By Jimmy Tsai
The third installment of Other People’s Lunches finds us at Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs in West L.A. Our guest is Christopher Chen, one of the producers of the documentary “Year of the Yao” and a fellow graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. Chris also recently exec-produced the documentary Fantasyland about one of OPL’s favorite subjects: fantasy sports. Check it out free at: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/fantasyland/
Today, we’re both enjoying a half-rack of barbecue ribs with a side of cole slaw and an ear of freshly roasted corn on the cob.
Chris: I was born in New York, so I was sadly and instantly a Knicks fan.
OPL: Ouch.
Chris: Strike that from the record–
(laughs)
So I was a Knicks fan, but I moved to the Bay Area at a very young age. So I grew up with the Warriors. The Run TMC era and that type of thing. We had a share of season tickets with a couple of other families. I used to go to probably ten or twelve Warriors games a year. Those were a lot of good times for basketball fans.
And as it relates to you, specifically, I went to Cal. Ended up going there during the Jason Kidd years, and I think we overlapped one year. I was a freshman; he was a sophomore. So I got to witness all of that, with Lamond Murray and a couple of tournament runs. The basketball bug continued to bite.
As far as playing: I was a decent player when I was younger. I was the last person cut from my freshman team, actually. I think I was faster than most. When I was a freshman, I was probably five-two, maybe 120 pounds. Small guy.
So you played guard, obviously–
I played point guard. When I started growing and getting a lot slower, everyone else started getting bigger and faster and stronger. I kind of stayed the same. So my basketball-playing career – at any competitive level – ended in high school. But, you know, I still play in rec leagues. I try to play. Much less these days, though. Probably once a month.
Professionally, from a work standpoint – not really basketball-related, but – I actually had the chance to be a translator for Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees pitcher. And that opened some doors for me, but my first experience to that was at my current job at Endgame (Entertainment). My boss is actually one of the owners of the Chicago Bulls, so we attend many basketball games a year–
As work–
– as work, as entertainment, hosting different people. I met him on the tail end of him doing the Michael Jordan IMAX film. And that was a massive success. And the follow-up to that film on the basketball front was a film we did on Yao Ming.
“Year of the Yao.”
“Year of the Yao.” When he came over from China. We were actually with him before he got drafted, prior to all that stuff. It was the spring-summer of ‘02 when I met him. He came to the states with the Chinese National Team as his first [set of] real games in the States. They played the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis that year.
I got a heavy dose of basketball that summer. I got to spend a lot of time with Yao. So that was kind of my first professional foray into basketball. We had camera crews with him the whole year. I think I watched, live, almost 50 Rockets games that year. It was a lot of basketball.
And what was great about it is you have different access than normal fans: you have your press credentials, you have locker room access, you have press conference access. We’re sitting on the baseline for all these games with our camera crews. So it’s a lot different than [what] you would normally see.
Let’s move on to some of the more fun questions. What’s your favorite basketball-related commercial, whether it’s for a sneaker or sports beverage?
I have a couple that are at the top of my list. My favorite – definitely my favorite growing up – was the McDonald’s commercials. The HORSE commercials.
The Larry Bird/Michael Jordan–
Off-the-glass, off-the-pole, off-the-bleachers, nothing but net. Very, very memorable for me.
And I have to put the Yao Ming commercials on the top of the list –
The Visa credit card Yao Ming commercial?
Well, there was the Visa credit card commercial: the “Yo. Yao. Yo. Yao” one. Definitely on the top of my list. But also the Apple one with Mini Me, Verne Troyer.
Let me interject for a second. You know what I wanted to do as a follow-up to that (Yo. Yao.) commercial? I didn’t get a chance to since I obviously don’t have the access. But Visa should do the sequel to that commercial with Yi Jianlian.
It’d be like, “Yi. Yo. Yi. Yo.” Get it? (laughs)
That’s a good one. You should pitch that to them!
