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Archive for the ‘Basketball’ Category
Fri, July 11, 2008 9:58 am By James Coolridge  Printer friendly version
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 WASHINGTON: Gilbert Arenas has agreed for a deal with Washington Wizards for $111m which is considered as a less amount by his fans world wide. “What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can’t do with $111 million?” asks Arenas.
The three-time All-Star point guard, in vintage Agent Zero fashion, has at last revealed on Thursday that he has agreed to re-sign for $111 million over six years, which is considered as a less package deal than the maximum deal he said the Wizards offered him when the free agency period began on Tuesday. Gilbert Arenas had the negotiations in China where he is on travel as part of promotional tour for a shoe company.
“I’m basically giving back $16 million. This is in line with what I’ve been saying the whole time. You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams. I don’t wanna be one of those players and three years down the road your team is strapped and can’t do anything about it,” tells Arenas.
Gilbert Arenas became a free agent after quitting out of the final year of his six-year contract worth $65 million. Arenas had declared not sign the deal until the two-time All-Star forward Antawn Jamison is included the team. The Wizards has decided to offer Jamison a four-year, $50 million deal.
Arenas, considered as the best and the most dynamic players in the NBA had to be sidelined due to a major knee injury for most of the last season. The injury caused him to miss 66 games before his come back late in the season. But he had to shut himself down again in the first-round playoff series against Cleveland.
The Wizards cannot bring disclose the deal talks until a league-mandated moratorium gets expired next week.
Tags : NBA, Basketball, Gilbert Arenas, contract, Washington Wizards, Antwn Jamison, Cleveland
Sun, June 22, 2008 5:32 am By James Coolridge
 If you want to be a good basketball player, you need to develop certain skills and these skills are developed gradually. So, make good use of your time and concentrate on developing these skills as to improvise your game. Here are some basketball tips.
Time commitment: You should be committed to a definite schedule before starting the drills. Write down a definite schedule and stick to it. This keeps you focused on your game and keeps you on track. Build up your time commitment slowly, but steadily.
Find specific drills for each skill: Expert advice is the key to improve the game. Spend some time with your professional trainer to get great suggestions and step-by-step guidance for building each skill in the game.
Practice each skill: After getting the guidance from your professional trainer, practice each skill. You should have intense focus on them. Approach your practices with a serious attitude. To build up effective focus on the game, make a chart of your progress in the game. Set performance goals for yourself and work accordingly.
Get a practice buddy: This is a great basketball tip. Your drills will work better only if you have a human target. Therefore, involve your teammate for practicing the skills. Having a practice buddy reinforces your commitment. This improves your defensive skills as well.
Study the skills: The effective way to improvise your game is by watching the game. Watch the best performances of the great basketball players. This will help you reinforce your game play and inspire you to practice higher and higher levels of skills.
Sharp focus on the game: You may feel clumsy to dribble with your off-hand until you get decent off-hand skills. However, don’t shift the focus if you have to go through such awkward stages of basketball skills. Deal with the situations cheerfully and keep positive focus on your game.
Tags : Practice, skills, schedule, focus, positive
Wed, May 14, 2008 5:26 am By James Coolridge
 National Basketball Association announces Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant as the winner NBA Most Valuable Player of the year 2007-2008. Bryant was declared the winner for his outstanding performance in the game and for leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the best record in the League’s Western Conference.
The 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.” The awards, which are part of a multi-year marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, also include the Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award, and Defensive Player.
Bryant receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy from National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern.
The 29-year-old Bryant entered the season as the league’s two-time defending scoring champion but had finished only as high as third in voting for the Most Valuable Player award. He averaged 28.3 point and played 82 games. He had a tearing ligament in February and put off surgery until after the Olympics.
Bryant rose to national prominence in 1996 when he became the first guard in league history to be drafted out of high school. Bryant and then-teammate Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. Since O’Neal’s departure following the 2003-04 season, Bryant has become the cornerstone of the Lakers franchise, and was the NBA’s leading scorer during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. In 2006, Bryant scored a career high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest number of points scored in NBA history.
Tags : NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Most Valuable Player of the Year Award, Kobe Bryant
Thu, May 8, 2008 8:58 am By Brad Adams
Larry Brown has resigned his post as executive vice president for the Philadelphia 76ers, to get back into the coaching job. Brown has reiterated many times to the media about his plan to step into the shoes of a coach again.
Brown’s 34- year coaching career’s graph is quiet impressive. He has served 23 seasons as a head coach, has spent time with eight different clubs in the time period. Brown holds an all-time record of 1,010-800, making him the fourth most winning coach in league history. Brown also spent time coaching in the college ranks, winning the 1988 national championship at Kansas, and reaching a final with UCLA, and is the only head coach in basketball history to win both an NCAA Championship and NBA title.
“Larry was born to coach and this is something he and I talked about when I took the job here back in December, so it comes as no surprise to me. Working with Larry was always a pleasure and to watch him contribute with Maurice (Cheeks), his staff and the players was terrific” said Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski.
