Ariza vs. Artest: Who wins?
Here is the case against Ariza.
- Ariza has been an unknown journeyman. Knicks (2004-2006), Magic (2006-2007), Lakers (2007-2009), and now with the Rockets
- Ariza is still an unknown (52 career games started).
- Is Ariza a scorer? He never average over 10 points a game in his career.
The case against Artest.
- Artest is volatile (see Malice at Palace).
- Artest is older (29 yrs) .
- Career FG% is lower (.422 compared to .460).
They both are great defenders, however, Ron Artest has been recognized for his defense and aggressiveness (2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and 4x NBA All-Defensive Team). Mr. Artest has also made the NBA All-Star team and All NBA Third Team in 2004. Yet, in Ariza’s defense he has not been in the league longer than Artest so he may also reach a point of being recognized for his star qualities.
The NBA season has ended and the jury is still out. Enjoy the debate and next season we’ll see if this deal was worth it. With that being said, if the Lakers don’t return to the finals and win it then this Artest pick-up is a failure. It is that simple.
Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest: Lakers
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Will Ron Artest make the Lakers a better team? Will the chemistry of the team remain the same? Will the Lakers be able to control Artest? These are a few questions I am sure some Laker fans have. That is okay because it is reasonable. A team win a title and everyone think changing the team is bad. Is it really bad?
- Artest and Ariza are basically the same player? Not really. Ariza is younger they both play defense and can knock down a jumper, however, Artest can create his own shot and shot for others off of plays or broken plays.
- Artest is a mad man? Artest may be crazy or different but he brings that toughness the Lakers have lacked.
- Artest will be a cancer? No…he is a strong tough guy but he wants to win a title and that is a driving force for him now. Besides that he never TO’ed a team or Spreewell’ed a coach.
- Lakers don’t care about winning? They are bringing back most of the roster and most important Phil Jackson. Say what you say but if the Lakers would have kept the same team then it would have been hard to see a repeat because of what other teams have been doing this off-season.
Kobe and Ron that is going to take some time saying.
An Inside Look at the United Football League (UFL) 2009 Draft
UFL LAS VEGAS
DB ARCHULETA, ADAM (ARIZONA STATE): former NFL standout looking to revive career
DE AWASOM, ADRIAN (NORTH TEXAS): member of the Super Bowl Champion Giants
P BAUGHER, DANNY (ARIZONA): All-NFL Europe (2007)
OG BOONE, JASON (UTAH)
NT BRYANT, WENDELL (WISCONSIN-MADISON): former NFL 1st round pick (#12)
LB BUTLER, EZRA (NEVADA): solid player but character may be an issue
DB DADA, WALE (WASHINGTON STATE)
T GAUSE, GEORGE (SOUTH CAROLINA)
DB GAUSE, PAUL (SETON HALL): played college basketball for Seton Hall
K JACAS, ANDREW (FORT VALLEY STATE)
TE JACKSON, NATE (MENLO COLLEGE): former solid player NFL player
T JOYCE, BRANDON (ILLINOIS STATE)
WR KIRCUS, DAVID (GRAND VALLEY STATE)
TE KUHN, SCOTT (LOUISVILLE)
NT LONG, GABE (UTAH)
LB MOORE, BRANDON (OKLAHOMA): value player
LB PALMER, RONNIE (ARIZONA)
LB STILLS, GARY (WEST VIRGINIA): former Pro Bowl player
RB THOMPSON, TYSON (SAN JOSE STATE): former Rookie of the Week
