Looks Like We Made It...

Dear NBA,

Welcome back.

F*** you.

You better be worth it this season.

I'm not going to one game this year.

Don't pull this crap ever again.

Let's go Knicks, Nets, and Lakers!

And so help you God if this is a tease of some kind...

Best Regards,
James


P.S.  League Pass should be free.

A Thanksgiving Quickie

I wanted to quickly relay thoughts on some games this past week.

Harrison Barnes could go high in the next NBA draft.  

Memphis vs. Georgetown on Wednesday was a sweet game.  Henry Sims of Georgetown displayed fantastic feel in the post against bigger defenders, and his passing opened up the game for the Hoya shooters.  He's a senior and isn't getting much pro attention (understandably so, as he's undersized and a senior), but his offensive game is very useful in college.  Georgetown knows what to do with bigs in the post.

Lil Joe Jackson was quick as hell, too.  He had some terrible turnovers, but man, his ball-handling ability and quickness allowed him to get anywhere he wanted.  It's the start of his sophomore campaign, so if he can manage the game a bit better, he can hurt you.  

Duke vs. Kansas was the classic showdown.  As expected, Duke's perimeter advantage was the difference (though in an unexpected way).  I liked Mason Plumlee's play in the game; I need to see more of Mr. Rivers to talk about draft expectations.  

North Carolina looks good right now, albeit against a bad team.  I love Harrison Barnes as a college player, but...I see him as more of a borderline all-star with a high-bball IQ and great longevity in the pros.  Could be wrong though; I need to see more.  

Wow at UConn.  Jordan...

Ohio St. vs. Duke is what I'm looking at this Tuesday.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Rewiring for College Ball; Adios NBA

The ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon couldn't come at a better time.

Four games in (hey, I needed SOME sleep), and I already have my eye on some players and teams.  Gonzaga's Kevin Pangos buried nine 3's in one game and showed some solid point guard game-management skills- eventually (passing into traps let WSU back into the game late).

903?  We'll see.  

I think the team is a bit green, but it'll be cool to see how that core develops throughout the season.  Pangos needs to improve his play under the arc and look to be more aggressive scoring the basketball inside.  Under the arc, he had Rajon Rondo-syndrome.  You can't just pass the ball every time; keep the defense honest kid.

I'm going to watch every Northern Iowa game I can this season.  That offense was woeful; their best play was the possession before halftime, when they held the ball for 30 seconds and didn't do anything.  Too damn funny- gotta appreciate sloppy basketball, too.  It makes beautiful basketball that much better to watch.  It boggles the mind that two years ago, this program took down mighty Kansas.

College of Charleston forward Antwaine Wiggins impressed me with his length and height.  His offense is lacking, but I think he has some great tools defensively.  The pros love length on defense.

Ahh, and the pros.  As I said before, this average Tuesday couldn't come at a better time for college basketball.  Marketing people dream of this opportunity: you're main competitor just bashed its own head into a chained-up door (you're locked out, dummies!), and the next day is a momentous celebration of your service, attracting hordes of new customers.  This would be like if all Facebook servers had died the day before Google+ officially launched to the public.  F***** beautiful.

NCAA basketball will definitely be featured more often on both this blog and my T.V. schedule, which is basically just Walking Dead on Sunday and Sons of Anarchy on Tuesday (a great literary work, and badass show overall, in my opinion), so there won't be too much conflict.  Let's not be naive- the NBA isn't going to exist this season.  It's sadly become an issue of pride and games for the owners and players.  When money isn't even the biggest problem...

Anyway, pure basketball is back.  I plan on enjoying it more than ever...