- 9,086
- 11
TMac is activated tonight...
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
With Cleveland leading by 11 with 3:48 left, Devin Harris was called for a flagrant foul and ejected after wrapping his arm around Moon's face and neck and pulling him to the ground when Moon went up for a breakaway basket. James, who finished with 23 points, immediately tried to quiet the incident by putting his arms around Harris, while O'Neal began jawing and pushing his way toward a forming scrum.
http:// [h3][/h3][h3]Extension for Woodson will wait[/h3]
10:55AM ET
[h5]Mike Woodson | Hawks[/h5]
Top Email
The Atlanta Hawks are off to their best start in franchise history. However, there is still no plan to offer head coach Mike Woodson a contract extension past this season.
"Am I happy about it? No," Woodson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday. "But it is what it is. But I'm not going to sit here and complain about it by any means. I have this year on my contract and then I'm a free agent. They have not approached me, so obviously we're going to play it out."
Hawks general manager Rick Sund said that has been the plan from the beginning.
"It's been a good situation for Woody as ownership and the organization stood by him and supported him in the rebuilding years," Sund said. "When I suggested a new contract for Woody, the owners embraced the recommendation and I told Woody's camp that after two years, we'll evaluate it at that time and it seems to be working well."
http:// [h3]Blake to the Heat?[/h3]
10:53AM ET
[h5]Steve Blake | Trail Blazers[/h5]
Top Email
There has been talk that Andre Miller doesn't fit with the Blazers and that he could be dealt. However, ESPN.com's Chad Ford writes that Steve Blake is the one most likely to be traded.
Ford writes: "Two general managers told me they've called the Blazers to inquire about Miller's availability and been told that Miller isn't available right now. Rather, those two GMs have reason to believe that Portland GM Kevin Pritichard is shopping Blake. Why Blake? One reason is that he's struggled to get the offense going smoothly ... Two, Blake is easier to move and may have more trade value. ... Three, in the opinion of one GM, the Blazers won't be quick to give up on Miller."
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that one possible destination for Blake is Miami.
"Keep in mind, as well, that the trade exception the Heat holds from last February's Shawn Marion-Jermaine O'Neal trade also would accommodate Blazers point guard Steve Blake, a player who long has interested the Heat. The trade exception would allow the Heat to then include Daequan Cook or another lower-priced player in such a deal with Portland."
The trade exception is worth $4.26 million and was generated from Marcus Banks' contract.
http:// [h3][/h3][h3]San Jose seeks an NBA team[/h3]
9:47AM ET
[h5]NBA Team Relocation[/h5]
Top Email
[img]http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/0720/nba_logo_65.jpg[/img]
From today's San Jose Mercury News:
"In other matters Tuesday, the San Jose City council approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and its redevelopment agency with the group that manages HP Pavilion regarding efforts to attract a National Basketball Association team. The memorandum sets forth general terms and the respective roles and responsibilities of the city and Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment. An NBA spokesman told the Mercury News he knew of no team that is preparing to move to San Jose."
http:// [h3][/h3][h3]O'Neal for T-Mac?[/h3]
9:21AM ET
[h5]Jermaine O'Neal | Heat[/h5]
Top Email
Could we see a trade between the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets that would send Jermaine O'Neal to Texas and Tracy McGrady to Florida?
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes about the possibility.
"There is an undeniable sense that change is in the air, and for more than the benching of Mario Chalmers, the waiving of Shavlik Randolph and the recent deep freeze of Daequan Cook. So, in that vein, perhaps Jermaine O'Neal for Tracy McGrady might get new legs, with McGrady getting a test run Tuesday from the Rockets. The Heat's trade exception would allow for Luis Scola or Brian Cook to also be included in such a deal, to provide a replacement in the power rotation (perhaps the reason for the waiving of Randolph?)"
http:// [h3][/h3][h3]Brand will come off the bench[/h3]
5:25AM ET
[h5]Elton Brand | 76ers[/h5]
Top Email
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Eddie Jordan isn't sure if rookie Jrue Holiday will remain in the starting lineup, but he is leaning towards moving Elton Brand to the bench. That would allow Jordan to slide Andre Iguodala from shooting guard to small forward and Thaddeus Young from small forward to power forward.
Asked by The Philadelphia Inquirer if he had concluded Iguodala and Young were playing out of position, Jordan said, "I'm leaning that way."
Added Jordan: "I like Andre and Thad getting out and running straight lines to the basket."
Brand likes the idea of coming off the bench and playing center to create matchup problems for the opposition.
"[With me] at the five, Thad [Young] is a great player at the four, no forwards can guard him because he's so quick, so that gives us a mismatch there," Brand told the Philadelphia Daily News. "Coming in to play the five, yeah, I could do that also. I get touches and move the ball and pass the ball. It's fun playing the five, you get a lot of touches out there."
In other matters Tuesday, the San Jose City council approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and its redevelopment agency with the group that manages HP Pavilion regarding efforts to attract a National Basketball Association team. The memorandum sets forth general terms and the respective roles and responsibilities of the city and Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment. An NBA spokesman told the Mercury News he knew of no team that is preparing to move to San Jose."
3 teams in the bay area?
why
Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason
Osh (or anyone else that may know), what is the average for Offensive/Defensive Rating? I can't find it anywhere.
Defensive Rating
1. Dwight Howard-ORL 94.6 2. Kevin Garnett-BOS 97.5 3. LeBron James-CLE 99.1 4. Anderson Varejao-CLE 100.0 5. Kendrick Perkins-BOS 100.2 6. Tim Duncan-SAS 100.2 7. Zydrunas Ilgauskas-CLE 100.5 8. Chris Andersen-DEN 100.6 9. Yao Ming-HOU 100.9 10. Rajon Rondo-BOS 100.9 11. Lamar Odom-LAL 101.7 12. Trevor Ariza-LAL 102.2 13. Gerald Wallace-CHA 102.4 14. Joel Przybilla-POR 102.4 15. Luis Scola-HOU 102.4 16. Samuel Dalembert-PHI 102.6 17. Emeka Okafor-CHA 102.7 18. Rashard Lewis-ORL 102.8 19. Chris Paul-NOH 103.1 20. Rasheed Wallace-DET 103.4
1. | Gerald Wallace-CHA | 95.6 |
2. | Rasheed Wallace-BOS | 95.9 |
3. | Lamar Odom-LAL | 96.6 |
4. | Greg Oden-POR | 96.8 |
5. | Kendrick Perkins-BOS | 96.9 |
6. | Kevin Garnett-BOS | 97.3 |
7. | Rajon Rondo-BOS | 97.5 |
8. | Dwight Howard-ORL | 97.9 |
9. | Erick Dampier-DAL | 98.4 |
10. | Marcus Camby-LAC | 98.5 |
11. | Josh Smith-ATL | 98.6 |
12. | Tyson Chandler-CHA | 98.7 |
13. | Kobe Bryant-LAL | 98.8 |
14. | Joel Przybilla-POR | 98.9 |
15. | Andrew Bynum-LAL | 99.1 |
16. | Anderson Varejao-CLE | 99.7 |
17. | Raymond Felton-CHA | 99.8 |
18. | Andrew Bogut-MIL | 100.2 |
19. | Derek Fisher-LAL | 100.4 |
20. | Ersan Ilyasova-MIL | 100.7 |
10. If crooked NBA playoff series were heavyweight boxers, then the 2002 Western finals (Lakers-Kings) was George Foreman and the 2001 Eastern finals (Bucks-Sixers) was Earnie Shavers. Translation: People remember only George, but Earnie was almost as memorable. To briefly recap, Philly's wins in Games 1 and 4 swung on a controversial lane violation and two egregious no-calls. The Sixers finished with advantages of 186-120 in free throws, 12-3 in technicals and 5-0 in flagrant fouls. Glenn Robinson, one of Milwaukee's top-two scorers, didn't even attempt a free throw until Game 5. Bucks coach George Karl and star Ray Allen were fined a combined $85,000 after the series for claiming the NBA rigged it. In that game, Milwaukee's best big man, Scott Williams, was charged with a flagrant foul but not thrown out, only to be suspended, improbably, for Game 7.
The defining game: When Philly stole a must-win Game 4 in Milwaukee despite an atrocious performance from Iverson (10-for-32 shooting), helped by a 2-to-1 free-throw advantage and a host of late calls. How one-sided was it? When an official called a harmless touch foul to send Sam Cassell to the line with two seconds left and the Bucks trailing by seven (maybe the all-time we-need-to-pad-the-free-throw-stats-so-they-don't-seem-so-lopsided-afterward call), the subsequent sarcastic standing ovation nearly morphed into the first-ever sarcastic riot. And this was Milwaukee, the most easygoing city in the country! Nobody remembers this. The real loser was Allen, who exploded for 190 points in the series, including a record nine threepointers in do-or-die Game 6. Nobody remembers this, either. Even I didn't remember it. Crap.
15. Finally, I visited the Nike compound in Oregon recently and soon realized the company's approach is about 200 times more complex than I'd imagined. I'd always thought it signed someone, designed a cool-looking shoe for the guy, then mailed it to him. Nope. Nike brings many of its athletes to its campus, runs them through elaborate tests, breaks down their mechanics (not just the structure of their feet, but the way each body part relates to all the others) and everything else. The company takes pride in its guys not suffering major foot or ankle injuries.
The trip made me think of Grant Hill. In 1997, Fila blew him away with a massive $80 million deal meant to splash the company into the basketball market. With Nike and Reebok heatedly bidding for NBA stars, Fila went a different route: It threw the bulk of its basketball marketing budget behind Hill. But after staying healthy for six seasons, Hill injured his ankle and missed much of the next decade. Could his shoes have contributed to his woes? In any case, Fila doesn't sponsor NBA players or compete in that market anymore.
Yes, it could be coincidence, and yes, Fila surely was careful in customizing its shoe for Hill. But if a publishing company that printed only a couple of books a year tried to sign me, would I think, Do they have enough experience to publish mine? Damned right I would. The whole thing is weird. Keep in mind, it's usually bigs who battle chronic foot and ankle issues, not athletic swing guys. After my visit, I realized "What if Grant Hill had signed with Nike?" was a natural for my "Greatest What-Ifs?" chapter. Hill was headed for Level 3 or 4 of my Hall of Fame Pyramid, but he didn't make it. What if his career detour wasn't just bad luck? It's a great hypothetical, you have to admit.
Curious, I Googled what sneakers Hill is wearing this season. Yup ... Nike.