Brown’s agent Joe Glass says, “He has the taste of coaching back in his mouth. It would be refreshing to have a situation going that he could enjoy, rather than the last one, to say the least.”
In his NBA career, which includes time as a player, Brown has also coached Denver, New Jersey, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers and Indiana.
Brown’s job with the 76ers was his longest with any team coaching career.
Tags : NBA, coach, Larry Brown
Wed, May 7, 2008 8:58 am By Carl Rushton
 Former National Basketball Association referee Tim Donaghy was found guilty in a betting scandal with two other professional gamblers. Donaghy turned himself in to the federal authorities on Wednesday.
The referee said he made NBA bets for four years, even gambling on games he worked. He also admitted recommending bets to high-stakes gamblers and collecting $5,000 if his picks hit.
Judge Carol Bagley Amon of U.S. District Court in Brooklyn said Wednesday that the information was not public. According to her, Donaghy had “unique access,” including what crews would officiate at games, the interaction of different officials and players, and the physical condition of certain players. He concealed the scheme from the NBA and other referees to avoid detection, she said.
Donaghy, 41, is scheduled to be sentenced May 22. By law, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though the term could be much lower under sentencing guidelines.
Donaghy’s next court date is Nov. 9. He turned over his passport and is now bounded to seek permission in case he has to travel anywhere other than Pennsylvania, Florida or New York.
James Battista, 42, one of the professional gamblers, attended the same high school as Donaghy in Springfield, Pennsylvania. The other alleged co-conspirator was identified by prosecutors as Thomas Martino.
Tags : NBA, referee, gamblers, court
Fri, April 25, 2008 6:14 am By James Coolridge
 In the previous article, we discussed about blocking the Baseball, blocking the pitch and grabbing a fastball. (To have a quick recap of the previous article, click on the link below Baseball catching tricks part-one) Let us now know more about the breaking in terms of the pitcher, how to position yourself and lots more. Read on.
If the pitcher is a right hander, the breaking ball will hit the ground and spin right. On the other hand, a left hander’s breaking ball will hit the ground and spin left. Since you are a catcher, angel your body in order to adjust according to the spin of the baseball. Push off with the opposite leg. As it is a game of aggression, do the job aggressively. This will surely help you beat the ball to the spot and block the baseball.
When the ball is thrown outside or inside:
Since the fastball or the breaking ball is thrown outside or inside, it will be a bit difficult for you to get your body in front of the baseball. Do your footwork, push off hard and drag the gloves across the ground. Turn the gloves and make sure that you get it out as far as you can. If you get your glove on the ball, try to stop or slow down the poorly thrown ball.
How to get your body in a position to throw:
To do this, locate where the ball is and get to your feet. Keep your hands and arms in opposite directions. Now, lift your hands up and out in front of your body. If your movement is out towards the pitcher, you can easily catch the baseball in your hands.
It is now time to retrieve and get your body in a position to throw. Then, get your chest over the baseball and in a position as to scoop up the baseball. Get the ball and then check the runner if he is trying to advance.
How to trace the runner?
Now that you have grabbed the ball, angel you body to the base which the runner could be moving towards. For this purpose, get your feet and mind ready to throw and find the runner. If you find that the runner is trying to advance, throw a strike to the bag otherwise throw behind him. If you want to knock out the runner, just block, retrieve and throw the baseball aggressively.
This way, play your part and wait for the results!
Tags : runner, Baseball player, catches
Mon, March 24, 2008 7:12 am By James Coolridge
 It is called the game of uncertainties, and even the home ground advantage did not help the Celtics. With even a player like Kevin Garnett playing for the Celtics they could not manage a win against Utah Jazz. Sadly, this loss ends the Celtics winning streak at ten. Tough luck for them as the Rockets are on a roll with over twenty games undefeated under their belt.
It was Deron Williams time to shine the Jazz guard scored 32 points — 13 of them in the fourth quarter and seven during a 10-0 run when Utah turned back Boston’s last chance to win 110-92 on Friday night and snap the Celtics’ 10-game winning streak. Boston played the last three quarters without Ray Allen, who slipped and fell, bruising his left heel at the end of the first quarter; he did not return.
Maybe it was because the Celtics wore green uniforms with gold trim instead of the traditional home whites; sometimes luck always plays a part.
Tags : NBA, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Devron Williams
Wed, March 19, 2008 10:02 am By James Coolridge
 Winning streaks are winning streaks no matter how they are won. The Houston Rockets are making history by winning 20 straight games. The Atlanta Hawks had to face the brunt of the Rockets power and the score read 83-75 on Wednesday night. The Rockets joined the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33 straight) and 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (20) as the only teams to win 20 or more in a row.
The Rockets are on an upswing and seem to be making a beeline for the Western Conference. Though the win against the Hawks was anything but easy and not very graceful, winning is winning and the coach does not seem to mind. “It may be the ugliest thing we’ve done, but it might have been the best one,” Adelman said, “the way we fought through it.”
The team is really high on morale and they wish to continue their good form and good luck. Twenty straight games is not a matter of joke, now is it?
Tags : Houston Rockets, Basketball
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