House of 'Zards: Bazemore Returns

[siah462]

Man, LeBron has gotten it very bad from media and fans when he has an off night or when he was considered not clutch, but being Jordan's son he'd get absolutely mauled for not showing up in the clutch or having a bad game to a degree that I couldn't even imagine the unprecedented level of slander he'd receive all around.

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by siah462

Man, LeBron has gotten it very bad from media and fans when he has an off night or when he was considered not clutch, but being Jordan's son he'd get absolutely mauled for not showing up in the clutch or having a bad game to a degree that I couldn't even imagine the unprecedented level of slander he'd receive all around.

Definitely. In the age of social media, being the son of Jordan is a serious cross to bear -- as we go on in the story that and more will be explored. The expectations were there from the moment he picked up a basketball and now RJ has made it to the big leagues ... will he be crushed by the expectations or will he thrive?

[siah462]

Any plans on adding more baby legends to the league or just RJ for now?

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by siah462

Any plans on adding more baby legends to the league or just RJ for now?

For the moment, just RJ, but this is a different universe and a different league, so there's always the possibility another legend's kid could make their way to the league.

[trekfan]

GOAT Contenders: Where is Kobe now?
By Helena Ramirez






The NBA’s offseason is chugging along as the draft has now passed and free agency is nearly upon us … but the conversation about the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) continues to go on. No matter the time of year, no matter the status of the world, no matter what you thought before, the GOAT conversation can always be revisited, always be reignited.



Entering the 2010-11 season, it’s time to revisit the rankings, particularly on where one Kobe Bryant now ranks. Kobe has been the premier acolyte of Michael Jordan, almost since he entered the league — the comparisons between the two have been flying since 1996. They’ve engaged in some memorable games against one another, notably their memorable Finals contest in 2000 (where Jordan proved he still had a killer instinct). Since Jordan retired, the man has been largely been hailed as the GOAT.



There are arguments otherwise; Kareem has 6 titles to Jordan’s 5, but Kareem also played with Oscar Robertson or Magic Johnson for most of his career … and certainly, Kareem never held the imaginations of fellow players or fans like Jordan. Magic has the same amount of titles as Jordan, but had the benefit of Kareem most of his career … not to mention, during the 80s, the West wasn’t nearly as competitive as the East.



Then there’s Bill Russell — how can you argue with all those rings? Easy to do so, when you consider how weak the NBA was during Russell’s heyday. Russell accomplished much but did so in a smaller, weaker, and nearly unrecognizable era.



Jordan’s the GOAT for most, here in the USA and around the world. So if he’s number 1, which players still playing have the best chance to dethrone him? Who are the top contenders for GOAT status?



1. Kobe Bryant



He’s entering year 15 with more miles on his legs than Jordan had at this stage thanks to a combination of long postseason runs, a lack of lockouts and premature retirements, and a lot of Olympic play; but Kobe is still getting it done and now sports 5 rings after the last Finals, where he single-handedly buried Boston in a critical Game 7. It was the type of killer, legendary performance that MJ would have put on, the highest praise one could give a Jordan acolyte like Kobe.



In the rings department, he’s tied his mentor, and Kobe has a chance to add more — which would give him an advantage. But rings alone don’t make a GOAT (otherwise Russell would be the undisputed GOAT). It takes on-court pizazz, off-court savvy, consistency, and iconic moments to cement yourself in the minds of the population as a GOAT. Kobe has those in some degree and he’s still not done authoring his career. When it’s all said and done, he may be the best ever … but it’s still a long climb to the top of the mountain.



The case against him isn’t as long as some players, but still hurts. He left Miami, in the dead of night, after he and Riley couldn’t get along during the lockout shortened 1998-99 season. He only managed one ring playing with Shaq. He went through a stretch in the mid-2000s that saw his teams barely limp into the playoffs and become cannon fodder. He leveled the confidence of multiple players to the point they were never effective again (Smush Parker, Kwame Brown) … like Jordan, he became frustrated and took it out on his team.



Ultimately, the biggest case against Kobe may be he’s just too close to Jordan … the difference between an original work and a superb copy.



2. LeBron James



Year 8 of the LBJ experience will start somewhere new, though where is the question NBA insiders aren’t sure about. James has made it clear to his close-knit circle that Cleveland is not in his plans after their disastrous 35-47 season, where LeBron carried an injured, old, and broken down roster to just a few games within a playoff spot. Cleveland’s legion of fans have largely made peace with LBJ’s coming departure — few of them can blame him for the mess that last season was. Everyone knew Cleveland had to knock it out of the park this year to have a chance and they fell very short of that.



LeBron’s case for GOAT isn’t strong at this point — no rings, many individual awards, and a history of his team just not being good enough. Right now he’s in the “early Jordan” stage of his career, where he’s an excellent single player but struggles to get that kind of production from around him. His individual talent is astounding, however, so much so that the physical marvel he is gets him in this conversation before many.



