THE RATASS GAZETTE

“I’m a Milwaukee Bucks fan.” I’ve been repeating that phrase to myself like a mantra recently, trying to break it in, get comfortable with it. That’s because I haven’t always been a Bucks fan. In fact, I just became one a couple days ago. I was a Suns fan growing up, but I wouldn’t call them “my favorite team” anymore. I’m not even sure why, they’re just not. So I needed a team, and I chose the Bucks. And if you need a team, so should you. What’s that you say? The Bucks suck? Well, yes, it’s true they did finish with the worst record in the NBA this year (15-67). The 76ers caught a lot of flak for their futility during their record-tying 26-game losing streak in 2014, but it’s worth noting that they still had a better record than the Bucks at season's end. However, the fact that they're so bad right now is exactly why you should root for them. Huh?  Here are my top 3 reasons to hop on the Bucks bandwagon right now...  1 .   There’s nowhere to go but up. ...

Finally, here is Part 3 (of 3) of our Dazzling Dunks extravaganza, featuring Clyde "The Glide" Drexler!  Clyde "The Glide" Drexler - We're gonna wrap things up with some silky smooth moves from Clyde "The Glide." There was a perception back in the day (at least with the people I knew) that Clyde didn't dunk with power, since he didn't do a lot of rim-hangin', like Kemp or 'Nique. This video will change that perception. He dunks with plenty of power. I'm not pulling your chain when I say that some of these dunks are straight outta sight. These dunks are smooth, man. Most of these dunks are from his days with the Blazers, but there is one in there from his Houston days, and I'm not talking Phi Slamma Jamma! Check it out! Random Thoughts on the Drexler video... They get it rolling right out of the gate here at #10, a one-hand alley-oop slam, one of the best I've seen! He calls for the oop on the break and fini...

Here is Part 2 (of 3) of our Dazzling Dunks extravaganza, starring Dominique Wilkins. Dominique Wilkins - Ah yes, the "Human Highlight Reel!" I am on record as saying Dominique Wilkins is my #1 favorite dunker of all time. That's quite a statement, because I love dunks and there's a lot of great dunkers. But I dig Dominique's style, with the windmill slams, the double-pump reverse jams, and things of that ilk. I like a lot of limb movement in a dunker. Limb flailing, even. Dominique also dunked with power and hung on the rim a lot, which I also dig. So that's one dig, and then another dig. What's that give me? Um... I don't know, actually. A small hole, I guess? Look, they're awesome dunks, so just watch the video...  Random Thoughts on the Dominique video...  Pretty much everything I like about Dominique as a dunker is in this video. We've got the "reverse stuff" at #8 (I just really like it when people call a dunk a "s...

Welcome to Part 1 (of 3) of our Dazzling Dunks extravaganza! This one focuses on Shawn Kemp. If you haven't had your daily dose of dunks yet, go ahead and have a few. Even if you think you've had your fill, just have a couple more. Go on. You know you want to...   Shawn Kemp - The "Rain Man" is one of my favorite dunkers of all time. I actually saw Shawn Kemp play against the Bucks at the Bradley Center back in the day. I don't remember what exactly what year, but it was during the Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson era in Milwaukee. Kemp was an established dunker at the time, though, and when he stole a pass at half-court during the game, the crowd was expecting something phenomenal. He had a fast-break with no defenders in front of him, and everyone was suddenly on their feet. He did a fairly simple two-hand reverse jam, and the crowd was actually a little disappointed, but my point is this: Those few seconds of anticipation as he dribbled to the hoop were ...

THE Tom Chambers Dunk... Of course you know which Tom Chambers dunk I'm talking about. I'm referring to his head-above-the-rim jumpin-from-the-dotted-line two-hand slam-o-rama over Mark Jackson. It's worth watching about once a day, in my opinion. That's how awesome it is. FUN FACTS: Tom Chambers ("Tommy C") averaged 27.2 points per game in 1989-90 with Phoenix, which ranked 4th in the league. ...  He scored 34 points in the 1987 NBA All-Star Game in Seattle when he was a member of the hometown Sonics and was named the All-Star Game MVP. ...  He competed in the 1987 Slam Dunk contest. He did not advance to the second round. ... His 20,049 career points currently ranks #37 in NBA history.

2011 NBA Draft Recap: Three Longhorns Drafted in Round 1, Baffling 2nd-Round Picks, ESPN's Bumbling Coverage, etc... TEXAS ADDS 3 MORE 1ST-ROUNDERS... The Texas Longhorns added 3 more 1st-Rounders to this already impressive list of talent when Tristan Thompson , Jordan Hamilton , and Cory Joseph were all drafted early. That brings the tally up to an incredible nine 1st-Round draft picks in the past nine years! Thompson will see a lot of PT as the Cavs rebuild and he should be productive. Hamilton ended up in Denver and will battle for shots in an already stacked roster. Joseph found a good home with the Spurs. NBA TEAMS THROW AWAY MORE 2ND-ROUND PICKS... I just don't get the strategy behind NBA teams and their 2nd-round picks. How do productive college players such as Matt Howard , Demetrius McCamey , and Matthew Bryan-Amaning go undrafted while international players such as Milan Macvan , Chukwudiebere Maduabum , and Ater Majok get selected? Of course, this h...

In case you haven't noticed (and maybe you haven't, I know people have lives and stuff), the University of Texas basketball team under coach Rick Barnes has produced a crap load of NBA players in the past decade. First-rounders, Top 10 picks, Top 2 picks... Texas churns them out year after year. Here's a list of NBA players drafted from UT over the past 10 years:  2010: Rd 1, #19 overall - Avery Bradley - Boston Celtics Rd 1, #24 overall - Damion James - New Jersey Nets Rd 2, #32 overall - Dexter Pittman - Miami Heat 2008: Rd 1, #8 overall - D.J. Augustin - Charlotte Bobcats 2007: Rd 1, #2 overall - Kevin Durant - Seattle Supersonics / OKC Thunder 2006: Rd 1, #2 overall - LaMarcus Aldridge - Portland TrailBlazers Rd 2, #35 overall - P.J. Tucker - Toronto Raptors Rd 2, #42 overall - Daniel Gibson - Cleveland Cavaliers 2004: Rd 2, #38 overall - Royal Ivey - Atlanta Hawks 2003: Rd 1, #8 overall - T.J. Ford - Milwaukee Bucks AT A GLANCE: There...