Source: http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2011/11/24/2584969/im-thankful-for-you-sactown-royalty
יום שבת, 26 בנובמבר 2011
TBJ Tour: No Season Required ? Day 19
TBJ hits the streets in OKC.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBasketballJones/~3/LHW1J00zeUQ/
Bulls Beat #214 - Critical Mass
The owners and players approach a critical mass as the owners have declared their final offer before dropping their BRI%... Read more »
Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-bulls-confidential/2011/11/bulls-beat-214-critical-mass/
Michael Jordan Dallas Mavericks Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat
What would have been: Tuesday vs. Atlanta Hawks
(As the NBA remains shuttered, only now are the actual losses of games becoming real. To that end, we will offer a look on each scheduled game day of what would have been in play for the Miami Heat had they actually been playing.)
The schedule: The Heat were scheduled to play Tuesday at AmericanAirlines [...]
The schedule: The Heat were scheduled to play Tuesday at AmericanAirlines [...]
Lockout videos: Jewel performs at the 2003 NBA Finals
The NBA has played host to some great musical performances over the years, from Marvin Gaye's classic national anthem at the 1983 All-Star game to lesser lights like this past ASG's Rihanna-based halftime show. They're pretty enjoyable!
Sometimes, though, the NBA has flatly awful ideas for in-game entertainment. Witness, for instance, this performance by noted Alaskan car-resident Jewel Kilcher during halftime of Game 3 of the 2003 NBA Finals between the Spurs and Nets. In case you forget, in '03 Jewel's record label decided her brand of poppy folk music needed a kick in the butt. So they turned her into a poor imitation of a Britney Spearsish video star, although it was bad enough that she was more like a pre-"Newlyweds" Jessica Simpson knockoff.
What I'm telling you, I guess, is that it's not really worth watching this video. But it is definitely a lost moment in NBA history, and for that we can at least acknowledge it existence.
J.R. Smith might be malingering in China, and other hilarious tales
As it was for Allen Iverson and Steve Francis (but, strangely, not Stephon Marbury), J.R. Smith's time in China is going exactly how you'd expect.
Monday we relayed the story and video of Smith's fall and sprained knee just one game into his tenure with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Smith refused all treatment from his team's training staff, begging off to have his twisted knee checked by a specialist in Beijing against the fierce objections and eventual warnings of "consequences" from the Golden Bulls' GM Zhao Bing. It turns out that this bit of fun times could be his career highlight in the Chinese Basketball Association.
With a $3 million guaranteed deal already in hand, it appears as if Smith has been attempting to play by J.R. Smith-type rules in his clearly fleeting first days with the Golden Bulls. And his new team, as you'd expect, is far from happy.
According to Zhao Bing, the club had provided Smith with�a presidential suite at a cost of 6,880 yuan per day, arranged a special chef and spent 700,000 yuan in insurance as he requested. However, he wanted another villa in Shanghai or Hangzhou with a chauffeured car to commute for training in Yiwu.
Ding Wei, the team's head coach, also disclosed that Smith has missed training three times with illness excuses. And the team discovered that once he was actually shopping in Shanghai.
His own penthouse, a personal chef, insurance in case his NBA career goes out the window due to major injury, $3 million guaranteed -- and Smith still wants a second apartment and daily ride to work.
(Most infuriating? The personal chef. The guy is working in the heart of the most varied culinary landscape modern civilization has ever known, and he wants someone to help him warm up some chickie-chickie parm-parm. This honestly angers me above all.)
If you don't mind us playing up to reputation, then you'll allow me to again pass along the fact that this is far from unorthodox for a person and player like Smith. Rumors abounded about his financial well-being over the summer, he's clashed with every coach he's ever known, and he's waited a good week in his time with the only team willing to guarantee him money before leaving his team's el jefe spitting mad.
Of course, Smith still has time to turn it around. It starts with these photos, which are adorable.
Video: Jimmer Fredette is a jerk, jerk, jerk
Jimmer Fredette gets busy at a charity game.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBasketballJones/~3/OAOYmvRlRjQ/
NBA talks resume, with Dec. 25 again the target
They’re back.
No, not Derek Fisher, anyone calling themselves a union representative, or even anyone willing to blather publicly about the inequity of it all.
But under the cover of an impending holiday weekend, operatives for the NBA and what formerly was known as the players’ union are working to end the league shutdown that is a [...]
No, not Derek Fisher, anyone calling themselves a union representative, or even anyone willing to blather publicly about the inequity of it all.
But under the cover of an impending holiday weekend, operatives for the NBA and what formerly was known as the players’ union are working to end the league shutdown that is a [...]
Dallas Mavericks Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat Shaquille ONeal
Video: Mike Miller?s daughter?s condition takes a turn for the much better
Last May we relayed the story concerning Miami Heat wing Mike Miller, who was playing deep into the playoffs at the same time that his infant daughter Jaelyn was inside a Miami-area hospital room, fighting for her life.
Jaelyn was born with a congenital heart defect, and Miller had to be talked into playing by his wife while his first daughter was struggling to recover. And yet, half a year later and via CBS Miami, word is that Jaelyn Miller is doing just fine.
