The Association

RUN-TMC, Part Deux?

By Craig Kwasniewski

Didn't we already do this?

Don Nelson is returning to coach the Golden State Warriors. My question to "the people" is why? The writing was on the wall regarding Mike Montgomery's dismissal. At a Lakers-Warriors game, I saw firsthand that some of the players were tuning out Montgomery during timeouts. Assistant coach, Mario Elie was feverishly politicking for the head coaching spot with the players at every dead ball situation.

But why is Golden State going for Nellie ball? The Warriors have talent but their weakness was defense and poor chemistry. Nellie's disdain for the defensive end of the court makes Washington's coach E**ie Jor*an look like Bill Belichick.

And what about the team chemistry? It's well known that Barron Davis does not get along with Mike Dunleavy. Davis is a ball hogging point guard in the mold of Marbury whereas Dunleavy comes from the team-oriented style at Duke. Maybe Nelson can find a common ground with the Warriors and bring out a higher tempo style of game, I just don't see this working with the current roster.

Maybe Warrior fans will buy into the RUN-TMC, Part Deux. Even though it lasted only two seasons, that era has taken on a legendary status. Doing some research into the Nellie years, I was surprised that RUN-TMC was so short lived. Didn't it seem like they lasted for 5 or 6 seasons?

I expect some changes on the horizon. Shawn Bradley, Randy Breuer, Paul Mokeski are you out there?

Starbury One Review

By Craig Kwasniewski

The Starbury One's have been out for two weeks and while I'm not copping a pair (I prefer to ball in the Crazy-8's.), a few of our regular contributors took a spin in the $14.95 kicks. Here's what they thought:

WB posted on August 27th:

I bought a pair of Starbury One's based in part on this blog. What do I think of them?

Well..... When I got them I had to try them on myself because no one works the Dept. where they're for sale. They were on the shelves with a couple of open boxes filled with shoes that had'nt been stocked yet. I got a size 11, one size larger than I usually wear. They fit, but it was hard to get past the tight lacing. The Sneaks look the part of BBall shoes, but are thinly made. There's clear plastic in parts that provide the Bling, but the odd inner-lined lacing at the top by the ankle makes them hard to slip on and off. I also noticed the inner sole padding came up when I forced my foot in the shoe.

I got the All-Black Starbury's hoping they'd look like anyone else's shoe should these sneaks become a joke. That way from a distance no one will know I have them on. The Pleather that makes up the shoe is smooth across the foot with delineated plastic linings where your foot will move - joints to the part of the show that give way when you run and jump. It felt thin. The shoe isnt heavily lined ( that's where the cutback in price is found). When you have them on, you feel locked in at the ankle. The upper half of the shoe tightens up pretty solidly around the high ankle. It has the odd laces though, laces that line the inner lining of the shoe at the high ankle. It makes it harder to tighten up. Biggest notable is the sole. It's thin. Real thin. It's like walking in a padded slipper. Here's where they also cut costs. Running in these sneaks , you could tell they would'nt last a summer of Hooping it up on the court. With weak padding ( no sole/soul- kinda like Starbury's Game) you'll burn thru these shoes in no time. Either your feet will hurt or you'll be Gellin to keep them going. I guess that's the plan though. They're so cheap you can afford to go out and get a new pair.

Basketbawful posted on August 25th:

...the tongue of the shoes looks like it's held in by cheap medical gauze. The leather is extremely thin, which means that the sole actually slips around when you walk. And the insole almost fell out when I pulled out the paper that they stuff into the shoe so it holds its shape.

Well obviously you get what you pay for. The Starbury's are all over ebay in case you don't want to drop by a Steve & Barry's. Anyways, thanks guys for your posts on the Starbury's. And if anyone else copped a pair of the Starbury's, feel free to let us know. Now I'm going to run down the UPS trunk for my delivery of the $250 Jordan IV Lightning Set... yeah right!!!

Editor's Note: Basketbawful just posted a very comprehensive review of the Starbury One's. (The Official Starbury One Shoe Review)

The Coolest Sneaks that I'll Never Buy

By Craig Kwasniewski

Okay while we're all waiting anxiously for basketbawful's review of the Starbury One here's one of the coolest pair of sneaks that i will NEVER buy... the Manu Ginobili Dunks.

First some background... I loves my sneaks! Six months ago I shifted from collecting the Crazy-8's to Nike Dunks. (BTW - I still collect Air Jordan IV's) Dunks are cheaper than normal hoops shoes ($70 vs. $110) and I can wear them at work without catching shit from the boss. My collection is rather small and my favorite is the HR Puff-n-Stuff's for "several" reasons. Anyway, when I'm not scouring the web for NBA news, I'm bouncing around Nike Dunk sites for upcoming shoes and release dates.

I stumbled upon the Ginobilis at kick-friend.com a few weeks ago and thought nothing about them. They are a special release commemorating the 2006 World Championships in Japan, but since I hate the Spurs, I could give a damn about some Manu Gynobili kicks.

