The Sports Chronicles

GOALLINEBLITZ & Courtrivals- Best MMORPG sites

2009-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

NEW SEASON OF GLB HAS STARTED --- SEASON 12!

Today I want review some of the best mmorpg sites on the net. I must make it clear though that, THIS IS NOT SPAM OR ADVERTISEMENT ! Now that I've made that ABUNDANTLY CLEAR let me start. MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) are gaining more and more popularity as online users look for a new way to connect with their favorite sports. If you want to create your own player(s) and control their training and watch their stats, the best sites are goallineblitz.com & courtrivals.com. GLB is for Football (american football) lovers and courtrivals is the basketball equivalent. I'm on both and i promise you won't be disappointed in either of them. The sites are well-run and constantly updated and millions use both. GLB is actually the MOST POPULAR MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) on the internet (check alexa) and courtrivals is the hottest upcoming mmorpg after gaining popularity a little over a year ago. Both are the top sites in their respective sports so get to it!

If by chance:
1. you're not familiar with MMORPG
or
2. you're tired of playing fantasy sports and watching your team lose because you can't control what your players do and want the control for yourself
then
read up more on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mmorpg

To sign up for GLB (goallineblitz), copy and paste link below:
http://goallineblitz.com/game/signup.pl?ref=33333245

To sign up for courtrivals, copy and paste link below:
http://www.courtrivals.com/register.php?ref=3000

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Portland Trail Blazers: "Bad Boys" ON THE COURT

2009-04-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

by Xavier Thompson

What a difference a few years of turmoil and unproductive seasons make.

Portland, which for 21 consecutive seasons, from 1983 to 2003, made the playoffs (second-longest streak in NBA history), had their fall from grace begin in the 2003 – 2004 season when that streak was halted. This was only the beginning, however, of a string of bad seasons as for the following two seasons they slumped to one of the NBA’s worst teams, “accomplishing” the feat of worst record in the league in the 2005 – 2006 season.

In the past two seasons, however, they have managed to get back on track, recording a .500 record for the first time in four years, last season (a season which included a 13-game winning streak) and set to finish with an over .600 record this season.

The playoffs are in sight and the Blazers are looking to create an upset or at least cause uproar.

Why are they back on track?

From even in times of prominence, the Blazers were known for their ‘bad boys’.

First was original bad boy, Rasheed Wallace, in the late 90s to early 00s whose love for technical fouls found him leading the league in the category for several seasons. As uncontrollable as he may have seemed at times and the fact that he was not the best teammate to play with (I’m sure Arvydas still remembers the towel Wallace threw in his face), his bad boy attitude and tenacity helped to propel Portland and keep them afloat.

‘Sheed’s departure, after the 2003 – 2004 season, did not take the “bad boy” out of Portland but this “bad boy” persona started to be channeled in completely negative ways. The next couple of years brought about the worst period of behavioral problems for the Blazers which led to their subsequent downfall.

Sure every franchise has their period of struggles and rebuilding, but this is usually due to young players still learning the tricks of the trade, NOT because of players who refused to manage their behaviors appropriately.

Where to start?

Qyntel Woods possessed more marijuana than actual basketball skill and know-ho.

Bonzi Wells was a child trapped in a man’s body, temperamental and nagging.

Sebastian Telfair’s IQ was apparently lower than his age as the terrorist-in-training brought a gun on the team plane (could it be that the Middle East isn’t the only place that harbors terrorists?).

Darius “I wish I was white” Miles was the pot that called the kettle (coach Maurice Cheeks) “nigger” (no wonder they wanted back their 10 million).

Ruben Patterson a.k.a. Mr. Cop-A-Feel was a registered sex offender.

Zach Randolph, who seemingly had a problem with this, decided to send a strong message of “No funny business” by all but breaking Ruben’s eye socket. Maybe it was that wanting glare in Ruben’s eyes or a little wink here and there that sent Randolph over the edge (this, of course, is merely speculation on my part).

These instances of bad behavior led to several years of bad luck.

Slowly, but surely, however, the Blazers rid themselves of one bad apple after another with Zach Randolph being the last to go and apparently bringing his selfish ball hogging playing style (which would have certainly continued to stifle Brandon Roy’s development) and hopefully playoff jinx with him.

I will admit that I questioned the Blazers move to trade Z-Bo and take Oden first instead of keeping Mr. Sock-it-to-you and taking Durant to fill their SF void. Looking at their roster, record and overall play now, I see why.

This brings me to the new era of Blazer basketball. Gone are the “bad boys” off-court and chokers when it really matters, on court and in are players who take their “anger issues” out on opponents instead of on each other (ye that was a cheap shot at you Mr. Randolph).

If you look at the Portland team now, they’ve got a ‘tude (attitude for those with Telfair-like IQs), a swagger, a silent aggressive nature that big opponents take likely and usually pay for, especially in the Garden of Rose (Rose Garden Arena).

Case in point, this year Portland has beaten some of the NBAs best, CONVINCLY, at the Rose.

One commonality in almost all the wins, aside from a sound a-whooping, was confrontation.

From The Big Ticket, KG, and Aldridge (vs. Celtics) to Ariza and Roy {dirty fool Trevor, dirty!} (vs. Lakers) and Shaq/Shaqovic/The Big Aristotle/The Big Cactus/Diesel (can’t remember any more nick names but I think I covered about half the list) and Carlos “C-Boo” Boozer vs. Przybilla (vs. Suns and Jazz, respectively), experienced teams are learning that this young team aren’t the pushovers they thought.

The latest incident, on March 31, in the rout of the Jazz, saw Boozer and Przybilla tossed for offsetting Double Techincals, going to show you that even the best of the best are being sucked in by the Blazers tenacity and even audacity – how dare such a young team, with absolutely no playoff experience, stand up to these experienced Juggernauts.

Easy, by doing just that and guess what it’s paying off - big time.

Dare I say the Hornets of this year? .... Let me not get carried away.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/151896-portland-trail-blazers-bad-boys-on-the-court

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/151458-ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead-blazers-make-playoffs

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO READ FULL STORY GO HERE:

http://diphoenix.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/portland-trail-blazers-bad-boys-on-the-court/

NBA 2009 ALL-STARS HAVE BEEN NAMED

2009-01-31T16:10:00.000-08:00

Shaq among list of All-Star reserves with 15th appearance

Enlarge By Rick Scuteri, AP

Shaquille O'Neal will join Amare Stoudemire as hometown representatives of the Suns in the All-Star Game in Phoenix.

var storyURL = "http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-01-29-all-star-reserves_N.htm";
"Shaq among list of All-Star reserves with 15th appearance";

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The NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix will have a decidedly Magical feel.
Eastern Conference coaches voted two Orlando Magic players as All-Star reserves, guard Jameer Nelson and forward Rashard Lewis, to join the leading vote-getter in the fans' first-team balloting, center Dwight Howard. The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns have two All-Stars each.

ROSTERS: 58th NBA All-Star Game
Among those playing the best who did not make the Feb. 15 game are Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry and Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap.

The Lakers' Phil Jackson will coach the West as Los Angeles has clinched that conference's best record; the East coach will be decided this weekend between Orlando's Stan Van Gundy and Cleveland's Mike Brown.

Shaquille O'Neal is an All-Star for the 15th time, second to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 19 appearances. O'Neal will be reunited with the Lakers' Jackson and Kobe Bryant, with whom he feuded in the past. But hugs and high-fives were exchanged when the Suns and Lakers met in Phoenix in November. Nelson, New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris and Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger are the only first-time All-Stars, all as reserves for the East squad.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Atlanta | Boston | Houston | Cleveland | Phoenix | Orlando | Charlotte | Los Angeles Lakers | Denver | Phoenix Suns | Kobe Bryant | Shaquille O'Neal | LeBron James | San Antonio Spurs | Boston Celtics | East | Dallas Mavericks | Cleveland Cavaliers | New Jersey Nets | Lakers | Indiana Pacers | Orlando Magic | Dwyane Wade | Kevin Garnett | Tim Duncan | Yao Ming | Phil Jackson | Allen Iverson | Utah Jazz | Hawks | Chauncey Billups | Pistons | Mike Brown | Ray Allen | Hornets | Tony Parker | Dirk Nowitzki | Big Three | Dwight Howard | Chris Paul | Paul Pierce | David Stern | Amare Stoudemire | Magic | Pau Gasol | Stan Van Gundy | Nuggets | Pacers | Caron Butler | All-Stars | Chris Bosh | Nets | Jason Terry | O'Neal | Raptors | Joe Johnson | Rashard Lewis | Bruce Bowen | Trail Blazers | Jameer Nelson | Devin Harris | Brandon Roy | Rajon Rondo | David West | Mo Williams | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Stoudemire | Danny Granger | Paul Millsap | Hakeem Olajuwon | East All-Stars | Magical
NBA coaches voted for seven reserves from their respective conferences but could not vote for their own players. NBA Commissioner David Stern will select replacements if All-Stars cannot play because of injuries.

New Orleans, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers also had multiple players on the West roster.

But for the second year in a row, only two of the Boston Celtics' Big Three made the initial roster: Paul Pierce was voted in with starter Kevin Garnett, while Ray Allen was left out.

Traded to the Suns at last season's deadline, O'Neal endured the worst season of his career and had his record-tying streak of 14 consecutive All-Star appearances end. Now he's back in the showcase game, and trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 19 for most appearances.

Abdul-Jabbar, a Lakers assistant, will help coach the West team.

The 36-year-old O'Neal was averaging 18.2 points and 9.1 rebounds entering Thursday night's showdown against the Spurs. He needed five more points to catch Hakeem Olajuwon for seventh on the NBA's career scoring list.

O'Neal isn't the only veteran on a West roster flush with experience. The Spurs' Tim Duncan and the Bryant are each making their 11th appearances, while Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki was picked for the eighth time and Houston center Yao Ming for the seventh time.

Carmelo Anthony, who's missed the last 10 games with a broken bone in his right hand, was left off the roster even though he's been cleared to play Friday night at Charlotte. That leaves point guard Chauncey Billups the lone selection from the division-leading Nuggets.

"I was definitely excited. My next question right directly after that was, 'Did Melo make it?' Of course I'm disappointed in that," Billups told The Associated Press. "The only reason why is because of the injury. It's just an unfortunate situation."

Acquired in a trade with the Pistons on Nov. 3, Billups has given Denver a steady backcourt presence. The four-time All-Star is averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 assists.

Stoudemire, Yao, Bryant, Duncan and Chris Paul of the Hornets were voted by fans to start for the West. The East starters are Garnett, Howard, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson of the Pistons and LeBron James of the Cavaliers.

Coaches were then required to vote for two guards, two forwards, a center and two at-large reserves. The other picks for the West were Pau Gasol of the Lakers, Tony Parker of the Spurs, Brandon Roy of the Trail Blazers and David West of the Hornets. Filling out the East roster are Raptors forward Chris Bosh and Hawks guard Joe Johnson.

There was little controversy in fan voting — besides Stoudemire beating out Spurs reserve Bruce Bowen by just 68,000 votes — but the ballots turned in by the league's coaches left a bunch of deserving players with a gripe.

Allen was passed over despite averaging 18.0 points and helping Boston to a 38-9 record. The eight-time All-Star was skipped over last year, too, but was later added by commissioner David Stern as an injury replacement for Caron Butler.

All-Star Game rosters

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player, team
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
College/HS/Country All-Star
Selections

4
Chris Bosh, Toronto
F/C
6-10
230
Georgia Tech 4th

5
Kevin Garnett, Boston
F
6-11
220
Farragut Academy 12th

33
Danny Granger, Indiana
F
6-8
225
New Mexico 1st

34
Devin Harris, New Jersey
G
6-3
185
Wisconsin 1st

12
Dwight Howard, Orlando
C
6-11
265
SW Atlanta Christian Academy 3rd

3
Allen Iverson, Detroit
G
6-0
165
Georgetown 10th

23
LeBron James, Cleveland
F
6-8
250
St. Vincent/St. Mary HS 5th

2
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
G
6-7
235
Arkansas 3rd

9
Rashard Lewis, Orlando
F
6-10
215
Alief Elsik HS 2nd

14
Jameer Nelson, Orlando
G
6-0
190
St. Joseph's 1st

34
Paul Pierce, Boston
F
6-7
235
Kansas 7th

3
Dwayne Wade, Miami
G
6-4
210
Marquette 5th

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player, team
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
College/HS/Country All-Star
Selections

1
Chauncey Billups, Denver
G
6-3
202
Colorado 4th

24
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
G
6-6
205
Lower Merion HS 11th

21
Tim Duncan, San Antonio
F
6-11
260
Wake Forest 11th

16
Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers
F
7-0
227
Spain 2nd

11
Yao Ming, Houston
C
7-6
310
China 7th

41
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
F
7-0
245
Germany 8th

32
Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix
C
7-1
315
Louisiana State 15th

9
Tony Parker, San Antonio
G
6-2
177
France 3rd

3
Chris Paul, New Orleans
G
6-0
175
Wake Forest 2nd

7
Brandon Roy, Portland
G
6-6
211
Washington 2nd

1
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix
F/C
6-10
245
Cypress Creek HS 4th

30
David West, New Orleans
F
6-9
240
Xavier 2nd

***

Contributing: Chris Colston, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-01-29-all-star-reserves_N.htm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHO DESERVED IT AND WHO GOT SNUBBED

