Start Preparing?

  Ok so Miami's big three are all able to opt out of their current contracts after next season. There are rumors all ready swirling saying that LeBron will go back to Cleveland to play along with Kyrie. With Wade getting older, and getting injured more often especially with his knees, is it time for Pat Riley to start planning on what he is going to do if all 3 decide to opt out?

  The main goal is to keep LeBron pass next year. Winning a championship this year can change things. The Heat might want to go one more year with the same group, but is that a risk? Wade will be a year older and as we have seen, his numbers have dipped just a bit. Don't get me wrong, when Wade is healthy he is a great player but this past season he gave those type of games every once in a while. During the playoffs he has been a no show just like Bosh. Bosh is another one who can be very good but can slack off at times. Miami needs to find ways to get bigger, younger, and better. If they don't, they will be having troubles with Chicago and Indiana. 

 

  I know Pat Riley is loyal to his players especially players like Wade and UD, but it he needs to be proactive not reactive. If Pat decides not to be proactive and start making moves in order to help LeBron James and get younger, there's a chance they can lose him.  I know the idea sounds crazy but it is time to prepare and try to keep the best player in the NBA in Miami. 

  My suggestion is to see how the beginning of next season rides out but try to make moves in order to put Miami in great position for another run. 

Overreacting Fans!

   So the Miami Heat lost last night as we all know. Now we drives me insane is the fact that some not all, again let me make it clear. SOME, NOT ALL Heat fans start to over analyze things. The first reaction I have seen is ok Miami is done for it. We have lost the series. Miami is still well in this series. Ok last night they did not look like the same team from game 3. They will regroup and get it together for tomorrow. 

   My answer to all these "crazy over analyzing fans" is to calm down! The series is tied 2-2 and the Miami Heat have the best player in the NBA right now! I do recall last year there was a huge since of urgency when they were down to the exact same team last year without a Chris Bosh. I also recall when the Heat were down to Boston and LeBron won the series for Miami. 

   They are professionals and Coach Spo knows we he needs to do in order to put his team in position to win tomorrows game. Let Miami do their thing and us as fans, lets just sit back, relax and enjoy some playoff basketball. I was born and raised in Miami, I'm a die hard Heat fan. Rooted for them when they won only 15 games. But in any sport, the better team gets it together to come out on top. 

   I am still confident that Miami will get it together and eliminate the Pacers in 6. It's easier said then done but we need to have faith in them. 

LETS GO HEAT!

Miami Marlins

I know I am a bit late on the subject but I am deciding to write about it now. After reading that the Rays have agreed to give Evan Longoria $100 million contract extension, made me think about the Marlins and how they love to dump off their great talent. The Marlins have brought up great players through their farm system and have become top players in the MLB. A perfect example would be Miguel Cabrera and Giancarlo Stanton. Just imagine if the Marlins would have paid Cabrera what he deserves and was still playing for them along with Stanton. The Marlins need to learn how to make their players happy and develop a strong team. If they were to keep most of their top prospects, the Marlins would be a contender every season. Obviously all the spending they did last year did not pay off, but it does help to continue developing strong players.

The Marlins tend to let go of players who have one bad season because they did not want to pay them. Look at Heath Bell, did not play up to management's "expectation", BOOM! Gone! Instead of letting go of all the good talent why not keep them for next year and continue building from there. The owner is just being cheap and pretty much robbed the people of Miami. Hey every team goes through a funk unless you are the Yankees and have all the money. They Rays were not good for a long time and but stuck with their players and continue developing a strong farm system. Now they have a strong core of players that they can build around. That is something the Marlins need to learn. Best of luck to the Marlins trying to fill their stadium and have a loyal fan base.

Hard Fouls

Derrick Rose has been complaining about him getting fouled too hard. Dude you are PG who like to drive it in. Expect to get hit nasty inside the paint. Just be happy you did not play basketball with some of the big man from before. There have been some really nasty fouls and not nearly as bad as what happens to Derrick Rose.

