Random Thoughts on Fantasy Football

A Redskins fan taking Tony Romo in his fantasy draft?

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was the 6th round in my fantasy draft and I still had not picked a quarterback. 9 of them already had been taken, so I figured I should take the best quarterback that I had on the board. I decided to take Tony Romo, starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

What seemed like a solid pick in my mind, was criticized by everyone else in the draft lobby, most of whom were Redskin fans like myself . The chants of "Tony Homo" were prevalent in the draft lobby. One league owner (who also drafted Redskins QB Jason Campbell, Redskins RB Clinton, and Redskins WR Santana Moss) went as far to say "I would never pick Tony Romo".

However, I felt like I was the one who had just gotten one of the sleepers in the draft. Romo, who made the pro bowl last year, will probably improve in his 2nd season NFL staring quarterback. With a below average running game, the Cowboys will more likely look to pass than run especially at the goal line. With great red zone targets in Owens and Witten, I look for Romo to have a good year fantasy wise.

I think it's amusing that some fans in fantasy football allow their feelings for their favorite team to get in their way of getting the best player available. Imagine being in a league filled with Patriot fans where Peyton Manning is picked in middle of the draft. What about a Texan fan league where Matt Schaub is projected as a 1st round pick and Ron Dayne is considered a steal for the 2nd round pick.

Michael Vick in Trouble

Atlanta's Quarterback Michael Vick was recently cited as of May 31st by ESPN.com as being one of the "heavyweights" of the dogfighting world. Below is a music video which makes references Michael Vick's past incidents. Explained below that is how Vick's life has been in turmoil for the past year.

Nov 26th- Vick Gives the Middle Finger

After the Falcons preceded to lose their fourth consecutive game while fans heckled the Falcon's QB, Vick gave the Falcons' fans the finger. The Falcons missed the postseason for the 2nd straight year with a 7-9 record. Despite being an excellent rusher, Vick was 20th in the league with a passer rating of 75.7.

January 11th 2007 - The water bottle incident
Vick was "reluctant to turn over his water bottle during the screening process" at Miami International Airport (the athlete was booked on an AirTran flight to Atlanta). Vick subsequently relinquished the 20-ounce Aquafina bottle, which was placed in a recycling bin by a Transportation Security Administration screener. Suspicious as to why Vick hesitated in handing over the bottle, TSA screener Gertrude Joseph retrieved the bottle, notified her supervisor, and brought the item to the TSA operations center. There the officials discovered that the bottle's label "contained a seam which separated the top and the bottom of the bottle. Both ends were sealed by clear partitions and what appeared to be a silicone sealant." The concealed compartment, the report notes, contained "a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with Marijuana." No charges were filed.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0118071mexico1.html

May 31st, 2007- Heavyweight in Dogfighting
Sources tell ESPN that Vick involvement in the sport, making as much as $40,000 for each dog fight.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2884063

Spurs/Cavs Thoughts

Too bad Cleavland gave their best effort against

the San Antonio Spurs, as the Cavs
won both games in the regular season.
Now the Spurs will not take them likely.

I have San Antonio Spurs in 5, while it could be 6. I feel the Spurs have done a good job in keeping down penetration throughout the series whether it be Carmelo Anthony and AI of the Denver Nuggets or Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns. Denver, Phoenix, and Utah all had better big men than the Cavs in my mind and Tim Duncan and company disposed of them easily.

I also find it odd that the player with the most offensive success against the Cavs has been Antawn Jamison, 2nd to scoring only to Kobe with 32 ppg. Even Mikki Moore and Rasheed Wallace enjoyed mild sucess against Cleavland's defense. The ex factor in this series will be Ginobli whose unorthodox style will be difficult and I suspect that the Cavs will not be able to stop him.

What would scare me most about Cleavland is that they have gotten better throughout the postseason. But does the Pistons loss to the Cavs really say that they are that good or were the Pistons really that overrated? The Nets were not that good and the Wizards were without their two best players in Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. Cleavland may have has simply won the east because.... well somebody had too!

