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posted by Brandon Schenz @ 1:32 PM,
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Wade Named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year
Dwyane Wade, whose NBA Finals MVP performance led the Miami Heat to the franchise's first championship, has been chosen as the 2006 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for symbolizing in character and performance the ideals of sportsmanship, it was announced by SI Group Editor Terry McDonell.
The Sportsman of the Year issue, which is dated December 11, will hit newsstands this Wednesday, December 6. SI.com/sportsman includes the tribute to Wade as well as exclusive video segments, galleries of past Sportsman covers and My Sportsman nominations from dozens of SI writers. Wade will receive the new Sportsman of the Year award, a sterling silver trophy crafted by Tiffany & Co., at a party in his honor in New York on Thursday night, December 14.
Tuesday, December 5, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, HBO's Costas Now will celebrate Wade's selection and profile the year's top performers and newsmakers.
"This award has always stood for more than the victory alone. It recognizes the manner of an athlete's striving and the quality of his or her efforts," said McDonell. "Dwyane embodies that winning spirit by playing for his team, not himself, and by working in the community to ensure young people have the chance to realize their own dreams."
SI senior writer S.L. Price profiles Wade in the magazine and chronicles both his difficult childhood and his disciplined rise to stardom. Price writes, "But here's the factor, more than any other, that may decide if Dwyane Wade can survive even success: he likes difficulty. Ease makes him anxious. Perfect makes him squirm. But set him up with an early childhood from hell? Put him in a two-game hole in the Finals? He dares you to doubt him."
In only his fourth season in the league, Wade has established himself as one of the sport's premier players and as the standard bearer for a new generation of NBA superstar. Elevating his game when the stakes are highest, Wade has scored more postseason points in his first three seasons than any other player in NBA history. His Finals MVP honor adds to a deep resume of two All-Star Game appearances and a career-scoring average of 22.9 points per game. His credentials off the court are as impressive as the leadership he displays among his teammates. The Dwyane Wade Foundation, a nonprofit promoting social enrichment, education and physical fitness among youth, assists young people in reaching their educational and athletic goals through mentoring.
Wade is the fifth NBA player to be named Sportsman: Bill Russell (1968), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1985), Michael Jordan (1991) and Tim Duncan & David Robinson (2003). He is also the youngest player on the NBA/SI Sportsman list. (In addition, NBA player Rory Sparrow was named as one of eight Athletes Who Care in 1987.)
The last Miami-area recipient was former Dolphins' coach Don Shula (1993).
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 9:56 AM,
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World of hoops at Gelabale's fingertips
As strangers in a strange land, it made sense that Sonics center Johan Petro, a Frenchman, would invite countryman Mickael Gelabale and his parents to his Redmond home to celebrate Christmas.
The two families had what Petro described as a West Indies-themed celebration, where their mothers prepared the meals and they spent the day relaxing and getting away from basketball.
"The way he's playing right now, it doesn't seem like he needs a break at all," Petro said of Gelabale. "He's playing very well. When he first got in the league back in France (in 2001) he was like this.
"He's the kind of guy who would play everywhere. He's the kind of guy who is going to surprise you because he'll do things that you didn't think he could do."
Gelabale, 6 feet 7, is incredibly thin at 215 pounds, which hurts him in the post, but enables him to slither around defensive screens on the perimeter. He sometimes looks as if he's gliding on the court, which belies the effort he's exuding.
And his easy-going demeanor and unflappable coolness sometimes causes skeptics to question his desire.
"I get emotional, but I just keep it inside," Gelabale said. "I get excited. Not nervous anymore ... I like to celebrate in here [the locker room] when the game is over. On the court, I like to play and help my team win."
The Sonics believed they'd stolen a gem in the 2005 draft when they nabbed Gelabale in the second round (48th overall), but they figured the 23-year-old swingman would need time to mature and develop.
After spending the 2005-06 season with Real Madrid in Spain, Gelabale joined the Sonics this summer and played well in the exhibition season.
Still, Sonics coach Bob Hill never imagined he'd seriously contemplate starting Gelabale so soon into his rookie season.
But when Ray Allen suffered a bone bruise in his right foot, Hill he had a hole in his starting lineup and a decision to make. Who to start: Damien Wilkins or Gelabale?
So the Sonics coach summoned both players to his office and asked for their input.
Gelabale, from Pointe Noire, France, didn't say many words, but he extended an index finger and pointed toward Wilkins.
"I said to him [Gelabale], 'You probably deserve to start and do you feel comfortable starting?'" Hill said. "And he just pointed to Damien and I started Damien. That's important to me. He's comfortable coming off the bench right now."
Said Gelabale: "It's better if I sit for 5-10 minutes, then after that I can go in and get a feel for the game."
