Chocolate Shoulders

Somehow this went virtually unnoticed during the 2011 All-Star festivities. Playful, yet unsettling metonymy or: 

Raymond Felton is figuring out a way to get Dwight to Portland. It's the hardest he's worked in years.

To All The Przybillas and a Hundred Dollar Billas

"Disappointment never looked this good."

I happened again. The Bulls dropped their third in the last five after only losing three of their first sixteen games. It's obviously time to panic. You can only place the onus on Deng's return for so long. The Bulls need to make a move and they need to do it now. Dwight Howard recently said he'd be interested in playing in Chicago. He also unknowingly agreed to a long-term deal with the Beirut Bandits, so take his word for what it's worth. Howard to the Bulls isn't happening and Bulls fans know it. Think smaller, more under the radar, but big impact implications. Consider a different 7-foot shot-blocking machine who used to grab 20 boards when given the playing time. Think Joel Przybilla. He's been waiting patiently. He's wants back in. He has plenty to prove and he needs to prove it in a Bulls uniform.

Przybilla was the 9th overall pick in the 2000 Draft--a draft renowned for its legendary awfulness. This alone makes him a particularly suitable candidate to play 10 minutes a game every tenth game. The oft-injured center was seen jiving on the bench with Greg Oden during his six-year stint in Portland. The duo made the best of a frustrating situation. They compared suits, often leaving the price tag on because who wants to pay for 55 different suits a season when they can just take them back? They chastised Andre Miller's haircut from a distance and exchanged sweet potato pie recipes. Occasionally Przybilla would be forced to leave his friend and play in a game that night. Oden, sulking and lonely, watched as Przybilla developed into a defensive force. He blocked shots and grabbed rebounds with the ferociousness of a descending turkey vulture. He did all of the things (besides score) that Oden was supposed to do better and more frequently for the Trail Blazers.

The Sixers scored 46 of their 98 points in the paint (47 percent) against the Bulls last night. That number is entirely too high for a perimeter-oriented team. Now I ask you, would Przybilla's presence at the end of the Bulls' bench not help in this department? Would his acquisition not put the Eastern Conference on notice like Rasual Butler's did last year? At the very least, Przybilla provides insurance should one of the bigs go down with an injury, assuming Przybilla doesn't go down with an injury first. Przybilla's arrival would also allow Brian Scalabrine to return to the familiar 'victory cigar' role he excelled at last season. In a lockout-shortened season bereft of continuity, Przybilla's arrival could change everything.

As much as I would like to suggest differently, my newfound support of Przybilla is motivated by a case of 'Keeping up with the Jameses.' Przybilla is currently mulling over offers from the Bulls and Heat and expected to make a decision sometime this week. If the Bulls don't get Przybilla, then the Heat do, and I don't want the Heat to get anyone. Envy has its limits. The Heat can take Eddy Curry and place whatever hopes they feel comfortable with on his ability to not register on the Richter Scale. Eddy Curry at best is a resealed driveway. Przybilla could potentially be new siding. I don't care if you can't afford it. You dip into the savings, call up your father-in-law crying, do whatever you have to do to make sure your asshole neighbors aren't the only ones in the neighborhood with new siding.

In summation, Joel Przybilla will contribute very little to the Bulls. He won't play unless someone is injured, but he will designate Scalabrine back to the bench. He may be the secret weapon to clogging up driving lanes in the playoffs or he may pull up lame his first game back on the court. He certainly will not have a problem elbowing a driving Derrick Rose in the head, and I would much rather it be a driving LeBron James or Dwyane Wade he is elbowing in the head. The Heat could use a goonish big man and thus, should not be allowed to have one.

Make it happen Bulls. Send someone else out on the recruiting trip if Derrick Rose doesn't want to go. Joel Przybilla cannot land in Miami. Where he goes will shift the balance of power in the East or make no difference at all.     

