Category: Rumors & Gossip (Page 81 of 225)

      Tony Parker is happy in San Antonio

      May 13, 2010 /

      Yesterday, Frank Isola of the Daily News said that Tony Parker wants to play for the Knicks.

      With Donnie Walsh in the market for a point guard, there are reports that San Antonio would consider trading Tony Parker, who lost his starting job to Hill and has told close friends he and his actress wife, Eva Longoria, would love to relocate to New York.

      Only Parker says the he wants to stay put. (Insider subscription required.)

      Parker read the report and called it “even worse than the paparazzi”. He also reiterated for the second time that he wants to stay with the Spurs long-term.

      “Again, I want to make it clear: I want to stay in San Antonio,” Parker told the San Antonio Express-News. “My heart is in San Antonio. But it doesn’t seem to matter what I say. The rumors get worse and worse, and as I go through my free-agent year, I know there will be even more.”

      “I’m happy in San Antonio,” Parker added. “My wife and I are very happy. I built my home base here, so why wouldn’t I want to be here?”

      Four things are fueling this speculation right now: 1) the Knicks desperately need a point guard, 2) Spurs didn’t play well against the Suns, 3) Parker had an up and down year, due to injury, and 4) George Hill is a very capable guard that could step in if Parker were moved.

      In the end, I don’t think Parker will be traded. If he doesn’t sign an extension, the Spurs can keep him until February of 2011 before they have to move him to get something for him in return.


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      Where do the Hawks go from here?

      May 12, 2010 /

      After a pretty nice show of backbone in Game 6 and Game 7 of Atlanta’s first round series against the less talented but far gritter Bucks, the Hawks were absolutely drilled by the Magic. The Hawks lost the four games by an average of 25 points, including a 43-point loss in Game 1 and a 30-point loss (at home) in Game 3.

      Why am I dwelling on the series? Because it’s a good indicator of just how far the Hawks still have to go to be true contenders in the East.

      While it’s true that the franchise has increased its win total in each of the last six seasons, it just doesn’t seem like this team is anywhere near contention. Complicating matters, the Hawks’ most steady player, Joe Johnson, is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

      Complicating matters further, Johnson has not endeared himself to Hawks fans over the past week or two. After a pretty nice first round (21-5-6) against Milwaukee, Johnson posted just 13-5-4 and shot under 30% against the Magic. That’s not the kind of performance that will convince a team to sign him to a max contract. Moreover, he’ll be 29 at the start of free agency, so one wonders if his best years are already behind him. He was outplayed by a 33-year-old Vince Carter, if that’s any indication.

      Johnson is one of those players, not unlike Michael Redd a few years ago with the Bucks, who is not a “max” guy yet will command a maximum contract. I’ve said this over and over — just because a player is the best that a franchise has, it does not make him a franchise player.

      The problem the Hawks face is that Johnson will be able to walk this summer with no compensation. He maybe willing to work out a sign-and-trade with his new team, but just like Chris Bosh, why would he agree to lower the talent level of his new team when he can sign with several teams outright?

      Either way, between his performance against the Magic and his recently sour relationship with the fans, it does not seem like Johnson is long for Atlanta. Another issue is what to do with Mike Woodson, who has guided the team during its ascension.

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      Tiger on the road to divorce?

      May 11, 2010 /

      I guess this still qualifies as news…

      TMZ has learned Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren are trying to strike agreements on child custody and division of assets … and then quietly and quickly file divorce papers to end their marriage.

      Boy, this came from out of left field. Wait, no it didn’t. Did anyone really think that the couple would put Tiger’s infidelity behind them and stay married?

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      Where do the Spurs go from here?

      May 10, 2010 /

      San Antonio played pretty well down the stretch this season, winning 17 of its last 25 games in March and April. (That’s a 56-win pace, by the way.) The Spurs looked sharp in their first round series against the Mavs, but looked old and slow as they were swept by the Suns.

      It’s going to be interesting to see how the Spurs approach this offseason. They just signed Manu Ginobili to an extension, and Tim Duncan is signed for two more seasons, so Tony Parker may be the player most likely to be moved. He has one more year on his contract at the tune of $13.7 million and at just 27, he’s in the prime of his career. George Hill could take over the full-time point guard duties, if necessary.

      Trading Parker would be a big shift in direction from a personnel standpoint. San Antonio’s Big Three — Ginobili, Parker and Duncan — have been together for eight seasons and three titles, but they haven’t reached the Finals in the last three tries and haven’t made it out of the semis in the last two years. This begs the question — how big of a change are the Spurs willing to make?

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      Ron Artest vs. Phil Jackson

      May 8, 2010 /

      Per ESPN…

      Late Thursday night, Artest’s account posted a string of tweets expressing frustration with Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

      The first unedited tweet, posted around 9 p.m. PT, read: “Finally Phil Jackson didn’t mention me in media before talking me Now I can build on game 2. Hopefully he talks to me before the media.”

      The next unedited tweet, posted approximately an hour later, read: “Ever since phil mention things about me in media before coming to me first I was weird . So every pray he can somehow close his yapper.”

      Artest’s brother claimed that the account was hacked, but when a reporter paraphrased the tweets and asked Artest about it, he said:

      “No, no, you have to read it exactly. That’s exactly what I said? If you can’t get it exact, then I can’t answer it.”

      “I’m here to talk about basketball, basketball, all basketball,” Artest said. “Twitter is for my fans, not for [media].”

      For his part, Jackson says that he spoke directly to Artest about the issue at hand — his terrible three-point shooting.

      “So, you know, we expect him to break out of it at some point, but he’s got to be discriminative in what’s a good shot and what isn’t.”

      Jackson, who described Artest as a “naïve, innocent lamb” during the first-round series against Oklahoma City said, “I guess he might be a little sensitive,” on Friday.

      “I usually tell the truth,” Jackson said of his thought process behind commenting about his players to the media. “I usually don’t pull punches, so, I mean, a person has to withstand that. If they’re hearing it on TV in front of a massive audience, they must understand that their coach saying it to them will be probably a little bit more harmful, a little more hurtful perhaps. They have to be tough enough to take that and move on.”

      Jackson tweaks, he doesn’t tweet. He relishes needling everyone — players, coaches, officials — through the media, though I doubt he’s ever run into someone like Ron Artest. The Zen Master should tread carefully.


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