Do They Really Deserve This Much Coin?

For 07/08 season, the NBA has a gaggle of players who are paid well beyond their means. When you talk about getting bang for your buck, these guys shoot blanks. It's stupid owners and GMs, such as Mark Cuban and Isiah Thomas, who are often the reason why.Here's a list of 10 overpaid players for 07/08:

1. $18,593,750 - Michael Finley - Dallas and San Antonio write his Texas-sized check but c'mon, at this point in his career, he shouldn't even be starting on a contender.
2. $17,148,375 - Stephon Marbury - at $14.98 a pair, the league's highest paid point guard could buy 1,147,048 pairs of Starbury One's with his yearly salary and get every homeless person in NYC a few pairs of new kicks.










3. $16,440,000 - Steve Francis - Did you know that four Steve Francises on one team would put it on the brink of busting through the NBA's $67 million salary cap? There's a reason why they call him The Franchise.
4. $13,709,375 - Andrei Kirilenko - I know he does all the little things, but he doesn't even average double-digit scoring numbers (8.3 ppg). And furthermore, he gaged in the playoffs.
5. $11,532,037 - Raef LaFrentz - 11+ mil for a dude who's going to to be farting sawdust now that Oden is in town.
6. $10,500,000 - Brad Miller - Tell me how a 7-footer can get paid this much while averaging less the seven rebounds and under 10 points?
7. $9,580,000 - Bobby Simmons - Ten, it seems, is the operative number here. Almost a 10 million dollars a year for a guy who boasts a career averages of about 10 points per game. Here, let me name 10 guys at his position who are better and cheaper: Tayshaun Prince (8 mil), Caron Butler (8 mil), Josh Howard (9 mil), Luol Deng (3 mil), Mike Miller (8 mil), Andre Iguodala (3 mil), Gerald Wallace (8 mil), Ricky Davis (7 mil), Manu Ginobili (9 mil), Al Harrington (8 mil).
8. $7,525,397 - Milik Rose - We know he's a happy man, 'cause with all that coin he bought his wife a real nice wedding.
9. $7,331,250 - Kenny Thomas - I had never heard of this guy before I started looking up salaries.
10. $5,800,000 - Jerome James - Lets see... he scored 76 points all of last season. That means he was paid him over $150,000 per bucket. Just another of the many reasons why Isiah Thomas is an ignoramus.

This Weekend - 9/1 & 9/2

A new weekly feature on our blog will be predictions of upcoming football games. Check 'em out.


Georgia Tech (BM) at Notre Dame (JA)
Wake Forest (JA) at Boston College (BM)
Washington State at Wisconsin (BM) (JA)
Oklahoma State at Georgia (BM) (JA)
Tennessee at California (BM) (JA)
Florida State (JA) at Clemson (BM)

We refuse to predict NFL Pre-Season games. Next week we'll have all the NCAA and NFL matchups.

Brandon: 0-0 Overall (0-0 NCAA, 0-0 NFL)
Justin: 0-0 Overall (0-0 NCAA, 0-0 NFL)

We are also bringing in a sports betting expert to give you some advice too. We are glad to introduce the newest member of the Beef About Ballin team, The Truth. Since he is here to help everyone make a little money while watching sports, he will be the GREEN FONT. Here are his "Money in the Bank" picks for this week:

Take Tennessee +6 at Cal
Take Georgia -6.5 vs. Oklahoma State
Take Navy -21 at Temple
Take Rutgers -33 vs. Buffalo


The Truth: 0-0 Overall (0-0 NCAA, 0-0 NFL)

Coulda/Woulda/Shoulda: Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have been a joke for quite some time now. It's sad that if they made a few different decisions, they could possibly be the NBA Champs. Check out what they should have done...


Potential Roster:
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Al Horford
C: Rasheed Wallace

Bench: Brandon Roy, Monta Ellis, Sean Williams

Yea. I know. That's one hell-of-a lineup. Here is how they could have done it...

