- Greatest center of all time. A big ol' ESPN.com ranking that I got to vote on, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar comes out on top. On Chad Ford's podcast I make the case that Bill Russell is the man. If being the greatest winner in team sports history doesn't make you the best, what does?
- Reggie Miller trots out his the customized versions of "Kumbuya" he once used to try to get out of practice.
- I really do want to move on from the Las Vegas discussion, but this Nate Jones take is impressively thoughtful, and it's worth reading the whole thing.
- Thanks to Jeff from CelticsBlog for sending a link to this discussion of sportsbloggers. One guy in there seems to think the world will end if bloggers get credentials.
- Tom Ziller and Sactown Royalty are all over this Ron Artest situation. The meat of it, to me, is a post called They Told Us So: " We didn't believe them. They told us he'd be a headache, more trouble than he was worth. They said he'll never change - once a thug, always a thug. They called him a ticking timebomb, they called us risk takers, they told us to enjoy the honeymoon. They acknowledged his excellent game, but emphasized his historically checkered judgment. We ignored it. We said we'd deal with that when it came. We enjoyed the moment - the inspiring run to end 2005-06, the hellaciously fun playoff run against the Spurs, the offseason of wild, wild dreams. When he started calling out teammates, we got a bit nervous. When his dogs got taken away for abuse, we shook our heads. When he he told the coach and his fans to ..., we got worried. And now that he's been arrested for spousal abuse? We realize we got burned." More from Ziller on the FanHouse.
- How did the Celtics turn their fortunes around? According to this report, it was all thanks to a new strategy, called trying to win. After reading this, it's harder than ever to ignore the possibility that the Celtics have been tanking games intentionally, which is, of course, against league rules.
- Joshua Chaffin of London's Financial Times had dinner with Shaquille O'Neal: "The waitress reappears with an appetiser of raw tuna that has been moulded into three intricate sculptures. I extend the tray to O’Neal, who’s been picking at a dinner roll and nursing another Diet Coke. But he declines. 'That’s rich people food. I ain’t rich,' says the man whose net worth was estimated at more than $250m by Forbes magazine. Uncle Mike, on the other hand, who has been sipping $45-a-glass dessert wine, leans in for a taste. As I demolish one of the tuna creations, I change gear and ask about the war in Iraq. While I am hesitant to ask celebrities about politics, it turns out to be one of the few times O’Neal really strains for an answer - I wonder if he is carefully balancing what he is able to say publicly about politics without harming the fun-loving Shaq persona. Finally, he praises the soldiers, and then explains: 'Coming from a military background and really believing in pecking orders, my father would kill me if I said something negative about the president. It doesn’t matter if I agree with the war or don’t agree with the war.' The elder O’Neal is clearly a big influence, who raised his son 'Karate Kid-style'. By that, he means that - like the Ralph Macchio character in the 1980s Hollywood film - he was forced to perform basic chores and endure experiences that were frustrating at the time, but which later proved valuable. 'Like we moved to Germany. There are no black people in Germany - only on the base - which was good for me.' Moving around a lot meant O’Neal 'learned to relate to different people'. 'Now I can go up to someone and say: Shalom, shana tova. Hello, how are you doing?' O’Neal reaches out and shakes my hand as he recites the Hebrew New Year greeting."
- An excellent suggestion from Dave at Blazer's Edge, take old-timers with an itch to compete like Scottie Pippen and Reggie Miller, and stick them on the national team: "I'm not saying you could fill the team with ex-NBA geezers and expect to win against 20-something active professionals from other countries, but what about one or two of the old timers? They could be team captains, almost coaches on the court. They could also put in time with other year-long non-NBA players with interest in making the team...college guys or folks from other leagues who might have time to devote to the project. They would work, travel, and play to make the team more cohesive. Maybe you have a hand-picked half dozen active NBA guys, a couple of old timers, and a few assorted others on each National Team, the NBA guys folded in later and all of the others practicing and playing more often. I don't think it could hurt. If you lacked athleticism it's not like those six NBA guys couldn't handle playing almost a whole game on their own. But right now we don't need more duplication of jumping, juking, and dunking, we need some of those other attributes filled in. The retired guys get their national spotlight. The National Team gets their smarts and extra practice time. It seems like everybody wins."
