NEW YORK IS THE MECCA

He Musta Lost His Mind!

2009-12-27T14:24:00.002-05:00

A gmail chain from last night:

Andy Orfalea to Tim, Kevin, Colin, Blake, Peter
9:46 PM (13 hours ago)

Just got home from work to see there was 1:40 left to play in the Lakers-Kings game. Lakers up 94-92. Let me give a brief description of what transpired:

No one can make a play down the stretch. Kobe is apparently in severe pain, his left arm or something. He's been shooting the ball primarily with his left hand according to the announcers. Ok anyways they battle but it comes down to about 15 seconds left and the score is tied 94-94. Kings shoot, miss and foul Pau Gasol on the rebound. He clanks the first free throw. I see Kobe give him his fist (of course from his left arm, and the way he reached across the lane he was just trying to make it obvious hes using his left arm). Pau seems unfazed and will for sure knock the second one down, he's 88% on the season....second shot, claaaank. So game tied kings ball. After a timeout Tyreke gets the ball and does the classic wind the clock down at midcourt while the crowd goes absolutely insane and the defender gets into position, just a great nba scene, very gladiator-esque. And who's defending Tyreke? Kobe. Of course. He looks so fucking intimidating even on defense. Tyreke winds it down until about 6 seconds then starts to shake and bake but doesn't really go anywhere. With about 2 seconds Tyreke tries one last dribble and spin to get a shot off. And of course Kobe reaches in and makes an incredible steal. Just for good measure he pounces on the ball like a fucking madman as the horn sounds. He holds the ball to his chest (with his left arm, of course) as his teammates help him up. Then this is the best part. As they go to commercial the camera zooms in on Kobe sitting on the bench drinking water and you can clearly read his lips "Is he fucking crazy? Is he crazt?" And he just has this perplexed look on his face like he's so confounded as to how Tyreke Evans would challenge him like that. He just shook his head and kept saying shit like "mother fucker must be insane". And they went to commercial and just fucking lost it. Rewinded it on tivo a couple times then decided to write this email. I fucking LOVE the NBA.

Blake Kobashigawa to me, Tim, Kevin, Colin, Peter
3:58 AM (7 hours ago)
AO, it is 347am on the left coast - I had to stay up and watch that
game on dvr. I actually laughed out loud when kobe put the stop on
tyreke, started shaking his head, gave ty the dikembe finger wag and,
as mentioned, uttered the phrase "is he fuckin crazy?". But it wasn't
just that, it was the look of sheer and utter disgust on kobes face -
as if tyreke was trying to do something absolutely absurdly
impossible, like turn water into gasoline or something. Swag was just
off the charts. Wow. Kobe almost made me forget that we shat the bed
on national tv on jesus' bday. Oh right, fuck.

THE ROOSTER IS THE FUTURE

2009-12-14T00:04:00.002-05:00

After 25% of the NBA season, the Knicks are 5-1 in December and actually showing signs of life. One thing is clear, Danilo Gallinari has the talent to be a star in the NBA. Undoubtedly the best prospect on the Knicks, El Gallo AKA The Rooster has one of the nicest J's in the League. Something good happens seemingly every time he touches the ball.

Coach D'Antoni, get this guy more minutes and more touches! We need more of the Rooster.

Illadelph Halflife

2009-12-02T14:56:00.004-05:00

AI has officially signed back with the Sixers ending his "retirement." Whether this move was for basketball purposes, ticket purposes or simple desperation it will help all those problems. After Lou Williams went down and the Sixers started to tailspin out of control they realized they needed to stop the bleeding somehow. Grabbing a free agent to patch up the roster could have helped that problem. However, grabbing a former MVP who was the heart and soul of your team and city for 10 years brings a lot more.

AI will start and will certainly provide the fire power that the Sixers lost with Williams. He will also provide the team and city with a much needed spark. I would expect the Sixers to start turning things around and playing to their potential. Not just because of the talent of AI but the effect he will have on his teammates, some of whom he's played with but other who simply know what he meant to Sixers history.

For the fans and city this is even more important. The Sixers are in one of the largest markets in the country and a great basketball town. Their tickets sales are at 29th in the EL this year. It would be naive to think that Comcast didn't have this in mind when inking AI. Philadelphia worshiped the Answer. He was the embodiment of what the citizens of South Philly stood for: he represented the struggle that they all represent, he was gritty, he was tough, he was the perpetual underdog, and he persevered.

When AI was shipped out of Philly to Denver it might as well have been a day of mourning on Broad street. The city lost its heart. Success may have stayed in Philly in other sports but Iverson was their pulse and bringing him back should revitalize both the team and the fan-base. A seemingly no brainer move by Comcast here.

The Answer may not be the missing piece to bring the Sixers back to the finals but his homecoming should be wonderful to watch.

ATL

2009-11-20T10:27:00.002-05:00

Twelve games into the season its the Hawks of ATL with the best record in the L. Their 10-2 is no joke off an early cupcake schedule either. Their loses come @ the Lakeshow and @ Charlotte (okay the Charlotte, what the hell). But wins @ Boston, @ Portland, home against Denver, home against Portland, home against Miami. All projected playoff teams, not bad.

Obviously the ATL is on the rise and continues to bring the power balance in the EL more even in east and west.

WHY WE LOVE RON ARTEST

2009-11-16T22:14:00.002-05:00

There are plenty of reasons to hate Ron Artest. The Detroit melee. His annual post season meltdown. You can't deny, however, his passion for the game. Throwing Ariza's shoe? If MJ pulled this, everyone would beat themselves into the ground praising his "gamesmanship." Of course the Houston announcer thinks it should be delay of game. Whatever.

(I would make a post on Brandon Jennings, but my heart is broken. Scott Layden, Zeke, now Donnie Walsh...the Knicks' one good draft pick in my lifetime was Trevor Ariza, who was dealt with a pack of signed Isiah Thomas trading cards for the Basketball Player Formerly Known as Steve Francis. FML.)

Mulligan

2009-11-15T10:27:00.002-05:00

With the 8th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select Brandon Jennings of Lottomattica Roma.

Oh wait! The Knicks selected Jordan "DNP" Hill. Not the quick lefty point guard who dropped 55, 5, 5 last night on 21-34, 7-8, 6-8 shooting. Yea yea I know he did it against the Warriors who still haven't heard that you have to play both Offense and Defense in a basketball game. But you try going outside right now and hitting 21-34 shots unguarded period.

Last night he became the first rookie since AI to drop 50 in a game his rookie year (fitting as AI closes the curtain on his career). He totaled the second amount of points ever by a Milwaukee Buck (to Redd's 57). He totaled the 5th highest rookie point total ever (behind Wilt 58 twice, Elgin Baylor 57, Earl "Black Jesus" Monroe 56). And he became the youngest person ever to score 55, at 20 yrs old and 2 months ... in just his 7th NBA game.

No question the early favorite for rookie of the year. Imagine if LeBron was thinking about teams, would be nice to be going to play with a 20 year phenom like King James was once himself.

WITH PURCHASE OF VARAEJO POSTER, GET A DJ MBENGA EXTRA LARGE POSTER FREE!!!

2009-11-14T15:18:00.003-05:00

This draft was better than everyone thought. 4 PGs already making an impact!

Thornton Getting a Shot

2009-11-14T02:47:00.003-05:00

One of AO's "my guys" from the 2009 draft, Marcus Thornton finally gets some burn after Byron Scott got jettisoned. This guy seriously has seen nothing more than garbage minutes thus far. Tonight..24 minutes and 20 points. Only a couple rebounds assists and one steal. But I'm telling you, this guy is an NBA scorer. And haven't we been asking where's the athletic 2 to go with the wizardry of Chris Paul at the 1?

Try looking at the bench.

ANDERSON VAREJAO POSTERS, AVAILABLE IN ALL SIZES

2009-11-13T09:56:00.001-05:00

There Are No Cinderellas

2009-11-09T19:53:00.004-05:00

Right now four teams are practicing, preparing and becoming mentally tough enough to endure 35-ish games and multiple tournaments, battling every night. We don't know who they are yet, but in 5 months they will be immortalized in college basketball lour.

So strike up the band, crack open a natty, and throw on your team's fan shirt ... Let College Basketball begin!

Tonight tips the first few games of the 2009-2010 college basketball season and I couldn't be more excited. College basketball season is like Christmas for five months. Every game a new present. Hanging on every possession. From the crunch time possessions where every pass has you biting your nails, to the blow outs where you want to see your favorite 5'8" white walk on chuck a 30 foot three. Come Friday when my own Alma-mater tips off I will be rocking my brand new Final Four t-shirt as giddy as a 2nd grader in a candy store.

So quickly, what does Sip Rogers think about the upcoming season before he gets back to his paper on the problems with choice-of-law rules in international commercial arbitration? I think we have a rather wide open season. On most of the highly ranked preseason teams there is a lot of promising youth alongside those vets.

As we saw last year, veteran leadership was the mantra of getting to the final four. UNC (Lawson, Hansborough, Ellington), Mich. State (Suton, Walton), Uconn (Thabeet, Adrien), Villanova (Cunningham, Anderson). Of these four Michigan State probably comes out in the best position having really only lost one stud. However, the rest of these teams bring in some great recruits.

The mantra of couple of veterans and a host of recruits seems to be the same for Kansas, Texas and Kentucky as well. This spells what could be a very unpredictable March. Or at least something opposite of the bookend #1 ranking UNC achieved last season.

An interesting little study was done in reference to the how literal minutes on the floor plays a telling factor in successful teams. Perhaps which group of star-studded frosh can have the quickest impact will be the telling sign of which of these top teams is legit by the end of March.

"Looking at the last two National Champions; Kansas entered the 2007-08 season returning players having played 11,871 minutes. Last season, North Carolina’s squad started the season with 14,265 minutes of previous playing experience.

Looking at the early favorites for the 2010 Championship,Kansas’s players have racked up8,906 total minutes in college ball. Purdue (11,990 minutes) ranks the highest among popular top-ten picks. Fellow Big East foe, West Virginia, has turned in 10,311 minutes. 2009 Runner-up Michigan St?9,082 minutes. The Longhorns from Texas are only returning5,011 minutes of returners. And John Calipari’s Kentuckyteam? Coach Cal had better hope that the freshmen bring it, because the Bluegrass Wildcats only have 6,350 minutes of NCAA experience. With Villanova coming in with10,440 minutes."

We shall see how it all works out but it should be fun to watch the young guns make an impact. Sip and the Mecca team are fired up.

My early unadulterated Final Four prediction ... Kansas, Mich. St., Villanova & Cal

But let's get prepared for the upsets, the six-overtime games in the Mecca, the buzzer beaters, the battles down low, the pride, the glory, the passion ... of NCAA Men's Basketball.

Challenging the Mecca?

2009-11-09T18:50:00.003-05:00

True Hoop posted this little snippet from a Q&A with a Cleveland Plain Dealer writer:

Hey, Brian: Maybe it's just my ignorance, but why is Madison Square Garden considered the "Mecca" of basketball? I looked up and saw that the Knicks have only won two titles. Furthermore, they showed a top-10 plays of MSG moments and I believe seven were from opposing teams. I just thought you would have an explanation for me. -- Yiannis Callos, Cleveland
Hey, Yiannis: There have been thousands of games staged at MSG over the years. It is the oldest arena in the NBA, so the history of the building is very deep; much deeper than just the Knicks history. Plus it has been the host to numerous great college games over the years with the pre- and postseason NIT tournaments plus the Big East Tournament. Just last spring, Syracuse and Connecticut played a six-overtime game there. Basketball is also huge in New York, which contributes to it. So all of the hype is justified.

I don't know who Yiannis is, but he better not show his face around this website. NyiM baby, Lebron must have said it 20 times this weekend.

Beau-bois for trois!

2009-11-06T15:01:00.002-05:00

This situation played out the other night out here on the West Side.

I was up late, about 2am. I had just got home from work so I hadn't seen any NBA action that night but of course I had scanned the box scores which I do every NBA night unless I'm "off the grid." Well I turned on the Tv to see what I could fall asleep to, I know a disgusting American tradition. Well, I saw that a replay of ESPNs game televised earlier that night was about to start. Mavericks @ Hornets. My mind quickly jumped back to the box score I saw earlier that night. From what I remembered, CP3 dominated, Dirk had an off night and Marcus Thornton (one of 'my guys' from this years draft) still hasn't played.

Well I put the sleep timer on for 15 minutes and right before I closed my eyes they flashed the starting lineups. Rod Beaubois started for the Mavericks. My mind again raced back to the box score and I remembered thinking it was cool he was cracking the rotation. I believe he had scored 9 points. But why is he starting? What happened to JJ Barea?

Anyways I wanted to fall asleep but I was interested in what Beaubois looked like on an NBA court. He looked pretty damn good. He scored the first 9 points of the game for the Mavericks! In a variety of ways too, three ball, free throw line, slashing, hanging, etc. Anyways this was a funny little incident because I knew Beaubois had scored 9 points total, but he scored them in about 5 minutes of game action. After those 9 points I fell asleep so I have no idea what happened to him for the rest of the game. But this guy could be a good one. He's the only person that I've ever seen whose body type reminds me of The Answer's. He's 6 foot, very skinny, but long arms, great bounce and crazy acceleration. Sound familiar?

I don't know to what extent this cat's game will evolve this year but I'm hoping the Mavs are forced to give him time by way of injury to Northeastern's finest or maybe Kidd gets hurt for a long span. All Nyim contributers need to check this guy out, he could be the next (french)answer.

THIS IS GETTING OLD

2009-11-03T19:07:00.003-05:00

From ESPN.com:

Allen Iverson is already unhappy with his role in Memphis.

He made his season debut on Monday after missing time with a hamstring injury.

Iverson played 18 minutes in the team's overtime loss to the Kings, scoring 11 points.

"I had no problems (with the hamstring). I had a problem with my butt sitting on that bench for so long," Iverson told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

When a reporter suggested that the Grizzlies' bench needed Iverson's scoring punch, he disagreed.

"No. I'm not a bench player. I'm not a sixth man," Iverson added. 'Look at my resume and that'll show I'm not a sixth man. I don't think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It's just who I am. I don't want to change what gave me all the success that I've had since I've been in this league. I'm not a sixth man. And that's that."

Sad to see one of the best players I've ever seen and one of my favorite players of all-time becoming a caricature of himself in the twilight of his career.

JORDAN HILL: BUST

2009-10-31T00:01:00.003-04:00

To quote Chris Rock, "that's right I said it!" Two games and one DNP-CD into his NBA career, I am declaring Jordan Hill a bust.

Jonny "Showtime" Flynn

2009-10-29T13:54:00.002-04:00

"Minnesota trailed by 16 points with less than 7 minutes to play. But Flynn scored 11 points the rest of the way and the Timberwolves closed the game on a 24-6 run to steal the victory."

Agent Zero And The Kids Are Back

2009-10-28T00:04:00.005-04:00

What a great feeling that was. With all the hoopla and nonsense going on with my other beloved Washington franchise it was such a nice changeup to see the WizKids easily beat the Dallas Mavericks on the road. After only winning 6 games on the road ALL OF LAST YEAR the 'Zards took the game into their hands from the start. They were constantly up in this game, not by much, but you could see the game was in their hands.

The hands were mostly those of Gilbert Arenas. Agent Zero finally FINALLY inspired some joy into the Wizards fans' hearts. I thought he looked different from before, not quite the same explosion, despite the fact that Flip Saunders insists he's the same player. He still got the bucket but didn't really get above the rim. That's fine though. He played great and I see no reason why that slightly less explosive body can't play the same ball or better than he was playing before the knee surgeries. Kobe is about 1/5 as athletic as he used to be and he scores easier than anyone in the league. The biggest difference I noticed about Gil though was his passing. He was looking for the next shot, not just his own. He played a true point guard tonight. I have no doubt that come crunch time he'll want the rock, and he'll take it, but its nice to see him put the team before himself.

Other points of worth from the opener: Andray Blatche had 20, 7 and 2 blocks. He played efficiently and smart, which if you know anything about Blatche's history is just about the last adjective you'd think you'd ever use to describe him. Mike Miller not only wetted a couple treys but he played tough D and noticeably made an effort to do the little things (space the floor, move the ball, crash the boards). But the biggest side note to Gilbert was not Caron or Antawn's absence, it was Sip Rodgers' boy, Randy Foye. Foye impressed the shit out of me tonight. I remember liking him a lot back when I saw him take 20-0 BC to the brink a few years back in Chestnut Hill. But man has he really polished his game. He's very explosive with the ball and can create his shot easier than anyone on the team it seems. When he drives he can get up around the rim. His midrange game is tuned and he's scrappy on defense. I think the most telling stat for him tonight was not his 19 points but his +16 plus/minus in the 30 minutes he played. That was the highest plus minus of any Wizard tonight.

I couldn't help but appreciate Flip Saunder's coaching style tonight. It was so refreshing to see the Wizards run different sets throughout the game rather than the exact same weave-and-cut Princeton knockoff Eddie Jordan ran every possession for the last few years. It's nice to have a good coach, its just a necessity for success. Look at the coaches who have won the last 10 finals: Phil Jackson 3x, Popovich, Larry Brown, Popovich, Pat Riley, Popovich, Doc River and Phil Jackson otra vez. That list isn't by accident. I'm not putting Flip Saunders in that group I'm just saying if you want a chance to get a 'chip, having a good coach with a good track record is something that is just as important as the players.

After this victory, I can't explain how happy I am. I haven't felt this excitement about the ol' Bullets since freshman year of college when Agent Zero was just making a name for himself in the El. Well, he's back, and a memo to the rest of the league: watch the fuck out.

Michael Gilchrist's Uncle

2009-09-29T12:17:00.004-04:00

You've probably heard of Michael Gilchrist, the consensus number 1 High School prospect in the 2011 class. He plays for St. Patrick's in Elizabeth, NJ (Al Harrington, Mike Nardi, Corey Fisher, Derek Caracter, Sam Dalembert, Dexter Strickland). So apparently his recruitment has come down to a two horse race. Kentucky and John Calipari and Villanova and Jay Wright.

Gilchrist's interest in 'Nova has been developing for awhile now. Apparently he is a kind of quiet guy who has thought seriously about being close to home ('Nova is only 30 miles from Gilchrist's hometown) and at a smaller school like 'Nova where he wouldn't be hounded and chopped through the system as much as say at UK. Also, he has known Jay Wright for some time due to Wright's connection to St. Pat's (Nardi, Fisher).

However, early in his career (age 14, two years ago) Gilchrist stated he wanted to play at Memphis because of Coach Calipari. He then switched that to an interest to Kentucky because of Cal's move. So why the love for Coach Cal practically before puberty?

Coach Cal is very very very good friends with a rather shady individual. Michael Gilchrist is the nephew of that shady individual ... Michael Gilchrist's Uncle is fucking World Wide Wes!!!!!!

This may be the ultimate culmination of power for the shadiest man in basketball. He's managed to hit gold on the genetic lottery and be fucking related to the number one prospect in the country. Can we please get "He Got Game 2" in the works Spike?

Now that I heard that, I'm a little tenuous about 'Nova actually getting this guy (full disclosure I am a 'Nova alum). From what I originally heard he seemed like a real gem (personality wise) for a number one prospect. Quiet, works on his game, doesn't seek attention for himself, only cares about the W on the scoreboard.

I thought nice, if we are going to grab the number 1 recruit I'd rather have it be Gilchrist than say when Wright went after Tyreke Evans (shootings, arrests, overall craziness) and eventually Wright bowed out of the Evans race once it became evident that Evans' cousin was probably covering up a shooting that Tyreke was involved in. And who ended up with Evans ... Coach Cal.

However, now that WWW is fucking related to this guy I'm terrified I don't know would it be worth having WWW lurking around the Villanova campus and becoming buddy-buddy with Jay Wright.

Calipari is probably the biggest crook in college basketball history, on par with Coach Pete Bell from Blue Chips. Two vacated final fours Coach Cal, are you fucking kidding me! WWW is just everywhere and his friendship with the dons of basketball have made him an amazingly powerful and mysterious man.

His influence over Gilchrist's career will be interesting to follow. Although I am not a fan of WWW and not a fan of one-and-done basketball players, I have to say if Gilchrist came to 'Nova and pulled a Carmelo I don't think I would mind too much. But the influence and clear connection to WWW at my campus would scare me.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20090707_Gilchrist_has_hoops_recruiters_salivating.html

A Sad Good-Bye For His Airness

2009-09-12T23:18:00.008-04:00

Last night I sat down, grabbed a beer and prepared to watch MJ, the man who I grew up singing how I wanted to be like, finally get enshrined into the Hall. It was really just a technicality, a crossing of the "T" of MJ's career. Since his first retirement in 1993 his spot in the Hall was already reserved. I eagerly watched all 5 speeches waiting for MJ's (which was obviously saved until last for the sake of ratings).

The three players going in, were all guys I looked up to as a kid. The Admiral, the consummate professional and patriot. Stockton, who I think every kid thought was uncool when we were little but then realized as we got older that he was the fucking man, a legendary point guard in the pantheon of point Gods and the great white hope of the 1990s. And MJ, we were all beyond lucky to be able to witness the greatest ever perform poetry in motion every night.

David Robinson, the model of class who stayed true to his Naval commitment and didn't join the NBA for 2 seasons after getting drafted out of Annapolis, gave a gracious speech that of course was expected from a guy of his character. A fitting hall of famer, dedicated to helping his community and country and perhaps would be seen as the antithesis of Jordan during this induction.

Stockton gave a really funny speech which was mostly self-deprecating but also focused on his family and coach (Sloan also getting inducted).

C.Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers women's coach gave one of the most heart-wrenching speeches I'd ever heard. Or maybe I just didn't know her story. Her life was an unbelievable struggle (husband died young, raised 3 kids on her own while being a coach and her daughter was diagnosed with meningitis at a young age and never really recovered, she was shown in a wheelchair at the ceremony) There was never any denying Stringer's success on the court, but her success off the court is even more impressive.

Jerry Sloan told us a great life story of growing up on a farm 16 miles from the closest town and all the odd twists of fate that led him to becoming the Jazz coach for the past 20yrs and praising everyone along the way who helped him do it.

And then there was MJ what we'd all been waiting for. A wonderful montage had everyone excited for the biggest Hall induction in EL history. MJ got up there crying and I thought this speech would top all the speeches.

Now, as a caveat to me watching this speech. I had watched the MJ interview with Wilbon the day before and Jordan spoke about how he wasn't too excited about his induction because it made him feel like he was "being put out to pasture," like it was all over (and for a guy who retired 3 times I guess its hard for him to see his basketball career as finally ...Over). (As a side-note in this Wilbon interview, MJ addresses the Dream Team - Monte Carlo scrimmage and I would like to make a post on that soon).

So I was curious if he'd talk long at all or maybe just cry through it and talk about how it was hard for him to face this last part of his playing career and definitely close the book. Jordan immediately praised Pippen, who was in the crowd, as well as referring to some other teammates in attendance.

However it was all downhill from there. Jordan's speech quickly went from appreciative to bitter. He focused on telling stories about his competitive edge and the different ways in which he motivated himself to become the best. Why I wanted to beat this guy, why I felt this guy slighted me, etc. It then became very odd as he started taking shots at players both in the crowd and those watching at home. (Isaiah, Magic, the Ice Man, Starks, Byron Russel), He took shots at coaches (Riley, Van Gundy) and his GM (Krause). I knew all these little rivalries existed in the background but I never thought Jordan would use his last giant speech to the sports world to take a parting shot at every single one of them.

As I suppose is the case with a genius in any profession, the genius is often too smart or talented for their own good and their greatest strengths can become their biggest flaws. Jordan's competitive edge, desire and commercial success made him unquestionably the best player and most recognizable man in the world but it also seems to have made him a bitter man and a bit of a lost soul feeling used by the system. I guess he tried to give everyone one more "Fuck you, no one can stop me" in the end.

A pretty sad and pretty odd ending to his playing career, but those characteristics and inner-struggles that MJ showed us are part of what makes our most famous characters so interesting.

Adrian Wojnaworski summed up this odd speech well in more detail. Read Here

PEARLMAN ON IVERSON

2009-09-11T03:04:00.003-04:00

Jeff Pearlman, acclaimed sports journalist (I discovered him reading his take on the '86 Mets), recently blogged about AI. Quite a good piece, and fitting given the level of conversation about the Answer on NY is Mecca recently:

Just watched a bit of the footage of Allen Iverson’s introductory press conference in Memphis. Let me be one of the few to opine that Iverson is about to have a huge season. Huge.
I know … I know. At age 34, Iverson isn’t Iverson. Maybe that’s true. But the man is still fearless; is still awfully quick; is still one of the gutsiest small guards in NBA history. Most important, he has to be motivated, what with the rejection of seemingly every other franchise. Maybe I’m dumb—but I just have a feeling about this one.
It’s strange, Iverson. I’ve always had a soft spot for Jewelz, but I’m not sure why. Roughly nine years ago, when A.I. was in his prime with the 76ers, Sports Illustrated assigned me to profile the man. I flew to Philly, and was assured by the team’s media staff that Iverson would find time for me. On that first day, I entered the locker room, turned to face Iverson and heard him screaming curses into his cell phone. “Maybe now’s not the best time,” a media person said. The next night, the team had a game—no Iverson. They had another game the following night, and beforehand Iverson blew me off with a wave. The ensuing afternoon was practice, for which Iverson didn’t show up. Finally, the team was flying to Orlando to play the Magic. I went, too—hope sinking fast. Before the game the club’s owner, Pat Croce, asked if I’d had any success. “Ha,” I snarled. “None.” Afterward Billy King, the GM, said, “Jeff—follow me.” He led me back into the locker room, where Iverson was getting dressed and answering questions from the swarm. King whispered something into his ear, then returned to me and said, “Good news! A.I. will talk to you on the walk from the locker room to the bus.” This was hardly good news—but time was time. With his clothing on, Iverson shouted, “Where’s the S.I. guy?” I raised my hand, and we started strolling. We took, oh, 10 steps before a mob of autograph seekers attacked. Took another four steps before running into Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Bucs—both of who had much to say to Iverson. When that dialogue ended, we took four steps before—whooosh!—from the mist, ex-Magic gunner Dennis Scott appeared. He walked with us, me uttering nary a word. At long last, Scott disappeared. We were now five feet in front of the bus. The motor was running; all his teammates were seated and ready to go.
“So what do you want to know?” he asked.
I looked at the bus. I looked at Iverson. “Nothing,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”
And that was that.
•
Returned home, decided I’d write the piece on my horrible adventure with Allen Iverson. Even started typing it out, when the phone rang.
“Jeff?”
“Yeah?”
“Hey, this is Allen Iverson. You got time now?”
We spoke for 45 minutes.
He was fantastic.

09-10 PREVIEW: THE KNICKERBOCKERS (NY)

2009-09-10T00:13:00.005-04:00

With Iverson signing with Memphis and the Ramon Sessions courtship finally ending with a Minnesota offer sheet, I figure all relevant free agents have signed and it is appropriate time to start the NY is Mecca 09-10 Season Preview. Sip Rogers and I have been discussing the previews, and we decided to go with a generic layout. How Did Last Year Go, Biggest Offseason Move, What to Expect. Who else to start with but the New York Knicks, now only 82 NBA regular season games away from the LeBron James Sweepstakes.

