Well, so much for Game 1…Sacramento destroyed Detroit 95-71 last night in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals…DeMya Walker and Kara Lawson combined for 39 points with Lawson going 6-of-8 from 3-point range, surpassing the finals' record for shots made beyond the arc, and Powell going 4-for-7 from long range….

News, sort of…The Houston Chronicle reports the Rockets, desperate for shooting, may sign Casey Jacobsen. He played in Spain for Tau Ceramica last year….The Arizona Republic reports Charlotte free agent Jumaine Jones is expected to arrive in Phoenix today and have a guaranteed one-year contract with the Suns signed by Thursday.

I’m tired of hearing about Ronaldo Balkman, who the Knicks somehow drafted in the 1st round as being the next Dennis rodman…over Balkman’s three-year career at South Carolina, he only averaged 7 PPG and 5 RPG…over Rodman’s four-year college career, he averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds per game. In his senior season, Rodman averaged 17.8 rebounds per game….it’s not even close folks…

Charles Barkley quotes from a recent Chris Myers interview on Fox:

About religion: “ Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me. My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is. ”

About the government: "They're criticizing a guy who can't run again, who can't get fired…So they spent the last two years criticizing him instead of saying, 'Some things aren't right. This is our game plan.' And now we're two years away from the election, and we have no solutions and no front-runner."

About gay marriage: "I think if they want to get married, God bless them," Barkley said. "Gay marriage is probably 1 percent of the population, so it's not like it's going to be an epidemic. Hey, trust me, I'm never going to kiss you and say, 'Chris, you're sexy."'

About hurricane Katrina support from the government: "I don't know anything about a lot of things, but I would ask somebody and try to make a fair, honest decision for the majority of the people. Not the rich, not the poor, not the black, not the white," Barkley said. "When you get elected to public office, you're supposed to represent everybody. Your job is not to take care of the rich or the poor or the black or the white. Your job is to take care of everybody."

Charges that the Chicago Bulls mascot attacked an off-duty police officer during an outdoor festival in Chicago have been dropped…apparently, Benny, clad in his bright red bull costume, threw a punch at a sheriff's deputy on July 2, knocking off his glasses and breaking his watch. Police said the officer had tried to stop the mascot for riding a mini-motorcycle through the Taste of Chicago festival without a permit. When the off-duty officer, who was working security, tried to stop him, Anderson ran, police said. The officer chased and caught him.

1) Marty Burns of Si.com thinks the Warriors will improve a little under Nellie:

Step right up -Warriors should find respectability under Nelson

Don Nelson back with the Warriors? What's next? Latrell Sprewell and P.J. Carlesimo signing up as assistant coaches? OK, so maybe Nellie's return to Golden State isn't really all that shocking. After all, last year saw the reunion of Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. Like the Zen Master in L.A., Nelson (aka "The Mad Scientist"), was one of the most successful coaches the Warriors have ever had and has remained a popular figure in the Bay Area. But considering Warriors owner Chris Cohan clashed with Nelson at the end of their previous stint together -- suing him after he took the Knicks coaching job in 1995 -- it's somewhat remarkable that they could put aside their differences and join forces again. It's even more amazing when one considers that Nelson's price tag is probably in the $5 million per year range. For Cohan to shell out that kind of money -- and agree to eat the remaining $5 million on outgoing coach Mike Montgomery's deal -- shows he must really want to see the Warriors create a buzz. Either that, or team president Chris Mullin's powers of persuasion are even better than his old jump shot. Clearly, Mullin's fingerprints are all over this move. The former Warriors star enjoyed his best NBA seasons in Golden State under Nelson. He and assistant GM Rod Higgins, another member of the Run TMC gang, have remained close to Nellie over the years. With their own jobs possibly soon to be in the balance, they no doubt figured he was the most trusted man to get the Warriors on the plus side of the win-loss ledger. Nelson will bring instant credibility to the Warriors locker room. As a former college coach, Montgomery didn't always command the proper respect from his players. Too often they seemed to tune him out, much the same way other NBA teams stopped listening to Tim Floyd, Lon Kruger, Leonard Hamilton and all the other recent former "basketball professors" who tried to make the jump to the NBA. Nelson, a three-time Coach of the Year, shouldn't have that problem. Even young players such as Monta Ellis and Ike Diogu will remember how he helped turn around the Mavs in Dallas. Veterans such as Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, meanwhile, will love his up-tempo style and the freedom he gives his players. Nelson's experience also should help the Warriors learn to finish close games, a major weakness a year ago. Golden State lost 17 games by three points or less, or in overtime, during the 2005-06 season. Nellie, known for being a good tactician, should be able to improve that area significantly. Nelson, famous for his creative use of matchups, has some pieces to work with on the Warriors roster. Davis, Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus all can play more than one position. Even Murphy could be a tough cover for opposing centers, though he'd give up size at the other end. Nelson certainly will experiment and try different combinations until he finds something that works. Can Nelson get the Warriors back into the playoffs? Yes, but probably not right away. The West appears loaded again in '06-07, with the Mavs, Spurs, Suns, Clippers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Lakers and Kings all expecting to return to the playoffs while the Rockets, Jazz and T'wolves look to crack the rotation. Even an improved Warriors squad isn't likely to make up that much ground in one season. But whether or not the Warriors break their 12-year playoff drought this season or not, they should take a step forward under Nellie. Plus, they'll be a lot more fun to watch.

2) While Marc Stein of ESPN.com has clearly lost his mind:

Forget Warrior warts -- Nelson can deliver playoff berth

The Golden State Warriors, at last, are a playoff team again. Mark it down. Nothing's official, of course. Not yet, some 30 days before camps open.
But that's how you have to see the Warriors now that Don Nelson is back to coach them. That's how I'm seeing them even though the Warriors haven't played an actual playoff game for a dozen years ... and even though I haven't exactly figured out who Golden State bumps in a Western Conference that didn't have room for Utah, New Orleans/Oklahoma City, Houston or Minnesota in last spring's playoffs. I'm betting that Nellie has the Warriors back in the postseason at the first attempt. I'm even more convinced that there isn't a single free agent or trade target they realistically could have landed who makes the Warriors up to 10 wins better than they were, as Nellie does. The stars Golden State dreams of swooping for -- Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal -- were never in reach because they never made it to the trading block. Al Harrington, meanwhile, proved beyond the Warriors' free-agent means. So instead of forcing trades for the sake of new blood, and giving away an asset or two that could bring back something better at the February trade deadline, Warriors vice president Chris Mullin finally convinced his bosses that the most prudent way to make an immediate culture change was buying out the remaining two seasons of Mike Montgomery's contract and resurrecting Nellieball. You can safely surmise that Warriors owner Chris Cohan wanted to do neither. Montgomery had $5 million left on his contract. If paying him off wasn't sufficiently unappealing, reupping Nelson meant burying a nasty history that landed owner and coach in a legal wrangle for nearly five years, haggling over $1.6 million (which Nellie eventually got to keep) after Cohan blamed Nelson for blowing up the way-too-short Chris Webber era. But credit to Cohan for getting past all that and finally empowering Mullin to end the Montgomery experiment and hire the most decorated coach available, even if it comes pretty late in the offseason. The Warriors have a bright future, with several interesting (and tradeable) young pieces to keep shaping their roster, but they've run out of grace period waiting for that future. They need a playoff berth ASAP and needed to do something big in the offseason to suggest they'll get there. This is the bold move the Warriors' ridiculously loyal fans have been calling for. Better yet, bold and smart. Twelve seasons without a playoff berth, in the NBA, is as ridiculous as it gets, but Mullin has made a meaningful splash here. The Warriors already have some depth, talent and versatility. Nellie will take what they have and get a lot more out of it, with an up-tempo philosophy and creative playbook that should be even more potent now given the NBA's increasing reliance on smaller lineups and pushing the pace. Nelson will scare the young, lost Warriors into following his directions and, most of all, teach them how to win. His new group has undeniable deficiencies -- defense and low-post scoring, for starters -- but knowing how to close out games might be the biggest. Golden State lost a whopping 17 times last season by three points or less, or in overtime. These players desperately need some been-there, done-that guidance. For two seasons, they struggled to mask the sense that they never believed Montgomery could provide those things. Montgomery, furthermore, never gave you the feeling of total command or confidence that oozed from him at Stanford. None of that figures to be an issue with Nelson, who will be stern and fun. Troy Murphy at center? Mike Dunleavy as a playmaker? Nelson is bound to try out lots of things with wild cards like Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu and Mickael Pietrus. Jason Richardson? Nellie's new (and more athletic) Mitch Richmond. Baron Davis? Questions will be asked about Baron buying in no matter who's coaching, but I don't buy it here. Davis knows what sort of freedom Nelson gave Tim Hardaway and, later, Steve Nash. I'm guessing Baron, after the Montgomery experience, will volunteer to pick up Nelson at the airport before Wednesday night's unveiling. From the moment word started circulating in Dallas last winter that Nelson was interested in coaching in 2006-07, Golden State was an obvious option because of Mullin's presence ... if Cohan and Nelson could reconcile. The bigger mystery, now that coach and owner apparently have, is why Nelson, after nearly three decades on NBA benches, is so eager to come back. The only thing missing from his coaching legacy -- a championship -- won't be forthcoming in the next two or three seasons. Nelson's son, Donnie, told me himself back in February: "I would just ask him, 'How many more mountains can you climb?' He's the second-winningest coach of all-time. He's achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve as a player, coach and executive. If he asks me, for health reasons and everything else, I'd tell him, 'You don't need it.' " Nellie apparently didn't ask Lil' Nellie. He showed interest in the Sacramento job that opened in May, which also set up the chance to work with friends -- Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof -- and couldn't resist Mullin's offer to go back to the Bay Area as a savior. Especially not after being drummed out of town as the villain more than decade ago. Throw in an annual salary of roughly $4 million, according to team sources, and, well, mystery solved. You certainly have to wonder whether Nelson, at 66, really has three seasons' worth of steam left, and whether the unhappy ending can be avoided this time, but I'll be shocked if the Warriors' playoff problems aren't solved next.

Too Funny…Kent State University is using a giant squirrel to talk to incoming freshman about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Simon the Squirrel will be appearing around to campus to discuss the consequences of booze and drugs…Dude check the picture and tell me this would not completely freak you out if you were stoned…

The Cherry Hill, N.J. (right outside of Philadelphia) based Nexxt Level Hoops Tourney is running right now with NBA players such as Cutino Mobley, DaJuan Wagner, Hakim Warrick, Mardy Collins, Rick Brunson, Alvin Williams and a number of Philly-area college players…in a game last night Alvin William looked terrific scoring 30, but DeJuan Wagner had 60 points and the game winning assist…

Oh boy…The University of Louisville recently discovered that the 3,000 postcards it sent to incoming freshman to promote Welcome Weekend 2006 contained the phrases "f-cking world" and "f-ckin lies" in small print…

Look…tennis is not on the top of my list of priorities, but the Roger Federer era that we’re in right now is really unbelievable…he’s won 7 of the last 11 grand slams going into the US Open this week…7 of freakin’ 11? I know we’re making a big deal out of Tiger Woods as th athelte of our times, but for comparisons sake he’s won 4 of his last 12 majors…that’s not even in Federer’s league…

Alcohol not a factor, but stupidity was…Seattle SuperSonics center was speeding down Sandy Lane in Bakersfield in a 2004 luxury sports sedan when he lost control and struck a parked car, according to the California Highway Patrol. It was unclear exactly how fast he was going at the time, said CHP Officer Greg Williams. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, he said. Swift, 20, and his brother Alex Swift, 19, managed to emerge with only minor injuries, Williams said. The car sustained major damage and the Jeep had moderate damage. The cut over Swift's eye was visible Saturday at the Renegade Basketball Camp at Bakersfield College, where in a case of perfect timing, he was coaching kids.

