http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4476 Recent articles about Pau Gasol en-us Any Denver fans who entertained notions that Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson would ever lead the Nuggets to playoff glory received a very rude awakening when Nuggets management "traded" starting center Marcus Camby to the L.A. Clippers for the right to swap second round draft picks in 2010. Camby is 34 years old but he is still a highly productive player: he won the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Award and he has led the NBA in blocked shots the past three seasons and four times overall during his 12 year career. Last season, Camby averaged a career-high 13.1 rpg to rank second in the league. He has been selected to the All-Defensive Team for four straight seasons, including First Team nods in 2007 and 2008. Contending teams do not simply give away a valuable asset like Camby--and that is precisely the point: the Nuggets are not a contending team and their management is painfully aware of that fact. Much like the Memphis Grizzlies got rid of Pau Gasol to clear salary cap space and essentially hit the "reboot" button, getting rid of Camby was the first step in what will soon be a total makeover of Denver's roster. Iverson will either be traded this season or allowed to walk in 2009 when his contract ends, thus freeing up even more salary cap space. The Nuggets are deep into luxury tax territory--paying a dollar for dollar penalty for exceeding the salary cap--and that is the last place a team wants to be when it cannot even get out of the first round, let alone meaningfully contend for a title. From an intellectual/economic standpoint it is very easy to figure out what the Nuggets are doing--but this still has to be hard for Denver fans to accept, particularly those who have spent a lot of money on season tickets. Without Camby anchoring the paint there is a good chance that the Nuggets won't even make the playoffs in 2008-09 and even though Denver will soon have money to spend there is no guarantee that when the dust settles the new look roster will be substantially better than the recent Denver teams have been. It seems like half of the teams in the NBA are clinging to the pipe dream that if they clear enough salary cap space that they will be able to sign LeBron James or Dwyane Wade in a couple years; meanwhile, these teams are intent on spending as little as they can until that time, essentially writing off this season. There is not much that the league can do about this now but an economic system that encourages teams to not spend money--and thus field a mediocre or worse product--while hoping to hit the "jackpot" and sign a big-time player is not good or efficient. Moreover, these teams are going to have a lot of explaining to do if they subject their fans to 82 games of bad basketball and then fail to sign a franchise player with all of the money that they have sitting around. As for the Clippers, adding Camby and free agent Baron Davis goes a long way toward making up for the loss of Elton Brand. In fact, since Brand only played eight games last year, the Clippers could significantly improve on their 23-59 record if Camby and Davis both stay healthy. OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK MLB Authentic Collection Partners With "Music For Relief" - The Biz of Baseball MLB.com Smashes Online Ticket Sales Record - The Biz of Baseball A-Rod Jumps to William Morris Agency to Boost Image - The Biz of Baseball Rays Minor Leaguer Suspended 50 Gms for Amphetamines - The Biz of Baseball Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from A's/Yankees Game - The Biz of Baseball Chicago's Wrigley Field to Host Next Outdoor Classic on New Years Day - The Biz of Hockey Jaromir Jagr First Major NHL Player to Crossover to Continental Hockey League - The Biz of Hockey Free Agent Signings - July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey NHL Free Agent Listing As of July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey Ducks owner Henry Samueli Suspended by NHL - The Biz of Hockey NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey Commissioner Roger Goodell to Be First American Sports League Exec to Visit Iraq - The Biz of FootballDan Patrick and Keith Olbermann to Reumite for NBC's "Football Night in America" - The Biz of FootballXM Satellite Radio Locks Up SEC. Adds Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Vanderbilt - The Biz of Football Don Imus, "Pacman" Jones and Media Correctness - The Biz of Football 15,000 General Admission Tickets for London NFL Game Sell Out in 30 min. - The Biz of Football Papa Replaces Gumbel as NFL Network's Play-by-Play Announcer - The Biz of Football TNT Lands Full Slate of Sponsors For "Wide Open Coverage" Telecasts - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports David Friedman is a weekly contributor to the Business of Sports Network. To read more of his basketball articles, just take a 20 Second Timeout. His general sports commentary can be found at Best Ever Sports Talk, where "Favre May Discover That 38 is Not So Special for Quarterbacks," "Michael Young Helps Major League Baseball Avoid its Worst Nightmare: Another All-Star Game Tie," "Morneau Wins Home Run Derby but Hamilton Steals Show" and "Eric Davis: 'Like Having an Atomic Bomb Sitting Next to You in the Dugout'" are among the subjects that have been recently discussed. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:01:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294843 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294843 If you've read anything about Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas this week, you'd think it's a forgone conclusion the Americans will win gold at the Beijing Olympics (see screenshot from today's ESPN.com). But as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of holes in this year's U.S. squad – particularly its lack of size (Dwight Howard is the lone center) and health (not only is Dwyane Wade coming off injury, but LeBron James went down in Tuesday's practice). For the rest of this entry, head over to http://www.wcbias.com/2008/07/olympic-hype-could-be-fools-gold.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:23:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294166 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294166 If you've read anything about Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas this week, you'd think it's a forgone conclusion the Americans will win gold at the Beijing Olympics (see screenshot from today's ESPN.com). But as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of holes in this year's U.S. squad – particularly its lack of size (Dwight Howard is the lone center) and health (not only is Dwyane Wade coming off injury, but LeBron James went down in Tuesday's practice). For the rest of this entry, head over to http://www.wcbias.com/2008/07/olympic-hype-could-be-fools-gold.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:23:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294165 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294165 Scott Souza has this story (http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x1816441896/Pain-was-worth-it-for-Perkins) today: Perkins, who underwent surgery on the shoulder in 2006 after two dislocations, experienced nagging pain throughout the second half of this season before enduring a more serious strain in Game 4 of the Finals. Though he reluctantly sat out Game 5 in Los Angeles, he forced his way back into the starting lineup for the clinching Game 6 in Boston two days later. Despite being back under the knife 15 days later, Perkins said he has no regrets about playing through the strain in Game 6. Yeah, I knew about it, he said of the extent of the injury. But I wasn't sitting. Of course you weren't sitting Perk. That's not in your blood. If your arm was hanging by a thread, you'd ask the trainers to strap it to your side and let you go out there and defend Pau Gasol with one arm. And you'd be dead serious about it too. (By the way, he expects to be 100% by training camp, according to the article) There aren't enough true tough big guys in the game anymore. These days the toughest guys seem to be the guards like Iverson or even... Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:59:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291108 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291108 The Memphis Grizzlies signed center Marc Gasol last Wednesday, completing the trade that sent his older brother, Pau, to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. The younger Gasol signed a three-year, $9.72 million deal. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:48:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290771 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290771 LAS VEGAS – He still answers to Ron these days, even though he recently told a Sacramento radio station he'd prefer to be called Bill. He's still as affable off the court as he is ferocious on it, and, yes, he's still a Sacramento King, enough so that he hopped a flight here from New York to help cheer on the franchise's summer-league team. For a change, though, Ron Artest isn't talking. At least he wasn't saying anything of substance Saturday afternoon. No trade demands. No complaining about the Kings not committing to him. No regrets about not opting out of his contract. No…comment. What are your thoughts on your future with the Kings? "No comment." Do you want to have a future with the Kings? "No comment." If you could be with any team next season who would it be? "No comment." New York Mets cap pulled low, smile stretched across his face, Artest sounded apologetic for not being more cooperative. "Seriously, I don't know what my future is," he said. "I don't know, really, so I can't say anything." Check back in 12 hours, or five minutes, for that matter. Ron-Ron changes his mind by the tick-tock of the clock. He wants to be traded. He wants to be a King for life. He's opting out of his contract. No, he's not. Artest has many skills, decisiveness not among them. That's not a knock on Artest. It's a fact. He's said enough and he'll probably say some more, but his opinion no longer matters. Eventually, someone is going to call with the right offer and eventually the Kings are going to trade him. Just like in Chicago and Indiana, Artest has become more valuable for Sacramento to move than keep. The Kings don't seem to be in a rush. Nor should they be. As free-agency options dry up, more teams look to trades to strengthen their roster. Even if the Kings have to wait until closer to the trade deadline, some contender will likely be willing to roll the dice on Artest. When healthy and motivated, he can dominate on both ends of the floor. His contract is more than affordable ($7.4 million) and he'll be a free agent at the end of the season, which