Video: Michael Jordan is living vicariously through the Charlotte Bobcats…
August 30, 2008 – Dr. Dime
It must be so hard to age as an ex-professional athlete. Hell, it’s hard for anyone to get older and adjust to the changes with your body that lead to a deterioration in athletic abilities. I’m only the ripe old age of 28, yet my game is already changing to a more heady perimeter game than the explosive slashing type play of old. But back to the professional athlete for a minute. If you are a pro athelete, you are one of the best in the world at your particular sport. Times are good, you workout daily and keep your body at a level of physical fitness that the average person has no hope of ever achieving. Then as time passes one day you wake up and all of a sudden you are a step slower, or a fraction off on your timing. Must be a fluke right? Then you see the younger guys doing what you used to do. What goes through your mind? Jealousy…denial….anger…depression? Who knows….maybe one day someone should survey retired pro’s to find out.
Then there’s Michael Jordan. Part-owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats You take your average retired professional basketball player and his feelings on aging then multiply that by a factor of 20 and you may be scratching the surface of how Jordan must feel to no longer be able to play the game the way he knows he was able to for so many years. Not one of the best, but the absolute best. Ever. Amen.
I clearly don’t presume to know how Jordan feels watching basketball and specifically the NBA, but I bet there are days he gets frustrated with the Charlotte Bobcats team and just feels like maybe he can still lace em’ up and contribute to some wins. Then reality probably sets in. I wonder what he must then be thinking…”Ah well I guess I will just stick to golf with Chuck from here on in….maybe some lawn bowling or fishing in my later years….”
Why was I thinking about Jordan and the feelings of aging retired professional hoopers today? Because of this video recap I came across of the Jordan interview this season before a Bobcats game about his daily routine and role in business operations. Check it out and let me know what your thoughts are about his clear ‘itch’ to be back out there on the court, even after being well into retirement now. He mentions living vicariously through the Bobcats players a couple times. Who is he referring to? Jason Richardson? He certainly can’t be talking about Felton….hehe
The Hoop Doctors Daily Dimes: 08/29
| Friday, August 29, 2008 |
Prescribed NBA reading from all over the world wide web
Baseball Jordan schoolin’ Pip old skool!
YouTubes of the Day – Ball Don’t Lie
Well get ready for NBA franchise clamp down on player availability for international competition after this news…
Ginobili says he needs surgery on injured heel
Aussies love them some Kobe Beef huh?
Kobe’s a cool dude, says Sav
A Stern Warning looks at the USA rep. How does the win change things?
Does winning make USA less Arogant?
This Bynum recovery is taking a peculiar amount of time…isn’t it?
Kupchak goes to Atlanta to check on Bynum
Grizzlies further muddy the water in Memphis | Grizz sign Iranian Center Hamed Haddadi
August 29, 2008 – Dr. Anklesnap
He was the only player to average a double double in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He was the 2008 Olympic leader in blocks. He was the 2008 Olympic leader in rebounds. No, we are not talking about USA’s Dwight Howard here, it’s the Iranian national team Center Hamed Haddadi. This guy is 7′2″, 260 lbs and plays with passion and hunger. After his performance at these games in Beijing, I think everyone was put on notice that this guy belongs in the NBA and would be headed there shortly.
Here’s what confused me to no end this week, Haddadi was signed by none other than the Memphis Grizzlies. I realize a lot of GM’s around the league believe in signing the best available talent as an asset over signing a player to fill a specific need, but given the crowded front court in Memphis and the recent signing of Spanish Center Marc Gasol, i’m just plain confused. The waters have now been muddied in Memphis.
The front line rotation in Memphis now includes the following personnel; Marc Gasol (C), Hamed Haddadi (C), Darko Milicic (C), Darrell Arthur (F), Rudy Gay (F), Hakim Warrick (F), Antoine Walker (F).
Maybe Memphis GM Chris Wallace is just hedging his bets by signing three young studs, who each have a lot of upside potential to be a quality center in the NBA, that way they can dump the least valuable of the 3 into a future trade with someone requiring an interior presence. Another scenario may be playing Gasol and Haddadi side by side in the future, especially if Gasol continues to lose weight and increase his speed to go along with his great hands and touch around the hoop. Sort of like an international Twin Towers. The fact that Haddadi has come so cheap (signing for around the cost of a mid first round draft pick) leads me to believe that Darko may be the odd man out in the future rotations for the Grizz. On the surface it seems that Wallace has taken another gamble here, but when you think about the relatively cheap cost, and the poor regular season record of the Grizzlies the past few years, what does he have to lose?
