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Kiehl´s 20% de descuento durante el día de hoy http://www.estoyradiante.com/2011/12/kiehl%c2%b4s-20-de-descuento-durante-el-dia-de-hoy/
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Hero Baby impulsa la campaña “Tarritos de Felicidad” para evitar la desnutrición entre las familias más desf... http://ping.fm/qbJEo
Monday, November 7, 2011
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Merienda con Tigretones y Panteras Rosas Caseras y sigue con Gin Tonics y Fresas: Restaurante Onze http://ping.fm/GXBfN
Friday, November 4, 2011
Julia Roberts y Tom Hanks multados por no llevar casco en el cartel de Larry Crowne http://ping.fm/aQFM4
Thursday, November 3, 2011
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Zara Home descuento del 20% en su tienda online http://www.estoyradiante.com/2011/10/zara-home-descuento-del-20-en-su-tienda-online/
Thursday, October 27, 2011
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Venta Privada especial en Las Rozas Village: consigue un 20% de descuento adicional http://www.estoyradiante.com/2011/10/venta-privada-especial-en-las-rozas-village-consigue-un-20-de-descuento-adicional/
Monday, October 24, 2011
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Boost Mobile NBA D-League National Tryouts Visiting Chicago, Los Angeles
On September 24th, the Boost Mobile NBA D-League National Tryouts�are coming to Chicago and Los Angeles to find the best and brightest stars to join the league! �At the tryout, attendees will be able to showcase their skills for NBA D-League player personnel executives, industry scouts and others with the hopes of gaining eligibility [...]
NBA Gossip and Rick Adelman
With the strike still in full swing I have shifted my interest to sports that are actually playing. I’m a big fantasy football head and I also run a website about such. Feel free to check out Fantasy Sports Gab if you share the same love. Kobe got in the news a while back about [...]
Huskies wear white, patriotic helmets as tribute to 9/11 victims
The 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks isn’t merely a news item for Washington Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian. It’s personal, as it is for so many of those whose friends and family members lost their lives in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania during the deadliest attack on American soil. Sarkisian’s cousin, Danny Trant, [...]
President and CEO Rick Welts is leaving the Phoenix Suns
Rick Welts will leave his position as President & CEO of the Phoenix Suns effective September 15, announced today by Welts and Suns Managing Partner, Robert Sarver. Sarver also announced that the Suns business organization will report to General Counsel, Jason Rowley, as the team launches a national search for the position of President. Lon [...]
Monday, September 12, 2011
Lockout news is the same as it ever was. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
Last March we brought you some quotes culled from the handbook that the NBA Players Association gave their constituents, preparing them for an extended labor impasse. Titled "Hope For the Best, Prepare For the Worst," the book went into great detail about how to avoid the usual pratfalls of stardom and largesse, sound words for any climate, much less one that will take away your paychecks (as negotiated and agreed-upon by your employers in good faith, fully guaranteed) for an extended period of time.
Moke Hamilton, writing at Charged.FM, has gotten his hands on the handbook, and in light of the recent good cheer emanating from negotiations between the Players Association and the NBA, one passage is worth reconsidering:
But reading between the lines and connecting dots is where the real fun begins. Billy Hunter confirms that he's been privately warning players to prepare for a lockout for more than two years. Want more? How about the fact that?on the NBPA's advice?many players that signed new contracts within the past two years have negotiated for deferred payments so that they could actually receive checks during the lockout? Throughout the handbook, references are made to the fact that some players will continue receiving checks until November 1st, 2011.
(Under normal circumstances, NBA players are paid bi-monthly on the 1st and 15th of each month. Payments normally begin on November 1st and end on May 1st. Thanks to the union's advice, a healthy portion of the union's members deferred half of their compensation so that they would continue to receive checks up until THIS November 1st).
Now, this is a bit of a jump. Just because Hunter encouraged players to defer payments from their 2010-11 and potentially 2009-10 salaries until this summer and early fall, it hardly means the players followed through. And with the sheer amount of players already under contract that are seeking out relatively tiny international contracts, you get the feeling that players took the money as it usually came and just hoped that the finances would be on the up and up later. I know the feeling.
Regardless of the guesswork behind the deferred payments, Hamilton is correct in pointing out that November 15th is the "doomsday scenario" (the NBAPA's clich�, not mine) when it comes to missing checks. If you're a player that deferred your payments, this will be the first payment cycle that you go without getting a check. If you took the orthodox route, and haven't been paid since the 2010-11 season ended? This will be your first payment cycle without a 2011-12 check. Either way, nobody is getting paid. Save for the owners, who will still take in that sweet and equally-shared national TV money, even with no games.
The lockout is in its third month, but it's also coming off its first extended meetings since before the lockout was put in place. Has anything changed? Is there room for hope, as we attempt to accurately gauge where we are in the proceedings? The answers are multifaceted, they involve much guesswork, and they're not too far removed from where we started three months ago.
The hope for fans moving forward ignores the fact that the owners are well-heeled and ready to endure the money lost from missed games this fall. The hope for fans is that the national TV revenue and eye toward a more economically stable NBA future will not be enough for the owners as a collective to pass on those gate receipts, the local TV revenue, and (shock horror) working as a job creator within a large community.
According to sources that are talking to the New York Times' Howard Beck, the players are attempting to do their part. As we've stated before, our belief is that this lockout (as it stands) is overwhelmingly the owners' fault, but if any games are lost? Then it would be the fault of an intractable Players Association. Which is why it's encouraging to read this, even if our cynicism leads us to believe that no actual movement was made over the last week:
When N.B.A. labor talks resumed Wednesday, for an extended session in Midtown Manhattan, officials from the players union opened with a broad premise: Tell us what it will take to end the lockout and save the 2011-12 season.
