ABUSE OF POWER

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are my opinions and are not based on any actual factual information. Granted, they are my strong opinions, but still not based on any facts. Alright David Stern, that should cover my a$$.

We are now three weeks away from the 2012 edition of the NBA draft. This is the time of year when your favorite team looks to the crop of incoming college and international players for a franchise savior, or a player that can contribute to turning them into a championship contender. That’s also what most fans are doing. Fans of the Hawks and Bobcats have a slightly different task ahead of them. The Hawks are looking for the next 6’8” underachieving player (Hawks management for some reason has an affinity for them), and the Bobcats are trying to decide which terrible player Michael Jordan will be drafting way too high. My guess is Harrison Barnes, but I’ll actually let Jordan make his bad draft pick before I proceed to bashing him for it. Stay tuned, that will probably be the topic of my July 1^st entry.

The NBA draft is designed to help bad teams improve quickly in order to theoretically give every team a chance to compete for championships. From 1966 to 1985 the draft order in the NBA was simply determined by each team’s record in the previous season. The worst team would pick first, and the rest of the teams would continue to pick in that order. In 1984 many teams complained that their opponents were tanking games in order to win the draft rights to Hakeem Olajuwon. In response to these complaints the NBA introduced a lottery system, which would have a long lasting impact. The first NBA lottery was held in 1985. Although 162 players were ultimately selected in the then seven round draft, there was one player that every team coveted. If you’re thinking former Hawks great John Koncak, you are incorrect. The player that I am speaking of is Hall of Fame Center, Patrick Ewing.

If the draft lottery had not been instituted, Ewing would have most certainly been drafted by the Indiana Pacers or Golden State Warriors (since they tied for the league’s worst record, a coin flip would have taken place to decide which team would pick first). However, now that there was a lottery, each non-playoff team would have an equal chance of winning Ewing’s services. Everyone who follows the league knows that the NBA benefits when the Celtics, Lakers, and Knicks are good. These are the country’s largest media markets, and are all cities with diverse ethnic populations, which allow the game to be marketed globally as well. In 1984 the Celtics and Lakers won 63 and 62 games respectively, so they were both obviously in good shape. That left the Knicks as the league’s only cornerstone franchise that was not relevant. That left David Stern with a decision to make. Should he allow the lottery to actually determine the draft order, or should he use the lottery for its originally intended purpose? That intended purpose is to allow the commissioner to simply place the top pick in the city of his choosing. Obviously he chose to make the Knicks relevant. So what if it was at the expense of fans in the farmlands of America. Oh, and by the way the commish wasn’t very fond of the bay area either. Although Ewing never brought a championship to the big apple, he (Commissioner Stern) did make sure that the Knicks contenders for the next decade and a half.

This brings us to 2003, when another can’t miss prospect was set to arrive to the NBA. His name is LeBron James. You may have heard of him, he’s turned out to be a pretty decent player. The arrival of LeBron forced Stern to have to make yet another tough decision. Just like in 1985, the Celtics and Lakers were both playoff teams, so there was no way for him to hand him over to them. However, the Knicks were bad once again. He could toss New York yet another bone, or he could create the feel-good story of the year, by making James a member of his hometown team. Stern is a smart man, and he knew that the conspiracy theorists would have gone crazy if he gave the Knicks another can’t miss prospect. Therefore, he did the smart thing and sent him to Cleveland. Within three years, the Cavaliers were must see television and dominating the NBA’s national television coverage. It was a match made in heaven. The hometown prep star leading the hometown team back to prominence. It had all the makings of an ABC Family Channel movie. That is until he decided to "take his talents to South Beach."