Chris Bosh is the Key

So many Heat fans like to think that Wade and LeBron are the two most important pieces for the Heat. Which of course they are important, but we have seen that if one is out the other one can pick up the slack. But if Bosh was to be out, who will pick up his game? We have all seen what Bosh is capable of doing during his time in Toronto, and earlier this season when both Wade and LeBron were out. During last year's playoffs, Bosh was the more consistent one of the Big Three.

When your number three scorer is averaging 18 points a game, and they are ranked in the top 30 in scoring that is really good. I know that at times Bosh can be a bit soft in the paint but that is just not his style. He is not your Dennis Rodman who fights for rebounds. But the Heat need Bosh if they want to win a championship. With him able to pull a defender out of the paint, it gives Wade and LeBron the chance to drive it in. He can also make clutch shots when needed. I am not saying Bosh is the got to piece, but he can be that piece that can turn things around for the Heat.

As long as Bosh keeps playing the same way he did against the Knicks yesterday, the Heat will be dangerous.When the Big Three are on fire, it makes the whole team much more dangerous. With the playoffs a few weeks away, the Heat needs to get things rolling. The losses to Boston and Chicago last week is not something to be paranoid about but they need to see how they are going to make the rotation work in the playoffs. As long as Spoelstra keeps Bosh rolling through out the game and makes LeBron close the game, the Heat should not have a problem.

Not everyone will agree that Bosh can make a big difference but if he plays hard until the end, than I do see Miami holding up the championship trophy.

Does Ozzie Deserve It?

Did Ozzie really say something wrong? Just because he said he loves Castro and admires him, does he deserves to be suspended five games? I understand why the Cuban people in Miami are all mad about what he said and I am pretty sure they want him out of Miami. Fidel has done many bad things to the Cubans, they way he has ran the country has not been the best way. Look, I was born and raised in Miami. I know how the Cubans in Miami can be hot heads sometimes, but what happen to freedom of speech though? I thought that here in the US, everyone had freedom of speech? Why is the Marlins organization blowing that little comment up?

Ozzie did not show so much admiration and love towards Fidel. They are just reacting to the love and admiring part, but he also mentioned that he disagreed with how Fidel has treated the people of Cuba and how he has treated the country. He also said that there is nothing to respect about Fidel. What the Marlins are trying to do is just keep their Cuban fan base. Since the stadium is smack down in the middle of Little Havana, they want the Cuban people in Miami to continue going to their games.

Their decision to suspend him was more of a business reason than showing respect to the Cuban community. For them to react that way is just a bit over board. I think I'll start a Free Ozzie campaign! Wash when he comes back and the Marlins go on a crazy winning streak, every Cuban that was mad about his comments will forget it and want him to stay in Miami.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/08/2737123/marlins-manager-ozzie-guillen.html

Dumb and Dumber

For the past couple of weeks, two of the NBA's most dominant Centers have been acting like clowns. Even after Dwight Howard has committed to stay with Orlando for next season, the drama there has not ended. As I had stated before, Orlando should have traded Dwight Howard. I am not too much of a believer on rumors but  the way things have been in Orlando this season, I believe Dwight wanting Van Gundy fired is true. And for Otis Smith to say that the rumors are not true, too late. They have been spread out already and everyone is going to be paying attention to see what happens at the end of the season. All the drama going on is just hurting the team.

On the other coast, you have Andrew Bynum. This guy his saying whatever is coming out his ass. Being an All-Star this season has made his head big and he thinks he can do whatever he likes. He is starting arguments with everybody and anybody.

What the organization needs to do to both these players is sit them down and tell them they need to get their act straight, go play some basketball, no drama on and off the court or they will be put on the inactive list for the remainder of the season.

What Are They Thinking?

