Basketball fans can’t talk 90’s NBA basketball without mentioning the “Reign Man”. Shawn Kemp was a devastating 6 foot 10 inch athlete who could catch an ally-oop from fellow running mate Gary “The Glove” Payton better than anyone in the Association. In addition to his athleticism, Kemp also had the skill-set to work down low in the post. He averaged 14.6 points/game and 10.9 rebounds/game with a .488 field goal percentage during his NBA career. Those numbers are a bit skewed because of a few seasons when his averages dipped for a number of reasons including weight issues. It was reported that Kemp showed up to Cavaliers’ training camp weighing a hefty 275 lbs. during the ’99 lockout shortened NBA season. 275 lbs. might be generous.
I like to remember the Shawn Kemp that many referred to as “Man Child”. This was the player that no team had an defensive answer for during the mid 90’s. The player in this sweet 8 x 10 Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) Team MVP Blowup Auto'd card. For all of Kemp’s natural abilities though, it would have been fun to watch how much better he would have been if he had only put more time into the game and himself. As it is, I'm still a fan and enjoy watching old clips of Kemp Reignin’ down on Seattle.
As far as the newest edition to my collection goes, this UDA piece is easily the biggest card I own. It's pretty impressive in the lucite screw down case. I'm a huge fan of anything UDA and this auto's card with matching COA's is really great. Especially since I paid well under $25.00 for it. It will goes nice with the Kemp RC's that I have.
The ’91 Fleer RC features a great action shot of Kemp doing what he did best, dunking. This is my favorite Kemp RC out of the three. Just checkout that awesome blue and red trim around the photo of Kemp. Coupled with the yellow surrounding Kemp's name, this card is so bad it's actually cool. The card has a book value of only $1.50 due to the over abundance of the card. In fact, that is the case for all three of these cards. Trading card manufactures mass produced their sets and thus killed the value of their own products during the late 80’s and early 90’s.
The ’91 NBAHOOPS RC has a fairly simple design. I can’t say it’s the best looking card ever made, but it’s a nice buy at around $1 on the secondary markets. Again, the card only has a book value of $1.50 like the ’91 Fleer RC.
The final Kemp RC is a ’91 SkyBox card. The ’91 SkyBox set is one of my all-time favorite sets. I actually like both the ’91 and ’92 SkyBox sets. They have some really funky early 90’s graphics and designs. The Kemp RC from the ’91 set has some of those funky graphics and is a good looking card. Nothing like some randomly colored lines going through the background of a card. Kinda like the always cool laser background used in 90’s school photos (you know the ones I'm talking about). This Kemp RC has a book value of $2.50, but typically sells for right around $.50 to $2.00.
I hate Lebron James just as much as the next guy, but there is no denying his talent on the basketball court. Even if he is the prince. So amid the recent developments of the past 24 hours, should Cav's fans and organization want Lebron back?
It's apparent the Cav's just don't know what they are doing when it comes to building a professional basketball team. I mean if it wasn't for winning the Lebron James lottery sweepstakes back in '03, the Cav's organization would not have played a meaningful game since the Mark Price days. They couldn't even put a decent team around LeBron when he was there (i.e. Mo Williams & Wally Szczerbiak). Let's be honest, the NBA wasn't Wally's world like the MAC may have been. So it's a pretty safe bet that whatever the Cav's end up doing in two years when Lebron can opt out of his contract will end up being the wrong decision. Just like The Decision was.
I would not want Lebron back if I was a fan or running the Cavaliers. Lebron will be 29 or 30 by the time he can opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat. This is by no means old in the NBA, but it's not the youngest either. Plus, the Cav's would have to basically throw the towel in on the next two and a half seasons. The NBA is a business and basically losing money for two and a half seasons it's really smart business, but they would probably lose money over the next two seasons regardless. So that argument is really mute. Basically, it comes down to the prince himself.
