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Tag: Brooklyn Nets

  • Andray Blatche Granted Filipino Citizenship

    On Wednesday, Benigno Aquino, President of the Philippines, signed a bill which he and his countrymen hope will boost the success of Filipino sports to unprecedented levels. The bill, which was rushed through Congress in unusual form, granted citizenship to Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche, allowing him to play for the Philippines in the World Cup this fall.

    No, Andray Blatche is not going to be playing soccer. However, the 6’11” NBA star will be playing with the Filipino national team during this year’s FIBA World Cup. Per FIBA rules, each international team is allowed to have one naturalized citizen on its roster. For the Philippines, the acquisition of Blatche is a huge boost.

    For Blatche, the decision was an easy one: ”The sport of basketball is huge here. It’s in the heart of every Filipino and I love basketball, and so it’s like we have that similarity.”

    Blatche arrived in the Philippines on Saturday and was met by Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes. The two immediately began talking basketball.

    “Coach [Chot Reyes] taught me a little bit about how the offense works and I met a couple of players. I can see that they’re playing with a lot of heart and they’ve been physical. [Playing against NBA players] is not going to be an adjustment for me. I’ve been playing in that level since I was 18 years old.”

    Despite the fact that Blatche should have a huge advantage over his peers due to his NBA experience, he still plans to be an ardent student in order to give the Philippines team their best chance in their first FIBA World Cup in 35 years. “I’ll be watching tapes so I can know how the guys play offense and defense. I’ll be working out with the FIBA ball so I can familiarize myself a little bit. It’s a little different but it’s not a game-changing difference.”

    The Philippines will be in Group B of the FIBA World Cup, along with Argentina, Croatia, Greece, Puerto Rico and Senegal. While the 34th ranked team in the world does not have huge expectations in their first FIBA appearance in quite some time, Blatche hopes to lead the team to as many victories as possible.

    When asked what he will personally add to the team, Blatche had one simple answer: “Height.”

    Blatche’s response was just one of many witty comments he had during his press conference, most of which centered around Blatche’s claim to be Manny Pacquiao’s cousin.

    The 2014 FIBA World Cup kicks off August 30th.

    Image via Twitter

  • LeBron James Denied Victory Against Nets

    LeBron James Denied Victory Against Nets

    The final ten seconds of Tuesday night’s Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat NBA game resembled all of the teams’ previous 2013-14 match-ups against each other. Prior to last night’s contest, the Nets and Heat had squared-off against each other three times, with the Nets emerging victorious by one point in two of the victories and narrowly escaping in double-overtime in the third.

    With the Heat down one point, the clock winding down, and the ball in “King James’s” hands, however, Miami was sure they were going to finally escape with a victory last night. Except, they didn’t.

    James dribbled down the center of the court, found a streaking Rashard Lewis, received a return pass, and went to the basket strong, with all intentions of trying his best to shatter the backboard and bring home the W. Standing in his way, though, was Brooklyn’s rookie center, Mason Plumlee.

    “It was a foul. I thought I should have been going to the line for two,” opined a more-than-frustrated James. “He grabbed my right hand. I mean, he didn’t do it on purpose, but he got my right hand. And, you know, the ball went off the rim and went back. You get all ball, the ball’s gonna go straight down. You know, so, but I mean, what are you gonna do about it?”

    So, who is right? LeBron or Plumlee and the referees?

    According to the NBA, “The hand is considered ‘part of the ball’ when it is in contact with the ball and contact with a players hand when it is in contact with the ball is not a foul.”

    Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

    Plumlee Blocks LeBron

    Per the NBA rules, the play looks simple enough. Based on LeBron’s reaction, however, one would think a terrible atrocity had occurred:

    LeBron reaction to Plumlee Block

    With the win, Brooklyn is 33-13 since the beginning of the 2014 calendar year, giving the Nets the best record in the East over that period of time. In comparison, the Miami Heat are 29-17 and the Pacers are 28-20 following one of the best starts by a team in NBA history.

    Understanding that Brooklyn is on a roll and just completed a season sweep of the Heat, NBA sideline reporter Craig Sager asked LeBron an apt question: “Are they [the Nets] your biggest challenge in the East?”

