Le Basketbawl

And The Cheese Stands Alone! “ESPN.Com” and “Yahoo Sports“  are reporting what your Old Pal New York Vinnie has been telling you would occur for the last couple of months. The Minnesota Timberwolves have absolutely nothing to show for their number five pick in the 2009 NBA Draft except a General Manager who looks like a Frickin Pud! Point guard Ricky Rubio will not be coming to the NBA this season or even next season as he has been traded to FC Barcelona by his club DKV Joventut. Rubio will sign a six year deal with FC Barcelona and will have what is being termed an affordable buyout in the summer of 2011.

As we reported to you on Sunday Minnesota General Manager David Kahn spent the weekend in Spain in a last ditch effort to get a deal done. However his efforts did not turn out positively for his club as Rubio will spend at least the next two seasons playing in Barcelona.

This has to be really ticking off T-Wolves fan right now as the team traded Mike Miller and Randy Foye to the Washington Wizards to get the pick. And then their ignoramus of a General Manager flushes the Frickin pick away for at least two Frickin years! New York Vinnie thought he had it tough as a New York Knicks fan; T-Wolves fans should be ready to Frickin riot!

The Timberwolves have no one else to blame but themselves for this Frickin mess they find their team in. They knew this was a Frickin risky move when they made the Frickin pick. In fact they were so unsure of themselves that they selected Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn with the very next pick in the Draft! That shows they knew how risky the Frickin move was.

New York Vinnie refers to the Minnesota Timberwolves as “Upper Slobovia” for a reason. It is turning quickly to one of the least desirable teams to play for in the entire NBA. They are far from even being pretenders never mind contenders. And this screw-up only sets them further back on the road to respectability.

The “Associated Press” is reporting that Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey is feeling more confidence each day in the long term prognosis for All-Star center Yao Ming.  The native of China had his season end early this spring when he had to have surgery to repair his broken left foot. There was some concern that the injury could be career threatening.  Morey told reporters that does not seem to be the case after Yao’s latest check-up. The General Manager said “Yao Ming is progressing well. I don’t think that is something that will happen, based on what I’m hearing from the doctors. They do know that the bone will heal and he’ll get back on it.”

Morey said things are looking so positive his veteran could be on the court sometime  this season. He told reporters “And they have not actually ruled out this season. I think that’s less likely than likely, but they haven’t ruled it out. And next season, the outlook is very good. He just took off the cast for a short period (about two weeks ago) so the doctors could examine it, and everything is going well. Everything is on track.

New York Vinnie gives credit when credit is due; I still believe that the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled a lame brain move when they drafted Ricky Rubio but they are pulling out all the Frickin stops trying to sign him. “ESPN.com” has reported that T-Wolves General Manager David Kahn has spent the weekend in Spain in an attempt to get the point guard whom they selected with the number five pick in the 2009 NBA Draft signed to a deal. The reports are that Kahn is stepping up the effort to get Rubio on the roster in the upcoming season.

There were reports last week that FC Barcelona one of the top Euro-League teams had come to an agreement with the team Rubio is currently signed to DKV Joventut. The reports were that the two teams had agreed on a buyout price and Rubio would sign a six year deal with FC Barcelona that would include a buyout option in 2011.

Last Wednesday Kahn released a statement “Based on the information I have attained today, no team in any league has reached a deal with DKV Joventut concerning Ricky’s buyout, which must be accomplished before Ricky is released from his contract with DKV Joventut.”

Rubio told reporters he was very pleased that the T-Wolves were showing the interest by coming to his country to negotiate a deal. Under NBA rules a team can only use $500,000 on a player buyout unlike the Euro-League teams that have no such restrictions. In order for Rubio to get out of his present deal he would have to pony up $5.7 million.

Rubio told “El Mundo Deportivo” “I’m very proud that the Timberwolves came to Spain to get me. It doesn’t surprise me because they have been there all the time, and I always said that my priority was to go to the NBA. I know there was a meeting last night, and now there’s chances for both sides.”

