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why melo dressed like a my buddy doll from the 80's a couple pages back?
Official NBA OFF-SEASON Thread - 2011: Free Agency Dec. 9th
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by Bert.,
- Start date
And while we on Gilbert, let's keep it going. He lost his 250 mil off Bron, well how he get Lebron? Draft lottery right? Did he not just win that same exact lottery again?
He had the 1 and 4 picks, how we know those 2 don't become some dynamic forces and he then starts makin money off those 2?
Not saying at all that they are or will be Lebron, the point is that money is brought in off the players. If that number 1 pick turned out to be Blake Griffin to replace Lebron, suddenly it's no longer 250 million he's losing.
Gilbert is flat out crying and whining and hiding behind this small market bs because he thinks it works in other sports. In the NFL it does, there's 53 men per roster, 1 man isn't always going to matter. Basketball is a different animal, 1 man can make a difference, many not in terms of title wise, but at least in relevancy wise. Blake alone makes the Clippers verifiable in terms of TV viewership, merchandising, world wide buzz when he does something ridiculous and it's picked up across the globe on various sites. That's how the NBA is.
Gilbert needs to shut the hell up. Lebron ain't leave cuz Cleveland is a small town. That's a damn cop out.
The Phoenix Suns don't suck because they are a small market. They suck because their owner is stupid and can't figure out that if you invest in your team enough to field a dominant team and possibly extend your seasons enough to make some finals and get extra home playoff games, you make that money back. Selling draft picks that net Rajon Rondo, Loul Deng, and all the rest he's given up plus letting go of young talent like Joe Johnson and later Amare Stoudemire only to splurge on Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick and Channing Frye for the same money is so incredibly stupid and shortsighted that I would punch him in his grill for crying the system is broke when he's the biggest dumb @#$% I ever seen own a team. The Suns would be a HUGE draw if they had all that talent and had gone on a decade long run like the Spurs have done.........in a small market you dumb @#$ Sarver.
He had the 1 and 4 picks, how we know those 2 don't become some dynamic forces and he then starts makin money off those 2?
Not saying at all that they are or will be Lebron, the point is that money is brought in off the players. If that number 1 pick turned out to be Blake Griffin to replace Lebron, suddenly it's no longer 250 million he's losing.
Gilbert is flat out crying and whining and hiding behind this small market bs because he thinks it works in other sports. In the NFL it does, there's 53 men per roster, 1 man isn't always going to matter. Basketball is a different animal, 1 man can make a difference, many not in terms of title wise, but at least in relevancy wise. Blake alone makes the Clippers verifiable in terms of TV viewership, merchandising, world wide buzz when he does something ridiculous and it's picked up across the globe on various sites. That's how the NBA is.
Gilbert needs to shut the hell up. Lebron ain't leave cuz Cleveland is a small town. That's a damn cop out.
The Phoenix Suns don't suck because they are a small market. They suck because their owner is stupid and can't figure out that if you invest in your team enough to field a dominant team and possibly extend your seasons enough to make some finals and get extra home playoff games, you make that money back. Selling draft picks that net Rajon Rondo, Loul Deng, and all the rest he's given up plus letting go of young talent like Joe Johnson and later Amare Stoudemire only to splurge on Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick and Channing Frye for the same money is so incredibly stupid and shortsighted that I would punch him in his grill for crying the system is broke when he's the biggest dumb @#$% I ever seen own a team. The Suns would be a HUGE draw if they had all that talent and had gone on a decade long run like the Spurs have done.........in a small market you dumb @#$ Sarver.
And while we on Gilbert, let's keep it going. He lost his 250 mil off Bron, well how he get Lebron? Draft lottery right? Did he not just win that same exact lottery again?
He had the 1 and 4 picks, how we know those 2 don't become some dynamic forces and he then starts makin money off those 2?
Not saying at all that they are or will be Lebron, the point is that money is brought in off the players. If that number 1 pick turned out to be Blake Griffin to replace Lebron, suddenly it's no longer 250 million he's losing.
Gilbert is flat out crying and whining and hiding behind this small market bs because he thinks it works in other sports. In the NFL it does, there's 53 men per roster, 1 man isn't always going to matter. Basketball is a different animal, 1 man can make a difference, many not in terms of title wise, but at least in relevancy wise. Blake alone makes the Clippers verifiable in terms of TV viewership, merchandising, world wide buzz when he does something ridiculous and it's picked up across the globe on various sites. That's how the NBA is.
Gilbert needs to shut the hell up. Lebron ain't leave cuz Cleveland is a small town. That's a damn cop out.
