Oden vs. Durant: Basements and Ceilings
By Nick Prevenas 2/7/07 In a 1974 issue of Rolling Stone, legendary rock writer Jon Landau penned one of the most famous lines in music journalism: "I have seen the future of rock and roll, and its name is Bruce Springsteen." Thirty-three years later, nearly every basketball writer is paraphrasing Landau when describing Texas freshman…
Inside the College Game
ByAdi Joseph 2/3/07 There won’t be another George Mason this season. Alright, I know that statement doesn’t shock people. In fact, believing there would be another George Mason in the next 5-10 years is pretty ludicrous. The thought that an 11 seeded mid-major whose inclusion in the tournament field was questioned by many would make…
Hidden Gem: Avis Wyatt
By Matthew Maurer The Draft Review 2/1/07 As our avid readers know, back in early November I compiled a list of sleepers outside of Division One schools. Avis Wyatt was highlighted as a player who I thought could really make a push to get drafted. Throughout the season I continued to receive reports on how…
Stock Watch
By Aran Smith 1/31/07 Rising Kevin Durant 6-10 220 SF Texas Fr. 18 months ago I saw Kevin Durant get completely dismantled by Spencer Hawes on the AAU circuit, not once but twice in the Main Event in Las Vegas. Hawes dominance over him may have been the wake up call Durant needed. Taking the…
Inside the College Game
By Adi Joseph 1/27/07 As February nears, so does the ominous term “must win.” We’re entering the point in the college basketball season where teams are scrapping to keep their at-large hopes alive. Whether it’s a good mid-major trying to keep the loss column small or a traditional power trying to pull itself out of…Playing for the Money: How Players Fare in Their Contract Years
By Jon Nichols 1/22/07 The NBA is a business. It is a business for team owners, but it is also a business for the players. The better a player performs, the more money he makes. Contracts are based almost entirely on the most recent year. Therefore, common sense tells us that players on the last…
Inside the College Game
By Adi Joseph 1/18/07 Kevin Durant, welcome to manhood. Durant made a statement in Tuesday’s triple-OT loss to Oklahoma State. While much of the nation seemed to be fawning over Durant’s God-given talent and athleticism, those of us who had seen Durant multiple times this season had to like something else we saw in the…
Inside the College Game
By Adi Joseph 1/11/07 My apologies to the Pac-10. A few weeks ago, I declared that the SEC was the best conference in college basketball. I believed the Southeastern Conference to be much deeper than any other conference in the NCAA. I saw schools like Georgia, Ole Miss, Auburn, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt off to…
Stock Watch
By Aran Smith 1/10/07 Rising Al Horford 6-9 245 PF Florida Jr. Against Ohio State, in the biggest college game of the year so far, Horford stepped up to the challenge of guarding bigman Greg Oden, getting him into foul trouble and holding him to 7 points and 5 rebounds and winning the physical battle…
2006-07 Rookie Watch
By Ryan Reed 1/9/07 Could the real Randy Foye please stand up? Finally, we have seen the productivity out of the rookie from Villanova that all fans have been waiting for. Whether it is the fact that Dwayne Casey has awoken from his coma and realized the kid can play or management has pressured him…The Joy in Absurdity
By Nick Prevenas 1/5/07 I love basketball. If you’re visiting this website and reading this article, I’m sure you do, too. When I type these articles I contribute to this site, the keystrokes tend to fall into a rhythm with the pounding of the ball to the hardwood floor. Late at night, there’s always a…
Inside the College Game
By Adi Joseph 1/4/07 “Number five on Nick Fazekas.” With 5:18 left on the game clock and Nevada involved in a hard fought battle with Gonzaga, those were some of the last words Wolf Pack coach Mark Fox wanted to hear. His All-American big man had just fouled out on a ticky-tack wrist slap, trying…
The Globalization of Basketball: Latin America (Part 1)
Street Court in Mexico By Joshua Motenko 7/5/06 The global expansion of basketball can now be traced like a diaspora throughout the world. The cultural popularity of the sport is growing exponentially and is well documented in China, Africa and throughout Europe. However, the most recent flood of talent into the NBA…
The Globalization of Basketball: Latin America (Part 3)
By Joshua Motenko 7/7/06 Allen Iverson The Global Impact While in the streets of La Paz, Bolivia, a city 12,000 ft above sea level where 80% of the population is indigenous, I met a 70-year-old woman, who happened to be an Allen Iverson fan. Speaking with her about her love for the…
The Globalization of Basketball: Latin America (Part 2)
By Joshua Motenko 7/6/06 Zapatista backboard, Chiapas, Mexico. Belize Belize is an underdeveloped dreamer of a basketball nation. They may need a miracle, or thirty years of focused hard work to make an impact on the NBA. Basketball Popularity Ranking: Second to futból. Current NBA Players: Milt Palacio, Utah Jazz. Milt Palacio…
Rudy Gay: Rising Star
In this day and age of athletic freaks turning their nose up to college basketball like it was limburger cheese, a player such as Rudy Gay not even considering the leap is (for all basketball fans) a breath of fresh air. Gay was definite first round material coming out of high school but bucked the…
NBA Draft: One Round?
The latest rumor from league offices is that the NBA draft may be cut from two rounds to one in an attempt to persuade high schoolers and younger college players from jumping to the NBA early. The problem has hit epidemic proportions as far as David Stern and the NBA are concerned after 8 high…