Nike Contacted Barkley About His LeBron Criticism

When former players become media figures and analysts when their playing days are over, they often times wonder how the current crop of players will react to their criticism. But then, there’s Charles Barkley who doesn’t care what you or I think, or anyone for that matter, thinks about him. But since both he and LeBron have ties to Nike, the company contacted Barkley about his criticism of LeBron following “The Decision.”

About his comments tweaking the Heat, Barkley said: “I don’t know if Dwyane’s upset with me, but I don’t sit around and worry about it.” He said LeBron James hasn’t said anything to him. “These athletes today are all wussified,” Barkley said. “I’ve been saying LeBron’s been the best player in the league for three years. And I say one thing criticizing The Decision, and I get a phone call from Nike saying why don’t I like LeBron? It’s interesting how this [expletive] works. These groups today, if you don’t say 100 percent positive about their guy or their team, they overreact.

Read more about Barkley and Nike at MiamiHerald.com.

OKC Thunder Fans Give Team Big Welcome Home at the Airport

This is why many consider these Oklahoma City Thunder fans the best fans in the league right now. They love their team, win or lose, and show their appreciation for a great season and tough fought post-season battles….

Miami’s Big 3 Reaches Finals in First Year Together

Two nights ago, Dallas punched their ticket to the Finals and last night, Miami did the same thing. This 2006 Finals rematch certainly isn’t lacking star power.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had a plan when they decided to team up in Miami and chase a championship together.

Now they have their shot.

After the wild courtship, the decision and a difficult season, the Heat are playing for the title.

James scored 28 points, Wade added 21, and they led a furious rally in the final minutes as Miami eliminated Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls 83-80 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday.

James and Wade were simply spectacular down the stretch, each scoring eight during a game-ending 18-3 run as the Heat wiped out a 12-point deficit to win the series.

Read more about Miami’s run to the Finals via AP on ESPN.com.

Nike Air Max Barkley

Air Max Barkley Black/Safety Orange-Pure Purple

A winning formula that seems to be working for Nike is as follows: take a classic basketball sneaker’s upper, construct it with less lines and current innovate materials, and include a vintage colorway of the said upper in with the rest. Repeat as needed. As with a lot of Nike’s Spring 2012 collection, that is the formula for the Air Max Barkley.

Despite the striking resemblance, you’ll see that this is a new shoe and not the Air Max 2 CB 94. Instead of the multi-layering that the CB 94 had, the Air Max Barkley cut from a single material is ported on the side which leads me to believe that these could be cut from the same Torch material used on sneakers like the LeBron VIII PS and Hyperfuse line.

Other features like heel pull tab, perforated holes, and Air Unit look to be the same. So far, only the 3 colorways shown here are being released.

The Nike Air Max Barkley are scheduled to be released in during Spring 2012 for $130.

Air Max Barkley White/Old Royal-Gym Red

Air Max Barkley Action Red/Black-White

[via Counter Kicks]

Nike Air Huarache Basketball 2012

The Air Huarache line has been a pivotal part of Nike Basketball’s success. Its pre-sewn neoprene footsock and open-air window provided the comfortable and lightweight fit that many athletes look for. Before having his own signature shoe with Nike, Kobe Bryant fresh off his deal with adidas, was the face of Huarache and would always be seen sporting the Huarache 2k4.

This shoe takes its upper from the Air Flight Huarache, which was one of the shoes probably best known for being seen on the feet of the Michigan ‘Fab Five’ in the early 90s. The sole is made from Nike’s Flex material and is designed to bend and contort with the foot of the person wearing them.

The seven colorways shown below are said to be slated for a Spring 2012 release but don’t be surprised to see schools like Oregon or Ohio State lace these up during the upcoming basketball season this fall.

The Nike Air Huarache Basketball 2012 is scheduled to land on store shelves in Spring of 2012 and retail for $115.

Air Jordan 2.0 Cool Grey/Black-Cement Grey GS

Air Jordan’s as a brand started as a strictly basketball performance sneaker but has graduated into something much bigger than that. Now widely seen worn casually, its easy to forget that the sneakers are actually functional for something besides going out. Though the original Air Jordan II was not the best of the line in ways of performance, it was still steps ahead of many of the basketball sneaker options available at the time.

This pair is wrapped in a Cool Grey-esque color which is seen throughout the shoe’s upper. Black is used on the midsole, piping, and laces. One thing we have not seen on a pair of Jordan IIs (2.0 or not) is cement print which is seen on the toe of this pair. To top this shoe off, gold accents are used on the Jordan wings logo and Air Max columns.

Unlike the ‘Chicago’ pair we showed you, this is a GS release meaning that it will only be available in youth sizes from 4y to 7y.

