D.Rose "Heart of the City" Returns

 

 Back in the spring, during the start Chicago Bulls 2012-2013 playoff season, many had already questioned Derrick Roses commitment to the team by not coming back as soon as team doctors cleared him to play, but now no Rose in the playoff? D. Rose was fresh off of recovering from ACL surgery after tearing it the playoff season prior. He had been cleared for a couple months by playoff time and many accused him of quitting on his team. That sounds like an argument, IF you are viewing the situation from solely a selfish fan's perspective.... let me explain. Derrick Rose grew up seeing the likes of Penny Hardaway & Grant Hill, two mega stars who were set to be first ballad hall of famers and potentially in the convo for top 5 all-time. Penny, a 6-8 PG that could shoot the long bomb, super athletic finisher at the rim, defensively above average, pass the ball like a young Magic and control the pace of team play with perfection. Having the biggest Nike marketing campaign since Jordan, Penny and Lil Penny were lighting up footlocker and commercials, including other huge endorsement deals, like the NYC skyline. Nagging injuries, that he always attempted to come back too soon for his own liking from, wore him into the ground and faded a future legend's career. Almost the identical story with Grant Hill, having continued to play during a Detroit playoff series on a jacked up ankle which lead to him never being the same explosive talent again on top of nearly costing him his life. Not only does this affect the "superstar" athletes potential as a player in the future but their fortune, on and off the court. A lot of the critics may not be a kid from the South side of Chicago raised in a single parent home, that saw their mother work 2 and sometimes 3 jobs to make ends meet or raised in a place where in the best player in your schools history, in your perspective sport, was shot dead right outside of the school over nothing. They may not be from the new murder capital of the world where it's a blessing just to see 21 yrs of age, no event to mention making it to college and being an NBA lottery pick, rookie of the year, an All-Star, MVP, a grateful  son who made it and a loving father....oh yeah and ADIDAS leading poster boy! ......so it was more riding on Derrick Rose making sure that he was more than %100 ready to go before he came out and put it all on the line than what it may seemed to be on the surface. As fans it's easy to look at the surface. For what it's worth, Derrick Rose actually made the best decision for his team in waiting to make sure he was completely ready to go this season. What if he had risked it and came back too soon, never reaching 100% on his rating chart and lost some of his step and explosiveness, which would have resulted in a loss of confidence. Why risk his financial future, endorsements, on court ability, player stock??? For what? To play in the playoffs and get bounced in the second round by a loaded Miami squad? To please some fans that won't be able to negotiate him a new shoe deal with Adidas if they were to drop him due to lack of superior performance nor be able to convince the Bulls to give him a franchise player's contract after showing that he can't produce on the same level anymore? Come on people!!! No one connected to Rose, up to and including former and current teammates and coaches have ever questioned his heart. He opened up the 2013-2014 preseason the other night with a very fast and explosive 13pts, almost looking like he never left, attacking with that D. Rose fury. In summary it wasn't a lack of heart issue, it's more about him using his head!

D. Rose....Heart of the City!
http://youtu.be/JmFO_4IefEs

2013-2014 Debut!!
http://youtu.be/ICqT24UwVfU

Ladies First! A Few Names You May or May Not Know....Yet!!

WE'VE GOT NEXT!!!!

After the one of the most high profile WNBA drafts yet, an incredible women's college basketball season that was star powered and more girls prep basketball coverage ever, spectators are looking for the next great crop earlier and earlier in the women's game. HNB is here to highlight that category for you in this first episode of "Lady's First" South Eastern addition!!!!

First we want to highlight a young lady that has ATHLETE written all over her, Anna Wilson of Richmond, VA. (Collegiate HS). Anna (class of 2016-ESPN TOP 100), already being offered by Maryland, Virginia, WakeForest, Marquette among others, the 5-8 G has already shown great ability to lead and make those around her better topped by an impressive skill set. She grabbed a lot of attention last year playing on the Boo Williams Richmond 8th grade squad in the Division 1 nationals, in which she racked up 17 assist. She has definitely made a good name for herself, garnering a lot of attention to her game legitimately though we do know it runs in her blood... Anna's big brother is Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks and even he let's it be known that Anna holds her own weight!. Keep your eyes on this awesome young lady!
Anna Wilson Videos: http://youtu.be/soxQN2NI5As

Next up we head south to NC's Page H.S. to highlight 5-8 G Paris Kea (class of 2016). With a great ability to break down defenses with an explosive step and a strong, controlled handle, Paris is able to draw help defenders and set up teammates extremely well but let it be known...she can fill it up as well! Just this past spring in the state championship vs. power house Millbrook H.S., Paris lead her team with an impressive 31pts. Not a bad showing considering Millbrook was loaded with 8 scholarship players on it's roster. She has made All-State two yeas running and is anticipated to explode up the national level this summer and over the upcoming school ball season as she continues to display the explosive but controlled nature of her game!! Remember I told you....PARIS KEA!

