Link roundup

1. From an article about Donald Trump's unusual manner of commenting on blog posts:

One of my favourite passages in Nicole LaPorte’s DreamWorks biopic, The Men Who Would Be King, describes how Jeffrey Katzenberg had an intern carry out Internet searches on his behalf, videotaping the results so he could watch them later.

2. Trash talk in the NBA:

The Lakers aren't as good at it, but the defending champs have an edge over most other teams because Kobe can talk with the best of them while he lights you up and Ron Artest is just weird. One reason he's a great defender is he'll get way too close and whisper in your ear.

3. Interesting observation from a long article about the government's action against poker sites:

Another concern is that poker coverage on television could significantly decrease, since it relies heavily on advertisements placed by companies like PokerStars — in some cases being tantamount to infomercials. ESPN, which has been responsible for much of the coverage but tends to be very cautious about how it applies its brand, has pulled PokerStars advertisements from its Web site, and is reviewing whether to continue poker programming at all, although there are indications that they will continue to broadcast the World Series of Poker. Some smaller tournaments have already been cancelled.

Link roundup

1. Really nice series of diagrams and video showing why zone defense doesn't work against the Mavericks.

2. Retired NFL players are going to announce second round daft picks. Can't wait to see who kept in shape.

3. Minimalist posters illustrating mental disorders. Some people might find these somewhat disrespectful, so, look at your own discretion.

Link roundup

1. Jim Shooter explains what makes Rocky such a good movie.

2. The NY Observer:

On March 6, dozens of zebra finches were found dead outside the National Arts Club, at 15 Gramercy Park South. They belonged to the club president, O. Aldon James. The ASPCA is investigating the situation, though it's been suggested that Mr. James was likely responsible for their demise.

...

Bizarre stories about the club seem lately to emerge on a monthly basis.

3. Nicki Minaj invited Stave Nash on stage at her concert and gave him a lap dance.

Various redesigns for the Washington Wizards

The Washington City Paper asked five artists to redesign the Washington Wizards' logo (above). This design by Jandos Rothstein was my favorite:



*Buy NBA bobbleheads at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Follow and win some Warhammer 40K miniatures.

2. Buy 1 model kit, get a 2nd at 40% off until March 22nd at Entertainment Earth.

3. Tremendous response by Grant Hill to last weekend's ESPN documentary on the Fab Five, in which Jalen Rose said that Duke recruits only "black players that were 'Uncle Toms.'" The end is the kicker. (Relatedly, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Jalen Rose makes me miss Stephen A. Smith. Sure, Stephen A. just yelled a lot, but when he spoke, I felt that he spoke with insider information - - that he had often just finished speaking to the players he was commenting about. But with Jalen Rose, I get the impression that he hasn't done anything at all to prepare for his evening's "commentating" other than watching ESPN.)

4. At Toycutter: Big Daddy and Little sister Munnys.

Worst basketball flop of all time?

Watch Chris Bosh writhe in pain after suffering a phantom elbow. (Bosh also shot 1-18 in the game.)

*Buy NBA bobbleheads at eBay.

Portland Trailblazers logo reinterpreted

One of several works of art by Ryan and Lucy Berkley imagining the hypothetical origins of the Trail Blazers during pioneer times. They have several cheap prints on sale at Etsy.

*Buy Trailblazers bobbleheads at eBay.

Here's the full Black Mamba movie

Here's the full version of Robert Rodriguez's Black Mamba movie for Nike, featuring Kobe. It's really disappointing that they couldn't come up with a better zinger at the end.

*Buy Black Mamba supplements at Amazon.

Tatooine Suns t-shirt

Today's $9 plus shipping Tee Fury t-shirt is the Tatooine Suns by Ben Smith.

Link roundup

1. One of Bill Simmons's readers had a great idea - - losing team in the NBA all-star game has to wear short shorts in next year's game.

2. Here's a great explanation for why Mubarak will be very reluctant to give up power - - he fears prosecution:

So, how can Mubarak protect himself if he eventually makes an escape from Cairo? He's taking the usual steps now. Start with his decision to install foreign intelligence chief and CIA confidant Omar Suleiman as vice president and constitutional successor. (Mubarak himself came to the presidency through this route; he had been Anwar Sadat's vice president.) This comes close to matching what in the Russian-speaking world is known as the "Putin option," a reference to the exit strategy adopted by a teetering Boris Yeltsin: Fearing possible retribution from opposition figures, Yeltsin opted to surrender power through a transitional period to a wily senior player in the intelligence community. In exchange, Yeltsin is said to have extracted a firm commitment from Putin that the full machinery of the Russian state would be mustered to protect him. There would be no criminal probes or inquiries, and no cooperation with foreigners who undertook the same. Yeltsin would be free to live his final days shuttling between Moscow and the French Riviera. Putin scrupulously kept his end of the bargain.

Via.

3. Here's Consumer Reports' picks for best frozen pizzas. (Presumably they'll have to reevaluate once the pizza/cookie dough combo is released.)

Kobe Bryant in Black Mamba, directed by Robert Rodriguez

I guess he's fully embraced the ridiculous nickname he gave himself - - Kobe Bryant in Black Mamba, directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Danny Trejo and Bruce Willis. Here are his latest shoes:




Here's the origin of the name:

Bryant started calling himself "Black Mamba" a few years ago, explaining to ESPN, "The mamba can strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession. That's the kind of basketball precision I want to have."

Here's Black Mamba by Joe Alterio:



And here's a Black Mamba t-shirt that sold out quickly:



*Buy Black Mamba t-shirts at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Common sense security for your iPhone.

2. "Santa Monica Place recently unveiled the nation's first camera-based 'Find Your Car' system. Shoppers who have lost track of their vehicle amid a maze of concrete ramps and angled stripes can simply punch their license plate number into a kiosk touch screen, which then displays a photo of the car and its location." Via.

3. Michael Weinstein has redesigned the logos for the Clippers, Warriors, Nets, Hornets, and Kings. Via these sites.

*Buy iPhones at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Topless Robot describes the good and bad after seeing a screening of Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark. But the "good" is so negative, I never made it to the "bad."

2. Clippers owner Donald Sterling taunts his own players during games.

3. Sounds like Gawker was hacked a month ago and that Gawker staff was very slow to act on warning signs. Via.

Video of LeBron James bumping his current and former coaches

Video of LeBron James bumping his current coach (Erik Spoelstra) and former coach (Mike Brown). Via these sites.

*Buy LeBron James toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Kotaku says NBA 2K11's latest roster update dramatically reduced Tony Parker's "loyalty" ranking, and increased his "steal" ranking.

2. "Most Disney Drawings on eBay are forgeries."

3. "The radiation you get from body scanners is the same as what you get in two minutes in an airplane at 30,000 feet."

*Buy Tony Parker toys at eBay.