NEW SHOW RELEASED IN L.A.

At the beginning of the NBA season many persons were of the opinion that the Los Angeles Lakers would be in serious trouble as a result of the many distractions caused during the off season. Something similar to what seems to be happening to the Chicago Bulls. After a slow start to the season the L.A Lakers now seem to be showing their true colours, on a 4 game winning streak and winning 10 of their last twelve the Lakers are proving to be another 'elite' team in the intimidating western confrence. After beating the Pheonix Suns on both occasions and losing only 5 of 19 games against teams of western opposion, many teams are taking notice of the Los Angeles Lakers.
With arguably the best player in the league, many thought the only way the Lakers could go on a run like this is if Kobe put the team on his back and literally carried them to the victories as he did at the end of last season scoring 50 points on 5 staight occasions. Being only one 'man' this had its disadvantages as when Kobe gets fatigued or has an off game, the entire team would suffer. This is not the case with the present LA team, with the highest scoring bench in the NBA and the support of role players on the team each victory has been a team effort.
Looking at the LA team you cannot help but to identify the blueprint to getting a championship team, one that Phil Jackson has been working hard to build since the departure of Shaq.
The Lakers have a superb shooting team,evident by the high shooting percentage that the team boasts, many of the persons coming off the bench for LA are more than capable of being starters on other teams around the league such as Farmar, Walton and Radmanovic. Also a close look at the Laker roster will show that they are one of the youngest teams in the league. These players are young, skilfull and still have alot of potential yet to be realized. The perfect example being Andrew Bynum, this young man has already proven himself to be one the more dominant big men in the league. A mixture of his body, his athleticism and his positive attitude has transformed him from a 'soft' player to a dominant center in the league. This young man with the teaching of the great Kareem Abdul Jabar still has alot of room for improvement. To aid with the growing of these young players the Lakers have brought back Derek Fisher who along with the fellow veteran Lamar Odom provide leadership for the young team. Finally with all these factors the Lakers have one of the greatest players of all time at their disposal.
The question has been asked "Is this Laker team capable of running the playoffs in this tough conference and then take on the likes of the best that the East has to offer and come out victorious?", different persons will have different answers each of which does have its points, but it is undoubtable that in the period of 2-3 years this team is likely to be the cream of the crop in the west.

P.S keep your eyes open, next we take a look at the Portland Trail Blazers

Winter Transfer Season

It is only a couple of hours before the winter transfer season, and being a Milan fan who is disappointed by the first half of the season, here are a few changes i would like to see take place.

Goal Keeper

It is Expected that Dida will leave in June so a goal keeper is needed, Milan are said to be looking at frey and Gomes, Frey is a good target, GOmes on the other hand, is brasilian, and i really do not want a next brasilian in goal, i would prefer a Italian like Amelia, Ochoa(Mexico), and Carrizzo(argentina) are also Milan Targets, but i think they are both too young (19-22 range), Keepers usually reach prime @ 25. If Ochoa or Carizzo, is acquired, i think he should be loaned out for development, as for the Frenchman frey, i dont know much about him, but i dont see a transfer for him happening.

I think Ochoa is the 2nd best option, then a loan for him, as, even though i DO NOT like DIDA i think we should remain with Dida in Goal for this season.

Best Option, Amelia is bought and Dida sold.

defense

Acquire Zombrotta, he is already rumoured to leave barcalona in Jan, to go to Milan, and though he is 30, he is a world class player and is only going to cost $5 mil.

If Zombrotta isnt acquired i would love to see Daniel Alves here, even if Zombrotta is acquired, and he is a reasonable target as he is rumoured to be looking a transfer, since ramos has left sevilla, and he is Brasilian, and Milan seems to love brasilians.
My problem with Alves is his cost has he may demand a 20+mil transfer fee.

Acquire a young Center Back, Cafu, favalli, simic, maldini,serghino are all expected to leave Milan in June, and since they are all defenders, we should look for Replacements.

Simic as early as January

Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), has reportedy said he wants to leave Bayern, and Play in italy, along side Maldini before he reitres.

Midfield

Ibrahim Ba, Emerson, Brocchi are expected to leave in June

Off topic - former Milan star Manuel Rui Costa has announced his retirement at the end of this season. (wish him all the best, and apologize for knocking out Benfica out of Champs League)

Alot depends in Ronaldinho, as it is rumoured that he will be transfered to Milan, but he may be too expensive, and Chelsea are the other team interest in the Brasilan's service, and are willing to pay way more than Milan can afford to, but Ronnie has not expressed any desire to play in Chelsea,
In The soccer magazine entitled Soccer Italia, or football Italia, he says that he may use fifa code 17 to be released from Barca. Basically what Fifa act 17 is, is once you have played the 3 years of your contract (which he has done) he can pay out the rest of his Contract and leave the club.
a transfer, would also lead to decrease role for Gourcuff, which may lead to a loan or sale (arsenal has been our tails to sign the french man who is dubbed, the next zidane)

If Ronaldinho isnt singed there may be the need for youg Midfielders, but i dont think any are needed for January, as Yoann Gourcuff can fill the role, and he should be given Minutes, as Seedorf and Gattuso hasnot been in the best of form all season.
Kaka, Pirlo and Ambrosini should still see many minutes in the Midfield.

A winger like Robben or Quaresma would be nice, but once again not neccesary.

Toulalan and Maresca are names also associated with Milan Transfers

Striker

Ronaldo is expected to Leave in June, due to his injury problem, but Flamengo, seems to be close to signing him for the January market.

Now Milan boast the Signing of Pato, but Pato alone cannot bring the Milan attack

I would love to see Etoo or Aguero as striker but thats, is only in my dreams, but a new striker is needed in Jamuary as Gilardino is not playing at the top of his game, and this may also depend on Ronnie, but Amauri, Benzema and berbatov are players Milan are scouting, i would prefer Mutu, Rossi, or Benzema as a reasonable transfer, though Benzema is reportedly not interested in leaving Lyon.

I also would mind a Podoski transfer, but i would prefer a Podoski - Gila Swap
Off topic - Figo is expected to Leave inter and Sign to a MLS Team.

off topic - XYZ@ face Robert Mancini, Inter's boss claims in Summer, "I Could Have easily Signed Hamsik, Toure & Pato," then y didnt he, instead he stole David Suazo, from Milan, "Milan signed him, but since some agreement with Suazo former team, they could out rule that transfer, in order t sign him to inter)

off topic - Barcelona star Deco, is also romoured to be looking a transfer out of Barca, and claims he would love to play in the EPL, Liverpool and Chelsea, have shown interest in the Poroguese.

