Basketball Fiend

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to post. Basketball Fiend has had some technical issues and I apologize for that. I’ll try to make it up to you over the course of the week - starting today with a few extra links - because you guys are so awesome.

Here goes…

1. LeBron James has a knack for chasing players down from behind and swatting their seemingly easy layups into the backboard.  It’s a move he’s well known for; some would say his signature move. On Sunday night, Blazers forward Nicolas Batum copied “the LBJ” perfectly, using it to reject a layup attempt by Deron Williams.  No word yet on whether Maverick Carter and Co. will sue for copyright infringement.

2. TNT is working with the NBA to devise ways to make the Dunk Contest more appealing to fans. Instead of wasting time in meetings they should just pool $500,000 in cash and/or blackmail LeBron into competing because without top notch talent this event is going nowhere.

3. Steve Nash does not appreciate your hockey taunts. Neither does Rick Nash for that matter. But Nash Bridges? He loves them.

4. I’ve already included two LeBron references in this article. What’s one more? LBJ has, by far, the most elaborate 12-step handshakes in the NBA. I don’t think anybody else comes close.

5. Ricky Rubio recently helped Regal FC Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey. In the ensuing celebration Rubio snatched the spotlight with a choreographed routine straight out of MTV’s Sweet Sixteen, which I’m convinced he’s campaigning for a guest appearance on.

6. Antawn Jamison is one of the nicest guys in the NBA. No really, he is.

7. Carlos Boozer is glad to be a member of the Jazz, but he makes no promises about this summer, when he will become a free agent. Booz owns a house in Miami and has a lot of friends there. Meanwhile, the Jazz are one of just 11 NBA teams in luxury tax territory. I see Boozer signing with the Heat this offseason, regardless of what Dwyane Wade does.

8. Speaking of moving on, the Kings wasted no time replacing Kevin Martin with Francisco Garcia on a team mural this week. Too bad Garcia can’t replace Martin’s 19.4 points per game scoring average instead.

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(Photo credit: ESPN.com)

1. Inspired by Rajon Rondo’s performance Sunday, John of Red’s Army and Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm have conspired to nickname him “The Clinic”. I like it and I hope it sticks. I also hope that Michael “Free Clinic” Vick catches on. I’ve been pushing that one for years.

2. Surprise surprise, Dwyane Wade is unhappy in Miami. And this time he’s pointing the finger at coach Erik Spoelstra. The odds of Wade staying with the Heat next season are shrinking faster than Jose Canseco’s balls, making Spoelstra arguably the most expendable coach in the NBA. Think he’ll last until May?

3. Speaking of screwed up player-coach relationships, the Tyrus Thomas-Vinny Del Negro situation boiled over Friday, resulting in a one-game suspension for Thomas. I’ll be surprised if Thomas is still with the Bulls after the trade deadline. It’s time for him to move on.

4. Celtics GM Danny Ainge is reportedly in hot pursuit of the Kings’ Kevin Martin. Meanwhile, Tom Ziller urges the Kings to be patient. If other teams want Martin so badly, why wouldn’t the Kings keep him? Because teams with two guards as its best players rarely succeed. That’s why. The Kings need a big man to pair with Tyreke Evans. Otherwise they’ll be a 30-40 win team for the next three seasons.

5. Brandon Roy will miss the All-Star game, opening the door for people’s champ Monta Ellis to make an appearance in Dallas Sunday. Shout out to Jonathan Santiago, the biggest Monta fan I know.

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An unabashed rip-off of the old Jordan-Bird McDonald’s commercial was inevitable, and LeBron and Dwight are the perfect guys to pull it off. As much as I want to rip this idea, I can’t. It’s going to make a great commercial on Super Bowl Sunday.

Now where’d I put my car keys? A Big Mac sounds awfully tasty right now…

(H/T, Huffington Post)

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I love it when big men have ball skills, but only show it off every once in a while. Like Taj Gibson with this ridiculous crossover on Chris Kaman. I hope Anthony Randolph is taking notes.

(H/T, SLAM)

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(Photo credit: Oregon Live.com)

1. What is it about Blazers basketball that brings out the inner freak? First Greg Oden takes naked photos of himself in the mirror, now women are groping Rudy Fernandez during timeouts. All of the sudden, Blazers games have turned into the pool party from The Big Lebowski. The fun never stops. And it won’t end until somebody gets hit in the head with a coffee mug.

2. Michael Jordan has the opportunity to own the Bobcats, but only if he chooses to exercise his right of first refusal. The team is for sale, and former Rockets president George Postolos has made an offer, but Jordan has first dibs as the result of an agreement he made with current owner Bob Johnson. Eric Freeman says the offer is probably in the ballpark of $400 million. Will MJ match?

3. Rajon Rondo told the media yesterday that all is not well in the Celtics’ locker room. He talked about players on the team having “different agendas” and said the Celtics need to get back to playing unselfish basketball. Will this affect Boston’s championship hopes? I’m interested to hear what you think.

4. Kobe gets in touch with his inner Bruce Lee.

5. It’s strange that the best perspective on Stephon Marbury came from a white guy from Stanford, but it’s true. Casey Jacobsen’s nuanced reflection on his years as Starbury’s teammate is a great read.

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(Photo credit: guardian.co.uk)

The Celtics dodged a bullet Tuesday as reports that Paul Pierce suffered a broken foot were refuted. Pierce does not in fact have a broken foot, but a sprained one, according to a Celtics press release.

BOSTON, MA - The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Paul Pierce suffered a strained left mid-foot during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards on February 1. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

An initial report by David Aldridge of NBA.com quoted a “league source” as saying Pierce’s foot was broken and he would miss a significant amount of time. I’m not in Boston, but I can imagine the news touched off a small riot. Now that the report has been proved false, I can’t imagine how angry Celtics fans are with Aldridge.

In the end, it’s not Aldridge’s fault — he just reported what he heard from his source — but nonetheless, I don’t think Celtics fans are going to bring out the welcome wagon next time he comes to Boston.

The loss of Pierce would likely have meant the end of Boston’s championship hopes. Now that he’s listed as “day-to-day”, you can almost hear the sigh of relief from Celtics fans.

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(Photo credit: Boston.com)

The Celtics’ injury woes just got worse. David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting that Paul Pierce has a broken foot.

More from NBA.com:

Already reeling from a spate of injuries to key players, the Boston Celtics may have lost All-Star forward Paul Pierce for a significant period of time to a broken left foot, according to a league source.

The team does not know for sure if Pierce’s foot is broken after X-rays taken Tuesday; more tests are scheduled. But it “looks that way,” the league source said.

The Celtics are hopeful that even if the foot is broken that Pierce won’t be out of the lineup for long. But they are not yet certain of that.

Pierce suffered the injury as he fought with Wizards forward Caron Butler for a loose ball in the first half of the Celtics-Wizards game Monday night. His initial impression was that the injury wasn’t serious, but obviously that conflicts with Aldridge’s report.

Pierce was named to the All-Star team for the eighth time in his career last month. He is the second All-Star to go down to injury this week. On Sunday Chris Paul decided to undergo surgery for torn cartilage in his knee.

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