has a few GMs thinking he'll also try to fit in and behave, at least for a few months. Already, the Los Angeles Lakers have inquired about Artest, according to a report in The Sacramento Bee, and there might not be a more logical destination. Exposed by the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, the Lakers need to get tougher and better defensively. Swapping Artest for Lamar Odom, who wilted as much as any Laker during the Finals, would be an upgrade in both areas. Phil Jackson won three titles with Dennis Rodman, so he's accustomed to dealing with non-conformists, as well as extraterrestrials, if one is to believe Jackson's nickname for Vladimir Radmanovic: My Favorite Martian. Artest, too, has been accused of being from another planet. As for any ego concerns, not even Artest is bold enough to challenge Kobe Bryant's authority in the locker room. That's not to say Artest would be a perfect fit. At least one scout thinks the Lakers would be foolish to give up Odom, saying his length and versatility create too many matchup problems for opponents. Odom is the better rebounder and passer, and though Artest certainly is a more dependable three-point threat, he can be a ground-and-pound ball-stopper on offense. The Lakers also would be wise to wait as long as possible to see how their young center, Andrew Bynum, recovers from knee surgery. If Bynum continues to labor, the Lakers may very well need Odom's size next to Pau Gasol. Still, Jackson and Bryant can be sure of one thing: Artest isn't going to curl up in the fetal position just because Kevin Garnett cursed at him. The Kings also would want the Lakers to take on Kenny Thomas and his contract's remaining two years and $17.3 million. But with the Lakers also apparently hedging on matching Golden State's four-year, $17 million offer for Ronny Turiaf that might not be as big an issue as previously thought. As the Bee's Sam Amick wrote, "It's the price of doing business if they want to acquire the underpaid Artest." There's an old rule in professional sports that if you're going to make a trade, you better make one that doesn't help your rival. These days, though, the Kings and Lakers aren't rivals, no matter how much bitter history covers the 400 miles of I-5 interstate between them. The Lakers are coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals; Sacramento won 38 games and figures to again have a tough time qualifying for the playoffs, with or without Artest. The Kings have the potential to be major players in the expansive 2010 free-agent market. Shedding Thomas' contract (along with Odom's) could give them the option of reloading a year sooner, if they desire. And if the Kings choose not to deal with the Lakers? They should have at least a few more options. The Phoenix Suns had interest in Artest at last season's trade deadline. The San Antonio Spurs also are intrigued, but they don't have enough to offer to make a serious bid. "I like his talent. I like his competitiveness. I like his contract," one GM said of Artest. "But there's always a risk with him." Artest's erratic behavior has often overshadowed his talent, and it's been no different with the Kings. He decided not to opt out of his contract two weeks ago then emailed the Bee and ESPN.com to say he made a mistake after watching Baron Davis and Elton Brand land lucrative longterm deals. Artest claimed to have been misled to believe the Kings considered him an important piece of their future. He later tried to clarify his comments. And last week he told a Sacramento radio station he wanted everyone to start referring to him by his middle name: William. So where does that leave Artest now? Does he want to stay with the Kings? Or not? "No comment." Artest smiled. Saying nothing sometimes says enough. Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:07:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289821 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289821 The only trade by the Denver Nuggets was acquiring Sonny Weems, which puzzles me because, I see him as just another J.R. Smith. So I have thought of several ways Denver can still snag a first round drafted player; how? Through free agency or trades. www.rawsportsblog.com Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:46:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283858 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283858 The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off the 2nd biggest trade heist of 2008 (after Pau Gasol). Talk about your lop-sided trades. According to ESPN, the Milwaukee Bucks have shipped Yi Jianlin and Bobby Simmons to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Richard Jefferson. Let me put it another way - the Bucks traded a soft PF (Yi) [...] Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:20:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283193 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283193 Ok .. so I'm FINALLY starting my article on the Draft Picks of who should go where, etc. Yes, I waited til the last minute because I wanted to make sure there weren't any last minute "moves" made, I know .. but it WILL GET DONE by tomorrow morning. All I'm going to say is that there's too many goddamn Euros in the running. I think by now we've all witnessed that the Euros are not tough enough to really be contenders at the end of the day. EXHIBIT A: Pau Gasol. Can I get a witness? That being said, (and there's nothing WRONG with the Euros, mind you), they just shouldn't be expected to be in the top 20 picks. Just putting that out there. I think I still have some residual anger lingering from the godawful Shaq rap (oh wait .. that was more like a cheap rant) so forgive me if I sound a little annoyed by the prospect of now having to HUNT DOWN statistics on these second rate bums. UGH. I'm thankful that I was able to eliminate a few of them thru the updated list I was handed but I still have a long night in my midst. Pray for me and most important, pray for Shaq's soul. :-) Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:08:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281964 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281964    One year ago, the NBA's two flagship franchises appeared to be in total disarray. The Boston Celtics had just completed a demoralizing 24-58 season and their "reward" for posting the worst record in the Eastern Conference was the fifth pick in what was considered to be a two player draft. The L.A. Lakers earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 42-40 record and got destroyed 4-1 by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant had just won his second straight scoring title with a 31.6 ppg average and he poured in a playoff career-high 32.8 ppg versus the Suns but he did not look forward to wasting the prime years of his career going into battle with Kwame Brown and Smush Parker starting at the two most important positions, center and point guard. Bryant had always wanted to be a Laker for life but he also wanted to win championships, so he publicly blasted the team's management and demanded that they work as hard to put together a championship team as he worked at being the best player in the league. What a difference a year makes! The Celtics packaged the fifth overall pick with other considerations and acquired All-Star guard Ray Allen from a rebuilding Seattle team. Now that the Celtics had two All-Stars on the roster, Kevin Garnett agreed to be traded from Minnesota to Boston and the remade Celtics were suddenly a bona fide threat to win the East and contend for a championship. Meanwhile, young Andrew Bynum emerged as a legit double double threat and the Lakers raced to a 26-11 start. Bynum went down with what turned out to be a season ending knee injury but Bryant held the team together until the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis in exchange for Brown and other considerations. The Lakers now had a legit second option, which meant that overmatched second option Lamar Odom could now become a solid third option. The Celtics finished with the best record in the NBA (66-16), while the Lakers had the best record in perhaps the most competitive Western Conference race ever (57-25). The top two seeds have generally not both made it to the Finals in recent seasons but the Celtics and Lakers each vanquished tough foes to advance to the championship round, where Boston earned the right to hoist a 17th championship banner, denying Phil Jackson his 10th coaching title and Bryant his fourth ring as a player and in the process completing the one blank space on the Hall of Fame resumes of Garnett, Allen and 2008 Finals MVP Paul Pierce. I correctly predicted the outcome of 12 of the 15 playoff series this year and I correctly predicted that the Celtics and Lakers would meet in the Finals; my three incorrect predictions were that the Lakers would beat the Celtics, the Suns would beat the Spurs and the Mavericks would beat the Hornets. Last year, I also went 12-3, including picking the correct Finals matchup and the eventual winner. In 2006, I went 10-5 but did not correctly pick either Finalist, while in 2005 I went 9-6, correctly picking both Finalists but picking the wrong champion. So, in four years of posting playoff predictions online I have a 43-17 record (.716) and I have correctly picked six out of eight Finalists, though I have only been right about one out of four champions. Here are some final thoughts and observations about each of the 16 playoff teams: 1) My default position about players and teams is skepticism and there were plenty of good reasons to be skeptical about the Celtics prior to the start of the season. None of their "Big Three" had been able to lead their teams to the playoffs in 2007, the Boston bench was of questionable quality (Danny Ainge shrewdly strengthened it later in the season) and neither Pierce nor Allen had previously been known as great defensive players. However, once I saw the Celtics play during the regular season I began to modify my opinion of their team because they played so hard and so well defensively night after night. After their 5-0 start, I was already convinced that they could win more than 60 games, a significant departure from my preseason expectations. A couple days later, I saw them in person for the first time, observed that Pierce was playing at an elite level offensively and concluded, "I am impressed by how hard they played throughout the game, particularly on defense...Call it tenacity, heart or will to win, the great teams have it and that is how they win even when they are not at their best. The Celtics provided a glimpse of this against Indiana and it will be interesting to see if they can replicate such efforts at playoff time against the very best teams." The Celtics proved to be the best team in the NBA from start to finish, answering all questions about chemistry, defense and depth. The only question now is whether or not they can duplicate this high level of play next season. It is unlikely that they will win 66 regular season games, because that requires not only skill and tenacity but also good health, something that is hard to maintain two years in a row; the real issue is what level will the Celtics be playing at by the time next year's playoffs roll around. Are the "Big Three" satisfied with winning one title or will they pursue a repeat title with the same hunger that fueled their chase for the 2008 championship? My initial thought is, as usual, that I am skeptical; it is difficult to repeat, though the teams that have done so in the past 15 years were tough minded squads led by multiple All-Stars, a description that certainly fits the Celtics. 