Kobe to Play in Italy; $3M for 10 Games

It appears as if a deal that would bring Kobe Bryant to Italy is just about done. But don’t worry, obviously he has an NBA out-clause if this thing comes to fruition.

We have reached an economic deal,” Virtus president Claudio Sabatini told a local radio station. “There’s still some things to arrange but at this point I’m very optimistic. I would say it’s 95 percent done.” A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday that the sides have settled on a $3 million contract for the opening 40 days of the Italian league season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has still not been signed.

Bryant is expected to get a work visa and return to Italy next week. “Kobe should be in Bologna by Wednesday or Thursday with his visa in hand for medical visits and then we can deposit the contract with the league,” Sabatini said. “I want to make clear that right now there are still no signatures. We’ve got to write the contract, which will then be read over and over again.”

Source: AP on NBA.com.

Sixers Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala on “The Team Mating Game”

There has been much discussion in the “City of Brotherly Love” as to just why last year’s #2 overall Draft pick Evan Turner struggled to crack Coach Doug Collins’ regular rotation for most of the ‘10-’11 campaign. Was it just a case of not getting acclimated to the NBA game in timely fashion or should the word “bust” begin entering into the conversation?

I say we all should wait before throwing around the old “bust” word, especially since Turner showed signs of his limitless potential by breaking D. Wade’s ankles early last season.

Part of the problem was that Turner’s true position in the Association is undoubtedly at SG, a position that the Sixers have a surplus of, with Andre Iguodala, Jodie Meeks, and the high scoring Lou Williams all playing some time at lead guard during the season.

After taking home the NCAA POY Award in 2010 behind some amazing highlight reel performances at Ohio State, many in Philly saw Turner as the savior to a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity since Allen Iverson left town during the 2006 season.

After another 1st Round Playoff exit, this time at the hands of the Miami Heat, 76ers management has been seriously considering offers for longtime Sixer stat-stuffer Andre Iguodala. “Iggy” has been on the trading block leading up to the Lockout, rumored to be traded for anyone from Monta Ellis to Lamar Odom.

With the newest Sixer, the near 7 foot rookie Nikola Vucevic, now on deck to help provide more of a low post punch alongside the under-achieving Elton Brand, and Evan Turner poised to have a breakout sophomore campaign, the time may be ripe to get some valuable resources in return for trading Iguodala once the season begins.

Apparently all of the doom and gloom surrounding the Lockout and trade talk hasn’t affected team chemistry as Turner and Iguodala tested out their knowledge of each-other against a Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge of the Trailblazers while taking part in a mock “Dating Game” on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, called the “Team Mating Game.”

Check out Turner and Iguodala on “The Team Mating Game” – Part 1:

Turner and Iguodala – Part 2:

Turner and Iguodala – Part 3:

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania.  Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.

Iguodala an Intern on the NYSE

With the lockout still looming over the heads of NBA players, they are all starting to look for jobs or activities to keep themselves occupied. Andre Iguodala decided to combine his interest in finance and investements with his name recognition to get an internship on the NYSE:

Iguodala shadowed a venture capitalist and visited the New York Stock Exchange as part of a week-long internship with Bank of America Merrill Lynch arranged by his financial planner. If the lockout drags on, he’s also considering taking a separate internship with a hedge fund or an apparel company.

“I always had an interest in what was going on in the market,” Iguodala said. “I have a couple of teammates, Jason Kapono(notes) and Spencer Hawes(notes), who are into it. I always read USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, and I have an E-Trade account, so the interest in finance has always been there.

(H/T to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports)

Kobe Takes Another Shot At Shaq

If you thought all the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal drama was behind us now that Shaq has retired, you were wrong. Or maybe Kobe just felt he could get the last word in while visiting another country and Shaq wouldn’t find out. Well you were wrong Mamba. Media and bloggers are everywhere. A quote from Kobe Bryant to an Italian radio station yesterday when asked about the root of his troubles with Shaquille O’Neal during their days as Lakers, after the jump…

Via Sportando in Italy

During the interview in Radio, Bryant also spoke about his ‘enemy’ Shaquille O’Neal. “I like players who workout. I use to do that 6/7 hours per day. I cannot stand players who practice for 30 minutes. I need to say something to them”.