After just two months, Gelabale has become an integral part of the Sonics and one of their most consistent bench players.
His season averages, 3.6 points and 2.2 rebounds, aren't eye-popping, but in four of the past six games Gelabale has shown flashes of brilliance. During the span, he's averaging 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds.
He scored a career-high 16 points against Cleveland on Dec. 15 and has scored in double figures three times.
"He's one of those guys that morphs into what the team needs," Allen said. "He can sit outside and shoot it if we need him to. He can penetrate if we need him to. He does so many things well that he's great to have out there on the floor."
When it was suggested that Gelabale looks like a poor man's Andrei Kirilenko, the do-everything-forward for Utah, Allen said: "Oh no, he's a much better offensive player. But he is just as active on the defensive end as Kirilenko."
In the 110-97 victory against Toronto on Saturday, Gelabale finished with six points and a game-tying nine rebounds. He also had two assists, a steal and blocked a shot.
"Nine rebounds?" Petro said. "I didn't have nine rebounds and that's my job, to get rebounds. It just shows you how active he is."
For the record, Petro, a 7-foot second-year center, had two rebounds against the Raptors.
"I don't know how it would have been for me as a rookie if I had someone here [from France]," Petro said. "It's probably easier for Mickael. We talk about things and I try to be like a big brother to him ... But the way he's playing right now, I can learn a lot from him."
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 5:39 AM,
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posted by Brandon Schenz @ 1:43 PM,
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Last Chance Wednesday, December 20, 2006
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posted by Brandon Schenz @ 6:47 AM,
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Eddy starts to Curry favor Monday, December 11, 2006
There was a time when Eddy Curry was about as imposing as Barney: big, cuddly and nonthreatening.
But over the past three weeks there has been nothing cartoonish or soft about Curry. He now carries himself like a big man who believes that no one - outside of Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal - can stop him. Nine straight games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 36 against the Bucks on Saturday, are changing the way the league looks at the Knicks' center.
Milwaukee coach Terry Stotts called Curry "a monster" following the Knicks' 115-107 victory. It might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about Curry's game. "He is starting to realize his own strength," says Knicks assistant coach Herb Williams. "Other than Shaq, there isn't anyone as strong as Eddy."
Curry is putting his 6-11, 300-pound frame - give or take a meal or two - to good use. After 22 games, the Knicks have made the philosophical change from a perimeter-oriented team to one that runs its offense through its center. Patrick Ewing would be proud.
Curry leads the Knicks in points, scoring average, field goals, free throws attempted and free throws made. He is second in field goal attempts behind his best friend Jamal Crawford, who would find a way to take the most shots even if he played just 10 minutes a night. But Crawford also looks to feed Curry in the post, as do the rest of the guards, who have realized that playing inside-out benefits everyone.
"That's a huge part," said Curry, who is averaging 17.7 points. "They don't have to hear it from the coaches anymore. Right now, the coach isn't even saying, 'OK, pass Eddy the ball.' They're just doing it and it's just working out nice."
On Saturday, Curry had 14 points in the third quarter as the Knicks were building a 17-point lead. He also rejected Andrew Bogut's dunk attempt and exacted revenge on Ruben Patterson, who had slammed one down on Curry in the first quarter. A minute after erasing Bogut, Curry did the same to Patterson.
It was the type of defense that Curry is capable of playing but rarely does. To be regarded as an all-around great center, Curry needs to be more active protecting the basket. He also needs to average more than 7.3 rebounds and improve on his 55% shooting from the foul line.
Right now, the Knicks are focused on making Curry a dominant low post scorer, one who uses his body to create space under the basket and take advantage of his soft touch.
"I didn't know if he could take instructions from the practice to the court as well as he did," said Knicks assistant Mark Aguirre, who works daily with Curry, "because he didn't show any indication of that last year."
Larry Brown called Curry a cornerstone of the franchise but the former Bull was never in good shape last season. He was inconsistent, his minutes sporadic. Still only 24, Curry is learning how to use his body and stay out of foul trouble.
"When we played Chicago in Chicago is when I really started feeling like, 'OK, (Ben Wallace) has been Defensive Player of the Year a couple of times. If I can play well against him, I can play well against anybody,'" Curry said. "That was really the game where I felt like he's kind of undersized, so if I can keep him from slapping at the ball and get my position deep enough, I can just turn and shoot and after that I've been thinking the same way every game."
The Knicks are 4-5 during Curry's nine-game surge and 8-14 overall heading into tonight's game against Boston.
Curry still has yet to prove he can dominate against the NBA's elite. Quentin Richardson said that O'Neal is the only player who can stop Curry. That isn't entirely true. Yao went for 35 points and 17 rebounds in his first meeting against Curry, followed by a 26-point, nine-rebound performance 10 days later at the Garden. In those two games, Curry totaled 15 points and seven rebounds.