---- Xavier Thompson

yes

FIRSTLY LETS JUS RECAP THE CHOSEN FEW

All-Star Game rosters

* — starters

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player, team
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
College/HS/Country All-Star
Selections

4
Chris Bosh, Toronto
F/C
6-1
230
Georgia Tech 4th

5
* Kevin Garnett, Boston
F
6-11
220
Farragut Academy 12th

33
Danny Granger, Indiana
F
6-8
225
New Mexico 1st

34
Devin Harris, New Jersey
G
6-3
185
Wisconsin 1st

12
* Dwight Howard, Orlando
C
6-11
265
SW Atlanta Christian Academy 3rd

3
* Allen Iverson, Detroit
G
6-10
165
Georgetown 10th

23
* LeBron James, Cleveland
F
6-8
250
St. Vincent/St. Mary HS 5th

2
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
G
6-7
235
Arkansas 3rd

9
Rashard Lewis, Orlando
F
6-10
215
Alief Elsik HS 2nd

14
Jameer Nelson, Orlando
G
6-0
190
St. Joseph's 1st

34
Paul Pierce, Boston
F
6-7
235
Kansas 7th

3
* Dwayne Wade, Miami
G
6-4
210
Marquette 5th

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player, team
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
College/HS/Country All-Star
Selections

1
Chauncey Billups, Denver
G
6-3
202
Colorado 4th

24
* Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
G
6-6
205
Lower Merion HS 11th

21
* Tim Duncan, San Antonio
F
6-11
260
Wake Forest 11th

16
Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers
F
7-0
227
Spain 2nd

11
* Yao Ming, Houston
C
7-6
310
China 7th

41
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
F
7-0
245
Germany 8th

32
Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix
C
7-1
315
Louisiana State 15th

9
Tony Parker, San Antonio
G
6-2
177
France 3rd

3
* Chris Paul, New Orleans
G
6-0
175
Wake Forest 2nd

7
Brandon Roy, Portland
G
6-6
211
Washington 2nd

1
* Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix
F/C
6-10
245
Cypress Creek HS 4th

30
David West, New Orleans
F
6-9
240
Xavier 2nd

Firstly, let's start with the deserved ...

On the Eastern side of things, we saw all THREE debutantes in Nelson, Granger and Harris. A bit surprising since all are in the middle of their breakout seasosn, especially hARRIS AND nELSON (gRANGER was pretty good last year but has still improved a great deal). The bottom line, however, is that all three DESERVED their allstar selections. The rest of the east was pretty expected with Rashard Lewis being the only member chosen by the coaches which I thought was a bit undeserved. Now don't get me wrong Rashard is playing bball at a very high level and we're seeing numbers reminiscient of what he put up as a Super Sonic which led to his rise to stardom. Furthermore, after last year's dismal season (by my accounts) I think he's made very big steps in shwocasing his value to the Magics organization and fans. However, his numbers don't light up the board enough to be playing in such a showcase. Allen Iverson's selection was obviously the MOST UNDESERVED, however, seeing he was actually voted in by the fans then I have no right to argue, they choose what they want to see.

SNUBS ON THE EAST:

Mike Bibby - definately deserved a nod due to the way he's provided that extra uumph the Hawks needed to become a contender in the East.

Vince Carter - he may not be able to jump as high or as much but he still can light it up on any choosen day ... plus his numbers don't lie (maybe if the nets had a better record he would have made it)

Andre Iguodala

Tashaun Prince - this is more because of my view that a player which is undoubtedly the most valauble on his team though his numbers may not show this.

David Lee - maybe next year but the kid can play

ON THE WEST

NO FIRST TIMERS .... NOT SURPRISED. The ONLY problem with the roster chosen was DAVID WEST. Yeah, 20 ppg, 7 rpg looks pretty good on a stat sheet

Can't really say "Snubs" since the lineup was a pretty deserved one but there were a number of surprise absentees:

Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony (no excuse for him not being on ... definately should have made it over DAVID WEST), Al Jefferson (not really "surprising" per se but...), The Utah Twins ... Carlos "C-Bo" Boozer and Deron Williams (.... obviously only the injruies kept these two BEASTS off the roster), KEVIN DURANT ( if only this guy did not play for such a horrendous team but my God has this kid improved in terms of bball IQ and rebounding skills BIG PROPS TO MR. DURANT ... who the hell needs to be able to bench press 180 when u can play like this right? - mind over matter)

Ken Berger

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Shaq & Kobe, together again

Posted on: January 29, 2009 7:27 pm
Edited on: January 30, 2009 7:16 am
Score: 89
2

Predictably, Shaquille O'Neal captured the sentimental vote among NBA coaches, gaining entry to his 15th All-Star game when the chocies were announced Thursday night on TNT.

As vehemently as I argued that Shaq didn't deserve to be in over Al Jefferson, I will enjoy Shaq's presence in Phoenix -- especially his reunion with Kobe & Phil. What bothers me is that he's in and Carmelo Anthony is out. The way the coaches' votes are tabulated --ranking their choices 1-7 with two guards, two forwards, one center, and two wild cards -- Anthony would appear to have been pushed off the squad by Shaq. I haven't seen the voting, but Shaq probably made it because some coaches listed him as the backup center and others listed him as one of the wild cards.

Anthony missed some games, so if you don't agree with me there you might argue for Paul Millsap, Kevin Durant, or Jefferson. All three are having a better year than Shaq. But I've said my piece. I can't wait until Shaq is holding court at All-Star media availability. Should be fun.

In case you missed it, here are the rest of the Western reserves: Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy, Chauncey Billups, and David West. The difference between the coaches' choices and mine -- I had Jefferson, Deron Williams, and Anthony vs. Shaq, Parker, and West.

There are three first-timers on the Eastern squad: Danny Granger, Devin Harris and Jameer Nelson. Joining them are Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh and Rashard Lewis. The only difference between the real squad and mine -- I had Ray Allen instead of Lewis. Nothing to quibble about there.

Your thoughts?

Category: NBA
Tags: All-Star Reserves

Comments
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FlyingJ

Reputation: 90
Level: All-Star
Since: Dec 10, 2006

Posted on: January 29, 2009 7:38 pm
Score: 88
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

I say david lee instead of lewis or nelson i know orlando has a winning record but they already have howard starting. Lewis and Nelsons numbers are not great. David lee has great numbers

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BadgerNation

Reputation: 95
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Posted on: January 29, 2009 8:12 pm
Score: 89
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

I like to see some players who arent on dominating teams get chosen. You can have great stats when you are surrounded by Garnett Pierce and Allen, or Howard and Lewis and Nelson. Al Jefferson is on a bad team and gets his stats being double teamed and ganged up on every night. Shaq has been great, but he is also playing with superstars Nash and Amare. I think thats why i like the Granger and Harris and Bosh picks. David Lee and Durant also do it often on thier own.

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jlt421

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Posted on: January 29, 2009 8:21 pm
Score: 56
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Al Jefferson snubbed....are you kidding me?

WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

PLAYER A: 22.7 PPG 10.5 RPG 49% FG 74% FT

PLAYER B: 20.6 PPG 10.3 RPG 52% FG 68% FT

You would choose Player A right? Well.....Player A is Al Jefferson, and Player B is Tim Duncan, the starting PF for the West.... A complete travesty he did not make the team just beacuse the Wolves aren't a good team.

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thommie2011jz

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Posted on: January 29, 2009 8:27 pm
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

On top of that, Jefferson averages those numbers with constantly facing double, usually triple teams beacause their are no other legitamate threat for the timberwolves offensively.

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MotownKit

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Posted on: January 29, 2009 9:07 pm
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

Calderon deserves a spot. Hands down. Don't know why he was left off or no one is calling him a possible snub?

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MotownKit

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Posted on: January 29, 2009 9:09 pm
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

Al Jefferson definitely got snubbed too but I dont know exactly who I would take off, maybe David West.

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Bluejays4ws

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Posted on: January 29, 2009 9:26 pm
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

Shaq should be an all-star. If there's anyone Al Jefferson should've made it in over it would have to be David West

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playmaker21

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Posted on: January 30, 2009 12:41 am
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

i don't see why people are making fuss outta the all-star game, the weekend is just an excuse for people

to get drunk and have sex with hookers, nobody takes the game seriously. Also the media dig up the same garbage

every year and brag about the travesty about who didn't got in, or who got in. ENOUGH ALREADY.

also im sick of former nba-players using the all-star weekend to grandstand and promote their useless lives like how that homo amaechi tried to steal the show.

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Hawkman77

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Posted on: January 30, 2009 2:37 am
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

I say david lee instead of lewis or nelson i know orlando has a winning record but they already have howard starting. Lewis and Nelsons numbers are not great. David lee has great numbersTwo problems with that. 1) they play different positions. Nobody is going to pick David Lee over Jameer Nelson when they need a point guard for the team. 2) the numbers don't tell the whole story. Basketball fans know Lee is a good ballplayer, a scrapper who is not a star but who has played very well in D'antoni's system. Nelson is one of the few point guards shooting more than 50% from the field and is leading his team. I think Lewis is less deserving than Nelson but he's been great at what he does also. Lee is a nice player but he does not have great numbers - he has one great number, and that's his rebounding number.

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Hawkman77

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Posted on: January 30, 2009 2:41 am
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Shaq & Kobe, together again

WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE? PLAYER A: 22.7 PPG 10.5 RPG 49% FG 74% FT PLAYER B: 20.6 PPG 10.3 RPG 52% FG 68% FTHorrible question. This is like saying numbers matter more than contributions and skill. Numbers don't account for the type of team a player is on, how he fits in the defense, intangibles, defense, etc.

Duncan = Hall of Fame and having a very strong year. Shooting a better percentage than Jefferson.

Jefferson = Good player. Might make an all-star team or two in his career. Can get to the Hall of Fame if he buys a ticket.

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BergerSphere
• January 29, 2009 7:27 pm
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Xavier Thompson from THE BLEACHER REPORT --- see part of story here: (scroll up to see all)

Firstly, let's start with the deserved ...

On the Eastern side of things, we saw all THREE debutantes in Nelson, Granger and Harris. A bit surprising since all are in the middle of their breakout seasosn, especially hARRIS AND nELSON (gRANGER was pretty good last year but has still improved a great deal). The bottom line, however, is that all three DESERVED their allstar selections. The rest of the east was pretty expected with Rashard Lewis being the only member chosen by the coaches which I thought was a bit undeserved. Now don't get me wrong Rashard is playing bball at a very high level and we're seeing numbers reminiscient of what he put up as a Super Sonic which led to his rise to stardom. Furthermore, after last year's dismal season (by my accounts) I think he's made very big steps in shwocasing his value to the Magics organization and fans. However, his numbers don't light up the board enough to be playing in such a showcase. Allen Iverson's selection was obviously the MOST UNDESERVED, however, seeing he was actually voted in by the fans then I have no right to argue, they choose what they want to see.

SNUBS ON THE EAST:

Mike Bibby - definately deserved a nod due to the way he's provided that extra uumph the Hawks needed to become a contender in the East.

Vince Carter - he may not be able to jump as high or as much but he still can light it up on any choosen day ... plus his numbers don't lie (maybe if the nets had a better record he would have made it)

Andre Iguodala

Tashaun Prince - this is more because of my view that a player which is undoubtedly the most valauble on his team though his numbers may not show this.

David Lee - maybe next year but the kid can play

ON THE WEST

NO FIRST TIMERS .... NOT SURPRISED. The ONLY problem with the roster chosen was DAVID WEST. Yeah, 20 ppg, 7 rpg looks pretty good on a stat sheet

Can't really say "Snubs" since the lineup was a pretty deserved one but there were a number of surprise absentees:

Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony (no excuse for him not being on ... definately should have made it over DAVID WEST), Al Jefferson (not really "surprising" per se but...), The Utah Twins ... Carlos "C-Bo" Boozer and Deron Williams (.... obviously only the injruies kept these two BEASTS off the roster), KEVIN DURANT ( if only this guy did not play for such a horrendous team but my God has this kid improved in terms of bball IQ and rebounding skills BIG PROPS TO MR. DURANT ... who the hell needs to be able to bench press 180 when u can play like this right? - mind over matter)

:)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIRSTLY LETS JUS RECAP THE CHOSEN FEW

All-Star Game rosters

* — starters

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player, team
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
College/HS/Country All-Star
Selections

4
Chris Bosh, Toronto
F/C
6-1
230
Georgia Tech 4th

5
* Kevin Garnett, Boston
F
6-11
220
Farragut Academy 12th

33
Danny Granger, Indiana
F
6-8
225
New Mexico 1st

34
Devin Harris, New Jersey
G
6-3
185
Wisconsin 1st

12
* Dwight Howard, Orlando
C
6-11
265
SW Atlanta Christian Academy 3rd

3
* Allen Iverson, Detroit
G
6-10
165
Georgetown 10th

23
* LeBron James, Cleveland
F
6-8
250
St. Vincent/St. Mary HS 5th

2
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
G
6-7
235
Arkansas 3rd

9
Rashard Lewis, Orlando
F
6-10
215
Alief Elsik HS 2nd

14
Jameer Nelson, Orlando
G
6-0
190
St. Joseph’s 1st

34
Paul Pierce, Boston
F
6-7
235
Kansas 7th

3
* Dwayne Wade, Miami
G
6-4
210
Marquette 5th

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player, team
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
College/HS/Country All-Star
Selections

1
Chauncey Billups, Denver
G
6-3
202
Colorado 4th

24
* Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
G
6-6
205
Lower Merion HS 11th

21
* Tim Duncan, San Antonio
F
6-11
260
Wake Forest 11th

16
Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers
F
7-0
227
Spain 2nd

11
* Yao Ming, Houston
C
7-6
310
China 7th

41
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
F
7-0
245
Germany 8th

32
Shaquille O’Neal, Phoenix
C
7-1
315
Louisiana State 15th

9
Tony Parker, San Antonio
G
6-2
177
France 3rd

3
* Chris Paul, New Orleans
G
6-0
175
Wake Forest 2nd

7
Brandon Roy, Portland
G
6-6
211
Washington 2nd

1
* Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix
F/C
6-10
245
Cypress Creek HS 4th

30
David West, New Orleans
F
6-9
240
Xavier 2nd

Firstly, let’s start with THE EAST …

On the Eastern side of things, we saw all THREE debutantes in Nelson, Granger and Harris. A bit surprising since all are in the middle of their breakout seasosn, especially Harris and Nelson (Granger was pretty good last year but has still improved a great deal). The bottom line, however, is that all three DESERVED their allstar selections.