Here's the heartwarming video:
Fine news all around. Thanks to SB Dan Devine for the heads-up.
Next step? Let's get Jaelyn's father back on a basketball court.
יום שישי, 25 בנובמבר 2011
NBA player lawsuits usher in the nuclear winter of aggressive uncertainty
By now, you've seen the first fallen flakes of the NBA's "nuclear winter." The league gave its players a deadline to either drop dead or deal last week; the players rejected the league's terrible offer on Monday and are reforming their players' union as a trade association. The NBA responded by canceling games to Dec. 15 (which it would have done even if the players had signed up for the lousy deal), and the league's players decided to gather behind attorney David Boies and file two antitrust lawsuits against the NBA on Tuesday.
In interviews and statements on Tuesday, Boies took clear aim at the league for pushing too hard for the perfect deal even after winning hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of agreed-upon concessions from the players already in negotiations. Here's Boies, via the Associated Press:
"By overplaying their hand, by pushing the players beyond any line of reasonableness, I think they caused this. You don't give up hundreds of millions of dollars unless you want to make a deal and that's what the players were doing," Boies said. "I think it was mistake to push it as far as they did."
And it could potentially cost them billions.
The players are seeking "treble damages"?meaning triple the amount of the more than $2 billion they would have made under a full 2011-12 season?for what they argue is irreparable harm by preventing them from playing in their "very short" NBA careers.
Boies also went on to point out the league's adamant refusal to negotiate for nearly the entirety of the 2011 summer and NBA commissioner David Stern's "take it or leave it" date as clear on-record indications of an absence of good-faith bargaining, and though we don't know how the suits will turn out, it's hard to dispute Boies' point in this regard.
The only real question now is, well, "now what?"
Hard to say. Although that long-forgotten claim the NBA's players filed with the National Labor Relations Board could find some new legs in the wake of Stern's no-bones-about-it demand for a decision last week. Here's Lester Munson, from ESPN.com:
"We have been hoping for a decision from the NLRB for three months," a source told ESPN.com. "It is difficult to tell the players to be patient and to wait for a good decision when there has been no action from the board."
The NLRB's investigation of the players' complaint is complete. The next step is a decision from Lafe Solomon, the NLRB's general counsel. He can rule that the players are wrong, ending the process. Or he can rule that the players have a valid grievance about the owners' take-it-or-leave-it negotiation technique and ask a federal court to end the lockout.
A spokesperson for the NLRB refused to discuss the timing or the substance of Solomon's decision.
As has been mentioned before, David Boies also represented the NFL against that league's players lockout suit. And we saw how that turned out -- football only lost part of its preseason, and its lockout only ended when both sides decided to finally sit down and recognize the concerns and limitations of its negotiating partner. Again, we're coming off as virulently anti-owner in these pages, but it's fair to fairly point out that the players have been more than fair as they continue to give back to the owners. Despite all the legal machinations of the first part of this unfortunate, needless week of bickering.
And if you thought you understood precious little about this ongoing labor negotiation, well, it's about to get a whole lot more confusing. Nobody's fault but the players, and (especially) the owners.
LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh announce a charity tour
Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul may have been the odd men out one year ago when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade decided to pair their talents in Miami, but the most famous members of the NBA's new buddy-buddy-buddy-buddy line of thinking will get to share the court together in a just announced series of charity games.
Titled "The Homecoming Tour," all four players will organize combination charity game/food drives/basketball clinics in James' native Akron, Ohio, Wade's hometown of Chicago, Chris Paul's adopted city of New Orleans, and Anthony's "not really, but close'ish to New York" burgh of East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Also, Chris Bosh will be there for each game. He was kind of left out of the announcement.)
Tim Reynolds from the Associated Press takes it from here:
Events begin Nov. 29 in New York with a court dedication and food drive, before the group moves to Akron for events the following day that include a Wheels for Education program?something James is extensively involved with in an effort to help keep kids from dropping out of high school?and a basketball clinic at the Boys & Girls Club bearing the two-time NBA MVP's name.
"I am really proud of the work we're doing in Akron and know what this tour means for the community," James said.
Paul will host an education-themed event and a clinic in New Orleans on Dec. 2, in advance of the game there two nights later. Wade hosts two events for charity in Chicago on Dec. 6, and another clinic is planned for New York on Dec. 9.
Whatever you think of charity games and exhibition basketball "contests" -- we think they're bloody awful -- nothing but good can come of this.
Sure, stars will likely drop out from time to time, and there might be a few late nights the evening before the actual events, but any appearance, any dollar raised, and any amount of stay-in-shape work remains a good thing as the lockout drones on and on. Reynolds notes that each of the players involved has been working out intensively in Oregon over the last few weeks.
Plus, the corporate sponsors, I'm sure, won't be too upset. There is that very popular shoe company based in Oregon to think of, and Google Plus will sponsor and stream the events live.
Visit the tour's website for more information on ticket purchases and venues for the events. Ball Don't Lie will likely be at the Chicago performance on December 7th, provided we personally sell out quite a bit between now and then.
