Where are the players now?

    The National Basketball Association lockout has been going on for months, giving the players a lot of free time. Both the players and the coaches want more money, and neither of them seem like they are going to budge. With two weeks cut off from the season, and probably more coming, the big question still remains: What are the players going to do now? 
   Some of the players are starting to follow up with their talk and go overseas. Former Utah Jazz point gaurd Deron Williams is now playing for the Besiktas in Turkey. Tony Parker left to go play for his home team, ASVEL Villeurbanne, in France for minimum wage. Other big stars, such as Kobe Bryant, are still debating leaving, though. He wants to go play for Virtus Bologna in Italy.
    "Italy is my home. It's where my dream of playing in the NBA started. This is where I learned the fundamentals, learned to shoot, to pass and to [move] without the ball… all things that when I came back to America, the players my age didn't know how to do because they were only thinking about jumping and dunking," says Bryant. They have stopped all the flashy attempts to lure him, and it is just the deals now. “Help us Obi-Wan Kobe… you are our only hope,” writes a fan to Suite 101.

    Some players are thinking of trying other sports as well. LeBron James tweeted, "When is the deadline for a team to sign a free agent [in the National Football League]?" James was a wide receiver from the pee wee leagues to high school. After practicing once, he tweeted again, this time saying, "Just got done practicing with the St.V Varsity football team, full pads and all. Felt great being back on the field. Should I?" Another player that is looking to play a different sport is Kobe Bryant. Bryant was looking at playing baseball in the Arizona Fall Leagues.

    The majority of the players, especially the rookies, are just waiting it out. They want the deals to be completed so they can go back and play on their teams for the NBA, not anywhere else. Malcom Lee, a Minnesotta Timberwolves rookie, says, "It's the same life [as college]. No income checks are coming in, none of that good stuff that comes with being in the NBA."  

NBA Owners are refusing to budge

The NBA lockout is certainly causing a big commotion, and there does not seem to be any end in sight. What started on July 1^st as a talk about how to divide the $4.3 billion in league revenue has turned into a three month long lockout. One hundred games have already been canceled and many analysts don’t expect there to be any more games until Christmas.

Last season the players were being paid 57% of the revenue. During negotiations the players offered a 53-47 split, which would be a loss of over $180 million dollars to the players. The owners, however, refused, proposing a 50-50 split. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said, “What we told the union was that we were not prepared to negotiate over the B.R.I. split beyond the 50-50 concept that had already been discussed.” NBA commissioner David Stern has said the teams are experiencing over $300 million dollars in losses annually.

Owners have been pushing other requirements as well. They originally proposed a hard salary cap. This cap would limit the amount of money that teams would be able to spend on the player’s salaries. This was proposed in order to make it easier for lesser teams to be able to compete. The owners conceded to the player’s demand for there to be a flexible cap by creating a harsher luxury tax. This would create a situation where the teams can only spend a certain amount of money on certain purchases without being harshly taxed. The players argue that this would effectively institute a hard cap.

 Tom Ziller, a writer for SBNation put it best, “Canceling two weeks because the union won't approve a very hard cap-ish luxury tax in addition to giving up more than $200 million in annual salary is like flipping the Monopoly board because another player bought Marvin Gardens out from under you, while you have hotels on all of the green and blue properties.”

It seems as if we are going to be in for a very tough ride. Neither side wants to give in, nor are the owners refusing to negotiate the division of revenue. Negotiating sessions are going on for 16 hours a day; everyone is exhausted. Both sides don’t seem eager to resolve their issues. Players are leaving for foreign countries; others are talking about starting their own teams. The NBA will be in for a very rough few years if this doesn’t get resolved sometime soon.

Who The 2011 NBA Lockout is Really Afftecting

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past three months, you would know that the NBA is currently in lockout. The NBA and NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) have thus far failed to reach an agreement and the first two weeks of games have already been canceled. The lockout doesn’t suit either of the parties, as they are both losing huge amounts of money, and could lose even more should the whole season be cancelled. More importantly however, it affects the fans The people that made the NBA what it is today, the people that watch their favorite team play day in and day out, the people that buy official merchandise even through these tough economical times, the ones that flat out love the game.

The NBA and NBPA are currently in negotiations over what their Basketball Related Income (BRI) should be.The latest offer from the NBA was a 50-50 split as reported by Chris Boussard for ESPN. This is a fair amount of money and more than enough especially taking into account the current economical situation. They will both eventually make the money, but the fans will never eventually get to watch the two weeks of basketball that have canceled. These fans are losing their favorite past time due to greedy players who have no love for the game. “I think they're both kind of selfish,” said Sam Wallace, 46, of Ardmore. “They're leaving the fan out in the cold.”

