Telling Tall Tales In The World of Basketball
OK so what is that makes Stephon Marbury feel that he’s still relevant in the sport of basketball ? It’s not as if his career was a storied one to begin with. Having played alongside future Hall of Famers Jason Kidd and Steve Nash the player who recently “tweeted” that he’d like to see the now retired Allen Iverson return to the court to join and play alongside him in China . Now pardon me for saying this but what have the Chinese done deserve such a fate ? Marbury’s NBA __ career hasn’t been a storied one and it failed to live up to the hype of the ‘once prodigious’ blacktop star.
For Iverson to even consider returning the court much less playing in China given the mayhem in his personal life would leave a great deal to be desired. In the midst of an acrimonious separation from his estranged wife. The player has a great deal on his plate to deal with much less forming something of an intriguing duo of he and Marbury playing professionally in China. If there’s a possibility I’d like to see Iverson remain retired and Marbury well let’s just say should he return to play professionally in China then hopefully he’s assigned to a team in outer Mongolia or another remote Chinese province !
==========================================================
===============================================================
Slide-show for your perusal.
Is there a chance that the triumph of team USA in the FIBA world championships will be truly appreciated ? What was achieved by coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff I for one don’t believe can be quantified and appreciated. With only Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom on this national squad with previous international experience. The team led by Kevin Durant went to Istanbul , Turkey and decisively won the world championships. Though they might’ve been favored one doubts that the team would go unbeaten throughout the tournament and beat the host nation with ease. In defeating Turkey team USA won the world championship for the first time since 1994 .
USA Basketball once again can consider itself atop of the basketball world internationally. And while no one can deny the truly astonishing feat of the team and the praise heaped upon tournament MVP Durant . One can’t but ask what now happens in the run-up to the Olympic Games in London , 2012 ? Major stars such as Dywane Wade , __ LeBron James , Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh were not participants in Ankara. And it has to be said that the players mentioned will be looking to be willing participants on the team that is an automatic qualifier for the London games. Now one might look at this venially, with the fact that such major stars as Wade and James will no doubt seen as automatic choices for the team which will once again be coached by Krzyzewski in what will be his last international tournament as a coach. In high anticipation of this I’ve no doubt that USA Director of Basketball Operations Jerry Colangelo will consult with his much revered coach as to what will be in the organization’s best interests as it relates to the tournament But given what we saw from these players who in many respects really dropped themselves from consideration from the world championship merely to pursue the multi-million dollar contracts of the NBA . I’ve got to ask will it be fair to the younger players who played with passion and pride for their country to be quite possibly left off the team for the Olympics ?
And the NBA itself isn’t without discord at present as the league hierarchy headed by David Stern and NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter are till trying to hammer out a comprehensive collective bargaining agreement in order to avoid what would be a disastrous labor dispute should that scenario arise. NBA Commissioner Stern has been reticent to discuss in public not only how the talks are progressing . Hunter for his part has stated that he’s willing to work in conjunction with the commissioner but only under the terms dictated by his members. On the face of this is simply about two groups of multi-millionaires not
wanting to give any leeway image wise by appearing to look weak.
Given the weak economy and the fact that a number of NBA teams aren’t exactly in a healthy financial state. One could ask the question what is it that Stern and the team owners have to hide ? Stern’s idiotic argument that the $250 million loaned to fifteen teams in 2009 in order curtail the =woes of those teams shows that for all of the grandiose statements made by the commissioner, all is not as it appears. But you’d be hard pressed to hear the majority of owners admit to the fact that their financial woes are as acute as we know them to be. The league itself lost in excess of $400 million in 2009 and is forecast to lose in excess of $500 millionor the 2010-11 season.Half a billion dollars in losses in an industry where revenues are in excess of $ 5 billion has to be a worrying picture for the NBA owners .
The the players’ union would like or us to believe that the owners have something to hide and aren’t being entirely honest as to their revenue streams and profits. And given that the league is a private enterprise and that their books have never been opened for public scrutiny it’s hard to know where the truth begins and where false claims come into play.
With the upcoming season but a few months away it remains to be seen what scenarios will arise in the NBA. Quite possibly before the season commences we could well see a major trade as rumors were rife that the Denver Nuggets were prepared to trade Carmelo Anthony in exchange for the Chicago Bulls’ center Joakim Noah. That move would bring immediate dividends for the Bulls should the trade take place and would make the team a serious contender within the Eastern Conference alongside the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. Anything that would make the conference all the more intriguing rather than being seen as a coronation in waiting for the Miami Heat.
Courtesy of ESPN & Associated Press
Nuggets focusing on Carmelo Anthony
DENVER — Now that the Denver Nuggets have their management team in place, they’re developing a strategy to keep All-Star Carmelo Anthony in powder blue and gold.
At his introductory news conference Tuesday, Masai Ujiri, the team’s new vice president of basketball operations, said he’s been in contact with Anthony and will meet with him soon.
The Nuggets offered Anthony a three-year, $65 million extension through 2014, but if he rejects it, the team will have to consider trading the forward who has guided them to seven straight playoff berths.
“I think I’m going to convince him to be a Nugget,” Ujiri said, smiling. “No, I don’t know, I can’t make a judgment on that. Like I said, it’s a process and until he tells me that … we want him back, the city wants him back, ownership wants him back.”
There have been hints that Anthony might be thinking about moving on: his mansion in the Denver area is on the market and at his New York wedding to TV personality LaLa Vazquez this summer, there was that now famous toast by New Orleans point guard Chris Paul about reuniting with Melo in Gotham to form a super-team along with Amare Stoudemire to counter the Miami Heat’s terrific trio.
Anthony has never come out and said he wanted to be traded, however.
At his basketball camp this summer, Anthony dismissed all the speculation of his impending departure from Denver: “I’ve been hearing that for five years. I’m a Denver Nugget. I’m here, I’m with the Nuggets. I don’t become a free agent until next year, if I decide not to take that extension.”
He said then that he was just taking his time making a decision.
=============================================================
Click on the above link shown to read the article in full.
=============================================================
======================================================================
======================================================================
Picture gallery for your perusal. By clicking on each frame you can see the picture in its original format.
What thoughts if any do you have on the achievements of Mike Krzyzewski being the first national coach to win the Olympic gold ,world championship gold as well as an NCAA national championship ? And how do you view the upcoming season in the NBA and how it will pan out for some of the teams ? By all means simply leave a comment and I’ll do my utmost to respond to your comments in a timely manner . Thanks as always for the continued support as it has always been appreciated !
Alan aka tophatal _ 🙂 * 🙂
=======================================
Model Jessica White . Who wouldn’t want to have a lick of her pineapple ?