Category: Rumors & Gossip (Page 92 of 225)

      Player X discusses NBA groupies

      March 25, 2010 /

      ESPN The Magazine has been running an interesting feature where an unnamed professional athlete writes candidly about his sport. It started with the NFL and now they’re featuring an unnamed NBA player. Here is what he had to say about NBA groupies (Insider subscription required):

      Not that long ago, The Mag’s NFL Player X (whoever he is) estimated that 30 percent of married NFL players cheat on their wives. I was surprised to hear it was that low. In the NBA, I think it’s closer to 60 percent.

      Trades have been arranged because one woman is involved with two guys on the same team. That’s what happened in Dallas some years ago. And right now I know of one girl who is dating two NBA players. One makes her car payments, and the other pays her rent. They don’t know about each other, but they do share a money manager who’s writing both checks. It’s bound to blow up at some point.

      As for the married guys, it’s not that hard for a groupie to get with one of them, either. They’re like regular dudes in corporate America who travel a lot, except they have more money and more opportunities to cheat. They don’t get caught because they keep it on the road, calling their wives all the time to check in.

      In fact, I would guess that 50 percent of NBA wives actually started out as groupies. And a lot of those women are realistic about the scene their spouses are in. They take a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach. They will say something like, “Don’t embarrass me by getting caught.” It’s not that they like the situation, but they understand the circumstances. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that they were in those same clubs looking to get with a professional athlete, no matter how many tries it took.

      The player goes on to wonder why players get married at all, and uses Derek Jeter as example of a player who can pretty much do whatever he wants because he’s single. It’s surprising that more players don’t go that route, though I’d guess that it can be tough to extricate yourself from a relationship that started before you hit the big time.

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip, Women

      Did the Lakers make a mistake signing Artest instead of Ariza?

      March 24, 2010 /

      Even Ron Artest himself says (via Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times) that Ariza was a better fit…and a better player.

      “He’s a better player than me,” Artest said Tuesday.

      But Ron-Ron, nobody ever said he was better, we just said he was a better fit.

      “He’s a better player,” Artest repeated emphatically. “He’s won a ring, I haven’t. I can’t even compare to him. He’s a better player.”

      Artest also agrees, incidentally, with the part about Ariza being a better fit.

      “He probably is,” Artest said. “He’s a role player, a great role player. I haven’t been a role player. Many times I’ve had to carry the load, this is a different look for me.”

      I don’t know about you, but I sense a little sarcasm there. Later, Artest talked about how “unbelievable” his defense has been:

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      LeBron, Wade and Bosh all under the same umbrella

      March 24, 2010 /

      The 2010 NBA free agency period promises to be one of the most exciting in history as several of the league’s best players — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson, to name a few — could change zip codes. It looks like the “Big Three” (LeBron, Wade and Bosh) may be able to share information as the decisions are being made. All three will be represented by Creative Artists Agency.

      Henry Thomas, the Chicago-based agent for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, joined forces with Leon Rose, the agent for LeBron James, at Creative Artists Agency.

      In a move that the parties involved have attempted to portray as unrelated, William Wesley — the ubiquitous “World Wide Wes” — will be joining the coaches’ division at CAA. Wesley, one of the most connected and influential men in basketball due to his ties to James, Kentucky coach John Calipari and essentially every tentacle of the game, will go from being unofficially powerful to officially powerful in the next 2-3 months, according to a source familiar with his plans.

      What does all of this mean? Simply put, the top three NBA free agents are all under the same representation umbrella — an advantage that will allow them to freely share information about what will be a dizzying, unpredictable free-agent signing period.

      Another interesting note from the article is that Toronto did offer Chris Bosh and extension, but he declined.

      Some have suggested that all three could land in New York, if they were willing to take a cut in guaranteed salary and think big, in terms of championships and endorsements. The chances of three players in their prime leaving approximately $25 million to $30 million on the table isn’t likely, but it’s possible, especially since all three are in essentially the same camp. I’d like to think that LeBron, Wade and Bosh could be that pragmatic — because, on the whole, NYC would be the best long-term situation in terms of overall money and legacy — but I’m still skeptical.

      However, the fact that the three superstars are good friends and, at this point, still mostly ring-less, makes the whole idea intriguing. It can only help that all three are represented by the same agency.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Shaq in ‘better shape’ now

      March 22, 2010 /

      Brian Windhorst of Cleveland.com reports that Shaquille O’Neal appears to be in better shape now than when he first injured his hand.

      He wasn’t on a scale, but to the naked eye he appears to have lost weight since he went down with the injury just about a month ago.

      When he left to go to Florida after the surgery he was telling teammates that he’d not just be back before the end of the regular season, but that he’d be in better shape when he comes back than went he left.

      Nothing can prepare anyone for playing in real games and it will probably take a while for him to get some rhythm when he does return. But if there were any concerns about O’Neal letting himself go because he’s not playing, take it from me — it appears to have been quite the opposite.

      When we learned that O’Neal was going to miss significant time due to thumb surgery, his overall conditioning was a huge concern, no pun intended. While cardio-vascular conditioning is different from overall weight, it’s a lot easier to get back into playing shape if you’re not carrying around 10-20 lbs of extra weight. And it appears that Shaq has been serious about his conditioning while he’s been injured.

      If true, this is a big boost for the Cavs’ title hopes (and chances of retaining LeBron this summer).


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Pros Go Broke, And So Can You

      March 22, 2010 /

      What do former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, NFL Hall-of-Fame Quarterback, Johnny Unitas and MLB Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Rollie Fingers, all have in common? They went from riches to rags. Our imaginations are staggered by the amount of money professional athletes are paid to play in the big leagues. More mind boggling is that, in spite of the millions of dollars these big names raked in during their rich careers, they have all managed to end up empty-handed.

      Why do we have so many famous athletes who have gone broke? For some of them, the exercising of poor judgment with regards to financial decisions is to blame. Others may have suffered career-ending injuries before they bothered to think about saving any of that fast cash for an early retirement. Still other athletes go through messy divorces and wind up losing lots of their assets to ex-spouses and their children. Even financially solvent athletes still playing in the game today are not beyond the grip of poverty. Some of them are already spending next season’s salary.

      While it may astound us that you can go from the top of the heap to the bottom of the pile so easily, it can also be a lesson from which we mere mortals can learn. If you are making decent money in your job today, you should be saving for the future. Socking away just twenty percent of your monthly paycheck into an interest-bearing fund or CD can ensure that, if your company folds, or if you’re laid off, you will have something to fall back upon.

      It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro-bowler or a pro-janitor, you need to make sound financial decisions now regarding your finances, or you can end up in the same sort of financial mess that so many famous athletes face at the end of their careers. The best way to start planning your finances and find solutions to your debt problems, if any, is by looking up come credit counseling services on the Internet and by getting in touch with them.

      Rumors & Gossip

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