I wouldn’t necessarily call the season of the Michigan St. men’s basketball team disappointing, seeing as how they started the season unranked in both major polls, but to see them ascend to Big 10 regular season co-champs and conference tournament champs and then fall in the Sweet 16 to Louisville was indeed a bit heartbreaking.

Departing:

Draymond Green, G/F/C: All-American and all-everything stud Draymond Green came a long way from his reserve role on the 08-09 team that was walloped in the national title game by North Carolina. This year, Green established himself as arguably the nation’s best all-around player and also, leader. The epitome of a floor general, Green was an extension of head coach Tom Izzo on the floor and this team wouldn’t have been half as good without him. I doubt he’ll be a star in the NBA and probably won’t start on any of the elite teams at the moment, but he will definitely be a solid contributor, and with a little development and some weight loss, could be one of the NBA’s better players in a few years.

Austin Thornton, G: The guy I seemingly loved to hate did almost all of Sparty’s grunt work this season. Whether it was diving for loose balls, committing a hard foul, taking a charge or knocking down clutch free throws, sharpshooter Thornton had a solid four-year career in the green and white.

Brandon Wood, G: The Valpo transfer was inconsistent at times, but finally found his rhythm towards the end of the season. A hard-nosed perimeter player who is not adverse to playing defense and knocking down a jumper or two, Wood’s one year at MSU was a good one, considering he went from a very small program to one of the elite programs in the nation.

Joe Sweeny, G: The diminutive Toms River, NJ native barely played during his career at MSU. In fact, he played only 11 minutes in four years, all of them this season.

Anthony Ianni, C: 6’9″, 260-lb sparsely used Ianni got tick during garbage time, and that’s all I can say about his career in the green and white.

Key Returnees:

Keith Appling, PG: The 6’0″ point man drew the ire of Izzo many times this season, but the sophomore grew into his role as Sparty’s primary ballhandler and distributor by the time the season was near its end. Unlike previous MSU PGs, Appling’s speed and quickness give them a dimension that the program hasn’t always enjoyed. With so many dominant guards manning the point for the nation’s elite programs, it’s nice to know MSU will put the ball in the hands of such a dynamic player for possibly the next 2 seasons.

Derrick Nix, C: Despite his recent arrest for marijuana possession and suspension from the team, if sophomore Nix is a Spartan for the 2012-13 season, it will help the team maintain it’s top-10 status. An awkward, but incredibly strong post player, Nix is key to MSU’s future success…again, if he’s a Spartan next season.

Branden Dawsen, G: A guy I’d consider MSU’s most promising player, Dawsen tore his ACL in the regular season finale against Ohio St. A true freshman, the 6’6″, 220-lb Dawsen could follow in Green’s footsteps as its best all-around player. As a reserve, Dawsen averaged 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds, to go along with just under a block, steal and assist per game. If Dawsen can be healthy and in uniform by the start of the 12-13 season, look for him to be an even bigger force than he was this year.

Adreian Payne, PF/C: If Nix is the thunder in MSU’s frontcourt, then the 6’10″, 240-lb sophomore is the lightning. While you can find Nix primarily operating from the low post, Payne is most effective when using his athleticism to run the floor and crash the offensive glass. He’s not as offensively gifted down low as Nix, but scores his points a la Joakim Noah. He’s even more effective when the opposition has to worry about Nix’s touches, and it will be interesting to see what kind of production Izzo gets from him if Nix is no longer a member of the team next season.

Travis Trice, PG: 19 year-old freshman Trice will be the backup to Appling next season, most likely. Like Appling, he is small, but very fast and quick, and also like Appling, sometimes that gets him into a bit of trouble. In a conference that is known for wanting to slow down the pace as much as possible, Trice is a change-of-pace point man who loves to push the tempo and put pressure on the opposition to make a play that they don’t always feel comfortable making.

The Recruits:

Gary Harris, SG: Indianapolis native Harris is probably MSU’s best incoming freshman since Maywood, IL native Shannon Brown, who now plays for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Harris is ranked by many recruiting services as the nation’s top shooting guard, and the McDonald’s All-American will give Sparty the perimeter scorer that it so desperately needed this season when things bogged down on the offensive end.

Kenny Kaminski, PF: The undersized, but very strong frontcourt player from Medina, Ohio, suffered a fairly serious shoulder injury early in 2012, but recovered in time to make a cameo appearance in his high school’s Senior Night game. Payne suffered a similar shoulder injury, but it didn’t really slow him down, so expect the same from Kaminski.