Reason number #4857 the Suns will remain good for the next 10 years…the Suns still hold two of Atlanta's 1st round picks for the next two years…The pick this year is only top-three protected, and the Hawks may be just good enough to end up around fifth or sixth…the 5th or 6th pick in this year’s draft will be terrific considering this might be the deepest draft since 2003…strangely this correcponds directly with reason #489676 the Hawks suck...

A Utah newspaper is reporting that John Stockton is going to be doing motivational speaking, starting with a speech on “How to Lead Your Team to Victory” at an upcoming motivational seminar in Salt Lake City…who knew he could even talk?

1) Here’s Mike Kahn of Foxsports.com with his terrific 10 things column:
Ten things we've learned in the NBA

Nothing is guaranteed, even for the most gifted of basketball players. Just ask Dajuan Wagner, he of the 100-point high school game, All-American credentials after one year at Memphis, and the sixth-overall park of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

1. Wagner has not played in the NBA since December of 2004, and last October had his colon removed, lost 35 pounds and has worked his tail off ever since to regain his strength and confidence. What this really means: For every star that is born, a star fizzles out. Although a short shooting guard — and not a natural point guard despite being closer to 6-foot-1 than his listed 6-2 — Wagner has regained 30 pounds and is working out five days a week in the Philadelphia area. There are reportedly a half-dozen NBA teams interested in him, with the minimum salary of just less than $800,000 a season for a fourth-year player hanging out on a limb. More importantly, his future is in the balance and he knows it. From the start with the Cavs, things didn't work out right, so to speak. A right ankle sprain, bone spur in his right foot and arthroscopic surgery on his right knee soiled an otherwise encouraging rookie season during which he averaged 13.4 points. Things only got worse, with colitis ultimately at the root of the problem. Now we're looking at a guy, still only 23, who once was considered to have Allen Iverson-like scoring potential, staring the game down for another chance. Many thought he was the best player in the 2002 draft, and right now he's on the outside looking in through no fault of his own. It's one more example college coaches should use with talented young players being lured by self-serving agents that four years of college basketball and a degree can only help on the court and create a much more secure life afterwards as well.

2. The New Jersey Nets have offered a tryout to another player whose career evaporated one day — the result of a motorcycle accident on June 19, 2003, that fractured his left hip, pelvis and career all in one moment of indecision — Jay Williams. What this really means: Like Wagner, Williams, the second pick of the 2002 draft by the Chicago Bulls, will not get a guaranteed contract from anyone. With his reconstructed left leg, he has lost an enormous amount of his quickness; and at barely 6-1 (being generous), the former Duke star's ability to play in this league is in great question. Although Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got lucky in his motorcycle accident, Williams obviously did not. The thrill of professional sports is obvious, and the sense of being impervious to injury may linger, but it is sheer naivety on their part (as well as riders outside of the sports world) to believe otherwise. There is a big difference between thrill-seeking and having a hobby, not to mention putting your life and incredible career at risk. As the story goes, when Muhammad Ali responded to a flight attendant's request to fasten his seat belt with, "Superman don't need no seat belt," the flight attendant didn't bat an eye before saying, "Superman don't need no airplane."

3. As the U.S. national team blew through the World Championships as the No. 1 seed in Group D and began the second round with a 40-point win over Australia, a lot of things were obvious. Managing director Jerry Colangelo made the right choice with coach Mike Krzyzewski, along with staff Mike D'Antoni, Nate McMillan and Jim Boeheim. But most importantly, the players are completely committed to the team concept and regaining the lost stature of the past six years. What this really means: The kids from the bronze medal-winning 2004 Olympic team have grown up. Tri-captains LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony are light years more mature — with their talent gleaming. And there are plenty more, starting with point guard Chris Paul, swingman Joe Johnson, Elton Brand, Shane Battier and super-center of the near future Dwight Howard. That's not to minimize Kirk Hinrich's contribution, nor the experience and size Brad Miller brings. Granted, Antawn Jamison and Chris Bosh haven't risen to the same level, but there are always reasons. More than anything else, this entire experience has been a resounding declaration by Anthony that he is among the elite players in the NBA. He has worked dramatically at eradicating the body fat in a serious strength program, improved his ball-handling to the exceptional level as a small forward and has worked as hard as anybody at improving what was previously negligible defense at best. Last season, he was my preseason pick as Most Improved Player and was really the most underrated player in the league considering he led everybody in game-winning shots. It appears Anthony has grown up from all the issues he had his second year and now realizes what it means to be a gifted adult and to be placed back in the lofty category with James and Wade — his cohorts from the 2003 draft. What better place to prove this than on an international stage?

4. It required nearly two full months, but Al Harrington is finally — and officially — back with the Indiana Pacers as they completed the sign-and-trade to Atlanta sending a No. 1 draft pick and also brought back the contract of center John Edwards. What this really means: Rather than be concerned about the hand-wringing that went on in and around the organization when owner Herb Simon refused to give Harrington the six-year $57 million deal he wanted, consider how smart both sides were as Harrington agreed to the four-year pact for just less than $36 million — with his own option in year No. 4. The Simons have already been burned in recent years by inflated, long-term contracts for Jonathan Bender, Austin Croshere, Jamaal Tinsley and, in a lot of ways, Jermaine O'Neal. Harrington wanted to return to the Pacers with his close friend O'Neal, plus his parents had moved there during the first six years of his career with the Pacers after they drafted him out of high school in 1998. More importantly, he saw no reason to haggle over the money anymore. Harrington learned his lesson, forcing the Pacers to trade him two years ago because he preferred to be "the guy" for a bad team like the Hawks as opposed to being one of the top sixth man in the league for the Pacers. Now he knows how brown the grass can be on the other side. Even more interesting is to see how all of this coagulates as coach Rick Carlisle transitions the Pacers from a half-court-focused team into an athletic, ball-pressuring running group — playing small and fast.

5. Just as everyone expected, Pat Riley announced he was returning as coach of the defending champion Miami Heat. That it took so long only added drama to what was inevitable. What this really means: Riley really had no choice but to return. For all of his psychodrama over the years of commitment to the cause; the "Winner Within," and the incomparable commentary of conflict between "winning and misery (losing)," he had no choice. His players were all in to defend the title. Alonzo Mourning has proven to be the poster warrior of his coaching career — battling back from kidney disease and the subsequent transplant — and Zo is coming back. How could Riles say no when he was getting called out every other day by the likes of Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and the rest? Now he's got to see this season through after digging into the guts of the team last season and driving them to a title. They may not even get close to repeating this season, but it no longer matters. Riley has forever secured his spot as one of the greatest coaches ever in any sport, and his tribute to last year's team is returning. Beyond his final season, which is probably this one, Florida coach Bill Donovan still looks like the best shot of any college coach to have success at the NBA level. That will be the next transition moment in franchise history. It just couldn't happen … yet.

6. Politics can dampen any altruistic effort, even as magnanimous as the $29 million hospital Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo has built in the Congo. What this really means: The veteran center had planned to open the 300-bed Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and research center on Sept. 2. But last week, he postponed the opening indefinitely because of post-election fighting. Travel has become dangerous, so Mutombo just backed off. The Congo native named the hospital after his late mother and donated $15 million of his own money to the construction. This is a dream come true for Mutombo to unveil a hospital of this magnitude in his hometown of Kinshasa, and the pity is how pettiness can get in the way.
Fortunately, people like Motumbo have the fortitude and understanding to march on when so many others throw up their hands in disgust. Thanks to Mutombo, perhaps this will open the door for others — natives or otherwise — to contribute significantly and smartly to a continent that is so desperately divided and destitute.

7. Very quietly, the little known NBA name of Jeff Bower has ignored the odds and history and rebuilt the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets into a playoff contender. Last week, Hornets owner George Shinn rewarded him with a five-year contract extension. What this really means: No other franchise has suffered more indignities during such a short period of time than the Hornets. Playing for a year in Charlotte despite lame duck status, then reaching nothing but too many empty seats in New Orleans, the Hornets were completely uprooted to Oklahoma City last season following Hurricane Katrina. Undaunted, Bower and coach Byron Scott have rebuilt this team around rookie of the year Chris Paul and nearly made the playoffs last season. With the additions of Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler, Bobby Jackson and other veterans with rookie Cedric Simmons and Hilton Armstrong, they look solid for now and in the future. They'll only benefit from holdovers David West and Desmond Mason. But what they must get a grip on is how they treat this team. Does it make sense to have training camp in New Orleans when the team will be playing in Oklahoma City against this season? How serious can the Hornets be for the long term in New Orleans, a city with little to offer except hope in a league where franchises are having trouble making ends meet? Through all of this mess, Bower has kept his eye on the ball; and it's a surprising turn of events that brings parsimonious owner George Shinn to produce that kind of extension. Nonetheless, Bower certainly deserves it.

8. So now we've got Zach Randolph involved in another smarmy situation in Portland — this one involving an alleged sex show and eventual assault. He was not charged. What this really means: To say Randolph has had bad judgment — considering his bouts with the law over drugs, punching a teammate in the face and running around with gun-toting types — would be a gross understatement. In fact, he clearly has bad judgment, and he presumably always will. The question is how badly the Blazers want to keep this guy and his $84 million contract. At 6-9, he has that huge frame and gentle lefty touch from all over the court. He may spur thoughts of Willis Reed on paper — oh, if only he showed one-tenth of the functionality of Reed on and off the court. With second-year coach Nate McMillan and the job personnel director Kevin Pritchard did rebuilding the team in the offseason, they should do everything in their power to unload Randolph and his sidekick albatross Darius Miles. It is so ironic that those two and since departed Theo Ratliff all got enormously inflated contract two years ago just when management stated they intended to start spending wisely. Pritchard, a Kansas alumnus and product of the San Antonio personnel staff, clearly gets what it takes to win. The first thing the powers-that-be should do is give Pritchard the general manager title; the second is to allow him to do whatever it takes to unload Randolph and Miles. On a franchise that is in the infancy of a rebuild, subtracting those two would benefit the overall health of the franchise far more than losing the money on their contracts ever could.

9. And speaking of the Blazers and money, former Blazers star point guard Terry Porter, who did his best to put together a group to buy the team from Paul Allen, finally agreed to be Flip Saunders' assistant coach at Detroit. What this really means: Porter is one of the highest quality people the NBA has produced over the past 20 years and has earned the right to have significant status somewhere. It's just too bad it didn't happen in Portland, where he spent 10 years of his career as a player. Poter spent a year as an assistant coach in Sacramento immediately after his retirement, then after two surprising years as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, he was suddenly fired. After a year off trying to figure out his future, Porter now is back on the bench supporting one of his former head coaches, Flip Saunders. Considering he's now in the Pistons organization under the all-knowing eyes of president Joe Dumars and the respect he already has garnered around the league, there is little doubt his next stint as head coach will be with a lot more experience. And let's hope that it's sooner than later.