The Phoenix Suns don't suck because they are a small market. They suck because their owner is stupid and can't figure out that if you invest in your team enough to field a dominant team and possibly extend your seasons enough to make some finals and get extra home playoff games, you make that money back. Selling draft picks that net Rajon Rondo, Loul Deng, and all the rest he's given up plus letting go of young talent like Joe Johnson and later Amare Stoudemire only to splurge on Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick and Channing Frye for the same money is so incredibly stupid and shortsighted that I would punch him in his grill for crying the system is broke when he's the biggest dumb @#$% I ever seen own a team. The Suns would be a HUGE draw if they had all that talent and had gone on a decade long run like the Spurs have done.........in a small market you dumb @#$ Sarver.
He had the 1 and 4 picks, how we know those 2 don't become some dynamic forces and he then starts makin money off those 2?
Not saying at all that they are or will be Lebron, the point is that money is brought in off the players. If that number 1 pick turned out to be Blake Griffin to replace Lebron, suddenly it's no longer 250 million he's losing.
Gilbert is flat out crying and whining and hiding behind this small market bs because he thinks it works in other sports. In the NFL it does, there's 53 men per roster, 1 man isn't always going to matter. Basketball is a different animal, 1 man can make a difference, many not in terms of title wise, but at least in relevancy wise. Blake alone makes the Clippers verifiable in terms of TV viewership, merchandising, world wide buzz when he does something ridiculous and it's picked up across the globe on various sites. That's how the NBA is.
Gilbert needs to shut the hell up. Lebron ain't leave cuz Cleveland is a small town. That's a damn cop out.
The Phoenix Suns don't suck because they are a small market. They suck because their owner is stupid and can't figure out that if you invest in your team enough to field a dominant team and possibly extend your seasons enough to make some finals and get extra home playoff games, you make that money back. Selling draft picks that net Rajon Rondo, Loul Deng, and all the rest he's given up plus letting go of young talent like Joe Johnson and later Amare Stoudemire only to splurge on Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick and Channing Frye for the same money is so incredibly stupid and shortsighted that I would punch him in his grill for crying the system is broke when he's the biggest dumb @#$% I ever seen own a team. The Suns would be a HUGE draw if they had all that talent and had gone on a decade long run like the Spurs have done.........in a small market you dumb @#$ Sarver.
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welp
no need for a statement, CP said it all
no need for a statement, CP said it all
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welp
no need for a statement, CP said it all
no need for a statement, CP said it all
I ain't even done yet, those dudes are pissin me off.
Blake plays in a HUGE market, and they suck balls. Memphis and OKC aren't big markets, and their futures are bright as can be.
It ain't the market @%%+@@*+!%%@!, it's the decision makers doin their homework, scouting, teaching, hiring good coaches, making good trades, never overreaching to something that goes on.
Sarver always tryin to dip 3 toes in the water, and keep 2 toes out. He needs a whole foot up his @#$. He goes to get Shaq as an overreaction to LA getting Gasol, he breaks apart what had them at least semi competitive. Then after a year, he sells that piece for even less than he paid. Over reacting. That stuff is on him.
The Clippers and Knicks play in great big markets, and I don't see them clowning on the Spurs or Thunder these days. Small market my @#$.
Should their be some sort of help? YES.
But to try and say that every single team in the league should be equal, you know, "in the spirit of competitive fairness and equality" these suits better hope I don't ever run across them on a sidewalk somewhere, cuz I'll be chalkin their outlines right then and there.
This sport was DEAD in the 70's, PLAYERS brought that @#$% back. THEY were the reason the television landscape changed, the revenue landscape changed. Not some %!!@*$@#$ billionaire who had some tax money tohide spend buying a team for fun.
These idiots may think that if they get more money from big market teams and those teams have to cut players to bring down their cap number that they will come up better in terms of wins and losses, they stupid. Cream rises to the top. Those teams will still be smart with their money, and smart in their talent evaluating. These poor "small" market owners will still screw themselves with dumb contracts, and bad trades no matter what. The money won't make them smarter.
Blake plays in a HUGE market, and they suck balls. Memphis and OKC aren't big markets, and their futures are bright as can be.
It ain't the market @%%+@@*+!%%@!, it's the decision makers doin their homework, scouting, teaching, hiring good coaches, making good trades, never overreaching to something that goes on.
Sarver always tryin to dip 3 toes in the water, and keep 2 toes out. He needs a whole foot up his @#$. He goes to get Shaq as an overreaction to LA getting Gasol, he breaks apart what had them at least semi competitive. Then after a year, he sells that piece for even less than he paid. Over reacting. That stuff is on him.
The Clippers and Knicks play in great big markets, and I don't see them clowning on the Spurs or Thunder these days. Small market my @#$.
Should their be some sort of help? YES.
