The Dribble: September 2006

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Odoriferous fragrant bouquet or pungent stink

Omg can u smell that???

the smell of NBA basketball, yep, it's in the air...'tis the season

it starts with the warm-ups' faint lingering odor almost unnoticable, yet it's there in its very pheremonal essence as some have been training on their own:

Kyle Korver:

"I spent my summer lifting and just working on my overall game. I worked on putting the ball on the floor, coming off of pick-and-rolls, just becoming a better player. I also watched a lot of tape to see how Reggie Miller came off a screen to shoot, how Larry Bird squared his shoulders. Just a lot of work."

then u get sulferous dismissive stuff like Mo Taylor's press conference (huh? he deserved a press conference for being released, must've had a wake like atmosphere there...) i can't wait to see who's on invite list to training camp if any...???

we know it won't be:

"free agents Cedric Bozeman, Andre Brown, Lionel Chalmers, Kaniel Dickens, Matt Freije and Andreas Glyniadakis" signed with the Atlanta Hawks

or Darrick Martin, nor two more European Leaguers; Levell Blanchard and former Knick Cezary (don't get top use the "Z" key much)Trybanski who are "invited/signed " to the Raptors training camp

wafting and wafting... wait...yes there it is it's... that sterile competitive smell as Amare visits the clinic for an MRI for the green light after "having a rough time of it on the court"

and Jarvis Hayes has that been there too, (in small wiffs...almost cloudlike) as he almost has to get to know the team cause we haven't seen anything from him in a long while

Dany Fortson was able to focus on himself and is surprised to still be in the Northeastern crowded frontcourt (big bodies in there now...)

"I certainly thought I was gone, with what has
happened and the team being sold," he said.
"I expected to hear something,
but I knew I had no power of what was going to happen,
so I just tried to get my knee right"

i wonder how these forays into Europe affect the NBA fans overseas, only teasing them with "meaningless" pre-season games

anyways in the meantime we get this:

Thu 5

Philadelphia @ Winterthur FC Barcelona
Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain

San Antonio @ Adecco ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne Preseason
Astroballe Arena, Lyon-Villeurbanne,France

Fri 6

L.A. Clippers @ BC Khimki
Universal Sports Hall CSKA, Moscow, Russia

Phoenix @ Virtus Lottomatica Roma PalaLottomatica, Rome, Italy

Sat 7

L.A. Clippers @ CSKA Moscow
Universal Sports Hall CSKA, Moscow, Russia

Sun 8

San Antonio @ Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Paris-Bercy Arena, Paris, France

9/30/2006 02:42:00 AM | Permalink |

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Houston is winner of bargain hunt

ESPN's Ric Bucher is reporting that Bonzi Wells has signed a 2yr/$5million contract with the Houston Rockets (with a player option in the second year).

Not so surprisingly, the signing comes on the same day that Tracy McGrady went public with his "plea" for Bonzi to join the Rockets:

"I'm sure [the Rockets] want him.
What he did in the postseason this year,
it was eye-catching. I've been trying to
make that work because I think Bonzi
would be a great addition to our team
to add more depth as far as matching up against
teams like Phoenix, Dallas and San Antonio"

Tracy also addressed questions about his health and his offseason:

"But I'm stress free, I'm feeling good,
I worked extremely hard, got on a strict diet
and I've never felt better," McGrady said.
"Without a doubt, I'm 100 percent. Without a doubt"

9/28/2006 03:37:00 PM | Permalink

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

last chance for Stro?

With the injury to Pau Gasol's broken foot being treated (could be out for up to 4 months), the return of Stromile Swift to Memphis has prompted Jerry West to address the impact that Stro could have this season

"We had two really nice talks," West said.
"In my talks with him,
he seemed to be excited to be back.
I talked about the opportunity for him
to have the ball in his hands.
I told him how important it was to come
and be ready to start the season strong.
He's going to get a lot of touches,
so I would think he'd have to feel good about that"

The loss of Pau Gasol is HUGE for the Grizzlies who suddenly got small real fast, it will be interesting to see how coach Mike Fratello reacts to this devastating blow. Usually Fratello is a conservative coach that will play a reliable slow pace offense but with Gasol out for approx. 4 months and the players on the roster he may have to follow suit with the rest of the league and get out there and run.

