O’neal and Bosh contemplating Finals appearance

by Ranhvir Samra… The recent addition of long time Indiana Pacer’s forward/centre Jermaine O’neal have the Toronto Raptors thinking NBA Finals after years of settling for simple playoff appearances. For the first time in almost a decade, the Raptors have two bonafide superstars in the lineup. Not since the days of Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter have Raptor fans been so optimistic about the potential of their beloved franchise.

Jermaine O’neal will bring defensive toughness and size to the squad, something the Raptors have been lacking over the past few years. During the 2007-08 playoffs this lack of defensive prowess was evident as the Orlando Magic ran through, over and above the Raptors in a quick four game series win. Dwight Howard’s statistics compared to Bill Russell’s, as he piled up three 20 plus points and 20 plus rebounds games in the series. Chris Bosh, a natural power forward at 6′11 and 240 pounds, won’t have to deal with “Superman” Howard and the other big men of the Eastern Conference this season, as this task will be the responsibility of the 7 foot, 270 O’neal and the five time all-star is more than up to the task. When asked about his game, O’neal is quick to refer to his shot blocking and rebounding skills. He has been a regular 20/10 player and hopes to continue this trend into the 2008-09 season. Not only is Jermaine big but he clogs up the middle and draws many comparisons to NBA Champion Kevin Garnett.

Chris Bosh, the undisputed leader of the team and rising star Jose Calderon are ecstatic to have a player like O’neal added to their lineup. O’neal would be a great addition to any franchise in the NBA and the Raptors are counting their lucky stars after obtaining him for PG T.J. Ford. The big three (Bosh, O’neal and Calderon) are just as talented as any three players on any squad in the league outside of Boston and arguably L.A. O’neal, who will play center, will provide Bosh with some much needed help in the middle. Do not be surprised if Bosh significantly improves on his already impressive statistics from last season.

With the Detroit Pistons getting a year older, the Cavaliers continually depending on Lebron James to carry the team, the Raptors have the Celtics, Magic and Miami Heat as their main competitors for the Eastern Conference Championship. Assuming all goes well, the Raptors have a lock on the Atlantic Division title (first since 2006-07) and have their sights on a 50-54 win season. Of course, in sports as in life, not everything goes as planned.

Jermaine O’neal has battled a number of injuries throughout his career (including back and leg injuries), and despite being in his late twenties, Jermaine has endured the grind of over ten NBA seasons. Additionally, O’neal’s attitude has been questioned, as you may recall the Ron Artest Incident in which Jermaine O’neal and current Golden State Warrior Stephen Jackson were each suspended 10 plus games for their involvement in a fight with fans at the Palace in Detroit. Jermaine is a proven all-star and there is no reason to believe that he will not be an all-star in 2009. But at this stage of his career, individual accomplishments do not mean as much and Jermaine wants an NBA title. NBA greats like Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley retired without winning the elusive crown and regret it to this day. O’neal came to the Raptors for this exact reason, to team up with another NBA great in Bosh and seriously compete for the title, now. O’neal is confident that he and fellow all-star Chris Bosh can lead the Raptors to the heights of success that the franchise and it’s fans have been dreaming about since 1995, however as he nears 30 years of age, O’neal is the first one to point out that the window of opportunity may be open now but not forever.

Chris Bosh Could Bolt for Orlando in 2010?

by Alex Kennedy… Which New York borough is LeBron’s favorite? Will he sign with the Nets because of Jay-Z? Will he be tempted to flee to Europe if Olympiakos make a big enough offer?

While most of the talk regarding the NBA’s 2010 free agent class has been around King James and where he will choose to settle his throne, there are other stars who could be switching cities as well. One of those stars is Toronto Raptors’ forward Chris Bosh.

Several days ago, the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Jay Mariotti wrote an article that listed possible destinations for the free agency class’ top stars. He reports that in 2010, “[Chris] Bosh will flee Toronto and look at Orlando and Western Conference teams.”

While brief, that statement got me thinking. Why wouldn’t Bosh want to come play for the Magic?

With Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, and Courtney Lee being the only players locked up through the 2010-2011 season, the Magic could afford the big man.

Combined, Orlando’s total committed salary sits at $49,990,263. Compare this to Boston’s cap numbers last season ($78,019,509) and you can see that anything is possible. (Sorry KG, I had to.)

Now let’s take a look at some other things that could factor into Bosh’s decision.

First of all, it is well known that he and Dwight Howard have been close friends ever since they bonded while playing for Team USA in 2002.

“After we talked I saw he was a lighthearted guy, he loves joking, and he just plays hard on the court. He’s my good friend,” said Bosh.

Upon securing the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference as well as a playoff matchup against Howard and the Magic last year, Bosh joked that he would “tell [Dwight] I’m really excited to be coming down there, and to open up his home, let me visit.”

But this isn’t just about two friends having fun together. Both players know that their skill sets complement one another perfectly.

