Just Like Thanksgiving; Team USA Carves Up Turkey 114-82

Eating Turkey might make you tired, but playing Turkey certainly did not have that effect on Team USA in Macau on Thursday. LeBron James right ankle looked none the worse for the wear, as he scored a team high 20 points, to lead Team USA over Turkey 114-82. LBJ was one of six players on the USA squad to score in double figures. The contest was one of three tuneup games the United States will play in Asia before the Beijing Olympics. The two teams played a close first quarter, as Team USA looked out of sync, and led by a razor thin 31-30 margin at the end of the period. But the Americans broke out in the second quarter as they went on 23-7 run, and led at the half 54-37.

Team USA shot 69.5% from the field (41-59) for the game. James played stellar defense as well as leading the team offensively, he shot 8-9, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists, and did not leave the bench in the fourth quarter. Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points, center Dwight Howard had 14 points, and 8 boards. D-Wade and Chris Bosh each scored 13, Chris Paul scored 12 points in the game.

Guard Cenk Annkoyl led all scorers with 22 points, for the team from Turkey. They had four players in double figures and shot a respectable 43.9% from the floor (29-66) for the game. Turkey was without Hedo Turkoglu, and Mehmet Okur who both were out with injuries.

Tru-Warrior's Persistence Got Him What He Wanted

During my days as a radio reporter in Cleveland, where I covered the Cavaliers, Browns, and Indians, I was friendly with another veteran reporter. Without giving out names, which are really irrelevant to the story, this reporter went on a Cleveland radio station, and told a tale that was totally made up. The reporter said that a certain member of the Cleveland Indians made a statement while being interviewed. I was sitting next to this reporter when he phoned in his report, to a Cleveland Sports Talk show, and heard him relay the made up conversation. How do I know it was made up? Very simply the other reporter was never in the Indians locker room without me being there. He never had a conversation, with this player, on or off the record without me being involved. Although I totally disapproved of what he was doing, it really was none of my concern. The reporter did not work, for me, or for my employer, and I would never "narc" on one of my peers.

As the Indians season carried on this reporter would keep repeating this false anecdote. Eventually the host of the show would tell the tale on the air, he thought it was true, so he wasn't doing anything wrong. The false story almost took on a life of it's own, as callers to the station started to reference it as well. One day about half way through the campaign I was sitting in the Indians Press Box, gathering my equipment to go out to do some pre-game interviews in the locker room. The other reporter was sitting next to me, and we were just shooting the breeze, when all of a sudden he starts telling me the anecdote. I let him get about two sentences into the tale, before I stopped him in his tracks with the words, that's a lie! He did a double-take, and asked me what I meant. I told him that the player could not possibly said such a thing, because he had never encountered the player without me being around. He was silent for about 30 seconds, as his face turned crimson, his eyes pointed downward. He was busted, and he knew it, and was embarrassed. But then he looked up at me smiled and said "If you say something long enough and loud enough, people will believe it!"

What brought this story back to mind was the shotgun trade on Tuesday night, that the Sacramento Kings made with the Houston Rockets. In case you are not aware, the Kings traded "Tru-Warrior" Ron Artest to the Rockets, in a very lopsided deal. Sacramento in return for the veteran power forward, will receive veteran guard Bobby Jackson, rookie forward Donte Green and a first round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Now granted the Rockets only control Artest for the year, but this is all President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie could get? Or was he forced to just get rid of "Tru-Warrior" because the Team Owners the Maloof Brothers were just sick of the situation?

Even in a career that has been filled with controversy, the month of July was chaotic for the relationship between the Kings and Artest. Artest had the chance to opt out of his contract before July 1, and chose not to do so. Almost as soon as the calendar turned to the month of July Artest started to express remorse. Artest made statements that the team owners Joe and Gavin Maloof did not appreciate him, and then he took it to another level. Artest told reporters that he was seeking a trade, and that he was now representing himself. This news came as quite a shock to “Tru-Warrior’s” agent who when contacted by reporters, told them that their relaying the story was the first he had heard of that information.

Team owner Joe Maloof responded to Artest’s dramatics. The “Sacramento Bee” spoke with the Kings owner about the ongoing situation. Maloof told reporters “He has to balance the way he acts. He’s got to control his emotions a little better. You’ve got to try and keep your cool a little bit! Take a deep breath and quit flying off the handle with comments that don’t make sense. I hate to say it that way, but that’s how I feel. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

The Kings owner said that Artest’s statements have “never changed our opinions of him. We brag about him every chance we get. We speak out about how appreciative we are for everything he’s done. And he’s done a lot. People like him. We like him. He’s just got to settle down.”

