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New Basketball Diaries blog

Scouting report:

Pros:
Heart and hustle.
Not written by David Kahn.

Cons:
Poor basketball IQ.
Not written by Charles Barkley.

Summary:

Lots of upside. _____________________________________________________________________

To be honest, I’ve never seen the 1995 film, The Basketball Diaries. Wikipedia says it’s a harrowing tale of drug addiction, sexual depravity and terminal illness. I don’t know whether that’s a good metaphor for this blog, but it’s a millstone we’re going to have to carry until New Line Cinema’s lawyers issue a threatening letter.

Anyway, this is my first post on basketball and the many ways it encroaches on everyday life. Ever dunked on one of those Primary School hoops pretending you’re a young Shawn Kemp*? Spent an entire morning at work looking up old box scores and scoring averages? Entered into an angry internet dispute about the place of analytics in the NBA? Don’t worry. Me too. It’s not wrong. It’s just different. And that makes it right. 

*Before he gained like 200 pounds. Where is Shawn Kemp now? I’m guessing wherever he is, his time there will involve bedsores.