At the age of 19, LeBron James seems to be one of the hottest young players to in the NBA. After graduating from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Ohio, he decided to enter the NBA draft. The 6’8” 240 pound rookie established a name for himself in the 2003-2004 season. LeBron is currently ranked 5th in the NBA in points per game with 25.1, 2nd in minutes per game with 41.4, 3rd in steals per game with 2.62, and 11th in assists per game with 6.8. These are some astonishing numbers for a 19 year old, who is playing in the realm of NBA stars. It has been said that that LeBron James is the next Michael Jordan. I do not believe that anyone can compare to MJ, however this young star has proven himself thus far. It will be interesting to see how the future unravels for LeBron.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal obviously had their differences. The question is, was Bryant or O'Neal the problem in L.A.? Whoever it was the controversy between the two lead to the dismissal of O'Neal in the off season. It seems to me that Bryant is the obvious downfall of this organization. Gary Payton and Derek Fisher are no longer in the Laker lineup. The mailman, Karl Malone, is said to return within the next two weeks from knee surgery. However, his return to the Lakers is highly unlikely. Malone no longer considers the Lakers an option after Bryant's comments on a local radio station. Bryant said that it was unfair that the Laker organization had to deal with the possible return of Malone, although last year Bryant held his impending free agency over the organization last year. Malone has recently been receiving calls from the Heat, Spurs, Mavericks, and the Timberwolves. He has also kept in touch with former teammate and friend Shaquille O'Neal. Look to see Malone in a Heat's jersey sometime in the near future.
Saturday, the Minnesota Timberwolves battled to an overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. During this victory Latrell Sprewell supposedly made a "sexually vulgar" (ESPN.com) comment to a female fan. The comment is being reviewed by the NBA and the punishment seems to be a one game suspension without pay, which will be served Dec 7th. This is just the latest comment that has got Sprewell in a bind. Earlier this season, Sprewell declared his disappointment with his current contract. Sprewell will make a total of 14.6 million dollars this season, yet he said "I've got to feed my family." With this comment he insisted that the Timberwolves extend his contract or trade him. I don't know about any of you but if I was making 14.6 million dollars in one season I'm sure I could find a way to feed my family. Many Americans are lucky if they make one-hundred thousand dollars a year; Sprewell makes this in approximately 1 game, which is approximately 3 hours. Many individuals will not reach a total income of 14.6 million dollars in their lifetime.
Julius Jones, at the age of 23, was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. The rookie did not see much playing time; he was the 2nd string running back to veteran Eddie George. Jones has recently been moved into the starting lineup. His first week as a starter Jones had 81 yards on 30 carries and no touchdowns, an average of 2.7 yards per carry. Not an exceptional performance, however in week 12 Jones proved himself, rushing for 150 yards on 33 carries and brought in 2 touchdowns. Nonetheless the rookie exceeded this performance in week 13 leading his team to a victory in the final minutes against the Seattle Seahawks. Jones had 198 yards on 30 carries averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Jones added to this performance by finding the end-zone on three different occasions. Through his last three games Jones has a total of 5 touchdowns and 429 yards. Jones has earned the respect of his teammates as well as the fans. Is this rookie the real deal or is this just a fluke?
Ricky Williams, age 27, stunned the football world earlier this season. Williams at age 27 was at the top of his game. In the 2002 season Williams leaded the league in rushing with 1,853 yards. He had accumulated 3,225 yards in just two seasons. Williams was going to be the backbone of the Dolphins offense this season until announcing his retirement prior to the Dolphins training camp earlier this season. This forced the Miami Dolphins to file a lawsuit on Williams for 8.6 million. The Dolphins are currently 2-9, which is quite unusual recalling the last time the Dolphins had a loosing season was in 1988. The NFL provided Williams with a chance to return to the league, assuming that he serves a 4 week drug suspension. Williams did not accept this offer and is fighting the lawsuit by the Miami Dolphins. Williams said that marijuana helped him with his social-anxiety.
”The NBA issued some of the harshest penalties in its history by banning nine players for more than 140 games” (ESPN.com). Some individuals feel that these penalties are too harsh, I beg to differ. I believe these penalties are the best for the league. The commissioner of the NBA, David Stern, says “The line is drawn, and my guess is that won't happen again -- certainly not by anybody who wants to be associated with our league.” I agree players must know these types of actions are unacceptable, which creates a safer environment for both players as well as fans.
I would also like to know what your reaction would have been in you were in Artest’s position. Personally I would not have reacted the way Artest did. I feel that it is immature and uncalled for. However, I am not saying I would have been happy by any means. I would have had a few choice words and sat back down on the bench. I feel that there is a boundary between the court and the stands and whoever crosses it is in the wrong. If a player goes into the stands he is in the wrong and if a fan charges the court he is in the wrong.
Wow, what a tragedy. The recent scandal between the Indiana Pacers players and Detroit fans has created several questions/concerns. Without Ron Artest, Jermain O’Neil, and Steven Jackson, which are serving suspension, do the Pacers have any chance at an NBA title? I would say they still have a possible run at the title; however with a number of players nursing injuries, such as: Reggie Miller, Jeff Foster, Jonathan Bender, and Scot Pollard, I do not even think the Pacers are a contender for a playoff position.
Another concern that has arose since the scandal is the need for additional security in NBA arenas. Many people feel that this incident was caused by a lack of security. I believe this is lack of security is somewhat a concern; however the two main problems are the immaturity of the fans and the response of Artest. Prior to the brawl in the stands, Artest and Ben Wallace had a confrontation. Artest did not feel a need to rush up to Wallace and throw a punch; maybe because Artest knew Wallace would have won that confrontation. Instead Artest decided to take his aggression on a fan. I believe that this is the main concern regarding the scandal.