Knicks take a flier on Derek Fisher

My first exposure to newly minted New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher came in the summer of 1996.  I was hanging out at the home of my best friend and classmate, Justin Woods.  Justin, who now coaches Rossview HS girls basketball in Clarksville, Tennessee, was a prolific high school basketball scorer.  As we were hanging out in the kitchen (a common occurrence due to its obvious close proximity to food), he handed me a letter he had gotten that day in the mail.  As I opened the envelope, I noticed the letter was on high quality paper with an official letterhead adorning the top of the page.  It was an official recruitment letter from the basketball program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Obviously Justin was excited to be receiving a recruiting letter, and after reading the letter, I noticed there was a flier included as well.  "Oh yeah, they just had a point guard get drafted by the Lakers," chimed Justin.  "Oh really, that's nice," I responded.  The flier wasn't on the same letterhead, and it seemed to be something the SID hurriedly put together.  I recall a grainy image of a player named Derek Fisher who enjoyed a stellar yet under the national radar career at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.  Derek Fisher was the 24th player taken in the 1996 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.  The flier noted his draft achievement, his college stats and the fact he was Sun Belt Conference player of the year in 1996 in brief paragraph form.  The flier underscored that the Trojans now had a very enticing nugget to utilize when trying to lure talented young men to Little Rock to play college hoops.  I recall thinking, "That's cool this small college point guard is getting a shot.  Maybe he'll stick around a couple of years in the NBA."

Fast forward from 1996 to 2014, and Fisher's resume boasts 18 years as a NBA player, 5 NBA championships, a players' union presidency, a bevy of big shots and the most playoff games played in NBA history.  Now roughly 10 days after participating in his last playoff game as a player in the Western Conference Finals, he has inked a 5 year $25 million dollar deal to coach one of the highest profile teams in the NBA.  If someone had told me on that summer day back in 1996 that Derek Fisher would generate such longevity and excellence, I would haven't believed it.

Was it wise for Phil Jackson to hire his former point guard who has no coaching experience?  Will my favorite NBA team finally win a championship during my lifetime?  Those questions can't be answered at this juncture, but we do know that Derek Fisher is well respected, smart and a leader among men.  His playing career far exceeded expectations, and here's hoping his coaching career reaches similar mountaintops.

Here are some good reads on Fisher the man and on his marriage to Jackson and the Knicks:

Derek Fisher, Knicks Agree to Deal

A Veteran Becomes a Rookie

Knicks' Hiring Fisher a Calculated Risk

In NBA boom times, Derek Fisher knows how to follow the money

Derek Fisher: Faith, Family and Hard Work

In closing, I wonder what ever happened to that recruitment letter and Derek Fisher flier.  Since Justin isn't a hoarder by any stretch, it likely found its way to a trash can many years ago.  Maybe, however, it's stashed away with his Cindy Crawford and Alonzo Mourning posters or in his Paula Abdul Trapper Keeper.

Go Knicks!

"Herb"

Tim Duncan has aged like a Prime ribeye

**UPDATE: I am updating this post on 06/05 at 5:25 PM CST prior to game one of The Finals tipping off.  When I initially authored this post, I was all fired up about the Spurs due to Tim Duncan nostalgia.  I picked them in seven.  After pondering this series over the last two days, I am changing my pick to Heat in six for a myriad of reasons.  The most glaring reason is LeBron James being in the peak of his prime.  He won't be denied.

My last update thought is in regards to Charles Barkley.  By retiring at 36, he didn't hold onto his playing career to the point of not being able to go out on his own terms.  He certainly had diminished skills when he hung it up, but his numbers in his last season were respectable.

Original post:

If you've ever eaten USDA Prime beef, you know the supreme taste and tenderness components of Prime versus Choice or Select.  USDA Prime beef has the highest percentage of fat marbling, and such beef is typically available at high-end steakhouses from sea to shining sea.  According to meat purveyors such as Pat La Frieda, fresh beef is roughly 72 percent water.  Dry-aging Prime beef allows much of the water to evaporate, enabling enzymes to partially break down the proteins.  The process bolsters the flavor and leads to a tenderness that makes grown men cry.  It is common for Prime beef to age 30, 50 or even 70 days.

