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Yup, Danny Ainge is a Genius

By Celticsfanatic | July 3, 2009 | Celtics 17

Marbury feels (short) Celtics days are done.Bill Strickland, Sheed's agent, on the contract offer.I used to hate -- no, DESPISE -- Danny Ainge. After his deal which sent the then-admirable Antonie Walker packing, to then only sign Brian Scalabrine, it was clear to me that this guy was just not a fit for the Celtics.Then came the 2006-07 season, a year where the Celtics not only had shameful results, but left a humiliating mark on both their legendary name and Boston's fans. And just when I thought both Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers were "outta here," a meeting was arranged between Celtics star Paul Pierce, and Danny Ainge himself. Pierce told Ainge that "he wanted to be a Celtic for life," but if the C's didn't find veteran help for him that offseason, he'd prefer leaving Beantown and heading to a contender.Little did he know that Mr. Ainge expected a...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Al Jefferson, Antoine Walker, Bill Walker, Boston Celtics, Brian Scalabrine, Danny Ainge, Delonte West, Eddie House, Glen Davis, James Posey, Justin Reed, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Lester Hudson, Mikki Moore, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Draft, Orlando Magic, Paul Pierce, PJ Brown, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Scot Pollard, Seattle SuperSonics, Stephon Marbury, Tony Allen

One More Thing -- Hoopsvine.com Interview with Jay Bilas

By Zach Harper | July 2, 2009 | Talk Hoops

Before I leave you for the Fourth of July celebration weekend, I wanted to make sure that everybody checks out the Hoops Vine interview with Jay Bilas about the NBA Draft. The Hoops Vine brand name has been around for a while but the new and improved Hoops Vine social basketball network is a growing entity powered by the genius and hard work of Lang Greene. Lang is a friend of Talkhoops and has even let me be so kind as to let me answer a mailbag for his readers (last April). Lang is a really smart basketball mind and great at covering the sport and furthering the discussion. I highly recommend this interview with Jay Bilas and Hoops Vine in general. It should definitely be a part of your daily internet rounds. Lang: I wanted to get your thoughts on the draft. What were your initial feelings when the...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, Hoops Vine, Jay Bilas, NBA

The 8th Seed Podcast -- Volume Two

By Zach Harper | July 2, 2009 | Talk Hoops

There is a joint venture going on through some people who I met at Blogs With Balls back in June. It involves a pretty great crew of people -- eight people in fact. Here's the crew: - The Incomparable Jared Wade from Both Teams Played Hard- The Impossibly Tall John Karalis from Red's Army- The Blogs With Balls Project Spurs-Chronicles of Crotty Hybrid Drinking Contest Champion Michael De Leon of Project Spurs- The Man who will assuredly represent us when we get sued for liable because of this podcast Jeff Garcia from Project Spurs- The Ladies Man of Twitter Rey Moralde from The No Look Pass- The Man I Want to Be when I grow up Adam Best from Fansided- The Man with the fastest growing internet show Glenn Moore from Dugout Sports ShowThose men plus myself make up the 8th Seed. A clusterf*&k of opinions about the NBA and...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, Both Teams Played Hard, Dugout Sports Show, Fansided.com, NBA, Project Spurs, Red's Army, The No Look Pass

Lakers 3 On 3 Basketball Tournament Presented by Nike and Fan Fest -- Aug. 14 - Aug. 16

By Zach Harper | July 2, 2009 | Talk Hoops

INAUGURAL LAKERS 3 ON 3 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NIKE AND FAN FEST TO TAKE PLACE FRIDAY, AUG. 14 - SUNDAY, AUG. 16 AT L.A. LIVE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES Team registration is currently open to all participants and closes Friday, July 31 LOS ANGELES - Ever fantasized about being a basketball world champion? Here is your opportunity. The 2009 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers will play host to the first-ever Lakers 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament presented by Nike and Fan Fest, Friday, Aug. 14- Sunday, Aug. 16 at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The spectacular event will be spread across multiple city blocks with approximately 70 outdoor basketball courts in and around L.A. Live to accommodate the thousands of athletes who will compete for bragging rights, prizes and chance to be named champion. Players young and old, men and women, elite and beginner are able to participate...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: 2009 Off-Season, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Things to do this summer

Pistons sign Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva

By Zach Harper | July 2, 2009 | Talk Hoops

What in the hell happened to the Detroit Pistons?What in the hell happened to Deeeeeeetroit Baaaaaaasketbaaaaaallllllll?This was a hard-nosed group of perfect role players, committed to defense, rebounding, and being tougher than the other team. It was a well-coached team that was putting together streaks of holding opponents under 70 points. And now?Now, they've spent over $90 million to acquire Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva - two good basketball players but two players that don't exactly scream blue-collar basketball like Motown once did. Now, the two players that the Pistons have agreed in principle to add to the roster on July 8th aren't bad by any means. Ben Gordon is a really good scorer off the bench who can win games for you by taking over in the fourth quarter. In fact, BG was 17th in fourth quarter scoring this past season, So you know he can fill it up....