Now we will travel about an hour up the road to Raleigh N.C. where we will highlight 5-10 underaged rising sophomore, Kristi Demski. Though not being exposed to AAU until this spring and somewhat flying under the radar as a result (until now) Kristi Demski has not come short of displaying that she is a talent worth keeping an eye on. Skipping a grade at a younger age, Kristi began her freshman year at just 13yrs old but didn't play her age in her first varsity season. On opening night, not only did she pull her team back from being down 30 to falling short only by 5 or 6, but KD broke the school scoring record with 32pts adding 8reb and 3 ast to go with it. Despite breaking her pinky finger on her shooting hand in the second game of the season, she played through it missing no games from the injury and ended the season with averages of 21ppg, 7rpg, 2.5apg, 2bpg, and 2spg. After her school season she joined the Garner Road Lady Bulldogs Elite 2015 squad with girls 2 full yrs older than herself and soon hit maybe her biggest basket yet. After starting nationals bracket play 6-0, her team faced elimination with about 2 minutes left, trailing by going back and forth with the lead. Not only did she score 5 points in the final minute and change but that included being down 2 and knocking down a 3pt basket with 4 seconds to go, giving her team the W. Pure shooter, good handle, long arms and good hands....Straight A student too. DON'T SLEEP!! Kristi Demski is going to be a player!

Kristi Demski
http://youtu.be/JFPLu0nIss8

Love The Game, Play the Game!

Love the Game...

Amazing how young ball players and their parents under value seeking out greater competition at all times. We know skill training is essential, its a must but getting on the gun and doing a billion drills alone isn't going to get it done!!! You have to compete against the best talent possible. You can't duplicate that temp better than the real thing.....anticipation, pace, momentum, communication, court vision, poise on and on....then they wonder why their child or school can't compete against the upper echelon.... You don't actually PLAY enough basketball against REAL competition. What's sad is that they really feel like they are getting somewhere with that concept but yet they aren't putting out a whole lot of talent...I mean real talent!!! I think that's why it's a lot of kids who can't pass the rock very well. They are just "drilling" themselves crazy (mostly 1 on 1 offensive stuff with the ball) and that's it (do to some dude that wants to over sell himself as the only element the player needs to be successful at the game.... Let these kids play!!! A player has to be able to play in situations where in the court has exceptional talent on the floor. People can cry about all the things that they don't like about AAU, which there are probably valid reasons, but when it comes down to it, AAU is 1 of the greatest ways for a young player to play against the best talent and be comfortable in that setting.  When you hear Magic, Bird, Michael, Kobe and tons of other greats, they talk about the battles at the bball court up the street against the older brother or the taller older kids or, in Reggie Miller's case, the older better sister!!! That's what helps turn those corners and apply what is addressed in those workouts. I saw some kids in a gym shooting on the gun while I was getting ready to play with a group of adults who were about to come in. When the group came in to play, the teenaged kids who were shooting, put on their slides, took the gun down and left, though toughness, and the ability to play and compete strong were these kids very weaknesses!!!! Shout out to the coaches, teams and organizations that promote real competition and encourage players to play basketball.

Kobe Bryant, Forever Under Appreciated!

   

 I've heard all of the critics. Some alluding to Kobe not trusting his teammates, dominating the ball and being to old to keep putting up great numbers night in and night out to carry this (weak) team. They allude to everyone being the "best" everything in the league but him, you know, Lebron is the best player on planet earth (after winning 1 ring with a dream team roster), Durant, Melo and several others follow as Kobe's greatness is always followed by "but" or "although", in the media's rank. If he goes off for a big scoring night, no matter how well he shoots its, "well they can't continue to win that way" or "he won't be able to continue that all season" or"he has to get his teammates involved"or "that wasn't a great team they played". Jordan dominated the ball, shot just as much as Kobe, and didn't trust his teammates anymore than Kobe but that was ok for MJ but not Kobe....huh? Side note...Kobe and MJ have something else similar, MJ has 6 rings and Kobe 5!! Its funny because when Lebron or Durant put up big numbers, "oh my goodness, what an unbelievable performance". The circle of NBA basketball analyst look for a angle to discredit Bean!!!

