T-Wolves GM David Kahn's Interview on NBATV

Let me preface this post by saying that I did watch the interview live on NBA TV the other night, but I found this video clip over on another blog. NBACHEF is a great blog all about the happenings of the NBA. Unfortunately, it's written all in German. So unless you can read German, you're out of luck. I did talk with the very NBA knowledgeable administrator of the NBACHEF via Facebook about a week, ago and he said he is contemplating writing posts in English too. I'm not sure if he has made a decision on that yet or not, but his blog is definitely worth checking out: http://nbachef.blogspot.com/.

How funny was this interview from Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn? I watched it live on NBA TV the other night. Kahn is a very interesting guy to listen to whenever he opens his mouth, but the real question is, will he turn the Timerwolves around? I lived in Minnesota for almost three years (The last Garnett year and the dismal seasons after Garnett's departure). I have since moved back to Buffalo, NY, but I always try to catch as many T-Wolves games as possible. It's clear Kahan has been getting rid of the McHale layovers (rightfully so), but will he now be able to rebuild with the clean slate he has created?

The T-Wolves are trying to build a "run and gun" team to fill the empty seats in beautiful downtown Twin Cities Target Center Arena. I get why Kahn would want a big man like Darko in that kind of system. Every scout for the past seven NBA seasons and previous Euro seasons has touted Darko as a legitimate seven-footer with quickness, agility, a feathery shooting touch and excellent passing abilities. Those are all necessities in a system like that which Kahn is trying to insititute in Minnesota. It's also an added bonus to have all those skills in addition to Darko's size. The problem is, Milicic has never actually proven any of those scouts right on the court.

I do agree with Kahn that it's worth a shot, and I actually like the direction he is taking the T-Wolves. They have added some talent with Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love. They are young and athletic with skilled big men down low. The drafting of two point-guards in the 2009 NBA Draft back-to-back was a bit head scratching, but the T-Wolves have a player in Ricky Rubio that can be used as a highly valued piece in a trade or could someday end-up running that high octane offense Kahn envisions.

It seems Mr. Kahn is content with slowly building the team with young, athletic and skilled players. Time will tell if Kahn can get it done. One thing is for sure though, he's one great interview!

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Nike Unveils Its Tim Tebow Trainer 1.2

Nike unveiled its Tim Tebow Trainer 1.2 today in cooperation with video game maker EA Sports. The sneaker features the school colors of Tebow's former University of Florida. Nike and EA paired up on the Trainer 1.2 as Tebow is featured on EA's NCAA Football 2011 game recently released.

So what do you think of Tebow's new kicks. In addition to sports cards, books and posters, I'm a huge sneaker nut. I love the old school kicks and the Trainer 1.2 seems to have a cool Bo Jackson Nike Cross Trainer look to it (click here). I think the colors are a bit loud and abrasive, and I absolutely love it. As any true Nike fan will tell you, you can never go wrong with the exposed air pockets too. What do you think? Are these Nike Tim Tebow Trainer 1.2's a good looking sneaker or just another moon boot?

(All Images courtesy of solecollector.com)

Remember When These Guys Where The New Guys on The Court?

While riffling through a box of cards, I came across this gem. I'm not sure what company produced this card, but I know its from '90 or '91. Check it out. The card features a young Shaquille O'neal, Kenny Anderson, Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson. At onetime, these players were the future of the NBA. Certainly, O'neal fulfilled all the predictions of his potential and then some. I was a huge Larry "Grand Ma Ma" Johnson fan back in the day. I thought he was simply a beast during his time with the Charlotte Hornets earlier in his career. He also knocked down a four-point play for my Knicks during the '99 NBA Playoffs (click here). Augmon had a solid 15 year career with five teams. Also known as "The Plastic man", Augmon was a standout defensive player. Kenny Anderson was a basketball prodigy from his days in grade school. By the time the Queens, N.Y. native attended Archbishop Molloy High School, he was one of the heaviest recruited amateur athletes of all-time. Although the speedy left-handed point guard never achieved the unrealistic expectations placed upon him since he was in the sixth grade, he did make the '94 NBA All-Star Team.

This is really a fun card. I love the 90's font on the top lettering of the card. It's really cool to have a card with three separate pics of these players on it. I also like the back of the card. The rad font continues on the back with the top lettering. There's also some really cool descriptions and predictions for each player featured on the card. I blew the card up so you can read them for yourself. Enjoy this little gem and… "Every Bounce of the Ball".

Al Harrington at $34 Million For 5 Years, Really?

The Denver Nuggets signed Al Harrington to a 5 year, $34 million contract. Harrington is currently 30 years old and has career averages of 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds/game in his 12 seasons in the Association.

Back in the day, I watched Al Harrington play in the '98 McDonald's All-American Basketball Game. The '98 USA Today High School Player of the Year could do it all on the court. He had a knack for putting the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court. I watched that All-American game and thought Harrington was surely going to be an all-star caliber player in the NBA (He did finish 2nd in voting for the 2004 Sixth Man of the Year Award).

He was drafted by the Indiana Pacer with the 25th pick in the '98 NBA Draft right out of high school. The Pacers at the time were loaded and battling for the Eastern Conference Title every year. Along with fellow straight to NBA phenom Jonathan Bender, Harrington spent the first few years of his career coming of the bench. Al finally got his chance to show his stuff after a few years on the Pacer's bench. While on the court, it seemed like he could do everything and NBA GM's have taken notice. Harrington has played for four separate teams and the Pacers twice. His new team, the Denver Nuggets, will be his fifth team in twelve seasons.

I've made it a point of saying it seems like Harrington can do everything on the court because it's important to realize, he's actually done nothing in the NBA. Ballers out there, I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "a million dollar move, but a five cent finish". That's a great analogy for Harrington. The guy has a boatload of talent, but has never been able to truly put it all together to become a winner. That's why I was a bit surprised that the Nuggets decided to offer Harrington a 5 year, $34 million contract. After all, if you're going to pay someone $34 million, isn't a winner what you really want?

"The Boss" Passes Away at the Age of 80

As I'm sure many of you have heard by now, New York Yankees principle owner, George Steinbrenner, passed away at the age of 80 this morning from a massive heart attack. There's really no middle ground when it comes to sports fans' opinions of Mr. Steinbrenner, you either hated him or loved him. He was referred to as "The Boss", and rightfully so. Steinbrenner became the N.Y. Yankees principle owner in 1973 when he and a group of investors bought the storied franchise for a ridiculous $8.7 million from a desperate CBS Corporation. He told the media that he'd be a behind the scenes owner, but was anything other than behind the scenes. "Big Stein" micromanaged the Yankees franchise for more than 30 years. During that time period, the team won seven World Series Titles and 11 American League pennants.

Whether you hated Steinbrenner or loved him, his influence on the game is undeniable. From leading the way during the beginnings of free agency with James "Catfish" Hunter and Reggie Jackson to the inception of the team's own TV/Media Network called YES (Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network), Steinbrenner changed America's pastime forever.

It's only fitting that "The Boss" would pass on the day of MLB's All-Star game as no ones star shined brighter than Mr. George Steinbrenner's. He was a sports and popular culture icon. George Steinbrenner was 80 years old: July 4, 1930 - July 13, 2010. He'll surely be missed.

Which Notable Nickname Would You Want?

Panini's upcoming National Treasures Basketball product will be released August 4th and features some really great looking cards. This'll be Panini's most highend basketball product to date with a $400 price tag. That $400 dollars does not give you much in quantity, but from the looks of the press released images, it will get you plenty of quality. Actually, each box will contain six auto'd and/or memorabilia cards, one insert or rookie card and one less than 99 serial numbered cards in every box.

As of July 13th, Panini has posted 33 images on their Facebook Page of cards that will be included in the National Treasures product. Every card features either an on-card auto, inscription auto, massive multi-colored jersey patch or some awesome combination of auto and patch. It looks like there are some great cards to be had for sure, but I'm really excited for the Notable Nicknames inscription cards. These look great and feature some of the greatest players in NBA history. So the Notable Nicknames cards look great, but which card would you want to add to your collection and maybe more importantly, which nickname would you want to have? Here are your choices:

The "Iceman" was the master of the finger roll during the 70's and 80's. He was also a dangerous offensive player and was really the first star for a fledgling San Antonio Spurs franchise. No doubt, this would be a nice addition to anyones collection and there aren't too many nicknames cooler than "Iceman".

