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Utah’s owner strikes back at Karl Malone [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 4, 2012, 9:30 am] On Friday, we published an account detailing a report from the Salt Lake Tribune, with writer Gordon Monson helping Karl Malone once again tear into the Utah Jazz for their work in making life untenable for former coach Jerry Sloan. The hook, pitched in order to strike at the heart of fair weather fans, was that Malone had to score a ticket from a scalper for a sold-out Jazz game in the wake of Sloan's retirement. Even if Sloan skulked off in a rare show of extreme prissiness, we wrote, you still go out of your way to approach Malone at any point before or during the game in order to offer him the best seat you can. On Saturday, newish Jazz owner Greg Miller took to his own blog to tear into Karl's hypocrisy. Or, as we delicately put it on Friday, Malone "playing the martyr" as he often does. Miller's post, and I'm not sure you're allowed to use this description in Salt Lake City on Sundays, is scathing. And so worth your time, even if it just adds to the pissing match. Which, again, is a thing I'm not sure you're allowed to enjoy on Salt Lake City on Sundays. Lame and ancient LDS jokes aside, here's a few snippets from Miller's rant: I've bitten my tongue time and again when Karl has made derogatory comments. I've tried to keep in mind the words of one of my mentors close to the situation who said "Karl Malone is giant pain in the ass, but he's our pain in the ass." The fact is Karl is still as high-maintenance as he ever was, but now he has nothing to offer to offset the grief and aggravation that comes with him. Some would argue that he could coach our big men. I would love to have Karl inspire them and teach him how to be warriors like he was. That can't happen. Karl is too unreliable and too unstable. Let me explain. Miller goes on to explain several, um, car dealership-related situations that saw Malone either half-ass or drop out entirely of appearances or hoped-for meetings. On the subject of last year's scalper-situation, Miller is exasperated: A year ago Video: Ice Cube was not happy with David Stern, briefly [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 4, 2012, 8:40 am] Ice Cube, from hip-hop pioneer to TBS basic cable regular, has long been a steadfast fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. And when the NBA puts an end to talk of the league's best point guard heading to his Los Angeles Lakers, then Cube tends to act more of a fan than a basic cable regular. Yeah, the guy kind of wanted Chris Paul on the Lakers. From ESPN2's 'Dan LeBatard is Highly Questionable,' on Friday: Video: Exclusive footage of the puppy Air Bud [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 4:30 pm] In 1997, a talented golden retriever named Buddy won the hearts and minds of America when he led a middle school basketball team in Washington to a championship (and shamed his abusive alcoholic clown owner in the process). Nicknamed "Air Bud," this powerful pooch went on to excel in sports, including football (where he became a "golden receiver" in a delicious pun), soccer (where he became "world pup" in an edible pun) and baseball (where he performed the "seventh inning fetch" in a pun that would not be accepted by orphans in Victorian London). Few athletes have accomplished so much, and even fewer still have remained so adorable while doing so. But where did Buddy come from, and how did he become so adept with a ball despite not having prehensile digits? The answer comes in this exclusive training video obtained by BDL. This home video displays Buddy's training regimen at just 13 weeks old. It consists primarily of the dog rolling a basketball with his paws, trying to eat the ball, and finally falling on the ground from exhaustion. Even Michael Jordan never trained this intensely. Clearly, Buddy's abusive alcoholic clown owner wanted him to become the very best from the moment he came out of the womb, even going so far as to separate him from the rest of the litter. Let this clip serve as a reminder that even the harshest upbringings can produce something beautiful. Video: Isaiah Thomas destroys Wesley Matthews with a block [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 2:35 pm] It's a battle between two players sort of named after former NBA guards. Isaiah Thomas is of no relation to Isiah Thomas, and while Wesley Matthews is the son of former Laker Wes Matthews, he prefers that you call him "Wesley" so as to make the distinction. Speaking of which: When you're blocking the shot with your elbow, and you're about six inches shorter? You've won that particular round. Ryan Gomes’ wife gets needlessly trolled on Twitter [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 1:00 pm] Jerks tend to transcend. It's the jerkiest thing about jerks, is that they can raise the ire of any man or woman, no matter how big or small, and whatever the relative fame and/or