In the most recent issue of Bounce that’s about to drop, #20, we took the old school flavor to the West Side of things and caught up w/ former UCLA and LA Laker standout Jamaal Wilkes, aka Silk.
In order to peep his journey in his own words and recollections, you need to get your hands on the mag. It’s straight-up fire. But in the mean and in between time, let’s examine the trajectory one of the most spectacularly simple and smoothest cats to ever lace ‘em up.
Wilkes’ father was a prominent minister and former Negro League baseball player. His first and middle birth names, which he later changed when he entered the NBA in 1974, was Jackson Keith. A star baseball player early on, Wilkes gravitated toward the asphalt courts of Ventura High School from time to time, hoping to get in some pick-up games.
The more he played, the more interested he became in perfecting his skills. The Ventura High coach spotted him at a young age and took an interest in his skill development. While some kids were trying to perfect flashy moves, Jamaal was more apt to box out for rebounds and run a pick-and-roll.
“A long time ago I saw what winning meant, what you were exposed to from winning,” Wilkes told Sports Illustrated’s Anthony Cotton in 1981. “I decided to dedicate myself to that phase of the game, to concentrate on winning, even to the point of never being flashy.”
During the summer before his freshman year in high school, he was invited to join the school’s entry in a local basketball league.
“Some people think you’re pretty good,” his high school coach Bob Swanson told him. “Some people think you have a chance to play on the varsity as a freshman.”
His participation would mean halting his burgeoning baseball exploits. But after much thought, Wilkes decided to retire his cleats to concentrate on hoops.
After garnering All-American status in high school, Jamaal was recruited by the country’s premier program and coach, UCLA and John Wooden. Due to his sleight frame, haters laughed and derisively opined that his college contributions would be as a cheerleader on the bench.
But he proved the doubters wrong as an integral part of two undefeated national championship teams and a mind-boggling 88-game winning streak. While the controversial Bill Walton, an incredible player on the college level, garnered most of the media spotlight, Wilkes was under-appreciated by most. But John Wooden was not one of them.
In 1985 when asked to describe his ideal player, Wooden told the New York Post, “I would have the player be a good student, polite, courteous, a good team player, a good defensive player and rebounder, a good inside player and outside shooter. Why not just take Jamaal Wilkes and let it go at that.”
A two-time All-American on the court, Wilkes did even better in the classroom while being named a three-time academic All-American. While finishing up his degree requirements, he was chosen to play the role of Cornbread in what has become the 1975 cult-classic film, Cornbread, Earl and Me, which co-starred a young Laurence Fishburne.
During his first NBA season, with the Golden State Warriors, Wilkes took Rookie of the Year honors while his team swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets in the Finals. While the spotlight shined on team star Rick Barry, Silk put up 17 points per game during his three years in San Francisco and twice earned All-League defensive honors.
In ‘77, he joined the Lakers as a free agent. Fighting through an assortment of injuries, his first year as a Laker was not a hit at the box office. Away from the court, his infant daughter passed away from a heart ailment. But he came back stronger than ever over the next few years.
Jamaal also left a severe footprint on pop culture as one of the original endorsers of Nike’s Air Force 1 shoe.
Playing at a consistently excellent level, Silk was again under-appreciated. But even though he was killing ‘em softly and casual fans didn’t notice, hard core hoops junkies were awed by his understated brilliance. Running the wing on the vaunted “Showtime” fast break, Wilkes was a veritable lay-up machine.
“What happens with Jamaal is, he slides the knife into you, delivers the goods, takes it out and is gone into the night to the next city,” former Laker Coach Paul Westhead told SI in ‘81. “He does it again and again and never even gets a mug shot taken. The other day Michael Cooper scored on a great stuff shot off a rebound. Now if someone were scouting the game they would say, ‘Try and stop Kareem and watch out for Cooper on the offensive boards.’ Then, as an afterthought, they’d add, ‘Oh, yeah, Wilkes has a nice shot, too.’”
In game 6 of the ‘80 NBA Finals against a very strong Philadelphia 76′er team, a rookie named Ervin Johnson cemented the inauguration of the Magic legacy by jumping center in Kareem’s absence and putting up a 42 point, 15 rebound and 7 assist masterpiece. The game 6 victory delivered Los Angeles the title. Magic was brilliant, no doubt, but lost in the sauce was Jamaal’s 37 points and 10 boards.
While highly adept at pocketing dimes from Magic and Norm Nixon while filling the lanes on the break, Silk also terrorized in the half court. Sprinting through a maze of picks, he’d confound defenders and spectators alike with his sling-shot, cork-screw set shot that began at the hip before resting behind his ear, then being pushed toward its eventual splash through the net with both hands.