The union's request sparked a discussion that lasted five and a half hours, which in turn led to another five-and-a-half-hour session Thursday. Both sides declined to offer details, judgments or predictions, and they cautioned the public not to draw any conclusions. But for the first time in two years, there seems to be movement, or at least a constructive dialogue.
Of course, telling the other side that you'll do anything is one thing. Following through on their reply is another. Sorry for going all Meatloaf on you, but who among us hasn't promised someone that they'll do anything to stay in their good graces, just not that.
Cynicism and lowered expectations, while not virtue in most of the real world, is a healthy thing in this area. It's just the lay of this particular land, unfortunately.
The two sides are going to meet again on Tuesday with a broader constituency (more players, more owners) present, and then retire to their respective hidey-holes (the owners are meeting in Dallas, the players in Los Angeles) to go over two weeks' worth of negotiations. More voices in the room will always lead to tougher and more fractured negotiations; and the internal discussions that follow Tuesday's negotiations will only serve to steel up the respective causes of either side, rather than help the two ends move closer toward the middle. Wherever that is.
It's not wrong to be pessimistic, because this is just the order of the day. Even if significant ground has been covered over the last few meetings, significant voices that go beyond sensible types like Players Association representative Derek Fisher or owners' representative (and San Antonio Spurs boss) Peter Holt still have to be talked down, and talked into new concessions. Assuming any have been made over the last week. We don't know, because neither side is talking much.
As Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, a sensible voice if there ever was one, succinctly pointed out -- "tone isn't content." For all we're aware, both sides could have made significant inroads over the last few meetings, but to guess that an agreement is close merely because David Stern isn't getting all defensive on podcasts, or players aren't sniping to any website that will quote them? That's optimism gone mad.
Once you factor in the two biggest reasons for this extended impasse (two reasons that are no less prominent, despite the tactful tones) -- the players don't want to give back money, and the owners' incentive to give in is dwarfed by their collective ability to hold out -- and we're just about right where we started.
At least on record. If there's hope to be found in ignorance, well, then we must be swimming in the stuff at this point.
Layups.com Downtime!
Just a quick heads up: I will be moving servers in the next couple of days, so you might experience some downtime on this blog! Don’t worry, all is good. I’ll be back online shortly after I’ve moved. Thanks & sorry for the inconveniences! Eitel
Team Philly vs Team Melo game set for Philadelphia Sept. 25
Ryan Feldman of CSN Philly reports:
There may or may not be an NBA season this year, but that won?t stop the NBA from coming to Philadelphia.
Team Philly, a team made up of basketball stars from the Philly area, will take on Team Melo, a team led by Carmelo Anthony, on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 6 [...]
There may or may not be an NBA season this year, but that won?t stop the NBA from coming to Philadelphia.
Team Philly, a team made up of basketball stars from the Philly area, will take on Team Melo, a team led by Carmelo Anthony, on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 6 [...]
Quick Reminder: 1st Spalding Pro Camp in Germany ? two weeks to go!
Just a little more than two weeks ahead, but there’s still time to join in to this professional camp! You can find a few of the players, that have signed up already, here. See you at the event!! Download the Flyer to this event here (file size 2.8MB). For the latest news please check out [...]
Was Kevin Garnett in charge of a near-trade to Los Angeles in 2007?
Did a beef between Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson prevent Kevin Garnett from becoming a Los Angeles Laker in 2007? K.G. said as much in an interview with Dan Patrick on Thursday, but we're somewhat dubious.
We held off on this story on Thursday, the day of the Patrick interview, because we didn't think that Garnett's bit of mostly harmless self-aggrandizing would stick anywhere. We generally respect the heck out of K.G., someone who was our favorite player in the post-Michael Jordan era, but he seemed to simplify things a bit too much in his recollection with Patrick. So much so that too many people seemed to latch on without giving it too much thought.
From the Boston Globe's recap:
Garnett touched on two other interesting if unrelated topics in his 11-minute appearance with Patrick. The first was the possibility of him joining the Lakers as opposed to the Celtics before the 2007 season. Garnett made it clear he absolutely wanted out of Minnesota, but he said turmoil in Los Angeles prevented him from playing there.
"I was pretty close to be honest," said Garnett. "What disturbed me about the whole Lakers situation was Kobe and Phil at the time. They were at each other pretty bad, and it was a new situation I didn't want to get into."
[BDL Note: This is where Patrick asked Garnett, "This was your choice?"]
"It was my choice, yeah. There was a lot going on and I didn't want to be a part of it."
There was a lot going on that year. The 2006-07 season was rife with trade rumors, starting with a potential Garnett-to-Chicago deal on the night of the 2006 draft that then eased into a Pau Gasol-to-Chicago deal that never happened. When the Celtics fell out of the lottery race for Greg Oden and Kevin Durant even after finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA, they quickly went into win-now mode.
The team sent the fifth pick in the draft (Jeff Green) and Wally Szczerbiak to Seattle for Ray Allen. This was a gutsy move, because while a Paul Pierce, Allen and Al Jefferson-led squad could have made the playoffs if healthy, cashing in all your "we-were-the-worst-team-in-the-NBA-last-year" assets on Allen was risky. It was clearly, because Boston hadn't included the expiring contract of Theo Ratliff in the deal, a hopeful prelude toward grabbing K.G.
Garnett, both in the days leading up to the draft and for weeks after, was rumored to be�going to Los Angeles, Phoenix (for a package including Amar'e Stoudemire) and Boston. Before the Allen trade, even with Kobe Bryant's presence in Los Angeles, Phoenix seemed the best spot for K.G. With Stoudemire, the Suns had won 61 games and lost a tough Western Conference semifinals pairing with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers? They had Kobe. But to get Garnett, they had to give up both Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom's very large contract. A similar offering was rumored to be sent to Indiana later that summer in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal -- just in case Lakers fans want to wake up in a cold sweat at some point this weekend. A Kobe/KG partnership would have been fantastic, but with what little depth the team had at that point, how far would it have taken Los Angeles? This was a team that had shuttled out of the first round two years running, mind you.
