What's it like to be a part of history?

Thanks for the introduction, KG.

Confession: I may or may not be a student at Virginia Commonwealth University. You know, that school that's playing in the Final Four next weekend.

Thus, I may or may not have taken some very cool pictures of the raucous scene on campus as the student body celebrated the most improbable of victories.

Without further ado:













What an experience. I’ve never been part of anything quite like this. It was just pure ecstasy. Call me a bandwagoner (I just made that word up—sue me), but I think I finally understand college sports. Never liked it for a few reasons: the level of play is so far below that of professional basketball, the NCAA system is really corrupt, and once again, the level of play pales in comparison to the NBA. But you know what? I don’t care right now. What may or may not be the college I attend just pulled off one of the greatest runs in college sports history—and might not be done yet. Sure, it’s not the brand of basketball I’m used to, but watching kids leave it all on the floor like that? Watching a team—a team in its purest form—shock the college basketball world game after game, and being a part of it all? INCREDIBLE.

I’d like to be able to put this all into words…really, I would. I want to describe what it’s like to be part of history, but I don’t think I can. This VCU run to glory will be immortalized in the annals of sports history forever—and if they make the national championship? Someone turn on the heat because I’ve got the chills.

So what’s it like being part of all this? What’s it like screaming my freaking lungs out for two hours with 5,000 other rabid VCU fans? What’s it like screaming at people in the streets and getting a smile and a yelp in return? PURE BLISS.

After watching the Boston Celtics mail in yet another game as the NBA's regular season comes to a close, I’ve come to a conclusion.

Screw you Celtics, I’m watching the Rams.

The Look

The look. Rocky Balboa had it when he struggled to his feet at the end of Rocky II to defeat Apollo Creed. Jack Bauer had it whenever he was preparing to torture someone for key information, bloodied and battered yet impossibly, still alive (which happened too often to count). Michael Phelps had it when he stormed through the 2008 Olympics like a dolphin on crack. The entire 96’ Bulls had the look when they won a record 72 games and left the rest of the league for dead.

And now, I think your 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls have the look.

This undoubtedly, has left you with several questions…and first among them must be what exactly is the look?

It’s simple really, and you know it as soon as it happens. Kind of like you just know when it’s time to quit your job or when you have to take a dump. When someone/something has the look it’s pretty obvious. As soon as Kevin Garnett reinvigorated the 07’-08’ Celtics—you know, when he started pounding his chest like a silver-back gorilla, barking out orders like he was a ten-year vet on the Celtics, and treating even a March contest against the New Jersey Nets like game seven of the finals—I knew they were a championship team. They were just, different. When Michael Phelps stormed his way through the 08’ Olympics, leaving his opposition fighting for second place in the pool, every race was his to lose. He was a machine…for all we knew he lived in the Potomac River and had gills.

It’s by no means full-proof, and teams/athletes with the look take their lumps, but more often than not when you look back at the season (especially in the NBA) Champion A had the look of a champion long before they were fitted for their rings. The 2007 Patriots had the look before the heavy burden of expectations came crashing down, and the controversial “Fab Five” had the look before inexplicably losing to a less talented Duke team in the National Championship.

So what is it about these Chicago Bulls?

It all starts with Tom Thibodeau’s singular devotion and passion for the game of basketball. It’s all he does…seriously. No wife, no kids, just basketball. Whereas Vinny del Negro was, well, Vinny del Negro, Tom Thibodeau has molded his Chicago Bulls into a focused, defensive-minded, intelligent basketball team. Let’s call them the anti-Clippers.

Here’s star point guard Derrick Rose to the Chicago Tribune:

“I’ve never played for a coach who was that focused,” Rose said of Tom Thibodeau, admiringly. “There’s nothing else — no kids, no wife, no leisure time to watch TV. I’m dead serious. There’s nothing else going on.”

Do I want to spend a weekend in Vegas with that guy? Probably not. If I was a 6’4 basketball superstar, would I want to go to war with coach Thibs? Hells yeah I would. Unfortunately, no one could say the same for poor Vinny Del Negro (I promise, that’s my last unprovoked shot at Del Negro for at least two paragraphs).

And then we have point guard Derrick Rose. Let’s forget about his athletic ability (other-worldly), his God-given talent (hell of a lot better than mine), and focus on his work ethic. He’s drilled 112 three-pointers this season, more than three times what he accomplished in his previous two seasons combined. In just one summer he developed a three point stroke that has increased his scoring average and has forced the opposition to leave him less breathing room—allowing his first step and speed to take over. Kind of like what we always hoped Rajon Rondo would do.

How often do we see superstar athletes making heaps and heaps of cash not only develop an entirely new skill, but admit they have a weakness in the first place? We’ve been waiting how long for LeBron James to develop a post game, or Dwight Howard to improve his free-throw shooting, or for Shaquille O’Neal to give a damn about the regular season? We hoped upon hope that Rose realized he would become un-guardable if he just acquired a jump shot…and look what happened. Refreshing to say the least.

By all accounts, Derrick Rose is a basketball star straight out of the NBA glory days. Quiet, humble, and devoted to the art of winning, Rose isn’t absorbed with neither his celebrity nor his talents. Whereas LeBron James spends his summers working on becoming a “global icon", Rose spends six days a week working with trainer Rob McClanaghan.

