Following the NBA can be a tedious process in the ides of January when the league is at universal impasse and the NFL cusps on crescendo. HOWEVER recent happenings have sparked my interest in the NBA. I don't care how wondrous the affairs of one Mr. Larry Fitzgerald are this weekend, my gaze is firmly affixed on the affairs of the NBA. How has this came to be? What cathartic event has (finally) brought the NBA season to life?
1) The liberation of Kevin Durant... Growing up I watched many a tape of George Gervin Highlights. My interest in these was aided by anecdotal relics of a finger roll contest that used to be held before ABA games. This was essentially the same as the NBA's dunk contest except, in lieu of a thunderous finish, they'd lay the ball in the rim with the grace of a ballerina. (Since my new year's resolution is to take ballet I find this fitting). It's strange to have favorite players from eras you never got the chance to see but Gervin's one of my favorite players I've never had the chance to observe in live action.
Hastily put together, here is my all-time team of players I never got to see play.
PG: Walt "Clyde" Frazier- I liked his hats and had a card with a funny cartoon of him driving a rolls royce on the back.
SG: "Pistol" Pete Maravich- There was a great biopic of Pistol that I frequently watched during my youth. Among the basketball highlights it featured scenes of Pistol eating loads of green beans and dribbling a basketball out the window of a moving car. I remember trying this dribbling drill when I was eight. The ball caromed off the side of the car and bounced away. My Dad had to stop the car so I could retrieve it. I'll never be the Pistol.
SF: George Gervin- This may be a bit out of position as he usually played SG but how often are notorious rabble rousers notoriously smooth as well?
PF: Dave DeBusschere- The mythology is rampant about this fellow. He pitched for the White Sox, served as Pistons player coach at the tender age of 24 (2 years away! Get a move on!). Also, he was my Dad's favorite player of all time, probably because he came from my Dad's neighborhood. He'd drive past a long forgotten, burnt out abandoned building and say "Dave DeBusschere's shop used to be there." That's romance, folks.
C: Wilt Chamberlain: Where Amazing Happened!
6th Man: Earl "The Pearl" Monroe
Resorting to the point of this post, I had the privilege of watching Kevin Durant in person a few days ago (though it feels like eons). The game today is founded on athleticism, execution, and systematic play but Durant, stricken in silk, plays like an old timey relic to the days of yore. Watching him closely, he never seems to move, opting to float through traffic for looping layups and waft on the perimeter for open jumpers. I've never seen anyone look like they're trying less while doing more. He, alongside Russell Westbrook, found an immediate place in my heart.
2) The emergence of Paul Millsap. I used to have a Mormon roommate named Greg. We watched an absolutely ridiculous amount of basketball together and given his origins (SLC!) the Jazz were immediately on TV. This granted early access to the exploits of Paul Millsap. There are a bevy of small energy-guy power forwards. You know the type, crashing in off the bench for a few torrid moments and inevitable momentum change. The curse of this type was the knowledge that they could never keep it up for a full game of action. With the downfall of Carlos Boozer, Millsap has proven the exception, exorcising the full scope of his soul's energy over an entire game. He's made an All-Star/Olympian expendable but more importantly, he's set a new mold for player archetypes. Take heart Jason Maxiell.
3) OJ Mayo... It's nice to see the much maligned USC alum succeed with the same habits that were universally maligned a scant twelve months ago when trying to carry tired Taj Gibson and the rest of the malformed Trojans squad. Though Mayo is resounding with scoring, his overall play (teamed with Rudy Gay) elevates the Grizzly team to tantalizing. Similar things can be said about Jon Salmons.
4) This month's Vanity Fair. It features a spread of a shirtless Brook and Robin Lopez before a farm affixed with a basketball hoop. I saw this while searching for the feature on Cate Blanchett and was shocked to find them in the mag. More so, I was heartened to notice that their physiques bear slight resemblance to mine. Hey, it's Vanity Fair so a little Vanity is in order.
5) Rodney Stuckey... The NBA's next Superstar! If he gets the mental aspect down.
