Chattel

Eric Gordon and the NBA Hornets were unable to come to an agreement over a contract extension. Eric Gordon, who won a gold medal at the World Championships, was unable to reach agreement with the worst team in the Western Conference of the NBA. Let's rewind a sec. Eric Gordon is the best player on the Hornets, by far. The Hornets are owned by the league itself. Therefore, the guys who run the game run the trades. If they wanted to create a winning team, they're in a pretty awesome spot. If they wanted to bleed the team of its great players through terrible trades and leave the franchise in such a position that it is cheap enough (by being free of burdensome, non-rookie contracts) to buy during a down economy, they could do so. The team would need good draft picks, though. However, due to other league rules, they would also need to meet minimum salary levels. And, due to the need to keep up appearances in order to sell tickets, they'd have to have a coach and general manager who want to win.

Coach Monty Williams and General Manager Dell Demps have pretty much rocked out. Demps engineered an amazing trade for Chris Paul that was approved by all involved (Lakers, Rockets, Hornets). Until the NBA realized they could veto the trade. David Stern/Stu Jackson did so. Chris Paul went instead to the Clippers who had just signed a proven yet old shooting guard who had come off of the one time amnesty wire. The Clippers signed Chauncey Billups for dirt cheap ($1.1 million for a former Finals MVP) right before realizing they could suddenly trade the previously untradeable (and potential building block) Eric Gordon.

Boom.

Gordon was traded to New Orleans.

Now, the NBA Hornets have not signed Gordon to an extension. Why? Money committed to a player (even an amazing young shooting guard like Eric Gordon) means a higher price for a franchise. David Stern is destroying the value of the New Orleans Hornets so that someone will actually buy the team.

Currently, the Hornets ostensibly have two or three potential buyers. Ostensibly + potential = not so much. The key to finding a buyer in this economy after a polarizing lockout is lowering the purchasing price of the team. To do so, without lowering the value of other NBA teams, means not having many liabilities but having potential. How does one get that in this NBA? Don't sign Eric Gordon for the long term and make sure the team sucks to ensure good draft picks.

It's sad. It's dirty. And hopefully the people of New Orleans realize this and let Stern know they don't need nor want a professional basketball team, despite his hollow post-Katrina promise.

JoePa

We've been remiss in discussing Joe Paterno, his passing, and his legacy. Read this elegy from our friends at Philawdelphia.

“Mr. Paterno is survived by 147,000 grandchildren, 450,000 great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews.”

Goodbye, Flip

Flip Saunders, coach of the Washington Wizards, was fired today, the day after the Wizards were routed by the Philadelphia 76ers. There's no word yet as to why Ernie Grunfeld, the GM who assembled this terrible team, still has a job.

Prior to joining the Wizards, Saunders had won 587 games and lost 396 games. With the Wizards, a ragtag group of misfits, he went 61-130.

The Plight of Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon is one of the best shooting guards in the League right now. He played on the gold-winning 2010 World Championship team. He kinda got the shaft in being traded from the Clippers to the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets after a suspicious series of events including a segment where he was assured that he would not be traded.

Now, he's waiting on the Commissioner of the NBA to give him a contract extension. From Yahoo!:

Gordon’s agent, Rob Pelinka, has engaged in recent contract talks with the Hornets’ front office, but hasn’t received an official offer. Gordon told Yahoo! Sports on Monday night he was informed by Hornets general manager Dell Demps that Stern must decide whether to extend an offer. The NBA owns the Hornets. Gordon wants to re-sign with New Orleans, but is uncertain if or when Stern will reach out to him or Pelinka.

While I'm sure everything will work out and Stern will deign to give Gordon an extension, the fact that (failed Vancouver Grizzlies General Manager) Stu Jackson is getting a chance to question any and all decisions by Dell Demps reeks.



Can we just rename them the NBA Hornets?

RIP Sarah Burke

"It's what our lives are, being on the hill and there’s a reason for that, it’s amazing, it’s where we met, where we live, and, hopefully, where we die."

