Final Blog Component - Tyler Black

Colby Lopez had a dream. And it is his personal accomplishment that he was able to keep a hold of that dream. What he wanted to do was enough to make any set of parents laugh at their kids over a dinner. A professional wrestler. Lopez kept that dream alive at all costs. He worked as hard as he could at it, jumped over any and every obstacle that came his way, and now, in the eyes of most everyone familiar with Lopez, he's on his way to the top.

(Lopez [Fourth from left] and his backyard wrestling federation)

Lopez started out wrestling with his friends in his backyard. He would put on a show a month. It was at these backyard wrestling shows in Buffalo, Iowa that Lopez would figure out he wanted to be a pro wrestler. After the five years of wrestling in the backyard, Lopez's beloved wrestling federation, known as EHW, called it quits so everyone could go on with their life. Lopez then started training to become a professional. He is now done with training, as is quickly climbing up the ladder of who's who in professional wrestling.


Lopez is currently wrestling for quite a few wrestling organizations, most notably, Ring of Honor, or ROH. Lopez has wrestled all over America, into Canada, and even traveled to Europe to wrestle. He has a few shirts, and even has his own action figure. As a pre-professional, he set some goals for himself. As of now, he has accomplished two of them in the short amount of time he's been a pro.







The Bleacher Report also did an article on him.

Now meet the wrestler
Tyler Black.

He stands at six feet, one inch tall.
He weighs in at 210 pounds.
From Davenport, Iowa.
...Tyler Black.


(Black is the bigger of the two)

In his career thus far, he has held nine different titles, for seven different wrestling organizations.

His ultimate goal in wrestling is to main event Wrestlemania. For those that don't know what Wrestlemania is, it is the pinnacle of professional wrestling. At the rate he is going, it won't be a surprise to me to see him there in five or ten years.

Playoffs (Some more..it doesn't get old.)

(Photo from ESPN.com)

Here are my views of the Western Conference playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks v. Denver Nuggets
Fact: Denver is looking like one of the three best teams in the NBA right now. Perhaps only the Cavs and Lakers are better. The Nuggets are playing out of their minds, and have been all season. Why should they stop for Dallas?
Fact: Dirk Nowitzki is also playing out of his mind. Just not as good as the Nuggets are as a team.
Fact: The Nuggets win the series.
Opinion: The Nuggets win in five. Dallas wins a game solely because of the way Dirk is playing.

Houston Rockets v. Los Angeles Lakers
I don't even know what to say about this series. The Lakers aren't supposed to lose to the Rockets, but judging from the first two games, it's a real possibility. We all know Ron Artest and Yao Ming are good. But are they good enough to hang with Kobe? Only time will tell, and as a Cavs fan, I would LOVE a Rockets win. Take the Lakers out, Houston. In reality, the Lakers beat the Rockets in six. Good showing in game one by Houston though.

Round two.

(Photo from ESPN.com)

Here is my rundown of the second round in the Eastern Conference.

Atlanta Hawks v. Cleveland Cavaliers
Well, a Cleveland five point lead at the half ended in a 26 point Cavaliers win...check that...beatdown over the Hawks. Cleveland is too well rounded to fall to a team like the Hawks. At this point I don't believe the Cavs get beat in this series. Cleveland will win in four. The Cavs can already start looking ahead to the Eastern Conference finals, where they will take on, and beat the Orlando Magic.

Orlando Magic v. Boston Celtics
I think the Bulls took just about everything out of the Celtics. Furthermore I am not convinced the Celtics (minus Garnett) are a better team than the Magic. Had Kevin Garnett been healthy, here is the scenario: The Celtics sweep the Bulls, and then everyone looks forward to the amazing Boston and Orlando series, where Boston wins in six, and then there would have been a better Eastern Coference finals than the Boston, Chicago series. In the EC Finals, Boston is taken out by Cleveland (Also another dream series) in seven. BUT...he isn't healthy, so the Magic win in six. By the way, the EC Fianls will still be amazing, when the Cavs win in six.

The Western Conference side will come tomorrow.

And on one totally unrelated note, don't do it Favre.

MVP

LeBron James became the second youngest player ever to win the MVP award.

LeBron finished the season with 28.4 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and 7.2 assists per game. He is also close to two steals per game and shot 49% from the field.

LeBron got 109 of the possible 121 first place votes in the MVP voting. James is the first Cleveland Cavalier to win the MVP award.

LeBron in his sixth year continues to get better and better. Everybody knows and is waiting and watching for the 2010 season. Will he stay in Cleveland, or will he go to elsewhere? In an interview on Sportscenter, LeBron assured everyone that he is very happy in Cleveland. Perhaps a Title will make him even more happy.

Fun fact about LeBron James: He won an MVP before Jordan, and took his team to the finals before Jordan. I know the comparisons will never stop, but that see-saw comparison isn't so one-sided anymore.

Bloopers...They're fun

Playoffs..

While the first round of playoffs this year have been better in recent years past. Is it a surprise that the best three playoff series' thus far have been in the east? Is the East finally better than the West?

Here is how I see the East the rest of the way through the first round.

Bulls vs. Celtics.
First of all Bulls fans, it wasn't conclusive that Rondo was going for Miller's head. He swiped at it but could have been going for the ball. The point of that is, he missed the free throw, so the only person that it would be fair to blame for the loss is Brad Miller. This series has been back and forth, and quite frankly to me the Celtics still look better. The United Center will be nuts, and it will take everything the Bulls have left to force a game seven. Will they do it...possibly. But looking at the bigger picture, even if they pull off a game six win, they won't win game seven. You won't beat the Celtics if you can't stop Rondo...period.

Magic vs. 76ers
Currently Orlando is up 3-2 over a team that probably shouldn't have taken the series past five games. The thing to watch in this series will be game seven. Dwight Howard was suspended a game for throwing the elbow. The 76ers will take all their momentum into Philadelphia, and come out with a game six win. Will they win game seven? Who knows. As a Cavaliers fan, I'm certainly rooting for Philly.

