For years, he contentedly stood in the shadows. Unlike his more celebrated teamates at the time, he didn’t walk through the b-ball corridors with a fancy nickname or a respected pedigree backed up by a blue blooded institution and some fawning media.
Far away from the bright lights, he morphed from a good high school player into an incredible college performer. And when the spotlight and eyes of the world finally cast their admiring gaze upon him in the pros, he’d completed his metamorphisis from role player to one of the finest all-around talents and greatest defensive players the world ever witnessed.
And through the entire journey from the hoops backwoods to the crescendo of the sport, he never stopped being “Boopie” to those who knew him way back when. Read More »
“Simple and plain, give me the lane, I’ll throw it down your throat like Barkley!” - Chuck D’s lyrics from the Public Enemy classic, Rebel Without A Pause.
To young fans, Charles Barkley is simply a former player. He’s better known as the affable television personality that always has something funny to say on the TNT show, Inside the NBA.
But for those who watched ball in the ’80s and ’90s, he was an awe inspiring, revolutionary talent that turned the establishment on its ear. He was an unstoppable, undersized, 6′4″ power forward who owned the low post, an explosive leaper and ferocious rebounder who could dribble, pass, score and pump gallons of fear through the hearts of even the most accomplished big men. Read More »
Listen at 2:10 into “The mind of Stoudemire” – Playground Mentality
As the Phoenix Suns transition from a run-and-gun team to a more traditional half-court one, All-Star Amare Stoudemire is riffing about Coach Terry Porter’s system. According to Daily News columnist Mitch Lawrence, Stoudemire stated “you want to have some type of playground atmosphere where everybody is having fun.” See Stoudemire’s full comment and Pat Riley’s thoughts on NBA “Small Ball on page 3.” Amare is built to run and make moves in space and its obvious that he’s having a tough time adjusting to Porter’s ideas of making Phoenix play-off ready.
More playground? Is that good or bad for the NBA? Amare wants it and the New York Knicks are improving by it. They have already won 18 games this season after winning only 23 last year. They have 2 wins against Boston and have defeated Detroit, Utah, New Orleans and played L.A. on the road tough losing by only two points. Read More »
