Baron Davis And Other L.A. Pros Are L.A. Unified

When the average person thinks of basketall “meccas,” New York and Chicago are usually the cities that come to mind. Most don’t even realize how cities like D.C. and Los Angeles are on the rise.
As a matter of fact, L.A. has the most players in the NBA from a city currently! Baron Davis and some of the L.A. ballers have a movement they’ve titled L.A.U. (that’s L.A. unified)

As the summer (and lockout :: sad face::) press on, I’ll be spotlighting some of the L.A. players, their connections to one another some of the summer pro ams (the Drew League) and more.

Baron Davis And Other L.A. Pros Are L.A. Unified

Michael Jordan's Poor Fashion Decisions Get Comic Treatment

For 15 seasons, Michael Jordan wowed us with his feats of athleticism. In retirement, he's still making our jaws drop, but it's his off-court choices, rather than his on-court accomplishments, that have us awed.
Simply put, His Airness makes some questionable fashion decisions. Many have quietly wondered about it when Jordan would make a public appearance wearing some ridiculous get-up and thought, "Can't Hanes or Nike give this guy something acceptable to wear?"
Nobody wanted to be the first one to say it out loud, though. He may look ridiculous, but he's still MJ, and nobody wants to be the first person to call out the greatest individual basketball player ever.
Until now.
A fearless soul has set up wtfismikewearing.tumblr.com, a photo blog dedicated to Jordan's many wardrobe malfunctions.
There's the tucked-in golf shirt with torn jeans look, the courtside Barney look and whatever is going on here. Meanwhile, he's called out for every mock turtleneck, upholstery blazer and gaudy bauble.
It's all in fun, though, because nobody other than Jordan can pull together an ensemble that says "Look, it doesn't matter what I wear. I'm 48, retired and I could still drop 20 points a night."-Source-Daily Blend

Tumblr photo

Gilbert Arenas Complains about the his team the Magic's on Twitter

The player who I wrote was the number two priority for the NBA during the lockout, to get off Twitter, tweeted something scandalous late last night. Not about the league, but about the team that he is expected to be playing for next year. Gilbert Arenas wrote on Twitter that he had "zero percent freedom" playing with the Magic last season. The same team that will be giving him around $18-20 million next season, Gilbert Arena went on a Twitter storm of frustration (AgentZeroShow) tweets about his team role. I like the ppl who use stats to argue..I played with 100 percent green light for entire career..last year I had 0 percent freedom Now u hav a scorer who is scared to shot the ball becuz if he miss he starts lookin over his shoulder. No player can play like that But I was a killer in practice tho...lmaoo omg I could shot any shot..I wanted..I was a practice all star..lol Well the self-proclaim "star scorer," who hasn't been relevant in three years since the knee injury

NBA Player Starts Buying In Bulk lol

Los Angeles Clipper Chris Kaman is ready for the lockout,  he tweets “Gotta start buying in bulk now!  #NBALockOut“.. I’m starting to think that this players union could be pretty strong

Tony Parker’s new Girlfriend, 19 Year-Old Beauty Queen Barbara Morel [Photos]

Tony Parker was spotted earlier this month in France with a new girlfriend. Details have emerged about her identity. Barbara Morel is a 19-year-old girl who won Miss Nationale in France. She is also a trade and commerce student in Saint-Lambesc, Bouches du Rhône.

This time around, Tony is opting to stick with someone from home. Let’s hope this romance has a better ending than he and Eva. The bright side being that both he and Eva have moved on and seem happy with the new direction!

WOW Really--Lebron James Dunks On A Kid AT His Camp

Here is a  video of Lebron James dunking on a kid at his basketball camp.. We all know this must have been at the beginning of camp .. I wish Lebron would have shown this kind of hart in the finals

Kobe Bryant might take part in exhibition games in China

By Baxter Holmes, Los Angeles Times

July 1, 2011

Kobe Bryant may take his talents to China during the NBA's lockout.

There are preliminary talks about a basketball tour to China this summer — and perhaps beyond — in which the Lakers superstar, who has called China a "home away from home" and has an enormous following there, would be the headliner with several other NBA stars forming two or three barnstorming teams.

Bryant and his agent Rob Pelinka are trying to put together the tour, said Minnesota Timberwolves rookie forward Derrick Williams, who is also represented by Pelinka.

Williams said several clients of Pelinka's agency, the Landmark Sports Agency, could be involved in the tour.

"Hopefully I would be able to do that because I've never been out of the country and I think that would be the best thing for me," said Williams, the former La Mirada High and University of Arizona star who was drafted second overall in June's NBA draft.

