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miami heat’s bIG 3 heat up allen iverson to turkey?
hamptons “home by the sea pirates” - The hoopers behind the hoops
Wall’s entrance makes Arenas talk of an exit By Michael Lee Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, October 6, 2010
DALLAS - In a quiet moment, away from all of the noise and bright lights that would follow in a few hours, No. 1 overall pick John Wall was seated next to Washington Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas inside American Airlines Center when he asked the nine-year veteran what he should expect in his professional, preseason debut. “I told him at the end of the day, it’s just basketball,” Arenas said after the Wizards defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 97-94. “Don’t get caught up in the hype of being number one. You got to go out there and play.” On Wall’s welcome to the NBA, the man formerly known as Agent Zero was welcomed back. Wall had 21 points and nine assists
in 37 minutes and Arenas added 12 points. Lester Hudson hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining. Afterward, the enigmatic Arenas offered a puzzling explanation of his new role with the Wizards. “I’m out there to hit open shots. Teach John the insand-outs of the game and eventually go on and move on. And I’m on my way,” he said, hinting that he could be moved before his contract expires in 2014. “This is the NBA, there are few players that stay in the same city. Right now, the city is John’s. I’m not here to fight anybody. I’m here to just play alongside of him. He’s Batman and I’m Robin. I’m moving aside so he can become a star.” Arenas hadn’t played in an NBA game since January and might have been uncertain about the reception he would receive on the road following his 50-game suspension last season for bringing guns to the team’s Verizon Center locker room. Shortly before pregame introductions, Arenas was dribbling near half court when Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd walked up to embrace him. Shortly thereafter, Jason Terry wrapped his arms around Arenas, followed by former Wizards teammates DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood and finally Caron Butler, with Haywood needling Arenas for his unkempt beard. Arenas couldn’t help but smile. ad_icon But asked after the game about what his emotions were, Arenas said, “I lost all feeling a long time ago.”
The dominant question after the Wizards won breakaway layup. Wall was called for goaltendthe NBA draft lottery was whether Arenas, ing, but he rapidly covered a lot of ground. the former face of the franchise, would be able to play with Wall, the new face of the Wall later intercepted an Ian Mahinmi pass franchise. But Coach Flip Saunders decided intended for Kidd and zipped down the court to complicate the equation when he made to make a left-handed layup. But his best play the somewhat surprising decision to start the was actually a pass: a lob from beyond the newly acquired Kirk Hinrich at small forward, three-point line to JaVale McGee (13 points, 7 leaving the Wizards with a three-point-guard rebounds and 6 blocks) that McGee caught and set to pair with holdovers Andray Blatche and dunked with two hands over Brian Cardinal. JaVale McGee. “That was the hypest play for me,” Wall said of the alley-oop to McGee. “The main thing was Saunders wanted to try out the trio during getting the jitters out of the way and having training camp, but said that every time the urge hit him, an injury always seemed to pre- chemistry down pat with my teammates.” vent it from happening. Still sporting a fresh cut above his eye after taking an elbow from Blatche (22 points, five “Whether it’s Gilbert, he sprains an ankle, rebounds) the day before in practice, Wall or Kirk hurt his shoulder,” Saunders said. “Since they are all ready to go, I said let’s do didn’t have any trouble setting up his teammates and initiating the offense. it from the beginning and let them play together a little bit.” With his jersey soaked in sweat, Wall finally The move looked questionable early on when took a seat with 5 minutes 14 remaining. the Mavericks quickly worked the ball inside to Butler, who backed down Arenas and bur- Early in the third period, Hinrich stole the ball from Butler, setting up Wall on the other end, where he was ied a turnaround jumper over him. fouled. The Mavericks had a height advantage with As Wall stepped to the foul line, Arenas and Hinrich Butler and Shawn Marion, but the Wizards countered with speed and tenacity, and ap- shared a laugh. Arenas was back to smiling on the court, peared in control in the second quarter when and Wall is pleased to share the floor with him. Arenas found Hinrich for a three-pointer that “He’s a great guy; I can’t control what happened last gave them a 53-36 lead. year,” Wall said. “Having a guy like Gilbert that can Wall admitted he was “nervous and anxious” make shots and also get to the basket with the same before the game and showed his uneasiness ability, helps you out and takes a little pressure off. You on his first shot attempt, an air ball that drift- never can judge somebody off something that happens.” ed wide left. “The first one is always nerves,” Wall said after the game. “It’s kind of like summer league: My first one was a hard brick like I could’ve broke the backboard.” Saunders predicted before the game that Wall would “do three or four spectacular things” in his debut and Wall delivered. He amazed the crowd early when he chased down Kidd on what appeared to be an easy
Hampton Pirates A day in the life of a hampton pirate. The Mens basketball team have a Q and A to talk about the past season and the upcoming season. They speak on mistakes they have made and how they have better themselves as a team.
