Box Score

Patrick Goldstein of The Los Angeles Times:  “If he needed any advice about film stardom, he had the perfect person sitting right next to him, Spike Lee, who’s in town promoting his new film, “Miracle at St. Anna.” James and I ended up talking about high school basketball, with him telling me about his schoolboy days and me reminiscing about some of his NBA rivals (Tayshaun Prince, Paul Pierce and Tyson Chandler) who played ball at L.A.-area high schools. As for Iovine, he says an old record producer friend of his got him involved with the film, which Iovine sees as a great launching pad to further the James brand. (No one’s bought the film, though it would be a perfect fit for a streetwise indy studio like Lionsgate, which has already shown interest in acquiring it.) I plan to catch up to it as soon as possible. With James’ presence on screen, both in old footage and new interviews, the film seems to have the star power to transcend some of the normal documentary box-office boundaries. At dinner, Iovine and James’ management were talking about “More Than A Game” sneakers, soundtracks and all sorts of other marketing ideas that could perhaps transform the film into a true pop culture event.”

Adam Lauridsen of The Contra Costa Times:  “This third option seems to be the best fit, allowing the punishment to match the crime.  Ideally, I’d suggest that the Warriors “suspend” Ellis for every game he misses due to the injury.  Ellis would forgo his pay for these games, thereby losing the compensation he placed at risk when he was engaged in the injury-creating activity.  The Warriors could also tack on another fine to cover the damage done to the team as a result of his slow recovery, unlikely to leave him in top shape the first day he returns to the NBA court.  The combined suspension / fine approach allows the team to strongly reprimand Ellis, but in a way that can be defended as appropriate.”

20 Second Timeout:  “The general public does not have a very high opinion of Thomas at the moment, so the reaction to Davidson’s comments by Detroit fans may be either “So what?” or “Good riddance” but that still does not make it right for Davidson to put Thomas’ name in a negative light without making a specific allegation that Thomas could refute if he so desired. Davidson could have either simply said, “I had planned to hire Isiah after he retired but then I decided to go in a different direction” or he could have offered up a more precise explanation of what made him reconsider his plans. Whatever you may think of Thomas as a person or as an NBA executive, put yourself in his shoes for a moment: if you gave your heart and soul to your employer for more than a decade and twice helped your employer reach the pinnacle of the profession–in this case, a pair of NBA championships–regardless of whatever your flaws may be wouldn’t you be hurt and disappointed if that employer not only reneged on a previous understanding to give you a bigger role in the organization but then publicly cast aspersions on your character?”

Erick Blasco of Bleacher Report:  Ranks the top 30 small forwards

ClipperBlog:  “However miserable the past couple of seasons have been for the Clippers, they rarely got torched by opposing scorers out on the perimeter.  Instead they lost basketball games in a much more workmanlike fashion on the offensive end by a simple inability to score.  Even at their nadir during the dark Smushian days of last winter, the Clippers remained, at worst, an average defensive team and, on most nights, measurably better than that. This year, the Clippers don’t have a lot of choices.  Al Thornton will the start the season at small forward.  Maybe Thornton will be a quick study; there’s precedence for a steep learning curve.  Dominique Wilkins entered the NBA as a clueless perimeter defender.  By the time the Hawks came of age in 1985-1986, he was excelling defensively under Mike Fratello.  Thornton improved down the stretch last season, but an Anthony-Thornton…even a Maggette-Thornton matchup probably gives you pause.”

Hoops Addict:  Battier Wins the Floor Burn Tournament

Celtics 17:  “Of anyone, I’m more concerned with Paul Pierce because we’ve all witnessed the punishment that he’s taken during the years as the Celtics lone wolf. He’s administered his slashing style on the opposition time and again, only to get hacked hard and proceed to the foul line.  Now that we’ve all seen him a bit punch drunk this summer as he revels in this first NBA championship, he could be putting himself in a precarious situation with regard to his conditioning and warding off future injury.  Here’s hoping that Pierce comes to camp in shape so that he can best ward of the injury demons.”

Blazer’s Edge:  “If you run plays for Martell and give him the ball, he’s going to score well for you.  If you expect him to play a supporting role he’s probably going to fade away.  Granted he did more non-scoring things last season to justify his minutes.  It was clearly his best year so far in those terms.  Even so his best games clearly came when he had double-digit shot attempts…the higher the better.  Minutes are almost immaterial to his production.  It’s how many times he gets to put it up that matters. This is what brings up the Martell Quandary.  He’s a decent player already and may develop into a legitimately good one.  But how many shots can he earn on this team?  The de facto reason for him remaining in the starting lineup is that his shooting better complements the interior players.  The unspoken assumption there is that Martell will flourish as a complementary player.  I’m not convinced that’s so.  That’s not a knock on Martell either.  Some guys just play better and feel better when they’re central to the offense.  Martell’s proclamations as far back as his rookie year have been of the “I want to lead this team, be an All-Star, be one of the great players in this league” variety.  If that’s his self-assessment, he may not be able to fulfill it here.”

KGW.com:  Greg Oden sings (don’t quit your day job Greg) at a Summer Slam event for kids [Via Blazer’s Edge]

Alan Hahn of NewsDay:  “The latest I’m hearing on the Zach Randolph-to-Memphis talks is that the Grizzlies want a first-round pick from the Knicks. Getting a bit greedy, no? Donnie has countered by saying if he’s giving up a first-rounder, he wants something more back with Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric. Jaric, by the way, has to be stoked by these trade talks. He’s spent the summer in New York — his wife-to-be is a model, or did I not say that already? — and I’ve heard he’s been working out recently with possible future mates David Lee and Nate Robinson. Darko is apparently pretty happy about it, too. Starberman caught Darko’s agent, Marc Cornstein, at the US Open over the weekend and Cornstein said they would welcome the chance to play for Mike D’Antoni. And there is a report in the Serbian media that claims Darko Milicic says it’s “99 percent” he’ll be a Knick by the end of the week.”

- For more recommended reading, check out the Weekend Fundamentals

Bill Laimbeer

Career Statistics

12.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 50 FG%, 33 3P%, 84 FT%

“Bill Laimbeer was one of the most notorious players ever to throw an elbow, thrust a hip, or feign being fouled. Certainly, no player was ever showered with more boos or unflattering nicknames. Laimbeer was called “the prince of darkness,” “a street thug,” “an ax murderer” and “His Heinous.”

In 14 bruising NBA seasons Laimbeer made up for his minuscule vertical leap, slow feet, and sluggishness by becoming a master of posturing, muscling, and anticipating — plus fomenting trouble, pretending to be fouled, and drawing his opponents’ ire. Laimbeer always seemed to be nursing a brawl-induced shiner or broken nose. He was punched by some of the league’s best players, including Robert Parish, including Bob Lanier, including Larry Bird and including Charles Barkley. “We don’t like him that good,” Bird once told Sports Illustrated.

The Laimbeer “flop” became the stuff of legend. A grimacing Laimbeer would often go careening to the floor in reaction to the slightest tap from an opponent. More often than not, the whistle went his way. With aggravating if not refreshing candor, Laimbeer never disavowed his on-court histrionics.