Now to this year’s can’t miss prospect, Anthony Davis. Davis is easily the best big-man prospect since Dwight Howard entered the league in 2004. Whichever team gets him is going to instantly become competitive. Since the Celtics, Lakers, and Knicks were all playoff teams this season, Commissioner Stern can send Davis to any team that he pleases. Conventional wisdom would say that Stern would ensure that the Charlotte Bobcats would win the lottery. They were after all the worst team in NBA history (by winning %) this past season, and one would think that Stern owes team owner Michael Jordan a favor for single-handedly growing the league beyond what anyone could imagine during his playing days. Under normal circumstances, Jordan would’ve most certainly been awarded Davis. However, these were not normal circumstances for the New Orleans Hornets or the NBA.

In 2010, then Hornet’s owners George Shinn and Gary Chouest wanted to sell the team. Since no buyer could be found, The NBA was forced to purchase the team. Therefore the league has owned the team for nearly a year and a half. They were insistent on finding an owner who would purchase the team and keep it in New Orleans. The NBA was unsuccessful in its quest until April when New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson purchased the Hornets as well. It was reported that Benson paid approximately $338 million for the team. However, I firmly believe (just my opinion, since I have no proof), that $338 million didn’t just get Benson the Hornets, but it also got him the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

Think about it. Even if Benson isn’t much of a college basketball fan, I’m pretty sure that he saw Anthony Davis play in the Final Four because it took place in the very same building that Benson’s NFL team calls home. A little over a week after Davis dominated the competition at the college level, in New Orleans, Benson agrees to take the Hornets off the NBA’s hands. The NBA has finally found an owner that will keep the Hornets in New Orleans, and in return Benson has a franchise player to replace Chris Paul on billboards all over the city.

The initial intent of the draft lottery was honorable. It was put into place to protect the integrity of the game. However, it is now being used as a vehicle for the commissioner to place future stars wherever he pleases. I’m sure it was also the luck of the draw that the Chicago Bulls just so happened to win the lottery when hometown hero Derrick Rose was the obvious selection. The lottery has protected the integrity of the game by taking away the incentive for teams to purposely lose games in order to get the first pick. However, the lottery has created a new problem, as I, along with many others are questioning the integrity of the commissioner.

Since there are only five players on the basketball court at a time for each team, one player makes a difference in the NBA more so than in any other sport. A strategically placed superstar player really affects the balance of power throughout the entire league. It’s time for the NBA to get rid of the draft lottery and simply go back to awarding the worst team the first pick in the draft and the rest of the draft order should fall accordingly. Will this cause teams to intentionally lose games to get a better draft pick? Of course it will, but I’d rather see everything decided on the basketball court than have the commissioner treat the entire league like his personal chess game.

As Kanye West famously said, “No one man should have all that power.” (Actually Kanye stole that line from a famous and historic movie which was based on a true story. I challenge anyone reading this to name that movie.) David Stern has too much power, and it’s about time that some of it is taken away from him.

And Now for my Baller & Scrub of the Week!

Baller: Rajon Rondo – The best point guard in the NBA lit up the Heat for 44 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds in a LOSING effort in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Let’s be honest, Rondo is holding this old and battered Celtics team together and he has led them to a place where they really have no business being. Paul Pierce is “injured”, or at least that’s what he says, but I never believe him because he is the biggest drama queen in the NBA. Ray Allen is playing like Trajan Langdon, Avery Bradley is legitimately injured, and there really aren’t many reliable options on the Boston bench. Thankfully Garnett is playing like its 2005, because he and Rondo are pretty much all the Celtics have. As you all know, I’m a Celtics fan, so I am obviously pulling for them to not only win this series, but also the championship. Anything less would be a disappointment. However, no matter how this season ends, we must all tip our hats to Rondo, Garnett, and Doc Rivers. These three men have somehow led the Celtics further than they had any business going this season.

Check out this hilarious Kevin Garnett video, simply because I think it’s funny:

Scrub: The Referees in the Eastern Conference Finals – I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to get fined by the league, but let’s just say this has been the worst officiated playoff series that I have ever seen in my life. I’ve seen technical fouls called for reasons that I haven’t figured out. I’ve seen clear path fouls called just because the referee wanted to know what it felt like to call one. I’ve also seen LeBron be put into a bear hug, Rondo get slapped in the face like he owes his pimp some money, and Garnett get kicked in the knee like he was in an MMA fight. Oh yeah, and none of these things were considered fouls by this top notch group. All I want to see is a series that is decided by the players on the court and not the referees, like the Kings-Lakers series of 2007 (Yeah, I said it!). It has long been believed that NBA games are fixed. I hope this isn’t the case, but if it is, at least try to make it less obvious.

