from Publetariat http://ift.tt/20hvjIg
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Get Your First 10 Pages Critiqued by an Agent — Next Agent One-on-One Boot Camp Starts February 18, 2016
from Publetariat http://ift.tt/20hvjIg
Tissue-Specific Stem Cell Mutation, Selection, and Evolution as a Cause of Aging
There is a mature literature on evolution and aging intended to explain how, despite selection for the morphological, metabolic, physiological, and behavioral prerequisites for survival and procreation, with the passage of time bodies deteriorate ultimately resulting in death. The focus of such explanations is typically on concepts such as age-related variation in the potency of […]
from The Evolution and Medicine Review http://ift.tt/201fBvh
from The Evolution and Medicine Review http://ift.tt/201fBvh
Examining Kevin Love's fit in Cleveland
One of the constant criticisms the Cavs and David Blatt faced during their brief partnership was the perceived misuse of Kevin Love. Every few weeks it seemed like the focus of NBA analysts and fans shifted to Love, and how he wasn’t getting touches in the Cavs’ offense, how Love’s numbers were down from his years with the Timberwolves, and whether or not Love needed to be more aggressive in looking for his offense, or if Blatt needed to find more ways to get him involved.
Fitting three high-usage offensive players into one offensive system was bound to stir up opinions and controversies, and the parallels to LeBron James’ time in Miami with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are almost too obvious.
Much like Bosh, Love seems like the odd man out who has had to sacrifice the most touches for the good of the team. Every national TV broadcast will have “getting Kevin Love involved” listed as one of the keys for the Cavaliers. In the eyes of many fans, Love has taken the ungrateful role of the much-maligned third wheel, with Vines pointing out bad defensive plays as his most viewed highlights – much in the way people criticized Bosh for being “soft” and not rebounding.
This season, Love is scoring just 16.1 points per game, down from 26.1 in his final year with the Timberwolves. Love’s field goal attempts are down from 18.5 to 12.9, and his free throw attempts have more than halved from 8.2 to 3.8. With Kyrie Irving back in the lineup, Love’s usage rate has dropped to just 22.1 percent – a number comparable to players such as Shabazz Muhammad, CJ Miles and JJ Hickson.
Love was at the center of everything the Timberwolves did, and Rick Adelman’s corner offense was a perfect fit with Love, allowing him to work as the primary playmaker (Love’s assists are down from 4.4 to 2.4 per game), scorer, and remain as the primary threat for the defense even if Love only functioned as a decoy.
Under Blatt, the Cavs ran under an offensive system that heavily featured spread pick-and-rolls, or actions that flowed into pick-and-rolls with the middle of the floor open. In Blatt’s system, Love functioned primarily as a threat to spread the floor, and they ran virtually no high-post action where Love got to use his strengths as a playmaker.
However, the Cavs have used the threat of Love’s shooting in some creative ways. For example, in this play (a creative twist on a horns set) Love works as a screener for a cutter curling to the lane, and his defender Kevin Garnett doesn’t want to leave Love to pop to the three-point line for an easy jumper, meaning he doesn’t stunt middle to take away the pass leading to an easy layup at the rim.
Cavs ‘horns’
The Cavs have also mixed in cross-screens and other quick action to get LeBron and Love touches in the post, and you’d be surprised to know that Love actually gets a ton of scoring opportunities in the low post, ranking 14th in total post-up possessions per Synergy Sports. Love has been among the top scorers in the post this season, scoring 1.03 points per possession while getting fouled at an elite 20.4 percent rate, numbers which put him in the 90th percentile in efficiency.
This is to say, despite what many may think, Blatt is and was a very smart coach and implemented genuinely insightful offensive schemes, and despite Love not functioning as a high-volume scorer, the Cavs have been able to take advantage of some of his strengths in creative, yet sometimes non-obvious, ways. Cleveland has committed to running an offense where the bigs don’t facilitate much, but that also creates space for Irving and James to get into the middle of the floor and the paint. With four shooting threats on the court, it’s tough to rotate over without being completely destroyed by a barrage of three-pointers, and LeBron has always been the master at picking apart defenses with his passing.
