hey folks,
Been a while since I came through these parts (what with all the crappy basketball, and my new baby)...but I just read this article about the Bucks and thought I'd share it with you all.

It's really tough to be a fan of a crappy franchise, we have lots of similarity with the Bucks IMO, and the author does a great job of summing up the love/hate nature of Dubs fan reality

Hope you are all doing good as we limp towards another crappy ending to a crappy season. Somehow, I'm still relatively excited about next season though ; )

crap...another ex-Dub doing pretty well..
I would have loved to keep broken wing, but am glad he is thriving

From the article:

"In Dallas’ last two games, both against the Houston Rockets, he has been dominant: 14 points, six rebounds and seven blocks on 7-9 shooting on March 24 and 13 points and seven rebounds on 6-7 shooting on March 27."

...and...

"His per-36 minutes averages (15.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks on 62% shooting) have been stellar all season"

I mean honestly, how superior is David Lee to this guy?

uh-oh...let the Monta versus Steph war never die!!

Joe Lacob: It was incredibly difficult to trade him, but he’s the piece it had to be to get Andrew Bogut. We would have traded either (Curry or Ellis) to take the next step for this franchise."

Ok, ok, maybe we don't need to reinvigorate the war, I mean, Steph has been injured a lot, and Bucks don't need a PG...but still, WOW...seems a little bit of a bad PR move to admit that you would have dealt your starting PG

ok, it's just $3.5 million on plans for a new stadium, hotels, conference center, shopping, entertainment and other amenities (nightclubs, obviously) in the 750-acre area around the Coliseum

But, I think Oakland sees that they are going to lose all their sports teams if they don't do something...is it too late though?

I feel like Lacob and company have already decided that they are headed to SF

couldn't make it through practice (or the team pulled him out, it's not really clear from the article). Either way though, sounds like Steph is definitely out for tonight...I wonder how much longer though...

"...head coach Mark Jackson said. "We're going to make sure that there's no further damage. We're going to wait until he's 100 percent.""

Also sounds like the doc who did the ankle surgery reviewed the most recent MRI and says that the surgery "held"

From Steph:
"I'm still pain free and have full motion in the surgical portion"

Early game today (4pm bay area time)

looks like the Magic picked him up...I think he may actually get some decent minutes over there. VanGundy should like his D

damn, we are pushing it still...hopefully he's young enough to completely get over this, but I'm worried this problem will never go away.

Glad to see his new ankle brace last game, we gotta keep him on the court...."averaging 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds over his past four games."

Looks like Lacob's real plan is working. Hopefully next they can focus on some other stuff, like making the team better

Not a ton of info in here, but a really interesting read.

it looks like he'll be out for at least the next two games..Steph is quoted as saying that he hasn't been pain-free since the Sac pre-season game, so I think there is an awareness that he needs to take enough time to restore the ankle before asking it to play in the NBA

Marcus Thompson with some interesting points, but this is what got my attention:

Jackson on Curry: "Gambling. He’s got to be smarter. You’re a key player and you pick up an early foul or two fouls and you have to make the adjustment. You can’t pick up another one, and he’s done that and it’s hurt us."

seems like Steph and Monta both have a history of making those stupid little reaching fouls. I think it was a broadcaster during halftime mentioned the importance of "making your fouls count"....that is, fine, Nash beat you, don't pick up a little tic-tac foul, give a good hard swipe right when the other guy gathers for his shot, make them worry a little about getting smacked hard on the hand - nothin dirty, just a good hard nose foul....Just like Jackson used to take

but I think Jackson may be starting to realize how far away this team is from being honestly considered as a playoff team

Looks like our boy Lin will be getting some time tonight!!
Knicks are in need at the point (their rookie hurt his knee last game, and only other PGs on their roster are BDiddy and Bibby)

I always liked him....thought he coulda been our poor man's Chuck Hayes
maybe the Rockets are thinking the same thing?

pretty solid endorsement from coach Jackson:
Said Jackson: "Klay Thompson will play right away," Jackson said. "He’s that good."

what do you say GSoM?
any early thoughts on Klay? (I haven't seen him play yet)

If you are like me, you need something to take your mind off of the "Big Splash" signing (I assume this is also Kwame's default new nickname)

here's my favorite from Jax,
"If I’m shot, I’ma get stitched and play the next game. I got hit by a car and played two days later."

Hard to tell how much of this is actual. I mean, no major trades leaves us squarely in the Jeff Foster FA price range

""What's the likelihood the roster will be near the same with some additions on opening day? Very likely," Riley said.
The statement seemed to indicate Jackson will be working with the same incomplete roster as Keith Smart."

yay
Warr-eeee-ors

audio of Spears breaking it down for about 17 minutes. Talks about next steps, timing, if it was fair that the players didn't actually ever get to vote on the proposed deal.

Guy sounds pretty depressed.

Talks about a discussion he had with Steph Curry (@around 13:15 mark). Essentially says that Steph estimated he would be ok financially for about a year and a half if the lockout continues.

Actually makes me real glad Reggie took the deal overseas...but makes me wonder about Udoh (recall that he recently got taken for over a quarter mil)

Another good point towards the end (right at the last minute) about the strong draft class that will be coming in and how they will take away some minutes from some of the older, marginal players. So, maybe Radmanovic just retired

Pretty much expected, but looks like the players are going to tell the owners to shove their most recent offer

"After meeting with player representatives of 29 of the NBA’s 30 teams, Players Association officials reiterated their refusal to accept the league’s latest labor proposal with the hope the sides can resume negotiations ahead of the owners’ Wednesday evening deadline."

well...there's no new basketball coming on, but for those of you burning cash on NBA TV, you at least get this!!

