Charles Barkley Welcomes Shaq

bSir Charles Barkley  finally comments on Shaq joining TNT as his newest co-worker…Shaq and Barkley definitely have  history together, but it’s nice to see Charles welcoming the Big Analyst with open arms.

Big Baby Davis Gets In A Real Maine Lobster Experience

The off season is a perfect opportunity to try out new things…Big Baby takes to the Maine ocean and rubs elbows with Maine lobster-man…I know there’s a deadliest catch joke in here somewhere

Gilbert Arenas Posts on Twitter Raunchy Pic

Gilbert Arenas is a real jokester…The dude spends most of his free time tweeting and planking…Agent Zero decided to have a little fun with his Twitter profile pic…He  tweets, “if u wanna see funny offensive avi pics u came to the rt place..if u dont like them umm blah blah blah..find a sense of humor..” This is one of those optical illusion pics…you know like the young woman old lady….but perverted

Infamous LeBron Fan Severely Beaten

Remember that dude, you know the one who got escorted out of the Indians game for wearing a LeBron Heat jersey…This was shortly after the decision, and the threats kept on coming for Matthew Bellamy…Here’s the scoop: ” According to the report, witnesses told police that Bellamy and three females had just left the bar when Robert Horton, 23, pulled into the parking lot and jumped out of his vehicle. The witnesses say that Horton began punching Bellamy from behind and knocked him to the ground, at which time Horton continued punching Bellamy in the face.” Hate or Love LeBron, this ain’t right. Thanks to Dan Jovic of Fox 8 Cleveland for sending me the story

Pacers hire Lakers' Shaw as assistant

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

Brian Shaw had Kobe Bryant's support, among others, to become the Los Angeles Lakers coach upon Phil Jackson's retirement.

NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Not when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers. Get the latest offseason buzz:

The Lakers bypassed their longtime assistant and went with Mike Brown. Shaw has moved on in a reunion of sorts.
The Indiana Pacers introduced Shaw on as their new associate head coach Tuesday. He will work alongside Pacers coach Frank Vogel, a man he knows from their days on Los Angeles' staff together during the 2005-06 season.
''We really established a special connection back then,'' Shaw said. ''A good friendship. We stayed in touch over the years.''
Shaw was considered a head coaching candidate during his time with the Lakers, and Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher publicly supported his bid to become Jackson's successor. Shaw said he tempered his expectations.
''I understood all along that nothing was a slam dunk,'' he said. ''I didn't expect for anything to be handed to me or given to me. I was very appreciative of the comments and the support that I got from our players during and after the season.''
Shaw is fine with the way things played out.
''I don't have any hard feelings at all because things are changing there, and there's an opportunity here that I'm excited about,'' he said.
Shaw isn't sure what his new title entails, but he appreciates it and considers it confirmation that he's nearing his goal of becoming a head coach.
''I'm getting close, so I guess it's a stamp that says I'm just about ready,'' he said. ''But to me, I'm just another assistant coach.''

Vogel said Shaw is more than that.
''He's a guy that, quite frankly, I didn't think I was going to be able to get,'' he said. ''He's a guy that's been in line to be a head coach for a number of years. I view him as having almost like a second head coach with me.''
Vogel said the hiring shows that the Pacers are moving in the right direction.
''There was interest in him around the league, and he chose to come to Indiana,'' he said. ''It's indicative of what we're building here. People want to be a part of this team and this city right now. It's going to be a special era.''
Shaw said Indiana's fans are knowledgeable, and he likes the idea of coaching in a place where basketball is the key attraction.
''A lot of time, the fans in L.A., and it's not a knock against them, but it was a lot of celebrities, and people come to see who they can see and who's at the game instead of what's going on in the game,'' he said.
As an assistant for Jackson, Shaw said he learned from the best.
''One of the things that I really admire and respect about the time that I was able to spend with him was how he dealt with his personnel, different egos, and unified them and made them all one,'' he said.

Pacers at a glance

 

 

Looking for the latest on the Pacers? Get the inside slant, stats, scores, schedules and more scoops right here. Shaw wants to display Jackson's demeanor.

 

''I've never seen not just a coach, but a man, so patient,'' Shaw said. ''You could be down 20, you could be in Game 7 of the Finals and need a critical play out of one of your players, and he was always on an even keel. That's what I hope rubbed off on me and I will be able to imitate it at some point.''
Vogel said Shaw's collection of experiences — he won three NBA titles as a player and two as an assistant coach — help make him an ideal addition.

''There's guys that are special and guys that are qualified,'' Vogel said. ''We've got a special candidate here.''
The Pacers also retained Dan Burke from the previous staff and look to add a third assistant soon.

Nate Robinson Still Has Eyes on NFL Career If NBA Loses Season to Lockout

 

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nate Robinson said back in October that he would like to pursue a career in football if a lockout occurs in the NBA. That lockout has indeed occurred, and Robinson is sticking to his word. The former Celtic told SLAM Magazine that he is considering trying out for NFL teams if the NBA lockout consumes the entire season. 

"I might go play football," Robinson said. "Do something that nobody"s tried to do. ... I've been doing a little bit of training."

Before quitting football to focus exclusively on basketball, Robinson put together an impressive resume on the gridiron. He was named Washington 3A Player of the Year as a running back/wide receiver his senior year of high school, amassing 1,200 rushing yards, 500 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, and originally attended the University of Washington on a football scholarship as a cornerback before switching to basketball after his freshman year.

If he does make a run at the NFL, Robinson would like to return to the offensive side of the ball, where he believes his true talents lie.

