http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/246018.html
Ailene Voisin: Forget the past, let new games begin
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 6:50 am PDT Thursday, June 28, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
NEW YORK -- How utterly unforgettable was the 2006-07 NBA season? There was the ball controversy, the suspensions, the Las Vegas All-Star embarrassment, the shooting incident, the Tim Duncan/Joey Crawford snit, the relocation threats, Kobe's chronic complaints and, for the clincher, a clunker of a championship series that attracted an all-time low television viewership.
But forget about all that. The memory lapse begins tonight.
Greg Oden and Kevin Durant ...
Al Horford, Mike Conley, Corey Brewer ...
Joakim Noah, Yi Jianlian, Spencer Hawes ...
Unless the league (or the player agents) messes this up, the NBA will further expand its global reach while placing its fingertips on another golden era, one reminiscent of the late 1980s and early 1990s. And we mention the possibilities for a few reasons. First, these top prospects can play. Second, they have personality and presence, those intangible, elusive qualities that defined Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, among others. They have charisma and a charm that, frankly, have been lacking and the league has been craving for a generation.
The San Antonio Spurs put on a basketball ballet, are an absolute delight with their passing, movement and unselfishness, and who's watching other than the purists? Their lack of nationwide appeal has far more to do with Tim Duncan's stony demeanor than the city's location or infamous hotel price gouging.
Imagine if Duncan shared his thoughts and sense of humor, was willing to occasionally show some emotion? If Dirk Nowitzki didn't always appear so angst-ridden? If Carmelo Anthony avoided trouble? If Ben Wallace wasn't such a grump? If the league's stars in general ceased the incessant whining about foul calls and stopped grimacing in front of the cameras?
Imagine another Bird-Magic duel or Celtics-Lakers rivalry?
Well, who knows?
These kids seem to have a clue, and because of their frequent travels on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, many of them have been friends and/or acquaintances for years. Wednesday's annual meeting of media members and top draft prospects at times resembled a homecoming party. These particular future stars were funny and engaging, enlightening and altogether entertaining.
Oden joked about appearing on "Good Morning America" and being told he looked 30 years old. "That was OK," he said with a straight face. "Usually I hear I'm 45." Durant laughed about his much-publicized failure to bench-press 185 pounds during the weight/measuring session at the predraft camp in Orlando, then reiterated his desire to sign a sneaker deal that includes an affordable shoe.
Jianlian bantered good-naturedly with several members of the large Chinese media contingent, and when informed that his agent said he would appear on stage Thursday night in traditional clothing, he retorted in his native tongue, "Not my agent." Hawes only half-jokingly cracked on the league's trend toward small ball, and with a little bit of an edge, theorized that this incoming class of centers would re-establish the importance of low-post play.
But the player who most typifies this incoming class -- or certainly the unusual combination of assets the Class of 2007 offers -- is Florida's Noah. Spend time in his company, and one can completely understand why Geoff Petrie is so intrigued. Again, he can play. Again, he has a personality. Additionally, he has class.
Dressed more casually than most of his peers in a white T-shirt, below-the-knee linen shorts and sneakers, the longtime New York resident said his father, former tennis pro Yannick Noah, would miss his son's big night because "he has a concert scheduled for 20,000 people. He's much bigger than I am in France." Instead, he said, his grandfather had arrived from Cameroon and already had picked out his "funky" suit for the occasion.
And there was this: During a long lunch with Petrie last week in Phoenix, Noah peppered the Kings' basketball president with questions about the Webber-Peja-Christie-Divac-Bibby style of play, the passion of the Arco Arena crowd and the series with the Los Angeles Lakers. Mostly, he said, he inquired about franchise icon Vlade Divac.
"I'm a big Vlade fan," Noah said, nodding. "I love Vlade Divac. I just liked his style. He was a great competitor. Just the way he was, such a leader. I remember watching Yugoslavia play against the USA team at the '96 Olympics ... and I had a Penny Hardaway jersey on ... and Vlade was playing so well, and I just became a fan right away. I took off my USA jersey, and I was a Yugoslavia fan."
Yet while Petrie was among the select few who interviewed Noah during these past few weeks, the former Gator refused to reveal his preferred destination.
"I'm a big believer in karma," he continued. "There are certain teams I like better than others, but I don't think it would be the right thing to talk about."
Yep, the whole bunch of them, they were poised, polished, prepared. They were still eager, still unspoiled, still uncorrupted. They were happy to be here and happy to be going somewhere. And how remarkably refreshing is that? If the attitude and the playful professionalism endures, the league is onto something special, maybe Bird, Magic, Charles, Olajuwon, Malone kind of special.
It's time.
