My Top 50: 40-31

ESPN, SLAM and a variety of basketball media outlets have been slowly unveiling their lists of the top current basketball players. The theory is a countdown to the start of the 2011/12 NBA season, which was scheduled to start November 1st, but lockout negotiations are ongoing to say the least. ESPN did a top 500 list, and made it interactive over twitter with the hashtag #NBArank, and SLAM's messaging boards have topped 500 comments for the Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose pages.

While these outlets were generating buzz, I was becoming inspired.

Who really was the best?

Everybody has an opinion, so I've gathered some of the best of them and grouped it with other relevant information. Each player is listed with relevant rankings from various trusted basketball outlets, statistical information for the top 5 categories (pts, reb, ast, FG%, FT%) and an indication if they finished in the top 10 in another category like blocks, 3FG%, or turnovers.

I also looked at advanced statistical measures such as PER, Net Production, and Simple Rating which are relatively explained in the links.

For some players, certain ranking systems do not apply, and are simply not listed.

In all, this was an attempt to be unbiased, to gather and reflect on existing sources, and ultimately form an educated opinion that is at once objective, and also completely my own.

SLAM's list is for "projected production in the upcoming '11/12 season," and this means that steady regular season production is a factor. The good teams have always paced themselves, and Kobe could still go for 30, but he knows he doesn't need to. Plus, you're speculating on fantasy and future.

My list is based on right now. If the lockout were to end, and instead of a season all we got was a Finals. Who would you pick to lead your team? Who could have the most impact in just a series, when all the chips are down?

Please engage me on this, I want to hear your thoughts. No list is permanent, and subject to change.

Wed October 26: 50 - 41
50 - Andrew Bogut
49 - Nené
48 - Marc Gasol
47 - Andrew Bynum
46 - Lamar Odom
45 - John Wall
44 - Tyson Chandler
43 - Carlos Boozer
42 - Al Horford
41 - Gerald Wallace
Thurs October 27: 40 - 31
Fri October 28: 30 - 21
Sat October 29: 20 - 16
Sun October 30: 15 - 11
Mon October 31: 10 - 6
Tues November 1: 5 - 1

40

David West

-       ESPN rank 45 (6.89)

-       SLAMonline rank - 46

-       CBS rank 42 (77.2)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -42.2

-       Player Efficiency Rating #25

-       Sports Illustrated #31

-       Eye on Basketball #42

-       18.9 pts, 7.6 reb, 2.3 ast, 50.8 FG%, 80.7 FT%

I was very tempted to place Mr. West lower on this list, but I see him as one step up from the big men listed last time including Chandler, Bogut and Nené because of his consistent jump shot. He can create offensive opportunities at high percentages, and his PER is much higher than my ranking.

---

39

Jason Kidd

-       ESPN rank 49 (6.71)

-       CBS rank 64 (72.84)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -63.2

-       Sports Illustrated #58

-       Eye on Basketball #51

-       360special All-Time rank - 24

-       7.9 pts, 4.4 reb, 8.2 ast, 36.1 FG%, 87.0 FT%

-       2010/11 Season Steals #7

Kidd is still playing a productive game at 38 years old leading the Mavs to the title. This may have bumped his stock, but capable veterans at the point guard position are hard to come by. An all-around, triple-double threat, he has the basketball IQ to lead any championship team.

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38

Josh Smith

-       ESPN rank 43 (6.95)

-       SLAMonline rank - 29

-       CBS rank 22 (82.73)

-       2k12 rank 19 (84)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -21.9

-       Player Efficiency Rating #35

-       Sports Illustrated #34

-       Eye on Basketball #45

-       16.5 pts, 8.5 reb, 3.3 ast, 47.7 FG%, 72.5 FT%

Based on skill and potential, J-Smoove would rocket up this list. But he's far from having a well-rounded game or a dependable jumpshot and should not be attempting three-pointers. He's still got time in his career to find a successful niche for his abilities.

---

37

Stephen Curry

-       ESPN rank 38 (7.18)

-       SLAMonline rank - 31

-       CBS rank 29 (81.31)

-       2k12 rank 36 (80)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -10.9

-       Player Efficiency Rating #32

-       Sports Illustrated #41

-       Eye on Basketball #43

-       18.6 pts, 3.9 reb, 5.8 ast, 48.0 FG%, 93.4 FT%

-       2010/11 Season Total 3’s #10

-       2010/11 Season 3P% - #3

Curry seems destined to have one of the sweetest shots the league has ever seen. His size makes him a point guard, but he's too good not to make him a scorer. Still, Steph dished 5.8 assists per game last year in his rookie season to go along with his long-distance accomplishments.

