LeBron, Cliff Lee and The Price of Fame

At SBNation, a look at why people perceive Cliff Lee and LeBron so differently:

Yet that doesn't completely explain the different ways in which the two superstars were treated. Before the 2010 World Series, Lee's career post-season record was 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA. In his two starts against the Giants, he went 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA.

No one thinks his failures on the game's biggest stage invalidates his entire career. No one thinks Lee ruined his legacy by choosing to play "second fiddle" to Halladay in the Phillies rotation, and no one thinks Lee choosing not be an ace makes him less of a baseball player.

Great baseball players aren't viewed by the public in the same way that great basketball players are. When a basketball player wins a championship, it's seen not as a validation of his basketball ability but of his personal character. That's why Michael Jordan still sells underwear and sneakers over a decade after his retirement while Rickey Henderson has faded into obscurity.

David Stern's Legacy and The NBA Lockout

At RealGM, a look at how David Stern's legacy hangs in the balance as this weekend's CBA negotiations begin:

The biggest problem with Stern’s rhetoric is Stern himself. He presided over the renegotiation of the CBA in 1999 and 2006, both of which were seen as huge wins for owners at the time. If the league’s business model is in such bad shape, why is the person most responsible for creating it still in charge?

To be fair, there are many well-run business with financial problems because of the worldwide economic downturn. But even if we accept the owners' dubious claims of complete financial distress, and ignore all the ancillary benefits that come with owning an NBA franchise, the explosion in the value of sports television rights over the last two years should have made them whole.

If the owners cancel the season, it would be the equivalent of a man with minor heart problems shooting himself in the face in order to get his cholesterol levels right. And if David Stern wants to earn the many accolades he has received and one day become a member of the Hall of Fame, he cannot allow them to pull the trigger.

The Iraq War and The Powerlessness of The American Voter

At PolicyMic, a look at how the refusal to end the war in Iraq shows how little power the American voter actually has to affect public policy:

One popular explanation for this dissatisfaction is the increasing level of polarization, with moderates being squeezed by the increasing number of ideologues from both sides of the aisle. But while the level of partisan vitriol seems to increase every year, the shouting on cable news is often a distraction from how similar the positions of both parties are on many of the most important issues.

A prime example of this phenomenon is the handling of the Iraq war, which is now in its eighth year. Since 2006, consistent majorities of the American people have opposed the war. Yet, because neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have taken the adequate steps to bring our troops home, anti-war voters have had no real options at the ballot box. It is this powerlessness that has increased Americans’ level of cynicism about the political process.

In effect, the American people have had no say in whether our nation goes to war. It’s not just Iraq, either; on a whole host of issues, from free trade policies to the Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay and the War on Drugs, there’s very little separation between the Democrats and Republicans, with liberal and conservative voters alike unable to change the entrenched interests in both parties.

This article also appears on the website of No Labels, a group organizing to start a third political party.

San Antonio's Missing Interior Defense

At RealGM, a look at how the Spurs weak front-court has been their undoing the last few seasons:

But as Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have aged, the Spurs have surrounded them with players who would maximize their offensive abilities rather than help them defensively. Effectively, while their competitors got bigger up front, the Spurs got smaller. It was a strange decision for a team that dominated most of the decade playing two seven-footers, and if they want to return to title contention, they will need to improve their front-court.

In contrast to their rivals, San Antonio has emphasized floor spacing from the power forward position, resulting in much smaller players at the position. Since Robert Horry’s retirement, the Spurs have used primarily three big men next to Duncan: Matt Bonner, a 6’10 jump-shooter, Antonio McDyess, a 6’9 jump-shooter in his late 30’s, and DeJuan Blair, a 6’7 center.

In 2009, San Antonio had to overload their defense to help Bonner defend Nowitzki, and they lost to the Mavericks 4-1 in the first round. In 2010, they had no one on their roster who could match up with Amar'e Stoudemire, and the Suns swept them out of the second round. Last year, the Grizzlies, with the potent frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, overwhelmed the Spurs on the low block and became only the second #8 seed to beat a #1 in a best-of-seven series.