Pelinka's agency lists 18 NBA players as clients, including Clippers Chris Kaman and Eric Gordon, along with former USC star and Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo, and Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer.

If the barnstorming tour happens, the games are likely to take place at the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. Bryant signed a three-year deal with Mercedes-Benz in February to become the brand ambassador for Smart micro cars in China and he has already been featured in a TV commercial for the car.

Pelinka declined to comment.

One interesting name on the potential list of NBA players on the tour is Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who is a Pelinka client.

Fisher is also the president of the NBA players union, which has battled the owners in a lengthy labor dispute that culminated with the owners imposing a lockout of players at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time Friday, when the previous labor agreement expired.

It's unclear how long the lockout will last.

If Fisher took part in an overseas tour, it could be seen as a slap in the face to the NBA. A call to Fisher's publicist was not immediately returned.

The NBA Lockout Is Official

The NBA released the following release:
“We need a sustainable business model that allows all 30 teams to be able to compete for a championship, fairly compensates our players, and provides teams, if well-managed, with an opportunity to be profitable.”
“We have made several proposals to the union, including a deal targeting $2 billion annually as the players’ share — an average of approximately $5 million per player that could increase along with league revenue growth,” said Silver. “Elements of our proposal would also better align players’ pay with performance.”

“We will continue to make every effort to reach a new agreement that is fair and in the best interests of our teams, our players, our fans, and our game. During the lockout, players will not receive their salaries; teams will not negotiate, sign or trade player contracts. Players will not be able to use team facilities for any purpose; and teams will not conduct or facilitate any practices, workouts.”-source

I’m hoping both the NBA and NFL can work these situations out with no games loss. Sigh oh well, at least I have the Drew league right? I may even try out baseball and try watching a little more soccer.

Kobe Bryant Has Right Knee Procedure In Germany

The only bright side to the NFL and NBA lockouts is that players are getting the opportunity to let their bodies heal. For my favorite, Kobe Bryant, that might be the key to the Lakers success whenever the NBA seasons begins.
Kobe had an experimental procedure done on his right knee in Germany about a month ago:

The treatment is called platelet-rich plasma therapy. PRP procedures are less invasive than many surgeries involving the knee and are viewed as either an emerging solution to knee problems or a financial gamble on unproven science.
The PRP procedure is fairly simple and takes about an hour. A small amount of blood is drawn from the patient’s arm and spun in a centrifuge for about 20 minutes to isolate platelets. With guidance from ultrasound, the platelets are then injected into the injured area to try to stimulate tissue repair.  Source-Los angeles times

Athletes can start their rehabilitation regimen about a week after the procedure. Mamba turns 33 next month and has had 3 surgeries on his right knee since 2003. Add to that the fact that he usually plays until June and has participated in the Olympics, you can understand why he rarely practiced last season. Obviously he knows that his window is closing so he wants to do everything possible to be ready. If there’s any player that can stage a come back like no other, I’d put my money on Kobe.

The Departed: Shannon Brown Leaves Unexpected Legacy with Lakers

As announced yesterday Los Angeles Lakers reserve guard Shannon Brown has decided to opt out of his contract and test the free agency waters. While Brown has stated that he is not against a return to the Lakers, it appears as if his time in Hollywood may be at an end. If that is indeed the case the high-flying guard has certainly made an unexpected impact on the team and the city.

Los Angeles acquired Brown in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats back in February of 2009. Brown was an afterthought in the trade, nothing but a throw in to accommodate the salary structures. The headlines declared that the Lakers were trading Vladimir Radmanovic for Adam Morrison, with a small disclaimer adding that Brown was also headed to Los Angeles.

Despite being overlooked by Charlotte and most of the league, Brown began to thrive in Los Angeles. While he wasn't the type of player that was going to score 25 points every night he accompanied the rest of the Los Angeles roster beautifully. He became one of the key sparks off the bench, and provided energy and excitement for the crowd. He became known for his thunderous dunks and seemingly unreal take-off points. But Brown ultimately developed into a crucial role player that helped lead the Lakers to back to back championships in 2009 and 2010.

Perhaps the most impressive stretch from Brown came in February in the 2009-10 season when starting guard Kobe Bryant was forced to sit several games out do to an array of injuries. Brown stepped in and Los Angeles didn't miss a beat. In fact, during the five games that Bryant missed Brown helped lead the Lakers to a 4-1 record, notching double digit points in three of the five games. The most impressive was a career high 27 points against Golden State, leading the Lakers to a win over the Warriors.
As Shannon Brown prepares to move on in his basketball career it's safe to say he won't be remembered along with Bryant, Jerry West or other legendary Lakers. But Brown was a very complimentary player that helped the team win two consecutive titles. While most fans will remember his rim-rocking dunks, Brown developed into much more than a highlight. While he certainly struggled at times, Brown turned himself from an afterthought to a solid NBA player on two championship teams. And for that he will always be remembered in Los Angeles.