Nevertheless, Laimbeer was one of the league’s finest centers throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. In 12 seasons with Detroit, Laimbeer became the Pistons’ all-time leader in rebounds and second in games played. Playing the role of head villain, he led the “Bad Boys” of Detroit to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.” [Read]

[Note: RSS readers, there is a video within this blog]

[Sources: NBA.com, YouTube, Basketball-Reference.com]

Tom Ziller of AOL NBA FanHouse:  “The Darko & Marko package isn’t completely clear in 2010: Jaric makes $7.6 million in 2010-11. That still saves New York almost $10 million that summer, and — without accounting for David Lee, Nate Robinson and Mardy Collins, who will all be free agents in the next couple years — that’s almost enough to free up the Knicks for a max contract in the vaunted summer of ‘10. The targeted max players of ‘10 — LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Amare — will draw starting salaries of $20 million. With this deal (and again, no new deals for the free agents) the Knicks will sit about $15-16 million under the cap in ‘10.”

Oly Sandor of HoopsVibe:  “Swapping Randolph’s three year, 48 million dollar pact for Milicic’s two year, 15 million dollar deal and Jaric’s three year, 21 million dollar contract saves money long-term. But talent also matters. For example, James won’t sign in New York if his supporting cast is sub par, especially with ‘Redeem’ Team co-star Dwyane Wade scheming on a collaboration. Perhaps, the Knicks want financial flexibility and good young players in return for Randolph. With this deal, they’d only be getting cap space. After all, Milicic’s contract will have expired by 2010 and the only talent in Jaric’s game is, well, his model wife. To sign James, the club must walk a fine line. They must slash payroll, while also finding enough decent teammates to reel-in Cleveland’s superstar. It’s a tricky balancing act for Walsh and the suits at MSG.”

Alan Hahn of NewsDay:  “Walsh likes the idea of getting Darko Milicic back in the trade because of Milicic’s shot-blocking ability He has averaged 1.3 per game in the NBA and he does possess a good shooting touch. Could you play him at the four? Possibly. Could you play him with Eddy Curry? Here and there, maybe, but not often. Randolph’s departure could be a major bonus for David Lee, who could move into the starting position at the four. Lee and Curry aren’t going to dominate anyone on the defensive end, but Lee’s rebounding ability makes up for Randolph’s departure. He’s not nearly the scorer that Z-Bo is so Lee is aware he has to prove he can make that mid-range, baseline and elbow jumper consistently to be effective.”

The Blowtorch:  Zach Randolph Calls Darrell Arthur

Lakers Blog:  “Recently, BK and I did a video clip about the glowing coverage of Kobe Bryant’s Olympics and how the notion that Kobe still stirs mostly negative feelings, whether from non-Laker fans or the media, is something of an outdated concept.  As BK put it, “Perception not quite catching up to reality.”  Yes, detractors remain (as is the case for all athletes), but on the obvious whole, Kobe’s image and coverage over the last few years (and particularly in 2008) has grown predominantly positive.  Well, AOL sports recently put up a poll asking people to crown a winner among “The 50 Most Hated Sports Figures,” a list ranging from athletes to coaches to Chris Berman.  Guess who didn’t make the cut. That’s right: Dwayne Mitchell. Or Kobe, for that matter.  Which kind of emphasizes what we were saying.  Nobody claims that literally no reporter or fan harbors a dislike for Kobe or sees him entirely as the early decade “version” (or “perception,” depending on your take).  But the tide is undoubtedly turning, which is a good thing.”

Art Thompson III of the Orange County Register:  “Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has announced that Monday he will specify the date he intends to undergo surgery to repair ligament damage in his right pinky finger. Bryant plans to reveal the news on his website kb24.com. Laker followers have been awaiting this announcement ever since Bryant decided to postpone having surgery until after the Beijing Olympics, where last month he helped lead Team USA to a gold medal. The surgery will be performed to repair a torn ligament and an avulsion fracture in Bryant’s right pinky.”

Steve Springer of The Los Angeles Times:  “The smile is back on his face, the sparkle is back in his eyes and, most important, the bounce is back in his step. Nearly eight months after Andrew Bynum suffered a major injury to his left knee, less than four months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery, 2 1/2 months after finishing his rehabilitation in New York and after six weeks of vigorous training in Atlanta, he declared himself fit to return and eager to proceed.”

Lakers.com:  Video of Andrew Bynum’s press conference

DaBullz:  “Why would the Raymond Brothers start a rumor that Ben Gordon is being offered less to play in Russia than he is by the Bulls? That only hurts Gordon’s value and gives him absolutely no leverage against the Bulls. Raymond Brothers can’t be that dumb, otherwise they wouldn’t have the clients they do today. This type of story, however, would serve the agenda of Jerry Reindsorf and the Bulls front office quite well. This type of story damages Gordon’s value, even if the Greek story were to not be refuted later. The refutation by the general manager of CSKA Moscow only ensured that Gordon came out looking like a fool.”

Empty the Bench:  Stephon Marbury Doing the Humpty-Hump Dance [Photo]

FoxSports blogger Tom7:  Twenty wishes for an NBA utopia

Frank Dell’Apa of The Boston Globe:  “Ainge was not surprised about Walker’s involvement in contract talks. “We didn’t talk with Billy directly, but we talked to his people, and they had counsel and legal help,” Ainge said. “It’s not that complicated. Gilbert Arenas just did his for $120 million.” In fact, Walker seemed to savor the opportunity to be involved. “I pretty much learned everything I could, read anything I could get my hands on,” Walker said. “I ask a lot of questions. If I’m going to the bank, I ask a lot of questions. “It’s not as hard as it seems, as people make it out to be. If you just stop being lazy and just read [the contract], it’s that simple. I had some consulting, but for the most part, it’s reading and deciphering the words, take some time and go through every word of the contract.”"

The Wages of Wins Journal:  “In Shaq’s first two years - and in Miami in the first part of 2007-08 - his teammates were below average.  In every other season, though, O’Neal was able to play with above average teammates.  In fact in nine seasons his teammates WP48 surpassed the 0.100 mark. Above average teammates was also the norm for Robinson, but only after Tim Duncan arrived in 1997.  Prior to Duncan’s arrival, Robinson’s teammates posted an average WP48 of 0.076. In other words, unlike Shaq, for much of his career Robinson did not have an exceptional team around him. As a consequence, Robinson’s teams did not win as often as the team’s employing Shaq.  And one suspects - like we saw with Kevin Garnett before he arrived in Boston - the failings of Robinson’s teammates dimmed the perceptions of the Admiral’s performance. As I have noted in the past, the purpose of player statistics is to separate a player from his teammates.  In other words, the analysis of player statistics should prevent us from confusing the performance of the team from the performance of the player. And when we look at all the stats - including Shaq’s woeful performance at the line - it appears that despite the edge in championships, awards, and money, Shaq is not quite as productive as The Admiral.”

Bruce Jenkins of The San Francisco Chronicle:  “When Jackson joined the Warriors, you wouldn’t have wanted him in charge of the laundry, let alone the team. Hell, with his history, he was lucky to be in the league. But the man comes from good stock, and he proved that with his stone-faced authority, locker-room command and thirst for the big shot. Just to look at Jackson, you recoil in respect - while Ellis strikes you as someone’s little brother. If the latest reports are true, about the cuts and abrasions and a torn deltoid ligament that doesn’t remind anyone of a basketball injury, then Ellis has a severe credibility problem.”

