Deron Williams uses Brooklyn in final pitch for Dwight Howard

The future of the New Jersey Nets might hinge on the plight of Dwight Howard before today's 3 pm trade deadline and the Nets free-agent-to-be Deron Williams is banking on the the borough of Brooklyn to lure the Orlando Magic center to the Nets.

After a bizarre sequence of events over the past few months, including drunk-dialing from the Magic CEO and continuing with Howard telling the team he would exercise his one-year option to remain in Orlando, it looks like the big man could end up in New Jersey— until the move to Brooklyn next year.

Williams sounded like a man who would remain with the Nets if Howard came aboard and sang the praises of Brooklyn to show why the new location was desirable.

"Companies I'm dealing with are real excited about the move to Brooklyn," Williams said.  "That's what really excites them ... they see the buzz around the new arena, the fans are excited about a team coming to the borough, and I think everybody is trying to get a head start on that."

All that, and free Jay-Z tickets to boot.

Williams was traded to the Nets at the end of the 2010-11 season and made it clear he would not stay if the team didn't build the franchise around him.

The Nets guard, who becomes a free agent after the season said he will stay if the Nets sign Howard.

Nets general manager Billy King has continued to engage in trade talks with the Magic with the hope of  making a deal before the trade deadline.  King insists that the Nets will not trade Williams.

While the Nets are one of many teams vying for Howard's services, Howard has said in the past that the Nets were a top choice when he became a free agent.

If the Nets do not sign Howard, it's almost a foregone conclusion Williams— their best player— will leave at the end of the season.

Williams— who came to New Jersey from the Utah Jazz— wants Howard to know that by coming to the Nets opens up a lot of marketing opportunities especially when they relocate to Brooklyn.

"It's been a lot different than Utah, that's for sure.  It's definitely a bigger market, a better market, able to reach more people," said Williams, who has picked up deals with Audi, Metro PCS, and Red Bull.

"A lot of the companies I'm dealing with are excited about the move to Brooklyn."

If Howard re-signs with the Magic, it would be the worst-case-scenario for the Nets.

Is Williams concerned about being traded himself or his future with the Nets?

"There is no way to tell," he reasoned.  "We'll see what happens and go from there."

Gerald Green's windmill alley-oop is insane

There might not be too many New Jersey Nets highlights this year but, if there is one play that takes your mind off the Linsanity (is that still around?) across the Hudson River, it's this powerful dunk by Gerald Green.



Against the Houston Rockets Saturday night in Newark, Green— the journeyman NBA player— took a fast break pass from MarShon Brooks and raced full court to throw down the windmill alley-oop with authority.

Everyone knows Green can get air— he did win the 2007 slam-dunk contest and, in 2008, wowed the crowd by blowing out a candle on a cupcake placed on the rim— but this was really insane.

Green's acrobatics might have given the fans in Prudential Center some high-flying entertainment and the Nets a small rally but you knew there had to be payback for the moment of glory.

Later, Green would inadvertently tip the ball into the Rockets' basket with 1:03 left giving Houston a lead they would not relinquish.

Green finished with 26 points in 23 minutes but the Nets ended up losing to the Rockets 112-106.

Kris Humphries appoints himself as lawyer in Kardashian divorce case

Kris Humphries has appointed himself as his own attorney in his upcoming divorce from Kim Kardashian.

Humphries , who was married to the reality star for 72 days before she filed for divorce, filed legal documents in Los Angeles appointing himself as his attorney, according to TMZ.

It's to bad the New Jersey Nets forward is going in as a defense lawyer.  Expect to see a lot of alley-oops by the other team.

Humphries originally wanted his Minnesota attorney to represent  him in the divorce case but California law stipulates that out-of-state lawyers must be accompanied by a local attorney.

Humphries hired a Los Angeles attorney, but the lawyer withdrew from the case, which led him to name himself instead.

What's that old saying?  A fool for a client?

The 6-foot-9 NBA player will have a tall task in front of him.  He will be facing one of Hollywood's top divorce lawyers in this court.

