Playoffs time and other reflections
The name is LUOL DENG… he’s all over the place. Sudanese born, English risen, Duke educated, starring in a Chicago Bulls uniform, his name appears even in English newspapers and websites (he has the English nationality), and no one plays basketball in this country and no one really cares… except for my Greek-Cypriot mates on Saturday mornings probably… Luol all of a sudden has become a star in the NBA and has been hailed as the new leader of a very talented Chicago Bulls team, following his stellar performance in dethroning last year’s champion, the Miami Heat.
Which makes you wonder… all those specialists who cover professional basketball in the USA, do they even WATCH the players? I saw Luol during just two games in college, with Duke, in the college Final Four, 3 years ago. You could see he was going to be a stud! Athletic, tall, with a sweet jumper, smart, rarely making a bad decision. He was picked 7th as a Freshman, in a quality 2004 draft, which included the likes of Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, his teammate Ben Gordon, Shaun Livingston, Al Jefferson, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith… This year, in the Playoffs, he finally has taken his game to the next level, humbly but steadily, proving everyone who thought he was the real deal right. He’s not up there, yet, but he is already a very good player in a very competitive league.
The thing is, and even more now that the draft is approaching, that you have to wonder how GM’s and specialists can misjudge talent so badly in a sport that moves millions and millions of US$. It is crazy. Not that being picked 7th is misjudging talent, especially in a loaded draft crop, but all this sudden "wow, Luol can actually play..." comments leave me gutted. There’s certain players, that after watching them for one or two games, you know they are special… and you could tell with Luol.
So the question is, if a random fan, who gets to watch very few college and NBA games throughout the season (I set my alarm at 4am to watch Dallas vs. GSW the other night and couldn’t get out of bed…) can judge talent like this, pretty easily in certain cases, it is not because this token fan is a genius or anything, but more because there’s things that jump in your eyes! And if everyone is surprised now that Deng is kicking a$$, well, then people have not done their homework. Sometimes, like in real life, it’s in the eyes, in the body control, in the pose… that you know you’ve found the real deal... and too often do decision makers in professional sports just not make the right picks.
Which makes you wonder… all those specialists who cover professional basketball in the USA, do they even WATCH the players? I saw Luol during just two games in college, with Duke, in the college Final Four, 3 years ago. You could see he was going to be a stud! Athletic, tall, with a sweet jumper, smart, rarely making a bad decision. He was picked 7th as a Freshman, in a quality 2004 draft, which included the likes of Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, his teammate Ben Gordon, Shaun Livingston, Al Jefferson, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith… This year, in the Playoffs, he finally has taken his game to the next level, humbly but steadily, proving everyone who thought he was the real deal right. He’s not up there, yet, but he is already a very good player in a very competitive league.
The thing is, and even more now that the draft is approaching, that you have to wonder how GM’s and specialists can misjudge talent so badly in a sport that moves millions and millions of US$. It is crazy. Not that being picked 7th is misjudging talent, especially in a loaded draft crop, but all this sudden "wow, Luol can actually play..." comments leave me gutted. There’s certain players, that after watching them for one or two games, you know they are special… and you could tell with Luol.
So the question is, if a random fan, who gets to watch very few college and NBA games throughout the season (I set my alarm at 4am to watch Dallas vs. GSW the other night and couldn’t get out of bed…) can judge talent like this, pretty easily in certain cases, it is not because this token fan is a genius or anything, but more because there’s things that jump in your eyes! And if everyone is surprised now that Deng is kicking a$$, well, then people have not done their homework. Sometimes, like in real life, it’s in the eyes, in the body control, in the pose… that you know you’ve found the real deal... and too often do decision makers in professional sports just not make the right picks.
Oh, and now that we are here, watch out for this guy, Brandon Rush hi. I saw him in one game this spring with Kansas and he is projected as a second round pick, which is cfrazy given his athletic ability and instincts. Rush will be good, but as usual his talent will have been underrated, if he ends up being picked in the second round… I’m just saying...
Some other quick reflections:
Was in Paris this weekend and had my first ice cream of the season in the Ile St. Louis. Raspberry and… WILD STRAWBERRY, I am telling you, an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Wild Strawberries must be the most underrated fruit in the World. They are just delicious. Apart from that, I had an “interesting” food experience in a typical Lyonnais restaurant, including some Quenelle (Knoedel)… the wine was probably the best thing but hey, I even tried some white cheese with olive oil, which didn’t taste much like cheese, but still it is an improvement, considering my non-eating-cheese record through all these years. It must have been the first time in my life, I tried it voluntarily!!! Also went to Hotel Costes close to Place Vendome, an awesome place for a drink I have to admit... and had a late drink in the square of the Louvre, which I thought would actually look cooler without the Pyramid, on Friday night. Really special and great temperature. Sometimes, when I´m down there, in Paris, it´s like everything stops and the World is perfect, honestly!!!
Some other quick reflections:
Was in Paris this weekend and had my first ice cream of the season in the Ile St. Louis. Raspberry and… WILD STRAWBERRY, I am telling you, an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Wild Strawberries must be the most underrated fruit in the World. They are just delicious. Apart from that, I had an “interesting” food experience in a typical Lyonnais restaurant, including some Quenelle (Knoedel)… the wine was probably the best thing but hey, I even tried some white cheese with olive oil, which didn’t taste much like cheese, but still it is an improvement, considering my non-eating-cheese record through all these years. It must have been the first time in my life, I tried it voluntarily!!! Also went to Hotel Costes close to Place Vendome, an awesome place for a drink I have to admit... and had a late drink in the square of the Louvre, which I thought would actually look cooler without the Pyramid, on Friday night. Really special and great temperature. Sometimes, when I´m down there, in Paris, it´s like everything stops and the World is perfect, honestly!!!
... back to hoops before I get too emotional. Now this is a fan base!! Warriors crowd going mental in their 4th game win against the Mavericks. Watch the final seconds. Thoroughly enjoyed this one. :) I JUST HOPE THE GSW KNOCK OUT DALLAS TONIGHT, PLEASE, PLEASEEEEEEEEE.
Baron Davis... Playoffs MVP of Superstar wannabe?
You ate cheese. I told you, I warned you. Next you´ll be defending the CAP , demanding a more social model (one where nobody does anything), and getting used to see streets littered with rubbish...
Oh là là!
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3:57 am