The mind boggles and the mouse Googles:
A comedic acquaintance, poetically licensed to twist the truth, finds it incredulous the Knicks supposedly would consider swapping essentially Al Harrington for Tyrus Thomas.
“The Bulls knew Eddy Curry was a bum. They knew Tyson Chandler was a high-energy, injury-prone bum. Why would anyone want Tyrus? The Bulls may not be good at drafting players, but, for the most part, they have a pretty good bum detector.”
Knowing Donnie Walsh’s soft spot for Harrington almost matches his weakness for butter (this is their third nuptial), I can’t fathom there being any truth whatsoever to the report.
In fact, there’s absolutely no truth to it. The Bulls may want to go that route, but Walsh has not had a single conversation with them regarding such a swap.
That brings us to Wesley Matthews, son of former professional gunslinger, Wes. The undrafted rookie, who plays like he was born in the basket, is averaging 7.9 points (35 in the last two) in 23.3 minutes and is shooting 51 percent for the Jazz in 18 games, 10 as a starter.
In other words, 30 teams basically blew two gimmes each to choose the 6-foot-5 muscular, ultra agile, ambidextrous guard.
If I’m an NBA owner, I demand to know how it’s possible that to happen. If I’m the one signing the checks, I demand to know how kid out of Marquette can go unnoticed by my talent scouts for two rounds, and I want to know it now . . . in writing, on tape and on video so I can use it against them when I sue for the return of stolen wages.
At the very least, all scouting credentials should be confiscated immediately.
Then again, I’m probably being far too harsh. I guess it’s easy to see how Matthews could get overlooked playing in such an obscure conference as the Big East, and it’s not like Marquette is on TV all that much.
Hey, who even knew they played basketball at Marquette?
Oh, yeah, if you’re wondering why the Knicks didn’t discover Matthews, they have a legit excuse. Walsh claims he would’ve taken him, but due to previous bad trades, it seems they had no “undraft” choices available.
***
Thank Michael Jordan’s Bobcats. Our lengthy national nightmare is over. The Nyets were six points better Friday night, posting their first win after a mere dozen-and-a-half defeats.
That ought to teach Next Town Brown not to walk out on ’em.
What’s next in New Jersey? Honest politics?
Not to rub it in to Walsh, but Lopez went for 31 points and 14 boards while Courtney Lee added a career-high 27, making Kiki Vandeweghe the smartest man in the room.
The Nyets now go across the river and through the woods tonight to visit the Sexual Harassment Hacienda.
Imagine the odds of the locals colliding when both are coming off victories.
“I find that incredibly hard to believe,” Balloon Boy’s father told me.
Speaking of the no longer reeking, Incrimi-Nate Robinson earned his second consecutive DNP-CWD (did not play-coach’s wise decision) Friday night in Camp Cablevision’s win (thank you, Josh Smith for getting tossed) in Atlanta. Mike D’Antoni is earning more respect for the guys he’s impaling than the guys he’s inserting.
***
Far be it from me to take anything away from Kobe Bryant’s miraculous game-winning bank shot from straight off shore (“the luckiest one I ever made”), but the Heat had no one to blame for Friday’s one-point road loss but themselves.
Miami was bequeathed 14 more free-throw attempts than the Lakers (42-28), but returned the gift by aborting 15 of ’em.
Dwyane Wade missed a half-dozen of 18 tries all by his lonesome, including the first of two in the waning seconds which would have bumped Miami’s lead to three before Bryant’s uplifting upchuck.
Damn the fundamentals, boys and girls.
***
The Celtics have won seven games in a row, including a just-completed 4-0 excursion where they gave up just 86.3 points per game.
“Our guys are where they’re supposed to be at all times,” Doc Rivers was overheard thinking to himself. “You know, like Tiger Woods.”
***
Hanukkah is approaching and less than three weeks until Christmas. Far be it from me to suggest the season has become just a bit commercialized, but I’m told I can’t get into my usual house of worship unless I buy a personal seat license.
peter.vecsey@nypost.com
Meminger recovering from burn
Two weeks after firemen rescued an unconscious Dean Meminger from a furious fire that engulfed a decrepit building in the Claremont section of The Bronx, financial circumstances had forced him to move into shortly before the misfortune, he remains sedated and connected to a feeding tube and other life-lines.
Mercifully, the cerebral former Knicks’ guard is breathing on his own and, contrary to some reports, Meminger’s body is devoid of burns. Nevertheless, doctors hesitate to unhook the 62-year-old until they’re positive all his inner organs are functioning normally, especially his lungs, because he suffered smoke inhalation
Occasionally, Meminger sits up on the side of his bed. For the most part, though, he seems out of touch with his surroundings and the support group attending to him in the burn unit of Jacobi Medical Center. Dean Jr. is the lone relative allowed into his room. There is knowing eye contact between them, but, so far, that’s the extent of the father’s communication with his son.