A couple years ago I wrote about Paul Pierce being a future pro soccer player. At the time the Celtics were on their way to a finals win when Pierce went down on the court with an apparent season and career threatening knee injury. Here’s the clip: Pierce Injury Versus Lakers

Pierce goes down and the entire team comes over and some guys even carry him off the floor. The replay barely shows any contact even made. The guy then gets wheel chaired off the floor while coaches huddle around him. Then minutes later he runs back out on the court and the whole thing is ridiculous.

Pierce strikes again the other day when he falls down and hurts his shoulder and makes a fool of himself. Here’s the clip: Pierce Injury Versus Heat

I don’t see where he gets hurt but he does down to the floor writhing in pain only to get up and finish the game minutes later. The problem this time is that the fake injury could’ve cost Boston a lot more because while defending the ‘injured’ player, Kevin Garnett got himself suspended for game 2 of the series.

Paul Pierce is cementing his legacy as a soccer player. We would expect this from Divac (foreign and inventor of flop), Ginobili (guy falls down more than Jenga) and Varejao because they grew up playing soccer and embraced it on the basketball court. Pierce though is the first of his kind in the NBA and it’s embarrassing.

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I’ve said this probably 100 times but Allen Iverson is easily one of the most talented basketball players the world has ever seen. How many players at 6*0 and 170 pounds can do what he did in the league? Imagine if Iverson were 6*6. If Iverson were 6*6 he would have been considered one of the top 3 players ever based on skills alone. He was always guarded by bigger, taller and stronger opponents and it didn’t slow him down. He played hurt and led his teams to a lot of wins based on his will and effort alone. I have a great respect for him as a talented player.

Is he done? Have we seen the last of this guy? I hope not because I still think he has a lot to offer and you can’t tell me that he wouldn’t still score 25 a game on the right team. I’d love to see him in New York but now that looks like it might not happen. Memphis was a good fit on paper but that’s about it. I’ll tell you what though, Iverson is better than Mike Conley, Tinsley and Marcus Williams. Where does he go? He can’t play for Larry Brown again I’m sure. He isn’t really needed in a lot of settings or rather teams aren’t willing to play Iverson and risk the chemistry of the team or a young player not getting time.

If we have seen the last of Iverson then I’m proud to say I got to watch him play because he’s one of the best ever to dribble and shoot a ball.

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I think it is great that Greg Oden could actually win the rookie of the year this year. In baseball they have clear guidlines as to what qualifies for a rookie and what doesn’t but in basketball we don’t see this very much. Is Greg Oden in his 1st year or 2nd year as a player? Oden was paid last year but will still be considered a rookie after not playing for one minute last season and remaining inactive on the roster. It is the same as when David Robinson was drafted out of Navy in 1987 but never played until 1990 as a rookie. Oden is the front runner for rookie of the year along with Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.

Would the Bulls have taken Oden with the top pick? of course they would’ve. Oden would’ve gone number 1 in nearly every draft for the past 10 years. He’s a gifted defender and evolving offensive player. He’s strong, athletic and physical and will be a great pro. I look forward to the Dwight Howard matchups a few years down the road when Oden is seasoned and his offensive game has developed.

In a preseason game yesterday, Oden scored 13 points and looked decent at times. He’s not in game shape and clearly didn’t have his legs. He got a nice ovation after he left the court having played 20 minutes but he shows signs that he’ll be a player. Big men win championships and Oden is just what they need in Portland. That is a team that has assembled some talent and getting Rudy Fernandez is looking to be an amazing pickup for them. I really expect the Blazers to improve on last season and be a tough team in the West, especially in Portland. They are still a few years away but the sun is going to shine in Portland very quickly.

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The Heat got very good overnight when the drafted Michael Beasley with the 2nd pick of the NBA draft. Beasley started his NBA career with 16 points and 6 rebounds in a preseason game against the Pistons. The PIstons didn’t play their regulars much at all as expected but Beasley still looked really good.

How good are the Heat going to be? That’s a tough question…they return DWAde, Shawn Marion and a few other guys but Beasley gives them that explosive 3rd option that every team needs. Sadly, outside of these 3 guys most of the roster is full of guys with either potential or never will be status. The Heat have a long way to go to get back to the top of the heap and they may not make the playoffs in the East but any team with Dwyane Wade needs to be taken seriously.

I expect Beasley to win rookie of the year and put up about 16-20 ppg with 8-10 boards a game. He doesn’t get flustered and can run the floor well. Wade will get him a couple dunks a game and Beasleys ability to get offensive rebounds will get him some more easy baskets. When the Sonics drafted Kevin Durant he came in as a great college rebounder but he didn’t get it done on the boards last year. He wasn’t strong enough and as a result he had to develop a stronger midrange game to do well. Durant didn’t get a lot of easy points but Beasley will. He’s physical, smart, athletic and confident and very very hungry. The Heat drafted the best player they could for their team and they’ll be glad they did for the next 12 seasons or so.

