Let's Get it Started

Top ten things I want to see in 2009...



Sorry for the disappearing act on here guys. The last couple of week I've had to do some actual work and raise my kid and some other boring, unbasketball related stuff. Anyways, I got a couple of ideas, hopes, and dreams that I'd like to share that will hopefully make 09 shine.


10. Charles Barkley escapes from rehab, shows up unannounced in white jumpsuit at Inside the NBA set.


9. David Stern takes the All-Star vote away from Chi...uh...the fans.


8. Donnie Walsh and Stephon Marbury settle on a buyout...by having a WWE-style cage match!


7. Danny Ainge gets caught up in life.


6. Darius Miles gets his groove back with the Grizz, drops 20 on the Blazers, flips off Paul Allen.


5. Mark Cuban admits he was wrong, not just about Avery, Dirk, and Devin, but about anything in general.


4. Kenyon Martin keeps randomly shooting threes and dunking on people like it's 2001.

Now this guy can't feel his face!

3. Tim Thomas hits three, starts to do his "can't feel my face" thing with his hand, trips and pokes his eye out.


2. In the middle of Wizards practice, Caron Butler sees Gil typing on his ibook on the bench, proceeds to take ibook from Gil and smash over and over on the scorers' table. Caron returns to practice, no words are said.


1. Mamba gets his pinkie ring.

B. Long's Weekly (Laker Heavy) Review

Too all my haters...



Happy Holidays everybody! Hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas, ate some good home cooking, and drank away any holiday blues (Except you, Moose, your too young). Basketball wise, I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the week. Just like a good hollywood blockbuster, right when fans where on the edge of their seats fearing the worst for their favorite character, the Lakers went into superhero beast mode and righted the ship with wins against the Hornets and the 19 straight win Celtics. Who apparently didn't want the Lakeshow to feel too special about beating them so they went ahead and gave the Warriors a W as well. Luckily the Lakers were able to escape the same fate in Nellieville last night as they had a balanced outing offensively with six players scoring double figures and were a Luke Walton free throw away from making it lucky number seven. Even the Monkey King got a bucket! Bananas for everyone! But the story of the night was D-Fish and the Magical Headband.

Derek Fisher apparently received a headband with mystical powers for Christmas because last night was the first time I've seen him rockin' one in at least half a decade and he was playing like a 24 yr. old again. Dropping a deadly combination of jumpers, floaters, and bank shots D-Fish used the power of the band to go 9 for 12 last night for 19 points and 5 dimes. Some would say that most D-Leaguers could put up these kind of numbers against the Warriors piss poor defense, but after watching them take down the mighty Celtics earlier this week I'm giving all the credit to the band. So what is exactly does the Magical Headband do and where did it come from? My only guess is that it instills an ungodly amount of offensive confidence into any player who wears it. Unfortunately it does not increase that players talent level which would also lead me to believe that this is the same headband that Smush Parker wore during his time in purple and gold. Yes much like the ring was to Smigel, the headband was to Smush. Lets just hope that Kobe doesn't somehow get a hold of this thing, morph into SuperMamba, and drop a Chamberlain on someone.

In other news, Derrick Rose's up and down play has opened the door for O.J. Mayo to make a run at the R.O.Y. hardware. After breaking Magic's rookie record for consecutive 20pt games to start a career, Octovolvine Jenkins is making a strong case in an excellent rookie class for Freshman of the Year. His combination of speed, athleticism, and a killer jump shots are reminding some people of ^ you know who. Now if he can help string together some wins for his crazy young but talented team, he'll more than likely take the lead. If Mr. Rose can stay away from kitchen cutlery, break through that rookie wall, and get back that consistent swagg he had the first month of the season it's gonna be an exciting race down to the finish. There is even still time for Beasley, Oden and Rudy Fernandez to make a run. I didn't even mention Augustine. Go D.J, That's my D.J.!

Thank you Jesus, Jerry Jones....and Mark Cuban?

