Dangerous A

I too missed Raw live (Tivo'd it) in favor of watching Game 7. Sorry Raw.

Game boy thumb- former Sacramento King Lionel Simmons.

Never say never in wrestling, HartFan. Forever Hardcore is the non WWE Documentary about ECW being released this Friday. There is a thread started by me on it in General Wrestling about it.

Yeah, it's just a difference of what we are seeing. I haven't watched Heat or Velocity in about 4 years. While I know that Heat has nameless, faceless jobber types, since I don't watch them at all, my perception of a jobber are the guys who don't win or aren't pushed on the main TV shows.

WWE "official" explanation- How can we compete with the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, game 7? Hell, even we were watching ?!!?!

The term jobber, as used by me, is meant as losers. Not nameless jobbers, but guys who are not percieved as winners. In this day and age, there aren't really nameless, faceless jobbers like in the past. I percieve Raw midcard guys to be Shelton, Jericho, Hassan, Kane. Guys who are either in contention for the IC title or could have a World title match as the ME of a Raw with the champ. During the Raw/ECW confrontation, the only person percieved as anything in the fans eyes is Edge, and to a degree Christian. Christian is basically a loser who happens to have entertaining promos and is over, but he hardly wins matches. Tomko, Snitsky, and Maven are crap. Compare those names to Angle, JBL and his Cabinet, Carlito, and the Raw side didn't really throw out there best names to help get ECW over.

More from Allhiphop.com about the beef.... "The Game seems to be preparing part two of his offensive against 50 Cent and G-Unit. The Compton-bred rapper has stated that he’s prepping a song that will “kill mother f***ers this time around.” Via his Black Wall Street site, Game stated, “About a week and a half from hittin’ the net [is] the title track ‘300 Bars N Running.’ The song will be released by this Tuesday or Wednesday! Once again, I will be ending careers with this one! Also included will be audio from Hot 97 Summer Jam in New York City.” In related news, 50 Cent is rumored to be planning his retaliation through the Anger Management Tour, which launches July 7 in Noblesville, IN."

Isn't Tenay with TNA though? Unless I've missed something. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> He is still with TNA, but that doesn't mean I can't want him to do broadcasts for WWE. TNA is will be finished before the year is out, hopefully WWE can get their heads out of their asses and throw this guy some money to do their shows. Lawler or Cole, doesn't matter to me, just get this guy in there for one of them is all I ask.

Actually Game has beef with Suge Knight as well, although I heard it kind of cooled off a bit since the smallest infraction will send Knight back to the slammer.

Lawler is lame. I was so sad to see him return after he was fired for sticking up for Stacy Carter. Very upsetting because he has gotten worse over the last 3 years. I disagree with you Hartfan. The only improvement I've seen Cole go from was God awful to just plain awful. He still fucks up move names and just sounds very generic. If this is his best, and I think it is since he's been the announcer since SD has been on, he needs to go. If Tenay or Styles were to come in and they'd have to fire Cole, I'd have no problem with that, not one bit. He's terrible. Just my opinion, but I'd rather them take a guy like Tenay or Styles or hell, develop someone new who I've never heard. Anyone but that schmuck.

It's why people are questioning Cleveland's sanity in trying to hire Larry as president instead of as a coach. Larry is a great coach, but I'm not so sure about his ability to evaluate young, key word young, developing talent and he's not very patient. Larry seems more successful when guys are already sound and just need direction.

At least the ECW guys are given a chance to go over some decent names like JBL, Angle, even Carlito as opposed to the debacle on Monday where it was pretty much the Job Squad getting laid out by ECW.

Jeremy Borash and Shane Douglas were on WOL this sunday shilling the 6/10 Hardcore Homecoming show. They also talked in length about the documentary they have as a rebuttal/companion piece to the Rise and Fall of ECW DVD coming out on 6/10 called Forever Hardcore. It's basically gonna be R & F of ECW, except you'll hear from guys who didn't make WWE's DVD like Shane Douglas, Raven, Sandman, Kid Kash, Tod Gordon, Terry Funk, etc. But most importantly, you will hear from Sabu! That right there is enough to sell me on getting it. I also heard you will hear more criticism towards Paul Heyman in regards to ECW's demise. Of course you can get the DVD from the website which also has an interesting interview with Terry Funk. The website is www.foreverhardcore.net What do you all think?

