Welcome back NBA!

The NBA season has kicked off and is in full swing!  It's great to see all the things I awaited all summer.  Here's a list of the top five things I'm most interested in this season:

Warriors Title Defense and Steph Curry MVP Encore
At this point, Steph Curry is the best player in the world.  Sorry Lebron.  His shooting ability from anywhere on the floor, coupled with insane ball handling skills is just incredible.  And I'm sure Chris Paul hates him.  Through the first 9 games of the season, it seems as if Curry has gotten better and more lethal from behind the arc, if that was possible.  The entire team seems hungrier than ever to win another and that's great to watch!

New Look T-Wolves
I know, I know, maybe I'm crazy but I love this new Timberwolves squad.  Saddening that Flip Saunders passed away prior to the season starting.  On another note, my favorite thing about this team is the presence of Kevin Garnett.  With a roster full of young players, KG is the perfect veteran to get their two recent number 1 picks to play with an attitude at all times.  Wiggins is in his second season and has improved tremendously (coming off a ROY season) and Karl Anthony Towns was 2 wins away from a NCAA championship last year.  Maybe they don't make the playoffs this year, but they can only get better and it will be exciting to watch that transition from endless years of lottery picks into a playoff berth somewhere down the road.

Russ and KD back together
Self explanatory.  Who doesn't want to see the most formidable duo in the NBA back together for an entire season.  They've both shown what they can do without the other when Durant won MVP and Westbrook with 11 triple doubles last season.  Playing under a new head coach in back to back NCAA champion Billy Donovan, OKC should definitely be a contender when the postseason comes.

Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls
I'm personally excited to see what The Mayor of Ames, IA can do for Chicago this season.  In anticlimactic fashion, the Bulls were destroyed by the Cavs last year in the playoffs so I'm hoping he can make the necessary changes to get them over the hump.  I enjoyed seeing what Hoiberg did with a virtually unknown Iowa State team over the last several seasons and I hope that success continues in the NBA.  Chicago definitely has the talent to make some noise but we'll have to wait and see how they mesh with the new coaching philosophies.

Rondo
In my opinion, Rondo was the best PG in the league at one point due to his playmaking abilities.  He racks up triple doubles when playing consistently at a high level and now he's back at the helm of team in need of a veteran presence.  Rondo will be able to help Demarcus Cousins and a struggling Kings franchise gain some sort of momentum, but they won't make the playoffs.  He hasn't really played well since his ACL injury a few seasons ago so it'll good to see if he can get back to the 10 points, 15 dimes, and 12 boards Rondo of old.

Honorable Mentions
Cavs and Lebron's quest to win a championship in Cleveland, Kobe's farewell tour, Melo and the Phil Jackson Knicks, and a deeper LA Clippers team.

Iowa State University - Where BEER Happens: Pint Night Exclusive

As a black grad student in Ames there really isn't much to enjoy as far as the nightlife is concerned. This ALL changes on Wednesday nights, also known as Pint Night to beer lovers across the city.

3 Words to describe Pint Night? "One. Dollar. Beer" And
this ain't no PBR, my friends. Olde Main, the local brewery in Ames has a sick selection of beer on tap for whatever your palate may be, and once again THEY ARE ALL ONE DOLLAR.

I spent the majority of my time as an undergrad in Savannah binge drinking the night away (yes on school nights) taking shots of E and J (also known as Erk and Jerk/Easy Jesus in the black community) and playing beer pong with the fellas, so believe me when I say my tolerance is pretty impressive for a guy my size. With that being said two stouts from Olde Main are good enough for a decent buzz!

Here are my three go-to beers at Olde Main's Pint Night:

1- Dinkey Wheat:

 A nice warm up beer. The sweetness makes this one very female-friendly, and it's also one of my favorites. Taste? Think Blue Moon, but for one dollar...can't beat it.

2- Sodbuster:

Stout!! My Turkish friend really loves this beer, as a matter of fact he put me on to Pint Night in the first place. Think of it like this, if Guinness is LeBron, Sodbuster is KD! 2nd place, Yes. But still a force to be reckoned with. It has a creamy, coffee like flavor and the foam is delicious. 3 or 4 of these and you may start sending unsolicited "sexts" so be cautious!

3- Off Kilter:

Finally, MY FAVORITE. Another sturdy stout, not for beginners. I'm not entirely sure there isn't any whiskey in this beer. Olde Main rumor has it the brewmaster actually wears a kilt when he brews this delight, and we all know the Irish like to get fucked up!
Start off with two of these and a shot of your favorite liquor for a night you probably won't remember.

Well ladies and gents, I've gotta get ready for pint night! So if you're not in Ames hit up your local brewery and enjoy a beer in my honor!

Yours Truly,

The Lonely Blogger