“The game was every bit like an NBA All-Star Game in that it featured big-name players wearing generic uniforms and showing very little effort on the defensive end.”

Dwight

Cant say I’m sorry to have missed that. Also cant say I agree that NBA All Star Games offer very little defense. Things get serious as the game gets closer & closer to the end. That said…maybe thats what happened in this game. But it made me wonder, is there NO glamour on the defensive end of basketball? There should be. Blocks & steals are pretty exciting plays to me…or they lead to exciting plays. Blocks moreso, of course. Blocks of dunks/layups & people getting dunked on, IMO, are the most exciting plays in the game. And when I say “getting dunked on,” I dont mean the watered down way it seems to be defined on ESPN now…where if you’re close to someone & jump, you got dunked on. Naw. I mean you’re IN BETWEEN a man & the basket and he dunks ON you.

Thinking about this also made me realize, I dont really even know who the best defenders are. Is going by stats the best way to quantify that? I’m tempted to say no since going by stats is rarely the best way to quantify anything but they’re always useful.

Top 10 Blocks Per Game Leaders                              Top 10 Steals Per Game Leaders
1.  Andrew Bogut (2.58)                                                1.  Chris Paul (2.35)
2.  JaVale McGee (2.44)                                                2.  Rajon Rondo (2.25)
3.  Serge Ibaka (2.41)                                                     3.  Monta Ellis (2.10)
4.  Dwight Howard (2.38)                                             4.  Russell Westbrook (1.89)
5.  Darko Milicic (2.03)                                                 5.  Tony Allen (1.79)
6.  Andrew Bynum (1.96)                                             6.  Mike Conley (1.78)
7.  Amare Stoudemire (1.92)                                      7.  Jason Kidd (1.68)
8.  Tim Duncan (1.92)                                                    8.  Raymond Felton (1.67)
9.  Al Jefferson (1.87)                                                    9.  Trevor Ariza (1.60)
10. DeAndre Jordan (1.78)                                      10. Lebron James (1.57)

DWade

Looking at these lists, I’d say the top steals guys look a little more indicative of who I think are elite defenders in the league. I’m admittedly biased in that since I think a lot of shot blocking is as a result of team defense, whereas steals are usually individual effort. That said, on the defensive end, nothing motivates your team like blocking a shot. Its an impact play. While looking through these stats, I noticed the list of the top 25 blocks per game, the only players that werent power forwards or centers were Wilson Chandler, SF (1.31) & Dwyane Wade, SG (1.14). And of the top 25 steals per game, the only power forwards or centers were Dwight Howard (1.37), Paul Milsap (1.36), Kevin Garnett (1.34), & Josh Smith (1.29).

There were only 3 players that were Top 25 in both lists:  Dwight Howard (2.38 b, 1,37s), Dwyane Wade (1.14b, 1.46s), and Josh Smith (1.56b, 1.29s). Do you think its pretty safe to say that these guys may be the best defenders in the league? I do.

Who do you think are the best defenders in the game and why?

I recently came across a couple of articles that are really worth reading regarding education & education reform.

Check these out:
The School Reform Deniers
The Reform Movement Is Already Failing
The Parents: The Force That Cant Be Beat
If Only Unions Were The Problem

Each of these articles, IMO, provide a good amount of information and insight on the issues surrounding education and schools.

I recently read Toure’s article asking “What if Michael Vick were white?” You can find it on ESPN. As you can imagine, the article set off a maelstrom on twitter, particularly among the people who dislike Toure & love to disagree with him on principle. Its hard to get an objective opinion on anything, even harder on twitter, so I stayed away from looking at it until now.

My initial opinion is that I thought he could’ve said more. Its kinda like knocking on the door of the impact of race but not really stepping into the room. There is a LOT that can be said about the black quarterback. I thought Toure went into a lil bit…then kinda boiled it down to Vick’s bad decision-making (dogfighting) being a result of bad parenting…which could be true, of course. Although it may be more common to black people, absentee parenting isnt what interests me.

Personally, I do not believe Vick would have been as severely punished if he were white. A white star at the level of fame/notoriety of Michael Vick, at the time, would have been given not only a shorter sentence but sent to a far more lax prison as well. Just to remind you, Vick was sentenced to 23 months…the prosecutors recommended 12 to 18. I dont believe that would’ve happened to a white sports celebrity.

Anyway, the thing that really struck me about this article is that Toure kinda reinforces the perception of the black QB as always being the running, unorthodox style of player. This perception annoys me bc of the way it pigeonholes players, not to mention the obvious implication that the classification as a “running QB” brings. They only call you that when they think you cant get it done in the pocket. It made me wonder why so many of our black QBs are considered “running QBs.” Arent all QBs taught to escape the pocket when a play breaks down?