I wonder how a pairing of Joey Styles with Mike Tenay would sound? I can tell you that while they may not have chemistry, they'd be upgrades over hacks like Lawler and Cole.

It's a term. "Eat off off" is the equivelent of make money from.

The problem with Yayo is he is the most real of that whole crew. He's the real thug in that group that will do at least half the shit they rap about while the rest are just talk. A guy like that probrably won't be available as much because they are always in court, locked up, etc. Seems most crews nowadays have that one guy that really will do some shit if it comes down to it. Black Child from Murder Inc. comes to mind.

Yeah, Em would probrably side with his money since he gets a producers credit from 50's work. As for Dre, who knows where he stands. I'll say I think Em and Dre probrably think 50 is a little out of line getting mad at Game just because he is cool with Jada and Nas. I mean, Em is cool with them too, but you don't see 50 giving it to Em, yet that is. I think 50 is a pretty smart dude and isn't trying to bite the hand that feeds him while he sees Game as his guy and that he should fall in line and not oppose the so-called "general". Still, this has to upset the structure they have set up where Dre eats off of Em(though not as much anymore), Em eats off 50, and 50 eats off Game.

I think some people realize that these 2 teams CAN score and play entertaining basketball, but there are others going by the perception of the 2 teams being slow down, half-court, defensive minded, Pat Riley's Miami Heat type teams.

I wonder if Game was acting on his own at Summer Jam or if he asked/had the blessing of Em and/or Dre to go after 50? Everyone thought that they had at least squashed the beef at the press conference, even though people who were there said you could tell tension was still there. This move by Game was obviously a statement that whatever peace the men had has now come to an abrupt end.

Deon just brought up a good point in that Batista is basically taking Orton's because the plan was for Cena, as champ, to swith with Orton, who was supposed to be champ. To scare you guys, I can see HHH losing to Batista at Vengeance, starting up a feud with Cena through the summer culminating with a HHH win at Summerslam, and then HHH working to an interpromotional match with Batista at either Survivor Series or even WM22 to get his win back from Batista. Sounds pretty feasible, eh?

