Lakers Forward Devin Ebanks Punches Chair After Being Ejected (Video)

In the final minutes of last night's Thunder/Lakers series game one, Los Angeles forward Devin Ebanks got into an altercation with Oklahoma City's Royal Ivey.

Ebanks was ejected from the game and before leaving the court, Devin got a nice punch in against one of the chairs on the Lakers bench:


No word yet if the chair will receive any penalty.

Kobe walks out on press conference

Monday night’s blowout in Oklahoma City simply confirmed what we all already knew: The Lakers are going to have their hands full with the Thunder. The Thunder are the most talented team in the West. L.A. has experience, but Oklahoma City is probably too athletic for the Lakers to keep up over the course of a seven-game series.

Kobe Bryant knows that. But is he ready to pack it in after one bad loss? Of course not. After Game 1, a reporter asked Kobe if the Lakers are capable of guarding the Thunder. In case you couldn’t tell by the expressions on his face, Kobe was being completely sarcastic when he answered “No” and walked away from the podium.

While he has a tendency to be short with the media and act like a jerk after losses, I can’t say I blame Kobe for this one. There are more effective ways to ask that same question. Instead of talking about match-up problems and athleticism, the reporter basically asked Kobe if he thinks the Lakers stand a chance in the series. I would have got up and walked away too.

Carlisle gets four-year deal to stay with Mavs

DALLAS 'We've got an extremely attractive situation here,' Rick Carlisle said recently. 'We've got a great owner, it's a great city, the physical setup is second to none in terms of the proximity of everything and this is a franchise that's always going to be in the hunt.' And now Carlisle is locked in as part of the future with a new four-year contract, announced midday Monday. Dallas Mavericks executives said all the right things as the four-year 17.5-million contract Rick Carlisle signed in May 2008 expired at the end of this season. "He likes us, we like him and those situations generally get worked out," GM Donnie Nelson said. "Rick's not going anywhere." "I've got one of the top three coaches in the league," owner Mark Cuban said. "It proves the point that coaching matters. The hardest thing to do in the NBA is hire the right coach, a coach that fits your culture, your chemistry. It took us a few tries. We think we've got a great coach." And now they're keeping him. "We are excited that Rick will be back with the Mavericks for at least the next four years,Cuban said on Monday. "He is a proven winner, a great teacher and a coach that will help the Mavericks improve as a team and as an organization. The Mavs face plenty of questions regarding the Dirk Nowitzki-led roster going forward. But that's obviously not a problem for Rick, whose thoughts on the franchise's stability deserve mention. "Going forward, we've got an extremely attractive situation here," Carlisle said at the end of the season, as the defending champs were swept out in Round 1 by OKC. "We've got a great owner, it's a great city, the physical setup is second to none in terms of the proximity of everything and this is a franchise that's always going to be in the hunt. This is a summer that's going to be very exciting for our fans and our franchise. There's flexibility for the first time in a long time." "Cap flexibility" alone doesn't win titles, of course. But the first step to that was retaining a coach that seems a fine fit with both the people he works for and the people he works with. Those people include Cuban and Donnie, of course. (Donnie and Carlisle has known each other since their teen years). But Dirk himself is also high on the list. There is no conflict between star player and the coach, despite one local media outlet suggesting that Dirk's support for Carlisle's return was "tepid." Dirk's view of the coach who he notes "led us to the promised land"? The UberMan recently noted that Carlisle is frequently still at work when Nowitzki returns for his private evening shootarounds, is a "preparation freak" and is "a great coach." Was the Carlisle-Mavs marriage ever in doubt? We've speculated that Carlisle might've been interested in listening to what Portland might have to offer. But agent Warren LeGarie and Mavs management never let things go that far. Should this have been done sooner? That seems a moot point to us; it's a Cuban guideline to resist extending a coach while he's still under contract. Carlisle obviously understands it (unlike Nellie, who felt disrespected by it). Meanwhile, Chicago's Tom Thibodeau and OKC's Scott Brooks are also working on expiring deals, so it's not completely unorthodox. More interesting might be the dollars and cents of the deal for the only coach to win a Mavs title and one of just three active coaches with championships. Terms have not been released, but... Avery Johnson's last deal was four years and 20 mil at 5 mil per season in excess of the 4.4-million average Carlisle's earned in the last four seasons. Worth noting: At 4.5 mil, Carlisle's previous salary was top-seven in the NBA but not outrageous; Doc Rivers (Celtics) makes 7 million, Gregg Popovich (Spurs) makes 6 million. Those two join Carlisle as the only active NBA coaches with titles. Even fired coaches like Mike D'Antoni (Knicks 6 million), Nate McMillan (Trail Blazers 5.5 million) and Flip Saunders (Wizards 4.8 million) make more than Rick does. At season's end, Carlisle began his look to the future. "As great as the championship run was, there always comes a time when you have to look forward and that's where things are at now," Carlisle said. "I look at this summer for this franchise as a summer of opportunity and excitement and I don't think anybody should look at it any differently." And now that summer of opportunity and excitement officially includes Rick Carlisl

