The Jeremy Lin Q & A With Bob Dylan

"The Answer My Friend, Is Blowin' Lin The Wind."

What are your thoughts on Jeremy Lin, Bob? Linsanity. He's causing quite a stir in the States, we hear.

Linsanity? Linsanity? C'mon man. I don't know anything about a Linsanity, man. Would you ask The Beatles that question.? Well, would you?

I'm genuinely curious. The people in London have been fascinated by this story. We've never heard anything like it. Who would you liken Lin's rise to?

Jeremy Lin moved at his own speed, man. He rolled down the broad highway as the milkmen were sleeping. He built the machine too and by the time everyone figured it out they wanted to know his secret. And he was using the same tools that the artist before him neglected. It was more about what the free mind could see.

Many basketball fans have been skeptical of Lin's impressive numbers. Is there any way he can keep up this production?

Could Ezra Pound write couplets? Or better, would the blind man volunteer to scorch Ezra's lawn with his own rake. Men will chase the flashing lights in the distance, given the beauty of the light. Only to find out the light is the spark of the rifle and the rifle is the Bill of Rights.

How much of Linsanity can be attributed to his race? Does race play a factor in the way we perceive an athlete's ability to succeed?

Does it matter if the spaceship is Russian? Would you soak your father's boots in communist waters? The young virgin will unknowingly pick the poisonous flowers as the horrified audience looks on. It's all worthless, man. It's made up is what it is. We've all been fooled and the biggest dupes are those sitting alone in a dark room with the pillow over their heads.

Is Jeremy Lin really an underdog? He's been on an NBA roster the last two years and is an Ivy League graduate. His is not the typical profile of the down-and-out.

No one thought Fidel Castro could do it either. People want to see it one way and then are unable to see it the other. Age is a fixed race. Experience is cruise control. In Cambridge, do you think Jeremy Lin did what they always said? Take this test, take that one, and meet this recruiter, you'll need to know his name when you graduate. You'll need to drink the water without the sugar. He still found a way to hoist up 500 jump shots. The most difficult tests are the ones without a time limit.

What role has the media played in the shaping of Lin's narrative? What has this story revealed about the power of the media?

The downtrodden shake hands with the curious youth and are still not fit to wash the politician's hands. Rivers of blood appear red when your loved ones trudge through puddles to get to work. I'd leave with her but I'd also leave without her, not wanting to hurt her, of course. Judgement is bestowed upon everyone. It depends on whom you place the label of "God." Pass that man his umbrella. It's raining and he hasn't a jacket.

How would you characterize the American public's reaction to Lin?     

What else is there to write about, man. Who are you with anyway? You're just buying your time. Waiting for Time Magazine or the Washington Post to call.

You think lowly of me and my profession, I see. I'll have you know I work very hard at my craft. 


That very well may be, man. Don't let me deter you. You can be whatever you want to be. I believe you. You can conversate with Shakespeare in a New Orleans cafe while wearing a three-piece suit. I'm sure the deer and the antelope will be impressed with your stapler and your no. 2 pencil. Allen Ginsberg would hate you, man. Have you ever even known a real poet, man? A poet who recognizes the faulty logic of the moving sky?

Do you think Lin will ever be able to coexist with Amar'e and Carmelo?


Geese never fly alone. I've skimmed through the Bible, you know. I've thrown a baseball off the tallest building. I've shoveled dirty snow. Jeremy Lin needs the time and respect only present in his mind. He needs to find the elusive Allen wrench and tune the water clock. When he completes that everything should fall into place. He'll sing songs to the oak trees and pass the golden staff to his grandfather.

Day 2: Celtics-Knicks (Game 1)

A Celtics-Knicks first round match up wasn't supposed to happen. Then trades happened. The Celtics were the top team in the East and expected to reach the NBA Finals for a second straight year. Hours before the trade deadline they traded center Kendrick Perkins, who many considered the anchor of their very good defense. The Celtics went into a tailspin, finished the season 15-12 and dropped to the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference. Perkins had missed most of the season when the Celtics were playing well, so he hardly was the sole reason for their collapse. But his departure certainly became the easy answer. Undoubtedly, the close-knit Celtics were at least damaged emotionally by the unexpected trade.