Heat vs. Hawks
This series was the best looking and most intriguing before the playoffs started. You have in one hand, a Hawks team that can shoot, drive and defend pretty well, and always play insane in Atlanta come playoff time. In the other hand, you have Dwyane Wade and the youngsters he has for a supporting cast. Wade has just gone off since the all-star break, and the Hawks have been able to slow him down a bit. This is also a series that will go seven, and in the end the Hawks will take it in front of their home crowd.

The Eastern Conference has been amazing thus far. Every game has been close (with the exception of the Cleveland - Detroit series) and entertaining . I can't wait for round two.

Playoffs.

(Photo from USA Today)

121-63.

What does that mean to you?

For a Hornets fan, it means there may be some problems with a team that is supposed to be a contender. Denver went into New Orleans on Monday and laid a beat-down on the Hornets. The Lakers may want to take notes, or at least stop to understand that Denver is a legitimate threat to eliminate L.A. from the playoffs. A 58 point playoff win should not happen under any circumstances.

The Bulls and Celtics series is just about everything as advertised. Back and forth it seems to be going, and tonight the Celtics got the better of the Bulls in yet another pretty good series game.

Not to mention the Magic - 76ers series, and the Hawks - Heat series.

The playoffs already have been a joy to watch, and with a potential LeBron v. Kobe finals, there is much more excitement to come.

121-63. If that's your all New Orleans, don't even show Wednesday night. You might embarrass yourselves even more.

. . .

I told you so...and those playoffs.

First and foremost, for my awards I am three for three. I feel good about them all being right.

My second I told you so instance is the fact that at the beginning of the year I said that the Celtics would struggle if any of the big three went down. Guess what, one of the big three did go down, and coincidentally the Celtics are struggling. I wouldn't say that is that big of a deal, but literally everyone i said that to disagreed with me. (And when I say everybody, I mean people in class, outside of class, friends, and on and on. They all thought I was crazy.) Don't get me wrong, the Celtics are still a very good team without Garnett. When Garnett went down, the Celtics finished out the season 8-2, to take back the second seed. As i said in class, they are better than the Bulls. Rose won't score 36 a night, and I guarantee that Ben Gordon won't have another 30 point night in this series. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are for real. Sorry Chicago fans but Derrick Rose (Not yet.) and Ben Gordon are not at the same level. In the end, Boston wins this series in six.

Now to the Magic. Allowing the 76ers to come back from 29 points down, should they worry. The short answer is...no. Philly has the talent to take out the Magic, but it shouldn't happen. Philly can do a good job of taking away Orlando's parimeter game, but they shouldn't even try to stop the inside game. Orlando wins the series in five. That's right, Philly won't win another game.

Now to my beloved Cavaliers. All I will say is Coach of the Year, soon to be MVP, and a round one sweep of the Pistons.

The best matchup on the East side of the bracket is the Hawks and the Heat. Atlanta won game one at home, and look for them to win game two as well. Ultimaetly the Heat will win the series, but it will take them seven games to do it. Wade has gone off since the All-Star break, and I don't see him stopping till the Heat are eliminated.

Now on to the Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers and the Jazz. Game one had to be frustrating for Utah. L.A. played bad basketball and still won convincingly. Utah is a different team at home, and I seriously think they could take all three games in Utah. I also think that they will win the series in seven games. They came close to taking game two last night, but couldn't finish. It may be a stretch, but Utah over L.A. is my round one upset.

Denver and New Orleans should be another fun series to watch. Denver is a very, vaery good basketball team, and if L.A. escapes Utah, I believe the Nuggets will be the only team able to take the Lakers out. New Orleans is a talented team, but in the end Carmelo and Big Shot Billups are too much for Chris Paul and his Hornets. Nuggets in five.

San Antonio is too experienced to lose to Dallas. Tim Duncan is still a top-5 NBA player, and Parker can take over a game and doesn't buckle during the playoffs. Dallas had a horrible March but turned it around in April. At the end of the day, Parker and Duncan are too much for the streaky Mavericks. The Ginobili-less Spurs win in six.

And finally, the Rockets, Blazers. The Blazers are young but talented, but I think it will take another year for the Blazers to make some noise in the playoffs. Yao is 12-15 from the field so far in the series, the Blazers haven't figured out how to stop him. The Rockets win in six and unfortunaetly for McGrady, he'll not be the reason why...again.

Pre-post season quotes

All of these quotes came from Hootsuite.
They were pretty interesting to me, so without further adieu...

Kobe Bryant - "I really, really, really, really, really, really want that championship. I really, really, really want it."

LeBron James - "To be in a position to be in the playoffs and to fight for an NBA championship, I'm looking forward to it."

Rasheed Wallace - "They've got a pretty good record, a pretty good home record...So I guess it's going to be like David vs. Goliath."

Dwyane Wade - "Last season was memorable in a bad way. Let's make this season memorable in a good way."

Just some fun quotes to wrap your head around before the playoffs start tomorrow. Go Cavs!

People want to watch the NBA again?

TNT has recorded a double digit percent increase in viewers.
Are people finally finding basketball interesting again?
I really hope so.
There is so much potential in the NBA.
It shouldn't go unwatched.


My Five best players in the NBA right now.
1) LeBron James
2) Kobe Bryant
3) Tim Duncan
4) Chris Paul
5) Dwyane Wade

Predictions

The NBA playoffs start on Saturday.
My prediction is in the NBA Finals, Cleveland beats Denver in 6.
Anybody else care to share their predictions?

Also, for a surprise prediction, the Lakers lose to Utah in the first round.

Year end awards

I know I did these already but I wanted to see how they compare to my mid-season awards.

Rookie of the year: Derrick Rose
Most Improved Player: Devin Harris
Sixth Man: Jason Terry
Coach of the Year: Mike Brown
Defensive player of the year: Dwight Howard
MVP: LeBron James

Thoughts: When I did this the last time, the only two that I had different were the rookie of the year, and coach of the year. At the midway point of the season, it was a tight race between Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo, and at the time Mayo was the front-runner. Not anymore. Coach of the year, I had Stan Van Gundy winning it. Since, he hasn't been anywhere near as impressive as Mike Brown who pulled off a 38-1 home record and a 66-15 record overall, with one game remaining. Both are Cavaliers franchise records. Not to mention his team pulled off the top seed in the NBA. None of the remaining award races are close except for Devin Harris vs. Danny Granger. All in all, the NBA regular season was a very good one, and the playoffs should be good as well.

