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Chris Bosh Being Dealt Soon?

    

Chris Bosh Shoots over Brad Miller (REUTERS)

Chris Bosh Shoots over Brad Miller (REUTERS)

     Chris Bosh is one of many big name superstars that will be eligible for free agency in 2010. Now rumors are swirling that the Toronto forward may be headed out of Canada. Bosh voiced his displeasure with the Raptors this year and it was reported that he asked for a trade in the middle of the season. Throughout his 6 year career in Toronto, Bosh has averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds and has established himself as one of the premier big men in the NBA and is more than capable of leading a team. 

     There are 3 main suitors that may be looking to make serious offers in order to acquire Bosh. These teams include the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. The Heat would be Bosh’s most likely destination if he were to become a free agent in 2010 where he would be able to team up with Heat superstar Dwyane Wade. The Heat and Raptors are no strangers when it comes to trading players. Earlier this season right before the trade deadline Miami dealt Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Toronto for center Jermaine O’Neal and swingman Jamario Moon. In this particular deal Miami would be sending Michael Beasley. Udonis Haslem, James Jones, Dorrell Wright and multiple draft picks to Toronto in exchange for Bosh and Quincy Douby. This deal seems a bit one-sided; however, it might make sense for Miami in a way. Dwyane Wade is entering the end of his prime so getting another superstar to play alongside him may get Wade a second or maybe even a third NBA championship . The only thing that bother me about this deal is that Miami would be basically giving up on a promising young star in Michael Beasley, who averaged better numbers than Bosh in his rookie season.

     Next up would be the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors would be an interesting destination for Bosh considering their lack of front court depth. The Warriors would send over a package featuring either Andris Beidrins or Monta Ellis along with a number of fillers.

     The final team in the running is the Dallas Mavericks, Bosh’s hometown team. The Mavericks already have a premier big in Dirk Nowitzki but adding Bosh would give them arguably the best front court in the he NBA. Dallas would trade Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Gerald Green and Jerry Stackhouse in return for Bosh and a filler. This might make sense for Dallas but they lose a lot of depth in Howard and Terry. Although they would still be left with Antoine Wright and Jason Kidd if they choose to re-sign him. 

     I don’t know where Bosh will end up but if I had to make a choice I’d say Miami. Pat Riley is known for taking every chance he gets to acquire veterans who can help lead the Heat to a title as fast as possible.

A-Rod Hits Walk-Off in the 11′th Yankees Win

 

A-Rod Celebrates his Walk-Off Homer in the 11th

A-Rod Celebrates his Walk-Off Homer in the 11th (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

     After hitting a home run on first pitch he saw this season, Alex Rodriguez has struggled to say the least. However, in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Minnesota Twins A-Rod hit a walk off home run lifting the Yanks to their second win in a row. Rodriguez struggled again today though, going 1-4 with his only hit being the homer. This could be a huge confidence booster for A-Rod because since his return from the hip injury he’s been batting .154 including the homer today. 

     The Yanks got a solid performance from starter Joba Chamberlain who went 6 innings allowing 2 runs on only 3 hits. The bullpen struggled though and that opened the door up for the Twins to add some runs. However, Mark Teixeira had an outstanding game going 4-4 including a 3-run homer in the third inning. His game tying RBI sent the game into extras and he then drew a walk in the 11th that brought A-Rod to the plate. This was a big win for the Yankees who have been struggling to being the season.

Dwight Howard Asked and Received

(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

After a 6 game series the celtics Would be in the Eastern Finals right about now if it wasn’t for Dwight Howard and his Orlando Magic. The Celtics failed to win game 6 in Orlando like everyone thought they would. This is the second time this post season that they take a series to 7 games. If they win the next game at home which will most likely happen since the celtics have a 32-0 record of beating the opposing team with a 3-2 record or better. The Magic are in a 0-5 stump not being able to close a 7 game series. Now if the Celtics manage to win in game 7 they will have to face a rested Cleveland team who has 2 sweeps already. You have to wonder if tired legs are going to be an issue for the Celtics. But lets not get too ahead of ourselves. Back to the game, Dwight Howard was downright dominant. After a slight run in with the press complaining about his head coach and the reason why they lost in game 5 was because he was not getting the ball enough. So this game we all knew who the ball was going to go to and it was put up or shut up time for Dwight Howard. With the spotlight on him he did nothing but shine, superman finished the game with 23 points 22 rebounds 2 assists and 3 blocks. Mighty impresive even for him, but what caused the Celtics to lose? I’ll tell you, TURNOVERS! The Boston Celtics managed to turn the ball over a whopping 16 times which doubled that of Orlando. More over the Magic just outplayed the celtics almost overall. The magic had 3 more steals, 3 more blocks, and 9 more free throws. Also Rajon Rondo had a good game, he finished the game with 19 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. But he couldnt do it by himself and the Celtics lost a big one. Game 7 will be in Boston and if they hope to win they are going to have alot of work to do.

