A game reffed by some scab looking to make his bones as "Joey Crawford 2.0."  Apparently, such a scenario ain't entirely far fetched.

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that the contract between the NBA referees and the NBA will expire on Sept. 1, and the two parties are quite some distance apart on a few matters, one such being a proposed ten percent cut on the budget allotted for officials. 

As of now, according to one of Stein's sources, the refs ready to sit out the upcoming season.  I believe that about as much as I bought the reports about Kobe's willingness to sit out the entire 2007-2008 season.  The source also added that the league could be taking a hard line stance to set a tone for the CBA talks recently underway with the Player's Union.  That I find kinda believable.  (And man, would I love to be a fly on the wall during those meetings!)

Cool little factoid of which I was previously unaware: On this day sixty years ago, the NBA was- to some degree- "born."  As SI's Steve Aschburner explains, the league is considered 63-years old by some roundball historians, what with the official formation of the Basketball Association of America.  However, professional basketball didn't really come into its own- or simply carry the "NBA" name- until the BAA merges with the higher profile (but still in need of a goosing) National Basketball League on August 3, 1949.  Or until Slava Medvedenko entered the league, depending on your ability to think outside the box.

I'm not enough of a true "expert" to debate Aschburner's take on the truly proper date to give the Association a cake.  But hey, unless you have something bigger to celebrate today- perhaps the anniversary of Tiberius defeating the Dalmatians on the River Bathinus, although that's such a cliched, commercialized reason to party- why not send the league a "happy, happy?"

Aschburner also concocted a cool list of basketball by the numbers 1-60, definitely worth checking out if you loves you some trivia.  Below the jump are the digits involving the Lakers on some level.  As one might imagine, purple and gold are two very well represented colors.

In talking yesterday with NBA Vice President of Communications Tim Frank about how Trevor Ariza's situation with Rudy Fernandez (and others similar) might be evaluated, I learned of a common misconception among fans, players, coaches, and media (yours truly included).  Whether someone makes a play on the ball isn't the determining factor in assessing a flagrant foul.  Or even "a" determining factor, really.  Instead, it's a matter of whether the contact itself was necessary and/or excessive. 

In a case like Trevor's, that can obviously get very dicey.  On one hand, the league rightfully wants to protect its players, and Fernandez is essentially a sitting (or flying) duck while airborne.  You don't want to see him get hurt.  On the other hand, where do you draw the line between contact acceptable vs. excessive?  Ariza obviously made contact with Fernandez's head, but he also came reasonably close to getting a block.  Another few inches one way or the other and he might have missed the ball, but also avoided Fernandez's head.  Either way, if he was able to come that close, it's understandable to me why he didn't feel compelled to just concede the basket.  Throw in the fact that Ariza really did appear more interested in Spalding hunting than hunting heads and it becomes an even tougher call. 

Frank didn't deny how difficult the process often is- I personally don't think there is a tougher sport to officiate than basketball, for what it's worth- and shares my happiness that such sequences get reviewed at the time (and also with time having passed, allowing emotions to simmer down).  It may not always lead to the "correct" call or one that makes fans happy, but it's an earnest attempt at justice. 

At any rate, for those wondering how a flagrant can get called after a player seems to be going after the ball, there you have it.

AK 

 If you aren't touched by this story of high school basketball players reaching out to an opponent going through a very difficult time, Ally Sheedy's observations on aging from "The Breakfast Club" have proved themselves mighty prophetic.  I'm man enough to admit, got a little misty.  Just a beautiful display of humanity.

But lest anybody think I'm just out to spark tears, here's a high school blast from the past that should guarantee a smile.  Footage of a 17 year-old Kobe Bryant as he leads Lower Merion to a AAAA State title.  Fun stuff.  And how you'd you like to be the Cathedral Prep kid who heard this phrase?

"I want you to guard 33.  Now go have fun, champ."

I was also amused reading an old game report where Papa Jellybean talks up Kobe's ability to "make teammates better" while averaging nearly 30 ppg.  It just struck me as funny, since a lot of Kobe fans think the phrase (admittedly often misappropriated, in my mind) was recently invented as a means of denying The Mamba any glory.  Believe me, the cliches have all been around long before Kobe played, and they'll be around long after he calls it a career. 

By the way, if you CGI'ed footage of Vic the Brick into the Lower Merion clip, the scenes of Kobe celebrating the prep win and 2006 Game 4 win against Phoenix become nearly indistinguishable.   

