Tag: USA Basketball

Here We Go Again …….. Did He Really Do That ? No It’s Not Steve Urkel

Here We Go Again …….. Did He Really Do That ? No It’s Not Steve Urkel

Should I be troubled by the following or I should I simply put it off as nothing more than another athlete simply showing how stupid and unintelligent they are ? Once again it would appear that Washington Wizards’ guard Gilbert Arenas simply has learned nothing from his suspension by the NBA having brought two unlicensed weapons to his place of employment , the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. __ home of the Wizards. You may remember Arenas was involved in altercation with his then teammate Javaris Crittenton , where both players brandished their weapons at each other simply over a gambling debt that one owed the other. Now pardon me for saying this but when you have to resort to using a gun merely to show your masculinity to me that simply shows that you’re nothing more than a coward !

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Arenas having served his suspension is now back with the team looking to recuperate his image and compensate for what he says was a bad error in judgment on his part. You don’t say ? I was under the impression that Arenas brandished his weapon of his own volition and was prepared to use it no matter what the cost. It seems idiotic to think that the player still shows a lack of intelligence but should choose to use his demeanor and standing to try and alleviate his self worth as an individual. In his latest faux pas the player chose to lie to his coach Flip Saunders , feined an injury during a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks in order that teammate, rookie Nick Young could gain some playing time. Now while some might think that the act might not amount to much in terms of Arenas and his intent. But I look at this as a rather stupid thing to do on his part , as it merely shows that the growth in the maturity of Arenas just doesn’t seem to be there. If he’s now prepared to lie to his coach over something such as this which one might view as innocuous even if it was meant to be an altruistic act. Arenas is either complete ass or he’s trying to insinuate that he’s becoming the elder statesman and leader of his team ____ the Washington Wizards.

Courtesy of AP & Yahoo Sports

Arenas fined for faking injury before Wizards game

Washington (AP)—For someone looking to get back into the good graces of his team, its fans and the NBA, Gilbert Arenas has a funny way of showing it.

The Washington Wizards guard’s latest escapade took place Tuesday, when coach Flip Saunders announced before a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks that Arenas would miss the contest with a sore left knee.

But Arenas revealed after the Wizards’ 107-92 victory that he pretended to have a bum knee to give teammate Nick Young a chance to start. He told reporters Wednesday that he was trying to do Young a favor.

“I lied to coach and told him my knee was sore so he’d start Nick,” Arenas said.

Arenas was fined an undisclosed amount by the Wizards for his deception. It was another blow to the image of a player who is still trying to recover from his 50-game suspension and felony conviction for bringing guns into the locker room last season.

After Wednesday’s practice, Arenas first said he wasn’t talking, then appeared before reporters offering a halfhearted apology for his actions.

“I screwed up again, so I just want to say sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t really thinking that this was going to be another media outburst. It’s like everything I do now, someone, tit for tat, tries to blow it out of proportion.”

Arenas’ altruistic gesture might have gone over a little better if Arenas didn’t lie to his coach, or if he hadn’t already ruffled feathers this preseason with his moody press conference at the team’s media day or his statements that he would “move on” after helping No. 1 pick John Wall learn the ropes.

Saunders, who has gone out of his way to defend Arenas this preseason, said he was shocked and disappointed with Arenas. He spoke to Arenas and the team about the situation.

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The Wizards embark on a season where they’re not thought to offer much by way of competitiveness within the Eastern Conference . And after the escapades of last season you can only be assured that they’ll turn up to play their games and hopefully show something to their success starved fans . It seems somewhat sad given the legacy of their former owner Abe Pollin and the things he stood for as a well respected owner within the NBA hierarchy and around the league as a whole. Now with Ted Leonsis taking over the helm of the organization it remains to be seen as to the type of franchise this club will become. This much we do know for the sake of the progression of the team’s first round draft pick John Wall the number one pick overall from this past offseason the team and in particular Arenas had better show the fans that their intent is to play a brand of basketball that will be entertaining. If not Wall and in particular the fans there at the Verizon Center may well become completely disinterested altogether.