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GIVE THIS MAN A HUG

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Not only am I a huge sports fan, I am also a hip-hop head. No matter what I am doing, I am usually doing it while listening to music. I earn my living as an engineer, and whenever I am at my desk, you will usually find me with headphones on listening to music as I work. The same is true of writing this blog. Each week when I sit down to write, the first thing I do is open iTunes and decide on a playlist or album to write to. My musical choice is usually determined by my mood at the time or the topic that I will be writing about. Although I listen to a lot of Outkast and Jay-Z, you might catch me rocking to Lupe Fiasco, The Clipse, Jay Electronica, Kanye West, or even 2 Chainz (go figure). That being said, there is only one album that can provide the appropriate soundtrack for this week’s entry. That album is “Take Care” by Drake. Drake’s sophomore release is one of the dopest, softest, emotional, man law violating, I need a hug albums in the history of rap (I use the term rap loosely).

Drake is appropriate because today’s topic is the one and only LeBron James. Bear with me for a moment and I will explain why. For my money he is the best player in the NBA, and to be perfectly honest, second place isn’t even close. Anyone who says that LeBron James is not the best player in the NBA is either lying or related to another NBA player. In just his second NBA season James returned the Cleveland Cavaliers to respectability. Think about it, prior to LeBron’s arrival, the last respectable Cleveland basketball team featured Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and Craig Ehlo. Yeah, that Craig Ehlo. You know I couldn’t mention his name without including a video of his crowning moment as a pro (please see clip below).





In his third season, the Cavs won 50 games and made the playoffs. This was truly amazing, especially when you consider who some of his teammates were that year. He had the honor of playing with such household names as Alan Henderson, Ira Newble, and Damon Jones (I promise you that I am not doing this on purpose, but we may as well look at the biggest highlight of Damon Jones’ career while we’re here).





LeBron spent the first seven years of his NBA career in Cleveland. During that time he led them to the NBA Finals once, the Eastern Conference Finals once, and the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals three times. It’s safe to say that he put Cleveland back on the NBA map.

After the 2009-2010 season, LeBron was eligible for free-agency. This gave him the right to play for any team that he chose. As we all know now, he chose to go to Miami. Who could blame him, he gave up the brutal Cleveland winters for South Beach. He decided to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh instead of Jamario Moon and J.J. Hickson. Can we really blame him? It was his right to leave Cleveland, and he did. However there was one small thing that he did wrong. He decided to announce his “Decision” in primetime on national television. That was awfully arrogant, but again it’s his right. Oh yeah, there is one other small detail I failed to mention, Cleveland was his hometown team, so the people there kinda hate him now; which is their right as well.

LeBron’s decision to dump his hometown in front of the whole world, has led to something that he couldn’t have ever imagined, a backlash. No longer is he America’s sweetheart, the player that everyone admirers and loves. He is now public enemy #2 when it comes to athletes (behind Michael Vick of course). This is by far the most adversity that James has ever faced in his basketball career. They say adversity shows a person’s true character, and if this is indeed true, we now know that LeBron is about as tough as Drake’s music. I must admit, he had me fooled. Silly me, I thought that a 6’8”, 250 lb. man from the hood would be tough. I was wrong. Apparently LeBron is that dude that always went crying to his mother when someone took his toys. He has turned into a walking, talking pity party.

In Lebron’s first year with the Heat they made it to the NBA Finals, but I am still trying to figure out if he was there with the team or not. I watched the replays of the games on NBA TV during this off-season and I simply didn’t see him. As any superstar player should, he received a great deal of criticism for his no-show. He also started ducking the media after games because he couldn’t handle the fact that everyone noticed that Mario Chalmers was a bigger factor in the series than he was.