That would be enough for Garnett, one would think, to prefer Phoenix or the potential of Boston (especially after the Allen deal). A limited Lakers roster would have featured Kwame Brown, K.G., either Luke Walton or Vladimir Radmanovic, Bryant and Derek Fisher as starters. And not much to holler about coming off the bench, save for the then-unheralded Trevor Ariza.
Kobe and Phil's beef? Geez, at that point Kobe and Phil were all either one had.
Kobe and Phil Jackson were far from fast friends during the time the Lakers won three NBA titles from 2000-2002, and they were certainly at odds during the tumultuous 2003-04 season detailed by Jackson in his book "The Last Season." After a year spent removed from Shaquille O'Neal, Jackson and the triangle offense, Bryant graciously accepted Jackson's return (after Jackson made bank airing Kobe's dirty laundry) in time for the 2005-06 season, though Kobe and Phil could only do so much with that team's roster in Los Angeles' consecutive first-round defeats.
Bryant did have beef, but it was with young big man Andrew Bynum, as famously detailed in that parking lot rant against the 19-year-old center in the summer of 2007. And it was Los Angeles' apparent refusal to trade Bynum for -- you name it: Jason Kidd, K.G., Jermaine O'Neal -- that led to Bryant's trade demands in the� summer and early fall of 2007. When a deal to Chicago fell through, Bryant and the much-improved Bynum ended up leading the Lakers to one of the Western Conference's best records even before trading for Pau Gasol in February 2008.
So, Kobe and Phil being "at each other pretty bad" in 2007, as K.G. noted Thursday? No, they weren't.
Also, at that point, Kobe Bryant had the league's lone no-trade clause, so it wasn't as if Garnett could stop a deal between the Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, the Lakers could hold off on trading for K.G. if it became obvious that he didn't want to re-sign, but the way Garnett told it on Thursday, he came off as an eager free agent that passed on signing with Los Angeles because he didn't like how Kobe and Phil were fighting. None of those things are true.
The part about Los Angeles acting as "a new situation I didn't want to get into?" Oh, you should totally buy that. Even though Garnett had lived in Malibu for years at that point.
Garnett is incredibly loyal. He may have knocked years off his career, and MVP titles from his trophy case, by not demanding a trade from the Timberwolves earlier. Instead, Garnett had to waste away in Minnesota from 2004-07, working for terrible lottery teams being run into the ground by Kevin McHale, all while remaining the consummate professional throughout. That guy gave his all for a team that didn't give back. Or, at least attempted to with wasted front-office effort instead of front-office foresight.
It took Boston, with McHale's former teammate Danny Ainge running the show, and two vets of Garnett's generation already in place, for Garnett to wink-wink/nod-nod his way into acknowledging that he'd be open to signing a contract extension following a trade to Boston. Because any sort of assertion from K.G. before a trade to Boston would be tampering; and we don't want to impugn anyone 'ere.
The results were more than satisfying. The Celtics won a championship in Garnett's first season, probably would have made the Finals in his second had Garnett not gone down with a knee injury, and they made the Finals again in 2010. Four years later, Boston is certainly aging as they hope for a 2011-12 season, but they'll have as good a chance as any out East -- even with the youngsters in Miami and Chicago making noise.
Was Garnett's level of control in the league-wide discussions regarding a potential 2007 trade for his services probably overstated in the Dan Patrick interview? No doubt.
Was a seething batch of enmity between Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant the reason K.G. didn't want to become a Laker that year? No way.
Would the Lakers have run to the heights they did prior to the Pau Gasol trade with Garnett in place of Bynum (13 and 10 with two blocks per game in just 29 minutes) and Odom (14 points and 10.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game)? Don't let anyone tell you that they would have with Kwame sopping up those minutes.
Did both Boston and Minnesota (acquiring cap space, and a 20-and-10 kid in Al Jefferson that sadly blew out his knee during a should-be All-Star season in 2008-09) make the best deal possible?
Were the machinations and eventual deals that followed the absolute best thing for everyone involved? Well, we got two Lakers-Celtics Finals out of it, with a potential rubber match possibly in the cards for 2012.
Safe to say we all made out well that summer.
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Redrafting the NBA: Round 12 by Basketball Prospectus
Our NBA analysts round out their teams in the last round of our redraft of current players.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Indy Pro-Am vs Goodman League basketball game at Butler University
The majority of the high-profile events have been based on the East Coast, but the Midwest will finally get a taste of spotlight later this month. On Sept. 24, Indianapolis’ Butler University will host an affair pitting the Indy Pro-Am against the Washington, D.C.-based Goodman League — the same outfit that took on both the [...]
Chris Douglas-Roberts to play in Italy
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:
Chris Douglas-Roberts’ rookie contract was up and it was clear he would not return to the Bucks this season, regardless of the lockout situation between players and owners.
Now it appears the 6-foot-7 guard will play with Virtus Bologna in Italy, according to a report on sportando.net.
Douglas-Roberts averaged 7.3 [...]
Chris Douglas-Roberts’ rookie contract was up and it was clear he would not return to the Bucks this season, regardless of the lockout situation between players and owners.
Now it appears the 6-foot-7 guard will play with Virtus Bologna in Italy, according to a report on sportando.net.
Douglas-Roberts averaged 7.3 [...]
Redrafting the NBA: Round Nine by Basketball Prospectus
The latest selections Basketball Prospectus` NBA Redraft have a Western Conference feel, including a pair of starters from the Houston Rockets.
