Phil Jackson: “Kobe’s as Good as Michael”

Some basketball fans get irritated that Kobe Bryant is constantly compared to Michael Jordan. However, you can’t dismiss the fact that Kobe has lasted the longest in the “Who’s the next MJ” debate. Many players have been compared to MJ, and failed. It started back in 1996 when Bryant was a rookie, and 15 seasons later, people still feel passionately on both sides.

Phil Jackson, who knows both players better then anybody on the planet, having coached both of them to each of their NBA championship’s, had this to say:

“I wouldn’t compare them,” said Jackson, who coached both. “I think Kobe’s as good as Michael.”

Commissioner David Stern even came out publically this week to talk about the Kobe and Jordan debate:


“If [Kobe] wins another championship they are going to have the same number aren’t they?…MVP’s depend on a bunch of media guys…[Kobe and Jordan belong in the same conversation] “

No matter what Bryant does there will never be a unanimous thought across the basketball world that he is better, or on the same level as Jordan. However, when Kobe retires from the league, don’t be surprised if the debate becomes “Who’s the next Kobe?”

If it hasn’t already started.

Deron Williams: Head of Construction for the "New" Brooklyn Nets arena a ‘ballers’ paradise’

Deron Williams is under contract to play for the New Jersey Nets through the 2011-12 season. Beyond that, salary cap-willing, he could go anywhere to play as a free agent. Of course, because the salary cap probably won't be willing, Williams' best financial option will probably be to stay with the Nets. And that's a good thing, possibly, because he totally thinks the Nets' new arena in Brooklyn is a "baller's paradise."

Which is a strange thing to say, but D-Will did just post that to his Facebook account:

Iguodala blows off meeting with team execs, Really, your bosses?

By Mark J. Miller

Now that the Philadelphia 76ers have been eliminated from the postseason by the Miami Heat, it is standard operating procedure for team officials to meet individually with players to kind of wrap up the season and look to the future.
It appears that Andre Iguodala might not have any interest in such a thing. Multiple sources tell the Philadelphia Daily News that Iguodala didn't bother to show up for his scheduled meeting with coach Doug Collins, team president Rod Thorn, and general manager Ed Stefanski. Somehow all of his teammates found time in their suddenly free schedules to do so.
"I just want to compete for titles," Iguodala said to reporters, a meeting that he did show up for, according to the Daily News. "We made a lot of strides this year. I think we're heading in the right direction."
Still, he wouldn't say he was hoping to be a Sixer forever: "I expect to be back in the NBA. It's always been a dream of mine to play ball," he said, according to the paper. "This has been a great ride so far, not just with the Sixers, but playing basketball in general. So I'm really looking forward to getting some rest this summer, letting my body recuperate and get back to 100 percent."

Nick Young Won’t Give Wizards ‘Hometown Discount’

With a new CBA being negotiated, Nick Young may not have much choice but to take the ‘hometown discount‘: “When asked if he would be willing to offer a hometown discount in order to stay in Washington, Young replied, ‘My mama told me, never leave nothing on the table.’ He said two weeks ago that if he didn’t return, he would miss play fighting with Andray Blatche, who had once formed a tight-knit trio with Young and Dominic McGuire. But Young has already seen McGuire and Arenas traded, so he knows that anything is possible as it relates to him. ‘I’m unemployed right now,’ Young said. ‘It’s tough, but I felt I put myself in a good position where hopefully I get in a great position where I can be great at.’”

Source: Slam

Michael Jordan’s Sons Launching Heir Jordan Website

 

Michael Jordan’s kids may be amateur athletes, but they’re about to launch a very professional website…Marcus and Jeffrey Jordan have plans to take www.heir-jordan.com to the next level…The only problem with that is, it violates NCAA regulations according to my source who tipped me off…I can’t access the rules myself, because I’m not a student athlete, but if anyone out there is privy to this particular information please let me know

Where do the Magic go from here?

Where do the Magic go from here? Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Wasn’t it just two years ago that Orlando was an up-and-coming team giving the Lakers a good run in the NBA Finals? Pay attention, kids. This is what trading for Vince Carter (and then Gilbert Arenas) will do to you. Whatever mojo the Magic had is clearly gone and they could very well have their own Carmelo Anthony situation brewing with Dwight Howard scheduled to become a free agent after next season.

Mark Wahlberg gets in between Melo and LaLa

Lala Vazquez and NBA player Carmelo Anthony attend the TIME 100 Gala, TIME’S 100 Most Influential People In The World at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center yesterday in New York City…We all know Mark Wahlberg is an influential person…Carmelo and Lala…the jury’s still out.

