Thank You Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant is currently having one of his worst statistical season of his career, but coming off surgeries on knees and Achilles along with other injuries that comes along with being 19 year NBA veteran, has recently announced he will be retiring following this NBA season making the 2015-16 season his final go around. The 6ft 6in guard will exit the NBA a 5 time NBA champion 17 All-Star games, one time league MVP, three time gold medal winner, and many more accolades.

I have been a basketball fan my entire life starting with Michael Jordan even though I was under 10 the entire time he was in the NBA allowed me to start a love for the game. For me though Kobe was the one to continue that for me. Growing up I was able to watch the Lakers put together some of the greatest teams in NBA history. They also won 2 of his 5 rings while I was really able to appreciate the work that had to be put into to be elite teams in the NBA. I will always be thankful and a fan of Kobe Bryant for keeping basketball fun and interesting to watch because you never knew what he was going to do next. It was also fun to watch the Lakers because they were always on late and gave me a good reason to stay up late and watch basketball instead of going to bed for school.

The story of how the NBA transfers from decade to decade to who is going to carry the stardom to from Magic to MJ to Kobe to Lebron to Curry? The best part is most of these legends crossover times in their career to bring some of the best basketball to the fans hopeful this formula continues for generations to come.

The last thing I find interesting about the Kobe retirement is during his career he has wore two different jersey numbers, 8 and 24 where he was successful wearing either number which stats can be found here. Biggest of those stats is jersey number 8, three NBA championships, Jersey number 24, 2 NBA championships.  This brings up one of the biggest questions when it comes to honoring a player for your team and that is retiring their number, is it 8 or  24. Which brings polls and articles and comments from former teammates and fans. This is a link to a Lakers blog about what a poll they ran ended up.

I would have to agree with them and retire jersey number 24. As I end this blog watch this highlight tape of Kobe and just appreciate his greatness. THANK YOU MR. Bryant

Michael Standley
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@mikestandley23

Twitter and NBA

Twitter and the NBA

Social Media has changed how NBA players can interact with their fans and even their haters. This has caused some Issues with players, but has also allowed players to create brands and also bonds with fans that before was impossible to reach on this large of a scale. In this blog I will talk about some cool things NBA players, coaches, and reporters are doing with Twitter.

First we have Steph Curry who has embraced Twitter to create a connection and bring his fans along with him. The one thing he does that he started doing before games last year he would tweet before games Lock in! #dubnation. The lock in referring to the game and Dub Nation is what Warrior fans are referred to as. It gets a lot of attention from his fans and others around the league. He also used to show off his daughter during the playoffs last year where she became a star on the internet and here's a link to find out more about that.

Next we have Dirk Nowitzki veteran NBA player has had some fun on Twitter this year. The most comes from a game early November where he gets schooled by the younger Ray McCollum and he tweets this. Dirks Tweet. There is plenty more but this is probably the funniest of them all watch the following video

Michael Standley
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@mikestandley23
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NBA Shoe Endorsements

With some of the high profile NBA players like, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Andrew Wiggins, Derrick Rose, and Kobe Bryant to name a few are signing contracts with companies like Nike, adidas, and Under Armour that worth more or just as much as what their NBA teams are paying them each year. Right now the sky's the limit for how large these contracts could get, starting with KD’S most recent 10 year 300 million and the announcement of Lebron's life time deal he just signed with Nike which can be read here. The numbers are always changing with new deals and can be found anywhere but here is a link to a website that talks about some of the numbers if you want to know more about those.

The real reason I’m writing this blog is to talk about some of these shoes and all of the NBA players listed above I have worn their signature shoe to play basketball in with in the past 5 years but since some of the design has changed I will talk about the three that I have worn and played in the past year. I’ll give you my opinions on them.

Lebron James

I was not a big fan of these shoes they are heavy and bulky compared to other shoes that I would wear for playing basketball. The design of all the Lebrons' are cool and always have something a little different year in and out but always have distinct features to the shoe to know they are Lebrons'. These were not my shoes and only borrowed them from a friend a couple times, but all in all they were durable and from what I know he never had issues with this pair ever ripping.

Derrick Rose

I really liked these shoes, I liked the design, feel, look, and performance. These shoes were lightweight and easy to run up and down the court. They were high tops, but due to the goal of being a lightweight basketball shoe I did rule my ankles a lot of times and need to wear an ankle brace which is something I never had to do before. The other down fall was both tongues of the shoes ripped off each shoe and also between the silver strips the cloth ripped in about four spots on each shoe.

Andrew Wiggins

The shoes that I currently have are the Adidas crazy boosts the USA themed shoe which the shoe is the same as what Wiggins wears just the color design is different. These shoes were just released at the end of the summer, so I haven't had them that long. These shoes are the lightest shoe I have ever worn for basketball, but also so far has had a feeling of stability for being a low top shoes. These shoes are great and would recommend them if your looking at buying a basketball shoe or just a casual shoe. I also like getting my shoes right from Adidas.com can usually find the best deals.

Michael Standley
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@mikestandley23

NBA Christmas Day Basketball

Each Year the NBA schedules some of the best possible match-ups for Christmas Day. In hopes of giving NBA fans the chance to see some of the greatest athletes and teams battle out while we sit at home with our families stuffing our face with food all day. In this blog I will discuss about the five match ups; The players to watch in these games, Which team has the best jersey, and the final outcomes. (The Rankings I will reference to are from Marc Stein on Mon, Dec 7 found here (NBA Week Six Power Rankings))

Pelicans vs. Heat

New Orleans Pelicans @ Miami Heat, 11 am, ESPN

First game of the day will have the 22nd ranked Pelicans taking on the 3rd rank Heat in Miami. The Pelicans with two of the game's great young ones, starting with their point guard Jrue Holiday and the big guy down low Anthony Davis. While the Heat bring in a mix of old and young with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh leading their teams to being the 3rd rank team, but the real player to watch will be the young Hassan Whiteside. The Christmas Day jerseys are always something to be talked about as you can see in the picture above, out of these two jerseys I like the big loopy letters on the front of the Heats jerseys.

