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NBA General

Around the Rim: Child Support Payments are a Bitch!


1. One Last Reign?
First it was Scottie Pippen who was on the comeback trail, now Shawn Kemp is considering making a return to the NBA. But while Pippen could be back in uniform within the next few weeks, Kemp will probably not be helping any team make a postseason push until next season. When Kemp was last seen on a court he looked nothing like the young Reign Man who is considered by many to be one of the most explosive players of all time. At 36 years old, Kemp will most likely have to wait until he can get an invite from a team during training camp. Of course, he’ll have to resist the buffet line over the next six or seven months if he wants to be taken seriously by any coaching staff.

2. European Vacation
The NBA will be sending four teams to Europe in October to participate in training camps and exhibition games. It’s too bad for the fans across the pond that the teams making the trip are Memphis, Boston, Toronto and Minnesota. As of now, the Celtics and Grizzlies are the two worst teams in the entire league and Minnesota is barely clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Surprisingly, the Raptors own the fourth best record in the East. But while the overall teams are not that impressive, the individual talent should have the fans lining up for tickets. Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh will provide the primary star power this fall, with Paul Pierce and, possibly, Pau Gasol acting as supporting actors.

3. Mr. MVP Returns

Steve Nash has missed the last four games and in that time, the once white-hot Suns have lost three in a row. But Nash is looking to get back on to the court tonight when Phoenix travels to Los Angeles for a game against the Clippers. And it’s not a moment to soon for his All-Star teammates, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, who were running all over the court for the West on Sunday as they combined to score 47 points. While the Suns are anxious to get back into the win column, their division lead remains intact as the Lakers are sitting a full 10 games behind. The main concern for Phoenix right now is to chip away at the 4 ½ game lead that Dallas has over the Suns for the best record in the league.

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Denver (26-25) @ San Antonio (35-18) Playtime is over and now teams are getting serious about improving their place in the playoff seeding. The Nuggets are hoping to finally have their dynamic duo together for the road game against the Spurs after Allen Iverson received some additional rest by pulling himself from the All-Star game over the weekend. Carmelo Anthony had a great outing against the other superstars as he scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in just 25 minutes. San Antonio will be looking to take advantage of their home crowd after struggling on their annual rodeo road trip. As the oldest team in the league, the Spurs were grateful for the break which allowed some of the veterans to rest their elderly bones. Even Tony Parker and Tim Duncan got to take it easy during the All-Star game as they combined for only 39 minutes in the contest.

Buzzer Beater: Baron Davis is rumored to be eyeing the 27th as the date when he will return to the court after undergoing knee surgery just last Tuesday. That would be great news for the Warriors considering that they have lost four of their last seven games. But the good news doesn’t stop there for Golden State. Jason Richardson could return by Wednesday when the Warriors host the Grizzlies. J-Rich has missed the last 22 games. Currently, Golden State is only one game away from being in the playoff picture, which would be a remarkable feat considering their string of injuries and lack of big bodies while playing in a stacked Western Conference.

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General Sports

Odds and Ends: More on the SI Swimsuit Issue


We thought SI was trying too hard and making a mistake by putting Beyonce on the cover. Now we see they are trying to even harder with this new Swimsuit photos in 3-D business. By layering pictures, they are creating a 3-D effect. Hot models in 3-D? Sign us up! But the technology is really poorly done. All that happens is the reader just ends up with a moving blurring photograph that sucks. Stick to the basics, SI, that’s what got you $35M in ad revenue for the swimsuit issue in the first place. Check out Slate’s Intellectual History of the Swimsuit Issue. (Oh by the way, nice ipod.)

In other news…

[Charlotte.com]: Bobby Petrino gives Michael Vick more rope to hang himself responsibility

[Toronto Star]: Grey Cup naming rights to be sold

[The Big Lead]: Sacramento State Girls Know How to Party (Well, the Soccer Team Does)

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: Toronto still loves Vince Carter

[Knickerblogger.net]: All Star “Snubs” – An Exercise in Intellectual Laziness

And finally, we have two wrestling stories. First is a good one about a wrestler with no legs who is kicking ass in Missouri. The second… well, just watch the clip below. (We don’t know what the hell is up with the audio.)

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Revenge of the Purple Dinosaurs


1. O Canada!
So what if the Atlantic Division is horrible, at least a team has finally risen to the top of the heap. And as unbelievable as it sounds, that team is the Toronto Raptors. With a 3 ½ game cushion over their competition, the Raptors are enjoying their first taste of success since a young Vince Carter took the franchise to the postseason. Quietly, the Raps have ripped off a streak of 12 wins in their last 16 games, but next up is a big time showdown between two of the leagues most promising young studs as Chris Bosh locks up with Orlando’s Dwight Howard tonight in Toronto. When these two get together its reminiscent of the budding rivalry between Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan in the late 90’s.

