A sturdy tree stood right in the center of the busy New York City, unmindful of the tall buildings around it. The tree had his roots, spread out mostly on the foundations where those buildings were built. It was different from the outside, but it was unknowingly connected beyond everyone’s sight…

Jeremy Lin, on his first day of training camp, was waived by the Golden State Warriors. It was not a popular decision, but it was a risk that they had to do to free some salary cap in luring DeAndre Jordan from the L.A. Clippers. The Houston Rockets claimed Lin’s waiver, only to waive him again for Samuel Dalembert. After constant trips to the D-league and a pile of frustrations, Lin’s NBA dream was slowly drifting away.

The Asian-American, who was a Harvard graduate and a college standout, was never given the chance to prove himself. Frankly, nobody really thought that he could make it. He was too small and skinny. Many doubted him.

But Lin was never fazed about how everybody treated him. He just looked around the bleachers and saw some of the people who believed in him and all the doubts went away. This was an added pressure. However, it gave him strength to move on and never quit.

He never craved attention and he never talked more about himself—always crediting others for their win.

Just weeks ago, Lin had an unguaranteed contract. He even slept on his brother’s couch just to secure him a shelter. He was virtually a nobody. New York Knicks coach Mike D’ Antoni had seen how Lin worked so hard in practice. But being the fourth point guard in the team, Lin was dispensable. He was the first one to be out or waived if the team went shopping for marquee players elsewhere.

This was before D’Antoni started to use Lin when two of his superstars, Amar’e Stoudemire and Camelo Anthony, were unavailable.

After Baron Davis’ injury got extended and with shortage of point guards, Lin finally got the chance that he had been waiting for. Three straight games he scored an average of 23.3 points and eight assists per game.

This was a Cinderella story where the “happy ever after” still continues.

On the biggest game and right in front of a hometown crowd, Lin’s ultimate test came from one of the NBA’s greatest player, Kobe Bryant. Kobe and the Lakers had just won a one-point game against their bitter rival Boston Celtics. And without Carmelo and Amar’e the Lakers wouldn’t have any problem in winning against the Knicks. Except they failed to hand out the script to Lin.

Lin scored a career-high 38 points and outshined the game’s biggest star. This was a testament of his greatness, a seemingly touching message that everyone can make it.

As a fan waived his placard with the message L.I.N. (Legend In New York), I remembered that tree standing right in the center of the busy New York City.

Greatness comes in different sizes and form. We may be different but somehow connected.

submitted also in bleacher: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1063613-new-york-knicks-the-jeremy-lin-connection

Related Blogs

Sir Isaac Newton got the idea of the law of gravity from a falling apple. It is through a simple natural event that came out very special.

Andrew Bogut might have learned a lot from falling—no matter how high you got up, there’s always the possibility of going down. He had been in and out of the injured list since 2006. There were a lot of promises and talent.

However, somehow everything falls short of what was expected. In his sophomore year when he was averaging close to a double-double performance, he sprained his left foot and missed the final 15 games of the season.

He also missed the end of the 2009-10 season when he dislocated his right elbow and broke his right hand in a fall. He was also sidelined for 43 games with an injured back in the 2008-09 season.

It seems like a never-ending list of injuries throughout his career. It was inevitable for a seven-foot, 260-pound giant to get injured—the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Bogut knew the risk of going after loose balls or grabbing a rebound on top of everybody. He knows that his physical play will surely take its toll eventually. But this is all about playing your best. And Bogut knew what he had to do to contribute to the team.

This is all about self-worth and no one puts more pressure on him than himself.

Bogut was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, and his position (center) has required full attention—center of the offense and center of hope on a struggling franchise that had constantly failed on a championship run.

In their January 25 game against the Houston Rockets, Bogut was more motivated than ever. This was the team that has continuously dominated them since 1999. And while a driving Kyle Lowry went straight to the basket, Bogut was prepared to get up and block the shot.

For a moment, he was successful, however, when he came down his foot landed awkwardly on Carl Landry’s foot. Bogut will miss eight-to-12 weeks with a fractured left ankle in a compressed season. Bogut now has another setback and another pile of frustrations on his promising career.

For 12 games, he was leading his team in blocks and was averaging 11.3 points with eight rebounds, and now he will spend again more time on the bench and in rehabilitation.

Bogut is hoping something good will come out of his injury. If Newton came up with gravity on falling apples, why not on a falling Bogut?