R.I.P. THEO
Hampton Pirates at your “ Home By The Sea�
The Hoopers behind the Hoops Writer Darryl Able
Q and A with Hamptons own – Junior Hampton Basketball Players Danny Agbelese and Wesley Dunning. Danny Agbelese is first year transfer student from Landover, Maryland majoring psychology. Wesley Dunning has been a Hamptonian for the past 3 years. He also resides in Maryland and is now majoring in business. Q: What are your thoughts about the team’s performance last year? A: Danny: I didn’t attend this school last year, im focused on the outcome of this year. Wes: We could have done better but we have improved and you will see a different team this year. Q: How did the death of fellow teammate Theo affect you? A: Wes: The death really surprised and ruined our season. He was a key factor to our team and his death affected us emotionally and physically. Q: How have the new transfer students affected the team? A: Wes: The new transfer students have brought a new and approved team. I am actually grateful I have these new teammates. Danny: Me being a transfer student, I believe that I am a great new asset to the team. Q: Who is the star player? A: Both: There is no star player, we are a team and it takes all of us to win. Q: What is the team’s motivation? A: Wes: I for one go out and do it for Theo each and every time. Danny: My motivation is proving people that we are winners. Q: Where will the team stand the year in the Meacc? A: Both: The championship is our goal. Q: Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans? A: Continue to support us, we do it for the fans each and everytime. Last Remarks: Come support your Hampton Pirates at you “ Home by the Sea
NBA 2K11 Review: The game lives up to its cover Posted by Royce Young NBA 2K11 knew exactly what it was doing. When 2K Sports announced Michael Jordan would be on the cover of the game, they knew what the were indicating. You put The Greatest on the cover and make him the center of your game and you better produce something similar in quality. And boy, did they ever. NBA 2K11 isn't quite on par with basketball's top legend, but that's only because it's not flawless. It's like the 1991 MJ - near perfect, but not quite there. Before you even see a menu, the game starts with a dimmed screen with Jordan standing with his back to you in the tunnel. You can hear a hum as strobe lights pulse around Jordan. And as soon as I heard that hum, I knew what was coming. It honestly gave me chills for a second. That low organ note and then the riff. Before I knew it, I was reliving one of the biggest moments of my childhood. The Alan Parsons Project was blaring and I'm hearing, "From North Carolina... at guard.... Mike-alll Jorrrrrrr-dannnn!" It was pretty awesome. You're immediately put into the 1991 NBA Finals against the Lakers with Jordan, Pippen, Paxson and the bunch taking on Worthy and Magic. In other games I never play with the all-time teams because I didn't buy Madden 11 to play with the 1966 Bears, but this is a whole other experience. The Jordan Challenge could be its own game. Seriously, they could have just forgot the My Player, the Association Mode and the
other 30 teams. Forget Kobe and LeBron and Durant and Wade. The Jordan Challenge really is almost a game in itself. It's almost a bad thing. Because I don't see myself getting off the Jordan stuff for a while. I can't wait to try and drop 63 against the Celtics in '86. Or get the shrug against the Blazers. Or take over in the flu game. It's the stuff I grew up loving and finally, I get the memories brought back. 2K11 knew what it was doing and it's genius. As it's gaming audience changes, the people that were 10, 12 or 15 when Michael Jordan ruled the world are now its peak market. And if they're anything like me, they'll jump at the chance to see it all again. But what about the other stuff? I keep telling you, you almost forget there's a game in there after all this. The gameplay is terrific. At first, I had written down a qualm about the passing because it seems to defense really is eager to jump a passing lane and a long crosscourt pass never seems to work. But then I realized that's just because a lot of us are used to making dumb passes all the time. This game plays like real basketball. If the passing lane is cut off, you're not getting a ball through. You're not getting lucky. The defenders will get their hands on it and they'll be going the other way in a blink. It's a little frustrating at first, but the more you get used to it, the more it makes you appreciate a perfectly executed bounce pass or beautiful lob. The AI is just terrific. Honestly, it's probably the underrated top highlight in the game. For instance, the switching. The computer knows when it gets a mismatch and it works right at it. If the Heat are running a pick and roll with Bosh and Wade and Dwight Howard
