Michael Beasley Jersey

Wiliams Going Overseas

The only thing worse than unmitigated selfishness is a selfish fool too preoccupied to notice the collateral damage caused from his actions, and too distracted to care.

Forgive New Jersey Nets star guard, Deron Williams , and his ignorance. The man just doesn't know any better. We can't say the same about Michael Beasley , but that's primarily because his ignorance appears beyond repair. The former has decided he wants to play in Turkey if the NBA lockout continues; the latter simply was ticketed for alleged misdemeanor possession of marijuana. But the fact that the two have decided to commit their respective acts in the midst of a contentious collective bargaining negotiation dismantles any notion of togetherness on the part of NBA players.

Since that's the likely perception of league owners right now, a show of hands to those who believe this will actually help negotiations in the coming weeks?

Thought so!

Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA Players Association, and Derek Fisher , union president, have stated on more than one occasion that the players "are together." But when a player such as Williams, who made $14.9 million last season, literally runs for the border to collect more cash, and one of the pieces left behind to represent the NBA product is allegedly caught with weed in his car after being stopped for speeding, how can anyone expect Hunter and Fisher to do an effective job?

These latest occurrences are not about Hunter and Fisher. It's not about their capabilities as union leaders. It's about players who talk a whole lot but don't know the difference between talking smack on the court and having to walk it in the boardroom. It's about players who don't have a clue about what togetherness is -- outside of blaming the media for everything.

It's about players who clearly have not grasped the magnitude of these CBA talks, and the potential ramifications for anyone outside of themselves.

"It's not good," one player told me on Thursday, demanding anonymity before saying a word. "Williams' move makes sense if you're about getting that cash. Nobody can blame him for that. But when you're talking about these negotiations, it's suppose to be about unity."

Exactly. A union -- any union -- is supposed to personify that. They're supposed to exude togetherness as opposed to coming across as a filthy-rich scab looking to do nothing else aside from bloating his bank account.

Protecting Players a New Nets Job - NetsDaily

The old Nets didn't have a team chef or team psychologist. The new Nets have a chef and a psychologist and a service that protects players from bad influences, those who want to take advantage of them and themselves.  The Wall Street Journal reports that the team has hired Players Protect to do that job.

Run by a former Hoboken cop, its job, as the WSJ reports, is to be "a full-service security company for athletes that provides safe drivers, undercover bodyguards and unofficial angels-on-the-shoulder". That means customs vans to transport players, intelligence to let players know if law enforcement is investigating  the club they're headed to, and a sense of when things are about to go wrong. Well, at least it will when the lockout ends.

archives of the state of new jersey

Documents relating to the colonial history of the state of New Jersey

Documents relating to the colonial history of the state of New Jersey

Documents relating to the colonial, revolutionary and post-revolutionary history of the state of New Jersey

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009