Basketball Notes by Alex

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Reliving Great NBA Moments: MIchael Jordan "The Shot"
2009-07-23 19:55:00
This shot is simply magical. Everyone has seen it once or twice, but I especially love the video I found of it. It gives you background into the plays before that shot and shows what happened before and after.I don't want people to talk about the next MJ. You have to realize that everyone is different, damn it! Just enjoy each player for what he is.Here's the video:
More About: Great , Michael , Jordan , Michael Jordan , Shot

Bryant Is Optimistic That Lamar Odom Will Return to the Lakers
2009-07-23 02:48:00
Josh Dhani is a weekly writer for NBATipoff.com. ESPN reports that Los Angels Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is very optimistic of his teammate Lamar Odom returning to the Purple and Yellow."I'm optimistic that he'll be back," Bryant told ESPN. "He makes us a much, much stronger team."It may tough for Odom to come back but, hey, who knows. He is receiving interest from the Miami Heat, and he may be moving to the Dallas Mavericks as well. Odom was a key role-player off the bench as he averaged an interesting twelve points and nine rebounds.With the recent loss of Trevor Ariza, the Lakers brought on Ron Artest, who also may be playing a role if there really is a departure of Lamar Odom. But according to Anthony Garciano of FootBasket, Odom is expected to come back to LA.But yet, if Odom doesn't stay, however, Josh Powell may be the man who has to step it up due to the fact that Artest will be playing at small forward. Or, the Lakers could put Andrew Bynum at center and Pau Gasol at p...
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The NBA Players That Would Kill On Ustream
2009-07-22 16:54:00
Last night Stephon Marbury had the world going crazy with his really entertaining Ustream show. I wasn't watching from the start, but when I jumped in, I felt like I was at home. This is where NBA players need to be. I love them on Twitter, but I really love them on Ustream. So who would kill on Ustream??Michael BeasleyI picked Beasley because he's already on Twitter and I think he'd tell crazy stories. The great thing about Marbury's show was how he would take a question and spin it in a way only he could. I think Beasley has those same skills. If you watch this interview, you see what I mean.He'd be funny, crazy and interactive. That's what makes an NBA Ustream'er worth while.Ron ArtestEveryone wants to see Ron Ron get on Ustream. I don't really have to explain why it would be golden. Remember his video blog? That was amazing itself. His Ustream would be like that, multiplied by a billion and blended with the awesomeness of Artestisum.Would he be high during his broadcasts...
More About: Players , Kill

Video: AI Talks To NBA TV
2009-07-22 05:30:00
Allen Iverson is currently unemployed and is looking for a team to be his suitor.Check out his recent interview with NBA TV:Embedded video from NBA Video Where do you all think he should go?

Clippers Deal Richardson... Again
2009-07-20 21:15:00
In a minor off-season deal, the Timberwolves have agreed to send Sebastian Telfair, Mark Madsen and Craig Smith to the Clippers for Quentin Richardson (from Yahoo! Sports). The first thing that came to mind when I heard about this deal is two NBA players on Twitter for one (in Minnesota's case)? What a bad social media trade-off, Wolves fans.On a more serious note, the Clipps add some more frontcourt guys and cap to their roster. I like Smith and Madsen is kind of a throw-in. Telfair just hasn't found his niche in the NBA yet. Maybe working under Baron Davis will be good for him? I'm not sure, but if he could score like he did in high school, the Clippers would have one hell of a steal. But I doubt that will happen.Q Rich must feel like a used trade throw-in. He was moved to Memphis, LA and now Minnesota. I'm just sorry that he lost the city of LA and got stuck in Sota'. All of these teams are lottery teams. But Richardson can provide outside shooting and some veteran leadershi...
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Top 4 Guys I Saw in Summer League
2009-07-20 16:59:00
Now that the Las Vegas Summer League has wrapped up, I figure I should do a post on what I saw. I watched some of the action, but not a ton. So don't crazy when I don't mention this guy or that guy, because I'm just talking about the games I saw!George Hill- SpursI am a big George Hill fan. I liked him last year, but he only saw limited minutes in the later parts of the season. With a more extended look at him, I upgrade my status to no-homo-basketball-related man crush. Over the summer, he improved his jump shot. He seemed really comfortable shooting off the dribble and at the free throw line.Next season, he's got to hope for a bigger role. Backing up Tony Parker, he still won't see tons of minutes. Hopefully Pop could try to fit in some time for him at the shooting guard spot. If he can get 15 minutes a game, that'd be a good start. He is a great piece and he's only 23.Johnny Flynn- TimberwolvesI wish I could have seen more of Flynn. When I did see him, I saw a small, but v...
More About: Guys