2) The blowout loss in game six of the Finals was without question a bitter pill for the Lakers to swallow but it should not lead to rash judgments or actions. The Lakers still have the same strengths that enabled them to not only post the best record in the West but also defeat three 50-plus win teams in the playoffs: they have a Hall of Fame coach, the best all-around player in the NBA and a high powered offense. The Finals highlighted the weaknesses that they overcame to have such a great season: a lack of toughness that manifests itself defensively and on the boards and the lack of a legit, top flight small forward who can make a significant offensive contribution and/or lock down the opposing team's high scoring small forward. If Andrew Bynum returns to health and is productive then he can start at center and Pau Gasol can shift to power forward. In that scenario, the ideal move for the Lakers would be to trade Lamar Odom for a quality small forward. Odom is not an ideal small forward, so a frontline of Bynum-Gasol-Odom is not feasible, despite what some people may try to convince you; the only way that those three players can effectively coexist is if one of them comes off of the bench. Gasol is the second best player on the team, so he is not going to be a reserve. Bynum is the best postup player, so it does not make sense to sit him either. 3) As long as the San Antonio Spurs have Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich they are going to be a formidable team. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are perfect complements to Duncan and the Spurs do an excellent job of finding veteran players who fit in perfectly to their system. Barring injuries or a marked decline by Duncan, the Spurs should be right back in the mix as a contender. 4) Joe Dumars finally figured out that Flip Saunders was never going to lead the Pistons back to the Finals, let alone win a championship. The question now is whether the team's championship-contending window is still open with the current nucleus of players or if Dumars is going to overhaul the roster. Until I see what happens on that front it is impossible to predict how good the Pistons will be in 2009. 5) The Utah Jazz have a dynamic young duo in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, plus a talented supporting cast that includes two former All-Stars, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. They certainly have to be considered a Western Conference contender. If not for Kobe Bryant's heroics against them in the Western Conference semifinals (33.2 ppg, 7.2 apg, 7.0 rpg, .491 field goal shooting) they could very well have made it to the Finals for the first time since the Stockton-Malone era. 6) The Cleveland Cavaliers remain one of the most misunderstood and underrated teams in the league. All season long I heard "experts" talking about how the Cavs would not even make the playoffs, a ludicrous idea that I consistently rejected. The Cavaliers' formula for success is the brilliance of LeBron James, defense and rebounding. Everyone except Skip Bayless realizes that LeBron James is a great player but few people appreciate or respect the way that Coach Mike Brown has turned the Cavs into San Antonio East in terms of defense and rebounding. What happened to the Cavs in the playoffs is that they ran into a Boston team that matched their commitment defensively and on the glass and had three All-Stars to match James' offensive production. The Cavs need one more player who can create his own shot and/or create shots for other players but even if they don't add that player they still will be a serious Eastern Conference contender next year. Injuries or personnel moves around the league could change this but right now they are the biggest threat to knock off the Celtics in the East. 7) Chris Paul emerged as the best point guard in the NBA, David West is probably still underrated even though he made the All-Star team and New Orleans looks like a legit Western Conference contender. The playoff experience that the Hornets gained this year should serve them well in the future. The Hornets' defense is underrated and that defense--combined with the brilliance of the Paul-West duo--could very well carry them to the Western Conference Finals in 2009. 8) Dwight Howard is already the dominant low post force in the NBA and the scary thing is that he is still improving. I question whether Jameer Nelson is a championship level point guard and I think that the Magic need to still improve their overall talent base but Orlando is a team on the rise. 9) I've been saying for a couple years that the Raptors are the Phoenix Suns East: that means that they can win a lot of regular season games and be a tough playoff matchup but unless they become more stout defensively and on the glass they will not beat Boston, Cleveland, Detroit or Orlando in a seven game series. 