Bulls Derrick Rose could seriously miss 2012-13 NBA season

Just minutes ago the Chicago Bulls concluded a press conference discussing the surgery and recovery time of their franchise player Derrick Rose. The reigning NBA MVP tore his ACL, and today was an opportunity for a post-surgical update. Answering questions from the media were Bulls GM Gar Forman, trainer Fred Tedeschi and the orthopedic surgeon who performed Rose’s operation Dr. Brian Cole.

A lot was said, but this exchange says the most, in just a few words:

Andrew Seligman, AP: “I just want to make sure I’m clear on one thing, in the best case scenario, Derrick comes back around the end of January, early February, and he could (still) possibly miss the season. Is that (correct)?”

Dr. Cole: “That’s clearly the range of what’s possible.”

Yeah, that’s what Bulls and NBA fans are facing here with the health of the superstar point guard. For real. Rose comes back at mid-season at best, and could possibly miss next season at worst. Dr. Cole said earlier in the press conference that in years past, many athletes saw their careers ended from this type of injury, but that medical science has progressed to the point where athletes make more often come back from ACL reconstruction.

Forman “We’re hopeful he’ll be back next season, but we’re not making plans as if he will be, but we’re optimistic he will be at some point.”

Dirk Nowitzki Wants Other Superstars to Join Him in Dallas

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

The OKC Thunder put an end to the Dallas Mavericks’ season in emphatic fashion on Saturday night, sweeping the defending NBA champions. And despite the inevitable sadness, there was a sense around the Mavs that this season was always about the future for them.

No matter what team owner Mark Cuban may claim, the Mavericks never really put their best foot forward — on the court, or in the front office — and the feeling was that they were setting themselves up for a roster upgrade, beginning next season.

More than anyone else, Dirk Nowitzki realizes that he needs other top-notch talent alongside him. Per theDallas Morning News:

It is believed that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban didn’t re-sign Tyson Chandler , J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson because he wanted the salary cap space to make a run at a couple of stars to pair with Dirk Nowitzki. However, Cuban has said he isn’t necessarily trying to acquire both Williams and Howard, claiming he could spread the cap room around among several star players instead of two superstars.

But listening to Nowitzki’s comments following Saturday’s season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the franchise’s greatest player is hoping for superstars. “We need some guys that can make plays for themselves,” Nowitzki said. “That’s pretty obvious. If you look at all the top teams now, they have at least two-three guys they can throw the ball to and they do their thing.” Nowitzki then specifically mentioned how Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden each carried a Thunder team on different nights in the four-game sweep of the Mavericks. “If you want to be an elite team in the league right now, you have to have 2-3 guys that can go off at any time,” Nowitzki added.

Mark Cuban has been pretty consistent with his claims that he’s not obsessed with the idea of signing a superstar (or two) this summer, preaching smart use of the new CBA rules instead. It remains to be seen if Dirk Nowitzki will buy into this philosophy going forward.

Mayor of Columbus wants an NBA team

While most people believe any change in the construct of the NBA should be focused toward contraction, if anything, the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio feels differently.

Or perhaps he wants to steal a team from an existing city. Mayor Michael Coleman has informed the NBA that the City wants a pro basketball team.

NBA Vice President of Communications Tim Frank told the Columbus Dispatch he wouldn’t comment. He says there are no plans to expand, and no teams have applied to relocate.

