THE REALIZATION OF " WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN"

After watching ESPN's 30 for 30 about the life of Benjamin "Benji" Wilson, I started to think about all the basketball stars who never had a chance to make their mark in the NBA. Benji Wilson was one of the first nationally ranked high school phenoms in the country. After watching the documentary, I could clearly see the skills of a special player. He exhibited all the skills of an NBA calibur player during his Sophmore and Junior years at Simeon Vocational High School in Chicago Illinios. He could play the inside game and step out on the wing and shoot with touch. Wilson was also known as a great defender who thrived in shot blocking. Tragically Benji Wilson was gunned down a block away from Simeon Vocational after an altercation with another young man. During the period of the early 80's Benji Wilson was considered to one of the most popular figures in Chicago, along with Oprah Winfrey, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Michael Jordan, and the first African American Mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington.

Hank Gathers was a college basketball star during the late 80's at Loyola Marymount University in California. Gathers was a "beast" of a player during his time at LMU. He put together his best collegiate season in 1988-89 when he became the second player in NCAA Divison 1 history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding with averages of (32.7) and (13.7) per contest. During his Senior year he would become a candidate for National Player of the Year honors, ultimately leading to a NBA Lottery pick projection. Unfortunately, Hank died on the basketball court in a game against the University of Portland in the West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament. Hank completed an earth shattering alley-oop dunk and collapsed as he ran down the court. Doctors explained the cause of death as a heart muscle disorder called " hypertrophic cardiomyopathy."

Len Bias was a star player at the University of Maryland during the early 80's. The basketball skills he exibited were a blend of power and finesse. Bias impressed NBA scouts with his leaping ability, ball handling, physical stature, and overall playmaking skills. Len Bias was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 2nd pick in the 1986 NBA draft. NBA executives believed he was the closest thing to come out since Michael Jordan. The Celtics envisioned Len Bias keeping the winning tradition going into the future after Larry Bird retired. The same night Bias was drafted he went home to be with family and friends. Later that night he went back to his dorm room and snorted cocaine with a few friends. The cocaine usage caused cardiac arrhythmia which ultimately cut his life and dreams tradgically short.

All three of these men are examples of "what could have been" They all would have been NBA players with possible All-Pro/Hall of Fame careers. I have seen video of all three men during their playing years. All exhibited skills that made them stand out above the average player. Sadly, the only thing left now is to wonder.

Other players that did not reach their full potential due to death: Reggie Lewis (Boston Celtics), Drazen Petrovic (New Jersey Nets), Bobby Phils (Charlotte Hornets), Malik Sealy (Minnesota Timberwolves)

 

WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE CHERRY ON TOP OF A FANTASTIC CAREER

On Sunday Oct. 21, 2012, Tamika Catchings walked into Banker's Life Fieldhouse as a player who's won on every level except the WNBA. Catchings helped guide Stevenson High School to an Illinois State championship as a High School Sophomore. After a stellar High school career, she took her talents to the University of Tennessee to play for Legendary coach Pat Summit. Catchings would go on to have an All American career with one National Title in the 97-98 season. In 2001, the Indiana Fever drafted Tamika Catchings with the 3rd overall pick. Catchings has made an major impact on the WNBA game as the best all around player in the league. She can play on both ends of the floor and impact a game in a positive fashion. She won the WNBA Rookie of the year award in 2002. She is a 7x WNBA All-Star and 5x Defensive Player of the Year. These awards show the recognition she has received from her peers as one of the top players in the game. Catchings has also shined on the International stage by winning three Olympic Gold Medals. (2004, 2008, 2012) The one elusive title for Catchings has been The WNBA Championship. She came very close to winning back in 2009, but her Indiana Fever came up short losing to the Phoenix Mercury. The 2012 season had its ups and downs with the team ultimately getting hot at the right time. Catchings stepped into the stadium and took the " bull by the horns" approach in closing out the Minnesota Lynx. The Fever players put together a complete team effort in closing out the Lynx. The performance of Tamika Catchings stood out above the rest by posting MVP numbers: 25pts, 8 asst, 4 rebs, 3 blks, 1 stl
The Indiana Fever went on to beat the Minnesota Lynx 3 games to 1 with the final game score being 87-78. Catchings performance in the WNBA Finals won her the Most Valuable Player Award. (MVP) The Indiana Fever is a team that is fairly young. The task of defending their title will be difficult but with a savvy veteran like Tamika Catchings as your anchor, anything is possible.

