We are still a full season and a half away from the summer of 2010 but that can’t stop us from raving about it.

After all, the summer of 2010 will probably have the MOST number of superstars landing on a new team. One of which is of course, LeBron James. Many basketball fans are already wondering if he’ll stay in Cleveland regardless of what he can accomplish with them this 2009 NBA basketball season or the next. And even if he decides to stay in Cleveland, there are still some big names left on the 2010 free agency pool who can create headlines the moment they decide to sign with a different team.

NBA superstars who will have their contracts expire next year include Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd.

And since we have quite a number of unrestricted free agents next year, we’ll just stick with four superstars who’ll definitely have an impact to any team that they decide to play for next if they do decide to move, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and yes, LeBron James.

So who’ll be more likely to stay with their current team and who are those…

Read More » LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire, which NBA Star will move in 2010?

Serious as a heart attack.

Nearly a year after the Los Angeles Lakers lost Andrew Bynum to injury, their seven-foot project was bit by the injury bug yet again this 2009 NBA basketball season, putting their title hopes and dreams in question for the second straight year.

You read it, Andrew Bynum could miss eight to 12 weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee. Bynum was hurt in the first quarter of last weekend’s win in Memphis when Kobe Bryant drove to the basket, missed the shot and crashed into Bynum’s right leg. Bynum immediately grabbed his knee.

This is a big loss since Andrew Bynum is the Lakers’ third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, averaging 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds this season to go with his 1.9 blocks.

The injury came as the 21-year-old seemed to be taking a major step forward in his fourth NBA season.

The injury to the seven-foot, 285-pound Bynum brought back bad memories of last season for the Los Angeles Lakers. He went down in mid-January and was expected to be sidelined eight to 12 weeks after bruising a bone in his knee and briefly dislocating his kneecap. Yes…

Read More » How serious is the injury to Lakers star Andrew Bynum?

Other than, of course, provide the ”veteran leadership” any old fart automatically is rumored to have every time they try to salvage what’s left of their careers.

For 21 seasons, John Smoltz worked for the Atlanta Braves. He started for them, he closed for them and he helped them win a World Series title. Smoltz was as synonymous with the Braves as any player with any major league team.

All that ended when he agreed to terms with the Boston Red Sox. Smoltz thought that he might stay with the Braves for his entire career and do what Tom Glavine, his former teammate, did not.

Instead, at 41, Smoltz switched teams and is diving into the passionate world of the Red Sox for the coming 2009 MLB baseball season. If Smoltz passes a physical, he will get a one-year contract for $5.5 million and the chance to earn about $5 million in incentives.

Because Smoltz had major shoulder surgery last June, it is impossible to know how effective he can still be. The Atlanta Braves, who were flooded with pitching injuries last year, did not want to guarantee Smoltz much more than $2 million.

The Red Sox were. Why not? He is after all a former Cy Young Award winner. Of course, they also have to be worried of his age too.

In addition to Smoltz, the Red Sox have signed outfielder…

Read More » How can John Smoltz possibly help the Red Sox?

Because they still want to milk something from you after football.

With another Super Bowl in the books, the volume on college basketball betting will start to increase, as it does every year in early February. Not only is there no more football action, but now is when things begin to get real interesting in the 2009 NCAA college basketball season. On that note, here are a few games from Saturday’s schedule that bettors are paying close attention to.

First we have the Michigan Wolverines visiting the No.1 ranked Connecticut Huskies. The nation’s top team will play host to a Michigan Wolverine program that used to be a powerhouse (where have you gone Fab Five?), but are now just trying to stay relevant in their conference.

The Connecticut Huskies, sporting an impressive 21-1 straight up record, have not been overly reliable laying the points at home, as they are only 5-5 against the spread in their 10 home starts. Michigan, on the other hand, has been a dreadful team to back on the road. The Wolverines have stumbled their way to a miserable 1-6-1 record against the spread when they’ve had to travel.

Does Michigan have what it takes to pull off the upset? Doubtful. But covering the big number is in the cards.

Next we have the No.15 Memphis Tigers visiting the No.18 Gonzaga Bulldogs. This is one of the higher profile match-ups on tap for a big Saturday of college basketball betting. Both of these teams are looking to go…

Read More » Sports Betting Tips from SportsBetting.com for the 2009 NCAA College Basketball Games this Saturday

Of course, we’re asking this now because Kobe just broke the record for most points of an opponent inside the famous Madison Square Garden.

And since he’s STILL a heavy favorite to win the MVP this 2009 NBA basketball season, we had to relive this ongoing debate about who between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan is better.

Of course, we’ve all heard the opinions of many basketball fans who were trying to protect their ”era” of you will. Young basketball fans today would say Kobe Bryant is better while older guys will go with MJ. You see, the older generation will tend to be ”overprotective” of their own time in history. These guys probably still think that the time when Isiah Thomas was still patrolling the Pistons offense and Patrick Ewing dropping hook shots at the Garden is still the best era of the NBA, refusing to live at the present and keeping their asses glued on the past.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. I won’t even be surprised to hear a 70-year-old dude claim Jerry West or some dude from the 50s we’ve never even heard of as the best player in basketball. It’s just common nature for people to do that. But since I live in a time when LeBron James is taking over basketball, (yes, I’m that young…) I guess I can be neutral enough to write about who’s better between No.24 and No.23.

If you want to determine who is better between Kobe…

Read More » Is Kobe Bryant better than Michael Jordan?

I guess that’s what everybody from Detroit should be lobbying.

