Second-year guard Goran Dragic opened some eyes with an amazing performance against the Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semis, and he had another good game against the Lakers in Game 4, featuring this whirling-dervish layup.
I wonder if it would be better to say you just got Goran’ed!
The Boston Celtics are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief, as Kendrick Perkins will be eligible to play in Game 6. One of the two technicals he received in Game 5 was rescinded, so the seventh-year center will be in the C’s starting lineup as usual. NBC Sports comments:
We have no idea how the league decided which technical to rescind, as both appeared to be pretty bad calls. This is obviously great news for the Celtics, who are still going to have to deal with injuries to Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis, as well as worry about Perkins picking up another tech or two in Game 6.
If Perkins does pick up another technical and it’s not rescinded, then he will be suspended for the following game, so he has to be careful.
This is a symptom of a bigger problem in the NBA — the constant complaining. Some players spend more time barking at the refs than they do focusing on the game, and every time a call doesn’t go their way, they react like a petulant two-year old.
Getting all pissed off and complaining about a call doesn’t do anyone any good. The official isn’t going to change his call and an emotional response is only going to end badly. Basketball is an emotional game and the amount of pressure is immense, but players have to learn to keep their composure. If they have a problem with a call, they need to go over to the ref in a calm manner (after he’s spoken with the scorer’s table) and ask him what he saw. Most officials will explain the call when addressed in this way.
Officials are human too, and they don’t need their calls constantly questioned. And they certainly don’t need to be shown up by grown men throwing temper tantrums every time a call doesn’t go their way.
That said, Perkins did walk away on his second technical, and he should be allowed to vent some frustration as long as it’s not directed at the official in question.
From a series standpoint, this news is big for the Celtics, who desperately need Perkins to defend Dwight Howard down low. He’s strong enough to keep Howard out of the lane and often forces Orlando’s superstar into long, contested shots from the post.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
An informant has told police that Zach Randolph is a major marijuana supplier in Indianapolis. 6News has the story, but thanks to Black Sports Online for the find.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a trusted police informant identified Memphis Grizzlies player Zach Randolph as a major marijuana supplier in Indianapolis, 6News’ Jack Rinehart reported.
Narcotics officers were staking out a suspected drug house on Indianapolis’ north side two weeks ago when they pulled over Arthur Boyd, 32, soon after he left the residence, near 75th Street and Binford Avenue, police said.
According to the affidavit, the Cadillac Escalade that Boyd was driving was registered to Randolph, and police found marijuana and ammunition stowed inside.
“One of his vehicles had what we call hidden compartments that contained suspected narcotics, that being marijuana,” said Lt. Jeff Duhamell.
Based on information found in the Escalade, police later raided a northeast side storage facility, where they said Randolph rents four lockers.
According to the affidavit, a police K-9 alerted to controlled substances in two of the four units, and police found more cars with secret compartments inside.
At this point, it appears that the police have some circumstantial evidence and the word of an informant. While it is troubling that vehicles and lockers owned by Randolph contained illegal substances, it is possible that he wasn’t aware of what’s going on. It’s not likely, but it’s possible.
Either way, it’s a dumb thing to do. If you’re going to buy one of your buddies a gift, just give it to him — don’t keep ownership of the vehicle. And why does Randolph rent four lockers in Indianapolis? And if he was aware of what was going on, or is/was involved in a drug ring, what is he thinking? He’s a professional basketball player and makes millions and millions of dollars every season. Why would he moonlight as a drug dealer?
Randolph’s attorney says that his client isn’t involved in any drug ring and is very upset about this news because he has worked hard to repair his image. Aside from a drunk driving arrest in 2009, Randolph has cleaned up his act in recent years after a long history of trouble with the law:
Randolph has a long criminal history. He was convicted of battery and sentenced to house arrest in 1997, and spent time in a juvenile detention center in 1999 for selling a stolen gun.
Three years later, he was arrested on charges of underage drinking, and faced charges in Portland after police said they could smell marijuana coming from his car.
