The Seattle Mariners, who are currently on a win streak of 1 game, will be honoring their former Seattle bretheren, the SuperSonics, during a special pre-game Sonics Night celebration before their game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Not only will former Sonics legends be honored but the celebration will be hosted by The Voice of the Sonics, Kevin Calabro. The Sonics that will be in attendance include:
Freddie Brown
Michael Cage
Tom Chambers
James Donaldson
Dale Ellis
Hersey Hawkins
Spencer Haywood
George Karl
Shawn Kemp
Nate McMillan
Gary Payton
Detlef Schrempf
Jack Sikma
Slick Watts
Gus Williams
Lenny Wilkens
After the ceremony, the celebration will continue with HoopSmack-style shout outs throughout the game (shout out to HoopSmack staff) to honor the legacy that is Seattle SuperSonics basketball.
With the playoffs over, the draft concluded, and the NBA in full lockout mode, I have to find ways to get my basketball fix. With my trip to San Diego to take in the pop culture even that is Comic-Con, I found plenty of opportunties to “get my read on” and I chose Basketball Junkie: A Memoir to satisfy my hoop addiction.
Full disclosure I couldn’t remember who Chris Herren was before I read this book. Any internet article, blog, tweet, wiki can give you the facts. He played for historic Durfee High School and was the centerpiece of the book Fall River Dreams. He was a superstar high school athlete, receiving all kinds of attention from the big collegiate programs. He was part of the famous Fresno State squads led by legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian, who was best known for those early 90s UNLV squads. Herren played in the NBA for his childhood favorite team, the Boston Celtics. Even with all that said…i don’t remember Chris Herren.
Now there is obviously a great reason for that…dude was a serious drug addict. Like Intervention would do nothing for this dude. You know how they have the status update at the end of the show? His status update would show him passed out and shirtless in a beat up Ford Mustang with a needle in his arm…and all this would happen right after the intervention…like right after. It was that serious.
As far as the book goes, it does a great job of telling the story of a downward spiral. It leaves nothing out and Herren does a masterful job of describing the highs and lows of his journey. Herren’s ability to describe the worst times in his life really draw you into his story. I think its great for the simple fact that it doesn’t glamorize the high paced life of drugs, alcohol, women, blah, blah, blah. Its a gritty representation of a life that consumed Herren and ultimately robbed him of his talents.
I won’t go into much detail but I definitely recommend this read not only for basketball fans but for readers in general. Lets just hope we don’t have another James Frey situation…
Episode 33 is full of Seattle basketball goodness as HoopSmack is joined by Rashaad Powell, coordinator of the Jamal Crawford Summer Pro-Am League to discuss the importance of Pro-Am leagues and what it means to the Seattle community. We also cover Tae and Tay P’s journey back to the KeyArena to take part in the H206 Charity Basketball Classic. Let’s go 206!
You can find Rashaad and the Jamal Crawford Pro-Am league on twitter at @JCrawfordProAm. Follow and tell a friend!
Music Featured:
Cory Gunz – R U Listenin?!
Download Episode 33 on iTunes, Zune Marketplace or right-click here to save to your machine. Leave us feedback on the iTunes store, send us an email at feedback@hoopsmack.com or hit us on Twitter.
You can also leave us a voicemail message at (509) 795-1858.*
While the NFL is wrapping up their lockout saga, the NBA and its players appear to be going nowhere fast and one has to think…Will NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter pull the trigger and decertify the players union?
The players and owners haven’t had any meaningful contact since the lockout began in July and the sense of urgency on both sides leaves much to be desired. Their labor brethern, the NFL players, used the decertification tactic to force the owners to the negotiating table (thanks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning) and even hit the owners with a lawsuit. Take that anti-trust to the face Robert Kraft!
It’s understandable that Hunter wouldn’t even go that route for a very important reason…it lessens his power as the union H.N.I.C. I mean who needs him the be the head of a union that would dissolve? Despite this fact, Hunter is actually considering the idea and with pressure from some of the biggest sports agents in the game (Leon Rose, Jeff Schwartz, and Bill Duffy to name a few), it may be what the doctor ordered to get the ball moving. There is a risk factor in this move considering no one has an idea of how the owners would react to this (we are dealing with folks that got the NBA in this mess) or if the courts would side with the players.
