The Bubble

I am glad the NBA was able to resume their season in the bubble. I am enjoying watching the playoffs but I'm not a fan of the virtual spectators in the crowd. All the heads are all different sizes and I don't care to see people staring at their computers in place of a crowd. I wish they could just photoshop real crowds from past games on a green screen. 

As grateful as I am to be able to watch some highlights again, I am not a fan of the politicized version of the NBA since it started back up. During the first few weeks it felt like I was watching CNN with guys playing basketball in the background. I respect the athletes rights to their opinions and causes that they are passionate about but I think promoting so much social justice and BLM has hurt their ratings when people just want to watch sports and escape all the political polarization and strife that we are flooded with everywhere else.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Lakers win it all this year. 

Great YouTube Channels

I remember the early 90's when the public started using the Internet. My first memories of basketball online were sports chat rooms where the conversations usually looked something like this:

"Hakeem is the greatest"
"What? He sucks Shaq rules!"
"You're an idiot. Have you ever played basketball dude?"
"Shut up loser. Wilt would destroy anyone".....

If we look forward 30 years we are basically hearing the same thing today but with a lot more budget and production value. I sometimes get amused hearing Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd, Shannon Sharpe, Max Kellerman, and others pontificate, debate, and argue but it frequently comes across as being biased and shallow opinions.

Over the years I have encountered many independent sports channels on YouTube that I enjoy. One basketball channel I really like is JixmHighroller. He has produced great videos focusing on basketball over the last 3 years. The video below shows the detail he goes into to compare which active players today most resemble Michael Jordan's game. I'd love to have a channel like his but I'm not willing to put in the time for research and production work that he does. I guess I will just enjoy his good work.



Here is another interesting video I just came across this week. I've never seen Danger Productions before but this video does a great job breaking down the GOAT debate we have all heard a thousand times before but it adds so many more insights. I am a huge LeBron fan and would love to see him surpass Jordan someday but after watching The Last Dance recently and seeing this video breakdown it has reminded me why Jordan is still the greatest.



I hope you enjoy these two videos. I appreciate all the research and work that goes into making them. I enjoy these type of productions more than listening to famous, opinionated sports analysts arguing with each other on ESPN.

Basketball Withdrawals

I love playing basketball but I have not done so for 8 months. I went back to Ghana in October and said goodbye to playing the usual pickup games with friends 2-3 times per week. I have really missed playing ball and couldn't wait to come back and start again since it is my favorite sport and is really the only social activity I have with friends.

I was counting down the days to play again at home and was so excited to be able to come back in April, but that was before the Coronavirus closed borders, shut down airlines, spoiled an amazing NBA season, and changed the world. At this point it looks like I wont be able to return home for at least another month or two.

My biggest fear when I do finally get back is not being able to play ball like we used to. I can see how people can play tennis, golf, frisbee, or other games and still social distance but 5 on 5 full court basketball requires close physical contact, getting in people's personal space, and getting sweat on each other. Playing 6 feet apart from people while wearing a mask sounds about as fun as playing basketball on an outdoor rim with no net and a flat ball.

Speaking of sweat, I love this clip from Along Came Polly. It's only funny because it has happened to me so many times when we used to play shirts and skins.



This makes me miss both pickup games and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I hope things improve soon. There are many sacrifices I am willing to make but saying goodbye to basketball is not one of them.

The Last Dance

I've been going through some serious NBA withdrawals over the last month. Luckily for me, ESPN and Netflix recently released a 10 Part documentary mini-series called The Last Dance. It is about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls as they were chasing their sixth title back in 1998. A film crew followed them around that entire season and have recently compiled never before seen footage along with modern day interviews with NBA players, coaches, managers, and owners. It is amazing!

I was a huge Bulls fan and thought I knew everything that happened that season, but this documentary makes it even more exciting by giving so many behind the scenes insights and back stories that I was not fully aware of. I burned through the first two episodes and then realized they were only releasing one episode per week. I'm so excited for the upcoming eight weeks regardless of what happens to the rest of this NBA season.

Jordan was my favorite player and I loved the Bulls, but I was still rooting for my home town Jazz that season so I'm going to have to deal with a major spoiler alert as to how the season ends. I suspect Jordan's last clutch shot in the championship game won't sting as bad as it did then.

Even if someone is not a huge basketball fan, I still think they would enjoy this series since it is so well done. Watching this makes me feel both like I've been transported back in time yet also like I'm watching something new for the first time. This series is a gift that could not come at a better time.

What on Earth?

I was on a safari trip in Kenya last week when I got a text from my sister with sad face and a vague reference to the NBA with a link that would not open. I couldn't open it up until the next day when I had internet coverage again. I was shocked to see the NBA season had been cancelled.

I felt robbed. This has been a great season so far and we were just ramping up the second half as teams are starting to clinch playoff berths.

The last time I remember a disruption anything like this was the 98  NBA lockout.

IAs a selfish fan I am saddened, but I also feel bad for what cancelling the remainder of the season does to players annual stats, records, and awards. I especially feel bad for Vince Carter. He had the plug pulled on him before he could have a proper send off year.

I'm grateful the NBA and it's players are taking the Coronavirus threat seriously and trying to curb the spread but social distancing without watching highlights and the daily NBA top 10 is not the same. First Kobe and now this. 2020 sure sucks so far.

Scoring Without Dribbling

Learning how to dribble and handle the ball is an important skill for any basketball player, but just like anything in life you can over do it. I've seen many young players who love to demonstrate their ball handling skills to the detriment of their team. These guys are frequently guilty of showing off dribbling trying to look like Curly Neal or Allen Iverson and don't even realize they have multiple teammates wide open in scoring position.

