What is Yao’s Legacy?

The major NBA news of the past couple of days was Yao Ming’s potential career-ending injury with a broken left foot. Currently it is believed that Yao will most likely not be active for the 2009-2010 season but the Rockets have not made a formal announcement regarding the upcoming season and Yao’s status.

If this is the last that we see of Yao Ming, what is his legacy? He will be remembered as a top center in the 2000’s and the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. The Rockets who were a fledging team before Yao’s acquisition, turned the Rockets into a consistent playoff team and a possible contender for an NBA crown.

Statistically Yao’s numbers are solid for most big-men with a career average of 19.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Yao had two seasons worth of 20-10 play but those were in years where injuries plagued his seasons. Are Yao’s numbers Hall of Fame worthy? If you look at them, it is not likely that he will be voted in unless for global fame. Yao’s career will probably be looked at much like other foreign players in comparison like former Indiana Pacer Rik Smits and former Trailblazer Arydas Sabonis.

Yao’s global image is probably what his legacy will eventually depend on, 2002 was dubbed the "Year of Yao” by many sports writers and his match-up with Shaq was one of ESPN's highest televised games of the season. Also on Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley bet Kenny Smith that during the season Yao would not score 19 points in a game which ended in Kenny winning the bet and Charles kissing Kenny's "Ass."



He had a documentary "Year of Yao” and book written about him with the help of ESPN writer Rick Bucher called “Yao: A Life in Two Worlds." Yao was featured in many commercials including Mastercard, T-Mobile and Apple. He also spawned a song called, “The Yao Ming Song.” Yao is arguably the most recognizable Chinese athlete that the world has seen and help spawn the growth of basketball in China.



Prior to Yao’s arrival, the only two Chinese basketball players in the NBA, Wang ZhiZhi and Mengke Bateer were viewed as players who could barely get off the bench in the NBA. Yao changed the theory that Asian player could have an effect on the NBA game and help give new breath to a new breed of Asian players which currently includes Sun Yue and Yi Jianlian.

The sad part is if this is the end for Yao Ming it looks like a dream deferred with the Rockets only achieving one playoff series win and a career hampered by nagging injuries that stop him from reaching his full potential in the NBA.

However, Yao’s will be remembered as a 7’6 player who could do more than just stand and dunk. He did impact how big men were viewed by NBA scouts and coaches, they not only needed to know how to score but play defense and pass affectively.

Yao’s legacy will be a top NBA player during his time but his cultural and global impact were clearly more important than anything else he could have done in the NBA by winning multiple championships.

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Definitive Compilation of "Heckling Stephen A Smith at the NBA Draft"

One of my favorite things to watch after the NBA Draft is the latest installment of "Heckling Stephen A Smith" where one intrepid individual mocks (former) ESPN NBA analyst Stephen A Smith with a sock puppet.

Due to ESPN letting Stephen A's contract run out without renewing it, this appears to be the end of these videos.

So I decide in honor of the creative genius to put together a compilation post of every "Heckling Stephen A Smith at the NBA Draft" including the most recent one done at the 2009 NBA Draft.

Enjoy!

(Courtesy of Rockin Steady)

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Day that MJ met MJ

Although, I am currently still on vacation, the news of Michael Jackson death has been felt around the nation. The self-proclaimed "King of Pop" passed away at the age of 50 and whether you loved him or wanted to punch him in the face, you had to respect the man's musical talents.

If we go back to the year of 1992, Michael Jackson released a track called "Jam" and the video featured the other great MJ, Michael Jordan. The track itself is over seven minutes long (due to YouTube Embed Rules, I can only post the remix, follow this link to the regular version) and might be the only time that the "King of Pop" met the "King of the Hardwood."

The song itself might be the epitome of how Michael Jordan changed the game of basketball and at point shows how Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson became as idolized as they have become in today's current age.

It is interesting to look at both of these MJ's since they both changed the way that people thought about their respective art. Both MJ's also had to deal with the inner turmoil of the lives (Michael Jordan with his gambling problem and the death of his father and Michael Jackson with the multiple plastic surgeries and his upbringing) It seems that both paths crossed at this moment in time and it will be tough again to match this in today's current world.