With both sides essentially just sitting on their hands and doing nothing, we can ensure that the season will be lost. As a fan I would hate this conclusion but just like our government (shots fired Prez Obama and John Boehner), the players and owners don’t seem to want to work together and compromise on a solution.
TMZ.com has reported that Steve Francis is being accused of sexual assault by a 20-year-old woman from Texas. Shauna Simien, a singer who signed to Francis’ record label, claims that she was groped by the Ex-NBA star while meeting to discuss the terms of her contract. Outraged by the allegation, Stevie Franchise took to Twitter to express his thoughts of the matter:
I wasn’t there. I didn’t see what did or didn’t happen. But this tirad opens up some questions for me:
What does the NBA lockout have to do with you or your situation? You haven’t played in an NBA game since 2007. You’ve been “locked out” of the league for years! And you only lasted four games in the Chinese league. Furthermore, this complaint was filed last year and the lockout hasn’t even been in motion for a month yet!
If this lady can’t sing, why did you sign her in the first place? Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of people who have been signed with no vocal talent (I’m looking at you Rihanna), but when you make claims that she can’t sing despite your attempt to sign her to your record label a few things happen. 1)Your competence as a human being is put into question.2)The legitimacy of your record label’s future is all but dissolved.3)The motive of signing the said “broke @$$ dwarf” is now wary.
Again, there’s no telling what will come of this claim. I don’t know one way or another, but this is clearly another case of potential Twitter suicide. Situations like this are what publicists are paid to do. A word to anyone with current or former fame:
Never conduct any type of business without a 3rd party present.
For the past three years, the KeyArena’s basketball court has been used to display the talents of WNBA champion Seattle Storm and the Redhawks of Seattle University. That’s it and that’s all. With the departure of the SuperSonics three years ago, Seattle was left behind with a gaping hole in the hearts of many hoops fans in the Pacific Northwest, a void that has yet to be totally filled. This fact couldn’t be ignored any longer. H206 organizer and A-PLUS founder Tavio Hobson had enough of this drought.
Saturday, July 23rd the first H206 Charity Basketball Classic will be played which will feature current professional basketball players and Seattle legends. Skeptics believe it to be a tease of NBA ball. Idealists see this as an opportunity to showcase how much Seattle wants and deserves a franchise. Regardless, this event’s timing and cause couldn’t be more fitting. All the proceeds from this game will be poured into the A Plus Youth Program and Boys & Girls Club of Seattle. And with a work stoppage for all basketball operations in the NBA, this gives many fans something to watch other than the posturing between David Stern & Billy Hunter. The news of this event is buzzing around town and even caught the attention of Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer. Fans can come out for as little as $15 to see premier NBA talent. The Seattle team will feature Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster, Spencer Hawes, Isaiah Thomas, Michael Dickerson and many more. The League team will feature Brandon Jennings, Michael Beasley, Klay Thompson, Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and many more.
Doors open at 2pm with the Pregame Celebration which will include a 3-Point Competition, Skills Challenge and Half-Court Shot. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:30pm. Buy your tickets now!
As soon as I came out the womb My momma knew a star was born Now I’m on the golf course Trippin’ with the Osbournes I seen the show with Travis Barker Rockstar mentality I’m jumping in the crowd Just to see if they would carry me
– “Party Like a Rockstar” by Shop Boyz (2007)
I’m sure Dennis Rodman has been partyin’ long before the Meany, Fat or Sheed. So it’s only fitting that Rodman celebrate his 50th birthday in such fashion it would make Courtney Love blush! This past Tuesday, all eyes at the Chateau Nightclub at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas were on the former NBA forward as he celebrated the big Five-Oh by promoting his WB Brand Cigar line. His campaign included passing out cigars to those in attendance, jumping up on a banquette to 2-step with go-go dancers and making it rain (of course). He took photos with fans and signed many autographs (on a stack of Sugar Factory’s dinner plates to give to fans). He even got on the mic:
“We’re in Las Vegas! The only city in the world where you can do whatever you want.”
