Belichick Gets A Cover

If you have ever read First To Third, then you know that the New England Patriots and anything related to them recently are a fun target.

Especially Bill "Emperor Palpatine" Belichick.

The Patriots may not have won the Super Bowl against the New York Football Giants, but Belichick got the honor of donning the front of a magazine cover for an upcoming issue.

The magazine? Spirit, a gay and lesbian magazine.

The Evil Genius, sporting his shiny barber smock in the photo, really isn’t the focus of the Spirt cover story. Sadly. He’s just a prop to illustrate the piece that asks the age-old question: “If one of Boston’s professional athletes announced he was gay would his team and the fans rally around him?”
Spirit Publisher David Zimmerman said they chose Belichick to be their March/April covercoach because “he is, currently, the most recognizable coach in the New England area.”

Palpatine is probably real happy about this. I can just hear his comment now:
"We're gonna worry about this issue at hand. Gonna move past it once the next issue comes out. That's not a question, we are done."

First To Third has no problem with the gay and lesbian community, but just takes any opportunity it can to tease Belichick (not that he even cares what I have to say).

Suck it Belichick. Wait, wait, I don't want to think about that.

UCLA Deserves A Number 1 Seed

As the NCAA college basketball regular season comes closer to an end I will break down who I think deserves a number 1 seed in the tournament.

Until then, I must say UCLA deserves that distinction, and I will openly say that is a biased opinion because I want to see them play live three miles away at the Honda Center.

I will say it now, the Bruins will make another trip to the Final Four this year in large part to the experience of players like Darren Collison, and the freshman phenom in Kevin Love. But an x-factor is Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook can create his shot just as good as the departed Arron Afflalo, and his intensity on defense is the highest on the Bruins squad. His energy level is the key to the Bruins success, as evidenced in the above video of him sparking his team to a comeback victory over the Oregon Ducks this past weekend.

Dude has some of the best facials this year in NCAA basketball.

Strahan Mulling Retirement

Michael Strahan says he will make his decision whether or not to retire by mid-April.

Last summer, it appeared Strahan might not be a part of anything with the Giants. He sat out training camp while mulling retirement. He says it was not a money ploy, simply uncertainty whether he still had the desire to play.

He'll go through the same process this year, but promises his decision won't take anywhere near so long. After a vacation in March, Strahan said he will weigh his options and most likely let the team know by mid-April, before the NFL draft, if he is coming back.

Strahan states that money is not an issue now that he has won a championship. Sure Michael, lie through that gap of yours. He also stated that money was not the reason he went back to the Giants last year.

Strahan, you are not fooling anybody. We all know money is very much part of it, especially since you had to pay your ex-wife $15 million in your divorce settlement. That amount was half of his net worth.

Swallow your pride and admit that you need that coin. I would. I would play until a team kicked me off the squad if I had a divorce settlement that cost me that much dollar.

You are a good guy, and always a good interview, so just admit that you are going to come back and make a ton of money that your ex-wife cannot touch.

1986 Dodgers Are The Boogie Bunch

These dudes make me want to go and purchase a satin jacket on ebay ASAP. Pedro Guerrero and Orel Hershiser own in this video.

Dedicated to my cousin, Grandpa Whiffer, a huge Dodgers fan that likes to go to sleep before 9 p.m.

Side note: I was at a swap a month ago and there was a sports memorabilia vendor there. Written on one of their tables? "Angles suck, Dodgers rule!"

At least Dodgers' fans can spell their own team name right... getting by in this world, one word at a time.

Advertising On NBA Backboards?

The NBA and Spalding plan to test advertising on backboards during NBA Development League play next year.

Initial plans have the system being tested in the NBA Development League next year. The screens would be used before games and during timeouts, and likely be given to teams to sell as incremental ad inventory. During games, they could be used for enhancements, like showing the last ticks of an expiring 24-second clock or quarter. When not in use, the technology is invisible to players.

I like it. Why not? I especially like the part about the expiring 24-second clock on the backboard. That would allow the player shooting to focus his sight more towards the rim than above the backboard where the clock resides now.

The technology can also be used for the benefit of all levels of basketball.

There are some fascinating applications. Imagine a coach showing the previous night’s game film, or some other scouting footage on the backboard while putting his team through its paces. Home hoopsters could participate in clinics, play their favorite video or mount a small video camera on the backboard, or could play H-O-R-S-E across thousands of miles via Internet hookup.

