Darko.
How many biographies with a title using only the person’s first name would immediately alert the would-be reader who the person is? Not Michael (could be Jordan or Jackson). Not Magic (you’d think it was about Walt Disney). Not Kobe (beef?). Ok, maybe LeBron. Maybe Wilt. Most likely Kareem. But even better is Darko. And with the possible end of his NBA career on the near horizon, someone should write it.
Steven Hyden’s article in grantland references the extreme sadness and regret that James Murphy feels when he realizes that he’s stopped LCD Soundsystem way too early; this after he disbanded the largely one man band because he thought it was at its apex and he didn’t want to see its authenticity and vitality begin a downward trajectory. And it made me think of another almost one name biography–Rasheed. As in, Rasheed Wallace, and how impressive it is that he isn’t so caught up in his legacy that he’s willing to come back as a player who may be far from what he once was, but is still contributing and having fun doing it. Michael Jordan could still be playing if he was willing to average 8 points coming off the bench. And if he loved the game, why not? It shows the problem with being just too good. Nobody, MJ included, would accept him coming back at less than himself (look at what happened when he did). But Rasheed–we can live with it. Even more so with Kurt Thomas. He could be 50, and no one would know whether he’s declined or not. There’s a real advantage to that.
I’m not talking about the Celtics yet. They aren’t playing particularly well or particularly bad; they have lots of new guys still figuring out their roles. Even if KG is a step slow, we know that can change too. Give it at least until February before we start making an assessment.
UNREPENTANT HOMER 