---

36

Joachim Noah

-       ESPN rank 29 (7.47)

-       SLAMonline rank - 39

-       CBS rank 206 (51.97)

-       2k12 rank 29 (82)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -43

-       Player Efficiency Rating #41

-       Sports Illustrated #43

-       Eye on Basketball #29

-       11.7 pts, 10.4 reb, 2.2 ast, 52.5 FG%, 73.9 FT%

-       48 games played 10/11

Joachim "Le Coq Sportif" Noah has surprised me since entering the League, and if I were the Bulls I would have balked at trading him for Melo as well. The heart, hustle, energy, length, presence and passion make him an invaluable member of any team.

 ---

 35

 Eric Gordon

-       ESPN rank 39 (7.08)

-       SLAMonline rank - 36

-       CBS rank 115 (65.3)

-       2k12 rank 29 (82)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -27.3

-       Player Efficiency Rating #45

-       Sports Illustrated #29

-       Eye on Basketball #36

-       22.3 pts, 2.9 reb, 4.4 ast, 45.0 FG%, 82.5 FT%

Gordon is still kind of an unknown despite averaging 22.3 points, thirteenth in the  league last year. As a young running mate of Blake Griffin, he's sure to get more national exposure soon.

---

34

Kevin Garnett

-       ESPN rank 22 (8.01)

-       SLAMonline rank - 37

-       CBS rank 59 (74.27)

-       2k12 rank 23 (83)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -41.9

-       Player Efficiency Rating #24

-       Sports Illustrated #17

-       Eye on Basketball #21

-       360special All-Time rank – 13

-       On-Court Team Production #1 (+11.9)

-       Simple Rating – 11.5 (4^th)

-       14.9 pts, 8.9 reb, 2.4 ast, 52.8 FG%, 86.2 FT%

Speaking of heart & soul, the presence of Kevin Garnett on the floor boosts any teams confidence. Yes, anything is possible when your floor leader takes each game with such pride and intensity. Though declining athletically, Garnett affects the game defensively and mentally like few others.

---

33

Tim Duncan

-       ESPN rank 19 (8.16)

-       SLAMonline rank - 30

-       CBS rank 54 (74.76)

-       2k12 rank 19 (84)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -57.8

-       Player Efficiency Rating #14

-       Sports Illustrated #23

-       Eye on Basketball #17

-       360special All-Time rank – 12

-       On-Court Team Production #4 (+10.2)

-       13.4 pts, 8.9 reb, 2.7 ast, 50.0 FG%, 71.6 FT%

-       2010/11 Season Blocks #8

Tim Duncan just ousts Kevin Garnett in both my All-Time ranking (12/13), and my current player rankings (33/34). Though both are in the twilight of their careers, Duncan's game was never patterned on athleticism, jumpshots, or fadeaways. His PER is still high, he was 8th in the league in blocks, and fourth in on-court team production. Duncan hasn't fallen off just yet, and can still lead a team.

 ---

32

Tony Parker

-       ESPN rank 28 (7.47)

-       SLAMonline rank - 35

-       CBS rank 32 (79.79)

-       2k12 rank 36 (80)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -73.1

-       Player Efficiency Rating #27

-       Sports Illustrated #26

-       Eye on Basketball #28

-       17.5 pts, 3.1 reb, 6.6 ast, 51.9 FG%, 76.9 FT%

The three-time champ and once Finals-MVP will have to settle for a spot out of the top 30 like his bigger Spurs teammate. With so many talented, young point guards entering the league, TP has largely been forgotten, but he's still on the younger side of 30 and could accomplish more in his career.

