Hide the evidence: Nike confiscated video of LeBron getting dunked on by Xavier's Jordan Crawford.
The news that LeBron James got dunked on by a college kid then allegedly ordered Nike to hide the evidence has triggered a litany of scathing opinion columns across the media.
I’m not going to suggest the dunk didn’t happen, even though Jordan Crawford was the one to jam on James. The same Jordan Crawford I watched extensively while he played for the Indiana Hoosiers as a freshman, and never saw unleash even a single high-flying dunk.
LeBron got dunked on by Jordan Crawford. Miracles do happen.
The media backlash regarding James’ involvement in confiscating the video of the play has been shocking to say the least but is hardly surprising.
Dwyer comes at LeBron from all angles, but also points out the the situation itself is “out and out nonsense.” Dwyer apparently wants to add to the nonsense by writing an article about what may have never happened.
Let’s get our facts in order here kids.
The two cameraman shooting at LeBron’s Skills Academy were freelance photographers, which isn’t exactly a great way to make a living – unless you capture something amazing like LeBron getting dunked on.
Of the two freelance photographers, only one, Ryan Miller, has spoken on the matter. That’s because Miller is telling anybody who will listen that Nike took his tape. More importantly, he is the only one saying LeBron ordered Nike officials to take the tape.
Miller has reason to be angry and blaming James isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that everybody believes his story.
Even a mental midget (think Zach Randolph) would have to realize that hiding the tape would create far more of a stir than releasing it. Word would get out, and then you would look like a damn fool.
And then there is this fairly damning press release by Nike, which appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
“Nike has been operating basketball camps for the benefit of young athletes for decades and has longstanding policies in place regarding what events are open and closed to media coverage. Unfortunately, for the first time in four years, two journalists did not respect our ‘no videotaping’ policy at an after-hours pick-up game Monday evening following the LeBron James Skills Academy.”
It’s fairly clear Miller wasn’t supposed to be filming anything, and also that Nike has the right to confiscate any video shot at the camp. What if LeBron would have done a 720 dunk over Crawford? I bet Nike would have confiscated that video too.
The Houston Rockets have reached a contract agreement with Trevor Ariza, Yahoo! reported Thursday night.
A source said the Rockets will sign Ariza to a multi-year contract. Terms aren’t known, although it is believed Ariza will make the mid-level exception ($5.6 million) in the first year of the contract.
Meanwhile, Ron Artest is reportedly on the verge of signing with the Lakers.
ESPN reported the Lakers offered Artest a three-year, $18 million contract Thursday. Artest’s agent told the Associated Press the two sides had reached a “verbal agreement” but terms hadn’t been finalized.
These developments came out of nowhere. Cleveland was said to be pursuing both players, but it wasn’t known the Lakers had even the slightest interest in adding Artest. It remains to be seen how Artest will impact the pursuit of Lamar Odom.
Quite honestly, the Artest signing doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Ariza is a perfect fit for the rebuilding Rockets. He has modest career numbers, but at 24 his best days are still ahead. Replacing the aging, injury-prone, unreliable Artest with a younger, more athletic player is clearly a smart move.
The latest free-agent buzz has the Cavs looking at Anthony Parker. Rasheed Wallace is expected to sign with Boston, but could also end up in Cleveland or San Antonio.
Gordon captivated Bulls fans with his scoring and frustrated them with his defense.
Ben Gordon finally got the long-term contract he was looking for. As expected, it didn’t come from the Bulls.
Gordon is slated to sign a five-year, $55 million deal with Detroit. His career scoring average of 18.5 ppg hardly does justice to his offensive ability.
B.G. came into the NBA expected to be primarily a jump-shooter, and has shot over 40 percent from downtown in each of his five seasons. But he is more than just a spot-up shooter. At around 6′2″, he can get to the lane and score against bigger defenders. His arsenal of shots includes step-back jumpers, sky hooks, tear-drops, and bank shots from all over the court.
But Gordon’s offense doesn’t always compensate for his shortcomings.
Defense has been a problem throughout Gordon’s career. His height is partly responsible for his struggles on the defensive end, but a consistent lack of effort and awareness makes him a huge liability.
The 2009 playoffs proved to be a microcosm of Ben Gordon’s strengths and weaknesses.
He single-handedly kept the Bulls close to the Celtics, fearlessly launching shots from all over the court while being double-teamed and guarded by much bigger players. At the same time, he allowed 34 year-old Ray Allen to go nuts for much of the series. Gordon fell behind Allen on picks and watched him stroke three after three.
Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of the Gordon’s play in the series was his ability to take teammate Derrick Rose out of the series for long stretches by dominating the ball.
