NBA Western Conference Preview

NBA season start tonight. Here's my take on the West.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA Champions 2008-2009)- The Lakers are still the team to beat. Kobe has plenty of weapons around him. This summer LA added Ron Artest better known as a ticking time bomb. Ron Ron brings a lot to the team. But Ron is still a very high risk. Kobe should keep him focused. If Andrew Bynum stays healthy, he should have a solid season. What makes LA dangerous is, the fact that Kobe is getting older. He knows his time of greatness is coming to an end. Which for now makes Kobe very deadly.

2. San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs reloaded and are rejuvenated. With all the new faces they got over the summer. Richard Jefferson is a huge addition, insurance if Ginobili goes down. One thing I worry about is, Jefferson going to bring it, on the defensive side of the ball. The Spurs also signed veterans Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff and Keith Bogans. All three should bring depth to the frontcourt. The Spurs also got damaged goods in rookie DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh). Tony Parker should have a good season. Duncan looks ready to go and Ginobili looks healthy. The Spurs are loaded, health is their only concern.


3. Portland Trailblazers- I'm not convinced that Portland can compete for a championship. Not yet. Brandon Roy needs consistent help from LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. Portland signed Andre Miller. Miller will help start up the offense, which will allow Roy to focus on scoring. Miller will help this team a lot. The bench is solid and very deep. Nicolas Batum will be even better, he's got a lot of upside. If Roy gets help on the scoring end. No one will want to see Portland in the playoffs.

4. Denver Nuggets- Can Denver repeat last years success. I don't think they can, but this team is still very good. Chauncey Billups second year at the helm should help even more. If Carmelo Anthony wants to elevate his game to another level. He must take more of a leadership role on the team. The Nuggets also traded up, in the draft for rookie Ty Lawson (North Carolina). Great pickup. Dahntay Jones will be missed, but Aaron Afflalo is better. If Nene and Kenyon Martin can stay healthy the Nuggets have a shot at that success.


5. Dallas Mavericks- Good enough, to be a middle of the pack team. Nothing has changed since last season. Sure the Mavs have some new faces. They traded for Shawn Marion and signed Drew Gooden. But the Mavs need everything to go their way, for things to happen. Jason Kidd is really old, how long can he last? Dirk Nowitzki will put up numbers. This team is good enough to tease everyone of how good they are. I'm not fooled.

6. Utah Jazz- Deron Williams is a stud, the most complete point in the game. Glad to see Paul Millsap got paid. Great player. If Carlos Boozer can bring his A game. A lot of teams will be calling to trade for him. C.J. Miles is a good player. Can the Jazz win on the road? The Jazz are deep and still have the ability to make noise. But Jazz management must settle this Boozer mess.


7. New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul is the best point in the game. But he doesn't have a lot, of help beyond power forward David West. The trade for Emeka Okafor is a trade that doesn't hurt or help the team. Okafor will be under pressure to perform at a high level and help out Paul. Can rookie Darren Collison (UCLA) be a steady backup for Paul? Can the bench contribute every night? A lot of questions to be answered. Stay tuned.


8. Phoenix Suns- The Run and Gun Suns are back! Amare Stoudemire will be wearing googles now. Grant Hill will remain consistently reliable. The bench is average. The Suns run and gun should help them against inferior opponents. Is this Stoudemire's last season in the desert? Suns should be fun to watch. But the Suns are a early round exit.


9 Los Angeles Clippers- The other LA team. The Clips got #1 pick Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) the guy can play. The Clips also have some talent to build around Griffin with Eric Gordon and Al Thornton. Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby provide depth at center. Oh yeah, the Clips have Baron Davis. If everyone stays healthy and focused the Clips might make the playoffs. But I'm not holding my breath.


10. Houston Rockets- The toughest team in the league. The Rockets are a scrappy bunch. But Yao Ming is out for the year. Tracy McGrady is out for half, the Rockets have no firepower. But why at 10? The Rockets will find a way to score. Point guard Aaron Brooks can score, power forward Luis Scola can as well. The Rockets signed Trevor Ariza he will help defensively. Not to mention 2 round draftee Chase Bundinger (Arizona) can fill it up. They have 1 player taller than 6'9 but this team will not make it easy to win. That's all you can ask for. I'm predicting a big summer for the Rockets. They will sign someone big.