---

31

Al Jefferson

-       ESPN rank 52 (6.67)

-       SLAMonline rank - 33

-       CBS rank 17 (84.9)

-       2k12 rank 33 (81)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -13.6

-       Player Efficiency Rating #28

-       Sports Illustrated #53

-       Eye on Basketball #60

-       18.6 pts, 9.7 reb, 1.8 ast, 49.6 FG%, 76.1 FT%

-       2010/11 Season Blocks #9

While PF/C mainstays Duncan and Garnett have declined, Al Jefferson continues his rise. Though he still didn't block at many shots as Duncan, and wasn't as efficient as either, his career is on the upswing as a major building block in Utah. His point and rebound totals scream 20-10 threat every night, and the dude works hard.

---

My Top 50: 50-41

ESPN, SLAM and a variety of basketball media outlets have been slowly unveiling their lists of the top current basketball players. The theory is a countdown to the start of the 2011/12 NBA season, which was scheduled to start November 1st, but lockout negotiations are ongoing to say the least. ESPN did a top 500 list, and made it interactive over twitter with the hashtag #NBArank, and SLAM's messaging boards have topped 500 comments for the Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose pages.

While these outlets were generating buzz, I was becoming inspired.

Who really was the best?

Everybody has an opinion, so I've gathered some of the best of them and grouped it with other relevant information. Each player is listed with relevant rankings from various trusted basketball outlets, statistical information for the top 5 categories (pts, reb, ast, FG%, FT%) and an indication if they finished in the top 10 in another category like blocks, 3FG%, or turnovers.

I also looked at advanced statistical measures such as PER, Net Production, and Simple Rating which are relatively explained in the links.

For some players, certain ranking systems do not apply, and are simply not listed.

In all, this was an attempt to be unbiased, to gather and reflect on existing sources, and ultimately form an educated opinion that is at once objective, and also completely my own.

SLAM's list is for "projected production in the upcoming '11/12 season," and this means that steady regular season production is a factor. The good teams have always paced themselves, and Kobe could still go for 30, but he knows he doesn't need to. Plus, you're speculating on fantasy and future.

My list is based on right now. If the lockout were to end, and instead of a season all we got was a Finals. Who would you pick to lead your team? Who could have the most impact in just a series, when all the chips are down?

Please engage me on this, I want to hear your thoughts. No list is permanent, and subject to change.

Wed October 26: 50 - 41
Thurs October 27: 40 - 31
Fri October 28: 30 - 21
Sat October 29: 20 - 16
Sun October 30: 15 - 11
Mon October 31: 10 - 6
Tues November 1: 5 - 1

50

Andrew Bogut

-       ESPN rank 33 (7.31)

-       SLAMonline rank - 49

-       CBS rank 104 (67.37)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -62.2

-       Sports Illustrated #37

-       Eye on Basketball #37

-       12.8 pts, 11.1 reb, 2.0 ast, 49.5 FG%, 44.2 FT%

-       2010/11 Season Blocks per game #1

Bogut himself has admitted he'd never be the same, and would always feel "limitations" for his whole life after a dramatic elbow and wrist injury. Still, the former #1 pick led the NBA in blocks per game last year, while averaging a double-double.

---

49

Nené

-       ESPN rank 31 (7.41)

-       CBS rank 50 (75.75)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -41

-       Player Efficiency Rating #26

-       Sports Illustrated #24

-       Eye on Basketball #26

-       14.5 pts, 7.6 reb, 2.0 ast, 61.5 FG%, 71.1 FT%

Nené makes this list because of the relative lack of impactful big men in the NBA. He can score and defend, and shot 61.5% from the field last year, evident of his effective production.

---

48  

Marc Gasol

-       ESPN rank 26 (7.51)

-       SLAMonline rank - 47

-       CBS rank 52 (75.41)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -52.5

-       Sports Illustrated #40

-       Eye on Basketball #31

-       11.7 pts, 7.0 reb, 2.5 ast, 52.7 FG%, 74.8 FT%

Marc Gasol makes this list because of his strong playoff showing last year in Memphis, where he battled the Duncan-led #1 Spurs in the opening round and triumphed. A variety of low-post moves, and efficient percentages make the younger Gasol brother worthy of top-50 status.

---

47 

Andrew Bynum

-       ESPN rank 30 (7.45)

-       SLAMonline rank - 44

-       CBS rank 201 (52.45)

-       2k12 rank 40 (79)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -74.6

-       Player Efficiency Rating #21

-       Sports Illustrated #38

-       PSD Top 10 - #14

-       Eye on Basketball #25

-       11.3 pts, 9.4 reb, 1.4 ast, 57.4 FG%, 66.0 FT%

-       2010/11 Season Blocks #6

-       Net Production #10

-       played 54 games

So far this is a very big-man heavy list, I realize. But good centres are really hard to come by. Bynum has been doubted for years, and always showed potential. He has an excellent upside, but his health is inconsistent. Skill-wise he should be ranked higher, but he needs to become more dependable.

