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Nike Air Believe Force Low

Sam Rubenstein — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:01:42 +0000

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Hornets vs. Spurs, Game 5 recap

Aggrey — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:35:56 +0000

By Aggrey Sam and Toney Blare

Pre-game

AS: The Spurs locker room is very quiet. I take that as a sign of focus. I was wrong. Does anybody know what the No. 35 patches on their shooting shirts stand for? I forgot to ask. Rudy Gay is walking around the arena aimlessly. As am I and eventually, Toney Blare, who texts, “Doing lifestyle sh*t in the Bacardi lounge.” Sounds more exciting than it really is.

TB: Due to some confusion, I’m at the top of the lower bowl and Aggrey’s down at courtside. Pretty diverse crowd up here, as I sit next to a French reporter, whose next to a Chinese reporter, whose next to this (don’t make me have to go and see the) Rasta, who Aggrey is best boys with. Also: two rows down, a white dude with gold fronts.

AS: Yes, they split up GreyTone. The nerve of these dudes. He’s calm now, but I recall receiving texts about “This sh*t won’t fly” and “Pigeon’s nest,” but I guess all’s well that ends well.

TB: Nat’l Anthem: a 5 year old named Tione Johnson. Honestly, this city has more child prodigies…

AS: Tione absolutely killed that thing. She has adult diva mannerisms already, which should still be cute for another 10 years or so. Also: Dwyane Wade in the building and the Hornets dare play with fire again?!
Q1

AS: The Hornets are intense on D–maybe too intense, in an overexcited, hyped-up type of way. The Spurs might not be intense enough, in a been-here, done-that, stick-to-the-script type of way.
TB: TP gets hit hard early, and is in a pissy mood all night. This is a game the refs will need to control. (Sad how true–in the bad way–that becomes)

AS: For right now, the calls are going both ways. I’m all for it, if we can get a Mike James-Damon Stoudamire shootout out of the deal.

TB: After CP3 loses Parker to make it 13-11, Pop calls a TO, out of which Bowen drains a 3. There’s a grave inevitability with the Spurs that’s not unlike watching the Patriots. Christ, does that make CP3…? NO, and B-Scott isn’t some angry old man, either, and the Saints better not sign Shockey.

AS: Byron actually gets pretty testy about a call early on. Strange to see him without a smirk and out of his B-boy stance. Meanwhile, David West is in that familiar groove early. Bruce Bowen off the dribble for an open layup! He seemed uncomfortable.
TB: Emeril in the house. Aggrey texts that Lang would be amped. During last year’s Jazzfest, some friends of mine from Pittsburgh went to Emeril’s and got mean drunk, apparently a reaction to the poor service. Emeril was in the house that night, too, filming a TV spot, and one of my friends tried to crash the kitchen, yelling, “Emeril knows this ain’t right! Emeril knows!” I can’t really forget that when I see him.

AS: Lang once told me I don’t like food because I don’t watch the Food Network. Inaccurate. I mean, I like sex, but I don’t watch…never mind.

TB: David West is on fire, has 14 for the quarter. Peja’s only had 2 shots, which is not hot.

AS: West is keeping the Hornets in it right now. Pop’s Game 3 adjustment of Bowen blanketing Peja instead of chasing around CP looks like a winner. Melvin Ely floors Oberto, which I kinda sorta anticipated after seeing them tangled up previously.
TB: Quarter ends 23-21, SA, and Pop just went crazy. It looks like bar fight down there, and I’m pretty sure Joey Crawford said something. To defuse the situation, Crawford walks to within 5 feet of the dancing Honeybees and stares. Always a good way to release the stress when Pop’s mad at you, Joey.

AS: My view was blocked, so I didn’t know what was going on. Turned out they were fussing over a delay of game call, which Pop detailed in the post-game press conference.
Q2

TB: I don’t know how to describe the moments when Juju Wright sees a seam in the defense, but the entire crowd can see it happen, like his eyes just got 10x bigger and his arms grow a few yards. He attacks the hole in one long motion, and banks the ball hard off the backboard. Bowen drains a 3 at the other end.

