InsideHoops.com - USA Basketball

InsideHoops.com - USA Basketball

MEET THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF QUITTERS CLUB, THE CHICAGO CUBS

Hello WORLD!! On Monday, I witnessed one of the most disturbing images I’ve ever seen in Chicago sports. I just watched the Chicago CUBS essentially give up. The season is still going on. Apparently, it will be going without the CUBS even trying to compete. The just tied a record from 1957 with the most hits allowed in a game by the CUBS. Ironically, it was another Milwaukee club that did that damage, that time it was the pre-Atlanta Braves. But that’s neither here nor there. What’s clear besides it’s going to be ANOTHER year added to the 102 that has already passed since the last CUB championship? I’ll tell ya what’s clear. What’s clear is the CUBS are as disgusted with themselves as we are with them, as evidenced by the way they were beaning Prince Fielder and co.. What’s clear is none of our CUBS gives a damn if they get humiliated, as evident in yesterday’s 18-1 thrashing by the Milwaukee BREWERS or  last week’s 2-17 last to the Colorado ROCKIES. What’s clear is it IS the CUBS and not the owner or manager who deserves any blame. If there’s a CUBS fan that has anything bad to say about the retiring baseball legend Lou Piniella, then it is this: Captain Lou made a wrong decision to manage this team! Thank god the football season is right around the corner, but of course, I’m a BEARS fan and that might not be good…. Peace, WORLD!!!

LeBRONGATE Continued: Now the Legends Have Their Say!

Hello, WORLD!! Almost two weeks after the ego trip known as “The Decision”, the backlash of  LeBRONGATE is still going on strong! BTW: I believe I’m the first (and to my knowledge, only) person I heard use the term LeBRONGATE, probably because it’s more of a Dwanyegate if we’re getting all technical about things. Anyway, so far we’ve heard Cleveland CAVALIERS owner Dan Gilbert, who’s ‘open letter’ to LeBron cost him $100,000.00 , David Stein, & Mark Cuban. The only other people who’s opinions I was seriously looking for was Micheal Jordan’s, Kobe Bryant’s, & Phil Jackson’s. Well, we got Micheal’s (NY Daily News on Jordan's Reaction & Video) and as an added bonus, Charles Barkley’s(Charles Barkley on "The Decision", from The Huffington Post)  and now, Magic Johnson’s (Magic on "The Decision",NBA Fanhouse). While I strongly agree with their statements, I also wanna add one: As bad as LeBron James wants a championship, I still don’t think he’ll get one next season even with one of the top 5 players in the league in Dwayne Wade as his teammate. The fact that you can throw LeBron into that same category isn’t lost on me neither. It’s just that the BEST (in my opinion) player in the league is always taking advantage of Wade & James…and Kobe! That player is Carmelo Anthony and if the rumors are true, he is ready to go somewhere else for a better shot at a championship himself….  Hopefully (for me any way) he’ll consider the Chicago BULLS. That’s all for now, WORLD, but hasn’t Jordan and company said enough?

Suppose the Chicago BULLS Don't Get LeBron or Wade.....