fortune of the person the jerk is trying to get at. Like, for instance, the jerks that clearly got to the wife of Los Angeles Clippers forward Ryan Gomes on Thursday. Gomes, admittedly, has been struggling of late. Take away the time he scored 11 points in a January 20th loss to the Timberwolves (missing two-thirds of his shots in the process), he's managed just six points in his last 100 minutes of actions spread out over seven games. That's incredible, and just as unfortunate, and some jerkball Clipper fans (who probably couldn't pick Loy Vaught out of a lineup) decided to go after the guy's wife on Twitter. She responded, as you'll see after the jump, with some NSFW retorts on her Twitter account: Danielle Gomes @Evilla83 @kidclipper There's a reason why my husband is on an NBA team. He can say whatever he wants. He doesn't make or break my man. 11 hours ago Danielle Gomes Get your ass off your couch and stop watching BITCH! RT @kidclipper: GET GOMES OFF THE COURT 11 hours ago Danielle Gomes @PeteyCribb @kidclipper he'd trade places with RYAN GOMES in a heart beat if he could. And honestly... His opinion DOESN'T matter! 11 hours ago Danielle Gomes Thats not support! RT @kidclipper: Butler being out tonight means clippers r gonna have to play Gomes, ughhh 11 hours ago Danielle Gomes **** YOU! RT @kidclipper: Gomes is useless 11 hours ago Danielle Gomes BECAUSE he gets paid millions A**HOLE! RT @kidclipper: Why is Gomes still in the game 11 hours ago Danielle Gomes @Evilla83 @kidclipper shut up, you started it. I wouldn't have seen it. It's one thing to have an opinion it's another to put a player down. 10 hours ago Ryan Gomes, to his everlasting credit, was more than tactful in his response: All in all, another lovely exchange just because someone needlessly gave into trolling. Jerry West wants teams with upset, trade-demanding stars to ‘call their bluff’ [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 12:20 pm] Former Lakers legend and champion NBA general manager did not mention disgruntled Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard by name in his radio interview when he chided teams for not calling a player's bluff on trade demands, but it's pretty clear who he's talking about. With Carmelo Anthony in New York and Chris Paul in Los Angeles, Dwight's just about the only one left actively seeking a new home via trade. Unless you count Chris Kaman. And nobody should. Here's the quote, via ESPN Los Angeles: "I honestly think I'd call their bluff," West said in an interview on 710 ESPN's Mason and Ireland show Thursday, not mentioning Howard specifically. "I really would, because I don't think any agent or player is going to leave $30 million on the table. "I just don't believe that's going to happen." On paper, especially with the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement aiding more than ever in making it tough for teams to want to leave their current homes once free agency hits, West's saber-rattling on behalf of GMs rings true. Let Howard try to find his way with a terrible New Jersey Nets team (that would be gutted even more, should they attempt to clear space to sign Dwight) next year, or some other group with cap space. Let him leave sunny Florida and the lack of income tax for less money elsewhere. Way less, actually. And for a shorter amount of time. The problem this time around is that it almost looks as if West is picking and choosing his spots. And he's in a good place to do so. Yes, the Magic have been run terribly of late, but the sheer lack of assets available in a trade for Howard (with a team like the Nets, or the Golden State Warriors) also make it easier for even a terrible GM (and Orlando's Otis Smith is a bad GM) to decline a deal. On top of that, the penalties for leaving are even greater this time around, and no team on Howard's wish list (save for the woeful Nets) will have the space to sign Howard to even the limited (in comparison to what he'd receive from Did Karl Malone have to buy a scalped ticket to see his former team play? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 11:18 am] There's quite a bit to Gordon Munson's column revisiting of the end of the Jerry Sloan era in Utah, none more surprising than the claim from Jazz legend Karl Malone that Malone had to pay for a ticket from a scalper to watch the Jazz on February 11th of last year (a day after Sloan retired) after the team told him they were out of ducats. It's been almost a year to the day that Jerry Sloan abruptly retired from the Utah Jazz in a move that absolutely nobody saw coming. Following an in-game and then post-game tiff with then-star guard Deron Williams, Sloan apparently felt unsupported by management, and quit despite the organization's attempts to win him back. Just as abruptly, Malone flew to Utah to speak his piece with the media before the following game against the Suns, whereupon he was told that the game was sold out. Whereupon I tell the Jazz that I've seen countless local "celebrities" sneak