(from SF Gate)
NBA TV will air a 30-minute special entitled "Run TMC: The Power of Three" several times beginning next week. The initial airing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The program focuses on Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin, the former Golden State Warriors’ players who were collectively dubbed "Run TMC." During the early 1990s, they formed the highest-scoring trio in the NBA.

Not sure if this is old news among the BSOTS faithful, but I'm curious what you all think about this.

"I’ve been told a few times this summer that Grant Hill wants to join a contender, and that there’s mutual interest in Miami."

Is Grant Hill gone, and if he leaves, does that mean Steve goes too and the rebuild is officially on? Or do you think Sarver will clutch Nash till the last minute?
Out of all the guys in the NBA, I can't think of two dudes who I would rather have earn a ring next year than those two

West: love him, hate him?

Regardless though, big names tend to come with big egos...I still think West is a really nice addition to our front office.

Here's some excerpts for Tim's post:

"It’s incredible how many (or ALL?) the seminal figures in NBA history that West has competed with, competed furiously against, acquired or advised, from Chamberlain to Red Auerbach to Pat Riley to Magic Johnson to Michael Jordan to David Stern to Kobe Bryant and everyone else.

There are compelling anecdotes and stories about of these guys in this book, by the way.

* And I wonder if Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, who just brought West into the Warriors’ front office, understand the volcanic ups and downs that come with West–it sure will make things more interesting, and better, and more volcanic in there, that’s for sure."

Trying to Find Time by Cane Produced by Lou Burna

I like it (the song...not the lockout!)

pretty cool format, Jeremy is talking in the background
...also (spoiler alert), it appears as if he is good at ping pong

Pretty interesting!
I linked to another story awhile back about something similar, but this does look like a legit NBA-alternative (well...at least NBA talent).

Man, this lockout sucks

Dudley said the field of players will include Stephen Curry(notes), Chauncey Billups(notes), Al Harrington(notes), John Wall(notes), Zach Randolph(notes), Stephen Jackson(notes), Tayshaun Prince(notes), Jermaine O'Neal(notes), Austin Daye(notes), DeMar DeRozan(notes), Kyle Lowry(notes), Eric Maynor(notes) and J.J. Hickson(notes). Dudley said he is trying to recruit teammates Channing Frye(notes), Josh Childress(notes) and Aaron Brooks(notes) to also play in the officiated series.
"You get an actual game feel," Dudley said, comparing it to other summer leagues that don't have NBA big men. "Instead of having to finish in the lane against LeBron James(notes), I'll be finishing against Jermaine O'Neal."

This guy kinda reminded me of Reggie (or at least - I could imagine Reggie going through some of the same stuff)

After reading this, I now understand why a player owned (co-op) league would never work.

Nor can I imagine most NBA players embracing the overseas league lifestyle (unless they HAD to)

pretty good write-up from BDL...and remember that Randolph is NOT charged with any crime - sounds like he throws a helluva party though

Question: who would you rather have, David Lee, or Z Bo?

this story came out

and it got me to thinking, what if the NBA players formed a co-op league - where the players are the owners.

There is a long and illustrious history of worker cooperatives, but could it work? Could it replace the NBA?

The article concludes by saying that the Vegas league would not be able to replace nightly NBA hoops, but I kinda disagree. Since it doesn't look like the owners are going to budge much, it makes me wonder exactly how much pain the players are really willing to endure...

If you were Odom, and the owners proposal dropped your salary by 70% (from $8.9 million to $2.6 million next season, according to the article), I would think that you might honestly hesitate - I mean, how many games in an alternative league (I would assume the venues would be smaller) would it take for Odom to exceed earning of $2.6 million?

Not a ton of pics (only 16 of them)
but some really cool little tid bits of info in each caption

like this one:
"Feb. 20, 1963: Imagine you're playing against the Philadelphia or San Francisco Warriors between 1959 to 1965, and Wilt Chamberlain comes down the court. He's as tall as anyone you've ever seen, runs like a guard and the basketball looks like a grapefruit in his giant hand. In this photo, taken during Chamberlain's first season in San Francisco, the center ignores the futile swipes of Lakers Jim Krebs (32) and Rudy LaRusso (35) during a game at the Cow Palace. Chamberlain's worst year was in 1963-64, when he averaged a pedestrian 36.9 points. He was traded for three people I've never heard of a year later"

"The NBA filed two claims against the NBAPA on Tuesday— an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board and a lawsuit in federal district court in New York.

The NBA accused the players of being uncooperative in negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement by making "more than two dozen" threats to dissolve their union and sue the league under antitrust laws to secure more favorable terms in a new CBA"

The NBA’s lawsuit is essentially preventative legal medicine.

It seeks a declaration from the court that the lockout does not violate antitrust laws, in case the union breaks up to file an antitrust lawsuit. It also cites legal backing for the lockout itself, invoking Depression-era legislation known as the Norris-LaGuardia Act designed to prevent court intervention in a labor dispute.

Finally, the league’s lawsuit also makes an attempt to secure support for massive salary reform should the union dissolve. The NBA asked the court to declare that such a decertification would in turn void all existing player contracts because they’re guided by the union’s involvement in the old CBA. Without a union and a collective bargaining relationship, the league argued, the terms and conditions of those previously negotiated contracts would not apply.