NBA Draft Recap By Team

Easter Conference

· Boston Celtics: Randy Foye, Sebastian Telfair, and Theo Ratliff

o The Celtics filled their need for a point guard with Telfair and picking up one of the highly touted players in Foye. With Paul Pierce hitting his prime and add in Al Jefferson and Delonte West, this team should not be that bad.

· New Jersey Nets: Marcus Williams, Josh Boone and Hassan Adams

o Talk about luck! New Jersey got very lucky by getting Marcus Williams. He is the Matt Lienart of the NBA draft. He fell into the perfect situation. He gets to learn from one of the best point guards in history in Jason Kidd. They could have done more with the Josh Boone pick but not that bad of a pick. Hassan Adams is going to be a NBDL player.

· New York Knicks: Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins

o HAHA Isiah! That a way to mess up your pick. Renaldo Balkman? He was slated to go in the second round. Isiah better be praying that this pick and team works out or he is done with basketball.

· Philadelphia 76ers: Rodney Carney

o This is a decent pickup for the 76ers. He is another Andre Iguodala in the making. Very athletic but has no true position. Nothing with the 76ers will make sense until they figure out what to do with Allen Iverson.

· Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani, P.J. Tucker and Edin Bavcic

o This is a hit or miss pick with Bargnani. Colangelo is a good GM so he knows what he is doing and what he wants to build with this pick. I like the P.J. Tucker pick for the Raptors. I wanted the Raptors to take a good PG somewhere or sign in the free agent of Colangelo is going to install a run and gun system. Could Bagnani become a bust like Kwame Brown, only time will tell.

· Chicago Bulls: Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha

o They drafted LaMarcus Aldridge and traded him to Portland. Tyrus is going to fit into what the Bulls are building. This team is going to be loaded next year and another exciting player that will hustle is only going to help them get over the hump of being a deep playoff team. Thabo is being compared to Josh Howard so the Bulls definitely got a good pick here from the 76ers.

· Cleveland Cavaliers: Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson and Ejike Ugboaja

o WHAT A DRAFT! I am a huge Shannon Brown fan so I think this is the best pick they could have made. I am going out on a limb here but I really believe this, LeBron just found himself his Pippen. Shannon Brown has all the ability in the world. He is going to flourish under LeBron into a good shooting guard/ small forward. I love UT players but Gibson is on his way to be a great NBDL player.

· Detroit Pistons: Will Blalock and Cheick Samb (from the Lakers)

o Overall, nothing big here for the Pistons but the fact that they traded Maurice Evans for Samb. From what I’m reading, Samb is a 7-1 center that will need to step up for the Pistons if Ben Wallace leaves.

· Indiana Pacers: Shawne Williams and Alexander Johnson

o The Pacers needed a point guard but they didn’t draft one. I’m not sure how much longer Jamaal Tinsley is going to stay in Indiana. Shawne Williams is a good small forward but his playing time is going to be low due to Danny Granger. Overall, a disappointing draft for the Pacers because they did not address their need for a PG.

· Milwaukee Bucks: David Noel

o Name the one player who did not leave after the Tarheels won the championship last year. Noel! This is a solid pickup for the Bucks. The Bucks keep getting talent and they are going to be a good team next year. Noel is a freakish athlete so watch out for him.

· Atlanta Hawks: Shelden Williams and Solomon Jones

o The Landlord at 5! I think Williams is going to be a good player in the NBA. He has the physical tools, the heart and the scoring ability. Think Ben Wallace with some offense. He has that much potential. A lot of draft experts are dogging Williams but I think this guy is like Ben Wallace but with a better touch on the offensive side.

· Charlotte Bobcats: Adam Morrison and Ryan Hollins

o Morrison, Felton, Sean May and Emeka Okafor. The Bobcats have the NCAA All-Stars! This team has a solid nucleus. Morrison is going to be a great fit for this team and he has Jordan’s backing so it should be good. Morrison is going to bring emotion to this team and should help them make a run to the playoffs soon.

