Caption that Google image - Silva/Sonnen 2

Sonnen: “Shit just got real!”

Crowd: “Finish him!”

UFC: "God, thank you for Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.”

Assassin’s Creed 3: “Perfect advertising spot!”

“That awkward moment when you know, you have lost.”

Silva: “I hope this knee to the chest I’m about to do is legal.”

Referee: “Shit just got real!”

My basketball movie idea. No title yet

A Father (Tim Bryant) must raise his two sons (Patrick Barkley and Karl Barkley) alone after their Mother (Lisa Barkley) dies during labor. He teaches them basketball, as he was a former NBA player who won multiple championships. The two brothers win AAU championships, high school championships, and a college championship during their freshmen year. A series of terrible tragedies start to happen though. Their Father is killed and Patrick gets hit by a car and becomes paralyzed. Karl goes into a depression and considers dropping out of college and quitting basketball. Patrick advises him against it. He instead tells him to continue playing basketball and win as many championships as possible. Karl struggles to do it without his Brother and Father though. He doesn’t win another championship in college, as a NBA player, as a NBA coach, or as a NBA general manager. This drives him crazy. It drives him into another depression. He can’t shake the feeling of being a failure, a loser, and not living up to the winning pedigree established by his Father and Brother. Karl later decides it’s either suicide or he’s going to murder the man that beat him (Michael Russell) for numerous championships.

Washington Wizards Q&A

Point Guards – John Wall, Shelvin Mack
Shooting Guards – Jordan Crawford, Bradley Beal
Small Forwards – Trevor Ariza, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely
Power Forwards – Nene, Trevor Booker, Andray Blatche
Centers – Omeka Okafor, Kevin Seraphin

- These 12 players are the only ones I see making any kind of impact this upcoming season. The roster could and probably will change, but as of right now these are the only players worth mentioning. How good will they be? It’s hard to tell. It all depends on a bunch of variables. Let’s do some Q&A for the Wizards.

1. Will Jordan Crawford or Bradley Beal start at Shooting Guard?

ANSWER: I think Crawford will start at the beginning of the season, but he is an ideal 6th man. Beal will eventually supplant him.

2. How good will Bradley Beal be?

ANSWER: I don’t know. If I had to create a stat line for him, I’d say as a rookie he will average 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal. The main thing I’m looking for is how many minutes he plays and what his shooting percentages are. Those are two very underrated stats that tell a lot about a player.

3. Will Andray Blatche contribute this season?

ANSWER: Yes, but not that much. He’ll get some minutes at Power Forward and Center, but as soon as he does something dumb he’ll be back on the bench. He is what he is. I don’t see him changing and now that we have better players at his positions, he won’t see a lot of court time.

4. Can Nene and Omeka Okafor play together?

ANSWER: I don’t think so. They’ve both played Center primarily throughout their career. I feel as though they both are going to clog the middle and make it hard for others to drive and slash to the basket.

5. How will the young team develop?

ANSWER: The Wizards are now a team of young veterans. Ariza, Nene, and Okafor are solid additions who should help the team mature in the right direction. They’ve all be to the playoffs and have had success in the league. The development of the younger players ultimately comes down to the coaching staff though.

6. What needs to be fixed?

ANSWER: Everything! I see only 30-35 wins for this team as presently constructed. I like all the pieces, but I don’t like how they fit. I also think each position needs improvement. The success of the team hinges on how everyone develops. If Wall and Beal are superstars, Crawford produces as a 6th man, Nene and Okafor can play together, and we get some solid production from the Small Forward position, than this team may sneak into the 8th seed. It’s highly doubtful though. Use this season to evaluate the younger players, see if Nene and Okafor can co-exist, and draft/sign/trade for an All-Star Small Forward.

2012 NBA Who-Should-Go-Where Draft

These are not my picks for the 2012 NBA Draft. These are who I think each team should select. This is based on every team's current roster. It is not taking into account free agents to be. And yes, I took this from ESPN. Please don't sue!

A fighter's record deserves equality

Let me blow your mind for a second. Here are some crazy numbers for you:

-A 15 year NFL veteran who plays all 16 games every season will end up playing in 240 games during his career. It’s unlikely he doesn’t miss a game and this doesn’t include the playoffs, but bear with me.

-A 15 year NBA veteran who plays all 82 games every season will end up playing in 1230 games during his career.

Why do I bring up those numbers? I bring them up because the career of a team sports athlete is measured much differently than that of someone who does an individual sport like boxing or MMA.

