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Recently, ESPN has released a report on OJ Mayo receiving gifts in forms of money and material items during his high school and college careers. Being an avid sports fan, I wasn’t surprised at all that he received “gifts” in high school and college. Top amateur athletes in the US including top basketball prospects like OJ Mayo will naturally attract people that will attempt to take advantage of their talents. And in OJ’s case, he’s been dealing with people like this since he was in 6th grade. How can we condemn the guy, if he was getting consistent mixed messages ever since he was 12 years old?

I don’t believe anyone is in the right to criticize Mayo for receiving these gifts. By no way am I justifying his actions of accepting the gifts, on the other hand, I believe all athletes should make decisions that are within the rules that are in place. OJ Mayo isn’t the problem, he’ll keep on living his life, looking forward to his NBA dream, and he can’t and won’t even suffer any serious consequences.

Instead, the criticism should be directed at USC and the NCAA for letting things like this happen. Will the NCAA do something this time around? If they don’t enact severe punishment on USC, then they’re sending the wrong message to the league, college sports, and amateur sports in general. Athletes aren’t bigger than the law; by letting them and the participating parties off, the whole point of college sports is lost. And it’s wrong to totally focus on just USC; it’d be false to say that this isn’t happening anywhere else in the country.

People like Rodney Guillory (the person who gave gifts to Mayo) are a growing population in amateur sports culture. Something needs to halt the growth of this breed. Whether it is coaches, recruiters, agents, family, friends, or people just hoping to make a quick buck, it’s almost become some what of normality now. As a high school student, I daily see athletes receive preferential treatment in the school environment. Most notably, they suffer fewer consequences for breaking the rules. And it’s not just on the high school level, it happens on all levels of amateur sports. No matter how ethically wrong it is, and although there are rules put into place by the appropriate authorities to prevent “favoritism”, short-cuts are always found, consequences are weakened, and young athletes are often manipulated by people trying to take advantage of them.

The system is flawed. We can’t stop society from exploiting 12-year old basketball talent. But the NCAA can be stricter with the enforcement of their rules. And it starts now, if this story proves true, and the NCAA does something serious about it, USC and other colleges will second think and be more careful about situations like this one. If USC gets off easy, then stories like this won’t be scandals they’ll become accepted and ignored newspaper headlines.

Photo Source: [flickr] 08 Season Stats: 20.3ppg 4.4rpg 2.4bpg Best Game: Apr.16 @ GSW 42 points 13 rebounds 6 assists The last of our Seatte SuperSonic player recaps, Kevin Durant. Please scroll to the bottom of the post to find links for the other Sonic player recaps we have done. May I present to you the 2008 rookie of the year? Kevin Durant lived up to everyone's expectations if not exceeded them. As the season went on, Kevin Durant became a more experienced player, who by the end of the season looked like a 5-year NBA veteran. His easy adaption to the game is a little short of amazing, considering he dominated the college game as a freshman.

Weaknesses. It's really easy to find soft spots in a superstar's skill set, just for the fact that he's the player everyone is watching all the time. So it's important to remember that Durant's weak spots are so small when compared to his enormous talent. First word, Inconsistency. A word that plagued Durant when he had horrendous shooting nights, like one against Houston when he went 2-17. When Kevin had a night like this, the game was all but over for the SuperSonics. I think his inconsistent shooting can be attributed to his poor shot selection. However, his poor shot selection improved significantly over the season. Second word, Rebounding. I think Kevin Durant can average at least 7 rebounds a game with his tall frame and long arms. Was he trying for rebounds throughout the season? That isn't a judgment I can make. If he could add some bulk to his body and #### in the paint for a rebound more often, that would help the Sonics completely. Maybe I'm asking too much of him, besides he's a scorer anyways. I'd much rather have him average 20 points a game and 4 rebounds then let's say 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Probably the most important skill Kevin Durant picked up this year, is his leadership. In a team full on instability, with several trades, rumors, and losses, Kevin Durant carried this team on his shoulders. Sure, I was amazed with his ability to score at will several times this season, but I was more impressed in his ability to fire up the team with a posterizing dunk or a crucial 3 point play, or more importantly taking and making the game winning shot, this is the stuff of superstars. He plays the game of basketball on another level, it's ridiculous. Links to Previous Recaps Robert Swift Mickael Gelabele Jeff Green Luke Ridnour Chris Wilcox Damien Wilkins Earl Watson Nick Collison Johan Petro

