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Some jerk beat Chris Bosh to registering the domain www.chrisbosh.com. So Bosh went after the cybersquatter. All sorts of legal wrangling later, Bosh has won damages, his domain ... and a zillion other domains the same guy had been squatting.

There are nearly 800 names in the list, and Bosh and his internet consultant, Hadi Teherany of Max Deal, say they'll return them all to their rightful owners for free.

Which means a good chunk of the basketball world will be owing Bosh a favor. The list is thick with basketball players in the NBA, overseas, college and high school. There are also some football players, political sites, Britney Spears' child, singers, a site or two that sound raunchy, and the Mexican wrestler "El Octagon."

Just a few of the many NBA names on the list:

• SamCassell.com
• SteveNash.com
• AmareStoudemire.com
• AndreIguodala.com
• JJRedick.com
• EddyCurry.com
• CarmeloAnthony.com
  
• BrandonJennings.com
• DelonteWest.com 
• LuolDeng.com
• KobeStopper.com
• CaronButler.com
• DeronWilliams.com
• DariusMiles.com
  
• BryanColangelo.com

(Also on the list is AaronAfflalo.com, even though that Denver player spells his first name "Arron.") The vast list of names also includes instructions for athletes and celebrities to get their names back from Bosh, if they wish. Paging El Octagon ...

Happy Birthday, coach.

His family says they will celebrate quietly.

The tallest of his red-headed former pupils, Bill Walton, has written Wooden a heartfelt and funny letter full of memories and ... play-by-play of some of Walton's favorite new albums. He even implies that Bob Dylan's newest includes two songs Dylan wrote "specifically for" John Wooden. I read the lyrics of those songs -- and I'm sure Walton couldn't mean that literally.

By total coincidence, yesterday I bought a classic Wooden book: "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court."

There are several great tales in there, but one really stuck with me.

Wooden, of course, is almost synonymous with UCLA. But here's the amazing thing. At the time he was offered the UCLA job, he was also in the running to become head coach in Minnesota, which was closer to home for him. There were some complications with the Minnesota position, though, which he wanted to get straightened out first. They said they'd call by 6 p.m. with the details of his final offer. UCLA was due to call at 7.

Minnesota didn't call, so when UCLA called, Wooden said yes to his second choice.

As he hung up the phone, it rang, and it was Minnesota. A blizzard had knocked out all the phone lines, so they had been unable to get through, but now they were offering everything he had asked for.

Had I been able to terminate my agreement with UCLA in an honorable fashion, I would have done so immediately. But I had given my word just a few minutes before.

If fate had not intervened, I would never had gone to UCLA. But my dad's little set of threes served me well: "Don't whine. Don't complain. Don't make excuses."...

I believe that things are directed in some sort of way. I'm not exactly sure how. I also believe that things turn out the best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.

Talk about making the best of it: John Wooden went on to lead UCLA to what may have been the greatest coaching run in college sports history. 

• I agree 100% with the eloquent insight from J.A. Adande and others, who say (I paraphrase crudely) of Michael Jordan's speech: What did you expect? He's always combative! We love him for destroying people! He is motivated by anger! Jordan did what he always did! But I'd add one wrinkle. Let's remember where we were. It wasn't just "Jordan unfiltered" time. It wasn't a reality show. It was an induction into the Hall of Fame, a setting generally seen as a call to be graceful, grateful and timeless. My point: Lots of people are harshly competitive. That's not news. But to take this precious half-hour, when the world essentially calls on you to wrap everything in as much love as you possibly can, and build a speech around the theme of "I told you so..." well it's a hell of a lot bolder than saying the same things in another setting. It makes it seem like being like Mike, the dream of so many, doesn't end up taking you to a place that's all that great. You win everything imaginable, and then sit around, decades later, talking about how you got screwed. (More good insight, links, Genghis Kahn comparisons and video.)
• Also, the true positive legacy of all that winning -- inspiring people to work hard.
• A genuinely new and unbelievably useful kind of database: Comparing how NBA players defend. Spare your complaints -- everyone knows it's not perfect yet. But it's a fantastic stab at something new and useful.
• Suns draftee big man Earl Clark (who, incidentally, says he patterned his game on Allen Iverson's) tells Inside Hoops: "If you don't have confidence in this league you'll get ate alive." At least, that's how they transcribed it. Probably worth a follow-up, though, to make certain Clark wasn't suggesting the unconfident would get free samples of this little-known drain-cleaner.
• David Berri assesses the Charlotte Bobcats' chances of making the playoffs.
  
• Remembering 30 years ago, when Abe Pollin took the Bullets on a groundbreaking trip to China.
• Not many guys in NBA locker rooms have college tuition debt. Most had full rides, or are too rich. But Lester Hudson, trying to make the Celtics, is not one of those guys.
• Edited video of the much-discussed Peter Vecsey Hall of Fame speech.
• Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold on the 2003-2004 Lakers: "We were all used to seeing Shaq out of shape, but never like this. Shaq saw his scoring average plummet to 21.5 PPG from 27.5 PPG the year before. In fact, in the Finals the Pistons didn't even bother double-teaming him. It was the first season "the most dominant ever" was not the most dominant ever again. At just 31 years of age Shaq had taken a big step back. At a time when players like Michael Jordan, who take great care of their bodies, are still at their physical peak... Shaq was now a liability on defense and not a sure thing to score in the paint against single coverage." 
• You may know that Josh Smith should not shoot 3-pointers. But even Smith doesn't seem to know he shouldn't be shooting jumpers at all.
  