Tail End of the Lottery

Here is the rest of my mock draft for the lottery picks.

Pick #11 New Jersey Nets - Jeff Teague
New Jersey has an aging superstar in Vince Carter, a young point guard who is just becoming a valuable player in the NBA, and a young center who could have a very bright future. That leaves the Nets with either a spot at shooting guard or power forward. The best player here at one of those positions is Jeff Teague if he decides to enter the draft. Teague is arguablly the most important player for Wake Forest and he could have an impact in the NBA. He averages almost 19 points per game, and will fit right into the starting lineup for the Nets.

Pick #12 Indiana Pacers - Brandon Jennings
Brandon Jennings is the player with the controversial decision to move to Europe and play for a year instead of attending college. ESPN draws Gilbert Arenas comparisons, and says that Jennings has a great all-around game. The Pacers could really do anything they need to fill whatever hole they needed. They already have a pretty good stock of youth, but Jennings could be the Derrick Rose of this year's draft.

Pick #13 Charlotte Bobcats - Tyreke Evans
The Bobcats are in a pretty good position. They have a good young point guard and a good center with a lot of depth behind him. Here the Bobcats would take Evans, who will score as much as he needs to. His ability to score makes him a great pick here, but he can take bad shots, which is why here is still around at this point. The Bobcats will overlook that, and take him to have two young guards that can grow together and maybe become something special.

Pick #14 Phoenix Suns - Ty Lawson
Phoenix really doesn't belong here. They have a better record than four playoff bound teams in the East. But nevertheless they will be in the lottery. The Suns only problem is the lack of youth on the team. Shaq, Steve Nash, and Grant Hill are all getting up there. The least amount of depth is at the point guard position. So it would be wise to take a point guard here. Most everyone that knows anything about basketball knows the potential of Lawson. At 16 points and 6.5 assists per game, he would be a valuable replacement to two-time MVP Steve Nash.



There you have it. My lottery mock draft. I personally can not wait to watch the draft and see what happens. There is a good chance not one of these picks is right. Even if one of the picks makes so much sense, it may not happen. This is not the order of the draft, and it will not be the order of the draft. I am going to go ahead and guess the amount of picks that I will have right is 1-3. Here are the factors in play...
1) Draft order
2) Players leaving or staying
3) Trades
So in reality, who knows.

The Strike of '94

The 1994 baseball season was cut short without a post season. It would be the first time in 90 years that baseball would go without a World Series.

The 1994 baseball strike to most, including me was inevitable. Why would the players agree to what the owners were proposing. It was the players that would be taking the hit.

The owners wanted a 50% cut of revenues to players, they wanted a salary cap, and wanted to end salary arbitration. "What the owners are saying," said Don Fehr, "is that they'll do revenue-sharing as long as the players pay for it with a salary cap."

Bob Boone, who was the Cincinnati Reds manager, and a longtime union stalwart, was worried. His thoughts were that the players who were rich, didn't want to give back any money. The owners, whose pride took more of a hit than their pockets, wanted to get control back once again.

"There are no deal-makers," Boone said, "Both sides are confrontational, and theres never a ground where a deal can be made."

Obviously that was a true statement. The players would reject the salary cap. The players had good reason in 1994 to reject the cap. The cap wasn't fairing so well in the NFL, and NBA. The NBA players union wanted the ten-year-old-cap dropped. There was little market for the players' service, and most teams had little to no room under their cap.

The date set for the strike was August 12. Whichever side one is on, nobody could deny the great season that was just going to end abruptly. Matt Williams and Ken Griffey Jr. were both making a run at Maris's sixty-one homer record. Tony Gwynn was hitting .394 and was threatening to be the first to hit .400 since Ted Williams in 1941. Frank Thomas was making a serious run at the triple crown, and Greg Maddux had 16 wins and an ERA of 1.56.

26 of the 28 owners supported a resolution that would end the 1994 season.

The strike tested the loyalty of baseball fans. There was no guarantee that they would be back the next year. There was no guarantee that there would be season ticket buyers or TV rights because there was no guarantee that there would be a season in 1995.

What was in play was a luxury-tax proposal. What it essentially was, it would tax the richest teams and that money would trickle down to the smaller markets. That would be in place instead of the salary cap. That way the sides could meet almost in the middle. The owners really didn't have a choice. A deal had to be done in order to have a '95 season. With a deal done, season tickets could start being sold, TV rights could be negotiated, and the only thing in question would be the fans. Would they come back? Ultimately, yes they would. Baseball would be a completely different game today with revenue-sharing and a salary cap. Sure the fans didn't want a strike, but fans of larger market teams wouldn't have approved very much of the game had the players agreed in the first place.

Basically the fans missed out on half a season to keep baseball the way it should be. It's just a shame it had to happen in the amazing season of 1994. In the end, the strike was inevitable, and purpose driven. It had to happen.

Mock Draft Continued

So I decided to do this mock draft for every lottery team in the NBA. I will give you teams 6-10 today. As said before, they are in order of the best chances to win. I will not try to predict who will win. So here are picks 6-10.

Pick #6 Memphis Grizzlies - Greg Monroe
The Grizzlies already have a very, very good nucleus of players. Four of their starting five have potential to be stars in the NBA. The problem is they are young. Once this team gets the experience necessary, watch out. Conley, Mayo, Gay, and Gasol are all very young. With the right piece, in this case Greg Monroe, they could have a starting five that could stick around for a long time, just like Memphis will with the right experience. Monroe hasn't decided whether he will stay or go, but if he does, he will fit right into the Grizzlies plans. They are like a college all-star team right now. Let them grow together and good things should happen.

