This Day in Black Sports History: February 23, 1986

Throughout his 20-year career in the National Basketball Association, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s trademark sky hook was virtually untouchable, much like the records he held upon his retirement in 1989.

But since his early years growing up in New York City, Abdul-Jabbar was destined to secure his place among basketball royalty.

In high school, Abdul-Jabbar, known as Lew Alcindor, Jr. before converting to Sunni Islam, led Power Memorial Academy, to a 71-game winning streak, a 79-2 overall record and three consecutive New York City Catholic championships.

At UCLA, under the tutelage of head coach John Wooden, Alcindor would be equally dominant, twice winning the College Player of the Year Award (1967, 1969), earning three First Team All-American honors (1967-1969) and becoming the first Naismith College Player of the Year (1969).

With Alcindor anchoring the middle, the Bruins’ three-year record was an astounding 88-2, and the team would win three straight NCAA Championships with Alcindor as the Most Outstanding Player in each Tournament.

During his sophomore season at UCLA, Alcindor boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics, deciding not to join the Men’s Basketball Team to protest the unequal treatment of African-Americans in the United States.

When Alcindor’s college basketball days were over, he owned a number of records at UCLA that have stood the test of time, including highest season scoring average (29.0), highest career scoring average (26.4) and most points in a single game (61).

Not surprisingly, Alcindor was the first overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1969 NBA Draft and the first overall pick of the New York Nets in the American Basketball Association (ABA) Draft. In addition, Alcindor was offered $1 million to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Ultimately though, Alcindor chose to play for the Bucks, who outbid the Nets for his services after coming off a season in which they finished an abysmal 27-55.

The addition of Alcindor would pay immediate dividends for Milwaukee as the team won 29 more games to lay claim to second place in the league’s Eastern Division. Alcindor was the overwhelming choice for Rookie of the Year, averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.

The following season, Milwaukee added Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to the roster, which propelled the talent-laden Bucks to 66 victories during the 1970-71 season and their first, and only, NBA Championship. The season would also turn out to be one of individual dominance for Alcindor, winning the scoring title (31.7 ppg), his first of six Most Valuable Player Awards and the NBA Finals MVP Award.

On May 1, 1971, the day after the Bucks won the NBA championship, Alcindor adopted the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, its Arabic translation roughly meaning "generous/noble (Kareem), servant of (Abdul) the mighty/stern one (Jabbar) [i.e., of God]."

Over the next three seasons, Abdul-Jabbar continued to be the main reason why Milwaukee remained a perennial NBA powerhouse, all while capturing two more MVP Awards.

However, at his request, the Bucks traded Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers because, culturally and socially, Milwaukee was no longer a good fit for the generation’s next legendary center.

"Live in Milwaukee? No, I guess you could say I exist in Milwaukee," Abdul-Jabbar said in a early magazine interview.

"I am a soldier hired for service and I will perform that service well. Basketball has given me a good life, but this town has nothing to do with my roots. There's no common ground."

In two out of his first three seasons with the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar would win his fourth and record-tying fifth MVP Awards, but when the team selected Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson with the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, a dynasty began taking shape with Abdul-Jabbar as its centerpiece.

With the tandem of Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, the Lakers would go on to become the most dominant team of the 80’s, appearing in eight NBA Finals and winning five NBA championships.

Individually, although past his prime, Abdul-Jabbar continued his assault on the league record books, winning his sixth MVP Award in 1980, replacing Elvin Hayes as the all-time leader in games played on Feb. 23, 1986 and surpassing Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader in 1984.

When he officially retired in 1989 after 20 seasons, Abdul-Jabbar had 19 All-Star Game appearances, 10 All-NBA First Team selections, six NBA championships, six MVP Awards and two Finals MVP Awards under his belt, to go along with career averages of 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

During his final season, Abdul-Jabbar was given standing ovations in every single game he played, and was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.

Click here to read the original article at Examiner.com.

