George Eddy Commentator, Canal + France A broadcaster with the Canal + France sports department, George Eddy has covered basketball and the NBA -- in addition to the Olympics and the NFL -- since January 1985. Eddy moved to France from the U.S. in 1977, playing and coaching pro basketball for 12 years. In addition to his on-air broadcasts for Canal +, Eurosport France and others, Eddy has written six books about basketball as well as contributing to numerous magazines and radio stations. Eddy also organizes a shooting camp each summer near Paris.

Joaquin Henson :  Nov 26 Martin comes of age My Crystal Ball Farewell, Red In memory of Red Auerbach. I regret never having met Red personally because he has always represented everything that's good about pro sports to me. Putting the team first, helping blacks take their rightful place in the league, directing all mental and physical energy towards winning, seeing the emergence of defense and mental toughness as decisive factors in winning before others did, breeding confidence among his players by showing unflinching self-confidence, letting Cousy be spectacular ...and efficient, naming Russell as the first black player-coach, almost always outsmarting a bigger and better Wilt, and the list goes on and on! The silly spat between Red and Phil Jackson is only proof that they were so similarly arrogant, successul, wily and shrewd! Phil is the modern Red! I wish everyone would stop talking about Red's cigar smoking because that is the least interesting facet of his personality! Let's move on to this new season and how I, from a European perspective, see things playing out. To start, it's obvious that with the new rules, Tony Parker's quickness, improving mid-range jumper off the dribble and maturity make him unstoppable and a perennial All-Star. Something his best buddy, Boris Diaw, will never be because he lacks Tony's thirst for stats. However, I see Boris as the new NBA champ if Amare is back to 85 percent for the playoffs. I'm sure Red loved the way the Spurs and Suns play team ball even though their styles are completely different. By the way you read it here first, Ronny Turiaf is going to succeed his close friend Diaw as MIP! It's all about he art! Another French national team player, Gelabale will prove to be a sort of new Bruce Bowen with the Sonics once he adapts to the NBA rhythm. His game resembles Chicago's Sefelosha. (Please tell Bill Simmons that he's Swiss not Swedish and that he's an inconsistent shooter who's improving.) But both of those athletes can D-up with the best! Another French athlete who's going to have a breakout season is my man Mike Pietrus who will be liberated by Don Nelson like D'Antoni freed Diaw! Mike's game is far better suited to the NBA style of play (and Nelson's),and he's in a contract year! Moving on to Colangelo's exciting European experiment in Toronto, you'll see that Anthony Parker is as good as I've been telling you for years in these blogs. I hope Toronto makes the playoffs to validate all these moves and I'm confident that Bargnarni and Garbajosa will alternate at the long-range shooting 4 spot for about 8 points and five rebounds each (their games are similar) which should be plenty of help for superstar Chris Bosh. The next great Italian talent is Bologna's 20 yr. old shooter Belinelli '(scroll down) who will be drafted VERY high in June. Speaking of Euroleague stars, it's ridiculous that Papaloukas and Scola are not in an NBA starting five somewhere. As far as trophies go, I see Morrison as rookie of the year, LBJ as MVP, Kobe as leading scorer, Sloan or D'Antoni as coach of the year, Nocioni as best sixth man (leading Chicago to the East title), Paxson as executive of the year-even with the new rules defense can still win ballgames and Cuban as owner of the year if he really takes a back seat and lets his players rightfully get the attention they deserve instead of hogging the spotlight! Off the court,I pray that NBA stars will lead by example and throw their handguns into a river someplace! And back on the court, bravo for the new severity concerning players crying about calls from officials because the games are generally too darn long anyway. Now if we could just cut back on all those TV timeouts... Posted by George Eddy - Nov 14 2006 12:33AM The NBA Europe thoughts on NBA Europe Live Tour So I guess the wins by Barcelona vs. the Sixers and Moscow vs. the Clips proved what I've been writing in these blogs for years -- that top level Euroleague teams can compete with mid-level NBA teams! Apparently Rick Barry told Messina, the Moscow coach and Euroleague champ, that he thought Moscow could qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern conference of the NBA right now! By the way, Shaq, Barry has more than enough of a resumé to help you improve your free throw shooting. Big Shaq is childishly touchy about the subject but I approve of his one-hand technique which I suggested to him years ago to get some arc and touch on the ball. (Don't forget to guide the ball with your index finger, big buddy.) I know alot about big mens' free throw frustration because my favorite player growing up was Wilt! I must be a masochist or something... Back to the NBA Europe Live tour presented by EA Sports which not only had a very long name but, also, the 10day tour was an enjoyable marathon for everyone involved (especially NBA staff that partied as hard as they worked)! Take the Spurs for instance. Between two-a-days, community events, sponsor obligations, games and three-star restaurants, Popovich estimated that a guy like Parker was up about 22 hours a day. Hey these guys ARE supermen! It's amazing how the bigger the French public's expectations are of Tony, the greater he comes through,a bove and beyond, on and off the court! With Eva on the sidelines to quelch break-up rumors, Tony put on a show in Paris leading the Spurs to a serious slapdown of a Maccabi Tel Aviv team that lost a lot of their stars to the NBA the last two seasons. Tony and Manu visited a children's hospital in Paris and the NBA Cares program was very active during the tour (I'm sensitive to this charity stuff because I grew up the son of a big Martin Luther King supporter who worked hard to help build a gym and community center in the poor black section in my hometown of Winter Park, Fla. in the 60s). When I see guys like Yannick Noah, Magic or Steve Nash, among many others, giving back to the community, that's when I feel really good about pro sports! It was ironic that the final of the tour in Cologne was won by the Sixers using a European style 2-3 zone with a fabulous Dalembert camping in the key because the mixed bag of rules didn't include the NBA's defensive 3-second rule! When Moscow braintrust, Papaloukas, had to sit early with a hamstring pull, his team played like a chicken with its head cut off which permitted Iverson to burn bright and please his numerous international fans who can more easily identify themselves with a small (and spectacular) player. Next up for me, the emceeing of Michael Jordan's visit to Paris this week to look at young talent (for Charlotte's future?) and promote his brand... Ah nostalgia time, baby! Then into the new season where I like the Suns to be the champs over the Bulls in the Finals if Amarè can get back to 85 percent for the playoffs. I'll also be keeping a tenderly close watch on Colangelo's European experiment in Toronto, a blueprint for the future. I read that Peter Vecsey was impressed with the new Spanish world champ Raptor, Garbajosa, which is a good sign because Vecsey is the type of guy not easily impressed by ANYONE! Posted by George Eddy - Oct 16 2006 12:28PM

A Little History Let me tell you a story... First, a little history. US players and coaches (like me) came to Europe in the seventies as ground-breakers for future generations. Salaries were low but the opportunity to live your passion ruled all else! Guys like Dan Peterson and Mike D'Antoni spread their know how throughout Italy, George Karl coached in Madrid, and a Wooden disciple-Bill Sweek taught the great coach's winning methods to France, a country thirsty for knowledge. The different tournaments and exhibitions with NBA teams along with satellite television and the Dream Teams helped young ambitious players from everywhere to have more access to information and NBA role models. The Parker-Diaw generation was fueled by these contacts between the different types of basketball. Of course great Yugoslavian coaches and others spread their defensive, ball-control philosophy throughout Italy, France and Greece in the last thirty years too and their influence must not be underestimated. In parallel, Spanish basketball created its own exciting style mixing outside influences (NCAA) and Latin flair to the point that they are now world champs! Now a new commodity shows up in Europe, training camps plus exhibition games which permit European clubs to continue to learn about the NBA's marketing and organizational prowess up close and personal. Countries like France no longer see the NBA as an invader but rather as a partner towards promoting the sport! Intelligence has finally won out! And if France has some lessons to give the US about forming young players, France also has a ton to learn from the NBA concerning promotion, business and marketing at the pro level! The pendulum has now swung completely to where Europeans are almost preferred to homegrown talent by some NBA teams! And coaches and executives will come next! The next giant step will be to use the same rules everywhere like in soccer to reach a new level of world popularity. Most importantly we need a compromise three point line distance (22-feet) that all ages can be comfortable with and a decision concerning the defensive 3-second rule which should either be eliminated (which would help the Americans better prepare the next Olympics) or applied everywhere in order to increase scoring. The NBA EA Sports live tour: I dream of a Moscow-Suns opposition of styles type final in Cologne, it could be a new source for some upsets since the NBA clubs are way behind the Europeans. Their regular season has started- in terms of preparation for this season. But hey, this is no longer a big deal after all the recent defeats by Team USA. The NBA always slyly comes out ahead because they've got the best players from all over the world! They've got everything covered! Let me finish with a few parting shots about some things I read after the World championships in Japan. Mike D'Antoni's offense was NOT the problem as the USA had, by far, the most points. However where was Jim Boeheim's genius concerning zone defense and coach K's and Nate McMillan's competence with man to man vs. Greece? A lot of foreign observers found the US team less arrogant compared to the past but were put off by excessive celebrations and military salutes after big plays vs. weak opponents... And lastly to my buddy, the scout (and new champ of self-promotion...after me...)Tim Shea, if you hate blogs and bloggers so much, Tim, why were you blogging from Japan? Posted by George Eddy - Oct 6 2006 3:57PM

Last Thoughts on the World Championship I could be dean of the U.S. Basketball Academy! It's easy to understand why interest is so low in the States for the World Championship because the games were on very late at night and media coverage in the US was minimal. For example, ESPN.com only covered the event in their insider pay portion of the site. People don't realize that this was the basketball equivalent of soccer's world cup for the rest of the world! Here's the analysis I would have given coach K after the tournament ... if he asked for it! Team USA needs: an experienced shooter playmaker like Billups, a true back to the bucket danger like Tim Duncan (who would much improve the defense too), a Rodman type defender-rebounder in the Ben Wallace vein, less small ball because without the defensive 3 second rule it's less efficient, and to overhaul defensive strategy adding a 3-2 and 2-3 zone while bagging the naive, plunging for steals, half-court pressure in favor of solidly defending the 3 pt. line and the paint! There are too many pure scorers-like a football team full of running backs and no blockers-and adding Kobe won't help that logjam. They do too much of a one-on-one, dribble and shoot style, as it is! They need to learn to give up the rock and swing the ball. For once, the 3 pt. shooters weren't the problem with Hinrich, Battier and Melo doing the catch and shoot well but the team defense was a catastrophe, which is surprising for a Kryzsewski coached team. Everyone needs to be a pro and learn the opponents' names, prepare by watching their games, and stay and watch the final like a dignified loser even if you are not in it. A lot can be learned! USA Basketball must immediately create a US version of France's national basketball academy as David Stern suggested to get the cream of the teenage crop out of sometimes corrupt AAU tournaments and into international ones to learn FIBA ball each summer! Concerning France, they had the best defense in Japan but I'd like to organize a plan where all the shooters (whose percentages were weak) would be followed during the season if they would agree to make 500 shots in their favorite spots while fatigued and in game rhythm after each practice. If they fall into a shooting slump, you must consult with them and find simple technical signposts to help them get their confidence back. In general, this world championship was marked by the wide use of the jump hook, the domination of teams whose players have played together for many years, improving African nations, a slight decline by Argentina (bad year for Manu in game deciding situations), and too many games like in the NBA, which led to Argentina, Greece and Gasol wearing down in the end. Ironically, Gasol's injury turbo-charged Spain's motivation and torpedoed Greece's concentration in a surprising final! It was a touching first title for a country that plays a fast exciting style-like the Suns-and represents the best organized pro league in Europe Apparently Greece played its final in the semis vs. USA and didn't have enough left to close it out. I'll conclude by applauding nba.com and fiba.com for excellent and extensive coverage of the event which should help true American fans learn to appreciate international ball! Posted by George Eddy - Sep 7 2006 5:18PM