11. Golden State Warriors- Better known as the circus. Stephen Jackson wants out. Monta Ellis says "he can't play with rookie Stephen Curry (Davidson)" what a mess. You also got Don Nelson he 's a circus by himself. With all that said, the Warriors have to much talent, to sink to the bottom. They won't make the playoffs, but they won't have the worst record in the league. But then again, that's not saying much.


12. Oklahoma City Thunder- Kevin Durant is a star in the making. The guy can play, but must improve his defense. Russell Westbrook is a lot better at point than I thought. Jeff Green is the man who does all the dirty work. Nenad Kristic is a good center. Rookie James Harden (Arizona State) will make an impact. The Thunder are young and have a promising future. But it will take time, before you can talk playoffs in Oklahoma.

13. Memphis Grizzlies- The FedEx Forum will be a little bit fuller. Thanks, to Allen Iverson. Hopefully, Iverson can be a good influence, if not, watch out! Memphis does have talent with Rudy gay, O.J. Mayo, and Marc Gasol. This team could be a lot better but AI and Zach Randolph will prove to be bad for the young Griz. Rookie Hasheem Thabeet (UCONN) looks lost out on the floor. The Grizzlies will be bad but entertaining to keep up with.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves- Al Jefferson lost weight and looks ready for the season. Rookie Jonny Flynn (Syracuse) will do so much more, than what Ricky Rubio could have done. Kevin Love, is good but should come off the bench, for depth reasons. Ryan Hollins, great pickup, should start at center, so Jefferson can abuse the opposing power forward. Ramon Session was also a good pickup. The T- Wolves will be bad. But I like the pieces they have for the future. Beware, If I were the GM I would move Rubio elsewhere. It good happen.

15. Sacramento Kings- Kevin Martin is healthy and ready to go. Rookie Tyreke Evans (Memphis) has a lot of potential. Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes are pretty solid. The Kings have talent, but its still very iffy. The Kings are bad because the bench sucks. Expect trades throughout the season. Regardless, it should be a long year in the capital of California.

NBA Eastern Conference Preview

The NBA season starts tomorrow! Very excited! Well here's my take of the upcoming season. The position I place teams is, where I believe they will finish at the end of the season. Western preview coming soon.

1. Boston Celtics- The Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels. Those signings will help tremendously. But I think Daniels will have more of an effect then Sheed. But either way, Boston is stacked. Rondo is a stud, but an arrogant one. Rondo must mature. Lastly, the Celtics will go, as far as KG's knees take them. KG will be ready.

2. Orlando Magic- I like this team come playoff time. The Magic present some many mismatches, start with Dwight Howard, next Rashard Lewis, and at times Vince Carter. They have one of the deepest benches in the league. Howard must improve his offense and his free throws. Nelson will be ready to repeat his All- Star season. The Magic will be magically in the playoffs.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers- The Big Witness Protection (Shaq) is in town. His goal " win a ring for the king" , easier said then done. Shaq, gives the Cavs a post presence. But will that clog up the lane for King James? LeBron will have a MVP season. Mo Williams will move to third fiddle, which suits him well. The Cavs also picked up Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and Leon Lowe. The Cavs must be success to convince James to stay. Success to James is getting a ring, its going to be hard.

4. Atlanta Hawks- The Hawks traded for Jamal Crawford and signed Joe Smith. The Hawks have a lot of talent. This group has been playing with each other for awhile. There needs to be signs of improvement. Joe Johnson is quietly lethal. Josh Smith, when his head is on, is very productive. Al Horford, great young player. Its time to step up and play at a high level.

5. Washington Wizards- Gilbert Arenas is back, but is he ready for the 82 game grind? Caron Bulter will be the stable force. Antawn Jamison will put up numbers. New acquisitions Randy Foye and Mike Miller give the Wiz good quality depth. Also the Wiz have a nice project in center Javale McGee. With all that said, the Wiz at best are a second round team.

6.Chicago Bulls- Ben Gordon will be missed. Is Loul Deng really healthy? Derrick Rose will be asked to score more. The Bulls have some nice rookies in Taj Gibson (USC) and James Jones (Wake Forest). The Bulls have depth and will benefit from the thrilling series against the Celtics. The Bulls have the ability to make a lot of noise.