2004
- Keep Rasheed Wallace instead of trading him for what amounted to be Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura and 2004's 17th draft pick (Josh Smith)
- Draft Luol Deng at #6 instead of Josh Childress

2005
- Draft Deron Williams at #2 instead of Marvin Williams
- Draft Monta Ellis at #31 instead of Salim Stoudamire

2006
- Draft Brandon Roy at #5 instead of Sheldon Williams

2007
- Draft Sean Williams at #11 instead of Acie Law (no need for a PG with Deron Williams)

Tell me that team wouldn't win the 2007-2008 championship. Please. This is ignoring the fact that Atlanta took Jamaal Tinsley at #27 in 2001 instead of Tony Parker at #28. But Tinsley ended up turning into the Boris Diaw, whose trade helped Atlanta get Joe Johnson. I love Joe Johnson’s game. That’s why I left him on the team even though through a series of moves Atlanta gave up Antonie Walker, Boris Diaw and their 2008 first round draft pick for him. That might sound like a little too much but my version of the Atlanta Hawks wouldn't need those players and their 2008 pick would be the 30th pick because they'd win the championship.

Would that team beat my Coulda/Woulda/Shoulda New York Knicks team?

The Showdown: Gay vs. Powell UPDATE

Last week 50 percent of voters (including me) thought Asafa Powell would beat Tyson Gay in the 100 meter finals this past weekend in Osaka. Gay, must have heard about us naysayers, and in 9.85 seconds he shut us all up.

No, he didn't lower the world record. But, he beat the world record holder, forcing him to tap out in the process.
So, more power to you if you picked Gay is this duel. For now, he's the world's fastest man.

He needs to work on his start and if it gets better expect him to break the record because his top end speed is unmatched. Just watch how he reeled in Powell:

All "Ask About Me" American Team

Everyone knows about Darren McFadden, Pat White, Steve Slaton, Percy Harvin, Colt McCoy, John David Booty, etc. I'm here to tell you about the guys who you might not know about (unless you're a scout or your name is Ryan Simmons) but these are the guys you will probably know by the end of the year.

QB - Andre Woodson - Kentucky

He'd be the front runner for the Heisman at a solid BCS school. This 6'4 220 pound QB can hurt you with his arm or his legs. He'll battle with Brohm to be the first QB taken in next year's draft. Sept. 15th he'll go head-to-head against Brohm and on Oct. 4th he'll matchup against Spurrier's Gamecocks on ESPN. Check out highlights vs. Clemson last year in the Music City Bowl.

RB - Damion Fletcher - Southern Miss
Almost 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns as a true freshman last year and is looking to boost those numbers up even more this year. He'll have the chance to go up against Ian Johnson and Bosie St on ESPN on Sept. 27th.

RB - Ryan Torain - Arizona State
When you think of runningbacks in the Pac-10 most of the time you think of the two superstars in Oregon ( Stewart, Bernard) or the 9 studs at USC, but this JC transfer wouldn't allow ASU coaches to keep him off the field. He only started the second half of the season but he still ran for over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. He'll have the chance to prove himself on the big stage 11/22 when the Sun Devils host USC on ESPN.

WR - James Hardy - Indiana
This part-time Hoosier Hooper is 6'7 but he's also 220. He uses his frame very well would probably get a jump ball over every else in the nation. If you have ESPNU and want to check him out, Sept. 8th they play Western Michigan and he should have a field day.

WR - Adarius Bowman - Oklahoma State
Anyone in the middle of the country knows about this 6'4 220 WR and I guarentee all the pro scouts will be keeping a close eye on this Cowboy. He can catch everything and is a surprisingly good route runner for his size. He's also a hooper so you know when the ball is up there he can go get it. He starts the season in Athens against Georgia on Sept. 1st so check it out on ESPN.


TE - Travis Beckham - Wisconsin
This former #1 DE prospect in HS has made the smooth transition to tight end in college. In a run happy offense he still managed to catch 61 passes, over 900 yards and 5 touchdowns.

OFFENSIVE LINE - At their, and probably your request too, we'll keep them under the radar.

DEFENSIVE LINE - Let's be honest, just like the O-Line, you'll forget all these names and you'll never take the time out to watch them either.

LB - Xavier Adibi - Virginia Tech
Vince Hall will get a lot of attention (deservingly) this year but Xavier Adibi will be the one making tackles on every inch of the field this year. This 6'2 225 pound speedster shines well in the pass defense too!

LB - Ian Campbell Jr. - Kansas State
Dominated the Big 12 last year (17.5 for loss, 11.5 sacks) as a DE but will move outside as a hybrid DE/LB which shows his versatility and will help his draft stock.

LB - Aaron Curry - Wake Forest
Big, Strong, Fast, Blah, Blah, Blah... but he can hit too. Ignore the first two girlie takedowns on this clip and watch him end someone's night.

