Video: Blake Grffin At it Again with a New Gamefly Commercial

Blake really taking this awkward humor thing to the next level with this gamefly ad.  I'm not hating as long as he keeps doing his thang on the hardwood.

Plus, I'm a fan of that yelling voice he does, asking to use the restroom but not actually using it, seeing daps that get left hanging, the metaphor that you can read into of Blake Griffin not being able to control his 'jet-pack', and of course the self zinger of "never getting burned by a bad game".

Lets Start the Tony Mitchell Hype For This Year's Dunk Contest

It's that time of the year when people start clamoring for what relatively no name guy should get entered into the slam dunk contest in this year's all-star game festivities in New Orleans.



For the unknown part, Tony Mitchell fits the bill as last year's 2nd round, 37th overall pick from North Texas.  A quick look at his bballreference.com confirms this further as T-Mitch (trying this out, feel free to borrow it), has only played a grand total of 25 minutes this season.

Not the best camerawork on these dunks, but a quick peak at youtube returns some dandies including a karate chop block, and this compilation of ridiculous dunks form last year's rookie combine.  I'll give you a second to check out those links and then agree with me when i say, "please book his flight to N'awlins, NBA decision makers".

Noteworthy: 12/9/2013

Aww, keep your marChin up, Gortat.

Lookin' Good, Sacramento:

They added Rudy Gay, Q-Acy and AGray via trade and last night their previously newest addition, Derrick Williams, had a career high 31 points and that off backboard reverse dunk.  

Also, the Kings have the championship belt now, so nows not a bad time to be a fan, bandwagoners.

Birthday boy:

First, a really good effort in chasing down Harrison Barnes


Then  a ridiculous shot to confirm it must be his birthday if those shots are banking in.  Give the man his birthday cake.

Low Scoring
75-74, with John Wall leading all scorers with the not-so-good stat of having the same amount of shots as points (20)

Reaaaaal Nice
Steph Curry with 43 points in the loss to the Bobcats and Deandre Jordan with 21 boards in the win against the Sixers and Demarcus Cousins with a ridiculous 32 points and 19 boards in leading his team to victory against the Mavericks.

Other: So looks like captain jack is back in  the league....

About Kobe's Return

Kobe is back, you guys.

As a Laker fan growing up, the last 25 games have been hard to watch; not because the Lakers are bad (they've been playing .500 ball, so at the very least, you'd have to say they are decent), or because Kobe would push them over the top if he was playing (the Lakers have been a mix and match of guys playing well together but they would still need more than a healthy Kobe to even be a playoff team).  What has been hard is that for the first time I've had to not only consider what my favorite team would look like without Kobe Bryant but I've also gotten a preview of it.

I mean I always knew that the Lakers would be without Kobe someday. That even before he retired, sooner or later, Kobe's skills would have to adjust with his age and the mileage he had put on himself all these years.  I knew and have been prepared emotionally that Kobe would not be the "Black Mamba" forever.

Even as he transitioned from the bald-headed-oober-athletic Slam Dunk contest winner to the afro-wearing-more-refined running mate of Shaq on those early 2000 championship teams, Kobe never seemed to stay the same ball player from season to season.  For example, some seasons he'd beef up (2004), other times add some serious post moves (2006) or sip from the fountain of youth and dunk like he had his teenage legs again (2012).



The unofficial moment in which I was prepared for the Black Mamba to transform once again was when Lebron outdueled Kobe on Christmas Day in 2010.  It was clear Lebron was going to take his current place as the undisputed best player in the NBA, but as the cliche goes, "Kobe is so competitive" and the expectation that followed was that what Kobe lacked in matching up with Lebron, he would gain by once again evolving as a ballplayer.

Personally, I was hoping that as Kobe advanced in age and the Lakers added younger players or top-flight free agents, Kobe would become more of a playmaker rather than a shotmaker.  That perhaps he would become the "David Robinson" to a "Tim Duncan" that the Lakeshow would draft or somehow add to their roster.  I was especially expectant that this would happen this past season because the Lakers had added former-MVP, Steve Nash, and man-child, Dwight Howard, but Kobe threw me for a loop in not yet smoothly morphing into the next phase as a basketball player.