"I definitely wish I could play against Yao again," Curry said. "I had my opportunity. But it's going to be tough. The way I'm playing now I definitely think it's going to take a team effort to stop me."
Jeffries unwraps wrist tonight
Jared Jeffries will make his Knicks debut tonight against Boston at the Garden, nearly two months after having left wrist surgery. "I'm getting anxious," said Jeffries, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract over the summer.
Isiah Thomas said yesterday that the forward will be used as a backup for the time being.
Stephon Marbury, who sat the final 19 minutes of Saturday's win over Milwaukee after suffering a bruised left forearm, is expected to play.
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 12:32 PM,
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The Perfect Gift
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posted by Brandon Schenz @ 8:44 AM,
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Johnson sits out game due to injury
Hawks fans horrified at the thought of what their team might look like without captain and leading scorer Joe Johnson found out Sunday night.
Johnson sat out of the Hawks' game against Sacramento at Arco Arena with a strained muscle in his right calf.
Johnson said the injury had bothered him for more than a week but became more troublesome after the Hawks' Friday night loss in Los Angeles to the Lakers.
Sitting out Sunday night also cost Johnson the NBA's iron man title — he had started a league-best 376 consecutive regular season games before Sunday — something he wasn't particularly worried about given the pain in his calf.
"It was hurting during the Denver game (Wednesday) but we had a couple days off before we played the Lakers so I had a chance to rest it," Johnson said. "But during the Lakers game it was on fire. And after the game it swelled up on me and really starting causing me problems."
Johnson, who has scored the second-most points in franchise history through 100 games, will be listed as day-to-day on the Hawks' injury report. But he said he's hoping to play Tuesday night against Denver at Philips Arena.
Marvin Williams started in Johnson's place Sunday. It was just his second game back from injury, he missed the past seven weeks with a fractured finger on his non-shooting hand.
Hawks coach Mike Woodson, who has had to deal with an assortment of injuries and a suspension to starting center Zaza Pachulia already this season, just shook his head when asked what the Hawks would do without Johnson, the league's fourth-leading scorer (28.7).
"This is just another blow for us that we'll have to find a way to weather," Woodson said. "Joe's a warrior and played through the pain for a while now. So all we can do is hold it together until we get him back."
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 5:27 AM,
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Get Sports Gifts Thursday, December 07, 2006
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 6:30 AM,
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Wizards unleash first-quarter flurry Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Mavericks fall victim to fast-paced tempo they use on other teams
The Mavericks have blistered opponents in the first quarter since the day after Thanksgiving.
The team got to see how the other half lives Monday.
Washington was the aggressor in the first quarter at the Verizon Center as it ended the Mavericks 12-game winning streak. The Wizards jumped to a 31-23 lead to set the tone.
Talk about role reversal. The Mavericks had averaged 36.2 points in the first quarter of their previous five games. The team's average lead entering the second quarter of those games was slightly more than 15 points.
"They did what we had been doing," Mavericks forward Josh Howard said. "They just came out and played great ball."
The Mavericks fell behind by 31 points in the third quarter before a late run made the final score respectable.
"We had to play from behind tonight," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said. "We just waited too long."
Welcome back: Jerry Stackhouse spent two years in Washington before he was traded to the Mavericks.
The fans remembered. The Mavericks guard was greeted with a smattering of boos every time he touched the ball Monday.
"I don't know," Stackhouse said. "They've got to be the most. ...
"I don't even think they know why they're booing me. I don't play here any more, so I guess that's what they do."
Stackhouse was quick to point out that Monday was the first time he has lost to the Wizards since he was traded. He's 5-1. And he took solace in the fact that at least 40 of the 14,891 in attendance didn't boo him. That's how many tickets he distributed for the game.
"I think they were on my side," Stackhouse said.
Hard to hold: The players aren't the only people complaining about the new ball. At least one former player is as well.
Brad Davis works with the Mavericks in practice before he takes his spot on the radio broadcast. He rebounds for the players, throws them entry passes and has them defend him off the dribble.
The result: His fingers are cut in three places because of the ball. Davis said because the ball doesn't spin in your hand like the leather version, it's more abrasive, especially in cold-weather climates.
"I'm applying for workman's comp tomorrow," Davis joked.
Briefly: Center D.J. Mbenga was active for the first time this season and had two points and one rebound in eight minutes. "Physically, everything is fine," said Mbenga, who had been out with a strained tendon in his left foot. "I've just got to practice some more and get that feeling." ... Rookie Moe Ager, who sprained his right ankle in Friday's victory over Sacramento, was inactive against the Wizards for the first time this season. "He got an ankle sprain and shot it all on the same possession," Avery Johnson said.
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 11:04 AM,
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