An Open Letter to Russell Westbrook

By Charlie Scaturro

Russell, 

Damn man, it was one hell of a ride. The numbers are beyond impressive but even they don’t do your season justice.

28.1 points.

7.3 rebounds.

8.6 assists.

2.1 steals.

I won’t even bother looking up the other players who have posted those numbers for a full season, but I feel pretty confident saying that you’re in some extremely exclusive company.

I probably don’t have to tell you this, but the grind of an NBA season can really drag on. There are way too many games and there’s way too much time for people to stay focused solely on basketball. In a sport that’s fueled by stars, you were one of the players who made this season so much fun in spite of that monotony. Of course, that doesn’t stop people from talking.

Bo Ryan and the Death of a Dream

By Charlie Scaturro

Few things in life are truly finite. Few times are we presented with a situation where we know there will be no chance to try again in some capacity. For Bo Ryan, that truly finite moment happened on Monday night as the clock ticked down to 0:00 and Duke players stormed the court to celebrate.

In the aftermath of Wisconsin’s loss to Duke, Bo Ryan didn’t say the things we’ve become conditioned to hear from a losing coach. He criticized the officiating. He took a not-so-thinly-veiled shot at one-and-done players like Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow. He wasn’t beaming with positivity about the amazing season his team had just completed. He was bitter, angry, and unhappy. And he’s taken a lot of criticism for it during the past 24 hours.

A Few Quick Final Four Thoughts

By Charlie Scaturro

I hope we’re all ready for Saturday because Kentucky vs. Wisconsin and Duke vs. Michigan State might be one of the best Final Four slates the college game has ever seen. Generally, a statement like that would just be hyperbole but that last sentence might be 100% true, so with that being said, here are a few quick Final Four thoughts in advance of this weekend’s games.


1. The Okafor vs. Towns championship showdown really needs to happen

I say this on a number of levels. First off, strictly from a basketball standpoint, having two of college basketball’s most dominant post players going head-to-head for 40 minutes would be amazing. But from an NBA Draft perspective, this match-up would have Chad Ford foaming at the mouth and reduce him to sending out tweets where he just mashes the keys on his Blackberry (Chad Ford definitely still uses a Blackberry, right?).