On Kevin Durant, Lebron James and the love of the game

Jay King | September 3, 2010 at 11:38 am | 0 Comments

I was reading Andrew Sharp’s piece about Kevin Durant’s media-driven throne of righteousness, and I completely disagreed with one of Sharp’s points. Oddly enough, considering it was a piece about Durant, the actual point I disagreed with had little to do with the spindly, 6’9″ scorer. Sharp wrote this: (SB Nation)

Jerry Seinfeld once said sports fans are basically “cheering laundry,” and in a literal sense, he’s right. But in a literal sense, sports are a complete and utter waste of time. That’s Seinfeld’s point. Only by taking things to the deeper level, adopting certain guys as heroes and others as villains… Only then does it become something worth going crazy over.

We create this dynamic—LeBron as villain, Durant as hero—because otherwise, they’re just two oversized gentleman that run up and down a wooden court 100 nights a year, wearing different laundry. Projecting character onto these guys may be naive, but it’s also what makes sports fun. And that’s the essential truth missed by both Craggs and all the writers lavishing Durant with praise.

If NBA players could all be more like Kevin Durant… Basketball would be incredibly boring.

I don’t know about all of you, but I don’t watch basketball, I don’t follow basketball, and I don’t love basketball because the players have character. I don’t care about the NBA because Lebron James is a villain and Kevin Durant is a hero. If that was why I cared about sports, I wouldn’t care about sports at all. I’d merely watch soap operas all day, preferably All My Children.

In fact, I hardly care about what NBA superstars are like off the floor. I don’t watch Lebron James play basketball because he’s a villain, or because he used to be seen as “the unselfish superstar,” just as I don’t watch Kevin Durant play basketball because he seems like a fun guy to play Madden against.  I watch Lebron because he is the biggest, strongest, fastest package of athleticism ever created by the hand of God, and I watch Durant because I’ve never seen someone his height with that mind-blowing package of skills. Watching them, regardless of how the media portrays them or how I feel about them as individuals, not only brings me awe that a human being could be THAT good at basketball, but that he could push the limits of human accomplishments so far.

Greatness, no matter who does it or what avenue of life it appears in, is special. It’s why I watched the Olympics and became attached to Michael Phelps. I didn’t know the first thing about Phelps and I didn’t know the first thing about executing a proper flip turn, but I understood that what he was doing was extremely special, and that was good enough for me. I returned to my television every time Phelps had a race, because I knew there was always the potential for greatness. I didn’t care whether Phelps was a bank robber or Mother Theresa; he was doing something better than it had ever been done before, and that was enough for me.

But watching basketball is different than watching the Olympics, different than watching Phelps. Not only do I watch for the potential greatness each game brings, but I watch because I appreciate the intricacies of the game. I watch because a simple bounce pass can leave me breathless. I watch for the sound of a swish, the thwap of a dribble, and because the squeaking of sneakers sounds like heaven. I watch for the perfectly executed screen-and-roll, the beautiful no-look pass, and because “damn, did you just see that guy fly?” I watch because you never know when you’ll see a close game, a great comeback, or an astounding play. I watch because I don’t ever want to miss something special, and I watch because I see greatness even in the smallest, most normal plays.

So no, Andrew Sharp, I don’t watch basketball because Lebron James is a villain and Kevin Durant is a hero. In fact, if they were “just two oversized gentleman that run up and down a wooden court 100 nights-a-year, wearing different laundry” that’d be A-okay with me. As long as they still played the game I love and played it better than just about anyone else on earth. As long as they still showed me what greatness looks like, as long as they still tested the boundaries of human accomplishment.

Even my unabashed love for certain players has no basis in personality. Paul Pierce isn’t my favorite player because he’s a great guy, or because he’s known as The Truth, or because he smiles from time to time in postgame press conferences; he’s my favorite player because he’s been a Celtic the longest, because his on-court skills have helped my favorite team win games for years. The same thing goes for my favorite non-Celtic, Steve Nash. I don’t give a damn that Nash makes funny videos or seems really down to earth, or that some people view him as the underdog because he’s small and white. Those things are all cool by me, but I try to watch Nash as often as I can because he makes at least three or four passes per game that make me wish I was a soccer-loving Canadian originally from South Africa.

I watch sports in general for the potential of seeing something prodigious,  but I watch basketball more often than I watch any other sport because I appreciate every intricate detail roundball has to offer. I certainly “root for laundry” when I cheer on the Celtics, but I’ve got a confession: even if Lebron, Durant and every other player in the NBA were nothing more than bland, boring, over-sized gentlemen who run up and down a wooden court 100 nights a year, I’d still love this game.

What can I say? I’m an addict.

I always knew I loved Jared Dudley

Jay King | August 25, 2010 at 2:02 pm | 0 Comments

For what it’s worth, here are my rankings (in descending order) of the Team USA players I’d most want on my team if I were an NBA GM. This list includes the withdrawn Rajon Rondo and is based on how these players perform in the NBA, rather than how their games translate to international basketball.
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Rajon Rondo gets DNP as Team USA wins thriller against Spain, 86-85

Jay King | August 22, 2010 at 5:18 pm | 1 Comment

(I love it when bad things happen to the Gasol brothers.)

Kevin Durant blocked two last-ditch Rudy Fernandez three pointers as time expired and Team USA held on for a thrilling, 86-85 victory against Spain.

I would discuss how Rajon Rondo played but, well, he didn’t exactly play. Rondo pulled the DNP, joining Danny Granger and the injured Kevin Love as the only USA players not to play a single second.

Why? Who knows. Maybe he’s a little banged-up. Maybe Coach K was disgusted by Rondo’s bad performance the other day. Maybe Coach K just wanted to give the bubble guys more of a chance to play. Maybe Rondo’s even on the bubble himself.