As vital as work ethic and ability are, killer instinct is what can take a player over the top. Michael Jordan had it, Larry Bird had it, Isaiah Thomas had it, and so does Kobe Bryant. Those players, they always had the look. It was constant; they never let up. And now, Derrick Rose has the look. Who knew Brian Scalabrine would provide all the validation I need (thanks to this fantastic feature on Derrick Rose by SI's Lee Jenkins)?

"They are the guys who get you the need baskets," says Bulls reserve forward Brian Scalabrine, referring to the vital hoops that stop runs and close out games. "I have a different word for killers. I call them mother-------. And right now, Derrick Rose is the baddest mother------ in the league by far. He is the reason we win."

So when did it dawn on me that the Chicago Bulls have the look of a champion? Beyond the stats—which are impressive—when did I begin to fear for the rest of the league? The light went off as Derrick Rose eviscerated the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night. It was beautiful basketball…the Hawks were playing well, but they were so completely outmatched by a Bulls team only four spots ahead in the standings that coach Larry Drew looked like he was witnessing John Madden give Marz Albert a lap dance. What should have been a competitive contest between playoff teams turned into a four quarter laugher. I knew this team simply had it when Rose drilled three deep treys in the final 120 seconds of the first half, and one at the buzzer. It reminded me of the “shrug” game.

Pundits, writers, talking-heads, and fans alike rush to crown a champion long before the deciding game is ever played…it’s what we do. Sometimes we’re right, and often we’re horribly, horribly wrong. But one thing remains constant: we are all inextricably drawn to the team with the look. Why do you think the Spur’s bandwagon is strangely empty despite a league-best record of 57-14? Why did the 10’-11’ Atlanta Falcons never garner much hype even though they stormed through the NFC with a league-high 13-3 record? Forget the wins, the losses, and the stats…the great ones leave us with no room for argument. They don’t limp into the postseason; they smash their way into it like Blake Griffin smashes balls home over the outstretched limbs of lesser human beings.

Four years, four years dominated by three championship teams: the Lakers, Celtics, and Spurs. They secure some championship nods because of pedigree, but really, are they better than your 2011 Chicago Bulls? Who has been as consistently excellent as the Bulls? Who is peaking at the right time? Who else has the look?

Remember this in June if Tom Thibodeau and Derrick Rose are bear-hugging each other at midcourt as confetti rains down from above, and Charles Barkley wonders what happened to the grizzled Celtics or veteran Lakers.

Did they really have the look?

Band-Aids don’t fix everything

You know how politicians keep proposing bail-outs and budget cuts to essentially slap a Band-Aid over the United States’ increasingly terrifying debt crisis? The NFL’s competition committee is pulling a Pelosi by trying to apply a Band-Aid over footballs ongoing “concussion crisis”.

On Monday, during the NFL’s annual meeting the competition committee proposed a drastic change to the rules that govern kickoffs. They proposed touchbacks being worth 25 yards rather than the customary 20, moving the kickoff from the 30 to the 35, prohibiting any cover man from lining up more than five yards behind the kickoff line, and disallowing the two-man wedge block. Drastic may be an understatement—let’s call it the complete elimination of the return game.

The proposed changes WILL eliminate one of the most exciting aspects of football. Kicking from the 35 instead of the 30 means more kicks than ever will sail into the end zone—drastically decreasing the chance for a return. To top it all off, touchbacks would take the ball to the 25 yard line. So really, why would anyone even attempt to take the ball out when they get a free 25? Why risk being tackled at the 15? Football is a game of risk aversion, and in a game of risk eversion you try to minimize the negative plays and maximize the positive ones. You’d have to be an idiot, or very, very desperate to try a kickoff return if this new set of rules is ever passed. What about kickers such as Billy Cundiff of the Baltimore Ravens who are able to boot the ball through the end zone even from the 30? It’s an elite skill few possess that will be made far less significant under the blanket of these new rules.

Don’t misunderstand—like revenue sharing in the NBA or over expansion in the NHL, player safety is the largest issue the NFL faces today. If it’s not fixed soon the repercussions will be devastating. Christopher Nowinski of the Sports Legacy Institute, one of the foremost experts on the NFL concussion crisis recently said that players suffer later in life not because of a few massive hits but because of sustained brain trauma suffered from repeated contact…like the constant collisions that take place along the offensive and defensive lines. How exactly do the proposed rule changes fix that?

It’s nice to see the NFL actually trying to do something about concussions, but Band-Aids won’t solve anything. Hey NFL, want to really fix this crisis that is slowly killing the sport of football? Let’s force every player to wear concussion preventative mouthpieces. Let’s make sure helmets aren’t popping off player’s heads ever other play. Let’s mandate every player wear a helmet similar to Aaron Rodger’s new redesigned piece of headwear that he swore by in the postseason. Mouthpieces in particular, often forgone by NFL players, need to be required for ALL NFL athletes.

It’s a sticky situation as no one fully understands the brain and how concussions destroy it (although scientists are getting closer every day), but safer equipment can only improve athlete’s livelihood. New helmets are expensive and a new rule requiring mouthpieces won’t go over well with players, but something needs to be done—and that doesn’t mean watering down the game so it looks like the suits at the top of the league are at least trying. Spend some freakin’ money, grow a pair of balls, and begin the long road to recovery. And you know what pisses me off the most about this recent proposed rules change? It’s so easy. Buying new helmets for every player in the league and outfitting everyone with the latest in concussion preventative mouthpieces is NOT.

The NFL can’t figure out what to do with $9 billion. I’ve got a few ideas.

