Slam Dunk Episode 14

Slam Dunk Episode 13

Slam Dunk Episode 12

Official: Mike Brown Is Gone... Finally

"After a long and deep analysis of all of the factors that led to the disappointing early ends to our playoff runs over the past two seasons, we concluded that it was time for the Cavaliers to move in a different direction," Gilbert added.

Well deserved I say

LOL Lebron James - Dear Mama Parody

Sebastian Telfair: Through The Fire

Beyond The Glory - Dominique Wilkins

Hooked: The Legend Of Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell

Slam Dunk Episode 11

Delonte-Gloria James rumours true?

Basketball HOFer Calvin Murphy came on the ESPN Houston radio station confirming that the rumours are true. Delonte was banging Gloria James and that he wasn't the only one involved. YIKES.

"Unfortunately, my sources in the NBA tell me that it's absolutely true. My sources, and they're legit, tell me that the only people that didn't know it was happening was LeBron and me."

Source: The Huffington Post


And LeBron's attorney fired off a cease and desist email denying the rumor of a sex scandal involving LeBron's mom and his teammate Delonte West.

Source: TMZ

If this was any other player, I would have dismissed it right from the get go. But this is Delonte West we are talking about.

Yao Looking to Opt Out?

The talks between Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets to extend the center's contract are in a delicate situation. The Chinese All-Star wants a 6-year contract to agree to re-sign with the Rockets, while the NBA franchise is only willing to offer a 4-year contract. Yao Ming, who has missed the entire last season due to a foot injury, will become a free agent next summer, and could decide to sign with another team after 8 seasons in Houston.

Link (quote is translated )

This is a very interesting scenario. And Houston is said to be targeting Chris Bosh in the summer. How about a Chris Bosh for Yao Ming sign and trade? Bryan Colangelo can definitely convince MLSE to accept this deal. It makes perfect sense as it will create a lot of buzz and allow the team to sell a lot of tickets.

I definitely don't need to sell Yao because if he is healthy, Toronto will finally have a legit center for the first time in their franchise history. However that is a very BIG IF. Since the 2004-05 season, Yao Ming has averaged only 59 games a season and missed the 2009-10 season after undergoing surgery in order to repair the broken bone in his left foot. Not to mention that the team would also require a legit backup big because Yao is only good for 30 minutes a game.

Big men usually have foot injury problems and unfortunately because of Yao's massive 7'6 frame, he could end up retiring due to these type of injuries. I could see why the Rockets would be hesitant in giving Yao 6 years. Unfortunately for the Raptors, this trade idea would seem eerily familiar to another trade they made for a broken down Rockets center.



This report also contradicts all the other reports indicating that the Rockets owner is willing to spend money.

Year of the Yao

Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team

Slam Dunk Episode 10

Slam Dunk Episode 9

The LeBron Free Agency Saga: Da Bulls

From getting ousted by the Celtics to Delonte banging Gloria James to both Calipari and LeBron going to Chi-Town. The 2010 NBA free agent stuff is definitely a lot more fun to watch than any NBA playoff series so far. In fact, who gives a flying fuck about the playoffs. Fastforward to the offseason.





On a separate note, you have to feel sorry for the Knick fans. Giving away your future and possibly not ending up with any of the top free agents = EPIC FAIL. But I guess they got used to it going through the Zeke Thomas era.

EDIT: So now the Bulls are NOT discussing bringing in Calipari. JEEZ.

LOL: One of the many reasons why I don't watch Football

Its not football season but I stumbled upon this clip while cleaning out my bookmarks. One of the many reasons why I don't watch football lol

Slam Dunk Episode 8

Slam Dunk Episode 7

Euroleague Finals: FC Barcelona over Olympiacos

Euroleague Final Four Highlights

Get a good look at some of the NBA prospects, including those whose rights are being held by NBA teams, and former NBA players that are playing in the Euroleague Final Four.

Jordan Open To Renaming The Bobcats

I just asked new Bobcats owner Michael Jordan a question and liked the answer I got -- he said he's open to changing the nickname of the Charlotte NBA franchise he just bought if enough people think that should happen. Jordan said this after his big press conference Thursday, in a smaller interview session with five local print reporters, including both myself and The Observer's Bobcat beat writer, Rick Bonnell. I've been advocating a name change this month in my column which Jordan said he had read. So when I asked him about a possible name change, he teased: 'How did I know you were going to ask that?'

