sprots | 30 Août, 2010 11:02
MANILA, Philippines – It is a given that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are among the best cagers to have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). But who is really better?
For Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, there is no answer to that question.
“I think there will always be a debate over who’s the best player to play basketball,” Fisher told Asian reporters during a Cisco TelePresence videoconference last month.
“I think Kobe has answered it by saying it’s near impossible to compare to a guy that largely played in different eras, didn’t really have to play against each other for long stretches of time,” he continued.
Bryant’s teammate also commented on the never-ending Kobe vs. MJ debate.
“It’s a disservice to Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving and all those men that that really helped make the NBA what it is today to only single out Kobe and MJ,” he stated.
When asked what he thinks Bryant should do to reach Jordan’s level or even surpass him, Fisher thinks the 2010 Finals Most Valuable Player does not need to do something extra.
“Kobe needs to continue to do what he’s been doing to push himself to be the best and help his team win championships,” he said.
Brothers off the court
Fisher went on to praise his teammate whom he regarded as a “hard worker and great champion.”
“I think Kobe and what he’s been able to accomplish since he came into the NBA in 1996, it’s amazing,” he said.
“Think about a 17-year-old young man coming out of high school and going into the NBA and developing himself and his game to become arguably one of the greatest players to ever play basketball. It says a lot about his character, work ethic...about his desire to really work hard to be the best.”
sprots | 27 Août, 2010 10:25
Nice try, Hoores, but that's not even close to true. That title goes to Kobe and the Lakers. Over the last seven years, they had more or equal amount of national games on ABC, TNT, ESPN. And NBA TV if you want to toss that in there. In fact, in 05-06, Kobe and the Lakers had the most televised games on the schedule than any other team even though they weren't considered good. Why is that? Well, the year before, the Lakers' game garnered the highest rating of any team televised on ABC.If you actually want to count those other nationally televised games, you know, the playoff games, well, Lebron falls a little short there, too. Making it to the Finals adds a ton of national exposure. Considering Kobe has been to the Finals 4 times in the last 7 years compared to Lebron's one 4 game sweep, it may still be tricky making your claim. But I think there was one puppet commercial that featured Lebron and not Kobe, so that may be how you came to your conclusion . Was it?
sprots | 09 Août, 2010 10:39
Past success doesn't guarantee results, but, on paper, the Celtics appear to have put together a solid offseason, particularly given the salary constraints the team faced. But we won't know until the new season begins if it truly was as shrewd a haul as it seems to this point.
Boston's offseason was governed by a low-risk, high-reward mentality. There were times last season when it seemed like Daniels and Robinson had no chance of coming back. But the market dictated Boston give them a second look and, knowing both likely underperformed for much of their time in Boston, it was worth the sticker price to hope they bounce back this season (particularly in more defined roles).
In a market particularly thin on perimeter players, the Celtics likewise hope that Wafer can find the game he displayed in 2008-09 with the Rockets. For a minimum salary, it's worth the gamble.
Even veteran players like the O'Neals and even Ray Allen offer some risks given their NBA mileage. But Boston pins its hopes on the fact that these past All-Stars still have gas in the tank, something they all showed at stretches last season (even if they also struggled at times).
What's more, the Celtics didn't mortgage their future in order to remain competitive. Pierce is the only player who received a contract of more than two years this offseason, and there's reason to believe he'll remain effective into the twilight of his career, lending his talents even when this roster is overhauled.
For sure, there's still work to be done, particularly in integrating the new faces and ensuring that all these big egos fit into Boston's locker room. But consider the alternatives to how this offseason played out: Imagine if Boston didn't retain Pierce or Allen. Imagine how the team would be struggling to fill those sort of holes, especially with limited resources, much of which were devoted to simply plugging the void presented by Perkins' absence to start the 2010-11 season.
The urgency of the offseason is waning as Ainge's checklist nears completion. It's time for everyone from Ainge to the fans who stayed on this Celtics roller coaster straight through the 2009-10 season into free agency to enjoy the lull that August and September should provide.
The roller coaster will start back up again before you know it, and it's sure to be another wild ride. One that the Celtics hope won't offer another break until late June of 2011.
Chris Forsberg is the Celtics reporter for ESPNBoston.com who's checking in from Patriots training camp this week. Follow him on Twitter.
sprots | 20 Juillet, 2010 11:34
ORLANDO, Fla. — As if emotions aren't high enough on a honeymoon, J.J. Redick was on edge awaiting word in Europe on whether the Orlando Magic would match an offer Chicago made for the restricted free agent.
"My gut feeling changed about seven times during that week," Redick said.
It was only fitting that the culmination of his remarkable NBA turnaround would occur in such fashion. After all, nothing has come easy in the NBA for Redick.
But the work has paid off.
The former Duke standout is getting more than US$19 million for the next three seasons to remain with the Magic, the same team that once benched him. Now with Vince Carter signed for only one more season, Redick will likely have the opportunity in the coming years to be a starter.
"I think I can start on a lot of teams. I don't think I'll start on this team (now), and I'm OK with that," Redick said Monday. "I'd be lying to say that I don't want to start at some point."
The latest journey couldn't have begun at a stranger time.
Redick was in Rome with his newlywed wife, Chelsea, when he learned the Bulls would be making him an offer. They were eating dinner the following day in Florence when the offer became official.
"I think the people at the restaurant must have thought I was crazy or I didn't like my wife because I was literally getting up like every 10 minutes and going out to the square and pacing around. I pace when I talk on the phone," Redick said, chuckling. "We went back to the hotel and played the fax game. There was some stuff that was lost in translation with the hotel employees, but we got it done."
Then came the stressful wait.
Because Redick was a restricted free agent, the Magic had seven days to decide whether to match Chicago's offer. The Redicks would have to wait all seven.
A week later on a Barcelona beach, phone calls started to trickle in that Redick would be staying with the Magic. They scurried into the first restaurant they could find — a shoddy place, as he recalled — to try and get official word.
Not exactly an ideal location.
"We walked in and it was an old lady behind the counter and like four chairs," Redick said, laughing. "And then we just did some stuff to kill time. I got back, and my phone was lighting up and I saw that I was coming back to the Magic. Those couple hours, I tried to get out of place, out of mind."
Now begins his next journey, one that comes after a tough four years.
After being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Redick was relegated from college star to seldom-used reserve. He struggled so much early on that by 2008 the shooting guard and his agent went public with the frustration, asking to get more minutes or be traded.
That memory has faded.
Redick has become a significant contributor for the Magic. He's more of an all-around player now and not just a strong shooter, and he is no longer a defensive liability.
Redick averaged 9.6 points per game off the bench last season. He also came up big in the Eastern Conference finals against Boston, averaging 11.2 points in the series while Carter struggled.
Redick has maintained since the season ended that he wanted to return to the Magic, where he's become a fan favourite — included to Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. But it's also a place where, for now, he'll have to come off the bench.
"The way I look at it is we have Vince Carter. Vince has caught some flak, I mean, he still put up good numbers," Redick said. "He's not the player he was when he was 25, I don't think he would argue that. But he's still a really good shooting guard."
Next year will be a big season for Redick
Carter is in the last year of his deal, and it's unlikely Orlando — a franchise deep into the luxury tax — will keep him. So that gives Redick a chance to continue to improve, with the opportunity that he could be more than just a reserve.
"I don't know what is going to happen with Vince. I don't know who they're going to bring in," Redick said. "But I'm just focused on getting better and kind of helping the team move forward."
sprots | 05 Juillet, 2010 11:45
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