News and Notes From the Day
- It is never a good sign when you lose your starting job to Kris Freaking Humphries, which is exactly what happened to Troy Murphy. Someone close to the Nets organization said that it is very probable that Murphy gets traded this season. Murphy will be a hot commodity. He has been a double-double machine the past couple of years, he is a big who can shoot the long ball and he has a $12 million expiring contract.
- Cocaine? Marijuana? Pain killers? You have to wonder what the drug of choice is for the the Portland Trail Blazers’ management team on draft nights. We all know of the Greg Oden debacle, but news has surfaced that the Trail Blazers knew of Brandon Roy’s knee issues when the drafted him. Don’t get me wrong – Brandon Roy is a great player. But, if Portland knew about how much of an issue his knees would have been, it is not a smart move, especially with Rudy Gay still available. Rajon Rondo was still available, but a lot of teams passed on him, so I cannot fault the Trail Blazers for doing the same.
- It is only fitting that on the 6th anniversary of the Pistons/Pacers brawl that Ron Artest keeps the crazy alive with his admission that he would like to play in the NFL after his career in the NBA is over. Artest said that once his current contract is up, which is after the 2013-14 season, he would like to work out for an NFL team. Artest will be 35 when his contract with the Lakers is up…not happening.
Top 5 of the Night
- LeMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. Aldridge took it upon himself to take on the scoring load with Brandon Roy out of the lineup.
- Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. This is why Portland “over-paid” for Wesley this summer. He is turning out to be a great insurance policy for Brandon Roy.
- Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic: 20 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. Another typical night for Superman in a rout against the Suns.
- Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots. Hibbert is turning into a top center right before our eyes.
- Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Granger helped the Pacers clobber the Clippers and bring his team to a .500 record.
Fantasy Stud of the Night
With only three games last night, it’s slim pickings. I have to go with Granger here as well, since he did a little bit of everything. In addition to his line above, he knocked down four 3-pointers and made 6 of 7 from the charity stripe.
Dunk of the Night
Nothing too flashy, but with only three games on the docket, what do you expect?
Josh McRoberts threw down an alley-oop from T.J. Ford.
Deadbeat of the Day
Hedo Turkoglu may end up being the deadbeat of the season, but let’s focus on last night. Here is his pathetic effort from last night:
- 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal
Turkoglu was atrocious from the field missing all eight of his shots, five of which were three-point attempts. For a guy that is making double-digit millions, he is not even averaging double-digit points. Sure big risks can lead to big rewards, but they can also lead to huge and utter failures.
Hilarious Crazy Pic(s) of the Day
It has been six years since Ron Artest showed the world how truly crazy he WAS, but jumping into the stands and went after some poor, defenseless douche bag who threw a Diet Coke at him.
This is one of those nights that you will never forget where you were when this happened. I just got home from attending an accounting class, sat down at my desk to do some homework and catch the end of the Lakers game. Unfortunately, KCAL, the local station, had decided to cover the Malice at the Palace. I was in total shock when I saw Artest jump into the stands, watched Stephen Jackson follow him and then see Jermaine O’Neal knock out a fan that approached him on the floor.
Here are some pictures from that night…
Do you think this guy wet himself at this very moment?
Look at how many guys it is taking to restrain Artest!
You see the 'crazy' in his eyes...
More crazy...Thank goodness for shrinks.
ATI