Lockout Negotiations and The NBA's Long Season

At RealGM, a look at why the length of the NBA season has lessened the urgency around ending the lockout:

Part of the difference in coverage is because football is America’s most popular sport, but it’s also because the NFL season is so short that every game is precious. In contrast, the entire NBA season stretches from November all the way to June.

The accumulation of statistics is one of the main ways that both baseball and football keep its fans tuned in over the entire season. Until the steroid era, the most hallowed mark in professional sports was Roger Maris’ 61-homer season. Even in the age of Moneyball, certain statistical benchmarks are incredibly important to how baseball and football players are perceived: the 20-win pitcher, the 100 RBI batter, the 1,000 yard RB, the 1,000 yard WR.

NBA fans, in contrast, place little weight on statistical achievement, which devalues the regular season. Great basketball players are judged almost solely on their ability to win championships. Regular season success is completely marginalized: for many, Dirk Nowitzki’s 2007 MVP became illegitimate when his Mavericks were defeated in the first round. And after his disappointing showing in the 2011 Finals, there’s literally nothing LeBron can do to repair his reputation until the games “start to count” in May and June.

Projecting The NBA's Top Players in 2015

At SBNation, as a part of our series projecting the NBA's top 99 players in 2015, a look at where the top players of 2011 were five years ago:

There were only 17 players among the top 112 who were 32 or older last season. Twelve had made an All-NBA team before. Some -- Kobe, Dirk, Duncan -- remained All-Star level players, but others -- Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Shawn Marion -- had enough talent to make up for their declining athleticism and become effective role players. There are a handful of exceptions (Shane Battier, Stephen Jackson, Marcus Camby, Jason Terry, Andre Miller), but transcendent players seem much more likely to remain effective as they age.

The implication for the 2015 list is clear: most of today's effective 27-and-older players shouldn't be on it. Solid second-tier players like David Lee, Andre Iguodala and Emeka Okafor are more likely to be on their way out of the league than they are to keep their current position amongst the NBA's hierarchy. To stay in the top 100, they will have to compete with more talented players like Dwyane Wade and Pau Gasol undergoing a similar physical decline as well as the huge wave of younger players behind them.

A little over half (58) of the top 112 players in 2010-2011 were under the age of 22 in 2006-2007. Almost a third (31) weren't even in the NBA: many were in college or overseas and some (Blake Griffin, John Wall) were still in high school.

The 2012 Olympics: Spain vs. USA

At RealGM, a look at Spain's dominating Eurobasket run and how they match up with Team USA:

Playing alongside his brother Pau, Spain now starts two seven-footers who can shoot, pass and score with their back-to-the-basket. It’s a devastating combination, similar to what Pau does in Los Angeles with Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum, as the brothers can play high/low and take advantage of which one draws their opponent’s weaker frontcourt player.

To beat Spain, the United States will have to play two traditional big men most of the game. But under Mike Krzyzewski, the Americans have preferred to play small-ball, blitzing their opponents with speed and athleticism. In Beijing, Carmelo Anthony was their starting power forward; in the 2010 World Championships, it was Andre Iguodala. With two legitimate low-post threats, Spain can slow the tempo of the game down and keep the Americans out of the open-court, where they are unbeatable.

James, Anthony, Wade and Rose aren’t pure outside shooters, so it seems unlikely that all four could get significant playing time if the US is playing two big men for most of the game. Would Kevin Durant be comfortable playing 10 minutes a game and spotting up from the perimeter? Would Kobe?

The Lakers and The Expanding Pool of Basketball Talent

At RealGM, a look at how the Lakers can get younger and more athletic on the perimeter by finding players in Europe like San Antonio's Gary Neal:

With the amount of money tied up by their top four players, the Lakers don't have the cap room to bring in a top-flight point guard. The good news is they don’t need one; they just need guys who can hit open 3’s and play solid individual defense, and perimeter players with that skill-set are the most replaceable assets in the league.