It made me wonder…are young aspiring black QBs trained to run more often than their white counterparts? I watched an excellent show, put on by ESPN, called “Year of the Quarterback” a few weeks ago. It was a reality show where they took the top 25 high school QBs, put them through a series of challenges, and came out with their “Elite 11.” I believe only 2 of the 25 kids were black, one of which made the 11. Not that this was a surprise but I do wonder if the black kids, that start out being quarterbacks, wind up not making it very far, in that position, because they are more lauded for their “escapability” than they are for their mastery of the position, accuracy, etc. I really hope coaches arent doing those kids that kind of disservice.

Been a while since I’ve blogged anything. Wasnt sure I would again but got the urge again because of something lingering in my mind.

Stumbled across the 1972 NBA All Star Game tonight while bored & flipping through channels. VERY interesting game…for several reasons. The initial reason I’d decided to watch is that I’ve never really seen Jerry West play…beyond some kind of 5 second clip anyway. That fact is crazy to me given that the guy is the inspiration for the NBA logo. I honestly dont think the NBA puts forth enough of an effort on showing people the games of generations past. Wonder why that is.

While watching, the first thing that stood out to me was how fast the players were. You always hear/read folks talking about how today’s athletes are so far beyond those of past generations. Personally, I always knew those writers/analysts were putting 20 on 10 with that rhetoric but I didnt realize how blatantly false it is. If you watch games of the 80s, you can CLEARLY see that the game is significantly faster and entertaining than today’s game. I saw the same thing in this all star game. If that game is indicative of the 70s era of basketball, and I suspect it is, I’m inclined to think the era of basketball we watch now may be the worst so far. That sounds like an incredible statement, right? Watch some of the older games. You’ll see it.

It was also really interesting to me to see how much more well-rounded the players in that all-star game were as opposed to that of today’s stars. In fact, it was almost jarring. Players that played well on both sides of the court. Good rebounders that were able to score…outside of the paint. Guys that could create their own shot didnt seem rare as it does now. NBA seems like a specialists’ league now. Guys can pretty much be categorized as scorers, shooters, passers, defenders, rebounders, & hacks. I also dont see a lot of double teaming. The reasons for this can go a number of ways. Either you believe players are SO good now that they cant be guarded by one person (I dont) or that players stink defensively now (somewhat)…or that the officiating has changed significantly. I think its part of the last 2. In the old games that I’ve seen, I cant say I think the officiating has been SIGNIFICANTLY different. I think players just played better defense. That said, I never bought (and never will buy) that hand-checking made THAT much difference in playing defense. It reeks of copout. And anyone who actually plays defense in any level of basketball knows that your feet are exponentially more important on defense as your hands are. Hand checking & reaching are among the last resorts of a player that has, for the most part, already been beaten on defense.

Another, seemingly minor, thing I’ve noticed in some of these games is how much more often I see players from the opposite team pick up another player they fouled and knocked to the ground. For some reason, in the current era of the NBA, that is rarely done. Thats always been odd and INCREDIBLY wack to me. Knock a guy down and walk away so that only his teammates can help him up. Or that players will RUSH to the knocked down guy and shove the player out of the way before he can even attempt to help him up. That shit’s stupid to me.

(Sidenote: I just watched Magic fake a behind the back dribble with a subtle pause while going almost full speed down the court…without carrying. MAN that guy was a GREAT GREAT GREAT player. People just dont understand, man. THEY JUST DONT UNDERSTAND!!!)

Another interesting and glaring thing I noticed about this all star game (1972) is that the lineups seem to be evenly split between white & black players. For pretty much as long as I can remember, the NBA has been DOMINATED by black men. Even as I watch this 1983 Finals game, the lineups of the Sixers & Lakers, respectively, are almost exclusively black with the exception of 2 or 3 white players. Lets say there 25% of the active players are white. A few weeks ago, I watched the 1987 All Star Game and I cant say there were up to 5 white players in the game at all. Think I might touch on that in a different blog.

Anyway, my point is that I think we have a lesser brand of basketball, in general, now than that of the previous generations. I think if you watch some of these hardwood classic games, you’ll come up with the same conclusion.

