Rebirth: Early 90’s Adjustable Snap-back Hats and Marvel Heroes (post 1 of 2)

        These hats would like to give an admonishment like that which LL Cool J gave haters in the early 90s: don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for YEARS. The early 90’s snap-back adjustable hats would also like to point out that back in their day,  the only person who dressed like Russell Westbrook was a lovable character on the show Family Matters. So with that word from the hats themselves, let’s look to the The Explosive Reemergence of NBA snap back hats… Is this due to heavy hipster influence (see Westbrook or Coach Van Ornery) or because the NBA, like me, 1) has an appreciation for cool hats and 2) is nostalgic for some 90s era NBA?

        

During the decade following the NBA’s Magic-Bird  glory days, the NBA was a place for dynamic duos (post coming soon dedicated to those duos) that were perfect for NBA Jam or NBA Hangtime, a place for Run TMC to light up the scoreboard with no regard for defense, a place for assembling the Dream Team , a place where centers were not automatically the 5th option on offense but instead ruled the court, but also a place where center Bryant Big Country Reeves  was still welcome to be a big teal starter in a foreign country.

 

       The NBA mainly intends for 90s snap-back hats to be reminiscent of the legacy of the one man, His Airness, who manufactured 6 titles and the greatest movie of that decade* and can be seen above with the awesome trophy that is the snap-back hat on his brow, and also some less impressive hardware he got for doing well in the NBA Finals . Below are some of the newer clearly 90s inspired Snap-back hats.

 

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       So something very cool, and I mean cool in the nerdiest sense of the word,  about the recent line of hats is that the NBA is totally down with rockin out with Marvel Comics Superheros. Check out a couple below Washington Wizards hat, and Orlando Magic Thor hat.

 

   This makes perfect sense to me since the era of the NBA snapback hat was also the point in my young life when I loved Marvel superheros and used to fill my Saturday mornings with Xmen and the Amazing Spider-man cartoons (both currently available on Netflix streaming). Although pretty much every superhero-incorporated NBA hat is great, some make more sense than others. For instance the team in our nation’s capital, the Wizards, and the team whose name is a reference to Ameirca’s independence, the 76ers, both have hats featuring Captain America.  Thor seems like a stretch for the Magic, but unfortunately the obvious choice for the Magic is a DC comic book hero, and we are not sure how long Dwight wants to be in Orlando anyway.

              Some of them are confusing pairings. The one that really needs a petition for change is the New Orleans Hornets, but not for lack of coolness. As if it is not enough that New Orleans gets to merchandise cool semi-retro Muggsy Bouges/LJ/Zo era Charlotte Hornets snap-back hats, they also are selling a hat that couples their logo with  one of Marvel’s most beloved superheros: Toby McGuire.

 Ok I understand that new Hornet Anthony Davis has super basketball skills and swatting reflexes that have been compared to Spider-Man’s super-human abilities. I don’t understand why they forced everyone’s favorite web-slinger into a Mardi Gras Purple, Teal, and Gold color scheme. Why? Why Spidey Why??? (Although now that I think about it, Venom would be an awesome superhero to pair with the Brooklin Nets’ new “anti-nba” image).  The main reason Spider-Man tagged to the Hornets does not work is because of the huge oversight of not choosing the Super Hero best suited for the franchise. The Hornets and the hat designers must know,  there exists a superhero who is absolutely perfect for representing New Orleans. He is one of the most awesome if not the most awesome and underrated Marvel Super Hero of the early 90’s , not to mention a good fighter choice in XMEN 2  and is the best (and only?) Cajun super hero of all-time:

Gambit is your man New Orleans! I know Spidey has a new serious dark movie coming up and everything, but screw that nerd Peter Parker. Hornets should be cashing in on their awesome connection to Gambit instead. And also, as it turns out, Gambit happens to be a BALLER. (check at 2:30 mark thru end of video)

Hope you enjoyed, Stay Tuned for Part 2 of this, the Griz/Wolverine edition.