[via Air-Randy's Facebook Page]

Brown’s First Interview as Lakers Coach

When I originally heard the names Rick Adelman, Brian Shaw, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Dunleavy and Mike Brown with regard to being named the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, I would’ve thought the likelihood of each of those gentlemen winning the gig would be in the order in which I just listed them. If being named coach of the Lakers were a lottery, I thought Mike Brown would’ve had the least amount of ping pong balls bouncing around. So I guess this means that David Kahn thinks the way L.A. chose their new coach is rigged?

In my opinion, Mike Brown is as unlikely a head coach for the Lakers as I can think of. I’m not saying he’s a bad coach. I’m just saying that I’m still somewhat shocked. Perhaps he is too. But you never know. Give him a chance. For a franchise like the Lakers to hire him, you’d think they saw enough in him.

In five years in Cleveland, he won Coach of the Year and in his last two seasons, he coached the Cavs to back-to-back 60 win seasons. Yeah, he had LeBron James on the roster, but that’s still a nice resume. Winning percentage-wise, he’s also the 5th winningest coach in NBA history. He’s probably the most successful coach to have gotten fired in recent memory.

Yesterday when it was announced that he is the newest coach, I couldn’t wait to hear from him. During last night’s ESPN coverage of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the crew interviewed Coach Brown. He seems like a very nice guy, but whenever I watch him speak, I want to laugh for some reason. Here’s Coach Brown’s very first interview as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers:

If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook

Kobe on Mike Brown Hiring: No Comment

The basketball world is still buzzing about the Lakers hiring Mike Brown. Kobe Bryant expressed public support for Brian Shaw being named head coach. Well, apparently he’s speechless after learning Brown is the new coach.

Apparently the Buss family followed through on its declaration not to “consult the players on these matters,” as Jerry Buss said in a Tuesday radio interview about the hiring of a new coach. The Lakers and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown agreed to a deal Wednesday.

People familiar with Kobe Bryant’s thinking said that the All-Star guard was confused by the decision.

When reached Wednesday by The Times about the Brown hire, Bryant had no comment.

Bryant said earlier this month that he would be comfortable with Assistant Coach Brian Shaw getting the job because of Shaw’s overall knowledge of the franchise, the triangle offense and, of course, the players.

Read more of Kobe’s reaction at LAtimes.com.

NY Times Video On the History of the Crossover

I’ve got to agree with Dwyane Wade here that Tim Hardaway had the most difficult to pull off crossover in the history of the NBA, with the double shimmy. But if you’re talking the greatest crossover (most difficult to defend) it was by far Allen Iverson. The man’s studder step and cross in his prime would freeze defenders like i’ve never seen to this day. But on the regular. Check out the NY Times Video on the History of the Crossover:

Does Mike Brown Feel Like Sloppy Seconds to Lakers Fans?

One thing is certain: Mike Brown has a lot to prove as the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the reasons are more obvious and understandable than others. For Starters, he is taking the place of the most successful coach in NBA history. A coach who led the franchise to five NBA championships. That would be a daunting task for any coach.

Also, people have their doubts of an outsider being able to mesh with the team’s superstar. Granted, Kobe Bryant is a much more mature player than he once was, but it was even a fragile process for Phil Jackson earning the full respect of Bryant. Add in the fact that the Lakers are a team that fans expect to be in title contention every year, and it would be an understatement to say Brown has a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

On the other hand, there is a more subtle, underlying reason why Mike Brown may not be a good fit for the Lakers.

Mike Brown is the coach the Cleveland Cavaliers fired after their playoff debacle against the Celtics last spring. Brown was the scapegoat, in an effort to lure LeBron James to resign with Cleveland. Long before the decision, South Beach and people burning James’ jersey in front of Quicken Loans Arena, Brown was public enemy number one in Ohio.

Based on past history, I can’t say that Brown is a bad basketball coach. Brown led Cleveland to the 2007 NBA Finals, and he was named coach of the year in 2009. On the other hand, I just can’t help but wonder if Lakers fans don’t feel as though they are getting sloppy seconds with him as their new coach.

They might be wondering: Why is a guy who wasn’t good enough for King James good for our team? When one considers all of the comparisons between Kobe and LeBron, the fact that Brown will have coached both players gives way for a whole slew of new Kobe and LeBron discussions. All of the yammering will only make the new job that much more stressful.

There is no doubt that Rick Adelman, Jeff Van Gundy or Brian Shaw would feel similar pressure if they had been hired as coach of the Lakers. However, none of those guys were ever exiled in favor of a king.

Joshua Sexton is a lifelong basketball fanatic, who watches as many games as possible. In addition, He has played and coached the game at the high school level. He has recently started writing about the game of basketball.

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