Basketball Has A Bright Future In The Garden State: Oh, Newark. Newark. The Nets got tired of looking at New Jersey, filed for divorce, and moved out of the Meadowlands. Brooklyn is so much richer, more sophisticated-it's just a better match. Don't you want the Nets to be happy? Oh, but Brooklyn's place isn't ready yet. Could the Nets maybe sleep on the couch, at Newark's Prudential Center? Just for a little while.
And by the way now, tonight, they're going to have all their friends over, OK? The Theater at Madison Square Garden is being renovated, and the NBA needs somewhere to have the draft. No, the league's not just using Newark because it's there. It really adores the Prudential Center. It's sure Newark will meet someone special. Newark has got a great sense of humor and it's totally fun to be around. Mayor Cory Booker knows the right new partner is out there:
"We're definitely engaging in conversations with folks who have put out feelers about the potential for our arena to host an NBA team," Booker said during a phone interview.
If Anaheim can almost get a team, but not get one, then New Jersey can't stay lonely for long. Can it?
"He's never thrown cold water at me," Booker said of Stern. "He's never said no. In fact, we've had some conversations about if it were to happen, what would that pathway look like?"
Lakers, Timberwolves Trade Insults In Lieu Of Trading Players: The Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers offered Lamar Odom to Minnesota in exchange for the Timberwolves' No. 2 pick. (Historical note: Lamar Odom was originally a No. 4 pick.) Minnesota responded by asking for Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol. "[T]he teams stopped talking, an NBA official said."
The NBA Hates Winners: ESPN's headline desk asks: "Kemba Walker was the best player on the best college team. So, why won't he be No. 1 on Thursday?"
Gosh, ask Kyle Singler. Or Wayne Ellington. Or Mario Chalmers or Corey Brewer or Joakim Noah or Sean May or Emeka Okafor or Carmelo Anthony or Juan Dixon or Shane Battier or Mateen Cleaves or literally every single other player who has been the best player on an NCAA championship team for the last 23 years, since Danny Manning won the last national-title/top-draft-pick exacta in 1988. And Danny Manning had an awful pro career (though to be fair, the best two players in that ill-starred draft class were Mich Richmond and Rik Smits).
If You Believe Hard Enough, Maybe Jimmer Will Play For Your Team:
"He's going to the Timberwolves," said Jason Martinez, a Saratoga Springs High School student. "He's going to have a slow start, maybe a slow three years, and then he's going to start coming up like J.J. Redick did. I think he'll be a sixth man, maybe he'll even win sixth man of the year."
Sure, why not? [The Saratogian]