You most certainly can considering he’s partying two months after turning 50 (Birthdate: 05/13/61)!!! Eventually, the 7-time rebounding king retired to his VIP cabana for the evening to enjoy a New York steak, Black Angus filet and pan-roasted Pacific salmon. I guess that was to balance all the Grey Goose and Red Bull he had consumed. Dennis Rodman is being inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame August 11-13 during this year’s Enshrinement Ceremonies. Rodman finished a 14-year career averaging 7.3ppg, 13.1rpg & 1.8apg. Not the attractive 20/10 Hall of Famer-type numbers you’d expect I’m sure. For the young thundercats who don’t know their history, here’s some evidence as to why the man was inducted:
In addition to his partying, the 5-time NBA champion passed out a few boxes of cigars to customers at a retail store and visited the Crazy Horse III Gentlemen’s Club where he and his posse drank Jagermeister at their VIP table. I wonder if he did the Worm while he was groovin’ with those go-go chicks?!?
Today is Day 19 of the NBA lockout. All Summer League action was cancelled. There have been no talks between owners and the player’s union for weeks. Players have made remarks of playing overseas. Some have even agreed to terms. Shaq retired. Yao Ming is set to retire. Kevin Love & Blake Griffin with the help of Tyson Chandler, Metta World Peace and Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson are campaigning for job opportunities in different verticals. Over 100 people have lost their jobs with the NBA. More have lost their gig within actual NBA franchises. Pro-Am leagues and charity games (shoutout to H206) are getting more attention than ever before due to the work stoppable of the league. All this turmoil, all this posturing, all these shenanigans and the NBA decide to release a schedule for the 2011-12 season?!?
This is complete and utter crap! Who in the hell wasted time compiling a schedule for games to be played with no new collective bargaining agreement in place? Anyone who is a basketball fan, in any capacity, ought to be insulted by such a gesture. I love this game. Not the league… the game. Basketball… A 9lbs sphere with the “Spalding” tattoo. Two orange cylinders with white cotton nets draped from them, 10ft above ground waiting for 10 willing souls to compete and battle. How dare David Stern and his crew taught me with something so tantalizing as an NBA schedule?!? Is this some kind of joke to you?!?
I don’t have professional Men’s basketball to watch, analyze, critique or even appreciate this upcoming fall. Yet and still you want to portray as everything is business as usual? Apparently, November 1st will kick off the NBA’s 66th season including a TNT double-header. Derrick Rose & the Bulls take on Dirk Nowitzki and the defending world champion Dallas Mavericks. The encore presentation will include 2-time Scoring Champ Kevin Durant & the Thunder squaring off against Kobe Bryant and his Lakers. November 16th would feature Carmelo Anthony’s return to Denver for the first time as the Knicks battle the Nuggets in an ESPN double-header.
Christmas Day will be a triple-header including a classic Celtics vs. Knicks rivalry rekindled and the NBA Finals rematch as the Heat head to Dallas. Also on the menu is a Derrick Rose/Kobe Bryant battle. January 14th is supposed to be Deron Williams‘ return to Utah. Pssh, yeah right! That sounds nice. I can’t even ignore the excitement of the shire thought of these subplots but for what?!? All so I can suffer blue balls the basketball version?!? (All my male readers just cringed…) Yeah that’s what this is… a tease! Just like the classic make-out session in high school. You’re kissing, rubbing, touching… steadily making your way past first, second and third base. And then she says, “Wait, something’s not right!” You guessed it! The league just pulled a Denver-Hotel-Employee move. But I’m not going to fall into the trap like the Black Mamba!
Then again, maybe I’ll getting ahead of myself. Maybe there are some Sector 7 type secret meetings I and everyone else dialed into the happenings of the NBA are oblivious to. Maybe the lockout is a complete sham. Maybe the NBA owners aren’t squandering millions upon millions of dollars on lame duck player (DeSagna Diop’s contract might just be a figment of our imaginations). But until all my condescending, overly-sarcastic speculations are proven to be true, this is a joke!
