1. The sun is finally shinning in Seattle
The ever changing face of Seattle just got another nip and tuck as the Sonics finally filled their vacant head coaching spot with the ultra talented, yet blackballed, P.J. Carlesimo. Fans in Seattle have got to be ecstatic with their new, overhauled roster of young talent and now they have an experienced coach who knows what it takes to win. After all, the guy has spent the last five seasons with the Spurs as an assistant to Gregg Popovich, so he has probably picked up a couple of tricks from Pop that he’d be more than willing to use against him. And poor player relationships like the one that got his throat squeezed in a “Why I oughta…” type moment straight out of an episode of The Simpsons back in Golden State shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Not only has Carlesimo had ten years to become more player friendly, but he has a young sponge in Kevin Durant who would make any coach happy to roll out of bed in the morning. Nobody has had a better off-season than Seattle and the good times should continue coming for years to come with this new, young core of talent. Enjoy Sonics fans, enjoy.
2. Kobe’s mood swings keep on coming
The Kobe coaster continues to roll up and down through the peaks and valleys of La-La Land. The latest turn has taken us dead smack into another apology and backtrack by Bryant. Weeks after the whole, “I want out of Los Angeles…I love Los Angeles” radio talk kicked off the controversy, Bryant told the media that he apologized to GM Mitch Kupchak for his infamous on-air/video blasts. He said that he was sorry and that it all just came out wrong as he was venting. He also said that he hasn’t thought about being traded in a “long, long time.” We’re not buying it though; after all, hasn’t he been watching the TV this past week? It has got to be killing Kobe that all these teams are getting new franchise building faces via the draft, free agency or trades. Meanwhile, all the worthwhile opportunities for him to move on to a winning environment are simply dwindling away.
3. Phoenix gets even more talent
There was some talk for a while that Grant Hill could be joining the Spurs in order try and piggyback his way to the championship ring that has eluded him his entire career, but after San Antonio held onto Jacque Vaughn, Matt Bonner and Fabricio Oberto it became obvious that they weren’t going to have the funds to pay for Hill’s dream to come true. So, Hill did the next best thing: he joined the Suns roster in an attempt to become the missing piece that propels Phoenix past the Spurs in next year’s playoffs. It’s not like Mike D’Antoni really needed any more talent in the superstar diamond mine they call Phoenix, but there’s no way anyone could turn down putting Hill on their bench for a mere $2 million per season. If Hill can stay healthy and be just one-tenth of the mega talented All-Star that he was in Detroit then Phoenix could have their very own Robert Horry/Michael Finley as a nice compliment to their nucleus. Or, even better, they could get their very own Grant Hill; a potential 18ppg, 6rpg, 6apg type of guy.
Buzzer Beater: If you haven’t made your travel arrangements yet, you’re probably screwed because Tony Parker and Eva Longoria are going to be tying the knot on Saturday in France. We’re sure it will be a lovely ceremony with lots of glitz and glamour and big name celebrities. We can’t wait to hear all the great gossip about the dress and the cake and the church! Hopefully some photos will leak and we’ll get some embarrassing snap shots like the ones from A.J. Hawk’s wedding with, say, David Robinson playing the role of Brady Quinn.