Disclaimer: Some information written in this section is strictly rumor, and has no factual information outside of what has been heard, or speculated upon, via outside sources.

Bag-Gate Comes to an End

Empty seats courtesy of the IZOD Center

After an ugly argument in a game last week, Nets CEO Brett Yormark and the ‘paper-bag fans’ had a planned lunch meeting on Tuesday afternoon to bury the hatchet (and to play the public relations game). This has to have been the most bizarre lunch EVER. It was sponsored by McDonalds, so they ate hamburgers, fries and salads – from brown paper bags of course. Not only this, but the meeting was televised on njnets.com and ‘announced’ by two Nets radio broadcasters.

Like I said, this is some good PR for Yormark and the Nets after an embarrassing turn of events last Monday. For those of you who didn’t know, brown paper bags are ‘prohibited’ in the IZOD, and are replaced by a goody bag. Reportedly, only two people accepted the exchange offer – none of which were members of the NBAtoday staff.

“We’ll be playing LeBron”

That’s the quote from Bulls G Derrick Rose on Tuesday. It was part of his declaration that the Bulls would make the eighth spot in the East, and play the eventual one-seed Cavs. Mostly, he is saying this out of optimism, or rather simply not to be a Debby-downer:

“We can’t walk around acting like we’re not going to make it, because that’s when things turn on you. Our biggest goal is to make the playoffs, and we’re going to make it.”

I like his confidence, but he is more likely to be hated on by people like me if they don’t make it, rather than to be praised by people if they do make it. Nevertheless, the Bulls need some luck because they are currently one game out of the eight-seed.

Tidbits:

• This past weekend, Dwyane Wade and tennis star Andy Roddick played H-O-R-S-E as part of a celebrity showdown before a tennis tournament. Believe it or not, but Roddick almost beat D-Wade after being up H-O-R to H! D-Wade’s jump over the a net won it and saved the face of the NBA.
• New Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov (my savior as a Nets fan, hopefully) has already announced that team president Rod Thorn would return next season. There was speculation that he would be canned due to the team’s poor play. I like Rod, so I’ll give him one more chance.
• I know it’s not truly NBA news, but rumored future (and past) NBA coach Rick Pitino has reportedly signed a four-year extension to stay at Louisville. Thank god, I didn’t want the Nets to go after him!
• Knicks benchwarmer Eddy Curry is expected to miss the rest of his team’s games due to a calf injury. I don’t know what the Knicks will do without him!

-Shooter