Stephon Marbury's Days With Knicks Might Be Numbered

PHOENIX - The customary postgame meeting between Garden chairman James Dolan and Isiah Thomas seemed to go on longer than usual late Sunday night in New York. Those sit-downs could be potentially harmful to a head coach. But in this instance, the discussion between Dolan and Isiah Thomas could mean the beginning of the end of Stephon Marbury.

A high-ranking team official told the Daily News that Thomas and Dolan have been in talks in recent days concerning Marbury's future. Knicks brass is considering what options it has to reduce Marbury's role or get rid of him entirely.

A trade is unlikely because Marbury, the team's controversial point guard, is scheduled to earn $42 million over the next two seasons. Dolan's and Thomas' history suggests that they would not rule out negotiating a buyout for Marbury, who then would become a free agent. At the very least, Marbury's minutes could be reduced substantially for as long as he remains on the team.

The Knicks are 2-3 entering tonight's game in Phoenix. Marbury, 30, made the trip west but there is some uncertainty whether he will even play. The Knicks traveled to Phoenix yesterday afternoon and were not available for comment. Attempts to reach Thomas at the team hotel were unsuccessful.

Marbury accepted responsibility for Sunday's loss to Miami after he threw away a pass in the final minute and allowed Heat guard Jason Williams to get open and hit the go-ahead jumper.

However, blaming Marbury for the Knicks' record is unfair, especially since Jamal Crawford had a similarly brutal turnover and has struggled defensively. The same is true of Eddy Curry, who was a nonfactor in back-to-back performances against Orlando's Dwight Howard and Miami's Shaquille O'Neal.

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source : nydailynews.com

Sonics Get First Look At Lewis The Opponent

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The shooting stroke remains the same. Rashard Lewis takes passes from teammate Hedo Turkoglu and drains 3-pointers, just as he did for nine years with the Sonics, the same concentration and precision, the same attention to his release point.

The most dramatic offseason change for the Sonics was not the trade of Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics on draft night. It was Lewis accepting a free-agent contract from the Orlando Magic four days later, a Sonny Liston one-two punch to Seattle fans who had hoped the Sonics would retain both and make a playoff run this season.

While Allen is flourishing for the new-look Celtics, Lewis is putting up steady numbers for the Orlando Magic in the first year of a six-year, $118 million maximum contract that shocked many NBA observers. Lewis admitted he was stunned by the Magic's offer and even more surprised the Sonics agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that added a sixth year and about $27 million to his treasure chest.

Tuesday at Amway Arena, Lewis will face the team that nabbed him crying from that green room during the 1998 draft, dabbed his eyes with tissue and allowed him to flourish into one of the game's premier power forwards.

In nine years with the Sonics (1998-2007), Lewis reached the top 10 in 10 offensive categories in club history, and is the team's all-time 3-point leader.

"It's always going to be a little emotion in it because I wasn't the type of person that was on a lot of teams," Lewis said Monday after the Magic's practice. "At the same time I knew it was a business and I had to look to the future and not the past. I couldn't dwell on the past because it would have messed up my mind going to Orlando."

Lewis said he had no idea he played his final game for the Sonics when the regular season ended. He opted out of the final two years and $21 million of his contract to test the market but always maintained his desire to return to Seattle.

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source : seattlepi.nwsource.com

Yao Vs. Yi Duel Reinforces NBA's Global Brand

Yao Ming is enormous both of stature and newsworthiness, especially so upon his home continent, Asia, and in his homeland, China. Throw him up against another Chinese giant, Milwaukee rookie forward Yi Jianlian, and the entertainment value rockets incrementally.

Friday's first NBA regular season meeting of Yao and Yi, in Houston, drew the sort of diplomatic delegations and foreign media coverage usually afforded visiting heads of state. If that were to have been the case, though, the television viewership back home would hardly have matched this one for numbers or hoop-la.

Estimates of such ratings are notoriously hit-and-miss. But the TV types were still saying that the Rockets-Bucks game attracted some 200 million viewers in China, a staggering number when one considers that last Sunday's much-hyped New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts NFL telecast drew an audience of "only" 34 million.

How many of those 200 mil' could find Milwaukee on a map if you spotted them the American Midwest, let alone Wisconsin, is debatable. But the presence of two such stars – the vet outplayed the rook in a 104-88 Houston victory but still said "he may be better than me" – certainly entrenches the NBA on the global map, well ahead of the other North American leagues that appear increasingly committed to extending their brands' reach.

Much, much more is to come from Yao and Yi, especially with the Beijing Olympics looming. Having just returned from a few days in Hong Kong, your correspondent can attest to the buzz growing in that part of the world about the Games and about the NBA.

source : thestar.com

Yi and Milwaukee Good Fit

Yi Jianlian didn't squirm, but looked as if he was aching to, like a child trying to mind his manners until the service is over.

He obliged the many demands placed on him and when they finally played the game watched by more people than had ever seen an NBA game, the first meeting of Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming anywhere, he seemed unflappable, easily showing his plentiful gifts.

But the night was about more than Yi's sweet jump shot and Yao's unstoppable jump hook. This was a night shining the spotlight back on China's finest. And while Yi seemed so uncomfortable in the preceding days, shootaround, pre-game and post-game examinations, answering with short bursts that could fit in the engraving of a ring, Yao handled it all like the well-schooled veteran of such occasions he is.

Yao was always graceful with the demands on him. He always had a sense of the scrutiny of him here and the demands on him back home. He always knew that to unfathomable numbers he was the representative of China and its still-new openness to the world.

