Tag: allen iverson

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Chicago Bears

Odds and Ends: Chicago journalist finally realizes how awesome G-reg is


You remember Lovie Smith don’t you? He’s part of the historic duo of coaches who met in the Super Bowl last year. No, not cause they’re black but because they’re two good Christian Coaches. And with the league’s new emphasis on personal conduct, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Bears are drafting folks with high character. Take for example, Greg Olsen. Greg penned this little ditty about his views on women:


Chillin’ on the 7th flo’, I gotta let these chickens know
Big Greg is in the house, and I’m fittin’ to make these hoes choke
On my balls, on my dick, then I bust a nut, quick
On her face, on her chest, stick my dick between her breasts
Come on, fellas, let’s get weird, stick ya dick up in her ear
While I’m laughin’ at these guys, a second nut all in her eyes

What is this lady complaining about? That certainly isn’t any more offensive than JJ Redick’s poety and no one wrote an article about him. If you wanna hear the whole song, head on over to Flash Warner.

And in other news…

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: KTKR producer fired after the fake Iverson interview stunt

[WBRS]: Vlade Divac accused of selling counterfeit crap

[Inside Bay Area]: Barkley: “I’ve never been to Sausalito. They got a team over there?”

[STLToday.com]: Couple claims Josh Hancock was drunk off his ass day of accident and refused a cab

And finally, two random stories and a video. First, via Fark, comes a hilarious headline from WSOC TV:”Royals To Get A Taste Of Angels’ Colon”. That’s just wrong. Second, what the f is wrong with Boy George? And third, check out this hilarious video of members of Chelsea answering “who is the best looking person on your team?”

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Knucklehead Nelson’s Short Fuse Blows It


1. Geez, Thanks Coach
With under a second remaining in yesterday’s game between the Wizards and the Warriors, Don Nelson picked up a technical foul after a questionable call gave Gilbert Arenas a pair of free throws with Washington down by two. But thanks to Nellie’s tech, Agent 0 went to the line and drained three consecutive freebies with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Arenas was 12 for 12 from the free throw line as he went off for 32 points, six assists and five rebounds in the home win. By sinking the clutch free throws, Arenas has joined a pretty elite club. In the last two seasons only three players have hit game-winning free throws in the final second of play (Channing Frye, Darrell Armstrong and Zach Randolph). However, Arenas became the first player since Karl Malone against the Suns in 1999 to give his team a one point victory on three free throws with under a second remaining in the game.

2. Garnett Seeing Green
As unbelievable as it may sound, the Boston Celtics are NOT the worst team in the NBA. The combination of a Boston four game winning streak and a Memphis four game losing streak has given the Celtics a three game cushion over the grisly Grizzlies. Yesterday, the C’s beat the Timberwolves in a double overtime marathon despite another big day from the Big Ticket. Kevin Garnett seems to like playing Boston as he picked up his second triple-double of the season against the men in green. But the last time these two hooked up, Boston fell to KG and crew for their 18th consecutive loss. Seems like Garnett could use a little help in Minny, but, yet again, the entire weight of a franchise is riding completely on his shoulders. You don’t think Allen Iverson, Ben Gordon or Ray Allen could have helped to distribute the burden; do you?

3. Altitude Agrees With The Answer
He hasn’t even been in Denver for a year yet but Allen Iverson has already said that he wants to remain a Nugget for the remainder of his career. Sounds familiar, didn’t he say the same thing in Philadelphia? But things change and you can’t blame AI for wanting to leave the Sixers, considering their current condition. And Iverson is probably truthful about staying in Denver. The Nuggets have a bright future with Iverson and Carmelo Anthony leading the way. When Iverson was traded to the Nuggets, the duo was ranked number one and two in scoring; now they are first and fifth with AI’s numbers dropping a bit. But that was expected; what wasn’t expected was that the Nuggets would be clinging to the eighth playoff spot with only 25 games left in the season.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Kevin Garnett @ Boston 51 min, 33 pts (FG: 14-28, 3FG: 1-1, FT: 4-5), 13 reb, 10 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk

Monday’s Game to Watch: Houston (36-23) @ Cleveland (34-25) He’s back and he’s not hard to spot. The 7-6 Yao Ming is expected to hit the court for the first time in 32 games after breaking his right leg on December 23. Tracy McGrady is going to have to get use to sharing the load again after making a late MVP push as he carried the Rockets during Yao’s absence. But before Houston can celebrate the return of Yao, they will have to pick up a win in Cleveland where the Cavs are 22-8 this season. And if T-Mac has been hot of late, then LeBron James has been scorching. James has scored between 29 and 39 points in each of his last seven games. This could become a scoring duel between two of the game’s most explosive superstars.

Buzzer Beater: Hitting the century mark has typically been the benchmark of a good offensive game for NBA teams. But what makes a game great is when two players combine for a hundred. That’s what Ben Gordon (48 points) and Michael Redd (52 points) did during the Bulls’ 126-121 victory over the Bucks on Sunday. In the last 30 years, only eight games have seen a duo combine for 100 points and this is the first time since the 1989-90 season that the game didn’t involve Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady. For comparison sake, the feat is one of the rarest in all of sports. In the same 30 year span there have been eight perfect games thrown in the MLB, seven 500-yard passing games in the NFL, and five baseball games with four homeruns from a single player.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Agent Zero calls his shot


1. He Said It
Like Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Joe Namath did before him; Gilbert Arenas has called his shot. While it might not have the same dramatics as a Super Bowl guarantee, Agent 0 did prophetically predict he’d drop fity’ on the Trailblazers when they hook up on February 11. “Well, it’s not the most important, but that’s the game I’m going to say is my next 50-pointer,” wrote Arenas on his NBA.com blog. “Tune in. I think ESPN or TNT needs to pick that game up.” Arenas already has three 50 point games this season and that number could grow in the next three weeks. So far, Arenas has been able to back up any talking he might want to do as he has the Wizards on top of the Eastern Conference for the first time in a long time.

2. The Answer is Carmelo
Who said that Melo and A.I. couldn’t share the rock? Well, maybe it’s a bit early to call this experiment a success but Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson did manage to handle their scoring roles quite nicely in Melo’s return to action against Memphis. By halftime, both had reached double figures in scoring. Granted it’s only the Grizzlies, but Denver looked sharp with their new lineup. Anthony led the way, scoring a game-high 28 points, as Iverson played second fiddle with 23. But regardless of who gets the majority of the points, it’s going to be tough for any team to match up with a backcourt that can put up 51.

3. Hot Heat Streak
Miami was down 3-2 early against New York last night, but that would be the last time they trailed in the game. That’s because it was at that point that the Heat ripped off a franchise record 27-0 run, giving themselves a 26 point cushion at 29-3. That’s a pretty impressive feat in itself but then you realize that the Heat were missing both team superheroes as Superman and Flash nursed injuries on the bench. The Knicks missed ten consecutive shots over the miserable span; even the Miami faithful cheered when New York finally hit a field goal.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Deron Williams vs. Minnesota 38 min, 21 pts (FG: 9-16, 3FG: 1-3, FT: 2-2), 3 reb, 15 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (32-8) @ Washington (24-16) They did it once, now let’s see if they can pull off another stunner. It was way back on December 22 when the Wizards went into Phoenix and promptly ended the Suns 15 game winning streak behind 54 points from Gilbert Arenas. Since then, the Suns have lost one game and are riding a 13 game winning streak into Washington, where the Wizards are 17-3. Both teams are sitting at the top of their conference and they currently rank one and two in points per game (Phoenix: 111.5 ppg; Washington: 107.5 ppg). If this game even closely resembles their first meeting, then it’s definitely must see T.V.

