Rufus on Fire 2nd Half Fantasy Hoops League
As noted in the left sidebar, my day job is at SportingNews.com. The fantasy sports guys are aware of Rufus on Fire and have offered a bit of enticement for you to try the site's salary cap fantasy basketball games.
I've set up a league for Rufus on Fire readers and I'll be playing all season long. It's completely free. All you have to do is create a username on SportingNews.com (if you don't have one already), and join the league. Everyone who is in the league by 10am the morning of Tuesday, February 16, will be entered in a random drawing to receive a Strat-O-Matic Basketball board game.
So, to reiterate:
1 -- Go to www.sportingnews.com and sign in. If you don't have a username already, create one, then make sure you're signed in.
2 -- Click this link to join the league: Rufus on Fire Salary Cap Challenge League. Wait for the popup, create a team name, and enter the password: geraldwallacefacts
3 -- Everyone who is in the league by 10am, Tuesday, February 16, will be entered in a random drawing to win a Strat-O-Matic Basketball board game.
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NBA Exceptionalism Is Not A Given
NBA aims to crush union in labor battle - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
Here’s how an NBA front-office executive described the document the commissioner’s office delivered to the union to start labor negotiations: "It’s just a photocopy of Stern’s middle finger."
NBA union VP and Orlando Magic center Adonal Foyle calls owners' CBA offer 'ludicrous' - ESPN
We have been willing to negotiate a guarantee that we don't get over a certain threshold, and no other businesses do that. We hold back 9 percent of our income so that the owners can make sure they are covered on the back end. We have given up a lot of stuff, and they have given up a lot of stuff, so I think to start off a negotiation in this rash a term, I think it's unfair," Foyle said.
Hardwood Paroxysm " Blog Archive " NBA Labor Talks: Mutiny On The S.S. NBAPA
Joe Smith and Chuck Hayes having as much if not more power in the financial future of the PA than the King. How bizarre is that concept? This story will be fascinating to watch, but I fear the only way this ends is with the start of 2011-2012 being in January.
The New CBA: A Shotgun Wedding on the Horizon - Blazersedge
Between the momentum and the economy the owners are swooping in for the kill this time. They intend the players to come a long way and they've just raised the war flag to communicate those intentions. No matter how much the players end up salvaging, the NBA we've known for the last couple of CBA cycles is going to change.
More after the jump.
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Super Bowl Recipes, Predictions, and Protips
Some of you also care about some football game that's being played in Miami this afternoon. If you're worrying about your contribution to the party this evening, here's your guide.
1 -- Don't bring beer if you're a guest to the party. Beer is the easy way out. If you're going to bring alcohol, bring booze. If you're over 35 years old, consider bringing a bottle of wine.
2 -- If you're actually interested in contributing a homemade item to the party, here are a couple recipes that will rock the house.
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Bobcats Lose to Hornets 104-99
The Bobcats built up a ten point lead over the Hornets in the first half, but gave it all away, and more, in the third quarter, when they gave up 36 points. New Orleans would hold on in the fourth, winning 104-99. That puts the Bobcats under .500, at 24-25 for the season.
The Cats gave away Gerald Wallace figurines to first several thousand fans, but, apparently, that wasn't enough to overcome the Hornets' garish purple and green uniforms. On the plus side, the unis featured Mardi Gras beads in the detailing.
Game thread comments, highlights, and lowlights after the jump.
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Open Gameday Thread Charlotte Bobcats vs. New Orleans Hornets
TV: SportSouth | Radio: 610 AM
SB Nation Hornets Blog: At The Hive
Too bad Alexis Ajinca won't be around for this one. He and Aaron Gray could have renewed acquaintances. The donnybrook they nearly started in garbage time was definitely my nomination for Best Altercation of 2008-09.
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Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs. New Orleans Hornets
Pump Up Music: Rob Base and DJ E Z Rock -- "It Takes Two"
The Big Picture: We're going to miss seeing Chris Paul tonight, which, in the cold-blooded world of a playoff run is a good thing, but for basketball aesthetics is our loss. Paul had surgery on his injured knee, which will keep him out four to six weeks. This will cause the Hornets to lose games they otherwise would have won, no question, but they're not exactly throwing scrubs out there in Paul's place.
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Observer: Bobcats become intriguing topic on, off the court
1) Will Bob Johnson sell his controlling interest in this franchise to a group led by former Houston Rockets president George Postolos? Or will he sell it to a different group led by Michael Jordan?
2) Can the Bobcats finally sell themselves to a large enough number of people to stop hemorrhaging money?
To number 1: We'll see.
To number 2: It's a matter of time. Adults won't readily embrace the team because of the Hornets debacle. The children will lead the way.
3 days ago
David Arnott
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Bobcats Barely Edged by Lakers 99-97
What outcome would you expect if you knew the Bobcats had held Kobe Bryant to 5 points on 12 attempts? Bryant was mostly a non-factor, but the Lakers rode big nights from Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom to victory, winning 99-97. The Cats had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but turned it over on the inbound pass, allowing the Lakers a breakaway layup to put the game away.
With Gerald Wallace sitting out due to a tweaked hamstring, the Cats needed to shut down Bryant to have a shot at this game, and they got exactly that. On the surface, it might appear that Stephen Graham and Stephen Jackson did yeoman's work frustrating Kobe and forcing him into bad shots, but this is an instance when the larger context provides the more likely explanation for what happened. Bryant's been hearing the growing criticism that he's hogging the ball as much as ever, and we can't really ignore how he reacted the last times these criticisms piled up. He wasn't dogging it, per se, but when Kobe isn't Kobe, we can never be sure it was purely an opponent's doing.
It was back and forth deep into the fourth quarter. In a move that certainly qualifies as "outside the box", once Boris Diaw got two fouls in the first quarter, Larry Brown committed significant minutes to a lineup featuring both Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop at the same time. The Lakers play two centers much of the time, so if the Cats were ever going to do this, this was the night, but Nazr and Gana outperformed any reasonable expectations.
Combine that with Jackson playing near the upper range of his abilities, and the Lakers found themselves needing clutch jumpers from the likes of Jordan Farmar late in the fourth.
The Bobcats finish this road trip 3-3, which is plenty to be happy about. Four of the next five games are at home, and then they'll end the month with another long road trip.
Game thread comments, highlights, and lowlights after the jump.
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