Revisiting Miami as a basketball town

Miami, Florida: A hoops mecca or a bandwagon?

What kind of basketball city is Miami?

Last week, Henry Abbott put out a call for submissions in an effort to answer this question. We wanted to hear from locals who have been season ticket holders since the Heat's inaugural season in 1988, from transplants who carried their love affair with the Knicks and Celtics down to south Florida and from anyone who has a sound theory about what ingredients go into the making of a basketball town.

We received dozens of emails that touched on the unique collection of demographic, economic and social factors that govern the sports landscape in Miami. Surya Fernandez of Hot Hot Hoops has delved into a lot of this.

Most agreed with Christian Santiago that loyalty isn't an intrinsic value to south Floridians. But, as Santiago points out, loyalty between fan and team is complicated, nuanced stuff: 

Miami is the geographic incarnate of the new Tom Sawyer. We have no loyalty to any god, government, sport, or team. The sycophantic fickle fans of South Florida couldn't locate the word "loyalty" in the dictionary. If the citizens of this town participated in a reality TV role play of the Oregon Trail, the wagon would burn before it reached Ft. Lauderdale. As a life long member of this fine community, I can say that few of us are willing to give our allegiance to a loser. However, things may be different this time. You see this is the first time in a long time that someone builds a team with a foundation. The Heat and the Marlins are the recent teams to bring prosperity to our city, and in all three cases, (the Fish won two World Series) the teams were built to "Win Now." Within two years there was nothing left but the skeleton frame of rebuilding.

This time around, the fans will stick like leeches because there is a legitimate chance of a dynasty. Dan Le Batard said we don't deserve this team. I have to agree. But for those of us who were true fans through thick and thin, this is a better afterlife than a million virgins and rivers of wine and honey. It's like winning the lottery. People will either spite you out of envy, or pucker up in search of gold. The fans, like the invisible hand that guides society, will sell out the triple-A despite the varied purity of their motives. For better or worse, it will still benefit the team. If the Heat wins like everyone expects, the arena will erupt with passion and love. If there's one thing this town craves, it's an excuse to party, and with the South Beach Armada in sight, they will party the night away wearing D-Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James jerseys.

Is cheerleading a sport?

In a ruling last week, a federal judge said that cheerleading is 'too underdeveloped and disorganized' to be considered an official collegiate sport.
In his decision, U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill said replacing the women's volleyball team with a competitive cheerleading squad would not be sufficient for
Quinnipiac University in Connecticut to meet federal Title IX requirements.

Title IX ensures that universities receiving federal funds offer equal athletic opportunities to male and female students. Among the guidelines is a stipulation that each team's primary goal must be to compete, not just to support other teams.
The judge noted that neither the NCAA nor the Department of Education recognize competitive cheer as a varsity sport. He called the National Competitive Stunt and Tumbling Association, which oversees the six universities that include competitive cheer as an official sport, "loosely defined" and "unincorporated."
Judge Underhill's decision has reignited the age-old debate about whether cheerleaders are "real" athletes.
Jeff Webb, CEO of the cheerleading organization Varsity Spirit, actually testified on behalf of the volleyball players. According to ESPN, Webb said that competitive cheerleading is as much a sport as chess.
But many disagree with Webb, including University of Georgia competitive cheer coach Terry Jones, a former football player.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jones reacted to the ruling: “I think this is just a bunch of old men that don't know the sport -- it just doesn't make any sense. This is a multi-million dollar year round sport, not girls wearing short skirts and smiling."
Jane Marella, director of the Gymnastics and Cheerleading Academy of Connecticut, added in a Fox News interview, that cheering has evolved into a competitive sport. "This isn't about going in there and cheering for their football and basketball teams, it's about competing. The girls have to be gymnasts, they have to be able to tumble, they have to be dancers, they have to be able to be strong to lift other people or be lifted, they have to be able to have endurance...it's not the rah, rah with the pom poms," Marella said.
What do you think - Should cheerleading be considered a sport? Leave your comments below.




From: www.syracuse.com/

Not the Redeem Team, but Still Chasing a Dream

Stephen Curry, who might play for the United States at the world championship next month, has only one N.B.A. season to his credit.

LAS VEGAS — The last time the United States won a world championship in men’s basketball, in 1994, players like Steve Smith, Dan Majerle and Mark Price dotted the roster.
Heading into the latest edition of the world championships, which begin Aug. 28 in Turkey, the United States is a tenuous favorite to finally win again.