Silk only measured 6′6″, 190 pounds, but he managed to bang on the low post as a power forward and from outside as a wing. When Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the franchise, his first order of business was keeping Wilkes in the purple and gold.
“After I got the team, my first priority was to sign Jamaal,” Buss told SI in ‘81. “I convinced him that we could add some rebounding and run and have fun with him at small forward. I knew we could win, too.”
And win they did. Spectacularly. The “Showtime” era was the most successful in the Lakers’ illustrious history. Jamaal won three rings with L.A. and played in 6 championship series during his Laker career. In fact he hadn’t played on a losing team since the third grade, until his final season with the Clippers.
He’s one of the greatest winners the game has ever seen. Unfortunately, he was so smooth, he often faded into the background while others received the notoriety. At UCLA it was Bill Walton. At Golden State, it was Rick Barry. With the Lakers, it was Kareem and Magic. But true enthusiasts know the real deal.
“When Kareem is out, the offense really revolves around Jamaal, but the way he goes about his business no one really notices,” former Laker coach Paul Westhead told SI in ‘81. “His inconspicuousness is part of his greatness. I just hope no one ever catches on.”
photo of Silk boxing out Dr J: flickr.com
Evidently, the Basketball Hall of Fame still hasn’t caught on and that’s shameful. Any such named institution without Jamaal Wilkes is simply a masquerade.
From the playgrounds of Ventura, California to one of history’s greatest, we’ll never see another Silk.
THE PLAYGROUND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THE SOLUTION!
July 20th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
ali says:
i’ll never forget my aunt taking me to the duffield theater, fulton street, downtown brooklyn, to see cornbread, earl and me. i saw it over and over and cried every time they shot cornbread.
and playing on the asphalt as kids, we all tried to emulate that unique jumper. we’d let if fly in the middle of a game and scream out “SILK!” when it wet the net.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Keyes says:
Man Silk was one of the players that I imitated while on the court. Definitely one of the greats who played his position as a role player, but could have been easily dominated and been the man. I loved the unorthodox set shot too!
July 20th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Kenny Patt says:
He had the “Slingshot” junper.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
funkalot says:
Very underrated. Where would he rank amongst his contemporaries at small forward? That is a tough one for debate.
I remember that his demeanor off the court was just as smooth as it was on. He was an affable dude, who had that common touch. He and the other G-State rookie Phil Smith were the pieces that catapulted that team into arguably the greatest Finals upset ever.
Oh, I have to agree Ali, Silk should definitiely be in the HOF based on his career of winning, which eclipsed his more renown college teammate and current HOFer Bill Walton. Their careers are not close. Silk by a wide margin.
July 20th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
ali says:
unfortunately, silk suffers because he played such a complete game, people took his excellence for granted. in terms of the small forward debate, i see silk right up underneath the cream of the small forward position – the big o, havlicek, pippen, bird, dr. j, rick barry, the iceman, elgin baylor and king james (that’s right, i said it!).
he’s right in there with the likes of ‘nique, james worthy, clyde drexler, bernard king, adrian dantley, alex english, chris mullin, paul pierce, billy cunningham, sam jones, etc.
July 20th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Dan the Man says:
Ali, You are the Michael Jordan of writers !
Me and Oprah have faith in you !!!!
P.S.
Cornbreads ALIVE…ALIVE !!!!
SILK= Nothin’ but NET !!!!
July 20th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
ali says:
ay yo dan the 100 year old man! that’s one heckuva compliment. i’m humbled and honored by your praise. wait till you see how silk and i put it down in the magazine!!!
and thanks for linking us up.
now, if you can plug me in w/ oprah, stedman’s gonna have some problems! tell her i’ll work for food. this recession is killin’ me right now.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:00 am
Jeremy Ripley a.k.a. Cheesecake says:
^Haha.
‘Nother great write-up!
My shot’s kind of similar to Silk’s in the fact that I release it from behind my head. My vert. is next to nothing so I had to add a lil’ kink in there when I started playing against people who had a noticeable height advantage on me!
July 21st, 2009 at 8:37 am
illest says:
funkalot….definitely arguable. dat 77 finals was more of an upset.
ali…i wouldnt put pippen in the class of a dr j, bird or havlicek or big o. dr, bird, hondo and big o are legends. scottie is not a legendary player. and i definitely wouldnt put james there yet. so james is an all time great already? i guess you could say that if he retired today he would be in the hall. its difficult for me since hes supposed to be the best ever and has not won a title yet and hes not even the best in the game today.
respects to peter vecsey for getting in to the hall. how about the playground gave us peter vecsey? he should of been in the white issue….well maybe not he has more soul than most brothas!!!
