Bennett on the stand
Sonics chairman Clay Bennett took the stand at 9:40 this morning. City attorney Paul Lawrence is asking questions about Bennett's background and how he became interested in the Sonics. An interesting note from that line of questioning is Bennett and his ownership group sought to purchase the New…
June 24, 2008, 11:45 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
NBA draft poll: What local player will have the biggest impact?
Cast your vote and then click here to check out all of our Lakers coverage. What local player will have the biggest impact in the NBA? USC's O.J. Mayo UCLA's Kevin Love UCLA's Russell Westbrook View…
June 24, 2008, 11:30 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
City vs. Sonics: Day 2
Currently, former KeyArena manager Joy Syngh is continuing his testimony on the witness stand. Sonics attorney Paul Taylor is asking specific questions regarding financial arrangements in the KeyArena lease. It seems like Taylor is trying (I would say unsuccessfully) to show a dysfunctional…
June 24, 2008, 11:30 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
Rally at the courthouse
The City of Seattle seemed to rebound in afternoon court proceedings at the federal courthouse in Seattle. And that momentum climaxed at a rally put on by Save Our Sonics, a grass-roots team trying to keep the team here. Former Sonics Xavier McDaniel and Gary Payton, shown above, spoke a the…
June 24, 2008, 11:15 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
Nickels on the stand
We're at lunch at the trial, and the City of Seattle, it seems could use a break. Specifically, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels was grilled for about an hour by Brad Keller, lead attorney for the Sonics. Nickels admitted that the current lease agreement between the city and the team is financially…
June 24, 2008, 11:00 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
New poll is up
The initial post-lottery poll, after nearly 2500 responses, showed the masses to be 4-1 in Derrick Rose's favor. After several weeks of, er, lets call it 'debate'....time for another check. In the spirit of this well-reasoned discourse I will add that if you are one of those who switched…
June 24, 2008, 10:45 PM ET from Blog a Bull
From the courthouse
We're about to get started here. Sonics chairman Clay Bennett entered the courtroom about 20 minutes ago with his legal team, and may testify today. Also scheduled to testify today is Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Click here for more information on the case. I took a couple shots from outside the…
June 24, 2008, 10:45 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
NBA switches Sonics D-League affiliate to Tulsa
In a move that further shows the Seattle SuperSonics' impending departure to Oklahoma City, the NBA switched the team's NBA Development League affiliate from the Idaho Stampede to the Tulsa 66ers. Tulsa is about 100 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The Sonics had been affiliated with the Idaho…
June 24, 2008, 10:30 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
Stern on hot seat
The Tim Donaghy referee scandal has turned up a couple notches, with attorneys for Donaghy revealing in a federal court filing on Tuesday that Donaghy alleges the NBA fixed games in the playoffs to help alter the outcome of series in 2002 and 2005 postseasons. Read more about the story here. In…
June 24, 2008, 10:15 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
City vs. Sonics: A few ground rules
With the trial in federal court pitting the City of Seattle against the Sonics over terms of the KeyArena lease scheduled to start on Monday, members of the media were invited to meeting at the federal courthouse in Seattle today. Chief Judge Robert Lasnik headed the meeting, with the main purpose…
June 24, 2008, 10:00 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
Sonics seek to exclude Ceis testimony
The Sonics filed a motion to exclude Seattle deputy mayor Tim Ceis' testimony in the city's trial against the team. Attorneys for the city had planned to call Ceis as a rebuttal witness on Thursday to counter Friday's testimony that suggests the city may have been involved in a "Poisoned Well"…
June 24, 2008, 9:45 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
Here's the report from the Associated Press: Attorneys for the SuperSonics have asked a federal judge to prohibit Seattle’s deputy mayor from testifying in the city’s lawsuit against the team. Seattle lawyers plan on calling Tim Ceis to testify Thursday that city officials were not…
June 24, 2008, 9:30 PM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
WANTED: Sheriff’s dept. demands Shaq’s badge
Now, he’s done it. The Maricopa County wasn’t thrilled about Shaquille O’Neal’s language he used during his freestyle rap at a night club Sunday and has demanded he return his special deputy’s badge. In the video, Shaq not only demeaned Kobe Bryant but used a racially…
June 24, 2008, 8:15 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Chauncey Billups pulls out of Olympics
Chauncey Billups has pulled out of the Olympics citing a personal family issue. From Ric Bucher at ESPN.com: “It’s a matter of what you want to do and what you need to do,” said Billups, who declined to be more specific about the family matter prompting his withdrawal from the…
June 24, 2008, 7:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Bill Walker injures his knee
In Chad Ford’s latest mock draft on June 9, he had Bill Walker of Kansas State going to the Pistons, which is why this report from Andy Katz caught my eye last night: Representatives for Kansas State redshirt freshman Bill Walker were scrambling to secure a commitment from a team drafting…
June 24, 2008, 7:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
17
It’s not often you see a team dominate the rest of the league from wire-to-wire, but the Celtics were hands down the best team in the world from the first game of the regular season to the end of their 39-point thrashing of the Lakers last night. Congrats to the team and its fans for winning…
June 24, 2008, 7:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
DBB is mocking drafts
At some point this afternoon, I’ll be submitting my pick to Ridiculous Upside for whom the Pistons should select with the 29th pick of next week’s draft. So far, 22 picks have already been made (you can see them all below the jump), and six more will be posted on the site before…
June 24, 2008, 6:45 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Tay’s an Olympian
Chauncey Billups may be out, but “two league sources confirmed on Thursday that [Tayshaun] Prince will be among the players chosen” for Team USA this summer.