Matt Costello, PF: The long, 6’9″, 225 forward is much better than most know, and the 2012 Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan could rival Harris as Izzo’s best recruit when all is said and done. Costello averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 assists and 4 blocks per game during his senior season, and he would definitely make things easier for Izzo’s troops.

Denzel Valentine, SF: The chief rival to Costello for Michigan’s Mr. Basketball, Valentine is an extremely versatile player who some are saying could play the point guard position for MSU. While that is unlikely with Appling returning and also backup (soon-to-be) sophomore point guard Travis Trice, Valentine may, like Dawsen, find himself playing multiple positions for Sparty. Valentine has clearly stated that he likes to create, and the logjam in the backcourt is a problem that I’m sure Izzo doesn’t mind having.

Yes, losing Green will hurt, immensely. However, with a legit 5-star recruit in Harris on the way, along with fellow preps Costello, Kaminski and Valentine, MSU could actually be better than they were this year. ESPN ranks MSU’s incoming class as the 6th-best in the country, and with “veterans” Appling and Co. healthy and on their game, don’t be surprised to see MSU at the top of the conference, and advancing deeper into the NCAA tournament than they did in 2012.

SPARTY ON.

Near the end of my junior year of high school, I was selected to play in a Class of 2003 showcase. This showcase was meant to feature the state of Illinois’ most talented baseball players in the class of 2003. The Public and Catholic Leagues, as well as suburbs were represented in this showcase. Participants were voted in by other coaches, so it was an honor to know that my play had been recognized by not only my head coach, but other head coaches as well. Plenty of college recruiters and coaches were on hand to see us take batting and fielding practice, time us in the 60-yard dash, and finally, watch us actually play baseball.

After that, I was invited to participate in a “Select Baseball Camp” at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, a camp for who U of I’s baseball program felt were the most talented players in that showcase. Again, I was ecstatic to know that someone else away from my high school had recognized my abilities.

Since our coaches at the camp didn’t know us at all, we were asked by them which position we played best. Well, I was best when at shortstop, pitching and catching. There was only one problem: Apparently, my coach felt I was “too athletic” to pitch and catch, and because our camp team had a shortstop who had an absolute Howlitzer, he put me in the outfield…a position I hadn’t played since I was 13, and that was only for the last 4 outs of a meaningless game. When I told my mom how pissed I was to play out of position, she explained to me that some recruiters–especially the White ones–would take one look at me and think I’m either too athletic or not smart enough to pitch and catch…because of my skin color. I think she was right. The Valpo, UIC, WMU and even U of Virginia coach, all upon hearing me say that I loved to pitch and catch, asked if I’d consider playing the outfield. I was confused, but more disgusted. Hell, I wasn’t even that athletic.

The NFL’s Rooney Rule was implemented to prevent such discrimination. Forcing teams to interview at least one minority candidate before making a head coaching hire, it has made it advantageous for minorities who before would’ve possibly been passed over because owners and GMs didn’t think they were smart enough to be a head coach, or fit to be the face of an NFL franchise. You see, the stereotype is that minorities are good at sports because we’re natural athletes, while our White counterparts work hard and diligently study the game. Bullshit, I will now call.

New UICU athletic director Mike Thomas had been pressured to hire a minority candidate to fill the vacant men’s basketball head coaching position. Why? Well, since the program’s inception in1906, there have been 16 head coaches, and they have all been White. Some members of Illinois’ Board of Trustees wanted to change this, which is why Thomas aggressively pursued Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart, who is Black. Smart, well, smartly turned the job down. Honestly, I don’t think the Board cares as much about a minority getting a fair shot as much as they care about having someone at the helm who could successfully recruit in the city of Chicago. Now some are incensed, not because Thomas eventually landed…wait for it…Ohio’s Something Groce, but because they feel like Thomas didn’t make a strong enough effort to hire a minority candidate.

I am a Black male, and I don’t feel it was necessary for Thomas to hire a minority candidate. Would it be nice to see more minorities leading big-time programs? Of course it would. Minorities mostly dominate Division I basketball, be they Black, Latino or even African. It would be nice to see someone of color on the sidelines in a suit, leading his troops. Hell, whenever Izzo decides to move on, I wouldn’t mind seeing a minority be the face of MSU’s program. However, Thomas’ job was to find the best candidate, and in his mind that was the former leader of a mediocre MAC school, Groce.