What to do when having a stitch
I’m pretty sure, that everyone has had a stitch before. This is the reason why I wanted to have a closer look about what happens in the body. The interesting part is that the pain caused in the coastal arch can’t be clearly defined by doctors today. There are different theories on what happens if [...]
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Is Nate Robinson?s son the next hard-hitting Huskies DB?
Nate Robinson’s son, Nahmier, is just 6 years old, but he’s already auditioning for a career as a hard-hitting defensive back. The elder Robinson went to Washington on a football scholarship, playing cornerback for a season before deciding to concentrate on basketball. His interception in the 2002 Apple Cup derailed the Cougars? Rose Bowl hopes. [...]
Lionsgate sued over music used in LeBron James documentary
HollywoodReporter reports:
Lionsgate has been hit with a quirky copyright infringement lawsuit over a piece of music used in documentary More Than A Game, which chronicles basketball superstar LeBron James’ rise during his high school days in Ohio.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Georgia federal court comes from Mason Hall, a songwriter who says he authored a [...]
Lionsgate has been hit with a quirky copyright infringement lawsuit over a piece of music used in documentary More Than A Game, which chronicles basketball superstar LeBron James’ rise during his high school days in Ohio.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Georgia federal court comes from Mason Hall, a songwriter who says he authored a [...]
SI?s Banks: Locker will be best rookie quarterback
Expectations are rarely high for rookie quarterbacks, but Don Banks of SI.com thinks that’s not the case for former Husky Jake Locker. He expects Locker to outperform Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton and even Cam Newton. His prediction for the season, however, doesn’t bode well for former Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who is starting [...]
Redrafting the NBA: Round 11 by Basketball Prospectus
In the penultimate round of our draft of current NBA players, three Utah Jazzmen get selected to help fill out benches.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Rockets rookie Chandler Parsons will play basketball in France
Houston Rockets rookie forward Chandler Parsons will reportedly play in France during the NBA lockout.
According to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter), “Houston rookie forward Chandler Parsons will be signing with Cholet in France, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein. The 38th pick out of Florida had reportedly turned down a chance to play [...]
According to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter), “Houston rookie forward Chandler Parsons will be signing with Cholet in France, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein. The 38th pick out of Florida had reportedly turned down a chance to play [...]
One Portland bar doesn?t want to hear that an NBA lockout won?t cost the locals
I think it's fair to say that your humble narrator has been to a few public houses in his life, as well as plenty of bars perched in cities with an NBA team. But outside of a few that would have served as terrible puns in blogrolls that we'd ignore, we've yet to come across a bar in an NBA city with a name that would double as a pretty cool name of a team blog.
Enter -- via Pro Basketball Talk and as documented by the Portland Tribune -- Spirit of 77. Not only does the pub's name reference the lone NBA title in Portland Trail Blazer history, it references the year of the only title in Portland major professional sports history. Most of us by now know that there is quite a bit more to do in the Oregon city than take in a Blazers game either at the stadium or at a bar like this, but in all literal senses of the term? Regarding major league sports? The Trail Blazers and Major League Soccer's Timbers are the only games in town.
And what happens if they go away? For a month, half a season, or an entire season? What if the team's first-round loss last spring was the last Blazer game the area will see until the fall of 2012?
Arena ticket sellers, vendors and parking attendants could lose jobs along with Blazers front office staff. In addition, the city of Portland's 6 percent take of ticket and parking revenue from Blazers games ? $3.65 million last season ? would disappear.
Spirit of '77 manager [Timothy] Davey says no business in town would be more affected by a prolonged NBA lockout than his. "If it gets to the point where there's not an NBA season, it will have a dramatic effect on the vitality and future of Spirit of '77," Davey says.
(This is a must-read, I should point out. There is far more in this piece that is well worth diving into, beyond my tiny pull quote.)
The article goes on to point out that, overall, the cost to a city and community when a pro sports team shuts down (either by leaving the city, or during a work stoppage) is "nil." It doesn't make sense, when you think of all those restaurant checks, concessions, parked cars and (ahem) "unofficial merchants," but time and time again economists have pointed out that when the sports go away, the great bulk of the money-spenders just spend it on something else:
"People spend their discretionary income," says Lauren Beitelspacher, Portland State University assistant professor of marketing. "They have a budget for entertainment, and they're going to spend it."
If they're not spending it on Blazers game nights, Beitelspacher says, they may go out to the movies more often, or out to dinner or on extra vacations. But they will spend it. And in some cases, what they spend it on might yield greater benefit for the Portland area than putting it in Blazers owner Paul Allen's pocket.
It might. Times are changing, though.
The Internet, full of benefits, isn't exactly the greatest thing for local merchants. Or even chain stores, parsed out locally. We use Netflix, Amazon, eBay and Hulu in places where video stores, book retailers, boutique merchants, and local TV (with those local ads) once sufficed. It's true that a family might take the odd $200 bucks and spend it elsewhere in town, but as we become more and more of an international, plugged-in society, how long will that last?
In Portland? A while, perhaps. They're known for going to great lengths to do things locally, in the community. This famous scene from "Portlandia" shouldn't serve as documentary evidence, but it's not far off.
There are 29 other teams, and 28 other NBA towns to consider, though. And the economists are right. There will always be a sort of local (or tangentially local) financial vacuum to sop that discretionary income up. One dollar unspent outside the stadium will be eagerly grabbed up somewhere else.
We've just seen too many good people over the years on our way in and out of NBA arenas, to feel good about a thing like that.
The NBA might sacrifice a preseason in order to save training camps
With the surprising turnaround and refreshing urgency behind the latest wave of lockout negotiations, though, the news that the NBA might give up on most of its preseason in order to host proper training camps doesn't seem as worrisome.
