He always rose to the occasion- BostonGlobe.com

By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Columnist February 23, 2007

He was the guy who would miss 11 straight shots, then come down the court with everything on the line and drill the game-winner without blinking.

That's how I will remember Dennis Johnson, the freckle-faced bulldog who joined the Celtics in 1983 and was a pivotal member of the 1984 and '86 championship teams. DJ's role was often diminished amid the long shadows of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, yet he was the one Bird singled out as "the best teammate I've ever played with."

Johnson collapsed and died yesterday in Austin, Texas, where he was the coach of the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. He was 52 years old, too young to have his life cut so terribly short.

"What a sad, sad day," said McHale. "I tell you, this one really hits you. I was just talking to a friend who had just talked with DJ, and he was telling me how excited DJ was about his team. I guess his guys had started out losing eight in a row, or something like that, but lately they had been winning, and no one was happier about that than him.

"I can't believe this has happened. First Reggie [Lewis] and now him. We're too young to be losing teammates like this."

A Quiet Trade Deadline

By David
Kaye

When the clock struck 3 P.M. Jason Kidd and Vince Carter remained New Jersey Nets', Mike Bibby was still a King and Pau Gasol was not a member of the Bulls.

Only three trades were completed on Thursday and those deals ended up being extremely minor. Veteran guard Anthony Johnson was dealt to the
Hawks for a draft pick, former Maryland star Juan Dixon went north of the border to Toronto for Fred Jones and big man Alan Henderson went
to the Jazz.

Today's trade deadline passed without any major deals getting done. Usually at the least, one or two big names would have been dealt, but that was not the case this year. I wonder what we owe the apprehensiveness of NBA general managers to trade players and draft picks to?

As it turns out, the biggest trade of the season did not occur today, but rather December 19th when Allen Iverson became a member of the Denver Nuggets.

Wade hurts left shoulder. Heat says injury is a dislocation- PalmBeachPost.com

Without D-Wade, the Heat have no chance of winning. Hopefully flash is back for the playoffs, but if he's out for an extended period of time Miami will have a difficult time of reaching the postseason.

By Chris Perkins
Palm Beach Post Staff Wrtier

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Guard Dwyane Wade left the court in a wheelchair in the fourth quarter of Miami's 112-102 loss Wednesday after sustaining what is initially being called a dislocated left shoulder.

"It looks like Dwyane might be out for a while," said coach Pat Riley, who returned to the bench after missing 26 games to have knee surgery and hip-replacement surgery.

Wade, the Heat's do-it-all, on-court leader, got hurt reaching in to defend Houston forward Shane Battier while Battier was making a spin move in the lane with a little more than 10 minutes left.

Wade was taken to a Houston area hospital for X-rays. A team spokesman said the wheelchair was only a procedural/precautionary measure.

Riley said the Heat is trying to arrange to get Wade, the league's fourth-leading scorer at 28.8 points per game, back to Miami "as quickly as possible." The Heat usually has players undergo MRIs in Miami.

"We're disappointed about the loss, but we're just worried about Dwyane," Riley said.

"Really concerned about him."

This is the same shoulder Wade bruised against Portland on Feb. 13, Miami's last game before the All-Star break.

In that game, Wade was attempting a layup and landed awkwardly on the body of Trail Blazers center Joel Pryzbilla, but Wade returned to the court relatively quickly.

There was no such luck Wednesday.

Heat center Alonzo Mourning had one thought when he saw Wade grab his shoulder.

"Not again," Mourning said.

"I don't know what it is. Injuries are part of the game, but it seems as though this year we've been behind the eight ball when it comes to injuries."

Miami is 1-6 without Wade this season.

Wade's immediate absence would, of course, severely hinder Miami's chances of defeating Dallas, its NBA Finals opponent, in tonight's game at AmericanAirlines Center.

Beyond that, however, an extended absence could mean Miami, which is hanging on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, has little hope of drastically improving its playoff positioning.

"I do know this," Mourning said, "we still have enough in here to get it done."

In a season in which it appears the Heat won't stay healthy for any length of time Wade's injury, depending on its severity, would be the most crushing blow of all.

In a way, it figured Wade (27 points, nine assists), or some other Heat player, would get injured against the Rockets.

Wednesday marked the first time this season the defending NBA champion Heat got its full complement of players and coaches on the court together.

This was Riley's first game on the bench since Dec. 30.

Miami was 13-17 under Riley and then went 13-9 under interim head coach Ron Rothstein, who is now back to being Riley's top assistant.

Riley's presence, as well as that of guard Jason Williams, who was listed as questionable because of his torn abdominal muscle, made Miami whole for the first time this season.

That comes very late considering Wednesday was its 53rd game.

Last season, the Heat got what turned out to be its eight-man rotation on the floor in the 27th game.

Still, it was largely encouraging to get everybody back considering the Heat returned 13 of the 15 players from last season's title squad.

Heat center Shaquille O'Neal posted his second double-double of the year with 20 points to go along with a season-best 16 rebounds in a game in which the Heat never led.

Riley said O'Neal, who has missed 39 games because of to injury, will likely become the focal point of the offense now.

"Over the next couple of days, we'll find out the extent of his injury and then we'll go to the drawing board on what we have to do," Riley said.

Sophomores 155, Rookies 114- AP

I'm happy that David Lee and Monta Ellis were able to shin in this game because they are both having outstanding seasons with their respective teams.

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer

February 16, 2007

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The NBA's leading shooter had a field day in a game with no defense.

New York forward David Lee was 14-for-14 from the field and scored 30 points, leading the sophomores to a 155-114 victory over the rookies Friday night in the rookie challenge.

Monta Ellis of Golden State added 28 points on a number of dunks as the sophomores set a game scoring record, surpassing the 142 points they scored in 2004. They shot 74.7 percent (68-of-91) and have won the last five games.

Lee, who leads the NBA in field-goal percentage at 61.2 percent, was voted the game's MVP. Chris Paul, the reigning Rookie of the Year, added 16 points, 17 assists and nine steals.

Rudy Gay of Memphis and Utah's Paul Millsap each scored 22 points for the rookies, who never led and trailed by as many as 43 points.