onto or given good seats on press row, and then tell the Jazz to find Malone's 6-9 frame a folding chair or two. Munson, in a brief aside toward the beginning of a must-read piece, had this to say: "What happened to Sloan had festered inside Malone for long enough. In the immediate aftermath, he came to Utah to express concern, buying his own ticket to the next game at EnergySolutions Arena via a scalper because the Jazz had told him there were no tickets available for him, and spoke to reporters." The turn in front of the reporters spoke to Malone's distaste with how GM Kevin O'Connor handled Sloan's frustrations following his back-and-forth with Williams and Sloan's exit, as he told the media he would give the Jazz "a D or F, and I would lean more toward an F." He's right and wrong. We'll get to that aspect in a second. First, the part where the Jazz are completely wrong? I don't care how late Malone flies in. I don't care if he's there to stir things up that you want nothing to do with as you deal with the craziest three-day-span (Finals included) in team history, or i Karl Malone had to buy a scalped ticket to see his former team play [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 11:18 am] There's quite a bit to Gordon Munson's column revisiting of the end of the Jerry Sloan era in Utah, none more surprising than the claim from Jazz legend Karl Malone that Malone had to pay for a ticket from a scalper to watch the Jazz on February 11th of last year (a day after Sloan retired) after the team told him they were out of ducats. It's been almost a year to the day that Jerry Sloan abruptly retired from the Utah Jazz in a move that absolutely nobody saw coming. Following an in-game and then post-game tiff with then-star guard Deron Williams, Sloan apparently felt unsupported by management, and quit despite the organization's attempts to win him back. Just as abruptly, Malone flew to Utah to speak his piece with the media before the following game against the Suns, whereupon he was told that the game was sold out. Whereupon I tell the Jazz that I've seen countless local "celebrities" sneak onto or given good seats on press row, and then tell the Jazz to find Malone's 6-9 frame a folding chair or two. Munson, in a brief aside toward the beginning of a must-read piece, had this to say: "What happened to Sloan had festered inside Malone for long enough. In the immediate aftermath, he came to Utah to express concern, buying his own ticket to the next game at EnergySolutions Arena via a scalper because the Jazz had told him there were no tickets available for him, and spoke to reporters." The turn in front of the reporters spoke to Malone's distaste with how GM Kevin O'Connor handled Sloan's frustrations following his back-and-forth with Williams and Sloan's exit, as he told the media he would give the Jazz "a D or F, and I would lean more toward an F." He's right and wrong. We'll get to that aspect in a second. First, the part where the Jazz are completely wrong? I don't care how late Malone flies in. I don't care if he's there to stir things up that you want nothing to do with as you deal with the craziest three-day-span (Finals included) in team history, or i Video: Meet each of your 2012 All-Star starters [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 10:35 am] On Thursday the NBA announced the starters that will take the floor at the outset of the 2012 All-Star Game, and while we had a few minor quibbles here and there with the fans vote, more or less the starting fives are on point. And, in the spirit of slow-mo video and lots of cool dunks, let's take a look at video breakdowns as furnished by the NBA, for each of the announced starters. Dig: Eastern Conference Guard, Derrick Rose: Guard, Dwyane Wade: Forward, LeBron James: Forward, Carmelo Anthony: Center, Dwight Howard: Western Conference Guard, Chris Paul: Guard, Kobe Bryant: Forward, Kevin Durant: Forward, Blake Griffin: Center, Andrew Bynum: Our West All-Stars reserves, determined by entertainment value [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 9:15 am] The starters for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando were announced last night (West here, East here), with the usual group of superstars and even more super superstars. Now, we must decide the reserves for both the East and West squads. While most discussions of reserves concern merit based on season-to-date performance, that approach neglects that the All-Star Game is an exhibition intended to be a fun advertisement for the NBA as a whole. The goal shouldn't be just to pick deserving players, but to make the game an entertaining look at what's most worth watching in professional basketball. With that in mind, I chose the seven reserves for each team that will make for the most exciting game. Not everything makes sense based on the stats and standings, but that's not the point. Below, find the West selections. For the East, go here. PG Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder: A no-brainer pick, Westbrook excels statistically, plays an exhibition-friendly style, and is the second-best player on a Thunder team likely to make a lot of noise in the postseason. There is no compelling reason to leave him off the team, whether for the sake of entertainment value or merit. Anyone who doesn't include him -- like Shaquille O'Neal, who chose Mo Williams instead on "Inside the NBA" on Thursday -- is thinking about the NBA way too little or far too much. PG Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets: A deep roster and high altitude for home games has made the Nuggets a great fit for the compressed season. Yet their 15-7 record hasn't just been a function of having more able bodies than the opposition; they also have a rough hierarchy led by Lawson and forward Danilo Gallinari. For the purposes of the All-Star Game, though, Lawson is the much better choice, blessed with a great sense of how to run a team and plenty of speed and quickness to start fast breaks. The Nuggets deserve representation in this game, and there's no better way to do it than with one of the league's best young guards. Our West All-Star reserves, determined by entertainment value [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 9:15 am] The starters for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando were announced Thursday night (West here, East here), with the usual group of superstars and even more super superstars. Now, we must decide the reserves for both the East and West squads. While most discussions of reserves concern merit based on season-to-date performance, that approach neglects that the All-Star game is an exhibition intended to be a fun advertisement for the NBA as a whole. The goal shouldn't be just to pick deserving players, but to make the game an entertaining look at what's most worth watching in professional basketball. With that in mind, I chose the seven reserves for each team that will make for the most exciting game. Not everything makes sense based on the stats and standings, but that's not the point. Below, find the West selections. For the East, go here. PG Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder: A no-brainer pick, Westbrook excels statistically, plays an exhibition-friendly style, and is the second-best player on a Thunder team likely to make a lot of noise in the postseason. There is no compelling reason to leave him off the team, whether for the sake of entertainment value or merit. Anyone who doesn't include him -- like Shaquille O'Neal, who chose Mo Williams instead on "Inside the NBA" on Thursday -- is thinking about the NBA way too little or far too much. PG Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets: A deep roster and high altitude for home games has made the Nuggets a great fit for the compressed season. Yet their 15-7 record hasn't just been a function of having more able bodies than the opposition; they also have a rough hierarchy led by Lawson and forward Danilo Gallinari. For the purposes of the All-Star game, though, Lawson is the much better choice, blessed with a great sense of how to run a team and plenty of speed and quickness to start fast breaks. The Nuggets deserve representation in this game, and there's no better way to do it than with one of the league's best young guar Our East All-Star reserves, determined by entertainment value [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 8:40 am] The starters for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando were announced Thursday night (West here, East here), with the usual group of superstars and even more super superstars. Now, we must decide the reserves for both the East and West squads. While most discussions of reserves concern merit based on season-to-date performance, that approach neglects that the All-Star Game is an exhibition intended to be a fun advertisement for the NBA as a whole. The goal shouldn't be just to pick deserving players, but to make the game an entertaining look at what's most worth watching in the NBA. With that in mind, I chose the seven reserves for each team that will make for the most exciting game. Not everything makes sense based on the stats and standings, but that's not the point. Below, find the East selections. Look for the West later today. PG Deron Williams, New Jersey Nets: The Nets are a horrible team, and Williams' stats have suffered this year as he finds himself surrounded with (maybe) one starter-level NBA player. Nevertheless, the quality of an All-Star Game is often defined by the degree to which point guards get the other players involved, and Williams is one of the best floor generals in the league. On top of that, he's likely to be a player of major importance this summer as he decides between accompanying the Nets on their move to Brooklyn (with Dwight Howard, maybe) or joining an established contender like his hometown Mavericks in free agency. Williams matters to the long-term health of the league, and an All-Star Game without him