Below this is a behind the scenes look at the making of the video and shows a human side to both of these mega-stars. In the end, it is a sad time to have lost Michael Jackson but his music and legacy will live on.

By Ben Chew with No comments

That NBA Lottery Pick goes on Vacation

Hello viewers and purveyors of the That NBA Lottery Pick blog, I am announcing in this post that I am going to be a taking a vacation away from the blog to cool my jets and do some relocation.

To put it in simple terms, I will be off for the rest of June cross-navigating the middle of the United States. That means I get to visit such exciting states such as Nebraska, Missouri, Utah and Colorado.

Clearly this means that I be somewhere in the middle of the USA when the NBA Draft which is going down on June 25th , however check out such sites as Ball Don’t Lie, Free Darko, and A Stern Warning for your draft coverage.

I will be back on July the 1st. Enjoy this time off, I know I will.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Phil Jackson on Conan O'Brien

While most of the Lakers team was on Jimmy Kimmel, the head coach of the Lakers Phil Jackson was on the Tonight Show with Conan O’ Brien.

Conan delved into the mind of the Zen Master and even got him to tell why he suddenly stopped pacing the sidelines during games. He also talked his future with the team and the possibility of him coaching the Lakers next year.

Conan also talked about of the Jackson led teams, could the 90’s Bulls be beaten by the current Lake Show? Jackson’s answer might surprise you or maybe it will not.

Jackson did get a mention of former Bulls center Bill Cartwright meaning 90% of the people in the audience spent the time after the show Googling and Wikipeding his name.

All in All, CoCo did a solid interview with P-Jax and we will completely forget that Shia LeBeouf was interviewed before Phil.

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Lakers on Jimmy Kimmel

If my memory serves me correct, I cannot remember the last time a group of players from an NBA World Champion was on a late-night talk show together.

However, Jimmy Kimmel Live pulled off that feet by having 9 of the 12 Lakers players being interviewed. The first half of the interview was Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, and Trevor Ariza.

The second half of the interview included Jordan Farmar, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell, Shannon Brown, and Adam Morrison. All in All, it is very solid interview and you get to hear some humor from an NBA Champion.

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The one thing you can say about Paul Westphal, He can play a mean game of HORSE

Most of you have probably heard the news that the new Sacramento Kings head coach is former Phoenix Suns/Seattle Supersonics head coach Paul Westphal. What you probably do not know is that he could play a mean game of HORSE.

Back in the mid 70’s, when Westphal played for the Phoenix Suns, he was invited to the CBS Sports HORSE competition where he faced off against Indiana Pacer John Williamson.

Let’s just say that Paul Westphal is pretty good at this game of HORSE and let’s say that the CBS version of the game was a lot more entertaining than the one TNT did for the All-Star game this year.

This video does make me yearn for a simpler time where you could buy baseball cards for fewer than two dollars and a nickel candy at the store or that is at least what the old guy across the street has told me.

By Ben Chew with 2 comments

Kobe Bryant on Conan O'Brien (Full Interview)

During last night's Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, he welcomed NBA Finals MVP and Lakers star Kobe Bryant to the show. Conan even showed his appreciation to Kobe by bringing in a 25-foot Egyptian statue. (Seen Here)

Then he went to talk about Kobe Bryant's "game face", Jack's candid banter and Phil Jackson meditation style and made a few jokes at the expense of the Zen Master and Kobe himself.

Kobe even showed his appreciation by giving Conan an autographed pair of game-worn sneakers. Since Conan is from Boston, we expected some tension but I guess everyone let bygones be bygones. Maybe some fans should learn from this.

By Ben Chew with 5 comments

An “MVP” commercial gone horribly wrong

Parody Of The Kobe & LeBron Puppets ft. Lil' Wayne - watch more funny videos

Most of you, probably already know about my distaste for the Nike “MVP” puppet commercials but a parody version by the guys over at JerseyChaser gave me a new appreciation for the MVP commercials.

They dubbed over the “Lil Dez” commercial and gave him a rather dirty dialectic in questioning the Lebron and Kobe puppets.

