Quick Hits on "The Decision"

What does it mean that LeBron signed in Miami?

- Cavs owner Dan Gilbert acted like a spurned teenage girl with an open letter to the Cavs fans that rips LeBron for being cowardly, narcissitic, etc. While it is understandable that he feels that way, it was not the best approach to lure other high profile players to come play for him in Cleveland. It would have been much better for him to simply state that he was disappointed in his decision, and believes it didn’t show loyalty, but that the Cavs are moving forward in trying to win a title. It is another example of a time when you’re wrong, even when you’re right.

- LeBron proved once and for all that he does not have that killer instinct that Jordan, Bird, and Bryant. He wants to be a second fiddle. This is the end of the “King James” nickname. From this point forward, he should be “Prince James” because he doesn’t want the crown. He is a freak of an athlete, but he doesn’t have that extra gear and that ability to completely take over a game. James doesn’t have that. He never did. And he never will. He has decided to be the glorified Scottie Pippen to Wade’s Jordan. Time to trade in that Batman jersey, LeBron and make sure they make a Robin costume in XL.

- The Milwaukee Bucks benefit from the LeBron decision. The Bucks finished second in the Central division last season behind Cleveland. With the additions of Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden to go with resigning John Salmons, the Bucks look to have improved considerably during the off-season. The Bucks look to be in position to battle the improved Bulls (adding Boozer, a defensive coach and maturing Derrick Rose & Joakim Noah) for the Central Division title. The Bucks appear to be as deep as any team in the east, with talent on the bench to compliment the starters. Unfortunately they do not have the superstar to get the calls in crunch time, and that is what it takes to win in the playoffs in the NBA. The Bucks look poised to be a 50 win team that cannot get past the second round of the playoffs. Which is better than they have been in a while.

- Does the ESPN hype-machine have any boundaries? I mean, they were willing to drop any programming they had scheduled to do a 1 hour hype show to allow LeBron to rip out the hearts of the Cavalier fans in an extremely public forum. They then sat there and spent the first 20 minutes of the show bouncing around the same rumors and theories that have been out there for the past 2 months. It was a slurp-fest about how great LeBron is….even though he folded in every big game and never won a title. It was a new low for the World-Wide Leader in Sports.

- Since it is Degenerate Friday, my bet is that Miami will not win the NBA title next year. The Heat have 4 guys under contract currently, with 3 second round picks to add to the mix. They then have to add 5 players at the league minimum just to fill out the roster. They think that guys will be willing to take the league minimum “for a chance to win.” We’ll see how it plays out, but I don’t see crucial role players – guys like a Derek Fisher, Robert Horry or Bruce Bowen taking minimum contracts.

Durant Over LeBron

I am now rooting 100% more for Kevin Durant than I ever will for LeBron James. Just based on the actions of these two superstars in the past few days, Durant has surpassed King James in class, maturity and overall likeability. LeBron James is like Kristin Cavallari – all the physical tools and a tremendous amount of assets, but just doesn’t get it and spends all their time trying to be popular instead of focusing on anything important. Durant, on the other hand, is like Jessica Alba – again blessed with all the physical tools to dominate, but she just goes about her business without drawing too much attention to herself other than for just being insanely hot.

Yesterday LeBron announced that he would reveal his free agency decision on a one hour television special to be aired on ESPN. It is the most ridiculous, immature and attention-seeking thing I’ve ever seen. And on the other end of the spectrum is Kevin Durant, who quietly tweeted that he signed a 5 year contract extension to stay with Oklahoma City. No press conference. No television specials. No dog and pony shows requiring the Russian billionaire owner to come visit him. The one thing that the Durant announcement was dripping with? CLASS. Something LeBron obviously doesn’t understand, which is surprising for a guy with an image as closely manicured as his.

And my opinion is that Chris Bosh’s decision to join Wade in Miami rather than join James in Cleveland speaks volume about what other players throughout the league may think of King James. Even if James decides to join him in Miami, Bosh made the decision to join Wade and not to join James in Cleveland (via sign and trade). If James was as good of a teammate as is portrayed by the media, wouldn’t Bosh want to team up with him, even if it was in Cleveland? And by doing a sign and trade with Cleveland, Bosh would have been able to get an extra year and roughly $27 million more. Yet Bosh gave up that money to sign directly with Miami and play alongside Wade….and no one else. They have 4 guys under contract – including Wade & Bosh! Yet that was more appealing than joining James in Cleveland. Interesting?

Recruiting LeBron Through Caddyshack

With all of the media tripping over themselves to determine what each team’s recruiting strategy is for recruiting LeBron James, I think it’s pretty simple. And each team’s recruiting ploy can be described with a scene from Caddyshack.

Knicks – Ty Webb’s love song

The Knicks claim that LeBron is perfect for the big stage of New York – that he was born to love them. The Knicks were born to lick his face. They were born to rub each other…..you get the idea.

Bulls – Ty Webb Wisdom

The Bulls claim they provide James with the best opportunity to win now. Because much like a superstar without a ring is no superstar, a donut without a hole…is a danish.

Heat – We’re All Gonna Get Laid!

The Heat are trying to assemble 3/5 of the All-Star team in South Beach. And so the allure is the beach, the weather, and winning. Sounds like everybody is getting laid!

Nets – Play Through

The Nets are much like Carl Spackler – entertaining, definitely a loose cannon, and despite poor living conditions presently, the future looks bright. Once Spackler becomes head greenskeeper, he’ll move into a nicer place. But in the mean time, would you be surprised if the Russian owner provided James with something to smoke the bejezuz out of?

Clippers – Hey Smails – my dingy is bigger than your whole boat!

The Clippers, like Judge Smails boat, is very nice. They have some pieces in place to enjoy a nice sail together. Until Al Cervik’s yacht (aka the Lakers with Kobe at the controls) comes crashing in and reminding King James that their dingy is bigger than the King’s entire boat.

LeBron Is DEFINITELY Signing In Chicago

…or Miami…or New York…or New Jersey…or Cleveland. Enough already! The entire LeBron watch has become more annoying than the annual “Brett Favre Retirement Watch.” A source says it is a done deal that James and Bosh are joining Derrick Rose in Chicago. Another source says Miami is the favorite. A different source says the Knicks are poised to explain to LeBron that they have the most flexibility to build around him for the next 5 years, something the other teams can’t offer. Listen, LeBron has not told anyone where he is going to sign. His inner circle probably doesn’t even know with certainty at this point. So all of these sources are full of it. No one knows and no one will until it is official. Thankfully that date is approaching soon – but keep in mind that he will declare for free agency tomorrow (July 1st) but he cannot officially sign until the 8th, so we will have a full week of bogus stories and sources from random people who claim to have a friend’s cousin’s brother’s girlfriend’s sister that knows.

