The Chicago Bears signing of Ray McDonald

One of the more controversial moves during this year’s free agency was the Chicago Bears acquisition of Ray McDonald. Now I’m a die hard Bears fan but that’s not the only reason it has bothered me. You see, I’m not only a die hard Bears fan but a dedicated employee at the South Suburban Family Shelter, a domestic violence agency. When hearing the news that the Bears have signed Ray McDonald it not only bothered me, but it put me in an uncomfortable position come Sundays in the fall. The Bears signed defensive end Ray McDonald to a one year contract, this coming after the San Francisco 49ers cut him, citing a “pattern of poor decision-making.”

Before even going into Ray McDonalds off field issues, let’s look at him on the field. He is coming off a year with 3 sacks and 39 total tackles. To put that in perspective, Jared Allen had 5.5 sacks and 37 total tackles in a year that Bears fans, rightfully, criticized the signing of the former pro bowler defensive end. Even without the off field issues and distractions, Ray McDonald’s statistics do not warrant signing him.  While the Bears desperately need help on the defensive end of the ball and McDonald has experience in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s 3-4 system, McDonald isn’t a substantial upgrade to the roster.

Now let’s look at the more important off field issues. In the last 10 months, there have been three police reports involving Ray McDonald. When the San Francisco 49ers released him because of a “pattern of poor decision making,” that should have been enough for anyone not to re-sign him at this current time. The first incident involving McDonald was when police were called to his house in May 2014 for an incident involving a gun. No charges or arrests were made. On August 31^st, Ray was arrested on felony domestic assault charges. Police reports show that McDonald’s pregnant fiancé had “visible injuries” when police arrived. No charges stuck in this case. In an abusive relationship, one of the most dangerous times for the victim is when they are pregnant. In a study of 1,200 White, Latino, and African American pregnant women, one in six reported physical abuse during pregnancy. (J. McFarlan, “Abuse During Pregnancy: A Cross-Cultural Study of Frequency and Severity on Injuries,” 1991.)

            Finally, in December, a woman accused McDonald of sexual assault, a case that is still open. McDonald has sued the woman accusing him of assault, telling ESPN “I feel like what I am doing is the right thing because I know that I am not this bad person that people are making me out to be. I’ve been fired from my job. I know some teams don’t even want to talk to me because of this past accusation. All I am trying to do is clear my name and move on with my life.” In my personal opinion, the fact that McDonald, who has already been involved in two incidents of alleged domestic violence, is now suing his accuser sounds a lot like victim blaming. Having been through an extensive training about abuser intervention, I have learned that perpetrators of sexual assault and domestic violence do not take accountability for their actions. This seems to me that McDonald is trying to point the finger at the woman who accused him of sexual assault, trying to make himself look like the victim.

Innocent until proven guilty is a right that everyone in this country deserves, however we are not talking about the court of law. We are talking about the NFL, and more specifically the Chicago Bears. People are racing to defend Ray McDonald saying that his fiancé made the story up, and the woman accusing him of sexual assault made the story up. People also want to site the fact that he wasn’t charged with anything. The fact that he was not charged may be more indicative of a weak case, not his innocence. There are many reasons why victims of domestic violence do not testify or leave an abusive relationship. As one can imagine, there are even more reasons why someone who is pregnant and engaged to an NFL player would not want to follow up with charges or testify at a hearing. Ray McDonald’s fiancé has nothing to gain by making up a story of abuse; unfortunately, she has a lot to lose. As a society, we put all of this pressure on this woman to speak of an undoubtedly terrifying situation she went through to put her unborn child’s father in a position to lose his job and possibly serve jail time. Would people still try to disprove the victim’s story if McDonald was on a teams practice squad? Just a few short months ago, everyone was disgusted with anyone even remotely involved in a domestic violence case because they saw the Ray Rice video. That story has lost steam in the mainstream media and there is no video in the cases of Ray McDonald, so people are back to ignoring the problem. In fact, CSN (Chicago Sports Net) did a poll where 51% of the people who voted said “It’s the NFL baby, just win” in regard to how they felt about the Bears signing McDonald.

