• Hall of Fame coach? Check.

• All-star Dwyane Wade? Check.

• Mediocre supporting cast? Check.

• The Diesel? Nope. At least not the Diesel we know and love.

The casting agency that was employed by "Dancing With the Stars" must not have done their research. If they had, this video would have disqualified Mark Cuban from casting (see below). Or maybe they saw the video after all, and thought they would cast him as a joke. Kinda like how "American Idol" gets such good ratings when they air the tryouts with the tone-deaf people.

Aside from the fact that his dancing ability is suspect (being kind), isn't there a better reason for him to not be on this show? This is a guy that loves camera time and loves to run his mouth. He seems to crave the spotlight that his players always have. This "stunt" may just alienate his players even more by taking the attention off of them and placing it squarely on his grizzly mug. If you don't recall, last year the Mavs players had to sit Cuban down and scold him like a 4 year-old for his court-side antics. His dancing gig will probably cause more cameras to be focused on him this season, and less cameras focused on Dirk's jump shots.

Of course, this stunt could be a source of some much needed levity in the locker room and let the team relax and play better this year. But the regular season isn't a problem for the Mavericks. Maybe Cuban should see if they can delay the show a few months until playoff time?

And my last comment...will Mark Cuban follow the pattern and lose in the first round? Someone let me know since I won't be watching.

It has begun.

The sports world is beginning to understand why San Francisco Giant fans have stood behind their man for so long. They are realizing why Barry Bonds is revered and loved, despite extreme scrutiny of his milestones. You may ask, why are sports fans empathizing now? I'll tell you. It's because they are seeing their own teams/players/idols in the same boat as Bonds, and they don't think it's a big deal.

• Case in point, Rick Ankiel. Rick came up to the big leagues, reinvented as a power hitter. How'd he do? Awesome. It seemed like he was hitting a home run every other at-bat. It was a great story. Then it came out that he used HGH. Ouch. This story didn't have a happy ending. However, in St Louis, he is still cheered and revered. Cardinal fans now can empathize with San Francisco Giants fans.

• Case in point, the New England Patriots. Super Bowl champs thrice. Dominant team nearly every year. Golden boy quarterback. Best coach in the NFL. Classy organization. And now...cheaters. These weren't just allegations of cheating, as we've seen with Roger Clemens. This was a situation where the organization has admitted to wrongdoing and accepted their punishment for the offense. And yet, Belichick is praised and loved after the fact. After seeing proof that their team cheated in order to gain a competitive advantage, excuses abound in the northeast:

            "Come on, how much does it really help them anyway?"

            "They are a great team without it!"

            Sound familiar? It's the Bonds defense. Pats fans, you now empathize.

• Case in point, Lance Armstrong. Evidence concerning his drug use is readily available to anyone willing to google it. Not just speculation here and there, but lots of evidence. But the American public chooses to put their fingers in their ears, close their eyes, and chant "La-la-la-la-la". This guy was/is an All-American hero. If a video was released on youtube showing Armstrong shooting up 10 years ago, people would not care. They would see past it and love the guy regardless, as they do now. America, you can now empathize with San Francisco Giants fans.

• Case in point, Shawne Merriman. Star linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. Famous for his "lights-out" celebration and busted for using the juice. Lost 4 games last year to suspension. Came back after the suspension and was still a fan favorite. He even got elected to the pro-bowl after being caught cheating. Charger fans, you empathize, don't you?
  

These were just a few examples of how America is learning to condone, ignore, or disregard cheating. There are many more, and will be many more in the future. The point I'm trying to make is that people will preach about ethics and morality until it is their player...or their team...or their idol that is guilty of cheating or accused of cheating. And at that time, everything will change and they will begin to rationalize why there is nothing wrong with it, or why it is not a big deal.

Everyone knows how David Stern takes care to choose his words very carefully. As a lawyer, he knows exactly how to say things to keep himself out of trouble, or how to convey his stance on issues without revealing too much.

If you watched the press-conference today or read a summary of his statements, you heard how he described the situation involving referee Tim Donaghy. Analyzing these statements carefully brought me to some conclusions as to how this investigation will be heading. Stern's take was that Donaghy is believed to have bet on games, perhaps ones that he himself officiated. And they also believe that he provided information to people about the games. That is what Stern said.

Think about that. "Provided information". I take this to mean that the ref knew beforehand whether he was going to call the games tightly or loosely, lots of fouls or fewer fouls, etc. If you are familiar with sports wagering and the fixing of games, you will know that it can be hard to help a particular team win without it looking too obvious. That is why when the fix is in, it is more common for the over/under lines to be bet. Both teams seem to be treated equally, but the game is just called in a different way. Sometimes you'll hear the announcers say, "Looks like they're letting 'em play tonight". That means you'll see tough defense, with lots of missed shots and few fouls called.