Overall, though, Love has failed to be efficient in his new role and is shooting a poor 42.4 percent from the field. Love isn’t a great shooter efficiency-wise, but he’s shooting a pretty good 37.1 percent on 5.6 attempts per game. Volume is just as important as efficiency in forcing the defense to react to you.
The Cavs are among only three teams that rank in the Top 5 in offensive and defensive efficiency (the Spurs and Warriors being the other two), and with Love on the court the team has outscored opponents by 9.9 points per 100 possessions, compared to being outscored by 0.9 points with him off the court. More notably, Love currently ranks 13th in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, ranking as a clear plus-contributor on both ends of the floor.
Love is still an elite defensive rebounder, even if his offensive rebounding numbers have more than halved from the beginning of his career, which allows Cleveland to finish offensive possessions and get into transition. Defensively, Love has shown improved effort and activity, and it’s obvious his effort has been more consistent than in previous years. Love’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus of +2.0 ranks him 16th among 95 qualified power forwards.
Love defensive recovery
Opponents are shooting 50.8 percent at the rim with Love defending the play, which isn’t great but isn’t terrible either. In 2014-15, that number was 52.7 percent, and the previous year when Love was with the Timberwolves, opponents made a hilarious 57.5 percent.
Love doesn’t have the foot speed to switch or chase shooters in opposing small-ball lineups around the perimeter, he has a tough time closing out and isn’t the longest rim protector out there, but in the team concept Love has clearly worked his way to above average – a massive improvement from years past.
Mainly, the problem with Love’s fit has less to do with him not being aggressive, or calling for more touches – or any other easy basketball cliche that can thought of thrown around. It’s a resource allocation issue.
The Cavs are paying Love big money over the next five years, but when he functions as just a stretch big in the offense, probably around 85 percent of what Love does could be replaced much cheaper. And even though Love is among the best stretch bigs in the game, teams have become increasingly adept at guarding lineups where one of the bigs can shoot. Almost every team is forced to defend and employ small-ball lineups, and an elite shooter at the power forward position doesn’t automatically break defenses anymore. If you’re not using Love as the hub of the offense and a playmaker, a stretch big is what you have reduced Love into.
Getting Love to be a bigger threat is also surprisingly difficult. He’s already getting enough post-ups and sure, the Cavs could implement sets to take advantage of Love more, but it could also take the Cavs out of their system and what the team wants to run. Blatt could have run more actions on the high-post and use Irving and James more as cutters than ballhandlers in high-pick and rolls, but that would be a pretty big shift from what the team had been doing, and the way they played under Blatt took the Cavs all the way to a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
The Cavs have at least three bigs that are expected to play minutes in Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson and Love. Love has a tough time defending the rim as a center, and more than likely some of the most dangerous lineups in the playoffs will include James as the de-facto power forward in faster and smaller lineups. James’ best position in shorter stints is power forward in the modern NBA.
Unlike Bosh, who could transition off-the-ball into a nightmarish stretch five that created problems for even the smartest and best defenses and who always stayed as one of the best and most versatile pick-and-roll defenders in the league – something Bosh never got credit for – Love’s abilities don’t scale particularly well to being just a third option… even if he’s worked to become a better defender and his ability to score inside and out creates problems for the defense.
For Cleveland, and considering the difference between them and the next-tier of teams in the Eastern Conference, it isn’t too early to start thinking about potential Finals matchups. Playing Love close to 40 minutes per game against the Spurs shouldn’t be such a huge issue, though the Spurs would be favored in that potential series by just as much as the Golden State. Against the Warriors, having Love out there for long stretches seems untenable defensively.
