The Northwest has to be the easiest division to call -- can't disagree with a single one of your picks. The only thing I'd quibble with is the number of games you have Portland and Seattle winning. Given how amazingly tough the West looks to be this season, I think you're being too generous to these prodigies. Seattle, in particular, could be battling Minnesota for the basement. Unless Robert Swift comes back 100%, and comes back as the major force the Sonics keep claiming he will become, Seattle has got to be one of the weakest teams upfront in the league. Actually, they're going to be one of the weakest teams all over, until Durant and Green mature.

Denver could be a very interesting team. Anthony keeps getting better (or maybe it only seems that way because of how well he plays under the international rules each summer), and Nene had the beginning of a breakout in the playoffs, when he proved to be the best defender of Tim Duncan the league has seen. Camby should have another solid year and Iverson is...well, a powderkeg, for better or worse. As usual, the question is chemistry (and KMart). And the last thing they needed was another shooter (Atkins). As long as Iverson doesn't have to face Bruce Bowen in the first round of the playoffs, they could make an impact this year.

Thank you, Larry. I appreciate you saying that.

Eurobasket 2007 has just begun, and there's no shortage of NBA players, such as: Tony Parker and Boris Diaw (France), Dirk Nowitski (Germany), Andrea Bargnani (Italy), Andris Biedrins (Latvia), Sarunas Jasikevicius (Lithuania), Andrei Kirilenko (Russia), Marco Jaric and Darko Milicic (Serbia), Rasho Nesterovic and Uros Slokar (Slovenia), Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa (Spain), Mehmet Okur and Hedo Turkoglu (Turkey).

Larry, the Suns have a history of trading away draft pics. Why? They don't need them. Suns are in a win now mode. They have at most a two year window to get that elusive NBA title; rookies can't help them with that. Plus, the Suns win so many games each season, the best they can hope for is a next-to-last 1st rd pic anyway. The Suns are also stuck with several unique and irreplaceable players. Nash is unique; Barbosa is unique; Amare was born for that offense and that offense only; as was Shawn Marion. The only big man, if you want to call him that, who fits that offense is KG, but in order to get him they would have had to give up Amare, and without both Amare and KG in the lineup, what's the point? Finally, Suns are in luxury tax hell, so will never be big players in the free agent market, and, they don't have a lot of expiring contracts either, so they are pretty much limited to bargaining draft pics.

Smokey, I agree with your pre-season pics but I think you might be the victim of a very understandable homerism. It could happen, and I wouldn't be surprised if it did, but dude, the Grizzlies win more games than the Hornets, Blazers, and Warriors? Not likely. Even if Nellie leaves GSW (which is the equivalent of of racing thoroughbreds without a jockey), the Grizzlies still have the Hornets and Blazers to deal with. Both teams have more talent than the Grizzlies. At PG, there's no comparison; its CP3 all the way; Grizzlies will likely start a rookie. If Darko starts at center for the Grizzlies, the Hornets have a huge advantage with Chandler, as Larry pointed out. Obviously, the Hornets have no one with Gasol-type scoring ability.....unless Peja regains his old form. And frankly, the Blazers have more raw talen than the Hornets and Grizzlies put together, and that talent will need time to gel, but Portland is a very young and enthusiastic team, with a sensational collection of rookie and sophomore superstars. Portland is a very dangerous team. Finally, TWolves with 12 wins? With Al Jefferson, Randy Foye, Ricky Davis, and Corey Brewer? They will definitely win more than 12 games. Even the 2006-2207 Celtics won more than 12 games. My advice...don't expect any Xmas gifts from the good folk in Minnesota.

Canmark, does Eurobasket 2007 have any bearing on the Olympics? But I will give Darko his due. That dude was sensational tonight; he gave Greece all they could handle..

Eurobasket is similar to the Fiba Americas tournament: the top 2 teams will qualify for the Olympics. Then the Olympics qualifier next year will include 12 teams-- Europe (4), Americas (3), Africa (2), Asia (2), Oceania (1)--of which 3 will qualify.

It's incredibly short-sighted. Amare is only 24, and could have 10 great years -- why squander the last 7 or 8 of them? Why isn't Phoenix concerned about the team after Nash retires? The idea with rookies is you start stocking them now, planning for the future. Plus, rookies are cheap. So instead of wasting money signing Marcus Banks (who they are now desperately trying to get rid of), you draft future PGs like Rajon Rando, or Marcus Williams. And instead of signing useless FAs like Jalen Rose and Eric Piatkowski, you hold on to your draft pick of Rudy Fernandez. If I were Stoudemire, I'd either be pissed or just resigned to finding a new team once my current contract expires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKk8vBiCPw

This did not make me happy to see. ESPN said Darko was fined 10,000 EUROS for this. I hope he matures some, before he arrives in Memphis!

If the translators over at youtube.com are correct, this is what Darko siad:

"I'm going to kill the referees wherever I find them. They can go f*** themselves. If they have a daughter, I'll find her and I will f*** her...I will f*** them...whatever she has or doesn't have. I will **** them...the mother, I'll f*** them...in the mouth, I'll **** ....".

There's too much testosterone in that boy. Those remarks remind me of Mike Tyson. Wow! Darko is NO gentleman. In fact, he might even be gangsta, just like Mike. He's always been a friggin head case, but after this heart-warming outburst of racist and sexist insensitivity, I could, on the one hand, make the argument that he's also a homicidal psychopath....or, on the other hand, a passionate man, who in the aftermath of a bitter defeat, experienced a momentary lapse of sanity and judgement. Either way, the Grizzlies are gonna have their hands full with this character next season. As one who lives for controversy, I will definitely be watching.

Larry, I agree with you. What the Suns are doing is bound to come back to them in a bad way. They've sacrificed the team's future to chase an NBA championship. If they get it, I think the Phoenix fans will be patient and tolerate the rebuilding years, while they bask in the glow of that championship, but, if the Suns fail to give them a championship, the Suns recent off-season moves and business decisions will be questioned and scrutinized for years to come. Its all very high risk stuff, as you pointed out.