That backboard would have been sick to have around when Derek Fisher sunk the San Antonio Spurs with his famous 0.4 shot heard around the world. The picture from that shot is already awesome with the lights around the backboard, but imagine it with "0.0" in big red lights on the backboard with the ball in the air.

Back To The Orlando Magic Days

Tracy McGrady is real happy today after news that his all-star starting center, Yao Ming, will be out for the rest of the season.

McGrady will be taken back to his days with the Orlando Magic and will try to keep the Houston Rockets afloat in the tough Western Conference. I emphasize try because I doubt wonk eye will be able to do that, not like Yao did with McGrady out.

McGrady has shown in the past that he is not the type of player to carry a team, whether it be in the regular season, or if he is talking about the second round of the playoffs before he gets out of the first round.

The Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors both thank you Yao... the Rockets will slip out of the playoffs and open up a spot, allowing both of them to enter the playoffs.

How do you say Mr. Glass in Chinese?

Weekly Lazy Entry

I guess you can say that the last two weeks have been lazy entries, or you can be politically correct and say there have been no postings in that time.

Fans, I am sorry. Bored souls, sorry that you clicked on here only to find nothing. Haters, I love you.

Anyway, life has been crazy hectic and I am still not caught up, but that is the fun part.

Some of these links are old, but I like to think of them as timeless.

Enjoy, and I promise not to leave you for such a long time again.

- An Oregon high school basketball coach flipped his noodle and assaulted a 17-year-old referee, along with cutting the hand of a female scorekeeper when he slammed his clipboard on it which got him his second technical foul. He set a great example, as angry fans stormed the court as a direct result of his tirade. Stay classy.

- The Jamestown Vikings trashed a hotel because they thought it was owned by the owner of the team;

There has to be some rock stars on that team. I still plan on doing that to an auto shop that busted up my first truck.

- Another day, another Raider arrested. NFL needs its own jail to house all their criminals.

- Former NBA player, and current ESPN "analyst" Jon Barry loves to party away from his wife and children with Jose Cuervo girls.

- Remember I posted the perfectville video that Reebok made for the Miami Dolphins? Well if you disremembered (patent pending, Roger Clemens), it was released after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots and was made in commemoration of the 1972 Dolphins and their perfect season... well here is the version that would have been released had the Patriots not choked lost:

Suck it Belichick.

- Annoying arguing on ESPN reverts to name calling, courtesy of John Salisbury:

Screw USC.

- A nine-year-old girl has been banned from her local tennis club after complaints came from her opposition about her grunts. Her favorite tennis player? Maria "master squealer" Sharapova.

- Erin Andrews has a hot backside, just ask this creepy Milwaukee Brewers fan.

The Panic Button

Did the Phoenix Suns push the panic button a little too early when they made the trade for Shaquille O'Neal? Growing up a Los Angeles Lakers fan I have become accustomed to teams feeling inferior to the Lakers.

They are the team to beat, every year, no matter what. Anytime a team goes into the Lakers' house they play their very best. Playing in front of Hollywood stars and seeing the championship banners in the rafters can do a funny thing to opposing teams.

The Suns obviously made the Shaq trade in response to the Lakers acquiring Pau Gasol for Stone Hands and a bag of chips.

Is it going to work out for the Suns? Early indications are no. Shaq looked horrible Sunday versus the Detroit Pistons (3-8 from the field, 1-8 from the foul line) but he did get 11 rebounds in the loss. In their win versus the Boston Celtics he had 4 points on 1-5 shooting, while grabbing 14 rebounds.

Shaq is not going to get 15+ shots in a game, probably will not get 10 shots in a game, so the offense is going to have to come from Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash. Stoudemire has looked great with Shaq taking up the paint, but how much of the load can the dude take on?

Five to six minute bursts each quarter for Shaq is probably the best way to go for the Suns. Sad to see a giant fall in front of our eyes.

That is what they are missing with Shawn Marion over in Miami: his versatility to do what they need. Shaq will do a couple things for the Suns: rebound (when he feels like it), take up the paint, get a couple of alley-oop dunks. With Marion they had three-point shooting, rebounding, his driving to the basket, defense on the opposing teams' best player, assists... the list goes on.