My love affair with all things Texas has always hit rocky territory when it came to the subject of where my basketball loyalties lie. Though I will always pull for my fellow native Texans to succeed in the league like, Grandmama, LaMarcus Aldridge, David Wesley, Gerald Green, Chris Bosh, S-Jax, Boobie Gibson, T.J. Ford and Daniel Ewing(both of whom I got to play against in AAU ball, we got torched), and too many others to mention I've always pledged my allegiance to the Lakeshow. My earliest NBA memories are sitting in my Grandfathers lap and watching Magic Johnson playing with a charisma and flash that made me fall in love with the game. My Grandpa would always tell me "Brad, I've seen alot of basketball but I've never seen nothin' like Magic".

Still basketball was always treated like a second class sport in my home state. Not only am I from Texas, I'm from the part where football is considered religion. West Texas. That Friday Night Lights shit(the movie, not the homo ass series) is real life here. I had a Boobie Miles Permian jersey when I was in grade school. He was the next Bo Jackson to me. Going to a high school football game in Texas is really not something that you can describe, it can only be experienced. That being said, lucky for me I had people around me who always had a eye open to the basketball world.

In 1982, the year of my birth, a 5' 5" point guard by way of Dallas, Texas would lead the local Juco team, Midland College to the national title four years and a couple seasons at North Carolina State later he would shock the world with a slam dunk title. I would hear legendary stories of his Midland College days throughout my childhood from my Gramps. Then in 88, when I was 6, I got my first chance to see a basketball legend first hand while sitting on the shoulders of Grandpa Bill. Larry Johnson, Grandmama in the flesh, blessed the cross town team, Odessa College, with his presence and posterized the competition on his way to a scholarship with Tarks Runnin Rebels and then to stardom with those absolutely nasty Hornets squads. This connection eventual launched my addiction to SLAM magazine with LJ gracing the cover of the premier issue. Wish I would've kept up with that issue when I was 12. I think my crazy evangelistic stepmom burned it with my comic book collection but that's another story for my therapist.

Right before LJ's goldtoothed assault on the league, the man who made me fall in love with the game, Magic was diagnosed with H.I.V. I remember hearing our P.E. teacher at the time talking to a teacher's aide about it and how he was probably gonna die. Then I remember going home and asking my grandmother what H.I.V. was. She was shocked to hear this question coming from a 9 year old and did the best she could to explain something she didn't even really understand. I spent the rest of the day crying in my room looking at my trading cards. Then later that week while I was wearing my worn out Lakers #32 jersey a kid said told me his dad said Magic Johnson was gonna die because he got the "faggot" disease for being gay. That was the first time I would have to go to the principals office, but damn that black eye was worth it. That next All-Star game would always hold a special place in my heart because of what it meant for my favorite player and the way the classy players in the league (Fuck you Karl Malone!) treated him. It wasn't the official end of Magic's career given his first botched comeback attempt and then his 36yr. old power forward playing season but much like M.J. fans think of that last Bulls shot as the real ending of his career, I will always feel the same way about that game and Magic. Ever since then the all-star game has always brought back very heart felt memories for me and is a weekend that is strictly dedicated to basketball in the Long residence

Now this brings me to what seems like a personal gift from the Big Guy. The 2010 All-Star Game, is not only being played in my favorite city on Earth, Big D, where I spent my most of my incoherent early twenties, but it will be played in what will be the greatest sporting complex since the Roman Colosseum. If you haven't seen the new Cowboys stadium hit up www.dallascowboys.com and take a peak. Jerry Jones said it best when he exclaimed "They should've never given someone who loves football as much as I do this much power". Well Jerry, I for one am glad they did. Mark Cuban deserves a huge thank you for this too.

He could've easily been selfish and held it in his own arena but due to his creative and opportunistic thinking, not only will my favorite football team be hosting the event, but more people will be able to see the game live than any basketball game ever. I'm not always Cubes biggest supporter(far from it) but admist his Mavs struggling due to some questionable decision making in the front office and the Mama.com drama this is one of the best things Mark has done in a long time. I'm sure money has a lot to do with the situation but anything that gives more people a chance to see the game they love live to me is a good thing. You can be sure I'll be there, with my son, Caden, sitting in my lap. He may be to young to remember it first hand, but just like my Grandpa Bill did with me, I'll make sure he never forgets.