July 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
ali says:
hey illest, much respect due to pete vecsey. and he should’ve been in the white issue. but like you said, cat’s got soul.
and i’d have to agree w/ funk on the warriors defeating the supposedly indestructible bullets w/ big wes unseld pulling down 15 boards a game, and the 1, 2 offensive punch of the big e and phil chenier as the greatest nba finals upset. those bullets won 60 games in ‘74-’75 and were supposed to walk all over golden state who’d only won about 47 games.
‘77 finals were evenly matched, philly came in w/ 5o wins and the trail blazers won 49. what i love about those finals was the ABA flavor. this was right after the merger and in those finals, you had doc, caldwell jones, george mcinnis and maurice lucas. walton was at the crescendo of his game and played brilliantly. that frontcourt w/ him and lucas was tough.
regarding pippen, i see him in that class by factoring in his otherworldly defense, on top of his all around offensive skill set.
and if lebron never plays another game or doesn’t win a ring, i’ll still say he was among the greatest small forwards ever. even at his tender age, name one of those dudes i mentioned that could son him? not a one of ‘em could could keep that young fella down.
July 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am
illest says:
that 77 sixers was supposed to sweep that blazers team. everything changed after that fight.
pippen is not at their levels, which are legendary. those are legendary players son. pippen is not legendary. i know his prowesses but hes not in that class.
dominique could son lebron. aguirre could son lebron. bernard could son lebron…you know that. dantley used to kill guys way taller than him so i know lebron couldnt handle him. now james would do his thing against them as well. hell, pierce sons lebron. you saw that a few years ago. worthys post moves would kill lebron.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:34 pm
ali says:
illest, you’re buggin’! in order to son lebron, you’d have to totally dominate him and shut him down offensively. he’s the size of karl malone who plays four positions, top 5 at each position, comes close to averaging a triple double. those guys, all phenomenal talents, would get theirs. but they could not handle bronnie. sorry. paul pierce, kobe, etc do not son lebron. can’t buy that.
and i still say that pippen IS in that class.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:20 pm
illest says:
no ali. no great offensive player can be shut down. by what you mean by son then no one can do that. but lebrons not sonning them either. lebron couldnt guard nique or bernard. and lebron is not better than bryant right now. 4 rings to 0 should account for something, ali. plus bryant has no weaknesses. and offensively lebrons game is no where as versatile. bryant actually has moves to where he knows he can score at all times. lebron is just bulldozer finesse and attacks. his shot is not as polished. when he develops a well rounded offensive arsenal than its a wrap. its really already a wrap. its crazy that he averaged 40 vs the magic without any real offensive moves that gets him easier shots. his numbers are crazy. but remember when mike was 24 and 25 he was averaging 35 and getting over 200 steals and 100 blocks with 8 rebs and 8 asts. lebron aint doin that.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
illest says:
any opinions on lebron getting dunked on and we cant see it? you cant get dunked on at your own camp.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Jeremy Ripley a.k.a. Cheesecake says:
Has LeBron said anything publicly about the tape?
I’m not sure what “sonned” means in this context, but Hedo Turkoglu was handling cats throughout the playoffs on the offensive side of things.
Kobe’s the best basketball player in the league, LeBron is the best athlete…in my opinion!
July 21st, 2009 at 4:29 pm
ali says:
kobe does not and cannot play point guard, shooting guard, small forward and power forward. lebron is not only the best player in the league right now, he’s one of the all-time greatest. ALREADY! AND HIS GAME IS NOT EVEN POLISHED YET! as i’ve said before, when it’s all said and done, he will be the greatest of all time. he’s the new jack version of oscar robertson, bottom line.
and everybody gets dunked on.
the cat SINGLEHANDEDLY beat the pistons in the eastern conference finals in 2006-2007 and got to the big stage. no shaq, no pau gasol, no lamar odom, no scottie pippen, no horace grant, no paxson, no bj armstrong, etc.
mike was 27 when he led a team w/ a stupendous supporting cast to his first finals appearance. lebron was 22, playing w/ bums. when mike was 21 and 22 playing w/ bums, chicago wasn’t sniffing the playoffs, winning 30 some-odd games.
listen, kobe is phenomenal. jordan was otherworldly. i’m not taking anything away. and mike was born in brooklyn. i got mad love for that cat and what he did.
but lebron is 6′8″, 270 pounds, plays four positions and has elevated an entire team on his own. if kobe played w/ that supporting cast, he’d still be whining in shopping mall parking lots to “get rid of his a–”, talking about his teammates. lebron, right now, is better than kobe. and when it plays out, he’ll be better than mike.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:45 pm
ali says:
and if jamaal wilkes was playing today, i shudder to think of what he’d be giving these guys today – who may be superior athletes – but less skilled than guys in the ’80s.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Dan the Man says:
Old skool party flavor, out back parked ferrari. GREAT magazine article on SILK. Excellent repartee.