If LeBron is going to make a case as the GOAT, he’s going to have to win a title at least — probably multiple — and do things that Jordan and Kobe haven’t done (which he absolutely can do thanks to his incredible play).



3. Dwyane Wade



Wade came into the league the same year as LeBron, but is a few years older and thusly expectations for his career are a bit higher. Now 29, Wade has one ring to his name, a number of individual awards, and a legion of Heat fans who hold him in high esteem. Much like LeBron and Cleveland, Wade is THE guy in Miami — perhaps more so than any other player in the Heat’s short history — but unlike LeBron, Wade is strongly considering staying with the team that drafted him.



The last few years haven’t been easy for him. Shaq and he managed two trips to the Finals, losing in 2005 and winning in 2006, then got swept in round 1 of the ECF in 2007 — and then Shaq was gone. In the years since, Miami’s front office has been doing enough to keep the team competitive while maintaining massive flexibility and Wade has been on board the whole way.



The case against him is a long one — he’s been largely absent the last few years, at least as far as contention. His individual greatness is good, but not on the same level as LeBron. He has a deeper list of historical predecessors that he struggles to measure against; it’s tough to put Wade in the top-10 of his position, so how can he be in the conversation for GOAT?



4. Carmelo Anthony



Melo has something neither Wade, LeBron, or Kobe has: an NCAA title. His run at Syracuse, brief as it was, resulted in a championship and him being picked by Denver in the 2003 draft. Since then, Melo’s career has been largely good but not great. He has never advanced past the WCF in the playoffs. He’s barely made it out of round 1 most years.



But his scoring brilliance is mesmerizing, and he certainly captures the imaginations of many people with his ability to seemingly hit from anywhere on the court. His lack of defense has been largely forgiven despite his lack of team success. He may be this generation’s most offensively gifted player.



Where Melo and Denver go this year is of huge importance to not only the Nuggets franchise, but Melo himself; he could demand a trade out, which some in his camp are pushing for. He could ride it out, like Wade, and wait for the front office to strike when massive cap space comes available next summer. It’s a crossroads for Melo, one that could determine just how much further he moves up this list … or how far he drops off it.



5. RJ Jordan



A rookie? A rookie. Jordan hasn’t even taken the court in the NBA yet, but already there is a massive push — and subsequent pushback — that he’s the “true heir” to Michael Jordan. It’s tough to argue that RJ doesn’t have a chance; son of Jordan, plays in many ways like him, has had a stellar college career for the one year he was at Duke.



His genetics are good enough that he could do it … but then again, RJ’s two older brothers also had those genetics and neither lasted in the NBA beyond a cup of coffee. RJ’s selection by the snake-bitten Wizards franchise — a place so far gone even Michael Jordan couldn’t get them into the playoffs (an older MJ but still) — has made people question if his early career will be marred by organizational failure mirrored by his own individual brilliance.



Ultimately, we’ll know more about RJ’s career trajectory after this upcoming season; if he wows the league like his father did in year 1 (MJ put up 28 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG on 52% from the field and an awful 17% from three — a different era), then he’ll have the bare beginnings of a case.

[GoldenJet]

Heavy company for a rookie to already be named with. Excited for your next one.

[trekfan]

Ch. 7






A basketball and a court. That was all Ron needed this morning, bright and early at 5AM. It was an unholy hour to be up for many, but even in his years away he still managed to get to work around now. The beauty of this dark hour, when the dawn seems far away, was that hardly anyone else was around.



You could do real work here — you could be left alone to do real work, which was probably more valuable than anything else. The world today was smaller than it was the last time Ron had coached, and it made it so people could be reached easily with little effort.



He picked up the ball and gave it a few test bounces, the sound of the rubber meeting the hardwood music to his ears. The gym door opened and a new figure made their way into the empty practice facility, the one Ron wanted to meet in person the moment he drafted him.



Emerging from the darkened tunnel, RJ Jordan walked out and Ron took a sharp breath. Damn, he’s just like his father. It was an uncanny resemblance to Michael Jordan, one that was drilled home in-person.



Ron tucked the basketball under his arm and raised his hand. “RJ, good morning!” He made his way over there, careful not to push his bum leg too much — though in truth, he had taken some shots alone while in the gym earlier and it was aggravated with him, but he couldn’t resist.



“Coach,” RJ said as he crossed the distance between them quickly — two strides at most — and extended a big hand. Up close and personal, Ron could now see the differences between RJ and his father. RJ was a lefty, led with his left, and his gait was just a bit longer due to his slightly taller height.



