Hello blogosphere. Welcome to the official launching (as opposed to the soft August opening) of
The Dunk Face. I will write somewhat coherently about the NBA and its various goings-on with the hope of an eventual emergence of a more focused view of the league. But that probably won't happen. Focus is not one of my (otherwise numerous) strengths.
The Dunk Face is sure to be updated throughout the next couple of weeks and after that…well, I make no promises (add motivation to list of non-strengths). But the intent is to keep this going for the foreseeable future because I have an abundance of free time that should be put to better use. You can only imagine how unproductive I currently am if blogging counts as a good use of time. Fortunately, the time is ripe for NBA blogging. The upcoming season should be the most interesting since Michael Jordan returned from his Birmingham Barons sabbatical fifteen years ago. The league has finally adjusted to the (over)expansion of the 1990s and all 30 teams have talent. Even the hapless New Jersey Nets trot out a starting lineup that includes Devin Harris, Brook Lopez and (maybe) Derrick Favors (or Carmelo Anthony?). In direct contrast to the college game (pre-NCAA tournament), nearly every game on the NBA schedule will be watchable and showcase elite talent. More importantly, a lot of that talent is gathered in a few places around the country and leaves the league with an upper echelon of teams that will draw in the casual fan and make for some excellent playoff basketball next spring. It’s a flashback to the “golden days” of the 1980s when Michael Jordan burst onto a scene that already featured loaded teams in Philadelphia, Boston and Los Angeles. Negative public reaction to “The Decision” aside, the interest in the 2010 free agency period only reinforced the good feeling brought on by this year's improved television ratings. Roger Goodell may not be worried quite yet, but the NBA is back (labor negotiations pending).
Look across the NBA landscape and the talent is balanced. New and old, big and small, East and West. Gone are the days of Todd MacCulloch starting for a 52-win New Jersey Nets team in the Finals. The old guard of Duncan, Dirk, KG and Nash is hanging on and will have a say on the direction of the 2010-2011 season, likely for one last time. Established stars like Deron Williams, CP3 and Dwight Howard are still young and will be littering All-NBA first teams for years to come. Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry are up-and-coming stars and one or two will harness their immense potential and wind up with plaques in Springfield, Massachusetts. Kevin Durant is the next Great Hope. Kobe Bryant was the last Great Hope. Monta Ellis may not play defense but he can do
this (four-step handshake included). The league is loaded.
Not only does the league have talent but there is intrigue, drama and
personality everywhere. Is DeMarcus Cousins misunderstood or the next great coach-killer? Can Brandon Jennings make a second-year leap or will he succumb to his
inner Gaga? Has
Popeye Jones taken over the unofficial title of "League's Ugliest Assistant Coach" from
Sam Cassell? Can San Antonio make one final run at a title? Is Greg Oden related to Mr. Glass from
Unbreakable? Was Yao Ming adopted into the Glass family? Will Carmelo Anthony be traded? Will he start playing defense? Will he offer any more $5,000
“slap-hits” on Twitter? Will people realize he is not one of top ten (fifteen?) players in the league? Could he have done better than Lala Vazquez? Has he helped stop snitching? Lots of questions about Carmelo, obviously.
And then there is the LEGION OF DOOM in Miami. For better or worse, LeBron James made the NBA a water cooler topic this summer. He is the most talented player since Michael Jordan and even Jordan didn’t have LeBron’s size, athleticism or court vision. Despite his prodigious skills, LeBron has become one of the most hated athletes in America over the summer. Everyone and their grandmother has played pop psychologist in analyzing his decision to take his talents to South Beach but why did "The Decision" resonate so poorly with so many people? There are a lot of reasons but one of them has popped up multiple times in this
short post. Michael Jordan. Kids may know him as the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and that guy with the Hitleresque mustache on the latest Hanes commercials but those of an older generation remember him as the greatest player the game of basketball has ever seen. Seventeen years have passed since his (first) retirement but he remains one of the most influential people in the NBA. His fingerprints are everywhere and his legacy (both positive and negative) cannot be ignored. Michael Jordan towers over the game and is still the most interesting man in the NBA world. Where better to begin
The Dunk Face than with the man with the most iconic dunk face of all-time? LeBron may be King but MJ still wears the crown.
For the next few days, (weeks?) I'll be "Jumping off with Jordan" (because it's alliterative and he has a Jumpman brand?) and looking at the unique position Jordan holds in American sports history. He's half man, half hyperbole with a pinch of
lemon legend. He's Michael
freaking Jordan.
"His legend precedes him, the way lightning precedes thunder." Dos Equis Commercial
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