WANTED: NBA CONTRACT



Low Down "Majic" Dorsey Aims For NBA

Ok so, pictured above, Daryl “Majic” Dorsey looks like he’s posing for a Marietta Police Department mug shot rather than a photo for the local minor league team. Though he was once falsely accused of murder, Majic Dorsey has turned his life around and is making his best in hopes of landing a shot in the league. ESPN mag cover boy Dorsey first came to my attention in SLAM magazine. He was being called the best junior college player in the country and no division one team would touch him really. He’s a tough, but totally humble and cool, Baltimore cat I had the chance to interview this summer for ProBasketballNews.com. He had finished up in the WBA this past spring and was playing in the Mexican pro league. While he was playing and working out south of the bored he emailed me several times letting me know of his progress, recently a professor of his from juco emailed me wondering where he was and if she could tell him how proud she was. He signed to Southern Indiana, a D2 school, but dropped out before the season started to sign with the Las Vegas Rattlers of the ABA. He bounced around and recovered from an injury before signing this fall with the Anaheim Arsenal of the D-League.

This is part of an email he sent me not long after the D-League Draft:

“MATT WHAT’S GOOD? I WAS THE ONLY POINT GUARD THAT WAS DRAFTED TO THE ANAHEIM TEAM. THE COACH TOLD ME ITS MY SHOW WHEN I GET THERE AND RUN THE TEAM GOOD. AND HE WANTS ME TO SCORE ALSO. ONE OF THE THINGS HE SAID IS THAT WHEN HE ASK AROUND FOR A POINT GUARD PEOPLE SAID I WAS THE BEST POINT NOT IN THE NBA. AND THATS THANKS TO YOU AND THE ARTICLE YOU DID. I GOT SO MUCH EXSPOSURE OFF OF THAT…….I’M GOING GET TO THE LEAGUE, TRUST ME. LARRY SMITH IS GIVING ME THE GREEN LIGHT TO RUN THE TEAM. NOW I JUST NEED THE POLITICS ON MY SIDE AS WELL….AND YOU CAN HAVE A TEE SHIRT ANY DAY. AND IF YOU HELP ME OFF THE COURT TO GET THERE. LOTS OF OTHER THINGS WILL FOLLOW” –Majic Dorsey

Majic is proving he can play right now in the D-League. He’s averaging 13 points and 2.5 assists starting 5 of 8 games for Anaheim. Right now, Majic would benefit from some really solid showings in over the next month and boost his numbers. I think there is a chance somewhere down the line a team like the Boston Celtics, who always test a lot of point guards, or Raptors or maybe to one of Anaheim’s affiliate teams like the Blazers or Orlando Magic might give him a call. Maybe even the 76ers now that Louis Williams is in the down low and that Iverson might be on his way out. He’s got to prove, like Corey “Homicide” Williams too, that he can play the true point guard. Majic lead the Arsenal charge with 22 points and 3 assits against the Austin Toros on Dec 1.

"Interview w/ Daryl Dorsey: MaJic' Dorsey keeping pro hoop dreams alive"

http://www.probasketballnews.com/caputo_0727.html

ALSO IN
THE
DOWN-LOW:

<--E.Rob The Return!

.......Two players making professional comebacks after injury couldn’t have been more popular in their time in the league. Eddie Robinson, who played for the old-Charlotte Hornets and for the Chicago Bulls, signed to play with the long time CBA Idaho Stampede who are making their debut in the D-League this season. Robinson has been out of the league since 2003-2004. He averages 7 points and 2+ rebounds as a hardworking role player from a D2. He’s working on either getting back to the league or moving on to Europe……….Also Ex-Duke point guard Jay Williams signed with the Austin Toros. The NJ-native was cut from the Nets after not being 100% in the preseason. But while they’re at the top of the division, the Continental Airlines Arena looked pretty empty and the local kid could fill a few seats down the road....Also, word out of the league is that both the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavs to have D-League teams in town to boost the attraction at their venues on off nights. This would be after the Lakers have already placed their "D-Fenders" in the Staples Center.....

