Amare Stoudemire Says Rather Have Steve Nash On His Team Over Kobe Bryant
Antichrist
Although he signed with the New York Knicks this summer, Amare Stoudemire was back in Phoenix to train and reflected on his old Suns team
“The question ownership asked to me was, ‘Who do I want – Jason Kidd, Steve Nash or Kobe Bryant?’ I said Steve. Over Kobe. At the time, Kobe had a reputation for being selfish and Steve was the ultimate point guard. I felt like that’s what we needed. We had Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion. We just didn’t have a PG to control tempo. Kidd was banged up after microfracture knee surgery.”
Stoudemire explained how things have changed after criticizing Mike D’Antoni for his lack of coaching on the defensive end in 2008.
“It definitely changed,” Stoudemire said. “We communicate more. I’m more mature than I was at 22 or 23. Studying defense over the past couple years helped, and I’m a better defensive player. He’s committed to it, but the main thing is for us as players to commit to it.”
New York Knicks Sign Knicks Sign Patrick Ewing Jr
Coming Home
Patrick Ewing Jr. is back with the team where his father became famous. The New York Knicks signed the Georgetown star but terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ewing was the 43rd pick of the 2008 draft by Sacramento Kings but wound up with the Knicks through a series of moves. He spent the 2008-09 season in the NBA Development League but missed all of last season because of injuries.
The six-foot-eight forward averaged 4.8 points in four games for the Knicks’ summer league team. Ewing’s father played 15 seasons for the Knicks before finishing his career with the Seattle SuperSonics and the Orlando Magic.
Isiah Thomas Wasn’t A Bad GM When You Think About It
Don’t let the headline fool you, Isiah Thomas sucked and was one of the worst sucky sucks of all sucky time. The video however puts a little spin on some of the terrible things Zeke did during his tenure and offers up a chuckle or two.
Isiah Thomas Won’t Be Coming Back To New York Knicks
Jokes On Us?
Isiah Thomas will not be returning to the New York Knicks after all. Thomas said in a statement he was declining a position as a consultant with the franchise he ran for 4 1/2 years because it may not be legal.
“After speaking with commissioner David Stern and Knicks executives, it has become apparent that my new agreement violates certain NBA bylaws,” Thomas said. “Because of this, I have decided to rescind my contract with the team.”
The Knicks announced the agreement with Thomas on Friday and it was quickly criticized. League personnel are not allowed contact with players who are not yet eligible for the draft, which Thomas would have in his role as Florida International University coach.
The decision should calm members of the basketball community who questioned the partnership. Among them was Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who said he would decline an offer to be a paid consultant of an NBA team.
“I don’t think you can be in both worlds, in an official basis. I think that makes people in both worlds somewhat angry about it, or concerned,” Krzyzewski said. “You’re getting a leg up, and in college we definitely shouldn’t do that.”
NBA 2K11 Allows Gamers To Play 10 Different Versions Of Michael Jordan
Did You Even See Him Play?
The makers of NBA2K11 have released details the game has a game mode entitled “The Jordan Challenge” which allows you to play 10 different versions of the NBA great.Fans can play whatever game they want in whatever order.
In each game, gamers are charged with different goals, including matching Jordan’s point totals and shooting percentage. Here are the 10 different versions of Jordan that can played, however two of the 10 challenges don’t have specific dates tied to it.
April 20, 1986: Jordan scores 63 vs. the Boston Celtics
March 28, 1990: Jordan scores 69 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers
May 26, 1990: Jordan’s Game 3 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Detroit Pistons
Any date in 1990: Jordan’s battles that season against Dominique Wilkins and Atlanta Hawks
June 2 thru June 12: Jordan’s performance in the 1991 NBA Finals vs. Los Angeles Lakers
June 3, 1992: Jordan scores 35 in the first half vs. Portland Trail Blazers
March 18, 1995: Jordan scores 55 vs. the New York Knicks
June 16, 1996: Father Day Game in 1996 NBA Finals vs. Seattle SuperSonics
June 11, 1997: The Flu Game
June 14,1998: Jordan’s last game in a Chicago Bulls uniform
If you hit six three pointers in a row like Jordan did against the Trail Blazers in 1992, the virtual Jordan will shrug just like he did in real life on that night.