AS: The young fella just needs some savvy. At the next day’s practice, I saw him lose some of his hard-earned money in a shooting contest. Should have bet on the off-the-back-of-the-backboard-windmill Dwight Howard did, which he pulled off.
TB: Bow Wow in the house! I text Aggrey that Lang would be amped.

AS: I’m not touching that one.

TB: 34-28 Spurs with 8:00 left. The Hornets need a solid run now, I think.

AS: Bonzi gives good playoff fouls. The fan behind me: “Good foul, two-four…Bonzi! Bonzi!” Easy, cowboy.

TB: Drew Brees pops his free t-shirt, autographs a football, then guns it into the first row of the upper deck. Sign that lady to a minicamp!

AS: I like that Byron is trying out the small lineup I’ve been pushing: Pargo, Peja, Bonzi, Julian, West. Not bad, right?

TB: Wow, a second white dude with gold teeth sits down and high fives his, uh, brother. Bling, ahem, bling.

AS: I don’t have such characters around me, but I am treated to the dead-ball antics of one Timothy Duncan. Strange cat, but in a harmless way, unlike Kurt Thomas. Nobody wants a piece of Krazy Kurt.
TB: The run is slow in the making, with Peja and West doing some damage and Ginobli countering them. 42-36 Spurs with 1:50 left.

AS: Bowen is getting off a little bit, too. CP starts slow, although he’s distributing the ball well.
TB: At this point, the dude whose seat I’m in (KATZ reads the label, which could be radio or a deli) shows up and I move to the TV station seats on the same level, center court. Much better.

AS: Manu is so unique. His over-the-head and-one off a baseline cut was a thing a beauty.
TB: When Ginobli falls down, West ends up dunking at the other end and the game is tied. The crowd, as it has been all post-season, is electric.

AS: I’m not mad at Byron trying Hilton Armstrong in the place of Ely. While the bizarre insertion of Ely into the lineup didn’t backfire in Games 1 and 2, I think it’s safe to say that any tricks he learned in Spurs’ practice last year are now out of the bag.

TB: Parker gets hit again, this time by, I think, a Pargo elbow. That’s the playoffs and maybe Mike D’Antoni isn’t in the seat of a sexual harasser if everyone thought the same way.

AS: Anti-French slurs from the fans behind me. French journalist next to me: “It’s easy for me to deal with. I just switch to French; ‘I don’t understand’…That’s usually the best answer,” as TP hits both free throws.
TB: Half ends 47-44. West has 22, CP3 only 6 and 8. Manu leads the spurs with 15, Parker’s at 10 and 2, and TD is held to 4.

Halftime

TB: Trombone Shorty might be compared to Lebron James. Since a young age, he’s been in the spotlight, playing on the street and with his well-known family. Now the question is, can he take that next step and push N.O. music further than just funk and brass? The talent and charisma is there, and he’s definitely looking for the nat’l audience. That quest might be his Achilles heel, but tonight, things look good for the next king.

AS: I’m the three-cookie bandit. Two for the security ladies out front. You have no idea how coveted the halftime cookies are by the media. I took one for myself, then decided, “Eff it–I’m that much of a G!” I take phone calls at halftime and miss Trombone Shorty. Guess I have no culture. How many G’s that you know do?
Q3

TB: Well, I guess Chris Paul made the decision to take this thing by the throat. A floater, a 3, and a chip shot from the paint make it 57-51. Not to root against them in the next one, but how dope would it be to see this dude in his first Game 7?

AS: Yes, the CP magic act begins. Again: chess, not checkers. His skill game is well-documented, his mental game is starting to draw acclaim, but his hustle game is sick. That’s what sets apart great perimeter players to me; substitute hustle game for battle game with great posts. Whirling dervishes and immovable objects. Question: Does Bron even have a hustle game?
TB: Hornets D is the other story, as they have SA playing sloppy and frustrated. The refs haven’t been good on either side, but the Spurs get the visitors treatment.