Kevin Durant Gives Old Lady Headphones and Shoes

Joakim Noah’s Sister Watches Him Close Out 1st Round

Joakim Noah’s sister was on hand to watch her brother and the Bulls close out their first round series against the Indiana Pacers…The camera definitely panned on her a few times throughout the game…Here is a description of Yelena from Yelena’s facebook page: Yelena is a woman making her own mark in the world of high fashion. With her internationally famous and glamorous pedigree, Yelena remains very much grounded with a humble demeanor and endearing spirit that seems to embrace the simplicity of life when you have good expectations and pure wishes…Sounds like a great catch…Check the gallery below to see more of Noah’s sister. 

Kobe’s Nightmare is the Miami Heat?

My dreams of winning the NBA championship have already come true five times

Chris Bosh’s Wife’s Secret Photo Past

 

Chris Bosh’s wife Adrienne Williams may have some explaining to do…Here are some photos unearthed by a loyal reader that shows just how willing to be famous Mrs. Bosh was…These are from back in 2006 when she was called herself Miss Adrienne from Atlanta, GA…I think Bosh should know about these pics if he doesn’t already…Adrienne uploaded these pics to her profile on the site Hincity.com…You can find her profile here.. hincity.com/MissAdrienne. Check the gallery below to see what Bosh’s wife looked like back in the day.   -TO

Click Here Below for more Pics 

Chris Bosh’s Wife’s Secret Photo Past

 

Actor/model/rapper Common reminisces about being a Bulls ballboy

It's an exciting team, with all manner of Chicago celebrities reminiscing about days gone by with their favorite franchise. One of those people is actor ("Terminator: Salvation"), model (GAP), and rapper (who even knows anymore) Common, born Lonnie Lynn, Jr. As a young man in the '80s, Common spent time with the Bulls as a ballboy and locker room go-fer.

He spoke about the experience (and several other Chicago memories) with TimeOut Chicago:

"When I was 11, till maybe 13 [1983—85 seasons], I was a ball boy for the Chicago Bulls. I came in on a year when they weren't that great, but they had some cool players like Quintin Dailey, Ennis Whatley and Orlando Woolridge. But after a year, a man by the name of Michael Jordan came in. I will never forget seeing Jordan play a song in the locker room during the first exhibition game and the general manager, Rod Thorn, saying to him he can't play music, that's the rule. But after the second exhibition game they told him he could play whatever he wanted because he was that good. Just to be around that kind of transition, and getting to bond [with] and meet Michael Jordan and all those cats, was obviously one of the best experiences you could ever have in life."

Let this be a lesson to every NBA player: If you want control over locker-room music, you should probably be the best player of all time. Hopefully that serves as motivation for all the young hoop stars out there.

Grant Hill thinks a misdiagnosis destroyed his ankle and career

By Kelly Dwyer

Grant Hill(notes) isn't being overt about it, which is typical for him, but it's clear that he blames the Detroit Pistons' medical staff for misdiagnosing an ankle injury that led to the scuttling of his career back in the 1999-00 season.
NBA fans don't reflect on it as much they probably should 11 years later, but the drama surrounding Grant Hill's free agent choice in 2000 was probably the closest thing we've had to LeBron James'(notes) "Decision"-type intrigue since the NBA's free agent era began. Nearly every road game of Hill's final season as a Detroit Piston saw countless writers ask Hill about his plans for the summer of 2000, when Hill himself didn't know where he was eventually headed, and the whole experience took its toll on a middling Pistons team.
So much so that Hill, ever the professional, likely ruined his career in order to avoid of-their-day charges that he was taking it easy in his potential final days as a Piston. Detroit was in the running for a playoff spot deep in the 1999-00 season when Hill came up lame with an ankle injury, and immediately the on-record catcalls wondered aloud as to the severity of the injury, and whether or not it was just the free agent to-be's way of guarding himself as the big pay day approached in the summertime.
It wasn't, Hill attempted to deflect criticism by playing through the injury during a playoff series against Miami, and instead he injured the ankle more severely as a result. He then returned from injury way too early in an attempt to stave off the same criticism after joining the Orlando Magic the following summer, he barely played the rest of the decade, and he's still a little wary of those final few months in Michigan.
From Jason Whitlock's podcast, via Piston Powered:

"I (had been) told everything was fine. I even found out that certain team doctors were questioning whether I was really hurt, thinking I was soft or whatever. This was after I had pulled myself from Game 2 against the Heat. At that time, when I found out I had broken my ankle, as crazy as this sounds, I was relieved. I finally had some confirmation, I finally had proof that I'm really not making it up."

It's a shame that nobody seems to remember the genesis of what essentially put the kibosh on Hill's career. The pressure on him to not appear as if he had a case of senioritis was so great that he limped through an NBC-aired game against Philadelphia with what was obviously an ankle injury that needed weeks to heal, but the criticism about his impending free agency (a turn he did absolutely nothing to promote in-season, unlike James) was so strong that Hill played on.
And it absolutely ruined his career. No way around it.

