The Happy Meal Game

I didn't know that the McDonald's High School All-American game was last night. But I was able to catch it nonetheless and flip back between that and the Jazz-Nuggets game. Some pretty impressive players out there in the McDonald's game. Gerald Henderson Jr., who is going to Duke next year, looked very good out there. Co-MVP Kevin Durant, headed to Texas, also was very impressive, scoring 25 points. National Player of the Year Greg Oden didn't play particularly well in this game, though it was noted that he was bothered by a bad wrist, but all the tools are there for him to be a very successful player. I wouldn't go as far as to call him a Hall of Famer already like the announcers of the game had, because he hasn't even played a college game yet much less an NBA game, but I won't be surprised if he has that kind of career.

Watching the McDonald's game, I couldn't help but think back to 2003 when LeBron James played and won the MVP. In that game, he looked like he was about three or four years older than every player out on that court, but beyond Oden's size, I didn't see that same maturity from him. But then again, LeBron James is, I believe, a once in a lifetime player. And I doubt we'll ever see somebody light years ahead of everybody else in that same manner again.

Speaking of LeBron James, I just finished reading King James: Believe The Hype by SLAM Magazine editor in chief Ryan Jones yesterday. It's really a great book. It details LeBron's high school years and his growth both as a player and cultural phenomenon. I definitely recommend any basketball fan pick it up. And if anyone has any hoops books that they recommend, definitely email me and let me know about them. Off the top of my head, some other books I can recommend are My Losing Season by Pat Conroy and Fab Five by Mitch Albom.

That's all I've got for today, I'll try to post something tomorrow but if not, have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.