Bend It Like Bennett:  A redesign of OKC’s logo [Via Hardwood Paroxysm]

Jason Friedman of Rockets.com:  “Now that the campaign is underway, get ready to see red everywhere you go - on billboards, TV and, the internet.  As you can see, Rockets.com has already undergone the transformation to a bolder, cleaner and, yes, redder look. Of course, all of this is only the beginning. Far grander plans will be unveiled as Rockets fever continues to spread. “Opening night is going to be uber-redified,” says Sheirr. “You’re going to see red everywhere – signs, t-shirts, napkins, everything.  The players are going to be wearing their road red which we’ve never done in this arena.  We’re going to try to break the world record for most painted faces in a single venue.  We’re actually going to have a Guinness official here.””

Molly Knight of ESPN the Magazine:  Five meal etiquette lessons learned at the NBA Rookie Transition Program [Via TWolvesBlog]

Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune:  “The question is if they can do it and still come in under the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold. The Jazz already have committed more than $44 million to Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Matt Harpring for the 2009-10 season. That’s the first season Williams’ extension would kick in, paying him in excess of $13 million a year. The NBA’s luxury-tax threshold this season is $67.865 million, and the Jazz have no intention of someday paying the dollar-for-dollar penalty for exceeding it. Can the Jazz come in under the tax threshold while signing Williams to a mega-money extension and still keeping the core of their Western Conference finals team together?”

Frank Dell’Apa of The Boston Globe:  “Richard Burton was there when Patrick Ewing first bounced a basketball as a teenager in Cambridge and he will be there when Ewing is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield today. Burton was the first person to recruit Ewing to play basketball, though only for a pickup game. “A bunch of us Jamaicans used to hang out at Hoyt Field and we would see Patrick riding his bike all over the place,” Burton recalled this week. “One day, we wanted to play a full-court game, and we were short one player. I saw him on his bike and asked him if he wanted to play. I told him, ‘Listen, buddy, whenever you get the ball, get it to me and I’ll do the rest.’ He kind of liked it, and we started teaching him the rules and regulations, the basics of how to play. He just grew a little faster than all of us.”"

And One:  Where will the ‘Redeem Teamers’ store their gold medals?

Childs Walker of The Baltimore Sun:  “”There was no way we were missing a celebration like this,” said Inner Harbor East principal Beverly Manigo. One boy had tears in his eyes as he spoke with Anthony. That sent a shiver through the player’s mother, Mary Anthony. “It actually brings tears to my eyes to see the way they admire him,” she said, dabbing at her cheek. “It makes me proud to see him here because it’s something he doesn’t have to do, but it’s what he does.” The appearance was her first chance to see her son since he arrived home. She gave him a big hug and ran her hand across the gold medal. “It’s a little different,” Anthony said of returning to see his family with the gold medal around his neck. Asked whether he had Baltimore on his mind during his weeks in China, he said: “Got to be. At the end of the day, you don’t forget where you came from. I took Baltimore to Beijing with me, and now, I’m bringing Beijing back to Baltimore.” Anyone doubting Anthony’s love for his hometown need only peruse his tattoos, which include a Raven, an Oriole, the area code 410 and a WB for West Baltimore. The rec center in East Baltimore bears his name and continues as his chief charitable endeavor (Anthony contributes about $300,000 of the annual $500,000 budget).”

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News:  “There are many others who know how Dantley feels, and the way things are shaping up for the Hall of Fame Class of 2009, they will likely continue to know how he feels at least until 2010. That’s because next year’s class already looks pretty well crammed, with three Hall of Fame shoo-ins: David Robinson, John Stockton and, of course, Michael Jordan. So it probably will be another year of disappointment for those who rank at the top of basketball’s close-but-no-cigar list. Which is too bad, because just as things were finally made right for Dantley this year, there are five guys that simply must be in the Hall of Fame after a long history of snubs.”

“I saw Nate for the first time since the Olympics on Saturday, and the first thing he said to me (before even saying hello) was “you’re going to like Rudy.” Then he went on to give his thoughts on Fernandez, and again became obvious what an advantage it was for him to see him in person, in big-time action, before training camp.

“The thing I loved most about his game is the fact that he plays completely all out, all the time,” said McMillan. “He’s got great energy on defense, and you had better find him and get a body on him on the offensive end, because he’s got a nose for the ball. He’s got a way of getting to offensive rebounds and loose balls, and can save possessions for his team. That will be very valuable.”

McMillan hasn’t made many comparisons, but did tell me the fans are going to love him in Portland, and thinks he’s got a bit of Jerome Kersey in him, in the way he shows complete hustle and scrap when he’s on the floor.”

This is the second time in the past week that McMillan has gushed over Fernandez:

““I’m sitting there (in the gold medal game) with a straight face, trying not to smile,” McMillan said. ” (Spain) are the guys we have to beat, but I’m caught. That’s my player and I want to (he claps his hands twice) but I gotta (he makes a serious face) because we are going up against him.”

McMillan said that early in the Olympics, after watching Spain’s second game, he had a fitful night of sleep.

“I was so impressed with him that it was to the point where after the second time I saw him, I didn’t sleep that night because I was moving my rotations around,” McMillan said. “I swear I did not sleep. I could not sleep thinking about him. Because I’m saying, ‘We can put him here, do this with him, do that with him and Brandon (Roy), and do this… So he’s playing for us. Oh yeah. I see that right now.””

I watched Fernandez in the Olympics.  And I was impressed with his fearlessness in the gold medal game against the United States.  But that was one game.

It’s one thing to play out of your mind for forty minutes in a one-and-done game, it’s another to put together a solid 82-game season.  I’m not saying the Blazers haven’t done their homework, or have no reason to believe Fernandez will be successful.  Fernandez is very talented.  But McMillan is setting awfully high expectations for Fernandez and Blazers fans by all but guaranteeing Rudy minutes in an already crowded Blazers backcourt.  Not to mention how that might rub players who will be competing for playing time with Fernandez the wrong way.

Fernandez is good, but he’s at least thirty pounds lighter than Brandon Roy, Travis Outlaw, and Martell Webster. And those players will fight him tooth and nail for minutes at the guard and forward positions.

I can’t help but question McMillan’s decision to build Fernandez’s hype before he’s even step foot on an NBA court.  Fernandez played great against top-notch NBA players on the world’s biggest stage, but the NBA game is different than the international game.  For instance, those five three-pointers that Fernandez knocked down against the US, yeah, they’re twos in the NBA.  Fernandez was one of the Spanish League’s top scorers last year by making the same amount of threes per game (2.7) as he did twos (2.7).  There will be an adjustment period as Fernandez acclimates himself with the NBA three-point line.

I understand McMillan’s optimism.  And I think he’s one of the NBA’s brightest young coaches.  But I think he would be better served to emphasize that Fernandez is a work in progress and will have to work for everything he gets, rather than sing his praises before he’s proven himself.