The Inevitable Tandems

Superstars change teams. A year and a half ago, following The Decision, 'pundits' tried to convince us otherwise. The most popular and definitive of statements to come from the mess: "Micheal Jordan never would have done that." 'That' being the most vile and disgusting atrocity one man could commit against another, verbalized in an all-too-serious tone. LeBron James' arrival in Miami was supposed to signify the end of competitive balance in the NBA and usher in an era were the league's superstars placed money (even though James took a pay cut), a desirable place to live, and playing alongside friends above winning. Winning, supposedly a player's sole concern in the good ol' days, is an easy concept to trumpet when players aren't making as much money or afforded the same less-restrictive free agent policies. These buzzword-driven discussions in the summer of 2010 didn't mean much. They all became different ways to say, I DON'T WANT THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE PLAYING FOR THE SAME TEAM, unless these players happen to collude their way on to the team I root for, in which case, I'm all for it.

Carmelo Anthony was last year's high profile player attempting to switch teams. Rather than wait for free agency, he sped the process up. He demanded a sign-and-trade because he could make more money signing the Nuggets' extension than signing as a free agent with the Knicks under the new CBA. Despite his selfish motives, I still thought he was doing the kind thing. He made it be known he wasn't going to resign with the Nuggets so they could get something in return for him. Denver did acquire a nice haul and to this day, various people on Twitter brings up how successful the Nuggets have been since they traded Carmelo. Cleveland was left with Antawn Jamison and no 2010 draft picks when LeBron left. Anthony to the Knicks was viewed as another instance of superstars teaming up.

Chris Paul was this year's Carmelo. He never explicitly stated where he wanted to go, but made it known he wasn't resigning with the Hornets. When news broke he was heading to the Lakers, the same outrage directed towards LeBron and Carmelo was not there. Part of this was probably due to the fact Kobe was no longer in his prime. David Stern, by vetoing the trade, also took plenty of heat and discussion away what the Lakers team would have actually looked like. When the Paul deal with the Clippers was finalized, the reactions were anything but disappointment. People were excited. LOB CITY! This excitement, no doubt, was motivated by the potential to see exciting basketball. But why not the same complaints of superstars teaming up? Is Blake Griffin not viewed as a superstar, or did the Clippers franchise, the NBA's model of futility, ease the burden? They're the Clippers, how much of a threat could they possibly be?

Dwight Howard has always been a popular target for criticism. He smiles too much. He's too nice. He can't control his temper. He's too mean. He doesn't have a post game. His entire persona is contrived, in the same way Shaq's was. He's bolting to LA to follow in Shaq's footsteps. Like Shaq, despite dominating the league, we'll speak of Howard in terms of what he could have been. Well, Howard developed a post game. He's curbed his on-court temper. For what it's worth (nothing), he's not smiling as much anymore. Unlike LeBron, Howard and Paul have been absolved of the blame surrounding their team's shortcomings. Where LeBron is typically accused of not getting it done with a good enough bunch, Howard and Paul are victims of incompetent front offices. For this reason, in addition to the general public's desensitization to superstar movement, Howard isn't being killed for wanting to switch teams.

I can't help but laugh at the talk surrounding Howard, though. No one is mad about Howard wanting to switch teams, but they are mad about which teams he wants to go to. His wish list is reportedly limited to the Nets, Lakers, and Mavericks. In IDEAL-NBA, where winning is everything, Chicago seems like a no-brainer. The Bulls have tradeable assets, including a center to replace Howard in Orlando. They have the best point guard in the league to complete a duo that makes more basketball sense than any of the other superstar pairings. But Howard doesn't want to go to Chicago. Speculation ranging from Howard's ego to Adidas' secret motives to Rose's disinterest in recruiting have all been used to explain away Howard's 'faulty' decision-making. We're back to square one. People cannot comprehend that a basketball player could be motivated by something beyond winning a championship immediately.

Save for his free throw shooting, there is very little observers can criticize about Howard's game anymore. He's developed the low post game his fans and detractors have been clamoring for. His mere presence practically guarantees a Top-5 defense. He is the NBA's best rebounder and at times its most dominant player. All that is left to bitch about are his team choices, which feels funny looking back to the negative feelings surrounding superstar movement only two summers ago. It seems that fans of the sport have accepted that superstars will change teams to play with other superstars. Then question becomes, how entertaining will these partnerships be for me, the fan? Fans, I think are no longer falling for 'good ol' days' sentiments that were never true to begin with. They feel superstars teaming up in desirable markets is almost inevitable, and just ask that these tandems make basketball sense.