Kobe likes to work out? Who knew. And seriously, its not like Kobe really needed to complain about Shaq back in those days regardless of whether or not he was puttin’ in work. Shaq was carrying the team to the promise land. Isn’t that what matters?

adidas adZero Rose 2.0 ‘The Bull’ Full-Length Commercial

After some creative marketing yesterday the entire adiZero Rose 2.0 commercial is now available to watch in its entirety. With the swagger that only the reigning MVP could bring, D Rose drives the lane through an entire bull fighting arena crossing up anything in his path and finishes with a thunderous two-handed slam.

Anyone else notice the smile on Rose’s face when the Celtic-looking bullrider tries to gore him? I wonder if the colors used on all the riders are coincidence or something deeper than that? Since overseas play is now a real option for Rose I look forward to what The Bull will do come this basketball season.

The first two colorways for the adidas adiZero Rose 2 drops October 6th.

Delonte West Gets Job at Furniture Store

A few months ago, Delonte West posted on his Twitter account that he was going to apply at The Home Depot because he needed money and the lockout wasn’t helping his financial situation. Well, yesterday, he claimed that he was hired by Regency Furniture, where he includes a copy of the job application and a pic of him sitting in what appears to be a delivery truck (pics after the jump). If this is true, let’s just hope that the money he earns working at this job will really help him. If he’s just doing this in an attempt for attention or to be funny, that’s unfortunate because many people could actually use that job.

Ben Wallace Charged With Drunken Driving, Weapons Possession

If we were to link here all of the strange NBA related stories  that have happened this summer during the lockout, it would take all day. Well, here’s another one to add to the list.

Wallace, 37, of Bloomfield Hills was pulled over about 3 a.m. Saturday behind the wheel of a 2007 Cadillac Escalade, township police said. Wallace was arrested without incident for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. A search of the vehicle found an unloaded pistol in a backpack in the passenger compartment, police said. At the police station, Wallace was given a breathalyzer test, which showed he had a blood alcohol count above the .08 level considered intoxicated. The reading was not released by police. Wallace was arraigned Saturday in front of Bloomfield Hills 48th District Court Magistrate Judith Holtz on the OWI charge, a 93-day misdemeanor, and the unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon, a five-year felony. He was released to a family member on $5,000 personal bond after the arraignment and is scheduled back in court for a pre-exam conference at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 3.

Source: detnews.com.

 

A Solution to the NBA Lockout

If Larry Bird and Magic could eventually become friends, if the various interests in the U.S. government could come to a resolution on the debt crisis, and if the NFL owners and players could come to an agreement, surely it must be possible to end the NBA lockout and bring both sides together.

What I’m about to suggest is not a permanent solution, but this would bring NBA basketball back sooner than expected. Looking at the draw of the Goodman, Drew and Melo Leagues, to name a few, it’s pretty clear fans still want to watch great, if not star-driven, basketball—although defense seems to be optional.

This plan works for some—not for everyone—but it should satisfy NBA fans, and true basketball fans, that just want to see some good ball, as well as satisfy certain owners and players, while, at the same time, buying the NBA some much-needed time to continue, and hopefully complete, these extensive labor negotiations.

Although we’ve all been thinking about how to end the NBA lockout since it started, without all the hard numbers that teams are mulling over, it’s difficult to figure out a $300-400 million problem. While I was considering how to resolve the NBA lockout for the millionth time, another idea came to mind.

Maybe, I’ve been digging too much into NBA history researching the top 10 centers of each decade, but it occurs to me that this season could be salvaged in an unusual way.

Instead of canning the 2011-2012 season or having half a season, here is a short-term fix to the problem:

Until a new labor agreement can be reached, the NBA should reduce the league down to the teams that are actually making money. NBA.com says 22 of 30 teams are losing money, so that leaves us with eight teams.

The NBA states that at least the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and the Los Angeles Clippers are making a profit.

Now, the difficulty here is finding a few more teams to roll the dice and make this both interesting and feasible—I’d suggest maybe the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, who are owned by billionaire Mark Cuban. Add the San Antonio Spurs, the best-run small-market team, and the Miami Heat, currently one of the NBA’s biggest attractions. Now, we have a minimum of eight teams.