Extra, (reported)

Former Chelsea manager Josè Mourinho and current Blues striker Didier Drogba will join Milan this summer, according to L’Equipe.

The French newspaper claims that the Portuguese Coach [pictured] has already signed a pre-contract with Milan to join them in July.

Mourinho is currently out of work after his Stamford Bridge exit in September and has claimed he would like a move to Italy.

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ enjoyed plenty of success at both Porto and Chelsea, as well as being assistant manager at Barcelona.

It is though that current Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti will take the place of Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona, as the Dutchman is under intense pressure at the Nou Camp.

L’Equipe goes on to claim that Drogba, who is reportedly unsettled in London after Mourinho’s departure, would then follow Mourinho to Milan.

The Rossoneri could make a £25m bid for the Ivorian striker, but Chelsea will be reluctant to release arguably their most important player.

NBA: Back to the dark ages?

There is a question that has been boggling my mind as of late; has the NBA gone back to the dark ages? If anyone has watched the NBA as long as I have (approximately 11 seasons) you would have realized the changes and improvements in teams,players and their records. As of late even the worst teams in the NBA were winning over 20 games in a season in comparios to teams of the late 90's and early 2000's who would end seasons in the TEENS! However I am noticing a disturbing trend in the NBA, this season, and though we may not have gone back completely to those horrid days it seems that we may be heading there. Prime example and specimen are the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team, now 4-25, are simply ATROCIOUS! Kevin Mchale, in one of the worst managerial moves in recent times, automatically relegated his team to not only a losing season but an embarrassing one as well. In his attempt to 'rebuild' he sold his big star, Kevin Garnett. Now not saying this was a bad move as we will have to wait for the long-term effects. However, what seems to have me lost is the trading off of Ricky Davis and Corey Blount to the Heat for Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac and a draft pick. Now if you're attempting to rebuild why in the world would you trade two relatively young players (both in their late 20's) for two 30+ year olds, one of whom is completely irrelevant and worthless as a basketball player (Doleac)? If you're rebuilding you usually want to get/keep the young players right? What's worse is that they gave up two players who were budding stars and promising to have career-high seasons this year (especially Ricky) to get old, inconsistent and worthless players. Mind-boggling I tell you, Mind-boggling. Another team set to have a record under 25 wins are the Seattle Supersonics. Granted it is a team which although bad has its sparks in young star and future ROY (Rookie of the year) in Kevin Durant. However, they are almost no better than the T'Wolves with a weak offense and possibly even worse defense. It must be noted though that they blew the T'wolves out last night (109-90) basically without Durant which shows there obviously lies more talent here than in Minnesota and most of the players are young. Other teams looking very dismal thus far are the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. Now Miami is doing worse than expected and is probably suffering from a combination of aged and inexperienced players. Try as the superhuman, Dwyane Wade might, his team is struggling a lot and though we must give credit to his resilience, this team looks like a below 25 win team (Just to note they got blown out last night as well, only conjuring up 76 points). The now infamous New York Knicks organization is possibly the least fortuitous team in the league. How can you have such a plethora of 'big names' and yet play this badly. I am watching them play as we speak (aginst the Bulls) and I cannot figure why the fans of New York would bother themselves, spend their money and sit down and watch this team. In fact, I am of the notion that they are there to watch and cheer the other team (or just to boo the Knicks, take your pick). This team's play is nothing near enthralling and are woefully dismal in many areas, especially defense. Eddy Curry, as fat as he is, yes I said FAT, is worthless, so far missing at least 5 easy baskets (it is currently halftime) and it seems like coming off the bench has done nothing to lift his declining game. Then there is Marbury (who seems to be the 'boss' of the team) taking personal time for apparently NO DAMN REASON, and they actually are letting him sit courtside? I won't go into anymore details on this team as my blood is beginning to boil and my fellow writer M.T.M.M. has articles addressing their situation. Even at the top of the league some of the more prominent teams are not playing up to standard and I'm simply hoping that this is due to the 'middle' teams from last year stepping up a gear (eg. Hornets and Blazers). Thus , in concluding, I hope to see the league improve in terms of team records and I sincerely hope these teams mentioned above prove me wrong and elevate/upgrade their standards and their respective organizations.

LOOK AT THAT....Renaldo Balkman just missed a wide open dunk! Yes you know what followed that horrific display of basketball skill, a plethora of "booes". As I finish this article, the Bulls currently lead 73-57 at the end of the third.


Some of these teams are playing like...well to be frank, ASSES (DONKEYS)!

Milan's Dissapointing Start

AC Milan’s poor season was briefly illuminated by success in Japan against Boca Juniors, but soon faded with a 2-1 loss to Inter, due to the antics of Brasilian GoalKeeper Nelson Dida. Milan have found the going tough in the league this season and are yet to win at home being held by Catania, Parma and Torino as well as losing to Empoli

Finding goals has been the main problem at home for AC Milan, with teams defending deep, double marking Kaka and hitting a generally slow and un-athletic defence in quick counter-attacks.

The arrival of Pato, the Brazilian wonder child from Internacional, will help to some degree, but he is still young and may take some time to acclimatise to the demands of football in Europe far away from the comforts of Brazil. Thus it is unreasonable to expect too much from him too soon.

Milan have managed to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League but 12th place at home for a side of Milan’s stature is simply unacceptable. With 6 draws in their opening 14 matches the problem is clear: they lack the killer instinct.

If the management can attract a sufficiently speedy player who can help pep up the attack and replace the domestically ineffective, Gilardino/Inzaghi then a Champions League spot for next season isn’t out of the question.

Otherwise it could be a long season for the Milan supporters, and with Inter running away with things at the top it may just turn out to be a forgettable season altogether.

My First Basketball Post (The Knicks)

There is no team in the NBA worse than the New York Knicks,
I know the records of Minnesota and Miami may state otherwise, but Minnesota is rebuilding, and Miami has lost a lot of players to injury, and hence is a small way are also rebuilding.
New york on the other hand arent rebuilding and arent experiencing Injuries

The Knicks are suppose to be one of the best teamn in the NBA, why, because it is one of the original teams, it is in the main media city in the US, New York city, has the largest arena, MSG, The richest Owner, Jim Dolan, Is the most valuable team, (check the forbes list), it has the highest salary roll, (over 90mil), HAs the most first round picks, and the list goes on...................


ONCE THEY LOOKED LIKE THIS
THE GREAT



NOW THEY LOOK MORE LIKE THIS




"NEW YORK KNICKS SUCK"



SO


q: Why do the Knicks Suck?

a: Well if you were to ask there Head Coach and GM, he will give you all kind of excuses, like the The players arent playing with heart and urgency, or it is the fans harsh criticism. But the answer to the question is simple.

