Chauncey Billups is at the point in his career where he’s giving more advice than he’s receiving. Billups had to work for years to become a legitimate NBA point guard and went on to win a championship with Detroit. He’s also a five-time all-star and ranks 10th all-time in three-pointers made. So when Billups talks about basketball, people should probably listen.
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Growing up in New York, I never had a favorite college basketball team. Two of my all-time favorite teams are the John Wallace-led Syracuse team and the Ron Artest-led St John’s teams, so I guess you can say I’m a fan of the Big East. Other than that, I’ve never felt too emotionally attached to a college team/program. When it comes to college basketball, I have no shame admitting that I am a frontrunner.
I root for individuals – the “it” players of the season, the underdog who comes from a school the size of a Manhattan apartment building, the senior on his last hurrah. The NCAA tournament is the perfect stage for these players. It is a frontrunner’s dream come true (if that isn’t an oxymoron).
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It’s not cheap to go to a game at Madison Square Garden. In fact, it’s a huge ripoff. It would be nice to see a quality product when you pay that much money. But that’s not the case with the Knicks. The team will sell out 28 games this year even though they may win less than 15 home games. But that’s nothing compared to the early 2010-11 season ticket sales.
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Well, that didn’t take long. Less than a week after acquiring another option, Chris Duhon is no longer the starting point guard for the New York Knicks. After starting 130 of the Knicks’ last 137 games, Mike D’Antoni made the announcement on Monday noting that “there doesn’t seem to be pop” with Duhon’s play.
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If you didn’t already know, the Knicks made some major moves at the trade deadline. The three deals give them a lot more flexibility for a run at free agents during the offseason. Here are the three trades that went down:
You have to give Donnie Walsh credit here. While it may not be the absolutely ideal scenario, he managed to unload a ton of salary obligations. Here’s analysis of the moves via KnickerBlogger:
But these are the facts, and they are undisputed: The Knicks, even by the most pessimistic cap projections, will have $32 million in cap space next year. The Knicks have retained David Lee, who can be used in a sign-and-trade this summer. The Knicks have retained Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, the two players who most fans feared would have to be sacrificed to unload Jared Jeffries contract. And the Knicks will enter next season, no matter the free agent machinations, with Eddy Curry’s $11 million dollar expiring contract, allowing them to either make a mid-season trade or add another very good player in the summer of 2011. Make no mistake, the Knicks paid dearly to get here, and if they strike out in free agency, the lost draft picks could haunt them for a decade.
The $32 million of cap space for 2010 is gigantic. That will allow the Knicks to sign up to two max free agents. At the same time, having David Lee and acquiring Tracy McGrady provides flexibility. Even if the Knicks do strike out in free agency, they can probably retain those two players and hope to deal Eddy Curry for value in 2011. McGrady has already expressed interest in staying in New York. We’ll just have to wait and see what Donnie does next.
Tags: 2010, basketball, Donnie Walsh, free agents, NBA, new york knicks, tracy mcgrady, trades
As a Pistons fan, I have to respect the legacy of Chuck Daly. He’s almost the last “real” coach the franchise has had other than Larry Brown’s two-and-done and the Rick Carlisle/Flip Saunders years. But apparently, one Cavaliers fan wasn’t so high on Daly. The AP reports that the FBI investigated a “series of threatening letters” sent to Daly from 1989-90.
Back, then the Pistons were the “Bad Boys” and were actually very good. The team included Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and the human formerly known as Dennis Rodman. They were hated for their physical style of play. A Cavaliers fan must’ve shared that sentiment because he mailed a number of threats from Cleveland and Royal Oak, Michigan. Here are a few excerpts from the letters:
“God made me realize that YOU, not Laimbeer, Mahorn or any of the others are the one possessed by (Satan),” the author wrote in the one-page handwritten letter addressed to “Mr. Chuck Daly.”
Another letter, this one typewritten and postmarked Royal Oak, Mich., on Feb. 16, 1990, also was addressed to Daly and claimed the Pistons didn’t “know the meaning of the word ‘sportsmanship’” and would “pay dearly.”
I can pretty much picture Steve Buscemi writing that then putting some lipstick on while he strokes his rifle. Daly must not’ve been fazed by the threats because Joe Dumars said that he’d “never heard of them.”
Tags: bad boys, basketball, chuck daly, detroit pistons, fbi, letters, NBA, threats
The Lakers start an eight-game, 12-day road trip today in Washington. They’ll be stopping by the Barack’s House and will spend some time with the President. The Lakers haven’t been to the White House since 2002.
The visit is expected to last about an hour and Phil Jackson and Magic Johnson will be honored by Barack Obama in the White House’s Palm Room. When asked about the trip, Ron Artest said he woudn’t be excited to meet the President. Here’s his logic behind that statement:
“I’m not that excited to meet him because I look at him as a regular person. That’s how he comes across on TV. He doesn’t come across as somebody that can’t be touched, that’s not going to be warm and welcoming.”