NBA Video Vixen: Serge Ibaka Appears In Lupe Fiasco & Trey Songz Video

OKC Thunder big man Serge Ibaka has already tried his hand at modeling (And was REALLY good at it IMO) so naturally the next step was to become a “video vixen.” Serge joins the ranks of Reggie Bush, Carmelo Anthony, Chad Ochocinco and Shannon Brown, to name a few, who have graced a video set with their appearance.

WOW! Sac-Town is Stacked! Cavs deal Hickson to Kings for Casspi

CLEVELAND (AP)

J.J. Hickson's athleticism and potential made him a budding NBA star. His inconsistency made him maddening and expendable.

Cavaliers at a glance

Looking for the latest on the Cavaliers? Get the inside slant, stats, scores, schedules and more scoops right here. On Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided it was time to move on without him.

Clearing out a logjam at power forward, they traded the enigmatic Hickson to the Sacramento Kings for forward Omri Casspi and a future first-round pick.
Hickson spent three mostly productive seasons in Cleveland, but his days were numbered when the club drafted Texas forward Tristan Thompson with the No. 4 overall pick last week. Hickson was part of the Cavs' core when they won more than 60 regular-season games in consecutive seasons and pushed deep into the playoffs.

And although he may have been Cleveland's most talented player, a tendency to disappear in games and an overall lack of intensity — especially rebounding — frustrated Cavaliers coach Byron Scott last season. Scott was hard and demanded more of Hickson, who finally picked up his game and averaged 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds.

But with Thompson, Antawn Jamison and Samardo Samuels at power forward, someone had to go and it was Hickson, drafted by the Cavs with the No. 19 overall pick in 2008.
''I'm kind of glad it's over with so my name is not involved in so many trade rumors,'' Hickson said. ''I think the Kings did a good job in picking up a young, athletic big that is going to give his all and give it 110 percent.''

Kings at a glance

 Looking for the latest on the Kings? Get the inside slant, stats, scores, schedules and more scoops right here.

 The Cavs were also seeking a young, wing player to pair with Thompson and No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving and they believe they've gotten one in the 23-year-old Casspi, a player they considered drafting when he first made himself available several years ago.

''We like Casspi,'' said Cavs general manager Chris Grant, who wouldn't say if he expects Casspi to start immediately. ''He's a tough, athletic, 6-foot-9 kid. He's got a nastiness and fight about him.''
Grant was quick to point out that Casspi, who played two seasons with the Kings, made 47 percent of his 3-point tries from the corner, another weapon for Scott and a target for Irving.
''It gives us a chance to give the guys room to grow on the court together and gives our roster more balance financially moving forward,'' Grant said. ''I felt that, where our team is, and where it's headed, that this was the right move for our franchise.''

Casspi became the first Israeli ever to play in the NBA when he was drafted by Sacramento 23rd overall in 2009. The designation came with as much fanfare as it did pressure to succeed from a country that loves basketball. He started 27 games for the Kings, but his minutes were limited playing behind promising youngsters DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson and Donte Green.
Casspi was excited about coming to Cleveland to play for Scott.
''I know he's a tough coach who likes tough players,'' he said on a teleconference from Los Angeles. ''That's good for me.''

He also wondered what Grant meant about him being ''nasty.''
''Sometimes I play hard,'' he said with a laugh, ''and sometimes I might play too hard.''
The Cavaliers said the first-round pick they obtained is lottery protected in 2012 (Nos. 1-14). The pick is then protected in 2013 (1-13), 2014 (1-12) and 2015-2017 (1-10). If the pick is not conveyed by 2017, then Sacramento will convey its own 2017 second-round pick to the Cavaliers. Hickson will join a Kings team undergoing change while dealing with an uncertain future.

On the verge of relocating earlier this year to Anaheim, Calif., the Kings need to build momentum with a strong showing this season for a new arena in Sacramento. NBA Commissioner David Stern and Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof have all but guaranteed the franchise will relocate if the city doesn't approve to plan to help finance a new arena by March 1, which is usually the deadline for teams to file for relocation for the following season.

The team caused a stir on draft night by acquiring Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette, the high-scoring, highly debated guard whose addition has sparked some interest. The Kings intend to pair Fredette in the backcourt with Tyreke Evans, the league's top rookie in 2009-10.
Hickson will certainly improve Sacramento's frontcourt. He can play forward or center.