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46 

Lamar Odom

-       ESPN rank 44 (6.94)

-       SLAMonline rank - 42

-       CBS rank 36 (79.17)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -66.3

-       Player Efficiency Rating #31

-       Sports Illustrated #33

-       Eye on Basketball #33

-       14.4 pts, 8.7 reb, 3.0 ast, 53.0 FG%, 67.5 FT%

Lamar Odom is so skilled he could do everything. This means he often middles about trying to be the glue for his team, when he could be leading them in scoring, assists and rebounds. The thing is, as long as Lamar is winning, he doesn't care how it happens statistically or hierarchically in his teams' structure.

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45 

John Wall

-       ESPN rank 40 (7.07)

-       SLAMonline rank - 25

-       CBS rank 53 (75.34)

-       2k12 rank 29 (82)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -40.6

-       Sports Illustrated #72

-       Eye on Basketball #41

-       16.4 pts, 4.6 reb, 8.3 ast, 40.9 FG%, 76.6 FT%

-       2010/11 Season 2^nd Most Turnovers

Some sources have had Jimmy Zigs ranked higher, but I think he needs more time. He missed a fair chunk of his rookie season, but he has the size, explosiveness and quickness to be a dominant guard in the NBA. He has to cut down on the turnovers, and play up to his potential for a full season before he moves up this list.

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44

Tyson Chandler

-       ESPN rank 37 (7.21)

-       CBS rank 87 (69.63)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -95.1

-       Player Efficiency Rating #48

-       Sports Illustrated #35

-       Eye on Basketball #34

-       10.1 pts, 9.4 reb, 0.4 ast, 65.4 FG%, 73.2 FT%

-       2010/11 True Shooting Percentage #1 (.697)

 

If last years' playoff run in Dallas was any indication, Chandler is an effective defensive centre who has been underrated much of his career. He shoots terrific percentages including the best "true shooting percentage" and is a rock on defense. Relish this spot, Tyson.

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 43

Carlos Boozer

-       ESPN rank 50 (6.70)

-       SLAMonline rank - 38

-       CBS rank 118 (65.13)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -63.6

-       Player Efficiency Rating #40

-       Sports Illustrated #45

-       Eye on Basketball #55

-       17.5 pts, 9.6 reb, 2.5 ast, 51.0 FG%, 70.1 FT%

Boozer underwhelmed in the playoffs, and missed the start of the season after injuring himself in a household accident, and this leaves his rank fairly low. People may have been unduly critical of him in the games he did play, but he is still a dominant player when he applies himself and imposes his will. 

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42 

Al Horford

-       ESPN rank 25 (7.80)

-       SLAMonline rank - 32

-       CBS rank 18 (84.3)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -17.3

-       Player Efficiency Rating #23

-       Sports Illustrated #25

-       Eye on Basketball #24

-       15.3 pts, 9.3 reb, 3.5 ast, 55.7 FG%, 79.8 FT%

Horford comes in ahead of Boozer for his work ethic and percentages. Boozer is a more focal point of the Chicago offense than Horford is in Atlanta, but given a few more touches Horford would outscore Booz. Horford is also playing out of position as a centre, when he's closer to Boozer's size at the power-forward position.

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41 

Gerald Wallace

-       ESPN rank 48 (6.82)

-       SLAMonline rank - 41

-       CBS rank 43 (77.18)

-       2k12 rank 23 (83)

-       Yahoo 2011 Fantasy Draft Average Pick -25.5

-       Sports Illustrated #39

-       Eye on Basketball #40

-       15.7 pts, 8.0 reb, 2.4 ast, 45.4 FG%, 74.6 FT%

Gerald "Crash" Wallace always goes hard, and that motor is invaluable to a team with championship aspirations. He crashes the boards to get rebounds, can score as a slasher, and is an adequate defender in team and one-on-one situations.