As shown by the Warriors in the 34-point romping in their last game against the Cavaliers, Love is just too slow to be on the court defensively. The Warriors will hunt Love down and put him in endless pick-and-rolls until the Cavs are forced to pull him, and if they don’t, there seems to be no satisfactory way of Love guarding those actions. Tyronn Lue can try and hide Love on Andre Iguodala or Harrison Barnes all he wants, but it won’t matter… The Warriors will always find him and it’ll be his man setting the pick for Curry every single time.
What the Cavs should do next is a conundrum. As of now, it looks like they will be huge underdogs no matter who comes out of the Western Conference. But Love is still one of the best power forwards in the NBA, and many teams would be thrilled to trade for him for a sizable ransom. A trade however, would introduce unknowns for a team that is almost a lock to make it into the Finals barring multiple injuries or complete collapse. Though after the Blatt firing, who knows what the Cavs (*cough* LeBron) are thinking. Give Pat Riley credit for sticking with Erik Spoelstra after the Heat faltered in their first season.
A coaching change doesn’t necessarily improve any of the problems with the lineups, or X’s and O’s. It’s too late to implement a completely different offensive philosophy, and if you’ll remember, Blatt tried to institute a Princeton-style offense when he started his tenure, which would have fit Love well, but that offense was quickly ruled over and scrapped by James wanting to run high pick-and-rolls and work in a “Magic Johnson” role. This is the offense the Cavs are going to run. Lue may be well liked and respected by the players, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to being a better coach. Blatt was a legend in Europe, and had he been empowered by the organization to lead, perhaps the results would have been better.
Though I’m still slightly skeptical Lue is going to be make any really useful changes, the Cavs have shown flashes of running a bit more – in spots. The Cavaliers’ pace is slightly up, but their 94.9 rating ranks 28th in the NBA. As a bright spot, the Cavs have clearly tried to get Love involved more, and during the starts of second quarters when Irving and James sit, the majority of the sets have gone to Love, and Lue has implemented some nice high-post action reminiscent of what Rick Adelman ran for Love with the Timberwolves. Four of the first five sets the Cavs ran against the Pistons on Thursday featured Love as the first option or the primary decision-maker in the play.
The first signs of the Cavs seriously putting effort into playing at a higher pace came in their matchup against the Spurs. Love, particularly in the first half, became the beneficiary of the Spurs’ defense having to scramble out to shooters by getting open and miss matches in the post. Love got to show his entire repertoire, and if the Cavs are able to keep up the same effort and intensity in future games and in the playoffs, they’ll be a serious threat to anyone.
Changing coaches in the middle of the season goes against all the ideals about how title contenders should build continuity. The amount of changes the Cavs can make are limited, and they’ll be largely running the same offensive system as before. However, by getting their pace up and optimizing certain things – perhaps implementing a few clever things for Love – it’s possible the Cavaliers will be able close the gap with the very best teams.
Mika Honkasalo is an NBA writer, geek, chart maker and most of all fan. He studies computer science and works in software development and business analytics. His writing can be found at Nylon Calculus and Vantage Sports, and you can find him on Twitter @mhonkasalo.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1PNGlzT
The Georgian League All-Star Game was a mess for at least 15 seconds
The 2016 Georgian League All-Star Game featured basketball players you don’t know about like Giorgi Barbakadze and Akaki Dvalishvili. It also featured an impossibly ugly sequence of basketball in which players blew three alley-oops in 15 seconds. This makes the fourth quarter of a Rising Stars game look awesome in comparison.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1StSngH
Sorry, Patrick Mills, but LeBron James is too strong for you
Stopping LeBron James in transition is one of the toughest things to do in the NBA nowadays. Spurs guard Patrick Mills, who weighs 185 pounds, gave it a try Saturday night during the San Antonio-Cleveland game and failed miserably.
James has scored 21.2 percent of his points in fast breaks this season, almost the same as Stephen Curry.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1NJhhmd
Celtic teammates don't approve of Terry Rozier's 'disgusting' spaghetti sandwich
Celtics guard Terry Rozier went to The Starters show last summer and fixed himself a terrible-looking spaghetti sandwich in front of the cameras. It included ranch dressing and sugar. It was all around bad.