Do It Big

Quick, name the best era of NBA big men ever. Late eighties-early nineties? Gotta be, right? You had Kareem padding his scoring record while playing for championships. Patrick Ewing was trying to live up to the title of the Savior of Madison Square Garden. Hakeem and Ralph had earned the Twin Towers nickname before it brought up tragic memories. Bill Walton was getting his Smigel on in Boston way before Sam Cassell did and doing a helluva lot better job of it. You also had Texas's favorite Seaman David Robinson starting his hall of fame career. Not to mention Bill Laimbeer was trying to either block out or knock out every name on this list night in and night out. Then in 91 Mount Mutumbo entered the league and immediately had an impact avg. 16.6 pts 12.3 and almost 3 blocks a night. Yes you read that stat line right. The year after that the Orlando Magic would select Shaquille O'Neal with the first overall pick in the draft which would later prove to be the beginning of the end of an era.



After receiving several first hand lessons on how to be the most dominant big man in the L from Hakeem, Shaq became such an intimidating force that young big men around the country didn't even want to be centers. You see, around the same time of Shaq's emergence there was an almost seven foot tall kid coming straight out of high school named Kevin Garnett and he was a power forward. After his first couple of seasons in the L, Da Kid had made the such an impact and had became so popular that he had future bigs all over the world asking the same question. Why the hell would I want to play center when I could play the four and get to dribble and shoot jumpers instead of being stuck in the paint having to try and guard Shaq and get basketball goals pulled down on my head? KG revolutionized it and power forward became the sexy position. For a good ten years seven footers around the globe were practicing their 18 foot jumpers and crossovers instead of 5 foot hooks and dream shakes. This brought forth a whole generation of players from J.O. to Dirk to the Darkos of the world. Even Tim Duncan was more of a hybrid than a true four or five. It seemed that the only players who were even playing center in the L besides Shaq, were the Todd Maculloghs, Greg Ostertags, and Collins Twins of the world who just weren't quick enough or didn't have the skill set to play this new breed of the four spot.

Earlier this decade we thought we had a potential center savior in Eddy Curry, a big man who not only wanted to be a center but seemed to relish the idea of coming into the league straight from high school as the challenger to Shaq's colossal throne. Unfortunately Eddy didn't share the same appetite for low post destruction that the Big Aristotle had. Turns out that's the only thing Eddy didn't have an appetite for. Then finally in 2002, China finally blessed us with a potential competitor for the crown in Yao Ming. Yao struggled out the gate, but soon found his stride, becoming a global icon and establishing himself as the only other dominate center the league had had outside of the Big Diesel for at least the last seven years and in the process making Charles kiss The Jet's ass. Then in 2004, with the first pick in the draft, Orlando exorcised the ghost of Shaq Fu with the selection of Dwight Howard.

Yao was official, but Dwight brought sexy back to the five spot. With his charismatic personality and ridiculous athletic ability, Howard has become a centerpiece of a franchise for years to come. Think about this in 2001. Did anyone ever envision a legendary Dunk Contest victory by one of the NBA's best centers in this era? Crazy. Then came Young Drew who came immediately from high school to a seat next to Brain Shaw on the Laker bench. Then, on a Christmas day game that was supposed to be all about the Shaq vs. Kobe rivalry, Phil threw Drew into the lions den. Mountain Drew stole the show by getting up off the floor after being crushed by a diesel dunk and putting a spin move and flush of his own on the Big Aristotle and then elbowing Shaq in one of the most dangerous decisions in NBA history. Luckily he wasn't decapitated and after a few seasons of coming back from a knee injury, adding about 20 pounds of beef, and getting tutored by Kareem, Andrew looks ready to carry the title as the next great Laker center. Now this brings us to the NBA's most intriguing enigma, Greg Oden. Greg was an absolute monster in high school and during his year at Ohio State he brought back visions of Bill Russell while pretty much only having the use of his left hand. Now if he can ever stay healthy he has the potential to become the type of defensive presence that could turn his franchise into a contender.