Source: [yimg] 08 Season Stats: ppg 10.7 rpg 2.9 apg 6.8 Best Game: Feb.06 @ Sacramento--Game Line 23pts 10assists 10rebounds (1st ever triple double) Earl Watson surprised me a whole lot this season. I got to admit, I really didn't like this guy, and much preferred his counter-part, Luke Ridnour. He wasn't the type of point guard for the Sonics that would control the game, but instead at times seem wacky and out of control. But as the season went on, Watson convinced me otherwise. On a consistent basis he would put up 15points and 5assists games. This is exactly what I want to see out of a point guard. I think he will improve even more once Luke Ridnour is completely out of the picture, and another fast-pace player (Michael Beasley?) is added to the roster.

His improvement I believe can be attributed to his fearlessness. Unlike Luke, Earl Watson didn't hesitate to take it to the hole on various occasions. In return, Earl Watson would usually finish for a strong two points or at least get fouled to get to the free-throw line. His fearlessness, didn't just account for his on-the court play. But him, along with Nick Collision weren't afraid to speak their minds about the Sonic's impending move to Oklahoma. See Here: [SI] [SeattleTimes]

Earl Watson strives in the up-tempo game, but the high-pace style reveals his main weakness: Defense. Although he was able to steal the ball and start a 1-man fast break many times this season, Watson failed to effectively defend the opposing team's point guard. Western conference point guards like Deron Williams, Steve Nash, and Tony Parker owned the Sonics because Watson simply couldn't defend them. Do you think Watson deserves a spot on the team next year? Should Ridnour "a pure point guard" be given his full starting job back? Should the Sonics be looking to take Derrick Rose a point guard next year? Links to Previous Recaps Mickael Gelabele Jeff Green Luke Ridnour Chris Wilcox Damien Wilkins

Sophomore Report Card for Mickael Gelabele Links to previous player recaps: Jeff Green Luke Ridnour Chris Wilcox Damien Wilkins Best Game: Feb. 24 vs. LA Lakers-- Game Line: 21pts 8rebs 3asts This Frenchmen had an overall tough season. Whenever he was put onto the court, I felt that he just didn’t mesh well with the rest of the team. He has struggled with several injuries and ended the season with an injury. He has a high potential, with lots of talent yet to be seen, however none of this potential manifested itself during the season. To put it simple, the coaches themselves didn’t think this kid was ready to be a consistent contributor; Gelabele only averaged 15 minutes per game. It is hard to put a label on him, one thing that I can draw from his performances this year, is his high-energy style of play energizes the Sonics offensively, and more importantly defensively. Photo Source: http://sports.gearlive.com/blogimages/Gelabale_thu
mb.jpg

Kenji Johjima signs a three-year contract extension with Mariners through 2011. [MLB] What does this mean for Jeff Clement? -Kenny Smith's answer to Kobe's heroics -NOOO!! They're moving the tournaments back to Tacoma. :( [SeattleTimes] -Three more Home Runs needed for Ken Griffey Jr. [FanHouse] -Final Seahawks Mock Draft [Field Gulls] -Artem Wallace is on his way to recovery [HuskyBlog] -I'd like to see Shaq back in these bad boys [NiceKicks] -Frank Thomas signs with the A's. I think this will be a Big Hurt to the Mariners. [Hardball Times] Kenji Photo, via [flickr]

I can not wait until Saturday!.This is the day where the future of every NFL team is molded, where contenders are made or destroyed. Plus, it has to do with Football! So let's dissect it a little more.

