Yardbarker: Shaquille O`Neal

Gift wrapped for Brooklyn: The 2008-2009 New Jersey Nets

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:14:49 -0500

I have always been resistant to change. Even if I knew it was coming a mile away. Last February, I got the opportunity to see the Nets at their best for what turned out to be their last time together against a major opponent. And with the trade deadline looming, there were already some notable changes on their roster as the Nets shipped forward/center Jason Collins to Memphis for underachieving forward Stromile Swift. A few days later, team captain Jason Kidd followed suit when New Jersey sent him back to the very team that drafted him (Dallas Mavericks) for Devin Harris and other players. Change was coming. I just didn't know how fast. Nets Team President Rod Thorn and the rest of the Nets brain trust have been very busy this off-season. Having traded away their franchise's second all-time leading scorer—Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for China's Yi Jianlian and underachieving forward Bobby Simmons. The Nets also did very well for themselves in the 2008 NBA Draft after they bagged Stanford's 7'0'' center Brook Lopez at #10, 6'10'' forward Ryan Anderson at #21, and arguably the steal of the draft at #40—Memphis scoring guard-forward Chris "CDR" Douglas-Roberts. Rod Thorn didn't stop there as he also allowed forward Bostjan "Boki" Nachbar to sign with a Russian team and sent guard Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future lottery-protected 1st round pick. With that said, the only Nets left from last season's roster are Darrell Armstrong, Josh Boone, Nenad Krstic, Sean Williams, Vincent Lamar Carter and his $61.8 million dollar extension. Of those five players, only Boone, Williams, and Carter are certain to make the final roster. The New Jersey Nets have certainly positioned themselves well for the unrestricted free agent boon of 2010 that will feature the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr., Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Walter Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady, and for what it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal. This list can further increase if players who hold Early Termination Options (ETO) in their existing contracts decide to exercise them. They are Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler, Richard Jefferson, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki. If the Nets don't land LeBron James in 2010. They are not short on alternatives from the wealth of talent on that list. Kudos to the Nets brain trust on their foresight. Brooklyn may not only be getting a team two years from now. But a solid contender. Addendum: - DeSagana Diop and the Dallas Mavericks agreed on a five-year, $31 million deal (the team's full midlevel exception) last July 9, 2008. It will be Diop's second stint with the Mavericks after being a part of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris deal six months earlier - What exactly did the Nets get in the Marcus Williams deal? Fred Kerber of nypost.com shares that "if the Warriors are in the playoffs in 2011, the Nets get their first round pick. So it's lottery-protected in 2011. He adds "if the Nets are still waiting for the pick in 2012, they get G. State's first rounder, as long as it's not 1-through 11. If they're still waiting in 2013, they get the first rounder as long as it's not 1-through-10. But 2013 is the cutoff. If they haven't gotten the pick by then they get two second rounders, in 2013 and 2015." Sounds as shady as Marcus Camby being dealt for a 2nd round pick, if you know what I mean. - Lastly, at the age of 40, guard Darrell Armstrong won't be back with the Nets for the upcoming 2008-2009 NBA season.

Top Jokes From 2008 ESPY awards: A collective list

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:50:47 -0500

Great list of jokes that were made during the 2008 Espy awards. Pretty conclusive list by SamePageSports.com We hope you enjoy and if you see one that is missing please comment. Just a few listed here: -Right up front I'd just like to personally thank Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for all the cameras tonight and there are so many of them. - I heard this whole theater was built using Shaquille O'Neal's bricks. - There was all that talk about Kobe needing Shaq to win a championship. I couldn't help but notice that the Boston Celtics didn't need either of you. For a huge list of the jokes from the awards show click the link.

Keep Your Picks: Magic vs. Bucks (Round One, Game Thirteen)

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:34:33 -0500

Obviously, the Magic have some serious star power in Shaq, Dwight Howard and Mike Miller. However, it's tough to not like the lineup of Michael Redd, Dirk Nowitzki and Andrew Bogut that the Bucks sport. Look for one of the more competitive games in the Keep Your Picks playoff here, where either team could end up going far. Expert Picks: Pickard: Milwaukee Bucks Estimated Game Time: Monday July 21 (6 PM EST)

Shaq in a Raptors jersey?