Tim Thomas Riles Up Conservatives

Last year, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. As is tradition in major sports played in the United States, the champs (if American) visit the White House. The first hockey team to do so was the 1990-1991 Pittsburgh Penguins, who visited with George H. W. Bush. Being honored by the President is one of those things that isn't really political and is much more of an honor than anything else. Bruins goalie and playoff MVP Tim Thomas decided to skip the opportunity to meet President Barack Hussein Obama because, because, as he stated on his Facebook page:

I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

While this Tim Thomas (for us NBA fans, we think of this guy first) has announced his constitutional originalism, he hasn't exactly espoused any political beliefs. Given his statement, the man could be a raving communist intent on tricking the lumpenproletariat into subjection by and for the proletariat. Or, he could be one of those unique-to-America wingnuts that the rest of the world giggles at...even Canada, the birthplace of hockey. Nevertheless, political-minded folks have managed to get their undies in a twist. Take, for example, the wondrous slice of unfiltered Internet commentary that happens in response to a Yahoo! Sports article about Thomas's decision. While Thomas hasn't exactly expressed anything more than dissent to both parties, his statement has created an artificial backlash: reporting of his decision to not attend the traditional White House visit has been deemed part of a liberal campaign of slander. Apparently, the "media" has already judged Thomas to be un-American for not going on the trip. And, therefore, the media is biased and free speech is under attack. Thomas's boorishness aside, it's all a bit ridiculous when you think about it: a player decides not to visit the White House while a Democratic President is there -> the media reports on the no-show -> Republicans get upset and claim that the reporting is somehow indicative of liberal bias and adopt the no-show as a partisan statement, despite the player's explicit statement that the no-show has nothing to do with political parties and all to do with "the Founding Fathers['] vision for the Federal government."

But, President Obama has faced a lot of flack for allegedly: wanting the United States to fail; turning the U.S. into an Islamic Caliphate; being a Nazi; being a Communist; being a Nazi Communist; being a Kenyan anti-colonialist; not being American; hating America; killing Osama bin Laden rather than bringing him to justice; not killing Osama bin Laden fast enough; taking credit for killing Osama bin Laden when in fact he didn't pull the trigger of the gun that shot the bullets that killed Osama bin Laden; falsifying grades at Harvard Law; and, now, using the Bruins for political purposes. So, given the charged (and kind of scarily misinformed) environment, I guess it makes sense that Tim Thomas's nonpartisan political protest should engender racist comments and worse. While I'm not personally acquainted with the man who received more than twice as many electoral votes as his opponent and nearly 10 million more in the popular vote, as a rational human being, I can attest to the fact that most people don't spend years of their lives achieving something only to tear down the meaning of their life's work. Just sayin' that the whole Obama hates America bit is sadly more than a little ridiculous and sullies what could otherwise be pretty appealing sports.

Then again, maybe Tim Thomas had no idea this sort of Boston fan would contribute his sadly popular two cents: "Jimmy" speaks of calling Obama a "chocolate Marxist" as a fortunate "spark of patriotism" that can "erupt into a raging conflagration."

Nick Young is a terrible rebounder

First off, I'm not a statistician. Secondly, this is my first time really playing around with the amazing site Basketball Reference. But, after attending the Wizards-Celtics game on Sunday, I couldn't help but wonder if Nick Young knows that rebounds are available. Nick Young is listed at 6'7" or 6'6", depending where you check. Sometimes, he plays shooting guard; sometimes, he plays small forward. As a guy who uses up a lot of possessions taking often-contested shots, I figured it would behoove him to snag a few caroms if he wants to be viewed as anything more than a chucker (taking 14.4 FGA a game, despite shooting 40.3%). Senor Swaggy P feels otherwise, but here's where he stands compared to other active guards over this and the past four seasons when it comes to percentage of total rebounds: 340th place. Granted, a fair amount of better rebounders are listed ahead of him more than once because, well, they've been better rebounders than Nick Young's best season more than once.

But, 340th place is abysmal, anemic, and appears more terrible when we look at per-36s: 353rd place. That's some rockstar rebounding at 3.6 boards per 36 minutes.

So, let's look at this season. Of the 54 guards or guard-forwards who have started at least 10 games, Nick Young has the lowest rebounds per game (2.4) of anyone his height who plays at least 30 minutes per game. In other words, he is pretty much the worst rebounding starter at his height in the NBA right now. In terms of percentage of total rebounds this season for guards and guard-forwards starting at least 10 games? Nick Young is 46th out of 54 with his incredible ability to corral 2.8% of available rebounds. The only players with worse rates are mostly point guards, shorter, and rarely, if ever, found playing small forward: Monta Ellis, Raymond Felton, Ben Gordon, Raja Bell, Steve Nash, Luke Ridnour, Devin Harris, and Jeff Teague.