That's what made his achilles tear last year so devastating to watch as a fan. Kobe was having a ridiculous 17th season as a pro; having throwback Kobe games and doing throwback Kobe moves.  Even though the team was struggling with chemistry as they limped to the final playoff position, it looked Kobe had paused the aging process and we would get that nasty Black Mamba for at least a couple more years. That the final evolution of Kobe as a ballplayer would not have to happen just yet.

As much as Kobe always gained a new move or skill from season to season, he never had to directly change his playing style because he physically lost something.  His competitive spirit and unquenchable desire to be great always pushed him to get even better, but his previous transitions as a ballplayer always were in the pursuit of becoming even greater as a player; not to recover from a crippling injury. This fall, I didn't have any expectations of Kobe coming back with any new tricks. Simply, a hope that Kobe would have enough left in that surgically repaired left leg to play in 2013-2014 or perhaps just once more before he called it quits.

Thus when pundits and journalists talked about how unwise it was for the Laker organization to re-sign Kobe early in the season and for such a high amount considering his age and the recently ruptured achilles, I wrestled with what words I would want to write about what is perhaps the last years of Kobe's career.

I totally agree with those that are incredulous about the two-year contract that Kobe got before he was even ready to play another game.  I get how much Kobe's deal will handicap the Lakers options for signing free agents.

Kobe has done it all as a basketball player and has elevated the Laker brand to heights unfathomable in the 21st century.  That's probably the explanation for the huge contract he got from the Lakers; to offer Kobe such a contract so that the man who has made the Lakers the most popular franchise in the the world, never puts on the jersey of a different NBA team.

I've debated/discussed/tearfully pleaded to the plentiful Kobe-haters that the Lakers could contend in the next couple years even with Kobe's contract on the books.  Yes I'm aware that teams like the Rockets, Thunder, Clippers, Pacers and their young superstars keeping getting better.  Not to mention that if the Miami Heat model of assembling a team continues, the trend of creative GM's structuring their teams so that young superstars will be able to ally together, will make it really hard for the Lakers to build a team that can win another championship against such dynamic young talent and teams built with a depth of superstars.

However, to me, Kobe's value and impact as a ball player have always been much  more than just statistical figures.  Specifically, Kobe's consistent discipline in preparing himself year to year has become the model of excellence and perseverance which has inspired not only young ball players but also been a refreshing reminder to everyone else about what it takes to be great.

Think about the huge PR hit that the 3-time defensive player of the year took when playing with Kobe last year.  Only Kobe and his almost maniacal work ethic could make one of the top centers in the league look like he was loafing around after just one season playing next to him.  Kobe's greatest contribution to the Lakers, to the NBA, and to his own personal legacy has always been how he has modeled the single-minded pursuit of greatness that we now come to expect from every young talented athlete.

That is why with all the controversy that comes with how much Kobe is signed for at least the next two years, I quote my friend, Ryan, for what he said to me when I texted him about Kobe resigning with the Lakers.

"Kobe is worth it.  I just wish [the Lakers] would have gotten a better discount though"

This blog has been and still exists as a way for me to express myself about the sport and the players and those involved in the NBA I enjoy so much.  Seeing Kobe tonight struggle to hit a jumper and turn the ball over 8 times and look as rusty as I've ever seen him, it may be was hard to remember these truths about what Mr. Bryant has brought to the table over the last two decades.

Kobe's return to the hardwood is the same pursuit of greatness that you and I  undertake everyday of our lives.  Kobe is worth it not only because he is the greatest Laker of all time and has a list of endless achievements on the hardwood, but also because he models and inspires us in the innate human desire we each have to be the very best at whatever we do.  

Whether that is on the hardwood, while working your regular 9 to 5 job or even in raising your child, the common goal we all share with Kobe is wanting to achieve a certain level of excellence in all that we do, despite what oftentimes seems like the most hopeless of situations.

Thanks Kobe, for being the face of the Lakers all these years and tonight for once more representing and reminding me of that unwavering pursuit of greatness.