"I honestly think if I'd have played my natural position, running back [in college], I would have still been playing football today," Robinson told the Boston Globe back in October.

The current NFL lockout seems to be -- hopefully -- nearing an end, but Robinson said that on the rare chance that both leagues lose their seasons, or if a football career doesn't pan out, he will join the ever-growing group of NBA stars planning to play basketball overseas.

Report: Noah to play for Team France

CHICAGO (AP)

A person familiar with Joakim Noah's decision says the Chicago Bulls center plans to play for the French national team in the European Championships in Lithuania.

The person spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Noah's plans.
Noah was limited by a thumb injury last season, averaging 11.7 points and 10.4 rebounds in 48 games while helping the Bulls to a league-best 62 wins. They came up short in the Eastern Conference finals, losing to the Miami Heat.
France begins play in the European Championships against Latvia on Aug. 31.

Shaq To Join “Inside The NBA”

TNT’s Inside the NBA is going to be even more fantastic (who thought that was possible). The best NBA show just got a little better. Per CNBC’s Darren Rovell, Shaquille O’Neal will be joining Kenny, Ernie and Chuck  in studio J! Turner sports hasn’t made an official announcement PLEASE find a resolution for the lockout!! After last season and all the great story lines we were left with, I can’t stand the thought that I may not see the NBA until next year.

Delonte West Freestyles To A Wiz Khalifa Beat [Video]

Celtics guard Delonte West is almost like an urban legend at this point. KFC raps, gun toting on a three wheeler or being Gloria James alleged jumpoff, West’s legend continues to build.
His latest escapade, an in studio freestyle rapping over Wiz Khalifa:

Kobe Bryant Embarrasses Rapper Bow Wow In A Game Of 1 on 1 [Video]

 

Kobe Bryant took on rapper Bow wow in a one on one game during the last day of Kobe’s Skills Academy Basketball camp. Bow wow (who by the way openly claimed forget Kobe, he’s a “LeBron guy” on Twitter a few months ago) bet $1000 that Kobe couldn’t beat him. Well, you pretty much know how that turned out.
Jermaine Dupri recorded the footage and it is HILARIOUS.




 HILARITY!! I love mamba and it’s even better when people get to see his funny side! Maybe next time Bow wow. Did you like how Bow wow back peddled? It’s always different when you’re right there with him! Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE mamba!

Bill Russell statue to sit at City Hall Plaza

When it was announced back in May that Bill Russell, the greatest winner in the history of life, would finally be getting a statue in the city of Boston, there were still many questions that went unanswered after the announcement was over. Where would the statue be? What would it look like? Who would build it? What the heck took so long?

Fast forward to today and one of those questions has finally been answered. Bill Russell will forever be immortalized at City Hall Plaza, at a location near State Street. Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca and Mayor Thomas Menino came up with the idea for the location. (ESPN Boston)

During a site visit earlier this year, Pagliuca described how a sea of children swarmed Russell near that location, making him seem like a "living statue," and the idea snowballed from there. Menino suggested the area could one day become a plaza of champions, but that they will start with Boston's greatest champion in Russell. 

Look at Pags and Mumbles coming up big with an idea here. But in all honesty, I love how they came up with this. Sure, it would have been easy to put the statue in front of the Garden next to the Flying Orr or something, but why put in front of a building that he never played in? So that parents can tell their kids about how Russell won all those championships in the spot next to the building where the giant parking lot currently sits?

The City Hall spot shows that some thought was put into all of this. I never knew this story about Russell with the kids at City Hall. That's what made Russell so great. He was more than a basketball player. He was a transcendent figure and an icon and still is to this day. There's meaning to this spot that goes past what he did on the basketball court and it will be nice to have the statue right in the middle of the city for all to see.

The three finalists for to design the statue are Fern Cunningham, Antonio Mendez and Anne Hirsch. They will submit their ideas in October and Pagliuca hopes to unveil the statue next spring.

Then we can all say with confidence, "It's about time."

Kobe Bryant's Father, Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, Named Head Coach of WNBA's Sparks

Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, the father of Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, can often be found courtside at the Staples Center to watch his son's games. Now Kobe can do the same for his dad.
The Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA promoted Joe to the team's head coaching position, replacing departed head coach Jennifer Gillom. Bryant, along with Sandy Brondello, was named an assistant coach for the team in March.

The Sparks are in the midst of a five-game losing streak and sit at 4-6 on the season.
The 56-year-old Bryant previously served as Sparks head coach from August 2005 through the 2006 season. In 2006 the team went 25-9 and reached the Western Conference finals. After being replaced by Michael Cooper in April 2007, he moved to Japan and became head coach of Raru Kamuy Hokkaido.
"Joe's familiarity with the Sparks organization puts us in the best possible position to compete going forward, and should make for a seamless transition," Sparks vice president and general manager Penny Toler told the Los Angeles Times.
The elder Bryant played in the NBA for eight seasons with the 76ers, Clippers and Rockets. He continued his professional career in Italy, where Kobe spent much of his childhood.

Kobe Bryant is Still Pulling Out 360 Dunks at 2011 Kobe Academy

Guess that knee procedure in Germany helped a little? Check out this Dunk by Mr. Kobe Bryant at his annual Kobe Academy Basketball Camp going on in Santa Barbara, CA. We got you covered with multiple angles:

Mickael Pietrus: ‘Kobe Bryant Would like to See Me on the Lakers’

 

Mickael Pietrus tells L’Equipe in France that the Phoenix Suns didn’t use him properly last season, and that Kobe Bryant would like to see him as a teammate in LA: “Phoenix did not play me, but that’s their problem. I continued to work. The only thing that interests me now is winning a title.’ Luckily, he said a great team wouldn’t be opposed to recruiting him. ‘A lot of teams are interested in me, like the Lakers or the Celtics. This came from the best player in the world: Kobe Bryant. He told me two months ago that he would like to see me with the Lakers.’”

