Bleacher Report - Articles by B

Kobe Bryant Solidifies Himself As The Best Basketball Player In The World

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:08:14 -0400

Ten-time NBA All Star. Eight-time All-Defensive Team Selection. Ten-time All-NBA Selection. Three-time NBA Champion. Two NBA Scoring Titles.

The list goes on and on of all the awards and achievements Kobe Bryant has reached in his 12-year NBA career out of high school. Now there's one more thing that he can add to his collection: A gold medal.

What more can Kobe Bryant do to get even better from what he is now with three championship rings, an MVP trophy, and a gold medal?

There's no doubt about it, Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player right now.

Yes, it is arguable that LeBron could be up there, but he does not measure to the level of greatness Kobe Bryant is at right now.

The way Bryant can take over and change the game is just unbelievable, just as he did in the Olympic gold medal game against Spain.

The game was getting close and Spain was creeping back into it. Although USA played an amazing game of "team basketball," in the end it was Kobe who got the ball most the time.

After hitting a three in a Spain defender's face and getting fouled he put his finger on lip and silenced all the believers that Spain had a chance. It was almost like he was silencing the basketball world and showing why he is the best player in the game right now.

With the way Kobe Bryant has dominated for so many years, and now that he is a world champion, it is almost impossible for people not to make the comparison to Michael Jordan now.

How could someone not compare them? There both about 6 foot 6 inches, both have won multiple championships, and both play the shooting guard position. Even now Kobe is still nothing close to MJ, but to be honest no one probably will ever come to close to being a Michael Jordan.

But that does not take away anything from Bryant. Because he might, just might, be the closest thing to the next Michael Jordan ,but at the same time he is nowhere near what Jordan did to the game of basketball. Just being compared to Jordan should feel like one of the greatest accomplishments for Bryant.

Another thing Kobe has to separate him from the other players in the league right now is his will to win.

He will do anything he can to win. It even dates back to his career at Lower Merion high school. His teammates remember that during practice, if someone would beat him off a move, at the end of practice Kobe would not let that guy leave until he tried to do the same move on him again.

Out of the many things a younger player can model after Kobe to go far in basketball, the best thing would probably be his hunger and will to win everything he can.

Kobe's will to win has showed multiple times throughout his career. Kobe has become the third player to score 20,000 points under the age of thirty. And the two others who also have done this are Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

Kobe Bryant also has the second-most points ever scored in a game (81 against the Raptors), and that is also behind Wilt Chamberlain. Bryant also holds the record for youngest player to score 15,000 points, youngest player to win a slam dunk contest, and youngest player to start a game at 18 years and 158 days. As you can see age has not held Bryant back from pursuing his dreams.

And dreams are what got Bryant to where he is now. Yes, he is blessed with unbelievable athleticism and strength. But he had to work to get to who he is now.

You get a lot expected of you when you are a Mcdonald's All-American and a National High School Basketball Player of the year, and Kobe Bryant didn't let anyone down.

Philadelphia born and Los Angeles made, Bryant has become a basketball prodigy. At only 30, he still has years left to dominate the league and keep showing why he is the best basketball player right now.

Rock Chalk Championship: Super Mario's Miracle Shot and How It Went Down

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:03:28 -0400

Mario's Miracle: April 7th, 2008

The referee hands Derrick Rose the ball for his second free throw. He pumps the ball above his head, then takes four dribbles. He looks at the rim, then hits the second free throw with 10.8 seconds left. The rest of the players go to the other side of the court beside Rose, Sherron Collins, and Darnell Jackson.

Nearly every fan, player, walk-on, coach, assistant coach, ball-boy, ball-girl, NBA scout, stadium worker, and the rest of the 43,257 people attending have stood up and turned to the court to watch this last play. Jackson inbounds the ball to Collins, who waits for Jackson to clear out of the way.

Sherron Collins then takes three left hand dribbles. Derrick Rose moves up on him as if he was going to attempt to foul. Collins fakes right then dribbles left leaving Rose chasing behind him. Collins takes five dribbles down the court with Rose right on his tail.

