A LEGEND IS BORN III

[The X]

I'd say 3, Durant, Tyson & Bogie

[Fresh8]

Bogut is having an All-Star worthy season, but i don't think he'll make it due to the West having so many All-Star caliber centers. Be funny if the old man Kidd makes it though

Nice game, but i sense more fighting within as a result of this win

Old Man Kidd is third amongst Western Conference PGs in All-Star voting now.

[shadowgrin]

Durant, Tyson, and Kidd.

[Fresh8]

Memphis Grizzlies Add NBA Veteran Billups

January 6, 2013

MEMPHIS (AP) – The Memphis Grizzlies were able to add 1-time NBA champion Chauncey Billups in a move that should bolster their chances of making the playoffs after their recent slide in form. The 36 year old Billups is a 5-time NBA All-Star and has averaged 15.7 ppg, 6.1 apg, 1.3 spg this season.

The 1997 third pick is in the final year of his contract and will be expected to play behind TJ Ford on the bench. The veteran guard claims that he has no qualms with that after seeking a trade to a contender from the Houston Rockets, “I’m happy to come and play in Memphis. I get to play with a talented young squad with OJ Mayo, TJ (Ford), Martti Must, Emeka (Okafor) and Caron (Butler). I feel that I still have a bit to contribute in my career.”

Head Coach Gary Payton welcomed the move in a press conference, “I am glad that our front office has added Chauncey to our team roster. He is a professional and a great leader on and off the court.” The Grizzlies sent the Rockets PF Tyus Thomas and a future second round draft pick. Thomas, the 2004 number four pick, is averaging career high marks of 8.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg this season.

Read More…

- - -

Hornets Add Talented Swingman

January 14, 2013

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The Chris Paul trade rumors can be put on hold as the Hornets responded to their star player’s wishes to be traded to a contender. The Hornets traded Peja Stojakovic and a future first round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Mark Moore and Christopher Blake.

15 year pro Stojakovic is in the second last year of a big contract. The Serbian is averaging 11.7 ppg this season and has career averages of 16.7 ppg and shooting marks of .465 FG%, .429 3PT% and .901 FT%.

Moore was the 9th pick in the 2009 Draft and has been impressively durable; having not missed a single game since making his debut in 2009. This season, he is averaging career high marks of 19.7 ppg and 5.2 apg. The New Zealand international has also improved his shooting accuracy to .477 FG%, .450 3PT% and .858 FT%. Blake, thrown in to match salaries, has been disappointing. The 8th pick of the 2011 Draft is averaging 1.8 ppg and 2.1 rpg.

The cap space and draft pick were big incentives for the Bobcats, who have seemed to have reached a ceiling with their current squad. “It was time for change,” President of Player Operations Michael Jordan stated, “Mark (Moore) was one of my best players in my time in charge here. It’s sad to see him leave.” Jordan has had a number of ‘flops’ as draft picks during his front office career including: Kwame Brown, Adam Morrison, Shaun Skinner and Blake.

The Hornets now acquire a versatile guard who puts the team first. It will be interesting to see how Moore fits in and whether he will take over Martell Webster’s or Julian Wright’s starting spot. It is no doubt that Moore, a fringe All-Star, will boost the likelihood of Chris Paul wanting to stay in New Orleans.

Read More…

[Mark.]

Boom! Thats what im talking about, hope I can keep CP3 in NOLA. Didn't realise I was shooting so well this season either, what a player!

[Fresh8]

Boom! Thats what im talking about, hope I can keep CP3 in NOLA. Didn't realise I was shooting so well this season either, what a player!

Yeah man, I think you will give the Hornets a big boost to their championship aspirations!

[Fresh8]

