It was an interesting scene in Toronto tonight as I arrived to the Air Canada Centre just an hour after news broke of the big trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.  Over the last couple seasons we have waited to see if the Lake-show could pull the trigger on a deal - or if they had the players to deal for an impact player.

With Kwame Brown's contract about to expire and Memphis's intent to rebuild it made sense to make a deal.  Memphis grabs a young kid, a relatively young guy in Brown and 2 draft picks that need lots of prayer to become impactful.  This allows the Grizz to start over amd they will have some cash to show for it.

The Lakers grab a guy who can make an immediate impact.  This move allows them some breathing room as Andrew Bynum recovers from injury, and it gives them a blanket if Bynum does not return to form.  If he does return to form it allows Lamar Odom to slide to the small forward position while Pau plays the 4.  And, it gives them a deeper bench when Luke Walton slides beside some of the other contributors like Ronny Turiaf and Jordan Farmar.

This is a win-win for both teams without a doubt.  The need to crash the boards is imperative in the West and Los Angeles has more weapons than they know what to do with.  I should know; I watched a depleted Laker team roll over the Toronto Raptors.  Kobe Bryant was on tonight and unlike last night he got some help offensively.  Tonight's game proved that Toronto may be able to score but can't hold it together defensively on a consistent basis.  But with L.A. playing their 2nd game in as many nights they should have been stronger out of the gate.  Lakers got momentum and never looked back.

Last point on the Lakers: Prior to this deal I was still not on-board with putting them into the serious contender category despite their strong record.  Now, my view has changed.  They are absolutely a team that should be a factor in April.  This is a team built to go past round 1.  If they don't there is a problem.  They now have a great starting 5 (with Bynum back) and the forward position was a bigger need than point guard.  Derek Fisher can run the show because he won't try to do too much.  He knows the offense, he knows his limitations, he can still hit shots and knows how to play in big games.  Specifically speaking, Paul Gasol is a better acquisition than Jason Kidd.

Other stuff....

- I just realized Fox used the "Pau-er" line.  I'm pissed.

- After his 13.5 million is up in 2008, Johan Santana will pull in 137.5 million over 6 years.  That is phenomenal.  Hope the kid can hit.

All seriousness, the guy is one of the best pitchers in baseball and barring any setback or injury he should contend for a Cy Young.  Being able to avoid a big bopping DH and getting the opportunity to face pitchers with 1 or 2 out and runners on base will pay off for Johan.  It is a different ballgame with different scenarios when you play in the National League in comparison to the American League.

As for the contract itself, a lot of bad pitchers get paid a ton, so this is not a surprise and not out of this world in comparison to the #3 pitchers who make 8 figures per year.

- When Bill Belichick says his team is "ready to roll", I tend to believe him.  Some may feel the New York Giants can beat New England and they may be right, but I don't see it.  Yes, they played the Pats tight IN New York IN the cold IN front of their hometown.  In Arizona it will be warm and it is a neutral site.  The way I see it, the conditions favour the New England passing attack.  Passes that went through the hands of receivers will be easier to catch, and nobody is as accurate or precise as Tom Brady - even if he is disrupted in the pocket.

The real question should be if Eli Manning can continue his excellent play.  In my mind, he's grown as a player over the last month or so.  And he should be proud of the way he has battled throughout the playoffs.  He has beaten two teams he wasn't suppose to beat, outplay both quarterbacks and has defied expectations, which brings me to this...

- Tiki Barber is trying to protect himself now that his former team has made it to the Super Bowl the year after he reitres.  Tiki came with baggage and now that the baggage is gone the team can re-focus.  He had his quarrels with Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and Michael Strahan.  This isn't a coincidence.  Somewhere down the line we have to look and say that maybe New York really IS better off without him.  I think they are.

- Who are we kidding when Pat Riley says Shaquille O'Neal should be in the All-Star game?  Should Magic be playing as well?

- Again, I realize nobody really cares about hockey but I will say it again: Alexander Ovechkin is THE best hockey player on the planet.  He is one of the very few players who has to single-handedly carry his team to victories.  I wonder how long he can keep this up.  Eventually he will need a stud playing alongside him.

Time to unwind.  And get ready for the Super Bowl.  I hope to witness history this Sunday.  It will be nice to explain how I got to watch a Football team go undefeated in one season.  Doesn't come around often folks.

We just witnessed a very slow showing from the NBA trade deadline and the NHL trade deadline is beginning to heat up as it ends on February 27th.