A Wolf In Genie's Clothing

The day has finally arrived. Shaquille O'Neal has decided to retire and I'm overcome with the sentiment I always thought I would be: It's about time. Shaq's beaten and bloated body checked out three years ago. His media personality -- the attention-seeking egomaniac that cunningly masqueraded as a charming quote machine has run its course. At age 39, Shaq finally retired and don't think for a second that his timing -- a Wednesday, on the day off between NBA Finals games -- was not strategic. He wanted the spotlight all to himself, and the media will undoubtedly comply. It's the least they could do, really, for someone who provided week's worth of headlines and talking points during his 19-year career.

I'm probably being too harsh on Shaq. For all of his perceived character flaws, he was a tremendous player. Probably the most physically dominant basketball player I've ever seen. My appreciation for Shaq's offensive prowess divvies up nicely into three parts, which coincide with his stints in Orlando, Los Angeles, and Miami.

I was five years old when the Magic selected O'Neal with the first overall pick in the 1992 Draft. Growing up, I remember hearing about the physically imposing presence that Shaq was. He unabashedly dunked on his opponents, he brought down backboards, and did so because he was so much bigger and stronger than everyone he went up against. According to the people around me, Shaq was basically a brute. He dominated more because of his strength, almost in opposition to a fruitful set of basketball skills. This partly accurate understanding seems to have stuck.

When Shaq joined the Lakers in 1996, I was mostly preoccupied with the Bulls. Shaq's turn-of-the-decade championship years were when I really started to pay attention. I was intrigued by Shaq because he was still the most physically dominant player in the League -- capable of 30 and 15 every time out -- but possessed skills that I rarely heard people talk about. Sure, many if not most of his points were catches within five feet that he easily threw down. But I remember Shaq's footwork in the post being much more advanced than I would have thought for someone his size. I also thought he was never properly credited for his excellent touch around the basket. This was also around the time when team's began employing the "Hack-a-Shaq" philosophy. Shaq will always be remembered for his poor free throw shooting, mainly because sending him to the line in the early 2000s was the only chance you had at containing him.

Shaq joined the Heat in 2004 with plenty left in the tank. He almost won the MVP after his first year in Miami and was rewarded with a 100 million dollar contract. He began to break down the following year and was never truly the same. Shaq could no longer play major minutes and had lost some of the underrated athleticism that made him more than just a dunker. Forced to contribute in other ways, Shaq became a great passer, particularly out of double-teams in the post, and was a huge reason the Heat won the title in 2006.

O'Neal's last three years have rubbed me the wrong way. He was dealt to Phoenix and made some disparaging remarks about his teammates and coach in Miami on the way out. This was Shaq's specialty through out his career: he burned bridges everywhere he played, and disregarded the efforts and importance of the star player that played alongside him; and even non-teammates such as Yao Ming and Dwight Howard who threatened to take his spot as the next big thing at the center position. He blatantly chased championships during the last two years of his career in Cleveland and Boston. All of this has been swept under the rug though because he's Shaq. And the good-natured, 7-foot goofball couldn't possibly be in it for any other reason than to dunk a few basketballs and share a few laughs.

* * *

It's time to open up "The Box." "The Box" is a white, 16 x 25 cardboard box that weighs roughly 15 pounds and sits atop my bookshelf. It is filled with basketball memorabilia I collected during my childhood, mostly between 1993-2003. I start digging around inside whenever I feel the urge, or something like Shaq's retirement happens. I found a few interesting Shaq artifacts.

Here are a couple of cards from Shaq's Lakers days. Notice the way the back of both cards focus on his size and strength. Click on all of these pictures to enlarge.

The only player with a 40-20 in each of the first two games of a Playoff series. When you accomplish something having to do with points and rebounds that Wilt Chamberlain didn't, you're other-worldly.

In 2000-01, O'Neal scored 974 more points than any other center. By contrast, Dwight Howard led the League in scoring amongst centers in 2010-11. He scored 111 more points than Brook Lopez.

