Take the Points

I know you wish he was still playing….Duke leads the pack in the South Region and Coach K has fielded the best team he’s had since the days of Mr. Redick. Jon Sheyer who began his career as the fugazy JJ has turned himself into one of the country’s best players. Villanova, Baylor and Purdue close out the top 4 teams in the region respectively. Villanova ended their season on a skid, getting smashed by Syracuse and then losing to West Virginia and Marquette in the final week of the season. Baylor is a great team, coming in from the Big 12 Conference and have beaten a talented Texas team twice.

(1) Duke vs (16) Arkansas-Pine Bluff/Winthrop: Duke doesn’t have any weaknesses. Jon Sheyer, Lance Thomas, Kyle Singler, Brian Zoubek and Nolan Smith are all seniors and have not made a serious run at the National Championship during their time there. Coach K doesn’t need any more praise, the guy’s a genius and gives Duke a legitimate shot at the title.

(2) Villanova vs. (15) Robert Morris: Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher hold down one of the quickest backcourts in college basketball. The four-guard attack they run creates serious matchup problems for anyone they face, and coming off of last year’s Final Four run they have the experience to go deep in this year’s tournament.

(3) Baylor vs. (14) Sam Houston State: Baylor has a deep team that proved it could contend with Kansas (lost by 5) and beat Texas twice. Guard LaceDarius Dunn and center Ekpe Udoh lead the Baylor’s balanced attacked on offense. Baylor is experienced and doesn’t rely on one player to do all their scoring.

(4) Purdue vs. (13) Siena: The loss of First-Team All-Big Ten player Robbie Hummel changes Purdue’s chances drastically. With him, they were pushing for a #1 seed in the tournament before losing to Michigan State and Minnesota, by 27, in the Big Ten tournament. The Boilermakers are still very capable of beating Siena, but don’t forget, this is the same Siena team that ousted Big Ten’s Ohio State last year. Ryan Rossitter looks like he’s an overgrown 11 year old, but the guy is a presence and is automatic from the free throw line. People are talking about Siena like they’re the favorite in this game, they’ve beaten Big 10 schools in the first round two straight years, and now that the public is finally behind them, they’ll blow it. Chris Kramer and the Purdue defense has something to prove.

(5) Texas A&M vs. (12) Utah State: This game is a coinflip. Both teams are very comparable on paper: their RPI ranks are close and they’ve beaten similar teams. In a matchup like this, I tend to like the team from the stronger conference, which in this case is Texas A&M who have beaten Baylor, Texas and Clemson.

(6) Notre Dame vs. (11) Old Dominion: Notre Dame is the classic case of a team coming in streaking, blazing hot into the tournament. Two weeks ago they were on the wrong side of the bubble, but their run to the Big East semis gave them a 6-seed. Beating West Virginia, Georgetown, and Pitt twice, the Fighting Irish have dominant player in Luke Harangody, and like every Notre Dame team, have two three-ballers that can take over a game if they start to feel it (Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough).

(7) Richmond vs. (10) St. Mary’s: Richmond’s 26-8 record and 5-3 record against RPI Top 50 proves that they are worthy of their 7 seed. RPI’s aren’t the best gauge of absolute talent, but their wins over Temple and Xavier and overall consistent play in the A-10 will make them a tough out. Kevin Anderson is one of the best guards in the tournament, and would match up nice in a potential second round matchup with the guards from Villanova.

(8) California vs. (9) Louisville: Louisville has been streaky all season. They swept Syracuse which is very impressive, but that could just be the product of great scouting and matchups. Louisville will be a tough out, and if Duke doesn’t play carefully they could get upset in a potential second round matchup. Cal won the Pac-10 regular season title, but there was really no competition out there this season. Pitino knows how to get his players up for the big game. Edgar Sosa will have his team ready to go as he wants to up his draft stock as well. And I heard he got a new tat for the tournament.

Sweet 16: Duke, Old Dominion, Baylor, Villanova

Elite 8: Duke, Baylor

Final Four/Regional Champ: Duke

Kentucky as the #1 seed is no surprise, they’re the most talented and deepest team in the tournament, but face a tough second round matchup with either Texas or Wake Forest. West Virgina is a 2-seed that should be a one seed after their Big East Championship. New Mexico is that 3 seed that everyone is going to pick to lose pretty early because, let’s be honest, no one has ever seen them play and knows nothing about them. But don’t sleep on them, they’re a top notch team.