The worst bracket you’ve ever seen

I follow college basketball sort of like The Bachelor—I profess not to care, I mock it, I pronounce its idiocy, then I watch it while pretending to do something more productive…like chemistry homework or something. Only, secretly, I can’t help but care. College basketball may not be able to compare with the pro game, but March Madness certainly lives up to its name. March is really the only time of year I make a point to watch every game, or even get to know the stars.

Ten reasons you should care about the NCAA tourney (like you needed any prodding, right?).

1. Pep bands. It makes you feel like you’re in high school all over again.

2. Scouting. If you’re a die-hard NBA fan, you should tune in to catch a glimpse of pro-prospects; try to gauge yourself whether you think they’ll make it in professional basketball. Anyone who watched both Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in 2007 knows exactly what I’m talking about.

3. Duke. Everyone hates Duke and Coach K, so why not join the party?

4. Crowds. Say what you will about College Basketball fans, but they show up for games.

5. Gus Johnson. First, don’t forget the law of Gus Johnson (in which any game being called by Gus must either go into overtime or end in a buzzer-beater), and second, it has been scientifically proven that Gus Johnson makes anything 17 times more exciting than it actually is.

6. Dick Vitale. Crap, I’m trying to convince you to watch college ball, not force you to tune out. Forget I said anything about Dick Vitale.

7. Jay Bilas and a host of analysts flipping their lids because of a couple bubble teams that might have been undeserving of entrance into the tourney got in and the “First Four” experiment. RELAX.

8. Air-balled free throws. I’ve never claimed to be a virtuoso of basketball, but NEVER have I air-mailed a free throw. And I’ve seen it more than a few times over the last couple of weeks.

9. Upsets. Nothing warms my heart quite like a lowly school that barely made it in, say Wofford, toppling a giant.

10. Awkward white guys. Enjoy it while it lasts, because pretty soon those awkward white guys will be buried on an NBA bench somewhere (Luke Harangody anyone?).

11. Bracket-making. I decided to actually enter a couple pools this year with friends, and thus, I had to craft my bracket. Let’s just say I had more fun than any man should ever be allowed to have with a pen and paper. Consider me a bracket-maker for life. I’m addicted.

Without further ado, my bracket (made with tender love and care): http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=5007448

I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I’ve seen maybe 25 of the 64 tourney team’s play. Here’s what I know: Jared Sullinger is the best player in college basketball, Kemba Walker is an ankle breaker, Duke lives and dies by the three, Old Dominion can surprise some people with its rebounding prowess, Harrison Barnes is “clutch”, and Kentucky has two possible lottery picks in the NBA draft (Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight).

My first round upset picks:

Oakland OVER Texas: Why? Because Texas went 4-4 down the stretch, with bad losses to Nebraska, Colorado, and KSU. In case you’re counting that’s three losses to unranked teams in a nine day span. Oh, and they lost by 12 to #2 Kansas—a good measuring stick game. Screw it, I’M FEELIN’ OAKLAND!

Richmond OVER Vanderbilt: Because I’ve never watched either team and the media is hyping Richmond like they’re the second coming of George Mason circa 2006.

Florida State OVER Texas A&M: WHY NOT? Can you think of one good reason why Florida State can’t win? EITHER CAN I.

Old Dominion OVER Butler: Butler is the 177th best rebounding team in the country and ODU is the seventh.

Wofford OVER BYU: Scared you for a second, didn’t I?

Teams I really like:

Kentucky: Young, super athletic, with multiple top NBA prospects. The only thing they don’t have is experience; but we’ve seen good young teams overcome that plenty of times. Plus, they won six in a row to close out the season, with quality wins against Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Old Dominion: They don’t just crash the boards, they annihilate them. That bodes well for tournament play…

BYU: JIMMERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

Kansas: Most polished team I’ve seen with talent across the board. I’m pulling stuff out of my ass at this point…

Teams I don’t like:

Pittsburgh: Classic case of a team that’s good at a lot of things (playing defense, rebounding, scoring efficiency, passing) but not great at anything. Ripe for an upset in my opinion…

BYU: Jimmer has gone from good player, to great player, to offensive savant, to cult hero, to god-hood in the span of two months. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a Pippen to his Jordan.

West Virginia: The Pundits say they suck. Good enough for me…

My Final Four picks:

EAST: Kentucky

My surprise team of the tournament. They’ve got just enough athleticism, speed, and big guys to throw at Sullinger to shock the #1 seed.

WEST: Duke

Kyrie Irving is a really, really good point guard. If he truly can play through the tourney I think Duke can repeat as champs.

SOUTHWEST: Kansas

Really good at everything, and really, really good at scoring points. Best team in the tournament, and my pick to win it all.

SOUTHEAST: Florida

Jay Bilas picked the Gators. Seriously, that’s all I got.

I’m throwing crap against the wall at this point. LET THE MADNESS BEGIN.

The wild, wild west

Confession: I’m a poor-ass college student. I save money in every way possible. When I go to Subway I forgo the combo to save $2 bucks. I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so often Buddy the Elf is envious. I re-wear socks because I try to do as little laundry as possible. I occasionally dabble in the drug business…kidding. But here’s one thing I frankly cannot go without: NBA basketball. And two or three games a week is simply not enough, I need it EVERY freaking night. I suck the stuff up like Charlie Sheen and a line of cocaine. NBA League Pass is a logical solution, only I can never quite afford the full version on my laptop…so I settle for the crap one: you choose seven teams, only seven, and you can NEVER switch. Why is this relevant, and why should you care about my financial situation? Because I made the mistake of going with seven elite teams—how newbish of me. Why is this bad? Two reasons: Elite teams are always on national television, and I can’t follow the crazy race for the final four spots in the West playoffs.