• Robert Horry is a conundrum. He was no superstar, but he was a good, and sometimes critical, player who won a truly astounding seven chamionship rings. What's the best way to honor that? Retired jerseys at the various teams he played for? The Hall of Fame?
• Assessing the view that the Celtics have trouble against small lineups.
• Bonzi Wells is using Twitter to campaign for a job with the Heat. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel: "Twitter has not exactly been kind to the Heat this offseason."

Experts on success will tell you, and I think they're right, that the great ones tend to believe in themselves in profound ways.

Early in today's Hall of Fame press conference, the extraordinary C. Vivian Stringer encouraged a young Springfield, Massachusetts student journalist with advice largely along those lines. 

But that's not how John Stockton did things. And I suspect a whole lot of people will find it wholly inspiring that Stockton managed to be among the greatest basketball players ever despite both being way too small for the job, and seemingly lacking any kind of conviction that he was among the best.

Speaking on the day of his induction into the Hall of Fame, he talked of when he first made it to the NBA.

I thought they'd figure me out pretty quickly. I thought the Jazz would figure out they had made a mistake. So I saved every cent. I did get the first paycheck. I saved every cent. I rented a one-bedroom apartment that was already furnished. I never bought a television set. I went to the discount food store and bought cans of McNally's chili. I made my mom's lasagna and stacked it up in the fridge.

So I was pretty sure I was a one year-and-out guy.

I don't know if that ever changed. I think if you asked my wife, who's sitting over there with my family, she'd tell you that part of me hasn't changed much.

Two things I love about this. First of all, if you can't relate to the part about being sure things would go badly, and feeling you couldn't afford to spend a penny on indulgences ... consider yourself lucky. I suspect we can almost all relate to this.

Secondly, you can just feel the work ethic in all this right? The determination? As much as believing in yourself (and on some level, I'm sure he always did) is important to success, there's nothing like doing the work, and Stockton's approach sure seemed to keep him motivated.

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

Last February, TrueHoop featured a piece co-authored by Tracy McGrady and John Prendergast of the Enough Project about their visit to Darfur and Chad. McGrady and Prendergast described the human suffering, destruction, and ethnic cleansing that has displaced 2.5 million people and killed more than 400,000 since 2003 (many estimate the mortality figure to be significantly higher).

Director Josh Rothstein chronicled the visit, and the resulting documentary -- 3 Points: Peace, Protection, and Punishment -- has been released on Hulu and can be viewed below.

At the outset of the documentary, McGrady can best be described as a nervous traveler. He's afraid of the small plane that transports him from Europe to Chad. He's afraid to eat the food at his comparatively luxurious hotel in N'Djamena. He's afraid of tooling around town in a Range Rover in the company of the Chadian ambassador.

"What have I gotten myself into?" McGrady asks rhetorically.

Over time, McGrady adapts to the realities on the ground. Counseled and accompanied by Prendergast and Sudanese human rights activist Omer Ismail, he demonstrates a sincere willingness to be educated on the situation, and asks smart questions. If the Janjaweed are such a small minority, how do they manage to exert so much brutal force on a much larger population?

When McGrady first arrives at Kou Kou Refugee Camp, Prendergast recommends that they walk around the camp inconspicuously rather than emerge from their jeep as the center of attention. McGrady heeds the advice, but it's hard for a regal 6-foot-8 man in a crisp while linen shirt to escape the attention of throngs of curious kids. In no time, McGrady has a band of cheery followers as he makes his way around the squalor of the camp.

Upon watching the kids play soccer on a hardscrabble sheet of dirt, McGrady's first gesture is to commit $1,000 to building a more suitable, flat pitch with proper goals. McGrady then inquires about what it would take to build a swimming pool before being told by Ismail that such a gift would be thought of as extravangant in a place where people desperately need basic amenities such as a roof. 

It's a lesson McGrady quickly takes to heart. He sits beneath a tree to visit with a Chadian refugee named Ashta listening to her story. When she finished, McGrady simply asks, "How can an everyday American help her situation?" The answer: security, a functioning well and a school.

As McGrady goes deeper into the region and the stories of bloodshed become more grotesque, his mild observations evolve into expressions of heartfelt concern. The most profound and heartbreaking lesson we learn from 3 Points is that the victims of Darfur know that there are people nearby who want to slaughter them and their families (they've witnessed as much). But they're completely unaware that there are people who want to help.

It's this reality that drives McGrady more than anything.