AS: Tyson is all over the place on D. Stats never tell the story with that dude. Peja’s board work is underrated in this affair, as is Mo Pete’s solid all-around game and big shots.
TB: From this angle, you can really see that TCP3 alley-oop coming. Fortunately, the Spurs aren’t stealing signals.

AS: That might be true on that play, but I definitely peeped Brent Barry stealing signs earlier. Fan: “Hey, Manu! (dramatic pause; trying to think of something since everyone is waiting to hear what he has to say)…You lose!”
TB: D-West +1 past TP, quarter ends 72-58.

AS: Glad I picked West for that NBA.com fantasy game, the one the “Inside the NBA” cats compete in.
TB: The Used-to-Bees come out. They’re the, like, older, more physically diverse dance team. They have this Svengali dance coach, a real shady dude, who tonight…is that guy making it rain? No sh*t. He just made it rain. I’m still wincing as I write this.

AS: The man pulled that off with aviator shades on.
Q4

TB: Byron is going for the kill! He leaves his starters in to face Pop’s line-up of shooters, Udoka, Ginobli, Fin, Bones, and Oberto, who’s not so much a shooter as an extra in a junkie flick.

AS: I used to think Byron leaving his starters in for such long stretches was foolish, especially with the injury histories of some of them. But you know what? The man won Coach of the Year behind doing that, saying little and crossing his arms. What do I know?

TB: Doesn’t work. 2:30 into the quarter, it’s 78-63. After the Spurs TO, the Jumbotron plays a clip from 300 while Enter Sandman pounds thru the speakers. That line, “Off to never, neverland” was the death of heavy metal.

AS: Spurs owner Peter Holt looks a lot more subdued than he did earlier in the game.

TB: Tyson is helped off. Looks like an ankle and trouble down the road. He and West have alternated on TD and done a great job tonight.

AS: Byron later says it’s a toe; I hear in the next day’s practice it was his foot. The energy left the arena (maybe that’s why Utah is so good at home–Energy Solutions Arena–get it?) when he went down.
TB: West goes around TD, then blocks his shot at the other end. Pargo finishes with a 2, its’ 85-70 Hornets with 6:00 to go.

AS: Did we mention West is doing all this with a bad back?

TB: Unfair but awesome: when Tony goes to shoot FT’s that could cut the lead to single digits, a fan holds up a life-sized cut-out of Eva in what looks to be a Honeybees outfit. He misses both and all us 15 year old’s chuckle. For this, the fan gets a pound from Hilton, who seems to have some diva-on-diva beef with Eva.

AS: Bunk from “The Wire,” a New Orleans native, is here.

TB: Hugo appears with gold boxing gloves on as the Rocky theme plays, and eventually he makes his way to the top row in the arena, bringing the crowd to its feet. Hugo’s been thru a lot these last few days, and it’s good to see him back on-top. Aggrey resents the out-of-Philly experience.

AS: Look, after spending much of the AI era in the City of Brotherly Love–including the ‘01 Finals run, which featured the ultimate “Rocky” team–seeing it elsewhere is real corny to me.

TB: This leads Pop to pull his starters with over 2 minutes left and a 12 pt. deficit, though it might have been a “F*ck You” to the refs, too.

AS: Mike James, Jannero Pargo, Julian Wright, Ryan Bowen and Hilton Armstrong vs. Jacque Vaughn, Damon Stoudamire, Brent Barry, Ime Udoka and Fabricio Oberto.

TB: I’m not sure, but I think the local TV people just had an Anchorman-like confrontation below us. Really, there’s a heated re-telling going on to my left. Huh.

AS: 101-79, no T-shirt dance, Ray Nagin exits stage left. West has 38 and 14 boards, CP drops 22 with 14 dimes, Duncan snatches 23 boards.
Post-game

TB: The reporter who Pop sarcastically labeled, “a very accurate young man” after Game 2? Yeah, he introduces his question to Pop by saying, “it’s the very accurate reporter again (coy smile).” Really? You want to what, flirt with Pop at a time like this? Pop still doesn’t know why the games are all blow-outs, but he does say “I believe the official was incorrect” twice.

AS: I didn’t figure Duncan to be a Rocawear polo type of guy. The Spurs locker room is quiet again.