(Quick tangent/rant: NBA League Pass SUCKS. First, random games are blacked out. For instance, two weeks ago I expected to tune into a Celtics game, only the dreaded “blackout” title came up. I was incensed; there’s an 85 percent chance my laptop will be destroyed by June. I paid good money to watch any basketball game I want, now let me watch any damn basketball game I want. And why won’t League Pass show games on NBA TV? I’m sure it’s got something to do with T.V contracts, but to my lesser brain NBA TV is run by the league and so is League Pass, so logically, since I paid money to watch any damn basketball game I want, I should be able to watch any damn basketball game I want. Here’s my second gripe: Once you pick your seven teams, you’re SCREWED—you can’t change. What if someone starts to peter off or another team gets hot? What if we have a change of heart ten days later? We should be able to switch two teams within three weeks of purchase. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?)

If you’re not following the tight race between Denver, Portland, New Orleans, Memphis, Phoenix, Utah, and Houston you absolutely should, unless of course, you’re more interested in the Heatles crying habits. But seriously, it’s one of the most under-rated and un-appreciated storylines in the NBA right now—kind of like the impending lockout.

Without further ado, a breakdown of the seven teams in contention for those final four seeds:

Denver Nuggets: 38-27, 5th in West

Who would have thought the Nuggets would rip off a 5-2 run after the Carmelo heist (And get this, Denver was 3-5 in February up until the Melo’ trade. Weird)? And during that (admittedly short) stretch Denver had quality wins over the Grizzlies Celtics, Hawks, and took the Trailblazers to overtime. They’re still scoring better than anyone in the league (104.6 ppg since the Carmelo trade, 107.3 for the season) and actually playing some semblance of defense (holding opponents to 94.2 ppg). It’s an atrociously short sample size, but impressive nonetheless. No one, NO ONE gave Denver much of a chance…

The Nuggets are a great team to watch for pure comedies sake. Chris Anderson looks like he survived an explosion at a Crayola Factory, Kenyon Martin has a giant pair of lips tattooed on his neck, Danillo Gallinari looks like he smokes a bong before every game (don’t discount that), and J.R Smith is always an adventure. Ty Lawson plays like a five year-old on a sugar high, and Raymond Felton, well, Raymond Felton looks unhappy.

Prognosis: Denver has the fortune of playing nine lottery teams the rest of the season, yet they still have to play the Spurs, Lakers, Heat, Magic, Mavericks, and two contests against the Thunder. Let’s say the Nuggets win eight of their nine lottery games and win four against the playoff-bound teams. Denver has to really screw up to miss the playoffs, but don’t be surprised if they drop a bit in the standings.

Portland Trailblazers: 37-27, tied 5th in West

No doubt you’ve heard this before, but LaMarcus Aldridge is playing OUT OF HIS FREAKING MIND. If Brandon Roy gives them anything Portland’s got a serious chance to upset someone in the first round (More on that later). And good news for Blazer fans: Brandon Roy is showing signs of life. He hit two clutch threes down the stretch to beat Denver, scored 14 points in 23 minutes against the Heat, and is playing less corpse-like every passing game. With LA showing he can be every bit a franchise player, Roy is reinventing himself as Portland’s closer, clutch shooter, emotional leader, and best marksman.

Nothing comes easy to the Blazers, but they’re great defensively (8th in points allowed at 95.3 per game) and have to be in the top two or three of “most floor burns per night”. Once Gerald Wallace gets comfortable (and Nate McMillan realizes having him come off the bench is ludicrous) and Camby returns to full health the Blazers have THREE starters capable of grabbing double-digit rebounds any given night.

Prognosis: Portland’s remaining schedule is brutal. The winning percentage of their opponents for the rest of the season is tops in the league at .570 percent. They also have nine games against the top four teams in each conference—four of which come at the tail-end of back-to-backs. BUT, despite all that, I think Portland is the best of the seven teams vying for playoff spots—enough to retain the 5th seed, or even overtake Denver. Plus, how can you EVER bet against the Portland Trailblazers? They seem to suffer a tornado of injuries ever year, yet just push through like nothing happened. They’re the Jack Bauer of NBA franchises.

New Orleans Hornets: 38-29, 7th in West

Chris Paul, the proverbial straw that stirs the cup, suffered a scary concussion last weekend but will thankfully return shortly. Without him, New Orleans looks like these guys on offense. Oh, and Chris Paul might be my favorite player in basketball.

Seriously, I could watch Chris Paul pass for the rest of eternity. In fact, I procrastinated writing the rest of this column watching this video.

Prognosis: They’ve only got five road games left, and ten of their next sixteen are against teams on this list. If the Hornets don’t make it they’ve got no one to blame but themselves.

Memphis Grizzlies: 36-30, 8th in West

I have an inordinate amount of love for this team. I don’t know if it’s because I went through a love/hate relationship with Tony Allen through his tenure in Boston and enjoy seeing him ascertain some success, or if it’s because Zach Randolph—after so many years of underachieving—is finally dominating on a regular basis, or even if it’s because Marc Gasol is the goofiest basketball player in America. Whatever it is, I can’t get enough of the Memphis Grizzlies—until, you know, Tony Allen shuts down Kevin Durant and I have to unearth my Danny Ainge voodoo doll.