Indeed. And at least Tyson, psychopath though he is, accomplished something major in his sport. Darko has accomplished nothing. And I'll be rooting against him for now on.

As for the Suns, I don't think what they're doing is even helping them in the short run. Taking Marcus Williams (whom the Nets love) in the draft would have helped them a lot more now than signing Marcus Banks (who has proved useless).

Today, I read that the Grizz brass contacted Darko to express concern over his recent outburst. They are very worried. Darko was apparently distraught because, according to him, the refs cheated Serbia out of a game they had to have.

Alan Houston announced that he will definitely return to the NBA and will begin interviewing next week. Reports claim that he will join either the Cavs or the Mavs.

Larry, what was the final score in that Saints/Colts game? 34-10 or 41-10? I had to change the channel. Because of last season, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to get spanked like that. Damn, that was embarressing. Good thing Saints fans have a long history of dealing with and coping with embarressing losses.

Sorry to say it was 41-10; a brutal second half. Well, at least you got walloped by the defending champions. Luckily, no football team in LA is going to get humiliated like that.

But as for LA's woes: Today Phil Jackson echoed Kobe by blasting the Buss trust for not doing enough to improve the team. On the positive side, at least he didn't demand a trade!

Jackson also hinted he'll retire after the season. So the 2008-2009 Lakers will be starting from ground zero. (Phil's talents don't lend themselves to that type of situation anyway, so retirement certainly makes sense.)

I saw that. Phil has certainly led a charmed life as an NBA coach. He's coached some of the best players in the game: Kobe, Shaq, MJ, and Pippen. Jackson and Riley must've been born under multiple lucky stars. But good for him. Congrats, Phil. NBA HOF? The perfect end to an illustrious (fortuitous?) career.

Larry, of course, the Lakers lied to Kobe and Phil. Except for The Fish, the Lakers did nothing this off-season. I just don't understand it; holding on to Bynum like that. Even Phil Jackson said today that the hype surrounding Andrew Bynum is premature and unjustified. Sounds to me like he's second guessing the Laker brass decision not to include Bynum in trades that could have helped Kobe.

Correction: Reports now claim that Alan Houston is considering joining the Heat and Cavs; not the Mavs. My bad.

And Larry, Nets signed Malik Allen today. Why?

So the Saints got spanked.....again. Not exactly news. Old hat. Been there. Done that. We're used to it.

So what if LA doesn't have a football team. You still have the Dodgers and Halos to root for.

No question that Jackson and Riley have been blessed. So was Red Auerbach, although he had a large role in swindling other teams in order to get all the talent on his. But Phil and Pat's ability to get consistent excellence out of the same players over a long period of time is unparallelled among current coaches. Contrast with Larry Brown -- he's a better "X's and O's" guy, but he is horrible at dealing with other human beings.

Kupchak/Buss's mistake was not trading Bynum for Kidd last year. Bynum's trade value was at its apex around the middle of last season, and everyone seems to concede that L.A. could have gotten Kidd for him straight-up (with whatever salary cap ballast thrown in by the Lakers). But once the summer rolled around, I really can't criticize the Laker brass. They offered both Bynum and Odom for Garnett, but Kevin only wanted to help his Celtics. The Lakers may not have offered both Bynum and Odom for Jermaine O'Neal, but I wouldn't do that deal either. A criticism of Kupchak that I think is more valid has been his totally uninspired draft picks and his "under the radar" personnel moves during the early part of the decade. Brian Cook. Vujacic. The horrible Butler for Kwame give-away. The signing of Devean George and Slava Medvedenko to mid-level contracts. All were just horrible. Picking up the right role players is how the top teams manage to stay there.

Oh well. I'm off for a week in the great wild wilderness! Guard the paint while I'm gone.

Larry, I'm 5'7", so I never venture into the paint, but I have a healthy respect for those who do. And I play hand-wave defense; I wave as guys drive past me.

I understand your analysis of recent decisions regarding missed opportunities to bring in markee players via Andrew Bynum; but, it is ironic that Phil Jackson (and Pat Riley) had such a difficult time this off-season trying to bring in quality players to help their superstars. Those missed opportunities will probably come back to haunt them after mid-season, when the starters begin tiring and there's not enough talent on the bench.

I read today at realgm.com that Gary Payton is likely to play his final year in Oakland, his home town, for the Golden State warriors. Guess he's gonna back Biddy and Monta Ellis at PG?

Have fun in the wilderness. Bet you read Ezra Pound, don't you?

I just read this piece of crap article and it pissed me off.

**************************************************

Bordow: Marion sticky situation for Suns
Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
The Phoenix Suns love Shawn Marion, the basketball player. They treasure his versatility, his unselfishness and his ability to cover everyone from point guards to centers. He’s a freak, in a good way.

Read Scott Bordow's blog

The Suns aren’t thrilled, however, with Shawn Marion, the businessman, and that’s why the Marion for Andrei Kirilenko trade rumor can’t be summarily dismissed.

The Suns don’t want to trade Marion. They know their best chance to win a championship this season is to keep the Marion-Steve Nash-Amaré Stoudemire triumvirate together.

But Marion’s constant whining about being third in the pecking order is wearing on the Suns. They’re tired of hearing how he’s not respected when he’ll make the most money on the team this season ($16.4 million), he led Phoenix in minutes played last year and took 100 more shots than Nash and 16 more than Stoudemire.

Not to mention the three straight All-Star appearances, the invitation to play for the Olympic team, the Nike Air Force 25 commercial in which he gets equal billing with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and the cover of ESPN The Magazine.

We should all be so disrespected.

It’s been suggested that the Suns want to trade Marion because they think he’ll opt out of his contract after this season and become a free agent, leaving them empty-handed. Actually, Phoenix isn’t worried about that at all. As good as Marion is, no team is going to give him a contract that starts at $17.8 million (his salary for the 2007-08 season). That kind of money is reserved for superstars. And for all of Marion’s talents, he’s a complementary player, not someone who can lead a team.

