Le Basketbawl

“Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see.” How much better we would be in this Great Nation of ours if we all followed that advice from long ago? Unfortunately New York Vinnie is far too aware that we live in a Frickin era that we get Frickin misinformation handed to us on an almost Frickin daily basis. And what is even more Frickin unfortunate is that many people take every thing they hear or read as the Frickin Gospel.

New York Vinnie has been telling you for months now that Allen Iverson is a very sensitive human being; and right now the guy’s pride is Frickin hurting big time. So he allowed the moment to get the best of him and ripped off his goodbye. And a writer who was only concerned about having a “Frickin Sensational Story” took it and ran with it. In New York Vinnie’s opinion Smith did nothing, illegal or unethical but it sure was Frickin sleazy!

So don’t put your Iverson gear into storage quite yet! Your Old Pal New York Vinnie knows we have not heard the last chapter in this story!

Don’t Count Out Iverson Playing This Season Just Yet!

Now this where we bring in the destiny, fate and karma. You could use a talented starting point guard and it just so happens that Allen Iverson is looking for that exact gig! Now if that is not Destiny than New York Vinnie does not know what is! Iverson has an eight week tryout to see if he can still be an effective starting point guard in the NBA back in the city and on the team where it all Frickin began! The advantage for you Ed is you can get Iverson most likely for the NBA veteran minimum which is a Frickin great bargain. Is that not just Frickin Poetic?

New York Vinnie believes that destiny is knocking on your door right now Ed. This a Frickin no lose situation; so answer the Frickin door and see if Iverson can be the “Answer” for your team!

With Williams Injured Could Iverson Go Back To The Sixers?

New York Vinnie does not want to come off as some Frickin Egotistical Know-It-All Pud; that is not what this Frickin column is about. It did not take Frickin Robert Downey Jr. as the New Frickin Sherlock Holmes to piece this Frickin mystery together.

New York Vinnie received an e-mail from another website on Friday saying they had the same idea but I had beat them to the punch. Philadelphia and Iverson makes Frickin sense there is a mutual Frickin need. All New York Vinnie did on Friday was pure Frickin speculation based on logic. It was not Mike Frickin Wallace investigative reporting.

From the day that New York Vinnie took over Le Basketbawl I have made and kept one pledge; to carry on the tradition of the “Late Great Howard Cosell” and that is to always “Tell It Like It Is.” New York Vinnie grew up on the Frickin streets and learned very early on in life that your name, your integrity and your credibility can never be taken away. You can only give it up yourself.

Less than 72 hours after reporting that Allen Iverson was retiring from the NBA Stephen A Smith in a guest column for “Fox Sports News” is reporting that indeed the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in possibly bringing Allen Iverson in while starting guard Louis Williams is out for the next 8 weeks after having surgery for a broken jaw.

Smith is trying to act like Frickin Woodward and Bernstein breaking the Frickin Watergate story! New York Vinnie thinks that Stephen A Smith is just a Frickin PUD without any Frickin credibility what so ever. If You take a Thousand shots Stephen; then you will eventually get one to go in. That seems to be your Frickin style of reporting.

Do you remember the story from when you were a kid about the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” ? Back in ancient Greece there was this little Frickin trouble making PUD who used to guard the sheep. The little Scumbago would get bored during the Frickin day and to cause some Frickin excitement the kid would yell that a Frickin wolf was coming. The whole Frickin town would come running to save the sheep meanwhile this little Muneco was laughing his behind off.

Well the little piece of Crapolla played the Frickin game once too often; and when the Frickin wolf showed up nobody believed the little PUD. So he was the Frickin appetizer for the wolf before the Frickin wolf feasted on the sheep.

Remember a couple of years ago when Stephen A Smith was the Frickin “Golden Child” at “ESPN“? He was the guy that got Kobe on “ESPN Radio” when they broke the story about how Kobe could not possibly play anymore for the Lakers and he would not play a game in a Lakers uniform in the 2007-2008 season! And that was quite a coup considering that Kobe Bryant now plays for; the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yo Stephen; reporting is not supposed to be like playing with a Frickin piñata! You put on a Frickin blind fold and swing with a stick until you get the Frickin candy! You have no Frickin credibility or integrity in New York Vinnie’s eyes Stephen; and I have the feeling I am not alone!

After basically having two lost NBA seasons the “Associated Press” is reporting that All-Star guard Allen Iverson will attempt a comeback next season. Iverson left the Philadelphia 76ers back in March due to the health of his four year old daughter. According to the veteran guard’s personal manager Gary Moore the child is doing quite well.

According to the reports Moore said that his client is preparing to go back to playing in the NBA next fall. Moore in a telephone interview said “Allen is working out and he’s getting himself prepared to make his return. He absolutely will try and play next year. Allen wants to come and help a team win a championship, which he’s completely capable of doing.”