The fact that he hasn't shown up in big games and can't make decisions that he can live with is enough for me. The guy just doesn't know what he wants, and he should know what he wants. He should want to win. That's what he should be talking about. Not a Blake Griffin dunk or where he wants to play next. As the ever eccentric and late Al Davis said, "Just win baby". The prince is just not a winner. Not even in a watered down, fundamentally unsound and passionless NBA. Maybe D-Wade can help LeBron get on his stylish coattails.
I would just once like to see the fire and determination that the likes of Jordan, Zek, Bird and more showed for entire careers. That type of passion and intensity coupled with the most talented and gifted player in the Association one of the best of all time.
That's my take. However, I'm looking at the whole situation from a basketball sense. Money wise, he would bring in a few bucks for a number of years. Despite the Cavalier's inability to put a decent team around LeBron, Cleveland was rocking downtown on game nights. The upcoming NBA Draft should be a decent one and it might be best to end all the talk if the right player is there to couple with Kyrie Irving.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours? Should the Cleveland fans and Cavaliers organization want LeBron back?
For a span of about eighteen months, I posted on Hoopography nearly everyday and sometimes twice. Between the original Hoopography Blog ran through Apple's iWeb and MobleMe services and this Blogger.com page, I've somehow managed to post more than four hundred unique posts. To say I enjoyed the hobby, meeting fellow collectors, sharing my memorabilia collection, reviewing product and posing polling questions is an understatement. As much as I enjoy the previously just mentioned, and just like for many readers, life is multifaceted.
Between work, working on purchasing a home and marathon training, this blog has had to take a back seat. More so than any of those other endeavors, I also experienced the single most amazing moment of my life when I proposed to my now fiance this past November. So a lot has been going on to prohibit me from getting on the computer and posting. However, things are quieting down a bit.
Things are settling down a little bit now, and I have been collecting periodically throughout my time away. So after a nearly seven month layoff from the blogospher, I'm back. I have a number of new items that I recently added to my collection and I'm going to a Sports Card and Memorabilia show tomorrow at Batavia Downs and Casino in Batavia, NY.
I enjoy the hobby and I look forward to posting at least a few times a week again. Thanks for reading and as always... "enjoy every bounce of the ball".
The Jordan Collection truly knows no bounds. Just checkout this 2-disc DVD set that highlights the greatest player of all-time. Also known as the GOAT. This DVD set features five of the best Jordan DVD's ever made. It also includes a highlight section, and who doesn't like watching Jordan highlights over and over?
The five DVD's include Come Fly With Me (1989), Michael Jordan's Playground (1991), Air Time (1993), Above and Beyond (1996), His Airness (1999), plus Michael's Great 8 highlight video. These are all classic sports videos and it's pretty incredible to find them all in one spot.
The video set was originally released back in 2001. There are a few variations that have been release since 2001 that include additional footage and features, but they can get pretty expensive. The 1st addition is actually very reasonable at around $20.00 and is certainly a must for any Michael Jordan aficionado. No matter how many times I watch these video's, they never get old.
Happy Collecting and.. "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".
2010 Panini Classics Significant Signatures Chris Mullin #'d 15/25
Ok, Chris Mullin hasn't been enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame just yet, but he will be on August 13th. I watch the enshrinemnt ceromony every year, but I'll be extra excited for this year's ceremony to see one of my favorite players get his just due. Along with Mullin, Dennis Rodman, Tex Winter, Herb Magee, Artis Gilmore, Arvydas Sabonis, Teresa Edwards, Reece "Goose" Tatum, Tom "Satch" Sanders and Tara VanDerveer will all be inducted. It's a very nice class that I can't wait to listen to while they relive their basketball journeys.
As for Mr. Mullin, the former St. John's star was selected to five NBA All-Star teams, won two Olympic Gold medals, was a numerous All-NBA performer and the '85 John Wooden Award Winner. He averaged 18.1 points, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 4.1 rebounds/game during his sixteen year career. More impressive than all those accolades and stats, was Mullin's sweet left-handed jump-shot. The Brooklyn, NY native is well deserving.