Elite teams often overemphasize experience and NBA pedigree in filling out their rosters. That’s why the Lakers signed Blake last offseason, why Miami brought in Mike Bibby, Erick Dampier and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and why Orlando gave Chris Duhon a four-year $18 million contract to be a back-up point guard.

Last year, the Spurs found Gary Neal, an athletic 6’4 sharp-shooter, in Europe. Neal, despite having no previous NBA experience being undrafted out of Towson in 2007, fit right in with the veteran squad and was a first-team All-Rookie player.

The talent pool of basketball players that NBA can teams can choose from is expanding rapidy -- a record 13.5% of the NBA’s players were born overseas. More foreign players means it’s harder than ever before for American players to make the league, so guys who would have made the NBA a decade ago are now playing internationally.

The Failure of The NHL's Hard Cap System

At RealGM, a look at how the NHL model many NBA owners want has failed the sport of hockey:

But revenue sharing, not a salary cap, is the only way to ensure the relative health of a league’s smaller franchises. That’s why the NHL appears headed towards yet another lockout at the end of the 2012 season.

In essence, the NHL’s system is the worst of both worlds: leveling the playing field so truly great teams can’t exist while at the same time edging smaller market teams towards financial ruin.

A hard cap does not ensure profitability and competitive balance does not ensure popularity. It’s a lesson David Stern and the NBA’s owners, as they push the season towards the brink of cancellation, should heed.

Book Review: Bachelors and Bunnies

At PopMatters, a review of Bachelors and Bunnies: The Sexual Politics of Playboy:

An urbane and slightly effeminate writer who re-invented himself to attract women, Hefner’s persona had an immediate cultural resonance. Pitzulo writes that “a part of Hefner’s genius was in understanding that millions of American men were questioning their lives and identities in the same way.” He represented the magazine’s challenge to traditional masculinity, a sophisticated and intellectual consumer rather than the strong and silent outdoorsman popularized by actors like John Wayne.

While Pitzulo convincingly demonstrates how the magazine pushed the image of Hefner’s lifestyle on its male readership, she’s on shakier ground when she credits it for redefining societal views on femininity as well.

That’s certainly not the only way they’ve been described, as what those characters represent has been a topic of many spirited debates. If the Sex and the City characters represent Hefner’s feminine ideal, it raises all types of questions involving the magazine, society and feminism itself. Bachelors and Bunnies would be a more compelling read if it tried to answer them.

Serge Ibaka's Jumper: The Thunder's Missing Piece

At RealGM, a look at the improving jumper of Serge Ibaka, playing for Spain in Eurobasket, and why it's so important for Oklahoma City:

The next step he needs to take is on the offensive end of the floor. With a career usage rating of only 15.9, it’s unlikely Ibaka ever becomes a player a team runs offense through. But the Thunder, with their plethora of offensive weapons, don’t need another shot-creator, they need a big man who can consistently knock down a 15-20 foot jumper.

With Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha reluctant to pull the trigger from beyond the arc (each took only 1.3 three-pointers per game last year), teams were able to pack the interior of the floor. Kendrick Perkins, a 6’10 280 center, will never be confused with a perimeter threat, so that leaves Ibaka with the task of dragging his man out the paint and creating some driving lanes for Durant and Westbrook.

That’s why Ibaka’s inclusion on a Spanish team that emphasizes ball movement and floor spacing had to be heartening for the Thunder. Backing up the Gasol brothers, he’s averaged only 17 minutes a game and primarily scored around the rim, but he’s shown glimpses of a more advanced floor game: smoothly knocking down perimeter jumpers on kick-outs from the Spanish guards in games against Lithuania and France.