The Blazers Will Be Fine
2009-07-17 18:31:00
Just as everyone expected, the Jazz are matching the Blazers offer sheet to Paul Millsap. While adding Millsap or the Turkish version of MJ would have been great, Kevin Pritchard has still built a solid, very young squad. I know the Blazers will be fine in the long run.The Blazers were smart to try and bring in a big name this off-season. They wanted to show that they are willing and able to make big moves just like the other top tier teams have. It just so happens that they wanted to pounce on a market that just wasn't good enough. But, the real positive is that the money is still there for them to spend.Looking at their current cap situation, they still have enough money to do what's most important for their future. That's signing Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge to extensions. They will probably end up giving Roy a max contract, while I'm sure Aldridge will also get a hefty raise also.But even with the lower amount of money to be avaliable at hand, why can't they make some ...
More About: Fine

Talking Off-Season With Royce of Daily Thunder
2009-07-17 15:37:00
We've been interviewing team bloggers latley. Now we're talking to Royce of Daily Thunder . It's a great site about a really good up and coming team.1. The Thunder played in both the Vegas and Orlando summer leagues. Who impressed you? Obviously Russell Westbrook looked tremendous, but anyone else?In Orlando, Serge Ibaka was an absolute stud. He averaged 13 and four on almost 70 percent shooting and looked NBA ready, but his production has tailed off in Vegas. I think Shaun Livingston has looked almost completely healthy the last few weeks. He's moving extremely well side-to-side and looks like he has a lot of his quickness back. James Harden has lived up to expectation and at times both Kyle Weaver and D.J. White have looked really solid.2. I have also liked what I have seen from James Harden thus far. The only thing that looks really bad from him is his tendency to only go left. Have you seen that and how much of an issue could it be for him in his rookie season?You're absolut...
More About: Season , Talking

Video: Top 10 Buzzer Beaters of 2009
2009-07-17 05:03:00
One of the coolest moments in an NBA game are game winning shots at the buzzer. The NBA put together a nice top 10 of those shots from 2009. While I love #1, I don't know if I love it being that high. The Devin Harris shot was one of the most incredible of the bunch, by far.Here it is:
More About: Video , Buzzer Beaters

Talking Off-Season With Kyle of Truth About It
2009-07-16 20:27:00
We got a chance to interview Kyle of Truth About It. Make sure to check out his site to get your Wizards fix. Also follow him on Twitter.1. A while back, the Wizards picked up Randy Foye and Mike Miller for Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila and the fifth pick in the draft (now Ricky Rubio). What were your thoughts on this trade? Does this show the Wizards front office wants to win now rather than later?The Wizards are definitely in 'win-now' mode, or else they would have traded Antawn Jamison at the February '09 trade deadline in exchange for cap room and perhaps a mid-level prospect. Both Cleveland and Portland were said to be very interested. The Miller/Foye trade, which keeps Washington in luxury tax territory, further establishes the immediacy of the situation.Overall, I like the trade. The bench gets deeper. The offense, combined with the new system Flip Saunders will implement, gets much better. However, losing Darius Songaila (Ernie Grunfeld has been on rec...
More About: Season , Talking , Off Season

Who Makes More Sense For Miami: Boozer or Odom?
2009-07-16 16:45:00
There has been recent talk about the Miami Heat seeking out both Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer. I really think it's unlikely they could grab both of them. So which one makes the most sense for them?I have to pick Boozer. He's younger, easier to get and could get rid of some Heat players that are unwanted. Some would say he's harder to get because he's got one more year on his deal, while Odom is a free agent. I disagree. I think the cap going down and the overall pessimistic attitude to this free agent market makes for a much stronger chance of Odom staying in LA. Also, the Lakers don't want to make big changes after winning a title (they already changed small forward's with Ron Artest).Another thing Miami wants is more back to the basket scoring. I know Odom is very versatile at 6-10, but Boozer is a better scorer in the post and a banger down low. Boozer's a true big man. Odom is a hybrid guy who can work on the inside and out. Pat Riley has always liked bangers. He coached ...
More About: Sense