Three days prior to Boston's deal, the Knicks acquired their year-long target, Carmelo Anthony. The much scrutinized Knicks finished the season 14-14 with Melo and were accused of giving up too much for him. What often goes overlooked is that New York was only 28-26 before the Melo deal, so record-wise, they weren't much worse. The new look Nuggets finished the season 18-7 and improved to a 5-seed, fueling much of the criticism the Knicks received. Both limped unexpectedly into the playoffs and created for themselves an unlikely match up.

Jermiane O'Neal, yes that Jermaine O'Neal, could be the key to the series. Jermaine was supposed to back-up the bigger, more famous O'Neal, but 350-pound 39 year-olds generally have a difficult time getting back into basketball shape. Shaq's expected presence was one of the big reasons the Celtics felt they could trade Perkins. He didn't play in Game One and it is unclear when or if he will ever play again. So naturally the other O'Neal went 6-6 from the field, provided Boston's only shot-blocking presence (something they badly needed), and took a couple of crucial charges that quelled New York's third quarter runs. Forget his offense, if O'Neal plays defense like he did today all series, Boston will easily control the paint. Remember, that wasn't a given coming into this series.

Rajon Rondo has a jumpshot only his mother could love. Just look at that thing. Does Ray Allen politely suggest that he keep his elbow in? How can Rondo's shot possibly be this bad when he has one of the greatest shooters in NBA history as a teammate and possible mentor? The Knicks didn't respect Rondo's shot either. Doc Rivers said they left Rondo wide open in practice to simulate what the games were going to be like. How about that for a confidence booster. Maybe not so surprisingly, it worked. Rondo knocked down three of his six mid-range attempts. He got to the basket at will even though his defenders were playing three feet off of him. If he makes that shot even 40 percent of the time, how can you defend him? I don't think there's a way.

Once upon a time, Bill Walker resided at the end of the Celtics' bench during the 2008-09 season. He never got in the game but was the typical overbearingly excited and supportive 12th man. He's familiar with this Boston team. When Carmelo Anthony picked up two quick fouls, Walker entered the game as his replacement. He immediately got in Rondo's face. Then he got tangled up with O'Neal, and jawed with Pierce. It's always fascinating to watch a guy play against his old team. More often than not, he plays with a greater intensity level and is more effective because of it. Walker won't play enough minutes to have an enormous impact in this series, but couldn't he be used to get in Boston's head? The last thing the Celtics will put up with is a former bench-warmer trying to show them up. This could become an interesting subplot.

I should probably conclude with Melo's shooting woes, broken down by quarter. He didn't attempt a shot in the 1st quarter. He made 4 of his 7 attempts in the 2nd quarter, including two threes. He went 1 of 7 in the 3rd quarter. He finished 0-3 in the 4th quarter, including a stupid long three to end the game with six seconds remaining on the clock. That's 5-18 for the game and if you take away the one good quarter: 1-11. Expect a big Game 2 from Carmelo. 

"Frederic Weis," or "The Guy Vince Carter Dunked Over"

Timofey Mozgov's name has come up a lot this week. The Knicks were reluctant to part with the 7'1 Russian center, but eventually caved under the pressure of acquiring Carmelo Anthony just before the trade deadline. Mozgov may develop into a great player one day, but he will always be remembered for that one fateful second in which he tried to stand up to Blake Griffin. Griffin left the floor, curled his left arm around the back of Mozgov's head, and proceeded to direct it towards his groin area. All while throwing down a ferocious slam.
No matter what Mozgov accomplishes in the NBA, that will be his legacy. The first and probably not last person to get Blake Griffin's nuts planted squarely in his face.
Frederic Weis, the 7'2 French center, received a similarly embarrassing fate in the 2000 Olympics (shown above). Fortunately for Weis, this came before the "instant news" era of the Internet and at least saved his name from being remembered infamously. Instead, we got to see the Vince Carter's dunk on every Sportscenter highlight reel of the summer over "some 7'2 French guy."
Interestingly enough, Weis was actually drafted 15th overall in the 1999 draft by the Knicks the summer before the Olympics. He underwent back surgery before getting drafted and credits his injuries as the reason why he never made it to the NBA. The Knicks traded Weis' rights to the Rockets in 2008 for no other than Patrick Ewing, Jr. Who says the Knicks were irrelevant the last decade?
Weis peaked in 1999 with French club Limoges, averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds a game. He was priased for his good hands and footwork, and was thought to be the second coming of Zydrunas Ilgauskus.
Weis had played professionaly for five years with Limoges before being selected by the Knicks, and then opted for a year of basketball in Greece instead of the NBA. He spent the last decade playing basketball professionaly in Spain, and has returned to Limoges to play this year.
Weis isn't much of a factor anymore, playing only 12 minutes a game and averaging a paltry 1.8 points per game. He's 33 years old and likely near the end of his career.
When asked in 2005 if being remembered for the Vince Carter dunk bothered him, he responded, "Why? I didn't do anything. It was just him doing something incredible. I can only imagine...If he jumped over me, he can jump over anybody! If people laugh, I laugh too. At least I can say I once played against him."
Isn't that a great attitude to have? It's not that Weis was bad, Carter was just that good. There's only so many special talents out there, the rest of us are either witnesses, or in the way.
I'm interested in hearing what Mozgov has to say about Griffin's dunk in ten years.

