LeBron James Favors Contraction

 LeBron James is in favor of the NBA eliminating teams to increase competition. As the Players Union moves deeper into negotiations to create jobs and maintain salaries, one of their most talented members is speaking out against the cause. Way to be a team player, LeBron.

 "Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the '80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team," James said. "The league was great. It wasn't as watered down.

 "Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesota and add him to another team and you shrink the (league). Looking at some of the teams that aren't that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren't that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let's take New Jersey and let's take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid. I'm not stupid. It would be great for the league."

 LeBron is wrong; he is stupid. As the U.S. battles a severe unemployment crisis, LeBron James is calling for the elimination of more than a dozen player jobs and hundreds of team & arena staff in any given NBA city.

 From a basketball standpoint, very few teams in the '80s had three or four All Stars, superstars or Hall of Famers. The Lakers and Celtics come to mind. Maybe the Sixers for a couple years with young Charles Barkley, Dr. J and Moses Malone. Teams that managed to defy the odds and fill their rosters with superstars often won championships. The Lakers, Celtics and Sixers all drafted some superstars and acquired others through trades and free agency to assemble legendary teams. A combination of luck, good scouting and good negotiations led them to having historically deep rosters. 

 The same is true in today's NBA. The Lakers and Celtics have multiple superstars and they are the premier teams. They both drafted well (Kobe, Paul Pierce, Big Baby), traded well (Shaq with Lakers, Pau, Garnett, Ray Allen) and signed good free agents (Artest, James Posey, Shaq with Celtics). Good front offices find & develop good rosters regardless of the number of teams in the league.

 NBA Players Union leader Derek Fisher must be displeased with LeBron's ill-advised comments. As Fisher leads the players into negotiations in the face of a lockout next season, LeBron is making arguments to cut back on jobs for players. 

 Imagine going into negotiations for more money and better working conditions for you and your co-workers, and one young hot shot dumb ass publicly says, "It would be better if we just fire some people and stop doing business with small market cities." That probably wouldn't go over so well with the average worker struggling to keep a job and feed his/her family.

 Fisher's role as a union leader includes making sure players are on the same page and keeping any loose cannons in line with the program to help all employees achieve more success in their careers. Before tip off of each Laker game game, he casually meets with opposing team leaders to catch them up on the latest negotiation plans and strategies.

 The Lakers battle LeBron James and the Heat on Christmas Day. Maybe Fisher should seize the opportunity to give LeBron a "Shut up" message with a body check like he gave Luis Scola in this clip from 2009.

Lakers Sing Jingle Bells

 Ron Artest and Matt Barnes join a few of their Laker teammates and a couple Laker girls in singing lines from Jingle Bells in a Christmas message from the team. Ron's rhythm is a little off for a rapper, but his singing skills are almost as good as Dwight Howard's. Pau Gasol has a tough time with the lyrics, but he probably gets a second language pass.

Obama Roots Bulls First, Then The Heat

 President Barack Obama appeared at a private event in Alonzo Mourning's back yard Monday night. It's always good to hear about a U.S. president who not only knows the game of basketball, but actually has game and looks for chances to hang out with the world's best ballers. 

 Current Miami Heat stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were among Alonzo's guests and the two enjoyed spending time with Obama. 

 "We went to Alonzo's house," Bosh said. "He just had a couple people over. It was really nice just chilling, just the guys. It was a cool experience just to get to meet the president because I've never met the president before." 

 But the good news kinda stops there. According to people at the party, Obama said he'd be rooting for the Heat except for when they played the Bulls. That's not as bad as when presidential candidate and lifelong Yankee fan Rudy Giuliani said he'd root for the Red Sox while campaigning in Massachusetts, but it's pretty close.

 Obama should be rooting against the Heat every single time they step onto the court. 

 As a Chicago Bulls fan, Obama should know that his team will benefit just about every time the Heat lose. The Bulls could well be in the top 4 teams in the Eastern Conference, maybe even a 1 seed. If they lose out on home court to the Heat, how happy will Obama be then?

 Additionally, both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade spurned the Bulls' invitation to bring their talents to Chicago. Are other real Bulls or even Knicks or Cavs fans going to be rooting for the Heat? Doubtful and Obama shouldn't either. 

