The most cliche terminology in the sports world today is great. Great players on great teams making great plays in great games are what we know as great moments. But what is great? It seems as though anything can qualify as great. But that's not what great is at all. That's only mediocrity. And mediocrity isn't even as good as good, which obviously is far off as good as great. Dictionary.com defines great as: of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable. But that still leaves great at question. It looks and sounds very unclear which puts it at jeopardy. Great should be distinguished and should be one of the strongest descriptive characteristics any one can be categorized as.
The concept of great is supposed to be like a beautiful teenage virgin girl. So pure and rare. Like the 8th wonder of the world. We find ourselves shortchange and valuing it because of its amazing beauty. Instead great turned into the school hoe. What once used to be looked upon as magnificent if ever obtained is now mere common. She's nothing special anymore. Because she's been played like a flute so many times she's still pretty nice but nothing to get wet over.
Contrary to popular belief great is averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists as an 18 year old rookie coming out of high school into the NBA. Great is leading your team to the NBA Finals at the age of 22. Great is pouring 50 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists on March 5, 2008 and then 52 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists on February 4, 2009; both in Madison Square Garden. Great is being criticized of how weakly aggressive your ability to score in the clutch is and then scoring 29 of your team's final 30 points (48 in total), including it's final 25 in a double-overtime victory during the Eastern Conference Finals as an opposing player in the Palace of Auburn Hills. Great is leading your team to a 39-2 homestand while finishing with an overall record of 66-16.
Great is scoring 81 points. Great is reaching the NBA finals after being prosecuted of felony rape charges. Great is 4 rings. Great is being the all-time leading scorer for a franchise who has won 14 championships and reached the playoffs all but 5 times in team history. Great is wearing two jersey numbers for the same team with the possibility of having both retired when your career is over. Great is pouring 61 points in Madison Sqaure Garden, where the opposing fans chant "MVP" when you're at the free throw line.
We aren't grateful of greatness. And its about time that changes.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
2/18/10
February 18th 2010- the day the history of the National Basketball Association had forever changed.
The Portland Trailblazers acquire C Marcus Camby; the Los Angeles Clippers acquire G Steve Blake and F Travis Outlaw. This transaction put both teams in a good spot for their needs. The Blazers have been looking to trade Blake ever since Jerryd Bayless emerged into the guard he failed to prove he was during his rookie season. It was relatively easy for the Blazers to nab Camby at the deadline. His inside presence was desperately needed after Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla suffered season ending injuries. Blake gives the Clippers a solid veteran who makes smart decisions when he has the basketball. Outlaw gives the Clips much needed versatility and athleticism as well as a high energy player coming off the bench.
The Dallas Mavericks acquire F Caron Butler, G DeShawn Stevenson, and C Brendan Haywood; The Washington Wizards acquire F Josh Howard, F James Singleton, G Quinton Ross, and F Drew Gooden. For the Wizards the move was nearly meant to mean that the Wiz are seeking to recover now rather than rebuild from what may seems like "a series of unfortunate events". With Howard's arrival in the nation's capital he is now the team's number one scoring option and hopefully he can flourished in Flip Saunder's offense, which Caron Butler was lost in. The Mavs however got the better end of the stick by acquiring the NBA's best all-around player behind Lebron James in Caron Butler. Who, now playing alongside Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki, is free to create offense with and off the ball. While Haywood is not a prolific NBA center, he is however a very efficient one, who makes little mistakes and has improved his rebounding over the past season. He along with Butler can make a nice contribution to Dallas and may be able to push Denver into the third seed in the Western Conference.
