Paxson's New Problem

One NBA player being robbed at gunpoint is frightening.

Two NBA players being robbed at gunpoint within weeks of one another, in the same city, sure feels like something even worse.

In an incident eerily similar to what happened to Antoine Walker three weeks ago, the Knicks' Eddy Curry was robbed today at his Chicago area home;

"Deputy chief of police John Madden said three offenders restrained Curry, his family and an employee with duct tape inside the Burr Ridge home."

While the primary concern in both Walker and Curry's situations rests with their safety and well being, the timing and location of the two robberies should also concern someone else;

The Chicago Bulls and GM John Paxson.

Whether it is fair or not, these two robberies are going to give the perception around the NBA that players in Chicago are being targeted. Only time will tell whether or not the two robberies are linked in some way, but at present the robberies are going to make Chicago seem like a much less attractive destination for NBA players than it was at the beggining of July.

The timing is especially troubling given the fact that the Bulls were obviously aiming to make a big push next Summer in free agency. The Bulls were set to enter the 2008 offseason with more cap space than almost any NBA team. The 2008 free agent class should feature far more star power than this year, with the likes of Kevin Garnett, Baron Davis, Antawn Jamison, Shawn Marion, and Jermaine O'Neal likely being available. Now that Chicago seems a little less safe for NBA players than it did just a month ago, how will that change the thinking of a player like Garnett or O'Neal if they are offered similar money by both the Bulls and another team?

What Chicago may end up doing, and what they may have done regardless of the two robberies, is focus on signing their young core to lucrative extensions. It is almost certain that the Bulls will sign Luol Deng long term, but if the Bulls are unable to sign any big ticket free agents next Summer they would be much more likely to re-sign the likes of Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon. Only time will tell if the two recent robberies will force Chicago's hand in choosing whether to maintain their core or to go the free agent route.

Thanks For Choosing Milwaukee

Mo Williams faced a touch choice this Summer as a free agent; take less moeny to go to Miami and possibly be a part of a championship team with Shaq and D-Wade, or take the big money to stay in Milwaukee and be a part of the Bucks' rebuilding process.

Williams chose Milwaukee, but early indications are that perhaps he should have headed down to South Beach. Why? Evidently being in Milwaukee also means having your car robbed;

"...Thursday, however, he was filing information with Milwaukee police alleging that someone broke into his 2005 Dodge Magnum in the 1800 block of E. Kenilworth Ave. about 2:15 a.m.

Thieves got away with two LCD screens from the head rests, a navigation system and a radio/DVD player, according to a police report.

Damage and loss are estimated at $3,000."

I'm sure that this is just the kind of news that Sen. Herb Kohl and Bucks management love to hear while trying to convince Yi Jianlian that Milwaukee really is a wonderful place to live.

Big Lady Loves The Steelers

So if you were a compulsive shoplifter, what would you steal? Video games? Movies? Maybe iPods? Evidently the answer is none of the above for one thief in Pennsylvania, who has chosen to make her money stealing tons and tons of Steelers jerseys:

The white woman, described as about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, was first observed July 2 on security video at the JCPenney store at the mall in Hempfield. The camera caught her placing almost two dozen game jerseys in a large bag and leaving the store without paying, according to state police at Greensburg.

The stolen jerseys were valued at $1,650.


So if you live near Pittsburgh and a 200 pound woman approaches you trying to pawn off a Willie Parker jersey, just know that it is probably stolen. The fun doesn't stop there however, as our Jerome Bettis-sized bandit wasn't satisfied with twenty jerseys; she needed more:

On Sunday, a woman matching the same description was observed by store security personnel entering the store at 2 p.m. while carrying a large shopping bag....

When the woman was confronted in the parking lot by store security, she fled, police said.

When store personnel opened the bag hidden inside the store, it contained 15 Steelers jerseys and bedsheets, valued at more than $1,000.

35 Steelers jerseys? And bedsheets? Again, this woman obviously hasn't seen the re-sale potential of consumer electronics. The best part though, is that she is still at-large. So if you live near Pittsburgh you better hold on tight to your Steelers swag, because there is a big lady coming to get it.

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