· Miami Heat: NO PICKS

· Orlando Magic: J.J. Redick, James Augustine

o Speaking of NCAA All-stars. Redick and Jameer Nelson should be a good backcourt. Biggest thing to watch out for, Redick’s back.

· Washington Wizards: Olexsiy Pecherov and Vladimir Veremeenko

o Forget the draft, where is Arenas! He has a warrant out for his arrest! Pecherov is a Keith Van Horn like player so this could bid well for the Wizards.

Western Conference

· Dallas Mavericks: Maurice Ager and Danilo Pinnock

o Ager reminds me a lot of Jason Terry. He is a good guard that can play 2 or 1. He is athletic and can lock up on defense when needed. The Mavs got a steal for a team who just lost in the Finals. Dallas has a lot of talent so they can use Ager in a trade if needed.

· Houston Rockets: Steve Novak and Shane Battier (pending trade opening period) and Lior Eliyahu

o Houstonians must be angered right now. The Texans blow a draft and now the Rockets. Look, Battier is a nice player but Rudy Gay was a top five pick. He has a lot of upside and team him with T-mac and Yao! This could have been the combo for the future. Battier is a solid player that will fit into the Jeff Van Gundy system. He is a hard nosed player with is consistent. The Rockets also traded Stromile Swift back to Memphis so they lost more athleticism. The Rockets are obviously talking to teams about a trade so maybe it will all make sense in a few months. The Rockets were going to trade for Brandon Roy but those talks fell apart when the Celtics swooped in and took him from Minnesota. Battier is not the piece that is going to push the Rockets over the top.

· Memphis Grizzlies: Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift.

o Memphis hit the jackpot here. They got a nice PG in Lowry and of course Rudy Gay. Memphis should be loaded and maybe next year they will win their first ever playoff game.

· New Orleans Hornets: Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons

o The Hornets got a steal last year with Chris Paul so this year they were bound to come back to Earth. I like Armstrong as a player but they took him too early for the 12^th pick. Cedric Simmons is going to be a good combo with Armstrong in front court. The Hornets addressed their concerns of getting big.

· San Antonio Spurs: no picks (traded pick to Bucks)

o The Spurs have a nice forward coming in named Robertas Javtokas. Not sure who this guy is, look him up YouTube. Should be a great fit for the Spurs.

· Golden State Warriors: Patrick O’Bryant

o The Warriors are excited about O’Bryant because of size and touch. The Warriors needed to address the guard spot due to an aging Derrick Fisher and an injury prone Baron Davis.

· L.A. Clippers: Paul Davis and Guillermo Diaz

o Paul Davis has good size but think Shawn Bradley here. He reminds me of Bradley because of his inability to block shots against athletes. Guillermo Diaz is going to be a good fit for the future. He is a good SG that has a lot of athletic ability. Trade rumors say that the Miami Heat are trying to acquire Diaz, a University of Miami player.

· L.A. Lakers: Jordan Farmar and Maurice Evans

o It doesn’t matter who the Lakers drafted here because Phil Jackson does not play rookies that much. The Lakers picked up the hometown pick in Farmar and he should be a decent backup to Smoosh. The biggest winner here is the pickup of Evans. Right now, the Lakers have Chris Mihm and Maurice Evans, both UT players. Wait until T.J. Ford hits the free agent market, the Lakers could have three UT players! The Lakers are still in the KG sweepstakes so a lot of changes could be made.

· Phoenix Suns: traded away all picks

· Sacramento Kings: Quincy Douby

o Douby is a good guard but has no true position. The Kings can try and mold him into the player they want but its going to be tough. Douby is a good driver so that should help the Kings a lot.

