For everyone out there calling for Pau Gasol‘s head, saying he fell off and was embarrassing in the playoffs and that the Lakers need to trade him to have a shot at another title, he has a few words for you: “Thanks for the trust.” The big Spaniard says he hasn’t paid attention to any negativity this summer and that one of the best parts of life is being able to go forward and prove people wrong. Looking back at last season, it was a tale of two lives for Gasol. For the first half of the year, he was phenomenal, probably even better than Kobe. He had a legitimate MVP case and was playing as well as he ever has. Read More »

We were soooo close. Imagine if the proper etiquette when you went out to eat or hit up happy hour was to tip two percent. That would feel like nothing. Well in what was considered to be the biggest day thus far of the lockout – the first one where a good percentage of those involved legitimately believed a deal could get done – the guys ended where they started: with nothing. The talks broke down on the dreaded BRI when neither the players nor the owners would move off their stances. The players wanted 52 percent; The owners were at 50. Of course, it’s pretty stupid to compare tipping $6 with a CBA for the NBA but still in the context – with millionaires fighting billionaires, you get our drift. You are two percent away. You want to know how easy it is to fix that? Each side give up a point. Read More »

Well… we’re getting there. A source who was briefed by the owners and players told CBSSports.com that significant movement has been made toward finalizing a new CBA. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that two sources – one on the ownership side and one on the union side – both with direct knowledge of the proposals, were encouraged by the latest movement. One reason for the rumored progress could be that the owners have dropped their insistence on the 50/50 split on the BRI (Basketball Related Income). The BRI has been blamed for talks breaking apart week after week. Is it just us or is this sounding like an NBC sitcom more and more each week? Better yet, the modern Odd Couple with David Stern and Billy Hunter … Read More »

This open letter was scribed as a response to ESPN Columnist Scoop Jackson’s piece, “NBA Lockout: A Call To Inaction,” published on Oct. 24, 2011. Here is an excerpt from Jackson:

“Two weeks of the regular season already canceled. Soon, the Christmas games. Then the All-Star Game. And hopefully, the entire season. The countdown to Armageddon is finally here.

If you think you just read the word ‘hopefully’ — as in, does this guy really have the audacity to hope that there is not a 2011-12 NBA season? — you read right. We’re now 117 days deep into the League’s most recent work stoppage; at some point, there needs to be an understanding that the next 300 days are far more important than the ones gone by. Read More »

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Another week, another DimeBag. This week’s edition discusses Velcro basketball shoes, Dwight Howard‘s comments and bringing the NBA to Pittsburgh. Enjoy! Read More »

No NBA players will be hitting up Bank of America if they’re in need of loans during the lockout. Why, just go to Kobe Bryant. He’ll hand out loans. Seriously. Billy Hunter, president of the Players Association, told the Los Angeles Times that the Laker star is intimately involved in the talks and negotiations and that he’s (along with other unnamed players) prepared to offer loans to players who may need help during the lockout … Read More »

Well, Billy Hunter just dropped the bomb. Let’s hope it doesn’t detonate. The NBPA’s executive director said he assumes the entire season will be canceled this year because the two sides are an insane $800 million apart. Hunter actually somewhat defended David Stern, saying it’s a new age of owners who have come around in the past six or seven years who are trying to change the ways, and are holding the commish’s feet towards the fire. At least, that’s how Hunter put it. Read More »

So The ESPY’s may not be an all-hoops award show, but outside of the U.S. Ladies and their overseas patriot smorgasbord, the ballers stole the show. It started off solid with SNL’s Seth Meyers making us laugh while making every athlete in the room sweat. Our favorite: Meyers mentioning that the Heat’s Big Three was a reference to how many quarters they play in big games. Sick. Burn. Dude. Or the one when Meyers said Kim K is only marrying a Net because she was sick of dating pro athletes. Wow. Read More »

Honestly, who was expecting that type of performance from Derek Fisher last night? Maybe a game-changing defensive play, or a big three down the stretch, or even a last-second shot, but eleven points in the fourth quarter and carrying the offense while Kobe struggled?

Well, not only are Laker fans now hoping for another clutch performance by D-Fish in the very near future, but actually all NBA fans (yes, even Celtic fans) are optimistic that Fisher can come up big down the stretch. Why, you ask? Read More »

This is where amazing really happens. With almost every single NBA player in town staying in one hotel, the lobby is like looking through your basketball card collection. You have rookie cards (DeMar DeRozan was just kind of chilling by himself) and then you have veterans (like Jerry Stackhouse and Stacey Augmon who rolled in with their kids). You also have guys that grew up together (like D.C. products Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant showing one another some love), and Hall of Famers (like Magic Johnson and Bill Walton). Oh yea, and then there’s Tim Duncan. Read More »