Category: New York City

Reason 4080 to Despise Jermaine O’Neal

Given his job as Celtics GM I’m guessing Danny Ainge must have had pretty decent seats to last year’s Celtics/Heat playoff series. I presume these good seats allowed him to see Jermaine O’Neal up close as he shot 23% from the field and 43% from the foul line. Ainge then likely used some advanced form of sabermetrics to deduce that these numbers were good enough to reward O’Neal with the Celtics full veteran’s minimum during the offseason.

Ainge’s decision to sign O’Neal seemed either misguided or overwhelmingly optimistic, but in the long run, it didn’t really seem as if it would have any long term effects on the team’s title hopes, then came last week’s trade deadline.

Ainge’s decision to trade Kendrick Perkins was a financial decision made to alleviate some of the damage caused by the O’Neal signing. Granted, the Celtics have every option not to overpay Kendrick Perkins, but given the prospective changes in the league’s CBA & salary cap, it was unlikely that Perkins would’ve found that big of a payday as a free agent. But with O’Neal’s contract on the books, the Celtics were hamstrung in trade options, except for Perkins, if they were to get younger and/or better as Ainge desires.

V-DAY AT THE NEW SCHOOL TEACH-IN: HAITI – TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011, 6-9PM

V-DAY AT THE NEW SCHOOL TEACH-IN: HAITI – TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011, 6-9PM

V-Day at The New School, one of the college student chapters of the V-Day movement founded by the playwright Eve Ensler, is hosting a teach-in on Haiti that raises awareness about gender-based violence and the organizing efforts by V-Day to support grassroots organizations dedicated to providing much-needed resources for women and girls including legal support, education, and job training. The teach-in will also feature the screening of the newly-released documentary, Haiti: One Day, One Destiny by Michele Stephenson that captures the real voices of Haitians recovering after the 2010 earthquake. Ms. Stephenson, a media-maker of Haitian descent who focuses on stories about human rights and race relations, has received numerous international awards and honors for her work including Sundance Documentary Lab Fellowship; Diversity Award, SilverDocs International Documentary Film Festival; Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, American Black Film Festival. Q & A with Ms. Stephenson will follow the screening.

WHEN Tuesday, March 8, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m

WHERE Theresa Lang Student and Community Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor

WHO Michele Stephenson, award-winning media-maker.

CONTACT Free Admission. For more information, call 212-229-5900 x3556 or email vday@newschool.edu.

Finally A Trade That I Like: Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich & Hilton Armstrong

Washington had long written off this season, and everyone knew that whatever Atlanta accomplished during the regular season would be a mirage. As constituted, the Hawks were simply not built to excel in the playoffs.

While Hinrich doesn’t get them over the top, by which I mean into the second round, he does make them more competitive in May than Bibby. Bibby, Crawford & Joe Johnson are all subpar defenders, who routinely exposed their undersized front court to foul trouble. Hinrich is a defense first player who can offset some of Crawford & Johnson’s weaknesses. He’s also a pass-first guard, a term which I am sure is music to Josh Smith’s ears.

Hinrich isn’t even what I like most about this trade, the inclusion of Hilton Armstrong will potentially allow Al Horford to spend more time at power forward. Armstrong and Pachulia can give them almost 40min a game at the 5.

Armstrong & Pachulia won’t solve their center woes, and sooner or later the team will have to trade either Smith or Marvin Williams. Williams should be the odd man out because Smith has outplayed him in every manner, but the Hawks are unsurprisingly having a difficulty finding takers for Williams.

And unless Atlanta can find a way to avoid Orlando in the first round, the gains from this trade will be negligible.

For the Wizards, this trade comes down to more draft picks, which will give them more chances to acquire young talent to pair with John Wall, Javale McGee and (gulp) Nick Young.

A Year Late & A Player Short, Or Why the heck did the Cavs trade for Baron Davis?

I’m still holding out hope that Cleveland is repackaging Baron Davis in another deal before Thursday’s deadline, and that this trade is only part one of a larger deal. Maybe they’re sending Davis to the Mavericks, Portland, Memphis or any playoff contender who can use Davis. After all, there’s no way that this Davis & Cleveland pairing will end well. Davis has proven himself as a player who needs a playoff race in order to play well. He does not suffer losing well at all, and if there’s anything the Cavs have excelled at this season, it’s losing.

The irony of this trade (for me at least) is this is the exact kind of deal that I thought the Cavs needed to pull off while Lebron was in town. I advocated for bringing in Davis to play with Lebron because Davis plays well in the playoffs, is unafraid to take big shots, and would be willing to defer to Lebron for three quarters, and then take over the reins in the fourth when Lebron begins fading. Plus, can you imagine a more physically imposing backcourt than Davis & Lebron? Yes, I know Anthony Parker usually played SG, but in reality, Lebron was more of the pg, Williams the off-guard and Parker the small forward in most of Cleveland’s offensive sets. Lebron & Davis working the high low would’ve masked Cleveland’s lack of low post scoring and created tons of easy shots for their spot up shooters.

This appears to be a trade for trade’s sake as my friend KJF might say, and one just as idiotic from the Clippers perspective. Really, the last thing that Blake Griffin and the rest of the Clippers needed was an influx of more second-tier perimeter talent, and a lead guard who struggles incorporating others into the offense.