Congratulations Tamika, you are the ultimate champion.

 

Sports Blog with T.Wash: THE " CARDIAC CARDINALS " ARE AT IT AGAIN !!!!!!!!...

Sports Blog with T.Wash: THE " CARDIAC CARDINALS " ARE AT IT AGAIN !!!!!!!!...: The St.Louis Cardinals are on another miracle run through the post season. The team has a habit of putting together playoff runs that boggle...

THE " CARDIAC CARDINALS " ARE AT IT AGAIN !!!!!!!!

The St.Louis Cardinals are on another miracle run through the post season. The team has a habit of putting together playoff runs that boggle the mind. Last season the Cardinals came back from nine games back to over take the Atlanta Braves for the National League Wildcard slot. They would go on to steam roll the competition en route to a World Series title. In the off-season they lost their top player to free agency (Albert Pujos) and their Hall of Fame manager (Tony LaRussa) to retirement. Now, in the 2012 season the Cards are at it again. They won the second Wildcard slot and went on to beat ironically the Atlanta Braves in a do or die single elimination game. In the National League Division Series they beat the Washington Nationals 3-2. The Cards are on the verge of making back-to-back World Series with a win over the San Francisco Giants tonight in St.Louis. The Cardinals have dominated the Giants with a cast of blue collar players. Mike Matheny is not a veteran manager, which makes the run the Cards are on seem even more miraculous. They have a bunch of blue collar players and no national star power. David Freese,Carlos Beltran and Chris Carpenter may be there best known players on the roster. I truly believe the St.Louis Cardinals are destined to become back-to-back World Series Champions. They will close out the Giants tonight in St. Louis and take the series 4-1. The Detroit Tigers will have to travel to St.Louis for game 1 on Wednesday. To witness deja-vu with the Cards playoff success, makes me wonder how Albert Pujos is feeling as a spectator instead of focal point for his former team.

World Series: 4-2, St. Louis Cardinals  

DARE I SAY IT " ARE THE SKILLS OF PATRIOTS QB TOM BRADY DIMINISHING?"

It literally kills me to post this manuscript, but I have to be objective and unbiased. The answer is YES... Tom Brady skills as an elite Quarterback are starting to diminish. The New England Patriots are 3-3 on the season with all three loses totaling four points. I understand the Patriots record could easily be 6-0. The changes made in the off-season to improve the league's 2nd worst defense has not shown as much progress as anticipated. The secondary is still the worst in the NFL, giving up a large number explosive plays in the pass game. The Patriots are still having issues generating a decent pass rush, with the exception of rookie Chandler Jones. If the defensive line could rush the Quarterback the cornerbacks can stay with their assignment and not allow receivers to break routes. The defense is getting a large amount of blame because they should be able to make crucial stops at the end of games. I on the other hand, refuse to exclude the offense of any blame. In my opinion, I place most of the blame on Tom Brady. Brady has not looked the same since he came back from his season ending knee injury in 2008. He looks uncomfortable when he stands in the pocket. I have noticed the way he's constantly moving around and ducking when pressure isn't there. The throws he make aren't as crisp as they use to be. He has definitely lost some of his accuracy. The most disappointing flaw I have noticed in Brady's game is his lack of a "killer instinct". The last game I saw Tom Brady actually drive the team down and win was last season's week six game against the Dallas Cowboys. Brady drove the team down on an 88 yard drive and capped if off with a 6 yard TD to Aaron Hernandez. That was the way Tom Brady use to be. I have no idea what happened to the guy teams feared giving the ball to at the end of games. The Patriots had opportunities to close every game they lost this season but failed to do so. It all boils down to Tom Brady and the offense not having the mental makeup to have an "killer instinct". The old Tom Brady cherished those moments of closing teams out and driving his team down the field for the win. I'm just not seeing that guy anymore and I truly don't know if the NFL will see that elite caliber play from him consistently again.

