BASKETBALL

In the NBA, with just a few hours left on the clock to decide whether or not to match the Rockets offer, the Knicks ultimately decided NOT to match the money for Jeremy Lin.  $25 million is a lot of money, but for a guy like Jeremy Lin, a player who has galvanized a fan base, and shows promise of being a good role player in this league, it may seem surprising, but it really just depends on whom you ask.  They got Raymond Felton in return. Jeremy Lin is officially a Rocket, and many Knicks fans are very sad to see him go.  He was a ‘good guy’ they could root for, but now they will have to hope that the nucleus of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire can give them some success.  Jeremy Lin will be sorely missed by New Yorkers.
Elsewhere, in the NBA, with Steve Nash joining the Lakers after a long career with the Suns, there were reports that he was trying to lure 40-year old super athlete Grant Hill to come to LA as well.  After all, even though he’s 40, Hill was a former superstar and can always come in and nail down the big shot when you need him.  It looks like Nash’s courting of Hill worked — Hill is coming to Los Angeles, except… not as a Laker.  Nope, Hill decided that the better option was to join the up-and-coming Clippers.  While the Lakers are always in the running for a title, there’s something exciting about playing with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and a rising Clipper team that everybody roots for.  This is likely the best move for Hill.  But, let’s take just one last look at it — HE’S 40 YEARS OLD AND STILL PRODUCTIVE IN THE NBA!!!!  There are 22 year old guys who can’t even make a practice squad.  Hill is incredible!!

Finally, in the NBA Summer League, some scary news on the court.  Nolan Smith, former Duke point guard stand out, was hoping to prove himself worthy in a standard Summer League game.  But, yesterday, Smith was fouled pretty hard, took a few steps, and then collapsed to the ground.  His teammate Wesley Matthews immediately came to his aid, and said that he saw Smith’s eyebrows twitching.  It looked pretty serious — so much so that they decided to take Smith off the court on a stretcher (very rare for basketball).  However, according to Matthews, Smith was still breathing and talking while on the ground, and it’s likely that he suffered a concussion (and not something much more serious).  Hopefully, the doctors will give him a go ahead to keep playing, allowing him to continue trying to make a name for himself in this league.  Good luck, Nolan Smith.