Kardashian's attorney, Laura Wasser has a full roster of A-list stars as clients including Angelina Jolie, Maria Shriver, Jennifer Aniston and Britney Spears.

That's a tough line-up on any one's hardwood.

The pretty much then-unknown Humphries, 31,  married the reality show conglomerate Kardashian, 27,  Aug. 20 in a celebrity-studded wedding which was broadcast on cable network E! and attracted over 10 million suckers— I mean viewers.

Kardashian filed for divorce less than three months later citing "irreconcilable differences."

Maybe she just got tired of hearing her sisters calling him names or the big lug was even more boring than her brother.

Kim K offered a settlement to Humphries to keep things quiet, but he didn't want to go down without clearing the air.  Humphries wants to prove the marriage was a sham and is seeking an annulment instead of a divorce.

 There has been no word if cameras will be allowed in the courtroom.  Yeah... right.

Kris Humphries stuffs Blake Griffin and Nets beat Clippers

New Jersey Nets fans who came out to see Blake Griffin put on a highlight reel got to see their own Kris Humphries stuff the mad dunker and the Nets squeeze out a 101-100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Prudential Center tonight.

Griffin put on another clinic but the Clippers 6-foot-10 power forward was met one time under the basket by the 6-foot-9 Humphries who swatted the ball from way above Griffin's head into the stands.

On the following play, Griffin knocked the Nets power forward on his hump as payback and no call.

It still had to feel good to Humphries who had been manhandled by Griffin the last time they met.   A Kardashian family reunion would have been more welcome sight than the Clippers power forward after that game.

The Nets led by as much as 16 points in the last two minutes of the third period before Griffin continued having his way with the Nets like the last time the Clippers won, 101-91,  on Jan. 16 at the Staples Center.

Sloppy play by the Nets led to an 8-0 run by Los Angeles to tie the game at 88 with 4:19 left in the game.

The Nets challenged Griffin the whole game and there was a scary moment— with less than three minutes left— when Humphries rolled over Griffin's left ankle while they both went for a loose ball.  The Clippers star didn't get up for a minute before re-entering the game— limping.

Things got very chippy on the court after that foul by Humphries.

Two late fouls by the Nets gave the Clippers a 100-98 lead with 4.2 seconds left before Deron Williams took the inbounds and passed it to Jordan Farmar who hit a 3-point shot for the victory with :00.2 on the clock.

It snaps a seven game home losing streak at home for the Nets.

Highlight totals: Griffin-6 Humphries-1 plus the win.

Kris Humphries' sister Kaela signs plus-size modeling contract

Kris Humphries older sister Kaela is stepping out from the shadow of her former sister-in-laws and into a spotlight of her own.

The 29-year-old sister of Kim Kardashian's ex-husband and New Jersey Nets basketball player Kris has signed a contract as plus-size model with Ford modeling agency.

The six degrees of Kardashian keeps spreading down another avenue of exploitation.

Ford confirmed the signing of the blue-eyed model to its roster of other curvy women.

"A true size 16-18, Kaela will be in a league of her own," a spokesperson told People Stylewatch.

"So excited to be working with the team @fordmodels," Kaela tweeted on Tuesday.  "This is going to be a great 2012!  Stay tuned."

The voluptuous model has some experience on the catwalk and worked with Wilhemina Models in Los Angeles.

The former-Minnesota native has also appeared on "Kourtney and Khloe take  New York"— the reality show which features her former sister-in-laws.

On that series, Kaela was witness to the rise and fall of her brother's doomed marriage with Kim K.

Forget Linsanity; Nets have Lopez-apalooza

In only his third game back from surgery for a broken foot, Brook Lopez blew up for 38 points and led the New Jersey Nets to an upset win over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, 93-92.

While all the talk was about Deron Williams and speculation that he would return to his hometown of Dallas, it was Lopez who made the loudest statement.

At the same time, Lopez has increased his own trade value.

The Nets center scored 21 points in the first half and hit the winning free-throws with 42.4 seconds remaining in the game.

The Mav's Jason Terry made a slashing gesture against his throat to get the Dallas crowd pumped up, but Lopez hit both free throws.

