HOOP January/February 2009 by HOOP

THE ANNUAL A TO Z OF THE NBA ISSUE | HOLIDAY BUYER’S GUIDE

AN OFFICIAL NBA PUBLICATION

JAN/FEB 2009

IN THIS ISSUE

RUDY GAY Saving Grace

AL JEFFERSON Northern Star

SWEETWATER CLIFTON Breaking Barriers

AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE

SUPERNOVA AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE IS BLOWING UP $4.99 USA

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ALSO INSIDE Kobe Bryant Josh Smith Greg Oden Tracy McGrady Brandon Roy Carlos Boozer Kevin Martin Rip Hamilton Andrei Kirilenko DeShawn Stevenson Soulja Boy

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It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take long for Jason Maxiell, Rip Hamilton and the rest of the Pistons to warm to Allen Iverson. Even though the results so far have been tepid (1-2 as of press time), there is no doubt The Answer makes the Pistons a legit title contender. D. LIPPITT/EINSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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Deron Williams, who missed the ﬁrst six games of the season with an ankle injury, was a little rusty with his jumper (1-for-8) against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 11. Something he didn’t lose, however, was the ability to thread the needle. JESSE D. GARRABRANT/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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Steve Francis brought his Bedazzler out of hibernation (weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re kidding...maybe) to show his support for president-elect Barack Obama at the RocketsCeltics matchup on Election Day. BILL BAPTIST/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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No Dwight Howard on the ﬂoor? That means it’s time for takeoff, and Andre Iguodala obliged, stufﬁng home two of his 16 points in a near tripledouble (10 boards, eight dimes) against Orlando on November 6. FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

the gameplan THE ANNUAL A TO Z OF THE NBA ISSUE | HOLIDAY BUYER’S GUIDE

JAN/FEB 2009

AN OFFICIAL NBA PUBLICATION

IN THIS ISSUE

RUDY GAY Saving Grace

AL JEFFERSON Northern Star

SWEETWATER CLIFTON Breaking Barriers

AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE

ALSO INSIDE

SUPERNOVA AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE IS BLOWING UP 102

Kobe Bryant Josh Smith Greg Oden Tracy McGrady Brandon Roy Carlos Boozer Kevin Martin Rip Hamilton Andrei Kirilenko DeShawn Stevenson Soulja Boy

BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

The A-Z of the NBA Back for the ﬁrst time, we bring you our alphabetical rundown of the League. Merriam-Webster, eat your heart out!

70 Agent Orange

With a new nickname in tow, Amar’e Stoudemire is out to prove he’s more than a STAT stuffer. He’s downright devastating.

76 Saving Grace

Last season Rudy Gay became the ofﬁcial face of the Grizzlies franchise and a bona ﬁde threat for a posterizing dunk, night in and night out. Now the graceful star ready to lead Memphis back to prominence.

90 Northern Star 59

There’s a beast roaming the forests of Minnesota, ready to put up double-doubles on any big man you throw his way. Al Jefferson may still be raw, but he is developing into an perennial All-Star.

102 Sweetwater Runs Deep

Nat Clifton broke barriers and broke down opponents on the hardwood. We give props to a basketball legend and humanitarian the likes of which the League had never seen before.

59 24 Seconds...

with the New Orleans’ Tyson Chandler

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Poster T-Mac on the front; Mitch Richmond on the back

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the gameplan

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

DEPARTMENTS 16 18

The Point Jumpball

Celebrate the good times; Celeb Row: Dance, dance revolution; FrameXFrame: B-Roy beats the buzzer; D-Velopments: Call an exterminator, a Mad Ant is on the loose; 3 Pts.: Who is the League’s most intimidating player?; Playlist: Z-Bo is a hip-hop aﬁcionado; Good Looks: Memo to Shawn Marion: Watch your belt next time you play Atlanta; Brack-It: Best individual season ever; Head2Head: Carlos Boozer vs. Pau Gasol; and more

First Five Ime Udoka, Yi Jianlian, Dorell Wright, LaMarcus Aldridge, Mo Williams

108 Call Out 111 Check It

120

126

130

142

Spin Moves: Andrei Kirilenko will crush you in World of Warcraft; Game Rec Game: Nate loads up for Call of Duty 5; The Goods: the Holiday Buyers’ Guide; Tech Ed: Shane Battier loves nothing better than a good massage; HOOP Gear: Christmas time kicks for everyone; and more

140 Sneaker Game

What’s on the League’s feet

142 Stepback

Reminiscing the League’s past

144 Final Exam

Does Steve Nash make the grade?

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the point BONUS POINTS 1. Murray’s dry humor made him perfect for the role. 2. Punxsutawney is the Pennsylvania town where Punxsutawney Phil lives, the ofﬁcial groundhog that the day is based on. 3. According to tradition, if Phil sees shadow when he emerges from his hole, there will be six more weeks of winter; if he doesn’t, spring will arrive early. 4. TrueHoop, Ball Don’t Lie, Slamonline’s Links, Insidehoops… 5. We have a few dudes joining HOOP next issue. Stay tuned…

Volume 37, No. 2

Editor-in-Chief Ming Wong #2 Design Director Kengyong Shao #31 Associate Editor Tom Gottlieb #0 Associate Designer Matt Candela #52 Assistant Editor Seth Berkman #91 Editor-at-Large Jeramie McPeek #4

6. Shane: I know you’re a Rocket and all, but for the last time, I do not have enough pull with NASA to get you on the space shuttle. 7. Those Vitamin Water spots. A must-watch. 8. Did I really just admit that? 9. Tristan Ming Wong. The sole reason that I haven’t slept more than four hours at a time the past month. 10. Matt Candela, the biggest fanboy of the show. 11. Our resident mailroom extraordinaire who tirelessly makes sure HOOP gets all their packages. 12. Peep page 131. We hope Samsung never asks for it back. 13. Or disparage when they suck. 14. True story. It’s on YouTube. 15. They once removed every item form my ofﬁce and hid it. 16. Pizza 16. Thundercats, Ho!

Tech Editor Shane Battier #31 Style Editor Zaza Pachulia #27 Literary Editor Adonal Foyle #31 Straight Shooter Channing Frye #7 Videogame Editors Nate Robinson #4, Scott Steinberg #77 WNBA Editor Lois Elfman #40 Senior Writer Michael Bradley #53 Contributing Writers Jon Azpiri #15, Brett Ballantini #97, Rick Barry #24, Jon Cooper #10, Jim Eichenhofer #12, Bill Heinzelman #20, Darryl Howerton #21, Eric Justic #3, Clay Kallam #14, Trevor Kearney #8, Jeff Lenchiner #48, Brett Mauser #25, Melody #34, Glenn Minnis #33, John Nemo #16 Design Intern Daniel Fatto #9

One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day. If you’ve never seen it, it’s Bill Murray in his finest Sahara-dry form.1 Murray’s character, Phil Conners, is a weatherman who is forced to re-live his one day in Punxsutawney,2 PA covering the annual Groundhog Day3 procession until he gets it right. No matter what he does during the day, he wakes up in a Punxsutawney bed and breakfast every morning at 6 a.m. Which brings me to this page. Every issue this is routinely the last page to be completed in the book. The staff will endlessly harangue me to get it done and invariably I put it off to the very end, blaming the endless distractions of the day—the morning ritual of watching and re-watching all of the past night’s highlights; poring through boxscores and game stories searching for trends and story ideas; the constant RSS updates on the many basketball blogs4 I subscribe to; email exchanges from the many basketball junkies who take residence in my inbox; writers looking to pitch their next great idea; our NBA player editors5 who want to request something for their next review in the mag;6 viral videos involving Steve Nash;7 puppy cams;8 my recent newborn son;9 frivolous basketball debates; ponderings with my associate designer10 about the latest episode of Lost; Kamau’s11 always-too-long musings about the latest kicks and how yesterday’s joints were far superior than anything they roll out now; trying to figure out how to best photograph a 55-inch TV;12 trying to keep track of which shoe, hoodie or tee belongs on which page; choosing between which photo of T-Mac makes for the best poster; the production department hounding about deadlines; design director Keng Shao singing the praises13 of one of the gadgets he loves fiddling with from The Goods pages—and while we’re on Keng—watching him eat five Wendy’s Baconators14 on a bet; dealing with player agents/team personnel on scheduling the next cover photo shoot; deleting spam; getting challenged at mini-hoop office basketball; getting punked15 by the staff; having editorial meetings where we spend more time talking about food16 and cartoons17 then basketball; having conversations with window washers who I assume get rather lonely dangling outside of the 25th floor in midtown Manhattan; getting into spirited back-and-forths about who’s the winner of Brack-It or Head2Head and walking out of my office to warm up or cool down because the air conditioning/heat is too cold/hot. But as always, I ultimately manage to put something together for the page at the 11th hour, but whether or not it’s perfect… So one of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day…

Contributing Illustrators Lina Chen, Jamie Stolarski Retired Numbers #6, #11, #13, #30, #99

Professional Sports Publications 519 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 Tel: (212) 697-1460 Fax: (646) 753-9480 Executive VP Operations Jeff Botwinick Executive VP, Business Development Martin Lewis Executive VP, Sales Steve Farkas Executive VP, Sales Mitch Gibbs Executive VP, Team Relations Dave Gerschwer Executive Administrative Director Julie Wong Manager, Marketing Services Aron Sawyer Production Managers Jaime Collins, Claudette Keane

NBA Publishing/NBA Photos VP, Entertainment & Player Marketing Charlie Rosenzweig VP, NBAE Communications Mike Bass Senior VP, Multimedia Production Paul Hirschheimer Senior Director, NBAE Assignment Desk Marc Hirschheimer Senior Director, NBAE Production John Hareas Coordinator, NBAE Production Andrew Pearson Executive Vice President, Global Merchandising Group Sal LaRocca Coordinator, Entertainment Products Matt Holt Department Assistant Evan Levine Manager, Global Media Programs Felecia Groomster Directors & Senior Ofﬁcial NBAE Photographers Andrew D. Bernstein, Nathaniel S. Butler Senior Director, NBA Photos Joe Amati Senior Manager, Photos Imaging David Bonilla Ofﬁcial NBAE Photographer Jesse Garrabrant Photo Editor Brian Choi Photo Coordinator Kevin Wright

Ming Wong #2

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HOOP

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All NBA photos appearing in this magazine, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of NBA Entertainment. All WNBA photos appearing in this magazine, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of WNBA Enterprises. All NBDL photos appearing in this magazine, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of NBDL Enterprises. HOOP is published monthly, December through June, by PSP. © 2007 Professional Sports Publications. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of publisher is prohibited. To subscribe to HOOP, call (800) 829-3347. PRINTED IN THE USA

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jumpball

BY ERIC JUSTIC #3

Jam-boree

WHETHER IT’S PREGAME INTROS, OR AFTER A BIG SHOT OR A BIGGER DUNK—AND EVEN BIRTHDAYS—NBA PLAYERS KNOW HOW TO REVEL IN THE MOMENT RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

-3

FIGURE B: THE SKY-HIGH FIVE

FIGURE A: THE POSE

PLACE LEFT ELBOW ON LEFT KNEE, AND APPLY LEFT HAND TO CHIN

-2

-1

0 0

+1 +1

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6 CROSS ARMS AS IF YOU ARE SECURITY AT A CLUB

SLAP HANDS AT MAXIMUM POINT OF JUMP EMULATE “THINKER” POSE, ALA AUGUSTE RODIN

STAND FIRMLY ON BOTH FEET

RAISE RIGHT HAND IN AIR, SPREADING FINGERS

BEGIN LEAP ABOUT ONE FOOT APART, BENDING ONE KNEE AT 90 DEGREE ANGLE FOR AESTHETICALLY PLEASING EFFECT

FIGURE C: THE HIP BUMP

FIGURE D: THE LOW FIVE SPREAD FINGERS ON RIGHT HAND AND SLAP OTHER PLAYER’S HAND ATAPPROXIMATELY 18 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND

TURN BODY 90 DEGREES SO THAT HIPS ALIGn PROPERLY AND BODIES FACE THE CAMERA PLANT FEET FIRMLY TO AVOID SPRAINED ANKLES

0 BEND KNEES AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE, KEEPING EYE CONTACT WITH OTHER PLAYER’S HAND FOR DIRECT HIT

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+3 3 ILLUSTRATION: MATT CANDELA

FLING HANDS IN The AIR AS HIPS TOUCH WHEN YOU ARE ABOUT ONE FOOT OFF The GROUND

0 0

SLOWLY APPROACH, GETTING LOWER TO THE GROUND AS YOU NEAR THE POINT OF IMPACT

As celebrations go, they don’t get more unique than Michael Redd’s 29th birthday.1 He was surrounded by the NBA’s elite in a land of a billion people last August 24. It was redemption for all in Beijing, as USA Basketball won its ﬁrst Olympic gold medal2 since 2000, and the party was about to begin. LeBron James and Chris Paul started singing an off-key version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the locker room. They passed out cigars and popped champagne on the bus. And Redd was in for a surprise from his teammates. 018

HOOP

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JUMPBALL

FIGURE D: THE CLASSIC HIGH FIVE propel arm forward toward the oncoming hand of your fellow slapper

MOVE ELBOW OUT TO SIDE AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE

FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT, MAKE SURE TO STRIKE HANDS AT THE PALMS

020

“I’m the regular choreographer in here,” Wright says. “I’m the one who makes up everything for everybody.” Wright gets most of his material from movies and TV. As the Miami Heat get announced before home games, they’ll be references from the movies Norbit (faking a slap with D-Wade) and The Matrix (for Shawn Marion, of course) and he’ll do the Jazzy Jeff/ Will Smith hand-slap from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with Marcus Banks. Wright is always looking for new ideas, including watching how other sports celebrate. “I see a lot of different things,” Wright says. “I’m a big baseball fan so I try to steal some of their stuff, but it’s too hard. They have too much free time so they can just make up all kinds of things.” Similarly, watch the Celtics come out and you’ll see Eddie House stand at the end of the line every time. He has a separate greeting for each of the Big Three: mimicking a jumper with Ray Allen; gesturing

BONUS POINTS 1. Fellow Olympian Kobe Bryant turned 30 a day earlier. 2. The USA defeated Spain, 118-107, to capture the gold. 3. The two former Clippers also were noted for celebrating by raising both ﬁsts and banging them softly against their foreheads. 4. A personal HOOP favorite was Reggie Miller’s routine during pregame introductions, in which he and a teammate would kick their feet in the air, spin and bow to each other. 5. Wallace has also been known to do some Lord of the Dance and break out some old-school Martin Lawrence. 6. Other Pistons jump in the huddle occasionally. Maxiell on his experience: “I did it one time last year I think. I did a little, I guess it was a Soulja Boy dance. I jumped in the middle and it was pretty fun.” 7. KG has a similar powder routine before tip-off, but the originator is Michael Jordan.

ILLUSTRATION: MATT CANDELA

“They sprayed me down with champagne,” Redd says. “When I got on the bus, we started waving at the fans and they were all setting it up. [makes spraying sound] They were killing me. It was a celebration of a gold medal and my birthday. It was one of the greatest birthdays I could have.” Further proof NBA players deﬁnitely know how to let loose and have fun. And they put a lot of thought into it. Many are subtle, like Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles3 cupping their ears after big plays during their Clippers days, Jason Terry making like a jet or Antoine Walker’s shimmying after one of his shots rippled through the net back in the day.4 The handshake has taken off as an art form, as nearly every team invents unique ways to do the high-ﬁve during team introductions. See Dorell Wright, for instance, who considers himself an original when it comes to the celebratory act.

“It’s a wrap” with Kevin Garnett; and a separate routine with Paul Pierce. Last season, he pretended to play a game with the eventual Finals MVP. “It’s between the two of us,” House says. “That was last year where he shot the dice and took the brick. The money was gone. We came up with something different this year.” Not to be outdone, Rasheed Wallace has broken out some bad Carlton Banks dancing5 in a postintroductions display that has become a YouTube favorite. Sheed can be unpredictable at times—he declined to comment on his ritual—but in this instance, it can be a good thing. He jumps into the middle of a huddle and riles up both his teammates and the crowd. “With the way he dances, it’s very unique. His dancing skills are at a whole other level than anyone else,” Jason Maxiell6 says. “It gets us hyped before the game. It gets the whole crowd into it. The crowd gets louder and louder the more we dance.” In an era of chest-thumping, fist-bumping and collar-popping, these NBA celebrations are a part of pop culture. Wallace’s theatrics were featured in an ESPN commercial during the playoffs a couple of years ago, dubbed “To Each His Own Ritual.” The spot shows the many ways NBAers express themselves. It highlights Steve Nash high-fiving the courtside press before he enters the court and Vince Carter kissing the net, as well as George Karl finding a unique way to exercise before games (Karl and his Nuggets staff engage in some fun wrestling in the locker room in the moments before tip-off). There’s also the familiar pose of James blowing talcum powder over the adoring crowd. Yes, even talcum powder4 can act as a prop. But the best type of hoopla has no props, no choreography and needs no theatrics. It simply celebrates the intensity of the event. “There were a lot of hugs, a lot of tears,” Redd said of the Olympic celebration. “One thing I got out of it was the celebration was genuine. The last three years of getting ready, a lot of blood, a lot of sweat went into what we had to do. After all that, there was nothing but jubilation.”

HOOP

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Old School’n

Debutant Baller

MEASURE OF A MAN

WHERE NBA PLAYERS REMEMBER THEIR FIRST GAME ADRIAN DANTLEY

OCTOBER 21, 1976, BUFFALO BRAVES VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS 15 POINTS, 19 REBOUNDS

One of my ﬁrst games in the League was when we played the Detroit Pistons. Bob Lanier was playing for Detroit and I drove in to try and make a layup and he fouled me real hard and almost broke my neck and said, “Hey, you’re not at Notre Dame anymore, don’t come in here anymore young boy.” So when he fouled me hard I did it again and got fouled hard again. After that, that summer I worked on little runners, so when I saw Bob Lanier come I would just hit that. He helped me develop my runner, so that’s what I remember from [one of] my ﬁrst games of my NBA career. Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio and John Shumate, who was my college roommate, really helped me. I always tell the players today, “Hey, if you played in the old days you guys would be in trouble.” They’re always complaining how they’re hurt and everything or they’re tired, but they’ve got a big advantage. — Adrian Dantley #44

Rick loves computers. Just not for player evaluation.

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Photo Buckets KEN GEE AND SON BRANDON & CHRIS WEBBER Sacramento Congratulations to Ken Gee, the winner of this month’s Photo Buckets contest. Each issue we ask readers to submit their best off-court photo with an NBA player past or present and chose Ken’s entry, taken at Center Court in Sac-town last fall. Send us your best fan photo of or with an NBA player for a chance to win a HOOP T-shirt. Each month the winning entry* will also be published in an upcoming issue of HOOP. Send all entries to hoop@pspsports. com or by mail to: HOOP Magazine 519 8th Avenue 25th Floor New York, NY 10018

* - All submitted entries become property of HOOP

BARRY: JENNIFER POTTHEISER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; DANTLEY: COURTESY NBA PHOTOS

We live in an age of technology. If something needs to be analyzed or measured, there is probably a highly sophisticated electronic or computerized device that can help. Over time the use of technology has spilled from the world of business into the world of sports. Analyzing video, appraising technique, recording statistics, determining player trends and evaluating players has moved to a new level of sophistication. Many of these innovations have proved useful in the game today, but when it comes to evaluating a basketball player, I’ll stick to the most effective method I know: watching them play in person. Now don’t get me wrong here; I love high-tech stuff. I always want the newest phone or the computer with the coolest features. I think using computers to crunch numbers and digital-imaging technology to improve the performance of an athlete makes perfect sense. Heck, I wish some of those techniques for improvement were available in my day. What I do take issue with is using numbers or statistics to form a judgment as to how well a player performs or to compare him to his contemporaries. Although there are many quantifiable statistics in basketball, there are too many qualities that make a good basketball player that cannot be measured with systems or statistics. How do you measure a player’s heart? How do you determine his leadership ability? What about his decision-making? What about his confidence level and his ability to instill that confidence in his teammates in critical situations? Can you measure potential with statistics? Can you calculate the increased or decreased productivity of others? Can you measure respect? All of these factors, which I feel are imperative when determining a player’s worth, cannot be quantified using only statistics. No matter what new system is created to evaluate players, I know I will always rely on my ability to watch an athlete play. Then I’ll evaluate his talents based on my knowledge of the game, learned over the past 50 years of being involved as a player, a broadcaster and a coach. It’s not high-tech—but it’s effective nonetheless. —Rick Barry #24

HOOP

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11/19/08 3:40:25 PM

Celeb Row

DANCE ’OFF

To quote ZZ Top, “She’s got legs, she knows how to use them.” Dancer Karina Smirnoff has been doing smoking sambas on Dancing with the Stars for ﬁve seasons as one of the show’s professional dancers. Knowing that athletes tend to have the edge in this contest (she attributes it to several factors), Smirnoff is ready to partner a present or even a past NBAer who is determined to take his moves from the hardwood to the dance ﬂoor. She’s a petite 5-5, so it would probably be better if the big guys passed on the chance to waltz—but you never know who’s got the moves. Why do you think football players are always so good on Dancing with the Stars? There are a couple of factors. One is their workout. Their training works on coordination and speed, so their bodies are a little bit more prepared to do the ballroom training. Beside that, the popularity factor. Any NFL guy

who has ever done the show, they’ve all done great not only based on their abilities, but also because they have a fan base that is huge.

He’s got the groove. If he decides to take time off of basketball and do the show, I’d love to be his partner. And he’s not super tall.

There’s only been one former basketball player on the show, Clyde Drexler, and unfortunately he was not very good.1 Do you think a basketball player would have a good chance and maybe we should encourage some of them to come on the show? I think basketball also has a great fan base. But it’s a little tougher, because most of them are very, very tall. Us dancer girls would have to be wearing ridiculously high heels to get to their belly buttons.

Do you watch the NBA? I have been to games. It’s a lot of fun. You get into the whole excitement of the game. Everybody is screaming. The ﬁrst game I was just screaming when everybody else was screaming, because I had no idea what was going on. When you get to know a little bit about the rules of the game, it’s really exciting and a fun game to watch.

Seriously, how hard it is to dance with someone who’s maybe a foot taller than you? If a guy is very big, it’s really hard to move him around. Rocco DiSpirito2 is solid muscle from all the triathlons and marathons. Whenever I’d push him to go in a direction and get him to move, it’s human reaction to try and resist. So if the guy is 6-8 it’s that much harder.3 You went to Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding. Did any NBA guys ask you for lessons? I danced only with Tony and Tony’s dad [Tony Parker Sr.], who by the way is an amazing dancer.

You’ve got that bicoastal thing going, so did you see the Lakers or the Knicks or even the Nets, who are in your home state of New Jersey? All the games I went to were in L.A. for the Lakers, but whenever I watch it on TV I actually root for New York. Have you seen anyone on the Lakers you think would make a great dance partner for you? Kobe I think would do really well. We’ll have him in ﬂats and I can wear platforms. —Lois Elfman #40

BONUS POINTS 1. Glide was the fourth star eliminated during season four of the show, which aired in 2007.

