LOL @ Boston.

ROTFLMAO @ Boston.

ROTFLMAO @ Mark Cuban. And Judas Kidd.

That's what you get for running one of the greatest coaches in the league out of Jersey, ya prick. Here's a guy who took the Nets - the Nets - to 2 NBA Finals. Then to do what he's doing in a city that wasn't even a city 2 years ago is simply incredible. (I ran my yap off for a long stretch last night, but it wouldn't let me post and it subsequently got erased. Hence why I don't post too much on the New World .)

So go Hornets.

I'd love to delete my double post, but that just ain't happenin. So I'll predict that Inca will post something about Andrew Bynum going to a frat party.

While the Lakers hope Andrew Bynum's knee recovers, he's going to frat parties at UCLA

He lives in LA, is a celebrity and a multi-millionare, and he's going to college parties? Jeez.

Amen, jv. I love watching Kidd play, but to me he's one of the most overrated players of all-time. He's kind of like Barry Sanders: brilliant, but fatally-flawed. In Sanders' case it was his inability to just go straight ahead when he needed to; in Kidd's it's his inability to shoot. And his tendency to get coaches fired.

There's no doubt that success seems to follow Byron Scott wherever he goes, but I am not sure how much credit for NO's playoff run goes to him and how much to his point guard. Chris Paul had 15 assists last night and zero turnovers. That's incredible.

Eh...he's definitely a celebrity among sports fans, but I doubt the average man or woman on the street that isn't a big Laker fan would know Andrew Bynum by name. Shaq, on the other hand, everyone knew.

Though I guess when you think about it, it isn't all that strange--this is what 20-year olds are supposed to be doing. Well, not "supposed" in that they have to go to frat parties, but you know what I mean. This is the stuff that guys like Bynum that went straight from high school miss out on--hanging out with a bunch of people your own age and acting dumb. Maybe he wants to do normal 20-year old stuff sometimes.

Though apparently he was also spotted in a popular Westwood bar, which begs the question of why they're letting underage kids in, Laker players or not.

Some jerkoff from a LA newspaper said that it would seem wrong if the Lakers won the title and Byron Scott got Coach of the Year while Phil Jackson didn't. Says who ? You mean to tell me Jackson could've done the same job ? MY FECKIN ASS

Hmm...was that Mark Heisler? He had a column this past weekend about the Coach of the Year award--Jackson has 9 rings, and has won it once, and even then it was for the Bulls' 72-win season. I don't remember him saying that, though. Sounds like a Plaschke to me.

Hang on there, JV. I think Phil Jackson has more than proven himself as one of the great coaches of all-time.

Not to get too off-topic, but apparently FIBA is going to change its rules to align more with the NBA--rectangular lane and a more-distant three point line (but not as far as the NBA three). I think the changes are supposed to be implemented in a couple years.

That's going to have a huge impact on international basketball, as the emphasis on jump-shooting will surely go down, while post play/American-style big men will become more important.

More interesting to me, though, is *why* they are making the change. I have no idea. Anyone know, or have any speculation?

The changes come into effect in the fall of 2010. At least here, the sense was that "easy" threes were having too large of an impact on the outcome of games, especially given the relatively low scoring in the Italian league (which is also a function of 40 minute games). Though there is also clearly an undercurrent of trying to bring the international game more into line with the NBA, in part to ease the transition of international players at the highest level. They are also putting in those "no charge" semi-circles and aligning some other minor rules. FIBA has talked of the goal being one set of rules for everyone.

I think that the impact will be gradual, and that the fact that the international three is still shorter than the NBA version (FIBA has split the difference, at 6.75 metres) as well as international coaching (and the relative size of players) will still mean that outside shooting plays a greater part in the game internationally than it does in the NBA.

Boston back on track.
Hooray!

Of course I'd like to beat the Lakers in the final, but then again, I so much love to see them lose that it can't be early enough.

ursus, I guess I just don't understand why FIBA would want to conform to the NBA. I am used to international sporting bodies acting like fiefdoms, so I would have figured FIBA would want to keep their product as independent as possible from the NBA.

The award tilts heavily toward surprise with New Orleans' Byron Scott expected to run away with it this season after taking a 39-43 team to No. 2 in the West...Scott deserves this award many times over , but it won't look the same if Jackson, Doc Rivers, Jerry Sloan or Gregg Popovich winds up in the winner's circle with his team.

Yeah, Mark Heisler is a Douchebag. Won't look the same MAI FECKIN ESS. Scott deserved the award many times order END OF STORY DOUCHEBAG.

Jackson's great at winning titles with great players.

He was talking about how the voting is all done before the postseason, like the MVP, so you get situations where the winners are sometimes done before the award is announced.