- Practice video of the dunks we didn't get to see from Dwight Howard, including one where he accidentally hits is head on the rim.
- The Sports Business Journal (subscription required) takes a pretty extensive look at how sports are covered online. Among other things, they asked some industry insiders which blogs they read. One of the nicest, most professional men in the NBA is Nelson Luis, who is the director of media relations for the Houston Rockets. He does not have religion on the whole blog thing. Part of his answer: "To me it is just ramblings of people who probably should be working harder at forming cohesive, interesting articles, etc. I'm just not a big fan and my guess is that this is something that will stay in more of a 'niche' category as opposed to trending upward as time goes by." My response to Mr. Luis: wanna bet?
- The Sports Business Journal also has a little article (subscription required) about ESPN's acquisition of TrueHoop and the Talented Mr. Roto, which includes the following quote from John Kosner, ESPN senior vice president and general manager of new media: "I think these acquisitions say a lot about the ability to bring in true, independent voices and allowing them to operate under the umbrella of a big media operation and stay true to who they are." On a somewhat related note, a couple of people have asked me what it's like to be "big time." You should see the car I drive (and how frequently I have to top off the fluids). I am not big time. How will you know when I'm big time? There will be action figures of me, just like Brent Musburger. That's big time. UPDATE: Maybe I am big time. Check out the image I just got from reader NFN:
- A video report about male practice players in women's NCAA basketball.
- Dwyane Wade's mom is not going to like this video.
- Bulls fans are speculating about whether or not their team will win fifty games. Here's my best guess: no.
- A good Mark Monteith interview of Larry Bird from a couple of days ago, during which Bird talks about, among other things, the difference between blowing up the team entirely and rebuilding on the fly: "Sometime you are stuck in the middle. But I'd rather be in the playoffs. I talked to (Boston Celtics general manager) Danny Ainge the other day and he said, 'Don't ever get in this situation.' When you lose 16, 17 straight games, it gets tough and mentally it breaks you down. He knows he has some young talent there and if he's able to get (Greg) Oden or (Kevin) Durant in the draft, that changes your whole world. We know that. But I think we've got to make sure we make the right moves, and get the right free agents."
- A lot of people stood up and cheered when Jason Whitlock teed off on the culture of All-Star Weekend. One of them was not Dave Zirin, who responds: "...your recent work on the NBA's All Star weekend in Vegas is just beyond the pale. When you have the unholy arrogance to compare your crusade against 'ghetto acting' black people to the actions of Rosa Parks, when you call young African American kids 'the Black KKK', and when you liken walking the Vegas strip to being in 'the yard at a maximum security prison', it's simply time to say, 'enough.'"
- Lindell Singleton: "David Stern can only keep the flame burning for so long-- if the NBA becomes 'too-Black' and NBA All Star Weekend becomes another excuse for the Hip-Hop generation to party, the league isn't going to make it. Black people worship the NBA-- the NFL is like a cousin who comes around for dinner a few times a year--they're cool and everything..but, if you see them, you see them and if you don't...you don't. MLB is akin to an Aunt who lives is a Retirement home-- you see her on her birthday and that's about it... the NBA, however, is like your lover...he energy of James Brown, the crackling earthiness of Billie Holiday and sweet smoothness of Ella. We long for the the NBA the way one longs for their lover. So, why are we black people going to be charged with its death? Easy, because revenues will escape through a gaping hole if the league is branded as 'too black.'"
- Kind of seems like the Warriors might never beat the Lakers again.
- Mining for gold in the LeBron James community pages on MSN.
- Watching O.J. Mayo have a huge game in a losing effort against top-rated St. Patrick's of New Jersey.
- I have been hearing for some time, from multiple sources, that all is not harmonious in the Nugget locker room, and it's starting to show.
- Jose Calderon is coming around picks and barreling to the hoop with great success. "I think," he says in a Doug Smith article, "our team is reading very good this situation."
- What's wrong with Channing Frye?
- Is this how healthy relationships begin? People who love the Raptors say mean things about Juan Dixon. Juan Dixon gets amped to prove them wrong and has a great game. So, surprise surprise, people who love the Raptors are saying more mean things about Juan Dixon.
- Now that it seems like surgery might be optional for Dwyane Wade, I think there's little chance he will go under the knife. They say he could be ready for the playoffs if he just rehabs it, and I think he's the kind of guy who just can't resist that opportunity to be a hero. Ira Winderman adds: "Just a hunch, but by putting off his decision on season-ending shoulder surgery, it allows Wade a few extra games to see if this is a team worth coming back to in mid-April."
- Brian Windhorst on the terribly sad week of Zydrunas Ilgauskas: "As sportswriters, we are supposed to be like referees, icy islands of objectivity. But when it comes to these matters, it is impossible not to be human, especially for a person who is as kind as big Z. So as his voice was cracking as he told a few of us in the locker room before the game, I couldn't help but experience a little welling in the eyes." Also, click his name for a great line about the circus, Shaquille O'Neal, and shellfish.
- Everyone, even Mitch Albom, is talking about Ben Wallace's return to Detroit.
- Eric Neel is an ESPN guy I got to know in Las Vegas. Very nice guy, and I just found out that his pickup basketball epic "The Saturday Game" (which I linked to when it was new, but it's still worth the read) is going to be included in the next edition of The Best American Sports Writing, which he has to be pretty jazzed about.
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