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Kobe Bryant will be doing work in Los Angeles for at least two more seasons, as he decided not to use an opt out clause in his contract that would allow him to become a free agent.  Kobe will turn 31 next month and there is talk that he will sign an extension that will keep him in Los Angles for even more years.  The Times reported Bryant would make a guaranteed $47.8 million over the next two years with his current contract and could earn another $86 million to $91 million with the extension, depending on NBA salary-cap figures to be determined in 2011.  If he signs the extension its safe to say that Kobe will be a Laker for the rest of his career, the way it should be.  This news comes as no surprise to me.  After the Finals, when asked if he would opt out of his contract early in interviews, Kobe has said things like: ”L.A. is home”, “where else am I going to go” and “why would I want to leave?”  L.A. is now Kobe’s city after winning the Title.  It’s amazing to see the love and support that all the Laker fans are giving him and the rest of the Lakers.  If Kobe wanted to run for mayor of L.A. he would win in a landslide.  The city just belongs to him, and I know he is enjoying all the love.

Not having to worry about Kobe, the Lakers could now focus on resigning Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza, two big contributors to the Title run.  They have both expressed their interest to stay in L.A. and defend the Title, but know that it is not up to them.  The only question is if the Lakers can afford them both with other teams bidding up their price.  That question will be answered very soon as free agency begins today.  My hope is the Lakers do resign them both so that they can repeat next year.  This team has good chemistry so they should keep it together and win more Championships.

Image Source: AP Photo

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It was a slower weekend than most in sports, but some interesting stuff still happened.  In soccer, Team U.S.A. was in their first ever final of a tournament in their international soccer history.  They got there by shocking the world in beating Spain, the number one ranked team in the world by FIFA.  Now to get their first ever win they would have to go through another world power in Brazil.  The game started out well for the U.S.A. as they got a quick goal only 10 minutes into the game.  This seemed to give them confidence as they dominated play for the rest of the half adding another goal before have time.  It was a shocking score at half time but you knew Brazil would try to answer in the second half.  And that they did as they dominated play in the second half and scored 3 times to get the 3-2 victory.  The U.S. seemed to be playing not to lose in the second have and it came back to bite them as they allowed to much room for Brazil to just keep attacking.  Even after losing the match, the U.S. could keep their heads high as they matched up with two of the best teams in the world and had a chance two win both games, even dominating play at times.  Nobody expected that to happen and it should put the world on notice to what Team U.S.A. is capable of going forward.  Next year’s World Cup should be very interesting.

In track & field, the U.S. was holding its annual National Championships.  The winners of these races are going to represent the U.S.A. in the in the World Championships in Berlin.  While most of the favorites in the races came out with victories, a surprise result happened in the men’s 200m when Shawn Crawford ran one of his best races in years and came out with the victory.  A gold medalist in 2004, Shawn had been quiet in track for a while.  Now he’ll get to compete for the World Championship.  Other new National Champions include Christian Cantwell (shot put), Jenn Stuczynski (pole vault), Bershawn Jackson (400 hurdles) Dawn Harper (100 hurdles) and Lopez Lomong (1,500 meters).  All will be representing the U.S. at the World Championships.

In baseball, Mariano Rivera became the second player in baseball history to reach 500 career saves.  He’s been one of the best closers in baseball for a while so it’s good to see him get to this milestone.  I think it only validates his Hall of Fame credentials.  Also, Manny comes back to the Dodgers this week.  After playing to sold out excited minor league stadiums he will finally have to face a major league crowd.  It will be interesting to see how the fans react to him on the road, as we already know the Dodger fans will still love him.

With the 2009 NBA Draft over and done with, it’s time to see witch rookies will have any fantasy impact for their new teams.

Blake Griffin, F Clippers:
This guy should be a star in the NBA right from the start.  Yes the Clippers do currently have a crowded frontcourt with Marcus Camby, Zach Randolph, and Chris Kaman, but Blake has the body and athleticism to contribute right away.  There is no way the organization is just going to sit him on the bench.  He’ll get to play plenty and I could see them dealing one of their other big men to create more playing time.  As for his fantasy impact, I could see him averaging 25-30 minutes and a double-double in points and rebounds a game.  That’s very good for a rookie!  His only problem will be free throws, as he was never good at them in college.  Other than that he has the athleticism to be a good defender and average a block and steal per game.  That’s if he commits to playing defense of course.  With NBA rookies you never know.

