Michael Jordan returns to executive role

"The most competitive (former players), like Jordan, can't be satisfied with taking orders or being part of somebody else's management team," says former New York Yankees publicist Rick Cerrone, now an image consultant. "They need to call the shots and do their own hiring and firing."

Commissioner David Stern says there's no lingering bad blood between owners and Jordan, the five-time MVP who led the NBA to new heights of popularity and profits in the 1990s.

Jordan, 47, is the sole investor "at the moment" in his MJ Basketball Holdings LLC, Stern says, but he might decide to bring in other backers. Jordan will undergo background and financial checks, then have his application voted on by other owners. Stern expects his bid to be approved by the end of the month.

"I couldn't be more thrilled for North Carolina, for the Bobcats, for the NBA and for Michael," Stern says.

Stern dismisses the idea that having Jordan signing the checks will give the club a leg up with free agents. Most NBA franchises are managed or coached by former stars, he notes.

But the magic of Jordan's name and fame could pay dividends in a basketball-crazy state where the struggling NBA team competes for ticket and sponsorship sales with college powerhouses Duke and North Carolina, as well as the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

Jordan, who was raised in Wilmington, N.C., led the Tar Heels to the national championship in 1982 before winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. If the longtime Madison Avenue pitchman can market the Bobcats the way he has marketed himself for 25 years, the club could turn around financially.

"If I was selling sponsorships, I'd like to take him on a call," Stern says. "If I was doing an open house for season ticketholders, I'd ask him to stop by."

Joe Maloof, an owner of the Sacramento Kings, says it's "wonderful" the NBA's greatest star is putting his money where his mouth is. The challenge for Jordan, Maloof says, will be handling losing seasons — and realizing the buck now stops with him.

"The final risk is always with the owner. Everything stops at the top," Maloof says.

Jordan has struggled to find a second act to one of the greatest careers in sports history. He joined the Wizards as president of basketball operations in 2000, only to come out of retirement and play two more seasons before retiring for good in 2003.

He tainted his reputation by selecting Kwame Brown as the first overall pick in 2001, and his performance in Charlotte as head of basketball operations has been spotty. The Bobcats have never made the playoffs.

Superstars such as Jordan typically don't make the best coaches or leaders, says Donny Deutsch, chairman of Deutsch Inc. advertising agency. Sure, Jordan gives the Bobcats a "patina of sexiness." But the "jury is out" on his credentials as an executive, Deutsch says. Can Jordan put a winning team on the floor?

"You could make the argument that (Dallas Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban is more suited to run a team, even never playing a game of ball in his life but being a very successful entrepreneur/businessman," he says. "Whereas Jordan has not proved that yet."

Doug Collins, who coached Jordan with the Chicago Bulls and later was hired by him to coach the Wizards, defends his front-office performance, even the Brown pick: "I think Michael gets judged on one thing — the pick of Kwame Brown. Everybody wanted to pick Kwame Brown."

But even Collins wonders how Jordan, a fierce advocate for players during the 1999 labor lockout, will come down if there's a lockout in 2011 as many expect.

"Michael is the ultimate competitor. I think for him now, he feels like he can put his fingerprints on this organization," Collins says. "Michael knows he has a tremendous challenge ahead. That's one of the things that's always driven him. ... He wants a team that has a chance to compete for championships. He's going to want people in that arena watching his team."

Besides Jordan and Mario Lemieux of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, few former players hold controlling interests in major sports franchises. But Cerrone expects more wealthy ex-jocks to take controlling or minority stakes in sports teams.

"Derek Jeter will someday have an ownership role, maybe with the Yankees," Cerrone predicts. "I think the Yankees will want to keep Derek as tied to the franchise as possible."

Michael Jordan buys the Charlotte Bobcats

The city of Chicago has probably always hoped for what transpired Friday. Their adopted son, Michael Jordan, became the owner of an NBA franchise, except instead of it being the Chicago Bulls as everyone in Chicago would have hoped for, it is in Michael Jordan's home state of North Carolina with the team he was already a partial owner of, the Charlotte Bobcats.