10. Life as head coach of the Houston Rockets has been nothing if not disappointing in the three years since Jeff Van Gundy moved in, so he's taken some steps — right into his own wallet to stir things up. What this really means: Van Gundy has purchased 50 season tickets, and there will be a contest among raucous fans on Aug. 31 to prove who is deserving of season passes by their enthusiasm for the Rockets. The top 30 will receive season tickets, and Van Gundy's initial plans include spreading the other 20 out over the course of the regular season. Nothing, not the drafting of Yao Ming, the acquisition of Tracy McGrady, nor the expectations of being in the new Toyota Center, has prevented underachievement. There has been bad luck regarding the back and knees of McGrady and the foot problems of Yao. But there are other issues at work here such as a poor roster around that duo. Maybe Shane Battier will give them more substance. But the fact of the matter is they still have a roster short on talent that will require McGrady and Yao to be healthier than they've been in any of the seasons they've been together for this. If they're not, Van Gundy could buy 1,000 tickets and it wouldn't matter. It's a great gesture of commitment on his part #&151; but it won't matter a lick if they don't get productivity out of some other players.

2) Eric Prisbell of the Washington Post with an interesting read on amateur Bball reform:

NCAA, NBA Could Team on Amateur Reform

NCAA President Myles Brand left open the possibility yesterday that college sports' governing body for the first time is willing to work with both the NBA and shoe companies to improve amateur basketball, which has come under increasing criticism this year. In remarks made at Hampton University, Brand said, "Maybe working together with the NBA and lots of others -- USA Basketball, the [Amateur Athletic Union], the National Federation of High Schools -- and including key elements such as the shoe companies working all together, is there something we can do to help improve that pre-collegiate environment?" Many high school and college coaches have long called for representatives from all levels of the basketball world to move toward reforming amateur basketball, which critics say exposes teenagers to many tempting outside influences while doing little to prepare them for life outside of athletics. Comments by Brand and NBA Commissioner David Stern, who this year said the NBA would consider becoming involved in helping secondary schools to better prepare their athletes academically, are seen by some basketball sources as a significant move in the right direction. Brand said he and Stern discussed the issue at a summit last year in Chicago and that another meeting is planned next month. Sonny Vaccaro, who over the past 25 years has directed basketball grass-roots efforts at Nike, Adidas and now Reebok, welcomes open discussion. "I beg for an opportunity like this, to talk to the people that Mr. Brand is talking to, to get together in a room and eliminate the politics to work this out," Vaccaro said. "When that happens, it will make my life complete in this game. I would welcome it. If everyone can make peace and make this work with the kids involved, then I feel that my cycle would have been completed. This would be a great way to walk away. We can make this work." The announcement by Brand comes during a year-long series in The Washington Post on the more controversial aspects of player development. The series included pieces on how foreign players arrive in the United States, prep schools with powerful teams but questionable academic credentials, the financial inducements used by AAU teams to recruit players as young as 9 and how one 16-year-old player and his family have been changed by the AAU experience. In the past, the NCAA has had little control over youth basketball, specifically high-profile summer league events that are run and funded by shoe companies beyond the oversight of any educational entities. For the most talented teenage players, the importance of summer league basketball has made the traditional high school basketball season almost irrelevant. One of the nation's best high school players, sophomore Renardo Sidney from California, has made his reputation strictly by playing in high-profile summer league events and said he does not feel he necessarily needs high school basketball to achieve his goal of playing in the NBA. Last year, the NBA decided players must be 19 years old and one year out of high school before entering the draft, thus prohibiting players from going directly from high school to the pros. The intent was that players would spend at least a year in college before turning professional, but this summer, a handful of the top high school seniors were contemplating playing overseas for a year instead of attending college. That way, they could sign lucrative shoe contracts and earn paychecks rather than spending a year under the auspices of the NCAA, which prevents athletes from being compensated for their performances. "It's one of the most recalcitrant and difficult problems we now face in all of college sports, in part because the NCAA has no control over what happens before college by definition," Brand said. Having student-athletes not capable of making the grade "makes it difficult for the coach and it makes it difficult for the young people who are being recruited, too. They are not always getting the straight information."


3) From SI.com’s Seth Davis, the Hoop Dreams live on:

Still dreaming - Agee's life hasn't been glamorous since Hoop Dreams

If you've seen the 1994 documentary classic Hoop Dreams -- and if you haven't, I insist you buy or rent it immediately -- then you no doubt remember the gripping scene when one of the film's teenage protagonists, Arthur Agee, takes on his father in a game of one-on-one with the whole family watching. The moment was straight out of The Great Santini: Some smack talking, an argument over the score and, finally, the son stroking a jumper on game point, leaving the onlookers cheering and the father muttering in disgust. The scene was all the more compelling because Agee's dad, Arthur Sr., had been absent from his son's life the previous year while he fought drug addiction and endured a stint in prison. If there's one scene in the movie more indelible than the one-on-one game, it is an earlier sequence where Arthur Sr., aka "Bo," shows up on a playground, says a quick hello to his son, then walks to the other end of the park to buy drugs -- in full view of Arthur Jr., his friends and the omnipresent camera. By the end of the movie, Bo Agee had re-entered his family's life, sworn off drugs and become a pastor, but the audience is left wondering whether a relapse is just around the corner. It wasn't. Two years ago, I visited Bo Agee's home in Berwyn, Ill., to interview him for a story I was writing on the two Hoop Dreams stars for Sports Illustrated's Where Are They Now issue. Not only had Bo apparently stayed clean and sober, but it was also obvious he was the bedrock of his family. Some of his grandchildren lived in Bo's house, and I remember Bo calling after them for most of the afternoon and coaxing the youngest to take some medicine. Alas, the story which seemed to hold such promise would end in tragedy. In December 2004, Bo Agee was shot and killed in the garage located behind the house I had visited, just a few feet from the barbecue grill where he had cooked us dinner. Arthur Jr. has spent the months since trying to pick up the pieces of his father's life while providing for his own family, which includes four children born out of wedlock to different mothers. The rebuilding process had been made even more difficult by the revelation Bo's death might not have been the result of some random robbery, but rather a paid hit. Berwyn police have charged a Chicago man for allegedly accepting money to kill Bo Agee. The suspect remains in custody and is awaiting trial. The way Arthur sees it, Bo, who had been earning extra money through a wholesale clothing business he was running out of his garage, apparently crossed the wrong person during some kind of dispute years ago and paid the ultimate price. "My dad turned his life over and became a pastor, but he was still human," Arthur Jr. says. "He still had things in his life that weren't right. A man's past can really catch up with him." Arthur's mother, Sheila, was so devastated by her husband's murder that she moved to her original hometown of Birmingham, Ala. (Arthur told me a burglar broke into his mother's house in Alabama last month.) That left Arthur with the responsibility of selling his father's house. "I've never sold a house, dude," Arthur says. "It got so bad I had to take out a loan on my car title just to rent a truck to move everything out of my dad's church. My family got broken up when my dad got killed. Now I'm just trying to get back on my feet as far as my personal life is concerned, because my stuff was way out of order." In an effort to gain some financial security, Arthur applied for a bank loan. That led to another disturbing revelation. The woman at the bank told him he was registered as deceased. According to Arthur, it turns out Bo had used Arthur's social security number to take out some two dozen credit cards in Arthur's name, and some of them were delinquent. That left Arthur several thousand dollars in debt and his credit in shambles. It also put him in the position of contacting the Berwyn police to, as he puts it, "file a report on a dead dad." "He scammed me," Arthur says. "I actually would have to press charges against him if he were alive." Asked if he feels anger toward his father, Arthur replied, "Do I? You don't understand. If my dad was alive, I'd want to kill him. To just swallow it and say like God wants, to turn the other cheek? That's hard to do." Sadly, Bo's murder is not the only tragedy to befall one of the main characters in Hoop Dreams. Curtis Gates, the older brother of William Gates, the film's other protagonist, was killed in a carjacking in September 2001. Though William and Arthur appear together for barely a couple of minutes in the movie, they were actually very close friends and remain so to this day. William understands better than most what Arthur and his family are going through, and it pains him to see his friend struggle. "When I went to Bo's funeral, it really raised for me the very emotions I dealt with when Curtis passed," William says. "During that first year, you go through what I call the first of everything. The first birthday without him, the first Thanksgiving, the first Christmas. It takes time to move on. I remember for a while there I was just stuck. That's what Arthur's going through right now. He's stuck." Still, life might be a little more stable for Arthur if he had spent the last 12 years building a dependable career. Unlike William, who became an ordained minister and runs the Living Faith ministry in the Chicago project where he grew up, Arthur is still banking his future on the fame he gained from Hoop Dreams. After spending several years bouncing around professional minor leagues (who signed him mostly for the P.R. benefits), Arthur tried to launch a Hoop Dreams clothing line two years ago but had to put it on hiatus because of a lack of investor interest. He created the Arthur Agee Role Model Foundation, he pitches himself as a motivational speaker, and these days he is spending a lot of time trying to stir up interest in another nascent nonprofit organization. He recently launched a Web site,Arthuragee.com, which he hopes will help him spread the word about his various ventures and allow him to sell Hoop Dreams memorabilia. Arthur's financial pressures are exacerbated by the $900 he must pay every month in child support. Wouldn't it be easier, I asked, to meet those obligations if he had a steady job? "F--- that!" he replied with a laugh. "Those people have no lives. They're working for someone else. I see a better life for me and my family. Besides, my non-profit is going to need me. There aren't too many jobs where you can just take off and fly somewhere." Another of Arthur's recent brainstorms was to put out another movie depicting what his life is like now. A film crew has recorded some 200 hours of footage, but while Arthur and his partner have gotten a few nibbles in Hollywood, so far they have not found a buyer. Arthur tried to enlist William Gates in his film project, but William passed, mostly because Arthur was not working with the same producers who made Hoop Dreams. "Sometimes Arthur will say, 'Hey, just trust me.' I can't just do that. We're not kids anymore," William says. "I never put all my eggs in the Hoop Dreams basket. I have a wife and four children, and at the end of the day, they're saying, What's for dinner?" I asked William if he thought Arthur was hanging on too long to his Hoop Dreams notoriety. "I'd say so," he replied. "Arthur has great vision and great potential, but it takes hard work, too. It's like basketball. If you know you're weak at shooting jump shots, you don't wait until the layup line to start working on your shooting." Today, Arthur lives in a house owned by his girlfriend of six years. The house is located in Berwyn, just down the street from where Bo used to live. "Every day I drive through that alley, just to be there," he says. "That's the place he died. I go back and look at the garage, look at the house." With the dreams he harbored as a teenager having gone by the wayside, Arthur must now figure out how best to deal with his current reality. "Every day is different. You have to hope that in the end the good days will outweigh the bad ones," he says. "I know God has a plan for my life, man. I've just got to ask no questions and keep going down this road."