Perhaps Mike D'Antoni saw the smile on Phil Jackson's face post-Gasol trade and thought to himself, "I want that."

Patriots' Fans: Stay Classy

There are times when sports fans get a little delusional following a championship, an unbelievable miracle, or in the worst case, a bad loss/upset.

Such is the case with New England Patriots' fans after the "upset" that was Super Bowl XLII. Had Patriots' fans come to First To Third, they would have anticipated the New York Giants victory.

Some losers/jackasses Pats fans have started a petition in request for the NFL to review the final 1:40 of Super Bowl XLII. The online petition has 19,267 signatures as I type this entry, which I assume more than 3/4 of which are jokes (I hope).

The first entries seem genuine and I feel sorry for the losers fans that seriously believe that there is a conspiracy theory against the Pats. I hope they do not have children and feed this information to them. The children are the future and it is never a good thing to dumb-down our future.

If this actually gets in the hands of Roger Goodell, I hope he makes like Lou Brown and pisses all over it.

Cheaters.

WNBA Is Salivating

This is Brittney Griner, a 6-foot-7 junior in high school in Texas. She will be attending college at Baylor University, and the WNBA have, or should have, already contacted her about leaving college early for the league.

A regular dunker in the WNBA? If I am the commissioner of the WNBA I am sending a personal trainer to Griner's house to improve vertical so she can posterize everyone in the league by the time she gets there.

Schilling To Spend The Season Eating

Curt Schilling could be spending much of next season on the bench with shoulder problems according to a report out today.

The Boston Globe and Boston Herald are reporting that Schilling has a shoulder injury that has the right-hander and the club in a dispute over whether he needs surgery and the Red Sox have at least investigated to see if they can void his 2008 contract.

That is bad news for Schilling, even if they cannot void his contract, because his contract has bonuses for keeping his weight down. There is no way the "baconator" keeps the pounds off if he is on the shelf for much of next season.

The one good positive from a possible disabled list destination for Schilling is that we would not hear from him for a while because his mouth will be too full of bacon-wrapped goodies.

That being said, I forgot he has a blog in which he can type and eat at the same time. Dude better get a keyboard endorsement deal if that becomes the case... the grease is going to kill those keyboards.

Bacon.

Shaquille O'Neal To The Suns

Shaq back to the West on a team other than the Los Angeles Lakers? No, you are kidding me right?

And to the Lakers' fans most hated team in the West right now, the Phoenix Suns.

Many question this trade, as do I. But you never know what is going to happen when you have a motivated Shaq (see Miami Heat title in his second season with them).

What the Suns have essentially done with this trade is give themselves two-and-a-half years to raise a banner in the US Airways Center. Steve Nash is getting older, they traded a young player in Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire cannot do it on his own, Grant is almost over-the-Hill, and O'Neal is running on fumes.

If Shaq can stay healthy then this move is brilliant for the towers of the West, an area that the Suns struggle in (see Suns v. Lakers). Stoudemire and O'Neal on the frontline is a pretty formidable combination.

Of course, this move was made as a reaction to the Lakers acquisition of Pau Gasol in last week's trade. The Suns already struggled against the Lakers this year with big man Andrew Bynum, and now have to worry about covering two seven-footers.

I was hurt when Shaq was traded to Miami following the Lakers 2004 NBA Finals exit at the hands of the Detroit Pistons, and swore that I would support him as a Heat player until he won a championship. But there is NO way that I will be supporting him in a Suns uniform.

If the Lakers and Suns meet in the playoffs look for a very heated matchup between the two squads.

Phil Jackson has already taken a shot at Shaq and his age saying to reporters, "“There are deteriorating returns for a guy who’s 7-foot-1, 300-whatever-he-is.” He did later say that he would be a force again if he could get his playing legs back.

Shaq I am your biggest fan, but seeing you in a Suns uniform is going to make me puke.

Thursday Fight Night

Best hockey fight I have seen all year.

Jarkko Ruuto v. Darcy Tucker on January 3, 2008, complete with punch count!

Local College Sports News

I cover baseball, softball, and women's tennis at Cal State Fullerton for the school newspaper (Daily Titan).

Head on over to the Daily Titan on the daily to find my articles, or check them out on here as I will post some on this site...