How was Tony as a dancer? He’s great. He’s very smooth. He’s got the rhythm.

Know Your Newb

2. The celebrity chef was Smirnoff’s partner this past season. 3. Our condolences to noted NBA dance kings Shaq, Dwight Howard and Mark Madsen.

PRESENTED BY

SMIRNOFF: MICHAEL TULLBERG; RUSH: RON HOSKINS/GETTY IMAGES

BRANDON RUSH INDIANA PACERS

HOOP: You have a striking resemblance to Terrence Howard. Do you get that a lot? Brandon: [laughs] Yeah, I get that a lot. HOOP: Ever get any erroneous autograph requests? Brandon: [laughs] No, nothing like that. He’s a great actor though. HOOP: What was the best dunk you ever threw down?

Brandon: When I was in middle school I did a reverse dunk and— HOOP: Wait. Did you say middle school? Brandon: Yeah. I did a reverse dunk and brought the whole goal down. Tore the whole thing apart. HOOP: How about your most embarrassing school moment? Brandon: Being ineligible to play for a few years in high school. I had two years where I was unable to play at all because of my grades. HOOP: How did you get past that? Brandon: I went to another school and did better. HOOP: Why was that particularly

embarrassing? Brandon: Because everybody thought I was the best player around, but I never got a chance because of my grades. So it was embarrassing for me when everybody asked me why I wasn’t playing. HOOP: You ever make up any excuses? Brandon: Nope, I gave it to them straight. That’s the kind of person I am. It was embarrassing, but I told them. HOOP: A bunch of guys came out of Kansas this year. Who would win in a round-robin oneon-one tournament? Brandon: I’d deﬁnitely win. I’d take them all. I’d take Darrell, take Mario, take whoever. —Tom Gottlieb #0 HOOP

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11/14/08 11:47:29 AM

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No Purchase Necessary To Participate Or Win. Starts at 12:00:01 PM ET on 11/13/08 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 1/19/09. Open to legal residents 50 U.S., DC, & Canada (excluding residents of Quebec) who are 13 years of age or older as of 11/13/08. Eligible minors must obtain their parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or legal guardianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consent prior to participation. Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received. Void In Quebec and Where Prohibited. Sponsor: NBA Properties, Inc., 645 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

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11/14/08 2:59:30 PM

frame

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frame

BY SETH BERKMAN #91

BRANDON ROY November 6, 2008_Rose Garden, Portland

026

JONATHAN FERREY/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

The Oregonian called it “one of the greatest shots in Trail Blazers history.” Brandon Roy called it “a blessing from above.” After fouling Yao Ming the previous possession as the Rockets’ center swished a fadeaway jumper for the front end of an oldfashioned three-point play, Roy wanted to redeem himself. But with 0.8 seconds left, things looked dim for the former U-Dub star. All Steve Blake had to do was get him the ball, however, and things would be all right in the Rose Garden. Catching the inbounds, Roy set his feet, elevated, and sunk a picturesque trey from seemingly as far away as Beaverton to clinch the 101-99 victory. As the crowd cheered—the fans who have fallen completely in love with this young, vivacious team and #7—Roy let out a primordial scream as he raised his jersey in celebration. Greg who? For the past three years, the real star of Portland has been and will be B-Roy.

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According to Foyle RESTORING HOPE: CONVERSATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF BLACK AMERICA Cornel West Beacon Press

As “Black America sits on the brink of collective disaster,” Harvard professor Cornel West interviews eight of the greatest minds in America—from poet Maya Angelou to Senator Bill Bradley, from singer Harry Belafonte to composer Wynton Marsalis— about politics, political awareness and the potential hope among African-Americans today. What is absolutely riveting about this book are the diverse viewpoints of the parties involved and the history of each individual, the journey that leads them to where they are in their lives at that moment. With that, they try to talk about where they have been, where they are now and where they hope to go. When you encapsulate nine different perspectives in a book, including that of the author, you can feel the sense of history behind each person. Their words are very poignant and, in a lot of ways, haunting. At the same time, you feel hopeful that they are all working toward change. And to get those kinds of emotions from a book, you feel like your perspective is changing as you’re reading it. In light of this year’s presidential election, where a black man ran for the highest position in the land

and won, people should read this book because the hope that the author is talking about is manifested in Barack Obama, the president-elect of the United States of America. Yes, an African-American will become president of the United States. But when he takes office, he has to represent America as a whole, not just African-Americans. And in a way, this is what happened to Obama. He transcended race and became not just a black candidate, simply a candidate. And I think there’s something transformative about that message. Now that we’ve had our first African-American win a presidential election, we’ve reached a point where we can now ask if race is inconsequential. Does it still matter? The perspectives from so many great people are what make this book such a good read. The critique I have is that I don’t believe the author demanded enough from his interview subjects. He did not push them to answer some of the tougher questions and ask for specific policies. But overall, the book does contain answers I think are important for people to hear. The book inspires and challenges the reader. And I think that’s a good combination. — Adonal Foyle #31 Adonal Foyle is a center for the Orlando Magic and is entering his 12th season in the NBA. For more information about what Adonal is reading, log on to www.adonalfoyle.com. You can also check out his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/adonaldavidfoyle

D-Velopments

Indiana and California aren’t exactly neighbors, but that didn’t stop the Mad Ants from marching the full 2,200 miles from Fort Wayne to Hollywood this past fall. The NBA Development League franchise made its primetime debut on September 29 when it was featured in The CW’s drama One Tree Hill. The episode featured character Nathan Scott, played 028

terrorizing mankind. “A lot of people might be concerned; ‘I don’t want my mascot to represent this,’” admits Potter. “But I think it’s in great fun. I think the more times that we are talked about, the better. “It’s free advertising. You know, we’re on a different level than the NBA, in terms of a marketing budget. So to have these guys talk about us, to have them throw our name out there and talk about Fort Wayne, it’s fantastic exposure.” —Jeramie McPeek #4

BONUS POINTS 1. Lafferty has his own ﬁlm company called Swingman Productions, and hosts an annual charity basketball game in Wilmington, NC. 2. The franchise was named after “Mad Anthony” Wayne, a general in the Revolutionary War, whom the city of Fort Wayne was named after. 3. The mascot, whose actual name is The Mad Ant, was also featured in a YouTube video reenacting the dance scene from Napoleon Dynamite.

FOYLE: FERNANDO MEDINA; ANT: RANDY BELICE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

ONE TREE ANT HILL

by actor James Lafferty,1 getting a tryout with the minor-league club before being offered a coaching position. “At ﬁrst I thought they were kidding,” Mad Ants2 president Jeff Potter said of the call he got asking if the network could use his team in the script. “To have your name and your city plastered all over a show that has millions of viewers, I mean, what a great opportunity for a young franchise.” The call should not have come as a huge surprise, of course, considering the popularity of the team’s name. In fact, the expansion team was less than a month into its ﬁrst season when its muscular mascot blew up in the blogosphere. As legend has it, a photo of the pumped-up insect was posted on Deadspin, a popular sports blog site, with the headline “Nightmare Ant.” Hundreds of comments from readers intrigued by the unique character quickly followed and soon after came B-movie-type stories of a homicidal Nightmare Ant3

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TOPIC:

WHO IS THE MOST INTIMIDATING PLAYER IN TODAY’S GAME? Rick Barry says: Since I was never intimidated by a physical player, nor did psychological intimidation ever become a factor for me, I will answer this question with the player I feel is the most intimidating offensive force. Right now, Kobe is the player I would choose. He can literally do it all: shoot from beyond the arc, hit midrange jumpers, go to the basket and shoot free throws accurately. And, he can do it in critical game situations. Playing against

Kobe has undoubtedly brought many sleepless nights for even the League’s top defenders. Although I pick Kobe, the answer really should be LeBron. If LeBron corrected the major ﬂaw in his shot, he would have the same offensive weapons as Kobe but would be able to add two features that Kobe will never possess—size and power. Fix the outside shot and LeBron simply becomes unguardable.

Danny Ainge: Most of the guys are just soft [laughs]. Back in the day I would say one of the most physical guys would be Buck Williams. I can’t think of anyone else. He was just a physical player. I remember when I would try to set back picks—part of our offense was me always setting back picks on big guys—and a lot of big guys are soft, you can just get into their back and you know, frustrate them, but Buck was one of those guys, every time you set a pick on him, he made you pay. He would just go right through you, throw his elbows and knees and hips at you. He was physical that way, not so much hard fouls. Usually basketball players aren’t that tough. Mostly hype [smiles].

there’s something completely demoralizing when going up against a guy who can drop 30 with ease on you, dunk it on your head, cross you every which way and make you look like a chump with up-in-your-grill D.

030

JAMES: DAVID LIAM KYLE; WILLIAMS: SCOTT DUNNINGHAM; BRYANT: GARRETT ELLWOOD/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Editor in Chief Ming Wong says: I’ve never stepped foot on the court against an NBA player (although I was supposed to get embarrassed by T-Mac in a canceled one-on-one game ... but I digress), so I’m really not qualiﬁed to answer this question, but if I were to imagine myself as an NBA player (very undersized guard with decent jumper but lacking range and a handle), I’d go with RB’s pick of Kobe. No offense to Shaq and other bigs in the game that can put a world of hurt on me (after they send my sad attempt into the cheap seats, natch) when I foolishly try to challenge them inside, but

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Featuring the latest Intel® Core™2 Quad Processors

INTRODUCING THE NEW Assembled & Supported in the USA

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Available at TigerDirect.com and CompUSA.com

JUMPBALL

Dance Life

TARYN

SUNS DANCERS

so it was hard for us to keep control of the balls. [laughs] We kept the moves pretty simple so that we wouldn’t have balls rolling into the audience. HOOP: Have there ever been any outﬁts that you ﬁnd are uncomfortable to dance in? Taryn: We have a couple cowboy routines where we’ll put jeans on, but the moves aren’t as big or extravagant as the others. You know, no kicks, nothing like that. If it’s something as constrictive as jeans, we’ll keep the moves small. But normally we just wear Lycra and dance-motion kind of material so it’s easy for us to move around.

Basketball is in Taryn’s blood. One of her ﬁrst cousins is Mike Bibby, which also makes her related to Eddie House (brothers-in-law). Although as it turns out, they were not the reason she started dancing for an NBA team; she has her little sister to thank for that. “There was a squad called the Junior Suns Dance Team, and she was a part of that my senior year in high school. So she was actually a part of the Suns dance team before I was!” HOOP: Have you ever used basketballs in any of your routines? Taryn: Actually, in my ﬁrst year with the team we did use basketballs in a routine. It was to the High School Musical song “Get Your Head in the Game.” And that was a lot of fun. But none of us are basketball players,

HOOP: Do you still get nervous on the court? Taryn: Well, I don’t know if it’s nerves necessarily; it’s more of an adrenaline rush, an excitement. The best part of the game is the intros, when the lights go down, and introducing all the players, you get hyped. ... So I wouldn’t say nervous, actually, more excited.

Taryn: We do, actually. We’ll work out together as a team and do some arms and sit-ups and squats. Nothing too hard. I would say your legs are the most important; you need strong legs for balance. And then your stomach, because everything with dance is revolved around the core of your body. HOOP: Does the whole family own Bibby jerseys? Taryn: For sure! [laughs] We all do. Grizzlies, [Kings], Atlanta Hawks; we’ve got them all. Even Arizona. HOOP: Do you remember the first dance move or routine you ever mastered? Taryn: [laughs] I have a video of one of my first dance classes, and it’s really funny to watch, because obviously I’ve grown a lot as a dancer and learned a lot. But it was a combo class—ballet and tap class together—and I had my ballet slippers on, and I was going across the floor, doing chasses ... with my pink leotard and tutu on. That’s one memory I’m very fond of.

HOOP: Many players these days have regimented diets to take care of their bodies. Do dance team members do the same? Taryn: As long as you’re healthy and you’re feeling good, you know your body the best. We don’t have a speciﬁc diet that we go by, so whatever makes you feel best to get the job done and make yourself healthy.

HOOP: What is Mike’s career ppg average? Taryn: [laughs] I should know that, right? I’m not that speciﬁc. I could tell you how long he’s been in the NBA and who he’s played for, but I don’t know all the statistics. [Ed note: It’s 16.6 ppg.]—Tom Gottlieb #0

HOOP: Do you all spend time in the weight room?

hoopmag.com

For more questo i ns with Taryn, visit

Playlist

From the Archives

ZACH RANDOLPH New York Knicks Zach’s favorite tracks:

“Zoom” “Jockin’ Jay-Z” “Freaky Gurl” “Hi Hater” “Got Money’”

Zach on his favorite rapper: Jay the man. It don’t get no better than Jigga. Zach’s favorite albums of ’08: I’m liking that Lil Wayne and that Young Jeezy album. I listen to a lot of mixtapes, a lot of underground, Southern music. Zach’s pregame beats: I listen to that UGK pregame; I like Bun B, Scarface. There’s a lot of music that gets me hyped. Zach’s friends in the industry: I got a lot of artists that I know in the industry that are good friends of mine: Maino, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti, Scarface, Bun B, Fabolous. I love music! 032

HOOP Brad Davis, October 1981

TARYN: COURTESY PHOENIX SUNS; RANDOLPH: RAY AMATI/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Lil Boosie feat. Yung Joc Jay-Z Gucci Mane Maino Lil Wayne feat. T-Pain

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Portland’s

CHANNING FRYE

Channing loves him some DiGiorno pizza

Aims for Honest Answers to your NBA Questions

When you were injured, what was it like to be part of the team but not being able to participate in practices and games?

What kind of pranks take place in the locker room?

What is your go-to dish to make in the kitchen?

guards want to be big men?

What has been the most painful experience of your life?

034

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Oh, not too many in ours, but I’ve heard of plenty of other stories on other teams. The one story I can tell is about me and Jamaal Tatum when I was hurt, stuck on crutches, sitting in a chair and he cut the cheese next to me, fanned it at me, and since I couldn’t move too fast, it burned [my] nose hairs. I swore to him that I’d get him back when he least expected it so the next game, after halftime, I grabbed his scarf and shower shoes and took a roll of medical tape—the kind we use to tape our ankles—and I used the whole roll to wrap those two things together. Then, because I felt like that wasn’t enough, I hid his drawers so he would have to wear the game tights out after the game. He knew it was me who wrapped his stuff, but he didn’t know it was me who hid his underwear at ﬁrst—until he saw me laughing. He stopped messing with me after that because he didn’t want anything else to happen. I deﬁnitely won that one. I am a connoisseur of reheated DiGiorno. There is not a DiGiorno pizza that isn’t afraid when I get to the grocery store, and there is nothing like a crispy pepperoni DiGiorno pizza. It’s a little slice of pizza rainbow goodness. I am seriously an awful cook and I love everyone else’s food more than my own. Yes and no. Guards like being guards, but wish they were bigger men because big men get all the hot ladies, we get to ride in the biggest trucks, and we just all around look cooler. And the only reason big guys want to be guards is because the guards get to hold the ball all game while the big guys have to beg and ask for it. The most painful experience of my life was when the lady who helped raise me passed away from cancer. She was truly inspirational, not only by helping me develop [into] who I am today but also by giving me a true sense of what it means to be a man of God. She was the most God-fearing person I’ve ever met, even to this day. Her name was Miss Mary; she took care of me while both my parents worked to provide for my brother and me. I was 15 or 16 when she died and at the time I didn’t understand why God took her away, but I eventually came to terms with why and believing that everything happens for a reason. I know she’s in a better place and I couldn’t be happier for everything she taught me.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: SAM FORENCICH; RON HOSKINS; CHRIS GRAYTHEN; SAM FORENCICH (2); BILL BAPTIST/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

The saying goes that all big men want to be guards; do all

It was awful both mentally and physically. I felt like I was in Purgatory. I was there but I wasn’t there. I missed the competitiveness and I felt like no matter what I was doing outside of the gym, nothing was quenching my competitive thirst. I passed the time by taking up fantasy football, playing videogames...doing anything I could competitively so I could stay sane.

Got a question for Channing Frye? Email it to hoop@pspsports.com

11/12/08 6:23:04 PM

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JUMPBALL

Txt Msgs

KATIE SMITH HOOP: Which is better, 3rd Olympic gold medal or

2nd WNBA title? Katie: Toss Up. HOOP: What have u done with that fabulous beret from the opening ceremonies at the Olympics? Katie: Probably in my house in the closet. I got the opening ceremonies stuff dry-cleaned, so at least it’s clean. I think it’s kind of sharp. HOOP: A rookie won WNBA season MVP, but u r finals MVP at 34. Give a shout out to those over 30. Katie: 30 and up is like a fine wine = ) HOOP: How did the Shock win the finals in three straight. Was everyone just done with the long season? Katie: We wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and not let San Antonio get any confidence. HOOP: u r such a selfless team player. So what is an honor like finals MVP like for u? Katie: If you play well, those things kind of happen without thinking about it. HOOP: What goes thru your mind when the final buzzer goes off? Katie: Relief excitement pride to play with the players and coaches in Detroit. HOOP: How much will it suck if Bill Laimbeer leaves? Katie: If he’s got a shot to coach in the NBA, which he wants, I hope he gets it. HOOP: He’s so macho, how is he so good at coaching women?

Katie: Behind closed doors, he cares about his players. He’s a loyal and smart guy. HOOP: Only good things? Katie: Of course, there are times where we get on each other’s nerves, but he’s good at what he does as you can tell by his success. HOOP: Playing overseas in the offseason? Katie: Maybe 1st of the year. Nothing concrete yet. HOOP: Ready for Russia, the second WNBA? Katie: Thats the hot spot ; ) HOOP: Did you pass on vet wisdom to some rookie? Katie: Alexis Hornbuckle would probably say I shared a lot every day. Probably annoyed her. HOOP: Taking a vacation? Katie: Going home to Columbus, OH. Catch up with people. Enjoy the dogs. Day to day activities. Grocery store. Enjoy time off. HOOP: Dogs with u in Detroit? Katie: They’re traveling buddies. HOOP: WNBA season is usually over by Sept. Weird when people r wearing sweaters. Katie: No kidding. It was in the 40s last night. HOOP: You ﬁnished off the Silver Stars nice and quick. People were ready to go. Katie: We made a lot of people’s wishes come true. —Lois Elfman #40

Faces

036

SMITH: GARRETT ELLWOOD; ALLEN EINSTEIN (2); GARRETT ELLWOOD (3 ); ALLEN: ALL PHOTOS COURTESY NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

THE MANY FACES OF... RAY ALLEN

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overheard “That’s OK, it’s practice. When the season starts, he won’t be playing.” —Yao Ming responding to a block rookie teammate Joey Dorsey got on him during practice

“Jason is one or two frames ahead of everyone else. If everyone is watching a movie, he knows when the guy is going to kiss the girl before everybody else does.” —Charlotte Bobcat Matt Carroll’s response to teammate Adam Morrison’s haircut of his signature long locks

“You’re not a badlooking guy, believe it or not.’’

YAO: ROCKY WIDNER; KIDD: GLENN JAMES; MASON: NED DISHMAN; MORRISON: STREETER LECKA; SHAQ & FESENKO: MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

—Rick Carlisle talking about Mavericks’ point guard Jason Kidd

“I light up when I talk about architecture.” —Roger Mason Jr.

“He looks all swole up on the cover and I know he’s not that big in person. That’s the one thing I noticed. It looked like they put my body on his face.” —Ime Udoka on Tony Parker’s image on the cover of NBA Live 09

“I realize that I am not big, I am not strong. I am small girl compared to Shaq.” —Kyrylo Fesenko after matching up with Diesel during the preseason

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the fab ﬁve

JUMPBALL

A LONGTIME POP CULTURE AFICIONADO, JALEN ROSE PITS HIS PERSONAL TASTES AGAINST SOME NOTABLE PERSONALITIES. UP THIS MONTH: SOULJA BOY.

Jalen Rose

Soulja Boy

Posters on Your Wall “George Gervin’s “Iceman Cometh.” Master of the ﬁnger roll, this fellow Detroit native should be listed in the dictionary next to “scoring machine” and “smooth.””

“I didn’t have any posters on my wall. I was broke! [laughs]”

Childhood Celebrity Crush “Halle Berry—a hall-of-fame pick—she has held down this spot for a couple decades and still counting.”

“Beyoncé! Or Meagan Good. Either one of them.”

Favorite Holiday Gift “Atari 2600. Technology has changed for the better, but Stargate, Defender, Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-Man and Frogger would keep me busy daily.”

“Playstation 2. I was happy as hell!”

Worst Hairstyle “A soup-bowl haircut with words and sayings carved in the back on my head. Terrible.”

“Man, I had a Jheri curl with a bowl fade [laughs]. I got roasted for like a good two weeks straight in school. It was pretty bad.”

Movie That Makes You Cry “Boyz N The Hood. Ricky was dealing with the positive and negative elements of growing up in the inner city and dreamed to make it out one day.”

038

“The Pursuit of Happyness.”

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JUMPBALL

BY ZAZA PACHULIA #27

CHECKING THE LEAGUE’S FASHION GAME A fresh face on the style scene, HOOP’s Style Ed Zaza “ZQ” Pachulia of the Atlanta Hawks brings a bit of European perspective to the League’s fashion sense

Chris Paul

Stephen Jackson

The style of his outﬁt is somewhat similar to Shawn Marion’s, but nowhere near as well put together. His jeans are too baggy, his shirt is untucked; he just doesn’t pull it off nearly as well as Marion. Marion does has more experience than Pecherov, so maybe as Pecherov gets older he’ll be able to get some better clothes.

This is a very simple outﬁt, so I don’t have much to critique. CP looks very professional. The only complaint I have is that I don’t think the sweater he is wearing matches his suit all that well. But, maybe it was cold in Barcelona and this was all he had. I don’t have a problem with people wearing sweaters with suits in general, but I just don’t like the combination of colors he has working.

This is the ﬁrst time I’ve seen this color combination in a suit before, and I can’t say I’m a huge fan. The colors just don’t go well together. Maybe he is trying to make a new fashion statement, but I don’t know that this look would be that popular. If you want to start a new trend, you at least have to match the colors.

Jarvis Hayes and Vince Carter I really don’t like either of their outfits, but at least they aren’t on their way to a game. They are arriving at a hotel in Paris, which means they just had a long flight across the Atlantic. When you are flying for that long, comfort is more important and both of them look very comfortable. Since I know what it’s like to fly overseas, I’m not going to criticize them. If this were a game I’d definitely have something to say. At least I like their Louis Vuitton bags.

040

ZQs’s Nattiest: Shawn Marion

This is the winner for this month, hands down. Shawn looks very well dressed in this picture. Everything ﬁts him well—you can tell he had this made speciﬁcally for him. I like his combination of colors, and I like the big belt buckle he has going there. I like it so much, in fact, I’m going to have to ask him where he bought it the next time I see him so I can get one as well. If you are looking for how to dress like a stylish NBA player, this is about as good as it gets.