Create-a-Caption: Mo Evans receives some depressing texts
if u'd of wore just a vest 1 more day u'd of got NEthing u wanted bro
jacket tho
suxx
nah jk we'd of broken u regardless
It's times like these that Maurice Evans regrets giving Robert Sarver his cell phone number. Oh, well.
What do you think Mo's reading there? Best caption wins Texts from Pawnee, which remain basically the best kinds of texts. Good luck.
In our last adventure: INTO THE PAST! It was awkward for everyone when teammates Jud Buechler and Steve Kerr wore the exact same "hear no evil" costume to the Chicago Bulls' Halloween party.
Winner, Lil'Alien: As proposals rained down on them, Steve Kerr and Judd Buechler covered their ears to avoid the many temptations of Salt Lake City.
Runner-up, Matt T.: Needless to say, Jud and Steve were not fans of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Second runner-up, Al: Jud and Steve have finally had enough of Rodman's stories about how he used to "date" Madonna.
Walt Hazzard, 1942-2011
Two years before he was 1964's College Player of the Year, teaming with Gail Goodrich to help UCLA to a historic 30-0 record, the school's first national title, and igniting John Wooden's never-to-be-equaled run of 10 in 12 seasons, Walt Hazzard was a slick sophomore guard from Philadelphia who basically talked his way onto Wooden's squad. Focus on Sport/Getty Images As a pro, Walt Hazzard exchanged UCLA blue for Lakers blue, after being drafted with L.Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/23501/walt-hazzard-1942-2011
Baron Davis speaks about his forthcoming documentary on men?s style
Few NBA players are as well-suited for lockout life than unemployed former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Baron Davis. In part, that's because Baron has often seemed more interested in his life off the court over the past few seasons than in what he can do on it, whether it's been producing films or just generally acting as a Hollywood gadfly.
Not surprisingly, Baron already has a project lined up: a documentary on the sad state of men's style. A few weeks ago, The Basketball Jones noted that it was in pre-production. On Tuesday, he talked about the film with John Letzing for The Wall Street Journal (via SLAM Online):
The documentary, "American Schlub," is in pre-production. It takes aim at the poor sartorial standards of the American male, says Mr. Davis, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. "We used to be fashion forward," he laments. Now, "We're more of a sweats and Ugg boots type of society," he says. "We wanted to challenge men, from that perspective."
You should all go to that link, as well, because Baron's WSJ sketch portrait must rank among the best the publication's ever made.
There's been renewed interest in men's fashion recently, both on basic cable makeover shows and with more rigorous Internet pursuits like Put This On. This documentary should be able to find an audience, especially in urban centers. Which, given the state of documentary filmmaking, are probably the only places in which it's likely to be shown.
On the other hand, maybe there's a better person to teach men about style than someone who wore a flannel shirt, ironic glasses, and a winter hat to an NBPA meeting. Part of fashion is knowing the right outfit for the right situation.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Jobs abroad are scarce for NBA players
? Video: Tyson Chandler gets new gig ? as a shoe salesman
? New York Jets star calls Tim Tebow 'boring'
Photo caption contest: Derek Fisher delivers turkeys
Photo caption contest: Derek Fisher delivers turkeys to L.A. families
TBJ Tour: No Season Required ? Day 18
TBJ's OKC show is in the bag. It was great.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBasketballJones/~3/N8Me0A4Dn3Y/
Labor Talks: Our Own Black Friday
– For labor updates, follow:�@daldridgetnt�|�@AschNBA HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS –�The biggest shopping day of the year holds new meaning for those of us that choose to sit out this annual stampede on discounts across the country. This is Black Friday in the NBA as well, the day the owners and players get back to the task [...]
Source: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2011/11/25/labor-talks-our-own-black-friday/
Michael Jordan Dallas Mavericks Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat
Video: Kevin Love and Blake Griffin stage a Jenga rematch
In July, young All-Star power forwards Kevin Love and Blake Griffin faced off in a Jenga game as part of their involvement with the always relevant ESPY Awards. It was a thrilling battle full of all the trash-talking experience players have come to expect from Jenga.
The company liked it, too, because it's now hired both Love and Griffin for a new ad campaign detailing their rematch. And while I'm not sure how many people actually remember their ESPYs competition, it probably doesn't matter much when the spot features Griffin dunking a wooden block on top of the tower or Love spinning a piece on the tip of his finger. I'm pretty sure these are the most basketball-related activities we'll see out of these two for months.
On the other hand, these two players' on-court styles are particularly ill-suited for Jenga. Griffin is skilled, but he's best when he flies through crowds with no regard for human life. Similarly, Love works best when he's in the post bullying other players for rebounding position. Neither is known for their grace, the one quality that Jenga prizes over all others.
What I'm saying, basically, is that Ray Allen and Kevin Durant should be in the next Jenga ad. Please send me my consultant fee, Hasbro.
