HoopsVibe

“What went wrong, man?” My question, though rhetorical, is met with a response. “What went right?” My buddy, however, expected an answer. The problem was that for the first time, I didn't have one. The deeper I dug into my recesses of optimism, the more questions I unearthed. Have the players always cared this little? Was it such a string of shameless promotions last year? When did the sneakers start to mean more than the defence? Was it always this bad?

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What's good, basketball fans? With the NBA season stumbling to a temporary halt, it's time again to watch a selection of the world's elite ballers thank their fans by playing fairly poorly in a semi-competitive game which counts for nothing. Still, in spite of the commercial whoring, lazy defence and celebrities who have no business being in an NBA arena, All-Star Weekend is, at the least, several thousand times more entertaining than the Winter Olympics, and I say that without hyperbole. In honour of ASW, I continue with the annual tradition (founded this year) by listing the things I'd most like to see at some point in the festivities. As always, you can reach me with your comments, questions and suggestions at CY.Ellis@HoopsVibe.com or via the comment box below this article. Let's get right into it.

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What's good, basketball fans? You know the drill by now, so we needn't waste any time getting down to business. Let's take a look at our first quote. "I witnessed my wife being threatened by a man that I learned later to be intoxicated. I saw him touch her, and I know I should not have acted the way I did, but I would have felt terrible if I didn't react. There was no time to call security. It happened too quickly." For those of you unfamiliar with the incident, Antonio Davis entered the stands to attend to his wife, whom he saw “falling back” (in Larry Brown's words) during a confrontation with the aforementioned drunk dude. The event itself was even less exciting than it sounds, but the interesting part will come in the NBA's response to the event. Due to the fact that he entered the stands, Davis earned an automatic ejection, which comes with a substantial fine.

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What's good, basketball fans? A happy MLK Day to all; here's hoping you use some of your time today to pay homage to Dr. King and his legacy. Although a good number of you have today off, I'm still on the grind, which means that you have the treat of another edition of The Day in Quotes. Let's get right into it. "He's a hell of a player, but I just got in him." - Ruben Patterson on guarding LeBron James

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What's good, basketball fans? After a protracted absence, I'm back on the block, and so is The Day in Quotes. If you don't know this goes, stick with us and you soon will. Let's get down to business. "It looks positive at this point. I haven't talked with Mr. Colangelo, but we should be making this announcement within a week or so." - LeBron James on the possibility of his being included in the coming Olympic squad I don't think I'm jumping the gun when I say that LeBron is as good as a confirmed member of the squad. His rolls deep enough in minders, agents and publicists that somebody would have shut him up were this not essentially a done deal. Relinquishing a sizeable chunk of your off-season is no small commitment for a player who averages forty-plus minutes a night, but it's no surprise that he wants to get the taste of that LeBronze out of his mouth.

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What's good, basketball fans? You know how this goes by now. If you don't, you can check out one of the previous editions of TDIQ by clicking on the links to the right of your screen. As always, you can contact me with your comments, suggestions and basketball queries at CY.Ellis@HoopsVibe.com. Let's get right into it. “I don't know Ron, so I can't say whether he would scare me or not.” - Dwane Casey Either Dwane Casey is hardcore or, frankly, a little slow. I can't tell you if there's a higher power in the universe or whether our oil reserves will run dry in the next thirty years, but one thing I know for damn sure is that Ron Artest should put the fear in most rational people. With a 6'7'', 260-pound frame and the behavioural tendencies of a bipolar Tyrannosaurus Rex, he's a cause for concern on several levels. If you gave me the choice between being locked in a room with an angry Ron-Ron or being thrown in a shark tank, I'd start looking for my snorkel.

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What's good, basketball fans? As promised, we're back with another edition of The Day in Quotes. If the emails I received yesterday are anything to go by, the new format has gone down well with you all, so we'll be sticking with it for the moment. If you haven't already, let me know what you think of the set-up by emailing me at CY.Ellis@HoopsVibe.com or by commenting in the box at the bottom of the page. Let's get right to our first quote. “He's had it for a long time. It has to do with his toenail and having his toenail removed.” - Jeff Van Gundy on Yao Ming's toenail problems

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What's good, basketball fans? Today we'll be test-driving a new format for our daily coverage of the NBA's big news. The plan is to look at the world of hoops through the best and worst quotes from the players, coaches and media, with commentary from your favourite writer...assuming that's me. If it works nicely and goes down well with you good folks, we'll stick with it. With the grand introduction out of the way, let's get right to our first quote. “If he's on the inactive list, he's still damaging the team we have now, and that's not right.” ­ - Jermaine O'Neal on Ron Artest

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What's good, basketball fans? Since we're no closer to finding out which city will be the next to witness The Artest Show, let's take a look at the news rather than run through the ever-increasing list of teams alleged to be making a play at Ron-Ron. Dwyane Wade Moves Apparel According to today's press release from the NBA, the most popular jersey this season is that of Miami's point guard/shooting guard/fashion model/superhero Dwyane Wade. If the news is any sort of surprise to you, then I'd question whether you've ever seen Dwyane play. Rarely does a Heat game go by that he doesn't make the nightly highlight reels with one of the ridiculous moves that have come to be part of his repertoire. Whether slicing between a pair of defenders on a high screen, throwing down an improbable jam or sending opponents to the emergency room with a bone-breaking cross, he never fails to find a way to make me spill whatever I'm holding or curse loud enough that my neighbours take to beating on the wall with a broom.

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What's good, basketball fans? Today's basketball news was dominated by talk concerning the possible destinations for HoopsVibe favourite Ron Artest, who, for those of you living under a rock, recently issued a trade request. So, who wants the camera-breaking, crazy-talking, number-changing riot-starter? If the preliminary reports are anything to go by, just about everyone, with Indiana GM Donnie Walsh claiming to have received calls from “fifteen or sixteen” organisations already. Rather than run through every potential scenario proposed by the media and team insiders, let's take a look at just a few of the major players in the Ron Artest sweepstakes or, at the least, those who have expressed the most interest in acquiring the 260-pound defensive maestro from the housing projects of Queensbridge, New York. Let's get right into it.

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