HOOP March/April 2011

Blake Griffin

Rudy Gay

Earl The Pearl

AN OFFICIAL NBA PUBLICATION

Ron Artest

MAR/APR 2011

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THIS TOWN

How Amar’e Stoudemire revived the New York Knicks $4.99 USA

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WARMUPS

KevorK Djansezian (2); anDrew D. Bernstein (3); Bill Baptist; Garrett ellwooD; noah Graham; jeff Gross

From every conceivable angle, one thing is evident: While LeBron James might be the King of the League, he is still playing on Kobe Bryant’s court, as evidenced by Bryant’s dunk over the outstretched arms of LeBron’s patented chase-down block attempt during the All-Star Game.

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WARMUPS

anDrew D. Bernstein/nBae/Getty imaGes

C’mon rook, drop down and give me 30. In this case, it’s not push-ups, but a loose ball as Utah rookie Gordon Hayward goes all out after one.

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WARMUPS

jesse D. GarraBrant/nBae/Getty imaGes

Double-teams usually take place on the ground, but as shown here, it can sometimes come in the form of additional aerial support as Sixers Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday do their best to prevent the Pistons’ Will Bynum from scoring.

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Usually posterizing someone involves doing the deed on someone from the opposite team. In this case, Tyler Hansbrough does Pacers teammate Mike Dunleavy dirty with this overzealous putback dunk.

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mar/apr 2011

The Gameplan

FeaTures

54 Champagne Dreams and Caviar Wishes For some, just getting into the NBA is a lifelong dream. Despite the tough odds, they continue to pursue it. The reality is getting a hold of that single roster spot takes every bit of dedication and perseverance to secure. And even then, nothing is guaranteed. And we’re just talking about a spot on an NBA D-League roster.

60 Quick Study Even for No. 1 overall picks, the initial season for any NBA rookie means a lot of learning, making mistakes, waiting for opportunities and a lot of sucking up to veterans. Make no mistake, Blake Griffin is doing all these things, but at the same time, he’s also bringing League-wide excitement to his Los Angeles Clippers, jumping over cars to win Slam Dunk titles and making All-Star teams.

46 Amar’e of One

New York might be enamored with its addition of second star Carmelo Anthony to its constellation, but don’t forget that it was the supernova of Amar’e Stoudemire during the offseason that started the Big Bang in earnest for the New York Knicks. Stoudemire has done everything the Knicks have needed—win games and make the All-Star team—but most importantly, he has made New York basketball relevant again.

60 PHOTO CREDIT/NBAE/GETTy ImAGEs

68 I’m Possible, Not Impossible Rodney Rogers was by no means a superstar during his 12 years in the NBA, but he was every bit the persevering sweet-shooting lefty who willed a furious 9 points in, by his estimation, 8 seconds.

A freak accident during his retirement left Rogers a quadriplegic, robbing him of all mobility, let alone his NBA athleticism. But true to his fighting nature, Rogers is not letting his condition deter him from continuing to beat the odds.

74 Game Face

80 Pearls of Life

Don’t let the scowl you might see on Rudy Gay’s face during games fool you. Yes, he’s every bit as determined to dominate you, maybe even give you the business with a rousing, in-your-face dunk and tear your heart out with a game-winning jumper—but that’s just all on the court.

After the buzzer, Gay will do his best to serve as tour guide to the city of Memphis, educate the masses on HIV awareness and put a smile on your face like the one on his.

You don’t get anointed with names like “The Duke of Earl,” “Black Jesus,” and “The Pearl” with just any game, no matter how effective you might be.

To be bestowed such monikers, you need form, certainly, but you definitely also better have plenty of style. In a time when nicknames have become as unimaginative as first initial paired with last name, Earl Monroe’s names were as original as his game, and he earned every one of them.

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Cover photo by NathaNiel S. butler HOOP

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tHe GamepLan Departments

2 Warmups 17 The Point 19 Jumpball

numerology: the 123s of the NBA; First Five: Arron Afflalo, Jrue Holiday, Kris Humphries, Dorell Wright, Nick Young; Head2Head: It requires a double-sized serving to compare two accomplished warhorses like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett; In His shoes: Scottie Pippen explains the significance of 72-10 and why it won’t be matched anytime soon; transition Game: Dwight Howard; Best of Five: “Old Spice guy” Isaiah Mustafa vs. Taj Gibson; Dance Life: Philadelphia Sixers Dancer Melissa; straight shooter: Kevin Love doesn’t feel bad about blocking your view at public events, reveals which teammate has the nastiest locker and more; Brack-It: The best over-35 player in the NBA is…; and more.

84 Call-Out

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Another Kobe milestone, Mr. Clutch gets bronzed, the new three-point king and more.

43 24 Seconds with Ron Artest It definitely takes more than 24 questions to get to the bottom of Artest, but we do our best with ’Test.

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mar/apr 2011

87 Check It spin moves: Dirk Nowitzki keeps it simple with his digital media choices, preferring his analog guitar instead; the Goods: some FYI for your DIY needs; Gear: Air Jordan 2011, CP3.IV, SuperBeast and adiPure get put to their paces; Wear: Spring picks featuring the K.O.B.E. Collection.

102 Stepback

104 Final Exam

Remembering the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals.

Let’s hope D-Wade stands for his first initial and not his grade.

HOOP

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In this town, major players get

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To our 2011 NBA marketing partners:

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EVERY Y A D S R U H T

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THE POiNT I always make it a point to avoid writing too much about the Knicks.1 Since my almost 10 years at HOOP, I’ve tried to let my fandom go, be more objective and even-handed in our coverage2 of the League. Through the years the memories of the Knicks have eroded or gone deeper in the recesses of my brain,3 rarely ever coming to surface. And it’s been easy over the last 10 years. While it’s true that I have to walk past the Garden every day to and from work and I have to attend Knicks games from time to time, it’s been really easy to put aside the team that I inspired me to spend a good chunk of my school years sketching re-imagined Knicks logos, fantasizing about a LeBron-like talent4 running alongside Patrick Ewing and obsessing over finding the perfect Knicks cap.5 It’s been easy because since I’ve plied my trade here, the team has been terrible. They’ve never had a winning record and their best showing was a 39-win season6 in ’03-04. They’ve been through seven coaches and just two All-Stars.7 This season has me torn. Their mild success has the orange-andblue in me surfacing. While the Knicks are far from elite, there have been major steps in improvement. First came bringing in Donnie

Volume 39, No. 3 Editor-in-Chief Ming Wong #2 Design Director Kengyong Shao #31 Editor-at-Large Jeramie McPeek #4 Copy Editor Trevor Kearney #8 Tech Editor Shane Battier #31 Style Editor Caron Butler #4 Straight Shooter Kevin Love #42 Videogame Editor Nate Robinson #4 Music Editors Thaddeus Young #21, Carl Landry #24 WNBA Editor Lois Elfman #40 Senior Writer Michael Bradley #53 Contributing Writers Christopher Cason #24, Jon Cooper #10, Anthony Gilbert #1, Brian A. Giuffra #17, Melody Hoffman #34, Darryl Howerton #21, Andy Jasner #27, Trevor Kearney #8, Holly Mackenzie #32, Brett Mauser #25, McG #93, Jeff Min #12, Brett Olson #36, Rob Peterson #9, Earl K. Sneed #23, Kyle Spelling #35 Illustrator Matt Candela #52 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 Manager Jaime Ziegler

NBA Publishing/NBA Photos Executive VP, and Executive Producer, Production, Programming, and Broadcasting Danny Meiseles Senior VP, Multimedia Production Paul Hirschheimer Senior VP, Entertainment & Player Marketing Charlie Rosenzweig Senior VP, Marketing Communications Mike Bass Senior Director, NBAE Production John Hareas

Walsh to clean up the debacle. Then came the hiring of fun n’ gun coach and Pringles man lookalike8 Mike D’Antoni. This past offseason begat Amar’e Stoudemire. And most recently the trade for Carmelo Anthony. As I write this, the trade is still fresh, so far be it for me to speculate in detail. But whether this signals a new start to the franchise and more superstars “taking their talents to Southwest Midtown,” at least the Knicks are on people’s minds again.

The results remain to be seen but a few things are certain: Ticket sales notwithstanding, the vibe at MSG is heightened. It’s not quite mid-’90s electricity;9 it’s more like static electricity.10 The crowds chant and cheer, and not just for the City Dancers, baby races or other kooky promo bits during breaks in the game. I’ve personally gone to a handful of games as a fan without the aid of my media credential. I can’t be sure, but there seems to be more bootleg Knicks merch11 floating around. More street carts slinging NYC’s infamous “dirty water hot dogs,”12 roasted nuts and halal13 can be found dotting the perimeter of the Garden. Chatter at bars, elevators and at the local lunch spot and eavesdropped conversations are more about the Bockers. The NY tabloids have even stepped up their headline-writing game and Photoshop jobs on the Knicks-centric back covers. The suits that are found on weeknight games have their Knicks jerseys over their Brooks Brothers.14 Ticket-less crowds gather outside the Garden entrance to watch the game on TV screens and capture some residual vibe from just being in the vicinity of the action.

Most telling is the ticket scalpers that I occasionally see on my walk home on game nights. Besides the increased abundance of them this season, I notice a bit more pep in their sales pitches15 and even an Amar’e #1 jersey and a pair of Jordan Melo M7s on the feet of one “ticket broker.” I inquired about his dress and his thoughts on the Knicks. G’s reply: “Amar’e’s the man and I got [the M7s] when the Melo trade went down. Not sure what this means about the Knicks’ title chances but them coming here has been good for business. This is just my way of showing support.”

Executive Vice President, Global Merchandising Group Sal LaRocca Vice President, Licensing Mary Pat Gillin Manager, Global Media Programs Felecia Groomster Senior Directors & Senior Official NBAE Photographers Andrew D. Bernstein, Nathaniel S. Butler Vice President, NBA Photos Joe Amati Director, Photos Imaging David Bonilla Official NBAE Photographer Jesse Garrabrant Senior Photo Editor Brian Choi Photo Coordinator Kevin Wright 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. © 2011 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

Ming Wong #2 BONUS POINTS 1. This is a lie, especially on this page.

2. Very true. There’s never been a Knicks cover during my watch and I can only recall maybe three features on Knicks players.

3. I’ll never forget the team’s obscurities during my youth: Kenny Bannister, Greg Butler, Pat Cummings, Brian Quinnett, Lavor Postell, Eddie Lee Wilkins.

4. He was a fictional small forward who averaged 30 ppg, 12 rpg and 13 apg and was a perennial All-D team member.

5. My favorite of all time was the Draft caps by Starter with the script font of the team’s name. Classic.

6. Which ended with an unceremonious sweep at the hands of the New Jersey Nets.

7. None if you took away Amar’e Stoudemire this year and David Lee’s last-minute inclusion last year.

8. I’m really surprised the canned potato crisps company has never reached out to D’Antoni, especially since he came to Broadway.

9. A Knicks game in the ’90s meant feeling the floor shake, getting goose bumps during pivotal moments and getting on the subway afterwards to high-fiving fans and a buzzing sensation in your ears.

10. I really think the proliferation of cell phones will prevent the Garden—or any sporting venue—from bring be the same as it was B.C. (before cell phone) Too much Facebook and Twitter updating, texting, chatting, picture-taking and Angry Birds playing.

11. You can always spot them. They just never look quite right.

12. One vendor I spoke with has attested to changing his water once a month and even less in the winter. I still take mine with sauerkraut, onions and mustard.

13. NYC street meat of curried chicken and lamb over rice drizzled with white and hot sauce.

14. It’s a terrible look.

15. You can always tell by their body language whether it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market.

HOOP

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Numerology

The 123s of The NBA

26 The Cleveland Cavaliers’ losing sTreak, The longesT in nBa hisTory. during The Cavs’ sTreak, The san anTonio spurs won 21 games, The mosT of any Team.

55 The margin of victory for the l.a. lakers against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 1/11/11 when they won, 112-57, the nBa’s most lopsided score since the pacers blasted the Trail Blazers, 124-59 on 2/27/98.

5

29-12-10 LeBron James’ points, rebounds and assists in the 2011 All-star Game, the first Allstar triple-double since Michael Jordan’s 14-11-11 in 1997.

The margin of victory for the Cavaliers in their rematch against the Lakers on 2/16/11, when they defeated them 104-99. Cleveland becomes the fourth team in 40 years to avenge a loss by more than 55 points to a team in the same season.

245 Number of NBA coaching changes during Jerry Sloan’s 23-year tenure as the Utah Jazz head coach from 12/9/88 until his resignation on 2/11/11. He is also the only NBA head coach to ever notch 1,000 (Sloan has 1,126 of his 1,220 wins with Utah) wins with one team.

Elsa; Pool; DaviD shErman/nBaE/GEtty imaGEs

128 The points surrendered by the san Antonio spurs to the New York Knicks on 1/4/11. It was the most points the spurs have given up in a non-oT game since 1993, when a pre-Tim Duncan spurs team featured David Robinson and now-NBA coaches Vinny Del Negro and Avery Johnson.

0and16

5560*-4135 The career point totals of 5-5 Earl Boykins, who entered the League an undrafted free-agent in 1998 and the 7-foot Michael Olowokandi, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the same draft.

Joel Anthony’s points and rebounds on 1/18/11, making him just the third player in NBA history to grab at least 15 boards without attempting a field goal in a game. He joins Wilt Chamberlain (once) and Dennis Rodman (4 times) on the 0 and 15 team.

* numbers as of presstime HOOP

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IN HIS SHoES

Scottie Pippen on the Chicago Bulls’ 70-12 record during the 1995-96 season

It was a special season for sure. As players you never think you can go on such a streak for so long. Coming into the season, off a championship in ’94-95, we didn’t really set our goals to try and break any kind of record.

We just wanted to have a good season and get through the playoffs. There were times when maybe we got a bit lazy and we were probably losing games we should have won against teams like the Nuggets (who finished 35-47 that season) and the Raptors (21-61) and vice versa. Those are just the breaks of the season. But when you look at the team that’s behind you and saw what kind of chemistry we had together, we knew we had something special with our team. We only lost two games that season at home. It was always great playing in Chicago, it’s a great town and the fans always have that competitive side. You always knew you had the crowd behind you and their support alone was worth an extra couple of points. This season the Spurs have gotten off to a strong start, but I really don’t see any team winning 70 in the near future. If it was going to happen, first you need a team with experience. It’s not going be a first-year team with a lot of new players. But even with the veterans, you look now at the Lakers and they just can’t seem to put it together for long stretches at a time during the regular season. Winning the title at the end was such a great feeling, but the first title I won in ’91-92 still ranks as the best. It’s great to get that monkey off of your back. It gives you a taste of being an NBA champion and you only want it more after that. Scottie PiPPen aS toLd to McG #93

“To come back [to Los Angeles] for a second time and play in an All-Star game really means a lot—just to save money on plane tickets and hotels for my mom and my aunts.” —Paul Pierce on being named an All-Star when it takes place in his hometown of Los Angeles

KNoW Your NEWB

Landry fields New York Knicks

What were your expectations coming into your rookie season?

My whole thing was just to make the rotation. I thought if I could crack the lineup I would be happy and obviously I’ve exceeded that.

Your dad [Steve Fields] was selected in the NBA draft back in the ’70s. If both of you were in your prime, who is better?

I’m going to give it to my dad. [laughs] I don’t want to get him mad at me.

Did you think you would make such an impact on the Knicks?

No, I’m definitely surprised. But I’m not so shocked that I shouldn’t be here. My senior year at Stanford made the transition a lot easier.

How did he influence you growing up?

He influenced me a lot. He wasn’t the type of dad that was really hands on. He kind of let me do my own thing and let other people coach me. I really him doing that because it allowed me to find the game and a passion on my own rather than him just trying to instill it in me. But here and there after seeing me progress he would give me pointers and advice.

What’s been the hardest adjustment to the NBA? The traveling and the number of games, and how strenuous it is on your body. Earlier in the year it was kind of tough on me but I’m used to it now.

What do you do in your free time?

I’ve got (fellow Knicks rookie) Andy Rautins, who is my best friend on the team, and he’s lives like 30 feet away from me so we hang out a lot.

020

So you miss the warm weather?

Yeah, definitely, are you kidding me? I’m about to steal some warms days on our West Coast road trip and bring them over here. [laughs] Brian a. Giuffra #17

Brian Bahr; nathaniel S. Butler/nBae/Getty imaGeS

What’s the biggest difference off the court?

A lot of people notice me more off the court. I also don’t have to deal with schoolwork anymore.

After living on the West Coast your whole life, what’s been the biggest adjustment to living on the East Coast?

The weather definitely. I know everyone says the weather is bad, but it’s a harsh reality to be out here and finally get into the snow. [laughs]

HOOP

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FIRST FIVE

BY MELODY HOFFMAN #34

Nick Young instantly became a veteran on the Washington Wizards with only three years of service in the League.

“It just happened. We made a couple of trades last year1 and now everybody is so young,”2 says Young, 25, who was drafted3 by the Wizards in 2007. “Me, being here for awhile, I just had to step into that [leadership] role. I went to being almost one of the youngest on the team to being one of the oldest on the team. It’s kind of hard…I’ve been thrown into this so I’m learning myself.”

The guard stepped up as a scorer, filling the void of the team’s departed rainmakers Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. While helping his team find ways to win on the road,4 Young has doubled his last season’s average of 8.6 points to 17.3 pts.

“It’s a lot more on your shoulders…and you have to be able to bring it every night,” Young now realizes.

“When you lose, it’s on you, and when you win, it’s on you.”

Young lets his game speak for himself, but he also has a documentary that tells his life story, Second Chance Season.5 The doc shows how Young made it through a tragic childhood to accomplish his hoop dreams. Young appreciates that his teammates view him more seriously once they see the biopic.

“They see where I came from and my background and everything. It’s not just me being the funny person in the locker room and from what they see on the court. They see the struggle of where I came from…and where I’m at now didn’t come easy.”

01 - Guard - Washington Wizards

NED DISHMAN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

NICK

YOUNG

BONUS POINTS 1. Last February the Wizards traded Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers in a three-team deal, sent Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to the Mavericks in a seven-player trade, and in December shipped Gilbert Arenas to the Magic in exchange for Rashard Lewis.

2. On last season’s roster, only three players were the same age or younger than Young. This year, he is older than seven of the current players.

3. Young was drafted 16th overall out of the University of Southern California, where he averaged 17.5 points his junior season.

4. In the first half of this season, the Wizards had been winless on the road with a 0-22 record and 13-10 home record from November to January. In the same time, Young averaged 19.5 points in home games and 14.7 points on the road.

5. Directed by Daniel Forer, the documentary follows Young’s path after dropping out of high school and then becoming a D-I athlete playing in the NBA despite a tragic past. The film shows how Young, the youngest of five brothers, and his family worked together to triumph over the fatal shooting of Nick’s oldest brother.

HOOP

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CeLeB roW

meagan Good Beautiful actress Meagan Good has studied up on sports. She admits when she met Gary Payton a few years ago she asked him if he used to play football, but promises she’d do better today. Known for films such as Eve’s Bayou, Brick, Waist Deep, The Love Guru and Stomp the Yard, Good has three films due to be released this year. First up is Jumping the Broom, a romantic comedy with serious touches that features an incredible ensemble cast, including Paula Patton, Angela Bassett, Lil’ Romeo, Loretta Devine and Mike Epps. For the last couple of years, she’s regularly attended basketball games and has a special fondness for the Los Angeles Clippers.

I understand you have quite a few fans among NBA players. Have you had any fan encounters with a pro basketball player?

I was at Jerry’s Deli (a famed spot in Los Angeles) and there were these gentlemen that were kind of looking at me. One of them came over to me and said, “GP wants to meet you.” I was like, “GP?” He said, “Gary Payton.” When he introduced them, I shook the wrong guy’s hand. It was pretty embarrassing.

When someone who is also famous says he or she likes your work or admires you, how good does that feel?

It feels really good. It’s nice when people who do something similar to what you’re doing recognize what you’re doing and say that you’re doing it well.

Kerry Washington wrote a letter to my management saying how well she thought I did in the movie Brick.

It meant a lot to me because I look up to her. I think she’s incredibly talented, beautiful. For another woman in this industry to go out of her way to make sure that I knew that, it meant a lot to me.

It’s a totally different vibe at a Lakers game and a Clippers game.

Lakers fans are definitely enthusiastic, but I feel like the Clippers fans have that energy of they’re determined and they really support the team. It’s not just a fun thing. They’re emotionally connected to wanting them to win.

Favorite player?

Blake Griffin.

Jumping the Broom looks like a comedy with a message.

It definitely is. I gravitated to the script because it’s faith-based, but it’s not religious. It’s not in your face, trying to force something down your throat. It has an amazing message in terms of relationships and knowing your self-worth. Holding out and waiting for the right person. It also talks a lot about families and how people have to interact. Lives change so much when two people come together and their families have to come together. There’s a little bit of drama in there, but there’s a lot of comedy because when you’re bringing two completely different personalities and upbringings together and the whole family has to get used to each other, there are a lot of shenanigans that take place.

What is your character in Jumping the Broom?

My character’s name is Blythe. Through the course of her relationships, she’s dated guys who have had a lot of money or this or that going on for her. She hasn’t quite grasped that maybe that’s not the kind of guy or the values she needs to be looking for. Maybe it’s a lot deeper than that. She doesn’t really believe in love…

Paula Patton’s character is trying to be a positive

influence and a positive encouragement in leading by example and trying something different. Showing her how she truly can be if she would just open her mind.

You started acting as a kid. How satisfying is it to have made the solid transition to adult roles?

It’s a blessing because it is an awkward transition.

You’re in between being a kid and being a woman.

I was blessed and lucky enough that the television show I was coming off of had kind of given me a little space to grow. Then I had about a year off in between. By the time I came back I was a little woman, but definitely a woman. It’s a blessing to be able to make the transition.

Please send a shout out to your fans in the NBA. We’re glad celebrities are finally checking out Clippers games.

They should. They’re Los Angeles’ team, too. Lois ELfman #40

Check out hoopmag.com for extras from the interview.

TrANsITIoN GAme

Dwight Howard

2004 022

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Maury philips/WireiMage; fernando Medina (5); Jennifer pottheiser; nathaniel s. Butler; gary Bassing/nBae/getty iMages

At a game, do you like courtside? When you’re that close, there’s an energy and an appreciation you get for them as athletes.

They take a beating, that’s for sure.

You’re a California girl, so is it all about the Lakers or do you maybe have some good feelings for the Clippers?

The Clippers do get short changed. It’s inevitably in me to root for the underdog. I feel like they’ve definitely been the underdog even though they’re an awesome team and they’ve got some players who are really, really good.

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BY CHRISTOPHER CASON #24

FIRST FIVE

Showcased on the cover1 of our last issue were just a handful of point guards that will carry the League going forward. Absent was second-year point-man Jrue Holiday, who the Philadelphia 76ers hopes will do the same for them.