So they lose out on Manning and Flynn. The knuckleheads running the Dolphins organization is bringing them down the crapper. As a Dolphin fan, it is sad to see the franchise going the wrong direction. They begin by bringing in all the Dallas Cowboys rejects, drafting Chad Henne, and every other horrible decision Jeff Ireland along with Stephen Ross. I do not get how the Dolphins lost out to the Seahawks for Matt Flynn. Actually I do, Jeff Ireland and Stephen Ross. You would think that with Philbin being the Dolphins coach, Matt Flynn would feel comfortable with his system and it would be an easy recruit for the Dolphins. Matt Flynn would have obviously been the starting QB compared to having to fight for the position in Seattle.

The Miami Dolphins have such a great history, but it has not been the same since Marino left, yes things have been shaky but not as bad as I feel the Dolphins are now. Big time free agents are not going to want to play in Miami until Ireland is gone. Which from what I have seen is that he is a a big time douche bag. The Dolphins are falling slowing as Miami's top franchises. When the teams needs to buy tickets in order for the game to be shown on TV, you had a serious problem. At the rate the Dolphins are going, less and less fans will be rooting for them.

What they need to do is, following the Miami Heat and Miami Marlins and start spending some money. Miami is a beautiful town, and can be a great place to live and play at. But if the team does not have a great vision, do not expect to have great players,

PLEASE DO NOT GO FOR TIM TEBOW!

Make Up Your Damn Mind!

I am getting tired hearing about how much Dwight Howard is changing his mind. He is playing around and insulting with Magic's fans and organization. One minute he says he wants to stay and the next minute he wants to leave. If I was running the Magic's organization, I ship him out immediately. I would not wait to see if he will commit to staying long term in Orlando. Just by seeing how indecisive he is, means that he does not want to stay in Orlando. He knows that Orlando does not have the trading pieces to bring in another top caliber player and with all the long term contracts they have, it will be hard for them to even sign a top caliber player. Orlando should just trade him now and take advantage of what is out there. I bet Dwight Howard has become a huge headache for the Magic organization and the Magic's fans. I have read many comments on twitters about how displeased and annoyed Magic fans are with Dwight. This is a Carmelo Anthony drama all over again just 10x worst.

I know a lot of people criticized LeBron James about his one hour Decision special, but at least he was hush hush about where he was planning on going during the season. He did not create a list of destination during the season, he was not giving the Cleveland fans or the organization a headache during the season (the free agency period is a different story), and even though some claimed that he "quit" against the Celtics in  game six (stats say something different) he was not as indecisive and annoying as Dwight Howard is being right now.

My recommendations to the Magic (not that it matters) is trade Howard to whatever team is giving them the best deal/package. If Howard does not sign an extension with that team, who cares that is their problem. The Magic should not let him walk away freely or even do a sign and trade. Why help Howard make more money in a different team? The Magic should not let themselves get screwed over like the Raptors and Cavaliers did when Bosh and James left. All they got back were some draft picks. In the other hand, Denver played smart and got some good young talent in return when they traded Melo to the Knicks.

My final word is, Howard MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND! You are become a pain in the A$$. Every other post I read on any sports site is about how every hour Dwight has changed his mind.

Team Chemistry

So everyone that has played competitive sport knows that team chemistry and team work is always important. Well not all teams in sports seem to understand that. Many people have always said that having too many all starts in a team can ruin a team chemistry. When Wade, James and Bosh decided to to play together in Miami, a lot of people doubted that they will be able to build a good team chemistry because their egos was going to get in the way. When they began last season 9-8, their chemistry was off. Once they had the player only meeting, they went on a nice win streak. Look at Miami now. They are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and they are on the best teams in the league as well.

Now New York is completely a different story. Carmelo and Stoudemire playing together sounds dangerous. Having Baron Davis and J.R. Smith coming off the bench makes even more scary. On paper, the Knicks look like a scary team who should be right next to the Heat and Bulls in the East. With the team they have, there is no reason for the Knicks to be six games below .500%. Last year when the Knicks had OK players and Stoudemire was the go to person, they played much better. There were a real team! Once Carmelo came, everything went down hill. Amare's points went down, and the team was not playing good basketball. I am not going to put all the blame on Carmelo, but he is a big factor.