(Let’s pause a minute and let that last sentence sink in).

Needless to say James probably had the worst off-season of his career due to the way he played on the biggest stage. What I’m wondering is which bothered him more, losing the finals or being criticized?

This season, the Heat are off to another strong start and are the odds-on favorite to win the NBA championship. That being the case, you would think that all would be happy in LeBronville. Yet, he‘s still in a competition with Drake to see who can whine more about the downside of their fame and success. In an interview a few weeks back, Larry Bird was asked who he thought was the best player in the NBA. Logically, his answer was LeBron James. He was then asked which player playing today would he most want to play with. His answer was Kobe Bryant. Although I would never want to play with Kobe Bryant (because his teammates don’t get to play basketball, they simply do cardio while he plays basketball), I respect Larry’s OPINION. Bird was asked a question and his answer happened to be Kobe Bryant. While giving props to Kobe, Bird in no way insulted the “Sensitive One”. However, LeBron took it as a slight and responded by saying,

“I’m an easy target – let’s say that. When someone wants to get a point across, just throw LeBron’s name in there. If you’re watching cartoons with your kids and don’t like it you say, ‘Blame it on LeBron.’ If you go to the grocery store and they don’t have the milk you like you say, ‘It’s LeBron’s fault. I’m an easy target and I understand that. It doesn’t get me to me at all.”

Is he serious? All that from Larry Bird saying that he wanted to play with Kobe Bryant! It’s obvious that he needs a hug.

Needless to say the good people of Cleveland Ohio have yet to forgive LeBron for spitting in their faces in front of the entire country. To show their disdain for him, they BOO him profusely and hold up signs to express their feelings whenever he visits. This obviously bothers James and I’m sure he cries himself to sleep after each road game in Cleveland. Last week he decided to try to curb the vitriol shown to him by the Cav fans. He stated to reporters that he wouldn’t rule out a return to Cleveland at some point in his career. His selfish need to be loved by all led to him making an incredibly stupid statement and possibly alienating the organization that is currently paying him over $100 million for six years of basketball. Unfortunately for LeBron, he was still booed with each touch of the ball, and now stories are popping up all over the place about LeBron “plotting his return to Cleveland.” I’m sure the fans in Miami are loving that. Now we have a sensitive superstar that will soon have people in two cities hating him, but I’m sure he’ll handle that well. My advice to him is to win a championship this season in Miami and SHUT UP!

There are two things that I am certain that I never want to hear again, a Drake song about his struggles with fame and how it prevents him from finding true love, and LeBron James whining because the people don’t love him like they used to. I think they should just give each other a hug and agree to be one another’s sounding board and support system, because the rest of us are sick of hearing it!


And now for my Baller & Scrub of the Week….

BALLER – Kobe Bryant: It is well documented on this blog that I HATE KOBE BRYANT! Truthfully, I never thought I would see the day that I would actually give props to this _________ (fill in the word that you think I would have used), but I must applaud his comments to the Lakers management concerning Pau Gasol. The Lakers tried to trade Gasol before the season started, but were unsuccessful. Since the season has started, it has been rumored that Gasol was being traded to every team in the league and the Harlem Globetrotters. This has obviously had a negative effect on his play this season because his scoring average is currently at a career low (16.6 ppg.). We all know two things to be true about Pau. He is an enormously skilled post player, and he is about as tough as Keith Van Horn. That being said, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that he is a huge fan of whoever is the Spanish equivalent of Drake.

I have a new respect for Kobe (that will disappear as soon as I hit the “Post” button on this entry) for telling management that they need to either trade Pau soon or commit to not trading him. Bryant stated the obvious by saying that Gasol is not comfortable with the current situation and it is definitely affecting his play. I have always viewed Kobe as a selfish, me-first person. Actually I still do, but he has earned my respect for the next 15 minutes for sticking up for his soon to be ex-teammate. I will resume hating him in exactly 16 minutes, starting….now.

