Untamed Might

Since it's inception, there have been many Youtube all-stars. Players who exist for the 30-second highlight. Players who once would have been lost in obscurity even 15 years ago, now find themselves cult heroes.

Captain of the Youtube All-Stars as of 2010? Blake Griffin.



By now, most of you have seen the way he ruthlessly murdered a Russian. But how about poor DJ Mbenga? Jeff Green, Blake Griffin. Scouring Youtube, one would think Griffin has been playing for ten years -- there are just that many insane highlights. One more, full embed:


"It's an unbelievable dunk, but based on all the other dunks..." Yes, Griffin's dunks are compared to one another. In the same game.

The phrase "Griffin on the break" is enough to elicit euphoria from even the most mild-mannered announcers, in the most one-sided of contests. That was laughter you heard in the above clip. Some things are impossible to describe with words.

I found myself gasping at the prospect of Griffin throwing one down on a three-on-two the one time I've been able to watch the Clippers this season. Shawn Kemp, a young Amare (who himself realizes this kid is something), whoever Griffin is compared to, there is always one common thread: power. Unlike the next Jordan or Magic or Bird, Griffin is not compared to greatness, but to unbridled strength.

Griffin is what makes the NBA great. And it's more than the myriad highlight reels. It's his ability to astound multiple times on a nightly basis, to take your breath away at the idea of what might be. Football games have their high-octane violence, but rarely display feats of amazement outside of wide receiver catches (and those guys all wanted to play in the NBA anyway). Baseball has it's pastoral appeal and "no margin is big enough" tension, but nothing compared to even one alley-oop.

You can bet I circled March 19th -- the one game the Clippers visit the Celtics this season -- as a must go-to game. Because while he will live forever in Youtube highlights, it is almost certain that those who see Blake Griffin in person will not soon forget it.

I am reminded of Kanye West: No one man should have all that power.

Also, he's a motherfucking monster.

Indie rock :: The NBA as Peanut butter :: Chocolate

In his latest column Bill Simmons wrote the following: "When you watch Miami, it's like watching a White Stripes concert -- tons of talent, great music, but still just a little bit gimmicky because it's only two people."

First off: fuck you. The White Stripes are not a gimmick and will go down as one of the best bands of the 2000s and are certainly seminal for almost everyone my age. Second of all: fuck you for not going further.

If we are to believe the Heat are the White Stripes (which is wrong anyway, because see one Bosh, Chris), then who are the Lakers? Celtics? Thunder? Hornets?

LA Lakers = Animal Collective

Simply the best. Anyone who argues otherwise is a fool. They both have ruled the 2000s and remain stronger than ever, often with different iterations as the years wore on.

For reference:
Kobe = Panda Bear - Unquestioned leader/most talented. Capable of going solo to great success, but achieving true transcendence as a part of something greater.
Artest = Geologist - Willing to do the dirty work. The eccentric.
Pau = Avery Tare - Is the actual alpha while ceding the spotlight to Kobe/Panda Bear.
Odom = Deakin - Unrealiable, but when he's on, they go to another level.

Boston Celtics = New Pornographers

While individual members from both found success apart, together they embody the term superteam/supergroup. Able to supplant egos and personalities for the greater good. Rondo is obviously Neko Case, while KG is Dan Bejar, and Pierce is A.C. Newman.

OKC Thunder = Sleigh Bells

Led by/composed of two uber-talented stars (KD as vocalist Alexis Krauss and Westbrook as everything else-ist Derek Miller), also may be a victim of too much hype. Frenetic, up-tempo, and fun to watch. Still much to prove.

Utah Jazz = Vampire Weekend

Safe, white, rooted in traditions that came before them, and sneaky great. Both have very annoying fans.

New Orleans Hornets = Kanye West

A sublime talent supported by a revolving door of guests. Both West and Paul should be considered all-time greats by those who don't and both still have more bullet points to add to the resume.

San Antonio Spurs = Spoon

Sustained, subtle greatness. Every year it seems they remind everyone how rock-soild they are, only to fade in the background amidst our lust for the new. Eventually we will look back and realize how defining they were.