Put me in a room with Visa! (laughs)
But, anyway, it was memorable for several reasons. Obviously because of Yao. I was there on set, so I got to see the hijinks that happened along with all that. The funniness of things. I would put those on the top of the list.
Excellent, excellent. And now: your favorite sneaker. Not sneaker brand but favorite specific shoe.
Favorite specific shoe. Wow. Growing up – and I’m going to date myself here – Jordans were really popular when I was a kid. Always wanted one, wanted one, wanted one, but my parents would not let me get one. A hundred dollars for a pair of sneakers?
“You know, what about these? These are fifteen dollars.”
I’m like, “No, that’s not cool.”
I would say my first pair of Jordans – I do remember this very vividly – were the Jordan Vs. And I probably still have them somewhere because I saved up my own money to buy those. They were all black. So that one is certainly one of my favorites.
As a follow-up to that, certainly the Jordan XIs.
Which ones were those?
The patent leather. Those were two years down the road. I would put those two at the top of my list.
Excellent choices.
Now, moving on from the pop culture stuff: let’s talk about NBA ball. You mentioned a little bit: when you were a kid, at one point, your favorite team was the Knicks, then the Warriors. Who are your favorite teams and your favorite players?
Well, to the set the record straight: I am always a Knicks fan, will always be a Knicks fan. I’ve watched a lot of Warriors games.
Fair enough, fair enough.
But the Knicks are tough to watch. They get you to the brink –
We’re talking about the Patrick Ewing teams, John Starks –
Exactly. You put Patrick Ewing on the top of that list. Because he was the Knick of all-time. John Starks was certainly one of my favorite players because he’s a point guard; he’s a small guy. I do remember that dunk on MJ. It was pretty bold. Okay, it wasn’t necessarily on him, he was coming from weak side for help (chuckles). But Starks was certainly one of my favorite players.
Hard not to put Michael Jordan on that list, watching him win those championships growing up.
How could you like Jordan, being a Knicks fan?
Certainly was not happy with him, being a Knicks fan, because he kicked our asses every year. But he’s fun to watch. There’s that, and you have to respect his game.
Modern day, it’s hard not to like the Lebrons and Kobes of the world because they’re so good. Certainly because of my personal connection with Yao, I would say Yao is probably my favorite player.
But the Knicks are still your favorite team?
Knicks are still my favorite team. Yao would be my favorite player. But the fun-to-watch category is Kobe, LeBron, MJ. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those guys.
Let me ask you about the current season: who’s your prediction to be in the Finals from the West and the East? And who’s going to win it and in how many games?
I hate to say it because I’m the biggest Laker-hater, but the Lakers probably come out of the West. I think they’re too tough. I think with their two big guys in the middle, Bynum and Gasol; another year of experience; the championship on their resume; Kobe’s on top of the world; and as long as everyone stays healthy, I think the Lakers should be in there.
And I know it’s the consensus – which I probably agree with – that it’s the Cavs on the other side. LeBron is on a mission to win something for Cleveland. Shaq certainly is helpful. Jamison was a big pick-up. He adds another veteran piece of leadership.
Stretches the offense.
It does. Yeah. Jamison can go inside, outside. Right now, for the Cavs, it’s do-or-die. A lot of those guys are older, and they don’t know what LeBron’s going to do next year. I’m secretly – okay, not actually secretly – hoping he goes to the Knicks.
But I think it’s Lakers-Cavs, and Lakers win in six.
That seems to be a lot of the consensus –
As much as I hate to say it (laughs).
Now, moving on from the real world to the fantasy world: let’s talk fantasy basketball. Tell me your current status as far as how many leagues you play in, and what is your current standing. Then talk a little bit about your past experience in fantasy basketball, how many years you’ve been doing it.
This year, I’m in four leagues –
Oh wow. You got me beat!
One of them happens to be the Superleague[1], which I was thankful to be invited to. Hit a little bump in the road in the middle of the season, but that’s all right. So that one, I’m in the middle of the pack.