I know people love to talk about busts and steals in the draft. Since most football fans have read about Ryan Leaf at least once this month, I'm going to go out on a limb and pick one player who I think is going to be a steal, and one player I think is a very high risk.

My steal is

Chauncey Washington, RB, USC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRfO1IsXAtQ

Lots of times very talented players manage for one reason or another move down in the draft for reasons that have little to do with talent. Sometimes this makes sense, such as if the player has a long criminal record. Sometimes this doesn't. Chauncey Washington is a very talented player who has been labeled a second day pick mostly because of academic reasons. However, this will not be a problem in the NFL, since their are no classes to take. I have also heard that he took difficult classes but I have nothing to back that up. Another reason I like him is that he was in a pro style offense in USC. Lots of times running backs are really talented and put up great college numbers but fail in the pros because they never learned to run between the tackles. If you look at the video most of Washington's runs are between the tackles, pro style runs.I think he can be a quality running back in the NFL. He also is physically gifted enough to be a NFL palyer. lok at him overpower people in that video. The only thing he lacks is breakaway speed, which is highly overrated. What good is breakaway speed if you can't break away?

My high risk player is

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imq6EdES1c4

When I say that Jonathan Stewart is a high risk player, I don't mean that he is going to be a bust. I think Stewart was a better college back than Washington and I think that he has a higher ceiling. I think that there is a lot to like about Stewart. The problem is that unlike Washington, Stewart has so much more to prove. Look at the video. Oregon runs a spread offense, which no NFL team runs. Most of Stewart's runs are outside runs or options. this is not something Stewart will do in the NFL and he has to prove that he can run between the tackles. If he doesn't he will be out of the league very soon. Stewart could be a very good player in the NFL, but since he has so much more to prove than Chauncey Washington, I would much rather use a 6th round pick on Washington than a first round pick on Stewart.

That's all. I planned to do more but this took longer than I thought It would. I might do another Draft item by Friday.

Can Boston stay on top?

‘Zona takes the throne..

Last week’s rankings are in parenthesis.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (6)- If Randy Johnson returns to decent form, they will stay #1
2. Boston Red Sox (1)- The best offense in the American League.
3. Los Angelos Angels (3)- Drop a series against the M’s, and then win a series against the M’s.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (11)- Rick Ankiel watch: 4HR’s 11RBIS .269
5. Chicago Cubs (7)- Derrick Lee is playing really well early
6. New York Mets (4)- When is Pedro coming back?
7. Chicago White Sox (16)- This team was so underrated going into the season
8. Colorado Rockies (12)- Hot bats of Holliday and Atkins, carrying this team
9. New York Yankees (5)- Kyle Farnsworth is such a bad sport.
10. Seattle Mariners (15)- Bats are amazingly inconsistent
11. Atlanta Braves (9)- Chipper Jones is playing possessed.
12. Philadelphia Phillies (8)- I miss this pitcher.
13. Baltimore Orioles (21)- Adam Jones is showing glimpses of greatness
14. Florida Marlins (23)- Young talent is starting to show itself
15. Milwaukee Brewers (22)- Jason Kendall’s average went from .538. to .360 in a week
16. Oakland A’s (18)- Bobby Crosby is a future superstar in this league.
17. Kansas City Royals (24)- Zach Grienke is my pick for Cy Young.
18. Toronto Blue Jays (25)- Aj Burnett: Overpaid and inconsistent…what’s new?
19. Minnesota Twins (17)- When Livan Hernandez is your best pitcher, something is wrong
20. San Diego Padres (13)- Jake Peavy is an ACE!
21. Tampa Bay Rays (20)- Familiar home, last place…
22. Detroit Tigers (10)- Brought the win total up to 6, but still in last place
23. Los Angelos Dodgers (14)- Joe Beimal!
24. Cleveland Indians (2)- Grady Sizemore watch: .258 1HR 8RBIs
25. Cincinnatti Reds (19)- Ken Griffey Jr. closing in on 600
26. San Francisco Giants (27)- Tim Lincecum Watch: 3-0. 27ks. 1.57 era
27. Houston Astros (26)- How old Is Miguel? Does it really matter?
28. Texas Rangers (28)- Every Other Day Guardado
29. Pittsburgh Pirates (29)- Suckfest
30. Washington Nationals (30)- Losing is a disease…

Can Boston prevail? Will San Antonio's experience bring them back? Can LeBron carry his team? What about Kobe and the Lakers?

