Having just discussed the bad about Michael Jordan (and his Charlotte Bobcats), I thought it fitting to make like Matchbox Twenty and get "Back 2 Good." (Re)Jumping off with Jordan returns. Finally.
The Internet is a wonderful thing. America has been introduced to the world of cute British babies thanks to YouTube. Nearly six million people follow (and have the privilege of reading) Ashton Kutcher’s astonishingly generic “thoughts” and “musings” via Twitter. (Follow me! If I get to double digit followers I will do something appropriately crazy and (probably not at all) entertaining/worthwhile.) Facebook lets you network and look at friends pictures and…play Farmville…and stuff. But most importantly, sports message boards eliminate the need to travel to the local sports bar to engage in a passionate, mostly ignorant debate comparing LeBron to Kobe to Kevin Durant to Michael Jordan to that eleven year old phenom who definitely has the inside track on becoming the number one pick in the 2018 NBA draft and will probably break every record in the history of basketball. A far more interesting debate would be determining how many WNBA All-Stars Dwayne Wade could defeat by himself, but that’s just a personal opinion (the answer is three, by the way).
Showing posts with label Michael Jordan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Jordan. Show all posts
October 7, 2010
Team Preview: Charlotte Bobcats
The Ghost of Seasons Past
Larry Brown and Don Nelson are old. Nelson played for the Chicago Zephyrs. He played with Bill Russell and Jerry West. Brown has been coaching since players had names like Sleepy Floyd and Foots Walker (1982 New Jersey Nets). He coached in the ABA. Both turned 70 earlier this year and each is now a septuagenarian member of our fine society. In his send-off to sexagerarianism, Don Nelson spent his 69th year living in style. He set his own hours, traveled around the country, had a bit of fun and steadfastly refused to relate to today’s youth. NBA devotees will also note that Don Nelson was the coach of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors season served as a fascinating case study of how an NBA team would fare without any sort of direction from a head coach. They finished 26-56 and Nelson was fired in the offseason. On the other hand, Larry Brown spent his 69th year tirelessly coaching a mediocre NBA and led them to the playoffs. The Charlotte Bobcat roster had comparable talent to that of the hapless Warriors but finished 44-38. I don’t particularly like Larry Brown (see 2004 Pistons over Lakers) but the man can coach. According to Basketball Prospectus, Brown has the third best composite defensive rating of the thirty current NBA head coaches (behind Scott Skiles and Gregg Popovich). He has accomplished this despite frequently taking control of teams without quality talent (see Bobcats-Charlotte, Knicks-New York and Clippers-Los Angeles). Somehow, he coaxed career years out of Gerald Wallace and Nazr Mohammed while keeping Stephen Jackson (mostly) out of trouble and Boris Diaw (occasionally) out of the nearest Krispy Kreme. The Bobcats were the best defensive team in the league last year. Gerald Wallace is an excellent defender and umm…Raymond Felton won an NCAA championship and umm…Tyrus Thomas was picked 4th in the draft a couple years ago? The credit goes to Brown. In a surprising turn of events, he led Charlotte to their first playoff appearance in franchise history while the UNC basketball team struggled to an NIT berth. Don’t count on a continuation of this topsy-turvy version of North Carolina basketball. More Harrison Barnes, less Eduardo Najera.
Larry Brown and Don Nelson are old. Nelson played for the Chicago Zephyrs. He played with Bill Russell and Jerry West. Brown has been coaching since players had names like Sleepy Floyd and Foots Walker (1982 New Jersey Nets). He coached in the ABA. Both turned 70 earlier this year and each is now a septuagenarian member of our fine society. In his send-off to sexagerarianism, Don Nelson spent his 69th year living in style. He set his own hours, traveled around the country, had a bit of fun and steadfastly refused to relate to today’s youth. NBA devotees will also note that Don Nelson was the coach of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors season served as a fascinating case study of how an NBA team would fare without any sort of direction from a head coach. They finished 26-56 and Nelson was fired in the offseason. On the other hand, Larry Brown spent his 69th year tirelessly coaching a mediocre NBA and led them to the playoffs. The Charlotte Bobcat roster had comparable talent to that of the hapless Warriors but finished 44-38. I don’t particularly like Larry Brown (see 2004 Pistons over Lakers) but the man can coach. According to Basketball Prospectus, Brown has the third best composite defensive rating of the thirty current NBA head coaches (behind Scott Skiles and Gregg Popovich). He has accomplished this despite frequently taking control of teams without quality talent (see Bobcats-Charlotte, Knicks-New York and Clippers-Los Angeles). Somehow, he coaxed career years out of Gerald Wallace and Nazr Mohammed while keeping Stephen Jackson (mostly) out of trouble and Boris Diaw (occasionally) out of the nearest Krispy Kreme. The Bobcats were the best defensive team in the league last year. Gerald Wallace is an excellent defender and umm…Raymond Felton won an NCAA championship and umm…Tyrus Thomas was picked 4th in the draft a couple years ago? The credit goes to Brown. In a surprising turn of events, he led Charlotte to their first playoff appearance in franchise history while the UNC basketball team struggled to an NIT berth. Don’t count on a continuation of this topsy-turvy version of North Carolina basketball. More Harrison Barnes, less Eduardo Najera.
September 22, 2010
Jumping Off with Jordan Part One: The Most Interesting Man in the (NBA) World
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).
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