Why the US lost It was plain as the pick-and-roll at the top of the key USA loses, and here's why! The coach didn't even know the Greek players names and the players never took the time to see their future opponents play. What was more important, shopping? One Greek coaching god out-coached four multi-millionaire American coaching icons, and 12 Greek millionaires outplayed 12 American multi-multi-millionaires. USA had no zone defense to go to in their playbook when they were getting killed by the pick and roll. They never worked on the zone during their too few and too easy preparation games. The coaches opted for too much small ball when Howard scored 10 points and got seven rebounds in only 12 minutes and should have played more, even though he wasted time in the warm-up shooting threes when he should be working on his jump hook. Of course like the others, he was hung out to dry by the high pick and rolls but he could have anchored a zone! Why did USA continue to defend so far out (for only four steals), over extending their defense and playing into the Greeks' hands? The mentally tough Greeks had all the answers playing slow or fast (to come back from 12 down), big or small, outside or inside, drive or shoot, you name it, they mastered it. Their adaptability to all situations is amazing. They beat USA at it's own high-scoring game, shooting 63 percent! Their shared experience over many years was the major difference with Team USA which once again had an unbalanced team with too many finishers and not enough defenders and back to the basket players on the court. They'll need the next two summers together to develop some consistency, team concept, better free throw shooting and lose the superiority complex (see beginning of blog). I offered my services via this blog 2 years ago to Colangelo as a consultant on European ball which I cover each week, no reply. I offered my services as a shot doctor and psychologist to the French team's coach twice, no reply. You can lead a horse to water... In past blogs I also sung the praises of some Greek stars that would help certain NBA teams, players like Papaloukas (12 fabulous assists) and Diamantidis (his stat line was a coach's dream), who are true winners and team players. Add "baby bulldozer Shaq" to that list if he keeps his head on straight and his weight down! A funny anecdote was when a Chinese reporter asked Battier what he thought of "Big Mac" when he meant baby Shaq. Anyway, USA was world champs of the dunk contest during warmups which pleased the naive Japanese fans! Another bronze medal won in a game between two exhausted teams was a meager consolation for USA basketball. Stern's idea of copying France's basketball academy for talented youth in the future, is looking like a more and more necessary thing every day. Posted by George Eddy - Sep 2 2006 3:49PM

A Quaint Quarterfinals Hmmm... that wasn't very interesting Let the surprises and good games begin, please! The quarterfinals were one big disappointment, the opposite of what we all expected. All were one-sided affairs lacking suspense which is the essence of basketball. The four undefeated teams logically went through to the semis which shows it's not so easy to shake up the hierarchy in our sport! I was really sad about France's weak effort versus a vastly superior and experienced Greek squad which mastered tactics, tempo and collective brilliance at both ends of the court. France looked young and lost on offense in the image of a Boris Diaw too timid and not enough of a leader from the get-go and Mike Pietrus who was searching for his shot and his game the whole tournament. France's passing game offense was more to Diaw's advantage but Mike should have been able to do more against Greece's man to man (at least this tournament proved that his brother, Florent, deserves a shot at the NBA). The French big men (Petro was 0 for 5) who scored a lot more than expected in the preceding games came up short except for Turiaf who should have played more! For once France's outside shooting wasn't the culprit but their free throw inefficiency and turnovers were. The absence of Parker was really felt vs. the Greek's steel (or steal) defense! Seattle's new recruit, Gelabale, was France's best player in this game. I'll never understand why France wasn't able to create the sufficient spacing to permit their athletes to drive off pick and rolls and create more danger. The answer is Greece could sag in the key because they weren't too afraid of France's outside shooters. Their genius is taking away the things you do well. Team USA is warned because they have had an easy draw so far despite Germany's strong first half. The total opposition of styles is going to be interesting and the USA will finally be tested, mark my word! The other semifinal pitting Spain against Argentina should produce the best basketball of the tournament with two teams at the summit of their art, teamwork, and confidence! If Calderon and Gasol have big games, then Spain will win. They want to play faster than the older and more experienced Argentinians, whose collective genius is only rivaled by Greece. Spain vs. USA would give a more run and gun final while Spain vs. Greece would prove the superiority of European basketball on the international stage, but I'm sure Ginobili and his longtime buddies have another scenario in mind! Posted by George Eddy - Aug 31 2006 11:45AM

Tokyo Is Intense Lights, camera, action as we hit the round of 16 TOKYO -- Welcome to Tokyo, the armored cement capitol of the world. Mega high rises, sprawling and mind boggling streets and mass transit system, the train stations are malls, you ride in mint condition old taxis -- these people know how to take care of their stuff -- if you are going to trade houses for a month, make sure it's with Japanese people! I saw a homeless man talking on a mobile phone (not trying to sell it), and oddly the karaoke parlors have individual booths. I don't get it. I thought the point was to sing like a fool in front of strangers. There's no sidewalk cafes because here looking at others is impolite. Everywhere there's great food, kind people and free wireless internet, except at MY hotel! Buildings, people and lights everywhere, Tokyo is INTENSE. Are you sure you didn`t see Blade Runner? On to the Saitama Arena for some great basketball. I'll break my record by commentating eight full games in two days (round of 16). Phew! I think Bargnani should be here improving his game vs. the world's best which would be more useful than individual workouts. Angola took Germany to three overtimes and obliged Dirk to score 47 with 16 rebounds and 17 for 17 on free throws, so France better bring their best suffocating D and an inside attack vs. zones to avoid another earthquake like when Lebanon heroically upset them but with little consequences (France still finished second and Lebanon was eliminated). France and the USA with their NBA players have similar problems with outside shooting against compact zone defenses. For both it's speed up the tempo or fail! So far I've been impressed with Argentina, Spain, Greece and Italy and their teamwork in the half-court game, by Turkey's turnaround and the USA's mental toughness and positive but humble attitude. I'll assume that ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan was tripping after some bad sushi when "smell" found it's ugly way onto his list of 10 reasons USA won't win gold. That kind of statement stinks! A note on the difficulties of doing objective commentary. The entourage of a French shooter who`s in a bad slump, found my comments too severe and I regret it because I`ve appreciated the player since he was a kid. You've got to weigh every word because once it's spoken you cant take it back! Let the elimination games begin and buckle up for the wild ride! Posted by George Eddy - Aug 27 2006 3:10AM

My First Impressions Not only are the Japanese courteous, but the tournament is playing to my predictions SENDAI, Japan -- Let's start with my impressions on my first visit to Japan. Sendai, Japan is overpopulated, over-lighted, over-billboarded, polluted, humid and hot. The Japanese are clean, polite, discreet, hospitable, small, disciplined and organized but it's hard to get them to think outside the box. They like ecology, bikes -- especially on sidewalks -- driving on the right, kitshy arcade games, bonsai plants for pets not dogs and cats ,anything electronic, golf, baseball, and shopping but sizes stop at large and ten for shoes. In Japan it's possible to ride a bike, telephone, dodge cars and munch at the same time. Did you see Blade Runner? In the cozy gym here there are less people each day but a hundred French fans pump up the atmosphere. Their heroes have won two of three with terrifying defense and sloppy offense especially against zones. Boris Diaw -- like his idol Magic -- and the young revelation Yannick Bokolo (NBA scouts, wake up to this kid) have to do a bit more of everything to make up for Parker's absence. France will have an easier eighth-final game vs. Angola than the USA will vs. Brazil, the only team to bother them during the preparation games. We won't see too many more blowouts by the USA in my humble opinion. However, France will have a hard time getting by Greece in the quarter-finals in order to meet the USA. My blog predictions have panned out well so far and it's obvious that Spain (my favorite), Greece, the USA, and Argentina have a rendez-vous in the semi's, barring a major upset. Argentina's double high post-two shooters in the corners and passing game offense -- is brilliant as a certain Gregg Popovich well knows. I was thinking today that for the Americans this adventure must seem like a never-ending road trip to outer space with a little Sweet 16 thrown in there at the end to get your adrenaline flowing. Posted by George Eddy - Aug 22 2006 2:27PM

The Last Word Before the First Game My final thoughts before the World Championship Get ready, the real games are about to start and that's when we'll be able to see where Team USA really is! As expected, the Lithuanians with their strong inside game but weak outside game were less of a challenge then Brasil -- more balanced but nervously self-destructing in the closing minutes vs. USA -- and since the game against S. Korea did not provide a lot of info to the Team USA staff, things are pretty much set for Japan. Another semi-diplomatic injury, this time to Arenas, will again facilitate Coach K's tough job of reducing the group to 12. I was going to write this article about why Arenas, with his poor percentage, tendency to throw stupid touchdown passes, launch useless 30 footers and his lack of adaptation to FIBA style basketball should be eliminated instead of his Wizard teammate, Jamison, who has found his niche intelligently as a 3 and made the second most three pointers and is the fourth leading scorer shooting 58 percent for Team USA. It seems evident that the last player cut will be Bowen who has rarely scored in four games and 27 minutes of p.t., going zero for four on threes and getting only one steal and he's 35 years old! I still feel that the Americans should have worked a little bit on some type of zone but like John Thompson in Seoul in '88, the USA wants to live and die with their sacred man-to-man defense! (Yuk!) The French coach has a similar dilemma (this is when the job is no fun) concerning the final 12 because he announced that he would eliminate a center, Petro or Julian, but since they both proved they can score inside (a luxury the French team has rarely had in the past), now it would seem more efficient to cut the young Bokolo who has hardly played and let Diaw play more wing than strong forward to balance out the team. Boris, who is a little overweight is finding it hard to score points (no points vs. Australia in defeat) because the French team is full of finishers and not altruistic passers like Nash and the Suns! The French have lost four of their last five preparation games showing dramatic inconsistency and a tendency to get complacent when they build early leads. These are typical weaknesses for a young team which could be costly in an elimination game! Luckily Tony Parker is in much better shape than the first week of last summer's Euro championship but his teammates have to take their responsibilities and not stand around and watch him do all the work on offense! So far as I look over the preparation games, Brasil, Australia and a renewed Serbia are better than expected, Spain and Greece are as good as expected, Argentina, Lithuania and France are disappointingly inconsistent, Germany, Slovenia and Italy could be surprisingly good or surprisingly bad, all the other teams are just hoping to make it to the second round and last but not least, Team USA is a big mystery to me still because of the small number of preparation games and the weakness of their opponents! Whatever, let the games begin! Posted by George Eddy - Aug 15 2006 3:26PM