Regardless of how Hamed Haddadi performs this year, come training camp some innovative coaching and roster moves are going to be needed to make this thing work. Marc Iavaroni….I hope you’re ready to start earning your pay check!
The Hoop Doctors Daily Dimes: 08/28
| Thursday, August 28, 2008 |
Prescribed NBA reading from all over the world wide web
Zoner Sports – “It’s like Jordan had a nitrous button and a couple extra gears”
Michael Jordan 2 hander on Mark Eaton – Video
No one writes up the classics on the regular like Baller Blogger – Love this one
Baller of the Day: Spencer Haywood
Bad news Mullin – Monta Ellis tears ankle ligament
Warriors’ Ellis out at least 3 months after ankle surgery
Like bball blogs? Here is a guide to how you can identify the good from the bad
6 Types of Sports Bloggers
Jackson has been sniffing ‘herbs’ again! Jordan is clearly the greatest athlete. He talks about endurance….how about Jordan’s Flu Game?
Greatest Athlete according to Phil Jackson
7 of the Worst Basketball Related Songs I Care to Remember!
August 27, 2008 – Dr. J-Water
We all have them, you have to admit….there are those songs or albums in your collection that seemed pretty cool at the time you bought them, that you look back on 2, 5, or 10 years later and laugh that you once bobbed your head or tapped your foot to the beat. I personally have hundreds if not thousands of them. I’m the type of O.C.D. case that generally listens to a new song that I take a liking to, until its absolutely dead to me. To the point where I want to scream if I hear it, because i’m so annoyed or repulsed by it. Tonight when thinking about the phenomena of being blinded in the moment by how ridiculous a song really is until its far too late, I couldn’t help but think of a few basketball related songs that fell into this category. Below are a few of the worst basketball related songs that at one point we all are embarrassed to admit we did the head bobbing thing to….
Skee-Lo – I Wish
Kurtis Blow – Basketball
Shaquille O’Neal – Shoot Pass Slam
Michael Jackson – Jam
Coolio, Method Man, LL Cool J – Hit em’ High (Monstars Anthem)
Lil’ Bow Wow ft. J.D. – Basketball
69 Boyz – Hoop in Yo Face
What are your worst hoop songs from the past?
The Hoop Doctors Daily Dimes: 08/27
| Wednesday, August 27, 2008 |
Prescribed NBA reading from all over the world wide web
Out of character for the classy Jose Calderon?
José Calderon : Spain would have won under FIBA rules
Dwyer at BDL uncovers the Brown track covering attempt
Larry Brown, kindly stop it
Melo is a real brotha. This is one of our favorite Who made you vids….
Who made you: Carmelo Anthony
R.I.P. Duck
Kevin Duckworth dies at 44
I still get shivers thinking about the MJ intro in Chicago!
The Evolution of NBA player intro’s
Move over Boom Dizzle, the ‘Spanish Fly’ is in tha house!
August 26, 2008 – Dr. Browntorious
Watching the USA redeem team win gold this weekend was amazing and eye-opening at the same time. Everyone knew that Team USA was still the team to beat, and that is probably what fueled the collective gasp across the USA as Spain pulled within striking distance several times throughout the 4th quarter of the ball game. The biggest surprise for me was the play of the 17-year old Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio. Sure I had heard a lot about him being the next great young player to come from Europe, but I had no idea just how much carefully metered flash and showmanship this kid has in his game. I was amazed at how much creativity he plays with, while still showing a high basketball IQ and good defensive tactics. He seemed to be a bit of a flopper at times, but you couldn’t deny his passion and motivation to win.
I had been thinking about the play of Rubio in the Gold medal game for the past couple days, then I read the Yardbarker congratulatory post by Baron Davis to Team USA yesterday. Davis mentions that he “can’t wait till Rubio makes it to the league. He’s a gem.” It got me thinking about the similarities in their games. Obviously i’m not talking about their physical tools as Davis is a much more imposing point guard given his stature and athletic abilities, but both Davis and Rubio play with a lot flash without compromising their effectiveness. They are both born entertainers, but also play with a lot of heart and passion for winning. Like many young players before him, Rubio seems to take moves made famous by his predecessors or idols and tweaks them to add a little sumpin’ sumpin’. Check out what I mean with Rubio’s little tweak on the classic Baron Davis fake behind-the-back pass to himself. (Although this may have originally been tweaked from the original Pete Maravich move)
Baron Davis – UCLA
Ricky Rubio – DKV Joventut
After the Olympics there will be a lot of talk about Ricky Rubio going #1 overall in the 2010 NBA Draft when he becomes available, and for good reason. Most likely analysts will continue to compare Rubio to a Steve Nash type player. But I think Rubio and Nash are too dissimilar to make that comparison. Rubio is a much better perimeter defender than Nash, while being nowhere near the shooter that Steve Nash is. Nash is a fundamentally sound shooter, whereas Rubio is more of a streak scorer with questionable technique and very little lift on his jumper.