  The Chicago Bears feel that they did their due justice before signing him by talking to him in person, calling up his parents, and relying on Vic Fangio’s opinion of him. Yes, you read that right, calling his parents. Can you imagine that conversation? “George McCaskey here, can I ask you about your son, Ray?” This is the same thing as listing your parents as a professional reference on a job application; it is ridiculous that the Chicago Bears even considered calling let alone taking what they say to heart. On top of that ridiculousness is the fact that the Chicago Bears were impressed that McDonald bought his own plane ticket from San Francisco to Chicago. I can’t imagine how he could have afforded that when he only made $855,000 in salary last year.

So how did the Bears put me in an uncomfortable situation? Well now every Sunday during the 2015-2016 season, I will watch the Chicago Bears wondering what they are doing to help the family of Ray McDonald. Some people may say that I should stop watching the Chicago Bears if I feel this way. To this, I would say that I do not want to, nor should I have to make a decision between my favorite football team and respecting basic human decency. I want to know that my favorite NFL team is being proactive in getting Ray McDonald and his fiancé the help that they need. I want to know that my favorite NFL team has a policy in place that not only gets them help but educates the rest of the organization about domestic violence and sexual assault. It is not enough that the NFL has a new policy, I believe that every NFL team needs its own policy, that educates, and more importantly prevents future incidents. The Chicago Bears have an enormous platform and now an opportunity to tell their fans and the general public that they are not only going to use the talents of Ray McDonald, but they are going to work with him and his family to ensure the safety of his fiancé and future child. I want to be a proud fan and see the Chicago Bears take a stand against domestic violence and sexual assault. If you are going to take on a player like Ray McDonald, be the organization that leads the rest of the NFL in being active in education and prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault.

I am not only confused at the signing from an on field perspective but I don’t understand the risk, the reasoning for signing him. He has shown nothing to make us believe he will change. He believes that suing his accuser will clear his name; however it shows me that he is not taking accountability for any of his incidents.  The NFL is still looking into the sexual assault case, and could very likely suspend him for a minimum of 6 games. If the Chicago Bears are only signing him for his talent and to get more wins, stop trying to sell his character to me. Don’t tell me that Vic Fangio vouches for his character and says he is a good person, because that is not what the information tells me. 

1st Inning NBA Second Half Predictions

The NBA season is now passed the unofficial half way mark, so what should we expect for the remainder of the season. Well lets glance back at the first part of the season first. The season started off with all the talk about  “The Heatles”, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade and their HUGE expectations in Miami.  There were also several other teams that made changes to their roster to improve greatly. The Chicago Bulls added Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer from the Jazz along with a couple solid veterans and Amir Asik from Turkey. The New York Knicks added Amare Stoudamire to their lineup in hopes of acquiring another big name before the trade deadline. The already deep and veteran Boston Celtics added Shaquille O’Neil, Jermaine O’Neil, and Delonte West to their bench. The Orlando Magic felt the pressure to add some pieces while not living up to their expectations early in the year. They traded Rashard Lewis for Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus for Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark. All these moves helped shape up a great first half for the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference stayed mostly the same, with the powerhouse Lakers not adding much, the aging San Antonio Spurs playing with young legs once again and the Dallas Mavericks, with newly added Tyson Chandler are playing tough basketball. The First half wrapped up with those aging Spurs leading the league with the best record, three teams in the East separated by two games, and the Lakers seemingly loosing their edge. With the huge trades and acquisitions happening in the first half, the start of the second half did not disappoint. The New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timber wolves were all involved in a three team trade, sending super start Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Blackman, Anthony Carter, and Sheldon Williams to the Knicks. The Nuggets received Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Kosta Koufous, Tomofey Mozgov along with money and draft picks. The Timber wolves got Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph along with some cash and a draft pick. This trumps any trade or acquisition that occurred in the first half. BUT WAIT! MORE BIG TRADES. Deron Williams goes to the New Jersey Nets. In return, the Jazz get Deron Favors, Devin Harris and draft picks. Then the big Boston Celtics made a move that shocked the entire league. They traded away Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. The Portland Trail Blazers strengthened their roster by adding Gerald Wallace and the Clippers moved Baron Davis to the Cavaliers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.

