Blank NBA Player

[ajbry]

It doesn't sound like Artest at all, lol.

I think Barnes and Hill are solid guesses, but for some reason it sounds like Boozer to me.

[aboveAverage]

I think it's Shawn Marion

[The Shiv]

sounds like Jennings.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

I like the Barnes or Miller guesses. I could really see it being either of those guys, but Barnes makes more sense, since he's been in the spotlight guarding some of the best players, yet he isn't a star.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

At what point does the NBA address this obvious officiating issue. I agree with everything this guy said. It's a problem. Refs should be young athletes with high IQ's and they need to have at least played high school bball.

[AussieBuck]

Rondo or another Celtic.

[MVP-3]

I wonder what the fine would be if Stern found out who it was... Maybe it was Gilbert

[Dobber-16]

Kevin Garnett.

[Dobber-16]

Rondo or another Celtic.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

Why does Stern protect his refs to the death, but doesn't hesitate to dish hefty fines to players.

[BNB]

Here are some more blog entries from this player, hopefully we can narrow this down:

"Be careful with groupies"

Not that long ago, The Mag's NFL Player X (whoever he is) estimated that 30 percent of married NFL players cheat on their wives. I was surprised to hear it was that low. In the NBA, I think it's closer to 60 percent. When you get a bunch of young, rich guys together, infidelity can be contagious. It's like high school -- the young guys watch the older players to see how things are done.

Respected vets like Kevin Ollie or Derek Fisher set good examples, though, for guys across the NBA. There are a lot of players who stick in this league for way longer than they should because they're family men who keep rookies in check. They'll call you out on your dumb mistakes. I know the vets I played with early on helped keep me straight. They'd warn me off the groupies who'd been going after NBA players for years.


I've had girls approach me at the hardware store and act like they didn't know who I was. I've been followed at the mall. There are groupies who hang around my neighborhood trying to bump into me on the street. They don't care if I'm married or not.

The whole thing seems innocent but most often it's not. We're talking about strangers here, who are following us. Fall in love with the wrong one, and you can end up trapped, with a child you never expected or a wife you weren't ready for. People ask me all the time how many of the women I meet are looking for a ring. I have to assume it's all of them, because I've never met a groupie who was in it just to have fun. Those girls take the long view, and it's not always about love.

Look at what happened with Dirk last year. He fell for a groupie, gave the girl an engagement ring, only to find out she was a criminal. The situation blew up right during the playoffs, so his teammates ended up answering questions about the woman when they were trying to focus on the Nuggets. It's not good when those problems trickle into the locker room.

Trades have been arranged because one woman is involved with two guys on the same team. That's what happened in Dallas some years ago. And right now I know of one girl who is dating two NBA players. One makes her car payments, and the other pays her rent. They don't know about each other, but they do share a money manager who's writing both checks. It's bound to blow up at some point.

Truth is, NBA players are easy targets. We're not like most guys, who can meet a nice girl at work or at a barbecue. We are recognized and treated differently pretty much everywhere we go. Most of us have grown up in an environment where we've been given whatever we wanted, so a woman approaching us suggestively seems normal. Sadly, all you usually have to do to get an NBA guy for a night is smile and make it clear you're willing to go home with him. Especially if he's single.

As for the married guys, it's not that hard for a groupie to get with one of them, either. They're like regular dudes in corporate America who travel a lot, except they have more money and more opportunities to cheat. They don't get caught because they keep it on the road, calling their wives all the time to check in. (It doesn't always go smoothly. I've overheard plenty of dudes fight with their wives over the phone about their activities.) It gets to the point where you see teammates doing it so much that young guys assume having a woman on the road and a wife at home is just part of the NBA lifestyle.

In fact, I would guess that 50 percent of NBA wives actually started out as groupies. And a lot of those women are realistic about the scene their spouses are in. They take a "don't ask, don't tell" approach. They will say something like, "Don't embarrass me by getting caught." It's not that they like the situation, but they understand the circumstances. After all, it wasn't that long ago that they were in those same clubs looking to get with a professional athlete, no matter how many tries it took.

Honestly, with all the pitfalls and temptation, sometimes I wonder why young players even get married. They should follow Derek Jeter's example. No one criticizes his lifestyle because he doesn't have a wife at home wondering what he's up to. He's just a young, rich pro who enjoys being the king of New York. He'll settle down when the time is right. NBA guys should take note.

"Picking playoff winners"

I get asked all the time for inside tips on who's going to win in the playoffs. My answer: How should I know? But I can give you the three main factors my teammates and I look at to determine who has the advantage in the postseason.


The first factor is which teams have that go-to guy who always prevails in the clutch. Players I know are pretty evenly split as to who the most clutch player in the league is, Kobe or LeBron. Kobe is still the best player in the world to me, no matter how well Bron is playing. Kobe is the greatest right now, period. He's the one you want with the ball in his hands with the game on the line. Of course, LeBron is obviously amazing. He hasn't won a ring yet but he's hungry, and sometimes hunger trumps experience. Funny thing is, instead of the Kobe versus LeBron debate heating up right now, a lot of players are talking about Dirk being the MVP of the league. He's been putting up great numbers on a really good team that doesn't get all the attention. A guy that tall who can pop from outside is nearly impossible to defend. So don't sleep on the Mavs, because I don't know a single guy who wants to play them in the postseason right now.

