Dolores Hope, wife of Bob Hope, dies at 102

Dolores Hope, wife of comedian Bob Hope, died on Monday, September 19, at age of 102. She passed away at her home near Los Angeles. Funeral services will be private and she is set to be buried next to her husband, who died at age 100 in 2003, the family's spokesperson said in a statement obtained by OnTheRedCarpet.com. The two were married for almost 70 years. Dolores Hope was Bob Hope's second wife. She is survived by two of their four adopted children - daughter Linda and son William, three grandchildren and one great-grandson. Dolores Hope was born Dolores DeFina in Harlem, New York in 1909 and was a singer and a philanthropist. She put her music career on hold to raise her family but joined her husband on his USO trips to entertain U.S. troops. She later returned to singing at age 83 and recorded several albums and performed in New York with Rosemary Clooney, actor George Clooney's aunt, who died in 2002. Flowers will be placed on her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard, on Monday afternoon, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said in a statement. (Pictured: Dolores Hope appears in an undated photo provided by her spokesperson on Sept. 19, 2011.)

Singer John Mayer cancels concerts due to ailment

Acoustic rocker John Mayer has bowed out of a series of concerts after suffering from "something next to my vocal cords called a granuloma," he said in a statement released Friday.
The singer and songwriter said he had undergone months of monitoring, but the condition -- a small area of tissue inflammation that most often occurs in the lungs -- had prevented him from going ahead with the performances.
"I'm bummed to have to bow out of both the iheartradio Music Festival in Las Vegas and an appearance with Tony Bennett in Los Angeles," he said in the statement. "I know there were people depending on me to be there and I'm sorry that I can't be on those stages."
Mayer's soon-to-be-released album "Born and Raised" also will be delayed.
It's "complete as far as music recording, song selection, and in some cases mixing," he said. "But because of this condition I couldn't finish singing on several of the tracks."
The album, as a result, will be released next year "instead of this fall or winter."
"This is a temporary setback, though I'm not sure how long or short a period of time it will be," he said. "I've got the best doctors in the country looking after me and I will be singing and touring again as soon as I get the all clear."
Mayer said he plans to spend the down time writing and composing, and "kicking an empty soup can around the West Village."

Steve Javie retiring as NBA referee

Although NBA referees, after agreeing to a new five-year contract earlier this week, are assured of returning whenever the league resumes play, veteran Steve Javie will not be among them.

Javie, rated as one of the league's top officials during the past 15 years, is retiring because of an arthritic right knee.

[+] Enlarge
Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images
Steve Javie, one of the NBA's top officials, won't return due to a bad knee.
The injury forced him to miss the end of the 2009-2010 season, but he returned last fall with the hope of making it to the 25-year mark as an NBA referee.

He accomplished that, but filed his retirement papers when the pain in his right knee and his doctors convinced him a 26th year was not realistic.

An NBA referee must submit his papers within 30 days of the last Finals game if he does not plan to return.

Javie worked both Games 1 and 6 of the 2011 Finals, making him one of six referees to officiate two games. It is an honor reserved for the league's highest-rated referees and reflects that Javie is going out on top.

"I would like to stay at it and end it on my own terms, but in a way I feel as if I'm doing that in that I got to work that 25th year," he said. "Adrenaline is an amazing drug. The two weeks after the season, the knee was so painful I couldn't believe it. My doctor said it was because the adrenaline from the season had finally worn off. Every time I start to think maybe I still could do it, my knee has let me know, one way or another, that I can't."

Javie's father, Stan, was an NFL field judge and back judge for 29 years and counseled his son that it was better to leave while your work is still respected "than to be one of those guys that hangs on and everybody says it's a shame he's still working, and we have some of those," Javie said.

"I would like to keep a hand in basketball, as a consultant for the NBA or somewhere else, but I also have the foundation that my wife and I started and I'm looking forward to doing more with that," he said.

The Javie Foundation for Charity has been raising money for abused and abandoned kids and homeless men in the Philadelphia area for the past 13 years.

During the previous NBA lockout, in 1999, Javie was one of 15 referees charged with income-tax evasion for downgrading plane tickets provided by the league and not reporting the funds saved. Javie, alone, pleaded not guilty and won his case. "You have to fight for your name," he said at the time.

Bob Delaney, who also reached the 25-year milestone last season, is retiring as well, a decision he announced at the start of last season.

But 71-year-old Dick Bavetta, the league's oldest official, has not filed and apparently plans to return for a 37th season, according to several sources.

Newton leads NFL, Panthers' rookies

Cam Newton may be the highest profile rookie in the NFL with the season getting underway this weekend, but he’s got some company regarding the green factor on his own team.

The Carolina Panthers made Newton the top pick in last April’s NFL draft after he won the Heisman Trophy and led Auburn to the national championship. The Panthers saw the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton’s physical attributes and their mouths watered. They also regarded his winning nature and felt taking him with the top pick was a no-brainer.

Joining Newton in their first true NFL experiences when the Carolina Panthers visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday (4 p.m. EST) are six other rookies. Newton is excited, and he knows everything will be amped up much higher than in preseason games.

“Going from the preseason to the regular season, every game counts now,” Newton said this week. “Everybody’s going to have a different swagger about themselves.”

Newton is rare in that he’s a rookie starting his pro debut, and even rarer that he’s doing so as a quarterback. With the franchise tag already essentially emblazoned on his shoulders, that’s a lot of pressure for someone who started only 13 games in major college football.

But Newton won’t allow himself to get psyched out.

“I imagined nothing,” he said, when asked what he thought his first game week would be like. “I’m just happy that I have the ability that I am playing and that I’m starting in this league.”

Familiarity will accompany Newton on his first road trip, as a former Auburn teammate, Lee Ziemba, is also making his professional debut. Ziemba, an offensive tackle selected in the seventh round, helped protect Newton during last season’s magical run for the War Eagles.

The other rookies making the trip are third-round picks Sione Fua, a defensive tackle from Stanford, and Terrell McClain, a defensive tackle from South Florida, offensive guard Byron Bell (New Mexico), cornerback Josh Thomas (Buffalo), and wide receiver Kealoha Pilares (Hawaii).

Bell and Thomas were signed as undrafted free agents, while Pilares was a fifth-round selection.

Carolina will rely heavily on Fua and McClain along the defensive interior. It’s a rough place for rookies to acclimate themselves to the next level, and the Panthers will suffer as the pair go through growing pains.

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera doesn’t want excuses, he wants his guys to perform, regardless of their experience level.

“Well, they’re professionals,” he said about the young bigs who will start up front. “That’s just the way it is. I am concerned, obviously, because they lack experience. But, they’re professional football players, and I expect them to perform and maintain and do their jobs.”

Pilares’ speed and ability to run through and by would-be tacklers helped earn him a spot on the roster. He’s listed third on the depth chart, which makes him the team’s fifth receiver, but he has the potential to move up to the fourth or even third spot before long. He will also return some punts.

Darvin Adams, WR (Auburn), Bryant Browning, G (Ohio State), Kendric Burney, CB (North Carolina), Thomas Keiser, DE (Stanford), Greg Smith, TE (Texas), and Lawrence Wilson, LB (Connecticut), are all rookies on the 8-man practice squad. Zach Williams, an offensive lineman from Washington State, is on the injured reserve list.

The football universe knows the Carolina Panthers will rely on rookie Cam Newton, but he isn’t the only newbie being counted on to produce if the team is going to exceed expectations.