Chapter 6

Andrew Watson knocked down the wide open three pointer and the Rockets home crowd was in a wild raucous. Watson turned and clenched his right fist in celebration. The Rockets were up by 10 points with less than 3 minutes left in the game. The Seattle Stealth bench were silent on the sidelines as Sit called a timeout. Yao Ming was high fiving his teammates as the Stealth players lumbered towards the bench.
Sit threw his clipboard aside and yelled, “This is disgraceful! All of you! Every single one of you. We’re losing to the worst team in the NBA.”
Sit then loosened his tie and motioned for everyone to get in a little closer, “We’re going back out there and we’re giving it all we’ve got. We don’t stop playing until the final whistle.”
The players all nodded and Sit sent them back out onto the floor. Earlier, his team had battled from double digits down to make it a 1 point ball game but they never looked like they would win this one. The lead ballooned out to double digits again and Sit knew that his team was going to drop this game. It was a shame; the team could have stayed on par with the Sacramento Kings. Durant went back on with winning on his mind and he converted several tough buckets in the closing minutes but it wasn’t enough as the Rockets simply outplayed the Stealth. Sit watched helplessly as Yao Ming grabbed the offensive board and slammed the second chance points home. Nene would block David Lee and Andrew Bogut shot attempts down the stretch, and rookie and second overall pick Ndiaye came up with two quality steals. The first overall pick Jao Wu was fuming that Coach Sit had opted to go with Kidd in the fourth quarter despite a positive showing.
“I should be on their to stop that guy,” Wu complained to Senso Rancati, referring to Ndiaye.
Rancati, dressed in a suit, agreed, “I don’t know how they do things around here.”
As the buzzer sounded, Durant had both hands on his hips and Ty had a hand on his forehead as he shook his head. Kidd walked off the court without saying anything and Sit remained glued to the bench. It was a stark contrast to the Houston Rockets who were celebrating their biggest win of the season. The struggling team had just traded away Chauncey Billups and they received encouraging performances from their new starter Louis Williams and an energised Ndiaye.
Cheryl Miller was asking Yao Ming, “Yao, you guys pulled it together. What’s it like to see this kind of performance a few days after seeing Chauncey get traded?”
“It’s nice we played hard. We need to play like this in every game,” Ming was diplomatic, “I hope that Chauncey has good luck with the Memphis Grizzlies.”
“You played a great game tonight,” Miller stated, “You beat one of the best teams in the NBA. Does this make you feel confident about your team going into the second half of the season?”
“We showed that we are a good team tonight. I think that we are better than our record.”
Miller thanked Yao, “Good luck for the rest of the season Yao. Back to you guys in the studio.”

