Hooped Up

Goran who?  I have never seen or heard of this guy before draft night but, for him to be the future replacement for Steve Nash he’s gotta be pretty good.  Right?

After much wrangling, more than a few doubts and some international diplomacy, the Suns finally have landed the player they expect to be Steve Nash’s backup this year. A source confirmed to Sporting News that Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic — whose rights were acquired in June in a draft-night trade with the Spurs — is intent on signing a contract of at least three years to play in Phoenix next year. There are still some administrative details to resolve for Dragic to get out of his European contract. He then must settle on a definitive contract with the Suns.

Sporting News

Nash has been money for bloggers in a a slow off season, dude has been everywhere. As a Lee Majors and Six Million Dollar Man fan, this Steve Nash Sixty Million Dollar Man ad was straight money! I get giddy just hearing the music!

Not only did Nash star in this Nike spot for his environmentally friendly  Trash Talk shoes but, he also produced and directed too.

Somebody please make a non-cheese movie version of The Six Million Dollar Man!

Simply hilarious!  If these two weren’t on the top of your favorites list before, they should after watching this. Steve Nash and Baron Davis collaborated to create a Step Brothers mock trailer for ibeatyou.com.  If you thing you can beat them, put down the Guitar Hero 3, (which I’m still addicted to) and pick up your video camera.

On Looker: “Is that  Baron Davis?”

On Looker: “And Steve Nash?”

Camera Guy: Yup

On Looker: Oh My God!

Straight Awesome!

 This week the 2008 ESPY awards took place and a bunch of winners won stuff.  The only requirement to win an ESPY is to have won crap prior to getting there that season or last.  Other than that, it’s really a big highlight show with celebrities and red carpet.  Pretty boring stuff.

So in this edition of 5ives, Hooped Up ranks the Top 5 Hottest NBA WAG’s in attendance at the 2008 ESPY awards.

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Steve Nash, a two-time NBA MVP and graduate of Victoria’s St. Michaels University School, is about to make a film about Terry Fox.

Nash’s film will be broadcast on ESPN as part of the U.S. cable channel’s 30/30 film initiative. The showcase will feature 30 one-hour films by 30 different filmmakers on 30 different subjects from the past 30 years in sports.

Fox, role model to an entire generation of Canadians and a tireless fundraiser for cancer research, died in 1981 after his cancer returned during his Marathon of Hope run across Canada.

Nash said Fox, of Port Coquitlam, has been an inspiration to him through his own life and career.

Canada

Disarmed of money to offer and without much of a 2008 playoff pedigree, the Suns appear to still have recruiting wherewithal with free-agency target Tyronn Lue, who said he expects to sign with the Suns. “I think we’re going to get it done in Phoenix,” Lue said Wednesday. Signing Lue, 31, would fill the Suns’ free-agency priority. Suns General Manager Steve Kerr has said he wanted a veteran point guard to back up Steve Nash and start about 12 games to rest Nash, 34.

Arizona Republic 

Now that the flood gates of International talent has fully been opened.  Hooped Up has compiled a list of The 5 Best International NBA Players Ever!  

5. Dražen Petrović, Portland Trailblazers / New Jersey Nets

 
Born: Šibenik, Croatia
Position: Shooting Guard
NBA Experience: 4 Seasons
NBA Championships: 0
NBA Awards: 0

A tireless shooter and prolific scorer, Petrović is arguably the most celebrated basketball player ever to emerge from Europe. “Petro” is considered a crucial part of the vanguard to the present-day mass influx of European players into the NBA.  Tragically, Dražen Petrović was killed in an auto accedent in 1993, just as he began to flourish in the NBA at the age of 28.
For the best of the rest… 

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What’s more Canadian than Hockey?  Well…nothing but, Basketball Canada named it’s 12 man roster to qualify for the Beijing Olympics over the weekend.  Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers is the lone NBA player included on the Canadian squad and I’ve gotta say.  Being that Steve Nash is only a two time NBA MVP; Canada should be doing everything short of babysitting Steve and his wife Alejandra’s kids for him to come out of International retirement.

Here is Canada’s 12-man roster:

National Post

Phoenix will target a backup point guard, a shooter and a big man in free agency. The Sunsare determined to lighten 34-year-old point guardSteve Nash’s load. The point-guard target list includes 31-year-old Tyronn Lue. The speedy 6-footer is a 39 percent career 3-point shooter and friend of Suns center Shaquille O’Neal. In March, he considered the Suns before signing with Dallas. Anthony Johnson, a 33-year-old who has switched teams nine times, and Chris Duhon, a pricier prospect, also interest the Suns. For a wing player, the Suns like Jarvis Hayes. He played for the Detroit Pistons last season when new Suns coach Terry Porter was an assistant there.

Arizona Republic

I am loving the Steve Nash workout program, up until the tennis bit.  Who wouldn’t want to skateboard and play soccer as part of training?