So what does all this mean for the second half of the season? If nothing else, it means that the NBA just got that much more exciting. People have made the argument that having these stacked teams is bad for the NBA because there are a handful of great teams and the rest suck. BUT that makes the entire season a giant playoff, and NBA playoffs are the most exciting in all of sports. So how will the conferences look come the end of the season? Well, the Western Conference is going to end up remaining mostly how it is now for the top four teams, with San Antonio in the first seed, Dallas with the second seed, Thunder taking over the third seed and Lakers with the fourth seed. The Eastern Conference is a closer race and will be a fight to the end for the top three spots. At the end of the day, the Chicago Bulls will come out with the number one seed. The Bulls have played at a very high level without being at full strength all season, but now Noah is returning to a team that has Boozer and Rose working great together. Add a big defensive center to this already outstanding defensive team and you have yourself an Eastern Conference Champ! Yes, this is a bold statement but the Bulls are a very well rounded team and have all the pieces. The top four teams in the Eastern conference will look like this going into the playoffs:  Chicago Bulls with the one seed, Boston Celtics with the two seed, Miami Heat with the third seed,  and the Orlando Magic will round out the top four with a four seed.

With theses seedlings, it will be a tough playoff, and an interesting one to watch. Bulls fans rejoice! This is the year. The Bulls have a young well rounded team with an MVP player. The only other team in the East that was as well rounded as the Bulls WAS the Boston Celtics, but they gave up what made them better, Perkins. In the West, the Spurs have a very well rounded and experienced team, but their old. They have worn down legs, and their best player, Duncan, seems to be fading as the season goes on. So lets go round by round through the playoffs. In the West, none of the lower half teams acquired anyone to improve their roster enough to boost up to the top eight teams. The Western Conference Finals will be a heavy weight battle, that includes two teams that have been here before, the Spurs and the Lakers. The Lakers will return to their old selves once the playoffs start and cruise to the Championship game where they will knock out the San Antonio Spurs. The Eastern Conference Championship will be another heavy weight battle. The Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics will go head to head. These two teams put on one of the greatest shows in NBA playoff history a couple years ago and  every game since has been nothing less than amazing.  The Chicago Bulls will advance to the Championship game. The Chicago Bulls will then knock off the LA Lakers in the NBA Championship in a seven game series. It will be a series that goes down to the wire, but the young guns of the Chicago Bulls will prevail and stop the Lakers from three peating.
Lets look at individuals and how these trades will work out. The New York Knicks became a very strong squad and are going to be exciting to watch, but they aren’t yet at the top of the standings. It is going to take a little bit for Carmelo and Billups to get used to playing with the new team. But Carmelo will put up great numbers and thrive in his hometown of New York City. The most underrated part of this trade is the solid veteran, Chauncey Billups. He has been the player of the week this year and is still a great leader for any team. He will help this transition work smoother and faster with his locker room leadership and leadership on the court. It is unfortunate for Deron Williams that he had to go to the Nets, and not even get a Robin to help him out. He will struggle, but still be one of the best guards in the league in New Jersey, but will he like it enough to stay and sign the extension? Probably not. Now in Oklahoma City, Kendrick Perkins is going to help make that team a great contender with his mean and tough inside presence. On the other side of that trade, the Boston Celtics are going to struggle against the bigger teams, which is something their not used to. They were once the big team, but now they lost their defensive specialist and big bruiser in Perkins. Boston was not the only team to make an odd, somewhat confusing trade, the Clippers traded away Baron Davis and received Mo Williams to take his place. Both players have similar numbers this year, but Baron Davis seemed to be playing great alongside rising star Blake Griffin. Its not much of an upgrade to have to deal with the meshing issues. In Portland, Gerald Wallace will be a great addition with Brandon Roy returning to the lineup. This team is closer to becoming a regular contender.

The MVP award this year will go to the Chicago Bulls point guard, Derrick Rose. An argument can easily be made that Lebron deserves it, and Cal will make that argument based on the numbers Lebron deserves it. Sure, Lebron leads Derrick Rose in nearly all statistical categories, but Derrick Rose deserves it based on what he has done for his team. The Bulls have played most of the season without either Joakim Noah or Carlos Boozer and yet they still have a number 2 seed as of right now. Even though Lebron leads Miami in most every stat, he is still not the most important player on the team, Chris Bosh is. If Chris Bosh goes 1 for 14, and Lebron puts up 40 and Wade puts up 30, Miami will still loose. Derrick Rose doesn’t have to score all of the points, he just has to control the game, which he does night in and night out. Sure, Lebron was the entire team in Cleveland but now he has a great surrounding cast and the team would still be good without him. When choosing an MVP, numbers shouldn’t be the only thing looked at. It is how the player controls a game and how they make their team better. Derrick Rose controls the game better than anyone in the league, as he showed against the heat. In the  games against the Heat when the Bulls needed a big shot, Rose came up  big. In the second game, Rose drove to the basket and drew a double team of Lebron James, best defender in the league, and Dwayne Wade. When Rose assessed this, he jumped and kicked the ball out to wide open Luol Deng. This shows how D Rose makes his team better and how he controls the game. At the end of many games this season, Cal’s NBA love, Lebron James , has thrown up BRICKS to give his team a victory. He shouldn’t be the guy to take those shots, it should be Dwayne Wade, who also has missed those shots this year. All in all D Rose is the MVP.