Ali…Ali…Ali…
July 21st, 2009 at 9:11 pm
ali says:
dan the man, you got your copy already?
July 21st, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Dan the Man says:
No, I read it online. I don’t think my subscription ran out yet.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:49 am
illest says:
ali….that pistons team had peaked already. wade did the same thing to those pistons a year before.
indeed everyone gets dunked on. so why did he have the tape confiscated then? you cant let that happen at your camp son. if that happened to mike, mike would tell everyone to get off the court and he would play one on one against this cat and torture him.
to say mike had a stupendous supporting cast is a stretch. you can say scottie was stupendous but no one else was. plus when james took that team to the finals the east was terrible son. the east has been better since then and his team won 66 games and he hasnt been back.
i dont mention jordan with any of them because is blasphemous. i mean bryant and lebron still rock jordans kicks. and jordan entered the league with no weaknesses…he just played when there were dominant eastern conference teams. how is james better than bryant? because he can play more positions?
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:44 pm
ali says:
illest,
wade did that w/ shaq, not entirely on his own. and you can’t dismiss his brilliance in conquering that team SINGLEHANDEDLY by just saying that Piston team had peaked. That was a great team with a sustained run of excellence.
kobe has an incredible killer instict and sense of confidence. but he’s just now starting to incorporate an understanding of the game that Lebron has had all along.
kobe’s undoing throughout the years has been his unfettered self-absorption which not only catapulted him to greatness, it was also the cause of his personal and professional missteps.
jordan made bill wennington, craig hodges, steve kerr, etc. better in the same manner that bronnie makes the guys he plays w/ into a championship caliber team. take lebron out of the equation and what do you have? a lottery team.
take kobe out of the equation and that team still makes the playoffs. put kobe on that cavs team and what happens? he gets his nut off, but the franchise does not have the organizational success that they’ve enjoyed w/ lebron.
yes. lebron is better because he’s a point guard, power forward, shooting guard and small forward. lebron is the better leader, he makes his guys better. throughout his career, kobe has not(though he seems to be finally getting there). kobe is the ultimate soloist. lebron makes his orchestra shine.
think about this hard – would you rather have kobe’s last ten years in the league or lebron’s next ten and get back at me. think about it, passing, rebounding, ball handling, strength, size, leadership, etc.
kobe had one good year as a “good teammate”, bron came out the gate as one. he covers half man, tim duncan, the truth, tayshaun, richard jefferson, melo, d-wade, chris bosh, kg, rashard lewis, you get the drift. can kobe do that?
and lebron avg’d 35 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in this year’s playoffs. what?
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
illest says:
those last pistons team were good not great. the great pistons teams were the ones with larry brown coaching.
that lakers team without bryant for 82 doesnt make the playoffs son. you know that. they were barely making it before gasol and losing early in the playoffs. just because lebron plays mad positions doesnt mean he is better. it means he is bigger and more athletic, which doesnt mean you are better.
kobes last 10 years has 4 rings. its not guaranteed that james is going to win mad titles. james doesnt cover duncan or bosh. and lebrons orchestra didnt shine against the magic.
lebron played expectional in the playoffs. but he didnt win, ali. numbers are good. but no chip. this was his year son. his team won 66 games and you cant win the title. it wasnt his fault. but you have to get the job done. getting oneal is not going to get it done. they need another shooter.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
ali says:
who was he playing with illest? you made my point exactly. he won an astounding 66 games, working with whom?
i’ve seen lebron match up against duncan and bosh. he’s not covering them for the whole game, but he does and can switch off to guard them well.
against boston, i saw him guard ray allen, paul pierce, rondo and kg. and this is the first ring that you can legitimately say that kobe led the lakers too. he was an integral part to the 3 others, but he played robin to shaq’s batman. bron-bron took his team to the finals at the age of 22, with the bulls eye on his back.
and don’t get me wrong, kobe is phenomenal. i have to watch when he’s on the tube. but if you’re asking me to choose one or the other, i’m going with that manchild in the promised land, king james. bigger, stronger, faster, better facilitator, passer, rebounder, etc. and the polish is just getting put on his game. it’s already written, the prophecy is in the midst of fulfilling itself.