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: 2009 Off-Season, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Detroit Pistons, NBA

Today's Rumors and More: A Run-Through

By Celticsfanatic | July 2, 2009 | Celtics 17

NEW RUMOR: Gary Tanguay reporting from Twitter -- Garnett, Danny Ainge, and Wyc Grousbeck will all make the trek to Michigan to meet with Rasheed Wallace. It's unknown whether or not Paul and Ray make the trip too. If they do, then I'd say Ray Allen will be a Celtic next year. Why would the Celtics bring him along if they were planning on trading him anyway?Cavs very interested in Artest, Ariza.According to several league sources, the Cavs are attempting to land Houston Rockets free-agent forward Ron Artest, and the pitch included a meeting with LeBron James on Tuesday night in Los Angeles as both were in Southern California for various events. In addition, a league source indicated the team is trying to attract Los Angeles Lakers swingman Trevor Ariza, who appears to be disgruntled with the Lakers' early attempts to re-sign him. Ariza's agent, David Lee, told the Riverside,...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Avery Johnson, Ben Gordon, Bill Laimbeer, Boston Celtics, Carmelo Anthony, Chicago Bulls, Chris Wallace, Cleveland Cavaliers, Danny Ainge, Detroit Pistons, Joe Dumars, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzles, NBA, Paul Pierce, Quentin Richardson, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince, Trevor Ariza, Zach Randolph

Quick Rumor Post

By Celticsfanatic | July 2, 2009 | Celtics 17

Just wanted to get these out quick. I'll be sure to give you guys a deeper look into these rumors like I did yesterday in a full post later.Clippers sending Zach Randolph to the Grizz.Knicks enter bidding for Jason Kidd.Ariza leaning towards an LA departure.Cavs very interested in Artest, Ariza....

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks Jason Kidd, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzles, NBA, New York Knicks, Quentin Richardson, Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza, Zach Randolph

The Fast Break: Pacers Updates 6/31

By Josh Dhani | July 1, 2009 | Pacers Pulse

Hey guys, welcome to the The Fast Break of Pacers Updates today! I'm Josh Dhani and let's see what we have in for us today. Taiwan Game Tickets SOLD OUT That's right, you read it. The pre-season game against the Denver Nuggets in Taiwan has apparently been sold out as I found out from the recent IC Cold Links post from IndyCornrows.com. You can also find it all right here. But seriously, who gives a freaking damn about a pre-season game (laughing). Bird "Wants 'Em Back" Who does he want back: Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts. The Pacers extended their qualifying offers of these two soon-to-be restricted free agents, Indy Cornrows reported. From Conrad Brunner of Caught in the Web: "We want 'em back," said Bird. "We know what we can do with Josh but Jarrett's still out there. We have to wait and see if anybody puts an...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts, Larry Bird, NBA

NBA Outsider: Memphis Grizzlies Draft Follow Up

By Staff Report | June 30, 2009 | MVN Outsider

3 Shades of Blue tells how this years draft picks are not super stars but certainly upgrades.WHEN THE DRAFT GIVES YOU LEMONS..... The Memphis Grizzlies exercised all three of the picks with which they entered the 2009 NBA draft-nos. 2, 27, and 36, selecting Hasheem Thabeet, Demarre Carroll, and Sam Young. Sure, when the year 2020 comes around, the potential for this year's draft crop to be viewed as one of the best ever is pretty low-but as the title states, the draft might give you lemons...and sometimes the lemonade takes a bit longer to make and isn't quite as good as Grandma's on a 90-degree day, but it should still be pretty tasty. What Michael Heisley has stated many times is that he wants to field a more defensive-oriented team (a philosophy with which I heartily agree), and this draft bears his mark in bold ink. Thabeet, Carroll, and...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, NBA Draft, NBA Outsider

NBA Crystal Ball: Denver Nuggets Will Win 2009 NBA Finals

By Adam Sweeney | May 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

In February, long before the Playoffs started to shake out, I predicted that the L.A. Lakers would win the NBA Finals. Now that I've seen them play in person against the Houston Rockets for 3 games, and had the good fortune of breaking them down the past two series, I think I'm not along in saying that my faith in the Lake Show is fading. (Yeah, the real Lake Show had Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones. Would you rather me call this team The Half and Halfs?) The Lakers have consistently proven that they will only rise to the occasion when it is necessary. Apparently 3-1 leads are too much to ask for this team, one that Kobe Bryant himself called bi-polar. The Lakers of now look nothing like the team we watched in February and the same goes for the Denver Nuggets. Both have had a reversal of...Read more

Read more | 5 Comments | Tags: Carmelo Anthony, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Great Debates: Which First Round Playoff Series is the Most Intriguing?