He already exhibits the right attitude about having to go against the most talented-rich position in the League today.

“Its fun for me,” says the 20-year-old.2 “I like a challenge. You just [have to go] back at them, keep being aggressive and attack.

“I think confidence is the biggest thing because you’re going up against All-Stars on a night-to-night basis,” says Holiday.

After just one year at UCLA, a promising rookie run and subsequent dominant summer league showing, Holiday has developed a lot of confidence. This season, Holiday was given the keys to the offense and has showed solid strides.3 “As a rookie, they didn’t expect me to make the best play all the time,” says Holiday. “They expected turnovers and all of that.”

11 - Guard - Philadelphia 76ers

JRUE

To the Sixers’ surprise, Holiday held his own, earning 51 starts in his debut season while averaging 8.0 points and 3.8 assists. Under new coach Doug Collins, he’s also receiving the tutelage4 that will help his game continue to blossom.

“This year, the grip is a little more firm,” he says. “I have to really run the team. I’m learning5 more to be a point guard this year from last year.”

The 76ers certainly hope for an extended Holiday.

BONUS POINTS 1. On the cover of the issue, three out of the eight point guards (Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings and

HOLIDAY

Tyreke Evans) were members of the 2009 draft class, in which Holiday was the 17th pick.

2. As a California native, Jrue grew up emulating Baron Davis and Magic Johnson, but said Tracy McGrady was his favorite player.

3. One of the biggest misconceptions about his one year at UCLA was that he played the 2. Jrue stated they he actually played the 3, next to draftmate Darren Collison and Josh Shipp.

4. He names teammates Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams and assistant coach Aaron McKie as people that

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have helped mentor him since joining the team.

5. Jrue spent his summer working on his midrange jump shot and his explosion, listing Derrick Rose’s ability in why he focused on that area.

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Kevin Love The Minnesota big man aims for honest answers to your questions Did you feel like a rookie all over again in the All-Star locker room?

When was the last time you asked someone for an autograph? Who was it?

What’s been the most embarrassing thing to happen to you on the basketball court?

Who is the toughest guy in the League to box out and rebound against?

Do you ever feel bad for blocking the view of someone behind you at movies, concerts, sporting events, etc.?

How many NBA players outside of teammates do you have as contacts on your phone? Which players do you hit up the most?

Of your teammates, who’s got the messiest and nastiest locker? What makes it so nasty?

What’s been the best prank you’ve seen pulled off by your you or teammates?

Yes, I definitely did. During our practice Gregg Popovich was telling us “You’re all going to go out there and have fun, you’re all going to get minutes...except for Love, Griffin and Westbrook.

You young guys are basically going to [sit].”

It was Charles Barkley, back when I was 7 or 8 years old. He turned me down, and I never asked anyone for another autograph again.

Probably getting dunked on. Every time somebody dunks on you it’s pretty embarrassing. My rookie year there was a stretch where I got dunked on a few games in a row and all the guys on the team were giving me grief about it.

Chuck signs for everyone—except future NBA double-double machines.

Pop’s got no love for All-Star “rooks” Love and Russell Westbrook.

Zach Randolph. He’s relentless, just like myself, and I respect his game a lot. I used to watch him in Portland all the time when I was younger.

No. Not at all. It’s the luck of the draw. If you end up sitting behind me, that’s too bad. You should’ve got there sooner or bought better seats.

I’d say 50-75. My college teammates are the guys I hit up the most.

Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, those guys...

Love and fellow relentless rebounder Zach Randolph.

Love: “Remember that time in college when we...”

That’s Michael Beasley. No doubt about it. It looks like he should be in an episode of Hoarders. He has Skittles everywhere, old socks. There’s probably rotting food in there, too.

Last year Brian Cardinal made Minnesota’s 10,001st lake in our locker room. We clogged all the drains in the shower to see how long it’d take somebody to notice, and I guess nobody did. It ended up flooding the whole locker room, training room, player’s lounge... It was just water, though, so it wasn’t too bad.

Love and former teammate Brian Cardinal serves up dinner during Thanksgiving and yuks in the locker room.

got a question for Kevin? email it to hoop@pspsports.com

“i might have to shoot a couple spitballs at him and try to get the record back.”

—Mark Price on steve Nash momentarily besting his all-time record for free-throw percentage

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“Most of the players, when they get done, they don’t know what they’re going to do. i know what i’m going to do. i’m going to go to the rec league, and i’m going to play. ever since i was young, i’ve loved the game.”

—earl Boykins

david sherman (4); jennifer pottheiser; ethan miller; /nBae/Getty imaGes

Don’t let the well-coiffed head fool you: Michael Beasley’s locker is a mess.

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and TRUE TO THE GAME are trademarks of Russell Brands, LLC and used with permission. ©2011 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. The SPALDING AND

THE GREATEST MOMENTS IN BASKETBALL FOR OVER 25 YEARS AND THE OFFICIAL BALL OF THE NBA. spalding.com

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Kevin GarneTT Forward 6-11, 253 pounds

winner: Duncan

Scoring: As great as they both are, neither Duncan’s nor Garnett’s games have ever been defined by how many points they can put up.

Not that either is lacking in scoring. They’re both about 20-ppg for their careers and Duncan cracked 50 once while KG has only a 47-point game as his highwater mark (and it took a game against the go-go-go Suns team of ’04-05 to reach it). Offensively, both guys own a very basic—yet extremely effective and lethal—repertoire. Garnett is more a face-up player who finds a lot of points playing off the pick and roll on cuts to the basket or pick and pops. And of course, he owns a very lethal turnaround baseline J. Duncan’s low-post game might be as sexy as a Toyota Camry, but it’s every bit as reliable and the ideal study model for every aspiring big man. He is big and strong enough to get to his spot, and from there, can go either direction and finish with both his right and left. Like KG, he possesses his own go-to shot, the bank shot, especially from the left side. Although KG has more range and athleticism to finish around the basket, Duncan’s refined low-post game is still a force that an offense can revolve around.

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san anTonio spurs

Tim Duncan Forward 6-11, 255 pounds

head 2 head

Tim Duncan vs. Kevin GarneTT By minG WonG #2

There are few players in the NBA whose careers have been more tied together than Duncan and Garnett. They’re just a month apart in age, both have won a title, copped an MVP, have a reputation as being defensive stalwarts and have dominated the discussions on greatest power forwards of their generation, and certainly even of all time. Even though both are past their All-NBA form of years past, they continue to play a vital role in their teams’ success.

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winner: GarneTT

Floor Game: Few—if any—power forwards in NBA history have been able to do what Duncan and Garnett have at the position. As mentioned, the Spurs have Duncan as the focal point of their offense, relying on his low-post game to force doubleteams from the opposition for TD to exploit since he’s a 7-footer who has great smarts and passing ability. Duncan’s screens are of the textbook variety and his rolls and fastbreak routes to the basket are always pinpoint and direct. His hands? Put it this way, whether you’re throwing babies, boulders or basketballs his way, Duncan will nestle it with reliable ease.

Earlier in his career as a new-school small forward, Garnett revolutionized the position as a 6-11 guy who no one had an answer for with his combination of length, speed and size. Imagine a taller and longer version of Scottie Pippen who can average 13 boards a night. He was also an accomplished playmaker, setting teammates up to the tune of 6 dimes a night during his ’03-04 season. Quite a feat considering he was surrounded by notorious low-percentage gunners like Troy Hudson, Anthony Peeler, Kendall Gill. The 2011 version of KG is no longer the same player who flirts with triple-doubles or 5X5s, but he is still every bit a complete player who excels at every facet of the game.

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19.6

20.7 11.5 3.2

PPG RPG APG

.786 23.5

.184 .687 24.9

3FG% FT%

career stats as of press time

PER

.282

.507 FG%

1.6 .498

2.3

1.4

0.7

SPG BPG

4.1

10.8

Garnett

Duncan

Duncan

“We’re the two godfathers now. We’re the old players of the League. a lot of history together…all the playoff battles, all the all-Star games, we’ve been through a lot together. The two of us, we’re as old as time.”

—Tim duncan talking about Shaq

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winner: Duncan

Clutch: Until his arrival to Boston, Garnett had a reputation of shrinking in big moments, which is unwarranted since he played out of his mind during his last three playoffs with Minnesota, averaging a jawdropping 25.1 ppg, 16.3 rpg and 5.1 apg. You really can’t ask more from a player. Perhaps the knocks to Garnett’s playoff showings stemmed from him shying away from shots down the stretch; being a team player. KG preferred to swing the ball out to the open player. Overall his lengthy career, Garnett is a 50-percent shooter during the regular season; in the playoffs, he drops down to 47 percent. Of course this doesn’t take into account his defensive intensity (which never wanes), but after a long regular season and extended playoff run, it must take a toll.

As for Duncan, there’s a slight bump during his May output, but for the most part nothing changes. He remains the consistent performer even when the stakes are at the highest, which illustrates his calming presence on the floor. While many great players have succumbed to pressure or felt the need to do more, TD never wavers from his all-world game, which speaks volumes.

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winner: GarneTT

personalities, each accomplishs it in their own way. Garnett is the animated, chest-thumping, crazy-eyed, frothing-at-the-mouth defender who wills defensive effort out of his teammates like a virus controlling its host. Duncan, on the other hand, is more cerebral, choosing to goad his teammates like a shepard effortlessly herding a flock to his whim, guiding them through hazards and leading them to victory. They do share one commonality: Each is always seen talking to his teammates on the defensive end, playing middle linebacker and calling out blitzes and rotations on the fly. Both possess the innate ability to read offenses and react to them.

As individual defenders, Garnett might have the edge in versatility, able to guard (during his prime) every position on the floor, earning him 10 All-Defensive Team nods and a Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. With his long wingspan, Garnett appeared to wield broomsticks on each hand, waiting to poke even the best pass away or swat a shot, while his feet, as nimble as a spry grasshopper, twitched from side to side, keeping up with the fleetest. Duncan’s D wasn’t as flamboyant as KG’s, but just ask the greatest center during Duncan’s reign, Shaquille O’Neal: few have covered the Diesel better one-on-one. Sure, the attention-grabbing blocks were there, but it was Duncan’s defensive sum—the footwork, the quick hands, the understanding of positioning, leverage and his opponent’s offensive game—that made him a 13-time All-D Team member.

This is the toughest of the five categories to judge between the two. Ultimately, it’s Garnett’s versatility and his late-career re-invention of himself into a defensive psycho who can transform an entire team’s defense (see Celtics improvement since his arrival) that edges out Duncan’s consistency.

defense: For all their deserved greatness as players, this is the one area where both guys contribute the most to their team’s success. Much like their polar opposite on-court

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head 2 head

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THE VERDICT

For all their differences in personalities and methods of success, Duncan and Garnett are eerily similar players in terms of output. They’ve been the new blueprints to their position since the days before Google was a household name and will be the standard for future generations. Like a Rorschach test, which side of the camp you stand might reveal much about yourself. The “Garnetts” likely prefer to be in-your-face, outspoken and boisterous, always looking to stir the pot and make something happen. The “Duncans” are likely more reserved and appreciate a humble demeanor where their game and results do the talking. There is no right answer, but since we’ve vowed to never take the easy route of announcing ties in Head2Head, we had to go with Duncan. His robotic consistency might be mistaken for being boring by some, but his championship jewelry speaks for itself.

Winner: DUNCAN

Leadership: Since entering the League as a wide-eyed prep star, Garnett has gone from playing the high-strung, energized pup learning the NBA ropes from grizzled veterans to becoming one himself. He’s weathered rebuilding phases with the Timberwolves that saw a lot of losing, flirted with bouts of teeming success, seen cherished teammates tragically perish (Malik Sealy) and been thrust into the leader role on the basis of being the team’s best player. All those things have shaped him into the leader he has become. There is no question that KG is the heart and soul of the Celtics. Whether it’s psyching dudes up before the game, barking instructions midgame, coming to the aid of a fallen teammate or just effusing intensity, Garnett is leadership personified.

Duncan’s brand of leadership is, as you can guess, just a few hundred notches below Garnett in the intensity meter. If you added all the screams and chest-thumping in Duncan’s 14-year career, it would pale in comparison with KG’s first quarter of a intrasquad practice game.

Not that one should take that for a lack of leadership. Sure, Duncan subscribes to the usual lead-by-example thing, but what he brings is a sense of calm to the team, knowing that he’s been there and done that. Having been through battles with some of the best teams in the last decade—the Lakers, Mavericks, Suns, Kings, Blazers, Rockets, Nuggets—and beaten them, Duncan’s teammates are confidant that Duncan doesn’t ever panic, giving them a cool resolve to get the job done.

It really comes down to which style is preferred: Garnett’s or Duncan’s. We seem to think TD’s is more effective and will stand the test of time.

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Round

FIRST FIVE

BY BRETT MAUSER #25

If it was his style, Dorell Wright could easily say “told you so”—to the Miami Heat1 and to those who wondered whether turning pro out of high school2 in 2004 was the right move.

Over six seasons on South Beach, the Heat never turned him loose with big-time minutes. He never averaged more than 7.9 points a night. However, a change of scenery has breathed life into his career.

Now among the League’s minutes leaders in his new home, Golden State, Wright’s been given the forum to exhibit the explosiveness that had been dying to show itself all along.

“There’s a lot more to my game than just being a defender and a spot-up shooter,” Wright says. “Being here, it’s an open-floor game. It fits my game. It’s given me the chance do different things and put it all together.”

Wright’s reveling in the opportunity, to live on the West Coast and visit his family in L.A. more frequently, and on the court, to log nearly double the minutes he played in Miami. As a the Warriors’ starting small forward, he’s burnt defenses by getting to the rack and by striking time and again from deep.3 Wright did a little of both on New Year’s Day in Miami when he dropped 30 on his old team. Miami won the game, 114-107, but Wright shined.4 “It was a great feeling,” Wright said. “The fans there got to see me grow. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but it was a fun time in a hostile environment and I was able to show everybody what I could do.”

By signing with Golden State, he joined an explosive backcourt in Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and with the sign-and-trade deal for David Lee, the Warriors5 suddenly look to have short-term and long-term potential. At long last, head coach Keith Smart entrusted Wright with a starting role. Wright may have had to wait his turn, but now he and the Warriors are reaping the benefits.

BONUS POINTS 1. Wright said he had four serious suitors in the offseason but the Heat, who Wright calls “a first-class organization,” weren’t one of them. “If they came with the right deal, I definitely would have come back to show loyalty,” he says.

2. Wright attended South Kent Prep in Connecticut, where Wizards forward Andray Blatche prepped.

3. At the All-Star Break, Wright was on pace to break the Warriors’ team record of 183 three-pointers, set by Jason Richardson during the 2005-06 season.

4. Wright went 12 for 21 from the floor, including 6 for 13 from three-point land. He struck for a teamrecord nine threes en route to 30 points and a 104-94 win over Minnesota in November.

5. Golden State last reached the playoffs in 2007, stunning its first-round opponent, top seed Dallas, in six games. It fell to Utah in five games in the conference semis.

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Best of five

A match of wits between a famous person and an NBA player where we decide who wins

ISAIAH MUSTAFA vS. TAJ GIBSON

DANCe Life

MELISSA PHILAdELPHIA SIXErS dANcErS HooP: talk about your love of dance and how you got started.

Melissa: I started in dance only because my parents didn’t know what to do with my energy so they put me in dance class. Ever since then, when I was 4 years old, I’ve been involved. I danced in junior high school, high school, college [at Temple], and now I’m dancing professionally. I just love performing for people! Performing gives me an energy rush.

What was your favorite childhood toy?

Isaiah: I would have to say it was my Atari. I loved the fact that I could play video games right there in my living room instead of going down to the arcade and wasting all those quarters on it.

Taj: G.I. Joe. Because G.I. Joe was flexible. You could do a lot of different things with it. It was just a boy’s toy.

Score: Atari was nice, but you can’t mess with G.I. Joe’s kung fu grip. Taj 1, Isaiah 0.

What is your favorite grown-up toy now?

Isaiah: My Xbox 360. The games have evolved, but I haven’t because I’m still naming off the videogame console as my favorite toy.

Taj: Driving trucks, Escalades, Range Rovers—that’s my adult toy now.

Score: Taj 2, Isaiah 0. Trucks are a natural progression from child to adult.

When was the last time you remember being broke?

Isaiah: A year ago. I wouldn’t say broke, but I was definitely suffering a lot harder than I am now.

Taj: Hmm...last time I remember being broke was yesterday. It’s tough in these streets. But the lockout is tough. The last time I remember being broke was the day after I was drafted. It was a great day of hard work put in. It was great.

Score: Taj 2, Isaiah 1. Before he blew up with those Old Spice spots, we could picture Isaiah eating mayonnaise sandwiches.

What’s been the biggest perk since becoming famous?

Isaiah: You’re offered a whole bunch more opportunities. I guess that’s life in general, it’s what you do with the opportunities. You get a whole bunch more as you get closer to your dream.

Taj: The biggest perks since becoming famous is you get free food. You get to get in. You get free food, especially Chicago—some of the best steakhouses ever.

That’s one of the best things.

Score: Taj 3, Isaiah 2. Mmmm…steak. Mmmm…free steak.

LOIS ELFMAN #40 ANd dArryL HOwErTON #21

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HooP: What do you remember most from your sixers Dancers tryout?

Melissa: I wasn’t that nervous…I looked at it as another chance to perform. However, the most memorable part was the preliminary audition because there are so many women there, and you never know what to expect or what’s going to happen until cuts are made to see who will advance to the next round.

HooP: What is it about basketball that you enjoy most?

Melissa: I love that it’s a fast-paced game…and I really love the atmosphere in the arena, and in watching the game, I tend to call fouls before the refs do…I really get into it.

HooP: take me back to your very first game: What was that like?

Melissa: The only thing that was going through my head was: “Don’t mess up!” It’s 70 seconds on the court, so it’s do or die. There are so many things that go into the performance, and the feeling of being out there is something I cannot describe. Those 70 seconds were the longest seconds of my life.

HooP: the 76ers play an uptempo game. Does their style have anything to do with how your team performs?

Melissa: What we try to do is enhance what is happening during the game so we try to keep the crowd on their feet.

We work hand in hand. They play well, they play hard, they play fast; we dance well, we dance hard, and we dance with a fast-paced style.

HooP: Who is your all-time favorite player?

Melissa: I actually really don’t have one. I look at so many different things and what different players contribute, so I can’t say that I have an all-time favorite. AXG #1 LoG oNto HooPMAG.CoM foR MoRe of MeLissA’s iNteRvieW

Courtesy of old spiCe; philadelphia 76ers; nathaniel s. butler/nbae/Getty imaGes

What is the oddest place you have encountered a fan?

Isaiah: It’s always odd when you encounter a fan in the restroom—especially when it’s a female fan. I don’t know how they sneak in, but I’m always surprised to find them.

Taj: The oddest place I encountered a fan had to have been in a hospital emergency room. He was busted up from a fight and I was in there from a cold.

And he was just talking to me. It was just weird.

Score: Taj 2, Isaiah 2. You expect to meet the crazies in the emergency room, not when you’re doing your business in the john.

HooP: When did you realize that you could take your talents to the professional level?

Melissa: I actually realized when I was in high school. Upon graduation everyone was going their own ways. Some of my classmates were performing professionally and I noticed that there are a lot of opportunities in sports. Going to college and dancing there allowed for my natural progression to turn pro once I completed my degree.

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BRACK-IT

EIGHT THINGS. ONE UNDISPUTED CHAMP.

Guards over 30 usually take a backseat to mentor the upstart young’n on the roster about the finer points of the NBA. Not Kidd or Allen. At 38, Kidd is every bit the kid, directing traffic for the Mavericks. He might no longer be a nightly trip-dub threat, but his 8.5 ppg, 8.2 apg and 4.7 rpg (along with 1.6 spg) still makes him one of the most multi-faceted PGs in the game. Allen is a 35-year-old 17-ppg shooting guard who is shooting 50 percent from the field and recently became the all-time three-point king and was selected an All-Star.

Even though he is longer the fastbreaking point guard who can bring it on both ends, Kidd has developed a late-stage three-point shot to his arsenal, but he is a notch below Allen. Ray-Ray is still as explosive as ever and one of the most dangerous weapons in the game with his three-point stroke.

How old are Hill and O’Neal? Old enough to have been starters on the 1995 Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Old enough to be in a League that featured only 27 teams. Old enough to be playing during Michael Jordan’s first retirement. OK, you get it: They’re pretty ancient. Despite their advanced age (Shaq is 39 and Hill turns 39 in October), they’re both logging key minutes. He still can’t hit a free throw, but Shaq is still money in the bank when he gets position (.662 field-goal percentage) and the Celtics will be leaning on him during the playoffs when the game slows down. However, Grant is anything but over the Hill; he’s still starting for the run-happy Suns and clocking in 30 minutes a night. Hill even says he wants to keep going, and he does—to the next round.

Grant Hill vs. Shaquille O’Neal

Ray Allen vs. Jason Kidd

BEST OVER-35 PLAYER IN THE NBA

Andre Miller vs. Steve Nash Two of the old guard point guards in the game, Miller and Nash were already calling plays for NBA teams when today’s upstarts PGs weren’t even old enough to suit up for JV. Miller has been neglected for so long, people don’t even remember how long it’s been. When he first came on the scene, Miller played in a League filled with stars at the point guard spot—Gary Payton, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury, Jason Williams, Allen Iverson. Yet despite being outshone by those guys, Miller has managed to remain lit while the others have burnt out.

The thing is, of all the cats in this bracket, Miller is the only one who’s not really regressed from his prime. His career numbers of 14 points and 7 dimes? Miller is right there and doesn’t look to be veering from that for another few seasons.

Drafted during the Clinton administration, Nash is a 37-year-old who is having as good a season statistically (16.5 ppg and 11.0 apg) as his two MVP seasons in ’05 and ’06, which means he’s been around for almost four presidential terms of NBA action—and we will see him continue to the next round in this bracket.

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Marcus Camby vs. Tim Duncan The 1999 Finals featured Camby battling against Duncan in the paint and both guys are still patrolling the interior. Camby has been a little injury-prone throughout his 15-year career, but the 37-year-old is still a defensive force, averaging 11 boards and almost a combined 3 blocks/steals per contest. Duncan is still the heart of the Spurs’ success this season, a role he’s been manning since being the top pick in the ’97 draft. At first glimpse, Duncan’s numbers might appear to have taken a noticeable dip this season, but it’s merely a result of reduced minutes in the hopes of keeping him fresh for the playoffs. Like he’s done his whole career, Duncan will again go deep in this tournament.

