4 To Watch In 2020

For every star basketball player that we’ve invested years in that decides to retire it’s another one working their way up. With the NBA then NCAA seasons on the horizon it’s only right that I drop my 3rd annual “4 To Watch” list. This list consists of a high school phenom, college prospect, NBA rookie, and young verteran that I believe will take a quantum leap this upcoming season. With that said, let me introduce you to Jalen Green

Jalen Green is a 17 year old 6'6 combo guard that has unbelievable athleticism and footwork that's as graceful as a ballet dancer. His shiftiness is ridiculously smooth even when having to breakdown a double team in transition at full speed. His style of play has drawn comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Penny Hardaway. Although most of the highlights you'll see of him on YouTube are dunks he's equally as gifted as a shooter. He's currently undecided on where he will attend college but his commitment date is set for Christmas. He has already taken official visits to Oregon, Auburn, and Memphis. He has an upcoming visit to Kentucky and an unofficial visit to USC. This kid has the "IT factor" that can push him to superstar status.

Next up we have the #1 player in the 2019 class James Wiseman. He'll be attending the University of Memphis where he'll play under Penny Hardaway alongside the #1 recruiting class in the country. I had the opportunity to check Wiseman in person during EYBL in Hampton, VA. Seeing him go head up with a much stronger Isaiah Stewart made me a believer on the spot. Wiseman is very athletic for someone over 7ft and extremely skilled on both ends of the floor. Although many of the comparisons are interesting, I don't think he's like 1 player. I think he's a combination of a few. Try to imagine Chris Bosh with Giannis ability to get to the rim and the defensive instincts of Anthony Davis. Keep this kid on your radar. He's going to be a very sought after prospect in the draft next June.

Out of this season's batch of rookies Zion Williamson will be the heavy favorite to win rookie of the year and rightfully so. Personally I think there's 1 person that can challenge him in that award race and his name is Michael Porter Jr. After an injury early in his college career and trying to rush back at less than 100% some people doubted his future. He was projected to be the first pick in the 2018 draft but injury concerns dropped his stock to the end of the lottery. Denver took a chance with drafting him and sat him out all last season so he can recover and her whatever treatment he needs. Basically a red shirt year just like Ben Simmons. Porter Jr. is another player I've had the pleasure to witness in person during his high school run and maaaaan! He's easily the best high school player I've ever seen. I believe his game will transition to the NBA smoothly and he will be a fan favorite. My comparison for him would be Kevin Durant with Steph Curry's range. Hopefully he can stay healthy because I believe this kid can go down as one of the best.

These days with guys coming into the league at such a young age we tend to look at a 23 year old like they're in their mid 30’s. In reality someone that young is still years away from their peak. This season I just have a good feeling about Myles Turner. After coming off a season where he single handedly blocked more shots than the entire Cleveland Cavaliers team I think he's ready to take it up another notch. He’s already shown his ability to adapt by stretching the floor. Last season he knocked down the three point shot at a real solid 38%. I can see more of the same with an even more polished post game this upcoming season. Indiana has a pretty solid roster and with the return date for Victor Oladipo still uncertain Turner will be looked upon to takeover games just like last season. I believe he will become an all star, make one of the all defensive teams, and lead the NBA in blocks this season.

Nas - No Bad Energy (Video)

Lost Tapes 2 out now on all platforms

Rapsody - Nina (video)

Rapsody - Eve (Stream)

My favorite female MC

Los Angeles Lakers 2019-2020 schedule

Season begins October 22nd 🙏🏾
(Open the image if the pic isn't clear on your device)

Dreamville: REVENGE (Documentary)

This is the official documentary chronicling the Revenge of the Dreamers III sessions in January 2019 at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
Album drops 7/5/19
Salute J.Cole
#ROTD3 #Dreamville #RevengeDocumentary

Post Draft Clarity

Right now it's June 22nd. The NBA season is over, the draft is done, and random trades are being made to clear cap space for free agency. Us as fans are board out of our minds and we have to wait on this pointless NBA awards show to find out who is the MVP. During this downtime I look around and I see potential trainwreck after potential trainwreck. Draft night brings me joy every year. Seeing those kids walk across that stage to shake Adam Silver's hand after dedicating their young lives to the sport is beautiful to me. Then when all the cute shit wears off reality hits.

A lot of bad decisions we just made. Some of these kids were either pressured to leave school early or were given bad advice. I'm all for taking a leap of faith but some of those kids that left school prematurely are going to get swallowed alive in the NBA. From there it's stints in the G-League and possibly overseas. A kid that was drafted in the lottery who I won't name showed me nothing that indicated that he was ready to play at the next level but I'm sure media hype, a money hungry agent, and greedy family members convinced him that he was. I wish nothing but the best for him and a few others that aren't going to pan out instantly like they thought they would. Every year 60 kids get drafted and not even half of them are in the league 8 years later. Obviously there's guys like Quinn Cook and Fred Vanvleet that went undrafted but had to bust their ass to get in the league but their stories are rare. Making it in the league is one thing but being good enough to stay there is the hard part. It takes hardwork, health, and the right opportunities to survive in the NBA. These front office people are able to move onto new positions if they make mistakes but the players that are unprepared get hit with 1 reality check after another. If this article comes across the screen of college hooper all I ask is that you stay in school till you really believe that you're amongst the best 450 players in the world. Once you leave it's no turning back. That can result in depression, self doubt, and many bad life choices if your plan doesn't work. Save yourself from yourself. Choose wisely.