During the Spurs clinching win over the OKC Thunder last Saturday, I tweeted out "Tim Duncan has aged like a Prime ribeye."  The 38 year old future first ballot Hall-of-Fame power forward/center played 39 minutes, pouring in 19 points and snaring 15 rebounds.  With Tony Parker out of the second half lineup with a hobbled ankle, "Old Man River Walk" (as Reggie Miller referred to Duncan on TNT) took a trip down memory lane by putting his beloved Spurs on his back and leading them back to The Finals a full 15 years after he led them there for the first time in 1999.

Tim Duncan's greatness and consistency at an advanced age with diminished athleticism is astonishing.  I have always felt that guards and small forwards have the ability to age gracefully on a basketball court.  Their skills may decline, but it is a gradual process.  For instance, Ray Allen is not nearly the all-around player he once was in his youth, but he is a major contributor for the Miami Heat.  In fact, without Allen's deft shooting touch, Tim Duncan would have won his fifth ring last postseason.  Allen is an older player, but he doesn't look hobbled or out of sorts on the court.  Another example is Derek Fisher.  Fish just completed his 18th season in the NBA, and he found himself playing down the stretch versus the Spurs last Saturday.  Again, he's not the player he once was in Los Angeles, but he is certainly not embarrassing himself by playing.

It doesn't always work out so well for post guys.  I have always contended that power forwards and centers get to a certain age, and it is if their production just falls off a cliff.  During this free fall, all-time greats can look as if they don't even belong on a NBA court.  Think Hakeem Olajuwon in Toronto or Patrick Ewing in Orlando.  Maybe it's their size or the position itself.  Who knows?  I really don't have anything to back up my theory other than the eye test.

After watching Duncan dismantle the Kevin Durant-led Thunder last Saturday, I began to wonder how Duncan's stats as a 37/38 year old (he was 37 during the season, turned 38 on April 25th) stack up against other HOF caliber power forwards and centers.  I have no desire to compare his numbers to guys like Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell because that was a different era.  I want to keep the comparison to guys of Duncan's era or guys he at least caught at the end of their careers (Malone, Barkley, Ewing, Dream).  I believe it is proper to include both power forwards and centers in this study because Duncan is truly both, a hybrid depending on the lineup Pop rolls out there.

Player	Age	Year	MP	PPG	RPG	PER
Tim Duncan	37	17	29.2	15.1	9.7	21.3
Kevin Garnett	37	19	20.5	6.5	6.6	13.3
Shaq	37	18	23.4	12	6.7	17.9
David Robinson	37	14	26.2	8.5	7.9	17.8
Karl Malone	37	16	35.7	23.2	8.3	24.7
Charles Barkley	36	16	31	14.5	10.5	19.8
Patrick Ewing	37	15	32.8	15	9.7	16.9
Hakeem Olajuwon	37	16	23.8	10.3	6.2	16.7

I decided to go with minutes per game, points per game, rebounds per game and PER (player efficiency rating) for the regular season only.  The year category is the number of years in the league in the season in which the player was 37 years old.  Charles Barkley's last season came when he was 36.  Here are some observations on the numbers (not in order of how players are listed above):