Malik Roses Philly’s Phamous Cheesesteaks Are Back In San Antonio
Straight Out Of Drexel
That’s right former San Antonio Spurs Malik Rose is bringing his Malik’s Philly’s Phamous Cheesesteaks Restaurant back to San Antonio. When Rose played with the Spurs he had two locations in San Antonio, in the Quarry Market and the other was off 1604 and Bandera Road, but where shut down after he was traded away to the New York Knicks.
Now that it looks as if his NBA career has come to a close, Rose can devote full attention to his restaurant which the new one will be off West Avenue and Blanco across the street from Churchill High School.
I did always appreciated Rose on the court and his hustle so it’s good to see him once again laying roots down in San Antonio. However I gotta call a spade a spade and say that I was never a fan of those cheesesteakes and believed they San Antonio put them on pedestal because he played for the Spurs. They just weren’t all what they where cracked up to be and that’s just my palate though.
Penny Hardaway Wants Back In The NBA & With Miami Heat
No Longer Penny, He's Just A Peso
Former Orlando Magic, Phoenix Sun, New York Knick, and Miami Heat Penny Hardaway aka Peso wants back in the NBA at 39 years old. Peso, who hasn’t played a full season in nearly ten years, doesn’t just want any team for his comeback though, he wants to play with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade in Miami.
Peso has said he’s reached out to Pat Riley, who hasn’t gotten back to him yet probably because he’s washed up. During his last stint with the Heat in 2007, Peso averaged 3.8 points and 20.3 minutes per game before being released.
Watch the interview HERE
Amare Stoudemire Says Goodbye To The City Of Phoenix
Class Act
The city of Phoenix tears will be a little more heavier tonight knowing that a man who represented their city to the world now calls New York City home.
Ewings On The Ewings
Former New York Knicks legend and forgettable Seattle SuperSonics player Patrick Ewing is the head coach of the Orlando Magic Summer League squad and is coaching his son Patrick Ewing Jr to which he wonders “there is no way in hell” he shouldn’t be in the NBA. At home and the bar that question is probably followed by why the hell am I not an NBA head coach?
WTF: Amare Stoudemire
Antichrist
Amare Stoudemire is fresh off agreeing in principle with the New York Knicks on a five year $100 million deal that the Knickerbockers where quickly to trot out in front of New York media at the Madison Square Garden. But did the Knicks really trot out Stoudemire or the fallen angel the devil himself?
WTF: ESPN
Sickening
The clock finally hit 0:00:00 on the opening of NBA free agency but according to ESPN there’s only one player involved and he has no rings to go with the hype. See ESPN created a whole page to following LeBron James and his suitors entitled the “LeBron Tracker”.
The LeBron Tracker page is an exercise in excessive exposure as the page features an “Inside the Brain of LeBron,” and a free agent slot machine of images of James in both Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks jerseys.
So where’s Dwyane Wade’s page? You know, the only player out of the “top free agents” who actually won an NBA title? Tom Brady’s contract is up next year. Will he be getting a page too?
2010 NBA Finals Most Viewed Since 2001
Est. 1946
ABC averaged a 10.6 rating and 18.1 million viewers for the 2010 NBA Finals, up 26% in ratings and viewership from Los Angeles Lakers/Orlando Magic last year (8.4, 14.3 mil, five games), up 14% and 21% from Boston Celtics/Los Angeles Lakers in 2008 (9.3, 14.9 mil, six games), and up 71% and 95% from San Antonio Spurs/Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 (6.2, 9.3 mil, four games).
This marks the most-viewed NBA Finals since Los Angeles Lakers/Philadelphia 76ers on NBC in 2001 (19.0 mil), and the second most-viewed since Chicago Bulls/Utah Jazz in 1998 (29.0 mil), Michael Jordan’s last NBA Finals.
