Chris Bosh (Photo. Chris Gordaneer)At least until ‘08 NFL training camps start — and that’s being wildly optimistic — we’re all going to be beaten over the head with commercials, magazine features, Internet articles and TV segments constantly reminding us that Eli Manning and Peyton Manning both have Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl MVP trophies to their names.
But as tiresome as it will become (trust me), the story really is amazing when you think about it: the older brother who’s considered arguably the best in the sport at his position cementing his legacy with a championship, then one year later his younger brother overcoming a reputation as something of a disappointment to win it all as the leader of his team.
Is there an NBA equivalent to the Manning Brothers’ story?
Ron Artest, definitely a top-tier (or at least one notch below) small forward in the League, will tell anyone willing to listen that his brother Danny Artest can ball. Which is true. But because Danny is about 6-3, built like Mike Sweetney, and would foul out of an NBA game in about 11 minutes, he’s not going anywhere beyond Rucker Park and the minor leagues.
Chauncey Billups already has the ‘chip and the Finals MVP and could very likely add to that haul in the next few years. As for his brother Rodney Billups? He’s had some courtesy looks with the Pistons’ summer-league squad, but that’s about it.
Chris Bosh’s younger brother has a shot at the League, albeit a slim one. Joel Bosh is a senior starting forward at Alabama State, but he’s only putting up 6.5 points per game. At Alabama State. Now all you have to do is look at CB4’s teammate Jamario Moon to know that you shouldn’t really write anyone off, but the odds of Joel Bosh becoming an NBA star are like state-Lottery odds.
Had Kenyon Martin’s knees held up, maybe could’ve played the Peyton to half-brother Richard Roby’s Eli. Roby is a senior two-guard at Colorado who’s averaging 16.8 points per game and is one of the best players in the Big XII conference. A couple years ago he popped up on the first round of some NBA mock draft boards, but now he’s more of a second-rounder. And K-Mart’s better days are well behind him.
You get the picture: the outlook isn’t good. T-Mac’s half-brother Chance McGrady is a benchwarmer at Memphis; Kansas star Brandon Rush’s older brother Kareem Rush is a fringe NBA player; Jannero Pargo is a solid Sixth Man at best while his brother Jeremy Pargo will probably be the same once he leaves Gonzaga; Dwight Howard’s (significantly) little brother Jahaziel Howard is a freshman who’s redshirting at Oral Roberts; Paul Millsap’s older brother John Millsap is clocking time in the D-League; and the NBA’s Collins Twins are still the Collins Twins.
Your best bet might actually be current-day Stanford twins Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez. Both sophomores, they will probably both end up in the League and could be more than just role players. Brook, a projected Top-10 pick whenever he enters the Draft, notches around 19 points, 8 boards and 2 blocks per game. Robin is firmly behind his brother, but he also swats more than 2 shots a night along with 8 points and 6 boards per. He’ll have to stay in school longer, but he could develop into an attractive prospect.
Or if you think Sebastian Telfair will ever live up to the hype he had coming into the League and that he’ll someday run a championship team, keep an eye out for Ethan Telfair. Bassy’s little brother is tearing up the NYC scene … as a 7th grader.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:07 am
gary says:
the Wear twins from cali(both commited to UNC) they got a shot!
February 4th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Stephen says:
I am glad to see Eli win especiallay after Tiki talekd so much trash this season. I just hope he is at home ringless and eating crow.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:14 am
A$$Cube says:
How could you guys write off M.A.R.C. G.A.S.O.L.? He’s actually the best player in the Spanish ACB. The Grizzlies have his rights now. He’s gonna be legit when he comes to the L.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Smitty313 says:
Tiki at home sick right now. He thought he meant so much to the Giants, think again. Shockey probably mad also.
February 4th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Celts Fan says:
Tell me that Bassy’s little bro that’s tearing up NYC is the same one you see working out at the end of Through the Fire
February 4th, 2008 at 10:42 am
KomA says:
Marc Gasol in not best player in ACB. There are plenty of better players than Marc! Although he has potential to be great center..
February 4th, 2008 at 10:43 am
KomA says:
*is not
February 4th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Amar says:
I’d like to see an article about the top combos of nba player dad and nba player son. (with nods to older combos, like jalen rose and his dad as well, not just current cats like kobe, bibby, brewer, etc…)
It seems like, in most cases, a mediocre player’s son will be a better player than him, but a great player will have crappy sons in terms of playing. (no one talks about jordan’s sons as legit nba all-stars, rick barry had 4 sons in the nba, but none of them were great, magic’s son doesn’t even ball, karl malone’s daughter was the mvp of the wnba all-star game (i think last season), but it’s the wnba)
February 4th, 2008 at 11:01 am
sate says:
has there ever been a father - son mvp ?
February 4th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Myrie says:
Horace Grant and Harvey Grant?
Gerald Wilkins and Dominique Wilkins?
Brandin Knight and Brevin Knight?
….Maybe these brothers are more like Tiki and Ronde Barber.
February 4th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Tom (also from Toronto) says:
Candace & Anthony Parker… Anthony was the best player in Europe and Candace may soon be the best player in the WNBA. If the Raptors ever won it all, I could see Anthony Parker catching fire and getting finals MVP, but realistically he’s a lot more of a long shot than his sister.
February 4th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Austin Burton says:
Shawn Kemp and Glen Rice have sons who are pretty good high school players in the Atlanta area.