CB - Aqib Talib - Kansas
Size, speed, cover skills. You name it, this Jawhawk/Ballhawk has it. Check out Bowman's stats on 11/10 and we'll know how well Talib played.

CB - Jack Ikegwuonu - Wisconsin
Malcomb Jennings and Brandon Flowers might be the pre-season All-American CBs and Kenny Phillips is the best DB in the nation but this Badger is the real deal. He's has the perfect combination of size (6'1 and 193 pounds) and speed (ask Darren McFadden - below) and scouts will be drooling over him next year. He is one of, if not the best, player in the Big Ten. His Oct. 13th showdown vs. Penn State's Derrick Williams should be a good one on ABC.

S - Tyrell Johnson - Arkansas State
Bigtime player at a small school. Easily the best defensive player in the Sun Belt conference.

S - Tyrrell Herbert - Toledo
One of those guys who just steps up when needed. This PA product and his partner in crime Barry Church will anchor the best defense in the conference.

IF YOU KNOW OF ANY ATHLETES THAT ARE UNDER THE RADAR LET US KNOW! EVEN IF IT'S YOU.

Forget Beijing '08, it's going down in Osaka this weekend: Powell vs. Gay

The Beijing Olympics are just a year away, but I can't wait that long. It's time to switch gears for a little bit, literally. Those of you who are tired of our basketball and football pontificating, might appreciate some track. How about 9.75 seconds worth?

If Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay can escape allegations of doping -- or somehow avoid drug testing altogether -- we may see the world record drop by a couple tenths before the Olympics, when they meet at the world championships, which kicks off this weekend in Osaka.

I saw Powell shut it down after 70 meters and stroll through the finish line at 9.90 seconds a few weeks ago in Rome. That made me think that yardie's just waiting for the big stage and the right competition, to break his own world record of 9.77 seconds -- that he's matched three times.

Here's his easy sprint home in Rome:


Since Justin Gatlin's out of the picture, Tyson Gay is the only man who can out stride Powell. He has the year's fastest time and he already beat Powell's world record time, although unofficially, when he ran a wind-aided 9.76 seconds. See it here:

So weigh in. Gay or Powell. Who's going to be the world's fastest man?

Annual Stephon Marbury Bashing

Enough of our heated debates Amoah... let's have some comic relief. I sent this link to a lot of my friends when it came out but I never put it on the blog. While reading about the NBA it popped in my head again. You need to watch this whole video.

0:33 - Anyone can TAKE a layup, thats your problem, you don't make them.
0:38 - Zach Randolph career 3 point percentage is 26%.
0:48 - "Kudos to Isiah Thomas" - Classic
1:26 - "I think I'm going to average 10 points, 12-13 dimes, like 2-3 assists, and about about 4 or 5 rebounds" - Steph, dimes = assists. 2-3 isn't good. Great goals.
1:51 - "Because he's a man's man." - Steph, have you heard Isiah Talk? My sister has a deeper voice.
2:17 - 3:03 - Listen to the question, then watch his differentiate dance, then watch how he ties in his ugly ass shoes, which you can see up close up at 2:54.
3:10 - 3:36 - Again, listen to the question, after about a half a minute of freestylin', he goes onto saying he wants to be Dallas, even though they lost in the first round of the playoffs and earlier he says "at the end of the day, if you don't win the championship, we all losers" (3:26). I'm just over here shaking my head. I don't know what's going on.
4:32 - Shinny Stuff? A trophy that's it?
4:43 - He finally admits he doesn't shoot for the trophy.
6:28 - Stephon gives shoes so he can create jobs for everyone on this Earff.
6:56 - "I can't teach all the kids, it's impossible" - This is the first true statement of the interview.
7:00 - "I can't give them what they need if they don't have it" - No comment needed.
7:14 - He calls his wife a HOE!
7:34 - 8:04 - I mean I love my sister, but I don't love her like Steph loves his sister. Kissing and feeling her body!
8:42 - The funniest dance/faceever.
8:55 - End - It really sounds like Steph wants him to do him from the back. He yells "I wanna see the spit on your mouth" I really think when Steph retires, he should become the equivalent to the And1 DJ, but for pornos.

For all you Knicks (Justin included) fans, I am sorry that he is not only from New York, but he plays for New York too. This is why you stay in school kids.

Barbershop Talk: Young or Leinart?

Justin: Yo, B: If you had to take one sophomore QB would you take Leinart or Young???