Bill Russell sat next to the rookie bench, and he might have been reminded of his old rival, Wilt Chamberlain, while watching Lee. Chamberlain had three games where he was perfect on 15 or more attempts, including an 18-for-18 night on Feb. 24, 1967.

Lee scored the first four points, and the game really wasn't close after that. Houston's Luther Head gave the sophomores a 26-15 lead with a 3-pointer with 13:31 left in the half, and the rookies never got within single digits again.

The rookies looked helpless later in the half, when Ellis had five alley-oop dunks in a span of less than 3 1/2 minutes, pushing the lead to 31 points on his final one.

The second-year players shot 78 percent (35-for-45) in the first half, with Paul recording 11 assists in 11 minutes off the bench. Ellis was 7-for-7 in the half.

Lee added five more field goals in the first 5 minutes of the second half, and the lead ballooned to 40 on Raymond Felton's 3-pointer a few minutes later.

Last year's draft was considered a weak one, and the rookies did nothing to change that opinion. Even when they seemed to do something right, it went wrong.

Gay powerfully blocked one of Ellis' shoots off the backboard, but he was called for goaltending and it turned into a three-point play because Ellis had been fouled while taking his shot.

Ellis was 13-of-16 from the floor. Utah's Deron Williams scored 19 points and Felton had 17.

Adam Morrison finished with 16 points for the rookies. Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 overall pick, had 12 on 5-for-11 shooting.

The game was sponsored by T-Mobile, which teamed with the NBA to host more than 6,000 area students in the lower section of the arena.

Updated on Saturday, Feb 17, 2007 2:42 am EST

Tim Hardaway says he hates 'gay people'- AP

Tim Hardaway should be ashamed by his comments towards gay people. It is disgraceful to think that an established person like himself would come onto the radio and say such hateful words.

It's important to note that Sports Talk 790 The Ticket is also broadcasted on television, so thousands of more people had the opportunity to hear his ignorant comments.

February 15, 2007

MIAMI (AP) -- Retired Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said Wednesday that he hates gay people, but later said he regretted the remarks.

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people," he said while a guest on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket. "I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

The discussion was sparked by last week's announcement that retired NBA center John Amaechi is gay.

The host asked Hardaway how he would interact with a gay teammate.

"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room."

If he did find out that a teammate was gay, Hardaway said he would ask for the player to be removed from the team.

"Something has to give," Hardaway said. "If you have 12 other ballplayers in your locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court or whatever, it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate."

Amaechi also detailed his life, in his autobiography "Man in the Middle," which was released Wednesday. He hoped his coming out would be a catalyst for intelligent discourse.

"I'm actually tempted to laugh," Amaechi told The Miami Herald.
"Finally, someone who is honest. It is ridiculous, absurd, petty, bigoted and shows a lack of empathy that is gargantuan and unfathomable. But it is honest. And it illustrates the problem better than any of the fuzzy language other people have used so far."

Hardaway later apologized for the remarks during a telephone interview with Fox affiliate WSVN in Miami.

"Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that," he said. "That was my mistake."

Hardaway has reportedly been removed from further league-related appearances.

"It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Updated on Thursday, Feb 15, 2007 5:43 am EST

Nash, Iverson, Kidd, Boozer and Ming to miss this weekends All-Star Game

By David
Kaye


The NBA has witnessed a litany of injuries to many of their superstars this
season and this weekend the fans at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas will not have the opportunity to see some of the best players in action.

Replacing these stars will be Carmelo Anthony, Josh Howard, Mehmet Okur and Ray Allen. A replacement for the Nets Jason Kidd has not been announced yet.

If I had it my way, the Bulls Ben Gordon would replace Kidd. The former University of Connecticut star might only be averaging 21.2 ppg, but he's doing that coming off the bench. Gordon is the odds on favorite to win this years sixth man award and for that he should be rewarded with a trip to Vegas.

Old Celtics Are Untainted by Failure - NYT.com

This was a very interesting article to read and one that is sure to get the attention of the Indiana Pacers.

By HARVEY ARATON
Published: February 9, 2007

Imagine if it were Isiah Thomas’s team that since November 2004 had led the N.B.A. in behavioral lines crossed, combinations of punches thrown and shots fired from an actual gun.

That team is the Indiana Pacers, whom he formerly coached, back in the news this week for more pugilistic misadventures, notwithstanding the alleged management of Larry Bird, a state native son who remains Teflon-coated, iconic clean.

Still playing by 1980s-era rules, it is obviously so much easier to beat up on a Motown Bad Boy than a sainted old Celtic.

This isn’t to say that Thomas’s reign at Madison Square Garden as the avowed but embattled Knicks savior hasn’t set its own unsavory standards and deserved the scrutiny. But when will the dots in Indianapolis be connected by the national news media? When will those habitually hand-swiped bottoms of Bird’s sneakers be held to the fire?

While it’s true that Bird ranks under Donnie Walsh, the longtime and widely respected Pacers’ chief executive, and has not had the sole authority that Thomas has enjoyed, his three and a half seasons as president of basketball operations have, in certain respects, been as turbulent as Thomas’s.

Remember how Bird swooped into town and within weeks replaced Thomas as the Pacers coach with Rick Carlisle, one of his favorite Celtics bench cheerleaders? The Pacers’ linchpin, Jermaine O’Neal, was in Puerto Rico that summer with a group of Larry Brown-coached N.B.A. stars, trying to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics. O’Neal was fit to be tied, if not traded, when Thomas was canned after O’Neal had signed a long-term contract with the presumption that Thomas would be his coach.

O’Neal was every bit the loyalist, as was Eddy Curry this week when commenting on the possible exit of Thomas from New York, which confirms Thomas as a sage mentor or skilled hypnotist.

It says here that Thomas never got enough credit for the groundwork he laid with a team in transition in Indiana, especially after Carlisle took the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals the next spring. Carlisle was anointed a genius, blessed as he was by the Larry and his leprechauns, until Ron Artest charged into the stands months later on the road against Detroit, with Stephen Jackson in raging pursuit, dragging what had been one of the league’s more stable franchises into continuous chaos.