When Collins gets to about the NBA three-point line, Rose is body to body with him. Rose then holds up both his arms, which is the action players usually use to show they are not trying to foul.

Right now Mario Chalmers is finishing his right side curl up to the three point line with Antonio Anderson guarding him. Rose and Collins were going so fast down the court, and Rose was guarding Collins so heavily, that Collins loses control of the ball and almost turns it over. But he then grabs it and flips it to Chalmers while Collins is falling to the ground and sliding to the right corner of the court.

Chalmers receives Collins' shovel pass at his right shoulder with 4.9 seconds left in the game. Derrick Rose immediately comes off Collins and onto Chalmers. Robert Dozier leaves the lane and Darnell Jackson (who he was guarding) to come up and double team Chalmers with Rose.

6-foot-1 Chalmers takes one quick dribble with his left hand, then jumps from a little to the right of the top of the key, just high enough so the ball arcs over both 6-foot-3 Derrick Rose and 6-foot-9 Robert Dozier.

Sherron Collins is still sitting in the corner as if he was laying down watching a movie, waiting for the ball to go in or miss. Darnell Jackson, Brandon Rush, and Darrell Arthur are all in the lane during the shot. Derrick Rose turns around in the air as he is contesting the shot to see if it goes in.

The ball nearly touches Rose's and Dozier's fingertips before in falls in the net, not hitting any part of the rim. If you watch closely, you can see that Brandon Rush yells into Chris Douglas-Robert's face after Chalmers nails the three. At that time every Kansas fan in the Alamo Dome, and probably every single one watching that game on national television, go absolutely ballistic.

They do this for a very short period of time, because they now remember Memphis has 2.1 seconds to inbound the ball and possibly make a halfcourt shot to win the game. Antonio Anderson, who was guarding Mario Chalmers, gets the ball and looks for someone to inbound too. Derrick Rose calls for the ball as he is running up to the free throw line, but Anderson finds Dozier open on the left side just before half court.

Dozier gets the ball, takes one right handed dribble and shoots it from halfcourt with Collins and Chalmers slightly contesting it. The ball travels through the air, hits the top of the back board and the game is forced into overtime with the score tied 63 to 63. Kansas eventually wins the game 75 to 68.

Chalmers is named Final Four most outstanding player, and his shot will be remembered as one of the best, if not the best, shots ever in NCAA history.

2008-2009 Kansas Men's Basketball Preview: Rebuilding/Reloading Season

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:21:33 -0400

Coming off one of the best seasons the University of Kansas has ever had, the Jayhawks begin to reload with the number two recruiting class for 2008. With six seniors leaving and some players expected to declare for the draft, Bill Self knew he was going to have to do a lot of recruiting.

Kansas' entire starting line-up will be replaced for the '08-09 season, but two of those replacements will be McDonald's All-Americans Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. The rest of the team will be mainly freshmen.

Kansas will also have another tough conference schedule, facing opponents like Texas, who lost D.J. Augustin but will be returning players such as Damion James and A.J. Abrams. KU will also be challenged by Oklahoma, who return talented forward Blake Griffin and will have incoming freshman sensation Willie Warren.

With so many players leaving for the NBA Draft and graduating, it may take a bit for them to become an elite team in the upcoming season. But you never know. This is Kansas—a final four or national title is expected almost every year.

NBA Draft Entrees:

Junior Guard Brandon Rush

Junior Guard Mario Chalmers

Sophomore Forward Darrell Arthur

Graduations:

Guard Rodrick Stewart

Guard Jeremy Case

Guard Russell Robinson

Forward Darnell Jackson

Center Sasha Kaun

Guard Brad Witherspoon

Returning Scholarship Players:

Junior Guard Sherron Collins

Sophomore Guard Tyrel Reed

Sophomore Center Cole Aldrich

Junior Guard Brady Morningstar

Returning Walk-Ons:

Matt Kleinman

Brenan Brechard

Chase Buford

Connor Teahan

2008-2009 Recruits (No. 2 Recruiting Class in the Nation):