Now of course Iverson’s representatives are going to say that their client is capable of playing like he used to a couple of years ago but New York Vinnie is truly wondering what A.I. still has left in the tank? And does he want to  come back badly enough that he is willing to come off the bench and possibly be a role player for a team? Or is he going to pull the same Crappolla he pulled last year with the Memphis Grizzlies when he parted company with the club after realizing he was not going to be a starter?

Iverson truly has gone from “The Penthouse To The Outhouse” in the last two years after he was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons. He ended that season alienated from the team and went into a Free Agent market that he thought would be fighting over him but really had no interest about him in the least. Iverson signed a deal with the Grizzlies just before Training Camp and then got hurt during the first  work-out. Iverson never played in the exhibition season and when he was activated after the season started he expected to be a starter..

Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins had other ideas which led to a parting of the ways for Iverson and the Grizzlies. Iverson not long after signed a contract with his original team the Sixers but due to injury the veteran played only 25 games for the club before he left the team in March to take care of his daughter.

If Iverson truly wants to return to playing in the NBA next season he is going to have to realize that he no longer has the stature that he just a couple of years ago. He has to realize that he is going to be looked at as someone who need’s to prove himself again. In other words Allen Iverson would need to have humility; something that he has never shown in his career in the NBA. Is it that important to “The Answer” to play again in the NBA that he would be willing to humble himself and become a role player? 

Only Allen knows how deep is his commitment to playing next season is in the NBA. If he thinks that he is going to come back to a hero’s welcome he is just deluding himself. He could probably make a lot of money next season in Greece or with another Euro-League team and he would be looked at as a star. That truly might be the best route  for Iverson to go unless he is willing to start back further down the mountain in the NBA than where he used to reside.

The “New York Post” reported Thursday that New York Knicks center David Lee and Dallas Mavericks veteran point guard Jason Kidd have been named as replacement players for this Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. The two players were selected by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace Philadelphia  guard Allen Iverson on the Eastern Conference squad and Kobe Bryant on the Western Conference team. Iverson will not be able to attend due to one of his children being ill; the veteran guard has missed the Sixers last five games due to the family situation.

Bryant has not played in the last three games with the Lakers due to a sore left ankle but will make the trip to Dallas for the game.  It will be the tenth time that Kidd has been an NBA All-Star who is now playing his sixteenth season in the NBA. The veteran is averaging 9.3 points and 9.3 assists per game this season. He will join teammate Dirk Nowitzki on the squad.

As much as New York Vinnie hates to see any player miss an honor due to a family crisis; it would be misleading to say that I am not excited for Lee. The Knicks center is the first of “MY BOYS” to be named to an All-Star Team since the 2001 contest which featured Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston. Lee’s numbers had earned him a spot on the team but was not named by the coaches. The center is averaging 20 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this  season.

There has been a whole lot of discussion over the past couple of weeks about whether Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady and Philadelphia guard Allen Iverson will “Do The Right Thing.”  It appears that Iverson and McGrady may both have been voted by NBA fans as starters for next month’s NBA All-Star game which will be held in Arlington, Texas. The sentiment from the people who are being vocal is that T-Mac and A.I. should  turn down the honors because they do not deserve them. New York Vinnie on the other hand thinks that is just pure Frickin Crapolla and I am now going to tell you  why I feel this way!

New York Vinnie absolutely agrees that neither McGrady or Iverson has had the type of numbers this season that warrants them being on the teams. But that really has no Frickin bearing on them being starters;  you see once you put the vote in the hands of the fans then you have to Frickin live with the results. That is it; discussion is over, Finito over and Frickin out!

The All-Star games are popularity contests; that is the way that the NBA has set them up. They have decided that getting the fans involved is more important than having a team that actually represents the top five players in each Conference at each position. That is fine but then do not start complaining when the fans pick who they want rather than who you want.

The “Philadelphia Daily News” asked Iverson his reaction to his apparent starting nod. The veteran said “That’s an honor and a reward because without the fans there wouldn’t be us. think my situation is unique being that I haven’t played as much as a lot of the other guys, but the fans want to see me play. That is a good feeling just to know that the people who support us . . . want to see me play. That’s a great feeling, but it’s also a tribute to the teammates I’ve had and the coaches I have to help me get here.”

Orlando Magic Senior Vice President Pat Williams has always been a class act. He has been in the NBA as far back as New York Vinnie can remember first with the Sixers in Philadelphia and then went to Orlando when they started that team. However New York Vinnie can not disagree more with Pat who thinks that T-Mac should step aside. Williams told reporters “I think McGrady would take it upon himself (to turn down the honor.) I think he would find it extraordinarily uncomfortable.”