Fantasy Value: High

Stephen Curry, G Warriors:
Curry was one pick away from landing in a dream situation for both him and the Knicks fans.  He would have been perfect for the Knicks up-tempo style.  With that being said he did probably end up in the next best thing.  The Warriors also play a up-tempo style and because they have a point guard he could be a good scorer from the shooting guard position.  He shouldn’t have a problem earning ample minutes as a rookie for head coach Don Nelson.  He’s a great shooter and scorer so I wouldn’t be surprised if he had Eric Gordon type numbers from the very start.  That’s averaging about 15 points, 2 3-pointers and a steal a game.

Fantasy Value: High

Hasheem Thabeet, C Grizzlies:
Fantasy owners are already salivating at the shot-blocking and rebounding potential that Thabeet could offer as a rookie. Though it looks like he will offer just about nothing on the offensive end as a rookie. The Grizzlies are pretty thin in the frontcourt aside from Marc Gasol, so the minutes should be there from day one. Some experts have question whether he will ever get a real offensive game, but you should just value him for his shot blocking and rebounding, which there is no doubt NBA ready. I see him being near the league lead in shot blocks and averaging around 10 rebounds per game. That’s good for a center. Thabeet’s presence hurts Marc Gasol’s fantasy stock a bit,, but I could see Gasol sliding over to power forward so both can be on the floor at once.
Fantasy Value: Medium

James Harden, G Thunder:
I believe Harden was one of the most under rated players in the draft by experts.  Watching him in college many times his play reminds me a lot of Brandon Roy.  He is just a solid all around player that can help fantasy owners in many categories.  In fact he’s my pick for rookie of the year.  He’s going to a good young team where he can step into the 2-guard position right away and get plenty of minutes.  The Thunder will actually be fun to watch next season with all their young talent.  Look for Harden to average around 30 minutes a game scoring plenty and averaging above average for 2-guards in rebounds and assists.  He’s D is not bad either so steals will come also.

Fantasy Value: High

Terrence Williams, G-F Nets:
After trading Vince Carter to the Magic there was no doubt that the Nets were targeting T-Will at #11.  Well, they got their man and he should be the starter at small forward from day one.  Like Harden, T-Will has a very versatile game that should help fantasy owners in many categories.  If he improves his shooting he could also be right there in the discussion for rookie of the year.  Even if he doesn’t improve shooting he still has the all around game to be fantasy relevant.

Fantasy Value: Medium

Tyreke Evans, G Kings:
Evans like most rookies needs to work on his shot and shot selection, but he is a player with a lot of up-side.  I don’t know how many minutes he will get from the start, but I believe by the end of the season he will be playing plenty.  He’s a player you want to keep an eye on has a big contributor in the second half of the season if the Kings are out of contention.  Just keep watch for him.

Fantasy Value: Sleeper

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The San Antonio Spurs got a little younger and more dangerous on Tuesday.  In a 4-player deal involving the Milwaukee Bucks, the Spurs will receive Richard Jefferson for three aging bench players with expiring contracts (Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto).  The Bucks were just looking to get rid of the $29.2 million still owed to Jefferson in the last two years of the contract.  They needed that money to sign other important players that are in the last years of their current contracts.  Because of this, the Spurs were able to come in and get Jefferson, a versatile wingman who averaged 19.6 points last year, for almost nothing.  Well, if you call $29.5 million over the next two years nothing!  The deal makes the Spurs a threat in the strong West again as they lost in the first round last year.  It gives them a formidable core of Jefferson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.  I’d say that’s a pretty good team and probably second only to the Lakers out West.  And, as a Laker fan, I have to admit that it’s going to be different not seeing Bruce there to guard Kobe.  Though I hated him, he made the games more fun to watch and I enjoyed the intensity between the two.  He was getting old and last season he was no where near the player that he used to be so a change was needed.

In another trade in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves gave themselves some good leverage and ammunition for another big deal on draft day tomorrow.  The T-Wolves traded Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for their number one draft pick (5th overall) and three others.  This gives the T-Wolves four first round draft picks (5th,6th,18th,28th) and frees up some cap space.  There is talk that they will use some of those picks to move higher in the draft or trade for another quality player.  We’ll have to wait and see what they do tomorrow.  The Wizards, on the other hand, get an up-and-coming point guard in Foye and a great shooter in Miller.  They believe that their team already has a good core of players and the only reason for the bad year was injury.  Coming back next year will be Gilbert Arenas, a former All-Star who missed all last season with a knee injury.  They believe that’s like getting a top 5 pick in the draft.  I think the Wizards will be a lot better next year if he can come back as the same player he was.

Photo Source: AP Photo

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It was an interesting weekend for sports.  The marquee event the U.S. Open had rain and bad weather all weekend so it needed to end today.  Tune in if you can as big names like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are still lurking for the win.  It has been a surprising tournament so far as two unknown players (Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes) have been pacing the field.  The first two rounds they were playing unbelievably well, but they started to fade back toward the field in the 3rd round leaving an opening for others to win on the final round Monday.  I would say that its all up in the air right now and the player that shoots best today will win the U.S. Open.