Pick #7 Golden State Warriors - Jordan Hill
Jordan Hill will bring 18.5 points per game and 11 rebounds per game to a Golden State team that DESPERATELY needs help inside. They have no rebounding threat whatsoever and they need someone that can score in the paint. Jordan Hill will give that to them. Golden State is on paper one of the worst looking teams in the NBA. If they are going to fix this, they have to address their needs, and that should be done soon.

Pick #8 New York Knicks - James Johnson
The question is, can the Knicks really make a run for LeBron in 2010? If they think they can and they fall short, the Knicks could be pathetic for years to come. The way a team should go about basketball, is to play to win the game NOW. James Johnson will be able to play either forward spot and could have as much upside as anyone else in the draft. Really...anyone. The Knicks will be able to build a contender without LeBron James, it just depends how hard they go after him, because the harder thry push, the harder they can fall. The Knicks should start to build their team up from the draft, and if they miss out on LeBron, go for one of the other million great players in free agency that year. Johnson makes the most sense for the Knicks if they pick at number eight.

Pick #9 Toronto Raptors - DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan could come in and start at shooting guard for an already good team. At this point in the season it's a little shocking to see Toronto this bad. They definitly are a good team with plenty of talent. The Raptors next year no matter what, I believe will have a good year and make the playoffs. DeRozan has the ability to possibly play three different positions on the floor. He could play the 2, 3, or 4 position and because of that he has the potential to be something special in the NBA.

Pick #10 Milwaukee Bucks - Stephen Curry
The Bucks need some help, just like most teams in the lottery. However, when this team is healthy, they could hold their own. Getting Curry here will give them a second scorer besides Michael Redd. The inside game is good, again, when they are healthy. Curry will help them right away as he has an instinct for scoring. The Bucks really struggled this year when Redd went down with an injury, it might have been a different story had they had someone else who could take a game over.

Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin today announced he will enter the NBA draft. He is already NBA ready, he has the body and mentality that NBA players should have. Regardless of where he goes, he should start day one, and there is a good chance he wins rookie of the year. As of right now, the team with the best shot to win the lottery is Sacramento. Griffin would fit good in Sacramento, as he would in a variety of teams starting fives. In honor of Griffin declaring, I will give you a mock draft of the top five teams. Since I have no way of knowing who will win, the top five teams will be the teams with the best chance of winning. The five people I pick will NOT necessarily be the best five availiable, but the five that I see fitting into the team. I'll probably be wrong, but hey, you try one.

Pick #1 Sacramento Kings - Blake Griffin
To be honest, the Kings need anything, and everything. their entire team is iffy. Griffin will come in, and solidify the power forward spot and give the Kings a much needed piece to build around. The Kings leading scorer is at 11.1 a game, the leading rebounder is at 7.2 a game. Griffin if drafted by the Kings becomes an automatic upgrade for Sacramento.

Pick #2 Washington Wizards - Hasheem Thabeet
This pick to me is a no-brainer. The Wizards weak point is center. Thabeet is a center. Look at it this way, if Arenas can stay healthy next year, and years to come, the Wizards will have a very good nucleus. Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Hasheem Thabeet. He adds more inside talent to a team that when Arenas is healthy is playoff bound already. Thabeet in the long run would be a great investment for Washington.

Pick #3 Los Angeles Clippers - Al-Farouq Aminu
The Clippers could go a number of ways here. To me, their biggest weakness is at small forward. Coincidently the Clippers have the least amount of depth at that position. If Aminu declares for the draft, he should be the Clippers pick at number three. At 13 points per game and 8 rebounds per game, he could be a help right away. The Clippers could really do a number of things though, and Aminu may stay.

Pick #4 Oklahoma City Thunder - James Harden
The Thunder could either go shooting guard, power forward, or possibly even center here. The best option for what they need here is James Harden, the shooting guard out of Arizona State. This year he averaged almost 21 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and about 4 assists per game. His game is built for anything, and he can take shots from anywhere on the court. He plays pretty good defense as well.

Pick #5 Minnesota Timberwolves - Ricky Rubio
The Timberwolves will be another fun team to watch down the road. They have a couple pieces in place, and it looks like there will be a few more to come. Ricky Rubio is a tricky one. I don't know much about him. I did watch him play at the olympics, and it was pretty impressive from what I saw. He is a projected top five pick and ESPN has him goint second overall. For this purpose, I know two things. Minnesota needs a point guard, Rubio is a good point guard. A+B=C.

Another Iverson Post

This is a situation that makes one scratch their head and think. Is his back really the reason he is not playing? If that's the case, why is he not traveling with the team, why will he not be at Detroit's home games? He then seemingly took a shot at the Pistons coaching staff by complaining about his role off the bench.

"Eighteen minutes, c'mon man. I can play 18 minutes with my eyes closed, with a 100-pound truck on my back." Iverson said. "That's a bad feeling. I'm wondering what the rush was to get me back. I mean, for that? It's a bad time for me mentally (but) I'm looking at the big picture."

Seems like quite the contradictory statement. He doesn't want to be back unless he plays the full game. It's a bad time for him to play mentally, but he complains about his minutes being too little.

Marc Stein went as far as to call him the Terrell Owens of basketball, or worse. And why not, the similarities are striking. They are amazing talent that in most cases just doesn't mesh with a team that plays a team game.

Iverson is a free agent after this season. Will he get another chance, do teams want to deal with him and the burdon he brings? It will be interesting to see.

Remember at his first news conference with the Pistons, he said he would do whatever his coach wanted him to do. He must have forgot that. Check that...he did do what coach wanted, he just complained about it.

When you think of the Pistons in years past, you think of one of the most dominant eastern conference teams. Since 2003, the Pistons were in the Eastern Conference Finals four times, and the NBA Finals twice, and winning one NBA championship. This year the Pistons decided the team wasn't right and shipped off Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. The Pistons now are 36-39, and are the seven seed and fighting for their playoff spot.

