Steve9347 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 17, 2011 -> 07:09 PM) Steve, AJ is taking your credit http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/news/lo...story?track=rss Eh, the credit is all his. This silly little rehash was all his idea. I've washed my hands of LeBron and the events of last summer (and of ever speculatively getting so Hung up on what millionaires might do in free agency while defying all sense of caring about building your own legacy and all that jazz). It's funny though, and my billboard altered quite well for this situation. Go Bulls. Edited May 18, 2011 by Steve9347 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 17, 2011 -> 05:09 PM) The next ST gathering should be in Vegas, following the Bulls and Sox winning championships. Steve might just die at Tao Beach or Rehab. I nearly died at Planet Hollywood two years ago, but that was after putting 100 on red 23 (God damn right) and hitting it. I celebrated with an Earl of Sandwich and then passed out in my room at 9am. I slept in the cash. Good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Wha? When did they start actually showing the ball machine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeNukeEm Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Classic Sternball Machine. It's unbelievable they make an event out of something so blatantly rigged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 17, 2011 -> 04:34 PM) The NBA was the same way in the past. The Lakers got Magic on a coin flip with the Bulls losing. The Bulls got Jordan at the 3 because 2 teams passed. The Lakers drafted Kobe. The Hornets drafted Kobe but his agent refused to have him play anywhere but L.A., so he was traded to L.A. for Divac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeNukeEm Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 So Cleveland gets the 1st pick as consolation for LeBron, I'm OK with Stern's decision on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ May 17, 2011 -> 07:49 PM) So Cleveland gets the 1st pick as consolation for LeBron, I'm OK with Stern's decision on this. In one of the worst drafts in recent memory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 17, 2011 -> 07:51 PM) In one of the worst drafts in recent memory Yeah they really picked the wrong draft to get 2 top 5 picks. I knew the T'Wolves werent going to get the first pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 LeBron James is in the Eastern Conference Finals, BUT HEY, CLEVELAND GOT THE #1 (and #4) PICKS. ATLEAST THEY WON SOMETHING LEBRON! /aware that LeBron can still win it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 s*** is so rigged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeNukeEm Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 s*** is so rigged Its better this way. Usually the team that fits having the #1 overall every year gets it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxbadger Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 (edited) Knight, Did you read the article that I posted? That story is false, the Lakers and Hornets had agreed to the trade the day before and Lakers told the Hornets who to pick. The Hornets had no intention of ever drafting Kobe Bryant and Kobe has said that he would have played in Charlotte. I linked the article. http://www2.journalnow.com/sports/2008/jun...trued-ar-113126 Edited May 18, 2011 by Soxbadger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomSlowik Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Classic Clippers. They give up an unprotected first to dump Baron Davis and it turns out to be the #1 pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 17, 2011 -> 09:01 PM) Knight, Did you read the article that I posted? That story is false, the Lakers and Hornets had agreed to the trade the day before and Lakers told the Hornets who to pick. The Hornets had no intention of ever drafting Kobe Bryant and Kobe has said that he would have played in Charlotte. I linked the article. http://www2.journalnow.com/sports/2008/jun...trued-ar-113126 They drafted him - see pic above. They just traded his rights afterward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostfan Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ May 17, 2011 -> 09:02 PM) Classic Clippers. They give up an unprotected first to dump Baron Davis and it turns out to be the #1 pick. That is some Cubs type of s***. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/col...&id=6255802 Calipari worked out Bryant three times at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and three times came away mesmerized. "If you watched the workouts," Calipari said, "you would say either this kid was taught to fool us in these workouts or he's ridiculous." Or both. Nobody knew it at the time, but Bryant and his agent and sneaker benefactor were about to fool Calipari in a staggering way. The night before the draft, Calipari and Nash had dinner with Bryant's parents, Joe and Pam, at the Radisson in Secaucus, N.J. Kobe's mother and father were thrilled that their son would be playing within commuting distance of their suburban Philly home. Joe -- who had played in the NBA and in Italy, where Kobe spent part of his youth -- told the Nets' executives he believed Kobe would develop into a starter as a rookie and into an All-Star during his second season. "As we left that dinner," Nash recalled, "Cal told me, 'Wow, Joe really has unrealistic goals for Kobe.' As it turned out, Joe's goals were pretty realistic." Over lunch on draft day, Calipari and Nash told one of the Nets' seven owners, Joe Taub, that Bryant would be a Net in eight hours. Taub preferred John Wallace, the Syracuse senior, and worried that a high school kid might ultimately leave for a bigger market and a better team in free agency. Only Bryant wasn't about to wait years for his liberation. He called Calipari after the coach's lunch with Taub, and Bryant's agent, Arn Tellem, called Nash. Prospect and agent declared they wanted no part of Jersey; Tellem even threatened that his client would play in Italy if the Nets ignored their wishes. Nash met with a panicked Calipari and tried to calm the coach. The GM made some phone calls and figured out that the Lakers' Jerry West had reached an agreement with Charlotte, holding the 13th pick, to trade Vlade Divac for Bryant; West was confident that Kobe would make it to No. 13 if the Nets passed at No. 8. Sneaker maven Sonny Vaccaro would later admit he worked with his good friend, Tellem, to maneuver Bryant to a