The good news is that Stro has changed his attitude (increased playing time due to teammates injury perhaps...?).

"This is a familiar situation,
and it's better than going somewhere new," Swift said,
sounding a bit grateful that Houston saw Memphis
as its dumpster after giving up on him.
"I know where I stand in this program.
I know where I fit in. I know my role."

"My style is still the same. I'm a little wiser in the game,"
Swift said. "I know there's an opportunity here.
I've had plenty of opportunities.
But, hopefully, this time it works out for the best."

9/27/2006 04:10:00 PM | Permalink |

Wiz's Eddie Jordan sees team in conference finals

Training camp is slated to begin next week and the Washington Wizards had a press conference at the Verizon center where head coach Eddie Jordan adressed the media and covered just about all bases from camp to rosters, acquisitions (Songaila/Stevenson-healthy Hayes and Blatche) and possible player rotations

"We beat all of the best teams last year
and we feel that we're better this year"

read interview here: Washington Post
or with spin here: InsideHoops.com

9/27/2006 03:46:00 PM | Permalink |

Does Dwight Howard the Man-Child know how big his feet are?

Huh?
What was that?
I think it came from down south?

*the sound of a thousand head slaps*
*followed by a Jameer fist pump*

yep,.... training camp has yet to officially begin but the Orlando Magic's franchise player has gone off the deep end and proclaimed:

"I think our team has the chance to go all the way.
We got all the tools," Howard said, straight-faced.
"I think this year we can go all the way."

Don't get me wrong having a positive attitude is one thing and will never hurt one's chances (coming down from up there is sometimes hard to swallow) but aspirations as such need at least some justification... let's start with the playoffs .... maybe.

Read the entire article by Brian Schmitz at the Orlando Sentinel here

9/27/2006 03:08:00 PM | Permalink |

NJ's Frank says there's work to be done

the YES network interviews NJ Nets coach, Lawrence Frank here.

"YES: With Ilic, Krstic, you've brought in Mikki Moore, you have Boone, and of course, Cliff Robinson and Jason Collins. That's six players at the power forward/center position. Are you concerned about having a glut in those two areas?

Frank: No. The players that fit the best together will find a way to play. And you always want to have depth, especially in the frontcourt. Those things always find a way of working themselves out."

"YES: What are your goals for the team as you head into training camp and into the preseason?

Frank: We look at the whole month of October as training camp, really. The games don't count against you. We feel that we have to have great balance in order to be an elite team. By that I mean we want to be in the top third of significant offensive and defensive categories that we use as measuring sticks. We want to get back to being a better transition team, a team that's able to score easy baskets, yet at the same time understand how to put pressure on teams and maximize our offensive possessions. On the defensive side, it's very simple for us; we want to be one of the elite defensive teams in the league.

YES: Jason Kidd turns 34 next March. You don't know how many more chances he'll have to get back to the NBA Finals and win a title. Do you look at that and then look at your roster and see this as a make-or-break season?

Frank: You never say make-or-break, ever. The bottom line is that you want to have a sense of urgency every single time, going to work, stepping onto the practice floor or onto the court, because you just never know, regardless of whether you're 24 or 34. You want to maximize the opportunity because that window for all of us closes. That's why you don't take anything for granted."

Frank is playing wait and see...

9/27/2006 02:20:00 PM | Permalink

NBA live 2007 player ratings

Alot of commotion is being made by the NBA Live series as the newest edition is hitting store shelves as we speak (T-Mac on cover).

