Kobe Bryant, mom feud over N.J. auction
Lakers star trying to block planned June sale of memorabilia initiated by Pamela Bryant.
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Brandon Jennings’ Feud with Coach Jim Boylan Threatening to Derail Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks coach Jim Boylan benched Brandon Jennings in the third quarter of Milwaukee’s disappointing 100-92 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on March 27, and when the point guard lashed out after the game, his dissatisfaction joined a growing list of problems threatening to derail the East’s No. 8 seed.
According to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jennings’ postgame comments indicated that he took the early hook personally:
This is the third time I’ve been benched in the second half and it hasn’t been under (former coach Scott) Skiles…I don’t see any all-stars in this locker room so I think everybody should be held accountable, like anybody else. There’s no maxed-out (contract) players in this locker room; there’s no all-stars. So don’t try to put me on a pedestal and just give everybody else the freedom to do whatever they want.
Apparently, Jennings failed to notice that not everyone else in the the locker room to which he referred had been 0-of-3 from the field in 17 listless and ineffective minutes. For that reason, it’s hard to fault Boylan‘s decision.
But given Jennings’ track record, the post-benching fallout can’t be viewed as much of a shock, either.
Already stamped with a somewhat self-absorbed label, Jennings’ recent comments about his future as a free agent certainly didn’t do anything to change that.
Per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo!, Jennings said:
If I take the qualifying offer and become an [unrestricted] free agent there is no way I am coming back. There is no way….I’m not saying the Bucks aren’t about winning. But I think [a title caliber situation] will help me, motivate my game and then you have to perform.
Jennings is entitled to play wherever he wants to, but it’s hard to get past the way he seems to simultaneously fancy himself as a superstar while lamenting the failure of his team to properly motivate him.
Quotes like that belie overconfidence at best, and delusions of grandeur at worst.
The fact is that on balance, Jennings hasn’t been a winning player this season. According to NBA.com, the Bucks’ offense is almost exactly as productive with him on the floor as it is without him. But on D, Milwaukee turns into a stopping machine with Jennings on the bench, posting an excellent defensive rating of 96.3 points allowed per 100 possessions.
When Jennings plays, Milwaukee permits 102.9 points per 100 possessions.
All told, those figures add up to show that the Bucks are markedly better when Jennings isn’t in the lineup.
Milwaukee’s streaky point guard seemed to shrug off his unhappiness in the Bucks’ next contest against the L.A. Lakers on March 28, scoring 20 points in 32 minutes and generally appearing much more mentally engaged.
Though it’s worth noting that Jennings wasn’t on the floor during the fourth-quarter surge in which the Bucks wrested control of the game away from the Lakers.
But one solid night doesn’t outweigh the mounting issues—one of which continues to be Jennings’ attitude—that the Bucks are facing.
For one thing, the eighth-seeded Bucks are on something of a collision course with the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, which is probably better than missing the postseason altogether—but not by much.
There’s also plenty of uncertainty surrounding the team’s future roster. With J.J. Redick primed to hit unrestricted free agency, Monta Ellis likely to opt out of the final year of his deal and Jennings nearly certain to take his talents elsewhere, there’s not much of a sense that the team’s key players are personally invested in the club.
Milwaukee ended its four-game skid by knocking off the exhausted and equally dysfunctional Lakers, but the larger issues within the team aren’t going to disappear.
With a grab bag of hangups, an unhappy would-be star and a death sentence of a playoff seed in hand, the Bucks are barely clinging to stability. Things seem somewhat safe right now, but another outburst from Jennings could blow the whole thing up.
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Retired NFL Star and LeBron James Feud over Win Streaks, “Crazy” Talk
Perhaps you’ve heard: LeBron James and the Miami Heat are in the midst of the second longest winning streak in NBA history. Retired NFL running back and ubiquitous winning streak commentator Mercury Morris sure has heard, and as usual, he’s chiming in on the Heat’s impressive run.
The outspoken member of the 1972 Miami Dolphins always manages to surface when NFL teams threaten perfection, but it seems he has now also found a way to get involved with another sport’s winning streak conversations.
According to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports, it may actually have been James who started the war of words. He quoted LBJ as saying:
A guy like Mercury Morris and guys like that and stuff, that’s crazy. (Morris) was talking about the Patriots when they went undefeated (in the 2007 regular season). He was saying, ‘Don’t step on my lawn’ and all that crazy stuff.
