Kobe’s longevity stands alone

March 07, 2013 - (0) comments

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to a 25-point comeback win over the Hornets on Wednesday in a vintage performance from the 34-year-old. His 42 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds makes him the second-oldest player in NBA history (Larry Bird, 35 years and 99 days old) to put up at least 40 points and 10 assists in a game. Maybe he won’t get title No. 6, and maybe he won’t get the title of best player ever. However, the ageless Bryant continues to be dominant in a way that is unmatched for anybody playing in his 17th year in the NBA. And the prestigious records that will inevitably fall to him should eventually take him outside the shadow of [...]

Westbrook, not KD, may lead OKC

March 06, 2013 - (0) comments

Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is on a whirlwind of a tear right now and is proving himself to be one of the most unstoppable forces in the NBA with his ability to penetrate and knock down consistent jumpers. Westbrook is on a 10-game stretch that’s seen him average 29.1 points per game while shooting 51% from the field and 48.1% from 3-point range. His steady improvement may make him a bigger key than Kevin Durant come playoff time because in the end, the Thunder are gonna have to go through the Spurs or Clippers. That means Westbrook will have to get the better of Tony Parker and Chris Paul, two of the best point guards in the game [...]

RBs are key to fantasy success

August 22, 2012 - (0) comments

The opener between the Giants and Cowboys isn’t until Sept. 5, but for us general managers the season has already started. Stud running backs are in very short supply in 2012, which means the position could make or break your fantasy football team this season. I rank my top running backs and analyze their relative fantasy values this season while also breaking down my second-tier backs that carry more significant risk. I also give three sleepers to keep an eye on and a few more to possibly pass on. Another key to your success this year might come from the tight end position. Two of them in particular were head and shoulders the best in the league, producing more [...]

Steroid Era is alive and well

August 16, 2012 - (0) comments

The Steroid Era is alive and well. Co-BALCO founder Victor Conte’s alarming statements to USA Today convinced me of that after guessing that half the players in the big leagues are using performance-enhancing drugs. Conte says testosterone is the new popular drug, explaining that it comes in fast-acting forms that make it easy for players to pass drug tests. He also points out why the test currently being used by MLB and other leagues, the T/E ratio, is a failure when it comes to effectively detecting testosterone. It would be wise for the MLB to listen to Conte, who successfully helped many MLB players go undetected for years. The league has to do one of two things: 1) Adopt [...]

Howard is Lakers’ missing piece

August 14, 2012 - (0) comments

Let’s just look at the Lakers’ trade for Dwight Howard for exactly what it is. L.A. coveted Howard, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, for two reasons: The Thunder and Heat. Andrew Bynum is a great center, but L.A. needed a more defensive-minded center for those young, aggressive teams that look poised to rule the NBA for years. In order to overcome those new school teams, the Lakers will have to go old school. That means dominating the paint. Howard does that with his shot-blocking and rebounding. He’s also much better than Bynum when it comes to defending the pick-and-roll. As far as the pick-and-roll goes, Steve Nash will have his bread-and-butter back, and it will be better [...]