While details are have not been made available, it is confirmed that MJ Basketball Holdings LLC struck a deal with Bob Johnson to purchase control of the Bobcats. The agreement still needs to be approved by the other owners. Jordan was able to bring coach Larry Brown to the team, and it was generally assumed that if Jordan had not become the owner that Brown would have left.

There are a number of mountains that Jordan has to conquer if he is going to be a successful owner. Right now the team lacks a fan base, and loses millions of dollars every year. Bob Johnson, founder of BET, poured $300 million into the purchase of the franchise and has lost $150 million in debt since the team began play in the 2004-2005 season.

There is also a downtown arena that the city built in order to get another NBA team after the Hornets fled for New Orleans. The stadium has not turned a profit yet, much like the team that calls the arena home. Jordan, grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina and hit the game winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship Game for the University of North Carolina and will turn 47 this year.

He has made 7 trades since last season and that includes bringing Stephan Jackson to the team that has helped to bring the team into the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Just the same he used the overall No. 3 draft pick in the 2006 draft to get former Gonzaga star, Adam Morrison who never panned out for the team.

Bob Johnson was in bidding negotiations with Michael Jordan, and former Houston Rockets executive, George Postolos, who also had a buyer group. Postolos said that Jordan had exclusive rights until right before mid-night Friday night. Jordan submitted his bid at the last minute, to secure the purchase for his group.

Still, that did not deter Postolos, "I remain committed to becoming an NBA owner, and I'm glad that Michael will continue to bring his talent to the sport and the league. He's very, very committed." No one from either the Johnson or Jordan camps were available for comment or to discuss the sale/purchase.

Jayson Williams gets five-year sentence in shooting case

Former NBA star Jayson Williams was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for fatally shooting a hired driver in 2002, ending an eight-year legal odyssey by tearfully apologizing to the victim's family. He will be eligible for parole in 18 months.

Williams, avoiding a retrial on a reckless manslaughter count that deadlocked the jury at his 2004 trial, pleaded guilty last month to aggravated assault in the death of Costas Christofi in February 2002. At the same 2004 trial, he was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter but convicted on four counts of covering up the shooting.

The sentences on the assault and cover-up counts will run concurrently. State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman went along with a plea agreement that spelled out the five-year prison sentence and the potential for Williams to be released as early as summer 2011.

In court Tuesday, a tearful Williams turned and apologized to Andrea Adams, Christofi's sister, saying "there's not a day I wake up that I don't feel sorry for what I did to Mr. Christofi and that I put you through this."

Adams wrote in a letter read by a court employee that the punishment "didn't fit the crime" and spoke of "eight years of agony watching Jayson Williams prance around and live his life and acting like nothing happened."

Williams paid Christofi's family more than $2 million in 2003 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.

He had been free on bail since being charged in 2002, but was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs to begin serving his sentence.

Most of the facts of the shooting are not in dispute. Christofi had driven Williams and several of the basketball player's friends to Williams' mansion after taking them to a local restaurant.

Williams admitted at his plea hearing last month that he gave the group a tour of the house and showed them his gun collection in his bedroom. While showing off a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun, Williams admitted, he failed to check the safety mechanism and inspected only one of the two barrels before snapping it shut.

The gun fired, striking Christofi once in the chest and killing him. Witnesses testified that Williams tried to cover up his involvement by initially placing the gun in Christofi's hands and instructing those present in the bedroom to lie about what happened.

"Had the defendant exercised one ounce of caution that night, Gus Christofi would still be alive and we wouldn't be here," Deputy Attorney General Steven Farman said Tuesday.

The legal wrangling in the case eventually took on a life of its own, beginning with a change of venue for the trial from Hunterdon County, the site of the shooting, to Somerset County.

In 2007, defense attorneys tried to get the case tossed out after Hunterdon County Prosecutor J. Patrick Barnes divulged that a white investigator in his office had used a racial slur to describe Williams, who is black, in a 2002 meeting.

Williams, who turned 42 on Monday, played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. He was in the second year of a six-year, $86 million contract.