Memphis, right now, is in the final play-off spot in the West, only two games behind fifth seeded Denver and one ahead of Phoenix. That’s deceptive though, as the Grizz are a very respectable 22-12 since January, with only three losses coming by double digits. They’ve even gone 5-3 since Rudy Gay—arguably the Grizzlie’s best player—went down to injury. Speaking of Rudy, he should be set to return by late March which bodes well for the Grizzlies final push for the postseason.

Prognosis: With their final ten games at home and only four against title contenders, the Grizz are not only primed to make a push for the playoffs, but to move up the standings. Assuming they can only get better once Gay returns, and O.J Mayo and Allen don’t come to further blows, I would bet on Memphis making a strong push for the sixth/fifth seed.

Phoenix Suns: 33-30, 9th in West

Nobody loves the floppy-haired Canadian more than I do, but the Suns are in a rough spot despite a recent stretch of solid play (11-6 since February). The loss to Denver last night hurt, and forward Channing Frye will likely have to sit for two-three weeks. That’s a big loss for Phoenix, especially because Frye will miss several VERY important head-to-head matchups with the Hornets, Rockets, Thunder, Lakers, and Mavs. Frye’s injury means the Suns will have to rely more on Hakeem Warrick and Grant Hill’s spaghetti knee ligaments. GULP. Also, anyone else fascinated by Nash’s March so far? Only 31 minutes a game and just under seven shot attempts. At a time when Phoenix needs him more than ever, you’d think he would bear a larger part of the offensive burden.

Prognosis: Phoenix is a lively group of underdogs, but they don’t have a prayer unless Steve Nash goes into virtuoso evisceration mode. They’ve got few quality wins all season, and while Memphis, Portland, Denver, and Houston are peaking at the right time, Phoenix is going the other direction. At least that’s a lottery pick in the worst draft ever!

Utah Jazz: 34-31, 10th in West

Since the Deron Williams trade Al Jefferson is averaging a 28-10 with 2.4 blocks. Can anyone explain that? Jefferson starts playing up to his potential AFTER the best point guard in basketball is traded? I’m more confused by this than Charlie Sheen’s twitter feed.

Unfortunately, Jefferson’s great play isn’t coinciding with wins. Since the beginning of February the Jazz are a miserable 5-11 with their five wins coming against the Raptors, Kings, Pacers, Kings again, and Rockets. Ewww

Prognosis: Things look bleak for the Jazz with a rough upcoming schedule featuring a double dose of the Lakers, and contests against the Bulls and Thunder. On the bright side, missing out on the postseason leaves the Jazz with two lottery picks in the worst draft in recent memory.

Houston Rockets: 33-33, 11th in West

As far as having an eclectic group of players and personalities, Houston might be tops in the league. It’s always interesting to see how Daryl Morey—at the forefront of the analytics in sports revolution—constructs his team. Luis Scola was an absolute FREAKING heist of a draft pick (seriously, the guy is outplaying Chris Bosh-LINK), and Kyle Lowry is having a killer March. They lack star power, but they’ve got a bunch of interesting pieces. One of the most entertaining teams to watch right now…

Prognosis: That recent 7-2 stretch got Houston back in the playoff race, but I doubt it will be enough to overtake the Blazers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, or Hornets—all who have at least three game leads. 11 of their 17 remaining games are at home, but they likely have to win 12+ of their next 17 to grab the eight-seed. Not likely…

Here’s how I think the West ultimately looks come playoff time:

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Dallas Mavericks

3. Los Angeles Lakers

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

5. Denver Nuggets

6. Portland Trailblazers

7. Memphis Grizzlies

8. New Orleans Hornets

State of the Union

If you pay any attention at all to professional basketball, I’m sure you’ve come across at least a few anecdotes concerning one of seven things:

1. The league is ruled by a star system.

2. The NBA is in deep financial trouble, and doesn’t currently have a stable platform for business.

3. Rich, under-educated kids are taking power from the crusty old general managers and controlling their own destiny by choosing where they want to play.

4. The league is WAY to top heavy, with eight or nine legitimate title contenders, several middle of the pack squads, and five or six bottom feeders that generate little revenue and are all around, unwatchable.

5. SUPER TEAMS. Players are choosing where they want to play, and with the power they wield, are teaming up with their buds and forming so-called “Super Teams”. Think Miami Heat or the New York Knicks.

6. TATOOS ARE BAD.

7. The middle aged white people that make up the majority of the NBA’s customer base can’t relate to the coddled, brash, rap-listening, tattoo-bearing, thug-life athletes that play the game.

Like any professional sports league, the NBA has its share of problems—some severe, some not so severe. And in the past couple of weeks, I’ve noticed more NBA doom and gloom columns than ever (well, since the Artest melee at least). So let’s take our fire breathing fists to the heart of the issue…

LeBron James broke Cleveland’s heart when he bolted to the Miami Heat, inciting fans to burn copies of his jersey along the way. Carmelo Anthony tortured Denver for six months with trade talk to the point no one blinked an eye when he was gone. Chris Bosh destroyed professional basketball in Toronto. If you’re a Raptor, Nugget, or Cavs fan, watching your team play is like a Charlie Sheen interview—ugly, heart-breaking and a little bit confusing (though not so much for the Nuggets). Your best player left not only for a better chance at a title, but he basically said, “-insert city here- sucks; I want to play in a big market like New York, Los Angeles, or a wondrous place like South Beach.” It goes beyond business, if you’re a fan, it’s personal.