But there is concern among the Suns coaching staff and front office that Marion’s grousing will become even louder if Grant Hill gets some of his shots and publicity.

Already, Marion’s jealousy of Stoudemire threatens the chemistry in the locker room. A Slam magazine reporter recently asked Marion if he was watching Stoudemire in the FIBA Americas tournament in Las Vegas. “Nope,” Marion said. Then he sat there, silent, until the next question was asked.

As much of a pain as Marion can be sometimes, though, trading him for Kirilenko is a bad idea. Kirilenko may be younger (26) and taller (6-foot-9 to Marion’s 6-7), but he can’t touch Marion as a player. Kirilenko’s best season statistically was in 2003-04, when he averaged 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Marion’s numbers dipped last season because of Stoudemire’s return, but he still averaged 17.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.

And if the Suns are worried about Marion’s attitude, why would they covet Kirilenko when he whined last season about his reduced role? If he wasn’t happy playing a supporting role to Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, why would he be content taking a back seat to Nash, Stoudemire and Hill? A Suns source said Tuesday that while trade talks have been tabled for now, they might be reopened if Utah is willing to take on another contract, say, the $17.2 million still owed Marcus Banks.

Let’s hope the phone call is never made. Let’s hope Marion comes to his senses and understands he’s in the perfect situation, where his unique talents are showcased and his deficiencies hidden. Let’s hope the Suns aren’t so interested in dumping Banks that they weaken their team.

Odds are Marion will be with the Suns when they open the season in October. But stay tuned. This story might not have a happy ending.

**************************************************************

I don't know how much the guy knows about Marion, but he definitely doesn't know Kirilenko's attitude. I am currently adding Scott Bordow to my shit list. He now sits there with Jerry Sloan. When AK47 cried after the Houston game, I just wanted to hold him, and then go beat the shit out of Sloan!

With Oden out for the upcoming season, I need to go back an adjust the W-L record for Portland. Sorry, to hear this news, I was looking forward to seeing him. Portland's future still looks bright, just not their immediate future.

Smokey,it's great that you have such respect and admiration for AK47's game. Offensively challenged sometimes, AK47 is a hard-nosed defender and scrappy rebounder. But the numbers don't lie; Marion is a better all-round player; faster, quicker, better perimeter game, as well as a better rebounder. But Bordow made some good points. Nobody's gonna hand Matrix $18M/year in 2008. That's a fact. The Suns need Matrix. That's also a fact. Matrix complains too much. That's a fact. I know your objection to the article centered around the author's characterization of AK47 as a team player (complaining about playing time, etc), and I can understand your objection to that. I've always considered bitching for more playing time a good thing, so long as it's not prolonged and confrontational. I don't know much about AK47's lockerroom behavior; how he relates to his teammates, so I can't respond to that, but except for that, I agree with the rest of the article.

Very disturbing news about Greg Oden.....heartbreaking. I was really looking forward to pulling for the Blazers next season. But I think Lamarcus Aldridge and Fyre can still get the job done at center; if the Blazers decide to do that.

Has anybody been following the Isiah Thomas sexual harressment trial? That thing has turned into a circus, and a huge PR nightmare for the Knick front office (not to mention Starbury, whose rep was already in disarray).

Well, I'm back from 8 days in the wild wilderness (seriously -- for 4 days straight I didn't see a single person). And the only news I've been able to find is about OJ and Oden. Gosh, those Portland fans must be having Sam Bowie nightmare flashbacks! Hope Ms. de Blazer is hanging in there. And for Portland's sake, I hope that Durant doesn't turn into the next Jordan now.

I haven't seen anything about the Isiah harassment trial, but now I'm especially eager! Maybe he'll call Bill Laimbeer as a character witness and alienate the entire jury (I can always dream....)

Smokey, I didn't find anything offensive about that Marion/Kirilenko article either; I pretty much agreed with it. I still don't get what has happened with AK. I know he was happier at the 4, but still.... Back in 2004(?), before his injury, he was talked about as an early MVP candidate. Now he's a shell of the man he used to be.

Larry, the jist of the lawsuit is this. A PR exec named Anucha Brown is suing The Knicks and Isiah to the tune of $10M for sexual harressment. She's not claiming that Isiah sexually haressed her physically. She's claiming that she got fired because she reported that one of her interns was sexually harrassed...by Starbury I believe. Only I don't think what Starbury did can be called sexual harrassment. I don't think much of Starbury but I believe him when he said that he pulled up beside one of Mrs Brown's interns at a night club and asked her if she wanted to get in the car with him. She agreed. They had sex right there on the street in his van and he then sent the young intern home. The intern felt badly afterwards and the next day told Mrs Brown, her boss, that she felt she had to do what she did..... to protect her job. I also believe her...why would she (or anyone for that matter) with free choice and a sane mind deliberately have sex with someone as unlikeable as Stephon Marbury? Mrs Brown reported the incident, and was fired shortly thereafter. Anyway, the jist of the lawsuit is that the Knicks, Dolen, and Isiah created a working environment that was hostile to its female employees. Mrs. Brown claimed that Isiah (and Starbury) constantly referrred to her as a "bitch" and a "ho". She also claimed that Isiah hit on her at a social gathering one night. I believe that Isiah and Starbury called her names (sounds about right for Isiah and Starbury) and maybe she deserves payment for that, but I don't think she should get anyhting because Isiah asked her out....once. What's wrong about that? Just say NO. She seems like a nice lady but has a chip on her shoulder (she claimed sexual harrassment against a previous male boss too) and is easily as unlikeable as Starbury....and frankly she's not physically attractive. Finally, she tried to settle the $10M lawsuit out of court for $6M and reinstatement, but Dolen/Isiah refused. I don't understand women but this whole thing seems like much ado about nothing (hurt feelings, name-calling, and feeling left out of a good ole boy network) to me; although I suspect women have a completely different take on this than I do.