"Mr. Clutch", there really isn't a better nickname for a basketball player that wants to be known for winning and knocking down big shots, but the truth is that Jerry West actually only won one NBA Title. With a nickname like that, you would think "The Logo" would've won a few more titles. Actually, I like "The Logo" nickname even better. I have Mr. West in my all-time top 10 players of NBA and basketball history. He's truly a legend and an inscription auto'd card of his would be the centerpiece of many collectors collections.

Here's my vote for the card I would want out of the set if I had to pick one, and the same goes for the nickname. I love Dominique Wilkins cards. There're so many great inserts of Wilkins from the 90's and great recent auto's (click here). "The Human Highlight Film" certainly earned his name. I don't know of any other NBA players that had as many great in-game dunks as Wilkins (click here). This is a great looking card. The auto and inscription are awesome, but don't overlook Wilkins' classic 80's hightop fade haircut.

Although brief with glimpses of greatness, "The Big Redhead's" place in basketball history is secure. From his time at UCLA to his time as an NBA anaylist, Bill Walton's influence on the game can be felt throughout. This is a really cool inscription.

I really like that Dominique Wilkins card, but this Clyde "The Glide" Drexler card would be my second choice. It's just a fantastic card of an all-time great. I love that Panini used an older picture of Drexler from his time with the Portland Trailblazers. He won an NBA Title with the Houston Rockets, but he became "The Glide" in Portland. If you need a little refresher of when Drexler ruled the Great Northwest skies, (click here).

So there you go. My pick form out of the five cards and nicknames is both Dominique Wilkins. I love the card and "Human Highlight Film" nickname, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices. So which card would you most like to add to your collection and witch is your favorite nickname?

In Honor of The Iconic NY Yankees PA Announcer Bob Sheppard

The New York Yankees' public address announcer from 1951 to 2007, Bob Sheppard, pasted away Sunday at his Long Island, NY. home at the age of 99. Often called "The Voice of God", the Yankee great was known for his long and dramatic delivery of Yankee greats past and present including Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, Thurman Munson, Paul O'neill, Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter.

I've had the pleasure of watching America's pastime at the Old Yankees Stadium and couldn't help but get goosebumps when Sheppard's voice rang-out over the crowd and players. He will truly be missed. (If reading from RSS Feed or third party site, click here for media/YouTube video)

Bo Knows Basketball?

We all know the story. Bo Jackson took the NFL by storm as a running back for the L. A. Raiders in 1987 (He was actually the number 1 overall draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in ’86, but decided to play baseball and did not sign a contract with the Bucs allowing him to go back into the draft where the Raiders selected him in the 7th round of the ’87 Draft.

He also took MLB by storm in the 1989 MLB All-Star Game as he led the game off with a home run and won the MVP. You undoubtably also know that his career as a two sport star came to a tragic end via a hip injury he suffered during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bungals, I mean Bengals (Thanks a lot Bengals, jerks!!!). What you may not know, is that Bo indeed does “Know Basketball”.

After the hip injury he suffered in the ’91 NFL Playoffs, Bo tried his hand at basketball by playing for a semi-pro team in the L.A area. This basketball experiment was of course short lived, and Bo eventually made his return to MLB with the Chicago White Sox in 1993. Jackson had a productive year hitting 16 home runs and batting in 45 RBI’s. He also won the Tony Conigliaro Award for coming back from hip replacement surgery that year. However, during the MLB strike of ’94, Jackson retired from professional sports for good. He certainly showed glimpses of greatness during his career, and one can only speculate to the level of greatness he might have achieved if he had remained healthy.

You all know I collect basketball cards, posters, books, kicks and more, but I also collect memorabilia from other sports, teams and players. Bo Jackson is one of my favorite athletes of all-time to watch old footage of as evident by all the “YouTube Videos” in this post. He was simply amazing. Without question, the best pure athlete I’ve ever seen. There’re a few items of his I’m always on the lookout for. Mainly, this 2008 UD Ultimate Legends Auto (click here), this 2008 UD Ultimate Dual Auto (click here) and of course, this Nike “The Ball Player” Poster featured in the post image, circa 1989.