How Did Last Year Go: The Knicks spent last year in recovery. After a decade of drunken management, sobriety returned to the helm in the form of Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni. With the stated goal of having cap flexibility for the 2010 offseason (free agents include LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Amare, Manu, the list goes on and on), the Knicks dealt leading scorers Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph for expiring contracts. Many moves were made, and now the Knicks are left with significant long-term financial commitments with only two players: Eddy Curry ($10.5 mm in 09-10, $11.3 mm in 10-11) and Jared Jeffries ($6.5 mm in 09-10, $6.8 in 10-11). This gives them enough wiggle room to make a run for a max player next summer, but given the shrinking salary cap and inability to move Curry and Jeffries, they will have to wait until the summer of 2011 to pair LeBron with another proven commodity. 2008-09: 30-52, 5th in Atlantic Division, 14th in Eastern Conference

Biggest Offseason Move: For the first time in, well, I can't remember the last time, but the Knicks didn't overspend or outbid themselves on a free agent this year. They maintained their poise with David Lee and Nate Robinson, getting each back on a bargain contract of a 1-year qualifying offer. They swung and missed on Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, and Ramon Sessions. In the draft, after rumors of posturing for a trade-up to take Ricky Rubio, the Knicks stayed put at 9 and took Arizona big-man Jordan Hill. They later acquired Florida State point guard Toney Douglas as well. Douglas looked like a decent prospect in Summer League, averaging 9 assists per game and playing tough defense. Hill has nice size and moves well for a big man. The Knicks also took a waiver on draft bust Darko Milicic, who once upon a time was drafted #2 overall before the likes of Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.

What to Expect: My biased opinion is that a full training camp and some sort of roster stability this year, along with increased talent, will put the Knicks in possible playoff contention in the East. That is the plan, at least. Look for "The Mayor" Wilson Chandler to shine as a full-time starter. 20 points and 8 rebounds a game is not out of the question for him, inarguably Isiah Thomas' best draft pick to stay with the Knicks (Trevor Ariza, we hardly knew yee.) David Lee should improve on the 16 & 11 he contributed last year. He and Nate Robinson have something to prove as unrestricted free agents (both have a PER in the top 40). 2nd year Italian forward Danilo Galinari AKA THE ROOSTER also will be looking to impress after a lackluster rookie campaign which included some missed time due to a pre-existing back injury. Best case scenario would be a playoff appearance as a 7 or 8 seed with Chandler, Lee, Gallinari, and Lee all taking steps forward. That also presumes one of the centers (Hill, Darko, Ed Curry) gives them average production as a starter. Worst case scenario would be more injuries, none of the big men living up to the hype or potential, and none of the "building blocks" (Chandler, Lee, Nate Robinson, El Gallo, Toney Douglas) take a step forward.

12-Man Roster
PG: Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson, Toney Douglas (R)
SG: Wilson Chandler, Larry Hughes
SF: Al Harrington, Danilo Gallinari
PF: David Lee, Jared Jeffries
C: Jordan Hill (R), Darko Milicic, Ed Curry

Memphis Finds Their Answer

2009-09-09T14:37:00.003-04:00

"I don't want to be Jordan, I don't want to be Magic, Bird. I don't want to be any of those guys. When my career is over I want to look in the mirror and said I did it my way." -- The Answer (or maybe Frank Sinatra?)

Via that unstoppable force that is twitter, AI announced that he will be playing for the Grizz this coming season. AI's Tweet

As The Answer moves onto to his 4th pro team we are lucky to get to watch him for another few years. Although it certainly won't be with the same power and quickness of his Sixer's days it should be interesting so see him work with the likes of Mayo, Conley and Gay.

Ai has been through a lot since he left the Illadelph. He had a rough end to his career there with losing seasons and sad departure. The 'Melo/Iverson experiment did not work out as planned in Denver and they fared far better with Chauncey. AI's season in Detroit was basically something to be forgotten. But we should not ever forget the AI at the turn of the century. Late 90s Early 00s. He was an absolute force and consistently one the best, if not the best player in the league at the time. Never forget that step over Tyron Lue in the Finals when it seemed the little man from Newport News was fighting for ever kid that was told he was too short or too skinny to play hoops and he owned the basketball world.

I think the video at the top of this post helps us to remember why he was dubbed ... The Answer

Serbia Takes Down Spain

2009-09-07T17:58:00.007-04:00

In a stunning upset, Serbia beat Spain today 66-57 in the first game of group play for Eurobasket 2009 in Poland. The Serbs, led by Nenad Kristic's (OK City Thunder) 17 points, lead throughout the game as Spain struggled to make baskets.

Spain, who is considered the favorite to win the entire tournament was playing with the exact same team that pushed the Redeem team into one of the most exciting international basketball games ever and won a silver medal in Beijing. They were once again without their starting point guard Jose Calderon. But he is aptly replaced by Ricky Rubio (FC Barelona ... yea not the T'Wolves eat it!), who was playing in his first game since the controversy over his transfer to FC Barca and not the T'Wolves. Watching Spain play, it was hard to believe there were so many NBA contracts on the team.

Read the recap ...

JOY TO THE WORLD, THE WORST SIGNING OF THE OFFSEASON IS UPON US

2009-07-09T00:41:00.002-04:00

Anderson Varejao re-signs with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a staggering $50 million spread over 6 years. Varejao becomes the FIRST player in the NBA to have a contract lasting through 2015. Every offseason there is a signing that is so comical that, from literally the minute it is reported, everybody and their mother knows its awful. Jerome James for the full mid-level exception was a good example of this, back in the Isiah days. Varejao for $50 million guaranteed takes the cake for 2009. I cannot imagine how this will be topped. Varejao is a one-dimensional forward, a good rebounder who flops all the time and has little offensive range. Why he is worth $50 million is beyond me. Somewhere, David Lee is no contemplating asking for a max contract.

In other, more sensible news, the Spurs have locked up Antonio McDyess to a 3-year deal. So the Spurs deal Kurt Thomas and Oberto to get Richard Jefferson, then replace Oberto and KT with McDyess and the NCAA's best rebounder in DeJuan Blair. Not bad. The Spurs have the talent to play with the Lake Show next season, no doubt about it.

MICHAEL BEASLEY IMPROVING HIS GAME

2009-07-07T13:26:00.002-04:00

If DWade is going to stay in Miami, Beasley needs to improve upon the 14 and 5 he put up last year as a 19-year-old. Here is some encouraging news, complements of the Palm Beach Post via TrueHoop:

"Michael Beasley's friends don't enjoy watching NBA games with him anymore. After a year in the league, it seems that he has developed the irritating habit of breaking things down as though he were a coach. 'When you play it and you've lived it ... you understand,' Beasley said. 'I can watch the game and see who missed a rotation or who messes up the play, who was supposed to be there on the other end of the pass. You understand why coaches get so intense and so emotional toward you on the court, because when you see something go wrong that could have been so perfect, of course you get mad.' That kind of perspective is a sign of growth for Beasley, 20, who was still a teenager last fall when he began his rookie season with the Heat. So, too, is his attitude toward off-season workouts that he began a month ago at AmericanAirlines Arena. Beasley, who averaged 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in an up-and-down season, has been fastidious about working on his skills during the day and playing pickup basketball with other local NBA players three nights a week."

GRANT HILL SAYS IT ALL

2009-07-07T13:20:00.000-04:00

Hill told reporters yesterday at the Garden playing "at the mecca" has always been appealing to him and he has always loved New York.

JKIDD RE-UPS; RASHEED TO THE C'S

2009-07-06T01:52:00.007-04:00

Jason Kidd to stay in Dallas for 3 yrs/$25 mil. ($8 mil/yr) NY was apparently offering 3yrs/$15 mil. Well-played by Donnie Walsh, Knicks still scoreless in the "Good Players" department.

IMPACT: I still don't think Dallas is a contender in the West, but there are moves to be made so too early to tell. LA, San Antonio, and Denver all have more firepower right now, from a talent stand point. How those teams fill their benches will go a long way in determining who is playing in June.

Rasheed Wallace to the Celtics for 2 yrs/$11.6 mil. ($5.8 mil/yr) Also had overtures from San Antonio, Orlando, and Dallas.

IMPACT: Huge. Boston now starts and goes into crunch time with Rondo, Allen, Pierce, KG, and Rasheed. Wallace and Garnett will be a very interesting and potentially threatening front court duo. Rasheed can stretch the D with his 3ball, play pesky defense, he's just a great addition and I think they will really mesh well. Like Artest in LA under the influence of the Zen Master and Kobe, Rasheed with KG and Doc and Pierce and Jesus and the whole UBUNTU stuff will keep him somewhat grounded. Teammates always love Rasheed, and Doc's a player's coach so I don't think it will be an issue. Beyond that, his game fits in real well with the Celtics. I think this move makes them the odds-on-favorite to rep the East in the Finals.

Perkins is on the bench, where he belongs. (Not knocking the guy, he's a serviceable big off the bench, but he's not a starting center.) House, Tony Allen, and Scalabrine are also under contract. Gone are Marbury and Moore, both stiffs but still bodies on the bench. Big Baby Davis is a restricted free agent and is meeting with other teams. He would be their best bench guy, I imagine they'll bring him back at the right price. They just have to hope the Thunder don't offer him $50 million. If he's back, they have nice front court depth. Still, the cupboard is bare to rest Pierce and Jesus. House is good quick O, Tony Allen is mediocre. Can Giddens, Billy Walker, or 2nd round sleeper pick Lester Hudson develop into a serviceable player? Who else will make up their lacking second unit?

WHO GOES WHERE NEXT?

Lamar Odom will re-sign with the Lakers? That is the next obvious move to happen, especially with former BQ Express teammate Ron Artest hooping for the Lake Show. I would be surprised if he decided to leave, as the teams that want him (Cleveland, San Antonio) can only offer the mid-level. Lakers have his Bird Rights so they can offer him more money. Once he re-ups, the Lakers are obviously the odds on favorite. (C's countered nicely with Rasheed though, they surpass Orlando as the favorite in the ECF).

The Thunder and Blazers both have gotta use their cap space to get some talent in their front court. Enough with the Lottery appearances and team-building via the draft, it's time to get KD & Co./BROY & Co. some depth. Let's see what these guys can do, both are upper-echelon, top-5 NBA talent. Paul Millsap and David Lee for $8-$10 mil/yr has been rumored, I think that's too much for both of those guys. If Gortat got 5-yr, $34 mil, I think fair value would be 5-yr, $40 mil for either of those guys ($10, $9, $8, $7, $6 would be how I structure it so you get more cap-space at the back-end of the deal when Durant and Green are re-upped at big money in a few years.) Regardless, I imagine the Thunder and Blazers scoop up one (or both) of those guys, the best 4's on the market, and both young too.

OTHER POSSIBLE FA MANEUVERING

Antonio McDyess, Andre Miller, Mike Bibby, Linas Kleiza, Ramon Sessions, Chris BIRDMAN Andersen, Leon The Show Powe, Brandon Bass, and Grant Hill are all players who I think could help playoff teams if put in the right situation.

McDyess has been in talks with San Antonio, they need some front court help. Only bigs under contract right now for Los Spurs are TD, DeJuan Blair (presuming he makes the team, which he will), and Matt Bonner (if you even want to consider him a big). Oberto is in Detroit now, and Kurt Thomas was in the Jefferson deal. That's a lot of minutes, and Timmy's minutes will continue to go down. Blair was a great draft pick for them, I think he will help them right away. 6'6" and over 270 pounds with a wingspan over 7', the most dominant offensive rebounder in college basketball (and doing it in the Big East!), the guy is going to be able to hang in an NBA game. I love the Spurs guards with Tony P, Manu, Roger Mason Jr, and George Hill (a great first round selection in 08). Findawg Michael Finley and RJ at the 3. The Spurs have a lot of talent, if they are healthy and can fill out the front court they will give the Lakers some real problems.

There were Marbury to Washington rumors given the Flip Saunders connection. What did he say to Flip, "Hey Coach, remember when I forced my way out of Minnesota and a budding dynasty with KG so I could be the Man in East Rutherford, New Jersey before turning into the biggest joke in the NBA." Honestly, what did Steph tell Flip. I hope that is not true for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which is obviously Steph is a team killer, chemistry killer, coach killer, and will not contribute to a championship team. Plus, the Wizkids have swag with Mike Miller and Randy Foye now, with everyone healthy they could be at least a playoff team with some bite (Arenas/Miller/Tough Juice/TWAN/Brenda with a pretty deep bench feat. Nick Young, Foye, Blatche). That much is a good thing in the Leastern Conference.

Will Bibby sign with Cleveland to join LeBron's Revolving Door of Undersized Shooting Guards who moonlight at point? That could be interesting, Bibby with Shaq after all those Kings/Lakers wars, trying to win one for the King.

Iverson is obviously also still a free agent. Will he really sign with the freaking Grizzlies? I think the Bobcats make a ton of sense -- he can be the Alpha Dog (since he obviously needs to be), and play for Larry Brown again and (kind of) under the watchful eye of MJ. They may even be good enough to make the playoffs. Iverson at 2, Gerald Wallace and Boris as the forwards, Okafor holding down the block, Ray Felton and DJ Augustin at point. They also got Gerald Henderson in the draft, a Duke panzy no doubt but probably as good as Dahntay Jones, a good bench guy, athletic and annoying on D. They also have Vlad Radmonvic and Diop, both absolute trash but NBA caliber players no less.

Birdman's gotta go back to Denver, right? Will OKC throw mad money at that guy? Somebody's going to get overpaid, it's bound to happen. Gortat for $34 million can't take the cake as worst signing of the offseason, an egregiously bad and stupid signing is lurking out there.

Grant Hill to the Knicks? Really, is that the best you guys can do? I have a feeling Walsh and D'Antoni will spend the MLE for 2 or 3 yrs to add some talent to a team sorely lacking in talent because they don't want to be in the Lottery again. (Utah holding the rights to their pick from the Marbury deal.) Hill, Marion, Linas Kleiza, Ramon Sessions have all been mentioned.

Summer League season starts in less than 10 days, obviously NY is MECCA will be catching the games and giving recaps of who looks good and who's a bust. I think Darko may even play on the Knicks squad. I know Morris Almond is, so we have that to look forward to. Blake Griffin is a guy who may be able to bring down a backboard during Summer League.

Any rookie have a chance to break Von Wafer's SL game-high record of 41 points in 40 minutes? Stef Curry probably. Belinelli has always lit it up for the Warriors in SL, I imagine Curry will do the same.

Sadly, Summer League is the last event on an NBA fan's calendar until Halloween. NBA preseason always sucks.

HEDO HEADS FOR THE BORDER

2009-07-04T03:53:00.002-04:00

From ESPN's Chris Sheridan:

Turkoglu will make about $3 million more over the life of the contract than he would have made in Portland, but a bigger reason for his change of heart, a source told ESPN.com, was his desire to play in Toronto, a more international and cosmopolitan city -- one with a large Turkish population -- and his familiarity with the Eastern Conference after having spent the last five seasons with the Magic.

Probably the only time you'll ever read that as a reason to sign. Brian Colangelo, is this the best you got?

If the rumors are true, than Marcin Gortat (is that even his first name) to the Dallas Mavs for the full mid-level wins this year's Jerome James Award for just an unquestionably and unequivocally horrible signing. Fantastic stuff. I love this game.

Rasheed to decide on Boston, San Antonio, and Orlando sometime next week.

Heat showing interest in Iverson, and Iverson showing interest in...Memphis? Apparently Iverson's people called Memphis and said "we're interested." Doesn't it usually work the other way around? And if Iverson does really sign with Memphis to be the alpha-dog leading scorer over going to be D-Wade's wingman in Miami, he will have confirmed the "I am a selfish ballhog who doesn't practice" stereotype that has dogged him throughout his career. Show us you care AI, sign with DWade and prove you at least give a little damn about winning and not just about your numbers.

IN CASE YA'LL FORGOT

2009-07-03T03:50:00.002-04:00

WELCOME TO LA LA LAND

2009-07-02T23:34:00.003-04:00

I miss spending my nights with Ernie, Kenny, and Chuck.

Tru Warier Ron Artest in Hollywood, this is going to be great. Hopefully Lamar Odom AKA The Goods AKA The Candy Man decides to re-up and we get a 2009 reunion of the Brooklyn Queens Express.

"I'm playing to win. I'm not playing for the money anymore." -- Ron Artest

Lakers Land Artest

2009-07-02T19:51:00.002-04:00

If Trevor Ariza's agent was in fact bluffing, he'll have to fold. Ron Artest is headed to the Lakers, presumably for the full midlevel. He will join with Kobe, Phil Jackson, and his former AAU teammate Lamar Odom (if he resigns).

Artest to LA is as intriguing as Rodman to Chicago was back in the day. Best defensive player in the League and one of the most talented all-around, joining forces with Kobe. The Lakers' window is Kobe's window, so even though Ariza is younger, the Lakers need to win now and Artest certainly gives them a HUGE piece in the Western Conference.

Ariza On The Move

2009-07-02T00:20:00.002-04:00

According to this ESPN update, Trevor Ariza may be on the move. Somewhere in North Hollywood, frequent NYIM contributor KOBASH is weeping.

Look, the salary cap and luxury tax is certainly a leveler of the playing field so to speak. Looking at the Lakers after the Finals ended, obviously they hoped to bring Ariza, Odom, and Shannon Brown all back, but with Luke Walton and Andrew Bynum locked up to ridiculous deals (esp. Luke, that is Ariza's money you are making bro), they simply do not have a lot of flexibility.

Ariza to Cleveland is a fantastic move for the Cavs. Gone are Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, and Sasha Pavlovic. In their spots are Shaq, Ariza, and Danny Green. I honestly think that is a 5-game improvement over the course of a season, though the question will obviously still be "Is their offense still all LeBron?" Ariza doesn't have much of an offensive game, Shaq is washed up, Green is a spot-up shooter -- if the Cavs are still going 1-on-5 in the Conference Finals they are going to lose.

Lakers obviously need to bring back the Goods, now more than ever. If both Ariza and Odom were to skip town, I would imagine they will make a strong move for Artest. If Jackson could keep Rodman under control, I imagine him and the Mamba could keep QB's Craziest on somewhat of a leash. At least I would hope.

It's only July 1st and already the rumors are flying. I love this game.

Z-Bo Dealt Again, Lance Commits, & Joe Dumars Makes More Dicey Moves

2009-07-01T22:48:00.002-04:00

First of all, loved the tidbit about KG convincing Danny Ainge to pursue Rasheed Wallace. The C's have been the team of cheap veteran pickups for the last two seasons, and should be for at least another year. Rasheed would be a nice fit for them, especially hitting them 3's.

Speaking of Ra-Sheed, his former team the DEEEEE-Troit Pistons inked Ben Gordon to a 5 yr., $50 million deal and Charlie Villanueva as well. Two former Huskies to play with Rip. Still don't like their makeup that much, but they have money to spend. Dumars is under the spotlight right now, he built a championship team and is basically rebuilding it now. I like BenG a lot, obviously he proved his ilk in last year's playoffs against Boston. I just don't like the mix of players there.

Lance to Cincy. Even without Huggins, Cincy gets shady players. Lance has a court date for a sexual assault allegation coming up in July, but I still think he'll play next year and and play well. Cincy will have a problems after he leaves and wins may be vacated, but a) Lance gets to play in Madison Square during the BE Tourney and b) just win baby!

Z-Bo to Memphis. Great move for LAC, True Hoop covered how much of a cancer Z-Bo is:

"Although Randolph's selfishness, disinterst on defense, and questionable off-court character were no secret, Mike Dunleavy felt he had to find a frontcourt scorer after the Clippers lost Elton Brand to Philadelphia. He pushed all in on Randolph, absorbing three years and approximately $45 million in exchange for a couple of 2010 expiring contracts (Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley). Randolph put up his usual solid offensive numbers, but the Clippers still finished the season with a horrendous 19-63 record."

Gotta love the move because it opens up time for Blake Griffin. QRich stinks. Any Knicks fan can tell you both of these guys are garbage. The Isiah Knicks were truly an apex (or zenith) or bad basketball management. I think at one point they had 12 of the 15 least desirable players in the League. Man. What a group. Z-Bo, QRich, Jerome James, Starbury, Tim Thomas, Eddy Curry, Jalen Rose, just a bad bunch of guys.

Apparently both the Lake Show and Cavs are courting Ron Artest. Ron Ron wants to win a chip and with Yao being the world's biggest question mark, Kobe and LeBron must sense they can steal him away. Please do, Clutch City is headed in the wrong direction and Ron deserves to be a 3rd banana on a good team. [Insert NBA player here] + LeBron + Shaq is a fun game to play.

Every night I pray to God "Please let Rubio wind up on the Knicks. Give us hope, Lord, give us hope."

Yao Possibly Done & Other Relevant Notes Approaching July 1 NBA Free Agency Season

2009-06-29T22:42:00.006-04:00

Apparently Yao is out for all of next year and possibly done for his career, this according to reports first published on Yahoo Sports and then later, of course, on the Worldwide Leader. Does anybody else ever wait for official "confirmation" from ESPN, like once its posted on there it becomes "official." I do.

The Yao news is interesting for a bevy of reasons, the one that I think is most relevant is it creates a chance that Ron Artest leaves Houston in free agency. The fact that Artest could sign with a team like Cleveland, Boston, or possibly even Los Angeles is very intriguing. As Ric Bucher mentions in that article, Artest being your Top Dawg isn't a good thing, but if you have a well-established team with strong veteran and coaching presence, Artest can be a very disruptive player for your opponents, a guy who will hound good scorers, play incredibly hard, and I would argue be a good influence overall on your team, if used correctly (see: last year with the coddling of Battier, Adelman, and Rockets' management).

I'm intrigued by the free agents this offseason. Because of the economy, I don't think there will be huge contracts going around. Like every year in the NBA, there are small moves that make the champions. Two years ago, the Celtics signing of James Posey paid huge dividends in June and arguably gave them the edge for the championship. Last year, the Magic's signing of Mikael Pietrus and the Cavs signing of Mo Williams both were solid moves for playoff teams. None were headliners, to borrow a quote from Mark Jackson, its all about assembling a roster full of good players who are good at what they do and play like professionals. Artest to the Celtics would be insane. Posey was mentioned before, Artest as a watchdog for Thibodeau and KG, my goodness, I shudder to think how physical the C's would be.

Jason Kidd could stay in Dallas, but he could also play point for D'Antoni in New York, play alongside LeBron and Shaq in Cleveland, play with DWade in Miami, I would imagine most teams are interested in J-Kidd, one of the truest veterans in the league and a true O.G. of the NBA. Kidd in Cleveland is very intriguing. Start him and Mo Williams in the same backcourt, Kidd and LeBron are arguably the two best passers/possess the best court vision in the Assocation, on the same team even Mike Brown couldn't slow down the offense. (Ok, maybe he could.)

Iverson brings an interesting subplot. Will he retire? Or will he accept a bench scoring role?

The ongoing Rubio situation in Minnesota will be something to monitor. It's going to be a classic worthless media spin job until something of substance happens. It can be solved in three ways: Rubio either returns to Spain, gets dealt, or signs with Minnesota. Obviously, I pray every night for Ricky Rubio to get dealt to the Knicks. It would also be fun to see him go back to Spain, just to fuck over Minnesota and their new GM for taking both Rubio and Jonny Flynn.

One other random draft thought: If I am Thunder GM Sam Presti, would you not be interested in trading down with the Knicks for Wilson Chandler. You get a guy who played very well last year and could, for all intents and purposes, be the next Trevor Ariza (as in drafted by the Knicks, exceeds expectations, gets dealt before fully realizing his potential, and then winds up on a playoff team making good things happen), and you move down in a draft where you really don't have a good fit. If you want a 2, why take Harden over Curry? I guess because of the size thing, and you don't want a small backcourt with Curry and Westbrook, but why take Harden just because people say he'll top 5. I think Harden is far from a lock, guys like Quincy Douby scored 40 in college, just because he lit up the Pac-10 doesn't mean he's going to average 20 a night. Plus, his game is too similar to Kevin Durant, far and away your best player (if you are in fact Sam Presti). You trade down to 8 and get Chandler, and at 8 you can go big and take Hill, or roll the dice and draft Terrence Williams, a very unique player who would actually give you an edge defensively (versus both Curry and Harden not excelling there) and fill up the stat sheet. T-Will had several triple doubles in college, and I could see a freshman campaign in the League of 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals, shooting a good percentage and playing heady basketball. Now, instead of forcing a young shooter in you actually have a good overall player, a senior who's been on the stage for a while, and who I think is honestly more ready to contribute than Harden. I just don't like the Harden pick because of the similarities to Durant.

I stumbled across this on True Hoop, it echoed my sentiments of Harden:

M. Haubs of the Painted Area argues that several of the best point guards -- Ricky Rubio and Ty Lawson, for instance, went too low. Which means he questions, for instance, Sam Presti's pick of James Harden third overall. Haubs on Harden: "I watched Harden play three times: vs. Washington, in the disastrous NCAA Tournament loss to Syracuse, and then recently in a game vs. Arizona that I had saved up on the DVR, mainly because I wanted to give the guy another chance. There's a lot I appreciate about Harden: strength, wingspan, ability to draw fouls, court vision. I understand where the Brandon Roy comparisons come from, in terms of being guys a little under the radar from the Pac-10 with sneaky athleticism and good basketball IQ in general. But on a certain level, I don't get the comparisons at all. Harden is a much less efficient player than Roy across the board. On top of that, Roy has always been such an assertive player who's controlled his team's offensive decisions, whereas Harden has been much more passive in the games I watched. He did not step up and take charge in any of the three games I saw, even though ASU desperately needed him to do so each time -- he just kind of drifted through the games offensively. In the Arizona game, his numbers looked good: 7-12 FG, including 3-6 3PT, but all 3 threes were created by others, wide-open shots because of a brain-dead Arizona zone, and another was an easy dunk inside off of a nice assist. Harden didn't really create any offense for himself, though he did create some open shots for others. I will note that he did rebound and pass well when I saw him, though he is also a high-TO player -- Arizona knocked the ball out of his hands on several occasions. Harden's defense was somewhat amusing to me. For all the talk about how no one's been able to see Brandon Jennings play, every time I watched him for Roma, I saw a guy who got out and pressured the ball defensively, scrapping against smart guards in pick-and-rolls and pro-style sets. Meanwhile, I watched Harden basically stand on the elbow all day in Arizona State's zone -- there were several possessions against Arizona where he literally did not move from one spot! I feel like I have essentially no information about Harden's defensive ability, though he does seem to get his hands on a lot of balls, aided by his wingspan."

One offseason question completely unrelated to the NBA is where will Lance Stephenson be hooping come winter? Europe? Arizona? What is with that guy?

Of the moves made so far, I love the Spurs trading a bunch of wash-ups for Richard Jefferson. I think he will fit in real nice with them, and they got an absolute steal in the draft in Dejuan Blair. They need some more help on the front line, as they lost Oberto and Kurt Thomas in the deal, but they still re-stocked nicely.

Vince Carter to Orlando? Interesting move. I've always thought VC is a Coward, but he is still VC. He has a huge following and he has put up numbers and game winners in various cities, made the playoffs, don't count out VC yet. I wonder if Orlando re-signs Turkoglu now?