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast The USA team may be quick on the perimeter, but we shouldn't be quick to praise As a journalist, when everyone is saying and writing nothing but positive things about Team USA for instance, a little warning light goes off in my head! We are basically devil's advocates and even if I've seen great improvement in the selection process and the participants attitudes, some aspects bother me a little. I guess choosing Sin City, Las Vegas, to kick off camp was to get the players to accept to swallow the bitter pill of separation from their families and entourages as they prepare themselves like monks in a far away time zone. So be it and I guess losing a few thousand together around the blackjack tables somehow builds camaraderie among the players! It's good that the initial camp was longer than in the past but I've got a problem with the small number of friendly games and especially with the weakness of the opponents! The one thing I agreed with Larry Brown on while preparing for Athens was to play against tough opponents in hostile settings. The destruction of Puerto Rico in Vegas and the marketing lovefest vs. China do not qualify. (The US's press won't generate nearly as many steals against top flight teams and they should be working on their own zone more for use against those strong opponents)! Brazil should propose a tougher challenge but a diminished Lithuanian squad and a weak Korean team probably won't and there is a risk of arriving in Japan with an artificially inflated confidence level. During this time Spain was meeting and beating Argentina, two teams the USA should have encountered along with France and Greece, two other serious contenders. Of course, scheduling is by no means easy and eliminating the last two players to get Team USA down to the required 12 won't be either! Coach K will probably go for Battier over Bowen in the defensive stopper role because of age, size (rebounding) and free throw percentage while keeping an eye on Beijing. The last player eliminated is anybody's guess between Jamison, Bosh and Joe Johnson. The size and youth of Bosh and the polyvalence (he can play anywhere from the one to the three) of Johnson make me think that Antawn will be the odd man out because Brand has the same type intermediary game but does it better and with D'Antoni's input, Team USA will probably need lots of guards to go to some small ball when they're in trouble! Anyway this is what was going through my mind as I commentated the first two Team USA games for French TV. Speaking of France, they've lost three preparation games in a row to tough opponents after winning their first four, so overconfidence won't be a problem for them. Turiaf from the Lakers has surprised observers by making the cut and even moving into the role of second- string center, a truly heart-warming story! Posted by George Eddy - Aug 7 2006 4:52PM

Advice for My Two Countries A dream WCOB final: US vs. France Wow, I feel like my blogs have been the guiding light for Team USA and two NBA franchises as Toronto loads up on players I promoted like Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa and Indiana adds Baston to another Maccabi alumnus, Jasekivicius, while announcing a new uptempo format that I've been pleading for (even though with Rick Carlisle, I'll have to see it to believe it)! You'll see, these guys are all proven winners in Europe and will eventually break through. Now let's talk about the keys to success at the World Championships for two teams I follow closely, the USA and France. Team USA is doing the right things to correct a lot of the mistakes in Athens starting with signing on Euro-expert D'Antoni as an assistant! He'll liberate the shooters psychologically (the contrary to the stress junkie who hates outside shots, Larry Brown) and, at least, he'll know how to bother guys like Diaw, Parker,Ginobili and Barbosa! Coach K is used to seeing different zones which will be very useful in Japan and I suggest they run a lot of baseline picks for corner shooters like Bowen and Battier as well as give the three point green light to Arenas at the top of the key. The NBA guys should look at the FIBA three point shot as an easy chip shot compared to the NBA distance instead of stressing out about zone defenses! You can't win at the international level without good outside shooting, it's a law! This Team USA is more balanced and complementary with role players and good people willing to sacrifice for the common goal and the Lebron-Wade generation ready to take the driver's seat (which is better than giving the keys to Marbury!). Similar to France, they must use their advantageous athletic ability to pressure the opposing point guard to burn seconds off the 24-second clock. The Americans, as in past international competitions, should feed off the offensive glass (decisive in Sydney) with Howard, Stoudemire and Brand filling the roles of Garnett, McDyess and Abdur-Rahim in 2000. Playing one-on-one, of course, will NOT be a problem. Luck of the draw in the elimination round will once again play a major role but I see the Team USA making the final, I just hope France will accompany them! Never has the French squad had such a golden generation of players weaned on NBA games and dreams since their youth. They were Euro-Champs as juniors and have a selfless and winning attitude. They should have similar problems attacking zones and prefer up-tempo if they can impose that style on opponents. The one-two punch of a matured tandem of Parker and Diaw will be key on offense and this is the first time they'll be able to align two seven-footers to protect the basket and maybe D-up in some zone too! The wings are more inconsistent on O but should be constantly strong on D. Their stupid loss to Greece in last summer's Euro semi-final should keep players and staff on edge to not repeat the bone-headed plays in the last minute of an elimination game! A repeat of the France-USA Olympic final in Sydney would be a dream come true for this Franco-American. Poise and self-sacrifice will make the difference vs. teams like Argentina and Serbia which are more experienced playing together but possibly in danger of suffering from ego conflicts and posturing. Outsiders like Spain and Greece are always dangerous due to their togetherness while Lithuania has taken a step back because of the absence of some stars. In any case these championships permit us to discover some exotic teams from around the world and when the elimination round kicks in, some of the most passionate and intense games you'll see this side of the Olympics, and I feel very privileged to be there to commentate the competition! Posted by George Eddy - Aug 1 2006 5:35PM

International Influx We're seeing more and more international players in the NBA What a wild draft night! I just woke up after commentating the unending evening which was full of surprises and an historical first or firsts starting with an European at number one and a former Italian GM having a major influence on Colangelo's pick. It is the year of Treviso, (keep an NBA eye out for their American shooter, Drew Nicholas). The champs of the Italian league furnish Toronto with Bargnani and an assistant GM, Gherardini, (his arrival was a Blog Squad scoop), a groundbreaking pioneer if ever there was one! Now, he's brought along Spanish champ and three point specialist, Garbajosa, one of our favorites, to the Raptors. Welcome to the continuing globalization of the NBA and Toronto will be a leading example. At 20 and with his Euroleague experience, Bargnani is more advanced than most NCAA players who play at a largely inferior level. Parker, Ginobili and Diaw, to name just a few, have shown what a difference this can make and the NBA teams who take this into consideration, like the Spurs, are ahead of the game. In general, height, quickness and character were the team's priorities for the top picks, the biggest surprise being the Senegalese project Sene, chosen surprisingly high at No. 10. His talent resembles Diop in Dallas and his French agent, Bouna N'Diaye, a former teammate of mine, handles M'Benga, who also played in Belgium and future Sonic, the French national team player, Gelabale, who should join Seattle from Madrid this coming season. Bouna obviously had the Sonics ear on this one! Sefolosha, who's Swiss but formed in the French league, was a smart pick by John Paxson at No. 13, he'll develop into a Bruce Bowen type defensive ace in the future. At No 18, the tall, Ukranian shooter from Paris, Pecherov, has big time upside especially if the Wiz can add Barcelona's pearl, Navarro to the mix to please Gilbert Arenas who wants to improve his team at all costs! By the way, I'm still unbeaten vs. Pecherov in HORSE! Let's move on to some one-liners about this draft... Portland was hyperactive and severely criticized but they got younger and cheaper with a trio of excellent talents to build around -- Aldridge, Roy and Rodriguez. Chicago and New Jersey (the Nets, getting the most out of their late picks) continued to make smart moves while Isiah Thomas must be a masochist to pass up local favorite Marcus Williams for the little known "new Rodman," Balkman, a player he could have picked later! As usual the Knicks loss is the Nets gain! Redick and Morrison will fill empty seats in Orlando and Charlotte. I love the intense diabetic, Morrison, a true scorer, warrior and hard worker who will succeed and MJ was smart to listen to Bickerstaff on this one! The somewhat pretentious Rudy Gay with his ridiculously flashy watch and smile will try to bring some sorely needed firepower to Memphis; I still need to be convinced about him. The tears of Maurice Ayers were touching when he realized that he was going to squeak out a guaranteed deal being picked at No. 28, the suspense must have been killing him! The ESPN reporters, Bucher, Fraschilla and Katz came up with the good scoops but Stuart Scott seemed painfully under informed and banal when he interviewed Sefolosha. Stephen "poor man's Barkley" Smith has got to stop confusing louder with smarter and Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale were protectionist, clichè machines about European players -- not athletic, no defense, needs to hit the weights, not NBA ready, and all that typical crap! Vitale was right, however, that a lot of the Americans should have stayed in school. At least there were no more wide-eyed high school pups in this draft! Greg Anthony was the best analyst by far. It was a terrible idea to give the floor to over-excited Knicks fans and their insulting comments! Where was the beer patrol? Good luck to Russ Granik who finished his 30 years with the NBA in typically classy fashion. I'm going to take the month of July off but I'll be back in August to blog about the exciting world championships that I'll be covering in Japan! Bonnes vacances à tous! Posted by George Eddy - Jul 26 2006 4:19PM

