Debrief and Rebuild



Any day-after debriefing of San Antonio’s Game 1 win shouldn’t have lasted long. Simply put, Tony Parker dictated the tempo and, therefore, the outcome of the game, while LeBron played like he did in Game 1 of the Pistons series. If Cleveland can keep Parker from looking like he’s renting a room in the lane and LeBron plays more like 48-Point Monster LeBron, maybe the Cavs win that game. But they don’t hand out “Maybe” championship rings, so Cleveland needs to get on their hustle and figure it out.

Not sure if this is going to last through the whole series, but San Antonio Express-News columnist Buck Harvey only refers to LeBron as “The Global Icon.” A line from yesterday’s column: “At that point, before the padding of stats would commence, the Global Icon was 2 of 14 with two assists and five turnovers.”

Game 2 is tomorrow, and even though it’s supposed to be nice outside, we’re not taking the day off. Check out Dimemag.com throughout the day for regularly updated content, some pre-game Finals stuff and our immediate post-game coverage.

One of our nagging NBA questions has been answered. You know how you’d call Ray Allen “a Sonic” or Gilbert Arenas “a Wizard”? It might have been last year when we found out that Miami players are called “Heaters” by at least one Florida newspaper, and yesterday we found out that, according to the Deseret Morning News, you call a Utah player a “Jazzman.” As in, “Even if Kirilenko is unhappy as a Jazzman, team owner Larry H. Miller said recently that it’s likely the team and the Russian will have to co-exist.”

That was an actual note from yesterday’s edition, by the way. AK has made some noise to the Russian media that he’s not happy, but hasn’t specifically asked for a trade. He pulls down a huge salary, so moving him is difficult, but what team wouldn’t want a guy who — when he’s on his game — is one of the League’s best defenders and best interior passers? Anyone who’s watched Kirilenko sulk through the past couple seasons knows he’d be a better fit on a team where he can play the four.

Pending any free-agent signings or trades (Chauncey Billups or Mo Williams, anyone?), it looks like Jordan Farmar has won the Los Angeles Lakers PG job by default. Smush Parker has already been told he’s not getting re-signed (and we hear from a source close to Smush Parker that he’s already in the process of moving from L.A.), and yesterday a Spanish paper said Shammond Williams is close to inking a deal with a pro team out there.

In the Newark Star-Ledger, Nets GM Ed Stefanski was sharing pre-draft workout stories about how Richard Jefferson tried to dog it in his Jersey workout (”But we already loved him, so he couldn’t screw it up”) and K-Mart — still out of shape from his knee injury — didn’t even make it through his NJ workout (”But we had the No. 1 pick and we weren’t taking anyone else”). So our question is: Why do the Nets even hold workouts?

The Bulls, who have the 9th pick, worked out point guards Acie Law and Javaris Crittenton recently. Does that really fit a need area? They already have Captain Kirk and Duhon. Any playoff team that’s lucky enough to land a Top-10 pick shouldn’t use it on a position where they already have enough depth (see: Milicic, Darko).

Joakim Noah reportedly had a good workout for the Timberwolves (7th pick), and afterwards said it would “almost be like a dream come true” to play in Minnesota with KG. Something to consider, though; Joakim Noah grew up in NYC and just spent two years at Florida. How long after he gets to Minneapolis will he figure out the party scene isn’t, let’s say, up to his standards?

Clemson forward James Mays decided to go back to school coming off his showing at the Orlando pre-draft camp.

Phil Ford — and if you don’t know what he did at UNC, you should really look it up — has left the Knicks for an assistant gig with the Bobcats. That opens up a spot on Isiah’s bench, and the New York Post is already speculating it could go to Patrick Ewing. But won’t that conflict with Ewing’s schedule of appearing at every single basketball-related event you can think of lately? Right now it’s 70/30 that Pat pops up at the WNBA All-Star Game next month.

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