I can't believe you allowed to me to get away with the Ezra Pound/Wasteland post. I figured you'd call me on it. That's T.S. Elliot. Eight days in the mountains? You west coast guys are nuts. Guess what? Saints lost again...we're 0-2...and looking bad....very bad. The good old days are back....If things don't change soon, I might have to pull out that old brown paper bag again.

In a stunner, Russia defeats Spain 60-59 to win the European Basketball Championships in Spain.

Andrei Kirilenko was named tournament MVP. Russia, Spain and Lithuania all qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Tournament scoring leaders were all NBAers: Nowitzki, 24.0; Parker, 20.1; Türkoglu, 19.2; Gasol, 8.8; Kirilenko, 18.0. Rebound leaders: Green (Israel), 9.3; Nowitzki, 8.7; Kirilenko, 8.6; Khryapa, 7.8; Okur, 7.7. Assist leaders: Jasikevicius, 5.6, Tapiro (Israel), 5.0; Lakovic (Slovenia), 4.3; Bulleri (Italy), 4.0; Khryapa, 3.2.

Fortunately there are a lot of bridges in Portland for fairweather fans to jump off of.

Of course everyone is bummed about Oden. The win total, the positive publicity, the emotion and the national media attention (from zero nationally televised games last year to 11 projected for the coming season) will all suffer. But Portland is hardly a team without talent. And the overall prognosis on Oden is good. Best results from this type of surgery occur when: the patient is young (19 in this case), the damage is small in area (it is) and the interval from injury to surgery is short (yes). So essentially we have to wait another year for Greg. But it would be far worse if it happened in a year when Portland was expecting to compete for a title. Better now than later, I suppose. There is every expectation he will recover. So we have Greg and Rudy to look forward to next year.

A good article in Sports Illustrated saying Oden and the Blazers should follow the Amare Stoudemire routine. The article quoted experts saying that an injury to one knee where there was no clear cause usual means biomechanics issues. In Amare's case, the docs had to work on how he walked. He walked with toes out putting strain on his knee. Also a lot of athletes, although very buff, don't develop their muscles evenly. They need to work on strengthening certain muscle groups to avoid injury.

This has no connection with what happened with another draft pick 14 years ago. It makes as much sense to say that the Kings draft pick will crash his car and end his career because Bobby Hurley did, or that Golden State's pick will strangle his coach because Sprewell did.

I am disappointed, but this is hardly a Kevin Everett situation. Look at the bright side, Oden won't have to compete against Kevin Durant for Rookie of the Year award.

Thanks for the scoop -- I had read about some of the latest Isiah saga, but not all of the gory details. As for the merits of Ms. Brown's case, I think it depends on how pervasive the treatment was. By law, the creation of a "hostile environment" constitutes sexual harassment. If everyday she had to endure being called a bitch or ho by her superior, that's sounds awfully hostile to me. Can you imagine having to go to work and being called a queer or homo every day by your Dean (or whoever)?

I was confused by your Ezra Pound reference. But when I climbed Mt. Russell in August, my entry into the peak register actually included a quote from a Pound poem, so maybe you are prescient.

Heat signed PG Bucks PG Charlie Bell to a 5 year, $18.5M offer sheet today. They now have to wait to find out if Milwaukee will match their offer. I doubt it; they haven't done much to try to keep Charlie happy this off-season. But White Chocolate (health) and Smush (crazy) can use all the help they can get.

I agree with you about Mrs Brown's situation. No human being should have to put up with name-calling on the job. It's dehumanizing. I think she'll probably win that part of her lawsuit. I wouldn't wanna work with Isiah and Starbury either, but I would. I'm funny that way. You can call me anything you want for $600K/year. But I still don't think much of Mr. Brown. I don't trust people that file lawsuits all the time.

Larry, trust me. I'm not prescient. If I was, I'd be rich. I simply made a mistake. Mt Russell? Bill Russell had a mountain named after him? Cool.....

Ms de Blazer: What you say is true, but how can you be so sure that Oden's problem is not related to bone density or integrity? Maybe he just has fragile bones? It happens. But anyway, I'll still be watching. Lamarcus is one of my favorite players.

Bell is a nice pickup for the Heat. I'm sure Milwaukee won't match.

Ms. Brown is no Anita Hill, I'll grant you that (testing your historical memory here). But I'm hoping that Isiah Thomas won't worm his sleazy way out of it the way Doubting Clarence Thomas did. Ugh...the memory of that makes me sick.

Mt. Russell should be named after Bill -- they are both entirely awesome.

I think Ms. de Blazer has the right attitude about Oden. He may be permanently prone to problems, but why worry about mere speculation? He could end up like Amare instead. It's sad seeing all the blogs by Blazers fans (like on Hoopshype.com) talking about how this has singlehandedly destroyed the morale of the entire city.

Well, Larry, it appears the Bucks are at least considering matching Miami's 5yr/$18M offer to Charlie Bell, even though they said earlier the team couldn't afford a $3M/yr multiyear contract. If Charlie ends up in Miami, and White Chocolate stays in Miami, Heat could end up $6-7M above the luxury tax threshold. That's why there's so much speeculation the Heat are looking to unload White Chocolate (and his $9M/yr contract).

Also, realgm.com is reporting that AK47 wants out of Utah. Funny, isn't it. Dude is the highest paid player on the team; will earn about $14M next year; $15M the year after; and $16M after that. Who's gonna pick up that contract? My advice to AK47............shut up and play ball....you're already over-paid.

I dunno Larry, Hitting on the ladies at work is tricky business....and could easily land a male employee or boss in court. Better off not doing it at all. Tell me. What happens if the boss hits on his female employee at a night club after work or after church on Sunday? Is that still sexual harressment; e.g.; can a guy ask out his female employees away from the office? It seems strange to me; almost like its not sexual harressment if she wants to date her boss, but is if she doesn't. I thought there had to be a financial element to these disputes (e.g.; if she's demoted or denied a promotion or raise after she rebuffs a boss's advances; understandable and worthy of a lawsuit), but it doesn't make sense that a woman can claim sexual harressment solely because of name-calling; hell, I know several male employees who endure that every day and they don't file lawsuits.