    A question to which LeBron scoffed at before stating, “Get outta here, Craig… Next question.”

    With the Pacers reeling down the stretch headed into the playoffs and with Brooklyn playing its best basketball yet, perhaps King James should pay a bit more attention to the happenings of the kingdom. After all, Robb Stark obviously did not perceive House Frey as a threat, and we all know the result of that…

    Images via YouTube & Twitter (1), and (2)

  • Jason Collins Says He Has Been Taunted With Gay Insults From One NBA Player

    After receiving tons of positive support following his coming out, it seems that Jason Collins is still feeling negativity from at least one person. He is the first openly gay player in the NBA, and is a center for the Brooklyn Nets.

    Another player in the NBA, from an opposing team, has reportedly been taunting Jason Collins because of his sexuality, something that people may have feared, but others might not expect at this time.

    Collins recently revealed that he has received negative comments from another player during a game. He has not let it get to him during the game, and will not reveal who it is, but it is not something that he should have to tolerate as a player.

    He said that he chose not to retaliate during the game when it happened because he is entitled to his opinion, and he did not want to let it ruin his focus on the game. Collins is a 13-year veteran in the NBA, but had been a free agent until the Nets signed him just over a month ago.

    The NBA veteran should feel at home with the Nets since coach Jason Kidd is a former teammate of his on the Nets several seasons ago, and he also played with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on the Celtics.

    In a recent interview with ESPN, Jason Collins explained the situation when saying “In the flow of the game, you have emotions going. It goes back to controlling what I can control — having self control and having the discipline to recognize it for what it is and keep the focus on the game.”

    He did reiterate that he has received positive support overall, and after facing over 100 players and coaches, he was bound to interact with at least one player who would choose to act in a negative way toward him.

    Due to his courage as an athlete, and fans who want to support him, his jersey has been a top seller on NBAstore.com since he signed with the team. The Brooklyn Nets are currently 36-31, and in 6th place in the Eastern Conference.

    He originally explained the situation to the New York Daily News, and said ““He’s a knucklehead. So I just let it go. Again, that goes back to controlling what you can control. That’s how I conduct myself just being professional.”

    Jason Collins signed a second 10-day deal after his first one expired, and on March 15, he was signed for the remainder of the season. Since joining the Brooklyn Nets, he has played in 10 games, averaging only 8.4 minutes.

    Image via Facebook

  • Jason Collins Signs with NBA’s Nets

    Jason Collins became the first openly gay athlete in one of North America’s four major professional sports Sunday, when he signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets in the afternoon and then appeared in uniform hours later against the Lakers, for the first time since announcing he was openly gay last season.

    The N.B.A. center played 11 scoreless minutes in the second quarter at the Staples Center and was met with applause from the crowd.

    “Sometimes in life something happens and there’s an opportunity,” Collins said shortly before taking to the court Sunday night.

    “I’m very thankful for this opportunity. That’s why I work so hard, why I train the way I do so that when I do have an opportunity physically I’m not worried about my conditioning or cardio or anything along those lines,” he said.

    The 35-year-old player announced last spring that he is gay, but he was a free agent and remained unsigned. Sunday marked Collins’ first time appearing on the court since April 17, 2013, when he appeared with the Washington Wizards. He had been training on his own in Los Angeles after failing to receive an offer from any of the basketball league’s 30 teams since his revelation of his sexual orientation to Sports Illustrated last year.

    Until Sunday, no publicly gay participant had played on the court for the N.B.A. North America’s other three major sports leagues – the N.F.L., N.H.L. and Major League Baseball – had never had an openly gay player.

    Collins played 11 minutes in the Nets’ 108-102 win, finishing with no points, two rebounds, a steal and five fouls.

    Collins will wear No. 98 for the Nets, but was unable to wear it Sunday because it was not available in time for the game against the Lakers, so he wore No. 46 instead.

    His choice of the No. 98 is in honor of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who died in a notorious anti-gay hate crime in 1998. Collins also wore the jersey number when he played with the Celtics and Wizards.