Buzzer Beater: George Karl appears to think that Carmelo Anthony’s punishment was a bit severe after Kevin Garnett’s actions got the former M.V.P. a mere one game suspension. Karl references how similar the two incidents were, except for the fact that Melo’s punch landed. Sure, Karl has to stick up for his players but, Hello!, one situation ended with a some pushing and trash talk while the other ended with superstar sucker punches and players spilling into the crowd. Image is everything in today’s NBA. If you make the league look bad, David Stern will make you pay.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Rude Ref



Making a move

1. Blow Your Whistle, Then Blow Your Top
What’s the deal? Everyone in Portland has to be a tough guy, and it’s not even limited to Trailblazer players anymore. Last Sunday, nine-year veteran referee Rodney Mott was observed flipping the bird to a fan in the stands and using inappropriate language after a Blazer home loss to the Heat. Sure, it’s a lame offense by Portland’s standards, but it should still earn him a little street cred in “The City of Roses.” And I’m sure Zach Randolph feels that the greatest form of flattery is imitation. But shouldn’t refs be held to higher standards during the leagues attempt at rebuilding their image? A three game suspension without pay seems a bit weak on David Stern’s part.

2. Election Day
Allen Iverson was a shoe in for a starting guard position in the East at this year’s All-Star Game in Las Vegas before he was traded to Denver. In the West, however, Iverson ranks third in votes behind Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. But the votes for The Answer have been rolling in and the gap between Iverson and McGrady has been shrinking. At last check, A.I. was only 31,263 votes behind T-Mac. So, for all the Iverson fans out there, get out to a game today and stuff those ballot boxes because no paper votes will be accepted after the 15th. However, should you prefer, you can also sit on your couch in your underwear and vote drunk on the web through January 21. The starters for the game will be announced on January 25.

3. Here We Go Again
Dallas is obviously a great team and they deserve plenty of recognition, but is anyone else getting sick of this same old story? The Mavericks are rolling yet again as they have won four in a row after having their 13 game winning streak broken by the Lakers. The Mavs haven’t lost consecutive games since they opened the season by losing their first four games. And don’t adjust your eyes; since the first week of the season ended, they are an incredible 31-4. If you take the first four losses away, Dallas would be on pace to break the 1995-96 Bulls’ record 72 win season by one win. This current streak could easily grow into another double digit run as 30 points and 10 rebounds has become simply average for Dirk Nowitzki of late.

In related news, Phoenix can pick up their second ten game win streak of the season with a win in Memphis tonight.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Dirk Nowitzki @ Toronto 45 min, 38 pts (FG: 14-30, 3FG: 3-6, FT: 7-9), 11 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk

Monday’s Game to Watch: Utah (24-13) @ Washington (20-16) The Jazz have lost three games in a row and four of their last five. But Utah is not as bad as their recent skid would indicate however, they are also not as good as their 12-1 start had people believing. The Jazz are somewhere in between and they will have their hands full with a Wizards team that has won 11 of their last 16. Washington is 14-3 at home this season and Gilbert Arenas is beginning to get some serious MVP consideration thanks in part to his 29.7 point scoring average. Caron Butler has established himself as an excellent sidekick to Arenas and will exploit any team who decides to put their best perimeter defender on Agent 0.

Buzzer Beater: It was six years ago that the Knicks and Spurs literally gave the league a black eye on MLK day when N.Y. center Marcus Camby attempted to decapitate the Spurs’ Danny Ferry with a blindsided sucker punch. At the last moment, Ferry ducked the punch and Camby clocked his coach, Jeff Van Gundy, opening a cut above his left eye that needed over 12 stitches to close. Interestingly, none of the major players from the fight are involved in action on this Martin Luther King holiday. (Ferry is now Cleveland’s GM, Van Gundy coaches the Rockets and Camby plays in Denver.)

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Happy New Year!


1. Kevin Likes It! He Really Likes It!
Well, at long last, the leather ball has returned and it has already been approved by Kevin Garnett. The Minnesota forward put up a season high 32 points against Charlotte in the NBA’s first game with the new old ball. “There is a God,” said Garnett. And K.G. wasn’t the only one feeling the magic of the rock. Four other players scored 20 or more points in the contest. The Celtics seemed to enjoy the change as well. After losing to Seattle on New Year’s Eve with the synthetic ball, Boston opened 2007 with a win over Portland, shooting 44 percent and snapping a six game losing streak in the process.

