WNBA
I think I helped break the internet a little. Thank you to Henry Abbott for adding to the respectful discourse about the WNBA.
With her eyes on Olympic Gold, Lauren Jackson plans to not play for the WNBA in 2012.
The Suns
Barbosa is back in Phoenix. He may see playing time this week, but don't bet on it. He did apparently have a nice no look pass in practice though. Yay for seeing the court (or not seeing it) well! Also, it looks like his mother is still sick, but on the upswing from a very bad lung infection.
Amare is back at practice and still wearing his goggles. Barnes is playing with the starters in scrimmages in place of Hill. And Alando is having trouble with his hamstring. Before that though, he was performing at a high level.
More on the Suns' new identity. I'm still holding my breath.
The Suns played an outdoor game last Saturday night against the Nuggets in Indian Wells, California. The result? It was cold and windy. Oh, you mean you want to know the score? 77-72, Denver. Honestly, which team did you think would win a cold outdoor game?
The only really exciting thing was a pair of blocks by Lopez that almost literally knocked my socks off. Well, those were the only notable moments unless you like watching Raja Bell walking around with his arms completely inside his jersey in order to keep warm.
Other NBA
Looking for work? Don't knock on Stern's door.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
I got more records than the KGB
The Suns
10 questions about this Suns' season: Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune
Insight into Porter's playbook (now with muddled metaphors!)
“I’ve never been a big believer in having 10,000 plays and then wind up only running five of them,” he said. “I’m more of a believer in having just a few, making sure those plays have a lot of wrinkles and options.”
The Suns spent an hour ironing out the wrinkles on one such play in Wednesday’s morning session.
So are wrinkles good? Or bad?
Also from that article:
When the Suns broke the huddle under former coach Mike D’Antoni, they chanted "Suns!" Under Porter, that mantra has changed to "Defense!"
I'm cautiously excited about seeing how they do with this defense oriented approach.
More on Porter's defense and how players are adapting to it.
Nash is in favor of fewer minutes, but not fewer games.
"If I could miss 10 or 12 games and go to the Bahamas, that sounds good," Nash said. "If I have to stay here, I might as well play. But to shift the minutes around a little more and change our style just a little bit to preserve guys' legs ... I think that's possible."
I'm just ridiculously in favor of there being backups for Nash that might let Barbosa return to his natural position. The man just doesn't see the floor well, and that's ok. You'd never ask Nash to post-up, or Shaq to start jacking up threes, so why is it a problem if LB is a (really good) undersized shooting guard?
Speaking of Barbosa, he left training camp to be with his very ill mother in Brazil. My thoughts are with them.
Also in that article:
The players [ran] gassers for every missed free throw.... "I have to change that around because they didn’t run that many," [Porter] said. "There were too many free throws made."
Diaw poked STAT in the eye and now Amare may wear goggles for the rest of his career. It isn't serious, but he's just a cautious guy.
Also in that article: Barbosa hasn't set a date to come back from Brazil yet. The Suns do not expect him back before next week, at the earliest.
A fairly nay-saying look at the upcoming season. Some positive bits, but also featuring many phrases in the vein of as if his feet are nailed to the floor and collection of dinosaurs.
Other NBA
Photo from the Plain Dealer
Information about Anderson Varejao, his off season, and his ankle injury.
The injury also prevented Varejao from playing for Brazil in an Olympic qualifier. Surprisingly, he received criticism in his own country for sitting out the qualifier and rehabbing his ankle.
How is this surprising?
"What was tougher for me is the media in Brazil didn’t know what was going on," Varejao said. "I didn’t know why. Everybody started talking like I didn’t want to play for the national team. That was tough. Brazil is a soccer country. Basketball is not that big, so they didn’t really know what was going on."
No, really, I think that even if they had known why he didn't play for Brazil, they would have been disappointed. Especially b/c he played in the playoffs even with the sprain. And claiming that basketball fans around the world don't know about it when their favorite player is injured? Is shortsighted in the age of the internet.
Varejao said the ankle is still swelled a little, but not as bad as it was.
Which, aside from some questionable grammar, is both good and bad. Obviously.
The Spurs count their blessings and come up with three.
Lawrence Pedowitz's review of the NBA's referees has been completed. He found that Donaghy was the only ref who acted illegally. But, as Donaghy's attorney, John Lauro, points out: "If this had been an independent investigation we would have gladly cooperated," Lauro told ESPN.com's Mike Fish. "But we knew this was going to be a PR effort. ... It is a way that David Stern can say, 'I put nice little ribbon on this whole case and the only person that has ever done anything incorrect is Tim Donaghy.' That really was the whole purpose of the report."
I gotta say, I agree. I'm on the fence about if there are other refs who were fixing games or doing things that were worse than favoritism, but I don't trust Stern at all.
The Warriors' mascot is named Thunder. The new OKC team is the Thunder. Conflict!
"For the sake of not making things confusing, we're going to do something. We just have to figure out a good exit strategy."
He just might have one -- leave Thunder in China during the team's upcoming trip to Asia.
"He might get lost in the crowd over in China," Rowell said. "There are 1.3 billion people there."
General WNBA
Lauren Jackson will be a free agent and the Storm are bound and determined to keep her. Also, no matter what the title of the article says, she doesn't want to think about the issue yet.
WNBA Finals
You may be able to stop Nolan, but the Shock have more options than that. For instance, they have Taj McWilliams-Franklin. And other veterans like Katie Smith. Also, the awesomeness of Bill Laimbeer. But mostly, they have Taj.
Doris Burke's diatribes about how the Mystics are eeeeevil for trading Taj to a contender have been bothering me a lot during ESPN's coverage of the Playoffs. I'm glad that someone else put it into words. If I had tried, it might have come out as *keyboardsmash*
I would also add that the Mystics picking up a 8.3ppg/3.7rpg 22 year-old rookie center (in Humphrey) is a lot better for rebuilding than the Grizzlies picking up a 4.8ppg/4.9rpg 26 year-old center who has been playing professionally for 7 years (in Kwame Brown). So please don't even begin to compare this to the Gasol trade, Ms. Burke. Thank you.
10 questions about this Suns' season: Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune
Insight into Porter's playbook (now with muddled metaphors!)
“I’ve never been a big believer in having 10,000 plays and then wind up only running five of them,” he said. “I’m more of a believer in having just a few, making sure those plays have a lot of wrinkles and options.”
The Suns spent an hour ironing out the wrinkles on one such play in Wednesday’s morning session.
So are wrinkles good? Or bad?
Also from that article:
When the Suns broke the huddle under former coach Mike D’Antoni, they chanted "Suns!" Under Porter, that mantra has changed to "Defense!"
I'm cautiously excited about seeing how they do with this defense oriented approach.
More on Porter's defense and how players are adapting to it.
Nash is in favor of fewer minutes, but not fewer games.
"If I could miss 10 or 12 games and go to the Bahamas, that sounds good," Nash said. "If I have to stay here, I might as well play. But to shift the minutes around a little more and change our style just a little bit to preserve guys' legs ... I think that's possible."
I'm just ridiculously in favor of there being backups for Nash that might let Barbosa return to his natural position. The man just doesn't see the floor well, and that's ok. You'd never ask Nash to post-up, or Shaq to start jacking up threes, so why is it a problem if LB is a (really good) undersized shooting guard?
Speaking of Barbosa, he left training camp to be with his very ill mother in Brazil. My thoughts are with them.
Also in that article:
The players [ran] gassers for every missed free throw.... "I have to change that around because they didn’t run that many," [Porter] said. "There were too many free throws made."
Diaw poked STAT in the eye and now Amare may wear goggles for the rest of his career. It isn't serious, but he's just a cautious guy.
Also in that article: Barbosa hasn't set a date to come back from Brazil yet. The Suns do not expect him back before next week, at the earliest.
A fairly nay-saying look at the upcoming season. Some positive bits, but also featuring many phrases in the vein of as if his feet are nailed to the floor and collection of dinosaurs.
Other NBA
Photo from the Plain Dealer
Information about Anderson Varejao, his off season, and his ankle injury.The injury also prevented Varejao from playing for Brazil in an Olympic qualifier. Surprisingly, he received criticism in his own country for sitting out the qualifier and rehabbing his ankle.
How is this surprising?
"What was tougher for me is the media in Brazil didn’t know what was going on," Varejao said. "I didn’t know why. Everybody started talking like I didn’t want to play for the national team. That was tough. Brazil is a soccer country. Basketball is not that big, so they didn’t really know what was going on."
No, really, I think that even if they had known why he didn't play for Brazil, they would have been disappointed. Especially b/c he played in the playoffs even with the sprain. And claiming that basketball fans around the world don't know about it when their favorite player is injured? Is shortsighted in the age of the internet.
Varejao said the ankle is still swelled a little, but not as bad as it was.
Which, aside from some questionable grammar, is both good and bad. Obviously.
The Spurs count their blessings and come up with three.
Lawrence Pedowitz's review of the NBA's referees has been completed. He found that Donaghy was the only ref who acted illegally. But, as Donaghy's attorney, John Lauro, points out: "If this had been an independent investigation we would have gladly cooperated," Lauro told ESPN.com's Mike Fish. "But we knew this was going to be a PR effort. ... It is a way that David Stern can say, 'I put nice little ribbon on this whole case and the only person that has ever done anything incorrect is Tim Donaghy.' That really was the whole purpose of the report."
I gotta say, I agree. I'm on the fence about if there are other refs who were fixing games or doing things that were worse than favoritism, but I don't trust Stern at all.
The Warriors' mascot is named Thunder. The new OKC team is the Thunder. Conflict!
"For the sake of not making things confusing, we're going to do something. We just have to figure out a good exit strategy."
He just might have one -- leave Thunder in China during the team's upcoming trip to Asia.
"He might get lost in the crowd over in China," Rowell said. "There are 1.3 billion people there."
General WNBA
Lauren Jackson will be a free agent and the Storm are bound and determined to keep her. Also, no matter what the title of the article says, she doesn't want to think about the issue yet.
WNBA Finals
You may be able to stop Nolan, but the Shock have more options than that. For instance, they have Taj McWilliams-Franklin. And other veterans like Katie Smith. Also, the awesomeness of Bill Laimbeer. But mostly, they have Taj.