(1) Kentucky vs. (16) East Tennessee State: Kentucky is so talented I don’t know where to start. Three of their starters are going to be Top 10 picks in the NBA Draft this June, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson. Wall will most likely be the #1 overall pick, and if Cousins shows up in the tournament, he and Wall could be the first pair of teammates to go 1-2 in an NBA draft. Eric Bledsoe has gone under the radar because of Wall’s ridiculous season, but Bledsoe is an NBA talent as well and can be anyone off the dribble. Kentucky can run every team out of the gym, but if they meet up with a team that can slow the game down (like Mississippi State did), they could have trouble. You don’t want to get into a track meet with these guys. Texas could be a tough matchup for them in the second round because Texas’ talent is far better than their 8-seed will tell you.

Oh, and there’s the John Wall Dance. Here’s DeMarcus Cousins’ rendition…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FurGG5z0za4&feature=related

(2) West Virginia vs. (15) Morgan State: West Virginia is one of the best all-around teams in the tournament and they’re capable of winning the title of all goes right for them. Dasean Butler leads a deep, talented and well-coached team whose entire starting line-up hails from the New York Tri-State area. YUP.

(3) New Mexico vs. (14) Montana: New Mexico is another team you could label as “The Best Team You Know Nothing About.” They went 29-4, 7-3 versus RPI Top 50 teams and have beaten five NCAA tournament teams (Texas A&M, Cal, BYU twice, SDSU and UNLV). They haven’t battled with a Big East team yet though, and a hungry Marquette team could cause them problems in the second round.

(4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Wofford: If you know or have heard of Wofford without looking it up then you deserve to pick this upset. If you’re not the %0.00000001 percent of people who know what Wofford is, let me fill you in. It’s a tiny liberal arts school of about 1,500 in Spartanburg, South Carolina and they’ve beaten South Carolina (who beat Kentucky) and Georgia. Similar to Davidson, Wofford is a tiny school facing off against a monster Big Ten program and a school that has the biggest population of Mets fans outside of the Greater New York City Area. Trevon Hughes and the Badgers should ride to the Sweet 16.

(5) Temple vs. (12) Cornell: Temple finished the season ranked #17 in the nation. They’ve beaten Villanova, Xavier, Siena and Rhode Island and are a talented team that could knock off Wisconsin in the second round if they get past Cornell. Jeff Van Gundy has Cornell in his Final Four and Jay Bilas thinks they’re going to make a run to the Elite Eight. Cornell lost to Kansas, at Kansas, by 5 points and they’re inside presence with Jeff Foote can equalize their lack of talent compared to the bigger schools. They shoot %43.4 percent from 3-point range which will keep them in the game against anybody. I’m jumping on the bandwagon, baby. Upset: Cornell

(6) Marquette vs. (11) Washington: Washington was 11-7 in a very weak Pac-10 Conference that only sent 2 teams to the tournament this year. Marquette went 11-7 in the Big East this year which is, for a lack of a better word, A MILLION times deeper and challenging than the Pac-10. Marquette has beaten Georgetown, Villanova and Xavier this year and have 3 legitimate scorers in Lazar Haywood, Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom.

(7) Clemson vs. (10) Missouri: Clemson is either a 7 or a 10 seed every single year. They’re always good enough to make the tournament, never good enough to win the ACC outright, and never really capable of making any type of run in the tournament. However, this year the Big 12 was a much tougher conference than the ACC. Missouri wins in a close one. 

(8) Texas vs. (9) Wake Forest: This matchup is very intriguing. Texas was #1 in the nation for the first half of the season, they’ve knocked off Pitt, Texas A&M and Michigan State, but have also lost to Connecticut and Oklahoma by double digits. They have the talent of a #1 seed, and a potential matchup with Kentucky in the second round could be the tournaments first major upset. Avery Bradly, Damion James and Dexter Pittman are all NBA talents, and if they get hot at the right time they could make a serious run. Wake is overrated and don’t really have an identity. Ishmail Smith thinks he’s Allen Iverson and that’s never good.

