(Sorry we have no PS joke here – we’re on the way out the door.)
We just noticed that the NBA D-League is having an All-Star game.
As you can imagine, we don’t spend a lot of time in the world of the D-League. If we did, we imagine we’d immediately stop and go back to the regular NBA.
Regardless, the league is having this event right there in Vegas on Friday afternoon. Call it the pregame to the pregame. Call it whatever you want, actually, but there are some recognizable names on the rosters, such as Stephen Graham, Loren Woods, or one 30 year-old Randy Livingston.
To give you a look at the life of a D-Leaguer, take a look at Randy’s career notes on NBA.com.
Selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round (42nd pick overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft…Waived by the Rockets on 10/30/97 … Signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Hawks on 11/9/97 … Waived by the Hawks on 11/20/97 … Played in the CBA in 1997-98 and 1998-99 … Re-signed by the Hawks on 12/9/97 … Waived by the Hawks on 12/19/97 … Re-signed to a 10-day contract by the Hawks on 1/9/98 …
It goes on and on like that. You’ve gotta admire someone who’ll keep going and going to play ball, especially when part of your life is being on a team called the Colorado 14ers.
Anyway, if you scan the roster, you’ll note that one James White is playing in this lil’ All-Star Game. He’s the guy many people want to replace Tyrus Thomas in the dunk contest.
With this All-Star game development, that’s really a no-brainer. You want some crossover appeal, Mr. Stern? You want an underdog and a kangaroo all in one? You want that underdog kangaroo to hold a basketball, jump up in the air, and put it through the net-laced rim?
This is your guy – you do a Google search for him, and it brings up a bunch of people who aren’t him, too. In fact, if you do a Google search for “James White NBA”, it brings up pretty much nothing but LeBron James action figures.
BONUS.
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Since I don’t pay to watch all the games in the NBA every night… just from the “Gamecast” on espn.com, it appears the Cavs (although currently winning by 10) are offering up another boring contest, as evidenced by their assists leader only having 3 so far…
pretty good ball movement…
go whale killer – dleague all star
I’m pretty sure that the D-League All Star Lineup has about the best collection of names I’ve ever read. Only guy they’re missing is God Shamgod.
1) The James White dunk from the free-throw line is just nasty
2) I would shoot all of you to be able to do that and then I would use my basketball skills in prison to convince a group of hardened criminals that there are some valuable lessons to be learned when you work together. Then we collectively overpower the guards and escape in a hail of gunfire.
3) Hollinger has nominated Le-baseline-three-point-shot-over-three-defenders-that-doesn’t-go-in for L.I.P. I really wish I could take issue with that
Guess what, the Mavs are still winning.
Really? I was going to guess pancakes
Yeah, it would – I guess we could debate that he should’ve been #1 instead of #2 most disappointing.
I’m going to explore some new territory and put a chunk of this (not all) on Coach Brown. He is so unfailingly deferential to LeBron that keeping him as a coach is actually proving to be detrimental to LeBron’s development. Granted, LeBron is culpable in this, no question, but it’s pretty easy to forget he’s just a kid a few years removed from high school. Pairing someone who needs discipline and motivation with a milquetoast, overly permissive teacher (and I use that word loosely) is a recipe for disappointment. Shallots are also involved in that recipe somehow.
LeBron’s youth is no longer a valid excuse for me – it’s year 4. Magic Johnson came into the NBA at 19. It’s not like this is uncovered ground anymore.
That said, I also blame Coach Mike.
Well, I tried to come up with a counter-argument and failed … so take that! I suppose that I would argue that Magic’s youth was mitigated to a large extent by the established veterans around him, he wasn’t expected to be THE guy, he had players he could defer to, guys who had established themselves and who were easily respected. I mean, aside from Z, that type of player has been absent from the Cavs roster. And it’s not as if Ilgauskas’ time as a Cav has been filled with success. I do not want to be cast in the role of LeBron defender but I do think the Cavs organization is failing to maximize his potential.
corn
The take off from the free throw line dunk as never happened… anywhere… anytime. Not by Dr. J, not by MJ not by James White.
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