Dave Batista

Dave Batista has been “The Animal” since childhood, in temper if not in name. Raised in a rough part of southeast Washington, D.C., he describes himself as being “a skinny kid with asthma and a bad size complex”— and a penchant for getting into trouble with authorities. He spent a few years in San Francisco after his parents separated, until his mother sent the troubled teen to live with his father in suburban Virginia. By the time he turned 17, he was estranged from both parents, living on his own, and still getting into trouble.

For the better part of 10 years, Batista spent his days training and competing as a bodybuilder, and his nights “bouncing in clubs, floating from here to there.” (He’s still amazed that one club he worked at is less than two blocks from Washington D.C.’s MCI Center, where he defended his World Heavyweight Championship against JBL at SummerSlam in 2005.) His drifting stopped the night he unleashed his explosive temper on two patrons who had attacked his fellow bouncers. “By the time I was finished with them,” he relates, “they were lying on the ground with their eyes rolling in the back of their heads. I was very scared they were going to die.” They didn’t, but the incident did result in Batista’s arrest, a year’s probation, and his decision to make radical changes in his life.

Enrolling in Wild Samoan Afa’s wrestling school in Allentown, Pa., Batista admits that at first he saw WWE simply as “a way to make a living”— until he was told at a WCW tryout that he didn’t have the chops to make it as a wrestler. “That lit a fire under my a**. Wrestling became an obsession that I fell in love with. I completely redirected my training and philosophies, redesigned my body and mental outlook. I just really wanted to be an athlete and an entertainer.”

Though his personal perseverance brought him to WWE in May 2002, Batista credits former Evolution colleagues Triple H and Ric Flair with developing “a muscleheaded goofball” into a World Heavyweight Champion, one who backs his composed words and demeanor with an explosive fury befitting his nickname. He considers himself neither a leader nor a follower in the locker room (“I’m just a loner, I keep to myself,” he insists), but inside the ring, on the covers of muscle mags like FLEX, and even once against budding Superman Tom Welling on The CW Network series Smallville, “The Animal” is clearly a dominant species. A dominant species who, by the way, has collected more than 50 vintage tin lunchboxes. Our advice: respect this six-foot-six, 290-pound beast and his 1967 Green Hornet sandwich container (sporting Bruce Lee’s face on the front), which he cherishes among his most prized possessions. You’ll live longer.

Triple H

For a moment, forget all the monikers and catch phrases. Overlook the seemingly countless championships and tournaments he has won. Ignore the fact that he has spearheaded two of the most important factions in WWE history, and overcome what the pundits considered a career-ending injuries. You need only two words to properly sum up Triple H: The Game

Strong words, especially when one considers the King of Kings was once a 135-pound “beanpole” from Nashua, N.H. But when he received a free one-week membership for a small local gym one summer day, the 14-year-old “gangly” teen’s life changed forever. For the next three years, he spent nearly every day in that gym, developing every muscle in his body and transforming himself into a six-foot-four, 210-pound powerhouse. He entered — and won — numerous regional bodybuilding competitions, including the prestigious Teen Mr. New Hampshire title at the age of 19. Yet The Game himself admits, “I never seriously considered becoming a pro bodybuilder…My dream was World Wrestling Entertainment.”

Enrolling in Walter “Killer” Kowalski’s Pro Wrestling School in Malden, Mass., the future Cerebral Assassin trained four days a week under Kowalski’s “tough love” tutelage, then divided his weekends between wrestling in the independent circuit and managing a Gold’s Gym in Nashua. Almost inconceivably, he would have to fly himself down to Atlanta in 1993, to convince then-new VP Eric Bischoff that he was “good enough” to join the World Championship Wrestling roster. Fortunately, the unlimited potential he showed at World Championship Wrestling quickly got him noticed at World Wrestling Entertainment; by May 1995, “Hunter Hearst-Helmsley” (a name which soon became more identifiable as Triple H) would make his WWE debut. And the rest, as they say, is history.

