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Sports Greats Past and Present Get Together for a Great Cause

Posted: Aug 18th 2009 11:00AM by Elie Seckbach (author feed)
Filed under: Bucks, Celtics, Clippers, Hornets, Lakers, Suns, NBA Awards, NBA Draft, NBA Videos, Interviews, NBA Twitter, FanHouse Exclusive, NBA Coaches

1 COMMENT

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

For the past nine years the Harold Pump Foundation, created by David and Dana Pump (known as the gurus of high school and college basketball) has raised over $3.5 million dollars to fight cancer. The foundation's efforts have not gone unnoticed. Major stars such as Magic Johnson, Paul Pierce, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pete Sampras and Denzel Washington have all joined the Pump brothers. In this report we also hear from young NBA stars like Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, and Blake Griffin.

Check out the video after the jump.

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Lance Stephenson Has Really Limited Choices

Posted: Jun 19th 2009 11:52PM by Chas Rich (author feed)
Filed under: Memphis, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, Campus, Recruiting, Rumors

2 COMMENTS

Lance Stephenson is one of the top high school players in the country. He was a McDonald's All-American. He is also just about the only major recruit not running screaming from the rubble of USC that is without a college destination.

Where once he seemed headed for Kansas, that door has closed. Arizona opted against wanting him. Now Maryland has decided they are not interested any longer.

Continue Reading Lance Stephenson Has Really Limited Choices

Bad Boys Return to Honor Chuck Daly

Posted: May 13th 2009 8:30PM by Tim Povtak (author feed)
Filed under: Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Pistons, Playoffs, USA Basketball

13 COMMENTS

TEQUESTA, Fla. -- This looked like a Bad Boys reunion.

The NBA came from around the country Wednesday to celebrate the life and mourn the death of Chuck Daly, but nothing was more impressive than his collection of pallbearers.

It was the nucleus of his two championship teams in Detroit, the ones that transformed him from just another coaching lifer into a Hall of Famer and Olympic Gold Medalist revered by all.

Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer were at his side. The Bad Boy Pistons and their leader one final time.

"I think when you go through the things we did together, there is a bond that never breaks,'' said Laimbeer. "This was a sad time, but a time to celebrate who he was, and what he did, and how loved he was.''

Continue Reading Bad Boys Return to Honor Chuck Daly

Isiah Goes Small Time for Last Chance

Posted: Apr 14th 2009 11:58PM by Jay Mariotti (author feed)
Filed under: NCAA Basketball

15 COMMENTS

Isiah Thomas once cornered me in a hallway and issued a warning, mob-boss-like. "If you squeeze me again, you'll be sorry," he said. I'm not certain what warranted the threat -- and it's nice to know I haven't awakened to a horse's head in my bed -- but it was a classic snapshot of what King Isiah was like when he ruled the world, when he was a two-time NBA champion, when he was the best little man who ever played the game.

Now, years later, he is humbled, deleting the mountains of scandalous cache in his personal hard drive and rebooting himself amid the smallest of templates. He is escaping New York, where his dreadful tenure as boss and coach of the Knicks was exacerbated by a sexual-harassment case against him, and attempting to salvage his career and life at Florida International University, where a basketball team that hasn't had a winning season in 10 years played to average crowds of 693 fans last season.

Continue Reading Isiah Goes Small Time for Last Chance

Florida International Wants Isiah Thomas

Posted: Apr 13th 2009 11:34PM by Chas Rich (author feed)
Filed under: Mid-Majors, Coaches

0 COMMENTS

UPDATE: Thomas Officially Accepts Job

This is almost too good to be true. Isiah Thomas appears poised to take the head coaching job of Florida International. This, despite no experience in coaching or recruiting in college basketball.

For those unsure of where FIU is, it is right in Miami. A place where a few New Yorkers have been known to migrate. If this happens, you have to imagine there will be a contingent of Knicks fans that will attend FIU games now just to chant "Fire Isiah!" and worse for old times sake.

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Isiah Thomas Asked Clippers for Volunteer Work, Says Dunleavy

Posted: Mar 27th 2009 1:02PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Clippers, Knicks, NBA Rumors

0 COMMENTS

Stop ringing Thursday's alarm system, y'all, as Isiah Thomas will not be drawing a paycheck from the Los Angeles Clippers any time soon. In fact, reports Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times (via CN), Isiah approached the Clippers asking to work for them pro bono because his daughter will attend college in Southern California next season.

Current coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy listened to the (very!) generous offer, but declined.

Continue Reading Isiah Thomas Asked Clippers for Volunteer Work, Says Dunleavy

Clippers Reportedly Talked to Isiah Thomas, Threatening Armageddon

Posted: Mar 26th 2009 11:50AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Clippers, Grizzlies, Knicks, NBA Rumors

4 COMMENTS

Few terms in the NBA lexicon draw more guffaws of pity than "Los Angeles Clippers." One term which certainly has a case would be "Isiah Thomas." In fact, in a tournament of Most Hilariously Bad Things About the NBA, the Clips and Isiah would assuredly be one seeds (along with Darko Milicic and the microfiber ball).

It may pique your interest then, that according to ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan, Isiah recently discussed a potential role in the Clippers front office with team owner Donald Sterling. Stock up on beans and barricade the doors, my friends.

