The New York Knicks outbid the Chicago Bulls for the coaching services of head coach Mike D’Antoni.  The Phoenix Suns had put him on notice to pack his bags after the Suns were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.

D’Antoni is set to make $24 million dollars over the next four-years from the Knicks.

The former Phoenix Suns coach, who was also sought by the Chicago Bulls, has accepted a four-year, $24 million deal to take over the Knicks, according to reports by Sports Illustrated and The Boston Globe, both citing a league source.

The Knicks did not immediately confirm that D’Antoni is New York-bound.

The Suns are going to miss D’Antoni.  The Bulls are going to regret not doing enough to land him as well.  D’Antoni might regret not going to the Bulls as well.  The Bulls are very close to becoming a pretty good team.  The Knicks are still many years and several bad contracts away from competing.

With the hirings of D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh as the new team president, the Knicks could be out of the cellar before too long.

Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and the crew at TNT’s Inside the NBA pull a very funny joke on Sir Charles Barkley. If you are familiar with movie anchorman Ron Burgundy then it will be even all the more hilarious.

If you ever wanted to hear Barkley admit he is a “dumbass” then this is the clip for you.

Watch and enjoy!

LeBron James might be the ‘King of Akron’ but he is not going to have too many waiters lining up to serve him and his posse in Cleveland if he continues to tip 1.25% on $800 tabs.

Here is how it all went down:

It went down like this: LeBron pulls up in his Mercedes outside XO. People stop and try not to stare, but c’mon, it’s LeBron James. He enters the restaurant with a group of friends. On this special occasion, the King decides to dine late. He keeps his group there until around 3:45 a.m. During this time the waiter obsequiously pours drinks and fetches anything else His Greatness needs.

The final bill comes to $800. By the feudal laws of decorum, which stipulate that the affluent should administer a 20 percent gratuity, staffers figured they’d be pocketing an extra $160. But when they fetched the autographed bill after His Heinousness bolted back to Akron, their expectation turned to disbelief, then anger.

LeBron stiffed them with a meager $10 tip.

LeBron is making over $13 million dollars in salary alone this year. He is making another $20 million plus in endorsements. So LBJ is making around $33 million bucks and he is still tipping like he is out in middle school with his girl at Denny’s.

Come on King that is just bad form and only adds to certain stereotypes. The BumpWife has been out with Michael Jordan when he was throwing down several Franklin’s on a much smaller tab. If you want to be great then be great off the court to those staying open hours after closing time who are making min. wage or less + tips.

The L.A. Times is reporting that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will win his first MVP Award when the NBA announces the winner next week in Los Angeles

Sources familiar with the outcome who were not authorized to speak publicly about the award until the official announcement from the league said Commissioner David Stern will be in Los Angeles next week to present the trophy to Bryant.

The award, selected by NBA writers and broadcasters, figured to go to either Bryant or New Orleans guard Chris Paul, who guided the Hornets to second place in the Western Conference in the regular season.

Kobe wins the award in his 12th NBA season.  He averaged 28.3 points 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

Personally I believe Chris Paul was the MVP and I named him Bumpshack’s MVP in my 2007-2008 NBA Awards.  I can’t find much argument with Kobe winning it though.  The NBA usually awards its veterans with the MVP Award and Kobe had never won the award before this year.  Paul is likely to win several MVP’s in due time.

Dallas Mavericks basketball coach Avery Johnson was fired by boss Mark Cuban after the Mavs were rocked in the first round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs by the New Orleans Hornets.

The Mavericks, despite great regular seasons, were eliminated from the Playoffs in the first round each of the past two years.  Avery had the team in the NBA Finals just three years ago.  They had a 2-0 game lead on Miami before the Heat came back to win it all.  The franchise has not been the same since then.

Don’t worry about Avery.  He will land on his feet with another NBA team before long.  I just have no clue how professional players could tolerate hearing his voice for 82+ games a season.

Cuban should take a lot of the blame for trading for a very over-the-hill Jason Kidd that totally threw a kink in any chemistry the team had before his arrival.

No word yet if Avery plans to file a discrimination suit for being fired for being too short.

Avery’s Career Coaching Mark with the Mavs

• Regular Season 194-70
• Post Season 23-24

Avery wasn’t the only coach fired today.  The Phoenix Suns split ways with their head coach Mike D’Antoni as well.  D’Antoni was the victim of a bad trade as well…for .

Josh Howard of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks opened his mouth on Michael Irvin’s radio show earlier today and admitted to smoking marijuana liberally during the off-season.

It is not a shock that Howard is a smoker but it is shocking that he would readily admit it, while still an active player, and while his team is still playing in the NBA Playoffs.

Howard joined “The Michael Irvin Show” on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM on Friday afternoon and told the Hall of Fame wide receiver that he “probably” would not smoke marijuana in-season even if the league did not have a random testing program. But Howard also described “smoking weed in the offseason sometimes” as his “personal choice and personal opinion.”