Some other teams that might be able to make the numbers work include: the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and the Philadelphia 76ers, which Forbes also ranked in the top 12 NBA teams in terms of profit margin and value only a few seasons ago. Also, Atlanta, Washington, and San Francisco are big markets, and their teams could likely get by. What about the New Jersey Nets and their billionaire owner?

Frankly, I want all 30 teams playing. But, the owners do not want another season under the same labor conditions as the last CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). If they wanted to play, I’d invite any other team (owner) that wants their team to join. Right now, that would leave us with at least eight teams, and not just any eight teams.

East
Heat
Boston
New York
Bulls

West
Lakers
Clippers
Spurs
Dallas

We’re talking about primarily the biggest markets, according to Forbes, and some of the NBA’s original teams—Lakers, Celtics, and Knicks.

Not only that, but this smaller league would still have major super-star power: Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol (Lakers); Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen (Celtics); LeBron James and Dwayne Wade (Heat); Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony (Knicks); Derrick Rose (Bulls); Dirk Nowitzki (Mavs); Tim Duncan (Spurs); and fan favorite Blake Griffin (Clippers).

Right there, that’s six former league MVP’s (including last season’s MVP), countless Finals MVP’s, and simply some of the best talent the league has to offer.

Don’t think it could work?

Between the early and late 1960’s, the NBA expanded from about 8 teams to 16. And, the league has continued to grow.

But, in the 1950-1951 season, the league actually reduced the amount of teams from 17 to 11. Of those, eight made the playoffs and the result was a classic 7-game NBA Finals between the champion Rochester Royals and the Knicks.

In 1956, the NBA had only eight teams. Of those, six made the playoffs. This was the season the great Celtics’ dynasty with Bill Russell and Bob Cousy began. In the finals, the Celtics defeated Bob Pettit’s St. Louis Hawks in another classic 7-game series. The 1959-1960 season, that also had only eight teams, ended in similarly dramatic fashion with Celtics beating the Hawks in 7-games for the NBA crown.

1960 Finals

Sure, no one wants anything but a full 82-game NBA season with all 30 teams, but there is historical precedent that an eight-team league could not only work, but be very entertaining as well.

I know this is a radical solution, but I think the old proverb “desperate times call for desperate measures” really applies here.

This would not be a permanent solution either; they would just play a season this way, while the owners and players hammer out a new deal.

Even though this is a drastic idea, for the record, I love the NBA the way it is—when there is a season. If they are not even going to have a season, why not do something radical just to give the fans—not to mention some owners, players, arena employees, broadcasters, and television partners—something?

I realize there are a number of reasons to dislike this proposal, a number of reasons why it may not be ideal, and even reasons why it would not work, but wouldn’t it be better than no NBA season at all?

Rob S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.

Kobe: “Very Possible” I Play in Italy During the Lockout

These overseas teams just will not give up on their pursuit for Kobe. First, Turkey, then China and now Itlay. But it looks like an Italian club may be getting closer.

Kobe Bryant said it was “very possible” he will play in Italy during the NBA lockout, adding the country is like home because he spent part of his childhood there.

Virtus Bologna has made numerous contract offers to the Los Angeles Lakers star. Bryant discussed the offer with the Gazzetta dello Sport during a sponsor’s appearance in Milan on Wednesday.

“It’s very possible. It would be a dream for me,” Bryant said, according to the Gazzetta. “There’s an opportunity that we’ve been discussing over the last few days. It’s very possible and that’s good news for me.”

Source: yahoosports.com.

Derrick Rose Considering Overseas, Has Offer

Up until now, the reigning MVP has been very mum with regards to playing overseas during the lockout. Apparently, he’s not shooting down the idea.

“Yes, I am taking into consideration that I might move overseas,” Rose said. “I don’t know where. There are a lot of great places overseas. I haven’t really had time to get the details of every place.”

Rose said he has one concrete offer from an undisclosed foreign team and a source close to Rose said several others have inquired about his services. The source stressed those opportunities would be pursued only if regular-season games get canceled and labor talks break down for an extended period.

Source: chicagotribune.com.

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