Shaq to Cleveland is nice. I think LBJ getting a chance to play with and learn from a true superstar and basketball icon, former MVP and champion will help. Their pre-game antics should be hilarious and Shaq is always fun to watch. Plus Danny Green in the draft and hopefully a mid-level FA signing (Kidd mentioned above), and the Cavs should have an improved roster yet again for King James. Can Mike Brown run them into the ground again remains the question.

Random trivia, who will be the highest paid player in the NBA in 2009-2010. Earning a paycheck on the first and the fifteenth of every month at over $968,000, ladies and gentleman, he played a grand total of 35 games last year with the stellar per game averages of 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, Tracy McGrady! (Man, the Rockets are really a mess. Yao and McGrady are arguably the two most injury prone players in the League. Yikes.)

Washington, with an Agent O/Mike Miller/Tough Juice/Antwan/Brenda starting 5 and a semi-nice bench (though no bigs), should return to prominence in the East.

Detroit has the lowest cap number in the league right now. Kind of crazy. Also, I want to go on the record and say that if Darko can be freed anywhere, its with 7 Seconds or Less and D'Antoni coaching.

I can't wait for the summer, lots of moving and shaking in the League.

THE STATE OF THE KNICKERBOCKERS: JUNE, 2009

2009-06-29T21:14:00.006-04:00

The HoopsHype.com salary pages were updated today, and the Knicks total team salary is finally not number 1. This is an event I sadly have been looking forward to since, well, since the inception of HoopsHype back in 2002.

The upcoming 2009-10 NBA season will be the first in the decade of the 10s. The 00-09 NBA champions have all been crowned, thus, a decade of NBA history has passed without the Knicks so much as making a Conference Finals run. The final season of what is now the decade before last, the '99 season, ended with the Knicks on the losing end to the first of 4 championships for Duncan & Popvich Inc. in the Finals. The Knicks may have made a deal with the devil in the strike-shortened season, as they needed two momentous plays to beat two hated rivals to get to the Finals, first with Houston's running jumper in the deciding game 5 in Miami in round 1 and then the classic LJ 4-point play giving the Knicks a needed game-3 victory over Reggie and the Pacers.

What followed was the tumultuous decade of the 2000s, with Knicks management drunk on the money of Jim Dolan and Cablevision, spun bad moves into worse moves consistently, for 9 straight seasons. The Patrick Ewing for Glen Rice and Luc Longley deal turns into Glen Rice for Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson and on and on it went, a dizzying revolving door of overpaid players from the former stars like Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway and from former bums (but still overpaid) like Jerome James, Malik Rose, Clarence Weatherspoon, the bad contracts could continue for at least a few more lines. From the genius of Scott Layden and to the straight up tomfoolery of Isiah Thomas, from Larry Brown's one-and-done a year into a $50 million contract, from Lenny Wilkens to Herb Williams on the sideline, the Knicks have always spent the most money in the league and yet toiled in the lottery. Finally, after all the futility, the Knicks have fallen to tenth on the list of total team salaries, though I'm sure that number will go up and down this offseason, one that has already been very active in the wake of the Shaq and Vince Carter trades. The luxury tax will be set at around $59 million, according to ESPN.com, approximately the league median.

So when people like Peter Vescey criticize Donnie Walsh for not doing enough, it is important to remember where the Knicks are coming from. This is a team that has not only been irrelevant for a decade, but a laughingstock for the last half. It is amazing the Garden still sells out, and more of a testament to how great the New York fans are and how epic the Garden atmosphere is, good team or bad. I know people will say "Oh El Miz, you are a homer". Well, I am, and its NYisMecca.com so stick it. Go to a game at the Garden or just watch some of those clips and try to tell me its not the most genuine, most authentic, best NBA experience live. I've been to games in numerous arenas, in various situations, and the Mecca is #1. No doubt about it. How can you top the organ?

Regardless, Donnie Walsh took the helm after the 07-08 season and said the goal for 08-09 and 09-10 was to get the Knicks under the salary cap. He can be graded on his free-agent acquisitions, his trades, his draft picks, and his coaching search.

COACHING

Walsh got relatively lucky. There were rumors of a Mark Jackson hiring, which was initially well-received by Knick faithful. Jackson is an ESPN analyst with no coaching experience. On the air he routinely makes vacuous, inane, and confusing statements about the NBA and almost always speaks in vague generalities. Joey at Straight Bangin recently posted about Jackson. I am not sure if these are real or made-up, regardless, they hit the nail on the head with regards to Jackson's speech patterns:

"In the NBA, it's important to have NBA players who can be professionals in this league."

"It's important to use a draft pick to select a prospect who could play in the NBA, because it's all about being smart."

"The best way to build a team is by adding players who can do what you need, who believe in your system, and can be leaders for the future."

"I like this pick because it gives them a player who knows how to play and is just a basketball player, nothing more."

"Mama, there goes that man. Actually, there go ten men, running down the court. I like to see that, because it lets you know that they're playing some kind of game."

"Point guard is all about being a leader, and taking a team to the next level by playing the point like you know you're supposed to be the best guard you can be."

"If you have a chance to draft to someone who can play in this league, you'd better do it."

"There are no second chances to make a first impression, and that's why he needs to make a good one. He won't have that opportunity later on once his teammates have judged him."

"Just do what you do. I like this pick because it will enable them to be the team they want to be."

"Some players are just good to have, and you can tell because you've watched them play and know they are players who can get a job done."

"I like that he's big enough to take some contact and tough enough to absorb a hit; that's how you know he will be able to take a hit and still be a player who absorbs contact."

True, Jackson did have a lengthy playing career in the NBA, and is 2nd all-time in assists to John Stockton. I think it would be important to have a coach that can communicate a message, and especially with no experience, it would have been a dubious hiring to say the least (though Vinny Del Negro got the Bulls to the playoffs this year as a first-year coach with no experience, it can be argued he was a main reason they were the 8 seed and not higher). Thankfully, this is the NBA, where only 4 teams have decided to use the D-League (the Lakers, Spurs, Thunder, and now Rockets) and most teams are run by a combination of cowards, fools, and lawyers. The Phoenix Suns, a team built by wunderkind Brian Colangelo, who took the money to start over in Toronto, hired former player Steve Kerr to replace Colangelo. Kerr, with no GM experience, made the first of several moronic moves and fired head coach Mike D'Antoni. A team that had been a perennial championship contender under D'Antoni would not make the playoffs the next year, and now Kerr is rebuilding after trading for Shaq, and then trading Shaq 6 months later. Nice.

Walsh scooped D'Antoni up by throwing more money at him than Chicago (a move I wonder if D'Antoni regrets given the Bulls have a point guard and the Knicks still do not). To this day, that may have been the only move of serious impact by Walsh. D'Antoni runs a very unique, high-scoring, up-tempo system. His teams in Phoenix had a back-to-back MVP in Steve Nash. (OK, Kobe probably should've won one and there was definitely a semi-racist underlying sentiment in the media who vote on the awards when Nash averages 15/11 and wins back to back MVPs). D'Antoni's system is unique, and whether you like it or don't like, he's a good coach and had solid teams in Phoenix. Whether you can win a championship remains to be seen, but if you can make conference finals and be the number 1 seed, you can make the playoffs in the Eastern freaking Conference.

TRADES AND FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
Each trade and free agent signing made by Walsh has been strictly financial in its nature, with the goal of the cap flexibility for summer of 2010. I cannot disagree with any of them. The Knicks will be almost $50 million under the cap after the upcoming 09-10 season. If you look at a team like Philadelphia's cap, which is structured at $58 million (give or take the luxury tax), whoever is running the Knicks will have tremendous flexibility and it will be a time of power moves. (I say whoever because Walsh has hinted that old age may force him to step aside soon.) Even with Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries making a combined $17 million, those will presumably be two serviceable players. Curry should be at least a backup big man, and Jeffries should be a rotational player. Factor in rookies Hill and Douglas, and Galinari from last year and Wilson Chandler from the year before (the best player on team for bursts last year, and really the only true bright spot right now), and the Knicks should have at least four and hopefully five players who will see minutes. There is $50 million to spend. Al Harrington, arguably the team's best player, could come back at $6.5 mil per year. Duhon, the team's starting point guard, could return as a backup for $4 million. There have been talks of Steve Nash or Jason Kidd signing for the mid-level exception this year. There will certainly be other players willing to play for D'Antoni, so it should not be hard to assemble at least a passable roster before trying to entice someone of the LeBron or Dwyane Wade ilk, obviously the ultimate and underlying goal of this "cap flexibility" strategy.

DRAFT
Unfortunately, the Knicks do not have their 2010 first rounder, a sad reminder of yesteryear and Isiah cashing in all of his chips in year 1 of his tenure, trading Eisley, McDyess, and Ward, all players in the last year's of their contracts, and a bunch of draft picks, (and of course the rights of Maciej Lampe and the immortal Milos Vujanic) for Marbury and Penny. That may not even be a bad thing, as Walsh's two lottery picks have been questionable. Danilo Galinari aka The Rooster, an Italian player following in the footsteps of the first Italian player, "the Last True Bust" 2006 NBA Draft's #1 pick Andrea Bargnani, struggled in his rookie year with a bad back. He may have the talent to be a guy like Vlad Radmanovic, I don't know if that's a great thing. Walsh passed on Eric Gordon, a scorer from Indiana who, though undersized, showed legitimate promise in his first year with the Clippers. Anthony Randolph of the Warriors via LSU was another player passed on in the 2008 lottery, a player with freakish potential who may be the next Josh Smith. He grew another inch and is now a legit 7', and apparently put on 20 pounds of muscle, this for a guy who already jumps out of the gym and has a freakish wingspan and overall game. Randolph played sparingly for Don Nelson last year, but when he played, he left an indelible mark on the game. You remember when Randolph played in a game. I can't say the same for Galinari, though obviously I hope he turns out to be the Next Big Thing from Europe, a player in the Dirk mold who D'Antonio (who played with El Gallo's dad in Italy) and Walsh both say he can become.

This year, if the reports are true, Walsh had a series of questionable decision making again leading up to the last Thursday in June. He apparently passed on a trade up to #5 with Washington where he would NOT have had to give up the 8th pick, a deal centered around Wilson Chandler and the Wizards getting cap relief for the same players they gave to Minnesota. With or without the 8th pick included, that move would have allowed the Knicks to draft Ricky Rubio, an international wunderkind who has a game that backs up his draft day declaration of "I'm Ricky Rubio, I'm not like anybody else." Everybody is wetting themselves over Rubio being compared to Pistol Pete. Listen, Pistol Pete scored 50 a game and obviously they're not similar in the scoring technique. Its the classic NBA "compare the white player to who they look like" technique, and people remember those Maravich clips where he does fun no look passes. Any columnist who makes a Rubio/Maravich comparison just doesn't watch enough NBA. Rubio is not just a flashy passer, he has been a legend in Europe for the last few years, and if Dirk and Tony Parker and Manu can come from European pro ball and succeed, there's no reason Rubio can't. There's a lot to like about his game.

Beyond Rubio, Jonny Flynn and Stephen Curry, both absolute studs in NCAA basketball the last two years, would also have been available. Walsh failed to make a move, and the Knicks wound up at number 8 with Jordan Hill, a big man from Arizona who will probably wind up a lot like the last Knick big man lottery pick from Arizona, Channing Frye, a bust who was dealt last year to Portland. Toney Douglas at the end of round 1? Also, a questionable pick.

What should Donnie Walsh's grade be. GIven his good job of maneuvering for cap flexibility, his questionable draft record can be overlooked, for now. If Gordon becomes a feared scorer, or Randolph the Joker (biggest freak in the league), and Galinari fails to live up to the hype as an Italian sniper and all-around scorer, that will be a bad lottery pick. Likewise, this year was poor execution if you can trade up to 5 and don't because you don't want to deal Wilson Chandler. Trust your instincts, I guarantee that Rubio, Flynn, or Curry will be a good pro in this league, and would have absolutely flourished with D'Antoni coaching them. If Steve Nash can win two straight MVPs, and you're a basketball lifer paid millions to run the Knicks, trade Wilson Chandler and move up to 5. You have to be able to make the right pick out of Rubio, Curry, and Flynn. A true grade, however, cannot be objectively given, as the draft classes have yet to play out and Walsh may be proven to be right. For what he can be graded on, he has gotten the team very close to cap sanity.

No more taking other team's trash. No more bad contracts, bad egos, or lost basketball souls. It is a new decade for Knicks basketball.

Draft Recap

2009-06-26T01:56:00.002-04:00

My morning in California starts with the following texts (time shown PST):

SIP ROGERS: (1:50 AM) Currently its 445 am eastern and im walking from whelans apt in Murray Hill to the garden. Not messing around this yr. I will NOT be shut out of draft tickets!!

SIP ROGERS (2:11 AM) Wow not first at all about 50 ppl back. What the hell this event blew up. Am in fine shape to land tixx though cause im in the inside part.

SIP ROGERS (9:06 AM) Dude its chaotic now. So much different than when we first went. The ppl in the front of the line got there at 330 am. Assigned seating too, no more gen adm.

Reactions on the Draft:
I think the Spurs helped themselves the most out of any time with regards to next season. Dejuan Blair and Jack McClinton. Blair is 6'7" but has a 7'1" wingspan and is like 280 pounds. He'll be one of the strongest guys in the paint next year. The Spurs have nothing in the front court post-Richard Jefferson deal. McClinton's a great shooter. I think both could see meaningful minutes next year for the Spurs.

Rubio and Flynn just doesn't make sense in Minnesota. Something's gotta give. ESPN reported a possible Nate Robinson or David Lee sign and trade in the offseason, I assume with Jordan Hill too? Rubio may be able to leverage his ability to go back to Europe for 1- or even 2-seasons to get out of Minnesota. Why would you draft two point guards? It's just bizarre strategy from a first-year GM.

Danny Green going to Cleveland. Is Danny Green better than Wally Szczerbiak? I think so. That plus Shaq will make the Cavs an even deeper team next year. I still think Mike Brown is stupid enough to fuck it all up though.

Vince Carter to Orlando for Skip to my Lou, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie? Amazing. What a deal for Orlando.

Thabeet to Memphis. Classic.

Why didn't the Knicks take a higher ceiling prospect? Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, and Brandon Jennings all have more potential in this system. Was he really BPA?

Love Ty Lawson to backup Billups in Denver. Another great pick by a playoff squad. Also like Maynor backing up D-Will in Utah and Collinson backing up CP3 in Nawlins. Good backup point guards are important pieces in the NBA, and I think this was a good back-up point guard draft.

Dallas got Calathes. Is he better than JJ Barea?

The Thunder getting Harden and Mullens plugs their two biggest holes. Both aren't guarantees, Mullens obviously moreso than Harden. Mullens has a ceiling as a legit 7-footer in the Chris Kaman mold, and Harden could be a good 2nd fiddle to Durant offensively.

If Donnie Walsh has any swag he pulls some strings and gets Ricky Rubio. Dude will win MVPs playing point guard for D'Antoni and change the game.

"I'm Ricky Rubio, I'm not like anyone else."

It should be an interesting offseason.

2009 NBA Draft

2009-06-25T13:41:00.004-04:00

Its the best day of the year. Can you trade up to the lottery on Christmas? Do you get Chad Fords fantasy rumors on Easter? (that's not fantasy as in fantasy sports, but fantasy as in these rumors will NEVER happen) And finally do you get David Stern's voice molding the future of our beloved league for 30 glorious picks on July 4th? Didn't think so. Buckle up, the draft is here.

A lot of my luster has been shot because of the events of earlier this week. I saw the news item "Wizards send 5th pick..." on ESPN and I almost fainted. I knew it was coming but I had to compose myself before I finished the sentence. I was hoping that one of Fords fantasies was true and that maybe we swung a deal for STAT (Amare). What I ended up reading was that we got Randy Foye and Mike Miller for the fifth pick. Immediate reaction: fuck. But after some thinking I really do like the deal. We unloaded a bunch of shitty players including Oleksy fucking Pecherov who was the Wizards pick in the only draft I have been to in person. Sure we gave away the fifth pick but we need some players who can come in and play now. Gilbert, Miller, Caron, Jamison and Haywood is a nice veteran group who I have no doubt can contend. Maybe not championship contender but thats not how we weigh things as Wizards fans. Its time to get back into the playoffs then you never know what can happen.

Now for the more important things: Over the last few years I have picked "my guys" in the draft. I'm pretty sure a couple of those years have been posted on the Mecca but I'm too lazy to look it up. My guys are not supposed to be stars, these are just prospects I see that I think will be legitimate NBA players on good teams some day. Anyways, some years I've been right and some wrong. Two years ago I liked Jeff Green, that's still TBD. In '06 I liked Kyle Lowry and was praying for the Wiz to take him. He's turned into a nice backup PG on a contender now. And keep in mind he was stuck in NBA hell (memphis) for his whole career until he got traded this year. Last year I really liked Mario Chalmers. He ended up sliding all the way to the 2nd round and now has an entire year of starting in the El under his belt. I think he is on his way to being a great role player.

So here are my guys for this years draft.

The lock: Stephen Curry. I know at this point pretty much everyone is on his nuts. But you still here stuff about how he's not a true point and how he's too skinny to be a stud in the league. I don't know if he's a stud, but his shooting ability and basketball savvy are enough to ensure him a nice long career.

Guy I'd invest in: Jonny Flynn. I've liked this guy since I saw him as a frosh at Cuse. He has seemingly unlimited swag. He uses those big balls to lead and inspire teammates. Wait til he gets in the league. Whatever star he gets teammed up with is going to love this guy. Its just a great match waiting to happen, lets hope its just a real star and not Kevin Martin.

Sleepers: Marcus Thornton. This dude can play. He's a badass scorer who takes it to the hoop looking for contact but he can also can threes. His knock is that he's got no true position (I think he's only 6'3, too short for the 2). I remember watching some LSU games this year and he was easily the best player in the SEC. If there was any competition it'd be....

Nick Calathes. I will look this one up:...http://nyismecca.blogspot.com/2009/02/legend-lurking.html. NyisMecca has been on this cat for a while now. I don't understand the anti-hype for him. People are hating on him because he wants to play in Europe. I don't want to get into all that but I know he can play. He's got special awareness on the court and he really really wants the ball down the stretch. But you have no idea what he'll do with the rock, drive, shoot kick. He's the classic triple threat, mix that with some swag and the fact that he's white, and man you got a real wild card.

That's all. Mark it down, AO's guys for the 2009 NBA draft: Curry, Flynn, Thornton and Calathes. Let the draft begin.

Kobe Is A Different Beast

2009-05-31T00:40:00.005-04:00

2009 NBA FINALS SCHEDULE
game 1 -- in LA thursday 6/4
game 2-- in the sunday whites 6/7
game 3 -- in orlando tuesday 6/9
game 4 -- in orlando thursday 6/11
game 5 -- sunday in disneyworld 6/14
game 6 -- tuesday back at staples 6/16
game 7 -- thursday IF NECESSARY LA 6/18

odds obama attends a game: 45%

Kobe lived up to his part of the deal. The whole 24>23 debate has been settled for this year, with the Lake Show advancing to the Finals. Magic? At least SVG is involved, he rules. Van Gundy's are good for the NBA.

Kobe and Zen Master trump all, I am led to believe. Pau versus Dwight will be a good matchup, I wonder if they guarded each other in the Gold Medal Game.

As for the picks...
Reggie says LA in 6.
Kenny says LA in 6.
Chuck says Magic in 7.

Kobe thisclose to a chip without Shaq Diesel. Here is what KOBASH had to say:

Let me say this; this year's championship is not JUST a championship to Kobe. This is history. This is his legacy. IF, if, he does not win the chip this year, kobe's place in history is questionable. Going 0-2 in the finals (lets not count our chickens here; i was talking to my dad yesterday, and he, like I, was so assured of a laker loss in game 6 that he said "we should just not
even fly to denver and just play game 7 on sunday") without the DIESEL puts kobe at 3 for 6 on the big stage, something that will not looked kindly upon in the future. Winning this title puts Kobe amongst the greatest ever to play....i'm afraid that him dropping the finals this year will start to put kobe in AI territory; great, dynamic individual star, but just not a team guy. kobe can get all the accolades he wants, but wihtout that Finals MVP and trophy without shaquille by his side, these jordan comparisons are shit.

I will spare you the typical Kobe Acolyte woe-is-me finale and end the quote there. Pietrus d-ing KB24 will be fun to watch, I think it will be a good series even if the point guards are Derek Fisher, Skip, that chubby guy who's been on like 10 teams and I think once dropped 40 on J-Kidd in a playoff game?, and Jordan Farmar. Orlando was 2-0 against the Lake Show this year, Turkoglu's got a lot of Swag, not in the same ballpark even as Kobe. Dwight will definitely spike some balls into the 15th row, but its all about the Mamba. I think the Lake Show close it out in 6, Kobe obviously the Finals MVP.

"Have a great summer, ya'll." -- Charles Barkley

To Stay or To Go: Will LeBron Chase the Dream in the Mecca?

2009-05-14T01:34:00.004-04:00

Recently, myself and former 11th man of the 2003 McQuaid Jesuit Knights (ranked no.2 in the country behind Lebron's no. 1 St. Vincent-St.Mary's) debated whether LeBron would go to New York. What transpired is attached below:

me: "That's what he's trying to do, but it ain't going to work," Martin said, according to the newspaper. "I'm focused on what we need to do as a team. That's what I'm here to do. But if other things present themselves along the way then you got to address them. And this is one of those situations. I don't back away from nobody except the law."

kmart baby

dude i just read the ESPN article on billups man

nuggs got enough swag to beat the lake show

Stephen: they do

the lakers are playing like a bunch of pussies

me: yea man
lebron is going to be a knick in 13 months

Stephen: no hes not
hes staying in cleveland
hes going to have two titles at that point
and the knicks will be garbage still

me: why hasn't he re-upped already then?
Stephen: theres no reason to

me: ??

yea there is

if he wants to be there he would have re-upped

he doesn't want to be there, so he hasn't

he doesnt make any more money by delaying his re-signing

Stephen: the reason guys re-up is becaues they want to get paid in case something happens

he wants to be in control
if he re-ups right now hes not in control

he wants the people in new york to think they are getting a savior

he wants all the people to dream he is coming to save them

but hes not

me: what would his motivation be in such a ploy?

just to trick new york fans?

the guy's a yankee fan

Stephen: and a cowboys fan

maybe he'll go to the mavs

me: lebron's two career goals, as stated

have been

"global icon"
"first sports billionaire"

given these facts

Stephen: hes already a global icon

me: how can you argue that cleveland is a better platform than NY

Stephen: who is going to endorse him in NY that wont endorse him in Cleveland

name me companies

you think people in asia and europe dont consider him a global icon already?
hes a few years away from being the most famous athlete in the world

regardless of where he plays

me: more money in NY

Stephen: name me companies

me: you can't argue that b/c he's lebron, he'll make the same wherever he goes

companies?

Stephen: sure you can

me: new york is the biggest media market in the world

he's exposed to more people playing there

Stephen: what money does he get in NY that he doesnt get in Cleveland

The cavs are on TV every week

me: its the busiest international tourist city in the US
Stephen: people in NY already watch him

tell me who would endorse him in NY that wont endorse him in Cleveland?

he can do whatever he wants

me: he's already got phat endorsement deals

he'll get paid more being in a bigger market

Stephen: the only reason for him to go to NY is to be on the back page of the tabloids

why would he want that?

me: yea and play in the garden every night versus quicken loans arena

make more money

be more famous

and have the chance to build a team

Stephen: he wont be more famous

me: given the knicks will have nobody under contract

NBA history

shaq

kareem

Stephen: he wont make much more money

he'll make a little more

me: shaq left orlando

kareem left milwaukee

even though both were stars

shaq was already making movies and albums in orlando
1:39 PM
Stephen: neither were winning

me: he left b/c there was more money in LA

????

shaq went to the nba finals and east conf finals

and had penny

Stephen: how many championships did Shaw win in Orlando

me: went to an LA team w/ van exel

and not much else

Stephen: how many did kareem win in milwaukee

me: 1

w/ oscar

Stephen: Kareem is a loser anyways

me: hahahah

Stephen: kareem won cause of magic
1:40 PM
me: completley irrelevant to whether LBJ will go to NY

but ok

Stephen: yea

me: regardless

kareem left and shaq left

Stephen: im telling you

he's staying in Cleveland

me: you wanna make a $100 bet

cavs vs knicks

we can refernce this gmail chat when it goes down

Stephen: im not a betting man

$20
1:41 PM
me: hahaha

ok

dude

Stephen: book it

me: done

Stephen: hes not going to NY

me: i'll use that $20 to buy 4 $5 footlongs

Stephen: haha

me: donnie walsh is going to say

lebron

Stephen: D'Antoni would be a terrible coach for him

me: you can play for d'antoni and averagea triple double

Stephen: Mike Brown is perfect

me: you play at the mecca

you have another 20 mil in cap space to lure ppl to play with you

Stephen: D'antoni isnt the coach for him
1:42 PM
me: d'antoni coached him in the olympics

Stephen: True or false, the cavs will win the next two years

me: LBJ said he'd love to play ofr him

Stephen: true or false

hes got 2 championships in the next 2 years
1:43 PM
me: probably i mean

a lot can happen

if mo williams gets injured are they winning a chip

im not sure

the cavs suck dude

Stephen: yea they still are

me: mo williams is their 2nd best player

Stephen: they'll win this year

me: and delonte west the 3rd?
1:44 PM
Stephen: Z has one year left in him

me: they're dominant b/c lebron is the best layer ever

Stephen: yep

and he'll have two titles

and hes gonna leave that to play with Chris Bosh and Nate Robinson?

where no one plays D?

me: nate won't be a knick

stef curry probably will, who he's good friends with

i doubt the knicks will sign bosh too

he's probably gonna re-up with toronto
1:45 PM
Stephen: doesnt matter if they do

hes overrated

that team couldnt make the playoffs

me: hahaha

cavs w/o lebron

win 15 games

its lebron and a bunch of scrub shooters

Stephen: they are built around Lebron

those guys fit in perfectly
1:46 PM
me: yea they can hit J's

so can a lot of ppl

Stephen: all you need is 3 point shooters and guys that rebound and play D

me: exactly

assembling a team that can win with lebron is very easy

Stephen: and thats what the cavs have

hes not leaving 2 championships so he can be in the new york post and go to parties with stef curry at 40/40
1:47 PM
me: hahaha

Stephen: thats not what he's doing

You can write that check and buy the stamp

me: if lebron goes elsewhere, the bet is a wash

u got cleveland, i got the knicks

Stephen: Matter fact just add it to the 900 im going to make after this year in fantasy

me: buy august of 2010 we will know

Stephen: there are no other options
1:48 PM
I guess maybe Chicago is an outside change

chance

me: a team that plays no D and is coached by vinny del negro?

why would lebron do that

why would he pass up NY, leave CLE to go to chicago?

Stephen: he wouldnt

im just trying to think if there is a 3rd option out there

me: the nets

but they cant move into NY until at least 2011

Stephen: bah

its more like 2013
1:49 PM
me: i doubt he's going to play ayear in seacacus new jersey

Stephen: hes not going there

that place is a dump

as is the city that never sleeps

me: THAT PLACE IS A DUMP?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?