3 more things to consider
1. Tony Parker may be the guard that will create havoc for Cleavland. The Cavs have struggled in keeping combo guards like Gilbert Arenas and Dwayne Wade in the past.

2. Tim Duncan is better than any big that Cleavland faced. Duh! he's the best big in the league.

3. Bruce Bowen is the biggest cheap shot artist and will probably get under Lebron's skin who tends to complain to refs. I wonder how the league will react if Bowen nails LeBron's balls

The odds in Vegas (according to my friend):

If you bet $475 on the Spurs, you can get back a grand total of $100 more dollars.
If you bet $100 on the Cavs, you get back a total of $375.

The Portland Trailblazer win the Lottery

Here is footage of the Trail Blazer's draft party where the fans go crazy at Venue Bar & Grill in Portland. After winning the draft lottery, they have the first pick in the 2007 NBA draft and will get to choose either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

SNL- Zach Braff

Dontblinkmixtape 2006-07

A highlight video of the 2006-07 NBA Season done by ESPN.

Suns Claim Game 4 as Chaos Ensues

Robert Horry body checks the much smaller
Steve Nash in the closing moments of the game

The Phoenix Suns overcame a double digit point deficit in the 4th quarter as they defeated the San Antonio Spurs to even the series as 2 games apiece. Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns, the 2 time MVP, orchestrated the comeback with great passing and hitting clutch shots. He finished with 24 points and 12 assists while Amare Stoudemire dropped in 24 points.

Robert Horry looked to give a dirty foul when the Spurs had essentially lost the game. With 18 seconds to go, he body checked Steve Nash. The 6'10 Horry outweighs the 6'3 Nash by nearly 50 pounds. Nash ricocheted off the scorers table and fell awkwardly to ground. While the fall could have been season ending with potential injuries to his shoulder or head, Nash did not suffer any injuries. In fact Nash got up immediately and had to be restrained. Horry was given a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected. Oddly enough, Horry's nick name given to him by hitting clutch baskets is "Big Shot Rob".

Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw may be suspended in game 5 because they left the bench after the hard foul ensued. Leaving the bench according the league's rules would automatically result in a 1 game suspension. Diaw took 2 step forward and suddenly remembered the league's rule while Stoudemire had to be restrained by the Phoenix Sun's assistant coaches. This could be disastrous for the Phoenix Suns if they lose their two starters in the tightly contested series. While Stoudemire and Diaw ultimately did not escalate the altercation and in my mind should not be suspended, far less has been done in the past that has deemed worthy of a suspension. The league official will ultimately decide the fate of the Phoenix Suns.

The game was the Spurs game to win but ended up choking away their 4th quarter lead. Phoenix overcame a psychological hurdle and are the favorites to win the series barring any suspensions to Stoudemire or Diaw.


Oh yeah that other game: The Nets lose again to the Cavs. The Nets big 3 of Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson , and Vince Carter combined to shoot 11 of 48, less than 25 percent. The Nets compounded problems by missing free throws and missing easy shots. Richard Jefferson, himself, failed to convert a layup and 2 dunks. On the Nets last possession with 11 seconds to go down 87-85, Carter attempted to post up Eric Snow , which is not a part of his game. Snow knocked the ball off of Carter giving the Cavs the ball back the ball and the victory. The Cleavland Cavaliers are now up 3 to 1 and will likely advance the Eastern Conference finals.

The Nets Blow It Again

Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets suffered either
leg and/or menstrual cramps in the
4th quarter of a game 2 loss to the Cleavland Cavaliers

The New Jersey Nets lost Tuesday night to the Cleavland Cavaliers 103-93, who take a 2-0 series lead. The Cavs were lead by LeBron who dropped in 36 points and dished out 12 assists. Game 3 takes place back in New Jersey where the Nets have not lost so far in 2007 postseason.

