I can't believe I am saying this but I miss Vince Carter.
I just finished watching the NBA Dunk Contest and needless to say I was left feeling underwhelmed. That was by far the worst Slam Dunk Contest ever and one of the most boring sporting events I have ever watched. It was so bad that I found myself changing over to the Canadian Womens Hockey game and not caring if I missed a dunk.
The only thing that made that even remotely interesting was Charles Barkley. I was killing myself laughing at some of the comments he was making and it reinforced my argument that Barkley should do commentary on a regular basis.
Here are some of his better comments:
"You ever notice Gatorade don't work on guys that suck"
"Man the Knicks got a lot of people here considering how awful they are"
"It would be impressive if he was taller than one of them" - Barkley talking about Nate Robinson and the Mavericks cheerleaders.
"Maybe nobody will win"
Now I am sure I won't be the only one to write something negative about the Dunk Contest but I will probably be the only person not blaming the participants themselves. I really don't its Gerald Wallace's fault his dunks were terrible. He is an awful basketball player and a below average dunker so really all he did tonight was live up to expectations.
The same can be said for Shannon Brown and DeMar DeRozan. Yes both of them are great dunkers but that is during games. Their dunks only seem impressive because they are usually happening while some 6'10 defender is in the way. Never have either of them shown flashes of creativity so all they did tonight was do what they normally do, except without someone in their way.
If you are looking to blame someone for this pathetic showing then blame LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Josh Smith. Those are the best 5 dunkers in basketball and none of them had the balls to step up and compete and none of them, except Kobe who has a finger injury, have a valid excuse.
Why would LeBron not be in the Dunk Contest? Its not as if anyone has ever been hurt while competing or anything so what possible excuse could he have? This event would be legitimate again if it featured the best dunkers in the league like it used to when Jordan, and to a lesser extent Vince Carter, competed.
Maybe LeBron knew the event would suck and wanted to wait 1 more year so he could claim all the credit for making the Dunk Contest relevant again who knows. All I know is that this event is dying and unless something changes next year then it very well might never recover.
By the way what happened to using props? Last year Dwight Howard had the cape and the phonebooth and Robinson had the green shoes and everything. That made it a little more interesting at least. I remember a couple of years ago Gerald Green had a table and a birthday candle and Rudy Gay dunked with no shoes on. Where has the sportsmanship gone? Then again what could we really have expected from 3 guys (Wallace, Brown and DeRozan) who have the combined personality of a coffee table?
The NBA will surely do something to fix the contest for next year because I am sure all the top executives were watching that pitiful performance and heard the American Airlines Center sound as quiet as a church. All I know is that I want the last 60 minutes of my life back.
DeMar DeRozan, Nate Robinson, Gerald Wallace and Shannon Brown you can all go back to being irrelevant now.
Last night I went out to the bar for my roommates birthday. The drinks were flowing and the live music was so I was having a really good time. Then some douchebag Jays fan, who couldn't hold his liquor, started talking to me and completely shit on my night. The conversation went something like this,
Douchebag - Did you hear about the Jays getting Kevin Gregg?
Me - Anytime you can get a guy with a career 4.10 ERA for $2.75 million you gotta do it.
Douchebag - Who do you cheer for?
Me - The RedSox.
Douchebag - Anytime you can sign Jonothan Papelbon to a longterm deal you gotta do it. Anaheim Angels!
Me - World Series title and when was the last time your team made the playoffs?
Basically the conversation went on like that for some time. He brought up points such as "Ortiz is fat and old, Papelbon sucks and who trades Manny?" Then I responded with, "haven't made the playoffs since 93, your staff "ace" is Rickey Romero and who trades Roy Halladay?"
Never before have I wanted to punch someone in the face more. I mean I know most sports fans are morons and biased idiots but to be a Jays fan and openly chirp the Boston RedSox is a whole new low? It would be like Senegal giving Canada a hard time. The Jays/Senegal are a 3rd world/rate team where as Canada/RedSox are a prosperous nation/team.
Say otherwise and you immediately label yourself an idiot.
The Blue Jays are one of the most irrelevant teams in MLB. They never make the playoffs and are more talked about for the awful contracts that they have doled out (see Vernon Wells, BJ Ryan and Alex Rios) than for their accomplishments on the field.
The RedSox on the other hand are constantly in the playoffs and are one of the most beloved franchises in all of sports. Yes their payroll is in the top 5 in MLB but does a high payroll always equal success and furthermore should a teams accomplishments be diminished simply because the owners spend money?