More than 20 years after entering that small Nashua gym, Triple H maintains the strictest of training regimens, incorporating techniques from world-renowned fitness trainers like Charles Glass. Such dedication has provided him with the fortitude to become a Grand Slam champion; the wisdom to shepherd the “Evolution” of then-newcomers Randy Orton and Batista to WWE Superstardom; the charisma to star in feature films, television shows, and commercials; and the stamina to pull countless sophomoric pranks on Mr. McMahon as a founder of D-Generation X. And it’s precisely what makes him “that damn good.

–http://www.wwe.com/superstars/smackdown/tripleh/bio/

JOHN CENA’S TITLE HISTORY

John Cena is called “The Champ,” and he’s lived up to that billing on seven occasions. Cena first held the United States Championship, winning that gold 3 times before becoming WWE Champion at WrestleMania 21. Since then, Cena has held the WWE Championship on three occasions. Here now is Cena’s complete title history:

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP (3 times)
-4/3/2005, WrestleMania 21: def. JBL
-1/29/2006, Royal Rumble: def. Edge
-9/17/2006, Unforgiven: def. Edge

WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (1 time)
-1/29/2007, Raw: with Shawn Michaels, def. Edge & Randy Orton

UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP (3 times)
-3/14/2004, WrestleMania XX: def. Big Show
-10/3/2004, No Mercy: def. Booker T
-11/18/2004, SmackDown: def. Carlito

Nokia to add IBM’s Lotus Notes email to smartphones (Reuters)

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Nokia smartphones will be able to access IBM Lotus Notes corporate email starting from next month, the two firms said on Thursday, as the world’s top handset maker battles Blackberry-maker RIM.

Nokia said thanks to the new software more than 80 million users of its smartphones can access IBM’s Lotus email. In September Nokia signed a similar deal with Microsoft, the leading corporate email provider.

“With this partnership we are able to mobilize close to 90 percent of corporate emails without any extra investments from corporations,” Ilari Nurmi, VP at Nokia, told Reuters.

“A lot of companies have servers in place and a lot of Nokia devices on the premises. It’s an important factor in cost-conscious times,” Nurmi said.

Nokia dropped development of its own corporate email product this year, choosing to look for partners instead while focusing on developing phones for business users to better challenge RIM, the leading mobile email vendor.

“Since revising its business strategy, Nokia has sharpened its focus and is turning up the heat on RIM and Microsoft, particularly in the SMB segment,” said Geoff Blaber, analyst with research firm CCS Insight.

“Adding support for Lotus Notes is a huge step forwards. The move gives Nokia the capability to target a much broader market and a segment where RIM has dominated to date.”

The announcement comes against a backdrop of falling demand for cellphones worldwide as the global economy falters, with Nokia warning last week that it expects industry volumes in 2009 to contract.

Some analysts have tapped smartphones as the market segment with the best hope for growth in 2009.

In the third quarter Nokia sold 1.1 million of its new sleek, full-keyboard E71 phones, outselling RIM’s business user-targeted Blackberry Bold by five-to-one, according to Nokia.

However, Blackberry Bold went on sale in its key United States market only in the fourth quarter.

Last week Nokia unveiled a somewhat stripped-down version of E71, the Nokia E63, which is expected to begin shipping in the coming weeks for an estimated retail price of 199 euros before taxes and subsidies — almost half the E71s estimated retail price unveiled in June.

Nokia’s Nurmi said the E63 could well outsell E71.

“From affordability standpoint there is clearly bigger potential for this product,” he told Reuters.

RIM’s dominant position in the mobile email market was not set in stone.