Warriors Fans be happy, Four coaches on Warriors list

By Mark J. Miller

Now that Keith Smart is a piece of Golden State Warriors history, the team is looking for its next head coach. For those of you keeping score at home, this will be the team's third coach in three seasons.
The Contra Costa Times reports that the team's head of basketball operations, Larry Riley, said he's looking for someone who is going to stick for a little longer and is good with young players.
"The main thing," Riley said, according to the paper, "is we do feel like we need a new direction." The team has missed the playoffs for 16 of the last 17 seasons.
Sources to the paper said that former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey, San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, and Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank are all on the team's list as possible replacements to Smart.

What are you waiting for? Follow bballgurulive on Twitter

Video: Danilo Gallinari Takes a Sheet

Gallo and broadcaster Melanie Collins perform a locker room skit for Sheets, a new energy strip that packs vitamins and no calories.

 

Pics, info on Asia-Exclusive Jordan V and CP3.IV

by Chris O’Leary/@olearychris

There’s something about yellow and black shoes that just kill me. Whether it’s Wu-Tang Dunks or the better half of the Old Love/New Love pack, if I see yellow and black on a classic sneaker silhouette, I’m probably reaching for my wallet before I can remind myself that I know better.
So it’s probably for the best (for me, anyway) that this Air Jordan V and CP3.IV are super-limited Asia-exclusive release.

 

NBA Nation Tips Off Eight-City Tour Saturday

NBA Nation, the world’s “largest mobile basketball playground,” will be tipping off this weekend in Houston. Check the press release from the NBA below for details:

The NBA’s largest mobile basketball playground, NBA Nation presented by T-Mobile, will tip off its fifth summertime tour in Houston on Saturday, April 30 at the “Houston International Festival.”
More than 1 million fans will visit NBA Nation, which will travel more than 10,000 miles making stops in eight NBA cities – Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, San Antonio, New York and Washington, DC. The customized 18-wheel NBA Nation truck expands into 20,000 square feet of basketball playground providing free interactive basketball activities, as well as the opportunity to meet NBA Players and Legends.
NBA Legend Darryl Dawkins will serve as the official tour ambassador visiting cities throughout the tour to greet fans, sign autographs and serve as a special judge for select competitions. Along with presenting partner T-Mobile, NBA Nation features associate partners Kia Motors, Sprite and Dribble to Stop Diabetes (an NBA/WNBA/D-League FIT campaign supported by sanofi-aventis U.S. and the American Diabetes Association). The tour provides fans of all ages a variety of free interactive basketball activities on the NBA Nation Center Court and T-Mobile 4G Half Court.
NBA Nation activities include the following:

· T-Mobile 4G Half Court – Fans can take part in competitions and clinics featuring the “T-Mobile 4G Shooters Touch” Game, pitting fans with their family and friends against an opposing team to see who can sink their shots first.

· Kia Performance Challenge – Fans can test their dribbling, passing and shooting skills against the clock.

· Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown – Fans can use their creativity and basketball skills to perform their best dunks before a panel of judges including NBA Nation Ambassador Darryl Dawkins. One winner from each city will receive a $1,000 prize and continue competing for the chance to be crowned the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown Champion. The runner up in each city will receive $500.

· T-Mobile 4G In Action – Basketball fans will have the opportunity to interact with a number of T-Mobile 4G devices and get their phones engraved with their favorite NBA team’s logo.

· Dribble to Stop Diabetes – Fans will be encouraged to take a diabetes risk test as well as get active by participating in a number of dribbling activities on NBA Nation Center Court.

· T-Mobile VIP Sky Deck – Existing T-Mobile customers will be granted access to the T-Mobile VIP Sky Deck where they can watch the action, listen to deejays spinning the hottest music and enjoy refreshments.

· Measure Up – Fans can measure themselves against life-size replicas of favorite players on the Tall and Short, Arm Span, Walk of Fame and Get-A-Grip displays.

· NBA’s 50 Greatest Plays – Watch historic NBA plays on a 47-inch flat screen.

· Video Arcade – Fans challenge each other to the latest NBA video games aboard the NBA Nation show truck.

NBA Nation tour dates:

Date	City	Event	Location
April 30 & May 1	Houston	Houston International Festival	East Side of Bagby Street, between Dallas and Lamar Streets
May 7 & 8	Denver	Cinco De Mayo “Celebrate Culture” Festival	Broadway between 13th and 14th Avenues
May 14 & 15	Los Angeles	Universal CityWalk Hollywood	100 Universal City Plaza
May 28 & 29	Atlanta	Atlanta Jazz Festival	10th St. between Monroe and Charles Allen
June 4 & 5	Miami	Goombay Festival	SW 32nd & Grand Ave
June 10, 11 & 12	San Antonio	Texas Folklife Festival	801 E. Durango Blvd./ Institute of Texan Cultures
June 18 & 19	New York	South Street Seaport	Fulton and South Street
June 25 & 26	Washington, DC	Safeway Barbecue Battle XIX

Kevin Durant is thee Nastiest NBA closer right now!