Lesson learned: There are failures more triumphant than victories.

Related Blogs

Six years ago, people would laugh at the thought that Tracy McGrady would end up as a role player in the future.

A seven-time All-Star, a two-time NBA scoring champion and a future Hall-of-Famer, it was never a question, not even an inkling of doubt on Tracy’s greatness.

However, with an injury-laden career, those glory days are seemingly over.

Tracy was like a veteran boxer who refused to accept defeat and continued to fight, hoping for that one redemption to get him back on top.

Bounced around for four different teams in two seasons, quitting was never an option. It was about getting back and proving everybody wrong.

This was the same player who scored 13 points in 35 seconds on a game against the San Antonio Spurs, including a steal and the game winning three-point shot in the 2004-2005 season.

He had always been a leader, a clutch shooter…and when it mattered, Tracy became the game’s biggest closer.

He could drop 62 points and averaged 28 points per game, but he never got past the first round in the playoffs. This was his Achilles heel—a label that somehow haunted him throughout.

T-Mac wanted that chance—redemption that could somehow prove his legacy that he is just more than skills and empty promises.
Tracy Mcgrady’s 13 points in 35 seconds

The NBA is on a shorter season—a shorter route to a championship, and this could be that one magical run for McGrady. This could be the promise of going deep into the playoffs, and maybe winning a ring in return.

Everyone thought his career was over until Atlanta took the risk and signed him up. The team knew how fragile and risky Tracy is with all his injuries. However, they knew that sometimes little steps can get you back on top…you just have to let them try.

For Tracy, he got another opportunity…another shot on that elusive first round.
He had been in the benched for too long, mostly in street clothes and this has become a reality check for him—one man could not carry a team.

Tracy McGrady knows his role in Atlanta. He would be having limited minutes and sometimes get to stay more often in the bench. But he could help this team to reach their true potential. He could be the big brother and the guiding voice.

Although he won’t be the scoring champion anymore, somehow being there can be equally effective.

This time, last chance entails a definite promise.

“You should have seen me when I put on my uniform. I felt like a kid all over again.” -Tracy McGrady

Jess Matthew Beltran is also a blog contributor of Gold Star Games, a tailgate gear company.

Related Blogs

“Cancer might’ve taken my leg, but it can’t take my smile,” said Wayman Tisdale as he smiled while holding his bass guitar. This is how he approached life—he smiled while playing his music.

I was one of the lucky few to be given a chance to watch the advance screener on the Wayman Tisdale story. And it was a privileged look on a person who gave so much and expected nothing in return.

Wayman was an All-American, Olympian and 12-year NBA veteran. He was a ferocious rebounder and a great scorer. He always went on and off the court with a smile. This was his trademark, a gesture that lifted up any person’s or teammate’s spirits.

It was his way of saying that even if you are on the losing end, everything is still going to be all right.

And when Wayman was alone and frustrated, he would slip out of a room and grab his guitar and start playing.

This was his therapy…it got him through frustrating games, through losing teams and through the death of his father. It always brought him back to his childhood memory, when his father was a pastor, and he would listen to all the music and start playing.

Wayman had no formal training; he didn’t even know how to read notes. It was like the moment he grabbed the guitar, he already felt a connection. Music was his first love and when he was not lifting people’s lives, it’s his music and his family that kept him going.

After his NBA career, Wayman finally went back to his first love. He became a jazz artist and produced eight albums. His last album was called Rebound, released after he was diagnosed with the cancer that led to amputation of his right leg.

“You have to be strong mentally; you have to be strong mentally…” Wayman said as he went through the whole ordeal with a positive outlook. Many questioned and were amazed how he handled the situation so positively, and he just said, “You got my leg but you can’t get my spirit” then flashed that familiar grin.

It was also a situation that made Wayman’s faith stronger.

He wanted to preach about how to be strong and always to trust God’s infinite plan. This was his calling, and his music was his instrument to reach wounded souls. He received calls from strangers thanking him for his music. There was one who contemplated suicide, but after hearing his music, he changed his mind.

“Rebound” was Wayman’s last word of encouragement—rebound to what you are going through right now…

Though Wayman is no longer with us, the fight that he fought wasn’t in vain. Even though I never met him personally, his story inspired me to get up and to stand with my head up high.

This is Wayman Tisdale’s legacy…and his music lives on.