Rockets Force a Game 7

 

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Aaron Brooks shoots a layup (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

     With their backs against the wall the Houston Rockets beat the Lakers tonight forcing a game 7 Sunday in LA. The star tonight was Aaron Brooks who has outplayed every point guard the Lakers have thrown at him this series. Brooks finished with 26 points on 8-13 shooting. Brooks has lead the charge for Houston this series, sparking an offense that has no identity without Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady on the floor. The unsung hero for Houston tonight though was Luis Scola. Scola finished with a double double scoring 26 points and grabbing 12 boards. He was unstoppable in the first half and gave Pau Gasoft fits. Which brings me to my next point, Pau Gasol is the softest big man in the NBA. He finished with 14 points on 7-15 shooting but he didn’t play with any intensity at all. He was letting Scola get whatever he wanted in the paint and he even let Carl Landry dominate as well. If the Lakers want any chance of winning game 7, Gasol needs to show up and come ready to play. He should be having a field day now that Yao is injured and can’t play. Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant had another little incident tonight as well. This one was all Ron Ron though. He pulled a Vlade Divac-esque flop after Kobe made a little bit of contact with him. This led to Kobe getting his 5th technical foul during the playoffs(7 T’s and you’re suspended for a game). I feel for Kobe though because it reminds me of what happened to D-Wade in game 7 against the Hawks. He was doing everything he could but his teammates just didn’t show up. 

     That being said, I see LA winning game 7 at home. I just can’t see them losing a 7th game at the Staples Center. Look for Kobe to have a big game but the key for LA will be the play of Pau Gasol. If he decides to play even a little bit of defense then the Lakers should have no problem advancing. Also, if you stop Brooks you stop the Rockets so Fisher and the other guards are going to need defend him as well as possible. I still think whoever wins this series gets trampled by Denver, who is playing just as well as Cleveland and doing it against better teams. Should be interesting to see how everything plays out on Sunday.

All NBA Teams Announced: LeBron a Unanimous Choice, Wade Makes it for the First Time and Melo too low

 

Marc Serota

Marc Serota

     The NBA released their All NBA teams today. As expected, MVP LeBron James was a unanimous selection. He was joined on the first team by Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwight Howard. This is Bryant’s 7th time as an All NBA first teamer. Wade, who led the league in scoring this year averaging 30.2 points per game makes the team for the first time in his 6 year career. Dirk Nowitzki made the list but lets be honest, if KG was healthy this would be his spot. Then there’s Superman. Dwight Howard made the first team over Houston center Yao Ming and rightfully so. Howard may be the most dominant big man in the game today and his offensive game is still growing. All three teams look about right to me. The only things that caught my eye is that Carmelo Anthony should be ahead of Paul Pierce. Melo put up better overall stats than Pierce; averaging more points and more rebounds in 3 less minutes of action. Other than that the lists look good to me. 

All NBA First Team:

  1. Guard- Dwyane Wade (Heat)
  2. Guard- Kobe Bryant (Lakers)
  3. Forward- LeBron James (Cavaliers)
  4. Forward- Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks)
  5. Center- Dwight Howard (Magic)

All NBA Second Team:

  1. Guard- Chris Paul (Hornets)
  2. Guard- Brandon Roy (Trailblazers)
  3. Forward- Paul Pierce (Celtics)
  4. Forward- Tim Duncan (Spurs)
  5. Center- Yao Ming (Rockets)

All NBA Third Team:

  1. Guard – Chauncey Billups (Nuggets)
  2. Guard – Tony Parker (Spurs)
  3. Forward – Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets)
  4. Forward – Pau Gasol (Lakers)
  5. Center – Shaquille O’Neal (Suns)

Jason Taylor Signs 1 Year Deal With the Dolphins

(Sun-Sentinel/Robert Duyos / November 28, 2005)

(Sun-Sentinel/Robert Duyos / November 28, 2005)

Jason Taylor’s return to the Miami Dolphins was made official today when he signed a one year deal worth 1.1 million dollars. Taylor now comes back to the place he called home for the first 11 years of his NFL career. Taylor was quoted as saying, ”My heart has always been in Miami and so I’m truly excited to call myself a Dolphin once again,” Taylor said in a statement. “I was presented with a number of different opportunities, but in the end the combination of this being the best situation for my family, my love for this community and my tremendous loyalty to a great organization made this an easy decision.”

