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It is official, I am burned out on the NBA free agency period.  Where is LeBron going?  Why would he go there?  What does it mean if he stays?  What does it mean if he goes?  What does it mean if he joins Wade in Miami?  I go through this at different times throughout the year and it usually means I listen to music for awhile.  I am a sports junkie and love sports talk whether it be radio, TV, newspaper, the inter-net or person to person.  Time to cut back. 

First though I would like to toss out some thoughts for consumption.  What if Kobe Bryant was doing all the things that LeBron is doing now?  Would the coverage be totally different?  I think it would.  Bryant is a polarizing figure much like Brett Favre is and those two would be blasted for this.  LeBron has been able to skate through for the most part.  Let me be clear.  I like LeBron and I do not blame him for working the system.  I do not know him but he carries himself well and seems like a likable guy. 

Ah, I guess that is the difference.  We like to think we are people that live by principles and guidelines.  What it really comes down to is if we like someone.  If we like someone or he plays for our team.  Like hating Danny Ainge as a player on the other team but loving him if he is on our team.

I say if Kobe were acting like and doing the things James is he would be killed.  If Kobe’s nickname were ” King”  you would hear derision.  Oh, that Kobe is so arrogant he calls himself King.  I have hardly heard a peep in regards to James.  The Cavs fired their head coach and general manager after they were favored to win the title and failed.  If that happened with Kobe, the Sports Center question every day would be, ” Did Kobe get his coach and GM fired.”  There would be outrage about how a spoiled and loser Kobe pushed ownership and threatened to leave if there weren’t changes.  I have heard no one suggest that maybe LeBron pushed those guys out.

If Kobe were traveling all over the country and courting different teams you know the screams would be that he is selfish, disloyal to his city and his teammates.  Danny Ferry went after every guy that LeBron said I need this guy and they still did not win.  The Cavs had the best record in the regular season the past two years and fell when favored in the playoffs.  If Kobe did this you would hear things like he is blaming his teammates for his failure.  I have not heard that coming from anyone.  The only guy that criticizes LeBron is Skip Bayless and I think Skip is way out of bounds.  Why though does James get a pass.  Can you imagine if it were Kobe saying he would like to hook up with Wade in Miami?  It would be all over the place that Kobe knows he can’t win by himself  and he is not a leader and all of the other garbage.  Not a peep is said about LeBron, it is just where is he going?

So you see, it is if you like a guy not what principles you claim you have.  Kobe is not that likable and LeBron is.  Therefore he is covered differently, just like Magic used to be covered differently and heavens knows Michael Jordan was covered differently.  He still is today.

Brett Favre takes his time deciding whether to retire and he gets ripped all over.  I actually heard people on ESPN say they were tired of talking about Favre.  I have not heard anyone saying they were tired of talking about LeBron.  Favre is criticized for being a media sponge (nicer word than what I have actually heard) and yet I have not seen anything directed towards James.  They were talking about where James might wind up more than the NBA Finals.  What if Kobe where hanging out with Jay Z?  It would be said that he was not dedicated to winning and had to many outside issues like they said about Shaq.  I have not heard any of this directed towards LeBron.  My question is why?  Why if certain behaviors are demonstrated by one athlete and then you see those same behaviors in another, why different coverage?  I can only come up with, that one player is well liked and the other one is not.  Is there something I am missing?  I think not?  Am I wrong?

If LeBron does go to Miami then I have some advice for coach Eric Spoelstra.  You need to practice your speech about needing to spend time with your family.  Since you are not married you need to say you need to spend time with your future wife so you can prepare to spend some time with your future family.  Come up with something creative because I am thinking you will not be the head coach any more.  I see the old great one coming back in Pat Riley.  He would be a good coach for LeBron as he seems to be beyond criticism as well.  You know they say Riley is a winner and he moves around a lot on the sidelines.  I know he likes to coach when he has the players especially a player like LeBron.