Although the Americans dominated the 2008 Olympics, winning every game until the gold-medal match against Spain by an average of 30.2 points, no player from that roster will play this summer. That means the United States will go from a lineup that featured Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to one filled with uncertainty.

“Around the world we’re being referred to as the B Team,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball’s managing director. “We let our players know that the first night.”

The linchpins of this edition will be the veterans Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom, who will complement the budding stars Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. But questions will dog this team, which will feature few experienced players and have a glaring lack of size and elite talent in the low post.

The Americans will face deep and experienced teams like Spain, Argentina and Brazil, whose players have spent years together and consider the world championship more important than the Olympics.

“This particular team is going to face some real challenges in terms of their playing style and how it fits internationally,” said the ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, who covers international basketball. “They certainly are favored, but it’s not going to be a walk in the park.”

The Knicks’ decision not to allow Amar’e Stoudemire to play and injuries to David Lee and Robin Lopez water down a frontcourt that was already considered questionable.

That leaves the center spot as the biggest question because the United States will probably bring the serviceable but unspectacular Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler to man the post.

“The basic question is: ‘What are we going to do up front? What about the bigs?’ ” Colangelo said.

Expect the United States to showcase its versatility, with the 6-foot-10 Odom being perhaps the tallest player on the court at times. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said it was important with this team not to pigeonhole players to specific positions, as versatile hybrid players like Odom will see a lot of time.

“I don’t know what team jumps higher,” Odom said. “I don’t think another team is going to be quicker. We’ll make up for our size in other areas.”

Making up for experience could be trickier. Aside from Odom and Billups, a majority of the rest of the projected roster is composed of young players short on international experience. Rose and Durant will be the stars, and players like Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Stephen Curry and Kevin Love are all young enough to still be carded.

“I think the biggest thing is that the teams we’re going to play have a lot of international experience; it’s something that we have to adjust to,” said Tony Ronzone, USA Basketball’s director of international player personnel.

He added that the crowds at exhibition games in Spain and Greece, along with the games in Istanbul, would be more hostile than any that the players had experienced before.

“We’re going to Greece, and we’re going to have thousands of people yelling at us and fireworks going off,” Ronzone said. “If the game is tight, how are our guys going to react?”

Just who will make the team is the biggest question this week. The assistant coach Jim Boeheim, who often oversees the construction of teams for USA Basketball’s youth programs, said the key to building a roster for international play was to find a core of eight or nine players, then add a few specialists. The 2008 Olympic team, for example, had Tayshaun Prince for defense, Carlos Boozer for rebounding and toughness, and Michael Redd for 3-point shooting to complement its stars.

The core of this team projects to be Billups, Rose, Durant, Odom, Westbrook, Rondo, Chandler, Brook Lopez and Andre Iguodala. The specialists could be Curry for his 3-point shooting against the myriad zone defenses the United States expects to see, Love for his rebounding, and perhaps Rudy Gay for his scoring and versatility.

“I think this is the most athletic team we’ve ever had,” Ronzone said.

What is certain is that this team will be built around its strong crop of guards, with Durant providing the scoring punch from the frontcourt.

“We have to look at this unconventionally,” Colangelo said. “We’re going to be very athletic and guard-oriented. We have versatility and guys who can play multiple positions.”

In some of the previous international tournaments, players tended to overlook competition, and the teams turned into chemistry disasters. But with stability at the top in Colangelo and Krzyzewski and with a real USA Basketball system finally taking shape, this team is unlikely to overlook opponents or prepare poorly.

The world has caught up to the United States in basketball, and while the United States reigns as the defending Olympic champion, the question this summer will be if the so-called B Team can be the best in the world.

“People are all talking about the guys who aren’t here, so that’s a motivational factor,” Boeheim said. “We haven’t won the world championship since 1994. That’s a long time.”


From: http://www.nytimes.com/

With Paul wanting out, new Hornets brass facing crisis

Welcome to the hottest seat in the NBA, Dell Demps. All you have to do is persuade Chris Paul to stay in New Orleans -- an uphill battle that begins now.

When Paul was quoted a few weeks ago as saying he'd be open to a trade if the Hornets aren't committed to building a championship team, it was only a small hint as to the size of the chasm that exists between the franchise and its cornerstone player. Paul, in fact, has put into motion an aggressive exit strategy that will accelerate in the coming weeks, and his clear intention is to be traded before the start of the 2010-11 season, a person with direct knowledge of his plans told CBSSports.com Wednesday.

"He wants out," said the person, who has been briefed on Paul's strategy but spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it publicly. "He wants to play with another superstar. He wants to follow LeBron's model of teaming up with other great players."

Paul's list of preferred destinations consists of the Knicks, Magic and Lakers, and members of his inner circle already have sent word to the Hornets of his desire to be traded to one of those teams, sources say. If Paul has his way, he's played his last game in a Hornets jersey.

"He feels like they haven't put the right pieces together," said the person familiar with the star point guard's plans.

Paul, a three-time All-Star, still has two years before he can become a free agent. But his dissatisfaction with the Hornets' downward spiral, coupled with the coup pulled off by James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami has only accelerated his desire to seek a trade. Sources within the NBA say members of Paul's camp have told them recently, "He's not going to start the season in New Orleans."

In the past year, Paul has publicly expressed mild and measured frustration with the direction of the Hornets, who have spiraled out of contention since they capped a 56-win season in 2007-08 with a loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. That was followed by a 49-win season that ended with an embarrassing first-round loss to the Nuggets, including a disgraceful 58-point home loss in Game 4. Bryon Scott was fired nine games into the 2009-10 season, and that only seemed to exacerbate Paul's concerns about his future in New Orleans.

Early last season, days before Scott was fired, Paul admitted he was "envious, very envious" of his friends and peers -- James, Wade and Carmelo Anthony -- who had enjoyed far more team success in the early stages of their careers.

"Those guys have been where I want to get to," Paul said. "This is my fifth year in the league and I'm not trying to wait until I'm an old veteran in this league trying to win a championship. We're trying to win now. Whatever we have to do to win, we've got to do now."

The Hornets missed the playoffs for the first time in three years under interim coach Jeff Bower, who was reinstated to his GM post with the hiring of coach Monty Williams and then fired last week. Enter Demps, a respected personnel man who played an important support role in the Spurs' decade of success. Will the duo of Williams and Demps, both having ascended to top NBA jobs for the first time, be enough to get Paul to backtrack from his desire to be traded?

Williams and Hornets president Hugh Weber both told CBSSports.com in the past week that they plan to sit down face-to-face with Paul to sell him on the team's new direction. Paul won't go public with his trade request -- if he did, he'd be subject to a fine under NBA rules -- but those with knowledge of his plans believe his desire to pair up with another superstar (or two) has gained too much momentum to stop.

In late June, Paul, 25, spent several days in Akron, Ohio, with James, who was busy orchestrating his own exit strategy from Cleveland. The two friends and superstars picked each other's brains, with each persuading the other to make significant changes in their branding strategies. For Paul, it was a big step to persuade James to join the social networking phenomenon that is Twitter. For James' part, he finally persuaded Paul to join his Cleveland-based marketing company, LRMR.

Paul's decision to sign with LRMR, headed by James' close friend and advisor, Maverick Carter, was only the first step in his exit plan from New Orleans. Paul officially severed his representation agreement with Octagon earlier this month and will soon officially join the influential stable of clients represented by Creative Artists Agency.

With a stranglehold on the top free-agent talent, CAA dictated the terms, pace and outcome of the monumental free-agent class of 2010. CAA clients James and Bosh agreed to join forces with fellow CAA client Wade in Miami, forming a rare triumvirate through the leverage and friendship of players as opposed to the whim of management.
Paul will be represented by CAA agent Leon Rose, who also represents James and potential 2011 free agents Anthony and Tony Parker. Miami's Big Three haven't even run a layup drill, and yet CAA already has the foundation in place to run the table in the free-agent summer of 2011, as well. But with a lockout looming and superstars Paul, Anthony, and to a lesser degree Parker uneasy about their current situations, those plans already are in motion.

Paul's former representatives at Octagon, Jeff Austin and Lance Young, did not respond to phone calls seeking comment, nor did Rose. William Wesley, CAA's behind-the-scenes operative known as "World Wide Wes," who is now a coaching agent with CAA, declined to comment. Paul's strategy has yet to reach the team level in terms of proposals exchanged, sources say. For one thing, Paul has been mired in the 15-day waiting period to officially hire a new agent after severing ties with Octagon. Also, it has been his desire to be forthright with ownership and management in discussing the matter. Williams, a first-year head coach, was hired last month and plans to meet with Paul extensively in the coming weeks to explain his vision. Demps hasn't even completed his first day on the job yet.

Paul's inclusion of the Magic on his list dovetails with CBSSports.com's report June 30 that star center Dwight Howard has asked Orlando management to pursue a trade for Paul -- although Magic GM Otis Smith said by phone Wednesday that he is unaware of such a plan. The team that has most aggressively positioned itself to reap the benefits of CAA's latest power nexus is the Knicks, who struck out in their pursuit of this summer's Big Three but perhaps didn't whiff permanently.

Team president Donnie Walsh's first step was signing power forward Amar'e Stoudemire to a five-year, $99.9 million deal. The move wasn't successful in swaying James or Wade, but it represents the first piece of a strategy designed to land Paul, Parker or Anthony -- or perhaps, even two of them. According to sources familiar with the Knicks' strategy, part of the reason for orchestrating the sign-and-trade for David Lee -- which yielded young talents Anthony Randolph and Kelenna Azubuike from Golden State -- was to stock the roster with attractive assets that could be used to acquire such marquee players if the opportunities presented themselves.

Since they are not free agents at the same time, sources say Paul, Anthony and Parker won't have the same power that Miami's Big Three wielded this summer. Given that he has two years left on his contract before he can exercise a player option, Paul's desire for a trade will be a test of his leverage. It will also be a test of the Hornets' new duo of decision-makers, Williams and Demps, who will have to determine when Paul's value will be maximized -- if they agree to trade him at all.

Parker already has publicly stated his intention to pass on an extension and become a free agent next summer, while Anthony thus far balked at signing the Nuggets' three-year, $65 million extension offer. With a lockout looming after the season, friends of Anthony believe he is seriously torn between cashing in on what's left of max money as we know it and following his buddy, James, in trying to orchestrate a surefire championship celebration. Earlier this month, empowered by his time spent in Ohio with James, Paul was reported to have toasted the idea of forming "our own Big Three" with Stoudemire and Anthony during Anthony's wedding in New York. That comment, never publicly corroborated by Paul, is directly in line with what sources say has become his overriding strategy for the next step in his career. Call it the Miami Model, the South Beach Effect, or whatever you want. It's the new normal for young NBA superstars looking for a new home and a better chance to win.

"Players want to follow in those footsteps," an NBA front office source said. "They all want to do that. Everyone got excited about it, and it opened up the players' imaginations as to what they could do."

From: http://www.cbssports.com/

With D-Wade and LeBron, do the HEAT need a true point guard?

There’s been a lot of talk recently about whether the HEAT actually needs a true point guard or whether Dwyane Wade and LeBron James could handle the job themselves.

I happen to think Wade and James could flawlessly handle point guard duties offensively. But defensively there might be problems matching up against elite players such as Boston’s Rajon Rondo, Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Utah’s Deron Williams, Phoenix’s Steve Nash and New Orleans’ Chris Paul, to name a few.

On Sunday, after the All-Star Basketball game for The Summer Groove, Rondo was asked about Wade and James defending elite point guards. Rondo agreed with me for the most part, but not completely, saying it depends on the HEAT’s defensive system.

“It just depends on the style of play,” Rondo said about Wade and James defending elite point guards.

“Guys like Deron and Chris, if they do check those guys, they’ll be in a ton of pick-and-rolls, along with myself They probably run, along with Steve Nash, the most pick-and-rolls in the league.”
When Wade was asked about how the HEAT will decide on point guard duties -- would it be, say, Mario Chalmers, or Wade or James -- he seemed to think the HEAT would go traditional.

“It’s guys like Mario’s job to lose, if you want to say that,” Wade said. “I’m not going to try to take it from him. I think he can have a great year, a great impact on this year if he starts at the one (point guard).”

Wade also praised Chalmers' defense and his increasing offensive repertoire.

“Defensively, he’s good. He’s going to be even better with the guys (forward Chris Bosh and center Joel Anthony) behind him. And hopefully he’s been working on his shot and he can become more of a consistent shooter because he’s going to get a lot of looks.

“I’ve told him I’ve got a lot of point guards paid,” Wade said with a smile. “A lot of shooters have got paid around here. If he’s looking to get paid, he’s alright.”

The bottom line is the HEAT could field a non-traditional lineup with Wade and James handling the ball. As for defensive matchups, let’s just look at the Southeast division, where the HEAT usually faces each opponent four times a season.

The HEAT would have to have Wade or James defend Jameer Nelson from Orlando, maybe Mike Bibby from Atlanta, perhaps D.J. Augustin from Charlotte and rookie John Wall from Washington. That’s not overly imposing.

It could, however, be a taxing defensive task in a best-of-seven playoff series where Wade or James has to defend Rondo or Rose.

"That's probably one of the hardest positions to play," Rondo said. "It's not an easy position. They'll find somebody. Chalmers is a great young point guard coming up."
In reality this might not be a tough decision for HEAT coach Erik Spoelstra. In might be, as Wade said, up to Chalmers.

All Spoelstra has to do is put his best five players on the court. And if Chalmers is among those top five, if he can defend and hit the open jumper, that’s the way you go.

Otherwise, allow Wade and James to handle the ball, put forward Mike Miller or someone else in the starting lineup, play good team defense on opposing point guards, and roll that way.

From:http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/

Garrett out as USC's athletic director

Embattled Southern California athletic director Mike Garrett will be replaced by Pat Haden next month, and the school will return its copy of Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy in its ongoing effort to repair its reputation after last month's severe NCAA sanctions.

In a letter to school supporters Tuesday, incoming USC president Max Nikias said Garrett will be replaced Aug. 3 by Haden, a respected member of USC's board of trustees and an NBC football analyst.

The 66-year-old Garrett has been the Trojans' athletic director for 17 years, but he received caustic criticism for his handling of the scandals surrounding USC's powerful football team and other programs over the past several years. The NCAA hit USC with major sanctions last month, including a two-year bowl ban and scholarship restrictions.

Nikias, who takes his own new job Aug. 3, also said USC will return Bush's trophy to the Heisman Trophy Trust next month, possibly indicating the trophy will be revoked in the future. The school will take down any jerseys or murals recognizing the former star tailback or basketball player O.J. Mayo, the other major figure in the four-year NCAA investigation.

''The Trojan Family honors and respects the USC sporting careers of those persons whose actions did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes,'' Nikias said.

Bush's Heisman has been on display in Heritage Hall alongside its copies of the Heismans won by Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Charles White and Marcus Allen.

Both Garrett and Haden are former USC football players. Garrett won the Heisman Trophy in 1965, while Haden was the Trojans' starting quarterback for three years under coach John McKay.

Haden is firmly ensconced in Trojan lore. In 1974, he led a 55-24 victory over Notre Dame still known at the school as ''The Comeback,'' while his late heroics in the 1975 Rose Bowl, including a last-minute touchdown pass and two-point conversion throw, gave USC an 18-17 win over Ohio State.

While praising Garrett's work in rebuilding the USC football program and shepherding construction of the Galen Center basketball arena on campus, Nikias said the USC athletic department under his presidency ''will seek to excel in the coming years in a manner that is consistent with the highest values'' of the school.

The NCAA criticized USC last month for a lack of institutional control. The phrase was a direct swipe at Garrett, who initially received praise for unexpectedly hiring coach Pete Carroll to lead a dominant decade for the Trojans' football team, including seven Pac-10 titles and two national championships. Carroll abruptly left USC earlier this year to take over the Seattle Seahawks.

''Wish pat haden the very best in taking over as USC AD!'' Carroll wrote on his Twitter account. ''I'll support in any way. Congrats!''

Garrett has been mostly unapologetic in the face of the Trojans' NCAA problems, even saying last month that the NCAA's ruling revealed ''a lot of envy'' of the Trojans. Two weeks ago, Garrett was forced to send a letter of apology to five schools after falsely accusing them of breaking NCAA rules by contacting star tailback recruit Dillon Baxter about transferring.

Nikias also said the school will hire David M. Roberts as a vice president for athletic compliance, putting nine people in USC's athletic compliance office. The Trojans are dramatically beefing up their compliance department, adding several employees to keep their eyes on new football coach Lane Kiffin's team and the rest of the program.

Haden was a Rhodes Scholar during his tenure at USC, and he studied at Oxford during parts of his pro career with the Los Angeles Rams, where he started at quarterback regularly from 1976-81. Haden also broadcasts Notre Dame football games for NBC — a job he'll obviously have to quit — and is a partner in a private investment firm.

''It is absolutely unsurprising and typical that Pat would want to be there for his beloved alma mater in a time of need,'' said Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Sports and Olympics. ''His integrity, his talent and his engaging manner are just what the Trojans need.''

USC appealed some of the sanctions against the program on June 25, seeking to cut in half its bowl ban and scholarship restrictions. A ruling on the appeal isn't likely until several months into 2011, and the Trojans already agreed to serve a bowl ban in the upcoming season.

From: http://msn.foxsports.com/