There are two leagues that I’m bouncing in-between first and second place.
And how long have you played in those leagues?
One of them is a long-time league that I’ve been in with a bunch of my buddies from college. That one has been around for…fifteen years maybe? We’ve been together for a while. Another one is probably about five years. Those are the two that I’m doing the best in.
And how have you performed in them traditionally? Are you always near the top?
I’ve won the tourney league twice. And this other league, I’ve had three second places. I’ve been the bridesmaid a couple of times.
Not bad, not bad.
Certainly the Superleague is a new experience for me. Salary-cap league, which I certainly enjoy –
It adds a whole other level of complexity, right?
Very much so. That one’s been fun.
And the other one is a work league I’m in. And that one was more of an autodraft type. Much more casual. I’m a big fantasy fan. Probably spend more time on it than I should.
Or that you should admit to–
Right. So, I’m very active in fantasy.
Tell me about your traditional fantasy leagues: which players do you specifically like or go after? And what is your general strategy, if you have one?
Traditional leagues, obviously, you go for the impact player that can get you points in two, three, four different categories. I’ve been a big fan of a guy like Dwight Howard.
Despite the free throw percentage?
Despite the free throw percentage. He gets you silly field goal percentage, decent in points, huge in blocks, huge in rebounds. Guys like that that can get you three, four different categories that you can lead off in. Certainly the consensus number one every year is LeBron.
Interesting. I was going to ask you: LeBron or CP3? Can you round out your top five? Who are your number two, three, four, five fantasy players?
If I had to choose in order: certainly LeBron number one. I’d actually put Kevin Durant above CP3. Reason is: Chris Paul gets hurt. Case in point this year.
But that hasn’t always been the case –
It hasn’t always been the case, but the smaller guys are typically…the small guys and the big guys – taking out the swing guys – are more likely to get hurt. Let’s face it: Chris Paul is slight-of-frame. Small guy. So Kevin Durant, CP3. Dwyane Wade, again, injury problems.
But you’d still take him fourth?
Him and Kobe probably are four, five. Or five, four. Again, Kobe spends some time on the bench. And someone like Kobe – you have to look at what team they’re on, too. Someone like Kobe is going to be splitting a lot of statistics with his teammates.
Especially if they’re winning a lot, blowing out teams, right?
Right. So that’s my top five. Dwight Howard being the sixth.
Now, do you have an overall strategy? For me, in the head-to-head leagues, one of the tenants of my strategy is: if I have one top ten player, I’m willing to trade for two really solid guys so that I have a deeper roster than the other teams. And generally, it pans out. But some people would prefer to be the party on the other end of that trade, which is to trade for the top ten or top five guy.
I play fantasy enough to know that one of the biggest factors that no one can plan is injury. No matter how good your guy is, he’s no good if he’s injured. With that said, I’m a best available-type guy. From the drafting standpoint, you take the best available.
Regardless of position –
Certainly you don’t want to have five centers on your team, but, yeah, generally, that’s the strategy I go with.
Does that mean you also believe that, in the fantasy world, that whichever team gets the best player overall is, more often than not, the winner in the trade?
No, I don’t necessarily think that. Certainly, each team has different needs, right? If you’re stacked in one category, you want to supplement that with something else in the draft. I think it’s hard to make a generalization on that.
What you were saying, I’ve been on both ends of those trades where I’m either getting the superstar marquee name or I’m giving up that guy for a couple of good – not great – guys. I’ve been on both sides of that equation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I think it’s very dependent on each person’s situation and what their needs are for their team.
Not counting his injury this season, let’s talk about Yao Ming real quick and how is Yao as a fantasy player. Do you like Yao as a fantasy player?
I do like Yao as a fantasy player.
Traditionally, he’s been a second round player.
Yeah, second round. And after the ‘04-’05, ‘05-’06 seasons, he could sneak into the first round.
Depending on how deep your league is.