The trade was a nightmare from the start. The Pistons tried to put a ballhog of a point guard onto a team that has a team oriented style of play. Now you can clearly see the trade was no good. Now not only are they NOT one of the most dominating teams in the East, but they are three games under .500 and Iverson has started opening his mouth. Iverson has made sure that he will not be in a Pistons uniform next year, and if he is, it will be a shock to most everyone.

So back to the original point, a back injury isn't going to make a player not travel with the team, or stay away from the home games especially in the post-season. There has to be more going on than on the surface.

By the sounds of it, the team, his agent, thay are just going to say that his back is the problem. And maybe it is, who knows. The whole situation seems just a little fishy. It will be intersting to see who will give Iverson a chance next year, he may be booking a one-way flight to Europe.

Uh Oh...He's at it again.

Allen Iverson would rather retire than come off the bench again.

...Practice?

...Coming off the bench?

When does it end.

Just play the game Allen. Your getting old, your back is hurting. Maybe it's a good thing you are coming off the bench. Just deal with it.

The "Now" era of the NBA

Monday night Dwight Howard set an NBA mark, and he did it quite impressively.

Dwight Howard became the youngest player to reach the 5,000 rebound mark. The youngest player before him to do so was Wilt Chamberlain at 25 years and 128 days old. That's quite a feat with all things considered. Howard destroyed that mark getting to 5,000 rebounds at 23 years and 112 days old. 23,924 rebounds is Chamberlain's all-time mark which definitely looks doable from Howard's point of view.

LeBron James not to long ago became the fastest player in NBA history to score 10,000 points. With James and Howard setting these marks at young ages, is it possible we are seeing one of the greatest eras that basketball can offer?

Throwing out records, the NBA now has some of the most entertaining point guards. Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, etc. While Nash, Kidd and Bibby are possibly hitting the tail ends of their careers, those are five of the best players to watch run the floor.

I didn't even mention the Kobe Bryants, the Allen Iversons, the Kevin Garnetts, or Shaqs of the league. The NBA has a very special core group of players right now. The game has a very bright future ahead, and I for one can't wait to witness it.

NBA happenings.

Tick tick tick...LeBron will be on 60 minutes this Sunday.

Rule Change...The NBA changed a rule on too many men on the court.

New Record...Cleveland set the franchise mark for wins in a season.

It's MAGICal...Orlando won their division with a W over Boston.

And finally in honor of the soon to be MVP, best player in the league, and my favorite player, here is a video...enjoy.

Not the NBA, But a Must See

Try to watch this without laughing.

Ahhh...Finally

While I don't doubt that he has gotten his due, it is finally a fact that he is rivaling none other than the great Michael Jordan for the greatest season ever. LeBron James is the focus of criticism always. He is always being compared to one person or another. People tend to pick at the parts of his game that aren't very good, for whatever reason. They say, "well he doesn't have that great of a jump shot." Who cares how the ball goes in, just because he doesn't have the best jump shot does NOT mean he can't score. How about this one..."He isn't clutch." From 2003-2009, LeBron leads the league in shots made in the last 24 seconds. That isn't just buzzer-beaters. The definition of a game winning shot opportunity is: With 24 seconds or less left in the game, the team with the ball is either tied or down by 1-2 points. LeBron hit 17 shots in the last 24 seconds of a game. This is including the playoffs. (Where clutch matters most.) Why do people still knock him for that? Do they not know? And there is always this criticism of his game, "He can't hit free-throws." Well, my responce to that is, yes he can. He is shooting a career high 77%. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to free-throws, he is at the line so much, that 77% that he will hit will most likely come to double-digit points. This year his minutes are down and he is still playing out of his mind. There is a thing to keep track of how good a player is in the NBA. It's called a Player Efficiancy Rating, or a PER. Michael Jordan has the best PER to date, but LeBron is threatening to overtake that spot, and have according to the player efficiancy ratings, he would have the best season ever.

If you don't believe me, take it from a guy that knows what he's talking about. Click here.

Big Ten Tournament

The Iowa Men’s Basketball team takes on Michigan today at 1:30p.m. Overall, there is no enthusiasm or hope for the Hawkeyes in this years tournament.

Iowa had a 15-16 record overall, and a 5-13 record in the Big Ten, and some are translating that literally to them struggling in the tournament as they’ve had their problems against Big Ten teams.

Kyle Gerischer watched the Hawkeyes with his grandfather while he was growing up.

“They did awful in Big Ten play, so they are going to do awful in the tournament.” Gerischer said.

And who’s to say that’s wrong. After all, the Big Ten tournament is full of Big Ten teams.

Andy Jacobs has followed Hawkeye basketball since he was a little kid. When asked how the Hawks would do in the tournament, the reply was simple.

“They will lose in the first round.” Jacobs said

But some are not so down on Iowa’s hopes in the tournament.

Carl Hobart casually follows the Hawkeyes. He never did until he came to the University of Iowa, but now watches when they are on, and occasionally goes to the games at Carver Hawkeye Arena.

“They could possibly beat Michigan…If Kelly does well.” Hobart said. “But I can’t see them doing much else.”

With the main though being the Hawkeye’s will fall early in the tournament, there is an emphasis on hope for the Hawks in the future.

“They had a decent season.” Gerischer said. “It could have been worse…like Indiana.”

Iowa only started one upper classman for the majority of the year.

“They are too young, they’ll be better next year.” Hobart said.

Jake Kelly, a sophomore starter for the Hawkeyes is averaging 11.7 points per game, and just over three assists per game, and over three rebounds per game. Matt Gatens, a freshman starter for the Hawkeyes, averages 11.1 points per game, and almost four rebounds per game. And those are just the guards.

Once they get some experience under their belts, is when the majority of Iowa fans will have that hope that is lacking this year.

So all in all, the hope and enthusiasm is there, but it is on reserve for the next couple of years.

CONTRIBUTERS

Andy Jacobs

Carl Hobart

Kyle Gerischer

Brian Brotzman

5 worst sports injuries.

If you don't think you can handle these, chances are, you can't. They are very graphic, so watch at your own risk.

5) Shaun Livingston
Livingston went up for a lay-up, and came down with only one good knee.