You can argue that Bird inherited Artest, except he stuck with him after his suspension and eventually had to trade him with compromised leverage. Peja Stojakovic, acquired for Artest, called Bird his idol upon joining the Pacers, but left town as a free agent first chance he got.

You can say that Jackson is plain trouble, but Bird traded for him and held onto him long enough for Jackson to embarrass the franchise again last October in a multiplayer nightclub incident starring Jackson in an adaptation of his on-court persona as designated gunner.

To an ever-changing roster and an increasingly mediocre team Bird obtained Marquis Daniels, one of three Pacers (Jamaal Tinsley and Keith McLeod were the others) under police investigation after a melee in another Indianapolis nightspot early Tuesday morning. (Daniels and Tinsley were also involved in the October scuffle.)

Not arrested or charged, the players have denied being in a fight hours after Jackson returned with Golden State for the first time Monday night after an eight-player deal and torched the Pacers for 36 points. What symmetry. Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star surveyed the wreckage of the team’s reputation and called the Pacers “an embarrassment of an organization” in his column yesterday, adding that he would “rather be the Boston Celtics.”

Still playing by those 1980s-era rules, imagine if it were Thomas’s team that had dropped 36 of 48 games this season and 16 straight in Year 3 of a declared youth movement, and not a franchise under the direction of Danny Ainge.

Playing for weeks without their best player, Paul Pierce, better explains the Celtics’ franchise-record losing streak, but is there really any doubt that in the same period of time that Bird has been in Indiana, and a few months longer than Thomas has been in New York, that Ainge has done the worst job of the three.? Where is the national condemnation for collapsing the most storied N.B.A. franchise of all?

Ainge can only hope for enough rope to lasso one of the anticipated college draft studs, Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. The odds are he will get it because sainted old Celtics typically are given the benefit of the doubt, as Kevin McHale has proved in his home state of Minnesota.

Imagine if it were Thomas’s team that had only two playoff series victories to show for a decade with a superstar like Kevin Garnett, and not McHale’s. Imagine if Thomas had been caught circumventing the league’s salary cap and cost his team multiple first-round draft picks and $3.5 million, as McHale did in 2000.

What would be an unpardonable blunder for Thomas and probably for most became a short leave of absence for McHale, who is now one of the most tenured executives in a league in which even Michael Jordan got fired. We rest our case.

Great game last night at Madison Square Garden

By David
Kaye

I had the opportunity to take in last nights Knick game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Going into the game, it seemed like it would be another typical night at the garden. This involved the Knicks beginning sluggishly, gaining momentum mid-way through the game and then tailing off by the end of the fourth quater.

Yes, New York did begin slowly as they were down 10-1 with 7:58 remaining in the first, but after an Isiah Thomas time out the Knicks began to play much better basketball. Fan favorite David Lee entered the game for Jerome James after he committed two fouls, and Lee responded by completing a three point play. Quentin Richardson then ignited the crowd with an exciting dunk, and it seemed that New York was on their way to their 22nd win of the season. Remember, this would be one shy of their season total from last year and it would pull them to an even 13 and 13 at home.

The Clippers took a 28-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and they were lead by Elton Brand who scored 11 points. Brand was dominant on the offensive boards for L.A. as he was able to grab just about every rebound away from Knick defenders. This resulted in several second chance points for the Clips. By halftime, New York was down 53-43. Who would have guessed the offensive display New York would put on in the second half?

The Knicks started the second half red hot as they went on a 10-0 run. Stephon Marbury who only scored three points in the first half, converted on a lay up that tied the game up with 8:24 remaining in the third. The Knicks continued the quarter on a 24-4 run, and they received big contributions from Marbury who scored 12 out of his 15 during the quarter. The Clippers went 4 out of 19 from the field in the third and were held to 11 points. A main reason why they struggled was because Elton Brand was held scoreless.

The third quarter might have been the best basketball New York has played all season. During some stretches they looked like the Phoenix Suns on the offensive end. A key component to their success was the frequency of which they went to the foul line. For the game, they were 36 out of 44 from the line and Eddy Curry went 13 out of 16 from the charity stripe. Finally, Eddy Curry looked like an enforcer down in the paint as he was able to get to the basket with ease time after time.

The fourth quarter produced the exact same results for the Knicks as they continued to play magnificent team basketball. They had five players score at least 15 points, and no one could have had more timely shots than Jamal Crawford. He sent the crowd to the exits after hitting an electrifying three pointer with two minutes remaining in the game. This gave New York a 99-87 lead and secured their 22nd win of the season.

It was a great night of basketball at the garden, and I look forward to going to more Knick games where they play extremely well.

Amaechi to come out publicly- Yahoo! Sports

It's time that more professional athletes who are gay come out of the closet. Amaechi made great strides today by admitting he is gay, but more needs to be done if fellow players are to accept them in the locker room.

For that to happen, NBA commissioner David Stern needs to stop taking a blind eye to the issue and acknowledge that this is a conflict that needs to be dealt with head on. The down side to Amaechi's admission is that he was only a minor player during his five-year career, and probably by March this will be a dead issue.

The sports world needs a high profile athlete who is in the prime of their career to come out and admit that they are gay. Maybe then, more people will begin to take this issue seriously.

By BILL KONIGSBERG, AP Sports Writer
February 7, 2007

The small, exclusive club of openly gay professional male athletes has a new member.

Former NBA center John Amaechi, who spent five seasons with four teams, on Wednesday became the first NBA player to publicly come out.

His admission comes three years after his playing career ended, making him the sixth professional male athlete from one of the four major U.S. sports -- basketball, baseball, football, hockey -- to openly discuss his homosexuality.

Amaechi details his life in his autobiography "Man in the Middle," which will be released Feb. 14.
"He is coming out of the closet as a gay man," Amaechi's publicist Howard Bragman said.

Martina Navratilova, perhaps the most famous openly gay athlete in the world, praised Amaechi's decision and said it's imperative for athletes to come out because of what she called an epidemic of suicides among young lesbians and gays.