(via IamaGM.com)
TBJ Tour: No Season Required ? Day 22
Even TBJ's boring day in San Antonio was super fun.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBasketballJones/~3/19vBq8y2_kw/
Video: Let?s all go to Bostjan Nachbar?s basketball camp
I know what you're thinking: "But Dan, I can't just up and go to Slovenia to learn the tricks of the basketball trade from a six-year NBA veteran who hasn't played in the league since 2008." And I hear that. We've all got responsibilities, airfare is expensive, and do you even know where your passport is? Believe me, I get it.
But having said that, I think we can all agree that whatever we are doing today, it is not as fun as eating ice cream with our friends and jumping off piers into the water. Or boarding a big boat (which, sadly, is not a superyacht) for a day at sea and participating in Bostjan Nachbar-branded talent shows.
Or watching martial-arts demonstrations involving leaping spin kicks and getting your speed-Rubik's-Cubing on (which, happily, is word to the Birdman). And, once all that's done, maybe occasionally playing a little bit of basketball under the watchful eye of a 6-foot-9 forward who suited up for the Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and both the New Orleans and Oklahoma City flavors of the Hornets.
I mean, I have to send, like, two e-mails about renting a Zipcar this afternoon. Uuuuuuuuugggggggghhhhhhhhh. I know I would much rather be all up in an Adriatic gym getting beaucoup Boki instruction on knockout strategies than trying to tackle that type of to-do list.
Oh, well. Even if we can't physically go to Bostjan Nachbar's Slovenian basketball camp, it's truly a blessing that we can all use the power of Interconnected networks to take a momentary (or, if you're me, 15-minute) trip to the metaphorical Bostjan Nachbar's Slovenian basketball camp that lives inside our hearts. Thank you, Internet and Bostjan Nachbar. Once again, as always, you have come through for us when we need you most.
Lamar Odom should play overseas
With the NBA lockout continuing, Lamar Odom should play overseas. The move makes sense for him economically and on the court.
Source: http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/11/lamar-odom-besiktas-play-overseas.html
Lamar Odom reportedly to play for Turkish team
Lamar Odom reportedly to play for Turkish team
Source: http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/11/lamar-odom-reportedly-to-play-for-turkish-team.html
Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat Shaquille ONeal Kevin Garnett
Neither Samardo Samuels nor Glen Davis is pleased with the NBPA (RIP)
On Monday afternoon, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) president Derek Fisher said that the NBPA's decisions to both reject the NBA's revised proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement and dissolve the union in pursuit of an antitrust lawsuit against the league were "unanimous." Fisher's claim prompted many observers, including Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press, to suggest that "there were surely players throughout the league who would have preferred union leadership put the proposal to a vote of the full membership, with many ready to go back to work."
While relatively few players have publicly aired such sentiments, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Samardo Samuels (left) and free-agent forward Glen Davis (late of the Boston Celtics) both vented their frustrations with how events unfolded Monday to friendly neighborhood beat reporters. (I am sure their disclosures thrilled Fisher, the Los Angeles Lakers guard�who told reporters in New York on Monday that members of the newly re-christened National Basketball Trade Association would be declining comment on labor dealings from here on out. Oh, well.)
First up, Samuels' Monday morning comments to�Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, which included the admission that he would have voted to accept the deal being offered by the owners, had he only been given a chance to vote on it:
"A lot of people in the league are panicking," Samuels said. "You're talking about missing paychecks. Those paychecks you're missing are going to add up and guys have families and responsibilities and bills to pay. I'm just a guy that's coming out of college. I'm 22 years old, I don't have much responsibility." [...]
Some of the league's stars, such as Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, have led the charge in recent days to disband the union, irking some of the younger players like Samuels. "It's easy for Paul Pierce to say that. You've been in the league how long?" Samuels said. "You've got a decent amount of money saved up, but what about the guys just coming into the league who don't have [anything] saved up?"
For the record, Pierce, 34, has been in the league for 13 years and has earned $137,362,539 in salary, according to Basketball-Reference.com.�The 22-year-old Samuels, on the other hand, entered the league in August 2010, when he signed a three-year, minimum-salary deal with the Cavs as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville. Only $200,000 of Samuels' $500,000 first-year salary was guaranteed, according to the ShamSports.com salaries database, and the final two years were fully unguaranteed.
For his part, Davis says he's not among the latter group Samuels referenced, telling Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald that he is "financially stable ? I'm not hurting at all. I prepared myself well for this lockout."
But that doesn't mean "Big Baby" is happy with being "left out of the loop" by union leadership in the run-up to Monday's decision:
"Hopefully the union just made that decision for every player in the league, and not just 30," [Davis] said. "Are they making that decision for the rest of us? Or are they just making that decision for the Kobes of this league ? guys who have made a lot of money already."
Davis also echoed Samuels' point on decision-making powers being invested in the hands of more established players who might look at the world a little differently than a four-year veteran about to enter free agency would:
"It's not just Paul making that decision. It's also Derek [Fisher] and Billy Hunter. I talk to players, but my friends are guys like Paul and [Kevin Garnett] ? guys who are in a different stage of their careers from me."
To top things off, Davis chastised negotiators for letting bravado get in the way of common-sense dealing ("I hope they realize that by throwing their chests out at each other, they're not going to get this deal done")�and for turning labor talks into "a pissing contest," which is a sentiment that I think everyone can get behind, because that's gross.