2. Philly Comes to Town
It wasn’t that long ago when Allen Iverson wore a Sixers uniform. Now, after over a decade of hoops, Iverson will play his first game against Philadelphia. Philly has been a joke all year long and A.I. would love nothing more than to make this reunion a memorable one. Obviously, he could do so by leading his new team to a victory over his old team but, he can also etch his name into the record books with a high scoring performance. If Iverson can drop 40 on his old franchise then he will move into fourth place on the list of players with the most games of 40 or more. The Answer is currently tied with Oscar Robertson with 77 such games. Only Wilt Chamberlain (271), Michael Jordan (173) and Elgin Baylor (88) are ahead of Iverson on the list.

3. Shaq’s Back?
Coaches around the league are searching for a team schedule as they are looking to see when they have to play Miami next. That’s because Shaquille O’Neal is expected to return to the Heat’s lineup on January 15. And what a surprise, if all goes according to plan then Shaq first game back will be against his old Los Angeles Lakers team. Consider it a late Christmas present since Shaq missed the now traditional L.A. versus Miami X-Mas match-up. But late is better than never as Miami has struggled this season and they are currently sitting in third place in their division.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Kevin Garnett @ Charlotte 42 min, 32 pts (FG: 12-18, FT: 8-10), 14 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (21-8) @ Chicago (19-12) Chicago has the best home record in the league and they will need to take full advantage of their crowd’s support as the Suns come to town. Phoenix is only 9-5 on the road but most of their road woes came early in the season. Steve Nash and Co. has won nine of their last ten away from home. No team has hotter than the Bulls recently and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year might be the only person that can slow down a now healthy Amare Stoudemire.

Buzzer Beater: Denver is not the safest place to live if you are a professional athlete. Just ask Nuggets guard Julius Hodge who was shot four times on April 8, 2006. Hodge considers himself lucky to be alive after the drive-by shooting. Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was not so fortunate after he was gunned down inside of his limousine. Oddly enough, Williams was killed in the same neighborhood where Hodge currently lives.

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NBA General

Around The Rim: The Telestrator is Calling


1. The Czar
When you’re the worst team in the NBA and can only amass six wins in 30 games, something has to change. So, Memphis management decided that coach Mike Fratello was the logical choice to be replaced. Bad decision. The Grizzlies have been without their best player for a majority of the season which could be devastating for any team. Management should have given Fratello more time with Pau Gasol before delivering the final blow to the coach. This season was lost when Gasol went down during the summer, so why not allow Fratello to ride out the year? After all, he did win at least 40 games in both of his previous years and took Memphis to the playoffs both seasons as well. Not too bad in a stacked Western Conference.

2. Bizarro World
Before the season began, who would have guessed that Toronto and Washington would be winning their divisions at this point in the season? Probably nobody, except for Raptors and Wizards fans, but that is exactly what has happened. Both teams are on pace to have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. That’s something that doesn’t happen often in these cities, especially for the league’s lone Canadian team. But don’t get too arrogant if you live in these cities. Despite their status among division mates, neither of these teams will even come close to sniffing a championship. Overall, Washington is the 11th best team in the league and Toronto is the 19th best team. So, enjoy your reign at the top while you can.

3. X-Factor
While nobody knows how things will shake out once Carmelo Anthony returns from his 15 game suspension, it seems that Denver is pretty happy with their latest acquisition. Allen Iverson has been nothing less than impressive since joining the Nuggets where he has been given new life along with championship hopes. Iverson has put up a double-double in all three of his games as a Nugget and he has won two games in a row for the first time since Philadelphia won their first three to begin the season. Iverson is not only dominating games but he is now making his teammates better. With all eyes on A.I., other players like Earl Boykins, Reggie Evans and Eduardo Najera are inspired to play larger roles for the team. Just imagine how players like Anthony, Marcus Camby and J.R. Smith will benefit from the presence of Iverson.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Allen Iverson vs. Seattle 43 min, 44 pts (FG: 17-29, 3FG: 1-2, FT: 9-12), 3 reb, 10 ast, 2 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: New York (13-18) @ Phoenix (19-8) It’s not too often that New York is considered to be a must watch team, but it’s also not too often that New York wins four out of five. The Knicks will be taking a 5-8 road record, along with a new sense of worth, to Phoenix where the Suns are 11-3 on the year. But Phoenix has also been on quite a tear of late, winning 18 of their last 21 games. The Suns will be hoping to end this game in regulation as New York is a perfect 4-0 in overtime games.