WHAT ABOUT CLEVELAND??!?!?!?!

Stephen: bunch of people living on top of each other

cleveland is a dump too

me: riiiiight

Stephen: he should move to santa barbara

West Coast is beautiful
1:50 PM
me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

yea man too bad theres no pro team here
1:51 PM
Stephen: Im not a big fan of NYC

me: clearly

Stephen: that being said I'm living in the lower east side this summer

me: where would you rather live, in cleveland or new york city?

if you were from neither place

Stephen: neither

me: hahahaha

Stephen: its not a two city choice
1:52 PM
me: what do you reckon it is
1:53 PM
Stephen: much more than that
1:54 PM
me: if its anything more than lebron loves cleveland so much because its 40 minute snorth of where he grew up

then he's going to leave

to make more money
1:55 PM
be more exposed

etc etc

Stephen: hes staying

me: so your premise is
1:56 PM
he's staying in CLE

b/c at that point he'll have won back to back chips

w/ a team consisting of mo williams, delonte west, daniel gibson, and zydrunas ilgauskas

and varejao

an coached by mike brown

Stephen: and whoever else the pick up from now until then

me: and why not just stay at home, win more chips

Stephen: tyson chandler

me: be a 1-team guy for his career

win numerous titles there

and go down as the greatest cleveland player ever?

Stephen: everyone wants to be like mike

yep
1:57 PM
me: even though if he wins 2 chips, then leaves

Stephen: and he will still be a global icon

me: true

Stephen: and he will still be a billionaire

me: but if he wins 2 chips and leaves he's still the greatest cleveland player ever

not by a long shot dude

max contract is 100 mil+

thast 1/10th of the way there

Stephen: Tim be real

me: he's probably got another 150+ mil in the bank

Stephen: hes not making his money from the NBA contracts

me: !!!!!!!!

dude

Stephen: what do you think Nike pays him

me: given such a statement
1:58 PM
what do you think Nike WOULD PAY him if he were to play in NY

versus cleveland

honestly

do you think it would be the same?

Stephen: Nope

me: right

Stephen: but it wont be enough to lure him away

He can probably make $50 million a year in cleveland from Nike

when hes at his peak
1:59 PM
me: what do you estimate he'd make in NY?

Stephen: how much more are they really gonna give him to go to NY

me: at his peak

dude 300,000 people live in cleveland

it has no international tourism

NYC has 12 million people

Stephen: Does Nike make money from people going to Cleveland? Is that how they make money?

me: and has like 50 million international tourists a year

Stephen: Or do they make money selling sneakers for $250
2:00 PM
me: neither, its about brand equity

ppl associate lebron with nike so they buy nike shit

lebron's shoes dont sell well

Stephen: exactly

because his logo is on stuff

his logo will sell no matter where it is and so will theres

me: so in a city that is like 500% bigger and that exposes him to tens of millions of ppl from overseas

i would imagine they'd pay him a lot more money

Stephen: NY doesnt expose him to people

ESPN does

commercials do

t shirts do
2:01 PM
YouTube does

Sneakers

jerseys

me: once again

it seems like you're arguing

that him moving to NY will make a negligible impact on the visibility of lebron

just because he's lebron and is bigger than the game

bigger than the city

i guess i just disagree with such a sentiment
2:02 PM
Stephen: thats fair

Lebron is bigger than the NBA at this point

me: so was shaq

and so was kareem

Stephen: so hes much bigger than the knicks

me: and both of them said fuck it

Stephen: wrong

me: im out

shaq is a good example

Stephen: LeBron is bigger than Shaq and Kareem ever were

me: he was in orlando, making a TON of money

playing with penny

dude shaq was in movies

putting out rap CDs

Stephen: Lebron as a senior is high school was bigger than Kareem ever was

me: fair enough
2:03 PM
Stephen: Are you telling me LeBron couldnt be in Kazaam right now?

and make a shitty rap album?

me: no, what im saying is

Stephen: hes smarter than that

me: shaq was "bigger than the game" when he was in orlando

yet he signed with LA

why?

why did shaq leave orlando?

Stephen: not to this extent

he wasnt happy

I think lebron is happy

LeBron is a bigger celebrity than Shaq
2:04 PM
Shaq had lame reebok sneakers

Lebron is everywhere

me: hahahah true

Stephen: lebron is huge in europe, huge in china, huge everywhere

Shaq was big in the United States

Global game

internet

Lebron is visible in Cleveland

because hes only there for 41 nights a year
2:05 PM
Unless he wants to be in tabloids and go to parties and all that mess

then hes staying

but he cares more about basketball than that

And I think he likes being in Cleveland

And I think he wants to be a one team guy as long as they are winning

and the Knicks are going to suck

me: maybe
2:06 PM
i hope for the sake of the knicks that isn't the case

Stephen: Yep i know you do

me: haha after next season the knicks will have chandler, gallinari, and their first rounder this yr under contract

and will have like $40 mil to spend

Stephen: But who is coming?

Bosh is your best bet

me: fuck bosh man

Stephen: Hes not a franchise player

me: i know

Stephen: I dont think Wade is going anywhere either

Maybe Amare

but im not a big Amare fan
2:07 PM
me: me neither

its lebron or bust

Stephen: yep

me: he's the best in the world

Stephen: Your gonna end up with Nash and Amare and nate the skate

me: fuck that nate's gone

its human nature

lebron's going to NY

he sees $ signs

Stephen: we'll see

Joakim Rodman

2009-05-05T15:00:00.002-04:00

Dennis Rodman and Joakim Noah are two entirely different personalities and players. No argument about that.

The Worm was the me against the world, badass irritant who annoyed fans with his taunting, his map of body piercings, various hairdoos laced with artificial colors, and penchant for putting someone on their ass.

Rodman's superior defense, along with his emergence as one of the NBA's elite boardsmiths saw the poster boy for misunderstood instantly skyrocket to stardom.

Noah, he of the River-long hair and penchant for getting underneath the skin of fans, took a vastly different route to Chicago Bulls lure.

Noah was the eccentric, outgoing, rebellious rich kid. Rodman was the quiet boy who finally embraced the beast within him when he forged his signature with the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons. Noah's singing, professional tennis playing pops and model mother (Miss Sweden 1978) sent him to Poly Prep in Brooklyn and then The Lawrenceville School (N.J).

After authoring a storied high school career, the success continued to mount for Noah. Noah led the University of Florida to back-to-back championships his junior and senior seasons.

Despite Rodman's history as an introvert, he underwent a cat-quick, gat-quick evolution.

He became the supreme shit-talking machine, penetrating the peaceful minds of players at a super-relentless pace.

The worm stood out. He pounded the boards as well as the nerves of a number of opponents with his unusual antics and creative, intriguing new ways of distracting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8uRa8k746g

Dennis Rodman v.s. Walter Brickowski (En Espanol)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQI0ZwDu4EI

Word around the campfire, Noah had a little hood in him while he attended Poly Prep. While he seemed articulate and composed his junior year, he soon erupted as a media menace his senior year.

While Rodman is remembered for off-the-wall antics like kicking a camera man in his most vulnerable, holiest of holy spots, Noah is remembered for his Gangster post-game interview and wild dance moves after the 2007 NCAA championship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ3y5hTHuP4

On the surface, these two cats couldn't be more different.

One was streamlined to success through hard work and a disciplined environment. Another came from the hardscrabble streets and low-income housing units of Dallas' inner-city. Rodman worked as a janitor before undergoing a mammoth growth spurt.

Noah averaged a double-double in nearly every game of the Bulls epic first round blood feud for the ages against the Boston Celtics (who gutted out a game 7 victory).

While not as much of a defensive prowess as Rodman, Noah hits the glass at will the same way Rodman did during his heyday. Noah is taller and slightly more athletic than Rodman.

With his mutant-like mug, wild hair and on-the-court celebrations (coupled with his proclivity for four-letter words) Noah is strikingly similar to the wowing distraction factor that made Rodman.

MY NAME IS JESUS

2009-05-04T01:18:00.003-04:00

I AM THE MAN

SIP ROGERS CHECKS IN

2009-05-04T01:11:00.002-04:00

Number one.
The game brings me love, peace and happiness.
My name is Sip Rodgers.
I go to Abraham Lincoln High School.
I play the two-spot.
We're the Railsplitters, and nobody's fuckin' with us.
Basketball is like poetry in motion.
Just comin' down the court, you got a defender in your way.
You take him to the left. You take him back to the right.
And he's fallin' back, and you just "J" right in his face.
And then you look at him, and then you say, "What?"
Basketball's the birthplace of all of my dreams,
of everything that I wanna be, of everything I wanna accomplish in life.
I feel handsome when I'm on the court. I feel like I'm somebody.

SIP ROGERS CHECKS IN FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS:

Eastern Conference:

1. Cleveland v. 4. Atlanta (Cleveland in 6) - My two cents: I see Josh Smith helping to contain Lebron in a couple of games (both W's at home for Atl I think) they just play so nasty at home and I think Phillips Arena and their athleticism can garner them a W or two. In the reg season they went 1-3 against the Cavs winning their one at home and losing the other at home by 1. With that playoff energy I like their chances to steal 2.

2. Boston v. 3. Orlando (Beantown in 7) - My two cents: Once again another tough tough battle for the Celts, they'll miss KG and Powe here with Superman against them inside. But with Rondo channeling Oscar Robertson, Jesus and The Truth being able to take over when the other is off, and game 7 being in Boston (the real deciding factor) I gotta go with the C's. Boston will have trouble guarding all the the tall shooters on Orl. I'm sure it will be a set of high scoring affairs like the Chi series. But that 7th game in Boston will make it the Celts series

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles v. 5. Houston (Lake-show in 6): My two cents: The Lakers are just too good to let this slip. I very much debated whether it'd go 5 or 6. But my faith in Ron-Ron is too strong. He will do his best to get into Kobe's head and will relish the opportunity. The Rockets are playing really well right now and really do better without McGrady. Also the poing guard combo of Brooks and Lowry should give Fisher and Farmer fits with their speed and niblness. I think this could be a really good match up because the Rockets are always prepetually injured and should be better than a 5 seed (one game away from being in that wild tie-breaker for the 2 seed, I don't know the math on whether they'd get it but I mean all those teams were equal). Kobe eventually will fight this one out but I think it will be intense and a sweet match up.

2. Denver v. 6. Dalls (Denver in 7): My two cents: First of all I could not believe how well Denver played against Nola. I really had some faith that Nola would put up a fight especially after taking game 3 at home, I thought it would be a home and home series like last year's epic NO/SA conf. semis series. But my god they were impressive. Billups deserves MVP votes simply because now we all know he is the absolute lynch pin that takes a 8 seed into 2 and vice-versa (detriot falling to an 8). He is unquestionably a super-baller with huge amounts of swag and now back in his hometown. Denver is great to watch and they have proven me wrong. Dallas however was also impressive dumping San An (whose "dynasty" is done do we think?) in probably the least watch series of them all, simply because everyone is sick of those two teams. But Dallas finally has this team clicking with everyone falling into place. This will probably be a very very high scoring series but I think Denver is just flowing right now. Setting up what will be a surprisingly good WCF.

Hope all is well heads

Born Ready: The Saga Continues

2009-04-29T11:10:00.005-04:00

The Lance Stephenson sweepstakes is far from over.

Who really knows when the wowing wunderkind will arrive at a decision?

The saga continues...Rumored to be headed to first Kansas and then St. John's, both schools seem to be out of the picture for the kid they call "Born Ready."

New York's top-rated player, who's been hyped up to bliss-bound since he was a freshman at Lincoln High School, is rumored to be receiving interest from Memphis and Arizona.

It was reported first on http://www.zagsblog.com/

According to a source with inside information, the coveted but controversial hoopstar is nowhere near a decision. The late signing period concludes May 20, but Stephenson could end up making his decision after that date.

Stephenson has grazed the cover of sports magazines, had his own reality show on the web http://www.bornready.tv/ and emerged as an instant lynchpin in the New York City streetball circuit.

That's a helluva lot of attention for a kid who is yet to attend his prom. New York has a history of kick-starting the hype machine early on promising point guards, and you can look up Stephon Marbury or Sebastian Telfair for more on that one.

Both players came up on the same hardscrabble Brooklyn streets as Stephenson.

Both players, like Stephenson, starred at Lincoln High. Both players also had a microscopic media magnet on them their senior years of high school.

While the University of Arizona is now in active pursuit of the electrifying 6-foot-6 muscle-bound guard, no visit is in the works.

According to the aforementioned Zagsblog, there is no timetable on Born Ready's decision. There's been an overabundance of source-triggered rumors and word around the Coney Island campfire about what direction Stephenson will go in pursuit of his basketball career.

They said he was taking the Brandon Jennings route and taking the long green to play in Europe. In a festering economic freefall that's drawn a striking similarity to The Great Depression, who could question that?

They said he was headed to Kansas and was sold on Bill Self and the influence of former NBA player Danny Manning.

They said he was going to St. John's.Stephenson, who averaged a sublime 32 points and 13 rebounds and spearheaded the Railsplitters to their school record fourth straight PSAL title, had narrowed his list down to St. John's, Maryland, and Kansas.

During Born Ready's visit to the campus at College Park, it was said he stopped in Baltimore to discuss a potential deal with Under Armour.

The sports attire that advertises itself as "The Ultimate Fabrication" maintains close ties with the University of Maryland.

Where Stephenson goes, baggage follows.

He's acclimated to the first-class, fast life treatment and his entourage followed him throughout the Railsplitters' 2008-09 campaign.

"Lance can't walk down the street without starting a ruckus," opined one New York City hoops guru.

Perhaps that's why he wasn't invited to play in the prestigious Jordan Brand Classic two weeks ago, a questionable decision on Jordan Brand's part.

Born Ready was suspended for a game last year after a fight between a teammate (which reportedly resulted in the teammate being sent to the hospital) and was charged with groping a 17-year-old girl in October.

According to Sports Illustrated, Stephenson fathered a daughter over the summer.

A little over a month ago, it looked as if Kansas had the upper hand in the recruitment of one of the recruiting market's most highly sought after products.

“(Kansas) went pretty hard, he had a great visit, and they essentially sent Danny Manning as the Mariano Rivera in this situation to close the deal," said a source close to Stephenson.

“Lance understood the magnitude of this decision. He flirted with the idea of revitalizing the St. John’s program and sort of sprouting into a New York City icon by putting SJU and New York City back on the map. But realistically, he wants to win at a big-time program and Kansas is a perfect fit for him.”

A heavily hyped high school baller who's about as easy to read as a 900-page Zen book, Stephenson already has sprouted into a New York City icon.

Kansas, however, is no longer an option after taking highly-touted Xavier Henry of Oklahoma City.

They have no scholarships remaining.

Last month, surging rumors that Stephenson was going to St. John's began to crack the surface.

"It's a done deal," said one source close to the SJU program.

"The number one prospect out of New York City is going to St. John's. Malik Boothe knows he's coming. Omari Lawrence knows he's coming. I think we all know who this player is, and he knows where he's going and it's St. John's.”

The rumor spread rapidly, but it was debunked by SNY's Brookyln Sal. Stephenson has remained undecided.

Lance Stephenson's Sr., known in these parts as "Stretch," said the claim was false and that his son is simply "weighing his options."

Realistically, however, the landing of Stephenson would pay dividends for any high major program.

He's got silky-smooth handle, springy bounce, a penchant for attacking the rim, rim-rattling dunks, and court vision beyond his years.

His shot isn't where it once was,though Lance can dial in from downtown and lose defenders in traffic with ease.

He's got mano y mano moves that few players can emulate, a streetball-like flair that throws defenders off balance.

He's taller, stronger, and more athletic than Telfair was, more selfless than Marbury.

He makes teammates better and draws in defenders from left to right.

His game has garnered the notice of many high-end playboys.

"Lance Stephenson, like I said, he's the most exciting kid in high school," said rapper Fat Joe, whose Terror Squad team has established itself a formidable foe in the Rucker Park summer league circuit.

"I swear, he's going to the NBA."

L.A. Clippers guard Baron Davis understands the level of avalanching pressure on the young fella.

"There's got to be a lot of pressure, to be the next kid coming out of New York that next great point guard."

Not to worry, Baron.

Wherever he does end up going, he'll be ready.

Shit, he was born ready.

Please, Somebody Fire Byron Scott

2009-04-28T00:26:00.002-04:00

The NBA Playoffs: Where Amazing Happens

OPEN LIKE THE MADABA DELI

2009-04-27T11:14:00.002-04:00

He's yet to play an NCAA game, but UConn forward Ater Majok will test the NBA waters as the spring suddenly morphs into summer.

Based on the scintillating weather we've had this weekend, though, summer's apparently here.The agile, athletically gifted 6-foot-10 forward was projected to form a formidable frontline package featuring projected top-three pick Hasheem Thabeet and muscle-bound workhorse Jeff Adrien this season.

But Majok never passed NCAA clearinghouse rules, and therefore relegated to the role of cheerleader.According to NCAA regulations, Majok cannot suit up until December of 2009.His NBA stock remains to be placed on a scale.

Perhaps the 22-year-old freshman wants to get on a court that badly.

Or, the YouTube sensation jumped at the idea of being selected in a draft which--beyond the first 2-3 picks--is as open as the ocean.Any kid with smooth handle, a moist jumper, and the physically possible capability of making a three-point bucket seems to think they're a surefire shot to hop aboard an NBA team this summer.

Don't get it twisted, though. With Ricky Rubio declaring and other recent moves, it is starting to heat up and get intriguing...Stephen Curry, the Davidson wunderkind and son of former NBA shootist Dell Curry, will forgoe his senior year at Davidson and take the long NBA green (they call it the "green room" on draft night for a reason...and no, it's not due to the fact that Lamar Odom and Damon Stoudemire burnt a flurry of els there).

Curry is projected as a first round pick, according to NBAdraft.net.

Curry's stock might have been even higher had he elected to go last year.

A five-star recruit, the unproven Majok has opted not to hire an agent.

This leaves the door open for Majok's return.

If he's not selected on the fateful evening of June 25, 2009."After meeting with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to enter the NBA Draft," said Majok in a statement released by UConn.

"I feel it will help me to test the process and get feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. It will allow me to get a better idea of what areas in my game need improvement and make me a better player in the future. I will not be hiring an agent and I enter this process with the full intention of assessing my abilities and returning to Connecticut in 2009-10."

In the unusual occasion that Major is selected, the Huskies will be extremely limited in the frontcourt. Jonathon Mandeldove and Charles "Chuck" Okwandu, both sushi-raw and seldom-used Centers, are the Huskies' lone returning bigs.

Mandeldove has had trouble staying on the floor and Okwandu--the definition of a work in progress--looked soft and offensively inept in the 10 games he saw action in. Okwandu was academically ineligible for the second semester.

Majok was anticipated to join the Huskies before they opened their Big East schedule this year. Calhoun signaled that Majok would be an impact player his freshman year.After Gavin Edwards erupted for a career-high 17 points in a thrashing of Delaware State, Calhoun lauded his junior forward before a horde of Connecticut media folk.

Calhoun then explained that Edwards may have "a fight on his hands," indicating that Majok was sure to pull some significant minutes and make an impact."From what I hear, Ater is a very good player," said Edwards.

While Majok never suited up this season, he still made an impact.Josh Nochimson, the agent who's charged with providing expelled Husky Nate Miles with representation, lodging, and so on is reportedly connected to Majok as well.

An ESPN report states that Nochimson personally got Majok into a high school all-star game, the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, Ky., last spring.He provided Majok with transportation and freed up a spot for him with his influence, the report indicates.

Ironic that the two players that UConn bent the rules to reel in have not registered a second in a UConn game this season.

If Majok's NBA hopes pan out, the big neophyte will be the first player in program history to go from UConn to the pros without waiting to become eligible.

L.A. Lakers big man Andrew Bynum committed to UConn in 2005 but decided to go straight to the league. This was before David Stern implemented an earth-scorching rule which prohibits the workaday gifted 18-year-old high school senior from jumping to the league.

"This is an opportunity for Ater to see where he currently fits into what I believe will be a future in professional basketball," explained UConn coach Jim Calhoun.

"I respect that Ater understands that this decision is about more than just him and that he has, and will continue to, involve his immediate family in this process as it goes forward."

Respect Where Respect Is Due

2009-04-20T14:57:00.002-04:00

Chauncey Billups may not be a top-10 player in the world. Everybody has their own list, Kobe/LBJ/Dwade/CP3 is a pretty inarguable top 4 in some way, shape, or form. The next 6 depends on personal bias, homerism, and some objectivity, but probably only 15 players can be in the debate: Dirk, Duncan, Deron Williams, KG, Pierce, Durant, Billups, Brandon Roy, Josh Smith (bigger freak than LeBron? OK probably not but still), et all. Fact of the matter is, when AO and I made our top 10s on the NYisMECCA dry erase board, neither of us even considered Billups for our top 10. The man has a chip and Finals MVP, and was the best and most clutch player for a team that made 2 Finals appearances and seven straight Conference Finals appearances. Not bad.

Billups then got dealt to Denver, carries them a 2-seed, and still, I predict the Hornets to knock them off in 7. (I still think there's a good chance of that happening, CP-Trois will not go without a fight.) Mr. Big Shot, after catching you last night drain all those 3's and stomp the Hornets, I have to give props -- you got game and are in my top 10.

(Once again, not changing my prediction, just gotta recognize Billups' swag.)

Debut of Poohdhini

2009-04-18T15:14:00.002-04:00

A legend had begun today in Beantown.

The game is going to OT right now but this cannot wait. Watching Derrick Rose step up to the line, down 1, with 10 seconds to play you had to expect a miss. A rookie in the playoffs. Sure, he has swag. But who doesn't remember last year in the NCAA chip. Even the great poohdhini fell victim to the iron. Now however, Poohdhini has shown us that that was a Memphis thing. He stepped up to the line and not only made both free throws but bathed them. Nothing but twine, SWISH.

Rose has dominated this game to the tune of 36 and 9 before we go into OT here. There is no doubt in my mind that if you made a list of the top 5 players in the league that command a double team in order to stop them, Roses's name would be in there. He is the best dribble drive penetrator I've seen maybe ever. People have had handle like him (AI, CP3, Isaish) and we've had strong guards (chauncey) but never have I seen someone with the whole athletic package like this. Putting one defender on Rose you have about a good a chance of stopping him as Michael Ruffin has of winning a three point contest. He's too strong, too fast, and you add in his swag and oh baby watch out.

Thats all for now. But the NBA playoffs are heating up from the opening game. After watching today I think Rose could definitely join Kevin Durant and Brandon Roy as the only players in the game who in the years to come can hope to challenge King James for the annual Larry O'Brien.

Are 82 games really necessary?

2009-04-09T01:13:00.002-04:00

NY is Mecca has already covered the need to contract a few franchises from the NBA. Why does Memphis need an NBA team? Beyond that, do we really need to still be playing? And if so, is it necessary to start at Halloween? Why not start the season on Thanksgiving every year, and end the season right after March Madness ends. The fact that this season will go on for two months is just a tad ridiculous -- and that is coming from a person who derives about as much enjoyment and pleasure that can be from the NBA.

Get rid of some teams, chop a few weeks off the season, and give me best of 7 only in the Conference Finals and NBA Finals, and the NBA would be the most popular pro sport league on the planet. I don't think there's any debating this.

And for the record:
24>23.
Do the math.

Here's some math, Lakers are -270 to win the Western Conference. Not a bad line for an event that has a 99.9% chance of occuring.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Lakers/Cavs meet in the NBA Finals, the universe might fall off its axis.

Is there any doubt Barry O will be at Staples come June?

Too Nice At Rice

2009-04-05T23:39:00.002-04:00

"In New York City, either your rich as dirt/or u gay/or u a pervert/or u fresh off the boat on a money murk/or ur paying for snatch/or settling for a jerk/or u in a plush bar getting hurt/or your a celeb/or u two bum-ass kids uglier than ernie and burt/or u a hs baller hyped up after your growth spurt/or your doped out on oceans, tryna squirt."

-Smizz

Respect tradition. The hype and hyperbolic lure may come with the territory, but Rice High School has continued to take homegrown talent to the higher plateau. Kemba "Eazy Pass" Walker, an instant lynchpin in the hellfire, speedball offense approach, was the latest.

Miami-commit Durand Scott, who recently capped off his career with a state title, could be the greatest.

Jermaine Sanders, who's greener than a dope field but has shown serious potential, is already getting major Division-I love from the ACC and Big East.

Don't sleep.

http://w3.nbebasketball.com/index.php/class-of-2011-intro-jermaine-sanders/

THE END OF DAYS?

2009-04-02T00:14:00.002-04:00

Iverson, who was acquired from Denver for Chauncey Billups in an early season trade, said he would not accept being a reserve next season.

"I'd rather retire before I do this again," Iverson said. "I can't be effective playing this way. I'm not used to it. It's tough for me both mentally and physically. If I'm able to go out there, I should be able to get it done and I can't right now. It's my fault. I have to be able to overcome the adversity and do what I have to do. I just have to find a way to get it done. Not being 100 percent makes it harder and you can see that I'm not 100 percent."

UCONN Game Notes: NOT IN THE BOX SCORE THURSDAY

2009-03-18T19:23:00.003-04:00

-UConn last played Chattanooga in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 16, 1995 in Salt Lake City.

Donyell Marshall, the viagara-fiending, oldworld NBA ratchetman, led UConn with 22 points and Travis Knight--the white wonder of the world who was nothing short of garbage during his stay with the Knickerbockers-- snared 13 rebounds.

Calhoun emptied out his bench, playing 15 players in that one.

Interesting to note that Terrell Owens recorded one rebound in one minute of action for the Mocs. Yes, that TO. The same cat who's taken the world by storm with his me-first fundamentalist antics, emerging into one of the most controversial receivers in the history of the NFL.

-The Huskies haven't won a NCAA tournament game since losing to then-cindarella George Mason, in what was THE UPSET OF THE CENTURY. One fateful March 26, 2006 afternoon, David went at Goliath with a ratchet and a lineup laced with NBA talent faltered in the down-to-the-wire battle. That GMU team featured Tony "the nutcracker" Skinn.

-Last year, there was an interesting sideshow to UConn's first round game against University of San Diego. USD had a prized player in Rob Jones, the grandson of controversial cult pioneer Jim Jones. Jim Jones triggered a mass suicide when he and 900 of his followers guzzled down cyanide-laced Flavor Aid at Jonestown, Guyana. It's an infamous event forever embedded in world history.

There's some interesting facts about this Chattanooga team as well:

-In the 1997 NCAA Tournament the Mocs defeated Georgia and Illinois enroute to a Sweet Sixteen appearance. Then No. 14 seed Chattanooa ended up losing in the Sweet Sixteen to No. 10 seed Providence 71-65. Providence was led to victory by Austin Croshere and former hyped up to heavensent guard God Shamgod (today his name is only notable on West Fourth St. games in New York City), who combined for 34 points.

Johnny Taylor paced Chattanooga with 22 points.