    

     The truth is, in the last two games, games 77 & 78 of his 17th season, on his 34 yr old knees, Kobe Bryant, as he has done all season, showed that he is everything that an all-time great basketball player needs to be, scoring 23 of his 30pts Tuesday night in the 4rth qtr (14-27 fg and 10-11FT), over coming a deficit and going for 47pts including (9-18FG and18-18FT) from the free throw line against a young, athletic Portland team that was looking to spoil the Laker's efforts to make the playoffs! That's just this week. Kobe Bryant's numbers this year.... 27.3pts 6.0 ast and 5.6 rebounds per game, including shooting 46%FG and 84% FT. In March he avg. 7.1 ast and April 8.2 ast. Because of the lack of perimeter defense on his team, he works like a crazy man every night trying to put out Steve Nash and Blake's fire. He has had some of the most incredible performances since the All-Star break, in the entire league, literally putting the team on his back. Howard has played better as late, but struggled and was limited in many ways more than half of the year and when he gets a lots of touches, he is sent to the line where he is HORRIBLE. Nash has been out more than he has played this year with injury, though even when healthy, he can't defend my 11yr old son.  Pau is actually the second best overall player on the team as far as presenting match-up problems and overall versatility but has also been bit by the injury bug a great deal of the season and bitten by the Mike D'Antoni "I can't coach two bigs at the same time"/ "I can't coach" bug. Everybody else on the roster is less than impressive...I mean really, they're roster is pretty weak. Everything that could go wrong has went wrong for the Laker's except that one constant that has been staring down opposition for 17yrs....and is still bleeding ICE COLD BLOOD, the Mamba!

Star "Track" The Next Generation!! 2013 McDonald's All-American Game

 In today's world run by unlimited social media outlets, there are a lot of sources that build a lot of hype on young, up and coming players in the game of basketball. There is one corner stone in that field though... these are the grounds in which a basketball head can view the "next" big thing.... The McDonald's All-American Game! This has been the preview for most of all of today's college and NBA stars from Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo and the list goes on!!! 

  

                                          Jabari Parker #2 overall prospect

This year will be no slouch on the list of great games in this storied event, highlighting a super talented  class including Andrew Wiggins (uncommitted), Jabari Parker (Duke commit), the Harrison twins (Kentucky commits) and Julius Randle (Kentucky commit) among a host of other super talented names!! This classic event, laced with the next generation of studs, is being held, again, in the United Center in Chicago. College hoops coaches and fans can view what they have to look forward to and NBA fans get a  heads up on what is to come. So far, once again, it looks like coach Cal and Kentucky may be the "fortunate" again in this 2013 class. In fact people say this may be the class that almost makes you forget about the fabe fab!! (We'll see) This is a gigantic stage and one of the greatest honors for a high school player to be involved in and its often used as a proving ground and intro to the national scene!!

Catch a load of this game Wednesday April 3rd on ESPN at 9:30pm est!!

"The Great Wall" Goes For 47!!

John Wall Goes For 47!!

With the kid being from my home town, I have a special interest in this..... last night vs the Memphis Grizzlies, John Wall went for a career high 47 points 8assist and 7 rebounds!! Giving the Grizzlie guards all they could handle, John Wall didn't do all of his damage on penetration and finishes at the rim alone as many would guess, but much of the onslaught came in his new and  improved midrange jumper. In his previous seasons, the scouting report on John Wall was to back off and dare him to shoot jump shots....maybe Memphis didn't get the updated version of the scouting report on him. He has worked on that aspect of his game greatly. Always have been a solid defender, imposed his speed Since his return from the knee injury that kept him out the first half of the season, the Wizards have won 11-18!! He is seemingly getting better with every game..looking more confident, more fit, and regaining the lightning quickness that he has. This is the potential that those who have seen him closely for yrs knew he had, definitely a sign of things to come and hope for Washington Wizards fans and the franchise as a whole!!!

Check out John Wall get busy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkeNa2QIP94

Throwback Thursdays: Make Em Jump Like Rod Strickland

Make Em' Jump Like Rod Strickland!

In my coaching and even more so the skill training that I do, I often reference a college or pro player when working on certain skills, moves or mechanics to give kids a strong visual/example of someone who does the said skill correctly....for example, floaters and or hard, low, fast and tight left/right crossover and go's..."Tony Parker", or through the leg, leaning hard in that same direction then crossing back in front to the opposite direction, "Tim Hardaway" and just the same when dealing with the in and out hesitation or any stop and go series off of the dribble, you've got to reference the infamous Rod Strickland at some point!!! This NY bred PG had one of the meanest hesitation series of all time with court vision that ranks with the best of them. Hesitation to make his defender freeze in place, and hesitation to make his player jump and/or raise up, though he still has a live dribble.....sick!! This cat was smooth with the ability to break down defense, finish and find the open man, whether he was behind him or cutting opposite of him through clutter. A REAL pg...something lacking today. The epic rap group WU-Tang even referenced him in a rhyme back in the mid 90's, saying "make em jump like Rod Strickland". Dude was fun to watch and a nightmare for the opposition. Big ups to the real pgs that  had a pass first mentality but still posed an offensive threat themselves enough to keep defense honest. He played 17yrs for several different It was nothing for Strickland to have 15pts 15assist and 3 or 4 stls. Scrappy and crafty!!!! Let's take a moment to look back on Rod "watch those ankles" Strickland!