Continue Reading Clippers Reportedly Talked to Isiah Thomas, Threatening Armageddon

It's Been a Long Time Since the Saints Felt the Comfort of the Superdome

Posted: Nov 24th 2008 3:48PM by Tom Mantzouranis (author feed)
Filed under: Saints

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When Paulie returns home from a stressful hideaway from nosy police on "The Sopranos", his subconscious asks the question, "When my time comes, tell me -- will I stand up?" The Saints are returning home tonight from a stressful and unusually lengthy road trip (including one of the infamous non-home "home games" the league is so fond of handing them), and if they're not asking themselves that question -- will we stand up? -- their fans surely are.

When the team left the Superdome for the last time, 43 whole days ago, they had put the finishing touches on a dominant win over the Raiders to even their record at 3-3. If they could leverage that win into success on the road, they could make a serious run in the NFC.

But a lot can happen in 43 days, and a lot did. The team went 2-2, continuing to be consistently inconsistent, making tonight's game essentially a must-win for playoff hopes. StarCaps entered the general sporting lexicon. Mike McKenzie and Charles Grant, among others, were put on the IR. They've used two kickers and three punters. And Drew Brees threw for 1,258 yards, which is more than Ryan Fizpatrick has thrown all year and not too far behind Kerry Collins' season total.

Some other things that have happened in the eternity since the Saints last played in the Superdome:

Continue Reading It's Been a Long Time Since the Saints Felt the Comfort of the Superdome

Isiah's Questionable Story Unravels Further

Posted: Oct 31st 2008 11:00AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Knicks, NBA Police Blotter

4 COMMENTS

Just in case there was any question as to the veracity of Isiah Thomas' story that his daughter was the one who overdosed and he was just panicked from that, the police have released their report on the incident. The result? The 47-year-old man who a bucket of media outlets have reported to be Isiah Thomas ... that man wasn't breathing when police arrived.

In the report, a police officer says he went to the former Knicks coach's home in the Purchase section of Harrison around midnight Oct. 23 in response to a report of "(blank) not breathing."

"Upon my arrival I assisted (another officer) who was administering O2 to (blank) lying on the kitchen floor," the report said.

Thomas and his son have attempted to a) pin the 9-1-1 call on Isiah's teenaged daughter, and b) make it seem this has been blown out of proportion, that someone just wasn't feeling well.

If you're not breathing, requiring medics to administer oxygen and ship you to a hospital: that's a big deal. Those things don't happen if you're just not feeling well ... they happen when you're in danger of dying. The delusion involved in attempting to cover this up is staggering.

You'd Never Expect Charles Barkley to Make an Isiah-Suicide Joke, Would You?

Posted: Oct 28th 2008 5:30PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Knicks, NBA Media Watch

60 COMMENTS

Via The Sporting Blog, Newsday's Neil Best has a notable spit of the TNT conference call held Monday in which Charles Barkley (surprise surprise) popped off on a topic most avoid.

In discussing ways in which the Knicks should be improved this season, Barkley said, "I think they have a better coach. This coach probably won't try to kill himself."

Oof. While some would argue Barkley is underrating the depression-inducing power of this roster, I'll instead train my guns on anyone trying to convince Barkley to make that gubernatorial play in 2014, the one Brinson discussed earlier today. There's a line between straight talk and oral diarrhea. Barkley hasn't been on the safe side of that line in decades. A mouth like his is unelectable, even in a state that adores him.

Still ... basketball is so refreshing. Only in the NBA would a former player/top analyst be the first cat to make a prominent suicide joke after Isiah Thomas' ambulance ride last week. It's like having a blogger in charge of times. </self-slander>

Charles Barkleys Most Memorable Moments

Charles Barkley said even he crossed the line when he said new Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni "won't try to kill himself," refering to former coach Isiah Thomas' alleged overdose. Check out some of the former NBA star and current TNT analyst's most memorable incidents.

Andrew D. Bernstein, NBA / Getty Images

Barkley told CNN in October he plans to run for Governor of Alabama in 2014. Asked if he was serious, Barkley responded, "I am, I can't screw up Alabama."

Barry Gossage, NBAE/Getty Images

Barkley recently decided to pay 28-year-old busboy Christian Abate's tuition so he could finish college. "He's a nice kid," Barkley said. "He was working with kids, I loved that he wanted to be a teacher, and I wanted to help him."

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

On the court, Barkley was frequently fined for fights with other players. In 1990, Barkley and Bill Laimbeer were each fined $20,000 (a record amount for the NBA at the time) for a fracas during a playoff game.

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images

While Barkley was beloved by fans, he gained fame for his anti-role model stance. "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" Barkley said in 1993, which launched his famous "I am not a role model" Nike ad campaign.

Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE/Getty Images

As a player, the fiery Barkley had a few run-ins with the law. He was once arrested for breaking a man's nose during a fight after a game with the Bucks, and he once famously threw a man through a plate-glass window after being hit with a glass of ice at a bar.

Orange County Sheriff's Office / AP

After retiring as a player, Barkley joined TNT's "Inside the NBA," where he has become the "butt" of many a joke. Literally. In one skit, Barkley was forced to kiss a donkey's posterior after losing a bet with Kenny Smith.

YouTube

During the 2007 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Barkley famously took part in a foot race against 67-year-old referee Dick Bavetta. Barkley won the race, while Bavetta dove at the finish line and wound up bloodying his knee.

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE/Getty Images

Politics? Why not? In February 2008, Barkley announced he would run for Governor of Alabama in 2014. "I don't like the way the Republicans are taking this country. Every time I hear the word 'conservative,' it makes me sick to my stomach," he explained.

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images

Barkley recently made headlines after a Las Vegas district attorney said he could face criminal charges if he didn't repay a $400,000 debt owed to the Wynn casino. Sir Charles has since repaid the debt and stated he will quit gambling in the future.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images