Hello, WORLD!!! We're in the calm before the storm part of the NBA's free agency. The part after free agents are allowed to talk to teams but before they can actually sign with teams. They can officially sign w/teams starting in two days on July 8th. It still hasn't slowed down the free agents from "signing" with teams though; Amare Stoudamire has signed with the New York Knicks, Joe Johnson resigned with the Atlanta Hawks, etc. What about the BULLS and their quest for one of the stars of a mostly heralded free agency? Well, as of right now, nothing. The fact that this is not news is not surprising. Since the end of the Dynasty (or Jordan era, if you prefer)we have not landed any of the most coveted free agents that were available. OK, maybe one if you count former BULLS center Piston Ben Wallace in 2006 who currently plays for the team we got him from, the Detroit Pistons. Before he was a bust as a BULL, he was a four time Defensive Player of the Year, winning it twice in the two years prior to him playing as a Chicago BULL. The fact that he under performed as a BULL makes one not even want to mention his tenure here but it proves my point: who would actually want to play for this organization that so blatantly disrupted what could have been the greatest NBA dynasty ever? This year, they at least generated some interest, not because of the BULLS management though. The key reason these free agents even consider the BULLS is because of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, two of the core reasons why we have been a .500 team twice in the past 2 seasons. We have a championship nucleus in place that is only missing two key positions: a small forward (I'll get to why Luol Deng doesn't count in a second) and a shooting guard. Though small forward is our main focus (because of LeBron, naturally) the search for a SG is interesting because we just gave away a quality Point in Kirk Hinrich, who also played SG, when we gave him and our first round draft pick to the Washington Wizards for a future 2nd round pick. This move was done to free up another $10 million in salary cap room to add to the $20 million we already had. What if this plan has backfired though? What if not only do the BULLS not get one of these quality free agents, but let's assume we have to start the season as is? As of right now, we only have Rose, Noah, Fs Taj Gibson & James Johnson as BULLS. The rest of the players are all free agents, with Brad Miller generating a great deal of interest and Hakim Warrick already set to replace Amare in Phoenix. I expect us to resign G Acie Law to combat the Hinrich giveaway, and more than likely keep G/F Devin Brown (for versatility),Gs Jannero Pargo and Ronald "Flip" Murray (as bench players). The BULLS will need some big men, notably a back for Noah IF C Brad Miller does leave, which is 50/50 at this point. The BULLS will need a quality in the F positions if Taj Gibson doesn't continue his improving performance and if James Johnson doesn't show any progress whatsoever (in all fairness, he wasn't forced to do much last season. That's definitely about to change and for his sake, let's hope he makes the most of it.). Assuming Rose & Noah continue their winning ethics from the past two seasons, the only questionable player left to address is Luol Deng. Deng has been a great BULL on and off; recently, more off than on. The problem, besides his lackadaisical play, is his contract. In 2008 he got a six year extension for a guaranteed $71 million. This came during his careers Up period, when he was playing like he was worth the extra money. Since then however, his play has taken a toll for the worst, notably due to nagging injuries. Aside from that, he would not be a problem to unload. A healthy Deng at best can still start for most teams, but I doubt if he'll put forth this type of effort again for the BULLS who actively tried to shop him in the past few weeks only to get turned down because of his high salary (teams that have shown interest have expressed desire for the BULLS to absorb some of that salary if there is any chance at unloading or trading him). Meanwhile on the free agent front, Cleveland appears ready to sign-and-trade their star F/C Chris Bosh to Cleveland. This may make LeBron's becoming a BULL a no-go. But as I mentioned earlier, the BULLS main goal should be of a reliable SG and as of right now one of the most reliable is Wade who has already had two meetings with the BULLS since July 1st. WORLD this could get more interesting than it already is. The only thing that is known for sure is the BULLS still have a chance to be better this season even if we make none of the afore mentioned moves and even if we get career underachiever Carlos Boozer from the Utah Jazz, as rumors are starting to circulate about this recent development. Stay tuned...

Lebron James Come On Down

Yes,July 1st starts the wheeling and dealing of free agency. Which team will covet the Big Prize as in MR JAMES,will it be ,the Nets,the Heat,the Knicks ,the Bulls ,or I'll just stay with the Cavs,now my thought on this matter would go like this if I was Lebron: First Thought:What team would give me a shot at getting THE RING! Nets,Knicks ,I'm 25 years old now and another 10 and trying to get the last spot for the playoffs :I think not,so lets move to the Heat,Oh man,Miami ,the weather,the beaches,the parties,and Wade, this look good on paper,but we are two Mega Superstars,not like Boston having three Allstars,and also another allstar coming aboard,looks great,feel great,but nah! then theirs the BULLS,the Combo,Jordan,Pippin,one Mega-star,one Super-star.6 championships,they have Rose ,a superstar in the making,plus a determine young team with a defensive- minded new head-coach,and i'll be in a marketing Sports City,[a la Mike],and also the Bulls have the best intro in the league. My Pick:THE BULLS ! {but i can show loyalty and stay with the Cavs}. Remember this is only a thought . Mr Lebron James come on down!

Wooing LeBron? A Rose is the best way to his heart :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Rick Morrissey

Wooing LeBron? A Rose is the best way to his heart :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Rick Morrissey

Six Reasons to Expect Greatness From The 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls | Sportales

Ok I'll admit I was wrong, but STILL you can expect great things from my BULLS!!!! Six Reasons to Expect Greatness From The 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls | Sportales

Chicago Bulls will trade Kirk Hinrich, No. 17 pick to Wizards—source :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bulls

Chicago Bulls will trade Kirk Hinrich, No. 17 pick to Wizards—source :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bulls