How the Heat Did It Grit, determination and shrewdness I'm not so sure the best team won. The more experienced, wily team, Miami, got the most out of its potential while the younger, quicker guns from Dallas wilted under the pressure. The nervousness of Mark Cuban, Avery Johnson and Dirk Nowitzki, the three leaders, was a sign that they just were not ready to sit at the big boys table yet! The owner was too omnipresent, bathing in his own ego, fueling Miami's motivation and pushing the real stars into the shadows. The coach was more dignified after defeat rightly saying, "You guys have seen the best and the worst from me and my team in the last few days, I hope we will all learn and improve this summer because of this enormous pain." Well put! Dirk finally had a big game but he disappeared down the stretch as did his supporting cast except for a late wake-up call by Stackhouse who proved in this series that he's definitely not a "scaredy cat!" We all know the turning point in the series was the end of Game 3, but another one came in Game 6 when Riley called timeout at 28-14 for Dallas and put in a quicker, hyper defensive unit to slow down the Mavs and get control of the tempo back. Dallas was thinking blowout but was obliged to drudge through another tense, close, grind it out affair, more to Miami's liking. The fans seemed anesthetized as if these were uncharted waters and they didn't know how to react to help their team! In the end, the in-arena atmosphere and entertainment were a lot more impressive in Miami! Zo and Shaq's energy and leadership on D, in the low post, and on the boards-similar to Wilt in '72. And the veteran role players stepping up at key moments vindicated Riley's recruitment strategy (like Joe Dumars in Detroit, he went for hungry vets), and set the stage for a stratospheric Wade to fly them home with the trophy! This group of characters needed a ring-covered Riley (motivated by an 18-year title drought) to trust and respect in order to get to the promised land, I don't think Van Gundy would have been enough of an unwavering boss to get it done. We'll never know... As Pat said, this return to '90s style ball wasn't always pretty but at least three of the games were incredibly suspenseful and intense. Miami knew this was the last chance at a title for some of its players and also knew this was the only way they could beat Dallas. They made Dallas play their game. Let's hope, on the other hand, that NBA teams will be more inspired to copy Phoenix's style in the future than Miami's in order to fill the stands and increase TV ratings, starting with Dallas! Posted by George Eddy - Jun 22 2006 3:55PM

Back to Mavs Ball Dallas needs to pick up the pace We we're treated to a second close game barnburner in Game 5 but I'm disappointed in the highly defensive style both teams have opted for so far. I'm convinced that especially Dallas can win with a more pleasing and offense-oriented system. Oh, Phoenix, where are you when we need you? Miami, being older and slower may, however, not be able to win any other way but to grind it out. So why does Dallas play down to Miami's level? Avery Johnson's first mentor, Gregg Popovich, stresses defense but without fouling if possible. In Game 5, the Mavs had 38 fouls (A record?) trying to use the advantage of their deep bench, reminding without a doubt Mark Cuban of that "Ugly Ball" '94 Finals featuring Riley's "Beat You Up Knicks." Cuban wants rightly to clean up the game, well he can start with his own team! Avery's other mentor, Don Nelson, invented the Hack-a-Shaq (not one of his finer moments). Shaq called him a "circus coach" at the time and even if the tactic should now be called "Hug-a-Shaq," it's bad for the game and David Stern has to look at a rule change to eliminate it. By the way, Stern's ideas on applying the FIBA rule concerning basket interference and trying to shorten interminable endings to NBA games draw my hearty support, too! Back to the "mug-ball" theme, to say to Avery that the Stackhouse suspension was VERY consistent with earlier playoff suspensions this season. He thinks Shaq is protected by the league but in reality, Shaq has been obliged to considerably tone down his banging for more of a finesse game the last two seasons. Dallas' problems are more along the lines of losing big leads twice in the waning minutes in Games 3 and 5, trying to figure out why Howard disappears in the money time, chokes two key free throws and calls a Chris Webber-type timeout that kills their last chance at winning, and last but not least, cure Dirk's lack of production. Nowitzki is a good teammate who sets a lot of picks and passes well out of double teams but Miami's body-up defense has him fading away too much, clanking two big free throws in Games 3 and 5, and generally he looks like he's playing with boots and spurs on his feet! To win the title, the Mavs have to stop complaining, speed up the tempo at home, make Wade work much harder to get open, forget the Hack-a-Shaq, and in general, shy away from the "Rick Carlisle ball" and as Avery told me "get back to playing Mavs basketball"! Let me finish with some Finals tidbits. Either Wade or Terry is going to be MVP of the Finals. -- Tennis star Boris Becker cannot play ball and soccer star Patrick Owomoyela can! -- Fans would have found hilarious all the airballs the U.S.(guys like intense rivals Ric Bucher and Mike Wise) and the foreign media were throwing up at the AAA last Friday in the media games. -- We may be experts, but the lack of visual reference points in an empty giant arena is very perturbing! -- I can now retire after blocking Italian star, Carlton Myer's shot a la Big Ben on Shaq, on a key play in one of the media games. -- Leaving Miami for Dallas was like leaving paradise for prison but that's part of the business we're in! -- Dallas in-arena entertainment includes an in your face emcee, Chris Arnold, and mikes on the rims that provide a uselessly loud thunking noise each time the ball touches the rim. -- As usual the NBA international people have treated us like royalty so what can I say other than -- Merci beaucoup! Posted by George Eddy - Jun 20 2006 1:30PM

Welcome to Blowout City The Heat looked young, the Mavs looked hungover After a fabulous and suspenseful Game 3, the blowout reared up its ugly head again and this time it was the Mavs fault for falling apart! Miami's experience, physical play and a second "Jordanique" (by the way, it's great that Mike is back in the NBA fold in Charlotte) performance from Wade totally swung the momentum in the Heat's favor even though Dallas keeps the homecourt advantage and this looks like a series where all games will be won by the home team. It also looks like Dallas let more slip away than we thought in those last 6 minutes of Game 3 (Stackhouse called Game 4 a hangover from the poor ending to game 3). They went from already caressing the trophy at 3-0, to a mega-dog fight just to stay in the running. The pendulum swings so fast in these playoffs, it's crazy. The Mavs have two days to figure out how to dominate the boards again (Shaq was really lively going to the ball), to intelligently double-team Wade, and most importantly hit the open shots. Miami's zone was finally efficient because of the poor shooting and this gave the Heat some needed respite at key moments. Posey was fantastic as were Zo and Shaq protecting the hoop. Miami's D and shooting percentage made them look, for one night at least, like the younger and quicker team. The game was very physical and, thank goodness, the officiating much better than Game 3 even though the "Stack attack" on Shaq deserved a flagrant level 2 with automatic ejection in my book. Everyone is forgetting that Shaq openned up Jerry's nose for three stitches worth in Game 1 and this was payback time but I'm sure this violence didn't please David Stern or Stu Jackson who might decide to punish Stackhouse. Shaq already punished Dirk who plowed into the "Big Seawall" to provoke all of his four fouls but each time the German ended up sprawled all over the floor banged and bruised. (Like Shaq when he plays with his daughters!) Dirk proved he was not "Hasselhoff soft" but he bricked too many fadeaways short when he should be going up for his jumper straight and strong. The Hasselhoff thing was giving Mark Cuban a bit of his own medicine in terms of borderline in-arena entertainment! Speaking of the Germans, their media contingent has challenged the rest of us to a game on the AAA court this afternoon. They've got Boris Becker and the last guy cut from the German World Cup soccer squad,Patrick Owomoyela, as guest commentators. Patrick fled the media scrutiny in his homeland to cover his other passion, b-ball, for channel Premiere. He's a former Third Division baller, quick as lightning and I'm going to have as much trouble covering him as the Mavs have chasing Wade around. Owomoyela reminds me of the famous French striker, Thierry Henry, Tony Parker's close friend who was our guest for the Finals in Philly in 2001, because he's a totally un-arrogant star who can enjoy the simple pleasure of a pick-up game in an empty arena with a bunch of knuckleheads like me! Posted by George Eddy - Jun 16 2006 2:08PM

Blogging About Game 3 from South Beach With the emphasis on beach Now we're talking! Game 3 was a humdinger with more ebbs and flows than an adolescent love affair! Of course Dallas still seems to be the stronger team especially after winning the third quarter by 18 points but the pride of Miami's seasoned veterans, a Jordanesque Wade, and an unbelievable series of favorable circumstances permitted the Heat to squeak through. How's this for a list of those circumstances. -- Wade plays the last 10 minutes with five fouls (because he made some dumb ones earlier) and Dallas isn't capable of fouling him out with isos or switches and hard drives. -- Miami was down 13 with 6:30 to play, the boos were raining down and the series looked as dead as wholesome family shows on modern TV! Then out of desperation you see Posey hit his only shot in 28 minutes, Shaq can two humongous free throws (More arc, Shaq, more arc!), Payton revived from the dead for a big time career memory shot -- his ONLY attempt -- and the most unreal event, Dirk clunking the tying free throw! Whoa horsey, this was too intense and the last play was a high altitude duel where Howard literally put both elbows on the rim for the alley-oop but Wade flew right along beside him like an accompanying F-16 to barely break up a daring last-second play drawn up by the little genius, Avery Johnson. By the way, he's a pleasure to listen to as is Dirk because he's straightforward and speaks from the heart. He doesn't get on the refs much and gives the opponent credit when credit is due. Dirk is the most refreshingly self-critical star you'll ever meet (it's a German cultural thing), a nice change from the habitual "Hey, it's not my fault" type athlete i.e. steroids in baseball. Dirk's obvious pain while talking about his missed free throw makes you think that the "Dunking Deutschman" probably spent the night alone on an outdoor court somewhere working on his stroke the way intense gym rats do! His bad start and Jerry "Steakhouse" launching T-bones at the rim all night put the Mavs in some holes but in the end it was theirs for the taking despite Wade's career playoff high and the Heat's role players finally stepping up. Haslem's eight offensive boards were huge, Dirk's got to block him out. Now Avery's "AJustment" focus will switch from Shaq, (who showed his pain with that "when I was a youngster and a GOOD player" comment), to controlling Wade. AJ will regret that Dallas wasted great games from Terry, Howard and "Erica" Dampier -- wow, is he the surprise of this series or what! Well I'm off to the beach because today is what they call, in Finals jargon, an OFF day! Posted by George Eddy - Jun 14 2006 1:23PM

Game 3 is Game 7! It's now or never for the Heat It's great to leave the dry heat and cow country of Dallas for one of the world's tourist capitals but whoa, horsey what a downer! After such great playoffs up to now and the performances of the two finalists in the Conference Finals, nobody expected such a one-sided affair after two games. It's not the Mavs fault, they are the only ones who came to play so far! They've got too much youth, quickness, depth, double-teams, shooters and hunger for the Heat up to this point. What can Riley do? Talk to his players about their good home record in the playoffs and the energy they so sorely need which should be pumped into them by the home crowd and hopefully regenerate some confidence. Game 3 IS Game 7 for Miami now, baby! Riley knows this all too well the day before the biggest game in the history of the franchise. His adjustments in Game 2 either backfired or were completely inefficient, especially concerning Shaq. The "Big Double-Team Magnet" tried to move more at the start but his teammates' inability to hit the open shots or make good entry passes and his inability to make free throws, made it look like he was playing while wearing fins and a snorkel! To me, the biggest key so far is the quality of the Mavs passing compared to the delinquent Heat. In Game 1, Dirk killed Riley's zone setting up Jet Terry for the deciding threes and in Game 2 he found Stackhouse at the end of the first half for two of his three killer threes! In general the collective play of Dallas is miles ahead of Miami as is their intensity. Seeing Antoine Walker score big in garbage time is not what will make Heat fans rejoice. They rightfully expect a whole lot more as do we in the media! Concerning the Shaq free throw barometer, he went from missing right and left to long and short in Game 2 (if it ain't one thing it's another...). Now it's all about bending knees, arc and follow-through but his basic mechanics are still full of ugly kinks. In Game 3, look for Riley to bag the zone, keep it simple, spread the court on offense with four smalls to try to find Shaq some breathing room or on the contrary experiment with Shaq and Zo together to really get rowdy and play a power game. In the end he could probably try as many adjustments as there are bimbos on South Beach but, all in all, this looks like the Mavs year. Posted by George Eddy - Jun 12 2006 7:59PM