....and of course the latest from Chicago and Chad Ford Here are the 12 guys NBA teams will be watching closely: Ronny Turiaf, PF, Gonzaga Turiaf has been working out so poorly, he has had no choice but to enter the event in a last-ditch effort to resurrect his draft stock. It's not totally Turiaf's fault. The things he does well – rebound and get physical in the paint – don't show up so well in draft workouts. If he does them well in Chicago, he still has a shot at the late first round. Randolph Morris, C, Kentucky I'd be a little surprised if Morris actually shows up for camp. Big men usually struggle in Chicago. The guards dominate the ball, and few plays are run for the big fellas in the post. Obviously, he could really help himself with a great game or two, but that might be asking a bit much of Morris right now. Dee Brown and Luther Head, G, Illinois Teammate Deron Williams is getting all the love, but Brown and Head played a huge role on a pretty terrific Illinois team this year. The goal of both players is the same. They need to prove they can make the transition to the point in the pros. Look for both to get their shot here. David Lee, PF, Florida On Thursday, it looked as though Lee was prepared to pull out of this camp. His workouts were going great; the feedback was strong; and Chicago looked like a risk. But give credit to Lee. Too many guys pull out of these camps based on fear. Although his agent advised him to drop out, Lee claimed he has nothing to hide. He wants to compete and prove he is worthy of a first-round selection. If he dominates here, he might get his wish. Brandon Rush and Louis Williams, G, high school These two kids came into the process thinking they were locks for the first round. Now ... it's not pretty. Williams, especially, has been very disappointing in workouts. Both need to go to college for at least two years. However, both seem determined to stay in the draft, regardless of the feedback they're getting. Their performance here will make or break them – especially Williams, who will try once again to show scouts he can play the point. Sean Banks, SF, Memphis Banks might be the most talented player in the camp. But his off-the-court problems have buried his draft stock. However, if he can do a good job reminding NBA teams of his potential, will all be forgiven? Salim Stoudamire, G, Arizona We know Stoudamire is the best shooter in the draft. But can he be more? Like Brown, Head and Williams, he's here to prove he can make the transition to the point at the next level. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, PF, George Washington He has the size and athletic ability of a lottery pick, but his game is still very raw. Mensah-Bonsu is the type of player who can watch his draft stock explode or implode based on how he plays here. High risk, high reward. Dijon Thompson, SF, UCLA Thompson has been lost in the draft shuffle to a certain extent. He's long and athletic, and he had a great senior season. With all the talk about upside, he's an older kid who still seems to be getting better. Torin Francis, PF, Notre Dame Two years ago, he was mentioned as potential lottery pick. But back issues and below-average production have destroyed his stock to the point that teams are no longer that interested, even in the second round. That said, Francis has the size and athleticism of a lottery pick. If he shows even a glimmer of that here, he'll help himself. Chicago Sleepers Ronald Murray has become the patron saint of guys from small schools who get discovered here in Chicago. His breakout performance for the Sonics a season ago guarantees these guys will get a close look this week. Deji Akindele, C, Chicago State Akindele is a physical wonder. He's 6-foot-11½, has long arms, is an off-the-charts athlete and has an NBA-ready body. He looks great in workouts, but what about in five-on-five? If he plays well here, he'll rocket up the boards. Rawle Marshall, G/F, Oakland Great athleticism. Pretty shooting stroke. Good defender. In other words, he does a little bit of everything. He's going to impress people when they see how he has worked on his body and his jumper. Mindaugas Katelynas, F, UT-Chattanooga Katelynas was the star of the Portsmouth tournament. He looked a little bit like a poor man's Andrei Kirilenko there. If he can repeat that performance against better competition, he's a lock for the second round. Marcin Gortat, C, Poland He got onto NBA radar screens last spring at the Reebok Big Man camp in Treviso, Italy. He actually won the camp's dunk contest. Gortat is a legit 7-footer with good athletic ability and agility for a big man. He's long and active and has turned himself into a solid shot-blocker and rebounder. He could surprise people. Daryl "MaJic" Dorsey, PG, WBA Dorsey is the ultimate sleeper. When his name first appeared, people were scratching their heads. Dorsey plays in the WBA (World Basketball Association) for the Rome Gladiators. He is averaging 25.6 points, 11.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game and is shooting 85.5 percent from the free-throw line. He's a veteran of the And 1 Mix Tape Tour and had stints in community college and the ABA. The native of Baltimore also was once charged with murder (the charge was eventually dropped). Everywhere he has gone, he has put up big numbers. At 23, he has nothing to lose. Missing In Action Who isn't in Chicago is just as interesting as who is. Some decided to skip the camp because they're confident in their draft stock. Others weren't invited at all. Here's a look at eight guys who should be here but aren't. Matt Walsh, G/F, Florida Walsh has been working out at IMG in Florida and has received encouraging feedback from teams. But his decision to skip the camp (he was invited) is a little unusual. Walsh is firmly on the first-round bubble. The only team with major interest is the Heat. Maybe he has a promise. Or maybe he's just making a bad decision. Linas Kleiza, F, Missouri Kleiza's decision is also surprising. Though a few teams like him in the first round (most notably Denver), he's the type of player who could really help his stock here. Instead, he's focusing on individual workouts. At least he has a fall-back plan. If the NBA doesn't work out for him, he has a bright future in Europe. Daniel Ewing, G, Duke No one's sure what to make of this one. One NBA source with knowledge of how the list was put together claims he wasn't invited. That's weird, considering he's a much better prospect than some others on the board. More likely, Ewing has his place in the draft already worked out and is lying low. Von Wafer, SG, Florida State Wafer wasn't invited, which is pretty stunning for a sophomore with his upside. It's hard to believe that the NBA feels that two-guards such as Larry O'Bannon, Jackie Manuel, Keith Langford, Alan Anderson and Ronnie Price (all of whom were invited to Chicago) are really better prospects. Nate Robinson, Ryan Gomes, Brandon Bass and Lawrence Roberts None of the four is a lock for the first round, but all have an excuse. Each played in Chicago last year to mixed results. Robinson was, by far, the most impressive, followed by Bass. Gomes and Roberts struggled. This year, they didn't think they had anything to gain by returning for a repeat performance. Chad Ford covers the NBA draft for ESPN Insider.

