Spotes Notes, 2.25.08: First Your Rights, Then Your Children; Speaking of the NFL Combine; A Clemens “Misremembered” Quickie; IU-Kelvin Sampson Affair – Bob Knight Lurks?; How ‘Bout Those Phoenix Suns?!

First your rights, then your children

ESPN Radio’s Eric Kuselias says there’s an HGH epidemic. This morning on Mike and Mike in the Morning Kuselias said HGH use has reached epidemic proportions and therefore professional athletes players should give up their rights of privacy and submit to blood tests. Kuselias says he understands the “right to privacy constitutional” side of the argument but when “there’s an epidemic wouldn’t you give up your rights” for a little safety. Further, he said that taking a blood test is a “little thing to ask” for the “privilege to make millions of dollars.”

Co-host Mike Golic indicated that if the owners chose, they could tune the issue into a public relations issue by letting it be known that Gene Upshaw and Donald Fehr, the NFL and MLB union reps “negotiated away” the ability to treat the epidemic.

This hellish conversation is just the sort of talk those who would want to do away with our constitutional rights completely want to hear.

Rating the Latest Flurry of NBA Trades

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. In the coming weeks we will come to understand which GMs were proactive and which were reactive. And in the coming weeks we will know which moves brought their teams greater success and which moves were busts.

It is going to be a very interesting stretch run.

1. The Lakers go —- Pau!

The Los Angeles Lakers trade for Pau Gasol was so good it invited conspiracy theories. It was so good that San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich advocated for the league to have the ability to determine that a trade was “stupid” and have it rescinded.

For Phoenix, 30 Games Until the Truth Is Told

The Los Angeles Lakers were in an unenviable position last night in Phoenix. Win against and you’re supposed to because the Suns are getting acclimated to the Big Philanderer, Shaquille O’Neal. Lose, and Phoenix becomes an instant NBA media darling with O’Neal as a conquering hero.

Fortunately LA won, 130-124, led by Kobe Bryant’s 41 points. And fortunately Shaq’s biggest effect was on the back of Raja Bell’s – a perpetual-motion hack machine – head with a little less than three minutes remaining in the game. (Now for my NBA officiating crew rant…)

Spotes Notes, 2.14.08: Barry, Roger, Congress, BALCO; Kelvin; KG, Big Baby; LeBron, J-Kidd; Kobe, Pau; Shaq, Amare, Boris, Matrix Nash

Kidd Trade Update: Devean George is steadfast in his refusal to be traded. Dallas cannot just throw in more players, the Nets already have too many. Dallas does not have another player with the contract to match George’s. So, for the moment, the trade is stalled. And if everyone is not very careful, it might not happen at all.

If it doesn’t happen, I wonder how the Dallas players will react the rest of the season. This could spell the end of the Mavericks chance at a Western Conference crown for 2007-08.

By the way, George shot 0-11 tonight. Who says there’s no such thing as karma?

Spotes Notes, 2.12.08: John Rocker Rocks the Boat; Clemens, Radomski to Testify Only; Shaq, The Big Disinterested,” Gets a Pass

Clemens vs. McNamee

Andy Pettitte, Kirk Radomski, and Chuck Knoblauch will not testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday. This leaves Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee to face off against each other.

You know what? This is ridiculous. We get to the point where Clemens can testify and McNamee can testify. Then Pettitte, Radomski, and Knoblauch can contextualize the two’s statements. But Congress has taken us to the penultimate day and pulled out their giant, STOP, sign and nixed the whole deal.

What is the purpose of this move? Well, here’s the answer from the panel’s two ranking members, Henry Waxman (D.-Ca.) and Tom Davis (R.-Va):

Shaquille O’Neal Trapped in a Double-Team of His Own Making

“Shaquille O’Neal’s arrogance is an insult to people who think.”

That amazingly honest public statement was made by Bill Walton Sunday on ESPN’s Sportscenter. Sportscenter show host Chris McKendry – understandably – laughed uncomfortably and tried to verbally wiggle out of and around that damning comment.

I’ve had conversations with people recently about O’Neal and the stunning similarity in his flagging performance in Miami with a similar slippage in conditioning and play in Los Angeles. There were the “injuries” that looked more like laziness. The fully two steps slow moves to the basket that looked more like weight gained from one too many Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinners (one of Shaq’s admitted favorite “foods”).

There were rumors of shouting matches with head coach Phil Jackson and with Kobe Bryant. There was an indictment of O’Neal by Lakers owner Jerry Buss followed by a trade to Miami.

The Shaquille O’Neal Trade: the Heart of the Matter

“You still think a big man can’t sell? Boom….” Those words are actually from an ESPN commercial with Greg Oden, but that’s also what Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr is hoping is going through Shaquille O’Neal’s mind as he joins Kerr’s team. If O’Neal is somehow the missing link to a ‘Chip, Kerr looks like a genius. If O’Neal acts to gum up Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo style of play and is not the defender the Suns hope he is, D’Antoni will have won a huge battle in his power struggle with Kerr. Oh yeah, and Kerr looks like a complete dunce.What is interesting is that Shawn Marion wanted out of Phoenix. In fact, he wanted out of the Land of the Valley of the Sun as long as three years ago. Marion has contended for all that time that with the arrival of Nash, he was pushed to the side by Phoenix management. And Marion has a point. He was an All-Star before Nash arrived, but the focus of the Suns has been Amare Stoudamire and Nash. But now that Marion is gone, there is talk of his importance:

Quick Notes: Terrelle Pryor Update; Stay Classy, NYG; Seahawks and the Rooney Rule; UConn Upset; Nat’l Signing Day; Pinstripes for Clemens?; Shaq Fact; Vegas Loses on SB XLII

Terrelle Pryor update

The number one high school football player in the country, Terrelle Pryor (pictured at right) of Jeannette High School in Jeanette, Pensylvania said simply that he is not making a decision on a college at the moment. Pryor, a 6’6″, 207-pound quarterback also said that because he led his team to a state championship and was playing basketball two days later, he needed more time to make a decision. Beyond his head coach Ray Reitz, Pryor has also had the benefit of consultation with Pittsburgh Steelers QB, Charlie Batch.

Shaq to be Traded to Phoenix for Marion, Banks? It Appears to Be Done; Lakers Handle Nets in Pau’s Debut

Update: Shaquille O’Neal is on his way to Phoenix tonight. If he passes the physical, the trade goes through…. it is done.

Miami Herald writer Barry Jackson reports that the Phoenix suns are in serious trade talks with the Miami Heat. The object of the Suns’ desire is Shaquille O’Neal. According to Jackson Phoenix is willing to swap oft-disgruntled forward Shawn Marion and backup point guard Marcus Banks to the Heat for O’Neal:

Asked for confirmation, one of O’Neal’s representatives said O’Neal has been made aware that discussions with Phoenix are serious and ongoing, but that a deal was not definite.

Dallas also has been mentioned as a potential destination, though the Heat had not immediately informed O’Neal of that possibility.