"It's hugely important for the kids so they don't feel alone in the world. We're role models," she said. "He will definitely help a lot of kids growing up to feel better about themselves."

Orlando's Grant Hill, who said he didn't know Amaechi when he was with the Magic, also applauded the decision to go public.

"The fact that John has done this, maybe it will give others the comfort or confidence to come out as well, whether they are playing or retiring," Hill said.

NBA commissioner David Stern said a player's sexuality wasn't important.

"We have a very diverse league. The question at the NBA is always 'Have you got game?' That's it, end of inquiry," he said.

LeBron James, however, said he didn't think an openly gay person could survive in the league.

"With teammates you have to be trustworthy, and if you're gay and you're not admitting that you are, then you are not trustworthy," James said. "So that's like the No. 1 thing as teammates -- we all trust each other. You've heard of the in-room, locker room code. What happens in the locker room stays in there. It's a trust factor, honestly. A big trust factor."

Injured Philadelphia Sixers forward Shavlik Randolph acknowledged it's a new situation.

"As long as you don't bring your gayness on me I'm fine," Randolph said. "As far as business-wise, I'm sure I could play with him. But I think it would create a little awkwardness in the locker room."

News that Amaechi had come out surprised some players.

"For real? He's gay for real?" said Philadelphia center Steven Hunter. "Nowadays it's proven that people can live double lives. I watch a lot of TV, so I see a lot of sick perverted stuff about married men running around with gay guys and all types of foolishness."

Even so, Hunter said he would be fine with an openly gay teammate.

"As long as he don't make any advances toward me I'm fine with it," he said. "As long as he came to play basketball like a man and conducted himself like a good person, I'd be fine with it."

Orlando's Pat Garrity acknowledged reaction was bound to vary throughout the league.

"They would have teammates that would accept them for being a good person and a good teammate, and there would be people who would give him a hard time about it," he said. "I think that's true if you're playing basketball or in an office job. That's just how the world is right now."

In his book, Amaechi describes the challenge of being gay in a league where it's assumed all players are heterosexual. He describes the blatant anti-gay language and attitudes he experienced in NBA locker rooms.

"We're all insensitive at times. There's no taboo subject in the locker room," said Celtics coach
Doc Rivers, who coached Amaechi in Orlando, where he said he had one of his strongest locker rooms. "I think if he would have come out they would have got on him jokingly. ... And I actually think that when guys do come out, when that day happens, it will make it easier."

Amaechi also writes that while playing in Utah, coach Jerry Sloan used anti-gay innuendo to describe him. Sloan said Wednesday that although his relationship with Amaechi was "shaky" because of the player's attitude, he didn't know Amaechi was gay. Sloan had no comment about Amaechi's contention that Sloan used anti-gay innuendo when referring to him. Amaechi said he found out about it in e-mails from friends in the Jazz front office.

Asked if knowing Amaechi was gay would have mattered, Sloan said: "Oh yeah, it would have probably mattered. I don't know exactly, but I always have peoples' feelings at heart. People do what they want to do. I don't have a problem with that."

Former NFL running back David Kopay came out in 1977; offensive lineman Roy Simmons and defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo came out more recently. Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, also have come out.

Each did so after retiring. Burke died of complications due to AIDS in 1995.

Amaechi, 36, who was raised in England, writes in the book that he never touched a basketball before the age of 17. A quick study despite being a "terrible athlete," he found his confidence in the game and made it his goal to play in the NBA.

He competed for Penn State, then played in 301 NBA games over five seasons. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. He began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995-96, then spent a few years playing in Europe. He rejoined the NBA to play for the Orlando Magic from 1999-01, then played two seasons for the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz traded him to Houston, which traded him to the New York Knicks. When the Knicks waived him in January 2004, he retired.

Amaechi came out of retirement to help England's men's basketball team win the silver medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York and AP Sports Writers Doug Alden in Salt Lake City, Dan Gelston in Philadelphia, Jimmy Golen in Boston, Rob Gillies in Toronto and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

Updated on Wednesday, Feb 7, 2007 7:46 pm EST

2007 NBA All-Star Starters in the Western Conference

By David
Kaye

The All-Star starters in the West were announced yesterday, and to my dismay there were several glaring omissions. Yes, I understand that the voting procedure is a popularity contest, but please explain how the best player in basketball Steve Nash, his teammate Amare Stoudemire, and his former teammate Dirk Nowitzki will not be in the starting lineup for the Western Conference.

The Rockets' Yao Ming will be starting at center, his teammate Tracy McGrady and the Lakers Kobe Bryant will be the starting guards, and the Timberwolves Kevin Garnett and the Spurs Tim Duncan will be the starting forwards. Yao, who already received the most votes in All-Star game history in 2005, received 2,451,718 votes this year. This ranks as the fourth most votes received in All-Star game history.

It puzzles me that the best players in the West will not be starting next month in Las Vegas. It almost seems like a broken record when the same players in the West start every single season. Granted, if someone like Kobe or T-Mac deserves their spot over the rest of their peers, then they should be the players selected. Unfortunately, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady did not deserve to start. Instead, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki should be starting in their spots.

Nash is without question the best player in basketball, and not to mention is leading his Phoenix Suns to the best record in the NBA. The 10 year veteran out of Santa Clara is averaging 19.5 PPG, 11.7 APG, and is shooting 53.6% from the field and 50 % from beyond the ark. Nash has guided his team on two 15 game winning streaks this season, and is the odds on favorite to win this season's MVP.This would be Nash's third consecutive MVP award. In my estimation, that deserves him a start in the All-Star game.

Nash's teammate Amare Stoudemire should be selected as the player to replace Yao Ming in the starting lineup. Even if Yao was healthy, Amare still warranted an All-Star start. Amare is averaging 18.7 PPG, 9.1 RPB, and is shooting a remarkable 60.5% from the field. It also doesn't hurt to be playing with the electrifying Steve Nash every night. Stoudemire's numbers are even more impressive when you take into account the fact that he only played in three games last season.

Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki was also snubbed of a starting spot. The 7 footer out of Germany is averaging 25.1 PPG, 9.5 RPB, and is shooting 49.9% from the field, 41.8% from behind the ark and 89.8% from the line. Dirk's numbers alone do not offer a fair representation of what he brings to the court every night. His team has won 35 out of their last 40 games, and this has occurred due to the outstanding play and leadership of Nowitzki. He has made Josh Howard into an excellent player, and has made the rest of his teammates increasingly better. This is why he deserves the starting spot, but at this point, I think he will take a 35-9 record in what is a brutally tough Western Conference.

2007 NBA All-Star Starters in the Eastern Conference

By David
Kaye

The starters for next months game in Las Vegas were announced today,and the results in the Eastern Conference are as follows. Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas will start at the guard positions, LeBron James and Chris Bosh at the forward positions and somehow Shaquille O'Neal will be starting at center.

Shaq was voted to his 14th straight All-Star team, but this time he did not deserve the selection. He has only played in five games this season and has averaged 12.2 PPG and 7 RPB. Conversely, Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard is averaging 17 PPG, 12.5 RPB and 1.9 BPG. Not to mention, Howard has played in 43 games and has his Magic 3.5 games ahead of the Heat in the Southeast division.

The Diesels selection was obviously based on name recognition and popularity, but he would even admit that he doesn't deserve the selection. The NBA needs to institute a minimum games played rule if you are to be selected to the All-Star team. Both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James deserved their selection over any other player at their position. LeBron captured the second most votes in NBA All-Star game history this year as he received 2,516,049 votes.

Gilbert Arenas squeaked out Vince Carter by 3,010 votes for the second starting spot at the guard position. This was the fourth-closest race in NBA All-Star history, but Mr. Hibachi as he is now known as deserved the selection by the fans.

Besides Dwight Howard's omission as the East's starting center, every other player deserved the starting nod. You can make the case that Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal should have been selected over Toronto's Chris Bosh because Bosh missed 12 games with an injury, but Toronto's franchise player is having a stellar season.

All in all, the Eastern Conference has produced a starting five that matches up well to the starting five of the West. In my next NBA Blog, I will share who the starters in the Western Conference are, and how in the world Steve Nash was not voted in by the fans.

Can it get any worse for the Boston Celtics?

By David
Kaye

The Boston Celtics used to be one of the premier and storied franchises in the NBA, but now they are competing with the woeful Memphis Grizzlies for the worst record in basketball. The Celtics are 12-29, have lost nine straight games, are 4-16 at home and sport the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Yes, even the Hawks and Bobcats have better records than the team who has won 16 NBA titles.

Can someone please explain to me what went wrong in Boston? There comes a time when you have to stop blaming the Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge for their lack of success and start holding the players accountable. I understand that they are without their best player Paul Pierce who is out with a stress reaction in his left foot, but there is no excuse for not winning a home game since December 15th. Since going on a five game win streak in early December, the Celtics have lost 16 out of their last 18 games.

Now, at some point the young players on the team need to wake up and play productive basketball. After surrendering a mere 29 points to the Hawks in the first half last night, they permitted them to score 53 in the second half. For a young energetic group of players, falling apart in the last two quarters to the Hawks of all teams and shooting 31.6% from the field is unacceptable.

I really feel bad for all the die hard Celtics fans who have stayed loyal to their team throughout this dismal season. Living in New York and having to watch the Knicks play is bad, but at least they have shown signs of improvement this season.

At some point, Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Ryan Gomes need to demonstrate that their actually alive on the court. Individually, these players possess exceptional talent, but when you throw them all out on the same court they flounder. Since the beginning of last season the C's
have compiled a 45-78 record, and based on their recent play that record is only going to get increasingly worse.

Maybe it's time to fire Doc Rivers, or maybe Danny Ainge needs to make another trade to bring along a few proven players. Still, it's unfortunate to make Doc Rivers the scape goat, but in a league that is predicated on winning now,being 17 games under .500 will not aid your chances of keeping your job.

Whatever Danny Ainge decides to do, I hope it's in the best interest of the team because during his tenure with the Celtics he has made several idiotic trades. The only positive thing going for Boston is that their only eight games back in the division, but at the current time all their hoping for is a win.

Timberwolves fire head coach Dwane Casey

By David
Kaye

Dwane Casey was relieved of his head coaching duties today after 1 1/2 seasons on the job. Through 40 games this season Minnesota is 20 up and 20 down, but they have lost four in a row. The T-Wolves are currently third in the Northwest division, and if the playoffs began today they would find themselves as the eighth seed.

Granted, the Western Conference is extremely competitive, but Casey was never able to catapult the Wolves into being a serious contender. Last season he lead Minnesota to a 33-49 record. It's unfortunate that the long time Sonics assistant coach wasn't able to resurrect the Wolves because he has one of the premier players in the league on his team in Kevin Garnett.

Garnett has voiced his displeasure over the direction of the team on many occasions, and has even hinted that if Minnesota doesn't turn their play around quickly he would like to be traded. A change of scenario might be needed for the 12 year veteran, but at the current time his team does not seem to be going anywhere, but down hill.

They only lead the Clippers by one game for the eighth and final spot in the West, and play their next three games on the road. The final game of their road trip happens to be Saturday night against the Clippers. It's too bad that Casey had to be made the scape goat for the Wolves struggles, but he is sure to land another head coaching job in the near future. In the mean time, assistant coach Randy Wittman will take over the head coaching duties.

NEW WARRIORS READY TO RUN- San Francisco Chronicle

The Warriors currently sit ninth in the Western Conference, and after their recent trade they have the possibility of catapulting into the last playoff spot. It will be difficult for them to grab the eighth seed because of how stacked the West is, but the addition of Harrington and Jackson bring Golden State two players with playoff experience.
San Francisco Chronicle

Al Harrington can't wait to beat Chris Mullin in a game of H-O-R-S-E.

He says Golden State was his top choice all summer long.

And he thinks the Warriors play more than up-tempo under coach Don Nelson.

"They play fast-forward," he said. "I'm about to go out there and work out and hope I can keep up."

Harrington and swingman Stephen Jackson landed in Oakland on Thursday, and the centerpieces of the Warriors' eight-player trade with Indiana -- which also netted Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell in exchange for Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod -- had plenty running through their minds before watching their new teammates practice.

