SLAM PHL 155

The long wait is over for a preview magazine of the 2011-12 NBA season as SLAM PHILIPPINES issue No. 155 finally hit the market last weekend. The said issue has Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder as its coverboy. Also featured are Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Penny Hardaway from the old school, John Wall and the favored teams to win it all this season. Interesting articles on Filipino pros includes James Yap, Jayjay Helterbrand, Kelly Williams, Gabby Espinas and Jeff Chan. The magazine is available at all Fully Booked outlets and other leading bookstores nationwide. Grab a copy now!

I'M BACK!

It was more than two months ago since the last article was posted on this site and to borrow the phrase from the G.O.A.T. some ten years back that shocked the basketball landscape, this writer is proud to say “I’M BACK!”


During that span, I’ve missed writing on a lot of hoop developments both internationally and in the local front. There was the end of the NBA lockout, the start of a compressed 66-game regular season last Christmas day, the pre-mature retirement of young star Brandon Roy, the opening of the 3rd season of the Asean Basketball League (ABL), the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup and so much more.


Well, it seems I have a lot of catching ups to do and for the meantime, it just feels good to be back!

SLAM PHL PRESENTS: KICKS

I finally got my copy of SLAM PHILIPPINES PRESENTS: KICKS (published by Titanomachy Publications, Inc.) last weekend. There were two covers for the first-ever KICKS magazine to be published in the country, Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics and Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors. Added attractions were special PHL hoops articles covering the PBA draft, UAAP and NCAA. Plus write-ups on Kemba Walker, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, Yao Ming, Eric Gordon, Ray Allen, Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, Shawn Kemp and of course, the 400 on-court, off-court and limted edition shoes. SLAM’s Ben Osborne talks on the emergence of cover boy Rondo as the “Big One” in Beantown, according to SLAMONLINE.

“On the court last season, Rondo averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 2.3 steals (the latter two each good for second in the League), firmly establishing that in terms of Boston’s MVP, the “Big Three” now all take a backseat to the “Big One.” And that’s exactly what Rondo is: a big 1, blessed with long arms, serious athleticism and a fine-tuned court sense that allows him to complete plays at both ends of the floor that most PGs wouldn’t even try. As well as LeBron and Wade played at the end of last spring’s Eastern Conference Semis, Celtic fans rightly wonder if things might have gone differently if Rajon hadn’t suffered that gruesome injury in G3.”

SLAM PHL 151 FEATURES J-WASH AND THE MIGHTY MOUSE

Talk N Text  Tropang Texters ever-reliable point guard Jimmy Alapag and injured Petron Blaze Boosters star forward Jay Washington are featured in an interesting article on SLAM PHILIPPINES issue 151 (September 2011) with 20011 NBA finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks on the cover. What makes it a collector’s item is the 2011 NBA Finals special where every game of the recently-concluded best-of-seven series between the eventual champions Mavericks and the Miami Heat were recapped. Also included as part of the finals special was a great article on Mavericks veteran guard Jason Kidd and great photo shots from the 2010-11 season. Plus other great write-ups on Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors, Landry Fields of the New York Knicks, Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz, Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets, hoops legend Dennis Rodman, and UAAP squads De LaSalle Green Archers and the University of the Philippines Maroons. I got my copy last Saturday at the Fully Booked branch in SM Mall of Asia (MOA). It sells at P 200.00 and it's truly worth the price.

HARDCOURT: OFFICIAL PBA ANNUAL (2009-10)

I just got the chance to run over my copy of HARCOURT, the official Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) annual yearbook, 2009-10 edition. My good friend, popular sportswriter and PBA TV analyst Quinito “The Dean” Henson gave me the copy a few months back and I find it a great read. B-MEG Derby Ace Llamados hotshot James Yap, who was last season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), graced the cover of said yearbook, which features interesting articles of Henson, who is a regular columnist for The Philippine Star,  (09-10 season review and Import Report: Vindication for Ace of Diamon (Simpson), and other great PBA writers like Riera Mallari of Standard Today (on former PBA Chairman Lito Alvarez), Gerry Ramos of People’s Journal (2010 PBA Draft), Barry Pascua of Bandera (cover story on Yap), Zean Macamay of People’s Journal (2010 PBA All-Star Festivities), Noli Cortez of Malaya (2010-11 Season Outlook and  PBA Press Corps Awards), Nelson Beltran of The Philippine Star (Alaska Through The Years and Tributes to former commissioner Sonny Barrios and Sta. Lucia Realtors team manager Buddy Encarnado and Player Profiles), and Rickie Santos of Weekly Sports Digest (Team Profiles). A special section in the yearbook is the career achievers and statistical leaders (from 1975-2010). Over-all, the yearbook is truly a must-have for every serious hoops fanatic.