The Nets have to be concerned considering that they shot over 50% from the field and still lost by 10 points. In game 1, the Nets shot less than 40% from the field and they only lost by 4 points.

Cleavland outrebounded New Jersey 49-32. As a result, Cleavland took 20 more field goal attempts and 8 more free throws. "They are just kicking our tails on the boards," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said, who does not want to get scolded by his grade school for saying ass.

The game was a lot closer until Vince Carter suffered a leg cramp with only few minutes remaining. Maybe Carter was dehydrated from a night of drinking. I cannot recall any time this has happened to a star player on a basketball court in the NBA playoffs. Somebody on New Jersey should be accountable for not keeping their star player hydrated during the game.

Jason Kidd had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists for the Nets but he also had 8 turnovers. Kidd has to do a better job of making the Nets role players better who are not that good.

Perhaps Kidd should take a lesson from Charles Oakley who was a teammate of Carter during the 2001 NBA playoffs with the Raptors. Oakley constantly criticized teammate Vince Carter and even exchanged words with Carter's mother. This was rumored to be over Carter letting Oakley and other teammates down during crunch time. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Although the Nets will look to rebound when the series resumes Saturday night at New Jersey, they have to be upset at themselves considering that they could have easily won a game. Still this series is far from over.

Anderson Varejao, left, is a little too happy from winning
the game as he take any excuse he can to hug his teammate
LeBron James. Still, one lover isn't enough for LeBron as he
invites Donyell Marshall (right) to complete the love triangle.

Die Hard Music Video

Guyz Nite made a cool music video in tribute to the Die Hard series. The lyrics are catchy especially the part where they say "John McLean kicks ass".

The Redskins Favor Players with Family Ties

Laron Landry, the Redskins' 1st overall

pick is introduced at a press
conference with Joe Gibbs

With only five pick in the 2007 NFL draft, the Washingon Redskins ended up acquring players who already have relatives that have had sucess in the NFL. Washington's management official stance is betting that a good pedigree will produce sucess, for a team that was 5-11 in the 2006-07 season. Take a look four of players the Redskins have recently acquired:

• With their 1st round pick, the Redskins selected Laron Landry, safety from LSU, who is the younger brother of Dawan Landry, a strong safety for the Baltimore. Laron is expected to be a much superior player than Dawan, who was considered a special teams player for the Ravens.
  
• HB Blades, linebacker from Pittburgh was taken in the 6th round in the draft. His father was an all pro linebacker with the Seahawks and his uncle also played in the NFL. Despite his father and uncle's past sucess, his lack of size at 5'10 is the main reason was drafted so late despite being the Big East defensive player of the year.
• Jordan Palmer quarterback was taken in the 6th round and is the younger brother of the Carson Palmer, the starting quarterback of Cincinnatti. Despite his brother sucess in the NFL, most draft experts are skeptical of Jordan's career, projecting him at best to be a NFL backup. Jordan Palmer will also find it difficult to make the Redskins' active roster considering that Washington already have three quarterbacks under contract (Jason Campbell, Mark Brunell, Todd Collins).
  
• If that wasn't enough, the Redskins also signed Byron Westbrook an undrafted free agent cornerback from Salisbury , who is the younger brother of the Philedelphia Eagles starting running back, Brian Westbrook. While Byron has the potential to make the team, he will have to defy the odds considering no player from Salisbury, a division III school, has ever made a NFL roster.

Most likely, the Redskins have adopted a strategy of nepotism, the act of favoring relatives or friends rather than abilities. Hopefully, I'm wrong and the Redskins will go 19-0 and win the Super Bowl in 2008.

Cinco de Mayo; An Excuse to Get Drunk

Alcoholics everywhere agree. Cinco de Mayo should become a national holiday in the United States. While nobody gives a crap about the meaning of the Mexican holiday, it has become a great excuse to get drunk. Americans share a deep bond to their neighbor from the South. This relationship has been established by Americans taking a basic Spanish course and eating at Taco Bell. People should also share a deeper appreciation from ordering an extra value meal from McDonalds prepared by a Mexican immigrant.