June 24, 2008, 6:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
More suggestions for Dumars
By Kevin Sawyer: The NBA: Where an offseason that’s as interesting as the regular season happens. While I remain unconvinced of the need to make roster changes before the season begins, here are some moves that would justify such hasty behavior. Trade Tayshaun Prince for Josh Howard Could…
June 24, 2008, 6:16 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Bill Davidson wanted Flip Saunders gone
From Keith Langlois at True Blue Pistons, the Pistons’ official blog: Joe Dumars wasn’t the only one with a voice that matters who left The Palace the night of the Pistons’ elimination by Boston saying, “I’d seen enough.” So had his owner. “Absolutely,” Pistons owner William…
June 24, 2008, 6:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
It’s time to retire Amir Johnson’s jersey …
It’s time to retire Amir Johnson’s jersey — his high school jersey, that is: “Celtics rookie guard Gabe Pruitt will be going back to Los Angeles this weekend to be honored with the retirement of his jersey number at Westchester High School (not far from LAX) during a charity…
June 24, 2008, 5:46 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Not top 10 locks any more ...
A couple of agents realized this week their clients aren't quite the top-10 locks they once appeared. New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn, whose team holds the 10th pick, was approached by two agents about players who chose not to...
June 24, 2008, 5:45 PM ET from Bobcats: Inside the NBA by Rick Bonnell
Herrmann and Brezec updates
From Ball in Europe last Friday: Walter Herrmann, the current Detroit Piston confirmed to Greece’s Gazzetta newspaper that he has an offer from a Greek team. There are, of course, only two possibilities: Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. Herrmann, who averaged 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in…
June 24, 2008, 5:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Lakers and Shawn Marion? It could happen
If the Lakers want to get tougher (aka not-so-soft), they might want to look in Miami. According to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, the agent for Heat forward Shawn Marion said it is “highly unlikely” the player will opt out of his $17.8 million for next season, which means Marion…
June 24, 2008, 5:30 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Billups stumps for Obama
Who says athletes today aren’t as political as they used to be? With the Wallace-Kander campaign failing to gain momentum, Chauncey Billups was at Joe Louis Arena stumping for Barack Obama on Monday night. (Thanks to DBB reader joejoejoe for the link)
June 24, 2008, 5:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Hornets Off-Season: The Numbers are Out
This is one of my favorite times of year in the NBA calendar. I'm a major draft nut, and every day I visit nbadraft.net, DraftExpress, ESPN, and a half-dozen other sites that carry even peripheral information about the draft. Something about the rampant optimism that leads up to the…
June 24, 2008, 5:15 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Kobe makes the right call by forgetting the finger and playing in the Games
So, the NBA finals have been over now for more than a week, and the Lakers - if you include exhibition games and playoffs - have played more than 100 games. Time to rest the body, heal the aches and pains, and get some much needed respite from the gym? Not Kobe Bryant. Despite a torn ligament in…
June 24, 2008, 5:15 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
The Iowa floods
This isn’t related to sports but definitely worth your time: Mike Payne, a long-time reader and valued member of the DBB community, shares his personal experience of the Iowa floods over at GearCrave. I hope all DBB readers in Iowa have been as fortunate as he has.