My Game 1 Thoughts And more advice for the Big Fella at the line Phew! That was an ugly one! Everyone agreed, enough said, let's move on to game two adjustments Riley will have to make. I'm not sure Pat wants to put the destiny of his offense into the shaky hands of Antoine Walker again. The other Heat role players clammed up and Antoine was never afraid to shoot, so he took over with 19 mostly poor shots and six turnovers trying to overcreate. His painful habit of driving like a chicken with his head cut off and then flipping up blind prayers while crying to the refs must have driven Riles crazy. I saw Shaq yell at him a couple times so he better calm down and limit his shots and his mistakes! J-Will stopped being aggressive after a strong start (Why? Maybe because he was getting burned on high picks by Jet Terry on the defensive end) while Posey and Haslem didn't look to shoot enough. The second half passes to Shaq were telegraphed as he was too static on the left block. He needs to catch the ball more on the move after cross picks to mix things up. How could he go one for nine from the line after all that time off? He's missing right and left which is harder to correct than long and short because his ball, index, elbow, shoulder, hip and foot are not aligned with the center of the basket. Get your elbow under the ball not in front of it and push UP! Head forward, immobile and fixed on the target then exhale to relax as you shoot and you'll make at least 60 percent! The two coaches' little tactical battle concerning matchups and using zones after time outs was an aficionado's dream but the larger veiwing audience is sure hoping for a more spectacular game on Sunday. Avery Johnson once again came out on top in the adjustments category grinding out a gruesome win despite having his two main guns go cold. Bravo! His simple game plan of doubling or fouling Shaq, changing up defenders to confuse Wade and obliging the others to beat him, worked well. Avery must have been overjoyed to see Walker inheriting the rock and way too much responsibility! Concerning Terry, my question is: what is wrong with being a scoring point guard? It's worked for guys like Nate Archibald, Gary Payton or Nash, hasn't it? Posted by George Eddy - Jun 9 2006 2:50PM

Grading the Coaches Good grades all the way around, 'cept Flip Let's play "Grade the Coaches," b-ball media's second favourite game after "Let's Be GM for a Day." It's a puny pun but Flip flipped out against Miami! For me when the going gets really tough you go with the starting five (four all-stars and a Prince) that got you there. It's for them to react, pick up the D, finally hit some shots and come back by any means necessary and it's for them to lose if they're incapable of doing so. In Game 6, Saunders used too much zone, too much Tony Delk, too many isos, and killed the little confidence Billups and the Wallaces had left in their offensive game by shuffling them in and out. Flip's Minnesota recipes or solutions were too far a cry from "Deetroit Baasketball" to work. In the end, their strong start was a smokescreen which dissolved into too much one on one when problems arose in the playoffs. When Flip pulled out the old "they play, I coach" speech, you knew there was trouble! What lacked the most from the Larry Brown days were, defense as an absolute priority and the obsession with the extra pass on offense (especially for Billups and Rip). Pat Riley, of course, did just the opposite getting everyone to peak and buy in to his methods at the right time starting with the two mega-stars (both good and obedient soldiers). "White Chocolate's career game six was sweet for Shaq and Riley who wanted him badly and it was ironic that his only showy play, a behind the back pass, was intercepted! If Riley gets an A, Flip doesn't rate much better than a C-minus, the past playoff experience of these two coaches weighed heavily in the final outcome, I feel. Out West, our last French hope, Diaw, was eliminated with honors, which means the Finals are really going to take a back seat to the soccer World Cup now! D'Antoni wasn't to blame getting the most out of the least, literally squeezing blood from a stone (or a Bell). I didn't care for his ill-timed technical in game five, a turning point, but frankly Phoenix never should of gotten out of the First Round! He should of told Nash to shoot more in order to keep his 3-point rhythm because I'd rather see a tired Nash shooting threes than Marion, Diaw, et al. If you don't shoot for two quarters, it's hard to come back to it. I'll give an A-minus to Mike and an A to Avery Johnson who was the "adjustments king" of the playoffs vs. Pop and then D'Antoni. His duel of generations with Riley should be fabulous because both teams can play any style and have numerous solutions at their disposition. We can see games played in the 80s or in the 120s! I'll go with Dallas in seven, it's going to be epic as will the trophy presentation starring Cuban and Stern! We will all be witness to Nowitzki's greatness and Finals MVP performance, a logical follow-up to his MVP trophy at last summer's European championships. Posted by George Eddy - Jun 6 2006 5:18PM

Detroit's Down, Phoenix Needs to Run Yo, Mom, South Beach? Yo, Mom I might be coming to Miami! In the "No Breathing Allowed Grind It Out" East finals, you can't count out too soon the resilient Pistons (that Game 6 is gonna be a barn-burner!), but Miami just looks to be peaking at the right moment and a majority of the media should get its wish and interview Shaq in Miami rather than get insulted by the Wallaces in Detroit! To boot, the Heat's style is more exciting to watch! Wade at 30 points per game and 70 percent shooting is gliding around the Pistons like a speedboat glides around fishing boats in Biscayne bay! On offense, late in game four, he made three incredible shots when his team needed them the most after suffering vs. Detroit's third quarter zone (a Saunders specialty but not really Deeetroit Baasketball) and Dwayne finally benefited from a flagrant call in the last minute after getting pounded most of the game! As for Shaq, he intelligently went to more of a finesse game adapting to the refs whistles on charges while the Wallaces are falling apart criticizing the coach and the officials and bricking two thirds of their free throws. The Detroit lockeroom must be as windy, chilly and gray as the Paris skies right now. Frankly I'm tired of Detroit's penchant for grabbing arms and then going all googly-eyed to the refs as if nothing happened, this complaining is a throwback to the Larry Brown era. On offense, the Pistons are attacking with four against five which permits Shaq and Zo to roam the key and help out and means that, overall, the Heat's D is better than the Pistons'. It's also clear that nobody can stop Wade and Billups except Wade and Billups in this series. Riley seems vindicated, the veterans he signed are stepping up and Shaq was right to follow my blog advice and leave some money on the table to sign them. Now take this advice on your free throw shooting big buddy! Great, you're balanced and your elbow is aligned better with the basket and you're trying to shoot with your fingertips BUT, you got to stop cocking the ball behind your head which makes you lose perception and slingshot a flat trajectory. Instead, place your index under the middle of the ball just next to your right eye in alignment with the center of the hoop and shoot up NOT out, while exhaling to relax! Think that you're a shot putter not a javelin thrower... In the West, the "No Rest Allowed" series continues with Diaw averaging 26 points per game (more intense blog recognition, uh hum!), but the rule of seven is hurting the Suns. Two seven-game series with a short seven-man rotation and your seventh man, Barbosa, losing his confidence while replacing a key "intensity component," Raja Bell. Dallas has a more complete team (better D and four guys who can go for 20 driving or shooting outside on any given night) but Phoenix, like Detroit, is capable of MIRACLES (ask the two teams from LA). Diop is the X-factor so far and Phoenix is going to have to spread the floor more by playing five-out to free the key. Up-tempo, then drive and kick and drop the shots, as D'Antoni says, they have no other option vs. Dallas. If they get back the fireworks they could even win a game seven in Dallas, but more likely, they seem to be running on their last fumes! What a great season Phoenix accomplished despite all the injuries. Bravo! To conclude, kudos to nba.com for the Click and Roll, a journalist's dream for preparing a commentary. The internet and satellite TV world does have its advantages as each morning I watch another fabulous playoff game live or on slight tape delay here in Paris whereas 20 years ago when I started in the business we watched and commentated games that were played 10 days earlier! Vive le progress! Posted by George Eddy - May 31 2006 11:25AM

Game 7 Gastronomy The Conference Finals served up tasty dishes all the way around Phew! Just finished a marathon Monday with a one-hour primetime talk show with Joakim Noah followed by both Game 7's commentated live from Paris throughout the night. Are these the best playoffs ever or what? Three game 7's out of four? Wow! As Bill Simmons wrote, the NBA product has never looked healthier even though I think he overrates the importance of moving picks compared to fundamental and positive rule changes of the last few years which helped create the evolution. In general, beards and small ball are in and big slow plodding centers and teams with no shooters are out! Here's my thoughts on each Game 7. Pistons-Cavs was the "ugly ball" Game 7-where the first half was watchable thanks to LBJ (not yet systematically double-teamed) but the second half was downright homely. Everyone says Lebron (with his softball deltoids) gathered experience etc. but it was his supporting cast that looked lost and shot as if they had casts on their arms! Only Larry "Please Pass but Don't Shoot" Hughes gave a helping hand while the other Cavs tightened up like a young buck on his first date! Gooden and Ilgauskas,notably, did not play smart. The ABC camera work was great with that camera on cables just above the court taking us to a new era of watching the game as if the TV viewer is hovering over the action like a hummingbird. In the end, Rasheed, et. al. finally shut up and played as Ben Wallace dominated the paint like a flying Greek god! Lindsay Hunter's precious second half production opened the door and the Piston's Larry Brown- type defense, revisited, did the rest. Detroit's nervous offense -- they prefer the underdog role to the role of favorite -- will have to improve if they want to eliminate Shaq and D -Wade, however. In the "all's riding on the last possession series" in San Antonio, one of the most well-played seven game duels ever, came down to Ginobili's last unfruitful drive in regulation. Manu is a high-risk trophy-magnet who gaveth -- with a surprise late three-pointer at 104-101 -- and taketh away by following up with a dumb foul trying to block Dirk's drive and giving the German a chance at a tying 3-point play. Dirk, contrary to Dunc', does not miss crucial free throws! It was revenge night for Terry and Cuban and a painful irony evening for Finley (by the way, Steve Kerr is an excellent analyst). Avery Johnson transmitted his mental toughness to all the Mavs, especially Nowitzki, never better on the boards and on his foul-drawing drives which was better strategy than him hoisting up a lot of long shots. Duncan was MVP- level too, but the Spur's aging role players couldn't come through in the crunch compared to Dallas' young, wild bunch represented brillantly in overtime by the little-used but improved Diop vs. a tiring Duncan. At Phoenix, in the "fast-ball" Game 7, the rested Suns rode their seven- man rotation (surprising with their fatiguing style) and Nash's shoulders to another easy Game Seven victory with a flurry of 3-pointers. (When Marion hits his threes, you KNOW the Suns are going to win). It was Cassell not Nash who looked tired this time and despite an unstoppable MVP level performance by Elton"My Fadeaway is the Leading" Brand, the small ball experts just plain outshot and outran the Clips like the Mavs did to the Spurs. France's chances are all riding on Diaw now, after Parker's disappointing but logical elimination. The West Finals will produce spectacular shootouts and, who knows, maybe a 300 point game! Fantastique! Posted by George Eddy - May 23 2006 2:05PM