I couldn’t care less about the Fighting Illini. In fact, I despise them. My loyalty lies with my alma mater, Michigan State, and whenever the two schools play, I want Sparty to win by 7,431 points. But, people shouldn’t be so appalled by Thomas not hiring a minority. Thomas hired a so-so coach from the MAC, most likely because of Ohio’s recent trip to the Sweet 16. Groce isn’t even the flavor of the week, really, or even flavor of the day to many insiders and experts. This reeks of a desperation hire, at which I will continue to laugh hysterically.

Maybe Thomas could’ve interviewed more than one minority candidate. I’m not sure why top assistant Jerrance Howard wasn’t handed the gig immediately following former head coach Bruce Weber’s departure. No matter. If you’re going to storm UICU AD Mike Thomas’ house, do so because he brought in a relatively unknown to lead a somewhat prestigious men’s basketball program, and not because he didn’t hire a minority. Good luck, Mr. Groce, because you’ll surely need it where you’re headed.

Cleanup on Aisle Draymond...

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Yes, I fully expected MSU’s blowout win over LIU-Brooklyn in the “second” round of the NCAA Tournament. Yes, I fully expected MSU to beat their third-round opponent, although I expected it to be Memphis, and not the mighty Billikens of St. Louis University. While a 65-61 final score is nothing to brag about, a win is a win. All-American G/F/C Draymond Green posted a triple-double against LIU-Brooklyn, and scored 16 points and 13 rebounds in the slim victory over St. Louis. He also dished out 6 assists, the last of which led to a go-ahead 3 by PG Keith Appling, who scored a game-high 19 points.

Awaiting the Spartans in the Sweet 16 are the 4th-seeded Louisville Cardinals. After a so-so regular season, Louisville turned it on and won the Big East conference tournament over surprise finalist Cincinnati. In this year’s NCAA Tournament, Louisville first dispatched of 12th-seeded Davidson before knocking off 5th-seeded New Mexico, 59-56.

Geeks, unite (national ranking in parentheses):

Scoring Offense: MSU – 72.4 (68), Louisville – 68.6 (160)
Scoring Defense: MSU – 59.4 (17), Louisville – 61.1 (35)
Field Goal Percentage: MSU – 48.2 (16), Louisville – 42.5 (216)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: MSU – 37.9 (2), Louisville – 37.9 (3)
Three-Point Percentage: MSU – 36.5 (67), Louisville – 31.3 (253)
Three-Point Percentage Defense: MSU – 29.6 (12), Louisville – 30.2 (21)
Rebound Margin: MSU – 8.3 (5), Louisville – 1.6 (124)
Assists Per Game: MSU – 15.4 (26), Louisville – 13.5 (113)
Assists Per Turnover Ratio: MSU – 1.19 (36), Louisville – 0.93 (188)

Team Leaders:
Scoring: MSU – Draymond Green (16.1), Louisville – Kyle Kuric (13)
Rebounding: MSU – Draymond Green (10.4), Louisville – Gorgui Dieng (9.1)
Assists: MSU – Keith Appling (3.9), Louisville – Peyton Siva (5.5)

While the St. Louis game was ugly, this one might be harder to watch. Louisville will rely on its defense, one of the nation’s stingiest, to have a solid chance to beat MSU. While Sparty is no offensive juggernaut, they have a bit more firepower on that end than the Cardinals. What UL lacks in interior size, they make up for with aggressive perimeter defense, led by PG Peyton Siva. Not only will Siva have to dictate the flow when the Cardinals have the ball, but when they’re defending as well. Expect UL head coach Rick Pitino to press MSU early and often, especially since the closest thing to a glaring weakness that MSU has is a tendency to turn the ball over too much. This will certainly be the case if Appling forgets his role and tries to do too much, too early. In fact, Appling/Siva should be one of the more entertaining matchups in the NCAA Tournament thus far.

I assume if UL big Gorgui Dieng can stay out of foul trouble, he’ll assist in making things hard for Sparty once they enter the lane. Not only is he the Cardinals’ leading rebounder, but leading shot-blocker, averaging 3.1 blocks per game. MSU will have to find a way to get Dieng to play tentative…which would mean enticing him into foul trouble. From the looks of Dieng’s numbers, that may not be such a tall task.

Even without injured freshman guard Branden Dawson, I like Sparty’s chances. Besides Dieng, UL’s only real size is freshman forward, Chanel Behanan, who checks in at 6’6″, 250, rather undersized for someone who bangs down low a lot. I can’t envision MSU bigs Adrian Payne and Derrick Nix not being able to impose their will on both ends, especially on the glass. Even worse for Louisville, Green, and neither Nix or Payne, will undoubtedly do the most damage down low, especially when passing to cutters and open shooters.