The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire F Antawn Jamison and G Sebastian Telfair; The Los Angeles Clippers acquire F Drew Gooden; The Washington Wizards acquire F Al Thornton, C Zydrunas Ilgaskaus, and Cleveland's 1st round draft pick. This deal almost met most team's goals. As the Clippers looked to ship Telfair and Thornton out of town because each fell out of the team's favor due to their lack of productivity. By acquiring Gooden , whose contract comes off the books after this season, they are now in position to sign a marquee free agent this upcoming summer. The Wizards, however, did not have the same goals as the Clippers even with their season crumbling right before their eyes. They looked to blow their team up instead of getting value from them. With Arenas now looking at a suspended season and time behind bars, it's time for Washington to move on from the Arenas era and give their core an entire new look. Even if that means moving their most consistent player in Antawn Jamison. Thornton can now operate on the wing in Washington adding his toughness and ability to attack the basket. But the real winners of the trade are the Cavs. Who will resign long time center, Zydrunas Ilgaskaus after the Wizards buyout his contract and release him. Telfair, may now better than ever finally get his chance to blossom because of the fact that he can relax on offense and not fully focus all of his offensive duties on creating for his teammates. He will now be able to attack defenders off the dribble, as he has a great chance to securely steal Daniel Gibson's spot and maybe even some of Delonte West's minutes in the rotation. Plus now adding Jamison to the roster means the Cavs finally have their final piece to potentially win a championship in June. Jamison can not only provide scoring, rebounding ability and veteran leadership but versatility as well. He and Lebron James can take advantage of smaller lineups and bigger lineups with their abilities to match almost any and every shooting guard, small forward and power forwards in the Eastern Conference. Including Rashard Lewis and the Orlando Magic, who the Cavs were unable to defend last year in the playoffs.
The Boston Celtics acquire G Nate Robinson; the New York Knicks acquire G Eddie House, G JR Giddens, and F Bill Walker. Obviously with Boston adding Robinson into their backcourt rotation they are providing much needed energy and scoring ability. He can take loads of pressure off of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen and can even finish games. The only question is how long will it take for him to adjust and is he a liability on the defensive end? The Knicks acquire not only more toughness but much needed veteran leadership out of Eddie House who can mentor players like Wilson Chandler, Danillo Gallinari, and Toney Douglas. House will fit well playing D'Antoni again and has a great opportunity to earn minutes playing behind Chris Duhon for the remainder of the season.
The Houston Rockets acquire G Kevin Martin, F Jared Jeffries, F Jordan Hill, the rights to swap 1st round draft picks with the New York Knicks in 2011, and the New York Knicks 2012 1st round draft pick; The Sacramento Kings acquire G Larry Hughes, F Carl Landry, and F Joey Dorsey; the New York Knicks acquire G Tracy McGrady and G Sergio Rodriguez. This trade is significant to the New York Knicks era of error. Due to the fact the Knicks always manage to screw up. The blockbuster deals they make are based upon potential and chance. Such as this one. With the potential of the Knicks finishing the season off strong so they wouldn't hurt as much with this year's 1st round draft choice going to the Utah Jazz. The Knicks also are hopeful that Jordan Hill fails to acheive his potential in Houston where he will team again with former Arizona Wildcat, Chase Budinger. They are also hopeful that this summer they can sign two big name free agents like the likes of Lebron James, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade where they will be in position to compete for an NBA championship. The Kings on the other side are looking in another direction. With the new acquisition of Larry Hughes' expiring contract this off season they could sign a free agent who could compliment their new franchise player in Tyreke Evans well. Now with the addition of Carl Landry the Kings get a player who can score in the post. A void that needed to be filled. Landry is best at coming off the bench with high energy and terrific explosiveness. He can score in loads but lacks the the rebounding abilities and defensive skills his position requires. Houston however got the best of the deal. Kevin Martin fits the needs the Rockets lacked. He is a terrific athlete and a very creatively aggressive scorer. He would strive in Rick Adelman's offense, where he played under him in Sacramento several years ago. He makes smart decisions and can play well in a starting lineup featuring Aaron Brooks, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola, and Chuck Hayes. Where he becomes the score to scorer and can take over late in games where he will explode for 40. With Jordan Hill the Rockets add a young athletic forward who many have compared to Chris Bosh coming out of college. He gives the Rockets better height and can create his own shot against less athletic players.
A lot of the teams in the NBA who were active at the deadline got what they wanted. The biggest winners were the Cavs and the Rockets., as both teams gave up little and gained more than they could ask for (not really but yeah). Depending upon how the rest of the season plays out will prove exactly how significant this day was and what it means to the history of the most anticipated summer of sports ever and what impact it will create to the rest of everyone else. The losers will continue to lose while most winners will begin to lose. Because there is only one winner. And that's where his thrown is.
The Portland Trailblazers acquire C Marcus Camby; the Los Angeles Clippers acquire G Steve Blake and F Travis Outlaw. This transaction put both teams in a good spot for their needs. The Blazers have been looking to trade Blake ever since Jerryd Bayless emerged into the guard he failed to prove he was during his rookie season. It was relatively easy for the Blazers to nab Camby at the deadline. His inside presence was desperately needed after Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla suffered season ending injuries. Blake gives the Clippers a solid veteran who makes smart decisions when he has the basketball. Outlaw gives the Clips much needed versatility and athleticism as well as a high energy player coming off the bench.