Doris Burke's diatribes about how the Mystics are eeeeevil for trading Taj to a contender have been bothering me a lot during ESPN's coverage of the Playoffs. I'm glad that someone else put it into words. If I had tried, it might have come out as *keyboardsmash*
I would also add that the Mystics picking up a 8.3ppg/3.7rpg 22 year-old rookie center (in Humphrey) is a lot better for rebuilding than the Grizzlies picking up a 4.8ppg/4.9rpg 26 year-old center who has been playing professionally for 7 years (in Kwame Brown). So please don't even begin to compare this to the Gasol trade, Ms. Burke. Thank you.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Them young girls they do get weary, wearing that same old shaggy dress
In the aftermath of the second and third dunks in a WNBA regular season game, I've been thinking about the reaction of (most of) the (male dominated) media a bunch. So I wrote up (what turned out to be) an angry rant, and thought I'd post it.
First of all, if you watch a basketball game without any dunks and don't enjoy it *because* of the lack of dunking, you don't actually like basketball at all. You should be watching And 1, or better yet, nothing but dunk contests.
If you are among those complaining that the league sucks because they don't dunk? You have no place complaining that they should treat Candace Parker's dunks as a matter of course. That dunking regularly "is how it should be, and shouldn't be celebrated." I have two things to say about this pattern of complaint: a) you will never be happy with women playing pro-ball, and b) people who claim that dunks=enjoyable basketball are *the main reason* that the WNBA and its fans celebrated these dunks (and in part Candace Parker's presence in the league) as a milestone.
You helped set the bar. Many of you are members of the media, and you used that power to help put forth the opinion that basketball needs dunks to be exciting and worth watching. Never mind that this opinion shows a lack of interest in the game itself (regardless of gender). If that's what it apparently takes to make the game more interesting to watch, *of course* the WNBA is going to celebrate Candace Parker's recent dunks.
You can't have it both ways.
First of all, if you watch a basketball game without any dunks and don't enjoy it *because* of the lack of dunking, you don't actually like basketball at all. You should be watching And 1, or better yet, nothing but dunk contests.
If you are among those complaining that the league sucks because they don't dunk? You have no place complaining that they should treat Candace Parker's dunks as a matter of course. That dunking regularly "is how it should be, and shouldn't be celebrated." I have two things to say about this pattern of complaint: a) you will never be happy with women playing pro-ball, and b) people who claim that dunks=enjoyable basketball are *the main reason* that the WNBA and its fans celebrated these dunks (and in part Candace Parker's presence in the league) as a milestone.
You helped set the bar. Many of you are members of the media, and you used that power to help put forth the opinion that basketball needs dunks to be exciting and worth watching. Never mind that this opinion shows a lack of interest in the game itself (regardless of gender). If that's what it apparently takes to make the game more interesting to watch, *of course* the WNBA is going to celebrate Candace Parker's recent dunks.
You can't have it both ways.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Me like Sergei Federov
An all Suns edition in anticipation of Game Two tonight!
Nash was apparently sick with the flu in Game One, but he's better now. If it's the same strain as hit my friend L, it was the flu of near-death. I'm really impressed that he pulled off a performance like he did.
I think tonight can go really well, and will--as long as the Suns' bigs don't get in such foul trouble so early.
I know that the skills competitions on All Star Saturday aren't indicative of actual game ability, but it came as no surprise to me that Tim Duncan could make a three. Horror, yes. Surprise, no.
All season long, they've kicked butt at closing games. (46-5 when leading going into the 4th.) So what happened in Game One, and how can they avoid that kind of melt-down in the future?
The Suns have been nominated for the Professional Sports Team of the Year in the Sports Business Awards presented by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. That's a lot of words to say that a periodical (a magazine? a newspaper?) think that the Suns are a first class organization. In fact, they're the only NBA team nominated. Pretty cool.
Kurt Thomas really has joined the forces of evil, and calling a Spurs player "Dirty" is redundant. Just sayin'.
We (the Spurs) had to get through the Lakers. The Bulls had to get through Detroit, Detroit had to get through Boston. That’s always part of NBA history. If they don't get through the Spurs this year (*washes my mouth out with soap*), it won't be because of any mental block.
The best extended metaphor to describe this series in the history of ever. This made me laugh and laugh and then quote it at people. Here, let me quote it at you! A new nobleman, Steve Kerr, has armed the warriors with a new lance. Saint George's lance was named Ascalon, the Suns' lance is named Shaq.
Ok, ok--one non-Suns item. I'm rooting for the Caps tonight in their game 7 against the Flyers. How awesome would it be for them to get into round 2, when they weren't supposed to even get into the playoffs? *knocks so much wood for tonight's games*
Nash was apparently sick with the flu in Game One, but he's better now. If it's the same strain as hit my friend L, it was the flu of near-death. I'm really impressed that he pulled off a performance like he did.
I think tonight can go really well, and will--as long as the Suns' bigs don't get in such foul trouble so early.
I know that the skills competitions on All Star Saturday aren't indicative of actual game ability, but it came as no surprise to me that Tim Duncan could make a three. Horror, yes. Surprise, no.
All season long, they've kicked butt at closing games. (46-5 when leading going into the 4th.) So what happened in Game One, and how can they avoid that kind of melt-down in the future?
The Suns have been nominated for the Professional Sports Team of the Year in the Sports Business Awards presented by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. That's a lot of words to say that a periodical (a magazine? a newspaper?) think that the Suns are a first class organization. In fact, they're the only NBA team nominated. Pretty cool.
Kurt Thomas really has joined the forces of evil, and calling a Spurs player "Dirty" is redundant. Just sayin'.
We (the Spurs) had to get through the Lakers. The Bulls had to get through Detroit, Detroit had to get through Boston. That’s always part of NBA history. If they don't get through the Spurs this year (*washes my mouth out with soap*), it won't be because of any mental block.
The best extended metaphor to describe this series in the history of ever. This made me laugh and laugh and then quote it at people. Here, let me quote it at you! A new nobleman, Steve Kerr, has armed the warriors with a new lance. Saint George's lance was named Ascalon, the Suns' lance is named Shaq.
Ok, ok--one non-Suns item. I'm rooting for the Caps tonight in their game 7 against the Flyers. How awesome would it be for them to get into round 2, when they weren't supposed to even get into the playoffs? *knocks so much wood for tonight's games*
Monday, April 21, 2008
Mr. Dinkins, would you please be my mayor?
Again, it's been awhile since my last update. This time it's because I was very sick for about 2 weeks. Blech. Some older links are mixed in here, mostly because I found them interesting and/or important. Enjoy!
The Suns
Saturday's Game One loss against the Spurs was pretty hard to take. To lose a 16 point lead and have it go into two overtimes (one of which happened on a 3-pointer from a 7-footer) before finally losing on a last second shot? Just really hard to swallow. In the post game interviews, the Suns all looked so sad. Shaq was barely audible, and Hill looked like he probably had been crying. It broke my heart.
May Tuesday's game go much better, without dumb fouls and dumber luck.
Game recaps: Associated Press, Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune
It looks like Diaw is key for this first round matchup (and in my mind, the entire playoff run).
Unrelated to the playoffs, Barbosa met Shaq first when he was 7 years old. They shook hands, and then Shaq broke LB's gym's backboard. It didn't get fixed for a week and a half.
Other NBA
Apparently the new owners of the Sonics had no intent to keep them in Seattle, no matter what they told the NBA or the previous owner. I know this is old news, but it's important context to the fact that the NBA team owners approved the Oklahoma City relocation. A few things stood out to me in the second article.
One: Clay Bennett hopes no one understands the concept of context. Bennett said his words had been misinterpreted. When he wrote, "I am a man possessed! Will do everything we can," he meant he was determined to find a way for the Sonics to remain in the city. Ha!
Two: Bennett is...facing a class-action lawsuit brought by season-ticket holders who say they were duped into buying tickets under the premise the Sonics wouldn't leave. Crazy!
Three: And this week former team owner Howard Schultz announced plans to sue to get the team back, saying Bennett did not make a good-faith effort to secure a new arena deal as he promised when he bought the team in 2006. I'm glad *someone* is paying attention to the emails from the first article, since David Stern seems to be so prone to flattery. Even if Seattlites don't like Schultz either.
The Nuggets had major bus problems on the way to game one. Bad omen there with black smoke and everything.
Isiah Thomas finally got fired, but he's been kept around seemingly for kicks. My friend Anna suggested that this may be to avoid paying out the nose to let him go. Whatever it is, I'm glad he's (mostly) gone to stop the poisoning of that franchise (and the league as a whole).
FIBA and Other International Ball
Here, have an overview of Olympic qualifiers and the Olympic games themselves.
Brazil is optimistic about their chances to get through the Olympic qualifiers. I'm definitely rooting for them.
Tiago Splitter's sister, Michelle, has been dealing with leukaemia for awhile, and recently had a recurrence. I hope her health improves.
Shabtai von Kalmanovic treats the members of his basketball team (Spartak) really really well. That includes Dianna Taurasi, Sue Bird, and Tina Thompson. He has a little more than a smidge of smarm though.
Becky Hammon signs with the Russian national team to play in the Olympics. This was weird to me, until I read that article. She's right, her choices were to sit on my couch and watch the Olympics, or play in the Olympics. It made it an easy decision.
The WNBA
The WNBA draft happened while I was not busy maintaining this blog. It was a pretty awesome (if semi-predictable) draft, and the Mystics got a pretty good (and local!) pick-up in Crystal Langhorne.
The Seattle Storm (who are my preseason guess for a championship) recently entered into a sponsorship deal with Olivia Cruise Line. This is (probably) due in part to their off season pick up of Sheryl Swoopes (longtime spokesperson of Olivia). This is the first time that I know of that a WNBA team has officially entered into any kind of partnership with a high profile member of the lesbian (or gay) corporate community. However! Their press release on this cracked me up and not in a good way. The only time that they mentioned anything about the GLBT nature of Olivia was when they mentioned famous personalities that had been involved with the company in the past (and present). Entertainers and athletes aligned with Olivia have included stars such as Melissa Etheridge, Heart, KD Lang, Missy Higgins, Paula Cole, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and the Storm’s own Sheryl Swoopes. No other GLBT mention, even though olivia.com literally announces that it's "Where Lesbians Go."