His Celtic teammates were recently asked about his take on Rozier’s favorite food. To no one’s surprise, they gave it a giant thumbs down.
David Lee summed it up best: “This is another example of how famous people and athletes get a platform for things that maybe shouldn’t be talked about.”
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1PIPmnF
Harrison Barnes can't be distracted, beats Sixers
The worst team in the NBA had a terrific late run and came close to upsetting the league’s top squad, but Warriors swingman Harrison Barnes wouldn’t let that happen. A three-point dagger by the Black Falcon dashed the Sixers’ hopes.
Philly’s bench players tried their best to keep Barnes from ripping their hearts out. Look at Kendall Marshall and Richaun Holmes in the picture.
But it was to no avail. Game: Warriors.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1WULVjA
Referee pokes Brook Lopez in the eye
Just in case fighting for the ball with low-post bruiser Omer Asik was not a physical enough situation, Nets center Brook Lopez got poked in the eye too by referee by Justin Van Duyne during the Brooklyn-New Orleans game Saturday night.
The Nets lost the game, but Lopez had a season-high 33 points. The 27-year-old center is having a pretty strong month with double-digit rebounding in six of his last seven games.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1UzL2LK
Recap: San Antonio 103, Cleveland 117
LeBron James scores 29 points and Kevin Love adds 21 as the Cavaliers beat the Spurs, 117-103.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1WUJfCB
Recap: Sacramento 117, Memphis 121
Jeff Green scores 29 points, Marc Gasol adds 22 as Memphis beats Sacramento 121-117.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1SRBTQV
Recap: Washington 123, Houston 122
John Wall scores 19 points and dishes 13 assists as the Wizards beat the Rockets in overtime, 123-122.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1WUJihK
Recap: Brooklyn 103, New Orleans 105
Anthony Davis scores 20 points with 16 rebounds to top Brook Lopez‘s 33 and ten, as New Orleans takes it, 105-103.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1SRBTAH
Recap: Denver 105, Indiana 109
Monta Ellis scores 32 points with nine boards and six assists to lead Indiana over Denver in overtime, 109-105.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1WUJfCv
Recap: Detroit 107, Toronto 111
DeMar DeRozan scores 29 points, Kyle Lowry adds 18 with eight boards as Toronto wins it, 111-107.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1SRBQVj
Recap: Golden State 108, Philadelphia 105
Harrison Barnes hits a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining as the Warriors escape with a 108-105 victory over the 76ers.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1WUJfmb
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant had zero interest in discussing Stephen Curry's comment
Both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were asked Friday about this comment from Warriors guard and Carolina Panthers fan Stephen Curry, who plays against the Thunder the day before the Super Bowl.
Predictably, Westbrook had nothing to say about it, but he gave an Oklahoma City reporter the super long side-eye anyway.
Russell Westbrook asked about Curry comment, gave @royceyoung side-eye: “Anybody else got any other questions” http://pic.twitter.com/W7LSEsaE7u
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 29, 2016
Durant just took the high road and talked about the game against the Rockets instead.
Kevin Durant goes high-road when asked about Steph Curry comment http://pic.twitter.com/Jn3sGNGAsI
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 29, 2016
For the record, Curry later said the comment was just in fun.