    The California native said he was ready to be back in the game.

    “I’ve played for 12 years in the league so I know how to play basketball,” Collins said. “It’s just about getting timing back in the NBA game, so I’m ready. Let’s do it.

    Image via Wikipedia Commons

  • Jason Collins: 1st Openly Gay NBA Player Re-Signed

    Although Jason Collins should be admired for his courage to be the first openly gay NBA player, he should be ever more applauded for joining the slightly ramshackled Brooklyn Nets today.

    While already proven brave, Collins shows that he may also be of the shrewd athlete as well. Sports Illustrated tells us that he and the Nets have agreed on a 10-day contract, and we’ll see him play later today in a Nets jersey against the Lakers.

    Granted, the team is not doomed to failure– Despite being unceremoniously dumped by one of the most famous Brooklynites and pretty much the spokesperson of the team, Jay-Z, the team is currently doing average at best with a 25-28 record while clinging to the last playoff spot for dear life. Now, adding Jason Collins to the team is an additional plus; Collins has already played with the two power players of the Nets, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, in Boston. He was also teammates with Nets head coach Jason Kidd in the earlier 2000s.

    Jason Collins ranked first in Stanford’s field goal percentage history, and is a 13-year NBA veteran in great shape. Strangely though, Collins hasn’t been signed to a team in close to nine months. Is it just a coincidence that it has also been almost nine months since he publicly announced his homosexuality? It would be hard not to connect the two.

    Despite the issues that still seem unavoidable in today’s time, we congratulate Jason Collins as well as the Brooklyn Nets. Collins is a 7-foot defensive power player who has stifled some of the strongest centers such as Dwight Howard, and his experience and added size to the Brooklyn Nets roster might be exactly what the team needs to boost their rankings. Be sure to check him out tonight.

    Image via NDN

  • Miami Heat Lose in Double OT to Brooklyn Nets

    After a loss to the New York Knicks earlier in the week, the Miami Heat suffered its second consecutive loss in a 104-95 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. The game went into double overtime.

    Lebron James fouled out during the first overtime, and after the game he said the team fought hard, but couldn’t overcome the absence of Dwayne Wade and a couple of other starters.

    “We’re a no-excuse team,” he said, “But right now we have three starters that didn’t play. Even though we’ve got a lot of depth, it is hard to make up for three starters being out.” James ended up with 36 points and five assists before fouling out.

    King James also got into a heated exchange with Mirza Teletovic, when the Nets forward intentionally grabbed him to slow down one of his one-man-fast breaks. Afterwards, James charged at Teletovic, but both teams broke it up before things could escalate. “He went around my neck. It’s not a basketball play,” James would later say about the foul, which was later deemed a flagrant one.

    Amazingly, the Brooklyn Nets have won their last five games, and Shaun Livingston, who helped his team with strong defensive play and a couple of blocked shots, said the team is doing the best it can to capitalize off of the momentum. “[Our win], it was huge,” he said. “We’ve obviously been playing better as of late. I think our momentum that we were carrying into this game, we’re trying to ride that wave.”

    Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said even though James fouled out, he didn’t believe it meant an automatic loss for the team, since other players, namely Norris Cole, really stepped it up. “They made bigger plays going down the stretch in the overtime,” said Spoelstra. “When we pushed it to that point, even with LJ out, we thought we had a chance. Guys really competed down the stretch.”

    Image via Facebook

  • Kevin Garnett Swears At Refs, Fan Tries To Shield Younger Fan From Hearing [Video]

    Complaining to the refs about a call that is made on the court is something that Kevin Garnett has been known for doing throughout his career. He has certainly had plenty to complain about this season after joining the Brooklyn Nets with the hopes of possibly having an incredibly successful season, only to see it go downhill very quickly.

    The Brooklyn Nets are in their first year under coach Jason Kidd, and after he brought in Jason Terry, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, the team had high aspirations for the season, and the opportunity to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and possibly the league.

    Instead, they now have a record of 9-19 after losing an ugly game to the Chicago Bulls yesterday. Although Kevin Garnett is well-known as one of the most foul-mouthed players in the NBA, it was a bit surprising to see him acting in the way that he did on Christmas day, with all of the fans close enough to hear.

