A Basketball Rant...In Three Acts

Act I: Miami Heat Fans
This is why people hated the Miami Heat

Allow me to clarify this section of my rant to those not versed in subtlety. This is not directed at true Miami Heat fans. To them I say congrats on all of your team’s success. I know a few legit Heat fans, some who were sincerely ecstatic when not only they signed Lebron James and Chris Bosh but also when they signed Carlos Arroyo. Yes visions of an Arroyo to James connection actually danced in their heads. This section is dedicated to those bandwagon chumps who last year cheered for the Lakers, the Celtics before them and so on and so forth. People who can’t even name the coach or the starting center on their supposed “favorite” team. You get no congratulations. You get no accolades and to me you are everything wrong with fans today. Cheer for whomever you want, but when you change who you cheer for more than you change your underwear I can not take you seriously.

Act II: The Chicago Bulls

Yes I am disappointed that the Bulls lost in 5 games in the Eastern conference finals. I expected them to win but the Heat were just a better team this year. But as my friend the wee man Pete Campana stated young teams only learn through losing. I had hoped my young Bulls would be different but alas the same fate that befell young Laker squads in the early 80s, young Bulls teams in the late 80s, and young Spurs teams in the mid 90s befell the D-Rose led Bulls.

With the young core Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng all learning from this experience not to mention bench players Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer showing that for stretches they can hang, the bench mob and it’s starters will be fine if they can get a starting shooting guard. Keith Bogans played admirably defensively this series against Dwayne Wade but be honest the Bulls will not win if they can’t get a viable second option.

Act III: Derrick Rose

I can’t express how proud of this young man I am after this season. When being interviewed in the preseason and he boldly asked the question: “why can’t I be MVP?” and from that point on he went out and did whatever was needed for the team to win. You can point to his marked improvement in his 3 point shooting and the fact that he was the only player in the NBA in the top ten in both scoring and assists any notion that he should lose his MVP status is ridiculous. Using that logic Lebron should have lost his MVP last year when he quit against the Celtics. The MVP is a regular season award and no player despite what you will hear from talking heads like John Hollinger or Dan LeBatard was more important to his team’s success than Derrick Rose. The third year guard has ascended quicker than the would be MVP in James. You see young Derrick has led his team to the playoffs every season of his career, so if you want to compare Rose to James compare them in context.

Well that’s all I have to say for now. I am picking the Mavs to win in 7 possibly as a bitter Bulls fan but also because I’d much rather see Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry win a title than well anyone on the Miami Heat.

The Chocolate Puma's Dunk of the year

This is what happens when a slow footed Croatian basketball player attempts to be a hero to someone with a 40 inch vertical.

2008 Mock Draft (Chocolate Edition)

As a Chicago Bulls fan I refused to watch the NBA draft lottery for two reasons. One, we had less than a 2% chance of receiving the top pick, and secondly and most importantly it would remind me that my Bulls did not make the playoffs after such a good season last year. But after seeing that we received the top pick, the Bulls become a much more attractive destination for coaches and I think we can rebound from such a thoroughly disappointing season. Without further ado I present to you, the 2008 NBA Draft as I see it happening.

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis
The Bulls select the most NBA ready player in the draft. He is an immediate upgrade over Kirk Hinrich, and can help the Bulls reach their potential in a quicker fashion than the aforementioned Hinrich. While Beasley is tempting, Drew Gooden is more than serviceable at power forward.

2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, PF/SF, Kansas State
Miami will take whoever the Bulls don't take and be happy with it. Beasley has the talent to be a once in a lifetime player. He's a ferocious rebounder, an excellent scorer, and has the range to step out to the three point line. The only thing holding him back is Michael Beasley.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Brook Lopez, C, Stanford
The best true center in the draft, Lopez is able to hit the 15 foot jumper with consistency and is a very strong rebounder. Drafting him allows the T'wolves to slide Al Jefferson to power forward, his natural position and gives them a formidable front line for years to come.

4. Seattle Supersonics: Jerryd Bayless, PG, Arizona
The Sonics wanted Derrick Rose, but Bayless is the second best guard in the draft. Team him with Kevin Durant and Jeff Green and you have a backcourt that is amazing for years to come.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU
While Randolph is a young and raw talent the Grizzlies have the time to allow him to play and become the player that he has the talent to be. His skill set is similar to that of Chris Bosh.

6. New York Knicks: Deandre Jordan, C, Texas A&M
Eddy Curry isn't impressing anyone in the Big Apple and Jordan has the talent to become the next Dwight Howard. A very good athlete with an explosive vertical and good timing which coulc develop into great timing leading him to be a great rebounder and shot blocker.

7. LA Clippers: OJ Mayo, SG, USC
Mayo, one of the most talked about guards in this class is probably the best scorer in the class and should have no problem hitting the NBA three. He makes sense for the Clippers seeing as they will probably lose Corey Maggette. If Shaun Livingston can return to form that could be an exciting backcourt.