 

 

AK

Some ESPN the Magazine work took me to a commercial shoot featuring some dudes from the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers.  One of them happened to be Greg Oden, and I managed to grab a few quick minutes with him to talk about Andrew Bynum.  The Lakers open the regular season against Portland, providing the first glimpse of a big-man matchup theoretically poised to entertain fans for years.  While Oden offered praise for Drew ("He does everything a good post guy is supposed to do"), I got the vibe that an Oden-Bynum analysis was a little cart ahead of the horse in his mind.  While acknowledging Bynum as a tough assignment (in a good way), he seemed understandably more concerned with simply getting an NBA game under his belt after a year recovering from micro-fracture surgery; plus, having met Oden a few times, he has always struck me as a low-key guy not particularly comfortable hyping himself or events. 

I imagine fans from both teams will pick up the slack for him.

Greg Oden: Download greg_oden.mp3

AK

And thankfully, the Lakers avoided it.  From Henry Abbott over at ESPN's excellent True Hoop blog, the same sampling of dudes recently asked to predict 2009's NBA crown bearer (a list the Lakers not only made, but owned) also weighed in on which team they considered the most likely to implode. In a result I find not the least bit surprising, the Denver Nuggets topped the list at five votes. As someone who's witnessed their tense locker room during their 2006 first-round beatdown by the Clippers, their recent opening-round sweep defeat to the Lakers and just your garden-variety, regular-season Nuggets game, I've felt for the last few seasons that we're dealing with one collection of, to put it rather generously, "strong personalities."  At the Clippers' news conference to introduce Marcus Camby, the ex-Nugget confirmed the vibe I've gotten. Considering he was one of the dudes who often helped keep moods at a (relatively speaking) even keel, visions of Armageddon busting loose doesn't feel like a stretch to imagine.  Frankly, I consider scenarios involving a head-shaved, 400-pound Kenyon Martin talking about "the horror" more likely than these guys getting through the season without a serious dust-up.

Second place went to the Clippers (four votes), a squad that strikes me as the equivalent of a betting line Vegas takes off the board. A sensible spread is simply too hard to figure. I can picture this totally reloaded team buying into Mike Dunleavy's system in an effort to prove themselves. I can also see them turning into "Lord of the Flies." Or, I can picture them too indifferent by Game 20 to muster the energy needed for either of those outcomes. It's really just a crap shoot.  From there, you've got the Knicks and Suns with three votes, the Rockets, Nets and Mavericks with a pair apiece and the Pistons and Grizzlies each snagging a nod.

Irony alert! As Abbott noted, one year ago, the Lakers might have been this poll's leading vote-getter and are now considered among the more stable franchises. What a difference a string of W's make.

AK

Really, Mario and Darrell?  Really?

Cue the inevitable "You gotta be high to do something that dumb" joke.

AK

Last night's little incident might.  Hopefully, Howard's interest in this particular hobby wasn't combined with his other apparent hobby.  Either way, this makes for an awkward situation, especially considering Howard was only in North Carolina for a basketball camp sponsored by his charitable foundation.  I'm guessing he's no longer driving the carpool when the kids go out for post-game ice cream. 

I anxiously await everyone's trade machine proposals.

AK

If you've ever wondered whether 111 mil really does offer you the ability to have just about anything, the answer appears to be a pretty resounding "yes."  Because that's a serious swimming hole Agent Zero has got going.   Multiple fish tanks.  Grotto.  A "basement" area of sorts that somehow connects to the pool.  Probably a few of them inflatable dinosaurs.  Quite the setup, to say the least.

Unfortunately, and I hate to mention this after the fact, but when my pool was built, the large stone brought in to serve as a "mountain" cost only $200,000.  I'm not sure who Gilbert's "stone guy" is, but he could have gotten a better price than half a million. 

I'm just saying.

AK

This line from "Superman II" always pops into my head whenever someone mentions Houston (pronounced "Who-ston" by the evil General Zod, who mistakenly believes that the name for the entire planet Earth).  But now, the line may accurately describe the city, since Ron Artest will soon be counted among its citizens.  After much speculation as to where Artest would eventually land (a trade itself was a given), the Kings and Rockets agreed upon a deal, with ex-King Bobby Jackson, Rockets first round pick Donte Greene and a 2009 first rounder heading to Sacto.  The deal won't become official until August 14th, as Greene can't be moved until 30 days after signing his NBA contract.

In my mind, the deal makes sense for both sides.  From the rebuilding Kings' perspective, former fan fave Bobby Jackson equals six mil coming off next season's books and they get a couple of youngsters (now and down the road) to help prep for the future.  As for Houston, it obviously goes without saying that Ron Ron doesn't come without a risk risk.  But should he behave for Coach Rick Adelman (whom he always talks about loving when they were paired in Sacramento and everyone remain healthy (another big time "if" for this team), Artest adds some firepower to the already profilic scoring combo of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady (still refered to by Mom as "Yao's friend") and makes an already good defensive team even better. 

The West, she is always interesting.

AK