Miami Heat = Arcade Fire

Each have two all-timers (Funeral as Lebron, Neon Bible as Wade) and one question mark (Bosh and Suburbs), along with not much else. When they are on, there is absolutely no one better. Not nearly as deep as most contemporaries and historically, may be destined to fall short.

The birth of a villain

What makes a villain? I guess, at the most basic level, it's doing evil deeds.

So how has LeBron James -- by all accounts one the most likable, friendly, charismatic superstars ever -- found himself at the epicenter of a backlash?

Not from writers and the league -- they clearly love him -- but more so the couch surfing NBA fan. They hate his bull-in-a-China-shop style. His propensity to draw fouls, often justly, sometimes not. His selfish play at times, where the team's offense seems to be "watch LeBron." His alpha dog mentality, which many see as arrogance. It seems as though everything that has made James into the best player in the league has also made him into one of the most reviled. And in what amounts to the blink of an eye.

I was not around (well, I was, but like ten years old) for the Jordan era, so I have no idea if this sort of negativity followed him after he became a legend, but I assume it did. There is something about the career arcs of legends that lends themselves to being hated upon. They start off usually being handed fame. We've all heard the "Jordan was cut from his high school team!" story, but he became Jordan when he nailed that shot at UNC. LeBron is obviously a more glaring example, an icon as a young teenager, an international star at 18. It's something we as fans cannot relate to. LeBron was destined to be a great NBA player. And sure, he worked hard to get there, but all we see is "high school stud, genetic freak, NBA star, NBA legend" and think all he had to do was roll out of bed.

This is also why "scrappiness," "the will to win" and all other manner of sports cliches have found their way into the American zeitgeist. We love an underdog, a hard worker who gets the most out of what he has. LeBron seems like someone who is "just" 6'10", 280 pounds, who bowls his way into the lane, gets all the calls, and is a big selfish doo-doo head. We root against him because his team swept through the playoffs, waiting to sweep into the Finals and take what's his, an NBA title.

The Magic (and, for the same reason, the Nuggets) have become your team, simply because you're sick of all the LeBron/Kobe talk. It's no fun to root for the guy who's awesome and supposed to win. And in the Internet age, we are so inundated with story after story about him, we get sick of him before he's even done anything.

It may have taken Jordan a title or two before people grew tired of him, but LeBron -- who has won one of what should be many MVPs -- has only been to one Finals and there's already a palpable sense that we're sick of him. We are sick of what may very well be the best NBA player any of us will ever see play.

So is LeBron James destined to be the NBA's villain? Yes, and in a sense, he already is. No one outside of Cleveland (or team 2010) will be a fan of him, simply because he is too good. LeBron has done nothing to draw our ire but be the league's best player.

Kobe, keep that seat warm.

Come and see

While the story of this NBA playoffs was made last night, with LeBron nailing the biggest shot of his life and probably the Cavs franchise, the bigger story -- which touches any and all fans of basketball -- is that this is an amazing Conference Finals.

Both series are 1-1, but what's more is there are no Spurs or Pistons -- faceless, defense-heavy monsters -- grinding out 90-89 wins. We have four superstars leading their teams to high levels of excellence.

The Four Horsemen of the NBA Apocalypse.


Revelation Six, King James (of course) version:

¹And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

²And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The first horsemen, Conquest, is LeBron James. Last night's "Jordan over Ehlo" moment is his crowning. Forget the Championship, which now looks like it won't be easy, this moment is historic. Win, lose or draw, LeBron James has his first of many huge moments in the playoffs.

And still he is going forth, conquering.

³And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

⁴And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Carmelo Anthony, leader of the manic Nuggets, is the second horsemen, War. The Nuggets have slaughtered their way through the playoffs to this point, led by oft-overlooked superstar Anthony. Before each series were tied 1-1, the Nuggets were seen as the threat to the inevitable Kobe/Bron finals, an agent of chaos in a predestined land.