Three Words Can Fix The Los Angeles Lakers Problem: Car…Mel…O…

With nearly three-fourths of the regular season in completion, there appears to be a new look for a team known for success in the last few seasons. Inconsistency is now more of the theme for the 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers, no longer surrounded with the invisible aura that put fear in their opposition.

Their recent road trip started off with a bang with four straight wins, three against quality teams (New Orleans, Boston, New York). They followed that play up with a despicable loss to Orlando by thirteen, which was then supplanted by an even more disgraceful beat down at the hands of Charlotte by 20.

Despite having nearly the same roster since their first recent championship in 2009, the disparity of their play throughout the season is now starting to cost them in the standings. San Antonio is the clear favorite of the West and will most likely enter the post season at number one. Dallas is now holding the second spot and Oklahoma City is nipping at the heels of the Lakers in fourth place.

Why is seeding important for the Western Conference? The fourth place team will most likely go up against the New Orleans Hornets in the first round. While the Lakers have beaten the Hornets twice on the road this season, New Orleans currently hold the second best home record in the Western Conference and remain a dangerous first round opponent thanks to PG Chris Paul.

Regardless of how this season plays out, it’s obvious that the team needs to make a change to a roster that is using their previous credentials to intimidate opponents. That may work on feeble teams with no hope, but it will become their own demise when the rest of the best come to play the Lakers.

There is only one solution to this problem: get Carmelo Anthony.

Acquiring the superstar forward would come at a hefty price for the Lakers, but it’s a cost that can bring back some pretty big dividends. ESPN’s the Magazine’s Chris Broussard reported that there were rumors of Los Angeles sending Andrew Bynum to Denver for the former Syracuse star.

It’s easy to understand why the Lakers are timid on giving up their promising center; he’s still learning how to play the position and has a high ceiling of potential. At the young age of 23, Bynum will most likely have more years in the league in comparison to Anthony (who is 26).

Size is also key when it comes to success in the NBA. The big man is seven feet tall, 285 pounds with an affinity for swatting shots out of the paint and deceptively, overpowering post moves that leads to points. Those talents are hard to come by for a player of his stature.

That’s where the positives end for reasons why Los Angeles should keep Bynum over Anthony.

A big reason the team needs his services so bad is due to their shaky play. Aside from Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, the other parts just aren’t cutting it. That reason can be mostly attributed to Ron Artest, who’s poor play and lack of care or urgency to improve has been like a knife going into the team’s back. Acquiring the six foot eight inch, combo forward would help to give the team another scoring punch that they desperately need.

Imagine being an opposing coach and having to decide whether to live or die by Bryant, Gasol or Anthony.

It’s a scary thought.

Another reason to pull the trade centers on who would be next in line to become the team’s icon. The team historically has always had another face waiting in the shadow of their current team leader. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passed the baton onto Magic Johnson, who in turned handed it to Shaquille O’Neal. The big aristotle handed it off to Bryant, but there is no one waiting in the wings as Bryant begins to enter his mid 30s.

Anthony could be that next person to take over.

The final reason stems on the idea of value. Is Bynum that much more valuable than Anthony? While number fifteen is older than the baby-faced center, he is only three years apart in age. That discrepancy isn’t a big difference from one another. Also, Bynum plays a demanding position that will take a toll on his body down the line. He is already beginning to show stages of that; in his six NBA seasons, he’s only had one full campaign and participated in 50 or more games in three of those years.

Along with health and difference in age, the idea of value continues when comparing Bynum to other big men in the league. Currently, J.J. Hickson and Glen Davis average more points per game than the Lakers’ center. His rebounds per game would not even qualify him for the top ten among all big men in the league. During his NBA tenure, the highest he’s averaged scoring-wise in a year is fifteen per game. He’s only averaged more than 30 minutes a game and double-digit rebounds once in his career.

Those totals don’t sound very elite for a big man.

With Gasol and Odom around to play big, Bynum is expendable in a trade for one of the Western Conference’s starting forwards in the All-Star game. Yes, they will lose presence in the paint on both the offense and defense, but gain so much more in a player who can alter the game just like Bryant does.