The fans are being robbed, and it is extremely unfair. The NBA players may have five cars and can go on vacation any time they want, but for some people there is no greater joy then getting home from work and watching a good game of basketball.“I don't know what I'm going to do if it drags on,” said Glenda Love, 68, of Oklahoma City. “I am so hungry and so ready for NBA basketball, I've been watching the NBA channel and watching 1993 playoff games.”

The lockout should end immediately, the players and owners need to realize how selfish they are being and quit being babies. The fans need the NBA, and the NBA needs its fans; this needs to end now.

Players hopeful, but its not just for the money

Since July 1st, the NBA has been involved in a lockout which has now extended over 110 days. Both the players and the owners refuse to agree on a deal. The players feel that they should get 53% of the money, while the owners feel that they should be given 53% of the money. The 2011-12 season in jeopardy with the first two weeks of the NBA season already being cancelled.



“I think we [players] are [prepared to miss the season],” said Shannon Brown a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers in an ESPN interview. “We don’t want to though.”
The players feel that they should get more of the money because as Brown said, “We [players] don’t want to feel like we’re out there giving our services, giving our bodies, giving our time, being away form our families and all of that stuff being taken advantage of and we’re not reaping benefits from it.”



Although the players are willing to stand tough and not give into the owners, the owners have the clear advantage when it comes down to who will do better without an upcoming NBA season. The owners can make money without basketball while the players can’t. “You know its sad when people don't even try and hide their greed,” said an angry Dwayne Wade on his Twitter account. Obviously, the players are upset and may very well have to give into the owners. No one knows what deal the players and owners will agree on, but one thing is for certain, things are looking grim in the NBA world.

Fans React to Lockout

NBA players and owners have been in a debate about money, and it has caused a shutdown of the NBA. There is little to believe that the lockout will be resolved anytime soon. "I feel like [the owners] aren't helping us out, they're not trying [to] meet us halfway with it,” complained Kevin Durant in an ESPN interview. Yet the owners and players fail to realize that there will not be any money to distribute if fans stop going to games.

Players have been preaching about their sacrifices to help the dispute come to a quicker resolve. But are the players the only ones that are sacrificing? With two weeks of the season canceled due to the lockout, the fans have lost interest in watching. This may last as long as Christmas, so the fans will leave the routine of watching the basketball game and find something else to spend time.

There were already fans losing interest in 2009-2010. The attendance was recovering in the 2010-2011 season, but this lockout may have been the last straw for fans. The time taken from the season has only angered the public. Basketball fan David Boykin expressed his frustration in a FOX Sports article, “It seems almost like a wasted effort.” This fight over the rich getting richer has irritated once loyal followers of the NBA.

If the lockout comes to a resolution, will there still be fans waiting to watch the games?

The Best Pace is a Suicide Pace and Today is a Good Day to Die

     The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering Flying Dragons cross country team, “are a very tight group,” says head coach Thomas Henning. From practice to practice and meet to meet, they are always pushing each other to do the very best that they can. They have been running at the school for the past few years and although they aren’t a PSAL team, they love what they do. One of the most important values of the Flying Dragons is team spirit.

    The Flying Dragons have a very rigorous training regiment and this camaraderie is what keeps them going. They practice five days a week and run both long and short distances. The team runs on a variety of different surfaces such as grass, asphalt and dirt trails, because cross country meets span a variety of different running terrains. They do crazy things like running around in spirals on the surface of a hill; it builds up the muscles in your ankles which helps on the rough competition trails.  Kleant Daci, a runner on the Flying Dragons put it best, “You run ‘til you die and then keep on running.”

    Team companionship is the key for success in the sport of cross country, and thankfully for the Flying Dragons, this is not something that the team lacks. Everybody really gets along and they treat each other like family. When the team goes to meets, this is especially important. Daci says the Flying Dragons, “welcome each other like brothers and sisters, when someone needs an extra push we give it to them.” This is what makes the Flying Dragons such a great team; everyone is always having a fun time.

HSMSE Flying Dragons. Photo Courtesy of Thomas Henning

    Not only do they train hard and support each other throughout the year, the runners of the Flying Dragons love what they do. “It’s just a great feeling,” says Daci. Some people have also taken up leadership roles within the team. These leaders aren’t necessarily the fastest runners, but are the ones who are there for the team. They help the people that need it and really motivate the team to do better than their best.