Some Scattered Melo Thoughts

Carmelo Anthony's year-long trade saga had been dubbed "The Melo-Drama," mainly because it needed a flashy title to save it from an otherwise predictable result. That's not to say this horse and pony show didn't have melodramatic tendencies. The way Melo has handled his impending free agency is far less exception than the rule, with Lockout Summer, coming this July, approaching fast.
What bothered me about this entire situation is how forced it seemed, lending credence to its title. It's like watching a movie when you already know the ending. The apparent twists and turns aren't nearly as exciting when you know that road is in fact a dead end, and not an intersection.
For all the hate The Decision has received, and deservedly so, it was still a landmark NBA moment. While ESPN was reporting all morning that LeBron was going to the Heat, it still seemed a little too unbelievable. I have no doubt in my mind that every Bulls, Knicks, Cavs, and Heat fan watched The Decision with a bit of nervous energy. Sure, we all were supposed to know LeBron was going to the Heat, but there wasn't the 100 percent certainty of Melo to the Knicks. For that reason, among many other more important ones, The Decision was significant. It was proper dramatic conclusion to the 2010 free agency period. The Melo-drama just wasn't interesting, and maybe it wasn't meant to be. Carmelo isn't the player LeBron is, and probably didn't deserve that type of attention anyway.
I've heard two angles on this story come up more than any other. The first being that Melo's move represents the eventual doom of the small-market club, and the second being that the Knicks still aren't title contenders. To the latter, I say, "Duh!" Despite the buzz around the trade, Melo's acquisition was was a means to an end for the Knicks, rather than the end. This trade wasn't meant to make them contenders today. In fact, it's unclear if they're even a better team today than they were yesterday. The Knicks hope to add either Chris Paul or Deron Williams in 2012, assuming the new CBA makes that possible. Basically, the Knicks took a chance. Some people agree with taking chances and others don't.
Seeing as I root for a big-market team I may be a bit biased, but I think LeBron, Carmelo, and Co.'s relocations aren't motivated solely by playing in big markets. Miami isn't even a big market, but does have an advantage over other cities because it is a desirable place to live. Miami was a unique situation because it was three guys who wanted to play with each other. Miami was the only place able to make that happen in 2011.
Big-market Chicago had the best nucleus of any major free-agent player this summer and didn't even come away with a top 5 free agent. I think, more so than anything, an organization that drafts well and has built a team capable of contending will attract big and small-name free agents, regardless of where the team is located. The Nuggets drafted Carmelo and built their team around him. They made some mistakes along the way, but I think most can agree, although they probably weren't going to win a title, they were capable of making a playoff push and failed to do so. The problem here could be Melo, not the Nuggets organization or the city of Denver. I'm not buying the "death of the small market" argument. If Carmelo can't get it done as the centerpiece in Denver and thinks things will change in New York, then he was probably worth getting rid of.

Despite the saltiness of Denver and other small markets, the NBA is better off with Melo in New York. Madison Square Garden has been called The Mecca of Basketball since before I was born. The Knicks franchise has won two NBA Championships, tied for 8th most in NBA history. The "Mecca" title has long been ridiculous. But ridiculous or not, it still exists, and we can't deny that great players have elevated their game when playing against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks aren't perennial losers anymore, even though they haven't won a ring since 1973. Melo's acquisition alone gives us the impression that they've won something on the court, even though they haven't. Look at the Heat. It seems that most team's fan bases get more joy out of beating them than the Lakers or Celtics. The same will happen to the Knicks, and the undeserving cloud of importance that constantly surrounds them will at least by somewhat justified. The NBA will be more fun this way. Trust me.
Not to mention, the Eastern Conference playoffs will be...well...indescribable. I've long maintained that the Celtics, Heat, and Bulls are the only true contenders in the East and I stand by that. But just looking at the potential first round match ups, there won't be an easy series for any team. Regardless of what team I root for, that's what I want to see. That's one of the reasons I like this trade. It brings some much needed excitement to an Eastern Conference, that save for a team or two, has been absolutely mind-numbingly boring the last decade.