 I could see if Obama wanted to make his second favorite team the Lakers. They're the only NBA team to earn their way to the White House since Obama was elected. So far, the Kobe era of Laker championships runs the same span as Obama's presidency. Is Obama going to root for the Heat when they face his old pals Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher? How could he?

 Or what about rooting for a young guy with his head screwed on straight who happens to play in a red state? Kevin Durant. He's from Washington D.C., went to college at Texas (red state) and plays in Oklahoma (red state). Instead of rooting for the evil empire of the Miami Heat, Obama would be rooting for a young Luke Skywalker and possibly gaining votes at the same time. 

 If the Bulls take care of business and earn the number one seed, none of this should matter as the president could be rooting for Joakim Noah to dominate Andrew Jesus Bynum on the way to the Bulls' first post-Jordan championship. 

     

Andrew Bynum Standing There Like Jesus - NBA Elite 11

   I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard. Hard8times sees Jesus in Andrew Bynum.

 :sent by Roxanne

    

Lakers Celtics - Game 3 con Mojo

"Everyone who thinks Ray Allen should stop shooting, look or point left."

"Fool sit yo ass down before I put this Queensbridge Quake on you."

 

Rondo: "You just gonna let 'em punk me like that?"

Ref: 2 Thumbs Up.

The Queensbridge Hammer and...

... the lingering after effects of a concussion.

Sheed: "Young buck, if you had a grey patch right here & 2 six packs a day, you could be my Mini Me."

"Hey Ray Allen, I've seen guys at the damn Y with more game than you brought tonight."

"I like little cherry sized ones on top of silver dollars."

Kobe: "Nah dude, peanuts on pepperonis are way sexier."

KG: "Dig I ask you? Please get out my face."

Fisher: "But KG, he's right. Peanuts are more responsive and they-"

KG: "I told him & now I'm telling you. I don't want to hear it from y'all."

Kobe: "Chill dude. We're just looking out for you."

Fisher: "Yeah man, relax. Hey yo Lamar, remember that time at Laker girl tryouts when-"

KG: "Lamar if you say one damn word I swear to God..."

"I PREFER SILVER DOLLAR CHERRIES!!"

"Tootsie Rooooolllll"

"I'm more of an onion man myself."

KG: "What? We can't say what about what?!"

Llama? perhaps. What about giraffe?

No?

Fish takes over for Mamba.

Fish: "Thanks my dude but I'ma head butt you like you Nash if you don't unhand my face."

Allen: "gak.. chkh...augh...uh...ghuagh"

Doc: "Kid, what's wrong? You OK?"

"I'm guess I'm just feeling Ray Allen's pain."

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Lakers Celtics - Game 1 con Mojo

The Hug Zone Defense

KG's hands are in the air because:

A- He don't care

B- The police just showed up

C- Joey Crawford is on the court

Steve Nash must have loved Sheed for this

Phil Jackson asking Joe DeRosa to throw a ball at Chris Rock

Pierce is missing Trevor Ariza

Kobe is not missing Trevor Ariza

Kendrick Perkins doing all he can to avoid a 7th technical

Sheed auditioning for Dancing With The Technicals

Uh oh. Rondo put himself on Fisher's hit list with this move.

KG prays to the Basketball Gods for intervention in game 2.

-

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Fisher Head Butt Busts Nash's Nose

Derek Fisher is a physical, hard-fouling, OG, playoff vet who takes on all challengers from the small to the tall. Last night, he collided with Suns Center Robin Lopez, creating conflict. Lopez elevated it with a subtle high elbow to Fisher's head, leading to double technical fouls after Fisher chased him down. 

Fisher got the last physical laugh later in the game when he headbutted Steve Nash while committing an intentional foul late in the game. Nash already had an injured right eye/face. Now he has a broken nose thanks to Fisher. 

Nash made his broken nose free throws and the Suns won the game. Game 4 is Tuesday.

Will he go Rip Hamilton with a face mask?

Will he go Ginobili and wear a bandage across his nose? 

Or will he perpetuate the image of his Canadian hockey toughness and leave his broken nose exposed?

With Fisher waiting in game 4, Kobe, who also has a rep for whacking opposing faces, and Ron Artest, Nash might want to consider a helmet with a facemask.

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