[McDunkin]

 

Ivan Johnson has quite a contentious history when it comes to his middle finger. It isn’t that injuries have been a problem with the finger next to his pointer, however — he just enjoys the old-timey tradition of showing disrespect to things he doesn’t agree with by showing off his digitus medius.

The most recent situation happened on Thursday night, when, following a loss to the Boston Celtics, the reserve power forward for the Atlanta Hawks gave a ridiculing fan a piece of his mind … by inserting his finger into the face of a random supporter clad in a Celtics jersey.

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It’s a good thing that Twitter’s Austin Espinoza caught this important part of the game — and that the fellas at Yahoo! Sports’ Ball Don’t Lie unearthed it for the world to see — for all of the world to witness. Not only because it adds to the legacy that is Ivan Johnson, 28-Year-Old Rookie Who Led The NBA D-League In Technical Fouls, but also because this isn’t the first time that Johnson has been caught with his finger in the air near a basketball court.

The story was recounted quite a few times on national television broadcasts this season, but the facts of Johnson being banned in Korea have always been a bit blurry … until now. After quite a bit of Internet detective work, we’ve found the news story that tells of the time Johnson earned a lifetime ban from the Korean Basketball League for "flicking off" an official.

South Korea’s professional basketball league has permanently banned an American player for flicking off a referee at the final game of the championship series, the sport’s governing body said Friday.

According to the Korea Basketball League (KBL), Ivan Johnson, who played for the Jeonju KCC Egis last season, raised his middle finger towards a referee after his team lost to Ulsan Mobis Phoebis at the final game of the championship series on Sunday.

After the game, the KBL held a disciplinary committee meeting and decided to permanently expel Johnson while imposing a 5 million won (4,448 U.S. dollars) fine as well.

The most interesting part of the story was actually buried in the final paragraph, however, as it brings to light even more (!!!) instances of Johnson using his middle finger to alleviate his frustrations.

The 26-year old Johnson had been penalized several times for obscene gestures this year, including in April when he was fined 6 million won for giving the finger to the opposing head coach and in February when he was fined 4 million won for the same action at an opposing player and provoking a fight, the KBL said.

Yours truly watched Johnson’s entire NBA D-League season following the Korean ban and, at least as far as I can remember, none of the 23 technical fouls he picked up over the course of 49 D-League games were due to his use of the middle finger. It would seem now that I may have missed some, however, considering his propensity for doing the dang thing.

Reading all of this might lead one to believe that Johnson is the athletic world’s foremost leader in "flipping the bird," but he certainly isn’t the first athlete to signal his displeasure using the middle finger. According to the BBC’s research, that distinction can be traced back to baseball in 1886.

The middle finger, which Dr. Morris says probably arrived in the US with Italian immigrants, is documented in the US as early as 1886, when a pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters gave it in a joint team photograph with the rival New York Giants.

It’s kind of like the circle of life, then, seeing as how the earliest and latest incidents involving the middle finger in sports can both be traced back to Boston. It’s unclear if that’s in any way related tothis important poll, but it does seem like something to keep in mind going forward.

 

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/5/11/3014108/ivan-johnson-middle-finger-photo

[ProudGrandpaParticipant]

"6 million won?!  Where the F am I gonna come up wit 6 million won?!"

[joke87658741Participant]

what?

[WorldWay TAParticipant]

Put simply, this latest iteration of Charlotte Bobcats isn’t anywhere near as brutally bad as last year’s batch, which is why it’s all but certain they’ll get back into double-digit wins this season. In fact, it’s not inconceivable to imagine them winning 30 games, which would more than triple last season’s winning percentage.
 

[WorldWay TAParticipant]

But will they be worse than the Bobcats? And where will Detroit and Sacramento and Phoenix end up in all this? With real lottery prizes like Nerlens Noel, Cody Zeller, and Shabazz Muhammad likely to declare for next year’s draft, these are questions worth asking.

[WorldWay TAParticipant]

Reggie Miller, Don Nelson Inducted Into Basketball Hall of Fame

[aiwosaogewaoParticipant]

The Los Angeles Clippers opened training camp on Friday with an early media day before their extended preseason that will take them all the way to China.