Buzzer Beater: What happened to the Magic? Since starting the year off 14-5, Orlando has performed a disappearing act as they have only won three games since. The team is now struggling to simply reclaim first place in their division. The Magic are 17-13 but with a win tonight over Washington, Orlando can climb back to the top of the Southeast Division.

Categories
NBA General

Where will Iverson end up?



Looks good

The question on everyone’s mind is: where will Iverson end up? Well, here are the latest rumors and conjectures from around the league:

Philly Inquirer: “A source indicated last night that Denver was willing to part with center Nene as part of a package for Iverson and that George Karl had expressed no problems with coaching Iverson…The Nuggets would also be willing to deal injured forward Kenyon Martin, but the Sixers have no interest in the surgically susceptible forward. Martin is out for the year following a second microfracture knee surgery in November and still is due $59.75 million after this season.”

NY Daily News: “One of the deals King was strongly considering is with Golden State, for point guard Baron Davis, center Andris Biedrins and a third unidentified player. In addition to Iverson, the Warriors would get backup center Steven Hunter. While a source close to one of the players involved called the deal “done,” the Sixers remain quiet about where they will be sending Iverson.”

Golden State of Mind: “One of our sources in close touch with an Eastern Conference scout said that the last thing they heard was that the Warriors upped their offer to Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu and a 1st rounder for Allen Iverson and presumably some other 76ers players. It’s not clear whether this heavy offer was made before or after Bucher’s earlier TV report that the Warriors were out of the running.”

Boston Globe: “With the asking price for Allen Iverson too high, the Celtics‘ interest in the former NBA MVP may have cooled, according to league sources. Boston knows what Philadelphia wants, but is reluctant to put certain players, and possibly draft picks, on the table. Gerald Green and Paul Pierce are off limits. And Al Jefferson may have joined Green and Pierce as players executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge will not deal.”

Detroit News: “Minnesota: The Timberwolves appear to have fallen to the end of the line. Randy Foye has some value to the Sixers, but apparently that’s where the intrigue ends for King.”

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: It’s Showtime!



Out for a month+

1. Lame-ar Odom
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently leading the Pacific Division by ½ game. Now that Lamar Odom is expected to miss at least a month of action, the Lakers can expect to fall a bit in the standings. Phoenix is finally getting going after a slow start and the Clippers are playing unusually bad compared to recent years. Both will try to take advantage of the Lakers misfortunes, but Kobe Bryant will have something to say about that. For some reason, I don’t think Kobe will have a problem hoisting up an extra eight to ten shots per game. But Odom was the team’s leading rebounder and assist man, that’s a role that will probably not be taken over by Bryant. The Lakers will have a difficult time continuing their winning ways without the team’s second best players as they go on the road for 15 of their next 25 games.

2. Artest’s Advice
Allen Iverson got some support from someone else who knows what it’s like to demand a trade and then have to wait for the process to unfold, Sacramento King Ron Artest. The NBA’s bad boy said that he can sympathize will Iverson during this ordeal, but he also said that A.I. should get the trade over with as soon as possible and get back onto the court. Artest sat at home for nearly a month before Indiana shipped him to Sacramento. But if Artest is hoping that Iverson will join him with the Kings, he might want to think twice. Team owners, Joe and Gavin Maloof, both said that the team was not interested in a trade for Iverson. But, then again, the two high-rollers also said Artest wouldn’t be coming to Sacramento either. The next day, Artest was posing for pictures in his new Kings jersey.