I wonder if Milwaukee is just blowing hot air -- funny that they've suddenly found several extra million lying around. Also, they just signed the incomparable Royal Ivey -- one of my favorite basketball names, but hell, he couldn't even find a home in PG-starved Atlanta!

I couldn't agree more with you about AK. I used to really like him, but I've lost a lot of respect.

The standards for sexual harassment are a matter of state law. In Cali, it's creating a "hostile environment." But you're right -- it's more than name calling; it has to be sexually hostile. Anucha Brown is alleging, e.g., that Isiah often grabbed her and hugged her against her will. Also, she was fired, so there was alleged retaliation for not cooperating. Bottom line is a supervisor is crazy to mess around with an assistant. At my law firm, there were a few secretaries who, although horrible workers, had lifetime security because some stupid male partners had had affairs with them.

There is no reason to suppose Greg Oden is fragile. Having his tonsils out is a once in a lifetime unrelated event. And remember, the Blazers had damn near every cell in his body examined prior to the draft.

Name calling can constitute sexual harassment. If a person is called bitch or ho or slut or somesuch on a daily basis, she does not have to say it is not nice. It is understood. Just like you would not have to say it is not nice to call you fag all day or have your boss refer to you as "that fag".

And asking a woman on a date away from the office follows the same rules as asking at the office. To merely ask for dinner and a movie is not harassment. To repeatedly ask after being told no is. To imply that a woman's job, promotion, raise, evaluation, depends on her going on a date is. To ask a woman for sex is. To ask a woman to strip is.

Raptor fans can't wait for the start of the new season - now that we actually have a team worth cheering for again. Interest is going through the roof. The Raptors announced their TV schedule today and ALL 82 games will be available in HD across all of Canada. 21 on TSN, 12 on Sporstnet, 30 on the Score (with its irritating ticker), 12 on Raptors NBA TV and for the first time in the teams history 7 of their games are even being carried by the CBC.

And ticket sales have been excellent. Over 98% of last year's season ticket subscribers renewed - highest percentage in the NBA. 2500 new season ticket packages have been sold bring the season ticket base up to well over 11,000 - almost matching the team's peak back in the Vinsanity era. And over 20,000 tickets were sold on the first day that group sales opened. So the team may come close to matching their attendance record of 2001-2002 when they sold out the 19,800 ACC for 40 of the teams 41 home games.

So far I have tickets to 5 games including one of the visits by Lebron through a friend who bought season tickets for the first time this year.

I can honestly say for the first time in about 6 years - I'm excited about the upcoming season. And thankfully Bargnani, Calderon and Garbajosa seem to have survived the Euros. The Raps - who because of their roster gaining popularity in Europe - kick off their pre-season with games in Rome, Italy and Malaga, Spain in a couple of weeks.

So the Bucks match Miami's offer to Bell after all. I bet they just did it to hurt the Heat, who now come up virtually empty-handed after a frantic off-season of trying to bolster DWade's aging supporting cast. Well, it's all on Penny's shoulders now. Ha.

According to Dime, Scottie Pippen is close to signing with a team in Finland! You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried.

That, if at all true, is either a brilliant move of theater of the absurd (what better way to parody all of the recent comebacks?) or one of the most pathetic non-criminal related NBA stories I've read in a long long time. Scottie, did somebody transplant Rodman's brain into your body?

Larry, you forgot Smush and White Chocolate, or were you being clever again?
Guess What? Deron Williams said that he and his teammates want AK47 to remain in Utah...but only if he is willing to change his work habits (from realgm.com). Apparently, AK47 leaves the gym immediately after practice and doesn't hang around to work on his shooting touch (obvious to anyone who's witnessed that funky jumper). Because he doesn't do that, Deron said he refused to pass the ball to AK47; said he'd rather pass the ball to someone that actually stays in the gym after practice to work on the jumper. Also said AK47 is a guy who doesn't work on his jumper but still wants to shoot all the time. Huh? AK47, meet AI, Agent 0, and Vinsanity, Ricky Davis, and J.R. Smith.

Sasha Pavlovic, a restricted free agent, is threatening to play in Europe if the Pistons don't give him a new contract. I say, let him go; he's a good player, but replaceable.

Guess which Maverick signed a 5 yr/$50M contract extension? Here's a hint. He's very fast but is turnover proned.

Larry, you work at a law firm? My sister is a US attorney. I don't tell her nothing, and...I'll be keeping my guard up around you from now on as well. I don't trust attorneys.

I know that Ms deBlazer. What I'm confused about it this. If your male boss routinely calls a female employee a bitch or ho, etc., that's sexual harrassment. Rght? But what if a male boss routinely calls a male employee a bitch or ho? Is that sexual harrassment too? Does the object of his wrath need to be female to prompt a sexual harrassment claim?

Canmark, what about NBC, ESPN, TBS, etc. Any American TV Channels carrying Raptor games next season? Before the playoffs, I only watched two Raptor games last season. They are a fun team and I wouldn't mind watching them play on a regular basis, but I don't' wanna pay.

Well we will be getting all 82 Raptor games nationally in HD north of the border - the Raptors are not going to be showing their faces much south of the border. 4 appearances on NBA TV and ONE on ESPN on Friday January 4 home to the Pistons - and that is it on the US National TV sked so far.

Smushed, melted Chocolate and bad Penny. Yeah, that's a backcourt I'd want to assemble around DWade. You can put the Heat in the freezer right now. I wonder how Wade is going to feel, having won his Championship at such a young age, only to watch his team decaying all around him. Hmm...a little bit like that other flashy guard Shaq used to play with.

Good for Deron Williams calling out Kirilenko. Williams has shown impressive poise for someone with only 2 pro years under his belt. So, you think AK is really going to walk away from $63m and play in Europe? If he did that, it would completely restore all my respect for him. (I know some people would think he was insane.)

Thomas, I hope you're sister isn't the AUSA in Los Angeles that I'm currently butting heads with. In any event, I'm glad your sister survived the Bush Administration's purge of the US Attorneys that didn't tow the right wing line.

