of basketball?

Actually, you know, when I was 12 and 13, I went to work at the market and sell cheese because my Mom was doing that. (laughs) I did it for like two weeks.

Were you good at it?

You just stand there, ask the lady what she wants, slice the cheese and give it to her. That was my job at the market. I did that for two weeks. It just came back to me.

You had blocked it out.

Right. (laughs) I didn’t want people to know it.

So what are you going to do the rest of the summer? You’re not playing for France in the World Championships, right?

No, not going to the World Championships. I’m just going to chill, and starting in July I’m going to get in shape, and really, really work hard, like I never did before, because the last six summers I was always playing with the National Team, so I never had a chance to work on my game. This summer I really want to work on my body and make sure I can play all 82 games and come out blazing next year. Plus it’s the last year on my contract, so I want to play good.

Who do you think has the best chance in the World Championships?

That’s a tough question because it depends who goes. Who’s going to go for the USA? Spain, Gasol said he’s not coming, and Manu’s not going to play for Argentina. So I don’t know…maybe Greece? It depends who Greece brings, you know? Our team’s going to be pretty talented, too, they’ll still have Boris and Rodrique Beaubois and Nicolas Batum. And I don’t know if Joakim’s going.

And how about a World Cup prediction?

Argentina or Spain, that’s my prediction.

Not Brazil?

No.

Why not?

They’re good, but…I think Argentina or Spain.

The post Links: Q&A with Tony Parker appeared first on SLAM.