From the beginning, even when he was shadowed by his American translator Colin Pine, he knew how to charm his way around the tough spots, mixing humor, insight and intelligence in just the right portions, without sacrificing his dignity.

When he traveled the NBA as a rookie, bringing media inspection with each stop, he handled the duties artfully. When he was asked what he knew about Detroit, he offered that it was the home of Rudy Tomjanovich and where "Robocop" was filmed. Indianapolis? Home of the race. Orlando? Disneyworld, of course.

When asked if he had a chance to see the sights of New York or Washington, he said he wished he had the time.

When asked to pose with fools standing on chairs or next to ladders, he politely passed, having more to offer than to be treated as a prop or a sight gag.

Even when Shaquille O'Neal enraged the American Chinese community with his mocking, slur version of Chinese, Yao said he understood why others would be offended but that he wasn't, then added that Chinese is a very difficult language to learn. His answer, classic Yao, earned O'Neal's everlasting respect. When they met weeks later, O'Neal spoke to him in rehearsed, polite Mandarin.

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source : hoopsworld.com

Results of 12th November

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Hornets	26	23	16	19					84
Nets	21	16	30	15					82

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Kings	18	24	34	17					93
Jazz	35	30	24	28					117

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Cavaliers	18	25	25	32					100
Nuggets	21	37	30	34					122

source NBA.com

Results Of 11th November

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Wizards	26	25	27	23					101
Hawks	23	17	25	25					90

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Hornets	23	28	26	16					93
76ers	24	13	17	18					72

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Bucks	24	14	23	27					88
Spurs	36	29	26	22					113

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Cavaliers	23	27	22	31					103
Clippers	19	25	31	20					95

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Heat	25	12	15	23					75
Knicks	20	19	19	14					72

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Rockets	14	21	25	25					85
Bobcats	15	25	25	17					82

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Pistons	35	29	17	26					107
Supersonics	20	32	21	30					103

source : NBA.com

Results Of 10th November

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Suns	34	25	26	21					106
Magic	27	16	23	30					96

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Celtics	26	33	28	25					112
Nets	27	25	14	35					101

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Grizzlies	30	19	22	23					94
Jazz	36	28	25	29					118

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Mavericks	22	18	17	25					82
Trail Blazers	28	21	21	21					91

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Nuggets	31	25	26	31					113
Pacers	46	28	14	18					106

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Raptors	17	24	36	24					101
Bulls	13	17	13	28					71

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Timberwolves	19	20	34	20					93
Kings	16	26	31	27					100

source : NBA.com

Results Of 9th November

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Raptors	24	23	24	34					105
76ers	19	20	29	35					103

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Hawks	19	22	20	22					83
Celtics	24	31	19	32					106

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Suns	29	26	24	27					106
Heat	37	23	24	17					101

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Clippers	21	21	14	23					79
Pistons	31	28	24	20					103

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Bucks	25	16	29	18					88
Rockets	24	26	28	26					104

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Timberwolves	28	22	19	24					93
Lakers	30	26	27	24					107

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Jazz	28	24	26	25					103
Supersonics	25	21	29	26					101

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Pacers	27	16	30	14					87
Bobcats	24	16	25	31					96

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Magic	28	20	29	35					112
Knicks	28	21	24	29					102

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Nuggets	28	32	33	25					118
Wizards	26	25	11	30					92

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Spurs	23	29	29	16					97
Hornets	24	21	18	22					85

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Grizzlies	26	35	15	22					98
Trail Blazers	23	26	25	36					110

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Cavaliers	23	25	21	24					93
Kings	21	27	22	21					91

source : NBA.com

Results Of 8th November

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Wizards	27	14	17	27					85
Nets	15	21	21	30					87

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Mavericks	27	30	34	29					120
Warriors	27	34	25	29					115

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Pistons	23	22	30	18					93
Bulls	29	22	27	19					97

The Big Ben

source : NBA.com

Results Of 7th November

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Magic	31	21	26	27					105
Raptors	23	24	27	22					96

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Suns	27	20	29	20					96
Hawks	32	23	25	25					105

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Nuggets	22	16	28	27					93
Celtics	38	39	26	16					119

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Grizzlies	27	22	38	18					105
Supersonics	24	33	24	17					98

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Hornets	23	26	15	26					90
Trail Blazers	26	18	32	17					93

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Bobcats	14	18	15	16					63
76ers	23	26	21	24					94

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Clippers	24	31	32	17					104
Pacers	25	33	14	17					89

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Heat	21	17	20	20					78
Spurs	23	16	26	23					88

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Cavaliers	26	22	19	34					101
Jazz	29	23	20	31					103

source : NBA.com

Result Of 6th November

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Suns	29	30	29	27					115
Bobcats	21	16	24	22					83

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Nuggets	37	29	26	20					112
Knicks	32	28	22	37					119

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Magic	26	30	32	23					111
Timberwolves	22	28	24	29					103

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Spurs	19	13	24	25					81
Rockets	18	27	19	25					89

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Hornets	32	25	32	29					118
Lakers	22	33	25	24					104

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Hawks	19	22	16	25					82
Nets	22	23	24	18					87

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Raptors	23	25	16	21					85
Bucks	37	26	25	24					112

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Clippers	26	31	18	22					97
Bulls	26	26	22	17					91

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Supersonics	25	36	17	20					98
Kings	26	22	24	32					104

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Cavaliers	29	25	26	28					108
Warriors	23	31	27	23					104

source : NBA.com