The Dallas Cowboys Really Are "America's Team"

At PolicyMic, a look at the similar declines of "America's Team" and America over the last generation:

There’s no better example of the country’s growing wealth divide than Cowboys Stadium, a $1.15 billion palace finished in 2009. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones played the different suburbs of Dallas against each other to get the best deal, eventually receiving $325 million from the city of Arlington.

“America’s Team,” a highly stratified and poorly managed franchise that plays in an overpriced stadium which caters to the economic elite has become a depressing symbol for America itself.

No matter who the head coach is, as long as Jones is in charge of player personnel, things are unlikely to change in Dallas. The question becomes, when you consider how remarkably similar the Bush and Obama administrations have been on both economic and foreign policy despite their vastly different rhetoric, whether the situation is any different in Washington, D.C.?

The Fallacy of Ranking Individual Players

At RealGM, a look at why debating whether one All-Star is better than another is largely a pointless exercise:

But a basketball player’s on-court production and value is inextricably linked to the other nine guys on the floor. That’s why it’s foolish to solely judge players on the number of championships they win and why even the most advanced statistics will never fully isolate one player’s contribution to a game.

Most of a player’s value comes from how their skill-set fits with their teammates and how it forces the other team to react in terms of how they use their personnel. You can see this every year in the playoffs: as teams advance, the value of their players fluctuates depending on their match-ups.

Building a championship team is like constructing a jigsaw puzzle: the pieces need to fit together. Dirk has consistently outplayed Pau Gasol throughout their careers, but that doesn’t mean Los Angeles would be a better team if they switched teams. Due to Andrew Bynum’s inability to stay healthy, Gasol played the bulk of the minutes at center in the Lakers’ two championship runs, matching up against Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard. A Lakers' team with Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom needs Gasol’s passing, rebounding and defensive ability more than Dirk’s unparalleled offensive efficiency.

If the different nature of the roles two seven-foot European jump-shooting power forwards have on their teams makes comparing them difficult, what’s the point in rating the value of a point guard verse a center? It’s like comparing an offensive tackle and a safety in the NFL.

Ricky Rubio and Minnesota's Future

At RealGM, a look at former phenom Ricky Rubio's struggles in Eurobasket 2011, and how Minnesota can build a team around him:

At 6’4 180, Rubio is the rare true point guard with the size to play both guard positions. He doesn’t have great athleticism, but he is rarely overwhelmed defensively due to his length and basketball IQ.

A point guard who can’t shoot isn’t going to be very effective without the ball in his hands, as Rubio’s play in EuroBasket has shown. With an offense that runs through the Gasol brothers in the post, and also features veteran guards Jose Calderon, Rudy Fernandez and Juan Carlos Navarro, Rubio hasn’t had the chance to create, averaging only 1.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Minnesota will be expecting much more production from Rubio when he makes the leap to the NBA. To maximize his skills, the Timberwolves need players who don’t dominate the ball offensively but who are still threats to score and can take advantage of Rubio’s playmaking ability.

Which City Produces The Best NBA Players?

At RealGM, a look at where the NBA's best American players come from, with LA #1 and NYC surprisingly low:

1. Los Angeles: SF Paul Pierce, C Tyson Chandler, PG Russell Westbrook, SG James Harden, PG Jrue Holiday, PG Darren Collison, PG Brandon Jennings, SG Arron Afflalo, SF Trevor Ariza, PG Andre Miller, PF Amir Johnson

In terms of the depth and quality of NBA talent produced, the vast Los Angeles metropolitan area stands head and shoulders above the rest of the country. It attracts players from all over the state and turns them into stars: Los Angeles has big men (Chandler, Johnson), wings (Pierce, Ariza) and a host of point guards that turned UCLA into “PG U” over the last decade. It’s the only city that could field a competitive team of guys who didn’t make the cut -- Tayshaun Prince, DeMar DeRozan, Nick Young etc.

2. Dallas: PG Deron Williams, PF Chris Bosh, PF LaMarcus Aldridge, PF Darrell Arthur, SG CJ Miles, PF Kenyon Martin, PF Jason Maxiell

It’s rare for one city to produce two NBA All-Stars -- Williams and Bosh -- at the prime of their careers. It’s even rarer for both to have graduated high school in the same year -- 2002. But the strangest part of all is that neither player was the biggest star on his own high-school team. Bosh played in the shadow of Bryan Hopkins on a Lincoln High squad that won the mythical national championship, while Williams was a less heralded recruit than high school teammate Bracey Wright, who starred at Indiana and was a second-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Big Men, Not Perimeter Players, Run The NBA

At SBNation, a look at why super-sized front-lines, not flashy perimeter stars, are the key to a championship:

Since the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol in 2008, they have gone 12-2 in playoff series, either winning the title or losing to the eventual champions. The only two teams that beat them (Boston in 2008, Dallas in 2011) were the only two teams that had the size, length and skill to match the Lakers front-line of Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.

Knowing that the road to a championship went through L.A., the Dallas Mavericks furiously upgraded their front-line in the last two years: adding Brendan Haywood (7'0 with a 7'6 wingspan) and Tyson Chandler (7'1 with a 7'2 wingspan) at center. While many believe the Mavericks blueprint is too unique to replicate, Dallas was following in the footsteps of L.A. and Boston before them: their success revolved around playing two seven-footers nearly the entire game.

LeBron James is the NBA's best player because of his ability to dominate the paint at 6'9 and 270 pounds, and for all the talk of his mental fragility, the blueprint for beating him has been the same for five years now: a mobile and athletic seven-footer who can cut off his usually overpowering drives at the rim. It was Tim Duncan in 2007, Kevin Garnett in 2008, Dwight Howard in 2009, Garnett again in 2010 and Tyson Chandler in 2011.

So while perimeter players dominate the off-season hype and post-season accolades, the road to a championship still goes through the paint. If the last four years have taught us anything, it's this: never underestimate the importance of height and length in a game involving throwing a ball through a ten-foot basket.

Don't Blame College Athletes For Cheating

At PolicyMic, a defense of academic fraud in college athletics:

For many Americans, graduating from a four-year college is neither necessary nor helpful in their chosen line of work. As a result, forcing them to attend classes they don’t want or need to take only encourages cheating. There’s nothing wrong with breaking a morally unjust law, and there’s nothing wrong with cheating if it’s the best way you can ensure your family a shot at breaking out of poverty.

“As it is now, if you want to play football or basketball professionally, you have to go to college even if you have no interest in education. So a young athlete gets someone to take the SAT for him. Or he gets papers written for him,” Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy told the Miami Herald. “They aren’t bad people. They don’t have any less integrity than anyone else. They are caught in a ridiculous system … putting them in a position to have to fake school.”

The easy answer is to blame Rose, Austin, and McAdoo for not working hard in school, but college measures only a few of the nine different types of intelligence. Asking someone who can make a career out of his body/kinesthetic intelligence to pass an unnecessary test of his linguistic and logistical-mathematical ability is no more fair than forcing science Ph.D. students to run a 40-yard dash or bench-press 185 pounds.

Tracy McGrady: The Forgotten Hall of Famer

At RealGM, the last in my series on the NBA's most underrated players: Tracy McGrady, a Hall of Fame talent who resurrected his career in Detroit last season:

An incredibly skilled 6’8 220 perimeter player with a 7’2 wingspan, McGrady was doing many of the same things Kevin Durant now does in Oklahoma City. Except he was a more explosive athlete and a far superior passer.

His teams’ lack of playoff success is often held against him, but it’s not like he didn’t perform on the big stage: he averaged 28.5 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 38 career playoff games. He has the fourth highest career playoff scoring average, behind only Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Jerry West and LeBron James.

He resurfaced in Detroit last season, playing in over 70 games for the first time in four seasons. And while he no longer has the explosive athleticism of his youth, he’s still 6’9 and he’s still an incredibly talented ball-handler, playmaker and shooter.