Welcome to the latest edition of FTB!  Today we’re covering Zach Harper.  Zach runs the wonderful “Cowbell Kingdom” blog, a blog dedicated to the Sacramento Kings.  His work has been a 3MW fave-read for quite a while, so we’re very excited to have him answer a few questions for us!

1. How did you get into blogging?
   I got into blogging because I was egotistical enough to think my opinion mattered as much as or even more than the people I was reading every day. Like many young writers four or five years ago, I wanted to be another Bill Simmons or a better version of Bill Simmons or friends with Bill Simmons or something equivalent to that. So after a couple of contributions to various sites, I decided to start my own blog and be my own editor/boss in June of 2007.
2. Do you also write for any print outlets?
   I do not write for any print outlets. I do freelance work for ESPN.com on occasion but that’s the closest I get to print.
3. Do you find blogging easy?  Why?
   I don’t find it easy, which is why I love it so much. With the NBA, there is always something happening and always something to prove correct or incorrect. I think the challenge of trying to be thorough, correct and entertaining is something I will never feel like I’m truly accomplishing all at once. But I love a good challenge and love the fact that this just isn’t easy.
4. Have you studied journalism?
   I studied journalism a bit here and there but for the most part, I just read a lot of articles.
5. Who are your favorite bloggers?
   Trey Kerby, Kelly Dwyer, Matt Moore, Rob Mahoney, Beckley Mason, Ethan Sherwood Strauss, Bethlehem Shoals, JE Skeets and Tom Ziller are all my favorite bloggers. You learn a lot about a lot of different things reading them every day.
6. Did you play/do you play basketball?
   I did play basketball for a long time before various knee and ankle injuries grounded me quite a bit. Now I play whenever I can but it’s not as often as I would like.
7. Fondest memory of the game growing up?
   I just loved watching guys like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Hakeem Olajuwon rip the heart of their opponents out in front of people that hated them doing it. Probably my absolute fondest memory is Jordan’s Flu Game because it was a true testament to what the greatest of all time was capable of, even when he was physically incapable of accomplishing it.
8. Favorite team? (can be a particular season)
   The 1999-2000 Minnesota Timberwolves were probably my favorite team. Kevin Garnett had truly emerged as one of the premier players in the NBA, Terrell Brandon was deadly from mid-range and Malik Sealy finally seemed to have a place in the NBA. That team was 50 games despite not being all that deep and they were fun to follow throughout the entire season.
9. Favorite player, past or present?
   Kevin Garnett is always going to be my favorite player. He has a mixed/bad reputation now but I’ve never seen a player play with more passion than this guy. A few players have matched his passion but nobody has ever exceeded it from what I’ve watched of him. He’s given everything he has to the game of basketball and I appreciate him for that.
10. Tell us about whether you see basketball in a social context; is it important, is it useful, does it break down barriers or is it another way to exclude people?
    It has the potential to be transcendent throughout society. The fact that Allen Iverson and Latrell Sprewell could influence society as much as they did, Michael Jordan could have everybody wanting his insignia and players can be so close to fans in so many ways every night shows the power the NBA has. But unfortunately, we see business get in the way of the spirit of the game too often. This is a good and a bad thing in many ways.
11. What teams in this new season are you looking out for?
    I honestly am looking out for all of them. Every team has a unique and interesting story. Watching Larry Brown try to steer a team without a point guard into back-to-back playoff appearances is just as fun to me as watching the debacle/revolution in Minnesota, the rebuilding in Sacramento, the rebranding with the Warriors, the shot for the 3-peat with the Lakers, and the insanity surrounding the Miami Heat. If I’m forced to pick just one team, it has to be the Heat. No matter what the outcome of their season, it’s an aspect of an experiment that needs to be covered, analyzed and enjoyed.
12. Player to watch? (any league)
    John Wall is going to set the world on fire. Watch him at every chance you get. You won’t be sorry.

In this edition of FTB, we’re talking to Nels from the great Give Me The Rock blog.  If you’re a fantasy basketball nut (and who isn’t these days), the guys at GMTR have you covered, from draft season to regular season to playoffs, and everything in between.

