I think we all can agree this is a fun thing to think about. I love this idea. You would think it was easy, but it’s actually rather hard. There have been so many great NBA players. Knocking them down to twelve names is kind of challenging. Well, it was a challenge that I met, sort of. I have three new blogs for you. They’ll be spread out over the month as we wait for the new NBA season. The first of these “all-time team” blogs will be about my selected starters. Oh, and feel free to post your lists in the comments section below.

Magic Johnson, Point Guard

Magic was the greatest point guard of all time, and it’s not even close. Though, I almost left him off. The one flaw I have in my starting lineup is that Larry Bird is the only player with a truly good shooting touch from the perimeter. The problem was that the only point guard that was a big three point threat, who could also pass, that I could think of was Steve Nash. I like Steve Nash, but he’s not all-time team material. Magic Johnson was never much of a scorer, but no player could run the break like him. No one else could really hold this spot.

Michael Jordan, Shooting Guard

Okay, I know it’s the obvious choice! Seriously, would you put anyone else here? The best player ever can’t come off the bench. In the backcourt you’d have the best passer in NBA history in Magic and with Michael an excellent one on one defender. Plus, he could score a bit too. It never hurts to have the two players who would handle the ball the most be ferocious competitors. This is kind of a no-brainer combination. Hey, no points for originality, right? I’m sure the next pick will shock you.

Larry Bird, Small Forward

Well, maybe shock was an overstatement. At the moment, Larry Bird is the greatest small forward ever to play the game. No other player to occupy the position has yet to lead his team to as much success as Bird did with the Celtics. I think there’s this guy who lives in Ohio and calls himself the “king” that might have something to say about that eventually, but as of right now, Larry Bird is the greatest small forward ever. Nothing else needs to be said.

Tim Duncan, Power Forward

I know a lot of people don’t like it when people say this, but there’s just not a better power forward in NBA history than Tim Duncan. The guy is the only power forward in history that can claim that a dynasty was built on his shoulders. Though, he would never do so. Tim Duncan is not only an excellent character guy, but he also is a damn good defender. You pair him with my next selection and you’ve got the best defensive tandem in the history of the sport. As if Timmy wasn’t enough…

Bill Russell, Center

Picking the two centers for this team(next column will be on the bench players) was the hardest part of picking the team. The position of center is the most storied all the five positions in basketball. I could’ve gone with Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, Moses, Shaq or even Walton. I tend to prefer a good defense to a good offense, so I had to go with Bill Russell. I was never lucky enough to see Mr. Russell play, but his reputation is as the greatest defensive player of all time.

See you guys later!

Please visit www.sportsviews.com

But just this once, I'll let things take a turn for the subjective. I'll come out with it: I love Magic Johnson.

Always have. What's not to love? There's his effort in game six of the 1980 NBA Finals, when Magic, a rookie fresh out of Michigan state, replaced the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at centre, burning the 76ers for 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.

There's his revolutionising of the point guard position, a 6'9" hardcourt genius, blowing basketball fan minds with his Showtime Lakers. There are the five championship rings, and three MVP trophies. Not to mention the incredible work he's done for HIV awareness.

So, to paraphrase the great Steppenwolf, let's go on a magic carpet ride. And by 'carpet ride,' I mean watching internet videos.

Fantastic Magic highlights, from a baby Earvin through to his Michigan State days, and the Showtime Lakers. The Curtis Mayfield soundtrack doesn't hurt:

Magic retires. It's absolutely heart-wrenching, but when Johnson flashes that famous smile and says 'I plan on going on, living for a long time, bugging you guys like I always have,' you suddenly feel like everything is going to be okay:

Magic and Bird. There will never be a greater friendship/rivalry in sports. Ever. Here they both are at Larry Bird's retirement ceremony:

And here they are together in a charmingly dodgy Converse ad. The highlight? Magic rips off his pants, and Larry says 'show me what you got':

Why don't they make ads like this any more? I'm so goddamned thirsty for a 7-Up:

Posted By: Anton

Earvin "Magic" Johnson who is still the greatest point guard to ever play the game launched Magic Workforce Solutions in NYC yesterday. Veteran actress Cicely Tyson, marketing guru Steve Stoute, Kenny Smith, and VIBE's editor-in-chief Danyel Smith all attended the event. One thing can be said about Magic, and that is he's always sharp as far as attire goes.