And the reason is Anthony has finally reached his full potential, nipping at the heels of the current poster boys of the league. He carries a great sword, a skill set that is unmatched by anyone except Kobe. His scoring is so easy, so effortless, it's a joy to watch. Beating LA will take peace from this Earth.

⁵And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

⁶And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

In the wake of War comes Famine. Dwight Howard represents Famine, carrying the balance of the NBA with him. While the Magic rely on the three as much as Howard, with a huge game, Howard tips the scales of the Cleveland/Orlando series, with the chance to eliminate the NBA's prodigal son.

Howard is also clearly the most raw of the stars in the Conference Finals, a feast or famine player who can dominate or disappear from game to game, even quarter to quarter. And after Famine comes...

⁷And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

⁸And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

"Hell followed him" has never described an NBA player better than Kobe Bryant. This is his last, best shot at an NBA title. He is facing a star who may actually be better than him (Melo) and the King looms. He has 2-3 years at a high level of play, which will slowly deteriorate with each season and each deep playoff series.

And yet he still has the power to kill with the sword, hunger, death and the beasts of the Earth. He is still an assassin, a player with a killer instinct who can close games unlike any other. His team is also as talented and deep as any other and led by a legendary coach. This is his time.

It is rare we see teams this talented, this evenly matched, and led by such compelling superstars, meet at the apex of competition. So forget about the dream matchup of Kobe/Bron and enjoy these Conference Finals.

Celtics/Magic game six liveblog

So this thing got started late beause I was watching Breaking Bad. That show is great.

A great man once said: "You start me up." Strap in, because this is a 2,000-word, three hours in the making, monster -- of a game you probably already saw. But there are jokes! Kind of.

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8:30 - Rajon Rondo passes like Fran Tarkenton. Big Baby misses the low/mid-ranger off a Rondo side arm, one-handed bounce pass.

7:02 - How do announcers not talk about Alston being a former street ball player every time he does anything? This should have been beaten into the ground by now. 8-8 after a Turkoglu non-three.

5:41 - Howard misses what looked like a shot attempt. He has so few moves, it's amazing to me he is considered an elite player.

4:45 - Doc T.O. Your shooting percentages right now: 23 and 43. I just found out there will be a Deadpool movie starring Reynolds. Up next: Robin starring Shia LaBoeuf!

3:58 - Allen barely misses a three, his eleventh miss from deep. And the series is tied at two games. Nuts.

2:57 - Correction, Howard does have one move. Get fouled. After the foul, the manfreak turns it over.

2:16 - Sexy break from the Magic (ball didn't touch the floor on two passes) for the easy two. 16-14 Magic.

1:04 - Reggie tells me Dwight has eight boards already with no points. There's got to be a way to adjust his rebounding numbers playing on a team that shoots 60 threes a game.

End of first: 22-16 Magic. The Celtics are shooting % is almost less than my age, so it should be much worse.

Look, Land of the Lost looks shitty, but Kenny Powers and Ferrell can't both be in a movie that isn't at least funny at some point. If I had children, I would not be opposed to seeing this.

11:40 - Perkins picks up foul number two on what looked like defense to me. Starrrrrrrrrrrbury comes in and is ready to look awkward.

11:23 - And we have a Tony "Batman" Battie sighting!

11:02 - Scal makes a three, making the crowd forget he's already missed two. 24-19 Magic.

10:31 - I am convinced Davis cannot dunk, or chooses not to. He comes up with some funky lay-in for two off a Starbury assist.

10:01 - House for three. The "burning house" puns are writing themselves as we speak...

8:52 - The tired phrase "twin towers" should never be thrown around -- but especially not when it involves Battie.

Reggie's toughest defenders is relevant to my interests.

8:11 - Scal does what he do -- foul better players. Lee hits a jumper to push the lead to eight.

6:38 - These profiles on foregin players featuring what we all (ignorantly) imagine when thinking of said country never cease to amaze me.

5:54 - Scal for three again. He's good for at least five more attempts this game.