He became an NBA analyst for NBC but was suspended after Christofi's shooting. He attempted a short-lived comeback in the minor league Continental Basketball Association in 2005.

 

 

Williams has suffered several recent personal setbacks.

His wife filed for divorce last year, but has attended some of his recent court appearances.

Police used a stun gun on him in a New York hotel last year after a female friend said he was acting suicidal. He was charged with assault in May after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, but charges were dropped. His father, E.J., with whom he owned a construction business, died in South Carolina in November.

Last month he was charged with drunken driving after he crashed his SUV in Manhattan. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

"To my family, please forgive me for the pain I've caused you," Williams said Tuesday as he read from a statement. "You deserve a better father, a better brother and son than I have been. I am not a bad man, but I acted badly on Feb. 14. I will work endlessly to improve myself and make positive contributions to society."

Arenas pleads guilty, NBA future in jeopardy

Wizards star to be sentenced March 26 for having guns in locker room

Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty Friday to carrying a pistol without a license in the District of Columbia, a felony conviction that could jeopardize his future in the NBA.

Arenas pleaded guilty to a single count of violating the city’s strict gun laws as part of a plea bargain in D.C. Superior Court. He will remain free at least until his sentencing March 26.

The charge stems from a Dec. 21 incident in which Arenas acknowledged he stored guns in his locker at the Verizon Center and took them out to play a joke on a teammate.

The NBA has suspended him indefinitely. A pre-sentence report is not yet complete, but defense attorney Kenneth Wainstein said Friday that prosecutors have agreed not to seek a sentence longer than the low end of sentencing guidelines, which call for six months to two years. That could include probation, jail time or some combination. Judge Robert E. Morin emphasized he is not bound by prosecutors’ recommendation.

Arenas “accepted full responsibility for his actions, acknowledged that those actions were wrong and against the law, and has apologized to all who have been affected by his conduct,” Wainstein said in a statement.

Prosecutor Chris Kavanaugh, reading in court from a statement of facts that Arenas agreed to, said the charge stemmed from a Dec. 19 dispute with another player over a card game. Kavanaugh did not identify the other player, but authorities have searched the home of teammate Javaris Crittenton for a gun.

Kavanaugh said the disagreement developed during a team flight back from Phoenix. The other player offered to settle matters with a fist fight, but Arenas, 28, said he was too old for that and suggested he would instead burn the other player’s Cadillac Escalade or shoot him in the face. The argument on the plane ended with the other player saying he would shoot Arenas in the knee. Arenas has a history of knee problems.

Two days later, Kavanaugh said, Arenas brought at least one gun to the Verizon Center in a black backpack. He laid out four guns on a chair in front of the other player’s locker with a sign saying, “Pick 1.”

When the other player asked, “What is this?,” Arenas responded with words to the effect of: “You said you were going to shoot me, so pick one.”

The other player said he had his own gun, threw one of Arenas’ weapons across the room and then displayed what appeared to be a silver-colored firearm, Kavanaugh said.

Since Arenas first acknowledged keeping guns in his locker, he has publicly employed a “goof ball” defense, claiming he wasn’t aware of the law, meant no harm and never takes anything seriously.

But he was subdued in court Friday, wearing a gray suit with a light pinstripe and responding in a soft voice to the judge’s questions.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips said in a statement that “playing with firearms is no joke.”

“Today’s guilty plea to a felony count of carrying a pistol without a license reflects the seriousness and grave risk of such conduct,” Phillips said.

Arenas, a three-time All-Star, earlier acknowledged storing four unloaded guns in his locker, saying he wanted to keep them away from his young children and didn’t know it was a violation of the city’s strict gun laws. He says he took them out of the locker Dec. 21 in a “misguided effort to play a joke” on a teammate. After the fracas, authorities seized four unloaded handguns from Arenas, including a gold-plated Desert Eagle .50-caliber semi-automatic that the manufacturer sells for about $2,000. The other weapons were a .500 Magnum revolver, another semi-automatic and a pistol.