Talk Around the Hardwood
2009-07-15 20:46:00
Link time!!Sports Rubbish. Harry Potter Look-A-Likes In The Sports World. Funny stuff.Motown String Music. In case you didn't hear, Chris Bosh beat Charlie Villanueva to 50K followers.YouTube, via Truehoop. Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson freestyle for their coaches birthday.The Hoop Doctors. Is Big Baby worth a big contract?RealGM. Sounds like Big Ben won't be coming back to the Pistons.Knicker Blogger. Since it's the off-season, learn your advanced stats here.Ball in Europe. AI, these guys want you to come to Europe. That would be crazy.Third Quarter Collapse. Get ready, Magic fans, the new arena is starting to get there.Waiting For Next Year. Should the Cavs bring back Drew Gooden? The guys give their thoughts.
More About: Talk

Richard Jefferson Cancels Wedding, Probably Because She's a Nets Dancer
2009-07-15 18:58:00
Richard Jefferson decided to cancel his wedding at the last minutes. Not just any small wedding either, a two million dollar wedding.Details from RealGM:Jefferson's decision to break off the wedding to former Nets' dancer Kesha Ni'Cole Nichols was so last-minute that some of his oblivious friends had already shown up last Saturday at the swank Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle for the $2 million wedding that never happened.Come on RJ! If you're going to cancel a wedding, can you at least do it earlier so people don't show? That's really messed up.Anyway, how about a Spurs dancer now? This doesn't look half bad I must say.
More About: Wedding , Richard , Dancer

Video: Shaq Sings "Over the Edge"
2009-07-14 20:53:00
I was going to run this in a talk around the hardwood post, but I'm giving Shaq his own post for creativity.Check this out:Thanks to Basketball Buzz!
More About: Video , The Edge , Edge , Sings

Antoine Walker In Trouble For Not Paying Debts
2009-07-14 16:47:00
Come on Toine. I thought we said not to get in trouble anymore! Antoine Walker , who I thought was attempting to make an NBA comeback, is in trouble for not paying gambling debts.ESPN reports:Las Vegas prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint against Antoine Walker , claiming the former NBA star has not paid back $822,500 in gambling debts to three casinos, the Las Vegas Sun reported.Hopefully Toine can one day comeback. Until then, get out of trouble, my man!

Talk Around the Hardwood
2009-07-13 19:36:00
Anyone else having NBA withdrawal? Even though summer league is going strong, I want to see real NBA basketball right now. Guess I'll just have to wait a while longer. Let's link!Dallas Basketball. Marcin Donuts: 12 Things To Know About Gortat.TMZ (via NBA Playoffs 2009). Trevor Ariza parties on his 24th birthday. Here's also a photo gallery.Seattle Post-Intelligence. Jannero Pargo is officially a Bull.Miami Herald. Allen Iverson asked for the $5.8 million midlevel exception from the Heat in a one-year deal, but Miami has been reluctant to pay him much more than $2 million, if that. Iverson also is exploring Memphis and Charlotte, but Miami would be his preference if money is equal.Need For Sheed. Arron Afflalo dealt to the Nuggets for cap space.Project Spurs. Nice breakdown of the Spurs first game at the Las Vegas Summer League. George Hill and DeJuan Blair were great.Truehoop. I know you all read Truehoop, but their Summer League roundups are great. Check out this and day three...
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NBA Talk: The Impact of Shawn Marion in Dallas
2009-07-13 17:49:00
Josh Dhani is a weekly writer for NBATipoff.com.It was a blockbuster deal when four-team eight-player trade took place a couple of days ago. The star? The Dallas Mavericks and the superstar player we call Shawn Marion . It was a great deal. So now here we are, we have Marion in Dallas.How is everything going to turn out? Will Marion have success? What is his impact with the Mavericks? Whoa, cool down! I have everything for you! You all know what this is, this is the NBA Talk !So now we have this kid named Shawn Marion in a Dallas Mavericks uniform. It's all going good, but wait, it's going to get much much better. The Mavericks have also acquired guys like Marcin Gortat, Jason Kidd (in re-signing means), Greg Buckner, Kris Humphries, and Nathan Jawai.Although John Hollinger of ESPN says that Buckner may not be staying with Dallas, there is a possible chance of Brandon Bass. But hey, he may not be coming at all either, so they mainly just got Humphries, Jawai, Kidd, Gortat, and of co...