5:30 - House with the steal and lay in. Most exciting play of a game consisting mostly of missed shots and non-shooting fouls. Uncle Mo is at the door. 33-28 Magic.

Of course MBV3D is the best 3-D horror film ever. There have been < style="font-style: italic;">actual play that difficult? Wait, then they show video of what was just telestrated. Awesome. And during the NFL draft? Please. "Oh look, we can move picks around!" Well guess what, so can a TV graphic, and it costs a tenth as much and makes you look less douche-y. This is why our economy is balls right now -- unnecessary $10,000 touch screen telestrators.

Just so you know, Kenny's twitter (@TheJetOnTNT) is ridiculous and makes no sense. He has one long post split into three that reads like a complete sentence. Actual post: "before the game.. HE also said he did call him and his agent with no response" regarding Cuban and Ms. Mart.

"This is...Kenny Smith with...TNT." You're doing it wrong!

Steady as She Goes by The Racontuers as the half-time lead-in? What universe am I in? Back to ball, finally.

11:10 - Rafer with a nutty floater/and-one on Pierce. 48-37 after the freebie.

10:54 - Dwight bumps Rondo, who throws up an off-balance bank that only falls because he's Rondo.

9:35 - We were dangerously close to seeing the Redick celebration.

9:27 - Pierce goes 6-6 from the line, the only Celt to get to the line. ~ 12 FT for a game? That is not good at all.

9:03 - Howard picks up foul number three pushing Rondo after a rip. That was a flop. No doubt about it.

7:18 - SVG calls a T.O. after a Pierce jumper cuts the lead to six. Vinny Del Negro would have waited until it was at one.

And the Bruins are going to game seven at home. Not that I will even pretend to be interested, but I think the NHL would rather have BOS than CAR deep in the playoffs.

7:02 - Lewis hits a three while some Celtic (Baby?) attempts to defend. 55-46 Magicians. The threes are dropping (already more than last game) and when that happens, the Magic win.

6:32 - GORTAT IS BETTER THAN HOWARD. Takes the charge, four on Rondo. Enormous play.

5:32 - Both teams hover at 31% shooting for the quarter. Where amazing happens indeed.

5:02 - See, Gortat drops in nice hooks, not thunderous dunks. He's a gentle European. 57-46 Magic after a Starbury miss. Yeah, he probably can't give the Celtics what they need (scoring, passing, decision making, basketball playing skill) right now.

3:45 - BLOCKED! (note: this picture is [as far as I know] real. I did not Shop it)

2:50 - Allen abuses Redick, who is, depsite reports, an actual paid, NBA bench player.

2:08 - Gortat flops. I will not mention Vlade/Varejao, I will not mention Vlade/Varejao, I will not mention Vlade/Varejao. 59-52 The Kingdom.

1:41 - Great ball movement from the Celtics big men, Perkins to Baby for the easy one.

1:21 - Viva la France! Pietrus for three. 62-54 *Sponsored by Disney*

0:37 - Pierce goes into Lee's chest, draws one, and drops it in. 64-59 after the gimme.

0:26 - And the Whirling Turkish answers with a three-the-hard way of his own.

End of third: House hits a three, but it's during golden time. No bucket.

Best parts of the Yao/shrimp ad? Both from Yao: "Don't be like a baby" or "Eat the head!"

From Simmons, then Skeets via the Twit: "Dwight Howard might be the worst great player ever. I swear that made sense." And me in quarter one: "He has so few moves, it's amazing to me he is considered an elite player." I am pretty sure I should be a basketball writer.

11:04 - Tattoo head for two. 70-61 at the start of the fourth. Final: 86-80? It could happen. Blech.

10:24 - Uh oh, Anti-Isiah is heating up...

9:03 - It's become the "watch Pierce dribble around" show for the Irish. French Jordan gets an oop from Anthony and the Johnsons. Magic Men up 14. The numbers say there's about an 80% chance the Magic win...

8:26 - And of course MarBURies a three. This could be good or terrible.