Sweet 16: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Marquette, West Virginia

Elite 8: Kentucky, West Virginia

Regional Champ/Final Four: Kentucky

The West Region is the weakest; compared to the Midwest it’s kind of a joke. Syracuse is a legitimate #1 seed, but the injury to Onuaku is shady and that’s a big loss down low for the Orange. Kansas State can hang with any team in the country, but they’re not championship material.

(1) Syracuse vs. (16) Vermont: Um, does anyone remember this? Skip to the 1:00 mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBFFJb9KSdc  …Yeah, that’s my dude T.J. Sorrentine, the most legendary bracket buster in the last 5 years. But Syracuse has been one of the best teams all season. They’re 2-3 zone is one of the best Boeheim has ever produced, and Cuse will savor this revenge match. Onuaku’s injury could play a big part, but if Cuse can get by Gonzaga in the second round (if they play) they should be able to get to the Final Four. And not because Andy Routins looks like the dude from Grandma’s Boy, (see image below) he makes up for it with his J.

(2) Kansas State vs. (15) North Texas: Kansas State has some serious talent. They can score inside and outside and I like them to reach the regional final. And, I played against Curtis Kelly (11.1 ppg, 6.3 rebounds rpg) in 8th grade, when he was already like 6’8” so I want to be able to say “That dude swatted my lay-up into the snack stand in AAU!” for as many games as possible.

(3) Pittsburgh vs. (14) Oakland: Pittsburgh is the only team to beat the top 6 teams in the Big East this year. They beat West Virginia, Syracuse on the road, Villanova and Louisville. Jamie Dixon knows how to coach in tournament time, Pitt should roll.

(4) Vanderbilt vs. (13) Murray State: Vandy is a senior laden team with a weathered point guard in Jermaine aka Dolla Beal. They beat Tennessee twice and are 4-2 vs. RPI Top 50 teams. Murray State is a 30 win team, so I wouldn’t take them lightly. A few experts are taking Murray State in this game, but Vanderbilt knows how to win when it counts. And Dolla Beal has a bangin’ rap CD. Check out his MySpace.

(5) Butler vs. (12) UTEP: UTEP was upset by Houston in the Conference USA title game. Had they not lost, they would have allowed for Virginia Tech to get in with that final at-large bid. Derek Caracter and the Miners are extremely athletic and will cause matchup problems at every position, but they’ve ended the season going 1-5 while the Butler Bulldogs are on a 20 game win streak and knocked off Ohio State and Xavier. Butler is usually the 12-seed in this type of matchup, but Butler should hold off this upset.

(6) Xavier vs. (11) Minnesota: Minnesota stole one of those final at-large bids with their run to the finals of the Big Ten tournament. They’ve beaten Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State this season and Tubby Smith is capable of coaching the Gophers past a lot of talented teams. Xavier is a solid team, going 24-8 and 14-2 in the A-10. But what scares me is their 3-7 record against RPI Top 50 teams. Their biggest win was at Florida, but they’re a team that is used to winning. They should be able to handle the Gophers.

(7) BYU vs. (10) Florida: BYU is another team that has quietly had a great season. They finished ranked #14 in the nation with 2 wins over San Diego State, at UTEP, UNLV and Arizona State. One guy: Jimmer Fredette. If his name isn’t cool enough, his stats are. Averaging 21.7 points per game, and shooting 44.8% from three, he’s a threat from all over the court. He can create his own shots and shoot over anyone. I love the better talent in this matchup.

(8) Gonzaga vs. (9) Florida State: Gonzaga played themselves out of a 5 or 6 seed, and now have to face Syracuse in the second round if they can get past Florida State. Gonzaga used to be that 11 or 12 seed every year that managed to knock off the powerhouse teams, but they’ve built a program that is consistently in the top 25 every year. I don’t know if it’s the way they recruit, but I’m pretty sure if you don’t have shaggy hair and can’t wet threes from a ridiculous distance, then you’re not getting a scholarship.

Is that Danny from Caddyshack? Adam Morrison’s little brother? A Jonas Brother? Nope…it’s Matt Bouldin and his 15.8 points per game and 35% three point shot can stretch defenses, especially zones (Syracuse, 2nd round) and the guy doesn’t miss free throws.