Look Back At Strickland Doing Work Below!!!!!
http://youtu.be/XTyNwkZwCzg

The Rich Get Richer!! Julius Randle Going To Kentucky

Julius Randle Tops Off One of the Greatest Classes Ever!!!

Its official, Five Star, power forward recruit, Julius Randle is headed to to Kentucky, joining an already unbelievable class that many now are saying could be the greatest ever....and Calipari is still in the hunt for two more top players this year!! Julius Randall is the No. 4 overall prospect in the country according to Max Preps Top 100 and from what I've seen, he could very well be the most pro appealing player in this senior class at this current moment. Randle is a 6-8, 235 pound, MAN on the floor. He has a motor and is fearless when attacking the rim, on the block, and on the boards. With strength being one of his greatest assets, Randle also has great hands, superior footwork, incredibly athletic and agile. Julius attacks with a vengeance, as if he is upset with the opposing team for even thinking that they can play with him!!! Sounds funny but true. He is a program changer by himself!!! To sum this all up, for those who were laughing at Coach Cal last night after loosing in the first round of the NIT, laugh now.....CRY LATER!!!

Just in case you haven't seen the kid, check him out here....he's a monster!
http://youtu.be/HJqaMioXegU

Julius with B "the Houston rocket" herself

Texas Stars....Present and Future!!!!!!

Can't Believe My Eyes...DeAndre Jordan Crushes Brandon Knight @ Rim

As if Kyrie Irving's ankle breaking crossovers, with one bringing him to the floor, on All-Star weekend weren't bad enough, Brandon Knight almost locked Twitter up yesterday.....for the wrong reasons!!! In a Sunday afternoon match-up between the Pistons and Clippers, a play that will be seen over and over for quite sometime and cements what LOB CITY is all about occurred. After a Piston's turn over, someone set a back screen for De'Andre Jordan and as Knight was playing off of a man in the far corner. After seeing De'Andre break free, headed toward the rim, Brandon Knight sagged all the way in and jumped to intercept/break up the lob from CP3 but to no avail!!! It resulted in what I would guess was the most embarrassing moment in B. Knight's basketball life....even topping Irving making him fall on his face in  front of the All-Star weekend crowd. Lebron said of the Jordan dunk, "play of the year" and teammate Blake Griffin called it the best dunk he has ever seen in person! That's huge coming from Blake the Great! Look at the faces of the players, the fans, coaches and refs....the dis belief in what they just witnessed!!!! Nasty, ridiculous, unbelievable, unreal, spectacular all fall short in properly describing the play.

               This face after the dunk may describe what just happened best!

Thing is, its not just an isolated situation or just for flash or entertainment. The constant threat of these types of plays by the Clipps has become a culture and a offensive element that has to go into opposing team's defensive strategy. They have made it a weapon, not just a ticket seller. They are the "Greatest Show On Earth"!!!! Between CP3 and Crawford being sly, elusive and stunning on the perimeter with the rock and their crafty court vision and Blake, De'Andre and even Caron (when its any rim left for him) flying to and tearing up rims on a nightly basis, they have created a movement and a culture!!! If you didn't get it before, or thought it was just isolated to Griffin, this video of this play will clear things up for you!!!! Get your mind right and clear the runway next time Brandon..... buzzards luck for B. Knight in 2013 lol!

The Crime Scene

"Here comes Chris Paul...the lob, the jam!!!! Oh what a monster jam by De'Andre Jordan!!!!" 

View "The Play"

http://youtu.be/-YyUXd3Lb0I 

Game Changer: Brittney Griner!

