by Stop Mike Lupica on February 15 at 9:03AM
Some links from around the web:
Let's start it off with a "Keith Van Horn as a replacement in the Kidd trade" update - Mavs Central found this Marc Stein ESPN post stating that Keith would have to report to the Nets physically if he did get signed and traded for the purposes of clearing the Devean George hurdle:
"But a league source suggested Thursday that Van Horn, if included by the Mavericks, would have to physically report to New Jersey as opposed to just collecting new checks in retirement. It was not immediately clear if the Nets would then be able to waive Van Horn"
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SI has an article up about how David Stern is seriously considering expanding the NBA by adding four or five European teams over the next 10 years. The theory is that "NBA-level" arenas are opening up (London, Berlin, Rome, Madrid), suitable for placing corporate boxes, 10,000 fans, etc. This also means that a basketball league will happen in Europe soon - either an NBA-lead effort, or an independent effort. The NBA might want to act fast, using their resources, to move into this market before a competitor does.
Realistically, though... I think the NBA might sit back, let a league spring up. If it is successful, the NBA will try to merge or buy it. If it fails, then the NBA will learn from those mistakes, and either do a better job or write Europe off as unrealistic. Even the worst case scenario for the NBA - a Euro league blows up, and doesn't want to merge or be brought out by the NBA - isn't terrible. It could cost the NBA potentially, in that a rival league might try to draw talent from the States, but... the NBA would learn from those mistakes, and just push forward into other markets (the Chinese NBA, the Eastern Europe NBA). Point being, I think SI is overreaching here a bit.
If you want to throw down your two cents into the discussion, go over to revamped The Starting Five, where it is being discussed today.
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Speaking of TSF, our old friend Mizzo (Michael Tillery) has been working with Slam Online. Check out some of his work this week, including this profile of Dwyane Wade.
************
And former TSF contributor D-Wil has some very interesting posts up this week, as always. Check his site for stories and info on the Roger Clemens Congressional appearance, and how it might relate to Barry Bonds (subject of misinformation that has been spreading through the mainstream today - he did not fail a drug test in 2001 as is being reported in some news outlets).
Better yet, check out D-Wil's smooth post on basketball and jazz, two original American art forms.
**********
With all the trading going around lately in the NBA, here is Posting and Toasting's look at possible Knick trades. It's funny - reading this post, and other Knick sites - there are so many different camps on what the Knicks should do. Do nothing is popular. Trade Curry or Randolph or both is popular. Trade for Artest, or a point guard, or both. Tank and get a higher pick.
I haven't seen Knicks fans this divided on how to proceed since 2003... when Isiah Thomas inherited an all-time sh*tty roster. Point being: whoever cleans up this mess - Isiah, someone new - is going to have the same choices to make as Isiah did. He'll have a slightly better same salary cap to work with (the Knicks are much closer to getting under the cap than they were in 2003), and way more talent/assets (Lee, Balkman, Robinson, Crawford, Marbury and Rose's expiring deals... all assets to work with. Curry might be, too) than Isiah inherited.
And even with all that, this person will have to make some hard choices, and will get grilled by the media and the fans if those choices don't pan out perfectly. It's a rough business, especially in NY.
PS: I was going to throw up a wild rumor initially in the draft of this post that I did back on Tuesday.. something like "Jason Kidd for Zach Randolph". Trades really do move quickly in the NBA, so just because you haven't heard any reliable rumors about Zach Randolph or Eddy Curry getting moved... that doesn't mean it can't happen real quickly.
*********
In case you didn't hear this already - the NBA denied (once again) Dwight Howard's request to move the rims up to 12-feet high for the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday night. Lame.
Slam also has amazing footage up of Dwight Howard practicing some dunks for the contest:
The illest shot was the bounce pass then midair alley oop to himself off the rim back to himself for the dunk. Saturday's contest has just become must-see TV.
*********
ESPN had a small interview with our old friend OJ Mayo, and the "controversies" that surround him. Ironic, only in that they seem to make it seem like ESPN didn't have a strong part in fueling those controversies. Though they did, to their credit, name check Wilbon and Bill Simmons for calling OJ Mayo a "punk". Check out the interview here.
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Hip-Hop links!
The Assimilated Negro found this great flyer for a party "legend of hip-hop" Prince Paul was throwing at APT this past monday:
Oddly enough, I was out Monday night at another party, checking out this amazing DJ who normally spins Wednesday nights at APT. Besides mixing in some great old school hip-hop and R&B joints into a dance mix (Brand New Heavys, yo!), he incorporated the most banging New Orleans Big Band instrumental version of "Sexual Healing" every. Amazing stuff, great vibe, great party.
************
One more strictly for the hip hoppers: The Commission's Old School Friday today is banging. Go check it out.
*********
Two more links for ya'll: Our old friend Jordi has a post up about whether $17.5 million dollars is better used on a pitcher like Johan Santana, or an airfield in Kyrgyzstan.
We like talking about Kyrgyzstan here at SML. One of the reasons why is we have friends who have lived there... here is a great post from Verbs of Leisure about the time she did a class exercise with her English teenage students in which they were to fill in an empty comic strip with thought bubbles. I've said it before, but... America's number one cultural export seems to be hip-hop....