'The thing is that I’m open for anything. It’s a commitment. We have to go through the league. It’s a process. It’s a financial commitment. Am I willing to look at that and say can we go down that road? Yeah. If I get the understanding from the community, from the public, that we need it and it signifies change, yeah, I would do that. But once again, it’s a process. It’s a $3-million to $10-million investment to do that. I’m not afraid of that, as long as at the backside of that, the public is going to be happy about that, that it’s going to be great for the organization. I think it [could be] a new beginning. Yeah, I would do that. I would consider that.'

Lank

Slam Dunk Episode 6

Slam Dunk Episode 5

ABC: LeBron James MVP Interview

WTF Moment: Kobe Bryant

Dayum Kobe. You aint seeing LeBron doing things like this. See more here if interested

PS: BOONDOCKS SEASON 3 PREMIERE TONIGHT

Euros, Raptors and ... Fran Vazquez?!

The Raptors are always characterized as an international team by NBA executives, analysts, etc primarily because they play in an culturally diverse city like Toronto and have international players in their rotation. Please note that the correct term should have been European because they are all from Europe and none from outside the continent. And while there are 5 Europeans on the roster, they all play like the stereotypical European player. That's not to say that all Europeans play like that, but all of the Europeans on the Raptors roster sure do.

However you can't necessarily fault the Raptors for going this route after the history of being burned by American free agents. In this area the Raptors do have an advantage over other teams however you can't build a team with so many holes and players with overlapping skill sets that don't fit.

Nonetheless one of the MANY holes that the Raptors have includes not having a shotblocker. These are hard to come by and are sometimes wildly overpaid for what they do (see Diop, Dalembert, Okafor). So if there was one type of player that the Raptors are missing from their roster, its an athletic Euro shotblocker.(NOTE: EURO IS NOT A REQUREMENT LOL) Although he's not proven yet in the NBA, he could prove to be a smarter investment dollars wise compared to already established bigs with large financial commitments such as Okafor and Biedrins. And there are a couple of them playing overseas after being drafted by NBA teams. Meet Spaniard Fran Vazquez.



Height: 6'10" to 6'11"
Weight: 240 lbs
Born: 1 May, 1983 (Age 27)
Nationality: Spain
Position: PF/C

After being drafted 11th overall in the 2005 NBA draft, Mr. Vazquez decided NOT join the Orlando Magic because he had no interest whatsoever playing in the NBA.

In the summer of 2005 he got a massive 4 year contract from Akasvayu Girona and it had a massive buyout. Even if he wanted to play in the NBA, it impossible for him to come over since NBA teams can only contribute $500,000 to a buyout. That means the rest of the buyout would have to come out of his own pocket. There were also reports that he was whipped by his girlfriend who was heavily influencing his decision to stay in Europe.

Fast forward to 2010. Fran Vazquez has established himself overseas dunking and blocking shots left and right. In the 2008/09 ACB season, he was ranked 1st in PER, TS%, eFG%, Points per possession, and blocked shots per 40 minutes. In the 2008/09 Euroleague games, he was top 10 in all those categories and was 1st in all the shot blocking categories. This season Fran set the Euroleague blocked shots record this season on a team that featured the likes of Ricky Rubio and former NBA guard Juan Carlos Navarro. In the ACB, he was 2nd in blocks and 1st again in blocked shots per 40 minutes.

His contract is coming to an end after this season but there is a club option for the next season. I've also read somewhere that he has a NBA buyout of 5M Euros, which doesn't make sense because he is set to earn 1.8M Euros for the 2010/11 season if his team picks up his option. In any case if his girlfriend does let him come to the NBA and if his buyout issues are resolved, I'd look for him to get something like a 3 year 12M-14M dollar contract in the NBA. Judging by what Luis Scola, Anthony Parker, Marc Gasol, etc got in the NBA, that seems like a fair deal.

So how would the Raptors get Fran Vazquez? First they would need to trade for his rights. Colangelo could simply offer cash, which MLSE has a lot of, to Otis Smith and trade for his rights. Then the Raptors would need to use part of the Mid Level Exception to sign him. He would not be restricted to the 1st round rookie scale since 3 years have went by since Fran Vazquez was drafted.

Oh and here are some of his highlights:





UPDATE FROM DRAFTEXPRESS:

Not much has changed since the last time we discussed Fran Vazquez as an NBA prospect. He’s still the same terrific athlete who ranks as one of the best shot blockers and most efficient players in the Euroleague--and he still appears to have little to no interest in making his way to the NBA to play for the team that drafted him: the Orlando Magic. With the Magic in the midst of the playoffs, it will be interesting to see if GM Otis Smith even bothers to show up at this point to initiate the courting process.

LANK

Bucks Got Talent: Stackhouse sings before Game 6