THE WAYMAN TISDALE STORY SCREENING DATES

October 29 Holland Hall Tulsa, OK (reception
6:30p/screening 7:30p)

November 3 Murdoch Theater Wichita, KS (screening
7:00p)
*Charity Event for Victory in the Valley Cancer Center

November 4 Lloyd Noble Center | Oklahoma University Norman,
OK (reception 6p/screening 7p)
*Sponsored by the Scott Carter Foundation

November 6 Moorehouse Church Oklahoma City, OK
(screening 7p)

November 9 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Muskogee, OK
(screening 7p)
*with Marcus Miller

November 11 Tabernacle Baptist Church Wichita, KS
(doors 6:30p/screening 7p)

November 12 Booker T. Washington High School Tulsa, OK
(doors 6:30p/screening 7:30p)

November 12 Skokie Theater Chicago, IL (screening
7p)

November 13 Bishop McGuinness High School Oklahoma City, OK
(screening 4p)

November 16 LA Live Cinemas Los Angeles, CA (doors
7p/screening 8p)
*Charity event for A.C Green Youth Foundation

Related Blogs

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf could only nod his head and smiled when asked about the recent NBA season lockout. It was something Abdul-Rauf had gone through after the 1998-1999 shortened season. He was always the ever reliable point guard who is destined to greatness but came out stumbling on his way out. He had always hoped for a graceful exit, but it was a luxury that he could never get.

No regrets… everything happened with a purpose. His refusal to stand for the “Star-Spangled banner” before games was a choice—standing to the flag, conflicts his Ismalic beliefs.

The league was able to make a compromising agreement with Rauf, but it shortly backfired. People don’t seem to understand such an act, especially when he was born and raised in America. Everybody knows who Chris Wayne Jackson is. He was the two-time consensus All-American first team.

He had an illustrious college career in Louisiana State University that landed him as Denver Nuggets third pick in the 1990 draft. Chris Jackson in 1991 converted to Islam and changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.

Mahmoud continued to play in the NBA until 1998. And after his contract ended with Sacramento going to a lockout season, he was one of the first few players who went to play overseas. It wasn’t what he really wanted, but he waited for offers to other NBA teams, but it never came.

He played in Turkey, Russia, Italy, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and had a short stint in the expansion NBA team, the Vancouver Grizzlies. It was tough, but he knew he had to be tough. He was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome back then, and yet he still came out athletic. Because it’s his choice, no one can tell him to stop basketball or he is not good enough to land minutes in the NBA.

Choices… and somehow it became the word that best explains this lockout.

As the situation (lockout) continues, Mahmoud wants everyone to carefully study their options. Not everyone gets to play in the NBA, and not everyone gets to stay there forever. It is always a privilege and players, coaches, commissioners and owners should know that.

At 42, Mahmoud still plays competitive and professional basketball. His recent stint was with the Kyoto Hannaryz team of Japan. He will still play even if he goes in the golden age of 50.

Every now and then, he thinks about the NBA. He thinks about what could have been a great career.

Everything happens with a purpose, and slowly it becomes a powerful phrase that put him back into reality.

A lockout seems to become a crossroad—you got to pick your road of destination. The only catch is there is no turning back.

We cannot choose our exits, but at least we are given choices.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf still plays with passion and plays with the same intensity. This is what he wants everyone to remember. It’s been quite a journey so far but for some instance, it was worthwhile.

“No regrets…”

Related Blogs

As the sun’s last ray of light touches the land, the majestic eagle soared into the horizon for one last time, for one last glimpse of the day that was.
Welcoming the night with hopes of a brighter tomorrow—more horizons to conquer and more journeys to come.

It somehow translates to how Grant Hill hopes to achieve. It has been quite a journey so far. With all the ups and downs, through times when he wanted to give up, through countless of surgeries and frustrations, he always found more reasons to get up and fight back.
It’s not about winning championships, MVPs or playing in the All-stars. For Grant, it is deeper than that…
This is going to be all about legacy and how he goes down in the history books.

In the 2005-2006 season that was one dark cloud that Grant vividly remembers, after a series of nagging injuries, including a groin injury. He had a close call of calling it quits. It has been those injuries that made the best out of him on his prime. However, he refused to let it dictate his career, as long as he can move, as long as he can still shoot the ball, there is still hope.
It was a gradual step of getting back to the top. However, Grant is determined to go into that process.