To me when I hear Jays fans talk about payroll all I hear is jealousy. Jays fans only wish that their deep pocketed owners cared enough about the team to spend more money. The lack of money spent by Rogers on the Blue Jays should be a sign to fans that the company doesn't see it as a valuable investment. To put it simply Rogers knows the Jays suck and are worthless so should the fans.
This is why I will never be a Jays fan. I would not want to lump myself in with all the other morons who know nothing about baseball. There is nothing wrong with being a loyal fan but you have to be realistic. The Jays play in the toughest division in baseball and do not have the talent to compete with the RedSox/Yankees/Rays, that is just a fact. If they spent more money, properly, then they could compete. But since they refuse to do that they are stuck in a cycle of mediocrity from which they will never escape.
But I digress.
This douchebag from the bar turned out to be a friend of a friend so he was in our group as we were walking home from the bar. The whole time I was looking at him with such hatred and I knew that if he continued with us for much longer I would eventually punch him in the face and spit on his Jays hat as it was dislodged from his head.
Then fate intervened.
My roommates, whose birthday we were out celebrating, started wrestling with his friend (this guy was friends with the douchebag). The second they started wrestling the douchebag gets this spooked look in his eyes and literally starts sprinting away as if he was being chased by a murdered. I have never seen anyone run away from a physical confrontation so fast in my entire life, he would have made any Frenchmen proud.
What made it even more enjoyable was that I later learned he ran because he was afraid he was going to get beaten up. This may have been a legitimate concern had anyone actually been fighting. They were just messing around and it was all in good fun. The Jays fan is just a massive pussy and got the hell out of there like George did at the birthday party when he thought there was a fire.
A lot of people have been complaining about this card because they think it sucks and that the main event is awful. I on the other hand am pumped for tonight’s fights as they showcase a lot of top UFC talent that the casual fan might not know.
Nate Marquardt is one of the most underrated fighters in MMA and Demian Maia is probably the best jujitsu practitioner in MMA. Plus Couture vs Coleman is interesting because it is the first time two UFC Hall of Famers fighting which has never happened before.
While there is no title being defended I still think this card is going to provide fans with an exciting night of fights.
Now for the predictions:
Randy “The Natural” Couture (17-10-0) vs Mark “The Hammer” Coleman (16-9-0)
This is a really important fight for Couture. Not in terms of his legacy or putting himself in line for a title shot but for the sake of my respect. If Randy Couture does not finish Mark Coleman then I will no longer be a fan of his and can no longer support him. How do you not finish Coleman who gases 45 seconds into fights and looks like a 65 year old man?
Couture is in far better shape than Coleman and will tire him out quickly by forcing him against the cage and clinching. He did it to Brandon Vera, Gabriel Gonzaga and Tim Sylvia and now he will do it to Mark “The Geriatric” Coleman.
Both these guys are wrestlers with a boxing background. Couture is in greater shape and has shown a resiliency that Coleman has not. I see no way in which Coleman wins this fight and it will no doubt be an embarrassing way to end a career.
Tangent: How bad is Stephan Bonnar that he lost to Coleman? Seriously. Coleman has looked terrible in all his fights since coming back and yet he schooled Bonnar for 3 rounds. Bonnar needs to be kicked out of the UFC based on that performance alone.
Prediction: Couture via TKO (if this goes to decision I am off the Couture bandwagon)
Nate “The Great” Marquardt (32-8-2) vs Chael Sonnen (25-10-1)
I know I already said it but I am going to say it again, Nate Marquardt is the most underrated fighter in the UFC. He has only lost twice in the Octagon (one to Anderson Silva and once to Thales Leites which was a bullshit decision and he only lost cause he got deducted a point). He is a well rounded fighter with no real weaknesses and if he wins this fight he will get another shot at Silva.
Chael Sonnen on the other hand is a bitch. His fights are usually pretty boring and he does not deserve a title shot, which he will get if he beats Marquardt. He is 2-1 in the UFC with both wins coming via decision and his 1 loss coming via submission to Demian Maia. I hope he gets knocked out tonight by Marquardt so people can finally realize how good Nate is and how deserving he is of a title shot.
Obviously I am biased with this pick as I am a huge Marquardt fan but I think it is a pick with some logic behind it. Marquardt can win in a number of different ways and will be more than Sonnen can handle tonight. Also the common opponent for these two fighters is Maia. Sonnen was submitted by Maia while Marquardt knocked him out in 21 seconds. This fight should be a no-brainer.