Box Score

Janis Carr of The Orange County Register:  “The two were supposed to be a single game of H-O-R-S-E, where each player gets to pick fancy shots and the other has to match. Many of Kalb’s were high-bouncing, off the backboard or swinging around the backboard pole that delighted the eclectic crowd that gathered. James stuck mainly to outside – way outside, 45-feet out – shots. But after Kalb edged him in the first game, James declared a best-of-three. Kalb won the second handily then the two delighted the crowd with dunks and flips by Kalb. “I was glad he was missing those outside shots because it gave me a chance to do the ones I had been practicing,” Kalb said.”

The Hoop:  “Soviet Sport says that they contacted Nikos Zabaras, a basketball reporter of the greek newspaper Fos and asked him about the article that was published on contra.gr about Ben Gordon. Nikos Zabaras said that the agent of Ben Gordon wanted the article published on contra.gr in order to increase the projected salary of his client. He also said that the player was offered to other NBA teams but only under his conditions and that CSKA was willing to pay him 5.5 million dollars per year. Finally the greek correspondent said that CSKA and Ben Gordon are still in negotiations. So Soviet Sport decided to speak to the big man of CSKA Moscow, general manager Andrey Vatutin who eloquently said: “This whole thing is a dirty trick of the newspapers, we are NOT in negotiations with Ben Gordon. At the moment all of our staff are currently on holiday. I’m personally on holidays in France and I haven’t heard anything about Ben Gordon.”"

Mark Lelinwalla of The Daily News:  “Stephon Marbury has carried the stigma of being a selfish player for the majority of his 12-year NBA career. Now, his older cousin is saying Marbury is even more self-centered off the court and is dishing details on the Knicks point guard in his autobiography, “The Beautiful Struggle,” the Daily News has learned. The book, due out in late September from Xlibris Publishing, has former NBA pro and current overseas player Jamel Thomas alleging that Marbury ruined a potential deal for him with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In it, Thomas includes a conversation that he allegedly had with Kevin Garnett, in which Garnett tells him how Marbury’s presence on the team spoiled his cousin’s chances of signing with Minnesota.”

Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic:  “The moves also embody a new coaching era. Each addition was a nod toward the direction that coach Terry Porter wants to move the Suns. With no full-court play to view yet and three rookies on board, Porter can say only that the Suns are deeper on paper. He is sure the defense will improve. “Our defense will be better just because we’re going to have different schemes,” said Porter, who will have the Suns denying middle penetration, a change from previous seasons, when the Suns forced dribblers to the paint. “It’s always a challenge when you get a new group together. You have to see how everyone responds and plays off each other. From an energy standpoint, we’re going to be solid. Effort is going to be consistent. It really comes down to having more of a presence at the defensive end.”"

Jerry Brown of The East Valley Tribune:  “The buzzwords for the Suns this season have been energy conservation - whether it entails bringing solar power to US Airways Center or resting their aging starting lineup. Suns guard Steve Nash threw his support behind the latest “green” effort by the Suns, who are spending $1.5 million to put atop the parking garage solar panels that will produce enough energy to power the center’s pavilion area for 26 home games beginning next year. Nash is also all for the idea of conserving the two-time NBA MVP’s energy this season by cutting his minutes and having him sit out selected back-to-back games - even if he’s somewhat skeptical about the postulate in practice. “It’s a great idea. Everyone would love to go into the playoffs rested, and it makes a lot of sense,” said Nash. “But competition being what it is, especially in the West, we’ll have to see if it’s plausible.”"

Steve Weinman of CelticsBlog:  “The big focus area of improvement, however, is at the other end of the floor.  For all of the work Jefferson has clearly put in on his offensive game, it’s hard to imagine he has done the same on ‘D’ given how stunningly bad the results there have been.  The guy simply doesn’t guard anybody.  He doesn’t stick his man, doesn’t rotate well, consistently misplays pick-and-rolls, is slow getting to the spot and often winds up completely out of position on that end of the floor.  The numbers back it up: He gave up a less than desirable 50.2 percent effective field goal percentage while playing center last season, and the team was an astounding 12.1 points per 100 possessions worse defensively with him on the court than off it. Yes, the claim has been made that Jefferson is not playing his natural position at center, but it some point, it needs to be accepted that if that’s where he is going to spend the brunt of hs minutes, he needs to be accountable at that position and become less of a defensive liability.  Jefferson played 69 percent of the Timberwolves’ total minutes at center last season (compared to three percent at power forward), and with Kevin Love coming to town as a power forward, that doesn’t figure to change any time soon.”

Jason Friedman of Rockets.com:  “Ask an NBA veteran how his offseason is going and you’re likely to receive a slight chuckle and quick correction in return. That’s because the truth is that there’s no such thing as an offseason anymore; there’s too much money involved, the stakes are too high and the competition for roster spots and playing time is too fierce.  Spend a summer slacking off and you can rest assured that a handful of hungrier, more dedicated players will be waiting in the wings ready and eager to take your place.  In other words: you snooze, you lose.”

Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus: “Billups, 26 when he began his first season in Detroit, quickly blossomed into one of the league’s top point guards and was at the helm as the Pistons won the 2004 NBA Championship. He has since led Detroit to six straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals and made three straight All-Star appearances along the way. Billups is not only the most dramatic success story amongst players signed for the mid-level exception, his deal is one of the few that teams did not ultimately come to regret. The mid-level is a product of the post-lockout Collective Bargaining Agreement. In exchange for the introduction of the luxury tax on team payrolls and limits on individual player salaries, the NBA Players’ Association won increased minimum salaries and the mid-level exception, designed to give the league’s middle class more options in free agency. In theory, the mid-level exception also helped teams over the salary cap by giving them an opportunity to add quality talent in free agency. In practice, it has been a disaster.”

Free Darko:  “A few weeks ago, Kobe prepped for his thirteen-hour flight to Beijing by making an after-hours pit stop at a comic shop to foster his new graphic novel hobby. Boldly proclaiming that he is “into that dark shit,” Kobe allowed the flabbergasted store clerk to steer him towards Garth Ennis’ brilliant, twisted Preacher, new-age noir 100 Bullets, along with a collection of Alan Moore DC Universe tales, among others. If Kobe is the most intriguing figure in basketball, it’s largely because of his highly polarizing persona, an all-encompassing public guise that often overshadows, or creeps into, our appreciation of his transcendent play. Condemnable man that chased affable Shaq-Fu out of town, or misunderstood hero who could no longer take The Big Aristotle’s obnoxious postulations? Baller who will never measure up to Jordan, or relentless worker who’s left an undeniable mark on the NBA? Sexual assault-prone scumbag, or repentant man who made one mistake? The sheer volume of controversy Kobe creates is breathtaking.”

Hoops Addict:  “James has become a worldwide star. Thanks to his play and numerous endorsement deals, his name and image are known universally. He was once asked what his main career goal was and responded that he strives to become a “global icon.” Having a film made that focuses on his overcoming controversy and being successful intends to add to the global ‘Brand of LeBron’. The film will also have the positive marketing impact of humanizing James, as it shows him amongst his high school friends in ordinary, everyday circumstances. Certainly seeing James go through common teen activities will positively enforce that he is likeable and relatable. In these ways, it is clear why James would encourage such a film. It pays tribute to his successes, lionizes his talents, and lets the world glorify him like a king (pun-intended). And while I do not doubt that “More Than A Game” will be an interesting film, it has little hope of resonating with this writer as much as the genre-defining 1994 film “Hoop Dreams.””