As my colleague Eric Freeman wrote Monday, not only was the NBPA under no obligation to bring the league's proposal to its full membership for a popular vote, but doing so would have flown in the face of established practices employed by every union in the country. This is why each team chooses a player representative.
While the "seniority sucks unless you're senior" concerns about representatives' voting motives raised by Samuels and Davis make sense in theory, it would stand to reason that the Pierces, Kobe Bryants and Kevin Garnetts of the world ? ultra-competitive guys nearing the end of careers that have lasted more than a dozen years, and who might only have another year or two of high-quality basketball left in their bodies ? were really voting based on self-interest, they�would press to get back on the court as quickly as possible to compete for titles, round out Hall of Fame resumes and stack as much paper as they can.
Plus, a quick look at the roster of player representatives to the now-dissolved union shows that Pierce is very much the exception to the NBPA rule; you're much more likely to see names of mid-level-caliber players and relative youngsters in union meetings than superstars on eight-figures-per-year deals. (Of course, you could argue that a squad of reps fearful of an economic restructuring likely to have a more significant impact on mid-level types than any other class of player could wind up being the most obstinate possible crew to send into negotiations, but that's not what Samuels and Davis are arguing.)
Unfortunately for Samuels and Davis, their sour-grapes gripes ? while certainly understandable, because it sucks to show up to a party and find out that the keg's kicked and there's no more chips ? can't really amount to much right now. The players' case is likely headed to the courts, their cause is now being led by attorneys David Boies and Jeffrey Kessler rather than Fisher and Billy Hunter, and even if they'd like to effect a change in union leadership, there isn't even a union at the moment. They're stuck, just like they were Monday and just like the rest of us. But at least they got something off their chests. Hope they feel better; that'd make two of us, at least.
Orlando Magic serve a Thanksgiving meal at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
Orlando Magic employees spent this morning at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, serving a Thanksgiving breakfast and throwing a carnival for children.
Chris Bosh possibly overestimates his role in the NBA lockout
The jokes about Chris Bosh, I'm sorry, but he makes them so simple to make. Even if they're not all that funny.
The idea that Chris Bosh -- who if you've forgotten, enjoyed the best statistical offensive season of any power forward in the NBA during 2009-10 -- continues to lump himself in with giants like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade is the ha-ha bit. Then there's the part where Bosh blames a good chunk of the NBA's ongoing lockout on his and James' jump to Miami, along with Carmelo Anthony's trade to New York.
What comes next is stuff like this, via the Sun-Sentinel and Pro Basketball Talk:
"With us doing what we did, and Carmelo going to the Knicks, I think that has a lot to do with it. Hopefully we can keep that and guys can come and go and make the deal that's best for them and their family."
I mean, if you look at the free agents coming up in the same situations, with Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, they can control their own fate," he said. "They have the power to control that and I think that's a great thing. In any job you want freedom to negotiate."
It's one thing to try to deal with even supposedly ardent NBA fans like Bill Simmons as they point to stars wanting to go elsewhere as a major NBA problem. It's another to deal with fair-weather NBA fans when they complain about the same thing. It's entirely something else to reason with major NBA stars who may have actually left one of the biggest markets in North America to play for a team in one of the smaller, relative, markets. Like a Bosh, um, did.
Players have forced trades for ages. Wilt worked his way toward California, as did Kareem, all via trade. Magic and Larry were lucky to end up, via the draft, on the two most celebrated NBA teams of any era.
And just as the 1995 (Alonzo Mourning), 1999 (Kevin Garnett, though he took the money and stayed in Minnesota) and 2005 (Steve Nash) collective bargaining agreements were being discussed, stars used free agent leverage to either force trades, contract extensions, or new deals with new teams (in respective order) just as the deals were being hashed out between the league and the league's players. This is nothing new -- Bill Simmons, radio show caller, or Chris Bosh.
(Also, Dwight Howard might leave Orlando next year; but that's only because Magic GM Otis Smith is terrible at his job. It's not as if he wants to leave a warm climate, a team that does everything to pamper him, and a state with no income tax just to appear in more shoe ads. It's because the Magic have hamstrung themselves because of terrible deals.)
Carmelo Anthony forced a trade from a very good team to an average team that happened to play in New York. The Knicks hamstrung their future, signing 'Melo to a massive pre-CBA extension and jettisoning several draft picks, for the right to another scoring forward. That trade was reliant on the Knicks making a terrible deal, just as Carmelo's own Nuggets did when they sent endless amounts of assets to New Jersey and Philadelphia for Kenyon Martin in 2004 and Allen Iverson in late 2006. This is how these things work, when you take in a league like the NBA in context, instead of only allowing your brain to worm its way back to last July.
Also, the NBA's lockout is ongoing due to the insipid leadership of both sides of the table, leadership representing dual factions that have myriad and quite reasonable excuses for holding out. Neither is beholden to altruism, and save for the limiting of free agent deals from five to four years for players jumping teams, very little has popped out to impress upon us that owners are severely concerned with players jumping from small markets to big. On top of that, the NBA has been loath to disclose just how much it wants to split up revenue amongst markets both small and big, unlike the NFL. As it has been since the beginning of this -- if the team is properly run, the players will stay.
