The College Basketball Experience
Please stop the madness
I've tried to avoid the verbiage regarding LeBron James and his value. James has just been announced as the winner of this years MVP his third. I have no issue with him receiving the award I think it's certainly noteworthy. I take issue with Stephan A. Smith, Chris Broussard and others falling all over themselves defending James and pointing out to the masses how good he is. It seems to me at times they are defending their position more so than the athlete. James is a great physical specimen but there is more than physical strength required. What occurs between a players ears is just as important. The only negative on the resume of James is his lack of playing in the clutch in the fourth quarter of key games, it seems he manages to distance himself from the ball. He's allowed Wade, Haslem and others to take the game winning shot. Winning an NBA championship is not the mark of an all-time great there are several greats who never won a championship. An athletes exploits on the court are just as valid. I won't be rooting for James but I hope he can win an NBA championship for one reason. The reason is guys like me can cease writing these types of stories. If for some reason the Heat and James fail to win this year, well.
This city on the shores of Lake Michigan continues to produce significant numbers of basketball talent. Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis are two of the most recent number of athletes who grew their game in the Windy City, we can add the name of Jabari Parker to the list. Parkers is rated the number one basketball prospect in the Class of 2013. This Chicago native had a rare honor, he was recently featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Over the years few youth his age have been graced with their face on the cover of this magazine. In addition they made a bold statement which certainly creates intense pressure for the 6-9 Parker, "he's the best high school player since LeBron James." An interesting view considering just this year we've had Shabazz Muhammad and Nerlens Noel number one and two players in the nation in the Class of 2012 to compare. I could go further back but you see the direction this is headed, SI is saying he's the best since the 2003 class of LeBron James. Parker's resume, check this out, "three state championships, Gatorade National Player of the Year, USA Basketball Men's Athlete of the Year." There is a another Chicago youngster we can focus on, his name is Jahlil Okafor and he's a 6-11 280 pound center. Okafor is the number three prospect in the class of 2014 and attends Whitney Young high school.
Betcha didn't know this
Charles Barkley was listed as 6-6 but reports
persist he was actually 6-4 and 1/2. Whatever his actual height 11.7 career
rebounds per game is still pretty amazing, so is his 22.1 ppg scoring because he
was often shooting over taller players. Another smallish forward was
Adrian Dantley who preceded Barkley, he
finished his career with a lifetime 24.3 ppg average. Dantley was a 6-5 small
forward whose pro career ran from 1976-1991, interesting Wikipedia my numbers
source list Dantley as a forward/guard. Trust me, he played far more at the
forward position than he ever played as a guard. In the '70's and '80's The
NBA began employing taller players at the
shooting guard and both forward positions. Of course these taller players had
skills similar if not superior to many of the smaller players. An example might be Clyde
Drexler, he entered the NBA in 1983 as a 6-7 shooting guard, he would have been
a small forward in the '50's rather than a guard. The late Dave Debusshure along
with several others set the standard for power forwards stood 6-6 and 220
pounds, can you imagine playing power forward in today's NBA with that height
and weight? Dantley was often matched against
opposing players who were often 3-5 inches taller than his 6-5 frame. He always
managed to get his shot off, I don't remember ever seeing his shot blocked. He
was a 6X NBA All-Star, NBA Rookie of the Year and 2X NBA scoring champion in
1981 and 1984. Dantley was enshrined in the
Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2008. He served as an assistant coach
for the Denver Nuggets for eight seasons. (Wikipedia)
Don't count me in the number
Fans of Jeff Van Gundy need not don't bother
reading this story. In an ESPN interview profiled in Slam Magazine Van Gundy
tore into the Magic for the manner they handled his brothers termination. There
are NBA fans who appreciate Van Gundy for his outspokenness and candor, don't
count Larry Laker among that number. Hey Jeff do you have any idea why GM's are
not calling you regarding their team? Think I'm just blowing smoke, consider how
many coaching changes have taken place since the Rockets fired him in May of
2007? Is it possible Van Gundy's outspokenness and combativeness during ESPN
broadcasts might be a contributing factor? It might have occurred but I
certainly don't remember him even being under consideration.
Sorry I had to write this
Just when I think I might have written the last
story on Barclays Center my attention is drawn to another. We know parking is an
issue anywhere in New York City so it shouldn't be a surprise there might be
parking problems surrounding the Brooklyn home of the Nets. The arena will not
have near the parking for automobiles as originally announced for this 19,000
seat arena. The plan is for attendees at all events to take advantage of
increased railway, subway, bus stops and bicycle parking. Yes I
did say bicycle parking, Barclays will have parking space for 400
bicycles. I think we can relate to the automobile traffic issue and we might
even more environmentally friendly on a bicycle versus an air-polluting
automobile. Let me see if I understand
this, my date and I will bicycle to a Nets game in 20 degree winter
weather? During the course of the game we have three or four adult beverages, at
the games conclusion we bicycle back to our condo. Don't shot the messenger I'm
just providing the news that's available.
