Hooped Up

Retaining Michael Finley just became a genius move in San Antonio.

“San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili says he needs arthroscopic surgery to repair a ligament injury in his left ankle. “They’re going to operate on me,” the 31-year-old told Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper Friday. Ginobili, who helped lead Argentina to a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics, said an MRI of the injury showed no improvement from a previous exam. ”

AP/Arizona RepubliC

Nate McMillan, really likes what Rudy Fernandez offers the Blazers.

“Back home from the Olympics, where he was an assistant coach for Team USA, Trail Blazerscoach Nate McMillan on Thursday could finally reveal the two-week struggle he endured in Beijing. There were sleepless nights. A self-imposed muzzle on his emotions. And the uneasiness of choosing an allegiance. All because of Rudy Fernandez. The high-energy shooting guard for Spain, who will join the Blazers this month, excelled during the Olympics, which included a team-high 22 points in the gold medal loss to the Ameicans. And after getting a front-row view for many of Spain’s games, McMillan said Fernandez, 23, is so talented that he will “definitely” play, and play a lot, for the Blazers.”

The Oregonian

Bill Laimbeer has been on two NBA championship squads, coached the Detroit Sock to a championship and has Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball under his belt.  So why doesn’t he have the NBA coaching job that he wants so bad?   Well Chuck Daly has a theory regarding the former original bad boy .

“I think it must be because Billy made a lot of enemies when he was a player. But I tell you what. He is as smart as a whip. Someone is going to get darn lucky in this league,” 

Detroit Free Press

Any team that does not pick up Shaun Livingston is crazy!  Bad knee aside, 6,8″ point guards do not grow on trees and you can’t teach tall.  Also he’s 22 years old, and at that age bones heal like Wolverine bub.

“With Monta Ellis’ recent ankle injury, the Golden State Warriors are looking thin at point guard. Might the recuperating Shaun Livingston be the answer to the team’s woes?

 There have been reports that the former Illinois star has looked impressive in recent workouts during the summer—impressive enough that Warriors General Manager Chris Mullin has visited Chicago to obtain his personal insight.”

Bleacher Report

I posted rumblings about it last week and now it’s official. The first Persian born player will play in the NBA this season.  

“The Memphis Grizzlies signed free-agent centre Hamed Haddadi, who played for the Iranian national team in the Olympics.

The seven-foot-two, 254-pound Haddadi averaged 16.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in Beijing.

The 23-year-old Haddadi spent the 2007-08 season playing for Saba Battery BC in the Iranian Super League.”

Canadian Press

The NBA might have a player from every country in a few years and I absolutely love it!

Kianna Lynae is a hip hop video model and actor from West Covina, California.

[Show as slideshow]

While receiving an honorary degree from his alma matter. Phil Jackson had this to say regarding the best athlete he has ever coached when asked as reported by the OC Register.

“No, the player Jackson called the greatest that he has coached is that wedding dress aficionado and Newport Beach police’s favorite basketball bad boy, Dennis Rodman. That’s right. No need to rub your eyes.

“He could probably play a 48-minute game and play the 48th minute stronger than the first minute of the game,” Jackson told the crowd at UND. “He was that terrific an athlete.”

Read the rest of this entry »

And the bad luck keeps a rollin’ for the Golden State Warriors with the news regarding Monta Ellis.

“The Warriors got their second dose of bad news this offseason when they found out Monta Ellis will miss at least a month of the upcoming season with an ankle injury.

Nearly two months after the Warriors lost point guard Baron Davis to free agency, his heir apparent, Ellis, had surgery for a torn deltoid ligament Wednesday morning after sustaining a severe high ankle sprain working out and will be sidelined for at least three months. The Warriors open the season against New Orleans on Oct. 29.

San Francisco Chronicle

If Jason Kidd wins a NBA championship I’m calling first dibs on the ring.

“Don’t worry. This isn’t a case of Jason Kidd paying off a Charles Barkley-sized gambling debt. He’s just fulfilling a promise to Elaine Wynn of Wynn Casino fame. “Last summer, we stayed at the Wynn for (what seemed like) a lifetime, close to three weeks,” Kidd told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We met at a banquet, we got to talking, and she really understands the game. I told her I’d make a deal with her, that if we won the gold medal, I’d give it to her. She thought I was kidding. But I told her I had one already, and the way they treated us at the Wynn, it was the least I could do.”

Dallas Morning News

Kobe Bryant is a straight up rock star in China!  This wasn’t something that just happened on his arrival to Beijing either. Bryant actually has a reality TV show in China powered by Nike called “Kobe’s Disciples“.   The show featured 24 Chinese kids living and training in the United States and getting tips from Bryant.

This gives me even more reason to believe, that Kobe Bryant will land overseas before his playing days are done.  

Call me crazy.