AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > April > 07
Friday, April 7, 2006
NBA surfin’ with Sekou
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s a good thing I’ve already got a lady. Because with my TV viewing habits on an off night (everything from ESPN to TNT’s Thursday night NBA hoops to reruns of “Martin” — the man is a genius), it’s a wonder I can get my lady to even speak to me. And I didn’t even mention that the TV and computer are all located in the Sanctuary (family room), a space I don’t leave for anything other than a cold beverage (Coke Zero, baby — relax) and the occasional retreat to the Palace (the gentleman’s parlor).
I did fire up the grill long enough to make some burgers, sausage and steaks. But I can’t lie; the night was spent mostly on the frivolous.
So while I was flicking channels and reading and sending emails, I had a few revelations about my favorite subject these days (other than Michigan football, of course): NBA hoops.
A few notes, quotes and an opinion or two (some information contributed from fellow NBA writers from around the league):
— Tony Delk’s time with the Hawks this season is one of the all-time great injustices in pro basketball. Tony Buckets (as he was nicknamed earlier this season for his ability to score rapidly when actually on the floor) did some nice work in the Pistons’ win over Miami.
— The most hilarious thing I’ve heard this week had to be from Nets center Jason Collins, when one of the Jersey writers asked him if he’d ever heard of Donta Smith before Ta went for a career-high 13 against them Tuesday night. “Donta Smith isn’t even on our scouting report! Look, find him here,” Collins said, picking up the scouting report and shaking it in the writer’s face. “You tell me - where’s his name? It’s not here.”
— Fine, we were all wrong about Darko Milicic being a total bust. He has blocked 50 shots since arriving in a trade with the Detroit Pistons, who face the Magic tonight at TD Waterhouse Centre. His 2.38 blocks per game would put him seventh in the league in blocked shots, but Milicic hasn’t played enough games to qualify.
— The Ron Artest love affair never ends, at least not where his peers are concerned. Veteran Clippers guard Sam Cassell is driving the bandwagon these days. “Man, we needed that guy,” Cassell said. “He’s a beast. I’m really good friends with Ron. I was a counselor with the NBA rookie transition team the year he came into the league. And I’d seen what he did at St. John’s. People think you just get defense from him, but not hardly. Ron, he just knows how to play, and there’s a whole lot to that people don’t understand. Everybody in the NBA doesn’t know how to do that, I mean, play with other people. He’s definitely a gift for anyone’s team.” Cassell said Artest brings a winning attitude.”Those are the kinds of players you want on your team,” said Cassell, who won NBA championships with Houston during his first two seasons, 1994 and 1995. “Ron is one of the top 20 players in the world, you hear me? In the world!”
— Did you really think Rasheed Wallace was going to let Pat Riley and Shaq smash on Stu Jackson without saying something? Of course not. “That goes to show you who’s running the league,” Wallace said. “That goes to show you, that’s crazy. Let me say something like that, he’d probably try to blackball me out of the league again, if I said that. It just makes them look bad, though. They always say the league is supposed to be ‘our league”’” - Sheed used the quote fingers - ” ‘our league together.’ But it ain’t. And they have their favorites, and it just so happens that me and the Pistons aren’t one of them.”
— I don’t know how anyone can make up Carmelo Anthony’s All-Star Game slight to him, but something needs to be done. Because the reigning Western Conference Player of the Month is playing as well as any single player in the league right now. He gets buckets on anyone and is one of the few players in the league, to me, who is virtually unstoppable (basically he’s the Western Conference version of Paul Pierce). But I can’t wait to see what he does in the playoffs if they get the Spurs in the second round.
— Did I mention that Martin Lawrence is a comedic genius? Seriously, tune in to the reruns and tell me if you aren’t laughing crazy. The man has issues. His sitcom was like “Sanford and Son” revisited for me. I loved Fred G. as well.
I promise, this weekend I’ll try and so something more culturally enriching. Or not!
