Ron

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 30, 2009 -> 01:26 AM) Skiles got pissed at him for Tweeting during halftime of a game.Personally, I felt that ish was blown way out of proportion. Besides, all he Tweeted was something like "Coach says I gotta pick it up" and I think he dropped something like 25 in the 2nd half and led the team to the victory. Where was the harm? But whatever. I don't think them letting CV go has to do with them not liking him as much as it has to do with them needing to slash payroll and having a lottery pick in Joe Alexander that went underdeveloped on the bench behind RJ and V last season. Which is why out the door they both went. Force Scott's hand by dumping the vets and let that kid earn his money. I agree that V doesn't fit with the Bulls. But he's a perfect fit with Cleveland, and I think that's where he'll end up. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 30, 2009 -> 03:57 PM) Pistons fired head coach Michael Curry.The writing was on the wall for him as soon as he benched Rip Hamilton in front of the team in practice. You just don't do that to a team leader. That team just quit on him in the playoffs and basically made it impossible to bring him back. I think Bill Laimbeer will end up replacing him. Bill left the Detroit Shock suddenly to land an NBA job about 2 weeks ago and Dumars knows after Flip and Curry, he needs a head man that will instantly garner respect in that locker room. Laimbeer fits that.

The Bulls have a workout between Ohio State's BJ Mullens and Pitt's DeJuan Blair scheduled for Tuesday. Could ultimately decide who their target is.

Harangody goes back to school.

When Orlando got off to the hot start, I had a very bad feeling. I just knew that when LA showed resistance, Orlando would just cave. And that's pretty much what went down. Ariza was a man possessed in that 2nd quarter. He made a fan out of me through this postseason. Kobe and crew earned it. I may not really like them, but I have to respect the way they handled the competition in these playoffs. I don't think there will be an Nelson/Alston combo going forward. I'm thinking Alston will get bought out or traded before next season.

I never really paid attention to that LeBron ad, I just figured the message was LeBron is gunning for the '10 Finals. The bird is a really good catch. And now that you got me thinking, check the boom box in the background. Kinda of looks like Radio Raheem's from Do the Right Thing. Which of course, was set in NY and directed by Knick fan Spike Lee. I think Harangody's best chance to get drafted is this year. Reports are he's gotten good feedback in his workouts, as he's shot well and tested out as a better athlete than advertised. And he's not going to get much better at Notre Dame, he'll just put up big numbers again. With some GMs feeling next year's draft is deeper, he may fall off GMs radar when that draft rolls around.

Dwight deserves blame for the FTs, as does Hedo. Rashard disappeared, and what the hell was SVG thinking benching Alston for so long. Jameer failed to close out on D-Fish which lead to OT. Look, I get that Jameer was the starter during the season, had an All-Star first half. But the guy does not have his game legs, and has had untimely TOs trying to force the issue and poor rotations defensively. Alston played a key role in them winning Game 3, and in you getting to the Finals. Yet with the game in the balance, he can't get in. I just can't understand it. Oh well, Orlando blew their chances. Maybe they get it to 6, just off of pride, not wanting to lose their last home game and see LA celebrate on their floor. But the Lakers are winning this series.

Mike Brown may not be the best coach in the NBA, but he got all that he could out of that Cavs' team. It'd be pretty crazy of them to fire him now, unless LeBron is the one ordering the change. If anyone, Danny Ferry is the one that deserves to be on the hot seat. Add some more firepower, maybe Charlie Villanueva, who recently expressed interest in teaming with LeBron.

Even if Thome were to win a WS here, he made his name as an Indian, and will go in the Hall as such.

Orlando dodged bullets like Neo in the 4th quarter. Kobe missing what 5 fts in the game, 5-12 in the 2nd half, 3 would-be clutch shots in the final minutes? 9x out of 10, Kobe's hitting those shots. If I'm the Magic, I'm dumbfounded that we shot an NBA Finals record 62.5%, Rafer was Skip, Kobe was off, and we still only win by 4. Magic still won this game more than LA lost it, but man you can't be happy with this win.

Mickael Pietrus with the steal of his life and 2 clutch free throws may have just saved this game for Orlando.

59-54, ORL @ half. A Finals record 75% shooting for Orl in the first half, and they're only up 5. Gotta be nervous if you're Stan Van. The 2nd quarter highlighted LA's vulnerability in the pick-and-roll. Orlando was pretty much getting whatever shot they wanted when they didn't just settle for 3s and penetrated.

31-27 LA after 1q. Rafer Alston is getting that friendly roll at home. He's very aggressive, getting guys in their spots and hitting his open looks. Kobe is hot. 17 points, 2-2 3pt, 3asts already. That 4-point play with 30 secs left seemed to suck the air right out of the crowd. He smells blood.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 08:11 AM) Did you guys notice when he hit that HR the other day Slayer was trying to crack some kind of joke with him in the dugout? It looked awkward and I dont even know what was said. I definitely did. Fields cracked a half smile, but he clearly wasn't trying to seek out a convo with Becks.

Orlando let the game slip through their fingers. Courtney Lee definitely became a scapegoat after that play. Great play call by SVG, and though the pass wasn't as accurate as you might like, he had the shot. But I don't think it's on a Nick Anderson level at all. Nick had 4 chances to hit 1 free throw. That was a massive chokejob, one of the worst I've ever seen. Why is Redick playing this much though? Give Anthony Johnson some minutes. He's played well at spots in these playoffs, is the only guy on the Magic with Finals experience. He's a better option than JJ.

