Free Tickets!

The New Jersey Nets have devised a new strategy to get people at their games: FREE TICKETS!

The following is from the Newark Star-Ledger:

In a nod to current economic conditions, the basketball team will give unemployed fans who submit their resumes to the Nets Job Bank up to four free tickets, plus access to a Nov. 22 career fair at their home arena, team president and chief executive Brett Yormark said yesterday. The team also will distribute applicants' resumes to its sponsors.

"Hopefully they'll come out and experience the Nets, and then when times get better they'll invest in us, because we invested in them," Yormark said. "No other team is doing that, and I think it's the appropriate thing to do, because times are tough."

To those who register for the program, the team will make 300 tickets available for each of five selected games at Izod Center in East Rutherford.

I like this move by the Nets. The team is struggling, the economy is struggling, why not try to help out both by doing a little something for the fans. Lets face it, a lot of people cannot afford to go to professional sporting events these days. Many times those people who cannot afford a ticket are some of the team's biggest fans. If you are not going to sell out anyway, why not give away a few tickets to people who deserve to and want to go see these games. Who knows, maybe a little extra energy at Izod Center is just what the team needs to win a few close games at home. It will be interesting to see if other teams around the sports world try to adopt this idea.

NBA Blockbuster!

A huge trade went down in the NBA today as the Detroit Pistons acquired former MVP guard Alan Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb.

Iverson, who is in the final year of his contract, set to make $20.8 million this season, could make his debut with the Pistons on Wednesday night in Toronto. The nine time all star will add a nice scoring weapon to a team who has been known more for their defense in years past than offense.

Billups, a three time all star in his own right, will add a new dynamic to the Nuggets offense. While both Iverson and star Carmelo Anthony are great scorers, Billups ability to spread the ball around as well as score makes Denver a strong playoff contender.

This move certainly shakes things up in both conferences. It will be interesting to see how these two stars adapt to their new environments. Both will have opportunities to add a lift to each each.

Lakers Extend Bynum

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers has signed center Andrew Bynum to a four year contract extension worth $58 million. The move would keep Bynum in a Laker uniform through the 2012-13 season.

This is a great move for the Lakers as good young bigmen are hard to come by. Bynum missed much of the second half of last season due to injury. With the inside force of Bynum paired up with all world talent Kobe Bryant, the Lakers will be a force in the Western Conference for a long time to come.

WAY Back Sports Presents: Your 2008-2009 NBA Preview

This is the beauty of sports. Just when one league is ending its season, another one is just to begin. As we wave good-bye to baseball for the winter, basketball is getting ready to tip off. The Boston Celtics look to defend their 17th championship and the Lakers will try to preserve their Western Conference title. Who has a chance to reach the promise land? Here is the breakdown: The WAY Back Sports NBA Preview.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1) Boston Celtics. James Poesy may be gone, but does it really matter if the Big Three are still there? Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins both have another year under them, making the C's the team to beat in the east.

2) Detroit Pistons. Yes, they are getting older, but the talent level is still high with Chauncy Billups and Rip Hamilton. Youngsters Jason Maxielle and Rodney Stuckey both grew up a lot in the playoffs too.

3) Philadelphia 76ers. There is reason for Philly fans to get excited over the basketball team again. This is the best they've been since the departure of A.I., bringing in Elton Brand in the off-season. Andre Miller is an underrated PG, and the other A.I., Andre Iguodala is a threat.

4) Orlando Magic. As long as Dwight Howard keeps playing like Superman (and he will), the Magic will be in the mix. Rashard Lewis needs to be more consistent, and Jameer Nelson will need to prove that he can run the point.

5) Cleavland Cavilers. Two Words....LeBron James.

6) Atlanta Hawks. They almost shocked the Celtics. Almost. Though Josh Childress is gone, Josh Smith is an awesome scorer and Joe Johnson provides leadership along side Mike Bibby.

7) Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are revamped after bringing in Jermaine O'Neal this offseason. Jose Calderon will surprise people with his play, and an O'Neal-Chris Bosh frontcourt is scary.