DIME MAGAZINE NO. 64

My good friend, the hardworking Philpost HR Officer, Ms. Luz Valdez, who just got home fresh from a week of official business in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, bought me a copy of the latest edition of DIME Magazine No. 64 (May/June 2011 issue). In case you do not know, DIME, along with SLAM, are the two most-highly respected monthly hoop publications. For the May/June issue, the Oklahoma City Thunder's dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the coverboys with special coverage on NBA draft 2011 hopefuls such as Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson and the sweet-shooting Jimmer Fredette. Also featured is high school sensation Austin Rivers, who was named as DIME/2K SPORTS prep player of the year. DIME Magazine Managing Editor Aaron Phillips says the NBA lockout maybe be a big issue in the coming months, but lockout or no lockout, the Thunder duo of Durant and Westbrook remains the best one-two punch in the league. 

“To be honest, we don’t know what the NBA will look like by the time the issue following this one hits newstands. For all we know, the lockout will be in full effect and half the league will be headed overseas to join Alen Iverson, Stephon Marbury and Ricky Davis. But what we do know is that when play resumes – whether that’s October, November, December, or beyond – the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be leading the pack.”

TNT’S JASON CASTRO IS ON SLAM PHL 150

A Jason from a champion team is featured in the second issue of SLAM PHILIPPINES. Nope, it is not Jason Kidd nor Jason Terry of the 2011 NBA champions Dallas Mavericks but this season’s two-time PBA finals co-MVP (along with teammate Jimmy Alapag), Jason Castro of the Talk N Text Tropang Texters. The diminutive guard from the Philippine Christian University (PCU), who once played as an import for the Singapore Slingers, was instrumental in the Tropang Texters’ title runs in the Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, respectively. Castro coupled with previews of the 2011 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seasons are the local articles in SLAM PHL No. 150 issue (August 2011). The said issue is a special collectors edition which features the ultimate look back at the greatest players, moments, pics and more of the SLAM era. The cover boy is no other Allen Iverson, who had an interesting exclusive interview story. Of course, there is the G.O.A.T. himself, Michael Jordan. I just got my copy today at the Fully Booked branch in Mall of Asia (MOA) and I swear, it is worth the price.

SLAM PHL EDITION IS FINALLY HERE!

Believe it or not, SLAM Magazine, which is widely considered the b-ball bible of hoop junkies, has its Philippine edition now. The maiden issue of the PHL edition is the July 2011 or the issue number 149, which had the up-and-coming high school stars Michael GilChrist, Austin Rivers and Anthony Davis on the cover. Filipino flavor is truly evident with a small Philippine flag seen on the banner of the cover. The said issue also features interesting articles on Filipino college star Kiefer Ravena, the Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas and Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings all-star Ronald Tubid. The good thing with the PHL edition is that it has all the contents of the current US edition and it sells a lot lower at Php 200.00 a copy compared to the Php 450.00 for the US edition. I got my copy yesterday at Fully Booked store in Mall of Asia. SLAM Philippines editor-in-chief Dong Magsajo is truly excited with the many positive things that the localized version of SLAM can bring to Filipino hoop fans.

“Well, SLAM PHILIPPINES is the localized version of the world’s best basketball magazine. And we sure as hell have no intention of making it anything other than the world’s best basketball magazine- except, this iteration will have more local flavor.”

PACIFIC RIMS: ONE GREAT HOOPS BOOK

I woke up this morning feeling a bit under the weather, so I decided to skip work and rest my aching body. But instead of having a restful day, I got glued in finishing the book entitled “Pacific Rims” by certified American hoop junkie Rafe Batholomew. I swear that once you get a hand on it, it will be very difficult to put it down. Through the years, I have read countless basketball books but this one is something special maybe it’s because this 384-page hardcover wonder touches everything about the rich history of Philippine hoops. What made it really interesting is that the author chronicled his inputs on the behind-the-scenes in following a championship season with PBA’s Alaska Milk Aces, which happens to be my fave local pro club (after the disbandment of the fabled Toyota Super Corollas squad). The locker-room heated confrontation between the Aces head coach Tim Cone and his prized-import Rosell Ellis during halftime of game five of Alaska’ run towards the PBA Fiesta Conference title in 2007 was really one the highlights of Bartholomew’s masterpiece.