Here's a Shaq action figure. He's donning his 1993 NBA All-Star jersey. This once belonged to my brother. Hopefully he's not still looking for it.

And a Shaq basketball (the signature is not real). I remember taking this ball outside and playing with it once. Then a voice inside my head said, "What the fuck are you doing, Joe? You're going to want this to be in good condition so you can look at it when you're older." Foresight.

This is a Shaq rookie card in which he yams on Alonzo Mourning. Mourning probably got away with the foul.

Also making an appearance: Ol' Jud Buechler from the back-lookin' Tom Tolbert.

Remember me? I was the bald white guy that used to annoy the shit out of you during halftime before Jon Barry. Suck it, Jon. You'd be unemployable if it wasn't for me.

Shaq rookie card equipped with shiny, silver encasement. I thought this one would be worth at least 50 bucks. I saw it on eBay for as low as $1.25.

            
Shaq should be a controversial figure. Instead, he endeared himself to the media early and kept fans wrapped around his finger. Shaq was great at deflecting his own personal shortcomings into funny quips. He was also a hell of a basketball player, and a cultural icon. We'll remember him mostly for the latter two, and it's probably better that way.

Day 4: Magic vs. Hawks (Game 2)

I think of Dwight Howard as an aggressive driver. He has a vision of where he wants to go but is constantly impeded by basketball's version of "No Left Turn" signs, slow drivers, and radar-gun-toting police officers. Howard wants to take his sweet ass time on the free throw line. He wants to swing the ball over his head but a defender's cheek bone is always in the way. He wants to run the floor and establish quick low-post position, but there's always a smaller, inferior player waiting to flop into the third row. Howard recognizes the game's expansiveness but is unable to adapt to the traffic cones scattered across the court.

Worse yet, Howard doesn't trust the police...er....referees. He believes they are out to get him. Watch how LeBron, Wade, or 2011 Derrick Rose operate. They're confident that when the time comes, they can force the referee to rule in their favor. Howard operates with the knowledge that it's him against the world. He'll receive a blow to the ribs or a slap across the face and can do nothing but flash that incredulous stare. He knows that the slightest, well, slight of the referee's hand will get him T'd up, and still is unable to contain himself.

But make no mistake, Howard has been contained. It could be his personality or it could be his wavering confidence in the ref's ability to protect him, but we're not seeing Howard fully realized. He's arguably the most dominant player in the game and there is not one NBA observer who thinks he couldn't be more dominant. Will Howard learn to suppress his aggressiveness just enough to avoid the squad car nestled within the bushes? Can he recognize where the squad cars typically hide? Or will he be content as the driver of a Maserati, going 45 miles per hour along with the Camrys?   

The Magic will always be about Howard. At least until he bolts to LA, anyway. His teammates can sometimes be nothing more than scenery. Dwight could morph into 1962 Wilt Chamberlain, average 50 and 25 a night (not as much of a stretch as it seems playing 48 minutes a night), and the Magic would still lose. Howard does his thing, but Orlando is still viewed as a team that lives and dies at the three-point line. Howard's defense and offensive numbers are constant but it is Orlando's three-point shooting that puts them over the top.

How then, did they win Game 2 after draining only five of their 23 three-pointers? Unexpected contributions from Howard, of course. Forget about Dwight's numbers, Atlanta has defended him masterfully in this series so far. They've refused to double team him, allowing the four-headed monster (Jason Collins, Etan Thomas, Josh Powell, and Zaza Pachulia) to go one-on-one. All four have enough size and strength (and six fouls) to hang with Howard for the required five to twenty minutes. Collins in particular has done a great job of stripping the ball from Howard in the post. Dwight already has 15 turnovers in two games, in large part due to Collins' active hands.

The Hack-A-Howard strategy backfired on Atlanta in Game Two. Howard, who shot 59 percent from the line this year, went 15-19 from the line. Sure, Jason Richardson's three to put Orlando up seven with just over a minute to play was the biggest shot of the game. Al Horford's early foul trouble and subsequent inability to get into the flow of the game was huge. The fact that Howard only attempted 12 shots is a painful reminder that even he can disappear during crucial stretches of a game. But ultimately, Howard's free throw shooting was the difference. That's probably not what Orlando wants to rely on to win a game.