Here's Sean Deveney from the Sporting News with a thought:
Stern pointed out on Wednesday that, to save the season, "We have three weeks." Training camp is supposed to start in less than a month. When the NFL was in a lockout, there was an emphasis on saving training camp, but according to a league source, that's not necessarily as important for the NBA. First of all, pro football is a lot more complicated to coach and requires more thorough conditioning. Second, the source said, "Financially, the NFL makes a killing off the preseason. The NBA doesn't. We play in some pretty far-off spots. And our preseason games aren't televised much."
Of course the NFL makes a killing on those miserable preseason games. What don't they make a killing on?
Giddy with the potential for wrapping this lockout up (the NBA and its players are set to meet again on Thursday after a reportedly productive meeting on Wednesday), the thought of losing out on a Timberwolves/Wizards game in Iowa isn't as striking. In fact, it feels almost like a necessary sacrifice.
After all, why not give up on games few (even with League Pass) even watch in order to replace those travel days and hours spent in a hotel room with more sprinting and potential for practice development? Seems like a fair trade off, especially if a good chunk of these players ate and acted during the summer months like there wouldn't be a season this year.
There are artificial deadlines in place, which is always a good thing. NBA media day is typically scheduled for the first weekday in October, and fringe players (even with opt-out clauses in hand) will begin to jet off to hook up with the international teams they've signed with in the offseason. Both sides actually seemed somewhat determined to avoid those deadlines, and things might be rolling, in a good way.
Fingers crossed for no cross words in the Thursday meeting. Even if it means saying goodbye to most or all of the NBA's preseason.
Andre Iguodala and Doug Collins are just fine. Honestly
Remember last April, when Philadelphia 76ers wing Andre Iguodala missed a season-ending exit interview with his team's coaching staff and front office, and blamed it on a team-scheduled doctor's appointment that he had to attend?
Did you follow up and read the part that told you that Dre's appointment was actually at a building across the street from where the exit interview was being held, and that 76ers brass just assumed he'd deign to cross the street and meet with his employers following it?
Iguodala did get around to meeting with coach Doug Collins two months later, before the NBA's lockout made any such interaction punishable with up to a million-dollar fine. And, according to Iguodala? They cool.
From Kate Fagan at the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"We spoke, it was really brief. It was about 10 minutes, it wasn't long: "What we can do to improve, what our plans are going forward. It wasn't too much. But, I've never had a problem with Doug, so we made that clear that we never had issues. So we were good."
Collins is notorious for being a little frosty, and falling in and out of love with his players. And with Dre suffering through an injury-plagued first season under Collins while making an eight-figure salary, you can understand why Iguodala was a little nervous while anticipating the interview that he eventually skipped out on.
Still, you can't skip. And you certainly can't wait two months to make things right. Maybe the layoff helped chill things out a bit. Then again, it's Doug Collins. Probably not.
Dre confirmed that he did join Elton Brand and several other Sixers teammates as they held a training camp of sorts in Los Angeles last weekend. He also doesn't think he'll play overseas should the lockout continue, and also that he and Doug Collins are so, so cool now. He swears.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Andre Iguodala and Doug Collins are just fine. Honestly
Remember last April, when Philadelphia 76ers wing Andre Iguodala missed a season-ending exit interview with his team's coaching staff and front office, and blamed it on a team-scheduled doctor's appointment that he had to attend?
Did you follow up and read the part that told you that Dre's appointment was actually at a building across the street from where the exit interview was being held, and that 76ers brass just assumed he'd deign to cross the street and meet with his employers following it?
Iguodala did get around to meeting with coach Doug Collins two months later, before the NBA's lockout made any such interaction punishable with up to a million-dollar fine. And, according to Iguodala? They cool.
From Kate Fagan at the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"We spoke, it was really brief. It was about 10 minutes, it wasn't long: "What we can do to improve, what our plans are going forward. It wasn't too much. But, I've never had a problem with Doug, so we made that clear that we never had issues. So we were good."
Collins is notorious for being a little frosty, and falling in and out of love with his players. And with Dre suffering through an injury-plagued first season under Collins while making an eight-figure salary, you can understand why Iguodala was a little nervous while anticipating the interview that he eventually skipped out on.
Still, you can't skip. And you certainly can't wait two months to make things right. Maybe the layoff helped chill things out a bit. Then again, it's Doug Collins. Probably not.
Dre confirmed that he did join Elton Brand and several other Sixers teammates as they held a training camp of sorts in Los Angeles last weekend. He also doesn't think he'll play overseas should the lockout continue, and also that he and Doug Collins are so, so cool now. He swears.
Union VP accidentally tweets that a deal looks close, claims he was hacked
On Wednesday, the NBA and its players' union held�what appears to have been a successful meeting. No deals were announced (and probably won't be for some time), but signs are pointing towards progress.
Of course, we can't know that for sure, because all involved parties aren't saying much to the media. There have been no quotes, emails, or tweets about how close we are to a deal. In an age of widespread leaks, the restraint has been impressive.
On the other hand, sometimes technology backfires. Shortly after the meeeting, union VP and Knicks wing Roger Mason Jr. tweeted out the following message (image via EOB).
By the look of the closing "How u," Mason appears to have meant to respond a text or direct message to a specific question. Tweeting this update on purpose would be a breach of lockout protocol, and it's unlikely he would want to make things difficult if a deal is in fact close.
So, like, any good union man, Mason deleted the update, denied all responsibility for the message, and claimed he was hacked just minutes later. Because, if someone hacked an NBA player's Twitter, he would send out a weird message that only makes sense as a response. Not, you know, say something stupid like "My favorite food is paint chips."