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BY MING WONG #2

Hill has proven that life begins after 30. After playing in just 145 of a possible 492 games during the 2000-06 seasons, Hill has made up for lost time with a career comeback in his last ďŹ ve seasons. Of course, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer the All-NBA player he was before the ankle injuries, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possibly a reason for his late life when most wing players are calling it quits. Hill joined the Suns in 2007 as a 35-year-old veteran pickup who was expected to provide some veteran savvy. No one thought heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d still be here four years later, still holding onto the starting small forward spot. Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because everyone wrote off Hill some 10 years ago, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still defying the medical community (and time) with his high level of play at 38 on an ankle thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seen more knives than a hibachi.

Even if Spike Lee were to make a sequel to the movie starring Allen, he need not cast a stunt double for the basketball scenes as Jesus Shuttleworth is still every bit the player he was in 1998. He can still occasionally bring the noise around the rim, but Allen chooses to let his whisper-quiet swooshes of the net from 23 feet out do most of his talking. One of the most durable players, Allen has logged over 40,000 minutes in a position where speed and athleticism are nightly occurrences, Allen has proved that age is nothing but a number and that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still got game. Allen to the ďŹ nals.

Allen vs. Hill

Allen vs. Nash

Duncan vs. Nash In the matchup of MVPs, Nash and Duncan have proven that a long-running career need not be attained through years of muscle-producing regiment. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to say neither guy is unďŹ t. In fact, both guys are known to be among the most conditioned players in the League, and both have played at least 80 percent of their teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s games. Nash is a renowned for his sugar-free diet and subscription to yoga to stay in NBA shape while Duncan has credited swimming with keeping him on the court. And if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve paid attention to them this season, you can certainly envision both continuing for a few more campaigns. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to knock Duncan on anything, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just crazy to see Nash continue to school guys who are 10-15 years his junior. Throughout their careers, Duncanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spurs teams have always had the upper hand against Nashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mavericks and Suns, but in this showdown, Nash bests Duncan for a change.

Best Over-35 Player in the NBA:

Steve Nash

The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;96 draft is deemed one of the greatest because of its quality, but it also features plenty of longevity. Nine players from the draft are still on NBA rosters (10 if you count undrafted Ben Wallace) and two of the most distinguished include Allen and Nash.

Known for his athleticism coming out of college, Allen has gradually reinvented himself into one of the NBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest shooters of all time. The Celtics may rely on Kevin Garnett for defensive inspiration, Rajon Rondo to set the table and Paul Pierce to make big baskets, but Allenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-range game remains the weapon that can stir a comeback and deďŹ&#x201A;ate an oppositionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s run. The fact that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 35 means nothing as Allen is as good as any 25-year-old shooting guard in the game.

Nashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signing with Phoenix in 2004 was seen at the time as a foolhardy move. The critics mocked the inking of a 30-year-old PG to a ďŹ ve-year deal. Nash only gave the franchise a resurgence, started a League movement toward run-and-gun basketball and copped two MVPs. Funny how no one really even raised an eyebrow when the Suns re-upped a 34-year-old Nash to another extension in 2009. Along with a season thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the greatest for a 35-and-over player, Nash continues to be a wonder on the court, orchestrating a high-powered offense that requires some get-up-and-go. He still is a joy to watch on the pick-and-roll, able to ďŹ nd angles for passes that even protractors canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ďŹ nd and is severely overlooked as one of the gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-time best shooters.

Nash might be as old as the old geezer on a rec league teamâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you know, the one that wears his shorts high, reeks of Ben Gay and resorts to â&#x20AC;&#x153;old manâ&#x20AC;? tactics (hip checks and reach-arounds)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no bucket list for Nash, unless you count baskets.

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good looks

Talking SPRing faShion wiTh CaRon BuTleR You’re gonna see crazy patterns. You’ll see a lot of colorful things and guys will bring a lot of color to their wardrobe. It’s definitely coming. It’s a lot of nationally-broadcasted TV games, so you’re gonna see guys mix it up a lot.

HOOP: Do players think about the fact that it’s a nationally-televised game and step up their clothes game to fit the occasion?

CB: I definitely think so. You know, [as the season winds down], more games will be televised on ABC, NBA TV, TNT or ESPN. So, I think guys really try to pick it up and take it to a whole other level. You know, you want to look your best on the big stage and they definitely want to take it up another notch.

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HOOP: You keep saying colorful; what colors are you expecting to see?

CB: I mean, you can go green—pink and green. Yellow is always a great look. You can go beige, off-purple, you’re gonna see a lot of different bright colors.

HOOP: Any essential accessories to go with these looks?

CB: You always have to have the cuff links. And you’ve got to have the handkerchief in the pocket. You’ve gotta do it.

HOOP: You got any new looks that you plan to add to your wardrobe this spring?

CB: I’m gonna try a combination of a lot of things.

[laughs]

You know, with my look I’m gonna pretty much taper it or tailor it down a little bit more—make it a little more slimmer as far as my suits. My color game, I’m gonna try a lot of colors that I haven’t tried before. I’m just gonna keep that in the bag right there, but I’m definitely gonna try some different colors, some bright colors and some different looks that I haven’t tried before, some different patterns. And basically just continue to get my grown man on.

HOOP: What do you say to a teammate if he pulls out the leopard patterns with the bow tie?

CB: Aw man, we might have to get Joan Rivers for him. Get the fashion police ASAP. [laughs] HOOP: You mentioned patterns, and last year it was the lumberjack look that was really popular. What patterns will be hot this year?

CB: I mean, pinstripe will never go out. But you’re gonna see a combination of solids with pinstripes.

HOOP: What about off the court? What styles do you suggest are essentials for casual wear away from the hardwood?

CB: My casual wear is always laid-back. I mean, I got my flip-flops on, my Nike flip-flops. I might have some cargos on or my custom-made shorts on and just be chillin’ man. Linen, something real light for the warm weather.

NathaNiel S. Butler; alBerto e. rodriguez (3); meliSSa majchrzak/NBae/getty imageS

Like our Style Editor notes, check out the mixing of patterns on Amar’e Stoudemire (bonus kudos for the dapper bow tie) and Al Horford. Classic styling like Chris Paul’s look, accessorized with timeless details—tie clip, pocket square, timepiece—never go out of fashion. And notice how Devin Harris dresses down properly: shirt and tie, but loosened a bit and paired with jeans and a bold-striped sweater.

You’re gonna see a lot of colorful things as well. I think the lumberjack look is definitely swept under the rug. [laughs]

HOOP: And even more in the playoffs?

CB: Man, playoffs are gonna be crazy. You saw what Damon Jones used to pop up with the Clipper jacket.

HOOP: So, you think we’ll see someone channeling their inner Damon Jones this year?

CB: [laughs] We’re gonna see some of everything.

We might see leopard patterns with a bow tie. You know, guys are gonna be trying things. [laughs]

HOOP: The last time we talked to you it was able the latest winter fashions. But now spring is on the horizon. So, what are the essentials that all ballers should have for the springtime?

CB: I mean, you’re seeing a lot of sweaters right now. You’re seeing a lot of like basic casual looks.

You may see a lot of things with the cargo look, just a lot of kick-back wear. But I think it’s gonna really pick up once the playoffs come around.

inTeRview By eaRl k. Sneed #23

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3/9/11 12:16 PM

FIRST FIVE

BY HOLLY MACKENZIE #32

Now that the Melodrama is over in Denver, we can focus on the future in the Mile-High. Guys like Arron Afflalo. The one who is shooting career-highs from the floor (52 percent) and from beyond the arc (45 percent) while also putting up 13 points per game.

Amid the trade rumors and gossip, the fourth-year shooting guard out of UCLA1 has been there, solid and steady.

“I always felt if I can be valuable to the team in many different areas it would give them more reasons to leave me on the court,” Afflalo says. “If I could be a good defender, a good shooter, a smart player, a good free throw shooter—just a little bit of everything so I always feel needed—y minutes can increase and I can stay on the court.”

As a result of his versatility, he has started all 56 games this season and is logging a career-high 35 minutes per game.

Known as a defender when he came into the League,2 Afflalo has spent a lot of time developing his offensive game, saying, “I never wanted to be a onedimensional player.”

06 - Guard - Denver Nuggets

GARRETT ELLWOOD/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

ARRON After scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter of a recent game against the Dallas Mavericks, he has proven he’s much more than just a defensive player.

Despite the talented Nuggets roster, Afflalo has proven his worth and has made a new home for himself in Denver.

“My father used to always tell me that cream rises to the top. Through hard work, it doesn’t matter where you start at, you can finish at the top. I’ve carried that motto since I was little3 and I honestly believe to this day that if I continue to work hard and progress…you can get to the top of any level.”

Afflalo is extremely polite, but very precise. His demeanor matches his game. There isn’t a lot of excess words4 being thrown around. Though appreciative5 for all he’s been given, Afflalo isn’t afraid to dream of more. When asked what he would like you to know about him, his response is short, but given with a confident smile, speaks volumes: “That I’m going to continue to get better.”

And he’s making good on that. Not long after the interview for this story, Afflalo dropped in his first game-winning shot at the buzzer6 to give Denver a win over Dallas.

AFFLALO BONUS POINTS

1. While at UCLA, Afflalo was named the PAC-10 Conference Player of the Year in 2007.

2. He was the Pistons’ 27th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and spent his first two seasons in Detroit before being traded to the Nuggets during the summer of 2009.

3. A lifelong Los Angeleno (Arron was born in L.A. and attended Centennial High School in Compton before being a Bruin), Afflalo says his favorite player was Byron Scott.

4. Describing himself as low key and nonchalant, Afflalo says he’s all about getting better, staying focused and doing his own thing. His apartment in Denver is less than five minutes away from the arena, and his mind is never far from the game.

5. After playing with Chauncey Billups in Detroit, the two came together to Denver as well. With the recent trade to New York, Afflalo will miss Billups. On Billups, Afflalo says: “You just like playing with winners, guys that understand how to control the game late in the game when it matters most.”

6. Afflalo’s 19-foot jumper on 2/10/11 ended the Mavericks’ 10-game winning streak.

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My HouSe

Ben Gordon An NBA player opens the door to how he grew up I was born in London but I only lived there for about 10 months. People always want to know, ‘Were your parents in the service?’ But nah, I was just born somewhere else. Then I moved to the Bronx for a little while, which is right next to Mt. Vernon. That’s where I was raised and went to school. That’s also where I learned to play basketball. I grew up across the street from a basketball court.

When I first started playing I would watch the older guys. They wouldn’t let me on the court until I got better and big enough to compete with them. So it started off just me trying to get better than the older guys. It didn’t take long because I was always around the park working on my game. Once they saw how good I was, they started allowing me to play more and more and I started slowly getting better and better.

I didn’t play on my first organized team until seventh grade. Before that time I was just playing in the park and playing against my friends. Lowes Moore, he was an NBA player from Mt. Vernon and he ran the local Boys & Girls Club [Ed note: Moore played from 1980-83 for the Nets, Cavs and Clippers]. That was the first place I really learned how to play basketball and structured ball. Moore kind of mentored me and taught me about the game. He saw how talented I was and how much I wanted to learn and how eager I was so he helped me.

I didn’t grow up in a house full of men. It was just my mom [pictured] and my grandma and I learned a lot from them. Seeing how hard they worked every day…it instilled certain morals and values and ethics and I think that just translated over to basketball. It was just a game I fell in love with growing up across from a park and I’ve never looked back since. Ben Gordon as told to Brian a. Giuffra #17

“It ain’t doubles tennis. It still takes five to get it done.”

—Kenyon Martin on the trend of teams amassing multiple stars

“Somebody gave me a Shake Weight for Christmas this year, just to be funny. I haven’t shaken it much. I don’t really know what it does for you.”—Dirk Nowitzki

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3/8/11 11:35 AM

BY BRIAN A. GIUFFRA #17

FIRST FIVE

When his plane touched down in the Garden State1 just before Nets training camp, Kris Humphries thought he was the odd forward out of the Nets’ rotation, destined to spend another year sitting on the end of the bench.

Instead Humphries has exploded onto the NBA scene—for more than just basketball2—and is having his best season as a pro in his seventh year out of Minnesota.

“When I first got up here, I wasn’t quite sure what was going to take place this season,” Humphries says. “They drafted Derrick [Favors] and signed Troy [Murphy] so I was kind of looking at it like those were going to be the guys they wanted to roll with.”

After an impressive training camp, the Nets have rolled with Humphries all year3 and he’s proving why.

Halfway through the season, Humphries is averaging career highs in almost every statistical category4 and has twice as many double-doubles than he had in his previous six seasons combined.5 Having spent most of his NBA career on the bench, Humphries was determined to have a breakthrough season with the Nets and didn’t let anyone stand in his way.

“I was competing [at training camp] like I was trying to take a job,” Humphries says. “I wanted to be part of the rotation and I earned my spot.”

43 - Forward - New Jersey Nets

KRIS

HUMPHRIES BONUS POINTS

1. New Jersey is as the Garden State because of its many farms.

2. Humphries has become famous in the gossip-magazine world because of his relationship with Kim Kardashian.

PAUL BERESWILL/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

3. Nets rookie Derrick Favors starts in place of Humphries before being traded to Utah as part of the deal to net Deron Williams.

4. Through 46 games Humphries was averaging career highs in points (8.9), rebounds (9.4), assists (1.2), blocks (1.0), field goal percentage (.538) and minutes (25.7).

5. Through 46 games Humphries had 14 double-doubles this year after having seven in his previous six seasons.

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THE NBA WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING

2011 NBA ALL-STAR JAM SESSION PARTNERS

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24 seconds with Ron

Artest

By JeRAmie mcPeek #4 HOOP: Who are we talking to right now? Ron Ron, Old Ron, Dorky Ron? You describe yourself in a lot of different ways when tweeting.1 ARTEST: Probably Random Ron. Nowadays, I feel so blessed and free-spirited, you never know what’s going to come out of my mouth.

HOOP: We want to hear about Rapper Ron. ARTEST: The next single2 is going to be with George Lopez and Tiffany. I also have a mixtape coming out with G-Unit. After that, I have a single for the album coming with Ray J. It’s going awesome.

HOOP: When does the album come out?

ARTEST: It’s all about timing. Sometimes you can feel the momentum. Right now, I sense something is happening, but I don’t know if it’s time or not.

HOOP: How would you describe your musical style?

ARTEST: When I first started, it was very erratic. There was a lot of emotion in my songs, but over the last 10 years I’ve let out so many frustrations. Now I’m in a clearer state of mind, so I’m able to make inspirational music.

HOOP: Who are your musical influences?

ARTEST: People who touched my heart the most… Michael Jackson, Nasty Nas, Mobb Deep, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige. Mary J. Blige helped me get through a lot of hard times as a kid.

HOOP: What gave you the idea to raffle off your championship ring?

ARTEST: You always hear about athletes giving back, but you don’t hear about the fans, who care also. I wanted to give the people a chance to bid on a raffle, so it’s not just Ron Artest raising $680,000. It was Ron Artest and thousands of people.

HOOP: Why a raffle vs. an auction?

ARTEST: We were going to auction it, but I said, “No a raffle would be better, because one person bidding $400,000 is not going to make the same impact3 as a million people buying a raffle ticket for a dollar.”

HOOP: We hear your website crashed after you announced it on Larry King.

ARTEST: Yes. We actually bought Larry King a ring, because without him, we might not have been able to do it. That first push was unbelievable. We got $120,000 right away.

HOOP: So Larry gets his championship ring and then retires?

ARTEST: Yes. That’s what he was waiting for, getting his Lakers ring [laughs].

Andrew d. Bernstein/nBAe/getty imAges

HOOP: Did you ever have second thoughts? Players chase rings their whole careers and most never get one.

ARTEST: No. Guys chase championship rings. People chase good jobs to get wealthy. But we have poor people in the world. We’ve got so many different things going on. We need to blend in and help each other.

HOOP: How much did you wear it in the weeks leading up to the giveaway on Christmas night?

ARTEST: I put it on my pinky once or twice, but that was it. I didn’t want to get attached and start thinking materialistic.

HOOP: Do you get visitation rights, at least?

ARTEST: I need visitation rights. But I kept the box.

HOOP: Do you put your keys and cell phone in it when you get home?

ARTEST: I just keep it closed. Nobody’s allowed to open it. I love it, though.

The box is nice.

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HOOP: Did you really say that you didn’t deserve the ring anyway because the Celtics had injuries in the Finals?

ARTEST: Yeah, I kind of felt like because Kendrick Perkins got hurt, we didn’t win it fair and square. So I want to win another championship. I want to be a champion, not a sucker.

HOOP: How much of your personality or antics, like wearing boxers on Jimmy Kimmel for example, are about getting attention?

ARTEST: It’s just me having fun and trying to be different. I had never been on talk shows before, so I want people to remember the shows I’m on.

HOOP: You were ecstatic when you won Game 7, though. What did that mean to you?

ARTEST: It meant a lot. We won as a team. I proved myself wrong, meaning that I thought I could do it by myself. Those were wrong thoughts. I don’t control my team. It’s not all about Ron Artest.4

HOOP: Did you learn any of that from Dennis Rodman?

ARTEST: A lot. I wouldn’t say I’m a total copycat. Some of the things he did, I don’t have the heart to do [laughs]. But I was a big fan6 of his.

HOOP: You got a lot of attention for your postgame speech when you thanked your therapist. What does she mean to you?

ARTEST: She means blessings. Without her, I really don’t know where I would be mentally. I think she saved me about 10 years. My original plan was to be at the point I am right now in life with maturity when I’m 40 or 45 years old. But it’s happened to me faster.

HOOP: How much of the NBA is mental?

ARTEST: All of it. In the Finals and games like that, I don’t depend on my body. I don’t depend on my legs or my strength, I depend on my mind first.

HOOP: Is Dennis a Hall of Famer in your mind?

ARTEST: Oh yeah. He was one of the best rebounders ever in the game, one of the best defenders in the history of the game. He’s a top 25 player and definitely a Hall of Famer.

HOOP: What do you want to be remembered for when you retire someday?

ARTEST: I just want to use my celebrity and my fame to be inspirational.

Bonus Points 1. Artest has three different twitter accounts: @RONARTESTCOM, @Basketball_Ron, which is handled by his manager, and @ThugRaider37, which he uses when he wants to go “a little bit over the edge.”

2. The Lakers’ forward released his single “Champion” within hours of Los Angeles winning Game 7 of the 2010 Finals.

3. The money raised in the raffle is going to help raise mental health awareness.

HOOP: Have you read any of the books that he’s given you?

ARTEST: I read his book Sacred Hoops. I learned his values and how he thinks about the game.

It helped me understand him a little bit more.

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4. Ron Artest averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game during the 2010 Finals vs. Boston.

5. Jackson’s book, Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior, was released in 2005.

6. During the 2004-05 season, Artest wore #91 as a tribute to the Worm.

Jeff Gross/NBAe/Getty ImAGes

HOOP: Everybody talks about Phil Jackson’s mind games. Do you appreciate that aspect of his coaching?

ARTEST: Yeah, because it makes you tough and a better person. You may not know until later when you look back, but he is a great motivator.

HOOP: So wearing a wedding dress might be going a little too far for you?

ARTEST: I don’t know if that was too far, but I wouldn’t do it.

HOOP

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3/9/11 10:54 AM

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3/8/11 10:31 AM

By Rob Peterson #9 Portraits by Nathaniel S. Butler

Amar’e of One Yes, Carmelo Anthony has joined the big lights of New York, but it was Amar’e Stoudemire who set the stage for the resurgence of New York basketball

At Madison Square Garden, the suits in the corporate seats, the season-ticket-holding diehards and the groups of friends who have pooled their cash to buy tickets serenade the man who helped make their team relevant again.

“M-V-P! M-V-P!”1 After years of hearing those chants for opponents who ran roughshod through the Garden,2 now these love letters are meant for one of Knicks fans’ own. They’re for the 6-10 power forward at the free throw line wearing the orange #1 outlined in blue and the sweet-looking Oakley goggles atop his head. He dribbles once and the chant starts slowly and then gathers force as the echo bounces around the building and the letters bump into each other.

“MVPMVPMVPMVP!” In a way, the chant has become cliché, as part of the NBA landscape as thundersticks, graphics of a “D paired with an image of a fence” and mascots dunking balls off of a trampoline. But for the Knicks and Stoudemire, the franchise’s first All-Star starter since 1997,3 those letters have been refreshing and a vindication of the risky decision (small d) Stoudemire made in the great free agent free-for-all in the summer of 2010.

It’s not difficult to discern why Knicks fans heart Amar’e. After a decade4 of watching their team wander through an NBA wilderness filled with bad trades, bad contracts and bad behavior, Knicks fans won’t pass on their chance to show love for the man who has helped turn around the franchise in a New York minute with what Stoudemire calls “immortal swag.”

You won’t find Stoudemire’s “swag” in any dictionary, not even urbandictionary.com, but one doesn’t need to be an etymologist to see that Stoudemire’s cool confidence of saying “The Knicks are back” before he even slipped on a Knicks jersey has not only boosted the team in the standings but also in the eyes of NBA players.

“I had the courage to say something like that because I believed in my talent, and what I could bring to the team,” Stoudemire says over a lunch of pasta, steak and a drink born of his imagination—half orange juice, half grape (close to Knicks colors), something he started drinking when he entered the NBA. “I also had the confidence, [New York Knicks owner] Mr. [James] Dolan, Donnie Walsh and coach [Mike] D’Antoni could surround me with players to help revive the team.”

This confidence paid off on February 23 when the Knicks acquired All-Star Carmelo Anthony and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups in a 13-player, three-team trade.

Anthony, born in nearby Brooklyn, expressed his interest in playing for the Knicks after he didn’t sign a lucrative contract extension offered him by the Nuggets. In an introductory press conference attended by more than 300 members

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“Since I came to New York, it’s like the doors are open for other players. Now players want to come. It’s great for the city and it’s beautiful for the organization.”

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GreGory ShamuS/NBae/Getty ImaGeS

of the media that had the buzz of a Finals Game 7, Anthony made no bones about his desire to be a part of the Knicks.

“I think New York needed a moment like this,” Anthony says. “When they acquired Amar’e, they brought some excitement back to the city.

“Will we win a championship this year? Who knows? That takes time. But at the end of the day, we’re moving in the right direction. I felt like I wanted to be a part of an organization, a part of team that has an upside. It’s a dream come true for me.”

For Stoudemire, having Anthony and Billups join the Knicks validated his confident demeanor when he signed in the summer.

“When I first signed with the Knicks, the city was on fire” Stoudemire says. “It was great. Now that we have Carmelo and Chauncey, it went up another level. Having players like that takes some of the pressure off myself. And to be able to turn to veteran players on the team, it’s been a great help.”

Just three years ago, it would have been hard to believe any player would express such a sentiment. That’s when Donnie Walsh assumed the reins as Knicks president in April of 2008, and he inherited a mess. The franchise had just come off its second 23-59 season in three years and the previous regime had left the franchise far over the salary cap with little assets by way of prospects or draft picks. It was up to Walsh to clear the Knicks’ dead weight and cap space in order to entice one—or, if the team was fortunate—two marquee players who were to be free agents in the summer of 2010.