• A stunning mask, made entirely of Air Jordan sneakers. Also, a blanket made of Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant jerseys.
• Dave from BlazersEdge on young people who get in trouble: "When you're twenty it seems like so many possibilities are open to you that any given outcome is almost a matter of chance. It also seems like you have so much life (so many lives?) to live that you can tread multiple paths and still come out whole enough to find one you'll be happy to live with. Add a decade or two of life and you start to realize that neither is true. Once your life starts flowing down a certain channel it's far more difficult to get out and find a new one than it was to fall in. You don't often get do-overs either. You blink and what seems like a momentary decision has become a binding habit. The more you struggle to get back the farther it drags you along. You wish you could smack that twenty-year old who thought he had all the choices and time in the world."
  
• Every now and again, the rumor goes around that Mike Woodson is going to be fired. (It has never been true, obviously, in the past.) By his tone, I'm guessing Woodson has heard the same rumors.
• A hall in Massachusetts gets an expensive facelift, thanks to an upcoming visit by Michael Jordan.
• Deadspin headline, in reaction to the report that Kurt Rambis had hired Bill Laimbeer: "Timberwolves Cornering The Market On Scrappy White Guys You Probably Hated In The '80s." And the followup: "Tom Chambers should probably check in with his agent."
• A dark view of the Warriors.
• I was going to write that this was 3:21 I won't get back, but this 3:19 pretty much makes up for it. I'm only out two seconds.
  
• This might be the first crossword puzzle ever devoted to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
• A blogger who misses all those newspapers that are going away.
• If you ran the Spurs, would you trade for Stephen Jackson? He is owed an awful lot of money for his age, but that big Tim Duncan clock is ticking, and winning now is clearly the name of the game. Another way of looking at the Spurs: They have long been the NBA's leaders in thinking long-term, developing culture, letting good players go rather than overpay them etc. But now their smart long-term plan is to think short-term, and presto, they're in the mix for the same compromised players lots of other teams dabble with.
• Next season, when somebody catches fire in a game, I'm going to try to remember to link to this as a metaphor. "As you can see [the flames from my hands] can be very small and controlled, or very big and scary."
• If you know what the word "retrodicting" means you'll learn a lot from this post about team efficiency.
• Sham Sports with a fascinating note: "The Grizzlies' contract of Marcus Williams is for the minimum salary of $855,189 ($825,497 on the Grizz's cap), with guaranteed compensation of $500,000. The remaining $355,189 becomes guaranteed in 15 different stages; on 15 separate dates throughout the season, Williams has to turn up weighing equal to or less than 207 pounds, and a body fat amount of less than 10%. Each time he does so, he's guaranteed an extra $23,679."
  
• The rules of mini-golfing with Michael Jordan.
• Oregonian writer Jason Quick, quoted by Rasheed Malek of SLAM, on Greg Oden: "It seemed like he was always fighting an uphill battle with his stamina because of all the little dings and injuries that put him on the sideline. As a result, he was a little slow moving his feet on defense, which led to some silly fouls, which led to foul trouble and some really short nights. His offense needs a ton of work, but right now, the team just wants him to be a defensive presence. I think he can be a huge defensive factor, simply because for stretches last season he was an immovable defensive force inside. In particular, I can remember games at Toronto and New Orleans last season when his presence impacted the way the game was played. Still, if we are being frank here, I should be able to recall 50 games when Oden was a huge factor. Overall, he was a disappointment, and I think Greg would tell you that himself. I haven't seen or talked to Greg this summer, and I've heard varying reviews from his participation in Las Vegas with Team USA ... Some people thought he looked quicker, some people thought he was still out of shape. So I'm intrigued to see what Greg Oden shows up to training camp. I will say this: I think Greg cares a ton. Everyone who has trained him raves about his work ethic and I think he took all the criticism and failures last season personally. I think he will be better -- much better -- this season."
• This writer says he plans to dedicate the writing on his grave marker to the sports teams he loves. Is he joking, do you think, or does he take his sports way more seriously than I do?
• UPDATE: Shaquille O'Neal says that if he trained every day at nearly any sport, he could be the best in the world at it. That's probably true of basketball, too, huh? Ba-dum-bum.
• UPDATE: Looking for signs of Carlos Boozer in the current Jazz promotional campaign.

