- NetsDaily on new Warrior, Marcus Williams: "The night of the 2006 Draft, it looked as if the basketball gods had gifted the Nets with Kidd's successor, a player projected as high as #7 had fallen to #22. He had a great summer league (although one of his coaches said, in a famous line, he couldn't guard a bank with a machine gun). Then, he had an even better preseason, entering the season as the top-rated rookie in the NBA rookie rankings. It was all downhill after that. In spite of flashes of brilliance, his lack of defense and conditioning-and apparently a poor attitude-relegated him to Lawrence Frank's dog house. A broken foot last summer, just before training camp, didn't help. His confidence really sank when the Nets traded for Harris. There was no doubt that Williams was going to be the Nets' backup forever (or sent elsewhere). When Frank called him out publicly not long afterwards for his lack of consistency, it was the single most stinging criticism in Frank's tenure as coach. After the trade, Frank expressed disappointment he couldn't get Williams to where he needed to be. If Williams takes off in Don Nelson's system, it will not help Frank's reputation. If, on the other hand, he doesn't, it will be a lesson: players drop in the draft for a reason. Collectively, NBA GM's are not dumb."
- It would be pretty cool if, while in the timeout of an NBA arena, you could watch highlights of other NBA games going on that night.
- Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie on Andris Biedrins: "He's a year younger than Joakim Noah, two years younger than LaMarcus Aldridge, and four years younger than Chris Kaman. The big man turned 22 with a few weeks left in the regular season, and he's already hauling down about one in five potential rebounds available when he's on the floor, while continuing to shoot one of the highest percentages from the floor in the NBA (leading the league last year) and improving from the free throw line (doubling his mark from 31 to 62 percent from 2006 to 2008)."
- I have had some e-mails from readers wondering why I haven't talked more about the Olympic team. I have to be honest, I have been reading a lot of Olympic coverage, and I just haven't seen all that much that has struck me as poignant. All those closed practices, all those articles rehashing what has happened with the program since 2004. Believe me, I'm into it though, and I'll be talking about it a lot more as storylines emerge. In the meantime, some great moments from Sydney in 2000. The dunk that changed Vince Carter's life, and the haka (watch Gary Payton nod approvingly).
- One more reason players might feel some pressure to play in Europe: Their agents are reportedly entitled to a bigger cut than the 4% of player salaries allowed by the NBA.
- TrueHoop reader Andrew noticed that in the online store on Team USA's official site, Chris Bosh's #12 jersey is identified as a "2008 Twill Amare Stoudamire Jersey." Elsewhere on the same page Carmelo Anthony's first name is spelled "Carmello."
- A Cavalier fan who is eager to see Ron Artest alongside LeBron James. It might work, but it sure wouldn't solve the lack of ball movement.
- Whatever it is, exactly, that Wizznutzz does, they do it better than anyone. And don't tell me there are typos in here ... that's part of it. For instance: "It was classical Gilbert. Like Chris Webber say: '2 Much Drama'!!!!! Gil and Ernie and Twan did their little dance: Gil said Ernie, 'I wanna be a Wizard, but Not without my daughter!!!!' And then Antawn Jamison told Ernie 'I wanna grow old with you!!' and then Ernie told Gil: 'Heres 126 Million dollar check from Abe Pollin made out to Juwan Howard. I can get you one just like it' and then Gilbert thought to himself 'If there's a speed of sound and a speed of light is there a speed of smell?' and then he thought to himself 'What can i do for my family with $127 million that I can't do with $111 million??' And then he did the math. No, not the math that says that the 16 million xtra dollars invested today would be worth another whole $127 million when his son turns 40, but the math of getting a quote from the firm of Oscar and Lucinda Architects for the all-glass basketball museum of his dreams and he found that for only $111 million he could he get the glass museum built AND fill it with rare Randell jackson Bnei Hasharon Israeli Premier League jerseys AND install a gorgeous custom Jeff Koons chrome balloon sculpture of Calbert Cheaney AND even have money left over to install the actual Calbert Cheaney!!!"
- This is not a real interview with Jason Kidd. And it's kind of PG-13.
- Elton Brand, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley ... is the East getting better? And before you answer that, remember the West is adding names like Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Love.
- Marc Isenberg, author of Money Players, reacts to a talk from NCAA Chairman Myles Brand: "Is college a great place to develop as a person and as an athlete? Absolutely. But there are corrupting influences in college ESPECIALLY for those who have no interest in school are basically foced to attend against their will."
- Joakim Noah says what others have said: that he never really had a big argument with Ben Wallace.
- Is there any chance Jamaal Tinsley will return to Indiana?
- MemphisX of 3ShadesofBlue on the trouble with not spending some of those Grizzlie cap bucks to get some wins in Memphis soon: "... Without a major talent upgrade, especially in the frontcourt, the Grizzlies are going to be a non-competitive team for the third year in a row. This would mean that for the entirety of Rudy Gay's career, the Grizzlies will have been one of the three worst teams in the NBA each season. ... I know most reading this are aware of the current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and that even if the Grizzlies and Gay are not able to agree on an extension in 2009, the Grizzlies will hold the right of first refusal in 2010 and will be able to match any offer Gay gets as a restricted free agent. So what is the problem? The problem is that 2010 is going to be a major offseason for free agency. There will be a lot of major market teams with lots of capspace in 2010 loading up for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. In fact a lot of GMs are getting some career longevity by clearing up caproom for 2010. By this time, if the plan is going right, Rudy
Gay should have established himself as a reasonable alternative for an NBA GM when LeBron James decides not to sign with their team. ... Time for some reality: The Grizzlies are not the model NBA franchise. The last thing the Grizzlies want is to let Rudy Gay (and his agent), to get a taste of the possibilities of playing in New York or Chicago especially if we are coming off of four straight lottery appearances in 2010." - UPDATE: Translation of an interview in which Nenad Krstic tells a Serbian interviewer about how the CBA is driving some players to Europe. And word that he has a big offer in Russia.
- UPDATE: Yahoo's Rod Benson on his time in Las Vegas: "I learned that Coach Sam Mitchell is a funny dude. Seriously. For example, he doesn't believe in ADD, he just thinks there are 'dumb people.' What he really means is 'pay attention when I tell you how to defend the ball screen.' I was actually talking to him one time and he just cut off my sentence to bet me that I wouldn't go talk to a girl that walked by. Of course I said I would and I followed her for a few steps, only to see her walk over to Jamie Foxx and give him a big hug and kiss. I walked back over to Coach and told him that I, in fact, could not do it. Another one of my teammates said he didn't care who she was talking to, and went over to her. Alas, Jamie's security did care. I'll stop that right there."
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