But to try and say that every single team in the league should be equal, you know, "in the spirit of competitive fairness and equality" these suits better hope I don't ever run across them on a sidewalk somewhere, cuz I'll be chalkin their outlines right then and there.
This sport was DEAD in the 70's, PLAYERS brought that @#$% back. THEY were the reason the television landscape changed, the revenue landscape changed. Not some %!!@*$@#$ billionaire who had some tax money to
These idiots may think that if they get more money from big market teams and those teams have to cut players to bring down their cap number that they will come up better in terms of wins and losses, they stupid. Cream rises to the top. Those teams will still be smart with their money, and smart in their talent evaluating. These poor "small" market owners will still screw themselves with dumb contracts, and bad trades no matter what. The money won't make them smarter.
I ain't even done yet, those dudes are pissin me off.
Blake plays in a HUGE market, and they suck balls. Memphis and OKC aren't big markets, and their futures are bright as can be.
It ain't the market @%%+@@*+!%%@!, it's the decision makers doin their homework, scouting, teaching, hiring good coaches, making good trades, never overreaching to something that goes on.
Sarver always tryin to dip 3 toes in the water, and keep 2 toes out. He needs a whole foot up his @#$. He goes to get Shaq as an overreaction to LA getting Gasol, he breaks apart what had them at least semi competitive. Then after a year, he sells that piece for even less than he paid. Over reacting. That stuff is on him.
The Clippers and Knicks play in great big markets, and I don't see them clowning on the Spurs or Thunder these days. Small market my @#$.
Should their be some sort of help? YES.
But to try and say that every single team in the league should be equal, you know, "in the spirit of competitive fairness and equality" these suits better hope I don't ever run across them on a sidewalk somewhere, cuz I'll be chalkin their outlines right then and there.
This sport was DEAD in the 70's, PLAYERS brought that @#$% back. THEY were the reason the television landscape changed, the revenue landscape changed. Not some %!!@*$@#$ billionaire who had some tax money tohide spend buying a team for fun.
These idiots may think that if they get more money from big market teams and those teams have to cut players to bring down their cap number that they will come up better in terms of wins and losses, they stupid. Cream rises to the top. Those teams will still be smart with their money, and smart in their talent evaluating. These poor "small" market owners will still screw themselves with dumb contracts, and bad trades no matter what. The money won't make them smarter.
Blake plays in a HUGE market, and they suck balls. Memphis and OKC aren't big markets, and their futures are bright as can be.
It ain't the market @%%+@@*+!%%@!, it's the decision makers doin their homework, scouting, teaching, hiring good coaches, making good trades, never overreaching to something that goes on.
Sarver always tryin to dip 3 toes in the water, and keep 2 toes out. He needs a whole foot up his @#$. He goes to get Shaq as an overreaction to LA getting Gasol, he breaks apart what had them at least semi competitive. Then after a year, he sells that piece for even less than he paid. Over reacting. That stuff is on him.
The Clippers and Knicks play in great big markets, and I don't see them clowning on the Spurs or Thunder these days. Small market my @#$.
Should their be some sort of help? YES.
But to try and say that every single team in the league should be equal, you know, "in the spirit of competitive fairness and equality" these suits better hope I don't ever run across them on a sidewalk somewhere, cuz I'll be chalkin their outlines right then and there.
This sport was DEAD in the 70's, PLAYERS brought that @#$% back. THEY were the reason the television landscape changed, the revenue landscape changed. Not some %!!@*$@#$ billionaire who had some tax money to
These idiots may think that if they get more money from big market teams and those teams have to cut players to bring down their cap number that they will come up better in terms of wins and losses, they stupid. Cream rises to the top. Those teams will still be smart with their money, and smart in their talent evaluating. These poor "small" market owners will still screw themselves with dumb contracts, and bad trades no matter what. The money won't make them smarter.
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This salty a%# dude Dan Gilbert.
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This salty a%# dude Dan Gilbert.
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good then hopefully we can cut some teams out
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good then hopefully we can cut some teams out
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Well, a nice change of pace and a good story..
[h2]Muggsy Bogues reveals the substantial gift he received from Mark Cuban[/h2]
By Kelly Dwyer
When an NBA player retires, teams are under no obligation to pay them any remaining money on their contract. But when the smallest NBA player at 5-3 Muggsy Bogues hung up his sneakers back in 2001, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apparently didn't bat an eye before paying him the entirety of the remaining three years, and $3.6 million on his contract. A decade later, Bogues is still singing Cuban's praises.
During an appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" a few months ago, Cuban was caught pigeonholed by the host and panel as the greedy billionaire type. Whether it was deserved or not, any comment that Cuban made regarding tax laws or job creation was sloughed off as just another excuse from a rich guy, trying to keep his tax rate low. It was an uncomfortable watch, as Cuban was wrongly dismissed as no fan of the little man.
