Bleacher Report - Articles by Phillip Hamilton

Michael Vick: UFL Bound?

Phillip Hamilton — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:24:05 -0400

Michael Vick was released from Federal prison yesterday (July 20, 2009) in Hampton, VA after serving a 19 month sentence on convicted dogfighting charges in 2007. Although Vick plans to play professional football, he probably won't be playing in the NFL for the 2009-2010 season.

Reporters say NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will most likely make Vick prove himself even more by showing to the league and America that his time in prison was justified by creditable, and honorable actions relating to animal rights after his sentence.

Although Vick may not play in the NFL next season or the CFL (since suspensions in the NFL also rolls over to the CFL), there is a good chance of him playing in the newly anticipated UFL (United Football League; backed by names such as Mark Cuban and numerous other investors) that starts in September, 2009. UFL President Michael Huyghue said:

“The chances of a UFL team signing Michael Vick to play the 2009 season are 98 percent. Michael's not going to be able to walk right back into the NFL, he's going to need some kind of buffer before he signs in the NFL, and we'll be able to provide that for him.'' (quote taken from deadspin.com)

Not only would the UFL benefit from revenue with more publicity from Vick fans and the sports nation; but it would also help Vick prove to the naysayers about his athletic shape, and arm accuracy coming out of prison since he has not played a professional football game since December 31, 2006.

The Deadly Duo: Drug Charges and Child Support

Phillip Hamilton — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:42:31 -0400

What once looked like a promising running back in the NFL is now a disastrous ending of the down fall that is known as Travis Henry.

Drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round (58th overall) in 2001, Travis Henry seemed to be a promising rookie coming out of U. of Tennessee and being named SEC first team All-American. And as expected, Henry was a Pro-Bowl candidate in his 02’ season with the Bills’ after a 1’438 yard and 13 touchdown performance.

Henry was doing well with the Bills’ and became the franchises fourth-leading rusher in history with 3’849 yards and 27 touchdowns in 3 seasons, he lost his starting job to Willis McGahee in 2004 and was traded to the Tennessee Titans in 2005 due to Henry not wanting to be a backup.

Although Henry did not want to be a backup, he became exactly that to Titans RB Chris Brown and still had some success with the team but was later released by the franchise in 2007 and signed by the Denver Bronco’s.

While Travis Henry was on the rise in the NFL as a top running back in 2007 in the early stages of the season, his personal issues became too much for him and the NFL to handle.

Henry was injured early in the 2007 season and also was in the hot seat for reportedly failing a drug test due to marijuana use. Although Henry was accused of going against the NFL’s drug testing policy he was still able to play during the 2007 season until proven guilty. Henry later passed a lie detector test and hair test suggesting he was a victim of second-hand smoke.

With all of Henry’s off-field issues in 2007, he proclaimed wanting to have a new start with the franchise and giving the city of Denver false promises of “making right with the Bronco’s, Denver fans, and myself”, he was released by the Bronco’s in June of 2008 due to his lack of commitment and possibly knowledge of marijuana use before him failing a drug test a month later.

In September 2008 the DEA arrested Henry on accusations of being involved in a large cocaine affair and faced up to 10 years in prison on federal drug trafficking charges.

Henry pleaded guilty to a single count of cocaine trafficking in April 2009, and on July 15, 2009 he was sentenced to three years in prison and five years probation after his releasing, and a drug treatment program attached with an ample amount of hours.

With all of Henry’s troubles, he also has to worry about his 11 kids after his prison sentence is over. He was reportedly “too broke” to take care his children’s child support payments of 170K per year while spending over 200K on jewelry during the 2007-2008 season.

Michael Vick vs. PETA

Phillip Hamilton — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:11:54 -0500

On January 21, 2009, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sent a letter to the NFL stating that Michael Vick should undergo psychological tests and an MRI brain scan to search for personality disorders before he is reinstated back into the NFL.

PETA has been working with Vick, his legal team, and public relations group since his incident with dog fighting which lead to his indictment.

Apparently Vick and his legal team agreed to work with PETA by doing an anti-dog fighting PSA, and PETA also states that Vick went through an empathy course at their office before he went to prison.