WR THURMAN, ANDRAE (SOUTHERN OREGON)
LB TOAL, BRIAN (BOSTON COLLEGE)
DB TURNBULL, NICK (FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL)
DB WILLIAMS, CHAZ (OREGON)
RB WHITEHEAD, TERRENCE (OREGON)
UFL NEW YORK
QB BACHER, CJ (NORTHWESTERN)
DB BROWN, TREY (UCLA)
DB CELESTIN, OLIVER (TEXAS SOUTHERN)
NT CLEBERT, RICHARD (SOUTH FLORIDA)
DE FOUNTAIN, MAURICE (CLEMSON): AFL All Rookie Team (2008)
TE GHENT, RONNIE (LOUISVILLE)
RB GROSS, TYRONNE (EASTERN OREGON)
T GUTEKUNST, SAM (GERMANY)
C HARVEY, JASPER (SAN DIEGO STATE)
QB JOHNSON, BRIAN (UTAH): 2009 Sugar Bowl MVP
WR KINOSHITA, NORIAKI (JAPAN)
DB LOFTON, DAVID (STANFORD)
LB MAGRO, MARC (WEST VIRGINIA)
DB MAZE, TERELL (SAN DIEGO STATE)
T NORELL, RAY (BUFFALO)
T PRUNEDA, RAMIRO (MONTEREY TECH)
RB RUBIN, JOE (PORTLAND STATE)
WR SANDERS, STEVE (BOWLING GREEN)
RB SAPP, CECIL (COLORADO STATE)
NT SAVE, BRYAN (COLORADO STATE)
DE SPICER, MICHALE (WESTERN CAROLINA)
RB TOEFIELD, LABRANDON (LSU)
LB WILLIAMS, NATHAN (MURRAY STATE)
RB WOODS, SHANNON (TEXAS TECH)
UFL ORLANDO
NT BLEDSOE, FRED (ARKANSAS)
QB BOLLINGER, BROOKS (WISCONSIN)
FB CRUZ, RONNIE (NORTHERN STATE-SD)
DB DOSS, MIKE (OHIO STATE): solid player with character issues
DB FASSITT, GREG (GRAMBLING)
WR GESSNER, CHAS (BROWN): All-NFL Europe (2004)
TE HEINRICH, KEITH (SAM HOUSTON STATE)
NT LONG, RIEN (WASHINGTON STATE)
DB MASON, GRANT (MICHIGAN)
LB MCGARIGLE, TIM (NORTHWESTERN)
RB PERRY, CHRIS (MICHIGAN)
T PETITTI, ROB (PITTSBURGH)
OG PILLAR, ZACK (FLORIDA)
DE POWELL, ERIC (FLORIDA STATE)
LB SCHLEGEL, ANTHONY (OHIO STATE)
DE SCHOBEL, BO (TCU): member of Super Bowl winning Colts
WR THOMPSON, DOMINIQUE (WILLIAM & MARY)
CB TRIBBLE, DEJUAN (BOSTON COLLEGE)
NT TRIPPLETT, LARRY (WASHINGTON): former 2nd round pick
DB VINNETT, DARIUS (ARKANSAS)
T WAND, SETH (NORTHWEST MISSOURI ST)
TE WIGGINS, JERMAINE (GEORGIA)
RB WILSON, QUINCY (WEST VIRGINIA)
DB WRIGHT, TJ (OHIO UNIVERSITY)
UFL SAN FRANCISCO
FB ARMSTRONG, ODIE (NW OKLAHOMA ST)
RB AYANBADEJO, FEMI (SAN DIEGO STATE)
QB BOYD, SHANE (KENTUCKY)
WR BRACKINS, LARRY (PEARL RIVER CC): member of Arena Football Champions
LS BROWN, KAI (BROWN)
QB DIETZ, BRETT (HANOVER)
WR FITZGERALD, MARCUS (MARSHALL)
DE GUNN, MARQUIES (AUBURN)
RB HUTSONA, DARRELL (WASHINGTON STATE)
LB KWATENG, PRINCE (NORTHWESTERN)
TE LEDBETTER, BRANDEN (WESTERN MICHIGAN)
T LEKKERKERKER, CORY (CALIFORNIA-DAVIS)
LB MARTIN, JOE (SAN DIEGO STATE)
QB O’HAGAN, LIAM (HARVARD)
T RIMPF, BRIAN (EAST CAROLINA)
WR SAMS, BJ (MCNEESE STATE)
T STAMPER, BRIAN (VANDERBILT)
NT STEWART, JASON (FRESNO STATE)
DE SUGGS, DAMON (GEORGIA SOUTHERN)
DB TREAUDO, AHMAD (SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY)
DB UNDERWOOD, MARVIEL (SAN DIEGO STATE)
DB UNERTL, JEREMY (WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE): former Arena League MVP (2006)
RB WASHINGTON, JOHN DAVID (MOREHOUSE)
WR WEST, JOE (TEXAS EL-PASO)
The All American Football League (AAFL), Finally A League For The Fans
Smile, jump up and down, or just run around in circles. There is new football league in the making that will be a fan favorite. This new football league, the AAFL, is due out in 2010. Yes, another league so be happy. Could the AAFL chances be linked to the success of the United Football League (UFL)? If the UFL falls flat on its face like Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner, then some fans may not give this league a chance.