The rest of the east was pretty expected with Rashard Lewis being the only member chosen by the coaches which I thought was a bit undeserved. Now don’t get me wrong Rashard is playing bball at a very high level and we’re seeing numbers reminiscient of what he put up as a Super Sonic which led to his rise to stardom. Furthermore, after last year’s dismal season (by my accounts) I think he’s made very big steps in showcasing his value to the Magics organization and fans. However, his numbers don’t light up the board enough to be playing in such a showcase.

Allen Iverson’s selection was obviously the MOST UNDESERVED, however, seeing he was actually voted in by the fans then I have no right to argue, they choose what they want to see.

SNUBS on the EAST:

Mike Bibby - definately deserved a nod due to the way he’s provided that extra uumph the Hawks needed to become a contender in the East.

Vince Carter - he may not be able to jump as high or as much but he still can light it up on any given day … plus his numbers don’t lie (maybe if the nets had a better record he would have made it)

Andre Iguodala

Tashaun Prince - this is more because of my view that a player which is undoubtedly the most valuable on his team though his numbers may not show this.

David Lee - maybe next year but the kid can play

THE WEST

NO FIRST TIMERS …. NOT SURPRISED. The ONLY problem with the roster chosen was DAVID WEST. Yeah, 20 ppg, 7 rpg looks pretty good on a stat sheet but he really hasn't provided any 'sting' for the hornets.

Can’t really say “Snubs” since the lineup was a pretty deserved one but there were a number of surprise absentees:

Steve Nash

Carmelo Anthony (no excuse for him not being on … definately should have made it over DAVID WEST)

Al Jefferson (not really “surprising” per se but…)

The Utah Twins … Carlos “C-Bo” Boozer and Deron Williams (…. obviously only the injuries kept these two BEASTS off the roster)

KEVIN DURANT - if only this guy did not play for such a horrendous team but my God has this kid improved in terms of bball IQ and rebounding skills. BIG PROPS TO MR. DURANT … who in the world needs to be able to bench press 180 when u can play like this right? - mind over matter.

—- Xavier Thompson

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/118091-nba-2009-allstars-have-been-named-who-deserved-it-who-got-snubbed?just_published=1

Campion College Basketball: The Finale! [2007-2008 Season]

2009-01-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

TEAM LEADERS

Points: Russell Thompson (16+ points per game)
Rebounds: Xavier Thompson (11+ rebounds per game)
Assists: James Deane (3+ assists per game)

Blocking Leaders:
Leighton Samuels
Xavier Thompson

Stealing Leaders:
Russell Thompson
Jason Blankson

Team MVP: James Deane
--------------------------------------------
AFTER THE SEASON

2008 - 2009 Season
This will begin the rebuilding period for Campion College Under-19 (Varsity) Team. The next two years should be rough but in a matter of time players such as Javier Gordon, Jonathan Mitchell & Leekem Brown, among others, should have the team back on track.

Season (League) Awards
James Deane was awarded a plaque for being the best 3-point shooter of the league.

In-house Awards
At their graduation, multiple members of the team were awarded plaques for their dedication and contribution to Campion College Basketball. These Players were as follows:

Jason Blankson
James Deane
Graham Reid
Leighton Samuels
Russell Thompson
Xavier Thompson

The Sports Chronicles would like to congratulate the 2007-2008 Campion College Under-19 (Varsity) Team for their achievements this year and for putting together a very exciting season and the best finish the school has seen in over seven years.

............

Campion College Basketball: Campionites end season on high, trouncing Tarrant

2008-06-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Date: 31/01/08 [56-10] {Record: 3-5} Venue: Radley Reid Arena (Campion College)
[Home: 3-1][Away: 0-4]

Campion College finished their season in the same manner in which they started it - with a win - as action continued in the Southern Zone of the ISSA/KFC/Pepsi Basketball Competition. Campion soundly beat the lowly Tarrant High to complete and cap off a better than average (and expected) season. Though playing slopely, possibly due to their season having being over AND/OR the fact that they knew Tarrant was winless, the Campionites still managed to demolish their opponents 56-10.

Impressive Home Record

Though a sloppy match, the Campionites ended their season with an impressive home record of 3 wins and just one loss. The fans obviously playing a factor with this year being the only year in recent times that Campion fans came out in their numbers and actually outnumbered opponents. All-in-all, it was a great sending off for the Campionites with all but one of their members playing their last year of basketball with the school.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATS

Leading Scorers
James Deane 29 points
Russel Thompson 13 points
Jason Blankson 6 points

Leading Rebounders
Xavier Thompson 11 rebounds
Leighton Samuels 11 rebounds
Jason Blankson 9 rebounds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
SF Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]
SG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]
PG James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 145 lbs]

Bench:
Kim Sing Yung [5'10, 150 lbs]
Graham Reid [5'11, 155 lbs]
Darren Mitchell [5'10, 150 lbs]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME NOTES
The second game more than two players had 8+ rebounds (X. Thompson, Samuels, Blankson).
Blankson, Samuels and Xavier Thompson collectively tallied 31 rebounds [X. Thompson, 11, Samuels, 11 and Blankson, 9]
Russell Thompson, Xavier Thompson, Leighton Samuels, James Deane & Jason Blankson played the majority of the match.
Darren Mitchell, Graham Reid and Kim saw minority minutes.
Mikhail Mattis did not play due to injury (knee).

IN ATTENDANCE:
Racquel Dawkins, Shawntoll Buchanon, Damar Pessoa, Leikim Brown, Javier Gordon, Ashton Blankson.

Euro 2008

2008-06-04T11:32:00.001-07:00

Holland/Netherlands!!!

Rossenero

2008-05-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

There has been much speculation over the player’s future and reports in Italy have suggested that the Frenchman was a prime target for Juventus.

However, it seems as if the Bianconeri have been beaten to the line to sign Flamini by Milan following a a news report by Sky Sport Italia. The 24-year-old has refused to pen a new deal with the Gunners and it is believed that he was not happy with the package which was offered.

The player will arrive in July on a free transfer and Milan have presented him with a better deal. Flamini will be earning €5.6 million per season over a four year period.

Arsene Wenger was confident of keeping the player on at the Emirates but it now seems impossible.

“If it was down to just football then Flamini would stay, however it does not depend only on that,” said Wenger.

Milan need reinforcements for next season, especially if they are to mount a serious bid for the title as well as the Champions League.

NBA PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

2008-04-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

NBA PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: FIRST ROUND
by Xavier Thompson, basketball player and analyst
The EAST

1. BOS vs. 8. ATL

Not much too say about this matchup except for the fact that Atlanta will be lucky to even win a match. They have a good team but will have to wait for another two seasons before really being a contender.

Celtics sweeps Hawks 4-0

2. DET vs. PHI

With the way Philadelphia has played coming into the playoffs there is no doubt that they will prove problematic for the Pistons to get rid of. In fact, if the 76ers had been fortuitous enough to get the 6th or 5th seed, they would have a real possibility of upsetting a top seed. However, they are matched up with the veteran Piston side who even though have a history of becoming complacent, have not lost a first round series in more than 6 years. So, unfortunately for the upstarts from Philadelphia this is where their surprising season comes to a halt.

Pistons prevail 4-2

3. ORL vs. 6. TOR

This series probably won't provide much in the way of excitement and will be possibly one of the more overlooked matchups. The raptors are a good team but really do not have the strength or vigor to cause much problems for the Magic. In fact they will probably bring the series to six games for the sheer fact that the Magics on a whole are not a very experienced playoff team. However with Dwight Howard at the helm, the Raptors will have little chance of causing an upset.

Magics wins the series in 6 games.

4. CLE vs. 5. WAS

This is the only series in the east with a very good chance of going either way. Though assembling the best team roster since LeBron James' arrival, the Cavaliers have looked less than impressive in their run up to the playoffs and barely managed to get home court advantage over Washington. The Wizards on the other hand have learned to win without their star Gilbert Arenas (including two over the top team in the NBA, the Celtics) and with him now back will have a very good chance of finally getting past arch playoff rivals Cleveland. The two things going for the Cavs right now is the brilliance of King James and their mental advantage.

Wizards pull of the East's only upset and down the Cavs in 7

The WEST

1. LAL vs. 8. DEN

Sweep, sweep, sweep! The Nuggets allowed the Seattle Supersonics led by two rookies to not only beat them in a CRUCIAL must-win game but allowed them to score 161 points. Now double overtime or not that is HORRENDOUS. What does it show? Its a clear indication that this team has no defense and if that young Sonics could run them rampant, then I can only imagine what the Los Angeles Lakers will do to teroirize them. Out of all the playoff series this is the likeliest of sweeps you will find. The Lakers are just too god.

Lakers in easy sweep 4-0

2. NOH vs. 7. DAL

One of the two playoff seires in the West with serious 'upset' possibilities. As good as the Hornets have been and as bad as the Mavericks have proven to be against +.500 teams, one factor will ultimately let down New Orleans - their INEXPERIENCE. None of the starting five, except Peja, have any real playoff experience and though this can be compared to Deron Williams and the Jazz last year, let's face it, the West is just too tight this year (plus the Jazz didn't exactly have the toughest road to the Conference Finals). This series should provide for great entertainemnt and nail biting finishes and will be decided by one player: Peja Stojakovic. Yes, he isn't what he used to be but without him the Hornets will not be able to overcome the Mavericks. WIth him providing offense, the Hornets will probably prove too much for the Avery Johnsons coached Dallas. Who will come out on top?

Dallas given the edge to end Chris Paul's Hornets run in exciting 7 game seires.

3. SAS vs. 6. PHO

This is the other western series with serious threats of producing an 'upset'. The Spurs have previously proven too much for the Suns to handle in a playoff series (they haven't beaten the Spurs in a playoff series since the Spurs championship run began). However with a new look and with the Spurs not looking like they have in previous years, the Suns may just have their chance. The series will go down to the wire no doubt and will be decided depending on the team which is more hungry. Right now, that is looking like the Suns.

Phoenix tipped to win in 7

4. UTA vs. 5. HOU

The Rockets have done the unthinkable. Not only have they made the playoffs without the help of Yao Ming but they were actually in the hunt of a top seed position. And let's not forget their 20+ game winning streak. However, despite all of this Utah will still have an easy time disposing of them. T-Mac is an infamous playoff choker and the Jazz are even better than last year. Though last year's series came down to home court advantage and despite the fact that Rockets have it this time around, they just don't have the players to shut down the likes of Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Memhet 'Money' Okur. Great season but Rockets can't do much to help keep it alive.