But look at it from the player’s perspective; pretend you’re in their shoes. I know, I know, it’s hard to give a 25 year-old kid making thirty million dollars sympathy, but bear with me. Let’s do a hypothetical: Pretend there’s a 25 year-old basketball player in the athletic prime of his career, coming off his best year yet. Let’s call him LeWade Dwyames. LeWade has over 500 games on his odometer, halfway to a thousand—when most players begin the steady march to mediocrity. LeWade is feeling his mortality; he realizes his days are numbered. In a game as grueling as professional basketball one has a limited peak, and thus, a very slim title window. LeWade KNOWS all this. He looks at his team, looks at what they’ve accomplished over the past seven years, and comes to a difficult realization—he can’t win with what management has built around him. LeWade eyes the model franchises of the NBA. He looks at the Spurs with longing, admiring the way they drafted Tim Duncan and put the necessary pieces around him to win a title. He looks at what management has done for him, and he sneers. “I’ve worked my ass off for six years, and they still haven’t delivered any support”, he says. What have they done for me?

Can you blame LeWade? Can you blame him for leaving for greener pastures when management was so inept it couldn’t deliver an adequate supporting cast in six years? Can you blame a person in a profession with a limited window of opportunity for getting antsy? If a professional athlete has a chance to be the best ever, and is unfortunate enough to land on a team run by imbeciles, can you blame him for worrying about his legacy? LeWade was so tired of being short changed by management that he left, call him selfish, but he left. He’s human, too.

Unsurprisingly, when a small market team loses its star player the long road to recovery begins…and it’s a rough one. When Shaquille O’Neal left Orlando for Los Angeles, the Magic didn’t recover for another ten years…when they were fortunate enough to land Dwight Howard in the lottery. And that’s precisely what it takes: a lucky draw in the draft, and a player good enough to build around. Barring some serious luck, that takes years. Oklahoma City began its resurgence when they landed Kevin Durant with the first pick of the 2006-2007 draft. The Los Angeles Clippers look to be on the rise after they landed rookie sensation Blake Griffin with the first pick of the 2008-2009 draft (crap, I forgot about Donald Sterling—on second thought, forget I said anything about the Clippers).

So should we have sympathy for these mid-level teams that lost their franchise cornerstones? For the fans: absolutely, for the suits that run the team: NO. Could LeBron James have possibly won a title with what he had—a bunch of glorified role players, a couple veteran past-their-prime-guys, and several buy-outs? I don’t think so. Folks will make the argument that James could have, but we were all a little spoiled after LeBron led his rag-tag band to sixty+ regular season wins two years in a row. LeBron James is so good, we STILL haven’t grasped how bad his supporting class was in Cleveland. The same goes for Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams. I will take this with me to my grave: Superstars don’t leave simply because they’re restless, or they want to live somewhere glamorous, or they’re nescient…they want to win, and great players care about their legacy. Put the right pieces around a superstar and he won’t budge. Look at the San Antonio Spurs, a small market team that hit the jackpot with Tim Duncan, surrounded him with a plethora of talent, and became a dynasty. Chicago drafted Scottie Pippen to pair with Michael Jordan, and the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to surround Paul Pierce. The Oklahoma City Thunder are doing the same with Durant, pairing him with emerging stars Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. Think he’s gonna’ leave because Oklahoma City doesn’t have the bright lights of New York or the beaches of Florida? HELL NO. And it’s not like these teams don’t have time. Cleveland and Denver had their respective superstars for seven years, yet they still couldn’t deliver proper supporting casts.

As a fan myself, I know what heartbreak feels like. Maybe not quite like Cleveland fans when they watched LeBron James take his talents to South Beach on live television, but believe me, I fee; ya’. I, along with every Boston sports fan in the world, watched our collective hopes and dreams flash before our eyes when Bernard Pollard destroyed Tom Brady’s knee, and with it, New England’s season (You’re right, that wasn’t the best example. Sorry Cleveland fans). Blame LeBron James all you want for orchestrating possibly the most callous and asinine television spectacle in years, but don’t hold it against him for leaving in the first place. That, my friends, lies solely on the shoulders of Dan Gilbert, who in his seven year marriage with the best basketball player on Earth, managed to acquire a 37-year old Shaquille O’Neal, a past-his-prime Antawn Jamison, and a good-but-not-great Mo Williams.

Admittedly, there has been much hand-wringing in respect to the financial impact of small markets losing their stars. For those small market teams, the effect is no less than devastating. But for the NBA consumer it’s pretty exciting. Has there ever been a postseason in NBA history as hotly anticipated as this one coming up? Is anyone gonna’ complain after a round one series featuring the Heat vs. Knicks (very much in play)? Right now, the NBA’s got seven-eight awesome teams, six or seven god-awful ones, and everybody else. Here’s the debate: Do we want seven or eight super teams, or thirty good ones? There is no easy answer—unless, of course, you’re a Cavs fan.

But parity is sweet (just look at the NFL), and smaller markets need a better opportunity to compete with huge markets like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The root of the problem is the NBA’s lack of revenue sharing. Huge markets rack in huge amounts of dough every year, even if they’re not fielding competitive teams (looking at you Sterling) while small markets are struggling even if they’re product is watchable. It’s a problem, and one the NFL has figured out. According to the Washington Post, “…the NFL shares 90 percent of its revenue; the NBA, less than 50 percent.” New York, with its massive population has never struggled getting people to watch, but Sacramento? That’s a whole different story. As greedy as the owners are, you would think they would realize that an eight team league ain’t gonna’ cut it. The wealth needs to be spread out to a greater degree, allowing smaller markets to compete for the marquee free-agents out there. Crap, doesn’t it sound like the makings of ANOTHER summer of labor talks and lockout terror? Excuse me as I bludgeon myself to death with my David Stern bobble-head.