Five years later at age 38, Grant still looks back on the past with a dignified heart, knowing how he fought back and how it made him not just a better player but also a better person. This would be his 18th year going to next season and he still feels he could still go on for two more years. With all of his greatness and promises there is still a lot of catching up to do.

With retirement nearing in, Grant still feels unsecured about his legacy. He was the majestic eagle that soared for one last journey hoping to catch up the last ray of light.

However, Grant Hill’s legacy has already been etched out. There seemed to be a few players who could play multiple positions like what he did…

One last journey and one last hope but what Grant Hill failed to notice is that no matter how the last flicker of light touches the land… it’s still the same horizon after all.

He already made his legacy when he fought his way up.

Related Blogs

I knew this would happen. Like the sun that had finished its cycle, welcoming the night where the stars majestically shine ever so brightly… Yao Ming has finally retired.

One of the best big men in basketball history will finally walk away from the sport that brought him glory and greatness. At 30 years old and a recurring foot injury, Yao clearly had enough of rehabilitation and surgeries. He decided to walk away while he still can walk.

It wasn’t to everybody’s surprise. Yao had been sidelined since December 2010 because of a stress fracture that developed on his left ankle, the same leg that has been troubling him for years.

He was an iconic figure that brought down barriers on a sport that was invented and dominated by the Americans. Many believed that he would fail in his transition to the NBA. But Yao never entertained the thought of failure. Never did he question his talent and work ethic. Everybody is capable of greatness; it’s just a matter of how much you want it.

The NBA was more than just basketball to Yao; it was more about building bridges and closing the gap.

It was one promising career, although it didn’t end how we’d hoped, but Yao still delivered its promise—he built the bridge equally majestic to the great wall.

There won’t be any Yao Ming, not with his enormous talent and his 7’6″ frame. His height was his gift, and it was also his burden. His leg eventually gave up on his 300-pound body and a nation with billions of people putting their hopes on Yao’s shoulder.

The gentle giant has finally retired. Out from the limelight, and out from all the expectations. For the first time on his life, he is finally free… free from the countless surgeries and rehabilitation and free from all obligations. He leaves the sport in good hands.

Yao Ming is undoubtedly a future hall of famer. At 30 years old, he could still try to come back and do it for one last time. But how much rehabilitation and surgery could he bear? Eventually, it would end like this.

He belongs rightfully up there… right among the stars who majestically shine so bright.

Related Blogs

David West looked at his left arm with a tattoo of a big “X” with the words “My life, my way”… It has been like that most of the time with his career. Nobody can tell him what he cannot do. He always found a way to get to what he wanted. This is how he went through it all… his life… his way.

He knew he would end up a Hornet for life. However, everything changed the moment he fell down after a dunk during their game with the Utah Jazz. He injured the ACL on his left knee with only 22.3 seconds left in regulation. With a looming lockout and with Chris Paul threatening to bolt out, a cloud of uncertainty covered West’s mind.

David opted out of his final contract year to test the waters of free agency. Even with an unreliable left knee, he basically walked away from a guaranteed $7.5 million to look for a bigger contract that could secure not only his career but also his family’s future. This is also an opportunity for him to compete for a championship with a much better team.

The New Orleans Hornets will be in for bigger problems ahead, just as the Nuggets were last season when they were forced to trade their prized forward Carmel Anthony for fear of losing him through free agency without getting something in return. The Hornets are facing the same dilemma with Chris Paul, who could opt out on his final year of his contract.

Without Chris Paul and David West, New Orleans, currently owned by the NBA, is still looking for a potential owner who could make the team financially stable. Currently, a new social e-commerce website called GroupGain is dedicated to shifting power to the consumers instead of corporations. Once it reaches a “critical mass” of a few thousand supporters, they will approach the NBA and an investment bank in making this deal. They are currently in partnership with other charitable institutions like Belle Reve New Orleans and St. Mary’s residential training school. This is becoming a community involvement in saving their team. However, New Orleans will have to do a much bigger task in convincing David to stay.

David West was once an underrated power forward, but now he is the most coveted free agent player going to next season. Teams like Sacramento, Indiana and New Jersey that have more salary caps are really interested in getting West’s services.

David just wants to win…. and the Hornets are dedicated to sign him back. It’s also how New Orleans goes through life—they always find a way to get what they want. It was never a single effort. It was always the community. That’s how it is to win… one group… one city.

