SuperSonicSoul: "Two months ago, I wrote a snide comment about Shaquille O'Neal's new reality television show, a show which purported to show Shaq helping six young kids go from obese to fit. After all, I reasoned, isn't it a bit hypocritical for Shaq -- who's notorious for not getting into shape until the playoffs appear on the horizon -- to teach youngsters how to work hard? Well, color me corrected. I'll admit that I got hooked on the show, and watched most of the episodes, and from that small sample, I can honestly say that all the bloggers and columnists who teased Shaq about this idea owe him a great, big obese apology. Because if you watched the show, you saw that O'Neal cared about the kids, and, more importantly, cared about the epidemic of overweight kids that plagues the U.S."
The other day Darren Rovell of CNBC weighed in from Beijing that he was amazed how little Yao Ming was in evidence compared to Steve Nash. (He wrote about that same thing today.) TrueHoop reader Nick (from Boston) had a different experience: "I got back last week from a long Chinese trip in Beijing and Shanghai and I saw tons of Yao and Yi coverage on TV and in print. I was also shocked to hear Yi referred to as "the Chinese Garnett" from a hoops fan. Also, the people I talked to loved Kobe Bryant, and in general, I was psyched that I could watch most summer league games so I could watch the development of Leon Powe and Big Baby on CCTV5, albeit with Chinese over-dubbing. They also kept showing the Rockets vs. Jazz playoff series on CCTV5. I saw Yao a little bit in ads, but I didn't see, that I recall, Steve Nash in any ads (maybe a Nike one). I guess I could just have selective vision, although I do like Steve Nash."
One thing that has really been troubling me was that, as far as I knew, no one had found a way to interpret the "Transformers" movie as a metaphor for the NBA. What a relief.
Roy Tarpley's substance abuse suspensions were a regular part of watching the NBA when I was younger. Now he's trying to clear his name, get reinstated (although he admits he's too old to make a comeback), and earn back some of the cash he lost when he was banned from the league.
A poll to determine where Steve Nash falls on the list of the league's best players. Right now most are ranking him "top five."
ESPN's Chris Sheridan says that after signing Eddie House and the NBDL's Jackie Manuel, the Celtics have one roster spot, and little bit of the mid-level exception, left.
An anonymous source on a Contra Costa Times blog says that little patch of hair on the back of Drew Gooden's head is "like fly paper for the ladies." Like, they get stuck in there and die?
UPDATE: This is not a basketball story, but it is a fun read about the sports media driving an athlete into a cul-de-sac of seeming insanity. It's about Ichiro Suzuki, but it could be about Gilbert Arenas in the middle of last season.
UPDATE: Expect more free agent signings of perimeter players once Mickael Pietrus and Sasha Pavlovic find homes. Chuck Carlton reports in the Dallas Morning News: "Teams have been reluctant to commit to other big guards or small forwards until Pietrus and Pavlovic sign. 'Those situations have taken forever and will probably continue to linger,' Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. 'It's created a ripple effect.'"
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