A few weeks ago, Randolph insisted that he deserved Pau Gasol-type money, and this latest stint of trouble is obviously going to make that kind of extension a long shot at best.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Anyone outside of his entourage who claims to know what LeBron is going to do is being disingenuous. He loves the fact that he’s the center of attention even though the playoffs are still in full swing. He often speaks of July 1 in grandiose terms and that’s because, like most superstars, he has a very high opinion of himself.
That said, I found myself rooting for the Celtics in their series with the Cavs because as a writer, Cleveland’s early exit throws LeBron’s future to the wind. He could land any number of places.
Though the LeBron Tracker makes me a little nauseous, I thought I’d take a stab at handicapping where King James might end up. I’ll include the six teams that ESPN deemed worthy of making the top banner and add the Mavs for good measure. For each team, I’ll outline why he’d sign and why he wouldn’t. I’ll also rank (on a scale of 1-10) how he fits from a personnel standpoint.
In terms of fit, I look to the last few premier wings who have broken through and won at least one title as the best player on their team. I’m talking about Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade and Michael Jordan. What do they have in common? Kobe, Pierce and Wade all played with top notch big men — Gasol, Garnett and Shaq, respectively — while Jordan had Scottie Pippen. In other words, they all got to play with another All-NBA (Top 15) caliber player when they won their title.
They also enjoyed good coaching. Jordan and Kobe had Phil Jackson, Wade had Pat Riley and Doc Rivers did a great job of coaching the ’08 Celtics. They were also all surrounded by good shooters who could make teams pay for double-teaming their respective superstar.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the major players in line for LeBron’s services and try to handicap their chances of signing the league’s most valuable player.
CAVS (25%)
Why he’ll sign: Loyalty, comfort, familiarity. He’s from the area and he doesn’t want to leave town after an early postseason exit, as it would effectively destroy basketball in the city of Cleveland. Shaq will be gone and there’s an opportunity for an upgrade at head coach.
Why he won’t sign: Too much baggage. The franchise has had seven years to build around him and they’ve made just one Finals appearance. Suspect flexibility with the roster.
Fit: 5/10 The Cavs have a pretty good shooter at power forward (Antawn Jamison) and a good shooter at point guard (Mo Williams), but neither player is even average on defense. There are a lot of solid-to-good players on the roster, but no one approaches the Top 15 sidekick that helped the aforementioned wings win their titles. It’s tough to find that kind of player via trade, but that’s how Gasol, Garnett and Shaq came to play for the Lakers, Celtics and Heat. Cap-wise, if they re-sign LeBron, they won’t have any cap space to speak of until the summer of 2012 when Jamison’s salary is off the books.
In an ESPN report that is mostly dedicated to Dwyane Wade’s declaration that he’s going to talk about his future with LeBron James and Joe Johnson — yes, Joe Johnson — Wade discusses the loyalty of the Miami Heat and how that loyalty compares favorably to the Chicago Bulls.
“I think the biggest question that you think about has to be loyalty,” Wade told the Tribune. “I know one thing about Miami: It is a very loyal organization. I see what they do with their players when their players get done with the game of basketball . . . how loyal they are. I don’t know about the Bulls.”
In particular, Wade questions why Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who led the Bulls to six NBA championships, are no longer with the organization.
“I see Michael Jordan is not there, Scottie Pippen is not there . . . You know, these guys are not a part,” Wade told the Tribune. “Things like that. So that is probably one of the biggest things for me, because I am a very loyal person.”
Original source: Chicago Tribune
Regarding Joe Johnson, I would have expected “Chris Bosh” or “Amare Stoudemire,” not the Hawks’ wing. Johnson is 6’7″ and could play small forward if necessary, so I guess he could fit alongside Wade somewhere. It doesn’t seem ideal, however.
To me, the bit about loyalty is the bigger news, as it seems that Wade’s #1 issue is loyalty, and the Bulls haven’t shown much to its stars over the years. We already had an inkling that Wade was going to stay put in Miami, and barring a meeting with LeBron or Chris Bosh in New York, it still seems like that’s the case.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
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