EYEZ BY J. COLE

Full length documentary that includes the videos for Flase Prophets and Everybody Gotta Die. 4 Your Eyez Only drops 12/9 #ColeWorld

Foreign Gold

Over the last few seasons I’ve noticed the growing trend of foreign bigs being a hot commodity in the NBA. There’s been foreign Power Forwards and Centers in the league for a while, but not as many as it is now. Some like Dario Saric of the 76ers are drafted and don’t play till a few seasons later. Then it’s some like Kristaps Porzingis that are put in position to make an instant impact. Us as fans on draft night want our teams to get the guys we know about and not some mystery phenom we’ve never seen. This past June in the NBA draft between the Power Forward and Center positions only 11 of the 28 selected were American. I got a little theory on why that is...

Heading into the 2015 NBA draft many Knicks fans were hoping to have a shot at Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, or D’Angelo Russell. A few mock drafts had them landing Emmanuel Mudiay with the 4th pick. Although Mudiay didn’t play NCAA basketball there was plenty footage of him playing in China that looked impressive. Phil Jackson made the call to draft Porzingis and I could literally hear my neighbor through the walls of my apartment yell “WHAT THE FUCK? WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?”. He was booed by Knicks fans on draft night and twitter was flooded with criticism of the pick. As a Laker fan I enjoyed every bit of the Knicks fans meltdown. The pick could have either turned out to be a Darko or Dirk. As his season kicked off Porzingis showed an impressive skill set that not many vets could even compete with. His balance of all around skill and athleticism is rare. Imagine combining Dirk and Pau then adding a 37 inch vertical which is higher than Blake Griffins’s. That’s scary with a 7’6 wingspan. The real upside is that his style of play doesn’t depend on his athletic ability which over time can and will decline. By the end of the season Porzingis he had 21 double doubles, made the All-Rookie 1st Team, and had the 4th highest selling jersey in the league. That’s instant productivity, revenue, and star power with the potential to increase year by year. With the NBA being a copycat league teams would be crazy not to look overseas for more hidden talent. A growing trend with young basketball players in the US (specifically bigs) is athletic guys that can run fast and catch a lob from the sky but can’t box out a guard or shoot a free throw. When it comes to the bigs the foreign guys usually come into the NBA more skilled. Remember a guy named Arvydas Sabonis? Basic fundamentals have accomplished way more than athleticism. Compare Tim Duncan’s career to Josh Smith’s if you think I’m lying. *shrugs*

Now that leads me to the 2016 NBA draft. Coming off a season where Brice Johnson averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at UNC he fell to 25th in the draft. Those number are great but don’t tell the whole story. Johnson lacked post defense and strength at the college level so the chances of holding his own against powerful guys in the NBA are very slim. He struggled to finish through contact, bites on fakes easily, gets lost in transition, and being held responsible for leaving Kris Jenkins wide open for the game winner in the 2016 national championship game highlighted his lack of awareness. On the positive side he’s quick, solid on the boards, and great in the pick & roll. Decent starting point for a team that’s willing to take time developing him, but not appealing to a team looking for instant impact. Guys like Jakob Poeltl who was drafted 9th in the same draft have the fundamentals and strength needed at the higher level. As long as big men stick to the basic skills there’s always a demand for them in the NBA. They say the back to the basket big man is a thing of the past yet Marc Gasol is still here while Dakari Johnson is trying to fight his way out of the D-League. MORAL OF THE STORY: Skill is more dependable than talent

No Love In Business

Tonight at 8pm Dwyane Wade makes his first return to Miami since leaving for Chicago. I just saw a clip of Wade saying he hasn’t spoken to Pat Riley in months. More than likely that means since he left the team. We’ve seen stars leave their teams after long stints and everything stays in good standings like Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay. Sadly I have to quote Young Jeezy and simply say “that ain’t this and this ain’t that”.