    The main goal of the Flying Dragons is to improve their times, and many have done so. The top runners aren’t necessarily the ones who improve the most. Players such as Sam Braverman were able to improve their pace by 45 seconds, while others made similar improvement.  Improving your time is tough, but with enough effort, a love of cross country running, and support by your teammates, it becomes much easier.

    The HSMSE Flying Dragons have a great relationship with each other that helps them to improve their times. They always are supporting each other and helping them along the rocky road. For them, the key to success is support from their peers, having a good time, and running as fast as they can. As Steve Prefontaine once said, “The best pace is a suicide pace, and today is a good day to die.”

To learn more about the Flying Dragons visit their website.

Contributed to by: Greg Sakas, Timothy Jacobs and Amora Meas.

HSMSE Dragons Fly High

The HSMSE boys’ soccer team this year is looking strong, currently they have a record of 5-4. Their goal this year is to make it into the playoffs, though it hasn’t happened before. “Our team works hard at practice; we have 20 guys that are all trying their hardest to improve to contribute to the team’s success [making the playoffs],”said Coach Diunte.
The team seems like they have improved over the last few years. In years 2009-2010 they had a record of 3-8 with one tie and in 2010-2011 they improved to 4-10. HSMSE’s soccer team is closer to making it into the playoffs with the new talent they have this year.
While looking at the newest players on the team, Steven Limeta, a defender, has blocked many fowards. The other, Sebastian Villada a midfielder/forward, has taken a total of 4 shots and has made 3 of them in five games. Villada is still a freshman and therefore has three more years to improve and refine his skills. Although these two alone will not bring victory to HSMSE, they make a great addition to the team.
Since Coach Diunte was hired as head coach, the team’s goal is closer toward the playoff, they have senior striker, Julian Petrello. He has 41 shots on target and 12 goals. He has been a major contributor to the team. The team depends on him to get the ball and make plays on goal. One of his fellow senior players is Kevin Chun. The team depends on his ability to bring the ball up the field. These two players also have seniority on the field. They have been playing with the team since their sophomore year. They hope to get to the postseason because they have not made it to the playoffs yet. This would be a major achievement for the players, coach, and school.

Before the playoffs, the team has some rivals left to play. The players have developed a rivalry against Fiorello H. LaGuardia, where the team lost twice last year to them. Petrello tells us, “It was supposed to be their win, yet they lost by one point in the second half of both games played last year.”

High School for Math Science and Engineering Cross Country Team Participates In the Manhattan College Cross Country Race

HSMSE Flying Dragons / Tom Henning

The HSMSE Flying Dragons took a run at the Manhattan College Cross Country Race held in Van Cortlandt Park, on October 11th, 2011. Thousands of runners across the country participated in this race. The Flying Dragons ran without stress because what mattered to them was improvement, not their place.

The race went well with Matthew Brown having the fastest time on the team with a pace of 6:23 and an ending time of 15:58 on a 2.5 mile run. He finished 137th out of the thousands of competitors. Kleant Daci and Patrick Nolan also had quick times with both having the same pace of 6:48 and an ending time of 16:59 and 17:00 with Nolan beating him by a second on a 2.5 mile race.

The runners practiced 5 days a week with one day off allowed during the weekdays. They ran both long distances and short distances with a fast pace. They did hillwork and time trials to improve their pace. “We are like brothers and sisters. We push each other and give motivation. We are like a big loving family,” Kleant Daci said.

The team was happy with their placements. Their place in the race did not matter; however, what mattered the most was finishing the race and showing some sort of improvement. "[We] mainly focus on improvement and then position," said Daci.

Flying Dragons  begin their race / Tom Hennin

Contributed by: Prince Lam-moise and Tithi Chowdhury

HSMSE Boys Varsity Soccer Team

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering Boys Varsity Soccer team has seen the bottom of the Manhattan B league for a while now, but are slowly building themselves up.“Our team's goal is to make the playoffs,” Coach Nick Diunte said.

“we improve our record every season every since I started,” Diunte said when asked if he noticed any change. In Diunte’s first season coaching the team they were 0-7, but the following season they won 1/4 of their games. Four wins finally were recorded in the next season.

The team continues to improve this season. With four games left to play, the team is 5-4. Although 1st place in their division is mathematically impossible, 2nd place in the division is likely place for them. Their next two games are against the teams that are under them in the division giving HSMSE the chance to gain at least three more points on both.

Even though 5-4 is the best HSMSE has done in a long time, their expectations weren’t met. “We have a team that is more experienced as a core group as they have spent three years playing together, they're more confident and they expect to win every time they go on the field,” explained Diunte.