photo: thesunblog.com

Basketball, broken down to its simplest compound, is about scoring more buckets than the team you’re playing against. The Semi-Automatic refers to players who leave bodies in their wake with their innate ability to get buckets. And once upon a time, not too long ago, Jay Williams took the college game by the throat with some fierce offensive weaponry. Read More »

photo: nbaloud.com

Toward the end of the summer, I hit up my man Miles Rawls, the commissioner of DC’s renowned George Goodman League. We talked about the summer highlights from Barry Farms, the seasoned vets and young boys on the come up, the standout performances, etc.

When I asked him if he’d been in touch with Agent Zero, who has come down to the Goodman League on the regular since arriving from Golden State, and is a crowd favorite due to his down to earth demeanor and strong playground love, Miles’ voice jumped an octave. Read More »

photo: jamd.com

It seems unfathomable that a point guard who led his team to three straight NCAA Championship games and two rings in four years would be underappreciated. But that is indeed the case with Robert Matthew Hurley, Jr. Read More »

all photos: jamd.com

That’s right! I said it! STARBURY!

With 99.9% of the things recently written and said about the man in the mainstream media being negative, it’s time someone showed Mr. Marbury some love. And if the playground culture that nourished his dazzling game can’t nurture him when all else are hating, who will? Read More »

photo: photobucket.com

Whenever the discussion about the greatest point guards in the history of the game comes up, the usual suspects always get their due – Magic, Isiah, Tiny and the incomparable Mr. Oscar Robertson. But one man, “The Glove”, is often undeservedly forgotten. Read More »

photo: big blue history.net

He stood 6′8″ carrying a chiseled 240 pounds. By the time he left the Unversity of Kentucky for the NBA, the world knew him as the “Monster Mash.”

During the intense game action that went down between the lines, whether it was on asphalt strewn with broken glass, Rupp Arena or on the NBA stage, he was always a textbook example of versatility. Pulling up from 23 feet to bang a three, dominating in the post, snatching rebounds or running the show in the open court, the man could do it all. And then some. Read More »

photo: viewimages.com

During this holiday season, I’ll be dipping into the archives to offer up some updated goodies in the form of some of the most delectable “The Playground Gave Us…” joints from ‘08.

Before he reached 5,000 points and 2,500 assists faster than anyone in NBA history except The Big O, the incomparable Mr. Oscar Robertson, and prior to the Nike commercials that raved about his “skeeels”, the playgrounds of the Windy City knew him as “Tim Bug.” Read More »

For the past couple weeks I’ve been raving about the young talent the New Jersey Nets have accumulated. In particular, the acquisition of Devin Harris has made the Nets a fast team. To have a guard that can conduct a one-man fast break, generate steals, run the high-hash screen and roll, and knock down the open jump shot has given the Nets an All-Star caliber replacement for Jason Kidd. His rise is reminiscent of the Kevin “KJ” Johnson trade to the Suns after Georgia Tech’s Mark Price won the starting point position in Cleveland. Harris, like Johnson, creates easy offense off the transition and finishes strong at the cup. Read More »