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:24 am
illest says:
i didnt make your point. he had help all year. you know who he had. they ran into a better team in orlando. and whose to say they are going to win next year.
it will be fun to witness (pun intended) what he does. regardless of all the numbers he is not better than bryant yet but hes not far behind.
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:57 am
ali says:
illest,
he had help all year? let’s take lebron out of the construct and they’re the cadavaliers. seriously look at that roster without lebron and tell me that’s a strong team. and orlando was the better team, no doubt. i’m not saying they’ll definitely win next year, but i don’t see a player on the planet better than lebron.
you say tomato, i say tamahto. i say bronnie, you say kobe.
oh, and that dunk was weak, compared to all the hype. i thought he must’ve caught a shawn bradley facial, but it was just a regular dunk.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
illest says:
it wasnt the best help but it was help. obviously that roster wasnt strong since orlando exposed them easily. but they were 8-0 in the playoffs and had a great regular season. and they probably wont win next year unless they get another shooter.
that dunk was mad weak. i was expecting gus williams on the bullets in the 79 finals when he waited for i forget who it was and jumped off two feet and jammed two hands.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
ali says:
i was expecting the john starks dunk, or the dr. j all up in bill walton’s grillpiece. bron slid over and jumped late. in the words of one of my all time favorites, mr derrick coleman, “whoopdeedamndoo!”
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
illest says:
yeah he caught it late. the doc dunk on bobby gross was better than the walton one.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:49 am
ali says:
oooh illest. these young boys don’t even know!
July 26th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Blk Caesar says:
Wow.. ali and illest you guys have been going at it! I am sitting here now recovering from surgery as I ruptured my right achilles tendon last Saturday.. What’s crazy is that I was in Pamplona for the running of the Bulls the previous week and I come back without a scratch. I decide to get some hoop in when I get back home and rupture my achilles!!! go figure.. ok back to the convo.. I llest you and I are usually in agreement, but I have to take Ali’s side on a few topics.. 1) Pippen without question belongs in that class. 2) if you take kobe off the current Lakers team they would still make the playoffs.. if you take Lebron off the Cavs there is no way that team makes the playofs even in the East.. And as far as “polish” goes Kobe should be a little more polished than Lebron.. Kobe is 30 now man.. He has been in the league for roughly 12 years now.. He better be more polished than Lebron from that perspective. The scary thing about Lebron is that he is still just playing on natural talent right now.. Imagine when he gets the “cerebral” approach to the game (and what I mean by that is understanding the seams and gaps in a defense. Develop counters for anything the D throws at him, etc..) that Mike developed and that Kobe has developed.. Its frightening to even fathom.. I personally also think cleveland’s offense is not the best at utilizing his skills.. There is way too much clear at the top of the key for that team.. I never understood why they never tried to run the offense through Lebron on the block more. I remember when Silas was the coach Lebron would post up quite a bit and it was successful b/c he would beast dudes down there.
July 26th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
ali says:
yo cease,
i was getting ready to drop an APB out on you. that’s crazy, you’re out in pamplona running with the bulls and stuff. that’s bananas. you just went up another notch in the cipher with that one man. hope your recovery goes well and glad to have you back. did you peep the latest issue of the mag, w/ will “the thrill” bynum on the cover?
July 26th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Thanks for the well wish Ali… Yeah man the running of the bulls was on my life’s to do list(I want to knock out Duke v. Carolina in Cameron indoor one of these days. that’s number 5 on the “to do list”..) I had to see it for myself and its pretty crazy man.. I was there for the first run of this year’s festival of San fermin on 7/7, but when I was coming back home I heard someone got killed on the Friday run.. Its one of the craziest things I have ever witnessed man.. No I didn’t get a chance to peep the latest issue yet.. I remember first peeping Will Bynum on that show Preps back in the day and I thought he was bananas! I am going to get on that ASAP.. Its good to be back and since I am off my footsies for a minute I’ll definitely be chiming in more.. What sucks is that I won’t be able to hoop for at least 6-8 months…
July 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am
illest says:
black…..pippen is not a legendary player like those other players mentioned. and indeed bryant is older so its harder to compare the two. one more thing….the docs, the big os, hondo, the larry legends were great and always great on their own. mike had to mold pippen for pippen to become the player he became.