1. How did you get into blogging?
   It was back in the Summer of ’04 and I was looking for fantasy basketball advice, but there was no fantasy basketball advice to be found. This was back in the halcyon days of blogging before every possible niche was filled with at least 3-4 different blogs with 3-4 authors apiece. I started out just writing about injuries, trades, and free agent pick-ups and their affect on the upcoming fantasy season.
2. Do you also write for any print outlets?
   Print is dead. The information they publish isn’t dead, but, much like CDs, the medium is dead. I’m not just saying that because I’m jealous because I don’t actually write for any print outlets. But I don’t. I have before, but I like being my own boss, and I’ll take the hit to my marketing, distribution, and ability to date models that comes with sticking to my blog.
3. Do you find blogging easy?  Why?
   I find the blogging easy. I don’t find the finding the time for blogging easy, but when I’m actually sitting there with a draft in front of me, it’s easy to generate words and pictures. Sometimes it comes out as crap, but at least when it does it’s not like I’m struggling to put it together. The gems seem to almost happen by accident, but it’s probably more just experience with doing it so consistently for 6 years now that just kind of mines things from my mind that are so good I sometimes doubt they’re even mine. (See how I did that?)
4. Have you studied journalism?
   Not a wit. I’ve studied creative writing a bit, but I don’t think they’re even close to the same thing. Everything I know I learned from reading the news growing up and other blogs now. I used to be one of the more literate software developers, but it seems that more and more there are less and less of the stereotypical ponytail geeks with shirts that say “No, I won’t fix your computer” and my profession is now full of geeks, nerds, slightly cooler people, and some super awesome people.
5. Who are your favorite bloggers?
   Mostly anyone who writes about fantasy basketball right now. Damn Lies and Statistics: http://damnliesandstatistics.wordpress.com, Fantasy Basketball Daily: http://www.fantasybasketballdaily.com, Fantasy Basketball Blog: http://www.fbasketballblog.com, Life is Just A Fantasy Basketball Blog: http://lifeisfantasybasketball.blogspot.com, Weakside Help: htftp://www.weaksidehelp.com
   
6. Did you play/do you play basketball?
   I did, then I didn’t, now I do. I played in middle school when pretty much everyone got to be on a team. Then I tried out for my high school team and didn’t make it. Now I play with a bunch of people who are like me: not that good, but just like playing.
7. Fondest memory of the game growing up?
   Probably the Jordan Shrug. Even though he was playing against my childhood team – the Blazers – at the time, that defined how good a player could be, at basketball or pretty much any other sport.
8. Favorite team?
   Chicago Bulls. But I like other teams and can get excited for just about anyone come playoff time.
9. Favorite player, past or present?
   I guess it would have to be Jordan. Typical, but as someone who was a teenager in the 90′s, I’m not sure how you can pick anyone else. Jordan is the only player I’ve ever had featured on a shirt (actually, multiple shirts), so I think that distinguishes him from any other player that’s come since. I’m pretty close to getting one of those Derrick Rose “Jersey” T-shirts, though, so I guess that gives you past and present there.
10. Tell us about how you see basketball in a social context; is it important, is it useful, does it break down barriers or is it another way to exclude people?
    I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about it that way. I mean, I know there’s Basketball Without Borders, and plenty of people who watch basketball throughout the world, but I’ve never really actively considered it in that way. I don’t think it’s really important, since if it didn’t exist, people who connect via basketball would probably just use another sport to make that connection, but it is useful in that it does give people a chance to connect and share their feelings, emotions, theories, and knowledge. It has certainly broken down some barrier for me – one of the writers at GMTR lives in the Phillipines, and I’ve been (pleasantly) surprised with the number of Filipino NBA fans I’ve found through GMTR. I’ve also connected with people from a multitude of other countries around the world. The internet may be the real catalyst behind that sort of connection, but without basketball who knows what people I would have found.
11. What teams in the upcoming world championships are you looking out for?As the US goes into the elimination round, I’d be looking out for anyone they’re playing. Everyone says Angola is going to be a pushover in the first round, but if I were coaching, I’d be making sure that the players take nothing for granted.
12. Player to watch? (any league)
    I’m very interested to see how David Lee does in Golden State. Luckily, he’s going from the fast pace of the Knicks to the fast pace of the Warriors, but I want to see if his game can in fact translate across teams.
    As a Bulls fan, I’m watching Ronnie Brewer. He’s got an opportunity to get back to the kind of playing time he had in Utah, and I’m just excited to finally have a Shooting Guard over 6 ft 3.