For the first time in over a decade it seems that the big man is back, and for the NBA that's a good thing. Looking at the names listed above, not to mention the emergence of Al Jefferson in Minny, Joakim Noah's continued development, Marc Gasol's upside in Memphis, and maybe even Chris Kaman's Hulk Hogan looking ass, it looks like their will be plenty of healthy low post battles on a nightly basis for years to come. Even the man who was originally the poster boy for the new aged sevenfooter, KG, has seemed to have converted more to the true center position. Timbot, Cambyman, and even the Big Cactus are still banging too. It's not the golden age, but with this new generation of centers the torch is officially being passed.

The Meeting

Kobe walks into W.B.B.L Image Consultants Inc. accompanied by his agent, Rob Pelinka, and a secret service type security team of seven large men.

B. Long

Kobe. My man! How the girls been?(Security Team approaches B. Pats him down. Kobe gives dap.)

Kobe

What's good B. Been awhile. The girls are good. I see Jen's keeping ya well feed. How's Caden?

B. Long

He's growing like a weed, man and you know how those Spanish girls are with the cooking.

Kobe

Not really, Vanessa isn't exactly Rachel Ray. (we both laugh, Rob approaches.)

Rob

Alright, every thing's clear here. You guys can wait outside. (herds security team out door) Brad. (says with slight irritation in voice)

Brad

Rob. (awkward handshake follows) Have a seat fellas. So Kob, I know I left a message with your assistant on the phone after Beijing but congrats on the gold medal. Defending your ass on Slamonline was a full time job until those last few games. I knew you'd kill it when it mattered most though. I take it that made the Finals a little easier to get over?

Kobe

Yeah, I read slamonline every now and then. Tell E that 4 point play was for him and I didn't get that message. (gives Rob a look) but yeah, you know how I feel about it. Winning the gold medal was even more important to me than...(B. Interrupts)

B.Long

Kob! Come on man. This is your boy your talking to. I'm your Image consultant for Christ sakes! Save that shit for Craig Sager or somebody. This is the one place where it is safe to say whatever the hell you want and not be scrutinized for it. Take advantage of that.

Kobe

Sorry B. Your right. My bad. Winning the gold was nice but the pressure was crazy considering that if we had lost it would've destroyed any shot of me going down as the g.o.a.t. My shot was off the first couple of games but I still got mine and came through for the team in the clutch like al...well most of the time... but knowing that you have to win an international title just to maintain your status takes a little bit of the fun out of it. But I couldn't deal with a nickname like Lebronze, I just couldn't. It was cool to get to play with him , D-Wade, and Deron though. Damn, I wish Deron hadn't signed that extension with the Jazz. Who the hell wants to STAY in Utah?

Rob

It was great international exposure for Kobe as well. The people in China actually treated him a million times better than in the U.S. You wouldn't believe how many hyperdunks we sold. We should talk to Nike about restructuring your contract. Your getting screwed.

B. Long

O.K. so the first thing I like to do at these meetings is go over our main objective and set individual benchmarks that we can reach to help you get there. Are we still focused on the same thing we were last year?

Kobe

You know it. I gotta go down as the greatest of all time. I've worked too hard to get this far not to hold the crown. I know I'll never get the love off the court that M.J. did. That's my fault. I've excepted that. Fuck love. I want just want the acknowledgment. The respect.

B. Long

Look, I see where your coming from. I do. But you came here today because you know I'm the only guy who will be totally honest with you so let me do my job. They've seen you avg. 40 for a month. They' ve seen you posterize the best center in the game. I was there when you dropped 63 in 3 quarters against Dallas and it was like a religious experience. Then you go and drop 81. That's some legendary shit right there. But there are lots of players that are legendary. David Thompson is legendary. The Ice Man is legendary. So is Pistol. We've gotta make you immortal. Rings are immortal. And you gotta win 3 more. 4 and you'll hold that undisputed title.

Kobe

But I already told the public, I'm tired of being compared to Mike. I wish everyone would jus...(Interrupted by B.)

