BDSL presents: The Slighty Abridged Edition of War and Peace...

It has been quite awhile since I’ve last written, but so much has happened in the world of basketball. Coach K has managed to begin the slow downfall of USA basketball in the 2008 Olympics, the Bulls became instant title competitors, and believe it or not, Adam Morrison is a legit NBA basketball player. Weird things happen every day, but I’d like to go through a cursory (and personal) top-10 of the most amazing, horrible, and bizarre occurrences/signs of the apocalypse in the basketball world:

1. Jose Juan Barea is still underrated? As if it was not enough for him to dominate high school, college, and international basketball competitions, the best point guard not on an NBA roster has taken over summer league as well. Let’s go over some basic specs again. He is short, but fast and strong. He shoots a decent percentage, but can take over games with his quick first step and solid jumper. He can’t shoot threes reliably, but he won’t have to in the NBA. His court vision is rivaled by very few, but somehow the destitute, positionless Will Bynum gets more respect on a team that traded it’s only reliable back-up point guard to basketball’s Mr. Glass (Question: Will Baron Davis play over half of next season? Jury says no). I hope he skips the NBA altogether and signs a huge contract oversees somewhere. Respect: Just a little bit?

2. "We have to go out there and be dominant for 56 quarters -- every quarter of every game we play. That's our mission," Gilbert Arenas told me following Team USA's first practice Wednesday,” reports ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan. What exactly is wrong with this? For one, Gilbert Arenas is still in the running for a spot on the National Team, and two, it seems like ‘Melo is making a serious run at the roster too.
I don’t know if Coach K knows this, but there is a real reason that we were shamed in Greece. These guys simply suck at playing team basketball. I realize that he has to save face and represent the face of basketball, but Coach K can’t teach a philosophy like that, having all players going for themselves every play of the game. It makes no sense and we will lose. It is not the way that internationals play basketball, and it is certainly not the way that American basketball needs to move! For shame, Coach K, for shame... (more Olympic rants to come, trust me)

3. Summer League Part 1: I’ve been in love with Andray Blatche for a while, but it’s great to see the guy get some serious press. Alex Acker, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson are the future of Detroit: You hear that Joe Dumars? It is not a good year for BFGs: Pavel, Ha Seung, and PJ are still frustratingly on the horizon in terms of any NBA potential… Gotta love Starvin’ Marvin, dude is finally starting to put up numbers that reflect his ability. Some quick math. Shelden=bust. Jordan Farmar=still bad. Andrew Bynum+Kwame Brown+Lamar Odom+Chris Mihm=fearsome. Sene+Samb+DJ+N’Dong= All-African-NBA Weight Room Team 2006-2007. K-Mart (the real one, not that pretender Kenyon), Amare, and Ronny stopped by for a quick self-esteem boost. Alexander Johnson is the John Shaft of basketball. Eric Williams puts up the quietest 20/12 in history. Thin Men: Julius Hodge vs. Ricky Sanchez. Sasha Pavlovic shot himself out of the league. David Noel looks to be Shane Battier OSX (or 2.0, I guess). Robert Swift’s new do or new ‘tude? (Picture by FreeDarko)

I’ll take both.

4. Three names that could define the future of basketball despite never setting foot in a college classroom… Yi Jianlian ( a.k.a See Below), Bill Walker (a.k.a. Wow), and Tim Olbrecht (a.k.a Nowitzki or Hasselhoff?).


Yi Jianlian: The next big thing out of China?

5. Summer League Part 2: I told you Marcus Slaughter was good… Uh oh, Hakim Warrick can shoot now. Brewer surprises? Expect nothing less from Mr. Consistent. Millsap brings his lunch pail to camp and Powe is the second coming of Ryan Gomes. Kyle Lowry is going to piss people off, in a good way, for a long time. Renaldo Balkman has proven a lot of people wrong with his, you read it here, court vision and smarts. Louis Williams=AI-3 (Don’t forget Iggy). Scooter McFagdon is back, though he should go by Cornelius full-time. Von Wafer is playing himself out of the league, but nevertheless, into a contract with the Lakers (and Trent Strickland can’t get on somebody’s roster?)… Some kid named Nile Murry can’t do much of anything. Rudy Gay is really really good. Most impressive stat-line? Shavlik Randolph. That’s Summer League for you… Oy.

6. Quick college preview:


Beware of: Kansas, Florida, UNC, Georgia Tech, and Ohio State. Cinderella: Winthrop.

7. Even quicker NBA preview: Beware of: Detroit, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, and New Orleans. Cinderella: Orlando or Charlotte, take your pick.

8. International basketball has taken over my life. My team? Bulgaria, of course. Their U-18 National Team just beat Germany and Italy and looks to advance to the next round. They have a guard tandem that scores AND rebounds in bunches. Check these games out if you’ve got time/interest; it’s like the World Cup, only minus America embarrassing itself in front of the entire planet. PS: the bumper crop of foreign guys in the NBA looks to be more promising than ever because these guys can actually play.



9. Time for goodbyes. It was nice knowing you Skita and Reece Gaines. Hopefully you’ll be in a better place this time next year. I can tell you one thing off the bat, though: it's safe to say that it won’t be in America.



10. It’s good to know that… Atlanta will still suck, Mike James will still fight the “haters,” Mid-Major will be the biggest buzz word in college basketball, officiating will get worse, at least 20 7+ footers with no basketball skills will be hyped in Africa, at least 20,000 bloggers/scouts will hype them, Bob Huggins will get a DUI, Duke basketball will not be having any strippers for awhile (much to the chagrin of Josh McRoberts)…



These are just some random thoughts at the moment… Expect more later.