Wade wanted to stay in Miami long term and be compensated for the pay cuts he’s taken over his career, but was offered the lowest pay out since his rookie contract expired. With the salary cap increase it was fitting to give Wade more than 10 million per season...right? Not according to Pat Riley and Micky Arison I guess. I really couldn’t fault them when I looked at it from the business side. Do you pay an aging star for what they’ve done in the past or take your chances with your new potential star and build around them? It worked for the Lakers because they had a collection of young talent to work with and Kobe was still one of the biggest stars in sports. That wasn’t the case with the Miami Heat heading into this season. It looks like Pat Riley is willing to work with what he has for now and try his luck in the draft and free agency before he pays Wade top dollar. It’s enough talent coming out of college next spring to strike gold twice maybe even three times in the draft. When you think about it Pat Riley has always been about hustling his way up instead of worrying about relationships. He was legendary as the Lakers coach in the 80’s. 4 championships, coach of the year in 1990, and the leader of one of the most dominant dynasties in basketball history. He guaranteed back to back championships and delivered. Showtime Lakers never won less than 50 games and only missed the Finals twice with him as the coach.

When the squad got old he walked away from that position to be a commentator for NBC. The very first chance he got to move on with a solid team he took the Knicks coaching job in 1991. He managed to get them to the Finals in his 3rd season there. After his 4th season he left to be the coach and president of the Miami Heat. He didn’t call or stop by the office he sent then a fax. A MOTHERFUCKING FAX. lol I just thought that was the loudest most annoying way to say “I’m out”. Can’t blame him for walking away for more money and power. We do the same when promotion opportunities come along at work.

Through all of this bouncing around he’s only moved up and gave not 1 fuck about who thought what. It’s sad that him and Wade had to part ways, but when you’re a 71 year old man that’s addicted to leveling up relationships don’t mean shit. Despite showing “regret” for letting Wade walk the contract offers told the whole story. He challenged Lebron to leave and seem to not care. Hoopers come and go and new greats come along every season. As cold blooded as it might be putting feelings aside has made Pat Riley successful over the years. Heat fans shouldn’t worry about this season. Pat Riley has a plan. Judging by the teams he’s put together in Miami over the years (Shaq & Zo/ Big 3) it’s a trustworthy plan. Waaaaaait on it!

Skilled Hoopers Matter

At some point in every basketball player’s childhood they fall in love with the game to the point that it becomes an obsession. That obsession leads to constantly working to get better at playing the game and eventually a career. Some guys have an athletic style of play that can make them an attraction at the AAU and college level that is highly praised. Many of those same guys fail to even make an NBA roster while a guy that averaged low numbers in college may get drafted in the 1st round because of their skill set. Example...Cat Barber from NC State averaged 23.5 points per game last season and he’s in the D-League while Kris Dunn who averaged 16 points per game and was drafted 5th and plays for the Timberwolves. Not everyone’s game translate on the next level which is why college level stat stuffers aren’t always the most sought after. Too many young guys are focused on everything but the basic skills. Some of these guys can’t run a simple pick & roll or remember a legit post move good enough to do it twice. Don’t even get me started on free throw shooting. I get pissed every single time someone fouls Deandre Jordan.

Kawhi Leonard is a player that has excelled through his skill on both ends of the court. 2 way players are valuable because they can be effective even when they’re not scoring. Aside from being a lockdown defender Kawhi has become one of the better scorers in the league. There’s many guys that are great at one thing and there’s guys like Kawhi that can do a bit of everything at a high level. Those players can survive longer in the NBA. Compare Kawhi Leonard’s career to Jimmer Fredette who was drafted ahead of him in 2011….casual fans don’t even know who the hell that is. Moral of the story: The game has changed. Last week I just saw 6’9 Brandon Ingram in his 1st game play point guard effectively to beat the Rockets. A one trick pony can go from a college star to a D-League hopeful. All the highlight dunks are cool, but if your athleticism diminishes after a injury can you still be a threat on the court like D Wade? Just remember we used to compare T-Mac to Kobe.

2016-2017 NBA Preview: Weight Of The World

It’s been a busy summer for the NBA to say the very least. Many trades, signings, and great draft picks were made. For a select few heading into this upcoming season it’s now or never. Once you look beyond the Warriors picking up Kevin Durant it’s a few narratives that are very interesting. Let’s start in New York….