Guard Travis Releford

Guard Tyrone Appleton

Guard Tyshawn Taylor

Guard Mario Little

Forward Marcus Morris

Forward Markief Morris

Forward Quintrell Thomas

Predicted 2008-2009 Starting Line-up:

Point Guard: Sherron Collins

Shooting Guard: Tyrel Reed

Small Forward: Mario Little

Power Forward: Marcus Morris

Center: Cole Aldrich

Minutes Off The Bench:

Tyshawn Taylor

Markief Morris

Brady Morningstar

Quintrell Thomas

Paul Pierce Leads The Way: My All Kansas Basketball Team

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:41:19 -0400

There have been so many great players to play at the University of Kansas and most from this list have had a long career in the NBA. If this team were to go against any other all-time college team, this would be a tough one to beat.

Point Guard:

Starter: Jacque Vaughn

Backups: Kirk Hinrich, Kevin Pritchard

Shooting Guard:

Starter: JoJo White

Backups: Darnell Valentine, Jeff Boshee

Small Forward:

Starter: Paul Pierce

Backups: Bud Stallworth, Julian Wright

Power Forward:

Starter: Danny Manning

Backups: Raef Lafrentz, Wayne Simien

Center:

Starter: Wilt Chamberlain

Backups: Clyde Lovellette, Nick Collison

Michael Jordan Leads the Way: My All-Time All-NBA Dream Team

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:46:00 -0400

This was probably one of the hardest articles I have ever written, mainly because there are so many great players to play in the NBA, it's almost hard to name them all. Heres the list:

Point Guard: Magic Johnson

Backups: Oscar Robinson, Bob Cousy

Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan

Backups: Jerry West, Kobe Bryant

Small Forward: Larry Bird

Backups: Julius Erving, Scottie Pippen

Power Forward: Tim Duncan

Backups: Karl Malone, Charles Barkley

Center: Bill Russell

Backups: Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Wilt Chamberlain

Get Yo' Popcorn Ready: Terrell Owens and His Best Touchdown Celebrations

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:56:05 -0400

Even though some may think Terrell Owens is a cocky, ignorant, selfish player, he is one of the reasons why the NFL is fun to watch. Without him, and all the other players with touchdown celebrations and dances, football would not be nearly as entertaining.

He has had so many celebrations throughout his career with the 49ers, Eagles, and Cowboys that it's hard to remember them all. This is a list of the best 10 celebrations T.O. has done after scoring a touchdown:

10. In week 13 of the 2007 season, after catching a 10 yard pass from Tony Romo, Terrell Owens took pop-corn from the a fan and threw it through his face-mask.

9. In 2004 against the Bears, when Owens was with the Eagles, after scoring a touchdown he got on the ground and did six sit ups, one for each touchdown he had scored so far that season.

8. On November 5th, 2006, Terrell Owens caught a touchdown pass then got on the ground of the end zone and acted as if he was taking a nap, using the football as a pillow.

7. In a game against the Cleveland Browns, Owens caught a pass for a touchdown and then ran through the end-zone and tore down a fan-made sign that said "T.O. has B.O.".

6. One of his most used celebrations as an Eagle, in 2004 Owens started doing "The Bird" where he would flap his arms up and down.

5. As a 49er on December 15th, 2002, after scoring a touchdown T.O. ran toward a 49er cheerleader and took both her pompoms and started shaking them wildly and dancing.

4. In 2007, after a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, Owens mocked Bill Belichick by hiding behind the field goal post and holding the ball like a camera, like he was secretly filming the game.

3. During a game facing the Ravens, when T.O. was an Eagle, Owens caught a short touchdown pass and in the end-zone started mocking Ray Lewis' famous pre-game dance.

2. One of Terrell Owens most publicized celebrations, mainly because the whole nation was watching on Monday night football, Terrell Owens pulled a sharpie out of his sock after scoring a touchdown and signed the football that he just scored with.

1. In Dallas, Texas on September 24th, 2000 Terrell Owens scored two touchdowns and in both touchdowns he ran from the end-zone to the middle of the field, where he stood on the Dallas Cowboys star logo and held up his arms. The second time Cowboys safety George Teague hit him to the ground during the celebration. This caused a small brawl between a few players and eventually led to Teague's ejection and Owens getting suspended one game and fined $24,000.