ets betting big that Plaxico Burress still has it

If the quarterback down the turnpike hadn’t gone from behind bars to the middle of the MVP conversation last season, the return of Plaxico Burress to the NFL might carry a bit more of the air of the unknown, the scent of a novelty act.
Instead, there is an oddly immediate precedent as the 34-year-old wide receiver comes back to professional football after missing two seasons while serving a prison sentence. While Burress was pondering post patterns during his time at Sing Sing, Michael Vick came back with the Philaelphia Eagles, gradually emerging from behind Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb to emerge as a more polished version of his old highlight-reel self.
Now it’s Burress to the Jets after two years away. When he last played, Burress was less than a year removed from his Super Bowl-winning catch against the Patriots. He had a brand-new, big-money contract and the Giants were 12-1 and in great shape for a championship repeat. All that disappeared when Burress accidentally shot himself in a night club.
“A guy that was ready for a second opportunity,” said his new teammate Santonio Holmes. “He was pretty much in his prime, really reaching his peak.”
Burress is not Vick. He’s five years older than Vick was in 2009, plays a different position, is a different type of athlete. The speed and quickness that always made Vick special is the type of skill more likely to fade with inactivity and age. But Burress was never a quicksilver wide receiver. His 6-foot-5 height set him apart, and the man didn’t shrink.
Before the Jets played the Cincinnati Bengals in their second preseason game, coach Rex Ryan approached Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis, the defensive coordinator in Baltimore when Ryan was an assistant there and Burress was playing for the division rival Steelers.
“Hey, Marv,” Ryan said, “look how big this guy is.”
That’s the primary reason that Burress is here, that the Jets snuck in and swept him up with a guaranteed one-year deal while he was on his way to the West Coast after meeting with the Giants.
Last season the Jets were dismal in the red zone, 28th in efficiency in the NFL. And the closer he got to the end zone, the worse quarterback Mark Sanchez got. Sanchez completed just 47.7 percent of his passes inside the 20 and 29.6 percent inside the 10.
Burress is supposed to be the solution to that.
“It’s a nice bit of insurance there having a big player like that, a big body, somebody who knows how to use his body,” said Sanchez. “He’s a great target.”
“He’s got that mismatch every time he goes up,” said Ryan after Burress caught a touchdown pass diving for a fade in the end zone against the Bengals in his first action as a Jet. “You see we beat cover one and we beat cover zero throwing the ball up to him and I don’t care who you are playing corner, you could be Willie Brown or Darrelle Revis out there, it’s gonna be tough.”
Ryan needs to be right. The Jets may be betting their season that Burress can be the player he was three years ago and lift their passing game up from the bottom half of the league.
They let Braylon Edwards walk, choosing Burress instead. Edwards ended up with a one-year deal in San Francisco for around the same money the Jets gave Burress. Last season Edwards led the Jets with 17.1 yards per catch and seven touchdown catches.
They agreed to release steady veteran Jerricho Cotchery, a reliable receiver who apparently tired of all the new faces — Holmes, Edwards, Burress, Derrick Mason — brought in to play ahead of him through the years.
Mason is the 37-year-old who will step into Cotchery’s No. 3 spot, his numbers steadily declining since he caught a career-high 103 passes in 2007.
And while the Jets were chasing cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in the opening days of the free-agent frenzy, versatile fourth receiver Brad Smith bolted for Buffalo.
The Jets didn’t bring in Burress to be a complementary guy or a No. 3 receiver. They’re expecting a receiver dangerous enough to keep the pressure off Holmes. They’re expecting Burress to be the player he was three and four years ago.
Not surprisingly, Ryan sees big things coming.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons,” said Ryan. “I think it’s gonna be something when you put Plaxico out there with Santonio and Derrick Mason. That’s gonna be a special group I think.”
The start was promising enough. In his Jets debut against the Bengals, Burress closed the first half with a spectacular catch, laying out to grab a 26-yard fade over the shoulder.
“Once a ballplayer,” said Holmes, “always a ballplayer.”
That was preseason. Sunday against the Cowboys, the Jets will start to find out if Burress was worth it.
“It’s football,” said Burress. “It feels normal. Nothing about the game has changed.”

NBA, players union meeting Wednesday

NBA Commissioner David Stern and union representatives including Lakers guard Derek Fisher are scheduled to attend another bargaining session Wednesday in New York in an effort to end the two-month-old lockout, sources reported Tuesday.

The parties met last week for the second time since the lockout took effect. The players have agreed to accept a smaller percentage of league income but have balked at the league's proposed $2-billion total salary cap after earning $2.15 billion last season.

The scheduled opening of training camp is the first week of October.

Both sides continued to be reluctant to assess the tone of the talks despite some reports that there was momentum to strike a deal. Stern told reporters after last week's meeting that there was "clearly enough time" to save regular-season games that are set to begin Nov. 1.

"I could see it going either way," former MVP guard Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns told the Canadian Press on Tuesday. "It looks like right now we probably won't start on time.

"Hopefully, as we start to get into the time of year where everyone is missing basketball, we can start to concede on some points that each other are looking for and find a middle ground. That would be the best of both worlds."

Wednesday's meeting could spawn follow-up sessions later this week, sources have reported to Associated Press.

Veterans, agents concerned Pryor ban could set bad precedent

The playing status of Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor remains up in the air, as does the appeal of the five-game suspension he was assessed after the NFL allowed him to enter the August supplemental draft.

The league was informed of Pryor's intent to appeal the suspension and related discipline on Aug. 25, and on Aug. 31, the NFL Players Association was invited to lodge its objections to the punishments levied by commissioner Roger Goodell.


No formal letter of appeal is necessary in this case, as the email from Pryor's camp notifying the league of the intent to appeal is considered the appeal.

The Raiders selected Pryor in the third round of the supplemental draft on August 22 and are in favor of the appeal in hopes of, at the very least, reducing the restrictions on Pryor, according to a league source.

The next step in the process, according to the source, is for Goodell to set a hearing date, though Pryor could pull the plug on the appeal at any time. Pryor has been apprised in the last few days of the status of the appeal, while continuing working with the Raiders.

The league declined comment on the matter on Monday night.

Concerns from veteran players and agents over the NFL enforcing NCAA penalties are the driving force behind the appeal at this point, with figures in those areas concerned that a dangerous precedent could be set. In December, Pryor was suspended for the first five games of the 2011 college season by the NCAA for accepting improper benefits and selling awards, a penalty that might seem to mirror the NFL's punishment, though the league's contention has been that the two are not directly related.

Pryor's coach at Ohio State, Jim Tressel, was also set to serve a five-game suspension at the beginning of 2011, before resigning on Memorial Day, which led to Pryor leaving school to pursue an NFL career. Tressel has since been hired by the Colts as a game-day consultant. Tressel and the team released a statement on Monday saying that the coach will sit out the first six weeks of the season.

The position of the veteran players and agents is that the NFL shouldn't be involved in NCAA punishments in either case.

The process of Pryor getting into the supplemental draft was handled over the first two weeks of August, primarily between the quarterback's camp and the commissioner's office. The decision to suspend Pryor for five games was Goodell's, with the player's right to appeal written into the verdict. Part of the commissioner's ruling that Pryor's camp fought hard for was his right to be at his new team's facility, and participate in meetings -- something that was granted.

NFL Roster Cuts 2011: Kansas City Chiefs Announce First Wave Of Cuts

The number of players cut today will be exorbitant for each team in the NFL today, as 864 players will go from officially being on a team’s roster to searching for another place to fulfill their NFL dreams. With lots of decisions to be made, the Kansas City Chiefs will likely make a few announcements between now and this evening when they officially create their 53-man roster for the season.

Thus far, three Chiefs have been released three players:
1. Rashard Langford – The safety was a hit on special teams last year in 6 games, but apparently was beat out for one of the final roster spots by a new players — perhaps Sabby Piscitelli, a player that Todd Haley calls “Jersey Shore.”

2. Micah Johnson – The linebacker was a long shot to make the roster this season, even with the loss of Brandon Siler at linebacker. Simply put, Johnson never made his mark in any public way that we ever heard about.

3. Zeke Markshausen – Again, Markshausen was a long shot to make the roster as well given the glut of options at wide receiver. Others like Keary Colbert were clearly making waves as a newcomer, while holdovers were warranting nice looks like Verran Tucker. This seems an obvious cut.

There will be many more announcements to come today as the Chiefs get down to the final 53.

NHL Network presents: Game 4 2011 ECF: Bruins vs. Lightning

After the first period of Game 4 in Tampa Bay, it appeared the Bruins had taken complete control of the Eastern Conference Finals. After a 2-0 win in Game 3 gave them the edge in the series, they stormed out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play in Game 4, seemingly well on their way back to Boston with a dominant 3-1 series advantage. But if the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs proved anything, it's that no lead is safe.

The Lightning answered Boston’s three-goal first period with a three-spot of their own in the second. In a span of just 3:58 and on a total of only five shots, the Bolts tied the game at 3-3 as Teddy Purcell scored twice and Sean Bergenheim followed with his League-leading ninth goal of the postseason at 10:53 of the period. The game remained tied until 6:54 of the third, when a familiar Bruins foe struck again. Simon Gagne took a deflected pass from Ryan Malone in front of the net and slipped the puck under Tim Thomas for the eventual game-winner. This was the second year in a row that Gagne scored a clutch goal against the B’s, having notched the game-winner that completed Philadelphia's historic comeback from three games down and three goals down in Game 7 of the second round against Boston in 2010.

After Gagne gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the game at 4-3, backup netminder Mike Smith held the fort in goal and Martin St. Louis scored an empty-netter to seal a 5-3 victory for the Lightning, evening the series at two games apiece. Smith earned his first career playoff victory as he relieved Dwayne Roloson and stopped all 21 shots he faced. Roloson, who yielded three goals on nine shots, was pulled for the second time in three games after Patrice Bergeron made it 3-0 with a short-handed goal late in the first, his second tally of the period.

That goal by Bergeron was Boston’s last of the night, as Tampa Bay took over from there and once again showed that to win a Stanley Cup Playoff game, a full 60-minute effort is needed. The Lightning became the third team in the 2011 playoffs to come back from a deficit of three or more goals to win -- the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals each accomplished the feat in the first round.

10 fantasy tips to follow

The NFL season kicks off in nine days. Just as East Coasters frantically prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, hardcore football fans are taking every precaution to ensure a successful start to the season. Sunday Ticket ordered? Check. Satisfied with TV size and HD quality? Check. Pulling my infant out of his Sunday playgroup until February? Check.