The WNBA finals are set with the Detroit Shock advancing in the East to face the West finalist Sacramento Monarchs…this should be a great final, with each team being physical and athletic…I can’t wait…I’m serious…here’s three reasons you should watch:

a) The battle under the boards between Sacramento’s Yolanda Griffith and Detroit’s Cheryl Ford will be epic by the standards of the women’s game. Griffith is the 6’4” 180 lb. all-world veteran forward who has been one of the game’s premier power players since her days at Florida Atlantic University in the early 90’s. She’s a skill player who uses her length, her understanding of angles and her athleticism to rebound and score…Cheryl Ford is the 6’3” 195 lb. young phenom forward and MVP candidate who has exploded onto the WNBA out of Louisiana Tech, much like her father future NBA hall of famer Karl Malone. She’s a pure power and effort player who uses her exceptional strength and her physical bulk to corral rebounds and score on putbacks. She’s also continuing to develop a creative post game. She reminds me of Moses Malone…

b) The battle of the point guards between Detroit’s Katie Smith and Sacramento’s Ticha Penicheiro. Smith is a converted scorer who has flawlessly made the transition to the point, but has not forgotten the scoring skills that made her a top 5 scorer in the league during her 6 years in Minnesota…Penicheiro has been the WNBA’s version of Ason Kidd for years, a terrific passer and ball handler with a mostly broken jumper…

c) Swin Cash…dude check the pictures…I could watch her all day…

Allen Iverson’s Mom is going to own an ABA team in Richmond Virginia…I’m sorry but someone has to make this into a reality show…please…

Jerry Stackhouse gave his mother, who is a minister, a church in Kinston NC…he is the second NBA player to give a parent a church, with Bucks SG Michael Redd having given his pastor-father a church earlier this year…

I stayed up Saturday night until midnight to watch the US absolutely destroy the Aussies in World Cup play 113-73…although the play of the game went to Aussie centre Andrew Bogut who after corralling a bad pass in the high post from point guard CJ Bruton, did a stutter step/behind the back dribble around LeBron James leading to a soaring right hand scoop layup…the US may have killed the Aussies, but Bogut’s moved embarrassed LeBron…as for the US, Toronto’s own Chris Bosh was far and away their best player scoring 12 points on 4-4 from the field, with 9 rebounds and a couple of blocks in only 18 minutes of play…he was also terrific on defence, being very active on rotations…he’s got to be ahead of Antawn Jamison in the rotation now…

Here's the elite eight of the WC tourney: USA, Germany, France, Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Spain and Lithuania …

Ex-Hawks GM Stan Kasten, who is currently the president of the Washington Nationals was asked in an interview with MLB.com about his biggest mistake with the Hawks: “Trading Steve Smith, even though he was starting to show his age, for J.R. Rider and Jim Jackson. J.R. just completely self-destructed and brought the whole team down with him.” …Duh…ya think?

Love this picture of Ali and Wilt...remember, Ali was a little over 6'2" and look at Chamberlain towering at least 12-14 inches above him...Wilt was alway listed at 7'1" but many opponents claimed he was around 7'3"...

Wilt Chamberlain’s 70th birthday just went by the other day and as I am want to do, I post the following to remind you of how unreal his brilliance really was:

High school:

Keep in mind that high school games are 32 minutes long, made up of four 8-minute quarters…as a high school senior at Overbrook High in Philly he averaged 39.6 points per game and 22 rebounds per game, often only playing in the 1st half…he once scored 90 points in a game…he once scores 60 points in a 10-minute span against Roxborough High School…read that again…that’s 6 points a minute, or a field goal or two free throws ever 20 seconds…ridiculous…he led Overbrook to 2 Philly City Championships in 1954 and again in 1955…he scored 800 points in his first 16 games (1955)…that’s 50 points a game if you’re counting…as a track star he ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, high jumped 6 feet 6 inches, ran the 440 in 49.0 seconds, ran the 880 in 1:58.3, threw the shotput 53 feet 4 inches, and long jumped 22 feet...

NCAA:
He played two seasons at Kansas and scored 1,433 points (29.9 ppg), grabbing 877 rebounds (18.3 rpg) in 48 varsity games…he scored 52 points against Northwestern (1957) and had grabbed 36 rebounds against Iowa (1958) both still KU records and the rebounding total is still an NCAA record…as a sophomore he averaged 30 points per game, 19 rebounds per game, and 9 blocks per game (a Kansas assistant claims to have counted that year after being asked by coach Phog Allen)…he was the NCAA Tournament MVP (1957) leading the Jayhawks to the 1957 championship game, a 54-53 triple overtime loss to North Carolina coached by Hall of Famer Frank McGuire…as a track star he won the high jump in the Big Eight track and field championships...he left before his senior year to join the Harlem Globetrotters…

NBA:
NBA Rookie of the Year (1960)…NBA Most Valuable Player (1960, 1966, 1967, 1968)…All-NBA First Team (1960-62, 1964-68)…All-NBA Second Team (1963, 1965, 1972)…NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972, 1973)…NBA Finals MVP (1972)…Holds the NBA Finals record for most rebounds (41, April 5, 1967 vs. Boston)…Scored 53 points as a rookie against Syracuse (March 14, 1960)…NBA All-Star Game MVP (1960), after scoring 23 points with 25 rebounds…Thirteen-time NBA All-Star (1960-69, 1971-73)…Holds the career All-Star Game record for most rebounds (197)…Holds the single-game All-Star record for most points (42) in 1962…NBA championships with the Philadelphia 76ers (1967) and Los Angeles Lakers (1972)…Scored 31,419 points (30.1 ppg) in 1,045 pro games, best in the league when he retired; currently third all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone…Led the NBA in scoring seven straight years (1960-66), including a career-high 50.4 ppg in 1962…Holds single game record for points in one game (100, March 2, 1962) against the New York Knicks in Hershey, PA…Scored 78 points against Los Angeles in three overtimes (Dec. 8, 1961)…Scored 73 points vs. Chicago (Jan. 13, 1962)…Scored 72 points against Los Angeles (Nov. 3, 1962)…Scored 50 or more points 118 times…Scored 50 or more points 45 times in the 1961-62 season, including seven consecutively (Dec. 16-29, 1961)…Scored 40 points or more 271 times…Scored 40 or more points 63 times in the 1961-62 season; 52 times in the 1962-63 season…Scored 40 or more points 14 straight times (Dec. 8-30, 1961)…Scored 30 or more points 65 straight times (Nov. 4, 1961 - Feb. 22, 1962); had a 31-game and a 25-game 30-point streak…Holds single-game record for most points by a rookie (58, Jan. 25, 1960 vs. the Detroit Pistons)…Made 35 consecutive shots (Feb. 17-28, 1967)…Went 18 of 18 from the field against the Baltimore Bullets (Feb. 24, 1967)…Led the league in field goal percentage nine times (1961, 1963, 1965-69, 1972)…Holds record for most free throws attempted (11,862)…Grabbed 23,924 rebounds (22.9 rpg), best in history in both number and per game average…Holds seasonal records for most minutes (3,338, 41.7 mpg), most points (4,029), points per game (50.4), field goals made (1,597) and field goals attempted (3,159), all in 1962…Holds the rookie record for most points (2,707, 37.6 ppg) and rebounds (1,941, 27.0 rpg) in 1960…Led the league in rebounding 11 times (1960-63, 1966-69, 1971-73)…Led the league in minutes seven times (1961-64, 1966-68)…NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980)…NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)…Ranks second all-time in scoring with 31,419 points (30.1 ppg)…Ranks second all-time in rebounding 23,924 rebounds (22.9 rpg)…

So all of these are amazing, preposterous, absurd…but here are the things that really freak me out:

In 1968, he became the only centre to lead the league in total assists and was 2nd in assists per game…

In that same 1968 season, averaged 24.3 ppg, 23.8 rpg and 8.3 assists per game…This is without a doubt the single most incredible statistical season ever…to give some perspective here, he accomplished the combined 2005 stats of Jason Kidd's assists, Vince Carter's points, and he outrebounded the combined rebounding totals of entire NJ front line of Jefferson (6.8), Kristic (6.4), Collins (4.8) and Robinson (3.3)...ridiculous...

In 1961-62 when he averaged 50.4 points per game and 25.7 rebounds per game he averaged 48.5 minutes per game…WHAT? A game only goes 48 minutes…well the Warriors played 10 overtime periods and he played all but eight of 3,890 minutes that season…OK, maybe this is the most incredible…

By averaging 50.4 points in 1961-62 he become and still is the only player to crack the 4,000-point barrier in a season (he had 4,029)….

You know what’s really crazy about the 1961-62 season? If he’d shot 70% from the line instead of 61% he’d have averaged 52 points per game…if he’d averaged 80% he’d have averaged 55 points per game…

He never fouled out in 1,045 games…at 7’1 (listed...at least) and around 285 lbs. and he once bench pressed 480 lbs…and he never fouled out…ever…I sometimes foul out by walking into the gym…

He scored at least 65 points 15 times over his 143 year career…everybody else in NBA history combined has managed this feat just 7 times over the 60 year history of the league…

Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to record a double-triple-double (meaning 20 points, 20 rebounds, 20 assists in one game). In 1968 against the Pistons, he went for 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists...Oh my god...

While were at it...Chamberlain is also the only player in NBA history to record a quadruple double-double (meaning 40 points, and 40 rebounds or 40 assists in a single game). On December 8, 1961, when he scored a then-record 78 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, he also collected 43 rebounds....can't breathe...

Chamberlain as well holds the record for the longest continuous streak of triple-doubles with nine straight in 1968...

During his time with the Harlem globetrotters, Chamberlain played point guard because the Trotters already had Meadowlark Lemon at centre...I'm serious...

While Chamberlain was an ABA coach, he once came on the court to find his players complaining that the ball was stuck between the 24-second clock and the top of the backboard...the players were aksing a janitor for a ladder to get the ball...Wilt took bets from his players that he could jump up and tip the ball out saying "put the money on the floor"...several players took the bet...Wilt took off his dress shoes, and in his BARE FEET jumped up and knocked the ball loose from the clock, 12 feet off the floor above the backboard...sounds like a myth, but the story has been coroborated by at least 5 players who played for the San Diego Conquistadors...

Chamberlain’s talent forced the NBA into several rule changes…the lane was widened after in 1964-65 from 12 feet to 16 feet after chamberlain had posted scoring averages of 37.6, 38.4, 50.4, 44.8, and 36.9…instituting offensive goaltending rules in both the NCAA and the NBA to limit the number of times Wilt would simply catch jump shots and dunk them in…instituting the 4 foot rule to allow space for the inbounder to get the ball in, after Wilt had over 20 steals (approx. steals were not an official stat until the late 70s) in a game as a rookie guarding the inbounder…

And my favourite rule change? The NCAA and the NBA instituted a rule requiring the free throw shooter to not cross the free throw line until the ball hits the rim, after Wilt started broad-jumping from the free throw line and dunking the ball in on his free throws…read that again…

Huh? …A report in the Indianapolis star indicates that the Indiana Pacers have contacted Kendra Davis about having Antonio play for the Pacers again…

World championship notes: Leading scorer’s? Yao Ming (China) 28.4 ppg, Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) 24.8 ppg, Pau Gasol (Spain) 21.4 ppg, Dwyane Wade (USA) 21.3 ppg….other notables Darko “El Busto” Milicic (Serbia-Montenegro) looks good with 15 ppg., 8.2 rpg and a tourney leading 2.8 blocks per game…Chris Paul (USA) is leading the tourney in assists (6.8 apg)…

Cue the repeat talk…Pat Riley said Wednesday he'll return as coach of the NBA champion Miami Heat, ending speculation he might retire at age 61. He'll be on the sideline when the title banner is raised at the season opener Oct. 31 against the Chicago Bulls. "After winning the championship, I realized there's always something meaningful that happens in your life that becomes the primary point of your destiny," Riley said in a statement. "Winning the championship showed me that I am definitely in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. I can't wait to get started." Riley won his seventh league title last season as a player or coach, returning to the bench in December to lead the Heat to their first championship.

