There were no NBA games to be watched on Monday night, which meant like everyone else, I had to view that poorly-played NCAA championship game between Butler and Connecticut.  I sat down expecting to see the best from Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, and Butler’s Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack. I expected to see these experienced players lead their respective teams to a well-played, nip-and-tuck affair.  Instead, I saw field-goal percentages that rivaled winter temperatures and turnovers that even the Washington Generals would not make.

Connecticut was able to shake off the poor play just long enough to make a late game run and come out victorious 53-41.  Walker had a game-high 16 points to go with nine rebounds, Connecticut center Alex Oriahki had 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, and in a losing effort, Mack had 13 points and nine rebounds. Howard added seven points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs, but he shot 1-13 and he was a non-factor throughout the game.

Although Walker led the team in scoring and made some timely shots throughout the night, the key to Connecticut’s victory was freshman Jeremy Lamb.  After missing his only two field-goal attempts with no points in the first half, Lamb went 4-6 with 12 points in the second half, giving his Huskies a desperately needed cushion.  When Connecticut faced its largest deficit of 25-19 after Butler’s Chase Stigall hit a three 20 seconds into the second half, Lamb scored 11 of his team’s next 18 points during a 18-3 run that saw UConn take the lead for good at 37-28 with 11 minutes left in the game.

As happy as I was for the freshman, I immediately became concerned that this strong performance in an otherwise mediocre game would inflate his ego — and more importantly, his NBA prospects.  I worried that Lamb would ignore Kemba Walker’s shining example of how a good player leads his team from November to March, and attempt to ride into the NBA on the heels of an OK season and a one very good college game (although, worth noting that Lamb scored 97 points over six NCAA Tournament games, an average of 16.2 points that topped his 11.1 points per game during the season).  At one point I even tweeted that I hoped Lamb had a sub par game, so he would be convinced to stay in college.

Luckily for me, the Detroit Pistons were in town the next day to take on (and lose to) the Washington Wizards, which meant I could ask two Connecticut alums to weigh in on the young Lamb.  Richard Hamilton attended UConn from 1996-1999, averaged 19.8 points a game, and led the Huskies to a title in 1999.  He left for the NBA after his junior year.

Ben Gordon attended UConn from 2001-2004, averaged 17 points per game, and led (along with Emeka Okafor) the Huskies to a title in 2004.  After winning the title, he decided to leave for the NBA a year early just like Hamilton had done five years before.

I fully expect Kemba Walker to follow in the footsteps of Gordon and Hamilton and bolt for the NBA on the highest of high notes.  But Lamb’s future is very much in doubt right now, so I asked Hamilton and Gordon a) what they would say to the freshman, and b) what was involved in their thought processes before they bolted to the NBA.

Ben Gordon on what he’d say to Lamb:

“I’d just tell him to weigh all his options, look at everything, look at all the cons of the situation, look at how strong the draft is going to be this year, who else is in your position that possibly going to go higher than you.  Consult with not only myself, but other guys who made that jump.  I would tell him to consider the fact that there’s probably going to be an NBA lockout.  I would tell him all these different things to basically scare him — not scare him, but just so that he knows what’s going on. If he’s that confident to make that decision, then my hat’s off to him, but I would try to talk to him as if he was my little brother or something and give him the best advice possible.”

Gordon on how he was advised as an underclassman:

“I went for three years so I was a little more mature at that age, and he’s a freshman right now, so a couple years of college might develop him a little more.  But at that point, there were definitely people who were talking to me, but I pretty much knew for a fact [when I left] that this was the decision I could make, and I was definitely going to be a lottery pick.  I don’t know if they are projecting [Lamb] as a lottery pick now, but that’s another thing, where do you want to see yourself in the draft? Are you satsified with being a first-rounder, or do you want to be high first rounder.  So those are the things that can come under consideration, but once I weighed my options, and listened to people who did it before and gave me good advice, I was comfortable enough to make a decision.”

Rip Hamilton on his advice for Lamb:

“I would definitely tell him to stay. No doubt about it.  I think that next year he can really dominate.  This year he played well, got comfortable, and came into his own, but next year he’ll be ‘the guy’ and that’s important.  Every young player needs the experience of being ‘the guy’ like Kemba had this year.  Then you got the lockout coming and all that, there’s really no need to rush to the NBA for a guy like Lamb, the NBA isn’t going anywhere — at least I hope its not.  He should stay at least one more year, work on his game, and he’ll be even stronger when he does decide to come out.”

Hamilton on why he didn’t leave UConn earlier:

“[Coach Jim] Calhoun told me straight up I wasn’t ready quite yet.  He said why come out too and be a mid-to-late first round pick and just get a little playing time on a playoff team that doesn’t really need my services.  He said he’d rather see me come back another year and try to be the Michael Jordan of college basketball and we could win the national championship, and I could say I improved my game, and I helped win a title, and be a lottery pick who played from the jump.  I didn’t believe a word of it at the time, but damn if everything he said didn’t come true and then some.  So Lamb needs to listen to everyone, but definitely to Calhoun too.  He hasn’t stayed around this long for nothing.”

[photos: K. Weidie, Truth About It.net]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• April 7, 2010 -- A Wizard On Butler Basketball
• February 8, 2012 -- 3-on-3: Wizards vs. Knicks: The Long-Awaited John Wall vs. Jeremy Lin Part 2
• February 4, 2012 -- DC Council Game 23: Wizards 89 at Raptors 106: Wizards Head South, North of The Border

Recently I had a chance to interview Clark Kellogg over the phone. It was set up by a PR team in conjunction with promoting the Capital One Cup, which is a new award to be given out to the top men’s and women’s collegiate athletic programs (you’ve likely seen commercials about this on ESPN).