 

NBA’s Books Show League Lost $1.5 Billion in Last Five Years

After going on the offensive to defend its claims of financial woes, the NBA continued to hammer the point home by leaking financial data to Forbes showing a loss of over $1 billion over the last five seasons: “Net Income–which is after the deduction of all costs–would give a more definitive picture. Sources close to the NBA labor negotiations have provided Net Income numbers for the league each year over the last five years, plus projected losses for the 2010-11 season. Given that the NBA is saying that they are running at a net loss, as opposed to the NFL, which is saying they are seeing profits declining, the NBA is compelled to open their books as part of labor law, and have done so. The following numbers are audited figures. If the projected figures are correct, the NBA will have lost $1.845 billion over the last 6 years, not turned a profit, as reported by [Nate] Silver. The following shows the losses, as well as the number of teams that reportedly have run at a loss the last 5 years, plus projected losses for the 2010-11 season: ’05-’06: 19 clubs ran at a loss, total losses of $220 million. ’06-’07: 21 clubs ran at a loss, total losses of $285 million. ’07-’08: 23 clubs ran at a loss, total losses of $330 million. ’08-’09: 24 clubs ran at a loss, total losses of $370 million. ’09-’10: 23 clubs ran at a loss, total losses of $340 million. ’10-’11 23 clubs ran at a loss, total loss of $300 million. Before one begins to say that this all is skewed toward ownership, looking at the Forbes numbers that detail the 2009-10 season show that while some clubs are running in the red, some, such as the Knicks and Bulls are profiting handsomely.”

Canadian Hoops League (NBL) Extends Invite to ‘Tier-3′ NBA Players

Europe and Asia aren’t the only options for locked out NBA players; Canada is a lot closer, and has a new league that’s willing to pay them (not a lot, mind you) for play during the labor impasse. From the Chronicle Herald: “Canada’s new professional hoops circuit hopes that another league’s burden could turn into its bonanza. The National Basketball League of Canada issued a release Tuesday inviting National Basketball Association players to hop the border and bring their high-flying acts to Canada if the NBA season is interrupted by a work stoppage. ‘We’re definitely realistic in what we’ve decided to do,’ Halifax Rainmen owner Andre Levingston, interim president of the NBL, which plans to begin play in the fall, said Tuesday. ‘We don’t think we’re gonna be able to land no LeBron James or Kobe Bryant because those guys will be fine (financially) during a lockout and I’m sure have their own regimen that keeps them in shape. But NBA guys need a basketball game and we definitely think we can lure the Tier 3 type players, the guys that maybe make the NBA minimum (salary), that would be interested in this opportunity.’”

Kevin Durant Wears 1st Class Pajamas on Plane Ride to China

NBA Players enjoy the high life…especially when flying…Here is a pic of Kevin Durant heading to China decked out in pajamas they provided for him in 1st class…Hope they are clean and how in the hell did that Asian airline have his size?

Melo and Swiss Beatz Tag Team For Birthday Party

Carmelo Anthony and pal Swizz Beatz arrive to the U.S.S. Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in NYC, for DJ Cassidy’s 30th Birthday…It’s Melo’s 1st party since the lockout

Report: Zaza Pachulia Plans to Join Deron Williams in Turkey

A bunch of media outlets in the US are now confirming the report that Deron Williams indeed has a deal in place to hoop in Turkey during the NBA lockout, and apparently so does Zaza Pachulia. From ESPN: “Players under contract like Williams would typically need a letter clearance from FIBA — the sport’s world governing body — to play anywhere else. But the NBA Players Association has privately maintained for months that it intends to legally challenge any attempt by the NBA or FIBA to block a player such as Williams from playing elsewhere while the NBA has imposed a work stoppage. ‘If they try to stop him,’ one source said of Williams, ‘the union will fight it.’ The bigger risk for Williams is injury-related, especially after he was plagued by a wrist injury throughout the second half of last season after the Nets acquired him from Utah on Feb. 24. The guaranteed money Williams is owed by the Nets would not be protected in the event of injury overseas, meaning that either Williams or Besiktas will have to make insurance arrangements that protect him against long-term injury. NTV Spor also reported Thursday that Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia plans to join Williams with Besiktas as well.”

Deron Williams to Play in Turkey During Lockout

Sources today have confirmed a report from Turkey-based sports outlet NTV Spor that New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams has agreed  in principal to play for Besiktas of Turkey, which is the team that Allen Iverson played for last season…Sources say Williams doesn’t have to report to the Turkish club before the end of August or early September and that his deal with them will include an immediate out clause that allows him to return to the NBA as soon as the work stoppage ends…Let’s be real, the work stoppage is going to take away a whole season, so why not go play somewhere else…It’s the leverage the players have over the owners

Now These Are What I Call “Thunder Thighs” Real Tattoo

You’ve probably heard the phrase “when keeping it real goes wrong,” but how about “when being a fan goes too far?”