Well, thanks to a recent interview with SLAM, the littlest man in NBA history appears to be Mark Cuban's biggest fan.
In 1999, the diminutive free agent signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Raptors, to serve as a calming bench influence behind a rotating group of point guards in name only like Doug Christie, Alvin Williams and Dee Brown(notes). Bogues came through with such a steadying hand (averaging just one turnover for every 29.4 minutes played) that the Raptors re-signed the 5-3 veteran to a four-year deal the following summer, despite also signing Mark Jackson as a point guard in the same offseason.
And despite the fact that Bogues, while a successful surprise in 1999-00, was 36 years old.
Predictably, he fell off the next season; and the Raptors dealt both Bogues and Jackson to New York for a future first-rounder midway through the campaign. The Knicks, perpetually in win-now mode, followed up by organizing a three-team deal that would hand New York Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley (two players that then-GM Scott Layden had drafted in Utah), sending Bogues to Dallas along the way.
And this is where Muggsy, as detailed by SLAM's Tzvi Twersky, gets to sing the praises of Cuban:
http://
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Well, a nice change of pace and a good story..
[h2]Muggsy Bogues reveals the substantial gift he received from Mark Cuban[/h2]
By Kelly Dwyer
When an NBA player retires, teams are under no obligation to pay them any remaining money on their contract. But when the smallest NBA player at 5-3 Muggsy Bogues hung up his sneakers back in 2001, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apparently didn't bat an eye before paying him the entirety of the remaining three years, and $3.6 million on his contract. A decade later, Bogues is still singing Cuban's praises.
During an appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" a few months ago, Cuban was caught pigeonholed by the host and panel as the greedy billionaire type. Whether it was deserved or not, any comment that Cuban made regarding tax laws or job creation was sloughed off as just another excuse from a rich guy, trying to keep his tax rate low. It was an uncomfortable watch, as Cuban was wrongly dismissed as no fan of the little man.
Well, thanks to a recent interview with SLAM, the littlest man in NBA history appears to be Mark Cuban's biggest fan.
In 1999, the diminutive free agent signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Raptors, to serve as a calming bench influence behind a rotating group of point guards in name only like Doug Christie, Alvin Williams and Dee Brown(notes). Bogues came through with such a steadying hand (averaging just one turnover for every 29.4 minutes played) that the Raptors re-signed the 5-3 veteran to a four-year deal the following summer, despite also signing Mark Jackson as a point guard in the same offseason.
And despite the fact that Bogues, while a successful surprise in 1999-00, was 36 years old.
Predictably, he fell off the next season; and the Raptors dealt both Bogues and Jackson to New York for a future first-rounder midway through the campaign. The Knicks, perpetually in win-now mode, followed up by organizing a three-team deal that would hand New York Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley (two players that then-GM Scott Layden had drafted in Utah), sending Bogues to Dallas along the way.
And this is where Muggsy, as detailed by SLAM's Tzvi Twersky, gets to sing the praises of Cuban:
http://
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This hasn't shown to be true though, the Cavs were competitive and Lebron left anyway. The Nuggets were competitive and Melo still wanted out. Utah competitive, Deron wasn't going to sign so they were forced to trade him, and Chris Paul is on the first thing smokin' out of N.O. And especially in the case of Lebron I'm willing to bet there wasn't a player brought in there that he didn't sign off on.
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This hasn't shown to be true though, the Cavs were competitive and Lebron left anyway. The Nuggets were competitive and Melo still wanted out. Utah competitive, Deron wasn't going to sign so they were forced to trade him, and Chris Paul is on the first thing smokin' out of N.O. And especially in the case of Lebron I'm willing to bet there wasn't a player brought in there that he didn't sign off on.
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Good point but these are the exceptions I'm talking about, when a player's ego takes over.
The D-Will situation is still unclear and I don't think we will know exactly what happened until a few years when ex-coaches or ex-players will reveal something. It was such a fishy deal, I'm not sure what really went down, the Jazz organization did say that they felt they didn't get enough assurance from D-Will that he was going to re-sign so they traded him now because they felt the offer from NJ was the best thing they could ever come up with. Whether that's true or not is a different story but D-Will never really hinted (at least publicly) that he wanted to leave Utah (from what I remember).
Melo's situation was all about his own ego getting the best of him. Dude left because he wanted the bright lights of NY shining on him. He's really the main exception I was talking about.
Chris Paul, we don't know how that's gonna work out with the new CBA so I won't really comment on that.
LeBron is an extreme situation. The problem with him was he wasn't being surrounded with enough talent in his eyes and I can't really disagree with him to. He chose to put his"legacy" behind and ride the Miami train (pause) with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
I guess the main point is you need to keep your superstar happy if you want to keep him. Dwight Howard is probably the next Melo situation that will arise. Again, the Magic have made MANY questionable roster changes so I can't blame Dwight wanting to go somewhere else to win a championship.