Western Conference: 1st Round

(1) LA Lakers vs. (8) Denver Nuggets
The Lakers are playing too well for Carmelo and AI, Lakers 4-1
(2) New Orleans Hornets vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
Looks like a big upset, but when you've got Kidd and Dirk it shouldn't be. Dallas 4-3
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Phoenix Suns
Playoff experience is the key. San Antonio 4-2
(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Houston Rockets
Could go either way, but even with the absence of Yao, T-Mac will carry the Rockets past Utah. Houston 4-3
Eastern Conference: 1st Round (1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks
Can anyone stop Garnett, Allen, and Pierce? Not the Hawks at least, Boston 4-0
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
Detroit's depth and homecourt advantage will prove significant, Detroit 4-1
(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Toronto Raptors
Howard too much for the struggling Raptors, Orlando 4-2
(4) Cleveland Cavliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards
The best first round match up this year, but LeBron, along with help from Big Ben win over Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards. Cleveland 4-3

2nd Round:

(1) LA Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
Kobe can score on almost every play, Lakers, 4-2
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
Inconsistent Mavs won't continue the upsets, San Antonio 4-1

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron can't be stopped, but neither can the Celtics, Boston 4-2
(2) Detoit Pistons vs. (3) Orlando Magic
This young Orlando team will give the Pistons their best shot but it won't be enough, Detroit 4-3

Semifinals:

(1) LA Lakers vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs
Nobody should be surprised that S.A. turns it on again in the playoffs, Duncan carries them to the Finals again, San Antonio 4-2

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Detroit Pistons
The trio still proves too much for the Eastern Conference, Boston 4-2

2008 Finals Predictions:

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs
A marquee match up, Boston, a team of three dominant all-stars, and San Antonio, a consistently good and playoff expierenced group of players. A San Antonio upset here wouldn't be shocking, but the Celtics have proved themselves the entire season and the Spurs will have trouble especially with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.
Boston, 4-3

Source: http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w265/wildcats_2
0/?action=view&current=act_luke_ridnour.jpg Best Game- Feb.26 @ Golden State--Game Line: 8pts 15asts 3stls Worst Game- Every game he was injured, or when Earl Watson or even Delonte West took away his playing time... Luke Ridnour is a player I feel bad for. He was once a rising star in this league under the wing of Nate McMillan. Nate McMillan even saw Luke as a "future superstar in the league". He even was compared to the likes of Steve Nash and John Stockton on NBAdraft.net. In the shall we say "golden years" of Sonics basketball, Luke had the help of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis and was able to shine brightly in the league for a good three years. However this year several things went wrong for Luke: * He recieved criticism for the way he played the game under Bob Hill and Bob Weiss * Two point guards (West and Watson) competed for his starting position while he was injured in the month of November * He no longer had support on the wings to let his game thrive, instead of 'Shard and Ray, this year he had Jeff Green and Durant.... * PJ, didn't think Luke was putting enough effort defensively= less playing time Luke's playing time from last year was about 30min/pergame, this year he played 10 less minutes a game at 20min/pergame. He has likely played his last season as a Sonic, or as a Seattle Supersonic for that matter. Sonics GM, Sam Presti will almost for sure trade him by the time the draft starts or during the draft.

This guy gots sick handles...