So, for your viewing pleasure, these are, IMO, the best basketball shoes EVER:

#5) Adidas Pro Model 2G

Great shoes. Comfortable and really light. Damn near everybody had a pair of these at some point

#4) Reebok Question Lows

These shoes had that gummy bottom that were SERIOUS for traction. Stop on a dime, every time. And had one of the softest soles I’ve had in any shoe. Might wanna have an ankle brace with em tho since they’re lows.

#3) Nike Zoom Lebron 2

I had these gray joints. I wore these shoes to DEATH. I cant fully explain why they’re so good. They were stupid comfortable and the tread lasted forever. I’d probably pick a pair of these up today if I knew where to get em.

#2) Nike Huarache

The Huarache should always be mentioned among greatest basketball shoes. It might not be common knowledge but the Huarache gave birth to a LOT of different shoes that came up under em. Same design, different name & color scheme. You might even own a pair.

#1) Nike Flightposite (all black) AKA The Air Batman

No shoe is fading this shoe. None. Everything you want in a shoe, this has it. Comfortable, but not loose. Durability. Good traction. AND it looks dope. The shoe that all other shoes aspire to be.

What shoes did I leave out? Any personal faves?

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — Sir Isaac Newton
——————–

Hope everyone had a great, or at least eventful, Thanksgiving. Mine was cool. Had my parents come up to the house and hosted them for a few days. Hosting parents seems to get harder & harder as you get older. It seems the more you have, the more they expect. Anyway, I’m sure a number of you had a moment where something was said, by a family member, that absolutely floored you. This was mine.

While on our way back from the barber shop, my Dad drops this bomb on me. “I would’ve really liked to see what impact on rap 2pac would still be having were he alive today.” *car screech* He then followed that up with something like “Rap misses his voice…” I barely remember that part because I was in the midst of pulling over to go pick up my bottom jaw. In my 32 years on this planet, the only things I remember my Dad liking in regards to Hip Hop is Queen Latifah’s U.N.I.T.Y. and he dug the beat on Ice T’s New Jack Hustler. That’s about it. Didn’t even know my Dad knew anything about 2pac beyond that he was a rapper that died young.

So we talked about 2pac, one of my FAVORITE rappers btw, for a cool 10 mins or so. Ok…I probably did most of the talking…but still. As I type this to you, I’m STILL in disbelief at this occurrence. Not even sure what caused it. The barber shop? We weren’t even listening to rap in the car at the time. I think I’d put on Lauryn Hill. I try to keep the rap to a minimum when the parents are visiting (you know how it is).

You folks have any crazy happenings?

That said, I dont exactly cry for Kanye. His character, and actions, had been in question for years but he was normally given a pass to some degree. IMO, he got what was coming to him. I thought it would be a humbling experience for him. I was mistaken. However, you could make the argument that the negative publicity influenced him to get out of the limelight (somewhat) and work on his craft. The product of which being “My Dark Twisted Fantasy”…an album which is absolute FIRE. This isnt news to many, if any, of you…so why do I bring it up?

Often in life, story arcs mirror each other. People follow the same blueprints to success and failure all the time. Sometimes they’re SO similar, you would swear you were having deja vu. I’m having it right now. I present to you, one Lebron James.

On July 9, 2010, ESPN aired “The Decision,” an hour-long show centering around where Lebron would play the next season. During this show, Lebron clumsily proclaimed that he would “take his talents to South Beach” then proceeded to attempt to tell Cleveland something akin to “Its not you, its me.” Needless to say, to anyone who hasnt had their head in the sand, it didnt quite go over so well. I’m actually not sure that breakup strategy has ever worked…but I’ve never broke up with my lady on cable tv. As such, the city of Cleveland, playing the jilted lover, acted out in the way jilted lovers act out. Stuff got thrown in the street, stuff got burned, angry words were said, and so on. Some real Waiting to Exhale type ish.

Since that day, Lebron has received the type, and amount, of criticism that I havent seen since…well…Kanye West. EVERY single thing…every misstep, every hiccup, bump, brick, or quote, Lebron does is amplified, and criticized, to a spectacular degree. During the summer, he tweeted something about having haters and keeping them in mind. He was CRUSHED for it. It seems the more inane the action, the more apt for criticism. Of course, a fair amount of the criticism IS justified…but the majority is just squawking really. That said, he’s taking a beating on all sides because the Miami Heat are also failing…and therein lies the difference between Kanye & Lebron in this situation. Kanye came up out the other side and is winning.

