Kobe Bryant Leads NBA All-Star Voting

Filed under: Celtics, Heat, Hornets, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, NBA All-Star Game, Thunder

Kobe Bryant remains the leading vote-getter for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game with 1,153,694 votes, the league announced Thursday. Dwight Howard (988,572) leads all players in the Eastern Conference, while Miami's LeBron James (969,459) and Dwyane Wade (938,402) place third and fourth in the league.

Bryant, a three-time All-Star MVP (2002, 2007 and 2009), has been voted a starter in each of the last 12 All-Star games, although he missed last season's contest in Dallas due to injury. This season's game will be played Feb. 20 in Los Angeles on Bryant's home court at STAPLES Center. Paper balloting for the All-Star game will continue through Jan. 17, while electronic ballots can be cast through Jan. 23. The starters will be announced on Jan. 27, and the reserves will be announced on Feb. 3.

The latest returns also suggest a passing of the torch in Boston, as Rajon Rondo (777,310) so far has been named on more ballots than any of the Celtics' Big Three of Kevin Garnett (712,555), Paul Pierce (381,348) or Ray Allen (392,441). Rondo and Garnett are second among the East's guards and forwards, respectively, putting them on pace to earn a stating job -- provided they're healthy. Rondo, who's recently missed time with a sprained ankle, is expected to return Friday, but Garnett, who left Wednesday's game with a leg injury, is sidelined indefinitely.

In the West, Kevin Durant (735,521) and Carmelo Anthony (602,516) are the current leaders among forwards, although Pau Gasol (597,201) doesn't have much ground to make up to earn a starting job. Chris Paul (585,690) is second among the West's guards, possessing a healthy lead over Manu Ginobili (403,632).

Yao Ming (376,283), who's already been ruled out for the remainder of the season, is the runaway leader among the West's centers, with Andrew Bynum (376,283) a distant second. If Yao finishes as the top vote-getter at center, NBA commissioner David Stern will name a replacement for his spot on the roster, and the West's coach, currently slated to be Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, will choose a starter.

 

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ESPN rips off a Lakers reporter's column

We've long respected Kevin Ding's fine work in covering the Lakers beat for the Orange County Register. The defending champs have long been this league's most-scrutinized team, even with Miami's recent ascension, and Ding (pictured to the right, courtesy of the OCR) does a fantastic and energetic job with this crew. We're big fans.

And we're not the only ones.

Apparently ESPN News anchor Will Selva liked Ding's recent column on the Lakers so much that he decided to lift the opening few lines from it for his on-air copy Tuesday night. Without attribution. And you don't need a journalism degree to know that this is wrong, in so many ways.

Let's attribute Kevin, as he tells the rest of the story:

I got back to my hotel room late Tuesday night after the Lakers-Spurs game and turned on ESPNEWS' "Highlight Express" show. Imagine my shock when anchor Will Selva proceeded to use the first several paragraphs of my column looking forward to the game as his lead-in to the highlights.

I mean, word for word.

Ding goes on to quote the words that Selva ripped off, which we'd quote, but you've probably already heard them on ESPN a dozen times today. These are the crazy chances in life that you take when you decide to board the Highlight Express, I suppose. Choo-choo, mamajammas.

The OCR is still waiting to hear back from ESPN representatives.

UPDATE: FanHouse is reporting that Selva has been suspended by ESPN.

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The 10-man rotation, starring Jeremy Lin

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: NBDL.com. Tonight, we're all Ivy-Leaguers, as Jeremy Lin will be making his Reno Bighorns debut in a few hours, getting some needed reps.
PF: Posting and Toasting. Translated Timofey Mozgov: "On my part there's no panic!"
SF: New York Post. ‘Bron will welcome NYC fans to Miami. It means Miami legitimately sells out a game.
SG: NBA.com. Steve Aschburner interviews former Minneapolis Lakers coach John Kundla.
PG: Red 94. Ben Heller with a very interesting look at clutch statistics and how they relate to Houston.
6th: Shoothoops. A must-read breakdown regarding the NBA's 2003-04 low point.
7th: Draft Express. Breaking down Landry Fields' terrific rookie season.
8th: SLAM. A cool look at Miami's "other guys."
9th: TrueHoop. Beckley Mason's expertly-executed re-appraisal of Dwight Howard.
10th: Truth About It. You may have already seen it, but it's worth re-reading Kyle Weidie's kind glance at Nick Young's issues with passing the rock.

Got a link or tip for Ball Don't Lie? Holler at me at KD_BDL_ED (at) yahoo.com, or follow me on Twitter.

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The Knicks get into Christmas spirit with special uniforms

Today is Christmas, full of joy and cheer, and there's no better way to spend it than by watching five quality NBA basketball games with your friends, family, and the new puppy you received last night. This truly is the happiest day of the year.