and J.J. Redick get caught in a switch with Redick on Bosh, the computer immediately calls a play trying to get the ball to Bosh in the post. That's impressive. The computer switches for you as defenders would in a real game and if you bring a guy over to try and switch back, your defense helps and recovers as if it were real life. Game presentation and feel are probably the most important things to me in any video game because I want it to seem like I'm just taking part in a real game. And while Clark Kellogg is more known as a college announcer than an NBA one, the combo of him and Kevin Harlan is terrific. My wife was in the other room and she came in and asked, "Who's playing? Is this a replay or something?" The announcing sounds that legit. They have set topics for each team to touch on. For instance, when playing with the Thunder, Harlan talks about how 150 fans or so met the team at the airport after OKC clinched a playoff berth. (I only mention that one specifically because I probably found that cooler than others because I organized that meet-up.) But Kellogg and Harlan even cut off one of the anecdotes if something big happens. When Jonny Flynn flashed in the paint for a big dunk, both announcers letting out a "Ohhh!" with Kellogg putting the story he had going on hold. There's an incredible attention to detail down to things like accurate tattoos and free throw routines. Kevin Durant does his shimmy. Steve Nash goes through his practice motion and then quick dribble routine. And 2K11 once again nailed individual shooting styles. Magic Johnson's is so spot on it's ridiculous. I found myself trying to get fouled with Bill Cartwright to see if his free throw style was replicated. (It was.) I absolutely eat that kind of stuff up. Now what keeps this game from being the 1997 Jordan in terms of perfection are a few minor things. For instance if a player has white knee-high socks on, they constantly turn black. I'm sure a patch could fix it, but I found it pretty annoying. Another thing is that I'm not in love with the ball-handling. There's not a ton of control over what your player does and while Elite 11 was otherwise a mess, the ball-handling system was pretty cool. But that's picking nits there. Overall this game is as good as any basketball game - or sports game period for that matter - you'll ever play. From the crowds, to the announcing, to the play calling system - everything is as close to real basketball as it can be. Basketball games have notoriously struggled to bring the actual game into a video game because it's so free flowing and basketball lacks structure. But 2K11 is as close as you can get. If you saw Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, the last line of the movie is Brad Pitt's character saying, "I think this just might be my masterpiece." Some saw it as a direct statement from Tarantino about the way he felt about his movie. And in the same way, by NBA 2K11 putting The Greatest on the cover of its game, I think they were probably trying to make the same statement.
NBA 2K11
Miami Heat's 'Big 3' arrive at training camp with huge expectations Updated: Monday, 27 Sep 2010, 5:42 PM EDT Published : Monday, 27 Sep 2010, 5:42 PM EDT
NEWSCORE - The revamped Miami Heat met the media Monday before the start of training camp, South Florida's Sun-Sentinel reported. LeBron James, the NBA's two-time reigning MVP, faced down some of those who criticized his decision to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat.
Barkley. "I make my own decisions. I still respect Mike, I still respect Magic, Charles," he said.
"A lot of people try to tell you what to do in life, and a lot of them don't have their own life in order. I've moved forward. I don't want James will join the Heat along with All-Star to dwell on the past. There's a lot of things said about me," James power forward Chris Bosh, who said the said. team must block out the distractions and expectations and focus on the upcoming He also addressed the backlash against him that came from NBA season. Hall-of-Famers Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Charles
"The past month has been pretty hectic. Through all this stuff, we still have to get ready," the former Toronto Raptor said. James and Bosh will team with six-time All-Star and 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, who led the franchise to its only title four years ago.