This countdown to kickoff also means we're in the heart of fantasy draft season. While some early-bird drafts have already occurred, most are happening this week. Whether you've been playing fantasy since it was entirely uncool to do so or this is your first foray into the fantasy waters, here are 10 tips to set you on the path to a fantasy Super Bowl.

Pre-draft

1. Get out the paper shredder: Suppose you're in a long grocery store line and you spot several fantasy football preview magazines. They look like they'd be helpful, especially with all that gloss. But step away. These publications are obsolete; they have been for at least a decade. The reasons should be obvious. Quarterback battles (Seahawks, Redskins), surprising transactions (Lee Evans to Baltimore), emerging players (Tim Hightower) and injury updates (on Peyton Manning and Arian Foster, among many others) are not reflected in these glossies. Stick to the Internet.

2. Learn the rules: Don't assume your league uses a standard format. Study the rules well before draft night. Things to check: Are quarterback touchdowns worth four points or six? Does your league offer bonuses for 100 yards receiving or rushing and 300 yard passing? Do individual players get points for yards and touchdowns made on special teams? Little quirks in your league's rules can dramatically alter your draft strategy.

3. Play the name game: Selecting a good team name can give you an instant confidence boost. There are many directions you can take: something that invokes your name (Melissa's Marauders), a play on words (Orton Hears a Boo) or something newsy (Terrelle Pryor's Tattoo Parlor). We'd love to hear your best names.

4. Mock it up: Most fantasy services don't allow you to enter your draft room until 30 minutes prior to the draft's start time. However, most offer the option to join a mock draft. This is a fantastic opportunity to become familiar with your draft room's mechanics, as well as to test out a variety of strategies on some randoms.

Draft night

5. Show up on time: Nobody likes an owner who's late to the draft. It annoys the other owners and puts the commissioner in the uncomfortable position of having to decide whether to delay the proceeding or put the tardy owner on dreaded auto draft. If you are late, don't bother with excuses unless it's a true emergency.

6. Pick with your head: I can't tell you how many women (yes, women) I know who refused to place a waiver bid on Mike Vick last year. Unless your league deducts points for arrests or you truly don't care about winning, a player's character shouldn't be considered. You may argue that watching someone you consider shady wouldn't be pleasurable. But trust me, when your player is the leading scorer that week, you're not going to care what he did to dogs, his girlfriend or the elderly. For those who insist on drafting with their conscience, select Tim Tebow in the first round and make your fellow owners very happy.

7. Consider byes: You shouldn't obsess over bye weeks when drafting your starters. But you should take a gander once you're in the later rounds to make sure you have some reserve players with different bye weeks than your starters. Be especially careful of Weeks 5-8, when six teams are on a bye each week.

8. Throw some darts: If you are new to fantasy, you may be tempted to select your team on auto draft, or worse, always draft the highest-ranked player available. Don't be. By throwing some darts and taking chances on players, you'll be more invested in your team. Every year there are numerous guys buried deep in the rankings who emerge as fantasy superstars. (ESPN had Arian Foster as the 48th-best running back headed into last season!)

By freeing your hands from the computer's grasp, you'll spend more time contemplating lineups, playing the waiver wire, enjoying the intrigue of NFL action and ultimately putting yourself in a better position to win. And if you happen to pick up this year's Arian Foster, you can spend the next four months bragging about it.

9. Survey the fandom: Every fantasy owner is likely a fan of a particular NFL team. Some are savvy drafters who don't intentionally mix their drafting with their fandom. But there are always exceptions. For years, I've played in a league with an owner who drafts the Bears defense/special teams at least three rounds too early (even when Devin Hester has been the main kickoff man), and always selects Bears kicker Robbie Gould. Spot the homers and use their clouded judgment to your advantage.

10. Review the rosters: It's important to keep track of the rosters for all fantasy teams in your league. This is the best guide to your draft selections. Example: It's the fifth round. You have the 10th slot in a 12-team league and still need a quarterback. Do you take him with that fifth-round pick or wait four slots before the draft snakes back around for your sixth-round pick? Checking the needs of the teams in the 11th and 12th slots can help greatly with your decision.

Hope these tips have you ready to dominate draft night. If you'd like to add some of your own winner strategies, including your catchy team name, please do so in the comments section. We'd love to hear from you. Happy drafting!

Jamie Samuelsen's blog: Lions have best fans in NFL and, thus, a long leash

Some people rip Lions fans for being blindly loyal. Some rip them for ginning up false hope every fall, only to have their hearts ripped out by October. Some people actually criticize them for enabling the Lions to be bad all these years by buying tickets and supporting a team that hasn’t earned support.

But I think Lions fans are the best. No other fan base has been punished the way they have been, yet they still come back every fall with hope. Sometimes the hope is justified. Sometimes it's based on a house of cards (in 2008, some predicted the Lions would make the playoffs; they finished 0-16). Only time will tell whether this year’s hope is legit.

This week's news that the Lions sold out their Monday night game in 45 minutes was further validation of two things: 1.) The fans really, really support this team. 2.) The fans really, really believe that this is the year.

The onus now is on the Lions to justify the faith and optimism. Team president Tom Lewand admitted as much this week. Each fan will have an idea about what defines a successful 2011. One caller on the radio said Thursday that the Lions will go 12-4. A tad more realistic might be 8-8 or 9-7. I think, as long as the team is contending for a playoff berth on Thanksgiving, this season will deliver on what’s expected.

But what if it doesn’t? If injuries rattle the offense or the secondary gets exposed (which is my biggest fear), and the Lions struggle to get to .500, will they somehow face the brunt of a disenfranchised fan base? The Lions have created unreal hype going into this season. What if they don’t live up to it?

The answer: nothing.

The reason: same as we said before. Lions fans are the best in the NFL.

Sure, there will be plenty of people claiming, “I swore that they wouldn’t do it to me again. But they sucked me in. Never again. NEVER again.” There will be fans who utter the infamous “same old Lions” phrase. And yes, there will be those brave (lying) souls who claim they’re divorcing themselves from the team for good. But you’ll be back. You’ll all be back. You always do. It’s the nature of being a Lions fan.

So, yes, there is pressure on these Lions to perform. They have created expectations, which is a credit to how they finished last season and their off-season moves. If the Lions take a step back this year, it would be a blow to a franchise we assumed was moving forward. But to imply that it’s any sort of do-or-die season is just wrong. There is still a very strong, very young nucleus to this team, and there are stars at key positions. Other than a significant injury to Matthew Stafford, there’s really nothing to change that belief. A disappointing season won’t change the career arcs of Ndamukong Suh, Calvin Johnson nor Louis Delmas.

And it won’t change the fans. I suppose some might read this as a critique of Lions fans, like they’re sheep who keep come back for the slaughter. But it’s meant to be praise. No fan base deserves a winner more than the Lions'.

Taylor Mays' NFL stock has plunged, but he hopes to rally

Start with a picture on the cover of the 2009 USC media guide. It shows Taylor Mays charging down the field, shoulders at a forward tilt, as if poised to lower the boom on an unsuspecting receiver.

That fall, Mays was a two-time All-American safety who had passed up a choice spot in the NFL draft to return for his senior season. His future appeared limitless.

Now fast-forward to this week, to a young man who arrived at the Cincinnati Bengals' training camp fighting for his NFL life.

"This might be, hopefully, a better situation for me," he told reporters. "We'll see how it works out."

His new boss was quick to stick up for him.

"I don't know if this guy is recycled," Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis said. "It's been one year."

But in one year, Mays has fallen from college star to second-round selection to afterthought, the San Francisco 49ers trading him away for a reported late-round draft pick.

His father, Stafford, a former NFL player, said: "It's been hard on him, definitely … he's been a lightning rod for criticism."

The NFL draft is anything but an exact science. Some high draft picks simply don't have what it takes to play professionally, while others end up in a system or scheme that does not suit their talents.

The Buffalo Bills gave up on Aaron Maybin, a 2009 first-rounder out of Penn State who was supposed to boost their pass rush but failed to record a sack.

Call him a draft-day bust, a category into which Mays now falls too. It is a radical change from his days with the Trojans, when Pete Carroll called him "one of the most gifted safeties ever to play at USC," putting Mays in the company of his boyhood idol, Ronnie Lott.

His physical attributes were impressive — 6 feet 3, 230 pounds, a blistering time in the 40-yard dash. But then he intercepted only one pass as a senior, giving him five in three seasons.

People questioned his skills as a playmaker, whispers that grew louder when Carroll jumped to the Seattle Seahawks and skipped Mays in the draft, choosing Earl Thomas of Texas, who had eight interceptions as a senior.

"Yeah, I love Taylor Mays and everything he stands for," Carroll said at the time. "Unfortunately, it didn't work out."

An angry Mays lashed back about "some things that he told me I needed to do as a football player, versus the actions that he took and who he took as safety. I understand it's a business, but with it being a business, you just need to be honest, and that's all I was asking for."

Slipping to the 49th spot in the draft, the rookie reported to San Francisco hungry to prove himself. Coach Mike Singletary praised his work ethic and desire to learn.

