#1 pick Yao Ming looks decent in yesterday’s US-China matchup, going for 13 and 11 in a 30 point loss. More to the point, he didn’t let Antonio Davis dunk on him, which should bolster his ego a bit coming into his first NBA season.
Category: NBA
Trade Winds Blowing.
Many NBA trades went down in my absence, including Miller to the Clips, Big Dog to the Hawks, and – the biggest – Mutombo to NJ for Van Horn. While that’s a great pickup for Jersey (and losing Van Horn is addition by subtraction), I’m actually kinda glad the Knicks-Mutombo trade fell through. Much as I’d love to see Travis Knight off the roster, I gotta think Kurt Thomas has more upside than Mutombo these days. I’d say Mutombo’s probably a season or a slight injury away from looking Ewing-tired. We’ve already been down that road with Glen Rice and Mark Jackson.
Gotham Makeover.
ESPN tries to reinvent the Knicks. Houston for Van Horn sounds better than any of the Sprewell trades I’ve been hearing.
Halloween Hall of Fame.
Sportsguy Bill Simmons pens the Michael Myers’ Sportscentury. Pretty lame, I know, but the Hubie Brown bit really cracked me up. “OK, you’re Michael Myers. You have a tremendous amount of upside for a serial killer, but you have to understand, you’ve been locked up for the past 15 years…“
Gentle Giant or Ivan Drago?
The NBA and the Houston Rockets try to figure out how to market Yao Ming. Looks like Agassi’s just psyched Yao doesn’t play tennis.
Vinsanity.
In the first big NBA deal since draft day, the Celtics trade underachieving head case PG Kenny Anderson for underachieving head case F Vin Baker. I dunno…but I’ll wager it was a terrible call for the Celts. I would have stuck with Rodney Rodgers, but perhaps Baker can turn it on in the East. At any rate, thank goodness the Knicks didn’t end up with him.
Suicide Kings.
In deciding to pay big bucks to keep emerging superstar Mike Bibby at point for the Sacramento Kings, the Maloof brothers are making a significant gamble that may end up as a lithmus test of the respective importance of basketball vs. business decisions for small-market clubs.
The Hick From French Lick goes Carolina.
Looking for a team to call his own, Larry Bird tries to bring the NBA back to Charlotte.
Short Term Thinking.
Mitch Lawrence doesn’t like the McDyess trade.
Double Sixes or Snake Eyes?
Scott Layden gambled big last night in the NBA draft, trading away the seventh pick, Mark Jackson, and Marcus Camby for All-Star PF Antonio McDyess and the 25th pick (PG Frank Williams.) I like it…if McDyess can play a full season, it’s a great trade, at least for the short term. (Camby was great when he was healthy, but he was just Mr. Glass too often, and Mark Jackson has had a fork in his back the past two seasons.) Plus, Dice is a legitimate low-post option, while Camby was more of a clean-up guy on the offensive boards…McDyess will draw double teams and open it up for Spree and Houston. Now, if the Knicks can sign free-agent C Keon Clark and actually trade PF Kurt Thomas and PG Charlie Ward to Dallas for PG Nick Van Exel, we’re suddenly a contender again. Not a championship contender, mind you, but good enough to represent in the East until we can get back under the salary cap. All in all, a much better night than the Frederic Weis fiasco of 1999. By the way, I thought it a nice parallel that the same summer US joins the world in competitive soccer, the NBA opens its doors to the world…six of the first round picks, including obviously the first pick (Yao Ming of China), were international players.