1) Tony Meija of Cbssportline.com looks back at Team USA’s early success and the other groups in the World championships:

Now the fun begins. Knockout play. You lose, you go home. Everything that has gone down doesn't matter anymore. Before the action starts up this weekend, it's worth taking a look at what has happened thus far.

Group D Top four: 1. United States, 2. Italy, 3. Slovenia, 4. China. MVP: Carmelo Anthony, USA. He was consistent and clutch throughout the opening week. First-team All-Group D: Carmelo Anthony, USA; Yao Ming, China; Chris Paul, USA; Dwyane Wade, USA; Elias Ayuso, Puerto Rico. Biggest surprise: Despite fielding a young team not including No. 1 draft pick Andrea Bargnani, Italy lost only once. They won with defense and savvy play, overcoming their struggles from 3-point range (33.6 percent). Only the Americans averaged fewer turnovers. Biggest disappointment: Puerto Rico failed to get out of the first round despite shooting a tournament-best 51 percent from behind the arc. Carlos Arroyo had a dreadful performance in the 73-72 loss to Italy that officially knocked it out, shooting 2-for-12 with four turnovers. More incredible was that Ayuso's contributions were wasted. He went 22-for-35 from 3-point range and has nothing to show for it but memories. Lasting impression: Shipeng Wang's buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave China a 78-77 victory over Slovenia, allowing it to advance. It was Wang's only field goal of the game.

Group C Top four: 1. Greece, 2. Turkey, 3. Lithuania, 4. Australia. MVP: Antonis Fotsis, Greece. The Dynamo Moscow standout paced his country in scoring and rebounding and shot 65 percent. First-team All-Group D: Antonis Fotsis, Greece; Kerem Gonlun, Turkey; Andrew Bogut, Australia; Arvydas Macijauskas, Lithuania; Dimitrios Diamantidis, Greece. Biggest surprise: Turkey was supposed to contend for a spot in the second round yet exceeded expectations and nearly won the group. Biggest disappointment: What happened to Brazil? On paper, it appeared to field one of stronger teams in this group yet was able to beat only Qatar. Anderson Varejao shot 31 percent. Leandro Barbosa went 3-for-17 from 3-point range, and the team had more turnovers than assists. Lasting impression: The defending European champs finished undefeated in group play, but it wasn't easy. Australia led Greece 69-66 with 19 seconds remaining, only to watch Fotsis and Nikos Zisis knock down back-to-back 3-pointers to steal the victory. Unfortunately for the Greeks, Zisis is out for the remainder of the tournament after a collision with Varejao broke three bones in his face.

Group B Top four: 1. Spain, 2. Germany, 3. Angola, 4. New Zealand. MVP: Dirk Nowitzki, Germany. Tough call here with Dirk over Pau Gasol, but Spain would be all right without Gasol. Germany without Nowitzki? Not so much. Averages of 24.8 points and 10.6 rebounds don't hurt his cause. First-team All-Group D: Dirk Nowitzki, Germany; Joaquin Gomes, Angola; Pau Gasol, Spain; Juan Carlos Navarro, Spain; Eduardo Mingas, Angola. Biggest surprise: Angola was the best of the African contingent, routing the teams that finished below it in the group while playing Germany and Spain tough. Nowitzki needed every one of his 47 points to get his country past it in a 108-103 win that gave it second place. Biggest disappointment: Host country Japan failed to get out of the first round. Its chances were foiled in a 60-57 loss to New Zealand in which it squandered a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit. Lasting impression: Spain's 92-71 win over Germany was an eye-opener. It proved the Spaniards were far and away the best in the group, holding Nowitzki to just nine shots with suffocating defense. Their average margin of victory was 28 points.

Group A Top four: 1. Argentina, 2. France, 3. Nigeria, 4. Serbia & Montenegro. MVP: Luis Scola, Argentina: The reigning Olympic champs took care of business by committee, with someone different stepping up in every game. Scola was consistently solid throughout the five games, ending up as Argentina's leading scorer and rebounder. First-team All-Group D: Walter Herrmann, Argentina; Fadi El-Khatib, Lebanon; Luis Scola, Argentina; Ime Udoka, Nigeria; Igor Rakocevic, Serbia & Montenegro. Biggest surprise: Lebanon failed to make the second phase of the competition because of tiebreakers, but the fact it won two games should be applauded. Given the difficult situation facing the country, it would have been very easy for players' minds to have been elsewhere, yet they gave a great account of themselves and generated some much-needed pride. Biggest disappointment: Boris Diaw stepped up in Tony Parker's absence, but Mickael Pietrus sure didn't. The Golden State swingman shot 8-for-37 from the field and 2-for-16 from 3-point range in group play. Unless he snaps out of his slump, France's run will be coming to an end sooner than later. Lasting impression: Argentina struggled with the Serbs in the final game of the group, entering the fourth quarter behind. Despite having first place already clinched, it clawed back for an 83-79 win to remain unbeaten on the strength of a Carlos Delfino scoring flurry.

2) Notes from the AP on coaching Team USA:

Talented coaching staff adds to Team USA's depthEvery once in a while, Jim Boeheim has the urge to jump off the bench and call a play or lecture the referees. "I've been a head coach for 30 years,'' Boeheim said with a chuckle. "I'm used to telling people what to do.'' But that's not Boeheim's job with Team USA. As an assistant to coach Mike Krzyzewski, Boeheim's duty is to provide an experienced set of eyes and ears as the Americans bid for their first world championship since 1994. The Americans like to boast about the depth of their roster, which includes NBA All-Stars, rookies of the year and an NBA Finals MVP. But they are deepest at whistle and clipboard. Boeheim, who has spent his entire career with Syracuse, joins Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni and Portland coach Nate McMillan as assistants to Krzyzewski. The three assistants have a total of 1,462 victories - 726 belong to Boeheim - and 48 seasons as head coaches among them. Boeheim is in the Hall of Fame. D'Antoni was the NBA's coach of the year in 2004-05. And McMillan, then 36, was the NBA's youngest coach when he was named Seattle's head coach in 2000. Boeheim and D'Antoni have extensive international experience. Boeheim has been the head coach or assistant coach on seven U.S. teams, while D'Antoni coached and played in the Italian pro league. The assistants don't have specific responsibilities. D'Antoni has been teaching the Suns' up-tempo offense. Boeheim has contributed expertise on attacking the zone defense, which is a staple of the international game. McMillan helps out on defense. "We just try to come up with ideas,'' D'Antoni said. "Some work, some don't. But it's Coach K's call.'' Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said he and Krzyzewski wanted the staff to have a blend of pro, college and international experience. "The bottom line is that they all brought something to the table,'' Colangelo said. "That's why they're all here.'' When Colangelo and Krzyzewski began putting together a staff, Colangelo insisted that D'Antoni be part of it. Colangelo owned the Suns when D'Antoni joined the team as an assistant coach in 2002. Eighteen months later, D'Antoni was promoted to head coach, and within a year he had transformed the Suns from a 50-loss eyesore to one of the NBA's more entertaining teams. They've won the Pacific Division and reached the Western Conference finals in each of his first two full seasons. "I felt that Mike D'Antoni was an absolute natural must because of his international experience,'' Colangelo said. "And Boeheim for his knowledge of the zone, offensively and defensively. He was there for a purpose. Nate's a young, up-and-coming coach, and we're building a program.'' Late in the first quarter of the U.S.' 114-95 victory over Slovenia on Tuesday night, Coach K stepped aside in the huddle and let D'Antoni diagram a play on a greaseboard. Afterward, a reporter asked D'Antoni to share the wisdom he'd given to the players. "I was saying 'lunch at Mario's at 10 o'clock,''' D'Antoni said. Unlike many of the NBA's walk-it-up offenses, D'Antoni's attack requires players to fill lanes as they try to beat the defense down the floor. His Phoenix players often refer to the "controlled chaos'' of the scheme. Whatever it is, the approach is working for Team USA. After five games, the Americans have averaged 108.6 points per game, by far the most in the field. Krzyzewski credited D'Antoni with teaching the players to spread the floor and make the defense work harder. "Mike's been really good with that, especially the spacing,'' Krzyzewski said. "When you have the talent we have, you should give it more space, so guys can make some plays.'' As an NBA coach, D'Antoni knew many of Team USA's players, including Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, who did not make the final roster. D'Antoni also coached U.S. guard Joe Johnson before he was traded to Atlanta. Team captain Carmelo Anthony played for Boeheim in 2002-03, leading the Orangemen to Boeheim's first national title. "We talk all the time about the national championship and how I got that monkey off his back,'' Anthony said. Boeheim had heard the stereotypes about NBA players - that they would be more concerned with personal statistics than practice. He's found the opposite to be true. "They've been good teammates,'' Boeheim said. "They've been unselfish. All the things that people said they couldn't be, they've been. "They've exceeded my expectations for them, and I think they're still working and they're getting better,'' Boeheim said. "These guys have done everything we've asked.''In a few months, Boeheim will be back on the sideline at Syracuse, gearing up for another season in the tough Big East conference. "You miss it,'' Boeheim said. "I like going back to my regular job. But it's been fun doing this.''

This is just awesome: http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/9708643/detail.html

Holy Crap so is this: http://www.nba.com/heat/dance/dancers_index.html

Yikes…Maccabi Tel Aviv signed NBA journeyman Rodney Buford to a deal as a replacement for Anthony Parker who signed with the Raptors…sorry but if Anthony Parker is not 30 times better than Rodney Buford there’s gonna be trouble…

Super-duper coaching rumour: Afte this year, Pat Riley will retire and his hand picked successor is University of Florida Gators head basketball coach Billy Donovan…wow…

Soapbox: Pro athletes in basketball and football make millions…cheerleaders are either unpaid or get honorariums of maybe $50 per game…how long before some smart lawyer decides this is wrong…

I watched Team USA battle back from a 12-point deficit in the second half to beat Italy 94-85…Carmelo Anthony went nuts in the 3rd and scored 19 of his U.S.-record 35 points, with Dwyane Wade adding 26 points…one day NBA player Marco Belinelli scored 25 points for Italians, including some DEEP threes and a very impressive steal, runout and dunk (and-1) with Carmelo Anthony defending…the kid is a player…

1) From the AP, finally:

The Indiana Pacers finally completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Atlanta Hawks for forward Al Harrington on Tuesday. The Pacers acquired Harrington and center John Edwards in exchange for a 2007 first-round pick. Harrington spent the first six years of his career with the Pacers before spending the last two in Atlanta. "We've had Al before," Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. "He was a good player for us when we had him the first time. He comes back with more seasoning. Most importantly, he fits in with what we're trying to do at this point." Walsh and team president Larry Bird considered Harrington one of the summer's top three free agents, along with Ben Wallace and Peja Stojakovic. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Hawks last season and was the central figure to the Pacers plans to recover from a 41-41 season that ended with a first-round playoff exit. The deal followed weeks of speculation. Negotiations slowed when Harrington fired agent Andy Miller and replaced him with Arn Tellem earlier this month. Reports then surfaced that Harrington was likely headed elsewhere, but Walsh said Tuesday that negotiations never died. Harrington is expected to be a key to Indiana's transformation from a defense-oriented team to an up-tempo, athletic squad. The Pacers also have added rookies James White and Shawne Williams, guards Jimmie Hunter, Orien Greene and Darrell Armstrong and forwards Marquis Daniels, Maceo Baston, Rawle Marshall and Josh Powell. In all, the Pacers have added 11 players since the end of last season.
Harrington, by far, was the most important one. "We're very pleased to have Al back in Indiana," Bird said. "We think he brings an added dimension to our team. We know what he can do and he'll make us a deeper team and a better team." The sign-and-trade deal that sent Stojakovic to the New Orleans Hornets gave the Pacers a $7.5 million trade exception that Walsh said made the sign-and-trade with Harrington possible. The trade brings the Hawks additional financial room as well as the draft pick. "We feel this move brings us valuable assets, including additional salary cap flexibility as we move forward," said Hawks general manager Billy Knight. "When Al came to us, he brought a winning attitude to our franchise and he always put the team first. We are certainly in a better position now having had Al as a member of the Hawks." Walsh is glad to finally have the deal done. He said it has been a media blitz since the beginning, though no one with the Pacers organization was talking to reporters. "There was all this talking with the press," he said. "It was a daily litany." Walsh said the Pacers haven't sought a 3-point shooter to complement the influx of rangy, athletic forwards because guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and forward Danny Granger are capable perimeter threats. He hopes the moves make the Pacers a more exciting team. "That's what this is about, is making it fun again," he said.

