FRENZY WIND UP MARS NBA TRADE DEADLINE

As expected, the NBA trade deadline brought out some surprising deals during the hours leading off to the cut-off time. This year’s edition is one of the most memorable in recent years. Not a few eyebrows were raised on some of the deals that were pulled-off. Teams believe they got the deal that they wanted to further boost their playoff chances this season or something to rebuild on for the future. Anyway, it is still early to tell the effects of the transactions made and conclude whether a general manager has suddenly turned into a genius or a bust.  After the smoke has cleared, herewith is a breakdown of the trades that were consumated:


TO NEW YORK: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams, Corey Brewer.
TO DENVER: Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 first round pick, and 2012 and 2013 second round picks.
TO MINNESOTA: Eddy Curry, and Anthony Randolph.


TO NEW ORLEANS: Carl Landry, cash considerations.
TO SACRAMENTO: Marcus Thornton.


TO NEW JERSEY: Deron Williams.
TO UTAH: Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two first round draft picks and $3 million.


TO ATLANTA: Kirk Hinrich, Hilton Armstrong.
TO WASHINGTON: Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, Jordan Crawford, 2011 first round draft pick.


TO GOLDEN STATE: Troy Murphy, 2011 second round pick.
TO NEW JERSEY: Brandan Wright, Dan Gadzuric.


TO CLEVELAND: Baron Davis, 2011 first round pick.
TO LOS ANGELES: Mo Williams, Jamario Moon.


TO OKLAHOMA CITY: Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson.
TO BOSTON: Nenad Krstic, Jeff Green.


TO MEMPHIS: Shane Battier.
TO HOUSTON: Hasheem Thabeet, a 2011 first round draft pick.


TO PHOENIX: Aaron Brooks.
TO HOUSTON: Goran Dragic, a 2011 first round draft pick.


TO CHARLOTTE: DJ White, Mo Peterson.
TO OKLAHOMA CITY: Nazr Mohammed.


TO PORTLAND: Gerald Wallace.
TO CHARLOTTE: Joel Pryzbilla, Dante Cunningham, two first round draft picks.


TO BOSTON: a 2011 second round pick.
TO CLEVELAND: Semih Erden, Luke Harangody.

THE NEW AND EXCITING NEW YORK KNICKS

(Getty Images)

It was one heck of a performance that Carmelo Anthony did in his debut with the New York Knicks. The way he immediately jive to the system of Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni in his very first outing, was something spectacular to say the least. With the help of his former Denver Nuggets teammate Chauncey Billups, Anthony erupted for 27 big points and nailed down a crucial jumper in the dying seconds to help Amare Stoudemire and the Knicks beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 114-108. With a big Madison Square Garden crowd chanting “Melo! Melo!” from time to time, Anthony played inspired ball throughout the game. He was clearly amused by the atmosphere and says it brings out the energy in his game, according to Yahoo! Sports.

“I got a lot of texts and calls, just from the standpoint of they haven’t seen the Garden like that in a long, long time. And so for these fans to just be yelling my name, chanting my name, chanting Chauncey’s name, yelling MVP for Amare, you can just feel the energy in the building.”

GOOD RIDDANCE

The Deron Williams era is finally over in Salt Lake City. The Utah Jazz has sent their all-star guard to the New Jersey Nets for guard Devin Harris and rookie forward Derrick Favors. With his reputation tarnished by allegations that he was the main reason behind the unexpected resignation earlier this month of longtime Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, the said trade could be a blessing in disguise for the Beehive State outfit. Meanwhile, Harris, who also wanted out of the Nets, and Favors will be the anchors of a rebuilding Jazz team. Williams was the 3rd pick over-all in the 2005 rookie draft and played 439 games in five and a half seasons with the Jazz, with career averages of 17.3 ppg, 9.1 apg and 3.2 rpg. Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin says he is going to miss Williams’ presence on-and-off the court, according to Fox Sports.

“My initial reaction is that I'm going to miss Deron. He was a good player for us. I've been with him his entire time in the NBA as an assistant coach and now as a head coach for a few games, and we're going to miss him. I wish him well as he moves forward, and we'll have to work our way through it.”

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FEAR LINGERS ON

Since no concrete developments was established in the negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) during the All-Star break, the fear of not having a 2011-12 NBA season continues to beleaguer the players and the fans. The last time a lockout took place was during the 1998-99 season where teams played an abbreviated 50-game campaign that started in February. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic remains hopeful that a lockout can still be avoided to ensure both players and fans of a full 82-game schedule next season, according to The Oklahoman.