IGN.com highlights "the 5 things you need to know about EA's new basketball game"

but the most revolutionary aspect of the game seems to be the 85 categories of player attributes and therefore the rankings...

found over at the game's forums the categories in question

Overall
Athleticism
Defense
Outside
Inside
Teamwork
Max Speed
Agility
Quickness
Acceleration
Vertical
Conditioning
Lateral Quickness
Recovery Quickness
Strength
First Step
Ballcarrier Speed
Offensive Rebounding Strength
Post Strength
Inside Shooting Likelihood
Inside Shooting Ability
Layup/Dunk Aggressiveness
Dunk Ability
Dunk vs Layup Frequency
Layup Ability
Layup In Traffic
Dunk/Layup Shot Off
Tipins/Putbacks
Scoring With Contact
Drawing Defensive Foul
Penetration Effectiveness
Hands Inp Post
Offensive Rebounding
Offensive Sink Or Swim Effectiveness
Offensive Box Out Effectiveness
Post Savvy
Offensive Post Footwork
Outside Shooting Likelihood
Outside Shooting Ability
Midrange Shooting Likelihood
Midrange Shooting Ability
Freethrow Ability
Shooting Touch
Clutch
Shooter's Mentality
Hands On Perimeter
Triple Threat Effectiveness
Foul Mistakes
Defensive Rebounding Strength
Defensive Rebounding
Defensive Sink Or Swim Effectiveness
Defensive Box Out Effectiveness
On Ball Effectiveness
Shotblock
Shotalter
Steal
Interception
Double Teamability
Tenacity
Drawing Offensive Foul
Passlane
Defense Effectiveness
Helpside Effectiveness
Closeout Effectiveness
Hedging The Screen
Fighting Through The Screen
Defensive Post Footwork
Defensive Post Strength
Mental Toughness
Hustle
Goto Guy
Court Vision
Pass Accuracy
Difficult Pass Ability
Dribbling
Double Team
Composure
Setting Screens
Using Screens
Offball Awareness
Fastbreak Anticipation
Shooter
Playmaker
Scorer
Highflyer
Inside
Presence
Stealer
Blocker

now if you want all of the players and their rankings

too bad its by division and team by team

Go here starting with the Atlantic

....umm ur still here u must be looking for this:

The NBA Live 07 soundtrack:
Army of the Pharaohs - "Gorillas"
Bossman - "Hand Clap"
Braza - "Son Do Braza"
Citty - "Them Ballers"
Damizza feat. Butch Cassidy - "In 2's"
Feezy 350 feat. Shauna K - "Mr. DJ"
Ghislain Poirier - "Mic Diplomat"
Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
Jurassic 5 feat. Dave Matthews - "Work It Out"
Lady Sovereign - "A Little Bit of Shh (Adrock Remix)"
Lupe Fiasco - "Kick Push
Dead Prez Presents M-1 - "Til We Get There"
Mark Ronson feat. Alex Greenwald - "Just"
Murs & 9th Wonder - "L.A."
Pigeon John - "Higher"
Raptile - "Neva Eva"
Redrama - "I Don't Know What to Tell You"
Rhymefest - "Some of These Days"
Robert Randolph & The Family Band - "Thrill of It"
Sergio Mendes & The Black Eyed Peas - "Mas Que Nada"
Talib Kweli - "Listen"
Ten Days Till - "Get Them Hands Hi"
The Coup - "My Favorite Mutiny"

9/27/2006 12:52:00 AM | Permalink |

Monday, September 25, 2006

tying up loose ends (..ouch)

the Contra Costa Times is reporting that after having replaced his colon ...ouch, and generating interest from more than a few teams (Sixers, Grizzlies), Dajuan Wagner has signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors. Suffering from colonitis might explain how and why the former high school phenom and #6 pick in 2002 disappeared from the NBA radar so soon:

"his stint with the Cavaliers was plagued by injury,
including arthroscopic surgery on his right knee
in his second season. He was knocked out of basketball
by ulcerative colitis, which had been bothering him since college"

"He reportedly had his entire colon removed
in October and lost 30 pounds
but since has been on the comeback trail."

