First Pick Blog

Reggie Bush and Kris Humphries, what do these gentlemen have in common ?

They have both dated the goddess that is Kim Kardashian and yes, I said Goddess because that’s what she is. I think its safe to say that all sports and women-loving men out there know who Kim Kardashian is. Many people have come to the conclusion that Kim’s relationships are cursed but I beg to differ, her relationships might even be magical. Now I know you’re looking at me wondering how I could say such a thing with confidence. Well lets look at the facts and statistics folks. We’ll start with her first Athlete beau Señor Reggie Bush, yes he was a College star but the addition of Kardashian to his life led to more accomplishments. They initially started their Relationship in July 2007 and ended it on July 2009 now you ask why this is so important to notice ? Well in those two years that Kim and Reggie were together Bush managed to do the following; Get named to the All Pro team (2008), be named Sport Illustrated’s “Hunk of the Year”, oh and he won some little thing called the Super Bowl. Not too shabby of a list when you consider it was only two years. Now you might consider that a coincidence but also consider the fact that after they split Bush not only got traded but he also got his 2005 Heisman Trophy taken away………. Yea it got that Bad.

(Take 5 minutes and let Kim’s beauty Sink into your Brains)

Next we have the stud by the name of Kris Humphries, now if any of ya’ll reading this tell me you guys knew of Humphries before this relationship I would tell you that you were lying. This guy was not doing much to get recognized in the NBA and I’m not ashamed to say that. I do give him props for marrying the Angel that is Kim Kardashian even though that did last a few hours. However not everything turned out on the negative side for our good pal Kris. He’s having a career season with the New Jersey Nets, not only did he earn the starting Power Forward position but he went the extra mile and also managed to get a career high in points (13.0) and Rebounds(10.4), yea you read that right big man is averaging a Double-double. Just in case you readers aren’t big NBA fans that’s really hard to do in the NBA. So for these two gentlemen I wouldn’t say their relationships with Kim were failures, They were with a goddess for a while and seemed to be motivated with her being their Sidekick. Now I’m not saying I need anything to kick-start my career but if this Kim Kardashian “Curse” is the real deal, then Kim I would like to let you know that I’m Waiting.

by Mujtaba Elgoodah

Last night the Washington Wizards defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 124-109. This improved the Wizards to 7-22 on the year and gives them a mere 3 wins on the road. While this win may seem like just another game for a team that has fans more excited for the NBA Lottery rather than the playoffs, there may be some hope. Not only did the Wizards beat Portland by 15, but they did it to a team that had only lost 3 home game prior to losing to the Wizards.

The Wizards came out looking like a team that could compete with anyone. Led by a career-high 35 from the ever so smooth Nick Young, the Wizards shot 60 percent from the field. The Great Wall, aka John Wall, added 29 points and 9 dimes. The Wizards also received solid play from JaVale McGee who added 18 and 11. Another positive to take from last night is the production from the bench. Jordan Crawford poured in 21 and Jan Vesley had a career-high 9 rebounds. If the Wizards can play at this level night in and nigh out, they have a shot to compete. We will find out if this was a sign of things to come or if it was a one hit wonder. The Wizards take on Lob City, aka the LA Clippers, tonight on the road. Tip off is set for 10:30 EST. Check back later for recap from the game.

Check out this video of Highlights from the win

By Ian Holleran

With the NBA all-star festivities looming, I think it’s time to recognize some of the least-recognized contributors in the NBA. These guys aren’t All-Stars, but they are consistent and among the leaders in a few key stats in this lockout-shortened season.

These five players are to the NBA what “Hey Hey What Can I Do” was to Led Zeppelin. I present to you my 2011-2012 NBA all-underrated team.

PG: Jose Calderon

This has been the year of the point guards, starting with the Chris Paul trade fiasco before the season began. Then it was Rubio fever as he finally arrived from overseas and gave the Timberwolves life with his flashy passing. Now, it’s Linsanity, a term which will probably be in the dictionary by the end of the week, when he becomes mayor of New York City. Even 38-year-old Steve Nash leads the league in assists per game. But underneath all the hype and ridiculous ESPN coverage, there has been Calderon, steadily performing at an NBA level. Calderon is fourth in the league in assists per game, with 8.7. Stop and think, who does he even pass it to? He has singlehandedly kept the awful Raptors in plenty of games. He’s finally started to take over games, too, putting up 30 against Kobe and the Lakers and then 25 and a near triple double when matched up with Lin, shooting better than him with half the turnovers.

