I kid you not. I have been asked five different times whilst running if I knew my way around the place. I’m not really sure what that says about my appearance, but it makes me feel good about myself. It's like I'm a local. While I haven’t been able to offer any of the inquirers useful directions, I do feel like I know my way around pretty well at this point. I no longer have to take minutes sorting through the bevy of English coins (coin denominations include: 2 pound, 1pound, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p). In fact, until recently I’d been priding myself in my ability to quickly gather the correct amount of change. I went to coffee shop and ordered a café latte. It cost 2.35, and I only had 3.15 pounds. For some reason I gave the lady all my money. She stopped, looked confused for a while, then handed me my change which consisted of a 50p coin, a 20p coin, and a different 10p coin than the one I gave her. Good job Daniel. I blame my half-white genes for the miscalculation.

For the last week I've run anywhere from 4-5.4 miles per day. I’ve been trying to follow the Haruki Murakami rule—never take two days off in a row. While I wasn’t very good about it for the first 3 weeks, recently I’ve been kind of getting in the groove. I’m also beginning to appreciate the Thames, the Isis, whatever you want to call it, a little bit more. It’s fun watching punting tourists in boats play ping-pong with concrete embankments. I'll have to take a picture at some point. Anyway, it’s nice running weather here in England. For the most part it’s overcast with a pleasant breeze to cool me off. Do you know the best part of running? Weaving through pedestrians in a crowded street. It’s like a game of Frogger where the trucks move really really slow and the worst thing that happens if you run into one is that they cuss you out (not that that’s happened to me). I promise you, it’s extremely enjoyable. Haruki Murakami is a freak by the way. He ran an ultra-marathon. That’s right, 100 kilometers. For all you people who don’t use the metric system, that’s 62.14 miles. His book, “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” is an extremely interesting self-portrait centered around how a number of descriptions of running and observations about how running has impacted his life as a writer. There are lots of interested autobiographical tidbits in there too though I’m sure some of his stories are embellished.

WOHOO MORE BASKETBALL STUFF!! I've been receiving so many excited comments that I just had to write another section on basketball.

Here is your FIBA USA roster: Chauncey Billups, Tyson Chandler, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, Danny Granger, Jeff Green, Andre Iguodala, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, Lamar Odom, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook (3 have to be cut before the opening game on August 28th). That’s right, they have 4 players who were on the 2010 All Star Team as opposed to 8 players from the Redeem Team (not to mention they had all the biggest names in basketball. Lebron, Kobe, D-Wade, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, etc.). The FIBA roster presents all sorts of interesting possibilities. Apparently Krzyzewski plans to play small ball, using either Lamar Odom or Tyson Chandler at center and having the other four be an interchangeable lineup of uber-quick guards that apply a ridiculous amount of pressure to opposing ball handlers. The USA guards are a nightmare. You have Rondo, Iguodala, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook, 4 of the hardest players to guard in the NBA as a result of their ridiculous speed. Furthermore, each of them is an incredible tough on the ball defender. While none of them is known for their outside shooting, every time they get a rebound or an outlet pass (they also are some of the best rebounding guards in the game) they have the ability to outrun the other team to the basket. This team will be constantly stealing the ball, creating such fastbreak opportunities. Let me give you the guard breakdown.
Stephen Curry—1.9 steals per game
Rajon Rondo—1.9 steals per game
Iguodala—1.7 steals per game
Russell Westbrook—1.3
Eric Gordon—1.1
Chauncey Billups—1.0
Derrick Rose—0.8
Kevin Durant—1.4 (he plays shooting guard, not sure he counts though)
In short, this team has incredible athleticism and incredible speed. They will have to rely on gang rebounding to hold up against bigger opponents, but each time they do get a rebound, they will be halfway down the court before the other team can react. With Lamar Odom at center, every single player will be able to handle the ball. It will be interesting to see which 3 players get cut before the tourney. I really hope it is Stephen Curry. By the way, we haven't won FIBA since 1994. Who woulda thunk it.

Players to watch next season

These players each have shown flashes of brilliance last season. They are all guards. I really really really like each of them. This isn’t me saying “these guys are going to be All-Stars”, this is me saying “they have incredible potential and I really hope they do well”.

Goran Dragic—reputedly has a 37 inch vertical, 6’4 with a 6’7 wingspan, definitely has potential. Has an excellent Andre Miller ability to fake people out with spin moves low in the post, and is deceptively tall and athletic giving him the ability to quickly explode and get himself the shot in the midst of other taller defenders. Scored 23 in the fourth quarter against the Spurs in game 3 of the playoffs, is mentored by Steve Nash. If he can improve his confidence, he is a deadly scorer with an impressive array of crafty moves.

Rodrigue Beaubois—This guy is unbelievable. To give an idea of how unbelievable he is, he averaged 50% from the field, 40% from the three point line, and 80% from the free throw line. As a Rookie. As a Rookie with a 6’10 wingspan (he’s 6’2) and a 40 inch vertical. He is probably one of the fastest players in the NBA right now (dribbling 94 feet) along with Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Ty Lawson, etc. (Devin Harris has the World Record, he dribbled the length of the court in 3.9 seconds. I’m pretty sure some of the players above could beat that). In recap, this kid is fast, unbelievably athletic, and is a pure shooter. Nobody shoots 50% from the field as a rookie. Nobody shoots 40% from the 3 point line as a rookie. He has done both while recording a respectable 80% from the line.

Stephen Curry—I love this kid (he is a year older than me, but whatever). Adjust statistics for the “On the Warriors in Don Nelson’s system” bias.
Statline—wow. 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 17.5 points. As a rookie. Curry is going to be a great NBA player.
80 77 36.2 .462 .437 .885 4.5 5.9 1.9 .2 17.5
His EFG (take into account that the 3 point shot is worth more—33% 3 point FG is the same as 50% 2 point FG) is .535. He broke the rookie record for most three point field goals ever (166) shooting .437%. This kid is unbelievable. He has a chance to become the greatest shooter who ever played. While he is isn’t a jaw dropping athletic specimen, he makes up for it with smarts and quickness.

By the way, the Warriors actually have a respectable starting lineup consisting of Curry, Ellis, Lee, and Biedrins. I don’t know enough to say who will play SF. While they are still undersized and poor defensively, Biedrins is a good shot blocker who should be able to let the guards cheat a bit. Both Ellis and Curry are adept at ball thievery, recording 2.2 and 1.9 steals respectively. The Warriors probably won’t be winning any championships but they sure will be entertaining.

Tomorrow is the Cotswold trip. I promised my parents I'd take pictures. There should be another post up sometime tomorrow night. Also, tune in tomorrow for buskers part 2. I might even talk about the 2 As You Like It performances I saw.