Beckham signs with L.A. Galaxy for 2012 Season

credit Quinn Rooney / Getty Images, via L.A. Times

David Beckham, star midfielder for the L.A. Galaxy, winner of three league championships across two continents (not to mention a UEFA Champions League piece of hardware), and most famous for bending it like... himself, has signed with the MLS Cup winners for the 2012 season, citing his family's preference for remaining in Southern California as a major motivator to not get paid $1 million/month to live in Paris.

Yao Ming, the Politician, and Other Notable International Athletic Stars Turned Politicos

Word has come over the wires that former Houston Rocket star Yao Ming has made his political debut at age 31, only months into retirement. Such a move by Lurch Addams's Chinese half-brother should come as little surprise. Even in retirement, Yao retains superstar status in China. He has a number of endorsement deals, and a brand of wine bearing his name. Although this is a rather modest entry into the political arena—just an appointment to a 142-member regional advisory body without any actual authority—Yao has struck a cautious tone, saying he doesn't want to be "hasty" in raising any proposals. That's probably the right way to go, given the minefield that is Chinese politics. Indeed, Yao sometimes found himself embroiled in political controversy during his playing days over seemingly minor issues, such as where his wife would give birth. Due to Yao's general hilariousness—usually but not always unintentional—he is a new favorite politician.

Given that my previous contribution to the blog was an examination of the relationship between sports and politics, I figured I'd make a top 10:

10. Menzies Campbell, Scotland

I had no choice but to include Campbell because, serendipitously, his nickname is "Ming." A top-notch Olympic sprinter in the 1960s, Campbell helped build the UK's Liberal Democrat Party and is one of the most visible figures in UK parliament.

9. Sebastian Coe, England

Another Olympic sprinter turned member of UK parliament, Coe won consecutive Olympic golds in the 1,500m and set eight world records during his career. He also was the head of London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. I picked the famously charismatic Coe not only for his accomplishments but also because he's a bit of a wild card. For example, when asked about the controversial topic of an all-Great Britain soccer team, he reportedly said, "Yes to 2012 GB footy team. The Scots and Welsh? Fuck 'em"

8. Ken Dryden, Canada

Dryden chose not to stay in his native Toronto to play hockey, instead going to Cornell—ever heard of it?—where he won an NCAA championship. I like him for continuing to buck the system multiple more times in his athletic career. First, he sat out the '73-'74 season rather than accept a lowball offer from the Canadiens, taking the time to finish his law degree at McGill. Then, he retired in his prime, after only a bit more than seven seasons, after wining five Stanley Cups and a slew of top accolades.

7. Dawn Fraser, Australia

First of all, Fraser gets points in my book because reading up on her caused me to learn some new Aussie terminology, including hoick and larrikin. Fraser was also a really, really good swimmer, winning 8 Olympic medals and setting 39 world records. And being a really, really good swimmer makes you a BFD in Australia, which she parlayed into a raft of accolades and a stint in regional parliament. But the best part about Fraser is a story she denies: that she swam a moat and shimmied up a flagpole at Emperor Hirohito's palace to steal a souvenir flag during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

6. George Weah, Liberia

Weah is a former soccer great who won FIFA's World Player of the Year award in 1995. Since then, he has founded the Congress for Democratic Change party in Liberia and run unsuccessfully for both president and vice-president. For reasons unknown, he came to the U.S. to obtain a degree in Business Management from DeVry University in Florida. Weah proved himself a model student by immediately relating his studies to his political career, citing his undergraduate Business 303 course in justifying his political strategy.

5. Marat Safin, Russia

Formerly the world's No. 1-ranked men's tennis pro, Safin won election to the lower house of Russian parliament just last month, as a member of Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russian party. As with Yao and China, Safin is the biggest name in a large group of former athletes (mostly Olympians) to enter politics. Safin has always been a colorful figure, but it's a bit ironic (or maybe not at all?) that the notoriously colorless Pete Sampras was the one to predict that Safin will become Russia's president in 20 years. Safin, for his part, did not disappoint with his own take on his political debut, proclaiming, "I could be the best looking guy in the Duma. But that's only because all the other guys are over 60."

