Baze No More

by Brent Bazenomore 

The Golden State Warriors served Dub Nation a shocker last night by sending fan favorite Kent Bazemore along with recently acquired MarShon Brooks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Steve Blake. Mr. Celebration came into the season with higher expectations after a spectacular summer league showcase.  He could never crack the ten man rotation. His erratic play landed him a spot and the end of the bench with the likes of Ognjen Kuzmic and Nemanja Nedovic. Say those names three times fast. Upon hearing the news, I cried myself to sleep last night watching Kent Bazemore highlights on my iPad. 

I can't help but feel bad for Kent. He'll be leaving Spade and Marilyn home in Emeryville for the remainder of the season. No more Kent and Spade selfies?! Maybe it's best that he leaves his precious Audi S5 in the Bay. No body wants to sit hours in LA traffic and come into Staples and spend another couple hours warming the Lakers bench.The Warriors are losing a solid defender, Stephen Curry's best butt buddy, celebration extraordinaire, and a huge locker room presence. His passion for the game is just so infectious.

This trade clearly demonstrated two things to me: the management (Joe Lacob, Bob Myers, and company) means business AND the management is admitting that the Jordan Crawford trade crashed and burned. This Warriors management team has no problem trading away a fan favorite and locker room presence to bring the Warriors a little closer to the promised land. Kent Bazemore showed signs of promise over summer league where he led the Warriors to a perfect 7-0 and first-ever NBA Summer League Championship, but this tremendous play could not translate into consistent bench production during the 2013-2014 regular season. Maybe it was asking too much out of the former undrafted star from Old Dominion. Mark Jackson never really defined a role for Bazemore, but Bazemore also never established himself as a role player on the Warriors squad.

In acquiring Steve Blake, the Warriors pick up a quality veteran point guard with savvy ball handling and three point shooting skills. Blake will fill the gaping hole left from Jarrett Jack's absence this season, allowing Curry to play off the ball. Blake is averaging a cool 39.7% beyond the 3PT line. Say hello to another shooter and he isn't afraid to take a shot when the game is on the line. Check out this buzzer beater from earlier this season!

No Kobe. No Problem.

Not only can he shoot and dribble, the man can also distribute the ball coming in averaging 7.6 assists per game. He looks strikingly familiar, right? Can you say Alex Smith anybody? I'm sure Niner Faithful Andre Iguodala will love seeing a familiar face.

RT @kobebryant: Not cool with @SteveBlake5 being gone AT ALL. One of my closest teammates and psycho competitor GS picked up gem #smartmove
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) February 20, 2014

Bazemore will face some serious competition against fellow teammate and celebration connoisseur, Robert Sacre. Who will be crowned the king of celebrations in LA? On a more serious note, who knows... Kent Bazemore may actually see some run the next month or so with Kobe and Swaggy P injured.

Welcome to the Dub Nation, Mamba #5! Farewell Kent Bazemore... you and your crazy celebration antics will be missed in the Bay. Best of luck in La La Land!

Does this mean I'm a Lakers fan now? HELL NO.

The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee. 



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Golden State Beef

#CutDedmon
by Justin Cheng

When I had heard that the Golden State Warriors had signed a player from USC, the amount of school pride that swelled in my veins could not be contained. The University of Southern California has had recent stream of student-athletes that have gone on the NBA, including OJ Mayonnaise, Demar Derozan, Nick Swaggy P Young, and Taj Gibson. USC's basketball team has struggled in the past couple seasons and failed to appear in the NCAA tournament two years in a row, so it goes beyond saying it was a momentous day for the Trojan family. 

Or so it seemed. 

That's when it was discovered that it was 7'0" center Dewayne Dedmon who was signed by the Warriors. Immediately, those good feelings turned into something reminiscent of the four times I watched Two Girls One Cup (here's the link in case you want to empathize with how I feel). 

Okay, you feel it now right?

So you ask: Why do you feel so much disdain for him?

I've made it no secret on this blog about my dislike of Pablo Sandoval, who wastes his God-given talents on smashing donut shops, rather than baseballs. Ryan Braun is an unconscionable liar and cheat. 

Dewayne Dedmon is neither of those. DEWAYNE DEDMON IS A LINE-CUTTER!