As Walsh purged the roster, Knicks fans had visions of plum free agents dancing in their heads. Wouldn’t LeBron James, who relished playing in the Garden, look great in Knicks colors? And wouldn’t a guy like Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh be a perfect complement to a two-time MVP? After all, what free agent could pass up the chance to play in New York, where members of the 1970 and 1973 championship teams are still revered and where outside endorsement dollars would be maxed out?

Stoudemire was the first marquee free agent to say yes to the Knicks. Clear out Seventh Avenue for the tide of superstars to follow suit.

Except it was followed by a sound never heard in The City That Never Sleeps: crickets.

Two days after Stoudemire’s signing, Bosh announced he’d join Wade, who was re-signing with the Heat, in Miami. Then a day after, LeBron went to Connecticut5 to break the hearts of Clevelanders and to a lesser degree, the Knicks faithful who waited with bated breath for two years.

There would be no LeBron, no Wade, no Bosh. There wouldn’t even be Carlos Boozer, whose free agency seemed to draw more attention than Stoudemire’s before he signed with the Chicago Bulls. The team signed point guard Raymond Felton (who was subsequently traded to Denver as part of the deal to net Anthony), but that was nary a blip on the NBA free-agent radar.

In its NBA preview issue, featuring Marvel superheroes, ESPN the Magazine poked fun at the Knicks’ inability to sign a big name. On the faux comic cover for the Knicks, Stoudemire takes his place among the comic book characters in New York, and the welcome sign hanging from the Garden has the names of LeBron, Wade and Bosh crossed out before listing Amar’e.

Mike Breen, a native New Yorker and the Knicks’ play-by-play man on radio,6 then television for the last 19 seasons, believes Knicks fans had a difficult time with the marquee free agents shunning their team.

“There was a definite no-LeBron hangover within the city and with Knicks fans,” Breen says. “[LeBron] was all people heard about for two years.

“I think the fans knew Amar’e was a terrific player, but they still wanted to know: Could he be ‘The Guy?’” The wait for another superstar would take eight months, but when Anthony joined the Knicks in February, the Knicks had another All-Star. Hall of Famer and Knicks play-by-play man Walt “Clyde” Frazier believes Anthony has the constitution to thrive in New York.

“Amar’e wanted the challenge,” Frazier says, “and Melo is aware of the challenge of playing here. He played for Syracuse here in the Garden and he was born here. He knows how the fans can turn.”

The path for Anthony, however, has been made more smooth thanks to Stoudemire leading the way earlier in the season.

“One hundred percent, Amar’e paved the way,” says Allan Houston, New York’s assistant general manager. “Amar’e should get love from New York forever and for his family and for his grandchildren for what he’s done.

“No one wanted to be the first. I think it’s important that people understand that. Amar’e came in, worked extremely hard and he’s been a great leader on the court and in the locker room.”

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NathaNIel S. Butler/NBae/Getty ImaGeS

Stoudemire had no problem accepting the challenge.

“I wanted to be a pioneer,” Stoudemire says, “and I knew there would be pressure. It’s something I thrive on. And I just took the opportunity to come to New York and be the first one to join the team.

“I always thought people would want to join us.”

But to a skeptical New York press, Stoudemire’s introductory proclamation brought with it memories of previous empty promises. At the time, Alan Hahn, the Knicks beat writer for Newsday and author of the popular Knicks Fix blog, was one of the unconvinced.

“What I knew of him from Phoenix, not that he was a selfish player, but he was more into himself and didn’t know how to be a star,” Hahn says. “Steve Nash played the role of the star on that team.

“We didn’t know what to expect. And, let’s be honest, when the Knicks signed Stoudemire, we all thought it was a consolation prize. At least they got somebody.”

That somebody, according to the “STAT” tattoo on his right arm, prided himself “Standing Tall and Talented” during his eight seasons in Phoenix.7 The Knicks knew they were getting a tireless worker in Stoudemire. They knew they were getting one of the rare offensive talents at the power forward position. They knew they were getting a player as confident as any in the NBA. But no one knew if Stoudemire would flower in the Garden or become a shrinking violet in the glare of the New York spotlight. Nash joined a team that finished with a 29-53 record with Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, and then led the Suns to a 62-20 record with pretty much the same roster as the season before. That earned Nash his first NBA MVP. The next season, Stoudemire only played three games before having mircofracture surgery on

his left knee.8 The Suns maintained their torrid pace, finishing 54-28, and Nash won his second consecutive MVP. All of a sudden it seemed Stoudemire’s All-Star level play was a byproduct of Nash’s brilliance and coach Mike D’Antoni’s seven-seconds-or-less offensive paradigm.

But it was that system, which D’Antoni had brought with him to New York, where he became Knicks coach in 2008. It was Stoudemire’s familiarity with it that convinced Walsh that Stoudemire could play well in New York.

“I knew he would fit into the offense,” Walsh says. “He fit into the offense in Phoenix. In fact, I think it was understated what he did in Phoenix.”

In fact Walsh sees things from a perspective reminiscent of one of Stoudemire’s patented 180-degree spin moves in the paint. “Nash is a great player, but it was wonderful for him to have Amar’e, for Nash to get him the ball and have Amar’e finish the play.”

For Stoudemire, finishing, something he does ferociously near the rim, has never been a problem. But would he get off to a good start in his new New York home? No one knew.

“You just didn’t know,” Breen says. “It was a legitimate question coming in. Was Amar’e Stoudemire an elite player because he was playing alongside one of the great points guard, a two-time MVP, in Nash? Now that he leaves Nash, how good will he be?”

In the beginning of the season, the Knicks didn’t appear to be back as Stoudemire had predicted. Rather they were back to their losing ways. Lethargy, a malaise that had hung over the franchise for the better part of the decade, seemed to be enveloping it again. On November 12, in a 112-103 loss in Minnesota, Stoudemire’s power forward counterpart, Kevin Love, shredded9 the Knicks for the first 30-point, 30-rebound game in more than two decades. Two nights later in New York, a depleted Houston Rockets team without

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“Amar’e should get love from New York forever and for his family and for his grandchildren for what he’s done.”—Allan Houston

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injured center Yao Ming and point guard Aaron Brooks rolled the Knicks by eight in a game that wasn’t that close. With his team languishing at 3-7 and the boos ringing in his ears, Stoudemire was mad as hell and he wasn’t going to take this anymore.

“I don’t understand why we’re not playing with the urgency,” Stoudemire tersely said to every microphone in the tri-state area. “I’m not used to that. We’re not playing like we’re on a four-game losing streak, now five. It’s almost as if it doesn’t matter.

“Maybe the winning mentality has never been here. I’m used to winning. I’m used to talking about winning and having that confidence toward winning. We can’t have guys comfortable with losing. We have to show more heart. We have to go after it. This is foreign land to me now. We have to stick together and see if we could work our way out of it.”

The frustration on the court may have been mirrored by Stoudemire’s slight uneasiness off it. He admitted he wasn’t accustomed the movements and rhythms of New York City when he first arrived.

“It took me about three months,” Stoudemire says. “I got comfortable in January and I’m still learning. There’s so much to New York City: great restaurants, shows. There are good events to go to. Then, I had to learn the city and the landscape.

There’s always something new.”

What was new, however, was the attitude in the Knicks’ locker room, and Stoudemire was the clear leader. His verbal shot not only surprised some of Stoudemire’s teammates (rookie Landry Fields, who says he always knew about Stoudemire’s skills, says it surprised him how outspoken his teammate has been), it reverberated far beyond the walls of the Knicks’ sanctum. Although the Knicks lost their next game in Denver, Stoudemire had dropped the gauntlet. Losing and accepting it was no longer an option.

And if the Knicks weren’t going to win, they were going to pick up third-degree floor burns trying. Stoudemire’s bravado was something the Knicks and their fans hadn’t heard in quite some time.

“His quotes from earlier in the year sounded like rhetoric and people thought he was just saying all the right things,” Hahn says. “Then he started backing it up. When he got mad after the loss to Houston here, I think that resonated.

“He was furious. He put his foot down. ‘I’m not used to losing.’ It resonated. He means what he says. He’s the go-to quote in the room and he’s embraced it. A leader was slowly being born. The fans start reading what he’s saying and now they start taking it to heart and the fans starting thinking, ‘Someone cares as much as we do.’”

Caring may equal effort, but it doesn’t equal results. Stoudemire, however, cared enough to put the team on his shoulders and carry it out of the doldrums. How? By elevating the level of his play. He averaged a solid, although ho-hum 20.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game during that first 10-game stretch. After his outburst, Stoudemire exploded like one of his forays to the rim. Beginning with a win in Sacramento on November 17 and ending with a win against Denver, the Knicks’ 13th win in 14 games, Stoudemire averaged an MVP-worthy 30.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. In the final eight games of the Knicks’ longest winning stretch in more than a decade and the streakbreaking two-point to the Celtics, Stoudemire poured in 30-plus points in nine straight games, a new Knicks record.

The streak was so impressive, MSG Network dedicated a block of programming to the feat—60-minute replays of Stoudemire’s 30-point games—as a lead-in to the Knicks’ Christmas day game against the Bulls. MSG network general manager Dan Ronayne admitted such a stretch focusing on Stoudemire was an easy call.

“Our idea was simple,” Ronayne says. “Here’s a guy who came to the Knicks looking forward to coming to the city and wanted to be a part of bringing the Knicks back. So we created a number of different programming initiatives around Amar’e.

“Knicks fans have really fallen in love with this guy. He’s really been great because he’s turned the Knicks into a real team. He’s the star.”

The Knicks resurgence led by Stoudemire’s emergence has been a boon to MSG Networks’ ratings, which were up 39 percent in December over the same time period during the 2009-10 season.

“We’re not shocked,” Ronayne says. “This is a Knicks city, and there’s a lot of pent-up desire to see this team do well. And with Amar’e bursting on to the scene, and guys like Landry Fields, it’s really been terrific and it’s been gratifying to see how the fans have responded.”

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“I see myself being here a long time. This can be a great place to build a future.”

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While the fans have shown their love for Stoudemire, they’ve also fallen head over heels for the newest Knicks.

Anthony and Billups’ debut10 on February 23 in Knicks uniforms drew a 6.75 rating (just over one-half million viewers), the largest audience on MSG in 16 years. Only Michael Jordan’s famous “Double-Nickel” game at Madison Square Garden in 1995 drew more viewers.

Knicks fans are also putting money where their mouths are. As Stoudemire puts the franchise on his back, fans have been more than willing to put his name on theirs. In the Garden landscape, Stoudemire’s #1 is second to none among Knicks fans. At a game against Washington in January, Matt Gruberger of Long Island and his sons, Robbie, 10, and Max, 6, were all sporting Stoudemire’s jerseys.

“Robbie was a Celtics fan,” Matt says with a laugh, “but Amar’e has helped me turn them both into Knicks fans.

He’s bringing families together.”

More than that, Stoudemire, like the bridges that connect the boroughs, has brought the city together.

People in the Bronx have the Yankees and fans in Queens have the Mets. The blue bloods follow the Giants while the blue collars fly with the Jets. And while they share the Garden with the Rangers, no team unties New York City as the Knicks do.

“Since I came to New York, it’s like the doors are open for other players,” Stoudemire says. “Now players want to come. It’s great for the city and it’s beautiful for the organization.

“I love it.”

Stoudemire has started to become a New Yorker.

While he hasn’t hopped on the subway yet, he’s gone to museums in Brooklyn and taken the train from Penn Station to Philly, tweeting the trip to his @amareisreal followers.

“That was the first time I had taken a train from New York to a different city,” Stoudemire says gleefully. “It was great.”

Being a part of the city, however, means more than just going to its cultural institutions and using its public transportation. Stoudemire wants to become a part of the fabric of the city. In addition to reaching out through various Knicks charities and Marc Cornstein’s Court of Dreams foundation, which helps “restore and maintain outdoor basketball courts for children in NYC neighborhoods,” the Amar’e Stoudemire Foundation and Nike dedicated a new basketball court at Taylor-Wythe Community Center in Brooklyn in March. In June, he will host a basketball camp at Baruch College in Manhattan.

“The basketball court helps keep kids off the streets, keeps everybody out of trouble,” Stoudemire says. “It was something for me to do when I was growing up in my community. It was very helpful to me. It kept me out of trouble, kept me away from negative influences.

“I hope I can do the same thing for kids in Brooklyn.”

Stoudemire knows he can make a life-long impact on kids when they see him come to their neighborhoods.

“The kids, they’re smart and they know when it’s genuine or not,” Stoudemire says. “Any time I try to get

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BONUS POINTS 1. Only one Knick, Willis Reed in 1970, has won the NBA’s MVP. 2. On 2/3/09 when Bryant scored 61 points; and two nights later, when LeBron James nearly copped a 50-point triple-double with 52 points while grabbing nine rebounds and dropping 11 dimes.

3. Patrick Ewing was voted a starter, but didn’t play because of injury.

4. In the last nine seasons, the Knicks made the playoffs once and went 279-459.

5. James’ free agent announcement on ESPN, “The Decision,” in July was the highest rated show of the night 6. Breen is also the lead NBA play-by-play announcer for ESPN and ABC. 7. Stoudemire averaged 21.4 points and 8.9 boards in eight seasons in Phoenix and played in five All-Star games 8. Stoudemire played in three games that season 9. Stoudemire, who was severely overplayed in the game, finished with 14 points and 9 boards.

10. Anthony had 27 points and 10 rebounds while Billups collected 21 points and 8 assists in their Knicks debut.

11. After 48 games in 2010-11, the Knicks were 25-23, a six-game improvement over the previous year.

12. Stoudemire, the 2002-03 Rookie of the Year, finished sixth in MVP voting in 2007-08, his highest finish ever.

13. Anthony has averaged 24.8 points per game in his career.

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14. Through 56 games, Stoudemire is averaging a career-high in points (25.9 per game) and assists (2.7).

involved with something, I want to be genuine. I want it to be from the heart.

“I think the kids appreciate it to be in their community. If an NBA player had come to my community when I was younger and built a court and I would have been super excited. I would have played on that court every day if I could.

“I’m hoping to have the effect on kids that it would have had on me.

For now, though, it’s on the court where Stoudemire has made the biggest impact11 as he’s won over the most skeptical of Knicks supporters and legends.

“You hear the cheers at the Garden,” Frazier says. “They’ve been serenading him with MVP and his work has been proven on the court, leading by example, a tenacious work ethic.

“This guy has been more than I anticipated. I didn’t think he was that good a player. I thought he was selfish, didn’t pass the ball. Now he has a career high in assists and is always willing to share the ball. He’s been the consummate player for the Knicks.”

This doesn’t surprise his agent, Happy Walters, who knew Stoudemire was ready for the big stage of the Big Apple.

“No one’s completely prepared for New York and all its glory,” Walters says. “There’s a lot of exposure. When you do great, you know about it. And when you don’t do well you hear about it the next day as well.

“But I never had any doubt about Amar’e playing well there.”

And Stoudemire has become an indispensable—and valuable12—part of the franchise and the city in such a short time. D’Antoni can see what the Knicks would be without

Stoudemire and he doesn’t like the view.

“I can imagine, we just did it,” D’Antoni says about not having Stoudemire. “We still have the battle scars. The biggest thing is he said he was going to do a certain thing and he did it.

“We still have a long way to go. We’re just starting to climb up, but he has us going in the right direction.”

Now, Stoudemire has help from Anthony, a sublime offensive player who can pour in 2513 at the drop of a hat and welcomes the chance to do it in front of a demanding fan base.

“It takes a certain kind of person to play in New York City,” Anthony says. “I’ve been through so much in my short career, to deal with you guys in the media on a daily basis, I think that’s easy.

“But is it going to be an easy transition on the court for me? No. Will there be a lot of challenges? Yes. Will there be a lot of expectations? Yes. But I’m willing to accept all of those challenges.”

As for the MVP chants for Stoudemire? Are they warranted? Walsh, for one, welcomes the attention.

“I like it,” Walsh says. “It’s better to have them cheering for our guy like that, it’s a mark of respect for the way they’re playing.

“And [having Amar’e is] the beginning of building the value of the team. He’s doing everything you could ask. I don’t think he could do any more than he’s doing.”14 Meanwhile, Stoudemire can hear the fans serenading him every time he steps to the line. He loves the love, but Stoudemire says it represents something bigger than him.

“I think the chants come from the fact that we brought the organization back,” Stoudemire says. “It feels good to turn that around. Any time we can get MVP chants in the Garden for a Knick, that’s a team chant.

“It means we’re winning.”

With Anthony and Billups to run along side him, Stoudemire can envision a successful future in the five boroughs.

“I see myself being here a long time,” Stoudemire. “This can be a great place to build a future, and I want to start right now.”

With that thought, Stoudemire pauses, and then smiles.

“I think I found a home,” he says.

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Champagne DreamsanD CaviarWishes Think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re good enough to make it onto an NBA D-League Team? Think again.

It happens on every playground court, gym and patch of cement with a basketball hoop, across the globe. Anyone who has ever picked up a basketball with an understanding of the game has done it, engaging in the epic battle of man against time. 5...Replaying the dying seconds of an NBA game with your team down by one and the ball in your hands as the clock winds down...4...Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a re-creation of a classic Michael Jordan game-winner...3...Or your personal signature move to create space and nail the come-from-behind dagger...2...The ball is released, the follow-through perfect and the ball is in the air for an eternity, surrounded by silence...1...For most of us, the dream of playing out this fantasy scenario in front of a packed arena ends there....BUZZER. But there are thousands of driven basketball players who still try to live out that reality.

By Duane Watson #7 HOOP

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For most, hoop dreams die somewhere in middle school when you’re consistently being picked last for teams. For some, it’s in high school when you realize that despite all your work, you’re never going to be good or tall enough. A select few see their aspirations fizzle in college when they get cut from their team’s tryouts. Whenever the harsh reality sets in, the aftermath is the same: We pick up the pieces and move on, whether it involves playing pickup ball at the local playground or neighborhood Y; mastering the intricacies of your driveway hoop to defeat all comers at H.O.R.S.E.; or capturing the high score at your local bar’s Pop-a-Shot machine. Some choose not to accept their fate and can’t let the dream go, whether their end goal is the NBA or just to get paid to play the game they love. Many are obsessive, others are delusional and some just want to prove to themselves that they can do it. Over 1,500 ballplayers attended open tryouts for the D-League’s 16 franchises last year, in hopes of receiving one of the possible 20-50 invitations to training camps. They still have to make the team, and once they’ve done that, they still have to maintain their spot on the roster while also trying to excel in the hopes of getting a call-up to the NBA for a 10-day contract. Yes, the odds are stacked.

Yet it’s not impossible, the number of NBA D-League Gatorade call-ups have grown exponentially each year, with 27 players called up a record 40 times last season and 117 players called up 190 times since the league started in 2001. Some success stories have gone on to sign NBA contracts, like Chris Andersen (Denver Nuggets), Anthony Tolliver (Minnesota Timberwolves), Reggie Williams (Golden State Warriors) and Sonny Weems (Toronto Raptors). But for every Cartier Martin (Washington Wizards) and Gary Forbes (Denver Nuggets), thousands of players will never get to wear the NBA logo on their chest without going to the NBA Store. These call-ups all have several things in common: They’ve all made sacrifices to pursue their dream. Slogging through less-than-luxurious travel, living as roommates and earning an annual salary of $30,000 are as commonplace as playing in small gyms that don’t boast thousands of fans. But for the love of the game, it’s a small price to pay to pursue your dream.

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Stepping into the lobby of Springfield College’s Fieldhouse for the Springfield Armor’s twoday open player tryout, I’m surprised at the amount of people in attendance. It’s only 8:03 a.m. with barely a place to stand. Players of all shapes, sizes and hues are early for the 9:00 a.m. registration. Eighty-nine men pay their non-refundable $200 registration fee to showcase their skills. The Armor ended its inaugural campaign with a record of 7-43, the worst record in NBA D-League history. Obviously they are in need of players to improve the squad. Former NBA vet Dee Brown, the Armor’s head coach and director of basketball

operations, is acutely aware of what his team’s needs are.

“I’m just looking for players that pay attention to detail. We lost more games last year ’cause we shortcut things, or didn’t pay attention to detail. Am I going to find any guys that are going to be starters for our team? I don’t know. But I need guys that understand the little things that we’re talking about.”

As the players leave the lobby and head toward the gym, their quest begins. Hugging their children, getting well wishes from parents, or rubbing the belly of a pregnant girlfriend, it’s reminiscent of soldiers heading off to war, or perhaps more fitting in today’s age, going to the audition room of American Idol. It’s clear that they are just regular people, the kind that you went to school with, worked with, watched play college basketball.

“The NBA is still my dream,” says hopeful Michael Williams. “When I was 5 years old, I saw my first Celtics game. Since then, I’ve wanted to play in the League. I’d be crazy to put my body through all of this if I didn’t have the desire to go to the next level. I love playing, I love being in front of a crowd, but there’s that hope beyond all hope that rests somewhere in here [pointing to his heart]. You just can’t let it go.” Williams played four years professionally in Italy, Asia, Switzerland and Spain before returning stateside to play for the Maine Red Claws of the D-League last season. While his ambitions are in line with the other 88 men here, his reasons for coming home were different. “I’m a third-year law student at the University of Connecticut. So I don’t have a lot of choices if I want to continue my law education. I can’t do it in Europe.”

Europe wasn’t cutting it for Nasos Kyriakou either.. While many American players are going overseas to ply their trade, the 21-year-old, who has been playing professionally since 16, and traveled all the way from Greece to try out, feels the D-League is a great chance to show people what he can do.

“I have two dreams,” Kyriakou says. “One is to play in the NBA and the other is to participate in the 2012 Olympic Games with the Greek National Team. I’m trying to achieve both.”

But based on his inability to stay in front of bigger and quicker guards and average playmaking skills, his odds were better making the Greek National squad than making the second day of tryouts, which he failed to do.

It’s one thing to talk about it, but it’s another to walk in someone’s shoes. As armchair quarterbacks, whenever we see a miscue by a player who sits at the end of an NBA bench, or watch “garbage time” at the end of the game, we confidently muse that we would be just as capable of filling that role. So this writer laced up his sneakers for the Erie BayHawks’ open tryout in Toronto to see how hard it really is.

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With tryouts held at the Air Canada Centre on the Raptors’ practice court, we are geographically as close to the NBA as you can get. During my 7 a.m. drive into the city, the sun slowly rose over the expressway at the same rate that my heart made its way up my throat. I was nervous. What was a 38-year-old man doing trying out for a professional basketball team? I was about to find out.

Back at the Springfield College Fieldhouse, players shot around and got loose over four basketball courts. All the while nonchalantly sizing each other up like boxers in the first round of a fight. After Coach Brown spoke on what he’s looking for (working hard, and focusing on showcasing your strengths) the group started a warm-up session.

