ADEDS All-Stars: 'OG Russell Westbrook'

Steve Francis was ahead of his time in this

Francis had all the tools of today's top PGs.

'attack mode' PG era. The former Maryland Terrapins guard was not highly recruited and played at two junior colleges before exploding onto the scene in College Park, MD in 1998. Francis was selected No. 2 overall in that draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies and traded to Houston, where he would spend his first five seasons. He turned the ball over way too much, and perhaps the physical nature of his style of play didn't allow him to have longterm NBA success, but was a prolific scoring guard nonetheless.  Francis, the 2000 NBA Rookie of the Year, made the Western Conference All-Star team three times (2002-2004) in his career and, in comparison, his numbers for first five years for the Rockets are right there with current beast-mold guards Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.

FIRST FIVE SEASONS:

Derrick Rose, CHI 08-14: 20.8ppg, 3.8rpg, 6.8apg, 0.9stls, 2.9tov

Russell Westbrook, OKC 08-13: 19.9ppg, 4.8rpg, 6.9apg, 1.6stls, 3.5tov

Steve Francis, HOU 99-04: 19.3ppg, 6.1rpg, 6.4apg, 1.6stls, 3.7tov

Throwbackz: 'The Shot'

Imagine if, after winning another chip this year, LeBron James left the NBA to go and try to play football...then comes back from that hiatus, only to win THREE MORE CHIPS...that's the only way he could ever replicate Michael Jeffrey Jordan's GREATNESS.

Throwbackz: Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball

Posted on the All Day E'ry Day Sportz Facebook page 11/21/12...

 

Few were better.  None did it with more swagger.

I would like to give a big S/O to ADEDS legendary All-Star, and future MLB HOFer, George Kenneth Griffey, Jr. on his 43rd birthday. JUNIOR is to baseball what JERRY RICE is to football--you will be hard-pressed to find someone that says they didn't like him or the way he played the game. Swagger just dripped off THE KID in every facet imaginable...from the sway in his batting stance, and subsequent silky smooth swing, to the gazelle like grace he ran with in the outfield, right before he leapt in the air at the centerfield wall to calmly rob a home run...no question, Griffey was slicker than a Cadillac on ice...not to mention, he came out with possibly THE BEST baseball video game of all-time and had a dope a$$ movie cameo...no one nowaday is really fckn with that...SALUTE!
-Mr. AllDayEryDay

 

 

Throwbackz: '8 Worst Cornrows In Sports History'

8. Rasheed Wallace

I like Sheed.  And these 'rows ain't that bad.  But this is a case of 'mid-life crisis 'rows' because no one in their right mind and over the age of 35 should have cornrows.  Just wondering how he pulled that off with the bald-spot in the back?

7. Brandon Jennings

Why not just stick with the high-top fade?

6. Amar'e Stoudemire

Amar'e is one of the most fashionable players in the NBA.  He rocks the Buddy Holly-style glasses goggles that look alot cooler than the goofy Coke-bottle ones Horace Grant used to wear.  But it's 2012.  Why bring back the cornrows Amar'e?  One poor decision usually leads to . . . another poor decision.

5. Bronson Arroyo

White guys are always walking a fine line when it comes to donning Black styled fashions, and cornrows are no different.  These 'rows ain't that bad . . . they just don't look as cool on this guy.  But they look better than this next guy . . .

4. David Beckham

Cornrows are an urban-American style.  So when a upperclass-European rocks them, it just makes you wanna cringe.  Plus, white-boy 'rows don't last but a day or two because their hair is too straight (the only historical advantage of having nappy hair is that its good to braid) and they have to take the blonde highlights out first because you gets no street cred for Garnier Nutrisse 'rows.

3. Jerry Rice

The NFL's G.O.A.T. with a bad case of mid-life crisis rows.  Not only did it hurt to see #80 rockin' the black and silver after a HOF career with the 49ers, these receding hairline cornrows left alot to be desired.  Good thing he wore a helmet most of the time.

