From The Windows To The Walls: The Krunk Are All About Marburys

"Atlanta, Here I Come"
First of all, this post has very little to do with Lil' Jon or even Atlanta really, so all those who googled "Atlanta Krunk" are not in the right place. Though I am known to both snap my fingers AND do my step, this post is actually about the Atlanta Krunk, the infamous CBA team.
It seems that the Kenny Anderson coached team has employed Zach Marbury, Stephon’s little brother, as their point guard. Now, I’m sure that Zach is a very capable point guard and in his defense he has yet to get in a fight with Isiah Thomas, but I find it hard to believe that Stephon is sponsoring the team with his clothing line AND Zach is running the point for a totally unrelated reason.
I don’t want to imply that the venerable Atlanta Krunk would give anyone underserved playing time, but I am suggesting that Stephon might get more of a say about who plays and who doesn’t than a sponsor should. Whether Zach got the job based on his skills, he's the team scoring and assist leader, or because his bro supplies the uniforms, a Marbury family dominated team is something I am very ready to see.
Hopefully the addition of And1’s ‘The Professor’ (that’s right, he’s signed on to join the CBA when his contract runs out) won’t disrupt the Atlanta Krunk, who might as well change their name to the ‘Marburyville Marburys’.

Where Self-Absorption Happens

"Hey Everyone, Come And See How Good I Look!"

The NBA has recently become pretty full of itself, but with LeBron headlining TV and the entirety of China tuning in to watch Yao manhandle Yi, why shouldn’t they be? But, their ad campaign has become a little annoying. They show pictures of Kobe, Baron Davis and Nash and play some Michelle Branch-esque piano chord, ending each ad with the slogan “Where Amazing Happens”. Kulapuch1 of YouTube has produced a line of commercials that should be airing the same month that Marbury’s shoes are released in stores that anyone has ever heard of. (Get it? Never!).

My Amazing Journey: Chris Webber

Here That? That's The Sound Of 30
NBA Teams Not Wanting You

What ever happened to Chris Webber? His career is pretty hard to remember so I'll map it out for you:

1) Ruined The Fab 5 legacy at Michigan by accepting 17 purple Hummers from his agent
2) Made a decent career out of hook shots and losing to Kobe in Sacramento
3) Ruined the Sixers by forgetting to bring his knees along with him in the trade
4) Produced a Nas song
5) Seemed to be revitalized with the Pistons
6) Was maybe gonna play for an Italian team

After an impressive career like that, I'm surprised nobody wants this guy... In any case he actually used to be pretty sick and my favorite YouTube director, Yinka Dare, supplies a mix that highlights Webber's skills and whining ability complimented with some Gang Starr:

Back To School: 2007-2008 College Info

"Tell 'Em, Pete"

It might be a little late, but check the opinions about college basketball this season. This year isn’t dominated by any annoyingly over hyped players (cough, cough Greg) but some freshmen are looking to make a big impact. There isn’t one clearly dominant team (cough, cough Florida) but plenty of squads are on the verge of greatness. Here are some thoughts:

-Team Rankings-
1) UCLA: Arron Afflalo will be sorely missed, but Kevin Love is more than ready to fill his spot. A less than stellar PAC-10 will help this team get a good seed, not that they’ll need it.

2) Georgetown: These guys will (hopefully) prove that the Princeton offense can actually contend for a national title and their stellar defense won’t hurt. Roy Hibbert is one of the top college players and he’s backed up by capable guards in Tyler Crawford and Jonathon Wallace and role-players in Patrick Ewing Jr. and Jessie Sapp.

3) Memphis: Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts are more than able to lead the high octane Tigers back to glory. Their only weakness lies in their inability to create easy shots. For a powerful offense, they don’t run the break nearly enough.

4) Kansas: With Darrell Arthur on the verge of greatness, the perimeter will be opened up for some clutch Jayhawk shooters.

5) North Carolina: I’m tired of all the hype around Taylor Hansbrough. Maybe if he hadn’t been punched in the face last season, he would have lived up to it, but I think he still has something to prove. Having him run around in traffic with Deon Thompson can only add to the problems they had with Wright last year. They have a breakout star in Wayne Ellington.

-Potential Cinderellas-
1) Connecticut: Okay, so maybe Uconn isn’t exactly synonymous with Cinderalla, but they are poised to make an impressive run. Hasheem Thabeet (7'3") has the ability to stop any big man in college, and A.J. Price can run the offense. They haven’t gotten anyone new, but an improved squad from last year is more than enough to make a surprising run.

2) Pittsburgh: The hardest working team in college hoops is ready to make an impact. Sam Young is a perfect example of the teams dedication and hard work paying off.