Food for thought!!!!

Not to fear, however ... as this correspondent has always had a predilection for anyone, and anything, linked with Making A Commitment To Excellence.

======================

Courtesy of nbaroundtable ...

Curry going back to basics
"No matter what the rules are, the game of basketball goes to the most aggressive teams and players," Curry said. "We want to be the team that's always on the attack, both defensively and offensively."

• Pay attention to detail.
• Daily conditioning and player development sessions.
• Increase the intensity and consistency at the defensive end.
• Increase scoring in the paint.
• Establish clearly defined roles. Curry expects to play 10 or 11 players on a regular basis.

Click the link and read the whole thing.

Close your eyes and listen intently.

Do these words and simple concepts harken back to a different place?
A different time?
A different hairdo? 

Say, perhaps, the 1982-1983 season ... when a certain young relatively inexperienced assistant coach was promoted internally to the head man's chair, for a team - and a GM who was himself a HOF immortal - that had recently captured an NBA Title but was also in need of re-direction, at that time, with a fascinating combination of wily vets, established All-Stars, and a certain 'New Kid On The Block' [an athletic 21 year old, 6-9, 225, PF], who was ready-to-rock-and-roll into Prime Time.

Hmmmmm ...

Could it possibly be ... delectable symmetry?

... in the same season featuring the 'Re-birth of SHOWTIME, in LA'.

----------------------------

The most important sentence in the whole article?

"[Rasheed] Wallace, who has been at the practice facility most of the summer, has complied."

----------------------------

First-class stuff, all around, from the new Sheriff ... in [Mo]Town.

Showtime in the Motor City.

======================

Christopher, Germany: Hi David, love your chats. After they ended their carreers, who ranks higher on the all-time list: Shaq or Kobe?

 David Thorpe: Shaq.

Nate (New Haven): David, no way shaq ends up higher. Kobe's got 3 rings, 5 finals appearences, same number of all nba teams and 8 more defensive team appearences. What planet are you living on?

 David Thorpe: Shaq is top 3 all time in terms of pure dominance. His stats are unreal. Here on earth, we consider such things.

Christopher, Germany: who are the other two all-time-best in pure dominance?

 David Thorpe: I'd suggest Wilt and Kareem, in totally different ways.

======================

Well ... this corner of the blogosphere does NOT concur with Mr. Thorpe's opinion ... in regard to the 'Big Aristotle', as a once dominant NBA player.

Speaking strictly as a Center ... Shaq doesn't place in the Top 5 all-time ... amongst those I would choose to anchor the middle for a Dream Team.

1. Bill Russell [11 NBA titles in 13 years ... nuff, said]
2. Kareem Abdul Jabbar [the greatest offensive force in hoops' history]
3. Hakeem Olajuwon [the most skilful Post Player of all-time]
4. Wilt Chamberlain [the most physically dominant player in any era]
5. Tim Duncan [the Big Fundamental ... nuff, said]

When considering other players, as well, who've played other positions ... at least, the following individuals would also rank well above 'the Diesel', in terms of their all-time dominance ... 

1. Michael Jordan
2. Oscar Robertson
3. Magic Johnson
4. Larry Bird
5. Kobe Bryant

... at the height of their physical prowess.

There's no doubt whatsoever that Shaquille O'Neal is the single Most Powerful Force [of Nature] in the history of the game ... i.e. combining Size, Strength, Speed, Agility, Quickness, Explosivity and Intelligence.

This FACT is a given.

