Review- The Sixth Man

Take a trip back to the 2004-05 NBA season. Back when the Pistons had one of the greatest teams of the decade, Reggie Miller was still in the league, and D-Wade was turning into a superstar before our eyes. Shaq had just left L.A. and a different Superman's name had been called by the Magic on the day of the draft. In other words, it was a typical season, filled with great performances, moments, and player movement. In The Sixth Man ESPN’s Chris Palmer attempts to show the inside life of a selected few NBA stars and newcomers for that single season.

First off, Palmer doesn't seem to be part of the traditional media, hanging out with players, accepting gifts, and dissing the beat writers. So perhaps a bias might be present when talking about his "friends".

The book itself seems a little off. For what seems to be the first few chapters, Palmer goes through his journey to find players willing to let him follow for his book. Shouldn't that have been cut once, you know, the book was actually written? The subtitle: "A season inside the NBA playground" should instead read: "A season inside Chris Palmer's life". Yes, we get it, you know NBA players, so let's just hear more about them, and less about you losing your book during a laptop mishap. Let's hear more about T-Mac's agonizing loss in the first round, or more about Reggie Miller's farewell.

As long as the author is able to talk about their journey, allow me to say mine. I bought this book at the dollar store. I can see why now. I'm not dissing the book, there are plenty of good stories in it. However, the book as a single narrative fails. It wasn't a long epic, so it was fairly easy to breeze through it. Just don't expect a masterpiece.

Rating: 2/5 Stars

iPhone App Review: CB4

Chris Bosh Official App
Free

Chris Bosh is always near or at thr top of innovations. He was on YouTube, Twitter, and facebook before most athletes got around to it. He is also the first NBA player to have his own iPhone app.

The concept of a player specific app doesn't seem like a very good idea. But this is Chris Bosh, who has plenty of material to show off. The app has 4 screens. The first of which is the only "basketball" in the app, it is all of CB4's stats, for the current season. His career stats are noticeably missing.
The following pages merge the latest from all of his social networks; Youtube, Twitter, and flickr, all on to it's own specific page.

Just to sum up, if your a huge Bosh fan, I'm sure this is already downloaded. And it's a nicely put together app. But I would like tosee some app exclusive stuff, along with the merging of all of the media.

Rating: 7/10
What's it doing: ehhhhhhh, deleted I guess (unless Cb4 gets picked up by the Magic or the Nuggets in 2010.)

Movie Review: Kobe Doin Work

It came out a couple of weeks ago, but I just saw it. Yes, I've seen Kobe Doin Work. And, yes, I have read a ton of bad reviews of it. Let's see if I can add anything different to it.
First off, what is this movie trying to be? It's marketed as a "Game in the Life". But near the end of the game Kobe expands to last years finals loss to the Celtics. The end also is a conversation between the filmed and the filmmaker (Spike) about Kobe's record setting night at MSG. If you're going to expand what is discussed and explored outside of the very season, why not explore what happened with Shaq, or LeBron, or even the rape charges?
The movie supposedly gets you "inside the head of a NBA player". There it shines. Kobe is constantly talking about spacing and screens. Not to mention his constant "advice" to his teammates. (Personally, I couldn't stand to play with him for more than a few games)
The actual presentation of the game (April 18th against the Spurs), is actually very good. The sounds of the arena are abundant, and the music fits perfectly. When a big play is about to happen, you can tell by the music. Along with some slo-mo replays, there are also some black and white still photos laced in.
In the end though, I wasn't swayed one way or the other. I didn't learn anything groundbreakingly new (NBA players make fun of Matt Bonner!). I wasn't completely bored either. So if you're bored this off season and need some basketball, watch it. If you're a Kobe hater, just wait for LeBron's new flick coming out later.

Basketball: 4/5
Entertainment: 2/5

Total: 3/5

Ad Review: The Great Debate (Plus One!)

Earlier this year Vitamin Water release all of these ads posing the question; Kobe or LeBron. (They weren't the only ones). They had the tv ads as seen above, but my favorite part was the print ads. Anyone remember those old fight posters? These give that familiar feeling. A battle for the ages, in the NBA Finals. Of course, as you know, another Vitamin Water athlete got in the way: Dwight Howard. Cue the new ads. But with that brought another poster. Winner: me.

New Movie

No, I haven't seen "Kobe Doin' Work", the new movie from Spike Lee. But it got me thinking. Who else would you want to hear and see a full game with? After Kobe, the next logical step would be LeBron. But I can't imagine him being all that different from Bryant. But then I struck gold.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:
Ron Doin' Work. C'mon, you know you would want to see what goes through Ron Artest's mind during a game. Perhaps it could be against his "toughest opponet" Brandon Roy?
So, Spike, ESPN, anyone who's listening; make this reality. Please.

At It Again

They began their rivalry in college when their Gonzaga and Duke teams were at the top of the standings. Yes, Adam Morrison and JJ Redick are at it again. But this time in the pro's. Are they the new Magic and Bird. Surely these two stars will continue to shine in the NBA Playoffs and in years to come

The Great Debate

You've heard it all year. LeBron and Kobe. Kobe and LeBron. Both MVP's, and both have their teams in the final 4. By now you've probably seen the next area that the debate has gone to. The puppet commercials. Each of them showing a superstar acting obnoxious and annoying. The question now up for debate is: who is more annoying in these ads? Let's take a closer look.

First up: LeBron (Chalk)



No doubt LeBron gets out of control. Chalk is for sidewalks not livingrooms. But his verbal assault is limited. "Twenty dollar Chinese food"? This is more random than annoying.

Kobe (Three Rings)



Kobe goes straight for the heart. He doesn't fool around with props, instead he chooses to cut down the King on his greatest failure: team success.

So who is more annoying? I'm gonna have to say LeBron, simply for the mess he makes with chalk. But James makes the best point: WHY ARE THEY LIVING TOGETHER?

Welcome

You want to see a thought provoking documentary. You pick up Hoop Dreams. You feel like a cartoon, so you pop Space Jam into the VCR. Let's say you feel like expanding your mind and reading. What's on the nightstand? SLAM magazine, and "The Jordan Rules". You are a basketball fan. This is for you. I can't promise you stellar commentary, but I will try my best to entertain you. Be nice, I'm new at this. You wouldn't expect Greg Paulus to be good at football, would you?