It seems Morris has some kind of buzzer that goes off anytime streaks and his name are mentioned (either that or a Google alert), so naturally, the former running back shot back at James in an interview with Fox Sports Florida.
Again, according to Tomassan, Morris said: “As far as LeBron bringing me up, hey, you tell him, ‘Don’t call me when you’re in my town. Call me when you’re on my freaking block.’”
Goofy metaphors aside, it’s a little annoying that Morris finds a way to inject himself into the conversation when NFL teams come close to threatening his beloved Dolphins’ achievement. But it’s completely ridiculous that he is now somehow relevant in other sports as well.
Morris’ only defense in this instance is that he didn’t butt in unprovoked.
And to his credit, at least he’s not actively rooting against the Heat in the same way he hopes for near-perfect NFL teams to slip up.
In 2009, Morris made himself a topic of conversation when the Indianapolis Colts started the season 13-0. And as soon as they lost, everyone immediately invoked his name, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.
This time, he’s being a little more diplomatic:
“I hope they break the record,’’ said Morris, a Miami resident. “And I hope they go on to achieve greater things. I hope they go on to win the championship.’’
It’s good to see that Morris isn’t actively rooting against the Heat, but it goes without saying that he’s pretty psyched to be part of the biggest sports conversation of the moment. It seems that personal relevance—not a winning streak—is what he’s really interested in maintaining.
Weighed against the manner in which Yao Ming—a member of the Houston Rockets club that won 22 straight in 2008—has handled things, Morris still doesn’t look great, though.
If there’s a bright side to any of this it’s that the Heat aren’t currently undefeated. If they were, we might never hear the end of it from Morris.
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Rumors of Kobe/Dwight feud may be overblown
There have been numerous reports flying around the Internet regarding Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard not getting along, and even having to be physically separated from each other. Well, it seems like Kobe had enough of the rumors and took to Twitter to silence the critics. The Black Mamba Tweeted a picture of him facing off in a fighting stance with Dwight Howard and Coach D’Antoni in between trying to hold them each back. Article found on: Cosby Sweaters
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Nets waiting out Kobe-Howard feud?
While Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard butt heads in Los Angeles, the Nets organization is in the position of putting theirs together and coming up with an enticing package to bring the disgruntled Howard to Brooklyn. A league source told the New York Daily News that the Lakers stars got into a heated argument following a New Year’s Day loss to the 76ers, and Bryant referenced and agreed with Shaquille O’Neal’s assessment of Howard being soft. Howard was restrained from attacking his teammate, according to the source, and it only highlighted the center’s unhappiness with Bryant since the start of the season. “Look at the difference between our team and (the Clippers),” Howard said after Friday’s loss to their Staples Center roommates. ”They just play together. They share the ball. Everybody’s excited when something happens.” The rift between the no-nonsense Bryant and the child-like Howard — combined with Howard’s pending free-agency — allows the Ne
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Los Angeles Lakers: Why Smush Parker Won His Feud with Kobe Bryant
The Los Angeles Lakers are about to embark on the most anticipated regular season in the history of the franchise, but right now all anybody can do is talk about the brewing feud between Kobe Bryant and former Laker guard Smush Parker.
Really?
I guess discussing how Dwight Howard and Steve Nash will blend into the starting unit, the uncertainty surrounding the Lakers reserves and finding a backup for Nash has become tiresome.
Unfortunately Bryant has no one but himself to blame for this latest piece of nonsense, since he took it upon himself to throw an unwarranted jab at a defenseless Parker during an interview with the OC Register.
Bryant called Parker the “worst,” which can be viewed in a number of ways depending on the situation, but Bryant went on to say that Parker didn’t belong in the NBA and that the only reason the Lakers let him walk onto the team was because they were too cheap to pay a legitimate point guard.
Those are some harsh words from Bryant, and when you consider Parker’s production during his two seasons as a Laker, the assessment is mostly inaccurate.
In 2005-06, Parker averaged 11.5 points per game, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and shot nearly 45 percent from the field.
In contrast, during Derek Fisher’s best season with the Lakers in 2000-01 he averaged 11.5 points, 4.4 assists and 3 rebounds while shooting 41 percent from the field.
Those numbers don’t mean Parker was better than Fisher, but it does call into question Kobe’s claims about Parker’s talent level.