Despite the league being locked out, The NBA has released its 2011-2012 season today. What stands out?…
The New York Knicks are back son! The Knicks are on national TV 29 times. This puts them in a tie with Chicago and 1 behind Boston and Dallas who are on national TV 30 times.
The Christmas Day match-ups involve a between first round foes Boston and New York, Chicago taking on the “new look” Lakers, and a Finals rematch of Miami and Dallas in the Lone Star state.
Orlando will be hosting the All Star Weekend with the game itself airing on Feb. 26th on TNT.
The Mavericks will be opening the season against “best record in the league last year” Chicago Bulls followed by a old vs new match-up of the Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ricky Rubio will be on national TV 4 times…better invest in some League Pass if you want to see the Spanish experiment.
Now that New York is relevant again, the NBA is seizing the opportunity and capitalizing on the popularity. New York’s Big Two seems to be the bigger draw compared to Miami’s Big Three so you should learn to love Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire because you are going to see ALOT of them.
Of course none of this will happen since the owners and players can’t even get together to talk…Tay P, you got this one?
Within a blink of the eye, it seems as if Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James have traded places. As recent as a year ago LeBron was possibly the most beloved athlete in sports until the dreaded “Decision” was made. Many people scoffed at LBJ and treated him as if he walked out on needy family members. He was called harsh names; people burned jerseys and demanded that his larger than life size poster over the freeway in Cleveland be torn down.
Then there is Dirk Nowitzki, a 7 foot scoring machine that seems to have a great team every season but “can’t get over the hump.” Many people believe that Dirk has outstanding talent but lacks the heart and guts that is needed from a superstar to win a championship (sound familiar?). Many times Dirk has failed and most notably the 2007 NBA playoff when Dirk and his Mavericks were ousted in the first round by the 8th seeded Golden State Warriors. This was the follow up to losing in the Finals the year before after being up 2 games to none. For the constant playoff struggles Dirk has endured he has been labeled as “soft” “gutless” and too passive. As a result of his playoff struggles and early exits the critics would give him and his Mavericks no shot of winning or doing damage year after year in the playoffs.
As for LeBron James, he has been a megastar and an icon for the NBA since he started his career. For most of his career he has played with teams that would not matter and achieve close to nothing without his help and rare dominance. The critics always gave LeBron a pass because they say “he doesn’t have enough help” and “The Cavs need more weapons.” Having such a remarkable 2009-10 season with the Cavs and having the best record in the NBA most analysis believed this was their year to win a title. All eyes watching LeBron and the Cavs, LeBron seemed to have one of the most inexplicable collapses in a playoff series anyone has ever seen. In most eyes this is when things started to slowly change.
Summer of 2010 LeBron decides to “take his talents to South Beach” and join forces with D.Wade and Chris Bosh. This move was something no one had ever seen, and ultimately thought built an instant dynasty. Finally LeBron had the “help” he needed to win a title and declared that they would win multiple rings. That may have been the pressure (curse) that busted the pipe. A rollercoaster regular season which ended with a #2 playoff seed seemed as if the Heat might be “gelling” at the right time. LeBron looked like his usual dominant self throughout the first three rounds, and most people thought he erased the notion that “he can’t finish” or was not a “closer.”
Finally making it back to the Finals most people thought LeBron and the Heat would not be denied. After a dazzling Game 1, and a mostly dominant Game 2 things drastically changed. LeBron went back into the unexplainable “shell” seeming to shy away from the big stage and pressure. Often looking unsure and hesitant which are his trademark tendencies when the stage often grows largest (tallying less than 20pts in the 4th quarter for the entire series.). Once again LeBron has many offseason questions to answer while putting him in a deeper hole of what Skip Bayless likes to say “he doesn’t have the clutch gene.” Meanwhile Dirk flourished in the Finals in a way he has never performed. Dirk fought through sickness, a nagging finger injury to make big shots while willing his team to victory. Until LeBron proves for an entire postseason that he can finish and deliver on the big stage, he will take upon the same label Dirk just lifted with a mesmerizing playoff performance.