-Meanwhile, way back in 1997, UConn led by then freshmen Richard Hamilton was playing in the NIT against the likes of Nebraska. Hamilton scored 31 points during UConn's 76-67 win over Nebraska in the NIT Quarterfinals. UConn lost in overtime t o Florida State in the semifinals 76-71. UConn wound up finishing third in the 1997 NIT, after defeating Arkansas 74-64 in the consolation game.

Duke To Face Devil Of An Opponent

2009-03-17T18:14:00.006-04:00

So, these cats in Vegas must suffer from Dickie V disease. You know, the ailment which requires surgical removement from Blue Devil Dick?

Duke is a 22-point favorite in the opening-round game against Binghamton. Binghamton certainly revived its image after the summer quagmire--underscored by the arrest of a Serbian thug who nearly killed another student in a bar brawl gone awry.

Miladin Kovacevic, allegedly beat pint-sized Bryan Steinhauer into a bloody pulp. Steinhauer suffered a coma for months.

There were different accounts of what went on during this beer-soaked haze, but Kovacevic--a big chunk of garbage who averaged about 1.0 PPG the last year his size-17 shoes touched the hardwood--certainly hampered the team's image.

The big neanderthal, whose well-to-do doctor parents defended their son in an interview with the NY Post, took a medical redshirt in 2007-08.

Thank God.

This cat is like Oliver Miller minus any fundamentally sound aspects of his game. Big, Brolick, and GARBAGE.Kovacevic, a 6-foot-9 350-pound brute who didn't seem to know his ass from his elbow on the basketball court and couldn't establish himself as a presence, also harmed the team's recruiting credibility.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/03/16/2009-03-16_serbia_case_against_fugitive_binghampton.html

Rumors surfaced that the kid who fled the country after allegedly nearly bludgeoning Steinhauer to death was only recruited to help another Serbian player on the team ease the transition to the U.S.

Kovacevic's larger-than-life image was emblazoned on the cover of the New York Post, apicture of him toting a gun and smoking a fat cigar in his dorm room.

Then, just when you thought Binghamton University was headed towards a public relations fetal position, the unthinkable occured. Another basketball player had another run-in with the law, and the bad publicity continued.

Once again, an unfortunate incident helped gut the team image.

Malik Alvin, another dumbass, was arrested for stealing condoms from Walmart. While jetting from the store with the rubbers, Alvin knocked a 66-year-old lady down and caused her to suffer a concussion.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/binghamton_hoops_player_accuse.html

But the Bearcats hung tough. They upgraded their roster with the addition Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben.

Mayben, a former Syracuse-commit and transfer via UMass, is averaging 11.5 points and 4.6 assists.

A presence in the passing lanes with pinpoint profiency, Mayben has been a solid supplement to D.J. Rivera.

Rivera, a 6-foot-4 guard from Philly, averaged 20.0 points and 6.5 boards. He's surfaced as a major America East Player of the Year snub. The topic has gained much publicity and triggered controversy.

http://www.bupipedream.com/beta/index.php/blogs/view_entry/38

Fast Times At The Mecca

2009-03-13T16:23:00.002-04:00

-Arinze Onuaku, who's free throw shooting woes have been well-chronicled, came through in the clutch last night. AO, who wasn't at full speed when UConn stoned the Orange at Storrs, Conn. back on Feb. 11, calmly sank two free throws with 2:04 remaining.

It was a tense moment for any Syracuse fan. Prior to that trip to the free throw line, the kid from Lanham, Md. had hit just one of his last 19 free throws.-UConn wasn't much better than AO in that field. The Huskies essentially opened the door for Syracuse's 6OT 127-117 upset with their array of bricks at the charity stripe.

They shot 24-for-42 from the line, not exactly a clip you want during a Big East post-season game of that magnitude.-Andy Rautins, whose got a good basketball bloodline (his father Leo starred at Cuse and played in the NBA) was lights out last night.

The Jamesville, N.Y. product--a Syracuse pipeline now that budding high school prospect Brandon Triche has committed to the Orange--wet six three-pointers and seemed to always have an answer in blink-quick, dramatic fashion.

Syracuse shot the ball well from the perimeter while Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris--the high school teammates from Niagara Falls--attacked the tin at a frenetic pace. Flynn, who made a habit of reeling off ridiculous moves to get to the basket, was sublime. He poured in 34 points and hit his freebies at a 16-for-16 clip.He never got tired in the wild, overtime maze.

He managed to sink free throws, forcing his tired arms to follow through. He never relented, permeating the teeth of the UConn frontline early, often, and with efficiency.

Paul Harris, on the other hand, seemed to get his masters degree in blowing layups. Harris couldn't capitalize on a number of bunnies and during one wild sequence, he missed three straight contested layups.

It was reminiscent of then-Knickerbocker Charles Smith against the Chicago Bulls during the early 90's playoff battle. Harris, the 6-foot-4 strongman, would make up for his gaffes.After missing what would have been an earth-shattering banger, he got his own rebound and delivered a putback plus the harm.

The tandem of Harris and Flynn, at times a two-man wrecking crew for last year's injury-plagued team, seem to wear down the Huskies in the late stages.Hasheem Thabeet, who fouled out, copped his 25th double-double but his embargo from the game hurt.Without the big fella patrolling the paint, the Huskies had to rely on their perimeter game.

Syracuse was clearly the better team from beyond the arc, with Rautins and Devendorf rising to the occasion and hitting pulsating trifectas. In the perimeter battle, UConn couldn't throw a ball into the Atlantic Ocean last night. The Huskies fired and fired, to the tune of a putrid 7-for-35 from downtown. A.J. Price (33 points, 10 dimes) and Craig Austrie--who's been mired in a shooting slump albeit he hit two mammoth threes in the OD 6OT blood battle--combined to go 5-for-23.

Last year it was the virtually unguardable Joe Alexander dunking the West Virginia Mountaineers into the ensuing round. This year it was free throws and the inability to seal the deal against longtime rival Syracuse, the same program that ended their Big East championship dreams in 2006 (see McNamara, Gerry for more on that one).

This was a Syracuse team that overcame a frustrating February slide. They stayed together through thick and thin and showed their mettled during the early morning mudfight at MSG.

One bright spot for UConn, who's been undermanned with the loss of Jerome Dyson, was the otherworldly outburst from Stanley "Sticks" Robinson. Sticks, who entered the game averaging a meager 6.1 ppg, would burst out for 28 points. He slammed home alley-opps, turned fast breaks into finesse dunks, drilled mid-range jumpers and even hit a crucial three (he was 1-for-16 prior to that pivotal threeball) at the end of regulation.

UConn will need more performances like that from Sticks, the feast or famine cat who's got athletic gifts that few individuals on this side of Rudy Gay can simulate. But on this particular night, Syracuse littered the Garden floor in an orange paintjob. Devendorf's would have been buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer at the end of regulation had a flair for the dramatic, as UConn forward Gavin Edwards smothered him on his off-balance jack.

To think that this unreal swish--a la Christian Late 1992--would have one the game...Just a couple fractions of a second--when the ball was still on TIVO DEVO's fingertips, negated the dramatic drain.

Six overtimes later, Rautins stuck a go-ahead three and Flynn and Harris helped Syracuse surge ahead and take home one of the greatest games in the history of college basketball.

Big East Tourney Notes: UConn Rolling With No "Dyse"

2009-03-09T18:58:00.003-04:00

Apparently, Jerome Dyson's 14 points--as well as his presence in the running game, his ability to facilitate UConn's trademark high horsepower, go-go style of basketball, his unmatched on-the-ball defense, set three-pointers and ability to finish in the open court--haven't been too sorely missed by the UConn men's basketball team.

The Huskies lost just two games without their standout, three-year starter. Right?

And let's not forget what happened last year... The Huskies ripped off a jaw-dropping, head-spinning five-game win streak--three against nationally-ranked opponents--directly after Dyson was issued a suspension in the aftermath of a drug and alcohol related incident also involving former UConn guard Doug Wiggins (who was reinstated after passing the same drug test that Dyson failed).

So, the Huskies are the better team without the 6-foot-3 off guard.

Yeah, right.

And the American economy is on the verge of a prosperous era, Bill Clinton never had sexual relations with that woman, and Chris Brown isn't a top-of-the-line clown.

The absence of Dyson is crucial at this stage in the season. The Huskies certainly could have used him yesterday, a game whcih saw Pitt outscore UConn, 23-16, in transition.

Dyson thrives in transition and is typically on the receiving end of a UConn fast break, finishing strong with his high-flying theatrics.

UConn certainly could have used Dyson's defensive services in both losses to Pitt, the defending Big East champions and the team to beat in this year's conference tournament. The Panthers' earth, wind, and fire trio of Sam Young, Levance Fields, and Dujuan Blair has evolved into one of the most dominant, intriguing triumvirates in college hoops this season.

Levance Fields, who buried both Kemba Walker and then Craig Austrie with a pair of late-game daggers on Feb.16, was effective again Saturday.The Brooklyn-bred kid they call "The General" and "Batman" scored ten points and handed out a whopping 12 assists. Dyson's presence and tight, hounding defense would have helped.

But if life without Dyson has taught the Huskies anything, it's that there are no "would haves" and "could haves" in this power conference.

A tough-as-nails, no-nonsense coach who's been at the helm for 23 years and expects the most out of his players, Jim Calhoun has tried to instill that "no tomorrow" mentality in his players.

UConn fans can't use the Dyson injury as a scapegoat. The Huskies are still loaded with arguably as much talent than anyone in the nation.

One way to shore up the loss of Dyson is by getting more out of role players like the aforementioned Austrie and wiry wing Stanley "Sticks" Robinson.

Austrie, who came to UConn four years ago as a highly-touted guard out of Trinity Catholic HS (Stamford, Conn.), has yet to have that bigtime game he puts his stamp on.Austrie's got a wealth of experience, having been at UConn forever.

Let's not forget, Austrie started as a freshman, operating a high-end, run-and-gun offense with a slew of NBA-bound players the first half of the 2005-06 campaign (then junior Marcus Williams was sidelined due to his role in the thefts of labtops on campus).

His sophomore year, Austrie caught one "DNP Coaches decision" and responded by scoring 12 points and dishing out seven dimes against Syracuse the next game. His junior year saw him get flushed into a leadership role and develop the "Mr. Reliable" tag.

This season, however, Austrie has been the watermark of inconsistency. And there's one thing that's plagued the Huskies (other than virtual no-shows from Hasheem Thabeet), it's been inconsistent shooting.

In the three losses this season, Austrie is a combined 4-for-16.Austrie, who supplements Price in the ackcourt, was crucial in the Huskies' victory over Syracuse back on Feb.11.

He knocked down open shots and hit one corner dagger that blew the game open with just a few minutes remaining. Austrie's defense has stood out for itself at times this season. The 6-3 guard did a fine job keeping Kyle McLarney in check at Notre Dame. But make no mistake, Austrie can't be utilized as a lockdown specialist.

The marquee guard on this team is Price and his performance will determine just how far the Big Husky bus will drive into the post-season. He's been given the green light in games of such magnitude, coming through in the clutch as he did with a career-high 36-point outburst during a pivotal victory over Marquette.With Dyson out of the picture, however, the Huskies know they're going to need more out of Austrie and Kemba Walker. Walker will have to embrace more of a scoring role and help provide the Huskies with some considerable balance in the scorebook.

Stanley "Sticks" Robinson, who's got all the athleticism in the world but suffers from mental lapses and Houdini-like showings in games like Saturday's--where he shot 2-for-6 from the floor and the foul line--has also watched his game tail off.

A mammoth man hunt for Sticks' game was apparently called off after he erupted for 19 points in the Marquette game. He drove the ball to the bucket at will, got after it on the boards, slammed home putbacks, and played with passion--something he's been sorely lacking this season.

Sticks, who is 3-for-12 (albeit he's averaging 9.0 boards) the last last two games, needs to take his game to the higher plateau.

If he doesn't, then UConn will go as Price goes.

The Huskies are trying to win with a seven-man rotation that occasionally squeezes in some burn for three-point jack man Scottie Haralson.

Thus, as the Huskies continue to roll with no dice, Austrie and Sticks and the contingent of role players need to step it up as the Big East and NCAA tournament awaits.

PITT STOPPED

2009-02-17T16:17:00.002-05:00

HARTFORD--DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh's sophomore strongman, took the ball to the tin early, often and with efficiency.

Blair cooked Hasheem Thabeet and UConn to the recipe of a whopping 23 points and 22 rebounds Monday night, helping Pitt stamp a wild 76-68 victory, before a raucous 16,294 at the XL Center.

Levance Fields, the Brooklyn native who's adopted the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" from his teammates, canned two titanic three-pointers over Kemba Walker and then Craig Austrie in the final, defining three minutes.

He shot that shit from Pittsburgh!

Fields, a senior and floor general who's operated a number of potent Pitt offenses, had been an arctic 0-for-8 until his two clutch, late-game daggers.

Fields scored 10 crucial points in those three crucial minutes, en route to handing the nation's top-ranked team just their second loss of the season.

The win snaps UConn's 13-game win streak.

"I told Levance to just keep shooting and to be ready to take the big shot when we need it," said Pitt junior Jermaine Dixon, who scored 11 points and handed out five assists in 24 minutes.

"We expect him to come through in the clutch, and he did that tonight."

Dixon, a 6-foot-3 guard, is the younger brother of NBA player Juan Dixon.

Juan Dixon, who had a storied stay at the University of Maryland-leading the Terps to a national championship in 2002-had some advice for lil bro, whom he spoke with via cell phone before the game: "Be ready."

The toothpick but tough-as-nails baller's words proved prophetic.

If anyone was ready in this ultra-physical, black-and-blue marked dog fight, it was Blair.The 6-foot-7 widebody simply destroyed Thabeet, pounding the ball into the paint and permeating the teeth of the defense.

On mano y mano and back to the basket moves, Blair made the highly-touted Thabeet, who's projected to be a top-five pick in the 2009 NBA draft, look D-league bound.

During one wild sequence in the first half, he nearly flipped the 7-foot-3 behemoth while wrestling for a rebound. The game was halted, but Thabeet was fine.

After erupting for a near triple-double and swatting nine shots in a win over Seton Hall on Saturday, Thabeet scored a meager five points and was just 1-for-5 from the floor.

He registered two blocks, committed three turnovers, and was whistled for five fouls.Thabeet picked up his fourth foul with 11:20 remaining, prompting an irate Jim Calhoun to scream his lungs out at referee Mike Kitts, whose suspect call instigated a chorus of boos.

Sam Young, he of the patented shot fake, led all scorers with 25 points. Young shot a sublime 8-for-13 from the field, and the offensive pace of Young and Blair seemed overwhelming.

They served as a two-man wrecking crew in the second half, though it was the 5-foot-9 Fields who emerged with the late-game heroics.

"We started calling him 'Mr. Big Shot,' said Young of his teammate."

"Even in pickup games and in practice, he's always looking to take the last shot, the big shot. He's always telling us, 'I'm taking the big shot. At the end of the game, the ball's going to be in my hands.'"

On a colossal stage in easily the biggest game in college basketball this season, Fields lived up to his nickname.

A Legend Lurking

2009-02-13T14:49:00.002-05:00

Caught most of the Kentucky-Florida SEC game the other night. It ended with Nick Calathes getting fouled on a 3ball attempt at the end of the game with the Gators down three. There was less than a second on the clock and this was it. Calathes stepped up to the line confident and looked poised to drain all 3 and send the game into OT. He let go of the first shot and....clank, game over, Florida loses.

HOWEVER, the 39 minutes and 59 seconds before that shot convinced me that NIck Calathes is going to be the next good white player in the NBA. Aside from race, Calathes can really ball. He showed me an array of talents that left me wondering how in the hell this guy is flying under the radar. I mean, I can't even find a decent youtube clip of the guy to show you.

He controls the ball for Billy Donovan for the majority of the game and rarely turns it over. He can defensive-rebound, a trait in a PG that can really help point guards in the eyes of run n gun NBA teams, He has one of the best balances I've seen between getting others involved and looking to put the ball in the bucket himself. When he does look to get his, he's got a deft handle and is fearless whether hes going to the hoop or pulling up from 30.

I don't see how he won't translate NBA-wise. Its looking perfect too, because if he was really hyped up and got drafted to a dungeon like Miluakee or Memphis, he might get lost in the shuffle. But if he gets drafted mid or late round to a team with a foundation or even a good team, watch out boys, Calathes will thrive. Right now these are his numbers: 19 points, 6 assists 5 rebounds and 2 steals a game. The last important thing about the man in blue is his killer instinct. Don't let this first paragraph fool you, I was shocked when he missed that FT. I caught him earlier in the year vs. NC St. when he hit every big bucket down the stretch to close out the ACC foe with his 32,5, 5 performance. I didn't see him again until Monday v. Kentucky because the SEC is pathetic this year (no ranked teams, although FLA should be and Kentucky might hack it in the first couple rounds of the tourney.)

So I'm urging the Meccaites to try and catch a glimpse of Nick Calathes, I want to know what you think. From what I've seen, I think he will make a very good NBA player one day--an all star, a leader, and a champion.

Mecca Media/CUSE-UCONN jumpoff

2009-02-10T17:32:00.002-05:00

I don't think I'm overstating anything when I say that steroids of all types were transported around MLB clubhouses during the Steroid Era (a period ranging from 1990-2004) at the same, frenetic pace that cocaine was distributed amongst celebrities and babes at Studio 54 and other posh Manhattan nightclubs during the 1970s. Everyone was doing it.

Im glad double play-Rod admitted to it so abruptly.Jose The Rat leaked him out in his book, claiming he introduced A-Rod to a steroid pusher at A-Rod's request. Nobody could have been too shocked, but now the New York media is going to jump on this shit and magnify it. The mecca media tends to blow shit out of proportion, and they've got a penchant for A-Rod's..well, (no homo) Rod considering they are always on it.

UConn/Cuse Jumpoff

Rivalry week hits the state of Connecticut with more juice than Florida this Wednesday.

Two always-formidable programs under two Hall of Fame head coaches that think the world of each other and employ a no-nonsense mentality while trying to run longtime perennial powers, meet at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.

Wednesday looks to be a jumpoff of all sorts as UConn and Syracuse renew their storied rivalry.

Both teams enter the game on opposite sides of the mountain.

Syracuse has lost five of its last seven after ripping off a sizzling seven-game winning streak, one that vaulted them into the Big East’s upper-echelon.

A turnover-plagued, arctic shooting performance produced easily their worst loss of the season Saturday, a 102-85 shellacking at the hands of Villanova.

How the mighty have fallen. Suspect defense rolled the red carpet out for NBA prospect Dante Cunningham, who scored a career-high 31 points and ripped down nine boards as No. 16 Nova rolled to their fifth straight.

UConn, on the other hand, has been back, hit the ground running style. They pummeled a heating up Louisville team in a big resume win last week, and outlasted a hungry Michigan team at home this weekend.

The No.1 Huskies have not only become the team with the bullseye on their back, but they’ve racked up enough individual accolades to fill a trophy room in the process.

In addition to watching players eclipse the 1,000-point milestone, super-sized bigs Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet have surfaced as candidates for the prestigious John R. Wooden award.

Adrien became the fifth player in the NBA breeding machine to eclipse 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Thabeet, whose game tailed off before he exploded for a triple-double against Providence, is playing the best ball he’s ever played. The 7-foot-3 beanstalk’s ability to influence, manipulate, change, and alter the trajectory of shots around the key has been a major factor for a team that’s apparently forgotten how to lose lately.

Game Notes:

-The best thing the Huskies can do is spread the length of the floor and get guys like Adrien and Robinson (that is, if he rips the straightjacket off his game) to float freely. Adrien, who's evolved into the Huskies' leading scorer, is shooting a sizzling 66.9 percent from the floor.

It makes sense. His points are mostly the product of dunks and power moves to the cup, though he's added a mini jumper to his offensive repertoire.

-Syracuse could catch the Huskies off-balance if they execute their perimeter game. The Orange have a feast or famine three-point sniper in Andy Rautins (10.1 ppg). Guards Eric Devendorf (15.5 ppg) and Jonny Flynn (17.2 ppg), who combined for 10 threes in a loss to Providence can also dial in from downtown. A zone-buster would be the perfect recipe. UConn's perimeter defense was putrid last season, as they ranked among the conference's worst teams in defending the three-point attack. Michigan’s Stu Douglass, who entered the game averaging five points, scorched the nets to the tune of six treys Saturday.

-UConn guard Jerome Dyson, who loves bullying the marshmallows, needs to begin scoring at will when the stakes are raised. He found his stroke against Michigan, draining three 3-pointers. His cock-back slingshot shooting form seemed to prove problematic last Saturday, as he missed three open treys in the first half. He took a picture of the rim during all three set shots. As a go-to-guy who's great in transition, UConn's 42nd member of the 1,000-point club needs to become more of an aggressive scorer. He needs to ditch the three-point set shots and drive the ball to the cup, what he does best.

- After the search warrant for wiry wing Stanley Robinson's game was called off, Robinson continued his Houdini-like antics at Louisville. The 6-foot-9 forward missed his only two shot attempts, including a dunk, and was saddled with foul trouble.

BIG EAST NOTEBOOK: High Adrenaline Adrien

2009-02-02T22:56:00.004-05:00

Cruising through Jeff Adrien’s bloodstream is an overabundance of adrenaline. Adrien, a jacked and jacked up 6-foot-7 forward who epitomizes the ultra-physical Big East player, feeds off his own high energy attitude.

His workmanlike game (one which he’s added a shallow jumper to) and a heart that pumps lion’s blood revs up the crazy, at times crass UConn fan base. A Brookline, Mass., native Adrien speaks softly but carries a big stick on the hardwood.

He poured in 18 points, 17 of which came before the midway mark of the second half, as UConn cruised to a 68-51 drubbing of Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals. Adrien also tore down seven rebounds as the Cardinals got too much from Terrence Williams (game and career-high 26 points) and too little from everybody else. Earl Clark turned in easily his worst performance of the season, a la John Starks in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA finals.

Clark shot an abysmal 2-for-16 from the floor as Louisville (17-4) suffered its first Big East loss.Adrien’s emergence as Hasheem Thabeet’s bruising buddy down low has been an aspect paramount success. The signature shellacking of Louisville gives UConn a 21-1 record, leaving just one Big East team—Marquette—with an unblemished record in conference play.

The formidable frontline seems to inject fear into opponents, keeping prolific scorers out of the paint more often than not.UConn’s relative balance in the scorebook and ability to seal the basket shut (Adrien and Thabeet, who had four blocks and altered the trajectory of shot after shot) threw Louisville into a 22-for-64 shooting night. It’s become a pattern with the two behemoths down low.

“We made out presence known,” said Adrien, following the Huskies’ 94-61 thrashing of Providence at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs Saturday.

“Me, Hasheem, and Gavin just want to prove that we’re here, that we’re going to get some buckets regardless. The win gives us great momentum. We were playing a team that had been hot, you know? Almost similar to Louisville, a team that we’re playing (Monday night).

Adrien is almost similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Off the court, he’s as soft-spoken as they come. He’s a chill, muscle-bound kid who slaps hands with an army of kids on his way to the cafeteria.

On the court, he’s in-your-face, cleaning up the glass, and grappling for loose balls as if he just downed a ginseng/taurine mix drink. He’s the kid who busted out a Superman shirt and cape during UConn’s First Night. The kid who’s registered more double-doubles than any Big East player. The kid who swipes a ball out of an opponents hands after they commit a travel. The same kid Calhoun had to pull from a game against Pittsburgh in the first half last year—for being too revved up. And yes, he's the kid who engages in a boxing match with the air prior to every game.

Adrenaline Adrien is a lot of things. A go-to-guy isn’t really one of them. Yet with his new shallow water jumper, coupled with his penchant for putbacks and his knack for attacking the basket, Adrien has evolved into the Huskies’ leading scorer.

And UConn has become the leading team in the national polls, as the nation’s No.1 ranked team looks to keep rolling.

NY State Of Mind: One of the game's intriguing subplots was the matchup between UConn's Kemba Walker and Louisville's Edgar Sosa. Both players left a legacy at Harlem's Rice High School, a perennial power and hotbed in the basketball city. Walker, a glove-fit in UConn's uptempo, go-go, frenetic style, got the better of his counterpart. The former Rucker Park regular scored eight points, kicked in four dimes, and snared four boards in 31 minutes of tick. Sosa, who Pitino has challenged several times this season--even telling Sosa he should consider transferring to a school that "doesn't play defense"--shot just 2-for-7.
Smizz's Weekly Honors

Player of the Week: Jerel McNeal, Sr., G, Marquette: The 6-foot-3, Chicago-bred guard put together a resume reel during the Golden Eagles' 94-82 win over Georgetown. McNeal scored 26 points, scorching the nets for five threes, and dished out a whopping 11 dimes. He averaged 26.5 points during a 2-0 week for Marquette.

Freshman of the Week: Mike Rosario, G, Rutgers: Fabulous frosh averaged 20 points during a 1-1 week that saw Rutgers score their first Big East victory of the season with a win over South Florida.

Big East Update: UConn Now No.1

2009-02-01T16:37:00.004-05:00

As the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team retreated to the weight room to field a barrage of questions from the media, Hasheem Thabeet jokingly gave A.J. Price a stare down.

“You took my seat again. Why do you always have to take my seat, son?”

Price was quick with a humorous retort.

“Man, this is my seat. You see ‘Hash’ written anywhere on this seat? You’re crazy.”

It was all jokes, laughs and smiles for the Huskies, who moved to No.1 in the country with a wild 94-61 drubbing of Providence.

Thabeet became the just the seventh player in UConn history to record a triple-double. The 7-foot-3 gargantuan registered 15 points, 11 boards (seven coming on the offensive end) and 10 blocks in 28 minutes.

Price poured in a game-high 19 points, and Stanley “Sticks” Robinson snapped out of a four-week funk with 18 points—two of which came on an earth-shattering two-handed alley-oop—and seven boards.“As a team, collectively, we know how good we are, how good we can be. Number 1 hasn’t worked out so well for teams this year.

We haven’t been there yet. We haven’t had our chance, so hopefully we’ll get that. But we have a tough game (Louisville) coming up Monday, so not too much time to celebrate,” said Hall of Fame head coach Jim Calhoun.

There had been a Providence ghost in UConn territory the past couple seasons. The last four UConn home games (in which the Route 6 rivalry was renewed) Providence has had UConn’s number. The Friars defeated the Huskies, handily, last year in Hartford. They scorched the nets with 14 threes and talked trash at a relentless pace.

There were no ghosts this time. No ghastly goblins or spirits of any type. None. Just a dominant UConn team who realized they owe the Friars for the last two games.

“This was probably one of the biggest games that we’ve won, not for the rankings,” said Gavin Edwards, who popped off the bench to score eight points and snare nine boards in 16 minutes.

“Just because of the rivalry between us. They (Providence) always talk trash, they always disrespect us, so it felt really good to go out there and smack them.”

“It was a game we felt we should have won,” said Price. “I think we did a great job of just putting pressure on them, keeping pressure on them the whole game.”

That pressure seemed overwhelming in the second half, as UConn’s slim four-point halftime edge ballooned to 37-point bulge with 3:06 remaining. Providence’s Geoff McDermott caught his second foul and was yanked from the game midway through the second half.