Points for the Cup will be accumulated according to how schools fare across 13 tiered men’s and women’s Division I sports programs (Men’s: Tier 1 – football, basketball, and baseball; T2 – soccer, swimming & diving, outdoor track & field, and lacrosse; T3 – cross country, wrestling, ice hockey, indoor track & field, golf, and tennis; Women’s: Tier 1: volleyball, basketball, and softball; T2; soccer, swimming & diving, outdoor track & field, and lacrosse; T3: cross country, field hockey, indoor track & field, golf, tennis, and rowing — Tier 1 sports are worth three times the points, Tier 2 sports are worth two times, and Tier 3 sports are worth their actual point number. Sports are tiered to “reward success in sports with the most student athlete participation and fan interest.”).

Schools with the most cumulative points across all men’s and women’s sports will each be presented with a trophy, $200,000 to fund student-athlete graduate-level scholarships, and will be honored at the ESPY Awards held in July. Top 10 finishers for men’s and women’s sports cumulative point totals will also each be recognized.

Kellogg was selected by Capital One to be an advisory board member for the award along with Doug Flutie, Brandi Chastain, Lisa Leslie, Robin Ventura and Rece Davis.

So, you’re probably asking yourself, ‘Why would a Wizards blogger want to interview Clark Kellogg?’

Well, I’ll clearly tell you. One, it’s Clark Kellogg — he’s ‘the’ guy behind college basketball television broadcasting, especially since he replaced Billy Packer before the ‘08-09 season as the lead color analyst for CBS’s college basketball coverage — so I was naturally curious about Kellogg’s impressions of John Wall. Two, Kellogg also has intimate knowledge of the NBA. He’s served as a color analyst for Indiana Pacers games (mostly road games) for the past several years, and in July, he was named the Pacers’ VP of Player Relations. Third, the guy knows basketball, a chance to speak with him should not be passed up … despite the guise of Capital One’s promotion. So, here goes….

KYLE WEIDIE: Tell me a little bit about how you came about to be involved with this award.

CLARK KELLOGG: “I think on a number of levels. One, the Capital One folks and an advertising agency started putting together a campaign and actually targeted some folks that they felt had the same values of excellence and integrity, former college students athletes who had a fairly good platform via student athletics or broadcast or obligations to the community who could help to communicate what this wonderful program is all about to the institutions, to the fans and to the media, and I actually was selected, along with our other advisory board members.”

“I’m thrilled to be part of the advisory board team. I mean, that’s a high-quality group of former athletes, both at the collegiate and the professional level, and broadcasting.”

KW: With an award this prominent that looks at almost all sports, what type of impact do you guys hope to have on Division I athletics?

KELLOGG: “My feeling is that it gives the opportunity really to raise the awareness of the connection between excellence in athletics and academic excellence. Sometimes that gets ignored and not highlighted as much as it should be.”

“There are a lot of values that transcend and are related to performing well on the field, but also puts students in a position to excel off the field. The Capital One Cup, I think, is going to bring light to that.”

KW: Shifting specifically to college basketball … it’s always going to have a great product, but how it relates to the NBA and how it relates to the previous level (usually high school/AAU), it seems to be, I don’t want to call it a state of limbo, but the development of basketball in this country, using the college basketball system as a main conduit, seems to need some new direction. So, what’s your overall impression of the college basketball landscape?

KELLOGG: “You make some valid points, and it’s something that a number of stakeholders in the game have talked about and really tried to address.”

[...]

“A lot of times high school coaches are kind of squeezed out of the equation. Kids sometimes, in my opinion, actually often times, are developing their games because they’re playing too many games. They’re playing too many games and traveling as opposed to spending time in camps, or being able to sometimes connect the educational aspect of what basketball can be with the game itself.”

“The decision of jumping from high school to college to the pros, or from high school to one year of college then the pros, gets in front of the fact that basketball can be, or should be a means to an end for a lot of those that play the game because only a small, small percentage will get the privilege and opportunity to play at the pro level.”

“So it’s a comprehensive issue and it’s going to take a while to change the mindset and to get back to really trying to make it more of a progression towards total development in the game and as an individual as opposed to just thinking about the NBA and playing at the pro level. Trying again to get more balance to what basketball can be, and should be, particularly when kids are young. You have kids age 10, 11, 12 years old traveling all over the place, trying to play …. for what? What’s the purpose? Chasing a scholarship? Chasing a pro dream? At what cost? What are you giving up in development? What are you doing to the young body? And it’s not always fueled just by the players. Parents, family members, coaches sometimes are trying to direct kids to specialize in one sport at an early age when they’ve got interest and abilities in others.”

“It’s not something that we can easily answer in an interview, nor is it something that’s going to be turned around overnight. But I think we’ve got the winds blowing in a better direction with the stakeholders wanting to address the problems and try to make things different and better, and more balanced and realistic for all involved.”

KW: The one-year rule, is it good for the system overall? Does it need to be more? Less? Perhaps something like baseball where a kid can turn pro out of high school, else they have to go to college for a certain amount of time?

KELLOGG: “In theory, there are a lot of things that look good on paper, and when you actually put into context of reality, they show their warts. Again, this is an NBA collectively-bargained rule where players wouldn’t be draftable until they were 19-years old and a year removed from high school. So the next step would be that they end up in college, those who were thinking about maybe going straight from high school to the pros now are in college for a year.”

“I think it’s hurt both products, quite honestly. I think it’s had an impact, maybe not as much on the college game because the college game covers so many teams and has so many other variables. But at the NBA level, you get young, typically under-developed players, a lot of times with a sense of entitlement, not understanding the process of work and the demands of being in the pros. And they end up with all types of issues on and off the court because they come not quite as men in a man’s league. At the collegiate level, clearly it causes a lot of chaos.”

“I would love to see some type of hybrid, perhaps you look at what baseball does when a kid is drafted out of high school and you allow those individuals to go to the pros, but if they decide they’re going to college, that they stay at least two or three years.”

“Or it’d be great if you have a situation where players weren’t draftable until they’re 20 or 21, I don’t know how that would stand up in the court of law because of antitrust issues.”