PACHULIA: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM; PECHEROV, PAUL: JESSE D. GARRABRANT; JACKSON: GARY DINEEN; MARION, CARTER, HAYES: RANDY BELICE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Oleksey Pecherov

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brack-it EIGHT THINGS. ONE UNDISPUTED CHAMP.

JUMPBALL

BEST INDIVIDUAL SEASON

Bill Russell ’61-62 vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ’71-72

Oscar Robertson ’61-62 vs. Shaquille O’Neal ’99-2000

Two of the greatest big men in NBA history go toe-to-toe in our ﬁrst battle. In one corner you have Bill Russell: League MVP, NBA champion, with 18.9 ppg, 23.6 rpg and 4.5 apg. In the opposite corner stands Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, still rocking the afro and the green Bucks jersey, packing in 34.8 ppg, 16.6 rpg, 4.6 apg with a League MVP and scoring title to boot. Now, it should be noted that in a year when Oscar Robertson averaged that trip-dub and Wilt reached the century mark, Russell took home the MVP trophy. When you match up assists it is pretty much a wash, and Russell had seven more boards a game, while Kareem scored almost 16 more points a game. We hate to send him home packing, but in a split, controversial decision, Kareem advances to the second round.

The Big O against The Big Aristotle, a.k.a. The Big Diesel, a.k.a. ... well you get the idea. Oscar ﬁnished ’61-62—arguably the greatest season of individual accomplishments in NBA history—by averaging a triple-double. Wait, take a few seconds to let that marinate. A triple-double. 30.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg and 11.4 apg. Like Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse, that is crazy! Shaq’s ’99-00 campaign was nothing to sneeze at: 29.7 ppg, 13.6 rpg, three blocks a night, plus a League MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP and his ﬁrst NBA title (not to mention a scoring title). But averaging a triple-double— that is something nobody else has ever done. We know Shaq never likes to lose, but we think even he would bow out gracefully in this matchup.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Oscar Robertson Kareem was only in his third season when he picked up his second MVP. The year prior he led Milwaukee to an NBA title, but he fell short against his eventual suitors, the Lakers, in the playoffs. He would set career highs in field goals attempted and made, free throws made and points per game. Ten years before, Oscar also had career highs in field goals attempted and made in only his second year in the League. Kareem’s numbers are outstanding, but they fall just shy of the magic 30/12/11 line of Oscar. The Big O moves on to the finals.

Oscar Robertson vs. Wilt Chamberlain

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ALL PHOTOS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Nearly four decades after both of them lost to Bill Russell in the MVP race, Wilt and Oscar go head-to-head to decide who had the best individual season ever. On paper, it’s a landslide for Wilt: League leader in minutes, ﬁeld goals made and attempts, free throws made and attempts—he took 1,363 free throws!—rebounds and points. But those double-digit averages of Oscar’s in three categories are hard to overlook. Ice Cube may have messed around and got a triple-double, but Oscar was no joke, a threat to post one each of the 80 times he stepped on the court. Consider this: Wilt averaged 20 more points per game, but Oscar had nearly nine more assists per game, accounting for approximately another 18 points. Russell has his MVP from ’61-62, Wilt has his 100-point game, but we give the best individual season of that year—and any year in NBA history—to The Big O.

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BY SETH BERKMAN #91

Larry Bird ’85-86 vs. Wilt Chamberlain ’61-62 You may know the one magic number from Wilt Chamberlain’s ’61-62 season: 100. On March 2, 1962 he scored 100 points in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks. That game forever will stand as the hallmark of NBA records, but don’t neglect what The Stilt did on the whole. He averaged 50.4 ppg and 25.7 boards a night. These days a player would consider one game of 50 points or 25 rebounds a career night. Chamberlain did that every time he stepped on the ﬂoor! Bird’s career was at its height in the mid-’80s, and his 25.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 6.8 apg—not to mention 42.3 percent shooting from three, a League MVP, a Finals MVP and an NBA title—solidify his claim as one of the game’s greats, but no one will ever again have a season like Wilt did 37 years ago.

Michael Jordan ’88-89 vs. Magic Johnson ’86-87 Once again we have Michael Jordan taking on Magic Johnson. One year after winning League MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and a scoring title (35.0 ppg), and two years after averaging 37.1 ppg, Jordan’s scoring numbers dipped, but he had arguably the most complete individual season in his storied career: 32.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 8.0 apg were as close as anyone has come to matching Oscar’s ’61-62 numbers, and to cap it off he hit that magical shot over Craig Ehlo in the playoffs. Earvin, meanwhile, picked up a League MVP, a Finals MVP and an NBA title to go with 23.9 ppg, 12.2. apg, 6.3 rpg and 1.7 spg. It’s a close one, but we give the edge to Michael by a hair.

Wilt Chamberlain vs. Michael Jordan

If there’s one thing Michael Jordan never did in his career, one record he never broke, it was topping Wilt’s 100-point game. Jordan did score 52 points three times in his ﬁrst 12 games this season and topped the Curtis Jackson mark three more times (and never scored less than 18). But six 50point games pales in comparison to a season average. You can talk about the level of competition and how much more advanced MJ’s game was, but you can’t deny the numbers. We don’t care if he was playing in the Stone Age or against Biddy League competition, 50 and 25 is just silly. Michael may be the GOAT, but there was one year where Wilt got the better of him.

BEST INDIVIDUAL SEASON OSCAR ROBERTSON ’61-62

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Catching Up With...

JUMPBALL

BY BRETT BALLANTINI #97

HOOP: And music was almost immediately a part of that calling? Cummings: Later that summer I was visiting my grandparents and I had a dream about Jesus coming back to Earth and I was saying that I wasn’t [ready] yet. That dream scared me to death. The next day, my chore was to clean up our church, and I was with two other boys. I was still shaken, so we were singing church hymns to pass the time. The spirit moved me to start playing the organ, then and there. I’d never played before, but right there I wrote my ﬁrst song, “Running the Race.” HOOP: Was it a natural move, then, to get into music after your playing career? Cummings: Music was always with me. I’d always sung, even as a little kid. I’d been writing poems since I was 15, and I wrote a lot during my career, hundreds of poems. And actually, I was in the music business before my career ended. I did a lot of instrumental stuff for BET in the late ’80s and early ’90s. HOOP: But how did you go from battling Marvin Webster4 to channeling Marvin Gaye?5 Cummings: It’s funny that it took me awhile, not only because of my creative background but because I encouraged a number of people into the business. Wayman Tisdale,6 who I faced many times in the NBA, was a guy I pushed into a musical career. I’ve been working toward stepping out on my own for a long time, but it was more recently that I decided it was time to really give music a full try.

TERRY CUMMINGS You’d expect one of just a handful of players in NBA history to log 18 or more seasons to have a prominent placement on the League’s all-time lists. And indeed Terry Cummings does, ranking 37th in points with 19,460, 48th in rebounds with 8,630, and even 57th in steals with 1,255.1 Of course, Cummings’ one-time graybeard status shouldn’t get in the way of acknowledging that he was a First Team All-American at DePaul, NBA Rookie of the Year,2 and a two-time NBA All-Star. He also played in 13 postseasons and was a member of six division winners. But to merely attend to T.C.’s basketball prowess overlooks the man of faith and the artist within. Or, put another way, we’re almost certain there aren’t many NBA veterans who can marry off a teammate3 and then be the centerpiece of the wedding band at the reception.

HOOP: Reviews of your most recent CD, T.C. Finally, have been very favorable. How would you describe it to fans that know you more for hook shots than lyrical hooks? Cummings: It’s really good! [laughs] You could call my music inspirational R&B and soul. It’s the music I grew up on in the ’70s. I play keys, sing and write. We draw good crowds and get a great response from fans. HOOP: So it’s not wrong to hear some Brother Marvin in your phrasing on the album? Cummings: It’s no coincidence, I’ll tell you that. Sam Cooke and Al Green are big inﬂuences of mine, as is Marvin. If you want to say I sound like Marvin Gaye, I’m not going to argue with you! [laughs]

BONUS POINTS 1. All in all, Cummings resides in the top 100 all time in 23 major statistical categories. 2. As a rookie in ’82-83 with the San Diego Clippers, Cummings averaged 23.7 ppg and 10.4 rpg, both career bests.

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3. Cummings performed the service at the wedding of then-San Antonio Spurs teammate Sean Elliott and Akiko Herron. 4. Cummings was also a teammate of “The Human Eraser” (because of Marvin’s penchant for “erasing” shot attempts) in Webster’s last NBA season, ’86-87. 5. The lead single on T.C. Finally is titled “Marvin’s Vibe.” 6. Tisdale went on to become a popular smooth jazz bass guitarist and has released eight albums to date.

ANDY HAYT/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

HOOP: I’m sure many opponents didn’t know that the beast under the boards they were facing was an ordained Pentecostal minister. How did that come about? Cummings: [laughs] I was a minister before I ever was a pro basketball prospect. But the two have always been connected. I was 16, on the playground basketball court, when I felt a spirit telling me I was chosen to do special work. HOOP

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JUMPBALL

CARLOS

BOOZER

CARLOS BOOZER Forward 6-9, 266, Utah JAZZ

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SCORING Think fast: Name the only NBA player to average 20 ppg and 10 rpg over the past two seasons. That would be Carlos Boozer, one of the most underappreciated power forwards in the League today. Perhaps he’s overlooked because of the Duke curse, but despite his brawny appearance, he’s arguably the best mid-range jumpshooter at the 4 not named Kevin Garnett. Boozer is just as comfortable stepping out to 18 feet to knock down one of his sweet textbook Js as he is finishing around the rim, his eloquent footwork making an athletic up-and-under just as likely as a baby hook in the paint. And having a distributor like Deron Williams to find him no matter his position on the floor enables the seventh-year forward to utilize all the tools on his belt. FLOOR GAME His floor game mainly consists of setting screens for pick-n-roll mate Deron Williams; of course, being a Jerry Sloan disciple, he does so with aplomb. It’s how he gets a decent chunk of his points, after all. Boozer also is, inch-for-inch, one of the game’s best rebounders. His box-out technique is impeccable, and his positioning is equally adept (not surprising, considering Mike Krzyzewski and Sloan love the fundamentals), helping him corral double-digit boards the past two seasons and three times in his seven seasons in the League. He is a solid passer to boot—both out of the post, either high or low, or out of the double team, averaging nearly three helpers per game since making the move to Utah in 2004. DEFENSE He may be big, as we mentioned before, but Boozer is also undersized for the 4. His 266-pound frame allows him to hang tough in the paint when he has to, but standing only 6-9 leaves him susceptible to taller adversaries who can simply launch their shot over the top of him. He also plays in a system that values a bruising, sometimes ham-handed approach to defense, one that has led the League in fouls the past few seasons and in which the definition of help defense is typically a not-so-friendly hack and a whistle. While we can’t argue with the credo of making your opponents earn their points, it certainly is a self-limiting defensive philosophy, especially for a team’s big men. CLUTCH PLAY Boozer’s versatility and Sloan’s willingness to sometimes draw up plays for him at the end of the game suggest that he is clutch. But most of the evidence points to the contrary. Some of it can be attributed to his size: In late-and-close situations, opponents will obviously shore up their interior defense with big shotblockers, one explanation for why Boozer last season shot his clutch-time jumpshots at a higher clip than his close field goals (.640 effective field-goal percentage on Js, .500 on close attempts—nearly a quarter of which were blocked!). His stats in the 2008 postseason look anemic compared to his previous trip, attributable to the Rockets and Lakers both stating a preference to shut him down and let the rest of the team beat them. But if he can’t deliver when it counts most, even with the extra attention, it’s hard to count on Boozer as clutch. LEADERSHIP Boozer no doubt is at a disadvantage here. Despite being one-half of one of the League’s best guard-forward duos, he plays for a coach in Jerry Sloan who is predisposed to handing the reins of his team over to his point guard. And when that point is as gifted at scoring as he is distributing, it’s no small wonder that it’s more often D-Will who imposes his will on the direction of the Jazz rather than Boozer. Couple that with his messy exit from Cleveland four years ago, and granted, he doesn’t come off as the greatest of leaders. But we wouldn’t be surprised if spending an entire summer shoulder-to-shoulder with the League’s best helped him glean some useful skills in this department.

THE VERDICT

PAU GASOL

Boozer is one of the most bruising forces in the League, but Gasol’s skillset is the kind GM’s dream about for a seven-footer. His talents should not only be more

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SCORING Pau Gasol should eclipse 10,000 points early this season, his eighth in the League. He has never averaged less than 17.6 ppg, the bulk of that coming during his days as the top scoring option for his six-and-a-half-year stay in Memphis. With Kobe now by his side, Pau no longer is the top offensive threat, but if the 18.8 ppg he averaged during his 27 games with the Lakers in ’07-08 are any indication, he should continue to get his on a nightly basis. With an ability to create off the dribble and wet a jumper from 15 feet, Gasol is a rare breed of versatile big man who can score anywhere inside the arc. If there is one area we’d like to see him improve, it would be using his size and wingspan to get more buckets in the paint. FLOOR GAME Very few men who stand 84 inches have the ability to make things happen with the ball in their hand like Gasol does. You will often catch him on the wing beating his man off the dribble, or spinning or just blowing by his defender on the baseline en route to a two-handed flush. His slender frame allows him to move up and down the court with ease without the ball, allowing him to be at the receiving end of many alley-oops first from Mike Bibby, then Jason Williams and now Kobe Bryant. A decent passer, Gasol is turnover prone, but much more steady at all points of the floor, not just in the post as is the case with Boozer.

BOOZER: MELISSA MAJCHRZAK; GASOL: NOAH GRAHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

DEFENSE Gasol has averaged nearly two blocks a night throughout his career, displaying an intensity down low that some wish he’d show more often on offense. Sometimes overmatched by brawnier bigs, Gasol seems to always hold his own and not get too frustrated, as he’s never been one prone to fouls (only about two a game). With his ridiculous wing span, he is a potent force against guards driving to the hole and can even keep up with athletic forwards on the outside. Now, with Andrew Bynum at his side, he can spend more at the 4, where he is more comfortable and provides a tough matchup for any power forward in the League. And he can still help out against the big, bad centers out West if need be. CLUTCH PLAY During his days in The Volunteer State, there was no doubt Gasol was the go-to guy for the Grizz. But in Hollywood, the spotlight shines squarely on #24. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t had his share of clutch moments. Dude almost single-handedly led Memphis to a miniresurgence earlier this decade when the Grizzlies made three straight playoff appearances. And when it comes to international play, whether his opponent is speaking English, Mandarin or French, they know Gasol is getting the ball with the game on the line. With a free-throw percentage near 73 percent for his career and that sweet stroking J, we wouldn’t want many other bigs with the rock in crunch time, but unfortunately, thanks to the otherwordly talent at his side, we’re not sure Pau will get many of those looks anymore. LEADERSHIP In 2006, when very few gave their country a chance, Spain captured the FIBA World Championship, with Pau taking home MVP. Even though he couldn’t compete in the ﬁnal, his inspirational play spurred his team to the gold. The next year, after his team already clinched a spot in the 2008 Olympics thanks to their ’06 win, he still competed for his country and led the Spaniards in scoring, blocks and rebounds as they nearly captured the European Championship if not for a buzzer-beater by Russia in the title game. We think after the sour taste of last year’s NBA Finals defeat, Gasol will be determined to play an even bigger role—vocally and by example—as the Lakers look for redemption.

PAU GASOL

PAU GASOL Forward/Center 7-0, 250, Los Angeles LAKERS

valuable to his team come this year’s playoffs, but they also put him past C-Booz in this head-to-head matchup.

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ﬁrst ﬁve 05 Ime Udoka

Guard/Foward San Antonio Spurs Through all the stops in the minor leagues1 and Europe,2 Ime Udoka never lost faith. “I figured if I played hard every time I was on the floor, whether it was in practice or a game, I would be rewarded,” says Idoka. “It’s worked out nicely for me. It shows hard work does pay off.” Udoka signed with the San Antonio Spurs3 last season—his fourth NBA team4 in four years—and became one of their most valuable reserves, especially in the playoffs. The 6-5 swingman from Portland State5 modeled his game after veteran teammate Bruce Bowen, the man Udoka might eventually supplant as the Spurs’ defensive ace. “When I got here, I saw how hard Bruce worked and I knew I had to play like that to stick in the League,” he says. “On this team, it’s about hard work. It was a good fit for me. Practicing with someone like Bruce every day and then seeing how Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili practice just as hard, it kind of made it easier for me.” Udoka won’t take any of his success6 for granted. When he was in college, he dreamed of a career in the NBA. That dream is now a reality, and he wants nothing more than for it to continue for a long time. “Getting here and having success is all worth the years of effort,” Udoka says. “I feel like I deserve to be in the NBA because of the work I put in to make it.”

BONUS POINTS 1. Udoka has played for the Fargo-Moorhead Beez of the International Basketball Association, the Adirondack Wildcats of the United States Basketball League and the Charleston Lowgators and Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League. 2. In ’04-05, Udoka played 15 games and averaged 8.1 ppg for Auna Gran Canaria of the Spanish League. He also played in nine games for Vichy in the French League. 3. Udoka appeared in 73 games for the Spurs and 16 more in the playoffs. He was a key contributor in the postseason, averaging 5.4 ppg off the bench. 4. Udoka began his NBA career with the Lakers and also had stints with the Knicks and Trail Blazers. Udoka was also in training camp in ’05-06 with the 76ers. 5. In college he sat out the ’98-99 season after transferring to Portland State. In 24 games with Portland State the following year, he averaged 14.5 ppg and earned First Team All-Big Sky honors. Udoka played two years of junior-college basketball at Eastern Utah and then played at the University of San Francisco in ’97-98. 6. Udoka competed for the Nigerian National Team in the 2006 FIBA World

FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Championship.

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BY BILL HEINZELMAN #20

Yi Jianlian

Forward New Jersey Nets Hours before the New Jersey Nets took the court against the New York Knicks on October 24 for their final pre-season game, Yi Jianlian was hard at work, sitting alone in the locker room studying game film as most players moseyed about or listened to music. Even though Yi was inactive that night, resting his sore right foot, the preparation for his first season with the Nets is all-consuming. “We’re working hard,” says the 7-foot power forward from Guangdong Province in China.1 “[There’s] a lot of new offensive plays [to remember].” In only his second NBA season, Yi is already at a crossroads in his career. Drafted sixth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2007, after a fast start Yi slowed down as his rookie season wore on and finished with a disappointing 8.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg.2 To the surprise of many, however, the Bucks opted to trade the athletic big man to the Nets in June—on Draft day, no less—as part of a package for Richard Jefferson. The move to New Jersey might have been a blessing in disguise. With a large Asian-American population in northern New Jersey,3 Yi is now one of the faces of the Nets franchise. “I’m proud of that,” Yi says. “But focusing on the court [and] playing hard, that’s the main thing for me.”

BONUS POINTS 1. Yi averaged 24.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 1.8 bpg for Guangdong in ’05-06. 2. Yi earned the ﬁrst double-double of his career with 29 points and 10 rebounds against Charlotte on 12/22/07. 3. Nearly 650,000 Chinese-Americans live in the New York metropolitan area.

ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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BY BRETT MAUSER #25

Dorell Wright

Guard/Forward Miami Heat BONUS POINTS 1. The graduate of South Kent Prep in Lawndale, CA, was the third of three high schoolers to come off the board consecutively in the 2004 Draft, a first in NBA history. Before Wright, Atlanta took Josh Smith at No. 17, and New Orleans opted for J.R. Smith with the 18th pick. 2. Wright cited the likes of Shandon Anderson, Derek Anderson and Eddie Jones as mentors during his first few years in Miami. 3. In Wright’s rookie season, the Heat lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to Detroit but responded a year later by beating Dallas for the franchise’s first NBA championship.

Growing pains might just be underrated—in fact, a blessing of sorts. He may not have known it at the time, but ask Dorell Wright now about them and he’d fess up. “To be honest, I’m pretty glad that in my rookie year I wasn’t just thrown out there,” says Wright, now 23 years old and four years removed from his League debut. It didn’t unfold the way he or any PT-starved rookie would have dreamed it would. Miami took Wright with the 19th pick of the 2004 Draft, straight out of high school,1 but he sat out all but three games with an abdominal strain and knee tendinitis. Instead of learning on the ﬂy, he became a full-time student on the sidelines. “You want to play bad, but you have to understand that the veteran guys2 in front of you [have] been in the League for a while,” Wright says. “You have to take that back seat, behind the scenes. I was fortunate to come to a team that was a contender.”3 Wright proved to be a quick study, and that has led to a steady increase in minutes—up from six a night in ’05-06 to an average of 25 mpg last year—as well as production, averaging nearly 8 ppg and 5 rpg for the Heat last season. The reward for his patience and aptitude: a new two-year deal in the offseason. “That shows they have conﬁdence in me and have seen good things out of me,” Wright says. “If I keep working hard, the sky should be the limit.”

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BY BRETT OLSON #36

LaMarcus Aldridge

Forward Portland Trail Blazers BONUS POINTS 1. The Blazers acquired Aldridge from the Chicago Bulls in a Draft-day swap in ’05 for the rights to Tyrus Thomas and Victor Khryapa. 2. As a sophomore at Seagoville High School in Dallas, Aldridge averaged 23 points and 13 boards in two games against then-senior Chris Bosh of Dallas Lincoln High School. 3. LaMarcus averaged 17.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg last year, ﬁnishing third in Most Improved Player voting.

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It’s the practice before game day for the Portland Trail Blazers, and head coach Nate McMillan just ended the twohour session known throughout the League as one of the toughest practices around. Most of the guys head for the exit, but a few stragglers, including LaMarcus Aldridge, stay on the court. With two rebounders, the third-year forward1 unloads every shot in his arsenal. Aldridge works on his top-ofthe-key jumper, his low-post fadaway, and a new one—a baseline three. By the time he’s done, about thirty minutes since his other teammates hit the showers, he explains that this work ethic comes from his youth, as a lanky 6-7 middle school kid without any moves. “I was just tall,” Aldridge says. “I don’t really think I had the skills, I was just taller than everybody and made layups all day.” LaMarcus’s older brother, LaVontae, who played ball until he blew out his knee in high school, knew his younger brother needed more than just layups to make it as a baller. He says they used to spend hours every day working on all aspects of his game, especially the fundamentals. “I actually saw myself getting better,” Aldridge says. “I averaged like 14 as a freshman—that’s not a lot—but when I went to high school2 and had my ﬁrst good year and I got my ﬁrst [recruitment] letter from [North] Carolina, I was like, ‘Oh, I can do this.’” And he has. The 6-11 forward hopes this year will be his breakout season.3 With the Blazers getting plenty of national exposure as a Western Conference playoff contender, Aldridge hopes his added time in the gym can help his team in the win column as well as earn him some recognition for this year’s All-Star in Phoenix. “I feel like this year I’ve worked harder,” Aldridge says. “I’ve put myself in a good position to be an All-Star.”