The New York Liberty are going to play an outdoor game this year. It marks the very first regular season game of it's kind in pro-ball. Male or female.
Tamika Catchings is working hard to rehab from last year's torn Achilles Tendon. She wants to help win the Fever a championship, and she really really wants to play in the Olympics.
WNBA Transactions:
* Nikki Teasley, who was my favorite Mystic two years ago and who I still love a lot, is pregnant. I was all excited for her, b/c a little Mystic baby! But then she got let go, for reasons that had nothing to do with her pregnancy. Raise your hand if you believe that. No, me either. Pretty crummy.
* Former Mystic, Stacey Dales retires from the Chicago Sky to focus on broadcasting.
* The Minnesota Lynx picked up Ashley Awkward. This is mostly notable because my sister will love her name. She came from Australia's WNBL, and it'll be interesting to see how she does in the WNBA.
* Sue Bird re-signed with the Seattle Storm.
* Yolanda Griffith gets signed to the Storm. Yes, they're collecting fairly old players, but I have the feeling that they're going to be really good.
* The Phoenix Mercury lock Dianna Taurasi down for another three years.
* The Mercury sign Yuko Oga from Japan. I don't know much about Japanese women's basketball (they'll be in the Olympic qualifiers in Spain in June), so I can't wait to see her play.
The Suns
Saturday's Game One loss against the Spurs was pretty hard to take. To lose a 16 point lead and have it go into two overtimes (one of which happened on a 3-pointer from a 7-footer) before finally losing on a last second shot? Just really hard to swallow. In the post game interviews, the Suns all looked so sad. Shaq was barely audible, and Hill looked like he probably had been crying. It broke my heart.
May Tuesday's game go much better, without dumb fouls and dumber luck.
Game recaps: Associated Press, Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune
It looks like Diaw is key for this first round matchup (and in my mind, the entire playoff run).
Unrelated to the playoffs, Barbosa met Shaq first when he was 7 years old. They shook hands, and then Shaq broke LB's gym's backboard. It didn't get fixed for a week and a half.
Other NBA
Apparently the new owners of the Sonics had no intent to keep them in Seattle, no matter what they told the NBA or the previous owner. I know this is old news, but it's important context to the fact that the NBA team owners approved the Oklahoma City relocation. A few things stood out to me in the second article.
One: Clay Bennett hopes no one understands the concept of context. Bennett said his words had been misinterpreted. When he wrote, "I am a man possessed! Will do everything we can," he meant he was determined to find a way for the Sonics to remain in the city. Ha!
Two: Bennett is...facing a class-action lawsuit brought by season-ticket holders who say they were duped into buying tickets under the premise the Sonics wouldn't leave. Crazy!
Three: And this week former team owner Howard Schultz announced plans to sue to get the team back, saying Bennett did not make a good-faith effort to secure a new arena deal as he promised when he bought the team in 2006. I'm glad *someone* is paying attention to the emails from the first article, since David Stern seems to be so prone to flattery. Even if Seattlites don't like Schultz either.
The Nuggets had major bus problems on the way to game one. Bad omen there with black smoke and everything.
Isiah Thomas finally got fired, but he's been kept around seemingly for kicks. My friend Anna suggested that this may be to avoid paying out the nose to let him go. Whatever it is, I'm glad he's (mostly) gone to stop the poisoning of that franchise (and the league as a whole).
FIBA and Other International Ball
Here, have an overview of Olympic qualifiers and the Olympic games themselves.
Brazil is optimistic about their chances to get through the Olympic qualifiers. I'm definitely rooting for them.
Tiago Splitter's sister, Michelle, has been dealing with leukaemia for awhile, and recently had a recurrence. I hope her health improves.
Shabtai von Kalmanovic treats the members of his basketball team (Spartak) really really well. That includes Dianna Taurasi, Sue Bird, and Tina Thompson. He has a little more than a smidge of smarm though.
Becky Hammon signs with the Russian national team to play in the Olympics. This was weird to me, until I read that article. She's right, her choices were to sit on my couch and watch the Olympics, or play in the Olympics. It made it an easy decision.
The WNBA
The WNBA draft happened while I was not busy maintaining this blog. It was a pretty awesome (if semi-predictable) draft, and the Mystics got a pretty good (and local!) pick-up in Crystal Langhorne.
The Seattle Storm (who are my preseason guess for a championship) recently entered into a sponsorship deal with Olivia Cruise Line. This is (probably) due in part to their off season pick up of Sheryl Swoopes (longtime spokesperson of Olivia). This is the first time that I know of that a WNBA team has officially entered into any kind of partnership with a high profile member of the lesbian (or gay) corporate community. However! Their press release on this cracked me up and not in a good way. The only time that they mentioned anything about the GLBT nature of Olivia was when they mentioned famous personalities that had been involved with the company in the past (and present). Entertainers and athletes aligned with Olivia have included stars such as Melissa Etheridge, Heart, KD Lang, Missy Higgins, Paula Cole, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and the Storm’s own Sheryl Swoopes. No other GLBT mention, even though olivia.com literally announces that it's "Where Lesbians Go."
The New York Liberty are going to play an outdoor game this year. It marks the very first regular season game of it's kind in pro-ball. Male or female.
Tamika Catchings is working hard to rehab from last year's torn Achilles Tendon. She wants to help win the Fever a championship, and she really really wants to play in the Olympics.
WNBA Transactions:
* Nikki Teasley, who was my favorite Mystic two years ago and who I still love a lot, is pregnant. I was all excited for her, b/c a little Mystic baby! But then she got let go, for reasons that had nothing to do with her pregnancy. Raise your hand if you believe that. No, me either. Pretty crummy.
* Former Mystic, Stacey Dales retires from the Chicago Sky to focus on broadcasting.
* The Minnesota Lynx picked up Ashley Awkward. This is mostly notable because my sister will love her name. She came from Australia's WNBL, and it'll be interesting to see how she does in the WNBA.
* Sue Bird re-signed with the Seattle Storm.
* Yolanda Griffith gets signed to the Storm. Yes, they're collecting fairly old players, but I have the feeling that they're going to be really good.
* The Phoenix Mercury lock Dianna Taurasi down for another three years.
* The Mercury sign Yuko Oga from Japan. I don't know much about Japanese women's basketball (they'll be in the Olympic qualifiers in Spain in June), so I can't wait to see her play.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Pour myself a cup of ambition
Geez, it's been a little bit. This is going to only cover through Tuesday for the most part, and only the NBA. I'll have another post up soon (hopefully today) with WNBA and FIBA as well as stuff from last night. Sorry, I know all two of you wait with baited breath for these posts.
The Suns
Win number four was terrific on Saturday night. I didn't get to listen or watch stats, but a friend (smileyqueen114) was at the game and she texted me with excitement and awesomeness. For instance, did you know that it was the Gorilla's birthday on Saturday? Neither did I. Happy 28th, Go!
Win number five wasn't too shabby either. They're really playing well and having fun and earning the respect of their opponents. I seriously couldn't ask for more.
Recaps: Associated Press, Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune
With those wins, the playoff picture looks a lot better.
Monta Ellis wants to have a race with Leandro Barbosa. Ok, so maybe he doesn't *want to* per se, but he definitely talked about it.
Bell's defense has gotten markedly better lately. I really think that he missed Marion when the trade first happened. Or as he put it: My energy level personally went through a little down period when that trade happened.
Whaddya know, the Boris Diaw that won the Most Improved Player in '06 still exists somewhere in there. Maybe he's trying to win it again this year. He's thinking, if I take every other year off and really step it up in the even numbered years, that award is mine! Ok, maybe not.
Permit me some Sports Night quoting for this next link.
JEREMY Not fitting in is how qualified people lose jobs.
ISAAC Yeah, but a lot of time it's how people end up working here.
I just love my team!
I worry about articles like these. It just sounds like Marion all over again. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentences as Lebron and Kobe and KG, but I just... When I hear him say things like, I put in the time and the effort and the work to be an elite player and ... my teammates and coaches notice, even if other people don't notice it, it's like listening to Marion talk last summer. And that scares me a bit.
Other NBA News
Shawn Marion was out for two games because of back problems (or if you read comments on azcentral.com, because Pat Riley wants to get a good pick in the draft lotto). What I want to know is: was he in a car when he backed into an object in a garage? Because I really didn't read it that way, and I laaaughed.
One of the reasons that I was unable to listen to the Suns beat the pants off the Kings on Saturday night was because I was at the Wizards v Clippers awesomefest. Seriously, I wanted to shake some sense into all those people who left before the end of regulation. Let that game be a lesson to them. Four points in seven seconds to take it into over time! And Chris Kamen on the kiss cam! Awesomesauce!
Arenas thought he'd be back this week, but then on Monday the doctors said not yet. Who knows when he'll be back. If he doesn't come back this season, he might not come back to DC at all. I'm not sure that's a bad thing.
The Rockets lost! Finally!
The Nuggets score points like it's going out of style. I care very little about either team, so that article is going to stand on it's own.
The Seattle SuperSonics and Oklahoma City reached a preliminary agreement on a lease at the Ford Center, pending NBA approval of the team's move. Considering how Stern seems to feel about Seattle, it looks like a pretty definite move.
*puts on armchair psychologist hat* This guy seems like he's running from something. But he'll have great stories when he stops running.
The Suns
Win number four was terrific on Saturday night. I didn't get to listen or watch stats, but a friend (smileyqueen114) was at the game and she texted me with excitement and awesomeness. For instance, did you know that it was the Gorilla's birthday on Saturday? Neither did I. Happy 28th, Go!
Win number five wasn't too shabby either. They're really playing well and having fun and earning the respect of their opponents. I seriously couldn't ask for more.
Recaps: Associated Press, Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune
With those wins, the playoff picture looks a lot better.
Monta Ellis wants to have a race with Leandro Barbosa. Ok, so maybe he doesn't *want to* per se, but he definitely talked about it.
