New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[jadis]

Wed Jun 29 07:37am EDT
Mavericks' Barea open to playing for Heat, Lakers, Knicks

By Mark J. Miller

"J.J. BareaJ.J. Barea(notes) has spent his entire five-year NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks, but he is a free agent this summer and could be moving on from the NBA champions.

The 27-year-old point guard from Puerto Rico averaged 8.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game during the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Barea told Primera Hora that he'd like to stay in Dallas, but would be open to playing in Miami, Los Angeles or New York."


Being a member of a Champion team and a free agent give you more opportunities for more money. Who doesn't want to thrive in such situations? James Posey had the same situation in 2008 when Boston won the title and even before his ink dried on autographs on the Celtics' DVD from fans, James Posey signed on with the New Orleans Hornets. And wasn't Trevor Ariza's situation similar with the Lakers' title year? Whatever happens, Barea should have more money and a better contract.

 

[steve williams]

It's Official

Lockout begins midnight July 1/2011

 

[Ron Party]

Shannon Brown opted out.

 

[steve williams]

Wow, now that's news and you predicted it Ron

 

[jadis]

It's Official

Lockout begins midnight July 1/2011

Looks like that was all everyone expected as news of this was floating even before the season ended. If I'm not mistaken, the gap between them is something like $7B so we must be really looking at a gloomy picture for this problem to be solved in the near future. For some reasons, I wasn't too concerned during the '98 lockout and the shortened season but this time, I've been enjoying the games in heightened form specially the past 3 or so years till this latest Finals wherein even the TV ratings were at a high. Well, this is free enterprise at work so we'll have to hope for the best. Sure hope this thread will not end due to the lockout as I just learned that the NHL actually lost a full year of hockey in '04-'05

 

[steve williams]

From NBA.com

Report: Kobe undergoes knee procedure in Germany

Posted Jul 1 2011 8:13PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Report: Kobe Bryant undergoes knee procedure





Kobe Bryant has undergone a procedure in Germany to try to strengthen his arthritic right knee, according to a report.
Citing four unidentified sources familiar with the situation, The Los Angeles Times on Friday reported that the Lakers superstar had a procedure about a month ago that is a derivation of platelet-rich plasma therapy. The Times says PRP procedures are less invasive than many surgeries involving the knee.
Bryant, who turns 33 next month, has been bothered in recent seasons by an arthritic joint in his right knee. He has undergone three other knee procedures since 2003, including surgery last July to remove unspecified loose bodies.
Bryant sat out a majority of the Lakers' practices this past season and saw his scoring, shooting percentage and minutes decrease in his 15th NBA season. He has three years and $83.5 million left on his contract with the Lakers.
Bryant declined to comment to the Times.
The Lakers cited the lockout, which prevents teams from discussing players, in declining to comment Friday on Bryant's reported knee procedure.
In the PRP procedure, which 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.

 

[steve williams]

Shannon Brown opted out.

Ron, I have searched everywhere for news of this and can't find a thing. Where did you read it? Certainly no mention on the Lakers website

 

[steve williams]

Found It


Shannon Brown becomes free agent

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown will not exercise the option in his contract to remain with the team next season and will test the waters as an unrestricted free agent.

Brown, 25, informed the Lakers on Thursday, the last possible day with the June 30 deadline, that he would not be accepting their guaranteed deal worth approximately $2.4 million that was on the table. After playing for four teams through the first five years of his career, Brown is seeking a multiyear deal through free agency.

"Today we did what we had to do to increase my chances of getting better in the NBA," Brown said in a phone interview.

Brown, who blossomed as a player in his 2½ seasons with the Lakers, winning two championships and averaging a career-high 8.7 points per game in 2010-11, said he struggled with the decision.

"I had to weigh every option," Brown said. "It was on my mind every day."

Brown said his agent, Mark Bartelstein, has been contacted by "several" teams with interest in the 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard's services. The pair also "did the homework," according to Brown, and surveyed the league's other 29 rosters to determine where he could be a fit.

