As reported on ESPN.com:

“NBA owners have approved a rules change regarding violations for too many men on the court, closing a loophole that allowed Portland to score on a six-on-five situation earlier this season.

If a team is given a technical foul for having too many players, the non-offending team can choose to accept or nullify the action that took place before the whistle blew. If the team playing with five scores, it can keep the points.”

So what this rule is saying is that if you think your team is better with 5 players than the other team is with more players, you can go ahead and keep playing…until the refs catch on. And if you score, you can keep the points.

Think about the impact of this rule. The NBA would have more parity among teams, and less lopsided wins. This means that the Sacramento Kings could put 8 players on the court, and only lose to the Lakers by 5 points.

Of course, I’m blowing this out of proportion a little bit. Realistically, come on, the Kings would lose by at least 10 points, even if they triple teamed Kobe.

Honestly, if you were an NBA player and you saw that the other team had more than 5 players on the court, it wouldn’t be viewed as a negative. Instead, your competitive fire would kick up and you’d WANT to score on them. You’d see it as a challenge to beat the odds and do more than is expected. Kind of like Madonna adopting her 100th African baby.

Check the strip.

espn.com
allears.net
dreamnotoftoday.com

Gotta love Shaq’s persona. Always ready to entertain, and he does during his grand entrance at the 2009 NBA All Star game.

But what’s more impressive is to see the Jabbawockeez blowin’ up! It’s always inspiring to watch the journey of those who are truly dedicated to their passion and art. The crew has endured many obstacles but still soldier on doing what they believe in. I watched these guys on the first season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and they continue to amaze me. And not just by their talent, but by how grounded they are, too.

How do I know this? I met the crew on one of their tour stops, just bumped into them in the hotel lobby. They were just checking in and seemed busy, but they took the time to chop it up with me and my buddies for a few minutes. Very cool.

I wish Jabbawockeez the best and look forward to seeing them getting more exposure and sharing their talents with the world.

You never know who’ll need some dancers to back them up at Super Bowl 2010.

Here’s the clip. (The quality of the Youtube sucks, so here’s a link to a better video)

With Super Bowl XLIII (that’s 43 for reference) happening on Sunday, it made me think about how differently things can turn out from what you expected.

Turn back the clock to the 2006 NFL draft. There was Matt Leinart, considered to be one of the top players in the draft, waiting for his name to be called. A few drops of sweat and some fake smiles later, Leinart was selected 10th by the Arizona Cardinals.

The hopes of the Cardinals immediately fell on the left arm of Leinart. Fast forward to that fateful game in October 2007 against the St. Louis Rams where Leinart is tackled by Will Witherspoon of the Rams, fracturing his collarbone. Out for the season. Ouch.

Enter Kurt warner. I mean, GRAND ENTRANCE Kurt Warner. After becoming the starting QB, Warner hasn’t looked back. His resiliency and veteran awareness has endeared him to his teammates and has made Larry Fitzgerald into a star. But that’s not the point.

Poor Matt Leinart. We definitely didn’t expect it to be this way. It was supposed to be YOU leading the Cardinals to the Promised Land. Warner was only supposed to guide you there. Like Cap Rooney to Steamin’ Willie Beamen (thank you to those who understood the Any Given Sunday reference).

But instead, here we are. What a difference a rough rookie season, broken collarbone, and an unexpected Warner revival make, huh?

Don’t worry, Matt, there is still so much to be fortunate about. After all, you are an NFL quarterback on a team playing for the Super Bowl. And soon enough, you’ll be the starting QB again. You just have to keep Warner away from the Fountain of Youth.

And avoid the hot tubs.

Check the strip.

Photo credits:
deadlinehollywooddaily.com

Well, it looks like we have another celebrity hookup on our hands. Serena Williams, tennis superstar, and Common, rap artist/actor, have been seen on the town…and even hittin’ the waves together. I gotta say, this is one of the oddest couples I have seen…but then again, Serena was dating Brett Ratner before and THAT was weird.

But hey, if they have found love then let them have it!

Check the strip!

Does anyone else see anything absolutely wrong with this picture?

I know that Sumo wrestling is a contact sport. But exactly what kind of contact are we talking about here?

Photo courtesy: Wireimages

Technorati Tags: sumo+wrestling, sumo, wrestling, humor, comedy, satire

Thizz face, Thizz face!

Talk about defense. Chris Paul either ate a bad pregame meal, or is just giving a mean Thizz face to the camera.

Chris Paul, also known as CP3, took care of business tonight. Matched up against Deron Williams, Paul led the Hornets to victory over the Utah Jazz with 24 points and 16 assists. Usually a tough matchup between two of the top Western Conference teams, New Orleans surged to a 27-point lead in the first quarter. Not to be counted out, the Jazz rallied back to be within 8 points at the start of the fourth quarter, with Williams and Mehmet Okur leading the charge. But the Hornets were too strong and held off the Jazz for first time this season. The two teams will meet again on April 8.

NBA Pillow Talk

Wow, what a game. On national TV, the Warriors just beat the Lakers in another fast-paced game filled with the intensity we have all gotten used to seeing from Golden State. They did not disappoint tonight. The 4th quarter was one for the ages. With Baron Davis carrying 5 fouls and Kobe Bryant with a pulled groin, the stars of each team had to find other ways to make it happen. Baron Davis did just that. He attacked the basket every time he had the ball, knowing that Bryant could not defend him, leading to open baskets for his teammates. And what about that 3 pointer Davis hit with 16 seconds to go? No one but Baron makes that shot!