2. Brad Miller

Good Christ, Brad Miller.  Good fckin' Christ.

1. Kimbo Slice

These were either gonna be the best cornrows of all-time or the worst ever, because there is just no middle-ground with these.  Maybe the best because, it takes some kinda balls to have cornrows when you have more hair on your face and chest than you do on your head, but you get the head hair 'rowed anyway.  But that's a big goddamn maybe.

Throwbackz: '8 Worst Dunk Contest Performers of All-Time'

Why in Allah's name was M.A.R. in a dunk contest? 

8 - Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf - 1993
- Chris Jackson had hops, but he was known as a shooter. I think even he was surprised he got invited.  And he couldn't have been too encouraged of his chances seeing he had to follow two-time champion Harold Miner.


7 - Darrell Armstrong - 1996
- I liked Armstrong's toughness as a player, and he dunked hard when he got some momentum going, but if your repertoire consists of three, maybe four dunks, you do not belong in the NBA dunk contest.


6 - Tony Dumas - 1995
-You know things didn't go well when you have to pretend you hurt your knee . . .

5 - Antonio Harvey - 1995
- Classic case of biting off more than you can chew . . . starts off good @ 1:24 . . . but ends miserably @ 1:46 . . . Shaq's face says it all.


4 - Joshua Treadway - 1985
- Here's all you need to know about Treadway's chances of winning the contest in '85; a list of the other participants: Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Larry Nance, Darrell Griffith, and Clyde Drexler.


If you squint, Barry looks a little like Blake Griffin.



 3 - Brent Barry - 1996

- Reverse affirmative action winner here.  Barry completed the most bland free-throw line dunk in basketball history and won the award because all the other contestants were either lame dunkers (see, Darrell Armstrong, Doug Christie) or did hard dunks but with no creativity (Michael Finley). 

2 - Nate Robinson - 2006
- I know he's the only player to win the dunk contest three times, and he's a fine little man baller and off-the-bench point guard, but as far as I'm concerned, 2006 was the beginning of the end of the contest for me.  Philadelphia 76ers guard Andre Iguoudala should have won the contest, as he hammered through a variety of impressive dunks with deft ease and fluidity.  Meanwhile, it took Robinson 14 tries to complete his final dunk, which took about nine minutes of realtime.  It was probably the most painful nine minutes of my basketball watching life.

1 - Jeremy Evans - 2012
- In the year of surprises, so far this has been the least exciting one.  He wasn't even supposed to be in the contest; he replaced New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, who has been nursing an injury.  And let's face it, replacing Evans for Shumpert in a dunk contest is like trading in a '99 Ford Taurus for a 2001 Hyundai Elantra . . . Granted, he did have one dunk that was impressive, his first dunk, where he decided to wear a camera on his headband so people can 'see what he sees' when he's dunking was a FAIL of epic proportions.  On the actual dunk, I'm not sure if he got more than a foot off the ground.  And then he hung on the rim and spun around so as to add to the camera effect.  Lame.  They should not have allowed him to continue to participate after that.

Throwbackz: NBA On TV

Hold it down, Walton! Hold it downnn!

No offense to Tommy Heinsohn, a Boston Celtic's legend as a player and a broadcaster, but I'll take Bill Walton's color commentary over Tommy's any day of the week.  Let's face it; Tommy's analysis of basketball has been reduced to saying the C's have to "pound it inside" or "get to the rim" on offense, and on defense he always says the Celtics have to "stay infront of their man".  Other than that, he has become legendary now for complaining about the refereeing.  And as we all know, hearing someone who complains about the refs all the time never gets old . . . Anyway, it was definitely a treat having Walton call the game against the Portland Blazers (is the "Trail" still there? or is it just "Blazers" now?) on Thursday and the Phoenix Suns last night.  I love the lyrical verbiage and colloquialisms that come from his mouth.  For a guy that used to stutter, Walton is a wordsmith, a man that can watch a play and describe it as if he were breaking down the differences between Beethoven and Mozart.  Further, and maybe most unique about Walton, is his propensity to say random and oft outrageous thoughts and theories that are usually shared by nobody, especially no one else in the broadcasting world.  My fave from Thursday night was when Celtics big man Semih Erden came out of the game and lead commentator Mike Gorman pointed out that coach Doc Rivers was telling Semih that he should've dove for the loose ball on the last possession.  Bill replies, "If you're so far out of the play that you have to dive for it, wait, and make up for it the next time down."  Gotta love it!