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:13:34 -0500

I seriously could watch Shaq do nothing but sit down and I would be amused. That is probably why I enjoyed the video of "the Diesel" watching his son play in the 3rd Grade D1 National Boys Basketball Championship Tournament. What is up with the Raptors jersey? He must be a big Jamario Moon fan. And what can i say, Shaq does make "jorts" look good.

The State of the Sports World as of July 18, 2008

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:24:43 -0500

1. New York Knicks, save your money : And New York fans, save your heartbreak. I will make a prediction, a la Nostradamus. LeBron James will not become a Knick in 2010, even with an improved Knicks squad and franchise situation. Firstly, we all know that the Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed Daniel "Boobie" Gibson for five years. But perhaps more tellingly, LeBron James is reinforcing his Ohio roots by sponsoring his hometown university Akron's basketball program. The Cavs must still make some more power moves, as vets Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak probably won't be around by the time the Cavs are good enough to make it back to the Finals, but I see the above actions as signs that both LeBron and the Cavs are serious about each other. I say it's time for the Knicks to concentrate on developing their young nucleus of Danilo Gallinari, Renaldo Balkman, David Lee and Nate Robinson for long-term success. 2. Guerrillas in the Midst : The 21st Century is the Guerrilla Century. Whoever is street smart wins. Whoever uses guile wins. Throw big weapons and pompousness out the window. You all know about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's intention to crack down on players flashing "gang signs" in the NFL. Good Boy has Good Intentions, but to that, I say "Good Luck!" There very well may be crypto-gangbangers in the NFL, but chances are, if they are indeed flashing gang signs, as the NFL alleges, they are just influenced by culture of their neighborhoods and communities. By trying to crack down on something that is not even clear, the NFL very well has a chance of stirring the pot a little too much and having the players, who care too much about touchdowns, money and girls to give a damn about Gooddell, turn against him. I suggest that the hard-talking Roger Goodell move from whatever place he's living in right now to the South Bronx until the end of his term. 3. It's still Shaq's World : After he dropped his classic diss of Kobe, everyone has been biting Shaquille O'Neal. First it was New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora freestyling about Tom Brady, demanding that Brady tell him how his ring tastes. The most recent uncleared sampling of Shaq's format was done by MMA fighter Andrei Arlovski, who wanted to know how his "pee pee pee" tasted to Tim Sylvia, when asked by MMA Rated about the rumored relationship between Sylvia and his ex-girl Patrycja Mikula. There aren't many innovators in the world, period, and there are especially less innovators in the conservative and exclusive world of sports. Shaq is the true innovator of his generation; Rampage looked like he could play the part with his explosive moves in the cage and outrageous humor outside, but his meltdown proved he is no Shaq - Shaq won championships even though his free-throw shooting and fitness weren't exactly optimal. This time, Shaq should put Osi and Arlovski in their place by dropping a diss EP.

My Favorite NBA Players, Past and Current

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:50:34 -0500

This is my list of favorite NBA players. This is basically none statistical, it's just who I like to watch play and who I like to follow. Ranked from my favorite to last. Hope you like!

Ok now the Clippers spent some money, they cant possibly sign Iggy

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:09:10 -0500

Ok... so the Clippers got a Elton Brand replacement... yeah right... But they did manage to pick up Marcus Camby for only a 2nd rd pick. So Iggy just sign the doggon extention so we can move on!!! Nobody worth anything can sign you... you can not and will not have the career that you have in Philly any where else... so hurry up and sign!!!

Offer Made To Lue?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:38:41 -0500

The Arizona Republic is reporting: (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/2008/07/14/20080714suns0715.html) The main competition for Lue remains Boston, which also is believed to be offering a one-year veteran minimum deal worth $1.26 million. Suns center Shaquille O'Neal has called Lue, his friend and former teammate, to make a recruiting pitch, but Lue also is longtime friends with Boston star Kevin Garnett. Lue stays at Garnett's Malibu home each summer for workouts. The Suns made Lue their top free-agency target. They have a payroll limitation to offer only a minimum deal. I'm not sure if a formal offer was made or if the Celtics just made it be known that they are interested in Lue at the league minimum, but there seems to be legit interest by the Celtics. Of course, Lue seems to have an odd way of going about this stuff. He's acting like he's being recruited by colleges and all he has to do is pick one. In fact, he seemed to pick the Heat the other day, even scheduling a physical on Monday. The only problem: Miami wasn't ready to give him a contract. I can see why he would want to go to Miami where there's little competition in...