“We just try to prepare for it the best way we can if there is a lockout, what we have to do financially and what we have to do to stay in game shape whenever action begins again. But we don't want a lockout. We understand how important basketball is to our fans. And we want to do the best we can to make sure the fans have something to watch.”

KING JAMES AND THE HEAT ENTERS PLAYOFF MODE

After posting a rare triple-double during the All-Star game, the first since Michael Jordan, LeBron James of the Miami Heat is bracing himself for what he calls the significant stage of the regular season wars, the final two months. As a matter of fact, James has already started lifting his game to another level even weeks before the all-star break. Now, the time has come for the real thing as the final push before the post-season play begins. Besides James, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, teammates Dwyane Wade and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are all feeling confident too of their chances in the final 26 games of the regular season, according to Yahoo! Sports.

LeBron James: “We’re still learning each other. Our record is really good and we’re excited about our record, but we understand, we’ve still got to continue to get better. I didn’t want to think about me being MVP this year. I wanted to think about bringing the Miami Heat an MVP player on the court. … I’ve always said over my career team success comes individual accolades—and I guess my name is back in the race.

“Me and D-Wade were trying to, I guess, shoot less and make sacrifices and it was really hurting our team. Until we turned the switch and said, ‘OK, we need to just be ourselves and let everyone else catch up to us on the team,’ it’s then we started winning basketball games. And we knew we were going to be all right then. We’ll go out there and just play the game the right way. We never get in each other’s way.”

Erik Spoelstra: “Here’s what’s interesting. As his personal numbers have increased the last few weeks, what’s important is our level of team execution and trust and confidence has also increased. As long as those two things can work in concert, we’re all for it. We’re talking about an MVP, a two-time MVP, who is so dynamic and versatile with his skills he can impact the game in so many ways.”

Dwyane Wade: “We knew each other’s games from playing on different teams, but it’s different when you’re playing with a guy. You have to make adjustments to not only the teammates around us, but to our style of play a little bit. … It was just time. Time cures all. Anytime we had a point where we felt it wasn’t going as smooth, we talked about it.”

Zydrunas Ilgauskas: “I think he’s more comfortable in the system, more comfortable playing with the guys, he knows where everybody’s going to be. We use a lot more of our playbook now. We have a lot more plays in. We just had to have some games under our belt as individuals and as a team for us to be comfortable.”

MELODRAMA FINALLY ENDS; ANTHONY IS NOW A KNICK

When popular TNT courtside reporter Craig Sager interviewed Carmelo Anthony on the bench during the NBA All-Star game, the latter said he will suit up for the Denver Nuggets when they play the Memphis Grizzlies upon resumption of the regular season games tomorrow. Unfortunately, he won't. After five months, the long-running "Melodrama" series has finally come to an end as the Nuggets traded Anthony along with Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman, to the New York Knicks for Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors' 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors' 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash, according to the Denver Post. The stage is now set for the Amare Stoudemire-Anthony dynamic tandem in the Apple City and from the looks of it, the Knicks will definitely make a lot of noise as the playoff push enters the crucial stretch. Now the question is will Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets make it a three-headed monster for the Knicks next season?

“The Carmelo Anthony trade saga is finally over.

“The Nuggets traded Melo to the New York Knicks tonight, a league source said. Denver gets Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors' 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors' 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash.

“Anthony will go to New York, along with Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman.

“Anthony was not at the Nuggets' practice as the team resumed workouts following the All-Star break. Billups left the team's Monday practice without speaking to reporters.”

BLAKE GRIFFIN PERFORMED WITH A HEAVY HEART

Los Angeles Clippers sensational rookie Blake Griffin was the face of the recently-concluded NBA All-Star Weekend. For three consecutive days, Griffin must have felt how it is to live in NBA dreamland. From the rookie-sophomore game to the slam dunk tilt to the all-star game, the 2009 number one pick over-all had come out victorious. But only few knew that Griffin is hurting deeply inside during that three-day run. A case of mixed emotions as he performed with a heavy heart. Griffin was mourning the loss of his high school best friend, Wilson Holloway, who was also Griffin’s teammate on his HS squad. Holloway, who later played football at the University of Tulsa, died a few days before the NBA All-Star Weekend. Holloway succumbed due to complications from Hodgkin's lymphoma. Griffin says he will truly miss his best friend, who remains his source of inspiration, according to Boston.com.