The Dallas Mavericks acquire F Caron Butler, G DeShawn Stevenson, and C Brendan Haywood; The Washington Wizards acquire F Josh Howard, F James Singleton, G Quinton Ross, and F Drew Gooden. For the Wizards the move was nearly meant to mean that the Wiz are seeking to recover now rather than rebuild from what may seems like "a series of unfortunate events". With Howard's arrival in the nation's capital he is now the team's number one scoring option and hopefully he can flourished in Flip Saunder's offense, which Caron Butler was lost in. The Mavs however got the better end of the stick by acquiring the NBA's best all-around player behind Lebron James in Caron Butler. Who, now playing alongside Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki, is free to create offense with and off the ball. While Haywood is not a prolific NBA center, he is however a very efficient one, who makes little mistakes and has improved his rebounding over the past season. He along with Butler can make a nice contribution to Dallas and may be able to push Denver into the third seed in the Western Conference.
The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire F Antawn Jamison and G Sebastian Telfair; The Los Angeles Clippers acquire F Drew Gooden; The Washington Wizards acquire F Al Thornton, C Zydrunas Ilgaskaus, and Cleveland's 1st round draft pick. This deal almost met most team's goals. As the Clippers looked to ship Telfair and Thornton out of town because each fell out of the team's favor due to their lack of productivity. By acquiring Gooden , whose contract comes off the books after this season, they are now in position to sign a marquee free agent this upcoming summer. The Wizards, however, did not have the same goals as the Clippers even with their season crumbling right before their eyes. They looked to blow their team up instead of getting value from them. With Arenas now looking at a suspended season and time behind bars, it's time for Washington to move on from the Arenas era and give their core an entire new look. Even if that means moving their most consistent player in Antawn Jamison. Thornton can now operate on the wing in Washington adding his toughness and ability to attack the basket. But the real winners of the trade are the Cavs. Who will resign long time center, Zydrunas Ilgaskaus after the Wizards buyout his contract and release him. Telfair, may now better than ever finally get his chance to blossom because of the fact that he can relax on offense and not fully focus all of his offensive duties on creating for his teammates. He will now be able to attack defenders off the dribble, as he has a great chance to securely steal Daniel Gibson's spot and maybe even some of Delonte West's minutes in the rotation. Plus now adding Jamison to the roster means the Cavs finally have their final piece to potentially win a championship in June. Jamison can not only provide scoring, rebounding ability and veteran leadership but versatility as well. He and Lebron James can take advantage of smaller lineups and bigger lineups with their abilities to match almost any and every shooting guard, small forward and power forwards in the Eastern Conference. Including Rashard Lewis and the Orlando Magic, who the Cavs were unable to defend last year in the playoffs.
The Boston Celtics acquire G Nate Robinson; the New York Knicks acquire G Eddie House, G JR Giddens, and F Bill Walker. Obviously with Boston adding Robinson into their backcourt rotation they are providing much needed energy and scoring ability. He can take loads of pressure off of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen and can even finish games. The only question is how long will it take for him to adjust and is he a liability on the defensive end? The Knicks acquire not only more toughness but much needed veteran leadership out of Eddie House who can mentor players like Wilson Chandler, Danillo Gallinari, and Toney Douglas. House will fit well playing D'Antoni again and has a great opportunity to earn minutes playing behind Chris Duhon for the remainder of the season.