Welcome To Philly Elton Brand

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:38:16 -0500

This is old news already, but I would like to welcome Elton Brand to Philadelphia. I was a little worried about Brand coming back from the Achilles injury, but the Sixers obviously were not. Brand is only one of 4 active players who average a double double for their career. The other 3 are Shaquille O'neal, [...]

Clippers to pursue Iguodala?

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:52:29 -0500

Could the Clippers be pursuing Iguodala? They could offer him the $12 mil that they were supposed to offer Elton Brand. But my question is... Why would Iggy wanna play for the Clippers? Didnt he turn down a $57 mil deal that wouldda paid him about the same thing? If he accepts an offer elsewhere... I say that we should look for a sign in trade... How about Iggy for Artest? I like that one... He wants to get outta Sac...This is the last year of his contract... We can sign him for less than the max next year... He would probably sign an extention today...and he is looking to clean up his image... what better place than in the city of brotherly love??? Then the line up will me.... Andre Miller... Willie Green... Ron Artest... Elton Brand And Sammy.... With the bench being.... Thad Young... Speights... Lou will... Reggie Evans...and Jason Smith????? Whaddayathink???

The Tender Moments of Shaq and Kobe

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:13:23 -0500

Where there is love, There is hate. And where there is hate, There is love.

Shaq Rap with Lyrics.

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:40:49 -0500

LYRICS: Check it, You know how I be Last week Kobe couldn't do without me Ya know how I be Last Week Kobe couldn't do without me I call myself big but I'm not as good as Biggie I call myself big cuz I live next to Diddy Excuse me, Diddy live next to me, so in the hood dawg I feel like B-I-G Cuz if Biggie was still here, he would be right there, on star island in a mansion somewhere chillin sitting on about half a billion, cuz me and gunz can buy sh** that's half a billion Forreal dawg now that's B-I-G, there aint nobody in the world do it bigger than me That's like a white boy trying to be more n**** than me That's like a homeless cat having more figures than me That's like Patrick Ewing having more rings than me That's like rappers having..cars (inaudible)things than me That's ...like you saying to yourself you better than me That's like Kareem saying to himself he better than me Now stop, think about that, it aint about that, its about B-I-G AKA Shaq Now that's the difference between first and last place, Chorus: Kobe, N****, Tell me how my azz taste Okay, Kobe, Tell me how my azz taste Okay, Everybody, Kobe Tell me how my azz taste I'm a horse, Kobe rat-ed me out, that's why I'm getting divorced He said Shaq gave a b**** a Mil, I don't do that cause my name Shaquille I love em, I don't leave em' I got a vasectomy, now I can't breed them Chorus: Kobe How my azz taste Everybody, Kobe how my azz taste Yeah, you can't do without me Kobe, You can't do without me (repeat 2 times) Everybody, Kobe, Tell how my azz taste (Collective) Yeah....

'Shaq' jumps over an Escalade

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:09:04 -0500

First Kobe jumps over an Aston Martin, now Shaq jumps over an Escalade. Man, these two can't help but try and one-up each other. Hey, Shaq, tell me how my gas tastes!

Shaq jumps over an Escalade

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:14:52 -0500

In a funny short parodying the Kobe Bryant jumping over an Aston Martin video, a couple of guys pretend to be Shaq and Steve Nash leaping over an Escalade. Very funny!

Hilarious NBA Player Licenseplates

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:00:02 -0500

Well, it's Summer…and you know what that means. Road trip!! 0signal and I set off on our never ending quest to provide the best NBA coverage on the web, with a lot of T&A mixed in between. Check out many of the vanity license plates we saw from our NBA City Tour… You'll need to follow the link to check out the plates as they don't paste well... But it's well worth your time... http://www.ebsports.net/blog/?page_id=724