During last night’s Game 5 matchup against the pesky Denver Nuggets , the Oklahoma City Thunder walked away with a 100-97 victory behind Kevin Durant’s brilliant 41 pt performance.
The Thunder were down nine points with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter until that beast they call Durant stepped up to the plate and ended up scoring the teams final nine points to will his Thunder onto the next  round.

“I just tried to seize the moment and take advantage of it,” Durant said. “They kept feeding me the rock, I was able to get to some good spots and fortunately I made some shots.”
“That’s the first time in the playoffs I’ve felt this confident,” said Durant, who also scored 41 in Game 1. “It’s the playoffs, and I felt good in that fourth, bringing my team back and trying to put us over the top a little bit.” -Source

Although the series ended 4-1 in favor of Oklahoma, this was definetly an exciting one between the two high scoring teams.

Can Three NBA Teams Thrive In Los Angeles?

 

David Stern has always had a way of putting a positive spin on NBA controversies. If he were a TV executive, he would dismiss the flaming wreck that was “Three’s A Crowd” by reminding you how successful “Three’s Company” was.

That disposition could explain why the NBA is so eager to shoehorn a third team into the Los Angeles market by allowing the Sacramento Kings to fill out change of address forms for Anaheim. Stern has said he believes Anaheim can support an NBA franchise and on the surface it would seem hard to argue. The L.A. and Orange County metro areas combined for more than 12 million people and a hearty supply of disposable income.
More importantly, Anaheim offers the Honda Center – a big, amenity-filled building that would seem to be the answer to the Kings’ prayers. Even Stern himself has made no attempts to confuse the issue, recently telling reporters that the potential move (and Sacramento’s last-ditch effort to keep its team) “is very building focused.”
All of the infrastructure is in place for Southern California to gain a third pro basketball team, but because people can support it doesn’t mean they will. Los Angeles fans are notoriously fickle, not surprising considering the number of year-round entertainment options available in the area. Adding 41 more home dates to the L.A. social calendar is like putting out another pan of fried chicken at a buffet. It’s great, but no one’s shoving people aside to get to it.
Consider one of the Kings/Royals’ potential new neighbors, the Clippers. L.A.’s “other” team has always struggled to fill its arena – whether the old Sports Arena or currently at the Staples Center. This past season, the Clips were 14^th in the league in home attendance, but that can largely be attributed to Blake Griffin. Generally, they’ve languished in the NBA’s bottom third attendance-wise.
As the third team in the pool, the Kings/Royals would likely take over the Clippers’ spot at the bottom of the L.A. basketball hierarchy – offering a cheaper alternative to the Lakers and giving fans (especially in Orange County) more accessibility to see some of the NBA’s top teams and players. But in an era of satellite dishes and cable packages that allow fans to watch any game they choose, catching the Celtics when they come to town may not be the imperative it once was.
That would seem to put the onus on the team itself to become the draw. After the new team smell washes off of the Anaheim Royals, it’s not likely that fans will consistently come out to watch a team that’s mediocre or worse. Although with a foundation of Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings/Royals could turn into a consistent winner, but it will be a mountainous climb to win hearts and minds in Laker country.
Not surprisingly, the Lakers and Clippers have been opposed to this move from the start. The Lakers could reportedly lose in the area of $500 million from a blockbuster 25-year cable television deal if a third team comes to Los Angeles. Few around the league are going to weep over one of the NBA’s richest teams missing out on an ever bigger payday, but Phil Jackson recently raised an alternate concern with SI.com’s Sam Amick.

“It’s small markets vs. large markets,” he said. “Are the large markets willing to have another team move in and share their community? Chicago, New York City? [New York] is going to have a Brooklyn franchise now (starting in the 2012-13 season) instead of New Jersey. So that’s inside the subway system. Philadelphia, another major city, another sized city like that, or cities in big metropolitan areas. Dallas, Houston? So it has to affect the major cities that have a monopoly, the top 12 markets.” – Phil Jackson

If Anaheim gets the green light to welcome a team, it would put 16 teams in the nation’s top 12 markets, (Toronto would rank just between Houston and Detroit. Call it market number 10.5) leading you to wonder if the league is losing interest in sustaining mid-sized markets. Take a look at the league’s five smallest markets:

• Milwaukee (#35)
• San Antonio (#37)
• Oklahoma City (#45)
• Memphis (#48)
• New Orleans (#52)

Of that group, only San Antonio could be considered an established success. Some of that owes to the good fortune of landing David Robinson and Tim Duncan in the draft. The jury is still out on Oklahoma City. They’ve just finished up their third season since leaving Seattle and have been blessed with young superstars. Whether fans can sustain that fervor when the inevitable decline happens remains to be seen.
The other three have struggled at the box office even though they’ve remained competitive on the floor. The Hornets were the worst of the lot financially and were purchased by the league in December. Moreover, billionaire Larry Ellison confirmed that he tried to buy the team while rumors swirled that he wanted to move them to San Jose – much to the chagrin of the Golden State Warriors.
Since no one around the league is seriously discussing contraction – ask LeBron James how well that went over when he mentioned it in December – does a move to Anaheim signal the start of a new NBA experiment? Could we see more under-performing franchises doubling (or tripling) up with teams in big cities? For David Stern and many around the league, they’re hoping three is the magic number.
But for much of Southern California, three is just a crowd.