Most people assume if you are a good scorer you need to dribble a lot, but I'd love to thank Klay Thompson for showing you can still be a deadly scorer while having minimal contact with the ball. The video clip below features highlights from a game where he scored 43 points with only 4 dribbles.

43 POINTS WITH ONLY 4 DRIBBLES!!!

It helps that Klay has such beautiful shooting form and a quick release. Other players that moved well without the ball and can square up and got shots off quickly include Jeff Hornacek, Ray Allen, and Kyle Korver. I love pointing this type of play out to young and frequently selfish players who would rather dribble excessively in order to break someone's ankles and look cool than to find the open man and help their team score. Practice your ball handling skills but don't feel that you have to dribble all over the court to make a positive impact. Oh and did I mention he scored 43 POINTS WITH ONLY 4 DRIBBLES!

2020 Dunk Contest Suggestions

If you are familiar with this blog you know that each February like clockwork I start complaining about the NBA dunk contest. I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record but it is my duty to try and fix what could be a beautiful and breathtaking event. Ever since Vince Carter won, there have only been a handful of memorable contests that I really enjoyed. I don't blame the players for this but rather the format the NBA insists on going with. Back in 1984 when they started having regular contests, they had 8 contestants and we got to see several dunks from a variety of players each round. Ever since they narrowed it down to 4 contestants these contests have frequently been too short and disappointing.

This year I heard that Dwight Howard was invited to participate again. He would not be my first choice at this stage in his career even though I have enjoyed watching his rebirth with the Lakers this year. If you are going to pick a veteran player I'd go with the oldest player in the league who also happens to be the greatest dunker of all time- Vince Carter. My only fear is he'd get too many sympathy votes but I think he'd still surprise everyone. Here are some additional suggestions to improve the contest. I think in addition to Carter, I'd include the following past dunk champions who are still in the league.

Vince Carter
Zach LaVine
Donavon Mitchell
Hamidou Diallo (since he is the returning champion)

In addition they should invite the following 4 players as well.
Aaron Gordon
Derick Jones Jr.
Zion Williamson
Lebron James

If you had these 8 dunkers and went back to the old format where we could see several dunks by many competitors it would be mind blowing. Also I would only want prior dunk champions like Dr. J, Jordan, Dominique, or Jason Richardson to judge. Keep the biased fans away from judging as well as any non-NBA celebrities.

Oh, and one more thing. Don't let Kenny Smith near the microphone. I like the guy as a commentator but I don't ever want to hear him repeatedly say "It's over" or attempt to sing the Superman melody again.

In summary:

1) Get the 8 players listed above to participate
2) Have 4 rounds and eliminate half the group each round
3) Only past champions can judge
4) Keep Kenny quiet

In the future they might also consider promoting the dunk contest like crazy but not let anyone know who will be participating until the contest begins. I'd love to see that curiosity approach and think it could draw more viewers since many people lose interest when lesser known participants are announced a month before.

If you followed these suggestions the dunk contest would be one of the most exciting and entertaining sporting events of all time. You are welcome NBA and dunk fans around the world.

R.I.P. Kobe Bryant

I just heard the news that Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter accident and still can't believe it. Hearing this the day after he graciously congratulated Lebron for passing his career scoring total is like a punch in the gut. It's one thing to see an NBA superstar pass away in their 80's after a long life but this is way too soon.

After Michael Jordan retired I was honestly depressed and less interested in the NBA but something happened over the course of several years to change that and it was the emergence of Kobe Bryant who inherited the mantle and brought back the amazing highlights. If the game was on the line he'd want the ball in his hands for the last shot. He had ice water in his veins and was clutch. It will take you a while to watch all his game winning shots on YouTube.

There have been many competitive players in the NBA over the years but he was definitely one of the most intense and competitive individuals of all time. His dedication was so extreme and legendary that there are regular joke memes that exaggerate what the Black Mamba did after a game or in the off season to improve his game.

I'm sure today band wagon fans are coming out of the woodwork and I'm not going to pretend that Kobe was my favorite player or that I never criticized him over the years in this blog. I enjoyed watching the Lakers under his leadership and almost always rooted for them to win unless they were playing the Jazz, but after his retirement it was painful to watch the Lakers like their heart was missing. I've been watching the Lakers regularly and just a couple weeks ago was thinking how much I like what I saw from the retired Kobe. He seemed more at ease and relaxed and like less of a competitor. Seeing him speak Slovenian to Luca court side during a game or watching him cheer on the current squad at home games with his kids just made him seem more likable. The fans loved him and would always cheer for him as he'd leave the Staples Center.

Anyway, I'm still having a hard time believing this happened. One reason it is so hard to internalize is because it reminds us how fragile life is. This happened to a rich, talented, famous, smart, good looking, multi-lingual guy who seemed to have what everyone in the world would want. I was expecting to see him continue work in Hollywood, business, and possibly coaching in the future. I didn't see this coming.

It was a privilege to watch Kobe play for so many years and as sad as this is for his family and the fans, I look forward to the tributes that we will surely see in the coming days from his teammates, opponents, and fans. Rest in Peace.

Lebron and the Lakers

Last year as the Lakers were struggling I did a short post questioning what was going on with Lebron since he didn't seem himself. After finally missing the playoffs and taking some time off, he has emerged as impressive as ever. The Lakers have been fun to watch this year and Lebron is currently leading the NBA in assists per game. I have not seen as complete of a player since Magic Johnson.

I admit I am a Lebron fan more than I am for any team he plays for. I have always enjoyed the Lakers since showtime days but after Shaq and Kobe left I had little interest in them. When Lebron recently joined them I prefer to watch them over even my home town Jazz. If Lebron went to the Washington Wizards or the Charlotte Hornets  I would start watching those boring teams.


I'm happy to see him back and playing well with his team and look forward to the rest of this season.