For a while, his extra effort paid off.

Mays cracked the starting lineup in the fourth week of the 2010 season and led the team with 11 tackles at Atlanta. He followed up with solid numbers against Carolina and Denver.

But questions about his skills lingered.

"He isn't a natural football player," said an NFL scout who spoke on condition of anonymity because his team does not authorize him to make public comments. "He lacks ability in man coverage, and his instincts and awareness are average."

San Francisco demoted him after six starts, things going quickly downhill. Mays played sparingly in the second half of the season, recording two tackles.

"It was tough at first," he said. "I didn't let it affect my confidence. I like to say I feel pretty confident."

The 49ers fired Singletary last December and Mays' situation grew more tenuous amid reports that General Manager Trent Baalke was not a fan. Enter a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, who knew about Mays from his previous job at Stanford.

The incoming regime made its intentions clear as training camp opened, sending an email across the league, announcing that Mays was available for trade.

"The old coach probably pushed for [Mays] and Harbaugh didn't want him," said another NFL scout, also speaking anonymously. "Harbaugh schemed against him in college and hates USC, and it might be that more than his skill set."

San Francisco's defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, confirmed Mays' status as persona non grata during a training camp news conference.

"We feel like we've got five safeties that can play in the NFL," he said, rattling off five names, none of them Mays.

Stafford Mays recalled that it was "an awful time, because I know Taylor's work ethic and I know who he is. Of course there were sleepless nights."

The Chicago Bears showed interest, with the suggestion they might shift Mays to linebacker. His size and speed also made him a candidate for special teams.

But the deal fell through and other suitors seemed hesitant, knowing they might get Mays for free if San Francisco released him. The Bengals — who had bid for free agent Donte Whitner but lost him to the 49ers — made a move.

"He's somebody that, coming out of the draft, we had done extensive work on and with," Lewis said of Mays. "We really felt he was a good prospect."

Mays has landed among friends. Former USC linebackers Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers play for the Bengals, as do former 49ers Nate Clements and Manny Lawson.

"I'm walking into the locker room and they welcomed me with open arms," Mays said. "It makes the social part easier and then the football part comes with that."

Just as important, Mays has joined a team on which defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and secondary coach Kevin Coyle are known for reviving careers. Stafford Mays hopes they will be patient and put his son in situations that suit his strengths.

Speaking to reporters, Lewis seemed to agree.

"That's the thing," the coach said. "You either change the peg or you'd better get a peg that fits the hole."

If nothing else, rough times seem to have taught Mays a thing or two about life as a pro. No angry words marked his departure from San Francisco.

The former USC star spoke only of getting down to work and earning a place on his new team.

"It's the NFL and sometimes different situations work out for the better," he said. "It's nothing personal."

Kobe, LeBron as large as the highest paid player in the NBA

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport

almost a dominating performance impressively against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night, it seems that no one beat the Miami Heat, LeBron James on the floor.

When it comes to who the money back from the field, but King James is still king.
Forbes.com on an assessment of the top 50 athletes in the world, Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant and controls on the James paid. Forbes said Bryant has won $ 53,000,000 in the last 12 months, 5 million more than James $ 48,000,000.

Bryant and James are the only two NBA players among the top 10 Golfer Tiger Woods, No. 1 in 75 million.
Bryant leads to 15 basketball players in the list, more than any other sport. Bryant has Turkish Airlines and Mercedes-Benz Smart Car, its portfolio of passage this year. Its U.S. $ 24,800,000 salary with the Lakers in Los Angeles is 4 million more than any other player in the NBA. No. 3 on the list is Miami Heat, LeBron James, who won $ 48,000,000 last year.
cheap custom jerseys
As James seems ready to win his first NBA title this month, could surpass Bryant - and perhaps even Woods - here in the future. A recent report indicated that the heat of a championship would mean a profit of $ U.S. billion in China and Nike James Bryant was also able to move in on the popularity scale in this critical market.
custom nba jerseys 
The next best player in the NBA in the Forbes list of the Houston Rockets, Yao Ming decent, ranked 18, to 27.7 million euros. Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard is ranked No. 19 in 27.6 million euros. Dwyane Wade, Heat-mate James and the New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony are the other NBA players who appear in the top 25.

Pat Riley in shadows, but there for LeBron, Wade

The role is different this time for Pat Riley.

Unlike during the Heat's championship run through the 2006 NBA Finals, Riley now serves solely as team president instead of coach and president.

That, guard Dwyane Wade said Tuesday, changes the tenor of the conversation.

"You could be laying down in the training room and doing something somewhere and he just shows up and you start talking about basketball, and he gives you his take, what he's seen," Wade said as he prepared for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. "As players, we like that better than when you get called upstairs."

Riley's office is one level above the main court at AmericanAirlines Arena, the same office he utilized as coach. The difference now is he is more measured mentor that maniacal motivator.

"When he comes around, you don't know when he's coming, he just shows up," Wade said. "And he says certain things at different times. I've had discussions with him, and it's not anything that's planned."

While Riley has shied from the media this season, he remains ubiquitous to his players.

"Coach Riley is very inspirational," Wade said. "He's the kind of guy, he's in the background, but he's around often. He talks, you listen, because of his knowledge of the game and also he's a leader.

"He's a leader, of this organization, as well. And we respect him. I think he's done a great job of putting together a pretty good team and coming in at the right times. When he feels the need to express himself to us, he has done it."

While some of the messages can grow redundant, especially for a player such as Wade, who also endured the lean years under Riley's coaching in the wake of that 2006 championship, for LeBron James, this is all new, and refreshing.

"Knowing the players that he's coached and just to hear some of the stories about Magic, Kareem and those guys that he had in L.A., and get an opportunity to talk about their leadership, as well, on the court, it's great," James said of Riley's reflections on his coaching tenure of the championship Showtime Lakers.

"It's great to hear those stories instead of just watching the playback on TV, to actually hear the day-to-day stories of those great Hall of Famers."

Like Wade, James said he views Riley as a resource.

"Having him around is amazing, to be able to go and talk to someone, if need be," James said. "And it's not always just about basketball, it's about anything. So we're blessed to have him around, this organization is blessed to have him, period."

Split priorities for Miller

Reserve swingman Mike Miller found himself on the move Tuesday, first attending shootaround, then a doctor's visit for his newborn daughter, then back to the arena for Game 1. Miller's daughter was born two weeks ago with a heart defect. "Part of life, part of business," he said of his day. He offered thanks to well-wishers, adding, "Anybody's who's had a newborn knows you don't have rest." . . .

Wade, on his earliest memory of 38-year-old Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd, "I think I was watching him in black and white. It seems so long ago." . . .

Bosh, on whether he ever practices awkward shots like those from Mavericks counterpart Dirk Nowitzki, "No. While I'm still athletic, I'm going to ride the wheels until they fall off and then maybe when I'm 30-something, I'll probably change my game. But for now, I just have a little bit more athleticism left and I'll use it while I can." . . .

Coach Erik Spoelstra, on his sleeping habits, and the nocturnal habits of most coaches this time of year, "I think everyone has a pad and paper next to their bed. There might be something wrong with us in the coaching profession."

Sam Presti, Oklahoma City Thunder Trend Toward NBA Title One Step at a Time

http://www.sikids.com/
It’s a whole lot easier to sound smart when things are going well. Sam Presti keeps sounding smarter and smarter. The Oklahoma City Thunder general manager put coach Scott Brooks in charge, drafted Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and, not coincidentally, has seen the team go from miserable to title contender in just a couple of years.

Now the question becomes: When will the Thunder get to the point where they win it all? Presti says it has been no surprise that the Thunder have steadily improved, going from a 23-win team in his second year to the playoffs in his third to the Western Conference Finals this year.

But Presti, though he is a numbers guy, says it’s impossible to predict when his young core of players will reach their peak. That said, it’s pretty clear they don’t have much further to go as they are already true contenders.
Sam Presti joined The Sports Animal in Oklahoma City with Al and John to discuss the steady improvement of the team, the criticism of Russell Westbrook, whether he intends to keep the roster intact, a recap of the Kendrick Perkins trade, how the lack of a CBA affects his daily work going forward, the support from the people of Oklahoma City, the upcoming draft and the future of his young core of players.

What would he have said to someone two years ago if they said the Thunder would be in the Western Conference Finals in 2011?:

“I’d say that I would hope they were correct. … I think one thing that we learned during that year was never to underestimate our guys. Us in our building, us in our practice facility and us in our office, one of the things we’ve always prided ourselves is always just focusing on the day at hand and trying to improve. Through that season, I think a lot of our recent success was born … in the fact that the group as the whole just kept chipping away.”

His thoughts on the national criticism of Russell Westbrook:
 customized jerseys cheap
“You’re only human if you know it’s there. Once you get to this point in the year, there’s only a couple teams or a couple series playing and that’s part of it. One thing we really learned about Russell through that process, or one thing that was confirmed, he’s an incredibly resilient person. … I think the other thing we learned is he’s really only focused on the things that he can control. … I think he deserves a lot of respect as a second-team all-NBA player, a 22-year-old point guard in the Western Conference Finals, in being self-critical.”

