The Big B

I was just thinking what if some of our best athletes in the NBA, NFL, etc. played two or more sports? Who would be the best athlete that could play two or more sports? There have been players in the past like Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson that could and did play 2 or more sports, but now days there isn't many athletes that could do both. I started looking at some players today that could do it and came up with a top 5 list:

1. LeBron James: 6'8'' 250 lbs

 LeBron is an incredible athlete. He was an All-State WR in high school as well as a great basketball player. I think he could easily play football, and maybe baseball too (if Michael Jordan tried, then so could LeBron). He is big, fast, strong, etc. He is an all around great athlete, and has the athletic abilities to be able to play almost any sport.

2. Antonio Gates: 6'4'' 260 lbs

 Gates was originally a basketball player in college. He played both football and basketball in high school, but basketball was always his favorite. So, he wanted to play both in college, but the coaches didn't like that too much. So just played basketball in college, and even led Kent State to an Elite Eigth spot in the NCAA tourney. Gates ended up going to the NFL and is one of the best TEs. He could still play basketball though and be a great forward after he lost a few pounds.

3. Terrell Owens: 6'3'' 218 lbs

 TO played football, basketball, and ran track when he was in college. He is a great athlete even though his mouth can get in the way of this talent sometimes. He could easily play basketball as well, and be a guard. I could see him playing basketball and running his mouth and trash talking even more than he does in football.

4. Randy Moss: 6'4'' 210 lbs

 Moss never played any other sport in college like TO and Gates, but he has the same skills as TO and is close to the same size. He has the same (but possibley better) skills as TO. TO only has the advantage on him because TO actually played in college. Who knows though, maybe Moss could have as well.

5. Alex Rodriguez: 6'3'' 225 lbs

 You may be thinking. "What? A-Rod? What other sport could he play?" Well, after he graduated from high school, University of Miami wanted to give A-Rod a scholarship to play baseball and play quarterback for the football team as well. A-Rod is a great and talented athlete with a lot a strong arm, good strength, and good speed. I could see him being a QB, and possibly playing some basketball as a guard with his speed. The only question is, can he shoot a jumper? I don't know, but he definately has the athletic ability to play football or basketball as well.

I tried to think of at least one player from each sport besides hockey. I'm not sure if too many hockey players could play any other sport. These guys are just the first 5 I could think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are other athletes that could play both too, but these are just the top 5 I could think of. If you guys know of any other, feel free to add in your two cents!

What sport is your favorite sport? Out of the 4 major sports, basketball, football, baseball, and hockey, which one is your favorite? Which is your favorite to watch and to actually play (for those of us that are actually athletic enough to play ).

My favorite is basketball. It is my favorite to watch, and to play. I have enjoyed playing and watching basketball since I was 5 years old. I like the fast pace action of going up and down the court. I like the feeling when you hit a game winning shot, or when you block someone. When I watch basketball, I like to watch it more than any other sport because of the non-stop action and scoring. That's my favorite sport, but I can see why people would like all the sports as well. I have played all of them, and been interested in all kinds of sports my whole life.

What I like most about football is the hard hitting tackling. It's great to be able to just lay someone out! It really gets the adreniline pumping! It's really fun to watch it as well. Seeing guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning throw perfect passes, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens make spectacular catches, Jason Taylor sacking the QB, Ray Lewis nailing the RB, Champ Bailey making a great interception, and Devin Hester taking back a punt of kick off for a TD.

What I like most about baseball is the feeling you get after you hit a homerun. It makes you feel stronger everytime you hit one out of the park! I love watching David Ortiz or Ryan Howard slam one out of the park, Justin Verlander or Josh Beckett getting a huge strikeout, Jose Reyes stealing a base, the defense pulling off a double or even a triple play, and when Andruw Jones or Tori Hunter make a spectacular catch in the outfield.

Hockey is my least favorite sport, but I still can have some fun watch or playing it. The funnest thing about hockey to me is the checking. It's like tackling a guy in football, except you on ice! That can get the blood pumpin' real good! I like watching Sidney Crosby making an awesome goal, watching Nicklas Lidstrom making a bone crushing hit, and when Chris Osgood make an unbelieveable stop at the net.