On the morning of September 22, 2011, an eye-widening tweet rang out through the Twittersphere. 

J. Cole is coming to USC!!! http://t.co/1gzp0h1X
— GZ Performance Cafe (@GroundZeroUSC) September 21, 2011

SAY WHAT?! J-Cole, the pride of Fayetteville, North Carolina, rapper extraordinaire was going to be coming to MY SCHOOL! 

Up to that point in my life, I had the fantastic experiences to see LMFAO, Dat Phan, and Super Cr3w -- a VIP list of nobodies -- in person. It was a no-brainer, a decision more instant than noodles. I made the conscious choice to skip class and wait to meet the guy whose Friday Night Lights had taken the space of CD space #4 in my car for the past year.

I entered the café at 9 am. It was silent, giving no indication that an up-and-coming rapper was going to be present within the coming hours. Nothing had been set up. 

"Had I been deceived? Was this a hoax?" I asked myself. The proof was there on my phone. I had to wait. 

20 minutes later, I hear a rumbling by the café staff, "Let's set up some chairs and some lines." 

"YES!" I thought. This wasn't a joke!

To top it all off, I see Beats By Dre, the popular headphone company, setting up their own stand. People start standing in line, and there are murmurs that they will be giving out free headphones for the first few people in line.

HOLY SHIT! I was going to meet one of my favorite rappers AND get a pair of $200 headphones for free?! Skipping class has not paid off this well since I skipped Chinese 3 in high school to go get In N Out.

An hour passes by, and more people are starting to arrive. 

"It's alright," I thought to myself smugly, "These people are never going to get my type of experience."

12:30 p.m. passes, and J. Cole is still not there. I start getting antsy, and I begin to wonder if he is ever going to come. I throw out some of fanboyish tweets, hoping that he would hurry his ass up. I want to eat lunch too, asshole. 

2:30 p.m. Holy shit. I am over it. I want to eat. The MC of the event announces that J. Cole is coming in from Burbank, a 20-minute drive to LA, and is going to be late. 

"Yeah, no shit, dumbass. He was late two hours ago." 

3:15 p.m. "J.Cole is in the parking lot. He is coming now!" the MC bellows through the microphone. 

3:15:01 p.m. MAYHEM ensues. I see the teenie boppers scrambing and screaming. I was secretly screaming inside too. More so because I was hungry, rather than excitement. FINALLY!

3:16 p.m. A darkness consumes the room and a seven-foot shadow is cast upon myself and four other normal-sized human beings. 

"WTF, who turned off the lights?" I thought.

I turn around to see, 7'0" center Dewayne Dedmon of the USC basketball team standing right in front of me. 

I was immediately shocked and dazed at the sight of the school's seven-foot butterfingered, underachieving center, "He was not here before. How hard could it be to spot a seven-foot butterfingered, underachieving center?" 

Nobody says anything, and I certainly wasn't going to talk shit to a seven-foot butterfingered, underachieving center.

3:17 p.m. J. Cole enters. He immediately gets a loud roar of applause. He takes the microphone and apologizes for his tardiness, and says, "Let's get this thang going!"

I respected Cole's offer at an apology, but I was still fuming at the idea that this seven-foot blunder was in front of me, after I waited over six hours to see one of my favorite rappers.

As the line starts going, I see the Beats by Dre table giving out the headphones. My mixed emotions of excitement, rage, and hunger quickly turned to fear -- fear that I would not get a free pair of $200 headphones. 

The line progresses, and as I look up, Dedmon talks to the Beats by Dre table, and I see the very last pair of headphones going into those buttery hands... I couldn't believe it. He waited a total of ten minutes, and he got the headphones AND met J.Cole before I did. 

That ruined the moment that I had been envisioning for the past six hours. All in all, I was still ecstatic to meet such well-respected artist. I had to keep a wider perspective, and I was grateful to be able to shake hands with him and get an autograph! So I can now say that J. Cole knows my name, and here is the proof.

BUT, I still want Dewayne Dedmon cut. If he can cut in lines, he can certainly be cut from the Warriors.

Start the trend on Twitter, #CutDedmon.
THE END






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The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee.

For EVERYTHING about The Bayless Babbles, check out our blog page (HERE!)

Curry Got Bunnies

By Justin Cheng


It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Stephen Curry(?!) 

