Uncle Drew is BACK!!!!

I wonder if Maya Moore really did dunk that ball.

Video: Pick-up Basketball Stereotypes

BWHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!

Last-Minute NBA Playoff Round 1 Predictions

Celtics over the Knicks in 7 games. Do not underestimate how the tragedy might help bring Boston as a city together and the Celtics as a team together. And I already had the Celtics winning this series prior to the tragedy but now that they have just that much more to play for, I don't think they're going to go out in the first round. It won't be easy, but they'll pull this series out in 7 games. Not to mention if the Celtics can play consistent defense and get the Knicks to start shooting bad, it'll be 6 games instead of 7, lol.

Chicago over Brooklyn in 6 games. Neither of these teams are very noteworthy but Chicago is a tougher, grittier team with more heart.

Indiana over Atlanta in 5 games. Atlanta is not tough enough or consistent enough to beat Indiana. Not that Indiana is that much better than the Hawks but they're defense and solid big man and swing man play will make this a relatively quick series.

Miami over the Bucks in 5 games. This should be a sweep but I think that Miami has a tendency to play down to their competition (ie - those close games during the 27 game winning streak) and I think the Bucks can steal one.

Golden State over Denver 7 games. This one was really a toss-up for me but I think with Galinari being out, the Warriors have a great chance. This is going to easily be the most exciting series - in terms of points scored - in the first round.

Clippers over Memphis in 6 games. The Grizzlies can slow down the Clippers for a couple games but even when they do, Chris Paul is the best floor general in the game. I am very interested in seeing how rough Z-Bo plays Griffin though.

Lakers over Spurs in 7 games. This is a great match-up for the Lakers. If Steve Blake and Jody Whatley Meeks show up every game, the Lakers have a really good chance to win. The Spurs do not have big men that can stop both Pau and Dwight if they're both aggressive. And from what I hear, Manu may be out and if that's the case, it could get very ugly for the Spurs. I tihnk that Tony Parker will play better than he has been but I don't think that he and Tim Duncan can do it by themselves. I just have a gut feeling the Lakers are going to pull this one off.

Oklahoma City over Houston in 4 games. Unlike the Heat, the Thunder will sweep The "Asian Beards".

Seventh Woods: There's NO REASON for a 14 year old to be this good at basketball, lol

Somebody check slim's ID! This kid is hoopin'!

My Favorite College Basketball Teams

With about an hour to go before the NCAA tournament begins, I figured I would write a post about my favorite college basketball teams (ie - the teams I've been rooting for, for years). Because I went to a small, private school whose basketball team was in Division III, I don't really have any alma mater loyalty when it comes to college basketball. All my favorites stem from my childhood and regional (shocker) fandom.

Georgetown



Before I really understood college basketball, I was a Georgetown fan. Being born in DC and living there as a kid and eventually moving not-so-far away to PG county, Georgetown was always the team that was consistently good and a team that I occasionally got to see. It was post-Patrick Ewing but I got to watch Alonzo, Dikembe, Allen Iverson, Victor Page, etc. as I was growing up and because of those guys I've always rooted for Georgetown. More recently, Jeff Green and Otto Porter have kept my Georgetown fandom alive.

North Carolina



This really is all about my stepdad. He is from North Carolina, used to go on-and-on about Dean Smith all the time, so I paid attention to UNC and rooted for them because my stepdad at one point had me convinced they were the best thing since sliced bread. But what was great about that was I got to grow up through the Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace, George Lynch (yep, I said it), Rick Fox... "eras", lol. UNC had some great teams during that era.

Maryland



Thank Exree Hipp for this one. When he was playing for Maryland I used to play some video game on Sega Genesis I believe where Maryland was the only team I would ever play with because of this lanky-ass swingman. That was a pretty good Maryland team and Steve Francis pretty much made me a Maryland fan for life. Not because of what he did while he was playing there but because I watched this dude drop 52 points like it was nothing at a summer league game and from there I rooted for him and Maryland until he left. Throw Lonny "shoot-em-up" Baxter, Keith Booth, Juan Dixon, and even Chris "oh yeah, he was on that team too" Wilcox in there too when we're talking about Maryland players that made me like them and root for the team.