7:50 - Check one for "good." 77-68 after another Starburst score.

6:28 - Your defensive player of the year, ladies and gents, posted up by Large Infant.

5:55 - Marbury with the and-one on Dwight Schrute. Unreal. He actually did have this kind of game in him. 83-75. We may be in for a nice finish.

4:55 - Scal with just a great foul on Lewis. I mean, when a guy dribbles baseline well outside the paint, you can't let him do so without sending a message.

4:29 - Do we live in a time when Glenn Davis can make jab-step 18-footers with consistency?

3:56 - Yes. Yes we can. 85-79 Card Tricksters.

When Rob Hubel drops the "In the faaace!" line on The Hangover ad, I can't help but laugh. Also good to see very funny dude Zack Galifianakis in a big movie.

With one or two more big moments, along with the child push and "you motherfuckers!" line at the end of game four, Ey Bay-Bay becomes a must-sign.

3:24 - Pierce can't drive 55. But he can drive for two!!!!! 85-81 Pagans.

2:59 - Lewis with a monster clank job, but Rondo misses a layup.

2:33 - Great feed from Ray with an expiring clock. Perkins with an easy two. 85-83, Celtics ball after a Turkish flail.

1:20 - Ray with a monster three. More of a creature, really. Shuttleworth gives them a lead for the first time in a long while.

1:01 - Of course Rondo whips the loose ball off a Magician for the turnover. Insane comeback in the making.

0:36 - Strange play where the ball may or may not have hit the rim on a Rondo three, resulting in a shot clock violation. Or not. Celtics ball.

0:09 - Celtics get an offensive board on another rim-grazer. Luck of the Irish, I guess. Up by one with an Orlando foul on House.

0:08 - House hits both, Woad Raiders up three. Simmons talked about it today, and I totally agree; win, lose or draw, you can't ask for much more from a defending champion down one of their best players and a score of other injuries.

Here comes a DEN/DAL foul situation...

0:07 - And Pierce wraps Lewis up. It becomes a FT game. Lewis hits both.

0:06 - Ray gets the ball in his hands and is fouled. The 95% FT shooter nails both. Ice water.

0:05 - Just terrible inbounding from Orlando. 55% Howard ends up with it and nylons the first. Of course he does. Intentional miss, Small Toddler gets it and is fouled. If this was the Bulls series, I'd be mortified of something crazy happening now.

0:04 - The Child Pusher hits both. Game. Blouses.

And the Magic make it official. It's really crazy to think Stephon Marbury was integral in this comeback. Like, really fucking crazy.

This was 7/8 a shitty game, with the last half of the last quarter being some entertaining basketball. I've got think this is going seven games. Again. Regardless, heart of a champion.

NBA Observations

1. I despise the Lakers so, so much. I despise pretty much every player on the team. Derek Fisher is my new most hated (although I've hated him for a long time), largely because of the cheap shot foul he put on Scola tonight.

2. The Rockets rule so much. Yao's Willis Reed in game 1 was pretty sweet. Artest is a badass, Battier rules, and Aaron Brooks is fun to watch. On a semi-related note, is McGrady dead? Shouldn't he be on the bench? I swear I haven't seen him once, whereas KG is shown at every TV timeout (god, KG rules).

3. Pierce is playing like he has mono. He just seems so fatigued all the time. I hope since he barely played in Game 2, he is going to be back Game 3 with some energy, but I have my doubts.

4. Fuck Kobe so much. He just threw an elbow into Artest's throat, and then Artest got thrown out (maybe semi-legitimately). My hope when I saw the replay was that Kobe would be suspended for Game 3, but that's as likely as the Hawks winning their series against Cleveland.

5. Ugh, I'm so disgusted with the Lakers game I can't think straight.

Flawed perfection

There were so many stories birthed from the amazing Celtics/Bulls series. The emergence of Rondo and Rose -- who look like the East's version of Chris Paul/Deron Williams. Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis, Joakim Noah and John Salmons growing into much more than fourth or fifth bananas. Ray Allen carving his name alongside the all-time best shooters in NBA history. The Paul Pierce twilight years. And a seemingly endless number of overtimes, thrilling plays and clutch shots.

