Bits and Pieces

Penny Taylor - giving up the cabbage for gold (read below)

It seems that former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni will be introduced as the New York Knicks coach as soon as the two parties dot the "i's" and cross the "t's".

The timing is right for D'Antoni to pull up stumps and move on. He has squeezed the most out of the Suns roster. They are on the decline and capped out, plus GM Steve Kerr believed that defense needed more emphasis.

By moving to the Knicks D'Antoni gets a fresh start and a GM, Donnie Walsh, that believes in his system.

The Knicks have been poor of late but the roster does have some talent (Marbury, Crawford, Randolp, Curry, Lee) so if D'Antoni can get them to play with some Knick passion, he will seem like a super coach. D'Antoni has been smart in his choice. Get the Knicks to the playoffs and his status as a coach is validated.

Good luck to him because many have come before him and failed.

While one NBA coaches, Rick Carlisle signs a four year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. I will be watching this move closely as Carlisle is known for his defensive mindedness. The Mavs have a lot of offensive talent on the roster, so it will be interesting to see how Carlisle handles this.

One thing in his favour is he seems to get good results with veteran teams. Remember with the Pistons and the Pacers he had success.

The Detroit Pistons take a 3-1 lead over the Orlando Magic. Even with Chauncey Billups sidelined due to injury, the Pistons did not miss a beat.

Although the Pistons were tested in the 1st round by the 76ers, this series will be done in five games.

The Cleveland Cavaliers got one back on the Boston Celtics to trail 2-1 in the series. A strong first half saw the Cavs go into the lockerroom up by seventeen.

The Celtics could not mount any type of second half fight back. The Cavs ended up winning by 24.

Argentina's NBA players will be in Beijing. They are the defending gold medalists and will go close to winning again in my opinion.

A good piece on the demise of Baylor University five years ago. A look at it from a different angle.

Former NBL player Ben Thompson has a "little, big" fan. The former Bullet, Razorback, Breaker, Wildcat (sorry if I forgot anyone) now plays for the Rockhampton Rockets in the ABA league.

Boti Nagy gives us his thoughts on Shane Heal and the Blaze.

AHM....Wollongong Hawks have a major sponsor.

Pat Mills goes back to where it all began. Good to see.

Penny Taylor (one of the few women players I enjoy watching) will forgo the WNBA season to concentrate on the Olympics. WOW, this is great for the women's team as they defend the gold in Beijing. I wish Penny and the team all the best in their quest.

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