Derrick Rose came into the NBA like a supernova full of promise as the number 1 pick in the 2008 draft. He went on to win Rookie Of The Year, MVP in 2011, and 3 all-star game appearances. After his left ACL tear in the 1st round of the 2012 playoffs Rose missed the entire following season. When he finally returned in 2013 he only played 10 games before tearing his right meniscus vs the Blazers. An abundance of injuries followed totaling 201 missed games. That’s over 2 seasons of games missed. Now the 28 year old point guard that should be entering his prime has a new squad, new number, and a new problem. D Rose is currently fighting a gang rape charge. As a fan that wants this brother to get back to being as great as he once was on the path of becoming I have realistic doubts. It’s up to him to trust his body and still have that same determination that made many of us fans. Will he defy the odds?

Joel Embiid was drafted 3rd in 2014 and is days away from playing in his 1st NBA game. The Cameroonian 22 year old center was the Big 12 Defensive Player Of The Year after 1 season with the Kansas Jayhawks. He didn’t even play basketball till he was 15 and instantly became a 5 star recruit. I used to love watching him and Wiggins play together (minus the night they beat Duke). His post game is even better than his defense. The Sixers drafted him while recovering from a stress fracture in his back and a foot surgery so he was expected to miss time from day one. He foot didn’t heal correctly so he had to go through the “Process” again missing all of last season. So far in the preseason he looks as impressive as I expected him to. He’s my pick for Rookie Of The Year. He’s criticized often for his playful demeanor, but on that court he’s all business. There’s people that can’t wait to label him a bust but I got faith that JoJo will be great as long as he remains healthy.

ClipSet….where do I start? Steve Ballmer bought this poor ass team for 2 billion after the whole Donald Sterling saga and really haven’t accomplished much since. From the 2011 lockout to now the Clippers have been a top 5 team in the West and won over 60% of their games each season. The playoffs have been brutal for this this team and as a Laker fan I’ve enjoyed EVERY SINGLE SECOND of their postseason meltdowns. The routine is starting to get a little old now. Personally I think they should have blew it up and went with a new formula because what they have at this very moment still isn’t enough to get the job done. It’s time we put the spotlight Doc Rivers for not doing anything more than what Vinny Del Negro was fired for with the same core. His whole coaching reputation is built around the success of a loaded Celtics team and that’s about it. Right now he has Jamal Crawford pulling some of the worst shots you could imagine in hopes of saving the team in the clutch and can’t teach Deandre Jordan a post move he can do twice. I’m not impressed. Next we have Chris Paul who I think is the most overrated leader in the league. You can’t be the “best leader in the game” and can’t get out of the 2nd round. We’ve seen him go from debatable top point guard to possibly not even top 5. At 31 the champion window is closing and like clockwork I can depend on Chris Paul to fold in the big moments. Blake Griffin has developed parts to his game that can add years to his career but injuries have taken some of that added time back. As an upcoming free agent next summer he could possibly leave if this team doesn’t move beyond this point they’re stuck at. You look down the roster and see JJ Redick will be a free agent as well. Scary! Make a miracle happen or it’s back to being the irrelevant team in the western conference.

Kyle Lowry has put himself in position to be the best point guard in the eastern conference. Sports Illustrated has him ranked as the 14th best player in the entire league. It’s easy for a casual fan to overlook him because the Raptors don’t play many national games, but his playoff run last season increased his stock. He led Toronto to the 2nd best record in the East and the 3rd round of the playoffs. More eyes will be on him than ever before. There will be no better time for him than this season to flip the switch and go into a zone he’s never seen before in order to make a NBA Finals run. He was 2 wins away from making it there last season and I’m sure he’s ready to fight his way back.

2015-2016 NBA Season: It Was Lit!!!

Point Gawd: It was many highs and lows this season, but the highs definitely outweighed the lows. What we thought last year this time was a breakout year for Steph Curry was light. This season he’s been an upper echelon savage. He’s lead the Warriors to the all time best regular season record (73-9) and broke a few more records along the way. I’m a Laker fan that’s been blown away by the stunts Curry and his team has been pulling. How the hell do you hit 402 threes in 79 games? Dog…..he sat out plenty 4th quarters. If he chose to pad stats he could have touched 450 easily. The closest to that total this season is his teammate Klay Thompson who is silently 3rd place all time for most three’s in a season with 126 less. Crazy CRAZY CRAZYYYYY!!!!!! Back to Back MVP, highest PER increase for a returning MVP, scoring leader, steals leader, and back in the NBA Finals again. I can go all day about all the stuff Steph and Golden State did this season but it’s plenty more to cover.