But most interesting was the play of Ben Gordon. How he represents everything we love, admire and appreciate about the NBA, while embodying everything we loathe, decry and hate about it. All at the same time, even in the same few minutes.

Gordon has one elite basketball skill -- scoring points. He can do it in bunches, from anywhere on the court, at any moment. He is a pure shooting guard in that he is a guard that shoots. He was arguably the second most important player for Chicago in the series, carrying the scoring load with little sense of pressure most mortals feel.

Everyone who is an NBA fan likes scoring. Sure, a block or charge is great, but we'd all rather see 105-104 games than 84-85 games. We also love players who put up gawdy scoring numbers. You even get a title for doing it the most.

Ben Gordon gives us that. See his 42 point outburst in game two. He puts up such absurd shots, it appears at times he could not care less about things like balance or double teams -- and it's great. None of us can sink one-footed, 19-foot jumpers with a hand in our face. Ben Gordon is an elite scorer, at times, unstoppable. He is a rookie poker player in a professional tournament -- unpredictable, making decisions seemingly at random and taking risks no pro would take. And dangerous as hell.

But Ben Gordon gives new meaning to the term "volume shooter." Gordon took 134 shots in seven games, over 19 per game. His point totals will often match his shot attempts. His 33 in game 7? Took 23 shots, making seven. His 26? 21 shots, making six. These are not exactly efficient numbers.

Look at the man Gordon played against much of this series and one similar in style, Ray Allen. Allen is "the best pure shooter ever," a shooting guard with range, a quick trigger and fearlessness. But Allen will never be accused of being a bad teammate. His scoring comes in the natural flow of the game. If he scores six going 2-14 and they win, great. If he's hot, teammates know to find him.

Allen only took more than 20 shots once in the seven games series, when he took 32, scoring 51. Gordon took 20 shots four times. Allen is the type of scorer we really like. Efficient, with high percentages and happy to shoot ten times as he is shooting 30 times. But he's boring.

Gordon is a selfish player. The kind of teammate we would like to play with in a pickup game for a while because he can score and you may be winning, but then quickly realize the game has turned into "three dribbles and a miss while we stand around." We are always taught passing is the best thing you can do in basketball. Pass, and good things will happen. This was shown even in this series, as Rose and Rondo constantly deferred to (marginally worse) teammates for easy scores.

But not Gordon. The dark side of Gordon is he will only give you that one thing, that dizzying ability to put the ball in the basket. His defense is mediocre to bad. His passing, nearly nonexistent. Rebounding? Forget it. But damn can he score.


Ben Gordon is what's wrong with the NBA today. A league fill of "me-first" stars who just want to score and get on the highlight reel. The guys who grab their balls in victory. The guys who jack up 20-foot turn around jumpers with 18 seconds left on the shot clock. The guys who don't play defense or pass the ball.

Ben Gordon is what's right with the NBA today. The best athletes in the world competing on a plane that we can never reach. Nailing three-point daggers as the game clock ticks down. Scoring 30, 40, 50 points almost at will. Catching fire and becoming an unstoppable force of nature.

As the TNT post-game show was running highlights of game seven, the indomitable Sir Charles was opining about how you cannot win with those types of shots, the kind Gordon was taking all game. And he's right. Ben Gordon was the reason the Bulls lost game seven. But he is also the reason there was a game seven.

Ben Gordon is flawed perfection. He's a green poker player in room full of vets. He's Kimbo Slice fighting MMA. He's that kid at your rec league you've nicknamed The Black Hole. He's everything we hate and love about the NBA.

Allonzo Trier and the Insanity Behind "Amateur" Youth Basketball

Allonzo Trier is in 6th grade, and he already has his own shoe.