· Denver Nuggets: traded Leon Powe. No other picks

· Minnesota Timberwolves: Randy Foye

o I’m upset about the trade the Wolves made. I think Brandon Roy would have been a better fit for the Wolves than Foye. Foye is destined to be the next Wade by the media but I don’t think he is big enough to take the constant pounding. A core of Brandon Roy, Rashaad McCants and KG has a lot of promise but KG wants to win now. KG is on the trading block so the Wolves are not done yet.

· Portland Trailblazers: LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy

o How did the Blazers get two of the top five players in the draft!! The Blazers are going to be a solid team in a few years. They are going to trade Darius Miles and Zach Randolph so look for some more veterans to come in. The Blazers might be returning to the Blazers of old very soon.

· Seattle Supersonics: Mouhamed Saer Sene and Denham Brown

o The Sonics might move Sene so don’t get too comfortable with it. I like Brown on the team because he brings defensive intensity and a good scoring game.

· Utah Jazz: Ronnie Brewer, Dee Brown and Paul Millsap

o Brewer is going to be a good 2-guard for the Jazz. He is a good defender with a good scoring game. The Jazz have a lot of young talent that should mesh together very soon to make a good run. Jerry Sloan is slowly getting the Jazz back into the mix. Dee Brown gets to be re-united with his old Illinois running mate Deron Williams.

-Big Winner: Portland…they pulled in two of the top five. Enough said.

-Future Watch: Shannon Brown and LeBron.

-What the F are you thinking?!: The Knicks

Quick draft update before it goes down.

· I have Tyrus Thomas moving up to Charlotte from my original predictions. Jordan is showing a lot of sings of wanting this guy.

· I guess I am the only one who thinks Shannon Brown is top ten material. His late decision hurt him by not letting him workout for scouts earlier like the other draftees. Shannon Brown out of the top 10.

· I still have Randy Foye to the Rockets if he is available.

I will post all of my reactions on the draft later on tonight. This will include a pick by pick breakdown.

Quick Hits

So, the NBA is done and now we are entering what is known as “down time” in the sports world. Yes, baseball is around but it’s not that interesting just yet. NFL Camps don’t start for another few weeks and the biggest thing to look forward to is the World Cup Finals. Here at Pardon the Raheel Ramzanali, I like to find stories and make them interesting so here it goes.

1. World Cup Soccer

o England is moving on and so is Argentina. If one team is going to knock out Brazil, its Argentina. They have the fire power and the defense that is going to slow down the Yellow Shirts. England is my dark horse. They are starting to get hot at the right time and Beckham’s timely goal is a sign for more to come.

o Ghana, Ghana oh my Ghana! Watch out for Ghana to push Brazil to the brink of elimination. Ghana plays as fast as Brazil and can sneak behind that weak middle defense. Biggest thing for Ghana is going to be stopping the constant attacks Brazil pushes on teams.

o I’m going to start pushing for the World Cup to be played every two years. I am excited about soccer and want to be every two years. I tried watching English Premiere League Soccer but its not the same. The passion of the fans, the fight for your country and the talent is on a different level during the World Cup.

2. NBA Draft

o The NBA Draft is about three days away. I’m not going to project the top 20 picks but rather give you players and their futures. Fine, I will project the top 10.

o Chris Paul of the Draft: this player is going to dominate the league for a rookie and win the Rookie of the Year. My choice, Brandon Roy out of Washington. This guy, in my opinion, is the best player in the draft. He has the athletic ability and the basketball smarts to be a good guard in the league. Brandon Roy for ROY!

o This Guy is Going to Be Good!: Adam Morrison. Give him a couple of years in the league and he will develop that NBA toughness that Dirk lacked for so many years. Morrison has a great mid-range game and can drive the ball. His diabetes might be an issue but it did not bother him during college. He has control over his diabetes so let it go. Morrison is going to put up some good numbers but his potential is going to get teams excited.

o Who is this GUY?! Shannon Brown out of Michigan State. This guy is a beast. He is an explosive player who can rebound and play defense. He is going to be a great spark off the bench for any team. He reminds me of a softer Larry Johnson.