Brandon: Even though everyone is jockin' Vince because of what he did at the end of last year I have to go with Leinart. There's just something about him. He's a winner and he just does the right thing and puts the ball in his playmakers hands at the perfect time.

Justin: Ha. What a joke. You're right Leinart puts the ball within reach of his guys -- but really, how hard is it throwing to Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Edgerrin James? Young gets it done with out any PTPs around him. Answer this: How bad would Leinart look if he were throwing to Brandon Jones, Eric Moulds and Chris Brown?

Brandon: First of all... Travis Henry was a better RB than Edge last year. He has 1211 yards at 4.5 yards per pop. Edge had 1159 and a league worst 3.4 yards per carry. Boldin and Fitz are better WRs than anyone on the Titans but I bet if you ask them, who they would want throwing to them they'll say Leinart. Also, I like how you forgot to mention the WRs who had the most receptions last year for Vince and the Titans, Drew Bennett and Bobby Wade. But I mean for real, in Leinart's rookie year, he started 11 games and averaged 231 yards per game. That's more than Brady had in his first year starting (which wasn't his rookie year), Donovan McNabb (which wasn't his rookie year), Carson Palmer's rookie year, John Elway, Dan Marino and just two yards less per game than Peyton Manning. That's some pretty good company. Meanwhile, Young had 169 a game. Which is 26 yards less than Vick's first year starting and Vick had 52 rushing yards a game while Young only had 42. So if you want a poor man's Michael Vick rather than someone who is on track to be in the same class (actually better) with Brady, McNabb, Palmer, Elway and Marino, suit yourself... looking on the bright side, you'll have a better draft pick than me for the next 10 years.

Justin: Let met first state that your Travis Henry running back argument if flawed. Stay focused man. We're talking about quarterbacks here. Quarterbacks throw. So, why are you talking about rushing stats? If you're trying gauge a running backs usefulness to their quarterback, you should have mentioned their catching statistics. You should have mentioned that Edge is a better pass catcher than Henry. After all, he had 38 grabs for 217 yards last year, which was the worse season he's had as a pro, and we probably should blame Leinart for that. Although Travis Henry had less receptions (18) than Edge, his catch total improved upon his 2003 (13) and 2004 (10) numbers, largely a result of playing more games but also because he had Vince feeding him. So in sum, while Leinart makes his running backs worse, Young makes his running backs quote Ne-Yo singing, "You Make me Betta."


Again, I must concede you're right on one point. But to get to that point you started with an ill-conceived theory. You mention all these passing numbers, but you failed to mention what counts. If there is a couple things that matter in the NFL, it's certainly not passing yards; just consult Ben Roethlisberger's stats from 2005 to prove that point. What matters in the NFL is touchdowns. Touchdown produce wins. Leinart averaged 1.08 touchdowns per game (rushing and throwing), while Young averaged 1.27 td's per game. And in the 15 games #10 played he went 8-7 for a .533 winning percentage. In #7's 12 games, meanwhile, Arizona went 4-8, a .333 winning percentage. (Note: he didn't play the final game of the season because Dennis Green was fed up just like he was after the Chicago game). I'll take the guy who was 200 points better. Now, I'll use one ranking for the Mortal-Combat-like fatality: Leinart is ranked 59th in Fantasy Football rankings; Young is ranked 44th. The consensus is out. Like Young over Leinart in the '06 Rose Bowl -- JUSTIN WINS!


Brandon: First of all... you were the one who brought RBs into the equation. And you talk about Henry's receptions going up to 18 and how Vince made him better... are you crazy? He started one game the year he had 13 catches, and he started 5 games when he had 10 catches. Of his 18 catches last year, he had 13 starts. I wouldn't consider that "better." He's started over 10 games 4 times in his career, and the 18 catches from Vince last year was his worst output. But anyways... moving onto you next weak argument... Are you really blaming Leinart for Edge's stats going down? I'm going to just rattle off some other possible reasons... A. It was high eighth season as an NFL runningback. B. He just isn't the same Edge anymore, his longest run was 18 yards, the lowest "long" of his career. C. He wasn't on an almost undefeated team with the second best defense (Cards had the 29th last year) in the NFL, so he didn't have to run the clock out as much. D. The Cards line is horrible. Just to name a few. I mean, look at what Joesph Addai did last year. Is it possible that Edge was/is overrated? If not, is it possible that his stats were inflated just like most believe everyone on the Phoenix Suns has inflated stats? Edge doesn't put the blame on Leinart so why are you? In fact, he says Leinart reminds him of Peyton Manning. But I'm trying to get back to the QB debate... Vince Young might be the QB that you want to play with in Madden... Vick is a great QB in Madden too... It'd be easy to win a Super Bowl with either one in Madden, but in real life, on Earth, there has only been one "running" QB to win the Super Bowl, Steve Young. And Steve Young is more of a QB who can run than "running QB". Also, I'm not to sure about his future as a running QB. Vick runs (ran) a 4.2, Young runs a 4.5. Vick is fast for the NFL. Young has average speed. Every other position keeps getting faster. It's not uncommon for LBs to run 4.5s now, DEs run 4.7s, he isn't going to run away from people. Our homeboy Zak DeOssie for the G-Men would run him down. And the Rose Bowl game, it was the best individual performance I've ever seen, and trust me... I was there.