As for the hobby side of things, I suppose more and more Mullin cards will be posted on the Bay as we get closer to the induction ceromony. That's a good thing for a Mullin collector like me, but hopefully the prices of those cards wont go up. Fortunately for me, I've been able to grab a few very nice on-card auto'd cards like this 2011 Panini Classics Significant Signatures 15/25 card of Mullin. This will look great next to my prized Mullin card seen here.
Here's a fun Nike Commercial from '93. I have several Mullin TV commercials bookmarked, so I'll most likely continue to post these videos right here on the blog and on the Hoopography Facebook page right up until the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony. For now, enjoy the nice work the marketing department at Nike did back in '93.
What do you think? Does 5'11'' DIII baller Jacob Tucker have the goods to win the NCAA Slam Dunk Contest tonight on ESPN 2 (9:00 PM ET)? I say, "YES". I think Tucker's repertoire of dunks could beat out say a guy jumping over a strategically placed automobile in maybe an even more prestigious dunk contest. That's just my humble opinion, but what say you?
At the 2011 Industry Summit Monday, Panini announced it will release video trading cards called Panini HD. You can view Panini's CEO, Mark Warsop, as he gives industry insiders and retailers a sneak peek at this evolution in trading card technology. The cards will be autographed and feature a video of the player signing the actual card.
This is a very interesting idea, and I guess it was really only a matter of time. Panini HD is certainly 21 century stuff. Unfortunately, I think these cards will be extremely limited. Which of course means, insane secondary market prices. So what do you think? Is Panini HD a cool idea or just another industry gimmick?
Ray Allen knocked down his record setting 2,561st 3-point shot tonight. Breaking the previous mark held by Reggie Miller. It's quite the accomplishment. Not only has Allen made the most threes in NBA history, but he's also shot a very respectable 39.8% from beyond the arc for his career. From his time at the University of Connecticut and the Big East, to his Milwaukee Bucks, Sonics and current Celtics days, Allen has filled it up. Something that has been overlooked during Allen's career is his defense. He often is charged with taking a team's best offensive player on defense.
This '99 SkyBox Autographics card has been in my collection for a year or so and I'm glad I bought it when I did. I have a feeling his cards are going to go up this week, and if the Celtics make it to the NBA Finals this year, forget about it.
Aside from being an all-time great shooter, Allen was played Jesus Shuttlesworth in the film, He Got Game. That makes Allen one of my favorite hoopsters of the last decade.
This week is Rivalry Week in college basketball. With a full slate of NBA and NHL games tonight, that means some serious remote decisions will need to be made. I'll most likely flip between a number of games, but here are a few of the games I'll be watching: UNC vs. Duke, 'Cuse vs. G'town and Knicks vs. Blake Griffin. With all these basketball choices, I'm lucky there's no Buffalo Sabres game tonight. Otherwise, I'd have to setup a second TV.
Regardless of sport, what's your favorite collegiate athletics rivalry? I love all sports and enjoy many rivalries, but my favorite has to be UNC vs. Duke. There have been so many thrilling battles that have featured some of the best players of the last 5o years. Here's a little UNC/Duke rivalry video to get you pumped up for tonights matchup. Enjoy all the great games tonight and… "Every Bounce of the Ball".
Here's a video post of all 17 finalists up for enshrinement into the Football Hall of Fame. The official announcement as to who will be enshrined will be made today at 7:00 PM ET on the NFL Network. Out of these 17 finalists, who will be called for enshrinement into Canton?
Today I get the chance to combine two of my favorite post series, Bo Knows… and KICKS. That's definitely a good thing since it's been a couple weeks since I've added to either series. And with Nike's very successful Bo Knows… ad campaign that I'm obviously playing off of for this post title, it's about time I combined the two series.
As previously mentioned, Nike's Bo Knows… ad campaign was enormously successful. Unfortunately, it was also brief due to the catastrophic hip injury Bo suffered against the Bengals in a 1991 NFL playoff game. Really, the Bengals? Come on! What's something positive the Bengals have done for sports in the past 20 years? I can't think of anything and the Jackson injury is just making me more displeased with the Bungles franchise. Anyways, back to the Nike campaign. Despite the injury and 20 years, Nike has never really given up on the iconic campaign.