But unfortunately "Tru-Warrior" would not settle down, and apparently the Maloof brothers lost their patience. They held all the cards in the game that Artest was trying to play, but they blinked. Whether they thought he would be a disruptive force in the clubhouse, or they just hit their limit, they settled for far too little.

So let's look at the results; Artest gets traded to Houston which now has to be upgraded to elite contender status in the Western Conference. Add "Tru-Warrior" to a healthy Yao, Tracy who looked like he took a step back in time last season. Rafer Alston actually looked like a legitimate NBA point guard last season, instead of "Skip-To-My-Lu" his playground persona. Now you have Shane Battier coming off the bench, which only makes you stronger. Houston, will be right in the mix with New Orleans, San Antonio, L.A., and Utah, with Phoenix and Dallas falling behind.

As for the Kings, they get a journeyman guard, two late first round picks, in Donte Green and who ever they pick up next year, and maybe most important peace and quiet. All because Tru-Warrior said something long enough and loud enough.

Donaghy Welcome To The Grey Bar Hotel!

This is the life that I chose not the life that chose, not the life that chose me
Jay-Z December 4.

I like to think that I am a pretty empathetic, and sympathetic guy. In fact I had a conversation with a good friend earlier today that I am kind of a champion for the underdogs in society. I truly believe being in the blessed situation I am in if I can give help to others, it only makes me a better person. And every time we help somebody else, we help society as a whole (I know you're waiting for me to start passing around the granola, and start singing We Are The World!) So with that being said, why can't I muster even an ounce of sympathy for Tim Donaghy?

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 months in prison and an additional 3 years of supervised release. My only thought when it came across the wire, was why wasn't he serving more time? Now Donaghy caused no physical harm to anybody, he did not commit the heinous acts with animals that Michael Vick did. But Tim Donaghy in my mind is still a very bad man. First of all he broke the cardinal rule of business, never bite the hand that feeds you. But there are many in our society who do that, and I don't feel the anger towards them that I do for Donaghy. No the reason that I have nothing but disdain for Donaghy is he helped take away the integrity of the sport I love, the NBA.

There has been a deep rooted perception in the minds of many NBA fans that the Association is somehow fixed. These feelings surfaced long before Donaghy’s crimes were discovered. As I have written for years, intelligent knowledgeable sports fans, as well as some of my peers in the media, have asked me if I thought the NBA was “on the up and up“. I have never been asked that about the officiating in MLB, or the NFL. My response has always been, that if I did not believe in the integrity of the NBA, I could never cover it, at that point it’s the WWE.

Unfortunately this base of sports fan got plenty of ammunition when the information about Donaghy started to surface. How he provided his associates with inside information so they could profit from gambling. How he himself bet on games, including some he officiated, Donaghy plunged the Association into a maelstrom that it still has not emerged from.

Now we can't pin this all on Donaghy, as much as we would like to. No, the NBA under the auspices of the "Great and Powerful Stern" have not exactly covered themselves in glory either. After the Donaghy situation surfaced last year, Stern instigated an investigation into other officials transgressions. The information that came back to the Commissioner, was that a very large segment of NBA referees were guilty in one way shape or form. So instead of firing the officials or fining them, Stern swept the information under the rug. Then he changed the rules, so that the former transgressions were now allowed. Needless to say this did nothing to restore the credibility of the NBA.

And just at the moment that the Association should have been at it's peak, as the Lakers and Celtics played in the NBA Finals, another story came out. Donaghy's attorney came out with some new allegations. Without specifically naming the teams, Donaghy's attorney claimed that game six of the 2002 NBA playoff series between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers had the outcome determined by the officiating. Donaghy claimed that the Association wanted the series to go seven games, if the Kings had won the game the series would have ended in six. According to Donaghy, the officials called the game with a bias towards the Lakers, assuring them the win. The Lakers would win the series and the NBA Championship. Former Kings’ center Scott Pollard said he was not surprised by the news, that he had suspected all along the game’s outcome was determined by the officials.

Just because Donaghy has now been sentenced don't think that this situation is settled. I would be very surprised if we do not hear more allegations and revelations in the coming months. I am still not sure that David Stern will survive this long term.

But Tim Donaghy has nobody to blame but himself, for the way his life has turned out. We all have free will, we make billions of decisions every day. Donaghy gave into temptation, greed, and abused his power to fatten his wallet. A lot of good that will do him in the grey bar hotel.

Nuggets Trade For Knicks Balkman

The Associated Press reported Monday that the Denver Nuggets have picked up small forward Renaldo Balkman in a trade with the New York Knicks. The team from Manhattan received guards Taurean Green and Bobby Jones from Denver plus a second round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Balkman spent two seasons in New York and averaged 4.2 points, 3.8 rebounds per game. Neither Green or Jones have guaranteed contracts. Green played 9 games for Denver last season, while Jones conducted a one man tour around the Association. The shooting guard had two different stints with the Nuggets totaling 25 games, he also played for Houston, Miami, San Antonio, and Memphis. He probably had to look down at his jersey each time before he made a pass to make sure he was giving the ball to the right team! Both players are expected to be released by New York.