The NBA season is finally over and once again the Los Angeles Lakers are World Champs. Now the talk will really intesify in L.A. regarding the best Laker in history. It really isn’t close, the best Laker in history is Magic Johnson and will probably always be Magic Johnson. Not simply because of what he accomplished in the court but Magic was L.A. and by the way, he resurrected and revolutionized the NBA (I know Erik, along with Larry Bird). Magic’s overall impact is greater than Kobe’s.

But i’m not here to talk about the Lakers championship, I’m here to vent a little. So as I was lounging in the Czech Republic this spring and watching the playoffs at three a.m., I thought of ways to improve the NBA. Here is my 4am list of ways to improve the NBA:

-Call your own fouls, it can’t be any worse than what we witnessed in the Finals. Better yet, go back to two officials and try to keep a flow to the game
-Send the refs to school to actually read the rulebook
-Get rid of neck tattoos
-Send Dwight Howard and every other big man in the league to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the summer
-Outlaw the Paul Pierce offensive flop. The league crackdown on Vlade, it is time to put a stop to Pierce acting
-All players in the league should quit whining like babies and shut up and play
-No more close-ups on players when a foul is committed, the resulting facial expressions are not attractive. So this means for television, no more close-ups because every foul called gets a facial expression
-The Finals for four consecutive years for max viewership: Lakers-Boston or Lakers-Knicks or Lakers-Bulls or Lakers-and what ever team LeBron is on. On the fifth year, any team can make the finals
-LeBron James in New York. Dwyane Wade in Chicago
-More fundamentally adequate players
-Speaking of fundamentals, the game would improve if the mid-range game was seen
-The age limit to enter the NBA should be 21 years old
-Less protective gear; knee pads, elbow pads are okay; full body armor should be restricted
-Actual tough guys; Matt Barnes, Raja Bell, the Nuggets just don’t cut it as enforcers
-Speaking of the Nuggets, two words: laser treatment
-A team in Seattle
-A penalty box
-An actual exciting dunk contest
-Better nicknames
-Get rid of the Dream Team. The NBA would improve if more players coming into the league had Olympic experience
-Mandatory financial planning courses that require completion. Make it like a required A.A. program
-More Andrew Bogut interviews
-Bring in the soccer announcers to call games, honest evaluation and opinions would be heard
-Contraction. Does the NBA really need the Grizzlies, Hornets, Bobcats, Raptors, Pacers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Warriors. if we can’t get rid of all six, combine the Warriors and Clippers and put them in Seattle. The rest would mix and they could stay in Indiana.
-Much, much less Stuart Scott.
-All studio analysis done by TNT and NBA TV or www.sportsnetusa.net.

These are just a few ideas where I think the NBA can improve. If you have any of your own feel free to voice your opinion. By the way, shouldn’t the greatest champion be the won with the most championships?

I have been waiting and waiting for all of you Kobe haters to step up.  I guess you are waiting and desperately hoping that the Celtics can wax the Lakers like they did two years ago.  I cannot remember a worse beating in a final game than the one the Celtics gave the Lakers to close it out that year.  After that game there was nothing left to say, the Celtics were the superior team.  To be honest, last year, if Garnett did not get hurt, I was not sure if the Lakers could beat the Celtics.  I am a Laker fan but I like to think that I do have some objectivity.  This series appears to be dead even.  The Lakers have the best player and the best coach.  The Celtics have the better overall team and play the best defense.  If you think about it the Celtics may have five future Hall of Famers.  Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are all sure Hall of Famers and Rasheed Wallace may end up there as well.  Rajon Rondo if he keeps at the level he  has reached may join them.  For the Lakers it is Kobe and maybe Gasol and that is it.  The Lakers have home court advantage which is a plus.  So to me it is dead even and I think the Lakers will win but I cannot get that last championship game out of my head.