“He was just one of those guys that was always positive and always a great guy and to see him go through what he did and keep smiling and stay positive about it was an inspiration to a lot of people. I definitely miss him, but I know he’s in a better place now. 

“I know he watched almost every single on of my games. He was at home a lot and in the hospital a lot, so I know he would have been watching. The next time I would get to see him would have been Monday when we went to Oklahoma City. It’s crazy how it happens. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be able to do this and hopefully dedicate some of this to him.”

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KEVIN DURANT: HUMBLE AS EVER

There is something very special about Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who is one of the heavy favorites to bag the much-coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) award this season. Believe it or not, he does not feel he is an NBA star yet. But this is his second straight appearance in the NBA All-Star game and still Durant says he has not reach the popularity so far of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, according to CBS Sports. Humility is the name of the game for this former Texas Longhorns star, who led Team USA to a gold medal finish in the FIBA World Championships in Turkey last summer. Durant has an eye-popping career average of 25.9 points per game in four years so far with the Thunder.

“Nah, I don’t. When I go to the other arenas and they call my name I kind of listen to the crowd. They don’t roar as much as they do for a Kobe or LeBron (James) or Dwyane Wade or Carmelo(Anthony) . I’m not there. I’m happy with the progress I’m making as a player, I wouldn’t say I’m a star but I’m growing, I can tell you that.”

MELO DRAMA UPDATE: KNICKS OR NETS?

It has been a very busy weekend for Denver Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony on and off the court. Besides suiting up for the West All-Stars in the annual mid-season spectacle and attending to various media conferences, the former Syracuse Orangemen standout took time out to sit down with the representatives of the two front-running teams bidding for his services, the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets, respectively. Nothing concrete came out of the talks but at least Anthony can now weigh his options thoroughly so that something may finally happen on or before the trade deadline of February 24.

CBS REPORT:

“The Knicks have made what was described as their final trade proposal for Carmelo Anthony Sunday, pushing the months-long drama toward its merciful conclusion, CBSSports.com has learned. 

“The Knicks would send three starters -- Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and Raymond Felton -- to Denver for Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams and Anthony Carter, sources said Sunday. The Nuggets would get the Knicks' first-round pick in 2014, while Minnesota would get Eddy Curry's expiring contract and Anthony Randolph from New York. Curry would then be waived, and the Knicks would send as much as $3 million to Minnesota to pay his freight. Carter must approve the trade and waive his Bird rights for the deal to be approved.”

ESPN REPORT:

“Sources said (Carmelo) Anthony was noncommittal after hearing the Nets' presentation, declining to say whether or not he would sign the three-year, $65 million contract extension that New Jersey has established as a prerequisite for completing a trade with Denver.

“Anthony told the Nets he will think about the situation and reiterated his publicly stated position of hoping to have a resolution to this five-months-old trade saga by the end of the All-Star Weekend. Much of the league, nonetheless, continues to operate under the assumption that the All-Star forward remains desperate to wind up with the New York Knicks when all is said and done.

"It's up to Melo now," said one source close to the talks.”

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THE FINAL CHAPTER OF "MELODRAMA"

With only a week to go before the NBA trade deadline on February 24, Carmelo Anthony remains clueless on what will be the ending to his long-running “Melodrama.” The final chapter is fast approaching its climax and among the teams said to be in the running for the services of Anthony are the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and (believe it or not, they are still on it) the New Jersey Nets. Anthony says he knows something is going to happen but he tries not be stressed by the impending outcome, according to Fox Sports.

“I really don't know what's going to happen, to be honest with you. I know something will have to happen whether I sign the extension or whether the Nuggets move me or whatever. Something is going to happen, so I try not to stress myself out about it. I turn on the TV, and I turn it right back off because it's always something, it's always a new team, always a rumor, always this person saying that, that person saying this. I try not to pay attention to it.”

THE 2011 NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND IS FINALLY HERE!