Also forgot about a potential X-Factor in dealing with Parker= Lindsey Hunter. Talk about a disrupter. If he can make Parker work while Chauncey gets valuable rest, Parker may wear down and start to hack while Chauncey is in the post or Parker may not get that hand in Billups face when he goes for one of those dagger 3's.

Upon second thought, it's not so much that Marion himself is a softie, but the Suns defensive philosophy is soft. Marion himself is a decent one on one defender, when he actually gets back. Since the Suns don't put a premium on getting back, it kind of takes Marion's defensive prowess away from him.

A couple of things I am looking at in this series.... Speed v. Strength- in particular, Parker v. Billups. Billups had a lot of success posting up the smaller Damon Jones in game 7 yesterday and I think they will try to exploit this matchup. On the flip side, Parker can take Billups just about anywhere he wants to go. The Pistons bigs are going to want to watch tapes of last year's Lakers-Spurs series to see how to deal with Parker when he gets into the lane because after the first 2 games, Parker wasn't nearly as effective. Ginobili/Bowen v. Prince/Hamilton- Ginobili has been the offensive gem of the Spurs this postseason and has help eleviate a lot of the scoring pressure off of Duncan. After dealing with defensive softies at the 3 position (Melo, Rashard, Marion) Manu must now deal with arguably the Pistons best one on one defender. It'll be interesting to see how Prince's length will effect Ginobili's awkward, yet potent scoring drives. It'll be interesting to see how much gas Hamilton will have when a guy like Bowen, who's only on the floor because he chases and harasses guys like Hamilton into fits. On the flip side, I can see Hamilton becoming the double person, putting the onus on Bowen to hit from the outside consistently because Bowen just isn't that much of a scoring threat and the Pistons will gamble on Bowen beating them before Duncan or Ginobili. Rasheed v. Duncan- Duncan is getting his if he wants. His worse enemy is himself and when he's focused, he's pretty unstoppable. Sheed is almost the same way, except he's more easily distracted and taken out of games by either his perception of the officiating or being too unselfish. Sheed's ability to hit from long range will be huge because they are looking to draw Duncan out of the paint. When he's either guaranteed a win or just has a hair up his ass, Sheed can be as much of a load to deal with as a guy like Garnett. This is the money matchup. More to come later.

