Sunday, September 13th, 2009 at 8:01 am  |  24 responses

Kung Fu Fighting For A Starring Role

Is David Kahn even thinking about Jonny Flynn?

by DennJonny Flynnis Velasco

Jonny Flynn must be feeling like he’s starring in a big budget Hollywood action movie. Only, he doesn’t always win every fight he’s in. Or get in a bind because it was his fault, but his partner’s doing. Or, worse yet, he doesn’t get the girl. Basically, Flynn is Jackie Chan in those Rush Hour movies — he has a ton of physical talent, works hard, and yet it’s the other guy who gets most of the attention.

I’m not saying that Chris Tucker doesn’t deserve some of the shine he gets… OK, I’m saying that Chris Tucker doesn’t deserve some of the shine he gets. But think about it. After lucking out with the first Rush Hour movie, Tucker didn’t do any other film projects besides the Rush Hour sequels… and for a ton of money. In fact, Tucker was the one who basically held up production of the sequels because of his financial demands. All the while, Chan was ready and willing to get to work.

Sound familiar?

Take away the annoying high-pitched voice, difference in melatonin levels, and acting ability (well, maybe not that last one) and you can see how Ricky Rubio is Chris Tucker here. Rubio has all the flash that screams for attention (valid or not), financial demands, and would probably never think of visiting Minnesota unless Prince invited him. And he is holding up the production of a new Minnesota Timberwolves team that wants to feature him as the star.

But, what about Jonny Flynn?!

Flynn is ready to throw down, execute flawless roundhouse kicks that would make Chuck Norris say, “damn,” and get busy tiger style. To translate the analogy, I’m talking about putting on a show on the court — dribble penetrating and kicking the rock to the wing, attacking the basket like it made fun of his mom, and not being afraid to have the testicular fortitude like the WWE’s Mankind to handle the pill and taking shots during crunch time.

It’s a small sample size when compared to Chan’s filmography, but look at Flynn’s body of work at Syracuse where he averaged 17.4 ppg (on 46 percent shooting), 6.7 apg and 1.4 spg in 37.3 minutes per in 38 games his sophomore (and final) season and you can see why Flynn was drafted sixth overall by the T-Wolves. And his 15 ppg and 7.4 apg in under 28 minutes of play in five summer league games certainly cemented that Flynn is ready to make an impact in the NBA this season.

But Rubio was drafted just before him.

Just like Tucker’s filmography juxtaposed with Chan’s, Rubio’s body of work is limited compared to Flynn’s. But props are due to Rubio for a great showing against the Redeem Team during the Beijing Olympics where he made everyone look slow. We’ll call that performance his Friday and forever dub RJonny Flynn & Taylor Griffinubio as Smokey.

That said, Rubio’s experience is not as cumbersome as you might think for someone that’s been playing professional ball since he turned the age (15) where most of us were at best able to breathe around girls, played Nintendo 64, and had this uncomfortable attraction to Natalie Portman in “The Professional.” Or was that just me? In any case, since his debut with Joventut Badalona during the ’05-06 season, Rubio has played in 155 games according to Euroleague.net, including 16 games of Euroleague play in ’06-07 and 16 games of Eurocup in ’07-08. I’m not an expert in European basketball, so feel free to lambaste my lack of knowledge in the comments, but I would think that with regular season games, playoffs, AAU/traveling team, and the various prep showcase camps, Flynn played just as many games from the same age as Rubio, if not more. The real differences? Flynn was a starter playing a lot of minutes and the type of game played.

In Europe, it’s all about skill-set and a practical sense of team-first as opposed to here in the States where it has become more about speed, athleticism, and an idealistic sense of team-first (it’s OK, just admit it). The styles are as different as Alyson Hannigan and Megan Fox. Hannigan is “girl-next-door” cute, does well in ensemble casts, and gives steady and consistent performances while Fox is ridiculously hot, naturally steals scenes, and you’ll take the empty, but full of eye candy performances that she gives. Both are good, but have their differences. We know that Flynn can make the jump to the NBA because he’s been playing that style for years, but can Rubio? Well, we won’t find out for at least two years and because of the NBA rookie scale, probably three.