Ron accepted the handshake happily. “You can call me Ron —we’re on the same team, no titles here. If you want to call me ‘Coach’ in the press, that’s fine, but between us we’re on a first name basis.”



RJ’s face relaxed some at that. “Got it.” He took a look up at the practice facility rafters and shook his head. “Feels … unreal.”



Ron bounced the ball a few times, bringing RJ’s attention back to him. “It’s very real,” Ron said with a smirk. “Wanted to meet up here, before the press and everything else descended on us. We got media time in three hours then our head trainer will be taking a good look at you.” He put the ball in RJ’s hands.



“What are we doing here, now?” the young player asked.



“Now? I want to see you work some. Just me, you, an empty gym, and a challenge.”



RJ’s eyes seem to focus when he heard the word ‘challenge’. Just like his father in that way.



“What kind of challenge?”



Ron patted his bum leg. “As you can see, I don’t have the wheels for a full-court practice. Can’t really do much in the half-court either, my lateral movement is about as good as Shaq’s after an all-nighter at Waffle House.”



RJ tried to suppress a laugh but ultimately failed. “*hit, man. He just retired.”



“He did, but he had some words for me back in the day … I haven’t forgotten. He’s already joined the TNT guys anyway, he’ll be serving up hot takes soon enough.” Ron made his way over to the right corner, right on the three-point line. “Shaq was never much of one to expand his game — he was good at the post, getting inside, bullying his way to points and the line.”



RJ took a few dribbles with the ball, effortlessly bouncing it back and forth with the palm of his hand. “Yeah, that was the way he played.”



Ron motioned for the ball and RJ fired off a pinpoint bounce pass, the ball landing firmly in Ron’s hands. His handles and passing are on point, Ron noted. “It was but he could have been more. If he had just gotten a bit of a mid-range game, expanded his area of operation just a little, it probably would have added a few years to his career and given him a better shot at more than just two rings.”



Ron took a few dribbles and then let fly a three — flat-footed due to his inability to really jump much with both legs, but effective as the shot arced its way into the net.



“Damn, you still got a shot,” RJ said as walked over to the ball, corralling it before it went off too far.



“Thanks,” Ron said with a bit of pride. He was half-afraid he was gonna miss it, which would have really weakened the point he was trying to make. “I’m not shooting to show off, though, I’m demonstrating range.”



“I got range,” RJ said with a scoff. “I can shoot it from anywhere on the court.”



“Shooting it is one thing, making it is another. That’s the challenge — a game of HORSE, but no paint shots. No mid-range shots. Just triples.” Ron flashed a grin. “First one to win ten in a row gets a prize.” Ron made his way off the spot and pointed at it. “You’re up.”



RJ stood there, the ball tucked under one arm, shaking his head. “Ten in a row?”



“I’m not looking for just overall victories, I want consistency. Surest way to get better at something is to practice it, surest way to make sure that practice means something is to make sure you’re consistent in your approach. The challenge here is not just to make the shots and beat me, but to figure out how to do it repeatedly, to make it as sure a thing as if this was a dunk contest.” Ron pointed at his messed up left leg. “If this was a dunk contest, I’d lose every time, right? No chance of winning.”



The younger player just laughed as he made his way over. “You want me to get so good at threes that no one has a chance of winning?”



“That’s one thing I want you get better at, yes. We’re going to be refining your natural skills, but we’re going to work on a few aces to add to your deck. You’re going to be seeing at least ten minutes a night as a point guard and I want you to get ready to set-up guys, which will set yourself up. You did that pretty well at Duke, but you barreled into the paint a lot in between great passes. We need to cut back on some of those drives and redirect that energy to other facets of your game.”



RJ gave him a long look and loosened his shoulders. “Watch me hit this.” From the same spot Ron shot, RJ took a few dribbles and then fired off a three — his lift was incredible, clearly inheriting his father’s hops along with everything else — but the shot had far too much arc on it and it ended up clanging off the left side of the rim, shooting up into the rafters, and then falling back to the court.



“H,” Ron said simply and pointed at the ball. “You’re rebounding, too. If you don’t, we’ll be here all week.”



RJ put his hands on his hips. “What’s the prize for the winner? Gift card?”



“Nothing so generic, this isn’t dirty Santa.” Ron pulled his phone out of his pocket and brought up a picture. “I have it on good authority that you enjoy this type of thing … and the one shown here is the best version of it.”



RJ’s eyes grew wide. “That can’t be real,” he said with a surprised laugh. “No *ucking way that ain’t fake.”



“It’s real,” Ron confirmed. “And it can be yours … if you beat me.”



RJ took a moment, looked at the picture, then at Ron, and nodded. “I’m gonna get that before the season starts.”



Ron smiled and pointed at the ball. “You got to make a shot first.”

[RolePlayer]

RJ Jordan and the fact that you're using Grantland have me so into this