UConn then rattled off a 9-2 surge capped by A.J. Price’s three. His second trey of the game, it had some extra, beyond-the-game value to UConn basketball history. The shot catapulted Price into an elite society known as the 1,000 point club. Price is the second Husky in as many games to reach the century mark, following Jerome Dyson.

Price followed this up with a stop-and-gun three, giving UConn a 28-23 edge with 8:27 remaining. The Huskies jumped into the second half on 10-0 burst, forming a 47-34 cushion just three minutes in. The Friars (14-7, 6-3) never recovered, as UConn’s lead became insurmountable.

The Friars’ exasperation compounded in the second half, with McDermott being slapped with a technical for jawing at the referees. It got out of hand. UConn continued to surge ahead, and a dunk fest ensued.

“McDermott had a tough time dealing with our two horses inside,” said Price, obviously referencing larger-than-life Thabeet and Jeff Adrien (14 points, six boards).

“They kept attacking, kept going to the rim. We got them in foul trouble and I think we sensed a little letdown from them. They stopped coming as hard as we know they can, and we just put the pedal to the floor after that.”

UConn Block Party: Behind Thabeet’s 10 swats, the Huskies blocked 17 total shots. Everyone got into the act, Robinson, Dyson, Adrien, even pint-sized point guard Kemba Walker.

During one eye-popping block in the second half, 5-foot-10 point guard Sharaud Curry tried to take it to the rack on Thabeet. Thabeet threw Curry’s off-balance shot attempt out of the gym, and Curry went sprawling to the floor. Thabeet shook his head at Curry, adding a few choice words. The two teams have never had much of an affinity for each other.

Class-less: The UConn faithful, never held to a high-class standard or candidates for the sportsmanship award, were quick to get rowdy. During the singing of national anthem, one hammerhead UConn fan shouted “YOUR BROTHER’S IN JAIL!” The crude comment was directed at Providence guard Jeff Xavier. Xavier’s older brother Jonathon, he of the checkered past, was arrested following his on the court antics against Marquette earlier this month.

No. 1 in the Country, No.3 in the Big East: You know the Big East is dripping with talent and is probably the NCAA’s most competitive conference when the nation’s top-ranked team in the country isn’t even the first-place team. No.1 UConn is third in the Big East, sitting behind Marquette and Louisville. Both teams are undefeated in Big East play this season.

Route 6 Rivalry In CT Today

2009-01-31T03:52:00.004-05:00

The stage is set for a supreme dogfight between UConn and Providence at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs Saturday.

The No.2 Huskies, who've won eight straight after a listless home loss to Georgetown--their lone loss of the season--hope to snap the Friars' four-game win streak, one which has built their best Big East start in eight years.

More importantly, the Huskies are hellbent on halting the Friars' four-game win streak at UConn.

While Providence (14-6, 6-2) is the inferior opponent on paper, the Huskies haven't managed prosperity well against them at home. The Friars owned the Huskies in virtually every aspect of the game during last year's 77-65 route.

It was more of a shellacking than the final score would indicate, as THC-crazed Doug Wiggins canned a pair of treys in garbage time to chip some points off a bulging 17-point deficit. So, UConn will renew the Route 6 rivalry today at 4 PM.

Today's game will also have some extra juice, both in the national polls and on the court. If UConn is to emerge as the victor, they will have sole possession of a No.1 national ranking.

Another intriguing subplot is the animosity between the players. Last year, Providence supposedly talked trash, relentlessly, during their victory at Hartford.

UConn point guard and Amityville, N.Y. product A.J. Price said he wanted the pay Providence back in the form of a blowout. Jeff Adrien, a vicious villian on the boards, was also angry about Providence's disrespect at the Huskies' home court. Adrien said he wanted to exact vengeance by "ending their season."

Price, Adrien, and the Huskies never evened the score as the Friars stamped another victory over UConn at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

The much-anticipated matchup comes in the aftermath of fourth-ranked Wake Forest’s thrilling, 70-68 win over Duke.

This has opened the door for UConn, who could become No.1 for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

The game, won on forward James Johnson’s layup with eight tenths of a second to play, indicated that the ACC is almost as stacked, talent-laced, and wide open as the Big East this season.

“Between the ACC and the Big East, there must be about a dozen teams that can make the Final Four,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told the New York Daily News.

“I think you’re going to be in a lot of games like this, where teams get a chance to show their grit.”UConn showed a complete lack of grit during their lone loss of the season, a late December game Jim Calhoun dubbed a “home-serving.”The Hoyas did a commendable job containing Jerome Dyson, who shot an abysmal 1-for-10.

Some of Dyson’s offensive woes were self-inflicted, however, as he botched a layup and exited the game mentally.Georgetown also limited 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet to four field goals.

“It’s better that we get this out of the way early,” said Price, following the lackluster loss.“We didn’t by any stretch of imagination think that we were going to go undefeated.”

Undefeated? No.No.1 ranking?As long as the Huskies overwhelm a the three-headed monster of Weyinmi Efejuku (13.4 PPG), Marshon Brooks (13.1 PPG), and 5-foot-10 point guard Sharaud Curry (10.4 PPG, 4.5 APG), yes.

The Friars have a 6-foot-7 playmaking point forward in New Rochelle, N.Y. native Geoff McDermott and a shootist in Jeff Xavier, who is playing this season despite being nicked up a bit.

Randall Hanke, a veteran center who has never been the sharpest tool in the shed, is finally beginning to flower. The 7-foot beanstalk scored 12 points (6-for-7 FG) in 19 minutes during the Friars’ 100-94 resume win over no. 15 Syracuse. It was their first victory over a ranked opponent since they upset the then-no.13 Huskies last year.

Providence (14-6, 6-2) has won three of their last four, ever since Xavier’s brother went Gangster on the referees in the Marquette loss.

Still, with the inside manpower of walking double-double Adrien and Thabeet, UConn looks to end Providence’s win streak and success at the Constitution state.

A Look Back: January 17, 2008

UConn was buried under a barrage of three-pointers, as Providence’s perimeter assault did the Huskies in during the second half. The Friars’ 14 treys tied for the most three-pointers allowed by UConn in a Big East game. Providence’s Dwain Williams, who dialed in from a different area code, led the long-range assault with 23 points and six trifectas. Jeff Adrien led the Huskies with 16 points and 15 boards. The Friars held Stanley “Sticks” Robinson, a double-digit scorer, to just two points on a wowing putback dunk in the first half.
Jerome Dyson was off his game as well.

Calhoun certainly wasn’t in good spirits during the press conference.“I mean, did Jerome Dyson play tonight?” Calhoun quipped. “I’m not sure if he did or he didn’t.”

Was He Really Born Ready?

2009-01-25T23:29:00.004-05:00

Ah, to be a 17-year-old and have the whole world in your palms.It’s never a rarity with nationally-ranked, hyped up to heaven-sent high school basketball prospects in the Big Apple.

We saw it five years ago at Lincoln, a traditional basketball breeding ground in Coney Island. In the island where throwbacks are in and Abercrombie is out, where pickup ball is played at all hours, top-shelf players are never in short supply.

The Sebastian Telfair saga is indicative of the hyperbolic headlines that these Brooklyn guards grab. Pint-sized guard Sebastian Telfair was a highly-sought after item on the recruiting market back in 2004, with the eyes of the Big City of Dreams watching.

Telfair currently balls for the Minnesota Timberwolves, albeit he's yet to evolve into the electrifying, playmaking point guard that the New York basketball culture envisioned back in '04. He's posted some resume reels this year and his game has made some strides, but "Bassy" hasn't panned out. Let's not forget, however, he's 23.

During Telfair’s senior year at Lincoln, when he averaged 28 points and led the Railsplitters to the state championship, he lived his life like the star of his own movie. Fitting, because there actually was an ESPN documentary, "Through The Fire," on Telfair's last hurrah at Coney Island and the inevitable pressure that splashed the shoreline.

Telfair abruptly ascended to celebrity status. His games were aired on ESPN. His name was all over the New York tabloids, his mug pictured on the front of every big sports magazine. He kicked it with Jay-Z, then a frequent visitor of the Lincoln locker room.Telfair penned with Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals during the early signing period.

The marriage never was, however, when Telfair decided he was going to play in the NBA.There’s a buffet-line of handle-happy, go-go New York guards that have flamed out due to the inevitable pressure being pegged as the city’s next great one brings (remember God Shammgod, who was supposed to be the second coming of Michael?).

This is what makes Lance Stephenson’s story such an intriguing one.

The hype-machine was kick-started early for Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson, who also attends Marbury and Telfair’s alma mater.

Born Ready is a promising 6-foot-5, 200-pound proverbial manchild.

Stephenson went eyeball-to-eyeball with then top-ranked junior O.J. Mayo as an eighth-grader at 2005 ABCD camp at Farleigh Dickinson. It was a matchup described as Stephenson’s “defining moment.”

The epic mano y mano showdown abruptly turned into one for the ages. Stephenson forged a name for himself in the first half, ignoring Mayo’s constant trash-talk. He slammed hope alley-oops. He worked off the dribbled and glided to the hole. He eluded defenders off the baseline, penetrated the teeth of the defense, and buried three-pointers.

“I really didn’t intend on getting into a type of battle like that, sometimes it happens,” said Mayo (who now stars for the Memphis Grizzlies) during an interview with CSTV.Mayo, then the no.1 ranked player in the country, eventually got the better of Stephenson, outscoring him 21-16 and rolling to a victory over Lance’s star-studded squad.

“He (Mayo) was saying, ‘you can’t score. You can’t do this, you can’t do that," Stephenson said before a horde of reporters that day.

"I was saying, ‘listen you’re saying this to an eighth grader. I don’t care, I’m trying to play good.”

Now Lance is New York's vaunted senior guard, and the hype surrounding him and the railsplitters has skyrocketed.

It happens every day, like clockwork. Just like in the Ray Allen flick (He Got Game, 1998).

“Where are you going next year?” Lance is asked as he traipses the halls of Lincoln.He’s constantly reminded of the magnitude of such a decision.

He's also the subject of constant online rumors. A recent rumor thrust to the forefront was that Lance is entertaining thoughts about foregoing college and playing professionally in Europe.

Yeah right. And I robbed a bank with my cock yesterday.

Stephenson recently squashed the bullshit, saying it's a false rumor and he will not take the Brandon Jennings route.

"I don't think it's a good decision to go to Europe," said Stephenson in an interview with MSG.

Stephenson had an online TV show this summer, where his every move was analyzed, dissected, and thrown back at the nifty neophyte.

“He definitely has the chance to be the best out of Coney Island,” said head coach Dwayne “Tiny" Morton, who coached Telfair and was an assistant during Marbury’s stay at Lincoln.

Lance recently told hoops blogger Adam "Zagz" Zagoria that he is leaning towards St. John's, Kansas, Memphis, and USC.

Last Monday, Lincoln fell 67-54 to Alambama power LeFlore at the Spalding Roundball Challenge in Springfield, Mass.

Stephenson scored 24 points—20 in the second half—in an eyeball-to-eyeball battle with DeMarcus Cousins, a top-ranked 2009 recruit. According to one scout, Cousins is "an NBA player in a high school jersey."

This weekend, Lincoln was blood-lettered by New Jersey power St. Benedict's, 89-53. Lincoln has dropped three of their last four for the first time in recent memory.

The ensuing couple of weeks will be a major test of Stephenson’s fortitude, as Born Ready seeks to bounce back and continue the quest for Lincoln’s fourth consecutive PSAL championship at The Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden.

The X Man

2009-01-23T01:55:00.009-05:00

When Bobby Gonzalez exited Manhattan College, a torrent of talent walked out with him. Each took a different route.

Gonzalez, now at Seton Hall, was at the helm during Manhattan College's version of Pax Romana. During this prosperous hoops era, Gonzalez elevated a team caught in the turbulent trenches of obscurity.

He helped the Jaspers garner some national visibility. He scoured New York hoop hotbeds for talent, getting top-flight recruits to pen with Manhattan (see Flores, Luis).

The Jaspers went 129-77 under Gonzalez' reign. Bobby G's stay at Riverdale was underscored by two NCAA tournament berths, as well as a thrilling upset over then No.5-ranked Florida in the opening round.

The three-headed monster of C.J. Anderson (Xavier), C.J. Lee (Michigan), and Providence's Jeff Xavier have all carved a niche for themselves in their new programs. The trifling trio made the decision to fill out transfer waivers after Gonzo bolted for Seton Hall.

Lee recently told the New York Post that he couldn't have asked for a better decision (in the aftermath of his early departure from Riverdale).

A Pittsford, N.Y. native, he is content with being relegated to cheerleader role, though he does get his occasional meaningful burn. Still, he's playing on a team that's put itself on the national map this year. Lee is the embodiment of a "rather look bad and win than look good and lose player," the type that's dissected in the epic1992 film for the ages, White Men Can't Jump.

For Xavier, Gonzalez' departure essentially created a detour back to his old stomping grounds.

The Pawtucket, R.I. native starred at St. Raphael Academy, where he averaged 28 points as a junior and 26 as a senior. He put his stamp on a solid senior year. An all-tournament team selection at the prestigious National Prep Showcase, 2004 Rhode Island Gatorade State Player of the Year, and several other awards helped build a glistening gold trophy/plaque collection in X's room at the crib.

This season, Xavier is an elder statesman for a team striving for a tournament bid in perhaps the nation's toughest conference. The Big East has been about as predictable as the next tat on the ever-sexy Angelina Jolie's body.

Matter of fact, just thinking about that heaven-sent and sublimely sculpted body on that broad makes me want to retire to the men's room and implement a Jerk Nowitzki. Let me handle one task at a time here.

Xavier has been playing as if his heart pumps lion's blood this season.

He's playing despite pain, something a tattoo-drenched warrior by the name of Kevin Jolley knows plenty about.

Word around the campfire, the kid who came up on the hardscrabble Pawtucket hoopyards gets injected with a shot to his knee prior to every Friar game.

As an elderstatesman on a squad that's developed sophomore Marshon Brooks into a scorer, Xavier plays every game like he's just downed a 40 oz. of Red Bull while waiting for the apocalypse.

Xavier has employed the standard never-say-die mentality, realizing he has rest of his life to worry about injuries and pain.

In the wake of the controversial confrontation during the Marquette game Saturday, (Xavier's older brother created quite the scene, walking ONTO the court while Geoff McDermott was at the free throw line, incensed at the refs following a play that sent lil bro spilling to the ground in pain), X scored 20 points, bagged 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, and helped swipe the ball from Eugene Harvey on a backbreaking stop as time winded down.

X's play keyed the Friars, who outlasted Seton Hall, 98-93, at the Prudential Center Thursday.

Oh, and for footage of the aforementioned incident, youtube "fan comes onto court during Providence vs Marquette" or "Jeff Xavier brother." I'm too lazy to link it plus the compartment of my brain that's fiending a porno magazine and envisioning the future (Dunkin Blownuts in the restroom) is starting to kick in.

Terrence Williams is playing in a different zip code these days. Louisville's ultra-athletic 6-6 forward has staked his claim as one of the conference's most underappreciated players. After averaging 22 points and close to 12 rebounds en route to earning Big East Player of the Week honors, Williams scored 23 points during a 78-59 clubbing of Rutgers.

Thoughts and Musings

2009-01-22T10:20:00.004-05:00

1. Mr. Andrew Bynum's stat-line from last night.

42 pts 15 rebs 3blks on 17-24 FGs and 8-11 FTs. I do understand that Bynum had this night against a woeful Clips team and no I do not expect him to drop 42 every night but its quite a statement nonetheless (by the way, does woeful even need to go in front of clips anymore or does the whole world just assume that upon reading their name?) The development of Bynum's offensive game will be the factor that determines whether the Mamba and company can actually grab the title this year. It was thought that Pau would provide the offensive game inside and Bynum would work the other end of the floor getting rebounds, blocking shots and otherwise disturbing opposing offense. However, if Bynum is able to dominate a game offensively as he did last night, the Lake-show can easily grab a 'chip from the Celts, Cavs or Magic. If someone like the Truth is able to lock down the Mamba and the Lakers are able to throw it inside and have two scoring options it will prove too much.

2. In other big men news ...

Sip Rogers is still unimpressed with Uconn's Hasheem Thabeet. Although the Huskies got a hard fought win last night (thanks to AJ Price) Thabeet looked slow and very out of sync against a fast, athletic Villanova interior going for 10 and 3. Thabeet has routinely had problems against the wildcats' Dante Cunningham. Although 10 inches shorter than Thabeet, Cunningham's athleticism and quickness usually proves too much for the 7'4" giant, as last night's 10pts was his highest point total against the 'cats in his career. Although scouts love Thabeet's size and shot blocking ability, I believe at the next level he will struggle mightily on the offensive end. He is too slow in his movements and can easily be exploited by a more athletic defender despite his height advantage. The problem will be that the vast majority of those who will guard him in the EL will be both quicker and more athletic than Thabeet. I guess the lack of true inside talent is the reason for the high lottery predictions and whichever EL squad that takes him will believe he is a project worth developing however, I can't see him panning out as successfully as many expect.

3. D'Antoni taking down his former squad

Nice work by the Knickerbokers last night taking down Nash & Co at the Gar'en. Running and gunning with a team that can't really do it anymore. And watch out world, Danilo Gallinari proving his worth finally. Putting in solid minutes the past few games and going for 10 and 4 last night.

Happy Inauguration!

2009-01-20T14:37:00.002-05:00

The best moves from the 44th President himself, Barack Oballa'

Best of luck to the new President of the United States, Barack Obama, who shares our passion for and love of the game of basketball.

JD GOES HARD, Upsets Lincoln

2009-01-18T01:01:00.003-05:00

NEW YORK--If you were lucky enough to score a vacant seat to this one, it didn't matter by the end of the night.

Only a seatbelt could keep fans from jumping out of their bleacher spots at Baruch College's ARC Arena Saturday night.

Jamesville-Dewitt delivered a stunning upset of nationally-ranked Lincoln, rolling to a convincing 75-63 victory in the final, most anticipated game of the Big Apple Invitational. Both teams busted out the track shoes, in a game that featured a number of quick, momentum-rolling runs and constant transition scoring. In the end, it was undefeated Jamesville-Dewitt that had Lincoln sucking back wind.

Dewitt, the defending class A champions, stamped a resume win on a bigger, more reputable program. They managed to knock off the hunted in Class AA/NYC on a bigger stage, in enemy territory, and roughly five hours from their Syracuse-area home.

Senior guard Alshawn Hymes scored a game-high 28 points in 27 minutes, and J-D negated Lance Stephenson, Lincoln's vaunted senior guard. Stephenson, widely regarded as the top high school prospect in the nation, was held to just 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting. The 6-foot-6 wunderkind drew double-teams all night and never really found his rhythm.

Despite a theatrical layup, a wowing dunk, eight boards, five steals, and four dimes, Stephenson was held in check for most of the night.

In the Railsplitters worst loss of the season, they were outscored by a 25-16 margin in the fourth quarter. DeWitt's Syracuse-bound guard Brandon Triche was named game MVP. The 6-foot-4 wunderkind was a major presence in the transition game and finished with 20 points and four assists, albeit he committed a game-high nine turnovers. Lincoln hit just 11 of 31 field goals in the second half.

Even worse, James Padgett (13 points, seven rebounds) was outclassed by an underclassman. Freshman Dajuan Coleman, a 6-foot-8 mountain of a man, copped a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. His poise down the stretch was pivotal.

After back-to-back buckets by Lincoln's Shaquille Stokes (14 points, 6-for-18 fg) sliced J-D's lead to 58-57, Coleman scored on a big bucket while getting hacked. Moments later, Triche whipped a pass from near halfcourt, splitting down the railsplitters defense as Coleman converted it into an easy two points.

"It's inexplainable how good this feels right now," said Hymes, who had six of J-D's 48 boards. "We came out and got it done. We came in as underdogs for the first time in a long time. We knew we had to come in here and play against a crowd."

In the second quarter, that crowd nearly blew the roof off after Stephenson got out on a fast break, cocked back , and unleashed a gravity-defying, earth-scorching one-handed jam. Members of Stephenson's infamous entourage began shouting "BROOKLYN WE GO HARD!"—the anthem of the new, catchy Jay-Z hit. A home crowd that suddenly ratcheted up the decibal levels allowed the railsplitters to seize the momentum.

Not for long.

Lincoln trailed throughout the third quarter and J-D took capitalized on another momentum-rush as Lamar Kearse bagged a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

Lincoln’s frustration compounded in the fourth quarter. In a rare off-night, Coney Island’s Abraham Lincoln High School played more like Herbert Hoover or George W. Bush HS.

Self-confidence seemed to snowball as Triche flew out in transition, soaring to the cup for easy layins.

How much emphasis did J-D place on bottling up the hyped to high fucking heights Stephenson?

"We didn't want to come in and focus on one player,” said Hymes.

“We knew that he was their best player and we had to watch him, but we just made it a team thing." Added Triche, "(Stephenson’s) a tremendous player. He's as good as advertised. A player like that, you can't really stop him. You know, you have to make everything he does tough.”

Nothing came easy for Stephenson in the fourth quarter. The railsplitters weren't featuring him. Lincoln sophomore Codian Becker, who scored 14 points and netted four treys, stepped it up in his place. Darwin “Buddah” Ellis, a quick-strike sniper who left the nets burnt at the IS8 tournament in the fall, went 0-for-6.

“I think we could’ve played better as a team,” said a dejected Stephenson. “We weren’t focused for this game.”

Lincoln came out of the gates flat. Back-to-back buckets from Coleman (no relation to former Syracuse and NBA standout Derek Coleman) highlighted a 10-0 run that put them ahead, 11-7. The railsplitters trailed 15-9 at the end of a lackluster first in which their offense sputtered.

It looked like they’d snapped out of the funk in a wild second quarter, but J-D never went away.

Born Ready and Lincoln were supposed to come in with the swagger of a blood-thirsty champion. Dewitt stole that swagger and made them pay, big time.

DICHIO DAY THROWBACK

2009-01-17T12:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Kobe Bean had his first trip-dub since April of 2005, going for 28, 13, and 11 in a loss to the Magic. The Magic brought their A-game, and Jameer was lights out. (Jameer's father's death last year had to have something to do with his abysmal season, he's playing at a high level this year.)

The last Kobe trip-dub was also the day of the first ever DICHIO DAY.

Fear & Lurking @ The Cajun Kitchen

2009-01-15T20:10:00.007-05:00

Chad Ford just posted one of his classic mid-season, NBA Draft positional top-10 previews, this time of point guards. That, combined with a morning conversation at the Cajun Kitchen featuring AO reading the boxscores, Bandini-style, in the LA Times, and I eating a New Orleans omlette, is the basis for what follows:

-Ford predicts (and I hope), that Ricky Rubio will indeed enter the draft if guaranteed a top-3 pick. The NBA, as part of the dubious lottery system, auctions off the top-3 picks to all teams that fail to make the playoffs. The Knicks do not look like a playoff team, thus will be eligible for said lottery. If there was ever a year to get slotted in the top-3 (oh wait, last year the Knicks were the 5th worst team and the Bulls, with a 1.9 percent chance, gets the first pick and takes Derrick Rose, arguably the only person better equipped to have the keys to D'Antoni's offense but I digress --) it is this year.

Regardless of the Knickerbockers, Rubio is almost certainly talented enough to be a top-3 pick -- only Blake Griffin and James Harden look more promising.

-I love doing these "perfect scenario" theories throughout the year, with regards to who fits on which team. Rubio and the Knicks is an obvious one, given Rubio has Magic-esque vision and looks like the first true P.I.M.P. to walk out of Europe (Dirk, I lovya, but no dice) and D'Antoni needing a point with great vision to run his squad. Steve Nash has two MVPs attesting to this fact. Another one (I think) is a James Harden-Kevin Durant combo, real lethal offensively, with Russel Westbrook, and not Jeff Green, being the 3rd best guy on the team. The Silly Ass Fucking Thunder still need a true #2 to KD, and Harden could be as perfect as Scottie Pippen was. (Not to short change Westbrook, he looks filthy and could be an All-Star one day.)

-Harden looks nice on a lot of teams, like a bearded, lefty Paul Pierce flashback with enough Swag to wear a t-shirt in college, he has the body that draws a lot of and-1's and the first step to get in the lane, not to mention dare-I-say Kobe-esque range on his 3. Scorer-deluxe.

-Speaking of Pierce, AO & I recently had this terse exchange:
AO: Do you think Pierce is top-10?
EM: (30 seconds later).Yeah, you?
AO: (10 seconds later) Yeah.

With regards to the top-10, that is going to be vary from person to person, but I've had this debate with every true Association deadbeat fan I've come across in the last month, and the consensus top-3 (and, to answer the "what is actually being ranked here?" question, we are channelling our inner Bill Simmons and saying if there was a mythical, fantasy game played tomorrow, with one team picked by Avon Barksdale and the other picked by Prop Joe in a gym in Baltimore, who does Avon get first, who does Prop Joe then take, and so on, until there are five guys per squad -- essentially the best players, in the world, right now) seems to be LeBron, Kobe, and DWade, with CP3 not knocking on the door, not pounding on the door, but reared back with a sledgehammer and ready to smash the motherfucking door down in 4th place. Dwight Howard, based on his giant-size and just incredible combination of athleticism and height and coordination, is 5th. He is a lock to average over 10 rebounds a game for the next 10 years, almost guaranteed. There is the top-5. Based on overall, straight-G, Michael Porfirio Mason-esque Swagger, and chips, Tim Duncan is 6th. I would say KG, based on similar traits, is 7th. Deron Williams gets the next nod at 8, then Paul Pierce at 9, then Manu Ginobili at 10, but that's just me. (FYI: All of the aforementioned players were on one of the 2008 All-NBA teams, except D-Wade, who was hurt and this year is...well if you don't know, now you know, DWade is back.)

-The Wizkids should (and probably are) just let Gilbert sit this one out. Thanks for your work Gil, here's $20 mil, you gotta love this game! It isn't all about the benjamins, though, as the Spurs pulled the same tactic with David Robinson and wound up winning the lottery and getting a guy named Tim Duncan. I'm not saying Blake Griffin is Tim Duncan, but he looks like an easy 20/10 guy, a better prospect than Beasley. Essentially, worth winning the lottery for. An
Agent Zero &
Tough Juice &
Twan &
Nick Young &
Blake Griffin.
is a nice starting 5.

-Speaking of Nick Young, dude was unconscious last night against the Knickerbockers, shining under the bright lights @ the Mecca. Went for 33, effortlessly I might add, just crossing Knicks up and draining midrange J's like he was practicing in the driveway. Unconscious. 13 of 17, including 3 for 3 from downtown. Young is like a poor man's Kevin Martin, and K-Mart is nasty. Young and Agent Zero will be a potent backcourt offense next year, adding Griffin will be comparable to Barksdale's Crew adding Cutty for muscle when Avon gets out of Jessep after his 2-day stint (and maybe JaVale Mcgee is Slim Charles?, though I think that's shortchanging Slim Charles, or maybe not, McGee looked pretty nice last night).

