photo: slamdunkcentral.com

My esteemed colleague in the bouncemag.com cipher, the inimitable, intelligent professor of hoop-ology who goes by the moniker of Funkalot, suggested that this lovely soundtrack should accompany any discussion of the Chicago Bulls’ Manchild in the Promised Land, Derrick Rose, from here on out. Read More »

OK, so the Knicks didn’t get LeBron. But there’s no use crying over spilled milk. And like El DeBarge once crooned, it was time to “Turn The Page”, a piece of sage advice that a certain fan base and owner in Cleveland could abide by in order to restore some mental health and self-esteem. Read More »

photos: courtesy of Providence College Athletics

In the current issue of Bounce Magazine, #25, we shook the basketball world with our cover story of God Shammgod. His lab was Colonel Young Park, 145th and Lennox, Harlem, U.S.A.

In a city, in general, and a neighborhood, specifically, that’s known for its point guards having ridiculous handles, Shammgod somehow elevated the art of the dribble to Michelangelo levels. His eponymous move, “The Shammgod”, is his Sistine Chapel. It’s known, practiced and awed throughout the world, an ankle fracturing crossover that, when used correctly, warrants an assault charge because of the violent havoc it wreaks on a defender’s equilibrium.

But Sham’s essence and game are about so much more than an ill, never-seen-before dribble move. If you have not digested the deliciousness that is nourishing the souls of real b-ball fans around the globe, peep the digital version of our cover story on Sham right here.

A lot of our discourse, because of space limitations, could not be included in the mag. So what follows below is the Director’s Cut, if you will, of some more back and forth conversation. Enjoy! Read More »

photo: slamonline.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 from the minute he stepped onto Georgia Tech’s campus in ‘82-’83, until his eventual retirement from the NBA in ‘98, William Mark Price did the thing with pure excellence. Ask any seasoned playground vet with a street pedigree or one of the winningest coaches of all time and they’ll tell you the same.

In the early to mid ’80s, I began paying serious attention to what head coach Bobby Cremins – an exuberant, white-haired, passionate native New Yorker in his 30’s – was building in Atlanta at the Georgia Institute of Technology. A 7-foot Brooklyn cat named John Salley, who tore it up at Canarsie High School, was doing his thing out there along with a guard from Harlem named Bruce Dalrymple. I couldn’t resist the New York flavors and watched those teams every chance I could. And each time, I walked away more and more impressed with a kid from Enid, Oklahoma, who stood a shade under six-foot. Read More »

Over the summer, many were convinced that Steph had finally gone off the deep end, thanks to his internet contributions via Starbury TV. Whether he was eating vaseline, dancing around the crib shirtless or hilariously repeating to his driver,” Don’t worry about it! It ain’t nothin’ but the Devil!” after getting into a car accident, the talk of Steph in recent months has centered more around his mental stability than hoops skills. Read More »

Found this clip titled “The Original Shamgod From Coney Island (Hajji ‘91) on youtube and really enjoyed peeping the vintage pick-up run (plus a young Stephon Marbury is spotted on the sideline, maybe he had next?).

photo: ballinmycourt.com

Wow! That’s all I really have to say at this point. Kentucky’s freshman sensation, John Wall, is beyond special. He’s a once in a generation type of talent. Read More »