The New York Knicks are becoming relevant again and with the success comes the celebrities in the stands for the big games.  We always see Spike Lee and Jerry Seinfeld, but this year has inspired many a star with New York roots to show out with confidence in the team.  One of those stars is Brooklyn native Tracy Morgan.  Now if you don't know Tracy, a stand-up comic-turned-actor who loves to adlib, he has a way of saying things that, maybe in his mind were O.K., but when they come out of his mouth, you're either gonna be terrified he just said that, or laugh hysterically.  The clip explains itself.

The best way to stop Kobe . . .

Basketball players can't fight.  It's been a known fact for years now and last night's tussle between New York Knicks forward Shawne Williams and Atlanta Hawks forward Marvin Williams proved it once again.  You would think that those type of athletes with the physiques they have would be able to handle their own and scrap a little if push came to shove but we just haven't seen it.  Chris Childs stealing on Kobe comes to mind.  Alonzo Mourning getting into it with the Knicks in the late '90s.  Only basketball dude to really get a clean punch in a fight was when Kermit Washington broke Rudy Tomjanovich's jaw in the '70s, and that was a straight up cheap shot.  Oh, and Stephen Jackson did f*ck that dude up in the stands in the Ron Artest/Palace at Auburn Hills Melee.  Shawne and Marvin Williams (not to be confused with Shawn and Marlon Wayans) last night, could've been alot worse.  They could've actually landed some punches, Houston Texans Andre Johnson-style and did some real damage but, they are basketball players.  Forget throwing hands guys, just stick to the pushing and shoving and face-to-face stare downs . . . and punching guys in the balls when they go up for jumpers.

Throwbackz: Headbandz



No one f*cked with Uncle Cliffy

Rockin' a headband in basketball is more than keeping the sweat out of your eyes or hair from getting in your face.  There's a certain swagger involved in it.  Melo wears his close to the eyebrows with the NBA logo to the side for a more hood-like streetball look.  Rajon Rondo used to wear it with the logo upside down, but David Stern didn't like that and threatened to fine Rondo and any other player that did it (WTF Stern!?!? I hate to say it, but stop being such a Jew!!!). Guys like Paul Pierce, Rip Hamilton, and LeBron James rock it straight forward for the more mature-game headband look, which is probably more a device to cover up a receding hairline more than anything.  Wilt Chamberlain wore one back in the day and so did Bill Walton, but Chamberlain did it 'cause he used to sweat like a wilderbeast (remember him in the Conan movie?) and Walton had the hippie hair. 

Now that's Slick.

Slick Watts was the true O.G. that brought out headband swagg, in the '70s for the Seattle Super Sonics. The headband is still in by today's NBA standards but didn't start to really catch on until the early 1990s when one Clifford Robinson came into the league as the Portland Trail Blazers inside scoring threat and enforcer.  Uncle Cliffy made the headband hardcore.  When you saw that bald-headed band clad bruiser come down with the rebound with elbows up, there wasn't nothing left to do but run down the other end of the court.  Allen Iverson made the head strap look cute for this young flashy generation, but I'll always remember it as the rugged look donned by Cliff Robinson.

Honorable mention:
Quentin Richardson
Rasheed Wallace
Jermaine O'Neal

How they keep that thing on all game?

Jason Terry
Glenn Robinson
Ben Wallace
Stephen Jackson
Chris Andersen
Sasha Vujacic
Boobie Gibson
Anyone that rocks the headband above their hairline

Throwbackz: Bay State Blues

Both teams played hard, but the Lakers prevailed.

