Outside The NBA

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July 3, 2009, Adrian Wojnarowski:

“Turkoglu had agreed on a five-year, $50 million deal with the Blazers, but changed his mind and is headed for a five-year, $53 million deal with the Raptors. Toronto would have to renounce three free agents – Shawn Marion, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker – to create the cap space for Turkoglu.”

This is a surprise, and I’m not happy. It’s not that Turkoglu is a bad player; it’s that I think this is a bad signing. He’s 30 already, was never really worth $10 million a year, and the thought of renouncing all the free agents and losing the right to use the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions makes me sick. (more…)

Buy one.

“It’s become like a forum. We’re just a couple of guys talking about ball. And people join in on the conversation.” – Tas Melas, in a profile in The Globe and Mail from April 18, 2008.

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I took a break from daily recaps last week, but trust me when I tell you I didn’t take a break from watching ball or reading about it. There’s no way I can let a week of action go by without sharing my thoughts, so here’s a mammoth recap. (more…)

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A later, but longer BfB today. It was a busy night in the NBA last night and a busy morning/afternoon for me as I watched the games I recorded. (more…)

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I’m really glad I didn’t end up going to the Raptors/Wolves game last night. I considered getting last-minute tickets to check out the classic uniforms and see Jonny Flynn’s first game in Toronto, but this was a League Pass Night. (more…)

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In yesterday’s recap, I said I “let myself down” by falling asleep and missing 4 hours of NBA action. Well, last night I fell asleep and missed one half of basketball. Just one half. But, ugh, when I was awoken with a phone call at about 1:30 AM and the broadcast was over, I positively hated myself. I stay in to watch basketball, always loving it, always hoping to see something amazing… and last night, although I was in, I was passed the hell out on my couch when amazing happened. (more…)

Nothing easy, except scoring on the Raptors. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Finished this up late again today, my apologies. I wish I could blame the mental trauma from that Raptors loss, but that wasn’t even it. I might have to change the title to Basketball For Brunch. Anyway, let’s get to it. (more…)

Hey, check it out – a new feature! This is the debut of Basketball for Breakfast, my stab at a daily recap. I know, I know, there is already a wealth of excellent recaps in the NBA blogosphere. I read them all and that won’t change. This isn’t an attempt to compete with anyone; I’m simply trying to add something of my own. I’ll do my best to keep it fun and unique. (more…)

That is Ben Handlogten. I don’t blame you if you don’t know who he is. No offense to the man, but he was never much of an NBA player. He played only 38 games in two seasons with the Utah Jazz and the most significant impact he’s had on the league is being part of the deal that has resulted in this year’s New York Knicks draft pick being in Utah’s possession. For some of us, though, he was more than that – he was the official player of The Links! Back when Lang Whitaker’s online column was published daily, we loyal readers would hear about everything Handlogten-related whenever anything Handlogten-related actually occurred. In fact, I’m certain that if something Handlogten-related happened tomorrow, Lang would be right on it. If he had turned out to be a success story, we all would have felt like a part of it. With that in mind, I’ve chosen the official team of Outside The NBA, henceforth known as the All-OTN Team. You’re going to hear about these guys all the time if you keep up with this site, as I’m going to be starting a daily recap feature which will include a section on ‘em. They are not scrubs like Handlogten; rather,  they’re role players who I’m confident will pan out but still have plenty of room for improvement. The rules I stuck to: only one rookie, no two players from the same team, no starters, and no one who made Kelly Dwyer’s top 30 for his position in the Yahoo! Sports 2009 NBA Preview Magazine. Also, to qualify, I have to really, really enjoy watching the player and be confident that you will like him too. Let’s get to it. (more…)

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On Tuesday, I sat down with Julian Guy-McCarvill and Eric Wagman and recorded our second podcast. We were having so much fun that we went wayyy long, so I divided it into two parts. In the first part, we examine the Lakers, Blazers, Bucks, Spurs, and Bulls; try to figure out when the Timberwolves and Nets can get a win; and discuss Ron Artest’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Also, I make stat-geeks cry by referring to “WARP” as “VORP”. In part two, we cover the strange Tracy McGrady situation, the “nicer” Stan Van Gundy, a couple of choice rookies, Josh Smith and his Hawks, Jeff Bower and his Hornets, and the dysfunctional Wizards. We also hand out some awards. Enjoy, people.

Click here to listen to Part 1.
Click here to listen to Part 2.