Pulling together a package along with Bynum would be the best way to fix the Lakers current problem. The acquisition of Anthony would be a great way to redirect the team towards success.

Not just for this season, but for years to come.

This Day in Black Sports History: February 9, 1992

Figuratively speaking, November 7, 1991 was the day the magic died in the National Basketball Association.

Named by ESPN as the seventh most memorable moment in the past 25 years, Earvin Johnson, Jr., more affectionately known as "Magic,” held a press conference to announce his retirement after testing positive for HIV.

The announcement devastated not only the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, who Johnson guided to five NBA Championships in the 1980’s, but the national and international basketball community, where he had become a beloved figure.

Prior to his announcement, the AIDS virus was associated with drug addicts and homosexuals, but Johnson acknowledged that he was infected through having multiple sexual partners during his playing career.

The virus was also widely viewed as an impending death knell to those with the misfortune of being infected, instantly turning them into social pariahs.

But it was only fitting that “Magic” began the process of destroying these stereotypes with a virtuoso performance that transcended the game.

Even with one of its brightest stars permanently on the shelf, the 1991-92 NBA season commenced according to schedule. Nevertheless, Johnson’s on-court brilliance and magnetic personality remained firmly implanted in the hearts and minds of basketball fans worldwide.

Despite not playing in a single regular season game, Johnson was voted on to the Western Conference starting lineup for the 1992 All-Star Game on February 9, 1992, his 12th selection, and the former three-time Most Valuable Player humbly elected to participate.

Former teammates and opponents weren’t reluctant to voice concerns and objections about Johnson’s presence, but most relented with assurances that it didn’t present a risk and, by the end of the game, no one was upset that he was on the roster.

And how could they be?

By keeping in shape with a daily physical regimen that frequently included full-court, contact basketball, Johnson proved he was more than capable of keeping up with his All-Star teammates and counterparts.

The game ended in a 153-113 Western Conference blowout, but it was the end of the game that provided some of the most memorable moments in NBA history.

After being held scoreless since the end of the second quarter, Johnson went on a scoring spree in the game’s final minutes by making three consecutive three-pointers, tossing in one of his trademark no-look passes to Dan Majerle to add some flair to his run.

On the defensive end, the rest of the players on the floor allowed Johnson to go one-on-one with Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan, to the delight of the capacity crowd.

Johnson capped the game by taking and making an off-balance three-point shot to put the finishing touches on a stat line highlighted by 25 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

Players from both teams ran on to the court to congratulate Johnson and no one had any objections to him winning the second All-Star Game MVP Award of his career.

"When Magic announced that he was going to play, I was skeptical like everyone else, at first," said Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Clyde Drexler, who finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

"But once it was confirmed that everything was safe and he was going to play, everyone in the United States who knows anything about basketball was extremely happy with today. I would much rather have Magic as MVP than myself. It's the best way to honor him and he deserves it."

Johnson provided more in-depth perspective on the message he wanted to convey at the Orlando Arena.

"People with this virus can live on -- that's the message," Johnson said.

"They can run, they can jump. Second of all, you don't have to worry about me playing. You can't get it from hugging, kissing, elbows, and high fives. Life doesn't stop because something happens to you."

And fortunately, 19 years later, life still hasn’t stopped for Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Click here to read the original article at Examiner.com.

Los Angeles Lakers Get All Fightey With Los Angeles Clippers

Last night, the battle for NBA supremacy in Los Angeles was waged between the Clippers and the Lakers.

The Clippers got the victory but nearing the end of the game, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Baron Davis and Blake Griffin got into a little scuffle:

Sports In 2011 – A New Year With New Possibilities

2010 was a big year in sports.

It was a year in which many teams and athletes had the greatest moments in their lifetime or history. The fans of the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco Giants finally got to celebrate a title after decades of disappointing seasons and sad endings. Michael Vick had one of the best comeback seasons ever for an athlete after spending nearly two years in jail.