7. Toronto Raptors- The signing of Hedo Turkoglu helps the Raps offense, but does nothing for their defense. Chris Bosh will be is regular double double. Rookie DeMar DeRozan (USC) should make an impact. Andrea Bargnani should have a big season. Bottom line Raps have a lot of offense, but no D. The Raps will make the playoffs. But is that enough for Bosh to stay?

8. Miami Heat- Dwyane Wade is a stud on many levels. The Heat are going to need him to play crazy good every night. Wade will undoubtedly, need help. But who? Jermaine O'neal is old and done, and might have some decent games. Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers need to step up. Wade will be great. But who else. I'm guessing some will smell the coffee and respond. I just don't know who.

9. Philadelphia 76ers- The Sixers were foolish in letting Andre Miller go. The Sixers have no pass first point guards. Lou Williams will be running the offense, along with rookie Jrue Holiday (UCLA) a very scary thought. Regardless, the Sixers have talent with Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, and Thaddeus Young. But this team is only good enough to be a bubble team.

10. Detroit Pistons- Detroit gains offense with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, but they not defense. Point guard Rodney Stuckey needs to learn to pass. Ben Wallace is back in Motown, but no one cares. Detroit is in the process of rebuilding it will take time. Rookies Austin Daye (Gonzaga) and DaJuan Summers (Pittsburgh) look promising. But like the Philly, Detroit is a bubble team at best.

11. Indiana Pacers- Outside of basketball junkies no one knows who Danny Granger is. Expect that to change this season. Roy Hibbert has shown great improvement. Brandon Rush has and will improve. Can Troy Murphy still maintain is hot shooting from the 3? Can rookie Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina) make an impact? Will Mike Dunleavy ever get healthy? A lot of questions. This team is one impact player away from being a lower seed playoff team.

12. Charlotte Bobcats- Larry Brown has done wonders, with the Bobcats. Expect him to do, more wonders, with less talent. Tyson Chandler will swat shots left and right. Gerald Wallace is a talented player on a bad team. Rookie Gerald Henderson (Duke) will not be see a lot of game time. Larry Brown will push more trades and push his team to do things its, not capable of.

13. New York Knicks- The Knicks should be fun to watch. Wilson Chandler has been a bright spot in the lights of Madison Square Garden. Rookie Jordan Hill (Arizona) will be bullied in the paint. Chris Duhon is a back up point and not a starter. GM Donnie Walsh will try to dump salaries. This season is, in many ways a long training camp, until the summer of LeBron.

14. New Jersey Nets- With Vince Carter gone, Devin Harris and Brook Lopez will be asked to score every night. Both are very talented players. In the Carter trade, the Nets got Courtney Lee who will help on the defensive side. In the draft the Nets got Terrence Williams (Louisville). Williams is very versatile and should help with scoring. The Nets also got a new owner. With the summer 2010 coming, if the Nets sign a big time free agent. This team with all the young talent will have a lot of upside.

15. Milwaukee Bucks- Not much to celebrate in Milwaukee. The Bucks let Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva go. They also traded Richard Jefferson to the Spurs. Micheal Redd is coming back from injury. Rookie Brandon Jennings (Oak Hill Academy played in Europe for a year) is still unproven. Andrew Bogut is average at best. The Bucks have talent, but everything must go right. Unfortunately, that won't happen.

Good Enough Or Wanting It

Over the past couple of weeks. I have found myself, just doing enough. In other words, not going the extra mile. Not taking pride in what I'm doing. Not with everything, but the one constant thing, I always seem to half ass .... school.

I allow it, to become a drag for me. I sleep in class, or don't even show up. I do enough to get by. Some days I just want to drop out and move to a foreign country. But for everything that is hard there's a reason behind it.

I've been content with just being average. Fulfilling what is required, and just do good enough to be accepted as ok. I have not been motivated to go beyond my own expectations that I have for my academic career. Stagnant is the word that comes to mind. Now to use a sports metaphor. A bad student of the game. I either don't show up, or rarely compete in practice. I use every excuse to tell myself that I need a day off. Do not stay after practice and work on my game. Worst of all, my laziness has become an habitual action. Some athletes have the talent, but never work on being a better player. They are content with just being good enough.

