Fuck Yea[h] NBA

In case you missed TNT’s draft for the 2012 NBA Rising Stars Challenge, the game will feature enmeshed Rookie and Sophomores on the same team. Those teams were selected by Charles Barkley and Shaq the other day. One name was surprisingly (to me) selected 12th, out of 20. It was a name that rang out in the preseason as someone that appeared ready to make “the leap” to super-stardom with an incredible 2011-2012 campaign. Except, he didn’t make that leap, and his team has started 7-24 through their first 31 games. 

John Wall isn’t going to forget about all grief he’s gotten this year as he’s been overshadowed by that guy from Harvard. Flip Saunders is gone, and the Wiz are playing a little better while Wall has started to come through on all the hype (he’s averaging about 20 and 10 and shooting over 50% in his last 6 games). Wall’s stats are down from his rookie campaign where he would have won the ROY award any year not featuring Blake Griffin, but he’s still leading all second year players in apg (7.6) and he’s second to Griffin in ppg (16.7). 

Of the 11 players Chuck and Diesel selected before Wall, 6 of them were guards: Kyrie Irving, Jeremy Lin, Ricky Rubio (who I would select #1 for a game like this), Marshon Brooks and Paul George. In case you forgot, Wall won the MVP of last year’s game by dishing out 22 assists as he lobed his way into DC fans’ hearts. I wonder if those six guards will bring the same flair and skill to the game that Wall can?

Wall’s quiet reemergence from the doldrums that started this abbreviated Wiz season, is the reason Michael Lee of the Washington Post has a desclaimer for the NBA: they better watch out. After Wall heard about being selected 12th, he tweeted ”Motivation,” and that’s exactly what he’s got now. I can’t wait to see what that means when they play next Saturday.

[Washington Post; Pic via WizOfAwes]