Basketball/NBA

[Pepe Silvia]

Lakers 2nd-round draft picks Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks have both impressed in Vegas and stayed ranked among the league rookies. They both might go to training camp.

Caracter - taken 58th overall out of Texas El Paso, averaged 15.4 points on 59.2% shooting, and 8.6 rebounds in five summer league games. Is listed at 6-9, 270 pounds but looks closer to 6-8.

Ebanks - 43rd overall out of West Virginia, averaged 15 points and 3.6 rebounds in five summer league games. He shot 42.45% from the field and an impressive 45.4% from three-point range. Is listed as a 6-8, 208-pound small forward. He has been compared to former Laker Trevor Ariza.

[Abaddon]

Ebanks even looks just like Ariza

I hope both make the team, like their game and we got spots open.

[IrvDizzle]

Dwayne Wade + Chris Bosh + LeBron James = the new nWo



here's an analysis of Character and Ebanks from Forum Blue and Gold

[Abaddon]

Dwayne Wade + Chris Bosh + LeBron James = the new nWo

wow

[Metaphysical]

dammit ward, how many pages have we gone without you complaining about officials?

come on, man, this thread will die if you stop!

Dwayne Wade + Chris Bosh + LeBron James = the new nWo

it's things like this that make me realise why I love the internet.

[Paolo Maldini]

Has the Bulls made their draft picks?

[Wolfe]

Is Heat's Sixth Man seriously going to be Mike Miller ?

[Abaddon]

Anyone read Woj's latest piece yet? Interesting stuff there.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...eeagency071610

A different discussion had played out within the NBA and USA Basketball: What should we do with LeBron?

From Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski to managing director Jerry Colangelo to NBA elders, the issue of James’ immaturity and downright disrespectfulness had become a consuming topic on the march to the Olympics. The course of history could’ve changed dramatically, because there was a real risk that James wouldn’t be brought to Beijing based on fears his monumental talents weren’t worth the daily grind of dealing with him.

When the mandate had been to gather these immense egos and get the NBA’s greatest players to fit into a program, no one had a more difficult time meshing into the framework than James. Other players made it a point to learn the names of staffers and modestly go about their business without barking orders and brash demands.

No one could stand James as a 19-year-old in the 2004 Athens Olympics, nor the 2006 World Championships. Officials feared James could become the instigator of everything they wanted to rid themselves for the ’08 Olympics.

For as gifted as James was, Krzyzewski and Colangelo subscribed to a belief that with Kobe Bryant(notes) joining the national team in 2007, they could win a gold medal in ’08 with or without LeBron James. Behind the scenes, officials had taken to calling James’ inner circle, “The Enablers.” No one ever told him to grow up. No one ever challenged him. And yet, James was still a powerful pull for his teammates, and everyone had to agree they could no longer let his bossy and belittling act go unchecked. These weren’t the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Team USA wasn’t beholden to him.

After the NBA witnessed the behavior of James and his business manager Maverick Carter during the 2007 All-Star Weekend, the commissioner’s office sent word to USA Basketball the league wouldn’t force James on them for the Olympics.

Before Team USA gathered for the 2007 Tournament of the Americas in Las Vegas, an unmistakable message had been delivered to James through Nike: Unless you change, we’re serious about leaving you home.

“Legacies were on the line,” one league official said, “and they weren’t going to let LeBron [expletive] it up for everyone in China.”

Through Nike, James ultimately heeded the message and made himself more tolerable to coaches, teammates and staff. Team USA assigned Jason Kidd(notes) to babysit him at the Tournament of the Americas in 2007, to try to teach him something the Cavaliers never had a veteran to do: professionalism.

For everything the Bulls tried to sell – from owner Jerry Reinsdorf to GM Gar Forman to coach Tom Thibodeau – there had been one thing that troubled James’ about the Bulls pitch: Derrick Rose(notes) never called and tried to recruit him.

Chicago officials never directly requested Rose to reach out with a call, and the young point guard felt James could’ve always reached out to him had he wanted to discuss the possibility of playing together. James needed to be courted, needed to be wooed and apparently it surprised him there was a star who wasn’t falling over himself to do that.

Wade and Bosh made public their choices on July 7 and waited for word that would soon quietly come to them: LeBron was on his way to Miami , the greatest coup in free-agent history complete. Later that day, Carter was on the phone with free agent Mike Miller(notes) telling him that James was going to Miami and that he needed to join them as a sharpshooter playing off the three stars.

Back in Akron, James still wanted to go through his live hourlong television show on July 8 to announce his decision. This had been Maverick Carter’s big idea, his production, and still people around him worried about the fallout in Cleveland. Several friends told James this was a bad idea to do to his hometown, that leaving the Cavaliers live on national television would make this a public-relations disaster for him.

Story confirmed by a different source as well, Abbott on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/print?id=17297

Way back in Team USA 2006, Mike Krzyzewski's coaching staff -- D'Antoni, Nate McMillan and Jim Boeheim -- were asked to vote on which players to cut first to get down to the 15-player traveling roster. They ended up cutting Shawn Marion, Adam Morrison and Luke Ridnour.

But, as I reported in 2006, three out of four members of that staff voted to make LeBron James the first player cut. It has never been made public which coach voted which way, and Mike D'Antoni would not comment on the topic now.

[Pepe Silvia]

Anti-Lebron is played out. Media upset and disparaging the guy because he refused to sign their kids' rookie card or some shit. Some people need to get a life but w/e hope they make a run and we see them in the Finals.

[Abaddon]

Anti-Lebron is played out. Media upset and disparaging the guy because he refused to sign their kids' rookie card or some shit. Some people need to get a life but w/e hope they make a run and we see them in the Finals.

Well lets not act like they just made all that stuff up just because it's cool to hate on Lebron now. More like, they kept quiet about all that stuff because it was not done to say anything bad about Lebron earlier. For 7 years they've been pushing down our throats what a great player and exceptional leader and whatever else that guy is, turns out he's just a spoiled kid who completely bottles it under pressure (as I've been saying for ages).

[Armando929]

I expect the Heat to win 60 plus games in the regular season.

The question will be how will they do in the PLAYOFFS.. Thats when we find out if this is a TEAM or a group of individuals trying to pad their stats. Thats the difference between who goes on and who gets eliminated.

[yusuf]

hmm intresting stuff, but confirms to why lebrick acted the way he did now

[Metaphysical]

ward, I said complain about officials, not complain about lebron!

[barca96]

abaddon, care to explain one of the highlights of lebron( the downside of course) cos i never read anything bad about him.
that article really shocked me.

anyways , jordan was asked by espn what if he, magic and bird would join forces.
he said it would not happen, there wont be competition.
and he referred to them(bron) as kids lol

[Abaddon]

abaddon, care to explain one of the highlights of lebron( the downside of course) cos i never read anything bad about him.
that article really shocked me.

eh what?