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Friday Mini-Bullets

CHN » True Hoop
September 5th, 2008 by CHN
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  • As he enters the Hall of Fame, Bill Davidson has this to tell the Free Press's Mitch Albom about the referees: "What do you look for during a game? Well, I look for certain things, which are mainly fouls ... and, unfortunately, the referees are not what they should be -- although they're getting better. So I watch the referees. I watch who they are. There are certain referees -- when they come to our game -- you know you're gonna lose. And that should never be. What do you think of the whole Tim Donaghy scandal? That's the tip of the iceberg with referees. Do the refs' calls upset you that much? Yeah, it's what they call and when they call it -- and on whom they call it. And when you see what they do, you know that they're kind of taking over the game and making the outcome certain -- all they have to do is call a couple ticky-tack fouls on say, (Chauncey) Billups, and you're not gonna win that game. Have you voiced that concern to the commissioner? (He laughs.) Daily! What's his response? Finally he's found a general. He has so much else (to do) that he kind of turns that over to other people -- and the people he's turned that over to, recently, he finally got on it."
  • The Timberwolves are looking to hire a blog geek. Good news! Discouraging aspect of the job description: The part where it asks if you can work for college credit.
  • The Spurs had been talking to Manu Ginobili about a contract extension. Now the talks are reportedly on hold, pending his rehabilitation from recent surgery.
  • Great collection of Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon tales, including news that a young Ewing could catch fish with his bare hands, which is amazing. If you don't think that's amazing, try it this weekend.
  • Darko Milicic's agent Marc Cornstein says his client would be perfectly happy playing for Mike D'Antoni in New York, if the rumored trade comes to fruition.
  • I lived in Manhattan in the 90s, when Patrick Ewing was in his heyday. I have spent way too much time listening to Knick fans talk about Patrick Ewing. ESPN's Matt Wong has nailed the way New Yorkers feel about him. They adore him. He is their warrior. They don't want you to criticize him. But ... "... when the conversation turns to Ewing, the mood quickly changes from love to lament. There are deep breaths and headshakes and mumblings about couldas, shouldas and wouldas gone by. Especially the infamous finger roll in Game 7 of the 1995 East semis -- when Ewing, with the game on the line and a clear path to the basket, could've simply dunked the ball against the Pacers, but chose to softly lay it in. It hit back iron and the Knicks were out. That one still hurts."
  • Very proud that Wednesday I said I heard Ben Gordon did not have an offer from CSKA, as has been reported somewhere or other. Today CSKA bigwigs are on the record making the same point emphatically. Ian Whittell, veteran of covering European sports explains by e-mail how this kind of thing can happen: "In the NBA, generally, there is more transparency and honesty in the dealings between media and teams (and players and agents, for that matter). Because business is conducted along strict guidelines, as laid out by the CBA, and for salaries determined by the cap, it is generally not too difficult to discover what is going on within the NBA industry. What that means for the agent, of course, is very little leverage. An agent cannot invent a story to create leverage for his client about NBA Team A making his guy an offer because every one will know that NBA Team A does not have room under its cap to make such an offer. Now, in this summer of European teams all apparently becoming billionaires, an opportunity has presented itself. Ben Gordon needs leverage, both with the Bulls and with any other NBA teams that may have an interest in him, and that leverage isn't available in the NBA. Easiest thing for him or his agent to do, therefore, is plant a story in Europe that he has been offered a huge amount of money by a team knowing full well that, in this day and age of internet resource, that story will instantly be picked up in the States. The problem in this instance is that, as I have said repeatedly, there are only 3-4 teams with the budget available to make such an offer. He names CSKA, the team is asked about the offer and deny it. End of leverage. This dynamic is prevalent in football over here. Agent wants to create an auction for his player's services or create leverage in contract talks so invents interest from another team and passes that story on to a journalist who, for whatever reason, runs with that story without checking it out properly."
  • Rudy Fernandez, in rough translation, live from the Rookie Transistion Program, where he finds much of what happens alarming.
  • Adrian Dantley practiced playing in games with friends where there simply were no fouls. They'd hack away, and he'd perfect his ability to score in the lane under duress.
  • UPDATE: The Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman with a funny update from the Hall ofFame: "Fellow inductee Adrian Dantley joked about Riley's days as the Lakers' travel coordinator, when Riley consistently sat Dantley next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because 'you're the only one not afraid of him.'"
  • UPDATE: Before and after Steve Nash, Shawn Marion has been a far poorer shooter than with him. Pay attention, young Stoudemire.
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