Category: NBA (Page 168 of 595)

Politically Correct Sports Terms

Living With Balls put together a list of politically correct sports terms which mainly focuses on football and baseball. I thought I’d add a few that relate to basketball.

Project / Tremendous Upside

A term used in football for a raw quarterback or a player being converted to another position. In basketball, it usually pertains to a player that has very little skill but has all the natural athletic ability to be a star. However, most of the time, projects do not pan out.

The media might say something like: “Hasheem Thabeet is a project, but he’s 7′ 3″ and can play defense and rebound. It may take a while for him to contribute on the NBA level.”

Translation: “This guy can’t play a lick, but he’s SEVEN-FOOT-THREE! Did I mention that he was 7′ 3″? He’s SEVEN-FOOT-THREE! The Grizzlies can coach him up, right?”

Other example(s): Shawn Bradley, Hassan Whiteside, Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown, Robert Swift, Tyrus Thomas, Greg Oden, Anthony Randolph, Jordan Hill; anyone with more physical ability than actual skill

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LeBron: Cleveland “does have an edge” in signing him

LeBron James sat down for an interview with Larry King and CNN.com released a snippet of their conversation:

King: Do you lean at all toward the place you know the best? I mean do they have an edge going in…

JAMES: Oh, absolutely.

KING: …your home team?

JAMES: Absolutely. Because, you know, this city, these fans, I mean, have given me a lot in these seven years. And, you know, for me, it’s comfortable. So I’ve got a lot of memories here. And – and so it does have an edge.

Hmm. I was expecting LeBron to be a little more coy when answering a question like this to avoid giving false hope to his fans in Cleveland. But by saying — “absolutely…[Cleveland] does have an edge” — it will definitely raise hopes of Cavs fans everywhere.

The interview will air Friday night at 9 PM ET.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Maybe Vince Carter just doesn’t get it

Florida Today spoke with Carter about his disappointing series against the Celtics, and he said some troubling things.

Particularly telling was Game 4 of the Boston series, when the Magic were down 0-3. It was almost as if Carter had one foot on the court and the other on his summer vacation plans. How else do you explain ol’ Vince, whom the Magic brought in specifically for these situations, stepping up in a closeout game with only three points? Vinsanity? Indeed.

Put it this way, Hedo Turkoglu, the player Carter replaced on Orlando’s roster, stepped up in a deciding Game 7 against Boston last year with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Now that is clutch.

I twice asked Carter if he would evaluate his postseason performance.

“I don’t do that,” he said.

You don’t assess and evaluate your own performance? Really?

Carter shook his head.

“I don’t.”

When the Orlando Sentinel asked him about being dealt, this is what he had to say:

“I’m not worried about that. I know how the business works. I think I can stand on my body of work.”

So Carter doesn’t assess his performance after the playoffs and feels like he can stand on his “body of work,” which prior to this season did not include an appearance in the conference semifinals.

You would think that a 33-year-old eight-time All-Star who just shot 37% from the field and 21% from long range would be a little more thoughtful about his role in the Magic’s loss in the ECF.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Everyone waiting on LeBron?

Carlos Boozer thinks so, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“The summer is going to get kicked off in free agency wherever LeBron goes,” Boozer said. “Once he decides what he’s going to do for the rest of his career, it will be easy for the rest of us to figure out what we’re going to do.”

Since LeBron pretty much has his pick of teams, will he make his decision quickly so that free agency can get moving or will he hold the entire league hostage, basking in his own ego all of the attention?

I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the second-tier free agents — think David Lee or Rudy Gay — sign quickly if LeBron drags his feet and they’re made “an offer they can’t refuse” by a team that knows they’re not a player in the LeBron sweepstakes.

Side note: Does Boozer regret leaving Cleveland? Had he stayed, there’s a pretty good chance that the Cavs have a title by now…right?


Photo from fOTOGLIF

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