Paul PierceAlthough nobody in the Dime crew was smashing windows and kicking off four-week “celebrations” Paul Pierce-style, yesterday was still very much NBA championship aftermath for us. On DimeMag.com we had a ton of post-Finals coverage; in case you missed it, we had the Game 6 recap in Smack, Kevin Garnett’s incredible post-game interview (and Brian Scalabrine’s pathetic counterpart), one of the first official signs that KG is “certified,”, and Austin posed a serious question for Celtics fans about their connection to this team. On the losers’ side, it was all about Kobe. Does he feel betrayed by his franchise? Andrew broke down how L.A. might go about getting him a better supporting cast next year, as there’s a chance the Lakers make a run at free agents Gilbert Arenas or Josh Smith. Finally, now that KG, Pierce and Ray Allen are championship-official, which ring-hungry veteran do you most want to see win a ring next? … In case you forgot over the past three weeks, there are 28 other teams in the NBA. And while we’ve been talking a lot about two of the best, the League’s worst squad still has moves to make this offseason. The Grizzlies are reportedly about to lose Juan Carlos Navarro, who inked a deal with his old pro team, FC Barcelona (Spain). We kind of figured that once Pau Gasol was shipped out of Memphis, Navarro wouldn’t be far behind. The whole reason he even ended up with the Grizzlies was because he and Gasol are super-tight. Without Pau around, it’s just Navarro losing a bunch of games in a place where he doesn’t know anybody. It’s too bad for NBA fans, who really missed out on a guy who could’ve truly have become the next Manu Ginobili, if not in game than in levels of annoyance … And not far behind Navarro could be Jorge Garbajosa, who was released by the Raptors. We can see where Toronto is coming from with that move — especially since they already have Jamario Moon at the three — but Garbo was their toughest player and that team needs all the toughness they can get … The Team USA roster for the Olympics is expected to be announced Monday, and by now you probably know Chauncey Billups has pulled his name out of the running for family reasons. That at least clears up the point guard argument: Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Deron Williams have to be locks for Beijing. Jerry Colangelo has already said Carmelo is in. And we’ll take a wild guess that Kobe, LeBron and Dwight Howard will get named to the team, which leaves five spots up for grabs. Who would you pick? … Not that he seemed too interested in doing anything but relaxing all summer, but Paul Pierce is not going to be on the Olympic team. Colangelo reiterated that fact again this week … If in fact the Bulls draft Derrick Rose and Miami takes Michael Beasley, where does that leave Udonis Haslem? The Heat could look to unload Haslem for a quality point guard, someone like T.J. Ford, Mo Williams or Jamaal Tinsley. Or if they’re really smart, they’ll go after a point guard who actually wants to pass the ball … Dennis Rodman update: He’s going to be on “Celebrity Championship Wrestling” later this year, a reality show hosted by Hulk Hogan and featuring Worm, Todd Bridges (frightening), Butterbean (he might weigh 550 now) and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake (THE MAN). We’re honestly more excited to see The Barber than Rodman … Apparently Ron Artest was in the TD Banknorth Garden when the Celtics clinched the title on Tuesday. Ron was at some of the games in L.A. too; he must be doing that thing Jason Terry used to do when he played for the Hawks, where he traveled around the country going to other team’s playoff games so he could use the atmosphere to motivate himself to get there. In retrospect, however, having Artest in the same building with a bunch of giddy, borderline rioting fans isn’t a great idea. If Ron-Ron gets hit in the head with an errant ThunderStick, things could get crazy … What does it say about the world we’re living in when there is a significant number of people who think Kevin Garnett’s “ANYTHING IS POSSIBUUUUULLLLLL!!!” battle cry was some kind of three-stripe endorsement? And what does it say about our society when we knew that would be an issue as soon as KG screamed those words into the Garden rafters? … We’re out like Todd Bridges trying to wrestle …
June 19th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Brian Scalabrine says:
yay yay ive got more rings than you dont hate appreciate man i aint pathetic im opportunistic
June 19th, 2008 at 12:24 am
nick says:
let the rumours surronding the draft commence
June 19th, 2008 at 12:25 am
rodnets says:
1st, I don´t really care about this
June 19th, 2008 at 12:30 am
fallinup says:
Whatchoo talkin’ bout, Dime?
June 19th, 2008 at 12:57 am
K Dizzle says:
Team USA
G - Kidd, Paul, DWill, Wade, Kobe
F/C - Bron, Melo, D-Howard, Bosh, Amare
2 Shooters - Redd, Mike Miller
June 19th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Optimus Dimes aka freewebs.com/UTScore says:
I would love for L.A. do pull off a sign and trade with the Hawks and get Josh Smith. As much as i like Odom, i think Smith would be a better fit. it probably wont happen though. if they don’t do anything but keep the current roster i wouldn’t be mad with the team getting a full season to gel and of course Bynum getting back to full strength.
oh and imagine in 4 years at the olympic PG spot: Chris Paul, Deron William, and Derrick Rose?