Looking Back At Last Season

This past NBA season was a revisiting of basketball’s Golden Age for many hoops fans. The reason of course was the NBA Finals matchup, where thousands wanted to buy Boston Celtics tickets and Lakers tickets. No doubt the 2008-9 NBA schedule will be of immense interest to those seeking another reenactment of the clash of the basketball titans. It’s important that we don’t rule out the other contenders though; Pistons tickets were huge during the NBA playoffs against the Celtics and Spurs tickets sold predictably well during their series with the Lakers.

A buddy of mine once said, in response to the question of why he never attended live NBA basketball games, “Raise the hoop another 2 feet and I’ll buy basketball tickets."

He’s a swine and them there’s some pearls of NBA wisdom for y’all. Keep it real and buy NBA tickets to this year’s basketball schedule. This is world class athletics and nothing can touch it.

Will The Hawks Sign & Trade Josh Smith?

The Atlanta Hawks have already lost one restricted free agent this Summer, and got nothing back in return. Now there are reports that rather than seeing another player walking out the door while the team receives nothing back, they may do a sign and trade deal. The “Atlanta Journal-Constitution” Monday reported that the Atlanta Hawks are investigating into the possibility of signing and then trading restricted free agent Josh Smith. The paper says their sources indicate that there are currently two offers that the Hawks are entertaining. The report states one team is from the Western Conference, and one from the Eastern. Earlier this month the Hawks talked with the Detroit Pistons, about a sign and trade proposal, but the Pistons felt that Atlanta was asking for too much in return. Smith who just completed his fourth year in the Association, had his most productive campaign this past season. Smith averaged 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game. Last week Atlanta lost restricted free agent Josh Childress who signed a contract with Olympiakos in Greece.

Hawks Swoop Down And Grab Free Agent Evans

Maurice Evans has had a lot of temporary homes during his NBA career. He was with Minnesota, Sacramento, Detroit and the Lakers, before being shipped to Orlando after his playing just seven games. Like all of us Evans is looking for some stability in his life style and career. But when you have made as many moves as he has, it's tough enough go throughout different locker rooms, and regret where you were sent did not give you more notice before they would plan our next move. The “Atlanta Journal-Constitution” has reported, that according to their sources that the Atlanta Hawks are on the verge of signing free agent Maurice Evans. The former Orlando Magic reserve can be plugged in as a shooting guard or a small forward. According to the reports, Evans will get a three year deal with that will contain a player opt out. The three years are reportedly worth $7.5 million. Evans is expected to take over the job Josh Childress left behind when he signed with Olympiakos in the Greek League.

Warriors Reportedly Ink Biedrins To Multi-Year Deal

After days of speculation that he was heading over to the Euro-Leagues, the Golden State Warriors have reportedly signed another of their restricted free agents. “ESPN.com” reported Sunday that according to their sources the Golden State Warriors have agreed to a multi-year contract with center Andris Biedrins. The deal according to the reports is a six year pact worth $63 million. Biedrins who just completed his fourth year in the Association was being courted by Euro-League teams to play for them. The center who was taken with the number 11 pick by Golden State in the 2004 NBA Draft had his most productive campaign in the season that recently ended. The native of Riga, Latvia averaged 10.5 points, 9.8 rebounds per contest.

Top 10 Point Guards In The NBA In 2008

Back in December of last year on our sister site Slam Dunk Central I posed the question Are We Living In The “Golden Age” Of Point Guards? Now near the end of July, I no longer have any doubts. The Association which was once dominated by hulking behemoths, is now much more dependant on point guards than the NBA was 20 years ago. Just like the dinosaurs who once ruled our planet belongs to another era, so does the NBA of Russell, Chamberlain, and Abdul-Jabbar.

Although Yao Ming, from the Houston Rockets, and Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic could easily be included on the list of great NBA centers, they are now the exception not the rule. The game started to change back in the mid 1980’s when Ralph Sampson came into the league. Sampson probably was born 10 years too early, but his style of play helped the game evolve. Sampson well over seven feet, was a frustrated small forward. He was not a banger, he was a finesse player. He could dribble, create his own shot, and had a pretty decent outside jumper. The problem was that Sampson was the proverbial square peg in the round hole, and the league never really knew what to make of him. But since Sampson’s brief NBA career ended, we have seen many NBA center who now play the style that Sampson brought to the Houston Rockets back in the 1980’s.