PETA first mandated the brain tests to Vick’s legal team. When Vick’s legal team refused, PETA then sent a letter to Roger Goodell stating their request and purpose of the tests.

PETA claims if Michael Vick takes these tests, and is proven to clinically be a psychopath, then Vick is incapable of feeling remorse and making public apologies.

Daphna Nachminovitch of PETA says that “we’re not interested in being a cynical ploy that’s nothing but public relations.”

When Vick and company ask for PETA’s cooperation in his return to the NFL in turn for Vick’s involvement in PETA’s PSA, then PETA wants to go against him.

PETA seems to want to receive maximum exposure with their involvement in this case against Vick and have him go above and beyond for their company by doing PSA’s and other mandatory work.

Once Vick asks for their word to help him be reinstated they aren’t interested in “public relations ploys.”

Michael Vick has served his time to the community and to the fans of the NFL world.

In America, sometimes greatness is based on second chances, and he is definitely bound to finish what he started throughout his career in the NFL.

Michael Vick has been serving 23 months in prison, and is expected to be released Monday June 20, 2009 with many tangibles involved.

Dallas Mavericks: Midseason Issues

Phillip Hamilton — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:25:12 -0500

With the Dallas Mavericks sitting fourth in the southwest division, they have a few issues to address to become a legitimate playoff team.

The Mavs needed to address their defense first and foremost, and with the trade that included Desagana Diop for Ryan Hollins and Matt Carroll from the Charlotte Bobcats, they somewhat improved.

Although Ryan Hollins and Matt Carroll are not going to be the missing link for the Mavericks by any means, they are definitely a good addition to the Mavericks bench. Diop was averaging 1.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and less than 1 block per game, while Hollins doubles Diop’s stats alone and is a better post defender.

The Mavericks also need to get Dirk Nowitzki going early, by doing this he will be better in the stretch of games due to the Mavs being unable to finish most games.

For Dirk Nowitzki to be more consistent than he already is, Rick Carlisle and the Mavericks personnel needs to look at other options for their inside game.

Although Josh Howard is doing well and averaging 17.8 points per game, Gerald Green would be a much better backup to him than Antoine Wright or Devean George.

The Mavericks coaches need to realize that Green coming off the bench is a perfect compliment for Howard because Green has energy, shoots 44 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line, and can easily give the team a solid 10 points or more coming off the bench.

Carlisle needs to give Green more playing time to establish more of an inside game which will open up more opportunities for shooters Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and Nowitzki.

Also, trading Jerry Stackhouse, George, and maybe a pick for a solid center (Marcus Camby, Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller, or Nene just to name a few) to help to this problem wouldn’t be such a bad idea either since that is where the problem definitely lies.

The Dallas Mavericks have yet to have a dominate post game. Although Eric Dampier is coming around every few games, it won’t be enough to win a championship, maybe not even a playoff game.

By adding a dominate center to their arsenal, it will free up the perimeter even more and allow Nowitzki and Kidd to command the offense with ease.

Another issue in the Mavs offense is playing small too often and too early. The Mavericks need to play the traditional positions instead of the two guards play.

Even though Terry and Kidd are very energetic and quality shooters, Carlisle needs to split their time at the point position and establish an inside game early, then move to the two-guard scheme later in the game once they have established themselves in the post offensively.

The Mavericks also need to address their energy late in games. There has been countless times when the Mavs have blown a large lead due to poor defense to either win by a few points or loose grasp of the game completely.

If the organization could control this problem and instill the importance of this fact into the players, then maybe the Mavericks would be more successful.

Even though the Mavericks are only four games behind the Spurs in the Southwest Division, as much as it hurts to say, they still don’t look like a playoff-quality team at this point.

Antonio Bryant: His Stock Is on the Rise

Phillip Hamilton — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:51:36 -0500

Wide receiver Antonio Bryant’s 2008 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been nothing short of great coming off an up-and-down year in 2006 and 2007.

In 2007, the San Francisco 49ers waived Antonio Bryant due to his legal problems, bad relationship with Coach Mike Nolan, and what seemed like his lack of commitment.