Jazz win 4-2

Campion College's Xavier Thompson finishes fifth in Jamaica in Uefa Fantasy Football

2008-02-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

Campion College's Xavier Thompson finishes fifth in Jamaica in Uefa Fantasy Football (Euro 2008) with his 'team' "Ardion"(Ardenne Prep + Campion College)

Jamaica's TOP 50(FIFTY) FINISHERS/TEAMS

# Team Manager Mat Tot
1 EuroBombers Joel Polson 53 836
2 dutty ball Burke Hamilton 40 739
3 BarbicanPool S Stowa 46 515
4 Rosedale Chris Charlton 27 482
5 Ardion xav thompson[Xavier Thompson] 28 464
6 The Playerz Ragga Muffin 24 452
7 Gerzy-Side Nicholas Mahabeer 38 424
8 KJAH FC Julian Hudson 49 417
9 Jamaica Oscar Otero 35 412
10 Realest Team Arif Roberts 17 404
11 Yardies Donovan Bunting 25 396
12 BUTCHERS FC Carlton Lyons 27 392
13 Jam-azuris Tahric Johnson 29 391
14 screw_face fc Leon Jarrett 31 385
15 omane Omane Willaims 39 381
16 Italian All Stars Kemar Francis 25 380
17 hollowman robert sanjay 34 368
18 FR Shaine Thetford 42 364
19 GANGSTERSFC Sean Reid 35 353
20 jdfallstar andrew Daley 27 340
21 Deschamps desroy smith 21 317
22 World Superstars leighton atkinson 21 313
23 Crouch's 11 Andre Daley 17 305
24 UCSCLogan Sheldon Logan 30 302
25 JogaBonito Peter Tosh 30 301
26 Juan Warren Kurt Warren 13 281
27 nontugal Mauri Lomelakas 11 280
28 Fenerbache? Gareth Ayriss 6 277
29 madness gianmarco fifi 40 274
30 Brandon FC Kereisha Lewis 27 272
31 SCHOOLAS FC Marvin Morgan 34 272
32 tatty rohan brown 24 269
33 classic XI ernest denton 20 266
34 kavon kavon kinlocke 51 257
35 J-Neal FC Jerry-Neal Richards 15 253
36 YAHMAN daisuke yamashita 20 237
37 Portmore United Alex Conie 14 229
38 The masters Jermaine Simon 32 227
39 polpetta.p Pietro Loperfido 13 208
40 alig Alison Gillespie 10 203
41 feeal F.C Shaunakay Stirling 31 196
42 T-rizzle FC troy baker 29 190
43 Rae Town Christopher Rose 38 182
44 borkor Boris Koren 23 170
45 Darkcloudmon JJ Thompson 22 165
46 France FC Nigel Francis 16 164
47 delgaooo tomas delgado 20 163
48 bobdino mikus wedd 15 158
49 portmore United leon williams 40 142
50 bomboclat david bryan 20 134
51 kkkfc kavon kinlocke 34 131

http://en.euro2008fantasy.uefa.com/M/stats.mc?stat=table&country=107&phase=1

Campion College Basketball: Campionites season comes to an end, with loss to St. Catherine

2008-02-04T19:20:00.001-08:00

Date: 24/01/08 [44-58] {Record: 2-5} Venue: Radley Reid Arena (Campion College)
[Home: 2-1][Away: 0-4]

St. Catherine High officially put an end to Campion College's bid for a playoff/quarterfinal spot as action continued in the Southern Zone of the ISSA/KFC/Pepsi Basketball Competition. The Campionites, who came into this match needing to win, went down in a match that was for the most part closely contested. At halftime the score was 17-26 and the Campionites looked a bt shaky. However they made great efforts in their comeback and drew close to St. Catherine team before finally allowing the match and hence their season, to slip away. The match eventually ended 58 - 44.

SLIPPED AWAY
As the match came down to the final five minutes Campion had drawn withint two points of their opponents. However, offensive blunders turned into easy fast break points which allowed St. Catherine to balloon back the lead to double digits. As the match came to a close, they knew that their spirited season was over.

FIRST HOME LOSS
This match was the first home loss for the Campionites who had previously been undefeated (2 - 0). (Though the loss to Calabar came at their home, it was scheduled and is still regarded as an away encounter).

ONE MATCH TO GO
They still have one match to go against Tarrant and the team is hoping to end their season on a high, not only due to pride but also the fact that most of these players are also seniors meaning this is their last year of high school basketball.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATS

Scorers
Russel Thompson 23 points
James Deane 9 points
Xavier Thompson 8 points

Rebounders
Xavier Thompson 14 rebounds
Jason Blankson 13 rebounds
Leighton Samuels 8 rebounds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Kim Sing Yung [5'10, 150 lbs]
SF Graham Reid [5'11, 155 lbs]
SG Darren Mitchell [5'10, 150 lbs]
PG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]

Bench:
James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 145 lbs]
Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GAME NOTES
Benching Russel Thompson, Xavier Thompson & James Deane was a coaching strategy.
This was the only match where Campion's top three scorers (Deane, R. Thompson & X. Thompson) all came off the bench.
The first game more than two players had 8+ rebounds (X. Thompson, Samuels, Blankson).
Blankson, Samuels and Xavier Thompson collectively tallied 35 rebounds [X. Thompson, 14, Blankson, 13 and Samuels, 8]
Russel Thompson, Xavier Thompson, Leighton Samuels, James Deane & Jason Blankson played the majority of the match.
Darren Mitchell, Graham Reid and Kim saw minority minutes.
Mikhail Mattis did not play due to injury (knee) and is doubtful for their match against Tarrant.

Campion College Basketball: Campionites get trampled on by Ardenne

2008-02-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

Date: 23/01/08 [22-64] {Record: 2-4} Venue: Ardenne Arena (Ardenne High)

Ardenne High further dampened hopes of the unlikely Campion College of qualifying for the playoffs/quarterfinals as action continued in the Southern Zone of the ISSA/KFC/Pepsi Basketball Competition. Th Campionites, who came into this match needing to win at least 2 of their last 3 matches, went down to a handy 22-64 defeat at Ardenne. Th Campionites who managed to take an early lead and obviously caught Ardenne a bit by surprise did a good job defensively of containg the Ardenne offense. However, the Campionites faced their own problems as Ardenne too played great defense nullifying the Campion offense to only 10 points in the half (Season Low), to their 22. The second half seemed to be the breaking point as Ardenne began to exert more effort and caught out Campion College on many fast breaks. Further more, the defense of Ardenne kept the Campion offense locked up tight, resulting in their season-low in points scored in a game.

Dunking Phenomena & Triple Double
As with most blowouts that Campion College faces, there was one outstanding player who, though not scoring a lot of points,15, is the only player to come this close to a triple double againt the Campionites, missing it by only ONE block. Yes Ardenne's #15, Alex Lubsey, blocked anything and anyone in sight repeatedly, with quite a number of his 9 blocks done at the 3 point arc. He also had a 10+ rebound game to go with the fact that he dunked the ball at least 6 times throughtout the match, especially the second half.

Season in Jeopardy
Campion College's home record will be severely tested when they come up against their toughest competitor's at home, St. Catherine. They very well know that a loss tomorrow would ultimately mean the end of the season for the guys.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATS

Scorers
James Deane 11 points
Russell Thompson 9 points
Darren Mitchell 2 points

Rebounders
Xavier Thompson 7 rebounds
Leighton Samuels 6 rebounds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
SF Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]
SG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]
PG James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 145 lbs]

Bench:
Kim Sing Yung [5'10, 150 lbs]
Mikhail Mattis [5'11, 165 lbs]
Darren Mitchell [5'10, 150 lbs]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GAME NOTES
Russell Thompson, Xavier Thompson, Leighton Samuels, James Deane & Jason Blankson played the majority of the match.
Darren Mitchell, Mikhail Mattis and Kim saw minority minutes.
James Deane, Russel Thompson and Darren Mitchell were the only contributors offensively.
Xavier Thompson was the main contributor defensively.
Samuels and Xavier Thompson collectively tallied 13 rebounds [Thompson, 7 and Samuels, 6] - SEASON LOW
This was the only match where only two starters scored.

All-Star Game Selections / Formula for "Perfect Team"/Shaun "Polly" Pollock retires - Saying Goodbye to a legend

2008-01-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

2008 All-Star Game Starters

EAST
Dwight Howard, C
Orlando Magic
2,066,991
2nd appearance

Kevin Garnett, F
Boston Celtics
2,399,148
11th appearance

LeBron James, F
Cleveland Cavaliers
2,108,831
4th appearance

Dwyane Wade, G
Miami Heat
1,608,260
4th appearance

Jason Kidd, G
New Jersey Nets
1,246,386
9th appearance

WEST
Yao Ming, C
Houston Rockets
1,709,180
6th appearance

Carmelo Anthony, F
Denver Nuggets
1,723,701
2nd appearance

Tim Duncan, F
San Antonio Spurs
1,712,800
10th appearance

Kobe Bryant, G
L.A. Lakers
2,004,940
10th appearance

Allen Iverson, G
Denver Nuggets
1,203,152
9th appearance

2008 Reserves
EAST
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. Sel.
Chris Bosh Toronto F 6-10 230 3rd
Caron Butler Washington F 6-7 228 2nd
Paul Pierce Boston G 6-7 235 6th
Chauncey Billups Detroit G 6-3 202 3rd
Richard Hamilton Detroit G 6-7 193 3rd
Joe Johnson Atlanta G 6-7 235 2nd
Antawn Jamison Washington F 6-9 235 2nd
Coach: TBD

WEST
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. Sel.
Steve Nash Phoenix G 6-3 178 6th
Chris Paul New Orleans G 6-0 175 1st
Dirk Nowitzki Dallas F 7-0 245 7th
Carlos Boozer Utah F 6-9 266 2nd
Amaré Stoudemire Phoenix C 6-10 249 3rd
Brandon Roy Portland G 6-6 229 1st
David West New Orleans F 6-9 240 1st
Coach: TBD

No real surpsrise .. for the most part i was right on the money on who should/would be chosen. However, they are a couple of decisions I don't agree with, and leading this pack is the non-selection of Baron "B.Diddy" Davis. WHAT??? How did the selectors manage to leave him off...to me it seems nothing short of crazy and delirium taking ahold of them. The player which should have been left off is Brandon Roy. Yes, he is having a great year but guess what Davis noto nly has better stats, on a way more competitive team, his team also has/had a better record at the time of selection. So how did the selectors manage to leave him out??? DUMBFOUNDED is what I am. In my point of view, even Deron Willaims could have been chosen over B-Roy, as with the case with B.Diddy, has the better stats and team(record)The biggest 'boo-boo' made on the East came in the form of Joe Johnson. Excuses can be made for why he made it but to leave off Hedo Turkoglu is easily the biggest snub on the East. Turkoglu is a 18-7-6 player, which easily outduels Joe Johnson's 20-5 line. He has improved tremendously and has been an incredible and integral part of the Magic organization.

Close calls/SNUBS:

Baron Davis & Hedo Turkoglu - MAJOR MISTAKE TO LEAVE THeSe TWO OFF.
Vince Carter - really didn't deserve it this year; way too shaky.
Marcus Camby - DEFINATELY DESERVED IT but didnt stand a chance against Yao and Amare.
Shawn Marion - not good enough this year.
Josh Smith - also a MAJOR SNUB!
Gerald Wallace - great player who would have a GREAT chance off making it, IF he played for a playoff contending team.
Andre Iguadala - same as Gerald, but to a lesser extent,
Al Jefferson - WONDERFUL PLAYER but, as it seems to be an unwritten rule/regulation, his team is WAY TOO BAD for him to have had a chance.

Surprises:
Joe Johnson AND David West - These were the only two I never really thought would make it or had a reasonable chance.

OTHER VIEWS HERE:
http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/allstar/rosters
http://community.foxsports.com/whoops.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/404.aspx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Campion College's Xavier Thompson, gives us his formula for THE PERFECT TEAM:

STARTERS:
#C - DEFENSIVE, but with offensive capabilites and who is quick (can run the floor) - eg. Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby, Andris Biedrins
*PF - VERSATILE,with an array of offensive ways to score - eg. Chris Bosh/Carlos Boozer
#*SF - DRIVER-SHOOTER WITH DEFENSE, someone who is mainly a driver but can knock down the outside shot and has GREAT defense - eg. Gerald Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Manu Ginobli, Caron Butler, Ron Artest, Josh Smith
SG - OVERLOOKED THREAT, someone who is overlooked due to the stars at the PF, SF AND PG positions and who can easily and consistenly hit open jumpers - eg. Bonzi Wells, Deshawn Stevenson
#*PG - ASSISTING SCORER, a guard who has a pass-first mentality but who isn;t afraid to take over a game offensively (driving AND shooting) if needs be and who can also play defense - eg. Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Kirk Hinrich, T.J. Ford, Jose Calderon

BENCH - in order of their roles(places of the bench - eg. the first name would be the SIXTH MAN)

*SG - flat-out shooter with lots of range - eg. Kyle Korver, Cuttino Mobley
#C - very defensive, with different (bulkier) body type than the starting C - eg. Erick Dampier .... this ensures that if the oppsoing Centre is too big for the starter, you will have size on the bench.
#SF - defense-minded swingman who can hit open jumpers and 3-balls and who is POSSIBLY a better defender than the starting SF - eg. Bruce Bowen, James Posey...this ensures that if both the SF and SG of a team (eg. Boston Celtics with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce) need to be marked heavily, the back-up SF can fill in.
PG - experienced back up for the youthful starting PG to help guide and mold him, with decent defense - eg. Anthony Johnson, Sam Cassell, Brevin Knight, Derek Fisher
*PF - though a "TENTH MAN" when put on the court should be a main source of offense and also should be a player able to play SF if needs be - eg. Al Harrington

11th and 12th man should be a tall, oversized backup C and a SF/SG rookie.

* - Meant to be the main sources of offense
# - Meant to be great defenders

Additional talents that should be taught to players:

STARTERS:
C - should be taught/train to be able to guard all the way down to a tall SF (eg. Peja)
SF - should be able to guard all the way down to a PG
PG - should be able to guard SG's and SF's and VERY lacklustre offensive PF's/C's

BENCH:
SG - should be able to shoot from just below halfcourt WITH EASE

MINUTES ALLOCATION AND IDEAL HEIGHTS:

Starters:

C - 28-30 mins 6'11/7'0

PF - 35-40 mins 6'9/6'10

SF - 35-40 mins 6'5-6'7

SG - 20-25 mins 6'5

PG - 35-40 mins 6'3/6'4

Bench

SG - 20-25 mins 6'5

C - 15-20 mins 7'0

SF - 15-20 mins 6'8

PG - 10-15 mins 6'3/6'4

PF - 10-20 mins 6'8-6'10

With a line up like this you will have a VERY GOOD balance of offense and defense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaun Pollock

What a great cricketer he is! The Sports Chronicles would just like to say farewell to such a fantastic player and contributor to the sport of Cricket.