I think this is a good move for both sides because the Dolphins add a defensive player who can play a big role in their 3-4 defense alongside Joey Porter. For Taylor I’m sure this was an easy decision just like he said it was. Its an ideal scenario for a veteran player who may want to end his career where it started.

Michael Vick: Should he be reinstated?

    

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

     The last 2 years for Michael Vick have been troubling to say the least. First, the All-Pro quarterback was sentenced to a 23 month federal prison term for his role in a dog-fighting business that lead to the death of multiple dogs. That was followed by a heavy suspension from the NFL which caused him to lost almost everything he had. Now while opinions may vary about whether or not what Vick did deserves that much time in prison; the fact is that he has payed his debt to society and has done all that has been asked of him. Vick is still being hounded for money by those who he once supported financially. His financial trouble also stems from those whom he chose to care for his assets. One of his advisors who was previously banned from working with any firm that traded with the New York Stock Exchange took over $900,000 from him. This was followed by another advisor, David Talbot, who was being payed $15,000 a month by Vick to be his financial manager. Talbot then took possession of Vick’s $85,000 Mercedes-Benz and then was later found to have fraudulent statements on his resume. A judge then ordered Talbot to repay Vick every penny that he had taken from him. 

     I’m not saying what Vick did was right or that the lifestyle he chose to live is the right one, but how can you not feel bad for the guy? It seems like everyone he trusted was basically exploiting him for his money. They knew how talented he was and they knew they could bank off of him. I absolutely believe that Michael Vick should be reinstated into the NFL and I also believe that a team should definitely take a chance on him. Before his arrest, Vick was one of the top players in all of football, how could any team in need of a quarterback pass up a chance at him? I really do feel bad for Vick because personally, I don’t even think he should’ve gone to jail in the first place but that’s a completely different discussion. 

     My only hope for Mike Vick is that when he does get reinstated into the NFL, that he chooses someone who will actually look out for him and his money rather than steal it and that he can live a life without having to worry about providing for people who aren’t his family.

Can Favre Still Play?

Cory Hollenhorst, a web developer at Meta 13

Cory Hollenhorst, a web developer at Meta 13

For the past couple of days you would have to live under a rock to have not heard that Brett Favre will be coming out of retirement… again. Everyone knows Favre as being one of the best quarter backs to ever play the game and a guaranteed future Hall of Famer. But coming back again and to his old rival team the Vikings, can he be sane? The Vikings went 9-8 last season, and with a pickup in this years draft they look to improve that. There is no doubt in my mind that a healthy Brett Favre will go in there and dominate at the quarterback position, but that isn’t the situation. The story broke that all of a sudden the Vikings and Favre were in talks and he might be coming out of retirement. First thing i thought of was the torn bicept issue, then the fact that he said he hasn’t worked out since last season.

Then some rumors that the Vikings head coach Brad Childress was going to Mississippi where Favre lives to meet for dinner and discuss what was going on were dismissed. A local radio station has Childress on video entering Vikins HQ around 8pm that evening. Then Bus Cook who is Favre’s agent came out and said that as far as he knows Brett will remain retired and he has no reason to believe that he will be wearing Vikings purple next season. After that mess Favre was said to be getting some tests and an MRI done on his injured throwing arm with the results said to be sent to the Vikings for evaluation. Brett was then later seen publicly seen at a local high school throwing some passes and running the length of the football field. If you ask me he was testing his limits and seeing where he was at after not working out after a dissapointing season with the Jets. After his “outing” he has been said to tail agent Bus Cook that his arm was hurting after throwing some passes at the high school. It’s being said that the injury has all of 2 options, first major surgery will be needed and playing will be out of the question for a while, second would be going in and completing the tear in the bicept and letting it heal naturally which would allow him to play alot sooner. Either way when he comes back after that tear he will have to learn to throw again because after you tear your bicept, something has to change. Then again I’m no doctor and all we can do for now is sit and wait for Brett, his doctors, and the Vikings to make some final decisions.

Should Bobby Jenks be Suspended?

(AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

(AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Saturday, May 9th, during the last game of a 3 game series between the White Sox and the Rangers Chicago, closer Bobby Jenks tried to send a message to the Rangers. They got the message and so did Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, for Jenks, because of a post game interview where he admitted to trying to send a message to the Rangers, the MLB will review the pitch and decide on whether or not he deserves to be suspended. The pitch came in the 9th inning with 2 outs and Rangers’ 2nd baseman Ian Kinsler at the plate. The pitch went out behind Kinsler around waist high and Kinsler had to move to get out of the way of it. After the pitch the home plate umpire gave both teams a warning, to which Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen came out to have a chat. When the two finished their conversation, Jenks went back to work and got Kinsler to pop out to second to end the game and get the save; White Sox won 3-2. After the game Jenks had this to say: “Basically I was saying, ‘I’m sick of seeing our guys get hit and hurt and almost get taken out of the game.’ I threw it with intention.” Did he have the right to throw that pitch? My answer is yes, during that series the White Sox had been hit 6 times and it was time to send a message back. Had Jenks not admitted to throw the pitch with intention, nothing would have happened. Since Jenks’ admission, the commision will be reviewing the pitch to see if a suspension will be necessary. It was about time a White Sox pitcher stood up for thier hitters and Ozzie Guillen had the same thoughts in mind. “I see a lot of my hitters almost get broken hands on back-to-back days,” Guillen said. “I never retaliated, because in my opinion, it wasn’t on purpose. But if I’m a hitter and I keep getting hit, and my pitchers don’t protect me, I don’t want to play for them. That’s the way baseball is and that’s the way baseball is going to be.” So should he be suspended? The answer is no but it is most likely inevitable.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

John Wall’s Crazy Recruitment Down to 2?

Photo by Patrick Greenfield / OregonLive.com

Photo by Patrick Greenfield / OregonLive.com

Being the top high school basketball prospect in the country isn’t easy. Just ask Word of God (NC) point guard John Wall; the nation’s top ranked high school player. Early on in the season Wall was not looked at as the top player as forwards Renardo Sidney and Derrick Favors battled for the spot for over a year. Wall had a breakout summer followed by a sensational senior year where he took over the top spot on both Rivals and Scout. He had a plethora of schools to choose from including Duke, Kansas, Memphis and Miami. Many thought that he would end up at nearby NC State. However, Wall never committed to the Wolfpack and has recently eliminated them from his potential suiters. Then Wall’s advisor and AAU coach Dwayne Clifton accepted a job at Baylor as an assistant coach. Many believe that their close bond would lead Wall to Waco, but now they are all but gone from his list.

There were a couple interviews with Wall but he never claimed any school was leading for him. That all changed in early March when Wall claimed that Memphis and then-coach John Calipari were the leaders in the sweepstakes. Then things took a major turn when Calipari left Memphis to be the coach at Kentucky, thus entering the Wildcats into the discussion and eliminating Memphis. The only problem for Calipari is that with 5- star point guard Eric Bledsoe recently committing, Kentucky has no scholarships left to offer. Unless Calipari, who is known as one of the top recruiters in all of college basketball, cuts some of his scholarship players.

Duke has also been a team at the top of Wall’s list. The Blue Devils are coming off their most impressive season in some time where they reached the Sweet 16. The only problem with Duke is that Wall is going to be a one-and-done player meaning after one season he’ll jump straight to the NBA. This isn’t really the ideal scenario for him because Duke coach Mike Kryzewski isn’t known for taking a lot of those type of players.

The darkhorse all throughout Wall’s recruitment has been the Miami Hurricanes. They were one of the first teams on his list and have stayed there ever since. Now Miami isn’t a traditional power like Duke or Kentucky but they are slowly building a competitive team in the ACC that a player like Wall might put over the top. Miami is also losing arguably the best player in the school’s history in Jack McClinton, so why not step right in and be the number one guy? Another thing heavily working in Miami’s favor is the surrounding area. In a recent article, Wall said he loved what he saw in Miami and who could blame him? Lexington and Durham aren’t exactly South Beach. Many Hurricane fans considered Wall’s visit a major success. Wall told scout.com,”I wasn’t really considering them that hard, but I hadn’t taken a visit there and I didn’t know how it was going to be and how the coaches were. After I took the visit it really opened my eyes up…I knew it was going to be nice in Florida, but didn’t know how it was school-wise and that all the players from different sports get along great.” Just being in the picture for Wall is huge for an up and coming program like the Canes. There are some rumblings that he may be choosing between Miami and Kentucky.

Nothing has been set in stone as of yet but we will definitely be keeping you posted on this wild recruitment.

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