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel special to The LA Times:  “”The fresh white shirt, tie, Armani suits, the image, the hair,” the Miami Heat president says, “that was the mantra, ‘Look fresh as a daisy,’ even though there were times after losses I felt like I wanted to die.” The coach who was blessed with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy at the start, who arrived in New York with Patrick Ewing at the peak of performance, and who stepped back to the bench when Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal were poised to present Miami with its first NBA championship, mostly made it look easy since inheriting the Showtime Lakers 11 games into the 1981-82 season. Tonight, that perfectly pressed package will be inducted into his sport’s ultimate cathedral. “He kind of changed the game of coaching, with his smoothness, especially when he was younger, with all his Armani suits,” Wade says. “He made it cool to be a coach.” The legacy is that he made it look easy. The legacy lies.”

Sarah Rothschild & Michael Wallace of The Miami Herald:  “”Whatever interest I have out there and whatever friends I have, I will have more time as president, even though that will keep me busy, to do other things,” Riley said. “To follow other ventures without being involved in the spotlight.” Among those ventures, Riley said, will include longer vacations, more travel with family and friends and “a meaningful, very meaningful commitment” to philanthropic and public service efforts. Riley said he also plans to take on more book projects. And he isn’t completely done with coaching. “At times, I will coach a kid, coach a player (individually),” he said. “At times, I may go talk to a junior college. Teach, motivate, inspire people. I’m not completely done yet. I think I still have a lot to offer. So this won’t bring my career to an end. It’s going to be a lot more fun this time.”"

20 Second Timeout:  David Friedman pays tribute to one of today’s Hall of Fame inductees — Adrian Dantley

Marc Berman of The New York Post:  “We can say that now because of what happened to this franchise after he left and what this franchise meant to this city when he was here, patrolling the pivot, sinking turnarounds, inhaling rebounds. I wrote a book on the first season following Ewing’s trade to Seattle, when the Knicks were knocked out of the playoffs by Toronto in a series remembered for Charlie Ward’s Christ-killing remarks and the kidnapping of Marcus Camby’s sister. The title of that book proved prophetic, though I remember taking heat for the title when it came out in November at the start of the Knicks’ second season without Ewing. The title read “Living Without Ew: The Crash of the Post-Ewing Knicks.” I remember specifically Spencer Ross taking me to task during a radio interview, saying isn’t the title premature. Turns out not. The Knicks crashed. Oh, did they ever crash without Ewing. Congrats on a Hall-of-Fame career, “Big Fella.” No championships, but no apologies necessary.”

Detroit News:  “Davidson, who has owned the Pistons since 1974 and the WNBA’s Shock since their inception in 1998, has earned the reputation as a man who isn’t afraid to get rid of somebody. Despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals the past six years, he has parted ways with three coaches — Flip Saunders, Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle — during that span. “Each of them had a different problem, I guess you could call it,” Davidson said. “If a coach loses the backing of his players, for any reason, it’s difficult to keep him around.” Former Pistons player and assistant coach Michael Curry was hired as coach during the offseason, which began with Dumars planning to shake up the team by trading at least one starter. Davidson built The Palace two decades ago with a different type of financing: one without a penny from taxpayers. He also didn’t follow a trend when he bought a plane for the “Bad Boys” to travel in, replaced it with a newer one and built luxury suites into the lower level of his arena.”

Keith Langlois of Pistons.com:  “It’s easy to look at Stern today – the guy who’s been the driving force in not only growing NBA revenues to unforeseeable heights but also in fostering a worldwide spike in the sport’s popularity – and see a visionary. But Davidson was pretty much the lone wolf on Stern back when owners were looking for a successor to Larry O’Brien, who always drove 55 and kept it between the lines. The Hall’s selection process is a great mystery – voters are not made public, and even the grapevine doesn’t produce much in the way of fruitful rumors – but Stern did his part behind the scenes to advance Davidson’s candidacy, so deeply does he appreciate the support and respect the advice the Pistons’ owner has provided him during the length of his tenure. Stern told me a year ago that Davidson has influenced every aspect of NBA business. He was a vital voice among the NBA’s board of governors. His international business expertise helped Stern navigate waters on the other side of the world as he sowed NBA seeds in foreign soils. When they were vetting future owners, or debating franchise relocations or expansion, or negotiating TV contracts or corporate partnerships, Davidson was a rock for Stern all these years.”

Fran Blinebury of The Houston Chronicle:  ““You must remember, I was coming into the unknown,” he said. “All I knew is I could play in Nigeria. I was dominating. But I did not know if I could play in America.” The trainer took Olajuwon to the locker room and gave him a T-shirt and shorts. “Then he asked about basketball shoes and what size I wore,” Olajuwon said. “I told him 14 was my usual size. I was shocked that he produced a brand new pair. It wasn’t something you could find in Nigeria. “I squeezed them on and they were tight. I was going to take off a pair of socks and he said, ‘No, let’s try 15.’ More new shoes. Still tight. He got 16s. I could not believe all of these brand new shoes. I put them on and they fit. For the first time ever, I would play basketball without pain in my feet. It was always a distraction when I was running and jumping. But this was comfortable. I thought, ‘Oh, man! They’re in trouble out there on the court.’ “”

Fran Blinebury of The Houston Chronicle:  “Michael Young was a high-flying member of those Phi Slama Jama teams and marvels at how far Olajuwon progressed so fast. “They told us at the time that he had only been playing basketball for three months and that was tough for me to believe on that first day,” Young said. “Because the guy could catch and didn’t have a bad touch. In our early practices, coach Lewis would put Hakeem at one end of the floor to defend the basket and we would go three-on-one against him. The first few times, we’d go down and dunk on him, because he couldn’t recover fast enough. “But as we got deeper into the season, we’d go up to dunk and he’d contest that shot. So you’d pass to another guy and before he could go up for a dunk, Hakeem had already closed and was over there to block that shot, too. That’s three-on-one and we couldn’t score.”"

Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle:  “I also flash back to a night in the Meadowlands when the New York media eagerly wanted to talk to him. They had gotten used to the New York way and assumed such a superstar might be difficult before a game. One by one, other beat reporters asked me if Hakeem had a policy about pre-game interviews, assuming he would be unavailable. I told them that his policy was that if they asked a question, he would answer it, and then mentioned — to their doubts — that when the interview was over, he would thank them for their interest. Later that night, one by one, those six guys came back to say that Hakeem answered every question and ended each session by thanking them for their interest. They could not have been more shocked if after the game he sprouted wings and flew to the next city.”

Tom Heinsohn

Career Statistics

18.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 41 FG%, 79 FT%

“Known for his hard-nosed style of play, yet possessing a superb shooting touch and good body control, Tom Heinsohn was a vital cog in the Boston Celtics’ dynasty of the 1950s and 1960s. Chosen as NBA Rookie of the Year in 1957, he helped the Celtics win eight NBA titles during his nine-year tenure, was named to the All-NBA Second Team for four years, and was an All-Star for six.