The reigning MVP has won three of his last four games vs. Oklahoma City, but was also held to fewer than 20 points in three of those four.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1OXk3IG
Stephen Curry may be enjoying historically good season
Warriors guard won the MVP award last year, but he may be in the midst of an even better season.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1UxbPZd
Examining which NBA players got snubbed from All-Star Game
USA Today Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the players who may have been snubbed for a roster spot in the All-Star game.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1VxbNRm
Recap: LA Lakers 93, LA Clippers 105
Chris Paul leads the way for the Clippers with 27 points 7 assists as they defeat the Lakers, 105-93.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1JOYfjD
Recap: Charlotte 91, Portland 109
Damian Lillard scores 22 points as the Blazers defeat the Hornets 109-91.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1nEvj3N
Recap: Minnesota 90, Utah 103
Derrick Favors scores 20 points and grabs 9 rebounds as the Jazz defeat the Timberwolves 103-90.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1nEvlsp
Recap: Brooklyn 79, Dallas 91
Chandler Parsons scores 19 points and collects 10 rebounds as the Mavericks defeat the Nets 91-79.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1nEvlcb
Recap: Miami 107, Milwaukee 103
Dwyane Wade leads the Heat with 24 points and 7 assist to lead Miami past the Bucks, 107-103.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1nEviNt
Recap: Houston 108, Oklahoma City 116
Kevin Durant scores 33 points and Russell Westbrook adds 26 as the Thunder defeat the Rockets 116-108.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1nEviNr
Recap: Phoenix 84, New York 102
Carmelo Anthony scores 19 points with ten boards, Arron Afflalo adds 17 points with three assist to top Phoenix 102-84.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1nEviNp
Recap: Cleveland 114, Detroit 106
Kevin Love scores 29 points with six rebounds, Kyrie Irving adds 28 points with four boards as Cleveland takes it 114-106.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1nEviNn
Recap: Orlando 94, Boston 113
Evan Turner scores 15 points, Isaiah Thomas adds 14 with both players notching eight assists, as Boston wins it 113-94.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/20dn1AY
The highest salaries in NBA history (adjusted to inflation)
Michael Jordan‘s $33.1 million salary in his final season with the Bulls stands as the largest in NBA history after all these years, but that figure is probably going to become the new normal for basketball superstars with all the money coming in thanks to the massive TV deal kicking in soon. MJ made that kind of dough back in 1997-98, though. If we adjust to inflation, that one-year contract would be worth close to $50 million in present-day money. It’s still going to take a while for NBA players to rake in that much in a single season.
Below you will find the list with the Top 25 salaries in the history of the league factoring in inflation. Only eight players featured aside from His Airness: Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Juwan Howard, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady and, of course, Kobe Bryant.
| Actual Salary | Adjusted Salary * | |
| 1. Michael Jordan, 1997-98 | $33,140,000 | $49,778,878 |
| 2. Michael Jordan, 1996-97 | $30,140,000 | $46,042,278 |
| 3. Kevin Garnett, 2003-04 | $28,987,500 | $38,067,191 |
| 4. Shaquille O’Neal, 2004-05 | $27,696,429 | $35,209,796 |
| 5. Shaquille O’Neal, 2003-04 | $26,223,215 | $34,437,055 |
| 6. Kevin Garnett, 2002-03 | $25,200,000 | $33,722,113 |
| 7. Kobe Bryant, 2013-14 | $30,453,000 | $31,723,036 |
| 8. Shaquille O’Neal, 2002-03 | $23,571,428 | $31,542,793 |
| 9. Patrick Ewing, 1997-98 | $20,500,000 | $30,792,607 |
| 10. Kevin Garnett, 2001-02 | $22,400,000 | $30,694,617 |
| 11. Patrick Ewing, 1995-96 | $18,724,000 | $29,461,130 |
| 12. Kobe Bryant, 2012-13 | $27,849,000 | $29,445,593 |
| 13. Shaquille O’Neal, 2001-02 | $21,428,572 | $29,363,474 |
| 14. Kevin Garnett, 2008-09 | $24,750,000 | $27,821,470 |
| 15. Kevin Garnett, 2007-08 | $23,750,000 | $27,711,870 |
| 16. Alonzo Mourning, 2002-03 | $20,633,400 | $27,611,185 |
| 17. Kobe Bryant, 2010-11 | $24,806,250 | $27,555,794 |
| 18. Patrick Ewing, 1998-99 | $18,500,000 | $27,350,837 |
| 19. Kevin Garnett, 2000-01 | $19,610,000 | $27,301,437 |
| 20. Kobe Bryant, 2011-12 | $25,244,000 | $27,251,764 |
| 21. Juwan Howard, 2002-03 | $20,152,222 | $26,967,282 |
| 22. Shaquille O’Neal, 2000-01 | $19,285,715 | $26,849,961 |
| 23. Scottie Pippen, 2001-02 | $19,727,524 | $26,398,961 |
| 24. Tracy McGrady, 2009-10 | $23,239,561 | $26,228,500 |
| 25. Kobe Bryant, 2009-10 | $23,034,475 | $25,996,924 |
(*) Worth in present-day money.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1OWxaJX
Friday, January 29, 2016
Sterling by Cressey – Kerrisdale Living at its Finest
Kerrisdale has long been the neighborhood of stately single family homes but the city is beginning to open the neighborhood up to new developments that cater largely to downsizers looking for the ease of condo living without sacrificing space. Sterling by Cressey is the latest, offering luxurious boutique living in one of Vancouver’s most desirable locations.