Yet, 2010 also marked a time of others who would drop into the doldrums of obscurity. There was Gilbert Arenas and his playful, gun-slinger antics that got him suspended for most of the 2009-10 NBA season. Ben Roethlisberger dealing with another sexual assault investigation that got him suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season.

Although both players hit the lowest points in their careers, neither one of them fell further from the cliff than Tiger Woods. 2010 was a year of saving and reshaping his image, dodging questions of his personal life and his wife divorcing him. What makes matters worse is that he couldn’t even manage a win in an event during the season.

Despite the down points for those athletes, they can luckily look forward to making 2011 a year of moving forward and descending back to greatness. Arenas gets a new start on one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference with the Orlando Magic. Roethlisberger will be leading his Pittsburg Steelers into the post season once again. Now that his personal life appears stable, Woods appears on par for a Vick-like bounce back year.

Aside from those intriguing 2011 storylines, this year looks to be a step up from 2010 due to its brimming potential. With so many possibilities already developing and new legends to be made at anytime, the public will have to remain on its toes for what the year has in store.

Here are some stories that have promise to shine brightly in 2011:

1) Can Tiger Woods Really Turn Things Around?

As discussed before, Woods had one of the biggest falls ever in the history of sports. Known for his ability to harness pressure and attention into a ball of fire that he unleashes on the courses for eagles and birdies, the legendary golfer finally illustrated one characteristic that we never seen before: he’s human.

The former number one ranked golfer can be optimistic about one thought though; while he did drop tremendously during the 2010 season, he really has no where to go but up in 2011. One win at an event will stamp 2011 as a more successful year than the previous one. Yet, in order to return back to having that invincible aura that he once carried around for years, he’ll have to win numerous events and majors this season.

With his personal life calming down, if he can regain his focus and ability on his game, Woods should be able to get back on course to make a run at Nicklaus’s major record.

2) Can The 2011 Atlanta Falcons Be The 2010 New Orleans Saints?

When “Who Dat” nation celebrated their Super Bowl title in 2010, it allowed a ray of hope for other franchises that have never been able to hoist the championship trophy.

This year could mark the birth of another first time winner.

If there was any team that could pull of a 2010 New Orleans Saints-type run in 2011, it would be the Atlanta Falcons. A team that has never won a Super Bowl since joining the NFL in 1966, this year’s team will have the number one seed in the NFC and have a team prime to end their Super Bowl-less drought.

Of course, to get there, they will need to get through the usual suspects who have reached the promise land lately. Recent champions, such as the New England Patriots, Pittsburg Steelers, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, are all back to make another go of it. Not to mention the usual playoff attendees, like the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, are all hoping to reclaim riches that were synonymous with their franchise’s past.

Potential is in the corner for the Falcons; the only question will be if they can take the punches, and still be the last man standing.

3) Will We See A Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers Final?

If there was a Christmas wish list of what each person in the world wanted, everyo e will most likely list seeing a match up between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA finals.

There is absolutely no doubt that this would be the hottest ticket in years to acquire, even hotter than any of the recent finals with the Lakers and Celtics. According to an article by Sports Illustrated, the Christmas day matchup between both franchises got the highest rated NBA regular season game since 2004.

What does this mean? The public wants more of this rivalry.

Not only would the public want it, but the NBA is holding their breath until their face turns blue in hopes of getting such a fairy tale matchup. A Lebron James vs Kobe Bryant matchup for the title would have the greatest storyline in the league’s history. Can James finally reach historical significance that he so desperately needs with an NBA championship on his resume? Or, will Bryant stop him to reach his second three peat to even himself with the god of basketball Michael Jordan?

4) Does Four Dominant Starting Pitchers Equal A World Series Title?

Already sporting a formidable trio with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, the Philadelphia Phillies felt this was the year they would bounce back from a 2009 World Series loss to win the title in 2010.

Too bad the San Francisco Giants had to go and play the spoiler role in the 2010 NLCS.

Despite the loss, the Phillies appeared to be early contenders for the 2011 season after the loss because of their powerful lineup and the trio kept intact. So it came with an even bigger shock when the Phillies snuck up behind the Yankees and Rangers to snag one of the most coveted free agent pitchers this off-season: Cliff Lee.