B. Long

What? Drop it? How can they? You changed your Lakers number to 24. Coincidence? OK, maybe. Then your Team USA number was 10. What was Mike's again? You can sell that bullshit somewhere else. You may get tired of the comparisons but it's not because you don't feel like your not in the same class as Jordan. It's because you feel like in your heart of hearts that your better and your scared to death of failing your own expectations. I'm gonna be real with you, the majority of fans will never see you as the best without more Shaqless rings. But here's the good news. You got at least 3 more years in your prime and you'll be playing on the most talented team pound for pound you ever have your entire career. You still have time to prove to everyone what you know in your heart is the truth.

(Kobe sits back in his chair, hand on chin. He's taken back by what he has heard as if no one is usually this honest with him)

Rob(obviously pissed)

Kobe doesn't have anything to prove to anybody. He's already the greatest. Bill Russell has 11 rings but his name never comes up in the discussion anymore. Your just like the rest of these assholes who place unrealistic goals on Kobe or don't think he' s hard enough to hold the crown because he had money coming up. People in America will never appreciate Kobe for what he is.
That's why I'm already looking into other options for him. (Turns to Kobe. Pulls stack of legal documents out of Versace briefcase.) Screw America, The owners at Olympickos are ready to offer you a 3 year, 83 million dollar deal. The deal includes all taxes paid for by the team, a 15 million dollar Mansion fully staffed with 20 servants, full scholarships for the girls to the best schools in Europe,they'll pass a city ordnance against mentioning the state of Colorado, a new Bentley each year, and...SMACK!(B. Long stands up, open hand pimp slaps Rob out of his chair to the ground)

Kobe

HOLY SHIT!

Brad(sits back down, straightens tie calmly)

Listen Kobe, what Rob is purposing is exactly what your critics want you to do. They want you to take your ball and go overseas...because that would justify them. All of the "Kobe's too selfish to lead"s and "he alright but he ain't shit compared to M.J."s and the "tell me how my ass tastes" become not just opinions but facts. They'll paint you as a coward. Sure Rob will write up a press release and try to spin it like you miss living overseas and you want your kids to enjoy other cultures and have the same opportunities as you did and as true as some of it may be, in the eyes of American basketball fans you'll be labeled a quitter. People will say that you had the opportunity to be the greatest but you just didn't have that competitive drive that M.J. did. Which we both know is bullshit but if you leave at this point of your career, and as amazing as a career as it has been, that's the legacy you'll leave in the States. A legacy of unfulfilled expectations. That's not you.

Kobe (a blend of frustration and excitement builds on his face)

Hell naw.

Brad

You'll go overseas and avg. 40 against good but not great competition easily. That's not you. Lebron, D-Wade, and CP3 will battle for NBA supremacy back in the states while you'll be the basketball David Beckham, an international icon loved by people who've only really heard of your legend but never seen it in person and you'll make crazy amounts of money in endorsements even for you, but that's not you. If you go overseas not only will it let down your personal fans but sports fans in America in general. During a time when we see our countries jobs out sourced daily and our economy at it's worst, to see the greatest basketball player in the world leave as well to chase Euros would crush souls. You'll let everyone who has ever openly criticized you win. Reggie wins, Curt Schilling wins, Eboy wins, Skip Bayless wins ...........Shaq wins. Is that how you wanna go out?

Kobe(Completely amped)

FUCK NO!

B. Long(His voice getting louder as he speaks)

Because the Kobe I know doesn't just settle for dominating weak competition. He wants to take it right at the best motherfuckers out there, leaving no doubts about who the coldest player on the court is. The Kobe I know sometimes calls himself the Mamba and mambas don't run away from an animal that poses a threat, they're the only snakes that chase those bitches down and kill 'em. The Kobe I know loves the U.S., he put on for us this summer, and would never leave us during a period of time when we need him most. That's the Kobe I know.

(Rob wakes up, slowly attempts to pull himself up onto his chair)

Kobe

That's because that's who I am. No fucking critics can change me. And there's no way in hell I'm going to Europe. I got to much jewelry to collect stateside man.

