Ball Don't Lie

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: From Deep. Michael Grange: "The latest word is that the three-year, $21-million deal that has been speculated as the Raptors' offer for Shawn Marion(notes) might be a bit light ... Think four years and north of $32-million." (Update: According to reports, Portland and Hedo have reached an agreement in principle.)
PF: Sactown Royalty. Leon Powe(notes) vs. Ike Diogu(notes) vs. Tom Ziller.
SF: Marginal Revolution, via ShareBro Graydon. A simple economic model of today's NBA.
SG: FirstCuts. This summer, Jordan Brand is taking inspiration from each of MJ's 60+ point games. I like.
PG: Bullets Forever. Six reasons why Nick Young's(notes) probably a goner in Washington.
6th: With Leather. This young gentleman really, really, really likes LeBron James(notes).
7th: Truth About It. "Dinner Bell" Mel Turpin, a member of the cursed Bullets/Wiz draft history ... sorta.
8th: CA. Allen Iverson(notes) has through representatives told the Grizzlies he would like to play in Memphis.
9th: TrueHoop. Kevin Arnovitz on what Ben Gordon's(notes) departure means for Derrick Rose(notes).
10th: SLAM Online. "They say reliving an event can be better than experiencing the event itself." Enjoy this sick video, Lakers fans.

Got a tip/link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets@yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

Happy Fourth of July, America. Keep your face away from those fireworks.

... or he'll offer to buy you a drink.

True story.

Jimmy Shapiro of Sports Radio Interviews shares his recent 3 a.m. casino encounter with the Boston Celtics forward:

So I'm heading back to my room and I see Paul Pierce(notes) playing craps. Obviously, he wasn't part of the contingency romancing Rasheed Wallace to the Celtics on Thursday or most likely on Friday. I'm in a semi-Red Bull and Vodka daze, but not enough that I don't have my bearings [...]

I watch him play craps for a few minutes and when a lull in the action occurs, I say, 'I thought you were supposed to be wooing 'Sheed.' The Truth didn't take too kindly to my statement. He then says, 'Oh man, can't I get any privacy! Shouldn’t you be looking for girls.' I then tell him I'm married and Pierce then says to me, 'Then why are you in Vegas?' My response is I'm here on business working with Doyle Brunson for the WSOP Main Event. He loses his roll of the dice and slams his hand down on the craps table as hard as he can. I'm not sure if I should feel guilty, not give a crap, or run as fast as I can.

I decide to stay for another minute. He mutters some more stuff under his breath and then offers to buy shots for me since I'm not chasing women. I politely decline and head back up to my room ...

"All right, handsome, look up here and give me a big smile! Say 'cheese!'"Read More >>

It's a barroom/barbershop argument with legs. And those gams? They can really turn heads. It's the rare hypothetical worth working over. It's something worth discussing, if you'd like me to get to the point.

Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O'Neal all have four NBA championship rings. With each player securely placed on a championship contender, heading into 2009-10, which star do we see getting his fifth ring first?

Each owns sound arguments in their favor.

Raptors point guard Jose Calderon is spending his summer in Spain teaching young basketball players and getting his body healthy. That was enough to attract fellow dinosaur Chris Bosh(notes) for a three-day visit; one which, according to BDL reader Andreas, the biggest Spanish sports newspaper, Marca, loved. Andreas breaks it down for us gringos:

Bosh seems to have been an instant success, and they are raving about him in the Spanish media (and believe me, they are normally not as kind as the US media).

The headline calls Chris Bosh an 'anti-diva,' and they are amazed that he makes as much money as Ronaldo (Real Madrid’s newest signing) yet still has a very different, to put it mildly, attitude towards himself and others.

They go on to talk about how he did everything with a smile, no matter how long the autograph signing sessions took. He joked around with the children and even said a few words in Spanish and so on. This may seem like normal behavior, but European sports fans are not used to it.

You know, that "NBA Cares" movement can feel ridiculous and staged at times (Jimmy Jackson, NBA legend), but you have to hand it to Commissioner Stern — the PR effect of having players come out in this fashion, especially when compared to the antics of some soccer stars and their egos, cannot be overstated.

What a wild and wacky world we live in. According to numerous reports, Ron Artest will be a member of the Lakers come October, while Trevor Ariza is headed to Houston. Here's what they're saying out in the ether about the free-agent switcheroo ...

Sam Amico, PBN: "How well will Ron Artest fit in with the Los Angeles Lakers? 'Perfect,' former NBA coach and PBN contributor Eric Musselman told me. 'It's a perfect fit both for the player and the organization.' Musselman coached Artest for one season in Sacramento (2006-07), and has attended Lakers training camp as an invited observer. So he knows both player and organization well. '(Lakers coach) Phil Jackson loves guys who play multiple positions, and Artest is that kind of guy,' Musselman said. 'He can defend the other team's shooting guard, small forward or power forward. Offensively, Jackson loves multi-dimensional guys who can pass, shoot and dribble and do all three well.'"

Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle: "Trevor Ariza makes the Rockets younger, faster and better. He fits with the way Rick Adelman wants to play. Sometime next season, we're going to see Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks and Ariza leading a fast break that will take your breath away. Finally, we're going to have an Adelman team that plays like an Adelman team. I'm so giddy about Ariza that I'm willing to forgive and forget with T-Mac. OK, so we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's take a deep breath and go one step at a time. Ariza is a first-rate defensive player, threw in almost 50 percent of his 3-pointers in the playoffs, and is still only 24. Yes, there's still that hole at center. Give Daryl Morey a couple more days to take care of that issue."Read More >>

Every weekday morning, Ball Don't Lie serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your pancakes.

Frank Dell'Apa/Marc J. Spears, The Boston Globe: "Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce joined president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and managing partner Wyc Grousbeck for a three-hour meeting with Wallace in Detroit yesterday, the Celtics offering a contract using their midlevel exception. But Wallace is apparently in no hurry to respond, preferring to weigh approaches from Charlotte, Cleveland, Orlando, and San Antonio, according to an NBA source. Bill Strickland, Wallace’s agent, said in a text message that it was a 'very good meeting; some contractual terms discussed, nothing agreed to.' Strickland added Wallace will be'meeting with a few more teams next week.'"

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "To a degree, an Allen Iverson-Heat marriage makes sense. For years, Pat Riley has run a last-chance saloon. But it's not going to happen the first week of free-agent negotiations. It's not going to happen at the July 8 start of the free-agent signing period. And it's not going to happen until after the July 12 window opens for Dwyane Wade to be eligible to sign an extension. Iverson makes sense because Iverson may not have many other options. But until the Knicks spend their mid-level exception, until Larry Brown gets an official rejection from Bobcats management, and until the remaining precious little cap space around the league is spent, Iverson doesn't have to move to Plan B. With the Heat already into the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, anything paid to Iverson will be doubled on the books next season. So even with a $2 million contract, is he worth $4 million at this stage?"

Ken Berger, CBSSports.com: "Ben Gordon to the Pistons is a done deal. The method by which he will get there is still under discussion. CBSSports.com has learned that the Bulls and Pistons may yet revisit Detroit's agreement with Ben Gordon and instead investigate a sign-and-trade that would send Allen Iverson to Chicago. Discussions have not yet reached the highest levels of both organizations, but the revised look at how Gordon goes from Chicago to Detroit would benefit Gordon and the Bulls. Gordon would get an extra year, and thus more money, by signing with the Bulls and getting traded. The Bulls, who currently are getting nothing for losing him, would get Iverson — a fading future Hall of Famer who would get to finish his career in a major market as long as he's willing to accept a secondary role. It's a farfetched scenario, and not everyone involved would be on board — particularly the Pistons. The major sticking point would be how to sweeten the deal for Detroit, which would only consider such an option if it would provide significant cap savings." Read More >>

How in the world does this work?

Seriously, at any point during last year's Finals, was anyone telling themselves, "damn, the Lakers really need Ron Artest" ?!?

Apparently, for whatever reason, the Lakers are close to a deal with Ron Artest.

And it makes no sense.Read More >>

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Waiting For Next Year. "This surely wasn't your father's press conference."
PF: Sports Radio Interviews. Richard Jefferson(notes) hints that Jason Kidd(notes) will sign with the Knicks.
SF: Steady Burn. Ricky Davis(notes) cracks Mike's "Top Five 'Hot Dog' Athletes" list.
SG: Celtics Hub. "I really hope Leon Powe(notes) knows how much Celtics fans like him and will miss him."
PG: Khandor's Sports Blog. Hedo Turkoglu(notes) is not the answer for what ails the Raptors.
6th: Doug Smith, Toronto Star. Jose Calderon(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) take their game to Spain.
7th: The Blowtorch. A brief recap of the No. 32 jersey throughout Clippers history.
8th: NBA FanHouse. Ten players, under the age of 30, that are fighting for their NBA lives.
9th: Blazers Blog. Greg Oden(notes) gets an 'A-plus' in summer workouts.
10th: DMN. Eddie Sefko reports that the Dallas Mavericks have made an offer to Marcin Gortat(notes).

Got a tip/link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets@yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.