The Chicago Bulls Wish You A Happy Holidays

I'm a sucker for athletes making holiday skits like this. In the 1980s and early 1990s, NBA players blessed us with plenty of hilarious moments via the NBA Draft and post-game press conferences. It's not like that anymore. Players are coached at an early age about how to avoid doing or saying anything stupid to the media. And in all fairness, they get roasted for practically every comment they make, so it's best to err on the side of caution and refrain from letting loose.
These videos are one of the few times athletes can stray from the way they're "supposed" to act and just have fun. In an age where player's media personalities are becoming more and more robotic, videos like this are a breath of fresh air.
Top 3 Reasons To Watch:
1) Kyle Korver channels his inner-Sinatra. I have to applaud Korver for being the lone player who even attempted to sing his part. Although I'm not sure about that "Ode-to-the-Nutcracker" march he added in.
2) Derrick Rose is funny. His head tilt is priceless. I think marketers are slowly starting to pick up on this as Rose has appeared in a funny ESPN and fantasy basketball commercial after being shafted in the Adidas 'Fast Don't Lie' ad. I think guys like LeBron and Dwight Howard are thought of as funnier because they joke around on the court, where as Rose is pretty stoic.
3) Joakim Noah being Joakim Noah. After his playing career he seriously needs a reality show. Here's my top five (in order) of current players I want to see in their own reality show:
1. Ron Artest
2. Joakim Noah
3. Delonte West
4. Zach Randolph
5. Stephen Jackson
Honorable mentions to Yao Ming (not sure if he's still considered a current player), and Shaq (I could see his shtick getting old pretty quick. Plus, he already had a semi-reality show when he faced off against other athletes in their sports).

Happy Holidays, everyone! Don't forget, the Bulls play on Christmas Day for the first time since 1997. The last time the Bulls and Knicks played each other on Christmas was in 1994. The Bulls were victorious 107-104 behind Scottie Pippen's 36 points. Let's hope for a repeat performance.   

Carmelo Anthony Is Handcuffing The Nuggets, In A Nice Way

According to ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan, a source close to Carmelo Anthony said on Sunday that Anthony would not sign the three-year 65 million dollar extension offered by the Nuggets unless he is traded to the Knicks. Anthony has denied the reports.
Anthony's desire to go to New York doesn't exactly come as a surprise. The surprising part is that other teams expected to be in the hunt, teams that can offer much better packages to the Nuggets such as New Jersey or Chicago, now seem to be out of the running.
I'm probably in the minority here, but I think Anthony is actually doing the Nuggets a favor here. That is, if the reports are true, and he does in fact plan to sign with the Knicks through either a sign and trade or free agency.
The post-"Decision" NBA fan understandably doesn't have much sympathy for free agents. Especially maximum level free agents trying to team up with other max level players. But if what the source says is true, Anthony would be best served to confirm the report and lift the cloud of secrecy that will surround him up until the February 24th trade deadline.
If Anthony is only willing to go to New York, then the little bit of leverage the Nuggets had is now dead. However, now they're clear of Anthony's intentions, which in itself, is a huge advantage. I'm sure Cavs management would have preferred to know seven months in advance what LeBron was planning on doing.
Rather than wait around for Anthony, the Nuggets should now be clear that he's not re-signing with them. A fact that I'm pretty sure they were already aware of. They can now do one of three things.
1) Play out the rest of the year with Carmelo knowing he will leave at the end of the season. The Nuggets are currently 14-9, would be a sixth seed if the playoffs started today, and don't figure to improve much more than where they currently stand. So the Nuggets can ride with Carmelo, max out at a possible second round playoff exit and then lose him for nothing.
2) Work out a deal with the Knicks. The Knicks don't have the pieces the Nuggets want, or else a deal would have already been made. It's hard to see the Nuggets accepting some sort of package including Gallinari, Randolph, Curry's expiring deal and a first round draft pick, but if they want to get something of value for Anthony they may have to settle.
3) Out of spite, trade Anthony somewhere other than New York for a second round pick. Anthony feels that he and Nuggets management are "on the same page" and that they wouldn't send him anywhere he didn't want to go. They had seven great years together, but the Nuggets don't owe it to Anthony to trade him to his preferred location, just like he doesn't owe it to the Nuggets to re-sign with them.
For any team other than New York, they know they'd basically be renting Carmelo for three months, which is why they wouldn't be willing to give up anything of serious value unless Anthony signs the extension. That is why a second round pick would make perfect sense. The question is: would the Nuggets be willing to ship Anthony for such a small price, with the knowledge that it would also piss him and the fan base off?
Not likely, but not for the aforementioned reasons. I doubt they would want to help a contender in a playoff push for only a second round pick. And would a non-contender part with a pick just to sell some extra tickets? Probably not.
While Carmelo Anthony is handcuffing the Nuggets, he's doing it in a nice way, you could say. The Nuggets are aware of Anthony's intentions and now have the next two and a half months to assess their options with the knowledge that Anthony will be in New York next season one way or another.
It's not the ideal situation for the Nuggets, but it could be worse. They could be sitting in front of the television set this July and find out at the same time as everyone else.