Rob

But Kobe...the exchange rate...BAM!(B. punches him in the jaw putting him back in a state of unconsciousness)

Kobe
I'm fucking hyped, B. This is exactly what I needed. LeBron can have all that first billionaire athlete and global icon shit. I gotta do me. I gotta put some more trophies in the case, homie. I really appreciate this.

B. Long

Any time, Kob. Any time. You guys gonna stay overnight? We'd love to have you over for dinner.

Kobe

Naw. Vanessa don't like me staying out of town with out her too much since 04. You know how it is. Maybe next time.

B. Long

Gotcha.

Kobe
(Opens conference room door, calls to security team)

Hey Jake, yall come get Rob. Brad knocked him out again. So what do I owe ya, B?

B. Long (starts to walk Kobe and security team to door)

Just a new banner in the Staples Center next year. If you can do that then we're straight.

Kobe(gives dap again.)

For sure, man. For sure.

B. Long

Have a good flight and tell Sasha I said to get a fucking haircut!

Kobe (Walking out door)

I will. Take care man. See you midseason.

B. Long

Later Kob.

Kobe (pauses as if he forgot something)

Hey B, when your on slamonline, do you ever talk to Ryan Jones?

B. Long

Yeah, I chat with Farmer Jones every now and then, Why?

Kobe

Is he still pissed at me?

B. Long

How does that old saying go? A woman scorned...?

Kobe

(Laughs) Right.

You Down with OKC? Yeah, You Know Me!

This was a preview that was originally done for my homies, Hursty, DP, and Sarah Palin's favorite blogger, Moose over at Hibachi 2.0. Just getting my DJ Drama on and dropping a Leak to get ya fiending. "Where Basketball B Longs " the new shit drops Oct. 17th!

Goodbye, Nirvana. Hello, Toby Keith. With their team being taken away like a bullet from Kurt Cobain it would be unjust not to pay tribute to the city of Seattle and all the TRUE Sonic fans there. You know who you are. To all the people bitching about them leaving but hadn't bought tickets since the Glove was alleying Reignman's oop, It' s like I tell my friends about Dubya. If you didn't vote you don't get to bitch. From a fan's p.o.v. it's hard not to want to junk punch Clay Bennett but from a businessman's p.o.v. the move makes a lot of sense. Its a community who's avg. income is steadily rising and with the Hornets spending time there the market has already been tested. It's still terribly saddening to think that possibly the greatest defensive point guard of all time will never see his jersey raised into the stands in front of the home crowd not to mention Shawn never really getting his proper send off either. Damn shame. But I digress, this is the beginning of a new era.

The Thunder leave behind the birthplace of starbucks and a city with a higher suicide rate than a radical Muslim extremist group and arrive in a rapidly changing area where the amount of luxury spec homes being built is only rivaled by the number of meth addicts scurrying around local truck stops. It's a strange mixture of trailer parks and gated communities. Of uppity GQ readers and Guns and Ammo good ol' boys. They arrive in a city that is looking for a team that they can form their own identity with. Judging by their ticket sells so far, this maybe exactly what OKC has been looking for.

Now lets get down to basketball. At head coach we have every players best friend, P.J. Carlesimo. P.J. possibly gets a worse rap than deserved due to that whole 'player choking the shit out of him' thing and had to have picked up some idea of how to build a winning team during his time assisting Pops with the Spurs. We'll give him a mulligan for last years record because of the immense distractions due to the relocation buisness. It would have been hard for last years team to have performed better anyways considering their youth and inexperience in an absolutely brutal Western Conference. But be assured though that in an extremely competitive environment like Oklahoma(Just look at the pressure put on their college programs) that if Coach Carlesimo doesn't show improvement over the next couple of seasons and get this team at least competing for a playoff spot by year three he'll be driven out of town with shotguns and torches.

Playing the superstar in-the-making role we have none other than Kevin Durant, making his unexpected return to Big Twelve country. K.D. had a solid rookie season last year. He struggled a little during the first half but really seemed to find his groove during the last part of the season averaging 23 points from March until the end of the year. Although I'm sure P.J. would've liked Kevin to add a few more pounds to his Kiera Knightley-like frame (even though he does look slightly bigger this season) considering every little bit will help him carry the burden of double teams almost nightly. Expect a early twenties Tracy McGrady-like season from KD this year.