3rd and 4th Innings - Thoughts on Dempster and All-Star games

3rd Inning

Ryan Dempster was named the opening day starter for the Chicago Cubs, does he deserve it?

Cal

Ryan Dempster was named the Cubs opening day starter by head coach Mike Quade, and quite frankly, I am very happy about it. For the past 6 years Carlos Zambrano took the mound on opening day for the Cubs, and he takes great pride in it, but his time has come to an end. As an opening day starter Carlos Zambrano has been terrible. He started his streak (A Cubs record) in 2005 by getting ejected in the 5th inning for arguing balls and strikes, and again not getting through the 5th in 2006. More importantly, though, was his miserable opening day start last year. Zambrano lasted 1 1/3 innings in Atlanta and was embarrassed by the up and coming star Jason Heyward who hit a home run in his first career major league at bat. Cubs lost that game 16-5. It was Big Z's shortest start since 2006, yet Quade says it didn't factor into the decision. Despite the bad start, Zambrano ended the season on an 8-0 run only after he was demoted to the pen and put through anger management.

Mitch will take a bat to Big Z's legs if he had the opportunity, which is why he missed that Carlos Zambrano buckled down and went 8-0 after being corrected for his attack on D Lee, but I still don't trust him. I am a big Z apologist, but he is too much of a question mark going into the season because you aren't quite sure who you are going to get. Not starting him on opening day gives him the opportunity to make his first start of the season in Milwaukee where he has gone 9-5 over his career with a no hitter against Houston, at Miller Park in 2008.

Carlos Silva, the man who is left out of every conversation, had a surprising year for the Cubs last year after being traded from Seattle, but over the course of his career he has proven to be inconsistent and probably not deserving of an opening day start. The newly acquired 27 year old righty, Matt Garza probably has the chops to be the Cubs ace but doesn't deserve that honor quite yet. Although he was very impressive in the AL East, the toughest division in baseball, he is young, new to the team, and has yet to face the pressure of being a Chicago Cub. With a 15-10 record and a 3.91 E.R.A. Garza looks to be a force as his numbers show improvement almost by the day, but, like Mitch stated below, its not just about the numbers, its about being a Cub..

Ryan Dempster is just that. He was acquired in 2004 and has done everything the Cubs have asked of him since. Signed on to be the closer, and closed for the Cubs in 05', 06' and 07'. He was a top ten closer in 05' and 06', but when the Cubs needed him to step up and become a starter, he did, going 17-6 in 08' (3rd in MLB), 11-9 in 09', and 15-12 last year. I know right? He doesn't get the credit he deserves. He has been nothing but great for the clubhouse and LOVES to be a Cub. He has been seen riding his bike to the ballpark, doing Harry Carey impressions, helping out the young guys and taking in the historic atmosphere The Friendly Confines has to offer. He is consistent, and loves to be on the mound at Wrigley Field. With Larry Rothschild gone, Zambrano lost his clutch. I have a feeling the Cubs new pitching coach Mark Riggins had a say in this, putting down his foot and changing the mentality and approach of the Cubs starting pitching staff. Dempster deserves this honor, and I really hope he gets the Cubs off to a better start than Carlos Zambrano has for the past six years.

Mitch


Who are the candidates for opening day starter for The Chicago Cubs? The newly acquired Matt Garza, The on again off again, crazy Carlos Zambrano, The steady Ryan Dempster, Carlos Silva, or Randy Wells? Lets automatically rule out Silva and Wells for the basic fact that neither have been a Cub for that long and neither of them are very consistent. Carlos Zambrano has been nothing but a head case since he blew up at Derrick Lee in the dugout and that has effected his game greatly so that’s why I’m ruling him out. Since The Cubs acquired Garza, the big off-season catch, it was my thought that he would be the number one guy and therefore start opening day. But thinking about it more and more, Dempster starting opening day intrigues me.

