The Perpetual NBA Thread

[BlueBimmer]

ahahahahha :rofl:

[theveed]

1994 Wade... hmmm

[theveed]

Green-Thread Retreads?
By RANDY KIM,
AOL
Posted: 2007-08-09 16:26:11
Filed Under: NBA
Before hearing the news that the Celtics were interested in resuscitating soon-to-be 42-year-old Reggie Miller's career, I had already begun compiling a list of recently retired players that Danny Ainge should consider signing to help shore up Boston's bench in 2007-08.

Oddly enough, Miller wasn't on it.

Reggie Miller scored over 25,000 points and hit over 2,500 3-pointers over his 18-year career in Indiana. Will he add to those numbers in Boston at the age of 42?
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I just figured that Big Game Reg' was too old-school to even entertain the thought of returning after all the sentimental hoopla surrounding his retirement in 2005. I was wrong. It turns out that even the most principled players find it hard to resist the lure of the game given the right circumstances (a good thing for this column).

So, with Miller's potential comeback in mind, here are some other former greats that Ainge should at least consider reaching out to this summer. Some make sense, while, admittedly, some are far-fetched. But if 40-somethings like Dikembe Mutombo and Kevin Willis are still floating around the league, then there's no reason to think any of these guys couldn't dust off the high-tops and contribute to the cause in Beantown next season.

Doug Christie
This one makes perfect sense. The Celtics need a pass-first, defensive presence at point guard, and Christie is a ballhawk nonpareil - even at the age of 37 - who has ample experience running the point from his days in Toronto and Sacramento. Moreover, Christie played seven games for the Clippers last season so he's still in game shape, and he's jonesing to get back in the league (maybe if only to get time away from his domineering wife) so chances are he'd come cheap. Danny, do your job and ring up the Great Whipped Hope, stat.

Vlade Divac
Vlade the Body might be set to officially retire on Sept. 22, but Ainge should consider calling Serbia to see if he has any interest in donning a green jersey for a season or two. Sounds crazy? Well, here are some reasons why it isn't: Divac played as recently as 2005; big men age well and Divac is only 39 years old; Divac's game was never predicated on athleticism (so a lost step won't mean much); Divac's low-post passing and underrated interior defense would be the perfect complements to KG's rangy style of play; and (most importantly) Divac smoked while playing in the NBA, so if rumors that he quit are true, then chances are he's actually in better shape now than he was while with the Kings.

Penny Hardaway
Hardaway isn't quite as strong an option as Christie, but his size and experience could make him a solid backcourt option off the bench. Penny's also always been an underrated defender, so there's no reason to think he couldn't contribute in a manner similar to how Ron Harper and Brian Shaw chipped in with the Lakers during their most recent title runs.

Karl Malone
According to reports, Ainge has tried to recruit Malone in the past, so there's a slight chance that he could already be on Boston's radar. And while the Mailman might be 44, if he's out in the wild hunting Alaskan grizzly bears, then his wobbly right knee has to be pretty much back to full strength, right? Maybe that's a stretch, but if Kevin Willis is still a threat to make a roster at close to 45, then why not the Mailman? Malone could still be a factor on the glass, his defense on the blocks has never been questioned, and he'd probably push his own grandmother out of the way if it meant getting him within sniffing distance of that elusive ring.

Scottie Pippen
The soon-to-be 42-year-old Pippen was reportedly almost talked out of retirement by Phil Jackson as recently as last season, so chances are he's still in decent shape. But the risk isn't whether Pippen could contribute off the bench (his long arms and athleticism will always make him a factor defensively), it's whether he'd disrupt team chemistry. If he's willing to swallow his pride and accept a vastly diminished role, then he might be someone Ainge should consider.

Latrell Sprewell
Having averaged 12.8 points and 30.6 minutes per game as recently as the '04-05 season, Spree is arguably the most intriguing player on this list. He's only 37, and he never officially retired, so chances are he's still interested in getting back on the floor. Plus, KG did a decent job of keeping the headstrong Sprewell in line while they were teammates in Minnesota, so concerns about his impact on team chemistry should at least be slightly diminished. With his size and defensive prowess, the thought of Spree sucking it up and running the point for Boston is extremely tantalizing.

Nick Van Exel
The thought of Van Exel at point guard isn't nearly as intriguing given that Boston recently added Eddie House to its roster, and if Danny Ainge successfully brings Reggie Miller out of retirement, then there's absolutely no need for yet another gunner in Beantown. But Van Exel is more of a pure point guard than House, he thrives in pressure situations, and he doesn't turn 36 until late November, so he's at least worth considering as a backcourt substitute.

Keith Van Horn
Having walked away from a cushy role with a contending Dallas squad after the '05-06 season, it would seem that Van Horn's desire to continue playing has all but entirely dissipated. But if Ainge can talk KVH into returning to the hardwood after taking last season off, then the 31-year-old forward could wind up being a valuable frontcourt contributor for the Celtics. His rare combination of size, skill and shooting would really be a boost for Boston, whether off the bench or as a starter. Still in their 30's, Van Horn, Christie and Sprewell are the only guys that could potentially provide 20-plus minutes a game for Boston next season ... without the aid of a walker.

2007 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[theveed]

Nash Looks to Hone Skills on Soccer Field

It was easy to tell who the sports fans were in Central Park on Tuesday afternoon. They were the ones doing double takes, pulling out their camera phones and snapping photographs of two top professional athletes who were nudging soccer balls around in the grass.