    Garnett was letting the refs have it for a call that he thought was made incorrectly during the first quarter of the game, and as a result, a young boy in the audience was forced to shield his younger brother from the outburst and cover his ears. He was a Nets fan sitting close to the court as a young boy too, which makes things even more awkward for the veteran forward.

    The boy put “earmuffs” on what appeared to be his younger brother during the clip that saw Kevin Garnett flipping out at the refs. For those that are unfamiliar with the term, it has been popularized by popular culture since, but became common knowledge to most people after being used by Vince Vaughn’s character in the classic comedy, Old School.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Itn75dEorU

    The Brooklyn Nets are continuing to struggle during the 2013 season, and lost to the Bulls yesterday, ending with a final score of 95-78.

    There was simply nothing that the boy could do to shield his little brother from Kevin Garnett’s outburst, and the video has gone viral. Garnett has always been known for having fits like this one, but it is simply inexcusable in this situation, and he should know better by now.

    Image via Youtube

  • Brook Lopez, Center For The Brooklyn Nets , Out For The Season

    In the next chapter of the Brooklyn Nets’ nightmare of a season, Brook Lopez has been severely injured. Lopez is the center for the Nets, and as a team that recently acquired hot talent from the Celtics, they were being predicted to win a title this year. Instead, they are struggling in the Eastern Conference, and only have a record of 9-17.

    Brook Lopez broke his foot during their last game, and it is being reported that he may miss the rest of the season. The Stanford graduate also missed all but five games during the 2011-12 season after breaking the same bone in his right foot twice in quick succession.

    It is unclear when he sustained his injury, since he played throughout their last game against Philadelphia, and recorded 22 points and 7 rebounds, playing through the fourth quarter and overtime.

    The Nets ended up winning the game in overtime, 121-120, but that overshadows the fact that their star, Brooke Lopez, fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot during the game. Soon after, it was reported that he would be out for the rest of the season.

    Despite his past injuries, Lopez is a key member of the Brooklyn Nets, and losing him for the season will be a huge blow to the team. As their only real center, Brook Lopez plays much of the time, and as a leader on the team, he is averaging a team-high 20.7 points, six rebounds and two blocks per game this season.

    On a veteran team with stars such as Deron Williams, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Lopez is also the only starter under the age of 29, and at age 25, he has been in the league for six years. He is the only true center on the team, and as a result, Kevin Garnett will be forced to play the center position, under their new coach, Jason Kidd.

    Lopez is 7 feet tall, and added muscle mass while rehabbing from injuries, getting him up to 290 pounds in the summer, which made him a completely different player than he was before.

    Brook Lopez played most of last year, but was again sidelined for eight games, due to his ongoing ankle injury. After breaking his foot for the third time in his career, this will raise questions about his future, and reminds fans of other centers who have had short-lived careers due to injures, such as Yao Ming and Zydrunas Illgauskas in recent years.

    Image via Facebook

  • Jay-Z and Beyonce Named Forbes’ Highest-Earning Celebrity Couple

    Jay-Z and Beyonce are the epitome of a power couple. Most people associate the two of them with being among the top entertainers in the music industry, so having the title of highest-earning celebrity couple doesn’t come as a surprise. Earning approximately $95 million from June 2012 to June of 2013, the business-savvy couple takes ‘hustling’ to a whole new level. However, the impressive part of it all is how they earned the title. Jay and Bey prove to be jut as proficient in the boardroom as they are on stage.

    The numbers that equated the estimated $95 million dollar fortune demanded a gratuitous effort. Forbes reports that the calculations were comprised of information acquired directly from the couple’s managers, agents, and other business counterparts and affiliates. The numbers were then compiled to develop a legitimate estimation of the couple’s earnings. While the calculations exclude taxes to be deducted, along with fees that the couple may incur from management and other professional services, it provides a concise scope of the their financial attainment.