Is Jerry Sloan The Next Head Coach Of The Golden State Warriors?

With the recent firing of head coach Keith Smart, the Golden State Warriors have a hole to fill and it appears Jerry Sloan is very high on their list.
“I’m hearing the Warriors are interested in prying Jerry Sloan out of retirement,” reported Marcus Thompson III of the Contra Costa Times on Twitter.
Sloan, 69, resigned as head coach of the Utah Jazz in February, and has denied reports indicating he would be interested in coaching next season.
According to Sporting News:

Former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan is denying a report from over the weekend that said he would consider opportunities to get back into coaching.
“I don’t know where that came from,” Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune. “It sounds like somebody threw it out there. … But that’s not my game.”

Does that mean Sloan is retired for good? You be the judge.

Will Jerry Sloan coach in the NBA next season? 

Yes 

No

Breaking News: Keith Smart Fired By the Golden State Warriors

After restructuring their roster and taking a step back in 2010, the Golden State Warriors improved by only ten wins this season. As a result, Keith Smart is on his way out. The Warriors announced their decision this morning:

“It’s never easy to make difficult decisions, especially when it involves someone that we have a great deal of respect for like Keith Smart,’ said Warriors Owner Joe Lacob.  ‘After meeting extensively with Larry Riley and Bob Myers, we came to the conclusion that a change was necessary at this particular time.  I think Keith did an admirable job this season and he should be commended for many of the positive things that transpired both on and off the floor.  The team showed improvement and their effort was never in question.  However, we’ve elected to pursue a new path and we wish Keith the very best.  He’s a quality person and we thank him for the time he invested with our organization.’”
Smart seemed to sense the writing on a the wall at the beginning of the month, stating:
“I would say that anywhere else, other than right here, people would look at it and say it was a good season,’ Smart said before Sunday’s game against Sacramento. ‘I’ve done everything I could possibly do, and for some strange reason, people (don’t recognize it). Anywhere else in the country, people would say we are moving in the right direction.’”

Smart’s contract for next season was only partially guaranteed, and since majority owner Joe Lacob was not in power when the decision was made to replace Don Nelson with Smart, the move doesn’t come as a total surprise.
It’s been awhile since the Warriors were the most exciting team in the world, but if their young core continues to develop there soon could be reason to believe once again.

Behind the Real LeBron’s ‘Decision’ charities for the boys and girls club

 

 

Watching "The Decision" last summer was one of the more unsettling experiences most of us have ever encountered. At least amongst those that don't regularly watch scripted "reality" TV. The uneasiness with LeBron James' buildup to his decision as to who to sign with leapt across the board, regardless of team affiliation, age, interest level, or sense of tact. Nobody thought "The Decision" was a good idea. Even if it did produce some hilarious results.

One good thing did come out of it, though. The program raised more than $2 million for various Boys & Girls Clubs, and nearly half a million dollars has been sent to clubs in Northeast Ohio -- site of James' former home of Akron, and the NBA domain of his former Cleveland Cavaliers club.
Mark Gillespie of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer has the breakdown:

A contribution of nearly $60,000 repaired a leaky roof, refurbished a dingy gymnasium and will pay for a new playground at the Mount Pleasant club on East 131st Street. And the Slavic Village club on Broadway received $70,000, which was used to install a new gym floor and purchase bleachers. The club also is waiting on delivery of 20 new computers.
Both clubs also received a video sports training system and $2,500 worth of sports gear.
In addition to the $2 million cash contribution, James arranged for the donation of $500,000 in computers from Hewlett-Packard and $500,000 in gear from Nike. Fifty-nine Boys & Girls Clubs across the country are receiving help from James.

 News like this helps "The Decision" go down a little easier as the focus on James turns more to basketball, and less on the look-at-me production that he sent our way last July. And, as the waves from "The Decision's" wake shrink smaller and smaller as the months move on, most of us will start to once again regard LeBron James as a basketball player, and not the guy from that pathetic mess run terribly by Jim Gray.
The next generation, including a child named "LaBron," are already one step ahead of us. From the Plain-Dealer:

Kids playing basketball on the new floor at the Broadway Avenue club Tuesday afternoon had a more forgiving attitude toward James than is typically expressed by those who continue to demonize him on sports talk radio.
"I think he deserves to get a ring," said LaBron Sanford, 14. "He just went to a better team."
Dave Archibold, 15, echoed LaBron's sentiments. And he's happy with James' gift.
"This is a good floor," he said. "I'll remember him for that."
The Elyria club received $110,000, money that is paying for a new fitness center and improvements to the basketball court. The club also is getting 15 new computers.