10) The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the real surprise teams of the season--as opposed to a team like the Cavs that only surprised people who were foolish enough to not understand how good they are. No one expected the 76ers to be a playoff team. Whenever a young team comes out of the woodwork like that there is always a question of whether they were one year wonders or if this was the first step toward bigger and better things. I think that the Sixers took the first step toward bigger and better things but they won't be a serious contender unless they upgrade their roster a little bit and become a better half court team. 11) The Phoenix Suns were never going to win a championship with their previous nucleus, so I still think that trading for Shaquille O'Neal was a worthwhile risk to take, even though they still failed to beat the Spurs. New Coach Terry Porter will surely try to instill more of a defensive mindset in this team but if the Suns' championship window has not close the opening is very, very small: young teams have emerged in L.A., New Orleans and Utah and the Suns have yet to prove that they can beat their old nemesis San Antonio, let alone deal with the new kids on the block. 12) Point blank, it seems like the Mavericks have never recovered from blowing a 2 3/4 games to 0 lead over the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals; one more good quarter and they might have swept Diesel and Flash but it's been all downhill for the Mavs since Gary Payton hit one of his few playoff field goals in 2006. The Mavs still have a very good team but it just seems like the rest of the top West teams are better than they are now. 13) Houston put together an amazing winning streak but everyone understood that the Rockets could not go far in the West playoffs without Yao Ming. If Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming can both stay healthy for a full season, this would be a very formidable team. Rick Adelman has proven that he can take teams deep into the playoffs, though he has yet to win a title. 14) The Atlanta Hawks almost rewrote the entire script of the 2008 playoffs, pushing the Celtics to seven games in the first round. The future looks bright but keep in mind that Golden State knocked off the defending conference champion one year and did not even make the playoffs (albeit in a very tough conference) the next season. As with the Sixers, there is the question of whether the Hawks are a team on the rise or a one year wonder. 15) The Denver Nuggets are the NBA's mystery team: they have a former MVP who is still playing at a high level (Allen Iverson), one of the premier scorers in the league (Carmelo Anthony), a former Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Camby), a top sixth man (J.R. Smith)--and yet they simply cannot get out of the first round of the playoffs. Despite all of the talent on their roster, they have problems at both ends of the court: their defense is terrible and their offensive execution is wildly inconsistent, with Iverson and Anthony taking turns running the show while the other players pick up the table scraps that are left over. It is either entertaining or sickening to realize that ESPN pays "expert" Stephen A. Smith a lot of money for "insights" such as saying prior to the 2008 season that the Cavs won't make the playoffs and the Nuggets would win the West. Hey, I don't get everything right but I don't miss the mark that wildly either. 16) The Washington Wizards will never make it further than the second round of the playoffs as long as Gilbert Arenas is their primary offensive option. Period. I don't care how certain people crunch various numbers to "prove" his value and I don't care that the Wizards were once in first place in the East for a minute and a half almost two years ago when Arenas had some high scoring games. Arenas is a player who is primarily focused on scoring points and on settling old scores (being a second round pick, being left off of Team USA, etc.). It seems highly unlikely that he will ever change his mindset and that makes him ill equipped to lead a legit contender. OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK Portable, Battery-Driven CT Scanner for Bats to Be Unveiled - The Biz of Baseball MLB Launches "Welcome Back Veterans" Initiative - The Biz of Baseball Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from Red Sox/Cards Game - The Biz of Baseball Matt Sosnick Talks Being a Player Agent - The Biz of Baseball New Bidders in the Mix for Cubs. One Would Offer Shares - The Biz of Baseball Anheuser-Busch to Sponsor New Meadowlands Stadium - The Biz of Football Big Ten Network Nearing First Major Cable Deal with Comcast - The Biz of Football Cowboys Stadium Site Allows Fans to View Their Seat Before They Buy Tickets - The Biz of Football Former NFL Steroids Dealer Found Shot to Death - The Biz of Football Cowboys, Bank of America Extend Sponsorship Deal - The Biz of Football NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey NBC Reports 6.8 Million Viewers for Game 6. Up 111% from 2006 - The Biz of HockeyNASCAR on TNT Live: Comments and Interviews from the Toyota/Save Mart 350 from Infineon Raceway in Sonoma - Maury Brown's Biz of SportsDavid Friedman is a weekly contributor to the Business of Sports Network. To read more of his basketball articles, just take a 20 Second Timeout. His general sports commentary can be found at Best Ever Sports Talk, where "Tiger's High Stakes Gamble Pays Off—For Now," "Tiger Woods Marches—and Limps—Toward Golf Immortality," "Sports are Part of What Makes Us Uniquely Human" and "'The Kid' is 'The Man': Griffey Blasts His 600th Home Run—Naturally" are among the subjects that have been recently discussed. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:50:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281654 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281654 If you remember, and it's pretty hard to forget, last summer was Kobe's Armageddon. There was the flip-flopping and questioning whether he even wanted to be a Laker. But then Andrew Bynum started putting up double-doubles, and the tension was eased. And once Pau Gasol was acquired, Kobe was campaigning for Mitch [...] Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:57:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281169 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281169 So at the beginning of the season, I was referring to the Boston Celtics as the NBA Champion Boston Celtics, not because I believed they were going to win the championship, but because just about every media outlet had them as the champion before the season had even started. Needless to say, I proved once again why I don't work at any of those major media outlets as a sports writer, but that being said, I still believe that if the Pistons had been healthy (Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups), they would have taken the Celtics. Anyway, I'm not upset that the Celtics won, I'm always happy when the champ comes from the East, I'm just still not completely convinced that they were the best team this year. It doesn't really matter, because they are the team holding the trophy (which could be the ugliest trophy in sports). One of the things that I hope will FINALLY be put to bed is all of the Kobe-Jordan comparisons. The Celtics shut Kobe down a lot easier than I thought was possible, to the point where you didn't even notice when Kobe was on the floor. It didn't matter who was on him, he got shut down repeatedly. Even when he started to look like he was going to put things together, Doc Rivers made the appropriate switches to shut him back down. The thing about Jordan was that he had a good supporting cast, but when his teammates weren't pulling their weight, he would simply take things over by himself. When Phil Jackson was interviewed during one halftime, he was asked about Kobe's performance and he said that they were going to need Kobe to carry them in the second half. We just didn't see that. Now whether that it completely attributed to the Celtics D is up for debate, but whether it was the D, Kobe just having some bad games or a combination of both, Kobe just didn't do what he was supposed to do: lead his team. Maybe Shaq was right, Kobe can't win without him. As far as coaching goes, we saw Doc go between using his D to fight through pick and rolls and subsequently switch on them, we saw his team get rough with Kobe when they had to and we saw them just simply outmuscle guys (hello? Gasol) inside. Through the sounds of the NBA, we were able to listen to Doc give talks during timeouts that were more inspirational than strategic, while others were completely X's and O's. You have to love the fact that when the Celtics were being routed early in games, Doc used his timeouts wisely, not so much to stop the bleeding, but to keep his team's focus. So with all of the talk that we always hear from various media outlets about Phil Jackson being a genius, I have to be the soundboard for the collective WTF? How do you blow those kinds of leads in the NBA Finals? THE FINALS! I mean, those blown leads were Raptoresque. Even Sam Mitchell was sitting back in his chair saying, "Wow, that guy should be fired." Why were the Lakers jacking the ball up so much when they had those big leads? Why were they not using the clock? Why didn't Phil call some timeouts and ask his team what they were doing shooting early in the clock? Why in God's name could he not see that Radmanovic was being outplayed on both ends of the court on a consistent basis? I mean, sure, Radmanovic is known as one of those players who can win the game for either team, but in the series, he was only killing the Lakers. His consistent playing time was mind boggling. On a final note, I have to say that I was hoping that anybody other than Paul Pierce was going to win the MVP. His exit and subsequent return from his life-threatening knee injury was embarrassing. This was on the "drunk uncle singing at the wedding" level. Seeing him carried off and then come back in a few minutes was so brutal, I thought he should have played the rest of the game in a Del Piero jersey (go Spain!). To then see him running up and down the court, hitting threes and jumping up and down on the sidelines made me sick. Somewhere Tim Donaghy was saying, "What has the NBA come to?" Oh well, now on to the draft season. Raptors should be busy… Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:02:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280781 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280781 1. In the post game coverage, right after the game was over, KG was yelling and started to fall back and Leon Powe was behind him and wrapped his arms around him and said, "I got you KG, I got you." That just seemed to summarize the season. The players all had each others backs all season. 