Category — Chris Bosh

Where’s Kobe?
We underestimated the players resolve, but as much as we’d love to be watching us some NBA, we applaud their stance.
Washington Post

Eventually, we all knew it would come to this, NBA players caving before opening night. Or at least it sounds like there is some cracking inside the NBA Players’ Union, with the fussing and fighting intensifying. The superstars can afford to miss a few paychecks, but many of the rank-and-file members not so much. In addition, there has been talk of some players questioning the loyalty of Derek Fisher. Now, Billy Hunter is under the microscope.
The owners aren’t the picture of solidarity either, the comments by Heat owner Mickey Arison the latest example. But they’ve got money. And they’ve got the little dictator (David Stern) leading the charge.
A deal by the end of the week? We think so. The worst being next week, no?
If not, we’ve got college hoops tipping off. That will stop a little bleeding for us hoop junkies.
Yahoo Sports

Bryant Gumbel doesn’t bite his tongue, calling NBA Commissioner David Stern to a “modern plantation overseer” in his handling of the NBA lockout.

Kobe heads the list of the top players losing the most coin during the lockout.
The Post Game.com

The public perception is the players are greedy. David Stern and the owners know this and will bank on it to negotiate a deal. They would prefer to put the players in their place and make them pay for the stupid mistakes owners frequently make by rewarding some undeserving players with lofty contracts when they should be earning the NBA minimum.
You the fan? Seriously, do you really think they give a shit about you? They know you’ll be pissed about missing some games, but they also know you’ll eventually come back. You can’t resist.
CBS Sports

The idea of NBA players telling the owners to shove it and forming their own league has been discussed in a few corners of the sports world. However, we’re partial to the approach and concept drawn up by our good friend Michael Tillery.
The Starting Five

The entire season is in jeopardy.
This lockout looks like a long 1.
Players and owners are far, far apart.
Nope, not talking football here. Expect the NFL to kick off the regular season on schedule.
But the NBA is a whole different story.
I always believed football had too much to lose. The powers that be will eventually get it together in time to save the day, or at least the cash cow that is the regular season.
However, pro basketball is not in the same boat, not even in the same ocean for that matter.
The NBA is a mess. Teams are struggling all over the place. Salaries are out of control and fan interest in a regular season, especially when there is football, well it’s just not there.
Anybody remember a score from November, December, January or February last season? Not unless you have a reason to, but everybody knows the score of their favorite football team’s games. The NFL’s regular season matters.
That is the difference.
So if the owners don’t care, and the fans don’t care, and by the looks of some games early in the season, some of the players don’t care, why have a full season? That is the question facing NBA’s big boys.

Here are some facts.
The owners feel they need to take back control of the game and limit the salaries they are paying the players.
The players want more control. They have offered to give up some cash, but not enough to save the struggling teams.
This is a train wreck because the league does not share its revenue, like the NFL or even Major League Baseball. So there are rich NBA teams and there are poor NBA teams. The playing field is not even.
If nothing is done, some teams would fold. Most already can’t win.
Look next season and see how many clubs are really in a position to compete for a championship. Maybe 6 or 7 and that might be a stretch.
Now look again and see how many just flat out suck. Seven is a low number.
So the bouncing ball is now left in the players’ court. The problem? There are really, really rich players and then the not so rich. Unions were designed to protect the common worker, not the overpaid scrub.
Even more of a problem is the fact that some players don’t seem to be worried about their fellow teammates. Deron Williams proved that by claiming he is ready to go to Europe if the lockout delays the season. The New Jersey guard is talking turkey about playing in the Turkish League.
He claims that getting something is better than getting nothing.
Let’s follow that line of thought. Here is a rich guy willing to play for a reported $250,000. Why won’t he take that in the NBA?
Those are numbers the owners could live with.
Williams should be one of the guys standing up and fighting for the rights of all players. But nope, he’s taking his balls to Europe.
Kobe Bryant wants to do a barnstorming tour in China. No wonder Yao Ming retired, he wants to go home and play with the big boys.
It’s not likely Bryant would give up some of that money to the players whose names don’t command such opportunities.
Yep, this lockout has all the makings of a long 1, unless the players cave of course.
That seems likely. There isn’t much solidarity.
Remember, all this talk is talking place and it’s July. Nothing is lost in this league until March.
At least we will have football—I think.
Jim Gazzolo, a frequent contributor, is an editor and writer for American Media in Lake Charles, La.

More lockout blues: My man Jimmy G and I agree to disagree on this matter, but it’s just another reason we’re great friends and partners in crime. However, since I’m hesitant to bang out a counterpoint to his wonderful argument above because it will run into my beer and baseball happy hours today, I’ll link to a column by Bill Simmons that’s more in line with my thinking.
Cheers!
Grantland.com

In an effort to numb some of that pain of losing in the NBA Finals, Chris Bosh had dinner with friends at N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms Casino Resort in Vegas on Thursday night.

Dude, we’ve got a little good news.
The Heat are favored to win the 2012 NBA title, getting 5-2 odds. Hmmm. Weren’t they the favorites this season too?
The Lakers are the 2nd-best favorite to capture the crown at 11-2, while the Bulls (6-1), Thunder (8-1) and Mavs (10-1) round out the top. Click below for the entire list.
Bodog.com

Mark Cuban and Lil Wayne? Who knew? And does LeBron know?:)
Before leaving Miami this morning, Cuban, Dirk and the Mavs took over the hotspot Club LIV, where they supposedly poured up big bottles of Aces of Spades, before returning to party on in Dallas.