At the top of the list was jump-starting their seasons in Nelson's fast-paced system, which both stressed couldn't be more different than former coach Rick Carlisle's deliberate offense.

"It's night-and-day," Jackson said. "Nellie has a lot of confidence in his point guards and guys that are out there to get the team in its offense and get shots. Rick wants to control a lot of the offense, control the game. That's one thing we didn't see eye-to-eye on."

Jackson and Harrington were both unhappy with their roles in Carlisle's slow-it-down system, but their transition in Golden State figures to be smoother with some deep ties to the organization already in place.

Harrington was feeling out the league as an 18-year-old rookie in Indiana while Mullin was winding down his illustrious career in 1998. It wasn't long before Harrington had a mentor and a workout buddy - even if he couldn't beat Mullin in a shooting game.

Now, Harrington and point guards Baron Davis spend their offseasons training together in Las Vegas, where Jackson dropped in this summer. Jackson also played for Warriors assistant coach Keith Smart in the CBA.

It's his kinship with Mullin, however, that might be most important. Jackson faces ongoing legal issues from the 2004 Pacers-Pistons brawl and October's gun-firing incident outside a strip club in Indiana, and said he feels a natural connection to Mullin, who overcame alcoholism as a player.

"I think Mully understands a guy like me," he said. "He understands I'm very emotional about the game."

Jackson becomes the only Warrior with an NBA championship to his name. He was a member of the San Antonio's title team in 2003 and averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists during the playoffs.

In Jackson and Harrington, the Warriors gain athleticism without giving up long-range shooting, and they might have even upgraded their defense. Harrington has never been known for locking players down, but said that he and Jackson were "more athletic" than former forwards Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, "and coach can demand more from us."

None of the new Warriors could practice Thursday night because the four players sent to the Pacers had yet to pass their physicals. They are expected to have their first workout with the team today.

Nelson figures to start Harrington at power forward and use Jackson at shooting guard, especially in the absence of Jason Richardson, but Nelson is always shifting his lineups on the fly.
The newcomers said they will adjust to whatever Nelson needs, and the same applies to Jackson and his legal issues.

He has court dates scheduled for Jan. 26 and Feb. 12, the latter of which falls on a game day. The Warriors travel to Denver to finish up a back-to-back set on Feb. 12. Though Jackson said he could miss a practice or game, he vowed not to let it affect his play.

"The ups and downs happen. My whole focus the whole time, regardless of what I go through, is basketball," Jackson said. "It keeps me focused on the bigger things, which is life, my family."

Added Harrington: "He deals with it at home. He doesn't bring it into practice with him. Those two or three hours, he's very professional."

E-mail Janny Hu at jhu@sfchronicle.com.

NBA Official Rodney Mott Suspended For Obscene Gesture

Mott suspended three game for obscenities toward fans
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- NBA official Rodney Mott was suspended three games without pay Friday for making an obscene gesture toward a fan and also using inappropriate language.

Mott made the gesture and remarks after the Portland Trail Blazers' 93-90 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday night in Portland.

The 49-year-old Mott is in his ninth season as an NBA official.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Joumana Kidd Files Restraining Order Against Nets Jason Kidd

Kidd's wife responds to restraining order in kind
Associated Press


TRENTON, N.J. -- The wife of New Jersey Nets star Jason Kidd has filed her own domestic-violence restraining order, less than a week after the point guard accused her of beating him and extreme cruelty.

"There was a lot, a lot of physical violence," Joumana Kidd's attorney, Raoul Felder, said in Saturday's New York Post.

Felder said that Joumana Kidd asked the court for the restraining order on Friday.

On Monday night, police served Joumana Kidd with a restraining order obtained by her husband. On Tuesday, the 33-year-old NBA star filed for divorce from his wife of 10 years, citing "extreme cruelty" and saying that he was an abused spouse.

Under the protection order filed by Jason Kidd, he must pick up his children curbside for visits so that Joumana does not violate the order, attorneys said.

The Kidds, married in 1997, were involved in a domestic violence matter six years ago when he played for the Phoenix Suns.

In that incident, Jason Kidd was arrested in January 2001 after Joumana told police he slapped her in the face during an argument about feeding their son, who is now 8. The couple also have 4-year-old twin daughters.

Kidd pleaded guilty to spousal abuse, was fined $200 and ordered to take anger-management training.

In the dissolution papers Kidd filed Tuesday, however, he painted a detailed portrait of Joumana Kidd as a vitriolic, jealous and paranoid wife who suspected her husband was cheating and who was prone to public outbursts and threats.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

The Warriors & Pacers swap players

By David
Kaye

Jermaine O'Neal spoke and Pacer management listened. The Pacers star has been fed up with the direction of his team for a while now as he recently said ''we're a very average team right now.''

O'Neal's Pacers won't be average for long because they completed an eight-player trade today with the Golden State Warriors that will greatly improve their roster. Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell were sent to the Bay Area in exchange for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod.

Both Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy have struggled under the system of head coach Don Nelson. Even though Nellie is a Hall of Fame coach, both youngsters were not able to mesh under his style of play. A change of venue will be great for the former number three pick in the 2002 draft and the former Notre Dame star.

Murphy will automatically became a solid big man in the Eastern Conference because of his outside shooting ability and rebounding skills. Murphy's skills have been overshadowed out West because of the plethora of skilled big man, but as he returns to the state of Indiana he will have the opportunity to display his talent. In only 28.2 MPG in his career, Murphy has averaged 11.2 PPG and 8.2 RPB. His numbers are sure to be on the rise.

Mike Dunleavy will be a great beneficiary of the trade. He is player who has an abundant of talent and great shooting ability. I feel that in Rick Carlisle's system the former Duke Star will see his scoring and shooting percentage numbers sky rocket. Being that he will now play in a porous Eastern Conference Dunleavy will have the opportunity to prove why he was selected third in the 2002 draft.