Does he want to keep this roster intact for next season?:

“Always we’re looking for ways to improve and we’ll take some time over the next weeks and months to look at all of our decisions. One of the things we’ve consistently said is we want to be a team capable of lasting success. Part of that is continuity, part of that is allowing things to take place. … I think the better word is evolutional, and this team is evolving. … We feel good about where we are.”

Evaluating the trade for Kendrick Perkins now that the season is over:

“Obviously when you make a trade like that you’re making it for a lot of different reasons. … It was a chance to not only get a player who understands the finer points of the games, understands how high-performing teams work, especially the defensive end. But to get someone like that, at that position, at 26 years old, was something we were very excited about. … We know and we knew when we made the trade that he was on pace in his recovery but he wasn’t going to be 100 percent. … You never heard Kendrick complain or make an excuse that, although he was deep into his rehab, it wasn’t completed. We like the fact that his standards never changed.”

How much might he be handcuffed by the uncertainty of the CBA at this point?:

“When it comes to those situations and just the labor agreement in general, I really have to defer to the league on that. … We were back at work the day after we were eliminated from the postseason, focused on the following year. … We had a large number of guys back at our facility a couple days after and I think that’s one of the strengths of our team.”

Has the city of Oklahoma City surprised him at all in their support of the franchise?:
custom hockey jerseys
“I’d like to be able to say it surprised me, but before moving here I had heard so many great things about this community. Moving here only confirmed that for everybody. Our fans are unbelievably supportive. They’re passionate and they’re compassionate, because I really feel as if they care about our players as people as well. … That’s not lost on the players or the players that have played here.”

What is he looking for in the draft this time around?:

“Obviously we’re going to pick 24th this year. We do not have a second-round pick. … We’re going to see what we can do with that selection. The pick can be used in any number of ways. Obviously we can take a player, we can trade it for a player, we can trade it for a future pick. … Where we always start out, first and foremost, is trying to find people we feel like can fit our organization.”

At what age does he expect his young group to peak?:

“That’s a great question and I wish I could tell you there was a way for us to predict that. There really isn’t. One thing we know is this, the experiences that we’re accumulating over time are really helping our players in the area of recognition, recognizing the things that high-performing teams do on a consistent basis. When you have those players, I don’t necessarily think their improvement is a result of time elapsed, but it’s actually what’s been accumulated, what’s been experienced within that time.”

BY ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

 “Everybody loved him,” Ilgauskas said.

That was 2003, the year LeBron James was drafted straight out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron to play for the nearby Cleveland Cavaliers. That was when James was the NBA’s freshest face, his limitless potential and positive image — even after some controversy in high school — inspiring Nike to sign him to a $90 million endorsement contract before he had even participated in an NBA training camp. That was before James emerged as a legitimate superstar, took the Cavaliers to the NBA finals, won two MVP awards … and then announced during a one-hour national television special that he was taking his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat.
That before James became a pariah to many in his home state and the most polarizing active athlete in the nation, his villain status cemented for many when the Heat hailed his arrival with a garish, raucous signing ceremony and he responded by flexing and promising “not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven titles.”

Now James is closer to a title than he has ever been, making his first trip to the NBA finals since 2007, and with a much stronger supporting cast — including a sidekick (Dwyane Wade) who has already won an NBA finals MVP.
So what if he wins?
Will he start winning in the court of public opinion again?

“Everywhere else but Northeast Ohio, yes,” said Ilgauskas, the 15-year veteran who joined James in Miami. “Because the move, it makes sense. He said it was hard to leave home, he didn’t want to leave, but it was all about the winning. He wanted to win, and this presented the best opportunity. So if that comes true, then there’s not much you can say. Because he got the job done, it puts a stamp on it.”

Steve Kerr, a five-time NBA champion who covered the Eastern Conference finals for TNT, agreed that, for many, the ends will justify the means.

And should.

“Then he breaks into the all-time great list,” Kerr said. “You can’t get there until you win a title. I think it changes everything for him.”

The negativity?

“I think a lot of that stuff will go away,” Kerr said. “It will never go away completely. But if he goes on and wins a title, any self-respecting basketball fan has to acknowledge his greatness, because the guy is a phenomenal player. The way he went about it was what got him into trouble. The decision itself was fine, he was a free agent, how can you blame him? He goes and plays with (Chris) Bosh and (Dwyane) Wade. They’re proving why they did it. They just didn’t handle it the right way at the time, and that started the avalanche.”
That is the line of demarcation many draw.
The decision, lower case.

The Decision, upper case.

The decision, as in choice, to leave Cleveland for Miami isn’t what bothered many as much as “The Decision,” the self-aggrandizing way he went about revealing it.

It hasn’t mattered to many that the ESPN event raised more than $2 million for charity, much of it used for computers at Boys and Girls Clubs around the country. Nor has it mattered that it reportedly wasn’t James’ idea; in his book, interviewer Jim Gray revealed that it was a collaborative creation between himself and the network. Nor has it mattered that James, over the course of the season, has repeatedly conceded that he could have handled the situation differently, and gone to even greater pains of late to explain.

Late on May 12, after the Heat eliminated the Boston Celtics in the second round, James emoted:
“I knew I had to go through Boston at some point. I went through a lot signing to be here. The way it panned out with all the friends and family and fans back home, I apologize for the way it happened. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. As much as I loved my teammates back in Cleveland, as much as I loved home, I knew I couldn’t do it by myself against that team.”
And, then, late on May 26, after James advanced to the NBA finals for the first time since 2007, he elaborated further:

“I understand a lot of the backlash that came with me going to Miami, but I understand also that I did what was best for me, what was best for my family and what was best for me being a professional athlete. I understand what this league is all about. I wanted to team up with some guys that I understood that would never die down in the moment. … You know, I'm happy. In anyone's job, they always try to find some way they can do their job and be happy doing it. And that's where I am right now in my life, as far as on the court and off the court.”

Where is the country, though?

Happy that he’s happy?

Happy that the team he fronts, the Heat, is on the verge of making good on its preseason promise, and promises?

Chandler, Stevenson become Mavs' stoppers

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/sports/index.html
 Eleven years ago, Tyson Chandler sat in a high school gym south of Los Angeles and watched DeShawn Stevenson take a couple of dribbles past half-court and launch jumpers from ridiculously far beyond the 3-point line. This was a prelude to jogging back and waiting for his teammates to get the ball back for him.

Afterward, it was Stevenson's turn to watch Chandler, a reed-thin 7-footer take his turn trying to stop the nation's most coveted high school player, Eddie Griffin. What Stevenson saw was a player who preferred to be camped near the 3-point line rather than the basket, a player who at times looked lost against Griffin's refined game.
 
Fast forward, and Chandler and Stevenson, reunited as starters for the Dallas Mavericks, are hardly recognizable — and not just for their tattoos and beards.

They took the leap directly from high school to the NBA, but as the reality of life as pros set in, they have transformed themselves into players who earn their place on the court with defense.

In many ways, the modifications both players made to their games have been mirrored by the Mavericks, who for much of the decade have tried to win by outscoring opponents. It has been a workable formula in the regular season — Dallas has recorded 11 consecutive 50-win seasons — but it has led to a litany of playoff failures.

Now, thanks to Chandler's presence — and, to a lesser degree, Stevenson — the Mavericks have put enough bite in their defense to blow through the rugged Western Conference, including their blitz of the two-time defending champion Lakers, and into the NBA Finals, which begin Tuesday in Miami.

The role of Chandler and Stephenson will be important against the Heat.

Chandler will be the last line of defense against LeBron James' and Dwyane Wade's attacks on the rim, and he might also be charged with defending Chris Bosh.

Stephenson likely will defend Wade but, given his strength, could find himself on James, with whom he once sparred in a Cleveland-Washington playoff series.

The Mavericks' identity still comes from their scorers — Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry — but they have been trying to add a defensive element to their game with the hiring of Avery Johnson and then Rick Carlisle as head coach. The problem is when your centers for the past decade have been Erick Dampier, DeSagana Diop and Shawn Bradley, it's hard to be taken seriously.

When Chandler arrived, he thought what most everyone else did about the Mavericks — they were soft.

"People have a misunderstanding about that," Chandler said. "They think if you're soft, you've got to throw punches and throw elbows and do dirty things. That's not what I mean.
custom jerseys 
"I mean, when it gets tough and it's this time of year and guys get up in you defensively, you've got to set hard screens, you've got to make hard cuts, you've got to execute down the stretch, you've got to not get rattled. You can't let them take you out of your game. You've got to get up in them defensively, (do) all the things people don't want to do basketball wise, all the effort things, all the dirty work. That's the difference."

As Stevenson noted, the Mavericks now have a number of players who can defend, but Caron Butler was hurt in January and hasn't returned, and Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion are past their primes.