SLAMONLINE.COM: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CHRIS SANDY



Ben Osborne worked with me to produce this piece on Chris Sandy for SLAM Online, the website of SLAM magazine. I contacted many people about this and a good number of people got back to me. I feel like this, being that I knew Chris, being that I knew his teammates, that if I'd went to public school I'd of went to Newtown, I felt I needed to get out there and put something down about his life and put things in a proper perspective. I'm just so glad SLAM Online jumped at the chance to do it, because, when things like this happen it's usually some small AP story. I refused to let Chris's life be reduced to a few paragraphs. As the editors will tell you, I didn't.

http://slamonline.com/online/2006/12/the-life-and-death-of-a-true-globetrotter/

<---SORRY I MISSED YOU MIKE!

ABA LIVE'06
Strong Island Sound 104 Vermont Frost Heaves 98
I couldn't figure out why the hell the Long Island ABA team plays their games way out in Suffolk County. I hopped on the LIE in Queens and seemed to be driving for hours. After a while I began to realize that they put it there because it would make them the only show in town. There is no minor league baseball out there in the winter, except for Hofstra there are no division one college sports to speak of, the Islanders are alright but who likes hockey anymore?

Seeing my first ABA game couldn't have been for a more terrible reason. I was there doing more research on the life of Chris Sandy, a story I hope will run someplace. Suffolk Community College was tucked up, in and under a corner in the darkest part of anywehre I'd ever been. Exit 62 could have very well been Vermont, where the visting team was coming from. It's important to say that I left the city at 5 o'clock on Friday to make a 6pm door opening, however traffic had it's way and I arrived about five minutes until tip-off for a 7:30 game.

A pretty smooth put together tickett booth/gift stand in what is an above average gym, considering the Long Island Primtime of the USBL played in the dusty-old Elmcore Center in Corona, Queens. However there were no hot dogs, just pure-sugar snacks like Starburst and Skittles, and logo glittered boxer shorts in their place.

As typical, the most entertaining part of the evening was the basketball. The Sound didn't seem to be trying too many tricks. Which might be bad. The ABA and USBL seem to be about even when it comes to attendance. It was a mostly vacant crowd except for friends, family, staff, some white trash kids and a few alcoholic grandfathers.

The game started off tight and competitive. The only player I'd ever heard of on the Vermont team was Kevin Mickens, who played for my brother at George Mason, who played very well but didn't start. For the New York team, Tommie Eddie and Raphael Edwards really stood out for the Sound. Eddie, a massive power forward, nailed a few 3-pointers from out on the wing.

The game started off competitive and then the Sound maitained a ten point lead pretty much the entire game. No real outstanding performers, other than Eddie or Edwards, who worked quietly. It was a really competitive game and I can honestly say the ABA could have picked off the USBL a few years ago if they'd run their league in the Spring.

I think true hoops fans, who know their local players (especially the New York teams) would love the ABA. If you can except the teams on a basketball basis, instead of as "the future stars of tomorrow's NBA," then you'll enjoy the close games and tremendously talented players that exist outside the NBA like: Daryl Dorsey, Homicide Williams, Chris Sandy RIP, Anthony Glover, Mike Campbell (who, pictured above, signed with a team in Belgium on Monday and left the Sound before I saw them) Louis White (who is a really talented guy from Baltimore playing outside the league) Brian Chase, and Garnett Tompson, most of these guys spent time in the ABA. The problem isn't the players, it never has been, but selling a minor league basketball league to the public has been very tough over the years. Now that there are 3 winter leagues and 3 spring leagues it will be interesting to see who remains at the end of the day.

At the half the Sound were up by 10 and up by as many as 19 in the second half. Somehow the Frost Heaves managed to fight back and send the game into overtime. The drama of those last few minutes couldn't be duplicated or replaced by celebrity guest players, coaches or special rules. I mean, for God's sake, one of the cheerleaders was celebrating their 18th birthday. So, Note to Joe Newman: Teach Your teams how to recruit and promote! You've got something here! Stick with the basketball product, market that, and make sure you have hot dogs!

<--- I got to speak with Alex Wolf the owner of the Vermont Frost Heaves. He writes a regular column for Sports Illustrated's website, SI.COM, about his experiences as the owner/operator of the team called "Alex in Wonderland." He was sitting right in the stands and was a really nice dude.