8) Miami Heat. Dwayne Wade+Shawn Marion+Michale Beasley=a solid three-headed monster on South Beach

The Rest

9) Chicago Bulls. Home-town hero Derek Rose will revive basketball in Chicago.

10) Washington Wizards. They could jump up to top 8, depending on when Gilbert Arenas gets back.

11) Milwaukee Bucks. There's talent, but all on offense.

12) Charlotte Bobcats. How much longer will the excuse of "they're young" last? Lets see what Larry Brown can do with them.

13) Indiana Pacers. What did Larry Bird do to this team?

14) New York Knicks. Mike D'Antoni has his work cut out for him cleaning up after Isaiah.

15) New Jersey Nets. How long 'till LeBron comes? They cleared out the cap space for him.


WESTERN CONFERENCE

1) Los Angeles Lakers. Andrew Bynum is healthy again, so it will be fun to see what he can do with Pau. Oh yeah, they have Kobe too.

2) New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul might be the best PG in the league. Add Posey in off the bench, combined with a very hungry team and you've got yourself a contender.

3) Houston Rockets. Ah, the double edge sword of Ron Artest. If he keeps his cool on the court, he, Tracy McGrady, and Yao will be blasting off.

4) Utah Jazz. Know why Chris Paul MIGHT be the best PG in the league? Deron Williams of the Jazz. Carlos Boozer will bang down low and Andrei Kirilenko will be an inside/outside threat.

5) San Antonio Spurs. The old stand byes are still here, and with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan healthy, they will be. They will need to wait a while to get Manu back after surgery in the offseason.

6) Phoenix Suns. Steve Nash is still Steve Nash, and Shaq is there to teach Amare' Stoudemire how to play in the post. The question will be if they can still run and gun.

7) Dallas Mavericks. Will this just be a team that looks good on paper, or will they produce on the court? But it's hard to count out a team with Dirk and Jason Kidd.

8) Portland Trail Blazers. A LeMarcus Aldridge-Greg Oden frontcourt along with Brandon Roy in the backcourt will get this team a playoff birth.

The Rest

9) Denver Nuggets. The best paper team money can buy. They'll produce on the court, but A.I. and Carmello Anthony will just miss the promise land this year.

10) Los Angeles Clippers. WWBD=What Will Baron Do? This may be one of those 50 win teams that doesn't get in the playoffs.

11) Golden State Warriors. Monta Ellis is the the goat in Golden State after an offseason mo-ped crash. Free agent Corey Maggette will need to provide the scoring for the Warriors this season.

12) Minnesota Timberwolves. Al Jefferson will need to put this team on his back for them not to slip further down in the west. He'll shoulder some of the load, but not much more.

13) Memphis Grizzlies. O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay are bright spots on a dark team. When Darko is starting, you need bright spots.

14) Sacramento Kings. Name one player on the Kings. It's not that easy.

15) Oklahoma City Thunder. Good luck, Kevin Durant.


Welcome back NBA!

Wizzards Lose Arenas

The AP is reporting that Washington Wizzards franchise point guard Gilbert Arenas will be out at least until December following surgery to his left knee Thursday. The procedure to remove what is being called "loose debris" is the third surgery that Arenas has had in the past 17 months.

This is bad news for a Wizzards team not known for its depth. The team in July signed the seven year pro to a six year $111 million deal.

735 Days—Shaq Calls his own Retirement

Phoenix Suns center, Shaquille O'Neal told a Florida television station that his NBA career would be over in 735 days. O'Neal plans to play the remaining two years left on his contract, and then call it career. The 36-year-old was bothered by injuries last season and hopes to rebound in the final two years of his campaign. As confident a man and player as Shaq is, perhaps it is a little too early to announce retirement. A decision to retire is final and not negotiable in any way, just ask Brett Favre.

Artest to Rockets

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that the Houston Rockets have acquired forward Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Bobby Jackson, Houston's first round draft pick in 2009, and a player to be named later.

The acquisition of Artest now gives Houston their own "big three" as he will join all-stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. This move puts Houston right back into the thick of things in a very competitive Western Conference.

Artest, one of the best defenders in the NBA, is most recognized for his fighting incident a few years back as a member of the Indiana Pacers. During the altercation Artest went into the stands where is stuck a fan with a heavy punch. He was later suspended for the remainder of the season.