"Lopez was a monster tonight," said Williams.  "He carried us from the start of the game and it makes a difference."

If Williams was auditioning for the Mavericks, he got a slight case of stage fright.

The Nets All-Star finished the night with 12 points on 2-for-15 shooting, but still had 12 assists.

"I've said it all season, when we get him back we become a different team and you saw a lot of that tonight," he added.

Jason Kidd, who led the Nets to two NBA Championship series, missed two potential game-winning shots for Dallas in the final seconds of the game.

The Nets have now won three tough road games in a row— in Chicago, New York and Dallas— and appear to be making a run at the playoffs.

"I had to get back in and find my place.  I didn't want to be that monkey wrench coming back and mess up their flow," said Lopez.  "These guys have been playing great on the road and so we just wanted to continue to do that tonight."

Maybe a "donny-Brook" will break out for the big guy's services.

Baron Davis tweets: Gesture was a kiss; not smoking a joint

Baron Davis wanted to clear the air after a photo of the New York Knicks backup point guard appeared on numerous websites which characterized him as simulating smoking a joint to celebrate making his first basket in a Knicks uniform during Tuesday night's game against the New Jersey Nets.

The photo— taken from the MSG Network— showed Baron putting his fingertips to his mouth like he was toking on a roach after he sunk a three-point shot.

Davis tweeted and his agent Todd Ramasar confirmed to The New York Post that the point guard was just blowing a kiss.

Last night, Jeremy Lin's new backup tweeted, "To clear up rumors, I was kissing my hands after I shot the 3 last night.  Kissing the 3 was all I was doing.  Stop fishing and hating plz."

Ramasar said he was angry that the gesture was taken out of context.

"He wasn't making gestures of smoking," said Ramasar.  "Baron was making gestures of blowing kisses on his three.  That's ridiculous anyone would insinuate he was making smoking gestures."

It does look like he is imitating one of those chefs drawn on a pizza box and saying, "Hey!  That's a good shot."

 Baron was making his Knicks debut and came off the bench for 10 minutes during the 100-92 loss.

He was playing his first NBA game since April with the Cleveland Cavaliers and finished with three points, one assist and a turnover.

The NBA did not comment.

Teammate tweets photo of J-Lin's famous couch for bidding

It's the sofa that launched the career of New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin and could be coming to a living room near you.

Lin's teammate Landry Fields tweeted a photo of the brown velour couch that the Knicks phenom started crashing on the night before he became a New York sports legend.

Fields tweeted a picture of the most famous sofa in the sports world and thinks it could be the ultimate accessory for any couch potato's man-cave.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only couch made famous by @JLin7!," Fields tweeted Sunday afternoon.

"Let the bidding begin," he added.

Imagine hosting your friends on the couch and bragging "Jeremy Lin slept here" or " That spot on the cushion is J-Lin's drool."

The now legendary two-cushion sofa in Fields' Manhattan apartment was the resting place for Lin— the night before he jump-started the Knicks team and astounded the NBA— after he left the bench and torched the New Jersey Nets for 25 points on Feb. 4.

 Lin had been sleeping at the Lower East side apartment of his brother before being displaced and moving uptown to Fields' place.

Fields described the sled-style couch as "decent but not huge."

What is huge is Linsanity.

No. 17 has taken Madison Square Garden by storm.  The former-Harvard grad and NBA bench warmer has become a New York Knicks star by leading the team to five straight wins and playoff dreams. 

"Thank you to Landry for hosting me," Lin said after leading the Knicks— with a career-best performance— over the Nets on Saturday. "I think I might just move in with him."

I'm smelling a sit-com here.

Since getting a contract for the NBA minimum, Lin is now able to afford better digs.

The 6-foot-3 guard is shopping around for his own place and a real estate developer has even offered a one-bedroom apartment free until Lin can find a suitable place.

Knicks fans are hoping Lin buys instead of rents.  He's a free-agent after this season.

Kris Humphries Gets Annulled By Blake Griffin Then Says He's "Flopping"

Kris Humphries must miss being in the limelight of reality television because last night the New Jersey Nets forward became another poster-boy for a dunk by Blake Griffin during the Nets 101-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Griffin dominated inside the whole game and got real on Humphries with a cover-worthy left-handed dunk over the country's "Most Hated Athlete" in the second quarter.

