Wednesday, May 7, 2008
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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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So the former Afro-sporting Kobe Bryant of Los Angeles Laker was named the NBA Most Valuable Player of this year (not officially announced as of this moment, though). At long last. In my honest opinion, it's a little long overdue. If you're watching his games, Bryant has matured and grown into a versatile, constant scoring machine, and if there's another individual worthy to be called the "next Michael Jordan," that's definitely Kobe. He can score, pass, rebound and defend, and has given his team three championship ring so far — things that make one an MVP. Maybe not as great as MJ once was, but Kobe is just 29 and he can still break some records that the former has been holding for a long time. Oh, how I love to see Kobe becoming MJ-incarnate. Fans need it. NBA without such superstars is boring.
Kobe Bryant believes he can fly...
Speaking of MVP, I heard that Jason Castro (not the dreadlocks-haired folk from American Idol), the extraordinarily talented point guard who became 2006 and 2007 MVP of the Philippine Basketball League signed up with the first Asia-based club in the NBL, the Singapore Slingers. This just made him the first Filipino to have signed up with a team in Australia's highly competitive National Basketball League. Slingers' operations manager Michael Johns (again, not that one from American Idol) said that Castro was really good. But I know John is a little exaggerating. I believe it's a marketing move from the team since there are large Filipino communities in Singapore and Australia. And they know how addicted the Filipinos are to basketball.
Not to put our fellow Filipino down, but there are many better players in the PBA to choose from, if the Slingers is really after the "talent." But as professionals, they will definitely have problems with the cost, hence they stick with a talented but an amateur Castro. It still sets a record, anyway. Unlike what happened to Johnny Abarrientos who, long time ago, figured in a proposition that might have made him the first Filipino and Asian to become an NBA player. Remember? The proposition, put forward by some publicity-hungry agent from United States had turned out to be a hoax. Many saw that coming, however, but it put Johnny in a bad light. Who could have believed that a 5-6 Filipino player could make it to the NBA?
But nothing is impossible in China, as the case of Batere Menk and Wang Zhizhi, who were really overhyped by both US and Chinese media (but where are they now?). Now, it's Yao Ming and Yi Jinlan's turn. With nearly a billion Chinese watching the game, that's really a sure big market for the NBA. That will generate a hell lot of money, one of the main causes why NBA exists. They mean business. If they can't get something out of a player other than the usual basketball skills, I don't think anybody can be in the NBA.
Menk Batere. "Overhyped?"
Kobe Bryant believes he can fly...Speaking of MVP, I heard that Jason Castro (not the dreadlocks-haired folk from American Idol), the extraordinarily talented point guard who became 2006 and 2007 MVP of the Philippine Basketball League signed up with the first Asia-based club in the NBL, the Singapore Slingers. This just made him the first Filipino to have signed up with a team in Australia's highly competitive National Basketball League. Slingers' operations manager Michael Johns (again, not that one from American Idol) said that Castro was really good. But I know John is a little exaggerating. I believe it's a marketing move from the team since there are large Filipino communities in Singapore and Australia. And they know how addicted the Filipinos are to basketball.
Not to put our fellow Filipino down, but there are many better players in the PBA to choose from, if the Slingers is really after the "talent." But as professionals, they will definitely have problems with the cost, hence they stick with a talented but an amateur Castro. It still sets a record, anyway. Unlike what happened to Johnny Abarrientos who, long time ago, figured in a proposition that might have made him the first Filipino and Asian to become an NBA player. Remember? The proposition, put forward by some publicity-hungry agent from United States had turned out to be a hoax. Many saw that coming, however, but it put Johnny in a bad light. Who could have believed that a 5-6 Filipino player could make it to the NBA?
But nothing is impossible in China, as the case of Batere Menk and Wang Zhizhi, who were really overhyped by both US and Chinese media (but where are they now?). Now, it's Yao Ming and Yi Jinlan's turn. With nearly a billion Chinese watching the game, that's really a sure big market for the NBA. That will generate a hell lot of money, one of the main causes why NBA exists. They mean business. If they can't get something out of a player other than the usual basketball skills, I don't think anybody can be in the NBA.
Menk Batere. "Overhyped?"
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Nutty Boy
Labels:
jason castro,
kobe bryant,
singapore slingers
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2 comments:
Kobe... he could be better than MJ ever was! Kobe is "Mr.81 points"! He's a better three point shooter and ball handler than MJ... and Kobe has minimized his ball-hogging tendencies (for this season at least)... hehehehe
wow bilis mo ah! hehehe. he could become better than mj. but that remains to be seen in the following years. better ball handler? or better exhibitionist? hehe. but no doubt, if there's a person closer to mj AS OF THIS TIME, its KB.
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