Prediction: Marquardt via TKO
Mike “Quick” Swick (14-3-0) vs Paulo Thiago (12-1-0)
Mike Swick is coming off a huge loss to Dan Hardy that would have given him a title shot as GSP. Now he has to start the long road back up the ladder against Thiago.
Swick is a dangerous fighter because he is so fast. His punches come from all angles and at blinding speed and his guillotine is one of the best in the business. Lately he has been working on his ground game so it will be interesting to see if he tries to utilize that to beat Thiago.
I have no faith in Paulo Thiago. He is 1-1 in the UFC and his only win was due to a flukey punch against an over-aggressive Josh Koscheck. Were those 2 to fight 100 times I think Thiago would win once. Thiago is a pretty boring fighter as well preferring to drag fights out and try and impose his will on his opponent rather than finishing. The same can’t be said for Swick who knows that exciting finishes win over the fans.
I like Mike Swick in this fight because he is a well rounded fighter who will be hungry for a win after the loss to Hardy. Thiago has yet to show me anything special and until he does I refuse to pick him.
Prediction: Swick via Submission
Demian Maia (11-1-0) vs Dan Miller ( 11-2-0, 1 NC)
Dan Miller is one of those fighters that everybody misjudges because of his record. He is 11-2 in his MMA career and 3-1 in the UFC. His 3 wins were against Rob Kimmons, Matt Horwich, and Jake Rosholt. When your signature win is against Jake Rosholt you have a problem.
Maia on the other hand has wins over Ed Herman, Jason McDonald, Sonnen and Nate Quarry. His jujitsu is unparalleled in the UFC and his record would have been perfect if not for running into Marquardt. Needless to say he is a dangerous fighter.
Miller prides himself on his jujitsu but he is clearly overmatched in this fight and will be lucky to make it out of the 1st round.
Prediction: Maia via Submission
Matt “The Terror” Serra (16-6-0) vs Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg (19-7-0)
Talk about washed up. Trigg vs Serra might be one of the most irrelevant fights in UFC history. This will definitively be the time I use to go take a dump because I could care less who wins.
I can`t believe I am going to write this but I like Matt Serra in this fight. He has solid submissions and he showed in his fight against GSP that he does pack some power in those T-rex arms. Will anything come of a win over Frank Trigg? I doubt it but at least it will give Serra some confidence.
As for Trigg there is no more telling stat other than this, he hasn`t won a fight in the UFC since 2004. He is 2-4 in his UFC career and does more trash talking than he should. Hopefully he will lose and then realize he has no business in the UFC and will go back to his night job at McDonalds...mmmm McDonalds.
One of the biggest ongoing stories in sports right now is “what will LeBron James do at the end of the season?” Will he stay in Cleveland and sign a long-term deal with the Cavs or will he become a free agent and sign with a different team?
As of right now LeBron has yet to make any sort of concrete comment as to what he plans to do which only fuels the debate even more. One day someone will see him in a Yankee hat and assume he is going to become a Knick and the next he will be seen with Dwyane Wade and rumours fly that he will go to Miami to join the Heat.
I obviously have no ties to LBJ but if I had to bet I would bet that he isn’t going anywhere and here is why:
LeBron’s Relationship with the Fans and his Teammates
Since getting Bill Simmons Book of Basketball for Christmas I have been watching a lot more basketball than normal. Before I would only watch Raptors games or the odd Lakers/Celtics game but now I find myself watching any 2 random teams play (as I am writing this I am watching the Spurs play the Blazers).
Obviously LeBron is a huge star and so naturally the NBA would broadcast more Cavs games so in the past 3 weeks I have watched about 9-10 Cavs games and I have come to 2 conclusions: 1) is that Shaq must weigh at least 425lbs and 2) LeBron loves the fans in Cleveland and loves his teammates.
First the fans. Before the start of every game LeBron goes to the scorers table and does that baby powder explosion move that makes the fans go insane. Next time you watch a Cavs game watch the fans when this happens they all act as though Jesus himself just entered the building. Also watch LeBron though as the smile on his face when he does this is ear to ear. He loves it.