While there is only one professional team currently in Columbus (The NHL’s Bluejackets), Columbus is a college town & Ohio State Football is king. Add the proximity of the Cavaliers, and I’m not sure this makes much sense.

The City did, however, recently purchase Nationwide Arena (home of the Bluejackets) and I’m sure they would love to add an additional revenue stream. But it’s actual feasibility seems highly questionable.

Amar’e Stoudemire Wants to Play With Steve Nash in New York

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

The Miami Heat had barely finished putting the New York Knicks out of their mysery for the season, and Amar’e Stoudemire was already beginning his recruitement of prized free agents.

Most Knicks fans made themselves feel better last night by dreaming of a full season with a healthy Jeremy Lin next year, but Stoudemire had other, grander ideas.

STAT told the media that he’d like to team up with Steve Nash again.

Reports the NY Daily News:

Amar’e Stoudemire issued a public plea to Steve Nash, his former Phoenix Suns teammate who will be a free agent on July 1, to join him in New York. “Everyone knows that Steve loves New York and that New York loves Steve,” Stoudemire said. “I love Steve. It would be great to have him here next year.” Ideally, the Knicks would have Nash as their starting point guard next season with Jeremy Lin serving as the understudy.

Nash, who spends part of his summer in Manhattan, has always been enamored with the idea of playing at Madison Square Garden. However, close friends say that if Nash were to sign for the veteran minimum, he will go only to a contending team, which is why Miami is suddenly emerging as a strong candidate. “Why would he want to do that,” Stoudemire said, laughing. “This is a terrible, terrible situation here, right?” In other words, Stoudemire understands that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Pat Riley and South Beach are very attractive to Nash.

Steve Nash will be one of the biggest names on the free agent market this summer, and the prevailing belief around the League is that his days in Phoenix are likely over.

And even though his former coach Mike D’Antoni is no longer employed by the Knicks, it would be fascinating to watch Nash play on Broadway.

Greg Oden discusses his five years in Portland, and the time he ‘pretty much became an alcoholic’

In a "shocking" interview, former No. 1 pick and ex-Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden said that bad influences in his life caused him to drink too much a couple of years ago, that he remains befuddled  people are so infatuated with him because he played only 82 NBA games in five potential seasons, and that he may have rushed back too early from his various knee ailments after listening to a Portland medical staff that has been discredited in some outlets.

This is a candid, evocative interview from former AAU teammate and professional [storm]-stirrer Mark Titus, but I hardly think any of the revelations could be termed as surprising. A must-read, to be sure, but who is actually taken aback in discovering that Oden is frustrated, bemused and, in some points, regretful of the series of unfortunate events that have befallen him since the Trail Blazers selected him first overall out of Ohio State in 2007? Here's one particularly noteworthy passage:

It's almost like a cloud has been following Greg since high school. He even had bad luck with the 2007 draft, landing in the same class as Kevin Durant. Experts spent two months comparing them and picking apart Greg's résumé, which didn't stop Portland from selecting him with the first overall pick. That summer, his right knee started bothering him and doctors determined that he needed microfracture surgery. Greg's rookie season was over before it even began. Portland fans, who endured the injury-ravaged careers of Bill Walton and Sam Bowie, freaked out. What those fans didn't know was that Greg's heart was still aching because of [best friend from high school, Travis Smith]'s death; he was already headed down a destructive path of drinking and "doing things I shouldn't have been doing" (his words at dinner). The knee surgery only made things worse.

The New York Knicks? Gone fishing till November

Amar'e Stoudemire hangs his head. (Getty Images)

James Harden’s the Sixth Man of the Year, because voters have eyes

Oklahoma City Thunder game-changer James Harden is going to be named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, and that's entirely reasonable, because of all the players in the league who come off the bench, he was by far the best this season. Sometimes these awards actually work out.

Talk began to fly early Thursday that the Thunder had scheduled a Thursday afternoon news conference to make an undisclosed major announcement, according to multiple outlets, and that pretty much left nothing to the imagination, since basically everyone who watched the NBA this season knew that this award was Harden's. The third-year pro, drafted No. 3 overall out of Arizona State in the 2009 NBA draft, eliminated all mystery Thursday afternoon, taking to Twitter to thank his supporters for their, um, support: