Why "Streetball" is Historically Underrated

I'm assuming we all know who Allen Iverson is.  However, I suggest that Allen Iverson would not have been the NBA superstar that he was if streetball never existed.  You see, the crossover's origin has been argued for decades.  Oscar Robertson said that the first person he saw perform the crossover dribble was Pee Wee Kirkland, who averaged 41 points per game in high school, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, turned down a professional career to sell drugs, and once scored 465 points over 8 games (58.1 ppg) in a prison league.  Players with real talent have graced the outdoor courts.  Some of the greatest ball-handlers ever reached that level from playing outdoors, where the wind wouldn't let you shoot, and the defense would force you to drive to the rim.  Players such as God Shammgod, Kenny Anderson, Rafer Alston, and Jason Williams (look up each highlight real in your free time) all got their first taste of basketball on an outdoor court.  The game was revolutionized by players who saw creative ways to dribble, pass, and score.
NBA greats have all taken time in their off-season to play in some sort of streetball league.  Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Connie Hawkins, and most recently Kevin Durant have all played in leagues at Rucker Park.  Not just the greats have taken to the concrete courts.  Just use the last NBA lockout as an example.  Iman Shumpert was a mostly unknown player coming out of Georgia Tech.  However, when a video was posted on YouTube of Iman performing highlight reel dunks, his popularity took off in New York.  We will ignore the fact that Iman had a relatively horrible season this year because it is beside the point.  The common basketball fan ignores streetball because it "isn't real basketball" and "there is no defense."  I ask these people to try and understand this comparison.  Hip-Hop is directly related to the growth of basketball as a sport; as both have been almost interwoven with trends.  In rap music, one of the most popular forms of expression is to freestyle rap, no pre-written rhymes, no game-plan.  Streetball is the freestyle rap of basketball.  It requires you to be completely unique to everyone else to succeed.  Sure, players are embarrassed and beaten in every game; but when one player does something that has never been seen before, even the opposing team gives him respect.  It's truly not about winning and losing, it is strictly expression and creativity personified in a sport unlike anything else.  In the end, you don't
have to like streetball, but as a basketball fan it has to be respected for the way it advanced the game, and revolutionized the way we dribble and pass the basketball.

Melo Drama

It seems as if every time Carmelo Anthony's name is mentioned in today's media, it is in the context of where he will be playing next season.  Melo has the option to either opt-in to his final year of his contract with the Knicks and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, or he can opt-out of his final year and become a free agent this summer.  Speculation is leaning towards him testing free agency this summer, so in this post I wanted to cover his potential options and decide which would make the most sense for Melo at this point in his career.

New York

His first choice would be to remain with the Knicks and see if he can, in fact, make them contenders again like they were two seasons ago.  With a new coach, Derek Fisher, and Phil Jackson running the show, Melo may be drawn to "championship pedigree" of the two men leading the team.  However, Fisher is a rookie head coach, and Carmelo will have to decide if it is worth the risk of not having as much talent this year in order to have a chance to learn from such a basketball mind like Jackson's.  Everyone knows that the Knicks will not have much of a chance to make a deep run next season; however, rumors that Mr. James from South Beach may be drawn to New York if he opts out of his deal are beginning to swirl around.  Melo will again have to decide if he is willing to take such a risk for such a high reward if it pays off.  Not to mention, he can make more money if he signs with the Knicks than anywhere else, thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.

Chicago

What I believe to be the best choice for Anthony would be to move to the Windy City and the Chicago Bulls.  Everything about this move makes sense for everyone involved.  Carmelo is not an elite defender by any means, but he is underrated in my opinion.  When he decided he wanted to play solid defense, his strength and size allowed him to do so pretty damn well.  There were games when both Melo and J.R. Smith would put the effort in on defense, and the traps that they were pulling were scary good.  For Melo, it is a question of motivation; and if Tom Thibodeau can't motivate you to play defense, then Joakim Noah certainly will.  I believe that Melo fits best in Chicago, not only because it would take pressure off of Rose to score at the end of games, but also that Melo is the best rebounding small forward in the league (averaging over 9 per game).  The best defensive teams finish possessions; and with the best center in the league, along with Taj Gibson--who is a freak athlete for his size, and adding Melo to that mix makes it very hard to match up with the Bulls size-wise.  People say he will be drawn to L.A. because of the "history" involved; but Chicago is no slouch when it comes to historic figures in basketball.  Lets be honest, Brian Scalabrine never played for the Lakers, but he was a Bull.  I believe Melo is the final piece to the puzzle for the Chicago Bulls because while they are the best defensive team, they sometimes just can't score with the best of the eastern conference; but with the addition of one of the two best scoring forwards in the league, they will be pushed over the top.

Miami

You'd better not Melo.  I will not forgive you.  Where will you play? Power forward? With Bosh at Center?  Good luck defending anybody with a 7 footer.  Yeah, you guys will score a lot, but Wade is on his way out.  And Lebron dominates the ball at all times.  In Chicago or New York, the offense is run through you on the wing or in the post, where you are at your best.  This decision doesn't make sense unless the goal is to make the most unfair team for NBA 2k15.

Other Options

Dallas-Not a fan of this option.  Dirk is a Hall of Famer, and Monta is good in stretches; but is this really a huge upgrade from New York?

Lakers-Play with Kobe for two seasons.  Could be a great choice, or a horrible choice as well if it doesn't work out.

Orlando-This is a team that no one is talking about.  With the 4th pick in the upcoming draft, the Magic will pick up another elite young player to go along with Oladipo, Tobias Harris (who I think is goign to be a star in a few years), Mo Harkless from St. Johns, and Vucevic in the middle.  With a good point guard and an elite scorer (Melo), I believe that the Magic will be contenders for years to come.

World Cup Day 1

In case you have been living under a rock for the past few months, the FIFA World Cup began today with a match between the host country, Brazil, and the quiet, but formidable, opponent, Croatia.  A star-studded roster on one side with Brazil, with guys like Neymar, Hulk, Oscar, David Luiz, and Thiago Silva.  On the other side, only one really well known player in Luka Modrić of Real Madrid.  Going in to the match, Brazil was the heavy favorite; they were expected to win by multiple scores.

However, in the early stages it was Croatia putting pressure on the all-world back line of Brazil.  After multiple plays down the left side, a ball played into the middle was deflected into the net by Marcelo of Brazil for an own-goal.  Given 50 or 6000 guesses I would not have gotten to that as the first goal of the match.  However, after grabbing the lead early on, the tide began to turn in favor of the Brazilians.  The attack picked up some pace and, after a scramble at mid-field, Neymar had a free run to about 24 yards out.  A low, slow-roller came off the foot of the Brazilian and barely beat the keeper to level the score.  

After that score, it was mostly Brazil's game.  The referee was allowing Marcelo to dive all over the pitch and get calls, and even awarded a penalty kick after striker Fred flopped like Shane Battier trying to get a charge call.  Neymar finished the PK even though the keeper got both hands on the ball.  With the score now at 2-1, the Brazilians began to move with more confidence.  The beautiful skill and style of the likes of Oscar and Brazilian substitute Bernard began to show through.  Finally, on a beautiful run by Oscar, a ball to the near post, and jubilation in the home country, Brazil lead 3-1.

That is how it would finish, and with controversy surrounding some of the calls in this game, including Floppy Fred and a disallowed goal by the Croatians after a questionable foul on Julio Cesar, some die-hard fans of the game were left questioning the validity of this victory.  However, none of that matters now, because the Brazilians are on to face Mexico on the 17th; and the question remains-who will stop this young, electric, and talented squad?