June 24, 2008, 5:01 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
New Wallpaper: Shannon the Honeybee
Following up on last week's interview and photo shoot with Shannon from the Honeybees, today we've got a sweet wallpaper featuring that very same lady. As usual, Dariusz Ejkiewicz came through with an excellent design in a short space of time.Download links: 1024x768 | 1280x960Don't…
June 24, 2008, 5:00 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Shaq’s poetry skillz unveiled
You understand Shaq’s venom toward Kobe. The kid called out the Big Overweight and contributed to his exit from the Lakers. But when Shaq starts dissing Kareem Abdul Jabbar, he’s stepped over some line one should never cross. Here are most of the lyrics: You know how I be Last week…
June 24, 2008, 5:00 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Will Chauncey miss the Olympics?
Chris McCosky doesn’t think Chauncey Billups will make the final cuts for the Olympics. Chris Sheridan agrees, and puts Tayshaun Prince on the bubble, as well.
June 24, 2008, 4:45 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Hornets Off-Season: A Growing Suspicion
Unless something major changes over the next few days with the workouts for the Hornets, I'm feeling pretty certain about one thing:The Hornets won't be drafting in the first round.The Hornets have only brought in three players who are generally accepted as possible 1st round…
June 24, 2008, 4:45 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Don’t expect much from the Lakers’ lone draft pick
The Lakers only pick in this week’s draft comes at No. 58, which most of the time means scraping the bottom of the draft pool. In the past 10 years, the 58th or in some years, the last pick at 57th, haven’t amounted to much. Take for instance last season’s No. 58, Giorgos Printezis of Greece,…
June 24, 2008, 4:45 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Pistons reveal which players have worked out
Pistons director of player personnel George David spoke to the Free Press about which players the team has already worked out: David wouldn’t divulge every prospect the team has worked out, but he did give some names: Vanderbilt shooting guard Shan Foster, Tennessee-Martin combo guard Lester…
June 24, 2008, 4:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Post-Finals Thoughts
So there you have it. The Boston Celtics: your 2008 NBA Champions. From rock bottom a year ago to the top of the mountain today. Here's a few thoughts knocking around my brain as I wonder how I'll survive three-plus months without NBA basketball... 1) First and foremost, congrats to…
June 24, 2008, 4:30 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Poll: Kobe vs. Shaq
Who do you like? Who do you hate? Vote here. Or, check out the latest Lakers news. In the ego battle between Shaq and Kobe, who is winning? Kobe Shaq Neither Basketball fans because this stuff is…
June 24, 2008, 4:30 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
DBB is slow
Things have been slow around these parts (well, on the front page at least, the comments have been raging forward at full strength) the last few days, and that will likely continue another 24 hours or so. I moved this past weekend, and between navigating mountains of boxes and not having a reliable…
June 24, 2008, 4:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Hornets Off-Season: Pre-draft workouts
The Hornets have been working out players all this week in preparation for the June 26th draft, bringing in no less than seventeen players in to take a look at. They have another workout scheduled for Saturday - though the number of players, or who they will be, has not been announced. …
June 24, 2008, 4:15 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Shannon the Honeybee
Thanks to some fantastic people over at Hornets HQ, we were able to organize an interview and photo shoot with Shannon the Honeybee last Wednesday. It all went down at the New Orleans Riverwalk. Enjoy… (Click each image for a larger version.)To start, can you give us a mini-bio of yourself?…
June 24, 2008, 4:00 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
USC’s Jefferson a potential Laker pick
ESPN’s mock draft has the Lakers taking USC’s Davon Jefferson at No. 58, saying he has so much talent but “doesn’t know how to use it.” Jefferson, a 6-foot-8 small forward, averaged 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds as a freshman last season for the Trojans. He scored in…
June 24, 2008, 4:00 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Shaq sings to Kobe: (You) couldn’t do it without me
Shaq and Kobe. Kobe and Shaq. Don’t no one turn around lest someone stabs you it in the back. The rap here doesn’t flow, but the words and venom did Sunday night at a club, where Shaquille O’Neal made Kobe Bryant the focus of his rap song. TMZ has a video of the Phoenix Suns center doing a…
June 24, 2008, 4:00 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Dungeons & Hornets Part the Second: In Images
Okay - I had so much fun with that last post, I decided to use my mad photoshop skillz and elaborate. So, I present to you your Hornets Starting Five!At Bard, 6'6" from Michigan State, Morrrrrrriiss PETERSON!!At Ranger, 6'9" out of Xavier, David "Fluffy Nowitzki…
June 24, 2008, 3:45 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Lakers need to dump the Zen, get mean
OK, so no one is advocating firing Phil Jackson. But all that Zen, his laid-back style of coaching, seemingly has caught up with the Lakers. Even Jackson admitted as much. In his exit interview last week, Jackson said the while the Lakers are competitive in the west, they can’t compare to the…
June 24, 2008, 3:45 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Dungeons & Hornets: Be Afraid
In the past, I've associated the Hornets players to Halo Weapons. Not long ago, I compared them to American Idol contestants. Now, in yet another effort to prove my Nerd Cred, I am going to unleash yet one more mind-numbing comparison for you: Hornets Players as Dungeons &…
June 24, 2008, 3:30 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
The Celtics think they know how to party
This is the funniest video you’ll probably see today. Scene: The Boston Celtics victory parade. Subject: Idiot fan climbing atop a public structure for no apparent reason. Check out what happens to him, paying particular attention to the comments from the crowd. I love the people…
June 24, 2008, 3:30 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Some Notes on the Lakers Series
One of my co-workers (a Knicks fan, pity him) asked me to take a look at some historical Finals stats after Phil Jackson's complaints about the free-throw disparity in Game 2 of the Finals(10 to 38). He was certain that at some point in the past, there had to be a game where a…
June 24, 2008, 3:15 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Andrew Bynum is in, but is Lamar Odom out?