Leave a comment
Let's start it off with a "Keith Van Horn as a replacement in the Kidd trade" update - Mavs Central found this Marc Stein ESPN post stating that Keith would have to report to the Nets physically if he did get signed and traded for the purposes of clearing the Devean George hurdle:
"But a league source suggested Thursday that Van Horn, if included by the Mavericks, would have to physically report to New Jersey as opposed to just collecting new checks in retirement. It was not immediately clear if the Nets would then be able to waive Van Horn"
***********
SI has an article up about how David Stern is seriously considering expanding the NBA by adding four or five European teams over the next 10 years. The theory is that "NBA-level" arenas are opening up (London, Berlin, Rome, Madrid), suitable for placing corporate boxes, 10,000 fans, etc. This also means that a basketball league will happen in Europe soon - either an NBA-lead effort, or an independent effort. The NBA might want to act fast, using their resources, to move into this market before a competitor does.
Realistically, though... I think the NBA might sit back, let a league spring up. If it is successful, the NBA will try to merge or buy it. If it fails, then the NBA will learn from those mistakes, and either do a better job or write Europe off as unrealistic. Even the worst case scenario for the NBA - a Euro league blows up, and doesn't want to merge or be brought out by the NBA - isn't terrible. It could cost the NBA potentially, in that a rival league might try to draw talent from the States, but... the NBA would learn from those mistakes, and just push forward into other markets (the Chinese NBA, the Eastern Europe NBA). Point being, I think SI is overreaching here a bit.
If you want to throw down your two cents into the discussion, go over to revamped The Starting Five, where it is being discussed today.
************
Speaking of TSF, our old friend Mizzo (Michael Tillery) has been working with Slam Online. Check out some of his work this week, including this profile of Dwyane Wade.
************
And former TSF contributor D-Wil has some very interesting posts up this week, as always. Check his site for stories and info on the Roger Clemens Congressional appearance, and how it might relate to Barry Bonds (subject of misinformation that has been spreading through the mainstream today - he did not fail a drug test in 2001 as is being reported in some news outlets).
Better yet, check out D-Wil's smooth post on basketball and jazz, two original American art forms.
**********
With all the trading going around lately in the NBA, here is Posting and Toasting's look at possible Knick trades. It's funny - reading this post, and other Knick sites - there are so many different camps on what the Knicks should do. Do nothing is popular. Trade Curry or Randolph or both is popular. Trade for Artest, or a point guard, or both. Tank and get a higher pick.
I haven't seen Knicks fans this divided on how to proceed since 2003... when Isiah Thomas inherited an all-time sh*tty roster. Point being: whoever cleans up this mess - Isiah, someone new - is going to have the same choices to make as Isiah did. He'll have a slightly better same salary cap to work with (the Knicks are much closer to getting under the cap than they were in 2003), and way more talent/assets (Lee, Balkman, Robinson, Crawford, Marbury and Rose's expiring deals... all assets to work with. Curry might be, too) than Isiah inherited.
And even with all that, this person will have to make some hard choices, and will get grilled by the media and the fans if those choices don't pan out perfectly. It's a rough business, especially in NY.
PS: I was going to throw up a wild rumor initially in the draft of this post that I did back on Tuesday.. something like "Jason Kidd for Zach Randolph". Trades really do move quickly in the NBA, so just because you haven't heard any reliable rumors about Zach Randolph or Eddy Curry getting moved... that doesn't mean it can't happen real quickly.
*********
In case you didn't hear this already - the NBA denied (once again) Dwight Howard's request to move the rims up to 12-feet high for the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday night. Lame.
Slam also has amazing footage up of Dwight Howard practicing some dunks for the contest:
The illest shot was the bounce pass then midair alley oop to himself off the rim back to himself for the dunk. Saturday's contest has just become must-see TV.
*********
ESPN had a small interview with our old friend OJ Mayo, and the "controversies" that surround him. Ironic, only in that they seem to make it seem like ESPN didn't have a strong part in fueling those controversies. Though they did, to their credit, name check Wilbon and Bill Simmons for calling OJ Mayo a "punk". Check out the interview here.
********
Hip-Hop links!
The Assimilated Negro found this great flyer for a party "legend of hip-hop" Prince Paul was throwing at APT this past monday:
Oddly enough, I was out Monday night at another party, checking out this amazing DJ who normally spins Wednesday nights at APT. Besides mixing in some great old school hip-hop and R&B joints into a dance mix (Brand New Heavys, yo!), he incorporated the most banging New Orleans Big Band instrumental version of "Sexual Healing" every. Amazing stuff, great vibe, great party.
************
One more strictly for the hip hoppers: The Commission's Old School Friday today is banging. Go check it out.
*********
Two more links for ya'll: Our old friend Jordi has a post up about whether $17.5 million dollars is better used on a pitcher like Johan Santana, or an airfield in Kyrgyzstan.
We like talking about Kyrgyzstan here at SML. One of the reasons why is we have friends who have lived there... here is a great post from Verbs of Leisure about the time she did a class exercise with her English teenage students in which they were to fill in an empty comic strip with thought bubbles. I've said it before, but... America's number one cultural export seems to be hip-hop....
Leave a comment
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