Archive for August, 2011

Maybe now we can finally put all of the Besiktas speculation to rest. From the start it seemed highly unlikely Kobe Bryant would join Deron Williams in Turkey. At every turn there was an obstacle. First Besiktas was involved in a soccer match fixing scandal. Then the amount of cash Kobe was offered wouldn’t suffice. Next was the public manner of the negotiations that annoyed Kobe. About the only thing missing was Kobe getting Rick Rolled by Besiktas. At last today we got confirmation that the deal is as dead as Kwame Brown’s chances of shedding the bust label. According [...]

You can’t rule out anything when it comes to Ron Artest rumors. From changing his name to Metta World Peace to seeking soap opera work in London, nothing is off limits when you take that bizarre ride to the Artest side. In fact, the more mundane and tame the rumor is the less likely it is to be actual. Mark Medina, one of the lucky souls to survive the L.A. Times chopping block, confirms the latest Ron rumblings. Artest is in deed planning on playing in England should the lockout last into the regular season. The British League tips off [...]

Time heals all wounds…so they say. For those of us that were hoping to see the Lake Show send off PJ with another three-peat our wounds are still very much open. In reality that Tyson job the Mavs did on the Lakers isn’t going to be removed from my memory anytime soon. No doubt Pau Gasol is still reeling from the way his season unraveled. The Spaniard began the year as an MVP candidate before going all 4th quarter LeBron in the playoffs. There was all that talk of why Gasol wasn’t performing at his usual level. We all heard [...]

By now you must know that the Cheshire Jets of the British Basketball League are hot on the trail of Ron Artest…soon to be Metta World Peace.  Maybe you heard that they’ve upped the ante by offering Ron Ron a stake in the club. But that was just the tip of the iceberg in the British club’s offer. Gotta give it up to the Jets. They know what moves Artest and they’re throwing the kitchen sink at him. ESPN.com reports that the club knows they’re not going to be able to give Metta the world when it comes to cash. [...]

Ok…so I’ve been a little harsh on Matt Barnes lately. Since he’s a Laker I’ve got his back like Kevin Durant’s Jan Sport. Still that hasn’t stopped me from expressing my disappointment in his inability to make more headlines on the court than off it. As you well know by now, Barnes has been up to his usual off-season antics in a NorCal summer league. Recently the former Bruin was suspended for a game thanks to a punch thrown at an opponent. This, of course, comes one year after Matt slapped a coach in another summer league. Still I’m fully [...]

Not that it comes as much of a surprise but the number crunchers at Huffington Post did a little NBA lockout arithmetic to find out which franchises would suffer the most from a prolonged lockout. As you might expect the Lakers top the list of teams that stand to lose the most in revenue should the labor strife strip all 41 home dates for the 2010-11 season. You can see the graph illustrating the NBA’s biggest lockout losers here. After the Lake Show the Knicks are a very close second with Miami a respectable third. After those three franchises the [...]

Aside from Ben Gordon, name one British baller…I’ll wait… They Brits might play a mean game of football. They’ve got a serious pedigree when it comes to filmmaking. For good measure they’ve even got some of the liveliest crowds at sporting events too. However when it comes to hoops the Brits are all sixes and sevens. So maybe what that area of the globe needs is temporary infusion of world class talent to get the basketball blood flowing. Enter Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace.

If it weren’t for bad press Matt Barnes would have none at all. Dude’s career almost parallels that of a villain in the WWE.  About the only thing missing is his theme music. The latest headline to feature Barnes revolves around a punch thrown during a summer league game in NorCal. This is nothing out of the ordinary as Barnes began his career as a Laker by slapping a coach in a summer league contest last year. What makes this scenario different is that there are repercussions for Barnes’ actions. Not one to stand back and watch as NBA players [...]

Know this. The NBA lockout has no heart. Those padlocks are keeping a lot of guy out of the game but they could also keep a few more out of the league…for good. Derrick Caracter is among those that toil in the neither regions of professional hoops. The second round pick finished up a rookie campaign with the Lakers were he made more of an impression in a New Orleans IHOP than he did on the court. To be fair Caracter did have some moments that made you realize there is something lurking beneath the surface. Once a highly touted [...]

As far as news stories that just won’t die this whole Kobe Bryant to Besiktas thing has a bit of a Jason Voorhees quality to it. We’re nowhere near Favre status on this ordeal but it is getting a little tired. First Deron Williams blazed the trail to Turkey. Then Besiktas expressed interest in KB24. Next the rumors began flying. Kobe wants $1 million a month. Kobe has a meeting with Besiktas. Kobe is offended by the public approach the Turkish club has taken. Before things could get too carried away Bryant came forward claiming he had not had any [...]