would represent a serious case of myopia. PG Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: New players are exciting, whether for one team or the league as a whole, and it's in the NBA's best interest to promote those guys whenever possible. Irving deserves to get in on the merits, too, with 18.1 ppg and 4.9 apg in only 28.8 minutes as the Cavs battle for a playoff spot. He's only going to get better and play more, and the league should take ad Video: Joakim Noah meets Kobayashi, champion eater and Wing Bowl contender [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 7:45 am] The video of the meeting between famed competitive eating champion Takeru Kobayashi and Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is as funny as you think it will be, with a stern looking Kobayashi posing for pictures with a closed fist as if he was promoting a heavyweight bout as Noah hung loose, and with Bull Brian Scalabrine acting all "Brian Scalabrine" in the background. Take a look: It's this column on Kobi, which admittedly has nothing to do with the NBA outside of the fact that he met up with several Bulls following their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, that is the real hoot. The quotes, from Philly.com's Pattison Ave.'s Ryan Petzar, are golden, not unlike the fried chicken wings Kobi will be attempting to down by the hundreds in Friday's Wing Bowl XX. I'm so sorry for that last line. I haven't had my 300 wings for breakfast, as Kobi enjoyed the other day, yet. There's this warning, from five-time Wing Bowl champion Bill "El Wingador" Simmons, a name that couldn't be funnier even if it was the other Bill Simmons competing in a Mexican wrestling max in his spare time: "This is a bone-in contest. I think he'll have problems with the bones. And jaw strength has been a factor for him in the past," El Wingador told me in a separate interview. Wingador's personal goal? To eclipse the 300-wing mark for the first time and set a new Wing Bowl record. When prompted for a response, Kobayashi gave a very diplomatic answer. "I understand that [Wingador] has more experience in this contest. I'm sure his technique and his jaw strength is much better than mine. I know that," he admitted. So, if Wingador has the technique and the strength, how exactly does Kobayashi plan to win? "I'm very good at swallowing food whole, so I'm going to use the technique I'm good at. I'm very good at saving the energy in my jaw. I envision myself winning by swallowing," he said. Good thing, to try to shoot for the win in a competitive eating contest by swallowing. Better Blake Griffin won’t be in the 2012 Dunk Contest ‘as of right now’ [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 7:10 am] On Thursday night, we relayed the idea that Blake Griffin could have a disappointing All-Star weekend later this month, merely by just playing sound All-Star level basketball in the game but by failing to come through with the sort of never-seen-before dunks we're accustomed to seeing from the Clippers' big forward. Mix those unfair expectations and perhaps a second or third-place finish while defending his Slam Dunk title, and you've got a recipe for sad Blake. Griffin, smartly, has responded by passing the torch and deciding to retire his Slam Dunk Contest run after one championship season. Telling Arash Markazi at ESPN Los Angeles this on Thursday: "As of right now I don't plan on being in it," Griffin said Thursday night. "Those dunk contests aren't my thing, I said that last year. There's a lot of guys that can put on a great show and do some good stuff." Indeed. And as we brought up in Thursday's post about LeBron James' possible inclusion in the contest, there just aren't a whole lot of things to do with a ball (or two, if you're Larry Nance) and a 10-foot (or higher, if you're Dwight Howard) rim. Or two rims, if you're Javale McGee. Adding a bunch of unknowns to the mix has been tried before, but the NBA has also dropped the ball on a few of those unknowns over the last half-decade or so. Still, the league has to try to rebuild the contest in an organic way, and not like, say, Lorne Michaels hiring 47 semi-stars (some aged 47) for 'Saturday Night Live' in 1994. Going with unknowns may not please Tony Kornheiser on some random Thursday in late February, but it might be best for the health of the Contest. And, for someone expected to lead his team deep into the playoffs, the health of Blake Griffin. Because, remember -- there's always DeAndre Jordan. Judging the fan vote for the starters on the Western All-Star squad [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 6:00 pm] On Thursday night, the NBA announced the All-Star starters, culled from fan votes spread out over a season that has only been playing live basketball for 39 days. Yikes. So you know there are bound to be some misses, as the fans take to the ballot both online and off. Did the fans make the right call as to who they're sending to the scorer's to start the game on Feb. 26? Or is it time