Farewell Kobe: Early in the season I knew it was the last ride for the OG. He spent more time wrapped in ace bandages and getting treatment from the team medical staff than he spent on the court. Years of wear and tear on the body caught up with him. Numbers declined but his commitment to the game was next level. In a lost season this man dislocated his finger, popped it back in place, and went back in the game like nothing happened. As fans we ain’t give a fuck about him shooting bricks. We were just happy to have Kobe back on the court. He showed us flashes of greatness from time to time, but truth is my guy is old and his body is beat to hell. It was hard to watch him struggle, but when he had one of the 25+ nights my shit talk was at its peak! I understood my team had to tank to keep our draft pick so I wasn’t expecting wins. In his last game the Bean went off for 60 on 44% shooting with the go ahead basket in the clutch. Vintage Mamba night to close out a great career. Kobe Bryant owes the sport nothing. He’s a true product of hardwork.

The Rise Of Kawhi: Kawhi Leonard heading into his 25th birthday is currently the NBA’s newest superstar. No real flash to his game or personality. Just a cold blooded assassin when he’s on the floor. Aside from winning the Defensive Player Of The Year award Sugar K Leonard was one of the most accurate scorers this season. When that boy pull up just head to the other end of the court because it’s a good chance that it’s going in. 51% FG, 44% 3pt, and 87% FT to be exact. Dude has a swaggerless aura to him that makes you keep watching him hoop in hopes that he shows some type of personality or emotion. Instead he’s given us a Tim Duncan-like persona like most guys that are lifelong gym rats. If he’s a virgin that’s never been to a nightclub I wouldn’t be shocked. Whatever he has to do to stay on top of his game I hope he keeps doing it. He’s a straight up baller that does more than score and I’m cool with that.

James Harden’s defense: I’ve seen this man literally run behind someone and yell “AYE” in a real life NBA game instead of intentionally fouling to stop a free run to the basket in the 4th quarter of a close game. Thinking about the lack of effort he puts into actually trying to keep his man out of the paint annoys the hell out of me. Harden can score with the best of them and defend with the worst. Don’t let the steals total fool you. James Harden defends like he’s point shaving. Look for more of the same next season with Mike D’Antoni coaching the Rockets.

The Return of Paul George: Last season Paul George only played the final 6 games of the season. It wasn’t clear if he was going to fully bounce back from his leg injury. This season he had a career high in points, steals, and assist. When I saw him drop 40 on the Wizards in the beginning of the season I knew he was going to perfectly fine. Not enough can be said about how glad I am to see that he was able to return and play at a high level. To make this story even greater Paul George will be on the cover of NBA 2K17. I hope Larry Bird can build another strong squad around him again because if he doesn’t there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll leave Indiana in free agency as soon as he has a chance.

Game Of The Year: Warriors vs Thunder Sat. 2/27/2016. This game lived up to all the hype surrounding it. OKC started off strong and put the pressure on Golden State to match their intensity. It was a dogfight till the very end. This game had some of the most clutch moments you could ask for as a fan. In real time I’d say I was standing up yelling at the TV at the bar for at least 45 minutes. KD ended up fouling out and Westbrook was forced to either hold it down or take that L. The score eventually was tied at 118 and Westbrook missed a jumper, Iggy got the rebound, he passes to Steph, a very poised Steph takes 3 dribbles, pulls up from damn near 40 feet, and hits the game winner with 0.6 seconds left on the clock. At this point I’m the loudest one in the bar yelling “oh my fucking God did you see that shit” drawing the attention of people that could care less about basketball who saw the replay and damn near reacted the same as me. That game was an instant classic. Curry hit 12 three pointers and had 46 points. No true basketball fan was left disappointed.

Breakthrough Season: Not only was this the Raptors 1st time reaching 50 wins this was also the 1st time they’ve reached the 3rd round of the playoffs. Their 56-26 record is a franchise best. For the last few seasons their playoff Kryptonite has been Paul Pierce. Now that he’s out west with the Clippers the postseason curse has been lifted off of Toronto. The all star backcourt consisting of Demar DeRozen and Kyle Lowry both had career highs in points and provided highlights all season long. The city of Toronto really showed their support all season by making this the 2nd time in franchise history that they completely sold out their season tickets. Now after a 7% value increase the Raptors are worth close to a billion making them a 14th most valuable franchise in the NBA. Progress on the court and in the market is hard to deny. Now the big question is will DeRozen sign back with them after recently opting to become an unrestricted free agent. Only time will tell….

