By: Kevin Cottrell Jr.

Just A Thought…  

GREAT…How does one define it? The average person may measure greatness by obtaining their highest goal, becoming a millionaire and some women may say giving birth without pain is great…The dictionary defines it as “having unusual merit, extraordinary powers, expert, the best.” All these adjectives sums up the word “great”, but if you ask Michael Jordan to define great he may hand you his resume. For MJ23, great was being cut from his High School basketball team then bouncing back by earning a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina. Great was hitting a game-winner as a freshman to win the 1982 National Title…After that he only got better and was named 1984 College Player of the year which led to him being drafted by the Chicago Bulls (to the Blazers dismay) where he became the heart beat of the heartland of America. But what made this all great was when he returned to campus in 1986 to complete his degree…What else was great? Great was being named 1985 Rookie of the Year, great was breaking his foot just 18 games into his second season then returning to average a career high 37.1 ppg in his third season. Great was using his God giving talents to defy gravity and being tabbed as “Air Jordan.” Great is a 2x Dunk Champ, 14x All-Star, an NBA record 10 Scoring Titles. Great is using the same energy that allowed him to excel on offense to be named to 9 All-Defense (First) Teams. Great was finally defeating the Pistons and capturing 3 NBA Titles (3 Finals MVPs). Great was retiring when he thought he had nothing left to prove, began to play professional baseball in his slain father’s honor, then after 18 months returning to the NBA (dropping 55 in Madison Square Garden) and win 3 more NBA Titles (3 more Finals MVPs). Great is being named NBA MVP 5x (not more because they wanted to spread the award around), 1x Defensive Player of the Year, earning 2 Gold Medals and anchoring a 72-win team (at the age of 32). Great was being the only 2 Guard to be the leader of a dynasty without the services of another Great big man! Great was watching his leaping ability fade and him perfect the “fade away.” It’s being named one of the 50 greatest players of all-time. Great is becoming a marketing icon serving as a pitchman for Wheaties, Hanes, Gatorade and releasing 23 pairs of his own “Air Jordan sneakers.” In the end his greatness achieved 32, 292 points 6,672 rebounds and 5,633 assists. September 11^th the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame will honor his greatness…but his competitive flame is still burning an he won’t rest until he molds the Charlotte Bobcats into a champion. Sure you’re shaking your head in disbelief at this potential accomplishment but his High School basketball coach will be in the crowd on Friday doing the exact same thing…

NBA News & Notes

*DAY 72: Iverson’s ANSWER…After approximately 2 months & 12 days of the same Iverson question being asked, it seems as if he finally has an answer. Memphis will be the 34-year-old vets new home for the 2009-10 season. A.I., known for setting trends, broke the news via his twitter page (sorry ESPN). Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are a few more questions that needs to be answered…

1. Why Memphis? According to Iverson, “God Chose Memphis…”, while I’m not questioning his faith the truth is, like T.O., it was his ONLY option. After failing to be the Iverson of old in Detroit, NBA brass turned elsewhere for a veteran guard presence.
2. Why was Memphis interested? Easy, ticket sales! The Grizzles built a beautiful stadium on Beale Street (FedEx Forum) where they averaged 12,000 fans during last season. The University of Memphis basketball team packs the arena out with no problem (with or without D. Rose). So the signing was done with the hope that fans will rush out to buy tickets, jerseys and anything else with the powder blue Grizzlies logo on it.
3. Will It Work? Basketball wise, NO. The core rotation consists of Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo and Iverson. All of the players are only effective with the ball in their hands and none of them ever come across half court to play on the defensive end. Simply put this is a train wreck waiting to happen. Business wise, YES. The only thing popular in Memphis is BBQ, Three Six Mafia and First 48 (shout out to the lady detective w/a Gap). So fans will be excited to see the future hall-of-famer make things exciting even though they’re destined for failure.

 *FAB 5: HAWKS…Many of you are aware of some of the things I do on every other day than THURSDAY w/NBA Digital…Here’s the latest clip from C. Webb’s FAB 5 on NBA.com…Check Us Out!!

www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2009/0...

 NFL News & Notes

*Blame it on the Alcohol? Earlier in the week it was reported that Chargers LB Shawne Merriman was arrested for assaulting his reality TV girlfriend “Tila Tequila”. Merriman claims she was inebriated and attempting to drive. So he did what any friend would do, choke her by any means necessary so she would get behind the wheel!! Okay, so maybe he didn’t. but then again maybe she wasn’t drunk. Ms. Tequila stated that she’s actually allergic to alcohol so there’s no way she could have even been drinking…hmm what does one believe? Merriman was suspend for steroid use, so ‘roid rage could explain his actions. Then again, her claim to fame is “A SHOT at love with tila TEQUILA” yet she’s allergic to alcohol. All of this drama is stressing me out, where’s the Patron when you need it?? Stay tuned!