SCRUB – My (kinda) Boston Celtics: I am a person that roots for individual players more than I do particular teams. I have been a Boston Celtics fan for exactly 6 years, which is the exact number of years that my favorite NBA player (Rajon Rondo) has been a member of the team. So it’s fair to say that my allegiance is to him and not the actual franchise. That being said, the Celtics are terrible this season (15-16) and they are looking ancient in the process. It’s time for the C’s to shake things up and trade their one valuable asset (Rondo). In the process they will not only lose one of the best point guards in the league, but they will also lose a fan (me). Our loss may hurt them in the short term, but it will be better for them long-term. I just hope they trade us to a contender.


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WHAT YEAR IS IT?

Last Thursday morning at approximately 7:35am I received a text message from a friend and regular STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! reader (I wasn’t going to say his name here, but he insisted. It was none other than Pharaoh Goolsby). It read (I am paraphrasing), NOW THAT THEY HAVE SHAQ, CLEVELAND WILL WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT YEAR! I immediately jumped up and headed to Best Buy to pick up the new Outkast album STANKONIA. Later that evening, I planned to take my girlfriend to see the new Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan movie Love & Basketball. Then I looked at the calendar and realized that the year was 2009 and not 2000. Since the text message basically said that a team was going to win a championship simply by getting Shaq, I just assumed it had to be the year 2000, when Shaq was the MOST DOMINANT PLAYER IN THE NBA! But it’s not, it is actually 2009 and the current version is now a 37-year-old, hardly ever in shape, huge check cashing, part-time basketball player. That is hardly the player that I will declare to be the immediate difference maker on a team with championship aspirations.

Truthfully, I wasn’t even going to talk about this trade this week. Instead, I was going to talk about the NBA Draft. Then along with the text from Goolsby, I also got a call from my mother saying that my little sister wanted me to talk about the Shaq trade this week. She also said that I never use any of her topic suggestions. That being said, this blog should make my little sister happy as well as share Mr. Goolsby’s thoughts with the world (per his request).

Shaquille O’Neal is a sure fire Hall-Of-Famer and is arguably the best center to ever play in the NBA (not matter who you think is the best, he can be placed no lower than fourth). He has already won three NBA championships as “Batman” and one title as “Robin”. He is great and nothing said in this blog is meant to diminish his accomplishments or his greatness. That being said, he is no longer the double-team demanding, game controlling beast that he was in his prime. To be perfectly honest, the current version of Shaq is even a shell of the 2004-05 version that won a title with DeWayne Wade and his band of merry men. So, do you really think that he is the missing piece to the Cleveland championship picture?

There are several REAL reasons why anyone who feels that Shaq, LeBron, and the current incarnation of the Pips will be good enough to bring a title to Cleveland will be disappointed when another team raises the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June. These reasons are as follows:

Cleveland had a difficult time defending Dwight Howard in Orlando’s pick-and-roll offense. Guess what Shaq’s biggest defensive weakness is. Anyone? Anybody? OK, I’ll tell you. Shaq struggles defending the pick-and-roll. If you don’t believe me, take a look at any game last season and count the number of pick-and-rolls they ran at Shaq successfully. For further evidence, take a look at the 2004 NBA Finals. Detroit’s stated goal was to involve Shaq in as many pick-and-rolls as possible, because they felt as though he couldn’t consistently flash out to the guard and then recover to cover the roll guy. They were right. Keep in mind that he was five years younger when they exposed him. Trust me; his quickness has not improved in five years.

Cleveland was very successful this regular season because they were able to spread the floor and allow LeBron to operate in the lane and on the block. Big men such as Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao have the ability to spread the floor and consistently make 15ft jump shots (which Shaq does not). This allows LeBron to live in the paint and drive to the basket as he pleases. Shaq on the other hand is a space-eater and clogs the lane. I have a feeling that LeBron will be taking a lot more jumpers next season, because there will be two right lanes blocked going down the paint. While LeBron does have a pretty good jump shot (he also isn’t Ray Allen), he makes his money in the paint.