Bell's defense has gotten markedly better lately. I really think that he missed Marion when the trade first happened. Or as he put it: My energy level personally went through a little down period when that trade happened.
Whaddya know, the Boris Diaw that won the Most Improved Player in '06 still exists somewhere in there. Maybe he's trying to win it again this year. He's thinking, if I take every other year off and really step it up in the even numbered years, that award is mine! Ok, maybe not.
Permit me some Sports Night quoting for this next link.
JEREMY Not fitting in is how qualified people lose jobs.
ISAAC Yeah, but a lot of time it's how people end up working here.
I just love my team!
I worry about articles like these. It just sounds like Marion all over again. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentences as Lebron and Kobe and KG, but I just... When I hear him say things like, I put in the time and the effort and the work to be an elite player and ... my teammates and coaches notice, even if other people don't notice it, it's like listening to Marion talk last summer. And that scares me a bit.
Other NBA News
Shawn Marion was out for two games because of back problems (or if you read comments on azcentral.com, because Pat Riley wants to get a good pick in the draft lotto). What I want to know is: was he in a car when he backed into an object in a garage? Because I really didn't read it that way, and I laaaughed.
One of the reasons that I was unable to listen to the Suns beat the pants off the Kings on Saturday night was because I was at the Wizards v Clippers awesomefest. Seriously, I wanted to shake some sense into all those people who left before the end of regulation. Let that game be a lesson to them. Four points in seven seconds to take it into over time! And Chris Kamen on the kiss cam! Awesomesauce!
Arenas thought he'd be back this week, but then on Monday the doctors said not yet. Who knows when he'll be back. If he doesn't come back this season, he might not come back to DC at all. I'm not sure that's a bad thing.
The Rockets lost! Finally!
The Nuggets score points like it's going out of style. I care very little about either team, so that article is going to stand on it's own.
The Seattle SuperSonics and Oklahoma City reached a preliminary agreement on a lease at the Ford Center, pending NBA approval of the team's move. Considering how Stern seems to feel about Seattle, it looks like a pretty definite move.
*puts on armchair psychologist hat* This guy seems like he's running from something. But he'll have great stories when he stops running.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
You can't step into the same river twice
The Suns
Thursday's game was a big win. I didn't get to see a lot of it, but I appreciate that even after (or while) adjusting to Shaq, they can still get out there and play small ball with the Warriors.
All that, and 4 technicals. I kind of love that (as an isolated incident), because it shows an injection of spirit into the team that's been lacking this year. I hope it continues, although without the Ts. I also really love the bit in that article about the triangle offense. D'Antoni finally says what I've been thinking since I heard of it: Any time anyone has three guys on a side of the court, someone can call it a triangle. Exactly!
Game recaps: Associated Press, Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune.
Shaq is an pretty good playmaker. In his words, the great John Wooden said the true definition of a great player is how you make everyone else play around you, so it's my job to take (my teammates) to the next level.
Barbosa knows his shortcomings, and wants to work on them. His goal? To be number one in steals for the league. I have nothing but ridiculously positive things to say about that.
Shaq sends the bench scattering in the game against the Grizzlies. I love stories about what happens on the bench, and I love to see these guys poke fun at one another. This article gave me the warm fuzzies.
There's more about that in this article about Gordan Giricek. Highlights for me included Shaq apologizing to the man who split his lip when Shaq dove into the stands, and Iavaroni coining the word Shaqlimated. I already had been using Shaqceptance, this is a great new one to use. Thanks, Marc!
Other NBA News
Caron Butler comes back, is the leading Wiz scorer, helps win a game against the Cavs, and turns 28. All on the same day. I hope he plays again on Saturday against the Clippers when I'm there watching.
LeBron James is on a very misguided Vogue cover.
FIBA and Other International Stuff
Nene is recovering, doesn't know how he'll be for the Olympic qualifiers this summer, and really likes God. A lot. If that's how he gets the strength to beat cancer, more power to him.
Glendale, Arizona wants to become the home of USA Basketball. No big surprise, Jerry Colangelo is pushing for that to happen.
Apparently, Switzerland attracts Brazilian basketball players. Who knew?
The WNBA
The Mystics are helping to sponsor a walk to raise money for people with breast cancer. It's May 11th at 9 am. It sounds very cool.
WNBA Moves:
* Bo Overton has resigned from his post as the head coach and GM of the Chicago Sky amidst allegations of sexual harassment. I hope we get more news on that. Steven Key, formerly assistant coach, has been named GM and head coach.
* The New York Liberty have re-signed Janel McCarville and her faux-hawk.
Thursday's game was a big win. I didn't get to see a lot of it, but I appreciate that even after (or while) adjusting to Shaq, they can still get out there and play small ball with the Warriors.
All that, and 4 technicals. I kind of love that (as an isolated incident), because it shows an injection of spirit into the team that's been lacking this year. I hope it continues, although without the Ts. I also really love the bit in that article about the triangle offense. D'Antoni finally says what I've been thinking since I heard of it: Any time anyone has three guys on a side of the court, someone can call it a triangle. Exactly!
Game recaps: Associated Press, Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune.
Shaq is an pretty good playmaker. In his words, the great John Wooden said the true definition of a great player is how you make everyone else play around you, so it's my job to take (my teammates) to the next level.
Barbosa knows his shortcomings, and wants to work on them. His goal? To be number one in steals for the league. I have nothing but ridiculously positive things to say about that.
Shaq sends the bench scattering in the game against the Grizzlies. I love stories about what happens on the bench, and I love to see these guys poke fun at one another. This article gave me the warm fuzzies.
There's more about that in this article about Gordan Giricek. Highlights for me included Shaq apologizing to the man who split his lip when Shaq dove into the stands, and Iavaroni coining the word Shaqlimated. I already had been using Shaqceptance, this is a great new one to use. Thanks, Marc!
Other NBA News
Caron Butler comes back, is the leading Wiz scorer, helps win a game against the Cavs, and turns 28. All on the same day. I hope he plays again on Saturday against the Clippers when I'm there watching.
LeBron James is on a very misguided Vogue cover.
FIBA and Other International Stuff
Nene is recovering, doesn't know how he'll be for the Olympic qualifiers this summer, and really likes God. A lot. If that's how he gets the strength to beat cancer, more power to him.
Glendale, Arizona wants to become the home of USA Basketball. No big surprise, Jerry Colangelo is pushing for that to happen.
Apparently, Switzerland attracts Brazilian basketball players. Who knew?
The WNBA
The Mystics are helping to sponsor a walk to raise money for people with breast cancer. It's May 11th at 9 am. It sounds very cool.
WNBA Moves:
* Bo Overton has resigned from his post as the head coach and GM of the Chicago Sky amidst allegations of sexual harassment. I hope we get more news on that. Steven Key, formerly assistant coach, has been named GM and head coach.
* The New York Liberty have re-signed Janel McCarville and her faux-hawk.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
The Suns
Another good game! I mean, it was against the Grizzlies--but it was a big forceful follow up to Sunday's win. Now they need to keep it going.
Recaps: Associated Press, East Valley Tribune, Arizona Republic.
According to the Republic, the Suns have been improving on both ends of the floor.
Grant Hill is doing better on defense. I guess he feels like he has something to prove. (Also in that first link, how cool is this? Phoenix recorded its 1,800th victory in club history in its 3,229th game [against the Spurs]. Only the Celtics, 76ers and Lakers won 1,800 in fewer games.)
Shaq has to resort to hitchhiking, because he can't park his huge truck anywhere. Thank goodness he's flexible. (More pictures here.)
Other NBA News
Caron Butler has returned to practice. Antawn Jamison is like a kid at Christmas.
Nellie's been asked back, now it's up to him to decide what he wants.
Pat Riley has decided that the Heat's season is over, and has shut Wade down to recover from his injuries. This makes me feel bad for Marion. He's going to really end up appreciating what he had with the Suns. Or he's going to be happy being the number one guy for the first time in his career. It's a toss up.
FIBA and Other International Stuff
What the Olympics mean to players in the NBA. The article mostly looks at international players (I'm not complaining on that count), and mostly at the Lakers (blah).
After reading this article, I really want to go to games in other countries. It reminded me strongly of watching the Mexico v Argentina game at the FIBA Americas.
The WNBA
Becky Hammon from the San Antonio Silver Stars has generous and thoughtful fans.
WNBA Moves:
* In a move that shouldn't surprise anyone, the Detroit Shock re-signed their big three.
* The Silver Stars re-signed Becky Hammon ( to a contract extension through 2011) and Ruth Riley (to a two-year deal).
* The Phoenix Mercury re-signed Tangela Smith to a three-year contract.
* Connecticut Sun forward Nykesha Sales is taking a year off to recover from injuries. She should rehab with Dwyane Wade. Or not.
* The Washington Mystics signed Amber Jacobs (of the Minnesota Lynx) to an offer sheet. The Lynx have until Saturday the 15th to match or beat the offer. I know this one isn't too big a deal, but I'm a Mystics fan, so I'm putting it in here.
Another good game! I mean, it was against the Grizzlies--but it was a big forceful follow up to Sunday's win. Now they need to keep it going.
Recaps: Associated Press, East Valley Tribune, Arizona Republic.
According to the Republic, the Suns have been improving on both ends of the floor.
Grant Hill is doing better on defense. I guess he feels like he has something to prove. (Also in that first link, how cool is this? Phoenix recorded its 1,800th victory in club history in its 3,229th game [against the Spurs]. Only the Celtics, 76ers and Lakers won 1,800 in fewer games.)
Shaq has to resort to hitchhiking, because he can't park his huge truck anywhere. Thank goodness he's flexible. (More pictures here.)
Other NBA News
Caron Butler has returned to practice. Antawn Jamison is like a kid at Christmas.
Nellie's been asked back, now it's up to him to decide what he wants.
Pat Riley has decided that the Heat's season is over, and has shut Wade down to recover from his injuries. This makes me feel bad for Marion. He's going to really end up appreciating what he had with the Suns. Or he's going to be happy being the number one guy for the first time in his career. It's a toss up.
