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Clippers Trade Baron Davis to Cavaliers for Mo Williams, Jamario Moon

February 23, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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Baron DavisThe good times appear to be over for Baron Davis in Los Angeles.

As we approach Thursday’s trade deadline, the hits just keep on coming. The latest deal has the Clippers sending Davis to the Cavaliers, along with an unprotected 2011 first round draft pick in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.

Marc Spears first reported the deal, which was confirmed by FanHouse’s Sam Amick.

From the Clippers’ standpoint, anything they could do to get out from under the hefty contract of Davis would be a welcome form of relief, despite Davis’ recently improved play alongside rookie sensation Blake Griffin. Davis is averaging almost 13 points and seven assists per game, but if you watch the Clips on a regular basis, you’ll notice that his shot selection is largely still terrible, despite feeding Griffin for the occasionally ridiculous highlight that makes everything seem like it’s working out in Los Angeles.

But it’s not, because Davis is — and now, was — a liability for this young and developing Clippers team, plain and simple.

 

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Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford React to Hawks’ Trade With Wizards

February 23, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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PHOENIX — The five-player trade between the Hawks and the Wizards had been in the works throughout the latter part Wednesday afternoon, and was finalized sometime shortly before the Hawks were set to tip-off in Phoenix against the Suns. Atlanta came back from 14 points down in the third quarter to tie it in the fourth, before eventually falling by a final of 105-97.

For the players in the Hawks locker room afterward, it wasn’t about Wednesday’s game. It was about realizing that guys they had formed a bond with were suddenly now gone. And even a few hours later, Atlanta’s key players were still having a hard time dealing with the sudden shake-up.

“I was a little shocked,” Jamal Crawford said. “I knew something could possibly happen but … you know, those guys, they’re like family. You spend so much time with them over the course of the year. Mo, Mike, and Jordan, they’re like family. I wish them nothing but the best.”

 

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Mike Bibby, Kirk Hinrich Swap Places in Hawks-Wizards Trade

February 23, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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PHOENIX — Multiple reports have the Hawks and Wizards involved in a trade that would send Mike Bibby, Mo Evans, Jordan Crawford and a 2011 draft pick to Washington in exchange for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong. Michael Lee of the Washington Post was among those to have confirmed that the deal is now done.

As reports were swirling about the multi-player deal going down, the Hawks locker room had just opened to the media, as the team was preparing for Wednesday night’s game against the Suns. Head coach Larry Drew was only able to confirm that the deal was pending, and that the three Atlanta players would be held out of the game while the details were sorted out. He did, however, say that the area he believes his team needs to improve the most is the point guard position.

“Well, I don’t think it’s been a secret to anyone, as far as what we’ve been trying to do in trying to enhance our position at the point guard spot,” Drew said. “We’ve made some inquiries about some players around the league, and the deal that we do have today pending does involve a guy who would come in and be our point guard for us. We’re looking to enhance that position for us, and hopefully this thing goes through.”

When asked if the Hawks need to acquire yet another All-Star to compete with the likes of the Super Teams in the Eastern Conference — the team already has two in Joe Johnson and Al Horford — Drew said the team simply needs to improve wherever it can.

“Whether that player be an All-Star or not I think we’re always looking to bring another player in that can make our ball club better,” Drew said. “We’re always looking at potential deals, potential trades that can make us better. Certainly our phones have been pretty hot these last few days, and I’m sure they’ll be hot tonight as we get closer and closer to the deadline.”

Horford, meanwhile, wasn’t so certain that his team needed to make a midseason trade to shake things up. But he seemed open to embracing the possibility.

 

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Reports: Carmelo Anthony Finally Traded to the Knicks

February 21, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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Carmelo Anthony Traded to KnicksCarmelo Anthony has finally gotten his wish.

The saga that has both interested and tortured NBA fans for the better part of this season appears to finally be over, as multiple reports are now confirming that Anthony has been traded to the New York Knicks.

The Denver Post first reported the deal, a blockbuster which involves nine players, three draft picks and millions in cash exchanging hands.

Anthony will head to New York, along with teammates Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman. In exchange, the Knicks will send Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks’ 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors‘ 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash.

After months of dealing with the topic of the long-rumored trade on a daily basis, Nuggets head coach George Karl was understandably relieved to have things resolved.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Karl said. “I’m glad it’s an opportunity to reinvent. I think everybody handled it as classy as you could handle it. There’s some sadness to it, there always will be.”


A separate deal is reportedly in the works that will send Anthony Randolph and the expiring contract of Eddy Curry to Minnesota, with the Knicks acquiring guard Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves.

Anthony did not attend Denver’s practice Monday, but not necessarily because a trade was imminent — it was an excused absence, as Anthony stayed in Los Angeles following All-Star Weekend to tape an appearance on the Conan O’Brien show.

 

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Kobe Bryant Wins NBA All-Star MVP

February 20, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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Kobe Bryant

LOS ANGELES — It was clear early in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game that Kobe Bryant was looking to make sure that no one else would come into his home building and steal the show. Not only was it clear to the fans, but the players noticed, too.

“You could tell he started out from the start — he wanted the MVP,” Amar’e Stoudemire said afterward. “He was not passing the ball, at all.”

Bryant opened the game with 11 first-quarter points, and ended up with 37 and 14 rebounds as his Western Conference squad pulled out a 148-143 victory over the East. The performance earned him MVP honors, which marked the fourth time in his career that Bryant has taken home the game’s trophy.