Team: South Africa -
Greatest Bowler in SA history with 391 One Day wickets and 400+ wickets in Test matches.

Will be remembered not only for his wicket taking but his knack for having a great economy rate.

Campion College Basketball: Campionites upset Meadowbrook to remain undefeated at home

2008-01-17T18:02:00.000-08:00

Date: 16/01/08 [38-37] {Record: 2-3} Venue: Radley Reid Arena (Campion College)

Campion College upset Meadowbrook to record a narrow 38-37 win to remain unbeaten at home as action continued in the Southern Zone of the KFC ISSA Basketball Competition. The match was close from the get-go as their previous match, with Campion eventually pulling it out in a 'must win' match for the Campionites in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. The match went back and forth as both teams exchanged the lead. At the end of the first the score was tied at 9. At halftime the score remained close with Meadowbrook having a narrow 20-18 lead. The third quarter saw much of the same with both teams exchanging baskets and deseprately vieing for the win. In the end Campion got it together and kept their cool as they came away winners by one point.

LOST?
Campion was allowed to dribble away the last 18 seconds of the match witho Meadowbrook not seeming to have the presence of mind to foul in order to get back the ball.
CLOSING SECONDS OF THE MATCH

REBOUNDING MONSTERS
Xavier Thompson and Leighton Samuels were monsters on the glass as they combined for a SEASON-HIGH 36 rebounds. Both had 10 rebounds each at the half and 18 rebounds (each)at the end of the match.

'MEN OF THE MATCH'
All starters contributed tremendously and all deserve an award for their outstanidng play.

REFUSED TO CHOKE
Even though they are well known for choking, the Campionites stuck to their guns and came away with an impressive victory.

BIGGEST HOME CROWD
Campion saw their largest crowd at a home match in a number of years. Campion is notorious for having away team crowds outnumber their own.

DAY OF CAREER HIGHS:
Xavier Thompson and Leighton Samuels both had whopping 18 rebounds each which broke their previous career highs. Prior to this Xavier Thompson's carEer high was 13 rebounds and Samuels 11. This made it back-to-back career highs for Xavier Thompson who had only the match before recorded a new career high in rebounds. Jason Blankson also tied his career high in points with 8.

UNDEFEATED AT HOME
Campion remained undefeated at home with their second win from as many matches.

DOING WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED
The Campionites who will lose all but one member of their Under-19 squad next year are doing way better than many pundits expected. Last year they were expected to show real improvement as many thought they had the 'dream team'. However, with injury to James Deane and obvious inexperience they slumped to yet another disappointing season winning only one match. This year many thought that with second-leading scorer Raymond Wilson gone, they would not have much of a season. As you can see however they have already won more matches than last year and 2 of their losses came in very close encounters away from home. It is obvious the players want to leave with a bang.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEATURE PLAYERS :

We continue our look at the individuals on the team Point Guard, James Deane:

James Deane is known as the 'tactitian' of the team with a very high basketball IQ. This is why he is the captain. He leads the team with vigor and obviously knows what he wants out of the members of the team. He always plays hard and with passion and is somewhat of a perfectionist on the court. An essential asset to this team and its success.

STRONG POINTS:
Great passer and vision of the court, great scorer/offense, stealing, great defender.

We continue our look at the individuals on the team Center, Leighton Samuels:

Leighton Samuels has become a very depedable center playing with much gusto and willing to challenge the big men inside. He is a great rebounder and blocker who gives his all and his best.

Xavier Thompson had this to say of Samuels

"I used to think of him as my protege a couple of years ago but he has really grown into his own. He is a great player to work alongside of."

STRONG POINTS:
Great rebounding, blocking and defender.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post Game Press Conference

Mikhail Mattis:

"We played pretty hard, straight through the game. We were definitely active on the boards, which was a great advantage, and the main reason I believe we got the win. Our defence was good, but not great, as i saw that Meadowbrook was definitely not a good shooting team, so i think we should have pressured them to make more jump shots. I don't think we hustled how we ought to, but we still got the W, and at the end of the day thats all that counts. I would have liked some more minutes, but sometimes you, got make sacrifces and just work hard, and the minutes will follow. But that win was good, and now we look forward for our next opponent."

Russell Thompson

"It was a good team performance. I was impressed with how Deane created a lot of chances for us."

Xavier Thompson

"It was a match where everyone and i mean EVERYONE played well. We really put our heart into this and dug deep to pull off this deserving victory. It was also great to have some support at home for a change which I'm sure made a difference to our intensity. I'm just hopoing we can win at least two more matches, that would be incredible!"

Leighton Samuels

"I was hoping we could've beaten them by more. I think we depend too much on Russel and James. It was an overall good effort but we need to beat the zone offense for the Ardenne and St. Catherine."

James Deane

"It was a splendid match and everyone played very well."

Jason Blankson

"I think it was a very good, hard fought match."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATS

Scorers
Russel Thompson 14 points
James Deane 11 points
Jason Blankson 8 points

Rebounders
Xavier Thompson 18 rebounds
Leighton Samuels 18 rebounds

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
SF Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]
SG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]
PG James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 145 lbs]

Bench:
Graham Reid [5'11, 160 lbs]
Kim Sing Yung [5'10, 150 lbs]
Mikhail Mattis [5'11, 165 lbs]
Darren Mitchell [5'10, 150 lbs]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME NOTES
Russel Thompson, Xavier Thompson and Leighton Samuels played all 40 minutes of the match.
James Deane & Jason Blankson played the majority of the match.
Darren Mitchell, Mikhail Mattis and Kim saw minority minutes.
Graham Reid DID NOT PLAY (Coach's Decision)
James Deane, Russel Thompson and Jason Blankson were the main contributors offensively.
Samuels and Xavier Thompson collectively tallied 36 rebounds [Thompson, 18 and Samuels, 18] - SEASON HIGH
This was the only match where ALL starters scored.

REMAINING SCHEDULE:
@ Ardenne - Wed. 23/1/08
vs. St. Catherine - Thu 24/1/08
vs. Tarrant - Mon 28/1/08

IN ATTENDANCE:
Ryan Brown, Audley Gordon, Miya Gentles, Kimberly Shaw, Steven Hamilton, Joni-Kay Johnson, Chad Brown, Steven Moore, Shaun Dufus, Patrica Taylor, Monique Smith, Sheree Henry

Campion College Basketball: Campionites lose close encounter to St. Jago

2008-01-16T18:02:00.001-08:00

Date: 14/01/08 [32-37] {Record: 1-3} Venue: De La Vega Arena (St. Jago)

Campion College came up unlucky yet again, away from home, as they lost a close encounter to St. Jago, as action continued in the Southern Zone of the KFC ISSA Basketball Competition. From the opening whistle the match was closley contested with both teams playing great defense. The teams were tied going into the half, at 16. The Jagonians extended their lead in the third quarter as the quarter finished 30-25. The game came down to the wire with Campion within a 3-point shot from the lead. However this did noot materialize and though coming close, Campion fell short going down 32-37.

Best Defense
This was the best defensive tactics used by Campion. It was very effective and St. Jago had a arduous time scoring.

3 pointers
Campion's offense was not as effective as it might have wanted to be due to St. Jago's disciplined defense but kept close with perfectly-timed three point shots. Russel Thompson went 4 of 7 behind the arc and scored a timely three in the closing seconds of the match.

Rebounding Tossle
The first half saw St. Jago outrebounding Campion. However, the second half saw Campion turning the tables and outrebounding the home side.

Career High
Xavier Thompson had a career high in rebounds as he recorded 13.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highlights and Stats:

Scorers:
Russel Thompson 16 points
James Deane 13 points
Xavier Thompson 3 points

Rebounders:
Xavier Thompson 13 rebounds
Leighton Samuels 7 rebounds

Main highlights
James Deane driving and hitting critical free throws.
Russel Thompson's 3 point shooting.
Xavier Thompson's circus 'ballerina' shot.
Leighton Samuels opening block.
Graham Reid's surprising burst of energy of the bench.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
SF Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]
SG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]
PG James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 145 lbs]

Bench:
Graham Reid [5'11, 160 lbs]
Kim Sing Yung [5'10, 150 lbs]
Mikhail Mattis [5'11, 165 lbs]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME NOTES
James Deane, Russel Thompson and Xavier Thompson played all 40 minutes of the match.
Leighton Samuels had played the majority of the match before fouling out.
Jason Blankson played majority of the match.
Graham Reid and Mikhail Mattis saw substantial minutes.
James Deane, Russel Thompson and Xavier Thompson were the only contributors offensively.
Samuels and Xavier Thompson collectively tallied 20 rebounds [Thompson, 13 and Samuels, 7]
Kim Sing Yung was sick and only able to play a few minutes of the match.
Campion's coach was not present at the match and they were coached by a stand-in coach.
Mikhail Mattis made his debut for Campion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESCHEDULED MATCH - The match against was postponed due to rain and will be rescheduled.

It’s a crime to be a Knicks fan - literally. An Interview with Ivan Cash

2008-01-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

This interview was not conducted by me, but i decided to post it as it corresponds with my Knick post last year

A few weeks back, our Knicks Trade Game generated interest, and some good suggestions, but, surprisingly, no one suggested keeping the Knicks as is and just arresting/banning all fans who disagreed. It is a simple but brilliant strategy. Find those fans who enjoy a 8-23 record and make the rest just go away.

In case you haven’t heard, the New York Knicks have expanded their Isiah Thomas protection net from inside MSG, where hecklers and posters are forbidden, to the streets outside. Ivan Cash a student at SUNY was arrested Wednesday for selling a t-shirt that expressed his feelings at the direction the Knicks are headed in. “Don’t hate player or the game. Hate the coach” reads the shirt which is embossed with a picture of the now infamous Thomas.

I sat down via email with one of those fans who, by way of expressing his opinion, was made to go away.

How long have you been a Knicks fan?

Ivan - I’ve been a Knicks fan for as long as I can remember. In middle school, I listened to EVERY single game on my walkman. Lately though, I just check the box score.

At what point did you start to consider selling the shirts (a specific loss or last season etc . . .)

Ivan - It was actually for a screen printing class I took in the Fall of 2006. I had to come up with a t-shirt idea and, as a Knicks fan who, like everyone else, was frustrated with Isiah’s lackadaisical coaching job, I decided to make it Knicks-themed.

Do you plan on selling the shirts in the future?

Ivan - I don’t plan on going back to MSG any time soon, as I go on vacation soon and then I return back to school in Geneseo, NY near Rochester. (I’m a communications major, graphic design minor by the way.) I do plan on continually selling the shirts through my website though. If Isiah’s still around next year, and I’m able to hook up with another vendor, I’d love to sell the shirts again.

What was your jail experience like?

Ivan - Jail time certainly was an experience! The cell was filthy and smelly, and I felt like an animal trapped in a cage. What a degrading experience—especially since I was charged with a bogus crime!

What do you see that is good about the Knicks right now?

Ivan - I see young energetic players that play with passion: David Lee, Nate Robinson, Rolando Balkman are really the only Knick players I like.

Do you play Fantasy NBA?

Ivan - I do play Fantasy Hoops; I play on SportingNews, and am in 2nd place out of my 21-team division.

How many Knicks are on your roster(s)?

Ivan - *Laughs* Very Funny. (No one)

Do you plan to fight the ticket?

Ivan - While I don’t agree whatsoever with how I was arrested or the reasoning of my arrest, it will probably be too big a pain to fight it, especially seeing as there are virtually no repercussions, aside from having to waste my time getting to NYC from my college which is 7 hours away.

Do you feel like you were targeted because the Knicks made a request to stop the anti-Isiah movement like they did when banning the fire Isiah posters and handing out warnings to fans who heckle the players or Isiah?

The cop at the precinct admitted that MSG anticipated me, and called the police to do something about it. My arresting officer however, who didn’t hear this conversation between me and the other cop, denied any MSG connection. I just find it EXTREMELY fishy that I was arrested literally 2 minutes after getting to my destination, near the Garden. When I sell, I’m holding posters of the shirts as well as shouting catch phrases like “Love the franchise; hate the coach!” or “Give me a draft pick for a T-Shirt.” Up to the point I was arrested, I was doing NONE of those things. I was literally standing, chatting with my friend who would be helping me sell. I was waiting for my vendor to come and put the duffle bag of shirts and poster with the shirt against the sidewalk wall. The cops argued that I had intent to sell since the price was on the poster, even though we weren’t selling nor would I have sold to anyone offering me $ before my vendor arrived. (At one of the prior games, I actually did turn someones $ down because I wasn’t with my vendor.) I was trying to sell everything legitimately, and the cops were really just busting me, despite my compliance and politeness during our interaction before they actually handcuffed me and took me to jail. As I was being hand-cuffed, our vendor arrived. Before even looking at his papers, (which turned out, according to my arresting officer, to be ‘tax papers’ rather than a ‘vendors license’) the cops put me in the van and told me I was going to jail. [Interesting side note: The previous 3 games I’d been selling at, the cops looked at my vendor’s license, which apparently may have been a tax paper, and approved us selling there. So why this sudden extreme disparity in judgement? I blame MSG.

Does this arrest make you feel differently about free speech, the Knicks and the NYPD?