Dale Ellis: ‘I’m the best shooter of all time.’ Oh, boy lol

You'll see this a lot from players, both current and retired. "I feel as if I'm the best at [whatever skill they prize the highest]." Then when they hear this sort of braggadocio coming out of their mouths, they immediately switch to, "Well, this is the sort of attitude you have to have if you want to be successful at this level."
They're not wrong. There's something inherent in most successful pro players that has them consistently thinking, no matter the mitigating factors, that that next shot is going in the net. Or that the next attempt shot in their face will be summarily sent into the 10th row.

It's not the smartest attitude to boast, but it helps make up for the other 90 percent of the time, avoid the willies, insure self-confidence when things aren't going well, and steel themselves for when it's a wide-open shot they should make. I remember reading Reggie Miller tell a journalist that he gets ticked off at himself when he doesn't make an absurd amount of his wide-open looks, something like 75 to 80 percent, even if they're from 25 feet away. Why wouldn't he far eclipse his usual averages, he thought? He's wide open!
The latest to come clean with this line of thinking is former Dallas, Milwaukee, but mostly Seattle sharpshooter Dale Ellis, who had this to say to the Boston Globe over the weekend:

"I'm the best shooter of all time,'' he said. "I know that from the jump. I set the standard. I gave them something to shoot for. I was the first player in the history of the game to get 1,000 3-pointers. To be able to play on that level, you have to have that attitude about yourself. You can say it's arrogant or cocky or whatever, but that's OK. There's no way you can compete without it. There's no way you can excel without that confidence level.''

Coach Cal extends an invitation to ex-UK players to work out in Kentucky

John Calipari went on Twitter last Friday to tell University of Kentucky products currently locked out of their NBA training facilities that they can use the UK campus to train during the lockout ... and, boy, is this guy good.
First, the tweet:

And on the surface, it's a nice move by Coach Cal. Sure, fly right in, use our courts to train on your own time (if I'm not mistaken, they'll be mostly free because NCAA bylaws prohibit teams from practicing the college kids too much during the summer), and Coach Cal will even help set up some coursework for those former UK players that want to work toward earning their degree. But it's also -- I mean, you see right through this, right? Pretend you're a potential Kentucky recruit, and as you walk through the campus and toward the gym, well geez, is that a Bentley?

Is that John Wall, inside, putting up shots? Is that Eric Bledsoe and Rajon Rondo, locked into a game to 11 (win by two) that's gone on for three hours because neither of them can shoot? Is that Nazr Mohammed(notes) sweating in the low block, fresh off a new contract extension with a championship-contending team despite turning 34 in September? Is that DeMarcus Cousins ... well, let's not get too far out of hand with this fantasy.

Wall has already warmly greeted the invitation, via Twitter:

The NBA Lockout Calendar We already know how it’s going to unfold.

On an unassuming side street in Fresno, Calif., a couple miles from the hustle and bustle of the city’s downtown, sits the person who may know more about the NBA lockout than anyone else.
Rhoda Goldfarb-Palowski, who prefers to be called by her professional name, Miss Sage, has focused her psychic powers on NBA affairs for decades now, and burnished her reputation by predicting the results of 15 of the last 20 NBA Finals and at least five Larry Brown firings.

Last week we provided Miss Sage with a snip of hair from James Dolan’s goatee and a pair of Shawn Marion’s game-used socks to connect her with both sides of the labor dispute. After meditating for several minutes, she kindly agreed to provide SLAMonline with her exclusive NBA lockout predictions. They are provided below:

June 30: NBA owners lock out players over labor dispute

July 6: LeBron James ponders league official Adam Silver’s negative comments about his 10 percent raise; concludes the lockout is all about him. Issues statement thanking the little people.

July 8: NBA officials make “off the record” statements blaming lockout on players being “uppity,” without actually using the word uppity. (1)

July 8: Players union responds with a press release saying they’re just dealing with the situation one insult at a time.
July 10: Players union asks veterans to “do what they can” to help lower-salaried players. Steve Nash and Jason Kidd decide to stage fundraising game. LeBron James realizes request was all about him; agrees to make a brief appearance at the fundraiser but only if Maverick Carter is made official organizer of the event.

July 11: Kevin Garnett takes redeye to New Orleans to procure a David Stern voodoo doll and a pack of surgical needles.

July 15: First major article published about remote possibility of fan anger, player retirements, rise of Chinese league, and defections to European teams ruining the NBA for years.

July 16: NBA threatens to pull media pass of whoever writes the story first.

July 21: Peer pressure and badgering from Stern forces Michael Jordan to make statement of solidarity with NBA owners.

July 28: Nike launches new Jordan brand shoe called “Air GOP,” just in time for the start of back-to-school shopping. Nike claims complaints about the $250 price tag and lack of quality are unpatriotic. Women’s line called “Air Condi” also planned.

August 1: Owners publicly contemplate walking out of negotiations because of players “not knowing their place.” Players union responds with statement that they’re taking the lockout one negotiating session at a time.

August 4: Kevin Garnett notably absent during day’s negotiations. David Stern is plagued by mysterious piercing pains and cuts session short.

August 5: NBA owners retain little-known Washington communications firm G.G. Liddy & Associates.

August 9: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports breaks story about certain unnamed owners urging an end to the lockout. ESPN’s Ric Bucher, while writing the same story, gets up to use the men’s room. Upon returning he finds his story gone, and the file replaced by a copy of Bambi.



August 12: ESPN runs story about spoiled basketball players having to sell their Bentleys.

August 13: Kenny Anderson announces he’s incredibly available for interviews.

August 14: First report of NBA player turning an ankle during summer workout leads to rampant
speculation about injuries during partial, strike-shortened training camp and compressed regular season.