2) From Ken Berger of Newsday, Shaq has some advice for Starbury:

Shaq to Marbury: Let your play talk

Shaquille O'Neal said Stephon Marbury should let his play speak for itself and speculated that the Knicks' point guard would have been better off playing another season for Larry Brown. "If you say you're the best point guard in the world, now you have to come out and show that every night," O'Neal said on SportsNet New York. "The only time when I really say that is when I have a real big game. You never really heard me say I'm the best center to ever play the game. When you say that, you have to come out and show that every night, especially here in New York." When asked before a game against the Nets during the 2004-05 season how he would match up with Jason Kidd, Marbury replied, "I'm the best point guard in the NBA." O'Neal, in the city with Miami Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning for a charity event, said of Marbury's relationship with Brown, "You have to listen to somebody that's been there. "If they know and understood that Larry Brown's been there - two years in a row - if you listen to a man like that, then he can take you to the next level," O'Neal said in the interview aired Monday. Commenting on Brown's messy departure from the Knicks, Mourning said: "I don't like the fact where coaches can be made scapegoats ... If you do what the coach asks you to do, you're going to get results. I don't think L.B. was telling them the wrong things ... It was just a matter of how they responded to what he was saying or how he said it to them." O'Neal said Marbury and his teammates would've been better off had Brown not been run off after one season. "It wasn't until I met Phil [Jackson], and put my ego aside, and listened to what he had to say and understood it," O'Neal said. "So I think if those guys would have listened and had paid attention and understood, then they would have been better off."

3) Seth Davis of SI.com reports on what ever happened to Nolan Richardson:

Going strong - Richardson is passionate about charity and coaching

Earlier this month, while shuttling from speaking appearances in Oklahoma and Virginia and putting in many hours on behalf of dozens of charities, Nolan Richardson flew to El Paso to meet with UTEP athletic director Bob Stull. UTEP was in the market for a new basketball coach, but though Stull's face-to-face with Richardson was widely characterized as an "interview," the chat lasted less than an hour. The following day, Stull announced that Tony Barbee, a 35-year-old assistant at Memphis with no head coaching experience, had been chosen to replace Doc Sadler, who had been plucked by Nebraska the previous week. If you know anything about Richardson, you know that he is not the type of person to bite his tongue if he believes he has been slighted. I thought I might hear some bile when I reached Richardson by phone late last week. Instead, he sounded sanguine about UTEP's decision -- and not just because Barbee is the first African-American head coach in school history. "I just didn't get the impression that I would be their guy. That's the bottom line," Richardson said. "They couldn't afford to hire me, so it never got to a point where they might offer me the job. I told them I certainly wish them the best. When other schools want to hire your coaches, that's when you know things are going in the right direction." Richardson, 64, still lives in a suburb of Fayetteville, Ark., about a 15-minute drive from the campus of his erstwhile employer, the University of Arkansas. He has never seriously considered another gig since Arkansas ignominiously fired him before the end of the 2001-02 season. Nor does it sound like he's avidly pursuing one. If Richardson were ever going to contemplate a return to the sidelines, UTEP would seem to be an ideal place. He was born and raised in El Paso, played at UTEP (then Texas Western) for legendary coach Don Haskins and began his coaching career in the city, first at Bowie High and then at Western Texas Junior College, where he won the national junior college championship in 1980. Richardson remains a local legend in El Paso; there is a school, a street and a recreation center named for him, and another street bears the name of his daughter Yvonne, who died from leukemia two decades ago. Indeed, Stull's invitation to meet with Richardson was really just a token gesture to satisfy the denizens who had called local radio stations pleading for Richardson to be hired.
However, you've got to believe that Richardson, for all his baggage, would be a great coup for UTEP. His frenetic, up-tempo style is both exciting and a proven winner. No doubt he would help UTEP gain the national notice it currently lacks. But Richardson insists he didn't want the job.
"I've always said that if I was going to take another job, it should be equal to the job I lost," Richardson told me. "So to me, I'd have to think of that as a major college job where I'd have an opportunity to get to the mountaintop again, not a mid-major. I don't want to coach just to coach, and I said that to Bob Stull." In other words, Richardson is pricing himself out of the market. After all, there are only a few dozen schools in the country that meet that criteria. Richardson will be 65 in December -- "I'm almost on Medicare," he quips -- and his bitter fallout from Arkansas has left the impression that he would be a risky hire. Richardson was let go following his public meltdown during a press conference in February 2002, when he infamously dared the school that "if they go ahead and pay me my money, they can take the job tomorrow." Arkansas did agree to buy out the last six years of his seven-year, $7.21 million contract, but Richardson sued the school anyway, charging racial discrimination. Richardson's claim was ludicrous on its face and was dismissed by a federal judge in 2004. A federal appeals court upheld that decision in May, effectively ending the litigation. With typical bluntness, Richardson makes no apologies about his lawsuit. But he is also not fooling himself about the damage it did to his prospects of landing a high-level coaching gig. "The bottom line is, Nolan Richardson left the University of Arkansas under a black cloud. I know that," he said. "Who's going to hire someone who's so outspoken? I'm always going to tell you what God loves, and that's the truth."
Richardson's reluctance to return makes him drastically different from many of his contemporaries. Lefty Driesell (Maryland) and Lou Henson (Illinois) finished their careers in obscurity at Georgia State and New Mexico State, respectively. After getting fired by Indiana, Bob Knight landed at Texas Tech, where he will never win a national championship but will likely break Dean Smith's record for all-time wins next season. Rollie Massimino was so desperate to coach again after being fired by UNLV and Cleveland State that he latched on at Northwood University in Florida, which didn't even have a basketball program when he took the job two years ago. Former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins, 59, will be back on the sidelines next season at the College of Charleston. Asked about these examples, Richardson said, "A lot of these guys are trying to win a certain number of games, but I got started late. At age 24, Bob Knight was already a college coach. When I was 24, I was a seventh- and eighth-grade coach. Some schools are willing to bring a guy in so he can sit there and die. I'm not that kind of guy." A lot of other coaches also keep working longer than they should because they need the money. Richardson will receive checks from Arkansas that total $500,000 a year for another 18 months, but when I asked him if he'll have financial problems when those checks stop coming, he laughed. "I'll be all right," he said. "I've invested in some really good stuff and I was never a rich person anyway. I was born a ghetto kid on welfare, so I know how to survive."
Richardson's buyout deal with Arkansas also stipulates that the money be offset by whatever salary he earns from his next coaching job. Since UTEP wouldn't have been able to pay Richardson more than he's currently getting from Arkansas, he would have essentially been working for free. (However, once the buyout period is over, Richardson wouldn't have to repay Arkansas anything.) "Coaching is hard work filled with 18-hour days," Stull said. "It's real hard to come back, even to a place you love, and just coach to enjoy coaching. If I had a million dollars to offer, it might change the whole scenario. But I don't." Still, Richardson has not totally lost his passion for the game. In the fall of 2005 he coached the Panama national team to its first berth in the World Championships in 19 years. The job was unpaid and lasted about a month, but Richardson had a blast leading the team to a tie for second at the FIBA Americas Championship in Santo Domingo. "We were the Cinderella team over there. Nobody wanted to play against that 'Forty Minutes of Hell' stuff," Richardson said. "I felt I didn't have as much closure as I wanted to because I was fired [by Arkansas] before the end of the season. So after I was done with the Panama team, I told those guys, 'This is it for me, baby. I had my closure and I'm headed back home.'" Is this really it? Richardson notes that UTEP has had three coaches in the last five years, so if the opportunity to return there came up again, he might be interested. He'd also love to be an NBA head coach someday, though he concedes no offers appear to be forthcoming. In the meantime, he is enjoying his life on the cusp of Medicare. Aside from his family, which includes four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Richardson's biggest passion is his charity work. He works tirelessly on behalf of some three dozen organizations, many which are named for Yvonne. Otherwise, he visits with friends and proteges in the coaching profession and makes a few extra bucks on the speaking circuit. And despite his bitter divorce from Arkansas, he loves living near Fayetteville and has no plans to move. So I asked him: Can you be happy if you never coach again? "You know, I've often said, when I leave this earth and hopefully reach the kingdom of heaven, God is not going to ask me how many games I've won," Richardson said. "But He may ask me how many lives I've touched. That's why I'm so into charity work, because I know I'm blessed to bust my butt and beg for money on behalf of people who are less fortunate than I am." It may not be a million-dollar-a-year coaching job, but it sounds like pretty noble work.

Quick hits…

This could only happen at the Rucker:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/basketball/ncaa/2006/08/big-rucker-buzz-kill.html

Sing it now…”This is the Trade that never ends” …As the al Harrington sweepstakes march on apparently the Warriors have proposed a 4 teams trade with SF Mike Dunleavy Jr. going to the Clippers, SF Corey Maggette to the Nuggets, PF Joe Smith to the Hawks and the Warriors getting Harrington…look we don’t care where he goes, just do something already, before he changes agents again…

Bill Laimbeer is funny…Laimbeer, who coaches of the WNBA Detroit Shock was in Indiana the other day and had this to say about Larry Bird: "Never talked to him. Never will," Laimbeer said. "I don't like him. He doesn't like me."…

Weasel alert: Alonzo Mourning re-signed with the Miami Heat on Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It’s expected that Mourning’s agent is in talks with the Nets and Raptors to fork over several million for him to play fir the Heat…

The last Samurai: Free agent forward Scot Pollard signed with the Cavaliers…

Trade report: The Cavs also traded C Martynas Andriuskevicius and his dinosaur arms to the Chicago Bulls for non-shooting SG Eddie Basden…
It’s like waiting for the sun to come up: Two arrest warrants were issued for former NBA star Isaiah "J.R." Rider after he failed to show up at his sentencing for convictions that include false imprisonment and driving offenses. Judge Verna Adams waited about an hour after the scheduled Wednesday hearing before issuing the warrants. Bail was set at $10,000 each in two separate misdemeanor cases against the basketball player, who retired in 2002. The 34-year-old Rider pleaded guilty to six misdemeanors and three infractions in the two cases in Marin County Superior Court. One involved false imprisonment and battery and the second was for driving with a suspended license and related charges. He's also wanted in Alameda County,

Reason number #48573 that Ron Artest is Crazy: Artest was talking to children in Detroit yesterday as part of his community service sentence for the Malice at the Pace…OK, sounds crazy enough, but what Ron-Ron told them was: "Someone started trouble and I ended it," Artest told about 50 children Wednesday at a panel on black empowerment at the Judge Mathis Community Center. "I would always encourage you to protect yourself but in certain situations, if you can avoid them, avoid them."…oh yeah, he’s learned his lesson for sure…

God it pays to be really, really tall…The Charlotte Bobcats re-signed center Jake Voskuhl to a two-year deal on Tuesday. Agent Mark Bartelstein said Voskuhl will receive $2 million each season, but have the option to become an unrestricted free-agent after one year. The 6-foot-11, 225-pound Voskuhl averaged 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds for Charlotte last season as a backup to starting center Primoz Brezec.