Ellis: “Fuck that! You ain’t got shit! You guys (coaching staff) just stand there collecting a check. What are you guys here for? You don’t say nothing! When a guy comes out the game, tell him what he did wrong or tell him what he needs to do. Don’t just be sitting there. That’s what the goddamn fans are for!”

Cone: “Fuck you Roe!” (Cone shouted, defending his staff, and from there the two faced off in an obscenity-riddled, two-minute tete-a-tete as the Filipino players and assistant coaches, most of whom adhered to cultural values of saving face and eschewing confrontation, watched in horror.)

Ellis: “Yeah, get the fuck out of here! Run, you pussies!”

Cone: (Even though Cone agreed with Roe’s analysis of the game, the coach couldn’t allow a player to challenge him.) “He (Ellis) painted me into a corner where I have to come out swinging. If I don’t, I could lose whatever respect I have with the rest of the players.”

SLAM 148 AND HOOP 0304

I got myself copies today of SLAM 148 (June 2011) and HOOP 0304 (March/April 2011) issues and I swear both magazines are full of slambang articles regarding the ongoing playoffs. Both magazines were courtesy of my wife’s cousin, Jomar De Guzman of Virginia Beach, Virginia, who took time to subscribe me to these two precious b-ball publications. It feels good to have the SLAM 148 considering that no said issue was available in the Philippines due to the reported transfer of distribution rights. My sincere thanks again to Jomar.

“The pre-season buzz about the Heat (cover 1, southeast part of the US, subscribers, foreign copies) focused on over-the-top celebrations, 60-plus wins and possible favorite status in the East. Now we’re supposed to think of them as a work in progress? Ryan Jones explores what to make of the season’s most debated team.”   

“I always make it a point to avoid writing too much about the Knicks. Since my almost 10 years at HOOP, I’ve tried to let my fandom go, be more objective and even-handed in our coverage of the League. Through the years, the memories of the Knicks have eroded or gone deeper in the recesses of my brain, rarely ever coming to surface. And it’s been over the last 10 years. While it is true that I have to walk past the Garden everyday to and from work and I have to attend Knicks games from time to time, it’s been really easy to put aside the team that inspired me to spent a good chunk of my school years sketching re-imagined Knicks logos, fantasizing about a LeBron-like talent running alongside Patrick Ewing and obsessing over finding the perfect Knicks cap. It’s been easy because since I’ve plied my trade here, the team has been terrible. They’ve never had a winning record and their best showing was 39-win season in ’03-04. They’ve been through seven coaches and just two All-Stars.”

MORE B-BALL BOOKS

Recently, popular PhilStar columnist and a good friend of mine, Quinito “The Dean” Henson, gave me two great books, “The 2010-11 Official NBA Guide” and “The 2010-11 Official NBA Register.” These two books can be considered the ultimate companions of a true-blooded NBA follower throughout this season. The NBA Guide is called the ultimate NBA almanac. It is full of statistics for all 30 teams which reviews the 2009-10 regular season plus team-by-team history, records covering the regular season, playoffs, the finals and all-star game. Year-by-year reviews, league addresses, team directories, schedules, games on TV and radio, the NBA D-League and WNBA can all be found on this 460-pages of paperback wonder.

“Reviews of every season in NBA history, including stats and standings. Day-by-day schedules, including television games and radio broadcasts. Yearly breakdown of all NBA award winners, leaders and champions. Complete team-by-team historical look at yearly results, coaches and draft picks. All-time regular season and playoff single-game best performances. Other records and more!”

*****

On the other hand, the NBA Register touches on individual player profiles plus coaches in the league. The book is consist of 440 pages of biography of veteran players, promising newcomers, head coaches, all-time great players and coaches plus career game highs and statistical leaders. A really must-have for a big-time NBA fan.

“Bios on every player in the league: NBA, college and international statistics. Draft position, awards, records, transactions and career highlights, all-star and postseason stats plus special sections on promising newcomers and all-time great players and coaches.”