Sweet 16: Syracyse, Butler, Pitt, Kansas State

Elite 8: Kansas State, Syracuse

Regional Champ/Final Four: Syracuse

If yesterday is Selection Sunday, then today is Mourning Monday, or Complaining Monday. In the last 24 hours, ESPN and CBS have spent as much time talking about the teams that got snubbed by the Selection Committee than the teams who are actually on the bracket. Seriously guys, talk about the teams that earned their spot, I don’t care about Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, or Illinois. I watch an inordinate amount of college basketball all season and I understand these teams play a tough schedule and are certainly among the top 64 teams in the country—but that’s not all it takes to make the tournament. And please don’t tell me to expand the field to 96 teams because then we’re gonna be complaining about the 97th team which would probably be an at-large bid from the Ivy League. Let’s be real, 65 is perfect.

          Moving on, I just filled out my first bracket and I don’t really know if I like it yet. When you’re filling out your bracket, the amateurs know “Every year there’s a 12-5 first round upset” and everyone wants to be the one guy to pick the George Mason or Davidson of this year. But honestly, the mid-majors are simply not as good this year as they have been in the past, and the elite teams from the power conferences are way too talented.

           There’s only 7 teams that are capable of winning the National Title: Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, Ohio State, Villanova and West Virginia.

Breaking Down the Regions:

Midwest: This region is stacked. Kansas is the overall #1 seed but seem to have the toughest road to Indianapolis. This region has Big Ten co-champions Ohio State and Michigan State, ACC regular-season co-champion in Maryland, and Georgetown who lost by 2 in the Big East championship game. Kansas has a potential Sweet 16 matchup with an experienced, talented, and underseeded Michigan State team that made it to the National Championship game last year.

Matchups:

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Lehigh: Please…I mean one day it’s going to happen, a 16 seed is going to knock off a 1-seed but it’s not this year. Kansas is so much more talented than Lehigh at every position. But, remember Bucknell, fellow Patriot Leaguer, beat Kansas in 2006, so nothing’s impossible.

(2) Ohio State vs. (15) UCSB: Again, not happening. Evan Turner is my pick for National Player of the Year. The guy does everything and he’s catapulted his stock to be a top 5 pick in June’s NBA Draft. He’s got a Brandon Roy style, but more of a point guard. He carries this team.

(3) Georgetown vs. (14) Ohio: The MAC champions are a strong team, but Greg Monroe, Chris Wright and Georgetown are playing their best basketball right now. They fitting to make a run.

(4) Maryland vs. (13) Houston: Maryland is the strongest 4-seed in the tournament. Grievas Vasquez was the ACC Player of the Year and is an NBA star in the making. His leadership and experience gives Maryland the edge.

(5) Michigan St. vs. (12) New Mexico State: The WAC champs have a strong squad with experience, but they haven’t played a top 25 team all year. Kalin Lucas & Co. win this one in a blowout.

(6) Tennessee vs. (11) San Diego State: The Vols are a dangerous team but they’re also very inconsistent which scares me more than drinking milk the day of the expiration date. They’re capable of great things—like beating Kansas and Kentucky—and also pissing the bed—like losing by 22 to USC or to Georgia. San Diego State is a solid team all around, they beat New Mexico (a 3 seed in the tournament) twice and UNLV twice. They’ve never won an NCAA game (0-6), but coach Steve Fisher won a National Championship in 1989. Wayne Chism’s crooked headband gets knocked off in this one. Upset Alert: San Diego State

(7) Oklahoma State vs. (10) Georgia Tech: The first round 7-10 matchups are always hard to pick, and this one is one of the hardest. These teams are mirror images of each other. Major conference teams with around .500 in conference records and a couple studs on each team that can take over a game. Georgia Tech is hot right now, and gave Duke a run for their money. Derrick Favors has his eyes on the League and he’ll put on a show for the Nike sponsors.

(8) UNLV vs. (9) Northern Iowa: Northern Iowa is the best team you know nothing about. They have a balanced offense, including a 7’0” senior in Jordan Eglseder who is surprisingly talented around the basket. They can shoot the three with the best in the nation and play a gritty, old-school style of basketball. All their stars are juniors and seniors with tournament experience. I’m afraid to pick a team going against an opponent hailing from Vegas, but Northern Iowa should pull this one out.

Sweet 16: Kansas, Michigan State, Georgetown, Ohio State.

Elite 8: Kansas vs. Ohio State - I don’t like picking against Kansas, I wanted them both in my Final Four but I guess that can’t happen. Evan Turner is the best player on the court in every game, and he can lead the Buckeyes past Kansas—who are beatable.

