Photo from The Washington Post.Deng or no, the British national team is going to have a heap of trouble fielding a competitive team in 2012. If you don't believe me, just ask Steve Nash. Nash's contributions to the Canadian national team are both more easily accessible (for reasons of position; Nash can put his fingerprint on almost every play) and of greater magnitude (if you want to argue that Deng is better than Nash, bring it) than Deng, so while having a scorer like Luol definitely brings GB da noise, it's just as important (if not moreso) to build a roster around him. That quest begins (and probably ends, unfortunately) with Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
Pops hasn't gotten much NBA love aside from nabbing NBDL all-star MVP honors, and even that wasn't enough to get him a consistent gig in the big show. Don't even get me started on how Magloire has an NBA job but Pops doesn't.
While the insurance issues with Deng have been in the news, Mensah-Bonsu's been doing his best to keep the team afloat. Believe you me, it's a tough job (they were blown out by Hedo-led Turkey 82-58). But when all the headlines are about Deng, all the buzz is about Deng, and the only member on the roster that rings a bell is Deng, try to remember that there's at least one more guy on the roster; a guy that should be in the NBA, has athleticism and talent, and will throw down a dunk on you that will make your family cringe in fear.
2 comments:
I started following seriously college basketball during the 2005-2006 season, and Pops was the first guy that I noticed when I was searching for some highlights ! The dude is a super freak with the slams ! Hope he gets some recognition in the NBA, he would be impressive in a Slam Dunk Contest !
I agree on the injustice. It boggles my mind how the same set of big man retreads keeps getting passed around, but a potentially good player doesn't get a chance. At least the mayor of Foggy Bottom will get his chance to shine.
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