Monday night, Brittney Griner took the court for her final home court game as a Baylor women's basketball player..... and man, was it won to remember!!! Brittney Griner was DOMINANT all night long, offering a women's NCAA season high 50pts making 21-28 fgs!!! She displayed it all....drop steps left and right, jump hooks left and right, and even turn around jumpers but there was one play that took the cake...... Brittney Griner caught a pass on the left side of the low block, made a quick spin move right toward the baseline, took off on two feet for the baseline dunk!!!!
I mean this girl is not just tall or just long, she can play! The foot work, the effort, the poise, the timing and anticipation. She has it all. The dominance, the swag, the fire, and the highlights to top it all off. The way she plays the game at her size has and (assuming no serious injury) will continue to garner the attention of many. Up and coming girls have a player of a different type to idolize their sport. She has broken many records in her four years and still is as she goes along. She could change the level of media coverage for the sport as well as endorsement parameters for the sport. Many great women players have played but she may be the first of her kind. Women's basketball has been under sold for too long. Brittney Griner could change the landscape. The new ceiling...no ceiling!! Brittney Griner......Don't sleep!

Re-live the moment...The Griner Dunk!!

http://youtu.be/qlDAUlX57Kg

Duke's Ryan Kelly....Back Like He Never Left!!

                                       

 Ryan Kelly......Back Like He Never Left!!!!

Since Ryan Kelly left the line up,  the Blue Devils have it a few bumps in the road after a flawless start to the season which included a tough early season schedule. Duke picked up some super impressive wins over Louisville, Ohio State and Kentucky among others. Since Ryan Kelly, Duke's 6-11 senior forward, has gone down with a foot injury, Duke has lost 4 conference games, and only squeaked by in a few other conference match-ups, which was unexpected....or was it??  how much better is Duke with Kelly vs. without him? Could that be the biggest reason for the losses to N.C. State, Maryland, Virginia and Miami?? Well I heard many sports analyst marvel at Miami's 20 plus point thrashing of Duke and even throw in that it would've happened anyway, even with Kelly in the line up....They were soooo convinced.
  Well to many's surprise, in Saturday night's rematch with the mighty Hurricanes, Ryan Kelly was not just suited up, but was ready to play and oh boy, did he! Ryan Kelly had maybe the most impressive return of any college athlete, in a single game, after an extensive layoff. Kelly was aggressive and confident, putting up an overwhelming 36pts and 7 reb including 7-9 from 3pt range!!! Unreal after missing 13 straight games!!!! The Cameron Crazies exploded with every dagger the Kelly unloaded on the Miami Hurricanes last night. In the midst of the the heroics, Kelly had to run off to the locker room to readjust tape on the injured foot, then ran back out and picked up where he left off.  Realistically, who's to say that with Kelly never being injured, that the Blue Devils might not be a clear cut #1 with maybe 1 or no losses?? Ryan Kelly isn't that big of a difference for coach K is he, you might ask? Sure he is.

  Ryan Kelly is a 6-11 frame with a decent post game, length and inside defensive presence but what makes him such a problem for opposing teams is that he, at that size, can knock down the long range bomb. What does that do to opposing defenses???? It forces them to have a player big enough to match-up in the post but also agile and skilled enough to guard Kelly on the perimeter. Ryan Kelly stretches defenses, not by just being a long range shooter but a tall long range shooter, among a host of above average shooting guards and a really good post player in Mason Plumee. That can stretch any apposing defense and makes Duke a totally different offensive team. Of course defensively, Ryan Kelly takes a huge pressure of Mason Plumlee by having another long, experienced defender to protect the basket. Yes Duke has Amil Jefferson off of the bench and he is going to be a special player for Duke but is still young and plays aggressive, inexperienced defense which leads to foul trouble often times. Kelly is a solid defender whose length causes a degree of difficulty in the lane. Remember class two7 footers who can play together at 1 time is better than one.....any day of the week!

Hands down Ryan Kelly displayed incredible heart in his performance last night, lifting his team past a Miami squad that had handed them one of its worst losses under coach K. This will be one of those story lines to remember from this college basketball season.

Moral of the story??? Duke is still undefeated when at full strength....Coach K doesn't want the Duke haters to get it confused!

If you missed it, re-live it HERE!!!
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:9009255

LeBron And The Crew Go In...Harlem Shake Remixed

   

 It took a little while but LBJ's personality is finally shining through in Miami, the silly side that is!!! His humor and high spirited antics are definitely infectious as they were back in Cleveland with the sideline dances, hilarious starting line-up side shows, "The LeBron's" saga and cartoons, the dance battles against Shaq...on and on. I mean, who else could have, oh so serious, Ray Allen "harlem shaking in front of the camera in the recently released Miami Heat locker room, dance video!!!! If you need a good laugh, this is a must see!!!!!

Miami...Harlem Shake VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUAVW1ny-4o

Air Jordan 13 "He Got Game" March Release!

The Air Jordan 13 "He Got Game" March Release

Back Like They Never Left!!!!!