TB: Big Shot Bob talks to some friends on the loading dock, looks unconcerned. This concerns me, as we still haven’t seen his dagger collection this series. More to come.

AS: I have the Hornets in a close one tonight, wish is wishful thinking for a number of reasons. But even if this thing goes seven, I still have New Orleans winning.

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2008 Slam High School All-Americans

Ryan Jones — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:58:55 +0000

So we’re a little small on the wing. We don’t pick our annual high school All-American teams by position, so you can, we hope, forgive us for not having a true swingman on this year’s first team. Otherwise, we’d feel pretty good putting this five up against any NCAA quintet you might choose to field next fall.

For those of you who haven’t yet copped SLAM 119; or who live in far-flung places like Saudi Arabia, Ireland, or Centre County, PA…) and are still waiting for, say, SLAM 109; or who just don’t bother following this whole high school basketball scene, these names might not mean much. For the rest (hopefully most) of you, the names and games are at least a little bit familiar. They are, by our estimation, the five best players in the HS class of 2008. We should mention that “best” is kind of a dicey idea, because we’re basing our opinion both on what they accomplished in the high school ranks, and on what we expect them to accomplish on the next level(s). This is neither exact, nor is it science, but we do the best we can.

Click here for your exclusive 2008 SLAM High School All-Americans wallpaper.

Here then, a quick little breakdown type-thing of who they are and why they’re here:

Tyreke Evans, American Christian Academy, Aston, PA: A 6-5 combo guard from outside Philly who’s probably the best-known name on this list, not least because he followed guys like Starbury, LeBron, and Kevin Love as a SLAM Basketball Diary keeper. Reke’s the sort of player who makes scoring look preposterously easily. He is strong and fast and fluid and gets to the basket whenever he feels like it, and sometimes even when he probably doesn’t. That’s how good he is. He’ll play at Memphis next season. He won’t “replace” Derrick Rose, because they’re not strictly speaking the same sort of player. But in the sense that they’re both really good and will have a massive and immediate impact on the program, it’s actually not a bad comparison.

Jrue Holiday, Campbell Hall, North Hollywood, CA: Approximately 83 percent of the really good players in the ‘08 class hail from California (this is an estimate, but I think it’s close). Of those, this SoCal combo guard is the best. Because of his L.A. area roots, his ability to score and distribute with equal levels of excellence, and his college choice, Jrue (pronounced “Drew”) is sometimes compared to Baron Davis. We don’t know if he can grow a dope beard or will one day break into the movie business, but we do know he’s going to UCLA; if the Bruins make it back to the Final Four for the 19th consecutive season next year (again, an estimate, but a good one), Jrue will most likely have a lot to do with it.

Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA: When a player best known for his entertaining passing breaks the season scoring record at a place like Oak Hill Academy, you sort of have to put him on a list like this. Not that we ever doubted Brandon, but dude was next level this year, as his haul of National POY honors made clear. Kenny Anderson comparisons were the norm for this 6-2 point guard and L.A. native, but that get-buckets mentality increasingly has people thinking of a young AI. He’s not the first or last smallish scoring guard to wear that label in the past decade or so, but he might have the best chance of justifying the hype. If nothing else, he figures to make Lute Olsen’s return to the Arizona bench a lot more enjoyable.

Greg Monroe, Helen Cox HS, Harvey, LA: To those who are only sort of paying attention, the mild-mannered cat from just outside N’awlins is a Ewing or Mourning clone — because he’s a “big man” and he’ll be playing for JTIII at Georgetown next year. But think “big” more in the Al Harrington mode — a 6-10 shooter and slasher and general matchup nightmare. He can defend a little, too, and don’t think Coach Thompson won’t have him causing all sorts of trouble in the paint next year. But this is a new kind of Hoya big man, and the only real similarity he hopes to have with the likes of Pat and Zo is lots and lots of wins.

Samardo Samuels, St. Benedict’s Prep, Newark, NJ: We feel really, really badly for anyone who has to try and check ‘Mardo in college next season, because this kid’s a beast. After dominating the Jersey prep ranks for a minute, the burly, 6-9 Samuels will be down in Louisville next fall, where he figures to give Rick Pitino the sort of no-joke post presence he’s been lacking in recent years. He’s a bad man.