During a break I chatted with Seth Myers, who has done this before. “This is like my fifth tryout in two-and-a-half years,” the 29-year-old pizzeria manager says emphatically. “I did the D-League Draft Camp two years ago in L.A. On the second day, the assistant coach called me from the Idaho Stampede to invite me to come out. I actually played really good.

I didn’t make camp, but it was a blast.”

Unfortunately, Myers also tried out for Maine and Austin with similar results, but his contagious passion and love for the game keep him going, unfortunately they didn’t keep him from getting cut after his first day here. Myers plans “to keep going for it, another one or two years” of trying out and chasing the dream.

After a grueling warm-up and a couple of hours of physically and mentally demanding drills, the stronger players separated themselves from the pack. “This is a weeding-out process,” Williams says. “There’s probably 20 guys that shouldn’t be here, 50 guys that are good and 20 guys that have got a shot. The hope of everybody is to be those three to five guys invited, but even then you have to get through training camp, and as I found last year, jobs are unstable in this league.”

So far, the 6-10 big man looks to good enough to earn the golden ticket. Some players were honest and admitted the process was a little bit more than they expected.

“The NBA is my dream,” says Robin Harris. “But man [looking around]...this ain’t easy.”

Harris played Division II ball in Texas and is admittedly a little shell-shocked. “I just ain’t never been to nothing like this ever in my life. But it’s good that we doing this, this wakes me up.”

While slightly intimidated, he’s far from deterred: “I’m just going to keep going, I ain’t a quitter. This is my dream.” Robin’s brother Paul was there to support him. Paul played at Syracuse and has been drafted by Maine in the D-League Draft, but the biggest support Paul provided his brother was a shoulder when he helped Robin off the court after severely spraining his ankle.

I’ve been playing basketball for most of my life, running in men’s leagues throughout the summer and fall seasons. I’m a student of the game and fancy myself as possessing a high basketball IQ, my conditioning is good and my initiative at taking on the dirty work has made me a solid team player. Of course, this is also my own self-evaluation. Still, I will not be going out there and embarrassing myself, but wondered how those assets would benefit me in a tryout where I had to shine. Part of my excitement and nerves in doing this assignment is wondering how I’ll stack up. Walking onto the practice court to only discover a total of 18 players trying out quickly shortened the planned two-day tryout to one. Shooting around, I was able to ascertain that I was the oldest player in the gym, but my competitive instinct kicked in and I was determined to not let that show in my performance. I introduced myself to first-year BayHawks coach Jay Larranaga, who is only a couple of years removed from playing basketball professionally in Italy. He’s fresh off an assistant coaching gig at Cornell University, and is charismatic and enthusiastic. He jokingly assures me that despite my journalistic agenda, “We will give you a fair look.”

After a light warm-up, we transition into a jogging drill which begins on the baseline running the length of the court starting at the side of the key. When you reach the other baseline, you slide in a defensive stance along the baseline to the sideline; upon hitting the sideline, back pedal to the same baseline you started from. This drill is continuous for 10 minutes, which you must do with your hands over your head for the entire time! I dropped my arms a couple of times when the coaches weren’t looking. Just as my shoulders stopped feeling like rubber, we engaged in a one-on-one drill. Starting on defense, if you stop the offensive player, you get the ball. On offense, you get three dribbles to score and play doesn’t stop until you score or lose possession. The drill concludes when the first person scores five consecutive baskets. My defense was strong and I was able to score by not quitting on the plays. After scoring four points, the next defender I faced was almost a full foot shorter than me. My eyes lit up and I proceeded to back him down into the post but had to give up the ball after exceeding the three dribble limit. Brady Bolan was the first to five, but afterward Coach Larranaga incredulously whispered to me, “You almost won the one-on-one drill.”

Less than half of the group embarrassingly struggled to grasp a passing drill and after we ran some 2-on-1, 3-on-2, 4-on-3, 5-on-4, 5-on-5 full-court drills, we broke for lunch.

Eating with Coach Larranaga and assistant coach Ben McDonald, we discussed past open tryouts: A player from last year made the team, and two years ago, three players made the team. They also let me know the plans for the afternoon portion, which included running scrimmages and the beep test. Unfamiliar with the beep test, I learned it’s basically a HOOP

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timed suicide drill. You have to jog to a specified line on the floor and get there by the time the beep sounds, then jog back to another line by the beep. The longer the test goes on, the shorter the beeps get, forcing you to pick up the pace. When I told them I had never done it before, they suggested that I sit out. My pride wouldn’t allow it. If I was trying out, I was going to do it all, beep test and all. Little did I know.

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At the end of Day 1, almost eight hours later, Coach Brown posted the jersey numbers of the players that made it, trimming down the number for Day 2 to 30. Some stormed out upset, others were disappointed with themselves, wondering if they have what it takes, some approached Coach Brown and graciously thanked him for the opportunity.

Williams made it to Day 2 and was also one of the three players selected to training camp.

He eventually went on to make the team but was waived seven games into the season.

While his whereabouts are unknown, his words during the tryout process assure me he is playing basketball somewhere. “[One day] a team will look at you and they say, ‘Hey, let’s give him a shot.’ The last 28 years of my life have been working to that very point. Of course I’ll hold onto it, even if I’m 50 years old. I’m going to think, ‘Hey man, maybe I’ve got a shot.’ I’m not at that point yet.

If you don’t have the dream anymore, then it’s tough to get up every day and play.”

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In Springfield, fatigue set in at the day’s halfway point. I mentioned to Michael Williams that I noticed some guys were dogging it and asked him about his past NBA D-League experience with the Red Claws.

“Every day is your first day on the job,” he says. “You have to be at the top of your game and bring it every day. It should be about guys that want to be great, that want to show that they want to make it to the next level. If you’re dogging it here, what are you going to do when you make the team? Believe me, the practices are hard and they’re cutthroat, because guys want to get the job. Last year, I was making $400 a week. I don’t want to be making that—you want to add a zero to that. I’m tired and it’s difficult. But with 89 guys there that want that shot, you got to work harder than 85 of them. So if you can’t bring it for one day, go home.”

For 25-year-old guard Sean Smith, closer to home is exactly where he wants to be.

After playing two seasons in Italy, he had additional motivation aside from the obvious about playing here.

“My grandmother got me into basketball and she doesn’t really like to fly,” Smith says.

“So if I could make this team, I think it would make her very happy and she could come see me play.” He continues, “She lives in Georgia and she’s not taking an eight-hour flight to Italy. But if I could get her to Philadelphia, I’m quite sure she’d drive up if we were playing the Erie BayHawks. Or my mom lives in the Quad Cities and naturally the Iowa Energy is out there. I want to be around my family.”

Based on Williams’ past wages, the D-League salary isn’t one to raise a family on, but 20-year-old guard Marcus Powell, whose love for the game brought him here, hopes to do just that. Unemployed and with a baby on the way, he “feels this would be a good paycheck.”

When asked about who he looked up to, he boasted, “Aside from [Michael] Jordan, Kobe [Bryant], that’s about it. Everybody else I feel I can hang with.”

Moving from drills and into game scrimmages is a great indicator of what a player has with and without the ball. Some have excelled and others have disappeared. Powell had some flashes, but by and large was inconsistent and wasn’t hanging around on Day 2.

Personally, I figured that I would stand to do all right in the beep test. Every year I run a long distance race and my cardio on the court is pretty good. Except the beep test suggested otherwise. I was good enough to make the cut for the Canadian military, making it through to level 6 shuttle 7, but was the first to be eliminated. The winner of the beep test (again), Bolan, outlasted everyone until level 16 shuttle 9. I was pretty embarrassed about being the first one to go. I swore to myself I would make up for it later. After a water break, in groups of five, we learned three set plays: Horns, Thumbs and Butter, and then practiced executing them. We then scrimmaged with all players on two teams, playing four eight-minute quarters. Doing a lot of little stuff and moving without the ball, my team won and Coach Larranaga remarked that I was the “third highest scorer in the game.” I wasn’t sure if I was getting the attention from Coach because I was here as a journalist and he was surprised with my ability, or he was actually pleased with my performance.

Aside from the 25-year-old Bolan, who stood out, I didn’t feel there was anyone in Toronto who warranted an invite. There were talented players, but not of that next-level caliber; the desire did not match the level of skill. Personally, I didn’t disappoint, but at 6-3 I will not be playing the 4 spot in the NBA D-League and I don’t possess the jumper or handle to play in the backcourt at that level. I take pleasure in knowing that I can compete and I’m comfortable with the level that I’m at. But recognizing the amount of work and talent it takes just to play at the NBA D-League level, I have a newfound respect for the players.

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Where amazing begins

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M 3/17/11 10:38 A 0:38 AM

By darryl Howerton #21

QuIck Study

He’s yet to notch one full season under hIs belt, but Blake GrIffIn already looks, acts and plays lIke one of the best players In the game

“Hey! I’m Justin Bieber.”

Blake Griffin has just walked into an L.A. Clippers office—which for now is doubling as a studio set for a future Clippers Live telecast—announcing to all in the room that he is indeed the 17-year-old pop sensation, J. Biebz.

Griffin is wearing huge eyeglasses while sporting a mop-top wig, props that were left behind on the front desk from a previous shoot.

In this disguise, the Los Angeles Clipper power forward is a dead ringer for the pop singer—that is, if Bieber got hit with a dose of gamma radiation, which in turn transformed the teen into a 6-10, 251-pound incredible hulk of chiseled granite.

Bieber Fever...Griffin Fission.

He can relate.1 The 21-year-old NBA rookie drops the wig and glasses back on the desk and enters an adjoining room where Prime Ticket’s TV cameras are set up so Griffin can do a bit with best friend and Clippers teammate DeAndre Jordan called “So You Think You Know Me?”2 Jordan arrives a couple minutes later and he, too, tries on the wig and glasses, popping his head into the adjacent room, saying, “Do I look like Ron Jeremy?”

Looks of confusion overcome the faces of Griffin, Clippers Live host Michael Eaves and producer Sara Takata.

“Ron Jeremy,” Jordan repeats. “You know, ‘Stay classy, San Diego.’”

Laughter erupts in the room.

“You mean Ron Burgundy,” says Griffin, referencing Will Ferrell’s character in The Anchorman.

“Ohhh,” says Jordan, smiling. “Who’s Ron Jeremy? Oh, wait! He’s the ExtenZe guy, right?”

The laughter continues as the Clipper bigs take their seats in front of the cameras.

Takata tells them about the simulated game show they’re about to participate in, asking them to write their answers to her questions down on big cards. And when they reveal their card on camera to Eaves, to do so with some personality.

“Geeee, Saraaa,” moans Griffin. “It’s not like we’re stupid here. We know what to do.”

“I’m just gonna say,” Jordan says, before trailing off in monotone, “‘That. Was. A. Good. Answer. Blake.’”

Laughter again fills the room. And soon it’s, lights...camera...action.

Eaves begins the game show by saying, “So, you guys know each other pretty well. Is BFF too strong a word to put on your relationship here?”

Griffin takes the cue and ad-libs, “BFF-F-F-F-F,” as the whole room—you got it—explodes in LOLs again.

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Griffin obviously knows the drill.

The rookie may appear guarded, but the only guard on him is the mouthguard he sports on court, the one he chews furiously after conquests over opponents.

No...Do not let Griffin’s appearance fool you.

Yes, he is Oklahoma City on the outside, but he’s got a lot of Hollywood on the inside.

A natural showman, if you will.

Griffin mimics all around him, with the same skill of, say, a Matt Damon.

He has comedic chops, too, fully capable of hosting Saturday Night Live one day, a la past NBA hosts Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and LeBron James. In fact, it’s a childhood dream of his.

And as his dunks and ever-evolving play has already shown us this season, Blake Griffin is the greatest show on hardwood today.

“The Blake Show” ... “The L.A. Blakers” ... “Blake Superior” ... “The Poster Child.”

In NBA arenas across America and parts of Canada, Griffin has become part eagle, part lion—just like the gryphon itself.

And it’s scary to think that the NBA All-Star is just now taking flight.

November 20, 2010 In a loss against the New York Knicks, Griffin gets 44 points, 15 rebounds and two dunks that go down as perhaps the two greatest dunks of the 2010 calendar year.

“I think the Knicks game was the tipping point for Blake’s popularity. Not only did he go for 40-plus points in that game, but he had those tremendous dunks. And the one that everybody is going to remember all season long is the dunk over the Russian kid, Timofey Mozgov. But even the spin-move punch on Danilo Gallinari was probably the more athletic move. All that stuff started the anticipation of the electricity for every game. Once he did that, you were like, ‘Oh my God, what’s he going to do next?’

And you can feel that in the arena each and every game. Matter of fact, each and every time there is going to be some type of transition play, you can feel the crowd collectively sort of get on the edge of its seat and be ready to stand up and cheer. I think it all started with that game.”—Clippers Live host Michael Eaves

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Griffin’s indoctrination into the NBA has not come without some bumps in the road...or some bumps and bruises on the body.

He’s had run-ins with vets—literally—due to his physical play, his goall-out-at-all-times mentality and especially his ego-deflating dunks.

Andre Miller had his league-leading consecutive games streak snapped when the Trail Blazer snapped after being pushed around by Griffin on back-to-back trips downcourt, finally hurtling his body like a strong safety into Griffin the next trip down. Miller was suspended a game for his actions.

Grant Hill had a word with Griffin for what the vet termed “trash talk,” after both players got physical with each other.

Lamar Odom grabbed Griffin’s jersey and pulled him out of bounds after an end-of-game free-throw play, when the Laker thought the rookie was being too aggressive on a potential rebound (Odom later admitted he “overreacted”). Four players were ejected—including Odom and Griffin, with the technical/ejection on Griffin later rescinded by the League.

James Posey refused to shake Griffin’s hand, after a physical game that saw the rook put 47 points on 24 shots against the Pacers.

There was the play by Brendan Haywood, who flagrantly fouled Griffin rather than give up a spin-move dunk to the rookie, messing up the Clipper’s elbow a bit in the process.

Then there was Griffin’s end-of-the-game flagrant collision with Al Horford on a dunk attempt that resulted in the Hawk getting and hitting two game-winning free throws last month.

Not that any of these confrontations slowed Griffin’s motor one bit.

Griffin just knows how to play the game one way: hard. And at all times.

“You’ve got to play all the way through. You play until the final buzzer sounds. It’s as simple as that. That’s the way I grew up playing. That’s the right way to play,” Griffin told AOL Fanhouse.

kevork djansezIan/nbae/getty Images

Griffin is already a lock for the 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year award. With his 22.9 ppg and 12.5 season (he’ll likely become the first rook to submit a 20-10 season3 since Elton Brand did it in 1999-00), it’s no surprise he’ll win the ROY. What is surprising, however, is his emergence as a true NBA superstar.

It is not unfathomable now to believe that this 21-year-old will one day win an MVP award. His ascension to greatness has been that sure and sudden.

After all, it was only four months ago that the former Oklahoma Sooner was making his professional debut, after missing all of the 2009-10 NBA season because of a broken left kneecap that required surgery.

Most people already knew Griffin was a standout and would surely help the floundering Clippers in 2010-11. But very few realized he would soon be on pace to have the best rookie season of the 21st century (see sidebar).

November 25, 2010 “Man Blake Griffin is the most explosive player in the league!

Crazy bounce.”—LeBron James via Twitter

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December 16, 2010 Following practice in Detroit, the Clipper players had a team meeting to discuss their lousy start to the season. I asked Griffin what that meeting was all about.

“We, as a team, thought that 5-21 record is not us. We felt we were a little better than that. We felt like we hadn’t shown what we could actually do.

It was more of a, ‘Let’s step it up and do this and do that’ type of meeting.

It wasn’t blaming or pointing fingers or anything like that. We kept it December 27, 2010 positive and luckily it’s helped.”—Blake Griffin In a win over the Sacramento Kings, Samuel Dalembert purposely fouls Griffin It was a clearing-the-air meeting; it let the young players know the on a 75-foot alley-oop attempt, just so the Kings center won’t be the victim of veterans had their back. another dunk highlight. I ask the alley-oop passer Baron Davis afterward if Everybody agreed the cheap shots by foes on Griffin had to stop. The he’s ever seen such a thing on a three-quarter-court pass.

Clippers knew their intimidating rook couldn’t afford to respond to the “There are a lot of things that happen with Blake that I’ve never seen before. rough play and get himself tossed out of games.

I’ve never played with a big man like him. I’m not sure if anybody in this So his teammates let the rook know they had his back when opponents league has seen a big man like him before. I’m starting to get that feeling, the would attack him in the future. same feeling I had in 2008 with the Warriors when we beat the No. 1 Mavs in the playoffs. This could be a special team.”—Baron Davis Jordan told NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper, “At the beginning, we were like, ‘Are you all right, Blake? But now, it’s happening too much. So we have to be there to stand up for our teammate.”

That’s what happened in the Laker game, when Davis was the first person to jump in as a shoving mediator during the Griffin-Odom fray, a move that resulted in the point guard’s own ejection.

And that mentality has also allowed Griffin to become more free on the court, knowing his older teammates—not to mention his fellow collegeaged colleagues—are watching his back.

The results have been twofold: 1. L.A. is playing better, tougher team defense; 2. Griffin is even more expressive and more explosive on the court.

“I’m a reactive person,” says Griffin. “I think basketball is all about having a natural flow and being creative. You have to adjust to what the defense does to you in a sense. But at the same time, you kind of have the ability to make the defense do what you want.”

“Make the defense do what you want?” What other rookie thinks this way?

What makes the team so unique is that the key players are young enough to be a college team playing in March Madness right now for the NCAA championship.

If you could send this team back to college, you’d have a squad of six players who’d still have their eligibility: Kentucky sophomore Eric Bledsoe, 21, at point guard; Indiana senior Eric Gordon, 22, at shooting guard; Wake Forest junior Al-Farouq Aminu, 20, at small forward; Oklahoma senior Blake Griffin at power forward; Texas A&M senior DeAndre Jordan, 22, at center; Oklahoma junior guard Willie Warren, 21, as sixth man.

Unfortunately due to a trade deadline deal for Cavaliers’ Mo Williams, Davis is no longer part of this potentially special team, but he certainly helped lay some of the groundwork.

It’s part of the blueprint of the new regime of Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro and general manager Neil Oshey.

“We had a difficult start, starters missing a lot of games with injuries (Kaman, Gordon and Davis) and a very young team,” says Del Negro. “We’re learning, we’re improving and we’re overcoming a lot of adversity. We just have to stay together and keep building on that.”

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January 12, 2011 In a win over the Miami Heat, Griffin gets 24 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists, but when I ask Griffin about numbers, he talks about the team’s defensive stats.

“Over the last 10 games, we’ve been No. 3 in field-goal percentage allowed. The three games we did lose, we had a chance. We were in them. It starts with our defense.

When we get steals and blocks and we start running the floor, that creates those exciting plays for us.”—Blake Griffin Griffin is all about team and teammates.

Clipper officials and his management team say he turns down many opportunities because Griffin doesn’t want to be the face of what’s going on: “He wants it to be a team thing.”

Several officials say his strong team ethic is because of tight family ties, a direct influence of his parents Tommy and Gail Griffin, along with older brother Taylor, 24, who is now playing professionally in Belgium.

These three made him the strong force he is today.

January 17, 2011 In a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Griffin gets 18 points and 15 rebounds, while the Clippers hold the Lakers to 92 points.

“Blake just punked us. He just ran through us. We didn’t put up much of a fight.”

—Kobe Bryant

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Griffin is now at a commercial shoot for Subway, taking a break from filming in his trailer.

He’s eating a Subway sandwich—of course—his main fast food of choice.4 He is selective about what he endorses “because I don’t want to do something I personally don’t believe in.”

“I’ve eaten Subway for as long as I can remember,” says Griffin. “I spent half my money in college on Subway. That was my go-to. And I still do now. I’ve never been a guy that hits McDonald’s. If I have a choice, it’s Subway. So doing this made sense, and I was excited about it.”

Losing weight like Jared is one reason to eat Subway. But getting a body like Blake from eating Subway? Now that’s a campaign that might even top the success of the $5 Footlong.

“Honestly, eating right is part of my job, you know,” says Griffin, who follows a nutritionist’s plan for his daily meals. “The better condition my body is in the better I can perform.”

It’s this heath consciousness that has helped create the 6-10, 251-pound house he lives in today.

“My mom is big into health, so I’m naturally somewhat of a healthy person,” explains Griffin. “I can really tell the difference between performing on a proper diet and performing on a not-so-proper diet.

“We stopped drinking carbonated beverages—like Coke, Sprite, all that stuff—when I was probably 8 or 9. I don’t really drink that anymore. Never had it in the house. She always had us taking our vitamins. Always cooking healthy foods for us.”

His father Tommy coached his two sons Taylor and Blake and encouraged them to play all of the sports they enjoyed, bucking the common basketball trend to focus on one sport year-round.

So Blake played basketball, football, baseball and soccer, often as the tagalong to older brother Taylor, who he followed later to University of Oklahoma for two collegiate seasons together before both went pro.5 The Clipper’s wide world of sports came in handy when he was going through his knee rehab a year ago. Since he couldn’t use his legs, Griffin did a lot of swimming.6 And even last summer, Griffin trained with Chivas USA, the Major League Soccer team in Los Angeles to get his footwork back up to speed.

“It brought me back to my middle school days,” says Griffin.

Back on set, he’s at home as well. A total pro, nailing takes and giving Subway chief marketing officer Tony Pace plenty to work with for Subway’s current ad campaign.

“We’re lucky to have him,” says Pace, the man behind Subway’s $5 Footlong marketing bonanza. “The first time we filmed some commercials with Blake, we asked him if he could be there pretty early in the morning.

And there he was, early in the morning, actually well in advance of when we needed him there.

“He drove himself there, He didn’t have the big entourage. You like

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Rookie of the 21st Century Forget ROY! Blake Griffin is the ROC: Rookie of the Century, based on Player Efficiency Rating, double-doubles and ESPN Plays of the Days.

When you stack his numbers against his 21st century peers, Griffin clearly ranks No. 1.

And it may be the greatest rookie campaign we’ve seen since Tim Duncan’s 1997-98 season when the Spur won All-NBA first team honors, All-Defense first team honors and Rookie of the Year.

Griffin’s 23.1 Player Efficiency Rating (through February 7) ranked slightly higher (8th all-time for rookies) than Duncan’s 22.6 PER (12th), but it’s doubtful Griffin is going to earn first-team All-NBA or All-Defense honors this season like the Spur did.

So we give the nod to Duncan in the decade before the new millennium.

Also in the ’90s, Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson had spectacular rookie seasons that culminated with All-NBA third team honors for both centers.

So it’s tough, just yet, to rank Griffin ahead of any of those three, not to mention some of the other rooks that earned All-NBA honors earlier in the 20th century.

But it’s not so hard to make that claim in century 21.