Fans of Boston sports teams have been living a dream over the past 10 years as the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and New England Patriots have all won championships in the past decade.  That is very impressive considering that in the 1990s there were zero championships and only two finals appearance (the Boston Bruins in '90 and the Patriots in '97).  But since the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals for the 17th championship in franchise history, the Mass. teams have been an "0"-fer, and have experienced some pretty agonizing losses . . .
- The 2009-10 Boston Celtics started the season on fire, going 23-5 through Christmas Day '09.  After that, the C's went 27-27, finishing the season as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference, and many pundits anticipating an early exit from the playoffs.  But the veteran team led by All-Stars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo swept through Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in the first round before stunning league MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers -- who had an NBA best 61-21 record -- in the second round, and rolling past Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Finals matched the Celtics with their historic rival Los Angeles Lakers for the 12th time in NBA history and the second time in three years.  The C's took a 3-2 series lead on the Lakers after winning Game 5 in Boston and would have to head back to L.A. to close out.  The Lakers stomped the Celtics by 22 points in Game 6, but Boston was in control for most of Game 7, leading by as many as 13 points.  But the Lakers rallied late in the 4th quarter behind the home crowd to defend the NBA crown with an 83-79 win.

Pedroia won the 2008 AL MVP -- but no championship.

- The 2008 Boston Red Sox were coming off a high of winning the '07 World Series, their second championship in four years after suffering a rather painfully unforgettable 86 year drought.  The team got off to an average start, and turmoil in the clubhouse led to perennial All-Star outfielder Manny Ramirez to be traded away at the trade deadline in exchange for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jason Bay.  However, the new look Red Sox flourished in the second half of the season -- thanks to an MVP season by second baseman Dustin Pedroia, and a breakout year for first baseman Kevin Youkilis -- and earned the American League Wild Card playoff berth with a record of 95-67.  After defeating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3-1 in the American League Division Series, Boston went on to face the AL East Division champion Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series.  The upstart Rays had posed a problem for the Sox all year as Boston finished the regular season with an 8-10 record against them.  But the Red Sox were a veteran team in the postseason with the young Rays making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.  Starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and the rest of the Boston pitching staff silenced the Tampa Bay lineup in Game 1 of the ALCS in St. Petersburg, FL, holding them to a four-hit shutout in a 2-0 win.  But the Rays were just warming up.  Tampa went on to score nine runs in each of the next two games and 13 in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.  The Red Sox didn't quit.  Clutch hitting provided by designated hitter David Ortiz and outfielder J.D. Drew, and solid pitching from starter Josh Beckett, led to two victories while pushing the series to a decisive Game 7.  Red Sox Nation was confident they would get the win since the BoSox fell behind 3-1 in the 2007 ALCS against the Cleveland Indians and cameback to take the series and were behind 3-0 to the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS before completing a historic turnaround.  But the Boston lineup was shut down by a dominant performance from Rays pitcher Matt Garza to start the game and David Price to close it, falling 3-1 at Tropicana Field in St. Pete's.

Boston fans know 3-0 series comebacks from both sides.

- The 2009-10 Boston Bruins ended the regular season as the 6-seed in the Eastern Conference of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and aspirations of making a run to the Finals for the first time in 20 years.  The Bruins, led by captain defenseman Zdeno Chara, veteran winger Mark Recchi, and goaltender Tuukka Rask  -- a rookie netminder filling in for injured 2008-09 Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas -- carved the 3-seed Buffalo Sabres 4-2 in the Eastern quarterfinals and moved on to face the Philadelphia Flyers in the semis, as the 7th seed Flyers knocked off the second-seeded New Jersey Devils in a quarterfinals that also saw the top-seeded Washington Capitals fall to the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens.  Boston showed no signs of being upset by Philly though, taking a 3-0 lead.  Things turned for the Bruins when star forward David Krecji went down with an injury in the Game 3 victory, and Flyer forward Simon Gagne returned from the M*A*S*H* unit in Game 4.  Gagne scored the overtime game-winner in his first game back helping the Flyers stave off elimination at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.  The Bruins dropped the next two games and saw themselves squarely on the brink of disaster heading into Game 7 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston.  Anxiety of an epic collapse were quelled early in the game though as winger Michael Ryder scored the opening goal for the B's followed by two goals by Milan Lucic for 3-0 Boston advantage.  However, the Flyers chipped away at the lead and tied the game in the second period before Gagne scored the game-winner for Philly with just over 7 minutes left in regulation and the Bruins lost 4-3 in the game and the series.  It was the first time in 35 years of hockey that a team blew a 3-0 series lead and only the fourth time in sports history.