Hell Go Here Come: The Nets

To put the recent Utah Jazz events in context it’s important to first remember this fact: when Jerry Sloan became Jazz coach in 1988, Deron Williams was 4 years old. Now after five years together, both men are no long part of the Utah Jazz, and while Williams had by far the shorter tenure with the team, his departure is arguably just as much of a shocker as Sloan’s.

The Jazz’s decision to trade Deron Williams to the NJ Nets is only a slightly less bizarre decision than the Nets move to get him.

Let’s put it this way, when I was recently trying to pick out a game to go to, there was no motivation to rush out and see Deron Williams play. Look, I think Williams is a great player, but he doesn’t sell tickets.

Ok, winning sells tickets and Deron Williams has been on a winning team throughout his NBA career. As currently constituted, can you really make an argument that Williams will bring that many more wins to the Nets to generate a significant enough boost in ticket sales?

I didn’t think so.

The closest comparison would be the impact that Jason Kidd had on the Nets franchise earlier in this decade. But Kidd was one of the most exciting point guards in the league, and the Nets had in Richard Jefferson & Kerry Kittles players who could run, catch & dunk Kidd’s famous allley-oops. A lumbering Brook Lopez doesn’t offer the same kind of promise.

Ok, Williams is a marquee PG who will lure other free agents to Brooklyn. Really now? Could you really see Dwight Howard giving up the sunshine & tax-relief of Orlando to play in Brooklyn? Especially when he could lure Chris Paul and some frontline help on his own? Who precisely are these free-agents that the Nets think they’ll bring in? Jamal Crawford?

If you haven’t noticed, I don’t like this trade for the Nets at all.

On the flipside, I love it for the Utah Jazz. They get a top-15 point guard in Devin Harris who’s played in the NBA Finals, they get a recent lottery pick in Derrick Favors, plus two additional draft pick, and what are the odds that neither the Nets and Warriors will be in the lottery in the next three years.

Oh, and let us not forget that they also have Andrei Kirienko’s expiring contract to play with too.

The Jazz got the same package the Nets were offering for Carmelo Anthony while sparing themselves the Melodrama. If you were to tell me a year ago that Utah would get a better deal for Williams than Cleveland, Toronto, Phoenix and arguably Denver got for their stars COMBINED, I would’ve thought you were smoking.

Now, does this trade make Utah better than the Lakers, Spurs, OKC or Dallas right now. Hell no. But if I am a Utah fan, I feel pretty good in the direction that my team is headed right about now.

Free Screening: Little Brother

Tomorrow [Saturday January 12th], we’re taking our documentary series Little Brother to Baltimore as Morgan State University’s Institute for Urban Research hosts a screening and discussion of the film. This Valentine’s Day weekend, we discuss what Love means for Black boys in an increasingly hostile world.

The event is free and open to the public. Parents, teachers, community leaders, children and adults are welcome. Tomorrow, Saturday February 12th at 6pm in the Calvin & Tina Tyler Ballroom on Morgan State University’s campus. Hope to see you there!

via jasmin tiggett dot com.

Re-Imagining Haiti Highlights & Public Programs!


Marking the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that ravaged Haiti in January 2010, CCCADI and MoCADA come together to present Re-Imagining Haiti. This collaborative exhibition offers contemporary work by artists who are examining the spirituality, aesthetics, and re-construction of Haiti. Through an open call, visual, performing and literary artists – as well as musicians and filmmakers – were invited to submit work that is centered on a conceptual rethinking of the cosmological and socio-political conditions in Haiti at the present moment. Over twenty artists were selected to participate in Re-Imagining Haiti featuring works in painting, photography, video, installation, illustration and mixed media.

via Re-Imagining Haiti Highlights & Public Programs!.

Americas Quarterly – Duvalier’s Return to Haiti Reignites Préval Debate

Préval has always been the stable/safe option when others were in power. With Haiti being rattled by a pandemic outbreak, struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake, controversial elections, and the reemergence of a disposed dictator, who is the safe option when it’s time for Mr. Dependable to go?

via Americas Quarterly – Duvalier’s Return to Haiti Reignites Préval Debate.

Written by Comments Off on Americas Quarterly – Duvalier’s Return to Haiti Reignites Préval Debate Posted in New York City

CFP: “The Idea of Haiti: History, Development and the Creation of New Narratives”

Call for Papers: “The Idea of Haiti: History, Development and the Creation of New Narratives”

Book editor is seeking chapter contributions to an interdisciplinary edited volume on Haiti. The book, “The Idea of Haiti: History, Development and the Creation of New Narratives,” critically interrogates Haiti’s past in order to illuminate potential challenges to and current achievements in Haiti’s reconstruction in the 21st century. The editor seeks essays about the how the idea of Haiti has been constructed and how it informs the politics of aid, internal conflicts and contemporary representations of Haiti and Haitians. All proposals will be considered, however, of particular interest are essays that focus on urban and rural planning, religion, local and national governance, foreign assistance and gender issues. Please email one file that includes: a 350-word proposal, and an abbreviated CV (5p or less) to Millery Polyné, millery.polyne@nyu.edu, by FEBRUARY 18th, 2010. You may also mail the documents to Millery Polyné, New York University, Gallatin School for Individualized Study, 1 Washington Place, rm 604, New York, NY 10003.

About the Editor:
Millery Polyné is an Assistant Professor of American Studies at New
York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. He has published in journals such as Small Axe, Caribbean Studies, Journal of Haitian Studies and Wadabagei. He is the author of From Douglass to Duvalier: U.S. African Americans, Haiti and Pan Americanism, 1870-1964 (University Press of Florida, 2010).