“This is not a mature market. We are all going to grow the market,” said Kevin Cavanaugh, vice president of IBM Lotus Software. (Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

–http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/us_nokia_ibm

BlackBerry Storm

The last of 2008′s touchscreen heavyweights is here, and on paper at least, the Storm—complete with messaging and multimedia features aplenty, not to mention a groundbreaking touchscreen—looks set to give the iPhone 3G and T-Mobile’s Android-powered G1 a run for their money. Unfortunately, the Storm’s poky performance and failure to truly embrace touch keep it from landing a knockout punch.Measuring 4.4 by 2.4 by 0.55 inches and weighing in at 5.5 ounces, the Storm lands somewhere between the svelte iPhone and the bulky G1 in terms of size and overall heft, and it fits relatively comfortably in a jeans pocket. Below the roomy display you’ll find the standard Call, End, Back, and Menu controls, while on the top corners are buttons for silencing ringers and locking the screen.

Speaking of which, the big draw of the Storm ($199 with a new two-year contract, available Friday, Nov. 21) is, of course, its 3.25-inch touch display, and it’s a beauty. With its resolution of 480 by 360, the Storm’s touchscreen actually manages to pack in more pixels than the iPhone’s larger, 3.5-inch screen, and the result is a rich, razor-sharp image, perfect for composing e-mails, Web browsing, or watching videos.

Hands-on review: Sony Xperia X1

It’s not an iPhone, and for many that’s half the appeal: Sony’s $800 (unlocked) Xperia X1 is the most expensive mainstream cell phone on the market, but it’s one of the sexiest handsets around that doesn’t start with an “i” and end in “phone.”

The main X1 interface is unlike any other handset you’ve tried, and you’ll notice the difference immediately as you punch into the XPanel home screen, a custom dashboard that lets you quickly — and stylishly — jump from one application to another, usually with just a single touch. You get nine panes to work with. By default they include an FM radio, calendar, clock, photo viewer, and the Opera web browser (a much appreciated improvement over the IE browser included with Windows Mobile, atop which all of this is built). Some Xperia-specific apps, including a bizarre system that uses colored fish as alerts, are also on tap to baffle you for months. Dig into the settings and you can mix and match the apps you want to appear and download new apps from Sony’s website.

The phone is a horizontal slider, and when closed the front of the phone features a three-inch touchscreen (with a whopping 800 x 480 pixel resolution) with a small collection of buttons beneath it. Of special note is the center action button, which also works as a tiny touchpad in many applications while you drag your fingertip around on it.

Flip the phone on its side and slide the screen up and you get a full QWERTY keyboard, a real blessing for those of us cursed with the inability to type on touchscreens. The buttons on the keyboard are a bit too flush for my taste — typing with two thumbs didn’t work well for me — but it beats tapping on the screen with a stylus. The design is very sturdy (and not too heavy at 5.6 ounces), and the phone, on the whole, feels like it will be able to handle multiple drops to the floor.

Other features include a nice 3.2 megapixel camera (though it’s dog slow to focus) and a microSD slot (no Memory Stick for this bad boy), which is located under the battery panel cover. The phone supports 3G, but only if you use an AT&T SIM card, but it also has Wi-Fi built in to pick up the slack no matter what network you’re on. GPS (and Google Maps) are also in the box. I haven’t done a full battery drain test on the handset, but Sony rates it for six hours. Judging by experience and the size of the battery, that seems like a fair guess.

In addition to notes above, I have a few smallish complaints with the phone. The biggest problem is that Windows Mobile underlies the innovative XPanel, and I found I had to scurry back into WM more often than I’d like in order to get certain things done. I wish Sony would have enhanced the OS it uses on its Walkman handsets instead of building on Windows… though I do understand the benefits that Windows Mobile gets you, including email and application viewers. But still, do we really need both Opera and IE on one handset?

The X1 also has some general performance problems: Apps load so slowly that I often found myself clicking a button twice, which would then inadvertently undo what I was trying to do while I waited for the phone to catch up. Everything is kind of pokey, even the web browser. Whether it’s a slow CPU or all those layers of OS that slows the Xperia down I don’t know, but it’s bothersome to the point of frustration.

–http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/110337

Lebron James’ NBA career

LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). James, commonly nicknamed “King James,” was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while still in high school at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School, and was named Ohio’s “Mr. Basketball” three times. At the age of 18, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers and signed an US$90 million shoe contract with Nike before his NBA debut. He has since set numerous youngest player records. During his first season, he received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and in the following four seasons received All-NBA and All-Star honors. He has led the Cavaliers to consecutive playoff appearances in 2006, 2007, and 2008; in 2007, the team advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

James is listed as a small forward, but is often classified as a point forward due to his ability to play point guard. He is a member of the United States men’s national basketball team winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and redeeming that result by winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. He finished second in the league’s Most Valuable Player balloting in 2006.

2003–04 season

James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Facing the Sacramento Kings in his first NBA game, James recorded 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals and shot 60% from the floor. After the game during the press conference, James was asked who he wanted to be like the most and his answer was Jason Kidd. James had admired Kidd since he took the floor in ’94 and dedicated his first triple double to him. James praised Kidd by saying he was the best point guard alive today, and his passing abilities were second to none. After recording a season-high 41 points against the New Jersey Nets, James became the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the season, and was named 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year; becoming the first Cavalier and youngest NBA player to ever receive the award. He joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only three players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie season. The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins and concluded the regular season with a 35–47 record, but failed to make the playoffs.

2004–05 season

James preparing to take a free throw against the Dallas Mavericks

In the 2004–05 season, James was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game and recorded 13 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, as the Eastern All-Stars defeated the Western All-Stars 125–115. During the season, James became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double, score 50 points in a game, and make the All-NBA Team. He averaged 27.2 points, 7.2 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. However, the Cavaliers failed to reach the playoffs again and finished with a 42–40 regular season record.

2005–06 season

In the 2005–06 season, James was elected to his second straight All-Star Game appearance and led the Eastern All-Stars to a 122–120 victory, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. He became the youngest All-Star MVP at 21 years, 51 days. He was named NBA Player of the Week for an unprecedented three consecutive weeks and concluded the season with five honors. He scored 35 or more points in nine consecutive games and joined Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players since 1970 to accomplish the feat. For the season, James averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, and became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points. He also became the fourth player in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season. The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998, and improved from a record of 17–65 in 2002–03 to 50–32 in 2005–06.

Following the regular season, James was named as one of the top candidates for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Although he finished second to Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in MVP voting, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting News; an award given by the publication that is based on the voting of thirty NBA general managers.

James made his playoff debut against the Washington Wizards in 2006. He recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 97–86. He joined Johnny McCarthy and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to register a triple-double in their playoff debut. For the series, James averaged 35.7 points, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in six games. In the process, however, James set a new record for turnovers in a 6-game series, with 34. In the second round of the playoffs, James and the Cavaliers lost in seven games to the defending Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival Detroit Pistons. James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the playoffs.

At the end of the season, James negotiated a three-year contract extension, with a player option for a fourth year. The contract is worth US$60 million and begins at the start of the 2007–08 season. Although it is for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allows him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season.

2006–07 season

James was elected to his third consecutive All-Star game appearance during the 2006–07 season. He played a game high 32 minutes and finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the regular season, the Cavaliers tied the previous season’s record with 50 wins and clinched the second seed of the Eastern Conference on the last day of the season. For the season, James averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for three consecutive years.

In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to their first sweep in franchise history over the Washington Wizards in four games.  It was also the first time the franchise had won consecutive road playoff games. For the series, James averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds. In the second round of the playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to a 4–2 series victory over the New Jersey Nets. He averaged 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists in the series, as the Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, James led the Cavaliers from an 0–2 deficit against the Detroit Pistons to win the series in six games. His performance in Game 5 was especially memorable. James recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, James scored 29 of Cleveland’s last 30 points, including the team’s final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. NBA analyst Marv Albert referred to James’s performance as “one of the greatest moments in postseason history,” while color commentator Steve Kerr called it “Jordan-esque.”

In the 2007 NBA Finals, James averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in four games. For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. He set a franchise record for double-doubles in a playoff season with eight and became the first Cavalier and the first non-guard in NBA history to have at least seven assists in eight consecutive playoff games.