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What is the deal with teams that I bag on suddenly making runs deep into tournaments? It happened with college basketball when I declared before the tournament that Butler had no chance to win it all. They promptly make it to the final game and came within a half court shot of winning it all. Fastforward to a few weeks ago when I questioned whether anyone was actually from Paraguay. And all they did was make their way to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after their penalty kick win over Japan.

The bright spot about Paraguay? This girl continues to get more and more attention and she has decided that if Paraguay wins the World Cup, she will run naked through the streets to celebrate. I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to make me a fan….at least of Larissa Requilme. (and here’s a link to more pictures of the only person I have ever heard of from Paraguay)

NBA Draft - Best & Worst Picks This Decade

With the NBA Draft on Thursday night, every site out there is putting together their mock drafts with tons of insight into team needs and best fits based on what the teams have said. Considering the teams are all currently bluffing each other to try and manipulate other teams into taking a guy too early, letting a guy slip, or trading up when it wasn’t needed, it seems like a huge waste of time. Instead, let’s look at who were the best and worst picks at each draft position (Picks 1-10, I don’t have all day. Well, maybe I do, but 1-10 is plenty) over the past 10 years.

#1 Pick

Best - LeBron James (2003 by Cleveland)
Worst – Greg Oden (2007 by Portland)

Really not a tough decision here. While James has a ton of potential to be the next Dominique Wilkins until he finally gets that championship ring, he is still a freak of an athlete. He has size and court vision like Magic Johnson and athleticism like Dominique. Once he learns to be a finisher like Jordan or Kobe, he will be completely unstoppable. And we will find out this summer if he wants to be a champion (signing with the Bulls), a celebrity (signing with the Knicks) or a loyal contender (re-upping with the Cavs). His multiple MVPs, a trip to the Finals and scoring title make this a pretty easy selection as the best #1 pick of the decade – well ahead of Dwight Howard, Yao Ming and Derrick Rose.

It’s unfortunate to list Oden here because injuries have been his downfall more than poor play. Yet the guy has barely seen the floor during his first two seasons, so even though Kwame Brown was mostly ineffective when he played, at least he was on the court. The highlight of Oden’s career has actually been when a picture of his wang was leaked on the internet.

#2 Pick

Best – Kevin Durant (2007 by Oklahoma City)
Worst – Darko Milicic (2003 by Detroit)

Durant has proven to be one of the best scorers in the league in only his second season. He still has to mature and get tougher if he wants to lead his team to championships, but he has a ton of young talent around him in Oklahoma City and based on his short record of success and potential to be among the league’s best players, he ranks as the top #2 of the past 10 years, ahead of a very weak class of second picks – LaMarcus Aldridge, Marvin Williams or Emeka Okafor.

Milicic will basically be seen as the worst #2 pick since Sam Bowie. And much like Bowie, Darko was not a horrible player, but the fact that superstars were taken after them (Bowie before Jordan and Wade, Anthony & Bosh after Milicic) make the picks look even worse than they would on their own. Basically it would be similar to if you had to draft a girl after only watching the pilot of Friends and you chose Phoebe, allowing your buddies to take Rachel and Monica with the next two picks. Phoebe went on to a below average career, getting parts in movies like Analyze This or Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion. While Jenifer Anniston’s movie career has not been great, her photo shoots for GQ most certainly have.

#3 Pick

Best – Pau Gasol (2002 by Memphis)
Worst – Adam Morrison (2006 by Charlotte)

The ironic part is that they both have collected back-to-back championships with the Lakers the past two years. Gasol gets the nod but just barely as the top #3 pick in the past 10 drafts, but just barely ahead of other superstars like Derron Williams and Carmelo Anthony. Gasol is among the top 2-3 big men in the game today as he has matured into a player tough enough to bang around inside and still step back and knock down an outside shot. He also plays tremendous defense and his passing is underrated, which puts him ahead of Carmelo’s selfish game. Gasol’s rings are probably the only thing that separate him from Williams, who is among the top 5 point guards in the game today and still has time to improve even more.

Morrison’s game is about as awful as his mustache. Scoring 7.5 points per game on 37% shooting through your first three years in the league is pretty painful. It also just acts as a reminder to teams never to waste a draft pick on a college player that cries like a teenage girl. Consider that a lesson learned in Charlotte and everywhere else in the NBA. At least I saw that he was auctioning off his game jersey from the Finals this year. Did he even wear a jersey? I thought he was in a suit on the bench the entire series. Does his jersey just have a large “NO” instead of a number on it?

#4 Pick

Best – Chris Paul (2004 by New Orleans)
Worst – Marcus Fizer (2000 by Chicago)

Paul is right there with Derron Williams as the best young point guards in the league. I’m thoroughly confused by the rumors circulating that the Hornets are shopping him, and would consider trading him to the Nets for Devin Harris and the #3 pick in Thursday’s draft. Paul was outstanding in leading the Hornets deep into the playoffs two years ago and was banged up last season, leading to the sinking of the Hornet’s season. His toughest competition for the best #4 spot since 2000 are also point guards, Tyreke Evans and Russell Westbrook, taken during the past two drafts.

Fizer was a bruiser at Iowa State and was part a streak of horrendous picks by the Bulls, including Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler and Jay Williams. Just over 5 seasons in the league, averaging less than 10 points and 5 rebounds was quite a disappointment from the 4th pick in the draft. Although in his defense, the 2000 draft was extremely weak, so who would the Bulls have been better off taking – Chris Mihm or Joel Pryzbilla?

#5 Pick

Best – Dwyane Wade (2003 by Miami)
Worst – Nikoloz Tskitishvili (2002 by Denver)

Wade has established himself as one of the best players in the game today and he has that elusive championship ring that has eluded all of the other marquee free agents this summer. Will he get the help he needs to stay in Miami? Will he continue to mature and develop his outside shooting so he doesn’t have to subject his body to the abuse of crashing to the rim over and over? He may never win an MVP award because of that LeBron guy, but he has proven to be much more valuable than the next best #5 picks, Jason Richardson or Devin Harris.

Nikoloz Tskitishvilil? Yeah, I barely remember him either. But that’s because he averaged 11 minutes a game and less than 3 points per game during his illustrious 4 year career. Ouch. That was a bigger bust than Katy Perry.