Back to you Kobe haters.  I understand why you may hate the guy but I have a friend that can’t even say that he is one of the greatest players of all time.  You should hear the venom he spews when he even says his name.  Jordan fans go off the board when someone even mentions Michael and Kobe together.  God forbid that anyone should dare utter a negative word about Saint Michael.  Jordan was criticized when he came into the league but once he started winning championships he became untouchable.  His most famous play where he totally pushed off on Byron Russell is roundly lauded as a great play.  Someone please tell me why?  Why was Jordan allowed to get away with so many things?  My old Chicago friends used to say because he is such a great player.  Does that make sense?  You take the greatest player in the game and then let him break the rules and get most of the calls?

I know there are those of you out there who like to think Jordan was perfect and are threatened by what will happen if the Lakers win and Kobe ties Magic with championships and inches closer to Jordan.  You can’t stand that can you?  Last year you were feeling pretty good as everyone thought the MVP LeBron had taken over from Kobe as the best player in the game.  James was supposed to win the title and leave Kobe without ever winning a title without Shaq.  That didn’t work out.  Now, I hear Kobe’s legacy is again on the line as he has never beat the Celtics in a final.  If the Celtics win you can all rejoice and start the hate talk of Bryant.  If the Lakers win then Kobe’s legacy will be on the line as he did not win six like Mike.  I guess it comes down to you can’t explain nor make hatred seem reasonable.  I get you don’t like the guy but to always look for some reason to deny his greatness is pathetic.  I don’t like Rasheed Wallace but I don’t deny that he is a great player.

If you are a Kobe hater then I am sure I will hear from you if the Celtics win.  If the Lakers win then you can look for new ways to deny his greatness as a basketball player.  Either way, I am looking for a great series and will enjoy the great basketball.  Of course there will be those that will say this Laker-Celtic match up is nothing compared to the old days.  How do you fight ghosts of the past like that?

I am tired are you tired?  I am tired of things being said and then repeated so often that people come to accept it as the truth.  Sometimes it may be the truth but so what.  If someone said to me, Randy Routier you are no Mike Lupica or Mitch Albom, well, that is the truth but so what.  So I beg of you if you love the NBA let’s stop looking for the next Michael Jordan.  If you are one of those that does not like the current NBA because there is no Bird, Magic or Jordan, do yourself a favor and get over it!  LeBron is not Jordan and he never will be.  Remember way back when Grant Hill was supposed to be the next Jordan and even Harold Miner, they weren’t.  Kobe Bryant was not the next Jordan either but his basketball greatness only a fool would deny.

LeBron James is not Jordan and that should not take away his greatness.  Jordan won his first NBA championship at the end of his seventh season and LeBron has passed that so many are signaling that he cannot ever be Jordan.  They are right, he can’t be Jordan but to deny his greatness is a joke.  The guy is twenty-five and he may never win a title or he could win seven who knows.  All I know is this guy has the moves of a point guard and the body of a power forward with the passing ability of a point guard.  Throw in the shot blocking ability of a center and on rare occasions the outside shot of a shooting guard.  James in the open court is just a wonder to see.  So if you are one of those guys that is stuck looking for the next Jordan, turn the page and enjoy or even pick up a new book to read.

Something LeBron to look at is, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and their careers.  It took the three of them on the same team before either of these great players won a championship.  Garnett and Allen won it in season 13 and Pierce won it in his 10th.  For all of his greatness, Garnett got to the Western Conference Finals only one time and many years he and the Timber Wolves were bounced in the first round.  In the beginning of these playoffs I was sad to see Kevin play with that gigantic white wrap around his leg.  He looked like it was all he could do to carry that thing up and down the court.  Suddenly, he is rejuvenated, as are all of the Celtics.  Heck there has even been a Rasheed Wallace sighting.

So LeBron, take heart and I know you don’t need it from me but as long as you are on the court there is time to win one.  When you are finished there will be young players that people will say, he is great but he is not LeBron.  It won’t be fair but I guess it is not fair that you are bigger, stronger and faster than almost anyone on the court.  My only knock on LeBron has been all of that pre-game team posing stuff.  I can’t stand that stuff.  A columnist up here wrote that the Kings were going to make a strong move to get him.  Out of all of the guesses where he will wind up that is the only one that I say there is zero chance of happening.