“But I would like to see a modification and tweaking of what we’ve got now. That’s no guarantee, but I think it would improve the situation. I think it would positively impact athletes, the collegiate game, and the league if we had a 20 years old or two years removed from high school rule. It would give kids a chance to develop more on and off the court which would serve both games in the process.”

KW: Now the Wizards lucked out and got John Wall with the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. I know you’ve watched him a great deal, and I got to spend some time watching him out in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. He’s really impressed me with how together he has it as a person off the court, much less his skills on the court. But a lot of critics are pointing to his turnovers and jump shot. Are those the two glaring issues for Wall’s transition to the NBA and how correctable will those be, knowing what you’ve seen out of him so far?

KELLOGG: “I’m going to accentuate the positive first … it’s just my nature. I agree with you, I didn’t spend a lot of time with John off the court, but I did cover a couple of his games, and had a chance to talk to folks that were fairly close to him. And just watching his demeanor as a point guard on the floor. He seemed to be very unselfish and had an understanding of how to get other people involved and how to run a team. And at an early age, that’s really impressive.”

“And then you talk about his unbelievable acceleration, his speed from end to end. He has speed that he can control. He’s a guy who can go at a high rate of speed and still be under control. Those are things that you can’t teach … the feel and understanding of what an important point guard’s job is and the embracing of that. And then the speed, the electrifying speed. Those are tremendous assets that he has.”

“Clearly, the jump shot needs work. But that can be the case with a lot of players. It’s something that’s fixable. It’s not like having small hands, that’s something you can work on. Decision-making … and some of his turnovers are because of high-risk chances. But with a player of his caliber, you have to give some latitude for that. I think that’s something he’ll be able to corral.”

“I think he’s going into a situation where I think Flip Saunders is a terrific coach, and one of the more innovative coaches in the NBA, and that will be a great benefit to John as he transitions. To have a high-quality veteran coach who can maximize his strengths and help him improve his weaknesses … a guy who actually was a guard in his playing days, a good one. I think all of that is positive and I think John has a chance to be a real star in the NBA. Barring injury, he’ll be on that track.”

KW: Your work with the Indiana Pacers … recently the team landed a player who’s thought to be a young, top-notch point guard in Darren Collison. Previously, many in the media seemed to be wondering about the direction of the Pacers, but that’s seemingly changed now that Collison is there to go along with Danny Granger (and Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansbrough, among others). However, there seems to be a struggle to get the program going with attendance for games not going well in the Hoosier state in terms of NBA basketball. Can you talk some about the direction of the Pacers and how landing Collison plays a role?

KELLOGG: “It was a positive move, no question. He’s an up-and-coming young point guard who had a terrific year last year as backup to Chris Paul in New Orleans — Paul was hurt and he put up some really impressive numbers. I think he’s the kind of guy who has tremendous character in addition to his abilities and a good young piece to kind of foundation your resurgence on. The Pacers have been down, out of the playoffs for the last four years. They’re a young team that’s trying to find itself and injuries have been a problem. As a result, attendance has been affected, no doubt about it.”

“There’s been a cloud over the franchise pretty much since the brawl in Detroit in 2004 that is slowly starting to dissipate. I think most of that is gone, but a young team still has to win in order to attract that strong fan base in Indianapolis and Indiana, and I think it’s going to take good quality players, hopefully competing for a playoff position this season to get fans back in Conseco Field House.”

[photos used via NBA.com]

Many thanks to Clark Kellogg for his time and to Don Povia of Blogs With Balls and Taylor PR for setting this up.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• February 23, 2011 -- Defeat of Urgency and The Consequence of Time, Your Washington Wizards
• February 2, 2012 -- Stickers for Selflessness: Leading the Charge Against Hero-Ball
• January 24, 2012 -- DC Council Game 17: Wizards 83 at Sixers 103: Flip’s Last Game

A random political protest in Dupont Circle

In case you missed it last week, NBA commish David Stern strolled into a Harlem barbershop and displayed a skill he’s masterfully crafted, that of the silver-tongued politician. Watch for yourself.

I love how he tells almost everyone “you are right,” before making his own point, or says things like “good question,” while avoiding being patronizing.

Funny, when I say those things in public I come across as a condescending S.O.B. … guess I shouldn’t be telling the homeless guy ‘good question’ after he asks me for some change.

On Stern’s Convo:

For entrance into the NBA, one year after high school is a good rule (but I’m not saying it’s the ‘best’ rule). David Stern & Co. are not telling kids they can’t go out and make money. The Commish is also unquestionably right about it being better for league business to have the ability to evaluate these kids for one year. What they do on and/or off the court can be very telling.

It’s the college system needs to change … to force at least a three year commitment from players AND PAY THEM FOR THAT! Until then, collegiate athletics will struggle and represent an unspoken shadiness blinded by the presumed purity that stems from college kids playing without contracts.

Top Marketing Line: “We gotta do this once a week.” -David Stern, as the screen fades to black.

What Others Are Saying:

Anyone who thinks Stern has lost a step, gotten clumsy about rigging the league or sold out to Republicans and the Chinese just doesn’t get it. Well, they sort of get it. [Bethlehem Shoals, The Sporting Blog]

Politics from below the equator

Not to be outdone in politicized neutrality … at least when it comes to the DC sports scene, the new Argentine in town gave some very suspicious answers when asked where his local loyalties lie.

In behind-the-scenes video currently showing on NBA.com/Wizards, Oberto is asked to choose between the following:

• Redskins or Ravens
• Virginia or Maryland
• Georgetown or Chinatown

His answers: Both, Both, Georgetown

Really?

Methinks the foreign guy might be getting set up for some boos, at least with a non-commitment to the Skins. And picking the homogeneous area of G-Town over where his home arena lies? Well, let’s just chalk it up to our buddy Fabricio not knowing better.

As far as Oberto’s current approval rating, this young American semi-bro holds his own personal town hall meeting to give the Oberto signing his backing.