4) Anquan Boldin
It's bad.



3) Joe Theisman
One of the worst leg injuries, still not the worst because of #2.



2) Willis McGahee
Still so hard to watch.



1) Clint Malarchuk
How can a goalie getting his throat slit not be the worst?

An Update around the NBA

Here are some things that caught my eye recently.

The NBA is looking to change the traveling rule.

In the most underrated move of the season, The Cavaliers signed Joe Smith.

Mark Cuban calls out his team.

With the Pistons just three games up from the ninth seed, Iverson is out two weeks.

Tyson Chandler thrives in a Hornet's uniform after they tried to trade him.

And finally, Stephon Marbury is not bitter with the Knicks?!

And that is currently what is grinding my gears in the NBA.

When superstars face off, does it bring out the best in them?

Last night LeBron James and Dwyane Wade seemingly went one on one for the entire game. LeBron scored 42 as his Cavs beat Wade's 41, and his Heat. We've seen it a million times, LeBron vs Kobe, Kobe vs Shaq, LeBron vs Carmelo, Howard vs Wade, and on and on. The games where superstars face off, they tend to go off. In some instances they buckle down defensively, like both games where LeBron and Kobe played each other. Some games are a personal goal to score more than the other like when Shaq and Kobe play, or when two of the top scorers play each other like LeBron and Wade. LeBron last week had an interview with Magic Johnson, LeBron said he looked at Kobe as one of the best in the league, that he watches him on his days off, and observes what he does, because they are both double and triple teamed. So is it any surprise when those two go at it, they want to one up each other? Look at the Madison Square Garden instance. Kobe went out there and scored 61 points, LeBron scored 52 points, and was a rebound short of a triple-double. There is no way anyone can say that none of these superstars go out and constantly try to one up each other. That's what makes the NBA so special, so fun to watch, when these guys go at it, it can be one of the most entertaining things in sports to watch. One of these best performances was last years playoffs, game seven of the Celtics and Cavaliers where LeBron had 45 points and Paul Pierce had 41. It was called "an epic battle" by Celtics executive vice president Danny Ainge, and rightfully so. It is these games, these "epic battles" that are so fun to watch, and with the superstars in the league now, most of whom are capable of 40 point nights every time they step on the court, there could be many of these highlight reel nights to come.

Mid-way Sixth Man Award

If the season were to end today, here is how the award race would look.

Sixth Man Award
Winner: Jason Terry - 19.7 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.4 rpg
Runner Up: Manu Ginobili - 16.1 ppg, 3.5 apg, 4.7 rpg
This will be another good race. Right now it looks like Terry has this one in the bag, but one should never count out Manu Ginobili. Also, there is a wild card for this award, and that is Nate Robinson. Robinson is doing great off the bench, and Terry and Ginobili are coming off of injuries, so at this point anything can happen. However, if the season ended right now, no doubt about it the award to go to Jason Terry. He's got to watch out though, a month ago he was the clear winner, and now Ginobili is closing the gap, it will be interesting. But nevertheless the award will go to Dallas' Terry.

Mid-season Most Improved Player Award

Here is where the most improved player will go if the season were to end today.

Most Improved Player
Winner: Devin Harris: This season - 22.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.6 apg
Last season - 14.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.9 apg
Runner up: Danny Granger: This season - 25 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.1 apg.
Last Season - 19.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 apg
This award will go to Devin Harris, his numbers are all up, and he has found a spot in the starting five as his minutes are up as well. Not to mention his sweet game winner recently. He is averaging a little more than seven points a game more than last year. Being traded away from the Mavericks may have been the best thing for Harris' career. Danny Granger also has seen significant improvement. His points are up a little more than five a game, but anyway you stack it up he is nowhere near more improved than Harris is. I think Harris wins this award, as he will continue to play well all season.

Mid-season Defensive Player of the Year

If the season ended today, here is what the defensive player of the year race would look like.

Defensive Player of the Year
Winner: Dwight Howard - 14.1 rpg, 3 bpg, 1 spg
Runner Up: Kevin Garnett - 8.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 1.1 spg
Defensive player of the year is a tough award to predict. It not only reflects the numbers, but how you play, the effort you give, and how well one can defend. Howard is a defensive force anyway you stack it up. If you take the ball in the paint against Orlando, there is a good chance something bad happens. On the other end, Kevin Garnett is a great defender, as the games that he has been out, opponents are scoring almost 10 points more per game. Garnett's numbers do not come close to comparing with Howard's but he is the next in line for the award. In the end, the award will go to Dwight Howard, and rightfully so.

Mid-season Coach of the Year

The mid-season coach of the year is a good race likely between three different guys.

Coach of the Year
Winner: Stan Van Gundy - Record: 41-15
Runner Up: Mike Brown - Record: 43-11
While there are better coaches in the NBA in terms of winning percentage, and records, the coach of the year won't be a person that has the best record, because in most cases they have the best teams. Of all the best teams, the Magic have the least talent. And it's because of that, that Van Gundy will edge out Mike Brown or Phil Jackson for coach of the year. It's common knowledge that Brown and Jackson should have top three teams. Van Gundy on the other hand is a surprise to have 41 wins at this point in the season, and because of that and the remarkable job he has done with his team, he will win the coach of the year.

Mid-way Rookie of the Year.

This award will be the closest of all the mid season awards. However if the year ended now, there is one rookie slightly better than the next.

Rookie of the Year
Winner: O.J. Mayo: 19.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.9 apg
Runner up: Derrick Rose: 17.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6.4 apg
There will be no award race closer than this one. These two are neck and neck for the rookie of the year award, but only one will win. If you take the stat road, Mayo is a better scorer and rebounder, but Rose is a point guard and he gets more assists a game. Both men are around the same steals per game. Rose shoots a little better from the field, Mayo is a little better at free throws. Both kids are showing leadership qualities while playing on sub-par teams. Mayo's strength between the two is his 3-point ability and free throw percentage. Rose has the ability to run the floor and get people involved. This is and will be a close race till the end of the season, but in the end Mayo edges Rose out for the award.