The post Sterling by Cressey – Kerrisdale Living at its Finest appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.
from Buildings – Vancouver New Condos http://ift.tt/1nUhdLI
Kobe Bryant's winning record vs. other NBA legends
Even though his team has been piling up losses the last two seasons, Lakers great Kobe Bryant will retire having won more than 60 percent of his NBA games. He has a winning record against all but three teams (Miami, Portland and San Antonio) and his numbers are pretty good in head-to-head matchups against most of the legends he faced during his years in the league. Not all of them, though. His record against LeBron James is particularly bad, for example.
You can check his numbers vs. a bunch of stars below.
| W | L | W% | |
| Grant Hill | 30 | 10 | 75.0 |
| Derrick Rose | 5 | 2 | 71.4 |
| Alonzo Mourning | 7 | 3 | 70.0 |
| Tim Hardaway | 7 | 3 | 70.0 |
| Scottie Pippen | 26 | 12 | 68.4 |
| Jason Kidd | 36 | 18 | 66.7 |
| Tracy McGrady | 14 | 7 | 66.7 |
| Vince Carter | 19 | 10 | 65.5 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 24 | 14 | 63.1 |
| Allen Iverson | 24 | 14 | 63.1 |
| Michael Jordan | 5 | 3 | 62.5 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 32 | 21 | 60.3 |
| Patrick Ewing | 6 | 4 | 60.0 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 9 | 6 | 60.0 |
| Amare Stoudemire | 22 | 15 | 59.4 |
| Kevin Garnett | 45 | 31 | 59.2 |
| Ray Allen | 29 | 21 | 58.0 |
| Chris Paul | 22 | 16 | 57.8 |
| Chris Webber | 23 | 17 | 57.5 |
| Stephen Curry | 8 | 6 | 57.1 |
| Steve Nash | 37 | 28 | 56.9 |
| Gary Payton | 17 | 14 | 54.8 |
| Kevin Durant | 19 | 16 | 54.2 |
| Paul Pierce | 20 | 18 | 52.6 |
| Pau Gasol | 12 | 11 | 52.2 |
| David Robinson | 18 | 18 | 50.0 |
| Dwight Howard | 12 | 12 | 50.0 |
| Tim Duncan | 39 | 42 | 48.1 |
| Russell Westbrook | 15 | 17 | 46.8 |
| James Harden | 13 | 16 | 44.8 |
| Tony Parker | 26 | 32 | 44.8 |
| Dwyane Wade | 8 | 11 | 42.1 |
| Karl Malone | 14 | 20 | 41.1 |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 4 | 7 | 36.3 |
| LeBron James | 6 | 14 | 30.0 |
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1NGtHLJ
Friday Links
– New Resin and Neon Lamps by Sabine Marcelis (via Share Design)
– Meet The Candidates In 100 Words And 60 Seconds
– From the potter’s wheel at Tortus Copenhagen
– So much yellow (inside and out): AD Classics: Rogers House/ Richard & Su Rogers
– Credited As: Stop Motion Animator (via intweetion)
– Chris Rock: Proust Questionnaire (via kateoplis)
– Gif-out to a year of migration for 118 bird species across the Western Hemisphere. (via thisisnthappiness)
Enjoy your weekend.