Averaging 18.6 ppg in 654 regular-season games, he was a versatile scorer but was often overshadowed by such illustrious teammates as Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and Bill Russell. After turning in his jersey in 1965, Heinsohn coached the Celtics to two more world championships and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.

Born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, just across the river from New York City, Heinsohn attended Saint Paul of the Cross school through the fifth grade. Then his family moved to nearby Union City, New Jersey, and he was introduced to basketball while attending sixth grade at Saint Joseph’s.

A high achiever, Heinsohn poured his heart and soul into the sport, practicing as much as he could, both at school and on local playgrounds. By the time he reached the eighth grade he was leading his team in scoring.

As a junior at St. Michael’s High School he was awarded all-county honors. The following year he was named a high school All-American after averaging 28 ppg. After considering more than 40 scholarship offers he decided on Holy Cross College.

Heinsohn continued to improve during his collegiate years, playing under coaches Lester Sheary and Roy Leenig. He pumped in 23.3 ppg in his junior year and as a senior he set a Holy Cross scoring record by averaging 27.4 ppg. Named to almost every All-America team, he also made the dean’s list for scholastic excellence in his last four semesters.

The Celtics claimed Heinsohn as a territorial pick in the 1956 NBA Draft, the same year that Boston Coach Red Auerbach worked a deal with the St. Louis Hawks for the rights to a rookie named Bill Russell. Auerbach was impressed with Russell’s potential, but he wasn’t particularly optimistic about Heinsohn’s chances of making the team. Heinsohn responded by flying to Illinois to look into the possibility of playing amateur ball for a national industrial league. If Cousy hadn’t advised the youngster to stick with Boston, Heinsohn might never have played in the NBA.” [Read]

[Note: RSS readers, there is a video within this blog]

[Sources: NBA.com, YouTube, Basketball-Reference.com]

If you guessed that all of the NBA figures above have admitted to smoking or have been accused of/charged with possession of marijuana — that is correct.

Yes, there are players above that never lived up to their potential like Zach Randolph, Joe Forte, JamesOn Curry, Isaiah Rider, Qyntel Woods, and Rasheed Wallace.

[Insert lazy, lack of ambition joke here]

And some of the players (Rider, Eddie Griffin, Woods, Randolph, Wallace, and Shawn Kemp) have had an assortment of off-court issues.

But Scottie Pippen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Robert Parish are three of the NBA’s top 50 players of all-time.  Mark Cuban is an NBA owner.  Chris Webber had a Hall of Fame worthy career.  Allen Iverson’s career is deserving of the hall as well.  And Scott Skiles is one of the most no-nonsense, in-your-face coaches in the league.

Marijuana use isn’t an NBA issue.  It’s a cultural issue.  And it encompasses the United States as a whole.  Especially the young demographic that constitutes the NBA.

Interviewed by the Rocky Mountain News in 2005, Shareef Abdur-Rahim said, “I think the NBA is a microcosm of society as a whole, so you tell me what percentage of society uses marijuana and I’d say the NBA is right around there.”

I agree to a certain extent.

“Society as a whole” isn’t comprised of millionaires under the age of 35 like the NBA is.

But I do think it’s wrong for critics to paint all of the players who have admitted to or have been caught smoking marijuana with the same brush.

There are marijuana smokers like Isaiah Rider and Keon Clark who have been in and out of the legal system since their time in the NBA.  And then there are current or former marijuana smokers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  Jabbar scored more points than anyone in NBA history and has written bestselling books.  Guys like Marcus Camby and Lamar Odom are known for their charitable foundations.  And Brad Miller, Cliff Robinson, and Mookie Blaylock are/were for the most part — consummate professionals.

I’m not condoning the use of marijuana.  And I’m certainly not trying to drag the players, coaches, and owner above through the mud.

Everyone makes mistakes.  Let’s see how Chalmers and Arthur respond to their mistake before writing them off as two more of the NBA’s troublemakers.  Especially since a few of the players who have been associated with marijuana before them have been worth the trouble.

[Source: ShamSports]

Box Score

Upside and Motor:  “Something completely unintentional that I’m now finding note-worthy: look at the teams in each group, particularly the retro mainstays. What do these teams have in common? Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, Bulls. If you guessed that they totalled a ridiculous amount of the league’s championships, you’d be on the money. Of course the unis may have remained in an effort to preserve that championship history…or maybe it’s just that teams like the Timberwolves and Bobcats have uniforms that good players wouldn’t be caught dead in AMIRIGHT?”

Cuzoogle:  A suggestion for OKC’s new mascot

Andrew Bynum:  “It’s been a while since I have had a chance to speak to all the Laker fans all over the world. Before my injury, my teammates and I had a great rhythm building for the game of basketball. Immediately following the injury I watched my team struggle a bit, and that was really difficult not being able to help them out. We then traded two of my best friends on the team, J Crid and Kwame Brown. I had mixed emotions about the trade at the time, but what we got back in the trade was an All Star with a lot of skills in Pau Gasol. He can shoot, rebound, pass, and basically do it all. He helped to right the ship and propel us into the playoffs. It turns out he is a really good guy, and I am looking forward to practicing and playing with him. We held on to our #1 spot in the West and went on to meet Boston in the Finals. That was really the most difficult situation I’ve ever had to deal with, not being there for my team and fans on the biggest stage in all of the NBA. The thing that kept me sane throughout the entire time I was out was my family and friends, fan support, and the fact that this Laker team is building for the long hall. WE WILL BE IN THE FINALS AGAIN.”

Ball in Europe:  “It is all over the internet, that Ben Gordon got offered 5.5 million Euros to join a team that already looks like they could win the Euroleague. As always, CSKA is denying this. It is also said that Ben Gordon would take an European offer of at least 7 Million Euros. First off - what passport does or could Ben hold? This might be crucial to find out if his pay check can be 7 millions per season. Remember, there are restrictions in the Euroleague and in each European domestic league, how many Americans can be on the team and even on the floor. Ben´s parents are Jamaican, he was born in London, but is an  American basketball player, according to Wikipedia. After all, Ben is holding a UK passport.”

20 Second Timeout:  Pays tribute to Hall of Fame inductee Patrick Ewing

Wages of Wins:  “The Knicks only won 23 games last season.  And when we look at these moves, it’s hard to see how this team is going to improve. Fortunately for the Knicks, though, it seems hard to imagine that Knick fans are going to think that the additions of Gallinari, Duhon, and Ewing Jr. are going to transform the Knicks into a contender. The one position that seems to exemplify the drive to lower expectations is at point guard.  Stephon Marbury - as noted last November - entered the 2007-08 season with a 0.107 career WP48 [Wins Produced per 48 minutes].  Average is 0.100, so Marbury has essentially been an average NBA player in his career.”

