By Ethen Lieser
NBA’s biggest head case next to Rasheed Wallace is leaving California — Thank God! Jason Williams, Sacramento Kings’ all-flash, no-production point guard, was traded on Thursday to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Mike Bibby. During his three seasons in the NBA, Williams has been suspended five times for failing to comply with the league’s drug policy and was fined for making derogatory slurs to Asian Americans and gays during a game in Oakland. Williams, the seventh overall choice out of University of Florida in the 1998 NBA Draft, averaged 9.4 points and 5.4 assists this season, but shot another miserable (yet career-best) 40 percent from the field. So, happy trails, Jason — still think behind-the-back passes and launching 30-foot 3-pointers win games? You’ll learn soon enough with the woeful Grizzlies … Tiger Woods broke Greg Norman’s record with his 97th consecutive week atop the world golf rankings. Despite his pedestrian play at the U.S. Open and Buick Classic the last two weeks, Woods kept his No. 1 ranking, exceeding the previous 96-week record set by Norman from June 18, 1995, to April 13, 1997 … For the third straight year, Woods is sports’ most appealing product. Neither Michael Jordan nor the No. 3 sports celebrity, cyclist Lance Armstrong, was close to Woods in the survey by Burns Sports & Celebrities Inc., a sports marketing firm … The face of Ichiro Suzuki will be everywhere in Safeco Field on July 10. The Seattle Mariners outfielder, along with Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Pedro Martinez and Mike Piazza, won a spot on the cover of the programs for the All-Star Game, even though voting for starters has not yet ended. Ichiro currently leads all vote getters in both leagues … Anaheim Angels pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa, who regularly faced Ichiro in Japan, said to look for more power from the A.L.’s leading hitter in the future. Ichiro has only four home runs this year … Arizona Diamondbacks Byung-Hyun Kim has registered 61 strikeouts this year, the most among major league relievers.
Reach Ethen Lieser at elieser@asianweek.com. |
