Ball Don't Lie - NBA


It has been a busy week for me. It began with me reading the hundreds of comments, emails, Facebook and MySpace messages related to my Athlete-Blogger conundrum post. Yes, I read every one. There were a ton of good responses so I thank everyone for that.

It was a busy week because I finally finished working on "Boom Got Them Three." Due to circumstances that are explained below, I wasn't able to officially debut it here. If you've already seen it on YouTube, or on Vimeo in HD, then you already know that it’s the best of all the "Boom Tho" videos. If you haven't, then it's time you take a look at "Boom Got Them Three" immediately.

It was also a big week because, as you may already know, I decided to skip out on the D-League and on NBA training camp and sign with the defending French Pro-A league champion SLUC Nancy. The team is located in Nancy, France and will play in the Euroleague this season. I figure if I can't play in the best league in the world, I might as well play in the second best league in the world.

I guess I was just mentally tired of dealing with the D-League and the mini-camps and coming away with nothing. It was time to go collect a serious paycheck and start living like an adult.

A day after I got the call, I had my two bags packed (I've been a two bag guy since I left Berkeley), and was on a flight direct from San Francisco to Paris. I spent the entire flight next to a French guy who spoke just enough English to tell me that his iPhone had been cracked so he could play Texas Hold 'Em. He did come in handy, though — when I was given food that I didn't like or understand, I just traded him. Boom.

When I touched down, there was a guy holding a sign that said "Denson" on it. I figured I was who he was looking for, but it wasn't unreasonable to think that there was a "Denson" wandering the airport as well. I walked up to him and asked him if the sign was meant to say "Benson" on it. Clearly he didn't speak English either. We stood next to each other for 20 minutes, him looking for "Denson," me looking for somebody to give me a clue what I was doing, until I finally asked him again. I made it simpler this time.

"Benson? Nancy?"

"Ahhh, Nancy," he started. "Qui, Nancy."

I was now in a van on the way to start the next chapter of my life.

When I arrived at my hotel, the assistant coach was waiting for me. He took me to the doctor's office for a physical, then to the gym to watch the team finish their practice. All of this occurred while I was dead tired because I hadn't slept in over 24 hours. He then told me that I had better learn how to drive a stick shift soon because the car I was about to be handed the keys to was a manual transmission.

I finally got into bed at 7 p.m. and fell asleep. I knew that if I was going to survive in the coming weeks I'd need to learn some French and I'd need to somehow teach myself how to drive a Peugeot in the crowded streets of a foreign country.

Rod Benson is a Cal grad and former D-Leaguer who plays for SLUC Nancy, the reigning French league champion. When he's not busy stalling his Peugeot, he blogs one or two times a week on Ball Don't Lie. Read his archive, pay a visit to TooMuchRodBenson.com and always support the Boom Tho movement.

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129 Comments

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  1. Matthew T
    1. Posted by Matthew T Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:07 pm EDT

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    Good luck in France! We are all pulling for you.
  2. the REAL Headless Chicken
    2. Posted by the REAL Headless Chicken Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:12 pm EDT

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    Good Luck Rod! And I guess you'll find all the stuff you need over here: Capri Sun, your favorite tivo series, amusement parks and what not. But yeah, you'll have to learn the manual shift and dare to drive a car in France. That's going to be quite a task. But finally you get to drive a real car. With like real transmission in it... Not some automatic stuff. You will have FULL control. Now.
  3. George
    3. Posted by George Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:09 pm EDT

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    Wait until you get stuck on your first hill. You thought the shot clock was pressure.
  4. Tom Toronto
    4. Posted by Tom Toronto Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:33 pm EDT

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    Good luck in Nancy! I came up with some basic tips for driving stick:
    To start the car, push the clutch pedal down before turning the ignition.
    To get going, push the gas down a bit (bring the rpms up to around 2000-3000) and release the clutch slowly. The slowly bit is key if you don't want to screech the tires.
    Once you're moving you'll know what to do. Release the gas when using the clutch. Don't worry tho, you can't stall when you're moving.
    Two more hot tips:
    When you're stopped on a hill (trying to head up it) pull the hand brake a bit before you release the clutch to not roll backwards, and use more gas than you usually would. Once the clutch is engaged (fully released the pedal) release the hand brake.
    If you can't start it (I hope your Peugeot is better than this tho,) put it in 2nd gear, and get it rolling (pushing or down a hill), then pop the clutch. For video of this, see Little Miss Sunshine.
    Hope this helps you out, and maybe saves the clutch on your Peugeot! As for the French traffic, all I can say is bonne chance.
  5. Scud
    5. Posted by Scud Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:17 pm EDT

