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

NBA Talk: What Can Houston Do with the Great Wall of China?
2009-07-01 06:20:00
Josh Dhani is a weekly writer for NBATipoff.com. With Yao Ming's injury, he may stay with Houston and the injury will heal so he can start playing again...or the injury will take a huge impact on his NBA career which would force him to leave and there'll never be a taller basketball player that's actually pretty good like Ming himself ever again.Is it possible that the Rockets can survive with the Great Wall of China gone for good? Possibly. With some plans I have seen from John Hollinger of ESPN and some plans I have come up with, there is a bright light of hope that can make the Rockets a hungry-playoff team coming into next season.This is the talk, the NBA Talk that is.The Rockets have battled with injuries many times. Mostly with their two superstars in Ming and Tracy McGrady. When T-Mac and Ming were out in the 2006-2007 season but they made the playoffs, eventually losing in the first round.In the 2007-2008 season, the Rockets looked like an NBA Finals team even with Yao Mi...
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Eddy Curry's Mansion in Foreclosure
2009-07-01 00:11:00
Can things get any worse for Eddy Curry? He's been bound and robbed, had important people in his life die and has been an utter failure on the professional basketball circuit.I can't help but feel sorry for him and Knicks fans. Maybe he'll come in next year and be in half way decent shape? That's all you can really hope for.Here are some numbers on the whole debacle from ESPN:Documents show that Curry was more than $217,000 behind on his $3.7 million mortgage as of Friday. Records reviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times show that Curry and his wife, Patrice, took the 30-year mortgage out in July 2003 to buy the home. A court filing says the Currys' initial interest rate on the home loan was 9.25 percent with a monthly payment of $28,675.Ouch. Help a Knick out, people!
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Michael Curry Fired
2009-06-30 19:30:00
Yahoo! is reporting that Michael Curry was fired as head coach of the Detroit Pistons. My quick analysis: AMEN!I did like him going into the season, but as the season progressed, I didn't like how he handled the team. So I am happy with the move, but I want to see where the go from here. That's all I need to say at this point.Who do you guys think is going to be the next Pistons coach? Pistons fans, how happy are you about this??
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Talking Off-Season With Jeff of Project Spurs
2009-06-30 16:46:00
We are talking to lots of team bloggers and getting their takes on what their squads will be doing in the off-season. Now we have Jeff of the great Spurs blog, Project Spurs. Make sure to check them out and stay up to date on everything Spurs.1. Let's first talk about the Spurs big trade. Getting Richard Jefferson for Obricio and some other old guys, how happy did that make you feel? How close were to you writing that the Spurs front office really wasn't doing their job?So happy I packed Oberto's bag, got him a 1-way ticket to Milwaukee and lied to the Dept. of Homeland Security that he is illegally in the USA and needs to be deported immediately to Argentina. Said to Bowen thanks for everything, see you at your jersey retirement party in SA and asked Thomas "Can we get you back instead of Oberto and Bowen?" That's how happy I was. Seriously the Spurs lacked that athletic small forward. It was very apparent in the Mavs series when Howard was having his way with the Spurs. This w...
More About: Season , Talking

Talking Off-Season With: A Royal Pain
2009-06-29 21:29:00
We got a chance to talk with Bryan of A Royal Pain . He writes a tremendous Kings blog, so make sure you check it out. Also check out his other site, Kings Forum.1. Looking at your draft review, I see you were one of the guys that wanted the Kings to select Ricky Rubio. Tell us what you do and don't like about what you got and if you'd still deal Kevin Martin for Rubio.I think a lot of people were more shocked than upset at the selection of Tyreke Evans, including myself. I watched Evans at Memphis quite a bit and thought he'd be a really nice player in the league, but, I still think we made a mistake passing on Rubio. The way the Kings roster is built, guys like Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, and Kevin Martin all need to be set up for shots and that's something Rubio could have done with ease. Despite what a lot of people are saying, I really don't view Evans as a point guard even with his great ball handling skills but his ability to break down defenders one on one is a welcom...
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Talk Around The Hardwood
2009-06-29 20:36:00
Link time baby!The Scores Report. The top restricted free agents for this summer.Dime Mag. Episode six of Johnny Flynn's draft diary, he takes you through most of draft day.Waiting For Next Year. New Shaq Cavs jerseys, anyone?Examiner. Great little look at the upcoming LeBron movie, More Than a Game. It's coming out October 2nd.Bullets Forever. A little talk about the potential of Andray Blatche.Rockin' Steady. The last chapter of Stephen A. Smith draft heckling. Have your tissues prepared!The Hoop Doctors. Kobe Bryant talks to MTV about how Michael Jackson influenced his life (his time stops at 2:30 in the video).Yahoo! Sports. Things don't sound great for Yao Ming and Rockets fans.Basketball Fiend. Looking for a basketball fix? Check this out, the Fiend talks about Gunnin' For That #1 Spot, a basketball documentary you can watch free on Hulu.
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Remembering Great Moments in NBA History: McGrady Scores 13 points in 35 se
2009-06-28 22:48:00
Since it's the off-season, it's time to start remembering and reflecting on great moments in NBA history.I remember watching TMac light the Spurs up in the final half minute plus. It is really a breathtaking moment and something I want to remember forever.Here it is:What other moments should we highlight?
More About: History , Great , Moments , Points , Remembering

Shoe of The Week: adidas Forum Mid Red White
2009-06-28 22:26:00
Disclaimer: I'm no full on sneaker head, but every week we're gettin our shoe on here! Each week I'll pick a shoe that I like, basketball, or normal. Get your new leather smell ready!How about some not too flashy, but overall nice shoes? That's how I would describe these adidas kicks. They are pretty nice overall, but they probably aren't going to make everyones head turn. They would go great with tons of NBA gear. I'm thinking of the Rockets, Blazers and Clippers.Here's a description from Kix and The City:Built to the original Forum spec, the Red/White adidas Forum features a Red upper with White accents. True Forum purists will also notice that the Trefoil on the heel that appeared on the newer Forums has been removed to keep it more OG.These are going to be released in select adidas accounts starting in July. Look for them!Any shoes catch your eye of late?
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Assessing the Recent Blockbuster Trades
2009-06-26 18:48:00
Being that I have been kind of quite with all the recent trades going on, it's time to get loud! I wanted to let all the deals happen and now that they have, I'll give my thoughts!Timberwolves get:No. 5 overall pick (Ricky Rubio)Etan ThomasDarius SongailaOleksiy PecherovWizards get:Mike MillerRandy FoyeRight now, the obvious winner of this deal is Washington. They trade four guys that don't do a ton for them (though Songaila is a solid back up) and get two proven backcourt players. If Ricky Rubio decides not to stay in Spain, he'll have a shot to prove himself.Even if he does prove to be a good player, the Wizards now have a sure fire backcourt. There will be someone their if Gilbert Arenas still isn't healthy. If Gilbert is finally healthy, then they've built some very solid depth with Foye and Miller.Foye can penetrate in and make things happen. He's somewhat inconsistent, but he had a pretty good year last season. Hopefully he thrives in Washington. Billiups did well under...
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