When you watch Terrell Owens play, you know you are going to see something exciting if he scores. Even if he gets fined every time he does it or gets nailed by an opposing player after he stands on the star in center field, you have to admit, he is entertaining to watch.

Kansas Guard Sherron Collins: The Rising of a Star

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:11:28 -0400

If you aren't familiar with Kansas point guard Sherron Collins, get familiar—he's going to be one of the best guards in the NCAA in 2008-2009.

Collins was a McDonald's All-American coming into Kansas as a freshman but let Russell Robinson start at point guard over him—he thought it would keep the team chemistry together.

He was right.

Two years later Collins and Robinson, along with Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush (the four KU guards), would go on to win the 2008 NCAA title.

Collins was recruited as one of the best guards in his class and has a combination of outstanding quickness and devastating strength.

In addition to his great physical strength and athleticism, he also has mental toughness, much of which he got from living in the projects of downtown Chicago.

Put it this way—Sherron Collins is not one to mess with.

Collins made an immediate impact for KU his freshman year. He brought a toughness and swagger that only some players have.

He was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team.

Collins was also a big part of KU's Big 12 Championship run in 2007, scoring 20 points in the conference championship game against Kevin Durant and Texas.

In 2008 Collins got even better and was a huge factor in KU's title run. Against Michael Beasley and K-State, Collins helped the team get a big win by dropping 18 points.

In both seasons at Kansas, Collins was a bit limited in playing time because he came off the bench and was still in the shadow of Rush and Chalmers, despite having proven himself as one of the elite players on KU and in the Big 12.

One example of his talent was his 23-point performance against Missouri his freshman year, where he could not be stopped off the dribble.

But because Bill Self wanted KU to play a team style of basketball rather than have a go-to guy who gets all the shots, Collins' game was somewhat limited.

However, going into the 2008-2009 season, Rush, Chalmers, and Robinson are gone due to graduation and the draft.

This is now Sherron Collins' team.

Collins will be leading the No. 2 recruiting class in the country and will have a very good center in Cole Aldrich as well.

His full potential will be unleashed this upcoming season and there won't be any debate over who Kansas' go-to guy will be.

If Kansas is down a basket with only seconds remaining, whether it's in its fifth straight Big 12 Championship appearance or the 2009 National Title Game, we know who is going to get the last shot.

The Top Five Kansas Jayhawks Mens Basketball Games Of The 07-08 Season

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:17:59 -0400

This past season was more than a dream come true for the Kansas Jayhawks. After a dramatic season, they entered the final game of March Madness as the underdogs—and proved themselves worthy of the trophy. However, the path there wasn't an easy one. Here are the top five games of the season:

#5. Kansas vs. Kansas State (3/1/08) The Jayhawks hold off Michael Beasley and his 39 points in a loud Allen Field house with Rush ending with 21 points and five three-pointers. KU 88 KSU 74

#4. Kansas vs. Arizona (11/25/07) KU faces their first tough team of the year without Brandon Rush. While fighting back against an on-fire Chase Budinger and containing Jerrrd Bayless, KU comes out on top in OT. KU 76 Arizona 72

#3. Kansas vs. North Carolina (4/5/08) Bill Self's first final four gets off two an amazing start with KU leading 40-12 in the first half. North Carolina comes back but does not have enough. KU 84 UNC 66

#2. Kansas vs. Texas (3/16/08) For the fourth straight year KU and Texas face each-other in the Big 12 Championship. DJ Augustin replaces Kevin Durant's role of being completely unstoppable in the first half. Then Mario Chalmers goes unconscious in the second half behind the arc and finishes with 30. KU 84 UT 74

#1. Kansas vs. Memphis (4/7/08) As an underdog Kansas faces an athletic Memphis team with Derrick Rose and CDR. Kansas does not give up and comes back from being nine down in regulation which leads to Mario's miracle shot to force it into OT. KU takes the game from there. KU 75 Memphis 68