Ginger D. Richardson of The Arizona Republic:  “The Phoenix Suns plan to use solar panels for power at the US Airways Center, becoming one of only a handful of professional sports teams that get a portion of their energy from renewable sources like sun or wind. The new photovoltaic system will consist of more than 1,100 panels and be installed on the fifth level of the center’s parking garage at First and Madison streets in downtown Phoenix. At 194 kilowatts, it will produce enough energy to reduce the team’s power usage by the equivalent of 26 home games each season, Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. The system is expected to be operational next year.”

a stern warning:  “This news came out today from ESPN, stating that indeed there was more than just smoke at the rookie transition program. Arthur and Chalmers were “caught in their hotel room with marijuana and women, according to several sources.” If indeed this turns out to be true, this is yet another example of where NBA players distance themselves from the ordinary man or woman in society. That’s not to say that many of us fan-faithful don’t enjoy those very same vices that these young men are alleged of being involved in. Rather, the fact that makes the ordinary Joe in the street cringe is that these guys have been presented with the opportunity to earn millions in a job that they presumably love, yet they can’t sacrifice a few pleasures of life in order to take that opportunity, whilst they are sitting right under Commissioner Stern’s nose.”

Steve Weinman of CelticsBlog:  “This isn’t a debate about the merits of marijuana laws or whether the drug should be legalized.  Because the fact is that right now, those statutes do exist, which means that using marijuana is against the law.  When an individual is about to begin his tenure in a well-paid career and will be living a very comfortable lifestyle, breaking the law becomes an even riskier - and therefore sillier - behavior than it normally is. When an individual is at an orientation for that new job that is specifically designed to prepare him for the new lifestyle, the responsibilities that come with that and the risks of certain behaviors that can jeopardize the plush living - likely including illicit drug use and law-breaking in general - skirting the law for a momentary high goes from silly and risky to a simply dumbfounding lapse in judgment.”

Ira Winderman of The Miami Sun-Sentinel:  “Marijuana apparently was present in some form. Ladies were where ladies weren’t supposed to be. You know, sort of like college. But at a symposium designed to address such NBA temptations? Uh, not the best way to start one’s pro career. The financial hit will be significant, and a suspension is likely, even with the league’s substance-abuse policy prohibiting a suspension for a first marijuana violation. What matters is that David Stern is fuming. That’s never a good omen. For months, Chalmers had come off as too good to be true. Stolen in the second round. Impressive in rookie league. Solid kid from a solid family. Mentioned as a possible starting backcourt partner by no less than Dwyane Wade. Instead, the Heat finds itself with a 22-year-old acting like a 22-year-old. Figure on the embarrassment from this incident, no matter the level of involvement, scaring the kid straight.”

Hooped Up:  5 NBA Players Who Could Play In The NFL

Adam Lauridsen of The Contra Costa Times:  “No matter what the outcome, the Warriors need to reach some resolution on the matter soon.  Training camp this year was already going to be filled with enough questions given Davis’ departure.  A cloud hanging over Monta is another distraction the healthy — and talented — players left on the team don’t need.  This training camp should be about the promise of our youth and the creativity of our coach, not a basketball themed remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer.  Ellis’ body will heal — he’s a resilient basketball player in his mid-20s, not John McCain — but if he’s not careful he will inflict an injury on his reputation and the team’s chemistry that may leave the parties hobbled long after Ellis returns to his high flying ways.”

Jason Friedman of Rockets.com:  Ron-Ron’s New ‘Do [Photo]

Fline Blinebury of The Houston Chronicle:  “Chris Pond has coached basketball all over the globe in all sorts of different circumstances, from Argentina to Zaire, from the Ivory Coast to Taiwan. And he knew there was something special about the tall, skinny kid who walked into the gym in Nigeria back in 1980. Pond was then the head coach for the national team of the Central African Republic, whose stars — Anicet Lavodrama, Freddie Goporo and Bruno Kongawoin — would one day anchor the lineup at Houston Baptist University. It was a Monday morning while holding an informal shootaround when the gangly kid entered the gym carrying his sneakers.  “You want to run with us?” Pond asked him. A 17-year-old Hakeem Olajuwon said yes and the rest is history.”

Fline Blinebury of The Houston Chronicle:  “Fitch took the phone call from legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith before the 1984 draft, asking how the Rockets could possibly pass up Michael Jordan with the No. 1 pick. “I told him that the people of Houston would burn our houses down if we didn’t take Dream,” Fitch said. “And we also needed a big man who was ready to play right away. “You can look back now and ask, ‘What if?’ But I look at Dream and what he became, how hard he played, how far he went and I don’t think it was the wrong choice. “I coached (Larry) Bird in Boston and Dream in Houston and I’ll tell you this: Give me Dream and Bird and any other three guys who ever picked up a paycheck in the NBA and I’ll play anybody. Anywhere. Anytime.””

Brian Windhorst of The Akron Beacon Journal:  “Everyone wanted a piece of James — for his amazing play on the court as a senior and for the swirling controversies and story lines that came with the uncharted territory. Fans crammed every public appearance across the country. National media outlets camped out at the high school. Representatives from shoe companies moved into Akron-area hotels. Competing agents came offering loads of cash. Potential business partners angled for attention by sending gifts to James and family members. James himself was in and out of court with high-powered attorneys to fight the Ohio High School Athletic Association over a suspension. For those reasons, by the end of what turned out to be a historic season, James and his Irish teammates became recluses to a certain degree, limiting access the outside world had to them. All except for a then 21-year-old student, whose work is about to open a new window into James’ life and the behind-the-scenes story of that team.”

From the Associated Press via ESPN.com:

“James was on an outdoor court at Venice Beach to take on David Kalb in a shooting game, mostly of trick shots, although James’ outside shooting touch was way off. At one point, he grinned and said, “That wind.”

Kalb won the matchup with James in an online contest, “LeBron’s Trick Shot Challenge sponsored by Cub Cadet.”

Kalb’s bag of trick shots including one where he bounced the ball very high in the lane, raced around the goal post, caught the ball as it came down, and tossed it in the basket. James missed his try, and after losing the first game, declared best two-of-three. Each made, among other shots, left-handed free throws, but Kalb went on to win the second game as well.”

From the Orange County Register:

“Those who did gather around the court saw was James get clocked by the 26-year-old warehouse worker in a best-of-three H-O-R-S-E contest. Kalb had won a Cub Cadet-sponsored contest with his videos of making baskets on a hoop that was strapped to a fork lift and his shots were just as impressive without heavy equipment.

“Goes to show that all that horsing around shooting all those baskets can you something,” Kalb said, who in addition to playing alongside James got a $5,000 prize.

“I thought I could beat him. Let’s just say, I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t.”

James blamed many of his misses on the ocean breezes and bright sun.”

Chet Walker

Career Statistics

18.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47 FG%, 80 FT%

“Chet Walker always seemed to find himself in a behind-the-scenes role. As the “other guy” on an NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers team that starred Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer, Walker rarely, if ever, received top billing. And when he later pursued a career in Hollywood, Walker opted to become a producer and writer instead of an actor. But whether he was battling an opposing forward one-on-one or going head-to-head with show-business types, Walker more often than not came out on top.

During his 13-year NBA career with the Sixers and the Chicago Bulls in the 1960s and 1970s, Walker amassed 18,831 points and earned seven All-Star Team selections. Only twice did his scoring average dip below 15 points per game — a noteworthy achievement given that offensive opportunities in Philadelphia were rationed among future Hall of Famers Chamberlain, Greer and Billy Cunningham. And in Chicago they were shared with the formidable Bob Love.