Obviously, this is what Nike originally meant when they came up with the idea for these puppets.

Clearly the best line in this entire parody video is when Little Dez asks, “Kobe, did you rape that girl?”

(Clearly, NSFW. Do not view at work or bad things will happen to you)

(Courtesy of Funny or Die.com)

By Ben Chew with No comments

LOL NBA Finals: Lakers win the 2009 NBA Title

Usually, most NBA blogs like to give in-depth analysis of the ending of the NBA Finals and give some creedence to historical nature of the Los Angeles Lakers 15th NBA title. (I know, I did an article about comparing the Lakers as the team of the decade but for the sake of this article, that article does not exist)

Instead, we do LOLCATZ.

By Ben Chew with No comments

The Lakers are the Team of the 2000’s

The Los Angeles Lakers reached the basketball promise land again with their 15th NBA championship with their victory over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals. The team looked absolutely dominant in the victory and looks like that they are the early favorites to be the champion in 2010.

Then this begs the question, are the Los Angeles Lakers the team of the 2000’s? The only other team to win multiple championships in this decade was the San Antonio Spurs led by head coach Gregg Popovich and stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. The Spurs won their titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

However, the Lakers are going to be remembered as the team of the decade due the three-peat from 2000-2002 along with the star power of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Phil Jackson. What also hinders the Spurs is the lack of any titles that were won in consecutive years. As much as I want to give credit to the Spurs and their dynastic run, The Lakers with this win will leave the Spurs in the rear-view mirror for the team of the 2000’s.

I think even the larger question is the Lakers dynastic run in the decade of 2000, is it the greatest run of all-time? To be honest, there are so many great teams that this might be more difficult to decide unless LA takes the title in a repeat, next season. They still seem to be behind the 80’s Celtics, 90’s Bulls, and even the 80’s Lakers.

The one thing that we do know for sure is this Lakers team will be back next year to compete for the crown and their history as the greatest team of this decade has been already fulfilled.

By Ben Chew with 1 comment

LOL NBA Finals Game Four

(A quick reminder: Come join our main site, Outside the Boxscore, in our NBA Finals game five live blog starting at 7:30pm est. Check it out at this link. I will also be live-tweeting at our Twitter account of ThatNBAPick during the duration of game four)

Usually, most other NBA blogs will continue to set the precedence of allowing you inside the game and giving helpful things to watch for to enrich your NBA watching experience.

Instead, we do LOLCATZ.

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Chris Bosh has some weird commercials and fans

Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh recently made an appearance at an Apple Store in Canada. Well, clearly the people in the great white north have some interesting ways of promoting Mr. Bosh’s public appearance.

Here are the two commercials that ran for the Apple store:





Yeah, those might even be worse than MVP puppets. Chris Bosh clearly needs to find some better help when trying to spread the word of himself or any of his public appearances. However, he is Chris Bosh; he can do whatever the hell he wants.

He now even has his own IPhone application because nothing says I love you to your girlfriend like a Chris Bosh application. Mostly from what I heard it is a location to the view the genius of Chris Bosh videos on YouTube, etc. Now it is at the palm of your hands.

Below is the video of his appearance at the store and well, that fan chanting “MVP, MVP” it just proves the theory that MVP chants need to die just like the pet rock and the Furby.



(Courtesy of Hoops Head North)

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Magic still stuck in a House of Horrors

The Orlando Magic were about eleven seconds away from tying the NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers at 2-2. Then a Derek Fisher three sent the Magic into a game that they should have won into overtime. The Lakers gained full control and went onto win in overtime, 99-91 to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

Many fans probably will point out the non-call on Kobe Bryant as a turning point in the game but the Magic missed many opportunities including a total of seven free throws in the fourth quarter. When your in a position to win and then find a way to lose, it will continue to eat at your soul like a maggot eating skin off of a human carcass. I have a feeling that many Magic fans flashed back to game one of the 1995 NBA Finals when Nick "The Brick" Anderson choke away game one.



Orlando has been one of the most resilient teams in the NBA playoffs including coming back from a 3-2 deficit against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, no NBA team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. The team has to now win three straight including two on the road. It just seems to me quite of an impossibility.

