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"Good." (in Dave Chapelle's Prince voice)
While Lebron James virtually has the MVP on lock (3 consecutive Player of the Month awards this season), his lead in the scoring race is much more perilous. At only 21 years old, Kevin Durant is one-tenth of a point behind Lebron (Lebron’s 29.8 to Durant’s 29.7), having played 2 less games. Not only is Durant scoring 30-odd points a night, he manages to do so within the flow of the game. His game has matured, no longer is Durant forcing 3′s or contested jumpers, the shots he takes are relatively high percentage ones (for him at least). Not only has Durant matured, but so have the young nucleus of the Thunder. Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, and James Harden provide the Thunder with arguably the most-exciting young nucleus in the league. The Thunder’s and Durant’s maturity has resulted in a few things; if the playoffs started today, they would be 6th in the ultra-competitive West. Durant’s play, coupled with their record has resulted in Durant being named as an all-star for the first time. Finally, KD35 has legitimate shot at a scoring title. It would seem the only thing Kevin Durant is missing, is a nickname. KD, KD35, and ‘the Durantula” all have been tried and none have really stuck.
One of real reasons I believe Durant will win the scoring title is because Lebron will be rested down the stretch of the season. However, knowing Lebron’s hyper-competitive nature, do you think he would take his foot off the accelerator if he were still neck and neck with Durant, on the last day of the season? Could we be in for a final day scoring title showdown a la Thompson and Gervin? Recall that in 1978, David Thompson and George “the Iceman” Gervin, were within a few tenths of a point of each other. In an afternoon game, David Thompson scored an astounding 73 points, putting the pressure on the Iceman. It was calculated that Ice would need 59 points to win the title. Well, in the soiree, Ice did that and them some, managing 63 points, to claim the scoring title.
For all of you wondering if this showdown is actually a possibility, I’m here to say: yes it is – sort of. On April 14th, the final day of the regualr, the Cavaliers take on the Atlanta Hawks in ATL, and the OKC Thunder host the Memphis Grizzlies. However, both games start at 8PM EST, not allowing the back and forth of Gervin and Thompson.
All I know is I’ll be tuning in April 14!
In the past, often our clearest predictions of what the future would look like were fashioned by the entertainment industry. Novels, TV, and movies, have given us Brave New World, the Jetsons, and Avatar, respectively. However, as technology progresses, it becomes much easier for lower-budget productions of visual ideals. Increasingly, we are seeing numerous visions of the future demonstrated in plain view, for us to see, judge, and question.
This following augmented reality simulation, done by Keiichi for his Masters Architecture project, is his own vision of the future, and one that is dizzyingly driven by advertising. Currently augmented reality apps take your surroundings and overlay information on top of them. Keiichi predicts future augmented reality apps will be invaded by advertising. This video is a must watch (although it may make you dizzy).
The magical test for good music is re-listenability. That is, if you can listen to a song over and over, and find yourself still singing along, it’s a keeper. This one has passed the tests for the first year now.
Th artist, Paolo Nutini, is actually Scottish, not Italian, and he has the vibe of crossed between a funk and soul singer.
Can you tell I’m trying to write a paper?
The cover story on ESPN.com yesterday was the NBA draft lottery, with the consensus #1 pick, John Wall, as their cover image (see below). Do you feel it is okay for a team to “tank” in order to get a higher draft pick?
(c) ESPN
I personally feel that it depends on the situation. If I were the New Jersey Nets, currently in dead last by a wide margin, as a GM, I would tell my team to go out and compete hard every night, but wouldn’t do anything to make them better. I would let them run their course, possibly picking up cap space at the trade deadline. If it came down to it, I may tell my coach to rest some starters down the stretch if we were in danger of losing the coveted #1 lottery percentage. However, if I was the Sacramento Kings, already with a young nucleus, I would in no way allow my team to tank. Fostering a losing culture in a team that is not quite at the bottom of the barrell is something I would not want in my locker room.
Aside from the draft lottery, there are other ways to “tank,” which have rarely every been seen in sports to this degree. The NY Knicks basically said “eff-you” to their fans as they basically said, “We are going to suck for 3 years in the hope of signing Lebron James in the summer of 2010.” Oh and by the way, this plan was put into effect in May of 2008. (Click for article) As a fan, you obviously want your teams to win, but what about the Knicks? Doesn’t it seem somewhat counter-intuitive that the Knicks have “tanked” at the management level, but they are playing hard on the floor? By doing such, the past few seasons, the Knickerbockers have only earned mid-round lottery picks, but don’t worry about these upcoming draft picks Knick fans, they were all traded away by Isiah Thomas. Ladies and gentlemen, your post-Isiah, Donnie Walsh-era New York Knicks!
Isiah Thomas was one of the best Point Guards ever. Unfortunately, his success on the court did not translate to the front office,. Not for the CBA, Pacers, Knicks, etc.
Would you, as a fan, support your team mailing it in, in order to get a higher percentage draft at a potential franchise savior? Would you rather see your team bust their butts for an average lottery pick? Weigh in.