This is only the second time since 1998 that the NBA Finals has averaged at least 18 million viewers. This only the second time in the past eight years that the NBA Finals has averaged a double-digit rating.
Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics outdrew the last two seven-game NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs/Detroit Pistons in 2005 (12.5 mil) and Houston Rockets/New York Knicks in 1994 (17.3 mil).
Of the 15 NBA Finals since 1990 that did not involve Jordan and the Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics is the third-most viewed, behind the Los Angeles Lakers/Philadelphia 76ers series in 2001 (19.0 mil) and Houston Rockets/Orlando Magic in 1995 (20.1 mil).
However the Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics ranks as the fifth-lowest rated NBA Finals to involve the Los Angeles Lakers in the past thirty years (15 series). It’s ahead of only Los Angeles Lakers/New Jersey Nets in 2002 (10.2), Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics in 2008 (9.3), Los Angeles Lakers/Orlando Magic in 2009 (8.4) and Los Angeles Lakers/Philadelphia 76ers in 1980 (8.0).
For perspective, the 2010 NBA Finals finished behind the 2009 World Series, which averaged an 14.7 rating and 23.4 million viewers for six games.
The final game of the 2010 NBA Finals saw its largest audience and it was its largest for an NBA game since the end of the Chicago Bulls dynasty.
The Los Angeles Lakers Game 7 win over the Celtics drew a 15.6/27 final rating and 28.2 million viewers on ABC.
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed NBA game on any network since Chicago Bulls/Utah Jazz Game 6 in 1998, topping the previous highs of 14.7 Indiana Pacers/Los Angeles Lakers Game 6 in 2000 and 23.8 million viewers Los Angeles Lakers/Sacramento Kings Game 7 in 2002.
Additionally, this is easily the highest rated, most-viewed NBA game ever on ABC, topping the previous high of 13.8 and 21.8 million viewers for Los Angeles Lakers/Detroit Pistons Game 5 in 2004. This is the first time since that 2004 series that any NBA game has surpassed 20 million viewers.
Despite the big numbers Boston Celtics/Los Angeles Lakers finished behind previous Game 7s in the NBA Finals. New York Knicks/Houston Rockets Game 7 drew a 17.9 on NBC in 1994, Detroit Pistons/Los Angeles Lakers Game 7 drew a 21.2 on CBS in 1988, and Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics Game 7 drew a 19.3 rating on CBS in 1984.
NBA Finals Game 6 Overnight Ratings
Est. 1946
For the first time in the 2010 NBA Finals, overnight ratings declined from the previous game.
The Los Angeles Lakers uncompetitive Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics drew a 12.3 overnight rating on ABC Tuesday night, down 4% from Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics Game 6 in 2008 (12.8), up 11% from Miami Heat/Dallas Mavericks Game 6 in 2006 (11.1), and up 17% from Detroit Pistons/San Antonio Spurs Game 6 in 2005 (10.5).
The 12.3 overnight is the second-highest of the series, behind Sunday’s Game 5 (12.8), and is tied as the 7th-highest for an NBA game on ABC since the network acquired the rights in 2002. Additionally, this is the second-highest overnight for Game 6 of the NBA Finals since 2000 (five games).
Tuesday’s game was only the fourth non-clinching Game 6 since 1984. The Detroit Pistons/San Antonio Spurs Game 6 in 2005 drew a 10.5 overnight,New York Knicks/Houston Rockets Game 6 in 1994 drew a 14.1 on NBC, and Detroit Pistons/Los Angeles Lakers Game 6 in 1988 drew a 15.4 on CBS.
Once again, the NBA Finals helped ABC win the night in primetime.
New York City Rappers Get Into LeBron James Sweepstakes
The city of Cleveland has trotted out its city leaders, radio and TV personalities to sing the anthem, that Warner Brothers removed from the internet because of his very similar tune to that of “We Are The World”, “We Are Lebron” in hoping he resigns with Cavaliers.
But how does other cities that are trying to court James try in spark his interest. The city of New York unleashes some of the games hottest NYC rappers. Jadakiss, Nipsey Hussle, Uncle Murda, Chip Tha Ripper, Brisco & Mikey Rocks all make their cases on having James come to the city where the ball drops.