2010 Nike Trainer SC
Nike has re-released the Air Trainer SC recently (pictured right). This is an updated version of the original SC. In the past, Nike was just producing the Air Trainer SC as retro's. You can see the original Air Trainer SC at the top of the post. The retro version has been released in almost ever color scheme imaginable, but I like the orange, blue and white. It's just classic.
Most of the sneakers I feature in the KICKS series I have worn personally at some point in time. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of rockin' this cross trainers as of yet, but I'm working on it.
Yep, Bo Knows… Kicks. Checkout the Nike TV commercial from the early 90's below and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".
- Need more Bo Knows… posts? (click here)
- Need more KICKS posts? (click here)
- Want free Panini Timeless Treasures cards? (click here)
The Buffalo Bills recently resigned former All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman to a two year contract extension. The former 12th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft is only 26 years old. However, he's coming off a myriad of injuries and has only played in 18 games over the past three seasons. The Bills obviously feel he's worth a two year commitment, but is he worth the commitment of the fans and collectors?
In light of the BCS National Championship game being played tonight, I thought the question of monetary payment for collegiate student-athletes was fitting. I would argue that the student-athlete is already receiving numerous benefits monetarily, academically and athletically through the scholarships they have the opportunity to take advantage of. Sir Charles gives his opinion in the video below. What's yours?
With the unlikely win by the Seattle Seahawks yesterday over the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints and Marshawn Lynch's incredible touchdown run, I thought I'd show off a few of the Lynch cards in my collection.
Being a Buffalo Bills fan, there really aren't too many current players to collect. At least, not many to get too excited about. I've been a fan of Lynch since Buffalo Drafted him with the 12th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. The one-time Pro Bowl selection ('08) is only 24 years old and obviously has some talent. That's why I was disappointed when the Bills traded him to the Seahawks earlier this season. Getting a 4th round pick in this years NFL Draft and a conditional pick in next years didn't help to ease the pain either.
I had hoped the Bills would have held on to the powerful young back to go along with the speedy C.J. Spiller. Fortunately for Seahawks fans and viewers yesterday, that wasn't the case. I'll continue to collect Lynch auto's, ref's and patch cards. His 65 yard run last night reminds me of some of the other famous runs in NFL history like the "Look at that!" MNF Bo Jackson run down the sidelines or the Marcus Allen Super Bowl XVIII run. Lynch's running style may not be the most graceful or the fastest, but he does have a running style. And that running style is called… "Beast Mode".
I know it's been several weeks since I've written a "Bo Knows…" post, but I just haven't been able to land any Bo Jackson memorabilia or cards lately. Luckily, Josh over at DodgerBobble sent me this great video from the 1985 college football bowl season featuring one Bo Jackson. Enjoy the footage and remember… Bo Knows Bowl Season. Happy New!
- Stay tuned for a 2010 trading card year in review I will hopefully have posted be Sunday at the latest. Thanks for reading and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball" in this new year.
For many sports fans, the "Golden Age" of the NBA started with Bird versus Magic and culminated with Jordan hitting a game winning shot over Byron Russell in the '98 NBA Finals. Without question, it's hard to argue that claim. Sure, the NBA's "Golden Age" was built by the likes of the above mentioned Bird, Magic and Jordan, but the Association was littered with exciting stars throughout the league. From Clyde "The Glyde" Drexler in the Great Northwest to Sir Patrick at MSG or "The Human Highlight Film" in A-Town and Shaq and "Penny" in the wonderful world of Disney, the NBA was working on all cylinders throughout the mid 80's and 90's. Even perennial cellar dwellers like the Dallas Mavericks had "The Triple J's" or the Golden State Worriers with "RUN T.M.C.". There's no denying the state of basketball and the Association during that time, but today's NBA is certainly on the cusp of rivalling that time. Just think about it. Even the L.A. Clippers are actually palatable now.