The Michael Jordan's, Muhammad Ali's of the world never settled for good enough. They strive for greatness in the realm of sports, they achieved it. To use a another metaphor again. Those individuals who work hard, are willing to sacrifice to get better, and put in the time when its not needed. Those individuals go beyond being good enough. They wanted it, they knew it be hard. But they knew what they wanted and went after it. Sure failure will find a place in this journey. But that should not be the reason to stop.

So as, I reflect on my good enough attitude, mentality towards school. I know I must change that outlook. Work harder than before, put in the time. Show my coaches I care. That I want to be better. That I'm not afraid to fail. That I welcome the challenge ahead.

If I do all that.
I like my chances.

Stuck

Every Monday night is truly unique and humbling. For two plus years, every Monday I've gone to feed the homeless. I have learned much from this whole experience. In several different capacities I've grown to being a better person and Christ follower. But one reoccurring theme that presents its self every Monday, is why they are down there.

You really can't pinpoint a specific reason for all. Sure some abuse some kind of substance, or from a country south of the border. But what I've come to find out, is that there stuck. Several elements drag, force, and allow them to be down there.

But I'm beginning to see it, in a different light. Before I did this, I felt sorry for them. But I wanted nothing to with them. It was like a zoo for me, every time I went under the bridge. It was like a tour, " on your left is the crack whore, to your right is a drunk man, that smells like feces, and right in front of us, is a Mexican gang banger, hitting a joint, with an array of tattoos.

I pitied them, in a bad way. It was there fault they were down there. Why should I help someone, who doesn't want to be helped? Well God worked on my hear to say the least. Time went on ......

As I got to know the people under the bridge. I realized a lot wanted out, a lot were desperate to change, they wanted to change. They were, just stuck in a hard situation. That the reasons for them being down there, are more complex then we realize. A lot of factors come into play.

Sure they have made mistakes that have brought them down there. But we all make mistakes. Just because, most of us, live comfortably and have the essentials. Does not make us, better then people who have nothing.

During my time down there I've heard many stories. I've come to love these people for who they are. To care about what's going on in their lives. To take a genuine, real approach to helping them.

The underline point being, we get stuck sometimes. It may not lead us, to the streets. But we get stuck and we want to get unstuck. But we need help. This is my challenge to find the stuck and help in the process of "unstucking".

Like everything else, it is a process.

But a process that we are called to do.

A process that I have benefited from and more many.

Listening Trumps Talking

We all listen and talk. But which one are we better at?

Sometimes we don't realize how much we talk. Talking is a means of communicating a variety of things. But listening, requires more work, it seems effortless at times. But when you practice listening it really goes a long way.

We all love to vent, or talk about our current situation in life. We love to talk. Sure it can be casual and the talking among the talkers can be balanced. I'm not saying talking is bad. But only when you allow it, to monopolize everybody's chance to contribute. Which means your not listening.

Listen is harder to perform. You listen to someone intently and sometimes they notice when you doze off. It's like in school. You listen to the teacher and its hard to listen sometimes. It may be there voice, you can't understand them, or you have no interest in the material. Regardless, listening to them is hard, especially for a long period of time.

Some people excel at listening. But why is it, so hard to listen? Perhaps, talking is more of a selfish act, its more about us, when we are talking and not listening. So its easier to talk?

Listening requires earnest attention to who your are hearing out. I feed the homeless every Monday and I've come to learn that they all have stories. They salivate at the chance to tell them. I may hardly say a word during the whole conversation. But me listening to their story is what spoke volumes to them. It shows I care, that I have interest so much so, I sat down and listened.

Listening is a tool we can all use to show we care. Without even saying we care. Listening is the action we can perform to show our love, concern, or understanding of the talker.

So next time a friend comes to vent. Listen. Or when you are catching up with a friend. Listen. Better yet, your at school or at work. Listen

Trust me you're get your time to talk.

He Gave Me

He gave me grace
To finish the race

He gave me power
In my darkest hour

He gave me a friend
When I thought it was the end

He gave me love
Even though I wasn't looking above

He gave me
He gave me ........

And has set me free