Jordan’s oldest son is a freshman walk-on at Illinois. His younger son is a H.S. junior who’s supposed to be better than the older son.
Jack Sikma’s son is a college freshman at some WAC/Big Sky school which I can’t remember.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Myrie says:
This is good. Educational. I really didn’t know Brandon Rush and Kareem Rush are brothers.
Danny Artest has some skills….but he’s like a shorter version of Oliver Miller. Hmmm…which I guess would make him Mike Sweetney. You guys at DIME are always right on.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
VERTMAN says:
Ok, what about in the past? Mark & Brent Price? Brent had some good yrs. with the Bullets. Who else from the past? Oh yah, Jon & Brent Barry were two others.
February 4th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
T Ton says:
The barry’s comprised of four brothers who had shots at the NBA. Scooter won a chip at Kansas and played in the CBA and overseas in Germany for a long time, Jon, and Brent you know about and than their youngest bro Drew was a star at Georgia Tech and I think played for the SOnics for a year or two. Their dad Rick is a HOFer.
Walton family has had some decent players. Adam was at LSU than Cal-Poly, Luke (Lakers) and the youngest I thought was going to be the best of them. He was really good at SDSU.
The lopez’s also had a older bro than played at a Pac 10 school.
February 4th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Celts Fan says:
“At least until ‘08 NFL training camps start — and that’s being wildly optimistic — we’re all going to be beaten over the head with commercials, magazine features, Internet articles and TV segments constantly reminding us that Eli Manning and Peyton Manning both have Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl MVP trophies to their names.”
that shit’s insufferable as it is. Peyton being on literally every commercial wasn’t already tiresome? and it’s even worse that both were handed their SB MVPs cuz of their last name, when everyone knows both clearly weren’t the main reasons their teams won (Joseph Addai last year, though Peyton was at least arguable, the entire Giants d-line yesterday which CLEARLY did more to effect the outcome of the game than Eli, was the MVP)
and Peyton right now has cemented his status as #2 QB in the NFL. He’s not even “arguably” better than Brady. Until (if?) he wins AT LEAST one more ring, he’s behind Brady and there’s no argument he’s better since it’s not like Peyton’s been good in the playoffs most of his career (he’s like Dirk, even if Dirk wins a ring this year, he still choked for the better part of a decade in grand fashion)
the guy I really feel bad for is Junior Seau. he came here for a ring and should’ve gotten one over the past 2 years but has seen us come up short for a variety of reasons, last year being a flu sweeping through the locker room of a team that never was good enough that they should’ve had the lead they had anyway and ending with guys like Eric Alexander trying to protect a big lead from Peyton, this year being 2 d-linemen being unable to bring down Eli’s pussy ass, the entire defense being too old to stop the more athletic Giants, and even tougher to swallow, our “genius” coach electing to go for it on 4th and 13 instead of trying a 50 yard FG that would’ve had the game tied and going to OT had they made it or single-covering a 6′5″ receiver with a 5′8″ corner in the redzone with less than a minute to go.
Anyway, the only way to have an Eli of the NBA is if his older bro is noticably unclutch for the better part of a decade, backs his way into a ring, then has a little brother who was considered “slow” by all his teachers growing up, shows up on the scene and actually wins the thing based on some very questionable opposing coaching and GREAT defense by his team, yet still get MVP like his one lucky play negated everything his teammates did.
Needless to say, I’m having a tough time with this one. All I have to say is
Fuck the Giants, Fuck Eli, Fuck our O-line, and Fuck Belichick and his fucking decisions yesterday.
February 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Myrie says:
Celtsfan–
Cheaters never win. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never prosper. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never win. Cheaters never prosper.
February 4th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Celts Fan says:
It’s funny that fans make a huge deal out of the Spygate thing, but that NFL insiders openly say everyone does it and it’s not that big of a deal. (Jaws on NFL Countdown said that almost exactly yesterday)
I say again, fuck the Giants. At least our QB wasn’t develpmentally disabled and knows that a jean jacket isn’t high fashion
February 4th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Myrie says:
Celtsfan–
Hahahehelol.
Worry not. The 2007/2008 Patriots are in the record books. And nobody can take those accomplishments away from them. Leaving a mark on the league (I feel) will always be more important than winning a championship.
There are bum teams/players that win the chip every year in every sport. Means less and less to me.
Leaving a mark with impact is far greater. And the Pats did that.
The just got beat down by the Giants defensive line (just like Tony Homo and the CowGIRLS did) Giants linemen were in their backfield after almost every snap). And on offensive, the Giants got the lucky play/break all championship teams need.
consider it this way….2nd place out of 32 is very respectable.
Hahahaha….Sucker(s)!!
February 4th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Celts Fan says:
Can’t win ‘em all Myrie. Talk to me when Eli gets 2 more or if you honestly think the best team won yesterday. Either way, this year ends up being a part of the story of the best team of the decade and adds to the legacy. They definitely failed for the year (18-1 doesn’t cut it when that 1 is in the playoffs) but they’ve still been, far and away, the best team of the decade and have individuals with all-time great careers you can argue over. This would be MUCH harder to take if we didn’t already have 3 or if we’d played better. We probably got what we deserved with all the running up the score and whatnot, but damn, to see Belichik completely outcoached like that sucks especially when people at the party I was at were screaming shit at the TV that ended up being smarter than what our “genius” coach did.