If I put my name on it, people, you can write it in stone.
They’re replacing the carpet in my building this week, which means that in addition to breathing in toxic glue fumes eight hours a day, I’ve had to clear all the piles of random sh*t out of my office. This has been simultaneously annoying and kinda cool, as it’s had me going through the stacks of magazines I haven’t touched in a few months. In one of these, I found my copies of SLAM 123, the NBA preview issue.
With the regular season ending today, the time seemed ripe to revisit.
Because I know he smokes a lot of cheap weed, I won’t hold Lang to his “100% accuracy guarantee!” on the League preview. Still, he did pretty good: Kinda hit-and-miss on his division previews (Pistons in the Central? JJ Hickson one to watch?!), but he called the Iverson and Marion trades and LeBron’s MVP. Not bad.
Then to the rooks. I always sort of simultaneously love and dread our annual Rookies Most Likely To… picks, as they’re a chance to look into the future (fun) and totally embarrass ourselves (less so). I’m afraid to think how I’d do if anyone actually added up my picks over the years, but as I’m entirely certain no one will do so, I’m not sweating it.
Here’s what’s funny: I only remember how I picked in one category this year. If you follow me on Twitter (I’m not on Twitter, but I think you should follow me on it anyway; just, you know, keep trying), you know that Kevin Love is my homeboy. And if you saw the issue, you know that I was the one tasked with writing the little blurb on Kevin Love being voted “Rookie Most Likely to Average 10 Rebounds.” Which I did.
Fourteen people — all SLAM staffers or contributors — voted on our rookie picks this year, and if my little Mac calculator widget did the math right, six of us voted for Love in this category, while five (apparently) chose Mike Beasley and (I think) three went with Greg Oden. My guess is that the other voters who chose Love did so because either a) they were worried about Oden’s health (smart of them), or b) they literally forgot to include him as a rookie this year. Honest mistake.
Me? I chose Kevin Love. And I’m pretty sure I was the only one.
“I could list his 23 double-doubles last season at UCLA (oops—looks like I just did),” I wrote, somewhat cornily, “but I don’t need digits to justify this pick. Just know that few players understand how to rebound as well as Love does. Watch. You’ll see.”
As the regular season draws to a close, allow me to direct your attention to what I like to call “statistics” from the 2008-09 NBA regular season:
Rebounds per game:
9. Kevin Love, 9.0 (first among all rookies)
Offensive rebounds per game:
3. Kevin Love, 3.4 (first among all rookies)
And this is my favorite…
Rebounds per 48 minutes:
3. Kevin Love, 17.2 (first among all rookies)
A lot of you mocked my prediction — nay, guarantee — of Kevin Love’s rebounding prowess. At the time, I knew you to be fools. Today, the world knows as well.
Motherf*cker better send me one of those glass-cleaner t-shirts after this.
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When I read halfway through the 4th I knew.
And Eboy, do you want to put money on Kevin Love, with a year of experience under his belt, averaging no better than 5 rpg alongside a healthy Al Jefferson next season? Because I don’t bet often, but I will put f*cking money on that.
Eboy, I could’ve wallpapered my house with all the comments on here over the past two years about how Kevin Love is fat and can’t jump and will suck in the League. Then there was the Minnesota columnists who called the Wolves’ trade for Love a “budding disaster” — Mutoni posted on it way back in the fall. I’ve never said, and I’m not saying now, that trading OJ for him was a genius move, only that the Kevin was better than most were giving him credit for. And he is. So, again, eat it.
*brushes dirt off shoulder*
So, maybe Myles DOES come off a bit more hatable than he should.
That’s really the only con I can think of, though, so I think I can continue to be a detestable a-hole.
Myles, I don’t know what it is with you and racial issues, but maybe you should go write a blog about it. Get it off your chest. Unless you’re, you know, chicken.
you are too funny for your own good, Farmer.
Kevin, I’ma use that shammy cloth as a diaper for my daughter. I hope it’s got a picture of your face on it.
Welcome to this madhouse, K.
Whatup, KevLove X?
speaking of NBA player commenting, can we get kobe and lebron to comment on those “kobe/lebron/MVP” discussions that happen daily here? imagine the pandemonium that would generate. 3,000 comments are not out of the question. it’ll probably crash the server.
BTW,Ryan:You spelled ‘pwns’ wrong.Never INTERNET again.BTW2:Liverpool=lol.
Myles sonned some cats in here.
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