Clear out, duck and run Jada’s got a GUN.
WTF: LeBron James
God Save The Queen
Already in New York Knickerbocker blue I see. That’s one hell of a photoshop on the King With No Rings. I’m sure after seeing this Spike Lee peed himself.
Charlotte Bobcats Owner Michael Jordan To Be On NBA 2K11 Cover
got my hands up, they playin my song
Hall of Famer and former Chicago Bulls star but current Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan will be on the new cover of NBA 2K11 as well as being a playable character.
2K has been in negotiations with several players, both teammates and opponents, from the Jordan era to appear in “2K11″ to help gamers and history buffs accurately recreate the heated competition between the classic Bulls and rivals like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
I’m not going out on much of limb when I say that this will probably be their highest selling game in the series to date but what about selling the next generation of NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Tyreke Evans or Derrick Rose.
New York Knicks Eddy Curry Ordered To Pay 1.2 Milli
Baby Waste
For San Antonio Spurs fans that play fantasy general manager during the off-season they can definitely cross off the option of New York Knicks Eddy Curry from their list. The seven-foot center doesn’t look to be opting out of his 11.2 million player option anytime soon given the news from a Manhattan court he must pay $75,000 a month to lender Allstar Capital Inc. to resolve a debt that swelled to $1.2 million with interest.
Curry defaulted on a $570,000 personal loan while keeping up a lifestyle that included a $17,000-a-month suburban New York home, a $6,000-a-month personal chef and a dozen cars he’d bought for himself and relatives, a judge said. The court also has issued an order letting Las Vegas-based Allstar seize three of the cars: a Rolls Royce Phantom convertible and two Land Rover SUVs, all 2009 models.
The former No. 4 pick in the NBA draft has been dogged by financial and legal problems in recent years. He was sued by his former limo driver, who alleged verbal abuse and sexual harassment; that case is headed for court-ordered arbitration. He also was drawn into a custody battle over his then 3-year-old son, Noah Henry. Curry also sued his former agent and business manager after a bank moved to foreclose on Curry’s $3.7 million home near Chicago.
Curry argued he couldn’t pay off the debt at $75,000 a month because of his existing bills, which include $30,000 a month in household expenses, nearly $17,000 a month in payments to various other relatives and more than $1,000 a month in cable and satellite TV service.
Curry has played only 10 games over the last two seasons, sidelined by injuries, illness and ineffectiveness and soon he will be just an afterthought in the history of the NBA.
WTF: Cleveland Cavaliers
Kings Have Rings
Do you really think tee-shirts are going to keep the ‘King with no Rings’? How about taking a page from Miami’s playbook and setup a website like StayJamesStay.com and what makes your city think that the New York Knicks are the only players in this?
Miami Heats Dwyane Wade Brushes Off The Mafia
Who Shot Ya
The Miami Heat where in New York City over the weekend to face the Knicks leaving their soon to be free agent Dwyane Wade to take in a nightclub in the Meatpacking district where he refused to kiss the ring.
Carmine Gotti, the grandson of legendary mob boss John Gotti, was at club M2 celebrating his birthday and heard Wade was in the building and wanted to meet with Wade but the Heat guard rejected the idea.
Wade reportedly said “There’s no way I’m meeting the Gottis or having my photo taken with them.”
Gotti’s security then got into a scuffle with Wade with Gotti looking visibly upset, Dwyane left shortly thereafter.
At least one superstar in today’s time considers the perception that it would create and is watching out for his image.
Don Nelson Becomes NBA All-Time Winningest Coach
1,333
Golden State Warriors Don Nelson is now your NBA’s most winningest coach with a 116-107 win last night over the Minnesota Timberwolves, passing Lenny Wilkens.
Nelson can extend the number of wins since he has every intention on finishing out the one year left on his contract at $6 million remaining. Nelson has zero number of NBA titles he has as a coach, perhaps the glaring reason he has been passed over by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three times.