• Karl Malone was an absolute freak!  The Mailman was well over 20 PPG and posted a 24.7 PER at the ripe old age of 37.  Malone remained a 20 PPG plus scorer for two more seasons at ages 38 and 39.  He "fell off the cliff" during year 19 in the league at age 40 in Los Angeles when his PER dipped to 17.8.  Malone was known for his intense training regiment during his playing days.  It obviously helped lengthen his career.
• Kevin Garnett's production plummeted this season, his 19th in the league.  KG put up only 6.5 PPG and 6.6 RPG and a PER of 13.3.  He is statistically the worst age 37 player on the chart.
• Shaq only played one more season after the age of 37, an injury-plagued year with the Celtics in which he averaged only 9.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG with a PER of 17.4.
• David Robinson retired a two-time champion after his 14th season in the league.  The Spurs won the NBA championship in 2002-03.  D-Rob averaged 7.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG in the playoffs with a PER of 17.7.  Tim Duncan was the primary player for the Spurs during that postseason averaging 24.7 PPG, 15.4 RPG with a 28.4 PER.
• Patrick Ewing was 37 during his last season with the New York Knicks.  He was a productive player that season, but it went downhill from there.  He spent year 16 (age 38) of his career in Seattle averaging 9.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG with a lowly 12.9 PER.  His last season was spent in Orlando averaging 6.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG with a slightly improved PER (from the previous season) of 14.4.
• Hakeem Olajuwon played two more seasons after the age of 37, one in Houston and his final year in Toronto.  He closed out his career averaging 7.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG and a 14.4 PER, the same PER as Ewing during Pat's last stanza.  
• The PPG, RPG and PER show that Tim Duncan is the second best player statistically at age 37 on this list behind only Karl Malone.  That being said, Karl Malone didn't have the stellar post season that Tim Duncan is enjoying this year.  The 2000-01 Jazz went up two games to none versus the Mavs in the first round (best of five) before the Mavs came roaring back to win three straight, taking the series.  

My statistical analysis shows that Tim Duncan, while still great, is on borrowed time.  His check engine light is due to come on, but he is still plugging away as a very effective player.  The Hall-of-Fame caliber players listed in this exercise show that Duncan likely has one more productive season left in the tank (if any).  If Parker's ankle is healthy and the Spurs find a way to upend Miami in The Finals, I wouldn't be shocked if Old Man River Walk waltzes off into the sunset.  Prime beef can hit what is called in the steakhouse world "its aging threshold" in which the meat is aged to a point that most palates find it to be too rich and not appetizing.  At some point very soon, Duncan will hit his aging threshold and "fall off a cliff" production wise.  Until then, let's all enjoy Mr. Fundamental even when he cries to the officials.  I'm taking the Spurs in seven.

Eric L. Taylor

Don Meyer - Evening of Excellence

I wrote the piece below back in 2009 after the first annual Don Meyer - Evening of Excellence at Lipscomb University.  Today I saw on Twitter that Coach Meyer has been put under hospice care so I thought it appropriate to repost my summary of that night five years ago.  Here y'all go:

As a college basketball junkie; allow me to rephrase.  As a basketball junkie in general (If you are keeping up with the Bulls vs. Celtics series and saw the triple overtime game 6, you would understand), I was thrilled to be able to work in a freelance role with my wife, Shay, at the Don Meyer - Evening of Excellence on the campus of Lipscomb University on Tuesday, April 28th.

Coach Meyer has been coaching college basketball since 1972, and he spent 24 years at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. Twice NAIA Coach of the Year during his tenure coaching the Bisons, he led them to the 1986 NAIA National Championship. Coach Meyer has been in the trenches on the hardwood, involved in many tough athletic battles. However, his most difficult battle began off the court on September 5, 2008, when a horrific car crash almost cost the famed coach his earthly life. Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated tells the story quite well; here's the link below:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1149630/index.htm

Always the witty speaker, Coach Meyer states the following 3 things as "what he learned from his wreck most of all":

1. You should wear a seatbelt.
2. Don't fall asleep while driving.
3. If you do fall asleep, don't run a Prius into a semi.

Obviously, these statements drew a laugh.

Shay and I shot 2 hours of footage at the event which included the following:

An excellent dinner; there were multiple eating sites. Each NCAA Atlantic Sun Team had a room set up where the athletes were in attendance, and a highlight DVD was playing honoring the ‘08- ’09 season (for each respective sport). The men's basketball team was in the old gym - McQuiddy - where many of the past and present Bisons were in attendance. There was also a main seating area in Allen Arena where Coach Meyer offered up a very entertaining Q & A session with former all-time leading scorer in college basketball and current Athletic Director at LU - Philip Hutcheson.