The ratings need a rise, and the game needs a new generation.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Forget the past, let new games begin
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 6:50 am PDT Thursday, June 28, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
NEW YORK -- How utterly unforgettable was the 2006-07 NBA season? There was the ball controversy, the suspensions, the Las Vegas All-Star embarrassment, the shooting incident, the Tim Duncan/Joey Crawford snit, the relocation threats, Kobe's chronic complaints and, for the clincher, a clunker of a championship series that attracted an all-time low television viewership.
But forget about all that. The memory lapse begins tonight.
Greg Oden and Kevin Durant ...
Al Horford, Mike Conley, Corey Brewer ...
Joakim Noah, Yi Jianlian, Spencer Hawes ...
Unless the league (or the player agents) messes this up, the NBA will further expand its global reach while placing its fingertips on another golden era, one reminiscent of the late 1980s and early 1990s. And we mention the possibilities for a few reasons. First, these top prospects can play. Second, they have personality and presence, those intangible, elusive qualities that defined Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, among others. They have charisma and a charm that, frankly, have been lacking and the league has been craving for a generation.
The San Antonio Spurs put on a basketball ballet, are an absolute delight with their passing, movement and unselfishness, and who's watching other than the purists? Their lack of nationwide appeal has far more to do with Tim Duncan's stony demeanor than the city's location or infamous hotel price gouging.
Imagine if Duncan shared his thoughts and sense of humor, was willing to occasionally show some emotion? If Dirk Nowitzki didn't always appear so angst-ridden? If Carmelo Anthony avoided trouble? If Ben Wallace wasn't such a grump? If the league's stars in general ceased the incessant whining about foul calls and stopped grimacing in front of the cameras?
Imagine another Bird-Magic duel or Celtics-Lakers rivalry?
Well, who knows?
These kids seem to have a clue, and because of their frequent travels on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, many of them have been friends and/or acquaintances for years. Wednesday's annual meeting of media members and top draft prospects at times resembled a homecoming party. These particular future stars were funny and engaging, enlightening and altogether entertaining.
Oden joked about appearing on "Good Morning America" and being told he looked 30 years old. "That was OK," he said with a straight face. "Usually I hear I'm 45." Durant laughed about his much-publicized failure to bench-press 185 pounds during the weight/measuring session at the predraft camp in Orlando, then reiterated his desire to sign a sneaker deal that includes an affordable shoe.
Jianlian bantered good-naturedly with several members of the large Chinese media contingent, and when informed that his agent said he would appear on stage Thursday night in traditional clothing, he retorted in his native tongue, "Not my agent." Hawes only half-jokingly cracked on the league's trend toward small ball, and with a little bit of an edge, theorized that this incoming class of centers would re-establish the importance of low-post play.
But the player who most typifies this incoming class -- or certainly the unusual combination of assets the Class of 2007 offers -- is Florida's Noah. Spend time in his company, and one can completely understand why Geoff Petrie is so intrigued. Again, he can play. Again, he has a personality. Additionally, he has class.
Dressed more casually than most of his peers in a white T-shirt, below-the-knee linen shorts and sneakers, the longtime New York resident said his father, former tennis pro Yannick Noah, would miss his son's big night because "he has a concert scheduled for 20,000 people. He's much bigger than I am in France." Instead, he said, his grandfather had arrived from Cameroon and already had picked out his "funky" suit for the occasion.
And there was this: During a long lunch with Petrie last week in Phoenix, Noah peppered the Kings' basketball president with questions about the Webber-Peja-Christie-Divac-Bibby style of play, the passion of the Arco Arena crowd and the series with the Los Angeles Lakers. Mostly, he said, he inquired about franchise icon Vlade Divac.
"I'm a big Vlade fan," Noah said, nodding. "I love Vlade Divac. I just liked his style. He was a great competitor. Just the way he was, such a leader. I remember watching Yugoslavia play against the USA team at the '96 Olympics ... and I had a Penny Hardaway jersey on ... and Vlade was playing so well, and I just became a fan right away. I took off my USA jersey, and I was a Yugoslavia fan."
Yet while Petrie was among the select few who interviewed Noah during these past few weeks, the former Gator refused to reveal his preferred destination.
"I'm a big believer in karma," he continued. "There are certain teams I like better than others, but I don't think it would be the right thing to talk about."
Yep, the whole bunch of them, they were poised, polished, prepared. They were still eager, still unspoiled, still uncorrupted. They were happy to be here and happy to be going somewhere. And how remarkably refreshing is that? If the attitude and the playful professionalism endures, the league is onto something special, maybe Bird, Magic, Charles, Olajuwon, Malone kind of special.
It's time.
The ratings need a rise, and the game needs a new generation.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.