Now the teammates. While LeBron may not love having to trust that JJ Hickson will hit a 12-foot jumper he does seem to genuinely like Hickson in a brotherly sort of way. The relationship LeBron has with his teammates can only be compared to an older brother/younger brother relationship. LeBron is the 21 year old brother who all the younger brothers look up to and try and gain acceptance from. They all work hard to not disappoint him and act genuinely happy when LeBron gives them a pat on the back or a finger point as acknowledgement of a good pass.
If you don’t believe me then simply watch the YouTube clip of LeBron and 3 teammates tickling Daniel Gibson while he is laying on the ground after getting fouled. What other team would do that? The Cavs are a true “team” in every sense of the word and is all because of LeBron.
Clearly LeBron could form this kind of bond with anyone as he has a magnetic personality and comes off as a laid back guy who likes to have fun but would he really be able to walk away from these guys? I don’t see it happening.
LeBron’s Loyalty
The documentary on LeBron James entitled More Than a Game came out on DVD Monday and is a must see. The film starts 7 years ago when LeBron was in high school and was trying to win State Championships and shows his journey to the NBA. It isn’t your typical documentary as it doesn’t focus on LeBron’s basketball career as much as it does his life outside of basketball.
The craziest thing about the movie is that the same guys that LeBron was friends with in high school are still is good friends now. Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton and Willie McGee are all still in touch with LeBron and still part of his entourage. In fact he fired his original agent and is now being represented by one of his friends.
What other superstar athlete would do that?
The movie shows that loyalty is one of LeBron’s best traits and one of the things he admires most in other people. He still has the same crew now as he did when he was 16 years old and they will still be together when he retires if he has anything to say about it.
Now does this sound like the behaviour of a guy who would bail on a team that has done everything in its power to help him win a Championship? The Cavs have done their best to surround James with better players and more depth. They traded for Mo Williams and brought in Shaq all in the hopes of keeping LeBron with the Cavs. As far as trying to do right by your franchise player the Cavs have done an amazing job.
I think LeBron appreciates that and I think he knows what he means to the city of Cleveland and the Cavaliers themselves. He understands that if he leaves he will banish the Cavs to irrelevancy and will be the sole cause of the downfall of basketball in Cleveland. Who will watch the Cavs play if they don’t have LeBron James? How many primetime games will they get when their best player is Mo Williams?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have showed LeBron nothing but loyalty and I think he will repay them in the end by staying with them and bringing a Championship to Cleveland.
Competitive Spirit
One conspiracy theory that has been tossed around lately is that all of the Redeem Team guys who are becoming free agents this summer are going to try and play on the same team together. That means Wade, Bosh and LeBron will end up on the same team. Some believe it will be the Knicks while others say it will never happen.
Here is my take.
LeBron doesn’t want to win a Championship with Dwyane Wade, at least not his first. I think LeBron wants to win but wants to do so on his terms. If he goes to Miami and wins a championship with the Heat then people will always be able to say, “he couldn’t win without Wade.”
Now he would still be the best player on a championship team but only by a small fraction. It would completely discount the accomplishment. Did Jordan need a bunch of All-Stars around him to win NBA Championships? Did Kobe? That last one stings the most. Kobe just won an NBA title and did it as the undisputed best player on the team and was the true alpha dog. I think LeBron wants that so he can silence critics who say Kobe is better than LeBron.
If LeBron ever wants to be considered the best basketball player of all-time then he needs to win a championship by himself. He needs to take a team like the one he has now and force them to win by his sheer will and determination. He can’t simply join forces with another superstar, or 2, and win. It cheapens the accomplishment and is a major blemish on his resume.
A Shift in Priorities
One of the main reasons people think LeBron will leave Cleveland is because he has made it known that he wants to be an “international brand.” He wants to be bigger than basketball and obviously Cleveland isn’t the best place for that. My counterpoint to this is simple, he is 25 years old.
People forget, because he has been in the league so long, that LeBron James is only 25 years old. He is still a young man. Right now he may want one thing but in 6 months he may change his mind and want something else. He may think that he wants to become this global icon right now but in a year or 2 he may just want to play basketball.
Now if the Cavs don’t win the championship this year then I think LeBron’s priorities will shift. I think he will focus more on basketball and trying to become better so he can win it all instead of settling for 2nd place again. Will his desire to become something more than just a basketball player take a spot on the back burner for awhile? I think so.
As LeBron gets older I think he will realize that in order to be the best basketball player he can be he needs to devote himself to the game fully. He can’t be distracted by outside forces if he wants to become greater than Jordan, which make no mistake is his ultimate goal.
