Former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Eddie Griffin died last week when his sport utility vehicle collided with a freight train in a fiery crash, the Harris County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday. Investigators used dental records to identify Griffin, 25, who began his tumultuous pro career with the Houston Rockets in 2001. He was waived by the Timberwolves in March. “The cause of death and manner of death, which also includes toxicology results, is pending,” said Beverly Begay, chief investigator for the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office. Griffin, a five-year veteran who was the No. 7 pick in the 2001 NBA draft, had battled alcohol problems since coming out of Seton Hall. He was suspended by the league for five games in January for violating its anti-drug program. “Basketball was never an issue with him. He needed more life lessons, and unfortunately he was never able to reach his potential,” former Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey said.
Donaghy Pleads Guilty
Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy has pleaded guilty to two felony charges he bet on NBA games he was assigned to. ESPN initially broke the story last night (8-14) saying a guilty plea was coming. As of this morning, another article was posted, confirming what was first reported.
Of course, Donaghy’s admittance of guilt only further confirms what most NBA conspiracy freaks and normal critiques alike have been thinking: the NBA is fixed and refs are big part of it – regardless if Donaghy’s actions were indeed rogue and isolated.
ESPN has more, courtesy of the AP:
Donaghy provided recommendations, called “picks,” to co-conspirators about what team they should bet on, said U.S. District Court Judge Carol Bagley Amon. If he was correct, they paid him.
The information was not public, the judge said. Donaghy had “unique access,” including what crews would officiate at games, the interaction of different officials and players, and the physical condition of certain players.
And for all the “the NBA is fixed” fans out there, the article thought of you as well:
(Donaghy) concealed the scheme from the NBA and other referees to avoid detection, the judge said.
Of course, if there were others involved in the Donaghy scandal, it probably would’ve broken by now.
As a lifelong NBA fan, I can only hope this is an isolated incident. The last thing the struggling-in-ratings NBA needs is a scandal bigger than what it already has. KG’s trade to the Celtics has generated a lot of much-needed positive buzz for Eastern Conference and the NBA as a whole. A long-reaching referee scandal would be devastating. However, as it was pointed out on Mike and Mike, to those who think the NBA is already tainted, the damage has already been done.
For his gambling indiscretions, Donaghy faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. The article also indicates he will be “sentenced for conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting waging information through interstate commerce.”
On a more positive note, the NBA-fueled Team USA Men’s basketball team has been practicing and from what I’ve read, the competition has been great. Hopefully this carries over in the be-here-sooner-than-you-think upcoming NBA basketball season. The league will only benefit from a Kobe/Lebron/Dwight Howard rivalry. One can only hope.
Chris Richardson is the web communication specialist for Ticket Solutions. At Ticket Solutions, we have tickets for games to every MLB baseball game you can think of, including the World Series. Check out our NBA Basketball inventory. Watch for the Ticket Solutions sports blog launching soon.
In basketball basics, jump shots are made with ease with those who have mastered them while on the other hand some made it miserably. The one’s who have mastered it are the one’s that have understood the value of having an accurate jump shot. Getting ahead in basketball means having a good foundation in all the skills but the skill that has been the most neglected is the jump shot.
Let me start to explain the great value of having an accurate jump shot. The superstars in basketball have used it as there main weapon in basketball because they know by experience that one jump shot that is successfully made is equivalent to 1 minute short rest. For in every jump shot made is as as good as having a short rest in basketball because it gives the player who made it a breather. This is due to the psychological aspect that once a player scores through a jump shot he/she gives a pressure on the part of his/her opponents to score.
No wonder why the famous and probably the most accurate jump shooter Michael Jordan had made it a point that almost all of his game winning shot where jump shot’s. The master who mastered that art of jump shot was undoubtedly developed this all important skill in basketball because he believes that a jump shot made is more of a killer shot than a slam dunk, 3 points and etc…
Practice the secret skill of jump shot in playing basketball and you get what I am talking about. Well it’s a fact even though you wont agree because I am talking about experience and what is most necessary in basketball after all is to score and the easiest way to score is to have an accurate jump shot.