For those of you who think Curry can only shoot beyond the arc, you might want to take a look at what the Golden State Warriors star is doing in the offseason.







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The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee.

For EVERYTHING about The Bayless Babbles, check out our blog page (HERE!)

Golden Waste of Time

5 Worst Golden State Warriors of All-Time

by Justin Cheng

The Golden State Warriors are not slotted to make a selection in this year's upcoming 2013 draft all thanks to a draft pick that was spent on Marcus Williams, who spent most of his time in Oakland riding the pine pony. Prior to the 2012-13 season, we had spent the better half of two decades as the bottom feeders of the Pacific Division, overshadowing the excitement and galore of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin -- affectionately known as Run TMC. Even in the dreariest of times, the Warrior faithful have seen coaches and players alike come and go, yet the support has been unwavering -- quite the opposite of those Miami Heat fans who much rather watch Ray Allen make clutch 3-pointers from outside the stadium during an NBA Finals game. While there have been bright stars that have worn the blue and gold, this is a list of the worst Warriors in the past decade that kept us entertained enough to keep coming back to Oracle Arena.



5) Charlie Bell

Really? You thought that going to your DUI court hearing drunk was a good idea? It's not that you sucked at basketball. Now we used our amnesty clause to get rid of a mid-level bench warmer instead of Biedrins who is due to make and spend $11m on hair gel.

4) Patrick O'Bryant

Arguably the worst draft pick in franchise history, POB was also the biggest waste of seven feet of human flesh to ever touch the hardwood. The Warrior brass chose to O'Bryant 9th overall in the 2006 NBA Draft after a solid showing in the NCAA tournament with Bradley. His career with the Warriors only spanned two years, appearing in 40 games. While his on-court production was limited to garbage time, his most important contribution came when his car was infamously stuffed with popcorn, foreshadowing the fate of Kent Bazemore's Audi. 




3) Mike Montgomery 

The Stanford star coach was expected to bring similar success to Oakland. Once Baron Davis was traded to the Dubs, it was World War A through Z. As the story goes, Montgomery called out Diddy for sitting out 30 games on a sprained ankle. Later, the coach tried to hash out their differences in a conversation with his star player, but Diddy was "booked for the entire summer." Later that summer, Monty was exiled from the NBA back to the Pac 10.







2) Derek Fisher

What's worse than having a Laker in a Warrior uniform? Paying to have Derek Fisher in a Warrior uniform. Getting a six-year, $37 million contract to replace Gilbert Arenas was pretty bad already, but ending the "We Believe" season with a dagger as a member of the Utah Jazz makes him one of the most hated Warriors of all-time.






1) 2007-08 Chris Webber

You were supposed to be the cornerstone of our franchise, BUT YOU LEFT AFTER ONE SEASON AFTER WE GAVE UP PENNY HARDAWAY AND THREE FIRST-ROUND PICKS! Sure, you came back at the end of your career to play nine games, but you colossally drove our team into the depths of NBA hell for two decades. I hope you dream about your timeout call every night (OFF AWARENESS IN 2K = 0). 

The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee.

For more about the author and the blog (Click Here)

Email: baylessbabbles@gmail.com

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About Brent

SUP BABBLERS. The name is Brent Lee. For those of you not familiar with the name, you best remember it now. I am born and raised and currently residing in San Francisco. My fellow West Portal Lutheran buddy, Justin Alvin Cheng, begged me on his knees to start writing for Bayless Babbles. After countless weeks of nagging and nudging, I've finally succumbed to help the brother out. In all seriousness, Justin and I have teamed up since the 4th grade for our WPL basketball team and Bronco League baseball team, so this little mini reunion has been our fate all along. Let's make it clear now: I pitched; he caught. So now that my grandpa body has broken down, I've been relegated to writing about sports rather than playing them.