Now with the big lefty atop the rotation next to Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, Philadelphia looks stronger than ever and have a rotation that’s quietly gaining the reputation as one of the greatest starting pitching rotations in history. They will have challenges before them with the likes of the improved Boston Red Sox, the always pricey roster of the New York Yankees, and the San Francisco Giants going for a repeat.

Even with all those teams ready to take them on, the Phillies new addition could be the final part of the equation that equals a title.

It’s hard to say what exactly will be the biggest story of 2011. It could be any one of the four possibilities in the discussion, or even the proverbial story-out-of-nowhere that always erupts in sports each year. With so many options and opportunities for major headlines, the only way to be aware of what’s to come is to watch and observe the new year.

No matter what, 2011 will undoubtedly follow 2010 in one distinct fashion; it will be a year in which anything can happen in sports.

Sporadic Era-tic: The Death of the Superfriends

Blowing in the Wind, originally uploaded by awonderfulsplash.

Worry not, dear friends! The Superfriends meme is not dead. It just falls to this lonely spore to wind the clock of change and paradigm. Someone has to declare something dead after all this talk of viral this video and viral that, hashtag trending moments in the blistering web-spun online sun. Our eyes can only be hosts to these ghosts of existence for so long.

So, existence versus non-existence tonight. I declare death to the Superfriends not because they do not exist and/or will not soon come to proliferate. I only offer that such a means to overcoming the mean streets of mediocrity must at some point come to be judged as either viable or f(l)ailing. I recognize it's early in the NBA season, but a verdict must be passed such that all other verdicts may be measured, consciously or collective-subconsciously, upon its wavily inconsistent metaphorical shores.

Sorry, a little rusty here. I offer, in return for your patience and persistence and co-pre-cognizance with me, an alternative.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh: These are the new figureheads of the Superfriends mold. Amar'e, CP3, 'Melo: These are the leaders of the new, if new be someday told. Right now, the verdict is out on the ledge like hot pie charts waiting for sticky fingered nerds to reach out and grasp at the pretense of truth. And who's the early boy playing Worms: Battle Islands? I'll give you a hint: it's not the eight-and-six Heat. Rather, I suggest you take a look at the twelve-and-eleven Spurs.

That's right, the wily vets, the geriatric section, divorcee's row, the leaders of the old, the Spurs currently hold the best win percentage in the league. How are they doing it? Not with an injection of new legs, because Tiago Splitter ain't doing diddly past six points and three pulls, and DaJuan Blair is the opposite of new legs. They're doing it with the same old system based around Tim Duncan and trickling down to the aforementioned soon-to-be divorcee Tony Parker, the finally healthy Manu Ginobli, and the revitalized Richard Jefferson.

So the Spurs are twelve-and-one. What's new, Nagamatsu? Why write about the difference in paradigms now? Because LeBron James affords us a unique perspective on the efficacy of Superfriends vs. San Antonio as models for building successful basketball teams. In Cleveland, King James was privy to a build similar to that of the Spurs, as was much bruited about when the two teams faced in the finals of '07. Under the careful build of Popovich acolytes Danny Ferry and Mike Brown, LeBron James saw a solid string of successful seasons. Now, having left the patronage of such system, he enters into something more akin to the 80's Laker Showtime teams under Pat Riley's baleful, pomaded watch.

Obviously, the Showtime teams weren't quite a Superfriends model. Perhaps I'm just saying that because they were successful and such a model would ruin my paradigm study. Still, those squads lacked the mercenary feel of such teams as the post-championship Rockets featuring Olajuwon, Drexler, and Barkley and/or Pippen, as I mentioned in my last epocrypha. What other unsuccessful Superfriends squads can we point to? Barkley's 76ers with Dr. J and Moses Malone, as well as Pippen's stint with the Jail Blazers both fit the bill. Dallas' multiple attempts at paving their way to super teams with the Mark Cuban's Benjamins failed, as did the '04 Lakers. (And I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole host of 'em)

Batmanuel, Captain Liberty, The Tick and Arthur, originally uploaded by Walkabout Wolf.