o Trivia Question Guy---Who was the starting PG for Oklahoma State when they went to the final four in 2004? John Lucas Jr. This year’s Trivia Question guy is Daniel Gibson from UT. He is not ready to be in the NBA. He is going to be a NBDL player for a long time. He is not big enough or strong enough to guard or drive in on NBA guards. I have seen too much of this guy at UT to believe he is going to be a good player in the NBA. Upside, he can shoot but is very streaky.

o Stromile Swift Award: Tyrus Thomas! If you don’t see an over hyped PF in Thomas than you are crazy. He has no mid-range game and depends on dunks to get his points, oh wait that’s Stromile Swift! He recently measured in at 6’9 at a pre-draft camp. Soon as his athletic ability is gone, he will be in trouble. HYPE HYPE AND MORE HYPE!

o Somebody believe in me! J.J. Reddick from Duke. Look, if GM’s drafted on what kids do in college, Reddick would be the number one pick. In my mind this guy was one of the best college players of all-time. Unfortunately, he has too many holes in his game to be a top tier player in the NBA. I can see Reddick ending up being a Jeff Hornacek player. Good shooter with a scrappy defense style.

Top Ten

1. Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani, Italy.

2. Chicago Bulls: LaMarcus Aldrigde, Texas

3. Charlotte Bobcats: Rudy Gay, UConn

4. Portland Trailblazers: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga

5. Atlanta Hawks: Brandon Roy, Washington

6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Shelden Williams, Duke

7. Boston Celtics: Marcus Williams, UConn

8. Houston Rockets: Randy Foye, Villanova

9. Golden State Warriors: Shannon Brown, Michigan State

10. Seattle Supersonics: Tyrus Thomas, LSU

Quick Hits

· Lance Armstrong Faces More Doping Allegations

o I personally think he took steroids. How can a guy who defeated cancer come back and dominate the sport? I understand a person’s will to be the best but those physical odds are huge. If he did not take steroids, why do stories keep coming out? Is the French media really that pissed off at Lance that they keep finding stories or making them up? This is the same thing with Barry Bonds, if he did not take steroids, why do stories keep coming out and books keep coming out?!

· USA Soccer

o What the USA showed in the World Cup was a disappointment. Coaching fell apart, players played with no attitude and the program overall looks to have many holes in it. This loss set the USA soccer program back four years. The next time they will get this much hype will be during the hype for the 2010 World Cup. USA soccer also needs to find a new “go to known star” since Landon Donovan is more than likely done with International play now. The USA needs to get a lot of players over seas and get them use to the European play.

· Michael Strahan allegedly gay

o http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5717196

o Read the above story first. I won’t be surprised if he is a switch hitter. I did a paper on the hush nature of gay athletes in pro sports, especially in the NFL. There are more gay athletes in pro sports than you might think. Parlay this with Ozzie Guillen’s ridiculous comments about Jay Marrioti and this week is the gayest week.

· Ozzie Guillen

o If you have not heard, he called ESPN’s Jay Marrioti a “fag” for stuff he wrote in his column. Ozzie does this too much to not be banned from speaking. He always uses the, “English is my second language” excuse and its getting tiring. I’m not a big Marrioti fan but he did nothing wrong for writing criticism about Guillen.

· Andy Roddick

o He better win at least one game during Wimbledon to avoid being named the biggest choke in sports for this year.

· What to Watch For

o WORLD CUP!

Quick Hits!