Brady is 14-5 career in the playoffs; 0 for the last 3.

- Tom Brady and the 2009 New England Patriots had an off year by their standards finishing the season with a 10-6 record and a Wild Card playoff 33-14 beatdown by the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA; Brady's first career home playoff loss.  The 2010 Pats came in with optimism as wide receiver Wes Welker returned from a season-ending knee injury suffered in the last regular season game of the '09 season and with the NFL's youngest defense becoming a year older.  Star receiver Randy Moss was traded away after Week 4 but the offense didn't sputter.  The Pats acquired wide receiver Deoin Branch -- a former Super Bowl MVP in New England -- from the Seattle Seahawks and rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez continued their productivity along with the emergence of running backs BenJarvus Green-Ellis and waiver acqisition Danny Woodhead.  After a stunning loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 9, the Patriots went on a remarkable run to end the regular season, going 8-0 in a streak that included zero New England turnovers and victories over three eventual division champions (Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts) and a 45-3 romp over its division rival New York Jets on December 6th.  The Jets got by the Colts in the AFC Wildcard playoffs and geared up for a rematch against the Patriots in the Divisional playoffs with the entire week leading up to the game fueled by vicious trash-talk.  With all the talking going on, mostly from the Jets' side, Patriots players and fans wanted nothing more than to shut up coach Rex Ryan and the boastful Jets squad with a victory on the field.  New York talked the talk and walked the walk though as they grinded out a 28-21 win to advance to the AFC Championship game for the second straight year.

Throwbackz: Semi-Loaded Clip

Classic SLAM cover

When I see the Los Angeles Clippers on ESPN highlights, I slowly start to notice that the team is not all Blake Griffin.  Certainly, Griffin will be an All-Star, and, unless Washington Wizards guard John Wall averages a triple-double for the rest of the season, will hands-down be the Rookie of the Year.  But besides Griffin, I find myself wanting to use a word to describe the Clip that I've probably only used once to describe them before.  That word is "potential", friends.  The other time that I might have said the Clippers had potential was when they acquired Elton Brand on the day of the 2001 NBA Draft and had drafted Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles the year before (Can you believe that Miles was drafted 3rd overall in that draft?  When people get mad that David Stern put the age restriction on the NBA draft, just thank prep-to-pro flops like Miles instead.  See also Korleone Young, Leon Smith, and James Lang).  And they had Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling, and Andre Miller. 

Remember this?

This team not only has Griffin, but Baron Davis (who is clearly sharing the ball much more at this point in his career averaging only 10.2 FGA per game.  Contrast that to '03-'04 with the New Orleans Hornets when he averaged 20.9 shots a game!), Eric Gordon (23.6 PPG), DeAndre Jordan (1.6 blocks per game), Eric Bledsoe, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman (out until February due to injury), Ryan Gomes, and Randy Foye.  Definitely enough young talent to grow on, or at the very least guys that can be moved if any trades come about.  Their biggest problem (besides not playing any defense) is that they are still owned by Donald Sterling.  Right now they are 13-24, but are 10-9 since Dec. 1.  They just beat the Eastern Conference leading Miami Heat so that is a good sign.  Maybe they get hot and make the playoffs (doubtful in the Western Conference).  Maybe if they keep losing they can add Austin Rivers in the 2012 Draft.

Throwbackz: Whateva happened to . . . ?

Jamaal Tinsley a.k.a. Mel-Mel Tha Destroyer