August 20: Fox News, ABC and ESPN Radio mention players’ alleged caviar intake during the lockout.

September 3: Media reports surface about the possibility of a new league forming. Isaiah Thomas, Mark Cuban, and W. Mark Felt are rumored to be involved.

September 4: Yahoo! publishes story documenting greater concern by owners over length of the lockout.

September 7: ESPN runs story on the tough road and many obstacles faced by NBA owners, complete with B-roll of Michael Heisley and Jerry Reinsdorf staring contemplatively into space.

September 12: Pacers owner Herb Simon suggests hiring a high-powered mediator like Earl Warren to settle the dispute.

September 23: Dallas Mavericks teammates DeShawn Stevenson, Jason Terry and Brian Cardinal reportedly spotted at Rick Ross concert. New York Daily News reports they are unconcerned with the lockout.

September 24: NBA owners Clayton Bennett, Robert Sarver and Leslie Alexander spotted at Ted Nugent concert. ABC reports owners need relaxation after stressful negotiating sessions, shows footage of them dancing to “Yank Me, Crank Me.”

September 26: New York Daily News reports Brian Cardinal seen at Ted Nugent concert.

Week of October 10: The six largest medical marijuana growers all report record-breaking third quarter earnings; cite unexpected rise in prescriptions for calf strains and sore quadriceps. NBA players issue statement that they’re just taking the lockout one calf strain at a time.

October 21: G. Gordon Liddy arrested in Argentina. List found in his pocket includes the names Billy Hunter, Kevin Garnett, W. Mark Felt, Tony Randall and Adrian Wojnarowski. LeBron James implies his name was on the list, but his inclusion is too explosive for the police to mention.

October 25: Rumors circulate that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is pondering entrée into the medical marijuana business.
November 21: LeBron James tweets that he will be at the next day’s negotiating session.

November 22: LeBron James stands alone in a corner of the conference room during negotiations with owners, waiting for Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter to cede the floor to him.

November 25: ESPN’s Marc Stein reports lockout nearing end.

December 1: Lockout officially ends.

December 1: LeBron James tweets a thank you to the little people.

December 3: Just in time for holiday shopping, Nike teams with Rockport on new LeBron “Game 6 Edition” shoe, made for maximum comfort while standing around the perimeter.

December 20: One week into the regular season, a compressed schedule forces teams to go deeper into the bench. With extra minutes and weaker defenses, two rookies score 20 points in a game on the same night, prompting a spate of articles about the 2011 draft class being better than expected. “I keep in touch with a lot of the rookies, and we all talk about how everyone underrated us,” says Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs. “But right now we’re just taking it one game at a time.”

Can Small Market Team Survive the NBA Lockout

 As the first days of the NBA lockout go by, I am reminded of the answer that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant offered TMZ.com when they baited him with the question of what there is to do for fun in Oklahoma.

Allegedly, Durant mumbled “nothing” and intentionally walked in the opposite direction of the bait-and-switch-words tacticians to avoid having to deal with journalist wannabes. Little did he know how prophetic he would be and how that single word is now echoing in the locker rooms and arena of a now-empty Oklahoma City Arena. The National Basketball Association has effectively locked out players to the point that even their pics and bios on NBA.com are ghosts of a bygone era, begging the question – did they lock them out, or break up with them?

Sadly, an era of successful reign is screeching to an unwelcome, but expected end. An era that demonstrated an extreme rise in popularity, but one where 22 owners claim to be ‘in the red’ because players got overstuffed paychecks and took home 57 percent of BRI, the villainous pot at the end of the rainbow known as ‘basketball-related income.’

While millionaires in the NBA (and NFL) quibble for 2-4 hours over each’s “fair share” of a pot of money we can barely fathom, people in small markets like Portland, Memphis, Milwaukee and Charlotte are now forced to figure out what to do with the Sundays and evenings once occupied with 3-4 hours of their favorite team(s) in action.
Yes, Sundays may once again become a day spent with one’s family. Once more, the entire brood at the dinner table … at the same time.
After all, there’s only so much American Idol, Wipeout, Man vs. Food and Modern Family we can take.
And while that’s all just tongue-in-cheek humor to get most of us through this trying time, it is true… more will be home. Because it’s not just the athletes who are locked out.
When the doors are locked, so are the jobs of concessionaires, ushers, ticket takers, and the numerous people that never show up in the statistics, yet are integral to whether you and I are treated to a complete ball game night in and night out.

Numerous people who work in every arena will be without jobs, forced to look for something new thanks to the whims of a bevy of millionaires. I don’t know too many people that can take their pizza-making, peanut-throwing or $7-a-beer selling skills to the Euroleague as their position fades in front of their eyes in Oklahoma City. It’s been disturbingly demonstrated that they don’t matter.

What about the fans? You might remember them. They are the ones who have been there at every turn, through thick and thin, for better or worse… some through a whole lot of worse. Many may not remember how such a work stoppage hurt baseball… America’s pastime. But I do. I recall going to a White Sox game in the then-new Comiskey Park and being able to watch the game from a cherry seat behind home plate… not because I was dishonest and slid down to an empty seat in the third inning. But because I was actually able to get a ticket, on the spot, no scalpers or StubHub necessary, for cheap. Pennies on the dollar compared to what it was prior to that work stoppage. And that’s Chicago… third largest city in the United States, home to two Major League Baseball franchises, Da Bears, and your Chicago Bulls. Of course, there those that might argue that there’s plenty to do in Chicago, and they’d be correct. More activities, more job opportunities, more leagues and variety of sport to watch.