Taking this into account, I believe that we will come to find out that Donaghy tipped people off as to whether they should bet the over or the under on certain games. And then he called the games in a way that would either cause more points or less points to be scored. Maybe in a way this made it seem OK for him to do. Maybe it put his conscience at peace by thinking that he was just causing a high-scoring game, and not influencing who the winner would be. Who knows?

Maybe we all will, months down the road when we get to hear his testimony.

People complain that they want to be able to believe what they see is natural ability. They want a level playing field. They want records to be "real" and not manufactured by utilizing performance-enhancing drugs. If you think this way, it will be very difficult to enjoy any sporting event for the rest of your life. Why? Because the truth is, every game you watch probably has some degree of "taint" to it.

Athletes in every sport that you watch will be doing whatever it takes to be the best that they can be. Some will stay within the rules, but many will bend or break the rules in an effort to be great and make millions. Some of these people will get caught and be dealt with accordingly. But basically, the result of any sporting event that you watch will have some "taint" to it. Whether you are a fan of football, cycling, baseball, horse-racing, hockey, etc...participants are doing what they can to win.

People focus on the home-runs in baseball as a target for performance enhancing drug abuse, but the fact is, sporting events are affected far more often in far more subtle ways. A baseball player may gain the speed to beat out an infield single and later score a game-winning run. An offensive lineman may be able to block for a split second longer, enabling a touchdown run. Were these plays made possible by natural ability or by the next undetectable steroid? Or maybe by HGH, which still isn't tested for in baseball or football. With people so up in arms about past records being broken, how can they tolerate the MLB games that are going on tonight? We can't know for sure what is going on. Not now, not then.

NASCAR race teams cheat every single weekend, but it's OK because it's "part of the sport". All cars are the same, so the teams that are able to cheat the best improve their chances to win. NASCAR reminds me of the NFL. Cheating is just part of the sport. Hardly anyone cares if NFL players get caught doping, mostly because we all assume they are on something to begin with. What's a positive steroid test result in the NFL to us? Page 2. Speculation of steroid use in MLB? Page 1. Steroids are part of the NFL culture just as car-tweaking is to NASCAR. Bruce Bowen is a master craftsman of defensive basketball. Some believe he cheats. I liken him to an NFL linemen that holds as often as he can get away with it. Sometimes they get caught and are given a foul or a flag is thrown. Are all these things actually "cheating" or are they just generally accepted parts of the sports?

90's baseball had a similar culture where many were doping and noone (teams, players, management, MLB itself) cared. It was part of the game until records started to be broken and people like Canseco (bitter over his black-balling) began talking. But should the steroid era be treated the same as cheating in other sports has been? Allow it for as long as it was generally accepted?

Some people believe that the steroid era in MLB is over just because testing is in place. In a way it is, but there will always be another era waiting around the bend. The next designer drug will be here soon, if it isn't already. And eventually, maybe in 40 years or something, players may have bionic implants to help them perform better. How ironic would it be if, in the future, people argued that Barry's record is legit because he used actual muscle mass to hit his home-runs? "These darn cheaters and their nanite technology! Back when I was young, people actually earned their records!"

So how are you supposed to believe anything you are watching? You can't, really. Unless, of course, you watch a Pro-bowling event.  But my point is that we need to take sports at face value. Don't focus on whether what you are watching is real or not real. You will never get enjoyment that way. Let athletes entertain us. Don't over-analyze. Cheer on the players that you like. Boo the players that you don't like.

But above all, enjoy the game.

Here's my list:

1. Michael Vick is speaking out against the anti-dog fighting crowd. Someday they'll come around and fight dogs like everyone else.

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2. Pac-Man Jones is speaking out against laws in general. Who's got time to earn millions of dollars when there is anarchy waiting to be created?

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3. Kobe Bryant is rebelling against adulthood. Who needs it? Just act like a child every day and you'll never feel old.

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4. Jason Giambi is speaking up about doing certain things that you shouldn't do. Things that are bad and can't be named. You know..."that stuff".

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5. Michelle Wie is rebelling against sexism in golf. Women deserve to play on the same tour as men. Isn't it obvious with her domination of the women's tour that she deserves...errrrr...wait a sec...

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6. Sports media has taken a stand against any sport that is not football. Basketball and hockey? Borrrrriinnnnnnnnggggg. Baseball? Tainted with steroids! We can’t trust these stats! Football? Look at all these awesome sacks by Shawne Merriman! He’s got my pro-bowl vote!

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7. Anderson Varejao has dispelled the myth that athletes cannot be good actors too.

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8. J.R. Smith has rebelled against seat-belts and stop signs. Too soon?

