Rumors & Gossip

Buzz Bissinger: Sports bloggers are ruining the world

Okay, I’m probably one of the last bloggers to chime in on this, but I’m the first to admit that I don’t spend a lot of my day reading about the blogosphere and its place in the world. I pretty much just watch the games and the news and provide my commentary. But this new […]

‘Melo, hire a driver!

Granted, it’s not nearly as big of a deal as last month’s DUI, but Carmelo Anthony just got a speeding ticket.
Police say Anthony was pulled over Saturday for driving 60 mph in a 45-mph zone.
Driving yourself around isn’t worth the bad pub, Carmelo. Hire yourself a driver, at least until this DUI runs its course.

Suns give D’Antoni permission to talk to other teams

The Suns have given head coach Mike D’Antoni permission to talk to the Bulls and Knicks about their head coaching vacancies.
So if even Suns management is now convinced that reconciling with its coach is no longer possible, giving D’Antoni an opportunity to find a new job might be the easiest way for Phoenix to move […]

Where do the Suns, Mavs and Nuggets go from here?

Watching the once-proud Suns and Mavs (and the not-so-proud Nuggets) lose their first round series with a combined 2-12 record, the opening lyrics from “Games People Play” (the ol’ Alan Parsons Project song) popped into my head. I realize I’m dating myself, but here they are:

Where do we go from here / now that all other children are growing up
And how do we spend our lives / if there’s no one to lend us a hand

I don’t wanna live here no more / I don’t wanna stay
Ain’t gonna spend the rest of my life / quietly fading away

So where do these three teams go from here?

THE SUNS

Bill Simmons just wrote a good, long piece about the downfall of the Suns where he discusses all the questionable moves that the organization made to get where they are now. I agree with most of what he says, except his claim that the Spurs were the better team in last year’s series with the Suns. (You know, the one where Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended for the crucial Game 6 in Phoenix when the Suns were up 3-2 and had a chance to put the Spurs away on their home court.) I firmly believe that the Suns would have won that game had Stoudemire and Diaw played, so I never liked their decision to trade Shawn Marion for Shaquille O’Neal (which Simmons defends). The funny thing is that suspension may have completely altered the NBA landscape. Teams around the league were starting to mimic the Suns’ breakneck offensive attack, but the perception after that series was that it wasn’t effective in the playoffs. If the Suns’ win the title that year, the overall pace of the league would have continued to rise.

(Read the rest after the jump.)

Correcting Bill Simmons, Part 2

Welcome to the second part of my infinite-part series, Correcting Bill Simmons. To find out why I started this series, feel free to read the first part. Simply stated - Bill Simmons is an entertaining writer, but sometimes he goes off the reservation and says something absurd.
I listened to my first Bill Simmons podcast today. […]

Durant edges Horford for ROY honors

The Seattle Times is reporting that Kevin Durant will win Rookie of the Year.
Kevin Durant, who led all first-year players in scoring, assists and free-throw percentage, will be named the NBA’s rookie of the year and become the first Sonics player to win the award.
Two league sources confirmed Durant outdistanced second-place finisher Al Horford, an […]

LeBron/DeShawn, Josh Howard, MIP and more

It’s kind of sad that the most compelling thing about the Cavs/Wizards series is all the drama surrounding the ongoing feud between LeBron James and DeShawn Stevenson, though I have to admit I love hearing clueless announcers describe the insult in LeBron’s comparison of DeShawn to Soulja Boy. Then Soulja Boy shows up and meets […]

Scott Skiles in as Bucks’ new coach?

This is still considered a “report,” which is journalist-speak for a “strong rumor,” but the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting that the Bucks are on the verge of naming Scott Skiles as their new head coach.
Continuing to make significant progress in their negotiations, the Milwaukee Bucks might be ready to name Scott Skiles their new coach […]

Bucks fire Krystkowiak

New Bucks GM John Hammond (formerly the VP of the Detroit Pistons) acted quickly in his first few days on the job and fired head coach Larry Krystkowiak.
Krystkowiak, who was named head coach on March 15, 2007, won 31 of 100 games with the Bucks.
The Bucks will immediately begin their search for a head coach. […]