• A report that Derrick Rose's SATs could be at the center of a disaster for college basketball in Memphis. Worth noting: NOBODY in the NBA cares about his SATs, right? So why's it such a big deal to the NCAA? By any objective measure his college experience was a success, in terms of preparing him to become a successful professional athlete. But the NCAA, of course, has to maintain the illusion that he was actually a serious student, and for that, SATs matter.
• David Foster Wallace, reminding us from beyond the grave not to be shocked when elite athletes seem not to be well-rounded humans. 
• Assess this statement by Ben from BlazersEdge: "[LaMarcus] Aldridge just turned 24 last month. Please take a moment to process that fully. Unless you prefer Josh Smith, Paul Millsap, Kevin Love, Anthony Randolph or Blake Griffin, and at this point I'm not sure why you would, there's not a better, younger power forward currently playing basketball." I'm sure a ton of people disagree, but who do you have? Who is the best young power forward in basketball? UPDATE: Chris Bosh gets a vote from TrueHoop reader Daniel, and he just turned 25 in March.
• I'm sure we all remember all the controversy about how O.J. Mayo was courted by agents. After Bill Duffy Associates was scarred in a media investigation, he signed with Leon Rose of CAA. Now, however, Mayo has reportedly left CAA, and it will be fascinating to see where he ends up. The Bill Duffy Associates agent who was suspended in the affair, Calvin Andrews, is working again. UPDATE: And a report that he has hired Anfernee Hardaway's former agent.
• The first dunk of Hakim Warrick's life ended with a broken wrist.
• The same thing I think when I watch the Wizards: More Caron Butler, please.
• A look at players with contracts that teams might want to ditch to avoid luxury tax.
• The idea is that making buckets inside forces the defense to collapse, which makes it easier to make buckets from the outside, i.e. 3-pointers. Is that true?
• When LeBron James checks into your game of media and bloggers, by Vince Grzegorek of CleveScene.com (a little PG-13): "There was little time to think, since most of that precious time was spent staring at what The King can do even giving 1/100th, if that, of his usual effort. It was the fastest two minutes of my life, and as some girlfriends would bitterly remind me, I've had some fast two minutes. There was little time to do anything but attempt to avoid embarrassment. Which, I did not. (Cue girlfriend joke Part II.)" (Via Cavs the Blog)
• Not a lot of tattoos on Thunder players.
• An optimal Suns lineup to use to follow Malcolm Gladwell's advice to press once in a while.
• Trainer Steve Kostorowski, who is training Stephen Curry among others, was asked by Golden State of Mind to name some training mistakes NBA players make: "Most guys need to spend much more time stretching, foam rolling and getting massages than they do. The quality of tomorrow's performance begins with the recovery from today's work. I would also like to see the quality of calories improve both in and out of season. Many guys think, 'Oh, I'll burn it off in the game," which may be true ... but late night, lousy eating takes its toll on the inside and can negatively impact blood pressure, cholesterol levels etc. not to mention adding a few unwanted pounds! Quality performance begins with quality calories. Oh ... and quality sleep."
• I spent a chunk of my morning sitting around Allen Iverson's Twitter feed as if it were a campfire.
• After two quick triggers, getting fired as a head coach in Milwaukee and Phoenix, Terry Porter is embittered and taking some time off.
• Pete Pranica, Grizzlies play-by-play guy: "I believe with all my heart that the Grizzlies' greatest value in Memphis is in bringing all of us -- white, African American, Latino, Asian, Native American and all ethnic groups -- to a place where we can pull together to help others and to enjoy a few hours of thrilling entertainment. No, it doesn't show up on a balance sheet. But it still counts."
• No one will outwork Al Horford.

A lot of people, even NBA players with their millions, have complaints.

It's understandable. We all do.

And in hard economic times, we all have even more to winge about. Life is stressful.

If anyone in the NBA has a right to be a little at the end of his rope right now, how about Adonal Foyle? He'd really like to play two more years in the NBA, but it's mid-August and he still doesn't have a job. Meanwhile, he has a ton of non-paying (or indeed, probably work Foyle pays to do) work running camps in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for his Kerosene Lamp Foundation.

All the while, he's waiting for the phone to ring.

But when I talked to him the other day, on the phone from the Caribbean where his camps were in session, he sounded like the happiest man in the world, with his booming voice filling rooms at both ends of the phone call.

Was spending all that time with kids rewarding for him?

"You have no idea," he replied. "There is no higher calling than being a teacher. If I'm on one leg when I'm 95, I'll still be doing this."

The key to the camps he said, is to make it all about the kids, many of whom are commonly expected to be seen but not heard. "We are being of service to them," says Foyle. "A lot of people don't give them what they want."

The camps are thick with life lessons -- about HIV, about academics, about what it takes to succeed -- as well as basketball teaching from people like Bo Outlaw, Courtney Lee and Foyle himself. There are also tons of freebies, like jerseys, bags, books, notebooks, and meals.

The result is a series of camps that more than 1,200 kids will be part of officially, and even more unofficially.

"The youngest children we invited were seven years old," Foyle explains. "But all these younger kids, four, five, six years old, were hanging outside the gate, all day. They were just watching, and they wanted so badly to be a part of it. So we ended up letting them in, too."

Foyle says the whole experience has been a blast, and his tone of voice is convincing. (Who's having the best time on the trip, I asked? "Bo Outlaw!" said Foyle. "He's a real silly kid, with a great zest for life.")

Only at the end of our call did I even ask about his basketball career, which is loaded with uncertainty, and even that talk couldn't sour his mood.

I was reminded a little bit of a radio show I heard the other day. American Public Media's Speaking of Faith had an interview with immunologist Esther Sternberg. 

She made an amazing point about how people can deal with stress in uncertain economic times. "Altruism," she said, "is another terrific way to counter stress and to help the situation." She talked at some length, and it was convincing.

Doing nice things for others ... it doesn't just help the others.