Isiah Thomas - he is the worst GM and coach in basketball. He is a manipulative person and it seems that no matter how much he messes up, Dolan (the owner) will still give him praise. He is actually the only GM that has being hired to a team so long, without making the playoffs. Mr. Thomas has fired three of the best coaches of all time such namely Lenny Wilkens (Most wins as a coach), Jeff VanGundy, and Larry Brown, because he believed that with the talent that they have on their roster, they should be making the playoffs, but after he fired Brown, he appointed himself Head Coach, but the results have been even worse.
Though as a GM, he has completely wasted Jim Dolan's(the richest owner) money, acquiring or giving Van Horn, Jerome James, Marbury, Allan Houston, Crawford, Larry Brown, Steve Francis, QRich, Jalen Rose, Curry, Penny Hardaway, ZBO (Zach Randolph), both Kurt and Tim Thomas , and more that i just cannot remember right now, huge contracts, and then either relegating them to the bench or after a year waiving them, or simply the person did not deserve the money. Now Dolan is over the luxury tax threshold, and has to pay a dollar, for every dollar over the tax limit(last year he was 100+Mil over the limit, hence he had to give the NBA 100+ Mil for nothing).
The Knicks and Thomas do try hard to win, and thats why they try to acquire these players, as the Knicks has the most first round picks on a team with 11 knicks being drafted in the first round. But what they do not realize is that for a team to be successful, there has to be chemistry, and chemistry usually begins at the point, Marbury is a selfish player and hence not the best player to lead a team, and he and Thomas have fallen out many times about his leadership, which led to Marbury being demoted to the bench, but quickly promoted back to the starting position, as they were worse off with Marbury on the bench. Later, however, Marbury has had to take a leave of absence due to "personal reasons", and since Marbury's leave, the Knicks (correct me if I'm wrong) haven't won more than two games. This is because it all goes back to the point guard, as Crawford and Robinson have played the minutes at the point and both are offensive players, they look for their shot first.

AT the Swing MAN (SG and SF)
SG - Crawford, Jones (Fred), and others
SF - QRich, Jeffries, Rose, and others

Crawford problem was already explained in the PG section.

Jones - not really that good of a player, got ups though, surprised he lasted this long in New York (2 months - was apart of the Zbo trade), quick and strong. He plays hard defense. He's a scrappy offensive player who can get to the rim and he can shoot from distance albeit with no consistency. He was dumped by Toronto and Portland because he wasn't a versatile enough offensive player who was a hindrance to ball movement and movement off the ball. His best season was with Indiana, after the brawl.

QRich - He is the Knicks best perimeter defender and a versatile scorer. He has a post game, is good attacking the hoop, can run the floor and hit the outside shot with consistency so he can space the floor. However he falls victim to wrong situation, wrong time. He moves off the ball very poorly in the half court (NY's biggest problem) and consistently struggles to use his abilities next to the Knicks established players. He has two ball dominating guards which limits his touchs and two ball dominating big men to man the post and are not versatile enough away from the hoop to free up opportunities in the post for Q. He simply is a horrid fit here.

Jeffries - He is a complete joke, was once regarded as the one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, now he is $#*t.

Rose - doesnt even play enough to comment on his game, truthfully i dont even remember how he even played for SA.

Weak Defense in the front court: Curry vs ZBo
Now a year ago the knicks problem was their backcourt, having heavy weights as Francis and Marbury sharing minutes, but the two just never got along, as they have similar styles of play, and would have to compete for minutes and ball possesion, How did they solve that problem, trading francis for ZBo, which to me puts them in the same Dilemma.
Curry and Randolph are great offensive players, capable of putting up big scoring numbers, but both play little to no D(defense). Zbo is a better all round player as unlike Curry can pass and rebound, but for any of them to be productive they need the ball, and as they are not great ball handlers, they expect to get the ball in the right position (Unlike Garnett, Duncan and Dirk, who no matter where they receive the ball can make magic happen). The problem with this is that with a point guard looking to score, none of them are getting the ball, and these players are not hustlers who work for the ball and when the points do decide to pass in the post the question is who to pass to. However, the beneficiary of most of the passes have been ZBo, making Curry redundant (BUT WITH HIS CONTRACT SIZE, THEY CANNOT AFFORD FOR HIM TO BE REDUNDANT, OR CAN THEY). This has led to the the same problem with Francis and Marbury, both are fighting for minutes and possession, and ultimately has benefited the team.
But the problem they now face is that THOMAS has benched Zbo(similar to how he benched francis), to start DLee. DLee isn't a bad player, and does deserve minutes, but not at the cost of ZBo (similarly with crawford and Francis). and once again this led to poor performances by the one being demoted to the bench (Francis and Zbo), while the one who starts (marbury and Curry), still are not performing how they are expected to perform.

Now what do you call this, the same thing is basically, with different players in different years, Hence it must me Admins Fault or better yet Thomas.

To me Thomas is only getting big names, but worrying about Chem, but look at the lakers now, they do not have the big names (apart from Kobe and Maybe ODOM), but are gelling well and winning, which did not take over night, it took hard work, which even led kobe to being frustrated, but now its paying off as Bynum is now the one making a name for himself.
Now trevor Ariza (LAL)is also playing well, as he once did in New York, but as a rookie, no matter how much promise he had, they wanted a bigger player and so traded him and others for francis. (the point im trying to make is that it is only recently with young players like Dlee, have they kept to try and develop, usually these players get traded, for a all star caliber player.

After Blaming the coach, for the players he has acquired, an stated how the player compete each each other, i think i should mention how the knicks play as a team. at different ends of the Court

It's clear and has been clear for a good time that the Knicks have a bad mix of players. But why are they a bad mix?

Let's begin with the starters. The game of basketball is all about combinations. How do the big men play together? How do the guards do? How do the swingmen do? Can the guards and big men play together? Do the players complement one other?








Dont get me wrong Thomas isn't all bad, he has had some great drafts picking D.Lee, R.Balkman, N.Robinson, and others, and i do believe he has the teams interest at heart, but just isnt the man to do it.


Q: What can they do to improve.

A: I cant answer that, but what i recommend they do is scrap this season and start over, NOW
First get rid of Thomas, get a new Board, new coaches, assistants, etc.

Trade Curry, Crawford, Qrcih, Marbury, Rose, Jones, James, Collins, Jeffries

Keep, Randolph, Dlee.

Other Dont care what happens to them, can be traded, or kept

Why Trade so many players, it is simple, the dont play well together, and have been here long enough.
Many of these players, are easily Traded, because they do have talent.