I didn't like the ending. But how long are guys like you going to refer to that game as proof he is better? In high school, I was on a basketball team beat teams with Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Martell Webster, Spercer Hawes and Aaron Brooks. Does that make me better than them? Just admit it man, Leinart is the man. Better looking than Jeter, and he doesn't have comics (below) referring to how dumb he is: and he is the guy who is going to spread the ball around perfectly like Manning, Palmer and Brady. Ohh yea, he doesn't throw like this... I rest my case. Ohh come on don't clap guys, you are going to make him feel bad. What? A free hair cut for shedding the light on you, well, I will take that, thanks!

Justin: I thought I was done, but you made me come back for more...
I'll keep my final rebuttal short. Just because Leinart hangs around dumb chicks, doesn't make him a good quarterback, so pretend you didn't mention the Jeter factor. And since you mentioned the G-Men look at what he did against them last year and this discussion should be over.

**Whether Justin or Bandon is right in this barbershop debate, they both admit that you can't lose with either sophomore star.**

NFL Fantasy Files

These NFL.com Fantasy Football commercials are all really impressive but I can't decide which one is the best. Check all of them out, starting with my boy Andre Johnson (Paul's boy too) and tell us which is the most impressive. Just click on the links.

Andre Johnson (above)

Neil Rackers

Jason Campbell

Marc Bulger

Chris Simms

Mike Nugent

Marquis Colston

Braylon Edwards

David Akers

Justin Challenges Brandon

B-Mark, I see your basketball and I raise you football.

List your 22-man NFL All-Star roster. I'm not talking about what team would mesh best, now. I want to know who are your the top 11 players on offense and your top 11 on defense.

Don't just pick and grab from last year's Pro Bowl either. I want to see some real G.M.ing here.

I'm limiting you to a 4-3 on D, and a 2 back 1 tight-end offense.
Go to work.

BRANDON: Ohh you don't want it with me Amoah...

QB: Peyton Manning
HB: LaDainian Tomlinson
FB: Lorenzo Neal
WR: Steve Smith
WR: Andre Johnson
TE: Antonio Gates
LT: Walter Jones
LG: Steve Hutchinson
C: Jeff Saturday
RG: Larry Allen
RT: Marcus McNeill

DE: Julius Peppers
DT: Richard Seymour
DT: Jamal Williams
DE: Jason Taylor
OLB: Shawne Merriman
MLB: Brian Urlacher
OLB: DeMarcus Ware
CB: Champ Bailey
CB: Rashean Mathis
FS: Ed Reed
SS: Troy Polamalu

PR/KR: Devin Hester

Let me know who you have a problem with and I'll put you in your place.

Brandon Challenges Justin

Yo Amoah, you think you know sports... okay let's see what you got...

USA Basketball needs your help. They are tired of seeing the gold go somewhere else. Give me the 12 man roster that will bring the gold back home.

Who are the starters? What type of offense are you going to run? Who is going to get the most minutes? Let me know what roles each superstar is going to have on the team.

Justin: Now that I'm at the helm, it means Krzyzewski's fired. No more Duke family nepotism. And no more losing for Team USA.
I've built this team on two principles: outside shooting and rebounding.
On offense we won't run anything too intricate. Spacing will be more important than anything else we do. Versus man we'll run Pick-n-Roll and Motion and versus zone we'll run the UCLA Offense.