It sad to see this Orlando have so much talent and yet get pigeon-holed into a team just cannot finish the deal like the 2002 Sacramento Kings and the 2006 Phoenix Suns. Some teams such as the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have the "aura" of a champion and at this point, Orlando is still searching for it. Sometimes, teams never find that aura or magic exilir that turns them into a champion.

It is ironic in a city known for it's theme parks, the Orlando Magic continue to ride the roller coaster of this season. However, it looks like that it might end sooner rather than later.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Well, Jeff Van Gundy does look tired.

(A quick reminder: Come join our main site, Outside the Boxscore, in our NBA Finals game four live blog at 8:30pm est. Check it out at this link. I will also be live-tweeting at our Twitter account of ThatNBAPick during the duration of game four)

Current ABC announcer and former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy has gone through a lot in his NBA coaching career from getting dragged around when he was with the Knicks and dealing with Stevie Franchise in Houston.

Well, the guys over at College Humor have decided to poke a little fun at what Jeff Van Gundy looks like and the possible horror that his face has to go through on a regular day basis.

I will have to say though that poking fun at Jeff Van Gundy is too easy but still entertaining. If this video is true, someone on the ABC make-up staff is doing a pretty bang up job with Jeff Van Gundy or may I say “Droopy Dog”.

Due to the video width, we cannot post it on this site. Check out the video here: The Link

(Courtesy of College Humor)

By Ben Chew with No comments

2009 NBA Finals Game Three LOLCATZ

Usually, most NBA blogs like to come with some hard-hitting analysis about the NBA Finals or something that enriches your NBA watching experience.

We do LOLCATZ.

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It’s Time to Play, “The Team-Mating Game”

(A quick reminder: Come join our main site, Outside the Boxscore, in our NBA Finals game three live blog at 8:30pm est. Check it out at this link. I will also be live-tweeting at our Twitter account of ThatNBAPick during the duration of game three)

I will say the one of the positive thing that come from the NBA Finals being shown on ABC is an NBA edition of their late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live. The episode shown before game two included a game called “The Team-Mating Game” where Kimmel asked questions to NBA players in the style of “The Dating Game.”

The NBA players who participated were from the Phoenix Suns, Amare Stoudamire and Grant Hill battling against the Denver Nuggets, Chris “Birdman” Anderson and Dahntay Jones. This is one of the funnier things that I have seen recently and Amare Stoudamire does have some “jokes” to tell.

Who wins in the end? Well, you have to watch the above video to find out. I will say that Kimmel is not the greatest host of a dating-game style show.

/Bob Eubanks’d

(Courtesy of Ball Don't Lie)

By Ben Chew with No comments

2009 NBA Finals Game Two LOLCATZ

Usually, most NBA blogs like to come with some hard-hitting analysis about the NBA Finals or something that enriches your NBA watching experience.

We do LOLCATZ.

By Ben Chew with No comments

Fulfilling your NBA Finals Game Two Live-Blogging Needs

Hey loyal readers of That NBA Lottery Pick, this is more of a public service announcement rather than an actual post.

Over at our main site, "Outside the Boxscore" we will be live-blogging game two of the NBA Finals starting at 7:30 pm est. We will carry the same wit and candor of this site and be entertaining as well.

You can follow this to the live blog. (this link)

However I will not leave you empty-handed in this post and below have included this classic video of Kevin Garnett telling you that "Anything is Possible"

By Ben Chew with No comments

David Stern’s Worst Nightmare

The major storyline going into the NBA Finals was the possible Lebron v. Kobe matchup. Well, the Orlando Magic ruined that dream for mostly the casual fan, Nike, and David Stern.

The guys over at Global Sports Fraternity then begged to ask the question, “What will the “NBA” Finals be like without Lebron and Kobe?” They gave us the relatively hilarious answer. I guess David Stern is still having bad dreams as we speak.

One word: Shuttlecock.

By Ben Chew with No comments

NBA Finals Game One LOLCATZ

Usually, most NBA blogs like to come with some hard-hitting analysis about the NBA Finals or something that enriches your NBA watching experience.

We do LOLCATZ.

By Ben Chew with No comments