They graced NBA floors on MJ himself back in 1997 as he demolished defenses and then Denzel Washington rocked them in the basketball movie classic, "He Got Game" which also starred Ray Allen and Rasario Dawson. This film was full of classic bball kicks on the Jordan 13 reigned on top of the pack. They were rereleased in a pack in 2008 and now they are back, set for a March 16th 2013 release. Oh yeah, these will have sneaker collectors up, country wide, before dawn, people pushing and shoving, and registers jumping. Its really special for those who actually saw Jordan get down in these.....with that being said, I may have to pick up a pair myself.....my second pair! Enjoy sneaker heads!

March 16th Release

Steph Curry: All-Star Regardless!

When the list of All-Stars came out, especially the western conference list, something was seriously missing. The list just didn't seem complete. There was a player that had the numbers, that leads night in and night out, that has greatly contributed to their teams success, that wasn't present on the list.....Steph Curry!!! What!!??? You'e got to be kidding!!  What are these people watching?? The coaches really did the reserve voting? What a scam! They see this kid night in and night out, extend defenses and impose on the game. He deserved to be on that list....easy!!! Coach Mark Jackson expressed his displeasure with the decision on the day that the list was released, saying that the coaches should be ashamed of themselves, in so many words. Just as the preacher, Mark Jackson and devout christian Steph believe, in time, your good will speak for you....and last night Steph's good spoke loud and clear!

  On the grand stage of Madison Square Garden in New York City, home of the Knick's, on the floor where Benard King dazzled crowds, where MJ dropped 55 in jersey # 55 days after his return from retirement, where Reggie hit 8 pts in 11 seconds and crushed Knick dreams many times and where Kobe put on the greatest onslaught in arena history of 61, Steph made a mark of his own that ranks with the best of them......54 pts including11-13 from 3pt land, hitting from everywhere, over every defender that attempted to stop him!! Not bad for a kid fromDavidson that they said wouldn't last on the bid stage and that was cheated just a few weeks ago from a well deserved All-Star roster spot.....if he didn't have the leagues undivided attention before (which he should have), he has it now!
Instant Classic.......

                                      Check out the highlights from the KILLER performance by lil Curry last night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O70rVNKIUGE

Bill Russell Getting Busy

Bill Russell Was A Beast!!! Know Your History Kids!

An amazing play from a efficient player that' celebrated for being a great team player, fundamental and defensive player  as well as a champion....but people don't talk about these Bill Russell attributes enough! Check this out!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2AlFrOj5Mc

You've Been Wrong Before and You'll be Wrong Again If You Bet Against Him

Charles Barkley speaks his mind often, sometimes right, sometimes wrong. There are somethings you don't bet on though....or against rather, 1 being the MAMBA! Charles Barkley emphatically stated over and over that the L.A. Lakers will not make the playoffs this year. I wonder how much$ Charles would put on that? (especially considering his gambling down falls). Despite everyone being on the LeBron band wagon since joining the "Dream Team", Kobe has never stopped playing at an elite level. The league scammed the Lakers out of getting CP3 but let their very arena mates get him but Kobe sucked it up and continues to do work. He has been doubted since making the announcement to go straight to the league. They doubted he could play at that level but he proved the haters wrong. They doubted that he would be a champion and he won 3 in a row. Then everyone claimed "it was all Shaq" (which causes me to wonder what games were they watching), and that Kobe would never win another without Shaq and he did...twice more. He battled back from the scandal, continuing to destroy opposition night after night. He made cats like Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmer look relevant. They tried comparing AI, T-Mac, Vince Carter, D-Wade (for a minute) and Lebron. Look at the class he came in with....Stephon Marburry, Antoine Walker, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kerry Kittles, Sharref Abdul-Raheem....he's the only one still playing at an elite level and this is year 17!!!! 17yrs people!!!! He out battled the big three of the Celtics a few years ago when their legs were still lively for his 5th. He continues to carry big soft rolls of tissue like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol (which I think Pau is a much better piece for that team than Dwight) on his back. Through all of this Kobe is always there, always on the other end of the comparison, always in the convo, and always showing up. Hey Chuck, please for your sake, don't put any money on that sir....give it to a charity!!!