Just call DA your one stop NBA Draft Watch for the 411 (ok, so I'm just cutting and pasting from ESPN Insider, sue me) Here is the latest from Chad Ford... Stock Up We've been dogging Arizona State's Ike Diogu and Kansas' Wayne Simien for years because of numerous NBA scouting reports that had them both listed at 6-foot-7 in shoes. NBA scouts hold firm to a threshold that says a player must to be a minimum of 6-foot-8 in shoes to play the power forward position (Charles Barkley notwithstanding). Neither Diogu nor Simien has the perimeter skills to make the transformation to the three, so they've picked up the derogatory "biggie smalls" designation. Ooops. Our bad. Both players were in Denver May 31 for a workout and a startling truth was uncovered: Both guys are taller than we thought they were. According to a source inside the Nuggets, Simien measured 6-8 without shoes. NBA teams add another 1¼ inches for shoes, bringing his height up to 6-9¼ Diogu measured 6-foot-7½ in socks, with an amazing 7-foot-4 wingspan. That means he's nearly 6-9 in shoes with the reach of a 7-footer. Size matters in the NBA, and both players are now tall enough to be considered legit power forwards. In fact, Diogu, because of his wingspan, now figures to be on the tall end of things. Combine that with feedback from several teams that both players have been excellent in workouts and you can expect both to rocket up the boards in the next few weeks. Combine Diogu's toughness with a very good skill set, and he's going to look great in these types of workouts. What's surprised people is his shooting. Diogu is known as a guy who works his BUTT off in the paint. But he's shown teams that he has legitimate NBA 3-point range in workouts. Given a pretty solid handle, his size, toughness and that improving jump shot, Diogu is likely to move up our board big-time the next time our mock draft is released, after the Chicago camp. Based on what we're hearing, he might be a late lottery selection now. "If a team wants a four who's going to know how to score and rebound in this league," one NBA scout told Insider. "I don't know how they can miss with Ike. After watching him work out, we came away a lot more impressed." Simien also has been very good. He's not an amazing athlete, but he's shown great skills and polish at every workout. He has the ability to score down low and away from the basket. If his medicals check out at the Chicago physicals (some teams are concerned about a rash of injuries for Simien), he should be able to crack the top 20. Diogu and Simien aren't the only ones measuring up. Florida's David Lee was 6-8½ without shoes at the same workout in Denver. That puts him at nearly 6-10 in shoes. Lee has also been impressive at all of his workouts, garnering high praise in Phoenix, Utah and Denver for his athleticism, motor and toughness. If he had a jump shot he'd be a lock for the first round. Even without a jumper, some teams in the 20s are saying that he's in the mix. Spain's Fran Vasquez is putting on a show in his homeland at the moment. While most of the top international prospects are still young and relatively inexperienced, Vasquez is playing a major starting role on his team, averaging 12.6 points and eight rebounds per game in the playoffs for Malaga. He was very good earlier in the week in an elimination game, leading his team in both points (18) and rebounds (11). Those might not seem like huge numbers for Americans, but in Europe, for someone age 22, they're pretty big. The Hornets (fourth pick), Jazz (sixth pick), Raptors (seventh pick) and Knicks (eighth pick) are all showing major interest in Vasquez. He should be the first international player off the boards. Louisville's Francisco Garcia is also playing to rave reviews right now. He has shot lights out in workouts and proven to be a better athlete than originally thought. Teams still worry a little about his body and lateral quickness, but he, too, seems to be a player destined to crack the first round in our next mock draft. Rashad McCants has gotten his fair share of bad press over the past couple of years. Scouts uniformly rate him, on talent, as one of the 10 best prospects in the draft. But he was such a difficult player to coach in college that red flags have gone up. To make matters worse, he showed up at his first workout in Toronto with a bad case of intestinal illiness. After the workout, another participant, Julius Hodge, unaware that McCants was ill, ripped into him, saying, "We started the workout, and I was working with Rashad. We were doing shooting drills, and I was hitting everything. I think it was getting discouraging for him and near the end he decided to go to the sidelines in an attempt to say that he was hurt. Once it was found out that he wasn't hurt, he then tried to say he was sick. That was unfortunate; he was free and able to show his stuff, and he shied away from it." McCants ended up having to sit out the rest of the workout. So why is he on the upside list? Because sources with the Lakers and Clippers watched him work out in Los Angeles just before his trip to Toronto and both came away convinced he'll be gone before they draft at Nos. 10 and 12, respectively. "That was as good a workout as I've seen," a source on the Lakers told Insider. "He didn't miss. He's a better athlete than we thought. It was just amazing. I know he's got some baggage, but with that much talent, it's tough to see teams passing on him at the end of the day." Illinois guard Dee Brown looks like he'll be the headliner at the Chicago pre-draft camp. Most of the top prospects are pulling out even Lee and