By Staff Report | April 17, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NBA Outsider's Joe Boikess and Adam Sweeney debate the issue: Of the eight playoff series set to get underway in the National Basketball Association, which is must-see TV?Joe Boikess can't wait to watch the Spurs and Mavericks square off:This is my favorite time of year, and not only because of the arriving warm weather or the approaching end of the school year. It's NBA Playoffs time, and this year's batch of first round matchups, especially in the Western Conference, is shaping up to be the best ever.Basketball junkies have more than a few intriguing series to pay attention to. In the East, the best looking series would have to be the Hawks taking on the Heat in the always-tough-to-predict 4/5 matchup. But aside from that, Cavaliers-Pistons, Celtics-Bulls and Magic-76ers should all be entertaining as well.The real TNT-style drama is going on out West. The top-seeded Lakers get to see...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Playoffs, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

NBA Playoffs: First Round Preview

By Joe Boikess | April 17, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The NBA Playoffs tip off this weekend with eight games over the course of two days. Here's what you need to know to get you ready for the madness that is the first round...Eastern Conference(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit PistonsSeason series - Cavaliers won 3-1Drama factor - Low. The Pistons have gotten past the first round each of the past seven seasons, but expect that streak to come to an end. The Cavaliers are the better team here, and the only way that the Pistons can still make the series interesting is if the effort is there. In years past Detroit has looked lackluster in the first round, and this year they can't afford to do that against a much tougher and more well-rounded team.Key Player - Tayshaun Prince. He has the honor of guarding LeBron James, and his success in that department will likely determine how long the...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Playoffs, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

NBA Awards: The Best of the Best

By Joe Boikess | April 14, 2009 | MVN Outsider

With only two more days remaining in the NBA regular season, it's about time to hand out my awards for the best individual performances of the season...Rookie of the Year - Derrick Rose (Bulls)My Ballot:1. Rose2. O.J. Mayo3. Brook LopezThe rookie class of 2009 was incredibly deep, but Rose gets my vote for a number of reasons. As the number one overall pick in last year's draft, he shouldered a ton of pressure and responsibility as the Bulls' new starting point guard, and yet he managed to put up consistent production for a team that was in the playoff hunt all year long. He averaged over 16 points and six assists per game and shot better than 47 percent from the field.Mayo had a great first season as well, especially in the scoring department where he averaged 18.4 points and shot a decent 38 percent from downtown. But his team,...Read more

Read more | 10 Comments | Tags: NBA

NBA Great Debates: Reaching the Conference Finals

By Staff Report | April 9, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NBA Outsider's Adam Sweeney and Joe Boikess debate the issue: Who will be the final four playoff teams alive in the NBA conference finals?Adam Sweeney argues that the Magic and Rockets will join the Lakers and Cavaliers:As huge of a college hoops fans that I am, the Final Four was about as exciting as watching Fast and Furious (sorry if anybody liked that movie). In honor of the Final Four and merciless beat down the North Carolina Tar Heels gave the Michigan State Spartans, why don't we choose our own Final Four for the NBA playoffs? Are you up for that, old chap? Sorry Joe. I'll never call you old chap again.I think we can both agree that the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers are going to make it to their respective conference finals. L.A. has shown itself to be the elite team in the Western Conference and Cleveland...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: NBA, NBA Playoffs

NBA Great Debates: Cuban Criticizes Refs Via Twitter

By Staff Report | April 3, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NBA Outsider's Joe Boikess and Adam Sweeney debate the issue: Did the NBA go too far by fining Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for his Twitter remarks?Joe Boikess believes the NBA is out of line:In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably confess one thing before getting into this topic. As many of my readers know, I am a near-lifelong fan of the Dallas Mavericks and its colorful owner, Mark Cuban. For objectivity's sake, I have put my allegiance as a Mavs fan aside for this debate.With that in mind, I can still confidently say as a neutral follower of this issue that the NBA was once again out of line in fining Cuban for criticizing the referees, this time via Twitter.Since Cuban became the Mavericks owner more than nine years ago, he's racked up a bill with the NBA for more than $1.5 million, mostly for criticism...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, NBA, Twitter

Five Questions: Previewing the Playoffs with Rockets Buzz

By Anthony Hall | March 27, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The playoff picture in the Western Conference remains extremely compelling -- once you get past the pace-setting Lakers, there isn't a whole lot of separation between the remaining seven teams currently holding playoff spots. One of the squads in the pack is the Houston Rockets, a team that is battling to finish as one of the West's top four teams. Brody of Rockets Buzz will be following this compelling team as they finish out the regular season and head into the playoffs -- we recently sat down with him for the latest installment in NBA Outsider's "Five Questions" series:1. The Rockets could end up playing a number of teams in the opening round of the playoffs, as things are hardly solidified in the Western Conference standings. Which potential first round foe worries you the most -- and on the flip side, which would present the most favorable first round...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

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