FIBA and Other International Stuff
What the Olympics mean to players in the NBA. The article mostly looks at international players (I'm not complaining on that count), and mostly at the Lakers (blah).
After reading this article, I really want to go to games in other countries. It reminded me strongly of watching the Mexico v Argentina game at the FIBA Americas.
The WNBA
Becky Hammon from the San Antonio Silver Stars has generous and thoughtful fans.
WNBA Moves:
* In a move that shouldn't surprise anyone, the Detroit Shock re-signed their big three.
* The Silver Stars re-signed Becky Hammon ( to a contract extension through 2011) and Ruth Riley (to a two-year deal).
* The Phoenix Mercury re-signed Tangela Smith to a three-year contract.
* Connecticut Sun forward Nykesha Sales is taking a year off to recover from injuries. She should rehab with Dwyane Wade. Or not.
* The Washington Mystics signed Amber Jacobs (of the Minnesota Lynx) to an offer sheet. The Lynx have until Saturday the 15th to match or beat the offer. I know this one isn't too big a deal, but I'm a Mystics fan, so I'm putting it in here.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Get down off the cross, we could use the wood
Today's post is going to be loooong, as I've been reading and collecting things to post, but I just haven't done it. So let's get to it.
The Suns
Wasn't yesterday's game just what the doctor ordered? Let alone the beautiful +1 in the win column and the fact that it was against the evil Spurs, it made me so happy to see hustle like this:
Game recaps: Associated Press, East Valley Tribune, Arizona Republic.
Suns.com gives us the secret to beating the Spurs in five easy pieces.
Don't expect D'Antoni to go any deeper in his rotation. There's a surprise.
Bell isn't against the trade, but he thinks the team was doing fine before it. And just in case you were wondering--yes, Bell is still a good defender.
Old news, but the Suns did, in fact, sign Giricek. And apparently he has something to prove.
Kevin Johnson is running for mayor of Sacramento. From everything that I know about him (which, admittedly, isn't a ton), I think he'd do a good job. Let's go, KJ!
Other NBA News
Anderson Varejao's parents both had to have surgery this past summer, making his time even more stressful and up in the air.
Gilbert Arenas and Etan Thomas are back to practicing with the Wizards. Caron Butler hopes to return to practice this week, maybe as soon as today.
Sam Cassell did sign with the Celtics, making them a better team and probably limiting House's minutes all at the same time. I don't know if he's starting for them or coming off the bench behind the much younger Rondo.
First Isiah Thomas intimated that Marbury was going to need to find a new job next year. Then he refused to talk about his player, multiple times. Then Marbury sounded sad. Now there are hugs and trade rumors. The last one is poorly timed, as any way that he managed to get to another team right now, he'd be exempt from being able to play in the playoffs. Such a toxic organization.
Apparently there were a lot of ejections in the Spurs v Pacers game last week. Including one on Indiana's David Harrison, who earlier in the quarter had taken an elbow from Bonner, turned to an official and declared, "I'm going to (expletive) kill him." Crazy.
Last week Dirk got suspended for a flagrant-2 against Andre Kirilenko. Want to see it? Here:
FIBA and Other International Stuff
Since I expressed interest in how they're picking the host country of the 2014 FIBA World Championship, here's the press release. Speaking of that, Russia has officially become a candidate.
Yao Ming expects to be recovered from his season-ending foot surgery in time to play for China in the Olympics. I wonder if that would be true if the Olympics were not in Beijing.
Lisa Leslie is looking forward to playing for Team USA this summer. And I'm looking forward to seeing how well she plays after having a year off (and y'know--having a baby).
The WNBA
Shannon "Peewee" Johnson is heading to the Comets. That's a big (if unheralded) move. Much like Sheryl Swoopes, she's a great motivator and teacher. The Comets are lucky to have her.
The Suns
Wasn't yesterday's game just what the doctor ordered? Let alone the beautiful +1 in the win column and the fact that it was against the evil Spurs, it made me so happy to see hustle like this:Game recaps: Associated Press, East Valley Tribune, Arizona Republic.
Suns.com gives us the secret to beating the Spurs in five easy pieces.
Don't expect D'Antoni to go any deeper in his rotation. There's a surprise.
Bell isn't against the trade, but he thinks the team was doing fine before it. And just in case you were wondering--yes, Bell is still a good defender.
Old news, but the Suns did, in fact, sign Giricek. And apparently he has something to prove.
Kevin Johnson is running for mayor of Sacramento. From everything that I know about him (which, admittedly, isn't a ton), I think he'd do a good job. Let's go, KJ!
Other NBA News
Anderson Varejao's parents both had to have surgery this past summer, making his time even more stressful and up in the air.
Gilbert Arenas and Etan Thomas are back to practicing with the Wizards. Caron Butler hopes to return to practice this week, maybe as soon as today.
Sam Cassell did sign with the Celtics, making them a better team and probably limiting House's minutes all at the same time. I don't know if he's starting for them or coming off the bench behind the much younger Rondo.
First Isiah Thomas intimated that Marbury was going to need to find a new job next year. Then he refused to talk about his player, multiple times. Then Marbury sounded sad. Now there are hugs and trade rumors. The last one is poorly timed, as any way that he managed to get to another team right now, he'd be exempt from being able to play in the playoffs. Such a toxic organization.
Apparently there were a lot of ejections in the Spurs v Pacers game last week. Including one on Indiana's David Harrison, who earlier in the quarter had taken an elbow from Bonner, turned to an official and declared, "I'm going to (expletive) kill him." Crazy.
Last week Dirk got suspended for a flagrant-2 against Andre Kirilenko. Want to see it? Here:
FIBA and Other International Stuff
Since I expressed interest in how they're picking the host country of the 2014 FIBA World Championship, here's the press release. Speaking of that, Russia has officially become a candidate.
Yao Ming expects to be recovered from his season-ending foot surgery in time to play for China in the Olympics. I wonder if that would be true if the Olympics were not in Beijing.
Lisa Leslie is looking forward to playing for Team USA this summer. And I'm looking forward to seeing how well she plays after having a year off (and y'know--having a baby).
The WNBA
Shannon "Peewee" Johnson is heading to the Comets. That's a big (if unheralded) move. Much like Sheryl Swoopes, she's a great motivator and teacher. The Comets are lucky to have her.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
It was a long walk in a slow rain and nobody tried to be John Wayne
The weird thing about the Suns' shortcomings after the trade (to me) is that Shaq seems to be a pretty terrible defender. I knew he was a good inside offensive presence, and I knew that he wasn't about to shoot the three--but I figured that he would be able to stop the opposition down low. So far I'm not seeing it.
Paola Boivin has an excellent list of things that need improvement for the
team to start winning. I also worry that D'Antoni's not going to be coaching in AZ long after this season if things don't get better soon. Which is kind of unfair considering what he has done for the team.
(At left: D'Antoni is ready to box anyone who thinks he should lose his job over the difficulty post Shaq trade.)
In the "Free Throws" section of Coro's latest article for the Arizona Republic, he says that Gordan Giricek may play with the Suns as early as tonight against the Trail Blazers and that Tyronn Lue decided to go with the Mavs.
James Jones is realistic about his on-court performance, and I want to give him a hug. For a good part of the time I was there, I was inconsistent and had trouble with my shot.... Even though there were times I struggled and thought I was the worst player in the league, I guess people still felt I had value. He *was* inconsistent. He *did* struggle. But he was pretty far from the worst player in the league. He wasn't even the worst player on the Suns. Man, would I love him to still be in Phoenix.
Another piece of evidence that Steve Nash is awesome. I wonder how he is as a coach.
There is a witty way to link to this I'm sure, but since I can't think of it: the do-over between the Heat and the Hawks is happening on Saturday with the new rosters.
Sam Cassell should be winging his way to Boston today to sign with the Celtics. They're just so stacked. I bet this means that House gets fewer minutes. Thank goodness I just traded him for Bell in my fantasy league.
Arenas is going to practice today, but judging from his attitude and possible fear, don't expect him to play anytime soon.
Nowitski takes Kirilenko down. Everyone seems to be fine.
WNBA moves:
* Sheryl Swoopes joins Swin Cash as new additions in Seattle. This is huge. She won't play much, but having a player of that character and caliber on the bench and in the locker room is a big confidence builder. If the new coach is any good, the Storm is going to be amazing. She will be missed in Houston.
* The Sacramento Monarchs resigned Rebekkah Brunson and Nicole Powell.
* The San Antonio Silver Stars resigned Sophia Young and Shanna Crossley.
* The Mystics resigned Laurie Koehn. Now maybe they can play her. 46% career 3-point shooter? Amazing.
Cheryl Ford is up for a Nickelodeon Kids Choice award. My guess is that she won't win because she's up against the Williams sisters and Danica Patrick (all three very famous and popular), but I'm hoping that she does well. It's very cool regardless.
Some bigotry in Colorado high school basketball. Fun! I hope that gets changed.
Paola Boivin has an excellent list of things that need improvement for the
team to start winning. I also worry that D'Antoni's not going to be coaching in AZ long after this season if things don't get better soon. Which is kind of unfair considering what he has done for the team.(At left: D'Antoni is ready to box anyone who thinks he should lose his job over the difficulty post Shaq trade.)
In the "Free Throws" section of Coro's latest article for the Arizona Republic, he says that Gordan Giricek may play with the Suns as early as tonight against the Trail Blazers and that Tyronn Lue decided to go with the Mavs.
James Jones is realistic about his on-court performance, and I want to give him a hug. For a good part of the time I was there, I was inconsistent and had trouble with my shot.... Even though there were times I struggled and thought I was the worst player in the league, I guess people still felt I had value. He *was* inconsistent. He *did* struggle. But he was pretty far from the worst player in the league. He wasn't even the worst player on the Suns. Man, would I love him to still be in Phoenix.
Another piece of evidence that Steve Nash is awesome. I wonder how he is as a coach.
There is a witty way to link to this I'm sure, but since I can't think of it: the do-over between the Heat and the Hawks is happening on Saturday with the new rosters.
Sam Cassell should be winging his way to Boston today to sign with the Celtics. They're just so stacked. I bet this means that House gets fewer minutes. Thank goodness I just traded him for Bell in my fantasy league.