to hand the vote to Larry Brown and a whole bunch of other basketballniks who know who Cliff Hagan is? Let's find out ⦠Center Fans pick: Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum. Nailed it? Nailed it. Because he's been healthy, and because of a 6.5 minutes per game uptick, All-Star fans are finding out what per-minute obsessives have known for years: Bynum is an All-Star when you give him a good run. Bynum's points per minute are actually down slightly from what he came through with in 2009 and '10, but his overall production has stayed pretty much the same since 2007 or so. Good to see that he's healthy enough to take advantage of those skills. The West has enjoyed some solid production out of its pivotmen this year, as Memphis' Marc Gasol has played well, Houston's Samuel Dalembert has come on as of late, and Al Jefferson (forced into being center-ish by his forward-heavy Jazz squad) has matched Bynum offensively. But this is the right pick. Forwards Fans pick: Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin. Nailed it? Nearly. Durant is the right pick here. His scoring is down a bit in his fifth (!) season, but he remains as potent as ever (shooting above 50 percent) for a Thunder team with the best record in basketball. As was the case with Glen Rice in 1997, Durant is a few flicks of the wrist away from getting hot and shooting his way toward the MVP. And, yes, there is a hot hand for the All-Star Game, basketball intelligentsia. Let me at least have that one. Griffin is a worthy All-Star in terms of his production, and he'll clearly be looked upon to provide Days of NBA Lives: Wherein Nate Robinson quotes “Fired Up!” [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 5:38 pm] At this point, seemingly half the NBA is on Twitter. It's a wild world of training updates, questions as to which movies they should go see, and explanations of their Call of Duty prowess. Every so often, though, you also get a picture into the more interesting aspects of NBA life. This feature is your window into that world. Nate Robinson: Lol RT @caliFAWNia: You gotta risk it to get the biscuit.-@nate_robinson Kenneth Faried: One of my female followers swag has gain an interest to me.. I think I should hit dat follow button hmmm John Amaechi: Also, and not to boast about my weight loss (much) - but I dunked on someone last night for the first time in 4 years! #comeback?NO! Nolan Smith: I gotta half eaten turkey sandwich if you want it! RT @aldridge_12: I'm hungry and roomservice is closed. smh Julian Wright: So.. Lebron's "Decision" is bad but HS fb players been makin their "decisions" for years (w/ props!), & they be changing they minds too! You can also follow Eric Freeman on Twitter at @freemaneric. Judging the fan vote for the starters on the Eastern All-Star squad [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 5:20 pm] On Thursday night, the NBA announced the All-Star starters, culled from fan votes spread out over a season that has only been playing live basketball for 39 days. Yikes. So you know there are bound to be some misses, as the fans take to the ballot both online and off. Did the fans make the right call as to who they're sending to the scorer's to start the Game on February 26th? Or is it time to hand the vote to Larry Brown and a whole bunch of other basketballniks who know who Cliff Hagan is? Let's find out ⦠Center Fans pick: Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard. Nailed it? Nailed it. Howard started slow and his production has dipped slightly as his Orlando Magic have fallen off the face of the earth over the last week and a half, but even while taking off on some plays he remains dominant overall defensively (that's how great Howard was when he was engaged, this is his version of mailing it in and he's still causing havoc) and his 20-point, 15-rebound averages are more than deserving of an All-Star nod. Competitors Joakim Noah started even slower than Howard to start the year, while Brook Lopez, Andrew Bogut, and Al Horford have been out due to injury. Tyson Chandler has enjoyed a fine season but he just isn't in Howard's company. Forwards Fans pick: Miami Heat's LeBron James, New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony. Nailed it? Halfway. James, without question, has been far and away the best player in basketball this season. Not amongst a group of three or four greats, mind you, but the best in the NBA by a wide margin. He's having a career year, which is saying something both because of his staggering regular season accomplishments in seasons' prior, but also because of the draining nature of this truncated season. Anthony is not having his best season, far from it, and the lure of a big name scorer with New York-recognition was too much for the fans to pass on. Miami's Chris Bosh, averaging 20 points on a much better shooting percentage and eight rebounds, would have been t Video: Metta World Peace, friend of the roach [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 