• A lot of rookies arrive in the NBA to quotes like "he'll need to add some muscle." Holy cow. I dare anyone to say that to new Bobcat Derrick Brown.
• John Krolik of Cavs the Blog on the newly available Charlie Villanueva: "Most 'shooting' big men settle for universally inefficient mid-range jumpers, which makes going to them on spot-up looks a poor play over time. Charlie V's ability to shoot the three makes him one of the best-shooting bigs in the league; his 46.2% eFG on jumpers means he's more efficient from outside than Kevin Garnett, LaMarcus Aldridge, Big Z himself, Jeff Green, Udonis Haslem, Lamar Odom, David West, Chris Bosh, Antawn Jamison, the list goes on. Only a few starting big men are better outside shooters than Villenueva, and most of them are well-known three-point assassins: Rashard Lewis, Troy Murphy, Dirk Nowitzki, et al. So the ability to stretch the floor would definitely be the biggest point in Charlie V's favor."
• The trailer for the documentary about LeBron James in high school.
• Don't we all suspect that the best coach hired this off-season will prove to have been Flip Saunders? With that in mind, the Pistons are in the market for a coach, having fired the guy they hired after firing Flip Saunders. You see what I'm saying? Isn't there a chance they would have been better just keeping him?
• An asset the Suns have that isn't so obvious: Ben Wallace's expiring contract. Here's the suggestion that could be enough to get Tyson Chandler from the Hornets who have demonstrated a commitment to saving money.
• Rod Thorn is talking about having the cap space to sign two max free agents in the mighty summer of 2010. Dr. LawyerIndianChief of FreeDarko writes, of that draft class: "I'm so f'ing sick of the 'alluring 2010 offseason' I could vomit up fishbones. Beyond the top three 2010 FAs on this list (Bosh, LBJ, Wade -- the former of which are not going anywhere anyway), is there ANY body that you would want your team to throw Rashard Lewis money at? Most of these guys have are gonna be old or have a history of injuries. And any now-monetarily satiated star who is slightly appealing (e.g. Dirk) isn't going to be looking to play in Milwaukee or Minnesota ... they're gonna be looking to go somewhere to get a ring." In some cases, I think dreams of 2010 are just the most palatable way to sell the idea to fans that in a bad economy you have to slash salaries. Also, cap space is good for way more than just All-Stars, and year of lop-sided trades could be a beautiful thing.
• More on Hedo Turkoglu.
• More evidence the Blazers really did try to get Shaquille O'Neal. If Portland denies it, I'd imagine that's to protect the psyche of their roster.
• For years the notion has been that the poor Jazz might lose Carlos Boozer for nothing. Now it almost sounds like they'd be hurt most if he decides to stay.
• If you are offered Rajon Rondo ... say yes.
• How long it takes things to happen in NBA games, in graphs.
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remembers Michael Jackson: "own experience with the corrosive effects of fame and lack of anonymity made me view his circumstances with a lot of compassion. I got to know Michael when he was just a boy around 10 years old working with the Jackson Five. My good friend, Bill Cosby use to pick up the Jackson kids on many Sundays to take them to play basketball. When I wasn't playing for UCLA I would always join them for this Sunday tradition."
  

D-League player and TrueHoop contributor Coleman Collins, who has written about such things as Paris, Monaco, Germany, and Iran, reports now from Chinatown.

My two favorite sports are basketball and soccer, for a number of reasons, but the main one is this: they are simple and accessible.

You don't need a bunch of equipment or space to play -- you only need a ball and a few people. As a matter of fact, you don't really need anyone else. Give me a basketball and hoop, or else a piece of aluminum foil and a trash can, and I can entertain myself for hours. Roll a round object -- anything sufficiently round and fairly bouncy -- at an able-bodied European, and he won't betray his age in the American way by stooping to pick it up; he'll juggle it with his feet, astounding you with his agility and quickness. I've seen soccer balls roll away from pickup games towards seemingly out-of-touch businessmen in suits, and they spring into action: three swift flips, a kick and a smirk. A thing-or-two shown. But I digress. Suffice it to say that you can't play golf on a street corner; you can't toss a football to yourself.

For these reasons, among others, a free charity basketball or soccer game is pretty much the most awesome event you can put on. All you need is a patch of wood or grass or turf and some people worth watching, and the rest takes care of itself. And best of all, the crowd can be right up on the edge of the action. Football and baseball games need sidelines, walls, boundaries, helmets -- not so here. Golfers and tennis players need even more space and/or quiet -- and who wants to be quiet when they're excited? Nobody, that's who.