“Chet the Jet” was among the best open-court forwards of his day. He particularly enjoyed drawing fouls and then taking his .796 free-throw form to the charity stripe. Walker played tenacious defense and proved remarkably durable. He never missed more than six games in any season, and he became one of the few players to appear in more than 1,000 games (1,032) for his career.

Walker’s teams made the playoffs every year, and he had identical career scoring averages of 18.2 points per game in both the regular season and the postseason. His impact was most evident in Chicago, where the Bulls reached the playoffs in each of Walker’s six seasons but not in the year before he arrived or the year after he left.

When he turned in his duffel bag for a briefcase in 1975, Walker discovered that he could have an impact in the entertainment business as well, even without the benefit of training. He went on to produce a number of television and feature films, and he even picked up an Emmy Award for his role in coproducing “A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story,” a made-for-TV movie portraying the life and travails of Isiah Thomas’ mother.” [Read]

[Note:  the video below chronicles Walker’s 1967 championship season with the 76ers, including footage of Philly’s Game 6 Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors.  The 67′ Sixers were ranked as one of the NBA’s top ten teams of all-time in 1996.]

[Sources: NBA.com, YouTube, Basketball-Reference.com]

I probably won’t make any predictions until the start of the season, so I thought I’d take some time to poke holes in ESPN’s observations while making no hard-line predictions of my own.  It was that or write about whether or not Monta Ellis injured himself playing basketball.  Aw, the joys of NBA blogging in September.

Not surprisingly, ESPN has Boston ranked number one in the East and Los Angeles ranked number one in the West.

Boston had one of the finest team defenses in NBA history last year.  But I don’t know if they have the drive that it takes to repeat.  I’ll never question KG’s intensity.  I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I think Paul Pierce will regress next season.

The Celtics are trailed by Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington, and Miami rounds out the top eight.

I was surprised to see the Pistons back as the second seed, but the Eastern Conference is marked with a lot of uncertainty heading into the 2008-2009 season.

Cleveland appears primed for a run at the championship after taking the Celtics to seven games last year.  But they’re still one prolonged LeBron James injury from the lottery.  Mo Williams is a solid addition, but he’s not a legitimate second option.  And that’s why I won’t be categorizing the Cavs as championship contenders at the beginning of next season.  Championship contenders are still playoff teams without their star player.  The Cavs are terrible without James.

If Cleveland advances to the Finals, it will be due to an extraordinary effort from the King.

I think Philadelphia — with newly acquired Elton Brand — will leap frog Orlando.  Toronto could surprise if Jermaine O’Neal remains healthy.

Washington and Miami are going to play a similar helter-skelter style.  Both teams are dominated by three guards/forwards who are perimeter oriented.  The Wizards possess a slight advantage at the five and two spots with Brendon Haywood patrolling the paint and ballhawker DeShawn Stevenson defending perimeter scorers, but all things being equal, the Heat have Dwyane Wade.

Wade even received a vote as the 2008-2009 MVP.  I was impressed with Wade’s explosiveness in the Olympics, and he’s obviously put on some muscle since last season.  (I recall a play against Greece where Wade drove to the basket and was met in midair by Sofoklis ‘Baby Shaq’ Schortsanitis and Schortsanitis took the brunt of the impact.)  But I didn’t see Wade score in ways I haven’t seen before.  And he’ll need to score in different ways with NBA defenses focusing on stopping him from getting to the basket. Shaq may have been a shell of his former self in Miami, but opposing defenses still game planned to stop him.  I think Wade is going to have a great individual season — but the MVP isn’t an individual award — it’s a team award.  It requires a 50-win season — which isn’t happening in Miami.

Missing the playoff cut in the East is Chicago and Atlanta in ninth and tenth place.  I think the Bulls and Hawks will push for a playoff birth.  And let’s be honest — it won’t take a super-human effort for them to make it.  Two of the Eastern Conference’s playoff teams last year possessed sub .500 records.

In the West, the Lakers are trailed by New Orleans, Houston, Utah, San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, and Portland.

Andrew Bynum’s return makes the Lakers the team to beat in 2009.  Bynum was averaging a career-high in points and rebounds and was leading the league in field goal percentage before he went down with a season ending injury.  And yet the Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals without him.

New Orleans is going to be a force and will remain a force as long as they have Chris Paul.  Paul’s court awareness is off the charts.  He has an inate sense of the game that is impossible to teach and a joy to watch.  I stand by my assertion that the Hornets overpaid for James Posey.  But he will undoutebly pay dividends come playoff time.

Houston has a triumvirate that’s as good as any in the league.  But as always, the health of their two injury prone superstars (McGrady & Ming) will determine their fate.

The Jazz were the second best team in the West last year and will return all of their key players.  San Antonio isn’t going anywhere.  Although the Spurs are going to need an All-Star season from Tony Parker and consistent effort from Tim Duncan to remain afloat until Manu Ginobili returns to action.

Phoenix and Dallas are the two biggest question marks in the West.

New coach Terry Porter will emphasize defense in the Valley of the Sun.  But defense is about effort and will power — two qualities that are foreign to Shaq, Nash, and Stoudemire on that end of the floor.  I love Phoenix’s acquisition of Matt Barnes.  Barnes slid under the free agent radar because of a subpar showing in 2007-2008.  But he displayed the ability to excel in pressure situations in Golden State’s first round upset of the Mavericks in 2007.

Much has been made of Jason Kidd’s decline in skills.  Kidd has clearly lost a step and was unable to contain Chris Paul in Dallas’ first round loss to the Hornets last year.  But who can contain Chris Paul?  Bruce Bowen and the Spurs couldn’t.  And Bowen was a first team All-NBA defender last season.  Kidd remains one of the NBA’s finest playmakers.  Like most point guards, he needs to be utilized in a system that can benefit from his strengths and hide his weaknesses.  I think Rick Carlisle will provide him with an opportunity to extend his career for a few more seasons.  At the very least, Kidd will remain productive until he joins up with good friend LeBron James — wherever that may be.

The team I’m most excited to watch next season is the Portland Trailblazers.  Portland finished the 2007-2008 season with a surprising 41-41 record.  That record would have tied them with Toronto for the sixth seed in the East, but kept them out of the playoffs in the West.  I know I said I wasn’t going to make any hard-line predictions — I lied.  Greg Oden is my pick as Rookie of the Year.  Beasley is the odds-on favorite for the award.  And with good reason, the kid can put the ball in the hole and his scoring ability will be needed in Miami.  But I think Oden’s impact on the defensive end will be immediate.  In fact, I expect him to contend for Defensive Player of the Year too.

Oden’s shot blocking is enhanced by his ability to block shots with either hand.  This gives him a tremendous advantage because he rarely has to turn his body to protect the basket.

Rounding out the top ten in the West are Golden State and Denver.  I understand the pessisism for the Nuggets after the departure of Marcus Camby.  But Camby was extremely overrated defensively.  Blocks are a terrible measure of defensive prowess.  Unfortunately, they’re one of the few defensive statistics we have.  The Nuggets are going to experience some growing pains without Camby, but I think they will actually improve defensively as long as Kenyon Martin and Nene remain healthy.  Why?  Because Carmelo and company won’t play defense with the mentality that a shot blocker will erase their mistakes.

Well that was fun.  Let’s do this again next month.