Hov's Kings - Retired

[Lamrock]

The decade ended last year, but that was an awesome article. Great work.

[Houndy]

Shit man, I loved the recap. Helluva job.

[Axel The Great]

Haven't tuned in too much to this "D", as you like to call it hova-. Excellent job with the decade article , can't deny that I loved the championship-years Spurs. They're in top form irl too. I'm following.

[john26]

VC wasn't as successful as the others, but he was maybe the most amazing player to watch and don't forget about the 2000 dunk contest.

This is just awesome. Great job putting all these together

[hova-]

Lamrock, you're right on that one. But I needed a reason to post this

Houndy, thanks, man. Good to see you checking in. Oh and good to see the Mavs on a 8game winning streak.

Axel., thank you. Yeah these Spurs were pretty cool. The TD pic is maybe the most realistic if you ask me. Beautiful hook over Kenyon Martin. Thx for following

john26, thank you. The VC pic was the first one I took and actually it looked so good that I thought about a photo series.

[Valor]

The decade ended last year, but that was an awesome article. Great work.

That, and awesome effects on the pictures man

[Mandich]

Great job with the update, I'm loving it !

[hova-]

Sonics need double OT, beat Cats in dramatic fashion


It took the Sonics two game-tying buzzer beaters to come away with the victory vs Charlotte.



SEATTLE, JANUARY 25th (AP) - Seattle has four players scoring over twenty points in a close OT win vs the Bobcats.

The Seattle Supersonics really have a sense for special games.

After a phenomenal game just two weeks ago, where they held the Celtics to 8 points in the last quarter and grabbed the road win @Boston, the Sonics once again ended a game in a special way.

Coming of a win over the Trailblazers just the day before, there were no signs of fatigue as the Sonics took a 15-26 lead after the first quarter.

The Bobcats shot horribly from the field, Stephen Jackson had zero points out of 8 shots at the half. But Charlotte was able to tie the game before halftime, thanks to a three pointer by Boris Diaw.

After the half, Seattle had difficulties finding any shooting rhythm. They only scored 16 points in the third. Omri Casspi shot 0-5 from downtown in the 3rd and Beno Udrih only hit one of his eight shots.

Stephen Jackson instead, found his offense coming right back at him in the fourth as he scored 28 of his 32 points in the second half of the game.

"Suddenly we were down by five and saw the match slipping right of our hands", match winner Beno Udrih said at the press conference.

Udrih hit a three with just under a minute to go in the game to bring the Sonics within two points. Both teams were not able to score on their following possessions and the Sonics saw themselves down by two with three seconds left. This is when Beno Udrih stepped up.

The slovenian point guard switched positions with Tyreke Evans on the inbound play and used the space opened up to drain a long two point shot to tie the game.

"A shame that my foot was on the line, I could have won the game for us", Udrih said.

But the Bobcats weren't all too impressed. Stephen Jackson opened the overtime with a three pointer and the Bobcats took a quick lead.

Despite the game vs the Blazers the night before, Seattle kept fighting. Carl Landry scored four in a row to tie the game at 95.

With 30 seconds to go the Bobcats tried to play the clock and hit Stephen Jackson in the post. He faked left and went up for the tough bank shot over Tyreke Evans.

With 8 seconds left and down by two, the latter did not want to be on the game-winner poster. Evans got the ball from the inbound and dribbled right into Jackson. He almost got the ball stolen but somehow fumbled around and went up for the tough fade-away jumper. As the buzzer sounded, the shot went in, leading to another OT.

"This was the backbreaker for Charlotte if you ask me. I mean we were simply lucky on that one, but they saw their win slipping away for the second time in this game", Coach Hova claimed.

The Sonics were able to grab the lead in 2nd OT and brought home a tough 108-110 victory.

Omri Casspi was the team-high man with 23 points, but he needed 25 shots for this feat. He also grabbed 9 boards.Carl Landry had 21 points, Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih added 20 each. Udrih also had 5 boards and 6 rebounds.

For Charlotte, Stephen Jackson had a game-high 32 points and Gerald Wallace added an all-around 24 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists.

Take a look at the two buzzer beaters below:

phpBB [video]

phpBB [video]

NOTES: This was the first time Seattle had four players over 20 points this season ... Seattle shot 7-20 from downtown compared to 3-18 by Charlotte ... Demarcus Cousins missed his fourth double-double of the season as he had 10 points and 9 rebounds ... the Sonics outscored the Cats 22-24 in OT ... Omri Casspi led all players in +/- with +11 ...

[Houndy]

Hard fought win, Evans is your hero

[Axel The Great]

Evans and Udrih came through in the clutch right there. Despite all that scoring from Jax and G-Wall you were still able to come up with the W, excellent job.