All sports are fun and interesting in their own way, but they all have something that makes us choose one over the other. I can see why anyone would choose any of them, and they are all great to me. My favorite just happens to be basketball, but what is everyone elses favorite sport?

Everyone likes to talk about the MVP, but what about the DPOY? As a Pistons fan, I have come to appreciate defense. So, I have came up with the top 5 candidates for the DPOY. Here are my Top 5:

1. Josh Smith - Atlanta Hawks

 Josh has been a huge part of the Hawks success this year. He is very versitile defender; being able to steal block, and rebound very well. He is everywhere on defense. He is not the tallest guy, but his one of best jumpers in the NBA. He is a defensive specialist that is heart of the Hawks defense. His is still very young, but already is looking like one of the best defenders in the NBA. He will be one of the key players for the Hawks for years to come.

Stat line: 3.3 blocks 1.8 steals 7.9 rebounds

2. Marcus Camby - Denver Nuggets 

  Marcus is the defending DPOY from last year. He is the league leader again in blocks this year. His a huge defensive presence for the Nuggets, and is key part to their success along with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. He his not only a great shot blocker, but one of the top rebounders as well. He is currently 2nd behind Dwight Howard in rebounds so far this year. He is force in the paint that makes it difficult for other teams to score down low. He does not get all the credit AI and Melo get, but if it wasn't for him, their defense would be very weak.

Stat line:   3.8 blocks 1.0 steals 14.1 rebounds

  AK-47 has always been known for his defense. He is possibly the most underrated defender. His a consistent defender, and always puts up solid numbers every year. He is never at the top of any stat category, but all around, he has great numbers. He is another one of those versitile defenders that can block, steal, and rebound. He is all over the place on defense, and has been the anchor of the Jazz's defense for awhile now. With the additions of Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, the Jazz have become a good team in the West. With Deron and Boozer on the offense, and AK-47 locking down the defense, the Jazz are another contender in the West now.

Stat line: 1.9 blocks 1.3 steals 5.9 rebounds

4. Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic

  Howard is not only an MVP candidate, but also a DPOY candidate as well. He is the league leader in rebounds so far this year, and is in top 10 in blocks. He is starting to become one of the top centers in the league, and could be the next dominat center. He has led the Magic to first place in their division so far this year, and is the main reason for their success. He is a great leaper which adds on to his already good height (6'11''). We should see Dwight put up great numbers like these for years to come.

Stat line: 2.5 blocks 1.1 steals 15.2 rebounds

5. Shawn Marion - Phoenix Suns

  Marion is one of the few good defenders the offensive Suns have. He one of the most versistile defenders in the league as well. He can block, steal, and rebound very well. He is not amoung the leaders in any category, but like AK-47, he has been solid and consistent in every category year after year. He is perrenial defensive player of the year candidate, and is always one fo the top defenders. He is the key to the Suns, and if he leaves their team they will have wished they didn't.

Stat line: 1.8 blocks 1.9 steals 10.3 rebounds

Others contenders:

Gerald Wallace, Ron Artest, and Caron Butler

I think Josh Smith will end up being this year's DPOY, and could possibley lead the Hawks to the playoffs as well. All of these guys are great defenders, and are very important players to each of their teams. The MVP's may get all the attention, but the cliche is true; defense wins championships.

Well, all of you who know knew this was coming. It was inevitable, and I could not resist the urge. So, here we go again!

Steve Nash is overrated. Not only did he not deserve either MVP award, he also is not even in the top 10 PGs in the league. You may say, "Are you crazy? He leads the league in assists, he shoots over 50%, and he turned around the Suns and made them into a winning team now! How could you call him overrated?" Well here is your answer.