Ron Artest: Winner of NBA’s 2010-11 Citizenship Award, WHAT?

Ron-Ron went from being one of the League’s most reviled players, to one of its true good guys (and a media darling.) It’s kind of incredible. From the OC Register: “Six and a half years since the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl, Ron Artest has won the NBA’s longest-running citizenship and community-service award. Artest was announced Tuesday as the 2010-11 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, presented annually by the Pro Basketball Writers Association to one NBA player, coach or trainer for outstanding service away from the game. I will present the trophy to Artest on behalf of the PBWA just before tip-off of Game 5 of the Hornets-Lakers playoff series Tuesday night at Staples Center. Artest has generated tremendous exposure for mental-health counseling in schools with his speaking engagements, even appearing in front of members of Congress in Washington in February. He raffled the 2010 NBA championship ring won in his first season with the Lakers, and the ‘Win My Bling’ contest wound up in December with lifelong Lakers fans Raymond Mikhael of Hawthorne getting Artest’s ring — and Artest’s Xcel University charity getting more than $650,000. ‘Ron has such a passion for the issue, and has demonstrated such leadership he was a perfect choice for such a prestigious award,’ said Doug Smith of the Toronto Star and president of the PBWA. ‘His work embodies the kind of dedication to important causes that NBA players have become known for.’”

Report: Kevin McHale in the Running to Succeed Doc Rivers If He Departs After Season

Kevin McHale won three NBA championships while playing for the Celtics in the 1980s, and he certainly deserves the assist on another after trading Kevin Garnett to the Celtics during his tenure as the Minnesota Timberwolves general manager.
However, it's possible McHale's not finished helping raise banners in Boston, as a return to the Celtics could be in order for the member of Boston's original "Big 3".
McHale, who according to Yahoo! Sports, is set to interview for the Houston Rockets coaching job in the upcoming weeks, is reportedly also a candidate for the Celtics coaching job, if Doc Rivers declines to sign an extension after this season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski.
In two tenures (2005 and 2009) as the Timberwolves head coach, McHale compiled a 39-55 record. He has spent the last two seasons working as a television analyst for NBA TV and TNT.
The Celtic legend is just one of a cavalcade of potential replacements for Rick Adelman in Houston. The club's interview candidates reportedly include: Mike Brown, Dwane Casey, Kelvin Sampson, current Houston assistant coach Jack Sikma and one-time Celtic Sam Cassell.

Eastern Conference Championship....My Opinion

Seriously All I Wanna Know Is…….

WHY THE HELL are Dwayne Wade’s clothes so damn tight?!? Seriously.
In the pic above taken few Saturdays ago at Atlanta’s famed Velvet Room nightclub,  Wade’s shirt and jeans were clearly a smedium size too small for the Miami Heat superstar.
Personally, the brother seems like he is cool as all hell, and he definitely does his thing on the court, but come on son!  There is absolutely no reason why Dwayne’s shirt should be assaulting his body like that! I mean, forreal? Straight up just choking the life out of a brother!
And can we pleassssse stop the “sunglasses at nightime” look. It’s so 2005.  If there isn’t any sun, then there shouldn’t be any SUNglasses either.
Come on folks. It’s 2011 – - – we got to do better.

Shaq Is Done For The Playoffs, Maybe For Good

The man the Boston Celtics placed their championship hopes on when they traded Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder may have laced up his size 23′s for the last time.

Reports are that Shaquille O’Neal is likely done for the playoffs because of nagging injuries, which leaves the Celtics thinner up front than they hoped.
Danny Ainge thought it was a good idea to bet on Shaq’s health, but that decision turned out to be ill-advised.

Now the Celtics have to hope their other O’Neal, Jermaine, can stay injury-free himself and give them some type of physical presence down low next to Kevin Garnett.
This blow means that the Celtics can stop dreaming of an NBA championship as of right now.
There’s nothing they would have loved more than to get a re-match of last year’s Finals with the Lakers for a shot at revenge, but as it turns out signing Shaq hurt more than it help them.
Now, Shaq will have to consider retirement because he can’t recover from injuries like he used to, and he didn’t even do well with injuries in the past. We may have seen the last of the laziest/most dominant big men in the NBA’s history.