1. How did you get into blogging?
   Almost 4 years ago, I found Forum Blue and Gold when I was reading up on various Lakers sites and loved the content and the community.  After being a regular commenter at that site for a little over a year, the owner of the site (Kurt Helin) asked if I’d like to contribute content to the main pages of the site.   And that’s really how I got introduced to blogging.  I started out by writing a post every now and again while still contributing in the comments section of the site on a daily basis to the point that I became a mainstay at the site.  When Kurt moved on to Pro Basketball Talk, I took over Forum Blue and Gold full time and have been at it ever since.
2. Do you also write for any print outlets?
   I don’t write for any print outlets.  Not that I’m against that idea, but I’ve never had the opportunity to do so.
3. Do you find blogging easy?  Why?
   I’m not sure it’s easy or difficult, per se.  It’s work that I definitely enjoy.  It can be time consuming but also very rewarding.  Like anything else that I commit myself to, I want to do this well and there are times where getting it done exactly the way I want can be tedious.  Whether that’s because I have to put in a lot of time watching extra game tape or fact checking a particular piece or just making sure I’m communicating my point effectively.  But in the end, one thing I can say is that talking sports is something that I love to do.  If I wasn’t writing for Forum Blue & Gold, I’d be talking about the Lakers with friends or complete strangers that I meet on the street.  I  can say that the one thing I found a bit hard at first was that because I don’t have a writing background, I had to to adjust to the concept of writing every day but I think I’ve found my stride in that regard.
4. Have you studied journalism?
   I have not studied journalism in any sort of formal setting.  When I was in college, I studied History and Sociology.
5. Who are your favorite bloggers?
   There are so many, but I’ll try to name as many as I can (sorry if I leave someone out).  Considering he’s a mentor to me, I have to start out with Kurt Helin who started Forum Blue & Gold and now writes for Pro Basketball Talk.  Henry Abbott of TrueHoop is someone I respect a great deal and read every day.  Ditto to Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie. Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop and Clipperblog is fantastic. I also greatly respect Matt Moore who writes for Hardwood Paroxysm and CBS Sports’ Fact and Rumors Blog among many other sites.  Bethlehem Shoals of Free Darko. Tom Ziller of FanHouse and Sactown Royalty.  There’s also a bunch of writers from the TH Network that I read on a daily basis: John Krolik (Cavs The Blog and Pro Basketball Talk), Rob Mahoney (The Two Man Game, Hardwood Paroxysm), Sebastian Pruiti (NBA Playbook, Nets are Scorching), Tim Varner (48 Minutes of Hell), and Zach Harper (ESPN, Cowbell Kingdom, and many other places) are a few off the top of my head.  I also try to read folks who cover the Lakers so Andy and Brian Kameneztky at ESPNLA’s Land O’ Lakers Blog, Dexter Fishmore/Chris Clark/Robert Baptista from Silver Screen and Roll, and Phillip Barnett and Jeff Skibiski who contribute to Forum Blue & Gold are the guys that I try to read whenever they put up content.  Outside of the many basketball sites that I read, one of my favorite sites that I visit daily is Blogging The Boys (a Dallas Cowboys Blog) where I really enjoy the work of Rafael Vela.
6. Did you play/do you play basketball?
   I still play some pick up basketball every now and then and was playing in organized men’s leagues up until about a year ago.  Growing up I played organized basketball in middle school and high school but did not play in college.  It’s a bit of a regret of mine that I didn’t try to play in college – I went to a Division II school and when I look back I think I may have been able to play at that level (there’s no way I could have played DI ball), but I never did try out for the team.
7. Fondest memory of the game growing up?
   My fondest memory has to be Magic’s baby hook against the Celtics in 1987.  Growing up, that rivalry with the Celtics meant so much (it still does) so watching Magic hit that shot and put the Lakers up 3 games to 1 in the series – essentially putting the C’s in a position where winning would be impossible – was just amazing.  Every time I think of that play in my mind, I can still hear Chick Hearn’s call in my head and I’m forced to smile.
8. Favorite team?
   I’m a big Lakers fan, obviously.  In football I follow the Cowboys.
9. Favorite player, past or present?
   Magic Johnson is still my favorite professional athlete of all time.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the current players and think Kobe deserves to be mentioned with the all time greats of the game, but there was something about watching Magic play that will stay with me forever.   If I was to go outside of basketball, one of my favorite players ever is the late, great Walter Payton.
10. Tell us about how you see basketball in a social context; is it important, is it useful, does it break down barriers or is it another way to exclude people?
    This is a deep question that deserves more than the few sentences that I’ll dedicate to it now.  But to answer it succinctly, yes I think basketball is important in a social context.  In it’s essence, basketball is a game where teamwork and sharing are important. When looking at the game, even though one player can have a disproportionate effect on the outcome of a contest, it takes a unit working together to really accomplish the larger goal at hand. And because of this fact, I think basketball can bring people together by fostering relationships and developing a sense of togetherness.  And really, we’re seeing that every day.  Whether it’s the great work being done byBasketball Without Borders on a larger scale or on a smaller scale Ommri Casspi (the first Israeli born NBA player) and Hamed Haddadi (the first Iranian born NBA player) greeting each other and showing camaraderie before a game last year, I think it’s easy to see that basketball can have a unifying effect in people’s lives.
11. What teams in the upcoming world championships are you looking out for?
    I’m quite excited to see how this version of Team USA performs.  I think this tournament will cement Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose as top level players in the NBA (though Durant is really already there after his fantastic year last season) and I’m also anxious to see how Odom performs.  As for the other countries in the tourney, I want to see more of the host nation Turkey, and would like to see how Brazil fares with their bruising frontcourt of Nene/Splitter.  And, of course, I’m always interested in what Spain is going to do as it’s clear that they’re one of the best basketball playing nations in the world.
12. Player to watch? (any league)
    This will probably make me sound like an unbelievable homer, but I still say we all need to enjoy watching Kobe Bryant play basketball.  Yes he’s getting up there in years and with the influx of young talent into the NBA (where players like Lebron, Paul, Durant, Rose, etc are proving to be fantastic talents) it’s easy to start to move on to the next generation of players.  But, Kobe still does it night in and night out and brings something special to the floor for every contest.  Every year he seems to add to his arsenal and he brings that competitive fire every single night.  He’s just someone that I’ve felt lucky to watch for his entire career and I believe he’s got several more strong seasons in him.

