Kyrie Irving Learns About Celebrity; Rudy Fernandez May Sign In Spain
Kyrie Irving (photo. Kelly Kline/Nike)
It didn’t take Kyrie Irving long to learn about celebrity. He’s already filed a police report after being threatened by none other than Jessica Jackson, who happens to be Miss Hawaii. After they met briefly, Irving says the woman posted some YouTube videos and started going off on the No. 1 pick, and allegedly threatened to stab Irving … Rudy Fernandez was reportedly offered a six-year contract from Real Madrid. He could become the highest paid player EVER in the Spanish ACB. Apparently, the contract stipulations run like this: Fernandez could go to Spain, then return to the NBA whenever the 2011-12 season started, then once that season ends, finish it with the NBA and head home for the duration of his contract. Fernandez has flirted with the idea of going back home before. He’s never completely looked comfortable in the NBA, and with this new offer sitting on the table, we say the chances are pretty good he will take it … A team in Turkey is apparently interested in Vince Carter. VC is a free agent, so the opportunity is there for him to bounce. If he does, that would be one of the steepest falls from stardom we’ve seen. Actually, it seems like many of the players who head overseas do it because they fall off so quickly (Franchise, AI, Starbury). Still, because of his status as a free agent, Carter can almost stay and go as he pleases (though he would have to negotiate an opt-out in his contract) … Apparently, Amar’e Stoudemire would consider participating in Kobe‘s China expedition tour if it all went down. The catch though is that he would want everything to be insured. With his injury history, we agree. If you could choose, what 10 NBA players would you want to send, or see in an exhibition? Obviously, all All-Stars would be fun. But what about seeing how many points a guy like Monta Ellis could score in one of these games? Or how many shots Josh Smith could spike into the crowd? … Washington gave Nick Young a $3.7 million qualifying offer, allowing them to match anything that another team offers. If you were Sacramento, New Jersey, Indiana, the Clippers or any other team with cap room, would you go after Young? He’s young. He’s talented. He has upside as a lethal scorer. But does he have the makeup of a winner? Can you trust him to keep improving once he gets big money? … Former Dukie Jon Scheyer signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Since he is Jewish, he will have the opportunity to become an Israeli and not count as an American on their roster. That’s huge for any team that has a cap in place … And Dirk Nowitzki still plans to play in the European Championships for Germany after taking the last two summers off … We’re out like Rudy.
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July 4th, 2011 at 1:21 am
Arno says:
The real question is : will globalization alter the balance of forces in the lock out ?
Players loose money, owners loose money. But players ultimately loose more, have less money and a short career and like to play ball. So the lock out makes them lower their demands. But what if a great number of them can go to Europe or China and play competitive games and make some money ?
July 4th, 2011 at 1:22 am
alf (from melmak) says:
Nick Young 2010-2011 stats
31.8 mpg, 17.4 ppg,1.2 apg, 2.7 rpg,.441 fg percentage, and .387 3pt percentage
Vince Carter 2010-2011 stats
28.1 mpg, 14 ppg, 2 apg, 3.8 rpg, .437 fg percentage, and .361 3pt percentage
Except for the age factor, their stats are almost the same. Both have character issues. Why is VC the one rumored heading to Turkey and not Young?
I am farthest from being a VC fan. Just posting this for the sake of argument.
July 4th, 2011 at 2:07 am
Mandirigma says:
“LEARN ABOUT CELEBRITY”
WTF Dime.
July 4th, 2011 at 2:07 am
Mandirigma says:
My bad.
“LEARNS ABOUT CELEBRITY”
???
July 4th, 2011 at 2:08 am
Young Gunner aka Andius Oneicus: God Of Buckets says:
Another slow news day. Figured as much. As long as I have my fantasy baseball to keep me occupied, this lockout wont affect me too much.
And ive noticed how certain topics in an article will either have lots of detail and insight or very little
July 4th, 2011 at 2:41 am
beiber newz says:
stop saying slow news day. it’s just depressing. however i think they have a good chunk of material her to keep bball head fans sane for the time being.
July 4th, 2011 at 4:50 am
deeds says:
@ alf
Young is a very young player who is going to continue to get better (hopefully learn to do something other than just score), while Vince Carter is a washed up piece of crap with no heart who just stands around the perimeter jacking up jump shots while playing no D. That’s why
July 4th, 2011 at 5:59 am
alf (from melmak) says:
@ deeds
Translated to 48 minutes, Carter’s stats from last season are still good. They do not look like numbers from a “washed up” player.
Here is the thing. Say, you do not have any character background on both Young and Carter and the only thing you know is that Carter was a former all star and Young has potentials.
You have a veteran team that could compete deep into the playoffs, who would you choose if you only base it on the numbers?
Like I said in my earlier post, this is just for arguments sake.
July 4th, 2011 at 7:10 am
iCARNACKi says:
I don’t understand the fascination with Nick Young, he’s a chucker off of the bench and nothing more. He’ll never develop the mindset to work on other parts of his game and he’ll never be anything more than a guy who comes off the bench to light it up.
That isn’t necessarily me ragging on him; it is just the truth. If a team lacks that guy who can come off the bench and be counted on to score points then Young is definitely worth around $4 mil a season. However…
JR Smith is FAR better than Young, so is Arron Afflalo.
A.I. never fell off, he just wouldn’t accept a bench role.
Rudy Fernandez should just go back to Spain… his talent is not equal to the headache his constant whining causes… no one will miss him, if he doesn’t want to be in the NBA… leave.