Howard has sat out TWO minutes through the first TWO games. The Magic barely came out with a win from their home court advantage. Exactly how many of his teammates can Howard pile into that Maserati? It is on the verge of breaking down.

A Good Cry

The Miami Heat taught us all a valuable lesson yesterday. Actually, a few valuable lessons. Firstly, about professional basketball, and secondly, their competitive spirit. The fun part of course is that we probably weren't meant to learn any of this.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's admission that a few Miami Heat players were crying in the locker room after their 87-86 loss to the Bulls set off yet another firestorm that the franchise has grown so accustomed to dealing with this year. Spoelstra's comments were meant to exhibit how badly the team wanted to win. Instead, most people used the comments to argue that the Heat were a mentally soft team, a viewpoint they probably already held, and were looking to confirm. And so goes the double standard...
There's a long-held view about the NBA, propagated mostly by the over-50 crowd that the players don't care. They're content earning a paycheck and being friends with each other. Basically, winning is the least of their worries.
The NBA naysayers point to the college game as a true model of how players should carry themselves. In this year's March Madness tournament, the camera will surely focus on a lone player on the bench, head down, crying into his towel. This will probably be a senior, and the best player on a lowly-ranked Cinderella team.
"Look at how passionate he is," the NBA naysayer will say. "Now that's a player who gave it his all, came up short, and couldn't hold his emotions in any longer. I've never seen an NBA player care that much."
So thank you Erik Spoelstra for revealing that your players were crying. Thank you Dwight Howard for going on The Dan Patrick Show and telling him that you cried numerous times after losses your rookie season, and also after losing the 2009 NBA Finals to the Lakers.
When college players cry it's because they care so much about the game, when professional players cry it's because they're pussies. NBA players care, maybe not all of them, but most do. The question should be, why are they crucified for caring?

There's some revisionist history at work regarding the 2010 Summer free-agency period. Most people now will say "The Decision" and the premature celebration parade the Heat threw before even filling out the roster were their main gripes. Lies, all lies.
The problem, in most people's eyes, was that LeBron and Wade, two of the best, if not the two best players in basketball were playing together. This was supposed to mark the end of competitiveness as we knew it. How could LeBron and Wade want to play together? Didn't they have a competitive bone in their body?
The Heat were looked at as a team that wanted to coast to a Championship. A team that would be able to put an end to all competition. Hell, even the Heat players themselves believed this. It hasn't worked out that way. The Heat are the third best team in the East. They're 1-9 against elite teams and have looked absolutely clueless on offense at times. It hasn't been easy, and it isn't going to be easy.
Now we're seeing the Heat's true colors. They realize they can't coast through the season. They're putting forth maximum effort, but guess what? They're just not that good. Not Championship-level good, at least.
I wrote a few weeks ago that teaming up may have been the most competitive thing the Heat could have done. The competition instead would come from within. Playing with elite teammates would in fact push them to greater heights, more so than playing against elite opponents ever could. Turns out I, and many others underrated their outside competition.
The Heat crying in the locker room tells me they've accepted a challenge and want to win. They may not win anything significant but it won't be because they're afraid of a little competition. At the end of the day, that's all I want. I want to feel like athletes give as much of a fuck as I do. And I believe the Heat do.
Some things are meant to stay in house. I'm glad this little crying incident didn't.