[sgggaParticipant]

The middle finger, which Dr. Morris says probably arrived in the US with Italian immigrants, is documented in the US as early as 1886, when a pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters gave it in a joint team photograph with the rival New York Giants.

[Louise McallisterParticipant]

It’s kind of like the circle of life, then, seeing as how the earliest and latest incidents involving the middle finger in sports can both be traced back to Boston. It’s unclear if that’s in any way related tothis important poll, but it does seem like something to keep in mind going forward.

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

Either way, it wasn’t meant as a compliment, resulting in a harsh retort from Howard.

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

That seemed to be the concern among most fans, and they can stop worrying. His conditioning is no longer an issue.kjhk65656

[chdaParticipant]

The 26-year old Johnson had been penalized several times for obscene gestures this year, including in April when he was fined 6 million won for giving the finger to the opposing head coach and in February when he was fined 4 million won for the same action at an opposing player and provoking a fight, the KBL said.

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

It’s too early to tell how good Waiters will be right away, but here’s what we think we know: He’s a streaky shooter from the perimeter, he can get to the basket practically at will, and as coach Byron Scott said, “he can go over the top” of defenders once there. Overall, he’s looking pretty good.bdgf4543

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

Again, it’s early, but that is the way it’s looking. Samuels and Leuer are both expected to back up second-year man Tristan Thompson at power forward. Samuels is more of an inside threat, Leuer is a big man who’s effective from the perimeter. So it’s a safe bet Scott will play each according to matchups.9870lgi

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

“I’m trying to change my game around to not focus on offense as much and be a presence on defense,” Samuels said.
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[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

Scott has offered nothing but praise for the backup point guard, acquired in an offseason trade (with a second-round pick, for D.J. Kennedy).jghfg546453

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

With Leuer and Pargo seemingly shoe-ins, potential candidates to be released now include camp invitees Justin Holiday and Kevin Anderson, undrafted free agents Kevin Jones and Michael Eric, trade-day acquisition Kelenna Azubuike, returning forward Luke Harangody and Sloan.jkhgdhg

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

Then again, Scott has already said it’s possible the Cavs keep both Pargo and Sloan, and Harangody just accepted the team’s qualifying offer over the summer. So keep in mind, all the names mentioned are pure speculation. And a few of them will make it.jghjfghd

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

The new Big-3 era was really only supposed to last three years. The Celtics were supposed to have a very short championship window and, when the three years were over, they would have to start anew around Rajon Rondo and whatever other draft picks may have matured into contributors along the way. Instead, they have now nearly doubled their life expectancy, entering this season as one of a handful of teams who should not be making any plans for June golf outings. Meanwhile, the success of the original Big-3 has spawned copycats around the league who saw Boston’s immediate, dramatic turnaround and want to experience it themselves.435434gafqa2323

[goroi83883Participant]

Put simply, this latest iteration of Charlotte Bobcats isn’t anywhere near as brutally bad as last year’s batch, which is why it’s all but certain they’ll get back into double-digit wins this season. In fact, it’s not inconceivable to imagine them winning 30 games, which would more than triple last season’s winning percentage.

[DWAGAAEEEAParticipant]

The new Big-3 era was really only supposed to last three years. The Celtics were supposed to have a very short championship window and, when the three years were over, they would have to start anew around Rajon Rondo and whatever other draft picks may have matured into contributors along the way. Instead, they have now nearly doubled their life expectancy, entering this season as one of a handful of teams who should not be making any plans for June golf outings. Meanwhile, the success of the original Big-3 has spawned copycats around the league who saw Boston’s immediate, dramatic turnaround and want to experience it themselves.jhgfdhg4543

[BringWinBingoParticipant]

Nicolas Batum had 12 points in his first game since returning to Portland with a four-year deal worth more than $45 million when the Blazers matched an offer sheet from Minnesota after Batum’s agent said his client wanted to join the Timberwolves.

[DunLiParticipant]

Even newcomers to the Suns have been impressed with Dragic’s ability, starting from day one in training camp. While Michael Beasley says he can’t compare Dragic to Nash at this point, he does like his competitive nature and spirit as the floor general.