from Better Living Through Design http://ift.tt/1Uvuq7Y
We talked with high school legend Schea Cotton about his movie and glory days
Vernon Scheavalie ‘Schea’ Cotton was a high school legend in the late 90’s. He was known as the ‘Manchild’ and later called ‘LeBron before LeBron’ by many, like Kevin Garnett. Almost two decades later, Cotton is releasing the documentary Manchild, The Schea Cotton Story: A Dream Deferred, where he answers all the questions about what happened to him after high school.
When did you come up with the idea of doing this documentary?
Schea Cotton: Well, it was about close to 12-15 years ago. It was only an idea, we wrote some stuff on paper and I met with a couple of friends of mine that were interested in doing it. At the time, it wasn’t working because I was still playing so I was back and forth… So probably 10 years back it was when we really started putting all the material together. And then the production team ArtruGroup came on board three years ago and they have been on it full-time ever since. I’ve worked really close with the media team as well, and we’re excited about it. We’ve got a lot of distribution channels already set up. There’s going to be a lot of media attention. We have 7-10 NBA players showing up at the premiere.
Can you reveal the names of some of those players?
Right now, we have confirmation from Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Arron Afflalo, Jason Hart, Stephen Jackson… We’re excited about it. We’ve got a lot of distribution channels already set up. There’s going to be a lot of media attention here.
Why did you choose your nickname ‘Manchild’ as the title?
SC: Well, it’s really catchy, everybody classifies me by that name when they see me… They still say it. It means a man among boys, basically. When I was playing really well in high school, that’s what it seemed like when people watched me play – a man playing against boys.
If you had to choose, what’s the one thing that you wish people will remember about your movie?
SC: My drive, my resilience. No matter what happens in life, you just have to keep going. Don’t ever quit.
I watched the official trailer and lots of NBA stars like Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Tyson Chandler and Elton Brand talk about you in the documentary. What does it mean to you?
SC: It’s a surreal feeling. We’re talking 20 years… The time is right. The stars are aligned. I’m really blessed. My father passed away around this time last year… He was a very big part of the documentary. He’s not here today, so this means a lot. And to hear NBA players come here to endorse me… It’s a tribute to my body of work as a ball player and the type of person I am.
Garnett said that you were “LeBron before LeBron.” It seems there’s a connection between you and James, that you were the original Chosen One. Do you think so?
SC: Well the similarities are there… The way I approached the game, my physique. I didn’t mind contact, me being able to put it on the floor and get to the basket and finish with the dunk, being able to shoot, long ball, three-pointers, mid-range, you know, just creating for teammates and pretty much have my way on the floor. There was nobody else that they had seen do what I’ve done at that level.
You told SLAM Magazine that you really didn’t have a childhood because you were getting recognition and national media attention as a fifth-grader. What helped you handle all that pressure as a teenager?
SC: Staying in the gym, staying close to my family and trying to keep a small circle, staying goal-oriented and remaining humble. I think at this day and age, I don’t think the players are as good as my generation, thanks to the social media the hype is better. I feel like the player that I was, you don’t see too many of those guys today. I appreciated the process, I had fun while I played. Today it just seems to be like cash-driven, everything is more corporate. The NBA seems to be a lot more finesse, it used to be more of a tougher league and more family-oriented. This story needs to be told because I think it could impact not only NBA players, but also kids and even adults. It’s a humanitarian story, it’s not just about basketball.
Comissioner Adam Silver wants to raise the age limit for players entering the league. I guess you’re with those who think no one can decide when to become a pro, right?
SC: Yeah, I don’t feel like that’s fair. You’re denying the right to work. You can do it in tennis, in golf, in many other sports but not in the NBA.
You never made it to the NBA, but you had a successful career overseas in Serbia, China… All over the world. What did you learn from the experience of playing abroad, on the court but especially off the court?