From playing pickup with U.S. soccer star Claudio Reyna to heading to England for Premier League matches, Nash is a devoted soccer fanatic.

Steve Nash, a two-time most valuable player in the N.B.A., and Claudio Reyna, once a mainstay on the United States national soccer team, were warming up for what was supposed to be a pickup soccer game in the Sheep Meadow between one of Nash’s recreational-league teams and several players for the Red Bulls, Reyna’s professional squad in Major League Soccer.

Nash spends most of the year running the point for the Phoenix Suns, but in the off-season, he can be found playing soccer in rec leagues in New York.

“It’s better for me than just running lines,” he said. “I don’t want to play a lot of basketball until September’s over or I’ll burn myself out. I just shoot, work out and play soccer.”

But not in the Sheep Meadow. The 15-acre patch of grass is for passive recreation only, park officials said as they shut down the game Tuesday between Nash’s team and the Red Bulls players before it started. Employees of the Central Park Conservancy established that the group did not have a permit, then asked the soccer players to remove their cleats — “there is a reason the turf is in such nice shape,” one of them said.

That prompted vigorous but futile protests from Nash’s team, Promotion Factory, which is composed almost entirely of Italian transplants.

“Soccer is not loved,” shouted one player from Nash’s team, winning a round of laughing cheers from his teammates.

“They are always trying to contain it,” said another, insisting that the incident illustrated why soccer was not more popular in the United States.

To appease the park officials, the match was moved to a nearby patch of dirt. But concern about the potential for injury on such the surface led a Red Bulls official to forbid the players from participating. Reyna and his teammates stood by and watched as Nash’s team split into two groups and played on their own.

Standing on the sideline with his children, Reyna, who was captain of the United States national team in last summer’s World Cup, said Nash was an excellent soccer player.

“He’s got the vision like on the court,” Reyna said. “When you have vision in soccer, you can connect the pass. It’s the same idea. You can see that from playing basketball, and also from growing up playing soccer, he understands the game.”

Soccer was Nash’s first love — he said his first word as an infant was goal. His father played professionally in South Africa and England, his sister was the captain of her university team, and his younger brother, Martin, has played on Canada’s national team.

“I think my dad, more than anything, gave me the passion,” Nash said later, in a telephone interview Tuesday night. “I remember sitting on the steps waiting for him to come home, and we’d be playing in the backyard before he even had his tie off.”

Nash’s other recreational team plays in an eight-a-side league at Pier 40, in a league populated by college friends trying to stay in touch and desk-job dreamers trying to stay in shape. Nash’s team wears T-shirts adorned with the name Phebe’s, a bar and grill on the Bowery where they sometimes adjourn for postgame camaraderie.

“At Pier 40, it’s better because everyone’s there for our league,” Nash said. “There’s not a lot of people around. I can just be one of the guys.”

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At a game there in June, the Phebe’s team beat a group of Cornell graduates, 8-4. Jeremy Freyer, the opposing squad’s goalkeeper in that match, said he initially was not aware that one of the N.B.A.’s biggest stars was in the game.

“I didn’t even realize it was him until it was the second half and he scored a couple goals on me,” Freyer said. “It made me feel a little better.”

Nash travels to Europe occasionally to attend soccer matches; he said he followed the English Premier League the closest — particularly his favorite team, Tottenham Hotspur.

“The atmosphere is electrifying,” Nash said of England’s top league. “The pace is great, with the fans singing along. They demand a passionate performance. The fans are right on top of the players. Anyone who’s ever had a chance to go to a premiership knows there’s nothing like it.”

Certainly not Central Park, where the only fans who watched Nash’s entire pickup game were his wife, Alejandra, and his twin daughters.

By the end, Alejandra seemed excited to leave. As Nash grinned and shook hands with his teammates, she said, “The one time I come to one of these games, it’s just three hours of eating dust.”

[zidane21]

matatalo pa rin yan ser, isang bentang referee lang katapat nyan! tignan nyo po nangyari sa suns this season!

[baiskee]

matatalo pa rin yan ser, isang bentang referee lang katapat nyan! tignan nyo po nangyari sa suns this season!

pwede pa ring manalo...kausapin nila yung ref na sa kanila pumusta. :lol:

[ssaloon]

Bibby still in trade rumors...

Kings point guard Mike Bibby's name continues to show up in trade rumors and could end up in Miami, an NBA official said.
The Heat would reportedly send Jason Williams back to his former team, but whether they would move Udonis Haslem is unknown. The Kings already have three solid power forwards on their roster with the addition of Mikki Moore, but Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim could end up going to Miami in such a deal.

[mazdamazda]

Injury update!

Bosh Leaves Team USA With Injury
August 15, 2007 - 5:22 pm
Globe And Mail -
Toronto forward Chris Bosh withdrew from U.S. training camp Wednesday because of a left foot injury.

Bosh has plantar fasciitis and will not play in the FIBA Americas tournament that starts next week, USA Basketball spokesman Craig Miller said.

The 6-foot-10, 230-pound Bosh will remain on the team and under consideration for a spot if the Americans qualify for the 2008 Olympics. His withdrawal leaves the Americans with 15 players

[Eismann]

Injury update!

Dwight Howard should be on his way to his first fiba.
Can't wait to watch next Sunday....US-Canada at 3am

[tsupermario]

frustrated kobe is going to visit manila!

NBA All-star guard Kobe Bryant will launch his five-city tour of Asia on September 5.

Organized by NIKE, the Bryant bandwagon will make stops in Manila, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.