“The Ball Player” Nike Bo Jackson poster is an iconic classic among sports enthusiasts and collectors alike. This was the start of the “Bo Knows” campaign that Nike marketed to sell Bo’s famous cross training kicks. Not only did those smooth and clever marketers from Nike come up with one hell of a poster, but they also created some fun TV commercials too.

UDA Michael Jordan HOF Floor Piece

I won a contest on UDA’s Facebook fanpage a while back for merely joining the page. UDA was nice enough to send me one of their Chicago Bulls United Center floor pieces with Jordan Hall of Fame card. It’s really a pretty nice item. I actually like the flip open box that the card and floor piece came in just as much as the as the items themselves.

Both Upper Deck and Upper Deck Authenticated have Facebook Fanpages that they use to disseminate product info and contests/giveaways. Both pages run fun contests quite often, so it is definitely worth joining their pages. You can find both of their Facebook pages along with other industry leaders in the “Favorite Pages” section on the Hoopography.com fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/Hoopography.

- Here’s a link to UDA’s store where you can purchase or get more info on this item (click here).

Holy Gold Refractor Batman

To say I’m a fan of the refractor technology is an understatement. I love the way trading cards looking refracting the full spectrum of the rainbow. I even love the gold refractors like this 1997 Kevin Garnett Topps Finest Gold Refractor more. That’s why I recently added this beautiful looking card to my collection. You’re probably thinking that I got caught up in all the hype surrounding the NBA Finals a few weeks ago and you would actually be partially right.

I was rooting for the Boston Celtics to take down the L.A. Lakers in the Finals and was excited when the Celtics took a three games to two lead over the Lakers. I started running eBay searches for Ray Allen (Jesus Shuttlesworth) and KG cards. However, this Gold Refractor did not come up in any of the searches. Instead, the card only appeared in when I used the search term “gold refractor”. I was in trouble after that.

Between a team I was rooting for looking like they were going to win it all (eventual fools gold) and the gold refractor card technology that I love so much, the perfect storm was at hand. I buying this card no matter what. I usually pride myself on getting many items for below market value as I’m typically a pretty savvy buyer/bidder. This was not the case with this Garnett card. Like I said, it was a perfect storm. Fortunately, just as the sun comes out after stormy weather, so to did the fun and excitement when I got this card in the mail today. This is definitely a purchase that I’m glad I made. keep on enjoying the hobby and “...Every Bounce of the Ball”.

P.S. I just purchased A Juwan Howard Gold Refractor from the same set and can not wait for it to come in!!!

New Cards Up For Trade

I started posting cards for trade on the Hoopography Facebook Fan Page (click here). I put them in an album entitled, “Trade Bait”. Check it out. If anything, there’re some fun cards to look at if you’re not into trading (I’m actually pretty new to trading myself). I have about 70 cards in the album for trade and will continue to add trade cards. I’m looking for a lot of different cards from $1 cheapies to higher end cards. I mainly collect Chris Mullin, Anfernee Hardaway, Billy Martin, Michael Jordan, Jim Kelly, Warren Spahn, Danilo Gallinari and Larry “Grand Ma Ma” Johnson, but also collect obscure auto’d cards new and old. Here are a few particular cards that I’m looking for: ’95 Emotion N-Tense David Robinson, ’94 Skybox Premium Draft Picks Chris Webber, ’93 Hoops Draft Redemption Card, ’93 Upper Deck Basketball Unredeemed Trade Card and the ’93 Fleer Kenny Walker Auto. I also collect Buffalo Bills, NY Yankees, Buffalo Sabres and endless amount of 90’s insert sets.

The Drexler and Robinson cards are two cards in the “Trade Bait” album. They’re part of a 20 card insert set from the ’95 Upper Deck release. The set features some of the best dunkers from the mid 90’s and includes all of the usual suspects. Obviously, the standout feature of these cards is the gold foil stamping on the left side of the cards. Beckett has the set listed with a $120 book value, and this seller on eBay (click here) has a buy now price of $96. I think both numbers are a bit high and a smart collector could put this set together for a lot less. I love 90’s insert sets and would love to put the set together myself, but I have too many sets going right now.

As many of you know, I collect mostly basketball and a ton of 90's inserts, but I also dabble in football and baseball cards. Here's a few of the other cards up for trade:

Feel free to checkout the Fan Page and “Trade Bait” Album (click here). I think there’s some fun stuff in there.