When Wanting "All The Smoke" Goes Wrong
Friends, we’re about to take a long walk to make a rather obvious point (and more!).
“This is Memphis,” Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said back in May. “We don’t bluff. We want all the smoke.”
In October, at a sold-out FedExForum geared toward Memphis Madness, featuring a crowd wearing a team-issued gray sweatshirt reading All the Smoke, Hardaway doubled all the way down.
“All that means to us is we’re not afraid to play anybody,” Hardaway said. “We’re not intimidated and we’re not afraid to play anybody. If that offends people, then that’s crazy because we’re supposed to be confident in who we are and we’re in this to win and that’s what we’re going to be. And I’m going to keep that mindset because that’s who I am.”
Hardaway’s now infamous “all the smoke” line actually came shortly after a fire was coming up Memphis’ own ass. Before the smoke was to begin puffing, the Tigers were getting walloped by traditional powers and NCAA-approved coaches.
In December of last year, following a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, a kerfuffle of sorts happened between the Vols and Tigers. According to Hardaway, Tennessee players were ready for some fisticuffs. From Barnes’ point of view, Penny’s comments were laughable.
On his radio show, Vol Calls on WNML, Barnes said: “It was a very difficult game to call when guys are trying to pick up fouls and every time there’s contact jumping back and this and that.”
He also joked about Hardaway’s postgame comment that the UT players had their “fists balled” and “ran over to fight.”
”At any time Saturday did you ball your fist up and get ready to fight the other commentator?” Barnes said on the show.
Penny Hardaway didn’t take any of this laying down.
“Honestly, if you just watch the film I’m not making anything up,” Hardaway said. “We even had it on the phone. I don’t know who Rick Barnes thinks I am, but I’m not a dude that’s going to mess around about anything. I just call it like I see it. No matter how he’s trying to make things seem, and I think it’s kind of low class how he’s trying to downgrade my guys for flopping and all that. Man, come on, give me a break.”
And this, somehow, brings us to the entire James Wiseman saga.
It doesn't matter that the NCAA filed it under "a charity of his choice." If Wiseman "must" donate $11,500 to be eligible to play college basketball again, it's a fine.
The governing body of college sports is fining… an unpaid laborer. Is the kid to take out a loan? Is his family to assume the projected NBA Draft Lottery pick will go uninjured the rest of the way, and risk long-term financial windfalls by breaking the bank?
Why is the NCAA even doing all of this?
The Memphis Tigers and Penny Hardaway had the bravado to not only initially push back, playing the future NBA player a couple of games, but the coach had the nerve to have a personality since joining the college basketball ranks as a head coach.
It's being reported that the NCAA is not yet done with the school. Why? Not because Marky Mark Emmert and the NCAA Funky Bunch know there's nefarious things laying around. It's since the governing body's feelings were hurt Penny and company weren't fully subservient the moment Wiseman's eligibility was questioned.
Moreover, one has to wonder — if not downright write it out (as I’m doing here) — if any of this would be happening if the shoe was on any almost any other coach’s foot.
The NCAA had to go out of its way to make Hardaway a booster. The timeline suggests as much, as the organization originally ruled Wiseman eligible prior to the season, then waited for the least opportune time for the Tigers to say otherwise. In fact, the umbrella company went more than a decade back, well before Wiseman was a thought as a recruit or Hardaway as a coach, to find a roughly million dollar gift Penny gave to his alma mater to rule him a “booster” for life.
Again, at the time, Wiseman was seven and Penny was lifetimes away from being considered the next head coach of Memphis (or even just an AAU guy).
Using that, then the money he gave Wiseman’s mother to help the family move closer to James’ sister, the NCAA figured out a way to get Wiseman out of the paint, hurting the Tigers and Hardaway in the process.
It was an insanely long, somewhat problematic walk to get this done. This was more dirt digging than the NCAA would normally do. It’s rather obvious why, as the governing body fears a non-blue-blood rising from the ashes like a great phoenix, especially when its leader is a man who isn’t willing to do whatever the NCAA wants at its beck and call.