8. Milwaukee Bucks, Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana
Explosive scoring guard who has the potential to be the next Mitch Richmond. Able to hit the three easily from NBA range and has an explosive vertical. Team that with his amazing body control and you have someone who can score easily in the paint.

9. Charlotte Bobcats, Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas
No one's stock has risen more than Arthur since the Final Four. He is a mature post player who rebounds and plays defense well. Throw him in with a healthy Emeka Okkafor and Gerald Wallace and you have a pretty impressive defensive frontcourt.

10. New Jersey Nets, Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy
The best player available at this point, could immediately provide a spark off the bench as the backup to Richard Jefferson and improve the team's three point shooting percentage as he is the most natural shooter in the draft.

11. Indiana Pacers, Russell Westbrook, SG/PG, UCLA
Westbrook isn't a true point guard which Indiana needs, but he can play behind Jamaal Tinsley for a year and learn the ropes. He is athletic enough to defend both guard positions and is explosive on the break.

12. Sacramento Kings, DJ Augustin, PG, Texas
Since trading away Mike Bibby the team has been lacking in point guard play. Kevin Martin has turned out to be a great scorer and team him with a dynamic distributor like Augustin and both will benefit. Arguably the highest basketball IQ in the draft.

13. Portland Trailblazers, Kevin Love, F/C, UCLA
The best passing big man in this draft, and the best passing big man that I have ever seen live teamed with Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster and the young Blazers and that is a nucleus not to be messed with. While he is not the most athletic big man, he has excellent range and one of the most intelligent players in the draft.

14. Golden State Warriors, Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia
Alexander is one of the most tenacious players in the entire draft, just ask the Duke Blue Devils who got a heavy helping of Joe Alexander. Very athletic big man who can shoot the three but is not afraid to drive inside and draw contact. Also has a deceptively good low post game complete with a nice jump hook.

The first annual Chocolate Puma Awards

Ladies and gentleman let me be the first to welcome you all to the first annual Chocolate Puma Awards for outstanding achievement in the field of excellence: college basketball edition. Let's not waste any time here and get to our first award, the freshman of the year. The nominees are:

Kevin Love, C, UCLA: 17.3 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game.
Coming into this season I had K. Love as probably the most overrated player in this deep freshman class. Boy was I wrong. Not only does he lead the Pac-10 champs in scoring and rebounding, he may be the best passing big man to come through in quite a while.

Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis: 14.4 Points per game, 4.5 assists per game, 4.4 rebounds per game.
I think that Rose is the best guard prospect in the last decade. Given his skill set you would think he would jack shots up at an alarming rate...not this guy. The epitome of a pass first point guard, Rose's ability to penetrate through defenses allows shooters such as Chris Douglas-Roberts and Willie Kemp open looks at the basket.

Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana: 21.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game.
A truly dynamic scorer who has the ability to either shoot the three or he can drive and dunk all over your interior defenders. He at times settles into this me-first mentality often taking bad shots and complaining too often about a perceived lack of a non-call.

Michael Beasley, PF/SF, Kansas State: 27.0 points per game, 12.6 rebounds per game
Beasley is without question the most talented freshman that I have ever had the pleasure of watching. He has prototypical power forward size and skill sets, but he can also step back and shoot the three as evidence by his almost 40 percent average from behind the three point line.

And the winner is....Michael Beasley.

Now on to the coach of the year. The nominees are:
Matt Painter, Purdue.
Mike Brey, Notre Dame
Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke


And the winner is... Coach K. As much as it pains me as a Carolina fan to say this, Coach K has done a phenomenal job with this Duke team which has no real inside threat yet it has found a way to win 25 games and lose only 3. All this while changing offensive philosophies. Astonishing.

Now on to the conference players of the year. Given the number of conferences, I will stick with only the major conferences.
ACC: Tyler Hansborough, C
Big East: Luke Harangody, C/F
Big Ten: D.J. White, PF
Big 12: Michael Beasley, F
Pac-10: Darren Collison, PG
Conference USA: Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG

Now kids, the Puma will give you his All-Chocolatey team. These are the guys that most embody everything that I love about the game of college basketball. The lucky members are:
PG: DJ Augustin, Texas
SG: Stephen Curry, Davidson
SF: Danny Green, UNC
PF: Michael Beasley, Kansas State
C: Tyler Hansborough, UNC
Coach: Matt Painter, Purdue

And now, the moment we have all been waiting for, the Chocolate Puma's award for player of the year. The nominees are:

Michael Beasley,F, Kansas State
Tyler Hansborough, C, UNC
D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas
Luke Harangody, C/F, Notre Dame

And the winner is....Tyler Hansborough of UNC. While there is no question that Beasley is the most talented player on the college planet, no one held his team together more through injury and has helped them possibly secure the number one seed in the NCAA tourney. Congratulations to all the winners.