Rubio will certainly be a fan favorite a-la Baron Davis when he finally gets to the league though. I certainly can’t wait to see what other mustard he puts on some of my favorite Boom Dizzle, J.Kidd, or Nash fakes and passes by then.
The Hoop Doctors Daily Dimes: 08/26
| Tuesday, August 26, 2008 |
Prescribed NBA reading from all over the world wide web
NESW Sports brings you some great Barkley/Jordan golf banter footage
Barkley yells at MJ for a shank
Boom Dizzle gives Team USA a Shout Out
CONGRATS TO USA BASKETBALL
On the heels of our best dunks of 2008, here is a vid on the worst dunks ever!!
5 worst dunks ever
Bosh getting some of his much deserved due
Bosh is Golden
Msg to Suns management needed….Hardwood Paroxysm obliged
Suns fans glad their team cares about saving money
Stephon Marbury suing retailer of the ‘Starbury’ shoe
August 25, 2008 – Dr. Dime
The self-proclaimed “Starbury” of the NBA, Stephon Marbury, is upset about not being paid his fair share of the pie in the Starbury movement to provide basketball shoes to kids at an affordable cost. You remember all the hoopla about how Marbury was so distraught about New York inner-city kids not being able to afford a decent pair of shoes, so out of the kindness of his own heart he was creating a shoe that would retail for $14.98 a pair. *Cough, cough* yeah I had a hard time swallowing that b.s. at the time too…
Anyhow, last week Steve and Barry’s, the fashion retailer that carried the Starbury brand went bankrupt, and Stephon Marbury is pissed off. And no, he’s not pissed off that the affordable shoes are no longer going to be available to inner-city kids, the New York Knicks player making roughly $20 million next season is mad that he wasn’t paid $2.19 million dollars in royalties still owed to him in the deal.
So the philanthropist Stephon Marbury is showing his true colors huh? Well its not that I would point the finger at anyone (regardless of how wealthy) for collecting what is owed to them, but its funny how using philanthropy as a guise for trying to make money can backfire and expose your intentions for what they really are. Its also quite funny that Marbury is suing a bankrupt company. Although the filing is not complete, I suspect that if everything plays out as expected Marbury will never actually see a dime of the $2.19 million supposedly still owed to him. Uh oh, how will he feed his family?
Watch this vid for a walk down memory lane, I love his quote “i’m not gettin’ nuttin’ from this” and “this is about them (consumer), not me”:
I’m out like Starbury’s in NYC…
WE HAVE A WINNER! | Create-a-Caption contest sponsored by Baggins Shoes
“Oh no, I think I just broke Jack Nicholson’s Sunglasses!” Jeff Wilcox – Florida, USA
The Hoop Doctor’s want to congratulate Jeff Wilcox from Florida, USA on winning our latest contest for a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star Classics, sponsored by Baggins Shoes. Jeff has won the contest with the caption “Oh no, I think I just broke Jack Nicolson’s Sunglasses!” for the picture above of Kobe Bryant.
The Hoop Doctor’s would like to thank everyone who entered the contest for your participation and innovative caption’s to the selected photo. Check back regularly for more contests and giveaways. If you did not win and really love Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes, here is a bit more about our sponsor Baggins Shoes and how you can get some Chuck’s of your very own in tonnes of styles:
Baggins had its retail beginnings in 1969, offering various novelty products, posters, blacklights, incense, etc. However they started selling Converse Chuck Taylors – The Original Basketball Shoe – in the mid 1980’s and they were a huge success. The bigger selection they had, the more they got requested and the more they were selling. Home to the undisputed King of Converse, Baggins now boasts one of the world’s largest selections of Chuck Taylors. With the addition of their website in 2001 (www.bagginsshoes.com), they now ship shoes all over the world in record numbers. Please visit the website to view the numerous styles and colors of Chucks available for immediate shipping.