In soccer, Team U.S.A. pulled off one of the most improbable runs to the Semifinals in the Confederations Cup with help from Brazil. Needing just about a miracle to happen, it just did.  The only way the U.S. could advance to the next round after losing the first two games to Italy and Brazil was with a win over Egypt and an Italy lose to Brazil.  Not only that they needed to make up the 6 goal differential tie-breaker.  Brazil did their part beating the Italians 3-0 giving way for the U.S. to advance if they won 3-0 also.  And they did, playing their best game of the tournament.  It was very exciting to watch as both games were going on simultaneously, but you could tell that the players on each field knew the score on the other.  When the U.S. game went final there was pure jubilation amongst the players as they knew they pulled off the improbable.  They’ll take on number one in world Spain on Wednesday in the semis.  It will be a very tough game and I don’t see the U.S. advancing, but we will see.  In the other semifinal Brazil will take on the host South Africa.

In baseball, the College World Series has its two final teams as LSU will take on Texas in the Final series.  It will be a good match up between two college baseball powers.  Keep an eye on it during the week.  In the MLB, there were some good inter-league series with my personal favorite, the Freeway Series between the Angels and Dodgers.  The series concluded on Sunday night with the Dodgers pulling the 5-3 victory and World Champion Kobe Bryant was in attendance enjoying the game.

Image Source: Getty

These guys will be hitting lights out for one month, then are completely worthless in another.  They drive owners absolutely crazy!  The key is to start them when their hot and bench them when their not.  The only problem is knowing when they are on a hot streak.  Here are 10 guys that have been inconsistent this season.

Andre Ethier, OF, Dodgers:
I guess it has nothing to do with Manny Ramirez.  He is just a streaky hitter.  Just look at his past nine months of baseball: he has hit for an AVG between .225 and .300 in just three of those months.  In the other six, he has been better than .300 or below .225.  It’s a roller coaster ride.  His cold steaks usually happen when he faces a lot of lefties.  So, plan accordingly.

Nick Swisher, OF, Yankees:
This guy hit .312 in April, .150 in May and is hitting .306 in June.  He had the same hot and cold months last year so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise.  The only thing you can do is just wait till he heats up and ride the streak till he cools off.

Adam Lind, OF, Blue Jays:
Talk about inconsistency for a guy is hitting .303.  He went hitless in nearly a third of his games (he’s a combined 0-for-75 in 21 of his 64 games).  But when he’s hot, he’s money.  He has had a six-RBI game, a five-RBI game and two four-RBI games this season.  That means he has accounted for 19 of his 46 RBIs in just 3 of his 64 games.  That’s crazy when you think about it.

Ian Stewart, 3B, Rockies:
In 9 select games through this season, a total of 34 at-bats, Stewart had 10 homers and 28 RBIs.  In the other 51 games he has only two homers and six RBIs.  It’s been frustrating waiting for him to do good because his good games come at unpredictable random times.  It’s been a crap shoot for owners.

Pedro Feliz, 3B, Phillies:
He has long been known for going quiet for weeks at a time, then having a hot week.  Like Stewart he’ll frustrate you because you don’t know when his hot week will come.  Because of this I wouldn’t recommended owning him unless you absolutely have to.

Hunter Pence, OF, Astros:
His month-by-month averages for 2008: .260-.346-.200-.294-.223.-302.  His month-by-month averages in 2009: .282-.388-.229.  See any pattern forming?  He is money when he is on though.

Dan Uggla, 2B, Marlins:
When Uggla is in a slump it tends to drag on and on almost to the point of giving up hope.  Then he’ll break out and have an awesome week.  Stick with him cause his numbers always seem to be there in the end.

Jack Cust, DH/OF, A’s:
From May 24 to June 13 this season, Jack went 9-for-61.  You’re thinking “drop him.”  Well, he also hit .333 in the first half of May and had a similar line the year before.  But I think if you own Cust, you know average isn’t his forte; it’s his power.  And, that has been surprisingly consistent: he has hit his 11 homers in eight different fantasy weeks.  Cash money if you need power.

Bengie Molina, C, Giants:
He already has had a .329 April and a .200 May and now he’s back over .300 for June.  Same story as last year so don’t be surprised.  Just wait it out cause his numbers will come in the end.

Jason Kubel, OF, Twins:
The batting average has remained some what consistent, but the home runs come and go. He hit just one in May and has hit six already this month.  Also, like many other people on the list, 14 of his 37 RBIs this season have come in just 3 games.  When he’s on, he’s on so ride him till he’s not.