Another factor is Mike D'Antoni. Everyone knows that his style of coach is has no defense involved. He style is to score in seven seconds. As we all know, "DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS". You would think that his style would had change since it did not work out in Phoenix. You would think that the players would still try to play some defense though. That New York Knicks team is all messed up. Starting from the owner all the way down to the toilet cleaning person.. The only person that is consistent in Knicks organization is Spike Lee.

New York needs to bring a coach that will set the team straight or start letting go of players. Beginning with Carmelo. If they stay this way, the team will not make it anywhere. Good luck playing Miami or the Bulls in the first round if they even get the 8th spot.

Would You Pick Manning?

Now that Peyton Manning is a free agent for this year.The question is, is he really worth taking a chance? I know that out of all the QB's that are free agents this off season, Peyton Manning is the more experienced and successful one. The list of available QB's is just not that strong. If Peyton would not have been released, the top QB would have been Matt Flynn. Not trying to say Matt Flynn is not a good QB but Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning. That changes the everything for QB's becoming free agents. If I was the President of Operations for a team needing a QB, I would carefully examine Peyton Manning though. I know that there are times that surgeries make players injured part stronger (Tommy John surgery) but a neck surgery is something serious.

So would you prefer Peyton Manning who can give two maybe three good years (if no other neck injury occurs) or take let's say Matt Flynn who is still young, can give a team five years if he is successful. The other QB's that are going to be free agents, ehhhh lets say they have shown to be inconsistent or not starting QB material. So it seems like the only choices are Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn. And Peyton Manning is already leaning towards the Broncos (John Elway sure does not trust Tim Tebow) and Cardinals.

If I had to pick, I might go with Matt Flynn. I know he has not proven himself yet, but in the two games he played, he showed he has the ability to be a starting QB. He is young and will be part of the team for a while. I know Manning has had a successful career but he is past his prime and one blow to the neck area can change everything.

What If Howard Leaves?

So Derrick Rose is tired of hearing all about the Dwight Howard drama. Can't lie, me too. Now the question I ask myself is how will the nation react if Dwight Howard decides to leave Orlando through free agency just like LeBron? Are people going to dislike Howard as much as thet disliked LeBron? Why did people even get mad about LeBron going to play in Miami? He was a free agent. Key word, free!

I think Howard will end up leaving. Orlando does not have the trading pieces to trade for another good player to play along with Howard. Teams will trade their best players only for Howard not Hedo and his huge contract. So lets say he does leave, will people burn his jersey? Will the Magics' owner talk smack about Howard like Dan Gilbert did? I really don't see it happening because I doubt Howard will do his own version of the "Decision".  Again if he becomes a FREE agent he can go anywhere.  But fans like to take things to heart and become over dramatic.  I'm pretty excited to see what happens with Orlando and Dwight Howard. 

On a side note, players can't always be too faithful to there teams. Look at Peyton Manning. The Colts decided to let him go because they are in a rebuilding process. Best of luck to Manning and Howard.

Peyton Manning

With reports saying that the Colts are planning to release Peyton Manning tomorrow. The question is, where is he going to play next? Miami, Arizona, New York, Kansas City, or Seattle? I think that at this point of his career, playing outside in cold weather is not a option. He has played in a dome his entire career and the only team with a dome is Arizona. Hey Kurt Warner rejuvenated his career in Arizona. And I know Larry Fitzgerald would not mind catching deep passes from Peyton Manning. But I bet Brandon Marshall wouldn't mind either. Peyton Manning is obviously is a short term solution. Maybe a three year solution. That is if no serious injury happens to his neck.

I think his best choice is Miami or Arizona. Plus if he goes to Miami, he has the chance to really out due Tom Brady. The video of Peyton Manning practicing in Duke showed that he is still still throwing good. Which ever team he goes to, he will be an upgrade. I'm excited to see who he signs with once he is released.

Bosh, Hurry Back!