Back to the People’s Republic

About 30 years ago the Bullets made a trip to China, becoming the first NBA team to do so. At the time, they were coming off two consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, coming up short in the latter year, but winning it all in the first.

Now, the team is going back. Look to the Washington Post, Washington Times, or the official Wizards website for more details.

Why this trip is a great idea:

1. Promote the team in “this economy” … which could mean a very nice luxury tax off-setting boost, especially if the Wizards are good.
2. Perhaps going to China after one of the worst seasons in franchise history (when it was previously done after two of the best) will swing karma in the Wizards’ direction.
3. Only two current players are going on the trip (Caron Butler and Randy Foye), so concerns about travel and what’s sure to be a whirlwind media campaign should be limited … unless you’re the guy who types in all caps and complains that the trip is “A WASTE OF TIME” on Wizards Insider.
4. Gheorghe Muresan, quite possibly the greatest white Wizards/Bullets player in the last 25 years, will be making the trip, continuing his excellent representation of the team.

Other Quoteables:

“Gilbert Arenas is to Friendster what Shaq is to Facebook.” -Sam Taggart, Sports Networker

Only if Gerald Wallace was responsible for falling on Friendster and effing it up too.

“Chase Daniel: Basically looked like Colt Brennan circa preseason ‘08, but with less doucheface.” -Chris Mottram, Mr. Irrelevant

“After a long day of workin out, there’s NOTHING more relaxing than segwaying! I advise you all to invest in one. You won’t regret it!” -Travis Outlaw, Twitter [via The Sporting Blog]

I hate segways with a passion.

That is all …

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 6, 2011 -- ShareBullets: REMEMBER: Bryon Russell Is Responsible For Gilbert Arenas
• August 12, 2011 -- Commonalities: Gilbert Arenas and Dan Snyder
• December 19, 2010 -- Yi Jianlian Speaks On An Injured Yao Ming

Congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks for persevering to win the NCAA championship last night. Today, everyone has been concentrating on the missed Memphis Tiger free-throws, and well, they should. No, the game wasn’t exactly lost or won on a single play…..they rarely are. But it seems like we are conditioned to pick out the most egregious mistake and focus on it like it’s our one and only. But aside from this season, Memphis has had a tumultuous relationship with the free-throw line in the past.

Let me take you back to March 12, 2005. Memphis, with a record of 16-14 entering the Conference USA tournament, won three straight games (against Saint Louis, Charlotte and USF) to set up a championship match against 28-4 Louisville. Before the CUSA tournament began, Memphis had no chance of making the Big Dance and was probably going to come up short of the NIT as well.

The championship game against Louisville was hard-fought and down to the wire. Of course, free-throw shooting was crucial for both teams. With 6.7 seconds left, Louisville’s Brad Gianiny knocked down only 1 of 2 FTs, giving the Cardinals a 2-point lead, 75-73. Memphis had plenty of time to push the ball the length of the court for a basket, and they did…..to the horror of Louisville Coach Rick Pitino, Memphis’ Darius Washington Jr. was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer at the buzzer. How could Pitino’s star player, Francisco Garcia, do such a thing?

Zeros on the clock, down two, three free-throws: Make two, you go to purgatory. Make three, you lead your team to the glory of the NCAA tournament. Miss two, and your team starts packing for the NIT. Was there more pressure on Washington’s FTs than on the FTs in last night’s game? I would say so. Yes, I’ll concur, there is much more on the line in a national championship game than a conference championship game — that’s an obvious distinction. However, last night’s outcome did not solely rest on FTs. Mario Chalmers hit a helluva shot and the Jayhawks fought tooth and nail back into the game. Against Louisville in ’05, the weight of his entire team, his coaches, his family, the Memphis Tiger fan nation, rested on the shoulders of Darius Washington, Jr.

A freshman all alone on the free-throw line. The first one easily went through the net, leading to dances of rejoice from Washington’s teammates. The second one would clang off the front of the rim and fall to side. Uh oh. The third….would miss in the same exact manner as the second. In defeat, the freshman Washington collapsed to the floor. “Somebody’s gotta help that kid up.” Calipari was the first one to do so, as he was the first one to nobly take the blame last night. Unfortunately, John can’t be on the court shooting for his players.

In the land of the just….in my opinion, Washington traveled before he even attempted the 3-pointer. You can judge for yourself with this YouTube clip. If only a free-throw lesson was learned for John Calipari and his Memphis Tigers two years ago……In reality, it’s American basketball as a whole which would benefit from such a lesson.

By the way….One Shining Moment: it’s a classic highlight package from CBS, but the song by David Barrett is starting to wear thin on me. In fact, I never really liked it in the first place. Last night, my experiment was to put the TV on mute and play Common’s ‘Be (the intro)’ leading into ‘Go’ — and it actually worked (notwithstanding proper timing of clips to beats). NCAA blasphemy? Who cares. One Shining Moment is more cheesy and out-of-date than it is entertaining. Of course, if CBS attempted to ‘hip-hop’ the tournament culminating montage, they’d probably choose something even more cotton-candy like Justin Timberland and 50 Cent.

Now for some links of the sports world….some of these are recent, some are months old, but they are all truthfully recommended:

>> Have you ever read HoopsHype? I hope you don’t call yourself a fan of basketball if you haven’t. Well, read this Wall Street Journal story about a website, HoopsHype.com, run by three stripped-shirt wearing dudes from Spain, Spaniards, (one doesn’t like basketball, one created the site from a basement 125 miles north of Madrid, and one is just there). HoopsHype.com has become required reading for NBA executives and NBA agents alike.

>> Buge Hoobs put together some info on how NBA owners became NBA owners for the East and the West. The most interesting facts:

• The sister of Miami Heat owner, Micky Arison (Carnival cruise ships), is the richest person in Israel.
• The owner of the Golden State Warriors, Chris Cohan, is in a lot of trouble with the IRS.
• Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos is the king of the skeevy Multi-Level- Marketing world.
• Jerry Reinsdorf, Chicago Bulls owner, made a lot of money off an IRS tax loophole which was later closed.
• The owner of the Houston Rockets, a guy named Leslie, last name Alexander, hates meat.
• The divorce of Bobcats owner, Bob Johnson (BET), made his former wife the second richest woman in America next to Oprah.

