Sports Blog

The first round of the NBA playoffs are barely wrapping up yet rumors are already starting to fly about what players might be switching jerseys this off-season.  With the economy continuing to struggle and the salary cap going down for the first time since its inception, many teams will be looking to get creative when it comes to their roster.

One player possibly heading to a new city is the self proclaimed Most Dominant Ever, aka Shaquille O’Neal.  A lot of people think that his monster contract and diminishing skill set are untradeable, but his resurgent play this year has landed him on a few GM’s radars.  Shaq, through the use of his Twitter account, has made it known he is quite fond of Dallas and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

NBA sources say, however, the most likely destination for the Big Tweep is New Orleans.  Shaq has a large fan base in the south stemming from his days at LSU and the Hornets let it be known they wanted out of Tyson Chandler’s contract when they traded him earlier this year (only to have it fall through due to health reasons).

The trade could work in both teams favors should it happen.  The Hornets would only carry O’Neal on their books for one season and he would bring proven playoff experience to a team that really needs it.  He would also sell a lot of tickets, which makes the deal interesting from a business perspective.  The Phoenix Suns would get younger and more athletic in their front court, and if healthy, Chandler paired with forward Amare Stoudemire would be one of the most tenacious big-duos in the NBA.

What do you think? Is the Big Aristotle worth the big bucks? Or is the big man a big waste of money at this point in his career?

Image Source: FresnoBeach.com

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Why did Sports Illustrated take off Danica Patrick’s tattoo? - CNBC
• Harlem Globetrotter charged with domestic abuse - USA Today
• Marvin Harrison’s days in Indianapolis are numbered - NFL.com
• Lil’ Wayne blogs for ESPN, shows excitement with new tattoo - Sports By Brooks
• Jason Richardson drives 90 mph with child in car - Larry Brown Sports
• The NBA Trade Buzz is Upon Us - The Sports Hernia

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “High Flyer”
• Zachary King Tried to Cash in on Michael Phelps Photo
• Seahawk Leroy Hill Faked Arrest to Avoid Franchise Tag?
• Going Home: Ken Griffey Jr. Returns to Seattle

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A lot is being made of USA Olympic Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s decision not to play Jason Kidd in the final minutes of a recent exhibition game against Russia.

Kidd was supposed to be a leader of the team, who after suffering crushing defeats in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and not winning a major international tournament since 2000, is clearly in need of something. That something was supposed to be Kidd, whose experience and leadership was supposed to help transform the Redeem Team into something closer to the glory days of the Dream Team.

However, the emergence of Chris Paul and Deron Williams has at the very least made Krzyzewski and company question who will receive the bulk of the minutes and how to best integrate the other two into the lineup. What it got me thinking was who the best point guards in the league are.

So I asked myself if I had to start the next season with any point guard; who would it be? Assuming that it was for one year only and the only goal was to win a NBA championship this year, here is my list for the top four.

4] Steve Nash: Nash is difficult to peg because while he has led one of the most prolific offenses this decade, there are some questions about his defense and age. A couple years ago he would have been a lock to be number one on this list, but at age 34 the decision is complicated.

He was second in assists per game last season and has averaged at least 10 since arriving in Phoenix, but his numbers in Dallas weren’t nearly as strong. This makes one wonder how effective he will be in a more traditional offense, like the one he looks to have next year with Shaq.

3] Tony Parker: It is hard to argue against Parker’s resume. Since being drafted 28^th overall by San Antonio in 2001, Parker has won three NBA championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2007. He works the pick and roll as well as anybody in the league and is deadly around the basket.

One could argue that he has the benefit of playing alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, but you don’t see the point guards that play with Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett or Dwight Howard on here.

2] Deron Williams: Williams is in a difficult situation. He plays for a franchise that housed one of the all-time greats in John Stockton and Williams was drafted one spot higher than Chris Paul in 2005. As a result, he will be compared to Paul his entire career, but maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.

He only scored about two points less than Paul a game last season and shot slightly better than Paul from the field and from behind the arc. The greatest thing you can say about Williams at this point: it isn’t crazy to argue that one day he ends up with more hardware on his fingers and in his trophy case than Paul.

1] Chris Paul: Even with the high upside of Williams, in the last year no player in the NBA has had their stock rise higher than Paul. He’s played a huge part in reinvigorating not only the Hornets, but the city of New Orleans.