· The Miami Heat win in 6 games

o Scroll down and look at my preview for the Finals! Miami in 6! Alonzo’s emotions and will pushed Miami over the edge in Dallas. Haslem showing why being a role player is not a bad idea. What a series. Dwayne Wade earned himself a one-way ticket to NBA Finals Legend City. Other citizens include, Shaq, Magic, Kobe (Pacers series), Hakeem, MJ, etc. Wade was by far the best player in the playoffs and in the finals. He put all 800 lbs. of Shaq on his back and carried the Heat to the promise land.

o Wade, part 2---Next season Wade is either going to continue his domination or stay where he is at. I think he is going to continue his domination and become a top five player during the regular season. Wade has an amazing work ethic that translates into making the game easier for him. Is Wade better than MJ? Read down to find out.

o German Alert, have you seen this man?---Where did Dirk go after the two games in Dallas? He never carried his team on his back in Miami. Yes, he hit big shots down the end but he never carried his team when they needed him. Jason Terry was a better player than Dirk in this series.

o Shaq promises another title---If this was the Shaq of old, I would be worried. Shaq is too old to be making promises about winning a title. What happens next season if Wade gets injured? Shaq is not picking up the slack.

o Miami’s off season moves---after everyone destroyed Pat Riley for trading away a team that was a couple of minutes away from the finals last year, people are applauding him. I thought brining in Williams, Posey, Walker and Payton was stupid. I guess when you are a great basketball mind like Riley, you see things three or four moves ahead. Good moves.

o Mark Cuban---Today I respect Mark Cuban. He essentially stood up for his believes that the NBA is rigged for an NBA Title. His team might have suffered but he stood up for his thoughts! What a joke. The refs were obviously calling the game differently for the Mavs, at home!

o Biggest Story Lines: Wade becomes a FINALS Legend, Cuban drama and Miami’s role players.

· Better Than MJ?!

o Agree or disagree, here are my thoughts on this debate. KOBE, LEBRON, WADE AND ANY OTHER FUTURE BIG TIME PLAYER WILL BE BETTER THAN JORDAN THE PLAYER. Let me explain. All of these players will be better players than MJ. They have a textbook to study from, MJ’s career. In addition to that, they all have the textbooks of Magic, Bird, Dr. J and many more. It will be shameful if these players don’t end up being better than Jordan. What these players will never touch is Jordan the accomplisher. No player will EVER win 6 rings as a guard without a dominating big man, win 5 MVP trophies, 9 time All-Defense Team and change the way the game is played like he did. Okay, maybe LeBron might change the game. All of these players are amazing but Jordan had something in him that allowed him to win rings. These players will be better than MJ in terms of their game but not the personal accomplishments.

· Carolina wins the Stanley Cup

o Quick name me 3 players on their team. Sorry NHL, you dropped the puck on a great series.

· World Cup Update

o The USA is facing the biggest game in team history on Thursday against Ghana. They must win and hope that Italy takes care of THE REPUBLIC! Italy looked tired against the USA. I don’t see them being any fresher after going 10 on 9. the USA’s dreams might come to an end on Thursday.

o The real soccer starts now---if you thought the games were intense right now, wait until you see the next rounds. ITS PLAYOFFS TIME AGAIN!!!

· What to Watch for

o Master of Champions!! ABC reeled me in with an ad spot for that show every 5 seconds. This show is going to be the next big thing! People doing weird and amazing things is always good.

I have not written in the blog for a while so I am going to make this a quick hit on all the big topics. Here we go.

· USA suffers 3-0 loss to The Republic

o This was a big loss for the USA but not because it hurt them in the standings. The reason it hurt them was that a lot of skeptical fans tuned into watch the resurrected USA Soccer program to only find that they had a bad day. I was watching the game on campus at the Union (its like “The Max” on Saved By The Bell) and found out that a lot of new comers to the game watched because of the hype. Soon as The Republic scored the second goal, everyone knew it was over. The USA can still salvage the World Cup and move on. The bad thing, they have to face Brazil in the next round if Brazil finishes first in their group.