Louisville’s defense is certainly elite, but its offense isn’t quite as talented and well-rounded as MSU’s, especially on the low block. Chalk up another Elite Eight appearance for ol’ Sparty.

If you’re a fan of Michigan State men’s basketball, this should be your favorite time of year: NCAA Tournament time. As the picture above reads, Big 10 head coach of the year (media and coaches) Tom Izzo is indeed the king of March. With a 35-13 record in the tournament, one national title, another title game appearance and six Final Four berths, it’s not really an exaggeration, either. Factor in that while MSU is an elite program, they don’t often get the blue-chip recruits that UNC, Duke, Kansas or Kentucky often land, and it makes what Izzo has done in East Lansing even more impressive.

After losing their last two games of the regular season, MSU went on a nice run in the Big 10 tournament. They easily dispatched of Iowa by 17, and then defeated #12 Wisconsin in the semis and #7 Ohio St. in the final, 68-64. MSU was rewarded for their performance by the NCAA tournament selection committee with a #1 seed in the West Region, where they will play #16 seed Long Island University-Brooklyn, winners of an automatic tournament bid by winning the Northeastern Conference tournament. Big 10 player of the year (media and coaches) Draymond Green didn’t shoot well in the conference tournament, but still managed to average almost 12 rebounds and a little over 4 assists per game.\

For the nerdbirds (national statistical ranking in parentheses):

Scoring Offense: MSU – 72.1 ppg (75), LIU-Brooklyn – 81.9 ppg (2)

Scoring Defense: MSU – 59.1 ppg (16), LIU-Brooklyn – 77.3 ppg (330)

Field Goal Percentage: MSU – 47.6% (24), LIU-Brooklyn – 47.5% (26)

Field Goal Percentage Defense: MSU – 37.8% (2), LIU-Brooklyn – 44.5% (240)

Three Point Percentage: MSU – 36.5% (72), LIU-Brooklyn – 36.8% (64)

Three Point Percentage Defense: MSU – 29.2% (9), LIU-Brooklyn – 32.8% (107)

Rebound Margin: MSU – 8 (5), LIU-Brooklyn – 2.5 (88)

Assists Per Game: MSU – 15.3 (27), LIU-Brooklyn – 14.8 (41)

Assists Per Turnover Ratio: MSU – 1.18 (37), LIU-Brooklyn – .92 (204)

Team Leaders:

Scoring: MSU – Draymond Green (16.1 ppg), LIU-Brooklyn – Julian Boyd (17.4 ppg)

Rebounding: MSU – Draymond Green (10.4 rpg), LIU-Brooklyn – Julian Boyd (9.5 rpg)

Assists: MSU – Keith Appling (3.9 apg), LIU-Brooklyn – Jason Brickman (7.4 apg)

Admittedly, I know absolutely nothing about LIU-Brooklyn. I was surprised to find out they have one of the nation’s most potent offenses, but wasn’t surprised to know that defensively, they’re pretty subpar. Julian Boyd is their Draymond Green, and I’m sure that if he has a big game, it will greatly improve their chances to be the first #16 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament to advance to the round of 32.

However, even despite the loss of freshman standout guard Branden Dawson, this is still an Izzo-led team. Like years’ past, the Spartans need to win the first game, and Izzo and Co. will make sure they win the second. I don’t expect much of a fight from the Blackbirds of LIU-Brooklyn, especially if they find themselves down by a large margin early. Obviously, anything can happen and all LIU-Brooklyn needs is to be one point better than MSU at the end of regulation, but I think anyone outside of the Blackbirds/ fanbase would be hard-pressed to pick them over MSU in this game. Sparty on.

The 2011-12 Michigan State men’s basketball team began their regular season on an aircraft carrier against the nation’s top-ranked team, North Carolina. While they weren’t literally played off the ship, they lost, 67-55. They ended their regular season in more familiar territory, at home against the tenth-ranked Ohio State Buck-something. After jumping out to an early 15-point lead, a stalled offense, questionable officiating, and ridiculous fallaway jumper made by Ohio St.’s William Buford with less than two seconds left resulted in a 72-70 loss for Sparty. In between all of that was a second consecutive loss (to punk ass Duke) to begin the regular season, “good wins” over Gonzaga and Florida State, a split with resurrected in-state rival Michigan, “bad losses” to both Northwestern and Illinois by one point each, head coach Tom Izzo’s 400th win, and an obliteration of conference newcomer Nebraska. Currently, the Spartans are ranked 8th by the Associated Press and find themselves 5th in RPI rankings.