1.) Get a young capable point Guard, a pass first type player(no recommendations on who)
2.) Get a 2guard with the offensive ability of Crawford, but with Defensive talents, unlike crawford (Someone like Monta Ellis)
3.) Build around Zach
4.) Get players who are willing to play, (Mark Blount) - a matter a fact i think with SHaq, injured, and falling off, Zo out for the season, and no confidence in blount, Curry to Miami doest even seem to be a bad deal, the only problem is when Shaq returns, does curry go back to the bench.
5.)Get players willing to take a role position (there are many of them. preferbly veterans though, as they will provide better minutes.
6.)Continue to draft well.

Now i know trading those player will be hard, because of their salary, and it may seem to drastic to start over now, but their record reflect a rebuilding team.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


If a certain someone wasn't too busy 'pimpin' staff members and cheerleaders
and actually coaching, maybe he would be able to realize what's wrong with his team



____________________________________
M.T.M-M with assistance by DiPhoenix

Merr Christmas for Sports Chronicles

Player Ratings: Barcelona - Real Madrid

The Following Post does not reflect the opinion of the of one of our best writers, but was uploaded for the views of all that is interested in what is the most anticipated match in the La Liga this season so far.


All Opinionated statements will be seen in the following format (" xxxxxx"), and will be bolded

BARCELONA

Valdes – 6: Did not have too much to do apart from pick the ball out of his own net after Baptista scored.

Puyol – 5.5: Looked ill at ease against Robinho, though he just about managed to hold his own. A forgettable El Clasico for the Barcelona skipper.

Marquez – 5: Completely lost his bearings to allow Julio Baptista past him, and looked out of sorts every time Real Madrid went on the counter-attack.

Milito – 6.5: Was a lot more composed than Puyol and Marquez, and probably saved his team from a bigger defeat. Did well to keep Raul quiet.

Abidal – 7: Was his usual solid self on the left, and repeatedly ran past Ronaldinho, only for the Brazilian to refuse to use him and give the ball away instead.

Toure – 6.5: Did his part of the job in the defensive sense, but the inability to make quick passes was exposed by a snappy Madrid midfield.

Deco – 3: Was he on the pitch? One has to wonder why he was handed a start when Eidur Gudjohnsen has played some of his best games in a Barcelona shirt recently!

Xavi – 6.5: Was up against a very physical Madrid midfield, but managed to hold his own. Not a poor display by any means, but he was just not given the time to produce those special passes.

Iniesta – 7.5: Once again Barcelona's best player on the pitch, and the only one who actually skipped past a few Real Madrid players and made some bursting runs.

Eto'o – 6: Started strong, but faded away as the game progressed. Had a couple of great moments, but average by and large.

Ronaldinho – 5: Did precious little of note apart from the one shot in the first half. Was given a lot of the ball before the break, but most of his passes were woefully off the mark. Barely even touched the ball after the break, and not once during the game did he win it back from someone.

Substitutes: Giovani - 6.5, Zambrotta - NA, Bojan - 7

REAL MADRID

Casillas – 6: A good reflex save in the first half to preserve Real Madrid's lead, but had a couple of slips after the break that needed some cleaning up.

Ramos – 7: Did the job against Ronaldinho, and was a menace every time he burst up the right.

Cannavaro – 6.5: Some great clearances and tackles, but also a couple of silly ones from the World Cup winner. Above average.

Pepe – 9: Absolutely superb from start to finish. Got the better of every Barcelona player, and even bailed Casillas out a couple of times. His best display in a Real Madrid shirt yet. Arguably his best display ever!

Heinze - 7: A solid defensive display. Gave little away, and was always willing to help the centre-halves.

Diarra – 7.5: He can look messy and crude when the ball is at his feet, but he is hugely effective when it is not. Made sure Barcelona did not have it easy.

Baptista – 8: Another great game in the middle of the pitch. Made his presence felt while defending, and was bursting forward every time Real Madrid went on break. Who dares drop him now!

Sneijder – 6.5: Was not as influential as his fellow midfielders, but not a bad display either. Swung a couple of tantalising balls into the box.

Robinho – 6: Did not see too much of the ball, but had a go at Puyol whenever he did.

Raul – 5: Had one of his quietest El Clasicos in memory, seeing precious little of the ball, but still ran selflessly and tirelessly.

Van Nistelrooy – 7: Worked ever so hard for the team, constantly troubling Marquez and Milito. His flick to set up Baptista was golden.

Substitutes: Gago - 6.5, Torres - 6.5, Robben - NA.

Player Ratings: Inter - AC Milan

The Following Post does not reflect the opinion of the of one of our best writers, but was uploaded for the views of all that is interested in what is the most anticipated match in the Serie A this season so far.

All Opinionated statements will be seen in the following format (" xxxxxx"), and will be bolded

INTER

Julio Cesar - 6.5: The Brazilian shot-stopper did not have too many saves to make during the game, but he pulled off one fine stop from Kaka towards the end and was generally safe throughout.

Maicon - 6.5: Bombed forward from right back in typical fashion, however he was caused a few problems defensively by Milan substitute Serginho in the second-half.

Cordoba - 7.5: Another rock-solid game from the Colombian stopper, who controlled Inzaghi in the first-half and Gilardino in the second. Did give away the free-kick for Pirlo's goal though.

Samuel - 6: Samuel only lasted 36 minutes of the match due to a knee injury, although he was relatively sound during this time, except for one mesmerising run by Kaka.

Maxwell - 6.5: Maxwell was caused few problems defensively, although he did not make the impact going forward that we have become accustomed to recently.

Zanetti - 8: Another outstanding game from one of the world's most consistent players over the past decade. At the age of 34 he is still world-class and he produced a fantastic tackle on Kaka during a one-on-one duel in the first half.

Chivu - 7.5: Chivu is getting stronger and stronger every game since his summer move from Roma. Formed a dominant centre-midfield partnership with Cambiasso.

Cambiasso - 8.5: If there is a better defensive midfielder in world football at the moment I want to know that players name. Cambiasso was once again superb at the heart of Inter's midfield.

Jimenez - 7: Jimenez has proved to be a valuable understudy to the injured Luis Figo and caused Milan a number of problems with his skill and direct running with the ball.

Ibrahimovic - 5.5: Poor display from the Swedish superstar. Was completely marked out of the match by Alessandro Nesta and showed only a few glimpses of his talent.

Cruz - 7: A relatively quiet game from Cruz but a striker's job is to score goals and he was once again on the scoresheet with a great left-footed finish to haul Inter level on 36 minutes. The most under-rated player in Serie A?

Substitutes

Materazzi (for Samuel on 36 minutes) - 7: Solid display by the hardman who was booked just minutes after coming onto the field. Made one brilliant block on a Nesta shot in the second half.