#6 Pick

Best – Brandon Roy (2006 by Portland)
Worst – DaJuan Wagner (2002 by Cleveland)

Roy has been an extremely solid leader for the young Trailblazers and looks poised for a Clyde Drexler-type of career. Roy might actually be the best player taken in the first half of the 2006 draft, and he is easily better than the other #6 picks during the decade – Shane Battier or Danillo Galliari.

Wagner was drafted out of Memphis on the coattails of his father, Milt Wagner and expected to be a star point guard for Cleveland. Unfortunately the only thing that Wagner did for the Cavs was assure them of enough ping pong balls in the following year’s lottery to draft the hometown hero, LeBron James in 2003. The worst part for the Cavs is that if their front office had been smarter in 2002, they could have drafted Amare Stoudemire with the Wagner pick, and they wouldn’t have had to trade for Antwan Jamison this year.

#7 Pick

Best – Stephen Curry (2009 by Golden State)
Worst – Eddie Griffin (2001 by New Jersey – traded to Houston)

Despite his lack of size, Curry has continued his assault on nets all over the NBA with his deadly range and quick release. While his sample size is currently small, his upside is huge and that puts him ahead of a group of solid #7 picks – Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Nene Hilario or Randy Foye.

Rest in Peace, Eddie Griffin. The story of Eddie Griffin unfortunately went from sad comedy to just plain sad with his death in 2007 when he was drunk driving and tried unsuccessfully to beat a train across the tracks. However, that unfortunate event doesn’t take away from the events in 2006 when he was still in the league but got busted for drunk driving when he hit a parked car with his SUV because he was watching porn on the DVD player in the car and spanking the monkey. Not exactly the legacy you would hope for from a talented 7th pick in the draft.

#8 pick

Best – Jamal Crawford (2000 by Cleveland - traded to Chicago)
Worst – Joe Alexander (2008 by Milwaukee)

Crawford might be the second best pick behind Kenyon Martin in a pathetic 2000 draft. He has scored over 50 points in a game twice in his career and was a valuable sixth man for the Atlanta Hawks this past season. Despite a career that could be be described as average, it’s the best of a pathetic pool of #8 picks. Which might be bad news for the Clippers, because in addition to having the poor drafting record of being the Clippers, the 8th pick has proven to be one of the most unsuccessful picks in the draft. The next best players after Crawford are Channing Frye and Rudy Gay – not very impressive.

Alexander has been hampered by injuries which has prevented him from living up to the Bucks expectations. Although, it’s still unclear what the expectations were considering that the only attribute that garnered attention for a top pick was his jumping ability. That is like claiming AnnaLynne McCord is the hottest girl in Hollywood because she has a special skill of allowing paparazzi to photograph her constant wardrobe malfunctions.

#9 Pick

Best – Amare Stoudemire (2002 by Phoenix)
Worst – Patrick O’Bryant (2006 by Golden State)

Stoudemire is likely going to opt out of his contract this summer with the Suns because some team is going to overpay for him – hello NY Knicks!! Yet Stoudemire has established himself as a great athlete with the ability to finish around the rim on great passes from Steve Nash. His defense is worse than Lindsay Lohan trying to explain yet another time her SCRAM bracelet went off, but he remains among the top 25 players in the league today.

O’Bryant was able to leverage a sweet 16 run at Bradley into the Warriors overreaching to draft him in the top 10. In his 3 seasons, he has bounced back and forth from the D-League and has averaged less than 5 minutes a game. Him being a disappointment takes the heat off of the Knicks, who drafted Mike Sweetney with the 9th pick and he also has been a huge disappointment.

#10 Pick

Best – Joe Johnson (2001 by Boston)
Worst – Mouhamed Sene (2006 by Seattle)

To give you a sense of the depth in this year’s free agency group, 4 of the guys I picked as the top draft pick at that position this decade are in the market for new teams – Johnson, Stoudemire, Wade & James. Johnson is a tremendous scorer, but there are questions whether he has the drive or fire to be a marquee leader. That was proven during this year’s playoffs when the Hawks rolled over against the Magic. Johnson will need to pair up with another superstar if he wants to win. Yet he is the best #10 pick, ahead of Caron Butler, Andrew Bynum and Brandon Jennings.

Sene was a big man from Senegal who never panned out. As evidenced in this list, picking a guy purely because he is big and hoping that he will develop basketball skills is the exact opposite of drafting an Australian model and hoping she looks good in a bikini.

So enjoy the NBA Draft tomorrow night and hope that your team finds the next Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade or Amare Stoudemire and avoids the Joe Alexander or DuJuan Wagner.

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- Spent the long holiday weekend in New England on the beaches of New Hampshire and southern Maine. The first day we went to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire which was a disappointment because the crowd looked like the rejects from Jersey Shore. Whenever you see an arcade on the boardwalk, I would say that tells you all you need to know about the beach. The rest of the weekend we went to Ogunquit Beach in Maine which had an inordinate number of members of Team Ricky Martin there (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but the beach is awesome. I had forgotten how funny and uneducated the Boston/New England accent is until this weekend brought it back again.

As we’re packing up the car on Monday morning after checking out of the hotel and heading to the beach for the day, a random short little guy in sweatpants with a thick New England accents walks by and randomly starts telling us that the light haze over the city is actually smoke, so be careful with the air conditioning in our room. We’re perplexed, but nod and continue to throw stuff in the car. He gets about 20 yards away, turns back and as if we were still talking to him just throws out there: “Canada’s awn fi-yah! Smoke’s bad. People ahh gonna be lightheaded.” He then disappears into the parking garage. My wife and I look at each other so confused…..did that just happen? And what was he talking about that all of Canada is on fire? Turns out he actually wasn’t crazy and supposedly the wildfires in Canada have produced smoke that somehow had blown down the coast and caused a morning haze over much of New England. Who knew? Canada really was on fi-yah.

- How good is Ubaldo Jimenez right now? The guy has won 10 of his 11 decisions and has an ERA of 0.78. His only loss was a game when he gave up 2 hits and 1 run. The guy has been an absolute monster. It will be interesting to see how long he can keep up this incredible hot pace and what his stats will end up for the season. And he’s doing it with a home field in Denver that has been a nightmare for pitchers over the years. Just an incredible start.

- As much as I would have appreciated Steve Nash and Grant Hill getting a shot a title, it is much more entertaining to have the classic NBA giant matchup of the Celtics and Lakers in the NBA Finals. I will make a prediction for the series later in the week, but I actually just want to point out that I hit both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals on the nose by picking the winners in 6 games. You’re welcome. Three years ago the people of Boston were screaming “Fi=yah Dawk!!” (which is their version of “Fire Doc!” at every game, and now they are in position to win their second title in 3 years. Meanwhile, the Lakers are making their 3rd consecutive trip to the Finals and seeking back-to-back titles.

