The season is two games old and I wanted to get something up on the improved Eastern Conference. Nine teams here.
Somebody is not gonna make it! I hope I’m wrong about the team on the outside looking in.
Teams are in order of projected finish.
Predictions follow.
Lil Stevie swinging like everyone else
Kobe will veto Chicago Bulls trade if Luol Deng is included.
Deng is very much in play in the conversations between Chicago and Los Angeles, ESPN.com has learned.
And it’s mainly because of Bryant’s wishes that Deng is still wearing a Chicago uniform.
A source with knowledge of the trade talks said Deng has been included in proposals swapped between the teams, but Bryant has continually threatened to veto almost any deal in which Deng would be included. Bryant wants to be sure that the team he joins has enough talent remaining to compete for the NBA title.
So here I am, ready to roll. I am Anthony CinQue (pronounced sin-kyoo) Carter. This is my first post to The Starting Five. How’d I get here? My man, J.A. Adande set me up with the founder, Mizzo, and the rest was history. I’ve done a little bit in my time; written for a few papers and magazines and sites. But this is EXCITING! I’m really looking forward to a long-lasting relationship with America through The Starting Five. Mizzo told me to just be myself on this site. He told me not to pull punches and not to sugar-coat anything. That’s just my style.
Before I go any further, I need to give shouts to those that directly paved the way for me in journalism: the legendary Brad Pye, Jr., Leland Stein (The Michigan Chronicle), Haywood Galbreath (HGSTAR1NEWS), J.A. Adande (ESPN / ESPN.com), Scoop Jackson (ESPN.com), Howie Evans (The New York Amsterdam News), and others. Thanks fellas. It’s been a long time coming. Big ups to my man Ben Osborne (formerly of KING Magazine), new EIC at SLAM! I used to write for him at KING. Big ups to my man Mizzo for bringing me onboard. Big ups to Michael Smith (ESPN / ESPN.com) for being down to earth and cool when I hung with he and J.A. on Miami Beach during the festivities at Super Bowl XLI. By the way, J.A. had me walking the red carpet at a particular very private affair that weekend. He’s always looked out for me though.
So, here we go.
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After each TNT telecast, I’ll be posting notes from that nights show. I hope you enjoy the conversation. Barkley is off the hook. There’s nobody better in sports. He gives it to you real and raw.
Commissioner David Stern joined the show via satellite from San Antonio.
Stern on the new measures concerning the game officials: “All I can tell you is that we’ll be posting the (names of the) referees each morning so no one has any special information about our games. We’ll be doing deeper security checks. We’ll be putting in new rules to make sure referees don’t make calls from the locker room and the like. A series of things, but I would not be truthful with you if I didn’t let you know that if someone wants to engage in criminal conduct in violation of the law, it’s kind of tough. I often talk with FBI agents, rogue CIA agents and the like. It’s hard work, but we’re going to satisfy ourselves that we have the best mechanisms in sports. And I must tell you that other leagues and other conferences are coming to us and saying, ‘Ok, tell us what you’re doing and let us follow on.’”