CELTICS AND LEBRON BOOKS

I got myself two interesting basketball books over the weekend. I finally nailed down the one which I have been searching for in the past three years, “Top Of The World, (The inside story of the Boston Celtics’ amazing one-year turnaround to become NBA Champions)” by Peter May. It is a well-chronicled masterpiece by May, who covers the Celtics for both the Boston Globe and Hartford Courant, of the Beantown outfit in their magnificent run towards their 17^th championship banner, their first title after 22 years.

“In TOP OF THE WORLD, Peter May chronicles the amazing run of the Boston Celtics, who went from having the second-worst record in 2007 to leading the pack in 2008 and demolished the Los Angeles Lakers for their league-leading seventeenth NBA championship.”

*****    

The second book was “King James (Believe the Hype), The LeBron James Story”, written by Ryan Jones. The former editor-in-chief of SLAM Magazine revealed some interesting facts in the incredible rise of one of the most celebrated players in NBA history from his early beginnings in his hometown of Akron, Ohio all the way to his becoming the top pick over-all in the 2003 rookie draft. It is a must read for every big fan of the Miami Heat charismatic star forward.

“LeBron James is a six-foot eight gift from the basketball heavens. He was the undisputed finest high school player in America. He was the one NBA scouts drooled over, corporations dreamed of, event promoters begged for, and now fans clamor after. Never before had a high school basketball player been so highly touted or an eighteen-year-old athlete been the subject of such fascination. Maybe no basketball player in the world has had that level of attention.”

ALL-BLAKE GRIFFIN SHOW

(SLAM Photo)

Was it really meant to be? Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers is the cover boy of both magazines, which my wife, Lorna, gifted me today via a friend who had just arrived from a China/ Hong Kong trip. The rookie sensation dominated the issues of the two most prestigious hoop magazines in the US, SLAM (147) and DIME (62). Seldom does one see a newbie on those covers but it seems that the “Griffin Phenomena” is simply too hard to resist. The 6-10 wonder boy and former University of Oklahoma standout is a lock to win the Rookie of the Year honors which will add up to his NBA Slam Dunk title he won last February during the All-Star Weekend. He also saw action in both the Rookie-Sophomore game as well as in the main event, the All-Star outing itself at Staples Center. He is currently submitting norms of 22.4 ppg and 12.0 rpg in 74 appearances so far with the Clippers. Griffin is being hailed by many as the future of the NBA. No doubt about it!

DIME NO. 62: “It takes more than just dunks, however, to attain the acclaim Blake Griffin has reached halfway through his first NBA campaign. It’s becoming a 20-and-10 machine night after night, and putting the Clippers back on the map, and assuming the role as the next in line to run his town like Michael Corleone after the current Godfather, Don Kobe, steps down. That’s why Blake is here, and why he’s on the front page of this book.

“That much we do know. The rest of the story? Still waiting to be written. And that’s the fun part.”

SLAM NO. 147: “Still raw and on the upwards slope of his learning curve, Blake Griffin is currently fun to hang with and impossibly fun to watch play. According to a slew of knowledgeable people, given time and opportunity, Blake Griffin may soon be impossible to guard, too.

“He’s got the ingredients to be great, to be a champion,” Clippers assistant coach Marc Iavaroni said. “His drive and natural ability encompasses everything.”

“Aside from a Griffin cover story that delves deeper into some of the things I touched on in this post, SLAM 147 is jam-packed full of other goodness. It all starts with the alternate cover story on Amar’e Stoudemire and ends with an exclusive Tim Duncan Q+A, a Michael Beasley/Kevin Love joint feature, a dose of basketball in China with Alan Paul, a Jared Sullinger profile and plenty of the usual college, high school and NBA goodness.

“So, feel free to cop Blake Griffin’s first SLAM cover.”

2010-11 BOSTON CELTICS YEARBOOK

My good friend and a co-member in the Celtics Philippines e-group from Boston, Massachusetts, Ollie Olivenza, sent me a copy of the 2010-11 Boston Celtics Official Yearbook a couple of weeks ago. It has a great cover and is really a must read for anyone who is truly a diehard fan of the NBA’s winningest team. Profiles of team executives and current players are featured in the said annual magazine including individual and team records during the 2009-10 season and as well as all-time records of the Beantown franchise. Thank you once again, Ollie, UBUNTU!

A THOUSAND THANKS

This is my 1,000th article posted in Boyet’s Hoops-Watch,  a blogsite which started last June 2010 and dedicated to all basketball diehards. How fast time really flies. And as an assurance, yours truly will continue to come up with more interesting hoop articles and videos in the next 1,000 posts. Thank you very much to all readers of Boyet’s Hoops-Watch around the globe. God Bless us all.