Softball preview for this year (for a good team):
The Cal State Fullerton softball team enters the 2008 season with high expectations as it starts its season ranked among the nation's best. The Titans open the year ranked 21st in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll and tied for 24th with Texas in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, following a postseason run into the super regional round last year.

Although the Titans are nationally ranked, they were picked to finish second in the Big West Conference according to votes by the league's coaches. Defending league champion Cal Poly Pomona was picked to finish first in the preseason poll, who were not ranked in the national preseason top 25.

Head Coach Michelle Gromacki said she knows the team will have extra motivation to succeed after by being picked to finish second despite receiving one more first place vote than Cal Poly.

"I think they (the players) take pride in that. I think they are a little bent out of shape that we were picked second in conference, but I think that is probably better," Gromacki said.

This year's squad is returning eight starters from last year, something that may help the seven newcomers adjust to the NCAA play. Gromacki said the returning nucleus is a huge part of this season and will allow the returning players to teach the younger players to act as leaders.

Senior Jessica Doucette, one of the eight returning starters, is the only returning starting pitcher from 2007. She posted a 2.58 ERA while compiling an 8-5 record in the 2007 campaign.

"I have big shoes to fill," Doucette said. "There is nothing else you can do but play hard and keeping working out every day in the bullpen."

Two freshmen pitchers, Arianna Cervantes and Christine Hiner, will join Doucette in the starting rotation for the Titans.

"We got two young pitchers on the mound this year that are definitely going to do some things for us in the circle," Gromacki said. "We are going to need them to hold down the fort. They're going to get the innings."

The schedule for the Titans is a tough one, in that it features games against 12 of the preseason top 25 teams in the nation.

One thing Gromacki said will help the young pitchers is producing runs, something senior starting catcher Kiki Munoz can provide. Munoz led the Titans in both batting average and hits last season, and knows a schedule is just a schedule.

"Our biggest opponent is definitely ourselves. That is how it is, you go out there … you play whoever is out there," Munoz said. "We ended off well last year and we just want to keep [it] consistent. We expect a lot of our team."

The team will be led by three Big West all-conference team selections from a year ago in Munoz, Doucette and junior Lauren Lupinetti.

Fullerton was eliminated last year in the super regional round by the University of Arizona, but became the first Big West school to advance to that round since it was instituted in 2005.

One thing the Titans can take from their first NCAA regional victory since 2005 is experience that the returning players can build on and also pass onto the new members of the team.

"Everyone has a taste of it (super regional round). It's hard to taste when you do not know what the flavor is supposed to be," Gromacki said. "The thing I like the most is that they saw what you can do at the end even though we had a struggle throughout the year."

The Titans open their 2008 season hosting Santa Clara at Anderson Family Field on Friday at 6 p.m.

Weekly Lazy Entry

Before I lose myself to the weekend, I am dropping the weekly lazy entry on you for this week.

There were a couple of big things going on this week following the Super Bowl... national signing day, debut of Gasol with the Lakers, Shaq going back to the West (more on that later), and two college basketball juggernauts went at it (Duke v. UNC).

Here are First To Third's favorites:

- Looking for the 19-0 Historic Championship Run Patriots book? Well it certainly cannot be found here. The "jinx" book can be found in your neighborhood hobo's fire can.

- The '72 Miami Dolphins threw in one more jab to the 18-1 New England Patriots by creating a "Perfectville" commercial.

- A San Ysidro High School soccer coach choked a Otay High School player in the second half of their game. The incident led to an all-out brawl in which a spectator kicked the choke victim in the face. High school soccer, always dangerous. I got into a fight in our first away game in high school. It was a draw, but word spread to the varsity players that I had kicked the dude's ass; I stuck with that assessment.

- Don't believe that the Patriots cheated in Super Bowl XXXVI? Well a "staff" member knows the truth and is trying to make some cash before the evidence comes out.

- A swimming coach at a high school in Kokomo, Indiana is in police custody on child pornography charges after being accused of hiding a videocamera in the girls' locker room. As if staring at high school girls in swim suits for a living is not creepy enough.

- Sam Cassell wants to join the Boston Celtics, so he introduced himself to Rajon Rondo with a high five... problem is, he missed, badly.

Mr. Knight Takes His Sweater To The Cleaners

Bob Knight resigned from his head coaching job at Texas Tech yesterday.

The move, made with at least ten games left in the season, leaves his son as the successor of the squad.