Mid-season Awards...MVP

Each post will be a new award. Today's award is MVP.

If the season were to end today and awards were handed out, here is where the MVP would go:

MVP
Winner: LeBron James - 28.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 7.0 apg
Runner Up: Kobe Bryant - 27.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.9 apg
LeBron leads the NBA in scoring, and is also seriously being considered for defensive player of the year. He is a great two way player, and is a complete team player. He is averaging 28.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7 assists a game. His field goal percentage, and free throw percentage are career highs. While his numbers are still amazing, his minutes are at the lowest of his career. That makes this year that much more impressive. While Kobe is the closest to him, all of LeBron's numbers are better. Stats don't make an MVP, but Kobe also has a better supporting cast than LeBron. If the season were to end, it would be a no brainer for MVP...LeBron James.

Steve Kerr is an idiot, and it's not Terry Porters' Fault...Completely

Terry Porter got fired late Sunday night - early Monday morning. I blame everything on Steve Kerr.

It was Kerr's decision to get rid of Mike D'Antoni for a defensive minded coach. Fine, but what isn't fine is that the Suns have one of the best, if not the best fast break point guard in the league. The only defensive players on the Suns are over 35. Amare wants to run, when he is playing fast paced basketball he plays better. The only reason Amare wanted out was because the game is slowed down, Shaq takes touches away from him. While there was no hope for Terry Porter in the Suns system, that wasn't his fault. It was a bad move by a bad GM. The Suns have the oppotunity to run the offense their way again, whether or not they do remains to be seen. However because of the Terry Porter firing, it seems that Amare will stay in Phoenix, and he will be just fine.

It's going to be interesting to see if the should be playoff team can rebound and make a playoff spot, my guess...yes they can.

Horse...and why is Kevin Durant boring?

The NBA finally wised up and put (supposedly) an exciting event to accompany the dunk contest in all star weekend. Everything about the horse game was good, except for the winner. All things set aside, it was really cool that Kevin Durant went down four letters to both O.J. Mayo and Joe Johnson, and he came back and won. That was cool. What wasn't cool, was his shot selections. Horse is meant to be played for our entertainment, which is how Joe Johnson and O.J. Mayo were playing...whereas Kevin Durant was seemingly playing to win, and he did. Joe Johnson had some cool shot selections, such as spinning the ball of his finger and shooting like that, a free throw with his eyes closed, between the legs lay-ups, and a shot from the broadcast booth behind the hoop. O.J. also had some sweet shot attempts, he shot from behind the hoop, he tried to shoot sitting down, he did fancy lay-ups, and he took the longest shot of the day, which he made. While Durant tried some good shots, everything he did seemed unoriginal because it was some variation of Johnson's or Mayo's shots before. After Johnson got eliminated, the game turned extra boring with Durant just taking three-point jumpers. By doing this he turned a potentially exciting horse game into a game of horse that would be played by middle schoolers. Too bad.

5 "next year rookies"...5 "this year rookies"..."5 Motley Crue songs"

(Photo from siriusbuzz.com)

Here are five people that I believe could make an impact in the NBA next year, right out of college:

1) Blake Griffin - University of Oklahoma
2) James Harden - Arizona State University
3) Hasheem Thabeet - University of Connecticut
4) Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forrest
5) Stephen Curry - Davidson

(Photo from goodlogo.com)

Here are my top five rookies in the NBA as of right now:

1) O.J. Mayo
2) Derrick Rose
3) Russell Westbrook
4) Eric Gordon
5) Michael Beasley

(Photo from musicremedy.com)

Last night I went and saw Motley Crue, and while I know it's no longer the 80's it was pretty amazing, so as a tribute to that here are my top five Motley Crue songs:

1) Kickstart my Heart
2) Girls, Girls, Girls
3) Wildside
4) Home Sweet Home
5) Dr. Feelgood

So there you have it, two relevant top five lists, and one not so relevant but at the same time, amazing.

5 Teams atop the NBA

1) Los Angeles Lakers.
They are holding onto the best record in the NBA with 41 wins and 9 losses. There may have been some questions about the team since Bynam went down, but with Lamar Odom picking up the slack, they still look dangerous headed by Kobe Bryant. The Lakers just got off a six game road trip where they won all six, including a very impressive/controversial overtime win in Boston, and another impressive win in Cleveland, beating the Cavs where they haven't been beat yet.

2) Cleveland Cavaliers
Yes, they just lost for the first time at home, yes, they continue to be riddled with injuries, but yes they still have LeBron James. The Cavs have a 39-10 record, and while some may believe that the Celtics are better, the Cavs have a better winning percentage, which is why they are my number 2. In the last 12 games, they have lost three times, twice to the Lakers, and once to the Magic, not bad. They are right now without a key member of the starting five, Delonte West. Ilgauskas just came back from a significant amount of time gone, and Szczerbiak, Wallace, and Pavlovic has missed time with the flu, but when this team gets healthy, watch out.

3) Boston Celtics
The Celtics right now are 42-11, and supposedly the second best defensive team in the league behind Cleveland. In the last 5 games the Celtics have given up 101, 99, 110, 100, and 105. However the Celtics are the most dangerous team in the league, and as long as you can get the big three to click, and get Rondo running the floor instead of trying to become a shooter, then there is no better team than the Celtics. For the sake of Boston, they better show that defensive minded team that showed up all of this year, and that won them a title last year.

4) Orlando Magic
Orlando is a team that is still flying under the radar. They have 38 wins and 12 losses. Orlando's biggest problem is the injury to Jameer Nelson. If they can overcome that injury, the Magic should be good to go. He's a big part of that team, without Nelson, you are losing almost 17 points per game and they'll need someone to pick up that slack. Dwight Howard is the self proclaimed Superman, but he can only do so much.

5) San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs currently have a record of 34-15, but that is a bit deceiving. The Spurs have played a significant amount of time early on without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. With those two back the Spurs are starting to look like the Spurs of old. With recent wins over Utah, Phoenix, New Orleans, and Boston, the Spurs may have figured it all out just about at the midway part of the season. Watch out for the Spurs in the second half of the season, they could be very dangerous, especially if they can land another big guy through a trade.

