[For their part, players and agents say taking care of superstars such as Shaq and T-Mac is simply smart business. Nobody wins if players are in a bad situation. And it isn't as if certain players have carte blanche, argue the agents. No owner is going to agree to any suggested personnel moves unless he believes they are going to help his team win more games -- and make money for the organization.] We're really only talking about a handful of players [who get their way], ... And these are guys who put people in the seats. |
[Jay Williams likely is out of any Heat short-term plans. Agent Bill Duffy said that the former Duke guard still has work left before an NBA return.] I think he's probably 80 percent there, ... We think he'll be all the way back by Christmas, maybe the All-Star break. |
[Other agents are more optimistic, noting that both sides have strong incentives to get a deal done. They say neither party wants to risk a work stoppage right now, especially in these times with an uncertain economy and a war in Iraq. They point to the looming NHL labor bloodbath as a clear warning sign.] I think we have to watch hockey closely, ... We don't want to fall into that. The PR is so bad. If hockey gets real ugly from the PR aspect, I think basketball will get lumped in with it. Both sides have to be real careful. |
[While the NBA and its players have much to discuss, there is one issue upon which both sides will likely agree. Thanks to the Carlos Boozer fiasco, the 14-day moratorium on signings might soon become part of history.] It opened up a can of worms, ... I think the league wants to prevent something like this from happening again. |
Awareness at work has transferred to awareness at home. |
For me, nothing has changed, |
I am really proud of the job the girls did in the second half; we talked at halftime about |
I think if you asked any of the offensive players, they will tell you that they have time to go to work and to find a way to dissect the other team's defense because of the players that they (CC) have playing defense behind them. |
I think some are going to look at it more closely now. |
I think we have to watch hockey closely. We don't want to fall into that. The PR is so bad. If hockey gets real ugly from the PR aspect, I think basketball will get lumped in with it. Both sides have to be real careful. |
I told our girls, that I hope and pray that we get to see these people (Luers) again (in sectionals), and if I am Bishop Luers I surely don't want to see Columbia City again. |
In many ways it's a perfect fit. If healthy, Houston is already a playoff-caliber team. There'll be less immediate pressure on him. Plus, with the style they play, he should be able to step in and contribute right away. |
It can only be categorized as par for the course in the N.B.A.. It's been a wild year. Antonio is under contract so he really doesn't have a whole lot of latitude right now. |
It opened up a can of worms. I think the league wants to prevent something like this from happening again. |
It threw off his balance as far as running was concerned. It was especially hard to learn how to carry a baton with that thing across your hand, but he figured it out. |