Halftime Hype

With nothing really legitimate to blog about these past couple of weeks, I've decided to dig back into an old draft and finish it for all you elite readers out there.


In our day and age, more than ever, we are seeing sports and media, specifically music, come to a crossroads. Sports stars have plenty of references in rap songs and are branching out in the entertainment world. Plus, many players have some form of strange discography on their record (The Big Diesel and Ron Artest with their rap albums and even Kobe has made a song). On TV, just flip to Channel 7 on a Tuesday night and you'll find not one, but two or three athletes competing on Shaq vs. Of course, this whole concept isn't new. But it suddenly struck me after reading about Lebron's new form of promotion.

In very obvious referencing, Kanye West titled a song on his Graduation album after the infamous "Barry Bonds." Only a few months ago, during the NBA Finals, Lil Wayne made it clear that he was rooting for #24 upon the release of "Kobe Bryant." The point is, this shows that NBA players are embraced as part of pop culture. Frankly, I haven't heard any songs with rhymes for David Beckham or Roger Federer. Furthermore, Drake's "Uptown" features fellow rapper Bun B paying tribute to the "great Mike." Jay-Z has named several NBA players in his tracks, most recently, D-Wade and Lebron in "Empire State of Mind."And those are just a few mainstream references. Looking at the big picture, it shows just how relevant professional basketball has become.

The NBA continues to complete with the NFL, MLB, (and the rest of the world) for ratings. What better way to promote themselves than by branching out? We need more appearances by Lebron James on the Jay Leno Show. More tweets by Shaq. I'm probably biased in saying this, but from a pure entertainment standpoint, the NBA is more versatile than the most sports leagues. Additionally, at least in Los Angeles, chances are that people are more up to date with the Lakers' recent victories than the Dodgers standings. I can't speak for other cities, but I'm sure the L.A. example applies to numerous other cities across America.

Maybe, though, we should look outside of the U.S. to promote our homemade produce. Why not create an ad featuring Steve Nash and Christiano Ronaldo. True, marketing of this kind would probably come from Nike and companies not directly affiliated with the NBA. Or we can get Phil Jackson and Tiger Woods together for a 30-second slot. I know I couldn't stop laughing when I saw Jackson in a new T-Mobile commercial. However, at the same time, his presence made me pay more attention to the product. So, instead of hitting one demographic with a single sports star, those marketing experts should get a couple of ballers and entice multiple demographics. International appeal is the key.

One surefire way for the NBA to attract viewers is by convincing marketing. One of the best ads I've ever seen came during the playoffs last year, in which Kanye's "Amazing" played over a memorable playoff highlight. Besides the excellent selection of highlights, the song made the commerical all the more special. I'm not saying that the NBA has to go with Kanye year after year - although, I wouldn't mind - but that it should continue to use promotional skills to put out its product.

In today's world, media is bustling. We live in an age where players have blogs and twitters. An age in which the stars of our league are friends with the stars of other leagues and industries. Why not take advantage of it?

For your amusement:

Finally, some NBA news! I've been very anxious for a press release, a trade, something, anything worthy of devoting a post to. These past few weeks I've been counting on A.I. and the Answer, indeed, came through. It's official: Allen Iverson has signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. The world found out firsthand via Twitter when A.I. made his decision public: "God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career". Is this good a good move for Memphis? Can A.I. really help them win? Why did it take so long to sign him?

Honestly, as of now, there's no definite explanation as to why it took so long for a deal to emerge. Allen Iverson has had a Hall-of-Fame career and just because it's winding down shouldn't prevent him from being effective. Regardless, apparently there were only a handful of teams who could afford Iverson's salary. The Clips could've had an deadly duo or destroyed their franchise with a backcourt of Baron Davis and Allen Iverson. Portland, the team with the big bucks, saw no interest.

While many paid little attention to the Grizzlies when they had Pau and stopped following the team after Elvis (a.k.a. Pau) left the building, this team still showcases promising talent. Marc Gasol is a solid center who provides double figures, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay, who both average 18+ ppg, can really light up a scoreboard, and Hasheem Thabeet is a sturdy low post player. That said, this team lacks a veteran who has been there and done that. I wouldn't rely on A.I. to provide guidance or count on him to inspire the team with leadership, but he can definitely mesh the offense together and pull aside a teammate to help him get better. Nobody else in the free agent class even remotely came close to having as much talent as Iverson. Similarly, no other free agent could add more wins than the Answer. With the circumstances being the way they were, this was a great move for Memphis.

The big question in this transaction, though, is whether or not Iverson can actually help the Grizzlies? The front office in Tennessee is definitely hoping for a playoff berth. However, in his brief stint in Detroit, he could barely get a team with champion veterans and blossoming youngsters - otherwise known as the ideal team - to the playoffs. And once the Pistons secured the eigth place finish, they raised the white flag in a 4-0 rout by the Cavs. What's worse is that Memphis is in the toughest division in the league; the Grizzlies share a division with San Antonio, Dallas, the Hornets, and Houston. Another example of A.I.'s ineffectiveness was his time in the Rockies. You'd expect a backcourt of Carmelo and Iverson to be dominant, let alone a squad who also had Camby and K-Mart in the frontcourt. Though, things never quite materialized in Denver, as the team didn't win significantly more games after Iverson's arrival. In short, there's no guarentee that Allen Iverson will be able to boost any team.

That said, Memphis can't get any worse. We're talking about a team that was victorious in only twenty-four games. A.I. will surely be the answer to their low attendance problems, as he will attract many fans. But this move goes beyond marketing. As I mentioned above, this team needed a leader. With Allen Iverson they get a former MVP, All-Star, and a player who has made it all the way to the promised land (a.k.a. the NBA Finals). Believe it or not, he knows what it takes to win. Additionally, the Grizzlies now have a player they can count on in the clutch. Instead of trusting a newbie like Mayo to close out a game or drawing up an elaborate play that ends up unsuccessful, Head Coach Lionel Hollins can rely on the Answer to lead the way.