Yes, there are several things in sports going on that do NOT involve Tiger Woods.
Shortly after Allen Iverson announced his fake retirement and made us all aware that he was sulking, Iverson’s old coaches Larry Brown (Sixers) and John Thompson (Georgetown) contacted him to stroke his ego and tell him not to walk away from the game. After reconsidering, the disappointing Philadelphia 76ers talked with Iverson about a possible return. As I stated in a previous post, Iverson simply wanted to feel loved and appreciated (more on that later), and if it took an injury to a player to push a team to that realization, so be it. PG Lou Williams was having a career season before breaking his jaw, averaging career-highs in nearly every statistical category. His injury will leave him out with some oral hardware for at least the next month, which created the perfect situation for Iverson to go back where his pro career started. He can certainly help this 5-14 team right the ship before it’s too late. While the old AI is expected to start for at least the short-term, he will have to make sure he keeps the younger and more athletic AI and Thaddeus Young involved in the offense. SIDEBAR: Iguodala was ROBBED in that dunk contest, by the way — I was THERE, and the crowd was not happy with Nate Robinson’s numerous uh-ohs. In my opinion, as long as Iverson isn’t as old-looking and lazy as Elton Brand (and his career-lows) has been as of late, his comeback is a success. Iverson desperately wants to make this work, to salvage his legacy and prove his doubters wrong. See a grown man go through puberty all over again, cracking voice and all at the 2:00 mark:
To me, that looks like a humbled future Hall of Famer that is eager to do the best that he can to show his fans and his teammates that they can count on him giving his all. After reverting to behavior akin to a spoiled little child for the past month, perhaps he is growing up before our eyes…again.
Someone please tell the New Jersey Nets that the season started over a month ago. This isn’t summer league, this isn’t the preseason, and these games actually count. This was supposed to be a promising young team. Sure, they traded away Vince Carter, but does he really make that much of a difference? I thought Devin Harris was supposed to be the truth…but maybe the truth is that these guys just suck. Courtney Lee is decent and is coming off of an injury, but I expected him to come into his own this year. I was thinking along the lines of the expectations I had for Trevor Ariza in Houston, but to a lesser degree. There’s still time for him to show some stuff, but that team as a whole is just a mess. Chris Douglas-Roberts is looking solid, and Brook Lopez is off to a good start after a strong finish to his rookie campaign. Still, as steady and solid as I think Rafer Alston can be, if he is the main veteran presence on your team, it’s going to be a long season. Sure, had the Magic stuck with him instead of a half-speed Jameer Nelson in the Finals last year, perhaps Orlando beats the Lakers, keeps the group together and the Nets still have Carter – or at least trade him elsewhere. But still…18 consecutive losses to start the season? Congratulations New Jersey Nets, you have just made the likes of the Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies look like elite franchises. Seriously, the Timberwolves have been without Kevin Love, straight-up wasted the 5th pick in the draft this past year, play in the (still) deeper Western Conference, and even they have managed to win twice so far.
Ron Artest likes his Hennessy…so much in fact that he used to make liquor runs at halftime and keep his cognac of choice in his locker when he was with the Chicago Bulls.
Since then, Artest clarified that he used to drink before games as well, but the in-game Henny benders didn’t last for a long period of time.
Do you believe that Artest was drinking before and during NBA games? I’m not sure that I do…I mean, it could help explain some of his odd behavior, but Ron’s an odd cat to begin with, so that can’t be it. Rick Adelman and Chuck Hayes don’t seem to believe it either, with Chuck questioning how one would function with alcohol in their system during a game, “especially dark liquor”. Phil Jackson isn’t completely buying into it, either. Now I’m not going to judge, because I like my Hennessy too *takes a sip*, but that’s not meant for working hours. Also in the interview with The Sporting News, Artest stated that he’s always ready to fight Ben Wallace and thinks that referee Joey Crawford handed Game 2 of last year’s Lakers-Rockets playoff series to the Lakers because Kobe is more important than the Rockets as a whole. I tend to agree with Coach Adelman in that Ron likes to say things to shock people. Whether or not those things are true, that’s for David Stern to decide.
I’ll leave you guys with a musical tribute to Iverson that should accurately sum up his feelings right now. Plus, anytime I can wedge Coming to America into a conversation, I must do so.
Flagrant Fouls 