And once again, team MVP honors go to our man Nando at Athletes Basketball, who blessed us with the lovely uniforms pictured here. Thanks, Nando!

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Worthy of Your Attention

Marcel Mutoni — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:16:26 +0000

by Marcel Mutoni

The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Hornets finished the regular season with identical records. And yet, should the Hornets win in San Antonio tonight, it will have to be considered a rather large upset.

Gregg Popovich, who Robert Horry says is the best coach he’s ever had, has his work cut out for him. Following Game Five, he did what any good coach would do following a crushing postseason defeat: complain about the free-throw disparity. Don’t be shocked if the Spurs are parading to the line all night long as a result.

It’s not going to be easy for the Hornets to eliminate the defending champs on their home floor, but New Orleans has gotten into the habit of doing the seemingly impossible.

And what better opportunity than this is there to prove that it is, in fact, possible to win on the road in these Playoffs?

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Links: A Dozen Points Of Light

Lang Whitaker — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:49:15 +0000

by Lang Whitaker

1. Let’s start with a laugh. When I came in yesterday morning, Konate was watching this video and laughing his butt off. Since seeing it, I’ve been laughing, too.

2. Since my grandfather passed I’ve kinda been in a funk, and last night was the first time I’ve just sat and watched hoops in a week or so. I’ve tried to keep my nose in the game, but I’m ready to stick my whole brain back in, starting now.

3. That said, I really enjoyed watching both games last night, although to me that Jazz/Lakers game didn’t seem as entertaining as Cavs/Celts because the refs seemed so vigilant about protecting Kobe. Also, there was a level of ineptitude in that Cavs/Celts game that made it fun to watch. How many times can Ben Wallace fumble a ball? Could LeBron crack Boston’s second half double-teams? I don’t know what shoe company Wally Sexyback endorses, but that company should politely ask him to switch to a competing brand, because he looks like he can barely run out there, and he can’t jump at all. LeBron playing with The LeBrons would have a better chance at winning this series than this Cavs team does.

4. Is it just me, or are the Celtics a hard team to root for? I’m a completely unbiased observer of this series — I could really care less which team wins — but I find myself rooting for Cleveland just because Boston does so much woofing and taunting with even the slimmest of leads. And then there’s the Celtics’ bench, where the players stand for the entire game. That’s cute for a high school team, but this is the NBA, fellas. We know you guys want your team to win. Great. Greg Kite and Jerry Sichting weren’t standing on the sideline in the ’80s, and neither were Robert Horry and Brent Barry last season. Have a seat, please. Or maybe they’re waiting until they win a road game?

5. During the Celts/Cavs game last night, I also came up with a bunch of a-alikes. I don’t have time to do the pictures of each one, but here: Referee Tony Brothers and Eddie Munster; Paul Pierce and Beetlejuice from the Howard Stern show; Elijah Wood and Sasha Pavlovic; Leon Powe and either Jason Richardson or Michael Irvin (or both). And then there’s the usual suspects: Big Baby and Fat Albert; Anderson Varejao and Sideshow Bob; Mike Brown and Grimace; Wally Sexyback and Zoolander; Delonte West and the guy from Prison Break.

6. OK, time for one picture: Paul Pierce and Beet. It’s the head shape and posture more than anything. And, obviously, Pierce has nothing on Beet’s grill. (I asked about five people here at work if it was too mean to post that picture, and they all said yes, but only after they stopped laughing. I’m not out to hurt P-Double’s feelings, just make you guys laugh. Hopefully you did.)

7. Anyone see Danny Ainge awarded The Sporting News Executive Of The Year trophy? That thing was about the size of an ashtray. Guess we shouldn’t be surprised that The Sporting News is behind it. Then again, if SLAM sponsored that award I’d lobby to present Ainge with an embroidered towel, presented by Robert Horry.

