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Dwyane Wade, Gary Payton Feeling UnwellJune 05 06 There’s worrying news in South Florida today, with an AP report claiming that Dwyane Wade and Gary Payton missed Monday’s training session due to sickness. Both have done more than enough in their careers to prove their resilience in the face of injury and illness, but Miami fans would still rather not hear that two of their key contributors have spent the past few days looking down on the wrong kind of bucket.Wade was with the team for pre-practice meetings Monday before leaving to see a physician because of a flu-like virus that he’s been fighting since Friday. Payton went home suffering from a migraine headache. He reported in the morning and conferred with the team’s medical staff before departing.Nonetheless, Pat Riley and pals aren’t sweating it, or at least not letting on if they are. If I were in their position, I’d surround Dwyane with all kinds of medical specialists, faith healers, mystics and maybe a priest or two just to mess with the Mavs’ minds. As hard as they’d try not to, they’d naturally find their focus drawn away from the task at hand and towards Wade’s condition, and if there’s one thing the Heat have shown this postseason, it’s that they’ll smack you upside the head the second you look away from the action. The Pistons’ poor play was catalysed by their inability to ignore the internal drama, and Dallas could just as easily go the same way if they waste their preparation time wondering whether or not Flash is going to pull on his superhero tights for game one. "He’s fine. We sent him back to the doctor to get some more medication," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "Another checkup. ... We feel like he’ll be OK." Heat center Shaquille O’Neal said the team isn’t concerned, insisting that he’s confident Wade and Payton will be ready for Game 1. "We’ve still got three days left," O’Neal said after Monday’s practice. "Guys are getting rest and they’re getting a lot of fluids." I suppose that the alternative to my plan is simply to say that Dwyane’s fine and leave the opposition to stew in their juices for three days as they draw up tactics to try to slow down a runaway train. I don’t know about you, but I feel for Josh Howard. The man must be having kittens right now. - CYE
Nazr Mohammed Linked to the Chicago BullsJune 05 06 Like Ben Wallace, Nasty Naz is now recovering from a season that ended too soon and considering his options for next year. Also like Big Ben, he’s said to be leaning towards an exit from his current club, with several recent reports claiming that Nazr Mohammed may be leaving the Spurs. While the rumours don’t seem to have any factual backing as yet, the majority of what’s printed in the Chicago Sun-Times is on-point, so this can be seen as more than mere hearsay.Nazr Mohammed reportedly has turned down a four-year contract extension from the San Antonio Spurs and appears ready to leave the team via free agency. There’s a strong possibility Mohammed, a 6-10 center, will end up with the Bulls.Interesting? Yes. Informative? Only a little. Still, it’s fun to speculate, and the thought of Nasty Naz moving to Chi-Town sounds saner than anything Isiah Thomas has said this millennium. However, there’s also talk of him replacing Drew Gooden, who’s rumoured to be on his way out of Cleveland whether he likes it or not. Another player of this type is Nazr Mohammed, an unrestricted free agent from the San Antonio Spurs. Ferry played and worked for the Spurs before coming to the Cavs, and knows Mohammed well. It’s a safe guess that Mohammed is a player the Cavs will consider if they end up moving Gooden. - CYE
Is Ben Wallace Leaving the Detroit Pistons?June 04 06 It’s a possibility that the fans and press alike had openly considered all year, but with his season having ended prematurely, Ben Wallace has spoken about leaving the Pistons. While it’s obviously not smart to take his word at face value given what’s just gone down, it still has to be worrying to the folks in Detroit that the defensive cornerstone of their franchise may have gone to work with the Bad Boys for the final time.As he gathered his stuff Saturday, Wallace said he pondered whether it would be his last duty as a Piston."It creeps into mind a little bit. But like I say, it’s just a matter of going out, taking care of business, do what I got to do and try to make the best of the situation. It creeps in a little bit." You could be forgiven for reading such quotes and thinking that Ben’s as good as gone. What you should remember, however, is that he recently signed with the notorious Arn Tellem, who would obviously rather Wallace was with the team able to offer him the most money. Add the pressure from his agent to the thousands of phone calls and emails he’ll receive from fellow Pistons and their supporters, and it looks likely that he’ll crack and come back. Still, he’s not verbally committing to staying in Detroit right now. "Nothing in this league is automatic,’’ Wallace said last week in Miami when asked about his pending free agency. "I was never supposed to leave Washington. I was supposed to retire in Orlando. "Strange things happen. It’s not automatic [that he will re-sign in Detroit]. You just never know what might happen.’’ As is mentioned in the article linked above, there are only a handful of teams with the cash to bring him to town, meaning that a sign-and-trade deal may be on the cards. I doubt any potential suitors will have called after Ben while he’s in his fragile state, but I’d expect the rumours to start flowing fairly early in the summer. - CYE