Unless Miami has cap space, of course.
Dwyane Wade sticks by Jordan Brand amidst lockout battle
If there's been a surprising villain in the NBA lockout, it's been Michael Jordan, Bobcats owner and, more notably, still the most famous basketball player on the planet. As an occasional leader of the owners' hardline faction, Jordan has stood out as someone who may not be willing to negotiate in good faith, if he's even willing to negotiate at all. Just as he did on the court, he wants to win in a rout.
On the other side, Dwyane Wade has been something of a surprisingly loud voice on the players side, with his in-meeting confrontation with David Stern having become one of the signature moments of negotiations. Still, that desire for respect from the owners hasn't stopped Wade from reiterating the strength of his business relationship with MJ and his Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand. From a Wade interview with Ira Winderman for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via EOB):
Amid the recent height of lockout rancor, Jordan was singled out by several of Wade's union brethren for his uncompromising lockout stance against the players. Wade is among the leading endorsers of Jordan's apparel.
"I really didn't need to get involved in all that," Wade said. "Obviously I wear a different hat than certain other guys that got involved in it. And I stay away from it. I have an obligation and I have a job to do and I'm going to do my job."
Several players vowed to shun Jordan's merchandise, including�Paul George,�Klay Thompson�and, most notably,�Washington Wizards�guard�Nick Young, who posted on his�Twitter�account, "I'm not wearing Jordans no more. Can't believe what I just seen and heard from M.J. Elvis Done Left The Building."
"That's on Nick Young," Wade said. "That's his moment. Obviously, that's his own choice and decision and, you know, that's something he's going to have to deal with. I can't let that affect me. I have my own things to run, my own stuff to think about what I'm doing with my own shoes.[...]"
It's somewhat surprising that Wade would be so open to working with a man who wants to take as much from the players as he possibly can, but the two viewpoints expressed here are actually pretty consistent. In the lockout, Wade wants to hold on to as much of his ability to make profits and win championships as he can. In the endorsement game, he wants to be with the company that can help him sell the most shoes and do the most for his brand.
What's weird is that the same man who helps him reach those goals in one area is impeding him in another. Some people would question how Wade could do business with someone who wants to crush him, but this is an "all in the game" situation if there ever was one (NSFW language at that link).
It's important to remember that the players hold the small-c conservative position in the lockout -- they want to maintain the status quo.�The players have a legitimate cause in thinking that they shouldn't have to give up considerable amounts of their salaries and the ability to choose their employers freely just because some small-market owners claim to have lost money after buying franchises that were by no means fail-safe investments. But those same players still want to earn lots of money from salaries or endorsement opportunities.
For all he's said about not wearing Jordans, Nick Young hasn't decided to stop taking the close to $2 million he's made every season from his relationship with Nike, even though everyone behind the Swoosh likely wants to see the NBA back in action -- with a decent deal for the union or not -- as soon as possible so they can maximize their profits. When the goal is profit, everyone involved has to take on strange bedfellows.
Put simply, the lockout is a battle between two parties (and various interested corporate bystanders) over money, and the only moral arguments to be had are over which group deserves to take the bulk of the pot. Wade hasn't contradicted himself in decrying Jordan's negotiating position while simultaneously working with Jordan's company.
On the contrary, he's just made the fundamental position of the union more explicit. That doesn't make him a jerk, but it does help explain the extent to which every person involved in these negotiations depends on each other for the place he holds within the league and society at large.
Dwyane Wade isn't much without the Miami Heat and Jordan Brand; the Miami Heat and Jordan Brand look a lot less impressive without Wade. That's also why, when this lockout finally ends, it'll be fairly easy for Wade and his fellow players to return to the fold without much complaining.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards duel may go down as best race in NASCAR history
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? After his solid Presidents Cup finish, is Tiger Woods really back?
Turkish team reportedly pursuing Lamar Odom
After unsuccessfully pursuing Kobe Bryant, the Turkish basketball team, Besiktas, has moved its courtship to another high-profile Laker. Lakers forward Lamar Odom appears to be the next target, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports. New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams, who signed with the team earlier this offseason, has reportedly urged the club to add Odom to the roster, while Odom, himself, has given it serious consideration. Whether this actually happens, however, remains to be seen. After all, Besiktas, all but declared Bryant's signing a done-deal this summer before revealing complications in securing a sponsor so it could pay the Lakers' star....
Source: http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/11/turkish-team-reportedly-pursuing-lamar-odom.html
Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat Shaquille ONeal Kevin Garnett
יום חמישי, 24 בנובמבר 2011
The 76ers go to bat for Dr. J and their fans, purchasing his memorabilia
Last month we brought you the unfortunate story of Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving's financial woes, which included a hefty lawsuit brought on by those looking to collect debts stemming from his failed investment in an Atlanta country club.
