Kobe Bryant is the tragic hero of the NBA. Read the rest of this entry »
Beady Eyes On the Horizon
February 4, 2010The trade deadline is fast approaching. I know, breaking news. Read the rest of this entry »
Paints in the Point Podcast: Episode 17
January 30, 2010In the seventeenth Paints in the Point Podcast, The Champ, The Custodian, and The Franchise return from a “long sabbatical” to discuss Gilbert Arenas, Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, the Dunk-In to qualify for the Dunk Contest, Kobe Bryant’s finger, LeBron James’ MVP prospects, Dwight Howard, reformatting the NBA playoff systems, teams that need to hit the reset button, trade rumors, a discussion of “alpha dogs,” LeBron James’ role in Cleveland, franchises that need to be eliminated, and the “surging” San Antonio Spurs. The Freelancer guest stars In Wildcard Time, where they discuss, among other things, the NBC late night fiasco, favorite sandwiches, and the “LT Slide Electric Glide.” Champ’s Story Time discusses The Franchise’s Cleveland parking woes, replete with censored bleeps (courtesy of ermine at the freesound project).
http://paintsinthepoint.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/paints-in-the-point-podcast-episode-17.m4a
When They Were President: Pat Riley
January 21, 2010After growing tired of being ruler of all things basketball in Miami, Pat decided to make a brief foray into politics. After winning the 2016 election with old comrade Stan Van Gundy as his running mate under the platform of promised results within a reasonable amount of time, Riley takes office with tremendous momentum. Read the rest of this entry »
When They Were President: The Prologue
January 20, 2010We at Paints In The Point have decided to embark upon a journey to the future where basketball figures have become president, all of them. This, I guess, would be considered a series, but with our tendency to forego finishing some series I hesitate to broach that category. However, the intention remains the same. Read the rest of this entry »
Fire and Rain
January 18, 2010The contestants for the Slam Dunk contest have been announced, and I don’t know the exact time but I just heard about it around 5:00 on TNT by the immortal Ernie Johnson. Those players are: Gerald Wallace, Nate Robinson, Shannon Brown, and Demar Derozan/Eric Gordon depending on who wins the Dunk-in event during the halftime of the rookie/sophomore game. Read the rest of this entry »
We Never Change
January 17, 2010I glanced at ESPN.com and found this very interesting article. In it, Ray Allen points out the obvious (at least for me) that the voting in the All-Star game needs to be changed. Perhaps not radically, but a change is definitely needed. How can both Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady both be starters for their respective squads? Neither has been anywhere near productive, let alone All-Star caliber. And McGrady hasn’t even played in 5 games yet has a slight edge over Steve Nash, who is a more than legitimate MVP candidate. Read the rest of this entry »
Paints in the Point Podcast: Episode 16
January 15, 2010In the sixteenth Paints in the Point Podcast, The Champ, The Custodian, The Franchise, and The Freelancer discuss Christmas Basketball, The Next Big Thing for Paints in the Point, and the Official Paints in the Point Decoder Ring. Champ’s Story Time tells a tragic tale of a good idea involving ESPN Classic gone awry. The Oracle and The Riveter guest star in Wildcard Time, discussing The Champ’s “Sweater Look,” least-favorite holidays, Todd Rundgren, and ten things The Champ learned in 2009.
http://paintsinthepoint.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/paints-in-the-point-podcast-episode-16.m4a
Knock on Wood
January 13, 2010Injuries are a part of sports and will always be (unless steroids are not only legalized but encouraged, just kidding). And some players, and in some extreme cases teams, are cursed with a nearly constant injury bug that strikes at the most inopportune time, but to be fair there isn’t an opportune time. Two of the most recent cases are that of Michael Redd and the much discussed and unseen Blake Griffin. Read the rest of this entry »
The Collapse of Immortality
January 10, 2010Going into this season, there were at least four and possibly five teams that were seen as head and Dwight Howard’s shoulders above the rest of the league. Those four/five teams were, in no particular order: the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and possibly the San Antonio Spurs. These teams had the right combination of talent, coaching, and offseason moves to move them into the pantheon of championship contenders for at least this season. Well, something has changed, at least a little bit. Read the rest of this entry »
Hip-Hop Breeds Contempt
January 8, 2010As the Gilbert Arenas saga evolves from comedy to tragedy, a familiar topic is once again linked to the NBA. The ever present Hip-Hop culture once again surfaces as a catch all for the actions of Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton. Somewhere along the line David Stern and other league executives decided to marry the NBA to hip-hop and, but clearly they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.
Given recent player actions, it seems as though the dark side of hip-hop has also managed to infiltrate the league. With its “bling-bling” gaudiness and “I gotta get paid” ruthlessness, this culture isn’t exactly synonymous with the average NBA fan. To the NBA’s credit, welcoming the music of Will Smith and L.L Cool J is a terrific marketing move, one certain to help the league resonate with younger fans. However, when welcoming the mainstream side of hip-hop, the NBA also opened the door for violence, drug-abuse, gang related sub-culture, and other misnomers of traditional thug life personified by players such as Allen Iverson. When he entered the league, Iverson was the poster boy for this thug life ruthlessness; he was a walking middle finger pointed directly at David Stern and his efforts to improve the image of the league.

Posted by The Custodian 