3. Golden Nuggets
Where does Golden State keep getting these guys? First it was Monta Ellis. Then it was Andris Biedrins. Now, it’s some guy named Matt Barnes. Not to say that these guys aren’t good to begin with but, Barnes has averaged 4.3 points and three rebounds per game over his past three seasons in the league. Last night, however, Barnes exploded against Sacramento for 32 points and 11 rebounds. Baron Davis is doing a great job of distributing the ball to these relative unheard-of’s, but the credit has to be given to coach Don Nelson. Nellie has always been superior at getting the most out of his talent. This year in Golden State has proven no different. Unfortunately, you can squeeze every drop of game out of this roster and they’re still going to miss the playoffs.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Matt Barnes vs. Sacramento 44 min, 32 pts (FG: 13-22, 3FG: 6-9), 11 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (15-6) @ Dallas (14-7) Dallas has been struggling of late after running off a 12 game winning streak. They are 2-3 since then but can find comfort in the fact that they are 8-3 at home. Los Angeles has been mediocre on the road this season where they are 3-3. This will be the first game for the Lakers without Lamar Odom and you can expect to see a show from Kobe Bryant in his absence. Don’t forget that last year Kobe scored 62 against Dallas, and he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

Buzzer Beater: Scott Padgett sure does know how to bum out a home crowd of 18,392. Last night with 1:16 left in the game, Padgett went to the line with two shots and his Rockets trailing the Lakers, 94-92. Padgett proceeded to brick both attempts which lead to an eventual 102-94 loss for Houston. If he plans to ever average more than 12 minutes per game, he has to produce when given the opportunity to do so. However, after that showing, he had better get comfortable on the bench. Enjoy riding the pine, Padgett.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Ill Will in Indiana


1. Reaction Jackson
Stephen Jackson just can’t get any positive publicity these days. His latest incident involves a heated exchange with Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. Jackson became upset and said something to Carlisle when he was benched early in the second quarter of a blowout loss to the Cavaliers on Saturday. Whatever he said was enough for Carlisle to send him to the locker room for the rest of the game and then suspend him for last nights game. The outburst is just his latest accompaniment to go along with weekly parades through the courthouse and before the judge. “I don’t want people to lump this with other things that have happened,” Jackson said. Sorry, Stephen, it’s hard to lump it into your nonexistent pile of good deeds and behaviors.

2. A.I. to 90210
Since the news of Allen Iverson’s demand for a trade became public, a virtual tidal wave of trade rumors has swept over the NBA. Boston, Minnesota, Golden State, Orlando, Denver, Cleveland, Seattle; the list goes on and on. But one of the more interesting trades resides in the City of Angels, and it doesn’t involve the Clippers. Phil Jackson left the door open to a possible trade for Iverson when he said, “I wouldn’t just say outright we have no interest.” While the scenario is unlikely, the possibility is quite incredible. Two of the greatest scorers in the history of the game together in one of the leagues most storied franchises. Western Conference perimeter defenders are cringing at the thought of A.I. joining Kobe Bryant in the purple and gold and the offensive outbursts that would ensue. The two currently average 57.6 points between them; in comparison, Charlotte only scores 90.5 points per game as a team.

3. Gray Matter
ESPN reporter Jim Gray was one of the first to break the story about the Philadelphia/A.I. split, but he might not have gotten the news from Iverson. Gray went public with the story on Friday after talking with Iverson, or at least someone he thought was Iverson. Turns out that Gray had been talking with an imposter, or did he? Follow me here. On Friday, Gray reported that Iverson said his first choice was Minnesota and the deal was in the works. Later on, Gray received a phone call from Iverson’s agent, Leon Rose, who told Gray that he had spoken with an A.I. imposter causing Gray to publicly withdraw his comments. Could it be that Rose created the story about a fake A.I. in order to keep Gray quiet about the deal, and that Gray actually did speak with Iverson? It all depends on who you talk to.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Vince Carter vs. Memphis 40 min, 37 pts (FG: 14-30, 3FG: 9-20), 8 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (14-6) @ Houston (14-6) Tracy McGrady will miss the game tonight, but two MVP candidates aren’t too bad. Yao Ming will have to step up without T-Mac if he is going to keep the Rockets’ impressive home record of 8-1 intact. The Lakers have only played five games on the road this season, going 2-3, but Kobe Bryant has been averaging 29.3 points per game during the team’s last three road games.

