Jay-Z and LeBron

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports wrote an intriguing article discussing the relationship between Jay-Z and LeBron. As I was reading it, the first thing that came to mind was the NBA rule against collusion and tampering, e.g. Owners and GMs can't talk publicly about their interest in players under contract with other teams. Apparently, even when Jay-Z, part owner of the Nets, spoke publicly about LeBron potentially coming the the Nets, the league didn't punish him. The second thing that came to mind was how fascinating and how statistically unlikely it is that a guy who grew up in the housing projects of Akron and a guy who grew up in the housing projects of Brooklyn could one day be collaborators with both operating huge media conglomerates. The third thing I thought about was how cool it was that two guys who "made it" through the conduit of entertainment (read: playing sports and rapping) have translated their on court and on mike skills into successful business ventures. So many young people see playing ball or rappin' as their only way out of their 'hood. It is nice to see that 2 guys who are amongst the few who "make it" from their communities aren't content with the currency of fame and notoriety with somebody else receiving the bulk of the profits from their abilities. They both seem to understand how to exploit capitalism instead of being exploited by capitalism.

One of the best post by my favorite blogger

Henry Abbott of TrueHoop (available on ESPN.com), in my humble opinion, has the best blog on the 'net. He consistently brings meat on all things NBA and is insightful on issues on and off the court. As a basketball fan and coach there is not a week that goes by where I don't feel like I've learned something about the game, players, coaches, strategies, personalities, etc. This posting evaluating the role chemistry plays in a team's success is BRILLIANT!!! Here's an excerpt from an email response to Henry's team chemistry question from Noah B. Gentner, Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences at Ithaca College (courtesy Henry Abbott of TrueHoop):

Another important issue to consider here is the overall psyche and confidence of a team. There is an amazing connection in humans between our thoughts and actions. If we consistently think about something we are more likely to do it. If right now you start thinking, "I'm so happy this is the best day ever," and you continue to think that you will notice yourself starting to smile and feel better.

The same thing happens with athletes. If they believe they have a team that can win the title they will play harder, with more confidence, and be more likely to work through adversity than those who deep down don't believe in their team's ability to win.

It essentially boils down to what I know more and more and that is if you have talent, you can win games. You don't have to like your teammate to win games, but you need your teammates to be talented. You can love your teammates like they are your own flesh and blood, but if they can't hoop, it doesn't matter how great you all get along. Tactical talent (talent put to good use) trumps social cohesion all day long.

All athletes are not selfish

Saying that all athletes are selfish is an uninformed reductionist statement, but it seems to be an opinion that is levied when an athlete does something that seems to shine more light on himself than the team. I hate to hear athletes, especially football and basketball players characterized with such broad brush strokes. T.J. Ford is a great example of a athlete who is putting team first. Of course he won't be the lead on SportsCenter this evening because of this, but let him get caught on the wrong side of the law or demand that the coach start him or trade him and T.J. will become a household name.

Now, it does help that T.J. has a guaranteed contract and that there is no denying that Calderon is a legit point guard, but that shouldn't take away from the magnanimity of the gesture.