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BY MELODY #34

Mo Williams

Guard Cleveland Cavaliers BONUS POINTS 1. Williams, whose full ﬁrst name is Maurice, says one of his biggest strengths is his leadership qualities. “I am an old soul wrapped in a young body. I live a 40-something life. I have four boys. I’ve seen things and learned from experiences that I’ve been through already having the opportunity to be an adult at a young age. I try to pass that on.” 2. Last season with the Bucks, Williams started all 66 games he played in, averaging 17.2 ppg, 6.3 apg and 3.5 rpg in 36.5 minutes a night. 3. The Alabama alum was traded from the Bucks in August; in exchange the Cavaliers sent Joe Smith to Oklahoma City and Damon Jones to Milwaukee.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Mo Williams says he’s never been afraid to take the big shot.1 In his six seasons in the League, his game has always been on point in the fourth quarter. “I’ve always had the ball in my hands in the fourth quarter at crunch time, even in Milwaukee, making plays for myself and teammates,”2 says Williams, who was acquired by the Cavaliers in a three-team trade this offseason.3 “You just get in that mode. You’re more focused, you’re concentrating more on the game, and on every shot, on every possession, and just have to have conﬁdence that you’re going to make it.” The 6-1 Williams’ ability to step up, hit the open shot and score adds versatility to the squad and helps boost the Cavs’ offense, giving them a complementary piece to All-Star LeBron James the likes of which they’ve never been able to pair with him before. “In the fourth quarter, that’s a lot of pressure off me and at the same time, that’s pressure off of [LeBron] because you know he’s ready to take that big shot and make the big play and so am I,” Williams says. “LeBron is so unselﬁsh as a basketball player. When he’s triple- or doubleteamed, which is always going to happen, he will give it up.” Fans are already cheering on Williams and James as a sort of Batman and Robin tandem. “The good thing about it, I don’t mind being Robin. Robin got a lot of love,” Williams says with a laugh. “Yeah, I’d love to be Robin.”

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24 seconds with TYSON CHANDLER HOOP: You knocked out Dallas last year and took the Spurs to seven games. What did that mean to your team? Chandler: It was a growing year, reaching the second round and being one game [away from] the Conference Finals. It was a good year and is really [good] motivation for this year. HOOP: How high is the bar set now? Chandler: It’s at the roof. The goals are the same, but the guys are more focused mentally. HOOP: Where is your game1 at this stage of your career? Chandler: I feel good about where I’m at. I’m getting an opportunity to do what I’m capable of on the court and I’m putting a lot of work in. HOOP: Talk about your leadership role. We hear you were the one pulling the guys together early last season, asking, “Why not us?” Chandler: At some point, if you want to be the leader, you have to rally the troops. But that doesn’t have to happen often with this team. Guys come prepared. HOOP: Speaking of leadership, we read your blog2 about meeting Barack Obama. Chandler: That was life changing. I never thought I’d have an opportunity to meet a president or future president. But to be able to have a conversation with him was an incredible experience. HOOP: What were your impressions of him? Chandler: He exceeded all my expectations. He’s a very humble guy. I was impressed with how much he knew about us and the sport. HOOP: He played basketball in high school3, you know. Chandler: I didn’t. I knew he was a big fan, but now I know why. I’m sure he’s going to have a hoop in the White House. HOOP: If you were invited for a pick-up game, would you still be aggressive, or would you tone it down? Chandler: The Secret Service would be there, so I’d probably have to watch what I do. I wouldn’t throw any elbows at him, but I think I’d have to go at him a little bit. HOOP: Why don’t you ask for a role on his staff? Chandler: Yeah, I could be his personal rebounder. I don’t want to make decisions for the country, but I could help him out rebounding when he gets those shots up. HOOP: We were thinking Secretary of Defense. Chandler: That’s a good title. I like that.

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HOOP: Have you found yourself more interested in politics now after meeting him? Chandler: I have. I always thought politics were for your parents or grandparents, never my generation. But I think he’s bridged that gap. HOOP: You list 300 and Gladiator as two of your favorite movies. Those seem to ﬁt your game. Chandler: I’ve probably watched them too much. I think I’m out there trying to be a gladiator, but that’s my personality. HOOP: You’re ﬁerce on the court, but a laid-back guy off it. Seems like you might have multiple personality disorder. Davis: People come up to me all the time and are timid. But after I’m talking to them, joking around, they’re like, “I didn’t expect that from you.” I guess they expect me to be growling and intense. HOOP

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24 seconds with TYSON CHANDLER

HOOP: If only they knew that The Price is Right is one of your favorite4 TV shows. Chandler: Yeah, I always watched that with my grandparents when I was growing up. So I just kind of stuck with it. HOOP: Bob Barker or Drew Carey? Chandler: Oh, Bob Barker. No offense to Drew, but I haven’t gotten used to him yet. Bob was classic with his little mic and all that. HOOP: And when you’re not watching The Price is Right, you’re playing Guitar Hero? Chandler: I bought that for my brother and got addicted. I was teasing Melvin Ely about it last year. He was playing with this big ol’ guitar in his hotel room and I was like, “You’re playing videogames? What, are you a kid?” And then I found myself in front of the TV all summer. HOOP: What’s your favorite song to play? Chandler: “Slow Down...Take it Easy.”5 That’s the only reason I know rock songs, because of Guitar Hero. HOOP: So you’re a fantasy guitarist and a fantasy football GM? Chandler: I’m not doing the greatest. I’d be an awful real-life GM. I’m a little too cutthroat. Have a bad game and I’m trading you the next day. HOOP: What do you think about fantasy sports? Are they good for fan interest? Chandler: I think so. Everywhere I go, people are like, “I’ve got you on my fantasy team!” Fans are looking at the stat lines and getting more interested. HOOP: Chris Paul was among the top players drafted in most fantasy leagues this year. What’s it like playing with him? Chandler: He’s the best point guard in the world. He plays the game as if he’s an arcade game and somebody is controlling him with a joystick. HOOP: Switching directions like CP3, we hear that you’ve gotten into photography? Chandler: Yeah, I went to a wedding and this guy had a nice Nikon. He was taking all these pictures, while I was asking people to hold still for three seconds before my camera would ﬂash. So I got the same camera he had and started catching all those moments, and just got hooked.

BONUS POINTS 1. Now in his eighth NBA season, Chandler has career averages of 8.2 ppg and 9.1 rpg. 2. Chandler blogs for NBA.com and posts video updates on his ofﬁcial website, TysonChandler.com. 3. A 6-2 lefty, Obama won a high school championship at Punahou School in Honolulu and still plays whenever he can. 4. Chandler says Plinko is his favorite game on

The Price is Right.

released by the British rock band Foghat in 1975.

HOOP: What’s the one photo you’re most proud of? Chandler: I’ve got a beautiful picture of my daughter on the beach. I’ve got the ocean water behind her, a little sand on her face, her little curls are blowing. It’s ready for Baby Gap. HOOP: What does being a father mean to you? Chandler: It’s a huge responsibility, but a huge joy at the same time. I feel so fortunate to be a father, but I also feel a responsibility6 of raising human beings who are able to function and do good things in society.

6. Chandler teamed up with FitSchools and Men’s Health this season to ﬁght childhood obesity.

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ROCKYY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

5. It’s actually called “Slow Ride” and was

HOOP: Do you have a new appreciation for NBA photographers now? Chandler: Very much so. I can recreate things. I can tell my daughter “Hold on, do that again.” But the way they capture us in motion and get that one shot is incredible.

HOOP

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HOOP’S SECOND ANNUAL LOOK AT THE 26 WORDS AND INDIVIDUALS THAT DEFINE THE LEAGUE

All deﬁnitions except “Wet” and “Yoda” courtesy of Merriam-Webster Online

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not growing old or showing the effects of age adj. a dj. \\Ӥăj-lƎs\ Ӥăj-lƎs\

ageless

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LISA BLUMENFIELD/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Back when Sam Cassell was a rookie in the NBA, Hillary Clinton was First Lady, Meatloaf and Mariah Carey ruled the pop charts, and gas cost less than one dollar. Fifteen seasons later, Cassell is still running offenses and nailing daggers, a vital component in the Celtics latest resurgence as top dog in the NBA. Sure he has played for eight teams, but he’s also copped three rings and turned franchise like the Nets (pre-Jason Kidd) into a playoff team and the Timberwolves (next to Spree and KG) into contenders. This season he probably won’t touch his career averages of 15.7 ppg and 6.0 apg, but more importantly, as Boston aims to win back-to-back chips for the ﬁrst time since ’68-69, they’ll have the invaluable experience of the old wise man wearing number 28 to turn to.

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Headline

Deck which player’s career was most affected by injury?

heedless of the consequences: audacious adj. a dj \Ӥbrash\ b as

NED DISHMAN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

brash Anyone who tattoos their last name across their back probably isn’t going to win any awards for modesty. But hate him or love him, DeShawn Stevenson clearly is a polarizing ﬁgure. And you know what? We kind of enjoy the brand of cockiness exhibited by #2 every time he drains a three and waves his hand in front of his face. We may not necessarily agree with his claim during last season’s Eastern Conference First Round playoff matchup between the Cavs and Wizards—you know, when he called LeBron James “overrated”—but we don’t mind him speaking his mind with regularity. His antics, ranging from the faux-hawk to the outrageous beard-growing contest, from the personalized wristbands (“The Wind Blow!!! My Flat Top Swang!!!” is our favorite) to the Usher video impersonation are all done in good fun—and for anyone with a sense of humor, just another reason to love the Wizards. And for a team that has lost three straight years to those Cavs in the postseason, perhaps a little swag isn’t a bad thing, as it has kept their prospects high for the upcoming season. “If healthy, we’re the best team in the Eastern Conference,” Caron Butler told the Washington Post earlier this year. DeShawn & Co. proved they can talk the talk; now we can’t wait to see them walk the walk. HOOP

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C marked by cleverness adj. \Ӥkă-jď\

cagey

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We know Brent Barry is talented; dude’s been playing been a regular role for NBA teams for well over a decade. But you wouldn’t place him among the League’s top players—or even the second or third tier. And yet he continues to play important roles for teams with title aspirations. It leads to the conclusion that there has to be a degree of caginess involved in his game. How else do you explain the ability of an unassuming 6-6 tweener to lead all active players in true shooting percentage and land himself 10th on the all-time list? Or how he transformed himself from one-time Slam Dunk champ to two-time NBA champ renowned as a long-range marksman and one of the key cogs in a slow-paced, almost mechanical offensive lineup (those title-hawking Spurs, of course)? It’s an impressive makeover for the veteran, a man who has endured 14 seasons of mostly role-playing save for a handful of seasons in Seattle. We don’t know for certain, but it’s entirely possible he learned his caginess after losing childhood pick-up games to his father, a 30-ppg scorer in his day and a purveyor of the ways of the old school. No doubt his hustle and persistence have made his old man proud. HOOP

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reducing to chaos, disorder, or helplessness: overwhelm adj. a dj. \\Ӥde-vƎ-stăt-tiƗ\ de vƎ stăt tiƗ\

devastating

BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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By Jeramie McPeek #4

Agent Orange Phoenix’s Amar’e Stoudemire is devastating foes in the desert with a scorching interior game Amar’e Stoudemire has had a lot of big games in his still-young NBA career. During his Rookie of the Year run in ’02-03, he had a 38-point showing at Minnesota and a 21-rebound effort vs. Memphis. He blocked 10 shots against Utah one night his sophomore season, and hung a career-high 50 versus Portland in ’04-05. That same campaign he averaged 37 ppg in the Western Conference Finals while matching up against Tim Duncan. But Stoudemire’s most impressive performance, at least at press time, came at the expense of the Indiana Pacers earlier in this, his sixth pro season. It was on November 5 to be exact, less than 24 hours after president-elect Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech in nearby Chicago. The now-26-year-old All-Star,1 who wore an Obama T-shirt during the team’s training camp and distributed early-voter registration forms to both teammates and residents of south Phoenix in the weeks leading up to the election, was on cloud nine the day after, and cloud 49 that night. As in 49 points.2 That is just the latest example of why we are giving Stoudemire a D in the NBA’s alphabet. D, as in devastating. In case you missed it, the total domination in Indiana, which featured a full SportsCenter’s worth of highlights, was much more than just a clinic on explosive dunks. Stoudemire hit 17-of-21 from the Conseco Fieldhouse ﬂoor, calmly knocked down all 15 of his free throw attempts, ripped down a game-high 11 boards, handed out a game-high six assists and snagged a game-high ﬁve steals. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, he also enjoyed a couple blocks for dessert.

“I had the best game of my career the day after the election,” he said proudly. “It definitely inspired me, knowing Barack Obama was our next president. “I was just totally into it. I was preparing myself religiously before the game. Once the ball went up, I was totally tuned in.” Stoudemire’s play against the Pacers and throughout the early goings of the ’08-09 season has not only been inspired by the election of the first African-American president of the United States, but by another leader that he has been studying. One who lived 2,500 years ago. In fact, the Suns’ power forward is so intrigued by the author of The Art of War, he has even adopted his name. Like Obama, Stoudemire is a big believer in change. He changed his jersey number from #32 to #1 prior to the ’07-08 season. He has changed his diet in recent years, cutting out pork, beef and shellfish—“I’ve become more fit, more shredded.” He’s even made some modifications to his names: He’s going from the accent over the e in Amaré to an apostrophe between the r and the e (Amar’e) and he’s even changed his nickname, retiring “STAT,” at least from the public eye, for the more mystic and cerebral “Sun Tzu.” “He’s an ancient Chinese warrior, one of the greatest warriors ever,” Stoudemire explains. “His method or idea for battle was to win by deception. So that’s kind of the way I try to prepare myself now before games, the way he prepared himself before battle.” Translated into “master sun,” the new handle fits perfectly, as Stoudemire is not only the Suns’ leading scorer, but also the future of the franchise with All-Star teammates Steve Nash (34), Shaquille O’Neal (36) and Grant Hill (36) all in their twilight years.3 Yes, Stoudemire has been a focal point of the team’s offense for several seasons, HOOP

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but he is now evolving into a leader and the Suns’ backbone. Fortunately for the citizens of “Planet Orange,”4 his broad, tattooed shoulders are prepared to carry the heavier the he heav avie ierr load.

ﬁnishers in the game today, he’s like a runaway freight train when catching the ball in transition. He gets up so high so quick and throws it down so hard, it’s easy easy to to forget forg fo rget et he he underwent unde un derw rwent the dreadedd

That’s something that we do and we’re the best in the NBA at it right now. It’s a great one-two punch.” The Suns floor general agrees, although perhaps p rh pe rhap apss not quite quit qu itee as bboisterously. oist oi ster erou ousl slyy.

typically plays with his face to the basket. But his most glaring deﬁciency is clearly his defense—not that he doesn’t have the skills necessary to become an effective defender. “He’s got speed, defendder de er. “H He’ ess go sppeed,, he can run,, he

‘The screen-and-roll with me and Steve is deadly. I can’t name one team that has stopped it or can stop it, or that is going to stop it.’

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microfracture surgery on his left knee only three years ago. But Stoudemire’s All-NBA arsenal does not consist of dunks alone. He worked hard on his shot and returned from his yearlong recovery with a smooth6 and, more importantly, accurate7 midrange jumper, making him that much more difﬁcult to guard. Likewise, the Suns’ bread-and-butter play is that much more effective now that he can score inside and out. “The screen-and-roll with me and Steve is deadly,” he says, matter of factly. “I can’t name one team that has stopped it or that can stop it, or that is going to stop it.

Nash is quick to praise his pick-and-roll partner, however, and is especially proud of his progress in learning the nuances of the game. “I think his ability to be patient with the ball, make the right read, kick it out of double teams, or feel when a guy rotates to him and make the extra pass ... he’s improving at all those things,” Nash says. “His left hand is getting better, too. He worked at it this summer.” There is still work to be done, of course. Close observers will note that Stoudemire could box out and rebound better. He could develop more post-up moves, as he

can jump and he’s a great athlete, so he has all the tools,” says Suns head coach Terry Porter. “I think now it’s just a matter of him getting the reps, learning the things that we’re trying to put into place, getting the angles down and making sure he’s in the right spot. But I think he’s committed. It’s an area where he knows he needs some growth, and as far as our franchise going forward, our success is going to rely on that.” Stoudemire is all too familiar with the doubts about his defensive prowess and acknowledges that he has work to do on that side of the court. But he is also quick

FROM LEFT: NATHANIEL S. BUTLER; D. CLARKE EVANS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

“I’m looking to take another step forward in my career, so I decided to change it up a little bit,” he says of the new nickname. “STAT is a family tradition. My brothers, cousins, uncles, everybody is STAT because it’s short for Stoudemire. But I needed something unique,5 something nobody has ever heard of. You have ‘The Answer’ for Allen Iverson. You have ‘The Truth’ for Paul Pierce. You have ‘King James’ for LeBron and ‘Flash’ for Dwayne Wade. Now you have ‘Sun Tzu’ for Amar’e Stoudemire.” The 6-10, 249-pound freak of nature has always been a samurai in shorts. Among the strongest and most dangerous HOOP

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to point out that he was an undersized center before the Suns’ midseason trade for Shaq a year ago moved him back to his natural position at the 4 spot. “II think tthi hink nk that ttha hatt helps,” help he lpss,” says says Stoudemire, SSto toud udem emir ire, e,

and I accept that challenge. “My thing is to try and eliminate anything that anyone can criticize about my game. I’m trying to really reach my full potential pote po tent ntia iall wi with th tthe he helpp of m myy te team teammates. amma mate tes. s.

O’Neal. “It’s kind of surprising that nobody talks about him like they talk about other guys. We just have to make sure that he gets recognized. That’s why from this day on I’m I’m m naming nam a ingg him ‘The Punisher.’

haven’t done what he’s done, but are getting more recognition.” Stoudemire appreciates the support and embraces the advice of his veteran teammate. team te amma mate te. But Buut in terms tter erms ms ooff th thee su sugg suggested ggested

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

‘My thing is to eliminate anything that anyone can criticize about my game. I’m trying to reach my full potential...to be a complete player.’ who now wears goggles after catching a ﬁnger in the eye during camp. “It allows me to crash the boards more defensively. I can roam more and come from the weak side to block more shots, and I’m also able to help my teammates out more, whenever a guy goes baseline. “Now I don’t have to bang with the centers every night, even though I do like getting in there and mixing it up sometimes. But it allows me to guard the guys I want to guard. I want to guard the David Wests. I want to guard the Dirk Nowitzkis and the Kevin Garnetts. I want to guard those guys. It’s a challenge for me

Cover every aspect, you know, to have no ﬂaws in my game at all. Being a great passer, rebounder, defender, scorer, winner; those are the avenues you have to take to be a complete player.” One of the game’s all-time greats, Shaq is a huge supporter of Stoudemire’s and is always giving him advice, sharing the wisdom of his 17 NBA seasons. Shortly after rolling into Phoenix last spring, The Diesel said he never realized how talented his “little brother” was. Now he’s launching a grassroots campaign on behalf of Stoudemire to spread the word. “He’s just gotten better every year,” says

“I told him he needs to start punishing people. Punish everybody for not knowing his name and punish all the players who

moniker, he said thanks but no thanks. He’s already got one. After all: “Sun Tzu was a punisher.”

Bonus Points 1. The 2009 NBA All-Star Game will be held in Phoenix on February 15 at US Airways Center, right across the street from Stoudemire’s Downtown, an upscale bar and restaurant. 2. Stoudemire thought he had broken his franchise record with 51 points against Indiana until the Pacers’ stat crew corrected a mistake after the game, giving one of his early buckets to teammate Boris Diaw. 3. Although Nash is nearing his mid-30s, he plans to play at least three more seasons. 4. PlanetOrange.net is the ofﬁcial social network for die-hard Suns fans. 5. The Suns’ big man was featured on the hit kids program Yo Gabba Gabba this fall, teaching the colorful characters his “basketball dancey dance.” 6. Stoudemire took piano lessons this past offseason, “For the ladies.” 7. Amar’e shot 59 percent from the ﬂoor in ’07-08 and was up to 64 percent this season at press time. HOOP

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E productive of desired effects; especially: productive without waste adj. a dj. \\i-Ӥ⇒ i ⇒-shƎnt\ s h Ǝ n t\

efficient

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RON TURENNE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Waste is not part of Jose Calderon’s vocabulary. His game may be methodical, even humdrum compared to Steve Nash’s boundless whirlwind creativity, but it is the very antithesis of wasteful. Every possession is to be valued, every dribble a step closer to the desired two or three points. How else do you explain this line from a nine-plus-game stretch in April: 76 assists, one turnover. Understand that all it takes for a turnover is one minor miscommunication with a teammate, one poorly placed or timed dribble, one extra little jab step beyond what is allowed for in the rulebook. And for 224 minutes, Calderon’s record was nearly flawless. Even by his own lofty standards—a League-leading 5.38-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season—he should have turned the ball over 13 more times than he did during that run. And we haven’t even touched his shooting percentages yet: field goals, 52 percent; three-pointers, 43 percent; free throws, 91 percent. Despite hailing from a country recently chastised by the EU for its numerous illegal landfills, Calderon is a shining beacon of waste prevention, a man who treats basketball possessions as gold. HOOP

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F frenzied, frantic adj. a dj. \\fri-Ӥne-tik\ fri ne tik\

JIM ROGASH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

frenetic

There may be other—some even better—choices to describe the word, but we’re sticking with Rajon Rondo. Just peep a Celtics game and you’ll understand why. Playing in a lineup that features the poise, gravitas, and the I’ve-played-over-10-years-in-this-League-so-I-know-how-to-pace-myself trio of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce only makes Rondo look like he’s operating at a speed measured by machs as opposed to knots. Couple that with the wayward drives that ward off defenders, the unpredictability of his improvisational game (once again, compared to the tried-and-true form of The Big Three) and, oftentimes, convincing balls fakes (you know the one where he stops on a dime and shows the ball, causing the defender to go flying by before he finishes with a simple layup) as well as courageous dunks (see Rondo’s stuff at full bore over noted shot-denier Jason Maxiell) and you have the personification of frenetic. HOOP

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G displaying grace in form or action: pleasing or attractive in line, proportion, or movement adj. a dj. \\Ӥgrăs-fƎl\ grăs-fƎl\

graceful

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Saving Grace

By Trevor Keamey #8

There is little doubt he is the Grizzlies’ best player, but Rudy Gay longs to be just a player on the best team You’d never know from the way he glides up and down the court, or the way he soars toward the rim with his arm cocked like he’s ready to redo that dunk contest1 every chance he gets, but Rudy Gay’s getting old. Not over-the-hill age, and certainly not tired-of-seeing-this-guy-ball old. His strides are still smooth and his dunks are prettier than ever. No, this is more like pass-outof-the-double team, get-back-on-defense, show-these-rookies-how-it’s-done wise. “I love winning—it’s tough to go out every day and lose. It’s not something I’m used to,” Gay says. “I have gray hairs to show it, and I’m only 22 years old.” A smile tips his hand: The 6-8 forward from UConn doesn’t look a day over his 22 years, and his playful dancing for a gameday video proves he’s still got the moves. Maybe his barber can conﬁrm a gray hair or two, but even up close it’s disputable. What’s not is his desire to win. After blowing up, growing up and becoming the face of the Memphis Grizzlies, Rudy Gay is starting to sound wise beyond his years.