-Ridiculously long baseball game [DeadSpin]
-PJ Carlesimo will not be shipped to Oklahoma along with everyone else [Seattle PI]
-While Bedard sits in the dugout nursing his injury, Adam Jones is working his magic as a Baltimore Oriole [Mr. Irrelevant]
-Has anyone noticed that the Seattle Supersonics website does not include the word "Seattle" anywhere? [Depressing]
-I want to buy one of these! [Screw Clay]

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/compujeramey/10007072
9/

To recap the Sonic's season I will be reviewing and analyzing several key players on the team. The first of the players is Damien Wilkins





Best Game: Nov. 16 @ Atlanta-- Game Line: 41pts 9rebs 2asts
Worst Game: Dec. 9 vs. New Orleans-- Game Line: 2pts 6rebs 1ast

The nephew of Dominique Wilkins, Damien was the human highlight of inconcistency. He had the potential to be a 2o point consistent scorer along with Kevin Durant, but he just couldn't get it clicking on a daily basis. That 41 point night in Atlanta was awesome, but it was a fluke. In a game, a month later, he scored a grand total of 2 points! You would think that the loss of Rashard and Ray would help this guy, but he just didn't seize the opportunity. His points production went up only by one point from last year. Probably the most frustrating thing for him this year, is the fact that he didn't know what his role was. He wanted to average that 2o points a game, but Kevin Durant was the main event, 1st option= durant, 3rd option= Wilkins. His role as the 3rd option would cause him to have horrible shot selection throughout the season.

Lopey!

Detroit Tigers too high?

MLB Power Rankings Week 2

Huge shifts made..expect even more change next week as well

Last week’s rankings are in parenthesis.

1. Boston Red Sox (1)- Consistent hitter, Mike Lowell placed on the DL.
2. Cleveland Indians (4)- Carmona gets paid $$$$.
3. Los Angelos Angels (10)- Critical series vs. Mariners this weekend.
4. New York Mets (2)- Sheets vs. Santana, that is a dream pitching match up.
5. New York Yankees (9)- Mike Mussina is so washed up.
6. Arizona Diamondbacks (14)- Riding a 7 game win streak.
7. Chicago Cubs (6)- Fukodome is decent….
8. Philadelphia Phillies (11)- Pat Burrell is going to have an even better season this year.
9. Atlanta Braves (7)- The veteran pitching will carry this team far.
10. Detroit Tigers (5)- Finally have won a game. Carlos Guillen is the best hitter on the team.
11. St. Louis Cardinals (19)- Rick Ankiel watch: 3HR’s 8RBIS .282
12. Colorado Rockies (3)- Arizona just schooled them last week.
13. San Diego Padres (13)- Where the hell did Adrian Gonzalez come from?
14. Los Angelos Dodgers (12)- Kuroda is pitching pretty solid…
15. Seattle Mariners (8)- Once Putz returns, this team will be dangerous.
16. Chicago White Sox (15)- Hitters doing a great job getting on base, 1st in the AL in OBP.
17. Minnesota Twins (20)- Liriano is almost back…..
18. Oakland A’s (16)- Rich Harden has a hard time staying off the DL.
19. Cincinnatti Reds (18)- Ken Griffey Jr. Watch: 1HR 6RBIS .323
20. Tampa Bay Rays (23)- These guys are playing so inspiring. Carlos Pena is a man possessed.
21. Baltimore Orioles (26)- 1st place!
22. Milwaukee Brewers (24)- Yes, Jason Kendall is batting .538.
23. Florida Marlins (27)- I don’t get how all these crappy teams are in 1st palace right now.
24. Kansas City Royals (25)- Alex Gordon is going to have a monster year.
25. Toronto Blue Jays (21)- Vernon Wells’ strong bat and glove, make him an All-Star.
26. Houston Astros (17)- I guess Oswalt isn’t an ace..off to a great start with an 0-3 record.
27. San Francisco Giants (22)- Tim Lincecum Watch: 1-0. 11ks. 1.80 era.
28. Texas Rangers (28)- Ben Broussard is putting on a show in Texas.
29. Pittsburgh Pirates (29)- This team just seems so boring to me. When will they ever get better?
30. Washington Nationals (30)- These guys suck.