Having said all this, this is still a problem. It's hard for a GM because you need to have 15 players on the same page at all times, easier said than done. I honestly wouldn't be mad if the NBA adopted the franchise tag in their CBA. I think if it's all done properly, it could be a huge plus for small market teams. But if you are the GM of a small market team, you need to find ways to keep your team competitive. There are those who do it properly (San Antonio, Oklahoma City) and there are those who don't (Minnesota, Sacramento).
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Good point but these are the exceptions I'm talking about, when a player's ego takes over.
The D-Will situation is still unclear and I don't think we will know exactly what happened until a few years when ex-coaches or ex-players will reveal something. It was such a fishy deal, I'm not sure what really went down, the Jazz organization did say that they felt they didn't get enough assurance from D-Will that he was going to re-sign so they traded him now because they felt the offer from NJ was the best thing they could ever come up with. Whether that's true or not is a different story but D-Will never really hinted (at least publicly) that he wanted to leave Utah (from what I remember).
Melo's situation was all about his own ego getting the best of him. Dude left because he wanted the bright lights of NY shining on him. He's really the main exception I was talking about.
Chris Paul, we don't know how that's gonna work out with the new CBA so I won't really comment on that.
LeBron is an extreme situation. The problem with him was he wasn't being surrounded with enough talent in his eyes and I can't really disagree with him to. He chose to put his"legacy" behind and ride the Miami train (pause) with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
I guess the main point is you need to keep your superstar happy if you want to keep him. Dwight Howard is probably the next Melo situation that will arise. Again, the Magic have made MANY questionable roster changes so I can't blame Dwight wanting to go somewhere else to win a championship.
Having said all this, this is still a problem. It's hard for a GM because you need to have 15 players on the same page at all times, easier said than done. I honestly wouldn't be mad if the NBA adopted the franchise tag in their CBA. I think if it's all done properly, it could be a huge plus for small market teams. But if you are the GM of a small market team, you need to find ways to keep your team competitive. There are those who do it properly (San Antonio, Oklahoma City) and there are those who don't (Minnesota, Sacramento).
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#pause
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#pause
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[h2]Las Vegas 'Lockout League' Week 1 notebook[/h2]
Posted on: September 16, 2011 12:57 am
Edited on: September 16, 2011 1:16 am
Score: 234
Log-in to rate:
Posted by Ben Golliver.
Thursday night marked the end of Week 1 of the Las Vegas "Lockout League" at Impact Basketball. The fourth day of games was probably the week's most spirited, with some new faces upping the talent level and some technical fouls and trash talk livening up the week-long basketball marathon. Here's a quick look back at the week that was and a recap of the day's highlights.
Telfair eyes contender
At 26, Sebastian Telfair is now a decade removed from being one of the most hyped high school players of all time. His superstar trajectory never materiaized; Telfair just concluded his seventh NBA season, has yet to make a single playoff appearance and has only played in more than 60 games once in the last four years. A free agent, Telfair hopes all that changes next season.
"I sure do have a list of teams in my mind," Telfair said. "Those teams being one of the teams to make a run for a championship or the teams that are fighting every year for a championship. Seeing Dallas win a championship, congratulations to them, but I'm jealous. I'm extremely jealous. Dallas is definitely on my list. They've got the gold right now. It's not a bad thing in this league to want to go where the gold is. If you can compete and help the team win a championship, that's one of the main focuses in the NBA.
Aside from the Mavericks, Telfair clammed up a little bit as to who was on his radar. "The obvious teams," he finally allowed. "I won't say any teams in particular, but the obvious teams."
Asked what he would bring to a championship contender at this stage of his career, Telfair didn't hesitate or elaborate: "I bring myself. I bring Sebastian Telfair."
Dudley addresses low turnout
As noted earlier Thursday, only 35 to 40 players attended the National Basketball Players Association regional meeting at the Vdara Hotel. That was roughly half of estimates offered earlier in the week. Phoenix Suns guard Jared Dudley said people shouldn't rush to conclude that the low turnout number represents dissension, disinterest or disunity among the players.
"To me, does it matter? You can spin it that way. At the end of the day, I wasn't in a couple of the meetings in New York. Does that mean I'm not unified? I think that would be wrong to write that. At the end of the day, we all have to write papers, we all have to write stuff."
Modest, but worthwhile, improvements
There is plenty of good news for those considering checking out the "Lockout League" play next week. First, there are plenty of tickets available. Second, Impact Basketball has shown itself to be very flexible in making improvements to the series.