Related Blogs

When Jeremy Tyler decided to forgo his senior year of high school basketball to play professionally overseas, he was pretty sure it was his road to stardom—the stepping stone to big performances in the NBA.

Everybody was sure that he would become the No. 1 overall pick when he became eligible for the draft. He has the size and charisma of an NBA superstar.

“My mission is to shake David Stern’s hand,” he said.

He was destined to make it, but somehow he came up short of all those big expectations and promises.

He took a different road and a different path, but he learned one of life’s greatest lessons in return.

Israeli team Maccabi Haifa gave Tyler a two year, $280,000 contract to join them.

However, Jeremy didn’t live up to expectations, averaging only 2.1 points per game before quitting the team after ten games. He scored just one point in his first two games, a stat that makes you scratch your head.

All the hype and all the praise gave way to one simple message: Welcome to the real world.

Everybody wanted a piece of him like a red flag in a sea of angry bulls. He became an open target…and Jeremy bowed down without resistance.

He was out of shape and lacked the work ethic. He thought this was only a part of his gig, an undercard to a main event, but this was it. His mettle was tested and he failed big time.

Jeremy got another chance, though, when he signed a contract to play with the Tokyo Apache of the Japanese professional league.

There, he played under the tutelage of former NBA coach Bob Hill. Slowly, he became a much better player.

However, his time in Japan was cut short by the tragic earthquake, and he headed back to the United States.

Wit just days left until the 2011 NBA draft, Jeremy still dreams of the opportunity to shake the commissioner’s hand.

However, he now projects as a late first round pick. His draft stock may have dropped, but he much more mature and humble than he was two years ago.

At just 20 years old, and with a 7’5” wingspan and an NBA ready body, Tyler has much room to improve.

He is ready for the challenge of the NBA, and he knows he has a lot more to offer than 2.1 points per game.

There are many ways of getting to our desired destinations. Sometimes we take much more difficult paths, but in the end, reaching that destination is all that matters.

Luckily for Jeremy, he is on the verge of reaching his desired destination, and he got to pick some valuable lessons along the way.

Related Blogs

With still 1.2 seconds left in regulation, some Miami crowd already started to pile out of the American Airlines Arena. Dirk Nowitzki ran off the court and went straight to the locker room. This was his biggest achievement, his ultimate dream and the MVP of the 2011 NBA finals wanted a moment… It has been five agonizing years, waiting for an opportunity like this to come. And now it has finally arrived. This is not going to be all about him and all his glory. His team deserved all the attention, their spotlight, and their glorious moment. And Dirk wanted nothing more than to savor it.

It has been a roller coaster ride throughout his 13-year career. For a lanky 7-foot German whose first attempt was an airball, all the way to a season MVP, and now a championship. There are no shortcuts. The road to greatness is narrow and deep. And it was a trip Dirk obliged to follow.

It was a slow and painful climb to the top. Everybody remembered the 2006 finals when Dirk failed to deliver the NBA championship. The next season, he won the much coveted MVP award but faltered in the first round of the play-offs against the eight seeded “We Believe” Golden State Warriors… Dirk had been in the spotlight for years and was put under heavy criticism just like the self-proclaimed King, Lebron James. The difference? James’ were self-inflicted. James broke millions of hearts in Cleveland after leaving them through his infamous on air “The Decision” bringing his talents to South Beach. And just like what he did in Cleveland, he promised Miami championships, “Not one, not two, not three…” However, on his biggest stage, when everything mattered, he choked up. Lebron will undeniably win championships, but it would never be the same with how Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki have done it—they persevered and fought all the heartaches before tasting victory. Throughout the series one thing was crystal clear: Miami would always be Dwayne Wade’s team…

Dirk never chased his championship dream elsewhere. It never crossed his mind. Dallas was his team, the team that stayed with him through all his shortcomings and all the frustrations. And it was time to return the favor.

On the crucial game and on the team’s final performance, when Dirk’s offense wasn’t really going, it was his team that carried him throughout. Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and JJ Barea all carried the load it was one way of saying that we always got your back just as you have been carrying us the whole time.

On Dirk’s biggest moment, he took a step back in the lime light. And find a place where he could savor the moment on his own—away from the celebration, away from all the critics. As tears gently rolled down his eyes, it was a sign of joy and relief. The ride has finally come to an end, the fairy tale dream that ends with a happy ever after. This victory is for Dallas… his team, and for everyone who believes.

Related Blogs