May already has Memorial Day Weekend to get plastered, but feelings across the nation indicate that Cinco de Mayo would help unite a divided nation. Protesters against the War in Iraq and want our troops to come home and feel guilty for drinking.

President George W. Bush should definetely consider this proposal to mediate tensions in time of crisis. Being a former alcoholic himself, Bush can sympathize with his constituents and set forth a new pplan that will also raise his approval ratings from record lows. He can live up to his catch phrase of being "a uniter, not a divider". He should set forth a order from the executive branch that will make Cindo de Mayo a national holiday. This will allow for the American worker to recuperate from a massive hangerover on Monday. The policy for a three day weekend should also be extended to St. Patrick's day and Super Bowl Weekend.

Yippee Kaye!

Bruce Willis shares his thoughts at a basketball game and comments on his upcoming movie. It may be the most hilarious interview ever.

Stop Crying!

Maybe you think crying in front of your girlfriend while watching "Old Yeller" will help save your relationship by assuming a reputation as a sensitive guy. However, 93% of the time, it will result in your girlfriend dumping your sorry ass and telling you that she needs a real man. The same goes for crying and sports; they only go together when:

1) You win a championship
2) You've made more money than you have ever dreamed of
3) You get hit in the balls

Cartman savors the tears
of unfathomable sadness.

Crying is best explained in an the South Park episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die". Crying not only indicates that you are at your breaking point and exposing your highest level of vulnerability but it also may also allow someone to "taste your tears" like Eric Cartman.

Let's take a look back at a few of these crying moments that have led to diminished productivity.

1. Kwame Brown, 2001-02 Season

Brown was the number 1 pick in the 2001 draft with a lot of potential to turn around the Washington Wizards franchise along with an older Michael Jordan. Brown was slow to achieve results. At one practice, Brown complained of a hard foul committed by Jahidi White. Jordan's patience wore down as he proceeded to call Brown a flaming faggot.

Perhaps Jordan's intentions were to make Brown a better player by insulting him as a motivational tactic, but Brown began to cry and ran away to sob in the locker room. Since that point, Kwame Brown has been a disappointment in the league for the Wizards and now the Lakers. His off the court incidents include a DUI and throwing a man's birthday cake to ground.

2. Kobe Bryant, The Summer of 2003

The Los Angeles Lakers were about to lose to the San Antonio Spurs, ending their bid to win their 4th consecutive title. As the game wound down to a close, Kobe Bryant was seen crying on the bench.

Perhaps Kobe lost a little more than self respect for himself. Maybe one of motives for committing adultery with a girl from Colorado could have been to redeem his reputation as a man. This backfired miserably as the girl accused him of rape. Kobe also proceeded to cry in a press conference as seen above.

The Lakers made it to the finals in the 2003-04 season but it became the last year that Kobe played with Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq had probably lost what little respect he had for Kobe. Bryant’s outburst of crying in public was probably the main reason that Shaq had demanded a trade. Since that time, the Lakers and Kobe have never threatened to win a title.

3. Andrei Kirilenko, 2007 Postseason

Andrei Kirilenko, nicknamed as AK47, was once considered a top talent in the league. He could score in a variety of ways and renowned as top defender in the league.

As of late, his play has declined in the postseason. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Kirilenko used a towel to wipe tears from his red and swollen eyes Sunday while discussing his minimal role in the Jazz's 84-75 loss to the Houston Rockets in Game 1. Kirilenko played only 16 minutes - including only the last seven seconds of the fourth quarter.

Kirilenko, the team's highest paid player at 12.3 million a year, stated that he wanted to live up to his potential. Well he can start by playing better, not crying in front of his teammates. It certainly does not help intimidate your opponents. The Jazz proceeded to lose the next game in the series against the Houston Rockets. Kirelinko's crying does not serve as a good omen for the Jazz.