-I know Young Pov posted about smallish scoring guards and how rare it is that they truly percolate on the Next Level, but this year there are a few guys who look straight dangerous. Stephen Curry is the obvious one -- he should go top-10 strictly based on his shooting ability and Reggie Miller esque-cojones (that is a Hall of Fame-esque quality to have), not to mention the fact that his dad was Del Curry and he was in the NBA for about 20 years. Curry, too, would flourish in D'Antoni's 7-Seconds or Less, he's like an Eddie House on HGH. Also, this guy Jeff Teague out of Wake Forest. Really blowing up after the UNC upset, he can FILL IT UP from all over the floor, was jamming on guys a few nights ago and he's only like 6'1". Shoots 54% from the floor too. Reminds me of Tony Parker, but with a more grimey, American edge, and enough bounce to jam on anybody. Keep an eye on him.

-I know I have my Strong Island/CHSAA bias like Sip Rogers, but I think Danny Green will be the best pro of the Tarheel bunch this year. Ty Lawson has been spectacular this year and could be great on the right team, I just think Green comes from the Bob Horry School of Doing The Right Thing and will fall to a team deep in the draft and make big plays for them in the playoffs. Maybe a 6th man for the Hornets?

-Speaking of the Hornets, Byron Scott has shown his true colors and the Hornets are now sucking because of him. Scott seems to have a vice-like grip on the offense and CP3 always seems to be held back. To CP3's individual greatness' credit, he's putting up absolutely OUTRAGEOUS numbers, including last night's 33 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 7 steals, and only 2 turnovers in 42 minutes, on 50% shooting from the field. Still, even with CP3, Scott is dumb enough to coach them out of the playoffs. Nevertheless, I am eagerly awaiting his ouster.

-Going back to 6th men from before, I'm not even sure if he is a 6th man, but Roger Mason on the Spurs, what a pairing. Maybe the best signing of the offseason, on par with Po-Z to the Celtics in the summer of 2007. I think Mason hit his 3rd game winner last night, regardless, it was a game winner. Perfect complement to TD & His Gang.

-I'd rather have Greg Monroe than Hasheem Thabeet, though I hope Monroe stays at GTown for another year, (in my Dickie V voice), they could really be something else! IT could be something special! Oh baby! John Thompson the Third, what a guy! You wanna talk about diaper-dandies?!?!?! Lets talk Kyle Singler, baby! Oh baby! The Crazies, and with Coach K, who wouldn't wanna go there, I'll tell you!

-For those of you who don't think a team with LeBron James on it will not win the championship this year, wake up. I would absolutely love a Cleveland-Los Angeles showdown with Kobe, but a rematch with San Antonio would be fantastic, Manu is a true genius and Duncan may be The Greatest Player of His Generation. For all their greatness, I don't think anybody will be able to stop King James. He truly has what they call a "supporting cast." There are other guys who can dribble and shoot. Mo Williams was a great pick-up, he is a scorer (and one of the rare small scoring 2's to make it). Delonte has been great, Wally World bangs down open shots, Varejao and Big Ben are good on the glass, Hickson looks like a nice draft pick. Give LeBron guys who can hit 3's (i.e. Daniel Gibson, Delonte, Williams, and Wally) and they become almost impossible to defend. This year, Lebron takes the crown.

Hoyas Rising

2008-12-30T13:25:00.003-05:00

Smizz, I'm sure your hurting right now after that ass whoopin last night in Connecticut. Georgetown came in and thoroughly dismantled the highly touted Huskies but all we saw after the game were clips of Calhoun complaining about how badly his team played. We saw Hasheem Thabeet's horrid stats and Jerome Dyson's "I wanna kill myself" face. Well, that's alright. Everyone can keep sleeping on Georgetown.

John Thompson v3 continues to bring his team to play. I cannot remember a game in his tenure in which the team came out flat and didn't have any answers except the big east tourney final last year. He would not be able to do this without the wonderful blossoming of talent. McDonalds all americans are coming into their own all over the squad. Last years class of Wright and Freeman who I did some horn tooting about last year... http://nyismecca.blogspot.com/2007/12/hoya-ball.html...are letting it go this season and playing with the same confidence they did while wrecking all DC competition for 4 years. The senior Jesse Sapp is leading on the defensive end, closing out shooters and harassing opposing ballhandlers. DaJuan Summers seems to be the emotional leader, if not the stat leader as well--he is playing tenacious ball right now (see his putback YAM last night over 3 Huskies). The one guy you probably have heard about, Greg Monroe, is living up to his billing and then some. What I'm impressed with by the freshman from LA (thats not Los Angeles) is his stroke. He's got a beautiful outside stroke from the left side that I did not see coming. He also has bought into the D-first mentality of the Hoyas and is changing shots and cleaning the glass on the defensive end.

Georgetown will most likely crack the top 10 next week and if they can manage to beat Pitt in a rematch of last years finals, you'll start seeing ESPN jerk them off. But you heard it here first baby. The Hoyas have come to play this year. Unsurprisingly, losing Roy Hibbert has been a major plus. Now, the Big East is a test tough enough to stump Einstein, so of course there will be some trip ups, but I expect to see GTown playing the last game at MSG this season.

XMAS Jumpoff At The Meadow

2008-12-24T16:35:00.003-05:00

Anyone see Lebron's banger last night?

That was straight fucking insanity.

For those of you who missed it, allow me to describe.

LBJ pogo-sticked into the air, as Mo Williams' alley-oop pass soared higher than Snoop Dogg on April 20.

LBJ then floated in the air, thrusting his 6-foot-8, 240-pound frame somewhere between the sky and the hardwood surface, caught Mo's lob and flushed it home.

As witness no. God knows what, I must say it was wowing, otherworldly athleticism. Straight out of a video game. You can't make this up.

I had to wear sunglasses as I watched it all play out. That's how fucking scorching it was to the human eyeball. It was a pure fire hazard for anyone who owns a high definition television. The shit could have burnt right through the screen and set your whole crib ablaze. It was burning like Marcus Vick supposedly was when he took that little girl to bed.

It was hot like lava-sand, the kind which instigates a second-degree blowtorch on your feet while your bent on a beach in the Bahamas.

A dunk of that magnitude engenders dropped jaws just the way a shot of Carmen Electra butt naked engenders more wood than a Louisville Slugger.

Tim Duncan, All-Time Great

2008-12-17T22:41:00.002-05:00

points boards blocks
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387 17,440 3,189
Hakeem Olajuwon 26,946 13,747 3,830
Shaquille O'Neal 26,602 12,104 2,546
Patrick Ewing 24,815 11,607 2,894
Robert Parish 23,334 14,715 2,361
David Robinson 20,790 10,497 2,954
Tim Duncan 18,284 10,000 2,033

WE THE LINCOLN RAILSPLITTERS AND NOBODY FUCKING WITH US

2008-12-12T00:31:00.000-05:00

Some interesting Info I just read on ESPN

"Stephenson is unsigned, but has attracted the interest of several schools, including Memphis, Kentucky, USC, UCLA, Kansas, Texas, St. John's and Tennessee. Rumors persist that Stephenson is quietly eyeing a chance to play in Europe next year and is monitoring the progress of guard Brandon Jennings"

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/basketball/boys/news/story?id=3761951

-- Sip

email from Sip Rogers. He is still alive.

Lance to EUROPA? Come on Lance, sign with the Johnnies or come out West and kick it with AO and myself.

Kicking It At UConn: Breakdown of the Big East

2008-12-03T15:49:00.003-05:00

Storrs--Easy Going Gavin rapidly morphed into Gung Ho Gavin last night, an aggressive individual UConn fans have rarely seen during the reserve forward’s stay with the Huskies.

The kid from Gilbert, Az., finally got physical, played above the rim, and displayed a sense of urgency, en route to the reserve forward’s career-high 17 points in 16 minutes on 7-of-9 shooting.

“Gavin’s one of the more talented players on the team, at least athletically talented,” said Jim Calhoun, following UConn’s 79-49 roasting of marshmallow MEAC native, Delaware State.

“He’s got a very high basketball IQ, he makes good passes…he’s got to be more physical. I’m encouraged by what he did tonight and I’m sure he is too.”

For Easy Going Gavin, life isn’t always that easy. He has to go up against two physical specimens and behemoths in Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet every practice, is forced to take a backseat to the two larger-than-life bigs when game time rolls around, and is sometimes forced to play out of his nature (“I’m more of a finesse player,” Edwards admits) and play a physically intimidating brand of ball at the four-slot.

So, Easy Going Gavin’s Monday night coming out party came with much fanfare and to the delight of his teammates. Edwards established himself early, connecting on a jumper and a layup and then delivering an eye-popping block with 13:28 remaining. The son of former NFL defensive lineman Earl Edwards, who entered the game averaging a meager 3.3 points, continued his sublime showing in the second half.

He came soaring in, finishing a catch-and-run alley-oop from Bronx, N.Y. native Kemba Walker that pumped the then insurmountable Husky lead to 71-42.

Edwards dunked home a Jerome Dyson miss that put an exclamation point on his career night and UConn’s drubbing of another smurf-sized foe.

“I think he got something out of it tonight. I know I got something out of it. Gavin has a chance, he’s got a fight on his hands. The more he fights, the deeper we can go,” explained Calhoun.

That “fight” Calhoun refers to is between 6-foot-9 swingman Stanley “Sticks” Robinson (who will soon be available) and newcomer Ater Majok, a 6-foot-10 recruit via the Sudan. Majok is undergoing the NCAA clearing process right now, but should be eligible to play soon. On the surface, it looks like Edwards will have to wrestle for burn as the season progresses and Big East play emerges.

Following a resume building game, however, Edwards is confident he will remain a fixture off the pine.

“Coach said during the Paradise Jam, as cliché as it is, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Still, if Edwards is to continue turning in expectations-slaying performances, as he did against undersized Delaware State, he needs to get more physical. “It’s definitely something I’m still trying to work on a lot,” said Edwards, adding that “shooting over 6-foot-7 is definitely easier than shooting over 7-foot-3, National Defensive Player of the Year (Thabeet).”

Edwards continued, “From what I hear, Ater is a very good player. I’m taking baby steps, but I’m definitely working on it.”

Pressure?

None. Well, nothing that the mellow, muscled forward hasn’t seen before during his stay at the Big East’s NBA machine. Constructive criticism and words of encouragement, however, are only one long distance call away.

“I get at least one call a week from my Dad on how I need to play stronger. He gives me all the old football stories. I know I have to step it up.”

KING OF CUSE

A radio reporter looked into Jonny Flynn’s eyes but received only a pithy stare in return. This was back in October, during Big East media day. Coaches, players, TV/Radio stations, and the New York media circus alike came peppering the conference’s key cogs with questions.

The question heaped upon Jonny Flynn however, could only elicit an empty stare from the proven point guard. The man asked if Flynn was ready to take on such a significant role as just a sophomore. If you could read Flynn’s expression, it said “are you kidding me, or what?”

Flynn has been no joke this season. The kid who erupted for 29 points and nine dimes in his first NCAA game has been the catalyst for a Cuse team looking to mute the detractors and naysayers and bounce back from two underachieving campaigns.

The 19-year-old offense operator is averaging 18.9 points and 5.3 dimes as Syracuse is off to a 7-0 start that includes marquee wins over Florida and defending national champion Kansas. Flynn was named Big East Player of the Week, as was announced by the conference office, following his villain-slaying showings against Kansas (25 points and a key trifecta with six seconds left that lifted the game into OT) and Virginia (15 points and six assists as the Orange gutted out a 73-70 triumph).

Don’t You Dar Sleep on Him: Dar Tucker, 4-0 DePaul’s 6-foot-5 forward, is having a breakout start to the 2008-09 season. The Michigan native is averaging 20.8 points and 6.5 boards.

He hung 26 points and pulled down nine boards in a 75-70 win over Indiana State on 11/29. Tucker and DePaul, one of five Big East teams without a loss, could watch their stock mount this season.

Moving Em’: With the reigning Big East Player of the Year in Luke Harangody, and the 2007 and 2008 Big East Coach of the Year in Mike Brey, the Irish have picked up where they left off. The Irish blitzed South Dakota to the tune of a 26-point blowout Dec. 3, with Ryan Ayers erupting for 35 points on 12-for-20 shooting.

Power Rankings:

1) Pitt (7-0): Too big, too strong, too many weapons. The pre-season point guard issue that surfaced did nothing to stop the defending champions, as Levance Fields is back in full force. The Panthers could have the upper-hand on UConn if they can negate Hasheem Thabeet the way they did Roy Hibbert in last year’s championship game at MSG.

2) UConn (7-0): Thabeet is dominating the smaller opponents but Amityville, N.Y. product A.J. Price needs to get back to game-changer form.

3) Notre Dame (6-1): After nearly smoking his way out of school a few years ago, Kyle McAlarney has set the world ablaze with his blazing three-point assault.

Sad to See You Go Eddie

2008-12-02T16:36:00.002-05:00

What did I think of the Eddie Jordan? Well, I'm sad to see Eddie go. I've been watching the Bullets/Wizards my whole life and Eddie Jordan was the first coach who instilled a winning attitude in the MCI/Verizon Center. He took us to the playoffs the last four years. Sure, we lost in the first round every year but you have to understand where the franchise was at before he came to appreciate those four first round appearances. The Wizards were miserable before Eddie got there. They were a mixed bag of washups (Laettner, Mitch Ritchmond) and total hacks (Popeye Jones, Courtney Alexander, Tyrone Nesby). Playoffs were not even considered in the pre Eddie years. The big reason for that stale state was the GOAT, Mr. Jordan, but thats a whole other post that is too sickening to even approach (basically I think MJ screwed up the Washington franchise for a solid 10 years by coming back to play). The point is, Eddie came in and turned a joke of a franchise into a perennial playoff team.

Now the main knock on him around town was his inability to get the players to play defense and even bigger his inability to get past the first round. This second knock deserves a whole paragraph rebuttle. The Wizards have had the worst possible draw the last three years. They've drawn none other than King James THREE STRAIGHT FUCKING YEARS. Not to mention they've drawn him in his fledgling stage where hes trying to prove himself and put the opening chisels on his inevitable HOF bust. Also, for anyone who paid attention to each game of each series the past three years knows that the Wizards gave the Cavs all they could handle. The most lopsided series was two years ago when the Wizards were minus GIlbert (knee) and Caron (broken hand) and the Cavs swepr them 4-0. However, the Wizards were within a bucket in the fourth quarter of everyone of those games. That meant a lot to me in terms of the job Eddie Jordan was doing. It meant more than when they took the Cavs to 6 grueling games both last year and in 2006. I was actually at the clinching game in 06 in DC (my only live playoff NBA game) to see Lebron whisper in Gil's ear and Damon Jones hit the dagger from the corner after the Wizard rightfully said "fuck it, we're going to quadruple team Lebron and make somebody else beat us." In all three of the series' against Cleveland Eddie had the troops come to play and they played hard. Unfortunately, Lebron is the biggest freak of nature this league has ever seen and he was a bit too much for them. I honestly would rather have drawn the #1 seed each year rather than play the Cavs in the first round. Ok, my only other rebuttle for the playoff incapacity of Eddie Jordan was the fourth year we made the playoffs. Nobody seems to remember this, but it was 2005, and we in fact did make it out of the first round, due to Gilbert's long forgotten DAGGER!...

What I'm trying to say is I think the firing of Eddie Jordan was a mistake. He was a good coach and turned this franchise around, and did not deserve to be fired b/c he was dealt a shitty hand with injuries this year. It was a panic move by the front office and they misjudged their fanbase. If I may speak for the greater Wizards fanbase, we weren't up in arms over this horrendous start . I expected it. Our team has had enough with the injuries and we've been overachieving for way too long, we were due for a streak like this. Now that the firing is done, we should be officially entering tank mode. I think Gilbert should be given plenty of time to heal although it would be nice for him to prove to us that he can come back and play well before the season is over. And aside from that, the young players need to be getting the minutes now. Deshawn Stevenson and Etan/Haywood must step aside and let Nick Young and Javale McGee get their growing pains in this year. In all sincerity I agree with Gilbert in that if we are one of the worst teams in the league this year it will not be a bad thing. Looking at the draft class I would not be surprised at all if we secured a top pick and dealt it for a veteran or a free agent from the 2010 class who some team knows is going to leave but wants to get something out of it (think Amare, Phoenix).

I'm not in mourning mode. Sure I'll pay a little more attention to the Hoyas (watch out for Chris Wright) this year than the Zards, but there's always next year and hey at least we don't have to lose to Lebron in the playoffs again.

Something for you Mecca-ites

2008-11-30T00:24:00.001-05:00

Costas throws it to Marv Albert with "Marveloso". Fantastic.

Mar-BURIEID

2008-11-28T20:35:00.006-05:00

We thought the circus had left town for good this time.

We thought the unavoidable stench that Isiah had infected the Garden locker room with had been neutralized. We even thought Marbury was the point guard of the future (at one point prior to the season-opener against Miami), something Donnie Walsh envisioned the day he returned to the Big City of Dreams.

We thought the Knicks were back with at least some of the knack after a pulsating, marquee victory over Utah at the Mecca. Then, right after a disappointing loss to a severely undermanned San Antonio team, the Bockers turned in a convincing victory at Memphis, a game in which they established a new team record for most threes (19) in a 48-minute contest.

Everyone from Wilson Chandler (whose game has grown by leaps-and-bounds) to Anthony Roberson dialed in from downtown (Roberson scorched the net during the fourth quarter, canning all three of his trifectas in succession) early, often, and effectively, en route to a smoking 19-for-34 from beyond the arc.

Shattering one significant record seemed like an omen of things to come. All we needed to do now was shatter the team's seedy past and the Stephon Marbury problem that came splashing into the New York shoreline.

We thought there was a glimmer of hope. Hope that a revitalized, ressurrected NY Knicks organization entertaining thoughts about playoff life (for the first time since the sultry spring of 2004) would emerge.

FUCK, were we wrong.

Then, the unthinkable emerged. We traded scoring machine Jamal Crawford, he of the sick ratchet and penchant for tantalizing the net in clusters, and Zach Randolph.

Randolph had been a walking double-double, but we dealt him to the clipshow for Tim Thomas (who had a dismal 04-05 in New York and was thought to be gone for good) and Cuttino Mobley, who is currently experiencing heart troubles and clearly won't make an immediate impact.

Now the Steph mess has become the talk of the town, once again.

You thought Starbury sullied his relationship with Isiah? You thought the post-Anucha Brown Sanders quandary was bad? You thought an argument thousands of miles in the sky, one that kick-started the beginning of the troubled relationship between the two, helped the season turn awry?

Him and D'antoni go together like a jewish guy and an italian in Flatbush during the 1950s. It's the perfect recipe for a big orange-and-blue disaster.

Marbury told the New York Post that he "never refused to play, and would have played had D'antoni given him the order," according to Knicks beat writer Marc Berman.

If this Knicks season were a movie it would be like....hmmm...no, not like Blue Chips at all...no not Season On A Brink, the laugher in which they chose some 16-year-old Abercrombie model dweeb to play Steve Alford...no, not even White Men Can't Jump because Billy Hoyle and Sidney Deane had their differences, yet they tucked them away and sacrificed their individual goals and differences as players for the betterment of the two-man wrecking crew. It worked in the end, when they pulled off the dramatic, epic upset of the then over-the-hill tandem of Eddie "The King" Furuke and Duck Johnson. HFYD.

The movie I can most closely connect the ongoing Knickerbocker quagmire with is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," the one with Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. That seems to be the only shit-house crazy film that would depict this fucked up situation. If this were a book, it would be "The Odyssey."

Yeah, why not? It's been ten long (that is, if you measure in terms of basketball seasons) years as well as a journey, since the Knicks were the reputable program that garnered a berth in the 1998-1999 NBA finals (see Sprewell, Latrell or Camby, Marcus).

"I wouldn't trust him to walk my dog across the street."

-Stephon Marbury on head coach Mike D'Antoni

James Posey, My Favorite Player in the League

2008-11-28T12:54:00.001-05:00

DENVER -- The New Orleans Hornets already knew Chris Paul was a winner. They picked up James Posey and his two championship rings in hopes of winning a little more this season.

The two worked together perfectly Thursday night, with Paul taking over the game late and Posey hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer with 19.1 seconds left for a 105-101 victory over the Denver Nuggets -- the fourth straight win for New Orleans.
"I have confidence in making shots," Posey said. "I've been in those situations before."

Another game-winner for Big Game James. Fuck the Lakers, NO-LA's coming out of the West.

C.P. Trois, We Are All Witnesses

2008-11-25T00:52:00.005-05:00

For the year, 21 ppg/12apg/3spg.

Last 5:

REB AST PTS
3 12 12
3 15 20
6 6 17
10 16 29
10 17 14

the 73 Knicks, O.G.

2008-11-25T00:36:00.001-05:00

If you do not believe you can not achieve. -- Walt "Clyde" Frazier

G.O.A.T.

2008-11-25T00:12:00.001-05:00

Throwback

2008-11-24T23:56:00.001-05:00

Iverson and J-Will, two players who ushered the New School of the NBA. 'Seven seconds or less' was initially spawned when Iverson went first overall in 96, fact or fiction?

And what age are we in now, as the LeBron-CPTrois-Deron Williams-dare I say Joe Johnson or Brandon Roy crew is a definitive generational gap/youth movement/response to the Iverson-Kobe-Shaq-Vince Carter NBA, which slowly fades away.

As Costas alludes to on NBC, Iverson, even with no championships, still may be the single most important player post Michael Jordan. His complete and utter dominance scoring may have saved the league from falling into a defensive abyss in the early 2000's, and Seven Seconds or Less and Mike D'Antoni seem possible only because of the Answer. AI also obviously represented a culture change in the NBA, he of the cornrows (mocked at his first All-Star game, if I recall correctly, by MJ) and (airbrushed on his rookie card) tattoos and (failed) gangster rap albums.

Even if Iverson is the most important player Kobe is still the best player since MJ.

A Tribute to Penny Hardaway

2008-11-24T23:49:00.002-05:00

One of the greats...

And who could forget Lil Penny

Fuck Ed Tapscott

2008-11-24T11:49:00.004-05:00

The Washington Wizards fired head coach Eddie Jordan today, after four straight seasons ending in the playoffs. One has to wonder if GM Ernie Grunfeld is jumping the gun, as Jordan as without his best player in Gilbert Arenas and without Brenda Haywood, a cowardly big man but still, a 7-footer who can give you quality minutes. I'm not sure where I stand on the Jordan firing, I'll let NY is MECCA resident Wizkids fan AO handle that one, all I can tell you is that the interim head coach hired to replace Jordan is none other than Ed Tapscott, the dumb-ass motherfucker who picked Fredric Weis over Queensbridge's own Ron Artest with the 15th pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. Fuck you, Ed Tapscott. I hope you fail miserably in all future endeavors.

Big Shot Bob, Say it Ain't So!

2008-11-23T13:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks to ESPN's Daily Dime:

Five questions with seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry:
Q: We miss you, Big Shot Rob. So can you tell us we're going to see you in a uniform again before the season is over?

A: To be honest with you, I doubt it. It's a trend in the NBA right now to go with youth. I don't think anybody is going to be going for a wily, 38-year-old veteran such as myself. … You never know. It would have to be something I really want for me to even think about it.

Q: What about the trend of signing veterans late in the season that Boston started with P.J. Brown? I hear that Sam Cassell is already trying to convince the Celtics to bring you in after the All-Star break.

A: Sam actually called me about a month ago. I was down in San Diego training, just trying to do something to stay in shape. Sam said: "I talked to Doc [Rivers]. He's thinking about bringing you in at the end of the season, so make sure you stay in shape." I said, "That's fine about Doc, but who is that GM in Boston?" I don't think that's gonna work out.

[Editor's note: Horry was obviously referring to longtime nemesis Danny Ainge]

Q: Were you actively looking for a team in the summer and just couldn't find any takers?

A: I really wanted to keep playing. But for me it's kind of hard because I don't have an agent calling around for me. … I'm still trying to stay in shape the best I can. I'm shooting about once every three days. I do a lot of pool work to stay off my joints; I get out early in the morning with all the 60-year-old women. But once the holidays come, if I'm still around the table at Thanksgiving and Christmas, it might be time to just eat and enjoy life.

Q: If you really have played your last game, can we assume you're leaving happy with what you've accomplished?

A: It was a tremendous run. I'm kind of upset the way it ended having a DNP in my last playoff game. My very last game, I don't even get off the bench … it's not the way you really want to go out. But I guess I've had enough on-top moments, probably more than anybody in the league right now. If you told me I'd be able to get seven [rings], I've either been very lucky or I've done a great job helping these great players. I don't think there's been a luckier guy, not being a superstar or even a star.

Q: I know you're trying to downplay it here, so I'll say it: If this turns out to be the end, shouldn't you retiring be a bigger deal with a little more hoopla, even though you've always told us you're a low-key guy?

A: That's happened a lot of times. For as much as I accomplished, I think there's been times I got screwed over in some way, like the way I was treated by some of the refs. Even Nike. I've been a Nike guy for 16 years, and once I looked at their Web site … I'm in the league and I didn't even know some of the guys who were on there instead of me. So looking back, I got screwed over sometimes as far as being recognized. But at the end of the day, you can ask any of the players that I played with or any of the coaches that I played for -- except Danny Ainge -- and I bet they say, "I loved that guy." Overall I didn't get some of the things I wanted to get recognition-wise, but I got the respect of my peers.

Q: What do you think of all of us experts who've anointed James Posey as the new Robert Horry?

A: No, no, no. He ain't no Robert Horry. Posey is a good friend of mine, I love him as a person. But he can't play as many positions as me. I think he plays D almost as good as me, even though he doesn't block shots like I did. He's a great player, but until he reaches that seven mark, he's no Robert Horry.

Change we can believe in!

2008-11-21T21:50:00.004-05:00

Knicks' Head Coach Mike "the Gentleman Thief" D'Antoni (L) & General Manager Donnie Walsh (R)

Yesterday, ironically enough, I watched game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Old school Knickerbocker crew with Ewing, Oakley, Starks, Mason, Harper, Riley pacing the sidelines. Reggie Miller was obviously causing problems with the Pacers. The Knicks would win the game, advancing to the Finals in an ill-fated matchup against the Houston Rockets. Everybody remembers Starks' meltdown in game 6. It just wasn't their year.

In '99 the New Era Knicks (at the time), flanking the veteran Ewing with Latrell Sprewell and LJ and Camby and Chris Childs. Ewing got hurt, but JVG and the Crew rolled to the finals before getting bounced by another Texas team, the San Antonio Spurs.

The Scott Layden years were bad, the Isiah Thomas era was comparable to the Terror. And after nearly a decade -- and falling from playoff contender to boring lottery team to dysfunctional bunch to one of the biggest laughingstocks in League history with last year's train wreck, Isiah Thomas-coached team of Isiah Thomas acquired players -- the Knicks seemingly have a team running them that gets it.

Donnie Walsh has a clue, and Mike D'Antoni has a system, and together, they have reversed a harrowing trend of mindless, ill-advised, short-sighted acquisitions. The trades today of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph sheds enough cap room to make a splash in the 2010 free agent market, a class that includes not only LeBron but Silent Joe Johnson, S-Jax, Manu, Rip Hamilton as outright free agents and Amare, Mike Redd, and Chris Bosh all looking at player options. Amare, with an aging team and an aging Nash and a different system, won't be interested in re-uniting with his former coach in the world's best basketball market playing at the fucking Mecca? Walsh and D'Antoni will prove that Isiah's ill-fated and moronic mantra of "you can't rebuild in New York" is nonsense. Knickerbockers in 2011.