Then I saw them in person at Undefeated in Santa Monica the other day. DAMN they're sweet!!! They have clear powder blue soles and the inserts show a map from Argentina to San Antonio. So if you can stomach the Manu Ginobili era I suggest purchasing a pair.

This time I'll pass on the usual, "sport these and flop like Manu!" jokes because I actually like the shoes. It's just too bad that I can't stand Manu's game along with the Spurs.

You can still find a few pairs for sale at pickyourshoes.com (Dunk Low QS "Manu Ginobili") and at some niketown's.

Photos: Yao Head Butt

By Craig Kwasniewski

Yao Ming's not having a fun summer. It started with his season ending Jones Fracture in April. (BTW - I STILL have no idea what the hell that means... because Houston sucked in 05-06 was he jonesing for a fracture?)

Yao then spent the first half of his summer rehabbing the injury, watching USA roll China in an exhibition. And the fun continues as China drops to 0-3 in the World Championships after losing to Puerto Rico 87-90 in OT, two days after Team USA rolled China 121-90. During the loss to Puerto Rico, Yao fouled out, with one of the fouls coming when Yao traded light head butts with Puerto Rican center Peter Ramos with 5:59 left in the second quarter. Here's a few pictures of the head butt... the people still love you Yao:

USA vs. Puerto Rico: Quick Recap

By Craig Kwasniewski

There's no repeat of Athens as Team USA beats Puerto Rico 111-100. Making sure I didn't miss out on the World Championship fever (???), I watched the game. It was a tale of two halves and USA played poorly in the first half but clamped down in defensively the third quarter, taking a 20 point lead, ending any chance of repeat of the 2004 Olympics when Puerto Rico beat USA 92-73.

Here's a few observations from the game:

First Half Ugliness: USA came out with the worst first half of the summer. They came out disorganized, confused and listless. Basically it looked like Athens 2004 all over again. I think they dedicated the first half to Larry Brown. All they needed was LB whining constantly on the sidelines about poor team composition.

Anyway, poor fundamentals reigned supreme in the first half. Missed freethrows, a technical foul for six players on the floor, many traveling calls (and not all on Wade), a five second call on an inbounds play... it was awful to watch. Maybe it was the jitters from the opening game for the World Championships or there's a killer casino/strip club scene in Sapporo, Japan. Whatever it was, they got out of their funk by playing hard nosed defense in the third quarter.

Carlos Arroyo is the Puerto Rican Tim Thomas: Let me explain... First, let's ask the fans from Toronto, Denver, Utah, Detroit and Orlando how good of a player Arroyo is. In the NBA, he's a back-up point guard at best. So, how does a guy who's played for five NBA teams in five seasons average 22.6 ppg. against Team USA? (22.6 in three competitive games, not exhibitions) Tim Thomas was a waste for the Sixers, Bucks, Knicks and Bulls yet for two months with Phoenix he's All-Star material. If only Arroyo brought his Puerto Rico game to the NBA...

Zone Defense? With every Puerto Rican guard blowing by his man and getting to the hoop for a bucket or foul, Team USA might want to consider mixing in some zone defense. The help defense was slow to rotate and Puerto Rico was isolating the guards at the top of the key and aggressively taking it to the hole with ease. The bigs need to improve their rotations and not worry too much about their man hitting the mid-range jumper if they helped on the drives. I know one of Team USA's defensive principles is strong on-the-ball defense, but this also leaves the defense vulnerable to penetration. Mixing in a some zone could confuse the opposition and slow down the penetration.

Carmelo Anthony: His game is continually improving. There was a stretch in the second half when he dominated on the offensive end. He scored in the post, off pull-up jumpers and off drives. Of carryover players from Athens 2004, he's playing with the biggest chip on his shoulder. I'm looking forward to his matching up with Argentina.

Starbury One

By Craig Kwasniewski

Putting quality child labor to work, Stephon Marbury has come out with a new low-cost signature shoe, Starbury One. For the same price as a month's subscription to a porn site ($14.95), you too can sport a pair of these kicks.

According to yahoo.com, "Stephon Marbury introduces his new basketball sneaker, Starbury One, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006 in New York. The shoes, developed with Steve & Barrys University Sportswear, will be sold for $14.95 in the clothing chains 130 U.S. stores beginning Thursday."

So all ya'll sneakerphiles out there, here's the link to Steve & Barry's University Sportswear, just so you can find the right store to camp out at just to cop a pair. I'm worried about the lines in the morning so, I'll see you there tonight!

But seriously, has Starbury fallen so far down that he has to hawk the Walmart of basketball kicks? How long before the shoe tears at the seams? 15 minutes? 20 minutes? When sporting the kicks, do you feel a sense of an over-inflated ego while posting a 3-12 shooting, 0 assists and 6 turnovers each time you play?