Video: Kobe Plays 14 Year Old At His Camp
2009-07-12 23:44:00
No, this video wasn't confiscated. LeBron didn't break into Kobe 's camp and steal the video of Kobe beating a 14 year old kid 5-0. I heard he also got dunked on, but that was also not confiscated.Sorry LeBron, but that wasn't all that cool. Check the video out:
More About: Video , Camp , Plays , Year

Chris Bosh vs. Charlie Villanueva: First to 50k Wins!
2009-07-11 16:47:00
Chris Bosh and Charlie Villanueva are having a friendly contest on twitter. The challenge is to get to 50,000 followers first. Whoever does will get to do a YouTube skit with the other player. Villanueva has decided to make Bosh do the Shane Marcado dance if he wins. Bosh is going to let his Twitter followers decide what Villanueva has to wear for the skit.This is a fun thing to do during the off-season. I'm pulling for Bosh to win. Why? Because Bosh is the current underdog, a better player and the overall more interactive, connected athlete.As I write this, Villanueva has a 227 lead in number of followers. Bosh has started to inch closer with live broadcasts and calls for retweets, etc., but he's still an underdog. As a Lakers fan, I don't normally go for the underdog, but this time I'm going for the underdog. I want to see the more active player win.I don't need to explain why Bosh is a better player. He is a legit All-Star and can do it all. Case and point.I want to give Bos...
More About: Chris , Wins

Video: Jordan Crawford on ESPN
2009-07-09 21:26:00
This whole LeBron got dunked on thing is crazy. All I want to say about it is LeBron's people are just afraid of the truth. I could easily go an some rant filled with cuss words and all, but this whole thing is just not worth it. This situation has been really blown up and I can tell it's the off-season because of it. It is bad for LeBron, though.Anyway, here's the video of Jordan Crawford on ESPN talking about it:
More About: Video , Espn

Talking Off-Season With Drew of Peachtree Hoops
2009-07-08 03:08:00
Drew took some time to talk with us about the Hawks. Make sure you check out Peachtree Hoops . It's a great Hawks blog.1. This is from the Basketball Fiend (also see their blog): Who is a bigger free agent priority? Marvin Williams? Or Mike Bibby (written before he re-signed)?Now that Mike Bibby is signed, I am going with Marvin. Sorry I am a slacker so that this question can be answered..2. Do you think Mike Woodson can be the coach of a title winning Hawks team? I myself haven't loved him as coach and question if he's the right coach to lead them to bigger and better places.Who is asking this question and where can I find their optimism? Just to answer it as a hypothetical makes me feel better about the Hawks. Most people would mock me for even bringing up the idea that the Hawks are only a piece away from contending let alone winning.But in my wildest dreams where I suspend all kinds of reality (like the fact that the Cavs and Lakers exist) not even Mike Woodson can make it int...
More About: Season , Talking , Drew , Off Season

Poll: Which Team Has Improved the Most So Far?
2009-07-07 17:51:00
We've already seen some big moves made this off-season. The Shaq trade, the Richard Jefferson trade and the Vince Carter trade. Question is, which team has improved the most so far this off-season?Vote:Which team has improved the most this off-season?(polls)Also leave your thoughts on why in the comments!
More About: Poll , Team