The Houston Rockets acquire G Kevin Martin, F Jared Jeffries, F Jordan Hill, the rights to swap 1st round draft picks with the New York Knicks in 2011, and the New York Knicks 2012 1st round draft pick; The Sacramento Kings acquire G Larry Hughes, F Carl Landry, and F Joey Dorsey; the New York Knicks acquire G Tracy McGrady and G Sergio Rodriguez. This trade is significant to the New York Knicks era of error. Due to the fact the Knicks always manage to screw up. The blockbuster deals they make are based upon potential and chance. Such as this one. With the potential of the Knicks finishing the season off strong so they wouldn't hurt as much with this year's 1st round draft choice going to the Utah Jazz. The Knicks also are hopeful that Jordan Hill fails to acheive his potential in Houston where he will team again with former Arizona Wildcat, Chase Budinger. They are also hopeful that this summer they can sign two big name free agents like the likes of Lebron James, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade where they will be in position to compete for an NBA championship. The Kings on the other side are looking in another direction. With the new acquisition of Larry Hughes' expiring contract this off season they could sign a free agent who could compliment their new franchise player in Tyreke Evans well. Now with the addition of Carl Landry the Kings get a player who can score in the post. A void that needed to be filled. Landry is best at coming off the bench with high energy and terrific explosiveness. He can score in loads but lacks the the rebounding abilities and defensive skills his position requires. Houston however got the best of the deal. Kevin Martin fits the needs the Rockets lacked. He is a terrific athlete and a very creatively aggressive scorer. He would strive in Rick Adelman's offense, where he played under him in Sacramento several years ago. He makes smart decisions and can play well in a starting lineup featuring Aaron Brooks, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola, and Chuck Hayes. Where he becomes the score to scorer and can take over late in games where he will explode for 40. With Jordan Hill the Rockets add a young athletic forward who many have compared to Chris Bosh coming out of college. He gives the Rockets better height and can create his own shot against less athletic players.
A lot of the teams in the NBA who were active at the deadline got what they wanted. The biggest winners were the Cavs and the Rockets., as both teams gave up little and gained more than they could ask for (not really but yeah). Depending upon how the rest of the season plays out will prove exactly how significant this day was and what it means to the history of the most anticipated summer of sports ever and what impact it will create to the rest of everyone else. The losers will continue to lose while most winners will begin to lose. Because there is only one winner. And that's where his thrown is.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Live During the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas, TX
Rumors will never be new in sports. No matter what they are or what people seem to believe they will always be there. Here we go again you may think. Ultimately turning on a computer and logging onto ESPN news or slamonline you'll find what most fans seem to enjoy. The possibilities of what could be. Remember in the summer of 200z when Kobe Bryant told Stephen A. Smith that he wanted to ride the first plane out of LA after witnessing Lebron James carry a less than mediocre Cleveland Cavalier team to the NBA finals only to be swept by the then Western Conference powerhouse San Antonio Spurs? All sorts of rumors began to surface. Kobe was being pursued by the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, and even the New York Knicks. Even Kevin Garnett's days left as a Minnesota Timberwolve began to count down. He was rumored that he was going to be shipped to Los Angeles where he would pair with Kobe to change the entire NBA. Imagine what would have happened! There would be no Big Three in Boston. Pau Gasol could be well in Memphis still begging for a new home.
Now we're looking towards the most anticipated off-season in sports history. Tons can change from now and then. Lebron can opt to stay in Cleveland which looks very unlikely. Or he can decide to join the Lakers in a sign and trade in what would be the most fun, fire-driven, nightmare giving team anybody has even dared to imagine. You somewhat get the chills of thinking about Lebron James and Kobe Bryant pairing together for a full 82 games under the philosophy of Phil Jackson's triple post offense designed to showcase the individual and team oriented talents of each player. Or he can stun even the good lord himself and swim in the swamps with his business partner and close friend Sean Carter's team the soon to be Brooklyn Nets. Where he would add to his legacy and evolve the NBA's worst team ever and make them an instant championship contender where he could be coached by the likes of Jeff Van Gundy or Avery Jonhson. He would be surrounded by All-Star point guard Devin Harris and blossoming center Brook Lopez who has come into his own during his sophomore season. The supporting cast of Yi Jianlian, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee and possibly the likes of John Wall looks very attractive despite their lack of success. Wherever the King ends up rocking his no. 6 uni next season, sportscenter won't stop talking about it for months and it would change history drastically.
As of this moment the most likely potential free agent to jump ship looks like Chris Bosh. He believes he is good enough to be THE GUY for a championship team. But he's yet to prove he can carry a Raptor team out of the first round of the post season. It would be in Bosh's best interest to join a major market team such as the New York Knicks or the Chicago Bulls or the rumored Miami Heat where he alongside former 2008 olympic teammate Dwyane Wade would pair to create havoc in the Eastern Conference and challenge the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, and the declining Boston Celtics.