Arenas is going to practice today, but judging from his attitude and possible fear, don't expect him to play anytime soon.
Nowitski takes Kirilenko down. Everyone seems to be fine.
WNBA moves:
* Sheryl Swoopes joins Swin Cash as new additions in Seattle. This is huge. She won't play much, but having a player of that character and caliber on the bench and in the locker room is a big confidence builder. If the new coach is any good, the Storm is going to be amazing. She will be missed in Houston.
* The Sacramento Monarchs resigned Rebekkah Brunson and Nicole Powell.
* The San Antonio Silver Stars resigned Sophia Young and Shanna Crossley.
* The Mystics resigned Laurie Koehn. Now maybe they can play her. 46% career 3-point shooter? Amazing.
Cheryl Ford is up for a Nickelodeon Kids Choice award. My guess is that she won't win because she's up against the Williams sisters and Danica Patrick (all three very famous and popular), but I'm hoping that she does well. It's very cool regardless.
Some bigotry in Colorado high school basketball. Fun! I hope that gets changed.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Is your game MVP like Steve Nash?
Another disappointing game on Saturday night. They need to pick it up. If they're only 2.5 games in front of the 8th ranked Warriors, it's entirely conceivable that they might not even make the playoffs. Sad, but true. Really sad.
The Suns aren't just interested in adding Gordan Giricek, they're are also interested in Tyronn Lue. Also, apparently Shaq's been practicing a lot lately and D'Antoni says that we shouldn't hold our breath to see Skinner on the floor anytime soon.
Butler will not be having surgery for his hip injury, but he's not going to be playing for awhile either. Here's a lot more information on that.
Two men plead not guilty in the Donaghy betting case. Donaghy himself gets sentenced on April 18th, and these two men go to trial on April 28th.
In keeping up with the major signings in the WNBA free agency period, I need to note that the Detroit Shock resigned Plenette Pierson.
The Suns aren't just interested in adding Gordan Giricek, they're are also interested in Tyronn Lue. Also, apparently Shaq's been practicing a lot lately and D'Antoni says that we shouldn't hold our breath to see Skinner on the floor anytime soon.
Butler will not be having surgery for his hip injury, but he's not going to be playing for awhile either. Here's a lot more information on that.
Two men plead not guilty in the Donaghy betting case. Donaghy himself gets sentenced on April 18th, and these two men go to trial on April 28th.
In keeping up with the major signings in the WNBA free agency period, I need to note that the Detroit Shock resigned Plenette Pierson.
Friday, February 29, 2008
God put you in front of me, so how the hell could you front on me?
Brent Barry went back to the dark side. It looks like Gordan Giricek will be the newest member of the team, but that's not 100% yet. According to the first two articles, even though Sam Cassell got waived by the Clippers, he's almost definitely not going to Phoenix, but instead will most likely become a Celtic.
I was linked to this by a friend, and it is kinda amusing even if I don't know anything (or honestly particularly care) about wrestling.
Oh no! The Wizards just can't catch a break.
The Storm are going to stay in Seattle no matter what happens to the Sonics. Yay separate (and female) ownership!
Tamika Catchings signed a four year deal with the Indiana Fever. She still might not be ready to start playing when the season begins due to the torn Achilles that she suffered in the playoffs.
Here's a very interesting (if long) overview of the future of international players in the NBA. The conjecture is fine, but what I really like is the discussion of what role they play now.
Charles Barkley is seriously awesome. If you don't want to read all that, just watch the youtube clip that is in that post too:
I was linked to this by a friend, and it is kinda amusing even if I don't know anything (or honestly particularly care) about wrestling.
Oh no! The Wizards just can't catch a break.
The Storm are going to stay in Seattle no matter what happens to the Sonics. Yay separate (and female) ownership!
Tamika Catchings signed a four year deal with the Indiana Fever. She still might not be ready to start playing when the season begins due to the torn Achilles that she suffered in the playoffs.
Here's a very interesting (if long) overview of the future of international players in the NBA. The conjecture is fine, but what I really like is the discussion of what role they play now.
Charles Barkley is seriously awesome. If you don't want to read all that, just watch the youtube clip that is in that post too:
Thursday, February 28, 2008
My scales are beautiful, the color of the ocean!
Last night's game sucked. I didn't read any recaps, and I probably won't.
I'm starting to slip from my position of acceptance that the Shaq trade was a good idea. It looks like Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune agrees with me.
The most interesting part of that article for me was the statement that Memphis’ Rudy Gay went off for 36 points Tuesday; that doesn’t happen if Marion has a crack at him. It brought to mind a quote from Marc Iavaroni after the Memphis game (from an article that I linked to yesterday). He said, I don’t think they had an answer for (Gay) tonight. I think they were just trying to outscore us. I can't help but wonder if that was Iavaroni's way of saying that Kerr wasn't the smartest for getting rid of Marion.
Other people are becoming more despondent too.
Who the hell knows when Brent Barry will make a decision. If he doesn't pick the forces of good, Philadelphia is expected to buy out 6-foot-6 shooter Gordan Giricek so that he can join the Suns. To which I say two things: 1. Who? and 2. Why does Philly want to do that for us?
I don't know why, but I kind of like Devin Harris. Even if I feel like he looks about 15. It is because of my appreciation for him that I link to this. Plus the Nets helped give me the game that was both the first NBA game that I ever saw live, as well as being the best one that I will ever see, no contest. Oh, double overtime amazingness.
Stern gets uppity at a congressional hearing. I don't know what I think about any of that.
I'm starting to slip from my position of acceptance that the Shaq trade was a good idea. It looks like Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune agrees with me.
The most interesting part of that article for me was the statement that Memphis’ Rudy Gay went off for 36 points Tuesday; that doesn’t happen if Marion has a crack at him. It brought to mind a quote from Marc Iavaroni after the Memphis game (from an article that I linked to yesterday). He said, I don’t think they had an answer for (Gay) tonight. I think they were just trying to outscore us. I can't help but wonder if that was Iavaroni's way of saying that Kerr wasn't the smartest for getting rid of Marion.
Other people are becoming more despondent too.
Who the hell knows when Brent Barry will make a decision. If he doesn't pick the forces of good, Philadelphia is expected to buy out 6-foot-6 shooter Gordan Giricek so that he can join the Suns. To which I say two things: 1. Who? and 2. Why does Philly want to do that for us?
I don't know why, but I kind of like Devin Harris. Even if I feel like he looks about 15. It is because of my appreciation for him that I link to this. Plus the Nets helped give me the game that was both the first NBA game that I ever saw live, as well as being the best one that I will ever see, no contest. Oh, double overtime amazingness.
Stern gets uppity at a congressional hearing. I don't know what I think about any of that.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
It's not a huge win, but the Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies last night 127-113. It's nice to see a W after Sunday's game of doom. Interestingly, the Arizona Republic's recap almost seemed as though it were about a completely different game. A game in which the Suns played really poorly. Whatever. In a world in which the Suns can lose to Minnesota twice and Miami once, I'm glad for any win they get. Even if it makes for a frustrated Marc Iavaroni.
Tonight they play in New Orleans. It'll be interesting to see if Shaq can be of any help there, considering that they've been giving Nash and company fits this year.
Ok, so maybe we'll learn where Brent Barry is going today. If he decides to go with the forces of evil and becomes a Spur again, maybe we can get Sam Cassell. The Suns are getting so old, so quickly. Also, if it's Cassell in purple and orange, so alien-like.
This article isn't on the original page anymore from what I can tell, so that's an archived copy that ends prematurely. It's about how the Mavericks pick up of Jason Kidd is basically a statement of "damn, we should have kept that Nash guy around." I hadn't really thought of it that way, but it's very true.
Anderson Varejao is back to playing with the Cavs. But now that they've been completely overhauled, how will he fit in?
Tonight they play in New Orleans. It'll be interesting to see if Shaq can be of any help there, considering that they've been giving Nash and company fits this year.
Ok, so maybe we'll learn where Brent Barry is going today. If he decides to go with the forces of evil and becomes a Spur again, maybe we can get Sam Cassell. The Suns are getting so old, so quickly. Also, if it's Cassell in purple and orange, so alien-like.
This article isn't on the original page anymore from what I can tell, so that's an archived copy that ends prematurely. It's about how the Mavericks pick up of Jason Kidd is basically a statement of "damn, we should have kept that Nash guy around." I hadn't really thought of it that way, but it's very true.
Anderson Varejao is back to playing with the Cavs. But now that they've been completely overhauled, how will he fit in?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What I'm burning is your attire
Sometime this morning we should know if Brent Barry will be wearing purple and orange.
The after-shocks of Sunday's mind-numbingly embarrassing 116-86 loss to the Pistons. I'm divided on this. Yeah, they need to have some time to build a cohesive team, but at the same time Shaq's mouth appears to be writing checks that his body (and the team as a whole, it seems) can't cash. I guess we have little choice but to wait and see what happens.
To quote Sports Night, "it can't rain at Indian Wells." This article is especially cool, because I didn't know that this had been done before, and it was interesting to read the players' recollections.
The "big man club" doesn't really talk to one another, but that's alright with Shaq. I'm glad to see that he's not mad at Dwight Howard for taking on the nickname Superman. Even though "you can't give yourself a nickname." Why yes, I am feeling like quoting Sport Night as much as possible tonight. Thanks for asking.
Butler, Thomas, and Arenas all have setbacks in their returning from injury. I feel really bad for the Wizards, as they're an awesome team, but just can't escape from being injury laden.
Tony Parker is back to practicing with the Spurs. Damn.
One of the men responsible for the death of Michael Jordan's father is having trouble getting parole. Legal jargon and loopholes commence.
WNBA free agency is open. In list form here's some highlights:
* The Washington Mystics re-signed Alana Beard. YAY!
* The Minnesota Lynx signed Nakia Sanford (of the Mystics) to an offer sheet. The Mystics had five days to match or beat the offer.
* The Mystics matched the Lynx's offer. YAY!
* The Lynx picked up Anna DeForge.
* The Connecticut Sun (boo hiss) re-signed Lindsay Whalen (who I actually kind of like).