On a surprise draft move, The Thunder selected Russell Westbrook with their first pick. While Russell is extremely athletic and has tons of upside he comes out of UCLA very raw and maybe not quite as NBA ready as some of the other guards that he was drafted ahead of. The good news for him is that this team does plenty of veterans who will surely be able to help speed up the maturation process in Earl Watson and Damien Wilkins as well as new additions Joe Smith, and Desmond Mason.

Earl, also a product of UCLA, will more than likely start over Russell initially and provide a knowledgeable brain for him to pick through out the season. Joe Smith is another seen-it-all who will play a good 25 min. a night of decent defense, rebounding, and a mid range jumper every now and then. Desmond Mason will look to establish himself again after coming back from injuries and coaches deciding that providing one nasty dunk a week doesn't warrant starters minutes. Damien Wilkins will also compete for mins. with his erratic play. For a guy with his skill set you'd expect him to have avg. more than 11 points a game last year.

The wild cards on this team will be Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox, and Robert Swift. Jeff Green flew way under the radar last season. While KD was getting all the attention, Jeff was putting together a more than decent rookie campaign with averages of 10.5 pts. and 4.7 rebs. in less than 30 mins. a night. If the last game of the season when he dropped 27 and 10 on the Warriors is any indication he looks like he's ready to have an even bigger impact this season. Robert Swift was drafted 12th overall in 2004 and looked like he was on the verge of becoming a factor on this team last year before his season was ended yet again with another injury. With P.J. already questioning Robert's toughness in training camp this year it's already looking like Robert has a long way to go on his mission to prove that all ginger kids aren't fragile creatures who should stay away from contact sports. Chris Wilcox is probably the wildest wild card of all. After avg. career highs 14 and 7 last year if he can somehow stretch those numbers to 18 and 10 he could possible get that huge contract he so desperately covets next summer. Lets just hope its not all just the 'Eric Dampier' effect, for OKC's sake.

Any contributions from Nick (I was only good at Kansas) Collison, rookie D.J. White, or the endless herd of project centers that Seattle has acquired over the last few years will be gravy. The good news for this team is that they're definitely more experienced and more talented than they were last year. The bad news is that they didn't move far enough east to change conferences. My fearless prediction for this team would put their record at 27-55, a slight improvement over last years 22-60 record. My predictions for this franchise's future in OKC is much more optimistic. K.D.'s combination of uncanny natural scoring ability on the court and that 'aw shucks' humbleness off it will be sure to keep butts in the seats and sell plenty of those hideous Thunder jerseys for years to come. R.I.P. Slick Watts. Time to let the Thunder roll.

Mass Exodus

What up fellow Slamheads and basketball brethren. Due to popular demand I've decided to bless the masses (OK 5 people) with my own site to display my genius at work. This is an article that was posted by my brothers from another test tube over at SKO. Pretty busy at work right now so this is just the preview. For all you hip hop heads think of this story as a Da Drought Mixtapes before the Carter III dropped. So save up your allowance because "Where Basketball B Longs" hits stores on Friday!

“Brandon Jennings is doing something unpopular for the betterment of the masses, and I believe Congress will pay attention to this and see the foolishness of the ‘one-and-done’ rule. This will start a chain of events that will lead to the rule’s demise. This year and next, others will follow Brandon Jennings’ decision.”-Sonny Vaccaro-advisor, sneaker pimp, prophet?

For real? One skinny, gumby, and stunna shade rocking kid's decision will supposedly influence others to follow hundreds of thousands of dollars(millions now that he got his U.A. shoe deal) overseas instead of taking classes most of them won't care about, surviving on cafeteria food, and basically being pimped by the NCAA? You better believe it. Now I know what your thinking right now. Your replaying every Dick Vitale, Bobby Knight, and Coach K interview you've ever heard about all the glorious benefits of a college education and how nothing can compare to the college 'experience'. (Cough)bullshit(Cough). Anyways, I'm not here to point out the ridiculous hypocrisy that is the NCAA system,(Ryan Jones has already done a good job of that) I'm here with a warning to fans of college basketball. You better start petitioning Mr. Stern and Mr. Brand or get ready for the darkest days that the college basketball has seen in a long time.