"The reviews are resoundingly positive about Wagner,
who has been working out in his native New Jersey
and dominated the Philadelphia Summer League.
Some have said he looks better than he ever has.
Wagner is fully healed from surgery
-- a recovery the performing surgeon,
Dr. Joe Bauer, called phenomenal --
and he is said to be noticeably stronger physically."

Wagner's signing with the Warriors gives them an extremely crowded bench of backcourt players - Monta Ellis, Devin Brown, Andre Owens, Keith McLeod, Mikael Pietrus. A small lineup on the floor has always been a tendency of "new head coach" Don Nelson (who's back in the Bay by the way), and loves to play small ball - if he keeps his mug in the news may be eventually credited along with Stern and D'Antoni/Colangelo for the fast break style the league seems to be adopting during the regular season.

Lang Whitaker at SlamOnline.com has a good take on Wagner's situation:

"I think it’s safe to say,
people probably suspected that Dajuan
wasn’t successful because
he wasn’t putting in the work.
What we didn’t know, though,
was that he was falling off because his body wasn’t right"

Anyways welcome back Dajuan, kinda, hope to see you among the comeback player of the year nominees

9/25/2006 03:51:00 PM | Permalink |

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

linkage

first off its BLOG CARNIVAL # 36 brought to us by the Nugg Doctor

according to the Seattle News Tribune because of ownership issues the negotiations with Rashard Lewis have been put on hold and Nick Collison's rookie contract will only be extended at the end of this coming season

Dime magazine puts out their top 10 and based on the comments they seem to have ruffled some feathers

Henry Abbott's True Hoop writes that "NBA team examinations of players will now include several new measures to assess heart health"

the weather in Portland must be lousy cause the Blazers are reporting real early to camp

"This year, the only players who have yet to
take part in scrimmages or workouts are
injured rookie LaMarcus Aldridge, forward Darius Miles
and centers Joel Przybilla and Jamaal Magloire"

"the Blazers would hold an open gym, or "run," as players call it.
As a result, NBA players who reside in Portland in the offseason
such as Indiana forward Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto guard Fred Jones,
New Orleans guard Desmond Mason, and Blake (now with Milwaukee),
have taken part in the games"

SlamOnline's Sam Rubenstein lists the 10 worst front offices (surprisingly the Knicks aren't #1, apparently they can get worse)

could the Nets be headed to Brooklyn for 2009-2010 season

ESPN focuses on year 2010 too and wonders which "10 teams (Blazers, Knicks, Hawks, Wolves, Bobcats, Warriors, Raptors, Rockets, Celtics, Sonics) can win a championship in the next couple of years"

9/19/2006 12:37:00 AM | Permalink |

Sunday, September 17, 2006

not so big Al

Hot on the heels of Kendrick Perkins signing a 5yr/$22 million extension on Wednesday:

"I think this game has a lot to do with loyalty,
and I feel like they’ve shown that to me already.
The Celtics really could have turned their back on me
when I came into training camp my first year at 313 (pounds).
They could have just moved me on or done something then,
but they gave me a chance and they worked with me"

comes news according to the Boston Herald that Al Jefferson has shown up at the Celtics training facility 30 pounds lighter. In a one on one mathcup against rookie Leon Powe, Al dominated:

"I felt like I could get higher - a lot quicker,” Jefferson said.
“I could really tell that I was moving quicker. I felt great"

"The last time I weighed this little,
I was averaging 42 points a game in high school,”
Jefferson said excitedly, before checking himself.
“Now, I’m not saying that I’m going to go
out there and average 42 a game this year"

Now if you add Theo Ratliffe and his defensive prowess to the mix could this be the start of new era in Celticland?

Make sure you check out Jeff Clarke's take on the Boston frontcourt at CelticsBlog.com

9/17/2006 02:43:00 PM | Permalink |

Free Tskita (part V)

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Sonics forums, Tskita (Nikoloz Tskitishvili) may be signing in Seattle thereby making the Sonics his 5th team in 4 seasons for the 22 year old Georgian seven footer

...stay tuned (ohhh the drama)

9/17/2006 02:35:00 PM | Permalink |

Bonanza time for Bonzi

The last remaining prize of free agency is Bonzi Wells (if you don't count Melvin Ely), the soon to be 30 year old and 10 year vet is coming off his best season yet in addition to an extremely impressive playoff showing against the Spurs in which he almost singlehandedly forced the series to seven games with 23.2ppg and 12 rpg.

