No two things grab the attention of the national media like winning or a player who creates highlight reels. When those two things come together in the same place, and at the same time (anyone remember Jason Williams' rookie season?) you have yourself a media supernova.

America, meet Thomas Robinson

Why, hello there

In the build up leading to the NBA Draft, I received a reply comment from Sacto_J comparing T-Rob to Blake Griffin. There was no argument or analysis only this statement:

I don't know if I agree that Robinson is replaceable

There aren’t too many Blake Griffin types in the NBA, and he certainly could be that kind of player.

Now, when Sacto_J wrote that, I really didn't buy it. Then I went back and watched Kansas vs. UNC game in its entirety and I saw it. It was a pick and roll play...T-Rob sets the screen and then dives hard to the basket he catches the bounce pass and and BOOM! One power dribble later he exploded to the rim...

All ball

Now he missed the dunk had his shot blocked by ACC Player of the Year, Tyler Zeller, but that is not the point. The point is when he took off from about 12 feet away from the rim, the first thing that went through my mind was, "damn he looked like Blake." The second was, "was Sacto_J right?" So, were my eyes lying to me? Was Sacto_J full of it?

I had to investigate a little to decide for myself.

Draft Measurements:

Blake Griffin:

Predraft Measurements:  From draftexpress.com

Thomas Robinson:

Predraft Measurements: From draftexpress.com

To make a long story short, the data above shows that the top of Blake's head is higher than is T-Rob's when they stand on the ground. Robinson's hand however, is an inch higher than Blake's when they are both standing on the ground, this is due to his phenomenal 7-3 wingspan. Now, the hand is the part of the body that actually dunks the basketball, so when both players use their identical 35.5 inch vertical leap to get up and throw it down, it is Jayla's big brother who actually gets up the highest. Oh yeah, Blake is also stronger, fatter and slower.

ADVANTAGE: Thomas Robinson

So, we see that T-Rob and Griffin do compare really well as athletes, but what about as players? Let's look at their last two years in college and see how they stack up against each other.

Blake Griffin:

Basic Statistics: draftexpress.com

Thomas Robinson:

Basic Statistics: draftexpress.com

ADVANTAGE: Blake Griffin

You can see that in their final year in school they were asked to do much more than the year before. Blake shouldered a much bigger load his final year (08-09) in school because it really became apparent during the 07-08 season that he was special. In 10-11, the Morris twins were both ahead of Robinson in the rotation, but you can see he used all of the 14.6 minutes he received to play punishing the opposition to the tune of 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 60%.

All things being equal, Blake put up better stats across the board when asked to be focal point of the offense his second year at Oklahoma, but not by a whole lot. But he also did with just over 2 more possessions per game than did Robinson (18.7 vs 16.5). Robinson also led his team to the NCAA Championship game, while the Sooners bowed out in the Elite Eight round in 2009. Advantage Blake, but still a pretty reasonable comparison.

Other interesting comparisons:

1. NBA front-court partner: DMC vs. DeAndre Jordan: Advantage Robinson

2. Cooler sibling sidekick: Jayla vs Taylor Griffin: Advantage Robinson

3. Better reason for crying: Blake when brushed on the arm by another man, Robinson when Death tears his heart from his chest: Advantage Robinson

Now, does this REALLY matter? Naw...not really. But it sure makes bench_blob seem more convincing to me when he refers to Robinson as Blake's athletic mirror image, and makes Sacto_J's similar comparison that much more plausible. Now, should this information get all of us excited? Hell yes it should, and if you're not, the first time you see T-Rob take of from outside of the paint after using just a single dribble to gather himself in an attempt to throw it down the opposition's throat, you will be excited. You'll realize just how explosive this young man is. You'll realize he is the the first player to put on a King's uniform with this type of athleticism since...well he may be the first. As of now, I am putting him in the Gerald Wallace category, but in a much different package. G-Dub was fluidity and finesse while Robinson is destruction and mayhem.

But you know who else will notice? The national media. Now believe me, this matters. Robinson is a great man with a heart-breaking but terrific story. Death has knocked at this man's door three times in the recent past and it seems each time Death knocked, T-Rob knocked back, and with all his strength. America deserves to see this guy play and to see him dunk on his demons who are foolish enough to stand in front of the rim while he attempts to secure Jayla's future. Sorry Zeller, it's not even your fault, but your days are numbered, see you on ESPN, and not in a good way.

Our town and team desperately need positive media attention this coming year.

Hello Supernova.