In the playoffs, Chandler — he is a bulked-up forward but still possesses the calves of a giraffe and the waist of a ballerina — has stood up to Oklahoma City's hard-nosed Kendrick Perkins and the Lakers' bullish Andrew Bynum. Stevenson, though his shooting against the Thunder was woeful (6 for 28), gave the Mavericks a physical defender to throw at OKC's Russell Westbrook and LA's Kobe Bryant.

In many ways, Chandler and Stevenson have set the tone on defense.

"Guys bought into what we were trying to bring (because of) the success and the lack of success that a team has had," Chandler said. "They climbed all the way to the mountaintop and didn't get the ring. Then they had some disappointing losses early in the playoffs. So I think this team was definitely looking for something different. They understood, ‘OK, we can't just beat everybody offensively.'

"So when I came along, it was easier to get guys to buy in defensively because it's, ‘OK, we've tried it the other way and we haven't had success.' "

Neither player arrived in Dallas viewed as a difference maker.

Chandler's acquisition from Charlotte, which was eager to dump his $12 million salary, led to some head-scratching. Dallas had recently given its other center, Brendan Haywood, a six-year, $54 million contract.

Stevenson had been acquired with Haywood and Butler at the trade deadline last season. He was, as he admits, a throw-in — he was included only to help balance the salaries of Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross, who were sent to Washington.

Though he starts, Stevenson plays the minutes of a reserve — the latest adjustment he has made during a career full of them.
custom nfl jerseys  
"I used to score the ball a lot," said Stevenson, who grew up in Fresno, Calif., and was drafted by Utah at the No. 23 spot in 2000. "I got under (then-Utah coach) Jerry Sloan, and that's all he talked about was playing defense. Being on a veteran team like that, I wasn't getting the ball, so I had to try to do something else different to help. So I did the defensive thing, and it ended up sticking."

Chandler was taken second overall the next year by the Clippers and was immediately shipped to Chicago, where he struggled early in his career. Asked if he envisioned developing into a player like Nowitzki when he left high school, Chandler laughed.

"I can do nothing that he can do," Chandler said. "I was skilled on the perimeter for a big guy. He's skilled on the perimeter for a basketball player. When I first came into this league, I quickly found out that wasn't going to be my place."

For every Chandler and Stevenson, who have adjusted, there are others — Darius Miles and DerMarr Johnson come to mind — who have not. Basketball follows the principles of Darwin.

"I honestly think that's what separates guys that stick in this league (from) guys who don't," said Chandler, who also grew up in a central California town, Hanford, before moving to the Los Angeles area in middle school. "Some guys don't understand that and they're still stuck in the past and what they can do and this and that.

"In this league, you may come into the right situation, and you may get drafted to the right team to be able to have that kind of success offensively. But if you're not, you've just got to find a way to stick. DeShawn has done an incredible job of adjusting — he's played 11 years — and I feel like I've done the same."

Together, they have helped the Mavericks make an adjustment of their own — putting a little "D" back in Dallas.

LeBron James Proves He is the True MVP; Climbs One Step Closer to NBA Throne

 http://www.tsn.ca/
“I told my team, I’m not going to continue to fail late in games. … I told the guys that I just keep failing them late in games and I won’t continue to do that.”
Truer words have never been spoken by LeBron James. You know, the most vilified athlete in America despite never being arrested.
Doesn’t it speak volumes to the intellect and values of our nation’s sports fans when the most hated athlete/team in the country is one whose worst mistake all year was holding an ESPN special—a show that happened to make nearly $3 million for a charitable foundation?
Think about that for a minute. The worst thing James and this team have done all year resulted in Boys & Girls Clubs of America getting a huge check aimed at helping children.
We’re not talking about raping someone, being caught with guns, getting into altercations on South Beach, being tasered by cops, getting arrested for a DUI or anything illegal. This man has been squeaky clean, yet everyone feels the need to paint him black and tarnish his image.
So why does America hate LeBron?
It’s easy: They fear him. No one should really hate LeBron outside of Cleveland; you just wanted him for yourself, and when he said he was taking his talents to South Beach, you became envious and afraid.
To quote the wise one Yoda, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”
Well, it certainly has led to suffering for all who doubted LeBron.
Did you think he was joking when he said he was making a list of all those that were getting in line for some major retribution?
Was there any doubt he truly would make good on his prediction of not one, not two, not three and so forth?
Well, for those that questioned his decision and play during the regular season, James is offering up a nice, hot cup of “shut the bleep up” so far this postseason.
On the day LeBron made that quote about not letting down his team, Miami had just finished dropping a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Chicago Bulls. It was yet another crushing defeat in a string of close losses that left some Heat players in tears.
“The Miami Heat are exactly where everyone wanted, losing games,” Wade said. “The world is better now because the Heat is losing.”
But amidst the flames that were seemingly consuming the team as they struggled for answers and victories, one message came across loud and clear.
“I told the guys that I just keep failing them late in games and I won’t continue to do that.”
No, LeBron, you sure haven’t.
 cheap custom jerseys 
“One of these days, we will break through,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Yes, Coach, we sure have.
Chicago had beaten Miami after being down by 12 late in the first half and “then became the fourth team since Feb. 24 to erase a double-digit deficit against the Heat.”
This was the quote that stuck out most: “We have guys who can close,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Perhaps Thibs meant that Miami has guys that can close, because James showed the world that while Derrick Rose may have a trophy that reads MVP, he withers in comparison to LeBron when the stakes are at their highest.
Rose went so far as to say that James can easily defend him. That’s waving a white flag in the face of a talent much stronger than yours.
Heck, we now have Scottie Pippen saying LeBron James “may be the greatest player to ever play.”
That is one of the top 50 players in NBA history saying that James, who he never played with and has never won a title, is better than Scottie’s own teammate and the man regarded as the G.O.A.T., Michael Jordan.
All of this hate sprung from a biased and bitter media that saw the reaction of Cavs fans and instantly began the LeBron backlash, portraying Cleveland as the victim and James as the villain. Yet as we get deeper into the playoffs, the rants and remarks of all the pundits, critics and cynics are being drowned out by the sweet swoosh of every late-game jumper that James drains.
Those shots and these clutch wins are drowning out all the negativity and naysayers.
Still, besides James’ ESPN special, what is there not to like about this team?
You have a guy playing with torn ligaments in his thumb, another rushing back from foot surgery to be with his team, three superstars who could all have commanded max money and attention sacrificing cash and image in order to achieve a greater good and a point guard that gave up almost $4 million just to compete for a ring.
Two players that gave up money to win a championship in their hometown. A young coach trying to stake his own legacy while being the padawan for one of the greatest leaders in league history. An owner that does everything in a low-key and classy manner, never needing to be shown on every single SportsCenter when his team plays.
Yet you hate?
custom nba jerseys  
Isn’t that what we ask of our athletes and teams? To not play for just money, to forsake their personal spotlight in order to be part of a team, to care more about winning than stats?
Miami gave you all that, and you still doubt.
Well, don’t look now, but the bad guy is about to win a title. When he does, you will all be invited to the castle to line up and kiss his royal derriere.
We knew what we were doing when we threw a party last summer.
This team came out and told you what they were going to do, and they’ve gone about taking care of their business. They said they were taking over, and they have.
Gone are the champions and ghosts of yesterday.
Eliminated are the media darling MVP and the most consistent squad all season.
Now all that is left is Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Millions of terrified fans will flock to the Mavs bandwagon, it serving as their last refuge from the fire that has swept across their land.
You will find no shelter there. The unstoppable force is on its way, led by the King that has yet to be crowned—but that’s only four more wins away.

Ex-NBA player Shawn Bradley is now a cowboy and aspiring politician

http://www.nba.com/
The Dallas Mavericks are back in the NBA Finals and there's no bigger fan cheering them to a potential first league title than former center Shawn Bradley.
The 7-foot-6 self-described "freak of nature" spent nine years with the organization. He lives in Salt Lake City now, but spent the Western Conference finals trying to watch his old team in between numerous activities and spending time with his six children.
"The last time they were in the finals [in 2006] was the year after I retired," Bradley said. "That was very hard for me. Very difficult, having retired then watching my team go to the finals the next year… This year I'm enjoying it a lot more."
What else is the 39-year-old up to these days? A little bit of everything, as it turns out.
For starters, he's a part-time cowboy and owner of a ranch with 350 cattle. Of course, it's not easy finding a horse that can carry one of the tallest players in NBA history.
"Bless the horse's heart, the biggest challenge is finding a saddle that'll fit, and I had a guy help me make a saddle," Bradley said. "So we've got a saddle and a 16-hand horse is the smallest I can even consider."
Besides his days on the ranch, Bradley spends a lot of time giving back to others. He was recently named the chairman of the board for the nearby West Ridge Academy — which he describes as a boarding school for troubled youth — and he's heavily involved in the philanthropic organizations Rising Star Outreach and Children's Miracle Network.
Oh, and there was Bradley's run for the Utah House of Representatives as a Republican last fall in which he narrowly lost. He believes things would have turned out differently if he hadn't taken time off the campaign trail after his father passed away. He hasn't ruled out running for public office again and would welcome a political basketball game with President Barack Obama if the offer is ever extended.
But the most intriguing thing about Bradley might be how different he is off the court than the way people perceived him on it: Stiff, awkward and passive.
Bradley is talkative, engaging and loves to laugh. And nothing cracks him up like the Jimmer Fredette tribute video starring BYU legends such as Bradley that popped up on the Internet several months ago.
[Video: Shawn Bradley stars in Jimmer Fredette tribute]
"That was really terrible," Bradley joked. "The people that know me and the people that are honest with me say, 'What on earth were you doing?' Everyone else is like, 'That was cool.' "
Bradley says he's watched it just once and it makes him cringe seeing himself as a wig-wearing guitarist as part of the "Jimmer Jammers" and their rendition of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive."