"Yeah I saw him there... I guess he ain't see me!"

First DeAndre, now this smh.

Then I came to find out that Jason Terry said he wasn't impressed with what the Heat have done on their 23 game winning streak. I wonder how he feels now, lol.

Kevin Durant's Sprint Commercial is Hilarious!

The lady in this commercial completely nailed it.

Why Brandon Knight? WHYYYYYYYY????

The sound of this bama Brandon Knight hitting the ground though, smh.

[sarcasm] A Mildly Impressive Dunk [/sarcasm]

Jeremy Lin Skit: Another Reason Why Saturday Night Live is DOPE

This skit pretty much undresses all the underlying racist shyt going on surrounding Jeremy Lin.


More on this skit at the Huffington Post. Thanks K for sending this to me.

NBA Draft: What Cleveland Should Do

I have a few theories on what the Cavs should do with their picks and because I know so many people care what I think about sports (HA!) I'll share. The way I see it, Cleveland needs a few things:

1. A player that is exciting enough to help fill the seats to make up for the Post-LeBron drop-off in attendance that I *assume* took place.
2. A player that will actually fit-in with their team system as it currently exists. Perhaps this isn't as big of a need but it would be nice if the new player(s) could fit into the system rather than changing the system that is currently in-place.
3. A point guard. Even though I like B-Diddy (Baron Davis) because he's really exciting sometimes, he just isn't gonna cut it long-term. And Daniel "Boobie" Gibson isn't the answer either.
4. A new franchise-type player.

It's these four things that make Cleveland's two picks in this year's draft (number 1 and number 4) so interesting to me. In my opinion, the best player available in the draft is Derrick Williams. Dude already has an "NBA body", can shoot the college 3-pointer (mid-range game for the win), has a nice game around the rim as well as a nice game facing the basket. People are saying he's a "tweener" and all this other prognosticated bullshyt. Dude is a BASKETBALL PLAYER. Go back to Charles Barkley and he was probably a tweener when he first came into the league and he's now one of the best players of all-time. If you can play score or defend at an elite level, you'll be ok in the NBA and Williams has the body and skillset to do both. 

I don't dislike Kyrie Irving and I understand the PG-focused nature of the NBA at this time so it makes sense to take him with the #1 pick just as much as it does to take Williams (if not more). But based on what I've seen of Irving and the fact that he only played 11 games at Duke I liken taking him with the number 1 pick to taking a high school point guard with the number 1 pick. Has that ever happened? EVER? A high school career and 11 games at Duke and you're the #1 pick in the NBA draft as a point guard? Yeah, ok. I think Irving will do well in the league because he's definitely a pure point guard (all the Chris Paul comparisons are kind of annoying at this point though) but I don't think his impact will be felt as immediately as Derrick Williams. Two or three years from now we'll be saying "that Irving pick was really really smart" whereas next season we may very well be saying "Derrick Williams look like a rookie of the year candidate for sure and a franchise player for years to come". 

In the end, if I were Cleveland, I'd do one of two things:

1. Take Williams with the first pick and trade the fourth pick (and maybe JJ Hickson) for a proven point guard like Tony Parker who is already on the trading block and who also can take some of the scoring load off Williams shoulders. Parker isn't a pure point guard really, he's a great scorer going to the rim which means kick-outs to Williams for jump-shots or follow-up dunks for Williams off misses. Steve Nash and Johnny Flynn are also on the trading block evidently but Nash ain't going to a start-up and Flynn isn't really proven enough to give up a lot for.
2. Take Williams with the first pick and take either Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker with the 4th pick because Irving won't be around then. I know people don't like Kemba as much as Knight or Irving at this point (at least that's what analysts are saying) but I think Kemba has heart and the skill to be an effective point guard. Or, he could be the next Ben Gordon (UConn fans don't act like ya'll don't know, lol). But I think if Kemba's extra Bronx azz can humble himself and learn to be a more pure PG who can also score, he'll be a nice compliment to Williams for years to come.
3. [This was my original thought] Take Irving #1 and take Williams at #4. But it's obvious at this point that Williams won't be around that long so I think number 1 or 2 above would be the way to go.

It'll be interesting to see how all this plays out.

