October 29, 2004
Carmelo Cited For Marijuana Possession
Even better than this statement were statements from Carmelo's lawyer Daniel Recht. Recht claims that 20-year-old Anthony loaned the backpack to a visiting friend and when it was returned it had marijuana in it, which Carmelo knew nothing about. Recht says, "The friend obviously uses marijuana and left a small amount in the backpack when he returned it to Carmelo. Carmelo had no idea there was any marijuana in the backpack. He was devastated to learn there was marijuana left in the backpack." Thus far, Carmelo has not been suspended by the NBA.
These rookies from last year are a disaster. One is having babies, the other is trying to transport drugs from state to state. These boys are out of control. Carmelo's story is just so ridiculous. Number one, Carmelo is a weed smoker and I know this because I know this. Not to say that he knew the drugs were in the backpack or that that particular weed found in the backpack belonged to him, but they could have told a better story.
The lawyer's original statement was much longer than the quotes I used above and it sounded worse than that. The lawyer actually told a long drawn out story about Carmelo's friend visiting from out of town, asking to use a backpack and a bunch of other crap. It was really long and drawn out and sounded like complete garbage. He would have just done better to say that Carmelo didn't know how the weed got there or that he had glaucoma. The story was really pathetic and sounded like something a 14-year-old would make up.
Carmelo has a deal with Nike. I'm sure he has boxes full of every backpack that Nike makes and in every color. Why would his friend have to borrow one? It just makes no sense. They did find some boy to sign an affadavit saying that he did borrow that backpack though, so I guess the lawyer is doing something right.
Lebron James and The Celtics
While on the topic of young NBA players, I went to a preseason game featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. Celtic's franchise player Paul Pierce did not play because he hurt his pinky toe or an injury of
a similar nature. I was so pissed. Lebron and Paul Pierce tend to bring out the best in each other and I really wanted to see that match up live and in person. It didn't matter though, because Lebron was Lebron all day. He's fun
to watch on TV but much more fun to watch in person. I was lucky enough to get seats directly behind the Celtic's bench, so I had a good view of everything.
First of all, Lebron seems so very unaffected by all those hundreds of millions of dollars he is holding. He was the first person on the court for pre-game and half time shoot around and he had to be dragged away from a crowd full of children and adults seeking his autograph. He was gladly signing anything they tossed his way and smiling and talking to them the entire time. One of the assistant coaches literally had to pull him away to take the court because the game was starting. It was too cute.
I also noticed that he has a beautiful smile. That smile doesn't translate too well on television, so I was really surprised. Other than his smile being so illustrious, he pretty much looks the same as he does on TV. The
Celtics played Lebron really hard in the first half. They were rough on him and he could barely buy a shot. They weren't doing anything illegal, but they were bumping him off, cutting pretty hard, and triple teaming him all of the
time. He was very frustrated and only had 5 points at the half.
He came out in the second half and put on the Lebron show. He was plowing the Celtics down, getting to the basket and scoring. He did a few very nice dunks.
Lebron is really fast when he thinks he can get a dunk on a fast break. He actually creates fast breaks by outrunning players on the other team who were already halfway down the court and usually much faster than him. It
seems that the thought of the fast break dunk motivates him to practically fly down the court. That's the only time he really uses any speed. Any other time, he's jogging or walking waiting to see when he can get the ball next.
The biggest flaw I could see in Lebron's game is that he is a horrible defender. He keeps his back to his man at all times and is constantly watching the ball. You could just see him thinking about how he was going to get the steal, when the ball was on the other side of the court. This quite often leads to his man cutting to the basket, getting the ball that Lebron wouldn't take his eyes off of, and scoring easy baskets.
I'm almost positive Lebron was the biggest kid on the court in high school at all times. At 6'8" and 240 pounds it would be hard not to be bigger than everyone else. I'm sure he was able to ignore his defenders, get the steal and create opportunities for himself and his teammates. Somebody needs to tell him that it doesn't work that way in the NBA. He should have been sent to the Ron Artest school of defense during the off season.
My favorite part of the game was seeing former 76ers point guard Eric Snow, who now plays for Cleveland. I am like the only Eric Snow fan in the world. I just love him. His play reminds me of John Stockton, nothing fancy just doing his job and making plays. He hasn't quite mastered running the Cavs just yet, but he's working on it.