Now take your charity soccer or basketball game and put it in New York. Since you're forced to choose, you need basketball players playing soccer or soccer players playing basketball. Take this basic concept, add a ridiculous amount of legendary talent from international soccer and the NBA, plus thousands of people who braved torrential downpours to get a glimpse of greatness, and you have Steve Nash's Showdown in Chinatown (or whatever it's called) quite possibly the greatest thing that's ever happened on a Wednesday.¹

I am by no means a knowledgeable soccer fan -- most of what I know has been Wikipedia-ed or gleaned through hours of painstaking FIFA video game play -- but because I aspire to be a polymath, because I am widely considered the world's most reliable source, and because I was there and you probably weren't, I will share with you a few of my many observations:

• Chris Bosh is an awful, awful soccer player. On the basketball court he is left-hand dominant, but on the soccer field he shows no favoritism; he is equally terrible with both feet. He mis-timed every ball that came to him. He blew headers. He blew passes. He completely whiffed on the ball multiple times. The first time he got his body on the ball, it was to score a goal against his own team. Grant Hill, who is certainly no Pele, "and1"-ed him, flipping the ball between his legs on the wing. He played in running shoes that may or may not have been tied. With all of that said, he was a great sport, and by all appearances, a really nice guy. Every time the ball went near him the crowd erupted. The one time he did kick the ball, he kicked it 40 feet out of bounds and, upon hearing the tumultuous applause, turned to the crowd, and raised his hands in the air, Rocky-style. Clear fan favorite. Whenever he got close to the end-line, people in the crowd begged him to sign with the Knicks.
  
  
• Steve Nash is a pretty extraordinary athlete. Hands down Man of the Match. He scored three goals -- one of which was one-on-one against Ivan Cordoba, who is a world-class defender for Inter Milan. Also, it was a spectacular goal -- he put him through the mixer with a couple step-overs and hit it in the top-right corner of the net from the left wing (hard enough to do on a regulation-sized goal but next to impossible to do on the miniature goals they were playing on). He scored right-footed and left footed. He passed brilliantly. He tried a bicycle kick that narrowly missed the goal, but ended up getting (and sinking) a penalty kick because he got clipped, not sure by who, maybe ESPN's Marc Stein (even if he claims he didn't foul him). And he won back-to-back NBA MVP's a few years ago. How is that even possible? (Editor's note: Stein insists, and other sources confirm, that in fact that goal was later disallowed as the referee agreed Stein didn't really foul Nash mid-bicycle kick.)
• Marc Stein didn't get nearly as much tick this year as he did last year, don't know why that is. Definitely the fan favorite next to Bosh whenever he's on the field (scattered cheers of "Steiny-mo!). Didn't get a chance at MOM but certainly Twittered like a champ.
  
• Grant Hill knows his way around a soccer field. He had what was definitely the most memorable move of the day -- at Bosh's expense, and managed to score a goal.  Played his part really well, set up everyone else on his team whenever he could.
  
• Tony Parker looked like he wasn't paying attention and spent most of his time laughing and joking, but despite it all, scored three goals, including two in like the first ten minutes. Good stuff.
  
• Thierry Henry didn't play until halftime, and even then played in black patent-leather high-tops, but still put on a show like he normally does. Fresh off a Champions League win, still finding the time to cross an ocean and play for free ... how can you not love that? This is the second year in a row he showed up -- here's hoping he comes back and brings Lionel Messi with him.
  
• Edgar Davids is supposedly retired, but looked like he could still get out there and play. Along with Ryan Babel, was mostly doing tricks and step-overs by himself and seemed to forget there was a game going on, but because his moves were absolutely amazing, all was forgiven by the gracious crowd. Alleged to have accidentally passed to a teammate at some point during the match. Reports are unconfirmed.²
  
• Ryan Babel's ball-handling skills are amazing, never heard of him before yesterday -- apparently because he hasn't gotten off the bench much in Liverpool -- but now I'm actively rooting for him to get somewhere where I can watch him play.
  
• Adrian Mutu was playing with a broken arm or sprained elbow or something of that nature (huge cast/brace), still showed out and played really well. There was a Romanian sitting behind me that was going nuts every time he touched the ball.³
  
• Salomon Kalou is an absolute beast. Far and away the most fun to watch on the field, which may have been because everyone else was chilling, but also has to be at least partly due to the fact tha
  t he is a monster on a soccer field. Can't really say more. I don't know how many times he scored or if he even scored at all, but every time he touched the ball, he entertained and made something happen. He should star in a horror movie. Chelsea have an embarrassment of riches.
  

There are moments I have undoubtedly neglected to mention, but any omissions are inadvertent. There were so many things going on it was hard to catch all of it and take pictures at the same time. This was my second year attending the game -- last year's Chris Bosh was Baron Davis -- and it only got bigger and better-organized. Every thing went up a notch. Last year people had to fight for a view; this year they had seats available. Last year I literally had to crawl in the dirt under a broken fence to get in; this year I managed to politick a wristband. It might be hard to do next summer, what with the World Cup and everything, but somehow, somewhere, I hope it can happen again. It's been said that there are better ways to spend an afternoon, but not by reliable witnesses.

---

1. If you are an astute soccer fan, you know that the U.S. had a huge win against Spain the other day which sort of goes against my "greatest thing on a Wednesday" claim. If you are a basketball fan, a good comparison is Digger Phelps' Notre Dame win over UCLA. Spain is/was the number one team in the world, huge win streak, even longer unbeaten streak -- it's one of the biggest wins in U.S. soccer history. And then there's the whole rest of the world to consider,  so perhaps a more accurate claim is that it was "the greatest thing to ever happen on Wednesday, June 24th between 6 and 8pm EST on the corner of Rivington and Chrystie Streets," but somehow that didn't have the same ring to it.

