The Game Aint' The Same...

As you can see from watching the NBA so far this year, it is NOT the same. No training camp, barely any pre-season, probably some of the reasons for a slow start. Overall the league’s three point field goal shooting and points per game is down over 6%. Some teams aren’t meshing as well as everybody thought they would; Knicks (7-13, lost 9 of last 10), Lakers (12-9 and 2-7 on the road) and the Celtics (9-10). We knew the Thunder (16-4), Heat (16-5), Bulls (18-5) would be the top teams. Not many would have thought the 76ers (15-6 and lead the NBA in point differential), Pacers (13-6), and Nuggets (14-6 and 8-2 in their last 10 games) would be such solid teams. So what’s the real reason the league has started slow, I think I know that answer.

From my sources, there is RAMPID DRUG USE IN THE NBA THIS YEAR, most notably marijuana and prescription pills. When the CBA was ratified, there was a whole new bargaining agreement set in place as we know. Previously, the NBA did not drug test players during its July-September off-season. Most players did not get tested no more than four times throughout an entire year, and no tests could be given at the arena on the night of the game. Beginning in the 2012-2013 season, players can be tested up to two times during the off-season for steroids and performance-enhancing drugs only. They would NOT be screened for drugs such as marijuana. So what were players doing from last season up until now? From my sources there have been no testing since. February 9th is the day we hear when mandatory testing for all NBA players will begin.

Let’s be fair, some players are obviously out of shape early on, this is understandable. A quarter of this shortened season has already passed. Are some players taking advantage of this lack of testing? Since the players know the February 9 date is coming, many believe the game will start to pick up now. It all makes sense, I am not saying this is the SOLE reason the league looks a little sluggish and a lot of bad basketball is being played. Through the years we have heard countless stories of NBA players caught with weed. Let’s be real, it’s part of this generation, white-black, rich-poor. There is no way to go around that. Bottom line: the league should get better, players conditioning will improve, and teams should start meshing. Knowing what we know now just opens the mind up to another theory, another side to the lackluster play and out of shape players.

The NBA is the product of the times, like the hip-hop group 3rd Bass said back in the day, “We’re a product of the environment.” Stuck in a mindset that allows players to do whatever they want at any time.

PLAYING HARD —» PARTYING HARD. The life of a young talented millionaire.

- Genovese

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DWade On Playing Across the Pond

And so we continue with the talk of possible player movement across the pond we couldn't help but to think about Dwayne Wades comments, from the AP....

"If there’s an opportunity there, I’d consider it,” Wade said.

Would he, Lebron and Bosh get together and attempt to win the Euroleague?

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More Inquire Into Overseas Hoops

Fans don't look at it as NBA Players are turning their backs on you, because they are not. As the news came down of Deron Williams coming to an agreement to lace up in Turkey, it was just the beginning of what could be a domino effect. Professional basketball players are out of work in the United States so therefore they are in a position where they may need to look elsewhere to continue working in their profession. It's easy to say that they have more than enough money or make too much money but the facts are they will be missing checks despite having contracts in place. Those contracts currently are not being honored so therefore there is no income, unemployed to break it down. The catch, well you risk that contract being voided if your playing somewhere else and sustain and injury. At the end of the day players want to compete hands down and until the business of the labor issues is resolved you've got to do something other than just sitting around and running to meeting after meeting.



Roger Mason Jr. of the New York Knicks and a vice president of the players union is well aware of what is currently going down and why he'll make sure to pack two cell phone chargers with him going forward. He told Newsday

"I can see anybody doing it," said Mason Jr. said. "This is what people have to understand. It's definitely about earning a living, but we've already been so blessed, a lot of guys love the game and want to be able to compete . . . I've talked to a lot of the star players, Chris Paul, Amar'e, Melo, I think that those guys are open-minded to everything."

Unlike the other major professional sport in the midst of an work stoppage in the United States, there are other paid options out there, maybe not in the same tax bracket but nonetheless paid options.

Remember that kid in high school that could leap out of the gym, nail the fadeaway jumper and defend like a hawk only to not be recruited by a major college, settled for a smaller college and next thing you know you only see him 3 or 4 months out of the year because he's earning a living overseas doing what he loves to do and getting a check for it? Yea that guy. Well now that guy is going to be sought after for how it really works across the pond. Roger Mason Jr is one of those guys that has experience across the pond and with his position as a VP he's getting the calls on everything from rules and regulations to insurance. The key component has to be insurance for any player so as to protect their current contract with their NBA team "in-case-ish" happens, that's what insurance is right?.

How this all will play out and how it will effect the players, the NBA, the owners (who, along with team personnel cannot have any contact with players) and the goal of reaching a deal is still to be determined. However movement of NBA players, especially marquee players, seeking other options overseas to keep some income coming in is something that cannot just be taken "with a grain of salt" now.

Just understand these guys don't like being unemployed just as much as the 10 or so percent of Americans that are and when your in a field that doesn't have that long of a lifespan to begin with, it may make it just that much more important.

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First Deron Williams, Next Will It Be Kobe Bryant?

Remember the name of the Turkisk team Allen Iverson signed with last year....can't pull it up or pronounce it? Well it's Besiktas. Well they are at it again as Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets agreed to take his game overseas during the lockout for $200k a month plus other goodies.

Besiktas isn't stopping there. Can you imagine Deron Williams driving the lane and dishing it out to Kobe as a teammate in something other than an All-Star game or Olympic competition? Ergin Ataman the head boss bench for Besiktas can and he's going to try and pull it off.




Ergin Ataman told Yahoo! Sports...

“After we signed Deron, we started to look around and find a friend of his, find other NBA stars, who want to come over and play with us. If Kobe wants to play with Deron in Istanbul, we can discuss this.”

“We cannot give him the same money as he gets from the NBA, but if the money isn’t everything in this, and Kobe wants to play during the lockout, wants to play with Deron Williams, we can find some deal on the money,”

Sounds like to us Besiktas is going to have all of our sleep patterns off if this goes down if we can find a network to air the games. The domino effect is very close to being in effect. As for the loot....Kobe has almost $25M on the table for next season in Hollywood.

Still think it's a long shot? Remember Kobe got ribbed pretty good for the endorsement deal he signed with Turkish Airlines...we didn't forget that.

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