“It’s very tough to be happy,” Gay says of being the best player on a losing team. “That doesn’t do it. When a person scores 50 points and loses, it’s not the same thing as winning. Last year was tough. It was a growing experience for me—I learned from that. It’s something I never want to go back to. Personally it was a good season, but it’s something I never want to go back to as a teammate.” Losing his way through his ﬁrst two seasons, Gay has learned a lot about the NBA. He knows about the business of the League; as Houston’s No. 6 pick2 in 2006, he was traded on Draft day and has now played on basically three different rosters for three different head coaches in his three seasons in Memphis. He has learned how to score—his 20.1 ppg led Memphis in ’07-083—and his smooth, highlight-reel dunks have not only made him a poster boy of the modern fastbreak but also earned him a spot last year in one of the most memorable Sprite Slam Dunks ever. He’s even replaced those faces he hung on his childhood bedroom—Clyde

Drexler, Michael Jordan and a few unnamed current players—with his own portrait, the “Pure Rudy: Young & Hungry” posters that ﬂanked him when he visited A.B. Hill Elementary School in October. “That reminds me of somebody,” Gay cracked to the nervous students, slipping relieved smiles onto faces all around. He’s learned that, too: It’s part of the NBA gig, making community appearances and giving back to the fans, but it’s not one that every player looks completely comfortable with. A conga line through the cafeteria is all it took to get Rudy comfy. Yet by all accounts, he has avoided developing a “get-mine” attitude toward playing, practicing or just doling out his free time. Talking about his ﬁrst two years, he shows the kind of graciousness you’d expect from a veteran who’s just looking to win a championship. He’s polite, introspective, and when he’s not entirely comfortable, he cracks that smile and gets comfortable. Like when teammate Hakim Warrick snuck into the reading circle at A.B. Hill Elementary to throw a wrench into

Gay’s out-loud book reading, “Pure Rudy” smiled and didn’t miss a beat. “I knew kids these days were getting bigger, but ...” Gay deadpanned, picking right back up with the story. “Young & Hungry” ﬁts Memphis perfectly—the rotation includes three rookies, a second-year point guard and two third-year players—but it’s a stretch for the team’s best scorer. By team standards, Gay isn’t all that young4—six Grizzlies have been in the League longer, but not one is a set-in-stone starter. And he’s beyond hungry. The 10-point jump in his scoring average last year was nice, but the backto-back 22-60 records weren’t. The praise for his rise was great, but sitting at home in May wasn’t. “Great players, particularly ones who score a lot of points, also help their teammates out,” Gay says. “That’s what I need to work on.” Gay spent the summer working on his ballhandling,5 rebounding and passing, because he knows opposing players are going to walk into the FedEx Forum thinking that if they can shut down his HOOP

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‘I could sit here and talk about me all day, but the more important thing to me is how good this team is going to be.’

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FROM LEFT: JOE MURPHY; GARRETT ELLWOOD; JOE MURPHY/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

scoring, all they have to worry about the rest of the night is the crowd on Beale Street. Yet you’re hard pressed to get Gay—or head coach Marc Iavaroni, for that matter—to proclaim that he’s the team’s best player and a threat to be reckoned with in the League. They’ll both admit it—alongside qualifiers such as Iavaroni’s “On paper” and Gay’s “I guess”—but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with lack of confidence in his game. “I could sit here and talk about me all day,” Gay says with the smile, “but the more important thing to me is how good this team is going to be.” The uncomfortable smile he sported when the cheers at A.B. Hill were noticeably louder for him than for his teammates slips onto his face when he talks about his stats, especially when his 14 teammates are shooting baskets on the court behind him or walking unquestioned by reporters to hit the weight room. “He’s not satisfied with losing and scoring a lot of points,” Iavaroni says. “He’s always walked off and judged

himself on the W or the loss, which is a very big step. That’s what the great players have always prioritized.” Being on that same page with his coach is exactly what the young Grizzlies need. More than post-up points, pretty dunks or nothing-but-net threes, they need a stand-up leader who’ll take the growing pains in stride and learn from mistakes. “He complained about it all summer in terms of what he needs to do—lamented is probably a better word,” Iavaroni says. “He’s tired of losing.” But is Gay is ready to be the Wise Man on a team of young men? The introverted demeanor, the hesitation over being the face of a team—“It’s kind of weird,” he admits of being on the “Pure Rudy” poster—has caused questions about his game and his desire before, but Gay’s ﬁnally got something on his side: perspective. “I used that to motivate me. I love to hear stuff like that,” Gay says of the knocks. “One, it lets you know you’re on people’s mind, and two, it makes you

want to go to the gym and get better. You can always get better at the job, and that’s what I try to do.” It didn’t take Gay long to answer the question. In the Grizzlies’ home opener, he shook off a slow ﬁrst half to lead his team back into the game, glided for a lob from teammate Kyle Lowry and capped his pretty alley-oop with a little tongue wagging as he got back on defense. And it didn’t take long for Iavaroni and Gay to shake those qualiﬁers, either: With the game tied and less than two seconds left on the clock,

Gay streaked up the baseline and drained a jumper for the win,6 triggering the video of his smooth moves and smile on the scoreboard screen. Iavaroni said after the game there was no question who was getting the ball in that situation, and Gay says that’s how he wants it. “I’m ready for it. I’m deﬁnitely ready for whatever is thrown at me,” Gay says. “And if I’m not ready, I can learn from it.” And that’s exactly how the young Grizzlies need Gay to develop—by growing gray gracefully.

Bonus Points 1. Rudy put on a show by enlisting the help of the YouTube community but was upstaged by eventual champ Dwight Howard.. 2. Memphis acquired Gay and Stromile Swift from Houston in exchange for Shane Battier. 3. Gay’s 37.1 mpg and 1.37 spg also paced the Grizzlies. 4. Check that: At 22 years old, Gay is pretty young. 5. Rudy’s 1-to-1.18 assist-to-turnover ratio was pretty glaring. 6. No stranger to game-winners, Gay’s buzzer-beater over Tim Duncan on 12/19/07 lifted Memphis over the then-defending champs San Antonio. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-G-Rudy Gay.indd 079

079

11/17/08 11:41:11 PM

marked by accord in sentiment or action adj.j. \här adj \här-ӤmĿ-nď-Ǝs\ mĿ nď Ǝs\

harmonious 080

SCREENCAPS COURTESY NBA.COM

For the sake of the pride of the men involved, we will refrain from referring to what Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler do on the court as a choreographed ballet. After all, their go-to play, the alley-oop, is a basketball move born of spontaneity; there is typically nothing coordinated about it except subtle eye contact or a quick, semi-private wave of a cutter’s hand, and the ball is airborne in short order. Here, it smacks of something rehearsed repeatedly—usually off a ho-hum high screen, no less—until this duo has successfully turned the sublime into the routine. And yet it’s not to the detriment of the beauty of the set piece. In fact, it enhances its appeal, the idea that two men so different in style and substance could both simultaneously tame such a wild beast and wield it as a potent weapon in their arsenal. It’s like watching the two best kids on the schoolyard—the one with the insane handle and the other who’s just more physically developed than everyone else—toy with opponents who are hapless to stop what comes as second nature to these two. It’s no small wonder why nobody else has tried this before; then again, the complementary skill sets of Paul—the explosive yet visionary point who can launch passes off his hip if he must—and Chandler—the offensively limited but no less efﬁcient and brute force around the bucket—combine to create a harmonious and ruthlessly effective halfcourt set. It’s about as unstoppable a play as you can ﬁnd in the League today. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-H.indd 080

11/14/08 7:56:33 AM

I constantly, regularly, or habitually active or occupied: diligent adj. a dj. \\in-ӤdƎs-trď-Ǝs\ in dƎs trď Ǝs\

BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

industrious There is nothing about Kevin Martin’s appearance to suggest industriousness. He is stick-thin, possessing frightening proportions (6-7, 185 pounds) for a man expected to bang with some of the most athletic, physically imposing men in the world. This is not to mention his nearly anonymous college career at Western Carolina, a fact that forced him to work that much harder to hone his craft against elite competition before his time in the League could be prematurely snuffed out. So what did he do about all that? Simple: he learned to use his motor to constantly drive into the teeth of the defense, attacking the rim with an undersized fearlessness and tirelessness made famous by one Allen Iverson. If his industriousness is geared toward anything, it’s toward the notion that in basketball there is nothing better than free points. Martin’s free-throw attempts have risen markedly in each of his four seasons (9.5 in ’07-08, ninth in the L), a consequence of the contact he seeks out on his way to the bucket. He hit 87 percent of them last season, leading to eight easy points a night to push his scoring average (23.7 ppg) nearly into the League’s top ﬁve (he ﬁnished sixth). When he isn’t moving with the ball, he’s using ball screens to wet midrange jumpers or, now, stepping out beyond the arc for threes (career highs in all things three-pointer last season). And it’s his ability to make all that effort look effortless that leaves fans scratching their heads at the end of the game, wondering how he just went off for 20-plus on their team. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-I.indd 081

081

11/12/08 2:25:17 PM

J markedly good-humored especially as evidenced by jollity and conviviality adj.j \ӤjĿ-vď-Ǝl\ j

jovial

082

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

It might be odd to associate joviality with a man twice your size, but Ronny Turiaf has plenty to be happy about. After finishing a stellar playing career at Gonzaga University, Turiaf was drafted 37th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2005 Draft. But shortly after signing his deal, it was discovered the 6-10 native of Martinique needed open heart surgery to cure an enlarged aortic root. After nearly six months of recovery, Turiaf made his debut with the Lakers but soon showed he was more than just a feel-good story. Over the next two seasons, Turiaf posted modest numbers across the board—never higher than 6.6 ppg or 3.9 rpg—but was a vital cog in the team chemistry that turned the Lakers from disenchanted franchise to fully gelled Western Conference champions. Whether it was taking a charge, coming from behind for a big block or just dancing spasmodically and waving his towel from the sidelines, Turiaf did those little things that often give teams a much-needed infusion of life during monotonous stretches of a game or even a season. Now, as he trades L.A. for the Bay Area, we couldn’t picture a better bunch of loose-flowing, freewheeling ballers for Turiaf to hook up with. They may not duplicate the success of last year’s Lakers squad, but there’s no doubt we’ll see a smile on Turiaf’s face every night he steps on the floor. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-J.indd 082

11/12/08 1:39:34 PM

K having or showing reckless disregard for safety or personal welfare adj. a dj. \\Өkä-mi-Ӥkä-zď\ Өkä mi kä zď\

KEVIN C. COX/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

kamikaze Gerald Wallace is like your favorite toy as a kid: he’s in the middle of all the action no matter what you were playing since he was so versatile, and no matter how many times he took a tumble and popped a stitch, tore off a limb or had a part come loose, there was always some glue, thread or duct tape to patch him back together for another go-around. With a nickname like “Crash,” you know Wallace is not afraid to throw his body around like a stuntman on a Jerry Bruckheimer set. But it’s Wallace’s energetic style that makes him one of the most multidimensional players in the game. Wallace’s list of injured body parts reads like a rundown of Operation game pieces: back, foot, ankle, calf, groin, shoulder (sorry, no Adam’s apple... yet). He’s even suffered a concussion and dehydration for good measure. Just peep Wallace’s uniform add-ons for a visual proof; arm sleeves, ankle and knee braces, hip and thigh padding, oversized mouthguard, and the occasional vest of armor under his jersey. Maybe it’s time to consider adding the helmet, Crash. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-K.indd 083

083

11/14/08 11:04:52 AM

L expressing direct usually intense personal emotion especially in a manner suggestive of song adj.j \Ӥlir-i-kƎl\

lyrical

084

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

—Now who’s the ﬁrst pick? Me, word is bond, and/Not a Christian Laettner, not Alonzo Mourning—Shaquille O’Neal from Fu-Schnickens’ “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock)” When we recognize Big Diesel as being lyrical, we aren’t necessarily referring to the aforementioned bars he spit when Cross Color jeans and Starter hats were still in style. We were thinking more along the lines of the best quote machine in the NBA today, the loquacious fella who has brought us gems such as, “If you go 72-11 and don’t win [the championship], it doesn’t mean anything. Actually it does. It means you’ve cheated and played an extra regular-season game.” And “I’m like the Pythagorean theorem. Not too many people know the answer to my game.” Or “Nietzsche was so intelligent and advanced. And that’s how I am. I’m the black, basketball-playing Nietzsche.” It’s often hard trying to pry quotes from NBA ballers, especially coming off a tough loss or when they are focused on the game at hand. But even at 36, Shaq has not lost his way with words one bit, and we couldn’t be any happier. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-L.indd 084

11/12/08 2:30:36 PM

possessing an extraordinary power or ability to attract adj. a dj. \\mag-Ӥne-tik\ mag-Ӥne-tik\

magnetic

SAM FORENCICH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Maybe it’s his big-kid demeanor or his ability to utilize his seven-foot frame to yam on opponents with ferocity only the Amar’es and Dwights of the world can match. But any way you slice it, Greg Oden has captured the League by storm. If the NBA were a comic-book world, with each of its characters embodying superhero-esque qualities, Oden would play the role of Magneto. Portland showed him love from day one and even though the rest of the country missed on seeing much of him last season—thanks to unfortunate microfracture knee surgery—he still kept us intrigued with a humble, happy-go-lucky attitude in interviews and frequent sidelines appearances during Blazers games. Seriously, how can you not like a guy who names his dog—which is about one-twentieth his size, by the way—Charles Barkley McLovin’? Shaq was the ﬁrst of the lovable big men; it took little more than a decade to get the next version (that effervescent 22-yearold down in Orlando). Luckily we don’t have to wait nearly as long for part three; he’s already arrived in the Great Northwest. Oh, and did we mention he’s barely played 20 games as a pro? HOOP

HOOP0102-f-M.indd 085

085

11/14/08 10:54:12 AM

N novice, tyro, beginner n. \Ӥnď-Ǝ-ӨfĦt\ ďƎӨ t

Neophyte 086

GARY DINEEN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Talk about pressure. There’s the whole thing about being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft—the ﬁrst point guard taken at the top spot since Allen Iverson. Being the hometown kid, raised on the South Side, who is supposed to resurrect a proud Chicago Bulls franchise, a team that his childhood idol, Michael Jordan, won six titles with—the ﬁrst of which took place when he was still young enough to be wearing Underoos. Don’t let the still-pimply face and under-21 driver’s license fool you, however: Derrick Rose is ready to shoulder the burden. As a freshman, Rose led Memphis to the NCAA Championship game, and while he came up short of a national title, he put his equal parts quick and strong PG game on display. He has also asked to be introduced at home games as “From Chicago...” This Rose may be green, but he’s ready to bloom. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-N.indd 086

11/12/08 2:33:32 PM

more than ready adj. \ӤĿ-vƎr-Ӥdü\

overdue

ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

It was great to see three diligent, dedicated and deserving vets cop rings last season when KG, Truth and Ray finally swatted the monkey off their backs. And we’re sure Jason Kidd was partly happy to see his NBA brethren win the chip. But we also think he must have been wondering if he’ll ever get to that mountaintop after coming oh so close to scaling it. He took the New Jersey Nets—yes, the New Jersey Nets!!!—from proverbial cellar-dwellers to the cream of the crop in the East. Granted, they were overmatched against the Lake Show in 2002, but they could have stopped the Spurs the next year if it wasn’t for an all-world performance courtesy of Tony Parker and some timely threes by Steve Kerr. As he begins his first full season in Big D since he rocked a flattop, Kidd now has Dirk and J-Ho by his side, ample firepower to contend for a title. But in the West, nothing is given to anyone and he must wonder if the clock will strike midnight before he gets one last shot at glory. Two-time gold medalist, an undefeated record in international play, nine All-Star nods, five All-NBA First Team selections, four-time All-Defensive First Team picks; all that’s missing is one very big gold bucket-and-ball. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-O.indd 087

087

11/12/08 2:37:28 PM

resembling a picture: suggesting a painted scene adj. \Өpik-chƎ-Ӥresk\

088

FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

picturesque HOOP

HOOP0102-f-P.indd 088

11/19/08 2:21:35 PM

one that is sought or pursued: prey n. \Ӥkwär-ď\

quarry

NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Nothing gets you noticed quite like a title. Not long after Paul Pierce raised the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the sky and unleashed a primal scream of anguish vanquished, the rest of the League mentally marked his back with a target. And KG’s. And Ray Allen’s. And that of every other member of the Celtics organization. The Celtics have what everyone else covets, and best believe everyone will do their level best to take it from the defending champs this season. If the C’s thought things were bad last season in the wake of The Big Three joining forces, what’s in store this season will dwarf those efforts. Who will it be? We can recite a laundry list of teams that undoubtedly have their eyes squarely ﬁxed on the boys from Beantown. Just look at the offseason arms race in the East—heck, in their own backyard, the Atlantic Division. The Sixers splurged for 20-10 machine Elton Brand. The Raptors shored up their interior play with the addition of Jermaine O’Neal. This is for keeps. The League is Boston’s dodgeball playground, a fun game of 1-on-29 now underway. We hope their aging limbs are feeling extra limber this season. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-Q.indd 089

089

11/12/08 2:40:26 PM

being in or nearly in the natural state: not processed or puri⇒ed adj. \Ӥr̗\

raw R

RON TURENNE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

090

HOOP

HOOP0102-f-R-Al Jefferson.indd 090

11/12/08 2:43:21 PM

Northern Star By John Nemo #16

The Timberwolves are in a state of rebuilding, but they have a bright spot in Al Jefferson “Let me ask you a question,” says Minnesota Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale, looking down1 at a reporter inquiring about what part of Al Jefferson’s game needs the most refining. “How would you like an article you wrote at age 21 to be the defining moment of your literary career?” McHale, watching over the tail end of a Wolves practice, shakes his head in disbelief and continues. “I marvel at today’s society, when they see a 21-year-old guy have three bad games in a row and say, ‘He can’t play in the NBA,’” he says. “Considering Al is 23 years old, I would hope that his game is still developing. At the same time, what he’s already doing at 23 years old is prolific. His ability at this age to get 20 and 10 every night is just ridiculous.” What became ridiculous during the ’0708 campaign was that teams kept trying to guard the 6-10, 265-pound Jefferson— rapidly emerging as one of the NBA’s best big men—one-on-one in the paint. “Teams that had a good defensive post man last year said, ‘OK, we’re going to play

Al head up, because we have a guy that we like,’” McHale says. “But by the middle of the third quarter they were double- or triple-teaming him. That’s usually a sign that a guy is pretty good, because you’ve made a coach change his whole philosophy in two and a half quarters.” Heading into this season, Jefferson’s game still might be more raw power than reﬁned polish, but there’s no denying the big man’s tenacity and talent down low. “No disrespect to nobody, but one-on-one, I feel like I’m a beast,” Jefferson says in his trademark Mississippi drawl. “I feel like I can get my shot off on anybody, I can score on anybody. Plus I got great shooters around me, so when they do double team me, I can get the ball off and guys will hit open shots.” Speaking of open shots, Jefferson worked all off-season on improving his own, constantly pumping in 15- to 18footers to expand his perimeter skills. Also high on his list of priorities: working on his left hand. “Guys know that I love the post, and I love to go to my right hand, so I just want to change it up a bit,” Jefferson says.

“Shift to my left hand, step out and hit that jump shot a little bit.” While the Wolves aren’t looking to turn Jefferson into a spot-up shooter anytime soon, team officials are thrilled the young man they’ve pegged as the franchise’s new cornerstone isn’t satisfied with where he’s at. “Al’s really playing with more confidence this season because he’s finally been through it for a full year,” Minnesota head coach Randy Wittman says. “He played significant minutes in every game last season and he got meaningful minutes at the end of every game for the first time. He was the go-to guy. He understood being double- and triple-teamed. Those are the kinds of things that if they happen to him now, he’s ready for it. It’s not a surprise. He knows how to combat it.” Combat it? To hear Big Al describe it, he craves it. “It’s fun to me to get down there and attract three or four guys that start attacking you,” he says with a smile. “And to be able to just go score up and under, do

a little move to show that you can ﬁnish no matter what. That’s what gets me going.” Jefferson has been going ever since he was a star football and basketball player growing up in tiny Prentiss, MS.2 By the time he was in eighth grade, he told those around him that he was going to play in the NBA—straight out of high school, no less. “I didn’t want to be no 6-10 guy working in a grocery store,” he says. “I didn’t want to be no 6-10 guy picking up garbage. I wanted to do something with my height. And luckily I was blessed with the skills to become a basketball player. It was just something I had to do. There wasn’t no other options.” It didn’t take long for Jefferson’s determination and work ethic to pay dividends. He made a laughingstock of his high school competition,3 averaging 42 ppg and 18 rpg as a senior. Scouts—college and professional—began descending on tiny Prentiss to see the kid whose thunderous dunks seemed to shake the bandbox gym where he played his home games (capacity: 200) to its very foundation. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-R-Al Jefferson.indd 091

091

11/12/08 2:43:55 PM

‘No disrespect, but one-on-one, I feel like I’m a beast. I can score on anybody.’

DAVID SHERMAN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

092

HOOP

HOOP0102-f-R-Al Jefferson.indd 092

11/12/08 2:44:21 PM

DAVID SHERMAN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

‘He’s got a great feel, great hands, he has a nose for the ball. There are so many things that are positive about him.’ —Kevin McHale There was talk of college ball— Arkansas and Mississippi State led the chase—but it was never a serious consideration for Jefferson. “I got no regrets about skipping college,” he says. “[Playing in the NBA] is something I’ve been preparing for since day one.” McHale remembers reading at the time about this seemingly mythical big man from Mississippi and wondering if the stats were too good to be true. “The numbers were completely ridiculous,”4 McHale says. “At the time you think, ‘Well it’s a high school kid.’ But when I saw him play in the NBA, I thought, ‘I like him a lot. He’s got a great feel, great hands, he has a nose for the ball. There’s so many things that are positive about him.’ The numbers are what got my attention first, but once I saw him play...” McHale never completely got Jefferson off his mind, despite the fact that the Boston Celtics’ 2004 first-round draft pick played sparingly and missed time his first two seasons because of injuries. But once Jefferson got healthy and started seeing

significant playing time, his numbers exploded. He finished the ’06-07 season averaging 16 ppg and 11 rpg despite playing in only 69 contests and not starting a game until December. Although he was still only 21 years old, the comparisons to past Boston big men—including one Kevin McHale5— began in earnest for Jefferson. Then came July 31, 2007, when McHale sent longtime Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for five players6 and two draft picks. Jefferson was the centerpiece of the deal, and a few months later Minnesota fans would understand why McHale and the rest of the coaching staff were so excited about the future despite having traded away Garnett. Jefferson’s debut campaign in Minnesota was equal parts humbling and encouraging. Minnesota finished a miserable 22-60, and Jefferson wilted at times under the weight of those swarming double- and triple-teams. But that didn’t stop the big man from posting career highs

of 21.0 ppg and 11.1 rpg to go along with 50 percent shooting. “You never know how the guy’s going to react,” Wittman recalls. “Some of Al’s reaction weren’t good, and especially as the year went on and he got a bullseye put on his back. He was facing double- and triple-teams constantly, and that frustrated him. But he learned how to do that. And that’s an area that when he sees it this year it won’t be a surprise.” Of that there is little doubt—teams are no longer going to take Jefferson’s talent for granted. For his part, the superstar-in-

training is hopeful the offseason addition of veteran sharpshooter Mike Miller7 and the continued development of his young teammates will translate to more victories for Minnesota. In the meantime, Jefferson has no problem carrying the load on his broad shoulders. “Not every guy is going to be able to be a franchise player or a great leader,” he says. “But for guys who get the opportunity to do that, if you want it, you got to take it. You got to show you can do it. And that’s why I’m here.”

