January 2010 Archive

The Ballad of Ricky-Bobby: D-Rose in the ASG

by Bobby Loesch on January 29 at 3:25PM

(Note: Ricky's out this week. In his place is TUP friend, Kansas City dweller, and resident Dan Le Batard, Brian P., who has requested I don't link to his Twitter)

Derrick Rose is in All-Star game. Are you now more excited for the festivities?

BOBBY: I'd definitely say I'm more excited, but not by a ton. I'm more excited about the idea of Rose making it. The whole "first all-star since 1998"-thing is really sitting well. I don't expect him to play big minutes or win the MVP or anything, though. Still, it's nice to see him get recognition, and this does increase my chances of watching the game -- though they were already pretty decent in the first place.

Matt at Blog a Bull, as well as some others, have always said the Bulls don't actually have to be good this year, but people have to perceive that they're good. That way, Chicago can become a desirable free agent destination this summer. I think Rose making the All-Star game is a big step toward raising perception in a positive way.

You're a former-Chicago/current-Kansas-City resident... what is Missouri's perception of Rose, the Bulls, and hell, the NBA in general?

BRIAN: As a Kansas City(-ian?) resident for about a year and a half now, I'll be the first to admit that I follow the NBA differently than I did while living in Chicago. I've seen maybe four Bulls games this year and I definitely don't know what Taj Gibson looks like, but it's allowed me to follow the rest of the NBA more closely than I ever have. So, Rose making the All-Star game easily increases my excitement level, but not as much as it would be if I was living in Chicago. I'd say I'm more excited about the fact that David Lee was left off the All-Star team, hopefully allowing for some kind of fake rejuvenation of the Chicago-New York rivalry I so desperately miss (this implying that the East decided to take an extra guard instead of forward).

When I heard the news that Rose had made the team, my conversation went like this with my KC co-workers:

Me: Awww yea. D-Rose made the all-star team. Sup now, New England of the Midwest?

Co-worker 1: It was probably because of that dunk.

Co-worker 2: First time since MJ, right?

Co-worker 3: Doesn't he smoke a lot of weed? Like that ugly dude, the tennis player.

I think my co-worker's comments really sum up how KC views basketball. First off, they are fans of the NBA and obviously watch SportsCenter, however, don't follow a certain team close enough to realize how well a guy like Derrick Rose is playing. Secondly, they're smart enough to realize that yes, maybe Rose making the team is a big deal because Chicago hasn't had an All-Star since Jordan. Lastly, I'm not sure how the weed comment relates to KC's attitude towards the NBA, but it was funny.

I guess to sum it up, KC really wants any professional team to fill the Sprint Center, whether it be basketball or hockey. I can say, with all honesty, that people genuinely were disappointed to hear the Kings were likely to stay in Sacramento.

BOBBY: My Bulls-Knicks rivalry thoughts can be summed up in my MSG post, which I link way too often, but whatever.

Ever since I heard about the existence of the Sprint Center, I've wanted the Kings to move there. At the same time, that totally feels like a "now what?" kind of move.

As in: Kansas City got the Kings!!!! ... now what?

It'd almost be like if the Chiefs moved to Sacramento. In theory, exciting. But in practice, totally boring. (Not to discount Tyreke Evans in any way... as he is incredible.) With the Kings out, what NBA team would you say is Kansas City's "team"? And don't say the Jayhawks. And I'd be remiss not to get your take on the million dollar question: how do you see Chicago's off-season playing out?

Oh, and here's Taj Gibson.

I like him a lot and all... but you're not missing much. He's got Spurs written all over him.

BRIAN: I'm really glad that picture has him shooting over Brian Cardinal. He has to be good shooting over a defender like that, right? And as a side note, I believe the Kings used to play in KC, but the mayor got pissed or something and kicked them out. There was this marketing gimmick around KC that said something like, "Bring back the Kings! They were ours first!" which I found both stupid and made me hate the South even more (KC isn't really true South, but a lot of people have "Southern views").

Anyways, its hard to say who KC's "team" is. I know you don't want me to say it, but the rivalry between KU and Mizzou is huge. I kind of compare it to the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry in that there's this outlying team (Michigan St./Kansas St.) that consistently puts up contending teams, but no one seems to care about the in-state rivalry except alums or students that actually go to the school. Oh...and the media doesn't really care about KU-Mizzou outside of the two states like it does OSU-UM.

If I had to pick KC's NBA team though, it would probably be Oklahoma City. More and more people seem to be latching onto them, and they're really fun to watch (people love the nickname "Durantula" around here). I'm saying this without looking at exact distances, but I believe it's about five hours from KC and know several people that have made the drive for a game.

That being said, it should be a good All-Star game and hopefully some big name players will perceive Chicago as an up-and-coming team, assuming Rose plays this well the rest of the year. He's our biggest sales pitch by far.

BobbyStompy is the assistant editor of Tremendous Upside Potential. He can be reached at stompaberdeen [at] aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @bobbystompy.

January 2010 Archive

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