2007–08 season

LeBron James greets US President George W. Bush at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

In the 2007–08 season, James continued his dominant play, earning his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance and once again positioning himself as one of the frontrunners for the NBA Most Valuable Player award. James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January 2008. He won the 2008 All-Star Game MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated their Western counterparts, 134–128.

On February 19, 2008, James recorded his fifth triple double of the 2007–08 season by putting up 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against the Houston Rockets. Five triple doubles in a season ties his personal and team records for triple doubles in a season. It was the 15th triple double of his career, another Cavaliers’ record. He is the third youngest player to post 15 triple doubles, behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. He scored his 6th triple double of the season and 16th of his career against the Indiana Pacers the very next game. It was the second time this season that he had triple double in back-to-back games. The last player to accomplish that feat was Magic Johnson in 1988.

James was named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, February 18 through Sunday, February 24. It was the third time he has won the award this season and the 13th time he has won the award in his career. On February 27, 2008, against the Boston Celtics, James became the youngest person to score 10,000 points in his career at 23 years and 59 days, achieving the feat in style with a slam-dunk over 11-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, eclipsing the old mark by more than a year. James did so in 368 games, the ninth fastest in league history.

On March 3, 2008 James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February 2008. It was the second straight month that he won the award. On March 5, 2008, James scored 50 points with 8 rebounds and 10 assists on the New York Knicks, becoming only the third player since the NBA-ABA merger to record a 50-point 10-assist game. On March 10, 2008, James notched his seventh triple double of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers. Seven triple doubles in a season broke his personal and team records for triple doubles in a season and 17 career triple doubles broke his team record as well. On March 12, 2008, James scored 42 points against the New Jersey Nets and surpassed Austin Carr for second all-time in Cavaliers points scored. On March 21, 2008, James scored 29 points against the Toronto Raptors, taking him past Brad Daugherty‘s all-time Cavaliers scoring record of 10,389 points. Daugherty achieved this record over the course of 548 games, while James took only 380 games to score 10,414 points.

All told, James had propelled Cleveland to a 45–37 record, good for second place in the Central Division and the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Prior to Cleveland’s first-round series versus the Washington Wizards, Wizards guard Deshawn Stevenson said James was “overrated,” prompting James to say that he would not return the insult, as that would be “almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy.” In response, Soulja Boy himself made an appearance at Game 3 of the series (played in Washington) in support of the Wizards, and his music was played over the PA system.^[45] James would later say that he meant no disrespect to Soulja Boy with his comment, and that his young son is a big fan of the rapper. Jay-Z responded by producing a freestyle version of the Too Short single “Blow the Whistle“, named “Playoff”, in which he “disses” Stevenson and Soulja Boy on James’ behalf.. The Cavaliers would go on and win the series in 6 games (4–2), setting up a meeting with the Boston Celtics. The series was decided by the seventh game in Boston. James and opponent Paul Pierce each scored 40+ points, but the Cavaliers could not get a victory, thus losing the series (4–3).

                                                                                     source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James

 

 

 

 

Phoenix to Host 2009 All-Star

 Phoenix to Host 2009 All-Star

Posted Nov 12 2008 3:42PM from NBA.com

 

 

 PHOENIX, Nov. 8, 2007 – Phoenix has been selected as the site of NBA All-Star 2009, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. The 58th All-Star Game will be played at the US Airways Center, home of the NBA’s Suns and 2007 WNBA Champion Mercury, on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009. A worldwide television audience spanning over 200 countries will view the events. Fans in the United States will watch the action on TNT. Phoenix also hosted All-Star in 1975 and 1995.”Phoenix is one of the great sports and entertainment destinations, so it is only natural that it will once again become the basketball capital of the world,” said Stern. “We appreciate the leadership of Jerry Colangelo, Robert Sarver and the Suns organization for inviting us to make their arena our home for what promises to be an exciting and entertaining All-Star.”

