The Arrival

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My heart is in a world of water and crystal,
My clothes are damp in this time of spring rains.
Through the gates I walk on to the end,
The inner court the appointed tranquil space.
I reach the doors- they open and shut again,
Now strikes the bell- the meal time has arrived.

 

- 杜甫 (Du Fu ), from "In Abbot Zan's Room at Dayun Temple: Four Poems (1)

 

 

Meal time has arrived. 

 

For those of us who spend our time devouring NBA information, the latter half of the off-season was a desolate time. We were thrown scraps of Carmelo trade rumors, but were largely left to subsist on regurgitated training camp story-lines. Yesterday, those days of scarcity came to an end. Our days of scouring the uncharted corners of the NBA blogosphere for sustenance are over! Rejoice!

 

We can now gorge ourselves on the debuts of anticipated rookies of Blake Griffin and John Wall. We can now get our fill (and more) of the Heat, whether you watch them to witness greatness or to cheer for their downfall. You can even load up on the boundless preseason optimism for your team, as that stuff is quick to go (especially for a Timberwolves fan like myself). 

 

Be happy my friends. Meal time has arrived, and you will go hungry no more.

 

 

Programming Note:

 

You may have noticed that the season has started and I have yet to post all of the PRB's season previews. Never fear, they are on the way, and the timeless wisdom of the I Ching is not swayed by early season results.  

I Ching Insight Into the 2010-11 NBA Season: Northwest Division

The NBA blogosphere is full of team by team previews, offering insight into the upcoming season. While many of these talented writers know much more about NBA basketball than I do, none have attempted to tap into the predictive powers of the Chinese oracle that has stood for millennia, the I Ching. An explanation of the I Ching and these previews can be found here.



Portland Trail Blazers (Division: 1; Overall: 5)

Break Through(Resoluteness)

 The Judgment:
  
Break-through.One must resolutely make the matter known
At the court of the king.
It must be announced truthfully. Danger.
It is necessary to notify one's own city.
It does not further to resort to arms.
It furthers one to undertake something.

A Tool of Divination: The I Ching

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What is the I Ching?

The I Ching is one of the oldest tools of divination in the world. For thousands of years, this Chinese book has been used as an oracle, consulted to gain insight into present circumstances and possible future outcomes. 

Beginnings

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This is a blog born of necessity.

For nearly four years now I've been an ardent fan of the NBA. My love for basketball, though, began much earlier. When Hakeem dismantled the Knicks for the first of two Rockets titles, I was eight years old and was just beginning to expand my basketball horizons beyond the confines of my driveway. Through a few early years compiling a rather scant basketball card collection(Michael Finley rookie card, what what?) to my days cheering on Ronny Turiaf at Gonzaga University, my love for the game never waned.

On a night shrouded in mystery, I sat at my desk disconsolately browsing the internet for something to help me forget that the paper I should have been working on was due in less than eight hours. That's when I stumbled upon True Hoop, and forever broadened my NBA horizons. I won't claim that it was love at first sight. I didn't start reading True Hoop every day from then on, but it planted the seed of what would become a borderline unhealthy obsession with following NBA basketball.