With less than two months until the opening of training camp, Raptors season ticket renewals and new sales are amongst the strongest in team history. The Raptors are renewing season tickets at a rate of 91%, well above last year's pace.

Enough with the Yao Ming bashing already…I argued with a dude yesterday that Ming was basically the best centre in the league now, and the dude was still stuck in the Yao Ming is soft, too deferential, too big, too slow, too Chinese, blah, balh,blah…look the guy averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes a game last year and in the final 24 games before he was injured, he averaged 26.6 points on 54 percent shooting, 12 rebounds and 1.9 blocks…signs that he’s starting to find his inner Wilt Chamberlain…

1) Bruce Bowen becomes Team USA's final cut, from the AP:

Bruce Bowen was the final player cut from the U.S. basketball team, which begins play in the World Championships in Japan on Saturday. The final 12-man roster was announced Wednesday by USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski, and included Carmelo Anthony, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Elton Brand, Kirk Hinrich, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Brad Miller, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. When Bowen, who plays for San Antonio and is one of the top defensive players in the league, was selected to be part of the national team roster, Colangelo and Krzyzewski singled him out as the type of role player the U.S. squad had been lacking in recent poor international showings. But Bowen scored just four points while playing four of the five tuneup games and had been outplayed by Battier, another defensive-minded small forward who made the cut. After Gilbert Arenas dropped out with strained groin earlier in the week, that all but assured a spot for Chicago's Hinrich because the team needed another point guard behind rookie of the year Paul. Bowen and Arenas remain part of the national team program and are still in the pool of players who will compete for spot on the 2008 Olympic team. "This has been a great process. It's difficult especially when you get down to the end because you get so attached to the last members of the team. Gilbert and Bruce are every bit a part of this team as the 12 others guys. It's just we can only go forward with 12," Krzyzewski said. The average age of the 12 U.S. players is 24½ years old, with the 30-year-old Miller the oldest member of the team. Howard, at 20, is the youngest.

2) Chad Ford of ESPN.com wonders what these teams were doing or not doing this summer:

For these five teams, a surprisingly silent

A few weeks ago we documented what has become a lethargic offseason. While a number of teams have been busy, only two -- the Bulls and Hornets -- have done enough to give themselves a major boost in the playoff hunt next season. The Pacers will join that group if they finally close the Al Harrington deal with the Hawks. Sources with knowledge of the proposed trade say a deal is close and awaiting approval from Pacers owner Herb Simon. It's hard to fathom that Simon will pass on an opportunity to get Harrington at a below-market-value deal while giving up only a first-round pick in return. What's interesting to me is the fact that so many bad teams did little to improve themselves this summer. A few, like the Blazers and Raptors, had significant movement. While I don't think it will be enough to push either into the playoffs, at least they can tell fans they're trying. On the other hand, how do the advertising whizzes for the Sixers, Warriors, Knicks, Sonics and Hawks sell their fans on next season? "Wait 'til '08!" doesn't sound like a slogan that's going to sell a lot of season tickets. Here's a look at five lottery teams that have remained surprisingly quiet this offseason:

Philadelphia 76ers - The Sixers are the most surprising of the 2006 offseason underachievers. They're coming off a disappointing lottery appearance. They own the fourth-highest payroll in the league. Allen Iverson looks like he already has his bags packed. They even have legit trade bait in Iverson and Samuel Dalembert. Everyone thought the team was in for a radical overhaul. And what have they done? They let John Salmons walk away, then signed Willie Green, coming off a season-long injury, to an overpriced deal. Ugh. That's it, Sixers fans. The fact that GM Billy King backed away from trading Iverson probably says more about Iverson's trade value than it does about Philly's resolve to change. The Sixers just didn't get the offers they were hoping for and don't seem to want to go into full rebuilding mode. So what can Sixers fans look forward to this year? While almost every team in the Atlantic Division improved modestly, the Sixers have nowhere to go but down. Look for them to battle the Knicks for the worst record in the Atlantic.

Golden State Warriors - After killing the Warriors for years, I got on the bandwagon last fall and predicted that Golden State would break the longest playoff drought in the league. Baron Davis and Jason Richardson gave them one of the most promising backcourts in the league. Warriors VP Chris Mullin was raving about Mike Dunleavy's improvement over the summer and eventually signed him to a substantial $45 million extension. Troy Murphy was healthy. Ike Diogu was supposed to add rebounding and toughness in the paint. But once January hit, the wheels came off. The Warriors were 17-14 on Dec. 31, but went 3-9 in January and never recovered. By the end of the season, the team had won just 34 games, duplicating their miserable 2004-05 outing. Losing Baron Davis for 28 games was part of the problem, but the truth is that the Warriors were just 23-31 when he played. The last month was ugly. They endured a nine-game losing streak that stretched from March into April. It appeared that several players had quit. According to one player on the team, the tension between some players on the team and head coach Mike Montgomery was combustible. Mullin went into the summer vowing to change the team's chemistry around, but three months later … the Warriors look the same. Mullin has been working the phones all summer but has very little to show for it. He did manage to move Derek Fisher's hard-to-trade contract, but he got nothing but future salary cap relief in return. The free agent market has been unkind. The team made a major push for Harrington, but the Hawks didn't want the bloated contracts of Murphy or Mike Dunleavy in return. The Warriors' problem is that they continue to remain on the fence between winning and development. As always, they have a number of talented young players (Monta Ellis, Mickael Pietrus, Andris Biedrins, Diogu and rookie Patrick O'Bryant) in the pipeline. They don't want to trade them. However, their veterans, with the exception of Jason Richardson, are virtually untradeable. Mullin is guilty for most of the bad contracts. He vastly overpaid Murphy, Dunleavy and Adonal Foyle, limiting his ability to make changes to his team. A number of GMs have told me they've been offered all three, but no one will touch them. The word around the league is that Davis is also available, but given his injury history and rep as a chemistry killer, no one will touch him. If the Warriors can't trade the millstones that are dragging them down (those four are still owed a combined $182 million over the course of their Golden State careers) and refuse to trade the young talent that can't get them anywhere yet, then Warriors fans can rest assured that another 30- to 35-win season is coming.

New York Knicks - Last year the Knicks played for the right to hand the Bulls the No. 2 pick in the draft. Isiah Thomas still argues that he'd take Eddy Curry over who the Bulls got -- Tyrus Thomas -- any day. We'll see if the feels the same way once he's forced to hand over the Knicks' first-round pick to the Bulls again next summer. If the Bulls hit the jackpot with the Knicks' No. 1 pick (and the right to draft Greg Oden), there could be a riot in New York. As it stands, the Knicks' biggest offseason change is at coach. Larry Brown, the Knicks' savior this time last year, is out. Thomas, the Knicks' master architect, is in. I actually think the Knicks will be better with Isiah at the helm. Brown sabotaged the team, in my opinion, to convince James Dolan that the roster needed a major overhaul. Thomas wasn't going to agree with Brown's assessment of Isiah's roster, so Brown dramatized the problems for Dolan. Brown used 42 different starting lineups, an NBA record, last year in New York. Everyone was confused. No one knew where they stood. A player could start one game and get a DNP the next. It was a mess. With Thomas fighting for his professional life, things will be different. The Knicks do have talent and he'll lean heavily on Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford, Curry and probably Channing Frye to save his job. The Knicks, with a steadier hand at the helm, will probably win 10 more games next season.
However, the rest of their summer has been anticlimactic by comparison. The Knicks did land Jared Jeffries in free agency, but I'm not a big fan. He's long and he hustles and since he doesn't shoot the ball, he'll actually be popular with all of the Knicks' gunners. But I don't think he wins New York any extra games. Ditto for rookies Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins, who likely won't see the light of day this year. Surprisingly, the Knicks have restrained themselves from being more aggressive. Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor are both very tradeable because they are in the last year of their contracts. Nate Robinson and David Lee have trade value as well. But the word out of New York is that Isiah has no choice but to play the hand he's dealt. Dolan apparently isn't in the mood to swap any more expiring contracts for long-term deals. The Knicks' payroll is at an absurd $122 million this year. Thomas fought for every one of the players on his roster. Now he'll find out whether they were worth fighting for. If this were a fantasy team, the answer may be yes. But as an NBA team, the Knicks' long-term future still looks very bleak.

Seattle SuperSonics - The team was everyone's darling in 2004-05 but reverted to form last season. The Sonics showed they could still light it up offensively, but so could every team that played against them. This year, uncertainty surrounding the sale of the franchise has the potential to add to their woes. While the team did sign restricted free agent Chris Wilcox to a three-year deal on Tuesday, Mickael Gelabale, last year's second-round draft pick, is the only major addition to the club so far. It's difficult to see what the long-term strategy in Seattle is. For this team to be a serious playoff contender, players like Wilcox, Luke Ridnour, Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Mouhamed Saer Sene and Gelebale are going to have to play over their heads. If the team fails again, there's a strong likelihood that potential free agent Rashard Lewis will bolt for greener pastures next summer. That leaves the team with a number of promising young players and an aging Ray Allen. I know most Sonics fans quit caring when Gary Payton was shipped out of town. For the dozen or so that are left, it may be time to retire those jerseys.

Atlanta Hawks - What is Billy Knight doing? That's been a key question in the NBA for the past several summers. An ownership feud lies at the heart of much of the Hawks' inability to get things done this summer, but even that has to be contextualized. The feud began, in large part, over the performance of Knight. Steve Belkin thought Knight was killing the franchise and disagreed vehemently over giving up so many assets for the right to give Joe Johnson a max deal. The rest of the Hawks' owners disagreed, and a year later, they're still in court shouting it out. In the meantime, the Hawks' hands have basically been tied. (Were Johnson and Knight really worth all of this?) The drafting of Shelden Williams signaled that the Hawks were serious about getting a player who could help them now. But after watching Williams' miserable performance in the summer league, there are now serious questions about how NBA-ready he really is. They did throw a lot of money this summer at Speedy Claxton (a diminutive, oft-injured scoring guard in a point guard's body) and plan on giving Lorenzen Wright (a 30-year-old center who averaged five points and five rebounds last season) a two-year deal when they trade Harrington. Neither move will push them far out of the basement of the East. Yes, expected improvements by Josh Smith, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams should help, but all of that will be offset by losing Harrington, the team's second-leading scorer and only real inside presence. Maybe next year, when their ownership question is answered, the Hawks will finally be able to rise out of the rubble. But this year? Pray for Oden.