His mother is already being called by agents and scouts. This is the world that young basketball prodigies inhabit, and it blows my mind. The commercialization of the game at this level seems unreal and reeks of exploitation. Signs of this trend exist elsewhere. Last year, Brandon Jennings, because the NBA now requires players to be at least one year out of college before being draft-eligible, decided to go play basketball professionally in Europe rather than go to college. He is now predicted to be a high pick in this year's draft.

As a parallel though, (and it is undoubtedly a system), consider how things operate in Europe with soccer. David Beckham was 14 when he was signed into the Manchester United youth academy. Most European clubs have these youth academies, and I believe (though couldn't guarantee) that they sign players before they would attend what would be high school. I'm not sure how schooling goes post-signing (whether they keep going but also play for the youth squads), but I could almost guarantee that whatever schooling they got in those years isn't nearly what they would get if they were not in this system. Players can play for the actual club at any age after they have signed. I think Messi was playing for Barca at 16, and Federico Macheda, who is from Italy, now lives in Manchester and has played a few games (and scored this disquentos game-winner) for the first-team.

So now, the question arises, are these systems equally exploitative and (potentially) harmful? Obviously, those who go through the system and succeed in the professional game are not really the concern here. Of concern are the Arthur Agees of the game, players with potential who are encouraged and wooed by promises of wealth only to be discarded with no preparation for the future when players fail to reach the level that is expected of them. My natural inclination is that the basketball system is, but I can't decide if that is simply because it gets more negative press (or, rather, I am exposed to more of the negative press). Is the fact that, in the European system, there is no false pretense of amateurism important? Perhaps. There also may be more troublesome issues of race as well as class in the American system, where it is very often poor blacks that are. However, I couldn't guarantee that class doesn't play a factor in Europe. I think what troubles me most about the US system is that there is very little effort anywhere to really develop talent. The article from the beginning talked about how those Adidas camps and the like basically consist of players hogging the ball to show off their skills for scouts. The youth academies, while more obviously commercial (as they pay the players in the hope that they will develop to play for their first team), actually care about the success of the players. The purpose of these academies is teaching the players how to play the game at the highest level, and while this may be an artificial difference that I'm noting, it seems at least worth thinking about.

Thoughts?

Et tu, Melo?

How a spot on MTV Cribs may hide the truth behind the demise of Carmelo Anthony.

The 2003 NBA draft will go down as the defining draft of the next decade of pro hoops. Six years later, that sentiment rings even louder.

LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Howard, Mo Williams, David West, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich and T.J. Ford have all played major to semi-important roles on a number of NBA teams. And while the '03 draft may lack legendary depth, it's undeniably top-heavy, with LeBron and Wade as the two biggest, and best, stars in the league right now – and for the foreseeable future.

But it wasn't always that way.

The order of the actual draft has been muddled by history, and people forget Wade went fifth, a sure number two if we were to re-draft today. Bust Darko Milicic went two, with Melo and Bosh preceding Wade.

It was Anthony, not Wade, who was poised to battle LeBron for NBA supremacy the duration of their long and illustrious careers. They were pegged as rivals before they shared the same court – one a high school phenom, the other a polished NCAA national champ. Although they were a conference apart, they were expected to be the new Magic/Bird, meeting in multiple finals to decide who was king of the NBA.

Six years later, things haven't gone according to script.

I don't know Anthony beyond what I have seen on the court and I never will. What I do know about Melo is one surreal television moment – MTV's Cribs. On the surface it just seems like another successful and wealthy athlete showing off his whips and sneakers, and maybe it is. But there are moments in that five-minute TV spot that, looking back, are unbelievable. Could part of the answer as to why Melo went from the NBA's prodigal son to relative obscurity in such a short amount of time be in this tour of Anthony's pad?

One character trait Anthony shows immediately is an enormous ego. We get a look at his trophy case, which contains, of all things, an ESPY award for best male college athlete. Far be it for me to denigrate such a prestigious award, but it's a freakin' ESPY. Didn't you win an NCAA championship, nearly single-handedly? Shouldn't you be showing that off instead?