The All-Star competitions will tip off on Friday, Feb. 13, as the league’s top rookies and second-year players square off in the Rookie Challenge. The excitement will continue the next day with NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which includes Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players and NBA legends, Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, lay-ups and agility drills, and the Three-Point Shootout, where six of the best long-range shooters compete against each other and the clock in a test of accuracy. The evening’s grand finale, the Slam Dunk Contest, will showcase some of the NBA’s best athletes as they take to the air mystifying fans with their gravity-defying creativity.

“We are proud that Phoenix, and downtown in particular, will be showcased around the world through the media’s coverage of NBA All-Star 2009,” said Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver. “This is a great example of how our city’s leadership, public and private, can work together to bring events with major economic impact to Phoenix.”

Not all of the action will take place on the court as the NBA will celebrate its tradition and commitment to social responsibility with a schedule of NBA Cares events taking place throughout All-Star. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government and local non-profit organizations in Phoenix and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

One of All-Star’s most popular attractions is Jam Session, the world’s largest interactive basketball theme park, which will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center. In its 16th season, Jam Session will feature over 450,000 square-feet of basketball entertainment for fans of all ages – the equivalent of 48 official-size NBA basketball courts or 18 million regulation-size basketballs.

At Jam Session, fans can test their skills on over 30 unique attractions, compare their hand and shoe sizes with those of their favorite NBA players, compete against friends at on-court skills challenges, watch youngsters slam dunk and hit three-pointers at the Kids Zone, and meet some of their favorite players and legends, celebrities and musical performers. Jam Session also offers an extensive trading card and collectibles area, the NBA Store, where fans can purchase exclusive merchandise, and Center Court, the home for All-Star entertainment, where fans can watch practices, dance teams and mascots, and celebrities, NBA, WNBA players in a variety of shooting contests.

The 2009 event marks the third time Phoenix has hosted All-Star. On Jan. 15, 1975, the New York Knicks’ and future Hall of Fame guard Walt “Clyde” Frazier scorched the West with 30 points – including 10-of-17 shooting from the field – to capture MVP honors. Played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Game is remembered for the performances of many eventual Hall of Famers including Rick Barry of the Golden State Warriors, John Havlicek of the Boston Celtics, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Milwaukee Bucks. Charlie Scott of the Phoenix Suns also participated in the game. In the end, the East, coached by K.C. Jones of the Washington Bullets, prevailed 108-102, against the West, led by coach Al Attles of the Warriors.

The All-Star Game returned to the desert 20 years later on Feb. 12, 1995, when Suns stars Charles Barkley and Dan Majerle were among those selected to play and Sacramento Kings guard Mitch Richmond scored 23 points in 22 minutes to earn MVP honors. Played at the then-America West Arena, Suns legend Paul Westphal coached the West to a 139-112 blowout of the East, coached by Brian Hill of the Orlando Magic. The Game displayed the talents of many players still competing in the NBA including Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, and Alonzo Mourning.