Big, Imposing Question Marks

Minding my own business a few days ago, I noticed a retweet from someone I was following which read something like this: "1) Rose wins MVP 2) Tibs wins COY 3) Bulls get 1 seed 4) Bulls win finals." The tweet, typed in earnest, was retweeted to mock Bulls fans and their tendency to be "a little" delusional.
But looking at that list, all of those things are possible, right? I've prided myself in remaining, or at least trying to remain rational throughout this season. The last thing I want to do is fall off the wagon now.
Either way, the tweet got me to thinking about the percent chance of each scenario occurring. These numbers are not based on any higher formula, just a simple high or low number used to signify likelihood.
Tom Thibodeau wins Coach of the Year --> 90 Percent. The COY trend is well known by now: give the award to the coach of the league's most improved team. Fresh off of two straight 41 win seasons and low playoff seeds, the Bulls are now in line to secure a Top 3 seed and a win total in the upper-50s. Most people expected the Bulls to improve, but not to the degree they have. A 4 seed and 50 wins seemed about right in preseason, and that was assuming the team would be healthy. Thibs has preached defense since day one and it shows. The Bulls are winning games on the defensive end.
Gregg Popovich is another candidate, but is often overlooked for the honor because the Spurs have been consistently good for so long. I'm not sure a 68 win season would even win him the award this year.
A wild card is first-year 76ers coach Doug Collins. Collins not only has Philadelphia in the playoff hunt, but challenging the Knicks for the sixth spot. In reality, the 76ers are probably the biggest surprise team of the NBA thus far. But a potential sixth seed doesn't compete with a possible one seed and legitimate Finals hopes.
Derrick Rose wins MVP --> 75 Percent. I've been going back and forth with this number. A few days ago I thought it was just right. Today, I feel it might be a little high. For the last month or so the MVP race seemed to be between D. Rose and LeBron. LeBron had the disadvantage of the whole Decision/playing with other superstars thing. Also, like the Spurs, he's so consistently good, we tend to overlook him. Rose seemed to be cast as the anti-LeBron and benefited from the misconception that Chicago would be a 20-win team without him.
But now Dwight Howard has entered the equation. If you're voting for the MVP based on numbers alone, then Howard deserves the award. Since the trade, he's averaging 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game. All while shooting 61 percent from the field. Even "video-game numbers" would be an inappropriate way to describe that beautiful stat line. Not to mention, Howard has a bigger impact on the defensive end than any other NBA player and is the sole reason Orlando has been a Top 5 defensive team for so long.
That's great, but isn't the MVP a reflection of his team's success to an extent? Orlando is no slouch, they're 38-22. However, here's something I've found interesting. In almost every Boston, Miami, or Chicago playoff article I've read, the writer has mentioned how important it is for BOS/MIA/CHI to secure the one seed, so they don't have to meet up with either BOS/MIA/CHI in the second round. As if Orlando would be an easy out in round 2. They're being completely overlooked and that has to count for something. The MVP is a regular season award, and the MVP should be on an elite team. Even after the trades, no one is buying that Orlando is an elite team.

Bulls win NBA Finals --> 20 Percent. This number is based off of my opinion that there are five legitimate title contenders: San Antonio, LA, Boston, Miami, and Chicago. I have no idea which team to pick. I think all five are equally capable of tearing through the playoffs, and being exploited. 20 percent is my way of saying the Bulls are one of five teams, and I don't think any team is the favorite.
The Bulls are 5-3 against these teams, with a losing record only against Boston (1-2). They have the size to match up with Boston and LA, the athleticism to hang with Miami, and the defensive prowess to contain San Antonio. It would help though, if they could win this upcoming game against Miami, and secure at least one road win against an elite team.
Bulls earn the 1 Seed --> 15 percent. If the Bulls were to procure the number one seed in the East, they'd need two things to happen:
1) Boston to lose in Chicago and Miami, in addition to blowing a few "gimme" road games. The Celtics have the fifth highest road winning percentage in the NBA.
2) Miami needs to continue their futility against good teams and lose at least half of their next ten games.
Here's the breakdown:

CELTICS 43-15
12 of 24 remaining games against playoff teams
13 Road Games
@Chicago, @Miami

HEAT 43-17
13 of 22 remaining games against playoff teams
9 Road Games
vs. Chicago, vs. Boston

BULLS 41-17
12 of 24 remaining games against playoff teams
13 Road Games
@Miami, vs. Boston