Which brings us to the anomalies, the outliers as Malcolm Gladwell would put it. Sure, the '04 Lakers failed with Gary Payton and Karl Malone in tow, but realistically they should have won. Statistically, they should have won. Only Malone's injury kept them from dominating that series. And then Shaq left, and who knows. But what about the current, contemporary version of the Lakers? Isn't that a four-headed beast with Kobe, Pau, Lamar, and Artest? In short, yes. This current iteration is what one might term a "Superfriends" squad. However, what separates them is the system. Phil Jackson's "trust your players to fall or fly when they most need your trust" system is one of a kind. As a Lakers fan, I am petrified at the thought of trying to get that seventh in my watching career without the Zen Master. Here's the other thing: Until recently, this system was not one that played nice with the Superfriends mold. In the first three-peat, the team swallowed stars whole and left them barely shells of role players. Glen Rice, Mitch Richmond, Isaiah Rider. All three were eaten up and spit out by the '00-'02 Lakers.

The other outlier? The '08 Boston Celtics. There's a team that fit the Superfriends mold to a T. What sets them apart is Ubuntu. They had an identity from the start. Furthermore, the team's looking more and more like a Spurs team built around Rondo. But that's a side note. San Antonio is not the only team prospering under the Popovich Spurs paradigm. The 10-2 New Orleans Hornets (3rd highest win percentage in the league right now) are newly adapting themselves to the model under Popovich pupil Monty Williams. Similarly, the 10-4 Oklahoma City Thunder have followed Sam Presti in making Durant their Duncan and building down from there.

Pencil Vs Camera - 19, originally uploaded by Ben Heine.

What tic should you take away from all this? What should you allow to syphon blood from your Superfriend-like excessive thoughts? Let's just say the Lakers have Zen, the Celts have Ubuntu, what do the Heat have?

NBA Out In Front Over The MLB And NFL

It’s a good time to be a sports fan.

Baseball is in its final week and while a few teams have solidified their spot in the playoffs, others are in an all out battle for the last few.

Football is going at full blast into the 2010 season with the fourth week upcoming and surprises galore all around the league.

While both of the sports are currently active and playing meaningful games, they cannot compare to the anticipation of one sport that is almost ready to tip off: basketball.

This NBA off-season has been one of the most important and influential ever in the history of the NBA. Here are the top five reasons why the sport of basketball is at the forefront of everyone’s attention.

1) The Heat Is On

If there was a vote to determine the biggest sports moment of the year, the highest percentage of votes would go to the spectacle of the Lebron James’ decision. In a close second would be watching he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh put on the Heat jerseys and getting on the court against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, October 26th.

Heat tickets at home or on the road will be the hottest commodity anytime they are in town. Miami will have a giant target on its back and be hated by all crowds they face when going on the road. Despite that, checking in on them will be fun to watch all season long to see how the big three handle the heat.

2) Carmelo Anthony Will End Up…?

The James situation has had a reverberating effect on the NBA world. Other free agents waited anxiously like domino tiles to see where the first piece would fall. Despite training camp beginning and the free agency period come and gone, the James effect is still being felt.

The one person who has felt it lately has been Carmelo Anthony. The smooth-shooting small forward has been trying meticulously to get out of Denver.

Various articles have been published about possible locations where Melo may end up. With no deal set in stone and questions running rampant about a trade for the former Syracuse star, the team Anthony ends up with will be the second most intriguing squad to watch this season.

3) Lakers Lost In Translation

With all the hoopla over the new Heat team, Amar’e Stoudemire leaving Phoenix for the big apple and Anthony’s drama in Denver, there has been one team that remained steady and submarine-like by staying below the radar: the reigning back-to-back champs Los Angeles Lakers.

The team was stealthy in keeping the nucleus intact (only losing Jordan Farmar and Josh Powell) and upgrading with new acquisitions (signed Matt Barnes and Steve Blake). Although the NBA is topsy-turvy after the off-season, it is the Lakers that are the quiet and safe pick for a three-peat.

