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.
Showing posts with label shaq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shaq. Show all posts
Monday, April 21, 2008
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.
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...
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