On Thursday, Impact added an in-game emcee to help narrate the action. This is a particularly fan-friendly addition because the players are playing in jerseys that do not bear their names and sometimes rotate from team to team throughout the week. There's also no large scoreboard or video replay, so it can get a bit confusing keeping track of everyone, especially for the non-diehards. Many of the players in attendance are not particularly recognizable or well-known, either, so the emcee was a thoughtful improvement.
On Wednesday, Impact also cut back from four games per day to three games per day. While you might think at first that this would be less basketball for your money, the move actually improved the games considerably. Less was more here. The change allowed the games to be standardized to 10-minute quarters and rosters were condensed so that each team had seven or eight players instead of the five-a-side that was the norm during the four games per day earlier in the week. That meant each player could go harder, each guy could get breathers if necessary and the threat of a single injury stopping play was no longer a problem. Perhaps most importantly, it cut down on the total number of hours a fan would need to devote to seeing all the best players play. Instead of being in the gym from 1:30 p.m.to 9:30 p.m., fans could leave closer to 7:30 p.m.
The new presence of bigger-name players like Al Harrington, Stephen Curry and Rudy Gay (who watched from the sideline) on Thursday didn't hurt either.
Hijinks
In this no-frills environment there was bound to be edgier player behavior. Profanity from the court and from the pre-game soundtrack was the norm at Impact; the sterilization that you find at the NBA in that regard was not present.
With only a few exceptions, the players, who were not forced by anyone to conduct interviews or interact with media or fans, were thoughtful and kind on and off the court. Of course, the exceptions are far more entertaining than the rule, so here are a few highlights.
Melvin Ely, who is reportedly heading to China, crumpled to the ground after taking a blow to his face. In some fairly serious pain, Ely was escorted to a training area away from the court, where he was attended to by medical personnel. On his way there, though, he took a quick detour to upend a large gatorade bucket in frustration, crashing the contents behind one of the team's benches. Players chuckled and media members raised their eyebrows.
On Thursday, Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington made his debut with a bang, earning two technical fouls in one game for disputing calls. The first time, he merely shouted at one of the referees; the second time, he chucked a ball so far off the court it hit a brick wall some 20 or 30 feet behind one of the baskets. Harrington was not ejected after receiving his second technical, although free throws were awarded on both violations.
The best trash talk exchange of the week occurred on Thursday, when Indiana Pacers forward Dahntay Jones and Detroit Pistons forward Austin Daye got into an entertaining back-and-forth. Jones, as you might expect, was the Impact Basketball king of the hard foul, sending player after player crashing to the hardwood in an effort to prevent lay-ups. He also was quick to chat too.
Daye found himself arguing a call while waiting to rebound a free throw attempt. Jones, who was in the backcourt, piped up to let Daye know that he was "soft" and that he should end his argument. Daye, an exceptionally skinny man for an NBA player, took real exception to Jones' label, raising his arms up to gesture towards the media section located behind the basket.
"You've got the worst game in here, ask any of them," Daye told Jones twice. Jones responded by mocking Daye's arm motions and sarcastically mimicking his aggravated tone. Play eventually resumed.
'When you work out with guys for three or four months," Dudley explained, "they get under your skin. You're tired, you want to go home."
Top scorer
Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry had the high point scoring game of the week, notching 56 points in a heated Thursday contest.
Team play
Probably the most entertaining team to watch was a late-arriving Golden State Warriors crew that made its debut on Thursday. Curry, David Lee, Jeremy Lin, Ekpe Udoh, Jeremy Tyler, Klay Thompson, Lou Amundson, Charles Jenkins and Dorell Wright all got some run in. There were so many Warriors they actually had to be split up into two squads. What was great about Golden State was that you could see real chemistry at work rather than the slapped together teamwork that you usually see in summer exhibitions. Lots of communication and instruction. Lee hollered across the court at Lin, instructing him to stay in the weakside corner and serve as an outlet whenever he drew interior defenders on a drive. Thompson got a feel for establishing an inside-outside game with Lee, and lit it up from deep, draining jumper after jumper.
Undersized Thomas feels he has a leg up
Of the incoming rookie class of 2011, Isaiah Thomas, the draft's final pick by the Sacramento Kings, stood out for how comfortable he looked against more seasoned competition. Thomas is an undersized scoring guard who will struggle to defend at the NBA level. But he's also exceedingly quick, confident and able to create his own shot, a nice combination for a reserve, change of pace guard.
Thomas said he fit in right away at Impact because of his previous experience playing against professional players in Seattle, where he attended the University of Washington.
"It's a blessing because not everybody in my position has that [experience]," Thomas said. "We've got guys like Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and the list goes on. Jason Terry. They really look out for the younger guys, the guy like Brandon Roy is such a great guy, he gives me input before games, after games, even when we workout together up in Seattle. He's a great guy and I learn from things like that.
