Tag: the NBA

TP’s new girlfriend turning heads during Spurs’ NYC stay

Life is pretty good for Spurs point guard Tony Parker these days.

His team is in the middle of an eight-game winning streak as he’s earned the fourth selection of his career to the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 26 in Orlando.

And his personal life appears to have picked up as well.

The New York City tabloids were buzzing during the Spurs’ recent trip there about Parker and his mystery girlfriend, a French model known only as Axelle.

The New York Post reported that Parker and the stunning French-speaking brunette were recently seen shopping at the SoHo custom jeans store 3 x 1.

A witness told the Post that Parker and Axelle “.” Another source close to Parker told the Post that “they are an item,” and have been dating for many months.

Axelle was first seen over the summer when she attended a Paris tennis tournament with Parker during the NBA lockout. The gossip website Radar Online quoted a Parker insider this week as saying this could be a special friend for Parker.

“They were so cute!” an insider . “They were holding hands and kissing. They looked really happy and in love. Tony has been playing phenomenally recently! Axelle must be responsible.”

It’s Parker’s first serious girlfriend since his divorce from actress Eva Longoria last January.

Five days in New York during the Rodeo Road Trip was almost guaranteed to get Parker in the gossip columns.

And like his performance on the basketball court in recent games, Parker assuredly didn’t disappoint.

Stern thinks Shaq will be better coach than Barkley at Rising Stars game

David Stern has never been afraid to ruffle a few feathers or stick a needle when he wanted to.

The NBA commissioner has inflamed the  Rising Stars Competition Feb. 24 in Orlando when he said that he thought that Shaquille O’Neal will be a better coach in the game between the league’s top rookies and second-year players than his fellow TNT commentator Charles Barkley.

“I can’t wait to critique Charles. Oh boy, I am on this, all over it, okay,” Stern told reporters. “I think that Shaq is going to be a better coach than Charles. And he was a better rebounder than Charles. I’ll even go to the question that he’s a better commentator than Charles … [but] that’s for after All-Star [Weekend].”

How come I feel like I’m in the middle of a WWE promotion?

Spurs 9th in PBT’s first NBA power rankings

It’s never too early to start looking at power ratings — particularly with the season starting on Sunday.

Pro Basketball Talk’s weekly power ratings always are a must read.  It’s obvious they put a lot of thought into their weekly rankings of the NBA.

Kurt Helin starts the season with the Mavericks first in the league. I think the loss of Tyson Chandler will hurt them more than most and would be hesistant to place them at the top of my list. I might opt for Miami — despite the Heat’s NBA Finals loss to the Mavericks.

Helin tabs the . Here’s what he has to say about the Silver and Black:

“9. Spurs (61-21). They were the best team in the West last regular season, but they didn’t have the size up front to stop a team with a big front line in the playoffs. A team like Memphis. That hasn’t changed.”

Helin is right. The Spurs are depleted inside, particularly if Antonio McDyess makes good on his retirement threat and the Spurs don’t add another veteran player to replace him.

It’s a little much to expect Tiago Splitter to be able to make up for McDyess’ loss by himself. So the rationale having the Spurs in the bottom part of the top 10 probably is about right.