A bunch of us decided to put our heads together on the year in sports and have some fun, in spite of all of the dark days, with what the world of sports has taught us, what we already knew, and what we have yet to learn. You can find the link here:
Enjoy, and let us know if we missed anything.
Earlier this week, Ron Artest said that he wants to be traded and specified the Knicks as a team he’d like to play for. His main problem is his lack of involvement on the offensive end.
“I’m so demanding of the ball. It’s not my fault,” he said. “Every time somebody is on me it’s a mismatch. It messes up the offense. I like Coach (Carlisle) as a person, but I don’t like playing for Coach. I like my team, though.”
I love the line, “I’m so demanding of the ball. It’s not my fault.” If it’s not his fault that he’s so demanding, then who exactly is to blame?
Artest is second on the team in shot attempts (14.8) and points (19.4 ppg).
ESPN SportsNation wants us to vote for whom we’d like to see on Team USA. Here’s who I’d pick, assuming a three-year commitment culminating with the ’08 Olympic Games. Remember, the best teams aren’t necessarily made up with the best players. I think these twelve guys would fit in pretty well together.
Point Guards
Jason Kidd, Nets
Last year, it was a disaster with Marbury running the show. Kidd would be the key to Team USA’s success, smoothly distributing the ball to the open player on every play but still able to shoot the ball well enough to be a threat from the international 3-point line.
Chris Paul, Hornets
Lightning quick and already the front-runner for Rookie of the Year honors, Paul is a pass-first PG who can still score, and wouldn’t mind sitting behind Kidd.
Shooting Guards
Ray Allen, Sonics
Allen is a fantastic shooter and with the focus on the other players, he would get a ton of open looks. The international three point line is like a layup for Ray Ray.
Michael Redd, Bucks
Redd is one of the best shooters in the world and has a better mid-range game than Ray Allen. He would kill at the international three-point line and provide Team USA with a deadly outside threat. He and Allen would split time and whoever has the hot hand would get the minutes in crunch time.
Small Forwards
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Coach K would be able to get Kobe to work within the team concept if it meant a gold medal. He would also be the #1 option in an end-of-game scenario where the team would need a score.
LeBron James, Cavs
King James would have to agree to come off the bench in order to make the squad, but I think Coach K could convince him to do so. On the second unit, he and Redd would give us a glimpse of what could have happened in Cleveland this season.
Power Forwards
Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves
The consummate pro, Garnett is a reluctant superstar that would rather set teammates up than score himself. This is a bad matchup for any international 4-man, even Dirk Nowitzki.
Elton Brand, Clippers
I love Brand. Another guy who gives maximum effort every night, he would provide the inside scoring for the second unit and also has a pretty good jumper to boot.
Centers
Tim Duncan, Spurs
Duncan would anchor the middle for the first unit, providing points, rebounds, assists and blocks.
Brad Miller, Kings
Another guy who can handle the ball and hit the mid-range jumper, Miller is a team player and would fit in well with the second unit.
Utility
Dwayne Wade, Heat
This pick is a little risky – would Wade accept a role this far down the bench? He’s a combo guard that can provide more scoring at the point or more penetration at the two. If it looks like he’s going to grumble about minutes, I’d go with Ben Wallace instead.
Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
Ron Artest is too much of a wild card and Prince has a better mid-range game than Bruce Bowen, so Tayshaun gets the nod as the team’s defensive specialist. He’s the guy you bring in to lock down the other team’s best perimeter player if he gets off to a good start.
According to the Miami Herald Heat center Shaquille O’Neal may return to the lineup as early as Sunday. O’Neal has missed more than a month after spraining his ankle against the Indiana Pacers on November 3rd. Miami has really missed their center, but is fortunate to still be first in the Southeast with a 10-9 record.
Fantasy impact: Alonzo Mourning has been great in O’Neal’s abscence and should continue to contribute for a few more games as Shaq gets back in shape. Once O’Neal is playing his normal minutes, Mourning will be regulated back to 15-20 minutes a game and will probably not be worth a roster spot in most leagues.
Jose Calderon was signed by the Toronto Raptors this offseason after spending the last six seasons in the Spanish pro leagues. He was recently inserted into the starting lineup and, over the last six games, has averaged 8.3 points, 7.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals, while shooting .479 from the field.
Go get him.
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