Larry Drew II Where Are You

Today Larry Drew II decided that he was just going to walk away from the UNC Tarheels and the remainder of the season. Drew obviously didn’t take into consideration the implications of his early departure from the UNC squad. If he transfers to another Division I school, Drew will have to sit out a year, and he would have one season of eligibility remaining.

Drew must be concerned about his future, and this all comes down to playing time. If you are not happy, you decided to go elsewhere. Since Drew was delegated to the 6^th man, the Tar Heels have turned the corner, winning 4 consecutive games. Ironically his stats have even improved as a bench player as he has racked up 19 assists and only two turnovers while playing fewer minutes than Marshall.

So you have to wonder if there was something said in practice. Is this a pre-Madonna move by Drew? Is there some parental influence out there as well as Drew’s mother often noted her displeasure with Drew’s role and his playing time situation on the team. Leaving this time of year really doesn’t make sense. If he is going to a division II school then I can understand as he will have a year and a half to play. But he can’t be thinking about his future transferring down. So why not finish the season?

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Everybody Loves Raymond Felton

Having been around Carolina Basketball for the past 20 years there was one thing that I was sure of and that was the fact that Raymond Felton was going to be a star in the NBA. The man had a game that everyone had to love. He could shoot, he could pass, and boy could he defend. He had a knack for making everyone around him better.

The young man has been in the league since 2005. He was considered to be the third elite point guard in that draft along with Chris Paul and Deron Williams. But something happened to Raymond Felton…You guessed it, he went to NBA purgatory AKA the Charlotte Bobcats.

This is incredibly cruel to fans of the Charlotte Bobcats, because it smacks of the usual nonsense that fandoms outside of MAJOR markets have to deal with, consistently. That their finest players cannot wait to get out of town, and into a metropolis where parking is something you plan out a decade ahead.

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The Knicks Are Back: Man It Feels Good To See People Up On It

When was the last time you could say that the New York Knicks are the hottest team in the NBA. Think about that… the NEW YORK KNICKS… the hottest team in basketball right now. When was the last time you could say that? When was the last time you turned on MSG expecting a win? After a decade long wait, the Knicks are relevant again.

I know.. I know.. you are going to be quick to bring out the obvious. They haven’t played anyone good in the last three weeks? You’re right they haven’t played the upper echelon teams in the NBA yet, but you know what? The Knicks are taking care of the teams they should beat. And regardless of what you haters may say about strength of schedule… what about the Hornets win Friday night? They were one of the best teams in the league at defending their home-court (8-1 at home heading into the game), and the Knicks took care of business.

The Knicks have to be proud of their acquisition of Amare Stoudemire (aka STAT).  He puts up gaudy numbers as well but he also wins. He’s a difference maker. And go back to some of those early season home losses to Philadelphia and Houston. Stoudemire was sick to his stomach and wasn’t afraid to call out his teammates. That's a true franchise player.

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