Our friendly NCAA is actually stealing a playbook from politics. Rather than being right or wrong, choose to defiantly be whatever your ideals (or lack thereof) are, hoping your base will support you no matter what... mostly for all the wrong reasons.
Nevertheless, James Wiseman, essentially a kid without a job, was fined five-figure dollars because of the actions of other people.
TV Show Of The Week
Listen, Mr. Robot is fantastic. While I didn’t love the seasons sandwiched between one and the finale, this last season has churned out three all-time episodes in television history.
People have all sorts of theories on how this show ends and what it’s “really” about. From my current point of view, I do still believe it’s about mental illness, coping and the feeling of being alone (even when you’re not).
Nevertheless, looking forward to see how this baby ends. After that, Sam Esmail, the creator of the show, who has numerous projects in the works, has an in-universe Battlestar Galactica show coming down the pipe. This has me tickled pink.
Video Game Of The Week
The Mass Effect trilogy is my favorite set of games ever. Andromeda was clearly a disaster and the final installment in the originally trilogy was lacking due to the ending; though that’s a complain I’m willing to swallow.
Bioware has been tanking ever since Andromeda. Just disaster after disaster. While the company is likely looking to retool the Mass Effect series, figuring out new stories to tell, I suggest a simpler fix.
Reboot the damn franchise.
I get it. I’m anti-reboot, too. However, video games are different than TV shows and movies. Technology makes it so replaying Final Fantasy VII (the remake!) will feel like a new experience.
A similar thought process can be shipped over to the Metal Gear franchise, as Phantom Pain also had a bull-ish ending. Realize what “worked” about the Mass Effect franchise. Why fans truly cared. Hone in on that, leave the rest alone, and stop worrying about micro-transactions via online modes.
Alas, everyone has their own set of preferences when it comes to video games. The reason I enjoy the Mass Effect, Metal Gear and Final Fantasy series has as much to do with the stories as it did the gameplay.
For Mass Effect specifically, which truly captured the imagination by allowing for consensuses to be played out by actions we chose, the final installment only fell flat because everything leading up to it, all the choices were for not, as the ending was essentially the same regardless of previous tactics.
Tweet Of The Week
(Sorry, I’m still in plug-my-newsletter-mode. Volume up)
Applauds
Big thanks to Kelly Dywer for putting me on Substack. For those unaware, he’s one of the godfathers of covering basketball in a fun, entertaining way. Kelly is a legitimately good dude who — if you’re not already — deserves all your support. Find this hipster over at The Second Arrangement or on the mean streets of Twitter.
Holy mother of basketball breakdowns, Batman! Jordan Sperber is all that, a bag of chips and the cat’s meow. Pretty sure I’ve been pronouncing his name wrong when doing radio and podcast hits. Sorry about that, Jordan. Find him on social media for quick bursts of knowledge, then his deeper dive breakdowns here. FFS, he’s trying to literally solve basketball.
Podcast(s) Of The Week
2 Gods and a Goose isn’t your typical sports-heavy podcast. Clearly inspired by a band of refugees in a shipping container, Keith and Sham bring the goods. It’s my favorite podcast at the moment.
The Relatively Speaking Podcast is back from its months and months long hiatus. Why is it so special? Well, let’s just say I’m bias. This week’s episode was on the NBA’s proposed rule changes, there’s some Star Wars slander, James Wiseman talk and more.
Random Shouts
Cole Zwicker is one of the best NBA Draft people on the planet not currently employed by a franchise; though that tends to change with him once every few months.
Over at The Athletic, Sam Vecenie continues to put together some of the most ambitious projects we’ve seen in years.
Jack Crosby, the artist formerly known as Jack Jorgenson, is just fine. Probably just spelled his former surname wrong, but again, he’s only just fine. Lots of hair on his face, less so on the top part of his cranium. He works at CBS. I was in his wedding. By law, I guess I should give him a shout in our first official Newsletter of Enchantment. He owes me a video game code.
In Closing Words
A people can’t search for justice in a lawless land.
As always, for transparency, you can hit me up via email (JosephNardoneIS@gmail) for any questions, comments or concerns. You can also find me on Twitter @JosephNardone.
Now don’t be a bum, tell a friend. It’s college basketball… kinda.