Finally, there have been a few successful same-sex sexual harassment claims. Of course, that requires courts to recognize that gays and lesbians actually exist, hold real jobs and are entitled to the same rights as everyone else...

Larry, you're giving my sisiter way too much credit.....or I used the wrong job description. My sister is a despised Navy prosecutor. Apparently, an attorney who works for the United States Government is a generalized job description which should not be confused with the official title of United States Attorney.

Gusess what? Golden State signed PG Troy Hudson today for the league minimum. Guess TWolves bought him out? With BDiddy and young Monta Ellis on the roster, you have to wonder what the addition of THud means for Monta. What is Nellie planning to do with Monta, or, is THud just a 3rd backup PG? One thing's for sure. Troy has all the right qualities Nellie looks for in a player: he's thin and long; physically fit, athletic, can drain the trey, and run all day. But if last season was any indication, THud is not a true PG; he's mediocre at best. I was about to say he doesn't do Defense either but what Warrior does in Nellie's system? One last thing, you have to watch this; it's one of THud's videos......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqhYngxlCys

And what is an AUSA? Good luck with that.


That's too bad, Pat. I really wanted to watch the Raptors next season. There are ways of getting round these things though. I just need to figure out a couple things first.

Well, I don't represent any sailors, so I'm unlikely to encounter your sister then. An AUSA is an assistant U.S. Attorney -- in my case, a civil prosecutor. (That isn't to suggest she's civil as a person, but that she prosecutes civil rather than criminal violations.)

Hudson will be a 3rd PG. Face it, Baron Davis (even a slimmed down BD) is going to get injured at some point, so it's insurance. THud (cute nickname) isn't a true PG, but there's not much to choose from on the market. Yeah, the Wolves bought him out. Sort of like Portland buying out Francis -- no need to have a cancer around to infect the young'uns. But Hudson will keep his mouth shut around BDiddy.

Hey, sorry about your Saints. But at least you've got LSU.

P.S. Could you please find me one NBA player who doesn't think he's a rap star? What's next -- a duet by Steve Nash and Yao Ming?

Greg Oden now has a companion for his rehab. A puppy, Charles Barkley McLovin.

I couldn't make this up.

The joke of course is that Sir Charles hates pets, by his own admission, is scornful of people who have companion animals and derides any idea that animals could love their humans. If Greg watches NBA on TV, which I assume he does, he must know this.

The pup squeezed under the fence in the yard and the whole neighborhood helped search for him until he was returned home.



Courts have ruled that same sex harassment is sexual harassment regardless of the sexual orientation, real or perceived, of the individuals involved.

I wouldn't hand over a National Championship to LSU just yet; not with Florida (#3), Kentucky (#14), and Alabama (#22) left on their schedule; not to mention Auburn and Arkansas, and even if they get past these, there's still the SEC championship game (probably UF or South Carolina.....again). I don't know if it's possible for any team in the country to beat Florida twice in a single season, but that's what it would take for LSU to stay #2 and get a shot at USC. Funny thing is, Florida can't beat LSU twice in the same season either, so the National Championship game could end up USC against Oklahoma; and trust me, even if USC thumps them big time, Stoops won't give you guys any credit at all. He'll just make excuses ...like he did when LSU beat him in the NC game a few years ago.

Here's some interesting news from realgm.com. Reports say that Matrix and Kobe have been talking trade. Matrix is pissed because the Suns won't give him a $60M/3 year contract extension. No misprint. Matrix wants $60M (way over-valued, if you ask me). Based on contract matching, lakers would have to give up Lamar Odom ($13M/yr) for the Matrix ($16M/yr). Suns save money, get luxury tax relief, but Matrix is a better rebounder and a better long range shooter than Lamar, so you have to wonder if the $3M reduction in luxury tax (trading Marion) is worth the fall off in rebounding and team defense the Suns will experience if Odom replaces Matrix.

One other thing. Kevin McHale is saying that he has three or four trade proposals on the table. I don't know what they are, but I 'll bet Juwan Howard is among them. He's been bitching very loud lately.

Ms deBlazer. I understand. But men don't usually settle sexual harrassment disputes sittitng across from each other in a court room. There are easier and more effective ways of doing that.

Marion is a fool. Of all the stars requesting/demanding trades this summer (suddenly the "in" thing to do!), he has by far the weakest case. He's already the highest paid player on a team with two players who are substantially better than him. He benefits enormously from playing with Steve Nash -- a benefit he wouldn't even come close to with the Lakers or any other team in the league (except the Nets). He can't create his own shot or handle the ball particularly well. He is inconsistent in big games. He's been whining for years while the other Suns have bitten their tongues. Doesn't sound like a $20m man to me.

The Odom deal makes a little sense, but I wouldn't be keen on it if I were Phoenix (unless I were just so sick of Matrix that I'd give up). Although Odom is more versatile and creative offensively, particularly in the post (he is 3 inches taller), he lacks focus in a big way. Maybe Nash would be enough to get him to harness his many talents. But, as you say Thomas, the Suns would be giving up a premier defender for an average one, and they don't have much leeway on defense as it is now. Also, Odom is coming off shoulder surgery, and who knows how that will affect him this season.

Still, if Marion stays (as is likely), it sure would be hard to be his team mate this season.

I guess you heard. Suns refuse to deal Matrix. I'll bet they would though, if the price was right; meaning, if they find a deal that allows them to shave off $3-4M in luxury tax. Financially, it makes sense for the Suns, but I don't get it. Matrix complains a lot (feeling unappreciated) playing with Nash and Amare, so what makes him think he'll get PT, exposure, love and appreciation playing on a team with the game's biggest superstar....and in Lalaland? You're right. Matrix should STFU and play ball.

Here's some levity. Peja says he's still not 100%. Not exactly news....when was the last time he was 100%? Sacramento?

Been watching that Met meltdown, Larry? Shocking.....isn't it?

We're not too upset with the Saints.....old hat....typical actually.