"There's a transition that's going to take place here from me to Pat and I've dwelt on this all year long ... how it would be best for him and for the team and for what we can do in the long run to make this the best thing for Texas Tech," Knight told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which first reported the resignation.

Knight told the newspaper that health concerns did not prompt his decision, but he jokingly added, "I feel better today than I did on Saturday."

He was probably going to retire after the season, but nobody expected him from leaving the school when they still have a chance to make it into March Madness.

I will miss Bob Knight if this is indeed the last we will see of him on the hardwood.

Here are some video gems for you to enjoy, with cussing of course...

Angry motivation speech:


Knight explains the beauty of the word f**k:


Top ten soundbites according ESPN:


"Try to help you young guys in this profession you have chosen that is one or two steps above prostitution." - Knight on journalists. Classic.

Super Upset?

It happened. Just as First To Third had predicted: the New York Football Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, ending the dream of a perfect season for Tom Brady and Co.

Aside from last year, it was the best Super Bowl that I have ever seen (because the Colts won it in XLI). David defeated Goliath. Ricky Vaughn and the Indians beat the Yankees. The other Manning was able to step out of his brother's shadow to cast his own over the NFL.

Justice was served. The "evil" team did not prevail. Any given Sunday ... one team can defeat any other.

And this Sunday in particular that was entirely true. The Giants ate up all the doubters leading up the big game and used that motivation on the field. Brady was bothered by Justin Tuck and the Giants defensive linemen. They were the MVPs of the game even though Eli was magnificent in the decisive fourth quarter.

Watching Brady get speared during a sack late in the game was exactly what the Giants did to the Pats all day: punched them in the mouth.

But lets talk about the real issue at hand. Will Brady's girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen, make good on her promise that she would run naked in Manhattan if her super boy's team lost.

As of right now it does not look so good for your eyes and mine:

Sure enough, the Patriots were upset, losing 14-17, leading CBS Sports to remind the former Victoria's Secret model about her promise to strip down for the people of Manhattan.

Only problem? Gisele's agent says the supermodel never made such a pledge. "She didn't say it. This is ridiculous," her agent tells PEOPLE. "What's wrong with the world?"

Just like her boyfriend, she is cheating the world.

And what the hell is with Bill Belicheat? Leaving the game early like a sore loser, as did Brady. They make LaDanian Tomlinson look like a good sport.

I cannot believe Belicheat switched up the "hoodie" on us and the rest of the nation for the biggest game of his life. I guarantee the Pats store takes that jacket off their shelves immediately.

If only I had balls and put my money where my mouth was... even my girlfriend's friend had the balls to put up a G on the Giants. And this is me shrinking...

Weekly Lazy Entry

This week I introduce to you: Lazy Entry.

I find gems to write about throughout the week, but sometimes do not get around to getting them up on the blog. That saddens me. I have bookmarks on the stories and eventually delete the bookmark because they become irrelevant.

Well, the weekly lazy entry will be brought to you with brief descriptions and links to the stories that I found during the week which are funny, insightful, and ridiculous. I know I probably will not get it, but if you are out there let me know what you think about this idea.

Now enjoy:

- Dwayne Wade compared ending the Miami Heat losing streak to losing his virginity. (mp3 link)

- The Boston Globe are so confident that the Patriots are winning Super Bowl XLII, that they already have a book about the Pats perfect season on Amazon.com. Can anyone say jinx? Silly Bostonians. Wicked pissah!

- The Borat "mankini" has been outlawed from rugby matches by New Zealand cops. It is to protect children and families from seeing the hotness of the "mankini." I want to do a romance inside of you, high five!

- A 92-year-old man shot a hole-in-one in Florida on January 10. Pretty impressive. That is not the best part. The dude did it even though he is legally blind. Very impressive. I love old people.

- Howard University has, or soon-to-be had, a perverted and sick head soccer coach. The coach, Joseph Okoh, used the internet to try and pick up a 13-year-old for sexual purposes. Chris Hansen better have a talk with that dude. Gross.

- Andy Pettite is sick of hearing Roger Clemens lie and may rat out his former teammate. Shoot, I would do the same if was a bigger man by admitting the use of HGH and the dude that did it alongside me (allegedly) denied it.

Super Bowl XLII

The biggest sports holiday is upon us. Gather the finger foods, warm up those barbecues, and start chilling those beers.