In my years of watching and being a fan of MSU men’s basketball, it was usually Izzo who was the driving force behind the team, whether in the regular or postseason. This year, senior 6’8″ G/F/C and Wooden Award finalist Draymond Green led the troops. Before this season, Green was the best role player in the country. He did whatever was asked of him just well enough to help Sparty win games. While not a top pro prospect even after a great regular season, he has supplanted himself as the nation’s best all-around player, averaging 16.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Despite some pretty bad shot selection at times, Green has still managed to shoot 45% from the field and 41% from 3. He may not win the Wooden Award, which is given annually to the country’s best player, but if there were an award for its most valuable, he would win in a landslide. Senior F/C Delvon Roe was shelved for the entire season before even practicing, and a dismissal and transfer had many–including myself–figuring 11-12 would be a down year for MSU. After their 0-2 start, Green led the Spartans to a 24-5 finish, and AP ranking as high as fifth after they started the season unranked.

Yes, Green was essentially a one-man wrecking crew for the most part, but he did have a bit of assistance from his supporting cast. Sophomore PG Keith Appling settled down after a rough start,and the diminutive yet speedy point man finished the regular season with averages of 11.5 points, 3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Appling needs to better harness his speed, which leads to far too many unforced turnovers, but it also serves to his advantage. There aren’t many point guards in the country who are faster with the ball in their hands, let alone the oft-grinding, methodical Big 10. Before suffering a torn ACL in the finale against Ohio St., freshman G Branden Dawson was their best reserve, averaging 8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and almost a steal and block per game to go with shooting a highly efficient 58% from the floor. Bigs, junior Derrick Nix and sophomore Adreian Payne will need to step their games up, as Dawson gave the Spartans 21 solid minutes a game. Nix and Payne combined to average 14.5 points and almost 8 rebounds per game on 55% shooting from the floor. The stronger Nix should get more touches down low and the more athletic Payne will have to be even more active in transition and in the lane, defensively, as he is the team’s best shot-blocker. Bulldog senior G Austin Thornton is nowhere near the most talented, but he does a lot of the grunt work. The Spartans will also lean more on Valpo transfer guard, Brandon Wood, and true freshman point guard, Travis Trice, who has mostly gotten spot duty this season.

The Big 10 tournament starts today, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sparty will play the winner of the Iowa/Illinois game tomorrow at 11 AM. Both Illinois and Iowa are desperate to “beautify” their tournament resumes, and most likely know that only one conference tournament win won’t have them dancing. I fully expect the winner to give MSU all it can handle. The loss of Dawson will undoubtedly hurt Sparty, but I don’t see why it should prohibit them from at least reaching the final and getting closer to locking up a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Go Green. Go White. Sparty On.

Yep.

There’s the obvious slurping of sports’ elite figures, and then there’s the lionization of those who simply and solely show potential. Indiana Pacers power forward Tyler Hansbrough was a victim of this during his career at North Carolina. Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who has won a few ballgames in spite of some pretty subpar play is at all-time great status in many of his fans’ eyes. And now we have New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, a product of Ivy League “powerhouse” Harvard University.

A few NBA teams gave up on Lin before he caught on with the Knicks. Those teams most likely didn’t see much from him and felt they had better options at the position. It’s hard to even give the Knicks credit for discovering Lin;  he’s only gotten substantial playing time over the last 5 games and that’s mainly due to the fact that lead point guard Baron Davis has been out with injury, as well as starting small forward Carmelo Anthony and starting power forward A’mare Stoudemire.

Before this recent 5-game flurry (and winning streak) with the Knicks, I saw Lin play. Once. In college. On the road against Connecticut, he scored 30 points and the Crimson lost. Lin appeared to have decent ball-handling skills and was surprisingly quick for an Ivy League point guard. After the game was over, I completely forgot about Lin. I didn’t even know he was in the NBA until seeing his name on the Knicks roster on NBA 2K12, as a matter of fact.

Getting to the (semblance of a) point, Lin has been very good in his past 5 games. He’s averaged close to 27 points, to go with a little over 4 rebounds and an even 8 assists per game. He’s shot 51% from the floor and even averaged barely over 2 steals per game. He’s scored in a variety of ways: jumper, layup, dunk, floater, runner and I’m pretty sure he hit a 3 while conversing with celebrities who were sitting courtside at the Garden. However, before anyone should crown Lin as the next great point guard, they should look at the surrounding circumstances.