customized jerseys cheap

"I'd much rather watch 'Space Jam' or something else that I've done," Bradley deadpanned.
Unfortunately, that's not the only embarrassing video of Bradley on the Internet. Basketball fans have made a habit over the years of putting together clips of Bradley getting dunked on throughout his NBA career. There was once even a "SportsCenter" top 10 of dunks in his grill; No. 1 is a montage of Shaquille O'Neal(notes) posterizing Bradley.
One ESPN writer was so harsh after Bradley's retirement in 2005 that he described Bradley was a "carnival attraction whose primary claim to fame was getting dunked on — hard, repeatedly — by a who's who of the NBA."
[Related: Blake Griffin's Top 10 college basketball dunks]
And then there are the videos of Bradley being body slammed by Golden State's Mark Davis in 2000 and getting punched in the face by Houston's Walt Williams less than three months later.
People have enjoyed using Bradley as a punching bag so much that the blogosphere even recently made fun of his stat-less performance in the aforementioned 1996 movie, "Space Jam."
The big man insists the videos and jokes don't bother him and points out that the videos only show part of the story.
"There's maybe one person [O'Neal] that I've ever played against who's dunked on me more than I've blocked their shots, so I'm OK with that," Bradley said. "But it's when the little guy dunks on the 7-foot-6 guy, that's the highlight, that's the fun thing, that's what people talk about. It's not when the 7-6 guy blocks the 6-5 guy. That's supposed to happen. That's not news."
And how does Bradley respond to critics who say he was too nice to be an NBA center, which resulted in him being on the wrong end of highlight clips?
"Well, you know what, I was who I am and I'm not going to change that," Bradley said.
custom hockey jerseys
One thing's for sure: No matter what Bradley did on the basketball court in the NBA, it always seemed to be overshadowed by what he couldn't do and how he couldn't live up to the hype — and height.
The expectations for Bradley were as enormous as his 7-foot-6 frame when he was selected second overall in the 1993 NBA draft.
Yes, he was dominant during his freshman season at BYU in 1991 when he averaged 14.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 5.2 BPG. But Bradley spent the next two years on a Mormon mission in Australia before suddenly becoming the face of the Philadelphia 76ers' franchise and receiving a $44 million contract.
[Related: Top 10 worst-dressed NBA draft picks ever]
Here's what scout Marty Blake, dubbed the "Godfather of the NBA Draft," had to say about Bradley at the time:  "There is no question in my mind about Shawn Bradley. Anybody who thinks differently doesn't know anything about basketball. There has never been a player like Shawn Bradley."
Bradley never lived up to that billing.
Berated by Philly fans and dubbed "Missionary Impossible," Bradley was traded to the New Jersey Nets in his third season and shipped to Dallas in 1997, where he spent the rest of his career before retiring in 2005.
While Bradley never became a dominant big man, made an All-Star game or lived up to being the second overall pick, it should be noted that he played 12 seasons in the league, averaged 8.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG during that time and finished with over 2,000 blocked shots.
"Whether I lived up to people's expectations of changing the game or franchise or what not, look: I went out, I worked hard, I didn't fib or lie or cheat anyone," Bradley said. "I just went and I worked hard and said, 'This is what I have. If you can use it, great. If not, fine.' And I was there for 12 years and I retired on my terms. So I look at it as very successful and I'm very proud of it."
And while fans have enjoyed using Bradley as a punch line over the years, it was Bradley that laughed all the way to the bank. He made approximately $70 million during his NBA career, which has allowed him to enjoy retirement and give back to those around him.
Not bad for a carnival attraction.

Mike Brown agree on the next head coach of the Lakers are

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport 

Mike Brown has agreed in principle coach of the Lakers next boss, according to an official NBA was not authorized to speak publicly about the topic.
Brown is expected to be a deal later on Wednesday or Thursday to sign. The deal is worth between $ 4,000,000 and $ 4,500,000 per season, said NBA officials.
Brown's contract is thought to be for three years with a team option for a fourth season, which would give some cash if it is not tenable.
custom jerseys 
Phil Jackson retired as coach of the Lakers after the team was eliminated by Dallas in the second round of the playoffs.
Brown, 41, coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for five seasons until he was dismissed in 2010. He had a 272-138 record.
He was NBA Coach of the Year in 2009, to record what the Cavaliers to 66-16.
Brown led the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals in 2007 but was swept by the Cleveland at San Antonio Spurs.
custom nfl jerseys
[Update 15:55] The Lakers made a statement.  We met Mike [Brown] and are very impressed with him as a preview of an agreement in force and hope to sign a contract in the next few days -. Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner

said Mark Story: UK Teague's better to be prepared for the microscope

 http://www.sikids.com/

21. Brandon Knight. If the owner had gone to school in Kentucky, the United Kingdom, the consensus No. 1 team in the country has been headed in the next season.
20. Marquis Teague. With Knight gone the NBA Draft, which is most of the players tested in the UK list of the first year of the entry of Indianapolis, will lead a team expected the Kingdom of the blue, that fight for the national title. 19. A height. Teague also prove that he is worthy to enter the elite line and once John Calipari point guard Derrick Rose went from Tyreke Evans to John Wall Brandon Knight. On the shoulders of a 6-foot-2, a 170-pound teenagers who all so much weight.
18. Kenneth Farias. ESPN.com 's Andy Katz has announced the former star of the Morehead State  round out the most impressive player  at the camp before the NBA last week in Chicago.
17. Empire State of Mind. A proponent of the will and rebounding machine Faria is a perfect choice for the Knicks in New York because he did not need the ball in his hands (the Amar'ey Melo) thrive.
16. NBA Mock Draft, I understand Draft Express Brandon Knight is No. 3 (Jazz). Enes Kanter No. 6 (Wizards) and Kenneth Faries No. 17 (Knicks) in the first round. Shelvin Mack is No. 48 (Hawks), DeAndre Liggins No. 55 (Celtics) and Scotty Hopson No. 56 (Lakers) in the second round. 15. NBA Mock Draft II Brandon Knight NBAdraftnet.net No. 3 (Jazz), Enes Kanter No. 4 (Cavaliers), Kenneth Faries 24 (Thunder) and Shelvin Mack 30 (Bulls) in the first round. Scotty Hopson is No. 55 (Celtics) and DeAndre Liggins No. 56 (Lakers) in the second round.
14. Game Agent. Brandon Knight has Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group authorized elected. Tellem also representatives of Derrick Rose.
13. Steve Prohm. The newly appointed basketball coach Murray State men began their careers in college basketball job as manager of the student, then as a student assistant coach at Alabama.
custom jerseys
12. Murray as a ticket to the top. Steve Newton (South Carolina), Mark Gottfried (Alabama), Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) and Billy Kennedy (Texas A & M), all of Murray State job training at a concert lights.
11. Paul Warford. Cornerback former Kentucky Wildcats, who were expelled from school before the last season of spring practice with the Tigers of Georgetown.
10. I'm still waiting on grades. Warford when his eligibility last college football season is in use this fall,  whether you can do the work in the summer semester and get enough hours to qualify,  coach Bill Cronin, Georgetown.  He made some errors in the Science in the UK and dug a hole pretty well, so we'll see.  9. If Warford says:  If you qualify, it will not leave the field,  said Cronin.  We in the back of the defense will continue, but also to find ways to use it to attack and our special teams, too.  8. NCAA champions citizenship. If the United Kingdom got its first NCAA championship rifle at the beginning of this school year, I was curious to see how the NCAA Division I national titles won by schools in our country.
7. Morehead State. The Eagles have never had a championship for NCAA teams won in any sport (bowling, a club sport at MSU, has four national titles, but they are not sanctioned NCAA).
custom nfl jerseys
6. Western Kentucky. WKU has an NCAA crown in 2002 as a Division I-AA football. The Hilltoppers had just in the Men's cross country (1974) and women's basketball (1992), when they lost the national final.
5. Eastern Kentucky. Roy Kidd were two squads EKU Football Championship in 1979 and 82 NCAA I-AA crowns.
4. Louisville. Men's Basketball Team Denny Crum gave UL only two NCAA titles (1980 and '86). In recent years, the Cardinals lost in basketball to the final (2009) and the National Women's Men's Soccer (2010).
3. Murray State. Riders have three team titles in the NCAA, especially the gun (1978, '85 and '87).
2. Kentucky. UK leads the way in the Republic, with nine crowns in seven of the NCAA men's basketball, everyone in the country's women's cross (1988) and rifle (2011). (I do not know of the 1,950 claims mythical national title in football, Kentucky-based Sagarin ratings count).
1. Just as you are. Schools in our country have joined a total of 17 titles in the NCAA Division I national team won. To put this in perspective, the input of the school year, the team of UCLA, the NCAA Championship 106 times.