BUT[T] ... and, it's a rather LARGE One, at this point ... there is simply NO WAY, SHAPE or FORM, he should legitimately be listed amongst the MOST EFFECTIVE [i.e. 'the Greatest', or 'the Best', or 'the Most Dominant'] players of all-time.

Whether your are ranking by (i) most championships won, (ii) most all-star appearances, (iii) most prolific individual statistics, or (iv) most combined areas of standard productivity/efficiency measures ... including overall skill level and/or competitive will, etc., ... neither Shaq's actual performance nor his crunched numbers [associated with his overall body of work] stack up well, in comparison with the greatest players in the history of the game.

(click on image to enlarge)

The 12th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival

September 10-14, 2008

www.urbanworld.org

Along with being arguably the best point guard since Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd is best known for the domestic abuse charges laid against him in 2001. After pleading guilty, he gave up the booze, spent every Sunday at church, and reconciled with his wife.

Sadly, in early 2007 he filed for divorce from the missus, citing ‘extreme cruelty’ during their relationship. She counter-claimed that he broke one of her ribs. Not a healthy relationship, apparently.

But we're not here to talk about that. Forget that Kidd is a genuine triple double threat every night, despite his advanced age. Forget his marital problems.

We're hear to focus on how much Jay Kidd loves to party. And when he throws a party, you could not compare said party to any other party — the main difference being that a Jay Kidd party does not stop. Especially back in 1994.

Put that love of partying to a beat delivered straight from Dr. Dre’s early-90s beat factory and you’re on to a real winner of a track: Jason Kidd - "What The Kidd Didd" (Featuring Money R.)

Posted By: Anton

Hosting: props to the Celeb Warship.

"Battleground Earth: Tommy Lee Vs. Ludacris!" airs [tonight] Sundays at 10/9c on Planet Green TV & Thursdays at 8/7c on TLC. Tonight’s Episode: You've Got Junk Mail [Atlanta, GA] People's mailboxes are inundated daily with unwanted junk mail and most of it ends up going directly in the trash. Tommy and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges are instructed to go out with their teams around Atlanta and collect the most junk mail in order to recycle it.

This episode features guest appearances by:
Wayne Brady
Tom Green
Persia White
Mario
Michael Irvin
Sinbad
Mike Rowe
Big Boi
Monica
Vivica A. Fox
Magic Johnson
Jane Fonda
Don Lemon

Direct TV viewers tune in to Channel 286 (nation-wide)

http://planetgreen.channelfinder.net/ (Channel Finder)

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv-schedules/weekly.html (TV Guide)

Part I

Part II

Part III

youtube.com is absolute Gold ... when it comes to things like ...

'the Doctor'.

by Charley Rosen

Point guards

It should be remembered that Magic Johnson sat out the 1991-92 NBA season and was therefore not at the top of his game. His alter-ego at this position was John Stockton.

Both Magic and Jason Kidd were slow and relatively defenseless, while Chris Paul and Deron Williams more than matched Stockton's speed and quickness. If Stockton was the best 3-point shooter of this group, Williams isn't far behind, and J-Kidd is underrated in this category.

The edge goes to the Beijing team in speed, depth and defense. Passing is just about even. Magic's overpowering strength offsets Kidd's and Williams' considerable muscle. Because of Stockton, the Barcelona team also gets the nod in the shooting department.

Advantage: Redeemers

Shooting guards

Michael Jordan is a tad better than Kobe Bryant in just about every category. Chris Mullin's defense was as bad as Michael Redd's, and his long-range bombing was nearly as accurate. Clyde Drexler was the quickest of these guys, but Dwyane Wade is the strongest.

The '92 wingmen get a slight edge in shooting (mainly because D-Wade is so erratic from behind the arc) and in individual defense. As a group, the '08 trio is somewhat quicker — mainly because Mullin was so lead-footed.

Advantage: Dreamers by a tiny margin.

Small forwards

Obviously, there's some cross-positioning here, but for argument's sake the contest is Larry Bird and Scottie Pippen versus LeBron James and Tayshaun Prince.