However, the AAFL is not the UFL and both leagues (AAFL and UFL) are not the NFL. These leagues should be seen as an addition to American football. How many fans of football do you know that want to watch football all year? The other sports are popular and bring its own flavor to the dinner table. Yet, some fans just crave American football. Americans crave football like Romans watching slaves fight to the death in the Colosseum on a radiant bright breezy day.
Happy days are here again and these football leagues bring something different to the table. Will the NFL crush the new football leagues like an ant at the picnic table? If the new leagues try to emulate and not imitate then it may be possible to survive. Then again, the NFL could share the wealth or spread it around.
The AAFL will be fun. It will be fun like college. College fun remember that? Anyhow, Marcus A. Katz, CEO of AAFL Enterprises LLC. explained the AAFL product in a letter to the public, “We started the All American League for one reason: We love college football. But, we always wondered what happened to our favorite players who did not make it to the NFL. Wouldn’t it be great to see them play again– against their old rivals in their old stadium?”
Here are a few reasons to give the AAFL a chance.
- The AAFL will have a College Atmosphere
- The Seasons will start in the Spring and end in the Summer
- The AAFL wants to be a developmental league for the NFL
- Only 4 year college grads are allowed in the league
- NFL referees will officiate the games
- The league will pay the players and the franchise owners won’t
- The games can be watched on NFL Network
- There will be radio and satellite stations that will broadcast the games
United Football League, Go Ahead and Play…
Hey guess what? Yeah you guessed it a new football league is on the way… The UFL is the next league to step up to the plate in Professional American football. The attentions of this league is not clear as of now. If the UFL wants to survive then it should complement the NFL or promote a new niche to American football. The American football product will sell but a poor man’s NFL will not sell. It will be seen as a clone. Most people are still not over the attack of the clones. It should take some time but some fans will get over it. Most are banking on the failure of this new league, however, their hate may be in vain.
Here are some reasons the UFL may succeed.
- The founders are winners.
- Six Week Season
- Four Teams in 2009 and Two added in 2010
- The Games will be on Versus in HD
- Championship Game is Thanksgiving Weekend
- LA will have a Team in 2010
- Games will be played on Thursday and Friday evenings
- Season starts in Oct
2 of NFL’s Most Wanted, Stallworth and Vick
Roger Goodell is either one of the smartest guys in the world or he is one of the dumbest guys in the world. Which one? The option is up to him and not us. No sensible human with a properly functioning brain would (that’s assuming 6oz curls are not taking place) oppose the “Commish’s” decision to suspend Mike Vick and Dante Stallworth.
The application that players fill out to play in the NFL does not include loss of lives so Roger had to make an uncompromising assessment. He indefinitely suspended the two, because arguably the US is not in the business of marketing predators on a multinational level. They just allow the NFL to promote games across the pond that no one wants to witness. No wonder soccer is football and football is the bloody game the Yanks play…
Anyhow, Roger should close his mind on the NFL’s conduct policy. Whatever he decides to give Stallworth Vick should receive the same reward. Stallworth was driving drunk and a life was lost. Vick was bank-rolling illegal activities and lives were lost.
So if Roger decides to ban Stallworth from the league then he should ban Vick as well. The civilian courts have punished the players but some employers can also punish. The military has a uniform code of military justice. It is kind of like the NFL’s Code of Conduct.
In a letter to Dante Stallworth, Roger Goodell acknowledges, “While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL.”
Close up that mind Goodell and enforce a lifetime ban for 2 of the NFL’s most wanted. The NFL’s legacy depends on it.
Another One Bites the Dust
Another one bites the dust
Is anyone really surprise that “Slammin’” Sammy Sosa was one of many who tested positive back in 2003? This should not shock anyone. Baseball in the Steroid Era had the power hitters and pitchers competing for an advantage.Could this advantage be considered cheating? Yes and no. Steroids are illegal to have without proper documentations (i.e. prescriptions) therefore it is cheating. On the other hand, seeking an advantage is not cheating. Only the strong survive…The fittest adapt and outcome.
Sports’ fans understand this. What the fans do not understand is how these players can continue to lie or be dishonest. After being caught with your hand in the cookie jar how could one continue say “my hand is not in the jar?”
Mr. Sosa points out, ”I have not broken the laws of the United States or the laws of the Dominican Republic. I have been tested as recently as 2004, and I am clean.” The evidence must be wrong for Sammy Sosa to say this. Mr. Sosa did tell congress back in 2005,”…I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs.”
Would “Slammin’” Sammy perjure himself? That is a great question. I am sure most of us know the answer to this. So why do people lie? Is it for the fact we think we can get away with it or is it to save face? I am sure telling the truth about illegal performance enhancers would go a long way. The students of the game have classified that era as the Steroid Era so there is a level of understanding about the records and stats within that period.