This is Brady being heckled by Seahawks DB Richard Sherman after a game of trash talking with each other. The old Brady would have backed it up with a win. The old Brady wouldn't have this pitiful look on his face.

THE ARROGANCE OF MR. KOBE BEAN BRYANT

I know there are countless fans of Kobe Bryant throughout the world. In my opinion, Kobe Bryant will go down as the second best two guard in NBA history.The major flaw that I never understood about Bryant is his extreme level of arrogance towards people who aren't as good as him. I read an article that talked about Bryant blasting his former teammate named William "Smush" Parker. He told reporters that Parker didn't deserve to be in the NBA. He basically described Parker as a complete scrub by saying " He shouldn't have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. We let him walk on." What kind of statement is that? The level of arrogance he displays is sickening. I will vouch for Smush Parker because he wasn't as bad as Bryant is leading people to believe. In the 2005-06 season Parker averaged 11.5 points and 3.7 assist per game as the starting point guard. In my opinion, these were good numbers compared to any other point guard that's started along side Bryant. Parker followed up the next season with averages of 11.1 points and 2.8 assist per game. Again, these are not All-Star caliber stats, but they aren't as pathetic as Kobe Bryant's dissection of Parker's game. I bet Kobe would be very offended if everyone called him out on his performance in the 05 playoffs when he literally quit on his team in the Phoenix series. He acted like a spoiled brat because he felt he didn't have the guys around him to win. I say he punked out by taking that route to get what he wanted. After the series was over, Jerry West orchestrated a joke of a deal to get Pau Gasol in a Laker uniform. After the move, the Lakers went back to their winning ways. The point of this article is to shine some light on the man who wants to be the duplicate of Micheal Jordan. In Bryant's earlier years as a pro, it would be evident who he emulated his game after. The man wanted to be Jordan so bad that he had Jordan's mannerisms down pact. Every dunk he made, his tongue was wagging, every big shot his fist was held up. I will never forget the worst of all, was the time ESPN did a side by side of Jordan and Bryant walking. Yes indeed, the dude even walked like Mike, now how pathetic is that. Kobe wants to be Mike so bad that I believe he will do whatever it takes to win that 6th championship. Even if he gets it, he will never be as great as Jordan because when its all said and done Jordan 6-0 in the NBA Finals with 6 MVPS. Sorry KOBE

Look at the similarities.

 

THE NBA SEASON IS UPON US.....

The NBA pre-season has begun with exhibition games being played in foreign countries. The 2012-2013 season promises to be an exciting one. There are many questions that have to be answered. Will the Heat repeat as NBA champions? Did the Oklahoma City Thunder gain any experience from losing in the Finals to the Heat? Will the edition of Dwight Howard make The L.A. Lakers a favorite to win the West? All of these questions will be answered in the upcoming season. The Eastern Conference will be more competitive than it has in years. There will be four teams with a legitimate shot of making the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat will go into the season as the favorite. The Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Indiana Pacers will challenge the Heat for the top spot in the East. The Brooklyn Nets have made significant changes that could guide them past the Heat. The resigning of Daron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Kris Humphries kept the core players together. They solidified the squad by trading for Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace. The Boston Celtics added Jason Terry and got a little younger via the NBA draft. The Indiana Pacers pushed the Heat to the limit in last year's NBA playoffs, so they will come back a year older and wiser. The Heat's Championship team is still intact with one key addition named Ray Allen who is still a major threat on the perimeter.

The Western Conference will also have a four team race with Oklahoma City leading the way. The Thunder will be stronger with the return of Eric Maynor as the team's steady backup point guard. The L.A. Lakers have made significant additions by adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to give Kobe Bryant the true point guard he's never had. The San Antonio Spurs will continue to pile up wins and be in the mix while the L.A. Clippers are an up and coming team that will make some noise. In my opinion, the surprise team in the NBA this season will be the Minnesota Timberwolves with the return of Ricky Rubio from knee surgery. The Philadelphia 76ers will be a much improved squad with the acquisition of Andrew Bynum. If Bynum can stay healthy, the young Sixers can make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference. I fully expect the NBA season to provide fans with plenty of last second shots and overtime thrillers.

My NBA Final's Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat II - Thunder wins 4-2