Prince shoots better than Pippen and is a better half-court scorer, but the latter is a superior defender.

Playing the current Team USA wouldn't be a laugher for the Dream Team, would it? (Andrew D. Bernstein / Getty Images)

The decision comes down to Bird and LBJ. Give LeBron the nod for strength, quickness and passing (since Bird was really a shoot-first player). Neither was an above-average defensive presence, but James' speed and hops gives him the edge. Both are streak shooters, with Bird's streaks tending to come more often and last longer, and Bird had more rebounding responsibilities than James.

Advantage: Even.

Power forwards

Karl Malone and Charles Barkley were board-men extraordinaire, and as such operated at a higher level than Carlos Boozer and Carmelo Anthony. (Christian Laettner was the token amateur in 1992 and doesn't figure in this reckoning.)

Malone could play bullish defense in the post, but also tended to make far too many unnecessary and unsuccessful gambles. Still, he's the only one of this foursome who could play at least a modicum of defense.

Melo's perimeter shooting trumps the limited range of his opposite numbers.

Advantage: A big one for the Dreamers

Centers

Bad defense was the calling card of Patrick Ewing and Dwight Howard. Chris Bosh has some quickness here, but nobody can equal David Robinson's recognition and quickness to the ball from the weak-side.

By every other measure — rebounding, scoring, mid-range shooting — the Barcelona bigs were vastly superior.

The Redeem Team would have a hard time banging with Charles Barkley and the other '92 big men. (Andrew D. Bernstein / Getty Images)

Advantage: Another significant one for the Dreamers

In the final game of the tournament, the Redeemers proved that they could command clutch situations — something that the Dreamers never had to do. Although it's unthinkable that Jordan and Bird wouldn't take over stretch runs.

Other points worth considering:

Now, I bring up a question. Who is bringing up this debate, and why? Are they Laker fans who drool merely at the sight of Kobe Bryant, or are they today's youth that was too young to have seen The Dream Dominate dominate back in the early '90's? Whoever they are, they must still be jet-lagged from trying to rack up airline miles to and from Beijing.

Stay tuned for Part II next week, but in the meanwhile, for all that is basketball, log on to 104basketball.com today!

Watching the DNC this week has led me to believe that Barack does not only make his fellow pick-up basketball teammates better, but he makes his political teammates better as well, most notably in the area of speech-making. Barack has raised the public speaking bar in the Democratic Party and everyone is striving to meet him.

We're seeing it in everyone from Hillary Clinton to John Kerry to Federico Pena, Mayor of Denver--the Democrats are speaking with more energy, panache, passion, clarity, poetry, composure, and frankness than they have in the past two elections (which is all my young memory affords me to compare).  The most obvious improvment has been in Joe Biden, and it has come remarkably quickly.  If you watched his introduction as Obama's running mate in Springfield, IL on Saturday, you would have seen a normal Joe Biden--a politician who spoke in fairly complete sentences and made an effort to connect with the audience but who didn't really succeed.  Put next to a mere mortal, Biden's speech wouldn't have been alarming.  However, next to Obama, he more resembled a mediocre city councilman than the well-informed, extremly well qualified VP that he is. Obama's prowess as a speech-maker made Biden look bad.

Cut to Biden's speech at the DNC tonight.  He was a totally different performer.  He slowed down, employed dynamics (in both the emotional and musical sense of the term), utilized repetitive rhetoric ("That's not change; that's more of the same!"), and in the process expressed his best self--a straight-talking, passionate public servant. There's not doubt in my mind that Biden watched the film of his intro in Springfield and thought, "I've got to step it up a notch or I'm going to embarrass myself in Denver."  And step it up, he did, along with everyone else the Democratic National Committee invited to speak at the convention.