>> If we are starting an All-Shyster-Team, I’m not sure who I’d draft first, William Wesley [via True Hoop] or the Pump Brothers. Essentially, both contingents are po
werful people in the world of basketball. What exactly they do? No one really knows….except that they know major players and can “get things done” — enough to raise my suspicion. My best guesstimate: White Collar Hustlers.

Pump Brothers Resume:

• Involved with AAU ball since age of 16 (and we all know how much a money hustle AAU ball can be).
• Ran teams that got paid in upwards of 25K to play colleges in exhibition games — essentially, additional paid recruiting for college coaches (In 2004, the NCAA banned non-collegiate teams from playing in exhibitions).
• Association with Jim Harrick.
• A steady source of income through “involvement” with big-game tickets.

William Wesley Resume:

• Has the NCAA asking schools about him.
• A ringing endorsement from Michael Irvin: “What Paris Hilton has done in Hollywood, Wes has done in the sports world.”
• For some reason, Wesley was in Memphis’ post game handshake line against Tennessee this year.
• Got his first break from Rick Mahorn.

Read the articles and you be the judge. Maybe the Pump Brothers and William Wesley are simply Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen all rolled into one (a case study for Malcolm Gladwell). Not sure who I’d pick first in the shyster draft, but William Wesley is the guy whom I would most want in my corner. And hey, David Stern kinda has Worldwide Wes’ back. [True Hoop]

>> Who is Kobe dissing more: Puff Daddy P. Diddy Diddy….or Ronnie Artest?
Kings collar victory over Lakers [Sam Amick, sacbee.com]

“Kobe popped his collar in Sacramento, and the Kings’ fans weren’t too happy, so the best thing was to have a chance to pop it back,” said Artest.

“He’s got to get his own material,” Bryant said. “Don’t be (rapper) Puff Daddy and sample every song. You’ve got to create your own music sometimes.”

>> I’ve always been curious to see this happen with those “professional” trampoline jumpers at basketball games. I’ve also been curious as to how the NBA gets away with letting fans try…..they never know to jump off two feet, at least in the experiences I’ve witnessed at Washington Wizards games.

>> Along those lines, The 22 Worst Dunks Ever [on 205th]

>> When walking through the ticket scalpers around the Verizon Center, I often feel as if I were walking through Hamsterdam (you gotta watch HBO’s The Wire to know what that means). This sad story about a Milwaukee ticket scalper who keeps bobble-heads in his garage is nothing like that. Then again, maybe he’s the white Bubs of the ticket scalping world.

>> A kinder, gentler Peter Vescey?….he speaks out on Dennis Johnson not making it to the Basketball Hall of Fame….again. Yet, Vescey doesn’t take the time to rip into Dick Vitale. What gives? [NY Post]

>> Calling foul on those who said the NBA would increase crime [NewsOK.com]
Clearly a case of the vocal ignorant being the unsilent minority. Oklahoma City has more than shown the ability to support an NBA franchise; I just hope it’s not the Hornets or Sonics.

>> Bobby Knight on increasing the NBA age minimum, sort of…
“This is college basketball, and to keep it college basketball somehow the NCAA has got to do away with one-year players,” Knight said after mention of the USC-Kansas State game. “All you have to do is pass six hours the first semester and you can play right through the NCAA tournament. That’s not what college basketball should be, and the NCAA should be just ripped apart for allowing that to happen.” [LA Times]

>> Good to know that MJ is still on his game. [NY Post] Speaking of….do you need some Michael Jordan jeans? [The Big Lead]

>> Old man gets hit by bat (and it’s not in the crotch) [MachoChip]

>> Allen Iverson can dribble a pig-skin [YouTube]

>> Is Dirk Nowitzki’s wink to a kid in this commercial telling him to smoke weed, but just not bad weed? [Epic Carnival]

>> Simon on Sports presents great athletic BJs. How curious are you to click on the link?

>> Here’s to staying classy up at Penn State [Epic Carnival]

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After doing a google search for LeDell Eackles, thanks to this post from Mr. Irrelevant, I re-stumbled across this We Rite Goode post about our buddy LeDell, which sparked so many childhood memories of LaBradford Smith [dunking on the UCLA Bruins], Pervis Ellison [whudda thunk?, a highlight reel dedicated to Pervis....in a Bullets uniform], and Michael Adams. I could go on and on like grandpa on scotch; I’ll unlock my Bullets vault one day. By the way, it’s not like I never went to WR Goode, I just didn’t digest in my daily dose, thus missing some good shit (for lack of a better word). Point being, I’m back.

[Coincidently, it seems that Jake from Bullets Forever saw the same Ledell Eackles post from Mr. Irrelevant, googled LeDell to see what would return, and came up with a different LeDell Eackles-themed We Rite Goode post, It's French for 'the dell' - also well worth the read]

So, in catching up with WRG, I thoroughly enjoyed this more recent post, Root of the problem: New website, same old complaints which spoke of this article on theroot.com [I Don't Do Brackets, and Here's Why. by Martin Johson]. Thus inspired to do so, I began composing a comment on WRG which became obnoxiously long before I knew it…..obviously down the path towards a blog post of my own.

In order for the below to make sense, you gotta go read the two non-LeDell Eackles articles above.

Why hate me?

Plain and simply, Martin Johnson never makes a lucid argument as to why he doesn’t “do” brackets.

The NCAA tournament is about players, regardless of skill or background, playing their hearts out because, pardon the cliché, there is no tomorrow….. literally. Most of these guys will, indeed, move on, never again to play the sport they love at a competitive level such as the NCAA tournament. Johnson may not be blaming the kids (yes, I’m 27 and calling college basketball players “kids”), but he sure is insulting them with denotations of desperation. How can one blur the lines between being desperate and having the desire to perform in the spirit of competition?