Lin’s “debut” came against the awful New Jersey Nets, who are still without alleged center Brook Lopez. While point guard Deron Williams is an elite player, his talent can’t mask the ineptitude of the Nets. The Nets, one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, were carved up by Lin to the tune of 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists and the Knicks won, 99-92.

Next up were the overachieving Utah Jazz. Lin went for 28-2-8 in a 99-88 win. He shot 10-17 from the floor. He even hit a 3…but also had 8 turnovers against one of the weaker defenses in the league.

Another gift in the form of a matchup against arguably the worst team in the league, the John Wall-led Washington Wizards, was next for Lin and the Knicks. Despite having a solid collection of young talent, the Wizards are downright terrible and are in the NBA’s bottom five in offensive and defensive efficiency, and points and field goal percentage allowed per game. Some people used a Summer League game in which Lin outplayed Wall to support their awful claim that they saw Lin’s streak of exceptional play coming, and Lin once again outplayed Wall, if only barely. Lin’s 23-4-10 weren’t really the difference, but the Lin stans didn’t see it that way. Knicks in a blowout, 107-93.

Finally, Lin got his first real test against the Los Angeles Lakers. Primarily against point frauds Derek Fisher and Steve Blake. At home. This was the game that many of Lin’s detractors thought would finally burst his bubble and put a halt to ESPN’s infatuation with him. WRONG. Lin went off for 38 points in 39 minutes and chipped in 4 rebounds and 7 assists as the Knicks won by 7, 92-85.

Lin and the Knicks capped off a very good week against the sort of-maybe-almost there Minnesota Timberwolves, on the road. In what ESPN of course hailed as a matchup of future star point guards between Lin and rookie Wolf Ricky Rubio, the Knicks did just enough to eke out a 100-98 win. It was by far Lin’s worst game shooting-wise, as he shot 8-24 from the floor. Despite a 33% clip from the field, he managed to finish with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists.

As I wrote before, Lin has been very good so far in his newfound starting role, despite a shoot-first mentality that sometimes leaves his teammates standing idle and committing 4.6 turnovers per game. It’s not Lin’s fault that in the 5 games he’s started, the Knicks have gone up against 3 (possibly 4) of the worst teams in the NBA. Nor is it Lin’s fault that so many have chosen to hype him as the next great point guard.

However, I wish more people would stop and look at Lin’s work, and not how he came to give this premature answer. He’s started 5 games with little expectation. Volume shooter Carmelo Anthony and near-volume shooter A’mare Stoudemire haven’t been on the floor with Lin for one second during this winning streak. Knicks head coach Mike D’antoni’s “7 Seconds Or Less” offensive system is perfect for a point guard like Lin. In the Knicks last game, Lin started alongside Landry Fields, Bill Walker, Jared Jefferies and Tyson Chandler. None of those four are offensively gifted in any way, shape or form, making it even easier for Lin to put up rather gaudy offensive numbers.

I’m not trying to knock Lin. He doesn’t play for the Pistons, therefore I don’t wish embarrassing failure on him. If he stays with the Knicks and D’antoni isn’t fired, he would be a better option at the point than Baron Davis, but I don’t expect him to continue putting up 27 points and 8 assists per. He’d be lucky to average half that, especially if Melo and A’mare are still Knicks. Lin’s stans and nicknames irk the entire hell out of me, and so do all of the “Is he legit?” questions. IT’S BEEN FIVE GAMES. Can we let the kid start for more than a week before tagging him as some sort of basketball wunderkind? Or trying to figure out if he’s really as good as he’s been over the past five games?

There’s no question that Lin has been good since being named a starter, but level of competition does matter, regardless of what you think. It’s not a backhanded compliment to say that he’s been good against mostly bad competition. It’s simply fact. The same goes for his barely-average floormates during this stretch. Huh. Only the most sensitive of Lin’s (lame) lionizers would believe otherwise.

I actually saw these pretty little things on someone’s feet yesterday morning, and felt inclined to stop the person on their way to their car just to find out what the name of them are. These are essentially desert boots/sneakers, and if you’re familiar with Clarks desert boots, you know whether or not you’d cop these. The soles are lined with SUPRAFOAM and the padded flap on the mid-cut ankle is a nice and somewhat unique touch. Interested? Here: Supra Online. You’re welcome.

I won’t mention any names, but I’ve read a few alleged “sneakerheads” incorrectly label these the NIKE Air Trainer SC II Lows. How unfortunate. No matter, these are simply and insanely dope. You can find these at West NYC.