Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Hornets’ Chandler summoned in case of blackjack mishap

NOW:

In case anybody get hurts in a freak gaming accident, USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo has announced that Tyson Chandler, the New Orleans Hornets' 7-1 center, has accepted an invitation to train with the USA Basketball Senior National Team during training camp in Las Vegas next week.

Which means that Sun basketball writer Rob Miech got all of his picks for Team USA correct. Add an asterisk if you must, but the next time you see our guy Rob, he'll probably be taking Nostradomus to the hole. The Amazing Kreskin has called "next."

"We're pleased that Tyson has accepted the invitation to train with the USA Senior National Team during the upcoming training camp in Las Vegas," said Team USA director Jerry Colangelo. "This will allow Tyson and the team to be better prepared in the event that he is needed."

Or in the event somebody falls off a bar stool or a blackjack table.

Chandler was a member of the 2007 USA team that won the gold medal in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship at the Thomas & Mack Center that qualified the NBA stars for the Beijing Olympics.

Greece didn't play in that one. And Argentina brought its junior varsity.

The USA Senior Team will resume training in Las Vegas Monday and will play Canada (minus Steve Nash and Wayne Gretzky) at 5 p.m. next Saturday in the State Farm USA Basketball Challenge at the Thomas & Mack Center.

----- I see where UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger is going to make an appearance at a Yellow Pages recycling event on Wednesday. This is one more reason why he's the perfect coach for UNLV, and not Rick Pitino. Another is that he doesn't work the referees in a white suit that may or may not have been a hand-me-down from Colonel Sanders. As ESPN's Rece Davis said in one of the sound bites of the year, "Can I get a Fudgsicle?"

----- In his story on New York Knicks hotshot Danilo Gallinari, Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports said the Italian sniper had been dropped into the Vegas Summer League "among the swashbuckling pirates, dancing fountains, penny slots and $2 Heinekens." What a rookie! Ludden, not Gallinari. Everybody knows you can get a Heiney for a buck at Sam's Town. Any bar.

----- Separated at birth: Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and Red Rocker of the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. I made the mistake of trying to watch Klitschko knock Tony Thompson's (whoever he is) block off in Germany. I don't care how long Manny Steward has been working with the Dr. Maxwell -- er, Steel -- Hammer, he's still more mechanical than a socket wrench set for Sears. Somebody prop up Tex Cobb so he can clean up the division.

----- Or maybe Vai Sikahema could do it. The former BYU star and Philadelphia Eagles kick returner -- and ex-Golden Gloves boxer -- destroyed Jose Canseco in the first round of their boxing match for charity, despite giving away seven inches and 43 pounds to the muscle-headed former slugger. The fight was supposed to be the first step in Canseco's mixed martial arts career, who should have taken a cue from his opponent and signaled for a fair catch.

----- And speaking of cleaning up the division, somebody call Teddy KGB and tell him to bring his Oreos. The World Series of Poker needs somebody at the final table we've heard of.

THEN:

----- When I was a kid, the baseball All-Star Game was one of the highlights of summer. That, and the jingle of the Mister Softee truck. Now, the All-Star Game doesn't mean that much. And there's no joy in Mudville, because TCBY relieved Dairy Queen with the bases loaded and struck out Mister Softee with a low-cal sorbet on the outside corner.

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