Hawks say bye to Buff

Say it isn't so about the Big Buff,yes the Champions Black Hawks dealt a blow to South Side of Chicago by dealing Dustin Byfuglien to Atlanta Thrashers for the 24th pick and 54th and 3 players because of the salary cap they had to move some players,but why him I wonder,how can you give up your enforcer,also during the playoffs his value soared through the roof,11 goals ,5 game winners,the 6-4 257 pounder will be miss badly,and damn the cup is still wet,but this is Chicago ,in which we do make decisions or trades with blinders on! GOOD LUCK to the BIG BUFF you will be miss and I know Toews and Kane will miss you more,

SOX its Black and White

Welcome to my Sports World: Its all about the White Sox. The Sox are on a roll,they are finally over 500 dating back to April,in which coming out of spring training they had the Sox winning the division so did I,I never lost faith,because coming out they had the top three in pitching rotation and their bullpen is one of the best in all of baseball. Since june 8th starting with Det and until now june 22,the Sox have gone 11-2 with the pitching era under 2.00,with the pitching back on track and the timely hitting the and upcoming games and being 5 games back with the All Star break coming the White Sox control their own destiny because they still have 13games left against Minn and Det, if the pitching staff stay true to form.We should be on top,because I am a die hard Sox fan so stay tune!

NBA Update: Manute Bol, Free Agency

Hello, WORLD!! We are now 9 days away from the NBA's Free Agency and of course that is still the top story of the NBA's off season. The only other news is more of a downer: I hate to report that Manute Bol, at one point the tallest player ever to play for the NBA and one of it's greatest humanitarians after the NBA, passed away on 06/19/10 at the young age of 47. He will be missed. **********************************************
Back to the free agency, just who is available? We all know about the Chicago BULL's LeBron James, oops, I mean CAVS star LB J(sorry WORLD. That was a wish/typo.). But who else? Here's a list, in no particular order: Dwayne WADE, Ray ALLEN, Chris BOSH, Allen IVERSON, Richard JEFFERSON, Joe JOHNSON, David LEE, Tracy McGRADY, Yao MING, Dirk NOWITZKI, SHAQ, Paul PIERCE (why did I even mention him when the WORLD knows he is gonna retire as a CELTIC? IDK...), Micheal REDD, & last but fa DAMN SHO NOT LEAST, AMAR'E (who, along with Wade or James, is the only other player I want my BULLS to go after!). Look at this list; damn near everybody has/is/will be an ALL STAR player! Any 2-3 of these players on the same team can cause problems. Tomorrow, I'll bring up a few as well as talk about the draft and the coaching changes for the upcoming season. That's it for now WORLD, but aint that enough?

Testing Smokkee's WORLD Twitter Page!

Hello WORLD! No sports update here; move along to the next post if that's what ya here for (of course, that's what you're here for!) Actually this is a MAJOR annoucement of sorts: Most of yall already know ya can find me on Twitter & Facebook (Twitter as @SmokkeBizzee, Facebook as Smokkee Singleton), but now you can find my Blog updates to on Twitter!! Follow @SmokkeeWORLD for all my latest Blog posts. That's it fa now WORLD, but aint that enough?

NBA opens potential offseason of change - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

NBA opens potential offseason of change - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

LAKERS WIN!! LAKERS WI....WTF?!??! #FAIL!!!

Hello, WORLD!!!! Contrary to popular belief, the Celtics did NOT stop Kobe from his destiny of becoming a 5 time champ. I personally could not be happier. This is, of course, due to my extreme dislike for everything Boston CELTIC-y that I ride with anybody that can oppose them damn leprechauns! Even, Kobe, who hasn't always been on my favorite player list himself, but at least he is enjoyable without stepping on anybody's toes that I'm concerned with. See: Shaq for more details. Now he has broken the tie that has been between them since his Championship run last year against the upstart Magic (what a waste of a Finals!!!). I've learned to except that Kobe IS one of the greatest players of the past decade, right up there with Tim Duncan, Shaq, Steve Nash (who hasn't won a 'Ship but he has more regular season MVP title's than Kobe, PLUS he got cheated out of a few title shots and the cheater got caught AND went to jail for it!). Now Kobe has 5 rings, compared to Shaq's 4, Magic Johnson's 5, & Micheal Jordan's 6. Now, where does he stand in the NBA's Pantheon or greats? In my opinion, right where his ass is at now..NOT quite there YET. True he may be one of the greatest players now, but is he that much better than Dwayne Wade, who clearly proves every time that he is healthy that teams wont like him when he's healthy? Or what about Carmelo Anthony who showed his ASS in the 2008 Olympics where he rose to be consider the best player on that team, which also consisted of Kobe, Wade, and a certain soon to be Chicago BULL (please, please, please, fingers crossed, fingers crossed). & what about LeBron? Lets. Not. Go. There. Yet(that is, let's not before he decides where he wants to be and if he dont pick Chicago, I'ma go HAM on him too!!). Now, as far as the legends are concerned, Shaq has been named as one of the NBA's 50 greatest; the 1993 Rookie of the Year has been a MVP of the regular season once and has been to the Finals 6 times and got 4 rings with 3 Finals MVPs under his belt. Magic Johnson (who is finna get it in this post too!)was a Rookie of the Year winner too. Magic won a ring & a Finals MVP in the his first year. Let's talk numbers: Magic is a 4 time NBA MVP, 3 time Finals MVP and a 5 time NBA Champion (via 9 appearances make him 5-4 in Title series) who also made the NBA 50 Greatest list. Both of them are Lakers, so it would make more sense to talk about where he ranks among them great players versus where he stands against THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER: Micheal Jordan! MJ numbers, read 'em and weep: 6 Championships outta 6 appearances and he collect the Finals MVP award each time, 5 NBA MVPs, NO! I don't want to disrespect the man by even beginning to compare him with them! Look at what this discussion brought about on my Facebook page:

I said " Now, for all yall TRUE Laker fans (of which I am NOT!) THIS is the discussion yall should be having before yall try to make Kobe something he's not (*cough**cough*the "greatest"*cough*). Is Kobe the gretest Laker EVER? Hmm..maybe,maybe not."

And I got a response from my buddy, O:"I have MAD respect for the mans GAME bro, always have... I don't care who he is off the court. To be able to do what he's done with the teams he has is a feat in it's own. There aren't many that can accomplish the things he has every season, so I say hands down by far Kobe Bryant is the BEST player in the Game of Basketball today. Not yet the best to ever play the game, that is still yet to be proven IMO..."

This prompted me to say:"I can't deny him of his talent and his rightful place as the league's best RIGHT NOW, O. What I can deny is the quality of his quest to be the greatest EVER. BTW: NOT.GONNA.HAPPEN. Who has he beat for a Championship besides Boston and that JUST happened. I mean really, the NETS from a completely watered down East? OK, but didn't that same exact ... See MoreNETS team repeat in the exact same watered down East the next only to get swept by the SPURS? Who else has he got a ring off of, The PACERS, up til this title run was the best team he had faced and beat for a ring. Then the 76ers and that's bad because all they had was Iverson and *cricket sounds*. Know what, O? I gotta use your comment and finish this on my blog because I gotta go in on him now. Thanks, O!"

Which led to me doing this. But actually haven't I said enough WORLD? Who did Jordan beat for his rings? No less than Magic himself, then another member of the NBAs50 Greats, Clyde Drexler, then ANOTHER NBAs50 great in Charles Barkley before facing Shawn Kemp and future Hall of Famer Gary Payton, then 2 more of the NBAs50 in Karl Malone and John Stockton 2 years in a row! No losses! Only Magic had better Finals competition (maybe), but he only won 5 outta 9 too, so that actually DOES mean something huh? So where does Magic get off saying Kobe is the greatest ever like it's his torch to pass? How dare he do this at the same building he lost his last Final's game to the guy many people credit with making this a more WORLDwide sport than, say, him or Bird, who is another NBAs50 member and also a key reason why Magic didn't get 6 rings. Jordan DID NOT LOSE! Whatever, look I lost my train of thought. Oh yeah,I remember: In Kobe's defense, he didn't say it himself but he sure looked like he was trying his best to imitate it. What Kobe is probably gonna retire as is the greatest Laker ever & with that I can almost agree...wait, Robert Horry got how many rings again?

LAKERS Vs CELTICS '10 (Some Observations)

Hello, WORLD!!!! Well after tonight, NBA fans wont have to much to look forward to, unless you're really interested in the NBA Draft next week (well, I know I gotta pay attention to it to get MY NBA fix!) but other than that, this has been a HELL of an NBA season and the NBA Finals hasn't been much different. Here are a few observations I had and a few predications I have on the Finals so far and the conluding Game 7 tonight:

*There has not been 1 game in the whole series up to this point that the Boston CELTICS Big 3 (or Big 4 if you count Rondo which is almost mandatory now) have ALL came to play at there best. Earlier in the series KG struggled but has since steadily improved except for that last outing in Game 6. Ray Allen, aka Mr Shuttlesworth (act like you dont know!), played peek-a-boo with a now you don't see me in Game 1, now you see me with his record setting performance in Game 2, then the disappearing act again in game 3. Since that time Ray has not been as spectacular as he was but then again he did hit a few big shots. Paul Pierce though would have to be the biggest disappointment, having had bad games the first 3 games and showing up looking like the same guy that took MVP of the '08 Championship series for games 3 & 4. Game 5, not so much...