Must See TV: Kobe Shows Us His Ankle Is Just Fine

When Kobe Bryant refused to let Lakers trainers perform an MRI and/or X-Ray on his injured foot after Game 4, some people thought he was just being foolishly stubborn.
As it turns out, all he was doing was letting them know that he was fine, which is exactly what the Hornets learned for themselves.
Kobe scored 19 points for L.A. in their Game 5 win (106-90), 4 of which came on crowd-igniting dunks on Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza, and Carl Landry.
Check out Kobe dunking on people like it’s 1999 or something:

LeBron’s Mom, Gloria James, Gets ‘Slapped’ With A Lawsuit

You knew this one was coming. It’s only natural to file a lawsuit after you’ve been slapped and humiliated by the mother of one the NBA’s biggest stars.
According to TMZ, Rockfeller Sorel is going forward with a lawsuit against  Gloria James, LeBron James’ mother, claiming that she had “no right” to hit him. (Check out the footage)
All Sorel, a valet worker, is doing is pursuing his American dream. What else are you supposed to do when your slapped by someone famous because of their basketball playing, multi-million dollar earning son?
I’m no lawyer, so what happens with the lawsuit is beyond me, but a chunky settlement will ease the embarrassment of Gloria’s 5 fingers meeting Sorel’s face.

Danny Granger Calls Joakim Noah A Dirty Player

Last night, Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls advanced to the second round after destroying the Indiana Pacers (116-89) in Game 5 to take the series 4-1.
Danny Granger, forward of the Pacers, did not take the loss too well. Danny had a few choice of words for Bulls center Joakim Noah about his physical play last night:

“He pulled a cowardly move,” Granger said. “He cheap-shotted a couple of my teammates, and one gets thrown out …
“The refs never catch what he did … it’s cowardly. And I’m going to say something about it. I wanted to say something about it all the way to the game was over. I just don’t think the game should be played that way. You can play hard and fight and battle, but when you start cheap-shotting people it gets out of hand.”

It’s a little sweet of Granger to even complain about the physicality of one player in last night’s game knowing damn well the Pacers team has been throwing their weight around all series long.
Noah heard about Granger’s outcry and said:

“I played dirty? Ok. I’m just trying to win basketball games, man,” Noah said. “It’s the name of the game.
“I’m just out there trying to do what I gotta do. Like I said, I give a lot of credit to their team. The play hard as hell. They were competitive. I don’t have anything bad to say about them. Everybody saw what happened out there. Now you want to call me a dirty player? I don’t think I’ve ever been a dirty player. It is what it is. It’s ok.” Source

Noah was just listening to an old Bulls Hall of Famer. That physical play is exactly what Bulls legend Scottie Pippen wanted from the Bulls and Noah delivered.

Gilbert Arenas’ Baby Mother Proves Why You Can Never Trust A “Basketball Whore”

The ongoing battle between NBA star Gilbert Arenas and his ex-fiance/baby mother Laura Govan has just added a third party to the mix: The company that moved their furniture to California.
In a lawsuit filed this month, JK Moving and Storage sued both Arenas and his alleged cheating ex for $26,172.62 in unpaid moving fees.
The suit alleges that the company somehow got caught in the crossfire between the Magic star and his baby mother.

Arenas swiftly ditched the couple’s Great Falls home after he was traded to Orlando back in December, leaving Govan’s cheating ass, their relationship, and their three young children behind.
The suit claims Govan, who is pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, contacted the moving company in January and swindled them into hauling her family’s possession’s halfway across the nation by lying and claiming that the family was planning to build their dream house in California. (Sneaky heffer).
After pretending to “confer” with Arenas and his financial manager, Lester Knispel, according to the court filing, Govan then put a deposit on Arenas’s American Express card, followed by the remaining $24,000 balance being charged once the moving truck reached the West Coast. Two weeks later Gilbert’s manager, Paisley Benaza, wrote the moving company claiming fraud and theft; so American Express refunded the payment to Gilbert’s account— leaving the moving company with the unpaid bill – - and now they want their money. (Time to pay up Laura).
Back in February, Govan attempted to embarrass Arenas by having him served with child support papers during halftime of a game with the Miami Heat, but now it looks like the only one getting embarrassed is her fraudulent ass.
Good move Gilbert! (No pun intended).

CHECK OUT THE EMAIL FROM SHAQ TO GILBERT ARENAS WIFE CLICK ON LINK BELOW

http://www.whudat.com/news/images/shaq-laura-govan-leaked-emails.jpg

Sacramento shows NBA the money, awaits decision

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Sacramento is showing the NBA the money.
Mayor Kevin Johnson has taken another step in his bid to keep the Kings in town. He and about 30 representatives from Sacramento-area businesses met with NBA officials Tuesday, signing smaller deposits on more than $10 million in sponsorship pledges for the Kings as a “down payment.”

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson…
AP - Apr 19, 3:45 pm EDT 

 

Johnson had promised league owners additional revenue
for the Kings from
area businesses to give the city more time to finance a plan for a new
arena.
The league sent officials to verify those claims, and the mayor says
Sacramento
“showed them the money.”
Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof have until Monday to ask permission to relocate to Anaheim. NBA owners must approve the move by a majority vote.