Absolutely. Certainly your center position is a premium position because there’s not that many stars there. He’s usually good for 20, 22 points and 10 boards. He’s a little light on the blocks for somebody his size, maybe 1.5, 1.7 blocks a game?
But you get great percentages, too.
He’s a monster on the free throw line. And he shoots a lot of free throws. That’s what people don’t know: you can be a Ray Allen and shoot 90%, but he only shoots twice a game. Whereas you can be a Kevin Durant or a Kobe Bryant; it’s much more valuable at 85 or 86% because he shoots ten times a game.
Not trying to give away too many trade secrets, but someone like Corey Maggette: he shoots a ton from the line. And he shoots a high percentage. He’s more valuable than people would think.
But Maggette on the Warriors now doesn’t necessarily provide you with any other stats. Yeah, he rebounds decently, but not on the Warriors. I think before on the Clippers, he had a pretty good rebounding rate, but on the Warriors, he doesn’t rebound particularly well.
But he gets to the line seven, eight times a game. I’m just saying in that category, he’s potentially more valuable than some people think.
Aaron Brooks
The Rockets are looking great. You have Aaron Brooks. He’s an up-and-coming point guard.
And have they surprised you this season?
They have, actually.
Granted, I don’t think they’re going to make the playoffs, but to have a five hundred record without Yao has been pretty impressive.
I agree. You have a terrific young player in Aaron Brooks. You get rid of Tracy McGrady’s salary and contract for Kevin Martin, who’s an outstanding player. I know they were really upset to get rid of Carl Landry in that deal.
They got draft picks, though, too.
They did get draft picks, too, and who knows what’s going to happen with those. They took a gamble by signing Trevor Ariza.
Who has more-or-less panned out.
Yeah, you know, he’s not a number one-type guy, but once Yao comes back, he’s going to stretch the floor, he’s going to get a lot of shots. And then Kevin Martin’s a terrific young player, too. He’s a natural scorer. They’re going to have a very nice inside-outside game when Yao comes back. Scola can help on the inside. I think Yao’s going to be back strong with his 22 and 10 numbers he was putting up before he left.
Other People’s Lunches certainly hopes so, too.
(chuckles) So let’s talk Other People’s Lunches real quick. We always round out the interviews with a couple of fun questions:
Do you happen to know where the phrase “Other People’s Lunches” comes from?
No, I don’t.
All right. I’m going to give you a clue. Obviously, it’s a quote from a movie, and I’m going to give you the scene and you see if you can figure it out.
The set-up is: a big, strong, hulking guy is holding up a fat kid. And the big guy says–
“Are these all your lunches?”
The kid shakes his head, “No.”
“You mean you eat other people’s lunches?!”
The kid nods his head.
“Stop it!!!”
And then a bunch of Cheetos fall out of the fat kid’s mouth.
Can you guess based off of the scene?
I’m drawing a blank.
The main actor you have to at least know based on the accent. Either that or my impersonation is terrible.
Is it Arnold?
Yes, it is Arnold–
Is it “Kindergarten Cop”?
You got it! There’s a follow-up question: what is your favorite Arnold quote?
Wow. There’s so many.
I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but certainly the most memorable is “Hasta la vista, baby” from “Terminator 2.” That one has been used over and over again in different lines and the fact that people refer to that and [other] people know where it’s from? That tells you something.
And then what is your favorite Arnold movie? Again—a lot of classics to choose from.
There are a lot. I’m probably going to have to say Terminator 2 because that was revolutionary for its time. It was a big blockbuster. I was a fan of the original, so I followed the story.
Such a perfect integration of effects and story.
Yeah, that’s why I say it’s so revolutionary. You have effects, you have story, you have action, there’s family aspects to it, there’s time travel. There’s a lot of things that, put together, make a great movie.
That’s all we have. Thank you so much for taking your time out and joining us at Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs for Other People’s Lunches, and we’ll hope to hear more from you soon!