* Katie Douglas (boo hiss) (of the Sun) went to the Indianapolis Fever in exchange for Tamika Whitmore.
* As predicted, Swin Cash went to the Seattle Storm from the Detroit Shock in return for the number 4 pick in this year's draft.
Speaking of the Draft Day, the WNBA draft will be held on April 9th to coincide with the NCAA Women's Final Four.
The Mystics are holding open tryouts a week after the draft. I don't know what else to say about that, but it's kind of interesting. I wonder if other teams do that.
The after-shocks of Sunday's mind-numbingly embarrassing 116-86 loss to the Pistons. I'm divided on this. Yeah, they need to have some time to build a cohesive team, but at the same time Shaq's mouth appears to be writing checks that his body (and the team as a whole, it seems) can't cash. I guess we have little choice but to wait and see what happens.
To quote Sports Night, "it can't rain at Indian Wells." This article is especially cool, because I didn't know that this had been done before, and it was interesting to read the players' recollections.
The "big man club" doesn't really talk to one another, but that's alright with Shaq. I'm glad to see that he's not mad at Dwight Howard for taking on the nickname Superman. Even though "you can't give yourself a nickname." Why yes, I am feeling like quoting Sport Night as much as possible tonight. Thanks for asking.
Butler, Thomas, and Arenas all have setbacks in their returning from injury. I feel really bad for the Wizards, as they're an awesome team, but just can't escape from being injury laden.
Tony Parker is back to practicing with the Spurs. Damn.
One of the men responsible for the death of Michael Jordan's father is having trouble getting parole. Legal jargon and loopholes commence.
WNBA free agency is open. In list form here's some highlights:
* The Washington Mystics re-signed Alana Beard. YAY!
* The Minnesota Lynx signed Nakia Sanford (of the Mystics) to an offer sheet. The Mystics had five days to match or beat the offer.
* The Mystics matched the Lynx's offer. YAY!
* The Lynx picked up Anna DeForge.
* The Connecticut Sun (boo hiss) re-signed Lindsay Whalen (who I actually kind of like).
* Katie Douglas (boo hiss) (of the Sun) went to the Indianapolis Fever in exchange for Tamika Whitmore.
* As predicted, Swin Cash went to the Seattle Storm from the Detroit Shock in return for the number 4 pick in this year's draft.
Speaking of the Draft Day, the WNBA draft will be held on April 9th to coincide with the NCAA Women's Final Four.
The Mystics are holding open tryouts a week after the draft. I don't know what else to say about that, but it's kind of interesting. I wonder if other teams do that.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Jesus can kill you if you don't get along
Oh, Cedric. What were you doing driving with a suspended license? And more to the point, what's going on with the clerk calling the cops for an invalid credit card? I want to hear more about this story, but I bet this is all that will come out about it.
I've never felt that Barkley hated the Suns, just that he doesn't want to be seen as playing favorites so he's hard on them. I think he wants them to be better, wants them to win a championship, so he gives what he feels is honest criticism.
Here, have an interesting comparison between Sir Chuck and Shaq.
It looks like the deal is going through to send Kidd to the Mavericks. This bums me out a little, but whatever. Mostly I'm happy that I actually remember who Van Horn is considering he last played in the 2006 Finals, and I was still trying to figure out what was going on then. I can't wait for the trade deadline when all this juggling will end.
Juggling like this. It's just a rumor, but man do I not want it to happen. It would make the Lakers better and the Wizards worse, and neither of those makes me happy.
Arenas and Thomas have started practicing with the team. No solid idea when either will return.
Arenas will probably not be asked to join Team USA in Beijing. This has got to be rough for him, considering that he once said that he'd rather win Olympic Gold than the Larry O'Brien trophy (scroll down because Gilbert loves to write novels instead of entries).
I saw this suggested somewhere else last year and still wish it would happen. I would love to see a team of international All Stars. Even if it couldn't be the new face of the ASG, I'd love to see it happen as a part of the weekend.
Speaking of the NBA making international play a regular part of the season, my guess is that this won't happen, but how cool would it be? I would love to watch an NBA team play in an actual international competition.
Team France has picked their new coach. It's Michel Gomez. Apparently he used to coach for them in the mid-nineties. What does Diaw think about him? So glad you asked.
Denmark has just thrown their hat into the ring of potential hosts for the 2014 FIBA World Championship. Again, I'm mostly just interested to see how this process works.
Today marks the first day of the WNBA free agency. The first blockbuster trade? Swin Cash has reason to believe it'll send her to the Storm.
I've never felt that Barkley hated the Suns, just that he doesn't want to be seen as playing favorites so he's hard on them. I think he wants them to be better, wants them to win a championship, so he gives what he feels is honest criticism.
Here, have an interesting comparison between Sir Chuck and Shaq.
It looks like the deal is going through to send Kidd to the Mavericks. This bums me out a little, but whatever. Mostly I'm happy that I actually remember who Van Horn is considering he last played in the 2006 Finals, and I was still trying to figure out what was going on then. I can't wait for the trade deadline when all this juggling will end.
Juggling like this. It's just a rumor, but man do I not want it to happen. It would make the Lakers better and the Wizards worse, and neither of those makes me happy.
Arenas and Thomas have started practicing with the team. No solid idea when either will return.
Arenas will probably not be asked to join Team USA in Beijing. This has got to be rough for him, considering that he once said that he'd rather win Olympic Gold than the Larry O'Brien trophy (scroll down because Gilbert loves to write novels instead of entries).
I saw this suggested somewhere else last year and still wish it would happen. I would love to see a team of international All Stars. Even if it couldn't be the new face of the ASG, I'd love to see it happen as a part of the weekend.
Speaking of the NBA making international play a regular part of the season, my guess is that this won't happen, but how cool would it be? I would love to watch an NBA team play in an actual international competition.
Team France has picked their new coach. It's Michel Gomez. Apparently he used to coach for them in the mid-nineties. What does Diaw think about him? So glad you asked.
Denmark has just thrown their hat into the ring of potential hosts for the 2014 FIBA World Championship. Again, I'm mostly just interested to see how this process works.
Today marks the first day of the WNBA free agency. The first blockbuster trade? Swin Cash has reason to believe it'll send her to the Storm.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Libraries gave us power
The Suns beat the Mavericks last night. It was a pretty awesome game. I particularly enjoyed Hill playing D against Dirk decently for all of his playing time and the time that I noticed Shaq *finally* getting up to cheer for an Amare play.
The Onion's take on the Shaq trade. If I were still in my 20s, maybe I could sustain a burst of energy more powerful than the sun could emit over a 10-billion-year time period. But Steve Nash has to understand that I have a bad hip.
Steve Nash is made of awesome, but his shoes are made of scraps. I think this is super cool. I wonder how much they will cost. I'd be tempted to get some. Oh wait, never mind (scroll down). 100 bucks is crazy for that. Oh well.
Kobe won't have surgery. He won't do the 3-point shootaround, but he still might play in the ASG. My bet is that in the end this will really hurt the Lakers. Which, y'know, I don't really mind.
What do The Suns think about the potential Kidd to Dallas trade? They don't seem to care too much.
Information on the Devean George situation. I just don't really get how he gets to do this. Something about Larry Bird? So confusing. And he's the only one in the league? How is this different from Kobe's ability to block a trade? So many questions.
An article about the Mystics' center, Gillian Goring. I'm taking all of the information in here with a grain of salt. It's not a very well written article, and it seems to think that the NBA and the WNBA are the same. All the same, having an article that long on one of the Mystics whose name doesn't rhyme with "Weird" is pretty cool and definitely worth linking to.
The Onion's take on the Shaq trade. If I were still in my 20s, maybe I could sustain a burst of energy more powerful than the sun could emit over a 10-billion-year time period. But Steve Nash has to understand that I have a bad hip.
Steve Nash is made of awesome, but his shoes are made of scraps. I think this is super cool. I wonder how much they will cost. I'd be tempted to get some. Oh wait, never mind (scroll down). 100 bucks is crazy for that. Oh well.
Kobe won't have surgery. He won't do the 3-point shootaround, but he still might play in the ASG. My bet is that in the end this will really hurt the Lakers. Which, y'know, I don't really mind.
What do The Suns think about the potential Kidd to Dallas trade? They don't seem to care too much.
Information on the Devean George situation. I just don't really get how he gets to do this. Something about Larry Bird? So confusing. And he's the only one in the league? How is this different from Kobe's ability to block a trade? So many questions.
An article about the Mystics' center, Gillian Goring. I'm taking all of the information in here with a grain of salt. It's not a very well written article, and it seems to think that the NBA and the WNBA are the same. All the same, having an article that long on one of the Mystics whose name doesn't rhyme with "Weird" is pretty cool and definitely worth linking to.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Is he strong? Listen, bud.
First things first: LEANDRO BARBOSA HAS A BLOG. *ahem* Ok, now for the rest.
This is almost a week old, but I wanted to put it in here in case I wanted to find it later. Nash really really wanted to play with Shaq.
Yesterday I talked to someone who kept insisting that I had to hear what Shaq was saying about Bill Walton. But I couldn't find it anywhere. Tonight I found it, and it was worth the anticipation.
Any little crack in the armor can cause disruption. I don't want to be the crack in the armor. I want to be the extra coat on the metal. Boy, Shaq sure likes his extended metaphors.
The pluses and minuses of playing with Shaq and without Marion.
I have been (clearly) having the "can Shaq still play?" conversation with a lot of people lately. One thing that I keep bringing up is the amazing training staff at the US Airways Arena. I'm glad that this finally got addressed in the media with regard to Shaq. Now I feel less crazy. About that, anyway.
There's not a very good chance that Shaq will play tonight against the Warriors. He might play tomorrow against the Mavericks (though I doubt it). Most likely is that they would wait until after the All Star Break and have him play in the game against the Lakers. As an aside to this, I'm kind of pissed that he would find it funny to put down Erick Dampier by comparing his play to the WNBA. What is he, seven? "Hey, Dampier! Shaq says you play like a girl." WTF?
I'm so nervous about tonight's game. Apparently I'm not the only one. Facing the Warriors all depleted? Ugh.