Paul was the biggest reason the Hornets secured a number two seed in the mighty western conference last year and has turned Tyson Chandler into the player the Chicago Bulls hoped he would be. If that wasn’t amazing enough, among point guards last year Paul was a statistical powerhouse – second in scoring, first in steals and first in assists (on a per/game average).

That’s good enough to be number one on my list – and if Team USA wants to bring home the gold – Krzyzewski better have Paul as first on his.

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This week in news and sports blogs around the Net:

• Shaq needed a ride to his truck, so this fan gave him a life - InsideHoops
• Steve Lyons asks woman to show him her breasts - Deadspin
• Cincinnati Bengals cut Chris Henry - Fox Sports
  
• LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux rolls with strippers, calls a waiter “Osama” - Larry Brown Sports
• Top 7 - Famous Fast Starters in Baseball - Joes Sports Fan
• Brett Favre is not coming out of retirement - Sports Illustrated
• Cleveland Browns cornerback Kenny Wrights tries to run from cops. Gets busted - Sports By Brooks

And in Smarter Sports we talked about:

• Inmates Number One Through Six, Please Turn to Your Right
• Final Four to Feature All Number One Teams for First Time
• Alex Rodriguez Trade to the Yomiuri Giants in Japan
• Dustin Carter Wrestles with No Arms or Legs
• Chris Henry Arrested Again. Charged with Assault
  

Coaches always tell their bench players to be ready and stay focused. Their number can be called upon at any time.

And in case of the Phoenix Suns, they have to be ready to run for their lives at any given second, without any notice.

Check out how fast these Suns move from their seat when they see the 350-pound Shaquille O’Neal barreling down on them. Talk about some agility.

Source: College Humor 

It’s just the first game right?

We shouldn’t base the first game on how they will help their new teams in the long run, right?

Well, if that’s the case, then there still is some hope for the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks as both teams lost with their new additions, but there was some promising stats.

Shaquille O’Neal showed that he could last in the high octane Suns offense, although it’s not known for how long. He put up some decent numbers, finishing with 15 points and 9 rebounds, but the Suns couldn’t stop Kobe and the Lakers, losing 130-124.

As for Jason Kidd, the Mavericks didn’t give up as much points, but the result was still the same. Kidd finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, but he also had 6 turnovers while the Mavs lost to the Hornets 104-93.

In defense of both players, they had to go up against two top opponents in their debuts, and in more defense for Shaq, this was his first game back in over a month.

Here’s to an interesting second half in the West.

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This week in news and sports blogs around the Net:

• One lucky Giants fan sneaks into parade and celebrates with the New York Giants - Deadspin
• New York Mets pitcher taped at a cockfight - MSNBC
• You don’t know pain. Gilbert Arenas knows pain, but reveals too much information - The Big Lead
• New Yankees Stadium to cost a measely $1.3 billion - WNBC Sports
• This is what commercial you would have saw, had the New England Patriots won - Larry Brown Sports

YouTube - Watch 

And in Smarter Sports we talked about:

• Super Bowl Commercial: Terry Tate - Office Linebacker
• Giants Upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII: 17-14
• 97.5 Million…
• We’re Gonna Miss Bobby Knights’ Soundbites
• The Matrix Meets Soccer
  
• Shaq Traded to Phoenix for Shawn Marion

Looks like the Diesel is making a stop in Phoenix.

Shaquille O’Neal was traded yesterday to the Phoenix Suns, for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

The Suns hope that by bringing Shaq to the desert, it will help them with their undersized, low post presence, while the Miami Heat receive one of the top forwards in the league who’s been wanting out of Phoenix for some time.

I’m not too sure how the deal will help the Suns out the gate, with Shaq still nursing a hip injury and has been having the worst year of his professional career, averaging 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. The move would also be able to plant Amare Stoudamire into his more natural power forward position.

The Heat though get a proven scoring threat in Marion and someone who can run alongside Dwayne Wade.

Until Shaq is able to suit up, that big body won’t be filling up the paint down low. But what it will do is fill up a seat on the bench and about $20 million in salary cap space.

Source: Fox Sports

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I don’t know whether to find this creepy or cool, but Schnepf Farms actually took the time, about seven months, to carve Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash into a field of corn.

Source: 100% Injury Rate, East Valley Tribune