All Time Great

Top 5 and G.O.A.T debates happen all the time when it comes to hip hop. As an avid fan of the craft I feel like a new discussion should begin. Music is an art and I think it's fair to judge rappers as overall artist without limiting the discussion to a comparison amongst just rappers.

Today you can mention an artist from the Renaissance era and they're automatically placed in a separate class and revered as a God-like figure. When I say artist this goes beyond musicians. I'm talking sculptors, painters, etc. The Creation of Adam is an amazing painting, but does Michelangelo have an illmatic? Can you definitively say William Shakespeare is a better storyteller than Nas? Leonardo da Vinci is well known for the Mona Lisa, but can you feel it like Can I Live by Jay-Z? Is it nuts to question if Reasonable Doubt is a better piece of art than The Night Watch or did Jay-Z have to die 300 years ago to be in the same sentence as Rembrandt? Like all types of artist nobody is well known for every piece they've made, but we've seen Nas take leftover tracks and make the Lost Tapes album which is easily one of his best projects. Could we open an art exhibit of lesser known work by Masaccio and have it be arguably his best collection of work? This isn't to knock well known artist of the past. I'm just simply proposing a new way of thinking.

We put the greatest rappers in a box where they far exceed the competition and don't think of putting them in the same sentence as Van Gogh, Mozart, and Beethoven. I don't believe in waiting till someone is dead for over a 100 years to give them the credit they deserve. I've lived long enough to see illmatic turn 25 and age like Merlot from the finest vineyard. As time passes the legend of Nas beginning to craft one of the greatest albums in history as a 17 year old wunderkind will only grow. 300 years from now some kid will research Shawn Carter and see tales of his wealth, quotes from his peers, photos of him with his jewelry, and possibly view him with the same allure as we have when we see someone from the 1600’s in noble clothing. I fully understand how it goes, but it's time to give people their roses while they're still here.

Support = Progress

As I type this the 2019 WNBA draft is underway and the league doesn't even have a president. I truly believe this league has been mishandled for a very long time and a change has to come. By no means would I claim to be the biggest supporter or expert on all things WNBA, but I know for a fact that a situation like this should never happen.

At a time when the casual fan would only know players like Candace Parker, Maya Moore, and Sue Bird the WNBA is at a point where the legends have done all they can do for the league. Now it's time for the new generation to take the baton and take the league to a new height. The two players I believe in 10 years will be the Candace Parker and Maya Moore of their era are 2018 rookie of the year A'ja Wilson and 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart. I truly believe that with the support of the people they can have a Magic & Bird type of impact and boost the popularity of the WNBA. Like many I tune into the sports debate shows and there's never a mention of the WNBA because the ratings and lack of social media trending moments suggest that it's not a hot topic to cover. That doesn't mean there's no talent in the WNBA because that's far from the truth. What it does mean in that the fans aren't active enough. When the wage gap became a talking point I began to see many women speak in support of the players which I have no issue with. What was a problem was that a lot of them couldn't tell you who the last champion was or what was the last game they watched because they don't follow or actually support the league. From the myspace days to now I've seen tons of photos from women attending NBA games but outside of other athletes or media members nobody I've followed on any social media platform have posted anything from a WNBA event. I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing any WNBA team apparel. This is in no way any fault of the players. This falls on the shoulders of the intended audience.

I understand that the level of athleticism isn't the same as the NBA, but there is real world class talent in this league. I'll go as far as to say there aren't many active athletes under 25 with a resume that compares to Breanna Stewart’s. I mean…

Just Sunday during the Women's National Championship over 20,000 people were in attendance to watch Baylor defeat Notre Dame. College sports tend to have huge followings but I just wish the WNBA could get that same love. It's to the point that it feels like NBA players are at times being forced to state their support for the league just to possibly garner new fans. Now with Maya Moore sitting out the league loses star power that it couldn't afford to lose.
They're already at a disadvantage because they play just 34 regular season games, average attendance is under 7k, 6 prior teams are gone, 5 teams have relocated, on their 4th commissioner, don't sell much merch, and couldn't even get Oxygen to renew their broadcast deal. People just simply don't support the product. If the ratings, social media trends, ticket sales, and merchandise sales increase these women would have more leverage when they demand a higher percentage of the revenue. The talent of the product is legit but the lack of fan support is holding back the progress. A league created for women desperately needs the support of women in order to evolve.

I'm old enough to remember how big the inception of the WNBA was. I remember Sheryl Swoopes dropping a signature shoe and having commercials so I know how prominent the WNBA can be when it is backed by fan support. The NBA loses money annually keeping the league afloat because it doesn't generate a profit, and even the likes of Kobe Bryant has taken matters into his own hands by training and coaching young girls who aspire to be stars in the WNBA and working with current WNBA players. The next generation of stars are in place. It's up to the women to support them and the possible results are endless. The 2019 season starts on May 10th. How yall gonna act?