GQ Magazine decided to hop on the hottness that is NBA Bandwagon (BlakeGriffin) and highlight some of The Association's stars who are under 25 years old. 25 sounds pretty young until you realize that someone can be a six year vet when they turn 25.
The best part on these pieces are the Free Darko art of Jacob Weinstein who has his art plastered all up in
Free Darko Book #1,
Free Darko Book #2, and a
billboard in LA.
Everything else is pretty basic so that the neandrathals who read GQ can understand good.
Charles Barkley on the Abusrdly Explosive Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin is everything a number one pick should be. He's come in and immediately improved the team and energized the franchise. He brings a certain amount of intensity from his college days that guys in the NBA aren't used to seeing. He's still out there like he's playing Texas on a Friday night, even if he's playing Golden State. The one thing he has to watch, and this comes with that competitive nature, is the technical fouls. There's no reason for him to be staring down Mario Chalmers. He can't get sucked into that. The real question is, can he do for the Clippers what LeBron did for the Cavs? Blake is definitely doing his part; he's made the Clippers popular again. Now it's up to the Clippers to do their part. We'll see if they can.
Reggie Miller on the Sweet-shooting Stephen Curry
Everybody's different when it comes to jump shooting—it's almost like fingerprints. People talk about his quick release: Stephen was pretty much born with it. Dell, his dad, probably had the quickest release of anybody I ever played against. It's nice to have good genes, but it also helps, when you're 5 or 6, to go to a shootaround with your dad or sit on his lap while he's watching game film. Steph has probably seen more drills and more situations than most players ever will. So I don't think a lot rattles him, which is very unusual in a young player. Not many three-point shooters can create their own shot without running off a series of screens: Ray Allen can, Kobe can, and Steph can.
Brandon sets the league on fire with his ability to shoot the three-ball, stretch the defense, pass off the dribble, and penetrate into the lane. His first year out of high school, he played in Europe instead of in college, which turned out to be a great decision: By the time he came back, he was able to combine European qualities with his American game. The rules have changed to favor the point guard, and guys like Brandon are fully exploiting them. He's got an incredible personality, too, and that flair puts people in the stands. But I think to win championships, he has to decide—like LeBron did—do you want to win, or do you want to be liked? He's going to have to do some things that make people a little upset before he can get there.
Moses Malone on the Ball-hawking Kevin Love
Everybody wants to shoot three-pointers. But getting the rebound? That's a man's world, baby. Kevin Love is a tough guy, and he wants the rebound. That's what I like about him. You got guys that are afraid of rebounds; we should kill them. Put 'em in prison. Come on, man! How many centers do you even figure they got in the league now? When I played, we had about twenty-eight, twenty-nine centers. Now they got three or four. The way I look at it, when you're a great rebounder, you're doing a lot more than a great scorer. Without the ball, them little bitty guys that want to shoot it ain't got an opportunity. Kevin also shoots the three, opens up the floor. He's got a nice jump shot; he's a great passer. And the main thing is: He's still learning.
Gary Payton on the Terrifingly Unstoppable Derrick Rose
He's scoring at will; no one can stop him. He jumps so well at six three that he can dunk over you. His first year, I didn't really think that he played very well. But he's learning: getting to the free-throw line and hitting the midrange jumper—if he didn't, he'd be mediocre to me—and sometimes hitting the three-point shot. Is he relying too much on his natural athletic abilities? He's doing that because he can do that. I would love for him to distribute the ball more and play lockdown defense; that would make him more complete. I think he can be like a Steve Nash. He's a young guy, a hardworking, smart kid, and he hasn't gotten to his full potential. If anybody thinks he's gotten to his full potential, they don't know nothing about basketball.