Its amazing how when LeBron was in Cleveland that last year, with his team having the best regular season record, they ran into that same Celtic team and he ran and hid from the ball all series. Then got to Miami and even with the Dream Team that should have rarely lost any games at all, he played horrible in the playoffs especially in the 4rth qtr. and like many times before everyone one questioned his heart and killer instinct. Now he wins a ring with Dwade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller (who went absolutely ham in the finals) and Udonis Haslem, and he's all of a sudden in convo with Mike or Kobe? two guys who have been killers for yrs??? After just 1 ring on a team that could possibly get to the finals without him and that was up against a team of 22 and 23 yr olds???? Man please!!! Can't believe fans and media let someone hide their weakness behind the DREAM TEAM and compare him to proven warriors. These cats better get for real! Kobe at 34, in his 17th season is having a better season statistically than ever. You can't bet against this man. Whether he wins a ring this or next year or not, the FACT is....there has never been 1 this strong for this long!!!! (not out of any current players at least)

Jerry Buss's Farewell from the Lakers

Early in the week, the basketball world lost a very instrumental figure in its professional culture, the LA Lakers longtime owner, Dr. Jerry Buss. He cemented what had been started in the LA franchise and took it to another level as well with the great Lakers teams of the 80's, the 3peat dynasty of the early 2000's, as well as the more recent back to back titles a few years ago.  He set the bar high in the business arena and with his beloved organization, the LA Lakers. He made it a movement, he made games an event, a show (putting showtime teams on the floor), and in a town with tons of options, he made the Lakers the hottest ticket in town!!! The Lakers have followers not just fans. The purple and gold is a brand itself, and if there is one, the L.A. Lakers are America's Team and its because of the ambition and vision of Dr. Buss!!! That vision will live on forever........

NBA All-Star Weekend Review

Well now entering the second half of the NBA season, I would like to just take a moment to look back at All-Star Weekend. The Friday night events were pretty cool starting with Kevin Hart winning the celebrity all-star game. It makes for an interesting event to see some of your favorite music artist, actors and entertainers of all kinds come out and put their skills or lack there of, on display. The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge has become the second best event of the weekend. Young players look to come out and show out in the event as they want to make a statement with this game. Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight battled a little, including the two moves that Kyrie did to put Brandon Knight on the floor!!  Its pretty much becoming a drag on Saturday nights. None of the stars have nerve to get into the dunk contest, afraid that their little image will be tarnished if they enter and lose. Diva's!!! The dunk contest used to be Saturday nights's highlight or the highlight of the whole weekend for that matter.

This year's dunk contest made for a good nap! Though Terrance Ross is a great in game dunker and didn't do bad in the contest, the overall strength of this year's event was super weak!I believe there should be a requirement for both All-Star rosters to send at least 2 guys per team, to the event and then fill in the other two spots with other guys. Either that, or add a 1-on-1 competition that includes at least 8 All-Stars...single elimination.
Lastly sunday night's show down....the NBA All-Star game itself. I mean...it is what it is. The guys don't play much defense mostly and aren't really competing to win at all.  Chris Paul was solid, taking home the game's MVP. It was cool to see all that talent on the floor at one time anyway though. There was one thing that did stick out though.....with all the Jordan/Kobe/Lebron comparisons go around, it seemed as if it may have effected the fourth qtr of this game a bit. Late in the last qtr of the game Kobe clearly went out of his way to match up against Lebron and pull out his defensive straps. Not only that but it seemed as if when LeBron noticed that Kobe was deliberately D-ing up he made it a point to try to get aggressive on the offensive end. Kobe, with out speaking a word, called LeBron out and challenged him and the result was, at least for that period of that game, gave a glimpse of what we may really be missing.....Lebron isn't the COMPETITOR of a Kobe or a Jordan. Lebron was held ineffective when Kobe locked in on him and was visibly bothered by the defensive aggressiveness of Kobe or the challenge all together.
 Sets the stage for an up coming post from Hoopz Nation Basketball, "The Great Debate" that breaks down and zooms in to the convo of who's better overall/who's the King of the mountain and if some people don't even legitimately deserve to be in the convo....

CHECK OUT KYRIE'S ANKLE BREAKING PLAYS On B KNIGHT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5CglhyZfWY

Fit Like A Glove...The Jordan 28 Debut

IT'S HERE............THE JORDAN XX8's

Finally....Jordan enthusiast and even more ball playing sneaker heads that appreciate Jordan's for their on court performance & savvy, this a long awaited event. A new model Jordan that's stylish, light, responsive, and great support, has been pretty far and few in between but this is one to be excited about. The Jordan 28!!!! With shades of Nike's Gary Payton "The Glove", this zip up, sleek, sock designed shoe is built to not just look good, but supports quick and aggressive, stop and go play on the floor! Its like a Jordan moon boot.