Pele (for Jimenez 79) - 6: Was brought on for the last 10 minutes to shore up the midfield but had little time to make much of an impact

Suazo (for Cruz 85) - 6: Only offered five minutes at the end but the Honduran did launch a dangerous counter-attack with his blistering pace, only for Ibrahimovic to fire high and wide.

MILAN

Dida - 3: Cost his team the match with a simply disastrous error on Cambiasso's winning goal. A Sunday league goalkeeper would be ashamed to make such a howler, let alone a Serie A shot-stopper. Milan surely need to find a replacement for 'Calamity Dida'.("M.T.M-M's opinion --> Dida needs to leave, at this moment i prefer Kalac or even Fiore, yes i said fiore, in the goal, i do not see how da FUCK him mek cambiasso score, shit nigga, Stefan or Daffe could a fucking save dat shit, he is a pathetic fuck, and needs to leave, i dub him the worse keeper in Football")

Oddo - 6: Oddo has been in poor form this season, however he was generally sound in this match. His trademark crosses were comfortably dealt with though by the imposing Inter backline.

Maldini - 5.5: Maldini was holding his own, despite his advancing years, until a poor defensive header gifted Cambiasso the ball for his winner on 62 minutes. However he wouldn't have been punished for this mistake if it hadn't been for the disastrous Dida.(" I agree it was a poor clearance by the great Maldini, but the shot following was an easy save, but shitface Dida, fuck it up")

Nesta - 9: Absolutely outstanding and the undoubted man-of-the-match despite the fact Milan lost. Nesta made Zlatan Ibrahimovic look more like Peter Crouch, by completely dominating the Swedish star. How Italy could do with him at Euro 2008.

Kaladze - 7: Kaladze stood strong alongside the flawless Nesta and like his centre back partner was rarely troubled by either Ibrahimovic or Cruz.

Gattuso - 5.5: Had a poor first half before being withdrawn at half time due to injury. The fire and energy in Gattuso's legs seemed to be missing. He was noticeably a yard slower to every ball today - perhaps his injury may explain today's performance.

Ambrosini - 6.5: Ambrosini was second best to Chivu and Cambiasso in the midfield battle, although having said this, his intelligent runs into the box could have provided Milan with an equaliser. Missed a golden chance at the end to earn Milan a point when he failed to connect with a Serginho cross.

Pirlo - 7: Unsurprisingly Milan's most creative midfielder, he was cool in possession and scored an absolutely magnificent free-kick. The technique that is required to whip a ball up and over the wall from right on the edge of the area is something very few players in the world can do. Pirlo is certainly in this world-class select few.

Seedorf - 5.5: Very poor game from the inconsistent Dutchman. Was caught in possession repeatedly and failed to make any impact on the match whatsoever. Rightly substituted.

Kaka - 6: Not one of the Brazilian superstar's better games. Cambiasso denied Kaka the space that he thrives on, although he did go on one scintillating solo run in the first half, and forced a fine save out of Julio Cesar in the second. Apart from this he was very quiet.

Inzaghi - 5.5: SuperPippo was not so super today, and was way too isolated to make an impact. However he did trick Cordoba into giving away the free-kick for Pirlo's opener. (" Hardly seen in the in the match, no wonder they replace him really early")

Substitutes

Emerson (for Gattuso on 46 minutes) - 5.5: Seriously what is the point of Emerson at Milan? The 31-year-old is the most perfect example of a ‘has-been’ that there is in football. While at Roma he was simply world-class, he is now a shadow of that once fine player. ("WTF is he doing on da field, and why da fuck wasnt Gourcuff on da bench, Gourcuff had a great outing in thursdays match, and im sure he is not tired, because he had four days to rest. Serginho should have came on for Gattuso, and Gourcuff for Seedorf")

Serginho (for Seedorf on 57 minutes) - 7: Impressive substitute performance from Serginho who caused Inter a few headaches down the left and was at the centre of virtually all of Milan's attacking moves in the second half.

Gilardino (for Inzaghi on 46 minues) - 6: Gilardino works hard bless him but it is clear that he does not have the ability to be playing at one of European football's biggest clubs. Defenders of the calibre of Cordoba and Materazzi cope with strikers of Gilardino's like all day long.("You will need to work harder, because you are also not performing, Within Weeks Pato will arrive, and still you havent proven yourself as a striker, Your best year was two seasons ago, while shev was on the roster, so hopefully another striker will allow you to play a better game................ If i had my way Ronaldo would be gone and I would spend money on the Great Eto'o, which would put Gila ever further down on the striking list")

Sellouts: Karma will always get ya!

I'm going to make this short and sweet. Anyone notice how 'sellouts'(people who take deals solely for monetary purposes, not considering their own image and career) always end up being forgotten on their new teams. We've seen it everywhere prime examples being, Ballack and Shevchenko at Chelsea. These two have COMPLETELY FALLEN off the radar to football fans expecially Shevchenko, once the European player of the year and one of the most feared and revered strikers in the world. Both these strikers gave up PROMINENT places on their previous teams (Bayern Munich and A.C. Milan, respectively) - Ballack was actually the captain of his team. Where are they know? Noone knows - sure Chelsea will say their 'injured' or some other sad sob excuse but we all know what has happened. Even David Beckham saw a SHARP decrease in his popularity upon moving to Real Madrid, only gaining any resurgence within his last days at the club. Lesson to learn, DON'T sellout your team or career for a couple million. It is better to have played 15 years worth of fulfilling and prosperous sports career and go down in history, for a little less change, than to have 8-10 years of stardom just to see you FADE away quickly for a couple million.


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Pistons THE dominant Eastern Conference Team?

I have to admit I had my doubts about the Pistons being top dog before they beat the Boston Celtics...and I still do. The Cavaliers driven by the more than perfect play of Lebron James were the Conference Champions after all. The Magic now have, arguable, the most dominant Big man in the NBA. The Celtic were the hottest team in the NBA. The Pistons were has-beens, old news, a forgotten story - they couldnt even be close to the elite of the East. That was of course until last night when the Pistons made a statement, a very weak one

Though they struggled in the first half, the Pistons had a strong second half spurred by the three point shooting of Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton as well as the solid play of Chauncey Billups who score 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as well as made the big play for the go ahead free throws with virtually no time left.
Typically, the real drama was in the final two minutes with the Pistons taking a late 3 point lead followed by an unlikely three point shot from Ray Allen that went through the bottom of the net. Tied at 85 both team failed to make plays that would have given them the win. But with 20 seconds Chauncey Billups made a pump fake on a 18-foot jumper to get the ice-cold Tony Allen into the air and draw the fould. Not even retarded chimpanzee could have have written a more anti-climatic ending. In the end the Pistons demonstrated their dominance in the second half but the result was a 87-85 victory...really too close to call. For now we'll call them THE team in the Eastern Conference but dont be surprised when the Pistons face the Celtics again in January if the Celtics decide blow the competition away.