Although he has been a solid receiver on the field, Antonio Bryant ran into a few legal problems which involved an arrest for reckless driving in his Lamborghini on Nov. 19, 2006 and his violation of drug problems that later occurred in the 2006 season which led to his NFL suspension.

He was charged with suspicion of reckless driving, driving under the influence, and resisting arrest. The NFL followed the arrest and charges with a four-game suspension, and Bryant was also scheduled to be benched for the final two games of the 2006 season and the first two games of the 2007 season.

The 49ers felt like Bryant was a continued risk that would get worse, which resulted in the 49ers waiving Bryant, which saved them about $1.5 million in cap room.

Antonio Bryant was a free agent for the 2007 season, and picked up by the Bucs for the 2008 season.

Bryant has been a solid player as well as a great role player while Bucs’ WR Joey Galloway has been struggling with injuries all season.

Bryant has had 936 yards, 310 YAC, 5 TD's, and averages 14.2 yards per catch thus far this season.

Bryant’s credibility and maturity has been rising throughout this 2008 season while playing for Tampa Bay, especially after what might have been one of the most “skilled” catches of the 2008 season he made in Week 14’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

Antonio Bryant had 9 catches, 200 yards, 2 TD's, and averaged 22.2 yards per catch in his best performance of the season against the Panthers’.

Bryant has become a legitimate starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ and a great addition for their team.

Antonio Bryant will become a free agent in the 2009 season, as well as Jeff Garcia.

I wonder what the Bucs’ will do as both players have been incredible for their organization in this 2008 season.

Mark Cuban: Fraud and The SEC

Phillip Hamilton — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:34:20 -0500

Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban was charged with insider trading on Monday November 17th 2008.

The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) states that Cuban was invited to purchase stock in 2004 from Mamma.com which was an upcoming search engine.

Some court documents state that Cuban agreed to keep some information private about the stock which informed him that Mamma.com was not going to do well during the first day of trading.

Cuban then was alleged to have his stock broker drop 600,000 shares that day which saved him from losing $750,000.

Mark Cuban says that the charges the SEC have filed against him are false and he plans to fight them.

Unfortunately, if Cuban is found guilty it might have some effects on his other aspirations.

Mark Cuban has been venturing after the Chicago Cubs organization for quite some time now. With this hanging over his shoulder, the Cubs’ will most likely not want to deal with Cuban and his potentially bad PR.

As for the Dallas Mavericks organization, I don’t think they will have much to worry about.

Since it is only a Civil case, if Cuban is found guilty, he will most likely be forced to pay a series of very substantial fines. However, if he tries to fight it, he could then face a criminal investigation, which could possibly lead to jail time if he is found guilty.

Cuban is passionate and enthusiastic about his Dallas Mavericks club and everyone in the organization and around the Metroplex definitely knows that.

The SEC had another high profile case in 2004 that involved Martha Stewart and stock sales which led to her conviction and her serving five months in prison, paying around $195,000, and agreed not to work for a director of a public company for five years under a settlement in 2006

The NFL: Fines & Fusses

Phillip Hamilton — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:19:55 -0500

This season has had its fair share of fines, but it seems that some fines are starting to get out of control.

By now, everyone has probably heard of Justin Tuck’s sack on Brooks Bollinger, which he endured a $7,500 fine due to a roughing the passer penalty. The fine was voided after a few days in the end.

Roger Goodell stated the he was unable to see the play when it happened, and when he did, he immediately told Ray Anderson, who handles the NFL's discipline violations that Justin Tuck's fine was "too harsh".

Although it’s understandable for the NFL to have a mindset of safety-first, the penalty should have never been called in the first place, especially on a clean tackle like Justin Tuck’s.

A fine that has not had much buzz involved safety Ryan Clark of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ryan Clark wore a No. 21 sticker on his helmet in honor of former Washington Redskins’ free safety Sean Taylor (1983-2007).

Ryan Clark was fined $5,000 because his mourning was not apart of the agreement in the NFL rule book which states “no personal interests” involved with team uniforms.

Situations like these are ridiculous and make the NFL look like they have no compassion for their fallen players. Roger Goodell was reported to say in a Dan Steinberg report that “We (The NFL) mourn collectively, personal messages aren’t allowed” and that the 2007 season was “the NFL’s collective mourning period for Sean Taylor.”