3) New Mexico State: This one might seem a little out of left field, but stay with me. Justin Hawkins is one of the most underrated players in college and Herb Pope was an excellent pickup, who will get plenty of minutes this year assuming he can recover from being shot.


-Some young impact players-
Eric Gordon, Indiana: Indiana has a surprisingly exciting squad this year and Gordon is the main reason why. He plays a lot like another Gordon, Ben, including his 33 points against Tennessee-Chattanoga.

Kevin Love, UCLA: After a sick haircut, Love proved he’s ready for the season by averaging 20 and 10 in two games this season. He can step out and hit near NBA-range threes and his fundamentals rival Duncan’s. He’s the poster boy for High School basketball; we might be able to say the same about him in college.

O.J. Mayo, USC: The bad: He gets in trouble, fights teammates and chose USC. The good: He’s playing with Lil’ Romeo and scored 32 in a loss. I doubt Mayo cares too much about whether USC wins or loses, but getting his stat sheet filled out every night can’t hurt the Trojans.

Michael Beasley, Kansas State: Easily the most beastly freshman. 6’9”, 235 lbs and averaging 31 and 19, I don’t expect this guy to stay in college for too long.

Chase Budinger, Arizona: The curly haired soph looks like he’s going to improve on a decent freshman year, from 15, 2 and 6 to 25, 4 and 6. The Wildcats aren’t too good but this high-flyer will make them interesting to watch.

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova: After only one game, his stats haven’t been that impressive, but better than last year. Expect him to have some crazy games as the go-to-guy on ‘Nova.

Get Husky... But Not That Husky

"Being Impractically Strong Is Cool!"
Greg Oden might actually be better off sitting at home playing “Halo 3” than working out in his free time before next season. When the Blazers drafted him, Oden’s body-fat percentage was 7.8, and it’s the same today. What’s the problem? The Big Chameleon has also added 30 pounds of straight muscle. Obviously, a jacked Oden is better than a fat Oden, but an additional 30 pounds (a total of 280 pounds) is probably too much for a surgically repaired knee to handle.
Oden was unable to lift in college thanks to his wrist injury, but now he’s tearing up the weight room like it was made of something easy to tear up. With the knee injury, he hasn’t done any type of lower body workouts and he might end up being a 20-year-old version of today’s Shaq. Trail Blazers’ coach, Nate McMillan, isn’t happy about Oden’s workout regimen either, "I would much rather have him be wiry strong than bulky, especially coming off a surgery. When you're talking about putting on extra weight and having to carry that weight on a surgically repaired leg, that's not good. We want to be really careful with the weight training with him.'' So, Oden is already upsetting his coach and he hasn’t even blown a game… yet.
Imagine 10 more months of workouts for Greg; the Big Chameleon will be more like Black Godzilla by the time his NBA debut rolls around. At least he will always have ESPN commercials.

Karma Karma Karma Chameleon: He's Out For The Season But Not Out Of Our Hearts

He might be out for the season, but Greg Oden continues to remind fans he's around. This commercial alone makes him a real ROTY candidate, though not playing in any games may hurt his chances.

Chameleon? Yes. Obviously 40 years old? YES.

The Ceatles Will Win, Eight Days A Week

I sat down to watch the Celtics' season opener and expected big things after a Steven Spieldberg directed promotional video (no, not really, but it was cool). The Celtics delivered, squashing the Wizards and making Arenas look like an idiot in the process. Sorry that you’re prediction didn’t turn out too well, Gil, but I’m sure you had a great Halo game later that night. Pierce scored 28 points, Garnett had 22 points and 20 rebounds and Allen seemed content with his meager (by comparison) 17. The Big 3 shot a combined 52%. Even the other guys did well, but Garnett doesn’t exactly need to worry about Scalabrine coming for his spot.
This game was pretty impressive, though the Wizards didn’t look too good but I wasn’t ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet. Then, the Ceatles headed north of the border to face their only real competition in the Atlantic Division. The Raptors looked like they would dispel the myth that the Celtics are the NBA version of the Justice League, and TJ ford sent the game to overtime. The teams went bucket for bucket until the end of the game when Allen (33 points) hit a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left for the win.
So, what do these recaps amount to? The Celtics are the best team in the East right now and I’m prepared to say they’ll remain that way. When the three superstars joined forces this summer, people were actively searching for a weakness. They won’t be able to share the ball, they won’t be content with diminished numbers, they won’t gel, etc. None of these possibilities seem likely anymore, as the Big Three appear to be BFFers, regardless of stats. I want to hate the Ceatles as much as the next guy, but if these first two games are any indication, they have no real competition on the road to the Finals.