The last time Peja was 100% was when he was with Sacto and Webber/Divac/Bibby were all distracting the defense and setting him up with great passes. Guess poor Peja will never recover.

I'm sure you're right that nothing is going to happen with Matrix. Odom would give the Suns some financial relief, since he's paid $3m less than Marion (although still within 25% for purposes of the trade rules). I think the biggest problem with Odom (along with the downgrade in defense) is that he is so fragile physically. Marion never gets injured; Odom is an injury waiting to happen.

Although I grew up just across the Hudson River from NYC, I was never much of a New York sports teams fan (although I did go to Knicks and Rangers games when I was in junior high/high school). NYC sports fans are SO obnoxious. You're great if you win and you're a bum if you don't. Patrick Ewing was a bum because he didn't win a championship.

So I don't have much sympathy for Mets fans. Yankees fans, on the other hand, are simply insufferable.

Peja is too fragile for the game. Of course, as you know, guys don't play with pain any more....in any sport. You mentioned CWebb. He received a $10-$12M, 2-year offer to play in Greece for Olypiacos. I've seen that team play several times. They are a deliberate, slow-down, scripted, patient, backdoor-you-to-death team that relies on solid defense and precision shot-making. Not a bad fit for Cwebb actually, if he was healthy. but he's not. At $6M/year, CWebb would become the highest paid basketball player in Europe. That would suggest they plan to make him a starter. If they do, that would be a huge mistake. CWebb wouldn't last a season, not with those knees. I love CWebb, but at this point in his career, $6M/year is way too much for what he brings to the court. In my opinion, he'd be better off as a Piston backup, even if for the league minimum.

Larry, these friggin midterm exams are killing me.

Tracy McGrady spent his summer visiting refugee camps in Chad and learning about the atrocities in Darfur. Houston Chronicle article: McGrady on Africa: 'I knew I had to go'

And at the opposite side of the good citizen spectrum, it sounds like the jury is going to find Isiah liable for harassment. That means Stern will probably suspend him, and the Knicks will seriously have to consider his future. Gee...couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Thomas, Webber is saying he doesn't want to play in Greece. And there's no reason to -- it's not like he needs the money.

Probably a good decision from CWebb, given his health problems, but does his decision mean he will remain a Piston? Larry, you'll love this one. In an attempt to appease AK47, Jazz owners asked Sloan to give AK47 equal portions of criticism and praise. I'm sure those guys know Jerry and AK47 better than I do, but the surly Jerry Sloan is not exactly a Father Figure and AK47 is immature and needs discipline. Not exactly Hoosiers, is it? Come to think of it, BKnight could probably help AK47 be all that he can be.



It's always good when one human being does something good for mankind, so I congratulate TMac for this contribution to the universal good, but I'm still surprised. He was scared to death to come to New Orleans after Katrina, and the situation is Dafur is a thousand time worse than the situation in Big Easy. TMac has balls.....TMac has a heart...TMac concerned about someone not named TMac.....whodathunkit. Good for him.

ESPN.com has posted the projected standings for the 07-08 season by John Hollinger

EAST
1. Chicago Bulls 55-27 1st in Central
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 54-28 2nd in Central
3. Boston Celtics 51-31 1st in Atlantic
4. Orlando Magic 49-33 1st in Southeast
5. Detroit Pistons 48-34 3rd in Central
6. Miami Heat 43-39 2nd in Southeast
7. Atlanta Hawks 42-40 3rd in Southeast
8. Toronto Raptors 40-42 2nd in Atlantic

WEST
1. Houston Rockets 61-21 1st in Southwest
2. San Antonio Spurs 59-23 2nd in Southwest
3. Dallas Mavericks 58-24 3rd in Southwest (5th seed)
4. Phoenix Suns 54-28 1st in Pacific (3rd seed)
5. Denver Nuggets 53-29 1st in Northwest (4th seed)
6. Utah Jazz 50-32 2nd in Northwest
7. Los Angeles Lakers 43-39 2nd in Pacific
8. New Orleans Hornets 39-43 4th in Southwest

I don't see that one working out at all. AK does have some growing up to do (the criticisms by Deron Williams were the most telling of all, to my mind), for sure. But he is still a special talent, and he needs a coach who can work with with eggshell- thin ego. If Bobby Knight were the coach, Kirilenko wouldn't be stepping foot outside of Mother Russia for the rest of his life. And Sloan is out of the Knight-mare mode. A great coach with the right players, but too inflexible for the more fragile types. What AK needs is Phil Jackson to soothe, massage and bathe him in Zen koans.

Canmark, thanks for posting those projected standings. I do not think much Hollinger's obsessive manipulation of statistics though. And I don't think much of his picks. In fact, I think they are ridiculous. For instance, you'll be happy to know that I think the Raptors will do a lot better than 40 wins. And there is NO way Houston will win 61, nor Orlando 49. nor Atlanta 42 (Atlanta makes the playoffs and the Nets don't?!?). Smokey's projections, from a few weeks ago, were infinitely better.

[P.S. Thomas, I don't think you need to worry about USC any more. Although I didn't especially enjoy my time at Stanford, I'm going to gloat anyway!]

I didn't watch the USC/Stanford game but saw the score while watching the LSU/Florida game (what a game!). What a lackadaisical effort from the USC offense. I love JD Booty, and I know his throwing hand was injured, but c'mon. USC is vastly superior to Stanford (sorry, Larry) and should have won. And Larry, I told you neither LSU nor Florida could beat each other twice this year. LSU won, but had a ton of good luck. They won because of Hester's heart and Les Miles' oversized onions. But if LSU wins the West and Florida wins the East, they play again. If that happens, I wouldn't bet on LSU converting another 5 of 5 4th downs again, so Florida would probably win that rematch.

Here's some NBA news from realgm.com. Ben Gordon wants a $70M/5 year extension, according to the New York Post. That's a lot of money for a midget SG with suspect defensive skill. If I were Paxson, I wouldn't give Ben Gordon $70M. He's not worth that kind of money; not even close.

