Random Sports Thoughts

1. Ron Artest has changed his name to Metta World Peace. Watch this video from PTI to find out why. See if you are more confused as I was. PTI Video
2. Ron or Metta actually made sense when he disucussed how the Mavericks were a team and not a collection of individuals. It must be late if Ron is starting to make sense.
3. I know this is old but I wonder will Drew Brees regret his comments he made about the owners in the labor dispute? Brees comments could comeback to haunt him with owners as well as fans.
4. I wonder why it took so long for DeMaurice Smith and Roger Gooddell to realize that they should try and be friends rather than enemies.
5.Terrell Pryor got two coaches fired in less than 8 months. Jim Tressel and Rich Rodriguez. People tend to forget Pryor choices when he was a higly touted recruit was Michigan and Ohio St. Wonder was the risk worth the talent?
6. The NBA has some real money issues where the NFL doesn't. The NBA owners actually have a real beef and I expect them to dig in with their heels. 15 t0 22 teams are losing money is huge.
7. Why are we so quick to find the next best thing and not appreciate our current stars? Rory McIlror is not the next Tiger Woods. Tiger is a special talent and Rory has won just 1 major. Its funny how the media forgets just how dominant Woods was.
8. DeShawn Stevenson makes my life so easy by not acting like a champion. Read here.

Thank you for reading as always and I do appreciate the feedback. Taking a summer break until the NFL and College football kickoffs. Have a great summer.

Why The Heat Lost And The Mavs Won

I stated over a week ago that I believed the Dallas Mavericks would win the NBA title and they did. Here are some of my observations of what took place and how the Miami Heat could have won but ultimately they didn't make some adjustments and went down in flames. It all started with the Game 2 comeback and went downhill from there:

1. Rick Carlisle's adjustments made Erik Spoelstra look bad. Carlisle switch to starting Barea and Kidd is paying huge dividends. Its forced the Heat to stay at home more on Dirk and not double team him. Also having two guards that are playmakers, put a lot on pressure on the Heat's defense.

2. Carlisle is also used the zone defense and Heat looked like the defense was something foreign. Its a simple play to force James into a jump shooter and it worked to perfection.

3. As great as a player as LeBron is, his post game is awful. He has no clue on how to use his size and quickness in that area on the floor. When Carlisle inserted Barea into the lineup, he dared James to rake him or Kidd into the post because everyone in the league knows that LeBron is awkward and unsure of himself when his back is to the basket. That's definitely area he needs to work on.

4. I've said it before and I'll say it again, James lacks a killer instinct. The kind of instinct that dare I say Michael, Kobe and Dirk has. James does not have the eye of the tiger and in the long run that will hurt his image and his brand. The legend of Michael, Kobe, Magic and Larry starts and ends with how they finished off opponents. The reason why D-Wade is apart of the Jordan brand is he is a great closer. James, not so much. He is 2-8 in the Finals and that is not being a closer.

5. DeShawn Stevenson you won a title now stop talking!! Stevenson has a strong dislike for LeBron and that is OK but for an average role player, he sure does talk a lot. Saying James checked out in Game 4 and calling the Heat players classless because of the on the court talking is really stupid. Stevenson is lucky to be a Maverick and should thank the Wizards for overpaying for him and be content he happened to be on a team that won. DeShawn should take a lesson from his teammates and celebrate silently.

6. How immature is the national media for overscruntizing James and the Heat. Sure the decision was stupid but the national media had a vendetta for this team since last July. I have never seen so many members openly root against a team before in my life. Some media members left LeBron off their MVP ballots because he went to South Beach. How about just cover the story objectively and describe the actions on the floor. Stop with the teasing columns and pure venom for a player and or team. The only people that have the right to celebrate is the city of Dallas and Cleveland. Everyone else should turn down their mics and put away their pens.

7. Dirk is clutch and I knew they would win because he was playing at a high level. Its cool to see a world class athlete make the game look so easy.

8.Spoelstra better fix the Heat offense. They never ran any set plays and looked confused after timeouts. If Spoelstra doesn't fix it and doesn't win next year he is out.

9. If the Suns deal Steve Nash to the Timberwolves, don't be surprised to see him ask for a buyout and his next destination could be South Beach. A point guard who can shoot with his caliber could be just what the Heat needs to get over the top.

10. If I'm Chris Bosh, I'm worried that I might get dealt if the new CBA has a hard salary cap. I think everyone knows he is the one who becomes expendable.

11. Surprised Cuban kept quiet this postseason. At least he has all summer to brag.

12. I wonder does LeBron have second thoughts about becoming a Mav? Cuban asked him last summer to come to the Mavs and join Dirk. That would have been an interesting combo.....

13. Congrats to Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion. All three are a couple of good guys in the league who finally got their coveted prize. This was and is a complete team and in the end a unit will always beat individuals. The Larry O'Brien Trophy will reside in Dallas for a good while because who knows when the NBA will start again.

So Long Shaq

Shaq-Diesel Retires

Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement today after 19 years in the NBA. I for one will miss the big guy. Shaq retires with 4 NBA titles, 3 Finals MVP's, and was a 15 time All-Star. In the time after Michael Jordan retired, Shaq was the face of the NBA. He is a gentle giant who's place in NBA history is secure. Now O'Neal has his detractors. People talked about how he didn't have a shot, a go to move, and all he could do was dunk. A lot of that was true early on but none of that bothered me. What I marvelled at was Shaq pure athleticism at his size, 7'1 and 320 (in his early years. I had never seen a guy with that size and pure brute strength, be so agile on the court. Shaq could block a shot or grab a rebound and start the fastbreak like a guard. He loved to run the floor as if he was a small forward or shooting guard. And yes the finish at the rim was a dunk and it always would leave the whole backboard shaking. I remember taping his first national game on NBC and he caught a lob from Penny Hardaway and dunked so hard that the entire backboard and rim came down. The game was delayed because Shaq broke it on the first play of the game. Shaq was the closest thing to Samson in sports to me and my friends.


When Shaq put his mind to it and worked hard he improved his game and became one of the most dominant to play the game. But that was thing with Shaq that bothered most people, he didn't always show that desire and hustle. There was the issues with him being a horrible free throw shooter and his coaches not having him on the floor. The constant weight gains in the offseason, the distractions off the floor with movies and rap albums, and the bickering with Kobe. I think one of his defining moments in his career will be his time in Miami, where he set out to help elevate Dwyane Wade status as a champion and started his descent as a role player. Shaq knew his time was ending when he left Miami and tried in Phoenix and in Cleveland to duplicate the Laker and Miami magic, but in the end father time is undefeated. Samson finally met his Delilah.

Shaq, thank you for the memorable dunks, nicknames and classic press conferences. Most of all thank you for being a gentle giant who cared about from coast to coast You have touched the lives of many young people and provided joy to those watching you on the court. History will remember you as an all-time great, who kept the NBA relevant post Jordan. You are definitely on the Mt. Rushmore of centers because I don;t believe we will ever see a guy with the size, speed and strength of the NBA's Superman.