* * *

Head Coach Will Sit sat in the general manager’s office, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. Days removed from the Durant-Tyson bust up; he had been invited to discuss the state of his roster. Sit had heard that many in the organisation had broken ranks and word had slowly reached the top about his two star players trading fists in the change room. He had given much thought as to whether he would confirm the incident to the GM. Sit turned around as the door opened and he was surprised to see that the GM had sent his assistant Sam to meet with him.
“Where’s your boss?” Sit asked her, he hated Sam.
“It’s nice to see you too William,” Sue returned the ill feeling, “Looks like you finally got rid of that ridiculous haircut.”
Sit rolled his eyes and spun back to face the wall in his chair, “Let’s get on with it.”
Sam sat down, “I agree, I can’t wait to get out of this meeting.”
“So...”
Sam stopped him, “Hold on, I’m running this meeting.”
Sit was shaking his head.
“The front office and the board isn’t happy with David Lee’s performance so this is pretty much a heads up that he might be dealt soon. What we are concerned about is who we can bring back in so do you have that shortlist that we asked for?”
Sit pulled out his notepad, “I talked to George about this. We got Elton Brand, Chris Bosh and Leo Chase. Those guys are the guys I think would fit in well with the current squad we’ve got on the floor.”
All three players made a lot of sense to Sit. Brand was a veteran and former All-Star who would be an easy catch if the team did a straight up swap for Lee. Brand’s game fit in better with the direction that Sit wanted to go with Kidd running the team in more of a half court game. Chris Bosh, on the other hand, would give the Stealth a low post scoring threat that they had never had. As good as Andrew Bogut was, Bosh would give them a much better scorer. Sit was hesitant about this choice and how it would affect the team dynamics. Leo Chase was an intriguing proposition as he would give the team a devoted defensive presence. Chase was an athletic freak who had been on Sit’s radar ever since he had entered the league.
Sue wrote down the names, “The top dogs want to know who you see as a player who cannot be traded?”
Sit was torn between Durant and Ty. Durant was the face of the franchise and one of the NBA’s best players. Ty was the up and comer and looking destined to be an exciting scorer for years to come. Sit wanted both players to be around but he had been disappointed enough due to recent events.
“I really can’t say that anyone on the team is not untouchable,” Sit smiled, “That’s up to the front office.”
Sam didn’t look convinced, “We’ve heard a rumour that Kevin Durant and Reshawn Tyson had an altercation last week. If one of them was a shoe-in to stay, who would it be?”
Sit defended his two players, “All that rumour was, was just that – a rumour. And if one of them had to leave, I couldn’t choose so don’t ask me to. They both fit in my game plan and fit in my future plans moving ahead.”
Sam nodded, “So you want me to go back and tell everyone that you’re happy with whatever happens?”
Sit shook his head, “If I had it my way, I’d be your boss and I’d be calling all the shots. If that trade that I heard about yesterday was to go through, don’t you worry about me staying calm because it’s not happening.”
He thought about the memo he got in his inbox and how he had scoffed at the idea of the deal going ahead.
“We thought it would be a beneficial move for us,” Sam stated, “Think about the marketing and the publicity.”
Sit interjected, “We made the Western Conference Finals last season, anything short of a return to that stage will be a failure for the team this year. We don’t make moves to sell tickets, we win games to sell tickets. This isn’t Los Angeles or New York, we are in Seattle!”
Sam continued to defend the trade proposition, “You will get the results on the court too.”
Sit laughed, “You’re kidding me? Do you guys even watch basketball. You’re going to blow up this team if you go ahead with that deal!”
Sam leaned back in the chair, “Well, we do get the final word.”
“Then I will brew up a storm. I want everything to go through me before anything goes through,” Sit demanded.
“But we are bringing to your attention now,” Sam said.
“Well, I need to see that everything I say gets to the right people,” Sit replied.
“Everyone knows how you are thinking,” Sam told Sit, “Face it. You focus on your coaching and we will focus on the managing. You got to use what you are given.”
“And that’s why I’m angry!” Sit shouted, “Because I should have a say in what talent I am given.”
Sit jumped out of his seat and slammed both fists onto the table. It made Sam jolt.
“All of you should be respecting what I am saying! I built this bloody roster and you are threatening to tear it apart.”
Sam tried to remain calm, “Matter of the fact is that we have pulled a lot of favours for you coach. How else did Rasheed Wallace get a paid position on your coaching staff? You know that everyone hates him. All the things we have done for you and you still act like an immature and arrogant prick. Can you just please calm down and let us do our job?”
“I want to speak to your boss!”
“Well, he doesn’t want to speak to you. I suggest that you leave this office.”
Sit knew that he couldn’t do anything else and he got up to leave. He was angry but he knew he had stepped over the line. However, his job was safe for as long as Seattle remained at the top of the Western Conference. As Sit was about to walk out the door, he heard Sam say one last thing to him.
“You better watch what you say and do because your contract could be ripped up...”
Sam snapped his fingers, “... just like that.”

* * *

“How many times do I have to tell you?” Sit asked over the phone.
“Sure, sure,” he said as he held the phone with his left hand and impatiently played with his pen in his right, “Tell him that the coaching staff are not happy with the proposal.”
George Karl and Rasheed Wallace watched on as Sit grew frustrated, “Well, I can’t override them up there. Why are they even asking for my bloody opinion?”
Sit looked up at Karl and shook his head as he continued to talk to his old secretary, “I’m not angry at you! Calm down. Jesus! Just tell them we don’t give a shit anymore. They can do whatever they want.”
He hung up and took a deep breath.
“So?” Karl asked him.
“They’re trying to fuck us over.”
“Come on, he’s not that bad of a player.”
“I know but I just don’t think he fits in with the team.”
Karl understood, “We will just have to help him fit in.”
“It’s all purely sceptical though,” Sit said.
“I know,” Karl stated, “That’s why you shouldn’t get so worked up about it.”
“This is really all about selling tickets. This team has gone so far, we are just one step away from the NBA Finals. This trade is taking a step backwards.”
“Well, at least you know how I felt when you traded for Rasheed,” Karl chuckled.
Sheed was suddenly alert, “What?”
Sit and Karl both laughed as Sheed jumped out of his seat and hopped around with his arms in the air, “Mr Top 50 don’t get dissed like this!”
Sheed was out of the room before anyone knew it.
“Don’t worry too much about everything,” Karl advised Sit, “This is all part of the business. We’ve done all that we can and we just have to let those guys up there do their jobs.”

[Martti.]

You want some asses in them seats, put Rasheed back out there.

[Lamrock]

Looking forward to seeing what the trade was. Hopefully you get Darko.

[kibaxx7]

Great read man. Can't wait to see who you acquired.