----------------------------------------

So if you are a professional athlete, avoid crying in public at all costs. Your career will most likely take a hit and more importantly, people like me will make fun of you.

Can Anthony and Iverson lead the Nuggets past the Spurs?

The Denver Nuggets success will depend upon the performances of star players Carmelo Anthony (left) and Allen Iverson (right)

The Denver Nuggets will be underdogs heading into a series against the San Antonio Spurs. Still, the Nuggets will relish the opportunity to upset to upset the 3 time NBA champions (1999, 2003, and 2005). The Denver Nuggets have changed its identity by acquiring Allen Iverson, and having two star players in Anthony and Iverson who are in the top 10 in scoring.

Brief Season Recap

The Denver Nuggets started the 2006-07 seaon strong but struggled after their team had a brawl with Knicks Anthony was suspended for 15 games and JR Smith was suspended for 10 games. The Nuggets, shortly thereafter, sent Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two 2007 first-round picks to the Philedelphia 76ers for Iverson and Ivan McFarlin. Once, Anthony returned from suspension, it took a while for the team to mesh. As of late though, the Nuggets have finally gotten their act together and have won 9 of their past 10 games.

Footage of Knicks/Nuggets Brawl

Prior Postseason Success

While the Spurs playoff experience speaks for itself, the Denver Nuggets also have their share of playoff experience. Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby were part of the Nuggets' teams that have made it to the playoffs for the past three seasons. The Nuggets have not made it past the 2nd round since 1994 where the Nuggets led by Dikembe Mutumbo won as an 8th seed against the Seattle Supersonics who were the 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Supersonics were coached by George Karl, who is now the coach of the Denver Nuggets.

Still, members of the Denver Nuggets have seen success in the postseason. Coach George Karl led the Supersonics to the NBA finals in 1996. He also helped lead the Milwaukee Bucks to Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. Camby was also part of the 1999 New York Knicks, who helped his team to an improbable run to the NBA finals as an eight seed where they lost Tim Duncan's Spurs in a 5 games. Iverson had led the 76ers to playoffs several times, which was highlighted with a MVP award for 2000-01 season and a trip the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001. In addition, Eduardo Najera, Reggie Evans, and Steve have been role players to respective teams (Dallas, Seattle, and Washington) that have made it past the 1st round.

Keys for the Nuggets

What will work to Anthony and Iverson's advantage is their ability to score in a variety of ways. They can both create a shot by themselves and have the ability to find the open man who can convert for the easy basket. Anthony and Iverson are among the league leaders at getting to the free throw line. This will not only help them score efficiently but also put the Spur's key players into foul problems. The Nuggets also have effective low post players in Camby and Nene Hilario. Steve Blake is effective at running the team's offense, while JR Smith can provide a scoring punch off the bench. Reggie Evans and Eduardo Najera are players who bring energy who hustle for loose ball and play stingy defense.

The Spurs will be up to the challenge to stop them since they have one of the best league defenses anchored by Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen. Still, the Spurs best perimeter defender, Bowen does not match up well with either Anthony or Iverson; Anthony is too big and will use his strength to overpower Bowen while Iverson will use his quickness and ball handling skills to elude him. The Spurs will most likely have to rely on team defense to contain both of them. Still, the Spurs have to watch out for the Nuggets role players who can also find ways to put it in the basket.

The Nuggets biggest weakness as of late has been their team defense. The Nuggets have good overall team defenders in Camby, Nene, Evans, and Najera who could slow down Tim Duncan. But they will have to rely on their scorers in Anthony and Iverson to step it up on the defensive end as well. The Nuggets will likely put Iverson on Bowen in order to mask his defensive liability. Anthony will have to pick it up on the defensive end against Manu Ginobli who is capable of going off with huge scoring outbursts.