Argentina's future

At this moment in time Argentina is producing many great young players, such as Lionel Andrés Messi, Sergio Leonel "Kún" Agüero, Fernando Gago just to name a few.Though this may cause a little contreversy among my reader i say Aguero easily is the best young Argentine, as he leads the way for Athletico Madrid, with teammate and country mate Maxi Rodriquez.

Now there is a new name that we can add to that list,

Éver Maximiliano David Banega – Age 20 - Boca Juniors

Banega from the same town as Lionel Messi, made first team debut for Boca Juniors in February this year, replacing the recently departed Fernando Gago (Real Madrid) and quickly established himself as a vital component of the team that went on to win the Copa Libertadores.

Banega followed that success by providing the beat to the rhythm of the Argentine team that won the Under-20 World Cup in the summer. Sitting at the back of their midfield, he picked the ball up off of the defence and sprayed passes all over the field to grateful teammates.

He showed great skill on the ball in tight situations, constantly turning players and creating that little bit of space to size up defence splitting passes. Despite his build, he also showed himself to be good in the tackle, winning many unlikely challenges with larger players.

His only flaws are overconfidence when taking players on deep inside his own half, potentially giving the ball away in dangerous areas and a tendency to make rash challenges, as seen with his sending off against River Plate earlier this season. Banega has already attracted the attention of some Italian teams, with AC Milan, Napoli and Fiorentina all interested, and as of today the 19th Juventus are also interested in inking the young Argentine, and looks to have a great future ahead of him.

AC Milan's interest in the young Argentine grew as, they played against him in the CWC competition held in Japan, and have made a high bid, that no other club in europe are willing to pay for him, however a January move is unlikely, we should expect him on the Rossenari roster next season.

FORZA MILAN

The Future of Milan, looks bright

There are many big name players to get transfered in the summer transfer window, such as Suazo, Sneijder, Robben, Drenthe, Nani, Tevez, Henry. But the one loved the most by fans and his teammates is Pato, a player most people haven't heard of until NOW.




But for Milan fans and Brasil fans there is no bigger player right now than Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, better know as Alexandre PATO. The 18 year old phenom attracted many big name clubs from Europe such as S. L Benfica, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal to name a few. On August 22, 2007 Milan officially signed Pato, with a transfer fee of US$31 Million.
However due to his age, he couldn't not be allowed to play in competitive games for Milan until January 2008.
As we are now only a few days away from January, Millions of fans are awaiting the Official Debut of Pato. As Milan, currently the best team in football are struggling to win matches played at their home in San Siro, many fans are expecting a change when Pato has arrived. Critics have said that this poor performance is based on the fact that most of Milan's players are over the age of thirty, while other say that it is due to their lack of talent at the forward position.
Pato however is young and talent and would easilt be placed into the starting spot without having to work much for it because, Milan really do not have a better option as leading European goal scorer Pippo Inzaghi is now getting old and cannot manage to play ever game on the schedule. Willy Auyobeng is also young as Pato but is not as talent, and isnt even expected to play for this season. Alberto Gilardino and Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima (Fat Ron) are the only other two striker left and Fat Ron is having his share of injury problems and Gilardino is not what he was Two years ago. Therefore Pato is expected to start, but however he is still a young player and, he is already expected to carry on the scoring load for Milan.
Fans may be expecting too much for the Brazilian wonder kid, but Milan is ranked as the Best younger Brazilian player, and according to his practise matches all he does is impress the players and coaching staff of Milan, and we wish him a good year for the Rossenari.

Iverson's 'sidekick'?

Well, Well, Well who saw this coming? Better yet who DIDN'T see this coming? When the Denver Nuggets acquired Allen Iverson last year immediately my thoughts were that sure now they would be real contenders but what's going to happen when you bring someone use to leading a team and put him in a situation where he becomes second fiddle. Unsuprisingly there were little to no problems last year as Iverson took the reduced role with humility; I mean after all it wasn't "his team"(not yet at least). Fast forward to this season and here we see what I thought would eventually happen; Iverson is now the leading scorer for the Denver Nuggets. Let me firstly say that I have tons upon tons of respect for "The Answer" as I think he is, second to Kobe Bryant, possibly the greatest scorer in the NBA since the Michael Jordon era. When Iverson is on fire he is almost unstoppable and he is the only player currently playing in the NBA that has averaged 20 points or more EVERY season since he was drafted and has the most points scored(by any player) since his entry into the NBA; and he does this with all 6'0 of himself. I'm no historian but I'm sure that noone this "short" has ever been such an offensive monster in the league before. With this said, why am I 'complaining'? Well in my eyes Carmelo was poised to be an offensive powerhouse in the league. Last year he almost won the scoring title and was very consistent in finding his offense and making opponents pay. This year...not so sure. With Iverson "taking over" as the leading scorer it leads me to this question, will Carmelo ever reach his full potential while playing with someone like Iverson? For me, no and his roll for the rest of the season(and possibly Iverson's tenure at the Nuggets) will be one of Iverson's 'sidekick'. When looked at holistically this isn't necessarily a bad thing and may prove to be beneficial in the long run for the chances of Denver doing something substantial in the playoffs. On an individual perspective though, 'Melo may become less of a threat to opponents and may morph back into the person he became in his second season, a great player who largely goes unnoticed by the public (eg. Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Andre Iguodala etc.). What does this ultimately mean? Less endorsements, less recognition and possibly blowing any shot at breaking records or making Hall of Fame. With his draft year producing the greatest superstars of this era (post-Bulls) and with the other members of the 'big four' (LeBron 'King' James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade) already accomplishing great feats (Wade's championship, LeBron's finals appearance) or experiencing a vast growth in recognition (Bosh), 'Melo may become 'the one that never quite made it/or did anything signifiant'. I mean 'Melo was actually on the same 'level' with James in his rookie season; now he is the ONLY member of that four that has less than 100 double-doubles and in with the lowest chance of making the all-star games( though that may be due to his being in the West). At the end of it all if 'Melo wants to go down in history then he needs back his starring role on that team, even if he has to take it back. But who knows, the season is early yet and 'Melo will probably heat up and maybe even surpass Iverson. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want them getting into ANY disagreementor squabble over scoring because as long as they're winning it shouldn't matter. All I'm saying is that 'Melo should probably step it up a bit more as I would love to see him back in the form he was last year (not that it's not IMPRESSIVE watching Iveron massacre teams such as his 51 point performance against the Mavs). They are both TREMENDOUS players and hopefully their 2-man combo will continue to perform well.