NHL Millennium Megadraft: Round One

by Josh Lewis…

If you’re confused by the title, don’t feel bad. You’re probably not alone. So I’ll explain how this works.

Being a draft junkie, and experiencing writer’s block due to the lack of hockey action in August, I’ve decided to play around a bit with the last few drafts.

I’ve taken the top five picks from each of the last six drafts (starting with 2001, and leaving out 2007 and 2008, because most of those players haven’t hit the NHL yet). I’ve then merged all 30 players into one newly-ranked list.

And that gives us round one of the NHL Millennium Megadraft.

Let’s get started. Here are the players we’ll be working with:

2001: Ilya Kovalchuk, Jason Spezza, Alex Svitov, Stephen Weiss, Stanislav Chistov

2002: Rick Nash, Kari Lehtonen, Jay Bouwmeester, Joni Pitkanen, Ryan Whitney

2003: Marc-Andre Fleury, Eric Staal, Nathan Horton, Nikolai Zherdev, Thomas Vanek

2004: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Cam Barker, Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler

2005: Sidney Crosby, Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson, Benoit Pouliot, Carey Price

2006: Erik Johnson, Jordan Staal, Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom, Phil Kessel

Now to plunk them all into one list, and rank them 1-30. Remember, some of the younger players (e.g. Bobby Ryan) haven’t established themselves in the NHL yet and will be ranked lower accordingly.

THE LIST

1. Sidney Crosby: Edges out OV in a two-man race.
2. Alex Ovechkin: A no-brainer.
3. Evgeni Malkin: Not far behind Ovechkin, but not quite on the same level.
4. Rick Nash: Explosive goalscorer has improved all-around game.
5. Ilya Kovalchuk: Other-worldly talent, no supporting cast.
6. Marc-Andre Fleury: Finally proved himself in 2008 playoffs.
7. Jay Bouwmeester: Two-way D-man likely to hit market next summer.
8. Eric Staal: Excellent all-around talent, though consistency is an issue.
9. Jason Spezza: Propensity for turnovers puts him a shade behind Staal.
10. Jonathan Toews: New ‘Hawks captain could be near top of list in future.
11. Kari Lehtonen: Injuries an issue, but Lehtonen is a rock when healthy.
12. Thomas Vanek: Tailed off last year, but 50 goals not out of reach.
13. Nathan Horton: Power forward in the making has put injuries behind him.
14. Joni Pitkanen: Stock has fallen considerably, but franchise potential still there.
15. Erik Johnson: Sky is the limit for Blues’ franchise player.
16. Jordan Staal: Strong PKer who can snipe, but offensive upside is questionable.
17. Nikolai Zherdev: Perennial headache could reach new heights in Big Apple.
18. Ryan Whitney: Offensive d-man has room to improve in own end.
19. Nicklas Backstrom: Look for Swede to climb the charts setting up Ovechkin.
20. Carey Price: Unflappable goalie will rise considerably with more experience.
21. Phil Kessel: Not the Next One, but Kessel will be a first line forward.
22. Jack Johnson: Nasty rearguard could form NHL’s top pairing with Doughty.
23. Stephen Weiss: Centre not living up to expectations; third line centre on most teams.
24. Andrew Ladd: Canes pick looks for fresh start in Chicago; lots of time yet.
25. Cam Barker: Having trouble cracking a regular spot; object of trade rumours.
26. Bobby Ryan: Why Ducks took him over JJ, we’ll never know; maybe a top-six forward.
27. Benoit Pouliot: Not an NHL regular yet, but development still on track.
28. Stanislav Chistov: Bruins reclamation project all but finished with NHL.
29. Alex Svitov: Played three seasons with disappointing results before returning home.
30. Blake Wheeler: Off-the-board pick who just finished college, signed with Bruins.

Feel free to make your own list and post it below.

Sundin 101: How Athletes Should Act

by Daniel Sallows… In a world where athletes have become nothing more than over-paid, glorified cry babies that don’t have loyalties to the city in which they play I have to commend Mats Sundin on dealing with his unrestricted free agency.

The fact is this shouldn’t have been the case for Sundin, who wore his heart on his sleeve for the Toronto Maple Leafs for 13 years.

Mats Sundin should have been given the option to retire a Leaf; he deserved better treatment for his services to the hockey team, plain and simple.

This is just yet another reason the Toronto Maple Leafs may never compete for the Stanley Cup as they continue to make bad decisions.

Take a look at the successful teams over the past years, Detroit with Steve Yzerman, Dallas with Mike Modano, and Colorado with Joe Sakic just to name a few. There franchise players all staying in the fold.

It isn’t like Mats Sundin has slowed down at all either; he had yet another solid season, scoring 32 goals and 46 assists in 74 games.

If anything, Sundin is having a hard time making his decision not on the basis that he can play, but if he wants to play for another club.