you guys are overrating that lakers team. that is not a playoff team without bryant. their offense lacks without him in the game. and odom has like 1 good game every 5 so wheres the other scoring besides gasol. ariza only performed well in the playoffs. so they really have one consistent scorer.
i tore my achilles playing ball and it sounded like i was shot. i was like did you hear that. no one did but me. a strange injury an achilles tear is.
that preps show was incredible. foxsports is a joke and could have really had something with that show by going to every major city documenting high school basketball for that season. that preps show had a few nba players and a wnba (who cares) player.
bryant is older so its harder to compare. his game is definitely more polished and james gets over on straight athleticism right now. its scary to see when he really understand the game.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am
illest says:
black…..pippen is not a legendary player like those other players mentioned. and indeed bryant is older so its harder to compare the two. one more thing….the docs, the big os, hondo, the larry legends were great and always great on their own. mike had to mold pippen for pippen to become the player he became.
you guys are overrating that lakers team. that is not a playoff team without bryant. their offense lacks without him in the game. and odom has like 1 good game every 5 so wheres the other scoring besides gasol. ariza only performed well in the playoffs. so they really have one consistent scorer.
i tore my achilles playing ball and it sounded like i was shot. i was like did you hear that. no one did but me. a strange injury an achilles tear is.
that preps show was incredible. foxsports is a joke and could have really had something with that show by going to every major city documenting high school basketball for that season. that preps show had a few nba players and a wnba (who cares) player.
bryant is older so its harder to compare. his game is definitely more polished and james gets over on straight athleticism right now. its scary to see when he really understand the game.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:37 am
ali says:
that definitely sucks cease. while you’re on your back, catch up on the playground gave us jonny flynn. you, illest and funk were MIA on that one. SI just had a lil’ piece in their inside the NBA section of the magazine where they jumped on the flynn bandwagon after he cold crushed it at the summer league. but as usual, we saw it coming first.
http://www.bouncemag.com/2009/07/08/the-playground-gave-us-jonny-flynn-the-2009-nba-draft-edition/
also, you can follow the link on the site where it says current issue and peep the most recent mag online, until you can get your hands on the actual factual.
and yo, duke-carolina at cameron is also on my bucket list. maybe we can coordinate and make that happen. head up, my man.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am
illest says:
i see the issue. looks ill. ill check it here since bounce fronted on #18.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:43 am
ali says:
illest,
the big o didn’t get his chip until playing with kareem, doc didn’t get his NBA joint until moses came over from houston, but that doesn’t minimize their greatness. the fact that pippen played in mike’s shadow shouldn’t minimize his.
and that laker team is very good, even without kobe. if kobe’s not there, everybody’s scoring goes up: lamar, pau, walton, d fish, bynum, ariza, farmar. playing phil’s system, they’re still a good team, though not upper ecehlon. and stop hating on the WNBA. Candace Parker is the truth. And oh so lovely!
July 27th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Blk Caesar says:
What up illest… and you hit it dead on with how the achilles rupture felt man.. It really does feel like someone shot you in the back of the ankle!!! I actually thought one of the little kids at the other court threw a rock on the court by accident and that’s what hit me b/c after I felt the pop I looked down at my feet to look for the rock! I never want to feel that again.. Ali, I am working hard on the Duke/UNC joint so if I can make it happen I will definitely hit you up.. It would be cool to experience it with another hoops junkie. Good looks on the Flynn link will definitely check that out after this. Illest man, I am real critical about who I deem great (which is why I still think Bill Walton is taking Nique’s spot on that top 50 list), but when it comes to Pip I think b/c he played with Mike his greatness is ridiculously underrated.. Did playing with Mike help him? there’s no denying that, but let’s also not forget that Mike game got even better by also practicing against probably one of the greatest perimeter defenders I have ever seen.. People forget that after game 1 of the 1991 Finals which the lakers won.. Pip was switched to Magic and that series was pretty much a wrap after that. Also, the year after Mike left the first time that Bulls team with Pip now the alpha dog still won about 50 games and despite his stubborn act in the playoffs when he was upset Phil drew up the last play for Kukoc.. He truly had an MVP-ish season. Another example were the comments his 1992 dream team peers made about him.. I was watching some show and they were all asked which guy impressed you the most and they all said Pippen. They were all amazed at just how great an all-around player he was and that’s from the mouths of the legends crew: magic, bird, etc.. they all said Pip was the truth man. I used to get hyped just watching Pip play D and I am a Knicks fan! oh yeah man I agree with you I can’t really get into the WNBA but I have a few homegirls that have played and still play and you have to give them a little love for that league lasting as long as it did. I can’t front when their teams are in town to play the Liberty they have asked me to come to the games and most times I just end up watching the crowd instead of the game, but of course there are a few players that keep my interest.. Holdsclaw was one and Candace Parker is the other.. and yes she is oh so lovely!! I will try to keep the head up and the leg elevated!