The Knicks aren't very good (yet), but Boston isn't much better

Watching the first two games of the Boston vs. NY series has made me realize a few things...

Number 1: The Knicks are NOT playing smart, disciplined basketball when it really matters.

Game 1, Melo takes a three ball at the end of the game rather than trying to drive and drawing contact. Game 2, Jared Jeffries doofs a pass at the end of the game when he could have simply tried to actually shoot the ball. Not to mention with 4+ seconds left the Knicks let the Celtics inbound the ball and run the clock out (completely inexcusable at that point in the game).

Number 2: Mike D'Antoni teams play defense by happenstance.

Call it playing defense "when you want to" or playing defense by happenstance, either way the Knicks and D'Antoni's Suns teams were and are notorious for scoring and not playing much defense. How many times do commentators and other coaches have to say "defense wins championships" before we all realize that for the most part, it's completely true?! Melo and Stoudemire, the two stars on this team (well, one SUPERstar and one star), play defense when they want. Stoudemire's much more of a defensive force when he puts his mind to it. Melo well we all know he's there primarily to put the ball in the bucket. But imagine if he wanted to play defense at the level of a Kobe, Dwight (both are great individual defenders), and maybe even Dwayne Wade, or LeBron (two great team defenders).

Number 3: The Knicks have no real veteran leadership.

Boston's veteran leadership and will to win has shown at the end of each of these first two games. They should be down 0-2 right now having dropped two games on their home floor. If the Knicks had a couple veteran guys who are committed to keeping everyone on the same page in tough situations and executing well, I think they would have won the first two games. Melo cannot win by himself. I repeat, it's GREAT to watch and he's a beast on the offensive end but MELO CANNOT WIN BY HIMSELF! That was proven in Denver and it was proven again last night. He needs help from not only Amare but some veteran guys who aren't afraid to step up, speak up, and make sure everyone is giving their all in each phase of the game when it really counts. Maybe Chauncey can play this role or does play this role somewhat, but I feel like there's still someone missing (P.J. Brown, anyone?).

Number 4: The Celtics are not looking too good.

Maybe this series is gonna be their wake-up call but after watching them almost blow two games to a Knicks team that they shouldn't be having this much trouble with, I'm not so convinced that the Celtics are going to be as tough of an "out" this year for Miami or Chicago as I initially thought. Maybe they are underestimating the Knicks a bit or maybe they're just lethargic right now and will really get-up for the next round (if they make it). Either way, the Celtics are looking a little old to me and I'm not sure they'll be able to get it together, even with Shaq in the line-up. Especially when you consider the Knicks almost won last night without Chauncey and with Amare out for the majority of the game. If the Knicks actually were a team that executed well for a full 48 minutes, they would have won.

Number 5: Doc Rivers is a hell of a coach.

I think I knew this already, but I really came to appreciate just how good a coach he is after these last two games. Last night (as pointed out by the commentators) he fooled everyone by giving KG the chance to make the go-ahead bucket. I would have bet money that Pierce was gonna get that shot. This isn't the sole reason I think he's a good coach obviously, but it's an example of where I think his coaching ability stands-out (or either he just got lucky, ha). Doc just seems to know his team very well as far as strengths and weaknesses go and he also has the complete respect and command of his team. I don't see that from the Knicks (and a lot of other teams... Hey Spoelstra!) in the same way I see it from the Celtics. Those guys in green believe they always have a chance to win and they trust their coach to get them there. The Knicks seem to believe they have a chance to win if Melo & Amare can get it done moreso than they believe in their coach and what he's asking them to do.

Looks like I'm not the only one that had an answer for LeBron

1. LeBron James is my favorite player in the NBA. Yeah "The Decision" was a gbad look but I'm talking about on-the-court, not off (shot out to Kobe).
2. The Heat have gotten off to a very AVERAGE start at best. I'm not sure of their record, but I know they won't be challenging that 72-10 record the Bulls had back in the day.
3. I've already commented on what I think LeBron should do. Apparently, there are a couple virals floating around the InterWeb that also address what LeBron should do (see below)

Shot out to Clevelanders that are "still salt bout dat".