                                                 

The Clippers forward was dunking and celebrating all game and looked as happy as Kim Kardashian at a swag bag table.

The Nets stood by starstruck.

Humphries— to his credit— gave Griffin all he could handle but— in the end— Griffin gave back more.

After the game, a still steamed Humphries was asked about Griffin's play.

"What, flopping and getting a call?  He's a great player.  And they won," he said.  "What do you want me to say?"

Humphries was frustrated after picking up his sixth foul on a call favorable to the Clippers star.  It sounded like he thinks Griffin (23 points, 14 rebounds) was having his way with other Nets too.

The dunk on Humphries came right after Net DeShawn Stevenson was whistled for a flagrant foul that knocked Griffin to the floor.

"I'm not talking about fouls," Humphries said.  "He's a great player.  It's tough when you get in foul trouble and the game's going in a certain direction."

Stevenson said the Nets were only putting bodies on Griffin to keep him from dunking at will.

"I'm not trying to hurt him but at the same time, he's coming through the lane dunking," he said about the flagrant call.  "I didn't try to do anything personal, but it's a hard foul and he kept getting dunks any way so it didn't matter."

In the end, Humphries (14 points) got what is real and what isn't mixed up once again.

"It's a game of runs and we made our run and they're not a championship caliber team who can't have runs made against them," he said.

Huh?

Ex-Magic CEO's Booty-Call Could Help Nets Land Dwight Howard

Nothing says "I love you" like a late night phone call to your ex—or soon-to-be free-agent—after a few rounds of drinks but the same call also says "run for the hills."

Either way, it's never a smart thing to do as ex-Orlando Magic CEO, Bob Vander Weide, found out after admitting he phoned Dwight Howard pleading with the star center to stay with with his team.

It sounds like the CEO's booty-call might have backfired.

Vander Weide, who unexpectedly retired yesterday, told Bright House Sports Network he called Howard a few days ago after having "a couple of glasses of wine" and "maybe should have waited until the morning."

"Maybe Dwight thought it was inappropriate to talk business after a couple glasses of wine," Vander Weide told the network about the 1 a.m. phone call.  "I was playing paddle with a couple of friends."

The Magic are desperate to keep Howard in Orlando.  Arguably the NBA's best big man, Howard can opt-out of the final year of his contract on July 1, and has expressed his desire to go to another team.

The situation has pretty much forced the Magic to deal the five-time All-Star now before they risk losing him for nothing in return when he becomes a free-agent.

In the meantime, teams have been taking advantage of the shaky relationship between Howard and his current team.

The Los Angeles Lakers—most notably—have offered everyone but Kobe Bryant for Howard but it's the New Jersey Nets who have actually put a tangible deal on the table.

The Nets have offered Brook Lopez, draft picks and cap space in order to keep their own All-Star point guard Deron Williams in Newark before they team moves to Brooklyn next year.

On Monday, Williams—who has his own opt-out decision to make after this season— claimed he had spoken with Howard about coming north and is "sure" he would sign an extension if he was dealt to the Nets.  The two players were teammates on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

"[Howard's] a monster," gushed Williams.  "He's like a created player.  He's not real."

The Nets might be facing an uphill battle for the coveted big guy playing alongside Williams.

Los Angeles—and the bright lights of Hollywood—might be too much of a draw for the aspiring actor Howard and the trade bait—Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum—might be too tempting for the Magic.

While the desperate call by Vander Weide might have been fueled by liquor—as suspected by Howard—the Magic are still in the mix for Howard.  The former CEO told Bright House that Howard is still waiting to see what Orlando offers the center before he becomes a free-agent after this season.

"We have a pretty good relationship," said Vander Weide.  "I have a pretty clear understanding where Dwight's head is and that's between him and this organization."

Still, the Nets don't want to turn any trade negotiations with the Magic into a media feeding frenzy, ala the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.

