Tag: Basketball

Indiana Pacers Draft 2022 Thoughts

I think the Pacers have to be all in on Jaden Ivey:

  • Indiana doesn’t care about the Pacers. Ivey’s an electric home-state player, both growing up in Indiana and going to Purdue. Basketball is a business. Give hope and excitement back to the fans.
  • The Kings are saying they are ok to stay put. That’s because they want a bounty in trades. Duh. Find a way to move Brogdon to get another asset for the Kings to say yes. Will you have to overpay? Probably. But star-level talent is expensive. The Pacers have already seen what very good talent (Sabonis, Turner, etc.) looks like. You don’t win big or draw fans without true stars. Fans can respect the risk.
  • Is Ivey a point guard? No. Play him at shooting guard so he can play like Iverson or Russell Westbrook. Haliburton is a great compliment, and both also have the physical ability to guard either position. Duarte + McConnell make great backups. Your backcourt is set, go figure out the rest.

Andrew Bogut Answers My Podcast Question

I got my question to Andrew Bogut answered! Here’s the original text I sent, which Andrew edited for the podcast.

Hi Andrew (and Mike), I was a big fan of yours in college, and was so excited when the Warriors got you. I liked Monta, but I knew the decision was right at the time. That’s not to brag, I’ve been wrong about plenty of things over the years.


Going through your freak injuries, I remember (from media coverage) that these affected your confidence both at the line and in offensive aggression even as you got healthy with the Warriors.


At the same time, I’m sure you were still working on those parts of your game. There have been so many players (Andris Biedrins in the past for the Warriors, Kelly Oubre right now) affected by lack of confidence. How did the coaches try to help you here, if at all, and how did you approach it?


If you could place yourself mentally today into yourself from 2012, would you be better equipped to overcome these issues?

I’m curious, when it’s a long term, multi-seasonal issue, and not really physical, why can’t players get this confidence back?

My Favorite NBA Podcast: Andrew Bogut’s Rogue Bogues

This is my go to podcast for basketball right now, from former Warrior Andrew Bogut and former Head of Player Development at the Mavericks, Mike Procopio.

It’s a new podcast with three regular episodes covering the NBA, but he’s already talked about the power of agents, the lost mentality of role players, and the real reason behind the spread of COVID-19 in the NBA – he talked about this right before any other media coverage mentioned it.

He’s providing insight I’ve never heard before in my many years reading deeply about the NBA. Plus, I’ve always loved Bogut since his college days at Utah and even have his jerseys from the Warriors (gifted to Dad) and Sydney Kings!

I Love Allen Iverson’s Humility

I’ve seen other articles or posts about Allen Iverson post-retirement and what stands out to me is how humble he is. He doesn’t hate on people, try to compare himself, complain. I have an original authentic Champion jersey from his rookie year, and this perspective makes sure I’m never tempted to sell it.

This recent interview shows what I mean:

And1 Tai Chi Mixtape Shoes – In the Wild!

Introducing the TAI CHI MIXTAPE, a limited edition remix on one of the most iconic basketball shoes to date, the AND1 Tai Chi.

And I’ve got them. You can’t read my past blog posts on my extensive fan love anymore but I was a huge And1 fan – I had jerseys, mixtapes, mixtape poster, mixtape tours, books, etc. I tried to intern for them over a decade ago, writing a personal letter to Seth Berger. I even have an autographed card from the team’s 2005 E3 appearance to promote their And1 Streetball game. It sits framed in my apartment and has traveled the world with me. It’s been great to see them getting back to their streetball and community roots over the last few years – you can also find their gear at affordable prices in places like Walmart.

The shoes look great in person. The only problem is if I can bear to wear them and get them dirty…IMG_1477IMG_1479IMG_1480IMG_1482