Shot out to whoever mashed up the Jumpman and LeBron ads together. This is a pretty good job.

Your eventual 2010-2011 NBA Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin

Watch the video and realize that Blake Griffin is an athletic freak. Also realize that since he didn't play a game last year this is technically his rookie year. AND realize that he is also eligible for the dunk contest because he's "technically" a rookie.

To be honest, I'm not sure how John Wall is doing (and I'm a Wizards fan). He could be putting up stellar numbers. But the one (or in this case 10) thing(s) John Wall cannot do is stuff like you just saw in that video. Fans care about freakish dunks more than stats - just ask Harold Minor. And Griffin's capable of putting up both.

LeBron may just want to let his basketball do the talking

I saw this online last night for the first time and my initial reaction was "Hmmmm. Intersting." The more I have thought about it the more I wanted to support LeBron (I'm a big LeBron fan) and this commercial. He comes across introspective and slightly remorseful (or not at all, depending on your interpretation). He pokes Barkley and Jordan in response to their comments about his "Decision" to join D Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. And he asks some rhetorical questions about the happenings of the past few months.

I wanted to feel the rebellion LeBron seemed to feel when filming this. I wanted to feel like this commercial did a good job of justifying the "I'm just doing me" attitude of my generation and LeBron's. But really, I just can't.

"Should I stop listening to my friends" he asks. Then he says, "they're my friends". This isn't high school and I know he's not that far removed from high school but that's a bit immature. Just because they're your friends doesn't mean they give good advice. Just because you're loyal to them (and vice-versa) doesn't mean you should take their advice. Fact is, your friend(s) helped you make what many believe to be a really bad decision in doing "The Decision". I think it was a bad idea no matter how much money it raised for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Had he chose to stay in Cleveland, maybe it would have been a "decent" idea. But to do an hour long special knowing you were gonna go to another team was in poor taste no matter how much you're doing what's right for you and yours. Even when you're "doing you", there's a way to be respectful of others.

In the very beginning he asks, "what should I do?" and at the end he asks "should I be who you want me to be?" The answers to both of those questions are really quite simple. You should just play basketball and be whoever you are. The latter of which we've all seemed to get a much better idea of since "The Decision".

LeBron's legacy won't be tarnished when-and-if the Heat win a couple titles. LeBron will regain popularity this season much like Kobe did after he beat the rape case. My advice would be for LeBron to let his basketball do the talking. No need to care what people think. He didn't break any laws! We live in a society where people are fickle. They'll love you one day and hate you the next and vice-versa. It's like Jay-Z said: "First they love you then they hate you then they love you again!"

LeBron, what goes around comes around. They loved you in Cleveland. They hate you now. But when you guys start winning in Miami and you're droppin' triple doubles, they'll love you again. Well, most of them will, lol. You've got a talent that not many people have and been blessed to make millions of dollars using it. Instead of feeding into the media's reaction and fighting over your so-called marketability and image...

How about you remember that damn near 100% of your "marketability" is tied to the sport you love and are gifted at.

How about you just do basketball well like you've been doing and watch the marketability and brand rebound (pun intended). You've gotta remember that if you couldn't play basketball, you wouldn't be half as rich or as popular as your are right now. Stick to what you do best and find a mentor with experience in the NBA limelight both on-and-off the court but not someone as huge as Jordan or Barkley. Someone with a bit more humility and less fame that's grounded might do you some good.

And last but not least, if you do decide to address something, make it something more worthwhile than what people think about your dumb-azz "Decision". Make it something that counts! Like the fact that no matter how rich you may be, there will always be a white man richer than you that writes your checks for both on-and-off the court activities. Or, the fact that no matter how much money you make or fame you are given, to a lot of people you're still a tall, muscular, lawn jockey. And for all the progressive white folk that may read this, everything isn't about race but a lot of it is. Even if it's subconscious and not overt, it still is.

But to answer your question... What should you do? Play basketball. JUST DO IT!

King Kong ain't got nothing on Dan Gilbert

I think it's safe to say that this is how Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert feels about LeBron. Imagine Ethan Hawk as LeBron, Denzel as Dan Gilbert, and let's just call Terry Crews and Cle "Boan" Slone D. Wade and Chris Bosh for fun...



