Bleacher Report - Articles by Curly Morris

The Hypocrisy of Michael Vick Haters

Curly Morris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:04:27 -0400

This morning, I ate scrambled chicken embryo's and fried strips of dead beef flesh for breakfast...I'll be expecting PETA or the Humane Society to show up at my door any minute now.

Now, the Michael Vick lunacy really begins...again.

When Vick was released from prison in May, there were many who questioned whether or not any NFL team would sign the QB considering the backlash that might be expected from animal rights groups across the country.

It took less than three months for that concern to be swept under the rug faster than Scooter Libby's pardon as the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick to a two-year deal this week.

Make no mistake about it, Vick, like any other professional athlete, is a revenue generating machine and professional sports franchises are in the business of generating revenue. As is ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, CBS Sports...etc.

Come to think of it, there are a couple of other revenue generating machines that have capitalized on the Vick saga. That would be PETA and The Humane Society and their continued antagonism toward the Eagles' new No. 7 which really irks the heck out of me.

I wonder how many new members and or donations those two organizations mustered up with their new found popularity, courtesy of the Federal Government's racketeering laws?

Count me in as a dog lover. You can also include me among those individuals who believe that Vick's dog fighting ring was cruel and heinous to the animals who suffered those atrocities, but am I to understand that treating animals badly is the 'new murder'?

Had Vick did something like send thousands of U.S. citizens to die and tens of thousands more to be maimed for life in a foreign nation for no real reason, like a U.S. President that I know, then I might understand the outrage.

Had Vick purposely farmed billions of animals in cramped, decadent living conditions while pumping them full of growth hormones in order to speed up their life cycles so that they could be violently and expeditiously slaughtered and packaged for human consumption, like most food processors, then maybe I could understand some people's ire.

It would appear that Vick is victim to the same logic that I'm sure many of the world's chickens, turkeys, pigs and cows try to rationalize every day. What makes dogs so special?

Understand that in some of the world's culture's, dogs are fair game for the dinner plate, as are monkey's, snakes, cats, snails and almost any living creature that is not human.

In fact it is the general consensus among human beings that animals are indeed part of the global ecosystem that is intended to further one agenda and one agenda only and that is the advancement of the human species.

We use animals for work, sport and food, usually without batting an eyelash, because what is most important for humans is our own survival. The horse racing industry's fan base is littered with some of the world's wealthiest and supposed noble individuals.

We have dog tracks, circuses, magic shows, fish tanks and all other types of subcultures that are intended to enhance the human experience at the expense of animals.

Don't even get me started about the heads of deer, antelope, bison and other so called 'big game' that many avid hunters have adorning walls in their homes. Or the assortment of stuffed animals that can be found in our nations museums.

The bottom line is that for PETA (check out some hidden truths about them here) and the Humane Society (ditto for them here) to be grandstanding as though they are some weird sect of the human race that has been placed here to protect the interest of animals is about as sincere as the people who have been in town halls all week saying they don't like President Barack Obama because of his 'health care reform.'

PETA has been in existence since 1980 which means that for at least tens of thousands of years before they came along the relationship between humans and animals had been symbiotic enough to sustain the planet's balance between the two.

The Humane Society has a twenty-six year head start on PETA but even they weren't around when the Pony Express was forcing horses to deliver people their mail from one side of the country to the other or when Noah was deciding which animals were making the final cut for The Ark.

So the next time you see someone outside of an NFL game protesting Michael Vick, check to see if they are wearing any leather attire. If they are, tell them that your best friend is a cow named Jeffrey and it disgusts you to see them wearing the skin of Jeffrey's cousin.

Then tell them to get a life.

Los Angeles Lakers Should Consider Adding David Lee

Curly Morris — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:26:56 -0400

It took less than one month for four of the 10 starting players in June's NBA Finals to find themselves on different teams.

The Los Angeles Lakers let Trevor Ariza bolt to Houston, and the Orlando Magic sent Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston to New Jersey in a trade for Vince Carter after watching Hedo Turkoglu sign a multi-year deal with the Raptors.

Amazingly enough, this mass exodus from teams that were just in the NBA Finals has seemed to barely register a blip on anyone's news cycle, especially compared to the coverage being given the seemingly inevitable departure of the Lakers' sixth man Lamar Odom.

Odom, a key component to the Lakers’ championship run last season, has painted himself into a corner in contract negotiations with L.A., and now it seems the Lakers are going to call his bluff. By allowing Odom to return to the team from which they originally acquired Odom from for Shaquille O'Neal four seasons ago, the Lakers have proven there is good reason they have 30 appearances in the league's championship round and the Heat have one.

Think about this: O'Neal wanted $20 million a year from L.A. for five years. The Lakers say no. Shaq leaves, and two seasons later, does indeed get a ring with the Heat, and it appears that maybe Miami got the last laugh.

The Lakers turn the O'Neal trade into Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar, and Pau Gasol (via Kwame Brown, via Caron Butler). So while Shaq got his laugh first, the Lakers have now had back-to-back appearances in the finals whilst O'Neal has now used that same contract with three different teams. It's worth noting the past two seasons have seen the Lakers in the Finals and O'Neal (who has been in the same division as the Lakers), out of the postseason and a first-round exit.

Now Odom is trying to milk L.A. out of a five-year deal and again Laker GM Mitch Kupchak is more than willing to allow him to leave. If the Lakers were willing to let Shaq go, why does Odom think they'll bow down to him? Shaq was one of the most dominant big men to ever play the game; Odom is the Lakers' sixth man.

Yes, Odom does have a skill set that is hard to duplicate, but not impossible, and more importantly, what’s stopping the Lakers from just switching up their game-plan altogether? Just as they did when Shaq left.

Which brings me to the meat of this diatribe.

I have just the player to replace Odom and lock up the Western Conference and probably the title again.

David Lee.

Really, this is a no-brainer. The Knicks aren't willing to give Lee the money or contract length he desires. (I've heard rumors that Lee is seeking somewhere in the $13 million per year range, but that may a bit of a stretch). The Lakers don't want to give Odom a five-year deal at age 30, but they should be more than willing to give Lee that deal at age 26. Even at $10 million per, Lee would be a bargain. Don't think so?

Last season, Odom averaged 11.3 ppg/8.2 reb/2.6 asst, while Lee's averages in New York last season were 16.0 ppg/11.7 reb/2.1 asst. Lee also led the NBA with 65 double-doubles, finishing third in the NBA in rebounding.

