The Matrix and AK47

Ahhh… trade request, there’s nothing better to break a dull September than a millionaire professional crying for a trade. Andrei Kirilenko and Shawn Marion have gone public with their desires to change teams before the start of this upcoming season

You all know my stand of this type of request, but I can understand until certain point that a player wants out of a loosing team or a poor management situation. I can understand Jermaine O’neal, I can understand Kobe Bryant. But guys like Kirilenko and Marion whose teams have become contenders and the last three Western Conference finals have featured either of those teams. These are great teams, great organizations filled with a lot of leadership, players would kill small children and kittens to have a chance to play for teams like these.

Why are the looking to get out you may ask? Let's start with Kirilenko

Big money is obviously good, but I am prepared to make less. The size of my salary doesn't mean that much for me. The main thing is to play with a spark.

This ESPN article also reads:

He said he doesn't want to be a "robot" in Sloan's system. He longs to play in Europe, where he can be the man. Except he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Unfortunately for him, neither is Sloan.

Look, Andrei, I know that the basketball level at Europe it’s great and everything. But if you want to be a MVP or a cornerstone from some franchise in the NBA, you better start working on you offensive game and develop some leadership qualities. And you need to play at that level for some 100 games, not just an short tournament but an entire NBA season with a deep playoff run included. Now go, become that player and then you can enjoy that spark with some other team.

What about Shawn “The Matrix” Marion? Dude you are playing with the best point guard in the business and a top three center. You are in the verge of a championship. You are earning like $16 million this year. You are a four time All Star. And yet, stuff like this crosses you mind:

His delicate psyche is never far from the coaching staff's collective mind. On the one hand, Marion is outwardly confident, cocky even, buying into that wonderful nickname, Matrix, given to him by TNT commentator Kenny Smith early in Marion's rookie year. The special-effects-driven movie was hot then, and "Matrix" was perfect for a player with an uncanny ability to suddenly materialize in the middle of a play (Marion seems to come from nowhere when he makes a steal, grabs a rebound or makes a quick cut to the basket) and leap from a standing start as if he's on a trampoline.

Sometimes Marion refers to himself as the Matrix, as if he has bought into the idea that he is a superhero who defies normal physical laws. His teammates call him "Trix."

On the other hand, Marion lives in a perpetual state of fear that he is being overlooked, underrespected, ignored, dissed, persecuted, singled out, patronized, whatever."

Number one, go see a shrink. Pronto. Number two, learn to dribble the ball. Number three, think Shawn, just think. The Suns championship is bound to happen, maybe this year maybe next but it will happen, unless Nash gets kidnapped or Gregg Popovich steals Mike Miller, Gerald Wallace and Dwight Howard. Just take the money for this two years, let Steve do his thing and give all of you that ring and then, ride to the sunset and go play for some other team. Trust me.

Greg Oden is not a rookie this year

There’s absolutely nothing I can say about Oden’s injury that it hasn’t been told already by a better blogger. It is shame I feel sorry for Portland’s fans, I’m not going to say they deserved a huge star, because they haven’t suffer enough. All the Jail Blazers stage wasn’t the like the Basketball Gods are plotting against them, when you sign guys like Isaiah Rider and Rasheed Wallace, well you kinda are asking for it.

Sam Bowie and Bill Walton, yes, they were unlucky with those two, but there are a lot of things that drafted or sign players only to see them head the injury list year after year.Grant Hill in Orlando, Jason Williams in Chicago, Bryant Reeves in Vancouver, there are plenty of cases.

2000 Western Conference Finals, we all know what happened there, but again tons of teams have been there, that’s the NBA. Sacramento collapsed against the same Lakers two years after that, Dallas had collapsed twice in the last two post-seasons, the Lakers finally did it against the Pistons at the Finals in 2004, and the list goes on and on.

My point is, Portland is not jinxed, Boston was. Portland knew who were they picking. The Basketball’s Gods do not hate Portland, they just have the same bad luck almost everybody have had

Darko is Free. English Translation

Darko is not a nice person; I can say that right now without any fear of being wrong. A person that talks like that has to have some serious issues, especially after a basketball game. I didn’t find any English translation of Darko’s “speech”, so I translate one spanish translation I found. As I don’t want blogger to close this thing I’m replacing some “adult” words with some more family like words I think SNL did this in a sketch, I’m not really sure

The “F” word will be replaced by pony. Princess will replace prostitute – he actually didn’t said prostitute he said a more rude word- and Twinkle will replace penis - same thing here -I can write “shit”, right?.