Over the weekend, Yahoo! Sports' ThePostGame relayed the story of a recent auction featuring Erving, ostensibly with no ties to his legal frustrations (but, yeah, it probably was tied in), which drew in a staggering $3.5 million in exchange for various bits of Dr. J memorabilia. His 1974 ABA championship ring, won with the New York Nets, was the biggest winner -- drawing in over $460,000.
The auction company president has the reaction you'd expect:
"It was mindboggling," SCP president David Kohler said. "Normally rings go for $25,000 or so. Before the sale I didn't think they'd bring $50,000. We were blown away. I spoke to Julius and he's ecstatic."
And the Philadelphia 76ers? Well, Dr. J's lone NBA team went to bat for its�fans. Via The 700 Level, here's Sixers co-owner and CEO Adam Aron, discussing his team's latest purchase on Twitter:
A fine purchase, if we say so, sight unseen. Especially if this massive guy was part of the haul.
Orlando Magic serve a Thanksgiving meal at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
Orlando Magic employees spent this morning at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, serving a Thanksgiving breakfast and throwing a carnival for children.
Video: Blake Griffin is very funny while he endorses cars
He really is. For PG-rated ads that have to fit in 30-second windows, Los Angeles Clippers Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin is absolutely earning his offseason keep as he advises all manner of potential car buyers about the smarter elements of the Kia Optimia.
(And, as BDL readers likely know, we hate putting up advertisements for shoes, apparel, or all manner of whatever ad companies send our way. But for those in the 18-to-34 range looking to purchase their first new car? We can't believe we're saying this, but the Optima is actually a truly sound option. No, they're not paying us. We just know way too much about cars.)
Here's Blake, in a salon and in a forest that curiously looks like a set we've seen several times on network TV:
Yes, that is a Griffin image on Blake's sweat suit.
Players should consider option C
Most people feel there are only two possible outcomes of today's vote: A deal or no deal followed by decertification... Read more »
Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-bulls-confidential/2011/11/players-should-consider-option-c/
Create-a-Caption: Gesundheit, Hasheem Thabeet
Sneezing stinks. You have to close your eyes, you start worrying that you're getting sick, and you spend the next minute or so battling the self-conscious fear that you have secret snots in/around your nose, which leads you to manufacture awkward opportunities to cover your face so you can do some nostril maintenance, except you're not now nor have you ever been slick, so it just looks like you're mauling your meridian and trying to pick a winner, which grosses out everyone around you and makes them think you're a creep.
Or maybe I overthink things.
Either way, having to sneeze when someone shovels you an entry pass at a charity game must be just about as bad as having to sneeze while driving the work carpool. I feel your pain, Hasheem Thabeet. Bless you.
Also, you should blow your nose when you get a sec. You caught a hanger.
Best caption wins slow-motion sneezing, because who doesn't want nightmares to last forever? Good luck.
In our last adventure: On Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's signal ... unleash hell.
Winner, Dago: Kareem referees a game of "Who's to Blame for the NBA Lockout?" The score: Owners ? 1, Players ? 1.
Runner-up, Solomon Grundy: Kareem sets the world record for the largest game of paper football ... ever
Second runner-up, Jones6: Kareem does his Richard Nixon impersonation, but it seems a little off.
A Special Commendation in Ruling, Making Us Think About "Airplane" Division, goes out to Mark M., who offered: "I'm sorry, son, but you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Roger Murdock. I'm the co-pilot."
Here?s what you?re thankful for ? and not thankful ? for with the NBA this Thanksgiving
What you and Orlando Magic players Dwight Howard, Quentin Richardson and J.J. Redick are thankful for this Thanksgiving
Here?s what you?re thankful for ? and not thankful ? for with the NBA this Thanksgiving
What you and Orlando Magic players Dwight Howard, Quentin Richardson and J.J. Redick are thankful for this Thanksgiving
Video: LeBron James is still dunking on kids
LeBron James crams on another tiny child.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBasketballJones/~3/RmfR1ijw9eE/
Video: Andrei Kirilenko breaks his nose and suffers concussion in scary fall
If the jury is still out on the knee injury J.R. Smith suffered while playing in China over the weekend, we can be sure about what happened to former Utah Jazz All-Star Andrei Kirilenko after he crashed to the floor in a scary incident while working for CSKA Moscow.
AK, who had been named his league's player of the week just a few days before the incident, was sent spiraling to the floor in a fall so nasty we're going to put the video after the jump. Certainly safe for work, but something you might want to choose to click on, rather than having it jump into action straightaway.
According to Vladimir Spivak of Sports.ru/basketball, Kirilenko has a concussion, a broken nose, and will miss at least two or three games. Because there are fewer games per week overseas, this could mean a sit on the shelf of up to two weeks. Just in case you're working on that Russian league fantasy hoops roster of yours.
(Thanks to Ben Golliver of Eye On Basketball for alerting us to Spivak's Twitter account, and Kirilenko's weekly MVP award.)
The 76ers are looking for ex-player Mark McNamara, champion outdoorsman
The NBA has only been around for 65 years, so you'd think that every NBA player past and present would be on the grid, ready to be found for any luncheon and/or basic cable retrospective.