Chris Paul had a comparable 22.1 PER in his first season in 2005-06, but even those numbers fall short of Griffin. And neither Paul nor any other 21st century rook made an All-NBA team—either first, second or third team (Griffin has a legit shot to make one of the squads this year).

So with that in mind, it’s pretty safe to say Griffin is having the greatest rookie season since 2000.

That’s not to say, however, he’s having the best season for any 21-year-old. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Tracy McGrady all topped Griffin’s 23.1 PER when they were 21, but they can’t make the ROC claim because they were all third- and fourth-year vets at his age.

Check out the following top 10 lists of the NBA’s best all-time rookies and 21-and-under players when using PER.

TOP ROOKIES IN PLAYER EFFICIENCY RATING Player

Season

Team

PER

Minutes

1. Wilt Chamberlain

1959-60

Warriors

28.0

3338

2. Walt Bellamy

1961-62

Packers

26.3

3344

3. David Robinson

1989-90

Spurs

26.3

3002

4. Oscar Robertson

1960-61

Royals

25.9

3032

5. Michael Jordan

1984-85

Bulls

25.8

3144

6. Bob Pettit

1954-55

Hawks

24.5

2659

7. Elgin Baylor

1958-59

Lakers

23.6

2855

8. Blake Griffin

2010-11

Clippers

23.1

3088*

9. Shaquille O’Neal

1992-93

Magic

22.9

3071

10. Terry Cummings

1982-83

Clippers

22.8

2531

TOP 21-AND-UNDERS IN PLAYER EFFICIENCY RATING Player

Age

Season

Team

PER

Minutes

1. Shaquille O’Neal

21

1993-94

Magic

28.5

3224

2. LeBron James

21

2005-06

Cavaliers

28.1

3361

3. Kevin Durant

21

2009-10

Thunder

26.2

3239

4. Michael Jordan

21

1984-85

Bulls

25.8

3144

5. LeBron James

20

2004-05

Cavaliers

25.7

3388

6. John Drew

21

1975-76

Hawks

25.3

2351

7. Tracy McGrady

21

2000-01

Magic

24.9

3087

8. Blake Griffin

21

2010-11

Clippers

23.1

3088*

9. Chris Bosh

21

2005-06

Raptors

23.2

2751

10. Shaquille O’Neal

20

1992-93

Magic

22.9

3071

minimum: 2,000 minutes played * Griffin’s 1,883 minutes played through February 7 has been projected to a season-ending 3,088 total.

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What else is there to achieve?

Plenty.

BONUS POINTS 1. The two are somewhat linked: Bieber took home the MVP in the Celebrity Game during All-Star Weekend while Griffin netted the Slam Dunk trophy.

2. Among the tidbits we learn about Griffin from this “So You Think You Know Me?” episode: Griffin’s favorite restaurant is P.F. Chang’s; favorite breakfast is oatmeal and egg whites; favorite expression is “Dude, seriously?”; dislikes tomatoes; he’s a saver, not a spender. Even more impressive was that Griffin and Jordan got nine of 10 questions correct, proving that they are indeed Best Friends Forever.

3. Only 19 players have ever pulled off the feat and most of them are now enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

4. Griffin’s Subway sandwich of choice is the roasted chicken breast, while his Subway breakfast meal is the sunrise melt.

5. Older brother Taylor played on two of Blake’s four high school state championship basketball teams at Oklahoma Christian School, where their father was coach. Taylor was also the main reason Blake followed him to Oklahoma, where the Sooners reached the elite-eight round in 2009, their last season together.

Both were then selected in the 2009 NBA Draft: Blake at No.1; Taylor at No. 48 in the second round by the Suns, where the 6-7, 238-pound forward played in eight games before being sent to the Iowa Energy, its D-League affiliate, and later waived by the Suns last summer.

6. Blake’s father Tommy Griffin was a high school All-American swimmer as well as a basketball and track standout at NAIA school Northwestern Oklahoma State.

7. Griffin’s agent Sam Goldfeder says, “There’s a part of Blake that listens to people that say, ‘I’m not sure he can do that, and that really drives him.’ You can see sometimes when you’re around him, somebody may say something and you can tell that he’s clocking it, but he’s not saying anything about it. Yet he gets it and he’s heard it. You’ll see something on the court, something will occur and you can see there’s a look on his face in a way that you can see him thinking, ‘I wonder if that person just saw that.’ He’s just got an inner motor that very, very few people share. Like I said before, he’s a proud person. He loves the sport of basketball. He takes it very, very seriously. It’s his profession. And he wants to get better. So the evolution and the elevation that you’re seeing now is part and parcel of what makes Blake, Blake.”

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people that are self-sufficient. And Blake is very, very self-sufficient.”

Later, Griffin is shooting stills with photographer Scott Clark, and after a little warm-up, the two are exchanging comedic banter back and forth.

Taking as well as he gives, Griffin says, “Okay, 1-1,” after he has been nailed with a joke.

The two laugh and shoot as the room laughs with them.

At one point in the back-and-forth, Clark tells Griffin why he thinks Auburn quarterback Cam Newton won’t make it in the NFL. This note strikes a chord with Griffin, undetectable to the untrained eye, but given away here because Griffin’s agent Sam Goldfeder had just said in an interview before this photo shoot that if there’s one thing Griffin dislikes, it’s when someone says someone else can’t do something.7 It’s a Griffin pet peeve.

He stares. Listens politely. Then waits for his chance to speak and says, “I just get tired when people say someone can’t do something. Think of all the people we’ve missed out on by someone saying they can’t do this or they can’t do that.”

Back at the trailer later, Griffin acknowledges this annoyance of his, mainly because he’s heard similar statements about himself his whole life.

“It’s kind of always something that I’ve been big on,” says Griffin. “When I was younger, I would always ask my parents, ‘Do you think I can do this?

Or do you think I can do that?’ And if they said, ‘No,’ then it was like, ‘Yes,’ I had a challenge. And if they said ‘Yeah, you can do it,” then I didn’t want to do it. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been like that.

“In high school, I always heard people say, ‘He’s not gonna be this in college because he’s just big.’ And then when I got to college, it was like, ‘He’s not gonna be successful in college because he’s not skilled enough, he’s just athletic.’ All this stuff. And when I decided to go pro, it was like the same thing, ‘He can’t shoot, he can’t do this, he can’t do that.’

“Now that I’m in the pros and I’m actually being able to play, there’s gonna continue to be things. I love that. I don’t ever want to become complacent because I feel like when you become complacent you don’t get better. When you’re fine with how you are, what else is there to achieve?”

January 29, 2011 In a win over the Charlotte Bobcats—in a game where Griffin also uncorked a figure-8, 720-degree spin move off the dribble—Griffin has just completed his fifth alley-oop dunk on a pass from beyond half court this season. I ask if he has ever made a 94foot alley-oop in practice on a full-court, baseline-to-baseline pass.

“We might run that play one day. No comment on that one.”—Blake Griffin

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Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m poss Not Impos It can be easy to give up when you go from being an elite athlete playing in the NBA to being unable to breathe, but Rodney Rogers is not looking for sympathy. Instead, he is looking to overcome his obstacles and help others who are in the same plight.

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By Jeff min #12

ssIBle, ossIBle While his 12 years in the NBA are full of highlights, Rodney Rogers is probably best remembered for his nine-point explosion in the waning seconds of a game against the Utah Jazz. The unconscionable poise and deadpan execution he displayed in those eight chaotic seconds exemplified the big man’s unique combination of instinctual athleticism and silky smooth agility. Rogers’ insidious will to overcome instantly made him a fan favorite. But as the years went by, Rogers’ skill set never found solid ground as he ended up playing for seven different teams before finally hanging it up in 2005. Life, however, didn’t stop for the North Carolina native. Shortly after his retirement Rogers moved back to Durham1 where he took on a job as a heavy equipment operator for the city public works department.2 In his spare time he would often seek refuge in the wilderness, taking his ATV out for long secluded rides. It was a semi-retired life that every NBA player longs for, but then, without warning, tragedy struck.

In 2008, while riding his ATV on an oft-traveled path, Rogers lost control, hit a ditch and fell awkwardly, breaking his neck.3 In an instant he went from a picture of health to a quadriplegic fighting for his life.4 Since his injury, Rogers’ life has changed dramatically. Menial tasks that were normally taken for granted are now cautiously monitored moments that often need the attention of multiple aids. But throughout it all Rogers seeks no sympathy. Together, with his wife Faye,5 Rodney has started a nonprofit organization called the Rodney Rogers Foundation,6 which specializes in supporting the numerous needs of quadriplegics—from the quality of life and care to the astronomical medical expenses. “I honestly think there are a lot of misconceptions about paralysis,” explains Faye. “People don’t understand what it takes to keep a quadriplegic alive, especially if they are totally paralyzed.”

It’s been a long road for Rodney and Faye, yet throughout it all their love for one another has grown beyond the normal expectations of husband and wife. They are each other’s best friend, and share the responsibility of being one another’s rock when times are tough. In the interview with Rodney and Faye they broke down the challenges that now lie before them, and despite all those obstacles Rodney’s personality and awe-inspiring perseverance still shine, much like they did that night against Utah.

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You came into the league as an interior player but then you developed into something that is common now, but a rarity in 1995: a big man with three-point range.

I really didn’t want to play on the perimeter. I earned my way playing in the post. I mean I could shoot the ball, that was the difference. Coach was like, “Your three-point percentage is better than most of our guards, so you got to shoot it.” I had coaches where they call timeout ’cause I be wide open for a three, and they like ‘Why didn’t you shoot the ball?’ I didn’t want to shoot threes. They kind of forced me to play a perimeter game. I can play the 3, 4 and 5. And it was hard for teams to guard me ’cause if they put a big man on me like a Dikembe [Mutombo], I can shoot threes or if he came out I can go to the basket. If they had a center like a Ben Wallace or somebody that can come out there, I can post him up or I can still drive by him or shoot a three. I made it hard for them to guard me. even towards the tail end of your career, it looked like you could still be a contributor to a team. In a time when NBA players make so much money, how were you able to just walk away from the game?

Newlyweds Rodney and Faye during their nuptials on Dec. 3, 2010.

My last year I was supposed to go to New Orleans and play, but I called them and told them: “Ya’ll can have the money. I don’t even want to play.” They said, “We depending on you. You’re going to be a big factor,” because I had played for Byron Scott in Jersey, so I knew the offense better than anybody. I could play 1 through 5 in the offense, but it didn’t matter. They wanted me to be like a coach to the young players, and I’m like, “If I come, I want to play.” I had given up and got tired of it. I stopped working out so I was out of shape and everything. Then they were like: “You should come down here and talk to us face to face,” I told them I don’t want to play anymore. I said “Ya’ll can have the money back, I’m sorry—I know ya’ll were depending on me.” Then Byron Scott said, “Just stay, go through training camp, work yourself back in shape, and if you still feel like you don’t want to play then I’ll let you go.” I said, “Okay that’s the least I can do, coach.”

When I got myself back in shape, playing 30, 40 minutes a game, they traded me to Philadelphia because Philadelphia wanted me to help them make the playoffs. I was havin’ fun playing a lot. Then Chris [Webber] came and they kind of cut my minutes back. And when the playoffs started they ditched me, they didn’t play me at all. They played me one game and we won that one game against Detroit. I had like 17 points, 5 rebounds and about 6 assists. I was fed up. I knew they weren’t going to sign me because they not playing me in the playoffs. I come from a team playing 30-something minutes a game, come here play about 15, 20 minutes a game because they think I’m out of shape. I was like “Ya’ll just didn’t play me.” throughout your career you always showed an incredible work ethic. And looking back on your life you’ve certainly been through a lot.

Yeah I’ve been through a lot and it wasn’t easy. I was fortunate enough to move in with a family that took care of me and what they instilled in me helped me make it to college, which made me a better man, and I was able to make it to the NBA. I wasn’t thinking about going to college or making it to the NBA to be honest.

Are you talking about the Brooks family who took care of you?

Yeah, I was staying in the [McDougald Terrace Housing Projects] by myself. There was a coach that I played little league for [Nathaniel Brooks] and he used to come by the house to check on me. My sister wasn’t taking care of me, she wouldn’t come by the house and check on me or anything so I had to fend for myself. And [the Brooks family] found out and they said, “You don’t need to stay here by yourself. You can come stay with us.” And I said, “Nah my sister be coming and checking on me,” I’m making up stories. I finally went with them because that was the right thing to do. I probably would have ended up in jail or probably dead or trying to sell drugs or something. ’Cause that’s all I had over there, that’s all I grew up around in the projects. you. How essential is it to have those types of people around you especially right now?

Oh it’s very important, and I tell you if it wasn’t for the wife I have right now I probably wouldn’t be talking to you right now. That’s the way I feel. I got me a little supporting cast that I think is right for me. All them other people I used to deal with—my mom, my sister and some of my other family—I don’t deal with them no more. My wife, she’s great. She’s been there through thick and thin—from the moment I had the accident to the hospital— she was there. She stuck beside me, she cried just as much as I cried and prayed just as much as I prayed. If it wasn’t for her I swear I don’t think we’d be talking right now.

My mom was an alcoholic, a whole lot of people didn’t know about it. My sister and 070

courtesy of rodney rogers; barry gossage/nbae/getty Images

Between the Brooks family and your wife Faye you’ve always had the right people looking out for

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them claimed they did so much for me, which they didn’t. So I didn’t really have no help from my family, but once I went to the NBA everybody wanted something. I took care of my mom and what really ticks me off about her is I took care of my momma longer than she took care of me. I built her a house and I got her out of the projects. I bought her a car, gave her money, everything. When I had my accident she turned her back on me. The house that I built for her she moved out of it, and all she had to do was pay utilities, and that was it. She told me she couldn’t make it, and she’s getting Social Security and everything. I had to stop because how was I going to take care of myself?

What’s going to happen with me? Where was I going to end up at or how is this paralysis thing going to go, you know? It’s very expensive, people don’t understand. To take care of a patient like me with my size and my height, it takes about $400,000 a year to take care of me.

Are there any programs out there to help pay those expenses?

I started my own foundation, and what I’m trying to do is help people like myself that can’t afford a lot of these needs involving spinal cord injuries. I get them the equipment they need because they don’t have the money or they don’t have the help to get it. Or they’re in a nursing home where their parents just let them get awarded to the state. It’s just things like that that people don’t understand about a quadriplegic. I mean it takes so much, man. My wife just goes through so much, she takes care of me the whole time. She’s like those 24/7 nurses. They don’t cover it all the time so my wife takes on those responsibilities. If she wanted to go back to work she can’t because she got to take care of me and make sure everything is straight. She got to stay up late at night to watch over me and make sure nothing bad happens to me. I try to tell her to go to sleep, but that’s just the nature in her.

Rodney and Faye Rogers during Christmas 2010.

Could you tell me about the extent of your injuries? I heard you almost died three times.

It was actually four times. When I was in the hospital I flatlined three times, Faye was there the whole time. When I came home I wasn’t doing some of my regiments right and we were skipping days when we shouldn’t have. I kept feeling this pain go through my leg up to my back. I had a ministroke and I flatlined on that, too. So it’s not always easy. At anytime something can go wrong; something can go wrong with the vent, sometimes the nurses aren’t paying attention. Sometimes they use cuffless cuffs [Ed note: tracheostomy tubes to aid in breathing] so I can’t talk; they have to be watching me at all times. So it’s just a lot of stuff. I just try to forget about it, you know, and I pray. I go to treatment hoping that I’ll get something back one day, God willing.

Are there any myths out there surrounding victims of paralysis?

Faye: Each spinal cord injury patient is totally different, so you might have one patient that has the same injury as Rodney but he may be able to do something that Rodney can’t do. For Rodney’s injury, he has a system that’s called a Diaphragm Pacing System, which stimulates his diaphragm.

And because he has this pacing system on his diaphragm he’s able to cough and he’s able to sneeze, but if he didn’t have it then the nurses would have to perform that for him so that he could clear his lungs. The illnesses that take most quadriplegics out are pneumonia and bed sores. So it’s an everyday job just to make sure Rodney’s lungs are clear or Rodney doesn’t get bed sores. We have to check his skin and make sure everything is the way it should be.

Also, a lot of spinal cord injury patients or just any patient dealing with paralysis, a lot of them

courtesy rodney rogers; andrew d. bernsteIn (2)/nbae/getty Images

9 points, 9 seconds

It was only 9 points in a career that spanned 9,468 points, but it was the most memorable 9 points that can be had. A year before Reggie Miller’s infamous “8 Points in 8.9 Seconds” against the Knicks in the 1995 playoffs, Rogers actually one-upped the achievement against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 8, 1994.

Rogers’ firsthand account of the play that can be found on YouTube: “So at that time of the game they put what they call an offensive/ defensive squad in with me and Robert Pack, Dikembe [Mutombo], LaPhonso Ellis and Reggie Williams. I was always up front so Robert Pack went and stole the ball and threw it to me. I shot a three, hit. We got back into the defensive positions that we were playing and we were trapping, and he stole the ball again. I ran right back behind him he gave it to me, and I shot and hit another three. I was feeling good then [laughs]. The last time we stole the ball and we were chasing and Robert said ‘Let me get it’ and he threw it back inbounds to me. I took a half turn to my left, over my left shoulder, and the coach was like “No! No! No!” I shot a three and hit it, but we didn’t get back on defense and Utah hurried up and took the ball out, ran down court and made a layup.”

Denver came up short in the comeback as the Jazz won 96-95, but it was one of the most exciting 10-second spans in NBA history. He certainly wasn’t thinking about making history. “Well, you know, when I was a rookie in Denver I had to make plays, and make something happen or they wouldn’t play me.”

Rogers also adds: “It was 9 points in 8 seconds.”

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don’t have family members and they have to be awarded to the state because they don’t have the money to take care of themselves. Rodney was fortunate to play in the NBA and save the way he did. If he hadn’t saved the way he had saved Rodney wouldn’t have been able to afford some of the things he has now. And not only that, working for the city and having that insurance policy actually saved Rodney a lot also.

There’s a quote on the Rodney Rogers Foundation website that says “what we are trying to do with this foundation is to focus more on the need and less about the cause.” Is that in regards to the amount of care and quality of life?

Rodney Rogers and fellow New Jersey Nets teammate Jason Collins during a Nets-sponsored food drive in December 2003.

Faye: The amount of care and definitely the quality of life. Rodney had a wonderful life before he was paralyzed and he has a wonderful life now. Being an NBA player is like being in an elite group. Rodney overcame poverty and just a lot of things in his childhood that a lot of people didn’t really know about. You know to get to that point and then getting in the accident was hard, but he had a wonderful life before and experienced a lot of things.

There are kids that are younger that are getting paralyzed from injuries and they’ve never experienced what Rodney has experienced. There are people that can’t even get a van to take them back and forth to their hospital visits. The vans are costing anywhere from $45,000 to $100,000. How many people can really afford that? How many people with spinal cord injuries can really afford a $60,000 wheelchair? If you don’t have insurance or you don’t get on Medicaid, you’re not getting the things you should have to have a quality life. The Rodney Rogers Foundation helps with those needs. Rodney was lucky to have played in the NBA and to have saved the way he had saved, but there are a lot of patients who can’t experience that life. We want to help them live a normal life and not be stagnant in one place just doing the same monotonous thing everyday all day.

How do you stay motivated and keep your spirits up?

You got to be strong, not just for you but for everyone. Like I said, it’s easy to get down and it’s easy to get depressed and all those things, but I try to stay in a positive frame of mind.

I try to do things so that my wife and kids won’t look down. I don’t want them to think that just because I’m paralyzed I can’t do anything. I have people to help me out but I can still talk with them and I can still play with them. I can have my kids sit in my lap so I can talk to them and let them know that we can’t take life for a joke. This has taught me that life is very short. I mean you think life is short already but you don’t think it’s that short until something like this happens to you. If you would have told me in 2008 that I was going to be paralyzed I would have said you’re crazy, but look what happened. And now I got to live with it, I got to talk to people, I got to teach people about it. It’s just another way of life for me now.

I had my prime.7 I enjoyed myself and I still enjoy myself; the only thing is that I just have to depend on other people to help me out. I make the best out of it. I try to keep people laughing and make everybody happy. You got to keep moving on with your life. You can’t put your life on hold and sit back and moan and cry and be sad and all this stuff and blame God. You know I had did that before and I said “Man, I shouldn’t have gone riding,” but who knew what was going to happen that day? No one. The only person who knew what was going to happen that day was God and he did that for a reason. He’s trying to show me something, he wants me to see something, and that’s why I started the Rodney Rogers Foundation. I want people to see me, maybe that’s part of what he wants me to do.

I don’t know; I’m still trying to figure things out. But I know there’s something he wants me to share with people and talk with people about. We can’t go back and change nothing.

I just got to thank God that I’m living and that I have someone like Faye in my corner.

Sometimes we have some bad moments, but we have more good than bad. I don’t want nobody to feel sorry for me. It’s just one of those things that happen.

BONUS POINTS 2. Many of his coworkers never knew about Rodney’s career as a professional basketball player. He was promoted to manager during his tenure, and the insurance benefits he receives have helped him cover some of his medical costs.

3. Rogers had all the proper equipment that evening with the exception of a neck brace.

4. Rogers went into surgery shortly after the accident and he was given a 50-50 chance of survival.

5. During an interview Faye was asked if she had ever considered leaving Rodney to which she responded “I am still so in love with Rodney. I’ll never leave him, and he better not leave me.”

6. Donations can be given through the foundation’s site: www.therodneyrogersfoundation.org.

7. Over his 12-year NBA career, Rogers averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds.

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jennifer pottheiser; barry gossage/nbae/getty images

1. Born and raised in Durham, NC, Rogers was known as The Durham Bull at Hillsdale High School, where he averaged 28.3 ppg and 12.3 rpg as a senior.

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Rudy Gay has always possessed the talent to be one of the gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best, he just needed to properly express it

The scowl started sometime before tipoff, faded slightly for a brief second-half chat with Derrick Rose, returned when a comeback sputtered, and stayed long after the Chicago Bulls had run his Memphis Grizzlies off the ďŹ&#x201A;oor of the FedEx Forum. Rudy Gayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s familiar smile was as absent as his shooting touch this January evening, and after most of his teammates had ďŹ&#x201A;ed far from Beale Street, Gay displayed the accountability of being Memphisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s franchise player. He plopped down in front of reporters, still sweating from shooting jumpers on the Grizzliesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; practice court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like I needed it,â&#x20AC;? Gay tells the group of local reporters heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d kept waiting for 30 minutes while he put up his shots.

Twisting the cap off from a Gatorade bottle as the questions got tougher, he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rude, and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come off annoyed by any one query. But he was clearly angry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I feel like I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a good game, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to practice,â&#x20AC;? he adds ďŹ&#x201A;atly, explaining with a single word what he works on after a bad night: â&#x20AC;&#x153;basketball.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a side some people never see of Gay, the smile on the face of the Grizzlies, a player who comes off ever-conscious of his public imageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not so much worried about pleasing people as aware that everyone sees every one of his moods, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a time and place for each one of them. Gay knows youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re watching, whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re his teammate or a fan or a reporter, so he usually tries to keep things light, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often the ďŹ rst one to crack a joke to diffuse tension and transform scowls to smiles.