Our bigs are all mobile and should dominate guys such as Argentina's Fabricio Oberto, France's Johan Petro, Brazil's Anderson Varejao Serbia's Darko Milicic and Austrailia's Andrew Bogut. Our big men are also athletic enough to contain Spain's Pau Gasol, China's Yao Ming and Germany's Dirk Nowitzki.

Our Small Fowards each bring something different to the team. Whether it be scoring, playmaking ability, or perimeter/low post defense. They should have no problem with like international stars such as, Boris Diaw, Andres Nocioni and Mickael Pietrus.










Our guards are straight shooters and they all possess playmaking ability and they don't need to penetrate through the flop-happy Europeans and South Americans in order to do so. They should have no problems with Leandrinho Barbosa, Emanuel Ginobili, Tony Parker, BenoUdrih, José-Manuel Calderon, and Carlos Arroyo.

Starters:
C: Dwight Howard - We're not asking him to score. We just want him to be a defensive presence in the lane and to grab rebounds on the offensive and defensive glass. (20 mins per game).

F: Kevin Garnett - The team's leader and official hype man. Along with Howard, there will be no second chance opportunities for other teams. (25 mins per game).

F: LeBron James - He's going to play the team's most important role. We'll put him at point-forward, which allows us to start two shooting guards. (30 mins per game).

G: Kobe Bryant - He'll be our go to guy on offense. The offense will run through LeBron, but filtered to KB24. (25 mins per game).

G: Gilbert Arenas: - Another outside threat. We all know he has no problem scoring and with LeBron at point-forward, he doesn't have the added distribution responsibility.(15 mins per game).

Bench:

• G: Baron Davis - I've always said that when he's healthy, he's one of the top 3 point guards in the league. As long as his back is intact he'll always have a spot on my roster. (10 mins per game).

• G: Deron Williams - We'll call on him to relieve LeBron as the team's orchestrator. (10 mins per game).

• G/F: Joe Johnson - He can play three positions, but we'll use him as a shooting guard to give Kobe some rest. (5-10 mins per game).

• G/F: Richard Hamilton - Rip is going to be a crucial element of our offense by running of f screens and canning mid-range jumpers. At the international level, he'll also be effective from 3-point range.(5-10 mins per game).

• F: Carmelo Anthony - We'll play him at power forward and he'll replace Garnett in the lineup. We'll utilize his his ability to slash and attack the basket against less agile big men. (15 mins per game).

• F: Carlos Boozer - He's our best back to the basket player on the block. He plays disciplined D and will give us amble help on the defensive boards. When needed he and Williams give us a good pick and roll combo. (15 mins per game).

• F: Shawn Marion - He replaces coach K's pupil Shane Battier as our lockdown defender. He'll be relied upon to neutralize the other team's versatile stars. (20 mins per game).

Missed the Cut: Chauncey Billups (beat out by B.D.) Dwayne Wade (injured), Allen Iverson (style doesn't fit), Greg Oden and Kevin Durant (have yet to prove themselves), Elton Brand (injured), Chris Bosh (poor rebounder), Chris Paul (not better than D-Will), Michael Redd (no playmaking ability), Ben Gordon (his lack of size at the 2-guard made me opt for Rip), Tayshaun Price (beat out by Marion), Tyson Chandler (Lacks offensive polish).

I'm Anti-Pro SEC, Not A West Coast Bias

You guys think I have a West Coast Bias, I kind of do, but it's more of an Anti-Pro-SEC bias. I wake up and click on ESPN in my favorites bar and this is what I see...


Here is a link to the article if you want to read it (what I'm saying will make more sense after you do).

First off I'd like to say, I have never bashed the SEC. It is the best college football conference. Hands down.

Okay, now that's out the way...

Yo Les Miles... you need to chill out on bashin' USC. You don't have my respect yet because you are winning with Nick Saban's athletes. Are you mad because USC continues to out recruit you?

The ESPN article hints to it but I'll make the point they were alluding to...

JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE OUT WEST DON'T LIVE AND DIE ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND EVERYONE DOWN SOUTH DOES - DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE THEIR TEAMS BETTER.

This year, when you play a South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Mississippi St., please don't get confused because they are schools with FOOTBALL HISTORY and they are schools where football is their number one program... The are still bad football teams that you should easily beat.

That's one thing about the SEC. There is only one basketball (KENT) school and one academic (VANDY) school. In the Pac-10 there are two basketball (UCLA and ARIZ) schools and two academic (STAN and CAL) schools. Cal and UCLA could hang in the SEC. Don't be fooled because they are better known for something else. Also, don't be fooled by SEC teams because football is their #1 sport and their fans live and die on the success their home team.