There's one former reserve center on a championship team that has said "no thanks" to all that, as he dries his venison in anticipation for a long winter.
From Peter Vecsey's latest column in the New York Post:
"Former 76ers coach Billy Cunningham had a reunion dinner for the '83 championship team at his Philadelphia home in September. Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, the whole shebang showed up, including support staff such as PR man Harvey Pollack. The lone player not to attend was Mark McNamara, who is a forest ranger. No one knew how to contact him."
Pretty weak, Philadelphia 76ers. You couldn't have contacted The Falconer?
(That sketch is terrible, by the way. Don't click on the link. But do properly prepare your venison for the coming months.)
What would have been: Sunday vs. 76ers
(As the NBA remains shuttered, only now are the actual losses of games becoming real. To that end, we will offer a look on each scheduled game day of what would have been in play for the Miami Heat had they actually been playing.)
The schedule: The Heat were scheduled to play Sunday at AmericanAirlines [...]
The schedule: The Heat were scheduled to play Sunday at AmericanAirlines [...]
Videos: Rajon Rondo?s charity game was pretty weird
Our man checks out the Rajon Rondo charity game.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBasketballJones/~3/vS9KQeMZ8zA/
Cheers to the players who took the lockout seriously
The players' union has decertified, the league isn't very happy about it, and we're now in serious danger of losing the entire season. It's a bad situation for anyone involved with the NBA.
Some people, though, saw this thoroughly impolite dust-up coming way back in July and acted accordingly. As soon as Billy Hunter and union leadership decided not to decertify in July, a handful of agents and players correctly predicted the owners' capacity for intractability and started looking for the first opportunities overseas. Knowing there would be a limited amount of spots, they acted quickly and decisively.
It was a risk, but one that's paid off handsomely now that most NBA players will probably be out of a job for a full season. If a deal had been reached, players like Deron Williams (now in Turkey) and J.R. Smith (now in China) may have scrambled to return to the states and, in the case of the latter, find a contract. Now, they're sitting in fairly nice foreign hotel suites while everyone else does their own scrambling to find a job. As Yahoo!'s own Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted this afternoon, several high-profile players are already getting serious about new jobs.
Playing overseas isn't a 24-hour party by any means. There's an entirely different culture, both basketballular and otherwise, and Ty Lawson has been vocal about experiencing racism in Lithuania. However, in the grand scheme of professional basketball employment, the guys overseas are in far better shape than those sitting at home playing "Call of Duty" in America. They're getting regular, solid paychecks, expanding their foreign fan bases, and generally doing what NBA players are supposed to do. It's just happening in countries they've never lived in before.
So, even as their situations may not be ideal, it's worth commending these players and their agents for their foresight. Most anyone with a clear picture of the league's position in July thought they weren't ready to negotiate in good faith. Only a few people acted accordingly. It's enough to wonder where the players might be now if more had treated the situation more seriously from the beginning.
Welcome To The NBA?s Nuclear Winter
– For labor updates, follow:�@daldridgetnt�|�@AschNBA HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS –�In a matter of hours Monday, the NBA’s labor impasse went from maddening to certifiably ridiculous thanks to raging emotions on both sides of a nasty fight. What’s that phrase Kobe Bryant uttered a few weeks ago? It’s the same one NBA Commissioner David Stern used yesterday [...]
Source: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2011/11/15/welcome-to-the-nbas-nuclear-winter/
Lakers have little to be thankful for this season
Lakers have little to be thankful for this season.
Dallas Mavericks Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat Shaquille ONeal
Create-a-Caption: ?Peace out, NBA?
Oh, sure, Chris Bosh. You tell the hardworking typewriter-hammerer from the local fishwrap international wire service that you're taking a "wait and see" approach to playing overseas while the NBA lockout continues, but any fool with eyes at Tuesday night's Rutgers/Miami game could see you clearly waving two-fingers-and-a-space to the United States and getting ready to become the most dominant player in the history of Uzbekistan. Peace sign up + contented, mischievous smile = you're BUSTED, Bosh. Classic blunder.
Best caption wins some Y Society to vibe to. Good luck.
In our last adventure: Maurice Evans could have sworn his phone just buzzed, but there's no message or anything, so it's probably some kind of persistent, thigh-localized tremor. He should probably have that checked out. Except now, he's got no health insurance! A truly American conundrum.
Winner, Magic32: Message from Mo Evans: "The union has been disemboweled."
Mo: "Dang it! 'Disbanded!' 'Disbanded!' Eff you, Autocorrect!"
Runner-up, Da Dinininon: As the NBA elite are informed about the lockout news, Mo Evans receives no messages.
Second runner-up, Dago: "$19.99 for the NBA 2K12 iPhone App? Screw that, I ain't gettin' paid no more."
Honorable mention, Robert W: Message on phone: "David Stern has beaten you in Words with Friends by 60 points!"
NOTE: How much you wanna bet the commish nailed down the victory by dropping "JERKS" with the J on a TL and the K on a TW and oh man this is spiraling out of control.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Create-a-Caption-Peace-out-NBA-?urn=nba-wp10682
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