Talking Trades

Morning Report: Tal king Trades By: Steve Kyler Talking Trade? : The NBA trade deadline is just 100 days away (February 19th at 3pm EST) and we’ve seen one major move already between Denver and Detroit. There continues to be talk that a few other big names could be on the move. Here is the latest on each: Al Harrington: Golden State Warriors’ forward Al Harrington put himself on the block a couple of weeks ago and has done little to help his cause of being moved. Since the announcement Al’s role has decreased as has his performance on the floor. To make matters worse he has not played since November 5th, and had an MRI this past week on his ailing back. Harrington has roughly $9.2 million owed this year, and a final player option year at $10 million. Few teams are going to risk taking on that kind of contract hit for a guy with a back injury. Once Harrington returns to the floor and proves this injury isn’t major his name may heat up again, but while he’s hurt don’t expect much movement on this front. Gerald Wallace: Leave it to Larry Brown to create controversy where none exists. The Charlotte Bobcats have gotten off to a brutal 2-4 start prompting a lot of finger pointing inside the Bobcats organization. One topic continues to come up and that’s the “fit” of Gerald Wallace. Its seems Brown was against trading Wallace this off-season, and now that the team is in the tank Brown seems more open to moving him. There is no doubting Wallace’s ability on the basketball court, but his knack for “losing focus” in a game is grating on Larry Brown, and the fact that Wallace and Jason Richardson tend to play the same style of game means one of them needs to go. Wallace has the longer deal, and is perceived easier to move because of his $9.5 million salary. Sources close to the Bobcats say there is no urgency to move Wallace but admitted that something needed to change as owner Bob Johnson has very little patience these days with the amount of money he’s losing in Charlotte. Eddy Curry: Eddy Curry is not in the short-term or long-term plans for the Knicks. They too would trade him in a minute if someone offered a real deal. What’s being kicked New York’s way are garbage contracts or has-been players – the Knicks have enough of those. Curry is battling a knee injury that has required him to receive cortisone shots, so the odds he’s moved in trade seem slimmer as news of the injury circulates. Unlike Stephon Marbury, Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni does seem open to the idea of playing Eddy Curry if he gets himself in shape, something he has not been in since the opening of training camp when he reported to camp some 30 pounds over his agreed playing weight. Some inside the Knicks camp point to the extra weight as the cause of the knee issue. Sergio Rodriguez: Portland guard Sergio Rodriguez put himself on the trade market through his agent last week, basically blindsiding the Blazers. All sides have talked through Sergio’s unhappiness which revolves around being in Portland for three years and still not having a clearly defined role on the team. That does not change the fact that others teams have seen what Sergio is capable of and it seems the Blazers are at least open to trade talks, but were very clear with the press saying they’d rather keep Sergio in town than make a bad deal. Sergio is owed just over $1 million this year, $1.8 million next season and a qualifying offer year in 2010 at $2.8 million. Sergio is averaging 9 minutes per game and is 4 for 14 from the field on the season, but his 3.3 assists per game average is impressive considering how little playing time he’s seen. The Magic host the Blazers tonight in Orlando, it will be interesting to see how much time Sergio gets this week. Stephon Marbury: The Knicks position on Stephon Marbury is implicitly clear – they are going to wait this out. And there is absolutely nothing Stephon Marbury or the Player Association can do about it. Marbury is being paid, he is allowed to be around the team and practice, if he chooses to. The Knicks have been very deliberate in what they are doing with Stephon. The fans may not understand this and may say it’s unfair of the Knicks, but at the end of the day Marbury is an asset and his ending deal can and likely will return pieces for the future. Being impatient simply hurts the team, and the Knicks have been impatient far too many times in the past to mess this up. The Knicks will try in earnest to trade Stephon at or near the trade deadline, and the teams that will look at Steph are not teams that will want him to even report. Stephon Marbury will be a $20 million cap clearing contract. Fans make the argument “then trade him now” – keep in mind it takes two to tango, and most teams that would trade for Steph are not ready to blow up their team yet, and dealing for $20 million in salary will require blowing a team or group of teams up. In November every team is optimistic this can be their year – tell me you had Atlanta being undefeated or the Spurs having just one win. Until the world settles into what it is going to be, Stephon Marbury is not going anywhere, lets revisit this again in February until then Stephon is stuck where he is. Don’t Blame The Trade: The Detroit Pistons made the move to acquire Allen Iverson last week in part to improve their often stalling offense. Last night that offense with Allen Iverson again came to sputtering stall, and it ultimately cost the Pistons the game. After the game new Head Coach Michael Curry refused to allow the blame for the loss to be heaped on to the trade. “Don’t put this on the trade or on Allen,” Curry explained during his post game press conference. “Put it on our offense. Boston got up into us and we have to be better when teams do that to us. I am not up here to talk about how long it’s going to take for everything to look smooth.” Curry said the Pistons scoring drought last night came when Rasheed Wallace came out of the game, pointing to the fact that when the “scoring” big man comes out the offense stops. That reserve scoring role was previously held by Antonio McDyess who will look to rejoin the Pistons in mid to late December.

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