OKC Thunder Alternate "3rd" Jersey

The Thunder's color-sceme and logo have been mocked for their simplicity, uninventiveness, and for looking like a D-League team. After the Seattle Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, it seemed the team rushed out an unfinished prototype product. You know, the kind NBA Live used to make up as a generic replacement in the event that it hadn't been released yet?

But it stuck.

And people have complained since.

And they have wondered, with such a cool name like the Thunder, why they couldn't have a cooler logo and jerseys?

Unfortunately, I think the color-scheme is set. But Sky Blue, Orange, Sunset, and Prussian Blue (looks like black) aren't so bad.

They've already branded the team around it and they're likeable.

They have Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, James Harden, Eric Maynor, and even more likable characters that comprise the League's youngest and argually most likeable team.

So the Thunder can still capitalize further on their success by unveiling a third jersey. They could wear it at home, but it would be better as a road alternate. I've drawn up examples of what it could look like with one in Orange, one in Sunset Yellow, one in Prussian Blue, and one in Light Gray, which is pushing it, but looks good.

Here they are.

 

The Prussian Blue. It's dark, but it's not black. This team could pull it off.

The Gray is not exactly a Thunder team color, but as seen below in the "bonus" section, it has been imagined as a nice compliment in a subtle addition to the current brand more than a "re-branding."

The Orange looks nice as a dominant color as well. The Thunder Sky Blue is already so flashy, so the question is do the Thunder continue that trend of flashiness and go with a vibrant Orange 3rd Alternate jersey?

Or do the Thunder embrace a swagger of seriousness, and class now that they have settled into their dominance and "come of age?" with a more serious and understated tone.

 I'm a fan of the Thunder Sunset Yellow and this jersey is something else. It would be sweet, but maybe to wear once a year. If they were to have a true alternate jersey I'd probably root for something subtler. Nevertheless, this is a cool jersey, one that would sell in the youth demographic.

I'm not the only one to have thought about the branding possibilities that the Oklahoma City Thunder have missed or could think about. My suggestions are for furtherment of the current, stable brand image and the on-court appearance of the Thunder.

I was inspired by the brand re-imaginings I saw online, most notably at http://bunnydojo.com/thunder/.  This is an example of a re-branding, which imagines what the Thunder could have done, more than what they could do. The Logo is great with the hammer, the layout of the webpage itself is very slick, the images of Ibaka and Durant wearing the jerseys is convincing, the explanations and links are all excellent. I would not make the jerseys so similar to Seattle's, I would rather forge ahead in creating an independant brand in OKC before doing tributes, it's too soon. And, like I discussed, I don't think they're going to change the team colors at this point.

BONUS - Some of the other ideas that I saw online and drew from in theory and motivation...
* I do not claim ownership or creative license for any of the following

There were many people who believed Barons was going to be the team name and came up with concepts based on that.

Look closely at the logo on the shorts.

Kind of lame colors, when compared with the flashy duds the Thunder actually wear.

I love this logo. It incorporates their mascot Rumble the Bison, which creates more brand unity.

--We LOVE art and illustration at 360special!--

Houston Rockets Home Court

I never knew the Rockets home floor used to look like this. Now that's embracing team identity!
This is a screenshot from a game in 1997, Penny vs Olajuwon.

International NBA Bar-Graph Analysis

By extrapolating data and presenting it visually, we can see information through another lens that can help us to identify or draw new conclusions to pre-existing information. I have taken the international players in the NBA by team and grouped them on a kind of bar graph to show how many international players there are per team, formerly under contract pending NBA lockout negotiations. From this new presentations some conclusions can be drawn and some interpretations that I explore are evident, but I invite you to make of this what you will and comment on any unexamined patterns or other factors that I may have missed. I know that with these players you could argue that many of them are questionably international (Tim Duncan - Virgin Islands anybody?...) but for the most part these are the international players most recently under NBA contract.

ATLANTIC - 15 total
CENTRAL - 14 total

SOUTHEAST - 15 total
SOUTHWEST - 19 total

NORTHWEST - 19 total
PACIFIC - 10 total

- In the Atlantic it is evident that the Raptors have the most International players, it has been a staple of Raptor basketball in the Colangelo era, but the Raptors 6 international players ties Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, and Utah for the team with the most international talent.

- Dallas had six international players and won the NBA championship. Utah and Denver had tumultuous years and remain in the middle of the pack. Cleveland and Toronto were at the bottom of the league. It seems like international talent is not a surefire recipe for success.