A great deal is expected of Wall as a player and he’s seen as the face of the franchise for the future even with Arenas installed and thought of as the team’s best player. But much of what may well happen on the court will come down to the coaching prowess of Saunders and his coaching staff. And as good as Saunders is thought of as a coach I don’t know that he’ll be able to bring about the measure of success that the fans and front office will be hoping for. The team’s progression if anything may well be measured over the course of the season and if anything that success might well be deemed as having an above .500 record for the year. A playoff berth though not out of the realms of possibility given the fact that the Wizards are in the Eastern Conference and where mediocrity amongst the lower tiered teams within the conference seemingly is the norm. This much we can be certain of the margin between the top three teams within the conference and that of the others there is as vast as one could imagine. Simply put even with the addition of LeBron James within the Eastern Conference I don’t really expect to see the level of basketball being played there being raised to where the fans will become in awe of what they’re actually witnessing.

The Miami Heat , Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic will be looking to cement their identity to be viewed as the prohibitive favorites within the Eastern Conference. And while it appears that the majority of analysts and journalists covering the NBA appear to be ready to anoint the Heat as this season’s uncrowned champions. I do believe that there will be a great deal of jockeying between the triumvirate of teams mentioned . Granted James along with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade make the Heat a formidable team and without a doubt we all expect to see them in the NBA playoffs at season’s end. With the expectations being that the Heat will essentially cast aside whomever they’re matched up against in the earlier rounds before marching their to the conference finals and then ultimately meeting up with whomever comes out of the Western Conference in the NBA Finals itself. As to what’s envisaged by the other teams within the league and the actuality of it all remains to be seen.

Whatever part is played in the season by the Washington Wizards I can only hope that for the sake of the franchise Gilbert Arenas doesn’t continue to embarrass himself and the team anymore than he already has done. It’s bad enough that the image of the NBA as a whole hasn’t been awash, with anything that one could really count as being positive . The success of the national team in the FIBA world championships while commendable was simply orchestrated under the hard work of the players who participated but most of all by the contributions of Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo . Anyone thinks differently ought to simply assess their undertakings over the past four years alone and the direction that USA Basketball has taken. LeBron James and his self absorbed ego and the offseason antics simply made most fans of the game watch in amazement and ask what the hell is wrong within the NBA and in particular with David Stern’s tenureship as commissioner ?

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Picture gallery.

Given the latest incident concerning Gilbert Arenas do you feel his actions were idiotic or do you feel that it was merely much ado about nothing ? Chime on in with a comment on this and any other topic as it relates to the NBA this upcoming season .

Alan aka tophatal ………………….. 🙂

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Plies ………. “Becky”

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Sultry model and provocateur Ainette Stephans

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Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels …….Bang You’re Dead !

 
 

Lock  Stock And  Two  Smoking  Barrels ……. Bang  You’re  Dead  !

 

 

 

Not  wanting  to  assail  Major  League  Baseball (MLB)    for   wanting   a  good  thing.  But  I’d   now  like to  know what   was  the  whole   premise   behind   entering  a   team    into  the  World  Baseball   Classic   if  not  to  win  it  ? 

 

Derek Jeter far right seated in the dugout knowing that the inevitable is about to happen. The US team would go on to lose in the semi finals of the World Baseball Classic to Japan (9-4) .
Derek Jeter and teammates are seated on the bench in the dugout knowing that the inevitable is about to happen. The US team would go on to lose to Japan (9-4) in a lopsided game. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Stephen Dunn ................

 

 

 

 

To  suffer  the   slings and   arrows   of  outrageous  fortune  or   in  this case misfortune  is  one  thing.    But  in  this  case   the  showing   of  the  team   most   certainly   hasn’t   met  the  expectations  of  the  game’s  hierarchy   domestically.  It  doesn’t   matter  what   they  might   say   publicly.  In   reality   however   it’s   suddenly  beginning  to  sink  in  that   they’re  going  to  have  to   rethink  their    whole  preparation for  a   team  and  the  assembling   of a   roster   for   international  competition. The    event  will   no  doubt  make  a  significant   amount    of  money    for  the parties  concerned.   But  if  anything    it’ll  perpetuate  the  notion    that the  long  held   belief  that   US  baseball  at  the  international   level   if  anything isn’t   as  superior  as the  fans  or   players   may  well  believe.  

 

Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish celebrates after striking out Adam Dunn of team USA in the semi finals game of the Worl Baseball Classic.
Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish celebrates after striking out Adam Dunn of team USA during their semi finals game. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Kevork Djansezian ........

