Aug

4

Arroyo Heads To Israel As He Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv

Filed Under Euro-League, NBA Free Agents | Leave a Comment

The “Orlando Sentinel” is reporting that restricted free agent Carlos Arroyo has signed a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. Arroyo who played with the Orlando Magic this past season reportedly received a deal that could result in a three year pact. There is an opt-out clause for Arroyo after each season, it is reported that he will receive $2.5 million tax free, which is apparently what he would take home from a $5 million contract in the NBA. Arroyo now becomes the eighth former NBA player to spurn the NBA for playing overseas. The guard played for five different teams in a seven year career in the Association. Arroyo averaged 7 points, 3.3 assists.

? Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net?

Aug

4

ESPN: NBA Insider: Team USA Prepares For Olympics

Filed Under ESPN Commentary, Slam Dunk Olympics Central | Leave a Comment

Aug

4

Why Has LeBron James Changed His Tune On China?

Filed Under SDC COMMENTARY, Slam Dunk Olympics Central | 1 Comment

I have been told many times over the last few years, that I am an extremely observant person, that I pick up things that others do not. I think that stems from two different reasons. Number one, I am an empathetic soul, it troubles me when people I care about are?in pain, or are hurt. Most people are so caught up in their own lives, and adversity, that they won’t or can’t take the time to be concerned with others. I am very fortunate, in the grand scheme of things, I have lived a blessed life. I have a wonderful wife, and I enjoy what I do professionaly. Unfortunately most?folks in the USA in 2008, can not claim the same thing.

The other factor that has made me so observant is being a reporter. I?am now going to share with you the?parameters that can make anybody a good reporter. First of all you have to phrase your questions diplomatically. I have found you?can?ask the toughest most hard hitting questions in the world, if you phrase them correctly.?How do you ascertain what is the most diplomatic way to ask a question? Basically ask yourself the question, if it offends you, it will offend your subject. Phrasing is everything in my business, if you have an agenda, your subject will realize very quickly?what you are trying to do, and will be very guarded with their answers.

Th second factor is just as important?if not more so than the first. It is being a good listener.?If you?pay attention to what your subject?is saying, it may lead you down a totally different path, than what you originally set up to ask them. Of course there is more to being a good reporter than?just these two factors, but if you can get these two down you have set yourself a strong foundation to build on.

Okay so why have I just given you the “Jeff Sack Primer On How To Be? A Good Reporter?” ?Well it comes back to an ESPN interview?that I saw on Sunday, as Shelly Smith of ESPN interviewed Cleveland Cavaliers and Team USA forward LeBron James.? The title of the interview?was?ESPN: Will LeBron Take A Stand In China?? Now, I will be honest with you, as I try to be at all times. When I saw the title of the video, I laughed rather?derisively. I thought to myself, this is 2008 not 1968, the days of activist athletes, have long since passed. The times of Bill Russell standing with the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and John Carlos and Tommie Smith giving the “Black Power Salute” were forty years ago. Michael Jordan steered free on anything controversial subject wise, as has Tiger Woods, why would we expect any different from LBJ. Athletes in 2008, appear to be?more concerened?with their “Q” ratings, than world affairs.

If you are a regular reader of mine you are aware that I covered LBJ his first three seasons in the Association as Sports Director for Metro Networks in Cleveland. I have written many times that James is the most media savvy athlete I?have ever dealt with, and I have interviewed him conservatively over 200 times. He has been that way since his first press conference.??Not only does LeBron have a penchant for saying the right thing at the right time, he never says anything without thinking it through first.? LBJ?chooses his words carefully, he never says anything that he does not want to say. That is why his post-game press conference after Cleveland lost to eventual NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics was so telling. He told the press (and in turn Team Owner Dan Gilbert, and G.M. Danny Ferry) that the team needed to improve. If that included personnel changes so be it.

So I was pleasantly surprised?when I sat down and watched the interview (if you have not seen the interview yet, I strongly urge you to stop reading, and click the hyperlink of the interview located earlier in this article. Warning: there are some graphic scenes of victims shown.?Don’t worry I’ll still be here when you return!) In an interview conducted in May James said “Just think about your own family, if you lost a loved one because you didn’t have your basic human rights.?People’s lives were taken from them for no apparent reason.”

Shelly Smith who did a superb job with this piece, reported that James?in a interview on ESPN program “Outside The Lines” in May said that he would speak out while in Beijing about China’s involvement with Sudan. ?Smith?asked LBJ was he concerned that his shoe sponsor Nike, or the Association would be upset if he spoke out. China along with India have huge populations that have suddenly developed a middle class. China especially is looked at as a burgeoning market for Nike, and the NBA. LeBron responded?”They shouldn’t. At the end of the day we are talking about human rights. People should understand that?human rights?and people’s lives are in jeopardy. We’re not?talking about contracts, we are not talking about money, we are talking about people’s lives being lost. And that means a lot more to me, than some money or a contract.”

In 2007?LeBron’s former teammate Ira Newble wrote an open letter to the Government of China, and criticized their involvement in Sudan. Newble wrote that China should not get the honor of hosting the Olympics, because of that involvement. Newble asked his teammates to sign the statement, LBJ did not, and there was some backlash from some critics who said that James was more interested in money than saving lives. Smith asked LeBron why he did not sign the letter. LBJ responded ” No disrespect to Ira, but I wanted to learn more about it myself, before I decided to speak about it, or sign anything.”

Once?James felt educated on the subject he wanted to address the subject. He told Smith “We are going to Beijing, and we should have a game plan as a unit.?Not only Kobe and myself, but all 15 guys, the coaching staff, the whole board.? (Kobe released a P.S.A. back in December on the issue) We should all have a game plan of how we are going to attack the situation.” At that point I turned to my wife, who was seated next to me, and?told her how proud I was of LBJ.

However, just before?Team USA left for their trip to Asia, James did a 180 degree turn on the issue. LBJ said “We want to try to keep basketball, and politics separate. I think we know we are going to continue to get the questions, but we are focused on winning a Gold Medal. We are not focused on what’s going on in politics.” Bryant made similar statements.

This is a?Sports Website, not a? Political Website. I thought long and hard before I wrote this article, on whether I should address this subject. But I decided to, because one thing bothers me, why the sudden radical change in how LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant are now responding to these issues.

As I wrote at the top of this article, I did not expect to see LBJ speaking out on the issue. But once he did, why the total turn around? I know that I am going to come off as a conspiracy nut, but who, not what, but who changed their minds? Was it the?Association, the shoe companies, the IOC, or something more insidious like some branch of our Federal Government??Will we ever know the truth? And why do?I get the eerie feeling that I have just watched an episode of the Twilight Zone?

? Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net


Aug

4

ESPN: Sunday Conversation With Ron Artest

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