Perfect for Flynn to take the starting point guard position and hit the ground running from the beginning!

But then, the equivalent of having Roselyn Sanchez in Rush Hour 2 happens when the T-Wolves almost immediately sign free-agent Ramon Sessions, a point guard, when the team is spurned by Rubio. Great. Just when you think Flynn is going to get to do all he can to be a star, someone else takes some of his shine away. I don’t care what Minnesota’s decision-maker, David Kahn says about playing small ball in the backcourt (at first it was Rubio and Flynn; now Sessions and Flynn) because it won’t work. Sure both players are able to score to go along with their dime-dropping ability, but hJonny Flynnow about defensively? It’s the equivalent of having two midget wrestlers wrestling two regular-sized people. (… and if there are midgets reading SLAM who will say the politically correct term is “short person,” how the heck did you get into basketball? It would be like me being into horse jockeys.)

Anyway, there have been very few small backcourts that have succeeded in the NBA with them being more the exception than the rule – Isiah Thomas/Joe Dumars and Michael Adams/Fat Lever come to mind to this old school NBA lover. Plus the T-Wolves have Wayne Ellington to develop at the two-guard. I don’t expect Flynn to have as much of an impact as I thought he would now that Sessions is in town. At times it’ll be hard to deny the ability to break bricks/break defenses, perform acrobatic moves/getting to and finishing at the rim, and help save the day/knock down daggers with seconds left, but the way the movie has been playing out, Flynn will for immediate scenes, play the sidekick.

Keep kicking, Jonny.

Dennis Velasco is the lead writer at Barkley’s Mouth as well as Talk Stupid. Feel free to contact him at dv[AT]barkleysmouth[DOT]com. Also check out the Four Fingers Of Fantasy 2009 fantasy basketball draft guide for the price of a happy meal… you need this guide, not the extra weight.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , , ,

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com Moose

    Jonny Flynn is a stand-up guy with a game that is impossible to not respect. So, I guess we might as well start the inevitable before it happens: FREE JONNY FLYNN!

  • LB

    Haha totally cosign! I’m not really sure what the wolves DONT see in Jony Flynn. He could get to the rack at will, has the hops and the build to finish, has the court vision to create for others. He’s fearless, competitive, and a born leader. With that mega-watt smile of his, his charisma and his squeaky clean record (dude is like, the anti-Marbury, in terms of public perception), he should be a marketer’s dream, and a guy the Wolves can legitimately market as the start of a new era. I just dont get why the Wolves are intent on holding him back.

  • LB

    Haha and Danny, I totally cosign with your comment on political correctness. I really cant stand the way the NBA is trying to reign in any behavior middle America might view as “thuggish.” I hate how refs nowadays T up cats for trash-talking or “excessive” celebration. I mean, the attitude of brash, confident ballplayers is what got me into hoops, as much as their talent. Would Reggie Miller have become the icon that he is if he didnt have a running conversation with Spike? Would Reggie have become a superstar playing for Indiana if he hadnt given the choke sign and pissed off the entire Big Apple?

  • LB

    I LOVE it when players hang on the rim, or slap backboards after throwing down a monster jam. I LOVE it when players show exuberence after a nice play. And they should be afforded the right to do so if they wish. Hell, who WOULDNT be jacked after hammering a monster jam or serving a huge block? I mean, if somebody tried the “point-at-ya face!” celebration Shawn Kemp pulled after his dunk on the Warriors, then he would be T’d up in two seconds! But NOOO~ the NBA has to act like one big nanny so white mommies can feel safe when little Johnny is watching the League. Come on~ man! As much as I love Ron-Ron, I gotta say that his action movie in the Palace is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back. With the Jail Blazer’s antics and the Pacers, who upheld the proud tradition of the Jail Blazers in the heartland of America (ie White America), Ron Artest’s Malice in the Palace just broke open the frustration that the mostly white public felt against rich, young black athletes behaving badly.