Miami Heat's 'Big 3' arrive at training camp with huge expectations Updated: Monday, 27 Sep 2010, 5:42 PM EDT Published : Monday, 27 Sep 2010, 5:42 PM EDT NEWSCORE - The revamped Miami Heat met the media Monday before the start of training camp, South Florida's Sun-Sentinel reported. LeBron James, the NBA's two-time reigning MVP, faced down some of those who criticized his decision to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat. "A lot of people try to tell you what to do in life, and a lot of them don't have their own life in order. I've moved forward. I don't want to dwell on the past. There's a lot of things said about me," James said. He also addressed the backlash against him that came from NBA Hall-of-Famers Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley. "I make my own decisions. I still respect Mike, I still respect Magic, Charles," he said. James will join the Heat along with All-Star power forward Chris Bosh, who said the team must block out the distractions and expectations and focus on the upcoming season. "The past month has been pretty hectic. Through all this stuff, we still have to get ready," the former Toronto Raptor said. James and Bosh will team with six-time All-Star and 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, who led the franchise to its only title four years ago. Wade said Monday he is happy that it is finally time to play basketball. "It seems like years since July [when James signed]. There's been a lot said and a lot done since then ... we're happy to get to the basketball side." Wade said. Wade added that he realizes NBA fans will be rooting against the Heat this season. "There's going to be a lot of people wanting to come out and see us win, and a lot of people wanting to see us lose." The three players have taken plenty of criticism since James announced his intention to sign with the Heat during a widely panned ESPN special July 8. More criticism was heaped on the "Big 3" a few days later following a pep rally-like introduction ceremony held before a raucous crowd of Heat fans. Most experts foresee a two-team race in the Eastern Conference between Miami and the Boston Celtics, with last year's champion, the L.A. Lakers, remaining the favorite in the Western Conference. The Heat begins preseason Oct. 5 against Detroit and starts the regular season Oct. 26 in a widely anticipated showdown at Boston.
Allen Iverson to Play Basketball in Turkey By Pilot Brown on October 25th, 2010
Allen Iverson has agreed to a $4 million, tw0-year deal with Besiktas, one of the stronger teams in the Turkish professional league. How do you say “Put me in coach” in Turkish? The contract to play basketball in Turkey will be signed by Allen Iverson this week, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports. The deal comes after Allen Iverson’s last three seasons in the NBA each soured, leading to a lack of interest in the point guard. Iverson also got offers from various teams in China, but, according to the Yahoo! Sports report, had interest playing basketball in Istanbul.
Heat vs Celtics: LeBron Scores 31 but Boston Spoils Season
Rob Peterson Senior Editor BOSTON -- It appears the Heat dynasty will need to wait to get started. With sluggish play in the first half which led to being in too big a hole to dig out of, the much-hyped Heat faltered in Game 1 of the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh era, 88-80 to the Boston Celtics. Ray Allen led the Celtics with 20 points and Rajon Rondo dished 17 assists. James led all scorers with 31 points. Wade added 13 points and Bosh chipped in just 8. FIRST QUARTER: Celtics 16, Heat 9 Neither team seemed to be in sync, but the Celtics looked marginally better. No one imagined, however, that the teams would combine for 25 points. Defense is an emphasis for both teams, but neither team could hit a shot.
Doc Rivers mentioned the chemistry may be an issue for both teams. And it was. The Celtics looked as if they've been playing together for some time, while the Heat looked as if they picked up each other in a rec league game and said, "OK, we've got the Celtics tonight." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Box Score: Boston Celtics 88, Miami Heat 80 Peterson: In First Game, LeBron and Co. Generate Little Heat SECOND QUARTER: Celtics 45, Heat 30 Wade got out into the open floor after a quick Celtics three, which was good because there's been nothing easy in the paint tonight for the Heat. The C's length has been bothering Miami all night long. It's an issue that Heat critics had been pointing out in advance of the season. And for a night, they were right. Also, the Heat had trouble with turnovers in the quarter. After LeBron altered a Nate Robinson layup, the Heat went on a break, threw it away and KG turned it into points for Robinson who had yet to make it across halfcourt. They looked out of sync. One of the highlights for Boston fans was Shaq hitting two free throws. THIRD QUARTER: Celtics 63, Heat 57 The quarter started with two turnovers, but play smoothed out for both teams as the quarter went on. Still, Miami's offense looked more stagnant than any Cavaliers offense under Mike Brown. Then, everyone knew where the ball was going. Now, LeBron looked tentative at times because he tried to get everyone going in the halfcourt offense. Things worked better for the Heat when LeBron took over. Once that happens, the rest of the Heat will be sucked along in his backdraft. Another thing is clear. We know he's getting older, but the Heat should have used Zydrunas Ilgauskas more. His experience and bulk served the Heat well throughout the quarter. FOURTH QUARTER/TURNING POINT: Celtics 88, Heat 80 Paul Pierce's return to the lineup in the fourth quarter from a back bruise. Pierce went wild upon his return. He hit two threes and three freebies when he was fouled on a 3-point attempt. He gave the Celtics an 81-70 lead and the C's never looked back. They're lucky they didn't. The Heat closed fast with a 10-0 run to make a game of it with 1:10 left. But Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds in the fourth to salt the game away.