So if it is the era of the point guard in the Association, then who leads the leaders. Who is the best point guard on July 27, 2008 in the NBA. Of course all lists are subjective, but this longtime NBA observer has come up what I believe is the definitive list of the Top 10 Point Guards In The NBA In 2008.

1) Chris Paul-New Orleans Hornets: The first time I covered Chris Paul was during the first round of the NCAA Tournament which was held in Cleveland in 2005. I proceeded to tell everybody and anybody, that the Wake Forest point guard was the real deal. The rest of the planet caught up with me last season. Chris Paul is a special player, I'm talking once in a generation special. I'm talking Tiny Archibald, Isiah Thomas special. If I was a NBA General Manager building a team in 2008, Chris Paul would be my point guard.

2) Jason Kidd-Dallas Mavericks: Two seasons ago J-Kidd would have topped this list, in two more seasons he may no longer be on it. Jason is a lock to be a first ballot inductee in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Kidd hit the century mark in triple-doubles last season, this Summer he will help lead Team USA to a Gold Medal.

3) Steve Nash-Phoenix Suns: The man won two back to back MVPs for a reason, he deserved them. The only knock you can put on Nash is his lack of success in the post season. Unfortunately although Dallas, and Phoenix have shown that you can win a lot of games during the regular season with a fast break game, the playoffs are a different animal. Nash is another player who can not be double-teamed, because as good a scorer as he is he is a deadly accurate passer.

4) Chauncey Billups-Detroit Pistons: The second most underrated point guard in the Association (the first most underrated shows up further down the list.) Chauncey who was taken with the number three pick in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately Rick Pitino who was running Boston at the time (yet another example of why college coaches should stay in college) traded him mid-way through the season. Billups was the poster child for journeyman player his first few years in the Association. He spent time with Toronto, Denver, and Minnesota, before landing in Detroit. Billups blossomed with the Pistons, and is a key reason they won the NBA Finals in 2005.

5) Tony Parker-San Antonio Spurs: 2007 was a magical year for Mr. Parker, MVP of the NBA Finals, in which his team swept Cleveland. And there of course was that demure wedding he had. Parker and Manu Ginobili in this observers opinion is the strongest back-court in the NBA. Another player with pinpoint passing ability.

6) Deron Williams-Utah Jazz: This young man's stock is constantly rising, and in just a couple of seasons, he will be second only to Paul in my opinion. Deron made a huge impression during the NBA Post Season in 2007, and added to it this past season. The fact that there are three guards on Team USA, with Kidd, Paul, and Williams shows the respect the young man has already earned.

7) Gilbert Arenas-Washington Wizards: If Agent Zero could only stay healthy, his team probably would have made the NBA Finals by now. One of the most explosive, and charismatic players in the Association, however injuries have not allowed him to reach his full potential.

8) Andre Miller-Philadelphia 76ers: The most underrated point guard in the NBA today, Dre has never gotten the appreciation or the respect he deserves. Andre Iguodala gets most of the pub in Philly, but Miller was one of the key reasons that the Sixers almost knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.

9) Baron Davis-Los Angeles Clippers: "Hefty Smurf" as my buddy Gregory Dix likes to call the Baron, will have a new home further down the West Coast starting soon as he signed a long term deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Apparently Davis' relationship became irreparable with Coach Don Nelson, and he opted out of the last year of his deal. Can Baron bring success to the Staples Center's other team?

10) Derek Fisher-Los Angeles Lakers: Are there more talented more athletic point guards in the NBA that are not on this list instead of Fisher? Of course there are, but they don't bring to the table what Fisher does, strong leadership. As valuable as Andrew Bynum was during the first half of the season, and Pau Gasol was during the second half, remember this. If Derek Fisher was not on that team they don't make the Finals. Ask Kobe Bryant

LBJ Makes Cover Of Time Magazine

"Time Magazine" has him on their August 4, 2008 cover and is calling him the "Leader of the Redeem Team". No it's not 2008 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, or even the man who will be the quarterback of the offense for Team USA point guard Jason Kidd. The NBA star on the cover of Time Magazine's Olympic issue is Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James. LBJ has guaranteed that Team USA will bring home the Gold Medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after they settled for the Bronze in 2004. Team USA is on their way to Asia this weekend, where they will play three more exhibition games before taking the hardwood in the Olympic Village. Friday night Team USA destroyed Team Canada 120-65.