Regional Champion: Ohio State

That Jordan commercial still gives me goosebumps. Not only does it connect with our deepest emotions about sports, it captures what makes the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament the best playoff format in American sports. Nowhere else is the excitement, unpredictability and purity of sport on display like it is in “March Madness.” There are no words spoken in the ad, because words can’t describe it, just pictures and a metronomic clock tower suspend us in limbo between expectation and reality.

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Every year, no matter who is playing well or what teams seem to be dominating the NBA, there is always debate over who should win the Most Valuable Player award for the league. In recent years, the same names have come up in the discussion: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade. With the exception of Wade, who has been plagued with some injuries and an underachieving Miami Heat team, Kobe and Lebron are at the forefront of the discussion once again. However, the award is given (or should be given) to the league’s most valuable player, that is, the player whose value to his team is the most significant.

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Gatorade announced today that they are no longer going to sponsor Tiger Woods. A representative for the “Thirst Quencher” giant released this statement on Friday: “We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship. We wish him all the best.”

Really? Do they wish him all the best? The same spokeswoman said that Gatorade will continue its relationship with the Tiger Woods Foundation. Ok, so let me get this straight. To make things easier, I’m going to refer to Tiger’s 14+ women he had affairs with, possible drug problem, sex addiction problem and his lengthy public apology—and just the entire saga as “What he did.”

So, because of “what he did,” Gatorade will no longer endorse its most marketable and popular icon in its history besides Michael Jordan, but it will continue to sponsor that same man’s foundation. In other words, what Gatorade is really saying is: “We will no longer endorse Tiger Woods—the athlete—because of ‘what he did’, but we will endorse Tiger Woods—the person—by continually donating to his charity.

There is an inherent contradiction in this decision, because Tiger Woods the person, the same person that established a foundation for educationally developing youth around the world, is the man who acted immorally and immaturely.

Gatorade is the most popular and influential sports drink in the world. What began as a drink just for athletes has evolved into an empire that has essentially monopolized a section of the beverage market. They have so many different lines of drinks aside from the standard drink: Fierce, Ice, AM, Xtremo, Low-Calorie G2..the list goes on. Tiger used to have his own line of Gatorade called Gatorade Tiger (and it was amazing, just for the record).

The point here is that most of the people who drink Gatorade respect and love Tiger for what he does on the golf course and his influence on the sports world. If Gatorade wants to cater to the athlete in all of us, they should know that Tiger’s tremendous athletic ability is paramount; his personal life is secondary.

When AT&T and Accenture dropped Tiger, that made sense. Those companies sponsor Tiger for what he represented off the course: determination, consistency, hard-working—winning was the only thing that mattered.

Honestly, if Gatorade wasn’t so goddamn good and I could control myself from not drinking it, I would stop drinking it just to spite Gatorade for being so absurdly contradictory in their business decisions.

They don’t wish Tiger the best, because they know what’s best for him (and for themselves as well) is to continue their sponsorship with him. We all know that when Tiger comes back, whenever that is, he will come back with such avengance, such seriousness of purpose it’s going to be terrifying. As if the galleries that followed Tiger at these tournaments weren’t big enough, as if not enough people tuned in on Sundays to watch him, that number is going to multiply 3 fold. Tiger’s return is going to be the biggest even in sports all year—and Gatorade won’t be there by his side as his loyal sponsor. A moment like the one pictured below will happen again—soon…and more than once.

Champions like him come by a few times a generation. And the thing about champions as great as him is that they never give up and they let no obstacle get in their way. The bigger the obstacle, the greater the motivation.

Gatorade and his other sponsors are the agents that contributed to creating this pedestal that we the people placed Tiger on. They convinced us that Tiger was the perfect human—an indestructible and unstoppable force of determination and utter brilliance in human character because of his athletic ability. He was always a reserved person, always kept to himself and gave little to no details about his personal life or how or why he hit a certain shot. Tiger fooled us all, but he has also made many, many corporate men very, very rich.

We were convinced that his moral conscience was just as brilliant as his athletic ability. We placed him on the Mt. Olympus of athletes, and to me, and many sports experts, his athletic achievements can never be tarnished.