2. Irish Green or Soylent Green?
Can things get any worse for the Boston Celtics? First, their slide continues as they have now lost a franchise record 15 consecutive games after falling to the Pistons last night. There’s been Tony Allen’s self destruction; and then there’s Paul Pierce. Pierce has been out of action since December 20 after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot and on Tuesday he was sent home from Detroit with a swollen left elbow and a fever. Throw in the comments by Pierce that he would rather have a veteran on the team than Greg Oden or Kevin Durant and you have all the ingredients for a dysfunctional meltdown of classic proportions. By the way, Paul, you are the veteran on the team.

3. D’oh!
One day after saying that he was only going to Las Vegas because he was “into the free money,” Chicago’s Tyrus Thomas was fined $10,000 by the NBA powers that be. But as badly as Thomas simply wanted to “get my check,” it looks like he will now have to put forth a bit of effort. Third and fourth place in the slam dunk contest only pull down $16,125; second place gets $22,500. So, if the rookie really wants to be stuntin’ after he pays his penalty then he’s going to have to fly like an eagle and pull down the $35,000 first prize.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Pau Gasol vs. Houston 41 min, 30 pts (FG: 13-28, 3FG: 0-1, FT: 4-6), 13 reb, 5 ast, 5 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: San Antonio (32-16) @Washington (28-19) The Spurs are back on the road after getting five full days off since losing back to back games to Utah and Phoenix. Tonight starts the second half of an eight game road trip for San Antonio who is 16-8 away from home this season. Washington is 19-5 at home where Gilbert Arenas scored 37 against the Lakers and Caron Butler put up a career-high 38 against the Sonics in their last two home games. It’s a classic battle between offense and defense with lots of All-Star power on the court among Butler, Arenas, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

Buzzer Beater: If there can be anything comforting about a 15-game losing streak, this little tidbit is it. In this decade, every team that has experienced a similar span of futility (15 straight defeats) has ended up with the number one pick in the draft. Paul Pierce might want to rethink his idea that teams don’t grow through the draft because those top picks turned into Yao Ming, LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Ask the coaches, players, GMs and fans of Houston, Cleveland and Orlando if they’d like to go back in time and trade those kids away.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Is There a Doctor in the House?


1. Injuries Love Company
The injury bug is biting the big stars, and it’s biting hard. The latest victims are Carlos Boozer and Antawn Jamison. Jamison is out for anywhere from two to eight weeks with a sprained left knee, while a hairline fracture in Boozer’s left leg will keep him sidelined for four to five weeks. But the Jazz and Wizards aren’t going to be receiving much sympathy from the rest of the league. All-Stars are dropping like flies around the Association. Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson (whew!) are all currently out of action with a variety of injuries.

2. Cold Blooded

Kobe Bryant returned to action against the lowly Celtics after being suspended for a game because of an elbow to Manu Ginobili’s melon. And when he got back on the court, he let out his frustrations by dropping 43 points on the leprechauns. Bryant showed again why he is the best scorer on the planet, despite his tendency to take a cheap shot from time to time. Kobe hit 13 of 25 overall and was dead on from behind the arc, going seven of nine. This is the Mamba’s fourth career game with at least 40 against Boston. There are some great players who don’t even have four games of 40 in their entire career. His scoring ability is almost underappreciated because he has been so explosive, so consistently since joining the league.

3. XXXXXXL

If you thought Yao Ming and Shaq were a couple of big boys, just get a load of the newest member of the ABA’s Maryland Nighthawks. Sun Ming Ming is a 7-9, 370 pound center from China and he’s only 23 years old. When being signed by the team, Sun had a difficult time squeezing into a XXXXXXL sweatshirt. The youngster’s career has been on hold for the past year while he underwent a pair of surgeries on a pituitary tumor that was the cause of his enormous size. But he’s gradually getting back into playing shape and it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that this giant will make his way into the NBA at some point because, if you haven’t noticed, most teams are willing to gamble on a seven footer.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant @ Boston 41 min, 43 pts (FG: 13-25, 3FG: 7-9, FT: 10-13), 8 reb, 8 ast, 2 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: San Antonio (32-15) @ Phoenix (36-9) Nobody likes playing in back to back games, especially when the second game is against the run ‘n gun Suns. But the Spurs are going to have to quickly forget about their four point loss in Salt Lake City last night and prepare themselves mentally to take on the hottest team in the league. Sure the Suns are coming off a loss to the T-Wolves on Monday, but 17 of 18 and 35 of their last 39 is still considered scorching where I come from. If that’s not impressive enough, Phoenix has only lost three games at home this season, but they are winless in five games against the Spurs, Mavs and Jazz.