Where are the Dallas Mavericks?

I keep hearing LeBron James wants to change his jersey number from 23 to 6. James says “[Jordan] can’t get the logo, and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.” Michael Jordan is arguably (if you’ve listened to Friday Nite Mics then you’ve heard the arguments) the greatest basketball player of all time. He has won six championships, six Finals MVPs, and five regular season MVPs but he is not Jackie Robinson. He doesn’t hold a candle to Robinson’s cultural impact. Jordan is a basketball and marketing icon, but he didn’t change the landscape of professional sports. For James to change his number from what he feels is respect for Jordan to number 6 shows his lack of basketball history. Lebron also said “I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon,” James said.  There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first. Without Julius Erving, who wore number 6, there would be no Michael Jordan. But didn’t someone else wear #6 that won 11 championships, was a pretty decent player in his own, arguably the greatest basketball player ever and most likely the greatest defender and played during an era that changed America? For LeBron to change his number out of respect to Michael Jordan, he should think about changing it to a number not #6 out of respect for Bill Russell and the history of the game.

Speaking of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant should be mentioned in the same breath. I know everyone at www.sportsnetusa.net will disagree.

Here is my top 5 MVP candidates:
1. LeBron James
2. Carmelo Anthony
3. Kevin Durant
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Dirk Nowitzki

I was thinking recently of a game the Buddha of Babble and I played during our 3am journey from Jackson to the Nashville airport a couple of years ago; the Hall of Fame game. This is a list of nine that should be in the basketball Hall of Fame.
*Artis Gilmore: dominating in the ABA and didn’t drop off when he came to the NBA. Top ten in rebounds, blocks, games and   number one in field goal percentage.
*Dennis Johnson: nine straight All-NBA Defensive teams, three time NBA champ, one Finals MVP
*Gus Johnson: besides being my Uncle Popsie’s favorite player, prototype power forward, think Gayle Sayers impact on the hardwood
*Jerry Tarkanian: Long Beach St. is still living off the recognition he brought to the program, more coaching victories than Ralph Miller, John Chaney, Norm Stewart, Ray Meyer and more championships
*Oscar Schmidt: five-time Olympian for Brazil, one of the best players never to play in the NBA
*Rebecca Lobo: catalyst for UCONN dominance, National Champion
*Frank Selvy: 100 points in a college game, three time all-American
*Hank Gathers: 2nd player in NCAA history to lead in points and rebounds in the same season, average for NCAA career 33 points, 14 rebounds

The most impressive sports team during the last few years has been the UCONN Huskies Women’s basketball team. At this moment, they are at 70 consecutive wins and counting and a national championship during the run. If Maya Moore stays for her senior season, she will be considered one of the all-time greats.

Speaking of all-time greats here is my All-time Golden State Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Team:
*Kelly Schmidt, Vanguard University: four all conference selections, two-time GSAC Player of the Year, four-time all-American (three 1st team and one 2nd), NAIA Player of the Year
*Jessica Richter, Vanguard University: three all conference selections, two-time GSAC Player of the Year, three-time all-American
1st team, NAIA Player of the Year
*Lisa Faulkner, Vanguard University: two all conference selections, GSAC Player of the Year, NAIA Player of the Year, two-time all-American 1st team, NAIA single season assist leader (385)
*Gitte Mejer, Concordia University, all-American 1st team, three-time GSAC Player of the Year
*Sonia Akkerman, Cal Baptist University: all-American, three-time GSAC Player of the Year
Honorable mentions: Lindsey West and Cindy DeYoung (APU), Jamie Gast (CUI), Lesley DuBois (TMC), Colleen Planeta (PLNU), Katie Hardeman and Becky Gibb (WC)

If the NCAA really cared about “student-athletes” missing class time, the NCAA would not consider expanding the Field of 64 to 96 teams. The tournament field is fine the way it is structured now. Proponents say expanding will lessen the cries of those that missed the cut. Even if the field grows, there will always be one or two teams that feel left out. I thought the NCAA wanted full-time “student -athletes” not athletes that only go to class when the time is convenient to the NCAA; which is October to the first week of April.