Chad Johnson wants out of Cincy

After a few months of insinuations, Chad Johnson has officially asked to be traded.
Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson left no room for doubt Wednesday: He wants out of Cincinnati as fast as possible and he doesn’t plan on reporting for any future Bengal function — mandatory or voluntary.
“Nothing has changed from what I’ve been saying […]

Carmelo Anthony pulled over for DUI

The Denver Post is reporting that Nuggets’ forward Carmelo Anthony was “pulled over Sunday night on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.” He submitted to a blood test. The results won’t be known for two weeks.
(Sigh.)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: HIRE A DRIVER!
Carmelo, you have made $28 million in […]

Favre speculates about playing again

The LA Times is reporting that Brett Favre would consider returning to the Packers if the circumstances were right.
In his latest public comments, the star quarterback said he’s retired for now but also that he “very well could be enticed” to return to Green Bay under the right circumstances.
“I guess my best response would be, […]

Here comes Sammy!

The Boston Globe blog is reporting that Sam Cassell has agreed to buyout terms with the Clippers and expects to sign with Boston once he clears waivers.
Reportedly, Cassell has no problem backing up Rajon Rondo and the C’s have said that they are looking for a veteran point guard. It seems like it would be […]

Kidd headed to Dallas?

ESPN is reporting that a deal is in the works that would send Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks.
The deal — salvaged from talks on a three-way trade with Portland that developed and fizzled quickly two weeks ago — has Dallas sending 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, the expiring contracts of […]

The Rumor Mill (2/12)

Here are a few rumblings from around the league:
- Stan Van Gundy isn’t pleased with Dwight Howard’s recent play on defense. Van Gundy wants Howard to be more active in his help defense and be more of a force by blocking shots.
- Sam Cassell isn’t expecting the Clippers to buy him out or trade him […]

Jessica Simpson’s plan to destroy the Cowboys

The Onion is at it again.
Here’s an excerpt.
Speaking to reporters she had invited into her impenetrable subterranean Texas lair on Monday, Jessica Simpson gloated over the victory she recently achieved after nearly two years of using her personal charms, her unique brand of cunning, and every resource at her disposal to meticulously plot the downfall […]

Randolph to Bucks deal nixed?

Peter Vescey of The New York Post is reporting that Bucks’ GM Larry Harris apparently rejected a trade offer from the Knicks that would have sent Zach Randolph and Renaldo Balkman to Milwaukee for Charlie Villanueva, Bobby Simmons and Dan Gadzuric.
As far as I can determine, the word got out when Harris called his Trail […]

Cuban Lemonade

In a small Midwestern town, there are two kids with lemonade stands, across the street from each other. The kid on the northern side of the street wants to sell his stand. He’s had it for a long time, and he’s done well with it, but his lime-aid stand and chutney squishee stands are hemorrhaging money, so he decides to sell the lemonade stand to recoup his losses.

Two streets to the south, there’s a kid that sells grape juice. His stand is wildly successful, and while the kid is a little obnoxious, his customers love him because he wants to give them the best damn grape juice possible. The grape juice kid would love nothing more than to buy the lemonade stand that’s up for sale. He knows that he would be inheriting a loyal fan base that has wanted the lemonade stand owner to sell for years. The grape juice kid approaches the seller and expresses an interest in buying his stand.

Just then, the owner of the stand on the southern side of the street comes over.

“You can’t buy his stand,” he says.
“Why not?” asks the grape juice magnate.
“Because I don’t want you owning a lemonade stand,” he says.
“What do you care?”
“I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the rest of the lemonade stand owners.”

To read the rest of the conversation, click here.

The dumbest gym owner in the world

Everyone who follows the NBA knows that Ray Allen is a standup guy. He is consistently lauded for his work in the community and has acted as a diplomat for the league. David Stern often speaks fondly of his work. So when a story breaks about a suburban-Hartford fitness club owner confronting Allen after a […]

Cowher carousel starts

Let the Bill Cowher rumor brigade officially start. The first two 2007 Cowher rumors involve the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers.
Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis recently predicted Cowher would wind up in New York next year coaching the Giants:
Appearing on the NFL Network’s “Total Access,” Bettis said, “I really […]