· Big Ben Meet Car, Car Meet Big Ben
o Cut the crap. Anyone who feels sorry for Ben Roethlisberger should be forced to stand in the line at the DPS office. If Big Ben was wearing a helmet and this happened, I would feel semi-bad. Ben is an ATHLETE. His well-being depends on his body. He knows the inherent risks of riding a bike, especially after the accident of Jay Williams and Kellen Winslow Jr. I understand that Ben needs to live his life, but when he signed on the dotted line, he signed a lot of his freedom away. This is the same reason why a stand out surgeon does not box in his free time. I am just upset that Big Ben did not learn anything from Williams or Winslow. I hope that some athlete will learn from Ben’s accident.

· NBA Finals

o Miami finally showed up for a game. I was not surprised that Dallas lost a 13-point lead on the road. I was surprised that Dirk missed a free throw. Dallas has blown bigger leads that that but they recovered to win those games. Game four is going to be big. Will an injured Wade show up and dominate like he did on Tuesday night? Will Shaq play like a WNBA player, opps I mean like Eric Dampier. Once again, the pivotal game is going to be game five. Miami could be up 3-2 going back to Dallas or Dallas could close out the series or be up one going back to Dallas.

· Houston Astros

o Can we say hot streak? When did Phil Garner learn to inject some passion into the team by putting in Chris Burke?! The Astros got some revenge on the Cubs by sweeping them in Wrigley. The Astros are 8-2 in the last 10 and have a series coming up with Kansas City. Combine that with the fact that Roger Clemens is coming back next week should make the Astros the hottest team in the national league.

· Jordan joins the Bobcats as an owner

o What did I say, Jordan is going to make a come back when his son comes into the league. You know Jordan wants the family name to be brought up in father-son combinations.

· Steroids

o One week into Grimsley-gate and I am still as confused about what happened in that room with the feds. I’m still waiting for the names that Grims released to the feds. Some sources speculate that Albert Pujols’ trainer’s name was brought up.

· Why Take Steroids?

o From the major leagues down to weekend warriors, everyone wants to be the best in any given sport. The hunger to be the best is human nature. It happens in high school football with parents giving their kids the juice because they want them to be the best and it happens in college where a guy wants to be in shape for the ladies. I consider myself a decent athlete but always want to be better and stronger. If someone paid me to be stronger and faster, I would also look into steroids.

· What to Watch For:

o WORLD CUP COVERAGE ON UNIVISION!!!!!! Don’t waste your time with ESPN, watch it on the channel that cares about soccer. Univision has every game and manages to put in the popular show, “El Gordo y La Falca” on in between games. What a channel!

Nadal Beats Federer, again.
I know, so much in sports going on but I’m starting off with Tennis today. As dominating as Roger Federer is in tennis, Nadal is as dominating on the clay courts. The guy has won 60 straight matches on clay and shows no signs of letting down. Did I mention that he is only 20 years old? If he keeps this up, he will go down as the greatest clay court player in the history of tennis. Let’s not forget Federer’s inability to beat Nadal. Federer is the LeBron of tennis. He is the most complete player in the game. Just like LeBron, he has weaknesses. In order for Nadal to take the next step in his career, he needs to win a major that’s not on clay. For Federer to take the next step in his career, he needs to beat Nadal. Congratulations Tennis, you just found the new Agassi-Sampras for this generation.

World Cup Opening Weekend
I hate waking up at 8 a.m. but on Saturday morning, I enjoyed it. I, like many others, woke up to watch the England vs. Paraguay. I forgot how much fun soccer is to watch. The game is fun to watch because you never know what attack is going to result in a goal. In addition, the star power of England helped a lot. I concluded that David Beckham was the best player on the field so he is worth the hype. If you get a chance, watch one of England’s matches and watch the hype. Tomorrow the USA finally gets into the action against the Republic. It should be a hard fought defensive game that ends in a 1-0 result.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/worldcup/fixtures?cc=5901