"We're confident—Billy [Nets GM Billy King] and I," said Nets coach Avery Johnson.  "We've been confident all along.  Last year, we had a circus atmosphere when we were trying to make deals for some guys.  Hopefully, if we do anything, you guys [the media] won't find out until you kind of find out what we did [with Williams]," said Johnson.

Johnson said that trade talks with Orlando are in the preliminary stages and will be kept under wraps until the time is right.

"I can't talk about it publicly," said Johnson.  "But it's a foregone conclusion that we're working at it and hopefully, we'll get something done."

Maybe it's time for the Nets to bring out the big guns to lure Howard to Jersey and their new Brooklyn home next year—Madison Avenue and Jay-Z.

Kris Humphries Benched By Kim Kardashian After 72 Days Of Marriage

Well, it seemed like only a matter of time and recent signs pointed to the eventual split but today it was confirmed that Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from her NBA player husband Kris Humphries after just 72 days of marriage.


"Yes@kimkardashian is filing for divorce this morning.  I touched base with her," confirms E! News host Ryan Seacrest, who is the producer for the buxom reality star's show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," according to the New York Daily News.

The reality star is calling it quits with the New Jersey Nets forward after a brief marriage and $10 million wedding.

According to TMZ, the couple will not seek an annulment and cite "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the breakup.

The split is not too surprising since the couples marriage was publicly on the rocks.  The couple was spotted together arguing or not together at all.  Tabloids are reporting that the two were "not getting along at all" and were getting into loud arguments over financial issues and Humphries' frequent partying.

Kardashian, 30, was last seen alone at a Halloween party dressed as Batman's Poison Ivy in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

"It's always tough when you're apart.  But we do what we can to try and spend time together and make time for each other," Kardashian told US magazine.

Humphries and Kardashian signed a pre-nup agreement before their opulent wedding this summer.

Maybe the NBA lock-out had a lot to do with Humphries having too much free time on his hands and hanging around with that whole Kardashian clan can't be much fun either.

It's too bad— because now— Kardashian won't get to hang out with Nets minority-owner Jay-Z and Beyonce at the new Barclays Center when the team move to Brooklyn from Newark next year.

Shaq Wants To Keep An NBA Team In Newark

The city of Newark still has the New Jersey Nets for another year before they move across a few rivers into their new home in Brooklyn but, if Shaquille O'Neal has his wish, an NBA team will once again slam dunk in front of the empty seats in the Prudential Center. 

Did anyone tell Shaq that wishes are only the legend of bad movies?  Kazaam!

The lame duck New Jersey Nets, who--sadly--  are lately better known for one of their players becoming a Kardashian, will be packing up their gear and head for the state-of-the-art Barclays Center with their new first-name-- Brooklyn-- in 2012.  It's a good possibility that most of the few hundred fans in Newark will probably notice or care.

O'Neal, who was raised in Newark, has talked about wanting to own a team in the past and responded to that question in a wide-ranging interview in Tuesday's New York Times about his desire to bring one back to Newark.

"Yes, And I'm looking forward to bringing a team to Newark," he said.  "I haven't spoken to Mayor Booker about it yet, but I'm working on it.  I know Newark can support an NBA team.  And I'm going to be one of those guys that's going to bring a team here."

The former NBA star has talked about owning an NBA team in the past and originally had his eyes set on moving the Nets to his home town back in 2009, when the Nets were still playing in the Meadowlands, and the new Prudential Center was without an NBA team.

"If I was a general manager or owner of that team, I'd be playing in Newark right now," he said back then.

That was before the team did move to Newark's Prudential Center and played before empty seats-- some selling for .43 cents on the Internet-- and empty promises to the city as well.

Now, Shaq is pushing to get an NBA team back in Newark, but it could be an uphill battle.

O'Neal has the star power and the NBA pedigree to possibly broker a deal and move one of the other struggling NBA teams to Newark-- look what the Nets minority-owner Jay-Z did-- and there are sure to be a couple of teams on the verge of collapse if the NBA lockout ever ends.  Did I hear someone say Newark Timberwolves? 