For me, my love for sports was instilled in me at a very young age by my father. He taught me to respect the game, which ever it may be. He was my basketball coach, my baseball coach, my life coach. In his eyes and now mine, sports are a microcosm of life. Practice, persistence, execution, team work, just to name a few, are all necessities on AND off the field. The analogous relationship between sports and life is just so beautiful. If there's anything my dad taught me about sports, it's that you should always root for the underdog UNLESS the underdog is playing your team. Because of that piece of knowledge, I have always and will always root for the Angels in the Outfield, the Rudy's, the Tim Tebows, the Charlotte Bobcats, and most importantly, mine and his hometown teams: Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, and San Francisco 49ers. Unpredictability. The miracles. The last second heaves. The comeback kids. Daniel Larusso and Mr. Miyagi taking down Johnny Lawrence and the Cobra Kai dojo. These are the things about sports that I've personally grown to love.

 Most recently, I became a season ticket holder for my favorite team of all-time, the Golden State Warriors! I am blessed to live in one of the greatest sports cities in the world and to be able to attend Warriors games at Roaracle. The beers and dirty dogs are also an added bonus. You already know most of my pieces will be centered on basketball.

I look forward to blogging with my brother from another mother, Justin Cheng a.k.a. Porkboii, a.k.a. Earthquake, a.k.a. Chengbang. Let the games begin. West Portal Lutheran Wildcats for life! As Zac Efron said in High School Musical 3, "Once a wildcat, always a wildcat."

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The Best Coast Bias

Why the Bay Area has the Best Fans

The West Coast Bias. How is it that we are neglected in the sports world? ESPN's fascination with the ever-irrelevant Tim Tebow and the next city in Dwight Howard's path of failed expectations is reminiscent of Lizzie McGuire's Ethan Kraft obsession. Win two World Series in three years? ESPN puts on a 10 minute segment on the Lakers' 0-8 preseason. Cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago overshadow the diehards of Northern California. I hate to sound like a Gretchen Wieners rant on Caesar, but our fans are the most unique & live without the contingency of having to win a championship to appreciate our teams (yes, Laker Nation, that would be you). So while we play the role of Gordo, we will continue to root for our teams, with the realization that someone will and should take notice.

San Francisco Giants: WE ARE JUST BETTER LOOKING

Bearded men, according to a University of New South Wales study, are found to be more attractive than men with shaven faces. Don't believe me? Click here. You can't argue with science. Besides, how could you hate on breast cancer awareness? 

Oakland Athletics: WE HAVE AMAZING DANCE MOVES

No Trevor Cahill or Gio Gonzalez? We're just going to lean all the way to the first place in the AL West. Look, I've been to an Oakland A's game, it sucks. I've seen more people at the library on a Friday night than I have O.co Coliseum, but you can't hate on people having fun in such a janky stadium. Bernie away before Brad Pitt trades your star players to pay for more adopted children.

Oakland Raiders: GUYS CAN WEAR MAKEUP

I mean, I would really want to hide behind makeup after that Tuck Rule game if I was a Raider fan too. All seriousness aside, guy liner, spikes, and skulls are pretty badass. While the team itself isn't too intimidating, nobody in the right mind, outside of a non-medicated Ron Artest, would mess with. 

Golden State Warriors: Jessica Alba, Jessica Alba, & Jessica Alba

What team can brag that AskMen.com's #1 most desirable woman of 2006 roots for our team? Her appearance at the 2007 Playoffs had pre-adolescents, pimply teenagers, and grown men jumping for joy. Jessica Alba's one-time appearance trumps Jack Nicholson & Spike Lee's seasonal courtside seats any day. Thanks Honey Daniels, you're the best.

San Jose Sharks: DIVINE INTERVENTION

If Joseph Gordon-Levitt can win with just angels, imagine what we could do with a little bit of direct intervention. How could you possibly go wrong with him rooting for us? Let's just make sure we signal when we're in trouble. 

San Francisco 49ers: WE GOT THE HARDWARE

So we haven't won since 1994, but our five Superbowl championships are still tied for second among NFL franchises. Though we love winning, that doesn't deter the Niner Faithful from our unconditional support. The evidence? Post-Jeff Garcia quarterbacks: Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey, Cody Pickett, Trent Dilfer, Shaun Hill, Chris Weinke, J.T. O'Sullivan, Troy Smith. Sure, we booed pre-Harbaugh Alex Smith, but who wouldn't have when Hellen Keller could've made a more accurate pass. While we are on the cusp of a sixth championship, expect our cheers to be even louder.

The Bayless Babbles is authored by UC Merced & USC Alumni Justin Cheng. 

Email: baylessbabbles@gmail.com 

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