Mason's message has been widely interpreted as a sign that negotiations are going well, which makes sense given the context of today's meaning. On the other hand, maybe he was responding to a question like "How much time are you going to miss?" or "How long are you going to play in Azerbaijan?" With no reports on the substance of today's meetings, there could be any number of possible rejoinders. It doesn't even have to be a basketball issue -- maybe someone was asking Mason how close he was to finishing "The Wire."
I, personally, choose optimism. Mostly because I would like to make jokes about Mason's jumper being hacked as soon as possible.
Tip: The Fundamentals First Fast Break Newsletter!
On a quick note I?d like to point you to one of my favourite blogs outthere. It?s run by Brian from the Fundamentals First Basketball Coaching Network, who is a dedicated teacher of the game. Brian has put a lot of effort into his blog and now he is establishing a periodical newsletter called ?The [...]
Shaq allegedly hit a ball over the Green Monster at Fenway Park
Americans know Shaquille O'Neal as a man of many talents: athlete, actor, rapper, basketball analyst, reality TV personality, and prolific tweeter. Still, despite his show "Shaq Vs." where he tried his hands at various sports, he has not made much of a name for himself on the playing fields of other games. Mostly because the majority of sports are not made for 7-foot-1 giants.
That especially goes for baseball, where height only enlarges a player's strike zone and forces him to cover more of the plate. Nevertheless, Shaq seems to be at least quite capable at the plate. Because, if a story from Kevin Garnett is to be believed, the Shaqtan of Swat hit a ball over the Green Monster at Fenway Park. From CSN New England (via SB Nation):
Garnett recalled a softball game that the�Celtics played at Fenway Park. Garnett said he hit one ball off of the Green Monster. He said�Rajon Rondo hit two off the Wall and Shaquille O'Neal, of course, knocked one over the Monster.
"Shaq's the business, man," Garnett said. "It was truly an honor to play with him. "This year was the most fun I've had in the NBA in a long time."
Man, why couldn't there have been video of this trip to Fenway? I bet Rondo hits with his hands reversed on the bat, just like Hank Aaron used to before he made the majors.
It might not seem so impressive that a man of Shaq's immense strength could hit a baseball over a big wall only 320 feet away from home plate. But when you factor in that Shaq likely has very little experience hitting a baseball, it stands out as quite an accomplishment.
The only question now is what Shaq nicknamed himself after the accomplishment. Based on the history of the Red Sox, I'm going to bet on "Carl Yashaqski."
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Kenyon Martin chooses Andy Miller to be his new agent
During the ongoing NBA lockout, the main news has been overseas player signings, changes in management or coaching staffs, and the occasional hot exhibition game. So, we send a thank-you to Kenyon Martin for adding something new to the lockout pot.
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:
Longtime Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin has chosen a new [...]
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:
Longtime Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin has chosen a new [...]
Stern and players meet for lockout talks, results not entirely depressing
Ever since the lockout became official on July 1, fans have been grasping for any sort of positive news. There's been so much posturing and double-talk that it's been difficult to pretend that things are going to get better soon. By all indications so far, the loss of a full season seems like a real possibility.
On Wednesday, fans got a glimmer of hope when David Stern and the Players Association met for collective bargaining talks. No specific details have emerged from the sixth-hour meeting. However, that lack of post-meeting media spin can be considered a positive in itself. Here's what Howard Beck of The New York Times reported on Twitter from the scene:
Derek Fisher emerges from 6hr bargaining session, declines to characterize talks. But sides will keep meeting.�#lockout
Fisher also said parties agreed to dispense with the rhetoric and public shots at each other. All positive signs, IMHO.
More meetings are scheduled, but parties will not specify when and where.�
Stern and Silver just spoke. Just as cautious as Fisher in assessing progress. But Stern said there is definitely time to make a deal.
Again, there's not much to report here other than that the sides met for six hours and plan on scheduling more sessions. There's no reason to jump for joy. On the other hand, that's a massive improvement over a situation where both sides followed up previous meetings with posturing that the other wasn't arguing in good faith. People seem to be acting like adults now, which is almost a prerequisite for getting a good deal done.
We don't know how far apart the players and owners are on a deal. In all likelihood, some games will be lost this season. Still, they had to start treating each other like worthwhile business partners at some point, and Wednesday may very well have been that moment. The long process has to start at some point, and this meeting seems like as good a time as any.
New Philadelphia 76ers ownership group chooses a CEO
Though the immediate future of the NBA is being played out in a Manhattan hotel as owners and players try to iron out a new collective bargaining agreement, some business must carry on.
The 76ers’ new ownership group, headed by leveraged buyout specialist Joshua Harris, has hired noted travel industry executive Adam M. Aron as the [...]
The 76ers’ new ownership group, headed by leveraged buyout specialist Joshua Harris, has hired noted travel industry executive Adam M. Aron as the [...]
Days of NBA Lives: Wherein UCLA sounds really fun this summer
At this point, seemingly half the NBA is on Twitter. It's a wild world of training updates, questions as to which movies they should go see, and explanations of their Call of Duty prowess. Every so often, though, you also get a picture into the more interesting aspects of NBA life. This feature is your window into that world.
Tyrus Thomas: Turning this corner is so hard!!!!
Baron Davis: @russwest44 u ready bruh. You be freestyling on Bruin Walk all the time for me @kevinlove and @TrevorAriza
JaVale McGee: Remember when krumping came out and they made a movie. They were reallycrying like there were getting ready to get drafted to the nka
Larry Sanders: First will and jada now a earthquake...you tell me..smh
Shelden Williams: I'm at a park watching my daughter chase birds but she doesn't understand y they keep flying off when she runs towards them screaming haha!