Anyway here's a few links loaded with Starbury One comedy info:

Steve and Barry's University Sportswear (on sale for $14.95, not available online)

www.Starbury.com (pics and vids of the kicks - off the chart for unintentional comedy)

Editor's Note: Here's a brief review of the Starbury One. (Starbury One Review)

Channeling the ghost of Kicksology, Basketbawful just posted a very comprehensive review of the Starbury One's. (The Official Starbury One Shoe Review)

USA vs. Korea: Quick Recap

By Craig Kwasniewski

USA Basketball rolls South Korea 116-63 in its final warm-up to the World Championships. There was no let-up as USA led the entire game and continued it's hard-nosed defensive-based gameplan. As much as this was a good sign, playing against a sub-par opponent could prove fools gold as the real games start this weekend. Here's some observations from the game:

South Korea Sucks: Like I mentioned, playing one of the worst international teams prior to the World Championships may provide a false sense of confidence for Team USA. Korea flat out sucked! First came the out-of-control defense that actually led to two Korean players hurting themselves in collisions with their own teammates. Then you had the poor ball handling skills as LeBron and D-Wade were constantly stripping the Korean backcourt for breakaways. However, the crappy offense was the final straw. Bill Walton put it best when he said:

It appears that the strategy for Korea is to throw up these WIIILD ill-advised shots from the perimeter and then race down long rebounds that nobody can get a read on!

Well said Big Red! Still, the ESPN announcers were making so many excuses for the poor play of the Koreans (young team, rebuilding, looking to the future, etc.), I felt like I was listening to the Lakers radio broadcast.

Ha Seung Jin: One of my favorite stiffs in the NBA, Ha Seung Jin, played for South Korea. He brought his A-game with him: dropped passes, small feet, giving up a TON of lay-ups (see the photos). I'm happy to see that his skillz haven't diminished this summer. Have fun Milwaukee!

Dwight Howard Block: Defensive highlight of the night! One of the Korean players scooped up that ball and fired up a three pointer from the corner. Dwight Howard flew at him from the lane a swatted the three pointer five rows behind the shooter.

D-Wade's Adjustment: I've been cracking on Wade for all the traveling calls, but I have to give him credit; he's adjusted his game to the international refs. He didn't get called for walking at all. On drives to the hole, Wade is either taking an extra dribble or jumping off sooner. I guess it's time to lower the over-under on traveling calls on Wade.

Bruce Bowen Scores! It only took five exhibition games against below-average opponents, but Bruce Bowen scored his first points on a flying lay-up in the fourth quarter. Then he dropped in another bucket a minute later carrying Team USA to the victory. Gosh, without Bowen's efforts, Team USA might have only won by 51 points... America thanks YOU, Bruce Bowen!

Wednesday Night Rec-League Moment: Bringing the noise, Korean "baller" Kim Min Soo threw down a thunderous dunk and slapped the backboard with both hands in celebration...

cutting USA's lead down to 112-62 with 51 seconds left in the game. Did I mention that Korea sucked?

Photos: A Shaq in a China Shop

By Craig Kwasniewski

Here's some photos of Shaq being his silly old self while visiting the Great Wall on August 15, 2006. According to yahoo.com, "Shaquille is on his trip in China to promote a Chinese sports brand." Probably a basketball shoe that's great on all surfaces and looks tight with any dog culling gear.

BTW - I not sure what's more offensive, the concept of the "The Great Wall Shop" or the Budweiser sponsored umbrellas at the Great Wall. Can't wait to see what they're selling at the snack bar. I hear the Mao Tse-tung Chop Suey is waaaay better than the Tiananmen Chocolate Squares.

BTW, Part Deux - You gotta love Shaq doing his best impression of Patrick Ewing in the fourth pic.

Plenty of Seats Available!

By Craig Kwasniewski

Here are a few cool pics from Team USA's 111-88 victory over Lithuania last Sunday. I TIVO'ed the game and plan on checking it out later this week. However, the win tells me that squeaker against Brazil last week had more to do with the typical NBA back-to-back factor than the world catching up to USA Basketball.

The win also shows the relative lack of interest home and abroad of USA Basketball. Just look at the photos... plenty of seats available for the game. How is this even happening? You have a loaded USA squad with the best young stars in the game in Wade, Lebon, Melo, etc.; the smallish arenas in China and Korea; and a limited schedule of two games in each country, these games should be sold-out.

Being a hoops junkie, I find this very disappointing. I understand the general lack of interest here in the states as baseball is in full roided form, football is around the corner and people are melting enjoying the summer heat. But how is this team not selling out in Korea and China?

Taking it to the Stackhouse!

By Craig Kwasniewski

Taking a break from USA Basketball coverage here's another youtube installment. This one Brett shot while we were sitting courtside at a Mavs-Clippers game last season. Unlike the Stoudemire dunk, this one has audio and allows you to catch a glimpse of our sublime announcing skillz. There's And1 Mixed Tape Tour "announcer guy" potential there! (That's me with the "nice pass!")

What's cool about this dunk is that it happened literally 7 feet from us!

That's the difference between attending Lakers and Clippers games. My Laker seats are in Section 316 at Staples Center. I'd have to sell my car to get a sniff of courstide action. But Clippers games are cheaper and, with the help of Brett's work, more attainable. Besides Doogie Howser star Frankie Muniz there's not that many celebrities to compete for those seats.