Hooped Up

This kinda flopping would get Amare Stoudemire a red card in any soccer league, unless Tim Donaghy moves to soccer! I can’t believe Vlade Divac let Stoudemire graduate from the “Vlade Divac Big Man Flop Institute” with this piss poor execution! Divac must have been crushing cigarette packs as he rolling over with disgust on his living room floor watching this footage. 

Amare went down like he got a headbutt to the chest, a flare thrown at him and had fireworks launched at him (crazy) at the same time ..yes, freakin’ fireworks!!!

My condolences go out to Jeff Foster’s family; at least he went out playing the game he loved…What?  You mean he survived that dunk…and he’s alive…HOLY SH#T!!!

Via Bens Suns Blog

Jones in and Williams out, Larry Bird pulls the trigger on a deal in Indiana.

“The Indiana Pacers traded forward Shawne Williams to the Dallas Mavericks for 14-year veteran Eddie Jones, future draft picks and cash, the Pacers said Friday.

Bird, the Pacers’ president, has made it clear he plans to repair the team’s image after several negative off-the-court issues in recent years. Williams, Indiana’s first-round draft pick in 2006, was dogged by three incidents involving police in the past 13 months.

“He’s got a lot of potential,” Bird told the Associated Press. “You hate to give up on those type of players, but with what we’re trying to do here, we felt it was best to move Shawne. This trade wasn’t made because he wasn’t talented enough, it was because of the other things.”

AP

Although this Jamaal Tinsley trade fell through, didn’t happen or is delayed.  Jamaal Tinsley is not a Denver Nugget (maybe yet) but he is definitely not a Pacer as he has been told to stay away from Pacer training camp and might be moved this week. 

“Indiana Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley could be traded to the Denver Nuggets early next week, according to The Indianapolis Star. Citing a source close to the situation, the newspaper reported Saturday that there is a “strong possibility” that Tinsley could be dealt to the Nuggets as early as Monday.

Additionally, a second person told the Star that trade discussions are ongoing and that the Pacers will look for another team to deal with if the Denver trade falls through.”

National Post

Nobody wants to take on the problems that Jamaal Tinsley has had in Indiana.

“The Pacers’ Larry Bird and David Morway are anxiously waiting for the phone conversation with a fellow league GM that has the two sides agreeing to a trade involving Jamaal Tinsley. Washington Post beat writer Ivan Carter didn’t think the Wizards would be that team because Tinsley has three years and $21 million left on his contract. Carter told me a few hours later that the Wizards have zero interest in Tinsley. You can also cross Golden State off your list because the Warriors aren’t interested in him, either. Miami still needs a starting point guard, but the Pacers haven’t had any discussions with them in “quite awhile.”

Indianapolis Star

Barack Obama vistis the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, with former Indiana Pacers great  George McGinnis and New Castle basketball coach Steven Bennett.

Yes we can…hit clutch shots with the clock running down!

Sarunas Jasikevicius doesn’t mince words: He blames most of his problems in Indiana on former Pacers and current Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “Obviously, the (up-tempo) style of play Rick promised me was never there, the opportunities to play were never there, and the players who were supposed to be gone by the time I came were still around,” he said. “Rick did a great false recruiting job on me, like college recruiting where they say, ‘If you come here, we promise you the world.’ ” He acknowledged that some players even froze him out, refused to give him the ball. “There were a lot of guys (in thePacers locker room) who were in the last year of their contract, and they didn’t like the European boy coming over and getting the money,” Jasikevicius said. “Obviously, Fred (Jones), a lot of guys, they weren’t happy I was there.” One thing he wanted known, though, was thatStephen Jackson was not among those conspiring against him. “He might have been my best teammate,” Jasikevicius said.

Indianapolis Star

The thin ice Shawne Williams is standing on with the Indiana Pacers could be getting ready to break. For the third time since Sept. 2007, one of Williams’ associates from his hometown of Memphis has encountered legal trouble in Indianapolis. Friday afternoon, Carmel police arrested Darrell Smith Jr., 21, a passenger in the car Williams was driving, after discovering Smith had a small amount of marijuana, Lt. Jeff Horner of the Carmel Police Dept. said. “Shawne Williams was not charged with anything,” Horner said. “He was given a window tint and seat belt violation. Smith’s marijuana charge is a misdemeanor.” In February, a man wanted on murder charges in Memphis, Tenn., was arrested after leaving Williams’ home in a truck registered to Williams. The man, Gary Bohannon, also was with Williams when Williams was stopped for driving without a license Sept. 11, 2007. Bohannon was found guilty of marijuana possession from that traffic stop. Williams apologized last year, saying he needed to make better choices.

Indianapolis Star

Larry Bird really doesn’t want Jamaal Tinsley in Indiana!

If the Pacers can’t trade Jamaal Tinsley, they’re buying him out. They reached that decision even before they stocked up on point guards by dealing for T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack. Tinsley has three years left on his deal, in excess of $21 milllion.

New York Daily News

The Indiana Pacers have a tentative agreement to send forward Ike Diogu and the rights to guard Jerryd Bayless to Portland for point guard Jarrett Jack, forward Josh McRoberts and the rights to shooting guard Brandon Rush.

The Pacers drafted Bayless, a 6-3 Arizona freshman, at No. 11, and Portland drafted Rush, a 6-6 junior from Kansas, at No. 13 in tonight’s draft.

The Pacers also are getting point guard T.J. Ford from Toronto in the multi-player deal involving Jermaine O’Neal.

Indy Star