NBA Finals Game Dos
Shaq misses more free throws than a band geek trying to get a girl. I would say some more Shaq jokes but I don’t have three more hours to type all of them out. The biggest thing to take away from the first game is that Wade’s health was a big reason the Heat lost. For about four minutes in the fourth (11 minutes to about 7 minutes), Riley took out Wade and Dallas made their run that put the game to 10. Wade’s legs were obviously tired because of the sinus problem he is going through. When his legs were fresh in the first half, Wade was unstoppable as expected. Another thing to take away from the game is that Jason Terry is tearing up the playoffs. Ever since last season when the Rockets boosted his confidence in the first round of the playoffs, he has been on a tear. Game two is huge for Miami because if they lose this one, they have to win four out of six games with three at home. If they win game two, they could win all three at Miami and close the series. Watch for Miami’s bench to step up and score more than two points. Shaq will be a step slower but should have a decent game in terms of rebounding and assists.

What to Watch For:

· USA vs. “the Republic” (Czech Republic)…USA is No. 5 in the world while the Republic is No. 2. Game time: 11:55 a.m. ESPN 2

· Man Law Commercials. How great is it to see washed up celebs and every day people decide on man laws? Thanks to those commercials, Triple H can now take off his shirt and show his steroid ripped body to the world. Reading Pardon the Raheel Ramzanali is now a new Man Law.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is only hours away so this blog is going to focus on the breakdown of the series.

Before I get started on that, I want to give my thoughts on the new steroid story. If you have not heard yet, the feds came to Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley about steroids and human growth hormones (HGH). The agents raided his house and got him to admit that he used HGH supplements in his career. The reason they came to Grimsley was that they were attempting to find more information about Barry Bonds and roids. Is the United States so perfect that they are spending time, money, agents and manpower on the everlasting issue of cheating in sports (especially baseball)? I understand that Bud Selig is as bad of a commissioner as Jessica Simpson is an actor, but you’re telling me that steroids and cheating has gotten so out of hand that the feds are doing more research than the MLB? With Grimsley admitting to using HGH in his career, this has the potential to become the biggest scandal in the “Steroid Era” of baseball. If the feds succeed in their goal, trying to prove that Bonds cheated, it will put a black eye on baseball like never before.

How about the kids? What the Grimsely story shows to kids is that it is okay to cheat in sports, life, school, etc. long as you have a good motive behind it. Barry Bonds allegedly cheated because he wanted to out shine Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. One can assume that Grimsely cheated because he was tried of being a mediocre pitcher that was not making enough money. No matter what the reasons were, he knowingly cheated because the MLB does not test for HGH. Some young high school player or minor leaguer will look at this case and say that it is okay to take steroids long as you no one catches you. What about in real life? Everyone wants to make more money. What if someone says they will give you $5 million for you business but you will be labeled as a cheater and a fake in the NATIONAL MEDIA. You will be bothered by the feds throughout your life and your family will obviously take some abuse from the incident. Would you take it?

NBA Finals

The finals start in few hours so I want to break down some match-ups and give you my predictions for the finals.

· Point Guard: Devin Harris vs. Jason Williams

o This is a toss up because both guards are as inconsistent as MLB on the steroids issue. Devin Harris did a good job against the Spurs and their slower players but had a hard time against the up and down Suns. Jason Williams’ role on the Heat is simple, get assists and keep your turnovers to a minimal. The Heat do not need Williams to score many points but rather run the offense. The Mavericks need Harris to cause havoc against defenses and that’s it. If he scores 30, great, and if he doesn’t, no problem. This is a hard match up to take but I have take Williams in this match up because of his role. Jason Williams is no longer the flashy guard who gets many turnovers and makes bad decisions. PICK: Jason Williams

· Shooting Guard: Dwayne Wade vs. Jason Terry.

o Is there any reason to discuss this one? Jason Terry is a great player and all but this post season Wade has pushed himself into that elite “go to guy” class. Terry has stretches where he is unstoppable and gives opposing head coaches headaches. HOWEVER, Terry looked like a sub-par player who starred for the Hawks and could not get anything to go against the Suns in the first half. Dwayne Wade single handedly ended the era of the new bad boy Pistons. Wade showed the whole world that Billups and Hamilton really can’t shut down every player in the league. PICK: Wade