Lakers Reward Vujacic With Three Year Pact

He’s become the new cult hero of Los Angeles; the new millennium’s version of Kurt Rambis without the glasses. Who you ask? Well you are either an East Coast fan that goes to bed early, or you’ve been living under a rock as Sasha Vujacic has taken the “City Of Angels” by storm! And on Friday the Los Angeles Lakers rewarded the reserve shooting guard with a three year deal according to the Associated Press worth $15 million. The Slovenian native became a key player off the bench this season as it was by far his best campaign in the Association. The guard who just completed his fourth season in the NBA, averaged a career high 8.8 points, 2 rebounds per game. Vujacic was also a big component when he scored 20 points, as the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in game three of the NBA Finals. Los Angeles General Manager Mitch Kupchack told reporters “We felt Sasha made great progress in this past year, and our coach showed great confidence in playing him the second half of the season. Assuming he continues to work as hard during the off-season as he has in the past, I don’t see any reason that trend wouldn’t continue.” Los Angeles drafted Vujacic as selection number 27 in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Minnesota Comes To Terms with Gomes On Multi-Year Deal

The Minnesota Timberwolves had three priorities heading into the off-season. They wanted to re-sign forward Craig Smith, guard Sebastian Telfair, and forward Ryan Gomes, who all became free agents on July 1. The T-Wolves got a deal done with Smith, and earlier this week Telfair signed a contract as well. Friday the “Minneapolis Star Tribune” reported that Minnesota has reached a deal with restricted free agent Ryan Gomes who reportedly will sign a multi-year contract. Financial terms of the deal have not been made public but it is reported to be a three year pact. Gomes who was a second round pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2005 NBA Draft, came to Minnesota last Summer as part of the deal that sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. The T-Wolves who started back at square one after trading their franchise player the "Big Ticket" are now trying to put together a core group of players. Along with the three players they brought back into the fold, they also have lottery selection Kevin Love, and the player that they hope to build around center Al Jefferson.

Team USA Puts On Clinic In Rout Of Canada 120-65

Team USA kicked some tail and took down names, as they embarrassed Team Canada in Las Vegas Friday night 120-65. It was an offensive explosion for the Americans, as they shot 65.7% from the floor (44-67) and 50% from outside the arc (11-22). The exhibition game featured three members of Team USA with 20 points each. Starting guard Dwyane Wade, starting forward Carmelo Anthony, and reserve Michael Redd each scored 20, for their squad. Kobe Bryant scored 15, Deron Williams came off the bench and scored 14, and Chris Paul also was big coming off the pine, scoring 11 points, and dishing off 8 assists. Team USA was without forward LeBron James, who sprained his right ankle Tuesday in practice. Although the All-Star said he felt fine and could have played he was held out for precautionary measures. Jermaine Anderson led the Canadians with 18 points, Carl English and Rowan Barrett each scored 11 in the loss. Team USA will fly to Asia this weekend, and will have three more tuneup games before taking the floor in the Olympics.

Negotiations Stagnant Between Okafor And Bobcats

The Charlotte Bobcats are no closer to signing restricted free agent Emeka Okafor than they were on July 1. New Bobcats head coach Larry Brown has said that signing the big man is a priority for Charlotte in order for his team to have any chance of contending. Friday the Associated Press reported Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins feels that they will eventually come to terms with the the former Connecticut player. Okafor was the Bobcats first round pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, second selection overall. Even though the team and the player are nowhere near reaching a deal, Higgins believes it will be accomplished. Higgins told reporters "As we've repeatedly stated, we want Emeka Okafor back on our basketball team. We're going to continue to have that hope that we will have a resolution and go forward. I'm not going to comment on the negotiations per se. But we're maintaining that we're going to get a deal done." Okafor averaged 13.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, per game last season for Charlotte.

Warriors Sign Monta Ellis To Six Year Deal

Monta Ellis was the biggest bargain in the NBA last season. Ellis who just completed his third year in the Association was a second round pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2005 NBA Draft. The guard who was taken with the 40th selection last season made just $770,610 while averaging 20.2 points per game in 81 contests. The days of Ellis being a bargain came to an end on Thursday as the "Associated Press" reported that the Warriors signed Ellis to a six year deal reported to be worth $67 million. Ellis who was a restricted free agent is expected to become the team's starting point guard with Baron Davis now signed with the L.A. Clippers. Golden State Vice President and head of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin is very excited to have this deal completed. Mullin told reporters "We are absolutely thrilled to have Monta under contract for the next several years. He has been one of the top young players in the NBA for the last two years and enjoyed a tremendous season last year. The growth that he has demonstrated at such a young age is incredible and we look forward to him playing a big part in our future success."

Golden State Retains Azubuike After Matching Offer Sheet

The "Associated Press" reported Thursday that the Golden State Warriors have matched the offer sheet given to restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike and will retain the native of London, England. The Los Angeles Clippers had signed Azubuike to a three year offer sheet last week reportedly worth $9 million. The move by the Warriors surprised some NBA observers who thought he would be expendable after Golden State signed Maurice Evans earlier in the week. Azubuike played in 81 games last season for the Warriors, his second in the Association and started 17. He averaged 8.5 points, 4.0 rebounds per game. Warriors Vice President Chris Mullin told reporters "We are pleased to have Kelenna back in the fold. He's a young and talented player who has continued to improve during his two seasons with our team. His versatility, athleticism and ability to shoot the 3-pointer certainly fit our style of play."