What's in it for the Knicks? With the emergence of Shannon Brown, Sasha Vujacic has become completely expendable, especially after netting a total of zero points in the finals, and Adam Morrison has shown that he may be ready to play a full season and appears to have regained his shooting touch in summer league play. Both Vujacic and Morrison would fit well in Knick Head Coach Mike D'Antoni's seven-seconds-to-shoot style offense as well as give the Knicks more flexibility in trade scenarios next summer.

The Lakers, on the other hand, would have some combination of Gasol, Bynum, and Lee on the glass all game, every game to go with the NBA's best scorer in Kobe Bryant and arguably the league's best defender in Ron Artest.

The Lakers should let Lamar Odom go surfing on South Beach and immediately turn their attention to Madison Square Garden. If they can somehow add David Lee to their roster, all Kobe Bryant haters could immediately begin gnashing their teeth for the next few years because the Western Conference will be saturated in Purple and Gold for the foreseeable future.

Contenders Set The Tables For 2009-10

Curly Morris — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:15:44 -0400

Lamar Odom has yet to resign with the L.A. Lakers

While most people seem to think that Odom's return is a forgone conclusion, keep in mind that Phoenix, San Antonio and Cleveland could all imagine Odom in a starting role, something the Lakers still cannot seem to offer the 6'10" forward who, by the way, is a New Yorker which always puts the Knicks in play now that he has acquired that elusive Championship Ring.

Still, lets assume that Odom does return to L.A. That leaves only Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion as prime available talents and only Iverson, (who is rumored to be eyeing Chicago and Memphis???), could significantly impact a contender.

With all that being said as of July 6, 2009: 5 a.m. Central Time Zone, who are the real contenders for next season?

5. San Antonio

The Spurs have two NBA Finals MVP's on their roster in Parker and Duncan. During the team's injury plagued season of 2008-09 Parker actually played like the best PG in the league averaging 22 pts and 7 assist for the regular season and an insane 29 pts and 7 assists per during the post season.

Duncan was still able to go for 20 pts and 8 boards per game but the Spurs were in dire need of Manu Ginobli's firepower off the bench and it was not available. Enter Richard Jefferson. Ginobli has had enough time off to recuperate from the injury he sustained in the Olympics which led to his demise last season.

With Jefferson on the roster and the Spurs having the ability to have three legitimate scoring threats on the floor with Duncan, Popovich will have a field day finding open lanes and open jumpers for his wing players. The problem for the Spurs is that the Lakers are still too big in the paint and L.A. just upgraded their defense ten-fold.

Odds of winning title: 10 - 1

4. Cleveland

The Cavs have the future of the league in LeBron James, unfortunately they also have the past in Shaquille O'Neal. As O'Neal continues to chase the league's best players around in a never ending quest to one-up Kobe Bryant, this summer's free agent pool did not seem to think that "The Big Witness Protection" was the automatic ticket to the NBA Finals that he once was. Forget Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace, the Cavs couldn't even land Trevor Ariza.

While Shaq does indeed solidify Cleveland's interior presence, his liabilities will probably come back to haunt them in the post season. James alone can almost will this team to the best regular season in the league, but Shaq will not be the answer for either Dwight Howard or the Celtic's combo of Garnett and Wallace.

Odds of winning title: 7-1

3. Orlando

Losing Hedo Turkolu (who obviously could care less about winning an NBA title) hurt the Magic a lot. Getting Vince Carter for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and a rookie made Turkolu's departure a non factor. The problem for Orlando wasn't losing Turkolu because Carter brings more to the table when motivated and playing in his home state with the defending conference champs should be more than enough motivation.

Orlando's problem will be if they don't resign Marcin Gortat. Dallas has already made an offer to the seven footer that has proven to be a solid NBA big. Orlando would be wise to match the Mavs offer and then they still need to find some more depth in the low post to compete with the Celtics. Here is a team screaming for Allen Iverson, unfortunately A.I. doesn't want to come off the bench so it's probably the return of the 'Tyron Lue show' to back up Jameer Nelson...not enough.

Odds of winning title: 6 - 1

2. Boston

Many people think that if Garnett was healthy last season the Celtics would have repeated as NBA Champions, maybe, maybe not. I do believe they would've repeated as Eastern Conference Champions however. Assuming KG returns to regular form the Celtics should be back at the top of the food chain in the East.

The signing of Rasheed Wallace certainly gives Doc River's bunch more flexibility in doling out KG's minutes which should allow the Big Ticket to be in prime condition for the post season. While there have been rumors of a Ray Allen and/or Rajan Rondo trade, GM Danny Ainge would be wise to let this team go after another title the way they are currently comprised especially with the addition of Wallace.

Although Leon Powe's departure won't have a major effect on the squad. If they cannot sign Glen Davis the Celtics' weak bench and aging veterans may not be strong enough to win all the marbles.

Odds of winning the title: 3 - 1

1. Los Angeles

Two summers ago, Kobe Bryant was almost in a Bulls uniform and GM Mitch Kupchak was scrambling around on the floor looking to pick his face up after being a "Luol Deng" away from having traded both Shaq and Kobe. Two summers later the Lakers are coming off back-to-back NBA Finals appearances, the latter resulting in the organization's 15th NBA Championship.

Now that Bryant has the 'Shaq Monkey' off his back, look for him to have what will probably be hone one of the best all-around seasons of his career. Kobe has proven his point, so now he can just play basketball. The Western Conference couldn't keep pace with the Lakers for the past two seasons and L.A.'s demolition of the Nuggets in the final two games of last season's conference finals only exacerbated that realization.

While the Spurs upgraded with the acquisition of Richard Jefferson the Lakers' landed Ron Artest and the balance of power in the NBA remained in Hollywood. Artest is like Trevor Ariza...only much better. If Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Roy, Manu Ginobli, Carlos Boozer and others in the west thought the Lakers were a hard team to outscore for the past two seasons, wait until they get a load of Ron Artest.

For a team who's toughness has been in question in recent years, they just got the NBA's ultimate tough guy and barring any major injuries (Andrew Bynum notwithstanding) Bryant breaks the three way tie between himself, Duncan and Shaq.

Odds of winning title: even

Bryant, Fans Get Last Laugh

Curly Morris — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:31:40 -0400

Have you ever watched Major League Baseball's Frank Thomas and Ken Griffey Jr hit home-runs? If you have, then you know that watching the two superstars go deep is two completely different experiences.

Thomas, a great player in his own right, is a behemoth at the plate daring opposing pitchers to even consider throwing any pitch remotely in range of his Herculean strike zone so that he may smash the stitching off of the ball on it's way to oblivion.

Griffey's swing, on the other hand, is one of pure poetry. So smooth and sublime that just as you begin to appreciate it's majesty, it's over. So quick, so perfect all you can do is go...sweeeeeet.

To Kobe Bryant fans and for that matter anyone who truly understands and appreciates the game of basketball at the professional level, the preceding analogy is a microcosm of the difference in Kobe and Shaq's legacy on the basketball court.

To put it bluntly, Shaquille O Neal cannot shoot free throws, jump shots beyond six feet, take anyone off the dribble and for that matter he has been an average rebounder at best his entire career.

So how in the world have people had the audacity to compare Shaquille O Neal's basketball acumen with that of Kobe Bryant?

Hate.

To fans of Bryant the Shaq Kobe debate has been the barometer by which we (Kobe fans) were were able to judge whether any person speaking of the two had any real insight into the game or they were strictly a hater.

Ray Allen, this means you.

When Shaq and Kobe parted ways after winning three championships together, Kobe took the blame. When Phil Jackson decided to come out with a "tell all" book about his time in L.A. and why he hastily exited stage left, Kobe took the blame.

When Mitch Kupchak decided to field a team around Bryant that included players like Chucky Atkins, Brian Cook, Smush Parker, Kwame Brown as well as an assortment of other non-descript NBA players that were promptly bounced out of post seasons that they had no business being in the first place, Kobe took the blame.

When he outscored an entire Mavericks team over three quarters and sat down in the fourth to show good sportsmanship, he was chastised for being to selfish to let fans see him go for 70 or 80 points.

When two months later he did go for 81 points, he was belittled for being what? Selfish? A ball hog.

The bottom line was this, Kobe Bryant was guilty of one thing more than any other, wireless cloning. He was the next Jordan.

People despised him for being too much like Mike. He had the moves, the swagger, the post game interviews, even the tongue. This was a kid that not only did his homework, he was the valedictorian of his class and every other class before and since.

So everyone who had grown up learning to shed tears of joy for the times that "His Airness" spent carousing outer space, with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Toons, who had gotten introduced to Mars Blackmon and the beginning of Nike's global takeover, who grown accustomed to watching a player shoot twice as much as everyone else on his team and punch teammates in the face in practice for thinking about talking back to him, Bryant was blasphemy in the flesh.

Forget his obviously superior jumpshot much earlier in his career. Forget the fact that like Jordan, it took another NBA Top 50 player to help him win a title, yet the Kid did it in half the time, and that the second time around he's done it without anyone who will ever sniff the NBA's Top 50 list.

Forget the fact that the kid once scored 81 points on 46 attempts when Jordan could only muster up 64 points on 49 attempts at home against Shaq'a Orlando Magic team in 1983. Forget everything that is true about Bryant's basketball I.Q. talent and relentless drive to to be best ever.

Instead remember how Shaq arrived in Phoenix promising titles and has a first round exit and a DNMPS (Did Not Make Post Season) to his credit playing alongside two-time MVP Steve Nash as well as Grant Hill, Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudamire. Remember how Alonzo Mourning was Dwayne Wade's backbone during the Miami Heat's championship run against the 'softer than tissue' Dallas Mavericks, as Shaq put up Tyson Chandler like numbers.

Remember that next season, O 'Neal will be playing for his fifth NBA franchise as he goes around the league searching for great, great players to make him look greater.

Think about this for a moment, Shaq has currently played with two different league MVP's (three if he lands on Cleveland's doorstep, four once D Wade eventually wins one, and two different Finals MVP's. Shaq is the NBA's equivalent to an ambulance chasing injury attorney.

Now that Kobe has his first ring sans Shaq, Kobe fans no longer care what the haters have to say. They said he couldn't win one by himself.

This means you Ray Allen.

He didn't say he could win it by himself, just without Shaq. Mission accomplished.

Last season it took three Hall-Of-Fame players to deny Bryant what his fans knew was inevitable, just like the next one.

Hate on.

Kobe Bryant's Redemption Song

Curly Morris — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:13:11 -0400

The Los Angeles Lakers will defeat the Orlando Magic to win the 2009 NBA title...period.

Over the course of the next several days there will be a smorgasbord of articles written by experts and pundits who will explain how difficult it will be for the Lakers to defeat a team that poises so many matchup problems for L.A. and yada, yada, yada...yada, yada, yada...etc.

Hogwash.

The Magic are not ready for prime-time and the Lakers are led by two prime-time experts in coach Phil Jackson and his accompanying hoops assassin, Kobe Bryant.

Orlando on the other hand is bringing a group led by a superstar center, Howard and a cast of supporting players (with the exception of bench player Tyron Lue) who have never breathed the type of air an event like the NBA Finals exudes.

The Magic are about to experience life within the realm of the age old axiom be careful what you wish for.

Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, has lived out this scenario several times over during his career in Tinseltown, and he is at the point now where he reminds me of Rorschach in the movie the Watchmen when he declares in the prison scene "None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with you. you're locked up in here with me!"

We've seen this before. There was a time in NBA history when every season the entire league realized that there was certain No. 23 that wanted nothing more than to humiliate every other player in the league (teammates notwithstanding) and hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy over his head as he mocked the futile efforts of yeoman who dared challenged his supremacy.

We are back here again.

The Boston Celtics needed to assemble three Hall-of-Fame players and face the Lakers minus two starters to defeat Bryant and Jackson in six games in last year's Finals.

The Orlando Magic have one potential HOF player and the Lakers have their full roster available to them. This won't be nearly as difficult as people will try to make it out to be.

Bryant could not have cared less who was waiting for his team in the NBA Finals. It's probably not a stretch to say that with a healthy Ariza, Bynum and the surprising play of newcomer Shannon Brown, he relished the idea of getting revenge against Garnett and crew.

Alas, he will have to settle for the dismantling of a bunch of upstarts from the sunshine state.

Kobe asked for this years ago. He asked to be the man on his own team and he got his wish. He may not have asked Mitch Kupchak or Jerry Buss, he more than likely prayed to the basketball gods at night...please make me...'the man'.

Bryant got what he wished for. In being 'The Man' he watched Shaquille O Neal go to Miami and piggy back another ring off the work of Dwayne Wade and (yikes) Alonzo Mourning. He had to endure things like the Rudy Tomjanovich era, the Frank Hamblen experiment, the Smush Parker period, the Kwame Brown epoch...you get the picture.

Then, last season, just when it seemed as if Bryant was ready to erase all of the demons that have haunted him since the departure of Shaq, the Celtice assembled an All-Star team to ruin his shot at his first post-Shaq title.

After all of that, he then had endure Shaq's infamous 'rap-freestyle' where O'Neal put the question to Kobe...how does my a** taste...utterly macabre.

Bryant's response was nothing less than a return trip to the NBA Finals, back to back appearances sans Shaq, who's star-studded Phoenix Suns team couldn't manage to make an appearance in the postseason.

After Boston beat L.A. last year, I'm sure there were many people who thought that maybe they had seen the final chapter of the Kobe Bryant story.

LeBron James had already been designated as the new "King" of the league and this year's title was supposed to the culmination of a season of excellence where the Cavs organization was bestowed with the league's best regular season record, the league's MVP and the NBA's coach of the year.

What LeBron found out this year was what Jordan found out for seven years and what Kobe found out for the past five. Being 'The Man' is expensive, mentally, emotionally and physically.

It drains you to the point where eventually you develop a single-minded focus and determination that will annihilate any and everything around you that would seek to deny you what it is that you desire. Such is the price of true greatness.

Bryant knows that now, more than ever, so does Jackson and so does does everyone else in the Lakers locker room who watched as Kobe and Phil stood silently by as James Worthy presented the Western Conference Championship trophy after the Lakers annihilated the Nuggets on their own floor in an elimination game.

There were no smiles from Kobe after winning the Western Conference for second year in a row. He asked for this scenario, he wanted and he's getting what he's asked for. Only now it's own his own terms.

Lakers in five.

Top Ten Dunkers Of All Time

Curly Morris — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:47:44 -0400

Slamfest: Let the arguments begin...

#10 Clyde Drexler

Unfortunately for Drexler, most of his better dunks came while a member of the University of Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma squad. Drexler is most known for his gliding ability on the fast break which of course is how he got his moniker "The Glyde." What Drexler is not known for is posterizing players at game time which is why even though he was great at soaring he just barely cracks the top ten.

#9 David Thompson

You know that a guy has hops when most people have never seen him dunk and still rank him on their top ten lists. Unlike Julius Erving, Thompson never garnered much post-ABA adulation. There is a rumor that Thompson once snatched a dollar bill off the top of the backboard. Although I've never seen the clip, having spent a lot of time in ACC country (Thompson played college ball at N.C. State) I've seen enough highlights to know that he probably could've done it.

#8 Spud Webb

When you are 5'7" tall and can do a 360 degree dunk you are supposed to get more credit than Webb has received. Webb was also a very good basketball player and he, along with Mugsy Bogues paved the way for many players under six feet to get legitimate shots at making NBA rosters.

If Webb had played in today's 'hands-off' defense NBA we would've gotten many more highlights. But his body of work, coupled with his size should place him on everyone's top ten list, period.

#7 Jason Richardson

How can a two-time Slam Dunk Champion (should be THREE time champion) not make everyone's list? Only four players have won the contest twice and three of them are on my list. Richardson has the body of work over his brief career to justify his making the list, especially because he has quite a few facials and alley-oops, prerequisites for being a truly great dunker.

#6 Julius Erving

While it may seem blasphemous to have Dr. J not cracking the top five, you have to understand that it's not his fault that he spawned generations who aspired to be like him or better. Erving was THE trendsetter and his infamous pound over Michael Cooper will be forever regarded as one of the sweetest jams ever.

Unfortunately for Erving, that dunk set off a frenzy among leapers to outdo the Doc and as you can see five players have managed to do just that.

#5 Shawn Kemp

For me, numbers five through two could be arranged in almost any order and you might not get too much of an argument.

Kemp had rise that was unbelievable for a man of his size. While guys like Darryl Dawkins Larry Nance, and Connie Hawkins, were all big men who could soar, Kemp could get the same moves into a dunk that players six to ten inches shorter than him could accomplish. The sheer power that Kemp displayed when he dunked was a marvel to watch. To hell with a dunk contest, Kemp could break your arm in a game!

#4 Kobe Bryant

Kobe is actually underrated in most people's top ten list. It's part of "hate" that Kobe gets from people on a regular basis, but if you look at the list of KB 24 victims of posterization they include Yao Ming, Ben Wallace, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan and too many other so called "great defenders" to mention. The only reason that Kobe is not number one is because if you really want to do a list with a a top ten, you can't have a #1 - #1a - #1b and #1c.

#3 Michael Jordan

While Julius Erving brought the dunk to another level, Jordan revolutionized it. Jordan helped create what I consider the most important aspect of anyone making a top ten list and that is the "in-game" slam in your mouth. Jordan invented "posterizing" and while Erving made everyone ooh and ahh, Jordan made everyone say daaaaaaammmmmmnnnn!

His infamous dunk on Ewing, Starks, and Oakley is still the standard for posterizing. When you abuse three players who were all-stars on their home court, in the middle of a heated contest, it's obvious you are the chosen one.

#2 Dominique Wilkins

Nique' was like Jordan and Kemp rolled into one. He had the size and strength to take your arm off and he also had the finesse to weave his way through traffic or beat you down court on the break.

Before the guy who is number one on this list came along, Wilkins was the one player who there really was no chance of stopping if he really wanted to jam one in your grill.

The most frightening thing about Wilkins was his ability to soar over people who were patiently waiting for a rebound and cuff one over all of them.

#1 Vince Carter

There have been players who no team could stop if they really wanted to score (Jordan, Kobe, Bernard King, Larry Bird, and a few others), but in my opinion there have only been two players who no team could stop from dunking whenever they wanted to.

One was Dominique Wilkins and the other is Vinsanity. I do not understand how this guy is not number one on everybody's list.

People like to talk about his jumping over seven-foot-tall Fredrick Weiss but to me that barely ranks in Carter's top twenty dunks. Carter can complete the 360 with ease and finish with either hand (or both) from either side of the floor, and all this in game time action.

To further explain my point you need to watch the clip of Carter's game-winning slam on the Rockets during the 1999-00 season. What you will see is Carter, 26 feet from the basket, holding on to the ball as the clock counts down from ten.

There is no less than 80 million dollars of Houston payroll standing around watching him watch the clock before, with less than five seconds remaining, he takes two power dribbles and as Stuart Scott would say —BOOYAH —game, set, match.

That is the essence of Carter's talent: the fact that he is so physically gifted that if he wanted to he could dunk on every possession and there is nobody in the league past or present that could stop him.

While other players have a top ten dunk list, Carter needs a top thirty just to fathom the type of dunker he was/is. Just like 007, "Nobody Does It Better."

Honorable mentions:

LeBron James: Of course of the "young bucks" want to see LeBron on this list, but he's not there yet. He has some great dunks in his short career, but while he exhibits great power and finesse, he lacks style and definately doesn't have as many "signature" moments as anyone on this list.

Darryl Dawkins: With a name like Chocholate Thunder you'd figure he'd be a shoo in, but come on, whose place does he take on this top ten?

Gerald Green: Young pup with no classic moments in the league.

Tom Chambers: One great dunk does not make you a top ten candidate.

Kevin Johnson: His pound on Hakeem was one of the greatest, but not enough to crack the top ten.

Josh Smith: The future of the funk...maybe.

Andre Igudola: It's an ALL Time list...give me a break.

Tracy McGrady: Man...T Mac is a beast, when he's on the floor, but that's the problem.

East Carolina to Take Down Virginia Tech in the Upset of the Week

Curly Morris — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:32:19 -0400

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer's Hokies go into Greenville, North Carolina this week with a few positions unsettled, mainly in the backfield at tailback and at the wide receiver position. In fact, Beamer only settled on his starting quarterback earlier this week.

Coach Skip Holtz's East Carolina Pirates, on the other hand, return 16 starters from a team that only lost by 10 points in Blacksburg last season.

While it's true that Beamer's squad was still recovering from the horrifying tragedy that left 32 people dead in Blacksburg, the Hokies still found themselves in a much tougher game than I think they expected.

Holtz is a top-notch coach who is somewhat under the radar in northeastern North Carolina's rural background, but he and senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney have been through some battles together, even as Pinkney shared time behind center with Rob Kass—who appears to have relinquished the top spot to Pinkney this season.

Last year, Pinkney went 14 of 25 for 125 yards and ran for nearly 50 yards as a partial starter. Look for Pinkney to try to solidify Holtz's decision to start him with the backdrop of a rowdy and underrated fan base in Greenville to derail the Hokies' BCS title hopes in Week One.

ECU 24, Va Tech 13

Call your bookie.

Bo Pelini Should Start Right Off on the Hot Seat at Nebraska

Curly Morris — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:05:12 -0400

A total of 106 All-Americans, 52 consensus All-Americans, three Heisman Trophies and five National Championships have borne the Nebraska brand name before Bo Pelini was given the reins of the historic Cornhusker program.

Yet it's been 11 years since Big Red Nation has hoisted a National Championship trophy and eight years since any Husker has received football's highest honor at the Downtown Athletic Club.

Pelini's predecessor, Bill Callahan, managed a 27-22 record over four seasons while at the helm in Lincoln, and while that might not seem all too shabby, his predecessor, Frank Solich, went 58-19 over six seasons...and was fired!

For the Cornhusker faithful, Callahan could not have gotten out of Lincoln fast enough.

In Callahan's final season, Nebraska posted a 5-7 record which included a 41-6 drubbing at the hands of Missouri, which was followed a week later by a 45-14 beatdown courtesy of Oklahoma State.

For Nebraska fans, who have been accustomed to being mentioned in the same breath as perennial title contenders Oklahoma and Texas, losses like those were just too much to swallow.

Things had gotten so bad in Lincoln that the alumni blew the dust off of Tom Osborne and propped him up, "Weekend at Bernie's" style, to escort Callahan and despised athletic director Steve Pederson as far away from Memorial Stadium as possible.

The search for a new skipper to right the ship was limited to a very short list to begin with. That list was rumored to have included only former Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill (currently the head coach at Buffalo), Wake Forrest head coach Jim Grobe, and Pelini.

It took less than two weeks for Osborne to name Pelini, who had previously coached the "Black Shirts" of Nebraska during Solich's tenure as the top coach, the chosen one.

Now, after all the fanfare, after all the hype and all the drooling over former Cornhusker alums returning to Lincoln to restore the program to its storied place in college football's royalty, the honeymoon is over and Pelini will have to put up or shut up.

He'll get a pass this season, as most first-year men do, but that will be about all the rope he'll get in Lincoln.

At a Tuesday press conference, Pelini admitted that he feels the pressure as the season opener against Western Michigan approaches.

"You don't know what you have until it's real bullets flying," Pelini said.

Lucky for him, nobody called him to task for his military reference in the sensitive "war climate" our nation is currently enduring.

But again, it's still early, and in his first year on the job, he's got a couple of free passes coming his way, but not many.

Just ask his two predecessors.

A Deal I'd Like the Knicks to Make

Curly Morris — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:44:18 -0400

The Miami Heat trade Shawn Marion to the New York Knicks for Zach Randolph, Nate Robinson, or a 2nd round draft pick. Whoa Nellie you say? Here's why the deal makes sense. The Heat are not going to give Shawn Marion an extension but with D'Antoni in New York, the Knicks might.

Although the Heat just drafted Michael Beasley as a PF he's probably a better SF in the NBA and they do have Udonis Haslem on the roster. Concerning Haslem, he has two seasons left on his current contract and is scheduled to make $7 million in the 2009/10 season, which is an expiring contract the Heat can use in a trade when the huge free agent crop comes up that summer.

Randolph's contract will expire the following season but until then the Heat would now have a solid 20/10 guy to play alongside Beasley, Chalmers and depending upon what D Wade decides to do in two seasons Wade or some player to be named at a later date (Nash...Gordon...Hinrich?).

As for Marion, he fits more into what D'Antoni wants to do on the court and it's funny how both of them managed to exit Phoenix in essentially the same season. The Knicks don't want Randolph in their new system and the Heat don't want to commit to Marion.

The last time Marbury and Marion played on the same roster, with D'Antoni coaching no less, the Suns made the playoffs and both Marion and Marbury were Western Conference All-Stars. In fact, the last time Knicks SF Quentin Richardson was relevant was when he was playing for D'Antoni in Phoenix when he led the NBA in 3 pointers made.

By landing Marion the Knicks end up with three players that had their most superlative seasons under D'Antoni in Marbury, Richardson and Marion. The Knicks have to throw Robinson or a draft pick into the mix to give the Heat something for picking up the remaining three years on Randolph’s contract.

Miami can use a consistent low post scorer with the departure of Shaq and the impending retirement of Mourning. Chalmers is the PG of the future for the Heat and it's way too early to know what Wade will decide to do when his contract expires after next season, but having Randolph's contract when that happens will be good leverage if Wade decides to bolt for Chi town.

Both teams have made it clear that they are entertaining offers for the two principles in this trade scenario, they just need to call each other.

Of course the Heat could just sit on Marion's contract until next summer and hope to land a big name free agent like LeBron James or Kobe. However having a disgruntled Marion on the roster for an entire season would not bode well especially because Marion wants more touches (which he'll get in New York) and Wade is certainly going to miss an extended part of the season with his yearly injury.

Plus it's hard to see Kobe leaving L.A. now and I think it's a forgone conclusion that LeBron has his eyes on Brooklyn's new arena. If the Heat endure another bottom feeder season that only increases the likelihood of Wade leaving.

Now that Artest, Brand, Maggette, and B Diddy are off the radar, teams like the Heat and Knicks have to roll the dice and get creative in finding ways to tweak their teams and make themselves contenders.

The Celtics and Pistons are still the teams to beat in the East and currently, neither the Knicks' nor the Heat's players and coaches compliment each other's styles.

Something has to give.

The Brandon Jennings-Josh Childress Syndrome

Curly Morris — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:51:06 -0400

You may not see it now—but the NBA is headed for obsolescence.

1. High school star decides to play basketball in Europe after he is unable to achieve satisfactory SAT test score for admittance to college, and the professional basketball league says that he can't be drafted until he turns 19 or he has been out of high school for at least one year.

1 (a). Is it just me, or do you all not see that it is ridiculous to care what a kid's SAT score is when everyone knows that he's going to be in school for one season and then leave?

If the rationale is that all students should have to meet a qualifying academic standard to be admitted to an institution, then like all other students shouldn't said athlete be allowed to work and make money like all the other students?

Oh, that's right he doesn't have time to work, because he's spending 14 hours a day with the basketball team—which is, by the way, selling a jersey with his name for it at $59.99 a pop in the student center and plastering the kid's face all over local television networks as they advertise their "season packages" for viewers.

My bad...he is getting a free education after all. Yeah, for one season.

And if his education is free then how does the balance sheet work out when you factor in television contracts, sneaker contracts and salaries for coaches—don't forget those American Express commercials, Coach K!—and season tickets going for several hundred dollars a pop?

I wonder—if you subtracted Michael Beasley's tuition from all of the revenue lowly Kansas State made off of him last year, how much money would the school owe Beasley?

Thanks David Stern!

1 (b). Doesn't the NBA have a development league for this kind of athlete? What the hell is the use of the NBDL?

2. Key member of young up-and-coming NBA playoff team, unhappy with contract negotiations, decides to bolt for Europe. The player makes the decision to go overseas so abruptly one has to wonder if that was what he had desired to do all along, and spent the entire season hoping for bad contract negotiations.

2 (a). Houston? Atlanta? We have a problem.

What player doesn't want to play in the NBA? Well, obviously Josh Childress—but wait, there's more! Tiago Splitter, Boki Nachbar, Carlos Delfino, Primo Brezec have all left as well, among others.

Many foreign-born players are drafted by NBA teams, and either never come to the States to play—or, after receiving limited play for limited pay, decide to go back to Europe.

Two of the last three NBA MVPs have been foreign nationals. Two seasons ago, the Finals MVP was a Frenchman. Not only has the world caught up with the US in hoops, it's extremely possible they may have passed us.

2 (b). While a high-school player bolting for Europe may seem like a novelty, an established player in the prime of his career leaving is something for the NBA to be concerned about. As we wait for the floodgates of high schoolers to open, the real concern may be the James Poseys, Eddie Houses, Nazir Mohammeds and Brent Barrys of the world.

These role players are as integral to the success of championship teams as are their superstar counterparts. If they start heading overseas en masse...

3. Could the NBA lose it's standing as the best basketball league in the world? Of course. Not only is it not far-fetched, it would take only a minimal logistical effort to pull it off.

While watching Men's Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics (not the terrorist part that is almost inevitable in China), try to imagine how each of the national teams would fare against NBA teams and imagine a World League where teams like Argentina, France, Greece, Russia, and China would suit up against the best US players on a regular basis. A league like that would make teams like the Clippers, Knicks, Bobcats, Bucks and many others completely irrelevant.

For real...it's not about the money!

I have a cousin that is a huge college basketball fan. Not me.

Screw college basketball. Who needs it?. Personally, I'm only interested in college hoops when it's tourney time and then only because it means that the NBA playoffs are not far behind.

I like watching the best players in the world play basketball, period. To hell with all that rah rah, win one for the team (i.e. the multi-millionaire coach who makes more money that the school president) and the students (who complain about your free ride every day after they awaken from a drunken stupor when you upset the No. 1 team in the country).

Who needs this crap?

Guess what? Many of the world's best players are not from the United States, and if you gave me a network that allowed me to watch the aforementioned national teams line up against each other on a regular basis, why the hell would I watch the Charlotte Bobcats play the Milwaukee Bucks?

3 (b). In a global market where communication and media that span across continents is as accessible as sliced bread, the glamor of the US version of hoops has lost some luster,—especially if we continue to get mauled in international competition.

In the last two major international basketball competitions, the U.S. has finished in third place, which suggests that foreign players feel that USA basketball is no longer all that it's cracked up to be. Obviously, US players are starting to feel that way as well.

Olympics 2008: Trouble On The Red Horizon?

Curly Morris — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:00:14 -0400

The Detroit Red Wings have won the Stanley Cup. The Boston Celtics have won the NBA Championship. Tiger Woods is out for the remainder of the PGA season. The MLB All-Star game is a joke.

So what's next? Imminent disaster in Beijing, if you ask me.

The 2008 Summer Olympics kick off in China in August and as a former member of the U.S. Track & Field Team, I am ecstatic to say the least.

There are, however, several major reasons to be concerned with Games this year. My biggest concerns have nothing to do with the athletic competition.

First, let me briefly run down the athletic side of the events.

The ongoing legal sagas involving Marion Jones, Trevor Graham and Tim Montgomery have cast a huge shadow over the U.S. Track & Field organization.

It's hard to imagine who had the bigger fall from grace.

Jones has been stripped of every medal she won since 2000, including the five medals she was awarded at the Sydney Games.

Montgomery, the former world record holder in the 100 meters, was not only involved in a steroid scandal, but he subsequently faced criminal charges for money laundering and eventually was found guilty of dealing heroin. Sheesh!

Trevor Graham has coached 14 members of the U.S. Track & Field team, including Jones, Montgomery and C.J. Hunter. The latter two were both married to Jones at some point and found guilty of doping. Graham has been involved in the federal investigation of the infamous BALCO organization. He was found guilty of lying to Federal investigators last month.

Like many MLB players, U.S. track athletes will arrive in Beijing with the baggage of having some of the most prominent members of the U.S. Track & Field team disgraced and banned from the sport.

It won't help that in some of the premiere events of track and field, namely the 100 and 400 meter sprints, the long jump, and 1500 meter run, the U.S. men will not only be underdogs to win, but could easily not even secure any medals at all.

There are a few women who could salvage the 'name brand' events for the U.S. Keep an eye out for Torri Edwards, Shannon Rowbury and Porscha Lucas to make some noise on the oval.

Michael Phelps will again carry most of the load for the Men's Swimming Team, and while the women will not have any clear-cut favorites for gold, they do have gold medal potential in most of the short races.

Then, of course, there's this year's version of USA Basketball's dream teams on both the men's and women's side.

The women who have won three straight Olympic gold medals should skate through the Olympics and having Candace Parker on the roster just makes the inevitability of a U.S. victory even more...well inevitable.

The Men's team, while as strong as we've seen since the 1996 Olympic team, will still have its hands full trying to bring home a gold medal.

Of course, I could spend several pages detailing medal potential in other sports like boxing, gymnastics and many others, but let's get to the heart of the matter.

Despite all of the potential for great athletic competition at the highest level, there is a deafening roar that is louder than any cheers you will hear from any group of spectators who will attend the games and that roar is the sound of worldwide protest for the games being held in Beijing to begin with.

It makes you wonder, in lieu of all of the worldwide protests to China's hosting the Olympics, how in the world were they ever awarded the games to begin with?

Believe it or not, this is yet another tragedy that the world can blame on the Bush administration, deservedly or not.

In March 2001, a U.S. spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet, killing the Chinese pilot and forcing the U.S. plane, along with 24 American crewmen to make an emergency landing at a Chinese air base.

All of the crewmen, including three women and eight "Chinese code-breakers" were taken into custody and evidence suggested that the Chinese government had begun stripping the U.S. plane of sensitive material.

Prior to that event, the U.S. had been adamant about blocking any bid made by China to host the Olympics, citing China's civil rights violations record. China, in response to U.S. condemnation, issued a 200-page document detailing the U.S.'s own civil rights record (touché China, touché).

Nevertheless, three months after the spy plane crash landed on a Chinese air base, Beijing was indeed awarded the 2008 Olympic Games, without objection from the U.S. and despite claims from some in the IOC that Paris and Toronto, also in the bidding process, were technically superior cities.

Did the United States cave in to China in order to get their plane and crewmen back home safely and in a timely matter? If they did, was it the right thing to do? Of course, we'll never know the answers to those questions.

What we do know, however, is that as we get closer to the opening ceremonies, the calls for protests and outright boycotts of the games have not only come from some the highest levels of international politics and media but some of these protests have taken a violent nature.

All of this public objection suggests that it is hard to believe the Olympics will go unmarred by some sort of international incident. In light of the climate of terrorism that has been fostered by the never-ending conflict in Iraq and the resurgence of Al Qaeda, China has the potential to allow a tenuous situation to become hostile.

None of us want to see any athletes, officials or spectators put in harm's way for the sake of some individual or group making a political statement. Unfortunately, China is one of the few nations where the U.S. military and/or security will certainly find itself unwelcome.

Let us pray that the Olympics go off without a hitch and we are treated to athletic competition at the highest level, because with China's arrogant stand toward the international community, its apparent disregard for the aspirations of its population base and its proximity to regions of the world where the enemies of America fester, we may need an act of God to ensure nothing tragic happens.

I Am "Not" Legend

Curly Morris — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:35:55 -0400

Anyone who has ever read anything that I've written about Kobe Bryant knows that I have been a huge fan of his—and I still am.

Kobe has treated us to some of the most memorable moments the NBA has seen in the post-Jordan era.

Unfortunately, he has also given his fans some disappointment to go along with his hoops greatness.

While his infidelity, smugness, and often abrasive personality have given rise to quite a bit of unnecessary venom from sportswriters and NBA fans, his basketball skill has usually been unchallenged.

This season had been a sort of coronation of Bryant, as he finally seemed to come from under the shadow of the baggage he had accumulated over the years—the Shaquille O'Neal trade, the sexual assault trial, the "selfish on-court" play, and the willingness to throw his teammates and management under the bus.

He won his first NBA MVP award, and he finally led his team back to the NBA Finals—in a season that began with his tenure as a Laker in serious doubt.

Bryant and the Lakers' blitzkrieg of the Western Conference in this year's postseason had many basketball pundits etching L.A.'s name on the Larry O'Brien trophy before they had even stepped on the floor for Game One against the Celtics—present company included.

Even after the Lakers went down two games to zero, most people thought that once Kobe went home to play in front of his Hollywood pals, the series would dramatically alter course.

It almost did.

After wining an ugly Game Three at home, the Lakers started Game 4 playing as if the Boston Celtics didn't even belong in the same league as them. Then came the biggest collapse in Finals history, and the writing was on the wall. Surely Number 23 would never have given up a 24-point lead at home.

Like the guy said in the GMC commercials that saturated the Finals coverage:
Kids in America don't walk around with shirts that say "I almost won".

This was supposed to be Kobe's year. It was all laid out for him. The stars appeared to be aligned in just the correct sequence for us to witness another Jordanesque moment of KB 24, as we all prepared for the inevitable tears and champagne that would finally solidify Bryant as being truly "like Mike."

But alas, there will be no cheers in Tinseltown. No parades down Rodeo Drive. No I told you so from Kobe or his legion of fans.

After Game Four's meltdown, the Lakers managed to win an even uglier Game Five to send the series back to Boston with a chance to make history. More importantly, a chance for Kobe to make his own history.

No team had ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals. Surely if there was a player who could pull off the impossible, it was the guy who once scored 81 points in a single game. The guy who once outscored the Western Conference Champions by himself over three quarters. The guy who once scored over 50 points in four straight games.

The moment was there for Kobe to seize and KB24 fans waited with baited breath to say to the world we told you so. But the moment never came.

Bryant nailed three shots from the behind the arc in the early moments of the first quarter in Game Six, and I thought to myself, those shots were pure liquid.

I had flashbacks of Jordan dropping 63 on Bird and Co. in 1986.

But that was it. The highlights were over, as Boston's suffocating defense and spirited bench play eventually ran the Lakers out of the gym by halftime.

Forget the controversy surrounding the officiating. Forget the fact that the Celtics did in fact play superior defense than Lakers, who looked like they were studying the George Karl defensive play book. Forget the fact that Doc Rivers was schooling Phil Jackson on the bench. Forget even the fact that Kobe's supporting cast never really showed up for the Finals.

I, we, were waiting for the moment when Bryant said forget this, it's time for me to take charge.

The moment(s) never came. The victory by sheer willpower never materialized. In these Finals, Kobe played a little too much team ball and too little 'Black Mamba' ball.

Kobe may very well be the most talented player to ever lace 'em up. He certainly has the statistics to argue the point.

But unless he rattles off another three titles in a row, these Finals will be the blemish that all of his detractors will point to as the moment we all had to face the fact that maybe Kobe really isn't like Mike.

Bryant still has a lot of basketball left in his tank, but with younger players like LeBron James, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant hot on his tail, his window is closing sooner rather than later.

Maybe Kobe fans should just take the 81 point game, the scoring titles, the three rings with Shaq, the MVP award and enjoy it—because we might not get much else.

All in all a superb, Hall-of-Fame career without question.

But when Kobe had a chance to become a legend—well, he just didn't make it happen.

Not yet, anyway. And maybe, not ever.

Trade Dwyane Wade? Time Is Now For Miami Heat To Pull The Trigger

Curly Morris — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:34:40 -0400

About two months ago on my FOX Sports blog, I suggested that the Miami Heat should entertain a trade scenario with the Bulls that would send Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion to Chicago. Of course, I was ripped to shreds by many readers for even insinuating such blasphemy.

Now, several news outlets have reported that the Bulls are not only open to trading their No. 1 draft pick to the Heat for Wade, but they have already made the proposal public knowledge (unofficially, of course).

Wade's response to the rumors: "This is a business, anything can happen and we as players have no control over that type of thing".

Hmmmm.

Couple that with the fact that the Heat superstar has already given his stamp of approval to new Bulls skipper Doug Collins, and I say the writing is already on the wall.

Many casual NBA fans can't seem to fathom the Heat trading the guard who many thought would be the cornerstone of Miami's franchise for years to come.

However, not only does the trade make sense to me, but it should help both teams reclaim their respectability and move back into the realm of playoff contenders.

The trade scenario I proposed was as follows:

Chicago gets: Wade, Marion and the Heat's No. 2 pick.

Miami gets: Gordon, Deng, Duhon, Thebolosha, Gooden and Chicago's No. 1 pick.

Don't get it?

Let me explain.

The Bulls are faced with the fact that both Gordon and Deng decided not to sign contract extensions last season, and the team eventually tuned out former coach Scott Skiles.

When Wade and LeBron James signed their extensions two seasons ago, both made it a point to not include the extra year that fellow 2003 draftee Carmelo Anthony signed. This allowed them to be in a position to test the free agent market in five years instead of six.

Most people in the know are already resigned to the fact that in two seasons King James will be joining his pal Jay Z in the new Brooklyn arena (sporting the new Rocawear uniforms no less). So where would Wade be trying to get to? Why, home to Chicago, of course.

Why should the Heat wait for two uneventful seasons to begin shopping Wade and lose leverage in any trade discussions?

Wade is scheduled to be playing for his third coach in four seasons with the Heat, who mortgaged their immediate future with the Shaquille O'Neal trade.

Now that Shaq has bailed out on them, there are no titles in sight, especially with Boston vaulting to the top of the pecking order in the Eastern Conference.

Much like the Pau Gasol trade spurred a flurry of trades by the Lakers' Western Conference rivals, teams in the East must now figure out a way to join the Celtics and Pistons in the hunt for a trip the NBA Finals.

Even if the Heat stood pat, drafted Beasley and re-signed Marion, the rest of their roster doesn't have enough parts to challenge the top dogs in their conference.

if Chicago were to sign Gordon and Deng with the intent of trading them to Miami, both teams would then have enough pieces to crack the upper tier of the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs are a flawed team, the Wizards are about to spiral out of control (especially if Arenas bolts this summer), and Orlando still hasn't shown the kind of moxie to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown.

The trade I proposed would give the Bulls a starting lineup of:

Hinrich - Wade - Beasley - Marion - Thomas and a bench of Noah, Nocioni and Hughes.

The Heat could start:

Rose - Gordon - Deng - Haslem - Blount and a bench of Davis, Duhon, Gooden, Cook and possibly Mourning.

Each team would field much better teams than they would if they stood pat.

Many times as fans, we fail to see our teams with the big picture in mind, choosing rather to hold onto our favorites in the hopes of some miraculous resurrection by a star player. Minnesota held onto Garnett for two seasons too long, when THEY could've gotten Gordon, Deng and Tyrus Thomas for KG.

Similarly, the Bulls could've gotten Pau Gasol for Gordon and Deng at the start of last season.

Maybe the Bulls have learned from the mistake of being trigger-shy and as we've already seen, Pat Riley understands the business of the league as well as anyone.

Neither team should force their new coaches to deal with disgruntled players and figure out how to keep peace in the locker rooms. Give the new coaches a fresh start and, if this trade goes down, new hope as well.

New York Jets: They Do Have a Plan, Right?

Curly Morris — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:20:29 -0400

I don't understand what the Jets plan on doing this season.

In two seasons as gang-green's head coach, the Mangenius is batting under .500 so far, and the Patriots have shown no signs of slowing down.

Couple that with the fact that New York's favorite football coach has taken over the reigns of AFC East rival Miami, and Buffalo finished three games ahead of the Jets last season (beating them twice), you have to wonder how Mangini's crew plans on not finishing in the division cellar.

New York used its first-round draft pick on Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, who in my estimation is Johnathan Vilma in a three-point stance. Gholston may be a productive player, but currently, in the eyes of many football pundits, the jury is still out on the former Buckeye who has been accused of being a little on the lazy side. In Mangini's 3-4 defensive scheme, Gholston needs to be playing linebacker.

The Jets then waited until the sixth round to draft a wide receiver, deciding to first shore-up their already crowded tight-end roster, and bring in yet another quarterback with a weak arm in Tennessee's Erik Ainge.

The Jets then decided to add Musa Smith to the glutton of running backs on the roster, and hired Bill Callahan...(Bill Callahan?!) to coach some part of the offense, although I have no idea what he could actually bring to the table.

Do the Jets plan on running a pro-set offensive scheme this season? I mean, they have to do something with all of those running backs and tight ends...right?

How does Callahan's knowledge of the running game, or lack thereof, benefit the offense?

Since the Jets drafted Ainge, is Chad trade bait? Shouldn't he be? It's not like the Jets didn't already have three QBs on the roster, and there's a reason that Pennington was benched in favor of Kellen Clemens last year. Chad can't get the ball downfield when he's healthy enough to even be on the field.

It is very possible that the Jets are becoming New York's football version of the Knicks. Just bringing in big names that sound good, but do not actually fit any real, winning formula or scheme.

The most exciting news out of Jets camp has been the fact that fashion designer Marc Ecko has taken over as designer and consultant for the Jets' cheerleading squad, "The Flight Crew". The roster of that group has jumped from 10 members in 2007 to 22 for the upcoming season.

"You (ladies) are a part of history..." Crew Director Denise Garvey told 52 finalists for the 22 roster spots.

At least somebody in the Jets organization plans on making history this season.