Now where to go when you're a team without cap space who's looking to get better this summer? If you're the Celtics it looks like right now is your best chance to get better for the long term. Of course you're going to look at the most realistic trade chip in Ray Allen and use him as trade bait to discuss names like Kevin Martin, Kirk Hinrich, Monta Ellis and even Andre Iguadola. Of course Ray Allen can still contribute but apart from Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics are beginning to look rather anti-young causing them to fall to Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta although they may have the best depth in the NBA. Danny Ainge's moves have spelled strong in the past but its time he looks at the long term rather than the short term even though he may be able to pull off both.
We're more than mid-way through the NBA season and the biggest stories are "Gilbert Arenas' gun charges", "Brandon Jenning's rookie outburst of 55 points over the Golden State Warriors", "The All-Star surge of Kevin Durant, who looks to be leading the Oklahoma City Thunder into the playoffs in just his 3rd year", " Blake Griffin and Greg Oden's unfortunate season-ending injuries", "The much successful duo of Lebron and Shaq", and "The 4-48 New Jersey Nets". By season's end we shall see new homes for Amare Stoudemire, Antawn Jamison and Tyrus Thomas. Vinny Del Negro, Mike Brown, Eric Spoelstra, and Alvin Gentry will no longer have coaching gigs. Both Greg Poppovich and Tim Duncan will be contemplating retirement. Gilbert Arenas contract will be voided before serving time in jail. And Carlos Boozer will join Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls to create a force to reckon with.
But remember its all rumors... So spread the word!
Now we're looking towards the most anticipated off-season in sports history. Tons can change from now and then. Lebron can opt to stay in Cleveland which looks very unlikely. Or he can decide to join the Lakers in a sign and trade in what would be the most fun, fire-driven, nightmare giving team anybody has even dared to imagine. You somewhat get the chills of thinking about Lebron James and Kobe Bryant pairing together for a full 82 games under the philosophy of Phil Jackson's triple post offense designed to showcase the individual and team oriented talents of each player. Or he can stun even the good lord himself and swim in the swamps with his business partner and close friend Sean Carter's team the soon to be Brooklyn Nets. Where he would add to his legacy and evolve the NBA's worst team ever and make them an instant championship contender where he could be coached by the likes of Jeff Van Gundy or Avery Jonhson. He would be surrounded by All-Star point guard Devin Harris and blossoming center Brook Lopez who has come into his own during his sophomore season. The supporting cast of Yi Jianlian, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee and possibly the likes of John Wall looks very attractive despite their lack of success. Wherever the King ends up rocking his no. 6 uni next season, sportscenter won't stop talking about it for months and it would change history drastically.
As of this moment the most likely potential free agent to jump ship looks like Chris Bosh. He believes he is good enough to be THE GUY for a championship team. But he's yet to prove he can carry a Raptor team out of the first round of the post season. It would be in Bosh's best interest to join a major market team such as the New York Knicks or the Chicago Bulls or the rumored Miami Heat where he alongside former 2008 olympic teammate Dwyane Wade would pair to create havoc in the Eastern Conference and challenge the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, and the declining Boston Celtics.
Now where to go when you're a team without cap space who's looking to get better this summer? If you're the Celtics it looks like right now is your best chance to get better for the long term. Of course you're going to look at the most realistic trade chip in Ray Allen and use him as trade bait to discuss names like Kevin Martin, Kirk Hinrich, Monta Ellis and even Andre Iguadola. Of course Ray Allen can still contribute but apart from Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics are beginning to look rather anti-young causing them to fall to Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta although they may have the best depth in the NBA. Danny Ainge's moves have spelled strong in the past but its time he looks at the long term rather than the short term even though he may be able to pull off both.
We're more than mid-way through the NBA season and the biggest stories are "Gilbert Arenas' gun charges", "Brandon Jenning's rookie outburst of 55 points over the Golden State Warriors", "The All-Star surge of Kevin Durant, who looks to be leading the Oklahoma City Thunder into the playoffs in just his 3rd year", " Blake Griffin and Greg Oden's unfortunate season-ending injuries", "The much successful duo of Lebron and Shaq", and "The 4-48 New Jersey Nets". By season's end we shall see new homes for Amare Stoudemire, Antawn Jamison and Tyrus Thomas. Vinny Del Negro, Mike Brown, Eric Spoelstra, and Alvin Gentry will no longer have coaching gigs. Both Greg Poppovich and Tim Duncan will be contemplating retirement. Gilbert Arenas contract will be voided before serving time in jail. And Carlos Boozer will join Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls to create a force to reckon with.
But remember its all rumors... So spread the word!
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