But it could have all ended bad, even with Baron hitting that shot. Al Harrington made one of the biggest bonehead plays of the game when he fouled Lamar Odom with 6 seconds to go and with the Warriors up by 4. Odom was driving to the basket, and Harrington made a lazy attempt to swipe at the ball. Man, if you’re going to foul, foul the guy. Wrap him up, and don’t let him shoot. Instead, odom makes the basket and has a chance for a 3 point play to bring the Lakers within 1. Luckily, Odom is a 66% FT shooter and missed the shot. There was a brief, panic-filled scramble for the loose ball, which playmaker Monta Ellis basically stole from the Lakers. By the way, with Baron having 5 fouls for a large part of the second half, Ellis was the man and carried the Warriors. Props to him. And with that steal, the game was sealed. Beat LA!

I’m the King of The World!

For a second consecutive game, Yao Ming actually voiced his opinion on the current state of his team, the Houston Rockets, what had become of them.

“When you are soft yourself, everything will feel tough,” Yao said. “It’s not because they are so tough. It’s because of how soft we are. “It’s weird that we changed that quick. I never had that feeling. I feel like they traded me to another team, a new team I’ve never been on before.”

Wow, those are harsh words from the normally reserved Yao. His years in the NBA must have hardened him…or maybe it’s playing with T-Mac and streetball legend Rafer Alston. Playing with those two will definitely give you a quick lesson in Smacktalking 101. Or it could be the frustration of playing under Jeff Van Gundy for so many years that made him bitter.

I like the new Yao. It’s about time that he takes a step up and grow a backbone. The whole ‘soft-spoken, I’m Chinese so I must be humble’ act has worn a little thin. It’s time to bring out the beast!

The latest playoff predictions just came out on ESPN.com, made by John Hollinger. Now, being a Warriors fan, I gotta say that I’m quite pleased with the position Hollinger placed them.

The Warriors have a 10-8 record, but are predicted to finish the season with a 51-31 record and tied for 4th place in the Western Conference. One word…Wow.

Last year, the Warriors squeaked into the playoffs and conquered the Mavericks in the BIGGEST upset in history. I don’t care what you have to say, if you didn’t catch on to the “We Believe” hype, you must have no emotion in your body whatsoever. Come on, even Jessica Alba was rooting for them. Oh, that’s because her boyfriend at the time, Cash Warren, is Baron Davis’ manager (they went to high school together).



What I find interesting is that the Warriors are even predicted to finish higher than the Mavericks, who are 5th. The question that immediately pops up is, “Why have the Mavericks lost everyone’s respect?” Maybe because of a stunning 1st round loss? I just like to bring that up as many times as I can.

But what is more interesting is that the Warriors have a better chance of winning the Championship, than they do the Western Conference. Go figure. There is a 2.4% that they will finish 1st in the conference, and 3.3% that they will win the whole tamale. Guess that shows respect as to the Warriors playoff prowess.

It’s still early in the season, and we’ll keep an eye on how things go. But you gotta love what we’re seeing at this point.

Pssst, want a tip?

It was just reported today by the Wall Street Journal that Warren Buffett advised Alex Rodriguez to approach the New York Yankees and go around agent Scott Boras. I have a different idea of what really went down.

Here’s a little recap…

Buffett and A-Rod became friends several years ago. I guess that Buffett has a thing with athletes, since he is more than acquaintances with LeBron James, another top-tier professional athlete.

Based on Boras’ advice, Rodriguez opted out of the final three seasons of his record $252 million, 10-year contract on Oct. 28. A-Rod’s opt-out caused the Yankees to lose $21.3 million from Texas for the final three seasons that was agreed to at the time of the 2004 trade with the Rangers. I can see how this would have rubbed the Yankees the wrong way.

Not happy with how negotiations went after he opted out, Rodriguez contacted Buffett, and the investor advised him to discuss contract talks with the Yankees without his agent, the Journal said.

With the assistance of the two Goldman executives, Rodriguez and the Yankees negotiated a $275 million, 10-year contract that is in the process of being finalized.

So, the Yankees and A-Rod are right where they wanted to be in the first place…but now the Yankees got screwed by $21M. Is it safe to say that professional athletes are smarter thank they look?

I have a little conspiracy theory…

Disclaimer: This is strictly the opinion of someone who likes to stir the pot. There is no proof of any truth to the statements made, so please don’t take this thing too seriously. Note that this is filed under “satire.”

We all know that Scott Boras is no idiot. Thus, he wouldn’t have let A-Rod negotiate on his own. I truly think that Boras contacted Buffett and the two conspired to get A-rod his $275M contract. Boras knew that Buffett and A-Rod were pals, and it was only a matter of time until A-Rod contacted the financial guru for advice. So Boras cut him off at the pass, and contacted Buffett before A-Rod could and set the whole thing up with Buffett. Of course, Buffett would receive some financial benefit as a result.

And Buffett, being the business man he is, wouldn’t let an opportunity to cash in on a percentage of the contract pass by and agreed to go along with the plot. With proper advice from Boras, Buffett passed the info along to A-Rod, who then took it to the Yankees.

And like magic, a contract was born.