Points in the Paint

» June 19, 2009 5:59 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Kate Andersen of Bloomberg.com: “On paper, it doesn’t look like much of a match-up. A 6-foot, 2-inch, 180-pound, 47-year-old amateur against a 6-foot, 8-inch, 250-pound, 24-year-old pro who won the National Basketball Association’s Most-Valuable Player award this year. Except the amateur will have home-court advantage: the South Lawn of the White House. In an interview with Bloomberg News this week, President Barack Obama said he would soon invoke executive privilege to summon the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and possibly other NBA stars to the White House to shoot some hoops.” (H/T: Starting Blocks)

Alan Hahn of Newsday: “‘I think we can do well in [2010],’ Walsh said, ‘and if we can do well in that, you can make a quick jump.’ Walsh made it pretty clear he is following the game plan by New York’s other sports franchises, who stay competitive through free agency. He pointed to the Yankees and Giants as examples. ‘If they’re not doing well, they go out and they get somebody in the free agent market that is a blockbuster,’ he said. ‘And, we’re going to try – I don’t know if it’s going to be a blockbuster – but we’re going to try to use our money wisely and be ready for a free agency period in another year.’ As for the draft, Walsh seems pretty aware that he must come through with the right pick. He says he considers it ‘a deep draft. I’m not saying 50, but it certainly goes into the 20s. you get a good player well into the end of the first round and a player who can probably help most teams in the NBA. From my vantage point, I think it’s a very good draft.’”

This is hilarious: “Laimbeer’s history as the ultimate thorn for New England basketball of both genders is legendary. If the NBA could have ever improved on Lakers-Celtics of the 80s, it did with Pistons-Celtics. This was good, healthy, hostility. Loathing. Animosity. All the good stuff. One year when Laimbeer and Larry Bird made the all-star game, Bird refused to ride the team bus to the arena. ‘I’d get on the bus and Bill would say, ‘Good morning Larry,’‘ Bird once told the Boston Globe, ‘and I’d have to say, ‘bleep you, Bill.’‘” (H/T: Christie Innes)

Sam Smith breaks down the top 10 Bulls Drafts in history, and adds this little known fact about the 1984 draft: “Back then, the NBA Draft consisted of 10 rounds. Do you remember who the Bulls used their 10th round pick on? The answer: U.S. Olympic sprinter and gold medalist Carl Lewis.”

Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: “Here’s one big thing that won’t happen this summer. A really big thing, actually. Shaquille O’Neal is not coming to Dallas, unless it’s to live out his post-NBA retirement years. You’ve no doubt heard and read things about his interest in joining the Mavericks. I confess I have no idea about the validity of those thoughts. But after chatting up some insiders, what I can tell you is that O’Neal is not an over-the-top acquisition anymore. He had decent numbers last season, but let’s face it: if you can’t get along with Steve Nash, then something’s wrong. And there is considerable evidence that at least some of the Phoenix Suns’ internal problems last season could be traced to the turmoil brought forth by O’Neal and all of his Shaq-ness, for lack of a better term. The best thing O’Neal would be worth in a Mavericks’ uniform would be to boost ticket sales. But last I checked, the AAC has been pretty darn full for most every game.”

Kevin Ding: “Mitch Kupchak indicated when he sits down with Jerry and Jim Buss in the next seven-to-10 days, he will tell them this: ‘To bring the team back as close as possible to the team we have today would probably give us our best chance to repeat.’ Kupchak said he believed it possible that Buss would authorize spending on re-signing Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown. It is not, however, likely.”

Collective Bargaining Agreement expert Larry Coon writes the official Kobe Bryant free agency primer.

Ron Artest doesn’t do streroids, or smoke marijuana when he’s on the golf course.

SLAM unveils their top 50 players of all-time. My top 5: MJ, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Duncan.

John Rohde of The Oklahoman: “If you’re throwing a poker party, you had best steer clear of inviting Thunder general manager Sam Presti. He’d know what you’re thinking before you thought it yourself. He’d know everybody’s odds of winning and losing on every hand. He’d always have enough chips stacked in front of him to make you think twice. He’d know when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em, and would do so with little change of expression. Getting a read on Presti would be difficult because the man has no tell. Behind those chic eyeglasses is the ultimate poker face. The NBA Draft is just five days away, and we’re all wondering what Presti is thinking. Those who know Presti best have always wondered. ‘Reading his mind is almost impossible, and he hasn’t changed one bit,’ said longtime Emerson College basketball coach Hank Smith, the man who coached Presti. ‘His mind is always on overtime. He works so hard, and that’s all he knows. When he was here, he was the ultimate in focus.’”

Sponsors