Will The Euro-League Become A Threat For The NBA?

The Euro-Leagues have always had the reputation as a step down from the NBA. One need look no further than Trajan Langdon winning the MVP of the Euro-League Final Four in May. I covered Trajan during his time in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Langdon is a great guy, a very intelligent young man, but had no business being in the NBA. But he has gone over to Europe like countless other young men who could not make it in the Association, and has become a star.

The way we have always perceived the Euro-Leagues in the USA is a place to play for guys who weren't quite good enough to make it in the NBA. Guys like Kobe Bryant's dad "JellyBean" and New York Knicks new head coach Mike D'Antoni made a good living playing in Europe. But it was not where they really aspired to be, as I wrote at the top it was looked at as a step below the NBA.

But that may be about to change. During the last week we have seen some new wrinkles in the "Old World" League. The first sign that things were starting to change took place last week, and involved Brandon Jennings, a high school player who had committed to playing for Arizona in the upcoming season. Jennings announced that he had changed his mind, and decided to play professionally instead. Since he was too young to play in the Association due to David Stern's policies he chose to go across the ocean to play.

Because of the rule that was put into the Collective Bargaining Agreement during the last contract, that raised the age to get into the Association, most players now go through the charade of playing one year in college before they jump to the NBA. But Jennings reportedly did not do well enough scholastically to qualify for college. He truly gets the best of both worlds this way, he still plays competitively and gets paid to do it. It will be interesting to see if this is an isolated incident, or if a new precedent is set. Will we start to see an exodus of American high school grads going to Europe, and eschew the NCAA? We will find out in the next few years.

The Euro-Leagues also signed five former NBA players since free agency began on July 1. Four of them are really not surprising signings because they are all European born. Bostjan Nachbar, Juan Carlos Navarro, Carlos Delfino, Primoz Brezec, all have signed deals with Euro-League teams, just as former Golden State Warriors, and Indiana Pacers guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, did last off-season. But the fifth player who signed earlier this week is an American born player who has had success in the NBA, former Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress. Childress signed a multi-year deal with Greek team Olympiakos that is reported to be a three year deal that is worth $21 million after taxes. For Childress it was an offer he could not refuse!

And there may be more former NBA players on the way! Reports out of Houston on Thursday said that Houston Rockets restricted free agent Carl Landry is checking out options in Europe. Remember the euro right now is worth a lot more than the American dollar, hence the players will make more money playing overseas than they could in the good old USA.

So after years of out-sourcing all sorts of jobs to foreign countries are we now outsourcing our Basketball stars? Will the rumors start flying that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are heading to Spain in 2010? NBA Commissioner David Stern has always wanted the NBA to have a global presence, but I don't think having former NBA stars playing for Euro-League teams is what he had in mind.

Welcome To le basketbawl

First of all we want to wish the best of luck to our friend Kellex, as he goes on to explore other ventures. Secondly we want to welcome you to the new version of "le basketbawl." I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself to you, my name is Jeff Sack and I am now Managing Editor. If you surf the web, you may know me from our sister NBA site Slam Dunk Central, or you may know me from my days in Cleveland covering the Cavaliers, Browns, and Indians as Sports Director for Metro Networks. During that time I also was a reporter for ESPN Radio covering the Cavaliers and Indians as well.

I am a self-admitted basketball junkie! It is my favorite sport and has been since I was a little guy. Hopefully you share my passion for hoops especially at the pro level. And for those of you who are not as fanatical about life on the hardwood as I am hopefully, our discussions here will make you that way! We want to have fun as well as try to keep you as entertained and informed as possible! So out with the old, in with the new and welcome aboard!

Win $100 with your Basketball Blog...

There is an interesting site that I have been a part of for a while called NBABasketballOnline.com that if subscribed to, will check your feed for new posts and link them to you to get some more exposure to your site.

The service used to work really well for me, but after the first couple of months of blogging I had forgotten about it as it seemed to be dying off.  Well just the other day, they hit me up with an email which looked like they were trying to make some sort of a comeback and start back their growing nature.

So yesterday I got a second email from them about a contest they are putting up:

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog.  The winner gets $100.  The contest starts now and goes until July 31st, 2008.  To learn more about the contest go here:
http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/bloggers/weblog/2984.html

Sounds interesing enough and could give you a little incentive as a small or even mid-sized blog to earn an extra $100 bucks.  Start writing those linkbaiting pieces so you can put that $100 towards your new basketball hoop!

Should we feel bad for Baron Davis?