4) What’s Eating Gilbert’s Grape?

If there is one person who can hope to feed off the attention Michael Vick is now receiving after his miraculous comeback, that man is Gilbert Arenas. He returns back to the Washington Wizards after being suspended for most of the 2009-10 season after a gun altercation occurred in the locker room.

It will be interesting to see how Arenas will bounce back after a tumultuous year. The point guard witnessed his power over the squad become diminished with the addition of number one pick John Wall. The biggest question facing him: will he remain a Wizard and if he does, can he find a way to co-exist with the rookie from Kentucky?

5) New Changing Of The Guard In The NBA

This season more so than any will feature a new dynamic, teams that were on top dropping down and teams on the bottom moving up. While most sports feature a cyclical power change for teams year in and year out, basketball is one sport where teams remain on top for years.

Of course, there are teams that will remain at a high pedestal (such as the Lakers, Celtics and the Magic), but many top teams will drop this season. In the East, the Cavaliers were the top team last year but that was with James as the leader. They will most likely drop out of the playoff picture.

The West is where the change will be noticed the most. San Antonio is no longer the fearful team of years past with age creeping upon them. Denver is influx with front office and coaching turmoil to go with the Anthony issue. Phoenix lost a big piece of their puzzle when Stoudemire headed to New York.

Other teams will hopefully be able to move up the power ranking depth chart this season. The Bulls, Knicks, Heat and Wizards should be much improved in the East, while the Thunder, Blazers, Clippers and Kings appear to be contenders in the West.

With more stories and scenarios to go along with the ones described above, this season will prove to be the beginning of a brand new road never traveled in the NBA.

Good thing for them, the season hasn’t even started and they have everyone’s utmost attention.

Can There Be Any Doubt that Pat Riley is the 2010-11 NBA Executive of the Year?

Although being courted by the Miami Heat, which included an airport greeting by LeBron James prior to his meeting with Heat president Pat Riley and team owner Mickey Arison, Los Angeles Lakers free agent point guard Derek Fisher has decided to re-sign with the two-time defending NBA Champions.

In a statement released on his website, Fisher summarized the reasons why Los Angeles will remain his home for the immediate future.

“My free agency was a time for me to reevaluate my position in the league, reflect on my accomplishments individually and as a teammate, and determine what new goals I want to achieve in the future. Many reports were completely false. Numbers reported were guesses and true "sources" were few and far between.

I took time to consider all my options, many not reported in the media. I listened to every coach, every general manager, even potential teammates in order to make the right decision and I thank every one of them. At the end of the day, there's one person I could not turn away from. Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made. He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids, and has been loyal to me even when others had doubts. We have won five championships together.

I have decided to continue with Kobe, continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles. While this may not be the most lucrative contract I've been offered this off season, it is the most valuable.

I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin...”

Score one for Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Derek Fisher for electing to continue being a leader in Los Angeles rather than become a follower in Miami.

However, the Heat quickly rebounded from Fisher’s rejection with two crucial signings to provide support for the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

According to ESPN.com, free agent power forward Udonis Haslem signed a five-year deal with Miami Monday worth around $20 million; more than $10 million less than he could have gotten had he accepted offers from the Dallas Mavericks or the Denver Nuggets.

"I would be changing my DNA if I left just for money," Haslem said.

Haslem averaged 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Heat last season and in his seven-year career, all spent in South Beach, the 6’8” Florida product has posted 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.

In addition, the Heat also signed Washington Wizards free agent swingman Mike Miller, who averaged 10.9 points per game in 54 games last season while shooting 50.1% from the field and a blistering 48.0% from three-point range.

Now that Miami is set at the wing positions, Pat Riley will now focus on signing players that will help beef up the Heat’s front court, anchored by Haslem and Chris Bosh, as well as bringing in a veteran point guard as he attempted to do with Derek Fisher.