  • LB

    But I felt like the NBA overreacted by having refs quickly T up players for petty sh*t like hanging on the rim. I mean, I’ve seen a player get T’ed up for wagging his finger Deke style! If Deke played today, he would be T’d up for pulling his signature move! They probably would have T’d up Jordan for shrugging his shoulders against the Blazers! It’s like they want the players to play without passion, which is stupid because the passion is what makes the game special. Not to mention that withholding emotion is impossible (hell, even the Duncan-bot gets pumped up after making huge plays). In a way, all this political correctness was like throwing out the baby along with the bathwater. I digress however (Dennis, your thoughts on PC-ness really wanted me to express my frustrations against the unnecessary, draconian rules of the NBA, which is slowly morphing into the soulless, corporate No FUN League). But getting back to the original point of this piece, FREE Jonny Flynn! I’m part of the movement, Moose!

  • http://dyalekt.blogspot.com d.Y.

    Nice article. It’s melanin, by the way. Melatonin is some whole other ish.

  • http://www.twitter.com/Th3_R3al_Chris Young Chris MP3

    I’ll withhold judgment on anything regarding the Timberwolves until Myles offers perspective.

  • http://www.twitter.com/Th3_R3al_Chris Young Chris MP3

    For the record though, summer league play matters little. I remember when Joseph Forte (who?) won MVP honors after lighting everybody up a few years back. Joseph Forte. Who?

  • http://dfsjklf.com Jukai

    Hey, great argument! I’ve played American style basketball all my life too! Would I make a better NBA player than Rubio?

  • http://dfsjklf.com Jukai

    And how is dude better suited for basketball in the US? Dude is a shoot first point guard who is barely over six feet (and even that’s debatable). I don’t get where all this Flynn love is coming from. And I was a Syracuse fan.

  • http://barkleysmouth.com DV

    Thanks for the comments, all, especially LB for his novel… hahaha. FREE JONNY FLYNN for sure!

    d.Y. thanks for the clarification.

    Young Chris MP3, it’s like I said, Flynn has a small sample size to say for certain how he’ll do in the league, but from that sample, numbers aside even, Flynn looks like he belongs.

    Jukai, I’m not so sure how great my argument would be if I used you as my sample instead of Flynn, but I guess every test should have a placebo, right? And, being a Syracuse fan, I’m sure you’ve seen his ability to score, but he does mix it up. He averaged 6.7 APG last year, but stats aside, watching him play you can’t deny his court vision and ability to set up his teammates. Does he dominate the ball? Yes, he does, but he’s not a tunnel-vision type of point guard.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    Johnny is not a great playmaker, sessions or rubio are both going to be needed to play along side him. Things will work out and Flynn will start. He will guard point guards on defense and provide scoring rather then playmaking on offense. Sessions fits the bill of a legit playmaker that does not need to score to feel good. Him and Flynn will make a fire and ice type combo. Ramon will set Flynn up, Flynn will finish. Ramon is big enough/smart enough on defense to hold his own against opposing 2 guards. I like this move. And the bringing in of Antonio Daniels gives Minny a solid 3 guard rotation, as Antonio can also play WITH Flynn.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    David Kahn screwed the Knicks twice.
    First, by not taking Jordan Hill along with Rubio. This would have meant Brandon Jennings or Johnny Flynn to the Knicks.
    Then, after Rubio doesn’t want to play for Minnesota, and it looks like Flynn will finally be given the reins to the team, he signs Ramon Sessions! The Knicks really needed him, too.
    Granted, if the Knicks management would for once attempt to sign a player they needed for more than a 1-year deal, maybe none of this would have happened.

  • David

    Nice read. It’s almost like the Twolves management doesn’t really know what it’s doing. Or that they don’t have a clear idea of what kind of a team they’re developing. Maybe it wasn’t McHale’s fault all this time.

  • http://dfsjklf.com Jukai

    Read BETCATs breakdown to figure out how I feel.
    Dude can pass it, but I’m not sure he can create, y’know.

  • itai

    overall god article…kind of a thoughtless and tasteless joke with the whole midget thing, didnt need to be in there

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Whats wrong with a Flynn/Sessions combo? That’s a very good uptempo backcourt. Rubio can now be traded for a quality wing or a center with size. They’re just gonna wait for the best offer. / how is it minny’s fault that rubio doesn’t want to go? i never knew about the rule that says that you cant have players playing your draftee’s position. you think blake gave a fu(k that the clips had three solid bigs when they drafted him?