The Heat have the most intriguing race to the 1 seed. Their next ten games are against playoff teams. They have a combined 6-6 record against those teams, plus two meetings with San Antonio, who they haven't played yet. This ten game stretch will make or break their chances of grabbing the top seed. They play 8 of these 10 games at home. If the Heat can come away with 7 or 8 wins in that stretch, they should set themselves up nicely for a push towards the one seed.
The Celtics currently hold a one game advantage over Miami, and two games over Chicago. While they have Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to incorporate into the system, the core of their team has been together for the last four years. They're a veteran team and, I hate this cliche but, know what it takes to win.
Here's something else the Boston Celtics know: the Chicago Bulls are the only Eastern Conference team that can beat them in a seven game series. I believe wholeheartedly that they're terrified of facing the Bulls in the playoffs. That will be motivation enough to focus on the top spot and hope the Heat can knock the Bulls off. If they have to play the Bulls in the EC Finals, they do so knowing they have home court advantage against a team with limited postseason experience that has played poorly on the road this year.
The Celtics know this is probably their last stand. No way I see them loosening the reins and letting the one seed slip away.
I'm still concerned about the Bulls' propensity to lose on the road and play down to inferior competition. The good news is that they finally have their full team healthy. Perhaps having everyone back will instill a focus in them. Regardless, the Bulls are the dark horse to grab the one seed, and whether they do or not, will likely have the most momentum heading into the playoffs.
A few months from now, we'll have the answers to all of these questions. I'm 100 percent sure of that.

Gerald Green - The NBA's Forgotten Top Prospect

Last night I watched the excellent ESPN 30 For 30 entitled Marcus Dupree: The Best That Never Was. I'm admittedly a sucker for the "What might have been" documentaries. Dupree was possibly the greatest high school running back ever. A mixture of immaturity, injuries, and bad advice, kept him from becoming the NFL star he was supposed to be.
In the middle of pondering my own failed athletic exploits and trying not to cry over Dupree's return to his old high school stomping grounds, I thought about a modern day NBA equivalent. The only real comparison would be LeBron James, had James flamed out and been out of the league a few years ago.
For the fun of it, I decided to look back at Rivals.com's top prospects between the years of 2002-07 and see how they panned out. Rivals was established in 2001, but didn't start ranking high school basketball recruits across positions until 2003.
Here's the list of the top high school basketball recruit according to Rivals.com:
2007 - Michael Beasley
2006 - Greg Oden
2005 - Gerald Green
2004 - Dwight Howard
2003 - LeBron James
This list produces a strange symmetrical effect. The first two players - James and Howard - have blossomed into stars and are well on their way to becoming Hall of Famers. The last two players - Beasley and Oden - have yet to take off. Oden has battled injuries during every year of his short career. Beasley finally has the opportunity to play more consistent minutes in Minnesota.
Sandwiched in the middle is Gerald Green. You may ask, who is Gerald Green? If you're not an avid follower of the NBA Slam Dunk Competition, you've probably never heard of him.

Green Winning the 2007 Dunk Contest



Green's Memorable "Birthday Cake" Dunk in the 2008 Contest




Green was the top high school prospect in the 2005 class and originally committed to Oklahoma State. He later decommited and decided to enter the NBA Draft. 2005 would mark the last year players were allowed to enter the draft straight out of high school. While Kwame Brown remains the poster child for players that should have honed their game in college, Green isn't far behind.
Fully expecting to be one of the top players taken in the 2005 Draft, Green fell all the way to the Boston Celtics' 18th overall pick. An incredibly raw talent, Green struggled to find playing time with the Celtics. While his 48 inch vertical leap left many in awe, it was his shoddy ball handling, broken jumper, and questionable practice habits that garnered the most attention.
Green's 2007 Dunk Contest victory proved to be both a gift and a curse. While his performance gained him a brief stint in the national spotlight, he became known solely as a high-flyer who couldn't do much else. That summer he was part of the mega deal that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston.
Green went on to play half of the next season with the Timberwolves before he was traded to the Houston Rockets, and then released shortly thereafter. Green played one more year for the Dallas Mavericks in 2008, his last in the NBA.
He played for a total of four NBA teams in his short four year career. Green's career numbers are less than stellar: 7.2 points and 2 rebounds per game on 42 percent shooting.
Green played in Russia in 2009 and has since been trying to find a place on an NBA roster. He was a member of the Lakers' NBA Summer League Roster but did not make the team.
If there's a silver lining in Green's story it's that he's only 24 years old and still healthy. He's at the age when most players are approaching their prime so there's still some hope. For now, we're left to think about the type of player Green could have became had he taken a few years to improve his game in college. He was supposed to be the next Tracy McGrady.   