You also can't hold it against the Pac-10 for not having the 12 teams required to have a conference championship.

And Les, don't try to go at USC. They beat the team (Arkansas) that represented your division of the SEC in the SEC Championship by 36 points in their own stadium last year. They have been, and are a better team than yours, and you might think it's sad since you think the whole world revolves around SEC Football, but they will continue to be better than you.

I'd like to also tell the whole world this... just because USC makes their competition look like they aren't competition, doesn't mean they aren't competition, make sense? Good.

LSU has four tough (VTech, Florida, Arkansas, SEC Championship) games this year. USC has four tough (Nebraska, ND, Cal, UCLA) games this year. I'll even admit I rather play USC's four tough games, but regardless, both teams will be challenged.

I can't believe no one has called out Les Miles for already giving excuses on why his team won't make the National Championship this year. This was Miles' thought process when his team was ranked pre-season #2.

"Damn, that means people think we are going to make it to the national championship. Damn, that means I'm going to have to actually win this conference. Damn, what if we don't? How about this, let's focus everyone's attention of how hard we have it here in the SEC so people won't expect us to make it to the championship and people get off my back. That's a great idea, now people won't want to fire me if I can't do more than get 10 wins and fail to win the big games. Job security baby, job security! Great thinking Les"

So my Ivy league educated brain starts to think... Why won't this guy pick on someone else? Why not the Big Ten or the Big 12? Conferences who both have a losing record in bowl games over the last six years.

So I look this dude up on Wikipedia and I find my answers. He won't talk about Michigan (and the Big Ten) because that's where he went and he'd probably have to bring up that USC beat them by two touchdowns last year. He won't talk about the Big 12 only have two good teams in it because before he started coaching at LSU he was a coach of one non-Texas/Oklahoma teams Oklahoma State. It all makes sense now.

Okay, you can go back to the rest of your lives now. I just had to vent, shed some light on this SEC bias world and expose Les Miles for giving excuses.

P.S. BoDog has LSU an 8/1 to win the national championship and a 1/1 to win the SEC championship game.

For those of you who have an extra $$$, I'd double up and bet against LSU winning the SEC championship. Just think of it like this... Les Miles is handing you a 50% off card on you next shopping spree.

Thanks Les!

David Stern Panics - NBA Lottery

Pretend that David Stern wanted to shake things up a little. Say he decided to cancel every player's contract and put every current player in a pool for the 30 teams to draft. GMs would have to think about who to select, given the player's age, health, potential, etc. Who would you want to build your franchise around? It's kinda of hard when you think about it. If you think you should build around a low post player, you might choose Tim Duncan, but building a franchise around a 31 year old whose physical condition is declining isn't a smart idea. With that said, here are our picks...

1st Pick

BM: LeBron James (22) He will be 23 in December and he is the most dominant player in the league.
JA: After this year's playoffs, LeBron's the mandatory No. 1 pick. I'm just waiting to see if he'll ever average a triple-double. He's that good.

2nd Pick
BM: Kobe Bryant (29) He will be 30 in 2008 though. But even if he has only 5-6 more years of MVPish years in him, he'll still be the best offensive player in the game for 5-6 more years. Given D-Wade's health, they probably have the same amount of years left in them, so just ask youself, who is better?
JA: Dwayne Wade (25) Unlike Kobe he doesn't need to change his number to sell jerseys. And with one ring already on his South Beach mantle, and no previous rape charges to hamper his marketability, it's only right that he's my No. 2.

3rd Pick
BM: Chris Bosh (23) He will retire as one of the best power forwards to ever play the game.
JA: Kobe Bryant (29) He will retire as the second best two guard to every play the game.

4th Pick
BM: Carmelo Anthony (23) Top 5 scorer in the league and he is learning how to do other things on the court. I rather bet on Anthony here because it's easier to teach/make someone how to pass, and rebound that it is to teach someone how to do more than just dunk.
JA: Dwight Howard (21) Already one of the best defenders and rebounders in the game and he's getting better with his back to the basket every year.

5th Pick
BM: Dwyane Wade (25) His health concerns me but he is in a league of his own when it comes to guards who can attack the basket.
JA: Amare Stoudemire (24) Could make an argument for No. 3, but it's so hard to know how good he would be without Nash and the Sun's uptempo style inflating his stats.