4. Boyko Borisov, Bulgaria

Unlike the rest of this list, Borisov has never been an elite athlete. But he does have the distinction of playing professional soccer in Bulgaria at age 52—while also serving as the country's prime minister!—albeit for a third-division club. Even better, Bulgarians voted him the country's top soccer player, in landslide over Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov, to express their disgust with Bulgaria's poor showing in European competition. To Borisov's credit, after winning the poll he recommended doing away with it.

3. Manny Pacquiao, Philippines

What isn't to like about Pac-Man? He has almost single-handedly kept his sport on life support during a low period, fighting across a dizzying array of weight classes and prompting Bob Arum to declare, "Pacquiao is the greatest boxer I've ever seen, and I've seen them all, including Ali, Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard." Still at the top of the boxing world, Pacquiao has continued to fight while serving in his country's legislature and also doing some acting, even discussing a potential project with Sylvester Stallone. But, he still has yet to sign up for the fight everyone's been waiting years for: a showdown with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

2. Imran Khan, Pakistan

In the Pakistani equivalent of water-cooler conversation, there aren't many topics that can compete with cricket and political corruption. Imran Khan is a leading figure in both areas, if not the figure. And he's assumed that status with consummate flair. In 1992, a the tail end of his career, he promised that underdog Pakistan would its first world cricket championship. And then it did, against England, its former colonial ruler. Now, 20 years later, he has built the "Movement for Justice" party that he founded into a major political force, based upon a platform of anti-corruption and social justice. He has gathered crowds of over 100,000 in each of Pakistan's most important cities, Karachi and Lahore,and upset the delicate two-party balance that previously reigned. Indeed, Khan's latest prediction, that his party will dominate the upcoming parliamentary elections, despite having only one seat in its 15-year history, seems plausible. If so, his supporters will get to trade in their Obama-referencing "Yes We Khan" shirts for some new ones reading, "Yes We Did."

1. Yao Ming, China

Yao's head and shoulders above the crowd—at least literally—and he's from a rapidly emerging world superpower. This could be big, so I'll give him the number one spot for now due to his "huge upside potential."

O-Town Tragedy

As the saga of Dwight continues, the Magic front office has become something of a joke. Well, not Stan Van Gundy. He's still a shrill hedgehog of horror who can coach the hell out of a bunch of role players. But I'm talking about Otis Smith and Bob "I'll just have a couple glasses of wine and then call my star player to beg him to stay" Vander Weide. With Vander Weide gone, let's talk about Otis.



Otis Smith somehow has a job, still. Even in this economy. Even with Kevin Pritchard unemployed.

Otis Smith is the guy who, along with Ernie Grunfeld, can be blamed in part for the NBA lockout: then with the Sonics (RIP), Lewis agreed to a sign-and-trade 6 year, $118 million contract. Lewis didn't live up to his prior scoring and rebounding ways. At all.

But, Otis Smith is the guy who got Rafer Alston on short notice (after Jameer Nelson's big shoulder injury) for Mike Wilks, Brian Cook, Adonal Foyle (who was waived by Memphis and re-signed a month later by Smith), and a 2009 first round pick (that the Grizzlies turned into Demarre Carroll). In 2009, the Magic made the NBA Finals thanks in large part to Rafer Alston. Good trade? Good enough, but turning those four guys into a point guard no longer in the league? Eh. That trade was won by Houston, who acquired Kyle Lowry.

Following the Magic's loss in the 2009 Finals, Smith looked to regroup for another run. Hedo Turkoglu, the point-forward, had left for much greener pastures in Toronto where he would whine and dine himself out of the rotation. In a trade with New Jersey, Smith netted Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson in return for Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. New Jersey liked the move because the Nets thought they could land LeBron and possibly another marquee free agent in 2010. Otis Smith presumably liked the move because he had seen Vince Carter peak several years earlier who had, at least on one occasion, deigned to play defense. Smith also had to decide what to do with Marcin Gortat, the Polish Hammer. Gortat became a restricted free agent and Dallas sought to sign him for the Mid-level Exception. Smith, seemingly in need of a backup to franchise cornerstone Dwight Howard, matched the offer.