Bryant tried to deny that he might have been gunning for the MVP.

“No, not really,” Bryant said, when asked if that might have been the case. “I really wanted to come out and play hard, though. I feel like we have a sense of responsibility and we are voted in for what we do during the season, which is play hard … (The fans) want to see us go at it and see us compete and that’s what I try to do and that’s what I try to tell my teammates to do.”

The fact that Bryant chose to take the scoring into his own hands wasn’t surprising — that is, after all, how he plays the game. But his aggressiveness in attacking the rim was certainly something different, and his multiple slam dunks — including one where he narrowly avoided a chase-down block from LeBron James — were certainly a pleasant surprise.

 

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Video: Backstage Look at Players Before NBA’s All-Star Practice

February 20, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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LOS ANGELES — The NBA holds a public practice for its All-Stars on Saturday morning every year as part of the All-Star weekend festivities. Not much happens of course, other than players going through a few shooting drills for show, and the coaches reviewing the most basic of plays with their newly assembled squad. It’s mainly a chance for fans to see the game’s biggest stars up close and in person, assembled in one place at as intimate a venue as you’ll find in NBA circles.

Before the players took the floor, they were all hanging around in this sort of backstage area which was also open to the media, even though there were no interviews being conducted. Mostly it was the players interacting with each other as if no one else was around.

In the video clip below, you’ll see the majority of the All-Stars doing exactly that.

 

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Blake Griffin Jumps Over a Car, Wins 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

February 19, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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Blake Griffin dunks over car

LOS ANGELES — Blake Griffin jumped over a car.

The epic and somewhat ridiculous dunk by the Clippers rookie in the contest’s final round capped a memorable 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk contest, and was more than enough to earn Griffin the event’s championship trophy.

It went down like this: a silver Kia with tinted windows was rolled out onto the floor, with the hood of the car positioned in the paint. A choir was brought out at the other end of the court, and sang before the dunk was attempted. The head of Griffin’s teammate, Baron Davis, appeared out of the vehicle’s sunroof, and he was holding a basketball. Griffin got a running start, leaped into the air while clearing the car with ease, and caught a pass from Davis which he slammed home with two hands, bringing his team’s home-town, L.A.crowd to a fever pitch.

Like I said: Ridiculous.

“It was actually my idea to use the car,” Griffin said. “When they first came to me with the dunk contest idea, they said there was no rules. I was like, ‘So I can jump over a car?’, kind of playing around. He was like, ‘Yeah.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I have to do it now.’ “

The car was the last and greatest prop used in this year’s contest, but it wasn’t the first.

 

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Video: Kobe Bryant and Kanye West Star in Nike’s ‘The Black Mamba’

February 19, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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LOS ANGELES — Nike Basketball debuted its Kobe Bryant short film/sneaker ad early Saturday morning to a worldwide audience on Facebook, and to the people of Los Angeles on the ground for the NBA‘s All-Star weekend. The mini-movie, which is directed by Robert Rodriguez and has a running time of just under six minutes, features Kanye West and Bruce Willis, along with Bryant of course, and his new Kobe VI basketball shoes.

Nike Basketball had an event at the W Hotel in Hollywood on Friday night, and showed the film to a star-studded audience that included Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire and Paul Pierce — all members of the Nike family. They were then treated to a performance from Kanye West.

As for the film itself, the best part about it is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, or even seriously at all. Kobe is easily the most polarizing figure in the game, and any attempt at trying to turn a sneaker ad into some kind of Oscar-winning feature film would have undoubtedly been met with an insane amount of criticism.

There are a couple of moments of unintentional comedy, and the Kobe-haters out there will likely chuckle when he takes the court and plays all by himself against a team of villains (hey, just like he does every night on the Lakers!). But overall it’s a pretty entertaining way to sell basketball shoes, even if the product itself doesn’t see a ton of time on the screen.

Check out the full video below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

 

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John Wall Sets Rookie Challenge Record With 22 Assists, Wins Game MVP

February 18, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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John WallLOS ANGELES — The 2011 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge started off slowly, with neither team displaying much energy and not too many thrills to be had early. But by the time it was over, Blake Griffin had some thunderous dunks and John Wall handed out a game-record 22 assists in leading the Rookies to a 148-140 win over the Sophomores.

“I was keeping count through the whole game,” Wall said of his assists. “I asked before the game what the assist record was and throughout the game my teammates were telling me, ‘it’s four away’ or ‘it’s five away’. After I got it, we were just trying to get the win.”

The MVP wasn’t Wall’s going away, however, as both DeJuan Blair and DeMarcus Cousins seemed to be after the prize, especially late in the second half when they seemed to be dueling directly against one another.

Blair was aggressive from the very start, seemingly thrilled to be free of the disciplined and restrictive San Antonio system, and shooting almost every time he touched the ball. Cousins, meanwhile, was on the receiving end of more than one spectacular pass from Wall, his former college teammate at the University of Kentucky.

Blair finished the night with 28 points on 14-of-21 shooting, to go along with 15 rebounds. Cousins finished 33 and 14. But the game’s signature highlight belonged to neither of them.

 

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Video: John Wall’s High Bounce Alley-Oop to Blake Griffin

February 18, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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LOS ANGELES — As you might expect, defense was fairly non-existent in the 2011 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. There were plenty of highlight dunks of course, but the one that clearly stood out among the rest was this ridiculous jam from Blake Griffin, off a high, hard bounce pass from the Wizards John Wall.

 

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