Baron Davis' return home may be a sign that retirement is on the horizon and now I feel bad for Fear the Beard.  The guy packs up from Golden State (a program that can actually win) and heads to the dump of the NBA while chasing those damn dollars.  And who knows, he could have actually thought Brand would be returning to help him out and possibly restore or resurrect or...is there a word for "sucking forever" and finally being good? Maybe he really took this deal because he thought they had a chance next year!

He definitely took this deal knowing that Maggette was on the "outs" and that Brand supposedly had made workings to free up space to bring in help.  Well that came out to be just another NBA lie with Elton heading his movie making behind to the east coast to the league of "a couple of acquisitions can win you a championship!"  (Look out for the Sixers!)  Now Davis is stuck, as I mentioned before, in the "dump" of the NBA with the worst supporting cast of his career.

LA isn't a bad place to end a pretty decent career though, right?  He may not be a hall of famer and may never reach an NBA Finals or win an MVP, but at least we've seen some lovely dunks, clutch performances, and the most magnificent beard of all time from the guy. (I'm almost surprised this guy never tore down a basketball goal.)  So do I feel bad for B-Diddy?  Not really.  I'm sure he already knew that Brand would be heading out and that this was just the last step to wind up back in his home town of Los Angeles.

At least now he's in LA and can focus all of his off court efforts on that booming movie business of his!

Jenkins to Europe? NBA Officials go Military? Kemp brings the Heat!

First time a top recruit heads straight to the Pro's rather than College?

It's true that Brandon "Mr. Hair" Jennings might not make it into college even if he actually wanted to. The kid can't pass the SAT's! Well, he failed on his first try, supposedly cheated on the second and is now waiting for his third attempt to be scored.

Jennings - ranked the No. 1 incoming recruit by Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN.com - is considering playing professionally in Europe for one year instead of attending the UA. He would then enter the 2009 NBA Draft.

Today's news won't skew Jennings' decision-making process, family friend Kelly Williams said today. He said he was "sure (the decision) will come after the 11th."

Just think though, KG didn't pass those SAT's and he just won a championship!

Kemp sort of sticks up for the Sonics

Sean Kemp is back to gaming it up, only this time with a minor league team? Or is it just a rec. league? Either way he had some interesting things to say about Seattle losing the Sonics and I've got to say that I agree with most of it.

"This is what I think, man," Kemp says. "I'm afraid that if they bring the Sonics back, what kind of team are they going to put on the court? Are they going to put the effort out?

"If they bring the team back, are they going to really put a good team out there? Or do we just want any team? You've got to at least try."

What I would give to see the "Reign Man" bring home just a few more dunks like these.

NBA Officiating goes Military!

It's about time isn't it? Thank you David Stern for pulling your pompous head out of your you-know-what and doing something publicly about this ridiculous referee scandal.

The decision to put a two-star general in charge of N.B.A. referees was not necessarily about restoring integrity, regaining public trust or creating a fresh, independent vision for a besieged officiating program.

The fact that he has zero NBA ties is probably the best part of this article.

Saturday Review: Pay Per Post

You probably noticed the "Saturday Review" I just ran for the iPhone and MacBook protective coverings? Well this will be a new type of post you'll come to see on weekends here at Le Basketbawl. Saturday and Sunday during the off season will most likely be lacking basketball chatter, so we thought it was a great time to use our newest service, Pay Per Post.

Pay Per Post is a site that gives you an opportunity to earn some money from all the hard work that you've put into your blog. The service is free to sign up for but may not allow you to actually make any money at it until your blog is established and has a solid PageRank. Luckily for us, we put in enough work to have Google grant us a PR of 5 which also allows us to take on most of the opportunities at Pay Per Post.

We may not be in the blog marketing business on this blog, but we have done a ton of work in this field on other blogs. Pay Per Post offers you all kinds of offers to take on or decline and you may even find some that are sports related. We'll try to keep our reviews to products or services that we believe in or would actually use. Like I said, the beauty of Pay Per Post is the power to choose which reviews you would like to take on.

And who doesn't like to earn a little cash on the side? Isn't that one of the reasons we all keep doing this blogging thing? I've seen posts that pay over $150 while the majority are around the $20-25 range.

Thanks for your time!

LINKBAWL: 7/5/08

• Chris Duhon really wasn't lying about going to the Knicks. It's official!

• Lakers Nation with a great read on the culture of the game and Kobe Bryant.

• Oh lord...the new Olympic shoe is here! Thank you Carolyn!

• Red's Army of course, loves him some Paul Pierce. I guess I can't blame him, even though my boy Ray should've won that MVP!

• Hoops Addict with a look at Jerry West being underrated?

• I know that Chris Kaman jumping ship to play for Germany seems un-American, but I could care less. The guy can barely hack it in the NBA anyway.