Conclusion

While the Nuggets enter the series as underdogs, they still recognize the opportunity to grow into legitimate contender. If they can take the Spurs to 6 or 7 games, they could be content going into next season with better team chemistry and higher expectations, especially with the return of a healthy Kenyon Martin. If they can somehow manage to beat the Spurs in the 1st round, they would put themselves as one of the favorites to win it all this June.

The Lakers Make the Playoffs!

Kobe is Flying High after he leads the Lakers to Victory

The Laker fans are celebrating today since their best player did just enough for the Lakers to squeak into the playoffs. They clinched a playoff spot by defeating the Seattle Supersonics who were without their best player in Ray Allen (aka Jesus Shuttlesworth in "He Got Game").

If the season ended today, they would be slated for a rematch against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers took the Suns to 7 games last year but the Lakers are struggling while they enter the postseason. The Suns will also have a healthy Amare Stoudemire, who missed the majority of the 2005-06 season. Still, the series has the potential to re-ignite an exciting matchup from last year.

Take a look at clips from the the 2006 series:

The Lakers come back in dramatic fashion in game 4 and beat the Suns to take a commanding 3-1 lead.

In game 5, tensions escalted. As Kobe posts up Raja Bell, Bryant elbows Raja Bell in the face. Laker fans have claimed this was a "phantom elbow".

Shortly thereafter, Raja Bell retalliates against Kobe Bryant and knocks him to the floor. The Suns go on to win the game to keep the series alive, but the league suspended Raja Bell in game 6.



The Lakers were heavily favored to win the game against Suns, since Phoenix was without it's best defensive player in Raja Bell and Game 6 was at LA. Still, Phoenix kept it close and Tim Thomas hit a clutch 3 pointer which forced the series into a 7th game.




In game 7, the Lakers get blown out. NBA analyst, TNT's Charles Barkely accused Bryant "selfish" for only shooting three times in game seven versus Phoenix. Barkely shortly apologized after Kobe appered as a guest on TNT's Inside the NBA.

The Lakers will be massive underdogs in a 1st round matchup in this year's matchup against either Phoenix or Dallas. Either way, look for Kobe to try to will his team to victory.

Stop Showing Stupid Kids at Sporting Events

I was watching the Pistons/Knicks game on my friend's league pass last night. After coming back from a commercial break, the television crew decided it would be nice to show two "adorable" kids watching the game. This was done as an attempt to lure the fans of the NBA to come to the game with their families.

Seriously, what moron would buy NBA tickets simply from this image?

Oh but it's necessary for the organization to distribute their tickets!

I don't see the NFL resorting to subjugating kids to propagate a marketing campaign during their respective games. That's the problem with the NBA and also MLB. They expect to create some sort of family image by showing random young kids dancing at the stadium in attempt to lure fans to the game. The NFL prescribes to the theory that the games are so damn important so you better watch it unless you're retarded. The NBA and MLB try to infiltrate those from the "Full House" school of values, which sickens me. A huge proportion of their fans are thinking, "If family values are so important to me, why am I watching the game?"

"Enjoy the game", says New York Knicks center Eddy Curry.
"If your children keep annoying you, I'll gladly eat them."

The NBA and MLB should not be marketing as a great family activity. In the case of the NBA, families can certainly find a way to create family time at less than $90 per person. This may include, where additional charges may apply, giving your whiny kids some ice cream or cotton candy, and then giving a foam finger or hat that will be buried in their closet forever. If you get a cheaper ticket, you become a bad parent. In years to come, your kids will enter therapy and blame their depression and lack of motivation for not getting better seats.

If the only way you relate to your kid is by taking him to sporting events, you have problems. Instead of taking him to the game and giving him hot dog after hot dog, teaching him a life of obesity and laziness, maybe you can take him to, I don't know, OUTSIDE and teach him how to play that specific sport.

Stop making your kid a fat ass!

Fans should come to the games to enjoy them, it shouldn't be some poor excuse to bring your family to make up for lost time. If your family wants to come along on their own, that's fine but the NBA should not deem fans as bad parents for not bringing their kids who simply may be spoiled brats.