franchise that would maximize his marketing charms. But Nash thought the Nets should hold firm and call Bryant's bluff. Calipari was back in the college ranks when Kobe Bryant's Lakers and Kerry Kittles' Nets met in the 2002 Finals. L.A. won in four games."Kobe wasn't going to play in Italy, and he had nowhere else to go," Nash said. "But I firmly believe a call from [agent] David Falk, who was representing Kerry Kittles, made the difference." Nash said Falk leaned hard on Calipari to take his client. As coach and executive VP of basketball operations, Calipari had final say. About 90 minutes before the draft, he told his owners he would select Kittles at No. 8. Nash lobbied his coach one last time. From his time running the Sixers, Nash had extensive connections in the Philly area, and he was hearing and seeing the same things West was hearing and seeing -- Bryant might be a once-in-a-generation player. "John, you've got a five-year deal," Nash told Calipari. "If you miss on this kid, you'll get a couple of more chances." Calipari wouldn't take the risk of having his first draft blow up on him in his own building. He took Kittles, Charlotte took Bryant, the Lakers took the gamble and Nash took some good-natured ribbing from a league executive named Rod Thorn. "As I was heading to the parking lot after that draft," Nash said, "Rod comes up and says, 'Hey, you guys blew it when you didn't take Kobe Bryant.' Rod didn't know Kobe Bryant from a Kobe steak, but he was very close with Jerry West." All these years later, Bryant is a five-time champ with the Lakers, Nash is a pro personnel scout with the Sixers, and Calipari is the wildly successful and controversial coach of Kentucky, the underdog in Friday night's Sweet 16 matchup with top-seeded Ohio State. Charlotte would have gotten the same treatment if they hadn't agreed with the Lakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxbadger Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 (edited) That article fully supports my argument that the Lakers drafted Kobe, not the Hornets. he GM made some phone calls and figured out that the Lakers' Jerry West had reached an agreement with Charlotte, holding the 13th pick, to trade Vlade Divac for Bryant; West was confident that Kobe would make it to No. 13 if the Nets passed at No. 8. The guy speculated that when the Lakers traded for the 13th pick, they would take Bryant. You argued that the Hornets traded the pick because Kobe refused to play for them. The article you quoted concludes with the fact that Kobe would have played for the Nets. "Kobe wasn't going to play in Italy, and he had nowhere else to go," Nash said. "But I firmly believe a call from [agent] David Falk, who was representing Kerry Kittles, made the difference." So the Nets took Kittles because Kittles agent convinced them, not because of anything Kobe did. The article just confirmed my article, Lakers traded with Charlotte prior to the draft, Charlotte never had Kobe for a second, because the pick had previously been traded. You are completely speculating, the article I quoted, was from a Charlotte front office member, Charlotte wanted no part of Kobe Bryant. In fact the article states that had Charlotte not taken Divacs, he was going to be traded for a later pick, meaning the Lakers would not have had a shot at Kobe. ugh Edited May 18, 2011 by Soxbadger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxbadger Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 From the head scout of Charlotte at the time: The Lakers might have been high on Bryant, but this was more about clearing up the cap room to make a run at O'Neal, whose contract was up in Orlando. Marc Fleisher, Divac's agent, remembers that the Lakers had a trade worked out to send Divac to Atlanta for the 25th pick if anything fell through with the Hornets. Had that scenario played out, there's little or no way that Bryant would have fallen all the way to the 25th pick, so Bryant and the Lakers couldn't have orchestrated anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Charlotte may not have "wanted" him and may have only been selected to go to the Lakers via immediate trade, but the fact remains. He's wearing Charlotte's cap. They literally drafted him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palehosefan Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (knightni @ May 17, 2011 -> 08:28 PM) He's wearing Charlotte's cap. They literally drafted him. Hence my semantics shmantics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 17, 2011 -> 08:55 PM) Yeah they really picked the wrong draft to get 2 top 5 picks. I knew the T'Wolves werent going to get the first pick. Is Irving that useless? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxbadger Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 (edited) Like I said, if you want to semantically say that the Hornets were in possession of the pick and put in the envelope, then yes, Charlotte did draft Kobe. But if you are arguing (as I have been) that the Lakers were the ones who actually selected Kobe and told the Hornets who to draft, the evidence speaks for itself. This started over a remark where I said that there is nothing different in the NBA today, than in the past, that the teams who won a lot of championships, for the most part drafted their star player. Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Lakers, he was not signed as a free agent, he was not drafted by the Hornets and refused to play for them. He was drafted by the Lakers. Ive never argued that Hornets didnt have the rights to the pick when it was selected, just the fact is that all the Hornets did was put in the Lakers selection. Such a waste of time arguing this. Edited May 18, 2011 by Soxbadger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Or Williams out of Arizona? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palehosefan Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 17, 2011 -> 08:31 PM) Is Irving that useless? Irving will be a star barring further injuries. He's the only one I would draft with the number one pick at this point. If they can end up with Irving and Kanter, they will have had a very good draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palehosefan Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 17, 2011 -> 08:32 PM) Or Williams out of Arizona? I'm interested to see his real size. Is he going to be Amar'e at 6'9, or Shawn Marion at 6'7 as a hybrid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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