Parker was not as bad a player as Bryant and Lakers fans would have you believe, but there is a reason he is no longer in the NBA, and it’s likely the same reason he’s still in Bryant’s head.
Bryant’s disdain for Parker probably has a lot more to do with Parker’s lack of professionalism and his lazy approach to the game, more than anything else.
I guess Parker reminded Bryant of a shorter, less talented version of former teammate Shaquille O’Neal,who coincidentally has a fan in Parker
Remember, Parker is the player who famously missed a flight to Detroit because he overslept, and his pettiness and petulance will not be forgotten by Lakers fans any time soon.
According to Kelly Dwyer at Yahoo! Sports, Parker has been taking subtle shots at Bryant for years, but Bryant has largely chosen to ignore him—until now.
I guess it’s hard for Bryant not to reflect on Parker, when he looks across the locker room and sees a point guard like Nash, the player who beat Bryant for the league MVP award while Parker was still a Laker.
Maybe Bryant feels that talking about it is the best way to rid himself of the memory of two of the worst seasons team-wise in his career, but the best way to bury the Parker-Kwame Brown years would be by letting Parker continue to drift away in obscurity.
Did anyone else even know Parker has spent the last few seasons playing in China? I sure didn’t, until Bryant gave him a reason to resurface again, and judging by Parker’s lengthy response to Bryant’s attack, the situation could continue to linger unless Kobe just lets it die.
Bryant laughed off Parker’s rebuttal in this LA Times article and acknowledged that the only reason Parker’s name is in the news is because he chose to put it there, but in the next breath he threw another shot at Parker by suggesting that maybe one day, Parker can make it back to the NBA to see what it’s like.
That’s likely to generate a few more choice words from Parker, who has found a way to keep his name relevant around the NBA, even though his game isn’t.
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Why People Are Overreacting to the Feud Between Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen
If you can even call it a “feud.”
Kevin Garnett‘s recent comments about deleting Ray Allen’s number from his phone have created quite a stir in the basketball world, and it’s really not hard to see why. The offseason is over and the regular season is about a month away, so there really isn’t much else to talk about.
So, all you need is a slightly controversial remark from a well-known NBA player, and you have the formula for overreaction to the max.
So Garnett doesn’t want to talk to Allen anymore. Okay? And? They are not on the same team anymore. Not only that, but they are on opposite ends of what is the greatest rivalry in the sport today. Why should K.G. want to bother with Ray?
This is just not sour grapes on Garnett’s part. This is a competitive fire that has burned in K.G. throughout his entire career. It is that same fire that is missing from so many professional athletes these days.
Garnett isn’t like LeBron James or Kevin Durant. He does not want to be buddies with his opponents off the court. It’s not that there is anything wrong with what James and Durant did by working out together this offseason, but it just demonstrates how much the NBA has changed over the years.
Can you envision Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas pairing up to work out during the summer months? Of course you can’t, because it would have never happened. There was a legitimate dislike between rivals back then. You were not supposed to rendezvous with the enemy.
K.G. epitomizes that old-school mentality, a mentality that few other players in the league seem to possess these days. Kobe Bryant is one of those few. That’s why it makes it so difficult not to admire his game. Even if you absolutely despise the Los Angeles Lakers, you have to have some sort of respect for the way that Bryant carries himself.
I actually like what Dwyane Wade said in response to Garnett’s comments, saying how K.G. doesn’t need to be talking to Miami Heat players anyway. He’s right. I highly doubt Wade wants much to do with the likes of Garnett and Paul Pierce, so why should K.G. want anything to do with Allen? They were teammates. Were. Past tense. Now they are enemies.
That’s why I hardly classify this as a “feud.” There is nothing personal between Garnett and Ray. It’s the simple fact that they are on the top two teams in the East, and will be battling for conference supremacy all season long. It’s not a feud; it’s competition.
Like it or not, this is what the NBA is missing today. Outside of the Boston Celtics and the Heat, there really is no genuine rivalry. The days of the ’80s Celtics and Lakers and the ’90s New York Knicks and Heat were long gone before these two clubs met in the playoffs the past three years (two with LeBron in Miami, though) to rekindle that spark. We as fans should want it this way.