D Wade: Lebron, go 'head and bounce homie. Get up outta here, we got your back.

D Gilbert: Oh no you didn't...

Hey hey King! King! KING! Come back here! King!

KING! I need my money...

*turns to Wade and Bosh*

Oh you mothereffers...I'm putting cases on all you b*tches!

...You mothereffers will be playing BASKETBALL IN PELICAN BAY when I get through witcha! Shoe program ni**a!

*turns to LeBron*

Go 'head and walk away, cuz WE gon' burn this [Cleveland] mfer down!!!

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!

NBA Real Talk: Where Phil Jackson Signs > Where LeBron Signs

One thing rings true in every NBA-related conversation I have with die-hard basketball fans, Phil Jackson is not to be effed with as a coach. People don't like Kobe. People don't like LeBron. But everybody seems to like and respect Phil Jackson. Why? Because Phil is that dude. Phil Jackson is in a category all by himself when it comes to basketball coaches that have been coaching since the year I was born (you are a fool if you think I'm gonna list the year). Jerry Sloan has had longevity and deserves a mention but you know what he doesn't have, an NBA title (and the sad part is he won't get one). Phil's got like a baker's dozen of them shyts (not really a baker's dozen, but close)!!!

Phil just capped off a second season in a row of winning a title with arguably the best player in the game (definitely the most hated superstar player) and a supporting cast of 2 all-star caliber players (Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol), 1 old guy with a ridiculous amount of heart and resolve (Derek Fisher), and a young kid that may blossom into a pretty good center some day that happens to be like 7 feet tall (Andrew Bynum). The Lakers starting 5 couldn't get much better than it is right now considering salary cap restraints in the NBA. It's not like they're going to go sign Wade, LeBron, Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Bosh, or another one of the big names this off-season AND still be able to keep the nucleus they have. Phil's got nothing left to prove with this team other than they can win a 3rd title in a row.

This would be a great challenge and is the primary reason I think Kobe will go so far as to beg Phil to stay (will he offer to eff him in the A is the question b/c you know how Kobe rolls and Phil's a lil too "Zen" sometimes...Yes, I'm a Kobe-hater). But I think there's a much more interesting scenario that I'd like to see play out, and partly because I'm a huge fan of that guy from Akron.

What if Phil Jackson signed-on to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers?

I don't think I've heard any commentator mention this yet so either I'm uninformed about some reason he can't/won't go to Cleveland, or I need to apply for a job at ESPN. Think about it...

1. LeBron would come back FOR SURE because Phil is a gigantic upgrade from Mike "Can't Figure Out the Proper Rotation" Brown and would immediately give LeBron a coach he could trust without second-guessing. Phil's a proven coach and LeBron's coachable so my assumption is that LeBron would be fine with doing whatever Phils says because it's obviously worked.


2. Phil would have the opportunity to have coached the 3 greatest players of my lifetime and take them all to at least 1 championship. Imagine 10 years from now when they're talking about the greatest coach ever and they say he coached Michael, Kobe, and LeBron to NBA titles. Seriously, that would be amazing! Three sure-fire Hall of Famers and 3 of the best 10 basketball players of all-time (assuming LeBron doesn't get injured, fall off a cliff athletically, or let his mother's scrumpet tendencies screw up his life). Phil's legacy would be completely cemented and we'd probably not see another coach pull that off, eVAR!


3. Phil would also have the chance to build a supporting cast around LeBron the same way he did with Michael in Chi-Town and Kobe in L.A. I'd argue that Kobe's supporting cast is better than what Mike had back in the day and also what LeBron has had since he came into the league. People don't seem to realize just how good Pau Gasol was in Memphis and how Lamar Odom's versatility creates nightmare match-ups even when he is as inconsistent as he is (you've still gotta account for him). And throw in Bynum as another tall guy on the block and that's more trouble to deal with. Then add Mr. Fake-Azz Queensbridge (Ron Artest) to the mix and you've got a defender who can give the best swingmen in the league a tough time. That team is LOADED! Imagine Phil taking a year or two or three to build that in Cleveland and also helping LeBron mature as a basketball player (just like he helped Kobe).