 

 

 

 

If anything   has  been  indicative   of  this,  it   has  been  the   failure   of    team  USA  to  advance   to  the  Finals  of  the  competition.  In   2006  they  were an  abysmal    failure   falling   at the  quarter  finals’ stage.    And    now   in   2009  in  the  semi-finals   they  succumb   to  a   Japanese   team  that   was   very   much  their  superior   in  every facet   of  the  game   right  from the  start.  If  the  final  score  of   9-4  wasn’t  a   reflection  of  that.  Then   those   who  felt   the   opposite    may   well  have  been   watching   through   rose   colored   glasses.

 

 

Japan's Ichiro Suzuki in the dugout prior to the semi final game played against the USA.
Japan's Ichiro Suzuki in the dugout prior to the semi final game played against team USA at Chavez Ravine Stadium , Los Angeles , California . picture appearas courtesy of getty images/ Stephen Dunn .................

 

 

 

All  the  excuses   in  the  world   cannot   make  up   for  this.  And that’s   most  likely  what  we’ll   hear  over  the  ensuing   days   if  not   weeks.  One   can  be  sure   that   not  all  of  the  game’s  fans    domestically   were   enamored   with  the  competition  to  begin  with.   If  anything   it  was   thought   of  as  an   intrusion   in   their    rite   of  passage  as   far  as   Spring   Training  was   concerned.    And  the   fact     that   they’d  be   denied  to  see   many  of  their   idols   play   for  their    professional   teams    at the  start  of  the  Grapefruit  and  Cactus   League’s  season  was   tantamount  to  all    but  abandoning  the  season  itself.  OK  so   they’d   get  to   see   some  of the  younger  players   from  a  team’s   Triple  A affiliate.   But   the  majority  of  the  time  that’s   not   what  the   fans  are  there  to  see.   But   that’s   what   tends  to  happen  when  the   whole   thought    process   and   timing  of  the  event    is  ill  conceived.    But   far  be  it   for  anyone  to   suggest that   the  MLB hierarchy  and     the  game’s   international   governing   body    doesn’t   indeed   know   what   it’s   doing . 

 

 

Evan Longoria strikes out in the ninth inning of the game against Japan in the semi finals of the World Baseball Classic.
Evan Longoria of team USA having just struck out in the ninth inning of the semi final's game against Japan makes his way back to the dugout. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Stephen Dunn ..................

 

 

 

 

For   Japan   they’ll   now   meet   their  Asian    counterparts  and   rivals    Korea   in  the  Finals.   And with   Korea   themselves    being   the reigning   Olympic    champions.   This   game   will   certainly   not   be   a  foregone   conclusion   in  terms   of   Japan   being   considered  an  overwhelming   favorite.    Korea    has  surprised    everyone   in  this  competition  with  the  level    of  their  play  and   sound   fundamentals.    They   do  almost   everything  with   effortless   ease.   And   if  anything  the   US  team    could  learn    something    from    how  the  Korean  players   apply  themselves  to   the  task  at  hand.    Suffice   to   say  it’s   easy  to    make  the  claim   that  the   players  on  the US  team   were  playing    with  a  great    deal   of  pride   but   the  reality    of  it  all  is  that    pride     wasn’t   borne   out    in  the  level   of  their   overall  play    throughout   the  competition.  If  anything  there   was   a  cockiness  and    over  confidence  that   spelt    disaster   at  some   point.    In  many   ways   it  was  somewhat   reminiscent   of  what   we’d   often  witnessed    from  their   counterparts  in the NBA .  If  anything  the   belief   was  all  that  they    had to   do  was   to  just   turn   and   an  opponent   would   quake   in   their   boots   and   surrender  to  their   will.   The  competition   has  proved   however  that    sum  of  the  parts    doesn’t   equal   the  whole   when   it  came   to   team   USA.    They  labored   under  the  assumption  that  a    roster   filled  with  All  Stars  and  they’d    prevail. 

 

 

 

Roy Oswalt the starting pitcher for team USA sits in the dugout watching the game's progression. Oswalt had one of those games that even he would no doubt rather forget .
Roy Oswalt the starting pitcher for team USA sits in the dugout and watches the game unfold. Oswalt had a game that even he would rather forget. picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Kevork Djansezian ....................

 

 

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