Brown did not rule out the possibility of returning to the Lakers with a new deal, but did not sound optimistic about that occurring.

"I'm not sure, I can't really say," Brown said. "They just got two draft picks, two guards."

Brown was referring to Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock, whom the Lakers selected with picks Nos. 41 and 46, respectively, in last week's draft.

The fact that the league is about to enter a lockout until a new collective bargaining agreement is settled on certainly complicated Brown's situation, but he is comfortable with the choice he made.

"I feel like I made the right decision for myself, my family and everyone else involved," Brown said.

 

[jadis]

Bringing in the Laker girls sub-thread from the Falling Skies section, and to resume basketball talk, the ongoing lock-out is indeed killing a lot of us fans. No free-agent signing which was typical at this juncture of the year. Talks of Kobe, Wade and Deron playing abroad. In fact, I learned that Kobe is in fact here in Manila right now promoting Nike, and will play exhibition games against a local pro team. With him will be Russell Westbrook, Mario Chalmers, Tyreke Evans, and DeAndre Jordan.

And another food for thought if the season gets a lock out - LeBron will grow one more year older WITHOUT a ring.

 

[steve williams]

Timberwolves part ways with head coach Kurt Rambis

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/07/12/rambis-wolves.ap/index.html

 

[rblnr]

Didn't see them play so don't have no opinion on his coaching other than he didn't have much of a chance. Rotating cast of players, Beasley as your best scorer (busted for pot again), plus your power forward/center is your best shooter. And you're trying to implement the triangle. Good thing for him he had a guaranteed four year contract.

Jim Cleamons tried to implement the triangle in Dallas when he had Mashburn/Kidd/Jackson -- should have worked there, but seemingly impossible for a rookie (or close to rookie like Rambis) coach to get the organizational commitment to make it work.

 

[jadis]

I read that Brian Shaw is being considered as Asst. Coach for the Indiana Pacers. He is being interviewed by Pacers' President Larry Bird who was his former teammate at Boston. With his pedigree from LA sitting beside Jackson, it's easy for Shaw to bag a coaching job in many teams.

 

[steve williams]

I read that Brian Shaw is being considered as Asst. Coach for the Indiana Pacers. He is being interviewed by Pacers' President Larry Bird who was in former teammate at Boston. With his pedigree from LA sitting beside Jackson, it's easy for Shaw to bag a coaching job in many teams.

I guess Jerry Buss was reluctant to go with a rookie coach as he tries to win one more title with this aging team. From what I heard the Buss family makes all decisions on hiring and firing

 

[jadis]

Kobe in Manila:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/226119/sports/kobe-eager-to-get-back-after-nba-lockout

 

[jadis]

Strange news in the lock-out period. Living in this part of the world, I don't have a feel of what's the real score in the 'cryo world'. This one should bring me closer.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/bal...nal/nba.p.3443

Fri Jul 15 12:05pm EDT
The key to Dallas’ championship run? Cold, cold air

By Kelly Dwyer

The Dallas Mavericks are a strange case. Nobody had them pegged as championship shoo-ins entering 2010-11, but several NBA observers understood that if everything aligned itself properly, the Mavs would have enough to make it all the way to the franchise's first title. As it turned out, everything came up Mavericks. The team wasn't lucky, nor did it receive any big breaks along the way, but the squad remains an unlikely champion. A veteran outfit that made its own fortune.

And, as ESPN's Ric Bucher pointed out this week, a group that took expert care of its respective bodies along the way. To a chilling degree, literally.

Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and Brian Cardinal (who drove the group there, I suspect) all repeatedly schlepped to Plano, Texas, during the team's two-month postseason run to take part in cryogenic therapy. The Mavericks stripped to their skivvies at this facility and stepped inside a 6-foot-tall silo of sorts that would whir around and possibly remind each of these guys of an episode of "Lost in Space" -- if any of these Mavericks (all in their 30s, Bucher points out, save for Chandler) were old enough to remember that show.