The next thing to consider is which teams are playing the best ball. It's a cliché, but it's true: You want to be peaking at the end of the season. Look at the Thunder. Just like Dallas, nobody I know wants to play OKC in the playoffs. They would rather just sit back and watch Kevin Durant play someone else; he's that entertaining. He's on "SportsCenter" a lot because he's so good, but his games are rarely shown nationally, so a lot of guys haven't seen him play a bunch. Still, the vets are all amazed that he's as good as he is at, like, 16 years old. Another thing about KD: I know a lot of fans say, "Man, Portland really screwed up by not taking Durant with the first pick of the draft a couple of years ago." But how they could have known Greg Oden would have so many injury problems? And if the Blazers had picked KD I don't know how he would have fit with Brandon Roy. Both guys need a lot of touches and play their best when the offense runs through them. If Durant and Roy were on the same team it might take away from each of their games.

The final thing you want to look at in the run up to the playoffs is which teams have the loudest arenas. From my experience as a visiting player, Boston, Orlando and Utah are the toughest arenas to play in. When those fans are screaming their heads off you can't hear anything. The best players thrive on that kind of adversity, but it does make it more difficult to communicate with your teammates. Detroit is the best arena in the world when they're good. Those fans go off. Luckily no one has to go there this year, because they aren't going to make the playoffs. Philly is also nasty. Those fans aren't the loudest, but they have the dirtiest mouths. One time we were playing there and I heard Sixers fans taunting players on their own team. It was cold, man. They're known around the league as the worst fans on earth.

"Lay off Iverson"

Guys around the league are pissed at Stephen A. Smith right now for his most recent column on Allen Iverson, the one in which he claimed Allen is going to drink and/or gamble his life away. One of my NBA friends in Philly says a bunch of Sixers can't wait for Stephen A. to show up in their locker room so they can have words with him.

He's the kind of guy who, if Philly were playing well and won a championship or something, would "break" the story that Allen was the reason for their success, but because Philly sucks and Iverson's numbers haven't been good, Stephen A. breaks the story that their failure is about Allen's drinking and gambling. It's this kind of thing that makes a lot of guys in the NBA wary of Stephen A. Smith.

Now, everyone in the league knows Allen has been a big partier his entire career. Crazy thing is, he actually drinks a lot less than he used to. I know there was talk because Allen was at some party on a night he was supposed to be playing. But right now NBA players are just talking about how they can't believe Stephen A. chose to write that column now, when Allen's partying is way, way tamer than it used to be. We all think the timing is suspicious.

I haven't talked to Allen, so I don't know how he feels about all this. But guys around the league think Stephen A. took a cheap shot, that he kicked a man when he was down. Allen is dealing with his sick daughter and a divorce. That's the reason he's taking time away. But I guess the truth doesn't sell newspapers. Fact is, if Stephen A. really cared about him, as he says he does, he'd be going to AI's friends and family, trying to say something that way. He wouldn't be blasting him in the media.

Allen's going through all this personal stuff and he's in the spotlight with no outlet. But Allen is probably the most loved guy in the league after Shaq. Yeah, he's had problems with coaches. But every guy I know who's played with him says he's a great teammate. He always keeps guys loose by lightening the mood. There are dozens of guys in the NBA who would help him if he needed it. And while I don't think he'll be back in the league again -- he's just not where he used to be physically -- his absence will have nothing to do with drinking and gambling. You can print that.

"Don't cross David Stern"

Since the trade deadline just passed, some of you are probably wondering why your team shipped a guy out of town. Money is one reason guys get traded. So is talent. But there's a quicker way to be kicked to the curb in the NBA: getting blackballed.

I see it a lot. Take T.J. Ford, for example. He might be on his way, through no fault of his own. The guy had a career year last year, yet he was on the bench for a month -- and he wasn't injured. Players have been buzzing about him lately, wondering why one of the best guys on the Pacers isn't playing much. It could be anything. I know of a situation in which a starter got benched because the owner's son is friends with the guy who replaced him.

Stuff like that happens all the time, and it's not always the coaches making the decision. Sometimes it comes from above. I'm pretty sure, for example, that Javaris Crittenton will be blackballed after his gun incident with Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert is a former All-Star with a big contract. He'll play again. But most players think Javaris is done, that GMs won't touch him. That's just wrong.

On the plane just the other day we were talking about how guys disappear: How Antoine Walker, Stephon Marbury, Bonzi Wells and Steve Francis were franchise players one day, out of the league the next. You never know where it comes from. It could be owners getting together to decide no one is going to offer a guy a contract (yes, it happens). Or it could come down from the commissioner. David Stern is not a man you want to cross.