So many people like to complain about Chris Bosh and have said that he is too soft. Shaq even said that Bosh was not part of the Big Three. If I can recall, when both Wade and LeBron were out against Atlanta, CB stepped up and brought his A game. The Heat barely won on Thursday and of course lost by one point on Friday, but it is still a loss in the lost column. And todays game against the Lakers, it was not that pretty.

Bosh makes a big difference both defensively and offensively. If Bosh was playing, Lebron would not had to defend Pau. Lebron is big, but Pau is still taller. Also, Lebron would have guarded Kobe. On offense, with Chris outside shot he would bring out one of the Lakers bigs which would allow more points in the paint.

I just think some Heat fans, and sports journalist such as Skip Bayless should lay off of Bosh. He goes out there and plays 100% everyday. His style of play is just different than the usual bigs of the NBA. All I have to say is, Bosh hurry back.

Monta Ellis to Orlando?

Orlando Magic are reaching out to the Warriors about trading for Monta Ellis. Obviously the Magic are trying to do any "good" move to keep Dwight Howard. I just do not think the Warriors will trade Monta Ellis for just any player. The Magic can try to add a third team into the mix, but Orlando does not have players that attract other teams. And with whatever trade Orlando tries to package, Hedo's contract is going to be in there. I am more than sure the Warriors will not follow with that trade. Orlando you will have a hard time pairing another good player with Dwight Howard. I still see Dwight Howard leaving after the offseason.

Rajon Rondo

So it was said yesterday that Rajon Rondo was on the trading block, now Doc Rivers said that Rajon Rondo won't be dealt. It is not the first time that Rajon Rondo has been mentioned as part of a trade. Obviously the reason is he always being mentioned is because he is young, a true PG and he can be traded for other good young players. Pierce, Garnett and Allen are all old and other teams will not really trade for them unless they are in desperate need. So of course Rondo is their best trading piece. I also think that trading Rondo would not be a great idea. Rondo would be a good player to build a team around. With the Big Three getting closer to retiring, they need a piece to build around. The Celtics do not have anybody else in the team to build around except Rondo. I also think that you should not trade you best piece anywhere else except Orlando for Dwight Howard. March 15th is right around the corner. We'll see what happens before the trade deadline. Things always get more interesting on the last day.

Society Being Oversensitive?

So I am listening to ESPN First Take and one of the their topics on today's show was about our society being oversensitive with race. They mentioned about the Lin-sanity frozen yogurt and how Ben and Jerry's apologized about the frozen yogurt. If Lin is being oversensitive, it is tough for him. He is an athlete and will always be in the spotlight even after he retires. People are always going to comment on the fact the he is an Asian-American that played basketball instead of just saying he was a good basketball player. I understand that the game of basketball has been dominated by Blacks and Whites since the beginning of the sport. There has not been to many different races in the game of basketball. There has been a couple of Hispanics and a couple of Asians (not including Yao Ming) but they have not been as successful as Lin. If Lin or anyone else was offended about the frozen yogurt with fortune cookies flavor in it, I think they shouldn't. Ben and Jerry's made the ice-cream in Lin's honor. A writer that was on the show said that he was excited about the frozen yogurt especially having the fortune cookie flavor. He said that he even saw a couple of Asian-Americans in line waiting to buy the frozen yogurt. Many people are going to be excited because it was its cool now and people always want was is cool. Jeremy Lin has been the talk of sports for the past couple of weeks.

I guess  I am not as sensitive about race as other people. I grew up getting picked at because I was Hispanic or because some uneducated people believed that the only Hispanics that existed in the world were either Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban. I have learned how to brush of racist/prejudiced comments so I did not see the frozen yogurt issue wrong. There are times that between race, it is OK for people to call themselves certain derogatory names but when other races call them the same way it is wrong. How am I suppose to know it is wrong from to call you a certain name if I have seen others call you that same name and it is OK for them to do it? Sometimes comments, names, or words can get out of line, but it does not always meant to harm someone. This is tough topic to discuss about but I thought it was interesting. Some people might not agree with what I said but it is just opinion and everyone is going to have a different opinion about this topic.