I personally rather this Carmelo


THAN THIS:



SO WHICH ONE IS 'MELO AMD WHICH IS 'THE ANSWER/A.I."?

Remaining Schedule for Campion

January 10 - vs. Tarrant

January 14 - @ St. Jago

January 16 - vs. Meadowbrook

January 16-22 - @ Ardenne *

Janaury 24 - vs. St. Catherine


* The Ardenne match has not yet been officially rescheduled.

Features on James Deane, Leighton Samuels and Jason Blankson will be done in-toe with the three next matches. Features of members on the bench will be done within the last two matches.


Matches already played:
vs. Innswood [W] (64-24)
@ Jamaica College [L] (35-47)
@/vs. Calabar High [L] (27-81)

Record: 1-2


Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
SF Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]
SG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]
PG James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 150 lbs]

Bench:
Graham Reid [5'11, 160 lbs]
Kim Sing Yung [5'10, 150 lbs]
Darren Mitchell [5'10, 150 lbs]
Mikhail Mattis [5'10, 165 lbs]

Campion College Basketball: Calabar demolishes Campionites

Date: 13/12/07 [27-81] {Record: 1-2}

A lot of lessons were taught and learnt with the end result seeing Calabar easily put aside Campion as action continued in the Southern Zone of the KFC ISSA Basketball Competition . Calabar put on a display which seemingly mesmorized the Campionites who found themselves down by a whopping 30 points at the end of only the first quarter! Campion was obviously not prepared for the up-tempo minded "Lions" and offensively were shut down by the seemingly mind boggling press Calabar employed throughtout the first quarter. Obviously a ploy to tire out Campion and to bury the game as early as possible, Calabar saw there defensive mechanism reward them generously as they burst out to 10-0 lead. Campion were not able to generate much offense in the first quarter because of this and the quarter ended 34-4. Signs of Calabar tiring were evident though at the end of their blistering first quarter blitz and saw them turn down the heat a bit. They didn't turn it down too much however and kept up their efficient play throughtout the match thus keeping Campion from recovering. The "Lions"/"Rabalac" , their goal being to score 100 points fell 19 short as the match ended in a 81-27 blowout.

One Man Show

Campion was also subjected to a one man offensive onslaught by Calabar's #8 who collected 30 points to go along with 19 rebounds. He was dominating in the post with noone being able to slow him down or stop him. This was similar to Campion's match last year against J.C. where then center, Eugene had 44 points and almost 20 rebounds.

Injury Scares

James Deane was clearly winded as he was knee'd in the stomach region in the first quarter. Though he finished the match strong, he seemed to still be suffering from the blow at the end of the match.

Russel Thompson complained at the end of the match of back pains resulting from a fall in the second half as he drove the lane and was fouled by a Calabar player.

Both should be okay however and their injuries not seen as threatening.

Is there a lesson to be learnt?

Even though they were blown out Campion could take some positives as well, from Calabar's play. They were very efficient and demanded only perfection (or something close to it) of their team. They were organized and though much teams may have come and 'relaxed' against Campion who is seen as a 'beating stick' by most opponents, they came with a plan and wanted to carry it through to the end.

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FEATURE PLAYER :

We continue our look at the individuals on the team by starting with the teams Shooting Guard/Small Forward Russel Thompson:


Known for being the joker of the team, Russel Thompson has always been a great offensive player with a variety of plays in his arsenal. Always energetic he puts his all out on the court on both ends as he is also a great defender. He leads the Campion team in scoring and on a good day is their most dangerous player.

TSC: How did you feel about your perfomance today?
Russel Thompson:

"I was playing like a punk. That's about it. That's all i have to say right now. I had very little shot attempts and turned over the ball too much. It wasn't a pretty performance."

TSC: How did you feel the team on a whole played?
Russel Thompson:

"The team tried. We just couldn't get it going offensively or defensively."

STRONG POINTS:
Great scorer/offense, stealing, great defender.

IDEAL PLAYER (inspiration): Dwyane Wade (yes that's how it's spelt)

FEATURE PLAYER (CONT'D):

Xavier Thompson:

STRONG POINTS:
Great overall defense/defender, rebounding, blocking.

IDEAL PLAYER (inspiration): Carlos Boozer

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Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
SF Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]
SG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]
PG James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 150 lbs]

Bench:
Graham Reid [5'11, 160 lbs]
Kim Sing Yung [5'10, 150 lbs]
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GAME NOTES

All starters played majority of the match.
James Deane, Russel Thompson and Xavier Thompson were the major contributors offensively.
Leighton Samuels was the major contributor defensively.
Samuels and Xavier Thompson collectively tallied 20 rebounds [Samuels, 11 and Thompson 9]
The match was played at the Radley Reid arena (Campion's home) due to Calabar not having home facilities.
Campion were once again subjected to a series of "No calls" as the referees allowed a lot of fouls on Campion to go by.

Mikhail Mattis has been cleared to play in the remaining games according to team captain James Deane.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REMAINING SCHEDULE - This will be posted in the next blog.

Campion College Basketball: J.C. shut down the short-handed Campionites

Date: 3/12/07 [35-47] {Record: 1-1}

Jamaica College shut down the short-handed Campionites in the 4th and final quarter to come away with an umimpressive victory over Campion College as action continued in the KFC ISSA Basketball Competition (Southern Zone). The Campionites, playing with only 6 players gave J.C. a scare, a team with their full compliment of 12 players, all the way through to the last quarter. Heading into the 4th J.C. led by one,29-28, after allowing Campion back into the game. HoweverJ.C. ran away after James Deane and Leighton Samuels both fouled out before 4 mins into the last quarter, leaving Campion to play the rest of the match with only 4 players. Their problems were compunded as Xavier Thompson and Jason Blankson were on the verge of fouling out. This was too much for the Campionites, who allowed the most points in a quarter for the match. Campion is away to Calabar on Thursday the 13th of December.


Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Samuels [6'4, 170 lbs]
PF Xavier Thompson [6'3, 205 lbs]
SF Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain) [5'10, 195 lbs]
SG Jason Blankson [5'9, 185 lbs]
PG James Deane (Captain) [5'11, 150 lbs]

Bench:
Graham Reid [5'11, 160 lbs]


GAME NOTES:
Xavier Thompson played all 40 minutes of the match.
James Deane and Leighton Samuels fouled out.
All remaining starters played majority of the match.
Jason Blankson played very aggresively and was at points the most dangerous player for Campion.

Campion College Basketball: Season begins with victory!

Date: 30/11/07 [64-24] {Record: 1-0} VENUE: Radley Reid Arena (Campion College)

For the first time in many years Campion Under-19(Senior/Varsity) AND Under-16(Junior) teams won their first match of the season in the KFC ISSA Basketball Competition (Southern Zone). The matches against their Innswood counterparts both ended in blowouts as Campion strolled to victory.

Under 19 game review:


Q uarter 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Campion College 7 19 18 20 64
Innswood High 2 18 4 0 24

Points leader: Russel Thompson (28)
Rebound leader: Xavier Thompson (12)
Assists leader: James Deane (10)

Noticeable Stats:
Russell Monteith: 28 points 3 assists
James Deane: 15 points 10 assists
Xavier Thompson: 9 points 12 rebounds



Xavier Thompson had his biggest OFFICIAL game of his career:
As you would remember last year he had 8 pts (tieing a career high) and 14 boards (career high)...However that match was forfeited from the beginning so though the teams (Campion & Jose Marti) did play the stats were not registered/recorded officially. Today Thompson had 9 points - 7 of which came in the second half - (a new career high) and 12 rebounds (OFFICIAL career high) and also set a new career high in amount of shots taken as he had 14 shots.

Russel Thompson (no relation to Xavier) also had a career night racking up 28 points. He caught fire in the 2nd Half scoring on a variety of shots. He is expected to be the teams' leading scorer as he was last year.

James Deane though not starting was the only player with a double double as he came on a few minutes into the first quarter and controlled the game, scoring and assisting with ease. His leadership is crucial to the team and its progress and expect him to consistently play great baskeball.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FEATURE PLAYER:

We begin our look at the individual's on the team by starting with the teams Forward/Center,
Xavier Thompson:


Points: 9
Rebounds: 12
Assists: 3
Blocks: 2
Steals: 2
Turnovers: 3
Fouls: 0
Shots scored: 4
Shots taken: 14
Free throws scored: 1
Free throws taken: 2
3 pointer scored: 0
3 pointers taken: 0
Minutes played: 40 minutes (the whole game)

Note (NB): The Rebounds were not accurately recorder and it is estimated that Thompson had about 16-18 rebounds in all.

He showed great tenacity and hustle play and his performance was only outshun by leading scorer Russel Thompson and James Deane.


After the game Xavier Thompson had this to say:

"It feels great to finally win an official match. It was just a rejuvenating and wonderful experience, one i probably won't ever forget. I just hope that we can continue to play good basketball. I realized that I missed some shots that I shouldn't have but overall I was pleased with my shot selection and I definately will be more mindful of techniques to ensure I score easy buckets. Right now we have to gather ourselves and play well on Monday as Innswood is the only team persons probably expected us to beat (and I'm sure some didn't think we could) so if we want to prove the masses wrong, we have to win more matches. So even though we played a pretty good game, we have to refocus and think about the rest of our opponents."

We will continue this feature with Russel Thompson on Decemeber 13, 2007.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Lineup:
C Leighton Smauels
PF Xavier Thompson
SF Kim Seou
SG Jason Blankson
PG Russell Thompson (Vice-Captain)

Bench:
James Deane (Captain)
Darren Mitchell
Graham Reid


GAME NOTES:
Xavier Thompson and Samuels played all 40 minutes of the match.
James Deane starting on the bench was a strategic move.
Russel Thompson and Deane played majority of the match.
Mitchell and Blankson played very substantial minutes.
Kim and Reid played minority of the match.

IN ATTENDANCE:
Lianne McNaughton, Kourtni Hines-Smith, Ryan Brown, Audley Gordon, Mikhail Mattis (player).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under-16
Jonathan Mitchell led them with scoring with a fine array of shot selection and driving. He scored 21 points.

What's with the slump?

Any body notice lately how a certain MVP has seemingly taken a backseat? Well if you are an avid fan of basketball you would probably have a clue about who I am referring to. It's none other than Mr. Dirk "i can't handle pressure" Nowitzki. Being a fan of the Dallas Mavericks for the past six seasons , I have seen this player grow into a mega superstar in the NBA and I'm not using this word lightly. Last year seemed to be the year where everything was coming together and I as well as the millions of other Mavericks fans would finally be compensated for our loyalty. I mean, we were only TWO games out of tieing the nba record for most wins in a season (67-15), so what could go wrong? Lamentably, this dream was not realized as the Mavericks slumped to a 4-2 series loss to the upstarts from Golden State (coached by our former coach & GM, Don Nelson). This was of course riding behind the lacklustre play of Mr. Nowitzki himself, who of all times decided to go to sleep in that crucial series. Of course other factors were at fault as well, such as Avery Johnson's bad decision to not play a full squad in a near-end season match against the same Warriors who were battling for dear life to clinch a playoff berth. As everyone knows, we were disgraced and sent crashing out of the playoffs, my second time experiencing this in my 'tenure' as a fan. Now you're probably wondering where I'm going with this and why I won't just get over it? Well after that season of two tales I was expecting the Mavs to make trades and for the 'great one' to go back to Germany, use his anger to fuel his off-season training and come back this season better than ever before;come back with a vengence. However, what have I been subjected to? A Maverick squad FIFTH in the West, THIRD in the Southwest and 13-8. Now you're probably saying I'm just overreacting and that it's only the start of the season. But being a fan who likes and is used to seeing my team in the top 3 for the past 4 seasons, this start has me a bit shaken. Sure it's nothing like the 0-4 start we had last year, but most will remember that after that 0-4 start we went 40-4! Granted, maybe that's the reason we lost out in the first round, playing too hard in the season and being too tired to play an up-tempo team in a series. The concern I have really lies in how 'on & off' Nowitzki has been. Most would be shocked to know that he isn't even our leading scorer this season. In addition he has had only 2 30-point games in 21 matches. Yeah, sure, maybe I'm expecting too much but if we're not playing as well as last season you begin to look around for the reasons and to me a big reason is due to his play. Then again maybe he's just waiting for the right time. Maybe over the off-season and while playing for Germany he realized that he has to wait for the playoff run to get heated. Maybe he is wary of what happened last year and is conserving energy. Maybe he's distracted. Maybe he's been instructed by the mastermind Avery Johnson to 'cool' it for now and lull opponents into thinking he's lost his mojo or has passed it on to Josh. Maybe he just needs fans like myself to start bad-mouthing him for him to wake up. One can only speculate but in my mind it's very likely that this guy is in a major 'superstar' slump and we may just be witnessing the fall of a star! Who wants to bet on him being a contender for MVP this year? Certainly, not me.

Maybe someone really has 'stolen' his mojo right from under him :)