2. Also unconfirmed, but I hope it's true -- from Davids' Wikipedia page: "Davids played against Los Angeles Galaxy on 6 December 2008 in an exhibition match as part of an Oceania XI All Star team, despite the fact he is not from Oceania and has never played for an Oceanic club or national team." That's true love for the sport when you would literally play anywhere, and for anybody, just to get a chance at a competitive game.

3. There were a ton of different nationalities represented there, and tons of media. Fox Soccer Channel had a lot of cameras there, apparently for a documentary of some sort, and this Italian reporter claimed that it was being shown live on French TV, but I'm not entirely sure I believe that. Either way, the world was well represented. With players from Colombia, Holland, Argentina, France, Canada, Romania, Ivory Coast, etcetera, pretty much everyone in the crowd had someone to root for. Even Hasheem Thabeet showed up, taking a break from his pre-draft preparations. No word on who his favorite soccer player was. Probably Henry. Henry's everybody's favorite.

(All photos courtesy of Coleman Collins.) 

In downtown Manhattan, Marc Stein is once again playing in Steve Nash's magnificent soccer charity game, featuring players like Nash, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Chris Bosh, Raja Bell, Claudio Reyna, Thierry Henry, Javier Zanetti, Salomon Kalou, Ryan Babel, Giovanni van Brockhurst, Mathieu Flamini, Ivan Cordoba, Adrian Mutu and others. He has his Blackberry and is ready for action. Follow his commentary here or on Marc's Twitter feed.

Marc Stein Why? Because as I tweeted earlier, was NEVER a PK. Touch foul in NBA parlance. So the goal was wiped away in some sort of secret HT ruling
Marc Stein Small measure of Showdown redemption for me. Later explained to me that the score was 3-3 at HT because Nash's PK was struck from the record
Marc Stein Tweeting/live-blogging portion of the show now over. If there are further developments from here, will send them out ASAP
Marc Stein Everyone wanted Bosh to get one. He's getting a lot of commiserations from the fellas
Marc Stein Still trying to determine the score. All I know is Team Reyna won to avenge last year. Nash says it was 8-5. Leaving the scene. Team bus
Marc Stein Sandri teed up by Henry. A sentence I never thought I'd write. His back heel wasn't up to the moment
Marc Stein Have to admit that I've completely lost track of the score. Will try to figure it out ASAP
Marc Stein All the efforts to get Bosh a goal before the finish look like they will go for naught. Bosh puts a header over at the death
Marc Stein Reyna overcooks one to Bosh. Again. Bosh finally did get a shot on goal that got a standing O
Marc Stein Grant Hill gets one after a DREADFUL miss rebounds off the keeper right back to him. Scores at the second attempt

(Read full post)

All day all week: All kinds of innovative draft coverage, as it happens live from New York, where we will be meeting with all kinds of top draft prospects over the next couple of days. Some of the things on the schedule:

• Wednesday afternoon, 4 - 6 p.m. ET: Live chat with TrueHoop and (one at a time) Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Jordan Hill, Tyler Hansborough and Hasheem Thabeet. Be ready with your questions!
  
• Wednesday evening, starting at 6 p.m. ET: Marc Stein is once again playing in Steve Nash's magnificent soccer charity game, featuring players like Nash, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Chris Bosh, Raja Bell, Claudio Reyna, Thierry Henry, Javier Zanetti, Salomon Kalou, Ryan Babel, Giovanni van Brockhurst, Mathieu Flamini, Ivan Cordoba, Adrian Mutu and others. Assuming Stein will be on the bench for a fair chunk of that game, he'll whip out his Blackberry to cover the whole thing as it happens. Follow his mid-game commentary here on TrueHoop, and/or on Marc's Twitter feed.
• The TrueHoop Network is exploding with draft coverage. This new Twitter feed can keep you up to speed every time a network blog posts something. Hardwood Paroxym hosts a network draft conversation. 
• Thursday there will be some special content during the day, followed by live, via Twitter (and simulcast right here, like the Finals) coverage from Madison Square Garden as the evening unfolds. In addition, the TrueHoop Network bloggers will collaborate on a massive, rolling, evening long group chat.

