1000 Posts Extravaganza

If you’re reading this,

it’s too late

Friendly Bounce has reached 1000 posts! Welcome to the 1000 Posts Extravaganza. It’s time to celebrate.

Wooooooo!

“Everyone always tells you to be humble, but when’s the last time someone told you to be great?” – Kanye West

So let’s begin by taking a look back at some of the site’s seminal moments.

Happy Birthday Friendly Bounce!

On September 15, 2014, the Bounce was unleashed upon the digital world to bring joy and happiness to all it encountered. We were one of the brand new sites unveiled as part of the Hardwood Paroxysm Basketball Network, and we still proudly wave that flag today.

Lee Jenkins name-drops us in his Sports Illustrated cover story about Anthony Davis 

Shout out Lee Jenkins. Shout out Sports Illustrated. Shout out New Orleans Pelicans. Shout out Anthony Davis. Shout out Anthony Davis Alert.

Valentine’s Day Cards

These wonderful cards–especially the Gasol one–got the internet poppin’.

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While it is important to be proud of your work, there is also space to reflect and think about where you came from and where you want to go in the future. Back in September, Matt Moore, current CBS writer, Editor Emeritus of Hardwood Paroxysm, and visionary behind the Hardwood Paroxysm Basketball Network, had the following to say in regards to the creation of The Friendly Bounce.

"The Friendly Bounce seeks to look at the culture of the NBA, to share what’s hidden underneath that glossy public-relations veneer, and to make you laugh. Everything about sports is so serious now, there should be room to enjoy this basketball culture. We hope you enjoy it. We hope you have fun. We hope you get to learn some stuff."

Now 1000 posts out, we asked Matt his thoughts on how well we’ve done matching his vision, and how we can improve as we move forward. We also asked the same questions to numerous editors from the Hardwood Paroxysm Basketball Network, because a variety of feedback is always the best.

How has Friendly Bounce done in achieving the goals you set?

Matt Moore: Well you haven’t gotten me sued yet, so that’s not bad. You guys have done a tremendous job showing the fun parts of this league and have built a site with its own voice and style. I award Gryffindor 50 points.

Jared Dubin: Very well.

May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; (Editor

Andrew Lynch: The first place I think of when it comes to fun basketball coverage on the interwebs is Friendly Bounce. Granted, that’s probably because I’m biased, but it’s been a pleasure watching this site grow and enjoy doing what it’s doing. You’re not reinventing the wheel by any means; there is nothing new under the sun. But being enthusiastic and having fun with the zany stuff that happens around the league goes a long way, and Friendly Bounce has really developed that aesthetic. The recent live video podcasts have been a very nice addition, and I think those will become more popular with time. It’s a great site to have handy when you just want to kick back and enjoy the league for what it is: An entertainment product that we all take way too seriously.

Amin Vafa: The biggest part of that goal that sticks out is the word “fun.” I think first and foremost: fans/writers/basically everyone involved in the sport should want it to be fun. Why would you pay attention to this if it wasn’t fun? It’s easy to forget that basketball is fun when we focus so much of our time and energy on things like referee subjectivity, stat sheets, and injuries. But the NBA is fun. Like, really fun. It can be lightning fast, or it can be in slow motion. It can be risky, or it can be methodical. New faces can surprise you, or old names can show you what they’ve still got left in the tank. And all of these stories–in any and all combinations–make this game fun. Friendly Bounce has made sure that we don’t forget that this game is a hell of a lot of fun.

Ian Levy: Friendly Bounce has made me laugh out loud 647 times with its first 1000 posts. A laugh-to-post ratio of 64.7 percent seems extremely successful and well within the mission parameters laid out by Matt Moore.

How can Friendly Bounce improve over our next 1000 posts?

Moore: Not get me sued. That’s really all I care about at this point. Also more naked girls. Those do great clicks. (NOTE: DO NOT DO THAT AT ALL.)

Dubin: My honest opinion would be to just keep doing you. Sites evolve with the personality of the editors and writers, and you give have found a good niche that works.

Lynch: One thing I really liked about Friendly Bounce when we started was the focus on off-court stuff — Robin Lopez at Disneyland, charitable works by players, that kind of thing. When the season got into full-gear, I feel like there was a shift more toward highlights and that kind of thing. That’s fine; there are few things more fun and enjoyable than a good Vine, and Friendly Bounce writers always bring their personality to a post on Steph Curry catching fire or what have you. But I’d like to see more off-court stuff once again based on guys’ social media presences.

Vafa: The great thing about “fun” is that it can be boundless. As long as the site keeps fun at its core and pushes away the negativity that can creep into the Beautiful Game, then I think the next 1000 posts will be terrific.

Levy: Can you get Lance Stephenson to pants someone during a game?

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In addition to asking those questions, we also asked the various editors, along with our staff, to pick a few awards. The first, was Mr. Friendly Bounce. This is the player that most embodies the spirit of The Bounce. Essentially an MVP Award. After tallying the votes, it appears that this year we have co-winners. Congratulations, fellas.

We also asked for picks to fill out a First Team All-Friendly Bounce. Of course Steph and Russ were on this team. And now, we proudly present the rest of the squad.

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Finally, we wanted to take a trip down memory lane to revisit some of our favorite moments from these first 1000 posts. Here we go.

Did James Dolan fall asleep? A Friendly Bounce investigation

Grizzlies intern gets car stolen, Grizzlies players buy intern a new car

John Wall dedicates game to his friend Miyah

Amar’e Stoudemire’s hilarious block attempt

FIRST TEAM ALL-DEFENSE

Russell Westbrook’s rescinded technical confirmed an illuminati conspiracy

Dion Waiters: “Nonsense” that Wizards have best backcourt

Rudy Gay throwing down a 360

Russell Westbrook jamming to Taylor Swift

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Well now we must go, but we want to thank you for reading and following along over these first 1000 posts. Here’s to another 1000.

We ain’t really that good at goodbyes, but we ain’t really that bad at leaving.