Yardbarker: Saer Sene

The View From Section 214, Plus Rantdumb Thoughts

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:41:56 -0500

Joe Kleine (right) is joined by three other guys. In 1988, your Sacramento Kings embarked on what would be eight straight seasons of fewer than 30 wins per (or eight straight seasons of more than 50 losses per, if you’re a real masochist). They sucked, but they were ours. It was the best of times (to that point in time); it was the worst of times. During this period, Kings fans (like all creatures of survival), adapted to their environment. Draft night ruled. No, not col...

Five Conclusions From the Audi Cup

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:33:07 -0500

The Audi Cup is over. Bayern and Man Utd played out the final while Boca and Milan competed for third place. The team which suffered the worst defeat was AC Milan. This is what happened: Man Utd 2-1 Boca Goals from Anderson and Antonio Valencia sent Man Utd into the break with a 2-0 lead. After the break, Insua got one back, but it was too little too late for Boca. Bayern 4-1 AC Milan This match was a one-sided affair with Bayern proving that they are strong enough to fend off any oppo...

Draft Day Advice

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:27:02 -0500

Pick guys who can play today. Upside? We don't need no stinkin upside! If the only good things you hear about a potential draftee is that he has tremendous upside, run away. Fast. Kwame Brown had upside. So did Darko Millicic, Mahmoud Saer Sene, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, and a host of others. none of them panned out. Yes, drafting is about projecting the future off of potential, but there are some players who clearly have some skills already and can contribute from day one, whil...

S-Rod rumor emerges from Spain (UPDATED)

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:16:58 -0500

I'm always wary of some of these reports from some European media outlets....What we have is this story from Eurosport Yahoo! that says, loosely translated, the Knicks already have a deal in place to acquire guard Sergio Rodriguez from the Trail Blazers on draft night. The story doesn't explain any detail of the deal and is mainly about how Rodriguez, who we know is unhappy with his role in Portland, would love to play in New York. What we don't know is how he gets here with a contract that has one year left at $1.8M (perfect for the Knicks short-term, cost-effective goals) before he becomes a restricted free agent. Updated 4:06 p.m. - After a few calls this afternoon we can say this report is inaccurate. There has been interest in Rodriguez throughout the season, but as far as there being a deal in place? No. Is Rodriguez available? Yes. Are the Knicks interested? Depends. Clearly, if this is remotely accurate, there will be other principles in the deal. We know the Knicks have had their eye on Rodriguez all season and have had discussions with Portland about him and Travis Outlaw (going in to his final year at $4M). Those talks involved David Lee, but Lee can not be traded on draft night. Could this involve a move out of the No. 8 spot? Portland has a plethora of picks, from No. 24 in the first round to No. 33, 55 and 56 in the second round. There has been talk that the Blazers are very high on Stephen Curry. Still, the Knicks can't take on salary without giving some up. There is no one-for-one salary match, but perhaps the Knicks could send two of their 10-day guys (Saer Sene and Joe Crawford, for example) as fillers. Both were signed through the end of this season with a partial guarantee for next season just for these purposes. As far as moving the pick, I find it hard to believe they would have already agreed to something like this before seeing any of the prospects in the individual workouts, which start tomorrow. Remember, there was a ton of talk about the Knicks and Danilo Gallinari right after the lottery last year and the Knicks weren't really that high on him. But then he came in and shot the lights out in his workout and really blew Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni away with his skills. It's up to Curry, or perhaps someone else, to do the same. * - The Boston Globe this weekend cited an NBA executive who said Donnie Walsh was already shopping David Lee as a sign-and-trade. Nothing really earth-shattering there. While we maintain that Lee is more likely to stay, it doesn't mean Walsh shouldn't test the market to see what might become available to him with Lee as as asset. But anyone who thinks the Knicks dump David and keep Nate are misguided, especially if the above item on Rodriguez has any merit to it. I believe both are being shopped to see what kind of value can be had. * - As for the talk about Marcin Gortat....seriously, I can not see them giving up the valuable mid-level exception for Marcin Gortat. Sure, there is interest and the Knicks like what he can do, just like a lot of teams do. But some guys are what they are and Gortat, I believe, is a backup center and, therefore, exactly where he should be. That money can be better spent elsewhere. * - As for a great deal of the rumors you see online, let us give you another taste of perspective by offering this link from DallasBasketball.com regarding the Rajon Rondo/Ray Allen/Amare Stoudemire trade rumors. When reading your gossip online, always proceed with caution. Photo credit: NBA.com

Blazers 98, Raptors 97 Re-Thoughts

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:33:11 -0500

Say it with me: 4-1 Feels good don't it. It;s like Shake N Bake you could say it a million time sand it would never get old. The Blazers wrapped up a wildly successful road trip with another tough and gritty win in Toronto. It's not pretty but it's effective. Like I stated earlier during this ...

FIO Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:44:49 -0500

2008-2009 Oklahoma City Thunder season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest. - Zach Harper Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly The mantra in show business is to always leave the audience wanting more. Well, Clay Bennett and his Okie Cronies left the city of Seattle wanting anything and everything. In what ended up being the final season in the great basketball city of S...

The Best and Worst of the NBA Draft

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:42:21 -0500

With the draft fast approaching, many fans are wondering what caliber player they can pick up at their slot. Well, I've compiled a list of 1-30, of the best, and worst picks since 2000. 1. Best: LeBron James Worst: Kwame Brown Kwame Brown is a case-study in dealing with players with fragile mental states. He looked dominant in every pre-draft event I saw, and I didn't disagree with taking him #1. Then Michael Jordan and Doug Collins forced him into the fetal position for several...

Robert Swift: Renaissance Man or Tatoo Addiction?

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:47:42 -0500

Seattle Supersonics 7'1 center Robert Swift was the 12th pick out of Bakersfield High School in the 2004 NBA draft. However, Swift is probably best known for being the first of Seattle's three-year center odyssey (04'-06') that produced the aforementioned Swift, Johan Petro in 05', and lastly, Mouhamed Sene in 06' (Taken mysteriously over Duke shooting phenomenon J.J. Redick). Anyway, I caught the October 18, 2007 Sonics-Lakers Pre-Season match up on television and during the game--out of nowhere--came a guy wearing Robert Swift's jersey. Could it really be Swift sporting really long hair that would have put the locks of LA Clippers center Chris Kaman and 2-time MVP Steve Nash to shame? How about that array of tattoos...was it possible? Turns out it was. In a Seattle Times article dated October 9, 2006, Swift shares that his tattoos describe him best "without ever having to say a word." And did he ever. The Seattle Times added: Robert Swift developed a love affair with tattoos during his rookie year and admittedly, he's addicted. By his count, he has 15, which decorate his back, torso, arms and legs. It's difficult to know for certain how many he has because a few of the intricate designs are intertwined and some are in varying stages of being complete. "The easier way to say it is, overall I've gotten about 40 to 43 hours of work," Swift said. And he's not done. This article was written prior to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury that cut Swift's season short last year. I wonder how many more he's had done since that time? He did have a lot of "hours" to work with in between his injury and rehabilitation... In any event, what if Swift wakes up one day and changes his mind about all tattoos? Just a random thought.

Kobe slowing down, RIP Red.

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 23:10:12 -0500

Kobe Bryant is struggling to return after surgery on his knee. Is #24's career beginning to slow down as the era of LeBron and Dwyane takes the front stage? Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Kobe are all becoming high-flyers of the past as the new face of the league develops. Thoughts?