For all yall hating on Hasheem (The Dream)....

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hate on.

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[h2]http://nicekicks.com/2010/03/hasheem-thabeets-li-ning-shoe/[/h2]
[h2]Hasheem Thabeet’s Li-Ning Shoe[/h2] Posted by Bert Geyer | Mar 9, 2010

Li-Ning first splashed into the US market with the BD Dooms on the feet of Baron Davis. The Chinese sports brand, however, has a few other NBA hoopers in their arsenal of athletes. One such athlete, Hasheem Thabeet, has received his own signature shoe from Li-Ning. We are unaware of the shoe’sofficial name or if it yet has one. As you can see, the shoe is coloredto cue up with the jerseys of the Memphis Grizzlies, Thabeet’s team.

The upper seems to be thick with padding and therefore morestructurally sound under the duress of power moves from a big man suchas Hasheem. There is also an outrigger on the lateral sole to downplayroll and aid in lateral cuts. Cosmetically, there is “TH
 
Originally Posted by Scott Frost

Hopefully they put good designs on the bottom
laugh.gif
 
Zoom BBs x Flightposite II, nice tho. Bet they'd be comfy as hell if they had Nike technology (zoom, carbon fiber etc.)
 
Originally Posted by High Class Scum Bag

where can i get a pair of air thabeets?

has anyone ever seen li-nings in stores?
as of now, they only sell online and overseas in china.

i believe they are opening up a store in portland or seattle within the next quarter
 
It has become popular to bash the Grizzlies for taking Hasheem Thabeet with the second pick of the 2009 draft. The criticism had been slightly silenced by Memphis’ rise up the Western Conference ranks, but a few days ago the big Tanzanian was demoted to the NBDL and all hell broke loose. The blogosphere’s reaction ran the gamut from the habitual GM-mocking to a lot of comments on how Thabeet is already the biggest draft bust in all of sports. What’s my take on this whole circus? I think most people are wrong about Thabeet. I actually think Memphis made the right pick, too. If you want to label me Captain Save-A-Stiff, go right ahead. Just allow me to defend my case. Here’s my reasoning.
1- Thabeet actually enjoys the game of basketball. Unlike most of his gigantic brethren, such as Shawn Bradley or Gheorghe Muresan, Hasheem Thabeet is happy being a basketball player. Watch his college highlights and you’ll see him get fired up off the crowd’s energy, talk trash after big blocks and hold his position after dunking on foes. He doesn’t dunk it softly if he’s open, he tomahawks it. Much like a young Shaq, he tries to pull the rim down when he dunks in traffic. He doesn’t do the bare minimum; he spices his moves up every chance he gets. In other words, Hasheem doesn’t play basketball because he’s tall and it’s an easy path to a good livelihood. Thabeet plays basketball because he’s tall, because he’s athletic and because he wants to play basketball. As obvious as the last statement sounds, you can tell by many 7-footers’ joyless demeanor that it’s not necessarily a given in the NBA.

2- He’s surrounded by overcompetitive centers. Marc Gasol could have been content being a decent player for FC Barcelona, an European powerhouse. He wasn’t, so he sought to be dealt to Girona and became the Spanish League MVP. He was sent to Memphis and expected to be a backup at best, then proceeded to start 75 games. Instead of getting comfortable, he dropped 30 lbs over the summer and is showing signs of being a potential franchise center.

Hamed Haddadi didn’t have much to strive for either. He’s already the biggest basketball star in his homeland, the first Iranian to play in the NBA. He stands as one of the dominant forces in Asian National Team competitions and will have endorsement opportunities available to him for as long as he has a pulse. He could well have felt at home simply being the answer to a trivia question, but instead improved his game enough to be promoted up Memphis’ depth chart and has proven he has a place in the NBA. All this is to say that Thabeet will pretty much be forced to work that much harder than he usually would. When a player enjoys his craft, he aims to be better than his competition and that competition starts in practice, where Thabeet is lucky to face off with two hungry players day in and day out.

3- He’s mentally strong. Being the highest draft pick ever to be sent down to the D-League could break many players. When demoted, Thabeet answered his team’s challenge by averaging 14ppg, 11rpg and 3bpg. Where others would have sulked and dogged their way through games, Thabeet used his D-League time to regain his mojo and dominate the competition, however inferior. The demotion was Thabeet’s wake-up call, and he responded by raising his game and showing glimpses of a more polished post game that he may not have been confident enough to break out in an NBA game. Away from the bright lights and the pressure not to mess up, Thabeet realized his skills are still there. All in all, I think being sent to Dakota will end up being a blessing in disguise.

4- He’s got good coaching. Lionel Hollins was regarded by many as a lame duck going into the season, but he earned his team’s respect by standing by his convictions regarding the Allen Iverson situation. Hollins held his own and changed many people’s perception of him. Instead of giving up on flailing youngsters, Hollins has taken a tough love approach that has already worked with Haddadi and Mike Conley. The same principle seems to be applied to Thabeet, and given the early returns it seems like it will have been in the best interest of the former Husky. Any time you play for a COY candidate, you’re bound to improve.

5- Here’s where I defend the pick. Zach Randolph is probably gone after next season, especially if the Grizzlies don’t remain in their upward swing. Marc Gasol will have many a suitor and will command a very large salary that will make resigning both him and Randolph a pipe dream. The Grizzlies will have a need at center in two seasons’ time, and Thabeet will have developed noticeably by then.

I know the Grizz could have taken Steph Curry, Brandon Jennings or even Darren Collison, but that would mean either ostracizing the rookie or giving up on Mike Conley. Given that the former Buckeye is already viewed as a franchise PG in the making, there’s no reason to stunt his growth. I’m aware Tyreke Evans was also available, but I believe OJ Mayo has almost the same upside and is a better defender.

Thabeet was in no way the best pick for the short term, but in an age of spineless personnel moves I think we should praise the Grizzlies for making a bold gamble. Even if it means applauding Chris Wallace.

Off Fanscribe. As said above, most people should hold their horses on hating on Hasheem this early.
 
I'm not giving my view on that, I'm giving Chris Wallace's view. If your GM and your head coach think your starting PG has franchise potential, it would be downright foolish to draft somebody else with the same potential. The Stack/Iverson situation proved that you can't have to big-time projects at once.
 
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