The NBA has its Caitlin Clark. His name is Anthony Edwards, or Ant-Man.
Unlike Clark, most of you have likely never heard of him. He plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, a franchise without much postseason success. Minnesota selected Edwards as the top draft pick four years ago. I’ll be honest: The first two years of Edwards’ professional career, I confused him for Anthony Bennett, the top pick of the 2013 draft who bombed in Cleveland and was later traded to Minnesota. Whenever I heard Edwards’ name, I assumed Bennett had found his footing in the association.
Feminists and enemies of the patriarchy do not want young men properly developed. They don’t want to create more male icons.
Obviously, I was wrong. Edwards and Bennett have nothing in common. Edwards is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard. Bennett was a 6-foot-8 power forward who now plays in the Canadian Basketball League.
Whatever. Edwards is on the cusp of being the next big thing in basketball. On Sunday, behind his 40-point explosion, the Timberwolves eliminated Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns with a four-game sweep, winning Minnesota’s first playoff series in 20 years. In fact, it’s just the third playoff series victory in the 35-year history of the franchise.
Casual basketball fans are about to be introduced to the most exciting and transformational player since Michael Jordan. Or should I say since Caitlin Clark?
I’m serious. Right now, the 22-year-old Clark has a much bigger profile than 22-year-old Edwards.
How come? Because Clark went through the proper branding and development program. She played four years of college basketball. She had two long NCAA Tournament runs. She connected with the most passionate fans in all of sports – college fans. She started local and blew up nationally. She grew up in the game the old-fashioned way, the superior way, the way things used to develop before social media amplified no-talent frauds.
Remember the good-old days, when bands like Hootie and the Blowfish would play every little bar in South Carolina and then get signed to a major label? I lived in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in the early 1990s. Hootie would play at the local college bar, The Money.
That’s what Clark has been doing for four years, traveling college town to college town building a passionate fan base.
Edwards had a cup of coffee in college basketball. He played one year at Georgia and then declared for the NBA. He’s been toiling in relative obscurity for four years. Hardcore NBA fans were aware of his gifts and potential. Casual sports fans are just learning of Edwards.
It’s why I believe the NBA should pay its 18- to 21-year-old prospects to stay four years in college. It’s a no-brainer. The one-and-done destruction of men’s college basketball has ultimately hurt the relevance of the NBA. Caitlin Clark is a superstar entering the WNBA. She’s bringing a massive audience with her. Anthony Edwards is in the beginning of the process of bringing an audience to the NBA.
I’ll sound a bit conspiratorial here, but I think the destruction of men’s college basketball is by design. Feminists and enemies of the patriarchy do not want young men properly developed. They don’t want to create more male icons.
If Anthony Edwards, Lamelo Ball, Ja Morant, and Zion Williamson played four years of college basketball, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese would not be nearly as popular as they are now. Over the past two decades, we’ve paid closer and closer attention to the women’s game primarily because men’s college basketball is so weak and the players so transient.
More than a decade ago, I started shouting that Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins were the two biggest stars in college basketball. This was back in 2012 and 2013. Griner played for Baylor and Diggins for Notre Dame. They had more name recognition than any of the men’s players. That trend has continued unabated.
Men’s basketball at the collegiate and professional level is being harmed by the one-and-done rule. The NBA could fix this. It won’t because anything that supports strong men is being destroyed.
It’s a controlled demolition.
How else do you explain a league that benefited from Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Isiah Thomas building huge brands in college basketball passively watching its relevance decline as it depends on one-and-done players?
The proper formula birthed the rivalry between Magic and Bird. It created the Jordan brand, Air Jordan sneakers, and record TV ratings. The current system can’t come close to duplicating the kind of traction and passion of the previous era.
Why allow this? Why allow the women to duplicate the superior system?
It only makes sense when you realize the anti-patriarchy crowd wants Caitlin Clark to be a bigger deal than Anthony Edwards.
I still like Clark. I’m fascinated by her story. But in terms of real basketball entertainment, she does not remotely compare to Edwards. He plays above the rim. He’s charismatic. He has an intense passion for the game. He celebrates his teammates. His backstory is fascinating.
He’s overcome a tough upbringing. He apparently has no connection to his dad. Across social media, people speculate that Michael Jordan is his father. It’s irresponsible speculation. But on the court and in appearance, he does resemble Air Jordan.
All Edwards needs is a tiny bit of public-relations polish. He curses too much in press conferences. That’s my only complaint. He drops MFs and other profanities constantly when talking to the media.
Later this week, if the Denver Nuggets eliminate the Lakers, Edwards and the T-Wolves will open a seven-game series against Nikola Jokic and Denver. Jokic is the best player in the NBA. He’s likely going to win his third MVP trophy in four years.
A super-competitive Nuggets-T-Wolves series could launch Ant-Man to stardom.
Fearless