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9. Vince Young has proven to the sports world that you don’t have to be “Smarter Than a 5th Grader” to make it as an NFL quarterback. When did football fans believe that NFL players were intelligent to begin with? When Houston passed on Young on draft day, he could be heard mumbling under his breath, “Wonderlic my balls”.

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10. Barbaro, the horse that won hearts all over the country, has ended the tradition of putting a horse down when it severely breaks it’s leg. Instead, the common practice will now be to keep the horse alive as long as possible, no matter how much pain it is in, and harvest as much sperm as you can before it dies. Here’s the equation:

     Fast Horse’s Sperm  >  Horse Ethics

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11. Speaking of Barbaro, Chad Johnson has proven that humans can beat horses in a foot-race. (That is, of course, if the human in question gets a wicked long head start). So while Ali was fighting the government during Vietnam, who was out there racing the quadrupeds? Who, I ask you!

Does Nike wish they had their coin back now?

I'm still trying to figure out what it is that we are supposed to be witnessing. Maybe some of the bloggers that have been all about this "Witness" campaign can fill me in.

I just can't figure out why Le'Brick is so special. Couldn't Jason Richardson do exactly the same thing as this dude?

Play like crappola, then score some points in mop-up time...

Witness.

Seriously, if you were drooling over this guy after the Detroit series, let me know why. Please do. And if anyone out there was watching the 3-D version of the game at the Quicken Arena, let me know how that was.

What was it I was supposed to be witnessing again?

The 0 for 7 shooting in the first half?

The 25% shooting overall?

14 points scored, 6 of those in mop-up time.

Great player.

Witness.

Because nobody is paying attention to him or talking about him.

Like most everyone else in the NBA, he is an observer of the playoffs at this point. He's seeing LeBron, 'Sheed,  Booze, Deron, and Timmy getting talked about on Sportscenter every night. That used to be him. If there is anything that Kobe Bryant loves more than winning, it's being the center of attention (part of the reason Shaq is in Miami). So now we've got this man-child demanding a trade. I believe it's partly because he wants to play for a contender, but moreso because he wants people to pay attention to him and talk about him. Kobe needs his ego to be fed more than any superstar in basketball today. 

I expect this issue to cool off over the next week, once Kobe has been satisfied with the amount of media attention he has gotten. He'll be in a Laker uniform next season.

The following is an online petition, obviously started by some Suns fan who is angry about the suspensions of Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudewhiner:

To Whom it May Concern:

We are collectively shocked and appalled regarding the recent suspensions of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. There is a striking double standard apparent when situations like the hard hit Baron Davis put on Derek Fisher and Bruce Bowen's antics in games two and three go without repercussion. There is something inherently wrong when two players are penalized in such a harsh manner for doing nothing more than looking out for the best interests of a teammate. The physicality of the series has been a problem from the start and should have been addressed by the NBA before everything that transpired in game 5. The point of this is not to overturn the suspensions of the Suns players. It is obviously too late for that. What we would like, however, is an explanation from the league office regarding the rationale behind the decision that 72% of the 22,154 fans voting on ESPN deemed unfair. It would also be interesting to hear why Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen were not fined or suspended for doing seemingly the exact same thing during the second quarter of game 4. Instead of hiding away in your offices and canceling trips to Phoenix to visit Cleveland, I think an explanation is not too much to ask when a series of this caliber is potentially ruined. Thank you for your time. Hopefully something can be learned from this and it will not be an issue in the future.

And now, let me respond as if I were the League Office.

Dear petitioners,

I understand that you are shocked and appalled at these suspensions. It is regrettable that you are going to be without two key players for game 5, but Boris and Amare were well aware of the rule that they were breaking. It's unclear to me why you compare the Baron Davis elbow and the Bruce Bowen "antics" with these suspensions. The Bruce Bowen incidents have been reviewed and dealt with accordingly. Both involved typical basketball moves, one of which was deemed to be a flagrant 1. The Davis elbow...I don't have a good reason why he didn't get a game for that. In hindsight we probably dropped the ball on that one. My bad.

I understand that you feel these penalties were harsh, but we need to remain consistent when this rule is addressed. If we let Diaw and Stoudewhiner off the hook, my office would be stormed by rabid Knicks fans.

I regret the fact that you feel this series has been too physical for your team. The last time I checked, this was playoff basketball. So stop Stoudewhining. Even Tim Duncan felt the Denver series was WAY more physical than the Suns series. So much more physical, that he laughed when asked if this was a physical series.

You mention a poll that shows a majority to believe that the suspensions are unfair. While these statistics may be true, they do not change the rulebook. 72% of Americans may feel that George W Bush is semi-retarded, but that statistic doesn't make it true. And it doesn't mean we can "un-elect" him, as much as we might want to. About the same percentage feel it's unfair that Barry Bonds will become the home run king. Guess what? There's nothing that 72% of you can do about it.