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

Fortunately for Green’s shooting percentage, this Celtics team isn’t reliant on players forcing things on offense. Practically every player on this team outside of Rajon Rondo and Darko Milicic plays two or more positions. That means sometimes the Celtics will have a size advantage, sometimes they’ll have a speed advantage, but they always have to be cognizant of who they’re matched up with.

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

“He tells me all the time, you can’t be nice around this league,” Smith said. “You’ve got to go hard, be mean and not show weakness. You’ve got to earn your spot in this league, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

“I learned a lot,” Waiters told HOOPSWORLD when asked about summer league. “First and foremost, I faced a lot of adversity, I think I needed that. It helped me take my work ethic to another level, just my game and my mindset. Some things, I mean, when you expect big things from yourself, you’re harder on yourself more than anybody else is. At the end of the day, it’s behind, it happened and I’m not looking back.”

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

“It felt good knowing that it’s going to come,” Waiters said of his great shooting night. “I wasn’t going to struggle forever. It’s more about me fading or leaning back on my shot, being off balance and keeping my follow through up. That’s the biggest thing with my jump shot, but I’m pretty comfortable out there now. I found myself rushing a lot and being impatient, but tonight I just let the game come to me, took what was there. I tried to attack, I got to clean up my turnovers a little bit, that’s something I can take care of easily, just take care of the ball and just make the right decision.”

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

“I told the players that I’m going to use the entire month to try and focus and find the right fit for this team,” Smart said. “I used Tyreke in training camp at the one, two and three. So I’m going to look and focus on what group of players can fit together and not over-step each other. But Tyreke was by far our best defensive player on our team during training camp. So I’m looking forward to him being able to fill multiple roles for our team.”l.kjhlkhjk878

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

“As we’re speaking, I’m getting ready to put together a tape from where we were last year, and how he performed defensively, to what he’s done in training camp,” Smart said. “The guy has shown that he wants to commit to that side of the ball. He came in camp in great shape, did a great job in everything we were doing and wants to take the next step. He’s got to be consistent in his play every night. I said to him that he should be an all-defensive player.mhjfghjfg

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

The right knee of Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has been problematic for him this preseason. He’s battling persistent swelling that could be fixed with arthroscopic knee surgery, but that would keep him out anywhere from three-to-six weeks.

“I’m doing everything I can not to have surgery,” Nowitzki said after the Mavericks’ 123-104 victory on Monday night. “I guess that’s obvious that I really don’t want it done now. If I want to do it, I would love to do it after the season, get through the season somehow, but the swelling came back three or four times now. That’s obviously not good news.54765645

[hkdojzoaParticipant]

While Nowitkzi’s hesitancy to go under the knife is easy to understand, the Mavericks aren’t really in a position where they can afford for him to be ailing all season long. With all the changes made to his surrounding cast, they are going to rely on him just as much as they ever have, maybe more.vsaf3223

[ueozaosaoParticipant]

The other part is you just can’t make a three and give up a three at the other end every possession. He is learning, believe me. This doesn’t mean Terrence Ross is not going to play for us or not a part of it. He is going to be big for us. He is our future, but right now he is just a typical rookie and you could stop every play for him [to teach]. He is learning.”

[ueozaosaoParticipant]

“Yeah, you always want to play alongside the best people that you can as a team,” Patterson said. “We’ve got a lot of competition at the four, we’ve got a lot of fours. We have a lot of people who can pretty much play on the court, a lot of guys who can use their skills to help this team out in anyway possible. For me, personally, I want to be the starting four, so I’m going to do whatever it takes in order for that to happen. So I’ve got to work hard everyday in practice, be the first one here and the last one to leave, and just show the coaches that I deserve it.”

[yrt5434Participant]

A solid deep threat in college, Ross has NBA three-point range and a smooth stroke with a high release. Casey had specifically requested that the Raptors add more shooters this summer. Unfortunately for Ross, Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo honored Casey’s request in spades. The Raptors added several players who can knock down threes including Kyle Lowry, John Lucas III and Landry Fields

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