Hodge have withdrawn their names in recent days leaving Brown the guy NBA teams want to see most. Why? Because Brown is going to get a chance to play the point at the camp, something he wasn't able to do at Illinois with Deron Williams running the show. If he's impressive, his stock will get a nice bump probably into the first round. Italian big man Angelo Gigli has a name that sounds like a bad movie, but he has received high marks from a couple of NBA teams after workouts. While they say he isn't as athletic as advertised, he measured a legit 7-foot in shoes and was tougher and more skilled than teams had thought. Off the workouts, his name is generating a bit of buzz. Big man Deji Akindele also has played to strong reviews. He's measuring a legit 7-foot and has tested off the charts athletically. Teams are saying he's smart and picks up things quickly, but he's still pretty raw. He'll also be playing in the Chicago pre-draft camp. If he comes up big there, he'll be another guy who could see his stock really rise. Stock down? It's been a tough couple of weeks for Pittsburgh's Chris Taft. First it was his lackluster workout in New York. Then he went up to Toronto and the normally reserved Rob Babcock wondered aloud about his heart. "That's the toughest thing to measure," the Raptors GM told the Globe and Mail after the Taft workout. "Even the mind's easier to measure than the heart. It's difficult. It's very difficult. "I think Chris is still very raw and he would certainly be better served & by going back to school. He has a tremendous amount of potential, there's no doubt. But there's a lot of guys with a great amount of potential. It's what you can do with that and whether you can develop that, that's the key." Of course, Taft can't go back to school. He's already hired an agent. I wonder if his agent, Billy Ceisler, will now ban Babcock from all of his client's workouts as well. Combine that with the recent revelations about the actual height of Simien and Diogu, and there's a good chance Taft will be sliding down to the bottom of the first round and maybe even out of it, according to one NBA director of player personnel who claims his team has Taft ranked as the 10th-best power forward in the draft. Maybe that's why, in the past few days, Taft's agent has reversed course and agreed to start working out Taft for teams in the 20s after insisting to them for weeks that he'd be in the lottery. High school guard Louis Williams said earlier in the week he won't be attending the University of Georgia and will instead keep his name in the NBA draft. From what we hear, it's a major mistake. Williams was recently destroyed in a workout against Hodge. Afterward, everyone told him he needed to go to college for a minimum of two years. Instead, he went out the next day and said he's staying in the draft. Either he knows something we don't, or he's getting some very bad advice. Nemanja Aleksandrov has, for the most part, fallen off the radar screen since tearing his ACL earlier in the year. According to his agent, David Bauman, the chances of his playing in the NBA next year are slim. He won't be able to begin playing basketball until December, which means it's likely he'll stay in Europe at least one season to rehab. Bauman, however, hasn't pulled him out of the draft yet. According to Bauman, Aleksandrov has received a strong nibble from a team in the mid-first round and he and Bauman are trying to decide the best course of action. If he were to recover and play well next year in Europe, his stock would be much higher. However, by agreeing to something now, he would have security. Neither consideration is primary, according to Bauman: "He just needs to get drafted by the right team. Draft position really doesn't matter. What matters is that a player gets with the right team that believes in him and will do what it takes to develop him. That's the most important thing." Insider first reported on Thursday that Croatian guard Marko Tomas had signed a five-year deal with Real Madrid. That deal doesn't have an NBA buyout for this season, and the buyout amount is pretty high in Year 2, meaning it's unlikely he'll be in the NBA for at least two more seasons. While there are a few teams in the mid-to-late first round who are still pondering whether to guarantee him a first-round spot and keep him in Europe, the revelation probably means that Tomas withdraws from the draft. It's unfortunate for the NBA. As far as international prospects go, he was one of the few who was actually ready to come into the league and play immediately. The rest New Mexico's Danny Granger has played to rave reviews in all of his workouts. But after a recent workout at Golden State, he was sent to the hospital with a serious infection. Those with a weak stomach probably don't want to read on. Apparently Granger split the toenail on his big toe several weeks ago and didn't have it checked. Puss started growing under the toenail and Granger decided to remove the toenail himself to clean it out. The toe kept getting worse and Granger kept slowing down in workouts. After a so-so workout in Golden State, the team's trainer wondered if he was hurt and was shocked to see Granger's toe, which had become seriously infected. Granger was taken to the hospital. Doctors said that the infection had spread all the way to the bone, and put him on antibiotics. Granger was forced to shut down his workouts while it healed. However, he won't be out for long. He has a big workout schedule for Thursday in Chicago against Hakim Warrick that's open to all 30 teams. Chad Ford covers the NBA Draft for ESPN Insider.