B-BALL MAGAZINES EXTRAVAGANZA

Today is a special day for me as my wife finally got back home after a two-week official trip in Fuyong China. And as expected, she brought me home five amazing magazines which I told her to lookout for at the Hong Kong International Airport. She got me the SLAM No. 145 (March 2011) issue featuring Rajon Rondo on the cover, HOOP January/February 2011 issue with the new crop of emerging NBA point guards like Rondo, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Brandon Jennings, Aaron Brooks, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry and John Wall as cover boys and the December 2010/January 2011 issue of DIME Magazine with Chris Paul on the cover. Additionally, she also bought me the official magazines of CHELSEA (February 2011 issue) and (Tottenham) HOTSPUR (January 2011 issue) of the English Premier League Football, respectively.

SLAM’s  Khalid Salaam wrote about the current issue:

“Based upon the players there I had my assumptions, but after going to a Celtics game and seeing it up close I know it for a fact now: The Celtics are the most entertaining team in the League. I’m not talking about on and off the court. The locker room (which, btw, is physically small compared to others I’ve been in) is basically a comedy show. Dudes clowning each other on music or clothes choices, media members laughing as much as interviewing (Glen Davis is remarkably funny—he is very candid to say the least.) and just an overall lack of formality makes it an interesting place. Included in this are the Celtic team employees.

“For instance, there’s a bathroom to the left of the media dining room with a broken door (it could be fixed now but it was broke in December). So I’m in there washing my hands before dinner (I’m civilized like that) and I reach for the door and it doesn’t turn. So I’m like, OK, it must be still locked. It wasn’t. Well maybe I didn’t turn it hard enough, so I tried again. Nothing. So I pull on it. Nothing. I turn and pull with extra strength. Nothing. There’s a bunch of people outside the door and I’m trying to maintain a sense of dignity and not just wild out so I stop and wait for about 3 or 4 seconds. Now I’m pulling the door with all my might, I mean straight trying to pull this joint off its hinges hard. I’m cursing too. And I’m loud at that. Remember I finished washing my hands a good 2-3 minutes ago and I’m stuck inside a bathroom at the TD BankNorth Garden. Then I hear a voice from outside the door. “Turn the door knob all the way to the right and then let me push.”

“So I do it. Nothing. Then the guy says, “Did you turn I all the way?”

“I’m like “YEAH! What’s up with this door?”

“He tells me to try again. This time it opens and he explains that “it happens sometimes” and that “it’s a good thing it wasn’t later at night when there’s less people around.”

“How can this happen? I responded by saying “this is a multi-million dollar arena, this is madness!” and then he said “NO! THIS ..IS ..BOSTON!!!”

“He didn’t really say that last part but that’s what he felt like to me. So I go into the media dining area and sat down at a table with a woman who works for the Celtics media relations dept who told me she’s been with the team ever since that classic triple OT game in 1976 against the Suns. I was less than a year old when that happened so of course I was fascinated and asked her a bunch of questions, to which she showed great kindness and remarkable memory retention by answering all of them. Her only question for me was what was the difference between writing and blogging (I told her it’s money). I forgot her name but she said she would look out for the Rondo issue on newsstands. I hope she does, she was really cool. I like old people if you haven’t guessed.

“So I get up to get another glass of Sprite when Kendrick Perkins rolls in real regular like. He was in line making jokes about the food, which wasn’t readily available since the Garden has changed vendors. For some reason that I didn’t totally understand the new food vendor didn’t have any food ready for pre-game dining so everyone was restless. Perkins was pretty funny and apparently always comes in and makes jokes. I’ve been to a lot of games and a lot of media dining rooms. I’ve never, ever seen players come in there before. A cart of candy bars and corn chips comes out and all the NESN, WEEI, and ESPN people go hard for it. I join them and take two Kit-Kats to my arena seat.

“I say this all to reiterate what an interesting team this is. KG, Shaq, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Nate Robinson all give good quotes. So does Coach Rivers and even Rondo, whose rep for being quiet has to be taken into context. With that locker room anyone can seem quiet. But when I interviewed him, he was fairly talkative.

“We talked about his prep days—“In HS I pretty much dominated bball in Kentucky. I mean, you know, not that I got all types of records or anything but I challenged myself everyday.” (We both laughed after he said “dominated”, that’s why he backtracked a little.)