I planned to do a full break down on Super Bowl XLII this week, but time was not on my side.

So, I will just throw it out there right now: Giants win 28-24.

What? Are you stupid? Maybe.

The top two teams are in the big game. And the New York Football Giants have caught lightning in a bottle. Eighteen straight wins cannot be denied, but the Giants are hot right now. Clicking on all the cylinders that the New England Patriots are running on.

Bill Belicheat is dangerous when he has plenty of time to prepare, but lets not forget that the Giants had the benefit of playing the Patriots this season.

They know what to expect, and know they cannot make mistakes because the Pats capitalize on them, immediately.

You all know this statement is true: nobody is perfect. Not these Patriots, not this year.

I foresee Peyton Manning and his father getting some camera time with little bro and son Eli after a New York victory... along with an endorsement for Disneyland, of course.

Larry O'Brien Trophy, Say Hello To The Lakers

I hope the San Antonio Spurs are getting in their last kisses with the Larry O'Brien trophy, because they are not going to see it for a long time after the moves made by Mitch KupfakeGM and the Lakers.

The Lakers traded Mr. Stone Hands himself, Kwame Brown, along with Javaris Crittenton and two first round picks to Memphis for Pau Gasol and a second round pick.

When I first read this all I could think about was Marv Albert. Why Mr. Albert? One word. Sodomy. Sure, Memphis probably made this move to clear cap space for next season and to add young talent, but the Lakers bent the Grizzlies over.

I was embarrassed for Kupchak (for the hundredth time) when he traded away Caron Butler for Stone Hands, but now "Cupcake" has redeemed himself by finding a foolish suitor for Brown.

The head scratching continued with Crittenton's name attached involved. Yes, it made sense for the Lakers with the emergence of Jordan Farmar and solid veteran player in Derek Fisher, but why for the Grizzlies?

They have a rookie point guard in Mike Conley Jr. and young guard Kyle Lowry. Hmm, seems like the same situation in LA for Javaris.

Now to the Lakers smile. Lakers fans around the nation are smiling ear-to-ear today. One, because Kwame is a bum. Two, the Lakers have a starting five that may be better than the Pistons.

Look at the starting five that the Lakers will throw on the floor every night (once Andrew Bynum comes back):
PG - Derek Fisher
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Lamar Odom
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Andrew Bynum

And they have one of the league's top bench squads to fall back on. Kobe is not going anywhere. The championship banner will be raised in Los Angeles once again.

Gasol works well with a mid-range jumper and will let Bynum control the paint. Those two will be the LA's version of the "twin towers" that we saw in San Antonio with Tim Duncan and David "I ain't signing an autograph for Shaq" Robinson.

The West's elite and how they match up:

Phoenix - The Suns had problems in the past with the Lakers size, and now the Lakers have added another 7-footer to go along with "beast-in-the-making" Bynum. Lakers sweep the series in the playoffs if they face the Suns.

Dallas - Dirk Nowitzki and any other big man they throw out on the court will not be able to handle the Lakers front line. Oh, the Lakers also have Kobe and LO on their squad? Another sweep in the making.

New Orleans - Young, athletic, and have size. That can explain both the Lakers and Hornets, and the reason why I could see a series with the Hornets going six games. Chris Paul gives teams headaches and would will his team to a couple wins. Tyson Chandler and David West would put up good fights against the new "LA Skyscrapers" (copyright: First To Third), but cannot do it all. Oh, there still is a player named Kobe playing.

San Antonio - Tim Duncan, look into your mirror of the past and see Bynum and Gasol proving to be a younger and better dual big man threat compared to your "twin towers." The Lakers bench along with their starting five would make this series a five-gamer.

---

One thing that the Lakers may think about doing is moving Lamar Odom. One, because he struggles when he does not get the ball enough. Two, they may look to add a defensive-minded player to help make up for Gasol's average defensive game. Once Bynum comes back Odom may not get the shots he needs in the offense and could defer to Kobe on a full-time basis.

But it might be hard for Kupchak to pull that trigger since we will not see the Lakers with Bynum in the lineup until after the trade deadline.

The Grizzlies just gave the Lakers another "best" for their squad. They now have the best team to go along with best player in the league.

Do you smell that? Yes, it is what you think, the league collectively defecated themselves and David Stern shot a load thinking about the Lakers being back in the NBA Finals.