MeanDovine reminded me about something I have discussed at length for quite a while in regards to the word team.  A lot of weight of an athlete's career can be measured by the rings they have won.  Seems rather unfair when you are only 1 of 25 or 52 or 12 guys on a team, depending on the sport.  Does not having great teams tarnish your legacy as a great player?  Was Tony Gwynn not as great for not winning a ring?  No!  An athlete can only do so much and Mean reminded me of that very same argument I have made for quite some time inside our blog-nation.  The player in the discussion was Dwyane Wade, who has lost more than just Shaquille O'Neal prior to his return.  That got me thinking...

- Last week when I was watching the Toronto Raptors play host the Cleveland Cavaliers I could not help noticing Lebron James getting stoned.  There were several instances where he made an incredible pass to an open person and they would not hit their shot.  He was cheated out of 3 or 4 assists in the last quarter alone simply because his teammates have not produced at a level that can help his team succeed.  They are not an NBA Championship contender and that blame cannot be placed on the lack of leadership of Lebron James.  If a professional basketball player cannot hit a jump shot or finish a layup then that blame cannot rest on the shoulders of James.  In fact, the last basket of that game said it all: Lebron kicks it out to an open Sasha Pavlovic, WIDE OPEN, and misses terribly only to find Anderson Varejao make a spectacular dunk to win the game. 

- Kobe Bryant has watched his Laker teammates go down with injuries: Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovich.  Presently, they are showing that they are simply just an ordinary team because the weight has been resting on the shoulders of Bryant who can only do so much.  Score 25, score 35 score 45, if teammates are not there to support your team will not succeed.  Now has Kobe had missed opportunities over the last few weeks?  Absolutely.  However, wouldn't a better team not put themselves into a situation where you have a coin-flip's chance to win on the final possession of the game?

- Moving on, the deadline was dead and one of the few reasons for that was Dwyane Wade's injury.  I bet New Jersey wanted to wait it out as long as possible before dealing Jason Kidd and/or Vince Carter.  They did and they may have dodged a bullet doing it due to Wade's injury.  The Nets are not far away from the 8th and final playoff spot.  Not only does Wade's injury hurt the Heat, the Orlando Magic are having a second half collapse at this point.  If the Nets get in and potentially get Richard Jefferson back, why can't they knock off a Washington or Cleveland or even Toronto, which brings me to...

- Toronto's trade with Portland was an improvement because Fred Jones was not playing anyway, and Dixon would relieve a little bit of money for Toronto.  However, the one position they are lacking in is Center.  They needed to get a big man who could rebound, a Theo Ratliff-type player without the Theo Ratliff-type contract.  That Cavs game proved that Toronto needs someone who is a capable rebounder or else Toronto will be bounced in round 1 of the playoffs.  And the next time anyone makes an accusation that I am a hometown guy just point towards this blog.

Now, Bryan Colangelo has done a magnificant job with this team.  His strategy of going after the European market and drafting Andrea Bargnani was a gem.  Looking at the dynamics of their roster they were going to have a tough time trying to fulfill that center position without giving up a critical piece of the puzzle that has allowed them to be at this point as we speak.

- A couple of days after the big fight between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators has put hockey right back where it was before: on the backburner of the sports pages and internet websites.  We have a big brawl and it becomes the very first highlight we see on the computer and then all of a sudden it remembers that it's hockey and that is it.  What does it say about the people of the US and the sport itself?  Well it says the people will embrace it for what can be perceived as a negative part of the sport.  The sport itself was not viewed by American sports fans it was the aftermath of a play gone bad-turned brawl.  It simply means the sport still has a lot of catching up to do before it is really taken seriously.

- This is not a true preview of the 2007 baseball season but after the offseason acquisitions and the rosters each team currently has we can say it will be a wide-open dash towards the World Championship.  It can be anyone's trophy this year once again.  The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are always strong but they are not necessarily the best team around.  And Chicago spent a ton of money but even that won't give them the division title.  It will be interesting and it will be a dog fight.  And to be fair, my early prediction for the Toronto Blue Jays is 3rd place.  Nice, cozy 3rd place.

- If Roger Clemens has not made up his mind about playing and isn't sure which team he'd play for, what is he doing at the Houston Astros training camp?  Yes I know his kid is there and management won't say anything to him out of fear that he'd say screw you and sign elsewhere but isn't that brutal if he trains with the Astros and then decides to sign with New York?  If I am Houston I'd be pretty p!ssed off about that.  But not p!ssed enough to throw a broken bat at him.