I doubt Rondo was being saved as a secret weapon for the next time USA runs into Spain. If he was, why were he and Granger the only healthy players not to get in? That just doesn’t make sense to me.

P.S. – Rudy Fernandez looked pretty bad. Too much complaining this summer and not enough practicing, it looks like.

P.P.S. – Ricky Rubio is the real deal. I was so excited by a few plays he made that my 12-year old brother looked at me and said, “I think you’re homo for Rubio or something.” I don’t think I’m actually homo for Rubio, but I definitely have a man crush on his basketball game.

Highlight Reel: Kevin Durant Summer Mixtape

Tommy King | August 10, 2010 at 3:00 pm | 4 Comments

Kevin Durant is a freak. He’s just 21 years old and he was the NBA scoring champ this past season. So why is he playing against these bums in the Goodman League? Maybe for the practice, maybe for the fans, or maybe just to be able to put together a sick highlight tape like this:  ( h/t Ball Don’t Lie)

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Lebron James’ party was out of control

Jay King | July 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm | 8 Comments

He may not be a king, but he sure does live like one.

Depending on who you are, Lebron James’ party will either make you sick with envy or sick with ego-induced disgust. Or maybe a little bit of both.

I’ll run down the details for you.

UPDATE: ESPN has pulled the story. Why? Beats me. Anyway, here’s a recap.(ESPN)

1. It was at a “bustling hotel” in Vegas call the Tao.
2. Lebron had five security guards surrounding him at all times. Said security guards wouldn’t let anyone get anywhere near Lebron without Lebron’s approval.
3. A “scantily  brunette with a tattoo of a heart on her right shoulder” was able to secure Lebron’s approval to approach him. She then asked for a picture, to which he replied “I can’t right now. Maybe later, upstairs, I’ll remember you’re the one with the tattoo.”
4. Lebron was given a cake. It was in the shape of a massive crown. Lebron also wore his own initials around his neck. I want to say the initials were life-size, but what size are life-size letters? Anyway, they were ginormous.
5. After dinner, Lebron and his crew were directed “to a roped off section on the dance floor of Tao next to a couple of apparently nude women in a bathtub full of water and rose petals.” Not the worst spot to be, unless the apparently nude women were real heifers. Something tells me they weren’t.
6. Lebron wore sunglasses inside the dark club. Ya know, designers shades just to hide his face. He must think he’s cooler than me.
7. Glen Davis either wasn’t invited to the party or thought it was too crazy for him. Either way, at one point Davis walked by, looked at the crazy scene, shook his head and kept on walking.
8. Remember Lebron’s crown-shaped cake? Well, it was delivered by “go-go dancers dressed in skimpy red and black outfits” who raised four letter placards spelling K-I-N-G. I think they were looking for me, guys.
9. Countless bottles of champagne were delivered to Lebron’s table by a costumed man flying on a wire from above. To which Lebron said, “I wish they’d have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of the guy.” Don’t we all?
10. Lebron out-Dougie’d Lamar Odom, then celebrated with a shot of patron. To which fans of Lamar’s simply pointed to their ring fingers. Which, as most of you know, is where Lebron has nothing but a finger.
11. For his role in the three-day party, Lebron was paid six figures. If anyone would like to pay me that much to be serenaded by half-naked (or fully naked) women and fed bottles of champagne by a flying, costumed man, my email is jayking@celticstown.com. Something tells me I’ll say yes to any such request.

After I hearing about this party I want to be Lebron and  I want to pop a pin through his oversized head, all at the same time.

P.S. – While Lebron was busy living the good life, I am willing to bet Kevin Durant was completely without the entourage, the go-go dancers, the six-figure payday and the nude chicks. In fact, I’d put my life on it that he was either a) working on his game or b) sleeping, so he could wake up early in the morning to work on his game. Different styles for different people.

Yesterday must have been “Get at Chris Bosh” day

Jay King | July 27, 2010 at 2:00 pm | 0 Comments

But Durant’s not the only person getting at Bosh. Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo also went at Bosh hard. (Real GM via Toronto’s FAN 590)

“We tried in vain to put pieces around Chris. Different pieces, different styles. It didn’t work out,” Colangelo said of building a roster around his former cornerstone.

“No matter what type of player we brought in, it didn’t seem to have the right mix with him as that centerpiece.”

Sounds a lot like sour apples to me. Yeah, Colangelo tried a lot of different things, but I’d have to note that Jose Calderon isn’t exactly a premier second-banana. It’s not like the “different pieces, different styles” Toronto surrounded Bosh with were studs.

But Colangelo wasn’t done. In his mind, not only was Bosh incapable of being a centerpiece, he was also as soft as Ray Allen’s touch. He should have played those final six games last season, damn it!

“Despite limited swelling and any excessive damage on an MRI, he felt like he needed to sit for six more games … I’m not even questioning Chris’ injury. I’m telling you he was cleared to play subject to tolerance on his part, and the tolerance just apparently wasn’t there and he chose not to play,” Colangelo continued.

“The fact that our season was spiraling downward and we were hoping he’d come back sooner and we were also dealing with a few other things at that point … we were really struggling there.”

Colangelo didn’t stop there.

“Whether he was mentally checked out or just wasn’t quite into it down the stretch, he wasn’t the same guy. I think everybody saw that, but no one wanted to acknowledge it,” he continued.

“At the same time, I never felt we were quite in the game (in terms of signing Bosh to a new contract). There was too much out there, too much built up for him to take an easy out here, and he decided to do that.”

Zing. But it doesn’t matter that people are throwing haymakers at him left and right, because Chris Bosh is the luckiest guy in the world. He hit the free agent market at the perfect time to piggyback his way to a few titles.