Welcome to our latest section, From The Bleachers, where we’ll be interviewing great basketball bloggers from around the world about their work, their backgrounds and their favourite teams.

We are very pleased to introduce our first FTB interviewee, Matt Hubert.

Matt runs the fantastic D-League Digest, a blog devoted to the NBA’s Development League.  He’s a great writer, and obviously has a great passion for what he does.  He also has the privilege of getting a shot swatted by Lebron…

1. How did you get into blogging?

For me, blogging was a natural convergence of two of my greatest loves in life—writing and sports (specifically basketball). My first blog venture was the self-titled MattHubert.com, where I covered all sports but primarily pro and college football and basketball from December 2007 to July 2009. I also co-hosted a podcast during that time with my brother Mike.

In April 2009, I launched Blog Talk BayHawk, covering my hometown Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. In February, Steve Weinman invited me on board as a contributor to D-League Digest of the ESPN TrueHoop Network.

Then, in July, Steve stepped down to take a job with the NBA and graciously offered me the opportunity to take over his role as lead writer for D-League Digest. I retired Blog Talk BayHawk and currently write exclusively for D-League Digest, where I plan to focus my efforts for the upcoming D-League season.

2. Do you also write for any print outlets?

I have a freelance writing relationship with a few different companies, but I don’t currently write for any sports-related print outlets. Of course, if there are any sports-related print outlets out there that are interested in my services, I’d be happy to listen to them, but I’m happy doing what I’m doing as a blogger right now.

3. Do you find blogging easy? Why?

I think this is a bit of a trick question. Yes, it is easy to blog in the sense that any 15-year-old with Internet access and cursory knowledge of a topic can start his or her own blog today. But producing a good blog is a much greater challenge. It requires a talented writer (or writers) who is committed to providing unique, quality content, which consists of informed opinions, insight and analysis. Depending on the circumstances, a good blog may require some actual reporting as well.

The thing is, even if you meet all of those requirements of having a good blog, the most difficult part is finding and maintaining a steady, loyal readership. Bloggers write with the intent of being read. If you’re good enough and patient enough, the readers will eventually come, but there are so many blogs out there—and new ones launching every day—so it’s definitely not easy to find a niche.

4. Have you studied journalism?

I graduated summa cum laude from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., with a degree in English and a duel concentration in writing and creative writing. So I wasn’t a journalism major, but I did study journalism. I took a handful of journalism courses as part of my requirements for the writing concentration. I also completed a 10-week internship at the Erie Times-News during my senior year (spring term, 2007). The bottom line is I don’t have the training of someone who went to school for journalism, but I have a solid foundational understanding of journalistic style, practice, and ethics that I hope helps dispel the old guard’s living-in-his-parents’ basement stereotype bloggers have been trying to shed for years.

5. Who are your favorite bloggers?

I know I’m going to end up leaving someone important off this list, but there are just so many talented people doing great things in the blogosphere these days. I’ll limit my list to basketball bloggers. I have to start with Henry Abbott, who is like the Bill Walsh of the basketball blogging tree with so many others branching off from his fantastic and groundbreaking work at TrueHoop.

