Hooped Up

If you liked the Obama dunks on McCain tee, which is by far the most accurate depiction of a political campaign that was only missing the post-dunk shattered glass. You’ll be happy to know Undrcrwn has now made a Brandon Jennings tribute tee that reflects his decision to skip college and test the waters as a pro in the Italian League with club Lottomatica Roma.

Unless Satan forgets to pay Hells gas bill and it freezes over, chances are Stephon Marbury will not play in New York this season or next.  So to help Marbury out, I though I would list 5 trade scenarios that would work to get Starbury back on the court with help of the ESPN Trade Checker.

Chin up laddy, help is on the way!

1. Miami Heat
(To New York: Marcus Banks / Udonis Haslem / Marcus Blount  -  To Miami: Stephon Marbury)
The Heat could use a guard of Marbury’s talents to help fuel the offense in Miami and Wade, Marion and soon to be starting Beasley would only benefit from this addition. By not playing Marbury, the Knicks are already a guard down and Marcus Banks knows the Mike D’Antoni system well from his time in Phoenix .

Eddy Curry is Prince Markie Dee, and Jerome James is Kool Rock-Ski so by adding Haslem and Blount to the frontcourt the Knicks would gain much needed depth.

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Getting paid for something you would do for free is smart.  Getting paid doubled for it is genius.  Opa!

“Childress is living in a three-bedroom apartment in the fashionable Athens suburb of Glyfada. He received a three-year, $20 million contract from Olympiacos, making him the highest-paid basketball player in the world outside of the N.B.A. With his housing, Volvo, chef, telephone and Greek taxes paid for by the team, Childress estimated he would take home about $6 million this season, about twice as much as he would have had he played in the N.B.A. “I get paid double, my role increases, I have no expenses and I move to a nice city,” Childress said. “How many guys wouldn’t do that, regardless if you’re a lawyer or a doctor? In a business sense, if I were to tell people that I passed on that deal, I would be stupid. That would be the next headline: Josh Childress Shouldn’t Have Gone to Stanford. He’s an Idiot.”

New York Times

I know, Debbie Downer. It’s just a scrimmage and this means nothing in the wins and losses columns for Brandon Jennings and his club Lottomatica Roma I know!  But Brandon Jennings looks pretty good in his first preseason overseas action swishing and dishing his way to 16 points and 7 assist and making friends in the club house.  

Via Dime

According to the Baltimore Business Journal, high school superstar Brandon Jennings is officially snappin’ necks, n cashin’ checks after he signed a multi-year deal with Under Armor Inc.  This marks the first basketball endorsement deal for the popular sports apparel company ever.  

Jennings signature sneaker will be released early 2009.  I personally think his shoes should be called the “Mad Spurns”; and have an Adidas logo, Nike logo, Reebok logo, NBA logo, NCAA logo and picture of Josh Howard on the soles for effect.

I’m just saying…

Will Andrei Kirilenko go back to Russia and spurn the NBA?

“CSKA wants to offer Kirilenko a contract to rival that of other NBA stars and what seems to be the appeal in this case for CSKA is that Kirilenko, doesn’t occupy the position of non-russian player, which allows CSKA to keep him in the roster at all times, the same reason they got Khryapa and Khaun,i.e. to get ahead of the competition. It also says that this might be the reason that Kirilenko has not renewed with the Utah Jazz yet.”

The Hoop

In this shameless promotion for the Jamel Thomas autobiography ”The Beautiful Struggle”. Thomas goes off on Stephon Marbury in rhyme form, in the “lab” aka the kitchen.  Can’t these dudes just hug it out or something, before we are subjected to the part II of this  drivel.  

Then we’ll have to hear Jamel Thomas blame Starbury for not having any dishwashing liquid to do the dishes in the background.

Stephon Marbury’s cousin, Jamel Thomas rips Starbury in his autobiography.  

“Stephon Marbury has carried the stigma of being a selfish player for the majority of his 12-year NBA career. Now, his older cousin is saying Marbury is even more self-centered off the court and is dishing details on the Knicks point guard in his autobiography, “The Beautiful Struggle,” the Daily News has learned. The book, due out in late September from Xlibris Publishing, has former NBA pro and current overseas player Jamel Thomas alleging that Marbury ruined a potential deal for him with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In it, Thomas includes a conversation that he allegedly had with Kevin Garnett, in which Garnett tells him how Marbury’s presence on the team spoiled his cousin’s chances of signing with Minnesota.”

New York Daily News

“The Beautiful Struggle” was the title of a good Talib Kweli album. Now “The Beautiful Struggle” is a belly-aching autobiography of Stephon Marbury’s cousin laced with haterade. 

Call me crazy but, blaming others for not making it in the league just might be the reason why you never made.

The stakes just got a little higher for the Chicago Bulls if they want to keep Ben Gordon.  

“It’s possible Gordon would prefer joining a European team over signing the one-year qualifying offer from the Bulls worth $6.4 million. One site pegged CSKA’s offer at $5.5 million. Either way, Gordon would become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when several NBA clubs are expected to have salary-cap room.”

Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Even if Gordon goes to Russia or anywhere else overseas, it’s not the NBA that is in trouble.  The NBDL on the other hand could fold up like a tent with this kinda overseas money being thrown at players eventually.

It’s rare that this ever happens to a monster shot blocker like Dwight Howard but Rudy Fernandez beat Superman.  Will Rudy Fernandez steal votes from Rose and Beasley for Rookie of the Year?  

With plays like that…uh ya!