The main thing that gets you blackballed in the NBA is being a bad influence on young players -- bad-mouthing the coach or refusing to listen to him, living the high life. If you're a veteran pulling young guys into that world, your days are numbered. GMs are wary of guys like that. They do all kinds of research before signing you, like talking to your high school coach and grade school teachers. The model organization is San Antonio. They hardly ever sign a guy who gets in trouble. And if they do, the guy shapes right up. If a GM thinks you're taking young guys out, getting them drunk and hooking them up with women, he'll drop you. And he'll tell other league GMs why.

Some guys who've been run out of the NBA, like Bonzi, are doing whatever they can for another shot. Bonzi is better than a lot of guys in the league but won't get a second chance because of his rep as a bad locker room guy. The NBA doesn't have a team like the Bengals that gives bad-rep guys another chance.

Sad thing is, you see some of these guys who are out of the league -- like Francis, Antoine or Steph -- and they still act as if they're stars. They're still like, "I'm the man. It's never gonna go away." They dress the same and spend money like they're still making it. I hear a lot of guys are working out in Chicago, waiting for the phone to ring. But the NBA doesn't really give you a second shot once you've been blackballed. Stern has the power to say a guy is not welcome anymore. You also have GMs with jobs on the line who don't want to take a risk. Look at what happened when Isiah Thomas signed bad locker room guys like Zach Randolph. The Knicks imploded, and Thomas got fired.

I think this Arenas incident scared a lot of players. But I'm not sure if it will change much. The phone number the NBA gives us to call if we're struggling with alcohol and other things isn't going to start ringing off the hook. Thing is, this wasn't the first time Gilbert messed up. The NBA told him to chill a couple years ago, but I don't think he took it seriously. Word around the league is that he's at home freaking out, calling the NBA every five minutes to fix things, afraid it all might disappear.

Funny enough, I haven't heard much about guys acting up this season. The Hawks used to be notorious for partying before they got Joe Johnson and got good. They had guys like Antoine, who would go out to clubs and go wild. It wasn't until they got rid of the bad influences that they started playing well. And you can usually tell who the bad influences are just by looking at how often a guy gets traded. If he's been moved five times, it probably doesn't have anything to do with creating cap room or getting good value. He's got an attitude problem, and his bosses sent him packin'.

"Booze and hoops don't mix"

I get questions all the time about how much NBA guys party, how many clubs we go to. I always tell people that, sure, we go out. A lot of guys hit the clubs. But you'd be surprised at how many of us wouldn't be caught dead with a drink in our hand.

Alcohol is one of those things a lot of NBA guys just don't get. I mean, I understand why the average person drinks but if you're an NBA player it's just stupid to do it. I never drink. I hate the taste of it, but more than that, I hate what it does to my body. The only way you can excel in this league is if you work your butt off in practice, in film study and in the games. And you have to perform each of those tasks at a high level; that's why we get paid what we get paid. I don't know many guys who can live up to those duties with a hangover.

Guys talk. We definitely notice players on opposing teams who are the drinkers. You can tell by their physique, whether it's a beer belly or just a little extra body fat. A guy may be strong as hell but if he's not cut, it's a good bet that he likes to booze. Don't get me wrong, there are a few guys who will remain nameless who can hide their habits, but everyone around the league knows who parties and who doesn't. The NBA is a pretty small community.

Players aren't the only ones who talk. Agents and GM's do, too. A player may think he's hiding his partying but those guys will always figure you out; they've got money on the line. I played with a guy in college who I thought was great. Then, one day my agent asked me "He's got a drinking problem, doesn't he?" He said he thought the guy looked a little too soft. Turns out he was right, the guy did have a problem. And he didn't make it in the league. Hell, I've seen guys get traded because they couldn't stay off the alcohol, who weren't good enough for their coaches and GMs to take a risk on them loafing on the court or doing something stupid off it. They didn't get it: The NBA and alcohol don't mix.

[The Skyhook]

I feel like it is Dwight. I remember reading articles about Dwight not getting the calls like other superstars. The commentators have talked about it also. The fact that he said "my teammates" makes me think it is Dwight. Something about that rings a bell of something I read or heard before.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

I feel like it is Dwight. I remember reading articles about Dwight not getting the calls like other superstars. The commentators have talked about it also. The fact that he said "my teammates" makes me think it is Dwight. Something about that rings a bell of something I read or heard before.

idk this guy sounds older than Dwight. The way he talks about vets. Brad Miller sounds more and more believable.

[devv83]

Ok from that I got that he isnt on Dallas, He isnt on the Cavs, or OKC he played for Detroit at one point and he might of played with TJ ford and the waid he disrespected zach randolph makes me think he's not with the grizzlies

[Nicky Nix Nook]

you really had to quote that whole thing didn't you

[TMU]

All I care is that the man speaks the truth.

[x-]

Jason Terry.

[TiMVP]

I say it's def. someone on the Mavs. Dallas gets dropped a lot in those blogs. Maybe it is Jason Terry and the dude he was talking about in college was Miles Simon because I thought Miles Simon was good, right

[Devin 1L]

Jason Terry.

That's who I was going to say!

[retrospect24]

I don't like mysteries.