His stats are decieving because they are inflated by his team. I hate it that everyone says he makes the Suns better, when in fact it is the other way around. When Nash was on the Mavericks, he was never seen as a top PG in the league. He wasn't in the All Star game every year. He was only seen as good, but not great PG. When he was at Dallas he never averaged 9 assists per game ever. His FG % was in the 47%-48% range most of the years. His points were always around 15 ppg - 17ppg. Now that he is on the Suns, his assist sky rocketed to around 10-11 apg a year, his FG% is above 50%, and his points are above 18 ppg! Now, I don't think there would have been a single person who said the Suns had a better team than the Mavericks, so how did his stats get better after going to a worse team? The answer is simple if you have ever watched the Suns play a game. It is because the Suns run an fast break offense, where they are going to get lots of points and lots of assists, but they could care less about their defense. Which is why the Suns as a team are overrated as well. The players are going to score and get assists, especially the PG. Nash gets tons of wide open shots which inflates his FG% and points. His assists went up because he is on a higher scoring team that could care less about defense as long as they score lots of points. That's the statistically reason for why he is overrated.

I already know your next response, "Well he turned around the team, and the PG before him (Stephon Marbury) couldn't get it done!" Well, there is an explaination for that as well. The PG before him, "Starbury" could not get it done because he is a terrible PG. If you don't believe me look at the Knicks. The team turned around because they found a PG that could run their offense. He fits the system, but Im sure there are more PGs that could do just as good or better a job them him. There have been other players who joined a new team and turned them around, but never won an MVP for it. Here is an example: Jason Kidd joined the New Jersey Nets in the '01-'02 season. The previous season, '00-'01, the Nets went 26-56. The year Kidd joined the team they went 52-30! What is even better was, he took the Nets all the way to the NBA Finals! Nash has yet to get the Suns into the NBA Finals. But Jason Kidd didn't win the MVP. Why is that?

Nash does not deserve the MVP just for making his team better. He may be very valuable to his team, but there are other players who are more valuable to their team, but didn't win the award. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are just as much or even more valuable to their team then Nash. The MVP should be given to the player who had the best year. Which is a combination of stats and your team's success. So, because he got 2 undeserving MVPs and is seen as one of the best PGs (but he is not even in the top 10), then that means he is overrated. You can call me crazy or say I don't know what I'm talking about, but if you look at all the evidence I am right.

Is the NBA about to enter another "Golden Age" very soon? Is basketball about to become as great as it was in the days of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Isiah Thomas? I believe we are, and all NBA fans can already see it coming.

Since the NBA draft in 2003, we have seen a lot of great talent come into the NBA. We have players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, etc. that are young players who already are seen amoung the top players in the league even though they are just starting their NBA careers. These young stars have already started to take over the league, and shown us they are capable of playing amoung the best players and best teams in the league.

These young players have been leading the league in several categories. Currently, LeBron is leading the league in scoring with 29.1 ppg. Dwight Howard is leading the league in rebounds with 15.2 rpg. Chris Paul is leading the league in steals with 2.83 spg. Chris Paul is also 3rd in assists with 10.4 apg, and Deron Williams is 4th with 9.1. Two of these players, LeBron James and Dwight Howard, seem to be the front runners for the MVP award so far this year. Also, Josh Smith, is yet again a contender (and possibly the leader so far) for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

These players have not only been dazzling us with their stats, but also with their leadership. Players such as LeBron and Wade are already perennial All Stars, and are contending for some of the league's highest awards (MVP). Also, some of these players are already leading their teams to the playoffs and even to the NBA Finals. In 2006 Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to win the NBA championship over the Dallas Mavericks. Last year, 2007, LeBron James took the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals; defeating my Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. This season, '07-'08, Chris Paul has led the New Orleans Hornets to have one of the top records so far in the NBA. Dwight Howard has led his Orlando Magic to one of the top records in the East and first place in their division so far.

All of these young stars still have the best to come in the near future for us. They will continue to get better and better as they become the new faces of the league. As long as these players continue to play at such a high level and only get better in their future, we could be in store for another "Golden Age" of the NBA. Where so many stars dazzle us with their moves, and show us greatness as they battle in the playoffs for championship. They will build dynasties, and become legends. They will win titles and awards, and become future Hall of Famers. For those of us that are lucky enough to watch these great players, we can say that we witnessed another great "Golden Age" of the NBA.