SC: I learned the things necessary to be what I am. A lot of those experiences helped me to live with myself today back home. I played 10 years as a pro but most of the guys that are in the NBA never did any of the stuff I did. I mean, when players, some of them NBA players, got together at UCLA for pickup games, Magic Johnson would choose me to play on his team! All those experiences really gave me a better heart.
Can you tell us your all-time high school starting five?
SC: Well, I’ve got to put me in there [laughs]. So I’d choose Kareem Abdul-Jabbar… Well, he was Lew Alcindor back then… Kobe Bryant, Kenny Anderson and Kevin Garnett.
You’re leaving LeBron off the bench…
SC: Oh. Well, you’ve got me and Kobe! LeBron would be the sixth man [laughs].
How is your Basketball Academy going?
SC: Very well, it’s starting to build. I see myself as a mentor. I think I’m going to be in demand where I can go to speaking engagements as a mentor. I think that’s really going to take off faster as the documentary hits the market. And you know, doing camps with kids.
What do you think about Kobe Bryant’s comments about the AAU system? He said AAU “is horrible, terrible. It’s stupid. It doesn’t teach our kids how to play the game.”
SC: I don’t necessarily agree with that. I think a lot of the teams in the AAU circuit now maybe they are operating in that way where the kids may not be learning properly how to play the game of basketball, but when I was coming up we had great teachers like coach Gary McKnight. They knew how to handle personnel. Today we see people doing things that they aren’t supposed to be doing on the court because they don’t have the ability to do it, and they don’t have the intellect to go with that, to know how to improvise. I wouldn’t blame the AAU, I would blame those individual coaches that are not teaching the kids properly.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1m1FM7S
Nuggets' Nikola Jokic makes one of the best fadeaway jumpers you've seen in a while
We’re not paying enough attention to Nuggets rookie Nikola Jokic. That’s a byproduct of Denver being a bit off the radar in the NBA these days, but the 20-year-old Serbian is having a very productive season. Jokic is actually leading all first-year players in PER while averaging 19.2 minutes per game… and he’s capable of things like this terrific fadeaway jumper with super high arc in front of Wizards’ Marcin Gortat.
Jokic finished the game vs. Washington with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Not bad.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/20xX8ZA
Austin Maynard Architects: Mills House
Yes, the Mills House by Austin Maynard Architects does have a cool metal mesh on its rear facade to shade it from the sun. It also has the same mesh running throughout the home, most notably on the stairs and on the floor of the upper level. That’s a neat material to use, as it lets light filter through and the air circulate.
There’s also a smart little design detail (or big design detail, if you’re a parent)- if you go through all the photos, you’ll also see a simple sketch of the architect’s idea of how to take care of kids’ toys and clutter. The solution: make the floor a giant toy box, so gravity works in your favor to help tidy up.
(photos: © peter bennetts studio . + archilovers)
See more of the project over at a f a s i a archzine.
from Better Living Through Design http://ift.tt/1nCPmje
Table Tiles Optic
Add a few stripes and you’ve got a 3D illusion. That’s sure to cause endless rearranging to get different patterns when these coasters are placed together for a table trivet. Two functions in one, plus a pattern play = fun! If you’d rather less stripes and more color blocks, then there’s the plain(er) Table Tiles for your consideration.
Designed By Bower
Material: MDF, Wood, Paint
Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.25 x 0.25 in.
from Better Living Through Design http://ift.tt/1m0Od35
Recap: Chicago 114, LA Lakers 91
Jimmy Butler scores 26 points with 10 assists, Pau Gasol adds 21 with 12 boards as Chicago takes it 114-91.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1PJDOqu
Recap: Sacramento 105, New Orleans 114
Ryan Anderson ties his career high with 36 points and adds nine rebounds as the Pelicans beat the Kings, 114-105.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1NFqz2q
Recap: Milwaukee 83, Memphis 103
Jeff Green leads with 21 points and 5 rebounds as Grizzlies dominate the Bucks 103-83.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1PJDPuv
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)