You Can Learn Things Shooting Hoops That, and other random thoughts on the Playoffs The great thing about these blogs is you can write what you want without a chief editor telling you that no one is interested in your stuff! It's like when you are home alone and you can wear that old Lithuania tie-dye t-shirt that your wife said would be a cause for divorce if you ever wore it in public again! It's a great thing to be a gym rat, too, because you can pick up some good info hanging around the gym. For instance, in the fall of '95 ,Brad Sellers was playing in Paris and since my media team shares the same gym as the pro team, I heard him talking on his phone with Charles Oakley about the Bulls making a $25 million per season offer to bring Jordan back! The magazine I worked for at the time put this scoop on the cover despite being criticized by other French media who deemed this impossible but, sure enough, a few months later MJ was back with his historically humungous contract (By the way, I announced Shaq in LA two years before it happened too!) This week at the Pierre de Coubertin arena, who walks in to watch our media team practice? Joakim Noah on vacation! The little frail kid that I saw asking Shaq for an autograph at the Atlanta Olympics has really grown! I watched him work out with Kenny Atkinson, one of Paris' assistant coaches and was impressed by his mobility and quickness for a big man but his shooting mechanics are other-worldly! He likes to kid and trash-talk so I teased him that every shot that went in was a miracle thanks to his touch which was the only aspect of his mechanics that I would keep! His two overly large hands slingshot up there a flat shot from the left (wrong) side of his face-without a doubt a technique he developed on Hell's Kitchen playgrounds in order to avoid getting his shot blocked-his forearm is in front of his eyes,so he holds his head crooked to see the hoop, and he loves to bring the ball down then up to find his rhythm which all leads to a Bill Cartwright type movement that should NOT be copied in b-ball camps! "Jooks" should try to copy Pau Gasol's one-hand shot to develop some alignment with the target, eliminate his left hand from his shot and increase his arc. He'll have to develop a jump hook to compensate (like Parker's teardrop shot) and try to shoot with the backboard a lot from close range(with right or left hand) but assuredly his bread and butter will be rebounding and blocked shots along with hustle plays, leadership and team spirit! Unfortunately for France, he says he'll wait until next year to try out for the French national team because of university obligations this summer. His desire to improve and succeed are immense and he's already in the "Boris Diaw elite club" of non-arrogant stars (No agents, no entourage!) who treat everyone around them with kindness and respect, so his family has lots of reasons to be proud of him! Let's move on to some other rumors floating around like the arrival of Treviso's genius of a GM, Maurizio Gherardini, in Toronto. Since I've been harping about bringing competent foreigners to the NBA in these blogs for years, it would once again be proof that Bryan Colangelo is always a step ahead when it comes to international competence, in the Donnie Nelson vein. (Did you notice that three of the four teams left in the West are very international?) He knows of Gheradini (the top expert on young European talent) building the best-structured club in Europe with the help of the Benettons' money and of the great coaches who have gone through there like D'Antoni and Messina. Maurizio might bring along one of the best defensive-minded coaches in Europe as an assistant, Gordon Herbert, a Canadian who was a candidate for his national team's job and has worked wonders with an under-manned Paris squad the past two seasons. The Paris team is owned by Mark Fleisher, Parker and Kirilenko's agent, who obviously has a lot of good contacts with NBA teams. If Herbert doesn't go to Toronto, I'm sure some Euroleague team will sign him because the guy is just too good a coach! Now on to some trends I see in the Playoffs so far. I've never seen so many long three-pointers go in! Kobe, Arenas, Vinsanity, Lebron and the Suns are launching and making 35-foot jumpers with their NORMAL stroke, it's unreal! Everyone seems to be moving towards some type of "small ball", the games are more tightly whistled and suspensions seem sometimes severe. (I love alliteration.) Kobe was really unlucky vs. Phoenix because he should have been the hero in Game 6 with 38 points and a qualification for the second round if not for one naive bone-headed play by Kwame when he was faked out of his shorts and ran by Tim Thomas leaving Tim open for the most important trey of his life at the end of regulation. One rebound or one foul (by any Laker!) in those last six seconds and the Suns were history. Game 7 was an anecdote because the Suns felt liberated at home and the Lakers knew they had blown their best chance. Kwame and Lamar looked downright scared and even if Kobe shot a hundred times LA was gonna lose and take Bill Simmons on the bandwagon to oblivion with them! Of course the Lakers never should have won Game 4 either. That's basketball and that's why I gave up coaching professionally at 30, it's just too heartbreaking to think that, despite all your hard work and preparation, your livelihood can sometimes depend on a lucky bounce or a bad call. I guess I just wasn't made for that pressure-cooker life style. In the end, I'm pretty sure the Suns didn't even care that Kobe didn't stick around to congratulate them! In the Texan shootout,Avery is out-Popping Pop, Harris is out Parkering Tony and Howard is out Josh-tling Ginobili, from those match-ups will flow the outcome of the series. This is the "mirror image series" (two VERY similar teams) and Tony and Manu are hurting (this proves they both really need to improve their mid-range games to avoid getting hit so much when penetrating) and a step slower than usual and now it seems that when Duncan scores big ,it's almost a bad sign for San Anton! By the way, for "Nick the semi-quick" and Finley, NOW is the time to step up vs. your old team! I'll finish by saying, Hallelujah! "ideal citizen" Steve is again MVP, life is good. And the newly reconfirmed priority for the voters is "making team and teammates better." Hallelujah again! Posted by George Eddy - May 15 2006 5:30PM

(Euroleague) Finals Thoughts, and Playoffs Observations Diaw moves on... Wow! What a great Final Four in Prague. If you like architecture, art, history, partying and beer-drinking (they invented pilsner), this is your city. The baroque facades, hillside castle and St. Charles bridge were a stunning backdrop for a high-level, spectacular and suspenseful Euroleague final with Moscow controlling the tempo and slowing down the best high- speed, attacking team this side of the Suns or Lithuania, the Maccabi Tel-Aviv, winner of the last two finals but handcuffed into 20 turnovers and their lowest score of the season -69 points - by the Russian team. Two key men helped Moscow get over the hump after losing the last three years in the semi-final round. Ettore Messina, the coach in his first season at Moscow, won his third Euroleague final with tactical and mental brilliance taking away Maccabi's strengths and getting his hybrid group of different nationalities to buy in to his methods despite being clear underdogs. Messina became a pro assistant at 23 in Bologna then was head coach there at 30, winning two Euroleagues and coaching players like Ginobili. He moved on to replace D'Antoni in Treviso and has the talent and know-how to follow Mike into the NBA ranks. Teams should be swooning over him! The other key guy, the sixth man, the MVP, Papaloukas, was the brains on the court as he was for the European champs from Greece. He's deceptively quick and his false slowness and technical mastery reminds us of the great Bodiroga. He could help an NBA team in need of smarts and leadership as a 6'7 point guard who loves to post up but can also hit the three, however I'm sure most scouts didn't take much notice of him! His 18 points and 7 assists were crucial to the outcome as was his D and habit of getting the ball to the right guy at the right time. See euroleague.net for more details... Let's move on to some off-the-cuff stuff concerning the playoffs. I see my "Diaw for MIP" campaign blog was the decisive factor (Cough,cough!) in his overwhelming victory, but that tough Game 4 loss in LA must of dampened his spirits especially after having lived the same nightmare last summer vs. Papaloukas' Greece team in the semi-final at the European championship (France was up by 7 with 45 seconds to go and lost). Steve Nash wasn't getting any MVP-type calls during the crucial possessions in that one compared to Lebron's hop, skip and jump to a winning bucket against Washington. Steve was, as always, dignified in defeat, confirming all the good things Lang Whitaker wrote about him in his latest blog, but I'm still trying to figure out how the info on his second MVP trophy leaked out two weeks early! Faced with elimination, Diaw (playoff-high 25 points and one assist short of a triple- double) and Nash, reacted like champions. Their backs were to the wall because of Phil Jackson, more clever than ever (he got the Lakers and Bryant to buy in like Messina with Moscow), and Kobe, finally playing smart within a team concept and keeping some gas in his tank for the money-time (something we've been suggesting for years in these blogs, n'est-ce pas, Flea?). The old guard coaches, Phil, Adelman and Carlisle were exploiting matchups beautifully but their adversaries made adjustments on their home court in big-time Game 5 performances. Through the first four games, it was "troubled players revenge week" as Bonzi and Artest beat up on the Spurs and Odom and Kwame took it to the rack vs. Phoenix. Pop let those two bulldozers go off but shut everyone else down to give the French fans a sigh of relief as Parker and Ginobili finally played well at the same time in Game 5. The surprising Clippers left Denver "groping" for a solution! This Nuggets team condemned itself with the growing spat between Karl and K-mart but also, it's incapacity to sign some shooters which permitted the Clips to swarm Melo. Sam Cassell has got to be the most underrated true leader and winner in NBA history (similar to Papaloukas in Europe!). In any case, NO ONE predicted the favorites would have so much trouble in the first round, only Dallas played up to its level. I'll leave you with this heart-warming image of Ronny Turiaf scoring 8 points in the second quarter of Game 5 for the Lakers, showing his customary enthusiasm and energy, just nine months after major open heart surgery! Something to put smiles back on the Lakers faces. At least in that series, we know, that no matter what, one French player will go through to the second round. Posted by George Eddy - May 8 2006 3:35PM