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A member of last summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s muchanticipated free-agent class, Gay did not play the free-agent game of getting wooed by suitors. Gay hesitated for about ďŹ ve seconds before quickly inking a ďŹ ve-year, HOOP

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You might recognize the Grizzlies’ bright, vaulted practice court as the setting where the Most Interesting Man in the NBA missed a dunk “just to see what it was like.” Gay’s becoming something of a viral video star, and that starts with his “Interesting Man” clips that spoof a Dos Equis ad campaign starring a dapper gentleman who does amazing things. He conjured the goof during a January chat with his agent in L.A., and while it was largely a joke, they rushed to wrap it before All-Star voting did. “He knew it wouldn’t necessarily get him the votes, but he wanted to have fun with it,” says Alex Saratsis, Gay’s agent at Octagon. “He doesn’t take himself too seriously. He’s just as quick to make fun of himself.”

The “Interesting” spoof is proof. He didn’t get the votes, of course, but the video still stands out if mostly for its irony. To be honest with you, Rudy Gay is not the most interesting guy in the NBA, not in the way the Dos Equis playboy is interesting, anyway, and that might be why he’s having his contract year months after signing on the dotted line.2 He’s a thoughtful person, quick with a restaurant recommendation and a nod to a ref to acknowledge a good call. And he’s funny, no doubt—his deadpan “I gotta find my cell phone” after the dust had settled in the Tony Allen-O.J. Mayo scrap on the team plane had at least some of the guys smiling. He’s even a little conniving: He swears he’s the first guy to skip out on a restaurant tab, and his teammates confirm his uncanny ability to hit the restroom right as the check’s being delivered.

But he’s not one bit the adventure-seeking stereotype his videos spoof. Gay says he doesn’t do Beale Street (anymore),3 and you’re more likely to find him swarmed for autographs at a Melrose High School basketball game than surrounded by a swanky group at a Memphis nightspot. He’s seriously dating a woman he first met in high school, in fact, and admits he prefers dinnerand-a-movie dates over high-profile venues. “He’s not a flashy guy,” says Damon Stoudamire, one of the Grizzlies’ veterans when

“Coming into the League, you think you know everything—until you realize you know nothing.”

$82 million contract in July, then flew off to Las Vegas to join USA Basketball and prepare for what would be a gold medal-winning run through the FIBA World Basketball Championship. He arrived to a chorus of jokes from some of the summer’s other free agents. “LeBron asked me for a loan,” Gay says, catching his laugh in his hand. “Man, I hadn’t even gotten paid yet.”

He’s been paid plenty since, but it’s about more than the money in Memphis. He’s got the kind of NBA talent—length, quickness, and stop-what-you’re-doing athleticism—that would have gotten him mega money even if the Grizzlies hadn’t maxed him out in the first minute of free agency. But settling down in mellow Memphis has helped Gay become the focused go-to guy some doubted this universally-praised “good guy” could ever be.

Thing is, the January scowl isn’t that surprising. Sure, he smiles often; he’s quick with a joke, pitches in for community causes and even tweets it once in a while.1 Even his catch-phrase screams nice guy—you know he’s thinking about your question when he breaks out a hushed “to be honest with you.” But once he gets on the court, and especially once the game’s on the line, Rudy’s all scowl, and he’s finally settling into the role the Grizzlies desperately need him to grab as they try to return to the playoffs. The feeling’s mutual: “To be honest with you,” Gay says, “me coming to Memphis probably saved my career.”

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Fernando Medina; joe Murphy/nBae/Getty iMaGes

Gay was a rookie and now a Memphis assistant coach. “He doesn’t go and buy the most fancy car—I mean, he’s got a nice car,4 but he doesn’t go over and beyond. He keeps all this in perspective. He’s got a better grip on it than a lot of other guys.”

That hasn’t always helped his basketball persona, of course. Even as a gawked-at sophomore at Connecticut, a Nov. 21, 2005 Sports Illustrated article wondered “whether Gay is too nice to be a great player.” The “good guy” characterization pleased his mom, but didn’t sit so well with a teenager from a gritty city like Baltimore who aspired to lead an NBA team one day. “I didn’t really like that. It kind of made me look a punk,” he admits. “You’ve gotta understand, I was a 19-year-old from Baltimore.”

Lionel Hollins, a Grizzlies assistant when Gay was drafted and now the team’s head coach, remembers that side of Gay. “He was young and his mind was cluttered with ‘I want to be known as the man,’ and not understanding that all you have to do is go out there and play your game and that happens,” Hollins says.

“If you are the man, you will be known as ‘The Man.’” Gay knows that—now, anyway. “Coming into the League, you think you know everything—until you realize you know nothing,” Gay says. “When you realize you know nothing, that’s when you can grow.”

Stoudamire disagrees with the nice-guy knock, but says Gay learned that quickly.5 “He always took quickly to advice,” he recalls. “Rudy was good about that. He always listened. He was a good guy, he wasn’t a bad guy, and it’s always easier when you’ve got a good guy.

“He always wanted to learn, and he was real open to anything that was going to make him better as a player and a person.”

He’s done both. He skipped the suburbs and settled into an upscale Memphis neighborhood, and stays there most of the year rather than return to Baltimore or travel the entire summer, embracing the slower pace of Memphis and bucking the current trend of NBA superstars gravitating towards bigger cities. He’s started to invest in his new community beyond just those property taxes, too: He’s long been a familiar face in local events,7 but now he’s hired a local marketing firm to connect his star smile with causes he believes in. His first connection was a public service announcement to encourage Memphians living with HIV to visit the Adult Special Care Center at a local medical center. “Once we knew he was going to be here, we really put together a detailed plan,” explains Saratsis, who helped Gay interview local marketing firms.

“He wants people to get to know him. He feels a kinship with that community. He really wants to be a staple in that community.”

Funny how things work: Getting a contract helped Gay feel rooted in Memphis—after all, it’s tough to put down roots if you think you’re not going to be in town next year—and feeling rooted in Memphis has helped him, at least early on, earn the contract. “It’s just being comfortable,” Gay says. “That’s breaking the mold, that’s something I’m not used to: Having everything set in stone and being ready for everything that’s coming. It’s kind of relaxing to me, to know that I’m going to be here for a while, knowing coach is going to be here a while, knowing my teammates—it’s a feeling I haven’t had.”

It’s not a coincidence, and Gay realized this summer how good he’s got it. Playing with some of the biggest stars, and on a global scale, helped him reflect on what he’s done the past four seasons—the good, the bad and the would-be. “I was 19 when I was drafted,” Gay says. “If I went to a big city, I could have gone either way.” By most accounts, he wouldn’t have gone the way of NBA burnout or superstar-gone-bad, but the small-town feel of Memphis certainly didn’t hurt his chances.

“I spent most of my time in the gym, and it helped me out a lot,” says Gay, who bonded with fellow-small market star Kevin Durant last summer.8 “A lot of guys get caught up in the lifestyle. You’re young, and when you get a lot of money, it’s kind of hard to stay focused. That’s why you see a lot of guys that probably should have been a lot better than what they are now on their way out of the League—or not in the League.

“You can get really high on yourself. Every year it’s a new draft. There’s a new Rudy Gay coming. There’s a new Kevin Durant. Every. Year.

“I slowed down and had a lot of time to think about the decisions I make and the things I do.”

Gay learned a lot from being around the best of the best this summer,9 and playing for USA Basketball gave him something he hasn’t had since college, really: a taste of winning.

“He hadn’t been on a team or around a lot of players who have won in the NBA—there’s a difference between winning in college and winning in the NBA,” Stoudamire says, not hesitating to call him a leader.

“He’s learning to win on the run.”

“I have seen maturity in him. I’ve seen a lot of growth,” Hollins says. “I think he gained valuable experience in that setting, and he came back with a whole different outlook. He’s much more poised, much more calm, his work ethic is a lot better and he has a better understanding of what it means to win.”

Off the court, his willingness to lend his star power to an issue many people, famous or not, don’t want to talk about makes the message about living with HIV all the more powerful. He’s also taken the role of mentor for rookie Greivis Vasquez, helping him learn the ropes of the NBA, taking him out when the team is on the road, inviting him over to his house for dinner, and teaching him how to be a pro—including dragging HOOP

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BONUS POINTS 1. @rudygay22 2. In the first half of the season, he posted eight career high averages, including 20.2 points per game and 1.82 steals per game (17.4 ppg and 1.25 spg for his career).

3. OK, you might see him before the sun goes down, getting some chicken and waffles at Polly’s.

4. You might catch him in his Porsche Panamera, but you might also find him and a couple teammates piled into his white-and-blue striped van.

5. Didn’t take him long. “When you get here and you have a coach like Mike Fratello telling you, ‘You actually do not know anything,’” Gay recalls, “it only takes a couple of times before you realize, ‘Hey, maybe I don’t …’”

6. This is the opinion of the author of the story, who resides in Memphis.

7. Gay’s got homecourt advantage for Hoop for St. Jude campaign, a benefit for the Memphis-based children’s research hospital, and is an annual host at the annual Staxtacular, which raises money for the Stax Music Academy charter school.

8. No surprise he bonded with Durant. “They are carrying a young team and went to the playoffs and all that,” Stoudamire says of Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook. “That’s the same responsibility that Rudy has here.”

9. Scratch Polly’s. He’s working on his diet, thanks to the nutritional dedication he saw from Andre Iguodala this summer.

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him along for that postgame practice session in January. “He’s realizing he’s got a big, big, big responsibility on this team, so he’s got to lead not only by example, but he’s got to be more vocal,” Vasquez says. “Every day in the gym, he’s the first guy in and the last guy out. A lot of guys look up to him.”

On the court, he often plays with the poise and savvy of an NBA veteran. Against the Jazz this season, Vasquez quickly drew a whistle for a hard forearm and immediately protested, but Gay was quick to tell the rookie he was dead wrong, and give referee Dick Bavetta a nod of approval.

Later the same game, Gay found himself matched up with rookie Gordon Hayward. He recognized the mismatch and looked for what’s becoming the Grizzlies’ go-to guy’s go-to move: Calling off point guard Mike Conley, Gay worked the clock, drove right and pulled up for a baseline jumper, fading away from Hayward for a swish as the first half came to a close.

“He sees things on the floor easier now. Everything is not so fast paced. His game has slowed down for him, and he can see the whole game,” Stoudamire says. “He sees plays before they happen, and that’s maturity right there.”

He makes mistakes, too: Against Houston in December, he got tangled up with Rockets center Louis Scola in transition, chased him down and turned the scrap into a two-game suspension for an unnecessary flagrant. Finding the happy medium between nice guy and tough guy isn’t always easy, but he’s learning: “That was how I felt at the time, but that’s not me,” Rudy says, stopping short of regretting the action but showing he learned from it. “I regret it because he’s a nice guy.

But I felt that at that time that’s what needed to happen.

“I should have just dunked over him next time.”

Still, he’s channeling those emotions and showing the kind of toughness the Grizzlies need from their leader. After scoring over Hayward, Gay then pushed the rookie around in the second half, at one point grabbing an arm and snatching away a rebound for a putback.

It’s something the Grizzlies need from their leader—they don’t need Gay to be the most interesting man, but they certainly need him to be The Man. This win-starved team, playing in a basketball-hungry city that’s been spoiled by NBA talent playing for its University of Memphis Tigers, needs a guy who’ll soothe spirits, guide rookies and pat the refs on the butt. The Grizzlies need a leader who isn’t happy after an off-night shooting coincides with a blowout loss, who washes the memory away by draining jumper after jumper and tugs along a rookie to show him how it’s done. He might not be there yet, but he’s getting there, and folks are starting to notice.

In fact, Gay’s becoming the guy that opposing fans don’t want to take the final shot. That go-to move doesn’t just work on rookies: He hit it over LeBron to beat the Miami Heat in November, and again to beat the Toronto Raptors, producing another instant classic video clip starring the NBA’s Most Interesting Man. To clean it up, it went a little something like this, with a fabulous French-Canadian accent: De-Fense! De-Fense! No, it’s Rudy Gay. No! No! No! Not this guy! Not this guy! Nooooo!

Oh my god! You [not a great person to play against]! No! [Gosh darn] Rudy Gay, man. Zero-point-eight seconds, man. [Gosh darn] Rudy Gay, man.”

Was Gay wearing a “take that” scowl down the courts? Nah. Just one of the toughest smiles you’ll find.

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HISTORY WITHIN REACH.

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The asphalt was hot and so was the sun. Vernon Monroe sat quietly in a folding chair on an open lot near his home in South Philadelphia listening to bible scriptures being read by his neighbor, Abel Wilson.

Vernon had known â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Abelâ&#x20AC;? his entire life, often waving to her from across the street on his way to and from his familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apartment on 26th and Manton Street. She was a mother ďŹ gure around the rough South Philadelphia neighborhood he lived in and ran the bible camp herself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Abelâ&#x20AC;Śshe always cared for the neighborhood kids,â&#x20AC;? Monroe says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And she had the vacation bible school every summer.â&#x20AC;?

Vernon was still very young. He was short and skinny. He wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t The Duke of Earl, Black Jesus or The Pearl yet. He was Vernon Earl Monroe.

During his bible school breaks, Vernon walked to the front of the building next to the open lot and shot baskets on an old hoop nailed into the brick wall. He started close to the rim and shot until he made it. Then

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Earl Monroe let his eyes move around the room, scanning the background of the bustling Upper Westside restaurant where he was having lunch to see what was next in his busy day.

For more than three hours before that, he was focused and engaging; ordering the diabetes-friendly shrimp dish, slowly sipping English tea with lemon and telling stories about how he really became The Pearl. Only now he was talking about life after basketball, 25 surgeries and finding a new identity. His answers became shorter. His interest seemed to wane. So Monroe let his eyes, and mind, wander to the future.

On that afternoon in Manhattan, Monroe was promoting Diabetes Restaurant Month, a program he started with Merck to challenge restaurants across the country to create diabetes-friendly menu options.

He had been sitting at the back table of Good Enough to Eat since noon, doing interviews about battling type 2 diabetes and his life in the entertainment industry, all while drinking his tea.

After his ďŹ rst three cups and hour-long interview were ďŹ nished, he stood up to stretch his legs outside. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not as limber as I used to be,â&#x20AC;? he says with a smile on his way out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My hips and knees get stiff.â&#x20AC;?

Monroe still has a way of gliding when he moves, even if his 67-year-old joints donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow it. He slipped through the crowded restaurant quickly, bobbing past the power lunch crowd who looked at him like he was someone famous but they couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ďŹ gure out who. When he returned a few minutes later, his assistant for the day took his cell phone, plugged it into an outlet to charge and placed it on the refrigerator. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thanks,â&#x20AC;? Monroe says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to forget it.â&#x20AC;?

The phone didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter. Not yet. His ride back home to Harlem was still a few hours away. So Monroe started his story, explaining how he went from a Philadelphia streetball legend to a household name to a former star with no idea what he would do next. With his booming laugh ďŹ lling the pauses, Vernon Earl Monroe started to explain how he became The Pearl.

The basketball courts at 30th and Oakford were packed just like they always were during the summer of 1962. Basketball was king of Philadelphia and these courts were where the best South Philly players gathered every sunny day.

It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a long walk to the courts for The Duke of Earl. Just head down 26th, hang a right on Oakford and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there. Besides, Monroe didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to arrive early to guarantee a game anymore. He had already conquered these grounds with an array of whirling spin moves and circus shots that built a reputation stretching throughout the entire city of Philadelphia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of the guys who I played against, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know their names,â&#x20AC;? Monroe says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But they knew me.â&#x20AC;?

People who knew Monroe called him by one of three nicknames: The Duke of Earl, after a popular song from 1962; Thomas Edison, for his ability to invent different moves; or Black Jesus, because he was a deity on the court.

Whether they knew him or just heard of him, everyone at 30th and Oakford respected Monroe as an 18-year-old Philadelphia legend. They also recognized him as the leader of the best streetball squad in South Philly, The Trotters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody wanted to come and beat us,â&#x20AC;? Monroe says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But most guys never did. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we named 30th and Oakford Trottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ground. So everybody who came over, they had to beat us in order to stay.â&#x20AC;?

The Trotters were a close group; their bond forged growing up in the same neighborhood together. Steve Smith, who everyone called Smitty, was the closest to Monroe and used to deliver newspapers with him in middle school. Ronald Reese, George Grigsby and John Anderson were older, but had gone to school with Monroe and Smitty.

When The Duke of Earl arrived at the courts, everyone crowded around him. The Trotters came over ďŹ rst; the ďŹ ve of them slapped hands and talked about the house party they went to the night before and left with pockets full of potato chips and pretzels. The rest of the crowd created an ever-expanding circle around Monroe as he got ready. None were let in the inner circle with The Trotters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were like a family,â&#x20AC;? Monroe says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was always like us against the world.â&#x20AC;?

But The Trottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time reigning over South Philly was running out. After a year of working in a factory and attending Temple Prep after high school, Monroe was about to head south to play basketball at Winston Salem State College. Smitty was going too after Monroe told the recruiter who called him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go down if my man can go with me.â&#x20AC;?

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he backed up to the next oil spot on the pavement and shot from there. Then he moved back farther and farther until he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reach the net. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was actually the ďŹ rst time I shot a basketball,â&#x20AC;? Monroe says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The vacation bible school started me so my game must have been divine because eventually I became Jesus.â&#x20AC;?

The Trotters stayed on the court all day like always, playing games from the sweltering heat of mid-afternoon to the cooling breeze of early evening. The crowd screamed “Duke!” and “Jesus!” when Monroe touched the ball, hoping to see the streetball wizard perform one of his miracles.

When it was over, The Trotters walked home together, smiling, laughing, talking about old wins and boasting about future conquests. Monroe made a left on 26th and walked off into the darkness.

“Those were my boys,” Monroe says wistfully, “and we still talk about old times.”

Black Jesus

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The Pearl

Rain drizzled on Monroe’s head as he walked into the Baltimore Civic Center. Inside, the arena was already starting to fill up with more than 9,000 fans. It was a then-record crowd for the

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He arrived by train with Smitty at his side, the thick August heat of North Carolina smacking both in the face as they stepped onto the platform. Earl Monroe had never been to North Carolina before, never even heard of Winston Salem until the recruiter called. When the two friends walked out of Union Station, a run-down beige and redbrick building, Monroe looked around and realized that for the first time in years, no one knew his name.

“Not even the coach,” Monroe says with a laugh.

His streetball fame didn’t stretch down South yet. The Duke of Earl was just a oncepopular song here. Monroe had to start over and make a new name for himself, find new friends and mesh with new teammates. To do that, to become the star he once was, Earl Monroe had to learn how to shoot.

“I didn’t have to develop a jumpshot until I got out of high school,” Monroe explains. “I was always doing moves to the basket.”

He practiced alone in the Winston Salem State gym for hours, doing figure-8 ballhandling drills and shooting jumpers until his forearm hurt. After three years, the gym became his 30th and Oakford, Winston Salem State his Trotters, head coach Clarence Gaines his mentor, and Earl Monroe once again became “Black Jesus.”

The name spread throughout the country in 1967, gaining momentum with every 40, 50 and 60-point game Monroe produced. People kept hearing about a player who was using street moves and a yo-yo dribble to average more than 40 points a game and had to see him play. Black Jesus was the star attraction of college basketball, and Monroe loved living up to the hype.

“The fun thing about it was people wanted it,” Monroe says. “They wanted me to score.

Even the guys on the team.”

Fans crammed into every corner of the Winston Salem State gym, standing shoulder to shoulder along the baseline to get a glimpse of greatness. They called for him before the game, chanting, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” When Monroe walked onto the court, it was like The Beatles arriving in America. The cheers were deafening.

When they went on the road, the disdain was just as palpable. Many white fans still favored segregation and hated Monroe and his all-black team. They yelled racist names and threw pens and pencils at him from the stands. When Monroe crashed into the cheering section trying to save a loose ball, they tried to stab him with a pencil or punch him in the side.

“And we loved it,” Monroe says. “If they did that, we would say ‘we’re going to crush y’all.’”

With Black Jesus leading the way, Winston Salem State won the 1967 NCAA College Division title, losing just one game all season. Monroe scored 40 points in the championship game and ran out the last seconds on the clock with his famous South Philly streetball dribbling.

He averaged 41.5 points his senior year (shooting 60.7 percent) and won the NCAA College Division Player of the Year award. He also picked up a new nickname when a local writer described the points he scored as “Earl’s Pearls.”

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Baltimore Bullets and no one had to guess who they were coming to see.

The Pearl, after being selected No. 2 in the 1967 NBA draft, already dazzled Bullets fans in his home debut; dribbling between his legs, twirling in the lane and taking one-handed, under-handed, over-handed and side-handed shots. After that performance, word spread through the city and fans descended on the ticket box in record numbers, ignoring the rain for a chance to see The Pearl.

Every head in the Civic Center turned when Monroe touched the ball. They chanted “Pearl” when he got the ball, screamed when he spun toward the basket and gasped when he made a reverse layup. If he missed, they yelled for him to get the ball back. If he missed again, they yelled louder.

Monroe was a one-man show; helping turn the Bullets from one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference to a NBA finalist in four years while showing off his full arsenal of streetball moves.

“There would be times in Baltimore where I would dribble around and do something crazy and throw it up because I knew it excited the fans and excited the players whether it went in or not,” Monroe says. “The antics are what got people into it.”

They loved him in New York, too. The Pearl was traded to the rival Knicks, the same team he battled three straight years in the playoffs with the Bullets, in 1971 after a contract dispute with Baltimore. Dave DeBusschere, a physically imposing 6-6 forward, walked over to Monroe first in the Knicks locker room and extended his hand.

“Then I felt the connection,” Monroe says.

The Pearl changed his game with the Knicks to fit in with their team mentality and mesh with his one-time nemesis turned backcourt teammate Walt “Clyde” Frazier. He stopped dominating the ball and taking wild shots. He still spun toward the rim and took one-handed floaters occasionally. But mostly he was a jumpshooter; relying on the form he created at Winston Salem State to help lead the Knicks to the 1973 NBA championship

and team with Frazier to form one of the best backcourt duos in NBA history.

“The best backcourt duo ever,” Monroe interjects. “We are still the best backcourt duo ever.”

Earl Monroe

Earl Monroe puts down his teacup and points to his forehead, showing where the doctor cut the incision. He moves his finger across his brow and slightly winces as he explains the surgery he had a few years back to help alleviate his sinus pressure. The scar isn’t visible from across the table, but the pain in his face is.

“They cut my head open here and they put fat in there,” Monroe says. “I looked like Larry Holmes after a fight when it was done.”