HATE

- Kendry Morales of the Angels broke his leg when he landed awkwardly on home plate after a walk-off homer. Wow. Somewhere Gus Frerotte is nodding his head in a combination of shame and understanding.

- Enough with the NBA “Power Summit” meeting that is going to take place between LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, and any and all of the potential free agents. Yes, these guys are going to talk to each other about where they are going and who could potentially play together. I hope any franchise that allows these guys to hijack them into changing coaches or directing other signings is ready for the fact that they will have to continue to bow down to these players for their entire contracts. That is a dangerous game to get involved with.

Phil Jackson to Coach The Bulls? NO!

There is a rumor, or report – depending upon your perspective, that the Bulls have sent out feelers to Phil Jackson’s people to see if Jackson is interested in coaching the Bulls next season. That is not happening. There are a few reasons he may not be coaching the Lakers next season, but if he is not on the bench in LA he will not be on the bench anywhere. Like Ali Fedotowsky, the new Bachelorette that debuted last night, Jackson and Ali are both in high demand, but their shelf life is very limited. Ali is not really famous and just like all of the past “stars” of the reality shows they should appreciate the attention now because they will be long forgotten in less than a year. Jackson is 64 years old with a tremendous amount of health issues regarding his knees and his back. He can barely pace the sidelines and work the officials during the games. He doesn’t have that many years left to coach.

Reason #1 to go to Chicago: First and foremost is……the money. (you thought I was going to mention that LeBron guy)

He’s making $12 million this season and the Lakers have notified him that he will need to take a significant pay cut to return to the LA bench next year.

Why that won’t drive him out of LA: Part of that pay cut may or may not be related to an agreement for Phil to not travel on all of the Lakers roadtrips and other methods to ease the physical burden on him. Yet that is not reported by the big-four-letter. The only thing reported is a cut in salary for the coach with 10 World Championships. That must be a slight and Phil should head for the exits. In reality, the Lakers may be giving him more respect than any other team would to allow him to step back slightly to maintain his health.

Reason #2 to go to Chicago: He remained on good terms with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf

Why that won’t drive him out of LA: He is not dating Reinsdorf’s daughter. He is dating Dr. Jerry Buss’s daughter, Jeanie. That’s a mismatch in favor of LA. It just doesn’t seem very likely that he would up and leave his girlfriend’s father’s team . He has a comfortable life with a team and owner that respects him and allows him to do whatever he needs to do.

Reason #3 to go to Chicago: A Young and Talented Team

The lure of coaching a young and talented team with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and potentially that LeBron James guy. If LeBron were to sign in Chicago the Bulls would have a core of young talent that could challenge for titles for the next 10 years. They would also have the potential cap space to swing a sign and trade with Toronto for Chris Bosh, giving up Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and draft picks. It can be debated whether Rose and James would be a good fit together as both tend to dominate the ball and are primarily penetrators rather than outside shooters, yet you cannot debate whether that team would have the talent to win it all repeatedly.

Why that won’t drive him out of LA: The Lakers have more talent

Yes, the Bulls would be in line to contend for the next ten years with Jackson & James. However he is currently coaching a team that is two wins away from their third straight NBA Finals appearance. He is currently coaching the best player in the game – Kobe Bryant. Yes, Kobe is more on the downside of his career than the upside, but he remains the best closer in the game, the most clutch performer and fiercest competitor. None of that can be said for James or for Rose at this point. Jackson is 64 years old. Add to that his health concerns and it appears unlikely that he will be coaching more than 3 or 4 more years. Bryant will remain lethal for that long. Gasol will still be among the best big men in the game for that long. Andrew Bynum won’t be 25 in 3 years. Lamar Odom will still be on a sugar high (though the concern is that being married to a Kardashian could drive him to the looney bin). He has young assets like Jordan Farmar to replace Derek Fisher, and Shannon Brown to play the Ron Artest role. Why would he leave a sure thing for a chance to see if LeBron really has that ultracompetitive gear?

At the end of the day, Phil has everything he wants in Los Angeles with the Lakers. He has the best team that will remain a title contender the next few years. He has the girl, thanks to the owner. He has made more than enough money in his career to comfortably take a pay cut for less travel and wear and tear on his body. Phil Jackson will be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers next season.

Degenerate Friday - NBA Conference Finals

Last night the Celtics started the Cavaliers summer earlier than expected and began the LeBron Watch in Cleveland, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Miami. Everyone is going to focus in on the Cavs and why they were able to put up the best record in the regular season and then fizzled out in the playoffs. Was it LeBron’s fault? Was it Mike Brown’s poor coaching? Was it his pathetic supporting cast? The one thing that seems to get overlooked is that, using a decent sized caveat: “when healthy,” the Celtics are a better team with more talent than the Cavaliers.

Before game 5 of this round, everyone believed that the Celtics were old, washed up and trying to make one last stand against Cleveland before they drift off into the sunset. Now they have to be a legit threat to beat the Magic and challenge the Lakers. The Celtics won the title two years ago riding the leadership and defense of Kevin Garnett combined with the scoring of Paul Pierce. Last year Garnett was hurt and missed the playoffs, meaning the Celtics had no shot. This year Garnett is healthy and looks to have his swagger back. In addition, Rajon Rondo has matured into one of the top point guards in the league, and Ray Allen is shooting, literally, for one last contract. Add to that Pierce’s experience and shooting despite the fact that he was the slowest guy on the court that included Shaq and Zdrunas Ilgauskas, and the Celtics have all the pieces needed to contend. They have all the talent of Heidi Klum, they just need to stay healthy the same way she has bounced back from having her kids.

So let’s make degenerate Friday about picking the Eastern & Western Conference Finals:

Western Conference: Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers

This should be an extremely entertaining series with the fast pace of the Suns matching up with the stingy defense and offensive firepower of the Lakers. The Lakers have much more size on the interior which will provide a matchup problem for the Suns. Yet the Suns bigs like Channing Frye will be a tough pairing for the Lakers defensively because Frye will pull Gasol or Bynum away from the hoop and somewhat negate their rebounding. Steve Nash will provide nightmares for the Lakers because they’re going to need to use Derrick Fisher and Jordan Farmar to try and contain him. The Suns have also played better defense this year than they ever have, and that’s what will make this a close series.

