Ken Berger of Newsday: “By no means does it affect NBA players or former players more than the Average Joe. And this is no attempt to elicit the kind of empathy Kenny Anderson was seeking when he infamously proclaimed during the 1999 lockout that he might have to sell a few of his luxury cars. But William Diamond, Charles Oakley’s longtime business manager, offered a sobering guess about the NBA wealth that has been wiped out in the past 48 hours. Even if you assume that only 25 percent of the 450-500 current NBA players are invested in the stock market, and that each lost $1 million on Monday — when the Dow plunged 504 points — you are talking about at least $100 million.”
Matt Moore of NBA FanHouse: “Barclays. If you’re not big in the financial news realm like a lot of people, that’s the same firm that’s developing the multi-billion dollar development that is planning on breaking ground in December and that will include, among a variety of things, the new arena for the Brooklyn Nets in 2010. With Barclays making motions towards assisting Lehman Brothers, you have to wonder if that will impact the planned development and the financing of the new development. Which in turn could affect the Nets’ move to Brooklyn. Which could in turn affect their attractiveness to one Mr. LeBron James. Which could in turn keep him in Cleveland.”
Dan Labbe of The Cleveland Plain Dealer: “This team has holes, no doubt. They don’t have a legitimate, back-to-the basket scorer. They need Anderson Varejao to return to the form he showed in 2007 when he was getting under the skin of the Detroit Pistons with his flailing arms and his flopping. They could use an x-factor player, a Shane Battier or Bruce Bowen type – a guy who knows his role and comes off the bench to play defense and hit a shot on occasion. That, however, is the beauty of the Cavs’ situation. When teams are ready to call it a season in February and are seeking cap relief for this summer at the trade deadline, Danny Ferry can come calling with Szczerbiak’s contract (and perhaps a player like Anderson Varejao) and add the final piece to his team’s championship puzzle. That’s right. I said championship. For the Cavaliers, it’s not about 2010. The time is now.”
TrueHoop: “The idea is that as long as there’s someone around to take the fall, like Andrews did in this case, big agents will be able to recruit however they want without fear of repercussion from the Players Association. Even if copies of receipts are on ESPN, you still won’t get in trouble. Meanwhile, does it feel to you like we got to the bottom of what happened here? The report that touched all this off centered around word of something like a quarter million dollars in payments, mostly to a mentor of Mayo’s. Calvin Andrews has, undoubtedly, made a little bit of money working with Carmelo Anthony and the like in his time as an agent. But it has only been a few years since he left a regular job working at Xerox. Where are we supposed to believe that money came from, if he was acting alone? He’s an employee. What kind of job can you have where a few years in, after taxes and your own living expenses, you can have a quarter million in cash to play with? Whose money was that?”
Tom Ziller of NBA FanHouse: “He needs to play better defense. At least we know he has it in him. For the first time ever, Anthony shot a decent clip from long-range last season, which buoyed his shooting efficiency. This a major step, because ‘Melo has also taken a good portion of threes. Sinking some of them helps. Anthony also continued his policy of drawing a good number of fouls — 7.7 FTAs per game, 11th in the league. He could do more to boost this by forcing himself to rim in place of a few of those shivering fadeaways. But really, the kid scores 26 points a game on much better-than-average efficiency. Looking solely at offense, there might not be five NBA players better today. He’s a solid step back from LeBron and Wade. But we’re still looking at one of the league’s brightest stars in ‘Melo. The hate has been overwhelmingly wrong about him.”
Barry Stavro of The Los Angeles Times: “The Lakers will boost ticket prices from $10 to $55 apiece for some seats at Staples Center for seven premium games during the 2008-09 season, the team announced today. The Lakers are copying a variable pricing system other sports teams have used to charge higher prices for key matchups. The premium Lakers games are on Dec. 25 against the NBA champion Boston Celtics, Jan. 19 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, Jan. 25 versus San Antonio, Feb. 20 against New Orleans, Feb. 26 versus Phoenix, March 15 against Dallas and April 3 against Houston. For those games, the price of a $35 seat will rise to $45, and so on, with the biggest price hike coming for a $260 seat, which will cost $315 for each of those games.”
