Daily Basketball
NBA and NCAA blogging on an occasionally daily basis
Archive for January, 2007
January 26, 2007 at 2:05 pm · Filed under NBA
For those who haven’t kept track, Gilbert Arenas vowed to get revenge from his Team USA snub by putting up huge numbers against the USA Basketball coaches. After scoring 54 points against Mike D’Antoni’s Phoenix Suns and vowing to come after the Portland Trailblazers, Arenas figured he could score “84 or 85 points” against Coach Mike Krzyewski’s team if he could return to college and play Duke.
Arenas snuck past Vince Carter by a microscopic amount of votes to become a first-time starter for the East in next month’s All-Star game. Arenas earned the second guard spot by 3,010 votes — the closest vote for a spot since 1990.
Vince Carter has appeared in many trade rumors lately, but the deal likely won’t send him to Los Angeles to join the Clippers. The LA Times reported that Clippers officials have confirmed that they attempted to make a trade, but the New Jersey Nets didn’t want to part with Jason Kidd or Carter.
The San Antonio Spurs may not be the favorite to make a championship run this season, but head coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t think a trade is the answer. Though the team may make some minor roster moves as the deadline approaches, don’t expect to see any extreme moves.
Forbes rank the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers as the highest valued teams in the NBA, with each team having a value over $500 million. The link also includes
January 20, 2007 at 5:38 pm · Filed under NBA
Baron Davis won’t be on the court for the the first game with his new teammates. Davis received a one-game suspension for taking a swing at the Los Angeles Clippers‘ Quinton Ross.
Davis’ new teammates, you ask? With the trade deadline coming in just a few weeks, teams are having more serious discussions about acquiring players. The Golden State Warriors traded will now have more of a Don Nelson-inspired look with their trade for Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell. The Indiana Pacers received Mike Dunleavy Jr., Troy Murphy, Keith McLeod, and Ike Diogu. Chemistry will be the issue for the Warriors, while the Pacers may be looking to trade Jermaine O’Neal.
Nazr Mohammed says he has backed off his request to be traded, but several other teams have started talking with the Detroit Pistons about acquiring the disgruntled center. The Warriors look like a front runner for a deal.
The Pistons have some growing heat between coach Flip Saunders and Rasheed Wallace. Saunders and Wallace have tried to quiet any arguments, though Wallace took the opportunity to confront and harass ESPN reporter Chris Sheridan, who first reported “a growing note of discord and disharmony” on the team.
The Charlotte Bobcats are talking about a trade for the Clippers’ Corey Maggette. The budget-conscious Bobcats publicly acknowledge an interest, and mentioned a Toronto Raptors first-round pick could be a part of any deal.
January 13, 2007 at 11:32 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
It may have taken a Ron Lewis three-pointer as the clock expired, but Greg Oden helped lead the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes over #16 Tennessee. Ohio State has struggled with ranked opponents, and it showed for much of the game as neither team was able to take a commanding lead.
Greg Oden, who still shoots free throws left-handed while recovering from an injury, had little difficult scoring against the shorter Volunteers. Oden shot 9-13 from the field and made all six of his free throws. He also had four assists, a steal, and three blocks.
After being released by the Philadelphia Sixers, Chris Webber is still deciding between several teams he’d like to sign with. One of the leading options, his hometown Detroit Pistons, could bring back memories of his infamous NCAA timeout.
(Former?) Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley had successful hip surgery, though there’s no timetable set for his return to the team. The Heat have faired well without him, winning there fourth straight — all on the road.
To the disappoint of his billion-plus fans in China, Yao Ming won’t be participating in this year’s All-Star game. A likely consensus starter for the rest of his career, Yao must first recover from injury and may not even begin serious rehab until February.
NBA official Rodney Mott was suspended for three games after providing the fans with profane and obscene gestures. Sure, the officials take a lot of heat from players and fans, but shouldn’t the officials be required to leave their emotion in the locker room as well?
January 1, 2007 at 3:40 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
Fiery head coach Bob Knight almost failed to win his 880th game for the second time, but has now passed Dean Smith on the all-time Division Ivictories list. Texas A&M held a large against New Mexico before blowing the lead and barely escaped by a score of 70-68. Still, “the General” and friends in attendance were glad to get the extra hoopla out of the way.
Knight may not have to worry about the attention from the record since his name has been closer associated with throwing chairs and slapping players, but many of the people who have worked with Knight regarded the growing experience a good one. During a tribute to the coach, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said, “You are the best there’s ever been. I’m so glad you’ve been my mentor, you’ve been my coach and you’ve been my friend.”
The NBA has now returned to the old leather ball, which will be used for the rest of the season. Spalding and the NBA plan on creating a new composite ball, this time with more input from the players. Tony Parker admitted to liking the old “new ball,” as the complaints coming from players now are because of the mid-season change.
The Los Angeles Clippers still want to trade Corey Maggette, but the rumored Ron Artest trade isn’t going to happen. The San Antonio Spurs are interested, and the Utah Jazz may be as well though the team hasn’t made any public statement. The Jazz, who have a huge hole at shooting guard, signed Maggette to an offer sheet a couple summers ago that was matched by the Clippers.
Gilbertology.net has a couple contests for visitors. For those interested in winning an XXL Gilbert Arenas jersey, the contest ends in two days so make sure you visit the site soon. Gilbertology (”the study of great promise”) features many interesting posts about the league’s Agent Zero.