The man is human. He isn’t perfect. Nobody is. But Gatorade, are you really going to convince us that there is “no longer a role for Tiger” in your campaigns? You’re still going to support the man’s foundation? That means you’re company is still connected to the man? Is a mother really not going to buy her son a Gatorade after soccer practice because you sponsor Tiger? I doubt it.

There’s nothing a New York sports fan loves more than a guy in charge of a team standing by a promise he made when he took office. That’s what Donnie Walsh has done for the last two years, and on Thursday afternoon Walsh made a final push to dump more heavy contracts off the Knicks’ payroll for the 2010 off-season.

The Knicks acquired injury stricken former All-Star Tracy McGrady from the Rockets for Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill. They also traded Nate Robinson for the Celtics’ Eddie House, who is a bigger chucker than George Costanza himself, but if the Knicks kept Nate they would lose him to free agency and get nothing in return.

Although McGrady’s beat-up and not half the player/athlete he was, he still brings a talented game to New York. At 6’7”, McGrady is a great ball handler and passer; he can run the point if D’Antoni wants to sit Chris Duhon more, and McGrady’s outside shot has always been among the best in the league. McGrady’s in his contract year as well, and he knows he’s playing to save his career and prove he still has game. He hasn’t played a full season in five years, but the guy is only 30, and this change of scenery might give Tracy the rejuvenation he needs.

McGrady’s expiring $23 million contract is the real prize in this deal though and the Knicks now have more than $30 million under the salary cap to play with this off-season. While other teams like the Nets, Bulls and Pistons will have their hands in on the free agent buffet, the Knicks will be dining at the all-you-can-eat Ritz buffet up the street.

Donnie Walsh, aka Donnie “Corleone” Walsh has put himself in a position to make multiple offers that Lebron and others won’t be able to refuse. Although the Cavs traded for Antawn Jamison, who I think is a perfect fit for them, the Cavs still may not win a championship this year. The Heat didn’t make any moves before the deadline, so where will Dwayne Wade end up? The Raptors were idle too – Chris Bosh?

The truth of the matter is that the Knicks have done everything they can to try to land Lebron James this off-season. To say they’re clearing space to be able to sign two max contracts is true, but what they really mean is to sign Lebron and let him choose what other superstar he wants to play with.

I said this in my last entry about Lebron, but I will reiterate it again. Lebron James is the biggest free agent in American sports history. He’s the most dominant player in the NBA at 25, he’s already in his 7^th year, but what I think is his most valuable asset that makes him so likable and marketable off the court is his personality. He has the perfect combination of cocky swagger and humble seriousness that a New York athlete needs. He knows how great he is and how legendary he can become, but he always bows his head in the presence of the greats.

The free agent class is littered with talent besides James: Wade, Bosh, Boozer, Joe Johnson, Ginobili, Nowitzki – the list goes on. Many teams will be able to sign these guys to big contracts, but losers of the Lebron sweepstakes, though they will be improving their team, will be settling for the most expensive consolation prizes in NBA history.

The Knicks haven’t been under the cap since 1996 when they signed Allan Houston and Chris Childs, so we have reason to be skeptical. Don’t get me wrong, Allan Houston is my all-time favorite Knick (just above Larry Johnson), but Chris Childs? Child, please. I am hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Knowing the Knicks history, they will probably sign a combination along the lines of Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer and Manu Ginobili. With a supporting cast of David Lee, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and Costanza (Eddie House), the Knicks will be a playoff team. But they aren’t a championship team—and without Lebron, or at least Wade, it seems all for naught. The Knicks have no first round draft picks for the next three years, so they’re banking on acquiring enough talent to make Knick fans forget about that.

Despite all the pessimism, the living nightmare that Isiah Thomas created, the Stephon Marburys and the Eddy Currys and Jerome Jameses, the constant losing streaks and blowouts—hope is still alive for the King to rebuild his throne on 34^th and 8^th. There is finally light at the end of the tunnel. $30 million worth.

I don’t think anyone who watches the NBA’s annual dunk contest every year was impressed by this year’s show. Last year, we watched the 6’11” defending champ Dwight Howard, dressed in a Superman cape stand in front of the basket as the 5’8” Nate Robinson leaped over him and dunked it to secure the title. Dressed in a green Knicks jersey, neon green shoes, and holding a special green ball, Nate stole the show and gave millions of viewers the best dunk contest since Vince Carter’s absurdity in 1999.

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