The league is also looking to fine and suspend players who took a diuretic called “StarCaps." Although this isn’t news to most sports fans, this is a case were the supplement was not on a list of banned products given to the NFL players in the league.

StarCaps host an active ingredient called Bumetanide (bu.met.a.nide.) that the NFL considers a masking agent for steroids.

I personally believe that the players who took this supplement did not know about the active ingredient. The supplement was clearly not listed as a banned product, and I think the NFL should assess a small fine to the individual players, but not suspend players due to a faulty listing they could not control.

Another incident involved the Vikings RB Adrian Peterson. A.P. scored a touchdown, took off his helmet, and revealed a white skull cap this past weekend. The rules state that players must wear black skull caps during game day.

He was fined $5,000 for wearing a white skull cap in last week’s game against the Packers.

How ridiculous is that? A player won’t get penalized for taking his helmet off while he is not in the restricted bench area (which A.P. did about four times during that game), but he will get fined for wearing a white skull cap?

Titans RB Chris Johnson was also fined $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct due to him playing the bongos in the Chief’s band during a celebration and was quoted to say:

“I knew I was going to get a fine, but I am totally upset about how much. I am going to appeal. There’s no fun in this league. I was trying to have fun and they want to penalize us for having fun.” – Chris Johnson

The NFL is definitely going down a slum road when it comes to that “extra” something the players want to bring to the field on game day.

Players are getting fined for entertaining the fans and having fun on a regular basis now week in and week out due to the leagues ridiculous policies. At this rate, it seems like the NFL will have taken the entertainment value out of the game by the 2011 season.

Rockets-Suns: Houston Soars to Victory in Phoenix

Phillip Hamilton — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:02:10 -0500

In this battle of the giants, Tracy McGrady emerged from his slump against the Clippers to rally the Houston Rockets (5-3) to a 94-82 win over the Phoenix Suns (6-3).

This game featured Shaquille O’Neal passing John Havlichek with 26,396 points, which put him in 10th on the NBA’s career-scoring list.

O’Neal had 18 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks in this game. He looked more like an early '90s Shaq, stronger and seemingly younger, easily moving up and down the court with Yao Ming.

Early in the first quarter, you could sense that Ming and O’Neal were going to be battling it out all game. And that is exactly what happened—until Yao could no longer keep up with Shaq deep into the third quarter.

Both superstars played well in the post and were contesting against each other shot-for-shot, while moving well up and down the court to keep up with their team’s transitions. Ming, with 17 points and 15 rebounds, and O’Neal, with 18 points and 13 rebounds, gave each other a great defensive match.

During the first half of the game, Luis Scola was forcing a few outside shots, and failed to mesh offensively with the rest of the team throughout the night. A big shocker in the first half was Amare Stoudemire’s quiet performance—only two points and five rebounds.

Stoudemire is used to getting to the line and averages 10 free throws a night. But in this case, he only got to the line once—which was in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Stoudemire started to heat up early in the third and assembled eight points quickly after switching to his perimeter game, since the Rockets were doubling him in the paint. He ended up finishing the game with 11 points and nine rebounds.

The secondhalf of the game turned entertaining very quickly, with Tracy McGrady getting 22 of his 27 points in the second half and dictating his offense, to Matt Barnes catapulting his body into Rafer Alston—which turned into a semi-brawl and led to both Barnes and Alston being ejected from the game.

If the referees would have called a foul quickly on Barnes instead of waiting until McGrady got his shot off, it would have prevented a ridiculous show of frustration on behalf of the Suns' Matt Barnes.

Phoenix came into the game with the second-best PPG average at 103, which trailed behind the L.A. Lakers by just one point, but was only able to put up 82 against the Rockets defense on Wednesday night.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Suns were only shooting 34 percent, while the Rockets were shooting 42 percent from the field. The Suns ended the game shooting 37 percent, which is well under their offensive average of around 52.

The Suns' lack of offensive production came from missed opportunities. The Phoenix Suns had a lot of wide open shots missed by Barnes, Nash, and Barbosa due to their tempo slump throughout the game.

Ron Artest, with only four points and six rebounds, did not play well throughout the whole game, after orchestrating a "veterans only" players meeting for his team to come together offensively and step-up to their abilities.

Another undaunted player wheeling his team to a victory was Rockets PG Aaron Brooks. We have all seen him play at Oregon with his fast-tempo offense and hot-streak shooting. On Wednesday night against the Suns, we saw him do it with ease against the pros.

This second-year rookie came into the game shooting well in the second quarter, was benched later in that same quarter, and then took over as a starter after Alston was ejected from the game in the third quarter. Brooks could not be stopped—he even snagged an offensive rebound from Diaw late in the fourth.

Aaron Brooks was definitely one of the reasons for the Rockets' victory due to his outstanding play and great ball movement. He finished the game with 19 points.

Game Notes

Shaquille O’Neal reaches 10th on the NBA’s Top 10 Career scoring list with his 26,396thpoint coming from the halfway mark into the third quarter. He joins Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, & Wilt Chamberlain (just to name a few) on the elite list of 10.

Suns had zero fast break points in the loss to the Rockets.

PHX averaged getting to the line 30 times before the match-up against Houston, and only went to the line four times in Wednesday’s game.

PG Goran Dragic for the PHX Suns showed growing confidence running the offense late in the first quarter.

Dallas Mavericks Have Win Slip Through Their Fingers Once Again

Phillip Hamilton — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:42:17 -0500

In a classic Southwest battle the L.A. Lakers' 106-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks led the Lakers to an impressive 6-0 record, while the Mavs slip to just 2-5.

The Dallas Mavericks knew they needed to score at least 100 points, maintain offensive energy, and play well defensively to keep up with the Lakers. They started off well with a great offensive game from Gerald Green, an improved defense and energetic play, but they still fell short of a victory.

Once deep into the second quarter, it was obvious the Mavs were getting tired and sloppy. Their offense was struggling to get set in their plays, and they were constantly turning the ball over.

The Mavs showed improvement in their perimeter defense, but the Lakers post presence was definitely felt throughout the game.

With Gasol’s 22 points and 11 rebounds, Kobe’s 27 points, and Ariza’s 13 points off the bench, coming mostly from inside the post, the Lakers began dominating the paint.

The Mavericks had several chances to keep this game within their grasp, especially late in the fourth quarter, but with a total of 21 turnovers the Lakers capitalized and started to streak their offensive play.

Even though Jason Kidd received his 101^st triple-double with 16 Points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, he began playing as if he was going to live or die by the three pointer, which consequently slowed the Mavs' offense.

This game was in the Mavs' favor after coming out strong in the first quarter, but once again, they were unable to finish late in the fourth.

It looked as if the Mavs would take it home and move to 3-4 for the season with Big Damp's double-double (11 points and 16 rebounds, tying the franchise record with 12 offensive rebounds) and Terry's streaky offense in the first half (21 points total for the game).

It seems like a team that can't finish, but it may be a team that is getting old. Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Gereld Green can only do so much, but asking the older players like Jason Kidd, Jerry Stackhouse, Eric Dampier, and Devon George to consistently keep up throughout a whole season might be too much to ask.

The Mavs need to surround themselves with more young talent who play the game well and can compliment their star, Dirk Nowitzki. Ariza, Vujacic, Roy, Beasley, Bynum, Rose, and Green are perfect examples.

While the Lakers have a few veterans on their squad, they also have young players who run deep throughout their team, know how to play the game well, and are smart on the court.

If the Mavericks add a few energetic, young players to their arsenal, it might give the veterans a little more room to be productive.

Tonight, however, it was star player Nowitzki that let the team down. He was not aggressive with the ball, and he overlooked two shots in the fourth quarter when he passed to Stackhouse, which led to turnovers. The Mavs need players that can come off the bench and compliment him, which would allow him to be as productive as before.

GAME NOTES

Kobe Bryant scored most of his points in the late third to early fourth quarters of the game, and is currently 23 points shy of tying Larry Bird on the NBA career scoring list.

This was the Lakers' first time trailing at the start of the fourth.