SG: Mario Chalmers

Just imagine what Chalmers could do if he was allowed to play the 2-guard on a team that didn’t have LeBron, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh. Instead, Chalmers runs an awkward point in which the Big Three just try to take the ball from him. Despite that, he averages 11.0 points per game in 28 minutes, while shooting 51% from the field. As long as he is with the Heat, he will never get the attention he deserves unless he kills LeBron and hides his body in his locker. As much as I hate his alma mater (Eat more Jayhawk), I love Chalmers in a 2-guard role as a catch-and-shoot player, taking advantage of his 46% 3-point shooting this season. If I had to choose a player on the Heat to take a big shot in the 4^th quarter, I’m not choosing Wade or LeBron, I’m choosing Chalmers.

SF: Thaddeus Young

*This spot should probably belong to Danilo Gallinari, but with the season he was having before his injury, too many people realized how good of a player he is for him to be on this list.

The Sixers are off to a 20-9 start without any true stars, though Andre Iguodala is an All-Star. The team uses role and niche players to win games, and Thaddeus Young is one of the most important ones. Young can play the 3 or the 4 off the bench for Philadelphia, though he could start almost anywhere, and is averaging 12.8 point per game in just 28 minutes, including a few 20-point games. Young has owned the shot from the elbow since Spencer Hawes’ injury and is 12^th in the League in shooting percentage with 52%. He also turns the ball over less than once a game. Look for his stats to rise with more playing time.

PF: Anderson Varejao

The 6’11” Brazilian is one of two silver linings of the Cavaliers, the other being Kyrie Irving’s impressive rookie season. Varejao was averaging 10.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game before he fractured his wrist against the Bucks on Feb. 10. He was fifth in the league in rebounding average, ninth with 14 double-doubles, and one of only five players this year to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game. The other four are All-Stars. I’d make the case that Varejao deserved the reserve center position for the East All-Stars over Roy Hibbert, though Varejao’s injury would have kept him out anyways.

C: Marcin Gortat

After coming over from Orlando in the Hedo Turkoglu trade last season, Gortat has established himself as a solid starting center in the NBA and he’s one of the main reasons Steve Nash leads the league in assists. He also owns the undisputed title for the largest nose in the NBA, nearly reaching Nigel Thornberry status. All joking aside, however, Gortat is averaging 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and is fifth in double-doubles with 17, including a stretch where he had a double-double in 14 of 15 games and only Kevin Love has had a longer double-double streak this season. Gortat has capitalized on his first chance to start, averaging 33 minutes a game this season, compared to 18 in his career. He is also very good at defending without fouling, averaging only 2 fouls per game.

By Adam Pope

Keep in mind this game is in Toronto people…listen to that crowd!

Tell Melo to stay home, the Knicks don’t need him anymore. Instead the fate of the franchise should be put in the hands of the skinny Asian kid from Harvard.

The story-line has already been stated over and over again: unrecruited out of high school, undrafted, overlooked, signed, released, etc. Another prime example of why sports are so great and representative of the real world; sometimes hard work and dedication does pay off. Jeremy did everything right, yet his dream kept knocking him back down every time he tried to drive to the lane. He knew he was good, his close friends knew he was good, the problem was no one else seemed to know. His lack of recognition is strange due to the fact that this youtube clip of his Harvard days is floating around..

With half a second to play Linsanity did it again tonight against the Raptors, hitting the go-ahead 3-ball to bring the Knicks to a 90-87 win over Toronto. Lin finished with 27 points and 11 assists. Amare, making his return from leaving due to the death of his brother, picked up on the game of Lin immediately, scoring 21 points. The two fit perfectly, ala Nash+Amare back in Phoenix.

So what does the future hold for Lin? Well so far he’s proven he’s a winner, with the win streak up to 6 games and counting. He’s a scorer, having over 20 points in all 6 games in a Knicks uniform. He is just what the doctor ordered in New York, keep an eye out however for when Melo makes his return. Can the two play together? Will Lin have to go back to scoring 12 and 8? We can’t know what the future holds, but for now let’s bask in the light of the never-give-up attitude of Mr. Jeremy Lin.

By Ben Simpson

Got this clip from The Basketball Jones Blog on The Score.com

Another example of Crawford making it all about him…this guy is a joke. Joey just wants to make sure the TV guys say his name at least once a broadcast. Here’s a few examples of Crawford and his antics

There are two things this guy can do…block and dunk..really all you could ask for in a 6th overall pick right?

I guess being in Sports Illustrated is cool too…