Las Vegas had to cancel its summer league, which was a nice bump in economical revenues for a city which already makes money hand over fist 24 hours a day. But don’t feel too sorry for them… all they have to do is tighten the payouts on the tables and hike up the prices in the VIP lounges at the gentlemen’s clubs.
Vegas will be fine. As will Dallas, Miami, Philly, Washington, L.A. and, of course, Chicago. But Memphis is no Chicago or any of these other cities by any stretch of the imagination. It is 20th in size in the country. Milwaukee, Wisconsin ranks 28th; Portland, Oregon 29th and Oklahoma City checks in at No. 31. Lest we forget No. 35 Sacramento, where the team is thought so well of that they nearly moved to Anaheim as only their mayor and a couple of noteworthy sports writers fought for their very existence. Orlando is 79th, and canceled its summer league, too… but if you can’t find work and play in the ‘happiest place on earth,’ then we need to talk.

Consider that Portland, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Salt Lake City (125th in population, despite the going forth and multiplication of the Mormon Church), and Memphis don’t have those same luxuries. And Milwaukee only has the Brewers… so, yeah, go ahead and lump them in with Portland, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Memphis. San Antonio is the seventh most populous city (and NBA market), but take away their Spurs and all you have left is a three-hour drive to South Padre Island.

One can only listen to Beale Street blues for so long before they start tailoring them to “that one great year the Grizzlies had” - you remember, back in 2010-11 when attendance finally started showing some promise that Michael Heisley’s team might not have to be the team that moves to Seattle and be renamed the ‘SuperSonics.’

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the slopes in nearby Park City can get you by for a month or two. One can always change Rip City to ‘Drip City’ and pass the time counting raindrops, and in Oklahoma City, “Thunder Up” will be replaced by “Boomer Sooner,” as the University of Oklahoma’s football team as the Sooners have already made a land run and staked a claim on the No. 1 ranking out of the gate.
But the goal isn’t to forget the Thunder, Blazers, Jazz, Spurs or Grizzlies.

Unfortunately, it could happen. In a tough economy, people are more and more loyal to self, family and that ever-elusive constant paycheck. And when it isn’t coming from the local NBA franchise or its subsidiaries any longer, people can and will move on.

OKC’s unemployment rate is one of the best in the nation; of course, that’s before an extended lockout will cost people their aforementioned jobs. They are in the Top 15 at only 4.9 percent. Those who normally reap the benefits of Jazz games are the next closest to Oklahoma City in unemployment rate at No. 98.
So people in Dallas may have to go as far as Midland. Wizards concessionaires may have to become Congressional pages or be forced to move to Charlottesville and work games at the University of Virginia. Logan, Utah is smaller than Salt Lake, but there’s work there. And Portlanders may have to relocate to Corvallis to find stable work.

A major sports league lockout directly affects all of these people; struggling folks who rely on 3-4 games a week to supplant their Social Security or the others who need the job to feed their 3-5 children. These people aren’t fiscally able to head to St. Tropez and wait it out on an isolated tropical beach.
Most of them will never see that beach. At this snail’s pace, they may not be able to let their children see anything more than the Playland at McDonald’s once a month.

The NBA’s players have already put $500 million on the table, only to have Commissioner David Stern all but laugh it off, calling it “modest.” The owners and the league are reportedly looking for a 30-40 percent reduction in salaries. I see both sides of the issue, being a businessman myself and having spent the better part of the past decade in the locker rooms and ears of some of the league’s players.

From the league and owners’ perspective, they sold themselves a tad short on the last deal. Fifty seven percent for the players and 43 percent was quite a wide chasm, and a generous concession to get the rock going again for the shortened 1999 season. They are asking for a six percent swing back in their favor, which would split BRI at 51-49 … still in the players’ favor financially.

But aren’t these the same gentlemen who have whipped out the checkbook and pen when certain names became available? Or better yet, the ones who chased these certain “overpaid” athletes? That’s where my empathy ends and reason kicks into high gear.

On the flip side, the players have it good. Many spend more money in a month – sometimes even a weekend – than most people in their team’s cities make in a year. Many, and I stress many, give back. They’re visible, they’re part of the community, and many go unheralded beyond the call of duty because a majority of media is all over the controversy, but rarely headline the positives.

Was paying Kevin Garnett, who hobbled through much of the last 12 months, $18.8 million really worth it? How about that $20.5 million paycheck Rashard Lewis got?

Kobe Bryant’s $24.8 got spent on an early vacation, thanks to the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks … and who thinks he’s really going to be worth the $30.5 million two years from now when he can hardly get off the ground today?
About the only owner who got ROI for his $17.3 million is Mark Cuban, who now runs the risk of alienating players in what is one of the most tightly-knit NBA locker room/families in the league. He’s an owner. He’s the “enemy.”
“We’re going to stand up for what we have to do, no matter how long it’s going to take,” Kevin Durant affirmed during a break at his basketball camp late last week in Oklahoma City.
“No matter how long the lockout’s going to take, we’re going to stand up. We’re not going to give in.”
Durant, who had plenty to do in OKC this past week, has a salary of just $5.04 million, meager compared to the aforementioned stars. Fourth highest on his team. (Don’t worry, folks, he made $14M in endorsements and bought a $1.8M condo in the same building as Dwyane Wade in Miami, too).

However, depending on how well he socked it away, he may not be able to spend as long in St. Tropez or Bermuda as Bryant, Lewis, or Garnett. Cuban and the owners have a distinct advantage that the young and stubborn players don’t… they were all millionaires before they bought their respective franchises. They are millionaires who just happen to own a sports franchise. Time and cash are on their side… they can wait a long, long while.