He was charged Thursday, hours after Crittenton’s northern Virginia apartment was searched by police looking for the silver-or chrome-colored semiautomatic handgun with a black handle. The search warrant indicated police were investigating crimes that include brandishing a weapon. No evidence was seized, according to court documents, and Crittenton has not been charged. Prosecutors said Friday that Crittenton has denied he had a firearm, but they are continuing to investigate.

Crittenton has previously said he did nothing wrong.

Even if Arenas avoids jail, the outcome of the legal process will have important implications on his future in the NBA and specifically with the Wizards. Possession of a gun at an NBA arena is a violation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, and last week commissioner David Stern suspended Arenas indefinitely without pay pending the outcome of the investigation, a move supported by the Wizards.

Stern was particularly upset that Arenas repeatedly joked about the matter with reporters and on Twitter. Arenas at one point said: “I’m a goof ball and that’s what I am, so even doing something like this, I’m going to make fun of it and that’s how I am.”

NBA suspends Arenas indefinitely

The NBA suspended Gilbert Arenas indefinitely on Wednesday. The Wizards star admitted to bringing four unloaded guns into the Verizon Center locker room and is under investigation by local and federal authorities.

In written statement, commissioner David Stern said

"The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us. I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action. Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident.

"Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."

Arenas says it was 'bad judgment' to store guns in locker room

 Gilbert Arenas (FSY) said Saturday he used "bad judgment" in bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room. He also denied that he gambles and said there are misconceptions in the various stories about a dispute between himself and teammate Javaris Crittenton (FSY).

As for the rest, he said he'll tell it to authorities on Monday.

Arenas spoke following the Wizards' 97-86 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. His remarks came after two days of reports about the investigation into the guns he kept at the Verizon Center— and about an hour after the family of late Wizards owner Abe Pollin said it was "extremely poor judgment" that the guns were there in the first place.

"I agree," Arenas said. "That's bad judgment on my part to store them in here, and I take responsibility for that."

Arenas skirted other questions about the matter. Two officials within the league who have been briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Saturday that it involves a dispute over card-playing gambling debts and a heated discussion in the locker room. Neither official was told of Arenas and Crittenton actually drawing guns on each other — as the New York Post has reported.

Both officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Asked about guns being drawn, Arenas said: "I can't speak on that. But if you know me, you've been here, I've never did anything (involving) violence. Anything I do is funny — well, it's funny to me."

Asked if the accounts of what happened have been blown out of proportion, Arenas laughed and said: "A little."

"I give money away for free," he said. "I think if I owed someone some money, I think I'd pay it up. I play poker on my phone or my computer. If I lose, I just reset the game. I don't gamble. I don't do anything like that."

Arenas said he was "not nervous at all" about the possible outcome of the investigation, but the implications are serious. What began with the NBA looking into a possible violation of its own rules has turned into a matter involving the U.S. Attorney's Office and District of Columbia police. The legal system, the league and the Wizards could take action if the allegations prove true.

Asked if he had met with law enforcement officials, Arenas said: "I deal with that on Monday. ... I've got to put it in their hands and tell the story and see what they say."

Arenas again stressed that he's "a jokester" and that nothing in his life is actually serious. Many of the comments he has made on the matter have been lighthearted.

"I'm a goof ball and that's what I am, so even doing something like this, I'm going to make fun of it and that's how I am," Arenas said. "Some people say I'm not taking it serious, but why be depressed at home when I can just make myself laugh?"

Crittenton has not played this season because of a foot injury and was not immediately available to reporters in the locker room after Saturday's game.

"We were friends before; we're friends now," Arenas said. "We don't have no problem."

Pollin died Nov. 24, and his family is running the team during the transition to a new ownership group. The late owner had little tolerance for player misbehavior, and he changed the team's name from Bullets in the 1990s because of the violent connotation.

"The fact that guns were brought to the Verizon Center is dangerous and disappointing and showed extremely poor judgment," the family's statement said. "Guns have absolutely no place in a workplace environment and we will take further steps to ensure this never happens again."