• Thanks Ethan for this post on the Olympic Team's conspiracy photo.

• The defensive mind of Bill Russell.

• Why do these two crazies keep getting married again?

• An unseen MJ dunk?

• This made me laugh, the title anyway and then seeing LeBron with some lions.

• Chris Mullin, watch out for that wall!
  

Saturday Review: invisibleSHIELD by Zagg

For those of you elite enough to carry around a new Apple 3G iPhone then you may want to check out these iphone 3g cases. Zagg has put together these really nice invisibleSHIELD protective covers for your iPhone or MacBook.

The film is military grade and scratch-proof resulting in a lifetime guarantee from Zagg. They also help improve grip on your phone and unlike other protectors are completely invisible allowing the same functionality as if it weren't on there. Pretty cool stuff and I've seen them first hand through my brother.

4th of July Mini-Vacay?

What's up! It's the Fourth of July weekend and I'm not sure there will be many posts...sorry!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a chance to relax and put together some new stuff but with all the festivities, you just never know what's going to happen. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful night! Leave the Roman Candles with the big kids!

Peace.

The Next SLAM Cover?

A tribute to Mr. Odenized and his latest amazing achievement as the new Online Editor for SLAM online. Congrats Ryne!

LINKBAWL: 7/1/08

Wow...LINKBAWL just returned! For whatever reason, I hadn't found much time for LINKBAWL but the time has come for it to make it's come back and start dishing out some link love to the amazing-ness that is the NBA basketball blog-o-sphere!

• Baron Davis turns down $18 million...then hours later signs up for well over $100 million! Rough day huh?

• Dwyane Wade looks at the Olympic team from behind the scenes and then gives you some commentary on it.

• Here are your top free agents of 2008 breakdown. Someone had to do it right?

• Everyone thank the On Deck Circle for putting together a quick reference guide to the NBA's free agency.
  

• Duhon headed out of Chicago? You can breathe now Bulls fans!

• Someone explain to me why a guy that has 2 knee surgeries in just a few months, plays 13 games in a year, and is not missed by his team is worth over $100 million?

• Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

• Are the Knicks finally going to get rid of Steph?

• Sports Tsar wondering if being happy as a Clippers fan is possible.

• Chris Paul is here.

• Not surprising, but a the NBA may reach record sales for this years' NBA Finals.

• Someone please shoot Ralph Nader.

• How can Bynum get an extension if there's a chance of him never playing again?

• Napoleon complexes in sports? New basketball hoop goal?
  

The NBA Draft Witnessed From Section 305

Posted written by the newest Le Basketbawl writer, Olivier Gibbons.

My annual trek to the NBA Draft, started, as always, somewhere toward the back of the line outside the Madison Square Garden Box Office. Rumors were running rampant that only several hundred tickets were being sold for entry into the WaMu Theater at MSG, which sits up to 5,600 people.

Deciding not to risk being shut out, I darted toward the front, cutting the line to assure myself a ticket. In past years, the Garden sold up to four tickets per customer but this year, that number was cut to two to help reduce scalping. Still, a few enterprising teenagers purchased tickets and offered to sell them for $100 each for people who were shut out. And on craigslist, one guy attempted to sell a pair of tickets for $400.

The NBA Draft has gotten bigger and bigger each year. And fewer tickets are seemingly reserved for the hardcore fans. The lower section of the WaMu Theater is reserved for players' families, agents, girlfriends, and the very entourages the NBA warns its players about. Michael Beasley, the second pick, now of the Miami Heat, had a busload of people sporting T-shirts with his name on it.

The attire of people attending the draft is as diverse as the people themselves. You have team jerseys favored by basketball enthusiasts (the most popular jersey seemed to be the Knicks number 42 worn by David Lee). Then you have the suits worn by anyone affiliated with the Draft, from agents to players and their families. And of course, you have the beautiful ladies in tight dresses looking to impress.

All of the beautiful people sit below, closer to the stage. The rest of us sit atop, the most boisterous of us in Section 305. The hardcore fans come to boo as much as cheer. And Commissioner David Stern certainly got an earful as he walked onto the stage to open the 2008 NBA Draft and declare the Chicago Bulls are now on the clock.

But no one received as much harsh treatment from the fans as the Knicks' pick Danilo Gallinari, a 19-year-old Italian kid. "You *&%$# suck," yelled one fan. Said another, I *&%$# hate you." as Gallinari exited through an aisle within earshot of his tormentors.

Welcome to New York, Gallinari. I actually felt sorry for the kid. To be subjected to such vitriol in front of his family on the most important night of his young life, I thought to be unfair. At least he'll be well prepared for the day he misses six or seven straight jumpers in front of the home crowd.

Following Gallinari's selection, a rumor floated around that David Lee had been traded fo