This is Darko’s finest hour:

Innocent Reporter: Darko, some impressions…

Insane Darko: Nothing. Those three pieces of shit, all of them, three sons of ponies, they stole us. They think they are great deal. I’ll go up and pony their mothers. Pony their princess Italian mother

Scared Reporter: Darko, calm down. I understand you are disgusted

Mad Darko: Pony! Those three can suck my twinkle, write that down

"Dear God, what I have done" Reporter: Calm down!

Pervert Darko: Pony! They officiated like scare princess. I’ll pony their mother … and if they have daughters, I’ll pony them too

Reporter (something something)

Weak Darko: We were out there working and fighting. I almost needed some IV serum

Los Dioses en España

This is my first September as an NBA blogger, I’ve to say it sucks! Since the All - Time teams posts I have had nothing big or important to write about, event the All – Time teams posts weren’t any news. But we have international basketball to save the day. Chris Sheridan was shipped to Spain to cover the Eurobasket tournament and he brought plenty of notes. All of the NBA-ers out there, Marco Belinelli's being the surprise, if Nellie stops fighting with yet another employer, he might get the chance of coach his finding.

By far, the coolest thing that have happened on the other side of the Atlantic (or Pacific… I don’t know) is Darko´s rant against the referee, but I will address this little topic with a post of its own.

What the hell is this? Oden is having an exploratory arthroscopic procedure ¡! A ‘right, it’s out, this guy is really 40, , two intervened joints and his nowhere near 20 years old. Amazing. If you are like me and don’t know what in the name of Britney's belly is this, here's a gross video that explains it. You can go puke now

My condolescence to Britney’s fans' families, I’m sure they all die this Sunday. Go ahead, go puke again.

Linkin Friday 6

Damn, even linkin friday it's going to be slow this week...


Use Hot Girls as your wallpaper


A very uplifting video. Wear Sunscreen


At Cavalier attitude, they are not happy with their team


Jeff, at CelticsBlog, it's a little bitter these day



NBA TV is airing today a special feature about Phil Jackson, to "celebrate this Hall of Famer’s playing and coaching career", I'm not sure if Andrew Bynum will be watching



5min is a great site, it's full with how to videos



Nice prank with a thong

Khalid Reeves is in Costa Rica

I have some "news" for you all. Remember Khalid Reeves? He played for Miami and Dallas, among other teams, in the second part of the 90's. He was traded like 17 times. Anyhow, the 35 year old point guard is now going to play for Saprissa basketball, one of the main teams of the very bad Costa Rican professional basketball league. As soon as I get my hands on a link I'll post it here.


Remember my ramblings about the comparisons between the current USA basketball team and the Dream Team? This is a real inside approach, love this note by Chris Sheridan. They hit a very good the point saying that this team is far more athletic than the 92 team, but still doesn't have quite the same aura. Although aura doesn't make a great team, it was part of that 1992 Olympic team, no matter if you were sitting behind the bench or watching the games miles and miles away, you must had feel it!



What is missing from this team? Duncan? KG ? Shaq? Lebron, Carmelo and Wade becoming bigger names? Whatever it is, we could definitely witness something special in Beijing next year, as a basketball fan I love to see a team that we could really compared with the Dream Team maintaining a straight face in the process.

I'm bored

My god, there's absolutely nothing to post about. Among USA Basketball and the soldier Yi improbable signing with the Bucks there's nothing to write about.

Why not give USA basketball a post? Well, they were supposed to win it all, I know that with the USA basketball recent history that wasn't a given, but they brought their A team, Argentina didn't and for me in this continent only Argentina could harm a good USA basketball TEAM (not a bunch of guys playing with the same jersey, a TEAM).

I'm happy they won and everything, but let's no call them a Dream Team just yet, although I'm impress with Lebron's shooting touch

NBA has opened Fantasy comissioner. A little earlier than usual, just to prove you that there's nothing happening



CNNsi writers did an evaluation of each team preseason. It's a good reading.
Pacific | Central | Atlantic | Northwest | Southeast




This was for linkin friday, but it's just too good (and there's nothing else). 11 guys you meet in pickup basketball at basketbawful.