He said he feels like he has a leg up on many other rookies in his position, both on and off the court, because of that guidance.
"It makes the transition smoother. Every guy up in Seattle has been through the situation I'm about to go through, but in different ways. If I can ask them about practice is going, what to expect, what's the business side of things. They all got different input, I take that all in. They are just trying to help, they are never going to steer me in the wrong direction."
As the last man selected in the draft and with a nonguaranteed contract likely in his future, Thomas realizes he will have to get in where he fits in with the Kings. "Play hard, play every possession like it's my last," Thomas explained. "Do whatever that want me to do. Score, get others involved, get on loose balls, play defense, I just want to play. After the draft, the Kings said, 'Keep doing what you're doing. We're excited when the time comes.'"
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- Oct 13, 2001
[h2]Las Vegas 'Lockout League' Week 1 notebook[/h2]
Posted on: September 16, 2011 12:57 am
Edited on: September 16, 2011 1:16 am
Score: 234
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Posted by Ben Golliver.
Thursday night marked the end of Week 1 of the Las Vegas "Lockout League" at Impact Basketball. The fourth day of games was probably the week's most spirited, with some new faces upping the talent level and some technical fouls and trash talk livening up the week-long basketball marathon. Here's a quick look back at the week that was and a recap of the day's highlights.
Telfair eyes contender
At 26, Sebastian Telfair is now a decade removed from being one of the most hyped high school players of all time. His superstar trajectory never materiaized; Telfair just concluded his seventh NBA season, has yet to make a single playoff appearance and has only played in more than 60 games once in the last four years. A free agent, Telfair hopes all that changes next season.
"I sure do have a list of teams in my mind," Telfair said. "Those teams being one of the teams to make a run for a championship or the teams that are fighting every year for a championship. Seeing Dallas win a championship, congratulations to them, but I'm jealous. I'm extremely jealous. Dallas is definitely on my list. They've got the gold right now. It's not a bad thing in this league to want to go where the gold is. If you can compete and help the team win a championship, that's one of the main focuses in the NBA.
Aside from the Mavericks, Telfair clammed up a little bit as to who was on his radar. "The obvious teams," he finally allowed. "I won't say any teams in particular, but the obvious teams."
Asked what he would bring to a championship contender at this stage of his career, Telfair didn't hesitate or elaborate: "I bring myself. I bring Sebastian Telfair."
Dudley addresses low turnout
As noted earlier Thursday, only 35 to 40 players attended the National Basketball Players Association regional meeting at the Vdara Hotel. That was roughly half of estimates offered earlier in the week. Phoenix Suns guard Jared Dudley said people shouldn't rush to conclude that the low turnout number represents dissension, disinterest or disunity among the players.
"To me, does it matter? You can spin it that way. At the end of the day, I wasn't in a couple of the meetings in New York. Does that mean I'm not unified? I think that would be wrong to write that. At the end of the day, we all have to write papers, we all have to write stuff."
Modest, but worthwhile, improvements
There is plenty of good news for those considering checking out the "Lockout League" play next week. First, there are plenty of tickets available. Second, Impact Basketball has shown itself to be very flexible in making improvements to the series.
On Thursday, Impact added an in-game emcee to help narrate the action. This is a particularly fan-friendly addition because the players are playing in jerseys that do not bear their names and sometimes rotate from team to team throughout the week. There's also no large scoreboard or video replay, so it can get a bit confusing keeping track of everyone, especially for the non-diehards. Many of the players in attendance are not particularly recognizable or well-known, either, so the emcee was a thoughtful improvement.
On Wednesday, Impact also cut back from four games per day to three games per day. While you might think at first that this would be less basketball for your money, the move actually improved the games considerably. Less was more here. The change allowed the games to be standardized to 10-minute quarters and rosters were condensed so that each team had seven or eight players instead of the five-a-side that was the norm during the four games per day earlier in the week. That meant each player could go harder, each guy could get breathers if necessary and the threat of a single injury stopping play was no longer a problem. Perhaps most importantly, it cut down on the total number of hours a fan would need to devote to seeing all the best players play. Instead of being in the gym from 1:30 p.m.to 9:30 p.m., fans could leave closer to 7:30 p.m.
The new presence of bigger-name players like Al Harrington, Stephen Curry and Rudy Gay (who watched from the sideline) on Thursday didn't hurt either.
Hijinks
In this no-frills environment there was bound to be edgier player behavior. Profanity from the court and from the pre-game soundtrack was the norm at Impact; the sterilization that you find at the NBA in that regard was not present.