Bonus Points 1. It’s hard not to look down at someone when you stand 6-10 like Big Mac, who won three NBA titles starring for the Celtics teams of the 1980s. 2. Jefferson loves the small-town life and still spends every off-season in Prentiss. “It’s home,” he says. “People still treat me like I’m the young kid that grew up there all my life.” 3. He was named All-State, All-Conference and Conference MVP all four years of high school. 4. Jefferson once scored a career-best 66 points in a high school playoff game, and on another occasion rang up a triple-double with 62 points, 21 rebounds and 11 blocks. 5. McHale is usually regarded as one of the best low-post players in the game with his deft footwork and a variety of moves. 6. Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff and Sebastian Telfair. 7. Miller has averaged 14 ppg and shot 40 percent from three-point range during his eight years in the NBA. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-R-Al Jefferson.indd 093

093

11/12/08 2:44:46 PM

of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes; broadly: of or relating to clothes adj. \sär-Ӥt̗r-ď-Ǝl\

sartorial S

094

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Forget the larger-than-life persona. Ignore the big dunks. Gloss over the all-around greatness. Now take a look at LeBron James when he’s not doing guys dirty on the court in shorts and his signature Nike LeBron joints. The man’s fashion game might be tighter and more diverse than his baseketball game. Boardroom-ready chalk-pinstriped suits with the buttoned-up matching vest, finished off with the pocket square, perfectly knotted silk tie and lace-up fine Italian shoes. Velour jackets with the satin lapel. Motorcycle-inspired leather jackets. Casual jackets of fine linen, cashmere or wool that befit the particular season. All meticulously crafted and expertly tailored, the ensemble always accompanied with the subtle accessories that make the details so devilish—the classic fedora, driving cap, sunglasses, stylish dopp kit, perfect timepiece. More importantly, the garb works because of the confidence James has in pulling off any outfit. Business, Wise, Athlete, Kid, welcome the new member to the fam: Natty Bron. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-S.indd 094

11/12/08 2:47:39 PM

one that is suggestive of or suited to an earlier time or style n. \ӤthrĿ-Өbak\

throwback

JESSE D. GARRABRANT/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

We’re not suggesting Rip Hamilton is donning shorty shorts, rocking Chucks and hoisting up underhanded free-throws, but if he were to be transported back to the days of grainy black-and-white film, back when games were played in cages, we’re pretty sure he would fit right in. With his days-gone-by but deadly effective shooting game, Hamilton would make forefathers of the game who made their living burying midrange jumpers—guys like Hal Greer, Jerry West, Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller—proud. In a time when many of the biggest stars rely solely on elaborate dribble moves, fancy finishes and long threes, Hamilton’s yesteryear game of coming off teammates’ screens, or finding open spots on the floor to unfurl his automatic short J, or making backdoor cuts for simple layups is a refreshing nod to the game’s roots. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-T.indd 095

095

11/12/08 2:49:32 PM

avoiding obvious emphasis or embellishment adj. \ӤƎn-dƎr-Ӥstă-tƎd\

understated U

096

SAM FORENCICH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Ask anyone who follows the NBA on a semi-regular basis, and chances are they can describe the myriad ways guys such as Kobe and LeBron can drop points on your head. However, ask them the same question about Brandon Roy, and you’ll likely get a pregnant pause followed by some stammered guesses. You might even get a few responses of the “I don’t really know” variety. And that’s the thing about Roy: despite a pretty gaudy stat line (19.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.8 apg), there is absolutely nothing flashy or immediately striking about his game. It’s very meat and potatoes, a steady diet of herky-jerky dribble-drive moves absent of bravura and heavily reliant on angles and momentum, complemented neatly with steady jumpshooting and the ability to find mates when his shot is not there. He exemplifies the staples of a well-rounded offensive diet with much less flair than many of his contemporaries. Perhaps it’s an offshoot of the fact that he has yet to play ball outside the Northwest, his demeanor on the court intrinsically linked to the region’s notoriously laidback mentality. There is no excessive bravado, not even when he takes a team many thought would languish at the bottom of the standings and guides them to a .500 record in the deepest conference in NBA history. And judging by his humble personality, that’s the way things will remain even as Portland continues to ascend the Western Conference standings this season. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-U.indd 096

11/12/08 2:50:51 PM

the state of being set free n. \Өvin-dƎ-Ӥkă-shƎn\

vindication

JEFF GROSS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

V It looked for a while that Kobe Bryant would go down in history as simply a great individual player, but not on the level of a Magic, Bird or Jordan, those who combined dominance at their respective position with the often-intangible capacity to elevate their teammates to a higher level. There was no doubting his basketball ability—Kobe played the role of supporting actor during the Lakers’ trip-chip run earlier in the decade, once dropped 81 points in a game and garnered plenty of support from peers as being the best talent in the League—but even his most fervent supporters wondered if Kobe would ever go beyond simply leading his team in scoring and lead them to the promised land. All doubts were quelled last season with his 12-years-in-the-making MVP season while leading a Shaq-less team to the Finals. Kobe’s work is not done yet—the Celtics unceremoniously stiﬂed his Lakers in six games. Memo to the rest of the League: Consider yourself warned. HOOP

HOOP0102-f-V.indd 097

097

11/12/08 2:52:40 PM

In basketball, used to reference a sweet shot or a swish adj. \Ӥwet\

wet W

098

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Shawn Kemp may be the Reign Man, but Utah’s Kyle Korver is the 21st-century “Rain Man” because his shots from outside are nothing but wet. We first caught glimpse of the floppy top with the crispy shot when he carried Cinderella Creighton to four NCAA Tourney appearances. The Nets drafted him 51st overall in 2003, but Rod Thorn quickly dealt him for cash. Big mistake, because as New Jersey would go on to struggle with its outside shooting the next few years as it tried to leapfrog Detroit and Miami in the East, Korver was knocking down threes as often as Ashton Kutcher—sorry for the reference, but it’s unavoidable—was rocking trucker hats. Philly fans, perhaps the most ruthless in the game, were sad to see Double-K go when he was traded to Utah last season, but now he has the chance to hit those Steve Paxson/Robert Horry-type threes in the playoffs as the Jazz look to capture their first NBA title. With Deron breaking down defenses like former teammate AI broke ankles, Korver should continue to get open looks from outside and keep the net wet like he was playing underwater. HOOP

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derived from, originating in, or being a member of another species adj. a dj. \\Ӥze-nƎ-jƎ-Ӥnď-ik\ Ӥze-n nƎ-jƎ-Ӥnď-ik\

xenogeneic

BRIAN BABINEAU/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

X Some players’ games defy conventionality. Josh Smith is one of them. Watching him over the course of a season, the viewer is treated to occasional glimpses of a creature who can stuff stat sheets with so much that it seems as if he might have been credited with things his teammates did. How can a man, merely flesh and blood, expend himself so thoroughly at both ends of the court without running out of steam? Andrei Kirilenko was the first logical step in this progression, an indefinable 5x5 waiting to go off nightly. With Smith, evolution has added the potential for averaging 20 and 10 a night—a feat that no doubt would require sacrifice on the defensive end, though when your averages sit at 2.8 bpg and 1.5 spg, some slippage is excusable. But like most unconventional beings, Smith sometimes appears to have trouble fitting in with his surroundings. Is he an oversized 3? An athletic 4? Can he be relied on to score regularly? Or is he just a freakishly gifted defender who will never develop a reliable jumper? It’s these questions that make Smith a transfixing enigma, the kind of player who blurs the lines that define what we thought we knew and makes a mockery of standard scouting terms such as “upside,” “raw” and “hyperathletic.” Maybe time wears down Josh Smith; maybe the professional sports machine, the mother of convention, eventually breaks him of his multifaceted ways and molds him into a role player. In the meantime, the promise of a new way, of salvation from specialization, fills our minds with delight. HOOP

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an in⇒nitely wise, if somewhat enigmatic, master of his craft tasked with guiding others along the path of enlightenment n. \ӤyĿ- dƎ\

yoda Y 100

NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

You would think Phil Jackson would be Z for Zen, but that’d be way too obvious. We liken the Zen Master to the Jedi Master who carefully trains Luke Skywalker (Michael Jordan) to accept the ways of the Jedi (Triangle offense) before he can actually fully become a Jedi (NBA champion). Some may argue that Jackson has led a charmed NBA life, a career marked by serendipity by being appointed to coach two straight transcendent talents in Jordan and Kobe Bryant. We disagree. Jackson possesses a unique ability of tapping into individual talents such as Jordan and Bryant and teaching them the valuable lesson of ceding control to achieve team success. While not regarded as a strong strategist, Jackson is peerless when it comes to communicating and motivating his players. Like Yoda, Jackson has relied on somewhat unorthodox methods to achieve his goal, something he’s reached nine times in his coaching career. You simply can’t argue with results. HOOP

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having the characteristics of a developing individual adj. a dj. \\zĦ-Ӥgä-tik\ zĦ-Ӥgä-tik\

zygotic

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Z There are plenty of young’ns with games as unpolished as Kevin Durant, last year’s No. 2 pick. But none of them boast the explosive scoring potential of the 6-10 tweener, that nearly limitless swagger married to nightly 30-point flirtations composed of midrange Js, fearless drives to the hole, picturesque stop-n-pops and the occasional dagger three. At times last season he looked unsure of himself, either uncomfortable with the rougher style of the NBA or simply awkward in his own angular precocity. But the curtain was pulled back on occasion; none more memorable than the game-winning OT three-pointer on November 16 with fellow rook Al Horford in his grill. For some perspective, Durant finished his rookie season at 20.3 ppg after spending much of the season at or below 40 percent shooting (he finished at 43 percent). He had three 30-point games—including 42 in the season closer—in eight April games, the same number he had in his other 72 games. His field-goal percentages in March and April were significantly higher than any other month. Imagine what he does with even a League-average shooting percentage. On-the-job training isn’t easy, even for the pros. But he’s learning. He’s maturing. He’s still growing. And that should make the rest of the League very, very nervous. HOOP

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COURTESY AP IMAGES

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By Glenn Minnis #33

An NBA pioneer, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton changed the face of one of the League’s most storied franchises The question of whether Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton ever fully garnered the distinction he so richly deserves by virtue of being one of just three trailblazing hoopsters to revolutionize the NBA game and rid it of its long-standing colorbarrier has been bandied about as ferociously as the former New York Knicks big man once waxed the glass. Yet it’s also in those moments that often many of his biggest supporters are shook by thoughts of what they long sensed to be his truer nature, reﬂecting on memories when they’re moved to visualize him at the apex of his element— smiling, joking, taunting, “just being Sweets.” It’s then all those other matters don’t really seem nearly as heavy. “The kind of dude he was, Sweets could get along with the devil,” says boyhood friend Jim Watkins, who introduced Clifton to the world of sports after he migrated north to Chicago from Little Rock, AK with his family at just 8 years old. “Sweets was happy with himself. That’s something very few people can say.”

SWEETWATER

RUNs DEEP

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nickname “Sweetwater” based on his unwavering love of soft drinks. With his migrant family always strapped for cash, soon he began quenching his youthful thirst by ﬁlling empty bottles with water and pouring sugar directly into them. ‘‘That’s just Sweets being Sweets,” says Watkins. “He never became big shot, never left town. He still played softball in our league during the summer each of those seven years he spent with the Knicks.” Indeed, as a teen, Clifton excelled in multiple sports and though he would go on to be rated at one time as one of the two best high school players in Illinois hoops history, early in his life he garnered as much acclaim as a slugging first baseman. So savvy on the diamond he became that he ultimately played in the Cleveland Indians farm system; in his first season with the Knicks he missed all of training camp because he was playing minor-league baseball.1 After high school, Clifton would go on to play a season of hoops at Xavier University before being drafted into the Army in 1944. Upon serving three years, he returned home and to the hardwood, becoming the first black player to ball with the Dayton Metropolitans. Soon the legendary New York Rens were his team of consequence and in July 1948 he inked a contract with the world famous Harlem Globetrotters at an annual salary of $10,000, easily thought to be highest salary paid to a black basketball player of that era. It was during that two-year span with the Trotters that he transformed the hardwood into his own stage. Ever ﬂamboyant, one of Clifton’s signature moves became palming the ball with his 10-inch-spanning hands and shakin’-and-bakin’ his way past all his would-be, dramatically overmatched defenders. Ultimately all the excitement he generated was not only enough to ingratiate him with hoop’s fans far and wide but also capture the eye of one of the NBA’s signature franchises. In 1950, just after the Boston

FROM LEFT: AP IMAGES; NBA PHOTOS

Most would wholly agree with that former assessment—provided the acquaintance didn’t take place on a basketball court. For it’s there the 6-6, 235-pound behemoth with the hands of a magician and the feet of a ballerina took no prisoners. That has become the legend of Clifton Nathaniel, his outright birth name that he reversed after becoming a high school star at Chicago’s Dusable High (sportswriters complained the name was too long to lend itself to clever headlines). Ever the trendsetter, Clifton’s game ultimately evolved to resemble a montage of Dwight Howard’s strength, Amar’e Stoudemire’s athleticism and Rasheed Wallace’s skill. “As NBA players, his story—and that of a few other guys—is not only one we all should know but stand proudly behind,” says recently retired sharpshooter Allan Houston. “Stepping aside from the game as I am now, I’m often a bit reﬂective, and the way those guys made a way for us is part of what I generally think about.” The memories also abound for longtime New York Amsterdam News sports editor Howie Evans. “Nate was always ahead of his time,” he says. “I’ve been covering hoops and sports in New York for more than 40 years and with his skill set and personality, if he were to come along today he’d be a mega-millionaire star on and off the court.” But as fate would have it, Sweetwater Clifton happened upon us just when he did, and now the realm for which he will always be most remembered lies in the social vernacular. It’s in that arena where he, Earl Lloyd and Chuck Cooper formed the trailblazing trifecta ultimately responsible for eradicating decades of hardwood segregation. In 1950, Clifton became the first African-American to officially sign an NBA contract, Lloyd the first to play in one of its games and Cooper the first to be drafted into the League. And in the case of Sweetwater, who could have forecasted such fortitude? Though always huge for his age, Clifton grew up as a fun-loving, playful spirit who earned the HOOP

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Bonus Points 1. A baseball prospect as well, Clifton hit .304 with 86 RBI for an AA-level team in 1950. 2. Clifton was unceremoniously given only $2,500 of the $12,500. 3. In 2005 the Knicks re-named their monthly award given to a member of the Tri-State Area who made a signiﬁcant difference in the lives of others the Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award. 4. For his career, Sweetwater averaged 10 ppg and 8.2 rpg. 5. Nat’s best season came in ‘51-52 when he averaged a double-double with 10.6 ppg and 11.8 rpg. 6. The name Methuselah, the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Bible, is a general synonym for any living creature of great age. 7. The season before he retired, Clifton garnered his ﬁrst and only All-Star selection.

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Celtics) insult him with a racial slur, and Clifton promptly knocked him out cold with a one-two punch combination. For others, there were times when the game of inclusion seemed a bit more openly dramatic. But by then, Sweetwater had easily gained and earned most all their loyalties. “I remember when my dad was coaching the Knicks and the phone rang at our home,” modern-day human rights activist and noted sports historian Richard Lapchick once recalled of the immediate aftermath of Clifton joining the team. “I heard my dad pick up and the caller said two words. ... I hung the phone up.” The two words young Richard Lapchick overheard that eye-opening evening were “nigger lover,” and by then the latter of them was a commonplace insult in the day-today, NBA travels of Clifton, Lloyd and Cooper. But by then each man refused to turn back. They’d simply traveled too far. Still, all the racial slurs, incessant threats and other forms of abuse took their toll, as did the countless lonely nights born of being forced to eat alone after being denied service in many of the same restaurants their teammates dined in. Yet somehow, Sweetwater Clifton managed to take it all in stride. Even learn from it. After retiring from the League following the 1958 season,7 Clifton spent the rest of his days driving a taxi on his hometown streets of Chicago and spreading the gospel about all the many places he’d been and seen until he passed away on August 31, 1990 at the age of 67. ‘‘It’s not that he couldn’t do anything else; that’s what he wanted to do,’’ says Leon Wright, a teammate at DuSable High School. ‘‘He had a lot of avenues open to him, but he would never been comfortable in a shirt and tie in an office; the worst thing in the world for him would be a 9-to-5.’’ Never let it be said that Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton ever took the easy route in anything.

RIGHT: COURTESY NBA PHOTOS

Celtics drafted Cooper, just before Lloyd took the floor for the Washington Capitals, and in the middle of a personal contract dispute with Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein, the 27-year-old Clifton’s contract was sold to the Knicks for $12,500.2 And with that, much of the Globetrotter-esque magic seemed to transition itself to the streets of Manhattan and the borders of Broadway, as the Knicks3 reached the NBA Finals in each of Clifton’s first three seasons. Under the tutelage of Knicks coach Joe Lapchick, Clifton excelled—even if sometimes begrudgingly—as the team’s new enforcer, often guarding opposing centers from his forward post and averaging4 10 points, six rebounds and two assists over the course of his seven-year stead with the team.5 For the most part, the team’s style was a far cry from the up-and-down, razzle-dazzle wizardry Clifton had perfected as a member of the Trotters. But he didn’t allow any of it to change the essence of who he was as Sweetwater. “Around Chicago and in the Army, I was used to playing with white players, and I could get along,” Clifton was quoted by They Cleared the Lane author Ron Thomas. “I figured everybody had to make a living and nobody gave me any dirt. They [the Knicks] were a great bunch of guys.” And teammates viewed him in the same light, often jokingly ragging him about his somewhat suspect age, with teammate Ernie Vandeweghe ultimately giving him the added nickname “Methuselah.”6 Old age or not, none of that mattered come game time, as Sweets quickly earned the reputation of a primetime player by regularly dueling much taller and heralded players such as George Mikan and Vern Mikkelsen to virtual standstills. Beyond that, Sweetwater fit in as just one of the guys, often joining teammates in card games and at church gatherings. Only once did an opposing player (Bob Harris of the HOOP

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HOOP Promotional Scetion

HBCUS

Directory of Historically Black Colleges and Universities 4-YEAR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

Elizabeth City State University www.ecsu.edu

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University of the District of Columbia www.udc.edu

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J.F. Drake State Technical College www.dstc.cc.al.us

Delaware State University www.desu.edu

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Edward Waters College www.ewc.edu

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Savannah State University www.savstate.edu

South Carolina State University www.scsu.edu

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Knoxville College www.knoxvillecollege.edu

Hinds Community College, Utica www.hindscc.edu

Kentucky State University www.kysu.edu

Tennessee State University www.tnstate.edu

Interdenominational Theological Center www.itc.edu

Lane College www.lanecollege.edu

Denmark Technical College www.denmarktech.edu

Grambling State University www.gram.edu

Prairie View A&M University www.pvamu.edu

Morehouse College www.morehouse.edu

Lemoyne-Owen College www.loc.edu

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Southern University and A&M College www.subr.edu

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Miles College www.miles.edu Oakwood College www.oakwood.edu Selma University Web address not available

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Concordia College www.concordiaselma.edu Lewis College of Business www.lewiscollege.edu Clinton Junior College www.clintonjuniorcollege.edu

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call out 01

Former NBA All-Star A.C. Green teaches the fundamentals of the game to a group of children at the Heyu Primary School during the 2008 NBA China Games in Guangzhou, China. ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Would you like fries with that? Hornets guard Mo Pete takes orders at a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Berlin, Germany during the NBA Europe Live 2008 Tour. DAVID DOW/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand who trusted Bango, the Bucks mascot, enough to ladle anything. How does he see the bowls? Regardless, he was in attendance on October 30 to serve meals along with several Bucks players as part of the St. Benedict the Moor Community Meal Program in Milwaukee. GARY DINEEN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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04 04

Jason Maxiell shows he can clean the glass on and off the court, as he took part in the Detroit Pistons’ “Paint The Town” Free Gas Giveaway on October 27 at the Meijer Store in Auburn Hills. ALLEN EINSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Luke Walton battled for prime real estate on Park Place and Boardwalk when the Lakers, Toyota and the NBA opened the ﬁrst LA Lakers Reading and Learning Center at the Boys and Girls Club of East Los Angeles on October 15 in Los Angeles. NOAH GRAHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Deron Williams and the Jazz Bear mascot bring some tricks and treats to Jazz pre-game hosts Craig Bolerjack and Ron Boon before a game at EnergySolutions Arena on November 1 in Salt Lake City. MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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CHECK IT VIDGAMES Grand Turismo 5

Timberland Down Sweater Jacket/ Woodbury Leather Waterproof Boot

DVDs Electronics kicks apparel

adidas Instinct Hoody/Tee/Hi OG

Samsung Series 9 55inch LED LCD TV

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Asics Mateo

adidas TS Lightning Creator Guitar Hero: World Tour

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spin moves

PLAYER

Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Kirilenko

BY DARRYL HOWERTON #21

Andrei Kirilenko Utah Jazz Andrei Kirilenko, drafted in 1999 as at the time the youngest Euro in NBA history (18 years, 132 days), has had some time to adapt to the NBA life since joining the League in ’01-02. Now eight years in, the 27-year-old Russian has a lot of American favorites on his popculture radar, although we’re sure wife Masha Kirilenko is still No. 1 on his personal pop chart (check out Masha’s single, “Sugary,” on YouTube). On the court, Kirilenko may be one of the most well-balanced players in the League, earning an All-Star nod in 2004 while also being named to the All-Defensive Team thrice. His versatility lies in his stat line, where last season he averaged 11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.2 spg and 1.5 bpg with a .603 true shooting percentage. Whether on offense or defense, the man known as AK-47 is always on target.

Andrei’s music “I don’t have favorite artists or albums. I just listen to all music. I don’t have CDs of this or that band. I like hits.”