Shaq can’t guard Dwight Howard. Simply put, he is too old. True enough the Shaq of 2000 would OWN Howard, but as I said earlier, STANKONIA came out nine years ago!

Shaq can’t guard Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu. Cleveland didn’t have an answer for this dynamic duo in the playoffs, and they didn’t just acquire that answer from Phoenix.

Boston will be healthy. Enough said.

Orlando has also improved. For those of you that were blinded by the Kobe – LeBron Nike and Vitamin Water commercials and didn’t get a chance to actually see the Orlando v/s Cleveland Series, I would like to let you know that Orlando won the series rather handily. Also, in case you haven’t heard; that Orlando team that easily beat LeBron James and the Harlem Boys Choir in the playoffs also improved quite a bit. They added a guy named Vince Carter. While it may be true that he hasn’t always played to the peak of his talent, it is also true that he is so much better than Courtney Lee that it is laughable. Comparing Courtney Lee to Vince Carter is like comparing Acie Law to Chris Paul (Sorry I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hit Acie with a parting shot on his way to the airport. That’s one more shot than he hit as a Hawk).

Signing Shaq at this stage of his career is basically an act of desperation by the Cavaliers to try to get a title out of LeBron before he bolts next year or show him that Cleveland can be consistently competitive so that he will stay. Either way, it reminds me of other superstar signings that didn’t work out. Remember that KARL MALONE & GARY PAYTON both joined Shaq and Kobe in LA and didn’t manage to win a title. I know that both of them were well past their prime, but SO IS SHAQ! And let’s not forget the Jets (last season) and the Vikings (this season) thinking that Diva Favre is the missing piece to their championship. We have seen that the Jets were definitely wrong (by the way Mr. Diva did lead the league in interceptions), and I can assure that Favre won’t be leading the Vikings to a championship this season either.

I do believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a better team with Shaq than they were pre-Shaq. I just don’t feel that their roster as of June 28, 2009 is good enough to win a championship. That could all change if they add one more bona-fide player to the mix at power forward or as a perimeter scorer off of the bench (Carl, if you mention Damon Jones here, I will delete your post). Truthfully, I am a big LeBron James fan and I would love to see him win a championship. If the people of Cleveland expect this to be the year, they better get LeBron some more help, because Shaq simply isn’t enough.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK

BALLER: Atlanta Hawks Management & US Men's Soccer - This week I have Co-Baller's of the Week. First, the Management of the Atlanta Hawks. I must commend the decision makers of my favorite NBA Team for an excellent NBA Draft night. On Thursday night, we drafted a player that I enjoyed watching in college and that I think can be our Point Guard of the Future in Jeff Teague, from Wake Forest. It seems as though we learned our lesson and decided not to pass up on another Point Guard from Wake Forest. That wasn't even the best part of the night. We also landed Jamal Crawford, who is a bona-fide scorer and will be ready to play big the next time Joe Johnson decides to play small in the playoffs. That's still not why the Hawks management in Baller of the Week. They earned this award for FINDING A TEAM DUMB ENOUGH TO TAKE THE SECOND BIGGEST DRAFT BUST IN RECENT HAWKS HISTORY OFF OUR HANDS!!!! ACIE LAW IS NO LONGER A HAWK!!!! We were able to unload him in the deal that brought us Jamal Crawford. I must give the Hawks credit. They have made two monumental draft mistakes in the past three years (Shelden Williams being the other) and managed to find teams stupid enough to take them both off of our hands. GREAT JOB!!!!

BALLER: US Men's Soccer Team - Although I am not a big fan of soccer (except the World Cup), I must congratulate the US Men's Soccer Team for making the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup Soccer Tournament. Not only did the make the finals, they also beat the # 1 Team in the world along the way (SPAIN). I would say more about it, but I am sure that Northside Marty will take care of that in his comment. So be sure to check out his comment to read all about it.