Adidas, Let Derrick Rose Speak

If you've watched even a single quarter of NBA action thus far, you've likely been lambasted with Adidas "Fast Don't Lie" ads featuring Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard. I couldn't help but notice a pretty significant difference between the two.
Ken Jeong, aka Slim Chin, dripping head to toe in gold, plays pretty much the same character he has in all of his movies. Meanwhile,  Howard gets one good line, "Beast from the regular East," and a piano-laced sing-song excerpt at the end.
What does Rose get? A crossover dribble and a smile.

Howard's Commercial



Rose's Commercial



It's feels like the folks at Adidas were worried that Rose would mess the entire commercial up if he so much as uttered a word. I'll be the first to admit that Rose isn't a good public speaker. Would it be advantageous to give him a large speaking part? Probably not.
But c'mon, they could have given him ONE good line like they did for Howard. In fact, Rose is more than capable of carrying a commercial, as he did in this NBA 2K11 commercial that was widely circulated over the internet but didn't get too much TV time.



Rose carried that commercial. Every funny moment can be attributed to him. Rondo would have never dressed up in an apron, Josh Smith would have probably eaten the decedent desserts he was cooking, but what's Iggy and Westbrook's excuse?
Given the right lines, Rose can be funny, Adidas just has to let him. Stop perpetuating the myth that Dwight Howard is funny. He's a good natured athlete who jokes around and smiles a lot, but he's not funny.
Adidas would benefit from giving Rose the floor. They have to ask themselves, would they rather have one of the best young point guards in the NBA as the face of his OWN shoe, or the guy who is best remembered from leaping out of a trunk naked in The Hangover?

Just Wright - Two Rights Can Make A Wrong

We've all heard the saying "Two wrongs don't make a right." Theoretically then, two rights shouldn't make a wrong, correct? As I found out this weekend, that is most definitely not true.
How can Common, one of the greatest rappers of all time in my opinion, who gave us this classic metaphorical track, one of the greatest songs of the 90s...


and this classic DJ Premier produced cut, one of the greatest songs of the 2000s...



Coupled with basketball, the game that gave us such great moments as Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals game winner...



and John Havlicek's improbable steal to seal Game 7 of the 1965 Division Finals...



Create this travesty?

To be fair, I wasn't expecting this movie to be good. One look at the movie poster is all it takes to know this film is going to be filled with supremely awkward moments. For that reason alone, I decided to rent Just Wright and watch it with my girlfriend.
Here are my Top 5 train wreck moments:
1) Scott McKnight (Common) is playing the piano while rehabbing his knee injury. Yes, he apparently plays the piano quite well. Leslie (Queen Latifah, his physical therapist who becomes his love interest) brings him a plate of some marshmallow and chocolate chip cookie concoction. Scott takes a bite and whispers to Leslie in a pseudo-smooth voice, "Incredible." Common doesn't do the romantic moments too well.
2) Scott McKnight, star player for the New Jersey Nets, injures his knee while attempting a spin move...in the All Star Game. Has anyone ever tried hard enough to warrant an injury in the All Star Game? I had to laugh at this.
3) In that same All Star Game, they were able to reel in Marv Albert, Mike Fratello, and Kenny Smith to make an appearance as the announcing team. During the pre-game analysis, Fratello says something like, "We have many great stars here tonight. Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, but most people are here to see Scott McKnight." Too over the top, and since when do people watch the All Star Game to see one player? Isn't every All Star kind of a big draw?
4) Dwight Howard stops by McKnight's house to inform him that the Nets are not planning on offering him a new contract. While it's funny that he'd hear this news from Howard first, that's not the best part. Howard enters the room by grabbing Common's remote control airplane mid-flight and then does a dance my girlfriend says is called "The Stanky Leg."
5) The lack of chemistry between Common and Queen Latifah. Something tells me they'd have much better chemistry in the booth. Their kiss at the end of the movie was painful to watch. You could tell neither wanted any part of that. I would have preferred to watch 100 minutes of Paula Patton.
I'm not sure if this movie was intended to be a comedy, but it gave me a few laughs. If you're in to movies that are so bad they're good, check this one out.