I, my friends, fill out brackets for that. For the the excitement, the intensity of basketball players putting all they have, all they’ve been taught, on the line. Ok, aaaaand for a chance to win money, clearly. But unless you’re dropping Charles Barkley-like loot on gambling when you are clearly not the Chuckster, filling out a bracket amounts to harmless fun. That is, assuming you are not a faceless corporation which gets uptight with the annual “man hours lost to NCAA tournament” article. U.S. businesses should embrace an event such as the NCAA tournament as the rest of the Mother Earth does for the World Cup (and actually, more and more firms such as my current place of “regular” employment are showing the tourney games on a conference room television).

Filling out a bracket for the Big Dance has become as American as voting…..perhaps, and sadly, more American than voting. But give me a candidate who pushes for the first NCAA Thursday and Friday off as a national holiday and I will give them my ear. Such a holiday would allow college students to avoid missing classes as well. I have severely digressed.

So, if not the kids, who is Martin Johnson blaming for the deteriorating state of college basketball? Johnson evidently hates the “system” and expresses fogey sentimentalism over fundamentals, or lack thereof. Quite novel of Johnson to point out the obvious. With the undeniable decline of the United States in the international basketball arena, Johnson is a day late and and an intelligent argument short on his tirade.

In other words, tell us something we don’t know about the landscape of American basketball. You don’t think because of the prevailing Olympic/international basketball competition crisis that the basketball thought-leadership in this country is not on notice? They are. For a while now, it’s been self-evident that the ever flattening world is “catching up” in more ways than basketball. I’m am confident that the awareness has been and will continue to lead to positive steps in the right direction, at least on the hardwood.

Which leads to Johnson’s “best days are gone…not coming back” fatalism – Drama Queen Please. Give the 1-year NBA rule some time, it will have a progressive effect on the top programs and the recently increasing DI college basketball parity will get a trickle down dose of Reaganomics. Not to mention that NBA Commissioner David Stern aims to further increase the age limit….and I think he will in time. An additional year seems ideal.

You know, I wouldn’t even blame Martin Johnson that much if he called himself a basketball fan, yet was neutral in regard to the NCAA tournament. No, he is so disgusted that the Big Dance makes the hair on his neck stand.

The usual diminishing fundamentals argument derives at the top with the NBA. But perhaps seeking a fresh perspective with shock-value, Johnson is using the annual NCAA tournament bracket frenzy as a scapegoat for his inability to hit the quality story dartboard while blindfolded. Only a fool with a black heart (now I’m being dramatic) would go after those poor “unpaid” college players. (I shouldn’t have to tell you why unpaid is in quotes….I’m sure alumni cash cows filter down to mid-majors as well.) Have I digressed again?

In any case, I didn’t intend to make my defense of filling out NCAA brackets an attack on Martin Johnson. But it was his remarks which put me on the defensive in the first place. Seems that if the situation is not ideal, then Johnson lacks enjoyment flexibility. Mid-life crisis? That had to have been ages ago for the 48 years-young Marty. With his “confusion” over match-ups, I’d say he’s a couple early bird spec
ials away from needing bifocals.

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I know this about the game of basketball: If a shot, or rebound, goes off someone from the defending team and into the basket, it counts. I’ll go on to assume that if the ball bounces off the floor hard enough and by chance goes into a basket, that counts for points as well. So, what’s to keep me from thinking that a shot taken from the opposite basket, which leaves a player’s hand before the buzzer, and is not touched by any other player on the court, should count if it bounces off the floor and through the net?

Basically, should the referee have caught that ball?
—-

On to the Wizards game….if you want a preview, head to Bullets Forever, or check out my Wizards Rundown.

1st Quarter

• No Gilbert of course, no Caron, no Antonio.
• DeShawn Stevenson’s left knee is swollen, but he’s still playing.
• 11:38 – Jamison nails the first points for the Wizards, a long 2 from the right wing. I’m thinking potential 40+ point game for him.
• 10:59 – Andray Blatche makes a confident baseline drive against the porous Phoenix D. The result is an assist for AB to Brendan Haywood.
• 10:05 – Haywood needs to step up or Jamison needs get through the screen. Either way, the Wizards can’t just give Grant Hill open jumpers. 4-4 game.
• Suns get a couple easies, Eddie calls timeout down 8-4, under 9:00.
• 10:21 – I guess we’re living with the outside jumpers from Amare Stoudamire?
• 7:38- Comcast is struggling with their coverage…missed a Suns fast-break point earlier and randomly threw the Wizards logo on the screen during a made Haywood jumper.
• The game is getting sloppy for the Wizards, a couple turnovers, a foul on a Suns fast-break….17-8 Phoenix lead. Amare Stoudamire set a pick that clocked Roger Mason coming down the court one time…..the Wizards need to raise their defensive awareness.
• Andray Blatche has been active in multiple areas: deflecting passes, hitting the offensive boards, looking for teammates.
• The Wizards are doing a fair job on defense as the Suns go a stretch of over 3 minutes without scoring, 4 minutes between FGs, both by Amare Stoudamire. 3:33 left, Suns up 17-14.
• But the spacing and patience for Washington on offense looks off on a couple possessions.
• 2:56 – Jamison rebound put-back…..he also has the potential to make Phoenix pay with his effort on the boards. 2 offensive, 4 total rebounds already. 19-16 Suns.
• The Wizards are scraping and keeping the packed house quiet. Game tied at 21 after a long Nick Young jumper, 1:40 left – 13-4 Washington run in last 5 minutes
• Phoenix scores the next 6 points to finish off the first 12 minutes, 27-21 Suns.
• DeShawn Stevenson limps to the bench. I mean really….what’s next?
• The Suns are shooting 57.1% while the Wizards are at 34.6%.
• Phoenix has only taken 3 three-pointers, making 1.
• The Wizards need to keep hitting the boards hard, 5 offensive rebounds so far.
• Eddie Jordan tells ESPN he wants Nick Young to be aggressive in the open floor. Let’s see if he complies.
• It would help if Brendan Haywood guarded Amare Stoudamire, he’s 6-6 with 13 points.