Miami 107 - Pelicans 93

Thunder vs. Bulls

Chicago Bulls @ Oklahoma City Thunder, 1:30pm, ABC

The 4th ranked Bulls head into Oklahoma City to face the 5th ranked Thunder. The Bulls have a great team and the most important players in this game will be Jimmy Butler having a heck of a game will lead the bulls to victory along with the Bulls big guys Gibson and Gasol being a large presence in the middle of the lane. For the Thunder Russell Westbrook is going to play well, but the player who will have the best game this day will be Kevin Durant I don't think they will be able to guard him. The Thunder and Bulls jerseys are both going to be really cool, but in my opinion the Bulls jersey wins this match up.

Thunder 106 - Bulls 102

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors, 4 pm, ABC

Warriors vs. Cavs

The 6th ranked Cavs head to Oakland to take on the number 1 ranked Warriors in a matchup of last years NBA Finals. The Cavaliers will bring in LeBron James and Kevin Love, but one of the biggest ifs for this game will their starting pg Kyrie Irving make it back for his first start since getting hurt in last years NBA finals. The Warriors will set up shop with their deep NBA roster that is off to a 22-0 start best in NBA history with their leader Steph Curry and cast, but this will be Klay Thompson break out game of the year. In this jersey Match up I give it to the Warriors with a cool blue jersey.

Warriors 118 - Cavaliers 111

Spurs vs. Rockets

San Antonio Spurs @ Houston Rockets, 7 pm ESPN

The 2nd ranked Spurs head up to Houston to play the 18th ranked Rockets in this Western Conference matchup. The Spurs bring in LaMarcus Aldridge down low and will have Kawhi Leonard stand out and have his best game of the year. The Rockets bring in last years MVP runner up James Harden. The one thing the Rockets will win on Christmas day is the jersey match-up.

 

Spurs 103 - Houston 92

Clippers vs. Lakers

Los Angeles Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers, 9:30, ESPN

The 17th ranked Clippers will face the 29th ranked Lakers in the night cap for NBA games on Christmas. The Clippers have Chris Paul who will have a great game along with Blake Griffin, both will dominate due to the lack of playing ability for the Lakers this season. The Lakers will bring in Kobe Bryant even though this is his worst ever shooting year as an NBA player, He also announced his retirement at the end of the season and his really the only thing good coming from the Lakers this year and that's talking about the past. I also think the Lakers jerseys beat the Clippers and that will be the silver lining to the night for the Lakers.

Clippers 121 - Lakers 88

Michael Standley
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@mikestandley23

Jahlil Okafor, Should of Stayed in College?

 This blog is not to argue weather he is ready to play in the NBA, but is Jahlil Okafor ready for the spot light and demands of being a NBA player off the court.

          Do the recent off court issues for 3rd overall pick in this last draft class show another reason why one and done college athletes are not prepared for the NBA spotlight? I think grouping all young NBA players into the same category is not fair, but in Okafor's case if he stays in college two or three more years and plays under the great Coach K. wouldn’t you think he would learn and mature from making these mistakes.
One thing he has been accused of doing is trying to use a fake ID to enter a bar in Philadelphia in late October as mentioned in a Bleacher Report Article . In college your going to have some teammates that are 21 but your also going to be able to find teammates that are not of the legal age of drinking which allows you to find a group and hang out and can even drink with them without feeling left out for not being able to go out with the rest of your teammates to the bar. Also by staying in college by the time he would reach the NBA he would be 21 and this whole incident would of been avoided.

  Next Incident Okafor has been in trouble for recently is the two citations he received from the Delaware River port Authority Police on Oct. 19. The Citations are according the The Philly Inquirer are reckless driving and driving at an excessive rate of speed, and according to the statement he was clocked at reaching speeds of 108 m.p.h. on the Ben Franklin Bridge which has a reported speed limit of 45 m.p.h. The worst part is not only is the young man putting his very own life in danger and also his only career because that is all he has at this point since he left college early and received no degree.

Lastly it had been reported that he had been in some altercations with people which allegedly lead to a gun being pulled on him in early Oct. and most recently last Wednesday which would of been the day before Thanksgiving there is video of him fighting outside a club in Boston, MA. There was reports of two fights happening on this night and TMZ has video of both of the fights that can be found by clicking here. Most spectators that were interviewed in articles say most of the fights have started just from hecklers. I think this just goes back to maturity issues, and not being ready to be put into such a large spotlight.

I do think think some players are gifted and ready to play in the NBA, but are they ready to deal with all that comes with being a professional athlete? As you play in college you can slowly adopt into the spot light and in the case of Jahlil he had one of the greatest coaches and mentors to learn and become the best basketball player he possible can be on and ready for the off court. Coaches can have some of the greatest influence on athletes at all levels and being able to play under some of these great college coaches and having them help you become the best you can be as a person and not just an athlete is something one and done college players should at least consider before taking the giant leap to the NBA.

Jahlil Okafor also received a 2 game suspension form the Philadelphia 76ers because of these incidents referred to in this blog.

Michael Standley
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@mikestandley23