The tragedy of Allen Iverson
He seems totally unprepared for his greatest challenge: life. (SBNation.com) From the second the NBA left Allen Iverson, I wondered what in the world he would do without basketball. It seems “paying his bills” wasn’t on his to-do list. The gumshoes at TMZ say Iverson’s bank account has been garnished to pay an exorbitant jewelry bill. Per American custom, that’s brought out snickers and finger wagging. Iverson made over $150 million, according to basketball-reference.com. Now, he’s 36-years-old and can’t even come up with the money to pay for bling he’s too old to wear. People laugh when rich folks struggle. In this case, I see two levels of tragedy. There’s the predictability of it all. Even the best…
WOW! See Blake Griffin’s amazing dunk
Video: Blake Griffin dunk over Kendrick Perkins needs to be seen to be believed LA Clippers beat OKC Thunder 112-100 but Griffin slam is highlight (NYDN) Blake Griffin is pretty athletic. Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins learned that first-hand Monday night. In the Clippers’ 112-100 victory over OKC, Griffin added another highlight dunk to his ever-expanding reel. Taking a Chris Paul pass off a pick and roll, Griffin went up from just outside the paint on the left side. He went to floor 13 and left Perkins at 8. And, by the way, he got the foul. Twitter went crazy after ‘Blake Superior‘ threw the hammer down. Even the King himself, LeBron James tweeted about the slam. And if you remember, James had a…
Howard breaks free throw record in 40-20 game
OAKLAND, CALIF. (AP) With Dwight Howard getting fouled in record-setting fashion, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy finally just sat back in his chair and stopped barking out orders. He walked into the huddle during a timeout early in the first half Thursday night, and his assistants started bombarding him with the usual play-calling suggestions. Van Gundy could only laugh. ”I’m looking at them like, `We’re not going to run a play. He’s going to foul him,”’ Van Gundy said. ”What are we going to bother with diagraming a play? Make the free throw, play some defense.” That about summed up this historic night. Howard broke Wilt Chamberlain’s nearly 50-year-old NBA record for most free throw attempts in a game,…
Howard trade rumors swirl around Amar’e
NY Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire now linked to Orlando Magic as Dwight Howard trade winds swirl (NYDN) Amar’e Stoudemire used to lead the Knicks in scoring. Now he leads them in most intriguing trade scenarios. Stoudemire, whose name surfaced last month in reports involving Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, is also being mentioned as a possible partner in a trade to Orlando for Dwight Howard. “I don’t worry about that stuff,” Stoudemire said on Monday. AMAR’E, KNICKS GET BACK AT BOBCATS Howard reiterated to the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday that his goal is to play in a large market and has identified the Lakers, Mavs and soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets as prospects. The Knicks would make sense except for the…
Rookie Cole saves Heat win over Celtics
(FoxSports) MIAMI — In the waning seconds Tuesday night, fans chanted “MVP” as a Miami Heat player stood at the foul line. So another great game by LeBron James? Well, he played well. But try another guy. OK, so it was Dwyane Wade’s night to shine? Not exactly. Chris Bosh? Nope. It was Norris Cole hearing the adulation from the crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena. And for those casual fans who want to quickly go to Google to find out who Cole is, feel free. Cole, a rookie point guard from Cleveland State, made the two biggest shots of Miami’s 115-107 win over Boston. He scored six of his team’s final seven points and had 14 of…
Why Black People Will Fight for Air Jordans
Air Jordans are more than a sneaker to some blacks (theGRIO) DETROIT - Since its debut in 1985, the Nike Air Jordan sneakers have been more than a basketball shoe in the black community. They have become everything from a fashion accessory to a status symbol. “Jordans came out as a rebel sneaker,” said Jason Johnson, a shoe expert and owner of Bob’s Classic Kicks in downtown Detroit. “They were banned from the NBA because of the color. It came in as a rebel. Over the years, (Jordan) changed the whole game.” When Nike debuted the red and black Air Jordan shoes during Michael Jordan’s rookie year in 1985, the league fined him $5,000. Nike paid the fines because of…
Carmelo Leads Knicks to Christmas Comeback Win
Carmelo Anthony leads Knicks to comeback win over Boston Celtics in Christmas Day opener (NYDN) Knicks 106, Celtics 104 The eight minutes Carmelo Anthony spent idling on the bench in the third quarter on Sunday felt as long as the eight months he had waited for another shot at the Boston Celtics. In actual time, it was probably closer to 25 minutes that Anthony was forced to sit down with four fouls and watch his teammates blow a big lead. Without him, the Knicks looked lost at both ends of the court. But with the season opener slipping away to a team that was without its leading scorer, the Knicks turned to their best player to save Christmas….
Dwight Howard formally requests trade from Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – When Magic star Dwight Howard signed a contract extension in 2007, he joked that he and Mickey Mouse would be in Orlando forever. Now Howard wants out, putting one of the NBA’s most dominant big men on the block at the start of training camp. Howard acknowledged for the first time Saturday that he has formally requested a trade. It came a day after the team granted New Jersey, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers permission to talk to Howard’s agent, Dan Fegan, about possible deals. The All-Star center is eligible to opt out of his current contract in July 2012. Wearing a retro Magic hat, Howard spent a stoic half-hour explaining his…
Stoudemire may sit tight during shortened season
Amar’e Stoudemire admits grueling NBA schedule may force him to miss games for NY Knicks this season (NYDN) Amar’e Stoudemire has a body that would blow away the competition at Muscle Beach, but one that could easily be compromised by the NBA’s grueling 66-game season over four months. Stoudemire even admitted on Wednesday that he could envision a scenario in which he sits out certain games for the Knicks at various points of the season to preserve his troublesome knees for the playoffs. “Yeah, you never know depending on how these games go,” Stoudemire said following Wednesday’s practice in Greenburgh. “It may be smart to take a recovery day depending on who we’re playing. But we have…
Clippers get Chris Paul in big trade with Hornets
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Chris Paul will supply the Los Angeles Clippers with so much more than alley-oop passes to Blake Griffin when he arrives in Hollywood on Thursday night. A bold trade for New Orleans’ superstar point guard on Wednesday just might alter the entire sports world’s perception of the Clippers. After managing just six winning seasons in their first 41 years of existence, the bumbling Clippers suddenly look slick and scintillating after swinging arguably the biggest trade in franchise history, giving them two of the NBA’s elite players and a capable supporting cast. Outfoxing the Lakers and thrilling their long-suffering fans, Los Angeles on Wednesday traded high-scoring guard Eric Gordon, former All-Star center Chris Kaman,…