June 19th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Ding Dong We Got The 6th Pick says:
Hawks will be stupid to let Smith go.
June 19th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Kevin Garnett says:
Anyone got some cash for more coke? I havent slept since the Hawks series and I think i might actually fall asleep if I can’t cop some more. Last night was crazy, I did a line in the shape of the painted Celtic at midcourt and ran around the streets of Boston knocking trash cans over screaming “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”. Then I called Tafoya but that bitch turned me down even though I complimented her ugly ass on national tv. Well hit me up I guess I’ll take off this jersey and champs hat and take a shower. no homo though
June 19th, 2008 at 2:39 am
catdaddywhack says:
just wondering what reggie miller is thinking right now…?
June 19th, 2008 at 2:57 am
mambo mamba says:
hey dime! whats up with the b/w site????
June 19th, 2008 at 3:32 am
The Mitten says:
@ K Dizzle
I like the squad, but I got a couple changes. Bosh played soft & M. Miller shot a weak % in FIBA play, so I cut those two.
I’d replace them w/ 2 of the following:
-Boozer (solid rebounder/post scorer)
-J.Johnson (solid spot-up shooter/versatile player)
-Chandler (shot-blocking presence/athletic finisher)
-T. Prince (lock-up D man/underrated O game)
June 19th, 2008 at 5:28 am
knocks says:
About 4 or 5 years ago, I remember a conversation with my friends about some guys who we thought would never win a ring. I remember bringing up 2 names: KG and AI.
Okay…KG I was wrong about. Main reason I said that was, back then, KG was still chained down to that FAT contract with Minnesota….that and the fact that he always played facing the basket. But again….I was wrong. Who would’ve ever guessed someone of his caliber would be playing alongside Pierce and Ray, though?!
Iverson is left…..Who would he need to win a championship? And as unselfish as everyone (including himself) says he is, who could he actually win with?
I’m going to guess that he’s the next “big” name to be involved in one of these KG-PP-Ray type collabo.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:51 am
kb24! says:
you know whats weird…how ppl can win MVP in the Finals and lose the Finals like J West..haha..blows my mind. But dude did play a MVP type Final against the Celts.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:48 am
steve says:
aiight dime, the black/white thing is making this really gay to read, plz change, unless its my browser f’ing up
June 19th, 2008 at 7:05 am
sans says:
AI should opt out of his contract, take the ver minimum and saddle up next to Lebron. Yeah, ya’ll are gonna say that him and Melo didn’t make much noise, but in Cleveland, AI can guard opposing points and run a two-man game with King all day. The Cavs need someone other than Gift who can pass the rock anyway, allowing James to take over in the low post.
Here’s a better question: When will a max contract player take less money off his plate in order to cop a ring? It’s like everyone’s afraid there gone be the next Danny Manning.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:18 am
shake&bake says:
Today is probably the biggest day for the top of the draft cause the Bulls are having Rose in for a workout. They had Beasley in the other day and seems like all people wanted to talk about were his character issues. I got the impression that he is just a prankster, it’s not like he’s getting in to fights or going Pacman on people.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:10 am
sirak says:
it’s not garnett’s fault he carried on like oprah at a all you can eat buffet - he’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. yes he had a monster game - but the game was mostly garbage time, when the pressure is off that’s when garnett shines brightest…
on the other side ray allen was a complete professional and took it all in his stride, why’s no one mentioning that?
June 19th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Mustard says:
Dime crew…did you just say that Jamal Tinsley is a “quality point guard”? Brutal.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:47 am
marcus the great says:
who cares if it was an adidas endorsement anyway? isn’t that his shoe company…
June 19th, 2008 at 8:51 am
ERIC says:
Is Pierce going to get an MRI and diagnosis on his knee? I wonder if there is any damage. Of course, he would say its worth it for the ‘chip and MVP trophy.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:05 am
pimpin says:
I thought ray Allen was gonna get MVP. Pierce deserved it as well, but ray played a better finals IMO.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:26 am
BALLZ says:
So now that I’ve had a couple of days to reflect on the mortal ass-beating suffered by the Lakers, I gotta get some shit off my chest. Why does Kobe draw so much ire from everyone (media, fans, 96.4% of people living outside of Cali) for emulating and wanting to surpass MJ? All personal shit (Colorado, Shaq, whatever) aside, why the hate?