D.C. Sports Blog: “They visited Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum, stopped in at a lion park–”they said everything was at your own risk, so I kind of stayed back,” Butler said–and traveled to Kliptown, a poor area in Soweto. “They didn’t even have water, no pipelines anything like that,” Butler said of the Kliptown visit. “Seeing how they was living over there, and they were still happy and humble and grateful for every opportunity they was given….I did not know it was gonna be like that. That was just surprising.” Butler said he wants to mimic some of the charitable efforts other NBA players have launched in South Africa, and has already discussed his trip with teammates Etan Thomas, Gilbert Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson and Antawn Jamison since his return. “They said they’d be willing to do something major over there, a donation from us, just to say, ‘We feel you and we’re with you’ ” he said. “Within a year get we’re definitely going to get something done out there.”"
Free Darko: Talking Points on the Latest Josh Howard Matter [PG-13]
Detroit Bad Boys: “Why is Rick Mahorn my favorite Piston of all time? It has little or nothing at all do to with his play on the court. Sure, he’s widely credited as the inventor of “pulling the chair”, a crafty defensive technique that screams “Bad Boy,” but his playing days are not what I think about when I hear the name “Rick Mahorn.” I think about the guy I got to know over a six-year period in my formative years.”
Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: “”Whoever wins that starting spot won’t necessarily be the best player,” Curry said. “I think it’s hands-down that McDyess is our second-best post player behind Rasheed. But who we end up starting will be the player who gives us the best balance.” Curry pointed out that as a starter last season, McDyess averaged eight more minutes per game than he had as the sixth man the previous season, but took nearly six fewer shots per the minutes he played. That was not good use of the team’s second-best post scorer. “Rasheed and ‘Dyess are our two scoring post players,” Curry said. “The other guys are more complementary. If ‘Dyess is coming off the bench, then whoever else is coming off the bench with him will no longer be asked to play outside their roles.” Curry would love to be able to bring McDyess and Rodney Stuckey off the bench together, forming a second pick-and-roll combination as effective as the starting duo of Chauncey Billups and Wallace.”
Ridiculous Upside: ReDrafting the 2001 NBA Draft
Need4Sheed: “It’s that time of the year again to with Rasheed Wallace a Happy Birthday. I was 34 years ago today that Sheed came into this word to spread cheer, three’s and technical fouls for all to enjoy. We may have not been invited to the party, but that doesn’t mean we can’t wish him well.”
Bucks.com: Charlie Villanueva talks about receiving the NBA’s Community Assist Award in recognition of his charitable efforts
Poasting and Toasting: “Admit it. There was something a little bit exciting about the Isiah Thomas era. When the gears were turning and GM’s were talking, deals went down hastily and without warning. Think back to the Stephon Marbury deal. I don’t think anyone saw that coming until the last minute. Same with the Zach Randolph trade. Isiah’s incomptence and lack of planning or foresight made for abrupt and monumental jolts to the organization. Rumors flew around wildly, largely because Isiah seemed to entertain just about every offer he received. This first summer under Donnie Walsh has proven that things have changed. No, Mr. Walsh has been around far too long and made too much of a reputation for himself to pull the trigger on just anything. Like a stalking cat, he’ll wait for just the right opportunity to attack his prey (in this case, the wild McHales, Baylors, and other helpless creatures of the Serengeti).”