-A 15 year mixed martial artist who fights 3 times a year will only have 45 fights when all is said and done.

If a NFL Quarterback wins 70% of his games every year, he goes 11-5 every season and will have accumulated a career record of 165-75. That’s awesome!

If a fighter wins 70% of his total fights, he will go 31-14 for his career. That’s seen as not very good. Most would consider that fighter to be a journeyman. Why is this? It’s not fair that we measure greatness differently in different sports. Stats are stats. I’m calling for equality. Both types of athletes have outside influences that can help or hurt their careers (coaching, training facilities, teammates, etc.). So the next time you want to insult a “journeyman” fighter, dig a littler deeper.

No longer when, but if

As an athlete (I wrestled division 1 at GMU) or competitor you have a different mindset than most people. You think you’re the best all around, the best at a certain skill, or going to be the best. You never question it. It’s something you know and feel. When that is lost, so are you.

That brings me to LeBron James. If the Heat lose their series to the Boston Celtics this season, will he started asking if he is ever going to win a NBA Championship instead of when he will win one? That’s probably a better question to ask him instead of ourselves, but it poses an interesting thought.

At what point in a career does a professional athlete start to question if they will ever achieve a championship? This is his ninth season in the league. He’s been to the Finals twice and lost both times. He joined a star studded cast and still might not achieve a championship. How many more seasons does he have left? 8 maybe?

Could not reaching the Finals and winning this season have a lasting effect on LeBron James? I could see one of two things happening. He comes back next season better than ever and puts up even more impressive statistics or he starts to wilt under the idea of never achieving his dream and his statistics plummet. I don’t think there is an in between. What he’s doing now isn’t working. I see some kind of change coming

The Story No One is Talking About: Duncan vs. Kobe

These 2012 NBA Playoffs have a lot of stories. Will LeBron or Durant get their first NBA Championship? Will the Spurs or Celtics add to their legacy? Will Doc Rivers and Erik Spoelstra return next year? These playoffs will answer so many questions. Here is one you may not have thought of though.

If Tim Duncan wins his 5th NBA Championship, should he be considered a better player than Kobe Bryant? On the surface, the answer for most people would be no. Let me give you some food for thought though. Basketball greatness is measured in championships and if Tim Duncan gets another ring this year he will be tied with Kobe for titles. Most people also consider Kobe Bryant the second best player ever at his position, behind Micheal Jordan. Those same people consider Tim Duncan the best ever at his position.

Without going into statistics or personal issues, shouldn’t those two things be enough to put Duncan over Kobe? It might be a moot point though. The Spurs still have to take care of business this season.

Fun with Google - San Antonio Spurs

Step 1: Think of a current, relevant topic

-Check! How about the San Antonio Spurs?

Step 2: Type that current, relevant topic into Google Images

-Check!

Step 3: Find a picture that doesn’t quite fit

-Check!

Step 4: Write about it

Check! So that’s what “Fun with Google” is. This really is a random picture. What can it tell us about the San Antonio Spurs though? I see two similarities between the picture posted above and the San Antonio Spurs.

1. The Spurs are all alone this season. I believe they are in a league of their own right now. They are likely to win the NBA Championship. That will put them at the top of the league. Number 1. All alone.

2. It’s sad being the Spurs. Why though? Their team is a bunch of cast-offs. Danny Green was originally a Cav. Gary Neal wasn’t drafted out of college. Kawhi Leonard fell in the draft. Stephen Jackson has played for numerous teams. Same for Boris Diaw. At one point I’m sure all of these players felt unwanted or alone.

This picture and the San Antonio Spurs actually have a lot in common. I can see why I found it in Google now. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but that’s how you have Fun with Google.

Blogging from work

This is where I work these days. I'm the General Manager of LA Boxing Sterling in Sterling Virginia. It's a great job if you want to be able to blog from work. We have a bunch of famous athletes here. Daniel Attah and Niles Paul are both members. Google them if you don't know who they are. If you're reading this, stop by sometime. Use Google to find the location and hours.

I've been awful busy as of late

Whenever I say I'm going to find more time to post to my blog, I never do. I'm just so busy all the time. I'd love nothing more than to break down the latest topics in sports. It just doesn't pay the bills. Maybe this time will be different though. I’m going to use future posts to show some more of my personality and humor. It might not be funny or entertaining, but it will help me pass the time. If anyone out there is reading this, tell all your friends to start following me. It will help my ego.