Bethlehem Shoals Presents: Quality Minutes, 10/20/11

ESPN: The Purpose in Jerry West's Public Pain. Roy S. Johnson with a piece on how great it is that Jerry West is telling the world about his depression. He has a point; far too few athletes are open with the public about this sort of problem, for fear it might make them look weak. However, it's a little misleading to compare it to Magic Johnson and AIDS. Revealing depression remains a choice. That's exactly why mental health places folks in such a bind. 

B/R: Anguish and the Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Randolph. Dynamite essay by Chris Finocchio on my favorite enigmatic, potential-laden benchwarmer. Will he ever find a situation that allows him to turn into a real force, and what exactly would that player even look like? At some point, potential just turns into frustration, for us and, presumably, the player as well—if he cares as much as Randolph seems to. Bonus points for the Tanakh line. 

Ball Don't Lie: Bryant Gumbel: David Stern "Eager to Be Seen As Modern-Day Plantation Overseer." Kelly Dwyer shows us all how to stop, take a deep breath and read quotes for what they are. Gumbel's language made some people uncomfortable, as it was probably meant to. Dwyer notes, though, that the role of "overseer" is the point. According to Gumbel, Stern is at the mercy of the owners, who use him to take advantage of players. Don't forget, plantations existed after slavery.

B/R: The Most Demonized NBA Player From Every Team In the League. Well, here they are, the players that fans love to hate. Sometimes their home crowds hate them more than anyone else; sometimes they're beloved by them. That is, until the other shoe drops. Some are simply overpaid, others are actually jerks. Some are misunderstood. Whatever the case, if you're looking for a reason to support the owners (you shouldn't be) or love the lockout, here's a good primer. 

Hardwood Paroxysm: Chris Paul, Deep Purple, and Winning. Deep Purple is okay, I suppose, though I hope Noam Schiller is exaggerating for effect's sake. Or maybe it's one of those cases where music transports you, mid-sentence, and ends up making the piece stronger. Then you owe it something. I certainly feel like I owe Noam something after his description of Paul's game and its disruption-through-continuous-motion. 

B/R: Is Tyreke Evans Ready To Become a Superstar? By the end of this column, Shaun Toback is comparing the Kings guard to Wade and Kobe and finding he doesn't measure up. Is that fair? Probably not. But then again, Evans did have a blazing start to his career. The numbers were there. And his ability to control games with his slashing did have a mesmeric effect on defenses. The question really is, what kind of player is Tyreke Evans? Before we know if he's bound for superstardom, we—and the Kings—need to get straight on that. 

The Big Lead: KIA Has the Key to NBA Lockout: Ignore It. It's hard to grasp right now, but basketball as we know it will one-day ride again. It will have the same insanely popular, marketable personalities as it does now. You know what that means? Even if the league is taking a little hiatus to sort out internal matters, advertisers will still use its stars to sell stuff. And why shouldn't they? Someone like Kobe Bryant isn't just an athlete, he's a celebrity. He makes basketball attractive year-round. KIA is putting Griffin in that category.

B/R: Knicks Legend Bernard King Talks About Carmelo Anthony and Stardom In NY. That about says it all. Keith Schlosser interviews King for a feature that reminds you just how great King was at his peak.