6th Pick

BM: Greg Oden (19) He, along with Dwight Howard will be the best centers in the game for years.
JA: Greg Oden (19) He's Hakeem Olajuwon without the low-post footwork on offense, but that will get better in time. 17 years from now, yes 17 years when he'll looks about 60, I see him breaking Olajuwon's record of 3652 blocks in a career.

7th Pick
BM: Dwight Howard (21) He is a man child now. I can't wait until he actually becomes a man. I bashed him a little earlier, but you can build a franchise on his growing shoulders.
JA: Chris Bosh (23) He can do it all on offense, but his bulk leaves something to be desired. Just like Chamberlain couldn't beat Russell, he'll never beat Howard or Oden.

8th Pick
BM: Gilbert Arenas (25) Best scoring guard in the league is learning how to create for others too. I'm taking Arenas here just in case Durant ends up more like McGrady than what everyone thinks he will become.
JA: Kevin Durant (18) Despite the NBA Live commercial, I'll take Durant at No. 9. He'll duke it out with Kobe for the scoring title every year.

9th Pick
BM: Kevin Durant (18) Whoever has more points at the end of the game wins. Why not have the best scorer on your team for a decade (when he is 22 - 32 years old).
JA: Carmelo Anthony (23) Not enough intangibles to merit being any higher.

10th Pick
BM: Yao Ming (26) Close your eyes, think of a center who averages 25-10 while shooting 86% from the line, now you see what I'm saying.
JA: Gilbert Arena (25) He's Agent Zero equipped with his own blog, what more could you ask for?

11th Pick
BM: Deron Williams (23) Averaged 19 ppg and 9 ass per game in the playoffs last year and he showed he can't play defense by stoping Baron Davis while he was on a mission. This is a Jason Kidd who can score.
JA: Yao Ming (26) There are 1,321,851,888 people in China. Marketabilty. Marketability. Market-abilty!

12th Pick
BM: Joe Johnson (26) He developed late but he is one of the top 5 offensive players in the league. he can do it all. Because of few minutes early in his career he will be able to play for a long time.
JA: Deron Williams (23) The debate whether he or Paul is the better pg will carry on. For now, Deron's on top.

13th Pick
BM: Amare Stoudemire (24) He is just a beast. Plain and simple. BUT, Amoah is right... what would he do on a team where they double teamed him everytime he touches the ball, what would he do if he didn't get 8 points handed to him by Steve Nash a game? Only reason why he slides to 13.
JA: Chris Paul (22) If this guy were 6'3 he'd be the best pure point guard to enter the league since Magic. At 6-foot he's the best since J-Kidd.

14th Pick
BM: Andre Iguodala (23) You might not have noticed but he put up 18-6-6 in his first year as being a primary option. He is a shut down defender and he actually shoots 33% from deep despite his reputation.
JA: Charlos Boozer (25) He's one of the few Duke players to become a star in the league. And if you saw this guy in the playoffs you know why he warrants a lottery selection.

Rest of the First Round
15: BM: Eddy Curry; JA: Tim Duncan
16: BM: Dirk Nowitzki; JA: Dirk Nowitzki
17: BM: Kevin Garnett; JA: Joe Johnson
18: BM: Tony Parker; JA: Elton Brand
19: BM: Carlos Boozer; JA: Zach Randolph
20: BM: Luol Deng; JA: Kevin Garnett
21: BM: Brandon Roy; JA: Steve Nash
22: BM: Ben Gordon; JA: Ben Gordon
23: BM: Mike Conley; JA: Kevin Martin
24: BM: Randy Foye; JA: Luol Deng
25: BM: Rudy Gay; JA: Al Jefferson
26: BM: Tim Duncan; JA: Andre Iguodala
27: BM: Chris Paul; JA: Vince Carter
28: BM: Al Jefferson; JA: Josh Howard
29: BM: Josh Howard; JA: Mike Conley
30: BM: Steve Nash; JA: Eddy Curry

Almost
BM: Rashard Lewis, Leandro Barbosa, Andrew Bynum, Michael Redd and Gerald Wallace, Elton Brand, Travy McGrady, Vince Carter, Tyson Chandler, Al Horford.
JA: Rashard Lewis, Tony Parker, Al Horford, Andew Bynum, T.J. Ford, Shawn Marion, Gerald Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal.