The Dilemma of Dwight Howard

I feel that as long as we live, Lebron James will always be directly associated with “The Decision.”  While it was unnecessary and completely absurd, it was an hour; an hour that he undoubtedly wants back, now that he’s been scrutinized almost daily for it.  Dwight Howard has taken over a year to figure out what in the fuck he wants to do, and Lebron – although he finally won – is still the NBA’s villain.  I am now dubbing this period of uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard “The Dilemma,” because there’s really no solid outcome for Orlando.

Why aren’t we on Dwight like we were on Lebron?  If your answer is because “Cleveland doesn’t deserve it – he should have stuck it out and won it with the team who drafted him,” keep in mind that this is the second FRANCHISE center – a once-in-a-lifetime center – to leave Orlando behind in two decades.

News broke about two days ago that Dwight requested to be traded to the Nets.  News just broke about two minutes ago that Deron Williams, who is the NBA’s most well-rounded point guard if not the best overall, will remain with Brooklyn for the next five seasons.  It now looks that the Joe Johnson trade wasn’t a consolation for losing out on Deron and Dwight, but instead a piece to add to them coming to join the team.  Things look as though they’re finally going the Nets’ way for the first time since Vince Carter could reverse dunk.

I don’t get how a package of Brook Lopez, Marshon Brooks, Kris Humphries and picks compares to the packages that the Lakers, Clippers, and Rockets can put together to offer Orlando, but it seems like they’re somehow the frontrunner.  The only problem is, if Dwight does get his way, which is probably going to happen, who do  you root for in the East when it’s him vs. Lebron?  Dilemma vs. Decision? Villain vs. villain?

Pretty soon, there’s going to be no one left who is easy to root for.

–Zack Hammill

Breaking Bad Season 5 : July 15th

If you haven’t watched season 1-4 of Breaking Bad yet, you probably should stop reading this blog, because you’re missing out on what may very well be the greatest television drama of our decade. Walter White and Jessie Pinkman killed the king (oh ya, spoiler alert.) How this season unfolds? Well in the words of Aaron Paul himself, it will be a ‘bloodbath.’ Can’t wait.

A$AP Rocky Channel4 Documentary Teaser

Pretty Flacko has been on tear since last year’s LiveLoveA$AP mixtape, changing the forefront of New York rap as we know it. With hype steamrolling ahead for his new LongLiveA$AP LP, Filmmaker Luke Monaghan decided to encapsulate the Harlem rapper’s historic rise to fame with a documentary due to drop later this fall. It will be available online in August. TRiLLa.

Welcome.. Again.

It’s been a year’s detour. ElMaverick is back, as The Empire. Coffee’s ready.

‘Watch The Throne’ Released Without Leak

Those Watching the Throne will have a hard time looking away.

If there was anyone that could keep this mega-project from being released to the public before the scheduled release date, it was this duo of Jay-Z and Kanye West. With Watch The Throne being distributed digitally first and then physical copies hitting Best Buy shelves August 12th, there seems to be a plan in place to make the most cash possible. The news that these CDs would only be released at Best Buys nationwide caused uproar amongst independently owned record shops- indie stores and privately owned places that have been struggling to stay afloat in a time and age when no one pays for music anymore. But this phenomenon has taken its toll on the entire industry, and that includes the musicians themselves. It seems the only ones making out in all of this are us as the listeners.

John Meneilly, Jigga’s manager, has come out to say this Best Buy only deal was to avoid a leak. I guess the probability of a privately owned record shop employee swiping a copy of the heralded product is higher than a Best Buy employee doing the same- seems bogus. In all reality, a deal may have been worked out between Roc-A-Fella and Best Buy to exclusively push this album. If you look at it from Jay and Kanye’s point of view, they won’t be paid anyways with millions of kids downloading their beats for free, so they might as well take the commercial cash from a big-time distributor and turn some sort of profit. Otherwise, this masterpiece would have been out a week or two ago and the hype would have already died. But let’s not let all the politics surrounding this bad boy bring it down- this quality rap indeed.

Adidas LQC ‘New Navy’ Kicks

The 'New Navy' hoops design is a change for Adidas.

A pair of kicks that will look real good with some freshly-pressed jeans: the Adidas LQC New Navy basketball shoes that could serve for on-court use as well as style function. It has the high top look and appears to be light enough for recreational use. Respect the fact that you can cop them for only $85.

 

NBA 2K12 Relives Association’s Greatest Rivalries

Bird and Magic make up 2/3 of the retro cover athletes for 2K12.

NBA 2K12 is paying tribute this year to the greatest rivalries basketball has ever known, meaning gamers will have the opportunity to play with the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, and Kareem Abdul-Jabar. The cover athletes are Jordan, Bird and Magic this year, and this year will pay homage to the legendary players that turned the NBA into a culture rather than just a basketball league. Who would have thought this was possible when they were flossin’ in the 80s?

Invest Wisely: Jay-Z Buys BBC Clothing Line From Pharrell

Jay-Z has bought Billionaire Boys Club from Pharrell.

“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.”

Jay-Z founded Rocawear, a hip-hop inspired clothing line that blew up on the same scale as his career in the late 90s and 2000s. And with Watch The Throne dropping tomorrow, Sean Carter has made more news with the announcement that he has bought the Billionaire Boys Club clothing line from it’s brainchild, producer/rapper extraordinaire Pharrell. With Rocawear now owning the license to manufacture and distribute BBC clothes, sources have confirmed that Jay and Pharrell will work together to see the line grow- Jigga Man using his business prowess and Pharrell using his creative genius. Hova gives the streetwear line a huge financial re-vamp that lots of other brands simply can’t match- it should be interesting to see where the company goes from here. And for those concerned about seeing the prestigious BBC in department stores like Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and JC Penney’s just because its under the Roc umbrella, the two business moguls have made it clear that this will not be the case. A good business deal on both ends, I’d say.

 

 

Fantasy Football 2011 Positional Rankings: Quarterbacks

Vick resurrected his career last season, proving he can carry a fantasy lineup.

It was a very uncomfortable summer for football fans across America as the NFL seemed to be hanging in limbo, everyone watching ESPN updates on the confusing and intricate details of what still had to be worked out in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Cooler heads prevailed and we learned there would indeed be football on Sunday (collective exhale of relief). The approach of late summer means one thing and one thing only: fantasy football, and the preparation leading up to your draft. Without further a due, a comprehensive evaluation of all fantasy positions, beginning with the year’s top 5 projected signal-callers. Let’s get right into things.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

In three years at the helm for Green Bay, Rodgers has come in second, first, and second again in terms of fantasy production at the QB spot. He has an offensive line that is coming off a Super Bowl Championship and only improved this off-season. Promising Tight End Jermichael Finley will be back healthy this year, bolstering a receiving corps that includes Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, and new addition Randall Cobb. Rodgers is as close to a sure thing as you can get.

2. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

What can you say about a player that averaged 29.7 fantasy points a game? One of the greatest waiver pick-ups someone in your league ever made last season, Vick will be back this year to continue his amazing come-back story from the pits of hell. As an obvious rushing and passing threat, Vick completed a career-high 62.6% of his passes last year while accumulating 676 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. As entertaining as they come, Vick is not to be overlooked in this year’s draft, by any means.

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Throwing for 4600 yards last season but also tossing a career high 22 picks, Drew Brees is a player you can feel safe about in your QB slot. He will undoubtedly lower the number of INTs he throws this year and is very durable- not to mention he is dropping back behind a stellar O-Line. With a number of tools to work with in his offense (including new additions Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram), don’t be suprised to see Brees finish in the top 3 QB statistically this year.

4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

It was tough not to put Brady into that #3 slot after the addition of perennial downfield threat Chad Ochocinco, bolstering a group of receivers that already includes Wes Welker, Deion Branch, and Julian Edelman, Brady has proved time and time again that he can put up big numbers no matter who he’s throwing to. One of the key factors to consider in drafting #12 is his two new weapons at the tight end spots in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, who both had breakout seasons last year as rookies.

5. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts 

Peyton has never missed a start in 12 years behind center and he has also never finished a season without throwing at least 28 TDs. Yes, he had neck surgery and has missed some time in the rushed training camps, but the last time he had neck surgery he threw for 4,700 yards and 33 touchdowns. Being in a keeper league myself this year, I know what future Hall Of Famer I’m not letting go of. Let’s hope his receivers can manage to stay healthy.

 

Klinsmann Brings U.S. Soccer Into New Era

Jurgen Klinsmann will bring a new attitude to U.S. Soccer.

After an embarrassing loss to our neighbors to the south, the brass of the U.S. Mens National Soccer Team knew it was time to can Bob Bradley. There was certain conservative, counter-attacking approach the U.S. National Team had under Bradley, as he preached the importance of defense and never truly developed a premier scorer besides Landon Donovan. Of course, you can’t really blame a Head Coach for that, as most of the players on these National teams play for other squads and only play as a unit on occasion. With that being said, it can be tough to form chemistry, but Klinsmann, a German soccer legend, will have to formulate some sort of cohesiveness to see results. World Cup qualifying is just around the corner.

Klinsmann appears ready to shake this team up, wanting to implement a style of play that has America focusing on ball control and dictating the pace of play. If Coach Klinsmann wants a high-octane, skill oriented system like that he ruled in Germany, he will need to re-vamp parts of this roster, notably portions of the defense and some of the center midfield. New stars will emerge and some faces may disappear. The provocative plan will reflect the times- after seeing the United States Womens National Team reach the World Cup Final, America seems once again ready to contend in the world’s most played sport. That means learning on the fly for Klinsmann, who will lead the U.S. into battle against Mexico in Philadelphia on August 10th. Best of luck.