The Wizards said on Christmas Eve that Arenas stored unloaded firearms in a locked container in his locker, with no ammunition. Arenas said he wanted them out of the house after the birth of his latest child.

One of the officials who spoke to the AP offered further details on Saturday. The official said the dispute between Arenas and Crittenton began during a card game on the team's flight home from a West Coast road trip on Dec. 19, and the two players continued their dispute in the locker room when the team reconvened to practice on Dec. 21.

The nation's capital has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, and the NBA's collective bargaining agreement prohibits players from possessing firearms at league facilities or when traveling on any league business. Commissioner David Stern has said players should leave their guns at home and could levy substantial fines or suspensions, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Arenas has been suspended once before because of a gun-related matter. He sat out Washington's season opener in 2004 because he failed to maintain proper registration of a handgun while living in California in 2003 and playing for the Golden State Warriors.

Depending on the severity of the findings, the Wizards could invoke the morals clause found in standard NBA player contracts and attempt to void the remainder of the six-year, $111 million deal Arenas signed in the summer of 2008.

Such an option might be tempting because the Wizards have yet to get much of a return on the investment. Arenas missed all but two games last season as he recuperated from knee operations, and has struggled to adjust to new coach Flip Saunders' offense this season.

Arenas played Saturday despite a sore left knee. He finished with 23 points and eight assists as the Wizards loss their fourth in a row to drop to 10-21.

"My concern is only on the basketball court right now," Arenas said. "We're not performing the way we should."

Wizards' Arenas, Crittenton pull guns on each other

 

The investigation of Gilbert Arenas (FSY) and the guns he brought to the Verizon Center took a much more serious turn Friday amid a report that the Washington Wizards point guard and teammate Javaris Crittenton (FSY) allegedly drew on each other during a locker-room argument over a gambling debt.

Arenas responded with a flurry of messages on Twitter, at times making light of the news but also making one tweet that read somewhat like a denial: "I understand this is serious..but if u ever met me you know i dont do serious things im a goof ball this story today dont sound goofy to me."

Arenas later tweeted he couldn't talk about the report the way he wanted to. He did not respond to a text message left by The Associated Press. A message left for Crittenton's agent also was not returned.

The NBA and the Wizards would only confirm that an investigation is taking place — and it's being led by law enforcement, not the league.

"There is an active investigation by D.C. law enforcement authorities, which we are monitoring closely," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said in a statement. "We are not taking any independent action at this time."

D.C. police said they are assisting the U.S. Attorney's Office in the matter. The Wizards said they are cooperating and they "take this situation and the ongoing investigation very seriously." The team had no further comment.

The Wizards and Arenas both have acknowledged that Arenas kept guns in his locker. The team has said the firearms were unloaded and kept in a locked container with no ammunition. Arenas has said he took his guns to the Verizon Center because he didn't want them in his house after the birth of his latest child. He said he later handed them over to team security to give to police.

"They just want to know where I got them from," Arenas said Tuesday night after a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. "They want to make sure they're not dirty guns."

But Yahoo! Sports and the New York Post, both citing unidentified sources, reported the investigation now involves Crittenton. The Post reported Crittenton became angry at Arenas for refusing to make good on a gambling debt. That prompted Arenas to draw on Crittenton, who then reached for a gun, league security sources told the Post.

The nation's capital has some of the most strict gun laws in the nation. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement allows for players to legally possess firearms, but prohibits them at league facilities or when traveling on league business.

Pending the outcome of the investigation, Arenas and Crittenton both could face fines or suspensions from the NBA. Commissioner David Stern has taken a strong stance on guns, saying in 2006: "We think this is an alarming subject, that although you'll read players saying how they feel safer with guns, in fact those guns actually make them less safe. And it's a real issue."

Arenas was suspended for Washington's season opener in 2004 because he failed to maintain proper registration of a handgun while living in California in 2003. Arenas, in the second season of a six-year, $111 million contract, formerly played for the Golden State Warriors.

Arenas didn't make the reports sound serious with his first tweet on the matter Friday: "i wake up this morning and seen i was the new JOHN WAYNE. ... Media is too funny."

