Spreading the Mayo

I must confess, I absolutely love O.J. Mayo.

Who is O.J. Mayo? Well, right now, he's just a senior in the off-season of his sport finishing up his last semester of high school in West Virginia. But at this time next year, he could be college basketball's biggest villain. And only one year after, completely gone from college ball like he was never there.

Mayo, who committed to play basketball at USC, built himself quite the rap sheet during his formative years. Most notably:

• Bumped an official after being ejected from a game, sending him to the ground
• Passenger in a car where marijuana was found (later cleared of any charges)
• Decided to go to USC based on its platform as a national market, rather than it's facilities, coaching staff or players
• Got into multiple fights
• Essentially told Tim Floyd he was going to USC, which was a totally unorthodox method of recruiting

...and my absolute favorite:

• This is how he ended his high school career -- with an ally-oop to himself off the glass followed by an ejection

Classless? Yeah, maybe. But he was well aware of the situation. The game was over, his HS career was through, and there were no real repercussions (other than the ejection, which was meaningless). And you know what the end result was? More media attention to the 6'5'' senior.

The craziest part is the thousand of fans cheering him on. He's like Barry Bonds and Terrell Owens, but he's being encouraged instead of discouraged.

There are plenty of people in the national media -- like Pardon The Interruption's Mike Wilbon -- who know what Mayo is all about, and have already established their negative stances, but what makes him any different than someone like Cincinnati Bengal's wide receiver Chad Johnson? USC coach Tim Floyd seems to think Mayo's a good kid.

He's even endorsing him leaving after just one season:

When asked if Mayo will stay more than a year, Floyd said he wants Mayo to go to the NBA as soon as he can, adding, "This kid can make a lot of money."

Now, there's no bones about it, Mayo might be a bit of a punk, but at this point, he's going to get a tough spin from the media no matter what happens to him.

So why do I like him? He's such an incredible personality.

Sure, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are both mega-talented All-Americans who seem to have it all, but there's one thing they're both missing: shameless charisma.

Both kids have squeaky clean reputations at this point, but maybe that's the problem; it's taking the intrigue out of college basketball. I want heroes, but I also want bad guys. I want people to get bent out of shape by a kid who could care less.

Mayo literally plays by his own rules, and until he actually is involved in a serious illegal offense, I'm going to react to his act in the way it's presented: by being entertained.

And think about this, USC went to the Sweet 16 this year with a fairly young team, and if NBA-caliber junior Nick Young comes back for his senior year and freshman Taj Gibson plays his regular season like he played his NCAA Tournament, adding Mayo to the mix could easily make USC a national title contender.

It's everything Mayo ever wanted -- and maybe even more.

Not only will get his national platform (playing in L.A. on a Top 25 team ensures the freshie all the attention he needs), but he'll also get a coach who is giving him the keys to a very expensive car. Forgive me if I don't think Mayo is going to adhere to a curfew or speed limit.

And while Tim Floyd sits blindfolded in the passenger seat, Mayo, without boundaries, can leave his 'black mark' on college basketball that will probably end up only being a temporary scar ... if that's actually possible. Now, I don't know if I endorse all of his antics, but I do endorse the flavor he's going to bring to college basketball. Let him ruffle some feathers, I say. He'll be out of the building before it collapses.

One thing's for sure, you're gonna love him or hate him, because there is no room for middle ground.

Durant SAYS He's Coming Back...It's Early, Though

In an interesting little ditty from the Dallas Morning News, University of Texas freshman point guard D.J. Augustin says he's coming back to UT next year. But there's a twist, he says teammate Kevin Durant -- maybe you've heard of him -- might just do the same.

Augustin also said that star freshman Kevin Durant has told his teammates that he's coming back.

"But Kevin's a humble guy, so he's probably going to say he's coming back whenever he's asked that question," Augustin said.

The idea of Durant coming back to college basketball delights me. With the Knicks having semi-decent 2006-2007 campaign, the idea of the Chicago Bulls getting a top tier lottery pick faded a long time ago. So, with no real shot to land the phenom, let him stay another year. How about another year after that? Maybe even one more past that?

It's not like he's beating up on Big Ten, Big East, or Pac Ten opponents (cough cough, Michigan, DePaul, Iowa, Wazzu). So, I've got no problem casually watching ESPN's bottom line and seeing, "Durant 27 points, 18 rebounds" for another year. Who knows what he'll be able to do the college game with another year under his belt.

And as for what Durant should do? My stance: what he wants. He wants to say? More power to him. But he needs to understand that serious injuries are a possibility.

News & Notes: 3/5/07

- As of right now, I'm picking Kansas to win the NCAA Tournament. I have a few reasons, but I'm waiting for the Big 12 tourney to play out to write anything more. It's my hope that they lose in the semis or in the final, and maybe fall out of getting a 1-seed. My normal tournament bracket philosophy is to pick the favorite, and key in on some good first round upsets and Sweet 16 teams.

I usually don't think about the field until Selection Sunday, but this year is just different. I have a pretty good feeling about KU, and since I'm feeling more unconventional with this bracket, I'm hoping they're not favorite, so less people will pick them.

- If I'm a GM with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Right now: Oden or Durant? Oden.

- The Chicago Bears and New England Patriots are having off-seasons that are about as comparable as night and day. They seem to be heading in different directions with the Pats throwing money around (what?!) and the Bears losing key pieces (Thomas Jones already, and Lance Briggs, quite possibly). I'm going to wait until the Bears ruin more things to comment any further, but as for the boys in Massachusetts? I can't even begin to describe my excitement for the Patriots' acquisition of Adalius Thomas. Here is a guy that's played every single defensive position. I keep telling my friends about him, and the dialogue usually goes like this...

Bobby: He's played every single defensive position.
Friend X: Tackle and Cornerback?!
Bobby: Yes.

I've had this exact same conversation with at least five people.

Anyway, Thomas will make this team better because he provides youth in the linebacking core, an ability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and of course, his versatility.

In the real Super Bowl -- the AFC Championship -- the Patriots led the Colts, 21-3 in Indianapolis. The ship was sailing smooth until the Colts offensive unit refused to leave the field. Ending and starting the half, Manning and Co. were able to not only sustain long drives, but also run their famous no-huddle in doing so. This is a successful form of offense because it doesn't allow adequate time for defensive substitutions. It ended up badly burning the Pats, and the D was essentially running on fumes for the 3rd and 4th quarter.

I mention this because Thomas will have the ability to come up to the line and rush, or drop back into coverage. He's a perfect way to combat the Colts' style of play. Basically, seeing the New England front office pull the trigger on this deal tells me, "Hey, we blew it in Indy last year, and right now, we're building a team to compete with our only real competition: the Colts."

The Pats also gave up some draft picks to the Dolphins for WR Wes Welker, whose size, speed, and toughness make him perfect for an offense that caters to small wide receivers who run sharp and precise routes. This year should be his best yet in the NFL.

On top of all this, the Patriots are rumored to acquire Randy Moss or Dante Stallworth.

I'm drooling.