Buzzer Beater: Talk about offensive productivity! In the third quarter of last night’s game between Washington and Toronto, the two teams put up an incredible 77 points. In a 12 minute shootout, Toronto scored 43 points while the Wizards responded with 34. Chris Bosh put in serious work during the quarter as he scored 16 of his game-high 34, including a 56 foot three pointer that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. After missing his first four shots of the game, Bosh went 15 of 15 during the remainder of the contest.

Categories
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.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Fun ‘n’ Run


1. What a Game!
No, we’re not in the 1980’s again. And no, you’re not experiencing a flashback. Phoenix actually did beat New Jersey by a score of 161 to 157. It took two overtimes but the Suns won the game that tied for fourth highest in league history. Fans were witnesses to a game that compiled 318 points, 27 three pointers, 89 rebounds and 80 assists! But what would expect from two of the best point guards in the league who both love to run? Jason Kidd picked up his third triple double of the season with 38 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists and tied Wilt Chamberlain for third all-time in triple dips with 78 (its unknown where Kidd ranks on Wilt’s impressive love list), but the reigning MVP wouldn’t let Kidd get the PG glory or the W. Steve Nash ended the game with a career high 42 points to go along with six rebounds and 13 assists while nailing the critical free throws which proved to be the final points of the game.

2. Texas Exes
If you’re a Texas Longhorn fan, then you had to enjoy the game between Cleveland and Toronto on Wednesday evening. That’s because Daniel Gibson got his first start since leaving the Horns for the NBA. Gibson looked good as he hooked his team up with 18 points, hitting three treys, and grabbing five boards. Oh, but Gibson wasn’t the only player to get the Longhorn reunion invitation. The greatest player to ever dawn the burnt orange was starting at point guard for the opposition as T.J. Ford dished out 10 assists. If only P.J. Tucker could have made it into the game.

3. Sub-Par Sonics
Seattle has been struggling through the early part of this season and there luck isn’t going to be changing any time soon. Ray Allen was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right ankle and will miss at least the next seven games before being reevaluated in two weeks. That’s bad news for the Sonics but there is a small silver lining in the cumulonimbus cloud that hangs over a soggy Seattle. This is a terrific opportunity for Rashard Lewis to fully extend his wings and soar. At 6-10 he’s a tough defensive assignment for any small forward and he has one of the most complete games around. Lewis is scoring a career high 22.9 points and can improve on that number with the increased workload. With trade rumors swirling, Lewis might not be not be in Seattle much longer. It looks like the sun might be starting to shine on Lewis in more ways than one.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Jason Kidd vs. Phoenix 48 min, 38 pts (FG: 13-26, 3FG: 3-6, FT: 9-9), 14 reb, 14 ast, 1 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Detroit (12-7) @ Orlando (14-6) It’s a match-up between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference as Detroit hopes to continue their winning ways after knocking off the Mavericks last night in Dallas. Orlando is 7-1 at home and will be looking forward to some home cookin’ after playing the last six games on the road. Dwight Howard was magical for Orlando as he led the team in both scoring and rebounding during the entire road trip.

Buzzer Beater: Devin Harris is suppose to be the point guard of the Mavericks future, but last night he looked like a point guard from Dallas’ past. And I’m not talking about Kidd, Nash or Derek Harper. More like Ollie Mack or Jim Spanarkel. Harris started the game but did nothing with his floor time. He ended with one point and four assists. Chauncey Billups abused Harris for the 28 minutes that Avery Johnson wasted with him on the court.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Crisis in Canada



Chris Bosh’s raptor impersonation

1. Immune Deficiency
Chris Bosh has recently been diagnosed with Garnett’s Disease. Named after the most famous patient of the illness, the virus affects the entire franchise and leaves only one player to attempt to defend the well-being of the team as a whole. The human body is not built to withstand such an attack, but Bosh is considered to be an extreme case in which the patient actually defies the medical statistics and proceeds to thrive off of the virus. However, his life span remains in question as long as the infection goes untreated. One method of treatment involves an injection of new coaches, followed by a strict regiment of acquiring appropriate talent and drafting healthy bodies. The more controversial procedure involves transplanting the affected patient to a more stable environment conducive to playoff appearances. In the mean time, Bosh has been ordered to continue scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds every game.