You can also follow Eric Freeman on Twitter at @freemaneric.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Carmelo Anthony is ready to call his Knicks back to practice. In October
He's only played half a season and one playoff series as a member of the New York Knicks, but All-Star scoring forward Carmelo Anthony has already jutted to the top of the heap when it comes to team leadership. At least on record, assuming he follows through. Giddy after a strong showing at an exhibition game in his hometown of Baltimore on Tuesday night, Anthony told ESPN New York that he would attempt to wrangle in his Knick teammates for unofficial workouts, should the NBA's lockout cost its teams an orthodox, team-run training camp.
"Most likely I think as the month goes on, probably early October, well start getting guys together," Anthony said. "I'll make it my duty to get guys together whether it's in LA, New York or a neutral place."
[?]
"I'm trying to find Amare man," Anthony said with a laugh. "If anybody's seen Amare just tell him [I'm looking for him]. I don't know where he's at man. I heard he's in China, I heard he's back. Maybe I'll see him in New York next week for Fashion Week."
Somehow I don't think Willis Reed knew which week Fashion Week was. And I really don't think Willis Reed knew that Fashion Week was his best chance to locate Dave DeBusschere, following a long offseason.
That's the modern NBA athlete, though. Events like Fashion Week are why Carmelo and Amar'e Stoudemire wanted to become Knicks, and we heartily applaud Anthony attempting to get his team together, especially with all the roster upheaval the Knicks have undergone over the last few years. With the team capped out (no matter what sort of salary structure the new collective bargaining agreement dictates) and no first-round picks coming down the pike due to the Anthony trade, New York's best chance at improving has to come from internal development.
This is where Anthony, and his unofficial team workouts, come in. Of course, the best remedy is just to enjoy a training camp unfettered by labor vs. ownership disagreements, but we might be past that point as September rolls around.
Because he?s that big, Yao Ming withdraws his name from early Hall of Fame consideration
His agent John Huizinga, quietly and without further comment, got in touch with the Hall of Fame to relay Yao's wishes.
The Hall of Fame wasn't as quiet. From the Associated Press:
KRIV-TV first reported the request. Huizinga did not immediately return a phone message.
[Hall of Fame president and CEO John] Doleva said Huizinga told him that Yao feels it's too soon for him to be placed on the ballot.
"He (Huizinga) indicated that Yao has great respect for the institution and equal respect for those elected before his consideration," Doleva said in a phone interview. "He just feels that it's too soon to be considered as a contributor."
The protocol for retired players, and sadly Yao is amongst that lot right now, is that they can make the Hall of Fame five years after their retirement. Had Yao's career continued on the same arc that it was spiraling at back in 2007, he easily would have been a unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer without any "contributor" consideration.
The Basketball Hall of Fame is a tricky business, though, full of politics and David Stern's influence (which would and I'm sure did work in Yao's favor in this instance), even as it ignores significant Hall of Fame-worthy NBA types year in and year out. Artis Gilmore retired over 20 years ago, and he was just inducted two weeks ago. Dennis Rodman last played in 2000, and the NBA's best rebounder ever wasn't even considered a prospect until earlier this year. Tex Winter's offense was the driving force behind 11 NBA championships over the last 20 years, and yet the Hall waited way, way too late to call him in.
As a player, Yao likely falls short. Career averages of 19 points, over nine rebounds and two blocks in just 32 minutes a game (played mostly on low-possession teams) are no joke. But he managed just 486 contests during a career that started in 2002, and that's pretty tough to look over when you consider it took Gilmore 18 Hall of Fame tries after averaging 17, 10 and two blocks in nearly twice as many NBA games. After averaging 22 points, 17 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in nearly as many ABA games as Yao played NBA contests. And that's after a stellar NCAA career.
Most damning of all is the way that Yao Ming understands the narrative a good chunk of American basketball fans, message board denizens, sportswriters, and even team executives and players like to prattle on about. A "does he deserve it?"-argument given just one year after Yao's retirement and potential induction. Heck, they were asking it the day of his retirement earlier this summer. I visit many message boards.
Yao, more than just about any current hoop figure we can think of, deserves contributor status without a moment's hesitation. What he's done for this game on both an international and stateside-level has�created a lasting influence that we will honestly never be able to fully grasp, much less gauge. And if he wants to ride five years out before being inducted as a contributor, well, his impact will have grown even more by 2016.
What's unfortunate is that we can't fully pin this on Yao's unending sense of tact, humility and graciousness even in the most depressing of situations. The catcalls behind an "early" induction no doubt played a part in his recent decision, even if it was only a small part. And that's a shame.
How about this? Early August, next summer, we'll have ourselves a little Yao Ming Week. With the impending Mayan ruination of the universe as we know it, we might not get the chance in 2016, so we'll have a little Yao party here at Ball Don't Lie as the Hall of Fame prepares to induct the 2012 batch of deserved inductees.
(And, as a Chicago Bulls fan, it beats the hell out of running a Reggie Miller Week. Thanks for that out, Yao.)
Five ways to make a potential Vegas league worth a fan?s while
Cynicism aside, the potential for up to 70 NBA players to create a series of teams that would take part in a mini-league in Las Vegas this September is intriguing. Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy reported earlier this week that Impact Basketball is attempting to stage a tournament in Las Vegas that would feature solely NBA pros. That's enough to get the motor running.
Toss in the potential for a litany of NBA All-Stars to show up, many of whom have worked with Impact before, and the enthusiasm ramps up even further.
This is until you remember that, even with NBA rules and NBA players, it's still summer league action. And while the NBA-run rookie and free-agent summer leagues are a welcome respite in an otherwise dry summer -- and the all-out fun of the Drew, Goodman and Rucker leagues can serve as ice cream in hell for a starved basketball junkie -- something always seems to be missing.