Andrei’s television “I would say Prison Break. For some reason, I like it. I like Heroes right now, too. That’s pretty fun.”

Andrei’s movies “I’m not really a follower of one particular genre. Gladiator is a ﬁlm I really liked at one point in my life. I relate to the emotions of it.”

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ILLUSTRATION: LINA CHEN PHOTO: MELISSA MAJCHRZAK

Andrei’s videogames “Deﬁnitely World of Warcraft. I think everybody wants to have a different world. You kind of create your own character, operate him, have another life. It’s a second life you have in that game.” HOOP

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BY NATE ROBINSON #4

Nate’s Heavy Rotation

Pure I like my little four-wheeler, the ATV. I bought all my friends this game, and we

Game Rec Game

Call of Duty: World at War

XBOX 360 (ALSO AVAILABLE FOR PS2, PS3, WII, DS, PC) I’ve got a few new games I’ve been kicking butt in. The Th new Call of Duty—Call of Duty: Wo World at War—I initially got the beta code and it got it for all my friends, too. co It’ss deﬁnitely ni one of the best shooting war w ar game games ever invented. It goes back to World W orrld W War II. I remember telling you guys

play that. You can do tricks off the bike, it’s crazy fun.

NBA 2K9 It’s cool, but they make it so hard to shoot threes. I’m a good three-point shooter! They make it so hard to shoot them in that game though. But everything else is the same as in real life, it’s so awesome. They even make people look the same as they do in real life.

Grand Theft Auto IV update: I beat everything. I’ve got to kill 126 pigeons—or ﬂying rats, like they call them—but I beat everything else: all the jumps, all the stunts, all

NATE: NATHANIEL S. BUTLER

the missions.

las last ast time about a the stuff in Call of Duty 4 tthatt I didn tha didn’t like that they took out: team deathmatch, d eatthmatc capture the ﬂag, all that good stuff. st tuff. They brought it back for CoD5, and it’ss great. [[Ed note: Those are two of six multiplayer mu m ultip playe modes available for CoD5.] Me e and David Lee, we’ve been playing plaayin ng each ea other a lot. We play after aftter every game. I’m going right now no to play pla him, as we speak. We e level up, u it’s kind of cool. The pas past couple of years, with Xbox and all these systems becoming b i more high-tech, gameplay is becoming more realistic. E Even with things as simple as tanks, it just looks cooler. You’ve got ot landmi landmines, you can set booby traps, t pss, all th tra that. Games are getting more and an nd m more ore real each year, and I think that’s thaat’s grea great. It keeps kids off the street, keeps ke eepss them away from things they have no business bu usin ness doing. d Honestly, Honestl the modern warfare in CoD4 Ho and nd the old-school old warfare of CoD5 are similar, but CoD4 was just missing a lot of the little touches to that they did right in CoD5. It’s really e easy to pick up the gameplay, and there are c cool perks you can pick up, like a silencer for your gun so people can’t spot you on the radar when you shoot. They also added a new perk where you can reload faster, as well as having an extra clip. And that works well for me, because I gotta go get it. I can’t sit around waiting to snipe people. It’s boring! Some guys are really

good at it, but I can’t do it. And that’s part of the only thing I didn’t really like about CoD5: when you get killed in multiplayer, the Kill Cam shows where you were killed, and who it was. It goes both ways, so it’s OK. And you can always play “Hardcore” mode, where they just show your gun; no

Kill Cam, no aim, nothing. Since Call of Duty came out, I’m more of a shooting, go-to-war type of guy when it comes to games, going all the way back to Call of Duty 2. My friends and I would sit there and play that all night. They’re just great games. HOOP

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spin moves

VIDGAMES

Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames Vidgames

BY SCOTT STEINBERG #77

PRESS START

HOOP’S COMPREHENSIVE YEAR-END GAMING ROUNDUP

BASKETBALL

NBA Live 09 Publisher: Electronic Arts Platforms: PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii Digs deep to impress with an expanded playbook, smoother controls and photorealistic ballers. Daily team and athlete updates prove a PS3 and Xbox 360 standout.

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NBA 09: The Inside Publisher: Sony Platforms: PS2, PS3, PSP Catchy story-driven campaign and extensive character customization options notwithstanding, a jack-of-alltrades approach sensibly provides for full franchise management, oddball mini-games and downloadable season highlights alike.

NBA 2K9 Publisher: 2K Sports Platforms: PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 Shoots and scores with its slick broadcast presentation and fluid pacing, but really wows online, enabling five-on-five match-ups and custom videos and players shareable via broadband.

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ACTION

Guitar Hero: World Tour Publisher: RedOctane Platforms: PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 Adds a microphone, drums, battle of the bands scenarios and (sweet!) custom song creation and uploading. Guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne and Jimi Hendrix rock.

LittleBigPlanet Publisher: Sony Platform: PS3 Controlling roly-poly rag-doll heroes in physics-based challenges, explore pop-up storybook worlds or use built-in utilities to create your own levels and game modes, tradable online.

Spore Publisher: Electronic Arts Platform: PC Design any creature then evolve from amoeba to intergalactic overlord. Talk about replay value: Over 35 million user-made beasties are importable straight onto your desktop.

WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 Publisher: THQ Platforms: PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii Manhandle primetime’s leading berserkers throughout a drama-heavy co-op campaign using custom ﬁnishers and revamped tag-team mechanics, or revel in smacktalking multiplayer brawls. Spray-on tanner, anyone?

Wii Fit Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Wii Slim up the 21st-century way by rotating your hips, contorting painfully or performing push-ups on a balance board peripheral to prompts from virtual instructors.

Battleﬁeld: Bad Company Publisher: Electronic Arts Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Think Three Kings, the game—as a gold-hungry squad of military misﬁts, blow down walls or pilot tanks, jeeps and choppers in explosive solo/multiplayer engagements.

Bangai-O Spirits Publisher: D3Publisher Platform: DS Legendary developer Treasure delivers another thumb-numbing masterpiece, ﬁlling your screen with bullets and pyrotechnics. Level editing and exchange options keep the arthritic action going strong.

SPORTS

Shaun White Snowboarding Publisher: UbiSoft Platforms: DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP Xbox 360, Wii If you see it, you can shred it. Slalom down four massive mountains, seamlessly jumping between solo and multiplayer runs. Beware spectacular wipeouts: Recaps are Internet-ready.

SHOOTER

Fracture Publisher: LucasArts Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360 Manipulate terrain in real-time to tunnel under obstacles or raise bullet-blocking hills when not preoccupied splattering genetically-enhanced opponents with ground-surﬁng torpedoes and blackhole grenades.

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VIDGAMES

RACING

Midnight Club: Los Angeles Publisher: Rockstar Games Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360 Screech past sweet-looking high-def recreations of Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the House of Blues. Slick cinematography, sprints into oncoming trafﬁc and adversary short-circuiting power-ups ensure highoctane thrills.

GRID Publisher: Codemasters Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360 Retools DiRT’s ultra-visceral off-road approach to ﬁt street/circuit competitions. Twelve-man online races come second only to gut-wrenching pileups with buttsaving rewind options for sheer pant-soiling impact.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue Publisher: Sony Platform: PS3 Tops for realism: Crisp blue skies, shining chassis and rubber-streaked pavement pop in dazzling highdeﬁnition as you butt bumpers in uniquely handling Ferraris and Benzes.

Final Fantasy IV Publisher: Square Enix Platform: DS A brilliant, must-play 3D remake of 1991 genre touchstone Final Fantasy II for SNES that piles on new special abilities, remixed tunes and touchsensitive mini-games.

The World Ends With You Publisher: Square Enix Platform: DS Undeniably weird, yet strangely chic: Here, fashionconscious Tokyo teens use psychic powers via taps on the DS’ motion-detecting screen to save modernday Shibuya from sci-ﬁ critters.

Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 Publisher: Sony Platform: PSP Per usual, makes hitting the candy-colored links easy for everyone between intuitive play, 16-man online match-ups and hundreds of ways to customize goofy, doe-eyed duffers.

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution Publisher: 2K Games Platform: DS Earns its place in history by successfully translating multiple millenniums’ worth of turn-based empirebuilding fun into portable form without sacriﬁcing depth or tactical soundness. Bravo.

RPG

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Publisher: Blizzard Platform: PC Effortlessly expands the 10-million-strong online fantasy epic, introducing frosty continent Northrend, hundreds of new quests/items, increased level maximums and a new class: the Death Knight.

HANDHELD

Professor Layton and the Curious Village Publisher: Nintendo Platform: DS An anime-tinged brainteaser whose cutesy visuals and engaging plot sequences belie an insanely addictive— and challenging—grab bag of riddles, equations and other hair-pulling puzzles.

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DVDs

DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs DVDs

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Universal The Mummy franchise returns from the dead once again with a third installment, featuring Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello and Michelle Yeoh. Li plays Han, the Dragon Emperor—who ordered the construction of the Great Wall of China—who searches for a source of immortality. Instead he is cursed for 2,000 years, only to resurrect centuries later, forcing Rick O’Connell (Fraser) and family to battle Han and his army. Facing forces bent on revenge and world domination, the O’Connels must turn to new, unforeseen sources to save mankind.

The X-Files: I Want To Believe 20th Century Fox Mulder and Scully are back and ready to expose the truth. After separating ways, Scully (Gillian Anderson), working as a doctor, enlists Mulder’s help (David Duchovny) as he is on the run from the FBI—the agency he formerly worked for. They search for a missing agent and receive clues in the form of visions by a former priest, all the while uncovering other cryptic clues. Will the duo ﬁnd redemption after being ostracized from the FBI? Will anyone believe them? Can they believe what they see themselves?

The Rocker 20th Century Fox Dwight Shrute, aka Rainn Wilson, strips off the shirt and tie in The Rocker, playing a down-on-his-luck drummer who was kicked out of his previous band. Decades later he decides to help out his nephew’s rock band, giving him one last shot at glory, albeit with kids nearly 20 years younger than he. Though they are not receptive at ﬁrst to this over-the-hill drum machine, he shows them along the way what rock is about and discovers a little something about himself as well.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Walt Disney If you thought the first Chronicles of Narnia film was all fairy tales for children, you missed out on one heck of an action film. The sequel finds the children back in Narnia to help Prince Caspian, who must fight off his uncle, King Mraz. The creatures of Narnia are constantly attacked by Caspian’s foes and need the children to help defend their land. But without the wisdom and leadership of the lion king Aslan, can they save Narnia in time from obliteration? Horton Hears a Who! 20th Century Fox Elephants don’t have long ears for nothing. In Horton Hears a Who!, Horton the elephant hears a yell—actually, he hears a Who (as in, the Whos from Whoville) and promises to help them. A bumbling character, he often causes more misfortune than goodwill but is determined to help out his fellow man, no matter the size. Jim Carrey, Steve Carell and a host of other comedic superstars provide voices in this recreation of a Dr. Seuss children’s classic.

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FROM THE TEAM REAL MOVIE FANS COUNT ON! F ÂŠ2008 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved. TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX, FOX, and associated logos are trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and its related entities.

the goods

BY TREVOR KEARNEY #8

HOLIDAY BUYERS’ GUIDE Guitar Hero World Tour OK, you probably don’t have the pull to get Kobe, A-Rod, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps—it goes doubly so for the beautiful Heidi Klum—to come over and rock out with you in your living room, but that doesn’t mean Guitar Hero’s foray into full band, replete with drums, mic and guitar (you have to supply your own secondary guitar), is any less fun. The addictive music game brings an extensive music catalog, deep character customization options and a tool to create your own music that can be shared with other players.

$189

T-Mobile G1 It used to be a one-man race for the freshest phone in the world, but now Apple’s iPhone faces some serious heat with the T-Mobile G1. Designed in conjunction with Google and made by HTC, the G1 packs similar features as the iPhone: 3G data, full touchscreen with same 320 x 480 resolution, full browser and media capabilities, music store (via Amazon) and downloadable applications support. However, it outshines with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard (a big plus in our testing) and Google’s new Android operating system, which we found to be very user-friendly and stable. The killer app? Ask your G1-ed friend to peep the street views on Google Maps. Seriously, do it. It’s amazing.

$179 (with 2-year T-Mobile contract)

Sony PSP-3000 It’s a bit difﬁ cult to improve Sony’s popular handheld system, but the PSP-3000 does just that. With a lighter build (very noticeable), slimmer enclosure (barely noticeable) and built-in Skype with built-in microphone, the third iteration of the PSP shines. The new glossy screen also promises less glare, but we preferred the original matte screen. The bundle includes Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, National Treasure 2 and 1GB memory stick.

$199`

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Optoma PICO projector So many media-watching options, so little screen real estate. This tiny projector solves that problem. Boasting an excellent DLP Pico chipset, the palm-sized projector brings to life pictures, movies, videogames and even PowerPoint presentations (though at a smaller-than-presentation size). The impressive image makes this pocket projector perfect for showing off family pics without breaking out the big screen or watching content on a long ﬂight. The only downfall: the bulb is not replaceable after it reaches its 20,000-hour lifespan, but that’s plenty of time to wait for its successor.

$430

Samsung Series 9 55-inch LED LCD TV Samsung enhances idle couch time with its latest wrinkle in the TV game. The Series 9 features LED backlighting that delivers blacker black levels (a boon for movie watchers) that typical LCD TVs can’t touch. The Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology also ensures that Bruckheimer action ﬂicks and fast-paced NBA games (think SunsKnicks affairs) don’t blur.

$4,999

Anycom Bluetooth Solar Car Kit Reduce your recharges by parking in the sun by mounting this solar speaker to your windshield with the included suction cups for three hours and you’ll have 30 minutes of talk time. The unit features voice dialing, redial, mute and hold and conference calling, and if your talk time exceeds your sunshine, you can plug it into the cigarette lighter (or an open USB port, if you’ve got one of those handy in your car.)

$59.99

JVC Home Theater Want a home theater with game as diversiﬁed as LeBron’s? Pick up the THF3, whose connectivity options allow it to accommodate the full range of digital home-entertainment devices, all wrapped in an elegant, hi-ﬁ componentstyle design. The THF3 offers a 350-watt, 4.1-channel surround system that includes an iPod dock, a six-inch power subwoofer, a 1080p upconverting DVD player, a USB host for memory cards and an HDMI output.

$499

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the goods TECHed TECH EDITOR AND GADGET JUNKIE SHANE BATTIER TEST-DRIVES THE LATEST IN TECH GOODS. IN THIS ISSUE, HE TAKES ON THE HUMAN TOUCH HT-1650 ROBOTIC MASSAGE CHAIR. This is a tough column to write, but someone has to do it. Hopefully in the year-plus I’ve been penning this column I have been able to show you how technology has made our lives more efficient and easier (and sometimes more bizarre). In honor of all the hard work that we at HOOP magazine have put in, we are dedicating this month’s column to the art of relaxation. On any given evening during the week, you will probably find me propped up on my couch watching some sort of sporting event. Football, basketball, baseball; heck, I’ve been known to watch Norm Duke on Sundays. I watch it all. In many regards, it’s simply my favorite relaxation activity. I really thought HD projection-screen televisions were the Nirvana of my television-watching experience. Now, with the Human Touch 1650 massage chair and my HDTV, I may never want to leave my sports room again. (My wife had her reservations about my declaration, but after 15 minutes in the chair, she was ready to fight me for it and the right to shun the world and become a professional sports watcher.) The Human Touch 1650 massage chair touts itself as “the perfect bridge between state-of-the-art technology and the ancient healing art of massage.” I would have to agree. For starters, the chair by itself is a very comfortable, plush, leather-bound recliner. It is somewhat large, and you will need a fairly spacious room to find a place for it in your home. All the various massages are controlled by a connected handheld control. The options for the different types of massage seem endless. There are seven “auto programs” if you do not want to tailor you own massage. The auto programs vary from a full-body sore-muscle massage to a nighttime soothing massage. If you want to isolate a certain part of your back or legs, there are a number of speeds and massage types from which you can select. You can choose a percussion massage, or a kneading massage, or a combination of both. There is actually a computer voice—in a British accent, no less—that announces what program you choose. It freaked me out the first time I heard it, but I actually found it to be helpful. One of the best features of this chair is the foot massager. Place your feet into the foot slots and you get a great foot massage. There are also massage rollers that hit the hamstrings, and of course there are a number of robotic arms that knead your back. As a connoisseur of deep tissue massage, I was always skeptical that a massage chair could not get as deep as when Helga throws all of her 250 pounds into her elbow as she mercilessly beats on those pesky knots in your back. But after 15 minutes in this chair, I felt totally refreshed and relaxed. I am sold on the new technology of these robotic arms. The Human Touch massage chair claims that it emulates the same techniques used by massage and chiropractic professionals for back and spinal care. While I am not going to forgo the actual massaging touch of a human, this Human Touch chair offers an excellent alternative when I don’t have the time for a session with Helga. I love the chair’s simplicity. It is very easy to use. It’s actually pretty stylish and would not look out of place in your living room. At $4,799 it is a tad pricey, but is there really a price on total relaxation? (That’s my rhetorical thought of the day.) The massage that the chair gives is fantastic, and after 15 minutes you will feel refreshed and relaxed. The only real danger, for me at least, is that with a full slate of games on the telly, I will not feel the need to do anything but watch sports and get massaged for hours on end. This may be my new Nirvana.

PROS: + Unbelievably outstanding massage + Intuitive controls + 15 minutes will leave you feeling like a new person CONS: – Somewhat bulky, you will need ample space – Loud, the gears and hydraulics are loud – May zap motivation to perform any physical activity after sitting in chair (by über-relaxation— wait, isn’t that a pro?)

Human Touch HT-1650 Robotic Massage Chair $4,799

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the goods BluAntV1 Wearing this fully voice-activated Bluetooth 2.1 headset is about as close to having a personal secretary as most of us will ever get. Beyond voice dialing, the BluAntV1 responds to commands such as “Answer,” “Ignore,” “Call back” and “Pair Me” (which will help you connect to up to eight Bluetooth devices). If you can’t remember all the commands, just ask, “What can I say?” and it’ll list your options; or “Teach Me,” and it will explain how to use it. Keeping your appointments, though, is up to you.

$129.95

Systemax EV720 Media Server If you’re like us, you probably have a ton of music, photos and especially movies and basketball vids stowed away on your computer. Rather than painfully and slowly whisking files from one computer to another, a centralized storage solution like the EV720 Media Server should make it a snap to share, move and back up files. Outfitted with 1TB of storage, gigabit connection speeds and Windows Home Server software for simple setup and manageability, it’ll fit in seamlessly with any fledging home network.

$699

iMainGo 2 Too often tiny speakers sound like tiny speakers, but this pair gives new life to mobile music. Only slightly larger than an iPod, iPhone or Zune—the three players it’s designed to ﬁt—these powerful speakers have a little digital ampliﬁer and a touch-sensitive screen so you can control your player and play for 30 hours on four AAA batteries. Even if you’re not one of the millions of iUsers or handful of Zune-sters, the iMainGo 2 makes a great accessory for any music phone, laptop and gaming system.

$39.95

Slingbox Pro-HD Casting your TV to all parts of the world through the miracle of the Interwebs is old hat; the original Slingbox used a broadband connection to give you remote access to your home TV and DVR, ensuring you didn’t miss Inside the NBA even when you were on the other side of the globe. Sling ups the ante with the Pro-HD version of the Slingbox, ensuring we not only get to watch Ernie, Chuck and Kenny, but we also get to see them in glorious high deﬁnition.

$299.99

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Logitech WiLife Whether it’s for security reasons, to spy on the nanny or just to see what your Fido is doing during the day, Logitech’s expandable multi-camera WiLife system is an easy-to-set-up home surveillance system. We’re no tech geniuses at HOOP, but we managed to set up the cameras and conﬁgure the system and were up and running live video feeds in under 10 minutes. The kit comes with one indoor camera, but optional outdoor cams and discreet spycams are available.

$299

IQAir HealthPro Plus Most air purifiers claim to sanitize the air but wind up just pushing particle-filled air around the room. The HealthPro Plus uses a four-stage filter that removes allergens such as mold, pet dander, pollen, dust mites, VOCs and pet, musty, smoke and cooking odors. The unit has six fan speeds for adjustable air filtration (although at its highest setting it’s a little loud) and left the air noticeably cleaner in its wake. But don’t just take out word for it: each member of USA Basketball was outfitted with one in their hotel rooms during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, a city notorious for its poor air quality.

$939

Netgear HD/Gaming Wireless-N Networking Kit Netgear has taken the guesswork and IT degree out of conﬁguring your own blazing wireless network for your HD content and gaming needs. Just plug one unit into your router and connect the mate to your vidgame console, DVR or cable box and you’re all set to stream content at Wireless-N speeds. The kit works on 5 GHz band, so there will be no interference from other WiFi networks, microwaves and cordless phones.

$199

HeadBlade Grooming Products Whether it’s choice or genetics that left your pate a clean slate, make sure to keep it proper with the right grooming tools. HeadBlade’s complete regiment has everything for the guy who likes it cropped and tight: the HeadFade Sport Clippers is a rechargeable set of clippers for the at-home barber; the HeadBlade Sport is the only wheeled-razor (with faux rims, natch) designed for the cue-ball look; and the complete line of hair—check that, head—product designed for the hair-challenged folks.

HeadFade Sport Clippers: $52.97 HeadBlade Sport: $15 Assorted HeadLubes, creams and washes: $2.49-$11.97

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hoop gear adidas

TS Bounce Commander $110

Weight (size 9): 17 oz.

Like the Bounce Commander, the TS Lightning Creator, which caters to perimeter players, is the second-half shoe to the Creator. From the looks department, the Lightning Creator ups its predecessor. The suede-like upper with the embossed geometric shapes gives the LC some Air Jordan VI flavor (the red/black/white colorway also helps). Like all of the TS line, the featured player’s signature—and in this instance, T-Mac’s logo—can be found on a plastic tab on the lateral side. The ubiquitous Three Stripes runs along the rear of the shoe. Our most curious finding of the LC is its weight. At 18.5 ounces, it’s an ounce and a half heavier than the Bounce Commander. Maybe we’re wrong on this one, but shouldn’t a shoe designed for a guard be lighter than one created for a bigger player? The LC has a naturally snug fit around the midfoot (ironically enough, the Bounce Commander, with its substantial midfoot strap, does not have the same cozy effect). The ForMotion on the bottom makes a return from the original Creator, providing a lateral flexibility and a bit of cushioning. Climacool cutouts on the underside and a mesh interior bathe the shoe in air. The Lightning Creator is an improvement from the Creator, but make sure to try it on. Those with wide feet might find the narrow midfoot to be uncomfortable. We were a bit put off by its high weight, but it wasn’t enough for us to not recommend it.