Yao Ming coming back to Rockets, foot healed Posted Jun 29 2010 4:50PM HOUSTON (AP) -- Yao Ming is returning to the Houston Rockets -- a giant selling point for general manager Daryl Morey as he begins courting big-name free agents this week. The 7-foot-6 All-Star center said Tuesday that he has picked up his player option for next season, the last year of his five-year contract. Yao sat out last season following reconstructive foot surgery and said he wanted to see how the injury healed before making his decision. Yao said he's resumed basketball activities and should be 100 percent when training camp begins. "To miss one year is a long time," Yao said. "I've never been in this situation before, and I'm getting as much information as I can about my foot, to see what's the best for me and best for the Rockets. I decided a couple of days ago, and there's no one better than the Rockets now." If he had turned down the player option, Yao would've become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday. He is due to make $17.7 million next season, but wouldn't reveal how close he came to joining the star-studded class of free agents who will hit the market this week. "Not considering it anymore," he said. "That's most important." Yao and Morey would not say if the two sides are working on an extension beyond next season. The Rockets selected Yao with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft, and signed him to a five-year extension in September 2005. "He's the centerpiece of the Rockets, the foundation of our franchise," Morey said. "We're looking forward to great things from him next season."
Morey said Yao will play an "active" role in helping the Rockets land a top free agent. While the Rockets don't have enough salary cap space to offer a maximum contract to guys like LeBron James, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade, Morey thinks Yao's commitment will sway free agents on the team's championship potential in 2010-11. "Obviously, Yao Ming is an unbelievable piece to
have on our roster," Morey said. "We feel like we're a great destination. We don't really feel like the underdog. Any free agent, when they take the time to look through their options -- they all will -- they are going to see us as a very interesting option. Obviously, a great roster that's ready to win." With Yao back, the Rockets also offer a unique marketing opportunity for any free agent to consider. Regular-season games draw enormous television ratings in China and several of Yao's teammates have landed lucrative endorsement deals with Chinese companies. "If free agents want to be a global presence," Morey said, "we have more people tuning in to our regularseason games than the Super Bowl." Morey wants Yao to talk to potential additions, and Yao already has talking points in mind for his recruiting pitch. "We have a very good team here, we have very good fans and a very good coaching staff. Why not come here?" he said. "I would love to play with any of those guys out there. Hopefully, they come here all together." The Rockets have already come up with a creative way to lure them, sending a caravan of fans on the road to rendezvous with Morey at his initial meeting with a top free agent. The plan is for the caravan to deliver Morey to the meeting with "presentation materials" for the free agent to peruse. Morey wouldn't specify what the materials included. "It's top secret," Morey said. "We don't want to give up what he's going to unwrap on Christmas morning." Morey said he's not discouraged by reports that the most coveted free agents of this year's class have already decided where they're headed. Free agents can't sign contracts until July 8. "Until July 8, no one can make up their minds 100 percent, no one can sign their name to the dotted line," Morey said. "So there's an opening there. My sense from the chatter is that no one has really made up their minds. But the only people who really know that are the free agents.
"All we can do is put our best foot forward and make the free agent understand why Houston is a great destination, and hopefully, it works out." Once free agency begins, the Rockets will also have to decide whether to re-sign restricted free agents Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry. Houston also holds the option on re-signing forward Chuck Hayes.
JOHN WALL’S ENTRANCE - PG 1-2 HOME BY THE SEA PIRATES PG-3-4 GET IN THE GAME : 2K PG 5-6 THE BIG 3 - 7-8 ALLEN IVERSON: THE ANSWER? PG 9 LEBRON & CELTICS PG 10-11 YAO BACK ONCE AGAIN - 12-13