The opening day starter is more than who is the best pitcher, its who’s the best Cub. In the last three years as a starter, Dempster has won 17 (2008), 11 (2009) and 15 (2010). He has struck out over 170 each of the last three years and been a very consistent starter for the Chicago Cubs. Garza has 11 in 2008, 8 in 2009 and 15 in 2010, only striking out over 170 in one of those years. Dempster is not only the best Cub but he has been the best pitcher consistently. So yes, Dempster is a wise choice to start on opening day, Cubs fans like him and he is a very consistent pitcher.


4th Inning

Which American sport has the best All-Star game?

Mitch

The NBA All-Star game is by far the best in all of pro sports. It is not only the game but the entire weekend included. It is an entire weekend of entertaining events that showcases the most athletic players in the league. It entails events that show off their talents in a very entertaining way. Events like the Dunk Contest, Three Point Shootout, Celebrity Game, the Skills Challenge and the main event All-Star game are all very entertaining and enable fans of any sport to tune in and witness great athleticism. The NFL doesn’t even come close. This is because football is a contact sport and the players don’t want to be out there going all out and risk getting injured. The NHL is fun but it is similar to the NFL where the guys don’t want to get hurt. The MLB All-Star game brings the celebrity audience and some of the other events that showcase players athleticism but it will never be as fun because it means something. The MLB All-Star game decides who will have home field in the World Series, this makes it too serious and more of a regular game than anything. Sure, it means better baseball, but when you watch an All-Star game you want to see players in a different setting than you do everyday. Players laughing with one another, showing off like they would do with their friends, and pulling out all the tricks is what All-Star games are all about. NBA All-Stars both goof around and play hard to entertain the fans. The NBA All-Star break has more than just the game, but even the game is more fun than any other sport because of the fun nature. The guys that play in any event in the All-Star weekend are out there having fun and trying to win at the same time.

Another big reason the NBA All-Star weekend is the best amongst pro sports is because of the audience and side entertainment it includes. From the introduction to the halftime show to the interviews of celebrities during the game, it is all very fun and is the best by far out of any pro sports.

Cal 

I see what you are saying, Mitch, but I completely disagree. Major League Baseball is the best all-star game in sports. Yea, the NBA is a close second, but I like the competition to be playing at 100% by the best players in their respective sport. That way you get to see who really is the best conference and what it would really be like to have teams consisting of all all-stars.

The NBA All-Star weekend is spectacular. I like every single event, including the celebrity game, because the sport allows for fancy, flashy plays more than most. That being said, although this years dunk contest was amazing, the dunk contest has been weak in recent years because the biggest stars in the game are not participating. It would be a lot more exciting if LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose or any other super star participated, much like in the past with Dr. J, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant etc.. The game itself is fun, but its just one big mess. Some players are taking the game serious, to prove their conference is superior, some want to be flashy, and others want to ball hog and get the MVP of the game. This leads to good entertainment, and I have no problem with it but the winner doesn't prove a thing, and we aren't seeing what it would really be like to have the best play against the best.

Is there even a need to bring up the NFL? It's terrible. They can't figure out a good time for it, no one watches it, the players don't play (and rightfully so to avoid injuries), and it becomes an afterthought in the sports media world. What the NFL should do is implement a similar weekend of competitions like the NBA All-Star Weekend. Quarterbacks showing off their arm strength and accuracy, a 40 yard dash to pin the big mouth diva's up against each other for a fastest man in the NFL award, a field goal contest, a punting challenge, long snap, or any drills they do in practice put on national T.V. with the NFL's best athletes. This would be entertaining, but as of now, its the worst "All-Star" game and celebration.

The NHL has a great all star weekend. They have skills competitions, and it seems to follow the same theme as the NBA. The match up always results in an inflated score as the NHL's best athletes show off their flashy moves, impressive skating and insane shots. This year, they implemented a draft. The teams were picked by the players who received the most fan votes, so they were able to strategize and put together cohesive teams instead of just having a free for all. I was also entertained by the goalies wearing microphones, providing conversation with the announcers while the game was going on. It led to fun bantering, and interesting scenarios when shots started flying at them in the middle of a conversation. What the NHL does better then the NBA is not singling out 2-3 players. EVERY player on the ice was going at it and showing off their skills. The big stars didn't take the MVP, Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks did. Hes not a household name outside of Chicago until now, but he played the best game. The NHL is doing a great job bringing it back to the eyes of the sports world, and the all-star game was entertaining enough to keep me watching the whole time, so hats off to them.

That brings me to Major League Baseball. I want to start by saying, from a baseball standpoint, playing for World Series home field advantage is outrageous. It is unfair to the players that aren't on the field, leaving their fate to their "super stars." It is also unfair to everyone on the field. What if it's the bottom of the 9th, American League is up one with two outs and Pujols hits a ground ball to Dustin Pedroia who sees the ball go right through his legs into the outfield, two runs scored and the National League wins. Later in the year, Boston is eliminated, and the Yankees make the World Series. They now will not have home field advantage because a player from their bitter rivals had an error that screwed the American League. It's silly.

Now that I got that out of the way, playing for something makes it a lot more interesting for the fans. The best players in the world are going 100%. Pitchers are still pitching 90+ mph fastballs and nasty breaking away sliders. The coaches are still coaching the game to win, and strategizing for what to do next. The hitters still have to time the pitches, and advance runners, because God for bid if they screw up, they might lose home field advantage. Players will take more of a Pete Rose approach, sliding into home cleats up, playing their hardest to win that game and prove they are the best. Since 03' the All-Star game was played with an incentive, and honestly since about 03' it has been exciting.

Mitch says it's not good when it's too serious, but that counter acts his opinion on our 2nd inning question regarding LeBron James. He said there isn't such thing as playing to hard, that's the competitive edge that makes the best players the best. Well, that competitive edge is forced on the best players to play their best in the MLB All-Star game and I find that very exciting to watch. As far as entertainment value, I will take the MLB home run derby over the dunk contest every day. It usually consist of the best home run hitters in the league, and it gets pretty intense as every out creeps up on the competitor. The entertainment value is there with the celebrities and other players cheering them on, video taping, bringing their kids on the field and watching these monster men launch balls over the fence. The most exciting thing in sports is the home run ball in my opinion, so to watch the best take their best chance at beating their opponents is always a blast. In the NBA, they take who they can get, because the ego's and "avoiding injuries" we are not seeing the best in the game compete at what they do best.

Thoughts on Griffin and LeBron during All-Star Weekend

1st Inning

Did Blake Griffin deserve to win the 2011 NBA Dunk Contest?

See all of the 2011 NBA Dunk Contest Dunks Here

Mitch

This contest was determined before it even began. Blake Griffin is one of, if not the most exciting dunkers in the league. The hype leading up to the dunk contest was bigger than it has been in the past five years. Fans love a big guy that is as explosive and powerful as Blake Griffin. The fans knew who they were going to vote for before the contest even began.

That being said, the dunk contest is about creativity, explosiveness and entertainment. Blake did exactly what he had to do to win this thing. He began the night with a very difficult 360 dunk while pulling the ball back behind his head and then he busted out a classic , the Vince Carter elbow in the rim dunk which is a fan favorite. By far the most creative, entertaining, and athletic dunk of the night was when Blake Griffin jumped over the hood of a car while catching a ball in mid air and dunking it. People have said that it wasn’t that difficult, or it wasn’t that great. To them I say can you even jump over a table and catch a ball and powerfully dunk it? NO. Jumping over a car, any part of a car, is difficult without the ball and rim. The opponents made it a great competition creating some spectacular dunks, but Blake being the fan favorite came out with some creative and difficult dunks and executed, he deserves the win.

Cal

This years dunk contest was nothing short of entertaining.  Despite the impressive performances by Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard the last couple years, the 2011 contest provided the athletic entertainment from the 1^st dunk to the last that has been missing for a long time. 

Did Blake Griffin, the home court wonder boy, the rookie sensation, the most electrifying dunker in the NBA, deserve the victory?  Yes, only because it is voted in by the fans, and he lived up to our expectations.  Though, I think the competition was closer than some may have thought.

In the first round, Serge Ibaka got it kicked off soaring from the free throw line.  It was impressive considering he was actually behind the line when he took off, when the likes of Dr. J and Michael Jordan crossed the line.  That being said, it was an unoriginal idea.  JaVale McGee impressed by dunking 2 balls each in a different hand and in a different net.  Incredible athleticism, but I just don’t get excited watching a 7 footer jumping.  DeMar Derozan threw down a reverse off what seemed like a bad pass by Amir Johnson, but again it was another spectacular display of athleticism.  That brings me to my first round winner, Blake Griffin.  He started off with a missed attempt, but it got the crowd reeling and impressed by what he was attempting.  He even had that smirk as if to say “Yea, that’s right, you are in for a treat.”  He took off and landed what seemed to be a 450 degree gorilla slam that shook the court.  He stuck to the roots of the contest with a 10 ft rim, an amazing athlete and nothing but his legs and a ball.  This dunk stunned me and got me excited; Griffin wins the first round.