If your name is Bonzi, now that you refused a $8 million/yr contract with the Kings because you got greedy (wanted $10 million/yr) where do you sign, what kind of options are out there for you?

Most of the teams that were looking to fill a void have already done so leaving less funds available for investment (or risk taking) on a player with a history of disrupting team chemistry. Its clear that this late into the offseason the price will have diminished significantly so the team that decides to take a chance on him may be getting a bargain or a headache, nonetheless at least 4 teams are interested and have room on the roster at the shooting guard position; Denver, Miami and Houston are the frontrunners with Minnesota a distant fourth.

If I were him, Miami would be my destination, the market has already decided that I'd only be getting a one year contract to prove my worth, and of the teams interested why not go to the defending champs who despite not making a splash on the free agent market are bringing back the same roster that won it all the year before.

Looking at the roster the Heat have in place, Bonzi could potentially fit right in, he would be a better alternative than Shandon Anderson (who they are considering bringing back) and unless perennial prospect Dorrell Wright has suddenly undergone a career changing transformation Wells would make the Heat a significantly improved ball team. Pat Riley who has been around and has seen his share of headcases might have what it takes to keep him under control.

However if a sign & trade is in order the Minnesota Timberwolves with their plethora of guards might be the team the Kings would be targeting.

The Bonzi "debacle" is far from over.

9/17/2006 12:45:00 PM | Permalink |

Thursday, September 14, 2006

news and notes

Rick Alonzo at the TwinCities Pioneer Press looks to stir it up some by reworking yet again the Marbury trade rumor mill by instead proposing that Garnett would be welcome with open arms in NY to play alongside Stephon who is "a Knick for life

"I would love to play with Kevin," Marbury said.
"We would love for him to come to New York.
If he wants to play with me in New York, that would be great.
That's the only way it's going to happen, because I'm in New York"

"I just felt like I didn't want to commit seven years
of my life to living in Minnesota.
It was really cold. There was a lot of snow"

Arizona's East Valley Tribune spotted the Kandi-man, who has crossed the country to the land of the Suns to practice alongside Amare and Thomas in the hopes of dispelling the myth of a three year nagging groin injury

"All of a sudden, I feel like I’m 21 again,”-
“I was about to say, ‘Forget it’ — it was getting to be too much.
But now I think I can play again and help someone"

Rocky Mountain News attended a high school anti gun and gang rally event where K-Mart's presence in Denver announce he was clear of the tendinitis that has hobbled him while putting the past caoch and player discords behind him:

"I'm not making any promises on numbers,
wins or how I'm going to perform," Martin said,
"but I'm going to be a better player
than I have been the previous two years"

"The bounce to his step is stronger," Karl said Wednesday.
"I think his work has been above and beyond what I expected"

Chris Mannix at Si.com takes a look at the reasons why Bonzi Wells has not been picked up using descriptions such as; rugged defender, strong rebounder, undesirable, salivating talent, unpredictable

"Can you really be surprised when a guy
who has been run out of two cities
and made himself persona non grata in a third"

"The teams with money to spare don't want him"

Sean Deveney at the SportingNews.com lists his 5 breakout/sleepers for the upcoming season and quite honestly leaves me scratching my head because i don't see any of these happening unless the players on those teams are thrust to the forefront due to injuries

same ol' Nellie in Golden State but then again that's what they brought him back for ...right? The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that Don Nelson, known for playing small ball is used to reworking rosters and lineups but this time:

"You have to evaluate the roster and see how many
players are salvageable in the system you want to play"

"But this particular roster I happen to like,
so I'll do this one different from the others.
This team is pretty well ready to roll, and if they're not,
they've got to prove that to me"

"I'm going to need (Troy) Murphy
to play some center for us. If he can make some adjustments,
he'll have his best year.
And it will allow me to play Dunleavy at the 4,
'' because he basically struggles at small forward.