Then again, wannabe Hall of Famers would rather go down in an arrogant blaze of glory than be humble and regretful.
It is what it is…expect to see more big names in the future. Then watch another one bite the dust.
Do QBs Make WRs Better? Do WRs Make QBs Better?
Photographed by: Jim Prisching/Getty Images, AP
Do the Bears need a WR? If the QB makes the WR then the Bears do not need a WR. However, if the WR makes the QB then they do need a WR. Somewhere in between is not the answer.
What WR has been great without the QB? What QB has been great without the WR? It is hard to answer these questions because there have been a few break throughs on both sides. Yet, what argument seems more likely?
Randy Moss is a beast of a WR. He has been for some time. But in Oakland he disappeared into the “black hole” the QB was not good enough and Moss could not make him better. Then again, Tom Brady had subpar WRs during the Super Bowl run back in 2003. He made those WRs better when they needed to be. Yet, Montana had Rice. Is it possible that both grew as players together and made each other better?
This year the bears will see firsthand who makes who better. The WR group is full of rookies and a selected remaining group from last year. The only thing that changed was the QB. So basically everything else is the same. Cutler is the QB and Orton is not. Can Cutler make the WR group better? Can the Broncos WR group make Orton better? So far the Broncos have the same WR core with the addition of B Lloyd (note Marshall wants a trade but is still there)
If WRs make QBs better then Orton will have a pro bowl year like Cutler did with that same team. If QBs make WRs better then one of the bears WRs will go to the pro bowl along with Cutler.
These long awaited questions will provide an answer. However, the next troubling question still will remain.
What came first the chicken or the egg?
Da Vikings and Brett
The Vikes do not need Brett. We have all seen this happen before with QBs on the downside of their careers. It is hard for QBs to give it up. It was also hard for one of the greastest, Joe Montana. He finished up his career with the Chiefs and wearing number 19. How sad…
Rookies Pay Back Vets
Anyways, for a long time I have been talking about the need to rework the rookie-pay system in the NFL.
Well that has been getting little to no traction over the years… Now the new commissioner has taken my stand…
Something finally will be done about these unproven rookies getting monster contracts before they play a down in the NFL.
I am so happy about this… Now I just hope it takes the next step…
My Thoughts on Ced Benson
Ced is the reason the money rookies get need to be reworked.
The NFL should pay proven players more than unproven rookies entering in the league. It seems like at any other job (other than sports) the veteran/senior person gets more than a new hire.
Being lock into so much money keeps these young players on their team way too long. Ced BUST-son should have been cut 2 seasons ago. The Bears did not want to lose money on a bad investment. Well 3 years have past and they are still going to lose money on a bad investment.
BUST-son held out to begin his rookie season. He wanted the money. “Show him the money” was a one of many phrases I’m sure his agent expressed. The weak GM of Chicago known as Jerry broke down. We showed him the money and he showed us lack of commitment.
Now he is showing Chicago lack of intelligence. He has had problems with the law a lot. He blames it on being “black” I say its because of a lack of brain. What do they teach kids at UT (University of Texas)? How to smoke pot? Ricky Williams. How to drink and drive? Ced BUST-son. How to kick in doors? Ced BUST-son.
One would think after kicking in a door and getting away with it that person would stop the non-sense. Wrong… months ago Ced was arrested on his boat. His friends, who were white, said the authorities did what they did because he was black.
That would be a small point but a few weeks later he was pulled over for speeding on the expressway. Did they target Ced then? Well the radar gun says he was doing 77 in a work zone. Radar guns don’t see color. Someone needs to tell that imbecile this…
Even then Chicago fans were willing to forgive. This Saturday he gets arrested for a DUI. He ran a red light in downtown Austin, TX night life area at 3 ish in the morning. He was ordered not to drink. And he goes and disobey a direct order. Good thing he isn’t a marine but he should be looking for a job…
The Bears have to get rid of this clown.
I WILL NOT WATCH A SINGLE GAME IF BUST-SON IS STILL ON THE BEARS TEAM AFTER THIS INCIDENT.
Goodell should do something. Jerry should do something. Lovie should do something.
The owners should do something. Lockout and restructure the way money is given to unproven rookies. That will fix a lot more things…the Urlacher’s of the world should not have to beg for 2 million more a year.
It is blindly given to rookies. This gotta stop like Ced running for one yard…