2. Carmelo’s Juice
Carmelo Anthony has been out-running, out-jumping and out-scoring opponents throughout November, and now we know what’s been giving him that extra edge. It’s his “ghetto Kool-Aid.” That’s how Melo refers to his new Mountain Dew, Red Bull concoction named C1.5 Extreme Energy Drink. The league might want to check into the contents of the beverage because Anthony’s been tweaking up and down the court for over 30 a game. The product is only available in the Syracuse, N.Y. area until late December when it will be unleashed on Denver. Rumor has it that the NBA’s version of Droopy Dog, Jeff Van Gundy, has been eagerly anticipating the national release.

3. Load Bearing Joints
Jason Williams had surgery on his right knee in July and has recently complained of frustration due to lingering pain that has kept him from making a full return. Why is this important? Well, Shaquille O’Neal recently had surgery on his left knee and claims that he will be able to make a full recovery. Now, White Chocolate is 6-1, 180 pounds and his knee can’t take the impact. How is Shaq’s knee going to hold up to 35 minutes of running underneath a 7-1, 325 pound frame? As dominant as the Diesel has been over his career, he is obviously in the declining years, and injuries to the knees have been known to end careers. I’ve heard Shaq say in interviews that he plans to play for at least another five years; unfortunately, I’m not sure his body can make the same long term plans.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Joe Johnson vs. Charlotte 43 min, 36 pts (FG: 13-24, 3FG: 5-11, FT: 5-5), 3 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Utah (13-3) @ Los Angeles Lakers (9-5) The Lakers lost to the Jazz last Friday in Salt Lake City but Kobe and crew are a much better team inside the friendly confines of the Staples Center where they are 8-2. The Jazz got a big win last night over the Spurs to snap a two game losing streak; tonight they hope to avoid closing out the month of November losing three of four after starting off 12-1.

Buzzer Beater: Pacers forward Al Harrington will never live up to his potential. Sure, he’ll give you a glimpse of his true ability from time to time, like last night when he scored 28 against Golden State with 6-8 shooting from down town. Or the two games this season when he scored 32 points, both in wins. Or the two games in which he grabbed 18 and 14 rebounds. Inconsistency has always been his downfall; if he could string some of these games together then the All-Star votes would start coming.

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General Sports

Odds and Ends for Wed May 24 2006: Motivation

Thanks to The Hater Nation for pointing us to MotivationalBuck.com where you can create your own motivational poster spoofs. You know, those lame ass “Success” and “Teamwork” posters you find in offices of people who lack any actual skills. We couldn’t resist creating one. Send us any that you create and we’ll post the best ones.

In other news…

[Miami Herald]: Dolphins still cockblocking the Toronto Argonauts

[Raptor Blog]: Who will the Raptors take with the #1 pick?

[USA Today]: College Football fans: Paul Maguire is ready to ruin your Saturdays

[ESPN]: Duke womens lacrosse team will wear “innocent” bands to support the mens lacrosse team. No truth to the rumor they bought them from OJ Simpson.

Categories
NBA General

Raptors win draft lottery… Knicks don’t take 2nd



Thank you Isiah!

The Raptors went into the lottery with only an 8.8% to take the top spot and got it.  Meanwhile, the Knicks went into the lottery with the 2nd worst record in the league but ended up with the second pick… but whoops, they traded that pick to Chicago for Eddy Curry. Oh, and Chicago has the right to swap picks next year because of the trade for… Eddy Curry.

When the trade happened, Isiah Thomas said that they had to gamble on the type of talent and size that Eddy Curry possessed and that a guy like him comes along every 15 to 20 years.  The Bulls got an absolute steal with this deal.  They had to trade Curry because he refused a DNA test to determine the likelihood of future heart problems.  The Knicks were unconcerned about Curry’s heart problems, and they were right about that — it turns out Eddy Curry has no heart — especially on defense.

Here’s the full first round draft order.

  1. Toronto
  2. Chicago (from New York)
  3. Charlotte
  4. Portland
  5. Atlanta
  6. Minnesota
  7. Boston
  8. Houston
  9. Golden State
  10. Seattle
  11. Orlando
  12. New Orleans
  13. Philadelphia
  14. Utah
  15. New Orleans (from Milwaukee)
  16. Chicago
  17. Indiana
  18. Washington
  19. Sacramento
  20. New York (from Denver through Toronto and New Jersey)
  21. Phoenix (from L.A. Lakers through Atlanta and Boston)
  22. New Jersey (from L.A. Clippers through Denver and Orlando)
  23. New Jersey
  24. Memphis
  25. Cleveland
  26. L.A. Lakers (from Miami)
  27. Phoenix
  28. Dallas
  29. New York (from San Antonio)
  30. Portland (from Detroit through Utah)

Links:

[USA Today]: Bulls turn Knicks’ pick into No. 2, lottery win
[ESPN]: Raptors claim No. 1 pick for June’s NBA draft