Pat;  New York Vinnie has lots of respect for you My Man but I believe you are way off on this issue. Why should he feel uncomfortable? Did he do anything wrong? Did he rig the Frickin computers? If that is the case absolutely he should not play; however Pat we both know that is not the case.

New York Vinnie does not watch “Reality TV” unless you wan6t to count Sports. New York Vinnie has never seen one second of “American Idol” however I do read a lot. So New York Vinnie is aware of the race between the clean-cut guy and the guy who wore mascara last year. Now everybody says the guy who wore the Frickin mascara should have won but the clean-cut guy won the vote. This is what happens when you throw things open to the public, the best person does not always win.

So New York Vinnie wants the Frickin belly-aching to stop; shut your Frickin Yaps and live with the Frickin results. You want to change the system in the future; New York Vinnie would be totally Frickin receptive to that. But this year is in the books, the NBA got what they wanted and this is the result.

New York Knicks center David Lee had more important issues on his mind Wednesday than basketball after his grandfather passed away on Tuesday. Lee did consider missing the game at the Wachovia Center as his team took on the Sixers Wednesday night. However after much soul searching he decided his rightful place was with his club and his decision proved to be a key one for the Knicks as Lee drove the lane putting the rock in the hole and won the game for New York as they defeated Philadelphia 93-92.

Lee would score 24 points in the win and got the bucket with 13.2 seconds left in the game that clinched the game. Philadelphia shooting guard Allen Iverson would lead his team with 16 points in the loss while Sixers center Samuel Dalembert got himself a double-double. The victory would end a two game losing streak for New York while the Sixers saw a a two game winning streak fall by the wayside.

This contest would stay tight through out the evening as the Knicks would have the advantage at the end of the first leading 30-26 as the period concluded. Philadelphia would bounce back in the second and as the game reached half-time they would be on top 48-47.

The Sixers looked like they were ready to pull away late in the third as Jrue Holiday buried a 26 foot three point shot giving his team a 66-59 lead with 4:09 left in the period. However New York would end  the quarter on a 9-2 run and the game would be deadlocked at 68-68 as the two teams went into the fourth. With 43 seconds left in the game the Knicks would trail 90-89. Lee would hit a mid-range shot to put his team up at 91-90; Marreese Speights hit a hoop from 7 feet out putting the Sixers back on top at 92-91. Lee would get the ball from Chris Duhon drive the lane and the Knicks walked off the court as the victors.

David Lee had a game high 24 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists while Wilson Chandler added 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. Al Harrington came off the bench with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block while Jared Jeffries scored 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Danilo Gallinari put up 12 points, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

Allen Iverson led Philadelphia with 16 points, 5 assists and 1 rebound while Rodney Carney came off the bench with 13 points. Samuel Dalembert had a double-double as he he put 12 points on the scoreboard while grabbing 21 rebounds off the backboard, 1 assist 1 block and 1 steal. Thaddeus Young scored 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while Marreese Speights added 10 points and 6 rebounds. New York now is 16-22 and will next play Friday as they will host the Raptors while Philadelphia is now 12-26 and will play host to the Sacramento Kings Friday.

The Philadelphia 76ers have played a very interesting side-game over the past month; it has been the “revolving roster.” Now every NBA team goes through injury problems throughout the season however with the Sixers it seems like almost every day they have added somebody or deleted somebody from their cast of characters.

The situation that has been in a conastant state of flux over the last few weeks is the Philadelphia back-court. The  “Associated Press” reported Saturday that change is once again in the air for the Sixers guards as veteran Allen Iverson is expected to be out until the end of the month. However the “TOUGHEST PLAYER” in the NBA 76ers point guard Louis Williams was activated prior to the team’s game against the L.A. Clippers Saturday night. Williams had surgery for a broken jaw on Thanksgiving and was expected to be out eight weeks.

Philadelphia head coach Eddie Jordan told the media prior to the game against  the Cippers that the earliest Iverson would be back would be December 28, when the club takes on the Portland Trail Blazers. An MRI of the veteran’s left knee showed he is suffering from arthritis. Jordan told  reporters “Rest is the best thing for him, for about a week now. He feels confident that he’ll feel great the rest of the year.”

“Philly.com” is reporting that Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson will miss Friday night’s game against the Boston Celtics due to Arthritis in his left knee. Iverson had the knee drained earlier this week and an MRI performed revealed the Arthritis. Iverson is considered day to day by the team.

Iverson is in his second stint with the Sixers after signing a Free Agent contract with them earlier this month. Last month Philladelphia staring point guard Louis Williams was lost due to a broken jaw he suffered against the Washington Wizards.