And to top that off Howard made sure that he would be receiving a call from Dictator David Stern when he said the following:

“I think that everybody in the media world and in the sports world knows that NBA players do smoke marijuana.”

Stern added Howard to the Western Conference All-Star team this year as a reserve. It will very likely be the last time Stern does Josh any favors.

The league likely can’t do anything to Howard based just on his words, but you can be sure they will be keeping a close eye on him. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said that the team will deal with the issue internally.

Irvin was busted on a cocaine possession and suspended during his career in the NFL for using illegal drugs.

Howard’s admission can only be labeled as dumb, dumb, DUMB!

Here is my first podcast for Bumpshack.  In it is a quick glossary preview of the first round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs.  I have also included my predictions for the first round.

Listen to the podcast below and look for more podcasts in the future (hopefully).

Here are the winners of Bumpshack’s 2007-2008 NBA Awards. Despite David Stern, this NBA season was one of the best of my lifetime and easily the best since Michael Jordan’s retirement from the Chicago Bulls for the second time.

Chris Paul gets my MVP vote as he took the New Orleans Hornets, who were expected to finish near the bottom of the West, and led them to a second place finish in the conference. He averaged 21.1 points - 4.0 rebounds - 11.6 assists compared against just 2.5 turnovers. He also shot 37% from behind the 3-point line and 85% from the charity stripe.

NBA Most Valuable Player

1. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Steve Nash
5. LeBron James

Rookie of the Year

1. Kevin Durant
2. Al Horford
3. Luis Scola
4. Juan Carlos Navarro
5. Al Thornton

Most Improved Player

1. Rudy Gay
2. Hedo Turkoglu
3. Andrew Bynum
4. Rajon Rondo
5. David West

6th Man of the Year

1. Manu Ginobili

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Josh Smith
4. Marcus Camby
5. Ron Artest

Coach of the Year

1. Byron Scott
2. Rick Adelman
3. Stan Van Gundy
4. Phil Jackson
5. Maurice Cheeks

Memphis Tigers freshman sensation Derrick Rose is declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft according to sources close to Rose and the situation.

Rose is projected to be the #1 or #2 overall player selected in the June draft.  After a stellar NCAA tournament run Rose rose to #1 in several mock draft projections.

During his one season in college basketball Rose averaged 14.9 points - 4.5 rebounds - 4.7 assists.  He averaged 20.8 points in the NCAA tourney and took the Tigers to within seconds of winning the National Championship before losing to the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime.

source: Commercial Appeal

Mugshot for NBA star Carmelo Anthony who was arrested for DUI yesterday morning.

Read the Full Story Here

Denver Nuggets basketball star Carmelo Anthony was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol.

Anthony was driving south on Interstate 25 at around 4 a.m. when he was pulled over and taken into custody. Denver police said he was driving a silver Mercedes and was stopped for failing to drive in a single lane and failing to dim lights. Several Denver media outlets reported that he was given a Breathalyzer test.

Anthony is no stranger to trouble. He was suspended 15 games back in 2006 for punching a member of the New York Knicks during a game. Back in 2004 he was charged with possession of marijuana at the Denver International Airport.

It will be interesting to see how Carmelo rebounds from this latest bonehead move, but then again rebounding has always been a bit of a foreign concept to Melo.

Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant jumps over an Aston Martin car coming full speed at him in this Nike ad for his new shoe. A very cool ad and some even better video editing.

USC Trojans freshman guard O.J. Mayo is turning pro after just one year of college basketball.  The move is not a surprise and was expected even before he attended his first class at Southern Cal.

Mayo seemed to grow into the college game during the past season after a rather slow start. He stated his gratitude towards though that helped make it a positive experience for him in making his announcement to go pro.

“I am so thankful for the fans and alumni at USC and around the nation that have been so supportive of me and my teammates throughout the season,” Mayo said in a statement. “I’d like to express my appreciation to my coaches and teammates for their support in one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made.”

O.J.’s draft value has gone up and down throughout his one season of college play.  He likely would have gone higher in the draft right out of high school.  He has a strong NBA body, and although is not great at the point, should make a very solid shooting guard in the NBA.

Here is what the mock NBA Drafts are projecting currently for Mayo:

• Minnesota Timberwolves 3rd - NBADraft.net
• Memphis Grizzlies 5th - MyNBADraft.com
• New York Knicks 5th - DraftExpress.com
• Charlotte Bobcats 8th - InsideHoops.com
• Memphis Grizzlies 4th - ESPN.com
• Memphis Grizzlies 5th - HoopsHype.com

The NBA Draft Lottery held in a few weeks will determine the draft order of the teams that don’t make the NBA Playoffs.  The team with the best chance at the overall #1 pick will be the Miami Heat who folded up shop and conceded the season months ago.