One issue that has plagued the NBA over the past decade has been the lack of true superstars throughout the NBA. This could be for a number of reasons, but I attribute much of this problem to the influx of high school players into the league. Simply put, the vast majority of prep stars are not ready both physically and mentally for the NBA. Sure, I'm not going to argue one bit that players like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett haven't achieved their full potential, but there have been far more that haven't. Say what you want about the one year removed from high school rule, but it's apparent that the vast majority of NBA prospects need a few semesters of higher learning to develop leadership, basketball IQ, fundamentals and physically. Not all, but many players need to go through a progression to develop both basketball and mental skills. It seems the influx of potential talent during the end of the 90's and the beginning of the last decade has hurt the development of that potential and thus, the NBA.
Fortunately for us fans, the state of the NBA game has been improved somewhat by young players who are forced to develop at a slightly slower rate than just being thrown into the fire that is professional basketball. I would argue that prep players should have to wait two full years before they can enter the NBA. I believe that would improve the NBA product even further. It's a matter of requirements/experience for a job posting, but this is really an issue for another post, the NBA CBA or at the very least, maybe Facebook.
The one to two years that prep stars are serving in the collegiate ranks seems to be paying off, but it's not the only change that is ushering in a new "Golden Age" in the NBA. Quite simply, LeBron has a huge affect on the state of the Association. Just like Jordan, Magic and Bird did in their day (Ok, not quiet like those greats, but close). Look, I'm not saying LeBron is better or even as good as either one of those three all-time greats. Although he should be, he simply doesn't have the same fire and competitiveness as many of the greats, but he does have mass appeal. We all tuned in to "The Decision" several months ago to not only see what the fate of the Cavaliers franchise was, but also the NBA. Lebron has brought emotion back to the NBA fan and casual sports fan. For example, I despise Team South Bitch and Prince James. However, the fact of the matter is whether you like him or not, LeBron matters.
Although many of the stars and superstars may not have the same mass appeal as Lebron, the placement of those stars is important. It's always a good thing when a league's biggest markets have stars and successful teams, and that's no different for the NBA. My Knickerbockers have a little swagger back at MSG with Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton in the "Big Apple". Although I'm not much of a fan of his intensity or a lack of winning attitude, D-Rose is putting up MVP like numbers in Chi-Town. Kobe is Kobe in the city of glitz and glamour. Dirk is holding court in "Big D", and "Durantuala" is bringing big time hoops to the Mid-west. The big cities are hoppin' with hoops.
My final point on the second coming of the NBA's "Golden Age" has to do with attendance. Since 2005, the NBA's average league wide attendance has steadily climbed to or hovered right around 17,500. Attendance during the '08-'09 season did fall by 2.0%, but remember, we are in a recession (You can see this years attendance numbers thus far by clicking here). I'm guessing the numbers are going to level off for a bit until we fully recover from the recession. Important to note, the fact that attendance numbers have not tanked since the recession hit back in late '08 is a testament to the resurgence of the product on NBA courts today.
Yes, the NBA is poised for a "Golden Age" out on those hardwood courts. New rivalries are being forged, there are plenty of current and future stars around the league and sports fans are getting excited (at least this fan is) about the product. So enjoy the NBA's new "Golden Age" and of course… "Every Bounce of the Ball".
The Orlando Magic pulled off a series of trades that essentially brought Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, Earl Clark and Hedo Turkoglu to the Magic Kingdom and expelled Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat and a 1st RD pick. I like what the Magic did yesterday. They attempted to correct the personnel mistakes of the past two years in one frenetic Friday night. I know the loss of key role players Gortat and Pietrus is questionable, but I think what the Magic did will work. The question is, how well will it work?
Is tonight's Knicks Heat game the start of a renewed rivalry? I think the Knicks and Heat are going to play prominent roles in the Eastern Conference over the next few seasons. The Heat for obvious reasons. The Knicks are also interesting. They're on a hot streak this month, but it's the moves they made this past off-season and potential future moves that make them a possible contender in the East for years to come. Especially when you take a quick look at the contracts coming off the books at the end of this season, manly, Eddie Curry. So tonight's game should be interesting and hopefully the start of a heated rivalry. For Jeff Van Gundy's sake, let's hope he manages to stay out of the potential rivalry.