New York Vinnie does not know if we will see pie fights and seltzer bottles on the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the upcoming season; but I would not rule it out of the question. The “Minneapolis Star Tribune” is reporting that the T-Wolves now have the complete set of the “Three Stooges” as new head coach Kurt “Shemp” Rambis has hired two former NBA players  as assistant coaches. The paper is reporting that Rambis has hired former Detroit Pistons center Bill “Moe” Laimbeer and former Sacramento Kings head coach Reggie “Larry” Theus  as his assistant coaches for his first season as a head coach.

Laimbeer was the center for the “Bad Boys” Pistons in the eighties; if you were a Pistons fan he was the greatest. If you rooted for any other team however you most likely despised him. He had been the head coach and General Manager of the WNBA team the Detroit Shock until tthis past June when he resigned in order to pursue an NBA  position. Laimbeer led the women’s team to three titles in seven seasons.

Theus played in the NBA in the same era as Rambis and Laimbeer and had a decent NBA career. He was renowned as much for his looks as he was for his game; a favorite with the ladies and has done some acting work. Theus was dismissed as head coach of the Kings in the middle of last season.

Your Old Pal New York Vinnie is feeling like a “World Class Dope” right about now! It is bad enough when New York Vinnie does something on my own that is stupid which has happened too many times over the years. But when I feel this way from giving somebody the Frickin benefit of the doubt and it comes back to haunt New York Vinnie the blood starts boiling. Right now New York Vinnie’s blood is so Frickin hot that he is surprised that it is not turning into Frickin vapor!

Last Monday New York Vinnie attempted to be a nice guy and to show support for Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley. In an article entitled  Beasley Battles Demons, Checks Into Rehab Center In Houston   New York Vinnie wrote that the second pick of the 2008 NBA Draft had sought help for a substance problem. On Saturday Ira Winderman of the “South Florida Sun-Sentinel” revealed the “Rest Of The Story”

You remember that old guy from the radio that died a few years ago, Paul Harvey? Please allow New York Vinnie to digress for just a minute. New York Vinnie does not like to speak ill of the dead but I never particularly cared  for that “Rest Of The Story” routine of his. Either it was so Frickin easy you were screaming at the radio about a minute into the story (Lincoln, it’s Abraham Lincoln!) or they were about somebody or something you didn’t care about (and that is how Emil Snyder invented the bag that catches lawn clippings on your power mower!) 

But this time the “Rest Of The Story” is pretty Frickin juicy. According to Winderman;  Beasley did not enter that rehab center in Houston voluntarily to stop doing drugs. No it turns out the Frickin Pud is in there because he did not follow the Frickin Rules. Beasley is in that Houston rehab center for what is labeled “Non-Compliance Issues.” Beasley is in the NBA Rehabilitation Program after smoking weed at Rookie Orientation camp last year. He did not show up for something and now he is paying the Frickin price!

Now we have a totally different issue on our hands; this is not about overcoming demons it’s about not following the Frickin rules! Listen New York Vinnie does not care if you want to smoke roasted Hippopatomus Nuts as long as you are in your own home and don’t drive afterwards. But this is a different Frickin story this is just some Pud who thought he was too good to follow the rules!

So Beasley now instead of offering you support New York Vinnie is going to watch you like  a Frickin hawk! You so much as look at a game official the wrong way New York Vinnie is going to be all over you like a Frickin cheap suit! New York Vinnie does not like it  when people make me look  foolish because they did not deserve the trust I put in them. You are now on the top of the Frickin list Pal!

Here is another guy high on New York Vinnie’s list of PUDS Stephen Jackson. New York Vinnie could never quite understand why Captain Jack got suspended for less time than Ron Artest did after the Brawl in the Palace. At least Artest was provoked what was Jackson’s reason? New York Vinnie will tell you why because he is a PUD!

Who Is The Biggest PUD Playing In The NBA Today?

One of the greatest pleasures about running “The House That New York Vinnie Built” Le Basketbawl is when an athlete proves my point for me. So you can imagine how pleased New York Vinnie was when this little nugget showed up on the World Wide Web! “Dime Magazine” is reporting that Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Jackson wants to play for a contender. Unfortunately for one of New York Vinnie’s favorite Puds in the NBA is he signed a three year contract extension last year with the Warriors. The deal reportedly was for $28 million.

