This is awesome…http://www.esquire.com/features/articles/2006/061005_mfe_November_06_Gilbert.html


1) Oh my God thank-you...from the AP:

NBA promises zero tolerance for drama queensESPN.com news services

The NBA might have given its players something to complain about this season -- something other than the new basketball. In an attempt to get players to curtail post-whistle whining, NBA referee representatives have made the rounds early in training camp to emphasize the league's zero-tolerance policy. Commissioner David Stern, long fed up with players' histrionics over questionable calls, is threatening to hit them with quick technical fouls -- and later fines -- for those who curse, throw their hands up, or make other gestures that show disgust. Rasheed Wallace, for one, told the Detroit News he took the league's crackdown personally. "It's just another 'Sheed Wallace rule," Wallace, shaking his head, told the newspaper. "It just means I must be doing something right. Any time they change the rules of the game for one specific player, you must be doing something right." Stern's fine system for offenders starts at $5,000 for each instance a player or coach publicly criticizes an official. For multiple technicals, the consequences now are more severe -- $1,000 fine for the first five, $1,500 for the next five, $2,000 for the next five, $2,500 for the ones that follow, and, in addition, a one-game suspension for every other technical after the 15th. The scale was introduced last season. "What happens if I am one of the captains?" Wallace asked the News. "Does that mean I can't talk to them? You can't talk back to them like they're your mom and dad. It's like they're saying, 'If you say something to me I am going to put you on punishment.' That's how it is. I will come up with some way to tell them how I feel." Wallace was issued 16 technical fouls last season and a one-game suspension. It's reasonable to think, if referees consistently show zero tolerance, he could double that total. "It'll be an adjustment for everybody in the league," the Heat's Dwyane Wade told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Heat coach Pat Riley believes players will still be able to express their opinions to officials, but will have to police their body language and tone of voice. "They are going to be very conscious of player complaining," Riley said last week. "That's one of the big things with them. Every call, there's always 10 guys complaining to the officials. They're just telling them to cut it out."

2) Chris Eckstrand of Si.com reviews the camp battles:

Rotation battles - Who plays? Who sits? Keep an eye on these players

For most NBA fans, there's a serious lack of a "wow" factor during the preseason. Rookies are trying to impress the coaching staff. Veterans are working their way into shape. A few players are trying to get their timing back after being sidelined with injuries. Nothing to generate huge headlines. But look a little deeper, below the surface of games in which the outcome is essentially meaningless, and you'll see playing rotations taking shape. On many teams, the composition of the starting five was obvious by August. But those extra rotation spots -- six through eight or nine on most teams -- are there for the taking. And players who have spent time on the outside looking in are battling to get into the rotation. "If I'm starting or coming off the bench, I just want to be in the rotation," Kendrick Perkins, a fourth-year center for the Celtics, recently told the Boston Herald. "I want to know I'm going to be able to contribute." Perkins, who started 40 games last season, is in competition with newly acquired veteran Theo Ratliff for the Celtics' starting center spot. Ratliff, whose shot-blocking prowess has been his calling card during 11 productive seasons, would like to start but figures that he and Perkins will be sharing the center minutes either way. Not every player has such a comfort zone. It has been seven years since Anthony Parker was in an NBA training camp. The former first-round pick of the Nets in 1997 spent three injury-riddled seasons in the NBA with Philadelphia and Orlando from 1997 to 2000 but was never healthy enough to solidify a spot in the league. So Parker, the older brother of University of Tennessee star Candace Parker (the next big thing in women's basketball, folks), took his game on the road, becoming a major star for Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, one of the superpowers of European Cup basketball. With new Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo giving his team a decidedly European flavor, it made sense for Parker, now 31, to give the NBA another try. "Anthony is a high character and experienced player that has proven over several years now that he belongs in the NBA," Colangelo said. Parker is battling another Raptors newcomer, former Pacers guard Fred Jones, for a spot in the team's revamped starting lineup. Both appear to have the inside track over Joey Graham, the second-year man from Oklahoma State. The winner of this battle could join mainstay Morris Peterson as lucky wing players converting easy baskets on passes from certified blur T.J. Ford. Here are some other battles to watch closely as the preseason chugs along:

ROCKETS: Kirk Snyder vs. Luther Head vs. Vassilis Spanoulis…With the acquisitions of Bonzi Wells and the eminently versatile Shane Battier, there's probably going to be enough minutes for only one of these guys in Jeff Van Gundy's rotation. Snyder has the best NBA body, Head is the quickest, and Spanoulis, once he gets comfortable, is a fearless player who makes things happen (just ask the USA Basketball team).