Gordon and Rose were not good together. Both want the ball and move poorly without it. Gordon’s tendency to dance for 15 seconds before launching a tough shot became increasingly frustrating as his career progressed in Chicago.
New Bulls GM Gar Forman said bringing Gordon back was the “top offseason priority.” In reality, the Bulls wanted to build a bigger team around D-Rose. 6′6″ John Salmons moves into the starting lineup at shooting guard. Salmons is a tough defender and a decent spot-up shooter. 6′9″ Luol Deng will split time with 6′8″ rookie James Johnson at small forward.
The Bulls go from one of the smallest teams in the NBA to a big, physical squad. For the first time in years, opponents won’t be able to ravage the Bulls backcourt in the post.
As a Bulls fan, I will miss Ben’s exciting scoring bursts and fearless mentality. I won’t miss watching him get worked over on defense yelling “pass it, pass it, pass it!” at my television.
The Cavs are also pursuing Ariza. The 24 year-old has balked at the Lakers contract offer, which would pay Ariza about $6 million per season.
There’s just one problem: Cleveland is damn near out of money.
The acquisition of Shaq means the Cavs will be paying over $31 million to its centers – Big Z was already slated to make over $11 million. That means there is a little over five million dollars remaining to spend on Artest or Ariza.
Artest is said to want a multi-year deal and is unlikely to take a pay cut to play in Cleveland. Ariza could get more money by staying in LALA land.
Cleveland hasn’t made an official offer to either player as of yet. Some creative cap management or a trade of Boobie Gibson might allow Cleveland to ink a much-needed swingman.
Ariza is by far the more desirable of the two free agents. The 24 year-old has plenty of upside and would give the Cavs a second finisher on the break for the first time since…wait for it…Ricky Davis.
Signing Ariza would be huge – even bigger than adding Shaq to the mix.
The Pistons didn't waste much time, signing Gordon and Villanueva to long-term deals Wednesday.
Joe Dumars took another huge step towards completely overhauling the Detroit Pistons roster Wednesday by signing two of the better free agents in the relatively weak 2009 class.
Multiple sources are reporting the Pistons have signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. The duo spent one season as teammates at UConn and figure to move into the starting lineup next season in Detroit.
Gordon reportedly is getting a five-year, $55 million deal from the Pistons. Dumars evidently believes B.G.’s dynamic scoring ability outweighs his two glaring weaknesses: shot selection and defense.
The arrival of Gordon will likely single the end of Rip Hamilton’s tenure in the Motor City. The Pistons will try to move the 31 year-old Hamilton to obtain a big man. Carlos Boozer and Chris Kaman are the most likely targets.
Villanueva is expected to sign a five-year, $35 million deal. The three-year pro enjoyed a breakout season in 2008-2009, averaging 16.2 ppg and 6.7 rpg in 78 games with the Bucks.
The Pistons could use the 6′11″ Villanueva at either forward position. Tayshaun Prince could be moved this offseason to acquire additional frontcourt depth.
It remains to be seen if this deal will help improve the Pistons. Rodney Stuckey and Gordon will be one of the smallest backcourts in the NBA. Gordon had a tendency to make Derrick Rose disappear last season by dominating the ball, it seems reasonable to expect the same with Stuckey. Villanueva is one of the more underrated players in the NBA. His tendency to drift (and twitter) during games drove Bucks coach Scott Skiles nuts.
Joe Dumars now turns his attention to finding a coach. Doug Collins and Avery Johnson are the most likely candidates.
Henry is sticking with Kansas despite rumors he considered a late switch to Kentucky.
The circus surrounding Xavier Henry finally appears to be over. Tuesday night, Henry reaffirmed his commitment to Kansas by texting a Sports Radio show, “I’m goin to Kansas and that’s final.”
Comments made by Carl Henry, the father of Xavier and C.J. Henry, triggered speculation Xavier was considering backing out of his commitment. His comments also went along way towards making himself and his family look foolish.
Now that the dust has settled, Xavier and C.J. will most likely suit up for the Jayhawks next fall. Despite saying he wanted to play with his brother, there is still a chance C.J. could go elsewhere given the Jayhawks’ crowded backcourt. He’s not better than Sherron Collins, no matter what daddy says.
Kansas is absolutely loaded and is my early pick to win the Final Four next year. Bill Self will need to manage minutes closely to keep everybody happy.
This is Shaq being introduced as a Cleveland Cavalier
July 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Part 1: Danny Ferry introduces Shaq.
Part 2: Shaq says his goal is to “win a ring for the king”. We’ll see.
Part 3: Shaq continues answering the media’s silly questions.
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