Baron Davis: No Shame
Hey Gil, move over! The new King of the Internets is here! I’m at a loss for words right now. BD kept me laughing for 3 minutes strong. And, how smooth is he on roller skates? I always knew he could play any sport he wanted, even if he didn’t want to answer me. At the beginning of the vid, I thought Baron’s nips were blurred, but a little areola doesn’t bother Boom Dizzle. Too much, man. Too much.
(Huge Fedora Tip, Brian L.)
Comments (15)30 Teams / 30 Hours: The Bay Bridge Bombers
You know, one can never have too many NBA season previews. (That’s a lie.) Which is why we present a new series to add to the list: The Basketball Jones’ 30 Teams in 30 Hours NBA Season Preview. Yup. It is what it is…
1:00p / Golden State Warriors: The most important question heading into this season: How many threes could the Dubs could shoot and make before their new website fully loads? A Boom-Boom free-agent year — if he opts out his contract, of course — equals a dark horse MVP candidate. My old high school basketball coach used to pull his pants all the way down to the floor when he pissed in the urinal. $10 says Nellie does this too. Oh, man, The Crows are going to heckle Brandan Wright mercilessly this season. Does Thunder have blue balls? I completely forgot about Matt Barnes until right this second. Has any team ever had six or seven guys score 20+ points in a single game? Julius Hodges should be a Warrior.
Skeets says: 2nd in the Pacific, 7th seed
Tas says: 2nd in the Pacific, 8th seed
(Hey, Ginger Balls: Don’t forget to check out today’s NBA season predictions podcast.)
Comments (7)Heal The World: One Jasikevicius At A Time
It’s time for European / international players coming over to the NBA to be extremely picky when making their team choice. I’m tired of seeing talented people fail. If players are gonna come over for a couple years and then head back to Europe, they just shouldn’t make the move at all. They’re wasting valuable years of their basketball lives.
Now, there is definitely a misunderstanding between NBA organizations and the players themselves. Experienced Euros seem to believe they will immediately be given some sort of burn and a decent shot to show their stuff while many NBA coaches seem to treat most of them as rookies.
Sarunas Jasikevicius is a good example of this in Golden State. Jasikevicius arrived as a highly successful player overseas when he signed with the Pacers. He was given a chance but the Pacers style didn’t really suit his shoot-happy game. He never complained in Indiana, but despised his time in Golden State where he barely saw the floor. Sarunas didn’t make the right choice coming over; there are very few teams that know how to use the talents of a seasoned Euro right off the bat. Jasikevicius definitely could have worked in the Warriors’ “all offense” kind of system. The Warriors sign Troy Hudson (?!?) when they had this winner in their grasps?
Coaches and front offices alike should take in to account the professional experience of these players and treat them as if they are a solid NBA pro. If Richard Jefferson signed with the Clippers, he would expect minutes. NBA teams have to understand that’s the way the internationals think.
It’s different when young Euros arrive in NA or enter through the draft. Dirk and Tony Parker came over here as kids and developed here. They didn’t get the keys handed to them, nor did they expect to be given anything. A 28, 29, or 30-year-old NBA rookie arrives for a new challenge and to play with the most talented players in the world. They aren’t here to take a step back from their roles in Europa.
Carlos Delfino was constantly unhappy in Detroit as he gained more experience and his role didn’t change. The trade to a situation in Toronto that suits his style should make for some international love. We’ve all watched the super-talented Andrei Kirilenko and his fallout with the Jazz. Vassilis Spanoulis entered in to a very structured situation in Houston as a 24-year-old and expected too much. If he arrived a year later under Rick Adelman as opposed to Jeff Van Gundy, who knows what happens? Juan Carlos Navarro will likely work in Memphis not only because he’s playing with good buddy Pau, but because he has a coach in Marc Iavaroni and a system that will use him effectively. Jorge Garbajosa and Fabricio Oberto are examples of international veterans that have made the successful transition over the last few years (with notorious FIBA-loving teams, Toronto and San Antonio).
More research by both the teams and players, and a little more understanding by the squads would make everyone a hell of a lot more happy. Just like we can hopefully make you a little more happy when we get in to the studio to record a podcast this Thursday. Skeets has been busy cleaning his carpet — sorry for the delay.
Comments (4)WeTube: Bargnani and Belinelli’s Nike Ad
I’ll admit it: my Italian is horriblio. But if a certain YouTube commenter is to be trusted, Bargnani’s telling Warriors’ rookie Marco Belinelli that he’ll soon be in charge of making breakfast, folding laundry and defending Kobe Bryant. Or something like that.