GRIZZLIES: Stromile Swift vs. Alexander Johnson vs. Hakim Warrick…With Pau Gasol months away from playing due to a left foot injury that required surgery, minutes are up for grabs in the Grizzlies' frontcourt. Swift, who has been here before, obviously has the inside track, but if he disappoints (and we've been there before with him), the rookie Johnson and second-year man Warrick will get opportunities. Johnson, who has an NBA power forward's body, may be able to play some center, while Warrick, a pogo-stick jumper who is quick but lean, is hungry for minutes after a nondescript rookie season. Memphis' other rookie forward, Rudy Gay of Connecticut, is going to get big minutes right from the jump.

WARRIORS: Dajuan Wagner vs. Monta Ellis…Wagner's astonishing recovery after having his entire colon removed has earned him a guaranteed contract from the Warriors, and his return to the NBA is a contender for Story of the Year. Now that he's back in the league, Wagner has a chance to break into Golden State's rotation, something the precocious Ellis has his eye on as well. When it comes to earning the backup job behind the oft-injured Baron Davis, well, let's just say the stakes are high. Backups to Davis often find themselves in the starting lineup for extended periods of time. The departed (to Utah) Derek Fisher ended up playing nearly 32 minutes per game last season.

HAWKS: Marvin Williams vs. Shelden Williams…The ethereally gifted Marvin has the inside track because of his exceptional athleticism, but the brutish Shelden has bona fide shot-blocking ability, something that Atlanta's more established big men, Zaza Pachulia and Lorenzen Wright, don't possess. Both Williamses will play, but the development of Josh Smith, who may be ready for a breakout season, means that frontcourt minutes in Atlanta won't be as easy to come by as they've been recently -- and that's a positive development for the Hawks.

The Dawning of Darko…There's been a palpable and parochial prejudice in the NBA for years against European players, from coaches to journalists to fans. Those constituent groups seem to have endless patience for the development of the latest teenage sensation from the U.S. high school or college ranks but not for the scruffy guys with extra vowels in their names from Europe. Those players, no matter their age, are expected to produce right away. When a 20-year-old Dirk Nowitzki didn't set the league on fire during his first (lockout-shortened) season in 1999, there were whispers that the German wunderkind was a "bust." Manu Ginobili, trying to play through a badly sprained ankle in his first training camp with the Spurs in 2002? "Not really that athletic" was the scouting report that spread like wildfire (at least among those who didn't see him soaring for dunks in the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis). Well, it's time to mark down on your calendar that on this date, it was still fashionable to call Darko Milicic, the former No. 2 overall pick in 2003, a "bust." That label, like the ones initially placed on Nowtizki and Ginobili, may soon be wrong. Now beginning his first full season in Orlando after spending 2½ frustrating seasons chained to the bench in Detroit, Milicic has put in serious time in the weight room in order to earn serious time on the court. He reported to the Magic at 278 well-defined pounds, and he'll likely split minutes with veteran Tony Battie alongside budding superstar Dwight Howard. Milicic, who (not surprisingly) is better prepared for regular NBA minutes now that he's reached the ripe old age of 21, is poised to build on a promising final 30 games with the Magic last season, when he averaged 7.6 points per game in 21 minutes per game. Magic coach Brian Hill has called Milicic a "very skilled player" with a soft touch and outstanding passing abilities. Milicic showed his newfound confidence this summer when he averaged 16.2 points and 9.3 rebounds for Serbia & Montenegro at the FIBA World Championships. He also led the tournament in blocked shots with 17 in six games (2.83 bpg).