Unfortunately, the business inside and around the arenas don’t have that luxury. Many of those people will end up losing their $7.25-an-hour positions to attrition and be forced to move on faster than Art Modell in the middle of a cold Cleveland night. Loyalties damaged, if not severed. People are already on sports radio and Twitter in Oklahoma City declaring that if the Thunder aren’t tipping off in November, they’re “through with them.” Granted, those type of ‘fans’ probably only watch the Thunder in the postseason, still note Desmond Mason as his favorite player and couldn’t tell you where Kendrick Perkins came from.

That’s a small percentage, without doubt… or is it?
How many at home sit there thinking the same thing in Memphis, Milwaukee, Portland, Salt Lake, Charlotte or New Orleans, where attendance was already a struggle, and don’t say a word? Certainly, NBA Cares may have to reinvent their mission, to woo back those who chose to stick with the Sooners on their 2012 BCS Championship run instead. It’ll take gimmickry like $5- and $10-dollar tickets … like the one I got in Comiskey to sit behind home plate in the summer of ‘95. And there are those who will tell you baseball still hasn’t fully recovered. The NBA is arguably a stronger brand, among the best in all of professional sports. It will bounce back.

And with class people like Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill, Steve Nash, and Derrick Rose representing it, it shouldn’t take long. But it’s going to hurt… and it sorely stings right now… in Oklahoma City… just four days into the lockout. Ask the fans, who now may really have ‘nothing’ to do in Oklahoma City.

Ask the people in the Rose Garden, FedEx Forum and Oklahoma City Arena… if you can find them.
But most of all, ask the people who will lose business revenues – the hotels, the pizza delivery restaurants, the Hooters waitresses in Bricktown – and those who will lose their jobs if this thing goes like 1994 baseball and we lose the entire season and post-season. TMZ.com needs to keep tabs on Lindsay Lohan as she celebrates her birthday, violates her probation (again) and gets thrown back in jail this week … As far as Kevin Durant goes, there is ‘nothing’ for him in Oklahoma City to do now that he has spent every minute of every session at his basketball camp. The work to be done is in New York City. There’s plenty to do there… and the game clock is ticking away?

Can they come up with another winner like this?
With Durant in the fight, there’s always hope.

Armen Gilliam AKA "The Hammer" Dies Playing Basketball

The former UNLV star and 13-year NBA vet died Tuesday at the age of 47 after collapsing in a suburban Pittsburgh gym, according to a report from Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV.

Armen Gilliam, a 6-foot-9 forward from Bethel Park who was known as “The Hammer” for his physical style of basketball, died Wednesday night. He was 47.

Police said Gilliam had a heart attack and collapsed while playing basketball at LA Fitness in Collier Township. He was rushed to St. Clair Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Around the NBA Updates

Frank Vogel was named head coach of the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, about five months after he took over the struggling team on an interim basis and led them to a playoff berth. Vogel, 38, replaced the fired Jim O'Brien on January 30 and helped the Pacers to a 20-18 finish to the National Basketball Association's regular season and their first playoff appearance since 2006. Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird said Vogel, who joined the team as an assistant in 2007 when O'Brien was named the head coach, had been a favorite for the job from the start of the search for a replacement. "I was in no hurry regarding the coach, mainly because I knew I had a good candidate in Frank," Bird said in a statement. "But we wanted to get through the draft and I wanted to have numerous conversations with Frank about a staff that will cover all areas." Reuters

Zach Lowe: Dwane Casey told me he really likes Sonny Weems, was consulted on decision to extend QO. Now Weems headed to Europe, it appears. 

Whenever the next NBA season starts, it won't cost any more to see the Los Angeles Clippers' reigning Rookie of the Year, Blake Griffin. For the fourth consecutive year, the Clippers declined to raise their season-ticket prices despite a 7.9 percent jump in attendance that can be largely correlated with Griffin's arrival and dominant rookie season. The team declined comment. However, ESPNLosAngeles.com obtained ticket information that confirms the prices of Clippers' season-ticket packages remain unchanged. The most expensive courtside seats ran $48,400 for a full 41-game home season. The cheapest full-season seats in the third level of Staples Center ran $396. The Clippers averaged 17,742 fans in 2010-11, a 7.9 percent increase from the 16,343 they averaged in 2009-10. According to Team Marketing Research's annual fan cost index report for the 2009-10 season, the Clippers' average ticket cost $51.47, well above the league average of $47.66 but well below the Los Angeles Lakers' $95.25 average ticket, highest in the NBA. ESPN.com

Darren: Why did you go to Under Armour? Kemba Walker: I think they offered me more than anyone else did. They gave a great presentation to me. Darren: When did Under Armour become cool in your circle? Kemba: I actually just found out about Under Armour last year. A lot of people, especially females, were wearing it on campus. Darren: What do you know about the NBA lockout?Kemba: I don't know much. I'm just waiting for them to tell me when the season starts. CNBC

The Glove Gary Payton Gets the Love at the Foxxhole

Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole Celebrity Weekend  took place down in Atlantic City, NJ over the 4th of July weekend. Celebrities and guests alike sipped on Hennessy cocktails throughout the weekend and the star-studded event lived up to all the hype and expectations by rocking out both main events and after parties for three straight nights…The ‘Glove’ Gary Payton was hanging with Jamie Foxx and several women all weekend long..You see, sometimes there is life after retirement

Michael Jordan’s Lost Love Letter, 1980

Wow, do you actually remember hand written love letters? A love letter from Michael Jordan written in 1980 while he was a senior at Laney high, to a young lady named Laquette has surfaced. 