July 4th, 2011 at 7:52 am
JAY says:
Turkey. Vince Carter.
Sounds fitting, doesn’t it?
July 4th, 2011 at 8:40 am
JAY says:
@alf
You can’t ask us to pretend “what if you had no background info on either player”. Teams never sign anyone without getting background info, so why are you asking us to pretend we don’t?
That’s like saying, “say you don’t have any injury info between Noah or Oden”.
Basically you’re asking us to pretend we don’t have one of the most critical piece of information that differentiates VC and Young.
July 4th, 2011 at 8:46 am
deeds says:
Alf
True Carter’s numbers indicate he is far from washed up, and even I will admit he isn’t ENTIRELY washed up at this point….but there is the problem with statistics. In basketball more than any other sport numbers do not tell the whole story. Carter’s stats were basically empty stats if you know what I mean. He is never aggressive anymore and relies on tough jumpers for the majority…other than that he basically does nothing to help his team.
At this point, he is probably still better than Young overall (i actually think Young is wildly overrated by most people, and that he is a straight chucker) but he can and will definitely improve. He has the tools to be a good defender and rebounder. So from this point moving forward I would much rather have Young than Carter. Unless maybe it was for JUST one season, and Carter was on a team that could hide his many glaring weaknesses and just needed some instant O off the bench or something.
July 4th, 2011 at 9:07 am
jzsmoove says:
AI never wanted to come off the bench, is why he fell off.
July 4th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Rainman says:
@ alf: im a Suns fan, trust me, he is washed up. Saddest part is he still has some things to offer physically, but mentally…dude just isnt there, he isnt willing to give the effort, nor does he give a crap anymore.
July 4th, 2011 at 10:20 am
Doc says:
I wouldnt take either one of them jokers.And my team the Sixers!
July 4th, 2011 at 10:50 am
First & Foremost says:
I’d take Nick Young over Vince Carter. Young still has the mindset that he pisses excellence. I’ve seen Nick Young play far too many times. During those lost hours of my life I noticed he does not possess the ability to pass the ball.
I’ve seen him catch the ball cutting to the basket, jump, pumpfake, spin, loose the ball in mid air… and then still contemplate shooting the ball. The possession ended in a turnover.
2 on 1 fastbreak. The guy running the break [Blatche] gave up the ball early so he could get it back. [How selfish of him?] Nick Young took 2 dribbles then made a 360 lay up. Then reached his hand out to give Blatche a high 5. Blatche, wanted nothing to do with this guy for not passing the ball back.
For the sake of argument though. Nick Young can simply be white hot. Vs. Orlando dude fried everyone they put on him for like 18 straight points. SVG called timeout so Pietrus could cry in a corner. Mind you, he shot the same fadeaway left elbow jumper the entire quarter. He also dropped 40 cuz he felt like it.
July 4th, 2011 at 11:05 am
JAY says:
“Saddest part is he still has some things to offer physically, but mentally…dude just isnt there.”
^Great point.
Except he’s been like that since his final days in Toronto. He’s mentally soft. Always has been. That’s not even a debate.
July 4th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Big Island says:
The only reason I take Young over VC at this point is his age. VC’s best days are long gone, but he can still be a decent guy on your team. Young’s best days are probably ahead of him so hope he matures into a starter. If not, you have the bench gunner that F&F mentioned who will drop 40 on you just because he feels like dropping 40. If VC gave someone 40 it would shut down the internet for a day about how he’s reinvented himself. Nick Young would get a line in Smack.
Rudy should go to Spain. If you can make more money at home, doing the same thing you love to do, while you’ve been having trouble doing it away from home, it seems like a no brainer. Hopefully he won’t have a big Lebron party while doing it though.
I am now on day 6 of the 4th of July bender. I am a bright shade of pink, my liver has shut down, I can’t see out of my right eye at all, my bloated, hairy stomach is rock hard, I have the shakes, and a chunk of my leg is missing due to my penchant for drunken BMX freestyling. Good times. Everyone have a safe afternoon and evening.
July 4th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
beiber newz says:
for you guys that don’t understand…getting even one shot off in the nba is not an easy thing. nba defenses are really good. to be a “chucker” is not as easy as it seems. chuckers obviously have the green light or they wouldnt have the time of day to chuck. chuckers have to be good shooters as nick young is. he is a guy who’ll get you 30 points any given night. dude is nice. stop hating on nick young. he didnt come in the leauge as a highly touted prospect. but he can start at sg for most teams, even the celtics now. yea i sed it, the celtics now. that’s a stretch but dude can ball. chuckers have to know how to get their shots off. and if you look at how nick young plays, he makes some of the most difficult shots ever.
take a look at this 2min clip of nick young making shots displaying his superb dexterity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRqV6xZl-ng
July 4th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
K Dizzle says:
Chicago Bulls better be lookin at Nick Young….if they can’t get Afflalo..
July 4th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
beiber newz says:
bull need a nick young…he’d be the second best penetrator the bulls would, theoretically, have. and they need a 3 point shooter. and he’d be the guy next in line to get 20pts after rose. that was what the bulls needed last season and is the hole they should be addressing for future improvement. a guy who can get his own shots. nice fit. and it’d help balance their lopsided defense comparison to offense. young will help spell some of their momentary offensive lapses, especially the ones where rose is on the bench. i’d be a bulls fan. they lack a second exciting offensive scorer.