Larry Brown: Dead Man Talking (Again)May 31 06 The scriptwriters for The L.B. Saga 2: Electric Boogaloo are back in action following a few days’ rest, and their work continues to be as entertaining as it ever was. With the Knicks having denied the media any access to him within their training facility, a number of reporters followed the still-just-about-coach from practice, and Larry Brown took the unusual step of stopping to shoot the breeze.Knicks lame-duck coach Larry Brown pulled his car to the side of a Westchester road, hopped out of his black Audi and sounded like a confused soul begging to be put out of his misery.Riddle me this: Why, with what must be in excess of eight figures in the bank and more on the way, would you drive an Audi? You’ll have to forgive me for avoiding the story here momentarily, but if I came into the sort of bread that fell into Larry’s lap last year, I’d have copped a car worth more than a semi-detached house and ordered twenty-six-inch rims made from the bones of famous people. I guess Coach Brown is planning for the worst financially, which, in his case, would be to keep his job. "I feel like a dead man walking," Brown said yesterday. "As many questions as you have, I have. And I have no answers." Brown sounded as if he’s resigned to his eventual axing. "You hear anybody deny the story," Brown asked. "I haven’t met with anybody. I work the kids out. I really don’t have any explanation of what’s going on.." You know, for the first time in this whole affair, I actually feel as if I could give a fraction of a f*ck about Larry Brown’s feelings. Those of you follow The Blog regularlywill know that I’ve called him every name under the sun recently, characterising him as a crook, a snake and, perhaps worst of all, an incompetent coach. - CYE
Stephon Marbury Loves the KnicksMay 30 06 If you thought, as I did, that you’d heard every exaggerated statement possible from the league’s most disappointing organisation, you’d be wrong. As if to let the public know that they were still speaking in superlatives, Stephon Marbury has said that he wants to “die a Knick.” Over to you, Steph."I want to be a Knick, I want to die a Knick," Marbury told The Post in an exclusive Memorial-Day interview. "If I ever was to be cremated, I’d want my ashes sprinkled on top of the Garden." "Playing here has always been my dream," Marbury added. "I want to be in New York more than any place." I’m torn right now. Has Marbles lost his damn mind, or is he simply being smart? While the former was my first thought, I’ve decided that he’s actually making the sort of statement that could ensure he remains in NYC for at least another season. If that happens, of course, it means that Larry Brown will be given his marching orders. See how that works out for Steph? He stays home, Larry leaves, and the city loves him for his loyalty. Three-for-three, baby. "I hope that every player on this team comes back next season," Marbury said. "I honestly mean that. Every player. I think we have a great team. I think it will be so much different next year." - CYE
Karl Malone Cometh (Probably)May 30 06 I’ve always said that he wouldn’t be able to keep his bald head and deadly elbows away from the league for long, and now, it seems, my predictions are on their way to coming true. Speaking from Utah, Karl Malone today hinted at a return to the NBA, though not as a player this time."Am I looking one day to be more involved and more active in (basketball)? Absolutely...I don’t mind starting at the bottom, being on the sideline," he added. "When I came out of college (Louisiana Tech, in 1985), I did the same thing."He’s currently helping the Jazz out as a scout, and a role in talent evaluation is just about perfect for The Mailman at this point in time. It allows him not only to gradually ease himself back into the action, but also to observe the assistant coaches and decide whether a career behind the clipboard would be right for him. Whatever he eventually chooses, he won’t be short on options. "We had really good dialogue last year, but I didn’t want to just jump back into it," Malone said. "We had a great conversation with (Hornets owner) Mr. (George) Shinn, and we talked candidly about a lot of things." This year, Malone said without being specific, "a couple teams other than the Jazz" have made overtures as well. "I’ve had opportunities to learn," he said, "from people that say, ’Hey, when you’re ready to do this, come here.’" - CYE
Flip Saunders Talks BackMay 30 06 Yesterday, I highlighted the beginnings of beef between the Pistons and their coach and asked the question “Should Detroit fans be concerned?” Well, after another night of abuse from Shaq and Dwyane, the answer appears to be in the affirmative. To compound the problem, Flip Saunders has responded to his players’ comments that surfaced in the media following game three, and he didn’t hold anything back.“This is the same group that said we did more defensive drills than we ever did. ...You want to talk about lack of defence? Yeah, there’s a lack of defence because guys aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do. If I gave up fifty points in the paint and I gave up thirteen straight drives to the basket when I’m supposed to be guarding someone, I mean these are things you learn in the sixth grade: Stay between your man and the basket. If you can’t do it, you are right, there’s going to be a defensive lapse.”That’s cold, coach. I know your boys called you out, but questioning their effort on defence is on a par with insinuating that you’ve had inappropriate relations with their mothers. Flip wasn’t done there, though, also putting Tayshaun Prince on blast for one particular comment of his. “I mean, point blank, the reason we couldn’t put Lindsey on the floor, part of it was because Tay wasn’t scoring. Our scoring was coming out of Chauncey and Rip, and to keep scoring on the floor, we had to keep our guards on the floor. That was one of the things that went into it, so it’s pretty ironic.” Big Ben Wallace was next to come under fire. “I don’t agree with what Ben says on practice from a defensive standpoint, talking to people who have been here and what we’ve done. We all know how Ben gets at times.” In fact, by the time he was done, the whole team was on Flip’s shit list. “As a coach, I make decisions. I have to live by the decisions. As players, they play, and they have to implement…we’re better when we’re irritable, and we’re feeling fat cats about ourselves.” “They gripe all year, but it’s just that everybody doesn’t know about it. That’s how players are.” “This isn’t about egos right now. This is about winning. If you have a job to do, go out and do your job.” - CYE