• Missing from the 2009 draft process: Laser tag.
• Phil Jackson on returning to the bench, as interviewed on ESPN Radio Chicago: "I have some medical issues that I have to resolve and I have to take care of those in the next couple weeks before I recommit to this thing. I'm emotionally tied to these guys. They've embraced what I try to do and they've embraced the way I try to do it, so that commitment's there. The organization is obviously behind what I want to do and they've extended that offer for continuing here, so that is all positive. It's just covering that hurdle. And, some of that's just getting old, and the wear and tear of the game, and the amount of flying that you do. You know, this 82 game pilgrimage that you go through before the playoffs even begin and the wear and tear and if that's a necessary part or if this is the time now to step back, and regard that as accomplishments done and sit back in the rocker and enjoy watching guys do this. But I'd still like to push on through another year if possible." (Transcribed by, and via, Sports Radio Interviews)
• Stephen Curry raves about Gerald Henderson. Fire up all the Henderson video you can. I'm no expert on translating NCAA accomplishments into NBA potential, but to me the things he does well are things you can use in the NBA. He's long and athletic, works hard on defense, can play above the rim at both ends of the floor, hits shots stepping back and curling off picks, and is fast for his size.
• Also, interesting, is that Stephen Curry has been rumored to be drafted by all kinds of different teams, but says he has only worked out for the Bobcats, Knicks, Nets and Kings. He talks about examining rosters for where he could fit in. UPDATE: He also worked out for the Wizards.
  
• Comedian, writer and nerdy actor John Hodgman talks about the divide of our times: Jocks vs. Nerds. Barack Obama, in attendance, gets credit as the first nerd president. However, Hodgman questions his credentials: "Despite his Spockish calm and gangly frame, the president is known to dabble in sports. And not just bowling, but the hard stuff ... basketball."
• Remember the NCAA tournament, when Michigan State center Goran Suton was such a handful, nailing 3s and grabbing rebounds? At that moment, it wasn't hard to see such a skilled and big player (with an amazing tale) being a high draft pick. But the NBA is a different beast, and Suton just barely cracks Chad Ford's second-round mock draft (Insider), at #56.
• Mark Cuban gets all upset about how unfounded rumors sometimes make it into sports journalism.
• TrueHoop reader Jeff has an interesting idea. Anyone know where he can see how many combined NBA minutes a certain NBA draft class has played? Be interesting to see if in their first three years the class of 2004 played a total X minutes, while the class of 2002 played 1/2 x.
• Remember when the draft was a zillion rounds long? Here's a great tale of a guy getting drafted in the late rounds. Larry Brown had just left UCLA to coach the Nets, and just for fun, he drafted UCLA's team manager, who wasn't even a serious basketball player.
• This year's rebounders. (Thanks Rick.)
• NBA rules prohibit trading your first-round pick in consecutive years. The Lakers have traded away their 2008 and 2010 picks. So they have to keep this one. But they don't want guaranteed salaries. It's a perfect recipe for taking a player to stash overseas.

It's back on again this year, for the night before the draft. Wednesday, June 24, at 6 p.m., at Sara D. Roosevelt Park Chrystie and Houston streets in New York City.

Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Chris Bosh and Raja Bell are on the list of NBA players who are probably somewhere right now working on foot skills. 

Actual soccer players will include Claudio Reyna, Thierry Henry, Javier Zanetti, Salomon Kalou, Ryan Babel, Giovanni van Brockhurst, Mathieu Flamini, Ivan Cordoba and Adrian Mutu.

Here's a little video from last year (which somehow omits Marc Stein's blown header).

Regular people all over the world mostly want the same things: Some dignity, a roof over their heads, hope for their children, good drinking water, and a reasonable shot at success.

That's why you'll never convince me that there are groups of millions of people who are just, you know, bad.

That's how Iran has been portrayed in America sometimes, and that's how America is often portayed in Iran. But if you talk to people who have been to Iran, they'll tell you that despite the rhetoric of politicians and extremists, the vast majority of Iranians are easy to know and like.

There are a zillion such stories. (For instance.)

This evening, I'm lucky enough to be in Orlando, watching great basketball. But I'm very aware that in Iran, a lot of those regular Iranians are in a very tense situation indeed. Cars on fire, students beaten, leaders arrested, tanks in the streets, communications and electricity dispensed politically ... As a regular person, I can't help but feel a little like this entertainment endeavor is not the most important thing happening on the planet right now.

Iran is a country as big as Alaska, with a population more than twice that of Canada. Here's to hoping they get things sorted out quickly and without too much bloodshed.

In the NBA, one of the people watching things most closely is the owner of the Utah Flash, Brandt Andersen. The Flash hosted the Iranian National team in Utah last year, and was scheduled to visit Iran this past Memorial Day, but the trip has been postponed.

I spoke to Andersen this afternoon, and he makes clear that his mission is not political at all. It's almost the opposite -- sports, he points out, are a way for regular people to get along without involving politics.

He just wrote on his blog:

I have always believed that sports can help to soften differences. At the age of 11 I moved to Bordeaux, France. I did not speak French, which made getting to know people and making friends very difficult. That all changed when I started playing basketball in a French league. I was no superstar, but as an American who played basketball I quickly made friends. My luck continued at school when I joined school teams. There was no political agenda on the court or on the field. I ended up making friends with kids from all over the world. This happened when I lived in France, it happened when I moved to Switzerland and in the US. In almost all cases these forged friendships started with a mutual love for sports.

Struggle often brings improvement. I hope that the struggle in Iran is one of those studies. For now the Flash will have to wait on our trip to Iran. Postponed but not cancelled.