*I didn't mention Rondo up in the first observation because he has played with the most intensity of all the CELTICS. As far as I'm concerned, IF the CELTICS win the Championship, he should win his first finals MVP even though it would actually be his second. I think Pierce would not have won the MVP that first time if not for his memorable return to the court in Walt Frasier fashion performance in that first game.

*The most surprising out of the CELTICS team has been the bench, in particular Nate Robinson. I am really impressed with the energy and the grit he has provided in each of his stints on the floor. Tony Allen gets an honorable S/O too (What Up CHICAGO!).

*Kobe has NOT been close to his usual greatness, but that never stops him from putting up numbers. I will say this, if he scores more than 40 points today, the LAKERS are not gonna repeat. If he can get his teammates involved.....

*3 of the biggest differences of this whole series versus the series in '08 actually favor the LAKERS:
1)KG is no longer an intimidating force that Gasol couldn't deal with. Gasol was green in the Playoffs, not mention he made it to the big stage w/a lil case of stage fright. He's more confident and not scared of KG anymore.
2)I seriously believe that it could have been a whole different outcome to the series in '08 HAD ANDREW BYNUM played! It shows in his performance in last year's & this year's Finals.
3)Ron Artest. Hands down, besides being able to put up numbers if he wants to, he is the Lakers best defender and probably one of the toughest players in the league, PERIOD. I was mad when my BULLS traded him just for that fact. Well, I guess it was the fact that he could be a lil off, at least he was when he was working at Walmart AT THE SAME TIME HE PLAYED FOR THE BULLS!!! Apparently, Phil Jackson can work miracles.

Bottom line: LAKERS will when if Kobe gets EVERYBODY involved. CELTICS will when if @ least 2 of the big 4 show up AND they contain everybody but Kobe. Sidenote:KENDRIK PERKINS is NOT playing and that could be a factor...but I doubt it. Well time to go watch the game. Who yall got anyway?

Blackhawks Win the Stanley Cup!!!! Now What? Well, I haven't seen....

WORLD, I've seen alot of things in my 35 years on this planet and thanks to another Chicago team winning a Championship, I can add another sport under my belt. Congratulations on the Chicago BLACKHAWKS for winning the STANLEY CUP last Thursday. I can't say that NHL or any type of hockey is my cup of tea, but I celebrate when my city celebrates so it don't really matter none about what I like or dislike as long as my city is on top! With that said, I can now say I've seen a Chicago team win a Championship for all 4 major sports leagues. I've even seen some minor leauge Championships and I celebrated no less than had the MJ & the Bulls won 7 'Ships in a row! Even when the Chicago Fire won a few of their 4 soccer Championships in I was excited. So now what's next for a Sports Fan who needs something to reach for? That's easy:
*********I haven't seen an NCAA Basketball Championship in any fashion. I would have in 2005 during that dream run by the Deron Williams and Dee Brown led Illinois Fighting Illini, when we went 37-2 and made it to the title game only to get shot down by Sean May and the eventually champs, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. I can't recall any other team that came that close before and I KNOW we haven't gotten close since. Ditto with the NCAA football teams of Chicago or anywhere in Illinois. As far as baseball is concerned, I'm not. I can't really say that I hate baseball; I can say that it sometimes gets as exciting as watching a DVD with the TV off. That's about the extent of my love for it, especially at the beginning of the MLB season. I start getting more into it around August or so. So what's my best sports bet? Weeellll, I haven't seen a Chicago SKY championship and lucky for us, we've just had our first 4 game win streak not to long ago between May 27th and June 5th. Ok, so there record still sucks after that but it can only get better with time, like the Blackhawks did and hopefully (but highly unlikely #SadButTrue) the Chicago Cubs. Basically that's all for now but damn, WORLD, isn't that enough? No? Fine wait on the NFL like the rest of us!!!

Welcome to My WORLD, Sports Fans!

Hello, WORLD!!! I'm Smokkee Singleton but you already knew that probably. Besides that aint what you here for anyway, is it? You're here because you're a diehard sports fan that wanted to hear other diehard fan's opinions and voice some of you own, right? I knew you were. And that's why I started this blog; I want this to be like a little cyber bar / cyber barbershop and the talk that goes on there. Without further delay let's get it cracking, WORLD!