*Father Time is Undefeated! Since 1990 only 5 QB’s over 35 have gone 2 straight years without missing a start. The odds states that Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Tarvaris Jackson will all be playing at some time this season…

NFL: PICK 6! WEEK 1 Predictions:

1. TITANS @ STEELERS- The defending champs will kick-off the season tonight at Heinz Field against the “Terrible Towel’ stomping Titans. The Steelers are returning 21 of 22 starters from their Super Bowl roster. The Titans are returning with a chip on their shoulder pads along with the motivation to play for Steve McNair. All eyes across the nation will be on this game so expect big hits, heavy dose of the run game and a tightly played game. The key to success will be in the run game. The Titans have a slimmer (yet powerful) LenDale White and the explosive Chris Johnson. Pittsburgh has two question marks in Willie Parker & Rashard Mendenhall. It’s one thing to win the Super Bowl but its another thing to play in 16 Super Bowls the following season. Prediction: Titans by 4

2. EAGLES @ PANTHERS- Believe it or not this game has playoff implications! Both teams hail from divisions that did not have a team finish below .500 in ’08. Which means in the event the Eagles & Panthers are in a wild card battle the potential tiebreaker would be in head-to-head wins. The Panthers running game seemed to be very effective in the pre-season and the Eagles seemed to struggle finding Brian Dawkins (hitting presence) at the safety position. This could pose as an issue for Philly. But the determining factor in this one will be the QB’s. Delhomme seems to be on the downside of his career and McNabb is motivated like never before to get a two-week head start on the anticipated arrival of one Michael Vick. Look for McNabb to throw the ball 30+ times moving the chains forcing Carolina to get away from their effective ground game. This game will be intense a definite must see at the 1 pm time slot! Prediction: Eagles by 6

3. BEARS @ PACKERS- Sunday Night the Football nation will be treated to a pleasant NFC North surprise, a old-fashioned shootout! A division known for running between the tackles, black & blue-smash-mouth-football, will be in store for a couple of gunslingers for the oldest rivalry in the NFL. When Lovie Smith took the job as Bears head coach he immediately stated his goal of consistently beating the hated Packers. The past 5 seasons Chicago is 4-1 at Lambeau Field. (During/after Favre). As for Green Bay they have a year under their belts with Aaron Rodgers calling the shots and although they struggled last season the team has confidence in their QB. As for the Defense, they’re transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme, which could take some time getting use to for the cheese heads. Their dynamic defensive end Aaron Kampan will no longer be in a 3-point stance rushing off the edge but instead in position as on outside LB, this will create match up problems for both teams. In the end, the Bears have more to prove going for broke to acquire Cutler, look for a more balanced Bears offense while the Packers continue to make adjustments on the defensive side of the ball. Prediction: Bears by 3

4. JAGUARS @ COLTS: No Dungy. No Marvin. No Problem. The Colts always seem to manage to adjust to any shortcomings during the course of a season, this time they had the entire off-season to adjust to the loss of both Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison. The Jaguars however seems to be in a short term rebuilding mode, cutting ties with their top 3 receivers from last year along with Fred Taylor with the hopes that RB Maurice Jones-Drew can carry the load. With the Colts at home on their customized fast track at Lucas Oil Stadium, look for the reigning MVP (yes Manning was the MVP) to get HIS offense off to a fast start getting all parties involved early and often. There are question marks on the Colts’ defense but the cover 2 can hide a replacement (or two in the secondary) as long as the front 7 applies to proper pressure to David Garrard & MJD. This is another division rival game to open the first weekend so expect fireworks! Prediction: Colts by 10

5. DOLPHINS @ FALCONS: This is probably the most intriguing match-up of opening weekend, between two teams that had 11 wins (and early playoff exits). Many “experts” look for one (or both) teams to fall off their horse and back down to mediocrity in ’09. If I had to guess which team that would be I’d have to say it would be the ‘Fins. They haven’t made any obvious additions to their team that thrived off of 90 Wildcat plays in ’08. Teams will be well prepared for their college style offense and will force players like Ted Ginn Jr. to beat them downfield. As for the Falcons all they did was add one of the greatest Tight Ends in history to their roster in Tony Gonzalez. Matt Ryan now has Roddy White, Gonzalez, Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood as viable weapons at his disposal. Ryan seems to be well ahead of his time, look for the Falcons to be energized by their Georgia Dome crowd as they’ll pull out all stops to get off to a fast start this season. Prediction: Falcons by 7

6. BILLS @ PATRIOTS: This is the game we’ve all been waiting for. The chance for Tom Brady to return after missing last season with an injury. The debut for T.O. in a Bills uniform as he’ll face off with his “era based” rival, Randy Moss. The Patriots have just traded away one of their staples on defense so look for them to use their offensive passing attack to fill the holes left on defense. As for the Bills, they’ll unveil their new (and hopefully improved) no huddle offense. One that is a work in progress. T.O. missed the last 4 pre-season games nursing his big T.O.E!!! And the Bills starting RB Marshawn Lynch will only contribute in this game by playing Madden ’10 while he begins to serve his 3-game suspension. The fact that Moss & Owens will again be on the same field on Monday Night Football is exciting but I’m sure that’s where the parallels will end and the T.O. Show: Season 2 will begin! Prediction: Patriots by 17

III. SAY WHAT!!! (Tweets of the Week)

@alleniverson God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career. I met with Mr. Heinsley, Chris Wallace and my next head coach Lionel Hollins

@TerrellOwens 4 all the haters of #TheTOShow..like skip bayless, jimmy romeo, sheshawn Johnson w/his wack design show, all of espn, Season 2 is official!

@dwadeofficial You can’t say biggie and pac and not say Hov. The Man has it…

@reggie_bush Melanie Oudin! The next womens tennis sensation! Can she beat Serena?

 @SportsVentz I feel like a lil kid on Xmas eve waiting to open his gifts! Except my gifts are in the form of NFL games, Titans @ Steelers tonite...!!!!