Kobe's Choice

Kobe may or may not be outraged by the Lakers inability to build a productive squad around him. He told Stephen A. that he was demanding a trade from the organization. Later that day, he told Dan Patrick that he still wanted to be a Laker for life. Let’s dive into the contradicting psyche of Kobe Bryant:

"I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?

------Two Hours Later-----

“Something can be figured out. Just something so I can stay here and be in this city and be with the team I love."

In any case, this was the guy that was worth giving up Shaq for and the Lakers aren’t going to give him up without a fight. If he does stick to his original guns, however, Kobe could go to some very interesting places. As he said to Stephen A. Smith this morning, "At this point I'll go play on Pluto". Here are some teams that might make a good fight:

- The Timberwolves. Minnesota has a frustrated superstar in KG, and the only way to gruntle a disgruntled veteran is to give him some backup, besides these guys are supposedly good buds already. Based on the players they got for Shaq (Odom and Kwame Brown), don’t expect the Lakers to hold out for a particularly good deal.
- The Bulls. Chicago could easily offer Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon for Kobe and as the Lakers seem to be rebuilding these young guns would be a good addition.
- The Knicks. New York cannot wait to get rid of the likes of Jared Jeffries, Nate Robinson, actually pretty much anyone but Steph and Curry.

Don’t get me wrong, Kobe could go nearly anywhere, especially since he probably won’t be leaving for another season, but those are just some interesting possibilities. Hopefully, he’ll be able to actually decide what he wants before next year.

How Mutombo Got His Groove Back

Legend has it that Dikembe Mutombo was born the same day that James Naismith invented basketball in 1891. Over a century later, he refuses to retire and is preparing himself to play again next season. After a lunch with Hakeem Olajuwon and a family meeting, Dikembe decided he offers far too much to the game to deprive the NBA of his presence.
Mutombo has had a stunning career but I’m afraid that coming back this year may break the NBA’s immaculate streak of on-court-death avoidance. The man is a 40-year-old and he’s not only playing the most physical position, but all his value is tied up in his ability to shot-block and box-out the strongest guys in the league.
Not only is he expecting to return next season, he refuses to play for anyone else besides Houston. "I'm not going to open the door for anyone else. I just built a home in Houston. The people of Houston have responded to me in a spectacular way,” suggesting that although every team in the league would want to pick up this fresh free agent, he knows his stellar athleticism belongs on the bench behind Yao and under a brand new coach. Here’s hoping Mutombo can survive another season stroke-free.

NBA Stars Should Stick To Basketball, Especially French Ones

Why aren’t NBA players content with the millions of dollars and admiration they already get? Many of them feel the need to go above and beyond the simple title of “Athlete Spectacular Super Human” and put themselves in the spotlight off the court. From Kobe to Ron Artest, some NBA superstars feel the need to express themselves musically by producing their own embarrassing rap albums.
Shaq, Allen Iverson, even Ben Gordon have all bought their way into the music business. No matter how ridiculously bad any other rappers are, Tony Parker takes the cake as the worst NBA Player/ Awkward musical artist. For some reason, however, he gets love from Fabolous AND Eva Longoria. I don’t get it.

In this video Tony P and Booba may or may not be holdin' it down. Keep your eyes peeled for your favorite Spurs, and you may even see a few of Parker's adopted children.

Amare's Crying Game

There are only a few mistakes a team can make in the playoffs that will hurt them more than it would in the regular season. When the Mavs changed their game up in preparation for the Warriors, it gave Golden State a psychological edge. The change let the Warriors know that Dallas was at least a little concerned about the series. Rasheed Wallace’s comments last year gave the Heat a reason to hate the Pistons. And now, Amare has just fueled the Spurs.
Stoudemire said that the Spurs as a team are dirty, and continued to name Manu and Bruce Bowen specifically as dirty players. Regardless of whether or not the allegations are true, Stoudemire just put a target on each and every one of his teammates’ heads in the eyes of the Spurs.
Mike D’Antoni, a revolutionary NBA coach, understands the importance of proper etiquette during the playoffs and acted as if nothing in the world mattered less. "I have no idea what Bruce Bowen does. I don't really care. I don't want to get into it because it's so minimal that it's no big deal. It really isn't." This is the best possible response to Amare’s comments because it gives no more reason for the Spurs to hate the Suns.
It might seem like an insignificant comment and considering Bowen’s reputation it is probably true (and I've got some video evidence), but this is the type of thing you save until after you win the series. Amare should know that the last thing you want to do is give San Antonio another reason to beat you. This is a rookie mistake and I would have liked to see better from a player with NBA First Team talent. And don’t expect Bruce to clean up his D any, Amare.