WNBA Reacts to Catfight

For those of you who may not have heard, the WNBA got a little publicity boost Tuesday night when a fight broke out on the court following a hard foul during a Detroit Shock-Los Angeles Sparks game. During the brawl that ensued an assistant coach pushed one of the faces of the league to the ground, another player had to be carted off in a wheelchair after falling while trying to restore peace, and several other ladies passionately pushed each other around.

This may have been the first time in league history that the WNBA was featured during the first 15 minutes of Sportscenter. A league that is often described by the average sports fan as boring, dull, and even robotic finally showed some emotion. On Wednesday one of the top searches for sports news on several of the top sports site in the world was "WNBA Fight."

So how, you might ask, did the league respond to this media blessing? WNBA president Donna Orender released the following statement: "The WNBA and its players represent all that is good about sports: passion, hard work and sacrifice. On a nightly basis our players display extraordinary skill, athleticism and competitive fire. The events Tuesday, however, were inexcusable and in no way indicative of what the league stands for. We hold our players to a very high standard and these suspensions should serve notice that the behavior exhibited at the end of Tuesday's game will not be tolerated."

I will now give all of you a moment to stop laughing before we continue on...

For a league that loses millions of dollars yearly, has no major television deals, struggles on a nightly basis to even half fill their arenas, and gets zero respect on the national sports level to come out and say that drawing attention to the league and playing with a little passion is "inexcusable" is absolutely absurd. Emotion is part of sports. It is what makes sports so fun to watch and play. It is why professional sports in this country is a muti-billion dollar a year industry: it entertains, it draws people in, it makes people devote their lives to celebrating it. But apparently the WNBA does not want that.

Instead of suspending 10 players today the WNBA should have sent out a memo to the rest of the league telling them that this is how the game should be played. I am not saying that the WNBA should be turned into a pay-per-view fight night. But please, play with a little passion. Show the world why your sport should be watched and taken seriously.

There is a reason why the NFL is the most watched sport in this country. And there is also a reason why the WNBA is currently one of the least.

King James Foresees Gold.

Joe Namath did it. Muhammad Ali did it. Now its Lebron's turn.

What, you may ask, might these three have in common besides all being tremendous athletes? Well the first two made guarantees that their team would win on the big stage; Namath in the Superbowl, Ali did it for the World Heavy-weight Championship. This time its Lebron James at the Olympics.

The Associated Press is reporting that in a Time Magazine issue that hits newsstands on Friday, when asked if his team would win gold his response was "absolutely!"

Lebron will be chasing something that USA basketball has failed to do at the Olympics Since 2000. He will be doing so against teams like Argentina, Greece, Lithuania, and Spain, all teams who are possibly better than they have ever been in the past...they have all been very good in the past. The NBA has changed. It is no longer the NBA of the 1980's or 90's when every good player, and I mean everyone, was from the United States. Now, like many other sports (baseball and hockey come to mind), many of the best players in the game are not from the United States. You have players like Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, and even Tim Duncan, all outstanding players and perennial all-stars, who are all born on foreign soil.

Team USA will have their hands full at this year's Olympic games. On paper you would have to say they are the favorites to win it all, but not by as wide a margin as Lebron and company may think. We are going to need to see the Lebron James from game 7 the this year's Eastern Conference Finals in every game for team USA to win gold. I'm not talking about the numbers. He will not get the touches to score 40+ points in a game, not with Kobe Bryant on the same team. What I am talking about is the drive, the Jordan-esk glare in his eye that tells you he wants it. That glare does not come out every game. It will need to for him to "absolutely" make good on his declaration.

Re-Sign Posey

NBA free agency has just started, and while Elton Brand and Baron Davis are cashing in on multi-year deals, the defending Champion Boston Celtics have work of their own to do, mainly in re-signing one James Posey. His defensive skills are unquestionable, he was the C's best one-on-one defender in the post season. He also brings intensity to the table, and has probably earned more Tommy points in one year then most will in a lifetime. So Danny Ainge, if you're listening, re-sign James.

And if you do, you might even get one of his man-hugs.
-Mac