[Related: Blake Griffin takes intern gig during lockout]
Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley, who has been the strongest voice thus far in attempting to round players up for this potential event, seems to think that NBA-styled rules are the answer. Here's what he told Hoopsworld:
"We'll play by NBA rules - have a 24-second shot clock and everything. You heard of the Drew League and Goodman League, but the difference with this league is that it's not a pro-am. There will just be NBA pros. It really gets guys ready for the NBA season. I'm excited every summer because at Impact, you only can get better. Now, the games are there to put what you learn into action on the court."
This is a step in the right direction, but even if actual (and recent -- Jermaine O'Neal doesn't count) NBA All-Stars take part, this could still turn into an affair that is hard to watch.
Literally and figuratively, because there are no takers at this point for these sorts of games on TV. ESPN, Turner and FOX Sports affiliates won't touch the event with a 10-share pole so as not to upset their NBA partners; and the ghost of Dick Ebersol's relationship with David Stern could prevent NBC from broadcasting the tournament on either NBC or its Versus Network. Remember, NBC still has to cull from ABC's and TNT's broadcast lineup to cover the Team USA outings at the Olympics. For now, the hope is to stream these games online for a small fee, which even in the era of Netflix and Hulu is still a tough go for pro basketball's most ardent admirers.
So how does the league make it worth a fan's while, even three months removed from the last NBA game, and potentially more than 13 months removed from the next NBA game?
1. Practice
After location, and a good breakfast, it's the most important thing out there.
Even the Team USA Olympic and world championship outings, though fun for spells, were mired by a lack of chemistry and unfamiliar teammates. Sure, the stars had their attitudes in the right place, but that doesn't mean a thing when you're expecting your weeks-old teammate to zig, and he decides instead to zag.
That's just on the propaganda tip. Though Team USA had a sound training camp to work with, those glorified All-Star teams are known for having too many generals, and not enough soldiers. Too many ball-handlers, and not enough people to set screens and move without the rock. It's not selfishness, but instinct. And a Vegas league featuring a series of role players (with role-player instincts) could go a long way. If the practices are well-attended, the minicamps would serve as the most important facet in developing the sort of chemistry necessary for good basketball.
2. Participation
I don't mean securing Kobe Bryant, or bringing LeBron James in on a chopper. There has to be consistent, mindful participation from beginning to end in order for this to succeed.
Remember, this shouldn't be a trifle. The point of this exercise is, well, exercise. NBA players are going to be working out during this time anyway during any other offseason, with the NBA's training camp just a few weeks away. Why not get in shape against significant NBA personnel, while winning the war of words with the NBA along the way? Inevitable comparisons would then be drawn to the fat camps, of sorts, that were the NBA's "charity" games in the winter of 1998, when the players that showed up appeared as if they hadn't touched a basketball in months.
[Related: NBA arenas could lose $1 billion]
Not only should these players prep and then practice, but they need to stick around. Dudley is quoted as saying that this would be a two-week commitment, and that just goes for the games alone. If you have a wedding scheduled (and why would you that close to training camp?), don't bother. If you're going to take off on the weekends, don't come at all. A league is a league is a league, and though Impact will likely make every concession possible in order to secure name after name, they should at least attempt to get a commitment from each player (no matter how prominent) that lasts for the duration of the tournament.
And once the tournament starts?
3. Play the right way
God, what an insufferable line. It's not wrong, though.
Alley-oops are for 20-point blowouts. Twenty-point blowouts are for the dogs, and no fun to watch. Four out of 10 alley-oops in rookie-sophomore or All-Star games ever connect. That percentage, mind you, doesn't improve once you've thrown 20 or 30 alley-oops.
We don't want a slow-down, Larry Brown-affair. But there has to be balance.
Fans are going to tune in once their Twitter feed tells them� two Vegas teams are about to enter the fourth quarter tied at 88. Even if these fans spent the first three quarters washing dishes from that night's dinner, they're going to spend the money needed to tune in, and they're going to tell two friends the next day about how worth it was to see competitive basketball between middling-to-great NBA players in the middle of September.
These sorts of games aren't built on foundations made of alley-oops and 25-foot shots. Sorry for acting the crank, but there's a reason the greatest of all time get to the line, work from the post or run the screen-and-roll.
Of course, the best help these sometimes-distracted players can get in this realm could come from a lone source.
4. Coaches
Who is going to run these teams?
This is a dodgy situation. I have no doubt that the trainers and NBA minds at Impact are more than adept at running team practices, saying all the right things, and diagramming more plays in a night than Kurt Rambis managed in a fortnight.
But this is where the tricky employee/employer situation comes in. Are these potential coaches going to give a cross look to John Wall after he breaks a play and a crossover goes wrong? You can't blame them for wanting to keep the clientele (or, potential clientele) happy, and their critical thoughts to themselves. After all, this is a publicity move for Impact.
High school and college coaches will be busy. NBA types (even tape operators and the like) can't say a single word to players without fear of a $1 million fine. So who is left?
The very, very angry.
There has to be plenty of disgruntled ex-NBA types who have no possible shot at another NBA coaching (assistant or otherwise) gig in their future who would jump at a chance to get back in the spotlight and run some NBA sets. You think John Lucas wouldn't want to be a part of this? Bob Hill's season with the Tokyo Apache won't start for another month, so why not bring him over? Ronnie Lester?
Hell, what about Adrian Wojnarowski? He knows the game, works with youth teams and doesn't mind a cold shoulder or two from the NBA. The staff is already in place. Marc J. Spears played the game in college, Johnny Ludden is the type of serene influence every bench needs, and I can hold a clipboard. I won't wear a sweatsuit, but I can definitely tell you that it's time, perhaps, for Eric Bledsoe to stop trying to break that press himself.
Jokes aside, these teams need a strong leader, and not someone to cackle with them as they try another half-court alley-oop. The watchability of these games likely depends on it.
And if all else fails?
5. Free balloons for the kids
Works every time.
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