“His time at the university of Kentucky—“My proudest moments at Kentucky? I don’t have just one but I appreciate the relationships I had with the other guys. We really had a lot fun playing bball but off the court we had great times…guys like Randolph Morris, Joe Crawford, Patrick Sparks, all those guys.”

“And what it’s like to be a leader of a team with this much personality—“I don’t think you have to have great camaraderie to win a championship but it helps a lot to get along. You don’t have to do these things but we go out to eat together, we go to the mall together, just little things we do off the court. Every different city we go places together. We play cards together, we don’t gamble though (again we both but out laughing after his gambling clarification. He says everything with sort of a deadpan delivery, so for a microsecond you’re not sure he’s joking but then he laughs so it’s obvious. I get the sense that Rondo is aware of his quiet rep and though it doesn’t bother him, he wants people to know that he can be funny when he wants to be), we just do fun things on the plane. We all understand each other and we come from similar backgrounds. Its like being with your brothers.”

“I purposely didn’t ask about his injury situation, which was newsworthy then and moreso a couple of games later. I just didn’t care really. Nor did I ask him about the Heat (which one reporter did to Robinson post-game, which created yet another funny moment) nor about the age of his teammates. All of these have been asked a thousand times. I no more want to ask then they want to answer. While writing this story I watched a lot of Celtics games (and listened to the new Cee-Lo joint and the instrumental of “Devil In A New Dress”) and was initially surprised they didn’t struggle more but good teams often can withstand not having a key player for a few games. A prolonged absence though, diminishes this team greatly. I saw last night that he had 16 assists and that’s certainly a good sign. This Celtics team is a team that’s hard to dislike. They energy and skill in which they play on both sides of the court makes them fun to watch. I have no predictions about the playoffs in early January but I will say that with the Magic reloaded and Lebron and Wade vying for the 1st ever Co-MVP Award, the Eastern Conference should be fun to watch in the next few months.

“One thing on a different topic for all my fellow Eagles fans (GREEN AND SILVER!, GREEN AND SILVER!), who have been through a crazy year. I predicted a 6-10, 7-9 type of year. So 10-6 is awesome and I think we’ll beat Green Bay but as I told Ben recently, after that I just don’t know. Yes the skills positions are great, but this isn’t 7-on-7 football. We’re not Super Bowl worthy. You have to have non-skill position locked down at this time of the year. And the Eagles don’t. Shaky LB’s, we don’t have a Tight End on the roster who can run block consistently, our offensive tackles are up and down, with Allen out our secondary is weak and lately Vick can’t pick up the hot read. So again if we beat the Pack (no small feat because Rodgers is sick but if we stifle the run game we should beat them) that’s all I can really ask.

“However, after GB, we would play Atlanta. At the GA DOME. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Same thing Lang is thinking.

“Green and Silver…..Green and Silver….”

SLAM ISSUE NO. 144

Happy New Year 2011 to all and what a better way to start it with a copy of the so-called monthly hoops bible, SLAM Issue No. 144 (February 2011). I got mine today courtesy of my wife’s cousin, Jomar De Guzman of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The cover of said issue is the number one pick over-all in the NBA draft last June, John Wall of the Washington Wizards. Also featured are Lebron James, Clipper monster boy Blake Griffin, D-Will, Kevin (Mr. 30-30) Love, Evan Turner, Luis Scola, Darren Collison, Robin Lopez, DJ Agustin, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and the late Manute Bol. Lang Whitaker of SLAM says Wall is just playing awesomely in his rookie season.

“Whenever a new issue of SLAM is dropping, we do a post here on SLAMonline that we call the “On Sale Now…” post, meaning the issue is on sale now. Duh. Today is my turn to write one of these posts, because I wrote the cover story for SLAM 144. This issue is actually going to be available a few days from now, but we wanted to drop it before the holidays.

We’re actually going to debut the cover live this afternoon on NBA.com on The Jump, the show that airs live on NBA.com at 1 PM and then re-airs a few hours later on NBA TV. (I’m in Atlanta sitting in today on “The Jump” and then doing my regular spot on “The Beat.”) Once the video goes online, we’ll link it up here.

“Anyway, about this cover. You may have noticed that one of the best rookies thus far this season has beenJohn Wall down in DC. He’s leading the entire League in steals, he’s fourth in assists (well, he was earlier today), and he’s generally playing about as awesomely as we at SLAM suspected that he would.