As for AK47. Well, I agree with Charlie Rosen, as usual (see today's column at foxsports.com). Kirilenko has an inflated and unrealistic view of his minimal offensive talent. And Jerry Sloan is not exactly a negotiator either, so something has to give.

Poor Isiah.....


Orlando Magic 1st in the Southwest? Why? Magic will need more than Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard to win that divison. Like a PG (Jameer is a warrior but is not a championship caliber PG).....a SG (Who? Turkgulo? Nice role player but not an impact player)....and a PF (they don't have an impact PF at all). And exactly what do the Magic do with JJ Reddick, who can't play point and needs a ton of screens to be effective at SG)? Nope. Magic won't win that division. Winner will be either Wizzards or Heat.

Of course USC is vastly superior -- they were 41 point favorites. That's what makes it so much fun to see them lose. And USC should have crushed Washington the week before, but barely eked it out. In fact, USC should win every game they play and should be national champions, but they won't. They should have beaten Texas 2 years ago also, but Reggie Bush disappeared.

Ben Gordon won't get that much -- it's just negotiation tactics. Paxson is smart, and isn't going to break the bank for one player, when he's got a whole great ensemble to foster.

Guess what -- I actually liked that Rosen column! It had far less of his usual bitter "humor" and just actual analysis (which I agreed with).

I knew you'd warm up to Charlie Rosen sooner or later. Told you he was good. That guy knows his basketball; that's for sure. Frankly, I think he spends a bit too much time on X's and O's of the game, but that's his style I guess. Most fans don't really care why their team lost; don't give a rat's ass about a up/down screen; don't care what caused the loss; they just don't want it happen on a regular basis. Why? Because most fans have never had to deal with mediocrity and perennial failure. I think the reason most fans feel that way; the reason they blindly, in some cases even foolishly, expect success; is because they've never been Saints fans (a sure cure for lofty expectation).

I took no pleasure in USC's loss (I loved last year's team), but you don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to figure something has gone wrong in that Trojan offense. I think one of their problems is a lack of patience, brought on by the need to impress pollsters with a big winning margin. Lack of patience is also one of the reasons Florida lost to LSU. Why throw the ball in the 4th quarter with a 10 pt lead? Urban Meyer should have known better. I think Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer share a common character...a history of success that breeds over-confidence. There was no need to have JD Booty throw the ball early in the 4th either, especially after he'd piled up multiple interceptions already, but he did, and look what happened......just like Florida, the Trojans lost....because their OCs knew they needed a big win to secure (USC) and/or get back (UF) a national championship berth. I didn't watch the USC/Stanford game, so can't say if the Trojans faced eight in the box (and couldn't run the ball) or nickel/dime packages (and couldn't throw the ball), but either way, the only reason a coach would throw the ball in the 4th quarter with a 10 pt lead, rather than run the ball, milk the clock, and accept a small winning margin, is because of arrogance, vendettas, impress recruits, or a need to impress pollsters. But I see no reason to blame either JD Booty ort Tim Rebow for what happened. But I'm happy for Stanford; your alma mater deserves some good luck on the grid iron.

Back to basketball.........

Doug Christie says he wants to play for the Knicks; says he loves playing for Isiah. Huh? But is New York ready for Mrs. Doug Christie? That's the question. A fan poll in New York determined that the current Knicks team is unlikeable. I don't know why that is, considering New York and Madison Square Garden loves heavyweight fights, and Isiah's Knicks will fight for most any reason.

D'Antoni says he just can't understand why Matrix wants out of Phoenix, given the fact that he's the highest paid player on the team, and, the fact that the Suns are a legitmate title contender. Is D'Antoni really that dense, Larry? How can he NOT know? Everyone does. Mr. D'Antoni, the answer is EGO.

Larry, is Odom hurt? I read today that Radmonovich would start at SF in the Lakers next exhibition game. Also, did Kobe and Mitch kiss and make up. Is Kobe ahppy now and ready to play ball?

Finally, I'm sorry for what happened to your Padres, especially for the way they lost their last few games. Padre fans must be devastated. Trevor is usually a reliable closer; I don't know what happened to him in his last two outings, but he blew two saves; got rocked just when his team needed him most. The good news is Rivera will likely opt out of New York, so if the Padres decide to retain Hoffman, and get him some help, maybe both Trevor and Mariano will end up in the Padres bullpen. That would be an awesome (and geriatric) combination.

Rosen spends too much time analyzing individual possessions. I agree with you -- no one but an X's & O's geek wants to read that. Rather, people are interested in overall appraisals of a player's performance and strengths and weaknesses. Rosen does know basketball, but he lets his petty prejudices cloud his views of many players. Since you mention Odom, that's a good example of someone that Rosen can't be objective about, because he thinks Odom is "soft." Odom is an underachiever, but he's still a fine player. And he is definitely not soft. There is no way that someone who suffers through the playoffs with a torn labrum (and does damn well, completely outplaying Matrix in the Phoenix series) is soft. I'd love to see Rosen play with a torn labrum. I should know -- I tore the labrum of my left shoulder during my last backpack. I can barely move the arm, let alone engage in a contact sport! Alas, like Odom, I'm going to have to go under the knife. (Odom is always hurt, that's a knock I'll grant, but it's hardly his fault -- it's not like he's out of shape. Right now his shoulder that they operated on is a bit sore, supposedly nothing major.)

Doug Christie is a walking freak show, so what better place for him than the Garden of Isiah? Did you see how Christie talked about how much respect he had for Isiah as a person, right after the sexual harassment verdict came out? I wonder what the Mrs. Christie thought about that??

I don't know about Florida, but I'm sure you're right about USC overplaying. No doubt, come the fourth quarter they couldn't believe they were just barely beating another mediocre team. So they were going for broke. And they got it!

Finally, D'Antoni knows what he's doing. He's painting Marion into a corner by pointing out the obvious (incredibly well-paid, championship contender, Steve Nash...) and putting the burden on Marion to admit the real reason.