Trini Laspiñas is formerly a varsity player in H.S. at Saint Paul College Dumaguete and a college varsity player in COSCA.
It’s funny what a Kevin Garnett trade can do for a franchise. Of course, the Big Ticket is a name most people who follow the NBA are very familiar with. After toiling for the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first 12 years of his career, Garnett is now a Celtic in a move that sent some much-needed positive vibes for the NBA as a whole (Tim Donaghy anyone?) and more specifically, for the Eastern Conference of the NBA… and of course the Boston Celtics.
If you are wondering how Celtic fans feel about The Garnett Trade, look no further than the title of the CelticsBlog article discussing this very subject: Giddy. What else needs to be said? Of course, ESPN’s Bill Simmons shares the same sentiments, which is good: we won’t have to hear him bitching about how bad the Celts are, at least for a couple of seasons… I imagine the overall fan reaction from the Celtic nation was something like this (sung to the tune of Tenacious D’s “Rock Your Socks“):
Give it up for KG, Give it up for Ray
Give it up for KG, Give it up for Paul
Give it up for KG, Give it up for Ainge…
But does this move, coupled with the Draft Day Ray Allen trade, give the Celts enough firepower for a title run? Well, it depends on who you ask.
When the deal FINALLY broke (remember, this on-again-off-again affair began before the 07 Draft), the Internet sports community exploded. Columnists and bloggers alike gave their altered analysis of the almost-respectable Eastern Conference, one that now includes Kevin Garnett. To avoid repetition, I’ll spare you my in-depth analysis (at least until the season starts). For a comprehensive rundown of these reactions, check out ESPN’s TrueHoop blog/website thing they have going on over there:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-27-0/Handicapping-the-New-East.html (sorry for the copy and paste job but TrueHoop doesn’t link out to their sources and neither will I to them)
I will, however, offer some of my perspective: Does the trade make the Celtics an automatic contender? Well, considering how average the Eastern Conference is, it does — at least for the Eastern Conference title. However, the Celts aren’t the only team that got better. The Knicks (yes, those same Knicks from two years ago) added Zach Randolph, giving them a front-court tandem of Eddy Curry and Randolph. If these two can co-exist with each other (and Starbury), the Knicks should be much improved as well.
The same can be said for the Orlando Magic who signed probably the most prized free agent of this particular off-season in Rashard Lewis, giving the incredibly explosive Dwight Howard even more talent to work with. Of course, let’s not forget about the teams like Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Cleveland, either. While I’m not sure these teams are necessarily “better” than the Celtics, they do have more experience playing together and they have a post-season pedigree, something Boston hasn’t had since Larry Legend roamed “The Gahden”.
It is wise to consider what Boston had to give up getting KG: pretty much their entire bench. As it stands, there are about five active players for the Celts, just enough to field a team… but what about the bench? It’s also wise to wait until the free agent season is over until we give this trade an overall grade, but the addition of KG, coupled with Allen and Paul Pierce, give the Celts a threesome most Eastern teams can’t match.
However, there is one issue I’m having with the criticism: most pundits don’t think this version of the Celts will be that defensive minded by saying KG is the only player out of their starting 5 that actually plays defense. Excuse me (and this is where my UK fanhood rears its head) but haven’t you guys ever heard of Rajon Rondo? He’s probably the second most athletically talented player in the starting 5 and has shown exceptional ability when it comes to stealing the ball from opposing players. However, while at UK, he did this at the expense of his on-the-ball defense.
If this little flaw is corrected, Rondo could easily become a defensive stalwart reminiscent of Jordan and Pippen (you have to keep in mind just how long and athletic he really is).
/end Rondo aside
All-in-all, the Garnett trade was good for all parties involved, even the Timberwolves.
Chris Richardson is the web communication specialist for Ticket Solutions. At Ticket Solutions, we have tickets for games to every NBA game you can think of, including the Finals and the All-Star weekend. Check out our NBA ticket inventory. Watch for the Ticket Solutions sports blog launching soon.