We shouldn’t see James and Durant being all buddy-buddy, and I think Durant is the one who should be chastised the most here. You just lost to LeBron in the Finals. You didn’t just lose, either. You were obliterated in the deciding Game 5. And then, you go and work out with him? Why not work out with Russell Westbrook and James Harden? They are your teammates, after all.
The funniest thing about all of this? Durant is actually aiding James in making him better. That is just unfathomable to me.
I hate to say that Durant doesn’t “get it,” because he is a genuinely nice guy and you do have to appreciate that as a fan. What I will say is that Garnett doesn’t get that; he doesn’t understand how you can possibly spend that much time with your enemy.
In conclusion, I’ll just say that there really is nothing to see here. If K.G. said what he said back in the ’90s, nobody would give it a second thought. It would just be seen as standard procedure. It might even be seen as a soft comment.
But in this new era, it is viewed as going too far. It is perceived as words coming out of the mouth of a scorned individual.
Garnett knows that isn’t the case.
So does Jordan.
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Shaq’s Junk Gets Plenty of Discussion on Family Feud
Shaq’s junk constituted a huge portion of Family Feud recently, causing Steve Harvey to spend a couple of minutes discussing the finer points of a man’s nether regions.
And the survey says: uncomfortable.
It all starts when one of the contestants errs on the side of humor when he answers the question, “what’s something of Shaquille O’Neal’s that is bigger than yours?”
He busts out with “junk,” and we all know what that means. It means Steve Harvey is going to go on a near three-minute rant of men’s jumblies. He is be-boppin’ and riffin’ all over the stage, making sure to keep things day-time clean.
Sure, the contestant should have noticed “body parts” were already used, making way for other possible answers like house, car or gut size.
Well, then it just wouldn’t have been memorable. This particular segment devolved into Harvey referring to his junk as the “Godfather of Soul,” and then absolutely losing his mind because of his own genius.
We then get a rendition of “I Feel Good” from the man who now inexplicably has his own show on NBC. I have never been more upset with Shaq’s junk than I am now.
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Risque answer to Shaq question on Family Feud
Recently, the fine folks over at Family Feud decided to have a category in honor of legendary NBA center Shaquille O’Neal.The question that was asked to 100 people, “Name Something That Shaq Has Bigger Then You”.As you may figure, a contestant by the name of Nick went with the obvious response:
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Spurs’ Star Tony Parker Injures Eye During Drake and Chris Brown Feud
Tony Parker went into a recent party with the swag of a superstar NBA player coming off of a career year, but he came out with an injury to his eye.
Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports reports that Tony Parker received quite the knock early Thursday morning as he was caught in the middle of a club brawl that saw some bottles fly.
In the end, it looks like Parker escaped with a scratch to the eye and the demands to lay low for several days. However, he should be fine for the Summer Games in London.
The New York Daily News reports on the brawl that left some scary injuries to bodyguards and people caught up in the middle of a growing feud between rapper Drake and R&B performer Chris Brown, and it’s all over a girl. How sweet.
The woman in question is no less than superstar Rihanna.
The report states that both entertainers were at a New York City bar when Brown decided to send over a peace offering to make good on a feud started because of their feelings towards their famous ex-girlfriend.
The $2,000 bottle of Ace of Spades Champagne was met with vitriol, and Drake decided to “send back an incendiary note.”
After that, it was on.
Drake came in with an entourage 15 deep and overwhelmed Brown’s group. The bizarre part was Iman Shumpert of the Knicks and Parker were at the same bar.
Shumpert managed to get out unscathed, but Parker wasn’t so lucky. Well, I guess you can say he was fairly fortunate considering some of the injuries sustained by bodyguards and others in the crowd.
Even Brown came away with a gash on the chin.
Parker sustained a scratch to the eye and spoke to reporters on Friday. The video can be seen below.
For a translation, Reuters’ Gregory Blachier helps us out.
“I was there with a bunch of friends when a fight broke out. They started to throw bottles about… I got it all.
The cornea has been touched. I can’t do anything for seven days… But I was lucky. The injury won’t prevent me from competing [in] the Olympics in any way.”
I am not about to delve too deep into a feud that seems rather ridiculous from the outside looking in. If the reports are true, a $2,000 bottle of booze should be met with a thanks rather than a full-on melee.
As for Parker, it seems like a good time to lay low and get ready for the Summer Olympics anyway. The man was dominant this season, and it’s a good thing we will be able to see him hoop it up in London shortly.
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