When N.B.A. labor talks resumed Wednesday, for an extended session in Midtown Manhattan, officials from the players union opened with a broad premise: Tell us what it will take to end the lockout and save the 2011-12 season.

The union's request sparked a discussion that lasted five and a half hours, which in turn led to another five-and-a-half-hour session Thursday. Both sides declined to offer details, judgments or predictions, and they cautioned the public not to draw any conclusions. But for the first time in two years, there seems to be movement, or at least a constructive dialogue.

The two sides are going to meet again on Tuesday with a broader constituency (more players, more owners) present, and then retire to their respective hidey-holes (the owners are meeting in Dallas, the players in Los Angeles) to go over two weeks' worth of negotiations.

Shaq dobio svoj kip ispred LSU.

O'Neal is the only LSU student-athlete in a major sport to win a National Player of the Year award in college and a Most Valuable Player award in the pros.

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith is set to be an unrestricted free agent when the league resumes business, which would in theory set him up for a payday of more than $3 million per season. That’s one reason it’s so interesting that Smith is reportedly close to signing to play a year in China for a little more than $3 million.

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Smith is nearing a deal with Shanxi of the Chinese Basketball Association, the same league where Wilson Chandler, Smith’s teammate in Denver, will play next season, and the same league that has effectively banned NBA players from signing temporary lockout-only deals in China.

In other words, Smith is reportedly close to giving up the 2011-12 NBA season in order to play in China for nearly $3 million, the largest deal in Chinese basketball history. That comes with the same caveats as it did with Chandler. The Chinese season ends as early as March for teams that don’t advance far in the playoffs, meaning Smith could find his way onto an NBA team for the tail end of the season. And there remain rumblings that Chinese teams will get around the ban on temporary contracts by agreeing to (wink-wink) release NBA players when the lockout ends.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/filmvideo/8751824/Marty-McFlys-Back-To-The-Future-trainers-become-reality.html

Kevin Duran in back to the future.

Bolesna je ta nacija kad od robova živi i kad joj robovi dušu daju. Nije Lincoln bio glup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8v07cvinmI&feature=feedu

stari od kobea kuca preko kareema

Intervju sa Shaqom

What do think caused LeBron James’ flameout in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks?

I don’t think pressure got to him. Surely he took a lot of shots, but he’s not solely in charge there. He’s a great player, but in the Finals, it’s damn if he do and damn if he don’t. He thinks about that too much. It’s a lot of pressure on him, but everybody had that pressure. Michael Jordan had the pressure, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and myself. LeBron has always been a team-player-first guy. In the Finals, I think he was trying to get everybody else involved rather than take over the game. Somebody from upstairs is going have to say there has to be a one, CEO No. 1, and a vice president between the two of them (Wade). A lot of people are trying to compare them to Scotty Pippen and Jordan. That isn’t Scotty and Mike. It’s more like Mike and Dominique Wilkins. They both took shots and scored.

Who was the better teammate — Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or Dwyane Wade?

They were all different. Coming in, I had to bring Kobe along. Coming in with D-Wade, I didn’t want to lose a friend like I lost Kobe, so I was real delicate with him. LeBron already had everything, so I never had to say anything to him.

In your opinion, who was the better coach for you — Phil Jackson or Pat Riley?

Phil was a man’s man. He was always the same. He did the same thing every day. Worked on that triangle every day. And he made us believe every day. He always told me what he wanted from me before a game — 29 points and 15 rebounds, and I’ll do it. He told me once that he wanted me to get MVP this year and that they’re coming to me every time. It also was a test. He was testing me out. The interesting thing about Phil is when me and Kobe had those squabbles, he never said anything. He knew it motivated both of us. When you look at what we did, it will never be done again. But Kobe and I never really had any problems in practice. He would say something to one of the reporters, and I would say something to one of the reporters. But Phil never got involved with that. I think it was part of his plan.

Jordan style