[kibaxx7]

Great buzzer-beating shots

[hova-]

Welcome to this week's NCAA talk. Our guest today was Eric Arthur, the upcoming point guard out of Georgia State. Whilst the Panthers had an unspectacular start into their NCAA season dropping their first five games and standing at 5-13 now, Arthur has shown flashes of stellar play and is averaging 18 points, 8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The 6-1 wiry whirling dirwish is projected to be a top 10 pick at least and will most likely declare for the upcoming draft.




NCAA Talk: Eric, thanks for joining us today. First of all, what do you think about all that hype around your game and your person that has come up lately?

Eric: Ahm, yo ... I don't deal that much with the attention from others, you know. It's good to see that I get rewarded for all the hard work, but I really don't give a thing about it.


NCAA Talk: Georgia State is not the biggest player in the NCAA and it does not seem like this will change this season despite your efforts. What is the reason for that in your eyes and did you never get any offers from other colleges?

Eric: Oh well, ye, I guess we do not have that basketball tradition that other colleges have, since football is more popular here. Not many players want to join our team and although I think we have a lot of young talent, it's just not enough right now. I never thought about leaving Georgia, you know. My grades were too bad anyway (laughs) and this is where my roots are, you know. I'm from Savannah and I think ATL is already far enough away.

NCAA Talk: Is it right that you did not play organized basketball until three years ago?

Eric: Yo, that is right. At high school, I only played basketball for fun. I mean we played a lotta' streetball. But I was always more like the football type of player. But that changed when I was getting better in basketball and all those football guys were getting bulkier and stronger. I am not the muscle guy, you know.


NCAA talk: You come from Savannah, Georgia. Your father left the family when you were four years old and your mother died when you were 12. How does a young kid not be deliquent, especially in a city were a lot of crime is going on?

Eric: Oh I definitely did a whole lotta' s**t, you know that (laughs loudly). Well, life can be hard at times, my granny always told me. I regret a lotta' things I did, but I also learned a lot on the streets. You look at me with all these tattoos and my braids and think "he's a gangsta". I ain't no gangsta anymore but I still have the attitude you need when life is hard to you.


NCAA Talk: Many say your game shows that you had to go through many bad things and also reflects your football background. You are already compared to Allen Iverson, not only because you look like him, but also because he has always been one of the toughest guys on the court. What do you think about that?

Eric: It's an honor to be compared to AI. But I am Eric Arthur - EA. I'm definitely one of the hardest working and toughest guys out there but that's on the court. Off the court I am pretty relaxed and I really value things different than I did in the past. Right now basketball stands at first, but education comes second. You can call me an educated gangster if you want (laughs).


NCAA Talk: Right now your numbers are great as you're posting 18, 8 and over 2 steals per game and also shoot over .500% from the field. What's your strenghts on the court and what do you think you have to work on?

Eric: I definitely need to work on my jumper, that's pretty obvious. I think I can make things happen on the court by driving and dishing and I am also a quick defender. I'm hustling with heart and give 100% every game.


NCAA Talk: You said basketball has top priority in your life right now. Do you plan to declare for the upcoming draft?

Eric: (smiles) Of course I want to play in the NBA and after two years at college I feel like I am ready to play with the best.


NCAA Talk: You already mentioned that you love Georgia, but as you are a projected top 10 pick (source: NBAdraft.net) it's not likely to see you playing for the Hawks.

Eric: Yeah, that sucks big time. I would love to stay and play for the Hawks together with my man Smoove and the others. If I work hard enough I will definitely make it on any team and maybe I will fall back to the Hawks in the future.


NCAA Talk: Okay, Eric. Last question: I've heard that you are a Hip Hop fan. What's your favourite?

Eric: (yells) What a question. I'm from Savannah, you know! One word: OUTKAST!

The interview was conducted by Ann C. Ay.

[hova-]

Houndy, thanks, it was definitely a lucky shot. I should have blown the Cats out but just played to light headed.

Axel., thanks. Jax did not even score a point in the first but man was he hot in the 2nd and in OT. Wallace is a beast on the boards.

Thierry •, ye, my first two buzzer beaters this season just when I needed them.

[Valor]

Definitely a nice win over the 'Cats, you might want to change your boxscore to reflect the double OT though

[Houndy]

In the interview, the guy's last name should be Arthur, not Lance, correct?

[hova-]

Valor, 2ks scores suck, but I don't think OT games will happen that often.

Houndy, Yeah, fixed that. His name is Eric Arthur.

[Valor]

Valor, 2ks scores suck, but I don't think OT games will happen that often.

Houndy, Yeah, fixed that. His name is Eric Arthur.

ah yes, i forgot it was the 2K boxscore, thought it was your photoshopped work

[Lamrock]

Great win over the Lolcats. Loving the rookie articles as well. This story is getting pretty awesome.

[The X]

I love when you play games like that. Nice to see you get replays & always love how you put appropriate real life commentary with it.

[hova-]

Planning for the next season
February 9th, Before the game against Dallas

....

I sat in my office and took another sip of coffee. The medic's report in my hands came right on time. "The player Sam Dalembert bruised his hip in the game against the San Antonio Spurs", the report said. "I would suggest to sit him out this week if you don't need his services too badly", the doctor wrote.