SCRUB: Billy Gillispie (Former Head Basketball Coach at the University of Kentucky & Texas A&M) - Everyone who knows me or who reads this blog know that I am a huge basketball fan (it's my second favorite sport). You should have also noticed that my two favorite teams are the Atlanta Hawks and the University of Kentucky Wildcats. That being said, I am honoring Billy Gillispie as my SCRUB OF THE WEEK because I just realized the negative affect that this one man has had on my two favorite basketball teams. First he sends that pathetic excuse for a point guard (Acie Law) to my Hawks, and then to pour salt on my wound he takes the best job in college basketball (University of Kentucky) and manages to totally bomb there. I would have never thought that you could manage to miss the NCAA tournament at UK, but Billy managed to do it. So, Billy Gillispie you are my scrub of the week and I hope to never see you employed by or communicating with any organization near and dear to my heart ever again. Even though I went to a small Engineering school that plays NAIA sports, I sincerely hope that they never hire you either.

ON A MELANCHOLY NOTE:

As you all know, Michael Jackson passed earlier this week. I know that this is a sports blog, but I feel as though I would be remissed not mention the passing of such a world ICON. I also heard a very interesting nugget about Michael Jackson this week. Apparently, his performance at halftime of Super Bowl XXVII marked the first time in Super Bowl history that viewership actually increased during halftime. That means that MORE PEOPLE TUNED IN TO SEE MICHAEL JACKSON, THAN THE ACTUAL SUPER BOWL!!!!! That is amazing. So please take a moment to think about the loved ones that he left behind. Also, click on the video below and enjoy a portion of his performance from Super Bowl XXVII.

I’M BACK & HE’S HOME

Your eyes are not deceiving you; this is actually a new post from STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! I know that I have been away for almost two months, but they have been a very productive two months. Since I’ve been away, I have finished another semester of my MBA program (the last month of the semester was very tough, which was the predominant cause of the break). My beautiful wife also surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate our second year of marriage (That's right, I married a sports fan who took me to Vegas, JACKPOT!), and I have also been traveling for work. Now I’m back and ready to resume work on STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! My course load for the summer is lighter than that of a normal semester, so hopefully, I will not have a long school induced break.

It must be a good week for sports fans because I am back and Michael Vick is back at home. This is a story that is near and dear to my heart. I am a huge Michael Vick fan and can’t wait to see him on the football field again. I am not going to take the time to get up on my soapbox about how ridiculous it is that Vick spent time in federal prison for dog fighting, while Leonard Little killed a person while driving drunk and only missed eight games, and while Dan Heatley formerly of the Atlanta Thrashers killed his teammate Dan Snyder in an auto accident while driving like a mad man, never served any prison time. I guess the American Justice System is telling us that the lives of dogs are more valuable than the lives of people. But like I said, I am not going to discuss this now. The fact of the matter is that Vick has been released, and should be reinstated into the NFL in time for the upcoming season if Commissioner Judge, Jury, and Executioner decides that he has served his debt to society.

I must admit, I have found some of the commentary about Michael Vick’s football future absolutely hilarious. There are some people who think that he will only be able to sign for the league minimum (somewhere between $500,000 and $800,000 for someone with his years of service in the league) once he is reinstated, due to the perceived baggage that he will take along with him to a new team. That is an absolute joke. He will receive a multi-million dollar contract simply because more than one team will be in the running for his services and the price will most certainly be driven up through sheer competition.

The other comment that I hear concerning Vick that I think is hilarious, is that he will never be able to play quarterback in the NFL again and that he will have to switch positions. If you want to know why I find this comment funny, simply click on the video below.



This clown is not only still in the NFL, he just received a new free-agent contract. So if he can play quarterback in the NFL, someone please tell me why Michael Vick can't.