Defense wins...

2008-11-21T17:10:00.003-05:00

Championships. We've all heard that ad naseum over the years. Whether it be basketball or football the team that emerges with the jewels at the end of the long season is the one who can hunker down and prevent the other team from executing. Defense at its core is looking the other team in the eye and saying "no you won't." Defense makes some players. Look at Darren Collison at UCLA. He's a preseason All-American and that guy is about as fluid on offense as ice. Don't get me wrong, he can hit big shots but he is special because of his defense. And Defense cannot be coached. It comes down to the players' heart. I have gone through offseason after offeseason as a Wizards fan hearing how the team is "taking steps" to improve their defense. And 5 years later, we still can't stop anyone. If you can't play defense at least embrace that and unleash hell on offense like the Gentleman Thief does.

The reason defense was on my mind is that we have two teams emerging as the clear two best teams in the El right now. Surprise surprise, they're the two teams that made it to the promised land last year--Boston and LA. The Celtics' D is widely recognized as the reason for their hoisting the O'Brien. They locked down througout the regular season and only tightened their grip as the playoffs went on. In the Finals, the Lakers heartless players were exposed (see Odom, Lamar and Gasol, Pau). The Celtics doubled Kobe and treated the Lakers bench as scrubs not game-changers like they were in the Western playoffs (see Machine, The).

This year, the Celts are wearing their belts with pride. They're welcoming all challengers and are still leaning on their D to win the big time games (held Det under 90 pts in both of their victories vs. the Pistons). The loss of big game James Po-Z doesn't seem to be that big of a deal at this point. What happens in crunch time in the playoffs, well...we'll have to wait for June.

The Lakers are emerging as a juggernaut because of their experience in last years' Finals. The Zen Master and Kobe both realized their litter of options on offense would not be enough to "get over the hump." From all accounts, the Lake Show's training camp and preseason all revolved around defensive strategy and intensity. Even early on in this regular season if you watch any post game interviews after Laker stompings you'll hear the guys in gold and blue talk about how they are still working on their ability to get stops.

This is why the Zen Master is the best coach of all time, and Kobe is right up there in terms of players. They see where they must improve in order to be champions, and that is what they focus on. It took a couple of years during this second stint of Phil's for the Lakers to get the actual pieces in place, but now that they do its all systems go. No prisoners will be taken and no mercy will be had. These Lakers are playing D and because of that I see no reason we won't get a rematch in June '09.

Lights Out

2008-11-20T01:52:00.002-05:00

Stephen Curry is a relentless sniper who bleeds swag.

His stock has been mounting since he scorched the nets of the NCAA tournament. Not to give him a verbal BJ, but this guy could leave a legacy as one of the greatest scoring guards in college basketball history.

Last night's marquee performance was pretty indicative of that. Tell me how you can drop 44 points on a so-called off night? Is that fucking possible? He is the truth like the Bible.

Still, despite Curry's volcanic eruption, Davidson couldn't overcome Blake Griffin's high-flying antics and good life on the boards.

This was college basketball at its zenith echelon, for sure. It was for real. We were all witnesses.

In case you missed it, the kid who took the world by storm last year and the kid who's projected to go No.1 in the 2009 NBA draft went eyeball-to-eyeball last night in a battle for early-season supremacy. Oklahoma emerged as the victor, stamping an 82-78 loss on the Wildcats, which looked more like the Wild One Man Wrecking Crew last night. Griffin finished with 25 points and 21 rebounds.

The chances of the college basketball junkie missing that was about as likely as Jenna Jameson practicing sexual abstinence. It was about as likely as Wilt Chamberlain being warped in a dry-spell during his heyday.

It was about as likely as my man Trinity Claxton, a native of Fairfield, Conn., not ripping a baby joint before a UConn game. Yes, folks, you heard right. The longtime Husky diehard has a penchant for putting some green smoke in the air prior to viewing his favorite college ball team get the kinks out against the inferior competition, as they did last Friday with a thumping of Western Carolina.

My boy Trinity was hellbent on reaping a lil buddah smoke prior to the action. So, when he arrived at Storrs the first thing he did was blow down a little rizla-wrapped ganga with four potent torchure tokes. He was swimming in Pepsi at halftime, flying higher than Dyson on his posterizing dunk that culminated a quick 10-0 run

Hell, it was about as likely as me getting a princesses' ransom to write sports stories in this paltry, trifling economic climate. Oh, and in case you cats missed it...Arizona, despite 27 points from Chase Budinger, blew it like President Clinton's secretary last night. Embarassing finish.

In other news, Bronx, N.Y. native Brian Williams had his coming out party Tuesday, scoring 21 points and swallowing 12 boards. The big 6-foot-10 neophyte helped lead the Vols to their 34th straight home win. The squad cruised past Tennessee-Martin, 91-64. The Vols were able to neutralize NBA prospect Lester Hudson, holding him to 20 points on 7-for-22 (3-of-14 from beyond the arc) shooting. Hudson, Tennessee-Martin's unsung go-to-guy, ranked amongst the nation's elite scorers last season.

Farleigh Dickinson put up 33 total points in a 22-point loss to Washington State. They made 11 field goals...in the game. Talk about some sorry shit.

HE GOT GAME

2008-11-15T02:58:00.000-05:00

PUT THE BALL IN THE BASKET

2008-11-15T01:01:00.004-05:00

Allen Iverson moved into 19th place all-time tonight, passing Elgin Baylor.

19. ALLEN IVERSON -- 23,156
20. ELGIN BAYLOR -- 23,149
21. CLYDE DREXLER -- 22,195
22. KOBE BRYANT -- 21,817
23. GARY PAYTON -- 21,813
24. LARRY BIRD -- 21,791

Next up, Adrian Dantley.

All-Time Points Per Game:
1. MJ 30+ (officially 30.1 but that includes the Wizards years, fuck that)
2. Wilt the Stilt 30.1
3. Allen Iverson 27.7

How Isiah Thomas is George W. Bush and Mike D'Antoni is Barack Obama

2008-11-11T22:40:00.002-05:00

Yes, I will admit, I read "Jazz knock off Sixers as Williams plays first game" and thought "Louis Williams hasn't played a game yet?"

I honestly hope the Billups for Iverson deal works out for Denver. They are now 3-0 with Billups after beating the Bobcats.

Speaking of AI, he finally got it going tonight, his first W in a Pistons uniform with a classic AI line: 46 minutes, 9-19 FG (3-5 3P, 9-10 FT), 30 PTS, 9 AST, 7 REB, 2 STL. A tough 4th Q beats the Kings and KMart, who did not play. Spencer Hawes did, however, continue his torrid play with 19 and 6 off the bench.

Love how B-Easy and Flash Wade play together, but that Heat front line is just miniscule. It will be another year or two for Riles to get that team at championship contender level, and it will be fun to watch the Rise of Beasley and Return of Wade.

LBJ drops 41, best player in the League.

Bynum with 11/10/3 tonight, which is what I think will be a pretty regular line for him. Double-double with a handful of blocks is not a bad contribution from a 21-year-old. Lakers are easily the best team in the league.

The Knickerbockers will obviously need a year or two to find the right players for Mike "Gentleman Thief" D'Antoni to get them to Championship Final level and beyond. Regardless, D'Antoni coaches a great game. The Knicks play so up-and-down, and Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford are both being afforded the opportunity to shine. It is funny that Isiah Thomas put this roster together, you'd think they would've opened it up last year, but Zeke was burdened by his cumbersome acquisitions -- Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry, neither of whom play well in an open-court style because of weak conditioning and weak mental attitudes. Wilson Chandler and Robinson both look like they'll stick around, as they are young and will be relatively cheap. I see Beetlejuice Walsh moving Z-Bo, Crawford, and even David Lee, selling high to put the team in a good position moving forward.

How bout Tito Horford tonight? Thats my boy! 27 points, 17 boards, 7 blocks. Finally Big Tito coming along, he had gotten off to a slow start.

D-Rose had a nice game and is really finding a niche in the League as Most Explosive Guard. He's like a retro Kevin Johnson. So fierce. 26 points, 10 boards, 6 assists tonight. Really what the Bulls should have had Jason Williams, may his career RIP.

DUH-ON To Others

2008-11-11T17:46:00.006-05:00

Entering the 2008-09 campaign, the book on Knicks point guard Chris Duhon was an easy-read. It was so fucking easy it was like Hooked on Phonics, and if you saw Steph's TV flameout you would think he's hooked on chronic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWxgbyYrT5A

Now that the Knicks have weeded out the snakes, Marbury being one of them, as a new burst of energy has suddenly been injected into this Knicks team.

Duhon was pegged as average, someone who you wouldn't exactly want managing an ultra-speedy, seven seconds or less offense.

The kid from Duke has proved his worth the past two games. Buying into the philosophy that Barack Obama is hellbent on employing, Duhon has done his share of spreading the wealth around. Duhon has doled out 21 dimes to two turnovers the past two games, helping the Knicks improve to 4-2 for the first time since back in the day.

Is he the first bocker to register those back-to-back numbers since Rod Strickland? Nope, probably not. Still, Duhon looked box cutter-sharp in the Knicks' pulsating 107-99 triumph over the Utah Jazz Sunday.

Duhon orchestrated the offense with a swag few knew he had, hitting Zach Randolph with a swift tossback on a 3-on-2 fast break layup as the game teetered around the 3:40 mark of the fourth quarter.

The kid from Duke was also a presence in the running and driving game, knifing through the D and extending to the cup for an easy layup.

Duhon and the Knicks, albeit they've had problems with prosperity in recent years, face a San Antonio Spurs team that's without injured guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli tonight.

After the Knicks' embarassing loss to the lowly Bucks, D'antoni and crew realized it was time to turn the tide. The Knicks hope to keep the streak alive tonight. A win against the Spurs would mean back-to-back statement wins and the first four-game win streak since January of the 2005-06 season, before the Larry Brown situation went overboard.

In other news, Knicks forward David Lee is a "rebounding sensation," as stated by the vibrant, vivacious Gus Johnson. Lee is a leader who sacrifices individual shine for the betterment of the team.

College Hoops HFYD

2008-11-11T16:01:00.008-05:00

After a long, tough wait (it couldn't get here soon enough), college hoops is back. The Dukies opened their season last night in typical fashion, bludgeoning a low-tier program in Presbyterian, 80-49.

The Dukies reeled off a 20-9 run that allowed their bulge (yo, no homo) to balloon to 46-22 as halftime approached. The Blue Devils, the pre-season no.5 and victim to many Dicky V. verbal rub-and-tugs, were led by Kyle Singler.

Singler, the sophomore from Oregon, dropped 19 points and snared 10 boards in 26 minutes of burn. He showed flashes of dominance in spurts and is likely to emerge as the go-to-guy this year.

Nolan Smith showed up in a major way, pouring in 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting to energize the Dukies. Greg Paulus gave an accurate account of his overrated self. Remember the people of Syracuse were hyping this kid up to heaven-sent when he was coming up at Christian Brothers Academy?

On Syracuse.com (this was before the emergence of blogs) back in 2003, it seemed like everyday there was a new article or forum discussion about Paulus, who was being recruited by several other big time programs. Paulus was then a highly-sought after item on the market and everybody was chipping in their two cents, opining where he should go. He even entertained thoughts of playing both basketball and football in college.

Despite the fact that Wangus Paulus got significantly outdueled by Keith Benjamin when his squad played the NY Elite in the Rumble In The Bronx that season, a surplus of coaches were drooling over the kid like he was Carmen Fucking Electra. The love affair between the Cuse people and Paulus ran parallel to the people of Scranton, Pa. and Gerry McNamara. Paulus, who committed to Duke before his junior season, hasn't lived up to the hype.

After becoming an instant lynchpin in the starting lineup his freshman season, Paulus' game has dipped like the economy.

After undergoing an abysmal stretch (during which there was a massive search warrant out for the former highly-coveted QB's game) in the late stages of 2k7-2k8, Paulus didn't show many signs of life last night either.

The deceased point guard found sporting an official Duke No.3 jersey shot just 2-for-7 and committed three assists to two turnovers. Gerald Henderson, whose only taste of national visibility was when he gave Tyler Hansbrough a nose job in 2k7, wasn't much better (2-fot-7, 7 points).

Of course, during a blood-lettering of this magnitude, they didn't need sublime showings from these cats. Still, is this team really top-5 material?

Their featured player is still a neophyte. With all the stallions from last year jumping to the L, however, he might actually be a bit of an elder statesmen in the college hoop world.

While the Blue Devils feast on another cupcake (they face Georgia Southern, a 65-63 winner over Houston last night) in the 2K Sports Classic Benefitting Coaches v.s. Cancer tonight, the ACC team that many love to hate and Dickie V loves to ride should develop chemistry and get the kinks out.

Shameless yet worthy praise

2008-11-10T20:26:00.003-05:00

Buy this book.

It's a must have for any baskeball fan. If you're reading this site, you are one. Well worth it.

Bockers Rolling

2008-11-10T13:10:00.003-05:00

It's early, I realize that. Still, the Knicks have climbed over the .500 mark for the first time in recent memory, improving to 4-2 with a signature 107-99 win over the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are still without vaunted guard Deron Williams. Williams is still nicked up a bit, lingering effects of the left ankle inversion sprain he suffered during a win at Chicago.

Jamal Crawford, criticized so many times for his trigger-happy attitude and inconsistency since his arrival in the big apple, continued to shoot lights out. The wiry guard scorched the nets early, often, and effectively, en route to a game-high 32 points.Still, the Knicks operated on both ends of the floor and injected confidence into a revitalized Garden crowd, reminiscent of the one that ripped Reggie Miller a new bunghole and tried to sneak a bullhorn past Garden security when Jordan came to town.

This is a new, revived Knickerbocker ballclub, with passion and cohesiveness beyond Spike Lee's wet dream. This team defends and gets after the rock like its a piece of gold. The Knicks collected 13 steals yesterday, throwing the Jazz out of their groove despite a 19-point, 17-board showing by Carlos Boozer.

The Knicks, under a revitalized brand of offense that the go-go offensive guru Mike D'antoni has implemented, look like a different team. The energy seems to spread like wildfire and there are no longer player/coach feuds that give the tabloid writers jerk off material.

Zach Randolph gave an efficient account of himself, dropping 25 points and collecting 13 boards to outclass Boozer. Chris Duhon had easily his best performance as a Knick, scoring 16 points and peddling out nine dimes.Nate Robinson, the pint-sized guard whose high-flying antics and new razzle-dazzle dance moves have kept his fan-favorite status intact, was once again a human energizer bunny. The kid from Washington scored 10 points during momentum spurts and added four steals.

This Knicks team has a new look, a new feel, a new management and a new brand of offense. Despite the skeptical response to his acquisition, Chris Duhon seems to be the right man running the show. The Duke product is averaging 10.5 assists in the last two games. Sharing the ball has helped make players better and has kept fans in their seats. The Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry messes have quickly become an afterthought in the city that bleeds basketballs."Doing it Together" is emblazoned on the Knicks website--www.nyknicks.com-- in big orange and white lettering.

This is a new year, a new team, and a chance for a ressurected ballclub to make its presence felt.I know it's early. Still, all the tools for the Knicks to erase the checkered past and crack their first playoff berth since 2004 are available in the shed. Don't sleep.

New Kid from the block

2008-11-08T18:10:00.002-05:00

The first pick in this years draft is already drawing rave reviews from around the league. He's quarterbacked the Bulls to a respectable 3-3 start when considering their schedule (@BOS, @CLE, @ORL, PHO at home). As of now what people are noticing is the sheer talent Derrick Rose posesses. His numbers have been nothing mind blowing, but his ability to score so easily comes to a shock to basketball folk who think it takes time to adjust to the pro game. I caught a bit of the Bulls' loss against the Celtics and on one semi fast break Derrick Rose broke down Rondo at the top of the key and picked up his dribble, took two long powerful steps and launched off his left foot. Waiting under the basket with his freakish arms extended was the defensive player of the year KG (anything is posibiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile). Rose exploded right into KG's chest and out-hung him in the air. He simply waited in the air for KG to succumb to gravity, then shifted his arms and banked in a nice layup. It was a stunning display of athletic strength.

Ben Gordon who has also come out firing this year gave his take on the rook after last nights win vs the Shaq-less Suns: ""Watching him in practice, you can tell right away how special of a talent he is." Rose's quick start slightly resembles that of Kevin Durant last year who quickly proved he will be a scorer at this level. But, the way in which Rose is doing it is different. He is picking his spots, not forcing anything, and generally deferring to his more experienced teammates. Durant had the green light of a franchise scorer from the opening tip last year, so suffice it to say the circumstances were different. This leads me, and Ben-G to believe the best is yet to come: "He really doesn't surprise me with anything he does out there on the floor. I think he hasn't even scratched the surface." Gordon wasn't the only one impressed last night as the often-hating Raja Bell had some unexpected words: "I'm excited to see where he goes from here. He's a really, really good player." Well, Raja, I'm excited too. From what I saw in last years tourney and the beginning of this young NBA season, Derrick Rose has a chance to be one of the best ever. He certainly is the best draft pick since Chris Paul went to the Hawks....I mean the Hornets.

Let Steph Live

2008-11-07T16:56:00.005-05:00

So, the Stephon Marbury catastrophe continues as the former All-Star's request to morph into Wooderson from Dazed and Confused (that's what I love about these high school chicks man...I get older, they stay the same age) and return back to his old high school stomping grounds was tersely declined.

Now Steph must scratch the notion of practicing with his alma mater, New York City perennial power Lincoln. So, his wish to maintain the solid shape he entered the season in and give a city program (with plenty of national visibility) somewhat of a role model will not be granted.

After speaking with his close friend, Lincoln coach Dwayne "Tiny" Morton, Marbury was slated to come practice with the sizzling scholastic ballclub, which features top national recruit Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson.

Knicks brass were in opposition to Marbury's request for a number of reasons, the threat of injury, a significant rule in a standard player's contract (one that the Player's Association meticulously reviewed last night), and a possible written consent issue, to name a few.

So, the seatbelted $21.9 million bench man continues to effortlessly defend the castle of cash, getting more free bread than Grant Hill during his oft-injured days.

Hill hauled in a king's ransom, no argument about that, but at least he had a reason to be away from the hardwood. More injuries than a well-constructed army put his game into a straightjacket before he re-emerged from the shelf in a rebound 2004-2005 campaign.

These are mind-boggling times for the New York Knickerbockers. Marbury can certainly help a myriad of NBA teams. He can be inserted as a valuable backup point guard for any playoff contender in the East or West. Such a move would certainly pay dividends for some young squads out there.

Still, the titanic distraction, the endless laundry-list of questions, the tabloid turnoffs, and buyout hearsay continues. The 31-year-old that hasn't touched the ball in a regular-season game is getting more press than players like Nate Robinson and Wilson Chandler, whose games have flowered by leaps and bounds this season.

Why not let Starbury hoop with the Coney Island kids, many of whom grew up watching and emulating his moves on the playgrounds?

Distraction or not, media fiasco/public relations fetal position or not, the guy needs to keep playing. You can't just put splinters in his ass and give him 22 mil to be a Jack Haley, aka Rodman's babysitter. He's clearly not that type of player. At the end of the day, Steph's hoop pedigree speaks for itself, dwarfing that of every other player on the roster. Skill-wise and production wise, he is the best Knick there is.

Take the Atticus, ziplock tight shackles off him, unlock them from the bench, and let the kid do what he does best, whether its at Lincoln HS, MSG, Italy or West 4th Street.

The team THA- BEAT in the Big East

2008-11-06T21:00:00.003-05:00

Jim Calhoun’s affinity for the “true” big man has been well-noted over the years.The founding father of a Big East NBA factory--one that has launched super-bigs such as Emeka Okafor to fat NBA contracts--is geared towards mastering his most recent giant project, 7-foot-3 behemoth Hasheem Thabaeet.

Thabeet, a typical Calhoun big man (major defensive prowess who swats, changes, and alters the trajectory of shots and cleans the glass), passed up the NBA lure at his coach's urging. Time and time again last season, Calhoun told Thabeet that declaring for the NBA draft would be a mistake. Calhoun told his monster center that he’s not ready. He told Thabeet he's still not polished on the offensive end and certain aspects of his game were in need of refinement.

The longtime Husky coach’s words proved prophetic.

Defensively, Thabeet was as much as an inside presence as anyone in college basketball last season. His supervillian-like 7-foot-3, 263-pound frame (Thabeet certainly ate his potatoes from the time he arrived at UConn) patrolled the paint last season, distancing players from the key and around the basket. He racked up blocked shot after blocked shot and was a major intimidating factor down low, supplemented by fellow 6-foot-7 245-pound forward Jeff Adrien.

Still, there were times his freshman and sophomore seasons where Thabeet looked offensively inept. His failure to execute manipulative post moves allowed the skeptics to surface and kept Calhoun in his mammoth mug, relentlessly riding him.While last night was no omen of what's to unfold this season (The Huskies clubbed lower-tier American International, Jim Calhoun’s alma mater, 83-58 at Gampel Pavilion), Thabeet gave an efficient account of himself.

The kid from Tanzania hit on all nine of his shot attempts, dominating the much-smaller AIC frontline, en route to a wowing 21-point, 10-board performance. It was like watching Godzilla ease for position against a nucleus of smurfs.

“Maybe Hasheem wouldn’t have gone 9-for-9 last year,” said Calhoun.

“He’s a better offensive player...He’s going to be a mismatch for a lot of 6-foot-8 guys, too.”

He is. All the more reason why last night wasn’t much of a barometer game for the big neophyte. The road that follows doesn’t look to feature many litmus tests for Thabeet, either.

The hungry Huskies, the no.2-ranked team in the country, will look to eat up the cupcakes of their early-season schedule in shark-size bites.They open up Nov.14 against Western Carolina before going eyeball-to-eyeball with Hartford, La Salle, Bryant, Delaware State, Buffalo and Stony Brook. This is all before getting their chance to avenge last year’s dizzying 85-82 loss at Gonzaga, Dec. 20 on CBS.

Thabeet hit 3-of-5 shots from the charity stripe, where he struggled mightily his freshman year. He grabbed four offensive boards. The Huskies made quick work of AIC on that front, outboarding them by a 44-25 margin.

Jeff Adrien added to the dismantling with 11 points and six boards, while junior Gavin Edwards, whose added on bulk since his freshman season, popped off the bench to score 15 boards and snare seven rebounds in 15 minutes of burn.

The massive search warrant out for Jerome Dyson’s game continues. Dyson, who hasn’t been the same player since his late-January arrest last season, scored just one point in 27 minutes. Despite morphing into Houdini mode scoring-wise, Dyson handed out five dimes. Still, the kid who was so promising his freshman season and entertained NBA thoughts at the start of his sophomore year needs to re-discover his groove and mesh with teammates. An ultra-athletic off guard who can score in bunches, hit threes and attack the rim, the Husky faithful hope Dyson finds where exactly his game went and does not become another Marcus Johnson.

Amityville, N.Y. product A.J. Price, the clear leader of the Huskies offense, also wasn’t himself. He scored just eight points and handed out one assist in 24 minutes. Price, who’s had a road to recovery following a crushing injury in the NCAA tournament, was impressed with the pre-season debut of the highly-touted Kemba Walker.

The 6-foot-1 Walker, a hotly pursued New York guard, was a pyrotechnic off the bench, injecting energy into the UConn backcourt. His patented quickness was notable, as the freshman had 10 points, eight boards and dished out four dimes.

A few of those assists came on alley-oops to Thabeet, as the chemistry the two developed in practice was thrust to the forefront. Thabeet scored a majority of his points on flushes, facebooking any AIC player audacious enough to interrupt his date with the basket.

Miles And Miles From Here: Nate Miles, the controversial NBA prospect who was booted from UConn after violating terms of a restraining order, has enrolled at the College of Southern Idaho. Due to junior college rules, the well-traveled 6-foot-7 guard/forward will not be able to play in games with the Golden Eagles until Feb.6. The absence of Miles leaves a gap in the small forward position. Stanley “Sticks” Robinson will not be available the first semester, and without him the Huskies do not have a true 3-man.

Bockers Win Sen

2008-11-06T14:53:00.002-05:00

One-time Knick coach Larry Brown, who got a memorable sendoff when he was treated to a boatload of New York cash, was back in his old stomping grounds last night. The legendary coach, who registered the worst winning percentage in Knick history during his brief stay, was paid a celebrity's ransom to lead the 05-06 Bockers to an abysmal 23-59 bungle. His stay in the Big Apple featured an 0-6 start to the season and various public feuds with Stephon Marbury, who now owns the easiest high-end job in America.

The well-traveled Brown, back near the traditional hoop breeding grounds where he learned and absorbed the game that's provided him with more bread than Dominoes, didn't feel quite at home.A loud chorus of boos resonated throughout the Garden when the old-timer was introduced, and the Knicks gutted out a 101-98 win before an electrifying 10-minute span from Nate Robinson.

To quote Clyde Frazier, "the majesty of the little man" was on display. The pint-sized, pugnacious, back-against-the-world Robinson scorched the nets to the tune of five treys in the first half. He went scoreless in the second half, funnelling the offensive duties to Zach Randolph (25 points) . Z-bo gave an efficient account of himself, putting his full repertoire on display. He finished with a game-high 13 boards.Little Money shot a scintillating 9-for-12 from the field, hitting the trifecta at a 5-for-5 clip. It was all during a 10-minute span that allowed the Knicks' comfortable bulge to balloon.

Nate's offensive arsenal ignited a ressurrected crowd (one that, as we recall, constantly booed the Knicks during Brown's one-year stay). New York resuscitated itself after a dismal, ugly loss at the hands of the Bucks Sunday night. Nate stuck threes, jumpers, and snaked through traffic for his patented runners.

His blink-quick scoring outburst spurred a 15-3 run. Robinson also got his revenge on Larry Brown, who gave him bench splinters during his first season in the league."Larry blamed me for everything, even if it wasn't my fault," Robinson told The New York Post. "He made me tougher so I'd be able to run a team one day."

While Nate and Wilson Chandler (18 points) provided the offensive fireworks in the first half, the Knicks' doormat defense ensued.A few nights after making Andrew Bogut and Chuckie Villanueva look like all-stars, the Bobcats came clawing back from a 40-26 first-half deficit.Raymond Felton dropped 18 points and peddled out six dimes and a Gerald Wallace hit a timely trey in the waning minutes.

The Knicks would hold on, though, improving to 2-2 on the neophyte season and sending Larry Loser home an unhappy camper.When Brown benched Robinson, the 5-foot-7 assassin wouldn't flinch. He hit the street scene and began dominating pickup scene. He was located on the West 4th Street playground (aka "the cage") while the Knicks were still in season. A professional playing streetball during the regular season? Now that's simply unheard of.

Brown was exasperated with the refs and his fresh, new ballclub last night. Nate got the last laugh in an eye-popping performance. As David Lee noted after the game, "2-2 sounds a lot better than 1-3."Not all homecomings are special. Nate's wild walloping was indicative of this last night.