Fasten your seatbelts, the long wait is over and get ready for a high-flying weekend ahead, it’s time for the 2011 NBA All-Star show. From February 18-20 (February 19-21, Manila time), the mid-year spectacle takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. And for a hoop junkie like me, I can’t wait to watch the festivities on the boob tube, day-in and night-out. Herewith are the complete broadcast schedule on Philippine TV, courtesy of NBA Premium TV and Basketball TV (BTV):

NBA PREMIUM TV:

February 19, 2011

12:15 AM - Inside the NBA

01:00 AM - NBA GameTime Friday Tip-off

01:30 AM - NBA Rookie/Sophomore Practice & Media Availability

04:00 AM - NBA GameTime All-Star Interviews  

06:00 AM - The Jump on NBA.com All-Star Friday

07:00 AM - The Beat All-Star Friday

08:00 AM - NBA GameTime All-Star Interviews

10:00 AM - Rookie/Sophomore Challenge

12:00 PM - Greatest All-Star Weekend Moments

12:30 PM - NBA GameTime 02_18_2011

01:00 PM - The Jump on NBA.com All-Star Friday

02:00 PM - T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam

04:00 PM - NBA GameTime 02_18_2011

04:30 PM - The Jump on NBA.com All-Star Friday

05:30 PM - The Beat All-Star Friday

06:30 PM - NBA Rookie/Sophomore Practice & Media Availability

09:00 PM - T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam

11:00 PM - Inside the NBA All-Star Friday

11:45 PM - Inside the NBA All-Star Friday

February 20, 2011

12:30 AM - NBA GameTime 02_18_2011

01:00 AM - Greatest All-Star Weekend Moments

01:30 AM - Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown

02:00 AM - NBA GameTime Saturday Tip-off

02:30 AM - NBA All-Star East/West Practice & Media Availability

05:00 AM - Greatest All-Star Weekend Moments

05:30 AM - NBA GameTime

06:00 AM - NBA D-League All-Star Game

08:00 AM - Commissioner David Stern Media Availability

09:00 AM - NBA All-Star Saturday Night

12:00 PM - NBA GameTime NBA TV All-Star Weekend

01:00 PM - NBA D-League All-Star Game

03:00 PM - NBA All-Star Saturday Night

05:30 PM - Greatest All-Star Game Moments

06:00 PM - Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown

06:30 PM - NBA D-League All-Star Game

08:30 PM - NBA All-Star Saturday Night

11:00 PM - NBA All-Star 2011 The Lost Dunks

February 21, 2011

12:00 AM - NBA GameTime NBA TV All-Star Weekend

01:00 AM - Greatest All-Star Game Moments

01:30 AM - NBA All-Star Saturday Night

04:00 AM - NBA Legends Brunch

05:30 AM - Greatest All-Star Weekend Moments

06:00 AM - NBA All-Star T-Mobile Magenta Carpet

08:00 AM - NBA All-Star 2011 The Lost Dunks

09:00 AM - 2011 NBA All-Star Game

12:00 PM - Greatest All-Star Weekend Moments

12:30 PM - Greatest All-Star Game Moments

01:00 PM - Greatest All-Star Weekend Moments

01:30 PM - NBA Legends Brunch

03:00 PM - Inside the NBA All-Star Sunday 

03:45 PM - 2011 NBA All-Star Game

06:15 PM - Inside the NBA All-Star Sunday

07:00 PM - NBA Legends Brunch

08:30 PM - 2011 NBA All-Star Game

11:30 PM - Inside the NBA All-Star Sunday

BASKETBALL TV (BTV)