"It's better if your point guard is the leader.
(Davis) is a great player, and he's going to flourish in my system.
But he's too heavy to play my style of ball.
He's got to get thinner; everybody has to be thinner than they are"

.....may the player / coach clashes begin

9/14/2006 09:57:00 AM | Permalink |

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

sprinkles

the sweet taste of crunchy candy like the topping of doughnuts, Shoals'---MY FAITH IS IN THE SPECTRE as he praises the minute flashes of brilliance that Gerald Wallace and J.R. Smith have sprinkled (small market sprinkles) upon us bloggers AkA "the honorable fanatics" as major sleepers for this coming season at the always pleasantly poetic McSweeney's and their exclusive non-linkage policy (hmmmm...i'll share anyways) not resorting to a list (SLAM's milking it for all its worth) yet surprisingly may be turning this into an intriguing OPEN SOURCE LIST of "the 50 guys we think have the most value to their teams (its fifty remember thats at least one per team and then some)

But i would suggest to include JOSH SMITH even GARBAJOSA among the inopportune glimpses refining yet even further the concept, the entity that has become FREE DARKO by definition, yes by "harboring a nebulous cult figure" they have defined in essence their contribution to the NBA blogosphere while bitchlsapping other lamers and wannabes___myself included

"Here, though, jocking an athlete isn't a matter
of being well-informed enough to find diamonds
in the rough or to applaud the everyman;
it's about being able to build little,
personal myths when mystery offers up an opening,
and knowing you're a better fan for having done so"

Rest now Ol' timber and listen for the ring of Kobe and Kwame

for now its posters

brought to you courtesy of The MARS VOLTA - Amputechture & JDilla's - The Shining

....woah

9/13/2006 11:34:00 PM | Permalink |

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

06-07 preview season is well under way

most sites have begun dishing out their team previews:

NBA.com fantasy preview (cannot say enuff about the revamped fantasy section)

bench / positional battles / players they love and players to avoid
position analysis:

HoopsHype.com

additions / subtractions / strengths / weaknesses / projection (conference & division)

TSN.ca

30 teams in 30 days probable starting lineups

RaptorBlog

incoming / outgoing players and recap

FantasyBasketblog

breakdown of players; studs / support / sleepers / slackers

GMTR aka GiveMeTheRock.com

fantasy player rankings and analysis; buy / hold / sell / watch

make sure to check out SlamOnline 's top 50 in the NBA today

...seen other worthy previews lemme kno

9/12/2006 11:42:00 AM | Permalink |

Saturday, September 02, 2006

according to 3 year plan USA is 7-1

After u finish reading Skeets live blog of the Greece game u should think popping in ur copy of TEAM AMERICA dvd back in and give it a whirl in an attempt to assign characters in the movie to this year's roster and performance at the World's

Wade's talk of "the three year plan":

"This was a three-year committment by us and
our goal is to get back and win the
gold medal in Beijing at the Olympics (in 2008)"

"They beat us up all night with that pick and roll," said Dwyane Wade.
"They only ran but one play all night and
we couldn't do anything to stop it. I just wish we had
maybe changed up our defense, at least tried something
different during the game. Maybe a zone or something"

while 'Melo says:

"I want to take my hat off to them for playing so hard
… To lose any game is a shock to us"

setting the table for an itchy Dwight Howard to join Wade in the dump-fest

"I don’t know what was going on.
I think we could have pressured them a little bit more"

Henry Abbott's True Hoop gathers the recaps best here

Free Darko goes corrosive?

Meanwhile....

in the Spain / Argentina match-up who do the Spaniards turn to in the absence of Pau Bunyon but free agent signee Raptor man Jorge Garbojosa (dino nick name coming soon i can just feel it how about ....Rex) and Caleron looks to "win it all for Pau"

9/02/2006 01:39:00 AM | Permalink |

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