Obama is said to be a fan of Phil Jackson dating back to his days as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. It just so happens that Jackson is an Obama fan as well. The Lakers head coach donated $2300 to Obama’s primary campaign in 2007.
Tags: barack obama, basketball, Kobe Bryant, magic johnson, NBA, phil jackson, president, washington dc, white house
Ron Artest has a new injury… or injuries. The Lakers’ small forward has developed plantar fasciitis in both feet. Head coach Phil Jackson thinks that the cause of the injury might be Artest’s footwear.
Artest, along with Jason Kidd and Shane Battier, have deals with a Chinese shoe company called Peak Shoes. Phil Jackson has noted that the shoes seem less than top quality:
“I’ve called his shoes concrete boots for about the last month. Those shoes look like they are made for the Hudson River. But he stays with them and he gets his feet worked on. But he does not move really quickly. He looks like he’s clogging around out there.”
Jackson also said that Artest may have to sit if his poor play continues. TruWarier had announced the injury himself on twitter on Sunday. He also said later that the injury has “gotten a lot better.” In other news, Phil Jackson gave out books to the entire team and chose Sacred Hoops for Ron Artest. The author of Sacred Hoops is… Phil Jackson.
Tags: basketball, china, chinese, injuries, NBA, peak shoes, phil jackson, plantar fasciitis, ron artest
The last time we saw Steph he was rabblerousing on YouTube and UStream. But apparently his unemployment benefits ran out… because Starbury got himself a new job. Marbury will be joining Shanxi of the Chinese Basketball Association. He’s expected to arrive in China next week. Shanxi head man Wang Xingjiang said that Marbury won’t make a huge salary and mostly wants to promote his line of shoes.
Shanxi coach Bob Weiss, formerly head coach of the Spurs, Hawks, Clippers, and Sonics, will be the man tasked with controlling Marbury. And Shanxi hasn’t had much luck with that in the past. They’d signed Bonzi Wells last year and terminated his contract when he didn’t return from vacation on time. But that would NEVER happen with Steph.
Tags: basketball, bob weiss, china, chinese basketball association, NBA, new york knicks, shanxi, stephon marbury
Tell me if you’ve heard this story before. A previously anonymous “model” has come forward making damaging claims in an attempt to get money from one of sports’ biggest stars. This time Shaquille O’Neal is in the crosshairs.
I almost wish that the old days of simply getting pregnant by an athlete was the best way to shakedown an athlete. The jersey chasers of 2010 have much more advanced tools: Gloria Allred, tabloids, and gossip blogs. Now a girl can make a buck for simply learning the intimate details of an athlete’s sex life. Nice work if you can get it.
Shaquille O’Neal finds himself in the unenviable position of fending off claims from alleged former mistress Vanessa Lopez and her lawyer. Lopez says that Shaq harassed her and told an associate to “shut dat bitch up.” That quote is money. The Orlando-based model says that she feels somebody is “after her.” Lopez’ lawyer Gloria Allred claims Shaq coaxed her into a relationship then freaked out when he found out she could be pregnant.
I don’t blame Shaq for trying to shut dat bitch up. Of course, O’Neal was in the wrong for cheating on his wife and potentially harassing Lopez. But Shaq probably didn’t people knowing that he was slam-dunking a girl that has been with Delonte West, J.J. Redick, and Kenyon Martin. This girl even went so far as to steal Martin’s credit card and order $6500 worth of clothes.
Tags: basketball, cleveland cavaliers, gloria allred, harassment, NBA, shaq, shaquille o'neal, shut dat bitch up, vanessa lopez
ScoresFromLastNight is our daily roundup of last night’s happenings in the world of New York sports. Today’s edition is brought to you by BigLeagueScrew’s World Class Women.
KNICKS 88 THUNDER 106 – Kevin Durant went for 30 as the Thunder demolished the Knicks. Danilo Gallinari and Chris Duhon combined to go 0 for 15 and 0 for 9 from three point range. [ESPN]
Mike Lupica gets paid to write, but that doesn’t mean he gets paid to make sense. The senior sportswriter recently made a case for LeBron coming to New York in his Daily News column. Re-hashing nothing new, Lupica states that marketing dollars and “the chance to win it all” will deliver LBJ to New York.
Considering we’ve known about LeBron’s impending agency for years, there has been very little verified information to come out of the James Camp. So how does Lupica anchor his “new” argument? Using Tiger Woods, of course! Yes, seriously. Lupica seems to think that LBJ will land in New York to soften the blow to Nike’s marketing cachet according to one of his mogul-type friends. Huh? Even if that did make sense, casual observers have always been aware of Nike’s desire for LeBron to play in New York — Tiger Woods scandal or not.