July 28th, 2009 at 8:54 am
illest says:
ali…i saw the jonny flynn piece. very good as usual.
the wnba is a joke and you know that. candace is hot but the league is unwatchable.
black….keep that leg elevated and be careful of the pain meds. very addictive. sorry i know kids are reading this.
scottie was a wonderful player no doubt. but a lot of it is mike. when mike was in the league scottie was probably the 2nd or 3rd best player in the league. once mike left he was probably 10 or 15th. its not a crime saying hes not a doc or a big o. because hes not. those guys are top 10 to top 15 all time. scottie isnt.
July 28th, 2009 at 9:20 am
ali says:
so cease,
where do you think silk fits in that all-time small forward mix?
July 28th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Blk Caesar says:
Silk is definitely in my top 15.. Probably right before Adrian Dantley and Bobby Jones. You know everybody puts lebron already on the list and I can’t really argue with that but the player I am more curious about where he will land when its all said and done is Carmelo Anthony. I know everybody loves Bron, but Melo’s midrange game and footwork is a thing of beauty and let’s not forget he has range from deep. Dude has it all. He just has to get the mental part down. Any thoughts?
July 28th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
illest says:
i cant put wilkes in front of dantley. dantley has his critics (which is why it took so long for him to get in the hall and his first words were “its about time”) because he was primarily a scorer and deemed selfish. i dont get it because gervin, thompson and nique were mainly just scores and werent critiziced as much. dantley was one of the most efficient scorers i ever saw. at basically 6 foot 4 and a forward….rewind dat…a 6 foot 4 forward he had a 4 yr stretch for the jazz when he averaged 30 plus shooting almost 60% from the field and 82 from the line. and he still averaged 6 boards a game with one leg shorter than the other. tell me who has done that. lebron will never shoot that well. the most slept on scorer ever. no question.
i thought melo was on his way after games 1 and 2 vs the lakers in the west finals. they should have beat the lakers. and he was great averaging 36 and guarding and bullying bryant in the paint. but the remaining 4 games he didnt put forth the same effort. so he has ways to go. but he is a wonderful scoring and his defense has improved greatly. the mental part is a lot of times a scenario where you have it or you dont. an exception occured here when billups came in and it helped melo. ironically billups mental wasnt where it needed to be vs the lakers.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
ali says:
people pigeonholed the ice man as strictly a scorer. but he had more blocked shots than any guard in history when he retired. and what dantly did was crazy. he was so unappreciated.
melo is one of my favorite players to watch. his offensive ish is some understated brilliance. i think he’s on his way to breaking in to the discussion in a few more years, especially if he can build upon the great team success they had this year in denver. cat reminds me of a better, more athletic version of big dog robinson. and i don’t care what people say as the big dog has plenty of haters. money was a certified beast!
July 28th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
illest says:
glenn robinson was very sick and the comparison with melo is definitely there. i liked that ‘01 bucks team that should of went to the finals but glenn missed that 10 footer he should of banked to go up 3-2 and going home vs the sixers. big dog still had a good career.
July 28th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
ali says:
that bucks team had the elements to go. before vin baker fell off, he had a little window of a few years w/ the bucks when he was top shelf.
July 28th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Can’t be too mad at big dog though. i think he got a chip as a role guy with the Spurs if memory serves me correctly. Melo’s offensive game really is underrated brilliance. You can tell an older head really put in the time to show him how to get free for his shot no matter what the D throws at him.. The midrange game is such a lost art these days… topic change.. anybody agree that Portland picking of Andre Miller was a great move? Also, how long do we wait to consider Greg Oden a bust?
July 28th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Blk Caesar says:
oh and picking Silk over Dantley was not an easy thing for me to do.. but I looked at those two with the question: If you are trying to win a chip which one do you pick? and on that criteria I am going with Silk. With no disrespect to Dantley b/c he was incredible in the pros and at Notre Dame.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:05 am
illest says:
blk….dr dre was a good move because portland needed a veteran at the point since blake made many mistakes the during the playoffs. oden needs to show and prove next year or soon enuff he will get that bust tag.
silk vs ad….indeed ad doesnt have a ring but he should have. those pistons teams could have won 4 in a row. in 87 if isiah doesnt throw the ball away they go home up 3-2 to close it out. game 7 of that series ad gets that concussion. they could have beat boston in that game seven. 88 isiah gets hurt and still could have won game 6 and were down by 2 in game 7 with a minute left with a hurt isiah. of course dantley is gone after that. that pistons team was the best in the nba from 87-90 but with some bad breaks only won 2 titles.