Fans of view: What are the Detroit Pistons is NBAS include all-time great?

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport

If you have a list of the 50 best players in the NBA history, that between the Detroit Pistons Isiah Thomas I include my adult life, and Dave Bing and Bob Lanier, was when I was a young fan.

When the NBA's 50th Birthday celebrated in 1996 with the completion of a selected vertex 50, and Thomas Bing made the category, while Lanier has missed the cut.

In his new book,  Basketball's Greatest Stars  author Michael Grange know both Bing and Lanier for a number of players who were too young to qualify in 1966 - Allen Iverson (Notes), Gary Payton, Jason Kidd (Notes) Steve Nash (notes), Dirk Nowitzki (notes), Dwight Howard (notes), LeBron James (notes), Dwyane Wade (white) and Chris Paul (notes) I will argue for Bing and Lanier, but it is exactly what Michael Grange and the desire of the NBA. The goal of most  best  lists is a debate that was better, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain spark? In fact, when I was too old, I was also including birds, no, no, Larry push, but at a much earlier, George  Bird  Yardley. It started with the Pistons in 1953, when they were in Fort Wayne. He was one of the first players, modern techniques such as shooting on the run display, and was the first star score 2,000 points in a season.
customized jerseys cheap
Yardley him play before, but when the piston Bing and Lanier have been since 1970, I thought it was a rare combination. These are the days when New York Knicks were dominant, but for me it was softer than Bing and Walt Frazier Lanier was a great man, where Willis Reed. Unfortunately, Bing and Lanier not much of a support team, but remember a painful defeat in seven playoff games in 1974 in Chicago Bulls, Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Chet Walker and Bob  Butterbean  Love. Tom Boerwinkle was the center of the Bulls, the Pistons could not win but.

The Pistons drafted Bing in 1966, lost after a draw for the first choice for the Knicks, who chose the University of Michigan All-American Russell Cazz.
Pistons fans were very disappointed, but it proved that Bing was the best player, while Russell played the sixth man Bill Bradley in New York championship team.

What if the coin toss results were reversed? Dave Bing, the Knicks could have won four championships in a single year. And who would have a future mayor of Detroit to mesh with Bradley, U.S. Senator future.
What if the piston does not give the Knicks Dave Debussch猫re from virtually nothing in return?
 custom hockey jerseys
Grange not included Bing and Lanier, and it is not and Connie Hawkins Earl Monroe, who alongside two of the aesthetic quality, stylish players of all time. Hawkins was of course from the tragic to the age of 27 years of NBA banned because he falsely accused of fixing games for players in their first year of college.

Contact one of these types, or almost all of the greatest NBA on YouTube. Or watch  Greatest Basketball Stars  (which he won the public library pay, rather than $ 35), which also has some great pictures.

Borders Perspektive span only project?

 http://www.tsn.ca/

There are several reasons which, though Kyrie Irving considered the best hope for the NBA Draft, Enes Kanter could be a more interesting and complicated.


1. Kanter is a hand of nearly 7 feet, the 19 May 20 part of what makes it interesting, if you do not play basketball last season at all turns. He enrolled at Kentucky, but was excluded from the NCAA after it was found that he received excessive compensation while playing for a professional team in his native Turkey. There was no contract with the team because she was under 18, but an investigation revealed he had received from the NCAA on their actual and necessary expenses and losing their amateur status.

2. Kanter was a well-known product for NBA scouts before the NCAA ruling. He came to the United States in 2009, obliged to land in California and Washington originally before changing his mind and signed with Kentucky. At the 2010 Summit of the ring, a high level of stars of the game between the best prospects of the United States against an international team of young stars, who scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Much of this work was done on the block against Sullings Jared, and a team of U.S., including Irving, Harrison Barnes, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones to collect late to win this game. Kanter was the main reason for the world team built a big lead, and his polished performance included post moves and a good midrange game. Clips of the game are all on YouTube here and here and a bonus clip.
cheap custom jerseys 
3. He chose this path because I wanted to be a professional and it is not a joke John Calipari. He could have stayed in Europe and has a lucrative contract on his 18th Birthday, but he chose the high school in the USA try and end a year of college basketball before playing in the NBA. He spent last season as assistant coach for students, which was essentially the way Calipari can keep you active with the team from the United Kingdom and train. Kanter is on the pounds and 6 feet 10 and 250, and he obviously has a strength of the NBA and the ability to reach the post office in the Senior Games. N are questions on your roof, and it can be a real center, a team willing to use a high pick in Kanter ensure that it can respond and be on their systems and needs.
4. Kanter is an invitation to play again at the top of the ring fell last month and have refused invitations to work quickly against other players eligible project-related is a bit disturbing. After a year, you should not expect to go live against the competition? There are questions about his athleticism and finally, when the hell is a tough game and only center for real or just another take their meals before in space. The teams taking into account the high yield of the project are pretty sure and the hell hes ready to record, at least on one level, but must look in the mouth and take into account how the exercise can be affected in his dismissal. Hes young, and a team thinks that his best basketball is ahead in the draft high next month.
custom nba jerseys
5. How high? That is the question (or several) million dollars. Timberwolves at # 2, always unpredictable, and you can get a little shorter Kanter Kevin Love. Jazz at No. 3 have a long look, but only changed their franchise leader for the past, the young man's Derrick big favor winter. The Cavaliers are still in first place 4 and has a lot of options, including the exchange below, in front of a very clear need to worse, or trying to get a development perspective, European. Maybe in the United States Kanter does a bit more than one thing is certain, at least in the short term, the NBA team. Perhaps the European players should go in the draft high that Jonas Valanciunas Vesley January and bring more to undo or skills more attractive. I m the wrong person to ask about it. I know Kanter brings a degree of skill and strength and a certain (albeit small) level, and safety. Perhaps that is enough for the Cavaliers. Perhaps that is enough for a team ahead of the Cavs to take. Between now and 23 June for HESA type. And almost all eyes are on the NBA.

NBA Draft 2011: Why the Deron Williams Utah Jazz preparing for trade

 http://www.rediff.com/sports

Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan therefore fought in the last year that one of them had to be treated to in  The Swamp  star and the other in Del Boca Vista.

During the month of Denver Nuggets trade their disgruntled star Carmelo Anthony, the Utah Jazz was about three hours.
 The Jazz has the (recognize anyone outside of Utah that were Sloan and Deron Williams much disagree?) Most of us, and have surprised Deron Williams traded their superstar guard Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, the New Jersey Nets in the first round of projects in 2011 and perhaps the NBA's Golden State Warriors in the next year, which is protected only the first seven.
It seemed good at the time, but after I had the Nuggets and the Jazz Feel free to ask whether in fact enough to act on an agreement in the top five NBA owners.
Especially in the selection of projects was considered a weak draft and a year where the teams were of the trade is with competition, as if they were sick. The networks finished with the worst record in six years and have a chance, go jazz of 9.39 percent at this point.

There is nothing to get excited ... to date.

The Jazz play the odds and ended with the third pick in the draft this year and now, suddenly, you can find the best center in the draft Enes Kanter of Kentucky to add. That, or UConn Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight have others. Basically, everyone, and Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving.
Now, suddenly, has a great future with the Jazz's favor is he only 19, and Paul Millsap in the slots of the forward Gordon Hayward and Devin Harris in the back room next to his new selection, the number three to number 12 and then Jefferson.
customized jerseys cheap
Al Jefferson, who would like to offer a lucrative trade chip for a selection of jazz enus Kanter was offering.

Or they can play in the center of Jefferson and the project of a future owner of Walker and Knight.

One thing to look for is the possibility that the Jazz development Kanter, then send Al Jefferson, with Mehmet Okur, who will call for equipment expiring contract of a star in return.

This project, or walker, go Okur and has committed to approximately $ 40,000,000 and an agreement that expires for use as bait trade Al Jefferson for the season 2012-2013.

The Jazz are suddenly a wealth of options and rights management to draw the most benefit.

In what appeared to be a mistake, a first-class base, is looking for the Jazz as the winner of today's agreement.

The nets come from a season of 24 wins, to improve through free will and to do the cap room. The problem is getting people to make has come to New Jersey and this year the class a free agent all the guys that are on the hill with the elite teams compete in the East?
 custom hockey jerseys
I see no other scenario for the Nets but wait for the free agent class of 2012 and hope you have a kind of Miami heat of summer.

Deron Williams, if they do not become so fed with the team this year and refused to back the nets and you can back up his current contract after this year.

Four months after that exchange Jazz Network, I think we are all signing a different tune in this trade.