Comments (14)Finally, We’re The Enemy Of Complexity …
Nearly 20,000 hits, and now a Blog Show shout out. The Internets are truly amazing…
Blog Show No. 7: ‘I Love Jeffrey Sebelia’ [Mister Irrelevant]
Baron Davis’s Kick-Ass Bullet Fedora [The Basketball Jones]
Baron Davis’s Kick-Ass Bullet Fedora
That’s it! I’m officially cheering for the Golden State Warriors! Holy shit!
Comments (24)B-Mascot Battle: Thunder vs. Harry
This is Thunder of the Golden State Warriors battling Harry of the Atlanta Hawks at this year’s NBA Jam Session in Las Vegas. Why this took nearly two months to be posted for the world to see is beyond me. This shit is mint.
I’m no breakdancin’ expert, but I think I’m going to give the win to Harry. I mean, Thunder killed it with the knee spins and all, but come on; his costume is the much more manageable one of the two. Harry, on the other hand? Nothing but pure, crazy charisma. (Think he was drunk?) The ‘loser’ sign he throws up at the :55 second mark is just so badass. Ride or die, Harry. Ride. Or. Die.
Thunder vs. Harry [YouTube]
NBA Mascots Are Thugs [The Basketball Jones]
Random YouTube Finding Of The Week [Deadspin]
(Two legged applejacks to Shoals at FreeDarko for the heads up.)
Comments (4)The Chris Mullin Show
Hey! Look! That guy who plays the father on Moesha! Sweet!
I’m not exactly sure where you’d rank this on the all-time list of late-night television programming — shit, I’d watch it, so it’s already better than Leno, no? — but as far as NBA All-Star-hosts go, I think it’s pretty safe to say that an Arsenio Hall-like Chris Mullin — in shorts no less! — would be about, oh… a trillion nautical miles ahead of Magic. Maybe more.
The Chris Rock Show: The Chris Mullin Sketch [YouTube]
(Daps Firm, awkward handshake to Scott from RaptorBlog for droppin’ this l’il gem in our inbox.)
Kinda Ballin’: The AZ Rankings
When you’re on top of the rankings, you have nowhere to go but down (see: Utah). But when you’re at the bottom of the rankings, you really just suck ass (see: New York). Thus, by scientific process of elimination, the middle of the pack is the ideal place to be.
Starting today — and following every Tuesday from here on out — I’ll pick and rank the NBA’s four most-average teams. Why? Because mediocrity is deadly, people. Dead-ly.
14. Indiana Pacers: Along with stripper guacamole cooch, this team reeks of mediocrity. Their contributing point guard Darrell, is like, 76-years-old, and their All-Star forward Jermaine, may well be the most average “superstar” of our time. With that said, Rick Carlisle could coach a team of mannequins into the playoffs, so this team will definitely strive for five… hundred.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves: Back in university I hosted my own “comedy” radio show called J.E. Skeets & Co. (True story.) I’d play music; talk about current events; and occasionally, come up with skits and/or segments. One such segment was called “Find Me A Mid-Game James”. The premise was simple. I knew a big guy named James (a Big-Game James, if you will), and I knew a little guy named James (a Small-Game James), but I didn’t know a medium-built James (um, yes, a Mid-Game James.) So… I’d get out a phonebook and call people, on air, to see if they knew a Mid-Game James. That was it. It was oddly compelling radio. Anyway, my point is, I consider this year’s T-Wolves my sort of Mid-Game James. Figure it out.
16. Golden State Warriors: This is an odd spot for the annual basement-dwelling Warriors. Every pre-season — dating back to like, 1994 — the Blue-Men are the trendy pick to make the playoffs, but of course, every year, they disappoint and finish deep in the lottery. (Where they draft studs like Todd Fuller!) But this year… this year is different. I can feel it. Now look, I’m not saying they’ll finally make the playoffs or anything, but I think they’ll be close.
17. Milwaukee Bucks: Every time someone talks Bucks’ basketball all I hear in my head is that Peanuts teacher’s trumpet-voice. You know, “Mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa, Redd. Mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa, Charlie V. Mwa-mwa, Bogut, mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa, Aussie.” Are they average? Yes, ma’am.
(Note: Why the AZ Rankings? Commenter “stopmikelupica” explains:
“We used to have our own word for mediocre — AZ. As in the rapper AZ, from the ‘Bridge (part of The Firm, with Foxy, Nas and Cormega). To us he was the definition of .500. He had talent, but not skills. All you could ever say about AZ was “he’s alright… yep, he’s alright…”. No one could ever muster an adjective other than “alright” when describing him.”
Yup. Works for me…)
Comments (7)Ike Diogu’s Amazing Extended Network
Because I felt bad about that topless T-Nes pic yesterday…
Ike D. [MySpace.com]
Comments (3)About
The Basketball Jones is a NBA blog and podcast, written and recorded five times a week by J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle. Comments, questions and cold hard cash are always welcome and much appreciated. Contact us.
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