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    Outstanding, Rod. Good luck to you!
  6. Jean-Christophe M
    6. Posted by Jean-Christophe M Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:24 pm EDT

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    Amazing!
    Juste look at this link ;)
    http://slucnancy.forumactif.com/news-sluc-nancy-f1/rod-benson-blog-t1497.htm#95911
    Thanks and see you soon!
  7. devin c
    7. Posted by devin c Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:44 pm EDT

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    are the details of the contract public?
  8. Joshua S
    8. Posted by Joshua S Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

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    French women are in there like...
    Boom!
  9. Jonathan L
    9. Posted by Jonathan L Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    Wow, Rod, that's great that you finally signed with a big-name team! Best of luck and I must avenge my 75-21 Madden loss from last year.
  10. geebear97
    10. Posted by geebear97 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:07 pm EDT

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    Congrats Rod! The Boom Tho Movement will soon be taking over France. (I can see them waving the white flags already!)
  11. Rickish
    11. Posted by Rickish Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:31 pm EDT

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    Way to go man...you will dig living in France for awhile. Make sure to have pain au chocolat for breakfast as much as possible, and get yourself a French woman who speaks little or no English. You'll be extra Mad Boom Tho if you get back stateside fluent in French...
  12. Lukasz K
    12. Posted by Lukasz K Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:25 pm EDT

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    So you actually gave up before training camp? I hope u got big money and didnt just wuss out.
  13. Leo
    13. Posted by Leo Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:49 pm EDT

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    Best of luck Rod, hope to see you be the best over there, and come back to the NBA hopefully soon! How long is your contract? Anyways Go Bears!!!
  14. walldiver
    14. Posted by walldiver Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    First French lesson for Rod--translate this:
    Lukasz K est une douche.
  15. benoit r
    15. Posted by benoit r Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:05 pm EDT

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    welcome rod,
    as a french basketball fan, or maybe addict in my case, it'll be fun to see you play a few games. And Nancy is a good choice, except that the city sucks.
    for the french driving complexity, get a girl with a licence. They know all about stick shifts.
  16. Joe S
    16. Posted by Joe S Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:17 pm EDT

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    Bling bling boom! Congrats man, you've worked hard, enjoy it, relish it. Ask for your first paycheck in pennies, then bathe in your newfound riches, Boom Tho!
  17. joe s
    17. Posted by joe s Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    boom good luck pepi le peu
  18. Victor W
    18. Posted by Victor W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:31 pm EDT

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    haha! wow dude, congratulations, very proud of your decision.
  19. Mark R
    19. Posted by Mark R Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:57 pm EDT

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    ill be in france for school when your season starts, i am definitely going to come out for a game and show some love. good luck!
  20. justin
    20. Posted by justin Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:37 pm EDT

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    good luck playin over seas! wreck shop and play for the nuggs next season!!!
  21. Diego
    21. Posted by Diego Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:33 pm EDT

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    Best of luck Rod! Represent Cal!
  22. Chris M
    22. Posted by Chris M Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:10 pm EDT

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    congrats and best of luck to you!
  23. dhuang333
    23. Posted by dhuang333 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:42 pm EDT

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    lol #15, but good luck
  24. j
    24. Posted by j Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

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    Thanks for the commenter linking to
    http://slucnancy.forumactif.com/news-sluc-nancy-f1/rod-benson-blog-t1497.htm#95911
    It is funny if you know some French.
    Rod's gonna have to learn French quick so he can start blogging over there too. Best way to learn a language is to get a girlfriend that speaks that language primarily.
    --France is a nice country to live in. Good luck Rod!
  25. dhuang333
    25. Posted by dhuang333 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:42 pm EDT

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    lol to post 15

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