Artest in his Peak shoe with the Lakers colours
While I recently showed a steezy commercial of Baron Davis chilling in his Li-Ning’s, another major Chinese shoe manufacturer, Peak, is taking some heat about the quality of their shoes. Phil Jackson tore into Peak’s shoes, calling them “concrete blocks” among other things, after Ron Artest, developed plantar fasciitis in both feet. One of Peak’s marquee athletes, Artest has been noticeably slower on the court this year, due to both age, and as Jackson would have you believe, his Peak shoes.
“I’ve called his shoes concrete boots for about the last month,” Jackson said. “Those shoes look like they are made for the Hudson River. But he stays with them and he gets his feet worked on. But he does not move really quickly. He looks like he’s clogging around out there.”
When asked about the injury Ron-Ron responded, ”I just don’t like excuses. That’s it. No excuses. I don’t want nobody saying, ‘Oh, Ron Artest has got plantar fasciitis, so that’s why he didn’t play a good game.’ No, I didn’t play good or I didn’t do what I did because that’s just what happened. No excuses.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, the risk of developing plantar fasciitis is more common to people “who wear shoes with inadequate support.” While Artest’s Peak shoes would seem to be the common denominator, Artest has backtracked, telling ESPNLosAngeles.com, “”I was lying to one of my fans,” when asked about his injury.
This a very interesting issue, as this isn’t the first time that either Phil Jackson or the quality of less-known brand’s shoes have come into question. Recently, zen-master Phil blamed Lamar Odom’s upset stomach on McDonald’s, hampering the Lakers efforts to get Mickey D’s on board as an sponsor. While there is no real consequence of Jackson’s comments here, if Artest ultimately switches shoes, Jackson’s complaints will have served their purpose.
Similarly, when Grant Hill came out of Duke and signed a shoe deal with Fila, who had not made a basketball shoe prior, people were questioning the stability of the shoe. Needless to say, Hill’s foot and ankle injuries have defined his careeer, and though there is no way to draw direct proof the shoes committed the crime, it certainly casts ashadow of doubt.
It may seem that Ron-Ron’s dubious past may have us more likely believe that Artest would sacrifice performance for the all-mighty dollar that Peak provides him. However, what about other NBA players who wear Peak shoes, like Shane Battier, Jason Kidd, and Jose Calderon? Though they may not be the biggest stars with the highest contracts, do you think try-hards like Battier would sacrifice an ounce of performance for money? I really hope not.
Take a look at Artest’s shoes, would you wear them to play ball in? Is it a player’s prerogative to sign an endorsement for as much money as possible, even though it may affect their playing career, and ultimately their NBA contract? Weigh in.
Ron Artest's original Peak shoe
Though undoubtedly this song is not new….it has been rediscovered on the iTunes Shuffle.
La Roux – In for the Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey Remix
The original of this song is absolutely terrible, unbearable, however the slower, darker remix has legitimate vibes.
Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images
So the other night, as I often do, I quickly checked my Twitter feed. One of the NBA columnists I follow, Brian Windhorst, had a tweet that read: “Cavs 34, Blazers 29 after 1Q. Bad mix: Blazers not playing interior defense and LeBron hitting jumpers. He’s 8-for-8 w/ 20 pts.”
Understanding the possibilities of LeBron challenging Kobe’s 81, I tuned into see what LBJ was going to do. Though he didn’t come anywhere close to getting 80,70,60, or even 50, he led his teammates to victory with numerous assists in the second half. Though LeBron didn’t get his points, I tuned into see a great basketball game, all because of one tweet. As I keep telling Twitter non-followers, Twitter is only as useful as you make it.
Simply because of Twitter, I was put onto a great basketball game, one that I discussed ‘at the watercooler’, so to speak, the next day. This is where people in creative industries, particularly the music industry as they are the most far behind, need to take note. A single person’s positive feedback can turn into a loop of sorts, if the person passes this onto others. Not only did I spread the gospel about the game through word-of-mouth, I just spread it via this post on the blog. Though this feedback loop is understood and accepted within the music industry, the record labels still try and impose their dated methods of spreading music, be it by commercials, placement, big-budget videos, and 30-second samples.
So as a case study, let’s have a look at Broken Bells, the new collaboration between DJ Danger Mouse and James Mercer, frontman of the Shins. The group has done no real advertising, but through word of mouth and the blogosphere, they have seen a ton of hype and free publicity. Broken Bells intelligently released their single, The High Road, for free, in full. While I realize that the blogosphere is not the end all be all, and certainly does not guarantee commercial success, usually if you get people talking about a band on the blogosphere, the interest is genuine. Are you more likely to listen to a the song after seeing “Broken Bells” on the side of the bus or after a friend’s raving review of them? Would you rather be able to listen to a 30-second sample, or the whole song?
Listen to Broken Bells on their official website (just a warning it is a blank page, with the song playing)
Posted in Music, Sports, Technology
Tagged Broken Bells, Lebron, Music, NBA, Sports, Technology, Twitter
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