Back in the first 3 seasons of The West Wing, the hay day during which Aaron Sorkin was still writing every episode, I used to marvel at the speeches he would write for President Bartlett and I would dream of having a president who could speak like him and inspire me in the same way.  Barack Obama has far exceeded my real-life expectations on the inpirational speech-giving front, and even more to my surprise he's managed to bring everyone else with him.

Two other notes for someone to take on in the comments:

1) I've noted that everyone is speaking better, but just how are they managing it? Did they all hire Barack's coach?  Did they always have it in him and only now have been asked to rise to the occasion?  Are they taking advice from Barack?

2) I firmly believe that these speeches are not forsaking responsible policy-thinking, rationality, insightfulness, and nuance for the sake of showmanship. In fact, I'd say they are pushing the politicians to display more of these traits in their speeches.

and a wild card 3rd note) How tired and uninspiring does John McCain look now?

Welcome back for the second edition of The Quick Report. You can view the first part of my Best NBA Nicknames blog in my archive. For this round I’ve selected six more cool NBA nicknames to throw at you. As I stated before, this blog happens to be apart of a three blog series. You should expect part III on Monday evening. Though, for now, let’s see what part two has to offer. 

“Flash” – Dwyane Wade
 
In the last two NBA seasons I don’t think anyone could really still call Dwyane Wade “Flash” but as many of us have noticed, the nickname has come back to it’s full worth in Beijing. Dwyane Wade’s ability to find seams in the defense and snake his way to the rim at lightning quick speeds is really awe inspiring. One moment Wade is in front of you and in a flash he’s just hit a reverse lay-up on your basket.
 
“Earl the Pearl” – Earl Monroe
 
Many basketball historians credit Earl Monroe with being the player that inspired the over the top nicknames we see today. Oscar Robertson may have been “The Big O” and Jerry West was certainly “Mr. Clutch” but none of those have the flare of  “Earl the Pearl.” “The Pearl” is a nickname that is a remnant of a time when basketball became not just a game, but a marvelous show as well.
 
“Magic” – Earvin Johnson
 
I’ve decided not to rank these nicknames because I feel that just isn’t need, but if one were to rank the greatest nicknames in NBA history, what would be #1? I don’t think I want to venture an answer, but Earvin Johnson’s hold on the word “Magic” would have to be very high. No one knows the greatest point guard in NBA history by any other name than “Magic.” Magic Johnson isn’t really even nickname. It’s who the player/legend is. 

“The Diesel” – Shaquille O’Neal
 
Out of the many, many nicknames Shaq has given himself I like “The Diesel” the best. When he was at his best, Shaq was arguably the most dominant player in history. The only way you could combat his size and strength was to foul him and hope he missed his free throws. “The Diesel” brings to mind thoughts of something massive and overwhelming. When he was in his prime, that’s exactly what Shaquille O’Neal was.
 
“The Black Mamba” - Kobe Bryant
 
I struggled with whether to include this one or not. “The Black Mamba” is named after a really deadly snake, but it’s also taken from a movie, Kill Bill, where the character of the same name is a female assassin. That’s kind of an odd choice for a male basketball player looking for a badass nickname, but it works. I don’t think anyone who watched Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals last season could argue that Kobe Bryant is extremely fatal to the opposition.
 

“Penny” – Anfernee Hardaway

“Penny” was to Anfernee Hardaway what “Magic” was Earvin Johnson. No one after 1993 called this guy Anfernee. He was Penny Hardaway. His career may have been derailed due to injury, but this guy is still Penny Hardaway. The best nicknames aren’t the ones the commentators use when a player puts on a game highlight. The best nicknames are the ones that stick.

Check back Monday for Part III. Until then check out the site I linked to below. It’s pretty cool.

For more blogs like this please visit www.sportsviews.com

=============================================

5. Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh will be fighting for the back-up Center minutes; who should win the job?

This is a silly question.

If Team USA wanted to dominate the international competition this year … the most potent line-up it could put on the floor would see Carlos Boozer at the 4/Power Forward AND Chris Bosh at the 5/Center positions, not ‘fighting for the back-up Center minutes.