Can he become great if his attention is always divided? Maybe but he will never reach his full potential if he doesn’t commit to basketball 100%.
Imagine he doesn’t win this year. Then he goes to New York to become this global brand and he never wins a championship. I think that will haunt him more than if he never gets to become a landmark person outside of sports.
The Cavs Have Room to Improve
Right now the Cavs have a lot of expiring contracts. In the NBA an expiring contract is like gold and when you have Zydrunas Ilgauskas at $11.5 million and Shaq at $21 million then you are sitting on a gold mine. Those contracts are valuable pieces that could land the Cavs another piece that would help their chances of winning a championship and keeping LeBron.
Current rumours have the Cavs bringing in Wizards power forward Antawn Jamison or 76ers shooting guard Andre Igoudala. Both would add some much needed scoring depth to a team that is missing Delonte West and Mo Williams right now due to injury.
The Cavs are currently 40-11 and on a 10 game winning streak. The addition of either of these two players would make them an even greater powerhouse. That alone might be enough to keep LeBron as what better situation could he go to? Why leave a stacked Cavs team for the Knicks who have no talent and no 1st round pick? It makes no sense.
LeBron James is in a position where he is in the driver’s seat. At the end of the season he can either stay with his current team, that has done everything for him and bended to his every whim, or choose to go to a new team and instantly make them a contender.
He has 2 paths. Fame and fortune all the while being a great basketball player or becoming the best player ever and being one of the rare athletes to sticks with one team and shows that loyalty in sports is not dead. He could be like Derek Jeter and Peyton Manning or be just another athlete who sells his services to the highest bidder.
For some reason when I watch LeBron James I get the feeling he is content. Maybe it’s because in the past 3 weeks I have seen him lip-sync the words to ”Forever” by Drake (the Eminem verse though), tickle a teammate, and win 10 straight games while winning NBA Player of the Month for the 3rd time in a row.
What I don’t see is a guy who is itching to leave. I just don’t see it.
Of all the majors sports the NFL has the worst All-Star game. No one watches the Pro Bowl. It sucks. That is a fact. I mean they make stupid rules like no blitzing, must play a 4-3 defense and no Wildcat or 4/5 WR formations. Basically it is a glorified scrimmage. Who wants to watch that?
This year was different though, or at least it was supposed to be.
Going into the game it was being reported that Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals had been practicing his kicking and punting in the hopes that he would be able to kick a field goal or maybe even punt at some point during the Pro Bowl.
Fans were getting excited about this. It is the equivalent to letting an outfielder pitch in the MLB All-Star game or letting Shaq play point guard at the NBA All-Star game. It adds excitement to an otherwise pointless game. I mean who wouldn't wanna see Shaq carrying the ball up court and doing his best Chris Paul impression. That would be hilarious right?
So against my better judgement I ended up watching the whole Pro Bowl. I watched every last minute just hoping to see Ocho try and kick a fieldgoal or pin the NFC deep in their own territory with a sweet punt.
But it never happened and you know why? Because Norv Turner is a douchebag that's why.
Yeah I said it.
With under 1 minute to go and the AFC leading 41-37 Turner calls a timeout. The AFC has the ball at the NFC 18 yard line. Perfect place for Ochco to come in and try a fieldgoal. But what does Turner do? He tells Matt Schaub to take a knee on two consecutive plays to run out the clock.
What the fuck Norv? Instead of making the game somewhat interesting you tell your quarterback to take a knee? Unforgivable. Its not as if the NFC players would be pissed you kicked a fieldgoal or feel like you were running up the score on them. It is the Pro Bowl. No one cares about the Pro Bowl.
If I were NFL commissioner Roger Goodell I would fine Turner 50k for this stunt. Then I would make him publicly apologize to the fans of the NFL and in a press conference give the fans 3 good reasons why Ocho didn't kick. No excuse Norv.
What makes the decision by Norv not to let Ocho kick even more annoying is what happened earlier in the game. In the 2nd quarter Miami Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter missed a 34 yard field goal with literally 0 pass rush. Once the ball was snapped the defense just stood up and watched as the ball sailed wide right. So Carpenter already got his chance and screwed up, royally. Why not let Ocho try? It's not as if he could do any worse.
Maybe this is a bit too harsh but come on. Nobody likes the Pro Bowl and nobody watches it. The players don't even like being there for the most part so why not make it a little more exciting? This was a huge missed opportunity by the NFL and there is no one to blame except Norv Turner.