[Fresh8]

Kings: Al Jefferson Is A Trade Target

January 8, 2013

SACRAMENTO (AP) – Sources have indicated that the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Al Jefferson is a trade target for the league leading Sacramento Kings. It is expected that a deal for Jefferson would be a coup for the best team in the NBA. The Kings are in serious discussions with the Wolves about a potential swap.

It is unclear as to what the Wolves would receive in return for the All-Star calibre forward but it has been suggested that trade talks may stall with the reluctance of the Kings to deal second leading scorer Kevin Martin. The Kings believe that a straight up swap of Jefferson for Martin would not be justified by Martin’s talent and the fact that his contract expires at the end of the season. Due to the size of Jefferson’s contract, the only other player that the Kings could offer the Wolves is sharpshooter and sixth man Michael Redd.

If trade talks do get held up, many believe that Sacramento’s rival Seattle Stealth are waiting in the wings to swoop in with an offer of David Lee and other players for Jefferson pending their offer to the Toronto Raptors for Chris Bosh.

Read More…

- - -

Jefferson And Bosh Real Possibilities For Seattle

January 10, 2013

SEATTLE (AP) – Kevin Durant has always called the Stealth ‘his team’ and it seems like the franchise is on track to put all of the trash talk to an end with two sensational moves that would surround Durant with All-Star talent and ship off players that he has had reportedly had conflict with in past years.

The Stealth have tendered two offers to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors and sources indicate that both teams are thinking hard about them. The Stealth are said to be offering David Lee, Mingyu Li and a draft pick for the Raptors’ All-Star PF Chris Bosh.

In a move that is said to be in clear contention with their rival Sacramento Kings’ bid for All-Star big man Al Jefferson, the Stealth have offered a package of players and draft picks that includes SG Reshawn Tyson as the centrepiece of a potential deal.

A source from the Stealth head office believes that the addition of both players is a real possibility and if the move were to go through, the Stealth would have a more than formidable front court with four All-Star players in Bosh, Jefferson, Durant and Andrew Bogut. It is expected that the team is trying to hold onto Trevor Ariza, Jason Kidd and Jao Wu, which would give them their best squad if the deals were to go through.

Read More…

[The X]

Luvin' the clenched fist pump

Bad loss though

[Martti.]

Give up Ty to get big Al? Don't do it.

[puttincomputers]

i would do the lee trade bu not the ty trade.
why not offer lee for jefferson?

[Fresh8]

Rockets Surprise Stealth To Reach Ninth Win
10 January, 2013
Preview | Box Score | Recap | Highlights



HOUSTON (AP) – Kevin Durant couldn’t believe his eyes. He didn’t want to either. His Seattle Stealth had just fallen to the worst team in the NBA and the rumors of locker room fallouts and a fragile link between the front office and coaching staff started to look like ‘more than only rumors’ – as one Western Conference scout put it.

The Rockets proved that they could win without veteran PG Chauncey Billups who was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Starting PG Louis Williams and second overall pick Ifeanyi Ndiaye both put in solid efforts to make fans forget that Billups was ever in town.

Williams scored 24 points to lead 5 other Rockets players in double figures: Yao Ming (20), Andrew Watson (16), Nidaye (15), Nene (11), and Danilo Gallinari (10). The Stealth were led by Durant’s 26 points and Reshawn Tyson’s 19 points but the team never looked like it was motivated to win the woeful Rockets who hold the worst record in the league for the season.

Ming was huge for the Rockets as he scored 10 points in the first quarter. Williams would score 22 of his 24 points in the second half to help propel his team to victory. The Rockets led for the whole game and by as much as 12 points midway through the third quarter. A Stealth scoring run brought the visiting side within 1 point at the commencement of the final quarter. However, Houston ran away with the victory in the fourth quarter.

A key turning point to the match was when Watson hit a key three pointer to put the home team ahead by 10 points with less than 3 minutes left. Later on, two Nene blocks, a steal from Ndiaye and a Louis Williams dunk were enough to seal the win for Houston.

Notes: Billups was traded to Memphis for Tyus Thomas and a draft pick. Thomas finished wiuth 6 points and 5 rebounds in his debut for Houston… The top two picks of the 2012 NBA Draft, Ndiaye and Stealth PG Jao Wu offered an impromptu scoring duel in the second quarter. Nidaye had 10 of his 12 first half points in the period compared to Wu’s 8 points. First pick Wu finished with 8 points and 5 assists while second pick Ndiaye finished with 15 points and 6 assists…

[kibaxx7]

Give more mins to Wu, man.

