- Lost in Translation: Here's a nice article from the People's Daily Online about how successful Yao Ming is. The only problem, it's inexplicably headlined: "Success out of my reach, says Yao Ming." Also this page of the same website only has about seven sentences of text (it's mostly photos) but in that short time it points out twice that Yao's restaurant in Shanghai is bigger than his restaurant in Houston. Take that Texas!
- A nice little article about life for guys who just don't quite make the NBA. The pay is OK in the Finnish league, but it's hard to be away from your kids.
- John Paxson tells Mike McGraw about parting ways with Tyson Chandler: "We tried everything here over the last couple years to help him improve and put him in the right situation. It’s quite possible that he’ll have a great career. I fully expect that to happen. It’s just sometimes you say to yourself, ‘It would be helpful if things had worked out a little bit sooner.’"
- French perimeter player Yakhouba Diawara reportedly verbally agreed to a contract with the Nuggets, then got a bigger offer from the Mavericks. But he kept his word and stuck with the Nuggets. Good for him.
- Weird bit of leadership from Chauncey Billups, as reported by Marc Spears. First he brags a little: "I know a lot of these guys look up to me and the things that I've done in my career and the way that I've done it." Then he switches gears and tells his Team USA teammates not to get hung up on pride: "I wanted to basically wish them the best and say that everyone needs to put their pride aside. Nobody worry about minutes and scoring and points." Then he concludes with instruction to be plenty selfish once the NBA season rolls around again: "You worry about that when you get back to your regular team." Yeah, team!
- Charles Barkley, who might be running for Alabama governor as a Democrat: "I was a Republican until they lost their minds." And one more quote from Barkley (both of these from an Associated Press article), for good measure: "There are places where a black kid who is a good student and tries to speak correctly, you hear stuff like, 'He's trying to be white.' Well, I say, if that's true, we need more kids trying to be white."
- Other NBA players who might run for things.
- Kevin Love and the sneaker wars. Nike played a little rough, and now one of the best players from Oregon is committed to an Adidas school.
- Darius Miles, who has asked to be traded, is said to be in Miami this off-season. Mike Tokito: "[Blazer Coach Nate] McMillan said he offered to have one of his assistant coaches fly out to work out with Miles in the way the Bill Bayno is working out with Zach Randolph and Jarrett Jack this week. Miles declined."
- "Effortful study" makes success.
- Team USA will be subjected to international drug tests.
- The sneaker wars are a battle for this guy's money.
- Bobby Jackson, talking to the AP about Oklahoma City: "I know that George Shinn wants to be here."
- Comparing Jason Terry's contract to other players with similar contracts.
- Charley Rosen on the future in Phoenix: "While Phoenix followers are expecting that the return of Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas will inevitably propel the Suns to a championship, they will be sadly disappointed for several reasons: No player has ever made a full recovery from the type of surgery Stoudemire had without losing a significant portion of his speed and quickness. There's no reason to think that Stoudemire will be any different. And, without his "extra step", Stoudemire would lose his claim to greatness. As it is (or rather, was), he had no aptitude for off-the-ball defense and was only concerned with blocking shots. Even if he did make a remarkable recovery, all the points that he would score would amount to that many points that somebody else (Diaw? Bell?) wouldn't score."
- The right way to spread rumors.
- Says here Kevin Pittsnogle's contract is not guaranteed, which makes a lot more sense.
- Steve Kerr says cheap free agents are often the best, and gives a rundown of this year's cost-effective signings.
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