Cavs, Lakers

A possible NBA Finals preview, The Lakers and Cavaliers will play in Cleveland on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Two men who just put up the greatest performances in Madison Square Garden History, will go head to head tomorrow afternoon. By the way, the Cavs still have not lost at home. It's going to be a great game, and I think everyone should watch it.

Once Upon a Time in America...The Blazers are good?

(Photo from Stoneybox.com)

I am a huge fan of mob movies, I love them. Gangs of New York, Goodfellas, all of the Godfathers, Casino, and oh yeah, I have seen every episode of the Sopranos. Last Night while walking through Best Buy, I discovered one that I have never heard of. Once Upon a Time in America, it's a movie directed by Sergio Leone, and has a great cast. Robert DeNiro is the main character, in the movie are James Woods, Joe Pesci, and a very young Jennifer Connely. It's a four hour long movie with an amazing ending. I bought it and came home to watch that instead of the Celtics, Lakers game. And while it's a long movie, if your a fan of the genre, I highly recommend the movie.

Something else that I discovered last night, the Portland Trailblazers are actually a good team. They are completely flying under the radar. The Blazers right now are sporting a 30-18 record, and until Wednesday nights loss to Dallas, they were on a 5 game winning streak. Their next five games are against sub-par teams, and they are currently the fourth seed in the West. They are ahead of some teams that were great teams when the season started. They have better records than New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Utah, and Phoenix. They have a talented starting five anchored by Brandon Roy, and also have a lot of depth on their team. If Portland doesn't fall for any trades, this team could be here to stay in the years to come.

To sum up, watch Once Upon a Time in America, and watch out for the Portland Trailblazers.

MSG - KB - LBJ

(Photo from ESPN.com)

Madison Square Garden, one of the NBA's most prominent venues, and lately home to visiting stars destroying the Knicks.

Kobe Bryant just set the Madison Square Garden record with 61 points. He went 19-31 from the field with 61 points and three assists. He went to the line 20 times, while knocking down all 20 of his free throws. What an amazing night for one of the NBA's best players.

Two nights later, King James comes to town. Just a little back story for those who may not follow the NBA. Madison Square Garden is LeBron's favorite venue, since the season started there have been whispers about LeBron playing in New York in 2010. While I'm not going into that right now, (That's a whole different post) Madison Square Garden could be considered LeBron's home away from home. Because Kobe went in there and scored 61, LeBron would want to go in to New York and make everyone's jaw drop for the second time in three days.

And he did.

LeBron went 17-33 from the field, scoring 52 points and he didn't stop there. LeBron also had 10 rebounds and 11 assists. A triple-double with 52 points, that's extremely impressive in my book.

The point of this is not to compare the two superstars' nights, but to put your head down in a moment of silence for the Knicks. They are a franchise that is cutting ties with any and all players who want money, and they are waiting for the summer of LeBron. Even though he has recently expressed extreme content about what the Cleveland front office is doing for him. The fact of the matter is the Knicks will have money, come 2010 if LeBron is not an option, there are about 20 other impact free agents that year. It would really be something if the Knicks could get a player capable of doing what Kobe or LeBron just did, on any given night.

Now Watch Them Pull a Rabbit Out of a Hat...

20 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks a game. That's what Dwight Howard is doing this year, and while that doesn't compare to the likes of what LeBron James or Kobe Bryant are doing this year, he is quietly leading a dangerous team. The Magic are a team that can score with almost anyone. Rashard Lewis is averaging over 19 points a game, while Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson are at about 17 points a game.

Orlando is 35-10 and for whatever reason, people still think Orlando is a joke. They just came off an 11 point win over Cleveland. In their last 20 games, they have won 17, including blow-outs against San Antonio, New Orleans, and Denver. In their last 20, they also beat the Lakers twice, Cleveland, Miami, and San Antonio twice. I don't know how people are looking at this Magic team, but any way you stack it, that is pretty impressive.

Orlando can score from anywhere on the floor, they have the best center in the league, a point guard that knows how to handle the ball, and two guys who can hit 3's with ease. The Magic should start to gain the respect of everyone around the league, because if they don't, they may just blow past any team come playoff time.

5 Beautiful Dunks

Here are my five favorite dunks that I have ever seen. It doesn't mean that they are the best, but they are my favorite.

5) Baron Davis
This dunk was so good they made it into a commercial.


4) LeBron James
He makes the Defensive Player of the Year look like a little girl.


3) Kobe Bryant
He just did what?


2) Michael Jordan
A little ridiculous.


1) Vince Carter
A lot ridiculous

The worst of the best, and the best of the worst

At this point in the NBA season, is a fair to call a good team choke artists, or to say a bottom feeding team has a bright future?

Here are my thoughts of the best of the worst, and the worst of the best in the NBA.

The Worst of the Best
The Boston Celtics.
Anywhere you look, the Celtics will be in the top three in power rankings. Sure they are a good team, but just a month ago, a healthy Boston team lost 6 of 8 with three of those losses coming from teams with records under .500. Boston is a streaky team which is no good come playoff time. Last year provides that perfect point. The Atlanta Hawks took them to seven games, LeBron James (Literally almost by himself) took them to seven games before the Celtics finally beat the Pistons and Lakers in six. That's not going to be enough this year as they lost their leading scorer of the bench, (James Posey) and the Cavaliers and Magic are going to be forces in the playoffs. This all of course is assuming that they don't get beat in their first series, like they almost did last year.

The Best of the Worst
The Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizz are in the bottom five teams in the NBA, no matter how you look at it. But they have a talented young team, and that should be valued in the NBA. Their leading scorer, OJ Mayo, should win rookie of the year, another rookie, Marc Gasol will become a defensive force, and you pair those two with Rudy Gay and Mike Conley, you have four young players that when they can learn to work together, and get some experience under their belts, they will make this team a contender. Not to mention that four of their 10 wins are pretty impressive: Orlando, Houston, Miami, and Dallas.