Here’s another MASSIVE problem plaguing professional basketball: Stupid owners and stupid contracts. How many times over the last decade have we seen teams give players gargantuan contracts they don’t deserve? I can think of a few recent ones: Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Rashard Lewis…

 $18 million, really?

Teams sign players to massive contracts (which happen to be guaranteed in the NBA), then because of financial issues plaguing the league (because of the economic downturn faced world-wide), teams aren’t able to actually satisfy the terms of these contracts and are forced to borrow a lot of money. If this sounds like one big cluster f*** you would be right. So what are some solutions? Option number one is non-guaranteed contracts, similar to the NFL’s current system. We can all agree it’s pretty ludicrous that Gilbert Arenas is making almost $18 million dollars coming off the bench and contributing about as much to the Magic as James Franco did to the Oscars. And what do teams do when they sign a player to an awful contract? They eventually orchestrate a “buy-out” in which they essentially pay the player to not play, freeing up cap space to sign someone else. Pretend you’re renting an apartment in New York City. After a couple of years you decide you want to buy a house in the suburbs and end up settling in rural New York, only you have to continue paying your land lord for the next two years. It’s a broken system that needs to be fixed.

In Jason Whitlock’s recent column titled eight simple rules to save the NBA, he contends that “it is both foolish and bad business for David Stern to allow a system that gives the players as much leverage as ownership and management.” When did that happen? LeBron and Carmelo gave their franchises seven years and Deron gave Utah five and a half. That’s almost twenty collective seasons of basketball, that’s not enough time to build a champion? And since when is this something new? Kareem forced a trade to L.A in the early 1980’s, Shaq forced a trade from Orlando in the mid-90’s, and Barkley did the same. Every single one has the same thing in common: the stars were in bad situations, they were rotting away and wasting their primes only for management to continuously screw up the team around them, and they wanted the chance to play with other great players and win a title. Of course the players have leverage, but you know what I say to that? AMEN.

Whitlock argues LeBron’s James decision to team up with superstar’s Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami was good for the league short-term, but will have a negative impact in the long run. He contends that LeBron’s decision set in motion a dangerous cycle. It’s a point worth noting, but if we’ve learned anything from the past, it’s that it’s just a part of the game…

Whitlock goes as far to say, “The love-hate tension is at its highest in the NBA. Other than loving hoops, the paying customers believe they have almost nothing in common with the tattooed millionaires who entertain them. Many fans believe they care more about winning and the team than the players do.” That statement is so out of touch I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t have any concrete evidence to support this, but I watch a lot of basketball, and the crowds I see are young and diverse. The NBA’s main paying customers may be older and white (I have no way to prove or falsify, I wish I did), but my generation (early twenties) eventually will be the NBA’s biggest source of revenue, and thankfully, the NBA is as popular as ever with this generation.

Haven’t we moved past the whole “tattoos=bad, I can’t relate to this rich, 25 year-old black kid” mentality? I’m not claiming racism has been eradicated in America, but I think we’ve reached a new level of understanding. LeBron James, with his idiotic summer T.V spot may have set us back in that department, but most pro ballers today are thoughtful, articulate, and “gasp” even humble. I think most of America realizes this Mr. Whitlock. Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul—just a handful of superstars who happen to be ambassadors of the game. This isn’t 1962, where Bill Russell was denied a bus ride to the movie theatre.

The NBA could be America’s game. I’m dead serious. Basketball is insanely popular with high-schooler’s and college kids. Of the four major sports with Facebook pages the NBA is by far the most-liked. More foreign players are entering the game than ever before, and the NBA is experiencing its greatest talent swell in two decades. We’re in a collision course for the greatest postseason in recent memory. How is this not awesome for professional basketball? This June the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement will expire, and the powers that be have the ultimate chance to fix what ails one of my favorite sports. Increased revenue sharing? Doable. Less buy-outs? Doable. But we can’t have another Band-Aid. If there’s one thing I hope you got from generously giving me your time, it’s that the NBA is set up perfectly to make a run at the NFL, only the owners are slowly committing samurai-style suicide.

Professional basketball is approaching its day of reckoning; let’s hope they realize what’s at stake.

NFL labor battle Part II

I would rather force a cheese grater down my throat then write about the NFL’s ongoing labor battle, but hey, you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do.

Thankfully, we received some excellent news yesterday regarding the NFL players association once non-existent leverage.

It came from this guy:


Who may as well be this guy:


Why am I comparing an 82-year old district court judge to God? Because dear readers (all six of you), he might have saved the 2011-2012 season. So before we go any further, let’s give Judge David Doty a hearty round of applause for one, siding with the players, two, not being a dick, and three, giving the players association some much needed leverage over Roger Goodell and friends.

So what happened?

Let’s backtrack a moment and discuss exactly what case Judge Doty was presiding over. The Union has accused the NFL of not maxing out possible revenue earned from television contracts; instead ensuring that the NFL would be paid roughly $4 billion dollars in the event of a lockout. Wrap your brains around that for a moment.