While in the freezing-cold, smelly, ridiculously dirty jail cell, I had an epiphany. What has our society come to where we put people in cages not because they are murdering or stealing but because they are expressing themselves by either selling a product or writing on a wall? I don’t want to get overly political, but it definitely raised my interest in anarchistic ideology. What gives cops the right to lock people in a cage, when the cop themselves could just as easily be morally corrupt.

I was standing for something I believe in—something that is supposed to be a constitutional right in America.

I’m not a cop hater; I have a lot of respect for the men and ladies who put on their lives on the line to battle criminals while most people sit at desks doing office work. I’m just disappointed with the NYPD’s judgement and attention to superficial issues. As a Knicks fan, it’s disheartening to know that they are indirectly responsible for my arrest. I still love ‘em, but it’s sad.

Who would be your choice to run the Knicks?

Ivan - I wish someone like Mark Cuban came in as owner. As for coach? Anyone who’s ambitious, level-headed, and possesses good fore-sight. I don’t want someone who has unrealistic goals and expectations. I wouldn’t mind the Knicks losing for a few seasons if it meant rebuilding from the ground, ensuring a better team in future years to come.

_______________________
An funny interview brought to you by:
M.T.M-M

Trade deadline needs for each team (Adapted from Msn Foxsports)

2008-01-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Now that we've survived a disturbing throw-back fashion statement from the L.A. Lakers, it's time to zero in on the NBA's next crucial event.

We're going to pass on All-Star Weekend, which has fallen under the purview of law enforcement. So with gimmicky skills contests out of the equation, I suppose we're left with to build the hype crawling up to the NBA trading deadline.

Scheduled to expire Feb. 21, the trading deadline has cobbled a fine history of underwhelming basketball around across the globe. But despite its potential for letdown, the NBA trading deadline has provided enough juice to move hotshots of the caliber of Baron Davis and Gary Payton.

Anyway, while the countdown continues and creative sharpies find myriad landing spots for Jason Kidd and Ron Artest, I've taken the liberty of identifying the immediate needs of every stinking (and non-stinking) team in the league:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

# Boston Celtics: Their wish list begins with a back-up point guard capable of handling the ball and running an offense better than Eddie House and ends with a reserve center with more offensive skill than Scot Pollard. Gee, that could be anyone.

# Toronto Raptors: Since nobody seems to be giving away starting-caliber centers, it might be nice if the Raps could acquire a wing shooter who is also capable of guarding someone (yeah, that's a shot Jason Kapono).

# New Jersey Nets: They need to find a team within range of contender status that's still willing to give up a good young player or two for Jason Kidd.

# Philadelphia 76ers: It might help if the Sixers had the resources to acquire a power forward who is good enough to nudge Reggie Evans over to his proper role — backup power forward.

# New York Knicks: Short of hiring Harvey Keitel's character (The Wolf) from Pulp Fiction to clean up this mess, it might be interesting to see how much some other high-minded team might cough up for center Eddy Curry. Sure, 7-footers with skill are rare, but 7-footers with skill and an interest in rebounding don't reside in New York. It also could be worth a shot to bestow most of the inside minutes to a couple of power forwards (Zach Randolph and David Lee) who actually hit the glass.

Central Division

# Detroit Pistons: Personnel man Joe Dumars has done a pretty nice job of setting up the Pistons bench, although it might be swell to add another big capable of giving them more than young Amir Johnson has provided.

# Indiana Pacers: This is another team screaming for a backup point guard with enough quickness to get into the lane and keep the guy he's defending from doing the same.

# Cleveland Cavaliers: Cavs fans have been grouchy about adding another shooter, but it might be a fine idea to employ a guard with the ability to create a few scoring opportunities if LeBron James has to sit down. Can they tempt anyone by offering Larry Hughes at two years and $13 million?

John Paxson would jump at a deal for a big that could score. ( Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)

# Chicago Bulls: If any team was prepared to unload a low-post scorer, we no longer have faith that general manager John Paxson would have the chutzpah to pull off such a deal.

# Milwaukee Bucks: It would be tough to find any team with worse defenders at the forward positions, so the Bucks might be wise to sniff around the D-League for anyone hungry enough to guard somebody.

Southeast Division

# Orlando Magic: When your No. 2 rebounder is Hedo Turkoglu, the hole to be filled is big enough for you to be standing in.

# Atlanta Hawks: I've never been much for mathematics, but yet remain convinced that one rookie backup point guard plus two veteran backup point guards does not equal one starting point guard.

# Washington Wizards: Their challenge is to find someone willing to give them what Etan Thomas gave them or convince Andray Blatche that a commitment to the dirty work might be worth more than 18 minutes per game.

# Charlotte Bobcats: They could use help everywhere, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to remind their famous personnel guy that not every athletic 6-foot-6 player is worth trading tall prospects to acquire.

# Miami Heat: Man, what this team wouldn't give for a 7-2, 320-pound center who felt like dominating at both ends. That may be tricky to attain, so Pat Riley could consider upgrades for playmakers (ahem) Jason Williams and Smush Parker.

Western Conference

Northwest Division

'Melo would be happier with a pass-first PG. (Rocky Widner / Getty Images)

# Denver Nuggets: With plenty of double-team-demanding hotshots in their lineup, the Nuggets are advised to acquire a guard with the credentials to make their lives easier. Hey, we have a theme — pass-first point guards. We now advise moms and dads to pull their kids out of the tennis academies and have them study Steve Nash (on offense only).

# Portland Trail Blazers: They have plenty of guys to handle the point, so while the NBA's hottest team waits for Greg Oden, someone who bangs with more gusto than Channing Frye might be in order.

# Utah Jazz: The addition of Kyle Korver might persuade teams to think twice about zoning, so the next move would be a hypnotist to convince Mehmet Okur that he's a rebounding and defending beast.

# Seattle SuperSonics: Yeah, having a 6-foot-10 guard is really neat, but GM Sam Presti and coach P.J. Carlesimo should find a two-guard, then move Kevin Durant to small forward ... where he might stand a chance on defense.

# Minnesota Timberwolves: Here's another team with no center and a GM who (among other things) drafted Brandon Roy and traded him for Randy Foye. Maybe the rhyming confused Kevin McHale.

Pacific Division

# Phoenix Suns: The solid reserve play of veteran "big" Brian Skinner means the Suns' first priority should be a spot-up shooter with a reasonable chance to guard another team's back-up, spot-up shooter, right? Well, based on the recent scoring salvos against the Suns by Andrew Bynum, Chris Bosh and Al Jefferson (just for starters), it seems that Skinner either needs to play much more or Amare Stoudemire should look in the mirror. Oh, I would mention backup point guard, but only 24 or so other teams need one.

# Los Angeles Lakers: Well, they have a back-up point guard, so the pressing need is to resist the urge to deal Kwame Brown's valuable and expiring contract unless a real player is offered in return.

# Golden State Warriors: The Warriors have everything they need to thrive in coach Don Nelson's system. Unless defense is added to the system, I doubt there's any deadline deal that can get them where they want to be.

# Sacramento Kings: Trade chips Ron Artest (bone chips in his elbow) and Mike Bibby have been hurt, but they still should be more than enough to bring back a player or two who can REBOUND.

# Los Angeles Clippers: With high hopes for the returns of Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston, now is not the time to make any deal that might harpoon their lottery status.

Southwest Division

Manu Ginobili and the Spurs just need to stay healthy. ( Rocky Widner / Getty Images)

# San Antonio Spurs: The defending champs have plenty of depth; they just need to keep the graybeards healthy.

# Dallas Mavericks: When a team's leading dime-dropper averages less than six per game on a team like this, the Achilles' heel in Dallas is obvious.

# New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets have a decent starting lineup, but don't seem to have the resources to grab the kind of reserves they lack — a wing shooter and a serious rebounder.

# Houston Rockets: The league's most puzzling team didn't solve PG and PF issues by adding Mike James and Luis Scola, so the Rockets might as well take a stab another glaring weakness — perimeter shooting.

# Memphis Grizzlies: After trading down at the GM spot, should we even care what the guy who drafted Kedrick Brown at No. 11 (for Boston) might accomplish? We probably shouldn't, but Pau Gasol might.

by Randy Hill
Veteran columnist Randy Hill is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7629258

NEW SHOW RELEASED IN L.A.

2007-12-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the NBA season many persons were of the opinion that the Los Angeles Lakers would be in serious trouble as a result of the many distractions caused during the off season. Something similar to what seems to be happening to the Chicago Bulls. After a slow start to the season the L.A Lakers now seem to be showing their true colours, on a 4 game winning streak and winning 10 of their last twelve the Lakers are proving to be another 'elite' team in the intimidating western confrence. After beating the Pheonix Suns on both occasions and losing only 5 of 19 games against teams of western opposion, many teams are taking notice of the Los Angeles Lakers.
With arguably the best player in the league, many thought the only way the Lakers could go on a run like this is if Kobe put the team on his back and literally carried them to the victories as he did at the end of last season scoring 50 points on 5 staight occasions. Being only one 'man' this had its disadvantages as when Kobe gets fatigued or has an off game, the entire team would suffer. This is not the case with the present LA team, with the highest scoring bench in the NBA and the support of role players on the team each victory has been a team effort.
Looking at the LA team you cannot help but to identify the blueprint to getting a championship team, one that Phil Jackson has been working hard to build since the departure of Shaq.
The Lakers have a superb shooting team,evident by the high shooting percentage that the team boasts, many of the persons coming off the bench for LA are more than capable of being starters on other teams around the league such as Farmar, Walton and Radmanovic. Also a close look at the Laker roster will show that they are one of the youngest teams in the league. These players are young, skilfull and still have alot of potential yet to be realized. The perfect example being Andrew Bynum, this young man has already proven himself to be one the more dominant big men in the league. A mixture of his body, his athleticism and his positive attitude has transformed him from a 'soft' player to a dominant center in the league. This young man with the teaching of the great Kareem Abdul Jabar still has alot of room for improvement. To aid with the growing of these young players the Lakers have brought back Derek Fisher who along with the fellow veteran Lamar Odom provide leadership for the young team. Finally with all these factors the Lakers have one of the greatest players of all time at their disposal.
The question has been asked "Is this Laker team capable of running the playoffs in this tough conference and then take on the likes of the best that the East has to offer and come out victorious?", different persons will have different answers each of which does have its points, but it is undoubtable that in the period of 2-3 years this team is likely to be the cream of the crop in the west.

P.S keep your eyes open, next we take a look at the Portland Trail Blazers

Winter Transfer Season

2007-12-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

It is only a couple of hours before the winter transfer season, and being a Milan fan who is disappointed by the first half of the season, here are a few changes i would like to see take place.

Goal Keeper

It is Expected that Dida will leave in June so a goal keeper is needed, Milan are said to be looking at frey and Gomes, Frey is a good target, GOmes on the other hand, is brasilian, and i really do not want a next brasilian in goal, i would prefer a Italian like Amelia, Ochoa(Mexico), and Carrizzo(argentina) are also Milan Targets, but i think they are both too young (19-22 range), Keepers usually reach prime @ 25. If Ochoa or Carizzo, is acquired, i think he should be loaned out for development, as for the Frenchman frey, i dont know much about him, but i dont see a transfer for him happening.

I think Ochoa is the 2nd best option, then a loan for him, as, even though i DO NOT like DIDA i think we should remain with Dida in Goal for this season.

Best Option, Amelia is bought and Dida sold.

defense

Acquire Zombrotta, he is already rumoured to leave barcalona in Jan, to go to Milan, and though he is 30, he is a world class player and is only going to cost $5 mil.

If Zombrotta isnt acquired i would love to see Daniel Alves here, even if Zombrotta is acquired, and he is a reasonable target as he is rumoured to be looking a transfer, since ramos has left sevilla, and he is Brasilian, and Milan seems to love brasilians.
My problem with Alves is his cost has he may demand a 20+mil transfer fee.

Acquire a young Center Back, Cafu, favalli, simic, maldini,serghino are all expected to leave Milan in June, and since they are all defenders, we should look for Replacements.

Simic as early as January

Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), has reportedy said he wants to leave Bayern, and Play in italy, along side Maldini before he reitres.

Midfield

Ibrahim Ba, Emerson, Brocchi are expected to leave in June

Off topic - former Milan star Manuel Rui Costa has announced his retirement at the end of this season. (wish him all the best, and apologize for knocking out Benfica out of Champs League)

Alot depends in Ronaldinho, as it is rumoured that he will be transfered to Milan, but he may be too expensive, and Chelsea are the other team interest in the Brasilan's service, and are willing to pay way more than Milan can afford to, but Ronnie has not expressed any desire to play in Chelsea,
In The soccer magazine entitled Soccer Italia, or football Italia, he says that he may use fifa code 17 to be released from Barca. Basically what Fifa act 17 is, is once you have played the 3 years of your contract (which he has done) he can pay out the rest of his Contract and leave the club.
a transfer, would also lead to decrease role for Gourcuff, which may lead to a loan or sale (arsenal has been our tails to sign the french man who is dubbed, the next zidane)

If Ronaldinho isnt singed there may be the need for youg Midfielders, but i dont think any are needed for January, as Yoann Gourcuff can fill the role, and he should be given Minutes, as Seedorf and Gattuso hasnot been in the best of form all season.
Kaka, Pirlo and Ambrosini should still see many minutes in the Midfield.