- Last hockey comment and I am out: People saying that Sidney Crosby is the far away leader for the Hart Trophy has not done their research.  Sid the Kid is playing phenomenal hockey but the leader right now is Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils.  Look at how far Jersey has come since November and look at how dominant Marty has been this season.  Simply incredible.  I am also not closing the book on Sid being the best NHL'er in the league either.  With the additions of Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin he has really blossomed as a player.  Put those two guys on Washington and Alexander Ovechkin is the best hockey player in the world without a shadow of a doubt.  I admire hockey players who produce the most with the least and Ovechkin does that, and it also ties into the basketball discussion written above.  In Canada, critics are still not prepared to appoint a non-Canadian as the best hockey player in the world.

...Hope the weekend went well.  Hope you all can tune in to my show this week running live from 9AM-Noon at www.chevradioam.com.  Cheers.       

Let's begin by saying the pre-season does not matter. That is obvious to some but in case there are people who aren't on board with that analogy, just take a look at the Toronto Raptors as the prime example. Granted, pre-season matters for the teams to get into game shape for the season as well as getting to know teammates and establishing on-court and off-court relations, but pre-season RECORD does not MATTER. It is not a reflection of how a team will perform.

My hometown Raps are on the brink of losing their 5th consecutive road game against a Western Conference team. In fact, every West team they have faced they have lost to. The West is continuing their dominance over the East. Sure we have seen 2 East Conference teams win the NBA championship over the last 3 seasons, but we never accused the East of having primarily weak teams. The East traditionally has a few good teams in their Conference. In terms of depth, the West has it.

The Raptors are not the only ones feeling the wrath of the West; The Chicago Bulls have gotten their butts handed to them by West teams over the past week as well. You know when a team like the Phoenix Suns are in last place in their division that you know its a strong Conference. Heck, when the worst NBA West division (Northwest) could be the 3rd strongest in the NBA, you know the Conference is stacked.

Already there have been some surprises and some stumbles out of the gate. The consensus top 5 (Spurs, Heat, Mavs, Suns and Pistons) have not played up to expectations thus far with the exception of San Antonio. It seems you can always count on Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich to get things done. And apparently Miami needs a healthy Shaq as well as Detroit needs a defensive big-man like a Ben Wallace.

Other things:

- I don't want this to sound like I'm knocking Carmelo Anthony's game because he is having a phenomenal year, but is this year the time where he develops the other parts of his game to be more dominant. Will he rack up more steals, assists and rebounds? Will he be a better defender than years previous? It seems like every scorer finds a new dimension within themselves eventually.

- When will someone give Michael Redd the respect he has earned? Wouldn't this guy be the perfect shooter off the bench for Team USA in the Olympics?

- Is it just me or has Lamar Odom ever been better than he has been playing lately? I must think he is playing some inspired basketball ever since his son* died tragically during the off-season.

- The demise of Chris Webber's game isn't funny. At one time or another, the guy was a damn good basketball player.

- Chris Paul is developing into a superstar. That might explain why New Orleans is kicking butt right now.

- Will Utah stay healthy enough to keep this pace?

That's all I got tonight. Cheers.

The 2006/07 NBA season is fast approaching as I got jacked up listening to an interview done with Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo yesterday.  Personally, I think the guy is one of the best GM's around and already I like the guy, even if the Raps only win 20 games this year.  

Basketball is a sport that hasn't really gotten much attention from me since my arrival to Blog Nation back in early December of 2005.  But, with these darn Fantasy League drafts coming up the time to think about the game is now.

Also, what has sparked a blog is an argument I had this morning with my brother in regards to where we want to draft.  Apparently it was initiated by me when I dropped this exact line:

"I want to have the number 1 pick so I can draft the best player in the NBA: Lebron James".

Uh oh, let the debate begin.

He says, "Lebron James?  I don't even know if he's top three!"

"Not top 3?  Who's better?

"Dwyane Wade is better, and Kobe's better.  Heck, I'd go with a healthy Shaq."

"HEALTHY SHAQ!!?  No freaking way."

- Basically I would go on to argue that Kobe and Wade do not have the balance of numbers that LBJ has.  He can mix in scoring, rebounding and assists better than the other two.  Granted, that is not what makes you the best player in the league but its a great place to start the argument.

Take into consideration that like James, Bryant was drafted right out of high school.  Out of the two of them, James obviously had the bigger impact on the court coming out of high school.  His game was better prepared for the NBA level.  Sure he got to play more minutes, but Kobe's game either wasn't at the level it needed to be or he wasn't quite mature enough to handle the NBA game.  Either way, Lebron has the head start.

Wade's playoff performance was incredible and I have a ton of respect for his game.  As of now, Lebron stands to have a better chance to win a scoring title than Wade and has the capability of doing the same things as Wade in a bigger body.  This is not to say bigger means better, but I would certainly be all over wanting a player like LBJ who has speed like a guard and strength like a power forward.

CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Wade has 1, Kobe has 3, Lebron has 0.  Guess what Lebron also doesn't have?  Shaquille O'Neal.  Having the most dominating Centers over the last 10 years would certainly help the chances of your basketball team.  Shaq has been to the finals 6 times over the last 12 years and 9 times in the conference finals.  That is mighty impressive.  

Every great player has it's running mate: MJ had Scottie Pippen who may not be a 50 greatest in many people's eye but a damn good basketball player who would have been a star on other teams during his prime.

Magic had James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  That was good for 5 titles and many more finals.

Larry Bird had Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.  Maybe not a great as Magic's running mates but still good.

Tim Duncan had David Robinson and Tony Parker: Parker did not reach his prime until the last title they won and Robinson was past his prime by the time they won their first title but he was still effective.

Hakeem Olajuwan had Clyde Drexler.  Two outstanding players.

Isiah had Joe Dumars and the rest of the Bad Boys. 

And finally, it was Shaq who had Kobe.  When Shaq was at his best, the Lakers didn't get stopped. 

Lebron has...stay tuned.

KOBE THE NEXT MJ:

Let's get this out of the way, Kobe's a great basketball player and a future Hall of Famer.  Despite his similarities to Michael, he's no MJ.  Kobe is Kobe Bryant.  They are not the same player.  I think Kobe would be content on being just Kobe Bryant.

What's so impressive about Bryant is his PPG totals when scoring has dropped from when MJ was ripping off scoring titles in the 80's and 90's.  Having said that, it's even more impressive to see Lebron score near 30 per game and have his other stats being so good.  If scoring around the NBA is down, just imagine LBJ's total stats if scoring was up.

FINAL THOUGHT:

I have Wade, Kobe and Lebron at the top of the list for best players in the NBA.  They have enormous talent.  What seperates Lebron from the others is he is bigger, stronger and just as quick as Wade and Kobe and he can do the same things.  In the longrun, when Lebron's game is at it's very height, wouldn't it be much harder to defend a Kobe-type player that's more overpowering and explosive?  That is why Lebron James, in my mind, is the best player in the NBA.

Bloggers, I've thrown a party for you guys to kick off Fall.  But I have some bad news that will make us drink even more that we would have: A non-blogger won this contest this week.  Let's not let this happen again.

This week's question was: If you were paid 1 million dollars to charge the field of play from the stands, what would you do on the field (Must name the sport as well)?

Runner up: Nooch

- Shaq is at the line ready as ever to clank another free throw when a drunken yahoo (that would be me) sprints onto the court, snatches the ball from the big fella's hands, and calmly sinks one from the charity stripe.  All the while said drunken yahoo is attempting to evade Shaq, his angry teammates, and security.

  As I am led from the court but still within earshot of the Diesel, I yell loud enough for him and the all those courside to hear, "If I can make that shot with all of that happening, why you can't you sink a lousy free throw with none of that happening?"  

Suitably embarrased, maybe the Big Aristotle would change his ways at the line.  And the $1 million check? That's "Nooch" with two "o's", Coach Riley.

 

Winner: J-Wil (The_Dan's high school buddy and frequent contributor to the radio program)

- I would wait till the 17th hole at TPC sawgrass and when Tigers on the green with very little others on the island green. I would be under the water naked with a scuba tank and at the right time pop out, run over to Tiger's bag, grab the Tiger headcover that his mom knit him and threw it on like a ####-sock, I would then run around the edge of the green until security made it's way up the path to the island and then jump back in the water... from there, I swim... to China in hopes i never get caught... ok the end part was a bit far fetched.

 

...Ok bloggers and blogettes, here is this week's question:

- Which athlete and celebrity would make the perfect couple and why?

Have fun with this one.  Cheers. 

I call this basketball player overrated because a lot of people do that about him. Overrated is a term used to say a certain athlete is not as good as other people might believe. What people don't know about the term 'overrated' is that particular athlete is in fact a good player in their sport. For example, if someone thinks an athlete is a top 10 player in their sport and you think that same person is top 25, then they are overrated. But that does not mean I cannot like that athlete.

I am a huge Yao Ming fan. How can I not like a 7 foot 6 center who has to be one of the smoothest over 7 foot players I've seen. People might question his toughness, but all I have to do is watch how he handles Shaquille O'Neal. Sure, he does not stop the Shaq Diesel but who has? Big Ben Wallace? No shot. Yao poses trouble for the Shaq Daddy. It also does not help being that tall and that skinny. Yao's worked on that but his metabolism is off the chain.