McGee takes the second round.  The 3 ball dunk has never been done before, but again, seven footer just makes it look to easy.  I was more impressed with his next dunk; a reach around reverse barely keeping his head from hitting the bottom of the backboard - Insane athleticism.  I have to give credit to DeMar Derozan as well.  He threw the ball off the side of the backboard and finished with a windmill alley-oop to himself.  This guy is incredibly talented, and I expect to see him for years to come in this contest.  Ibaka disappointed me with his dunk to get the kids toy, but I guess it was cheap entertainment.  Griffin had a bad pass from Davis, but also provided a tribute to the famed Vince Carter dunk putting his arm through the hoop.  Although impressive, I don’t give him the “10”, because it has been done before.

The closing round was the least exciting.  In what seemed to be a complete set up by the NBA, a KIA enters the court and Griffin “jumps over it” with a power slam.  Following that, a seemed to be disinterested McGee had to free style and stuck with an ordinary off the backboard dunk, conceding the victory to Blake.  It was Griffins least impressive dunk and was nothing more than a plug for Kia and the NBA, and a way to get people talking with the choir singing “I believe I Can Fly.”  An “A” for entertainment value, but they could have closed it off better.

My winner overall would be JaVale McGee, but Griffin showed off his skill as well.  In the end I am just satisfied with a great, entertaining contest.

2nd Inning

Did LeBron James take the All-Star game too seriously?

Mitch

The best players in any given sport have a competitive edge that towers above the rest of the league. In the NBA, there are a handful of guys that have this edge and use it every game no matter how little it means. Lebron stacked the stat sheet with a triple double during this years All-Star game. The only other person to do this in an All-Star game was the best player that ever played, Michael Jordan, who by the way, had the biggest competitive edge of all. 

When the cameras showed James yelling and pumping up his team to try and come back in the game, some people thought “really? This is the All-Star game.” But when your playing with the best players in the game, and against the best in the game, Kobe, you want to win. Lebron has more to prove than winning a All-Star MVP, he wanted to prove he was better than Kobe. Lebron took this upon his shoulders to win the fans back and be named the greatest player in the league. While this may be true at the present time, Kobe is still the better player than Lebron in history. Kobe proved it in the All-Star game, although not putting up better numbers than Lebron, he came up with the only stat that really matters, a W. So no, Lebron did not take the game too seriously because he was playing for more than an All-Star victory, he was playing to add another chapter to his greatness.

Cal

No, LeBron did not go to hard or take the game too seriously.  Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant took over the game and the glory - LeBron wanted a piece of that pie.  He wants to win, he is a competitor and quite frankly I think he is sick of the West being glorified as the best conference when the East is loaded with tons of talent themselves.  Everyone was goofing around while the West just kept scoring and running circles around the East.  LeBron took it personally and gathered his team, mostly consisting of veteran Celtics players, rallied them together to play their style of basketball, play a little defense and go hard. 

He gets criticized for everything he does, and apparently this isn’t anything different.  People want him to mature, stop caring about himself and play hard every minute of the game.  Although people don’t necessarily mean that about the all star game, he seemed to have played with an edge while the same people are jumping on him for what they were criticizing him for not doing before.   He took control of a team full of all-stars, his mentality is maturing and he figured the All-Star game would be a good time to show that the East is here to contend.  The team seemed to follow his lead, pulling them right back into the game, only to fall short to the West, thanks to the Durantula and his developing clutch gene.   Commend LeBron for putting the team on his back, and even more so by backing up his talk and putting up a triple double.

Much like how the dunk contest was geared towards the hometown favorite Blake Griffin to win, the All-Star game was geared for Kobe to get MVP, and rightfully so.  He deserved it, and it was fun to watch Kobe show the young guys he can still hang with the best of them.  In the end, the best players in the all-star game were the biggest competitors in the NBA, probably the 3 best players in the league – Kobe, LeBron, and Durant.

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