Also, former Arizona State star Ike Diogu can now show critics why he was a lottery pick. Diogu is not a big man at 6 foot 8, but he plays like he's 7 feet tall. At a robust 255 pounds he will have the opportunity to trample over the opposition. He only played 13.1 MPG this season because of the over abundance of big men that the Warriors have, but his playing time will increase. If you translate Diogu's playing time to 39 MPG he would be averaging 21.3PPG and 10.2 RPB. I see Diogu as being the steal of the whole entire trade, and a person who will form a nice combo up front with Jermaine O'Neal.

Overall, the Pacers made an excellent trade that will pay dividends for many years down the road. The average age of Murphy, Dunleavy and Diogu is 25. When you exclude veteran Darrell Armstrong, the average age of the Pacers roster is now just under 26. This is great news for a franchise that's trying to build a stable foundation for the future. Now that Jermaine O'Neal has the players in place to win, he needs to back up his comments by leading the Pacers to an Eastern Conference title.

MO'KELLY thinks Jason Kidd's Divorce From His Wife Joumana Proves She Can't Handle Being NBA Wife

I can't agree that Jason needs a hug as he was accused of beating his wife several years ago. If anything, Joumana needs a hug.

THE MO'KELLY REPORT: Jason Kidd Needs a Hug

By Morris W. O'Kelly
January 11, 2007
*New Jersey Nets star Jason Kidd has filed for divorce from his wife of 10 years. He is accusing his soon to be ex-wifey Joumana of "extreme cruelty" in the form of physical and mental abuse. Jason, it seems was getting his a$$ whooped on the regular.
Hey...don't get mad at Mo'Kelly for saying it; it's what Jason Kidd is alleging in his own complaint. Mo'Kelly's just making it plain.
Both Jason and Joumana have declined any public comment, so in their absence Mo'Kelly will gladly comment publicly on their behalf.
Jason alleges that Joumana is "jealous, paranoid and unstable, prone to physical attacks and public threats." Let's circle up the fellas. Group hug for battered husband Jason Kidd. Brothaman needs a friend right about now...and some self-defense classes.
Specifically, Jason claims that Joumana used their 8-year-old son to sneak into the Nets locker room and get "daddy's" cell phone so she could harass among other people, the various "female" entries in his phone. Afterwards, Jason alleges she went courtside to verbally berate him DURING a game.
That's good, sending the son to fetch daddy's cell phone so Mommy can harass the groupies AND her husband while he's at work.
There's nothing better than getting heckled by the other team's fans AND your own wife while you're shooting free throws.
(Jason dribbles the ball three times and blows a kiss to the sky in honor of his wife as he prepares to shoot a free-throw.)
Heckler: "Jason, you're a bum and washed up!"
Joumana (holding up cell phone): "Yeah Jason, you're a bum! And who the hell is Loquita...609.777.9311?! I hope you brick you sorry @#$*(&! "
Didn't Joumana get the memo? When you marry an NBA player, all wedding vow bets are off. Those are the "rules" and Joumana knew the job was dangerous when she took it. If fidelity is high on one's marriage list of priorities, maybe having an NBA all-star as a husband is not your best bet. Oh, we all know the world "shouldn't" be that way, but Mo'Kelly "shouldn't" have to lock his door after leaving his house either. Some things are just the way they are.
Or you can look at it this way...
If you are an eye-candy groupie/NBA TV anchor of marginal talent (i.e. Joumana)...and marry an NBA player in the hopes of forwarding your career (i.e. the victim/battered husband/sympathetic figure Jason) the "rules" clearly state that the wife was not the first and shall not be the last groupie in the career of the NBA husband. Juanita Jordan knew the rules, Vanessa Bryant knew the rules and even (ahem) Cuttino Mobley knew the rules before each went to the altar. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and (ahem) Stevie Franchise are going to do what they want, with whomever they want. That's the price you pay as an NBA (ahem) spouse.
Use a gun...go to jail.
Marry an NBA all-star...invariably deal with infidelity.
Remember when Hall of Famer James Worthy was arrested for solicitation in Houston for having not one...but TWO upscale hookers? See, Mo'Kelly can't even afford two "regular" hookers at the same time. Mo'Kelly's mortgage, electricity and food are slightly more important. Hookers and groupies aren't a threat to Mo'Kelly's woman. But since those like Joumana wish to move to a higher tax bracket, hookers come with the territory. They are like roaches in the hood. You can't have one without the other. Now some of the groupies are "pros," some amateur...but all are within the rules. Read the rulebook.
For example:
Larry Johnson, "GrandMaMa" - 5 children, 4 different women
Shawn Kemp - 7 children, 6 different women
Wilt Chamberlain - claimed sex with 20,000 women
Stephen Jackson - 6 maybe 7 children with multiple women
Juwan Howard - 3 children, 3 different women
In the case of Shawn Kemp, you'd think that after the 6th child with the 5th different woman, #6 would have some sense. But I guess 'cents' were on her mind, not 'sense.' But that's another discussion for another day.
In any event, when you pursue these professional athletes, especially basketball players...you can't get brand new when ballers do what ballers do.
Sports Illustrated has estimated that the number of illegitimate children fathered by NBA players equals or exceeds the number of players presently in the league. That's pretty impressive when you think about it. 12 players, 30 teams...360 children, minimum. Remember, these are just the children BORN from these sexual dalliances...not the tens of thousands of questionable trysts by both married and unmarried players.
These guys were man-whores (allegedly) when you met them and you collectively were willing to overlook these truths for the chance at a lifetime of materialistic luxury. Don't get brand new on us because you now don't like the idea of sharing "your" man-whore. No amount of GPS trackers or beatdowns will change the rules. You can't turn a man-ho into a house-husband. Even Jason Kidd is one of the dozens of current NBA players who have been slapped with paternity lawsuits. Although some of the many suits may be frivolous, the only way you can even get hit with a paternity suit in the first place is to have sex with someone other than your wife, if not unprotected as well. They don't usually appear out of thin air. There's this thing called a DNA/paternity test, you might have heard of it. All aspiring groupies have; it's the first thing they learn while studying at Groupie Tech U.
Those are the rules and Joumana knew the job was dangerous when she took it. She wanted a career and the life of an NBA-wife.
Well, she got exactly what she signed up for and somewhere along the way wanted to change the rules. Can't do that.
The "rules" explicitly state that the non-contributing spouse (that would be Joumana) can't have jack to say until the NBA career is over. The gold-digger waves all rights and privileges in that regard. Juanita Jordan handled it correctly and Joumana should have followed her lead.
But wait, there's more.
Kidd also alleges that the man-beater would routinely kick, hit, punch and throw household objects at him. And when the beatings weren't enough to get Jason to act right, she installed tracking devices on his car and computer to monitor his whereabouts. Or did the satellite tracking come first and the evidence led to the beatings?
Hmmm...Mo'Kelly's not sure which came first here, the chickenhead or the egg.
(Joumana is covered in car grease, wearing a wifebeater...er uh, I mean a husbandbeater T-shirt, smoking a cigarette and drinking a 40oz, while working on the undercarriage of Jason's 200k Bentley...her son dribbles a basketball nearby.)
"Mommy...whatcha doin'?"
"Mommy is installing a GPS on Daddy's car. Hand Mommy that wrench."
(Joumana wipes the sweat from her brow as she struggles to tighten a bolt with a crescent wrench)
"Mommy...what's a "GPS?"
(Joumana pulls out a hammer and bangs away to loosen a stuck bolt)
"Uh...it's a...uh...uh...Groupie Protection Sensor...it let's Mommy know when broke and dangerous, gold-digging groupies are near Daddy. It keeps Daddy safe."
"Mommy...what's a groupie?"
"It's kind of like Mommy, but without the marriage certificate and diamond ring to show for it."
"Oh, ok...where's Daddy?"
"He's at the hospital getting stitches. Daddy accidentally hit himself in the eye five times in a row with a can of soup."
"Didn't he already go to the hospital last week for his eye?
"No, that was his 'other' eye...remember when Daddy accidentally fell down and hit his left eye on Mommy's steel-toe Timberlands while she was wearing them? Now go find me Daddy's cell phone."
Thoughts and prayers to Jason Kidd in this, his time of need. And could somebody please pull the (alleged) man-beater aside explain the rules to her in the interim?