Kevin Arnovitz, Abbott’s colleague at TrueHoop is another must-read for me. I think the stuff that Scott Schroeder and Jon L post at Ridiculous Upside—a trailblazing D-League blog that predates D-League Digest—is some of the most entertaining stuff out there today. As a Lakers fan, I used to love reading Kurt Helin at Forum Blue & Gold (now in the very capable hands of Darius Soriano), and still enjoy Helin’s work for NBC’s ProBasketballTalk.

Sebastian Pruiti is working all the time, putting out some great content at Nets Are Scorching and NBA Playbook. Steve Weinman, my predecessor at DLD is probably the most talented blogger on the inactive list right now. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Matt Moore, whose work can be found on a myriad of sites these days, including Hardwood Paroxysm, AOL Fanhouse and CBS Sports. Finally, my favorite player blogger is Mike Gansey, the former Erie BayHawk who just signed overseas with CB Canarias. I could go on and on; clearly there’s no shortage of great bloggers out there today!

6. Did you play/do you play basketball?

I starred in grade school and played freshman and JV ball at my high school before being cut my from the varsity team in junior year. I went on to play two years of CYO and then intramurals in college. In college, I earned the nickname “Half Court Hero” because I was still skilled enough to light it up in a half court pick-up game but not in shape to perform on the same level if the game was stretched full court. I’ll always love the game, but I don’t play nearly as much as I’d like to anymore.

7. Fondest memory of the game growing up?

Well, it’s not really a fond memory per se, but my best basketball story is when my team played against LeBron James in a travel tournament in Ohio the summer after fifth grade. We were called the Dunkin’ Dutchmen, a collection of the best fifth graders from the Erie area, but we were in for a rude awakening against LeBron. He towered above the competition, literally and figuratively. Parents of my teammates questioned his age, but he was legit. (He’s actually three months younger than me.)

I took the first shot of the game, a long jumper, and he swatted it out of bounds. It didn’t get any better from there. We had no answer for him defensively. The score was so lopsided at halftime that he left to go play with the older kids in search of better competition. We lost handily. Even without LeBron there in the second half, we were no match for that team. But now I have that story, so it wasn’t a total loss.

8. Favorite team?

I’m a Lakers fan, but before you toss out the B word, hear me out. My first memory from my childhood is watching the Lakers-Pistons in the Finals (couldn’t tell you if it was ’88 or ’89 but I like to think it was ’88 since they won) as my dad cheered on Magic, Kareem and the gang. I’ve followed them loyally ever since, and I even owned a Nick Van Exel and an Eddie Jones jersey back in the day.

9. Favorite player, past or present?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod, though there’s a special place in my heart for Robert Horry and Derek Fisher. I also have a crazy amount of respect for Kobe Bryant as I’ve had the privilege of watching his game mature at the same time that my understanding of the game was maturing. Chris Webber tops my list of favorite non-Lakers as I was a huge Fab Five fan, and I remain a loyal Michigan basketball and football fan to this day because of that group’s influence.

10. Tell us about how you see basketball in a social context; is it important, is it useful, does it break down barriers or is it another way to exclude people?

Basketball is inherently a social game, on and off the court. When all five players on the court are communicating and functioning as one—think 2008 Celtics defense—it’s tough to beat that. The basketball blogging community is, in my opinion, among the best on the Web. And the most exciting part is that we’re just in the tip-of-the-iceberg stage of figuring out how to leverage all the tools and technology available to us to enable fans get the most out of following the sports they love.

Everyone knows the 2010 basketball fan experience is so incredibly different than the 1980 fan experience, but it’s also vastly different from the 2000 fan experience or the 2005 fan experience. And things are evolving and changing so rapidly, that there’s no telling what breakthroughs will be impacting fan experiences in 2012, 2020 and beyond, but blogs and social media play an important role in sports today, and I think that’s a good thing.

11. What teams in the upcoming world championships are you looking out for?

Obviously I’m most familiar with the U.S. squad. I’ve also heard/read good things about Spain. Beyond that, I don’t have a lot of insight. In all honesty, I don’t follow the international basketball scene too closely outside of an Olympic year, so I’ll have to plead ignorance on this one.

12. Player to watch? (any league)

Latavious Williams. He recently became the first player ever to go from high school to the D-League to get drafted by the NBA (selected in the second round by Miami and then traded to Oklahoma City). He’ll likely spend most (if not all) of this season developing further with OKC’s D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, where he played last season. He’s still got a lot of rawness to his game, but if his year one development is any indication, he could be a great find for the Thunder down the road.