The NBA festivities kicked off this morning with the Knicks' 103-95 win over the Bulls at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks got into the Christmas spirit with some festive duds to mark the occasion. With the Bulls wearing their usual road reds, the Knicks eschewed their usual home colors and went with their rare alternate green, most famous for Nate Robinson's "Krypto-Nate" performance in the 2009 dunk contest against Dwight Howard.

The point behind this red and green combination should be fairly obvious: they're Christmas colors, today is Christmas, and the Knicks wanted to do something to honor the holiday. It's a nice touch, and unlike some Christmas changes -- like, say, the Lakers' current neon green shoes -- it doesn't seem terribly forced since the jersey is already one of their alternates.

Here's hoping the Knicks try this out at other times during the season. I hear baby blue works great on Easter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-Knicks-get-into-Christmas-spirit-with-specia?urn=nba-300360

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Mark Krebs Details Billy Gillispie's Tumultuous Tenure at Kentucky

Filed under: Kentucky

There have been whispers that former Texas A&M and Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie may be looking to return to the sideline, perhaps after the Pat Knight experience putters to a stop at Texas Tech.

This will probably not help his case.

Matt Jones of the newly-minted CBS College Basketball Blog has an interview with former Kentucky player Mark Krebs on a local television program (Jones previously created and ran Kentucky Sports Radio). Krebs is candid in detailing some of Gillispie's more nefarious dealings with Kentucky players, namely star shooting guard Jodie Meeks.

In fact, Krebs states that Gillispie kicked Meeks off the team at halftime of Kentucky's NIT Quarterfinal game against Notre Dame in 2009. He also, Krebs says, locked Josh Harrellson in the bathroom at halftime of a Vanderbilt game.

It doesn't seem that Krebs has an ax to grind with Gillispie, and he is even, at times, complimentary of the coach. Krebs has recently released a book about his playing days at UK, so perhaps he is drumming up publicity by dragging his ex-coach through the mud? Either way, there are a few fascinating tales told in the video below.

 

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Source: http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/28/mark-krebs-details-billy-gillispies-tumultuous-tenure-at-kentuc/

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Ralph Friedgen lost his successor at Maryland. Is Fridge's job next?

Relatively speaking, Maryland has been a beacon of stability for the last decade: Among ACC head coaches, only Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer has been at his post longer than Ralph Friedgen has presided as Head Terp at his alma mater. For a program with such little turnover, though, UMD has also been wracked by uncertainty at the top for the better part of the last two years, beginning with its decision to anoint offensive coordinator James Franklin as Friedgen's eventual successor after the 2008 season. The university backed that up with a pledge to pay Franklin $1 million if he wasn't in the Fridge's chair by Jan. 1, 2012, and suddenly the clock was ticking as Friedgen continued to forge ahead.

The countdown ended today, when Franklin – understandably tired of waiting after Friedgen talked his way into a ninth season after the 2-10 debacle of 2009, and subsequently earned a tenth with an 8-4 turnaround this fall – officially accepted the top job at Vanderbilt. Now the new countdown begins, to the last grain of sand in Friedgen's hourglass – which, as of this afternoon, could be dropping in a matter of days.

With Franklin's exit, the Terps are off the hook both for his buyout, leaving considerably more cash on hand and considerably more flexibility in how to spend it. On a conference call with reporters today, first-year athletic director Kevin Anderson – who wasn't in charge when Franklin was named coach-in-waiting, or for the decision to bring Friedgen back this fall – refused to back up his Nov. 18 guarantee that Friedgen would be back in 2011, instead deferring to "an announcement concerning the future of the program" next week. And according to ESPN's Joe Schad, that announcement will likely be that Friedgen is being forced out to make room for another bigger, younger fish:

Maryland is strongly considering asking coach Ralph Friedgen to retire and accept a buyout, according to multiple sources.
[…]
At one point during this season, Maryland told Friedgen he could return next season, but the coach has been pushing for a contract extension.

… At least three Maryland assistant coaches are aware of the likelihood Friedgen will not return for next season and have committed to follow Franklin to Vanderbilt.

The specific fish in question, per Schad's sources: Mike Leach, who has a relationship from his Texas Tech days with Under Armour and its founders, former Maryland players Kevin Plank (now a university trustee) and Jordan Lindgren. Leach has made no secret that he wants a job, any job, and with Franklin and his buyout out of the picture, the Terps can better afford to bring the captain aboard.

Of course, this also marks roughly the fifth time in six years Friedgen has stepped off the field in the season finale and into the danger zone. Half his tenure's been spent on the hot seat, and he's survived; he even outlasted the guy who was supposed to succeed him. At this point, he's playing with house money, and you bet against him at your own risk.

[Update, 2:17 p.m. ET, 12/18] Multiple outlets are reporting Saturday that Friedgen has been asked to accept a buyout or face the ax, and he may have already taken the bait. Mike Leach's agent says Leach hasn't heard from Maryland, but it sounds like some recruits have heard from Leach.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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