After his major public gaffe, Kanye did what Lebron is currently doing…apologizing & constantly trying to please everyone. However, it didnt take long for that to end. Kanye has since embraced that he is an unrepenting asshole and has decided to just go with it. He’s turned that into part of his brand and is growing it. Lebron, however, is still in the process of appealing to the public. His “Rise” commercial is evidence enough of that. While the ending message of that commercial is along the lines of “I’ma just do me”…fact is, the commercial probably wouldnt be necessary if that were the case. In the commercial, he asks “Should I accept my role…as a villain?” (Um…yes. It worked for Kobe.) He follows it up with “Should I stop listening to my friends?” (YES!) If you think about it, Lebron’s “RISE” commercial is similar to Kanye’s “Power” single. However, his “album” will be what he does on the court. We say a lot about what the Heat lack and what their problems seem to be…but the reality is, on that team, Lebron has enough tools to put together a certified classic…and he, along with the rest of his team, are failing at it.

Kanye went to work, used the pieces/artists at his disposal, and put together an album that may be considered a classic. Lebron, its time to put that hard hat on and wreck a court. You’ve followed Kanye’s story thus far…might as well see it all the way through.

It was incredibly frustrating, during the trial, to ATTEMPT to hear, find, or read anything about Vick in the way of actual FACTS and/or EVIDENCE. If you’ll remember, next to nothing was actually up for public review…but there was a VAST array of punditry. A TON of speculation. Everyone loves a good story…but truth is normally boring and direct. Because of that, truth is normally a small part of the foundation of a story.

If you search for facts/evidence on the Vick case, the closest, most relevant, thing you’ll find is a document called “Summary of the Facts.” In this document, you’ll see the case as laid out before the court by the prosecution. You’ll see what Vick plead guilty to in the plea deal. What you will NOT see, is a statement saying Vick killed any dogs. In fact, where they do mention abuse of dogs, they either make sure to mention his co-defendents (who were caught on the property) or the facts actually state that “Vick did not kill any dogs at this time.”

The issue is when you decide to look at the obvious facts. Fact is, Vick’s co-defendants plead guilty right away. They were caught practically red-handed. Vick was not. Fact is, Vick’s co-defendants were given a deal so that they would say that Vick was involved. Fact is, Vick did own Bad Newz Kennels and the property that had the dogs/dogfighting. Fact is, no evidence was found that he went to the property or participated in dogfighting. What the prosecution DID have were some guys that they were able to scare into rolling on Vick to shorten their sentence. Fact is, Vick, stupidly, failed a drug test during these proceedings. These are facts.

The rest of the storylines that we’re able to put together on this case are almost purely speculation. Fact of the matter is, Black men plead guilty to speculation an awful lot. And if they’re famous, well…good luck. Vick was convicted by the public as soon as the word “dog” was mentioned. He had no prayer of a “just” trial and had to plead guilty before even going through an actual trial because he was SURE to lose and be given a harsher sentence. Funny part is that he was given that harsh sentence anyway. In America, white people value their dogs more than they do human beings of another skin color so this sequence of events should come as a surprise to no one.

The questions of this case, quite frankly, are MUCH bigger than Michael Vick tho. The reality is that a fair trial, for him, was made an impossibility, by the media. The media isnt inclined to offer up facts…they’re inclined to offer up conjecture. Opinions and editorials move the meter. Like I said earlier, fact is boring. The problem is that the media expresses opinions as facts, and they dont really care who’s lives they’re affecting. Its gotten to the point that Americans dont know which way is up and make decisions based more on feelings than facts. Subjective info over objective reality. People dont even come up with their own opinions anymore. They listen for their favorite pundit to tell them how to think and abide by that standard. The most famous “talking heads” also happen to be the most reckless and absurd so what does that say about US. The media was formed to inform the public. They now practice more in confusing and, in some cases, outright misleading it. A sad state of affairs.

I believe the Vick case was an example of this. I believe the most recent OJ case was an example of this. I mean…1 of the charges against OJ was kidnapping for Christ’s sake. Absurd. Problem is, people are too dumb to know their being fed nonsense and led astray…or too apathetic/lazy to give a damn either way. The generation with the most access to information has become the generation least likely to pursue it. The irony of life.

All of that said, I wasnt a Mike Vick fan when he was in Atlanta. I thought he was a guy that didnt take full advantage of his talents and had the world handed to him w/o having done THAT much to earn it. I’m about paying your dues and accountability. When Vick went to jail, and was subsequently released, I believe he did those things. He could’ve easily came out of jail talking about how he was railroaded by the system, etc. Instead, he’s faced the criticism like a man, humbled himself, and is now flourishing in the league. I am absolutely a fan now..of him…not the Eagles (to be clear). I sincerely hope he reaps the success that he MIGHT, karmically, deserve.