After the dinners, the main address began at 7:30, and this event was introduced by ESPN Senior Writer - Buster Olney. Since we were both working the event (although in obviously different capacities), and Buster is such a great baseball writer/reporter, I took the opportunity to pick his brain on the Brian McCann eye infection situation that is hurting the lineup of my beloved Braves. True to form, Buster was a super nice guy who loved talking the National Pastime with me. Olney has done an ESPN E60 feature story on Coach Meyer, and he is well qualified to speak on the topic. One of Olney's first gigs was working under Joe Biddle at The Nashville Banner (beginning in 1988 - during a great span for DLU). While writing in Nashville, he was a beat writer for college basketball in the city, and he had a great story line in the mighty Bisons.

 

A video presentation preceded the keynote address by Coach Meyer, and it was a very well done piece. Lipscomb Alum, Jimmy Chaffin, is a partner at Dye, Van Mol & Lawrence Public Relations & Advertising, and he served as the mastermind/editor for this wonderful video which featured many highlights on and off the court during the 24 year span Coach Meyer roamed the sidelines for the Bisons. (In fact, this is the advertising firm that Shay and I were shooting footage for during the event. She had a camera shot in the video for Coach Meyer too.) The video was great.  It pulled some tears from the crowd.

 

Dr. Don Meyer was the Keynote Speaker, and he stood several times throughout the night, but "Little Buddy" (as he colorfully refers to his "nub" where a leg used to be) confines him to a wheel chair for much of his waking hours. As he made his way to the podium, however, the entire crowd stood to welcome a popular figure back to the Nashville campus. The speech was excellent with both funny and serious moments; here's a sampling:

 

Coach Meyer has 3 rules during his very famous and heavily attended basketball camps: 1.) Pick up trash. (Leave a place better than you found it. He referred to how his teams would oftentimes leave the visitor's locker room in better shape than they found it during road games.) 2.) Please & Thank You & Yes Sir  &Yes Mam. (In basketball, the classroom, business world & life, the little things matter.) 3. Everyone takes notes. (Continual improvement or Kaizen). These rules made me think of my best friends, Andy Woods and Justin Woods, who tell great stories of weeks at camp on the Nashville campus which consisted of "sitting on the wall" and "push-ups" to the point of bodily failure and soreness like you've never felt before. While the "steely eyes" of Coach Meyer could be intimidating, the camps also greatly improved the basketball games for each one of them.

 

A great quote from the address: "Competitors don't have time to complain. They're too busy getting things done."

 

"F Words" learned during the immediate recovery from his wreck: Faith: Coach stated he "lost 7% of his body mass each week he was bed ridden after the wreck.” During this time, he created a prayer list of people to pray for because, "You have to pray for other people before you pray for yourself.”  Peace isn't the absence of storms or trials. Peace is the calm you have in the middle of the storm.” Coach Meyer stated the most intense pain he has ever felt is when the bandage covering "Little Buddy" was changed in the hospital. In fact, he stated that the bandage would "attach to his open would and be peeled off.”  Not a good image, huh? During these times, he would scream/sing the following hymn all Evangelical Christians should know by heart: "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear His voice. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice. Oh, come to the Father through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He hath done." Family - "Carmen did it all. She kept on top of my medical info and sometimes knew more than the doctors about my condition." (This reminded me of my mom who kept copious notes during my dad's many bouts with cancer and would set out for the best options possible.) Coach made mention of his kids, grandkids, etc. Friends: Coach Meyer made mention of many who made the trip to see him in the hospital and the tons of letters, etc. Fitness - "The first time I had to walk 120 feet, it was very tough. I had to have the discipline to do the little things every day."