Actually I did not care too much. "More playing time for Demarcus", I said to myself and took another shot of coffee.

The situation was pretty relaxed anyway. After a strong January going 8-8 and beating the Celtics, Nuggets and Blazers, the Maloofs were more satisfied than ever this season. The ticket sale went up again and despite all that trouble in the first half of the season, everyone felt like things were going upwards.

After our tough OT game vs Charlotte we had lost in our visit at Staples Center as Kobe had almost dropped a triple-double on us with 18 points, 12 boards and 9 assists. Gasol added 25/12. They had played like a Champion. We then had a pretty solid win over the Hornets to end January seeing Tyreke scoring 35 in 37 minutes.

My hopes for February were pretty low though, as our schedule before the All-Star break looked as follows: vs BOS, vs SAS, vs UTA, vs DAL, vs OKC, @PHO, @OKC, @DAL.

And we started just as expected dropping the games against Boston and the Spurs by 20 and 30 points respectively.

Now I sat here in my office, listening to some tunes, drinking coffee and thinking about next season. Yeah, this season was pretty over for me. At 18-30 we were on pace for 30 wins, an improvement from last season and definitely okay looking at that roster.

With the trading deadline approaching, I was already on the phone for more than two hours per day. I was looking for a point guard.

My first problem was the fact that no franchise even dared to touch Beno Udrih. And if I asked them what it would take to convince them of Beno, almost everybody answered "How about your first rounder?".

The offers

I had four point guards in my mind: Jrue Holiday(6.2 points/2.2 assists per game in 16 mpg), Avery Bradley (6 minutes per game, played in the D-league), Eric Bledsoe (3 points/1 assists per game in 10 mpg), Kirk Hinrich (6.4 points/4.0 assist per game in 24 mpg).

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Holiday wasn't getting the minutes he deserved in Philly with Allen Iverson coming back, but he didn't force any moves and rather kept improving his game. I could get him and the expiring of Darius Songaila for Jason Thompson and our 2012 1st rounder Ed Stefanski said.

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The Celtics knew that Bradley was drawing a lot of interest on the market. The best trade proposal was Bradley and Delonte West for Hassan Whiteside, Luther Head and a 2012 first rounder.
Did not sound too attractive for me as I had no need for Delonte and wanted to keep Hassan and our 2012 1st rounder.

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The Clippers had two interesting offers for me as they tried too boost their frontcourt with Chris Kaman playing a weak season and Blake Griffing being in need of a solid backup. One offer was Jason Thompson and a 2011 2nd rounder for Eric Bledsoe, the other offer was Carl Landry, Antoine Wright and a 2012 2nd rounder for Bledsoe.
Neil Olshey said I should think about it, but he also already told me that the Bobcats are very interested in Bledsoe and he thinks he can profit more from their offers.

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Ernie "dickhead" Grunfeld was pretty pissed by my call. I guess I must have been glad that he did not hang up the phone immediately. His offer was anger-driven though. He said his last proposal was Kirk Hinrich for Hassan Whiteside and Carl Landry and swapping 1st rounders. The latter sounded pretty good to me as the Wizards had an even worse record than we. But giving up Carl Landry, our only solid post presence ... I did not know.

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Especially with the draft being pretty stacked with point guards, I could not decide whether or not to make a move and which move or just wait for the draft and trying to add more talent. Three point guards were currently projected to be under the top 5 picks: Luis Chase, the Indiana State power pack ... Eric Arthur, the dirty South answer to "the Answer" and Leroy Graham, UCLA's rock-solid, mature point guard.

I grabbed my cup and wanted to take another mouthful and then noticed that it was already empty. "Ah, fuck it", I said, grabbing my key and leaving my office towards the coffee kittchen. "What shall I do?", I mumbled ... goddam GM role ....




...

[dare]

I really love the Philly and Clippers offer, two young PG's that can run along side Evans. But then there is the draft and as you said full of quality PG's.

If it was me I'm going to pull the trigger on the Philly trade, Landry and Cousins can share the minutes in the 4 spot. Or maybe you can sign some quality free agent bigman that can help you.

[Valor]

I say no trade, you'll be better off waiting for the draft

[George7]

if Landry was out of the equation,I would trigger the Hinrich trade at one! But trading Landry is too much...

[Fresh8]

Get them to throw in Arenas if they want Landry.

[hova-]

dare, I love that Thompson can come in and hit that fade away post shot and the mid range jumper. I am not 100% sure wether or not Holiday can be the guy of the future for us.
The proposal is pretty fair though.

Valor, if I don't get a Top 5 pick I could be screwed ... would have to trade for a pick then which would be more difficult I think.

George7, Landry is a rock solid player. His contract is expiring though, don't know how much he will ask for but could be well over 5M $ per year.

Sit, Arenas and Cousins, would be a sick duo. We'd need a medal detector in our locker room though.