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The D league is some fun good basketball to watch and in a lot of places is the highest level you will find nearby. In our area we have the Utah Flash and I had the privilege of going to numerous games last season and take it in and I was very impressed. I got to see some really good guys that i had followed in college and some high draft picks also who were either on rehab or simply trying to get adjusted to the NBA type game.

Does the D-League work? I think it works and here is why. Today i was reading on NBA.com about the number of d-league players that are at NBA training camps and the number is over 100. That’s not bad at all. While it is rare that a d-league player sticks, the sign that this many players have been a part of program is a great sign.

In baseball you have the minor leagues where players can work their way through the system and earn a spot and it has worked for years. With basketball just starting out we are still yet to see a player who is undrafted, signed by the d-league and work up to become an all star. I don’t know if it will happen to be honest because of the amount of players. Baseball has so many players on the field at once and so many players in each system with some guys catching on later in life. IN the nba that is more rare because if you haven’t got it by the time you are 25-26 then good luck because they will invest in another 20 year old who they think will get it quicker. In baseball players don’t go overseas to get paid very often unless it is Japan but in basketball players can go overseas and make very good money so that is in direct competition.

I still think the D League works and I’ll continue to support it this season. In America, we love to see people earn what they have. We love to see the little guy fight his way up the ranks and that’s why the d league will always work if you ask me.

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Is this even blog worthy material? I question it myself but I have a two part take on this. Pierce was one of the best players in the BIG TEN a few years ago and was a marginal NBA prospect. He was the best player on the Iowa team that was then coached by Steve Alford.

He is on probation for a January 2005 incident at the West Des Moines home of a former girlfriend. The charges resulted in his being kicked off the Iowa basketball team. At the time, Pierce was the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten. Pierce led the Hawkeyes with 16.1 points a game as a sophomore in 2003-04.

He pleaded guilty in August 2005 to third-degree burglary, false imprisonment, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and criminal trespass.

He served 11 months in prison at the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility before he was released in September 2006.

Pierce was sentenced in April to 30 days in jail for violating his probation while playing in an NBA summer league in Las Vegas.

How’s that for a guy with issues? Somehow though he gets to leave the country to finish out his probation.

Here’s my take on it…should he be allowed to go? No he shouldn’t. Should we care that he leaves though? No. Let’s get Pierre (french name) out of our country and into France. Let them deal with a guy who got another break somehow and they can have him. I have an idea…Make the deal contingent on him getting French citizenship. I love it. I don’t know why the state of Iowa isn’t happy about this. The State Supreme Court saw it like i did and were probably mumbling to each other happily about having the guy leave. They wouldn’t let him go to Kansas or Missouri or even Utah but they’ll let him leave the country. Great idea.

Pierce has signed a 120,000 dollar contract with a team in France and is ‘reportedly’ very excited to leave. Sure beats the no payment basketball he got while serving his 11 months.

I’m not about to shoot anyone down for serving their time for the punishment and getting their life back together. I am about giving someone the chance when they haven’t finished serving out their time yet. It’s like ungrounding my kid for breaking a rule because her friend wants to take her to the mall. What does she learn? What will Pierre learn? Whatever it is I hope he learns it quick so we dont have an international event on our hands.

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Stephon Marbury is days away from being waived by the New York Knicks and it is about time. I have very strong opinions about Marbury as a player and I think he is one of the worst point guards in the league. His talent is unquestioned and he’s always carried that with him but his teams simply don’t win. The best team he was on was the Timberwolves with KG and he blew that by leaving very early on in his career. Everyone in the league learned right then what this guy was about. He went to New Jersey where he struggled winning then Phoenix and then the Knicks. Flat out his teams underperform with him on the team. He’s made countless dollars on and off the floor and I’ll say nothing about him as a businessman or a person because I don’t know him, but as a player the Knicks should’ve never taken him and when they did they should’ve turned around and cut him right away.

I guess the best way to put Stephon Marbury is through John Hollinger’s player rater on ESPN. He compares Marbury to David Wesley. David Wesley is the one guy that most average people look to as the guy that gives them hope for playing in the NBA. Marbury has ability and talent that we all dream of and is a career 19 ppg scorer in the best league on earth. However, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if I need to win a game 7 he’s not my point guard. I’d take a guy who leads by example and is unselfish and makes others truly better. I don’t look at assists as that factor either. Deron Williams makes Ronnie Brewer better because he gets him layups and dunks. Marbury hasn’t done anything for anyone in his career and never will. The next team that gets him will get his best because he wants that one last decent contract and if the league is smart they won’t give it to him. Stephon will end up in Miami or somewhere else and think he deserves respect and playing time and all it will do is bring the team to a sub .500 record with him spouting off stats that he’ll never hit. I’ve only seen it happen 5 times in his career and it isn’t going to change.