3) Antonio Williams of Scouts Inc. reports on the moves that will suck:

This time of year, teams take big risks to fill voids on their rosters. While some moves work, many transactions end up hindering development and financial flexibility for that franchise. These seven moves, designed to make a big difference, have the potential to result in little impact.

1. Knicks sign Jared Jeffries - After a disastrous season, the Knicks have to change the identity and the chemistry of the franchise. As part of the offseason makeover, coach-president Isiah Thomas signed Jared Jeffries, late of the Washington Wizards. Jeffries is most effective on the defensive end and distributing the ball, and New York does not have many players on its roster who do those two things. Jeffries has the ability to defend the shooting guard as well as both forward positions. Jeffries also handles the ball well for a player of his size, even spending some time running the point for the Wizards last year. The Knicks will benefit from Jeffries' versatility and the fact that his effectiveness does not depend on his number of shots per game. But here is the fly in the ointment. Jeffries cost the Knicks $30 million over five years. In essence, the Knicks will pay $60 million for Jeffries, since New York resides in the high-rent district known as luxury-tax land. Also, the Knicks just drafted a player, Renaldo Balkman, who has many of the same talents Jeffries possesses. In Jeffries, the Knicks might have paid $60 million for a slightly taller duplicate of Balkman.

2. Nuggets re-sign Nene - The Nuggets' re-signing rugged power forward Nene did not surprise many people. The surprise came with the price tag -- the Nuggets gave a five-year, $60 million contract to a player who missed all but one game last season with a torn ACL and played in only 55 games the year before. While size is a premium in the NBA, this deal still raised eyebrows. Denver already had made a long-term, very expensive commitment to a big man in Marcus Camby. Also, the Nuggets continue to shop, without much success, another big man with a big salary and big injury history in Kenyon Martin. (Also, the Nuggets acquired frontcourt player Joe Smith on Thursday.) While Nene does have the potential and the tools to develop into a solid NBA big man, injuries and depleted minutes could hinder his effort to play well enough to justify the huge contract. As of now, he still has not fully recovered from his ACL injury.

3. Hornets acquire Peja Stojakovic - New Orleans/Oklahoma City desperately needed a consistent shooter to pair with stud point guard Chris Paul. In a sign-and-trade deal with the Indiana Pacers, the Hornets acquired the best shooter on the open market, Peja Stojakovic, the two-time winner of the league's 3-point shooting competition. The Hornets will benefit from Stojakovic's extensive playoff experience, and with Paul giving him plenty of touches, Peja could have a big year for the Hornets. However, Stojakovic has a habit of missing significant amounts of time because of injuries. Also, Stojakovic's play has declined since the 2003-04 season, when his performance warranted serious MVP consideration. New Orleans/Oklahoma City took a big risk in committing $64 million over five years to a player with a significant injury history and declining production.

4. Lakers sign Vladimir Radmanovic - The roller-coaster ride known as the 2006 playoffs provided the Lakers with a crystal clear look into their future. The team had to upgrade its offense and lessen the load on Kobe Bryant. Also, the triangle offense requires spacing and good outside shooting, especially when the team does not have a consistent low-post scoring option (other than Bryant). So the Lakers signed Vladimir Radmanovic to a five-year, $30 million deal. While Radmonovic does have the ability to help the Lakers with his shooting touch, in particular from 3-point range, he does not rebound well for a 6-foot-10 player. He also seems very indifferent on the defensive end, which will not sit well with Phil Jackson. Radmanovic's play and attitude decline when he does not touch the ball often, and he might not be content with the number of shots he has after Kobe and Lamar Odom get theirs. He has not sustained a consistent level of play during his career and sometimes seems to suffer from Randy Moss Syndrome -- i.e. playing hard only when he feels like it.

5. Hornets sign Bobby Jackson - After losing valuable backup point guard Speedy Claxton, New Orleans/Oklahoma City wasted no time in signing the explosive Bobby Jackson. Jackson won the 2003 Sixth Man of the Year Award and the Hornets will look to him to provide the same level of production this season. Jackson can score in bunches and has the ability to spell Paul at the point guard position as well as play some minutes at shooting guard. The Hornets are reuniting Jackson with a former Sacramento Kings teammate, Stojakovic, and the two players have a couple of things in common -- significant playoff experience and a tendency to miss large chunks of time with injuries. Jackson's production has declined since the 2002-03 season and he has played in 70 games only once since then.

6. Suns sign Marcus Banks - The Suns needed a backup point guard to lessen the load on All-World point guard Steve Nash, and they might have found their guy in Marcus Banks. After Boston traded Banks to Minnesota, he showed a glimpse of the potential that made him a lottery pick in the 2003 draft. He will have the chance to utilize his quickness and penetrating ability in the Suns' wide-open offensive attack. He also will provide Phoenix with a strong on-ball, perimeter defender. Banks signed a five-year, $21 million dollar contract with the Suns. While Phoenix did not break the bank to sign Banks, it did pass over some cheaper alternatives. The Suns drafted and traded away Rajon Rondo, a player many scouts believe has talents very similar to Banks' skills. The Suns also signed Leandro Barbosa to an extension, which might affect Banks' minutes. Most importantly, Phoenix wants to re-sign Boris Diaw to an extension while keeping the team's nucleus intact and avoiding the luxury tax. Keeping Rondo instead of signing Banks could have helped the Suns save some money to re-sign Diaw.

7. Trail Blazers acquire Jamaal Magloire - All-Star centers do not become available for trade very often in the NBA. That explains why the Blazers traded Steve Blake, Brian Skinner and Ha Seung-Jin to Milwaukee for Jamaal Magloire. Magloire made the All-Star team for the Hornets during the 2003-04 season. However, several factors make this move questionable. Magloire's numbers have declined since his breakout season. Portland also just made a long-term commitment to center Joel Przybilla, signing him to a five-year, $32 million contract. And the Blazers have big men Zach Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge on their roster. On the plus side, Magloire does have an expiring contract. If Portland manages to move him for another piece that will help this team rebuild, the Blazers will move off this list.

4) Randy Hill of Foxsports.com thinks Coach K is a genius:

Coach K doing it differently ... and that's good

Americans were up to their eyeballs in mediocrity. Signs of national decay were everywhere. The U.S. film industry continued to struggle, the ability to rally international war allies was waning and the skill to eat more hot dogs than anyone in 12 minutes had been completely usurped.
To put matters on the cusp of outright disturbance, the U.S. men's national basketball team had lost six of its last 17 meaningful games. With the potential for disgrace on their doorstep, Americans chest-passed all hope for restoration to Mike Krzyzewski. If anyone could resurrect hoop glory, Coach K seemed to be an upgrade over the previous coach. Or was he? According to dozens of stalwart intellectuals, basketball coaching is inconclusively overrated. Please note that most of these stalwart minds belong to sportswriters who think the match-up zone is a dating website.
But I'm here to beat the drum for coaching and the importance of Coach K in this nation's potential return to global basketball domination. Before going for those drumsticks, let's break out the exposition. Our quick history review begins with Coach K's predecessor. That would be the lovely and popular Larry Brown, a guy whose collective contractual buyouts may put him on the Forbes hot list. Larry, who allegedly has a realtor on retainer, is a superb coach with one NCAA title and one NBA championship on his resume. That resume also includes a season in New York Knicks hell that was prefaced by an unacceptable bronze-medal run during the 2004 Summer Olympics. When finishing third registered as unacceptable to the American sense of sports decency, a new format was suggested. This new format began with the appointment of Jerry Colangelo as king of USA Basketball. For the record, Colangelo is the former owner of the Phoenix Suns; please note that while Jerry never built a championship winner while owning the Suns, he did muster a World Series bonanza with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Among Colangelo's first USA Basketball moves was the hiring of Coach K, the Mr. Big of the mighty Duke University program. With a few World Championship dress rehearsals in the bag, the selection of Krzyzewski seems to be a coaching upgrade. Let's take a look at why this is possible. In fairness to LB, human resources did a lousy job of setting him up with team-oriented personnel. This mismatched roster of 2004 included Allen Iverson (Brown's former co-worker in Philly) and Stephon Marbury, whose seeming disinterest in doing things "the right way" would bite Larry in the Big Apple. The general chemistry turned into a Petri dish riot. Besides their obvious interest in dribbling away the international 24-second clock, Iverson and Marbury were less than sold on Brown's faith in defense. Yeah, Larry believes in defense with the same conviction that defines Krzyzewski.
Unfortunately, his lead personalities refused to bend their knees just to sit in a chair. Brown did have a couple of players with more gusto in pressuring opposing ballhandlers, but they were mere basketball kids. Brown, who averaged fewer subs per day than Jared Fogle, also has little affection for inexperienced players. So LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and inside man Amare Stoudemire spent most of their first Olympic experience on the bench. The older and wiser James, Wade and Anthony now form a crucial triad in Coach K's interpretation of Team USA. While Anthony remains something of a defensive liability, Kirk Hinrich and Chris Paul have joined Wade and James in an up-court defensive attack that fuels the American offense. That's correct. Krzyzewski, realizing the United States still has a huge advantage over the world in physical talent, is using depth and pressure defense to goose a game's tempo. Tempo is sort of important because — in case you hadn't noticed — the world is unable to match the Americans at fast-break basketball. Brown's players — not necessarily by his design — seemed more convinced that offense could be used as defense. With an abundance of quick, strong and bouncy players wearing American jerseys, refusing to extend the defense may be as daft as hiring Secretariat to pull a cart. During the World Championship preamble, Coach K has used this depth to his advantage. He's demonstrating flexibility beyond that of Brown, who seems slightly less inflexible than Frankenstein. Like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, Brown operates with a short bench ... even if he has several talented players sitting on it. Krzyzewski, who regularly trots out highly regarded recruiting classes at Duke, has a similar philosophy. While TV analysts (take a bow, Dick Vitale) mope about Coach K's lack of depth, this often occurs by coach's choice. He usually has a rotation of six or seven trusted players and proceeds that way through March. But with so many talented Americans at his fingertips, Krzyzewski is ignoring his collegiate instincts and will attempt to wear down the world. OK, so the strategy fits the U.S. personnel; what we need to understand is just why these basketball millionaires are more willing to take direction this time.
The explanation may be associated with credibility. This by no means suggests that Brown lacks the all-important round-ball cred. But he's impressively sabotaged this reputation by hopscotching the league in search of a bigger challenge and/or pay day. Coach K checked in with an NCAA-title pedigree that survived a lucrative courtship from the Los Angeles Lakers. He also surrounded himself with cutting-edge assistant coaches. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is the Ben Kenobi of zone defense. Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni is a mastermind at generating open-court opportunities on offense. So, while Krzyzewski preaches the importance of ball pressure and rotation on defense, D'Antoni represents the enjoyment possibilities when the U.S. regains possession. Does all of this guarantee an American cakewalk? No. Due to prior-commitment issues, the U.S. still lacks deadeye perimeter shooting and an offensive killer from the low post (which, due to international rules, isn't that low).
And while Coach K attacks the middle of a zone with more commitment than Brown's teams, the Americans waste too many possessions by shooting over the top. But the demonstrated ball movement and defensive intensity look more than promising. Americans with a jones for hot-dogging may have wait until the NBA reconvenes.