But, putting a third NBA team in the New York metro area would be risky-- considering that the Nets could barely draw fans when the only other local team was the Knicks.

O'Neal, and his development company have been involved in many community projects in the city of Newark, but this is one wish that even a blue genie couldn't grant. Kazaam!

Jay-Z Will Announce Concerts Promoting the "Brooklyn Nets" New Name and Home

Rapper Jay-Z plans to headline a series of concerts to promote the opening of the new Nets arena in downtown Brooklyn and make it official, the team's name will be changed to the "Brooklyn Nets."

Goodbye Jersey shore and hello Coney Island boardwalk.

The rap mogul, who owns a small percentage of the New Jersey Nets, will announce today that he will perform at eight concerts to hype the opening of the arena.  Expect his expecting wife Beyonce to join him and a few other performers to help entice fans to make the trek over to team's new home at the Barclays Center-- which is set to officially open Sept. 28, 2012.

Jay-Z is kicking off a major-marketing campaign aimed at luring Knicks fans from Madison Square Garden over or under the East River into the team's new digs-- where all-access passes are going for $15,000 a season.

Even with the .49-cent tickets you could scrounge on StubHub for some New Jersey Nets games last season, there were still a lot of empty seats in Newark's Prudential Center.  Jay-Z is making sure that doesn't happen with the Brooklyn version.

The entertainer is using his highly popular brand and image to help sell the Brooklyn Nets to the New York City audience for the first time.  The well-known star's rugged face is way more fan-friendly than using majority owner Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's sourpuss.

Net CEO Brett Yormack said, "Jay-Z will be the face of the team's fourth-quarter campaign" in an attempt to sell the 4,400 all-access passes in the 18,000 seat venue.

Jay-Z will be lending his name and face to a poster with the slogan; "Get all access to Jay-Z's and other events at the Barclays Center."

The campaign will focus on how easy it is to get to the new Brooklyn arena and target the money men working on Wall Street and living in ritzy downtown neighborhoods like Soho and Tribeca.  It even claims you can cut seven minutes of subway time by opting for the Nets over the Knicks from downtown on the Q train.  Who knew?

The Nets new name was a badly kept secret, but after today's announcement, it will be official.  Brooklyn will have it's own name on the front of a major sports league jersey for the first time in over half-a-century.

It remains to be seen if Brooklyn's own Spike Lee will jump ship from his beloved Knicks to his hometown borough.  The film director likes wearing clothes that say "Brooklyn" on them.

Hey, the Nets now even have a Kardashian on their team. If Jay-Z's campaign fails, there's nothing that family's PR machine won't promote.

Two Former-St. John's Athletes Shine This Weekend; While Another Sees The Light

St. John's University had three former sports stars in the news this weekend-- all with different and compelling stories.  Same school, same weekend and three different paths. 

Keegan Bradley capped off the weekend by coming back from a three-stroke deficit to tie the leader, with three regulation holes to play, to win the PGA Championship in grand fashion after a three-hole playoff.  The rookie made a remarkable recovery, after triple-bogeying the 15th hole, to defeat Jason Dufner.  The St. John's grad ('08) was the first golfer to win a major in his first appearance in one since 1913.

The weekend kicked off with the induction of St. John's basketball legend, Chris Mullin, into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night.  The left-handed Brooklyn gym rat was rewarded for an outstanding college, professional and Olympic basketball career.

In between, there was another sad chapter added to the life of former Red Storm basketball star Jayson Williams.  The 43 year-old Williams is preparing to move from a prison in New Jersey to Rikers Island some time next week.  The former New Jersey Net is expecting to be transferred next Friday after doing 18 months for aggravated assault, then he's to start serving a one-year sentence for a DWI in New York.

One St. John's star begins what looks like a promising career while another achieves the ultimate recognition for a career well spent.  The third can only look back and wonder "what if?"

There is Bradley's bright future, Mullin's exclamation point on his brilliant career and Williams dimmed hopes and broken dreams.