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This was the fastest NBA offseason I can remember and i think it was aided by the Redeem Team winning the gold medal.  The olympics truly broke up what is usually a long summer away from basketball for me.  Training camp brings a lot of promise for teams and individual players alike.  Deron Williams is coming off a contract extension that got him 70 million.  Gilbert Arenas signed for 100 plus million and then had another knee surgery and is going to be out for a month or two of the season.  The Celtics look to repeat in the NBA as the Lakers look to get back to the finals.

But there is another side to training camp and that is the hope that it brings all NBA free agents looking to make a team.  For a player who is undrafted and looking to make a squad, the minimum salary is 400k plus.  What job can you get where you make that in your first year?  Other players try to prove themselves so they can get that one big contract that can set them up for life.  A few years ago, the Memphis Grizzlies signed Brian Cardinal to a multimillion dollar deal and nobody knows why to this day other than he is a great teammate and a guy who is willing to do whatever it takes to beat you.  That’s what I think of when I think of when I think of training camp.  It isn’t about the starting 5 but usually the last 2 spots where the excitement is and where lives are changed.  The 12th man knows he isn’t going to play much but he knows his role.  He also knows that if he plays his cards right he can have a long career and make great money doing it. 

Some teams have 3-4 guys who should be 12th man material.  We call those teams the Supersonics and the Clippers.

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Each day in the offseason you get some newsworthy tidbits of information and those are great.  Kobe deciding against surgery and people signing with different teams are for the most part newsworthy tidbits of information.  Every so often though, usually in slow news times, stuff leaks out and comes out and is covered and really shouldn’t be.  Case in point from Espn yesterday:

Blazer center LaFrentz to have shoulder surgery-

Most of us didn’t even know LaFrentz was a Blazer.  Most of us didn’t care that he was a Blazer.  The Blazers don’t want him on the team I’m sure of it.  I’m sure Raef is a nice guy and is an Iowa high school basketball legend, but the guy has been injured throughout his pro career and is now a scrub worthy of a Granville Waiters reference.  He gets a mild headline for some reason.  NEXT…

LONGTIME MAGIC FORWARD GARRITY RETIRES FROM NBA

I didn’t know if he was still playing either.  Garrity dates me a little because I remember him as a very good college player and it doesn’t seem that long ago.  Now he retires and he got a slight headline and even a photo associated with it.  When he retired, it is being reported, that every 12th man on every nba roster got happy and had a party because they were now guaranteed a job this season.  Garrity was a tall version of JJ Redick and hung around a long time.  I thought of a list of players who just walked away from basketball who got less pub than this.  Two words:  Dino Radja. NEXT:

Quinn re-signs with Heat, will have shot at starting PG job

This one made me laugh.  I laughed out loud.  Chris Quinn should not start for any NBA team and is a marginal 2nd guard for most teams.  If he is starting for the Heat next season at point then the Heat don’t want this article making it to their season ticket holders.  Quinn is a decent player but you aren’t going to win with him.  There is a reason the Heat weren’t good last year and one reason was that Quinn played a lot for them. Like I said, he should serve in a role that is supporting, not starring.  As the Heat point guard he will need to get the ball to Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion in good positions and he hasn’t proven he can do that.  Miami has since made a retraction on the announcement of this are just going to keep this hush hush until after season tickets have been renewed.

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When I read about this i couldn’t believe it.  The story was crazy, involving people girls and marijuana in a hotel room.  One thing didn’t surprise me and that was the denial that was soon to come.  Give me a break.  Something fishy was going on there and these athletes are learning very early on that they can get away with about anything.  I would love for one of the them to open up and be honest and take some responsibility for what happened. 

As it is a few people truly know what happened yet nobody is talking about it?  Why?  The girls who were in the room know.  The friends who were supposedly in the room know.  They aren’t talking.  Think they got some sort of money to be quiet about the whole situation?  As the parent of the NBA, David Stern was furious and embarrassed.  The symposium is about how players can adjust to pro ball and about keeping good friends.  People are not allowed in the rooms during this time to avoid situations just like this.  David Stern wants a league where is players are the examples because it increases the value of his product.  He wants positive talk about his players and their achievements.  Coming off the gold medal at the Olympics this is the last thing he wanted but he got it anyway.  So he fines them 20k each and they go on their merry way never really learning the consequences because 20k is like 20 bucks to me.  I’ll pay it but I’m not afraid to pay it again.  Teach them something by making them come out in public and acknowledge what really took place.  If that happened and I’m wrong about what truly went on then I can apologize about it and go on with it. Instead, I’ve got two guys who learned first hand about the benefits of being a pro athlete and how despite the scrutiny you are under you can always get away with something without much more than a slap on the hand.

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