· Small Forward: James Posey/Antoine Walker vs. Josh Howard

o I feel that Riley will start Posey before this series is over so I’m putting him in the comparison spot. Walker is going to be a nice spark as a shooter and rebounder but he is not fast enough to stay with the Mavs’ players. For what it’s worth, Howard will be guarding Wade a lot more than Terry. Howard is the new era Scottie Pippen. He can do anything you want him to. Obviously, he will not be Pippen but he sure plays the same role as Pipp for the Mavericks. Howard can guard a point, shooting and small forward. James Posey has not been a pushover at all. I’m surprised he is doing so well with his reputation of being a stubborn player who did not get down and dirty. Posey will hit some big shots in this series but in this match up Howard wins. Pick: Howard

· Power Forward: Udonis Haslem vs. Dirk Nowitzki

o Plain and simple, Udonis is the better forward. Got yah, just checking to see who is still reading. Dirk is a better forward in this match up, series and the playoffs. Do not underestimate Haslem just yet. He is an athletic player who can focus all of his energy on guarding Dirk and not scoring. Dirk has to put up 25 or more for the Mavs to make this a good series. Pick: Dirk

· Centers: Shaq vs Eric Dampier/ DeSagana Diop

o I admit it; I was one of the many who said Shaq is done during the regular season. Boy was I wrong. Shaq saved himself for the playoffs and showed a lot. He had his problems against the Bulls until the figured out the tempo and the fact that he was bigger than their whole backcourt combined. Shaq has to dominate Dampier after all the WNBA talk he put towards Damp’s way. I am not going to waste time on talking about the Dallas’ centers. They are going to be in foul trouble faster than Paris Hilton catching an STD. Pick: Shaq

· Coaches: Pat Riley vs. Avery Johnson

o SHOCKER! I would take Riley in this category, if this were 19 years ago. Cut me some slack, Riley is not the better coach in this one. Avery out coached the best coach in the playoffs, Greg Popp. Pat Riley did coach the Heat to beat the Pistons but remember, Mike Brown (who? Cav’s coach) was one game away from eliminating the Pistons. Pick: Avery Johnson

· Bench: Heat vs. Mavericks

o Both benches are loaded. For the Heat you have Alonzo, Payton and Posey/Walker. For the Mavs you have Stackhouse, Marquies Daniels and Keith “pay me $15 million for five points a game” Van Horn. Look for Shandon Anderson to guard Dirk some. I like Mourning in this series a lot because this is his final chance to win a ring. He is going to play his heart off. For me the bench comes down to one player, Stackhouse. If Stack keeps nailing big time jumpers for the Mavs, the Heat are going to have a hard time winning the series. Pick: Push

As much as I hate Shaq (read earlier blogs), I’m taking the Heat to win this series in six games. Wade is going to be too much for the Mavs in addition to a RESTED Shaq. Obviously, my analysis is going to change from game to game but right now, I like the Heat to win it. Look for Mark Cuban to do something extremely stupid during the series that will once again take away attention away from his team. Step one, Cuban is updating his blog at halftime. I guess I’m in the minority of people who do not like the fact that he is doing all of this.

I’m writing this blog as the pre-game show is on. How sad is this? The Dallas Mavericks are in the NBA Finals and have a great player in Dirk but for some reason the last week has been about Mark Cuban and his childish ways. Cut the crap. Mark Cuban is a self-absorbed, arrogant owner who takes away attention from his great team with his outlandish ways. I respect the fact that he made the Mavericks a player’s team but come on, do you really need to say something stupid every time Dirk does not get a call? Mark Cuban, its time to step away and let your team get their much-deserved attention. Let’s look at some teams who won the NBA Title recently and if their owners demand as much attention as Cuban. Spurs, Pistons, Lakers, Bulls and the Rockets. Mark Cuban is a joke. Let it go Mark, you are not one of the players.