Your question about the possibility of Duncan and Bowen being suspended for coming out on the court in the 2nd quarter is an easy one to answer. There was no altercation, so the rule does not apply. Throw me some more softballs.

I'm sorry that you feel our decisions may have ruined the series. Your claim that we are "hiding away in our offices" like a bunch of cowards isn't helping your cause. Although, I must admit there is some truth to it. We knew this decision would anger either Suns fans, or Knicks fans. We took the safe route and angered Suns fans so that we could go on living our lives. We assumed that Suns fans, like their team, are soft. Knicks fans? We might as well off ourselves now and avoid the severe beating that would certainly come.

Good luck in game 5!

Sincerely,

Stu Jackson

If you are reading this, then you have probably seen the video posted to YouTube where it appears that Bruce Bowen attempts to trip or kick Amare Stoudemire as he goes up for a dunk. This video shows the incident from one angle, multiple times, in multiple speeds and zooms. Many people felt this looked like a very dirty play on Bowen's part. Before anyone passes judgement on the play, I feel they need to take two other things into account.

1. You need to see another angle of the play. ESPN has shown an angle from the baseline that gave me a different take on this incident. This side angle makes it seem like Bowen is trying to get to Amare fast to foul and prevent the easy bucket. He then realizes he can't make it in time and puts on the brakes to avoid a weak foul and an and1 situation. At no point is he looking down at Amare's foot to aim for contact. There is incidental contact. No tripping motion, however.

2. After watching the clip many times, I caught something else. The contact was apparently weak enough that it didn't affect Amare's jumping motion at all. He jumped STRAIGHT UP. At the height of his jump, as he's dunking, he realized that he had felt some contact from behind and kicks his right leg way out in an effort to get the whistle blown. This causes him to come down hard on the left foot. Luckily he wasn't injured. But if he had been, I believe that he would bear some of the responsibility himself for trying to embellish the foul. The fact that he didn't give Bowen or an official a look or a shrug after the play supports the idea that he thought the contact was insignificant at the time.

It was announced on 4/27/07 that Marcus Camby won the defensive player of the year award in the NBA. I admit that he is a great shot-blocker. But it's not an award for most blocks in a season. It's an award for best defense/defender. To make my point, here's a quote from Bill Walton's commentary during the ESPN Game 3 broadcast of Nuggets vs. Spurs:

(and to set the scene, it's a fairly close game with just a few minutes to go in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs are bringing the ball up the floor)

"Can Nene stop Duncan in the paint...They got the switch now and Camby on the ball defense against Duncan. Not the strength in his game."

Nene was guarding Duncan for pretty much the whole game, and did a decent job by the way. When Camby got stuck on him when there was a switch on defense (at a very important part of the game), the color commentator felt the need to point out that Duncan had a big advantage because he just got stuck being defended by the DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

So my question is, what business does this guy have being the defensive player of the year? Yes, he's a great shot-blocker. Yes, he's a great help-defender. But if the experts calling the game think you are a lesser 1-on-1 defender than Nene Hilario...how are you the best defender in the league?

Avery Johnson is worried. Boy is he worried.

Before the game, the coach of the Mavs said he planned to give no more than 26 minutes of playing time in order to keep his guys fresh and injury free for the playoffs. As the game went on, the stars stayed in the game...and stayed in the game...and stayed in the game. When all was said and done, 5 players played between 31 and 36 minutes...in a game that meant nothing. Nothing that is, unless you count the mental edge that Avery Johnson thinks his team needs. He didn't want to lose this game. And he nearly did, despite the fact that Tim Duncan did not play the entire fourth quarter.

I can't wait to see these teams meet inthe Western Conference Finals. It will be a gritty, hard-fought series every step of the way. And can you imagine the intensity of each game after seeing today's "unmeaningful" match-up? It's gonna be crazy. 

For the Spurs, Denver and Phoenix don't pose too many problems. But it will be a battle when they play Dallas. And if Dallas is lucky enough to get past LA/Golden State and Houston/Utah, we are in for a treat. Let's just hope that Duncan doesn't get kicked out o####ame for laughing again so we can see a true outcome. And let's also hope that Avery Johnson doesn't keep overplaying his guys so that they don't go down with injuries before the games start counting again.

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On a side-note. Referee Joey Crawford needs to be reprimanded. Kicking a guy out o####ame for laughing, without knowing for any certainty what he was laughing about, is absurd. And when that guy is one of the classiest, most professional men in all of professional sports, you definitely have to think twice before acting irrationally, as Crawford did.