“We shot John down in DC earlier in the month, and I went down for the shoot and to interview John. He talks fast, and it wasn’t until a couple of days later when I was listening to the interview that I was struck by how much John’s voice reminded me of another NBA player: lower than you’d expect, a little bit of a Southern accent. A few days later I asked my main man Michael Lee at the Washington Post, and he agreed. It wasn’t just me—Wall sounds a little bit like Allen Iverson.

“It’s not just the voice, or the fearlessness or the creativity, or John becoming the new face of Reebok. More than anything, Wall reminds me of AI because of his speed. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone as fast with the ball as John Wall. Earlier this season, at the end of the first half in the Wizards loss to Cleveland, Wall was trying to score before the clock ran down. Wall took an inbounds pass and went end to end with two dribbles, taking just over 2 seconds. Before the Draft, Wall was tested by ESPN’s Sports Science program, and they found Wall was able to react to a light trigger in 253 milliseconds, which is faster than a cheetah at top speed takes a single stride. Josh Smith called him “a blur,” Lou Williams called him “a rocket.”

“For all of Wall’s physical gifts, he still has room to improve, and he knows it. Teams early this season have regularly been going under picks against him, daring him to take midrange jumpers. John has mostly been passing up the shots, instead sharing the ball and perhaps even overpassing. But the Wiz and Wall have been working diligently to remedy this, mostly by having Wall do drills led by Wiz assistant coach Sam Cassell. And if there was ever a guy who dominated in the midrange game, it was Sam Cassell — I once wrote that when Cassell was done playing, instead of retiring his number, teams should retire a spot on the court about 16 feet from the basket on the free throw line extended.

“Wall seems to be embracing the coaching and working hard to improve. “I got goals,” Wall said. “Hopefully win Rookie of the Year, that’s everybody’s goal. I want to keep developing, improve my jump shot and prove I can make it so people will stop going under screens. Keep learning as much as I can, prepare every day, get better every day. Watch film. Listen to Coach Saunders, Sam Cassell, listen to all the coaches I can. See how teams are going to guard me so I’ll know how other teams will try and guard me. But the main focus is really the team goal. I really want to see what we can do as a team.”

“He’s going to improve. But for now, he’s all speed. And that’s pretty dope to watch.

“There’s a lot of great stuff in this issue, from a great old school piece on Manute Bol to…oh, right, I’m here to talk about the cover.

“So here’s John Wall’s first NBA SLAM cover. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing plenty more as the years roll on…”

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FROM BOYET'S HOOPS-WATCH!!!

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FROM BOYET'S HOOPS-WATCH!!!

THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO PHILIPPINE TV

As recent as 15 years ago, the NBA game can be seen on Philippine TV a week delayed. During the 70’s and 80’s, the delayed telecast was three months. Nine years ago, Solar TV came in and brought the game on a same day telecast in 2001. The evolution reached a first in local TV history when Solar TV came up with the Basketball TV (BTV) channel on cable TV in 2006. BTV carried a daily game live with replays during primetime. There were even days when BTV covers a double-header live especially during the premier week of the NBA season. Last November, Solar TV introduced the first 24/7 NBA channel in local TV history with the NBA Premium TV. NBA diehard fans in the country can now enjoy at least three same day games daily (live or taped) with encore telecast during primetime. Surely, this is the greatest thing that ever happened to the NBA-crazed Filipino fans. We are truly lucky indeed considering that most of the people in the US do not enjoy such privilege. Thank you very much, Solar Entertainment. 

“NBA Premium is an exclusive local simulcast of the American channel NBA TV. The entire roster of recent   shows - from studio programs to live and game recaps - are shot and broadcast in 1080i HD. Older games   not available in HD will be shown in stylized pillarboxes. At NBA Premium, fanatics can look forward to tons of exclusive content - from behind-the-scenes features and all-access programming designed to keep them at the top of the game. 

“Subscribers will be able to catch a unique roster of over 400 regular season games. The channel will also   show marquee match-ups such as the Opening Week, Christmas Day games and special events (such as   the All-Star Weekend and Playoffs) - all in eye-popping HD, of course. 

“During the offseason, NBA Premium will continue to give fans their daily dose of hoops.    Expect action from the Summer League Games, Women’s Basketball Association, and other awesome events on the utra-packed NBA calendar.”