Thoughts on the LA Lakers and Kobe

Can Kobe propel the Lakers to more postseason Success?

The Los Angeles Lakers and their leader Kobe Bryant have been intertwined with drama throughout the season. Phil Jackson has been playing his mental games as usual, taking shots at Shaq, the refs, the league, and his own players like Kwame Brown. Kobe, once touted as the next Jordan, has created his own identity in the NBA as a top player and 3 championship rings.

Don't Invite Kwame Brown to Your Birthday Party Brown, the #1 pick of the 2001 draft who IS

one of the biggest bust of all time, has been making news
of his own, in January 2007, he was accused of throwing
a man's birthday cake to the ground and driving away in a limo.

Although Kobe's legacy is nowhere near Jordan's, he is a great player in his own right. He leads the league in scoring with 30.8 points per game and is also known as a solid defender. Still, Kobe has still managed to preserve his identity as a "love him or hate him" player. He is still criticized for his role in the Lakers trading Shaq to the Heat; all the Lakers have to show for that trade is Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown. His off court allegations of rape also linger in the background. Even Phil Jackson is on the record for having said that Kobe could have committed the act of rape. Kobe has since been proven innocent since the accuser had like 100 different men's sperm in the tests.

Arenas Schools Kobe

Kobe has drawn controversy this year as well. After Washington Wizards' point guard Gilbert Arenas scored 60 points to take down the Lakers, Kobe did not praise Arenas but criticized his game on what he considered a lucky feat. Kobe stated after the game, "It's funny, he doesn't really seem to have that much of a conscience. I really don't think he does. Some of the shots that he took tonight, you miss those, they're just terrible shots, awful shots. You make them and they're unbelievable shots." Kobe has also drawn suspensions for one game apiece for elbowing Manu Ginobli and Marco Jaric in the face.

Brian Cook clearly loves Kobe.
The performance of the team, like the drama that has ensued, has been anything but predictable. The Lakers were exceeding most experts' expectations with a 26-13 start after consecutive victories against Shaq-less Miami and title contender San Antonio. The Lakers were brought down to earth shortly there after when Dallas blew them out by 19 points. Injuries further depleted the Lakers including those to Lamar Odom and Maurice Evens who suffered knee injuries (and no they will not visit Colorado like Kobe did), and Luke Walton, Kwame Brown, and Chris Mihm are all suffering ankle injuries. Even Vladimir Radmanovic suffered a shoulder injury due to a snowboarding fall (seriously, what was he thinking).

Phil Jackson's Crazy New Plan







































After the Lakers proceeded to lose 7 straight games and fell to a record of 33 wins and 32 losses, Phil Jackson and company decided to go to an interesting and bold strategy, pass it to Kobe and let's see what happened. Kobe did not disappoint as he scored over 50 points in 4 straight games and as many as 65 points in an OT win against the Portland Trailblazers. While Kobe's tear of 4 straight games with 50 or more points is amazing, it happened against 4 teams who are currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs. A lot will be said on how Kobe's shoot first strategy will excel against teams like the Houston Rockets, whom the Lakers face tonight. They are not only considered to be a threat in the postseason with the re-emergence of Tracy McGrady but also one of the best defensive teams in the league.

"I Learned How to FLUSH!!!"

Kobe also has an interesting metaphor on how to not to get caught up in the downfalls in the past. After being told that Lamar Odom was really down on himself for not securing the rebound Tim Thomas eventually converted into a trey (which led to OT and the loss in the 2006 postseason), Kobe was asked how he keeps guys from dwelling on mistakes. "You just put it behind you. There's nothing you can do about it. You know what I mean? After you go to the bathroom, you don't stand there and look at what you just dropped in there. At some point, you gotta flush it, man." Let’s see if Kobe can “flush it” for the Lakers to continue with success down the road.