8. Oh, and I can’t believe I didn’t get to really talk about Hawks GM Billy Knight resigning. I’ve read so many completely wrong thoughts and theories online, but from what I know, the Hawks wanted to keep BK and he didn’t want to stay. That’s really all it boils down to. So now they need a new GM, and he’ll be the one to make a call on Mike Woodson’s future. I also read on a message board that the Hawks had signed David Anderson, which is completely untrue — they haven’t even made him an offer. But I guess that’s what message boards are for.

9. If you don’t know, now you know. I speak of this. What a game. Susan asked me yesterday what you do in the game, and I couldn’t even begin to describe it, so instead I told her that the night before I’d played for about an hour and had spent the entire time running around Brooklyn doing some errands for my cousin. The best of those errands had been going to collect a protection fee from a local businessman who refused to pay up. So I went around a corner and picked up a brick from a vacant lot, then went back to the business and threw the brick through the store’s plate glass window. At which point the businessman promptly emerged and paid up. I also went on a date with a local woman and took her to Coney Island to go bowling. We bowled three frames before I got bored with the bowling and we left. As we walked out, she said something like, “Aw, I was enjoying that, I wish we didn’t have to leave so early.” I wished I could’ve made my character say, “You want to be with me, you better get used to it, woman.”

To see just how realistic the game is, check out this set of photos made by someone with too much time on their hands. They took screenshots from the game then went around and took similar photos all over NYC.

10. Dan LeBatard wrote a guest post yesterday on The Big Lead and hit a home run, explaining the differences in old media and new media and how the sports journalism world is shifting.

I particularly enjoyed this passage…

But you know what happens when old people try to figure out what young people want and can’t? “Who’s Now?” happens. Or we just become entrenched and stubborn and resistant to change, the way newspapers have been for years, and we continue to cover hockey and write games stories the way we always have instead of covering the mixed-martial arts and even pro wrestling the way we should. We are older people telling younger people what they should like and then acting surprised when you mock it or rebel against it. Newspapers aren’t giving you what you want. We are telling you what you should want, and you are doing an exceptional job of ignoring us.

He couldn’t be more correct, at least when it comes to ESPN and the bigger outlets. Case in point: I can’t remember the last time I sat down and watched SportsCenter. A few years ago I tired of all the ranting and raving, so I just gave up. If I want to see highlights of something, I’ll either watch them online or maybe on ESPN News, although even that channel is starting to go they way of SportsCenter and feature more talking heads and gimmicks. I mean, wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a show with just sports news and highlights?

Anyway, one day last week the Braves played a day game that I didn’t get to see because I was here at work. I had followed along on the internet, though, and I knew the Braves had won a hard-fought game on a walk-off single to win their sixth game in a row. And I wanted to see the highlight of this happening.

I got home from work at 6:15 p.m., went over and plopped down in front of the TV and flipped on SportsCenter. I watched SportsCenter from 6:20 until 7:00 p.m., when the NBA Playoffs came on, and didn’t see any highlights from the Braves game. There was plenty of talk about all kinds of stuff, from the NBA to the Yankees (surprise!), but no highlights from a game that had ended about 90 minutes prior with a key walk-off single.

I haven’t watched SportsCenter since. They can hire Hannah Storm or Walter Cronkite, but they just lost one former die-hard viewer for a while.

11. With all my travels and such over the last week, I missed last Friday’s edition of NBA Friday with our man Joel Kimmel, the official illustrator of The Links.

“I started the season with an NBA Friday schedule where I planned to paint the best teams last and the worst teams first, according to how well I thought they would do,” says Joel. “I made a couple big mistakes where I painted New Orleans too early and Miami too late. I’m a fan of the Phoenix Suns so I was hoping to paint them last, but with their early playoff exit I had to arrange the schedule to fit them in. I decided to paint Amare.”

“I painted this piece following the shape and design of a basketball key where Amare’s portrait is in the circle at the top of the key. The two large cacti make up the sides of the key, the two birds are the two hash marks below the free throw line and the sun is the half-circle marking the restricted area for drawing charges. I thought it would all work nicely with an Arizona landscape.”

Awesome, as always.