[Fresh8]

Give more mins to Wu, man.

He's got to earn them. J Kidd been playing well so hard to take minutes away from him.

[Fresh8]

2013 All-Star Game Starters Announced

January 20, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) – Moses Chara and LeBron James will lead the Western and Eastern Conference All-Star teams as each play topped their respective conferences in voting. Chara narrowly edged out James for the most votes out of any NBA player.

Joining Sacramento SF Chara will be Seattle C Andrew Bogut, Memphis PF Martti Must, Lakers SG Kobe Bryant and New Orleans PG Chris Paul.

James, the Cavs’ SF, will be joined by Boston PG Rajon Rondo, Miami SG Dwayne Wade, Toronto PF Chris Bosh and Orlando C Dwight Howard.

All-Star Weekend will be held in Sacramento.

Read More…

[Martti.]

I like the Western Conference chances.

And I chose Bogut over Kidd in my vote, so at least one of my picks is correct.

[Fresh8]

Andrew Bogut Leads Injured Stealth Over Grizzlies
26 January, 2013
Preview | Box Score | Recap | Highlights



SEATTLE (AP) – Newly announced Western Conference All-Star starter Andrew Bogut had the rare chance to outshine his more popular teammates as he tied a career high in blocks (7) and led the Seattle Stealth in scoring with 20 points whilst grabbing 12 rebounds. The Australian centre helped Seattle control the boards and that led to plenty of easy buckets for his teammates.

“Andrew was magnificent tonight,” Head Coach Will Sit gushed, “He showed some true class and why he deserves the starting berth in the All-Star Game for next month.” Sit was particularly pleased that his injury-ravened side was able to see off the Grizzlies, who are coached by his rival Gary Payton. “Anytime we beat him (Payton), I am a very happy man,” Sit laughed. Seattle is without Chris Wilcox while Reshawn Tyson managed just 12 points because of a strained hamstring. Things got worse as Jason Kidd twisted his ankle during the game (he still managed to put up 6 points, 13 assists, 2 steals).

Memphis struggled as TJ Ford needed 27 shots to get to 21 points. OJ Mayo didn’t fare much better as he needed 18 shots to score 18 points. Caron Butler was held to 9 points and sixth man Chauncey Billups was 2 for 11 from the field enroute to 6 points and 4 assists. Martti Must, also voted to start in the All-Star Game, was plain terrible as he suffered from foul trouble and finished with 2 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks on 1 for 5 shooting.

Notes: “Great defense,” Kevin Durant stated, “This is how we have to play every night.” Durant finished with a near triple-double: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists… The Grizzlies slipped further down the standings with this loss and face a real risk of going under .500 for the first time this season… Bogut was edged out by Orlando’s Dwight Howard for the most votes by a centre in All-Star voting… Jason Kidd brought his scoring average into double figures. His play of late has many buzzing about the chance that he could make the All-Star Game…

[shadowgrin]

Andrew Bogut had the rare chance to outshine his more popular teammates as he tied a career high in blocks (7) and led the Seattle Stealth in scoring with 20 points whilst grabbing 12 rebounds

sixth man Andrew Bogut was 2 for 11 from the field enroute to 6 points and 4 assists

The hell?

[Fresh8]

Andrew Bogut had the rare chance to outshine his more popular teammates as he tied a career high in blocks (7) and led the Seattle Stealth in scoring with 20 points whilst grabbing 12 rebounds

sixth man Andrew Bogut was 2 for 11 from the field enroute to 6 points and 4 assists

The hell?

Fixed. Thanks!

Only Chuck Norris could be on both teams at the same time!

[Houndy]

Andrew Bogut had the rare chance to outshine his more popular teammates as he tied a career high in blocks (7) and led the Seattle Stealth in scoring with 20 points whilst grabbing 12 rebounds

sixth man Andrew Bogut was 2 for 11 from the field enroute to 6 points and 4 assists

The hell?

I was about to say the same

[shadowgrin]

Chuck Norris doesn't need teams, unless you consider his beard, left and right foot as his teammates.

[Fresh8]

Chuck Norris doesn't need teams, unless you consider his beard, left and right foot as his teammates.

That's very true!