Arenas, once known for his must-read blog, had vowed not to even use Twitter until he had one million followers. He broke his silence on New Year's Eve because he said it was taking too long to reach the goal. He had about 11,000 followers as of early Friday evening.

On Friday, he tweeted often, referencing the gun investigation while mixing in references to other topics.

"if ur not laughing i dont think u should follow me becuz im never serious and i will never not say anything dumb and silly," he wrote, before finally taking a break.

Arenas is averaging 22.7 points this season as he returns from knee surgeries that limited him to 15 games over the previous two seasons. Crittenton has an injured left foot and hasn't played this season.

The reports are more bad news in a troublesome season for the Wizards, who are 10-20 and in last place in the Southeast Division.

Former NBA ref #Donaghy says he didn't influence games he bet on

Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy says he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob. In one game where he bet on San Antonio, he ejected coach Gregg Popovich midway through the first quarter and the Spurs eventually lost the game. That drew the ire of the mob, which reportedly lost money using his tip.

"I just told them that I wasn't making calls in games to influence the outcome," Donaghy said in an interview on 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night on CBS. "And I'm not going to be able to obviously predict the winner every night, and they have to accept that's what's going to happen." Donaghy insisted he made wagers on NBA games based on his knowledge of other officials' biases for and against certain players and teams, and that his officiating was not compromised — a claim that was backed up by the FBI.

"Watching the tapes, we could see there was never anything outlandish where he called a foul or he omitted a foul because he wanted to see a certain team win" retired FBI special agent Philip Scala told the news show. "We never saw that." Donaghy made his wagers through a high school friend and used a code to indicate his picks. "If I wanted them to bet the home team, I would discuss his brother Chuck," he said. "If I wanted him to bet the visiting team, I would mention his brother Johnny.

" He claims he was winning 75% of the time, which drew the attention of the mob, which he said threatened his family to ensure he provided his insider picks to inform betting on games. "They basically told me that I needed to give them the picks and if I didn't, that it's a possibility that somebody would go down and visit my wife and kids in Florida," he said. His connection with the mob caught the attention of the FBI, which overheard something on a wiretap that led them to believe an NBA referee may be involved. After he was caught, Donaghy said he cooperated with investigators because he believed it was in his and his family's best interests.

Donaghy said he then received death threats to his home phone and is still worried about retribution from the mob. "Certainly it's in the back of my mind, but I'm not going to live my life in fear," he said. "I was informed by the FBI agents that they certainly had an eye on what they called these wiseguys and that if anything would come up they would inform me immediately.

" Following the airing of the interview, NBA commissioner David Stern released a statement saying any allegations about officials will be referred to Lawrence Pedowitz, a former investigator in the U.S. attorney's office who led a review of the league's officiating.

"Mr. Pedowitz's review revealed that the NBA's core values of neutrality and accountability were not compromised by anyone other than Mr. Donaghy," Stern said.

 

Here's The Video

Personal Foul, Pt.1

 

 

 

Personal Foul, Part 2

Tim Donaghy's bets on NBA games were hugely successfully, but it all came unraveled when he says the mob wanted a piece of the action. And that put him on the FBI's radar. Bob Simon reports.

#Nate Robinson shoots on wrong basket, D'Antoni snaps

Funny moment from Saturday's marquee Anti-NBA Finals game: 0.5 seconds left in the first quarter. New York Knicks inbound the ball to guard Nate Robinson(notes). The New York guard, for whatever reason, turns and purposely heaves a 30-foot shot at the wrong basket. Goes in. Cue hilarity and Mike D'Antoni mustache rage.

Now, as you can see, the shot came just after the buzzer. But still, that didn't stop the Knicks coach from giving Nate a little piece of his mind. D'Antoni was livid. He even stormed a few feet onto the court to yell.

Nate's response: "What? What?"

If that doesn't perfectly sum up the Knicks' 2009-10 season, I don't know what does.

Former #Celtics star #Antoine Walker is broke and in debt