My Christmas Wish List

The NBA has been less than stellar. In fact with the exception of the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trailblazers making waves in the win column there have been few bright spots. The Rookie talent pool has been a little less than exciting seeing as how every top pick except for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo has missed an extended period of time. Don't get me wrong Cody Zeller, Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, Oladipo and Mason Plumlee have all delivered in one way or the other, but none have blown away the competition.

The sophomore class has performed much better with both Anthony Davis (when healthy) and Damian Lillard (reigning Rookie of The Year) making All Star leaps. Paul George has officially arrived as a top tier player and Lance Stephenson appears to be enjoying his blossoming role as the Pacers Stephen Jackson 2.0. Roy Hibbert has established himself as a defensive juggernaut and Frank Vogel has the boys from Indy looking like potential champions. LeBron and Co, bounced back from a slow start and are rolling along just fine. The Knicks, Lakers and Nets all have high payrolls and no wins to show for them. The Warriors, Clippers and Rockets have sort of found a groove with their new parts, but still need work. The Spurs and Thunder remain atop the Western Conference and appear to be headed for a showdown.

Too many injuries!
1. Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers back court options (except Swaggy P)
2. Derrick Rose
3. Rajon Rondo (still out)
4. Brook Lopez
5. James Harden/Jeremy Lin (reoccurring injury woes)
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Alex Len, Nerlens Noel and Anthony Bennett (injuries prior to draft)
8. Andre Igoudala
9. Tyson Chandler (back now, but missed extensive time)
10. Javelle McGee

So this year for Christmas I have a pretty extensive list for Santa. None of which has anything to do with Christmas morning, most of which has to do with the remainder of the season.

1. No more injuries! I mean the minor ones we can deal with, but these season ending and season altering endings have been a damper on the first portion of the season.

2. I want a massive set of deals or a MONUMENTAL deal! I am talking earth shattering implications such as:

• Carmelo getting moved to a fringe playoff team (Phoenix/Charlotte/Detroit/Minnesota) for picks and tons of players! MAYHEM 
• Greg Monroe traded to a team in need for player that will place the Pistons in a winning position (Jeff Green anyone or Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried) 
• Deron Williams traded for picks and to free up cap space for the Nets
• Miami moves Joel Anthony, Roger Mason and Undonis Haslem for a genuine big man (Chris Kaman or someone in that mold)

3. A more competitive Eastern Conference. If we can get 3 more teams to have more than 6 games above .500 that would be nice.

4. A better Slam Dunk Contest. It's everyones favorite event, so the least they can do is get it right. People will always watch it, now its time to deliver.

5. 70+ point game from anyone capable of delivering. Kyrie Irving, LeBron, Kevin Love, Kevin Durant….anybody, somebody please do it!

6. A NBA Finals that rivals last year. That series between the Spurs and Heat was perfect and I truly believe that it can happen again.

7. Lastly, a NBA draft that is not full of random picks and horrible decisions. IF THE KID IS HURT LEAVE HIM BE! Take the sure bet, not the potential bust!

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!


The Draft Fanatic.

The Golden Era: My Forgotten Time Rant

So I am sitting here in beautiful Lorton, VA (Suburb to D.C.) and it's 6:30 in the morning. I turn it to the NBA channel and in the middle of their typical coverage of post game analysis they air a special clip saluting the great Oscar Robertson. The Big"O". The only person in NBA history to ever average a triple double (30.8 ppg/12.5 rebounds/11.4 assists). The special which had Chris Webber narrating, discusses the many high points of an illustrious career that included leading the first All African American team to a Indiana state championship and 2 NBA titles. The special alluded to the era he played in which included Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Jerry West and many others. Then of course they moved to the comparison between the current generation and his generation. Robinson pondered and asked who in this generation would be able to deal with the physical play of yesteryear…He wondered why so many people love seeing the LA Clippers play and create above the rim magic, but so few respect the steady greatness of the San Antonio Spurs and Timmy D.

All of that got me to thinking, have we reached the point where people will start to forget about Lew Alcindor's college dominance, Wilt Chamberlain's insane rebounding and scoring numbers (1961/62 he averaged 50 ppg and 20 plus rebounds), Bill Russell's defense first Celtics, The Big O's skill and the beauty that was Earl "The Pearl" Monroe? 10 years ago in the early years of the NBA network and back when ESPN Classic was a more respected network you couldn't go more than 3 days without seeing some of the great games from the 1960's and 70's. Nowadays its all Magic, Bird, Jordan and Dream. Not that those are bad things, but is that really the new "Old School" and if it is, then why are we neglecting the "Golden Era"?