The NBA Celebrates Martin Luther King Day- NBA.com

Today is a day to honor and commemorate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. The NBA does a superb job all around of remembering his legacy.

January 15, 2007 marks the 21st anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday and the NBA will honor Dr. King's legacy with 10 games, including eight matinee games. Be sure to tune in to see the Spurs and Bulls go at it on NBA TV at 2 p.m. ET, followed by two more nationally televised games on TNT -- The Suns take on the Grizzlies in Memphis (home of the Civil Rights Museum) at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Lakers and Heat revisit their Christmas-day rivalry at 10 p.m. ET.
NBA presents live games in multiple countries on Martin Luther King Day

Game Schedule
1 p.m.
Sacramento Kings at New York Knicks
1 p.m.
Utah Jazz at Washington Wizards
2 p.m.
Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers
2 p.m.
Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks
2 p.m. - NBA TV
San Antonio Spurs at Chicago Bulls
3:30 p.m.
Indiana Pacers at New Jersey Nets
3:30 p.m.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Detroit Pistons
4 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Golden State Warriors
7:30 p.m. - TNT
Phoenix Suns at Memphis Grizzlies
10 p.m. - TNT
Miami Heat at L.A. Lakers
(All times Eastern)

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."-- Martin Luther King Jr., Speech at Civil Rights March on Washington, Aug. 28, 1963

D-League MLK Showcase

GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 4, 2007 – Twelve games in three days highlight the 2007 NBA Development League MLK Showcase that takes place Jan. 15-17 at the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Every team in the D-League, along with scouts and player personnel executives from every NBA team, will converge on the home of the Sioux Falls Skyforce for four games each day. Games will be broken into two sessions daily, with the opening game of the first session tipping off at 11 a.m. CT, followed by game two 25 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. The second session begins at 5 p.m. CT, with the final game each day starting 25 minutes after game three.

NBA TV will broadcast all 12 games from the Showcase, 10 live. Coverage begins each day at noon eastern, 11 a.m. central. Games not covered live by NBA TV will be video streamed live on D-LEAGUE.com. Additional NBA TV coverage details will be available soon. Both Idaho Stampede games will be live audio streamed as well at D-League.com, and tape delayed on 630 AM KFXD beginning at 7 p.m. Mountain Time each day. Read more ...

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

-- Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

Stephen A. Smith: ESPN cancels `Quite Frankly' TV Show - The Philadelphia Inquirer

ESPN cancels `Quite Frankly' TV show with Stephen A. Smith
By Gail Shister

The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA - ESPN on Friday pulled the plug on Stephen A. Smith's weeknight interview show, "Quite Frankly.''

Its finale was Friday night. Smith, a Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter since 1994, launched "Quite Frankly'' in August 2005. His high-decibel delivery earned him the nickname, "Screamin' A. Smith."

"Frankly'' ran at 6:30 weeknights, moving to 11 p.m. in January 2006. Its cancellation was not a surprise - the show never drew big ratings.

Smith's presence will be expanded across numerous platforms, the network announced on Friday.

To wit: He'll be featured more regularly on "SportsCenter,'' NBA studio programming, and on ESPNEWS, as well as host four TV interview specials surrounding big events.

In addition, "opportunities" with ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com columns "will be explored," the network said.

"Stephen A. connects with fans because he brings great energy, knowledge and strong opinions," Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive in charge of remote and studio production, said in a statement.

"While `Quite Frankly' delivered strong interviews and discussion, this new role will provide a better showcase for Stephen A.'s impactful voice to be heard across numerous forms of ESPN media."

"Yes, it's true, and I support ESPN's decision," Smith said. "Doing a brand new show on ESPN2 was a tremendous challenge and I'm proud of what we accomplished.

"I've learned a great deal. I've also learned there's limits to what I can withstand in regards to my schedule. Now I move on to future challenges - while enthusiastically embracing old ones like writing for The Inquirer on a more frequent basis. This is not an end for me. This is just the beginning. I'm just getting started."

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© 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer.