Draft Day Suit

I was really sad to hear about the passing of Manute Bol yesterday. In my mind he was the epitome of what a professional athlete should strive to be off the court.

Bol died at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. No cause of death has been reported, but he was reportedly being treated for severe kidney trouble.

At 7′7″ it comes as no surprise that he holds the record for career blocks per 48 minutes, (8.6), and blocked a record 2,086 shots, but scored only 1,599 points. He was the only player in NBA history to block more than he scored, but it was his actions off the court that really impressed me.

Throughout his career he was active in charitable causes related to his native Sudan. He visited refugee camps, and gave almost all of the money he earned in his NBA career to causes that supported the refugees of Sudan. He raised global awareness of the Sudanese with the Sudan Freedom Walk. The walk aimed at finding a solution to the genocide in Darfur.

He was a great example of what athletes, the “role models” of today’s youth, should be doing.

Manute, it is also rumored, may have started the phrase ‘my bad” that is so prevalent today.

Our thoughts go out to those who loved him and were loved by him.

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Living in LA during the NBA finals can be awful, especially when the Lakers are playing. You see, my favorite NBA team is the Nuggets (long suffering, I know,) OR whoever is beating the Lakers.

For the last two days, leading up to tonight’s game, all we have heard about is the preparations for the riot that will happen after the game. See, Angelinos seem to riot whether we win or lose.

Don’t you want to live here, too?

So I’m rooting for the Celtics. Just because. Actually, I love the city of Boston, so it follows. Kinda. Mostly I’m just enjoying annoying my husband, oldest son, and other friends that love the Lakers. At least my youngest is his mother’s son and is rooting for the Celtics with me. Go Green!

The thing is, at this point in the series, I’m beginning to believe the conspiracy theorists about each finals series being fixed. Let’s do the math:

Court side seat to tonight’s game: (as of today on a radio report,) $65,000

Number of courtside seats: 198

Approximate take for courtside seats ONLY: 12.8 MILLION DOLLARS.

Guess on nosebleed seats: $500 each.

Guess on profit: 18 bajillion. (totally a number)

So why wouldn’t the NBA want each series to go to 7 games? I’d line my pockets, too, for that kind of bank.

If the stats this year prove true, the team that has been leading after the first quarter will win the game. (Go Celtics!) Let’s try another stat: any finals series between the Celtics and Lakers to go to 7 games have been won by the Celtics. (Go Celtics!)

But really I don’t care. I’m much more interested in the boys of summer at this point in June. NBA owners can line their pockets all they want, I’d much rather spend my day with these dudes:

Kendra is sick of the NBA. Are you surprised?

I didn’t know that Amare Stoudemire was such a greedy bastard. He is going to opt out of his $17 million final year with the Phoenix Suns, because he wants to go where he can get the most money.

I can understand the need for money, but I guess the $17 million he would receive next year isn’t enough. He wants more than $17 million.

As you can see I’m perplexed by the turning down of $17 million dollars.

Amare says that he deserves the maximum contract the NBA will allow and he wants a six-year deal worth $127 million.  And if the Suns don’t offer him riches beyond belief he is going to say buh-bye and head to the highest bidder.

I wish team loyalty was more the norm and money-grubbing was something to be looked down upon.

I will be sad to see Amare leave Phoenix. He’s  such a winner with his middle to high scoring average, his middle to high rebounds and his less than average assists. He must be forgetting that he isn’t  the league leader in any category and that his performance in the Western Conference finals  this year was below par, but yet he says this:

“The most important factor of playing for an organization is to be able to be totally comfortable and give them 100 percent. That’s what I’ve done my whole career, so it’s only right to look for a maximum contract.”

So I guess he was just half-assing it all this time so we could see what he’s really worth come contract time. He’s obviously not comfortable giving the Phoenix fans his all. Perhaps they should get someone who will.

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This basketball series is killing me.

I am a Phoenix Suns fan. Also, I am a “Laker hater.” I watch on pins and needles and with bated breath the games between the two teams. I  have to say, I am so excited for game 6 that I can’t even stand it. I really want Phoenix to win, if only so I can talk trash to my new friend from Massachusetts.

Who would’ve thought that the “old men” of Boston would make it to the finals for the 2nd time in three years? She did!

I watched Game 4 in a bar with her and found myself rooting for the Celtics. Not only was I commiserating with her over their loss, I was all bent out of shape with the lack of calls against Orlando and Dwight Howard’s Karl Malone-esque type of play. Also, I don’t think that Steve Nash’s face can take any more hard hits and since Dwight Howard,  of the Magic,  likes to throw his elbows it’s better to just avoid the whole meet up.

I don’t know though, if Boston will be able to defeat the Suns, which of course I don’t want. The Suns are just too fast of a team for the Celtics to try to beat.

The last time these two teams met, in 1976,  Boston won the series 4-2. I’m just hoping that Phoenix holds out against the Lakers and makes it to the Finals.

If the Celtics and the Lakers meet,  I just don’t think the Celtics can battle through Kobe and his compadres.

That’s just my opinion though.

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