- Meeting Jason Richardson's brother in a Detroit stadium bathroom, by dj fuzzylogic: "I’m washing my hands when I notice the dude next to me is wearing a Richardson jersey. I look to him and say 'Lets go Warriors!' and show off my retro-Warriors gear. He goes 'I gotta be. My brother plays for them.' Seemed like he was a fan out of obligation or like he was being held at gun point or something. I thought I just misunderstood him. It was sort of an awkward conversation just cause the men’s bathroom is a weird weiner-phobic space where men don’t really make eye contact or contact whatsoever. I hesitated shaking his hand, pausing to remember whether or not he used soap to wash his hands. Anyway, he asks where I’m from and I tell him Fremont and he goes 'Oh! My brother plays for the Warriors' -- I guess this time more clearly. The dude was African American and I wanted -- as a joke -- to say, 'Your brother is Biedrins???' but figure that it probably wouldn’t go over too well. Also, he probably doesn’t know who Biedrins is either. He tells me he’s JRich’s brother and you could tell he was proud to say it, too." Also, the Warriors own the Pistons, which is bizarre.
- I know, bend over, and I'll leap off your back and dunk. Good idea!
- Thomas from Raised by Wolves: "Many commentators and pundits speak of Michael Jordan’s ability to destroy careers. This is a reaction to his role in keeping otherwise great players (Stockton, Malone, Barkley, Ewing, etc.) from obtaining championships. But watching Dale Davis start for the Pistons in last Friday night’s game against Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat made me think that perhaps Shaq has had the opposite effect. How many so-so big men have had their careers extended, or even had a career period, because teams, wanting to make a playoff run, needed extra fouls against the Most Dominant Ever big-man?"
- Ivan Carter heard everything at the end of Sunday night's Warriors vs. Wizards game: "Now, here's where things went really crazy. The Golden State bench went nuts and Don Nelson charged onto the court where I clearly heard him yell at Brothers: 'Tony, you are a (naughty word) idiot!' The really funny part came next. Butler was standing right there next to Brothers when Nelson said it and Butler, turning into king instigator, goes: 'Ooohhh. Did you hear that? T him up!' Sure enough, Stafford stepped in and hit Nellie with a T. The refs then came over right next to us and looked at a video review but I'm still not sure what the heck they were looking for. Whether time had expired? When the foul was made? How much to put on the clock? The whole thing was bizarre. So Gilbert takes his free throws. As he gets ready for the third and final one, he turns to the Golden State bench and says: 'Go to the lockerroom. Get on the bus. It's over.'"
- Was that game-changing Don Nelson technical foul part of a shadowy conspiracy? No, says Tim Kawakami.
- Phil Jackson is handing out books, after all, at least to Ronny Turiaf.
- I played Chad Ford's lottery simulator a hundred times, and every time the Blazers got Thaddeus Young. Sounds like Travis Outlaw with good grades.
- Chris Perkins: "...before getting all excited about Wade returning remember the key to the whole thing: Wade won’t necessarily return after two or three weeks. He’ll be re-evaluated at that time to determine if he could play immediately, play after another couple of days or weeks, or whether he’s done for the year. Wade said there’s no guarantee he’ll return. Still, count on him making a comeback. Wade has the weight of an entire franchise, along with the weight of the entire South Florida region, on his shoulders, even though the left one was dislocated and also has a torn labrum."
- Kevin Martin hid a hand-written note, reminding him of his goals, in his shoe, and was named the West's Player of the Week. If he gets a signature Nike shoe, I pray they call it the Air Mail.
- Comparing John Canzano's Steve Patterson column to Kerry Eggers' Steve Patterson column. Interesting.
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
Henry AbbottTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chad FordTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
John HollingerTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris SheridanTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Marc SteinTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