Jackson was in  the “Greatest City To Ever Exist On The Planet, New York City” Friday with his former teammate and current New York Knicks forward Al Harrington. The pair were in town doing a special appearance to help promote a shoe company. According to the report someone at the promotion asked what his team’s chances were to make the NBA Playoffs in the coming season were. Jackson replied “I don’t think I’ll be a Warrior next year. I’m looking to leave.”

Jackson then talked with a reporter about what was going through his head. The veteran said “At this point, I’m 31 years old. I have four or five years left. I want to be in a situation where I can continually be in the playoffs and get another ring. So that’s where my mind is at now. It’s not about a decision I made. It’s just things are in the air right now. I really can’t get too much into it right now.”

Guess What Jacko? You already did get too much into it by not keeping your Frickin affairs in house and going to the media to cry. Now Jacko will pull the same Crappola his old running buddy Ron Artest did last summer with the Kings. Artest had a chance to opt out of his contract at the beginning of last summer but didn’t and he soon there after had buyers remorse. Artest became such a headache for the Kings Owners the Maloof Brothers they shipped his tail to Houston. This Pud is starting that game already.

See these are the kinds of guys that New York Vinnie can’t stand. A guy who makes a Frickin commitment and then less than a year later he wants to back out of it! And the sad thing is this Frickin Munecho will most likely get his way. Because he will turn into a Frickin cancer in the clubhouse until they ship his tail out of town and get a player of no real value in return. This is New York Vinnie’s definition of a Pud; a grown man that plays childish Frickin games!  

Jacko wants to be traded to Cleveland or any of the three Texas teams so he can play for a contender. New York Vinnie has a much better idea; ship his Frickin tail to Upper Slobovia and let him play for Frickin Minnesota. Maybe that will teach the Pud to keep his Frickin Yap shut!

Back in the day when Your Old Pal New York Vinnie was a Frickin Wild and Crazy Kid I could talk Crappola with the best of them! But you learn a lesson very early on when you start to talk trash; do not turn the corner of any street that you are wary of walking  down. In other words if you are going to be talking Crappola you best well be able to Frickin back it up!

The reason that New York Vinnie is touching on this subject is due to the recent comments of New Jersey Nets guard Courtney Lee. Lee has yet to play a game for New Jersey as he was traded to the team earlier this summer in the deal that sent Vince Carter to the Orlando Magic.

Lee is going into his second year in the NBA after spending his first with a team that went to the NBA Finals and were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers for the Title. Now after a pretty Frickin awesome experience in his rookie year he finds him on a team that most likely will not sniff the NBA Playoffs in the season that starts in late October. New York Vinnie can understand that the young man right now is pretty Frickin bummed out; it is a natural reaction to go from the Penthouse to the Frickin outhouse.

However it is one thing to be ticked off it is a totally different story when you open your Frickin Yap to the media. Lee sat down with “NBA Fanhouse” and voiced his displeasure about the trade loud and Frickin clear. The guard told the website “I’m going to be a man on a mission. I just hope they’ll be happy for me when I grow into the player that they wish they had. I’d like them to one day say ‘I wish we would have kept him.’ … They have a history of trading good players who did well afterward. I hope that’s me. My goal will be to go out and dominate every game, but especially those games when I play the Magic. I’ll be jacked up for sure.”

We are talking Courtney Lee hear not Dwight Howard or even NBA Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose. Courtney Lee averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season. These are not what you call Frickin Earth shattering numbers! They are okay but that is about the best you can say about them. The Orlando Magic did not win the Frickin Eastern Conference due to Courtney Lee!

And you are going to be playing for the Frickin New Jersey Nets Courtney; that is the same New Jersey Nets that finished with a 34-48 record this past season with Vince Carter. And Courtney you are no Vince Carter! Courtney take some advice from New York Vinnie; a real man does not have to brag he lets his actions speak for him. That is why as New York Vinnie grew up he stopped talking Crappola. When you start to feel secure in who you are My Man so will you.