4:26 pm] At this point in his life, it's no big deal to say that Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace is a weird guy. All we can do when discussing him is point out new incidents that add to his reputation, or try to figure out if what he's talking about even happened or if he's just playing to the cameras. So, without further commentary, we present this video from Melissa Rohlin of the Los Angeles Times interviewing MWP. Rohlin asks how World Peace feels about road trips, which he hears as "roaches." Then things get weird from there, with everyone's favorite insane person talking at length about how he used to be friends with roaches while growing up in poverty in Queens. Somewhere, deep inside, there's a serious story here. (via EOB) Pau Gasol thinks “soft” talk is fueled by jealousy [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 3:58 pm] As second banana for the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol has alternately been praised and criticized for his performance, with little room for any middle ground. When the Lakers win, it's usually because Gasol helped dominate the paint, whether by scoring or protecting the rim. When they lose, it's commonly believed that he shied away from those responsibilities. That's earned him a reputation as sometimes playing soft, which in turn has made many wonder if Gasol can still be a part of a contending Lakers team. At the same time, Gasol is as talented as all but a few big men in the league, to the point where a lot of the criticism goes overboard. So why are people so harsh on the Spaniard? Well, if you ask Pau himself, it's because they're jealous. From an interview with 790 The Ticket in Miami (via Sports Radio Interviews and PBT): Why do you think Kendrick Perkins and Amare Stoudemire call you a soft player? "Sometimes I believe it is guys just talking for the heck of talking. They got nothing better to say and other times I believe there is a little bit of jealousy at times, but I can't really control what other people say. I can control what I do and what I have been doing throughout my career, which has been very successful and help my team beat better teams. That is as much as I can control and that's what I focus 100% on, so the rest of the stuff is a couple of guys talking here or there. It does not affect me or interfere with my life." So it doesn't bother you? "Like I said I am a competitive guy. I always try to give my best effort. Some nights it works better than others, but again it is something that it is brought up after three consecutive finals and two championships. Those thoughts kind of went away with the two championships, but again I play. I play as hard as I can and I do a pretty good job for the most part and I can live with that." It's good that Pau feels comfortable with himself; he truly has accomplished a lot in this league and deserves cre Toronto still boos Tracy McGrady for some reason [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 11:25 am] In the summer of 2000, after three successful seasons with the Toronto Raptors, free agent forward Tracy McGrady signed a max-level contract. It was an unfortunate turn of events for the Raptors, but also a reasonable one. While McGrady was considered one of the most talented and most versatile young wings in the NBA at just 21 years old, he was coming off a season in which he'd averaged just 15.4 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting as second option to intergalactic superstar Vince Carter. The Raptors were understandably sad to see McGrady go, but giving him that much money represented a significant gamble, and the Raptors just didn't have room to pay both McGrady and Carter that sort of scratch. So they chose the guy who looked like he'd be one of the league's top players for another decade. Unfortunately, the guy they let go ended up being that player. Carter, as most fans know, turned out not to be much of a leader and left Toronto under pretty awful circumstances. The Raptors ended up in bad shape and haven't really recovered since. That said, the decision at the time made complete sense, and it's tough to blame McGrady for taking the chance to become a superstar in Orlando. Still, Toronto fans haven't forgotten that he chose another franchise. Nearly 12 years later, they're still booing him when he comes to town, including during Tuesday night's 100-77 loss to McGrady's Atlanta Hawks. Mike Ganter weighed in on the situation in the Toronto Sun (via TrueHoop): Toronto sports fans' fascination with booing former players returning in opposing jerseys is well documented. And some of it is well deserved. But there comes a point where the vast majority of the crowd have no idea why they're evening booing a guy. Coming out of halftime, one of McGrady's contemporaries on press row was giving him the gears about being the old man. McGrady looked over and smiled before saying, "Man, every time I come back here I feel young again." He then went out and proved it fini |