I say a long awaited end because this year, like always, The Committed Fan filled out a bracket. He took careful consideration and thought into his bracket. He considered coaches, eligibility, hot streaks, the wind speed inside auditoriums, and the revered science of "Bracketology" as he made his picks. This year, however, a collection of high seeds simultaneously decided they didn't belong in the tournament and went ahead and lost to some teams that no one has ever heard of. I'm pretty sure there was a high school boys team in there somewhere that advanced to the second round. It was ridiculous the amount of brackets that turned to garbage so early on, and how many people simultaneously went "aww, f*@k it", and went back to watching How I Met Your Mother.
My best pick this year? Not filling out a damn bracket. |
Ok, I've got a group of people to give a shout out to. With how nasty the tournament got this year, I was of the belief that no one could have possibly won their bracket pool that everyone seems to have through their work (do bosses check for illegal sports gambling anymore?). However, somehow, people ended up picking some of these games correctly and won their pool. So respect to you sir, or you ma'am, for keeping your cool while others wept and pulled their hair out, for keeping that smug shit eating grin on your face because you knew you had it won. I respect you, and I will do so for the next year, but come March, watch your back.
Interestingly enough, while watching the game last night an important piece of news did come out from the announcers. While it had been previously stated that Anthony Davis was departing for the NBA draft, Kentucky will be able to count on his unibrow returning for a sophomore season to shore up what will undoubtedly be a weakened front line for the Cats.
"Ultimately, it was a very hard decision, but in the end, my eyebrow had to do what was right for its future. It will be returning to Kentucky next season for Coach Calipari" |
All kidding aside, Davis joins several teammates from Kentucky that are going straight to the NBA after only one or two seasons in college, and they are not alone. Now consider what you, the fan, would view as the top 10 players in the NBA right now.
1. Lebron
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Kevin Durant
4. Dwayne Wade
5. Dwight Howard
6. Pau Gasol
7. Carmelo Anthony
8. Derrick Rose
9. Dirk Nowitzki
Now, depending on the fan and who they view as the top players in the NBA, the Committed Fan can pick 5 out of his top 10 players in the NBA right now and notice that they did not play any college ball. Three came right out of high school and two came from overseas. Now, does this undermine the belief that a college career is necessary to refine the game and will make you more successful in the pros? I think it has to call this idea into question, because you have an extremely talented group of individuals who seized their potential and jumped to the NBA and haven't looked back since. Can everybody do it? Of course not. Some players are just made for the college game and will develop, through 4 years of collegiate competition, the skills for the next level. However, as far as the notion of players needing to go through college beforehand to break into the NBA, the idea is quickly going the way of the skyhook.
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