Here is the link to the discussion on ESPN First Take: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7624785

Dwyane Wade vs Kobe Bryant

Alright as we all know, Dwyane Wade broke Kobe Bryant's nose during the All-Star game. Some people are saying that it is wrong for Wade breaking Kobe's nose. Wade was playing too aggressive for an All-Star. They even compared it to Pete Rose's All-Star collision. All they were trying to do is win a game. They are competitors, and they always want to win no matter if it is a pick up game or a practice game. I took a closer look at the foul and it actually did not look like an aggressive foul. It is not like Wade had was trying to intentionally brake Kobe's nose. Wade just tried to wrap his arms around Kobe to not allow him to score easily. All Wade was doing is playing defense.

Now I have read a couple of articles saying that Kobe is going to get his revenge on Sunday when the Miami Heat go to LA to face the Lakers. I think it is all bull. Kobe is a professional and knows that it was an honest foul, nothing intentional. The Lakers' fans are obviously going to take it another way and boo Wade the whole game. And they are going to take the foul more personal because Kobe Bryant got injured. People are just over reacting to this whole broken nose drama. But I do think that the game on Sunday will be as intense and as every other match up between the Lakers and the Heat. The Heat were out before the All-Star break and and I am sure they want to continue on that hot streak. I can't wait for Sunday's game!

NBA All-Star Game/Weekend

First thing first, congrats to Kevin Durant for winning MVP and congrats to Kobe Bryant for passing Michael Jordan as the all time leading scorer in the All-Star games. Now, just like the NFL All-Star game, there was high scoring no defense. I can't lie, seeing flashy dunks and alley oops are always nice but I think some defense would have been nice as well. The dunks during the game were actually more impressive then the dunks in the Dunk Contest. Which I do not want to get into that, but the Dunk Contest was a total disappointment. Jumping over a motorcycle is not as impressive as jumping over the hood of a car. It just feels like lately the NBA is not trying as hard as before to get the fans excited about the All-Star weekend. Anyways, back to the main event. The West had 88 points at half time! There are teams in the NBA right now who are not even averaging that many points in a game.

 I have always thought that defense wins games and the East decided to really play basketball a bit too late. Plus Dwight Howard did not play like an All-Star. The NBA's dominant big man, did not show up. Dwyane Wade had as many rebounds as Dwight Howard did. For Dwight Howard to be the "host" of the All-Star game, he should be ashamed that he did not play as hard as he can. If Dwight Howard would have played harder, the East could have and should have won that game. Also looking at the team's stats, the East had better stats than the West. Again, no DEFENSE no W. Overall the All-Star weekend was OK. The Dunk Contest was not at all as entertaining as in the past. I think the NBA needs to tweak things around to make more entertaining. It is always the same thing every year and it is getting just as boring as the NFL All-Star game. Lets see how next year All-Star game will be.

 

HEAT-KNICKS 2-23-2012

So last nights game was pretty intense upto the 7 minute mark in the 4th quarter. But as I stated in my last post, the Heat were going to find ways to stop Lin. Six turnovers in the first half and only two points. Like I had said, Lin hadn't faced a tough defense in his first 11 games. The Big Three played an amazing game. The Knicks looked almost zombie like on the floor except JR and Steve. The rest of the Heat team played up to their expectations and play hard.

A big surprise to last nights game was Joel Anthony. His offensive skills are not the best for the five spot but he is a great defender. He almost reminds of Alonzo Mourning during his prime years. I think a lot of people underestimate Joel Anthony. Lets not forgot that Detroit Pistons won their championship with an undersized center named Ben Wallace that was not good offensively but gave people hell defensevily.

I think the game was not rivalvry material yet but as long as the Knicks keep getting better, I see a rivalvry unfolding. The game was great, extremely entertaining and as a Heat fan, I am glad they came out with the W.