Once, twice, three times a baby? Michael Jordan’s former mistress Lisa Miceli is wanting the basketball legend to submit to a third DNA/paternity test to determine if he is the father of her four-year-old son.

The former NBA player has been named in a new lawsuit by Lisa Miceli, who has requested a judge order Jordan to submit a third DNA test in a bid to prove he is the father of her four-year-old son. Miceli, of Meadville, Pennsylvania, also wants a judge to overturn a temporary restraining order imposed on her by Jordan, after he accused her of harassment.

No wonder Jordan took out a temporary restraining order.  The judge is trying to decide whether to allow a third test.  I dunno why he would allow it unless the DNA testing in Pennsylvania is 33% accurate.

I don’t know if it is good or bad but Jordan has won more paternity suits since he retired than the teams he has overseen as president or GM have won basketball games.

Vietnam Vet Adam Morrison was spotted at his alma mater’s NCAA tourney game earlier today.  Morrison who brought the mustache back to college basketball has let his hair grow a considerable length as well.

His Gonzaga Zag’s lost to Davidson 82-76.  No word on how many, if any, tears Morrison shed over the loss.

Morrison, who is being paid by the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, has missed the entire NBA season due to a knee injury.

His new look kind of reminds me of the last days of Howard Hughes.

photo: Fan IQ

The new cover of Vogue magazine features basketball superstar LeBron James and fashion supermodel Gisele Bundchen. The two are on the cover of the April issue of the fashion magazine.

It is only the third time ever a man has graced the cover of the magazine. The other two being George Clooney and Richard Gere.

I guess Tom Brady got the ax from the shoot after the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Not a bad cover but it would have been nice to see LeBron dressed up in a sharp suit. Or perhaps Lebron in a suit and Gisele in a super tight basketball uni.

UPDATE: LeBron James/Gisele Racist King Kong Vogue Cover

Lebron James has been asking his GM Danny Ferry to get him some good players to help the Cleveland Cavaliers compete in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.  Ferry finally delivered at the deadline today in a massive 11 player trade that brings Ben Wallace of the Chicago Bulls and Wally Szczerbiak of the Seattle Sonics to Cleveland to play alongside King James.

The deal involved three teams and a total of eleven players.  Here is a look at how it breaks down.

Cleveland Gets:

• Ben Wallace F/C
• Wally Szczerbiak G/F
• Delonte West G
• Joe Smith F
• 2nd Round Pick from Bulls

Chicago Bulls Get:

• Larry Hughes G
• Drew Gooden PF
• Cedric Simmons PF
• Shannon Brown SG

Seattle Sonics Get:

• Ira Newble G
• Adrian Griffin F
• Donyell Marshall SF

The deal seems to be a good one for the Cav’s.  They get rid of the erratic Hughes and inconsistent Drew Gooden.  They had a tough guy rebounder in Wallace and a great shooter in Wally World.

The Bulls were favorites coming into the season but have been one of the biggest letdowns of the year.  Ben Wallace in Chicago just wasn’t working out.  They can replace him in the starting rotation with either Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah.  Adding Hughes gives them another guy who can penetrate and score.  Gooden should get good minutes and produce as well.

Seattle acquired players with contracts that are expiring.  They are looking to free up cap room at they continue to rebuild around Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.

King James should be happy now

Dwight Howard was robbed in last years NBA Slam Dunk contest. Howard made sure that the judges didn’t shaft him again this year at the All-Star festivities down in New Orleans. The video above shows Howard practicing for the event down in Orlando before the contest. The below video was ripped off TNT showing Howard doing the ‘Superman’ dunk, complete with cape, that will go down in NBA lore as one of the greatest slam dunks in the history of the contest.

The Minnesota Timberwolves Marko Jaric is dating Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima.  Big J chartered a plane to fly down and see her overnight before her big Victoria’s Secret commercial debut during the Super Bowl.

Lima, a Brazilian native, is the star of the new Victoria’s Secret commercial that debuted on the Super Bowl.

The day before her ad premiered last weekend, “Marko chartered a plane to be with her on her big day,” says a source to People Magazine. “He flew in Saturday and flew back early Sunday morning so he could be on time for practice.”

Our generation has Marko and Adriana.  Yesteryear it was Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio.

Photos of the Average Looking Adriana

And Here is Marko

The Memphis Grizzlies have traded Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, Marc Gasol and two first round draft picks in 2008 and 2010.

The Lakers will get the Grizzlies second round pick in 2010.

Pau was Rookie of the Year in 2002 and has been an All-Star. For his career he has averaged 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for his career. He will play center for the Lakers until young sensation Andrew Bynum returns from a knee injury.

Marc Gasol is the younger brother of Pau who was drafted in the second round last year.

Below is a photo of Pau before losing his virginity and becoming Americanized.