July 30th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
ali says:
i can’t even fit oden and bust in the same thought. he did some good things this year. people forget that it was his rookie season. he only started about half the games he played, avg’d only about 22 minutes per game while putting up 9 points and 7 rebounds per. and the cat had like 70 blocks. he’s gonna be just fine. in 2 years, people are gonna remember what all the fuss was about in high school and that one year in college. i’m telling you.
July 31st, 2009 at 11:02 am
illest says:
oden and bust will be in the same thought if he doesnt show remarkable improvement the next 3 years. im not worried about his defense. its how he grasp how to play offense from the center position. he needs a moses malone to an akeem to help him. the problem is there are no great veteran centers who are playing that can help him.
July 31st, 2009 at 5:05 pm
ali says:
illest, if you stretch oden’s rookie year numbers out to an avg of 36 minutes per game, his numbers look like 15 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. what kind of remarkable improvement are you lookin’ for? give the kid some time to develop to the pro game. and i do beg to differ. seeing what pat ewing did for yao, and what he’s doing for dwight howard, i think pat could make him a monster!!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 am
illest says:
ali….i said great veteran centers who are playing. like how akeem had moses. indeed ewing has helped yao…not really dwight yet since his offensive game is not there yet.
for the 1st pick I eventually want to see 20 and 13 with 3 blocks for his career. indeed he has time but thats what i want to see.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
ali says:
and i think oden can be that player illest. but you’re right, he needs a foil or two to push him down the road and help elevate his game.
August 4th, 2009 at 8:47 am
illest says:
its definitely possible. i miss the nba center. i wouldnt mind seeing howard vs oden in the finals 4 or 5 years from now going at it in the post like akeem and patrick.
August 5th, 2009 at 9:14 am
ali says:
these things tend to be cyclical. so hopefully, we’ll see the rennaissance of the big man in the post like you said. and i think that in 4 or 5 years, the oden, dwight howard matchup could live up to that standard of excellence.
August 6th, 2009 at 8:43 am
illest says:
the days of the true center might end with these two. these kids now dont want to be centers and would rather be the kg or dirk type……..
August 6th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
ali says:
i think there’s some more big men coming.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
ali says:
and we’ll definitely see another akeem before we see another muggsy.
August 6th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
illest says:
where are they? id rather see another akeem than another muggsy anyway.
August 7th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Dan the Man says:
Ali
Finally got my copy…luved it !!!!
August 7th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
ali says:
glad you likes dan the man. and illest, peep how the kid from uconn, hasheem thabeet and how he develops. he’s got some athleticism to add some dream shakes down the road. and i’d be thrilled to see another muggs. he was the most revolutionary talent the world ever witnessed.
August 10th, 2009 at 8:38 am
illest says:
ali….thabeet may be a great defensive presence but just adding a dream shakes is easier said than done. his footwork has to be impeccable like akeems to pull that off.
August 11th, 2009 at 9:49 am
ali says:
illest,
akeem had the feet of a soccer player, boxer and dancer. no doubt. it will be incredible to see another that could do what he did.
August 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am
illest says:
ali…we wont. and muggsy being 5 foot 3 is amazing in the land of giants. the impact was great especially when center play was still the nba. but what revolution? the small players of basketball….there have only been a few and they all have contributed. but he didnt change the game totally since a player of that height cant change the whole game. muggsy changed it in spurts within the game with his speed. but with him at the point not one team that he was on won a playoff series. i know his speed, numbers and impact but the game of basketball didnt change because of tyrone bogues.
August 11th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
ali says:
i said muggs was the most revolutionary talent. 5′3″ cat that had dudes shook. there’s never been another in his class with that diminutive stature. we’ll see another great big man before we see another muggsy. ask the dudes at five star, dunbar, wake forest and the acc as well as cats that played with and against him in the NBA. I’ve spoken to a few of them and they’ve all said it. They’ve never seen, before or since, a player like that.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Dan the Man says:
What about me…I’m only 5′5″ and I was doin’ it old skool !
http://macleem.com/hooptainers/?p=83
Comeon Ali, get-in-the-game, take a charge, be a player…Hand Up…Hand Up…Hand Up
August 12th, 2009 at 11:22 am
illest says:
ali…indeed there never has been another 5′3″ player or will ever again. the fact that he had dudes shook is crazy.