For the second half of the season, adidas’ lineup of big men will be donning the Bounce Commander on their feet. The first-half Commander was a solid effort, scoring high on performance but short on looks. If first impressions count, the Bounce Commander quickly charms with its eye-catching giant striped-out midstrap that dominates the shoe. On the underside of the strap is a pixilated Finals trophy and 2005 and 2007 written on it. The pixel pattern runs alongside the shoe; along with a square cutout on the leather upper it makes up the key elements of the shoe. Oh, there’s also a plastic piece with TD’s #21 and signature. Let’s start off by saying that the strap isn’t super functional. It’ll tighten the upper a tad, but the laces are still the primary clincher of the shoe. Unlike many adidas shoes, the fit didn’t run small, especially around the toe area. Shock absorption comes in the form of adidas’ Bounce tech, rigatoni-like springs on the heel. We’ll forgive the Bounce Commander for the high ride and we’ll even overlook the relatively high weight (17 ounces) since it’s a shoe geared towards big men, but we found the lateral stability a little troubling. Our tests found some issues in the midfoot, particularly on the medial side. Maybe less emphasis was put on that since bigs don’t move around as much, but to us, lateral movement is fundamental to basketball regardless of position. Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

adidas

TS Lightning Creator $110

Weight (size 9): 18.5 oz.

Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

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CORRECTION: In the Nov/Dec issue, we reviewed the Wade 4 from Converse and mistakenly ran the incorrect colorway of the shoe. The correct colorway is pictured; detailed views can be found on hoopmag.com. Our bad, Converse...

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Nike

Huarache 09 $110

Weight (size 9): 14.5 oz

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Like Krispy Kremes, any kind of Foamposite shoe is always met with hungry paws in the HOOP offices. Since Penny made Nike’s revolutionary upper popular, we’ve been clamoring for more foamy goodness. The one knock on the Foamposite is its weight (something we’ve never understood since it’s derived from foam, which is mostly air), but those clever innovators in the Swoosh kitchen cooked up a lighter version with the Foamposite Lite. As with most foamposite-based kicks, design takes a backseat to the calming wavy pattern of the not-quite-rubber/not-really-plastic material. We likes. The only other things to report on are the inner neoprene sock and round laces instead of the traditional flat ones. Running in the FL is a weird feeling for the uninitiated. One tester who never donned Foams before said it felt like wearing very thick socks. Another foam newbie noted how wearing them seemed like having liquid latex sprayed on over the socks. If you’re used to a more traditional upper, the FL will take some getting used to. Both persons reported loving it after the adjustment period. Fans of low-riding shoes will absolutely want to check these out. The outsole is mere millimeters thick (sorry, we couldn’t accurately measure) and with just a Zoom Air, the whole package leaves your feet feeling like it’s hovering over the floor. If we had to find one knock on the FL, it would be its lack of ventilation. The foam traps in the funk, relying on just the mesh tongue to release the heat. Some non-ball-playing folks commented on how they loved the FL and would buy it for looks and comfort alone. We agree. As with most foam joints, it’s sure to attract a crowd ready to plunk down the buck-and-a-half for foamy feet.

The Huaraches have always been a fave of ours since we first laid eyes on them on the feet of five skinny and mostly bald-headed ballers in blue and gold during the early ’90s. Fast-forward almost two decades later and the shoe is still going strong. Based on a sandal, the Huarache still retains its distinguishable original flavor. The cutouts on the ankle and sides— the 09 has puffy mesh over them—and the inner bootie remain design carryovers that scream Huarache. While it’s not quite Hyperdunk light, the Huarache has always been a feathery shoe and at 14.5 ounces, it’s the lightest shoe reviewed this issue. The inner bootie necessitates a half-size up, so make sure to fit them before walking out of the store. The low profile lends a responsive shoe (a Zoom Air unit handles cushioning chores). Certain interior players might find the Huarache a little lacking in support, but for the most part, the shoe delivers across the board. Another feature we liked is the outsole. A series of circular herringboned areas on the outsole contribute to a well-tractioned bottom. We’re not sure if playing outdoors would produce a similar effect, but on an indoor gym, the Huaraches had good stick to the floor, making for comfortable and timely cuts and stops. Although it fails to capture our imaginations and wallets like it did when it first came on the scene, the Huarache 09 is nonetheless a nice reminder of the original. The price is a bit steep, but for a shoe that plays and looks as good as this (including the ever-important offcourt look), there’s some value in that. Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

Nike

Foamposite Lite $155

Weight (size 9): 15 oz

Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation: HOOP

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hoop gear Converse

Wade Clutch $80

Weight (size 9): 15.5 oz Available colorways: white/navy; white/red; black/black; white/black (pictured); white/royal

Since coming back into the performance shoe game a few years back, Converse has been quietly dropping some quality shoes to ball in. The only drawback to their offerings is the staid approach to aesthetics. The Wade Clutch is no different. As a game shoe, the Wade Clutch, like its name indicates, comes up big when it counts: a low ride, relatively light weight, good lateral stability and passable cushioning. If looks aren’t an issue in your book and you’re in the need for a new pair of basketball joints, just stop reading and go buy this value-laden shoe. We prefer a bit more ﬂair on the court, so the Wade Clutch doesn’t really do it for us. The toe box and the rear heel have a nice subtle 3D-like geometric pattern (for the older folks, think Q-Bert). The rather large Converse Star sits on the lateral side in the form of metallic mesh. Otherwise, the shoe resembles the Starbury Team a bit (remember those?). The outsole of the Clutch is a direct port from the Wade 3 and its triangular motif, which provide excellent traction. Our only nitpick—and it doesn’t affect performance one bit—is that the coloring of the triangles on the outsole was done a bit sloppily. If you’re looking for a quality shoe and looks be damned, you will not go wrong with the Wade Clutch. It beats the pants off some higher-priced shoes that we review in this issue, and in today’s tough economy, $80 is a deal. Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

KICKIN’ IT

with Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas has emerged onto the NBA’s big stage as the prince of cool, wit and color. He marches to the beat of his own drum, an obscure second-round pick (31st overall) in the 2001 Draft who has fashioned himself into a star among stars both on and off the court. From his incredibly popular blog on nba.com to his several creative nicknames such as “Agent Zero” and “Hibachi,” the three-time All-Star selection has the NBA world on a string, endearing himself to both players and fans from coast to coast, as well as the world over.

I want to put some of that same flavor of a Penny Hardaway, Michael Jordan and all those players in the past—when kids were excited about going to the stores to purchase them—I’m trying to bring that flavor back. The stars of today that are affiliated with shoe companies, they don’t want that anymore. They feel that kids don’t want shoes. They want shoes, the players are there, they just want the look again. I’m trying to bring that look back. The low-cut that looks good with the jeans; it looks good with everything. You don’t want a basketball shoe that is only for basketball.”

Talk about your relationship with adidas.

Why do you wear low-cut sneakers?

“When you are little you want your own shoe. Everyone wants to be the next Jordan, be the son of Jordan, and eventually become their own man, and [adidas] gave me a chance. I have two signature shoes, and I’m working on my third, so you know,

What do you think about the different editions of sneakers, for example AllStar and playoff editions?

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“I don’t feel that, I don’t really like that too much because a kid identiﬁes one shoe with a person, and then it is switched halfway through the season you don’t get the full effect from that one shoe, because when that shoe comes out, there are some kids that didn’t get to see it until you get to their city. Sometimes a player will wear a shoe in a home game and then he comes into L.A., he might be wearing a whole different shoe. So I don’t feel what the shoe companies are doing, switching the shoe during the season. Having a different All-Star shoe, the kids are having a hard time identifying which is which. It used to be that when you saw a shoe, all you were waiting for was a different color of that shoe. When the Jordan used to come out, there was a black pair and a white pair, and then you knew you were going to get the baby blue, and then you wait for the white and red to come out, and that’s what they [sneaker companies] are not doing now.”

What is your favorite sneaker of all-time? “It would have to be mine. The Gil Zero, they sold out in China, and it has been the No. 1 adidas seller in China for the past three years.”

ALL PHOTOS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

You are one of the few people to have a signature line, can you shed some light on that?

“Ever since I was little I used to buy low-cut shoes, so I got accustomed to playing in them. So with my style, I can wear my shoes to run in with shorts, with pants, to the club, school, to the mall. I can wear low cuts anywhere. I didn’t like hi-tops. You know, most kids are like that—they would rather have a shoe that they can play on the court and off the court.”

“I’ve had a relationship with adidas probably since I was 12 years old. I used to play in adidas when I was little and ever since I signed my deal, it’s been like family.”

BY ANTHONY GILBERT #1

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Like Puffy (or Diddy, or whatever the Bad Boy mogul goes by these days), Jordan knows no one loves anything more than taking an old hit and remixing it for today’s audience. The “half” hybrids Jordan has been doling out continue with the 2.5, a team shoe that combines the silhouette of the AJ II with design hits of the III—namely, the famous elephant print. And really, with DNA from two such luscious and memorable shoes, the result will result in something akin to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s spawn, i.e., they’re bound to look good. The 2.5 is no different. The shoe takes on the characteristics of either the II or III, depending on the angle of where you look. But no matter how you look it, they shine—especially with jeans, earning it bonus points. As a basketball shoe, the 2.5’s looks prove to be just skin deep. The allleather upper and padded ankle collar gives the feeling of wearing double socks. While the throwback look of the shoe earns it raves, the 2.5 feels like an early ’90s basketball shoe—chunky and slow. The folks at Jordan obviously updated the shoe to meet today’s demands but despite their efforts, we found it tough to move around in. The bottoms felt weighted down and even though it sports an Air unit, the 2.5 left our feet throbbing from the pounding. We review a lot of shoes that suffer from a lot of substance and little style. The Jordan 2.5 Team is just the opposite. Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

Reebok

Answer XII $100

ALL PHOTOS/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Weight (size 9): 15.5 oz

Jordan

2.5 Team $125

Weight (size 9): 16.25 oz Available colorways: white/black-varsity red; black/ varsity red-cement-white (pictured); white/metallic silver-midnight navy; white/varsity royal-black; white/black-university blue

It’s hard for some of us to fathom that the Answer has been holding it down for a dozen years (The Answer, the man, has been doing his thing for a baker’s dozen), but the signature shoe has been going strong since the Clinton administration. For a signature shoe that is the second-longest-running line ever (second only to the man he famously broke with his crossover), Reebok could’ve pulled out more stops. The graphic on the rear of the shoe is based on the William Ernest Henley poem “Invicta” (meaning “Unconquerable”), which AI has tatted on himself. The rest of the XII is decorated in oval perforations with a patent leather on the toe box. We also liked the choice of round laces and speed lacers, but we had problems getting our feet into the inner bootie (seems like every shoe we reviewed this issue has an inner sock) due to the lack of any rear pull tab. The XII starts out a little stiff but after some break-in time the upper softens up. Unfortunately, the ankle collar is somewhat stiff plastic, making for a rigid feel in the back (some might like the ankle support it may provide). The shoe sits a little high for our taste, probably due to the DMX foam cushioning in the midsole, but it handles the pounding well, even when playing on outdoor concrete. The Answer 1 is a shoe classic; the XII, well, let’s just say it makes us long for the days of a skinny mini-afro’ed #3 in Sixers’ red who had the gall to cross up MJ—twice, on the same play no less—and dunk with regularity in trafﬁc. Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

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wear Nike

NSW Wool Zip Jacket/ Dunk Hi â&#x20AC;&#x2122;08 LE $110; $82

PF Flyers

Bob Cousy All-American Low $90

Onitsuka Tiger

Coolidge $85

Timberland

2.0 6-Inch Boot $150

Puma by Mihara

MY-41 $125

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Jordan

Storm Trooper Jacket $180

Asics

Mateo $50

adidas

adicolor Track Top/Pro Shell $65/$75

Reebok

Sir Jam Mid $84.99

Converse

Weapon â&#x20AC;&#x2122;86 Low $75

Puma

Sky II Hi $80

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wear Jordan

Damier Quilted Jacket/Money Walks Tee/Flipstyle $150; $35; $95

Onitsuka Tiger

Lawnship $75

Reebok

Commitment Mid $89.99

adidas

adicolor Hoody/Tee/Americana Low $65; $26; $75

PF Flyers

Perrin $130

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Jordan

2K X Jordan Shoe + Display Case

(limited edition; 50 available only in select cities)

PF Flyers

Center Lo $80

adidas

adicolor Track Top/adi Firebird Track Pant/Superstar 2 $65; $55; $75

Puma

Basket Brights $65

Jordan

M5 Field Jacket/ M5 Combat Pant $85; $75

Jordan

AJF 20 $155

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wear Converse

Weapon ’86 $80

Converse

Weapon ’86 Low $75

adidas

adicolor Hoody/Natase $65; $70

Puma by Mihara

MY-24 $150

Timberland

Nylon Shell Field Jacket/ Hypertrail Leather Mid with GoreTex $148; $125

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Spotlight: 60 Years of Soles and Stripes This year marks six decades of the iconic Three Stripes introduced by the company’s founder Adi Dassler. To commemorate the diamond anniversary, adidas will be dropping some special shoes and pieces. The hoodies will sport a design on the pocket and inside the hood inspired by the corresponding shoe’s sole pattern. The matching tee will feature the same graphic as the hoodie and have the original release date of the shoe in the back. The kicks (Instinct Hi OG, Attitude Hi and Pro Model II) will be decked with a matching colorway. Plenty to keep things fresh for another 60 years… Pro Model Hoody $75 Pro Model Tee $32 Pro Model II $75 Attitude Hoody $75 Attitude Tee $32 Attitude Hi $85 Instinct Hoody $75 Instinct Tee $32 Instinct Hi OG $85

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wear Timberland

Down Sweater Jacket/ Woodbury Leather Waterproof Boot $138; $120

Nike

NSW Zip Hoody/ Dunk Hi Nylon Premium $110; $100

adidas

Forum Mid $80

adidas

adicolor Track Top/adi Firebird Track Pant $65; $55

adidas

Attitude Lo $80

adidas

Crazy 8s $100

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adidas

adicolor Hoody/Forum Lo RS $65; $80

Nike

NSW Zip Hoody/NSW Sweatshirt $110; $110

adidas

Crazy 8s $100

Nike

Air Max 90 Classic EU $130

adidas

Top Ten $75

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ofﬁcial

Fathead

Got an empty wall to ﬁll in your sports haven? Use an NBA player to ﬁll the space. Fathead, the creators of life-size wall graphics, offers many of your favorite NBA teams or players. Fathead products are made with a highquality removable and reusable adhesive that resists tears, rips, fading, and leaves no damage to walls. Available at NBAStore.com, the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Champs Sports. SRP (player graphic): $99.99 SRP (team logo graphic): $89.99

NBA Bucket and Pint Glass Sets from Boelter Brands

Keep your beverages cold on the go with the NBA Bucket and Pint Glass Set. The boxed gift set includes a ﬁve-quart metal bucket, four pint glasses and twelve coasters. Each item features your favorite team’s logo and graphics, which makes this the perfect assist on any game night! Available at JCPenney. SRP: $49.99

NBA Mugs and Pilsners from Duckhouse Have an ice-cold beverage in style with NBA Mugs and Pilsners from Duckhouse. Perfect for enjoying a chilled drink, the 16-ounce mug and pilsner combine stateof-the-art “refreezability” with a color-coordinated handle and base. The crystal technology keeps drinks cold for hours without the watered-down effect of ice! Just place the Duckhouse mug or pilsner in a freezer for one hour, wait for the crystals to turn frosty white and it’s ready to go. Available at NBAStore.com and the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue. SRP: $14.99

Pro Shots Michael Jordan Series 2 from Upper Deck

This series of collectible ﬁgurines features two of the most memorable moves from Jordan’s illustrious career: “The Move” from the 1991 NBA Championship Series in Los Angeles, and the gravity-defying dunk that won him the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Competition. These commemorative ﬁgurines are a must-have for any true Michael Jordan fan. Available at Toys R Us, the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue, and select hobby shops. SRP: $14.99

The Beast Hoop System from Spalding

The Beast is a leader in high-performance portable basketball systems. The 60-inch glass backboard provides increased beneﬁts to players, including a 37 percent truer rebound than that of the normal acrylic systems. The aluminum trim and steel frame give the Beast increased stability and a professional basketball look. Available at The Sports Authority and NBAStore.com. SRP: $999.99

Fanmats

The Fanmats area rug is a stylish and subtle way to brand a room with your favorite team’s logo. Made from the finest fibers, Fanmats complement any room’s decor while still showing everyone where your loyalties lie. Fanmats feature five-foot-by-eight-foot full-color NBA team logos, as well as other sizes and designs. Available at Fanmats.com. SRP: $199.99

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sneaker game

BY ANTHONY GILBERT #1

WHAT’S ON THE LEAGUE’S FEET 01

LeBRON JAMES Zoom LeBron VI

Throughout the course of the season and playoffs, approximately how many pairs of sneakers will you go through? “Aw man! I wear a new pair every game. I need that new feeling every time I step out there on that court. So there are 82 games in a season, so that’s 82 pairs right there, and if we play 15 games in the playoffs— how many shoes is that?—97. So I play in a lot of shoes, but that’s what I do, I’ve been doing it like that throughout my career.” How do your sneakers empower your game? “Well they deﬁnitely do, because they enable me to accomplish all of the things I need and want to do on the court. Every year at Nike, we want to come up with a shoe that helps me and assists my game so that I can dominate and play at a higher level, so my shoes help me do that.”

MO WILLIAMS adidas Pro Model II

How important is it to have good footwear as an athlete? “Oh, it’s important; I think it’s important to be kind of consistent with what you wear. It’s a comfort level with consistency. One thing about shoes is that they seem to make different shoes but kind of like the same styles—not styles, but same type of comfortable feel. Consistency is the key. That’s why I wear a new pair every game. I have my practice pair and I’ll wear a practice pair more than once. I’ll wear a practice pair until I just need a new pair, but my game shoes I like a new ﬁt. I’ll never wear a shoe more than two games.”

CHRIS BOSH Nike Hyperdunk

JASON KAPONO adidas TS Pro Model

You’ve been with adidas for your entire pro career. Talk about your relationship with the brand. “My relationship with adidas goes back to high school, with the ABCD Camp in ninth grade. It’s a quality brand with quality people. I’ve been fortunate to stay with them so long that it’s been a mainstay in my career. I enjoy being part of the team; adidas has been loyal. They’ve stuck by me and have done so much. Obviously, I’m a loyal supporter.”

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JAMES: GLENN JAMES; WILLIAMS: JESSE D. GARRABRANT; BOSH: RON TURENNE; KAPONO: NOAH GRAHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

You entered the League with Converse and now you’re with Nike... “This is my third year with Nike. I was with Converse for three years. My contract just ran out. Nike of course is a more well-known brand. Converse was just starting out. You know how it is with new footwear and apparel companies; they are really trying to get a feel of sales, et cetera.”

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step back May 14, 1999, UTAH JAZZ vs. SACRAMENTO KINGS,, Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA The Kings have called Arco Arena home since 1988, when construction ﬁnished at a cost of $40 million—all privately ﬁnanced. The 17,317-seat arena is also the home of WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs, who won the 2005 WNBA title on their home court.

The Sacramento Kings, before settling in California’s capital in 1985, had stints in Rochester, NY, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Omaha. The Kings ofﬁcially adopted their current nickname in 1971 after 23 seasons as the Royals. p y

The Kings are known for having some of the loudest fans in the NBA. That distinction became more than just hyperbole in 2006 when Arco Arena set a Guinness World Record for the loudest “sports roar,” reaching 130 decibels during game against the Detroit Pistons. gag g

Before former coach Rick Adelman’s ﬁrst season with the Kings in ’98-99, the Kings hadn’t had a winning record in 18 seasons, when the 1979-80 Kansas City Kings went 45-37. With Adelman at the helm, the Kings made eight straight playoff appearances. Coming out of the University of Florida in 1998, the Kings selected Jason Williams seventh overall in the Draft. Williams, who set a Florida Gators record by dishing out 17 assists in one game, quickly adapted to life in the NBA, joining the likes of Vince Carter and Paul Pierce on the All-Rookie First Team.. Vlade Divac joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1989 after he was selected 26th overall in the Draft. The 7-0 center from Yugoslavia became the ﬁrst foreign-born player selected by the Lakers. Divac spent seven seasons in L.A. before being Hornets for then-rookie Kobe Bryant. traded to the Charlotte C

Besides his three seasons in Sacramento, Williams also spent nt four seasons in Memphis and three in Miami, where he was the starting point guard on the 2006 NBA Championship team. Those Heat were the ﬁrst team since the 1977 Trail Blazers to o come back from a 0-2 Finals deﬁcit to win the title.

Early in his career, Williams, also known as White Chocolate e and Whit Eboy, had a reputation for erratic play at times. He made the highlight-reel play better than anyone since Pistol Pete, but sometimes his passes wound up seven rows in the seats. He learned to control his game later on, and in ’02-03 he ﬁnished second in the League in assists at 8.3 per night.

The Utah Jazz selected Greg Ostertag at No. 28 in the 1998 Draft. During his four-year collegiate career as a Kansas Jayhawk, Ostertag went to two Final Fours and left the school as the Big 8’s (now the Big 12) career block leader.

K Known throughout his 14-year NBA career for his deadeye three-point shooting, Jeff Hornacek began his college basketball career as a walk-on at Iowa State University, where he eventually set a school record with U 665 career assists while scoring 6 g 1,313 , p points.

T Suns selected Hornacek in the second round (46th The overall) in the 1986 Draft. Hornacek put up his best statistical seasons with the Suns, even averaging 20.1 ppg in 1992. He later played with the 76ers for a season aand a half before being dealt to Utah in 1994, where he ﬁnished his career.

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Divac D ivac w was renowned for being an affable and funny guy, personality traits that landed him roles in several TV shows and movies, such as Coach, Married... with Children, Eddie, Space Jam and Juwanna Mann.

Ostertag O Ost tertag retired re from the NBA after the 2006 season. During his 11-season career, Ostertag never played on a team with a losing record and went to the playoffs each season. Save one season with the Kings, Ostertag played his entire career in Utah, ﬁnishing fourth all-time in games played in a Jazz uniform.

In 200 2002, 002 2, comin coming off his seventh season in the NBA, Ostertag donated a kidney to his sister, making him the only player in League history to play after donating an organ. Ostertag since has been a vocal supporter of kidney-related funding and research.

Bryon Russell joined the Jazz in 1993 when the team selected him in the second round of NBA Draft. The Long Beach State alum quickly slotted in as a role player, where he p guide g helped the Jazz to two NBA Finals.

Russell’s best statistical season was ’99-00, 0, when he averaged 14.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.8 8 apg. However, Russell is best remembered for being on the opposite end of Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot in Game 6 of the he 1998 Finals.

ROCKY WIDNER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

W the Jazz, Hornacek experienced the most team With success of his career. The Jazz went to two NBA Finals, losing both against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. Hornacek retired after the 2000 season and the Jazz eventually retired his #14.

In ’98-99 Divac joined the Sacramento Kings, where his uncanny passing ability—and occasional post theatrics—provided some of the highlights during the team’s eight-year playoff streak. Divac left in 2004 to sign with the Lakers but retired after playing only 15 games because of back problems.

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ямБnal exam DOES STEVE NASH MAKE THE GRADE?

BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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