If not for the well rounded game of Oscar, you don't get Magic or LeBron. If not for the razzle dazzle of Bob Cousy and Nate "Tiny"Archibald, then we don't get John Stockton or Tony Parker. If not for Wilt, Kareem and Russell, then we don't get Dream, Shaq or Duncan. Losing touch with where the game once was takes away perspective and robs the game of it's integrity. How can we cherish the current greatness of Durant, Harden, Bryant, Wade and many others without praising Maravich, Goodrich, Barry and Unseld? The game evolved with Jordan, but it didn't begin with him and the interesting thing is he would be the first to admit that. I find it highly unlikely that Julius Randle, Marcus Smart or heck even Andre Drummond can name 10 great players prior to 1979. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker get a pass because their fathers played pro ball, so its likely they are aware, but that's two out of however many D-1 college ball players are currently active.

The current generation of superstar from the Pro's on down to the local public high school league's needs to learn and remember the game. 20 years from now, my son will have a pure understanding of the game and how far it's come. I surely hope that his peers will also know that the game existed prior to the 80's, for all of our sake.

The Draft Fanatic.

The Great Jimmer Dilemma: The Most Valuable Benchwarmer in the League

In the fall of 2010, the world was about to be taken by storm by a 6'2 off guard from Upstate New York. Jimmer Fredette became an instant fan favorite the year before (Probably helped that he scored 49 points against Arizona) because of his ability to get red hot once he hit the zone, but his team the BYU Cougars were a consistent one and done NCAA tourney team. That all changed once Jimmer assumed full on rock star/All-American duties and became an unstoppable force. During his senior year, Jimmer made major headlines by consistently putting up big time numbers against both small schools and major schools alike. In a game against in state rival Utah, Jimmer torched the Utes with a 47 point performance. In a top ten match up against San Diego St (then undefeated) Jimmer dropped 40 points in a victory. If those two games weren't enough, just for giggles he went for 52 against New Mexico just to prove he could do it against anyone.

During his senior year, he averaged 28.9 ppg and led his team to a regular season Mountain West Conference title. He led his team to the Sweet 16 before his Cougars were eliminated by the Florida Gators. The BYU Cougars finished the year with 32 wins and Jimmer collected every major award a college basketball player can receive while also earning the respect of NBA scouts. His youthful smile, undeniable swagger and ability to shoot the deep ball made him a lottery lock. Sure there were questions about his size, on ball defense and lack of athleticism, but no one could deny when he gets hot he is pretty much unstoppable.

The Sacramento Kings drafted Jimmer with the 10th pick and he was expected to be a great piece to add alongside budding big man DeMarcus Cousins. Things didn't really pan out the way anyone would've anticipated after that night. Since then, with no real explanation Jimmer has found himself stranded on the bench behind the last pick in the same draft Isaiah Thomas. Sure Thomas is more of a natural point guard and lightening quick, but is that any reason not to allow Jimmer the shot to play more off the ball? If that wasn't a clear sign of trouble, the Kings have since drafted Kansas's Ben McLemore and University of Detroit Point Guard Ray MaCallum. Two players when combined can essentially do the exact same things as Jimmer, but with more size and as two separate people. So what gives? Whenever Jimmer does play consistently he has a tendency to get in to a groove and he can get it going, but for numerous reasons unknown to us, he still isn't playing. In fact his minutes per game have decreased rapidly from last season. In his rookie campaign he logged 1135 minutes in 61 games. During his Sophomore season, 967 minutes in 69 games. Wait huh? This season, 81 minutes in 7 games! YIKES!

So again, what gives? Rumor has it now that Grieves Vasquez (another Point Guard that was acquired by the Kings) has now been traded, he will get a shot at playing back up. Really…. How about this, TRADE HIM! Give the kid a shot somewhere else if you won't play him. I mean, it's the least you can do. You have already declined to extend him and he has barely mumbled a peep . Word around the league is that several teams have placed calls with interests in Jimmer, but the Kings haven't budged. They have a price in mind that appears to be much higher than what people are willing to pay. How can you over charge for something you don't appear to hold in a high regard. It will be interesting to see what happens as the season progresses and as the Playoff teams try to sure up the bench. I am sure one of the more savvy front office's will figure out a way to pry Jimmer away from Purgatory, because as it stands now with a team that includes Cousins, Rudy Gay, Marcus Thorton, Derrick Williams and Ben McLemore; Jimmer will never get the chance he seriously deserves.

The Draft Fanatic