Report: NBA Players Association prepared to decertify

Execs at the NBA and NBA Players Association are paying extra close attention to what's going on between the warring sides involved in the NFL labor battle, and CBSSports.com reports that the lifting of the lockout by NFL owners Monday by U.S. District Judge Susan Nelson got particular attention from the two sides.
The NFL Players Association dissolved just before the lockout began in order to give it more legal flexibility and CBS reports that the NBA Players Association, led by Billy Hunter, "already has collected enough signatures to approve a vote for decertification" if a lockout occurs.
The site goes on to report that top NBA negotiators for more than a year have been holding out hope that a decertification by the players would be ruled a "sham" by federal courts. That hope has now been thrown out the window as the NFL labor situation has set a new precedent.
"This is a victory for all professional sports unions," Gabe Feldman, head of the Sports Law Center at Tulane University, told CBS.

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Chris Bosh got married and won't admit it

Given Bosh's proclivity for publicity, it's fairly shocking when he keeps certain news private, especially when it's a matter of private record. According to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel (via PBT), Bosh and his longtime girlfriend Adrienne Nicole Williams were married recently in Miami-Dade County. Their marriage certificate is on file and everything. It is as official as marriages get.
The only problem is that Bosh won't own up to it. When Winderman asked him, he played dumb:

"Not yet, man, not yet," Bosh said. "I was made aware of stuff leaking out or supposed information leaking out. Yes, I am scheduled to be married, but we're not there yet."

Bosh is entitled to his privacy, and it honestly doesn't matter much whether or not he's married. That's a personal decision. Basketball writers are supposed to tell Bosh what he's doing wrong on the court, not at home. Shockingly, there are limits to our expertise.

When the Celtics need their Z’s, they call the Sleep Doctor

 This is why the Boston Celtics, ever on the vanguard, have hired the services of Dr. Charles Czeisler, as they attempt to feed their wily veterans and skittish youngsters all the sleep they need over the course of what for Boston is often a 100-game season.  Dr. Czeisler is the chief of the division of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women's and director of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Paul Flannery of Boston Magazine recently detailed his influence on the defending Eastern Conference champs:

The Celtics soon eliminated morning practices and instituted the "2 a.m. rule," which holds that if the players can't get to their hotel rooms in the next city by that time, then they stay where they are for an extra night and get their eight hours. Sound rest is all the more important for a veteran team like the Celtics, who have struggled playing games on consecutive nights. "Trying to create a window of 8 to 10 hours of sleep — it's almost impossible during an NBA season," Rivers says. "The way we were doing it made it completely impossible."

It's hard enough for me to wind down after shoving my nose an inch away from the TV as I watch the heightened playoff action, but I don't have to answer questions about my performance and then board a plane to Oklahoma City immediately following. Just something to think about, the next time you see a player yawning during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Ron Artest wins 2010-11 NBA Citizenship Award

In November 2004, Ron Artest helped instigate and escalate the infamous Malice in the Palace brawl in Detroit. It was a stain on the league, and Artest became the poster boy for any campaign against perceived thug behavior in the NBA. He was a pariah and seemed to be cast forever as a problem child.
Tuesday, the NBA announced that Artest has been named the recipient of this season's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. There is a press release and everything. It is a real award and no one is going to pour pig's blood on Ron-Ron's head at the ceremony. Kevin Ding has more at OCRegister.com:

Artest was announced Tuesday as the 2010-11 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, presented annually by the Pro Basketball Writers Association to one NBA player, coach or trainer for outstanding service away from the game. I will present the trophy to Artest on behalf of the PBWA just before tip-off of Game 5 of the Hornets-Lakers playoff series Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Artest has generated tremendous exposure for mental-health counseling in schools with his speaking engagements, even appearing in front of members of Congress in Washington in February. He raffled the 2010 NBA championship ring won in his first season with the Lakers, and the "Win My Bling" contest wound up in December with lifelong Lakers fans Raymond Mikhael of Hawthorne getting Artest's ring — and Artest's Xcel University charity getting more than $650,000.
"Ron has such a passion for the issue, and has demonstrated such leadership he was a perfect choice for such a prestigious award," said Doug Smith of the Toronto Star and president of the PBWA. "His work embodies the kind of dedication to important causes that NBA players have become known for."

In the past, we've covered Artest's ring raffle and his other efforts on BDL. Thoughout them all, the most impressive aspect of Artest's work has been his complete lack of shame in discussing his past mental health issues. Often, the biggest problem related to this issue is an inability or unwillingness to reach out to others for help. By acting as such a tireless advocate for this cause, he's proving that you can be honest and forthcoming about past and current mental health needs without embarrassing yourself.