But then it dawned on me. The ESPY was for him. The NCAA title was for Syracuse. He tells the camera that he thanked himself, which, apparently, not a lot of people do these days. Think about that, he thanked himself. Only Kanye West does that. In a way, this hyper-inflated sense of self pride is not unexpected. Carmelo is fresh off being the alpha dog on a national championship college basketball team. He just went number three in the NBA draft and is primed for a launch into the stratosphere of stardom. He was also barely 20 years old. All his young adult life he's been the guy. Who else would he thank?

Next Carmelo shows us an arcade cabinet of House of the Dead 2. And why not, lots of stars have arcade cabs in their abodes. But why House of the Dead 2? “At the beginning if the season it was so dead out here [Denver] til I came out I just had to get a game.” What really gets me about this is not his ripping of the city he has yet to spend significant time in, it's how humorless he is delivering it. There is not one hint of jest in his face or voice when he says this. Carmelo actually thinks Denver was dead before he got there. And he got a video game cabinet to represent that.

This also represents Melo's immature side. His house is furnished with the taste and expertise of a professional interior decorator. But he has an arcade machine right in the middle of his living room. This isn't surrounded by an Asteroids or Galaga machine in a game room. It's totally out of place and he decided to show it off to the nation on MTV. Why? To deliver his (clever) jab at the city of Denver? The best part is, I can totally picture him shooting zombies while sipping $5,000/bottle champagne, sitting on a $1,000 ergonomic chair, laughing like a 10-year old.

But the best is yet to come. As we traverse Melo's hall to his bedroom, we see a number of magazine covers. Pretty standard fare. Until we come across a portrait of Carmelo and – this is real – Jesus Christ, our lord and savior. The caption on the painting: “Blood Brothers.”

Let's take Melo's thought process step-by-step:

1. I want a portrait of me in my house because I am great.

2. It has to be hand-painted, with oil paints because it's more expensive.

3. What about me with Jesus?

4. I don't think the imagery is strong enough, throw some text up there. But what...

5. Blood Brothers!

This is about ten levels of insane. Painting yourself in with the messiah? Crazy enough. But implying, in not so many words, that you and the son of God are brothers? This is of course acceptable because he's a famous, ultra-talented athlete and who am I (or anyone) to tell him not to do that.

All this leads me to my conclusion. That Carmelo Anthony, along with LeBron James, was handed the keys to the NBA. And it's not that he couldn't handle the spotlight or perform well enough – it's that they were simply taken away from him. Dwayne Wade is better. Chris Paul is better. Brandon Roy is better. Kevin Durant is better (and similar). Dwight Howard is friendlier. LeBron James is certainly better. The Nuggets have been notorious chokers come playoff time. His teams have had awful, awful chemistry. He has lost endorsement deals to bigger stars. He was suspended 15 games for fighting, something I don't think Wade or Bron would ever do. He told people to stop snitchin'.

He doesn't seem to have the switch, that leadership and killer instinct truly great NBA players have. So many things – even at the onset of his career, him not going second to Detroit, which could have changed everything – have happened to bring Anthony to where he is today. And it's not where he, or anyone, thought.

I bet Anthony still believes he's one of the best, most famous players in the NBA. The thing is, I don't think he'll ever prove it. Wade took his draft spot as a slight. “I'll show you,” he said. And he did, winning an NBA championship. LeBron has made a Jordan-like leap in terms of competitiveness and will win the 2009 MVP and should make it to the NBA finals, again. Wade is where Anthony should be, battling with LeBron for king of the NBA. But instead, he is fighting to make it out of the first round, again, and doesn't seem all that interested. The great NBA players – the LeBrons, the Wades – take it to another level come playoff time. I think Carmelo is happy playing in the NBA, as the star of a team. And hey, if they make the playoffs, cool, more TV time.

Maybe Melo has grown up since Cribs. Tossed out the Jesus pic. Upgraded his House of the Dead to a Ms. Pacman. Sold his ESPY on eBay. But one thing is for sure – he is no where near the level of LeBron and Wade. And maybe he never could have been. But he was supposed to. And that's the saddest part of all.