The reason I ask is because Kobe is my age, and I understand his “MJ thing.” MJ is the reason I fell in love with basketball at the age of 8, and eventually became (proudly, I might add) a tremendous basketball nerd. I remember “the Shot” in Cleveland, and how I went out in the backyard and shot double-clutching 16 footers for three hours. I’m now 29 years old, and nothing lights my eyes up like a fresh pair of J’s under the Christmas tree. It’s like I’m 8 all over again. When I’m playing pick up games, I’m still shooting the fade away over the left shoulder when I get it on the block. Of course Kobe wants to be like Mike! So does every other fucking baller between the ages of 20 & 35! The difference between him and us is he has the talent to be a hell of a lot closer than everyone else. Kobe is the most over-analyzed, over-criticized athlete (human?) on the planet. People hate on him so hard because he has the balls to admit he wants to be the greatest. And yeah, I know the Colorado shit is out there, but seriously, people were critiquing his GAME this way when he was 19! Remember the All-Star game at MSG? As much as I love Jordan, he WAS NOT the loving leader that some make him out to be. Read “The Jordan Rules”. Jordan came into the locker room at halftime of one of the many ass-beatings at the hands of the Pistons, flung chairs around the locker room while calling his teammates “faggot pussies.” Cartwright once threatened to murder him. LOL. Granted, his leadership “matured” somewhat as he got older (sorry Steve Kerr for your black eye), but he was a ruthless son of a bitch when it came to anyone standing in the way of HIS greatness. Seems like all anyone can remember about him now is the way he smiles at Cuba in those gay-ass Hanes commercials.
BTW, big ups to Boston. Clearly the better T-E-A-M in this series. Huge contributions from everyone 1-12 at different times in the playoffs. Nice to see good dudes (Doc, KG, PJ, etc.) get one. Out.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:45 am
BALLZ says:
BTW, thought I might add, if you hate Kobe because he’s a petulant, arrogant prick who’s PR staff does a sometimes laughable job of attempting to make him look human, that’s understandable. Just don’t hate him for not being Jordan.
I just think he’s an extremely interesting human. Hasn’t had a normal life. Prodigy child of a pro player growing up in Italy, thrust into an American culture at adolescence that he didn’t understand, never watched an R rated movie until 18…I could go on with the psychobabble bullshit, but you get the picture. Great player + highly unusual background= fascinating. I look fwd to the Mark Kriegel bio when all’s said and done.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:58 am
rell says:
I agree with sans that the Cavs would be the best fit for A.I. and he would have to compromise his game. Another option would be Dallas playing along side Kidd and Dirk. He would have to opt out though.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:00 am
rell says:
I meant A.I. would not have to compromise his game on the comment above.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Kevin Garnett says:
Hey Dime, whenever you want to interview me about peanut butter and jelly…just holla at me!
June 19th, 2008 at 10:38 am
garbageman33 says:
For the record, the Adidas line is “Impossible is nothing”. Not really sure how yelling “Anything is possible” constitutes a product endorsement. If he shouted “We did it” would people have accused him of endorsing Nike?
June 19th, 2008 at 10:39 am
thankyouadidas says:
50 MILLION MORE IS POSSIBUUUULLLL!!!!!!!!!
June 19th, 2008 at 10:43 am
jay says:
what’s this?
a recap of all the articles yesterday..
c’mon dime, you could do better than this..
June 19th, 2008 at 11:06 am
ERIC says:
@ BALLZ
Well Said
June 19th, 2008 at 11:08 am
doc says:
I think Colangelo or whatever the fuck his name is told Chauncey he was getting cut so he should make up some BS on why he cant come to save his rep.He been doing that because when Gil and Bowen got cut they was bitching.Yo know NBA stars got to much pride to get cut.If Kobe didnt watch a R movie until he was 18 he is the lame people think he is.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:09 am
yallallreadyknow says:
Jorge Garbajosa is garbage. no surprise he got cut. but toronto def needs more toughness. only their coach appears tough
at least toronto still has caribana!!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:13 am
yallallreadyknow says:
olympic team:
PG: jason kidd, chris paul, deron williams
SG: kobe bryant, dwyane wade, michael redd
SF: joe johnson, mike miller
PF: carmelo anthony, lebron james
C: dwight howard, amare stoudamire
June 19th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
YOUNGFED says:
not bad yall but replace wade with AI
June 19th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Has anybody else noticed how the past few U.S. Olympic teams (including 2008) are not referred to as the “Dream Team” anymore. That just goes to show you how low the expectations have fallen. I just don’t see this squad winning a gold.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
weezy f says:
a few weeks ago you guys at dime posted a video of rodman facing a player after he got fouled and he was jsut staring the dude down…didnt odom try to do the same in game 5? only difference is odoms weak!
June 19th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Austin Burton says:
I did notice Odom looking like he was doing the Rodman thing. I wasn’t buying it either.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Heavy D says:
Interesting point about Jason Terry. Did you know he was at game 6 in Atlanta this year after the Mavs had already been eliminated?
June 19th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
for real says:
39 posts only?
Finals Hangover
June 20th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Baller ryan says:
replace dwade with ai? Lay off that rock