To be honest I was waiting for some of my fellow friends on SportsNetUSA.net to blog first.  I was hoping that someone would write in and smash Brett Favre and then I could respond.  So far it has not happened.  The week after the NFL championships is usually a slow sports week.  This week has been no exception and already I want to scream.  It has me thinking I want to find a classical music station and stop listening to so much sports talk.  I would like to take a look back and a quick look forward to the Super Bowl.  Somewhere another tradition has bit the dust with the Super Bowl now in February instead of January.  Just think if they go to an eighteen game schedule maybe we can get the Super Bowl pushed to March and keep the draft in April and cut down the months in which there is no NFL.

Did you ever really worry when the Colts fell behind the Jets?  I never once believed in that game that the Jets were going to win.  The Jets are what they are, an up and coming team.  The Colts are already there.  The Colts have become the model organization in football.  It helps when you have guys like Dungy, Manning and Polian.  I am happy they are in and I believe they will beat the Saints.  I just want to see a good game because like last week I have no hatred for either team.  Normally I like to be really for or really against a team but not in this one.

I was very happy for the Saints and the city of New Orleans to beat the Vikings.  It is nice to see long suffering franchises win sometimes.  The Saints defense was something to watch and what a whipping they put on Favre.  Turnovers were the difference.  I do not see them getting to Peyton like they did Brett.  If the Saints win the Super Bowl that would be fine with me too.

I have no interest in the Pro Bowl at all.  Do not care when they play it or where they play it.  It is a useless exhibition and a waste of time.  Of course I believe every professional All Star game in any sport is a waste.  I have some ideas on what would make the game more interesting but don’t want to go into that now.

This brings me to the past week and all of the nonsense about legacy and who is the greatest.  I must learn to change the channel when this kind of talk comes up.  Where does Peyton Manning rank with the all time greatest quarterbacks?  What will Peyton’s legacy be if he wins or if he loses?  Brett Favre has all kinds of records but he is not among the all time quarterbacks because he has only one ring and he always throws an interception in the crucial moment of a game. Give me some Bach or Beethoven right about now.

Remember when the standard was if you won a Super Bowl?  Well now a quarterback or coach has to win more than one or they cannot be called great.  That is garbage.  Where did all of this legacy stuff come from?  The greatest of all time talk is comparable to me to which came first the chicken or the egg?  It is useless and yet I cannot stop listening or getting ticked off.  Peyton Manning will, if he stays healthy, pass most of Favre’s records.  He is and has been a great quarterback for some time now.  He will be a great quarterback if the Colts lose.  Favre is a great quarterback despite the interception and the Vikings loss.  Did I mention the greatest back in the league kept putting the ball on the carpet in that game?  Remember in the NBA playoffs last year and I railed against the “what is Kobe’s legacy if he loses?”  Kobe haters were chomping at the bit to say, see he never won one without Shaq.  I heard a guy say that he was not sure how to rate Montana because Joe had Jerry Rice and great players around him!  What!  Shut off your mike since I can’t seem to change the station.

That is what we have to look forward to now.  Grainy films of Joe in the Super Bowl and HD pictures of the current greatest of all time, Manning.  You know if Peyton wasn’t tall, athletic, blessed with a strong throwing arm, a dad named Archie, football smart, had great coaching, have a great offensive line, have a great game plan, play in today’s pass happy game, never have a major injury, get to run the no-huddle, play in an indoor stadium and have great receivers….if he didn’t have all of that, I am not sure I could call him great.  I know this is not grammatically correct but I hope the point is made.  Chicken or the egg, Manning or Montana, enough, stop it.  Now, how about some music!