New Season Same Outcome: The Basketball God’s least favorite team and player still can’t crack the Da Vinci Code. From 1970 to present day the Clippers franchise has a total regular season record of 1469-2255. That’s 39%. This season Blake Griffin only played 35 games due to injury. Chris Paul put the team on his shoulders and finished with a 53-29 record putting them at 4th place in the Western conference. In the 1st round of the playoffs the Basketball God’s were like…..”nah fam” and within a 3 minute span Chris Paul broke his hand and Blake Griffin who was just returning from an injury injured his left quadricep. I expected great regular season efforts and a quick playoff exit and….well that’s what happened once again. My opinion I think they should blow up the roster and start over but as a Laker fan they can lose all they want. I’m perfectly fine with the Clippers being the Clippers.

The Kids: Call me crazy but I loved this rookie class. These kids went through their growing pains as expected and managed to show potential. We even got to see Jahlil Okafor whooping ass in the streets of Boston. The future is bright for this particular group of young hoopers. Seeing big men under the age of 30 with solid post moves almost made me shed a tear. Winslow looked like a future all defensive player for most of the season while Booker became one of the best 3 point shooting rookies I’ve ever seen. Russell showed glimpses of his passing and scoring ability throughout the season, but Karl Anthony-Towns shined the brightest on the pro stage and won Rookie Of The Year. I can’t wait to see what all these guys become in about 5 more seasons.

Tanking: I think the greatest tank job in history is the Spurs tanking for Duncan. I used to be against it but look….some teams just suck and nobody is thinking about them during free agency. It’s the cheapest way of getting a possible superstar. The top 2 picks will be paid 23-25 million salary. Let’s say the pick turns out to be a great impact player it’s hard to deny that you got more than your money’s worth. On the flipside you could end up with Anthony Bennett. This year the targets are Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons. Ingram is a smart player that can adapt to any defense thrown at him quickly. He has potential to be a great scoring threat and with his 7’3 wingspan he could be a problem on the defensive end. Simmons has great all around game, great passing ability, and has 0 issues getting to the paint and scoring. He had 23 double doubles without playing 1 tourney game. Seeing him have a 43 pt, 14 reb, 5 stl, 7 ast, and 3 blk game as a freshman pretty much screamed out MONSTER!!! Choose wisely…..

The Playoffs: shit was trash….NEXT!!!!!

NBA Finals: After 6 weeks of probably the weakest playoffs I’ve ever witnessed we end up with the same teams as last season. After game 1 it was looking like the rest of the postseason. Golden State went to the bench mob and handled the Cavs easily. Game 2 Golden State smacked the Cavs by 33. At this point I just wanted this postseason to end. Cleveland came out strong at home and took game 3. I figured it would end in 5 games so I wasn’t shocked at all. Game 4 comes and Golden State comes out swinging! Everything was going perfectly for the Warriors then suddenly….BOOM Draymond Green and Lebron James get into a little mix up. It didn’t seem like much at the time, but it led to a 1 game suspension for game 5. Game 5 Lebron and Kyrie both scored 41 a piece and Andrew Bogut got injured. A night to forget for those of us who expected a close game. Game 6…..more of the same. Curry was hit with some bad fouls and eventually fouled out and lost his damn mind! He cussed out the ref, threw his mouthpiece at the owner’s son, and was ejected. Even his wife snapped. Game was pretty much done by then. At this point I’m blown by the fact that Golden State blew a 3-1 lead and this horrible series goes to game 7. None of the games were even close. Then Game 7 arrives. Draymond Green is on fire and the Warriors start strong. Cavs manage to make runs to stay in the game. By halftime I needed 2 shots of 1800 to calm my nerves. The game comes down to a Kyrie vs Curry iso. Kyrie steps back and drops a dagger from 3 that finishes off Golden State. After 11 ties and 20 lead changes it was a wrap. Lebron wins the MVP of the Finals and now we get to see JR “Club Legend” Smith party harder than ever to cap off a great season of NBA basketball that was unfortunately followed up by a TRASH postseason that came down to a 4 point game 7.