With Turkoglu feasting on pizza (best link ever, btw)in Toronto and a starting lineup of Jameer "Crib Midget" Nelson at point guard, Vince Carter at the 2, Matt Barnes as small forward, Rashard Lewis as power forward, and Dwight Howard anchoring the center spot, the 2009-2010 Magic literally swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs (Bobcats and Hawks) only to be stopped by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.* A step back? Sure, but while Orlando had upgraded, the Celtics had Kevin Garnett back, who they had been missing when Orlando made the Finals. Clearly, Kevin Garnett > Vince Carter.

None of these have been game-changing, championship moves. Arguably, Smith's best move was one borne of desperation: Rafer Alston. Nevertheless, Smith dragged his reputation and the Magic to new lows for a potential contender. During the 2010-2011 season, he acknowledged his drastic overvaluing of Rashard Lewis and, in an effort to trade for a needed scorer, swapped Lewis for Gilbert Arenas. The Wizards were desperate to offload Gilbert after he pooped in a teammate's shoe he brought guns into the locker room he brought guns into the locker room and the ensuing public relations fallout. Arenas had been a proven scorer lately beset by recurring injuries. But, like Vince Carter, Arenas was not known as a tenacious defender. Again, it appeared as though Smith was a few years behind the best time to trade for someone with this skill set.

Smith also realized his trade for Vince Carter hadn't yielded the best results and changed his mind on Marcin Gortat. Smith traded both for Jason Richardson and a now substantially overpaid Hedo Turkoglu. If you haven't noticed a pattern in Smith's work as GM, to him, salary = value, every time.

These two giant trades ripped apart the heart of the Magic roster in the middle of the season. Both trades were Smith's answer to Miami adding Chris Bosh and LeBron James. Both trades were Smith's answer to Boston's health. Both trades were Smith's answer to Chicago adding Carlos Boozer. Both trades were Smith's answer to New York adding Amare Stoudemire in the offseason and Carmelo mid-season. This might be slightly better than Ernie Grunfeld's answer to Boston uniting the Big Three: signing Juan Dixon. The result? The Magic were defeated in the playoffs by virtually the same Hawks team they'd swept the previous year.

Orlando is a luxury tax team big on overpaying big names potentially past their prime. It's a team assembled without a long-term strategy. Can you guess why Dwight wants to leave, despite having one of the best coaches in the NBA right now?

All of that being said, the Magic aren't a contender this year. With Horford out in Atlanta, the Magic could sneak into the Eastern Conference Finals if Chicago and Miami have to face up earlier. This Magic team is built to be pretty good at prices that demand greatness. Have fun losing in the second round when you should be tanking.

---

Interesting Otis Smith fact: he went to Nathan Bedford Forrest High School. Florida is insane.

Brandon Bass for Big Baby? If I'm Boston, yes please. Bass is cheaper, less of a headcase, and has more potential. Maybe Otis Smith has a thing for moody dudes?

* - Vince Carter boasted after sweeping the Hawks that the Magic might go 16-0 in the postseason. Coincidentally, the year before, the Cleveland Cavaliers had swept both of their opponents en route to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing there to the Magic 4 games to 2.

Spud? Nope, Crimestopper

Aquille Carr is awesome. And short. Thanks to the Washington Post for the heads up on this Baltimore prodigy.

If the BCS ran other sports...

From NPR:

If the BCS ran the Olympics, the 100-meter final would be held in September, six or seven weeks after the scheduled heats. That, you see, is consistent with the cuckoo BCS scheduling. LSU's last game was on Dec. 2. Alabama's was way back in November — 45 days ago. Nowhere else in sport is there such a pointless, bizarre interval.

If the BCS ran the NFL, there would be no playoffs. Instead, a bunch of mysterious computers and some dubious experts — many of whom have conflicts of interest — would just declare which teams qualified for the Super Bowl ... then schedule the matchup 45 days from now, of course.

If the BCS ran the World Series, tens of millions of dollars would still be made, and the leagues, and the owners, and the managers, and everyone connected with the Series would be paid. Well, everyone except for the players. But, you see, this is in keeping with the BCS rationale that players are actually much happier playing when they aren't burdened by making money.
Of course, baseball boosters would slip some cash under the table to the major leaguers, to make sure that amateurism remains pure.

If the BCS ran the World Cup, there would be no World Cup. Instead, there would just be a mind-numbing plethora of meaningless soccer matches played between disparate countries, like Peru vs. Slovenia, scheduled at random neutral sites like Sri Lanka.