Seems it was so long ago when the Detroit Pistons had their fast start to the 2008-09 NBA basketball season, leading the Eastern Conference and looked like another trip to the conference finals imminent.

Then BANG, Detroit Pistons general manager Joe Dumars decided to fix something that ain’t broke in the first place, sending Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to Denver in exchange for Allen Iverson, the guy Dumars was hoping to finally be able to get the Pistons past the conference finals and back in the championship series.

42 games later, the Detroit Pistons are still nowhere near that goal. Hell, they are 21-21 with Allen Iverson and with the rate they are going, they might not even get to the conference finals, thus breaking their streak of six straight years of playing for the Eastern Conference title.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that trading for Allen Iverson was a big mistake. For what it’s worth, the Pistons organization can still correct their own blunder but with the trading deadline drawing near, they better move A.I. now before it’s too late.

Dumars admits that he’s open to moving Allen Iverson. Dumars initially saw Iverson as someone who could take his team to the next level, perhaps keeping them relevant in an Eastern Conference that…

Read More » Dumars, trade Allen Iverson away from the Pistons now

I guess they need some sort of a soft opening before officially kicking off the season.

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will probably aim to set us all up for the grand opening of the new season in NASCAR, which will be the 2009 Daytona 500 on February 15. But since we are still a couple of weeks away from that, I guess this big race this weekend would do.

You read it, NASCAR returns with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout this Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway. This year, NASCAR will have a new format that puts more emphasis on the series’ four manufacturers and the same star-power appeal that has become a season-opening tradition for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and its fans.

The 31st annual season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway will be held this Saturday night with a field of 24 cars representing the top teams from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota that will showcase the close competition in NASCAR’s premier series.

That lineup will consist of the top six teams from each manufacturer, based on the final 2008 car owner points.

For the Chevrolets you have; No.48 Jimmie Johnson, No.29 Kevin Harvick, No.07 Casey Mears, No.31 Jeff Burton, No.24 Jeff Gordon, and No.88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Dodge camp will bring; No.9 Kasey Kahne, No.12 David…

Read More » NASCAR returns with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway this Saturday

Yep, they’ll be back together in one team.

And although the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix on February 15 will probably won’t be much of what a real NBA game is suppose to be, seeing Shaq and Kobe together as teammates should be special, especially for those Laker fans who were wishing for Shaq back when Kevin Garnett was having his way with the Lakers frontline last June.

In case you’re wondering, Kobe Bryant was voted in by fans as a starter for the 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars. Shaq, on the other hand, was voted in by NBA coaches as a reserve for the West, paving the way for his return to the All-Star Game since leaving the Heat in the middle of the 2007-08 season.

And since they’ll be playing alongside each other since their glory days in Tinseltown, Shaquille O’Neal felt the need to clear up some things about this highly publicized fued between him and his former wingman.

Shaq, after all the things he has said to bash Kobe Bryant in the past, now claims Kobe AND his former coach, current Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, are his allies. He claims his rivalry with Kobe was nothing more but a marketing gimmick…

Read More » A Shaq – Kobe Reunion in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game

First, let me just point out that contrary to Roger Goodell’s comments last Sunday, 43 failed to top 42 last year.

And in case you have no idea what I’m trying to stress here, the 43rd edition of the Super Bowl is now history as the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida. It was a fitting end to what has been an unpredictable season and although many did picked Pittsburgh before the big game, nobody predicted the Steelers needing to score in the last two minutes of the game just to win a title that many thought they should’ve won easily.

And since Super Bowl 43 ended the way it did last Sunday, I have to point out its similarities with last year’s Super Bowl championship game, when the New York Giants drove down the field in the last two minutes of the game to beat the New England Patriots and win Super Bowl 42.

You see, like the Giants last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers had to find an answer after watching the opposing team’s primary receiver score the go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes of the contest.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady found Randy Moss in the end zone to give the Patriots the lead in the final minutes of Super Bowl XLII last year. Last Sunday, it was Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner finding Larry Fitzgerald in the end zone to give them the lead with 2:37 left.

As soon as that happened, I had a feeling then that I’ve seen this…

Read More » Similarities between Super Bowl XLIII to 42 last year

WWJD?

That’s ”what would Jefferson do” in his return to the Izod Center this 2009 NBA basketball season since being traded by the Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks. RJ was one of the core players the Nets had when they made it to the NBA Finals two times in a row. After losing both stints, the Nets franchise decided to rebuild and many of their core stars were moved with the likes of Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Jefferson.

RJ returns to the Izod Center on Tuesday to lead his new team, the Milwaukee Bucks, against his former one, the New Jersey Nets. Since leaving New Jersey, the Nets have managed to establish two new stars who they are hoping they can rebuild around with for the future, former Nets teammate Vince Carter and this up and coming star who just had the first All-Star selection of his career, Devin Harris.

Devin Harris is quickly becoming one of the best pure point guards in the NBA. No longer limited on offense like he was in Dallas, Harris has become one of the primary offensive weapons the New Jersey Nets continue to look for in games because of his sheer speed and talent.

Harris, together with Vince Carter, form the most explosive and highest scoring backcourt in the league. Although their overall team record doesn’t show how good Harris and Carter is collectively, the future is bright in New Jersey and the Nets can thank their young point guard for it.

For what it’s worth, Richard Jefferson isn’t doing bad himself…

Read More » Richard Jefferson returns to New Jersey to lead his Milwaukee Bucks against Vince Carter and the Nets