People must wonder how he has been recovering from the foot injury that required surgery in April? He was suppose to be out until the start of the 2006-07 season. Yet, he has come out and said he will play for Team China in this year's International competitions. Question is, does someone hold a gun to Yao's head to say 'play or else'?

Sure there is pride for representing your country, however at the end of the day the Houston Rockets is who he works for. The point here is this: Only your job can neglect you from potential representation of your country. It might sound bad, but that is the truth. Houston signs his cheques, not Team China. If he says he's only 80% right now that means he will be jeopardizing his shot at being healthy for this season when playing for his employer.

I take the example of Curling in Canada; Obviously Curling does not bring in the same kind of money other sports do. However, there is a tremendous amount of prestige that comes with the sport in this country. A lot of top names in Curling sometimes have to pull out of Provincial (State) and National competition because their work at that point in time becomes the only priority. A lot of those curlers eventually come back to compete but take that one or two year layoff because work becomes more important.

Has work become more important for Yao Ming? No, his health is. And if he comes back while not 100% he will be risking the rest of his career because China may be holding a gun to head.

(Side note: Blog contest is tomorrow. Check out my previous post on the question and send the answer to chevradionoise@gmail.com. The contest will happen tomorrow at 11:06 AM EST and you can pick it up online at www.chevradioam.com. Cheers!).

Glad to have it back on my show every Thursday.  Here are the honourable mentions:

clydesweetney:

CarolynT:

Shaq...free throws...isn’t it obvious? Free throws are all mental. Guys with bigger hands than Shaq are proficient in free throws. Why isn’t he? I’d love to work some Zen and the Art of Free Throw-Magic on Shaq!

Runner-Up: NeoAC:

If I could coach any athlete, I would choose to coach Quinn Sypniewski, a 5th round pick in this year's NFL draft who will be attempting to make the Baltimore Ravens as a tight end. I choose to coach him because I just want to be able to hear a sports anchor attempt to pronounce his name whenever he does something. It think it would be hilarious to hear the following sequence on the television coming out of Mike Tirico's mouth, "McNair fades back into the pocket.........looks for an option......hits the reciver at the 45.......its the tight end Sipe....Sypy.....Sypni......Spi.......Touchdown Ravens!" That would make it all worth it in the end.

The Winner: FlyingPig - Check out the winning contest at flyingpig's blog as he posted it on his blog a few days ago.  The criteria of the contest has it short and sweet, but I enjoyed his e-mail so much that I made an exception to the rule. 

Next week's question will be posted before Monday.  Cheers.

Growing up, the legendary names of the NBA went like this: Bird, Magic, Isiah, MJ, Hakeem, Shaq, Duncan, Wade...

What do they have in common?

Championships

We could name some greats of the past and present as well: Dominique, Barkley, A.I., T-Mac, Kobe (who has 3 rings), Nash, Lebron. There are probably other names to add that have made an impact in the NBA during the last 20 years but this isn't the point.

The point is, Dwyane Wade has put himself into elite company with his outstanding playoff performance. Prior to the start of the post-season, he was an all-star with great ability. Now he is embarking onto an NBA Legacy. He was at the top of his game, and that game may have been the best we've seen in a long time.

Wade had some rough patches in the playoffs, as great ones do from time to time. The key element nobody sees when they look at a stats sheet is how Wade was able to take over games late in the second half despite being worse than average before that. He came through for his team, like most legends do. His first 5 games against Detroit were simply incredible. How does a man shoot just under 70% from the field when he is not playing a big man position?

This was the same team that was getting dogged by the media for allowing the Chicago Bulls back into the first round series, and they feared Miami did not have the horses to go deep into the playoffs. They, as well as many of us, doubted the highly skilled super-horse in Dwyane Wade. We knew he was good, but THAT GOOD!?

Dallas had the talent and the team to win the NBA Championship. In fact they were deeper than Miami. But, the Heat made the clutch shots and they had the cold-blooded assassin in Wade. The same man who has deflected glory from himself to his teammates and coaching staff. Though you can admire the way he has handled things thus far (unless he did something over the last few hours I have no clue about), despite deserving all the credit and the spotlight. He was that good, and his teammates know it.

One thing that is odd yet striking about Wade is his clean image. Does he seriously walk around without a tattoo on his body? Wasn't there an amendment passed by the NBA for players to have tattoos and at least 1 piercing? All kidding aside, he is a basketball legend who is a role model for aspiring basketball players to emulate.

Barring anything serious, Dwyane Wade will continue to succeed and we can only await what he will do next on the basketball court.