 

Coach Meyer gave a great lesson that really hit home with me because of my job as a Project Manager for Franke Foodservice, managing New Store, Rebuild and Remodel Projects for McDonald's. The very first McDonald's was in Illinois, and Coach Meyer said that this store used Pepsi products: (paraphrase): "During a very busy Saturday, the only McDonald's at that time ran out of Pepsi, and they made a phone call to Pepsi requesting they bring them some of the cola to the restaurant so they could quench the thirst of the customers. The person who answered the phone after hearing the plea, simply stated: “It's Saturday, and we don't deliver Pepsi to nobody on Saturday.” That very next Monday, McDonald's signed an exclusive contract with Coke. If Coke were to lose every account but hold onto McDonald's, they would be just fine.” Sounds like another company I am familiar with.  Coach Meyer went on to say, "People make/form their opinions of a company or organization based off the particular individual they deal with. That one rude representative of Pepsi cost the company millions and millions of dollars." I found this to be food for thought.

 

An autograph session was next where I was able to tell Coach Meyer how much I enjoyed watching him coach in my hometown at my Alma Mater Freed-Hardeman University in Bader Gymnasium. The two schools were fierce rivals, both being Church of Christ institutions. FHU usually came out on the "short end of the stick,” but the games were highly competitive and fun between the teams and crowds. He mentioned how hot it would get in Bader, and that's the truth a real "sweat box" as he called it.

 

After signing autographs for over one hour, the night concluded in McQuiddy where it was only the former players, Coach Meyer and a handful of people (including Shay and me getting the video evidence). Coach gathered the team around him for a huddle, photo and private pep talk. This was special to witness, and several successful coaches and others were surrounding the legendary coach including Union University women's coach Mark Campbell, Freed - Hardeman University's men's coach Jason Shelton, the founder of Rivals.com, John Pierce and three point bomber Andy McQueen.  The list goes on and on.

 

In conclusion, this was a wonderful fund raising event for the Athletic Department at Lipscomb University, and it allowed a school to reconnect with the glory years of its basketball program and the head coach who brought them that success.

Eric

Vols bulldoze their way into the Sweet 16

I am typing this only a hour or so after the Vols thoroughly dominated Mercer (especially on the glass) to bulldoze their way into the NCAA Sweet 16.  The Vols are simply rolling right now in all facets of the game.  The contributors are many, but it all starts with Stokes in the post scoring and pulling down rebounds like an extra pissed off Charles Oakley.  Jarnell scored 17 points and hauled in 18 boards tonight.  Josh Richardson has likely been the Vols best overall player on both ends.  He scored a career high 26 points tonight, and he is clamping down defensively on scorers throughout this hot stretch for UT.  Barton, Maymon, McRae and others are playing lights out too.  The final score of 83-63 could have been worse.  It felt worse at times.

It is obvious listening to comments from Stokes and others that the Vols have a massive chip on their collective shoulder right now because of the heat that Coach Cuonzo Martin took earlier this year when the Vols were losing games they had no business losing.  For instance, there's no way this team should have lost TWICE to Texas A&M.  I think it was fair for UT fans to question this team and whether or not Martin was the long term answer.  However, I think that it clearly went too far when sensationalism was introduced via a Clay Travis blog post in which he broached the topic of a petition to get Coach Pearl back into the fold.  Of course Clay made a compelling case, and he has enough zealot followers that petitions starting popping up immediately.

Any fan base is susceptible to group think, and that is what kicked in with the petitions gaining steam.  Group think is a powerful force that has done much worse than put a coach on the hot seat.  Group think allowed the Bay of Pigs debacle to occur, and it caused the Challenger launch/explosion.  It almost caused the Volunteer fan base to explode as well, but fan group think did the exact opposite to the UT basketball team.  It caused them to galvanize together and play for their coach with fearless abandon.  Had UT fans not gone down a silly path, would the Vols have hit that extra gear?  Would they be in the Sweet 16?  Those are legit questions in my opinion.

I fell victim to group think in this instance as I had a very brief stretch in which I was even clamoring for Pearl.  However, I soon realized that it was simply foolishness to even think that Coach Martin who was 20 games over .500 at UT was on the hot seat, and I returned to sane thinking.  I should have never allowed the Pearl talk to even penetrate my mind because it was foolish to even consider that might happen.  I should have taken my own advice from January 2012 when I encouraged Volunteer fans to "go all in" with Coach Cuonzo Martin.  It's been more than two years since I wrote that blog post, but I think Volunteer fans finally went all in with Martin tonight.  Let's just hope that his players don't find out.  I like them better with a Big Orange chip on their shoulder.

Machiavelli on Syria

I try to stay on top of the news, especially events with such high stakes outcomes as the possible U.S. military intervention into Syria.  That notwithstanding, I am not well-versed enough in all matters Syria and the Middle East to play armchair QB and critique President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, Congress, the main stream media, etc. about Syria (I will however critique Kerry about his heavy Botox usage - WTH?!?).  I am not going to write a blog post where I offer solutions and suggestions to such complex issues and quagmires.  However, I did come across something that got the gears in my head turning today in regards to Syria.

I was reading the book Tribal Leadership, and it contains an excerpt from The Prince, a political treatise first published in 1532 and written by the oft-historically maligned Machiavelli.  The quote reads as follows, "Well committed atrocities are committed once so one may establish oneself.  Poorly committed atrocities are done at first sparingly, then more and more.  Therefore, one taking a state must commit all the atrocities at the beginning."

Reports show Assad has committed unspeakable atrocities that crossed President Obama's virtual line in the sand which is akin to dipping your toe in the water to test it out. If Assad is not reprimanded, what is to stop him from unleashing chemical warfare "first sparingly, then more and more"? 

Conversely, President Obama has touted a military action that he foresees as being "limited in duration and scope".  Hmmm, sounds like the President wants to "establish himself" by "committing once" to swift and decisive action. 

While I see both sides of the coin on whether or not the United States should intervene, I couldn't help but think of how Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli's words from over 500 years ago pretty much sum up the situation. 

Lastly, I am going to broach Tupac because how can I write a few quick blurbs about Machiavelli without mentioning his hip-hop disciple?

From Big Burrito to Big Spain

By Eric L. Taylor

The Memphis Grizzlies and their rabid "Whoop that trick" fan base are on cloud nine today after dispatching the OKC Thunder last night to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.  There are many contributing factors to the Grizzlies dazzling success this season (most wins in franchise history) and postseason (first WCF).  From the "addition by subtraction" Rudy Gay trade to the presence of Z-Bo on the low block to the "Grind Father" Tony Allen to the emergence of Mike Conley Jr. as one of the top point guards in the league to the steady leadership of Coach Lionel Hollins, there is no shortage of reasons why this team knocked the bark off both the Clippers and Thunder in NBA playoff action.

With all of those reasons listed above being true and important, I contest that there's no bigger reason for this magic carpet ride than the development of "Big Spain" Marc Gasol into the best center in the NBA.  That's right; I said he's the best center, better than Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler, Brook Lopez and any other center you can name.  There are many reasons why I believe this to be true.  Gasol is the best passing center in the game.  How many times has he hit a cutting Tony Allen at the bucket for a dunk or threaded the needle on a bounce pass to Z-Bo for a layup?  When Gasol has the ball in triple threat in the high post, he's truly a "triple threat" because he can shoot over the top of the defender, put the ball on the deck for a sweeping hook across the lane or zip a pass to a teammate for an easy score.  Last night in game 5 of the Grizz/Thunder Western Conference semifinal, Gasol had a poor offensive night going into the 4th quarter.  However, that did not prevent him from hitting multiple big baskets down the stretch to save the win for the Grizzlies. 

Defensively, Gasol was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year this season, and advanced stats bear this out.  The Grizzlies gave up 95.4 points per 100 possessions with Gasol on the floor this season and 102.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the pine.  To the untrained eye, that may not look like a significant difference, but it is.  In addition, Coach Lionel Hollins has compared Gasol to legendary big man Bill Walton (Hollins & Walton were teammates in Portland) in regards to the way both men quarterback the defense from the center position.  Gasol is always communicating with his teammates, helping position to best defend certain players and specific plays/sets.  From film study and enhanced perception, Gasol recognizes plays quickly and barks out orders accordingly.  His help defense is superb, and he is a great defender of his own position.  Add all of this up, and it completely justifies his DPoY award.

 Now that we've completely established the greatness of Marc Gasol in 2013, let's take a trip way back.... back... back into time (Yes, that was a Blackstreet reference).  In the early '00s, I worked for the Tennessee Sports Radio Network covering high school sports, including the TSSAA boys state basketball tournament on the campus of MTSU at the Murphy Center.  The 2003 Division II Tournament featured Brentwood Academy and Freshman sensation Brandan Wright; the other heavyweight (literally) was 2003 Division II Mr. Basketball, Marc Gasol and his Lausanne Lynx.  I missed the first day of the tournament due to previously scheduled business meetings, but I made it to Murfreesboro the next day.  All of the chatter was about Corey Brewer and his eleven or so dunks in a first round loss, but I wanted to know about Marc Gasol.  I had heard so many good things about the younger brother of Memphis Grizzlies superstar Pau Gasol that I was very intrigued.  I had heard that the younger Gasol was a stronger player (than his brother) with a Hakeem-esque array of post moves to compliment his bullish strength.

When I reached my TSRN cohorts, I immediately asked about Gasol and how he looked in the opening game.  What I got in return was a look of disgust.  Per my coworker, Marc Gasol looked "pathetic".  He was "fat, out of shape", and it was "miserable to watch".  My heart immediately sank.  Could the mythical Marc Gasol be just that, a myth?  Was he more "chunk" than champ?  I would find out in the championship game vs. Brentwood Academy where BA throttled Gasol's team by a final tally of 68-49.  Here's how the game played out:  Gasol's teammates would shoot up the floor and wait for him to amble down the court.  Once he got his massively overweight frame down the court, he would post up and put up a shot.  If he missed the shot, the younger and slimmer Brandan Wright would do his best Usain Bolt by sprinting down the court and throwing down a massive dunk.  About the time he would tear down the rim, Gasol would reach halfcourt only to turn around to plod back down on the low block.  I was crestfallen and nauseated watching such a waste of seven feet.  Gasol was out of shape at the end of the season.  It was truly sad.

I only bring up the high school Marc Gasol to show how far he has come over the past 10 years.  Through hard work getting in shape, polishing his game and his experience on the Spanish national team, he has made himself into the best center in the league.  He may never wow you with his athleticism, but his skill set and smarts set him apart.  If someone would have told me during that state tournament game that in 10 years Gasol would be the best center in the league and DPoY, I would have laughed hysterically and bet my entire net worth against it.  In fact, I would have thought Wright would turn out to be the NBA superstar and Gasol the vagabond when it has turned out to be the exact opposite. 

I heard a recent interview with Gasol where he referenced his high school days, and he mentioned his opponents in Memphis used to mockingly call him the "Big Burrito".  That's when it hit me that Gasol has truly gone from Big Burrito to Big Spain.  He was overweight and an afterthought as a NBA prospect, and now he's an All-Star.  That's a life lesson.  Just because you're not great at something right now doesn't mean you can't get there through grit and grind (see what I did there?).  It sounds cheesy, but going from Big Burrito to Big Spain in any avenue of your life is a choice made daily by doing or not doing the little things to get better. 

Here's hoping Big Spain leads the Grizzlies to a Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The Chicago Bulls are the New York Knicks

I love the NBA playoffs (What a simple introductory statement).  I know I'm in the minority, but I prefer the NBA playoffs over the NFL playoffs, MLB playoffs, NCAA Tournament, UFC and basically any other sporting event you can name (other than UT football and maybe U.S. Open tennis).  There's something mesmerizing about a best-of-seven series featuring the greatest athletes in the world.

As a born and bred Tennessean, I have often been asked, "How in the world did you become a New York Knicks fan?"  Well, let me recite the story.  As a youngster, I enjoyed NBA games, but I went into the '90s without a true "favorite" team.  Just about all of my friends jumped on the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls bandwagon, and I didn't want to go down that road.  Jordan was clearly the best player in the world, but I didn't see the joy in rooting for that Bulls bunch.

Going into the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Chicago Bulls were the defending champions and #1 seed while the New York Knicks were the #4 seed.  In the '91 playoffs, the Bulls swept the Knicks 3-0 in the opening round in the 1-8 match up.  One year later, the teams met up in the Conference Semis, and there weren't many pundits who expected any different of a result than the beat down that had occurred the year prior.  What actually resulted was a tough, testy 4-3 series win for the Bulls.  In fact, I would argue that series was the toughest the Bulls faced in their first 3-peat.

The '91-'92 Knicks were hard-nosed and tough as nails.  They were led by Hall-of-Fame Center Patrick Ewing who played a tough, defensive brand of basketball.  Ewing's toughness was supplemented by mean, front line players in Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason and Xavier McDaniel.  At guard, the Knicks were led by Mark Jackson at the point and the up-start John Starks at the two-guard.  Starks was as volatile as any player in the history of the league.  Pat Riley coached this bunch, and Riley didn't allow his players to show any mercy (Cobra Kai style).  The volatility, passion and lunch pail mentality are what drew me to the New York Knicks.  Most of the other teams in the league seemed to hold Michael Jordan and the Bulls in some sort of reverence where they almost conceded defeat before the ball was even tipped.  The Knicks didn't get that memo.  They challenged, fought, clawed, scratched and competed vs. the Bulls with complete disregard for the reverence of Air Jordan.  Although the 1992 Conference Semis series didn't end with the Knicks as the victors, I decided during the battle to hitch my fandom wagon to the New York Knicks.

Now let's fast forward to right now.  I'm currently watching game 3 of the Heat/Bulls as I type this.  The '12-'13 Miami Heat are the '92 Chicago Bulls.  They are the prohibitive favorite and clearly the most talented team in the NBA.  LeBron James is the NBA's current version of Michael Jordan,  D. Wade is their Scottie Pippen, and Chris Bosh is their Horace Grant.  The Miami Heat are coached by Erik Spolestra, but make no mistake, Pat Riley is the driving force behind that entire franchise.  The six championship Bulls teams boasted the greatest coach in NBA history on their side in Phil Jackson.

This year's Bulls team is undermanned due to injury, and even at full strength, they're clearly not as talented the Miami Heat.  That notwithstanding, this Bulls team reminds me of the early '90s Knicks.  Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer are their Oakley, Mason and McDaniel.  Jimmy Butler is not as crazy as John Starks, but he's their hard-nosed two-guard so the comparison works.  Nate Robinson has a ton of Starks in him as well, and he's instant offense.  The Bulls head coach is defensive-minded Tom Thibodeau who actually was an assistant for the Knicks from '96-'03.  Finally, Derrick Rose is their Patrick Ewing (best player), but he's not involved in the series due to a long absence from an ACL tear.

This Bulls bunch doesn't take any of LeBron's crap, and they don't hold him in any special regard.  The Bulls and Heat didn't shake hands before tonight's game, and Nazr Mohammed has already been ejected tonight for shoving King James.  I don't expect the Bulls to win this series, but I love watching their competitive fire and grit.  A few days ago, Colin Cowherd called this Bulls team "the most likable team in professional sports", and as a basketball fan who loves defense and rebounding, I have to agree.  That doesn't mean I am now a Bulls fan by any stretch (Knicks and Grizz, baby), but if I were a youngster looking for a squad to all in love with, this Bulls team would be tops on my list.