A winger like Robben or Quaresma would be nice, but once again not neccesary.

Toulalan and Maresca are names also associated with Milan Transfers

Striker

Ronaldo is expected to Leave in June, due to his injury problem, but Flamengo, seems to be close to signing him for the January market.

Now Milan boast the Signing of Pato, but Pato alone cannot bring the Milan attack

I would love to see Etoo or Aguero as striker but thats, is only in my dreams, but a new striker is needed in Jamuary as Gilardino is not playing at the top of his game, and this may also depend on Ronnie, but Amauri, Benzema and berbatov are players Milan are scouting, i would prefer Mutu, Rossi, or Benzema as a reasonable transfer, though Benzema is reportedly not interested in leaving Lyon.

I also would mind a Podoski transfer, but i would prefer a Podoski - Gila Swap
Off topic - Figo is expected to Leave inter and Sign to a MLS Team.

off topic - XYZ@ face Robert Mancini, Inter's boss claims in Summer, "I Could Have easily Signed Hamsik, Toure & Pato," then y didnt he, instead he stole David Suazo, from Milan, "Milan signed him, but since some agreement with Suazo former team, they could out rule that transfer, in order t sign him to inter)

off topic - Barcelona star Deco, is also romoured to be looking a transfer out of Barca, and claims he would love to play in the EPL, Liverpool and Chelsea, have shown interest in the Poroguese.

Extra, (reported)

Former Chelsea manager Josè Mourinho and current Blues striker Didier Drogba will join Milan this summer, according to L’Equipe.

The French newspaper claims that the Portuguese Coach [pictured] has already signed a pre-contract with Milan to join them in July.

Mourinho is currently out of work after his Stamford Bridge exit in September and has claimed he would like a move to Italy.

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ enjoyed plenty of success at both Porto and Chelsea, as well as being assistant manager at Barcelona.

It is though that current Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti will take the place of Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona, as the Dutchman is under intense pressure at the Nou Camp.

L’Equipe goes on to claim that Drogba, who is reportedly unsettled in London after Mourinho’s departure, would then follow Mourinho to Milan.

The Rossoneri could make a £25m bid for the Ivorian striker, but Chelsea will be reluctant to release arguably their most important player.

NBA: Back to the dark ages?

2007-12-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

There is a question that has been boggling my mind as of late; has the NBA gone back to the dark ages? If anyone has watched the NBA as long as I have (approximately 11 seasons) you would have realized the changes and improvements in teams,players and their records. As of late even the worst teams in the NBA were winning over 20 games in a season in comparios to teams of the late 90's and early 2000's who would end seasons in the TEENS! However I am noticing a disturbing trend in the NBA, this season, and though we may not have gone back completely to those horrid days it seems that we may be heading there. Prime example and specimen are the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team, now 4-25, are simply ATROCIOUS! Kevin Mchale, in one of the worst managerial moves in recent times, automatically relegated his team to not only a losing season but an embarrassing one as well. In his attempt to 'rebuild' he sold his big star, Kevin Garnett. Now not saying this was a bad move as we will have to wait for the long-term effects. However, what seems to have me lost is the trading off of Ricky Davis and Corey Blount to the Heat for Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac and a draft pick. Now if you're attempting to rebuild why in the world would you trade two relatively young players (both in their late 20's) for two 30+ year olds, one of whom is completely irrelevant and worthless as a basketball player (Doleac)? If you're rebuilding you usually want to get/keep the young players right? What's worse is that they gave up two players who were budding stars and promising to have career-high seasons this year (especially Ricky) to get old, inconsistent and worthless players. Mind-boggling I tell you, Mind-boggling. Another team set to have a record under 25 wins are the Seattle Supersonics. Granted it is a team which although bad has its sparks in young star and future ROY (Rookie of the year) in Kevin Durant. However, they are almost no better than the T'Wolves with a weak offense and possibly even worse defense. It must be noted though that they blew the T'wolves out last night (109-90) basically without Durant which shows there obviously lies more talent here than in Minnesota and most of the players are young. Other teams looking very dismal thus far are the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. Now Miami is doing worse than expected and is probably suffering from a combination of aged and inexperienced players. Try as the superhuman, Dwyane Wade might, his team is struggling a lot and though we must give credit to his resilience, this team looks like a below 25 win team (Just to note they got blown out last night as well, only conjuring up 76 points). The now infamous New York Knicks organization is possibly the least fortuitous team in the league. How can you have such a plethora of 'big names' and yet play this badly. I am watching them play as we speak (aginst the Bulls) and I cannot figure why the fans of New York would bother themselves, spend their money and sit down and watch this team. In fact, I am of the notion that they are there to watch and cheer the other team (or just to boo the Knicks, take your pick). This team's play is nothing near enthralling and are woefully dismal in many areas, especially defense. Eddy Curry, as fat as he is, yes I said FAT, is worthless, so far missing at least 5 easy baskets (it is currently halftime) and it seems like coming off the bench has done nothing to lift his declining game. Then there is Marbury (who seems to be the 'boss' of the team) taking personal time for apparently NO DAMN REASON, and they actually are letting him sit courtside? I won't go into anymore details on this team as my blood is beginning to boil and my fellow writer M.T.M.M. has articles addressing their situation. Even at the top of the league some of the more prominent teams are not playing up to standard and I'm simply hoping that this is due to the 'middle' teams from last year stepping up a gear (eg. Hornets and Blazers). Thus , in concluding, I hope to see the league improve in terms of team records and I sincerely hope these teams mentioned above prove me wrong and elevate/upgrade their standards and their respective organizations.

LOOK AT THAT....Renaldo Balkman just missed a wide open dunk! Yes you know what followed that horrific display of basketball skill, a plethora of "booes". As I finish this article, the Bulls currently lead 73-57 at the end of the third.

Some of these teams are playing like...well to be frank, ASSES (DONKEYS)!

Milan's Dissapointing Start

2007-12-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

AC Milan’s poor season was briefly illuminated by success in Japan against Boca Juniors, but soon faded with a 2-1 loss to Inter, due to the antics of Brasilian GoalKeeper Nelson Dida. Milan have found the going tough in the league this season and are yet to win at home being held by Catania, Parma and Torino as well as losing to Empoli

Finding goals has been the main problem at home for AC Milan, with teams defending deep, double marking Kaka and hitting a generally slow and un-athletic defence in quick counter-attacks.

The arrival of Pato, the Brazilian wonder child from Internacional, will help to some degree, but he is still young and may take some time to acclimatise to the demands of football in Europe far away from the comforts of Brazil. Thus it is unreasonable to expect too much from him too soon.

Milan have managed to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League but 12th place at home for a side of Milan’s stature is simply unacceptable. With 6 draws in their opening 14 matches the problem is clear: they lack the killer instinct.

If the management can attract a sufficiently speedy player who can help pep up the attack and replace the domestically ineffective, Gilardino/Inzaghi then a Champions League spot for next season isn’t out of the question.

Otherwise it could be a long season for the Milan supporters, and with Inter running away with things at the top it may just turn out to be a forgettable season altogether.

My First Basketball Post (The Knicks)

2007-12-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

There is no team in the NBA worse than the New York Knicks,
I know the records of Minnesota and Miami may state otherwise, but Minnesota is rebuilding, and Miami has lost a lot of players to injury, and hence is a small way are also rebuilding.
New york on the other hand arent rebuilding and arent experiencing Injuries

The Knicks are suppose to be one of the best teamn in the NBA, why, because it is one of the original teams, it is in the main media city in the US, New York city, has the largest arena, MSG, The richest Owner, Jim Dolan, Is the most valuable team, (check the forbes list), it has the highest salary roll, (over 90mil), HAs the most first round picks, and the list goes on...................

ONCE THEY LOOKED LIKE THIS
THE GREAT

NOW THEY LOOK MORE LIKE THIS

"NEW YORK KNICKS SUCK"

SO

q: Why do the Knicks Suck?

a: Well if you were to ask there Head Coach and GM, he will give you all kind of excuses, like the The players arent playing with heart and urgency, or it is the fans harsh criticism. But the answer to the question is simple.

Isiah Thomas - he is the worst GM and coach in basketball. He is a manipulative person and it seems that no matter how much he messes up, Dolan (the owner) will still give him praise. He is actually the only GM that has being hired to a team so long, without making the playoffs. Mr. Thomas has fired three of the best coaches of all time such namely Lenny Wilkens (Most wins as a coach), Jeff VanGundy, and Larry Brown, because he believed that with the talent that they have on their roster, they should be making the playoffs, but after he fired Brown, he appointed himself Head Coach, but the results have been even worse.
Though as a GM, he has completely wasted Jim Dolan's(the richest owner) money, acquiring or giving Van Horn, Jerome James, Marbury, Allan Houston, Crawford, Larry Brown, Steve Francis, QRich, Jalen Rose, Curry, Penny Hardaway, ZBO (Zach Randolph), both Kurt and Tim Thomas , and more that i just cannot remember right now, huge contracts, and then either relegating them to the bench or after a year waiving them, or simply the person did not deserve the money. Now Dolan is over the luxury tax threshold, and has to pay a dollar, for every dollar over the tax limit(last year he was 100+Mil over the limit, hence he had to give the NBA 100+ Mil for nothing).
The Knicks and Thomas do try hard to win, and thats why they try to acquire these players, as the Knicks has the most first round picks on a team with 11 knicks being drafted in the first round. But what they do not realize is that for a team to be successful, there has to be chemistry, and chemistry usually begins at the point, Marbury is a selfish player and hence not the best player to lead a team, and he and Thomas have fallen out many times about his leadership, which led to Marbury being demoted to the bench, but quickly promoted back to the starting position, as they were worse off with Marbury on the bench. Later, however, Marbury has had to take a leave of absence due to "personal reasons", and since Marbury's leave, the Knicks (correct me if I'm wrong) haven't won more than two games. This is because it all goes back to the point guard, as Crawford and Robinson have played the minutes at the point and both are offensive players, they look for their shot first.

AT the Swing MAN (SG and SF)
SG - Crawford, Jones (Fred), and others
SF - QRich, Jeffries, Rose, and others

Crawford problem was already explained in the PG section.

Jones - not really that good of a player, got ups though, surprised he lasted this long in New York (2 months - was apart of the Zbo trade), quick and strong. He plays hard defense. He's a scrappy offensive player who can get to the rim and he can shoot from distance albeit with no consistency. He was dumped by Toronto and Portland because he wasn't a versatile enough offensive player who was a hindrance to ball movement and movement off the ball. His best season was with Indiana, after the brawl.

QRich - He is the Knicks best perimeter defender and a versatile scorer. He has a post game, is good attacking the hoop, can run the floor and hit the outside shot with consistency so he can space the floor. However he falls victim to wrong situation, wrong time. He moves off the ball very poorly in the half court (NY's biggest problem) and consistently struggles to use his abilities next to the Knicks established players. He has two ball dominating guards which limits his touchs and two ball dominating big men to man the post and are not versatile enough away from the hoop to free up opportunities in the post for Q. He simply is a horrid fit here.

Jeffries - He is a complete joke, was once regarded as the one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, now he is $#*t.

Rose - doesnt even play enough to comment on his game, truthfully i dont even remember how he even played for SA.

Weak Defense in the front court: Curry vs ZBo
Now a year ago the knicks problem was their backcourt, having heavy weights as Francis and Marbury sharing minutes, but the two just never got along, as they have similar styles of play, and would have to compete for minutes and ball possesion, How did they solve that problem, trading francis for ZBo, which to me puts them in the same Dilemma.
Curry and Randolph are great offensive players, capable of putting up big scoring numbers, but both play little to no D(defense). Zbo is a better all round player as unlike Curry can pass and rebound, but for any of them to be productive they need the ball, and as they are not great ball handlers, they expect to get the ball in the right position (Unlike Garnett, Duncan and Dirk, who no matter where they receive the ball can make magic happen). The problem with this is that with a point guard looking to score, none of them are getting the ball, and these players are not hustlers who work for the ball and when the points do decide to pass in the post the question is who to pass to. However, the beneficiary of most of the passes have been ZBo, making Curry redundant (BUT WITH HIS CONTRACT SIZE, THEY CANNOT AFFORD FOR HIM TO BE REDUNDANT, OR CAN THEY). This has led to the the same problem with Francis and Marbury, both are fighting for minutes and possession, and ultimately has benefited the team.
But the problem they now face is that THOMAS has benched Zbo(similar to how he benched francis), to start DLee. DLee isn't a bad player, and does deserve minutes, but not at the cost of ZBo (similarly with crawford and Francis). and once again this led to poor performances by the one being demoted to the bench (Francis and Zbo), while the one who starts (marbury and Curry), still are not performing how they are expected to perform.

Now what do you call this, the same thing is basically, with different players in different years, Hence it must me Admins Fault or better yet Thomas.

To me Thomas is only getting big names, but worrying about Chem, but look at the lakers now, they do not have the big names (apart from Kobe and Maybe ODOM), but are gelling well and winning, which did not take over night, it took hard work, which even led kobe to being frustrated, but now its paying off as Bynum is now the one making a name for himself.
Now trevor Ariza (LAL)is also playing well, as he once did in New York, but as a rookie, no matter how much promise he had, they wanted a bigger player and so traded him and others for francis. (the point im trying to make is that it is only recently with young players like Dlee, have they kept to try and develop, usually these players get traded, for a all star caliber player.

After Blaming the coach, for the players he has acquired, an stated how the player compete each each other, i think i should mention how the knicks play as a team. at different ends of the Court

It's clear and has been clear for a good time that the Knicks have a bad mix of players. But why are they a bad mix?

Let's begin with the starters. The game of basketball is all about combinations. How do the big men play together? How do the guards do? How do the swingmen do? Can the guards and big men play together? Do the players complement one other?

Dont get me wrong Thomas isn't all bad, he has had some great drafts picking D.Lee, R.Balkman, N.Robinson, and others, and i do believe he has the teams interest at heart, but just isnt the man to do it.

Q: What can they do to improve.

A: I cant answer that, but what i recommend they do is scrap this season and start over, NOW
First get rid of Thomas, get a new Board, new coaches, assistants, etc.

Trade Curry, Crawford, Qrcih, Marbury, Rose, Jones, James, Collins, Jeffries

Keep, Randolph, Dlee.

Other Dont care what happens to them, can be traded, or kept

Why Trade so many players, it is simple, the dont play well together, and have been here long enough.
Many of these players, are easily Traded, because they do have talent.

1.) Get a young capable point Guard, a pass first type player(no recommendations on who)
2.) Get a 2guard with the offensive ability of Crawford, but with Defensive talents, unlike crawford (Someone like Monta Ellis)
3.) Build around Zach
4.) Get players who are willing to play, (Mark Blount) - a matter a fact i think with SHaq, injured, and falling off, Zo out for the season, and no confidence in blount, Curry to Miami doest even seem to be a bad deal, the only problem is when Shaq returns, does curry go back to the bench.
5.)Get players willing to take a role position (there are many of them. preferbly veterans though, as they will provide better minutes.
6.)Continue to draft well.

Now i know trading those player will be hard, because of their salary, and it may seem to drastic to start over now, but their record reflect a rebuilding team.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If a certain someone wasn't too busy 'pimpin' staff members and cheerleaders
and actually coaching, maybe he would be able to realize what's wrong with his team

____________________________________
M.T.M-M with assistance by DiPhoenix

Merr Christmas for Sports Chronicles

2007-12-25T00:23:00.000-08:00

Player Ratings: Barcelona - Real Madrid

2007-12-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

The Following Post does not reflect the opinion of the of one of our best writers, but was uploaded for the views of all that is interested in what is the most anticipated match in the La Liga this season so far.

All Opinionated statements will be seen in the following format (" xxxxxx"), and will be bolded

BARCELONA

Valdes – 6: Did not have too much to do apart from pick the ball out of his own net after Baptista scored.

Puyol – 5.5: Looked ill at ease against Robinho, though he just about managed to hold his own. A forgettable El Clasico for the Barcelona skipper.

Marquez – 5: Completely lost his bearings to allow Julio Baptista past him, and looked out of sorts every time Real Madrid went on the counter-attack.

Milito – 6.5: Was a lot more composed than Puyol and Marquez, and probably saved his team from a bigger defeat. Did well to keep Raul quiet.

Abidal – 7: Was his usual solid self on the left, and repeatedly ran past Ronaldinho, only for the Brazilian to refuse to use him and give the ball away instead.

Toure – 6.5: Did his part of the job in the defensive sense, but the inability to make quick passes was exposed by a snappy Madrid midfield.

Deco – 3: Was he on the pitch? One has to wonder why he was handed a start when Eidur Gudjohnsen has played some of his best games in a Barcelona shirt recently!

Xavi – 6.5: Was up against a very physical Madrid midfield, but managed to hold his own. Not a poor display by any means, but he was just not given the time to produce those special passes.

Iniesta – 7.5: Once again Barcelona's best player on the pitch, and the only one who actually skipped past a few Real Madrid players and made some bursting runs.

Eto'o – 6: Started strong, but faded away as the game progressed. Had a couple of great moments, but average by and large.

Ronaldinho – 5: Did precious little of note apart from the one shot in the first half. Was given a lot of the ball before the break, but most of his passes were woefully off the mark. Barely even touched the ball after the break, and not once during the game did he win it back from someone.

Substitutes: Giovani - 6.5, Zambrotta - NA, Bojan - 7

REAL MADRID

Casillas – 6: A good reflex save in the first half to preserve Real Madrid's lead, but had a couple of slips after the break that needed some cleaning up.

Ramos – 7: Did the job against Ronaldinho, and was a menace every time he burst up the right.

Cannavaro – 6.5: Some great clearances and tackles, but also a couple of silly ones from the World Cup winner. Above average.

Pepe – 9: Absolutely superb from start to finish. Got the better of every Barcelona player, and even bailed Casillas out a couple of times. His best display in a Real Madrid shirt yet. Arguably his best display ever!

Heinze - 7: A solid defensive display. Gave little away, and was always willing to help the centre-halves.

Diarra – 7.5: He can look messy and crude when the ball is at his feet, but he is hugely effective when it is not. Made sure Barcelona did not have it easy.

Baptista – 8: Another great game in the middle of the pitch. Made his presence felt while defending, and was bursting forward every time Real Madrid went on break. Who dares drop him now!

Sneijder – 6.5: Was not as influential as his fellow midfielders, but not a bad display either. Swung a couple of tantalising balls into the box.

Robinho – 6: Did not see too much of the ball, but had a go at Puyol whenever he did.

Raul – 5: Had one of his quietest El Clasicos in memory, seeing precious little of the ball, but still ran selflessly and tirelessly.

Van Nistelrooy – 7: Worked ever so hard for the team, constantly troubling Marquez and Milito. His flick to set up Baptista was golden.

Substitutes: Gago - 6.5, Torres - 6.5, Robben - NA.

Player Ratings: Inter - AC Milan

2007-12-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Following Post does not reflect the opinion of the of one of our best writers, but was uploaded for the views of all that is interested in what is the most anticipated match in the Serie A this season so far.

All Opinionated statements will be seen in the following format (" xxxxxx"), and will be bolded

INTER

Julio Cesar - 6.5: The Brazilian shot-stopper did not have too many saves to make during the game, but he pulled off one fine stop from Kaka towards the end and was generally safe throughout.

Maicon - 6.5: Bombed forward from right back in typical fashion, however he was caused a few problems defensively by Milan substitute Serginho in the second-half.

Cordoba - 7.5: Another rock-solid game from the Colombian stopper, who controlled Inzaghi in the first-half and Gilardino in the second. Did give away the free-kick for Pirlo's goal though.

Samuel - 6: Samuel only lasted 36 minutes of the match due to a knee injury, although he was relatively sound during this time, except for one mesmerising run by Kaka.

Maxwell - 6.5: Maxwell was caused few problems defensively, although he did not make the impact going forward that we have become accustomed to recently.

Zanetti - 8: Another outstanding game from one of the world's most consistent players over the past decade. At the age of 34 he is still world-class and he produced a fantastic tackle on Kaka during a one-on-one duel in the first half.

Chivu - 7.5: Chivu is getting stronger and stronger every game since his summer move from Roma. Formed a dominant centre-midfield partnership with Cambiasso.

Cambiasso - 8.5: If there is a better defensive midfielder in world football at the moment I want to know that players name. Cambiasso was once again superb at the heart of Inter's midfield.

Jimenez - 7: Jimenez has proved to be a valuable understudy to the injured Luis Figo and caused Milan a number of problems with his skill and direct running with the ball.

Ibrahimovic - 5.5: Poor display from the Swedish superstar. Was completely marked out of the match by Alessandro Nesta and showed only a few glimpses of his talent.

Cruz - 7: A relatively quiet game from Cruz but a striker's job is to score goals and he was once again on the scoresheet with a great left-footed finish to haul Inter level on 36 minutes. The most under-rated player in Serie A?

Substitutes

Materazzi (for Samuel on 36 minutes) - 7: Solid display by the hardman who was booked just minutes after coming onto the field. Made one brilliant block on a Nesta shot in the second half.

Pele (for Jimenez 79) - 6: Was brought on for the last 10 minutes to shore up the midfield but had little time to make much of an impact

Suazo (for Cruz 85) - 6: Only offered five minutes at the end but the Honduran did launch a dangerous counter-attack with his blistering pace, only for Ibrahimovic to fire high and wide.

MILAN

Dida - 3: Cost his team the match with a simply disastrous error on Cambiasso's winning goal. A Sunday league goalkeeper would be ashamed to make such a howler, let alone a Serie A shot-stopper. Milan surely need to find a replacement for 'Calamity Dida'.("M.T.M-M's opinion --> Dida needs to leave, at this moment i prefer Kalac or even Fiore, yes i said fiore, in the goal, i do not see how da FUCK him mek cambiasso score, shit nigga, Stefan or Daffe could a fucking save dat shit, he is a pathetic fuck, and needs to leave, i dub him the worse keeper in Football")

Oddo - 6: Oddo has been in poor form this season, however he was generally sound in this match. His trademark crosses were comfortably dealt with though by the imposing Inter backline.

Maldini - 5.5: Maldini was holding his own, despite his advancing years, until a poor defensive header gifted Cambiasso the ball for his winner on 62 minutes. However he wouldn't have been punished for this mistake if it hadn't been for the disastrous Dida.(" I agree it was a poor clearance by the great Maldini, but the shot following was an easy save, but shitface Dida, fuck it up")

Nesta - 9: Absolutely outstanding and the undoubted man-of-the-match despite the fact Milan lost. Nesta made Zlatan Ibrahimovic look more like Peter Crouch, by completely dominating the Swedish star. How Italy could do with him at Euro 2008.

Kaladze - 7: Kaladze stood strong alongside the flawless Nesta and like his centre back partner was rarely troubled by either Ibrahimovic or Cruz.

Gattuso - 5.5: Had a poor first half before being withdrawn at half time due to injury. The fire and energy in Gattuso's legs seemed to be missing. He was noticeably a yard slower to every ball today - perhaps his injury may explain today's performance.

Ambrosini - 6.5: Ambrosini was second best to Chivu and Cambiasso in the midfield battle, although having said this, his intelligent runs into the box could have provided Milan with an equaliser. Missed a golden chance at the end to earn Milan a point when he failed to connect with a Serginho cross.

Pirlo - 7: Unsurprisingly Milan's most creative midfielder, he was cool in possession and scored an absolutely magnificent free-kick. The technique that is required to whip a ball up and over the wall from right on the edge of the area is something very few players in the world can do. Pirlo is certainly in this world-class select few.

Seedorf - 5.5: Very poor game from the inconsistent Dutchman. Was caught in possession repeatedly and failed to make any impact on the match whatsoever. Rightly substituted.

Kaka - 6: Not one of the Brazilian superstar's better games. Cambiasso denied Kaka the space that he thrives on, although he did go on one scintillating solo run in the first half, and forced a fine save out of Julio Cesar in the second. Apart from this he was very quiet.

Inzaghi - 5.5: SuperPippo was not so super today, and was way too isolated to make an impact. However he did trick Cordoba into giving away the free-kick for Pirlo's opener. (" Hardly seen in the in the match, no wonder they replace him really early")

Substitutes

Emerson (for Gattuso on 46 minutes) - 5.5: Seriously what is the point of Emerson at Milan? The 31-year-old is the most perfect example of a ‘has-been’ that there is in football. While at Roma he was simply world-class, he is now a shadow of that once fine player. ("WTF is he doing on da field, and why da fuck wasnt Gourcuff on da bench, Gourcuff had a great outing in thursdays match, and im sure he is not tired, because he had four days to rest. Serginho should have came on for Gattuso, and Gourcuff for Seedorf")

Serginho (for Seedorf on 57 minutes) - 7: Impressive substitute performance from Serginho who caused Inter a few headaches down the left and was at the centre of virtually all of Milan's attacking moves in the second half.

Gilardino (for Inzaghi on 46 minues) - 6: Gilardino works hard bless him but it is clear that he does not have the ability to be playing at one of European football's biggest clubs. Defenders of the calibre of Cordoba and Materazzi cope with strikers of Gilardino's like all day long.("You will need to work harder, because you are also not performing, Within Weeks Pato will arrive, and still you havent proven yourself as a striker, Your best year was two seasons ago, while shev was on the roster, so hopefully another striker will allow you to play a better game................ If i had my way Ronaldo would be gone and I would spend money on the Great Eto'o, which would put Gila ever further down on the striking list")

Sellouts: Karma will always get ya!

2007-12-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

I'm going to make this short and sweet. Anyone notice how 'sellouts'(people who take deals solely for monetary purposes, not considering their own image and career) always end up being forgotten on their new teams. We've seen it everywhere prime examples being, Ballack and Shevchenko at Chelsea. These two have COMPLETELY FALLEN off the radar to football fans expecially Shevchenko, once the European player of the year and one of the most feared and revered strikers in the world. Both these strikers gave up PROMINENT places on their previous teams (Bayern Munich and A.C. Milan, respectively) - Ballack was actually the captain of his team. Where are they know? Noone knows - sure Chelsea will say their 'injured' or some other sad sob excuse but we all know what has happened. Even David Beckham saw a SHARP decrease in his popularity upon moving to Real Madrid, only gaining any resurgence within his last days at the club. Lesson to learn, DON'T sellout your team or career for a couple million. It is better to have played 15 years worth of fulfilling and prosperous sports career and go down in history, for a little less change, than to have 8-10 years of stardom just to see you FADE away quickly for a couple million.

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