Forum Blue And Gold

A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers).

FB&G NCAA Tournament Pick ‘Em

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FB&G’s March Madness Tourney Pick ‘Em is back off hiatus. I figure, if you’re a Lakers’ fan, you’re probably already heavily invested in what’s going on in college basketball (or at least know who Brandon Ingram is — sorry Ben Simmons, LSU isn’t in the tourney) so why not let you try to defeat me and my infinite knowledge of the college game. (I actually have almost zero knowledge of the college game.)

To sweeten the pot, and offer more than just bragging rights, we have actual prizes for the winner! Whoever wins the challenge will receive a copy of two wonderful basketball books which have recently released.

The first is Jonathan Abram’s “Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution”.  I am currently reading this book and it is fantastic. Abrams offers fantastic background and in-depth storytelling, giving us a glimpse into the stories of some of the best players to ever play. Again, I’ve just started the book, but the sections on Moses Malone and KG got me hooked. I’m now reading about Kobe and…I really cannot recommend the book enough. You can buy the book from Amazon at the link above.

The second is Andy Glockner’s “Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion”. I have not yet started Glockner’s book, but I have heard it is smart and well written; that it is an excellent look at many factors, techniques, and methods of building a champion, from player development to front office mechanizations. This is exactly the type of stuff I love to read and recommend you pick up a copy yourself (amazon link above). I also want to give a special thanks to Glockner who saw I was going to buy a copy of Abrams’ book for whoever won the pool and offered to throw in a copy of his book too.

Now that you know the stakes, let’s get to how you get in on the action. The league is through ESPN and the information is right here:

Group Name: ForumBlue&Gold
Password: readytoplay

Simply click this link, join the group, fill out your bracket, and you’re in. Simple as snickerdoodles. The bracket will close when the first game tips, so get to it already.

*I am not limiting this contest to people who reside in the U.S. though I have not yet determined how books will be shipped internationally. We will cross that bridge if we have to. Also note, it’s only one entry per person so no trying to stack the deck with 15 brackets. You get one chance, and only one, chance to lose to me. 


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. BigCitySid says

    -I’m in…under the moniker of Smooooth Sid. I’ll start making room on my bookshelf this weekend, lol. Thanks D.

  3. DieTryin' says

    Sounds like fun. The good news is that you won’t have worry about international shipping when you send these books out. I’m here in Cali. 🙂

  5. Gary says

    Celtics preparing an all out push for KD:

    http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14980985/boston-celtics-position-make-serious-run-kevin-durant-free-agency

    In summary:
    1. Celtics have a strong young nucleus
    2. They have a boatload of picks in the near term
    3. They have Brad Stevens and a stable FO
    4. They are in the East and have an easier path to the finals

    Lakers nightmare scenario is that the Celtics get a high pick, sign KD and Horford (not high on him due to age/injury history but it appears KD likes him). The Green would be in a position to add to their championship totals as they would be the dominate team in the East.

  6. matt says

    It’s going to be interesting to see which college player’s draft stock rises due to tourney success, and fall.
    I’ve already seen mocks of ingram #1, simmons #2
    Also saw a mock of melo trimble going to the lakers in round 2

  11. Mid-Wilshire says

    Stats,

    No UCLA. Not this year. You’ll have to cheer for Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona or (god forbid) USC if you want to be loyal to the PAC 12. Otherwise, go with a winner like Kansas. I think they’re really tough. They could win it all. But…you can never tell.

  12. Renato Afonso says

    The most important thing is that Simmons is not there. If Ingram does well, he might jump to #1. We shouldn’t care. Let’s hope we get #2…

  13. Fern says

    I don’t give a damn about the Cetls,really, and I reeeally doubt KD would sign with the Celts. And even if he signs I don’t see anyone in the east beating GS or SA. In my opinion either he stays in OKC or signs with GS. Mitch taking that scouting trip is interesting to say the least. Scouting a potential #3 draft pick looks like. College ball is meh to me im only interested in individual players for the reasons we all know.

  14. BigCitySid says

    – I can see KD in Boston…he’s appears to be that sort of fella. I’m w/ you Gary. Hate the thought. With your scenario, Celtics can become a contender.

    – They’d be a lot closer to #18 than we’d be to #17.

  15. stats says

    Mid – it was a gentle dig into their lousy season. I’m a Cal alum and so have a home team in the dance this year, for a change. Go Bears!

    btw – thanks for your post about addiction a few days ago. a beautiful piece of writing.

  16. Vasheed says

    Sam Amico “Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak attended Macabbi Tel Aviv practice to watch potential draft pick Dragan Bender, per basketball journalist Jake Fischer. ”

    Good to see Mitch doing his due diligence.

  17. matt says

    I was wrong about bender according to bleacher report newest mock draft he is eligible for nba play next year

  18. Clay Bertrand says

    I remember Dragan Bender’s cousin John Bender from The Breakfast Club. His dad put out a cigar on his arm because he spilled paint in the garage and he was known to participate in Heavy Metal Vomit parties.

    I hope Dragan lives a cleaner lifestyle as an Elite Athlete w a future……

  20. Clay Bertrand says

    Fern, LOL. Just an arcane 80s movie reference to the film The Breakfast Club. There’s a line spoken by Claire, (played by the indelible Molly Ringwald) wherein she references “…one of your Heavy Metal Vomit Parties…” that John Bender (played oh so memorably by Judd Nelson) socially participates in.

    I don’t know what a HMVP actually IS, but I’m with you— I’M IN!!!!!

    In fact, I will probably be hosting one the night of the lottery draw………. : )

  21. Fern says

    LOL Clay, I haven’t watched that movie in decades. Depends how the ping pong balls bounce i decide if i have one myself lol

  23. matt says

    Bleacher report mock draft has center stephan Zimmerman going to lakers 2nd round, that would be a great pick

  26. Stats says

    Not a USC fan, but I will always root for pac12 over teams not-from-the-West. Disappointing day. AZ, CO and USC? Thank goodness for Utah.