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com Blinguo

    Jonny Chan? Ricky Tucker?
    Heads up poker or something?
    -
    Fox, overrated. But the makers are going to rake in money on that horror B-movie.
    -
    And sucks someone might get Bayless’d in Minnesota but the cream rises to the top. Ramon is not looking to go through a backcourt battle again. Injuries, trade, etc. mix it up and help spread the minutes around too during the season.

  • Yesse

    Flynn needs to get his facts right.Chris Tucker has done many movies.As a matter of fact he is doing a film right now called “Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra”.He didnt do any movies between the Rush Hour’s tough.

  • chintao

    Awesome stuff. This post is flawless. I am looking forward to more work from Velasco – almost as much as I am looking forward to some serious work from Jonny Flyzz.

  • Sploff

    woho..

    “I’m not an expert in European basketball”

    pit any NCAA team against any euroleague team and watch boys getting stomped by men ..
    to compare the two is like comparing NCAA´s ballhoggin´-me first-type of self promotion with the selfless team-first approach of NBA Franchises (lol)
    .. naw, not quite, but you get the idea that this author is thinking the euroleague competition is way superior compared to NCAA run&gun kiddie ball..
    ..see what Mr. Jennings accomplished in Italy..statwise??
    Yeah, he completely took everyone by surprise by posting the best stats ever for a season in Italy
    (how I am kidding..!!)

  • http://barkleysmouth.com DV

    Thanks again to all who commented.

    BETCATS… my problem with the Sessions/Flynn backcourt is really on the defensive side. Maybe Sessions is smart enough to cover the opposing two guard, but it’d have to be by denying the ball because if the opponent gets the ball in the post or off a pass while squared up, Sessions is getting shot over.

    Teddy-The-Bear… during the draft, I thought for sure Kahn was screwing up the Knicks (my favorite team) by drafting all of the points, but I think that was just my fandom getting in the way. As we’ve come to learn this summer, who knows what Kahn is thinking and maybe he truly believes a small backcourt will win.

    David… thanks, man.

    itai… I’m a short person when it comes to class and taste… hahaha.

    Z… see above for my problem with the small backcourt. I think that Rubio will eventually be traded because he’s a very valuable trading chip at this point. You probably won’t see much action on it though right away because it’s going to be awhile. And it’s not Minny’s fault that Rubio doesn’t want to go there, but there were strong rumors that Rubio had a list of teams that he would and wouldn’t play for… Minny was on the latter list, so it’s Minny’s fault in taking Rubio anyway despite it being pretty much known he didn’t want to play there… and, hey, maybe that’s why they took Flynn afterwards? Possibly.

    Yesse… Chris Tucker, since appearing in his first movie as Gangster #3 in Boyz in the Hood in 1991, has appeared in 10 movies since. So, 11 movies altogether 18 years. And since Rush Hour came out in 1998, he’s only appeared in the two following sequels, of which the last one came out in 2007… not exactly prolific. More than me? I don’t know… do home movies count?

    chintao… the check is in the mail.

    Sploff… well, I’m not an expert specifically in number of games played (peripheral ones outside of the regular season), which was said in that context. Otherwise I’m an expert… because I read BallInEurope.com! And, as far as Jennings, and even Rubio goes… they don’t pile up stats because there playing time is limited because European ball is team-first. Lastly, you say I think “euroleague competition is way superior compared to NCAA run&gun kiddie ball”… DON’T TELL ME WHAT I THINK!!! You’re not my wife!!!

  • http://barkleysmouth.com DV

    Blinguo… “Getting Bayless’d” is a great term. I was really hoping the Knicks would draft him and thought they were idiots for not doing so… Gallo better be as good as hyped and stay healthy!!!

  • http://barkleysmouth.com DV

    For some reason, I’m seeing comments coming in later than they’re made… anyway…

    Jukai… I think BETCATS breakdown is strong. I do believe, however, that Flynn will be able to create and not simply pass to his teammates. At Syracuse, he had to dominate the ball and either get to the rack and draw contact or because of his quickness and athleticism, just had the opening he had to take. In the NBA, I think he’ll adjust his game out of necessity. Hopefully he doesn’t get Bayless’d! Thanks again, Blinguo.

Advertisement