NOW STARTING FOR PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS, LANCE STEPHENSON! Or Renardo Sydney, maybe Xaiver Henry, then Tristan Thompson. Yes sir, its coming. Whether we as American fans are ready for it or not a mass exodus is approaching. Unless the one and done rule is abolished and Myles Brand decides it's time for Obama-like change in the NCAA within the year expect to see a couple more All-Americans taking the extended senior trip to Europe next year and then even more the one after that. Now your probably saying to yourself that the only way this happens is if Brandon Jennings dominates overseas, cements his draft status and ends up being the number one pick, right? Wrong.

Let's jump in the DeLorean with Doc Brown real quick and gun it back to 1995. A tall and athletic as hell but Amy Winehouse skinny kid by the name of Kevin Garnett was causing quite a raucous with his decision to forgo college ball and head directly to the NBA. Most experts were saying no, no, no. Several were writing him off as a selfish punk who couldn't make the grades and claiming that there was no way that a prep school kid could make the jump directly to the pros and ever be successful. It just wasn't gonna happen. Initially even the Slam staff was (more than) skeptical.

A season later a decent rookie campaign of 10 and 6 and an All-Rookie second team selection was enough to convince another rail thin big man with an already NBA ready last name to test the draft waters. That same year some cocky Italian speaking guard from the Philly suburbs named after raw meat decided to buck the system. The next year a sleepy eyed super athletic swingman decided to throw his name in the lottery. And so it began.

You'd be hard pressed to find one NBA scout or anyone with a lick of basketball sense who has seen Brandon play that would tell you that he isn't at least talented enough right now to have same impact on an NBA lottery team that KG did as a rookie. We are talking about a player who many experts have labeled a young, taller, and more athletic version of A.I. I'm the last person who likes to put undo pressure on a kid by making comparisons to all time greats, but from the McDonald's game and practice footage I've seen with Vitrus Roma it's hard to argue. Now what do you think he's gonna do during the Euroleague season?

Don't get it twisted. I'm not saying that he's just gonna come out and crush the comp overseas. In fact I'll be very surprised if Brandon doesn't have some growing pains learning the lingo and banging in a much more physical professional game. Hopefully he's spending most his off-season with a chica named Rosetta Stone or in the weight room. What I'm saying that if he is just successful enough in Europe not to hurt his draft status next year and make bank at the same time, more are sure to follow.

We are living in a very socioeconomically conscious society especially in the realm of sports. Prep stars who once pondered which school would have the best student section and flyest honeys are now consulting with advisers like Sonny about what environment they should choose to best market themselves to the world. I like to call this the 'King James' effect. Everyone wants to emulate the most popular player in the game and the young guns of today are definitely trying to crib LeBron's buisness sense. Given the zero's in the mans bank account I can't say that I blame them.

Whether David Stern wants to admit it or not, Brandon is changing the game. In fact, there is a small part of me that says this is what the Commish had planned all along. He heard the rumors about Lebron, Bill Walker, and O.J. hoping the pond for a year. He had to have known that with if he enforced a one and done rule it was only a matter of time. What a better way to further globalize the NBA than to send it's future stars overseas for a year and build a strong fan base for that particular player in that part of the world without the NBA ever having to spend a dime. Kids in Rome maybe rocking Brandon Jennings NBA jerseys for the rest of his career, similar to the way a lot fans in Texas will always root for Kevin Durant after his stint at UT.

You've gotta hand it to Stern, Myles Brand never saw this one coming. Or maybe he too was looking for a way to avoid more O.J. Mayo type fiascos. Who knows? What we do know is that the world of prep stars and their decision making process has changed forever. You know what, screw Full Court. Does ESPN have a Euroleague package?