*=I realize that Tom Hanks could single-handedly debunk my superlative claim for Space Jam, just using his own resume from that decade, but I feel fairly confident that if I had to choose between seeing a new movie that came out tomorrow featuring the combination of MJ, Muggsy Bouges, Seinfeld’s Newman,Yosemite Sam and Bill Murray that may or may not even be a sequel to Space Jam,  or a new movie with the rehashed combination of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, I’m picking the one with Bill Murray**

**= Also if it has Bill Murray, then we know it is directed and written by Wes Anderson meaning it will be a wonderful film with a great  eclectic soundtrack and a plot that includes a complicated relationship between a father and  a son in which the father will somehow redeem himself in the end with a great happy ending.

NBA Draft 2012: Year of the Unibrowed Grandmamma

Now upon us is the NBA’s annual draft. Every year a new group of young, lanky, ostrich-legged, Hoop dreamers and NBA hopefuls walk across the stage to shake  hands with the commissioner to attain their dream of embarking on an NBA career. Just so you can fully visulize the beauty of draft hopefulness and draft spirit, check out past super duper fly GQ draft-day threads of Jalen Rose (below) and Joakim Noah (below the barrage of early 90s pin-stripes ).

The Draft creates a perfect occasion for basketball pessimists and optimists alike. Teams that have been terrible, for at least a season, have a chance to improve by snagging the guy that could lead the the team to years of future success. You can hope madly for your team to draft a certain guy, or dread that they pick a certain guy, without actually having any concrete evidence as to which one of those players will turn out great or who will be the next major bust. Sometimes it seems a blind gamble. Non-lottery teams that have later draft picks can relax because they have been victorious enough that they are not at risk of becoming the next notorious team to blow an early selection on Sam Bowie while MJ and other Dream Teamers still on the board, or  the next team to pick Darko Milicik 58 picks too soon while Carmello Anthony, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are still on the board.  Every year  a team or two drafts a total bust with a high pick, while still several more teams also pick young “projects” that supposedly have tremendous potential and upside but never pan out.  Every year a couple teams snag future all-stars that slip being selected until  late in the first round or even second round. Every year a couple players who came out of college too soon fall into the second round, miss out on the guaranteed contract that they likely would have been able to capture had they played one more year in college, but instead find themselves battling through summer league and training camp just to make the final cut of someone’s roster. Hopefully former Memphis Tiger star Will Barton does not slip into the second round, but even so, he will be valuable to some team for years to come.

          Ok so we can make a billion draft boards and even try to anticipate trades, but we still do not know exactly which teams will do what. However, we do know a few certainties for sure going into the draft. Thankfully, we know it is impossible for the Grizzlies to re-draft Hasheem Thabeet  while James Harden, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, and Steph Curry are still on the board. Still hurts.

                   Most of what we know for sure about this draft is what will take place at the onset. To start the evening, David Stern will announce that the Hornets have selected Anthony Davis. Davis will lumber up to the podium, put on his cool new 90s Charlotte-esque  hornets snap-back hat–several sources* have confirmed that due to some wishful thinking that lighting will strike twice, and also in a microeconomics effort to save salary cap space, the Hornets organization is actually recycling the old ball cap once given to Larry Johnson at the 1991 draft— and shake hands with the commisioner while Stern tries to look Davis in the eye rather than the distraction of the long slender Snuggie Davis sports on his forehead. For certain, Davis will be drafted first and he will sign a lucrative contract that will bring him riches he has not seen since he was being recruited by coach Cal out of high school. Then everything after that, picks 2-60 (roughly half of which belong to the Rockets) and potential trades, are exciting unknowns…granted they become progressively less exciting with each pick, but still…

*=none, no sources whatsoever

*UPDATE*: Will Barton, unfortunately, did fall to the 2nd round being picked 40th overall by the Portland Trailblazers.  However, he is still going to be living out his dream of being a professional basketball player and will work hard and earn a roster spot in Portland or elsewhere.

An (belated) angry and super nerdy basketball rant from Griz vs Clippers series