2nd Quarter

• 10:36 – A nice drive to the basket earns Nick Young some FTs….good that he’s not settling for mid-range fade-aways, 30-26 Suns.
• Phil Chenier points out that if the court is not balanced for the Wizards on offense, more opportunities are created for Phoenix to fastbreak.
• You can’t beat Phoenix without a reliable point guard.
• Eddie Jordan mic’ed up on ESPN….”Get Back, Get Back, Get Back”….like a repetitive patriarch.
• 8:06 – Nick Young does have a nice arsenal of moves….including a spin then step back jumper from the FT line. Very smooth. 36-30 Suns.
• 7:16 – Dominic McGuire blocks a Raja Bell 3 attempt….super quick and deceptive close-out on the shooter.
• 6:44 – 3 on 1 break for the Wizards, led by Roger Mason, a pass to Young….and a promising unselfish play from Nick The City with the immediate push back to Roger for the layup. 36-32 Phoenix.
• DeShawn stays in the game despite the knee trouble……tough dude.
• 4:22 – Blatche is having trouble keeping up with Amare Stoudamire too, 17 points for the all-star, 43-34 Phoenix.
• 4:11 – Jamison ends his 10 minute scoring drought with a 3…12 points for AJ. The Wiz need him in the zone.
• 3:42 – What a great play from Phoenix. Steve Nash running a pick and roll on the right wing….inside help from a 3rd Wizard defender goes with the roller but Boris Diaw is left open for a jumper at the top of the key. Nash’s 4th assist puts the Suns up 46-37.
• 20 of Phoenix’s 48 points have come in the paint.
• 1:59 – Haywood throws up some trash…..spinning and fading away from the basket.
• 1:46 – Nick Young with a huge block of a Barbosa layup attempt….I’m sure the Suns don’t take too kindly to his gloating.
• 1:20 – 2 blocks on 1 possession for Stoudamire….on Unbreakable, Andray Blatche.
• 1:01 – Andray’s confidence bringing the ball up in the open court has really improved since the beginning of the season. He sets Haywood up nicely, who can’t finish, but gets fouled by busy-body Amare. 51-43 Suns after both BTH FTs.
• 0:05 – More signs of life from Haywood…Phil C says he looked disappointed because he didn’t receive the ball in the post, but Brendan got the o-board, putback, And 1. 51-46 Wizards.
• The 2nd quarter ends with Amare Stoudamire’s first miss, at the buzzer.
• Not a bad effort by the Wizards at all. I’ll take the 5 point deficit, but is there enough gas in the tank with the depleted personnel?

Stat Half

• The Wizards are 11-12 from the FT line, a good sign of following the game plan. Phoenix is 5-6.
• The Suns have 22 FGs on 14 assists — par for the course, both for the Sun offense and the Wizard defense.
• Blatche has not scored, but he has 2 steals and 7 rebounds (3 on the offensive glass).
• Stoudamire
  is showing who’s boss with his 18 points, 7-8 FG, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
• Jamison leads the Wizards with 16.
• Haywood came on late with 11 points, he was a little limited with 2 fouls.
• 8 offensive rebounds and 8 second chance points for the Wizards.
• Stephen A. Smith ends the ESPN halftime show with a “They need Caron and Gilbert.” Thanks genius.

3rd Quarter

• 11:18 – Andray Blatche continues to work hard, despite not getting a foul call. He muscled his way past Boris Diaw for a bucket.
• 10:55 – Roger Mason is doing a man’s work as well with a hard fought drive to the basket, Suns up 55-50.
• 10:21 – Stevenson drives and misses, he definitely looked limited by the knee….his mouth, however, is not limited has he throws a mini-fit and let’s the ref hear it down the court.
• 9:39 – 3 pointer from DeShawn….maybe he’s just like Sidney Deane from White Men Can’t Jump…he plays better when he’s mad. Wiz are down 3, 57-54.
• 9:08 – Jon Barry references Andray Blatche with a “shades of Hakeem Olajuwon” statement….Blatche does make Brian Skinner look like a fool with a Dream Shake. 5 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and 9 rebounds for AB at this point.
• Still, Phoenix continues to run and the Wiz can’t get closer. Timeout by Eddie J, 61-56 Suns.
• 7:26 – This time a Haywood fading jumper is nailed…BTH is coming on since I talked about him throwing up a garbage shot. 15 points. 63-60 Suns.
• 6:27 – Andray Blatche throws down a hard dunk over Stoudamire…and Brian Skinner, who gets hit dead in the mug by the ball coming through the net. Barry is impressed by AB’s ability to put the ball on floor.
• AB goes out to get a rest…..is that the right thing to do? He’s hot, I’d leave him in longer than the first 6 minutes of the 3rd. Songaila enters the game for him.
• 5:50 – Nash turns the ball over, the 8th for Phoenix, 1st turnover of the quarter for either team.
• 5:38 – Jamison draws a foul on the other end, his 2 FTs tie the game at 66.
• Dangerous save by Mason to Jamison…right under Phoenix’s basket…dodged one there. AJ goes down to hit a 2, keeps the tie at 68.
• 4:26 – Stevenson hits a 3, the Suns score within 6 seconds. DeShawn is definitely soldiering on with a noticeable limp, as long as it doesn’t hurt the team.
• 3:18 – D-Song fouls Stoudamire on a baseline drive after a Nash pass….mimicking a previous play. Songaila needs to improve his feet quickness….on the other side of the coin, someone needs to stop Steve Nash with the ball so D-Song is not faced with an impossible situation.
• 2:26 – BTH dropping baseline jumpers and holding the pose, 17 points for Haywood, 80-75 Suns.
• 1:27 – Roger Mason Jr. hits a 3 like it ain’t nuthin’ to him.
• 0:53 – And it really ain’t, Mason hits another 3 and the Wiz take an 81-80 lead.
• Raja Bell has a quick answer in less than 10 seconds. 83-81 Suns.
• The Suns push the score to 85-81 and the Wiz had the ball with 3 point whatever on the clock….and they can’t even get a shot off. Nick Young gets thoroughly confused by a double-team.
• Still, the Wizards are hanging tough. Only 8 points from the bench….what bench? The City with 6, D-Song hasn’t scored, D-Mac has 2 in 6 minutes and O-Pech didn’t get in until the last 2 minutes of the 3rd.