With only a few exceptions, the players, who were not forced by anyone to conduct interviews or interact with media or fans, were thoughtful and kind on and off the court. Of course, the exceptions are far more entertaining than the rule, so here are a few highlights.
Melvin Ely, who is reportedly heading to China, crumpled to the ground after taking a blow to his face. In some fairly serious pain, Ely was escorted to a training area away from the court, where he was attended to by medical personnel. On his way there, though, he took a quick detour to upend a large gatorade bucket in frustration, crashing the contents behind one of the team's benches. Players chuckled and media members raised their eyebrows.
On Thursday, Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington made his debut with a bang, earning two technical fouls in one game for disputing calls. The first time, he merely shouted at one of the referees; the second time, he chucked a ball so far off the court it hit a brick wall some 20 or 30 feet behind one of the baskets. Harrington was not ejected after receiving his second technical, although free throws were awarded on both violations.
The best trash talk exchange of the week occurred on Thursday, when Indiana Pacers forward Dahntay Jones and Detroit Pistons forward Austin Daye got into an entertaining back-and-forth. Jones, as you might expect, was the Impact Basketball king of the hard foul, sending player after player crashing to the hardwood in an effort to prevent lay-ups. He also was quick to chat too.
Daye found himself arguing a call while waiting to rebound a free throw attempt. Jones, who was in the backcourt, piped up to let Daye know that he was "soft" and that he should end his argument. Daye, an exceptionally skinny man for an NBA player, took real exception to Jones' label, raising his arms up to gesture towards the media section located behind the basket.
"You've got the worst game in here, ask any of them," Daye told Jones twice. Jones responded by mocking Daye's arm motions and sarcastically mimicking his aggravated tone. Play eventually resumed.
'When you work out with guys for three or four months," Dudley explained, "they get under your skin. You're tired, you want to go home."
Top scorer
Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry had the high point scoring game of the week, notching 56 points in a heated Thursday contest.
Team play
Probably the most entertaining team to watch was a late-arriving Golden State Warriors crew that made its debut on Thursday. Curry, David Lee, Jeremy Lin, Ekpe Udoh, Jeremy Tyler, Klay Thompson, Lou Amundson, Charles Jenkins and Dorell Wright all got some run in. There were so many Warriors they actually had to be split up into two squads. What was great about Golden State was that you could see real chemistry at work rather than the slapped together teamwork that you usually see in summer exhibitions. Lots of communication and instruction. Lee hollered across the court at Lin, instructing him to stay in the weakside corner and serve as an outlet whenever he drew interior defenders on a drive. Thompson got a feel for establishing an inside-outside game with Lee, and lit it up from deep, draining jumper after jumper.
Undersized Thomas feels he has a leg up
Of the incoming rookie class of 2011, Isaiah Thomas, the draft's final pick by the Sacramento Kings, stood out for how comfortable he looked against more seasoned competition. Thomas is an undersized scoring guard who will struggle to defend at the NBA level. But he's also exceedingly quick, confident and able to create his own shot, a nice combination for a reserve, change of pace guard.
Thomas said he fit in right away at Impact because of his previous experience playing against professional players in Seattle, where he attended the University of Washington.
"It's a blessing because not everybody in my position has that [experience]," Thomas said. "We've got guys like Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and the list goes on. Jason Terry. They really look out for the younger guys, the guy like Brandon Roy is such a great guy, he gives me input before games, after games, even when we workout together up in Seattle. He's a great guy and I learn from things like that.
He said he feels like he has a leg up on many other rookies in his position, both on and off the court, because of that guidance.
"It makes the transition smoother. Every guy up in Seattle has been through the situation I'm about to go through, but in different ways. If I can ask them about practice is going, what to expect, what's the business side of things. They all got different input, I take that all in. They are just trying to help, they are never going to steer me in the wrong direction."
As the last man selected in the draft and with a nonguaranteed contract likely in his future, Thomas realizes he will have to get in where he fits in with the Kings. "Play hard, play every possession like it's my last," Thomas explained. "Do whatever that want me to do. Score, get others involved, get on loose balls, play defense, I just want to play. After the draft, the Kings said, 'Keep doing what you're doing. We're excited when the time comes.'"
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- Oct 13, 2001
Must be a clause in his contract that strips his right to deny those type of photoshoots. Can't see a dude voluntarily taking a picture so sweet.Originally Posted by CripwalkinK
#pause
- 158,174
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- Oct 13, 2001
Must be a clause in his contract that strips his right to deny those type of photoshoots. Can't see a dude voluntarily taking a picture so sweet.Originally Posted by CripwalkinK
#pause
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- Oct 24, 2010
you do know this pic is old as hell right?Originally Posted by CripwalkinK
#pause
- 94,167
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you do know this pic is old as hell right?Originally Posted by CripwalkinK
#pause