    With more than 20 #1 records collectively, the power couple are at the top of music’s totem poll, with no intention to wane anytime soon. “Watch the Throne,” Jay-Z’s duo album with Kanye West, garnered platinum success that led to the launch of their world tour. The tour made both nationwide and international headlines earning $1.4 million a night in the United States. But, Jay’s tour wasn’t the only to bring in big bucks. His wife, Queen Bey, bounced back after a short maternity hiatus with her “Mrs. Carter” tour. She managed to earn an average of approximately $2 million each night.

    The “Hard Knock Life” rapper also sold his stake in the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclay Center for a sizable profit of $1.5 million. While that profit may not be an astounding feat for the rapper/businessman who made approximately the same amount in one night on tour, this decision was merely a calculated business move. With the launch of Roc Nation Sports, Jay-Z’s new sports agency, the commerce of his stake in the Nets was justified. In an effort to remain compliant with NBA Rules and Regulations in regards to conflict of interests, Jay made the executive decision to proceed with the sale, which is exactly why his financial portfolio is as laudable as his discography.

    The power couple also has a number of other business ventures that contributed to the accumulation of their mounting fortune. Bey owns her clothing line, “House of Dereon,” and a fragrance collection. In addition to ownership of Roc Nation, Jay-Z also has a share in a number of companies such as Rocawear, the 40/40 Club, and Carol’s Daughter, which all collectively render a sizable profit as well.

    Then, to add to his long lineage of success, Jay-Z’s latest album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” topped the Billboard charts with an unprecedented release. The album was RIAA certified platinum on July 4, 2013, due to pre-orders and an outstanding number of digital downloads. The “Magna Carta” became Jay-Z 13th consecutive, studio album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200. If Jay’s successful album debut is anything to go by, it looks like the power couple is making strides to top the Forbes list again next year.

     

    Image via Beyonce’s Tumblr

  • Jay-Z to Sell Nets to Expand Sports Rep Business

    Rapper/producer Jay-Z owns a portion of the Brooklyn Nets. However, Jay-Z this year launched a new sports representation venture called Roc Nation Sports. This could become a conflict of intrest if the rapper were to ever represent NBA players.

    Yahoo Sports is reporting that Jay-Z is now looking to sell off his share of the Nets to expand Roc Nation into representing basketball players. The NBA Players Association requires that certified agents not be owners of any NBA team.

    Jay-Z founded Roc Nation in early April, and he is rumored to be planning on becoming a certified sports agent. The agency has already signed New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Canó.

    The report cites unnamed sources as saying Jay-Z’s sell-off should be complete in time for Roc Nation to sign players in the NBA draft this June. The sources also mentioned that other sports agents are becoming “anxious,” believing that Jay-Z’s fame and marketing resources could lue players to Roc Nation.

    (Image courtesy Mikamote/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Chris Christie Tweets Harsh Goodbye To The Nets

    “I’m not going to the Nets game tonight and my message to the Nets is goodbye.”

    With those short words and a shrug of the shoulders, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said farewell to the long-time state NBA franchise.

    “You don’t wanna stay, we don’t want you,” he went on to say. “I mean seriously, I’m not going to be in the business of begging people to stay here. That’s one of the most beautiful arenas in America, that they’ve had the chance to play in, it’s in one of the country’s most vibrant cities and they wanna leave here and go to Brooklyn? Good riddance. See you later.”

    He tweeted out his short, but sweet message late Monday:

    (image)@GovChristie
    Governor Christie    @netsbasketball I have one word for you: Goodbye. http://t.co/NyvZWqy4(image) 17 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    His comments came at a press conference for a bill signing earlier in the day. Check out the video below:

    Last year, in a move that surprised nobody, part-owner Jay-Z announced that the team would be moving to Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center for the 2012-2013 season. Earlier this month, the NBA board of governors unanimously approved the relocation. The name change to the Brooklyn Nets will be finalized at the end of the month, and the team will get an all-new logo an new team colors.

    Whatever you think of Governor Christie, you have to respect his straightforwardness, a quality that has endeared him to many in his party. It’s one of the reason that his name is among a fairly lengthy list of possible VP candidates to run alongside (expected nominee) Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential election.