Ready, Aim, Fire Away George talks MVP, playoffs and Euroleague Let's get your blood boiling early here with a few controversial, poison-pen comments as an appetizer. (Here in France, we love food analogies!) As much as I hate to admit it, Indiana is looking like the leading dark horse candidate with their boring but playoff-adapted style. No one seems to be challenging Kwame's manhood now! What a surprise, Artest gets suspended just when the Kings need him most! Reading a long John Hollinger article on espn.com is like returning to college for a never-ending Statistics 201 class. I'm pretty sure that Haslem was not trying to mortally injure Joey Crawford with his flying mouth-piece. Please tell Marc Stein on espn.com that the Lakers did not lose Game 1 vs. Phoenix because Mamba Kobe did not shoot enough -- he went 7 for 21, he didn't MAKE enough of the ones he took -- but because with him, it's all or nothing. Either Kobe shoots 'em all or he tries so hard to prove to everyone he's not shooting that he loses his rhythm and aggressiveness. Phil is in need of a happy medium, here ,and Kobe, as always, is in need of smart decision-making. The reason the NBA playoffs are so unique and exciting is that you've got the best players in the world playing each game with the March Madness intensity of young college players! Now on to the big subject of the week, who will be MVP? With a super strong finish, while carrying his mediocre team on his young back to the playoffs with ridiculously impressive stats (number two in efficiency rating), LeBron, who resembles more and more a young MJ with a jump shot will beat out Nowitzki, Nash and Wade who all slightly faded as did their teams down the stretch. Of course I would have personally preferred Steve or Dirk for their international flavour and iconoclastic personalities within the framework of the egocentric pro sports world! Dirk, especially, is due, after improving each season and showing Duncanesque consistency while leading Dallas to 60 wins. He only seems to be lacking a few more assists per game to be in LeBron's league. Also, D'Antoni and Avery Johnson might have cast a bit of a shadow over their stars with their brillant systems and coaching. I just hope LeBron will seem less blasé when he receives this MVP trophy compared to his post All-Star speech in Houston! By the way, was I the only one to choke and pass out when Bill Simmons turned his coat and picked Kobe as MVP? The celebration of his winning of that fantasy league thing must have barbecued a few of Bill's brain cells there, no? I'm off to cover a wide-open Euroleague Final Four in beautiful Prague this week and I recommend your watching it on NBA TV to see just how strong the top European clubs have become-as strong as all the NBA lottery teams, in my opinion! Posted by George Eddy - Apr 25 2006 9:59AM

Noah's Arc For which country will the talented forward play? Today, let's talk about Joakim Noah and his NBA future. This is a back-from-vacation-blog, I just returned from the incredibly hospitable village of Heugas (pop. 1300), near Dax, in the gorgeous countryside of southwest France, home of great beaches, foie gras, armagnac, and the Easter weekend "Basket Follies" organized with love by the local club (one of many reasons why it's great to live in this country). The picturesque small gym with the cement floor straight out of "Hoosiers" was packed with a record 1,200 spectators to see my team win the celebrity game but also to see me lose the 3-point contest to a local hero. I was so disappointed I couldn't sleep afterwards -- my little daughter was counting on daddy bringing home a new trophy, but that's the law of sports, I guess, you can't win 'em all! All's well that ends well (Hey, it's clichè time, baby) as the participants finished the evening dancing on the dinner tables similar to what Gator fans were doing after the NCAA title and Noah's announcement that he was going to intelligently stay in school! Joakim is lucky to not come from a needy family so he can take his time and enjoy life at Gainesville, working towards a degree in anthropology and on his game looking for a historical repeat or three-peat with his super-soph roommates (that's soph not soft)! He can hit the weights every other day, shoot a thousand mid-range jumpers every day, and work on his post-up game so that he'll be a finished product when he hits the NBA like Duncan (Noah should watch miles of tape of the Big Fundamental) or Battier before him. Noah reminds me of Gasol or Kirilenko, a skinny big who will succeed thanks to his energy, technique and mobility despite the doubts of some scouts. "Sticks" is an eclectic, international, renaissance man like his father, Yannick, with the ability to lead others to victory (Yann coached France to two Davis cup triumphs). He'll make the most out of his university experience, knowing that a lot of Americans spend their whole lives being nostalgic about the good old days in college, then go number one in the draft and get a max rookie contract when he decides to go to the NBA, which ain't bad for a player Georgetown refused to recruit despite Joakim's pleas on the phone and his close frienship with Pat Ewing's son! Another important dossier coming up for "Jooks" will be the choice of his "basketball nationality," a key decision that is etched in stone for life (unless your name is Olajuwon). He must choose one of four countries. The least likely choice is Sweden, his mother's native country, which he knows little of. He would be the team's star but with no guarantee of participating in the major international competitions because of the weak level of his teammates. As for Team USA, despite Noah's incredible improvement, he wouldn't be sure to make the team even if the sky seems to be the limit for this unique individual. His choice from the heart might be Cameroon, his grandfather's native country, and his presence on the team could help them qualify from the African zone for major competitions, but the limited resources and frequent organisational problems of African basketball compared to NBA life might be a little too much of a culture shock even for someone as open-minded as Joakim! That leaves France, where Noah lived from the ages of 3 to 13. Even if, as Yannick says, the French national team staff only woke up to Joakim's talent during March Madness, this team is his best bet to be selected and play in the European or World Championships and Olympics because the French coach should rapidly-maybe even as soon as the upcoming worlds in Japan- find his game and enthusiasm indispensable along side the golden generation of Parker-Diaw-Pietrus and the up and coming big men, Petro and Mahinmi. There will soon be eight French players in the NBA, the biggest foreign contingent with the Serbians. Another advantage of choosing France would be that it would bring Joakim closer to charming, basketball-loving and party-loving villages like Heugas! He would fit right in! Posted by George Eddy - Apr 18 2006 3:27PM

A Little Bit of Everything in this Blog That, and Joakim Noah Since I'm the Diaw equivalent for commentary polyvalence, I'll be doing the NCAA Final Four live (from Paris) this weekend. Mostly because French tennis and singing star, Yannick Noah's son Joakim, is kickin' fanny with the Florida Gators -- my old school, Class of '79. Joakim grew up between youth leagues near Paris (and listening to our NBA games on TV), and high school in NYC, where he seemed skinny and frail but incredibly intense and motivated à la his father at Roland-Garros! After hardly playing his first season at UF, he's become THE rising star of March Madness. The NBA draft is going to try and uproot him from his group of super-soph teammates and roommates. I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed an extra year if the Gators don't go all the way, because like his dad, he marches to the beat of a different drummer. On and off the court he's a Rasta whirlwind of energy, blocked shots, dunks, rebounds ,primal screams and refreshingly funny quotes. You gotta love the guy! I watched Joakim's first round game with the Noah family at our station which was an exhilarating experience, to say the least - "that's my BOY dunking there!"- screamed Yann. I'd love to offer him some pointers on shooting mechanics when he comes through town. Over the years I commentated several Olympics and played ball a few times with his dad. Speaking of the tournament, I hope coach K won't let Kobe shoot Team USA out of an elimination game the way he let Redick brick away Duke's chances. He'll have more offensive options with the national team anyway! Speaking of bricks, what happened to Nash and the Suns on Monday vs. a scarier and scarier J-Kidd- led Nets team? Must a been some major Big Apple partying by Phoenix going on the night before that one! I hope this one zero performance (out of 69 games) won't have too much of an effect on Steve's MVP chances. By my count,surfing the net, Nash has about 50 percent of the media behind him with Wade at about 30 percent, Nowitzki at 15 percent and Kobe at 5 percent. Nash's generosity on and off the hardwood (see assists and Paraguay children's hospital), make him a wonderful "look at what's good about NBA," candidate. On efficiency rating, defence, and game-deciding heroics, Wade is the best of those four, however. Nowitzki, like Duncan these last few years, is so incredibly consistent that you end up taking him for granted, whereas Kobe is really more of pure scorer than an all-around, team-improving genius (which he could and should, one day, become). Since I'm sort of touching bases with my favorite blog themes this week, I must discern the" Larry Brown ugly-ball award" to Rick Carlisle and the Pacer's recent "walk it up and dump it down" style of play, the epitome of classic NBA match-up oriented basketball with no up- tempo and no passing game desired whatsoever and all the plays being called by the coach like in junior high! Add to this that my man Jasikevicius has played little or none since his double-double in a win March 1 vs. Washington. This brilliant maneuver has brought six wins against very sub .500 teams and eight losses since! While Rick only sees Sarunas' defensive lapses, I only concentrate on his communicative enthusiasm, winning record and attitude, things these long-faced, stressed-out Pacers sorely need! A change of scenery would do Sarunas a world of good. Maybe he could hook up with the Suns next season and spell Nash when he starts to tire (or after a night out on the town). Posted by George Eddy - Mar 28 2006 3:01PM

Isiah's Biggest Mistake Brown and the Knicks are like toothpaste and orange juice What if Isiah Thomas' biggest mistake this season was preferring Larry Brown to Phil Jackson last summer? I'm sure that by outbidding L.A. by a few more million a season, Thomas could have convinced the Zen master to come back and coach his old team and considering the way the Knicks throw money around, this would only cause a slight ripple on the bottom line. Phil was probably a better fit for this raggamuffin group of over-rated and overpaid ballhogs with his flexible, ego-soothing approach and wily use of the media to transmit his messages. (He would have had a field day with the Big Apple press!) Phil probably could have squeezed 10 to 20 more victories out of these madcaps. True, most of the Knicks don't seem like ideal candidates for success in the triangle but Curry on the strong side and Crawford or Marbury as a finisher on the weak side could have been good fits and Jackson definitely would have been more subtle, chummier and less overtly critical of his veterans -- this was a common trait in his earlier success -- compared to Larry. If the Knicks really wanted a youth movement then what better b-ball culture than the triangle to build upon in the upcoming seasons. As for Brown, he's re-living the nightmare of Athens-multiplied by a hundred with a one-dimensional roster full of individualistic one-on-one players more interested in getting stats to justify their salaries and overblown reps than playing the right way to win! Brown and this roster mix as well as mint toothpaste and orange juice! Watching Marbury and Francis exchange smirks during the Miami game Sunday must have been downright painful for Larry -- I even found it disgusting -- as was the brilliance of the MVP-candidate, the all-world Dwyane Wade, a guy Larry should have played more in Athens. By the way, when you compare those smirks to the pain Garnett intimately feels with each loss you realize that all the players don't have the same reaction to losing! Brown needs a roster full of veteran role players who have seen it all and only care about winning now which was the situation in Indiana, Philly and Detroit. As much as Larry quotes Dean Smith, he, down deep, doesn't have the time or patience to educate rookies and rebuild from step one, in Athens or New York! Posted by George Eddy - Mar 20 2006 3:19PM