The long lay off has helped both teams, allowing Nash’s eye to pop back in his socket and allowing Kobe’s finger and knees to get even more healthy. The Suns are flashy and have the people’s support to see Nash and Grant Hill finally get a title. They are like Kate Hudson in that everyone likes them and wants her to be happy, but even with her new perky friends it won’t be enough to win back A-Rod.

The Pick: Lakers in 6 games

Eastern Conference: Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic

The match up I am fired up for in this series is Jameer Nelson versus Rajon Rondo. My brother and I already have a wager as to who will have a better series, with me taking the Rondo side. I think Rondo is long enough to keep Nelson from shooting over him, and quick enough to keep Nelson in front of him. While Rondo may not score as much as Nelson, he is a much better playmaker and rebounds well with his long E.T. arms. The Celtics are big enough to run a rotation of defenders at Dwight Howard with Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and even Big Baby Davis. Vince Carter should be able to explode against the eroding Paul Pierce and he will be the reason the Magic will get by the Celtics.

When it comes down to it, the Celtics still have the heart of a champion, and are playing their championship level defense again. The Magic are the hottest team in the league, having won something like 27 of their past 30 games, averaging double digit wins during that time period and they haven’t lost in the playoffs. Yet they haven’t played against anyone with the talent, experience and personality of Brooke Burke. The long lay off provides them an opportunity to cool off and game 1 will be a huge opportunity for the Celtics to jump on them early and wrestle away home court advantage. Maybe I’m just drinking the Kool-Aid and have forgotten how good the Magic has been playing, but…….

The Pick: Celtics in 6 games

Is The King Not Wearing Any Clothes??

LeBron James was flat out awful in last night’s pounding of the Cavs by the Celtics in Cleveland. There is no other way to describe it. Combining his lack of urgency with the pathetic play of Mo Williams and indifferent coaching of Mike Brown has the Cavs on the brink of elimination. To put last night’s blow out in perspective, consider the fact that while Michael Jordan may have had off nights shooting the basketball, in 179 career playoff games, his team only lost 3 times by more than 20 points. Only 3 times in 179 games!! Even when he was not shooting well, he managed to keep his team from being embarrassed through effort and anger.

That is the biggest problem I had with LeBron’s game last night was not his 21% shooting from the field but the fact that he only took 14 shots and he looked disengaged. Where was the fire or the effort or the anger from getting your butt kicked? When things didn’t go right for Jordan or Bird or Kobe, you saw the scowls come out and the abuse of teammates to drive them to play better. Where is that from LeBron? I would guess that he is angry with Mo Williams and angry with Mike Brown, but he definitely has not shown that outside of the locker room, if at all. Does he have the ability to get fired up and take it to the next level? We have never seen it from The King. Is that his kryptonite? The fact that he doesn’t have “The Scowl” or the fire to focus every ounce of his energy on winning a title and not to get distracted by his pending free agency or trying to be a global icon. We’ll see what happens in game 6 in Boston, but if he does not come out and dominate, it will be obvious that the King is not wearing the clothes required to be the greatest of all time.

I think the biggest reason that he was disinterested last night were Mo Williams and the poor coaching from Mike Brown. Mo Williams has been absolutely awful. Not only has he not been effective offensively, but the Celtics have decided to attack whomever Williams is guarding. He does not have quick enough feet to stay with Rajon Rondo, and Rondo blows by him regularly to get a lay up or shoots right over him if he falls back. When Williams switches on to Ray Allen, Allen immediately goes to the block and posts him up. He has been a huge liability on both ends of the court.

The other issue is the poor coaching from Mike Brown. If Shaq thinks that Stan Van Gundy is The Master of Panic, I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of Brown once he retires at the end of this season. Brown has looked more lost on the sideline than anyone in the ABC series Lost. His playing rotation has been sporadic and random, playing Daniel Gibson for the first time in the series in game 5, giving uneven minutes for guys like Jamario Moon, and trying Zydrunas Ilgauskas for short bursts. He has basically decided on his rotation using the theory: “Let’s throw this in bed with Madonna and see if she sleeps with it.” Not exactly a recipe for success.

The good news for the Cavs is that they are not done yet and have a chance to bounce back on Thursday night in Boston. If LeBron comes out with authority, and Mike Brown stays home, the Cavs will be in position to win that game (like they did in Game 3) and get game 7 back at home. But if the Cavs fail, Mo Williams and Mike Brown didn’t help King James on the court, so maybe they could help him off the court by packing his bags when he leaves Cleveland for good.

Degenerate Friday - Is Vince Carter Ric Flair?

Last night during the Magic-Hawks game, the key player on the floor was not first team All-NBA member Dwight Howard despite his 29 point, 17 rebound effort, or third team All-NBA member Joe Johnson. It was Vince Carter. The 33-year old veteran is the key to the Magic’s goal of winning the NBA title this season as a replacement for Hedo Turkoglu. Carter is needed to be the guy who can create his own shot in crunch time, because down the stretch of a close game Dwight Howard does not have a refined post game and is unreliable at the free throw line (last night not withstanding) and Rashard Lewis is only a spot up shooter. The Magic will need Vinsanity to knock down jumpers, get to the hoop and be able to create offense when the shot clock winds down.

Despite his immense talents, I find it hard to root for Carter. He was an absolute freak of an athlete in college at the University of North Carolina and his career stats are impressive (he is the second-leading scorer in Nets history having only spent 5 seasons in New Jersey). Yet he has always been a moody, pouting player that has the perception of a guy that puts himself above the team. While playing in Toronto he attended his college graduation the morning of game 7 of a playoff series against Philly and ended up missing a game-winning shot at the buzzer. He was accused of risking his team’s chances for his own personal goals. He then made comments when he was traded from the Raptors that were taken to mean he didn’t always give his full effort. His image is very similar to Randy Moss, another guy with as much talent and athleticism as anyone but a lack of passion to give full effort and and pouts his way through the season. If they have their heads on straight, Carter and Moss have the ability to carry their teams to championships but we’re still waiting for either of them to reach that level.

On the other end of the spectrum is a guy like Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns. Hill came into the league with high expectations that were only tempered by the lack of success of his fellow Duke alumni. Hill immediately went to work and became one of the best players in the game. He gutted out injuries and played through pain, even causing long-term damage that would end up costing him years of being less effective. Yet he has worked his way back to being a vital role player on a team that is easy to root for. He continues to play hard, does not talk or whine about his injuries or his lack of playing time during his recovery. He is well-spoken and a team leader.

To use a wrestling analogy, Grant Hill is the People's Champion, The Rock. He rallies the crowd, plays the good guy and has everyone rooting for him. Let's just hope that Hill doesn't end up doing horrendous Disney movies after a failed attempt to be an action hero. Carter on the other hand is more like Ric Flair, the greatest villain of all time. He has the talent, but his arrogance and lack of concern for the crowd or whether or not he is liked overshadows that natural talent. If Carter could just grow that long blonde hair like the Nature Boy and let out a couple of classic Flair "Whooooo!"s before each game and after each dunk, it would be amazing.

The unfortunate aspect is that I think Carter and the Magic have a much better chance of winning a title this year than the Suns, yet I would much rather see Hill hoisting the trophy than Carter.

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Since it is Degenerate Friday, I have to have some action out there……

Cavaliers (-1) over Celtics (Friday night)
This is the game that LeBron James has to win. He cannot come out and be a drama queen or timid with his elbow soreness. He has rubbed it and shot the left-handed free throw so everyone knows just how banged up he is. Is he setting himself up for an excuse to leave Cleveland? “I was injured and the rest of the team couldn’t step up at all, so I can’t win here.” Or is he just building suspense? Kobe Bryant has a bum knee and a broken finger on his shooting hand, yet the media isn’t obsessed with it, and more importantly, you don’t hear Kobe talking about it. If James wants to win a title, tonight is his chance to come out and make a statement that he is going to take this team to the title. The Celtics have the heart of a champion and Ray Allen is playing better than he has in the past two seasons, so they will be ready to defend their home court. Yet the Cavs are 8-2 ATS in their past 10 playoff games as a favorite and 23-7 ATS in games coming off a straight up loss of more than 10 points. The abundance of off days should have given James enough time to rest his elbow and the Cavs will come out and take back their home court advantage.

Degenerate Friday - NBA Playoffs - EAST

Yesterday we broke down the Western Conference and now it’s time for the East……..By the way, great move by the Zen Master, Phil Jackson making his comments about Kevin Durant getting too many calls. It couldn’t have worked better. Yes, Phil had to make a donation to the league/charity, but he got in the head of all the officials before the series even began – just as he has done every single year he has ever coached (whining about the treatement of Shaq, the treatment of Jordan, etc.). And more importantly, Durant walked right into it, saying he felt disrespected. Durant should be focused on his team and his game, not comments from the opposing coach. Congrats Kevin, Phil now owns you and will destroy you from the inside out.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Chicago Bulls

Cavaliers odds: 1/2 to win the East, 7/4 to win the NBA Title
Bulls odds: 100/1 to win the East, 175/1 to win the NBA Title

And so the quest to keep LeBron James in Cleveland begins again. The question is whether a title helps or hurts the Cavs chances of resigning James. If he wins the title, does he then feel like he brought a title to his hometown and he could then move on to bigger and better things? Or would he feel the pressure to stick around and defend that title and create a dynasty in his home town? The Cavs have all the weapons to win the title surrounding James. They have the big man in O’Neal and depth with Ilgauskas. They have a forward who can score and rebound in Antwan Jamison, and a capable point guard in Mo Williams. Is Mike Brown a good enough coach? Is Brooklyn Decker a genius? It doesn’t matter when you have the best talent.

The Bulls have a solid group of talent on the floor, but the unrest between the coaching staff and management will be difficult to overcome. Vinny Del Negro knows that he is going to be fired after the season regardless of how the deep the Bulls go which has to have a psychological effect on him and the rest of the team. Perhaps the cause of the fight between GM John Paxson and Del Negro started because of Joakim Noah’s minutes, but maybe what pushed Paxson over the edge was Del Negro asking him why he traded a proven playoff perimeter threat in John Salmons that the Bulls could desperately use to try and match up with the Cavs. The Bulls are like Angelina Jolie in that they have some tremendous assets, but when you put the package together their brain trust is pretty messed up and she comes with a bunch of young baggage.

The Cavs have no value for gambling to get out of the East, but they are my pick to win the NBA title. LeBron is at the absolute peak of his game and I would love to see a Kobe-LeBron match up almost as much as ABC would love to see it.

First Round Prediction: Cavs in 5 games

#2 Orlando Magic vs. #7 Charlotte Bobcats

Magic odds: 10/3 to win the East, 6/1 to win the NBA Title
Bobcat odds: 65/1 to win the East, 125/1 to win the NBA Title

The Bobcats are a great story making their first playoff appearance in franchise history and are another success story for the oft-traveled Larry Brown. They play tough defense and gave up the fewest points per game in the Eastern Conference, which they needed because they scored the third fewest points. With the exception of Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton, the Bobcats are a collection of cast offs and other teams’ unwanted assets – Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw, Tyrus Thomas, and Larry Hughes. Much like Kristin Cavallari, no one really likes her no matter what she does. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, their best all-around player, Gerald Wallace has struggled against the Magic, averaging only 11 points per game, more than 7 points below his regular season average. That will make it tough when their second scoring option is muffled.

The Magic brought in Vince Carter to be the difference maker and bring them an NBA championship. Prior to the season, I thought pairing a moody guy like Carter with a demanding coach like Ron Jeremy…errr…Stan Van Gundy sounded as dumb as Michael Kay’s pronunciation of Alex Rodriguez’s name on the YES network. Kay insists on calling him Alex Rah-DREE-giz unlike the other 99.99% of the world that pronounces it Rod-REE-gez. Just another example of why Kay stinks. Anyway…where was I? Oh yeah, Vince Carter. Carter gives the Magic a legit second scoring option behind Dwight Howard and makes the Magic the next best option to Team LeBron. Like Emmanuelle Chriqui, they have all the weapons needed, but they fly slightly under the radar. They present matchup problems for the Cavs if they both advance to the Eastern Finals and would be a good bet to win the title.

For gambling purposes, the Magic are a decent bet to win the East and might be worth throwing some cash at. For some reason, I can see the Magic winning the East but can’t see them beating the Lakers or Mavericks. That doesn’t make much sense since I see the Cavs winning it all, and if the Magic beat the Cavs, then they should be able to beat the West champ, right? Not in my mind.

First Round Prediction: Magic in 5 games

#3 Atlanta Hawks vs. #6 Milwaukee Bucks

Hawks odds: 10/1 to win the East, 28/1 to win the NBA Title
Bucks odds: 65/1 to win the East, 150/1 to win the NBA Title

If someone asked you to name the top 3 teams in the East last weekend, you probably would have said, Cleveland, Orlando and Boston. The media is so hung up on the aging Celtics that they have failed to notice that the Hawks actually took care of the #3 seed with relative ease. The Hawks are loaded with talent, but all talent that doesn’t get many headlines. Most people know Joe Johnson because he is going to be a great booby prize that the Knicks land after they fail to land LeBron this summer as a free agent. Can you name the Hawks leading rebounder? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? It’s Al Horford, who averages 9.9 rebounds per game to go with his 14 points. They also have a veteran point guard in Mike Bibby, a scorer in Jamal Crawford, and an athletic wingman (that can match up with Rashard Lewis, Antwan Jamison or Paul Pierce) in Josh Smith. The Hawks are like John Malkovich in that they are tremendously talented and can fill a bunch of roles, but you never really think of them as a great leading actor.

The Bucks were dealt a death blow when Andrew Bogut suffered his elbow injury. With Bogut, they had the potential to beat the Hawks or the Celtics and put a scare into the Cavs or Magic in the second round. Unfortunately without him they are scrambling to have any sort of inside presence that would allow them to hang with any of those teams. The addition of John Salmons was pure genius and when combined with the signing of Jerry Stackhouse the Bucks found a perimeter game that more versatile and dangerous that what was being offered from Michael Redd. Scott Skiles has done a great job this season but the loss of Bogut will be too much to overcome when combined with the fact that rookie point guard Brandon Jennings is too small and not tough enough defensively. Jennings is an awesome offensive talent, but is a huge liability on defense. Atlanta is going to run continual screen and rolls with veteran Mike Bibby and Jennings doesn’t fight through the screens well enough, causing others to help out, leaving Joe Johnson or Jamal Crawford open jumpers. Like Lt. Dan from Forest Gump, the Bucks “ain’t got no legs” without Andrew Bogut.

The Hawks are an intriguing bet to win the East because of their ability to match up with any team in the East. The problem they have is that they don’t have a guy that can take over a game and carry the team on his shoulders. Joe Johnson can be clutch and Jamal Crawford could get hot, but do they have the ability to carry a team over an entire series? I’m not sure.

First round prediction: Hawks in 6

#4 Boston Celtics vs. #5 Miami Heat

Celtics odds: 13/2 to win the East, 12/1 to win the NBA Title
Heat odds: 40/1 to win the East, 90/1 to win the NBA Title

The Celtics are the Pam Anderson of the playoffs. They have aged considerably, but still have the headline grabbing assets and the ability to turn it on every once in a while. However, every time they make that big run and expend more energy, it’s going to take a toll on them and they will be slower to recover. Kevin Garnett was my favorite player in the league for nearly 12 years and it’s almost sad to see how much his knee has deteriorated and taken away his explosiveness. Ray Allen still has a quick and accurate trigger and together with the lightning quick play of Rajon Rondo they will be able to contain the Heat’s strength in the first round. Unfortunately, I see this as the final year of the Celtics window to win, and the window is not open wide enough for Big Baby Davis’s rear end or Pamela Anderson’s front court to fit through.

The Heat have quietly put together a nice season and are hoping that they have done enough to show Dwayne Wade why he should stay in South Beach and sign an extension this summer. They have allowed the second fewest points per game in the Eastern Conference and have the electric scoring option that has proven that he gets all the calls from the refs in Dwayne Wade. The question is whether the Heat has enough in their supporting cast to get them out of the first round and put some fear in the top teams. Jermaine O’Neal has played fairly well, but watching his old bones do battle against the ghost of Garnett will be painful to watch. Michael Beasley has shown strong improvement and maturity this season, but is still only shooting 45% from the field and is not a consistent threat. Like Sophia Veraga, the Heat have one outstanding asset that can only carry them so far.

Stay away from these teams for gambling purposes. The Celtics odds are a terrible value and should be avoided at all costs. The Heat are going nowhere even if they get out of the first round.

First Round Prediction: Celtics in 7 games

Quick Hits

While New York is getting all excited for LeBron James next season, the fact that he filed the paper work for a new number next season is strike against the Knicks. LeBron filed the paperwork to change from his current jersey number 23 to number 6, his Olympic number, next season. What does it mean and why would he do it? Well, if he were to sign with a new team this summer, he wouldn’t need to file any paperwork – he could choose any number he wants. So his filing is really only relevant if he stays in Cleveland. Does that mean he’s staying in Cleveland next season? Not necessarily. LeBron has smart people around him, and filing for the number change goes right along with “keeping all of his options open” like he has said he would do from the start. LeBron loves the attention and loves the wonder and mystery of where he will play next season. The Sports Addict Prediction: LeBron James will NOT sign with the Knicks and he will resign in Cleveland. The Knicks will settle for Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson.

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Did you see the article that the earthquake in Chile may have shifted the Earth on its axis? That’s insane. But I think they need to confirm that it wasn’t just Kevin Smith jumping up and down to protest Southwest Airline’s handling of fat people on their flights. Or maybe Kevin Smith was throwing his tantrum at the same time that Rick Majerus was hopping mad arguing that his St. Louis team is still on the bubble to make the NCAA tournament.

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As all of the rumors come out about the NFL draft next month and we hear what team likes what players, keep in mind – it’s in the teams’ best interest to mislead everyone. Obviously, a team that likes a player wants him to slide to them. A team that dislikes a player wants some other team to be a sucker and pick him. Therefore we have already heard that the Rams love Ndamukong Suh, and that they will take a QB like Sam Bradford, and now they love Oklahoma defensive linemen Gerald McCoy. Why would anyone with knowledge of the team’s intentions give anything away to a blogger or journalist knowing that it’s going to be broadcast out to the masses immediately? Because they want to improve their contract negotiations with the candidates for the top draft pick, or they want to make sure their guy is still on the board when their draft position comes up. Right now, anything said by NFL team management is about as reliable as taking acting lessons from Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Side note – if you ever want to get a girl angry or fired up, say these simple words: “You know who is a really great actress? Jennifer Love Hewitt.” It is 100% guaranteed to cause the girl to huff and puff and get entremely annoyed. I am not really sure why that is or what Hewitt has done to women that they absolutely abhor her acting skills, or lack their of. I mean, is she a great actress? No. Yet there is something in all women DNA that causes them to be repulsed when a guy suggests she is a good actress. Try it out and let me know the results. I’ve yet to meet a woman that doesn’t overreact with horror at the thought.

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NCAA Tournament expansion is an absolutely horrific idea. WHY? No #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed. There have been very few #2 seeds that have lost in the first round. So do we really think a #24 seed is going to have a chance? Why don’t we just do away with the tournament, take down the scoreboards in the arenas and give everyone a nice ribbon and share some orange slices after the season? More does not mean better. The opening days of the tournament are among my favorite days of the entire year, but it’s because of the 5-12, 4-13, 8-9 & 7-10 matchups. That’s where you get the upsets and great finishes. Yet because of the almighty dollar that ESPN is going to throw at the NCAA in favor of expanding, you know it’s going to happen. It’s about as certain as a Pam Anderson “wardrobe malfunction” on Dancing With The Stars next season.

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Who is the hottest team in the Big Ten since their best player returned from injury? Ohio State with Evan Turner? Michigan State with Kalen Lucas? Or Wisconsin with Jon Leuer? It is hard to take anything from the Badgers destruction of Indiana and Iowa, because both teams are terrible. Yet Leuer has brought an inside presence on defense to go with another offensive weapon for Bo Ryan. We will know more after they travel to Champaign to take on Illinois this weekend. The Badgers have a chance to play their way up to a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a solid run in the Big Ten conference tourney, but look most like a #4 seed. Keys to advancing in the tournament? Strong guard play: Trevon Hughes, Jordan Taylor and Jason Bohannon. Shooting: Bohannon & Leuer. Guys who can create their own shot: Hughes & Taylor. Post presence: Leuer & Keaton Nankovil. Defense: Bo Ryan. The pieces are their and they are getting hot at the right time.

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- U-S-A! U-S-A! The men’s hockey team upset the Canadian powerhouse last night, which is ironic since today is the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice victory over Russia in the 1980 Olympics. This was nowhere near the level of upset and is still in pool play not a medal round, but it was an extremely entertaining game – especially for a guy like me that does not follow hockey (I have an issue with any sport that calls it’s jerseys “sweaters”). But the best part of a hockey game? The goal horn. Is there anything better than the loud fog horn that blasts after each and every goal in any hockey game? Just awesome.

Since I am not old enough to have any memories of the 1980 games, here is my first memorable hockey introduction. I grew up in Wisconsin, which is hockey crazy, yet despite my cousins playing the sport, I never was really exposed to the game. Fast forward to college, where Wisconsin has a rich hockey tradition. I somehow snag two prime seats at mid-ice for a game and manage to talk this girl who played on the University’s women’s club hockey team to go with me. Now I know what you’re thinking – that she was more interested in the cheerleaders than me – but I don’t think that was really the case. We settle into our seats and she’s attempting to explain the game to me when Dany Heatley (currently playing for Team Canada) scores for the Badgers. The place goes bezerk and that fog horn goes off. I’m into it, though still spinning trying to figure out how people can keep up with the puck. Suddenly the entire crowd starts pointing at the opposing goalie and chanting “Sieve!” - particularly this 75 year old grandmother sitting next to us who is screaming with extreme passion! That’s when I knew that hockey was something that must be in your blood and you either have it or you don’t. I didn’t. Grandma Sieve defintely did.

- NBC Hockey Announcer Doc Emrick is outstanding. He combines the emotions and pace of Gus Johnson, the intelligence of Jay Bilas and the personality of Steve Lavin all into one. There were times during the game where I wasn’t fully paying attention but simply the tone and pace of his voice made me focus back on the game.

- I have generally poo-poo’d all of the hype around John Wall at Kentucky this season. Without having seen him play very much, I tended to believe that that he was a very talented guy, lightning quick point guard with a solid shot, but he was immature and probably quite as good as advertised. Well, I’m starting to come around. Despite having an off shooting night, he was able to come up with a game saving blocked shot and knock down crucial free throws as Kentucky took down Vanderbilt on Saturday night. I still think Wall is not as polished as Derrick Rose was during his one year in college, and I think DeMarcus Cousins might be the best freshman on Kentucky this year, but I’m starting to believe that he will be a major contributor in the NBA next season.

- I am a big fan of match play golf relative to the low-score method that is used in most pro tournaments. There’s just something to going head to head for the 18 holes against the guy you’re battling and not having to worry about checking the scoreboard to see who is having a good round. It just brings a different attitude to the course – kind of like on The Bachelor when they make all the women live in the same house with no access to television or phones and a fully stocked liquor cabinet. Then we act surprised when the claws come out and the girls are not quite as they appear on the show………like this season’s villain, Vienna.

HATE

- Boner has gone missing!! Who knew that this would be the only time it would “family friendly” to type those words? Andrew Koenig, the guy who played Richard “Boner” Stabone on the 80’s sitcom Growing Pains went missing at the Olympics this weekend. He was supposed to return to LA and didn’t show up for his flight. Hard to believe that guy is 42 years old now, and another sad story of a childhood actor struggling when their career matures.

- Enough with the analyzing of Tiger’s speech last week. To no one’s surprise, there are people crying for more from him and others who think he nailed the apology. Obviously, those that profit from Tiger (like ESPN & the PGA) think he was great. Those that profit from continued drama (like the rag mags) think he was too staged and robotic. Who cares? Let the dude put his life back together.

- I have had enough of Bode Miller. I get that the guy is the “most decorated Olympic skiier” in US history – which is kind of like being the tallest midget. The guy can ski faster than anyone because he has no fear, which is impressive. But he is obvlivious to the honor of being an Olympian, and has no pride in skiing for his country. Listen to some of the past medal winners in the US or even some of the current winners – Brian Boitano, Dorothy Hamil, Lindsey Vonn or even Shaun White – they all speak about the pride and pressure they felt to win for their country. Not Bode – he measures success not by winning or posting a good time, but by the fun he has with a twelver in the hot tub. In his spoiled, deuchebag world, this is just another week partying on the slopes. He’s the John Mayer of skiing – he has one great talent, but is a complete asshat when he’s not doing that one talent.

- While Major League Baseball fans whine about the lack of a salary cap in baseball, the system that is currently in place in the NBA doesn’t seem to be working either. What kind of system rewards a team for blowing up a team for 2-3 years with no intentions of winning in hopes of clearing enough salary cap space to sign two super stars? That’s been the program the Knicks have been on for the past 3 years. Not a program of rebuilding with young stars that may take some years to develop. (That is the plan the Blazers and Thunder have used successfully) The Knicks have taken on terribly overpaid players with expiring contracts and have freed up the cap space to sign two of the big free agents from this year’s bumper crop of available stars.

Can they convince LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to both come to New York and rule Gotham as Batman & Batman? Tracy McGrady would play Robin to the two of them, and let’s not kid ourselves – a team of those 3 would easily be among the favorites to win the title. Part of me wants to see it happen just for the intrigue of it, but the rest of me doesn’t want to reward a franchise for being awful and taking money from their season ticket holders who were paying good money for an intentionally suboptimal product.