To be fair, I would be concerned about injuries if I was out all of last year too, and nobody respects Bowen’s scrappy defense, but to make a public statement like that is asking for heated competition in a huge playoff series.

Nobody Nowitznessed

First of all, this is a real promotional picture. It’s obviously weird, but I have a feeling that the Mavericks found it acceptable based on the fact that it had MVP disappointment Dirk Nowitzki’s face on it. (Feel free to click for a larger image if you want to make it your background).
I was never a big Dirk fan, but I've always respected his skill. He’s a former three-point-shootout champ 7-footer who has been known to post-up and handle the ball. As the leader of a 67 game winning Western Conference powerhouse, Dirk did seem like a shoe in for most valuable player, but I’m sure that the league wishes they could take that title back right about now. As I’ve said, Golden State is a formidable opponent but Dirk definitely didn’t want to be the one to prove that.
Averaging almost 25 and 9 every night and shooting 50% from the field, you really can’t blame anybody for naming him MVP and based on the regular season, he earned it. Normally, poor playoff performance can’t take too much away from a stellar season like Dirk’s, but this goes beyond poor. True, all the Mavs (save Josh Howard) had a terrible post season, but just as Dirk earned all the praise for the fantastic regular season, I’m blaming him for this embarrassment. As not only the most valuable player on his team but the most valuable in the league, Dirk has got to provide more.
In the playoffs his percentages dropped 12 and 20 percent for field goals and threes respectively. The team relied on him shooting over people and somehow he gave in to the not-so-stellar defense of the Warriors. I don’t think anyone is going to forget about this upset and Dirk may be remembered as the unworthy MVP who let his team down. I don’t Nowitzness anymore.

Ballers Behind Bars All-Star Squad

As my “Basketbrawl” post proved, NBA players do what they want when they want. I’m definitely not going to try to stop them, but the boys in blue throughout the country have prevailed time after time, sending ballers behind bars every so often. The obvious question is, if all bad boy players were in the pen at the same time and they were on a team (gridiron gang style), who would start? Okay, so that question isn’t so obvious, but I’m writing about it anyway. Check the roster:

PG- Allen Iverson
SG- Kobe Bryant
SF- Ron Artest
PF- Rasheed Wallace
C- Jermaine O’Neal
Honorable Mentions: Stephen Jackson, Sebastian Telfair and Eddie Griffin.

Let me break it down for you,

Allen Iverson: After allegedly choosing Georgetown because the coach got him out of jail back in ‘93, AI was on a slippery slope with the law. He was sent back to the big house for possession of a gun and marijuana in ’97 and most recently, he was put under house arrest in 2002 for breaking and entering and then threatening two men with a gun. Plus, leaving Philly like that was a crime.

Kobe Bryant: Growing up in Italy and then the suburbs of Philadelphia doesn’t exactly breed a mass murderer and Kobe is no exception. Although never actually sent to jail, I’m still putting him on the squad because he’s definitely a rule breaker and as a basketball felon, it doesn’t get any more talented. His is the most infamous trial in NBA history and he’s avoided conviction by the skin of his teeth.

Ron Artest: This guy might actually be the biggest bad boy of them all. He disobeys rules on and off the court, taking a big part in the most infamous basketbrawl of all time. He’s been charged with domestic violence more than once and he’s more than willing to pick fights with fans.

Rasheed Wallace: Besides leading the league in techs for the last 382 years straight, Sheed is a certified thug. Having been charged for possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended license and he’s been fined thousands upon thousands of dollars by the league, Rasheed plays by his own rules. Although he has matured a little since his Jail Blazers days, Sheed is one of the top ten scariest people in the world.

Jermaine O’Neal: Admittedly, I was desperate for a Center, but this guy did get his hands dirty in that little scuffle with Indiana fans a few years back. After being suspended 15 games, he technically did have to go to court to see if he could play again and I wouldn’t want to meet this guy in a dark alley.

The Bench: Stephen Jackson shoots people. He’s never been caught, but it’s basically a fact. He has actually been charged of assault and he hates refs, but mark my words, he’ll be getting a life sentence one day.
Sebastian Telfair just barely escaped the Jail Blazers without arrest but now the Celtics don’t want anything to do with him since he’s been charged with possession of a firearm. Eddie Griffin was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon (trying to kill someone) and marijuana possession. This guy might be lacking on the court, but off it he’s just nuts enough to ride the bench for this all-star team.

The Bad Boys of Basketball want you to remember, they're rich and they do what they want. To see more outlaws, check this out: http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2005/07/nba-players-that-get-in-trouble-with_20.html