All this makes me feel that the question of where Phil ends up (that is, if he is actually gonna consider leaving) is FAR more interesting than where LeBron will end up. It's been shown that neither Kobe nor LeBron could do it by themselves. Kobe needed the cast he has now and LeBron needs a better supporting cast. M.J. had Scottie (ummm yeah, that's pretty much it people). No disrespect to John Paxson, BJ Armstrong, Craig Hodges, Steve Kerr, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Tony Kukoc, or whoever else you name, but collectively (over 6 championship years)they do NOT compare to the talent of this year's Lakers. Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time because he willed those guys to win and that team played like a well-oiled machine (thanks to Phil).

The common denominator in all this however, is Phil Jackson. In my mind he's without argument the greatest coach ever at this point and he's still young enough to coach for more years should he choose to do so. He's gonna get paid a ridiculous amount of money no matter where he goes so it's going to be about a challenge for him. Whether the challenge of another championship in L.A. is more intriguing than building a winner elsewhere is something we'll see in a few months. I hope Phil elects to take the road less traveled because that's damn sure the one that leads to Cleveland. I can already see the "PhilBron" and/or "LeJackson" signs at the Q, lol.

P.S. - The one wrinkle in my theory is that Phil's girl is Jeannie Buss, daughter of Laker's owner Jerry Buss. I'm sure she could find a way to influence him, lol.

ATHLETES of the WEEK: Allen Iverson

This week A.I. resigned with the Philadelphia 76ers. Am I supposed to be excited about this? Am I supposed to be excited for him? Really, am I?

I think this is a desperate move for A.I. and an obvious business move for the 76ers. Allen doesn't need the money, he just needs the spotlight/ball. Everybody knows that even with A.I. the 76ers aren't doing anything this year. The Sixers could have Moses Malone, Dr. J, A.I., Andre Iguodala (WTF is an Iguodala by the way), and Eric Snow and they STILL would not do ANYTHING this year!!!

Everybody should know that they're only bringing in Allen because he's loved by Philly fans and he undoubtedly help ticket sales. Sure the 76ers need help when you consider Lou Williams is out for 8 weeks with a broken jaw. And sure, Iverson could come in and average 25+ points per game on that team which really doesn't have a true scorer other than Williams. But in the end, what is Allen looking to get out of this situation other than a starting spot and the ability to jack-up shots whenever he wants? I don't think John Thompson would have advised him to come out of his semi-retirement to play for the 76ers.

The only way I can think this will pan out to give Iverson what he claims he wants (a championship) is if the following happens...

1. Iverson comes back and averages about 25 per game (which is HIGHLY possible).
2. He demands a trade at the trade deadline to a contender (*knocks on microphone*...Cleveland, are you there? Hey, is this thing on?) to come off the bench or maybe even start in the case that someone's point guard is injured for the remainder of the season.
3. He makes a run with the contender and somehow manages NOT to screw up the chemistry of the team (the way Shaq-a-saurus is doing in Cleveland) before they make it to the Finals and win a championship.

Aside from this strategy, the only way I see this making sense for Allen is to perform well until Lou comes back, take a seat on the bench, and come off the bench as the sixth man with the green light, and average 20+ off the bench.

Yes, I know that benching Allen friggin Iverson for Lou Williams sounds stupid if not mildly Eli Porter. But so does Allen Iverson accepting a 1-year tender to play with the 76ers when he's trying to win a championship! The fact of the matter is that if A.I. comes in there and shoots the ball a billion times a game he's going to hurt the 76ers growth as a team more than help them. They have young players that won't be able to develop this year and after this year we all know Allen is out of there and the 76ers will most likely be left with a set of young players that missed a year of growth.

Fill the seats now, or build a contender for next year or the year after? That's the question the 76ers brass answered when they signed A.I. It's ALL about the money.

To me though, this signing says more about Allen Iverson needing the ball/spotlight than it does about the 76ers (a business) making a business decision. It doesn't seem like Allen has matured from those years in Denver and Detroit when everybody wanted to surmise that he'd grown and developed into a more team-oriented player. I'm not saying that he isn't a team-oriented guy or that he can't or hasn't been one but I AM SAYING that he won't be one on this particular team. A.I. needed to go to a team that is a contender with veteran leaders (San Antonio) or a combination of young studs and veteran leaders (Cleveland, Boston) in order to be the team-oriented Allen we all know he can be when he wants to.

But there is one angle in all of this I haven't considered much to be honest. Maybe A.I. is being black-balled by a large number of teams in the league because of his "reputation". He has a reputation as a guy who plays hard every game but doesn't like to practice. He has a reputation as a me-first guy that isn't unselfish enough to fit into a true team structure. And he also has a bad boy image no matter how much some people want to act like the corn rows, tattoos, and street gear are now a non-issue. Just a thought.

What I do know FOR SURE is that he's not going to win a championship in Philly...EVER! That opportunity was lost several years ago. So my advice to him would be to play his butt off until late January and hope someone makes a trade offer for him that the 76ers can't resist. In the meantime I'm sure A.I. and Mike Vick will have the Philly party scene going bonkers!

31 Things I Learned While at the Wizards/Cavaliers Game Last Night

1. You can really appreciate the movement within a basketball game from the nosebleeds

2. LeBron James understands the significance of his celebrity and how it impacts the success of the NBA. During warm-ups everybody else is laying it up and he's doing windmills.

3. Mike Brown is not incompetent, but he could definitely be a better coach. There were at least 3 points in last night's game where I felt like he could have called a timeout to stop the Wizards momentum and he let the game play out thinking that his team could coach itself. Leadership FAIL!

4. The Wizards always have at least 3 dudes that you assume are from Barry Farms, just came off a 10 day contract, or you have never heard of before.

5. Every time Andray Blatche touches the ball on offense I say "self-check" to myself because he can only score by mistake. It's like playing at the local gym and the worst guy on the other team lucks up and hits the game-winner on you. HE is THAT GUY!

6. That McGee kid looked like he had potential.

7. If the Wizards get Blake Griffin and keep their stars in place --> Arenas at the 1, Caron at the 2, Jamison at the 3, Blake at the 4, Haywood (softie) at the 5. Juan (should list this bama last), Songalia (who actually can hoop at times), Stevenson (who the Wiz overpaid and should drop and just keep Mike James coming in off the bench), and Etan Thomas on the bench. No, I do not count Andray Blatche.

8. Tigger is a bama but I respect his hustle.

9. Why is it always 1 or 2 young black women that gotta shake like they're in a strip club when the camera is spanning the crowd? Why is that an immediate reaction for some? Sad.

10. Why do people act like they wanna hide from the camera and then wave?

11. Gilbert Arenas still has it, but he's rusty. And he had a great all-around game which is what he should probably take away from the win. But the only way I would keep him on the roster is if I got Griffin in the draft though.

12. I am always siced when the Wizards score 100 points because I get free papa johns or two for 1 drinks at the chophouse after the game. Free food/drinks = YES!

13. Do not go to the Green Turtle before a game.

14. On a certain level the games are more fun in the nose faucet seats than sitting lower. You get the crazies in the nosebleed section.

15. But I would still sit lower if I had that ROLL!

16. Always eat before you go in the MCI Center. You're better off paying for the over-priced drinks than the food.

17. LeBron James could average 50 per game if he really wanted to.

18. Mo Williams has a little Steve Nash in him at times.

19. WALLY!

20. I effs with Daneger for coming through the Green Turtle. No Dane-Hate for 72 hours.

21. I will give Ilgauskus 12. Nullus (courtesy Bol).

22. It's not a good look to bring your 1-2 year old to the game and sit them on your lap.

23. It's always one loud person yelling out incorrect statements about players, stats, sports history as if they are 100% correct. ALWAYS!

24. DeShawn Stevenson is a clown. I'm convinced. What's worse is that he thinks he's cool.

25. Bullets > Wizards > Zephyrs

26. People should not be allowed to buy the jersey of an NBA player that does not get more than 5 minutes per game.

27. Ed Tapscott...Who?

28. Antawn Jamison is still soft but he can still dunk. I'm shocked.

29. The Wizards/Cavs rivalry makes my sports life more exciting.

30. A first round Wiz/Cavs matchup would make for an interesting minute on PTI.

31. I would have never made it as a basketball player.