4th Quarter

• Steve Buckhantz reports that Glen Consor was activated to participate in a Wizards practice the other day…..no socks and running shoes. Crazy.
• 8:58 – Nick Young out of control and on the verge of losing the ball….he comes close to charging Steve Nash, no call. Nick keeps his composure and hits the short jumper in the middle of the paint. 10 for him, Wiz down 2, 89-87.
• Grant Hill is leading a push for Phoenix.
• 7:30 – Amare is stealing the ball from Nick Young and making athletic fast break buckets.
• 95-87 Phoenix, timeout and Eddie Jordan is mad, holding onto the ball.
• Nerves getting the best of the Wiz…..they can’t take advantage of some chances.
• The Wizards are getting the ball in the paint, they just need to finish the job. They’re in reach, down 7…95-88, but I’m not sure how long the window will be open.
• 4:41 – Raja Bell closes that window a little with a 3 to put the Suns up 10.
• 4:14 – Amare is hitting bank shots on a Sunday, 29 points for him.
• 3:33 – Strong drive by Stevenson, And 1…game within 5. The Lock Smith looks like he’s using every ounce of energy.
• 3:11 – Careless and costly turnover as Jamison tries to pass it to the wrong guy, Haywood.
• 2:37 – Haywood putback slam…100-97 Phoenix. 7-0 Wiz run, 21 points for Haywood.
• 1:42 – The 2-time MVP with a three, Blatche did not step up on the pick and roll. Only 8 points for Steve Nash.
• 1:04 – Jamison great basket…he catches a lob pass and shoots a reverse layup all in one motion. 103-99 Suns.
• 0:39 – Can the Wiz get a stop? Yes, but Diaw gets an offensive rebound. That hurts.
• 0:21 – RMJ with a three….18 points for him…a step-back and Michael Jordan shove on Nash. 105-102 Suns.
• 0:16 – Grant Hill gets fouled, rather him at the line than Nash…..he misses the 1st, makes the 2nd. Eddie takes the final timeout, Washington down 4.
• Insane sequence…Stevenson has a hard time getting the ball in bounds…seems like there were a couple open looks. He tosses a crazy pass across the width of the court to Roger Mason. There’s a fight for the ball, Mason scrambles to get it…..misses a 3, but Jamison gets the rebound and just misses the putback. AJ gets fouled and nails both FTs. 106-104 Phoenix, 8 seconds left.
• No one likes DJ Strawberry….he’s twice wide-open in the back court on the Suns side-out. The first time, Grant Hill elects to take a timeout. The second time, the Suns almost get a 5 second call…Stoudamire gets fouled and makes both FTs, 30 total in a row for him.
• The Wiz get the ball, but they wait until the last second to make a three pointer. They lose by 1 point. 108-107.

What can you say? Great effort guys. Losing sucks. Injuries suck. This game is in the past. Nice work from both Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche…we can only hope they parlay this into more consistent performances on a nightly basis. The “Rookie Tour” continues.

NBA.com Box Score

In Other News: NBA Coaches are Getting Catty There Days.

Gregg Popovich on the Pau Gasol Trade:

“What they did in Memphis is beyond comprehension,” said Popovich. “There should be a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense. I just wish I had been on a trade committee that oversees NBA trades. I’d like to elect myself to that committee. I would have voted no to the L.A. trade.”

Ivaroni’s Response:

“[Popovich is] a great coach and they do a good job there,” Iavaroni told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I don’t read into anyone else’s comments. That’s just the nature of the league. People have a right to their opinion. We’re just taking care of our best interests.”

Meh, what’s new?

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Still not convinced he’s a jerk? Well, go watch this video of OJ pushing a ref to the floor. He gets one technical foul after a dunk. The clip is cut, but he seems to hold onto the ball after the jam in yet another celebration of himself. A player from the opposing team seems to bait OJ into getting a second tech, after which he knocks the referee to the floor.

If you still aren’t convinced, I implore you a read more:

• Down With The OJ Mayo Era by Bill Simmons
• Or….the famed ‘Don’t call me, I’ll call you’ NY Times article on Mayo
• Or….FireThisPerson.com’s thoughts on OJ Mayo
• Or….Baron Davis wondering who the hell this kid thinks he is.

So why am I shedding all this attention on a selfish punk?

Well, today marked the college debut of OJ Mayo and he could not be happier. The USC Trojan freshman scored 32 points while supporting his teammates with 27 shots and numerous turnovers (try 8). Really frosh, an arm/elbow sleeve on both arms? Really? You should wear sleeves on both legs. Oh, you have those too? Well, how ’bout that wack-ass headband that Ron Artest used to advertise for in Slam Magazine? In fact, the only people who should even own those are Ron Artest, OJ Mayo, kids who live in padded rooms, and adults who wear diapers for pleasure.

Oh, did I mention that 18th ranked USC lost to Mercer? Way to go boys.

Curious enough, this was USC’s first organized game of the year. Period. They play one exhibition game….and that’s on December 8th. What are you doing Tim Floyd? Letting a kid run your show and then not adequately preparing your team? OJ Mayo, basketball’s Terrell Owens.

Oh yea…shot out to my boy Ben West who turns the Big Three-O tomorrow. And where did Ben go to school? USC of course. Don’t worry son, I’ll buy you shot later.

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