- It is also shocking to look at the Indiana Pacers lineup and realize that all of their players are American-born, and not a single roster spot holds international talent. Only the Magic and Clippers have only one international player and all of the other NBA teams have at least two.

- The Pacific Division is badly lacking in international talent. With only roster spots held by international players it is by far the least diverse division. Contrast this to the other two Western Divisions who both have 19 international players -nearly double!

EAST total - 44
WEST total - 48

- Overall the Western Conference holds more international talent, but it is weighed down by the Pacific division, while the Eastern Divisions are remarkably similar in number (15-14-15) with little deviation.

- Any other findings?

Two online sources of information

Win % correlated against number of international players on roster- year unknown

Online Map of the NBA World

Book Review: FreeDarko

I started a book journal a couple months ago. Basically, whenever I read a book I write a one page review with my thoughts, what I learned, what made the book good, what could have made it better, and the meaning that I took from the book. Since I started doing this I have read both of the published volumes by FreeDarko and Bethlehem Shoals. So these are just my thoughts, they're more personal than an actual review, but they're a reflection on how much I enjoyed these books.

The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac
by: The FreeDarko Collective

This book is more of a general overview of contemporary fandom, and was published before FD's other book, "The Undisputed Guide." I owned the Almanac before the Guide, but for a long time I read occasional articles, casually. I only read it cover-to-cover after bookworming the Guide in the same way. The Almanac works well as a coffeetable book actually. You can still glean much from just glancing through the book's vivid illustration and interpretive visuals.

When it is all put together, though, it presents an active interpretation of the NBA through the lens of creative and intelligent fandom. This makes this book witty, funny, soulful, truthful, informed and entertaining.

This book profiles Kobe, Garnett,  Duncan, Arenas (who penned the foreword), Gerald Wallace and Josh Smith, Leandro Barbosa, Odom, T-Mac, Joe Johnson, Artest, Vince Carter, Marbury, Carmelo, Yao, Sheed, LeBron, Chris Paul and Amar'e, with mentions and short features on many more to provide an all-encompassing look at the NBA community.

Neither the Almanac, nor the Guide use any photographs. They generate a visual interpretation of the aforementioned ballers using art-directed illustration that makes the book both charming and richly creative. This entire volume and concept behind it, and FreeDarko itself, is creative fandom within imagined communities. These "communities" are formed based on a common interest/ fandom of the NBA and FreeDarko represents this through words and images as a raw, ongoing process of individualist creative interpretation.

Unlike the Guide, the Almanac is not focused on historical context, and was conceived as an immediate reaction to a modern immersion in NBA fandom. This is not biased by presentism, and instead displays a wealth of background research in academic disciplines including arts, math and statistics, classic literature, architecture, anatomy, naturalism, world history and geography, society, religion, psychology, philosophy, sleep theory, astronomy, culture, humanity, politics, imperialism, myth, pop culture and other sports.

When melded, this background helps create a version of the "big picture" of where the sport of basketball fits within our modern social order and daily lives. It helps us learn through the cultural lens of basketball, and contributes to our fandom and encourages our own active, intelligent observation of the game we love.

The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History
by: The FreeDarko Collective

These books were well-written by authors eager to educate as well as inform. By using visual elements to complement the written narrative, FreeDarko has created a rare, genre-defying example of post-modern fandom and academic sports-pop literature. This book has subtle swagger.

This book begins at basketball's Big Bang with James Naismith, and ends with an article on YouTube and new media communications technologies and the impact they have on the way that sports are watched. Along the way this book encompasses the growth and development of the game through it's many transitions. It also deals with the social changes happening contemporaneously to rule and playing-style changes which add a social element to the narrative and paints the NBA's colourful history onto the social landscape of the 20th century.

This book is conscious of racial bias, class bias and somewhat conscious of gender bias. There was a minimal amount of female presence in the book. This is a history of basketball, not the NBA and just one more article on the women's basketball or the WNBA would have balanced the bias.

The illustrations are incredible and simplistic and capture the creativity of the articles themselves. These visual representations include maps, charts, graphs and illustrated stats to reinforce ideas and concepts.

These books are fun, witty, smart and cool. And I love them.

All images courtesy FreeDarko illustrated volumes