Blake Griffin In Person

I have a mini basketball hoop that hangs from the top of my closest door. I love it so much in fact, that I wrote about it a few months ago. With the 2010-11 NBA season in full swing, I've practicing quite a bit. I still can't make an open 10-footer consistently, but I have come up with a few interesting dunks.
Over the weekend, I threw the ball off the wall, caught it in my overextended right hand, faded away in the air, and tomahawked the dunk home. The 23-year old me was pretending to by the 21-year old Blake Griffin.
Just yesterday, my girlfriend asked me, "Blake Griffin? (I add the question mark because she was looking for confirmation that she had the name correct). He plays for the Clippers, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good, we're going to see him play on the 18th. I want to see those freckles."
My girlfriend, by her own admission likes weird looking people. Joakim Noah, Blake Griffin, me -- it's only fitting that she'd base my Christmas gift not only around the game I love most, but a chance for her to see freckles.
I became hysterical like a 15-year old Twilight fan waiting for the midnight showing. "Blake Griffin? Oh my gizzod, Blake Griffin? Let me help you find tickets."
I spent all of last night, a good three hours, watching Blake Griffin YouTube highlights and looking up Shawn Kemp's career numbers.
Kemp seems to be the logical historical comparison to Griffin. They're about the same size, Griffin is a little bulkier than the pre-Cleveland Kemp, they're both way more athletic that you'd expect someone their size to be, and they each produce(d) at least one highlight reel dunk a game.
During Kemp's peak years with the Sonics in the mid-90s, he averaged about 18 points and 11 rebounds a game. Griffin is currently at 20 points and 11 rebounds a game, in his rookie year. You saw that right, the rookie Blake Griffin, on a bad team without a Gary Payton, is currently outperforming Shawn Kemp in his peak years. Scary.
My favorite Griffin YouTube video is the one below, taken from Griffin's 44-point game against New York on November 20th.



Everyone has seen the first dunk. Griffin curls his hand around the back of 7'1 Timofy Mozgov, raises up, and the symbolism is clear. It's this type of quiet cockiness that I love about Griffin's game. He doesn't posture and pose after the dunk, in fact, his teammates are more excited than he appears to be. But to even have the audacity to redirect a man's head towards your...um, lower body, speaks volumes. That move was meant to show his opponent up, in a disrespectful, yet legal, and less obviously boisterous way than say, pounding his chest and standing over an opponent.
Griffin's second dunk in the video is less ballyhooed, but even more spectacular to me. This time forward Danilo Gallinari is victimized. I'm starting to think Griffin may have a little Kevin Garnett in him -- the part that hates European players.
Watch carefully at the slow motion part starting at the 45 second mark. In mid-air, Griffin uses his left arm to basically remove Gallinari's outstretched left arm from the picture. The phrase "A man amongst boys" gets thrown around a lot, but I can't think of a better visual representation of that saying.
Griffin's mid-air discarding of Gallinari's defensive effort reminds me of the time he hit his head on the backboard in college while dunking the ball. Griffin is going to get to the basket, it doesn't matter if there's a 7'1 center, lanky left arm, or a backboard in his way. He doesn't bowl over defenders (LeBron) or weave through them (Rondo), he simply removes them. I'm not sure we've seen an NBA player who does this with the ease that Griffin does. The majority of the time it seems like he's playing on a mini hoop against imaginary defenders.
While we'll be sitting too high to get a glimpse of Griffin's freckles, a bird's eye view should be just fine to witness his offensive prowess. I'm just glad I'll be able to say I was there for a moment of his rookie season. The start of what I think is going to be a very special NBA career.