EL SEGUNDO — Well, Kevin Garnett is on top of the world, and Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom (the gist of the Lakers’ trade offer to Minnesota last offseason) are not. Truth be told, the Lakers did pretty well in holding on to Bynum and Odom and landing Pau Gasol, obviously, but not…
June 24, 2008, 3:15 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Hornets Draft Prospects: The highlight reel
Nobody knows who the Hornets will actually end up picking with the 27th pick in Thursday's NBA Draft -- and Ryan suspects they may not be picking at all -- but for the sake of passing the time, here's the best YouTube has to offer on four of the most likely prospects...Mario Chalmers6-1…
June 24, 2008, 3:00 PM ET from Hornets247.com Blog
Kobe Bryant: 30-something-to-be
EL SEGUNDO — When I was growing up, I must say I had part of my pop-psychology future shaped by watching “thirtysomething” episodes. But boy, did those people seem old (and have a lot of problems to work out). Well, it’s the real world now — and it’s where Kobe…
June 24, 2008, 3:00 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Lakers and Shawn Marion? It could happen
If the Lakers want to get tougher (aka not-so-soft), they might want to look in Miami. According to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, the agent for Heat forward Shawn Marion said it is “highly unlikely” the player will opt out of his $17.8 million for next season, which means Marion…
June 24, 2008, 2:45 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Kobe makes the right call by forgetting the finger and playing in the Games
So, the NBA finals have been over now for more than a week, and the Lakers - if you include exhibition games and playoffs - have played more than 100 games. Time to rest the body, heal the aches and pains, and get some much needed respite from the gym? Not Kobe Bryant. Despite a torn ligament in…
June 24, 2008, 2:30 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Shaq’s poetry skillz unveiled
You understand Shaq’s venom toward Kobe. The kid called out the Big Overweight and contributed to his exit from the Lakers. But when Shaq starts dissing Kareem Abdul Jabbar, he’s stepped over some line one should never cross. Here are most of the lyrics: You know how I be Last week…
June 24, 2008, 2:15 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Don’t expect much from the Lakers’ lone draft pick
The Lakers only pick in this week’s draft comes at No. 58, which most of the time means scraping the bottom of the draft pool. In the past 10 years, the 58th or in some years, the last pick at 57th, haven’t amounted to much. Take for instance last season’s No. 58, Giorgos Printezis of Greece,…
June 24, 2008, 1:15 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Should Bobcats trade for Varejao?
The Charlotte Bobcats tried acquiring Anderson Varejao (right) as a restricted free agent last season. I wonder if they should revisit acquiring Varejao, via trade. The Bobcats signed Varejao to an offer sheet and, predictably, the Cleveland Cavaliers exercised their...
June 24, 2008, 11:45 AM ET from Bobcats: Inside the NBA by Rick Bonnell
Comfortably dumbfounded
It's still very weird to imagine. Doug Collins? Doug? Collins? This was the "new vibe" Paxson was searching for all these weeks? It can be looked at least as a return to known competence. Any coach who isn't that last coach they had (and shall not be named) will get this team back to…
June 24, 2008, 02:00 AM ET from Blog a Bull
Having character vs. being a character
Sam Smith had this anecdote in his Celtics championship epilogue, which his his eyes told about the effect the team leader, Kevin Garnett, had on the rest of the roster: They did it with defense, obviously, but also commitment and tactics. We all knew they’d be good after trading for…
June 24, 2008, 01:45 AM ET from Blog a Bull
Copyright © 2007 Michal Pelikán
|