THE TRACTION on court is super and allows you to change direction quick and precisely. The 28's traction is highlighted by its spiral design, on the heel, ball and toe of the foot. For the player looking to stop hard, explode, cut and jab sharp and hard, this feature will have you in love...Incredible traction pattern.
CUSHIONING: THe Jordan 28 features the Zoom Air Bags which stand out to you immediately, complemented by the Proplate Zoom Air, giving the term "walking on the moon" a new meaning. You are treading on pure air but don't have that "disconnected from the floor" feeling. The zoom air gives and compresses in response to your steps, jump and weight shifts and you REALLY feel it. This takes pressure and impact off of knees and ankles as well.
ANKLE and ARCH SUPPORT in this shoe get an A+!! This is the highest fitting Jordan to date, the shroud hugs you foot and ankle like Grandma on Christmas! Along with the ankle and foot fit, the  Jordan Flight Plate braces the arch so incredibly, giving extra reinforcement to the underlining of your foot.
This is a good day for ballers and or Jordan enthusiast a like, introducing in my opinion a players master piece........THE JORDAN XX8

Russell Westbrook rocking the XX8's in game




Jordan XX8 Promo Video
http://youtu.be/t8ZJRmYX3d8



LOOK AHEAD......"GREEN CAMO" XX8's

Battle of the Blues or Judgement Day for UNC?

The highway 15-501showdown never fails to excite and live up to the hype. No matter either teams rank, rosters, conference standings etc, the two programs, Duke and UNC, still have the grit and fight enough to comd out and compete at an extremely high level, giving fans all they can ask for.

  Some people say that there are exceptions to every rule and that everything must change.....those quotes may just go hand and hand with the vibe that this sub par season that UNC is having, going into Wednesday nights "king of rivalies" game. Its a fact...this is the most incosistent UNC team we have seen in a while,  with its best nights being less than stellar. The Blue Devils on the other hand have played terrific throughout despite loosing senior starter Ryan Kelly to a foot injury mid January. Duke is cutrently topranked
in the NCAA and has been near or on mountain's peak all season after a very impressive and umblimished out of conference start to the season.
The tone is a little off this year and the hype not as intense, as many, including some UNC fans question if "baby blue" will show up in a way that this game calls for
With all that being said, the question is, will the Tarheels/BlueDevils match-up live up to the intense, blow for blow tradition?

Carolina stole the Duke Blue Devil mascot head and put it on a pole on the UNC campus....LOL!! Well, hope they're ready to back it up!!!

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If You Don't Know...Now You Know: Andrew Wiggins

The lead act for Huntington Prep in West Virginia, Andrew Wiggins is the nation's #1 high school player according to maxpreps.com and a few other sources as well.  The Canadian born, 6-7, 205 pound senior is a versatile wing player that can create scoring opportunity for himself, post, slash and finish as well as anyone in the nation, supported by great athleticism.
Friday Wiggins took the court against Marietta College's junior varsity squad with a chip on his shoulders due to a Sports Illustrated article by Pete Thamel that he had been made aware of that questioned his game, his off court potential, his family and relationships with coaches etc. To make a short story even shorter, Andrew went out and dropped 57 points in response. Though many young men and women overcome odds everyday (which causes me to question the significance of the SI article all together) some chumps take every opportunity to speak destruction every chance they get. The jury is out on Andrew Wiggins as it is on every up and coming player everywhere, from every background but all you can judge him on this far is what he has shown, and on top of his entire high school career, Friday night he added to what we knew..HE CAN PLAY!! Best wishes Andrew!                                                                                                                                                

Check Out High Schools #1 ranked Andrew Wiggins in action below!!!!

http://youtu.be/DNi4iOu9NCU

Falling Number 1s!!

Who's the next contestant on "Loose That Top Spot"?

Unbelievable! Its happening like clock work! Every week another number 1 in college basketball bites the dust!! Its almost like "avoid #1" if you will.... From Indiana to Michigan to Duke and so on, it seems as the #1 spot is a recipe for a dagger to be thrown your within the next 7 days. WHat does this mean for the NCAA season? Does this mean this is a down year for college basketball? Does it mean the league is lacking talent? No, not to me...actually the opposite! This is making for one of the most exciting tournaments in recent history! Think about it....all of these teams who lurk in the top 5-10 have plenty of talent, there is just not much room between them as far as talent and potential. That means that every contest must be play with focus, passion and attention to detail to survive because this year, its no cake walk for any program. Everyone is fare game!!!!  The top of the pack includes teams such as Duke, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, Florida and Louisville among many other competitive programs scratching and clawing...night in and night out. College hoopz fans strap in because March is going to be a heck of an unpredictable ride!

GOLDEN!!! The AJ 7 "Gold Medal"

As if these (one of my favorite pair of J's) weren't hot enough! The cole black trimmed in the Gold Medal Gold, is a perfect complement to a perfect Jordan model. Great wear on the floor with plenty of ankle support an incredibly light , especially for the era in which it was released!!! Sporting or hooping approved!! Must have status.... Available @ marquee sole