AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 14
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
The Waiting Game …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Welcome to my world Joe Johnson.
Most of my days are spent waiting for someone or something to either happen or finish before I can do my business. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game day or a practice day, I’m always waiting.
And now, the Hawks’ quiet captain is waiting on a couple of things. First is the official word on Jason Kidd’s status for Sunday’s All-Star game. The second thing he’s waiting on is a Valentine from NBA Commissioner David Stern, who will decide on the replacement for Kidd if one is needed.
At this point it’s hard to offer anything close to a prediction about what will happen if Kidd does opt out, as is being reported by the good folks at ESPN. I’m trying to come up with some competition for the (potential) open slot and I’m thinking it has to be a short list of JJ, Luol Deng and perhaps Ben Gordon (he’s my longshot). But I’m having a difficult time figuring out how JJ could be left off of the All-Star list twice.
After all, the Hawks have actually moved up the NBA food chain, ever so slightly, since the All-Star reserves were announced a couple of weeks ago. Still, I’m never convinced that anything close to appropriate will come from a league that, time after time, has made a point of by spitting in the face of what seems obvious to the rest of us (dress code, new ball, old ball, etc.).
JJ’s been a stand up dude through all of this, so I know he’s not making plans for Vegas prematurely. Still, I know he’s hoping it happens, as are his coaches and teammates. It would also be a nice reward for a guy who’s performed at an extremely high level the past year and a half without a whole lot of national recognition for what he’s done.
So now we play the waiting game.
Update: Johnson was added to the All-Star roster Wednesdsay after Kidd was ruled out.
On to a few 5 a.m. thoughts from the rooftop in LA:
Seeing two trades crawl across the bottom of the screen (Eric Williams goes to Charlotte while Spurs get Melvin Ely and Jake Tsakalidis moves to Houston while and Scott Padgett takes his locker stall in Memphis) left me scratching my head. Is this it? Where are the blockbuster trade deadline deals that have been swirling about for weeks now? I’m still holding out hope that the Hawks will get knee deep into a deal of some kind, but all is quiet on the rumor front right now. The next juicy one I hear about will make it’s way to ajc.com, in story form or here. But like most of you, I’m in need of some trade action in the worst way.
Unlike the rest of the city, I am not claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby. Good gracious. I haven’t seen more useless wall-to-wall media coverage like this since the OJ trial. I’ve tried to refrain from cracking on any of this out of respect for a woman whose life ended suspiciously short of her 40th birthday. But the uproar that’s dominating the headlines and the news channels only shows why so many people have turned away from places that provide “real” news and information. Anna Nicole’s baby daddy has garnered more headlines than anything the past week. And it’s sad, just sad.
Speaking of non-stories, and I’ve stayed away from this one as well. But who in the world cares about John Amaechi? ESPN’s constant pumping of this story is down right shameless (you’ve probably already guessed who published his book). There’s this notion that the jock culture wouldn’t accept an openly gay man in the locker room. I’d argue that by not concerning themselves with it at all, they already have. Do you really think myopic multi-millionaires actually care about someone else’s sexual preferences? It’s hilarious that anyone would think that Amaechi’s story is some revelation. Complete and utter nonsense.
I’m dreading the All-Star Game festivities in Las Vegas, by the way. I know, I know. This is going to be the part of the millennium and all that good stuff. But this weekend is not about the game of basketball or anything remotely close to it. This is about glitz, glamour and the NBA’s undeniable passion to market a once-proud game into oblivion. They might as well turn the game into a celebrity contest and allow the players to rest up and recharge their batteries in anticipation of a furious playoff rally over the next two and a half months. (Good grief, am I really complaining about this? … Yup!)
On a positive note, I will get a chance to see one of my favorite young players in the league tonight. Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston remains one of the most intriguing young players in the league, to me. My pops and I saw him twice while he was in high school at the MKOX Shootout in St. Louis and couldn’t believe how much raw talent he had, particularly as a passer. So to see his game stifled by the Clippers (which should surprise no one, seeing as how they’ve made a point of wasting loads of lottery talent over the years) is particularly painful. If he’s allowed to push the pace tonight, the game could be one of the Hawks’ most entertaining contests of the year. If not, the 10:30 p.m. tip time back in Atlanta will be more than appropriate.