In 31 seasons on the bench, Nelson is 1,333-1,061 in a career that has made stops in Milwaukee, Golden State (twice), New York and Dallas. He won five titles as a player, has been named coach of the year three times. Nelson got his first head coaching job with Milwaukee in 1976 when he replaced Larry Costello 19 games into the season and didn’t even have an assistant.
Through it all, Nelson has always done it his way. He’s clashed with players, management and ownership at various stops along the way and is the only coach with at least 1,000 career victories who has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Nelson has built a reputation as a “mad scientist,” experimenting with lineups and offensive sets to cater to teams that were not always the biggest, strongest or most talented. In his first stint with Golden State in the late 1980s, he employed the famous “Run T-M-C” lineup of guards Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin to make the Warriors one of the more entertaining teams in the league. And now “Nelly Ball” has its own place in history.
This has been a long season for the Warriors (24-54), who have been ravaged by injuries and are a lock to finish with their fewest wins since 2001-02. The Warriors played their sixth straight game without Monta Ellis (flu) and also were again without Anthony Randolph (ankle) and Kelenna Azubuike (knee) Andris Biedrins (sports hernia) and Brandan Wright (shoulder) have missed big chunks of time this season too. The Warriors have called up five players from the Development League this season, which is tied with the 2007-08 Spurs for the most in one season.
Rookie Stephen Curry last night scored 27 points and dished out 14 assists and finished just two rebounds and three steals from a quadruple-double while the other hero in helping Nelson achieve the honor was last night was Anthony Tolliver. He led Golden State with a career-high 34 points and has been averaging 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds since being signed back in January.
- NBA ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES
- Don Nelson 1,333
- Lenny Wilkens 1,332
- Pat Riley 1,210
- Jerry Sloan 1,188
- Phil Jackson 1,095
David Lee Forever Linked To Brandon Roy
For what we have already seen this season it does pale in its comparison. But I’m not going to let that take away from Brandon Roy’s tomahawk which was mighty impressive and that David Lee tried to go get some.
Stephon Marbury Still Has Ill Feelings About New York Knicks
Marbooie
Back in the U.S., after his new team missed the playoffs. Stephon Marbury’s first Chinese Basketball Association season is over with but Marbury still won’t a few 8,000 miles separate his feelings about his former team the New York Knicks and head coach Mike D’Antoni.
“I was the person everyone wanted to blame, When I was there, it was always my fault. But it’s not one person. It’s a team, a coach, an organization.”
“You can’t trick Knick fans for too long,” Marbury said. “When things aren’t put on the table from the beginning, it’s difficult to go forward. Being a straight shooter is what it’s about. If you can’t be straight, people can’t respect it. I have no more qualms with him but he’s a BS artist.”
“I always will root for the Knicks,” Marbury said. “These people will come and go, D’Antoni will come and go, Donnie Walsh will come and go. I will still be a Knick fan. It’s in my blood, since I was a baby.”
Marbury also said he felt bamboozled by D’Antoni who told him he could average 30 points in his uptempo offense when he became the Knicks head coach.
Playing for the Shanxi Zhongyu Sharks he saw crowds on an average of 4,500 per game and where he was loved that the fans chanted an altered pronunciation of his name: “Marbooie.”
Former NBA General Manager’s Cell Phone Found In Thrift Store
Who Is This?
A Utah man shopping at his local thrift store came across an interesting buy that connected him to the NBA. The Utah man bought a used cell phone for only 50 cents. When he went home and plugged it in, the Blackberry lit up with phone numbers for famous athletes and entertainment stars.
It turns out that the phone belonged to former Utah Jazz general manger and New York Knicks president and current Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts. He had lost the phone about 10 years ago.
All of the information was still saved and a list of the contacts included Patrick Ewing, Alan Houston, Wayne Gretzky, Bud Selig, David “The Goon” Stern, Marv Albert, Tom Brokaw and Jerry Colangelo, to name a few.
The phone actually has e-mails of proposals to bring an Major League Soccer team to Salt Lake City sent to former city Mayor Rocky Anderson and even former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman.
