It's like writing, but not really.
— Jay-Z was on Letterman's late-night show and talked about his new record, which you might have heard a thing or two about already, the Nets, the Cavs, LeBron, and Shaq. Video above, if that wasn't obvious.
— Staying on the LeBron rumors and innuendo front, the New York Daily News is reporting rumors that Cablebvision might give LeBron his own TV station in hopes of wooing him to the Big Apple.
Speaking of which, the latest LeBron to the Knicks rumor I’ve heard is that Cablevision - which owns the Knicks but not the Daily News - will circumvent the salary cap by giving LeBron his own channel. I don't know exactly how that will work but that's what I've heard.As of today, I say there is a 90 percent chance LeBron is coming to New York ... and 100 percent chance that I won't be watching the LeBron channel.
— Speaking of the east coast and other possible destinations for King James, Bruce Ratner has provided illustrations and designs for the Atlantic Yards Version 8,235. This one. Not so pretty. Locals are calling it a spaceship. Check it out for yourself while I remind you that Ratner has to start construction by the end of this year or he loses a whole bunch of financial tax incentives and breaks that make this whole thing, hypothetically, possible.
— What, LeBron actually plays basketball and you want to hear about that? Blasphemy, I say. Hardwood Paroxysm took the time (and we thank them, because we don't have the patience for this kind of stuff) to compile LeBron's shots by quarter and break them down in handy chart form. No surprises, really, except for one little nugget, which I'll let them explain in their own words:
Not only is he much more efficient at close shots than three-pointers throughout the game (something any basketball fan could tell you), but he actually gets progressively worse on threes as the game goes on. In the first quarter, he’s quite efficient from long range, but by the end of the game he’s below average. Meanwhile, his efficiency from close range remains about the same. Yet for some reason, LeBron favors the three-ball more and more as the game progresses.Fatigue could be a factor again, and we also must consider the interaction between these shot types. James obviously must keep defenses honest, so abandoning the three completely despite it not being super-efficient would be a bad move.
— More LeBron? Yeppers. There's yet another site devoted to keeping the King in Cleveland. This one's called Keep Bron Bron and what makes this one different, besides eschewing the "Le" in Bron's name, is that you get a t-shirt that says "Just Sign It" for a small donation.
— I might be in the minority, but I've always loved Charlie Manuel, which is why I was pumped when I stopped over at the Birdland/Fightins' shop to discover this "Uncle Cholly has a Posse" shirt, straight from the "Andre Giant" design.
— Even the most die-hard Browns fans might not immediately recognize the name Nate Jackson, acceptable since Nate was on the team for all of like three days. Jackson, a tight-end, played for the Broncos before being cut, tried out with a bunch of teams, signed with the Browns for a couple of days, got cut again, tried out for some other teams, and is now on his way to the UFL.
Glorious life, indeed.
Stefan Fatsis, author of A Few Seconds of Panic: A Sportswriter Plays in the NFL, talks with Jackson about the experience of a guy low on the totem pole of NFL talent who is trying to make a career for himself.
— Both Teams Played Hard is ranking all the NBA logos. The Cavs came in 14th in their rankings.
— Let's Go Tribe has started a "Fire Everyone" series of posts. First up, Mr. Dolan. Yes, fire his ass. Actually him and the other eleven in the series, even though those aren't posted yet. Fire everybody.
There's more, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. That should keep you all busy for 14 seconds or so.