The lanky and enthusiastic Bradley (nephew of LPGA Hall of Famer, Pat Bradley) provided one of the most exciting finishes in a golf tournament in recent years by not wilting under pressure.  His clutch 35-foot  putt to birdie on the the par-three 17 was a shot for the ages.  The 25 year-old charged back with birdies on 16 and 17 and tied the fading Dufner, who bogeyed those same holes, on 18 before winning the playoff by one stroke to take home the Wanamaker Trophy.

The two golfers had to play the 16, 17 and 18th holes again in the playoff-- the same holes Bradley just conquered and Dufner flopped.

Mullin, the left-handed gym rat from Brooklyn got a standing ovation as he took the stage and stood next to his mentor and former-St. John's coach Louie Carnesecca.  The two old friends will always have the Final Four run in 1985 to keep them connected.

Mullin's career spanned four seasons at St. John's and he is still the school's career scoring leader. He was the Big East Player of the Year three times and won the Naismith Award in 1985 for being the best college player in the nation.

After being the number seven draft choice of the Golden State Warriors and, after overcoming his own demons with alcohol and home-sickness, Mullin went on to star with the Warriors and Indiana Pacers.

Mullin was a medalist on two Olympic teams and was part of the original "Dream Team' in the 1992 games.

Mullin took his knowledge and brush-cut from the court to the studio and is now an analyst for ESPN after working in various front-office positions with the Warriors from 2002-09.

The New York native would probably say, other than not winning a championship,  never suiting up for the hometown Knicks was his only regret.

While Bradley's and Mullin's fortunes are looking, and have been shining, bright; it now seems Williams is finally seeing the light.

The former Red Storm center's life has been riddled with legal and personal issues.  It began in 1988, at a St. John's game against Providence, when the hot-headed Williams got into a tussle with an opposing player and then grabbed a fan in the stands.  He was suspended for leaving the bench.

For three years the brutish Williams led St. John's to the NCAA tournament and was selected as the 21st pick in the 1990 draft.  After spending most of his time on a bench with the Philadelphia 76ers, Williams was sent to the Nets, where he languished until a breakout All-Pro season in 1997-98.

An serious leg injury essentially put an end to the forward's blossoming career after the first year of a six-year, $90 million deal.

Arrests for fights and reports of violence culminated with the shooting death of his limo driver inside  his New Jersey mansion in 2002.  After years of legal haggling, Williams was sentenced to 5 years for aggravated assault (18 months with good behavior).  He will now start serving out the drunk driving charge after hitting a tree in Manhattan's lower-east-side last year not long after a suicide attempt where he was tasered by cops in a hotel room.

The jailed Williams, 43, is reportedly attending AA meeting six days a week and teaches bible study while serving his time.

Williams life after college is a sordid collection of foolish behavior compared with the achievements of the other alums tied in with this weekend's St. John's trinity.

Life is a rugged path to walk.  For Bradley, Mullin and Williams,  it looks like there is now a promising future, a storied past and, hopefully, true redemption.

Kim Kardashian Accepts Kris Humphries Proposal Even Though He Is Still A Net

New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries is officially engaged to Kim Kardashian.  Humphries slipped a 20.5 carat diamond ring on the reality-show star's finger last week.  It's amazing the publicity-crazed family kept the engagement under wraps for so long.  Must have been planning a TV series or store opening.

E News confirmed that the 26 year-old Humphries popped the question to his 30 year-old bride-to-be on May 18 at Kardashian's Beverly Hills home.

When asked about custom-designed engagement ring, Humphries gushed, "I just wanted it to be big."

To put the token of love into perspective, Kate Middleton's rock is a paltry 18 carat piece of bling.

Kardashian's response to the big moment, after six months of courtship, was blogging "OMGGGGGG" to her legion of fans.

Those Kardashian girls seem to have caught NBA fever.  Kim's sister Khloe is married to Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom--a relationship which was custom made for a cable television audience.  This relationship should be no different.

Expect another annoying reality show counting down the days to Humphries and Kardashian's big day.  Just what the world needs more shrieking woman and shameless self-promotion.  At least we get to see Bruce Jenner try to make his facial muscles work.

The good news for Humphries, he is still an NBA player.  The bad news, he's still a New Jersey Net.  Have fun in Newark Kim.