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 03:21 PM) Tyler is at the very least a slightly taller, better shooting version of Udonis Haslem. He shouldn't be considered a top 5 pick, but he's a guy that could start next to a dominant center like Dwight Howard and be a nice contributor or come off the bench as an energy guy.I think Udonis Haslem is a good comparison. Hansbrough will be a quality player. I don't think it's his race that is causing him to be mocked low. It's that he's been at UNC for 4 years, heavily scouted and they think he's at his ceiling. The superstar potential of guys like Blake Griffin and Earl Clark intrigues GMs more than a guy who you know can get 9-6 per contest.

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Jun 2, 2009 -> 04:54 PM) Austin Daye embarassing. Truth. Couldn't bench 185 lbs at all? 28" vert? Slowest 3/4 court sprint? Go back to school kid. I think he does have some skill, but his stock can't be too high after that showing. Maryland's Greivis Vazquez hurt his stock as well. Just 1 185 bench press, 2nd slowest sprint. Hansbrough definitely boosted his stock. I think he'll be a solid pro. LeBron James had a benign growth removed from his right salivary gland. Hmm....

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Jun 1, 2009 -> 01:47 AM) What I want to know is...did he come up with that since the Magic beat him or did he also go off the court without congratulating his opponents since he's been a pro.Did he do that to the Spurs when they beat him in the Finals?He did congratulate the Spurs. Apparently, he did not congratulate the Celtics last year. QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Jun 1, 2009 -> 11:36 AM) If Kobe did the same it would be magnified. Hell when Shaq and Kobe wouldn't shake hands it was magnified. When the Pistons didn't shake the Bulls hands after they got swept, it was a big deal. So no, it's not just LeBron. True. And it's not even just basketball. Remember all the burn those Belicheck/Mangini handshakes got? QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 1, 2009 -> 11:55 AM) It takes a real man to be able to congratulate someone when they beat you in competition. If you want to be congratulated when you win, you should be big enough to congratulate the other guy when you lose. That's sportsmanship and a part of growing up. +1. Well said. The Magic are again talking about Jameer Nelson coming back, this after saying he was done til next year. He did play great in both games against the Lakers, and is that speedy point that can abuse Derek Fisher in the pick and roll ala Aaron Brooks. But how effective can he really be after 4 months off? Couldn't it throw off their rhythm? It could energize their home crowd if they play it like a Willis Reed/Paul Pierce moment. It's a dangerous move, though.

LeBron comments on last night: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/200...tory?id=4219933

QUOTE (scenario @ May 30, 2009 -> 09:13 PM) For some time now there seems to have been a fairly popular consensus that if Brian could only hit .250... that he'd HAVE TO be the regular because of his defense. So, here he is... batting .275... but we have to get rid of him because... he strikes out to much... or doesn't hit in key situations... or whatever the fan flavor of the week is. Fascinating. I say as long as he doesn't sink into sub-Uribean type batting average and OBP territory... keep running him out there. Hit the nail on the head. BA's fine by me.

^Wow. That's just a ridiculous proposal. Just...wow. I'm honestly not too keen on getting Oswalt. I think his best is behind him.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ May 30, 2009 -> 10:02 PM) Great show of sportsmanship from Lebron just walking off the court while his teammates remain to congratulate the Magic. QUOTE (rangercal @ May 30, 2009 -> 10:16 PM) Were you there? They showed a tracking shot of LeBron in the postgame. The final buzzer sounds, he looks at the scoreboard, scratched his nose, then walked off the court. He shook no ones' hand. I'm mean, it's whatever. I'm not saying, I'm just saying. LeBron had a great season, a great series. I think he was simply exhausted tonight. For all the help he thought he had, it was still Lebron vs the world when it really came down to it. edit: In the media room, Chris Broussard just said LeBron dressed and went straight to the bus without speaking to the media. That is unprofessional and not very classy. QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ May 30, 2009 -> 10:48 PM) When LeBron comes to Chicago (I know,long shot but what the hell) will he pick a new number because there is no way he's using 23 with the Bulls since it's retired...maybe 32? 32 would work. 2 for the "2nd Coming", so to speak. 5 (2+3) could work.

Dwight is earning that Superman nick tonight. 21 points, 6 boards, only 1 foul at half. Magic up 58-40. LeBron scoreless in the second, is he tired out or conserving energy?

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ May 27, 2009 -> 11:37 PM) And this isn't aimed at you, but I don't want to hear any of this crap of how all of a sudden Lebron doesn't have a supporting cast. You can play that card with D-Wade. The Cavs won 66 games. They went 39-2 at home. They won their first 8 playoff games by an average of 15 PPG or whatever it was. That wasn't all Lebron. Everything had been peaches and cream for them all season long. And when KG went down, it was all but assumed they had the east wrapped up. Now that they've been challenged, they've just about crumbled. And that falls on Lebron just as it does Mike Brown, their coaching staff and the other players. It's easy to look like a great leader when you're winning. True leadership comes when you can survive adversity, turmoil, ect. Doesn't look like Lebron is quite there yet. Preach! Preach!

Shannon Brown basically broke tonight's stalemate. He got the crowd back into it and the Lakers rode 'em out.

A tragedy.