12. Finally, I leave you with the illest rapper alive, Mr. Eli Porter

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David Lee Prepares for What He’ll Never See

Marcel Mutoni — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:00:39 +0000

Lee will workout with Steve Nash this summer as he prepares to play for Mike D’Antoni.

(Why, David, is Steve getting traded to the Knicks?)

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Skiles Puts in a Good Word for the Bulls

Marcel Mutoni — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:00:39 +0000

Scott Skiles has nothing but good things to say about Chicago when potential coaching candidates call him up.

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Nets and Nuggets Talking ‘Melo Trade?

Marcel Mutoni — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:04:42 +0000

by Marcel Mutoni

After everything that’s happened with Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets this season, it was only a matter of time before the trade rumors began swirling.

Today, we have our first: According a Jersey paper, the Nets and Nuggets are exploring the possibility of moving ‘Melo to The Swamp.

Thinking big, the Nets have had exploratory conversations with Denver about Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby, league sources said. Vandeweghe traded for Camby and drafted Anthony in Denver.

Should there be any truth to this, logic would dictate that for New Jersey to get their hands on ‘Melo, they’d have to give up Vince Carter. And unless a third team elects to get involved in this mess of a trade, I don’t see how this move would significantly improve either squad.

So, for argument’s sake, let’s say this goes through: New Jersey gets a former defensive player of the year, and a young scoring forward with some baggage, but a great future. And Denver gets a past-his-prime wing player, for whom defense is the only thing he hates more than contact.

It’s a perfectly terrible idea, but I’ve learned not to underestimate the Nuggets front office.

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The Bucks Will Take Your Disgraced Former College Coaches

Marcel Mutoni — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:00:53 +0000

Milwaukee has given Kelvin Sampson his first coaching job since he resigned from Indiana University.

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Game Notes: Jazz @ Lakers, Game 5

Marcel Mutoni — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:30:59 +0000

by Marcel Mutoni

I’ll keep this brief…

-There are no great truths to be gleaned from the Laker victory in Game Five, except for maybe this: The Lakers, predictably fired up, came out and delivered the first series of punches and never trailed in the game. The Jazz, stunned in the early going, eventually picked themselves up off the mat, and though they lost, they were right there until the very end.

(Though the game remained close, not once did it feel as though Utah could pull off the upset. Of course, the very same thing could be said of the Lakers when they played in Utah.)

-Kobe Bryant must have heard the critics over the last few days, as he attempted an almost-unheard of 10 field goals. He made six of them, and spent much of the evening at the free throw line (as did many of his teammates), allowing him to finish with a team-high 26 points. Don’t worry, he’s saving his shot attempts for Game 6 in Utah.

-Are both teams’ offenses really that great, or is the defense on both ends of the ball simply non-existent? I’m leaning towards the latter. It’s so bad that even the vacationing Phoenix Suns are blushing at what they’re seeing.

(Neither team seems to be able to put the clamps on the other, and victories are simply being determined by who’s playing on their home floor. This is why I’m perfectly prepared to watch a stress-filled Game 7 on Monday night.)

-Next time you hear anyone make the claim that the regular season doesn’t mean anything, please, slap them for me. In the second round of the Playoffs, home teams are virtually undefeated. To date, only Detroit has managed a road victory in the conference semis.

-One completely unrelated, but sufficiently amusing note: Avery Johnson was in the TNT studio last night. During the halftime segment of the Lakers/Jazz game, wearing a suit that he apparently picked out from the Craig Sager Collection, the former Mavs coach may have set the new Guinness World Record for the number of times a TV analyst said the word “turnovers”. Just a stunning two minutes; you really had to be there.

-The good news for the Lakers as they head to Utah, and try to close out the Jazz, is that they’re coming off their most offensively balanced game of the series. The entire starting lineup scored in double figures, with three guys getting 20+.

(The bad news is that the game is being played in Utah, where not only are the fans some of the loudest – and most loathsome individuals – in the League, but I’m pretty sure it’s against the law for the Jazz to lose in that building.)

The first team to give defense a try will have plenty of reason to celebrate on Friday night.

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