So for those Leaf fans that were angry at him for not waiving his no-trade clause at the deadline this year, I hope you remember this incident when Luke Schenn decides to sign elsewhere for big bucks at 27-years-old.

Maybe then it will sink in…Mats Sundin loved playing in Toronto, and wanted to win there for those same fans that turned on him.

Now who can be angry at that?

The Joker’s Sports-World Inspiration

by Bryan Thiel… Sometimes you can just feel it when someone is about to go out on top; When they’re about to cap off their career with something that no one could ever imagine, or a performance that can never be topped.

Every move they make is magnified, with an aura about it that seems to take on a life of it’s own. You follow along with them on the path they’re taking, in hopes that in some  way you can feel what they feel and see what they see.

You cringe at times of pain, and stare in awe at what they’re doing—mystified at what you’re watching, but believing it all the same—and no matter what, you’re unable to look away.

At one point, whether they’ve been your opposition for years, or the hero that you looked up to, you both gain an understanding and a respect for each other; you for what’s come about in the waning moments of their limelight, and him for your ability to ignore the outsiders trying to sway opinions on the matter and just follow along in the magic.

This was Heath Ledger’s final appearance—the penultimate moment where he achieved something that only the elite of his brethren ever have—a role in which the audience was enraptured by him.

There’s no one word to describe Ledgers’ portrayal of the Joker in the Dark Knight except to say that Ledger proved to be one of the most accomplished method actors of our time, and that he truly went out on top—something most athletes fail to do these days.

Now at first, the comparison may seem unjust—Ledger didn’t go out on his own terms as so many athletes do; He died—in large part due to his studies for his role. He never had the opportunity to say “this is my final role, studied and performed how I’ve always done so, and it will be my last”. It just was.

But maybe it’s a strange, disjointed way, to look at a man who went out at the top of his game—on a euphoric level that so few of us are able to find.

Some athlete’s are able to find that level throughout the course of their careers, be it through scoring, grinding, or being that all-around leader, and are able to sustain it for years on end.

Some players’ careers don’t reach that level of play—but all of that is replaced by winning a championship, leading to a different sense of euphoria, but a level of ecstasy that can still never be taken away.

When some players reach their goal of a championship, or see that they’re on the cusp of losing that all-world ability, they follow the path that leads them respectability into the sunset, where they’re remembered for acknowledging when they’d accomplished what they’d needed to, or won that elusive trophy.

The Ray Bourques, the Michael Strahans, and the John Elways of the sports world all chose to go out on top.

But lately, there’s been another path leading to a different mindset for today’s athlete—a mindset where they believe that they have the ability to play for an eternity; a child-like mentality of immortality when it comes to their sporting career.

When this happens, we begin to tire of our heroes because they aren’t who we thought they were—the Anti-Dennis Green if you will.

They lose their talent and become a foreign entity in our eyes—someone who went from being able to stop the world on a dime, to someone who’s become greedy, ragged, and aged while losing all that everyone once loved about them.

I don’t need to name names. We all know an athlete—a favorite, secret favorite, or otherwise—that just doesn’t know when to ‘hang’em up’. It’s all too common these days.

One day I hope that some of our athletes realize that they don’t need to hang on for that extra season to earn our respect—that we’ll tell our kids about the men that went out on top of their game, not the 600-goal scorer who was relegated to a fourth line checking role due to the erosion of his skills.

Mr. Ledger never had the opportunity to make that choice to go out on top—chances are if he hadn’t been taken from us, we would have been exposed to a career full of deep, meaningful memories that would forever shine in our psyches—but someone he accomplished it in a virtuoso performance.

Sometimes going out on top ain’t so bad—the view is better after all, and Heath Ledger can attest to that.

Suddenly, Ocho Cinco takes a back seat

By Michael Seff…

Remember what one of the hotbed issues in the NFL was before the ridiculous Brett Favre soap opera started? It was dozens of players complaining how they had been mistreated by their teams and how the only way they would set foot on the gridiron again would be in a different uniform.

One of the head honchos in that department was Ocho Cinco, Chad Johnson. The Bengals’ enigmatic receiver was whining and complaining about how he was prepared to go to Hollywood and take up acting if he was still under contract with the Bengals in 2008.

The headaches and distractions facing Marvin Lewis, Carson Palmer, and the entire front office weren’t quite at the level of what Favre’s selfishness is doing to the Packers organization. That can’t be anything but a positive thing for a team whose defense would have trouble stopping a Division I-AA team at this point. But Johnson, for all his shenanigans, has never been in trouble with the law, and has always been a dominant force on the field. Certainly no one can blame him for being frustrated with the fact that he has never experienced a single postseason win in his first seven years in the league.

With the Bengals breaking camp and having Johnson almost completely healthy and ready to go, maybe Lewis has begun to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Johnson, nursing a surgically repaired ankle, may even take time off from running his mouth to the media to get a glimpse of that light – wearing orange and black, no less.

check out Michaels blog www.pitchingideas.net