Ok, we good now? So essentially, the NFL neglected to maximize profit from T.V contracts in order to get paid during a work stoppage. How f******* reprenhsible is that? And here’s the worst part: these contracts with CBS, FOX, and NBC were renegotiated in 2008, right after the NFL opted out of the soon-to-be-expired Collective Bargaining Agreement. So for over two years those slimly, oily, shit-faced ass-bags were planning to lock the players out if need be (and there would be need, because why would the players agree to the crappy offers the owners have put on the table?). One last jarring indictment of the NFL and owners: in the 2008 contract negotiations with FOX, FOX was reluctant to pay the NFL during the lockout, of which the NFL responded: that’s a deal-breaker, suck-a my dick…or something to that effect.

The NFLPA (NFL players association), according to the National Football Post, argued that the NFL:

“Chose to negotiate “lockout insurance” at the expense of getting the most possible revenue from the deals, revenue shared by the players.”

So there you go, Judge Doty had to decide whether the union’s accusations were legit or whether the briefcase of money he was given by Roger Goodell under the table was enough to “influence” his decision. Just kidding on that last part (I think).

So what was Judge Doty’s ruling?

Thankfully, Doty ruled in favored of the Players Union, declaring that the NFL utilized unfair business practices in compiling a “warchest” of funds in order to survive a prolonged lockout while the players would receive NOTHING. He also opened up a can of wup-ass on Special Master Stephen Burbank, criticizing him for, “legal errors and erroneously concluding earlier this month that the NFL can act like a self-interested conglomerate when in fact it is bound by legal agreements to make deals that benefit both league and player.”

Said Doty himself:

“The record shows that the NFL undertook contract renegotiations to advance its own interests and harm the interests of the players.”

Allow me to translate into normal people speak: “I studied what’s going on here, and came to the conclusion that the NFL doesn’t really give a f*** about its players, but ABSOLUTELY needs those golden toilet seats and fountains that spew 100 dollar bills rumored to be in Roger Goodell’s office.”

Furthermore, the NFL is expected to act in “good faith” in its business practices and fairly represent the player’s association in all its dealings. Somehow, I don’t see putting a mean $4 billion in the bank so the owners can implement a lockout and strike an extremely favorable collective bargaining agreement as acting in “good faith”.

Thankfully, Judge Doty agrees.

What does it mean?

According to the National Football Post, the NFL will appeal the ruling and take its chances at the appellate level. Naturally, those bastards don’t think they’ve done anything wrong: “Today’s ruling will have no effect on our efforts to negotiate a new, balanced labor agreement” and the 32 teams were merely “prepared for any contingency." Still, as I wrote in my previous guide to the labor talks, the union will likely decertify, and depending on what happens in the coming weeks, Judge Doty may either put the $4 billion in escrow or convert it into financial damages that will be awarded to the players association.

Why does this Doty guy--as badass as he sounds--get all of the NFL labor cases?
In response to your first remark, yes, David Doty is very much a badass. He’s an 82-year old former marine who was appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan in 1987, and probably fully capable of kicking my ass with one hand tied around his back while writing a legal document with his left foot and bashing my brains out with a life size statue of Roger Goodell. But that’s beside the point.

He’s been presiding over NFL labor battles since the early 1990’s when the players gained the leverage they needed to extract such benefits as free agency and he presided over what became known as the agreement of 1993. One of the provisions entailed in that somewhat mysterious sounding agreement was a provision in which all disputes first go through a special master and then to Judge Doty. This was because the players were worried the owners would not abide by the agreements and knew that Judge Doty would give both sides fair treatment and rule accordingly.

So you see, NFL owners have been greedy bastards since the beginning of time…

Why should the players decertify now, risking their clean public image in the midst of negotiations rather than wait until after the CBA expires?

According to Lester Munson of ESPN,

“…But Doty's jurisdiction over the NFL's labor case expires with the current agreement, meaning Thursday night. If the players wait and decertify later, they would have no chance of staying in Doty's courtroom and would have to take their chances before another judge. But if they decertify before midnight Thursday and then immediately file antitrust litigation, that litigation automatically goes to Doty, who will maintain control of it until its conclusion even if the CBA is no longer in effect.”

If the Union does indeed decertify, which if I understand everything correctly is almost certain, than it will absolutely be before the current CBA expires. It may be bad PR to decertify in the midst of negotiations, but taking the case to another judge, who may be more favorable to the owners, could be disastrous.

The bottom line

Judge David Doty is my f****** hero. Ruling in favor of the players association likely means that the owners $4 billion in savings will be inaccessible, thus, leverage has swiftly been turned in favor of the Union. You think the owners will be as amenable to a lockout now as they were when they knew they could continue bird watching in the forests of Albania, or whatever else rich people do? HELL NO. They’re scared, they’re vulnerable, they know they have no fall-back, and they realize that if the union decertifies by 11:59 Thursday evening their fate will continue to be decided in the court room of the accursed David Doty, bane of the rich, savior of the poor (Ok, maybe that was a little over the top—sue me).

Can we stop? This crap is so complicated brain matter is leaking out of my ears.

Couldn’t have said it any better myself…

In Doty we trust

For more information, check out this piece by Lester Munson (long but extremely detailed/informative), this one in the National Football Post, and this piece on ESPN. All of which I used in writing this column...

Must-Read

Some of you (all six of my readers) may remember this post from a couple of months ago. One of the most powerful pieces of sports writing I've ever read, here's the follow-up column.

Do yourself a favor and and read both pieces, the original and the follow-up. Some pieces of writing are entertaining, informative, hilarious, or groundbreaking. Others will fundamentally change the way you view the world--these two pieces fit the latter.