The most entertaining part of the game was Celtic's guard Ricky Davis. For those that may not know, Ricky Davis is a player that at about 6'6 can jump higher than any man in the NBA and has an ego bigger than any one person in the world. He was the star player in Cleveland before Lebron joined the team. Ricky's ego could not co-exist with Lebron's level of talent so he was traded away to Boston. He's a good player, a tenacious defender, but his ego is really something else. He can have a clear lane to the basket, but will choose to dribble and spin through 4 defenders, which usually ends in him being stripped of the ball. He can have a fast break, but instead of laying the ball in or dunking it, he must throw it off the backboard, do a 360 and miss the dunk. That's the type of shit Ricky Davis does. He's always flashy for no reason and a legend in his own mind.
Anyway, the Cavs had been down for most of the game until Lebron took matters into his own hands. The Cavs went on a 14-2 run and the Celtics called a timeout. This was about midway through the third quarter. The Celtics are all in a huddle, Doc Rivers is drawing up a play and Ricky Davis just had this temper tantrum. He got in the middle of the circle going off on the entire team and the coach and I quote, "Why the fuck do I gotta do everything. It's 12 motherfuckers on this team and I gotta do everything. What the fuck is everybody else here for. I can't win games by myself." I mean this tirade went on for the entire time out.
Let it be known that at the time Ricky Davis has about 9 or 10 points, while two other Celtics on the floor each had 17 points. It was the most ridiculous thing. The rest of the Celtics just started rolling their eyes like, "Here he go again." Somebody needs to check him and fast. He'll never be the player that he could to be because he seems to be chemically imbalanced. I love Ricky Davis, but I wanted to give the boy a Xanax to mellow him out.
Gary Payton is playing for the Celtics this season and it seems that leaving the Lakers and that damned triangle offense is going to do wonders to revive his career. He looked just like the old Gary Payton that played for Seattle.Tony Allen, a rookie for Oklahoma State should be a star one day. He was drafted by the Celtics late in the first round, probably due to his size because he's small, but he is definitely going to do some good things in the NBA. He's great at getting steals, can score and he's a lot of fun to watch. He won't be close to rookie of the year, but he should be making a name for himself one day soon.
The game was in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Casino arena or whatever it's called, so I was the only person there that wasn't a Boston fan. Every time Cleveland got a stop, a call or a score, I was clapping and the Celtics on the bench were looking at me like I was crazy. I just stuck my tongue out at them and they laughed. I know, I'm so mature.
The cutest thing was my little brother. He's 10. He went up to the Cavs bench and stole Ricky Davis' towel for me because he knows I love Ricky Davis. He went back and tried to steal his warm up shirt, but Ricky was not having that. It was a really nice gesture on my brother's part. I do love Ricky Davis, but I have no use for his sweaty towel. I just thought it was nice that the kid would do that for me anyway. I still have the towel though.
Ashlee Simpson
Last Saturday pop star Ashlee Simpson had an embarrassing moment on Saturday Night Live. The singer's band began playing one song, while the pre-recorded vocals to another song played. Ashlee, not being a seasoned performer, and obviously never hearing the phrase, "the show must go on", ran off stage in embarrassment. Her band continued to play and smirk as though they thought it was the funniest thing ever.
Ashlee and her father have been blaming the pre-recorded track on every illness known to man. Ashlee spoke to MTV News about the flub and said, "It's so silly that everybody's concerned about this one performance when there's so many things going on in the world. We have an election, there's people dying - and people are concerned if I can sing or not. You hear me sing on my reality show every day."
Ashlee claims that she is being completely honest about her reasons for using what is called a guide vocal. She claims that she has acid reflux and her voice was really hoarse and had she tried to sing live, she would have damaged her vocal chords. She said, "I don't think I'll ever use a guide vocal ever again, I didn't want to use a guide vocal, but everyone was like, 'You have to.' Like, I couldn't talk, like I really couldn't speak. I hope that I never ever, ever, ever, ever have to use a guide vocal ever again. I don't think I would anyway. I just wouldn't do the show."
I need Ashlee Simpson to run off into obscurity and shut up. This is the kind of crap that happens when you have no talent whatsoever, but you get a record deal and a reality television show on the strength of your famous sister. I must admit, I do like the two singles Ashlee released, but she's right, we've all heard her non-singing ass on that reality show. She sounds like Kelly Osbourne and had to do 300 takes of each verse just so that it sounded good enough to be doctored up to sound something like singing. She was on another show, claiming that other performers use guide vocals all of the time. That is true, but it's really not her place to out them and most performers that do it have a reason. I know Beyonce and Usher normally pre-record vocals and lip sync during performances because it's hard to do cartwheels, acrobatics and sing at the same time. Ashlee Simpson on the other hand just stands there, sounding horrible.
