Tag: the NBA

NBA players would be wise to learn historic lessons from vets like Grant Hill

It’s hard to imagine a player in the NBA who is more respected than Phoenix forward Grant Hill.

After battling back from a series of injuries earlier in his career, Hill is now the second-oldest player in the league at 39.

Hill learned much during the 1998 lockout, when the league shaved its schedule from 82 to 50 game in a similar lockout. The stoppage in play cost Hill much of the $6.6 million he was supposed to make that season.

Despite that financial duress, Hill told Yahoo.com about that lockout.

“It’s always worth it. I think you learn a lot,” Hill said. “I think it’s worth it. I think the game recovered. The game is in great shape now.”

Hill is concerned about what another impact an extended layoff  would have on him.

“It’s tough, especially for an older guy,” Hill said. “You got certain benchmarks you try to reach in the offseason to get ready for training camp. You could do too much or do too little just in terms of staying in shape, staying sharp.”

Hill isn’t taking an active role in these labor negotiations. But it would be very smart of the younger players to lean heavily on the wisdom of older players like Hill and Tim Duncan who lived through the earlier lockout.

“It’s not an easy thing. I’m confident with our leadership and our guys who are at the table,” Hill told Yahoo. “From what I hear there has been some really healthy conversations and dialogue. We just have to continue that.

“At least we have the luxury of having it before and learning from it as players and also as a Players Association. I think this time around guys are better prepared. It was kind of crazy last time. It might get crazy here now.”

Here is a list of the players who played in the NBA during the 2010-11 season who were around for the 1998 lockout.

  • Boston G Ray Allen
  • Philadelphia C Tony Battie
  • Miami G Mike Bibby
  • New York G Chauncey Billups
  • Milwauke G Earl Boykins
  • Los Angeles Lakers G Kobe Bryant
  • Phoenix G Vince Carter
  • Portland C Marcus Camby
  • Miami C Erick Dampier
  • Philadelphia G Antonio Daniels
  • San Antonio F-C  Tim Duncan
  • Los Angeles Lakers G Derek Fisher
  • Boston F Kevin Garnett
  • Denver F Al Harrington
  • Phoenix F Grant Hill 
  • Miami F Juwan Howard
  • Miami C Zydrunas  Ilgauskas
  • Cleveland F Antawn Jamison
  • Dallas G Jason Kidd
  • Washington F Rashard Lewis
  • Portland C Sean Marks
  • San Antonio F-C Antonio McDyess 
  • Detroit F-G Tracy McGrady
  • Houston C Brad Miller
  • Oklahoma City C Nazr Mohammed
  • Phoenix G Steve Nash
  • Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki
  • Boston F Jermaine O’Neal
  • Boston C Shaquille O’Neal
  • Cleveland G Anthony Parker
  • Boston F Paul Pierce
  • Los Angeles Lakers C-F Theo Ratliff
  • Milwaukee F Brian Skinner
  • Los Angeles Lakers F Joe Smith 
  • Miami G Jerry Stackhouse
  • Dallas F Peja Stojakovic
  • Chicago F Kurt Thomas
  • Detroit F Ben Wallace
  • Memphis G Jason Williams

These players were around for the nastiness of the last strike. The younger  players would be wise to seek their counsel.

Vacation beckons while looking for a Sioux Falls Skyforce t-shirt

The NBA lockout is in full swing and free agency isn’t happening across the NBA.

It’s a great time to take a short vacation.  

I’m going to take off a couple of weeks as me and my family restage the Griswold’s trek across the nation’s heartland. We’re going much farther north — to a dream location for my 6-year-old in South Dakota that consists of bison hunts, trips to Mount Rushmore and even a stop by the Corn Palace. And by leaving now, we’ll miss all of the congestion at Sturgis, too.

So I’m going to take a cue from Artis Gilmore over in the picture and just chill for a couple of weeks.

We won’t be hanging up a “Gone Fishing” sign here at Spurs Nation.com. My able senior mates on the Spurs beat, Mike Monroe and Jeff McDonald, will keep the blog humming while I’m gone.

I’ll be like the rest of you checking on what’s happening with the team and the NBA by checking out Spurs Nation.com frequently.

Even when we’re in the jeep in the middle of the buffalo herd next week or hunting for an elusive Sioux Falls Skyforce t-shirt.

Battier says ‘magical run’ carried Grizzlies past Spurs in playoffs

Even a couple of months after the upset occurred, Memphis forward Shane Battier remains a little suprised the Grizzlies stunned the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.

The Grizzlies’ six-game series victory over the Spurs was only the second time since the NBA went to a best-of-seven series for all rounds of the playoffs that a No. 8 seed toppled a No. 1 seed.

And it still is a, he said in an interview with radio station WFAN in New York City earlier this week. (Hat tip to Sports Radio Interviews.com)

“We knew that we had a favorable matchup in the Spurs,” Battier said. “Did we think we could beat them and take the Thunder in second round to seven games? I’d be lying to say I knew that was going to happen.”

The Grizzlies had never won a playoff game, much less a series before their matchup with the Spurs this year. But after splitting four games with San Antonio earlier in the regular season, Memphis has confidence coming into the playoffs, Battier said.

“We knew we had a chance against the Spurs. We felt that we matched up great against them,” Battier said. “We were younger and we were more athletic.

“After we won that first game in San Antonio, we all looked at each other and said ‘hey guys we can do this.’ We went on a magical run, the city was behind us, it was simply electric, and it was a fantastic lightning in a bottle run for us.”

It also didn’t hurt them that Manu Ginobili missed the first game of the series with what turned out to be a broken arm. But the Grizzlies took advantage of his absence in that game and held serve by winning the rest of their home games to claim the upset.

Battier said he hopes that the labor impasse between owners and players will be short. And he made an interesting comment that the NBA can’t go through an extended lockout like the NFL has endured.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that we will get something done before missing any games. We all know what’s at stake,” Battier said. “We can’t afford to go through what the NFL is going through and we can’t afford to lose the fans. I just think we have a perspective after going through this in ’99 that it’s in the best interest of everybody to hammer out a fair deal.”