Two Countrymen for Most Improved The cases for Diaw and Parker French fans are going to be particularly interested in the "most improved player" award this season because two of the prime candidates are homegrown. Tony Parker like Elton Brand, Chauncey Billups and Chris Bosh has improved his play and stats dramatically picking up the slack for a hurting Duncan or Ginobili but those four players were already confirmed stars before the season. You could argue that Bosh's improvement from the 35th spot to 10th on the efficiency list is enormous, and it is, but how about going from 277th to 38th! That's what Boris Diaw has accomplished (he's even ahead of his best friend Parker who is 44th) and the only similar progression, sort of out of nowhere, is the Hornets' David West moving up from 236th to 41st. This why I think this award will go to one of these two players and even though I'm far from neutral on the question because I watched Boris grow up on French courts, I'll try to give some objective reasons why Diaw deserves it. West and Diaw have progressed in oddly similar ways this season though David is more of a scorer and Diaw more of a passer. They both went from 18 to 34 minutes a game of playing time but if West has more than doubled his efficiency rating, Diaw has more than TRIPLED his (this stat alone should be decisive). They both improved their shooting percentage dramatically to better than 50 percent this season but Boris has a big advantage with his all-around game -- he's played all five positions similar to Kirilenko -- and cumulated two triple-doubles and get this, six triple-nines and eight triple-eights! This "modern day Pippen," as Phil Jackson calls him, hovers in elite company with LeBron, Kidd and Wade at around six assists and six rebounds a game. Diaw's and West's teams have both had unbelievable runs, the Hornets are still in the playoff hunt after a disastrous 2004-2005 and a natural disaster called Katrina, and the Suns are as good as last year despite Amare's absence in large part thanks to Diaw sacrificing his body covering much bigger opponents in the paint. By all measurements, statistics and team results, I think it's fair to say that Boris has improved just a little bit more than David. The fact that I was the first one on the net -- along with my buddy Ian Thomsen of SI.com -- to say, "Hey America, wake up and appreciate Diaw's unique talent and personality" shouldn't blind me from reality! In fact, I welcome all comers onto the Diaw bandwagon which is getting fuller by the day -and to make you feel welcome, we'll even serve Bordeaux wine from Diaw's region and a stinky old camembert cheese -- because those two go as well together as Boris and the Suns! Posted by George Eddy - Mar 14 2006 12:44PM

Eddy for the World George takes a look at the USA Basketball roster First I'd like to say "Thumbs up!" to Flea's plea to Kwame Brown to wake up and realize his inherent potential -- very touching -- and to Adonal Foyle who, like Etan Thomas, cares about the world we live in and not just about the next gas-guzzling luxury SUV he's going to buy! Now let me give you my rundown on the new Team USA, a subject I should master considering I probably know even more about international ball than the NBA. The strengths and weaknesses of this new group are a reflection of what modern US basketball has become. The biggest problem will still be the different rules and style of play compared to the NBA, notably the defensive three second rule and no-charge semi-circle which keeps the lane clear of defensive help whereas in FIBA competition the key is clogged which puts a premium on swinging the ball and hitting the outside shots. Team USA's strengths will still be young high-flying athletes who are good one-on-one players and offensive rebounders. Guys like Bowen (in Japan) and Battier (in Beijing, because Bowen will be 38) will usefully add D and threes to the mix but post-up players will be lacking unless Shaq changes his mind (Colangelo is praying). Kobe and LeBron will be the biggest post-up threats in the absence of Duncan frustrated in Athens because he wasn't getting the superstar calls he gets in the NBA and he wasn't good at adapting to the different style of play. His leadership suffered, he went into his shell and finished by declaring "FIBA sucks." Billups and Redd will be missed at the world championships too -- their style should be a perfect fit in the 2008 Olympics -- therefore Arenas will have to fill the Billups void and pure shooters like J.J. Redick should have their chance in Redd's spot. Zone-breakers, those who play well without the ball, spot-up shooters and pull-up shooters will be key role players for international success. Never forget that in Athens the USA was saved from an embarrassing quarter-final elimination by Spain thanks to a record six 3-pointers from Marbury, who had been like his teammates horrible from the outside up to that point in the competition. It's important in international ball to construct and prepare your team for the elimination games and eventual opponents and matchups you may encounter in those games. Reducing the group down to the final 12 shouldn't be so complicated since unhappy campers from previous campaigns like Pierce and Melo who need the ball in hand a lot probably won't be kept nor will Luke Ridnour and Joe Johnson who are barred by Arenas and Paul, who are going to really have to give up the ball like Nash does for Team USA to get the best out of their finishers. The staff will have to choose between Jamison and Odom and maybe even between Amarè and Howard depending on Stoudemire's knee. Except for Morrison the other players seem like a lock to make the team barring injuries. I regret that Iverson, who's passing and shooting better than ever, wasn't given at least a tryout after his exemplary positive attitude and leadership in Athens. Kevin Garnett, often decisive with his all-around play and offensive rebounding in getting the gold in Sydney, will be sorely missed. Everyone from Coach K on down are saying this is Kobe's team but I say "watch out!" because if he starts forcing too many shots against swarming defences the overall team spirit could be undermined and maybe the team will look towards LeBron's more altruistic (except at the All-Star game, of course) style for leadership because to win in international ball you've got to share and move the ball! Overall the new concept and obligations put in place by Jerry Colangelo are taking the team in the right direction, now we'll see if Coach K's ego management is up to the task and if the team can attack the competition with a humble attitude and the capacity to rebound after a disappointment! The first culture shock will come when the team leaves its cushy camp in Las Vegas, symbol of American opulence and over-consumption, for a warm-up tournament in ... provincial China! Posted by George Eddy - Mar 7 2006 12:53PM

An Uninspring Trade Deadline The best deal of the year happened before the season started Here's an up close and personal blog this week. Wow! We were welcomed back to France like heroes after our colossal coverage of All-Star Weekend. People were telling me "Bravo, best coverage ever" and things like that. Even after 20 years on the job you never get tired of hearing those types of compliments. Before the game we had 15 minute pieces on each French NBA player, we showed all the events from Saturday night in their entirety with Boris Diaw's comments and tied all the stuff together with stand-ups accompanied by Tony Parker, Eva Longoria, Diaw, Ronny Turiaf and French singer and NBA fan Benjamin Biolay, who just happens to be married to actress Chiara Mastroiani. The media attention in France was incredible considering this was all shown live from midnight to 5:30 in the morning then re-shown the following days in better time slots. I'm very lucid, after riding Jordan's coattails for 15 years now we're comfortably installed on Tony's while waiting for Boris to make some big noise with Phoenix- and I'm convinced he will. Of course you do need a good storyteller on TV to get the most out of the phenomenal success these young men have had! That's my job as they used to say on "Dragnet." Oddly enough my biggest hit with the fans was when Boris consented to tell them on the air that I had blown him away in HORSE that morning: "making about 18 of 20 threes" he said. Everyone had a hard time believing it, even when I explained to them that I play three times a week with younger guys and averaged 25 points a game in Paris' over 36 league, during our recent seven- game win steak! Whatever... Now that the trading deadline is past let's do a quick roundup. Even though this is going to be painful(!) to my blog-mate and non-pasteurized Brie lover Lang Whitaker, the biggest heist of the season must be credited to Bryan Colangelo and Phoenix (they'd be stupid not to outbid Toronto for his services by the way), getting Diaw and draft picks from Atlanta for a Joe Johnson that they weren't going to match anyway! Unreal. The more recent deals pale by comparison and I feel that certain fundamentals of recruiting are being ignored like character, chemistry and continuity are just as important as pure athletic ability. Denver -- Why did they get Earl Watson in the first place? -- is following the Kings' and Wolves' (scroll down) lead by stockpiling talented players with checkered pasts and with crazy George Karl to coach them to boot! In New York, Isiah says he's stockpiling assets but I just see a bunch of losers with over-inflated contracts that no other team would touch with a 10-foot pole. And what a shame Orlando wasn't more patient to build around T-Mac and Dwight Howard along with an improving Jameer Nelson! I'll bet Nate Mcmillan AND Seattle regret not having come to terms last summer. When will teams finally realize that the Spurs and Pistons are the true models, keeping a core group of good, smart players together for a few years to develop and only adding needed complementary parts along the way. Avoid firing coaches too quickly and too often is good advice for GM's too! As is, get your international scouting up to par too! Let me conclude by recommending that you read Scoop Jackson's portrait of Etan Thomas on espn.com. Thomas is a baller that has a lot of interesting things to say about other subjects too! Posted by George Eddy - Feb 27 2006 4:08PM

All-Star Weekend Review We (Heart) Boris Diaw I just read Bill Simmons take on All-Star Weekend and even though gambling and drinking are not my favorite subjects, I find him long but unattainably hilarious so I'm not even gonna try a funny blog. Here's a French-American's take on the event. Our channel proposed the Rookie Challenge live, then five-and-a-half historic hours of coverage on Sunday thanks to Tony Parker being the first French All-Star. Tony was like a five year old in a candy store, not wanting to miss a thing except a lot of sleep. His rap concert was a bit too much and he probably wasted some energy on it that he could have used in the game but he was always available and friendly with us so I'm not going to come down too hard on him. We followed his every step accompanied by two of his best friends Boris Diaw and Ronny Turiaf who were both incredibly kind, fun, and unassuming so I feel the future of French b-ball is in pretty good hands. We'll see at the world championships in Japan this summer. Boris was our third commentator for Saturday and Sunday and even showed up with Ronny at the international media pick-up game at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, the absolute proof that these guys love ANY kind of basketball! Boris even accepted losing three straight games of HORSE to me without losing his perpetual smile and despite that, I noticed some real progress in his shooting mechanics thanks to his work with Phil Weber. Boris has got to be one of the finest human beings I've met in 40 years of basketball; there is not one iota of arrogance in his generous personality, I think I'm gonna buy his jersey on the net and parade around a little bit. Generosity was a key word this weekend with the "NBA Cares" program omnipresent, building houses and whatnot, and the NBA players also showed they cared about T-Mac during the game taking Kobe's lead (eight assists and additional public image rebuilding) and doing their best to get him hometown MVP honors and a little personal peace of mind. Unfortunately the refs didn't see LeBron's foul on the last shot by T-Mac which could have given an even more fitting ending to the game. It's just not Houston's year I guess! LeBron's acceptance speech seemed almost blasè about his MVP trophy; at only 21 he can't even surprise himself with his own exploits, it's almost a shame and he should definitively erase the phrase "showcase my talent" from his vocabulary, the same way Larry Brown should stop saying everyone is so "special" -- except the Knicks of course. Billups and Wade would have been worthy MVP's too. If, from our standpoint, this was one of the best All-Star weekends ever, the fans lacked enthusiasm. I swear I got a better reaction out of the Paris crowd at the French All-Star game in December! And the NBA has to find a way to avoid a guy like Nate Robinson putting his health in danger whi