February 19, 2011

12:00 AM - Inside the NBA/ NBA Live

01:00 AM - NBA Gametime Live

01:30 AM - Rookie/ Sophomore Practice & Media Availablity Live

04:00 AM - NBA Gametime All Star Interviews Live

06:00 AM - The Jump on NBA.com Live

07:00 AM - The Beat Live

08:00 AM - Rookie/ Sophomore Practice & Media Availablity ®

10:00 AM - 2011 NBA Rookie Challenge Rookies vs. Sophomores (Los Angeles) Live

12:00 PM - Dunk Contest 2008 NBA

12:30 PM - NBA Gametime Live

01:00 PM - Dunk Contest 2008 NBA

01:30 PM - FIBA World Basketball ®

02:00 PM - Paid Programming

03:00 PM - MMTLBA ®

05:00 PM - NBA Gametime All Star Interviews ®

07:00 PM - Inside the NBA/ NBA Live

08:00 PM - 2011 NBA Rookie Challenge Rookies vs. Sophomores (Los Angeles) ®

10:00 PM - NBA Gametime ®

10:30 PM - NBA Live

11:00 PM - NBA Home Video

February 20, 2011

12:00 AM - 2011 NBA Rookie Challenge Rookies vs. Sophomores (Los Angeles) ®

02:00 AM - NBA Gametime Live

02:30 AM - East/ West Practice & Player Interviews Live

05:30 AM - NBA Gametime Live

06:00 AM - 2011 NBA D-League All Star Game Live

08:00 AM - David Stern Media Availability Live

09:00 AM - 2010 NBA All Star Saturday Night (Los Angeles) Live

12:00 PM - All- Star Weekend Live

01:00 PM - Inside the NBA/ NBA Live ®

02:00 PM - Paid Programming

03:00 PM - East/ West Practice & Player Interviews ®

05:00 PM - MMTLBA

07:00 PM - David Stern Media Availability ®

08:00 PM - 2010 NBA All Star Saturday Night (Los Angeles) ®

11:00 PM - NBA Home Video

February 21, 2011

12:00 AM - All- Star Weekend ®

01:00 AM - 2010 NBA All Star Saturday Night (Los Angeles) ®

04:00 AM - 2011 NBA ASW NBA All Star Legend Bruch Live

05:30 AM - The Beat All Star Pregame

06:00 AM - NBA TV All Star Game Pregame Show Live

08:00 AM - All- Star Weekend ®

09:00 AM - 2011 NBA All Star Game EAST vs. WEST (Los Angeles) Live

12:00 PM - 2011 NBA D-League All Star Game (R)

02:00 PM- Paid Programming

03:00 PM - NBA Greatest Game

05:00 PM - NBA TV All Star Game Pregame Show ®

07:00 PM - Hoop Life for NBA Action®

08:00 PM - 2011 NBA All Star Game EAST vs. WEST (Los Angeles) ®

11:00 PM -NBA Home Video

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HOLLINS DILEMMA: TO PLAY MAYO OR NOT

(Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies has just made Lionel Hollins look like a winning coach. That is after winning eight of the last ten games without guard O.J. Mayo, who was suspended for ten games without pay for testing positive on a banned substance. Now Mayo is back and that puts Hollins in quandary. Hollins is winning with his present rotation and inserting Mayo at this time may disrupt the team chemistry. Mayo knows that the pressure is with Hollins and says he will respect whatever the coach decision would be, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“It doesn't put coach in a bad situation, but it does. I'm pretty sure he wants to see if I can come in and make shots, and help the team even more. But at the same time they're definitely playing real well without me. That's why he gets paid to coach.”

VUJACIC PLAYS THE RIGHT WAY

New Jersey Nets shooting guard Sasha Vujacic is ready to sacrifice his his scoring game just to win. Vujacic, who came to the Nets as part of a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets last December, says he can easily average in the high 20’s or low 30’s if he wants to but he believes he is not that selfish kind of  a player and it is not the right way to win NBA games, according to the North Jersey.com.

“I know I can score 20 or 30 points anytime I want. But I’m not that kind of a guy. I want to win. I want to play the right way. I want to do everything possible – not only scoring-wise, but rebounds, assists, just being loud or a leader — whatever – just to bring everybody else to their best game.”

EXPECT FIREWORKS ON NBA TRADE DEADLINE

Between today and the day before the NBA trade deadline on February 24 (February 25, Manila time) is the period we consider as “the calm before the storm”. Dallas Mavericks flamboyant owner Mark Cuban strongly believes that the real fireworks will come in on the last day or moments before the zero-hour. Cuban thinks that this year’s edition will be no different from the recent years and expect the unexpected remains the name of the game, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“Relative to other years in terms of trade talk, I don’t think it’s really any different. It always goes through the same process. There’s one or two early trades. We saw that with Orlando, and then everybody waits until the last possible second. And then you hit the trade deadline and they recognize it’s the last chance to save money or to do something. That’s when things happen. That’s one of the challenges and problems the league has is that a lot of GMs like to wait until the last second.”

IGGY IS NOT BOTHERED BY TRADE TALKS

Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers has heard his name frequently mentioned in trade talks since last year. With another trade deadline fast approaching, Iguodala remains cool and unperturbed of what’s going on in the rumor mills. The 6-6, ex-Arizona Wildcats hotshot would rather talk about the current form of the Sixers and their bid to gatecrash into the playoffs come April. Iguodala is currently posting norms of 14.4 points per game, 5.6 caroms per appearance and 6.0 dimes per outing in 42 games so far with the Sixers. He says he has not put too much thought on the possibility of playing for a new team after the all-star weekend and with the Sixers playing splendidly lately, he expects to remain with the team in its quest for a playoff berth this season, according to the Philly Burbs.

“I learned that when you don't control something, you don't put much thought into it. We've been playing well, so it hasn't come up. If we start playing bad again, it'll come up again. I'll deal with it when I deal with it. 

“To be honest, I don't really care (what fans think about my play) - only because I know what I can bring to my teammates. I've been doing the same thing for a long time. Nothing's really changed too much. My peers have a lot of respect for my game.”

OBAMA CALLS RUSSELL A “WINNER”

(Getty Images)

US President Barack Obama spoke highly of NBA legend Bill Russell, who is one of the 15 honorees awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Russell is one of the first great black athletes to excel in an American major league sport. The ex-University of San Francisco Dons star center played in the gold medal winning US squad in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented eleven championships in thirteen seasons. Current Celtics stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen also shared their thoughts on the well-respected Basketball Hall-of-Famer, acccording to ESPN.

US President Barack Obama: “When Bill Russell was in junior high, he was cut from his basketball team. He got better after that. He led the University of San Francisco to two championships. In 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, he won 11 championships -- a record unmatched in any sport. Won two while also serving as the team’s coach. And so happens, he also was the first African American ever to hold such a position as a coach in a Major League sports team of any sort. More than any athlete of his era, Bill Russell came to define the word "winner."

Kevin Garnett: “When I think of Russell, I think of transcending. Just how on, you take Bill Russell out [and] a lot of the young bigs don't even exist. I think if you take someone out of history a lot of us are not even here. Not only did he transcend on the court, but off the court, being pro-righteous in what he believed in and speaking up and standing up for that right. But [they were] different times back in the day, man, you know? I respect a lot of the [old players] just because of what they went through in order for us to be here today. So, Bill Russell is everything and I just want to say congratulations.”

Ray Allen: “I ran into [Russell] from time to time. He's so funny and interesting because he'll tell you a story -- and he's got a lot of stories -- and no matter whether the story is funny or not, he's going to laugh, and then since he laughed you laugh, and it ends up being a great story that he told. I've always enjoyed talking to him because I do end up walking away with a laugh, with a smile on my face.”

KNICKS EYE EX-PBA IMPORT EARL BARRON

Former Red Bull import Earl Barron may soon find himself back into the New York Knicks fold. The 7-0 center played six games for the Barakos during the 2005 PBA Fiesta Conference and submitted norms of 27.2 points per game and 15.3 rebounds per outing. Barron is currently a free-agent after being released by the Phoenix Suns last December. Barron played seven impressive games for the Knicks late last campaign, finishing the season strong with averages of 11.7 ppg and 11.0 rpg as a backup center. Sources says Barron has a good chance in bumping off Timofey Mozgov as Knicks starting pivotman, according to the New York Post.

“Barron was a huge success late last season when he signed with the Knicks for the final seven games, averaging a double-double: 11 points and 11 rebounds. He adapted perfectly to Mike D'Antoni's system, was a good locker room guy, and would make the team less reliant on starting center Timofey Mozgov, especially in the playoffs.”

L.D. WILLIAMS BRINGS EXCITEMENT TO THE ALASKA ACES

Don’t look now but ex-Chicago Bulls swingman Eddie Basden’s failure to make it to the PBA Second Conference may have been a blessing in disguise for the Alaska Aces. Basden’s replacement, L.D. Williams has made Aces head coach Tim Cone brimming with joy and excitement like a young boy being gifted with a brand new toy. Cone can not help but compare the 6-4 high-leaping and reigning NBA D-League slam dunk champion to his former import Diamon Simpson, who led the Wilfred Uytengsu-owned franchise to the PBA Reinforced Conference title last season. Cone says Williams reminds him a lot of Simpson in terms of being young, raw, respectful and with superb athletic abilities, according to the Aces official website.

“He does have some similarities to Diamon: the same age, only 22; raw still in his skills, great personality and very respectful; and brings something unique to the table athletically (Diamon with his long arms and LD with his amazing hops). We’re just hoping LD can bring us the same result as Diamon.

“LD has been an exciting acquisition for us. The Alaska (and PBA) fans are going to love him. We’ve never had a high-flyer like him before. It will be fun from a coaching point of view to see how exactly we can get the most out of him. Exploring his many skills in the triangle will be our favorite past-time for the next few weeks.”