Buzzer Beater: He’s often left off the list when people ask who the best coaches in the NBA are. He’s often forgotten about amongst the other veteran coaches like Pat Riley, Don Nelson and Phil Jackson. But last night, Jerry Sloan finally got some recognition for his 22 years of coaching when he picked up win number 1,000. Sloan is one of the finest coaches in the history of the game and until 2004; he had lead the Jazz to playoffs for 15 consecutive years. Who knows, if it wasn’t for Michael Jordan, Sloan might have a couple of championship rings on his fingers.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Wanna Trade?


1. A.I. Bye-Bye
Allen Iverson has obviously played his final game for the 76ers, now the only question that remains is where he goes from here. As the speculations run wild, questions of his selfishness and past clashes with coaches begin to tarnish the shine of the former MVP. Certainly, due to all the logistics involved with contracts and salary caps, various teams would be excluded but, it would foolish for any team on the verge of being a contender to disregard Iverson simply due to his checkered past. Iverson has always expressed his desire to retire as a Sixer, so he must be truly unhappy in Philly to demand a trade. But he doesn’t just want to leave Philadelphia; he wants to go somewhere he can win. And one thing that can’t be questioned is his passion to be the best between the lines. Regardless of his reasons, if Philadelphia management has any respect for the man that played his heart out for them, then they will trade him to a competitive team. And A.I. shouldn’t have a problem with that.

2. Welcome to the D-League
Jay, don’t call me Jason, Williams is playing in the NBA again. Well, kind of; he’s playing in the NBA’s Development League. After New Jersey waived Williams in October, he considered playing in Europe before deciding to play in the NBA’s version of the minor league. The Austin Toros signed Williams who should see action in the team’s next game on Thursday. While Toros might mean Bulls in Spanish, Williams is nowhere near the player he was when he arrived in Chicago. The former Duke star was the second pick in the 2002 draft before he wrapped his motorcycle around a telephone pole and virtually ended his career. While he might not ever play at the elite level again, he has made quite a comeback considering the nerve damage sustained in his accident was so severe that doctors thought his leg was going to have to be amputated.

3. Bailraisers
Zach Randolph apologized to the entire NBA organization and fan base for his ill-advised actions, again. The process is becoming ritual for the 25 year old. His latest incident involved giving an obscene gesture toward fans during a 108-95 loss to Indiana last Friday. Portland decided to beat David Stern to the punch and suspended Randolph for one game, costing him $133,333. Randolph’s actions are rather tame by his standards. In the past he has sucker punched-Ruben Patterson during practice, been cited for possession of marijuana and underage drinking, and he was present during a shooting in which his brother was ultimately sentenced to prison. Oh, but there’s more. He’s been found with guns, accused of sexual assault and allegedly, he attempted to intimidate witnesses involved with the trial of teammate Qyntel Woods. It’s all just part of being the Jailblazers model citizen.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Baron Davis @ Seattle 40 min, 28 pts (FG: 10-19, 3FG: 2-3, FT: 6-7), 9 reb, 13 ast


Monday’s Game to Watch: Dallas (14-6) @ Utah (15-5) Utah has a 10-1 record in Salt Lake City and will look to use the home crowd to their advantage as they attempt to begin a new winning streak after losing four of their last seven. Dallas has also hit a skid in their schedule as they have gone 2-2 after ripping off 12 in a row. Despite their recent struggles, this should be a great game between two of the leagues best young teams.

Buzzer Beater: It looks like Amare Stoudemire is fully back from his injuries of a year ago and now he has his Suns team on a ten game win streak. Sure, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and others have played important parts but Stoudemire provides Phoenix with an entirely different dimension they’ve been lacking recently. He’s the only Phoenix player to have actual skills in the post, which allows the Suns to transition between playing a “fast break” offense to an “inside-outside” type of offense. Throw in some uncanny athleticism and not only do you have a Phoenix Stud, but you also get a true Western Conference powerhouse team.