My Dearest Laquette
How are you and your family doing, fine I hope. I am in my Adv. Chemistry class writing you a letter, so that tell you how much I care for you. I decide to write you because I felt that I made you look pretty rotten after the last night. I want to tell you that I am sorry, and hope that you except my apologie. I know that you feelings was hurt whenever I loss my necklace or had it stolen. 

I was really happy when you gave me my honest coin money that I won off the bet. I want to thank you for letting me hold your annual. I show it to everyone at school. Everyone think you are a very pretty young lady and I had to agree because it is very true. Please don’t let this go to your head. (smile) I sorry to say that I can’t go to the game on my birthday because my father is taking the whole basketball team out to eat on my birthday. Please don’t be mad because I am trying get down there a week from Feb. 14. If I do get the chance to come please have some activity for us to do together.
I want you to know that my feeling for you has not change yet. ← (joke) I am finally getting use to going with a girl much smaller than I. I hope you my hint. Well I have spent my time very wisely by write to you. I hope you write back soon. Well I must go, the period is almost over. See you next time around, which I hope comes soon.
With my Best Love
Michael J. Jordan

JUST IN BREAKING NEWS: Kobe Bryant Sued by Prostitute Over Broken Marriage Promise

It hasn’t been a pleasant week for Lakers star Kobe Bryant. After news broke that he underwent an experimental treatment on his right knee, he now finds himself at the center of a lawsuit. This time around, a woman (and alleged prostitute) by the name of Selina Miller is making some, well… rather outrageous claims against Bryant. In a recent phone interview, Miller is on record saying that Bryant asked for her hand in marriage, promised her a ring and even completed a signed agreement binding him to those two things. No, I’m serious. We didn’t fabricate this entire story because we couldn’t figure out what to write about during the lockout. This is really happening… According to the story first published by the O.C. Register, she continued on and said: “I’m upset because he promised me a ring, and then some other people influenced him, and I didn’t get it.” Given the lunacy of these charges, it should come as no surprise that Miller is also accusing Mr. Bryant of regularly stopping by her house for “intimate relations”, something she states that he does with “multiple other women”. If the name Selina Miller sounds familiar, it’s because this isn’t the first time she’s tried to sue Bryant. In 2009, she brought an equally asinine defamation suit against Kobe and the NBA which was promptly dismissed as “frivolous”. I would have to imagine that it’s only a matter of time before Orange County Judge Steven L. Perk, who has been assigned to this case, echoes that very same sentiment.

Carmelo Anthony Featured In L’Uomo Vogue

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony shows off his posh style for the July/August issue of L’Uomo Vogue (that’s the Italian version).

Shot by Photographer Mark Seliger at his New York studio in pieces by Ralph Lauren, Versace, Brioni and Cartier. Anthony hopes he can “break some barriers” for male athletes in fashion.
Well that explains why he was front row in Milan for fashion week. I expect to see a lot more athletes following suit (pun fully intended) and dabbling into the high fashion world.

Chris Bosh & Wifey Adrienne Willaims Do The Hamptons For The 4th And Get Good News About Their Wedding

Chris Bosh and wifey Adrienne (look, I don’t know if they got married in April and the ceremony is just in a few days or this is the real thing. wifey covers both k? OK!!) are spending the 4th of July weekend in the Hamptons

The good news for Chris and Adrienne, Heat staff members have been given approval to attend the couples wedding.


Under lockout rules, the NBA has banned contact between players and team officials or coaches. Bosh, however, already has several such Miami Heat members on his invitation list.
While the Heat declined comment Friday, citing league guidelines, the team apparently has already cleared the appearances of management and the coaching staff at the power forward’s nuptials through the NBA. “There are exceptions to the general no-contact rule in special or unusual circumstances.”   -Source

#1 NBA Draft Pick Kyrie Irving Files Police Report Against His Twitter Stalker Jessica “Miss Hawaii” Jackson

#1 draft pick Kyrie Irving is already getting a taste of life as a superstar NBA. But this time, it’s not one of the perks that he’s being treated too. Kyrie has filed a police report against a woman named Jessica Jackson who refers to herself on Twitter as “Miss Hawaii”.
Kyrie met “Miss Hawaii” via Twitter but when it came time for the in person meeting, I guess things didn’t go as planned for her:

According to the West Orange Police report, Irving says he met Jackson once in person in front of the Ritz Carlton in Charleston, North Carolina for two minutes. The two had a short conversation and then went their separate ways.
Irving says Jackson then posted some videos on YouTube blasting him and allegedly threatened to stab him via his Twitter account. Irving’s attorney also filed a harassment complaint and there was a hearing in West Orange Municipal Court on June 28th for a restraining order against Jackson. Both Irving and Jackson appeared in court on June 28th, and the judge ordered Jackson not to contact Irving again. Jackson allegedly did contact him again, and Irving’s attorney contacted the court. A similar report was filed by Irving in Coral Gables, Florida.”

This situation started sometime during NCAA March Madness. If you haven’t seen one of Miss Hawaii’s videos, Check out one here. No doubt in my mind that she’s certified NUTS!! Why would you contact him after a restraining order has been issued. That’s not a game!

Let this be a lesson (especially to professional athletes meeting women, etc via Twitter) Proceed with caution. There are so many nuts in the world and the last thing you want is a “nut cracker” that sold you a dream via Twitter!