Where to Watch the Orlando Pro Summer League
2009-07-06 19:15:00
It's the off-season, but there is still some basketball to watch. The Orlando Pro Summer League starts today. Starting at 3pm Eastern (here's the schedule for the whole league), all the games will be streamed on the Orlando Magic's website.While this level of basketball is no where near the level of regular season action, at least it's something. I know I will watch a little and see what I think.What are you doing without any basketball to watch?
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Talking Off-Season With Nick of Boston Celtics News Station
2009-07-03 17:52:00
Making the team blogging rounds, we're now talking Celtics. We have Nick Gelso of Boston Celtics News Station . An up and coming C's blog you are going to have check out.1. Lots of elite Eastern conference teams have made big moves recently. The Cavs got Shaq and the Magic got Vince Carter. What if anything do the Celtics need to do to keep up with the other title contending teams in the East?I believe Boston has almost completely slipped under the radar of the media and key opponents. The Cavs acquired Mo Williams last season to combat the Celtics. Though that playoff match up never materialised, Mo Williams was a no factor against the Magic in the EC Finals. This season the Cavs brought in Shaq to combat Dwight Howard.While Cleveland has spent the last two off seasons on the defensive, this year prepping for an Orlando rematch, Boston has been developing their current roster, resting and regrouping for another title run. In my opinion, the Celtics starting line up has the league...
More About: Season , Talking

Talking Off-Season with Howlin' T-Wolf
2009-07-03 16:24:00
The Timberwolves have been in the news a ton lately. Maybe you have heard. We got a chance to talk to the Howlin' T-Wolf about his team. Also make sure you check out his site, just a tremendous blog.1. This whole Ricky Rubio stuff is crazy. You take him with the fifth pick in the draft, he doesn't show up to meet the press in Minnesota, he's totally unsure on if he'll play with the Wolves or overseas next year (written before it was reported he will be in Spain for two years). Give us the latest on this whole situation and predict where you think Rubio will be playing next year.The Ricky Rubio situation can only be described as a poker game or a chess match. The latest is that Rubio was said to have flown into town with his dad this past Saturday with a meeting with Kahn. Although there was no official confirmation of this both Timberwolves beat writers as well as a source I have with the organization pointed to this being true. The sounds of silence afterward (no confirmation, ...
More About: Season , Talking , Off Season

Video: Ron Artest on Sportscenter
2009-07-03 06:04:00
Ron Artest decided he would hoodalize ESPN.Enjoy:
More About: Video , Sportscenter , Ron Artest

Video: Greg Ostertag, the Retired Life
2009-07-02 21:12:00
Remember Greg Ostertag? The big dude that used to play for the Jazz. Well, he was recently profiled in a local news story. He's now a playing hockey. At 7 feet, he's one hell of a tall hockey player.Anyway, check this out:
More About: Video , Life

Talk Around the Hardwood
2009-07-02 20:40:00
You wanna do some linkage? I do!TwinCities. According El Periodico, Ricky Rubio will stay in Spain not one, but two years.Talk Hoops. Zach tackles the signings of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. What are the Pistons doing?With Leather. I'm sure you saw this yesterday, but this is one crazy LeBron fan/collector.The Hoop Doctors. So Ricky Rubio gets a second in a Gillette spot. Catch the video and some of their thoughts on it.Hardwood Paroxysm. Let's just say that Matt Moore "doesn't like" that the Grizz traded for Zach Randolph.Bob's Blitz. That hilarioius pic that Shaq showed today at his Cavs introduction presser. lolNot a lot going on today. We'll see if anything comes about later today.

Twitter: Where Ron Artest Updates His Free Agency Status
2009-07-02 04:12:00
With all the NBA players on Twitter , some of them let you know more than others. Ron Artest pretty much said to all of his followers that he will not be returning to the Houston Rockets next season.Check out this tweet from 96TruWarierQB (Ron Artest's name on Twitter):How scared are you, Rockets fans?
More About: Agency , Free , Updates , Status

Remembering Great Moments in NBA History: The 0.4 Shot
2009-07-02 03:30:00
Since the world hates me, there currently is no NBA action for me to sink my teeth into. Because of that, I think we all might as well remember great shots and great moments from this glorious game.The Derek Fisher shot with 0.4 left. As a Lakers fan, I get some goosebumps watching this again. One of the best game winners I have ever seen. Will we see more shots like this? All I can do is hope so. That's what makes you smile and say, I just watched one hell of a game. It's what NBA fans live for.Let me shut up and roll the video:What moments do you want remembered here? Post them in the comments!
More About: History , Great , Shot , Moments , Remembering