While I'm not a Wizards fan, I do have an appreciation for them. I hope that Arenas coming back helps them, but I'm more eager to see Caron come back.
This is crazy. I wonder what he thinks of Donaghy. It's probably not safe for work or small children. Just a guess.
All Star Weekend from a WNBA perspective. Yay for Nikki Teasley being involved!
An interesting article on how women's college coaching is changing because of the WNBA.
A few videos:
Jeff Green misses a dunk in the Sonics @ Suns game on 2/8
Wally Szczerbiak calls a time out when his team doesn't have one, making the Suns glad that that rule has been changed since 1976.
A WNBA/The L Word fanvid that has a song that keeps getting stuck in my head (stupid Gwen Stefani). It's mostly up here to show my sister, but I think it's fun--so there.
This is almost a week old, but I wanted to put it in here in case I wanted to find it later. Nash really really wanted to play with Shaq.
Yesterday I talked to someone who kept insisting that I had to hear what Shaq was saying about Bill Walton. But I couldn't find it anywhere. Tonight I found it, and it was worth the anticipation.
Any little crack in the armor can cause disruption. I don't want to be the crack in the armor. I want to be the extra coat on the metal. Boy, Shaq sure likes his extended metaphors.
The pluses and minuses of playing with Shaq and without Marion.
I have been (clearly) having the "can Shaq still play?" conversation with a lot of people lately. One thing that I keep bringing up is the amazing training staff at the US Airways Arena. I'm glad that this finally got addressed in the media with regard to Shaq. Now I feel less crazy. About that, anyway.
There's not a very good chance that Shaq will play tonight against the Warriors. He might play tomorrow against the Mavericks (though I doubt it). Most likely is that they would wait until after the All Star Break and have him play in the game against the Lakers. As an aside to this, I'm kind of pissed that he would find it funny to put down Erick Dampier by comparing his play to the WNBA. What is he, seven? "Hey, Dampier! Shaq says you play like a girl." WTF?
I'm so nervous about tonight's game. Apparently I'm not the only one. Facing the Warriors all depleted? Ugh.
While I'm not a Wizards fan, I do have an appreciation for them. I hope that Arenas coming back helps them, but I'm more eager to see Caron come back.
This is crazy. I wonder what he thinks of Donaghy. It's probably not safe for work or small children. Just a guess.
All Star Weekend from a WNBA perspective. Yay for Nikki Teasley being involved!
An interesting article on how women's college coaching is changing because of the WNBA.
A few videos:
Jeff Green misses a dunk in the Sonics @ Suns game on 2/8
Wally Szczerbiak calls a time out when his team doesn't have one, making the Suns glad that that rule has been changed since 1976.
A WNBA/The L Word fanvid that has a song that keeps getting stuck in my head (stupid Gwen Stefani). It's mostly up here to show my sister, but I think it's fun--so there.
Monday, February 11, 2008
And I said "Rhino...stop making things up."
I have been writing lists of links about basketball (mostly the Suns and the WNBA) in digest form and sending them to my sister almost every day. Recently I had the thought that maybe I should start posting them here, so other people could access them too.
So here goes, my first posted digest. Hopefully I'll have them up every day or so.
An interview with Mike Jones, an American playing pro ball in Iran. I rather enjoyed his emphasis on how friendly people there are and his description about what there is to do for fun. Surfing the internet ten hours a day instead of two. Hee. It was kinda cool that he wants to stay there (if the money is right).
I don't understand this. How can Chris Kaman play for Germany just because it's where his great grandparents were from? Doesn't he need to live there? Or have a passport already? Or at least citizenship? My head hurts from thinking about it.
France wants to host the 2014 FIBA World Championships. It's interesting to see how FIBA is picking this, since Japan (the site of last year's games) isn't exactly a basketball powerhouse. It would be pretty cool for the French national team to have it at home though.
.
Boris Diaw answers 6 questions. He talks about basketball, movies, books, and photography. It's interesting (and rather gleeful) to me that he talks about his international basketball experiences with as much importance as his NBA experiences. I mean, I want him to care more about the *Suns* than the French national team, but I love that he doesn't shortchange international competition in favor of the NBA. (Photo from suns.com)
The recap of Monday's Suns game against the Wizards from the East Valley Tribune. Of note to me: Barbosa has the flu (which makes so much sense as to how invisible he was). It was honestly a crappy win, but without Marion (anymore) and without Shaq (yet) it's a take what you can get situation.
Shaq practices with the Suns for the first time. He gets winded (of course) and probably won't play until the Lakers game after the ASB (of course). I did enjoy that he and Grant Hill were carpooling. It'll be a good way to save on gas, diesel or otherwise. He also admits to not being Superman (crazytalk!). As a result of this practice, some of his new teammates have strongly requested that the team reinforce the apparatus currently supporting the two baskets at the team’s practice court. After watching one of Shaq’s slams during his personal workout Sunday, guard Leandro Barbosa shook his head and said "Man, that thing is coming down."
Shaq is huge and Pete Wentz is pocket-sized.
Latrell Sprewell is in more trouble. The "best" part of this to me, is that this is the same boat on which he choked a woman without her permission during consensual sex. Oh, Latrell...
So here goes, my first posted digest. Hopefully I'll have them up every day or so.
An interview with Mike Jones, an American playing pro ball in Iran. I rather enjoyed his emphasis on how friendly people there are and his description about what there is to do for fun. Surfing the internet ten hours a day instead of two. Hee. It was kinda cool that he wants to stay there (if the money is right).
I don't understand this. How can Chris Kaman play for Germany just because it's where his great grandparents were from? Doesn't he need to live there? Or have a passport already? Or at least citizenship? My head hurts from thinking about it.
France wants to host the 2014 FIBA World Championships. It's interesting to see how FIBA is picking this, since Japan (the site of last year's games) isn't exactly a basketball powerhouse. It would be pretty cool for the French national team to have it at home though.
.
Boris Diaw answers 6 questions. He talks about basketball, movies, books, and photography. It's interesting (and rather gleeful) to me that he talks about his international basketball experiences with as much importance as his NBA experiences. I mean, I want him to care more about the *Suns* than the French national team, but I love that he doesn't shortchange international competition in favor of the NBA. (Photo from suns.com)
The recap of Monday's Suns game against the Wizards from the East Valley Tribune. Of note to me: Barbosa has the flu (which makes so much sense as to how invisible he was). It was honestly a crappy win, but without Marion (anymore) and without Shaq (yet) it's a take what you can get situation.
Shaq practices with the Suns for the first time. He gets winded (of course) and probably won't play until the Lakers game after the ASB (of course). I did enjoy that he and Grant Hill were carpooling. It'll be a good way to save on gas, diesel or otherwise. He also admits to not being Superman (crazytalk!). As a result of this practice, some of his new teammates have strongly requested that the team reinforce the apparatus currently supporting the two baskets at the team’s practice court. After watching one of Shaq’s slams during his personal workout Sunday, guard Leandro Barbosa shook his head and said "Man, that thing is coming down."
Shaq is huge and Pete Wentz is pocket-sized.
Latrell Sprewell is in more trouble. The "best" part of this to me, is that this is the same boat on which he choked a woman without her permission during consensual sex. Oh, Latrell...
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
"All the hip Nepalese drink their milk and eat their cheese," or "I play with actual stats."
(This is taken directly from an email that I just sent to someone. It was written before I read any game recaps. I still haven't. In case that's pertinent somehow.)
The easy thing to say is "The Timberwolves wanted this game more than the Suns," but like I said: that's the easy way out.
Here are the reasons that I think the Suns lost tonight (in no particular order):
* Corey Brewer coming off the bench and finding his hot hand. Tonight he shot 54% from the floor. For the year he's only shooting 35%.
* Marion being a non-entity. This stat line is something I would expect from a much worse player: 33 min, 3-3 FG, 1-1 3pt, 0 FT, 0 OReb, 3 DReb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 0 Blk, 1 TO, 4 PF, and only 7 pts. That's just pathetic across the board. Seriously, I was going to pick one or two stats to illustrate how he was nearly useless, but it was so hard to pick just a couple.
* The opposite of Marion tonight was Al Jefferson. He was a monster. Phoenix just couldn't figure out how to shut him down. He got 39 points and 15 rebounds. All in 35 minutes with only 2 fouls. That's crazy.
* Speaking of fouls, the Suns committed 25 to the Twolves' 13. That was key. Especially in the 4th when the Suns just kept sending them to the charity stripe.
Yeah, rebounds were a big factor too, 48 Minn rebounds to the Suns' 26. But part of that is Jefferson's crazy huge game. (Remember those 15 rebounds he got?)
All in all, this sucked.
(As an addendum, can I just say how glad I am to have Jefferson on my fantasy team? Even if I have Marion too.)
The easy thing to say is "The Timberwolves wanted this game more than the Suns," but like I said: that's the easy way out.
Here are the reasons that I think the Suns lost tonight (in no particular order):
* Corey Brewer coming off the bench and finding his hot hand. Tonight he shot 54% from the floor. For the year he's only shooting 35%.
* Marion being a non-entity. This stat line is something I would expect from a much worse player: 33 min, 3-3 FG, 1-1 3pt, 0 FT, 0 OReb, 3 DReb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 0 Blk, 1 TO, 4 PF, and only 7 pts. That's just pathetic across the board. Seriously, I was going to pick one or two stats to illustrate how he was nearly useless, but it was so hard to pick just a couple.
* The opposite of Marion tonight was Al Jefferson. He was a monster. Phoenix just couldn't figure out how to shut him down. He got 39 points and 15 rebounds. All in 35 minutes with only 2 fouls. That's crazy.
* Speaking of fouls, the Suns committed 25 to the Twolves' 13. That was key. Especially in the 4th when the Suns just kept sending them to the charity stripe.
Yeah, rebounds were a big factor too, 48 Minn rebounds to the Suns' 26. But part of that is Jefferson's crazy huge game. (Remember those 15 rebounds he got?)
All in all, this sucked.
(As an addendum, can I just say how glad I am to have Jefferson on my fantasy team? Even if I have Marion too.)
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