For further explanation, see the link provided in the answer to Question #3.

=============================================

that was asked by the good folks at Upside and Motor, in their Team USA Blogger Roundtable [to which this corner had not received an invite :-) ].

10 days later ...

Raptors' Chris Bosh emerging as a leader for the U.S. team: Draws rave reviews from coach, teammates with strong showing on defense

and it is somewhat gratifying to see that one or two others in the basketball community [at-large] have at last begun to 'see' what this corner has known about this young man [Chris Bosh], as a Center in the NBA, for a VERY LONG TIME ...

De-constructing the mystery that is Chris Bosh [April 21, 2008]

It never ceases to amaze what some so-called 'NBA experts' think they understand about the game.

Get your popcorn ready and enjoy the show.  Career averages of 19.5 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game.  Shit, he got the HIV virus, took a couple years off, and came back to average 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.

Also, his business acumen is unrivaled.  Shouts to my favorite player on his 49th birthday.

lik dot

PS...get ready for the KB24 tribute on August 23rd.  Also, the boy lik dot is celebrating his 29th birthday on the 16th.  Leos gotta ride together, ya feel me?

Sculptor Michael Rea has a knack for building. But unlike most architects, he draws on an encyclopedic knowledge of geek culture and an eccentric sense of humor for his unique sculptures.

Rea’s movie-influenced menagerie includes electronic consoles, time machines and holy artifacts -- all fashioned from wood. He even built an eight-foot-tall prosthetic suit, equipped with swords, for physicist Stephen Hawking after seeing Quentin Tarantino’skung fu-inspired Kill Bill.

A Google search for "woodpunk" unWebbed these Japanese wooden robots that remind me of a simpler time.

Senior Producer, Tracy Heropkie took a Foundation crew to L.A. recently to shoot a series of web content videos for Aetna Insurance's 50th anniversary! Coincidentally, Magic Johnson turns 50 this year, so he appeared in the videos!! Phil Lee directed it and said it was a blast working with Magic! Tracy described the nearly 7 foot basketball legend as "super chill" but with a "definite presence".

Everybody seemed to have a good time and the production went off without a hitch! Wanna see more photos? CLICK HERE!!!

Is this seriously an acceptable standard for NBA nicknames? Ballers should have majestic nicknames — pseudonyms that lift them to the heavens, cementing them as gods of the hardcourt. Think ‘His Royal Airness,’ ‘Magic’ Johnson, or ‘The Reign Man’ (later changed to ‘The Pie Man’ after Kemp went on a strict all-pie diet a few years back).

If Gary Payton can cop such a disappointingly obvious, super-literal nickname, you’ll end up with guys named ‘The Shoehorn’ and ‘The Cork’ and ‘The Photocopier’ (although perhaps Donyell Marshall should be given that, because his shot never ever works and no one knows how to fix it! Oh, Donyell! You just got burned! But seriously, stop putting up threes).

I shouldn’t give Payton too hard a time; no nickname is as superbly obvious and shockingly retarded as Karl ‘The Mailman’ Malone. Because he delivers, right? Yeah? You get it? Oh shit, that’s genius, bitches. If Karl Malone rapped it’d be about running over immigrants in his truck and setting fire to bushland and shooting the goddamned shit out of wild geese.

I digress. Here is Gary ‘The Knee Brace’ Payton rapping. You won’t be especially surprised that it’s very silly. Though you will be surprised to find a bit of a Tracy Chapman vibe in the opening bars: Gary Payton - “Livin’ Legal And Large”.

Bonus track: a number by journeyman swingman Malik Sealy, who was tragically killed in May 2000 by a drunk driver (who was later arrested on another DUI charge; so, yes, that's a pretty terrible human). The good news is Lost In The Sauce is one of the better rap efforts by a baller. It’s got a bit of a US3 flavour: Malik Sealy - “Lost In The Sauce”.

Posted By: Anton

Hosting credit: Music Warship