Alan Hahn of Newsday: “Part of me wants to see him there on Media Day, just so Starberman gets him to say something crazy about, say, Barack Obama. Um, Stephon, you, uh, have, uh, supported Obama. Do you, uh, think he will, uh, be, uh, presi-uh-dent? Oh hell yeah. Barack is my man. He balls, you know. And I respect his views and the way how he plans to change our country for the better. So, uh, you are uh OK with his uh plans to raise uh taxes for wealthy people up to uh 30 percent and uh possibly uh more? What? I can hear the TV guys among me, whispering to their cameramen: “You’re rolling, right?” “Oh yeah,” comes the reply. But if Berman was really on his game that day, it could be special. By the time we arrive at the hotel in Saratoga, we could see Obama on CNN quickly denouncing his relationship with Stephon as if he were Rev. Wright. [Bloghost note: I joke! I joke! I keeeed, I keeeed!] “When I said this is the time for change in America,” Obama said, “I was including the Knicks point guard position.”
Jahna Berry of The Arizona Republic: “The city estimates that, based on the reported economic impact of previous All-Star Games, the Phoenix event could attract $40 million in direct spending and up to an $80 million boost to the region. Parties, fan events and community outreach will start in early February and end on Presidents Day. All-Star Weekend begins Feb. 13 with the Rookie Challenge, a game between rookies and second-year players. The following night is a skills competition among the NBA’s best. The All-Star Game itself pits the best players from the Western Conference against the best players from the Eastern. Phoenix Suns players Steve Nash, Amaré Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal have been named All-Stars in previous years. About 60,000 people will be in and out of US Airways Center over the weekend to catch those events, said Jamie Morris, public-relations director for the Suns. The Jam Session is estimated to bring 100,000 people downtown from Feb. 12 to 16,. Phoenix tourism officials say.”
Trail Blazers.com: “One thing that I did get right in my recap is that LaMarcus, when on the court at the PF, is the best player on the floor. He proved it again yesterday during a workout I would classify as the best I’ve seen so far this offseason. Games were close at the end, so guys were really focusing on playing tough defense. One-on-one play was kept to a minimum. Fouls were called and subsequently argued. Rebounds were fought over. I think guys are starting to feel the season is getting closer, and that realization is being reflected in the play on the court. And LaMarcus owned it. With Steven Hill out of town, Aldridge was the only big available to go up against Greg Oden. No offense to GO, but LA took him to school, at least out on the perimeter. Aldridge, knowing he’d have a tough time going blow-for-blow and toe-to-toe with Oden in the block, took the rook out to the three-point line and started displaying some skills that I had never seen before, namely the cross-over dribble. You ever see Aldridge dance at the three-point line before shaking his man? Me neither, but I saw it yesterday.”
Brad Rock of The Deseret News: “To see a Jazz player appearing so regularly in the off-season is strange. John Don’t-Bother-Me Stockton didn’t show up until the first day of training camp. It was never clear whether he was just taking his summers off or living in Uzbekistan. Karl Malone surfaced occasionally in the off-season, but usually to gripe about his contract. This year Williams has been as ubiquitous as Starbucks. True, he played for Team USA, which certainly made him high profile. But he also appeared at the Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism last week to play with the kids. Really play. Because he has an extended family member who is autistic, it was something he volunteered.”
Roland Lazenby of HoopsHype: “It’s impossible to copy a personality type. That’s a genetic trait. Copying Jordan’s physical abilities would be nearly impossible to do. Then, to duplicate his uber mind-set? Such a constitution is rare indeed. “I tend to think how very much they’re alike,” Winter explained to me. “They both display tremendous reaction, quickness and jumping ability. Both have a good shooting touch. Some people say Kobe is a better shooter, but Michael really developed as a shooter as he went along. I don’t know if Kobe is a better shooter than Michael was at his best.” Forget about jumping as high or shooting as well, who could work as hard as Jordan? Who’s willing to live a life of day-to-day, unbending grind? Who has the fierceness? The relentless desire that wears everyone else on the team out? Jackson always pointed out that Jordan’s personality was great for winning games, but it tended to grind on the teammates around him. Jordan sees these traits in Bryant and admits to being more than a casual observer. He’s fascinated by Bryant’s career, even able to relive some of his own experience by watching Kobe. After all, he too played for Jackson in Winter’s same triangle offense.”