Do the Detroit Pistons Have a Problem?May 29 06 With things falling apart on the court, the Bad Boys would be well advised to draw together as a team to figure out how best to beat the Heat. The pressure of the situation seems to have affected them, however, as various reports in today’s media suggest that the players of the Detroit Pistons are unhappy with Flip Saunders. While they’re yet to have taken a direct shot at the new coach, it’s pretty clear that something ain’t right.Asked the difference between today’s Pistons and the Pistons of 2004 and 2005, especially on defense, Detroit’s Ben Wallace said, "Night and day . . . night and day." He pointed out that his team has dropped defensively from No. 1 to "the middle of the pack."Big Ben wasn’t the only one with beef, however. Even Tayshaun Prince, a player not known for running his mouth to the media, has expressed concern over Saunders’ tactics in game three. But Prince did say: "I was pretty disappointed we didn’t give Lindsey Hunter any action in the second half. Obviously, he’s our best suit for Dwyane [Wade], as far as putting pressure on him. I know Dwyane can shoot over him, but at least he has the quickness to be where he’s at all the time. We didn’t give him the opportunity [in] the second half." Unsurprisingly, Rasheed Wallace also had something to say. His comments weren’t as inflammatory as you would have expected given what his peers had said, but the cumulative effect of having four-fifths of the starting line-up question their coach has to be disturbing for Detroit fans. Asked about his offensive involvement on Sunday, Wallace replied, "That’s a question y’all should ask Flip. It’s more of a coaching call." Wallace also made clear his disdain for the Hack-a-Shaq method. "It never worked in Portland," Wallace, a former Trail Blazer, said. "It didn’t work now. To me, personally, if I’m the coach, I don’t like that." - CYE
Gilbert Arenas ArrestedMay 28 06 Just as I think that the NBA news has ground to a halt, a great story jumps out of nowhere and bites me on the butt. Word from the Washington Post today is that Gilbert Arenas and Awvee Storey have been arrested for disobeying the police. Although the Wizards have only commented to say that they currently have no comment, the incident is alleged to have taken place in Miami Beach at some point over the Memorial Day weekend.Storey was blocking traffic in the middle of a busy street when an officer told him to get back to the sidewalk Saturday night, according to police reports. Storey didn’t get out of the street, and the officer arrested him and charged him with failure to obey a command.While police were arresting Storey, Arenas got out of a vehicle and walked toward the arresting officers. According to reports, an officer told Arenas to get back in his vehicle, but he refused, saying he wanted to stand next to his teammate. The officer took Arenas into custody and charged him with resisting without violence. Arenas’ intentions may have sounded honourable, but what follows in the story pretty much ruins that. What’s more, you have to wonder whether sticking up for Awvee Storey is really worth spending the night in a cell. Arenas’ intentions may have sounded honourable, but what follows in the story pretty much ruins that. What’s more, you have to wonder whether sticking up for Awvee Storey is really worth spending the night in a cell. As Arenas was being arrested, according to reports, he said, "You can’t arrest me. I’m a basketball player. I play for the Washington Wizards, and I’m not going to leave my teammate." - CYE
Amaré Stoudemire Changes Number, Talks BigMay 27 06 With the whispers of a return from STAT gently rising to a crescendo yesterday, Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni offered an unequivocal shut the f*ck up when questioned on the matter. Although certain alleged “insiders” had claimed otherwise, it was made clear today that Amaré Stoudemire won’t play this offseason."No," Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said firmly. "Medically, he probably could give it a try," D’Antoni continued, "but he’s not ready. We put it on the shelf that day." "That day" refers to March 28, when Stoudemire’s comeback from October microfracture surgery on his left knee was aborted after three games and followed shortly thereafter by an arthroscopic surgery to ease a fluid buildup in the other knee. Although there was no apparent change on the comeback front from Stoudemire, he has been talking about the time when he’ll be running the hardwood once again. Typically, he isn’t shy about setting the bar high, as the selected quotes below demonstrate. "Next year, I’m coming back in MVP form." "When I see what this team has done, with me back I see championships – plural." "We’re talking NBA champions numerous times." Could you aim any higher than that? According to assistant coach Phil Weber, Amaré can. "Everyone wants to feel needed ... and Amare really does feel like he’s going to be the best ever.” - CYE
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