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.     

Day 13: Blazers-Mavericks (Game 6)

The first round of the NBA Playoffs is finally over and consequently, so is my Daily NBA Blog series. I know what you're thinking: "Who cares? I didn't really read any of them anyway, well, maybe the Bulls ones, and I skimmed over a few points in the others. I figured you'd be regurgitating the same old, tired story lines and didn't really feel like rereading them from a less reputable source."

Well, imaginary reader, you're not entirely wrong. But why such harsh judgement? Just because I've been known to come up short a time or two hundred doesn't mean I can't trump history and come through in the clutch. With the Dallas Mavericks as my witness, I'm asserting myself and shattering the preconceived notions that define me.

The Blazers were the popular upset pick (I picked them in six!) in the first round. Portland seemed to have put it all together, fully incorporating Gerald Wallace into their plans. They also put the clamps on Dallas in the last week of the season. Add to the equation Dallas' fair reputation as Playoff choke-artists and the ingredients for an upset seemed to be layed out in a straight line on the kitchen counter.

The most fascinating thing about this series is that, save for the last five minutes of Game 6, it went according to "plan." Dallas and Portland each took their first two home games. Dallas started Game 5 sluggish, slowly recovered, and blew Portland out in the second half. It was the type of "false-confidence" game Dallas has so willfully provided over the last five years. Just when you think they're destined for something great, they uphold your expectations and drop them at the pace of a JJ Barea floater.

Let's head to the the 44 second mark of the third quarter in Game 6. Jason Terry hits a long jumper to put the Mavericks up 75-58, the largest lead they would have all game. All the better. They have built up a lead perfectly suited to make Dallas fans think they're in control, and just close enough to make NBA fans feel like the Mavs can fuck this up. Portland follows with a LaMarcus Aldridge layup and two Gerald Wallace free throws to close out the quarter. 75-62. The seeds of a collapse have been planted.

The fourth quarter also begins according to "plan." Portland gets off to a 9-2 run and Dallas' 17-point lead from four minutes ago has suddenly dwindled to six with just under ten minutes remaining. Then Dirk Nowitzki happened. Dallas starts pounding the ball in the post to Nowitzki and he makes three straight shots, including his patented, one-legged fadeaway that I can't even convert regularly on my mini-hoop. Aldridge matched Nowitzki's brilliance and the game seemed to be heading towards a battle of bests. Give the ball to your best player, get the hell out of the way, and hope he can outscore the other team's best player.

A Gerald Wallace dunk with five and a half minutes left put the Blazers within one. The Blazers seemed poised to take over the game but didn't convert a field goal attempt for five minutes. The Mavericks inexplicably went away from Nowitzki but Terry, Marion, and Kidd put Portland away with a number of clutch shots of their own.  Nowitzki closed the game out with eight straight free throws.

Portland's future of contending for a Championship rests on Greg Oden's knees; not an enviable position. Meanwhile, Dallas reversed the choke narrative that had been written for them and we can finally see the Kobe-Dirk match up that somehow has alluded us all these years. With the NBA as their witness, the Dallas Mavericks asserted themselves and broke from the preconceived notions that defined them. But can they do it again? And again, and again....

Since it went so well the first time (semi-sarcasm) here are my second round picks:

EAST

(1) Bulls vs. (5) Hawks ---> Bulls in 5

(2) Heat vs. (3) Celtics ---> Heat in 7

WEST

(8) Grizzlies vs. (4) Thunder --->  Thunder in 6

(2) Lakers vs. (3) Mavericks ---> Lakers in 6  

Shout out to the Grizzlies, whose Game 6 victory I only caught parts of. Hence, I won't be writing about it. Zach Randolph is the best story of the Playoffs so far.

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.