Thoughts On Bulls-Knicks Three Point Shooting Contest

The Lakers and Celtics have undoubtedly the best rivalry in the NBA. Both franchises possess all the things that make a rivalry work: championships (32 combined), 10 NBA Finals match ups, and two diametrically opposed cities in terms of - well, pretty much everything.
The New York-Chicago rivalry operates under the recognition of sameness. Two large urban areas competing for big city basketball supremacy. The Knicks won two NBA titles in the early 1970s, while the Bulls as a team remained irrelevant until the late 1980s. It's no coincidence that both franchises were able to rise to power in the 1990s, when the Celtics and Lakers where in rebuilding mode. New York City and Chicago have always been recognized as epicenters of US culture and history. In the 1990s, the Bulls and Knicks fought for the same distinction in basketball.
That being said, all rivalries aren't created equal. The Bulls have won 128 of their 143 meetings, including 24 of their 36 playoff games. Yesterday's game was essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of the 2010-11 season, neither team is contending for a championship, but there's still remnants of the old rivalry sprinkled amongst both fan bases. This game was a big deal to a lot of people.
It's easy to blame this loss on the out-of-this world three point shooting, especially from unusual suspects Raymond Felton and Toney Douglas. The Knicks as a team shot 16-24 from behind the arc. While this is certainly an aberration, most of those were wide open looks. The majority of PG-SG-SFs in the NBA can knock down an open three. Blame the Bulls' half court defense and willingness to engage in an uptempo pace for this loss. We played right into what New York was trying to do, and turned the ball over 20 times to show for it.
Derrick Rose is currently second in the NBA in points per game with 26.8. Joakim Noah leads the NBA in rebounding, averaging 14.8 per game. It's nice to see them gain some recognition and sit atop some early statistical categories, but this picnic won't last forever. When Carlos Boozer returns, both Rose's points and Noah's rebounds will be cut down. Enjoy it while it lasts.

What's up with CJ Watson? I thought he was going to be one of the most underrated signings this offseason.  To quote myself, from a July 21st post:
While this move [Watson's acquisition] will surely go under the radar for sports fans outside of Chicago, it could end up to be one of the biggest moves the Bulls make this offseason. Before signing Watson, the Bulls lacked a guy who was capable of providing a huge spark off the bench. They now have that guy, as well as a player who can play major minutes at the point if Derrick Rose misses extended time like he did last season.
Embarrassing. Watson's jump shot looks awful, he's been sloppy with his passes, and has turned the ball over way more than a back up point guard should. He just doesn't look confident out there. It appears like he may have been a product of Golden State's offensive system. I hope not.
Amar'e Stoudemire had a very underwhelming stat line. 14 points on 5-21 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 8 turnovers. On the year, Stoudemire is averaging 19.5 points a game, shooting 39 percent from the field, 7.8 rebounds, and 6 turnovers a game. While the shooting percentage and turnovers are much worse than his career averages, Stoudemire doesn't look like he deserves the max contract he signed this summer.

In my opinion, a max contract guy should be the best player on your team AND a guy that you can win a championship with as the best player. That's why guys like Bosh, Joe Johnson, and Stoudemire are overpaid. If one of these three is the best player on a team, that team isn't contending for anything.
The only players that I think deserve max contracts (taking into account age, if I was giving out a long term max contract this offseason): LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and Dwight Howard. I couldn't be convinced of anyone outside of these eight players.
I think I've found a player to compare to James Johnson's ceiling: Wilson Chandler. Both athletic small forwards who like to shoot the three. Neither play defense. Both are black holes once the balls is passed to them, opting to drive the lane rather than make the extra pass. Consequently, they both have poor shooting percentages. And that hair. Until JJ decided to change his hair style for the Knicks game, they had an identical "I'm not sure if I'm going to grow this fro out" look.