A Modest NBA Proposal

                Despite my previous post I must admit this season has been a little dry. Perhaps, it’s the numerous injuries… Anyways, I had this idea that would revolutionize the NBA: take away some teams. The reason why the NBA isn’t that exciting to anyone except hardcore fans is simple—too many scrubs. That’s been a problem for the longest time; if we have less teams and shorten the season a bit then the NBA will be a lot more popular and more fun to watch.

                Let’s face it, some franchises will never win a championship. Cough cough Raptors! Grizzlies! Kings! Jazz! Seriously, how long does it take a franchise to rebuild? There are way too many talented players who are stuck in hopeless teams and there are plenty of talented players on hopeful teams but they just won’t make it.

                I know that a lot of people will get pissed off if the NBA were to eliminate some teams but they’ll get over it. You think Lil’ Jimmy in Milwaukee gets excited when Daddy gets tickets to the Bucks game?  Do you know how many teams are under 500 right now? 18 teams out of 30. The league could use some trimming. We only have to get rid of 4 teams. That should make things more competitive, too many no name dudes are in the NBA right now. You know when a player is a nobody when he has generic face features in 2K.

                I know this will never happen but it’s food for thought. You know this is a good idea.

Things Haters Say About Basketball

               Basketball has been my favorite sport forever but lately I’ve been hearing a lot of disrespectful attacks against it. I don’t understand why we all can’t get along and respect each other’s preference but if it’s a throw down you want then I’m all in. Here are some common attacks against basketball and my response to them.

               “It only matters in the 4^th quarter.” Well, it’s hard to go HAM for 48 or so minutes without slacking a bit. Maybe it appears that way because the 4^th quarter is the only quarter you actually sit and watch.

                “It’s soft! There’s no contact allowed. Any little thing is a foul!” That I agree with to a certain extent. The NBA has gotten soft but at the same time, it was never a barbaric sport.

                “The players only care about the money!” They didn’t get paid a lick in college so it’s justified if players look out for ways to support their families. And it’s not like basketball is the only sports with flashy athletes!

                “It’s fixed.” Even we basketball fans have their doubts…

                “They score too much which makes it all meaningless” I’m sorry your sport makes scoring seem like an epic journey that is so tough that sometimes you have to settle with a tie. Scoring in basketball isn’t that easy but if you have 24 seconds to put up a shot each time for 48 minutes then you’re bound to see a score past 50. If you think scoring is meaningless then why do 70% of highlights capture people scoring? It’s not like defense is an exciting spectacle.

                 “The season is too long.”  Eh, can’t really argue on that one.

                “Too many fouls!” I don’t know how to respond to this... yeah fouls do slow things down but if we’re going to compare sports then flags slow down football. Baseball is always slow. Hockey looks like the skaters from a Disney On-Ice Show got drunk and pissed off at each other. And soccer is as boring as baseball but once in a while I wake up whenever someone gets a goal.

                 So there you have it. If you have any other critiques on basketball, or anything of that nature, post them in the comments.

 

 

2K14 Rant

      I got NBA 2K14 for the PS3 which might be the reason this post is taking this angle. But as a person who has grown up with this franchise, I can't help but address my biggest gripes with the recent installments. Here are my Top 3 Complaints about 2K.

      1. Juicing Up Players- The 2K developers love to make great players superhuman. There are three kinds of superheroes in 2K:
High Flyers (Rudy Gay and LeBron in 2K11&12)
Sharp Shooters (Carmelo Anthony 2K12&13 and Stephen Curry 2K13)
Deities (Kobe in ANY 2K game especially 2K11, LeBron and KD since 2K12, and Paul George 2K14)
           I understand that some players stand out from the rest but sometimes a player's abilities are over exaggerated to the max. High Flyers can dunk on anything, Sharp Shooters can pull up from half court and make it 60% of the time and Deities are all of those in one. They are aggravating to defend and always score at least 30 points at the hands of the most noobiest player.

      2. Gameplay Mechanics- If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's a motto that is unfamiliar with the developers. They love to introduce something and take it away next year. Why won't the alley-oop button stay the same for once? Why did they take away the step back button from 2K11? If they aren't taking something away, they're overcomplicating something else: posting up feels like I'm playing Finger Twister and crossovers are unnecessary thumb workouts.

     3. Slippery Defense- This wasn't an issue in the old days when all the players moved in the same speed as if they were on a chain gang. Now it's become way too easy to lose a defender; you don't even have to use turbo. All you have to do is say "excuse me" and the defender politely gets out of your way. It's like the game creates space so you can get J'd on easily. And running after a player can feel like a game of Duck-Duck-Goose.

There are many other issues I have. I'm 4 games in 2K14 and I'm tearing my hair out. That's not to say that it's not a great game; but the developers need to tighten up. If you have any major gripes with 2K, post them in the comments!

The Syndromes

              I've contracted this horrible disease; I just realized it not too long ago. It's called DBS- Douchebag Syndrome. It's when someone sees a beautiful person and acknowledges his or her beauty but immediately points out a flaw.
          It's terrible, I know. I don't do this on purpose to make myself feel better, it's just a natural reaction. But it's not like I sit and try to find a flaw if I can't see one—that's the A—hole Syndrome. I know a few people who have it. They will see an attractive girl and try to pinpoint an imperfection. Because in their eyes, it's impossible to be a perfect 10; there has to be at least one or two things wrong with you.
          I probably sound like a jerk right now but I know I'm not the only one who does this. There are other diseases out there. You go the I'm-a-huge-tease-but-I'm-really-a-prude Syndrome, there are those who suffer Hit-and-Run disorder, and plenty of people who are stuck in Limbo (overly serious relationships that alter your personality). Which disease do you have? Which case have you dealt with and how did it turn out? Let me know in the comments! 

Are There Any Good Movies Anymore?

            When was the last time you saw a good movie in theaters that wasn't a superhero film? I've done a lot of blogging about hip hop supposedly dying but I didn't notice that movies have been sucking recently. Honestly, if it's not a part of a big franchise, a movie won't make any noise. Sure, movies still make millions in the box office but we never hear about it anymore. I see more cellphone commercials than movie trailers. Maybe I'm being a pessimistic snob all I'm saying is it's been a while since I've heard anybody my age talk about seeing a movie that looks good. The movie theater is just a hangout spot for "cool" middle school kids in my town.
             I can't be the only person whose noticed this. There's nothing worth $11 coming out in theaters. What are some of the recent blockbusters? World War Z, That Hobbit Movie, Thor 2, Hunger Games the Sequel. If you have seen these movies, was it really worth the full price or could you have easily waited for the Redbox release? Think about it.

Senioritis + The Struggle

              If you're a senior and you don't feel like your head is exploding at least twice a day, then you're doing something wrong. The first half of senior year is nothing but a cakewalk; which is why once college decisions come out seniors start to slack off. What's negatively connoted as "Senioritis" should actually be called a "Well deserved break." I don't understand how teachers and college admission reps expect kids to grind through three years of high school despite all of the drama outside of academics and all the community service and extra-curricular activities and ball out in the end. It gets old after a while. I can tell you, as a senior, that I'm not trying to hear about homework, projects, and tests. It takes every ounce of self-control for me not to flip over a desk and start a bonfire with textbooks.
             To the seniors who are reading this, you're almost there. To the juniors and sophomores, get ready. Senioritis is real and it's justified. I'm not endorsing slacking off but getting one or two C's won't screw you up; a D will.