2. In the final minutes of the game, Perk was standing on the sidelines holding his son. It was such a great moment to be able to share with his son. In years to come, they both will be able to look back on that as very special. 3. Along the same lines, it was great to see Ray Allen holding his son Walker during the celebration. Ray's performance in the final 2 games was even more special knowing that his son's illness was on his mind. Red always stressed that the Celtics were a family and loved it when they had their kids and families around. Red would have loved seeing these Celtics celebrating with their children. 4. It was great when Paul Pierce dumped the Gatorade over Doc. That is the first time an NBA coach was drenched with Gatorade after winning a championship. This team went against the grain all season so it was fitting that even in victory they were continuing to do things their own way. 5. KG hugging Bill Russell and telling him that he could keep his ring because now he had his own. The relationship between these two has been great and the videos with them chatting were enough to give you goosebumps. They have a genuine respect for each other and that embrace was very special. 6.KG kissing the floor during the celebration. Playing for the Celtics used to be something special. Players were proud to be Celtics before the lean years hit. For many years, players didn't want to come to Boston and the Celtic Pride of old was missing. But, this year the pride was back. KG mentioned several times that it was a privilege and responsibility to putting on a Celtics uniform. When he kissed the floor, you could see that it meant a lot to him to have won the title as a Celtic. 7. In the 4th quarter, there was a play where Gasol was trying to back down PJ Brown to get to the hoop. PJ just moved away and pulled the chair out from under Gasol who fell to the floor. It just looked so funny with Gasol sitting on the floor wondering what happened. PJ Brown was such a great pick up for the Celtics. I don't think anyone, even PJ, thought he would play that many minutes or be that important to the Championship drive. 8. Watching Ray Allen hit a record 7 threes in game 6. Ray's shot is a thing of beauty. In the first two rounds, Ray was almost given up for dead but in the Finals, he was huge. I don't know if it took him that long to finally find his place on the team since he had to change his game more than anyone to fit in, but whatever it was, it kicked in just in time. His performance in game 6 was one for the ages especially with all he had been through in the previous 48 hours. 9. Keeping Phil Jackson from passing Red in the number of championships won, beating the Lakers and beating Kobe Bryant. These are 3 of my least favorites in the NBA. I really dislike Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers and winning this championship was even sweeter because we got to beat all three. And, it was even better to blow them out in game 6 so as to completely crush them, leaving no doubt who was the better team. 10. Seeing the depressed look on Sasha Vujacic and the rest of the Lakers after the game. Sasha Vujacic was probably the most irritating player in the series, even more so than Kobe. He whined about everything and flopped all over the place. He played dirty in trying to use a scissor move to trip up Ray and then whined in the press that the Celtics were playing too rough. Seeing him so depressed brought a perverse sense of satisfaction. Bonus Moment: When David Stern was booed at the trophy presentation ceremony. This man has done all he can to keep the Boston franchise down. I still remember, and I am sure most Celtics fans do also, David Stern refusing the Celtics any cap relief from Reggie's salary after the Captain's tragic death. Most of us also feel that he had something to do with the Celtics losing the lottery in '95 and '07 (although we should probably send him a thank you note for '07). And then there was the fine on Pierce for the so called gang sign. And most of us hate his heavy handed Napoleonic leadership of the league and the fact that HIS referees can't be questioned and most are incompetent or on the take. Stern hasn't done much to win the favor of Celtics fans over the years and they let him know it. Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:17:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280762 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280762 After Ty Lawson decided to pull out of the NBA Draft, within hours of the expected deadline, the Denver Nuggets must now turn their attention elsewhere in hopes of finding the right player in the draft. Luckily, for the Nuggets, they have a few to choose from. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:10:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280673 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280673 For those of you not familiar with the trade that took away the Lakers' first round pick, I'll bring you up to date. Pau Gasol certainly provided his new team with many great games this past year, but probably not at the price that was paid for him. www.rawsportsblog.com Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:06:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280485 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280485