Monroe laughs thinking about the surgery, one of 25 he’s endured since retiring from basketball in 1980. He laughs when he brings up the off-Broadway musical he produced called Bones, the entertainment company he owns called Reverse Spin and his selection as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Then he gets serious after changing the subject back to his 13-year battle with type 2 diabetes.

“The word that I’m spreading comes from my heart,” Monroe says. “Not only do I have diabetes but members of my family have diabetes. That’s why I’m doing the diabetes work. I want people to know that if you do the right things, you can manage it. You might not be able to get rid of it. But you can manage it. And I can say that from experience.”

Monroe looks over to the dessert refrigerator and notices his cell phone ringing.

“I hope that’s not my ride,” he says.

It was. His ride was ready and so was Monroe. He stood up and walked out of the restaurant before anyone in the lunch crowd figured out who he was. A few of them looked at him again like he was famous on his way out. But they never realized it was The Pearl.

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It was worth three points like all the others, but the 2,561st three-point basket

of Ray Allen’s career put him atop the NBA’s all-time leaders for three-pointers made, moving him past former three-point king Reggie Miller.

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In a coaching tenure that spanned longer than the age of many current NBA

players, Jerry Sloan called it quits as head coach of the Utah Jazz on February 10 after 23 years at the helm. melissA mAjchrzAk/nBAe/Getty imAGes

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In the history of landscaping, there is probably no better crew of pick-up ballers (and dunkers) than the one pictured here. (left to right) Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, Blake Griffin, JaVale McGee and Russell Westbrook during a break in the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service at All-Star 2011.

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During All-Star Weekend, the Lakers honored Jerry West with the unveiling of a statue in tribute to “Mr. Clutch” outside Staples Center.

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Kobe Bryant continues to climb the all-time scoring leaders ledger. This breakaway dunk on January 28 moved him past Hakeem Olajuwon’s 26,946 for eighth place on the NBA scoring mark.

Exactly a month later, Bryant leapfrogged Elvin Hayes for the seventh spot and on March 8, Bryant eclipsed Moses Malone for sixth place.

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Where caring happens.

© 2010 NBA Entertainment Photos by NBAE/Getty Images.

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Spring Fixing The warm days that come when the calendar hits spring means that we can ďŹ nally end the winter hibernation and head outside for some backyard hoops. But before doing so, you might want to check that squeaky and loose screen door, the basketball hoop might need some tightening after its long hiatus in the cold and maybe even a fresh coat of paint. Whatever it may be, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need the right tools for the project. On page 92 we have a few recommendations to help you get your DiY on.

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SPIN MOVES

BY EARL K. SNEED #23

Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks

From long ďŹ&#x201A;owing locks to a buzz cut, Dirk Nowitzki has transformed over the years from Deutsche beach boy to hardcore rocker. The ďŹ rst European-born member of the 20,000-point club is more than just a perennial MVP candidate behind closed doors, never shedding his German heritage even as he plays in his 13th NBA season.

But when the 7-footer kicks off his Nikes and lounges at his crib, nothing else seems to exist. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just him and his guitar.

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Dirkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Movies â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably The Hangover â&#x20AC;&#x2122;cause itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hilarious. I like funny movies, I like to laugh, I like to make fun of people, so I like The Hangover a lot. And Old School, those are probably my top two favorites, right now.â&#x20AC;?

Dirkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TV â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not big on TV shows, to be honest. The last one I watched was Entourage, and the dudes were just having a blast. Actually, my favorite [character] is Ari Gold. The stuff that comes out of his mouth is hilarious. So, if I have to vote for a show, then thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably it.â&#x20AC;?

Dirkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Videogames â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really play videogames, but if I had to pick one it would probably be a basketball game. I grew up playing a little PlayStationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;NBA Live or NBA 2Kâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and [other] basketball games, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it.â&#x20AC;?

Dirkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music â&#x20AC;&#x153;I listen to a little bit of everything. Some old-school rock, [Rolling] Stones, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and all sorts of stuff. But I listen to everything.â&#x20AC;?

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ILLUSTRATION: MATT CANDELA

Dirkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hobbies â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really read a lot. You know, I started playing the guitar about seven years ago. So, I really got into rock then.â&#x20AC;?

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Philips SoundBar Home Theater For the minimalist who still craves surround sound—in this case, virtual surround sound—the Soundbar Home Theater is the solution to clean aesthetics with a step up in sound quality from built-in TV speakers. The compact speaker unit blends in perfectly under or above a TV and pumps out 300W of audio that can mimic bangs, booms and bumps from all around. The subwoofer brings deep bass in a package that is only slightly bigger than a basketball with a price point that’s equally as small.

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Yamaha neoHD The heart of any home entertainment system is usually the A/V receiver. It’s also prone to be the most daunting piece of equipment, especially to the novice. The neoHD simplifies the concept with a unit that marries your Blu-ray player, videogame console, HD receiver, music devices, speakers— remotes and all—with a single dial control that utilizes your TV display to navigate the clean and intuitive menus and interface.

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Pharox LED Lightbulbs If you’re a fan of the energy savings of CFL lightbulbs (those spiral lightbulbs) but hate their drawbacks—humming sound, occasionally blueish tint and slow startup times—LED bulbs are your answer. Although the initial cost per bulb is steeper, the lifespan (rated for 35,000 hours) and energy savings (6 watts to output the same amount of light as a traditional 60-watt bulb) will more than make up for it. And unlike many CFLs, these bulbs can be dimmed.

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The North Face Longhaul 30 You can take it all with you—if you have the Longhaul 30. The versatile piece of luggage is built for adventure, featuring a wet/dry compartment so you can go from, say, surfing to the boardroom and not get your suit wet. The pack sports too many internal pockets and compartments to list, and all told, can expand to stow away 6,100 cubic inches of gear. The wheels and retractable ambidextrous handle make it easy to lug around no matter your next destination.

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Logitech Revue The Revue is yet another step toward the convergence of the computer and the TV. The compact unit merges your TV, cable or satellite receiver, computer content (videos, photos and music) and the Internet and serves it up in a neat package based off of the popular Android OS. The included keyboard serves as the “remote control” (a downloadable app for Android smartphones can turn your phone into a remote) to navigate the various mediums. Built-in WiFi Add-on apps can enhance the experience, as will the optional TV cam that adds gorgeous 720p video calling onto your Revue and into your living room.

Revue: $299.99 TV Cam: $149.99

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Where to Buy: Philips SoundBar Home Theater, philips.com; Yamaha neoHD, yamaha.com; The North Face Longhaul 30, thenorthface.com; Pharox LED Lightbulbs, pharox-led.com; Nikon D3100, nikon.com; Dyson Digital Slim, dyson.com; Logitech Revue and G700, logitech.com

Logitech G700 Gaming Mouse As venerable as the mouse might be in daily computing, Logitech keeps improving it. Aimed at gamers, the G700 is the LeBron James of mice. Its many features—13 programmable buttons, ergonomic design, adjustable laser tracking (200-5,700 dpi)—means it can do it all in an effortless package. It’s also able to work as a wireless mouse or tethered (which also serves to charge the battery) when precision is needed.

$99.99

Dyson Digital Slim

Nikon D3100

Combining the convenience of a rechargeable cordless handheld vac with the reach of a traditional upright, the Digital Slim is perfect for small-space living as the power-packed 22.2V lithium-ion battery provides enough juice to clean small quarters. The 26.1-inch wand means not having to bend over to clean floors and the pivoting head (with its motorized anti-static carbon fiber brushes) allows it to navigate tight turns and get under the furniture. Dyson’s renowned motor equals plenty of sucking power and its thoughtful engineering means simple canister emptying, so you won’t have bags or filters to buy.

Digital SLRs continue to increase in popularity as picture-takers are clamoring for more control and quality in their memories. For the aspiring photographer looking to step up their game from a point-and-shoot, the D3100 is a solid choice. All the fine controls of an SLR are at your reach (the camera features very natural ergonomics in the placement of buttons and controls), and for the SLR newbie, a database of help screens are available on the camera to hold your hand with an explanation of settings. The 14.2 MP D3100 also features live view and 1080p video (like all SLRs, it’s limited to 10-minute clips), and comes bundled with a 3x 18-55mm optical zoom image stabilization lens.

$299.99

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the goods

Home Improvement SpotlIgHt Porter Cable 18V 1/4-inch Impact Driver Your cordless drill might be the MVP of your power tools, but if you’re building a deck, working with masonry or tackling other heavy-duty jobs, you need to step up to an impact driver. This one from Porter Cable packs a punch (1,600 pounds of torque) with its 18V lithium-ion battery, yet its compact size means you won’t be too fatigued from marathon sessions of driving screws. A built-in LED work light brightens up dark spots and the rapid charging (30 minutes) and twobattery bundle means no downtime on projects. The combo includes a compact drill/driver and a flashlight, two lithium-ion batteries and a fast charger.

$199

CheCK It

Where to Buy: Black & Decker ReadyWrench, blackanddecker.com; Porter Cable 18V 1/4-inch Impact Driver Combo Kit, portercable.com; DeWalt Compact Router Kit, dewalt.com; Ryobi DUET Power Paint System, homedepot.com; Ridgid JobMax, ridgid.com; Stanley IntelliLaser Pro Stud Sensor and Laser Line Level, stanleytools.com

Ridgid JobMax All-in-one tools are typically jack-of-all-trades, but masters of none. While the JobMax system falls into that category, it feels like separate tools once you swap out the easy-to-attach heads. The five available tools include: a 3/8-inch ratchet head that can be used with your socket set; an auto-hammer attachment for driving in nails up to 3.5 inches; a multi-tool head (which comes with the starter kit) for cutting, sanding and scraping of metal or wood; a right-angle drill head; and an impact driver.

JobMax starter kit: $99 Additional tool attachments: $49.99

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Ryobi DUET Power Paint System Remember how Tom Sawyer tricked his friends into painting his aunt’s fence for him? If Tom had the DUET, he might’ve really thought painting was fun. The DUET takes a standard gallon size bucket of paint and sucks the paint to the rollers for painting that’s even—and most importantly, free of bending down to re-apply paint onto a roller—painting. The system comes with twin heads, which means two can use the DUET simultaneously to further cut down on the paint job.

$99

DeWalt Compact Router Kit If you’re looking to get serious with your woodwork, the DWP611PK router is the right tool to make intricate cuts, finished edges and other ornate designs. Don’t mistake the compact unit and small footprint for wimpy performance; its 1.25 HP motor will make quick work of most materials. Bit changes are fast thanks to multiple shaft lock detents. The included plunge base features a fine-tune adjustment rod for precision depth settings.

$199

Black & Decker ReadyWrench Whether it’s tightening the basketball hoop, working on the car or fixing a bike, the socket set is a go-to tool. What is annoying is fumbling for the various sockets for the job. Double the headache with the juggling of standard and metric sockets and the simple task of tightening or loosening a nut becomes a test of patience. The ReadyWrench eases the process and does away with the management of the sockets with a wrench that puts 16—standard and metric, natch— in one ratcheting, dual-headed package.

$35

Stanley IntelliLaser Pro Stud Sensor and Laser Line Level OK, so the folks at Stanley were very literal in naming the product, but it does exactly that.

The stud detector can sense wood and metal studs through walls ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 inches thick and continuously monitors for live wires while displaying the information on the LCD screen. The hockey puck-sized laser level can be used with the main unit to create precise horizontal or vertical lines over 20 feet.

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GEAR

The adidas SuperBeast is the second variation of Dwight Howardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst signature adidas model. Howard has wore the adidas Beast Commander throughout the ďŹ rst half of the season. For the second half, Howard turns to the lighter, more ďŹ&#x201A;exible SuperBeast. Typically, sneakers that are designed for post-playing big men possess a bulky and heavy build; not this one. The SB is a relatively lightweight sneaker that surprisingly features quick, guard-associated characteristics. This deďŹ nitely suits someone with a game type like Dwight Howard: big, powerful yet very agile and light on the feet.

Adidas incorporated its new, weight-shedding Sprintskin construction, reducing unneeded material while maintaining stability. When making sharp cuts, the SB locks the foot in. The injection-molded midsole and side panel support columns add additional structural stability, acting as stronghold borders by ďŹ rmly surrounding the foot and providing little wiggle room. The SB also sports adidasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Alive cushioning, which molds to the shape of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foot over time. After the initial wear, this shoeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footbed conforms to the wearerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foot, giving you a custom ďŹ t. Traction was a little lacking; there are not a lot of ridges and indents in the Cilia pattern outsole to grip the ďŹ&#x201A;oor.

Adidas designers has their work cut out for them in designing a shoe that works in line with a player of Howardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique caliber. For similar hybrid players who are equal parts paint and perimeter, the SuperBeast

adidas

SuperBeast $100

weight (size 9): 15.25 oz.

Jordan Brand continues to tap into the performance realm of sneaker products with the iconic Air Jordan signature line. However, maintaining an intriguing design structure while focusing on performance has been a struggle for the storied brand lately. The AJ 2009 and AJ 2010 were criticized in regards to aesthetics despite high performance grades. AJ 2011 proves to be a comeback, innovative in both arenas.

The most unique attribute incorporated into the Air Jordan 2011 is the modular, interchangeable sole pieces. Unlike any other shoe on the market, the Air Jordan 2011 specializes in performance customization.

The red insole (Be Explosive) possesses a three-quarters length Air Unit and Cushlon midsole for power and lift, whereas the blue insole (Be Quick) uses heel and forefoot Zoom Air Units for a more responsiveness.

Switching between the two provides a noticeable difference. With the red insole you will notice a softer and springier ride, ideal for play under the basket due to the quicker vertical reaction time. The blue insole gives your foot a sense of being lower to the ground, perfect for perimeter play where speed and lateral mobility is paramount.

Performance aside, the AJ 2011 possesses appealing characteristics on the outer shell. Co-designed by the Michael Jordan of sneaker design, Tinker HatďŹ eld, and Tom Luedecke, the AJ 2011 has a newly-developed patina leather construction on the base. This hand burnished material contrasts nicely with the premium leather makeup. However, this beauty comes at a cost. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not saying that the Air Jordan 2011, as a whole, is not durable, but creasing at the toe level may be a bit of concern. But hey, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not lose sight that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a performance shoe ďŹ rst and foremost.

Versatility is the key element for the AJ 2011. Rare is the shoe that can beneďŹ t the play of a guard and post player in one package. Although it is one of the higher-priced sneakers at $170, you know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re buying the best in cutting-edge footwear when you make the purchase.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;#15

is power, speed and agility in one package.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;George Kiel III #15 Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

CHECK IT

Jordan

Air Jordan 2011 $170

Weight (size 9.5): 14.5 oz.

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

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The adiPure, adidasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lead model for the second-half of the NBA season, was on full display during 2011 NBA All-Star. Adidas athletes Tim Duncan, Jrue Holiday and Wesley Johnson all wore this shoe during the weekend. While other adidas models, such as the Beast, AdiZero Rose and Pro Model 2010, have garnered the most attention, the adidas AdiPure is not too far behind.

Breathability is the distinctive strength instilled into the adidas AdiPure, much of it because of the Sprintskin Monomesh material.

It features an extreme amount of ventilation and perforations on the side panels and toe area allowing air circulation throughout the entire construction. Another key factor in the adidas AdiPure is the forefoot cushioning. When placing your foot in this sneaker, you will notice a cushioning throughout the entire footbed, yet, a softer surface is very noticeable in the forefoot, perfect for players who properly spend most of the time on their toes.

The AdiPureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traction level is a love/hate element. Because of the enlarged pods on the PureMotion Cilia Traction System, the adiPure is great for quick cutting, planting your feet and a quick ďŹ rst step, but the overall surface does not provide the proper amount of grip needed. The areas that do not feature enlarged pods are much smoother which can cause a little bit of sliding.

The adidas AdiPure features nice aesthetics and has released in

adidas

adiPure $90

weight (size 9): 14 oz.

some very intriguing color schemes, and at $90, is a great valueladen shoe.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;#15 Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

Jordan

CP3.IV $118

weight (size 9): 14 oz.

Where to Buy: adidas SuperBeast; adiPure: adidasbasketball.com Jordan Air Jordan 2011; CP3.IV: jumpman23.com

Chris Paul is constantly changing speeds, hesitating and moving his feet laterally on offense and defense. Therefore, Jordan Brand designed CP3 a shoe revolving around quickness. At a ďŹ rst glance, the Jordan CP3.IV looks like a very speedy and quick-playing sneaker all while possessing a fashionable design. One of the more interesting features on this shoe is the encircled Jumpman logo seen towards the heel. We usually see the Jumpman logo standing by itself; yet, this may be a new style design that distinguishes newer models from retro product.

When sliding your foot into the CP3.IV, you will quickly notice its extreme comfort level thanks to the Podulon Technology and Cushlon Foam. The solid Podulon surface provides a soft, responsive landing spot and counteracts any force-driven movements like landings or digging your feet laterally in a defensive form. The CP3.IVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s combination of Flywire and mesh also aid to its breathable and lightweight build.

As stated, the CP3.IV shoe is designed for quickness, and this might also relate to the shoeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifespan. The CP3.IV deďŹ nitely has some durability issues. It creases very easily around the toe area, leaving one to wonder how long this shoe can last for an entire season of basketball.

From looking at Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes after a game, we see the front of the shoe appears pretty battered. Of course, few of us are on the same level as CP3, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something to note.

Durability concerns aside, the CP3.IVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aesthetics is a draw, and in our opinions, the best yet of the four. Its performance attributes coincide perfectly with the speedy look; a highly recommended shoe, even at $118.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;#15 Construction: Comfort: Playability: Value: Style: Innovation:

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(Clockwise from right) Jordan Air Jordan 7 Retro, $150; Jordan MJ Flycon II Backpack, $75

First released in 1991, the Air Jordan VII broke new ground for the line. First off, it was the first Air Jordan to do away with the Nike Air logo (although the branding could still be found on the insoles) and the actual visible Air sole. Legendary Air Jordan designer Tinker Hatfield, despite some dissenting opinions from Nike, felt that the Jumpman logo was strong enough to stand on its own. Turns out Hatfield was right, as the Jordan Brand was spun off on its own six years later. Enthusiasts often refer to the VIIs as the “Hare” Jordan or simply “Hares” because of the commercials that featured Bugs Bunny in them. There is some resemblance between the VI and the VII, but a big difference between the two is the Nike Huarache element to the VII. The VII is also the model that Jordan wore in the 1992 Olympic Games as part of the Dream Team.

CHECK IT

Where to Buy: Jordan Air Jordan Retro 7, Jordan MJ Flycon II Backpack: jumpman23.com; New Balance Sonic MS77GR: newbalance.com; K.O.B.E. Destroyer Jacket: nikesportswear.com; LRG Witnes Panda Anatomy Tee: l-r-g.com

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(Clockwise from left) New Balance Sonic MS77GR, $75; LRG Witnes Panda Anatomy Tee, $28; Nike Sportswear K.O.B.E. Destroyer Jacket, $450

Since entering the League straight out of high school 15 years ago, Kobe Bryant has had to learn a lot of his life lessons in the public eye. His latest apparel collaboration, the K.O.B.E. Collection, with Nike Sportswear reflects on his journey. The collection is a riff of his name and stands for Know, Originate, Battle and Elevate. Inspiration of the pieces is taken from Kobe’s personal life: the varsity lettering and the use of the spade (Lower Merion’s team name is Aces) harkens to his prep days, the Pan-African flag colors in the re-imagined Italian soccer badge reflects his cultural roots, upbringing in Italy and love of soccer.

Unlike his previous apparel collections, this exclusive one is a personal take on Bryant.

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(Clockwise from top right) Nike Sportswear Air Royal Mid VT, $120; LRG More Methods S/S Woven, $59; Nike Sportswear K.O.B.E. AW77 TC Full Court Hoodie, $90

Where to Buy: Nike Sportswear Air Royal Mid VT, K.O.B.E. Originate Tee, K.O.B.E. AW77 TC Full Court Hoodie: nikesportswear.com; LRG Tokyo Monster Battle Tee, LRG More Methods S/S Woven: l-r-g.com

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wEar (Clockwise from right) LRG Tokyo Monster Battle Tee, $28; Nike Sportswear Air Royal Mid VT, $120; Nike Sportswear K.O.B.E. Originate Tee, $32

CHECK IT

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CHECK IT

wEar (Clockwise from top) Jordan Jumbo Jumpman Polo, $50; Vans Chukka Del Barco Decon CA, $75; Nike Sportswear Blazer High, $88

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(Clockwise from left) Jordan CMFT 11 Viz Air, $110; LRG Plant for Tomorrow Short, $62; Nike Sportswear K.O.B.E. 1823 Rugby, $130

Launched last year, the CMFT 11 Viz Air is Jordan Brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foray into making a shoe that is equal part iconic and comfortable. Based off of the legendary Air Jordan XI upper, it is combined with a visible Air cushioning system with an elephant-print sole, the result is a head-turning off-court shoe.

Where to Buy: Jordan Jumbo Jumpman Polo, Jordan CMFT 11 Viz Air: jumpman23.com; LRG Plant for Tomorrow Short: l-r-g.com; Nike Sportswear K.O.B.E. 1823 Rugby, Nike Sportswear Blazer High: nikesportswear.com; Vans Chukka Del Barco Decon CA: vans.com

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STEP BACK

April 29, 1981: BOSTON CELTICS vs. PHILADELPHIA 76ers, Eastern Conference Finals, Game 5

The Sixers advanced to the Finals each of the next two years, falling to the Lakers in 1982 and defeating L.A. to win an NBA Championship in 1983.

Thirty years ago, the Celtics and 76ers battled to a Game 7 in the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals. Boston won the series and went on to defeat Houston in the NBA Finals.

The Sixers took a 3-1 lead in the series, before the Celtics won the last three games to advance.

Philadelphia defeated Indiana and Milwaukee to reach the Conference Finals, while Boston had a bye in the opening round and beat Chicago in the Semis.

Dr. J played the part of Moses Guthrie in the 1979 hoops film, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.

Rick Robey played eight NBA seasons, five in Boston, and is currently a realtor in Kentucky.

Julius Erving averaged 24.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals a game in 1980-81, leading the Sixers to 62 wins and earning NBA Most Valuable Player honors.

Erving was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. McHale was inducted in 1999.

The Boston Garden was originally known as the Boston Madison Square Garden when it opened in 1928. The legendary building was demolished in 1997, a couple of years after the Fleet Center (today’s TD Garden) opened next door in 1995.

Chris Ford spent four seasons in a Celtics uniform and five more seasons in Boston as head coach (1990-95).

The third pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, Kevin McHale averaged 10 points and 4.4 boards a game as a rookie in 1980-81.

The Celtics’ famed parquet floor was moved into the team’s new building in 1995, but was eventually cut into pieces and sold as commemorative items. Pieces can still be found and purchased on eBay. DICK RAPHAEL/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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DOES DWYANE WADE MAKE THE GRADE?

FINAL EXAM

NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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