From the column:

For 2 1/2 minutes -- at a cost of $75 per person, billed to Mavs owner Mark Cuban -- blasts of nitrogen-chilled air emanated from the walls, quickly dropping the air temperature to as low as -320 degrees Fahrenheit. By the last 30 to 45 seconds, their bodies would be shaking uncontrollably.

"The first time Shawn did it, I thought he was going to jump out after 30 seconds," Terry says. "He was yelling, 'My nipples are about to fall off!'"

Marion's always been the excitable sort, but can you blame the guy for thinking that things might go awry at that temperature? Hell, given 2 1/2 minutes at that temperature, my nipples would be the last appendages I'd be worried about.

 

[steve williams]

Boy involved in Lamar Odom’s car accident dies
By Kelly Dwyer/Yahoo


By now you've no doubt heard of the SUV crash from last Thursday that saw a car service hired by Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom(notes) crash into a motorcyclist in downtown New York City. Odom wasn't driving, but it was his hired truck that crashed into a motorcyclist, which then crashed into a 15-year old boy.
It turns out that the boy, a pedestrian, has died from the injuries sustained in the crash. TMZ reported that the child passed away on Friday, and that his funeral was held on Monday. Odom, who was in N.Y. for the funeral of his cousin, is "devastated" by the news.

 

[JackD201]

NBA announced schedule of games. I thought that meant the negotiations have been wrapped up. Guess not.

In the meantime, Kobe will be playing and coaching a team of NBA Superstars including CP3, Derrick Rose and KD in exhibition matches with the Philippine National Basketball team this Saturday here in Manila. Ummmm. I think we all know how that's gonna go I'm just really happy for our boys to get a chance to just play with these guys. I'm not very happy for me though, I can't go and watch it.

 

[steve williams]

Turkish club says it is in talks with Kobe Bryant--From NBA.com


ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkish club Besiktas is in talks with Kobe Bryant's representatives about the possibility of the Los Angeles Lakers' star playing in Turkey during the NBA lockout.





"It is a fact that Kobe Bryant's managers have contacted us," coach Ergin Ataman said Thursday, a week after Besiktas signed New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams.
Ataman said Bryant was waiting for an offer from Besiktas. The club, however, said it would need a sponsor to be able to pay for Bryant's contract.
"Our board will evaluate that," Ataman said.
Bryant, who has won five NBA titles with the Lakers and is a 13-time NBA All Star, has been on a tour of China, including a stop in Shanghai on Wednesday. He said he would consider playing overseas during the lockout and mentioned China and Turkey as possibilities.
Representatives of other NBA players also have contacted Besiktas, Ataman said, without identifying any of them.
The Turkish League season starts in October.
Besiktas signed Allen Iverson, the NBA's MVP in 2001, last year but his time in Turkey was cut short due to injury.
Another NBA player, New Jersey guard Sasha Vujacic, signed last week with Turkish club Anadolu Efes. The 27-year old Slovenian guard agreed to a one-year deal with an optional second year.
Nets draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic also signed with Fenerbahce of the Turkish League in June.
Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard, a five-time All-Star, has said he would consider playing in China or Europe if the NBA lockout doesn't end.
Talks between the NBA and the union broke down June 30, and the owners decided to impose the league's first lockout since the 1998-99 season was shortened to 50 games. Both sides say there are significant differences between their proposals, raising the possibility that all or part of next season could be canceled.

 

[jadis]

I wonder what would happen if Kobe and others sign on with other clubs and the lock out ends while they have a contract overseas. Can they still come home and play?

The NFL is on and lock out there is over. I really really hope the NBA ends theirs soonest. It's a pity the rookies who were drafted can't play and jobless because of this.

 

[FrantzM]

I think the NBA owners have to feel pressured by this trend .. It is not far-fetched to see this as something which may become much more serious... What about NBA coaches moving to these teams. Look at it this way Soccer is global and the center of attraction is Europe ... Could the same thing happen in Basketball .. Doesn't take a genius to see the potential and if there is a real lock-out ..Everyone will be looking for alternatives: Players, Coaches, trainers, the whole NBA infrastructure seems to be free to move elsewhere while the owners are locking the players out ... Interesting development ...