She should just be honest and let the world take it for what it is. She can not sing. She knows it and so does everyone else. Not only can't she sing, but she's dumb as hell. Who the hell exits stage left on Saturday Night Live while they're supposed to be performing? That should end her career faster than not being able to sing. Ashlee has got to go.
Solange
Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce, gave birth to a baby boy named Daniel Julez J. Smith on October 18. It is rumored that she and her husband Daniel Smith, who were married in February of this year, are no longer together. Congrats to the new parents.
Ice Cube's Cartoon
Rapper/actor Ice Cube has a hip-hop cartoon in the works. The multi-talented entertainer is working on a cartoon titled, "Grandmaster Freak and the Furious 15". The show will center around a rap group with an extraordinarily
large number of members and is set in the 1980's. The leader of the group is Grandmaster Freak, a 17-year-old high school student whose parents would prefer him to be a lawyer and not a hip-hop artist.
The show is set in Englewood, N.J. and will feature a performance each week along with old school rap songs. New rap songs created specifically for the show will also be featured on this half hour animated series.
I have no idea when and where this show will air, but I will provide more details when I get my mind right or when they're made available. Whichever comes first.
This sounds good. It's good to see Ice Cube doing something different. This idea is something that hasn't been done before and if done the right way could be very successful. I wish there was a hip-hop cartoon when I was growing up. I really hope the cartoon captures the essence of hip-hop in the 80's. That was such an amazing time and it would be nice if children today would be able to see some of that now. I was young in the 80's, but I definitely think it was the best decade ever and it was extremely important for hip-hop music and culture. A cartoon set in that time definitely beats a cartoon featuring what hip-hop music has become today. I really hope this works out for Ice Cube and turns out to be a really good show.
Refugee Camp Reunion
It's almost official. Wyclef, Pras and Lauryn, collectively known as the Fugees, are going to reunite. The multi-platinum trio plan to get back in the studio to record another full length album once Lauryn finishes recording her solo lp, which is due in stores next year. The Fugees reunited briefly in September for comedian Dave Chapelle's block party and are looking forward to a more permanent reunion in the near future.
I would be excited about this reunion if it occured, oh say, 5 years ago. I don't know that the Fugees can make a comeback or even have the same chemistry they had back in the days when they dropped "The Score". If they can make it work, more power to them. I'd be glad to hear them making good music again. Ever since Lauryn's mental lapse, she hasn't done me any good. Wyclef hasn't been that interesting since his first solo album and I need to
be reminded exactly who Pras is and what he's ever done that was decent.
The last time I saw Lauryn, she was still having babies and talking crazy. I really hope she has found whatever peace she was looking for and can make good music again.
On another Lauryn note, she is rumored to be pregnant with either baby number 5 or 6. What person can keep count of her children these days? I don't know if she's pregnant or not, but good luck to Lauryn and the Fugees as a unit.
T-Boz And Mack-10 Together Again
Rumor has it that T-Boz, member of singing group TLC and her husband Mack 10 are back together. A few months ago, it was reported that the couple were in the process of divorcing due to Mack's abusive and cheating ways. Mack 10 has confirmed that all is well on the home front and T-Boz is back home. He also says that it was just "some tabloid shit" anyway.
I hope that if they are together that this was all truly some "tabloid shit" and that he was not beating up on little T-Boz. I doubt it was blown out of proportion, since Mack 10 made his business to tell the media that she's back home. If it was all good, she would not have left him or their home in the first place. I hope they have worked out any issues they may have had and I hope T-Boz and her daughter are safe. Mack 10 always sounds like he's a few beers short of a six pack, so who knows?
NBA predictions
The NBA season starts next week and I am so happy. I've been watching preseason games like crazy. I just want to say that I think the Orlando Magic is going to be one of the best teams in the east, provided that their
core players stay healthy. I also predict that the Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards will be at the bottom of the east, being chased closely for those bottom spots by the New Jersey Nets.
I could be wrong, but anyone can feel free to call me out on my predictions if none of them come to fruition as time goes on. I have plenty more predictions where those came from, but I am not trying to bore anyone to death with my basketball banter.
- reported by Keshawnta J.