In any case, it can never be understated how important it was to re-sign a banger like Haslem and a shooter like Miller, which should only further confirm that Riley is the early favorite, by far, for next season’s NBA Executive of the Year Award because like it or not, thus far, he’s done a masterful job assembling the new look Miami Heat.

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LeBron James Serves as Airport Greeter for Derek Fisher’s Meeting with Heat

As reported here, Los Angeles Lakers free agent point guard Derek Fisher met with Miami Heat president Pat Riley Saturday afternoon.

Fisher's preference remains to re-sign with the Lakers, but he felt the need to explore his options and listened to Riley's pitch as Los Angeles general manager Mitch Kupchak continues to work on an offer that is satisfactory to the five-time NBA Champion.

Prior to his meeting with Riley and Heat owner Mickey Arison though, Fisher received a warm welcome at the airport from a team representative that could heavily influence his decision to relocate from Hollywood, California to ‘Hollywood East’.

According to ESPNLA.com, newly signed Heat small forward LeBron James met Fisher at the airport and gave his own pitch as to why the 14-year veteran should join forces with ‘Miami Thrice’.

It was a short meeting as James was at the airport to board a flight to New York to attend the wedding of Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, but James clearly went out of his way to wait for Fisher to arrive and meet with him for a few minutes.

Guess Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh weren’t available, huh?

In any case, Fisher reportedly received a $2.5 million offer for next season from Los Angeles. Miami could likely offer Fisher up to $4.5 million, based on its available cap space even after signing James, Bosh and Wade.

Kobe Bryant, a 1996 NBA Draft classmate, has publicly stated, in no uncertain terms, that the Lakers need to re-sign Fisher, who is a locker room leader and an emotional metronome for the passionate two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP.

"We need to have him back, it's as simple as that," Bryant told ESPNLA.com’s Dave McMenamin at his Kobe Bryant Skills Academy on the UC Santa Barbara campus. "It's not a question of if he will be back; it's a matter of when.

"I don't care what [the cost] is. ... They need to work that out and get him back because his significance to our ballclub and to me cannot be understated."

All signs point to Fisher re-signing with the team where he has won every single one of his championships; however, there is no question that Pat Riley will pull out all the stops to acquire a player who will provide stability and tremendous veteran leadership to the most hyped collection of talent in league history.

So the rivalry has begun without a single second of basketball played; with Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on one side and Pat Riley & ‘Miami Thrice’ on the other, ‘Hollywood West’ versus ‘Hollywood East’.

Derek Fisher is the ultimate prize this time around. Will the NBA Championship be soon to follow?

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Credit ESPNLA.com

Derek Fisher to meet with the Miami Heat

With South Beach becoming the center of the basketball universe after LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh agreed to sign with the Miami Heat, the curiosity has been piqued of the remaining free agents about the potential dynasty being put together in the ‘Sunshine State’.

In fact, the interest is at such a high level that even a member of the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers can’t resist taking a peek.

According to ESPNLA.com, Lakers free agent point guard Derek Fisher is scheduled to meet with Heat president Pat Riley on Saturday.

Fisher's preference remains to re-sign with the Lakers, but he feels the need to explore his options and listen to Riley's pitch as Los Angeles general manager Mitch Kupchak continues to work on an offer that is satisfactory to the five-time NBA Champion.

If it were up to Kobe Bryant though, Fisher would have been locked up by the Lakers well before any meetings were scheduled with other organizations.

"We need to have him back, it's as simple as that," Bryant told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin at his Kobe Bryant Skills Academy on the UC Santa Barbara campus. "It's not a question of if he will be back; it's a matter of when.

"I don't care what [the cost] is. ... They need to work that out and get him back because his significance to our ballclub and to me cannot be understated."

Although Fisher will listen to what Riley and the Heat have to offer, the Lakers are confident the 14-year veteran will eventually re-sign with the organization.

However, Mitch Kupchak would be best served not to allow this situation to linger because Riley has proven to be extremely persuasive when push comes to shove. Just ask Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

Click here to read more about 2010 NBA free agency on Examiner.com.