A guy I know from sports, a mogul-type, one who knows the NBA and knows the business side of sports even better, was talking the other day about the possibility of LeBron coming to the Knicks. He is not a New Yorker, by the way, and is not a Knicks fan. He just thinks the whole thing makes sense, and not just for the Knicks and for the league.
“I am hearing,” the guy said, “that Nike wants LeBron in New York even more than ever, because of Tiger.”
He was referring to Tiger Woods. Maybe you’ve heard about him.
So Nike wants to pass Tiger’s torch to LeBron but needs him in New York to do so? Whatever you say, Anonymous Sports Business Mogul Associated With Mike Lupica. Tiger was (is?) clearly one of sports’ biggest stars. However, it doesn’t make sense to lump LeBron and Tiger into the same category simply because they’re Nike frontmen. Sure, they both have international fame and are top individuals in their sports. But there’s a reason why LeBron endorses Sprite and Bubblicious while Tiger promoted Accenture and Tag Heuer. The potential to net over a billion dollars in their careers doesn’t make them the same guy.
This is not a case of black and white even though Lupica would like to frame it as such. Unfortunately for him, the reasons AGAINST LeBron returning to Cleveland are not necessarily reasons TO sign with the Knicks (see the LeBron to the Bulls and LeBron to the Lakers theories). LBJ may have a shot at more endorsement dollars in New York, but the same is true about a number of different markets. That being said, the other half of Lupica’s argument about winning is laughable. Does he really have a better shot to win with the scraps currently inhabiting the Knicks’ roster than with Cleveland?
A month ago, I thought Donnie Walsh had no shot at LeBron, none, forget about it. But lately the Knicks have become a team their best and most diehard fans want to watch. In the short run, as you try to imagine LeBron in New York, you can see him actually wanting to be able to kick the ball out to the Italian kid, Danilo Gallinari, because you can see how the Italian kid might end up being the best shooter in the gym one of these days.
Or there is David Lee, who plays like a champion every night, no matter what the score. If there is a way to keep Lee. There is Wilson Chandler. In November there seemed to be no hope for this season. The year ends differently.
Michael Jordan had Chicago, Kobe has L.A., why not New York for LeBron? He clearly does have a fascination with the big bad city, and with the Yankees. Maybe that “27″ on the sneakers after the Yankees won the Series really was more than an instant message.
LeBron is smart, which means he understands that as big as he has gotten, and as fast as he has gotten there, the only way he becomes as big as he wants to be is by winning it all. And maybe coming here and having at least one big player come with him is the best way.
To say that LeBron James might stake his future on Danilo Gallinari and David Lee is absurd hyperbole. While we’re fans of both players, they’re only marginally better than teammates LeBron has had in Cleveland. Unless James knows a way to wipe Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries’ contracts from the books, Lupica’s point about winning with the Knicks is shaky at best. Even LeBron will need more than a couple of decent supporting players to win a championship — this isn’t NBA Jam.
It’s also outlandish that Lupica claims to think that LeBron would take a pay cut so the Knicks can sign another talent. If James is going to (literally) bet the house on a team, it’s hard to believe that LeBron will choose the Knicks. The team has only finished above .500 once in the past decade. LeBron’s only experience with a losing season was his rookie year and his major wager could end with a similar result.
But let’s be serious. Is it even possible for LeBron James to become a BIGGER star? The answer is yes and no. First, it’s doubtful there are that many people planning on jumping ship to become LeBron fans simply because he wears blue and orange. Second, LeBron Fatigue is already developing across the nation. The guy said he wanted to be a billion dollar athlete. He’s exhibited poor sportsmanship. He had a video of him getting dunked on confiscated. He’s also featured in the now-annoying Nike puppet commercials. James is a hair away from being considered pompous and over-exposed. Expecting to arrive in New York for His coronation might be the last straw for a lot of non-Knicks fans.
Yes, LeBron can still be the King of New York. Though that wouldn’t really elevate his stature much. As previously mentioned, he already has international appeal and maybe Lupica forgot that people love to hate it when New York wins. Coming to New York City might just make LeBron “East Coast Kobe” rather than the innocuous Midwest wunderkind he is now. At the same time, it could make it look like King James thinks he’s bigger than the game. And that’s almost certainly the case if LeBron is willing to risk colossal failure for an incremental increase in his “legend” and bottom line.
Mike Lupica could be right and LeBron may end up in the Big Apple. However, he also parallels LeBron’s budding career with those of Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. And when did those guys ever play in New York or take a pay cut to win? Let’s hope this is the last time that Lupica regurgitates the logic of his anonymous mogul buddies.
Tags: 2010, basketball, cleveland cavaliers, danilo gallinari, David Lee, free agents, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, michael jordan, mike lupica, NBA, new york city, new york knicks, tiger woods