Vick will be back in the NFL and he will be a quarterback. I am even willing to say that he will be a starter before the 2009 season is over. I know for a fact that he will not be welcomed back by the Atlanta Falcons. He totally screwed up his chance here and they have found their new quarterback in Matt Ryan. Arthur Blank and company have every right to move on with their lives without Michael Vick. I am guessing that one of the following teams will sign him (no inside information, just my gut feeling):

San Francisco 49er’s – They have a head coach with a strong personality in Mike Singletary and they don’t have a quarterback. He will be able to handle the media scrutiny. This would be a great fit. They also have Michael Crabtree, which would make for better Mike & Mike show than the one that comes on ESPN Radio in the mornings (in my opinion, that show is terrible).

Miami Dolphins – Bill Parcells was able to keep Lawrence Taylor as in check as a cocaine-using linebacker can be. Therefore the Michael Vick drama should be a piece of cake.

Oakland Raiders – Al Davis (need I say more)

Carolina Panthers – They need a quarterback more than they will ever admit (JAKE DELHOMME IS DONE!). They also have a strong running game and a good defense. They could play ball control offense with Vick, DeAngelo Williams, and Jonathan Stewart and really let Steve Smith do what he does best on the outside. Vick will make them a favorite to make the Super Bowl.

Arizona Cardinals – Vick can get in shape and work on his throwing as Warner finishes his career. They will need a quarterback soon because Matt Leinart simply is not the answer.

Tennessee Titans – They drafted the imitation, why not sign the real thing. Vick is what they thought they were getting in Vince Young. Also, Kerry Collins is near the end.

There are those who believe that Vick will reunite with Jim Mora Jr. and Greg Knapp in Seattle, but I don’t think that will or should happen. I know that Hasselbeck is done, but Vick is not the answer there.

I can’t wait to see Vick back on the field.

AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!

BALLER: The Orlando Magic & Denver Nuggets - You share this honor because you have showed up and played your butts off in the Eastern & Western Conference Finals respectively. The good people at Nike & Vitamin Water have all but written you off. This is obvious because they have been running Kobe v/s LeBron commercials since the playoffs began. In their eyes, you are nothing but a stepping stone. As a fan of the NBA and an even bigger fan of competitive games, I want to thank you for making both the conference finals an actual competitive series. You both have a legit chance of making it to the finals and you are proving to everyone that you aren't going to simply be "Witnesses" to the advertisers dream come true. (For the record, I am pulling for Cleveland & Denver).

(On a somewhat related topic, I noticed that Kobe is referred to as the Black Mamba in some of those commercials. Does anyone really call him that? I have never heard anyone call him that, and I think it is a stupid nickname. Also, who gave him that name. I hope he didn't give it to himself. Doesn't he know that you can't give yourself a nickname. Then it isn't a nickname, it's simply you wishing that you were someone else.)

SCRUB: NBA Commissioner David Stern - You get this honor for allowing companies to run ads basically foreshadowing a finals matchup BEFORE THE FINALS. You have already had a referee get convicted for fixing games, and many casual fans also believe that some games have been fixed in the past. (We aren't even going to get into the alleged frozen envelope during the 1985 draft lottery.) So if one or both of the conference finals go to a seventh game and Cleveland and/or LA win in a close game or on a questionable call, you are really going to open yourself up to criticism for fixing the finals for advertising dollars. Allowing these ads to run before the finals is really stupid, and for that you are my SCRUB OF THE WEEK.

Now for a totally non-sports related topic:

I am 27 years old, and a child of hip-hop music. Not the junk you hear on the radio today, I am referring to the music of rap's golden era, the 1990's. There are a few rappers that I listen to today. Among them are Outkast, Jay Z, TI, Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Lil Wayne and Mos Def, just to name a few. However, I must say that there hasn't been any new talent worth listening to in quite a while. That is until now. For those who appreciate good rap music and is disgusted by the junk that is on the radio today, I recommend that you check out a new artist (as Ghetto Mafia would say) that is Straight from the DEC (Decatur GA). He goes by the name of B.O.B. He is the real deal and the future of hip hop. But don't take my word for it, simply click on the link below.