Rodman: 'I'm not an an alcoholic'

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman recently checked himself into an alcohol-rehabilitation center, but according to Rodman it wasn't for alcoholism.

Rodman says he entered rehab to reevaluate his life, not to give up drinking. Rodman says he's not an alcoholic.

“I needed to decompress from all the things I was going through,” Rodman said Friday by phone from Miami. “I was trying to get this game going and get everything going in North Korea.

“I don’t need to drink,” Rodman said. “I don’t need to do anything. I went to rehab just to sort things out. That’s it.”

My school of thought was that if you went to a treatment center that you had a problem with what you went in for. That just doesn't apply on Rodman's world.

“I’m not an alcoholic,” he said. “An alcoholic drinks seven days a week. I don’t drink seven days a week. When I drink, I don’t hurt nobody, I don’t have no DUIs, nothing like that.

“I didn’t go to rehab for drinking. There aren’t too many people who quit drinking going to rehab. Not too many people can do that.” 

Rodman said he will return to the rehab center every six months "to see where I'm at."

Maybe Dennis doesn't drink seven days a week but I'm pretty sure that he drinks more than the average person in three days than they do in seven. Rodman needs to recognize he has a problem, but knowing him it'll never happen.
  

NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants to end one and done

As new NBA commissioner Adam Silver gets his feet wet during his first All-Star weekend, there is one topic on his mind that is making waves in sports media. Silver wants to raise the minimum age limit from 19 to 20, in effect ending the one and done trend in college basketball.

Silver said Saturday night he is committed to continued negotiations with the NBA Players Association to establish a minimum age of 20 to play professional basketball.

In his first official press conference as commissioner since taking over for David Stern, Silver said the age requirement made sense both for the college and pro game because colleges could create better teams knowing they had at least another year to develop talent, and the NBA would benefit by having more seasoned rookies, both on and off the court, joining the league.

“Everywhere I go, I know people dislike the so-called ‘one-and-done,’” Silver said. “I think it’s important to the NBA, it’s important to basketball generally that there be strong college basketball. It’s important to college basketball that there be strong youth basketball and strong AAU basketball.

“I think we feel we have a responsibility at the NBA as the stewards of the game to ensure that the game is played the right way and those values of the game ... are executed properly. We at the league office are thinking about those things every day. You have my commitment that I am focused on the game, and ultimately, that’s what this is about.”

“It’s my belief that if players have an opportunity to mature as players and as people for a longer amount of time before they come into the league, it will lead to a better league,” Silver said. “I know from a competitive standpoint, that’s something as I travel the league I increasingly hear from our coaches, especially, who feel that many of the top players in the league could use more time to develop as leaders as part of college programs.


“Ultimately, this is a team sport — it’s not an individual sport. And we’ve seen it in international competition, for example, where teams of players that have played together for a long time have enormous advantage over teams comprised of superstars or teams that come together over short periods of time.”

Although I come from the school of thought that other sports allow 18 or 19 to turn pro after high school or one year of college, the NBA or the NFL aren't sports that should allow young men into the league. I know, if you can send them off to war they can play sports. That's very true, but none of us are owners who are investing millions of dollars to be the face of a franchise.

If there was a true minor league system in place, I could buy into the argument that one and done is a good rule. But there isn't a place where a player can develop once he goes pro. You can send him to the D-League or Europe but then that player gets lost in the basketball system and never realize their dream of playing in the NBA, because that is the ultimate goal. The D-League simply isn't enough of a minor league because you have "veteran" players still trying to get an NBA contract.

Some players turn pro after one season, but really have no business doing so. They either sit on the bench and wash out or they just never develop properly. Look at Michael Beasley. He parlayed his one great college season into being the second pick in the NBA Draft. But he hasn't been the star that many had projected him to be. He could've benefited from another year in college solely just to grow up as a man.

Even some players who play three years never develop (Hasheem Thabeet), but I think that unless you're a truly special player then you should be playing professional. It would benefit the college game and the NBA as fans would get to know the names of the players.

Some basketball fans don't watch college basketball and don't even know who's coming to the league when they're drafted. The topic will ignite a firestorm of criticism as many find it wrong to prevent players from earning a salary at age 19.

While there are some that can play one year of college ball and excel in the NBA, not all are able to do it.  

Ed Reed has $50,000 stolen from his car in Houston

All-Pro safety Ed Reed, who played last season for the Houston Texans and New York Jets, reportedly had a bag of money containing $50,000 stolen out of the front seat of his car.

According to Reed, he had withdrawn the large amount of cash from a Houston bank on Wednesday afternoon and put it all in to a bag. He then drove to another bank and left the bag of money on the seat of his car while he quickly ran inside.

A police report states that thieves had apparently followed Reed, waited for an opportune time to strike, broke the window of his Audi, snatched the bag, then hightailed it away. According to investigators, the Reed crime is part of a popular theft trend, where people who make withdrawals from a bank or ATM are then followed and robbed.  Police refer to this type of robbery as “jugging.” According to Houston police Sgt. Arturo Bazan, who spoke to Fox Sports, ”These guys go all over the city, every bank. It’s all over.”

The 35-year-old player, who will be an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year contract in November, after being released by the Texans who gave up on the nine-time Pro-Bowler after only seven games; Reed had signed a three-year, $15 million deal with Houston.

Meanwhile, police have no idea as to why Reed was driving around with $50,000 in cash; however, the investigation is ongoing.

Dodgers' Matt Kemp doesn't want to be the fourth outfielder

Do not tell Matt Kemp that he is the fourth outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He does not want to be relegated to that status.

Kemp is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and manager Don Mattingly is not counting on Kemp being ready when the Dodgers travel to Australia for their season opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 22. According to reports, Kemp has not started running on the ankle.

That leaves the Dodgers with three healthy outfielders -- Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig -- who are more than capable and could push Kemp into a bench role this season even after he is healed and ready to play.

With a contract that runs through the 2019 season, Kemp could become trade fodder depending on how the season shapes up.

"I don't know where you get this fourth outfielder talk from, man," Kemp said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "You all love talking about four outfielders, man. That's like the question of the day every day. I think all four of us outfielders feel the same way. None of us are fourth outfielders. Everybody wants to play every day. I won't accept that role. I can't accept that role."

Kemp has struggled to stay healthy the past two seasons, missing 145 games with injuries to his hamstring, knee, shoulder and ankle.

After a National League MVP season in 2011, the 29-year-old Kemp slumped at the plate, batting .270 with six home runs and 33 RBIs in 71 games last year. Those numbers are a sharp contrast to the MVP year when Kemp hit 39 homers with 126 RBIs and 40 stolen bases and batted .324 in 161 games.

The Dodgers began team workouts on Friday and Kemp is able to hit without being ready to run on the ankle. He said his left shoulder, which bothered him last year after major surgery, feels better after a cleanup surgical procedure in the fall.

If Kemp can't show that he has fully recovered he'll find himself on the outside looking in and possibly on a new team.

My guess is that either Crawford or Kemp finds himself playing elsewhere this season.

Charles Barkley says the Pistons 'have a bunch of idiots' on the team

While watching Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond participate in the NBA Rising Stars challenge, a game in which Drummond won MVP honors, TNT's Charles Barkley took time to rip his Pistons teammates.

Barkley said the Pistons 'had a bunch of idiots on that team' when he spoke about the Pistons.

“He’s a terrific player who’s playing with those other idiots up in Detroit. And they’re not going to win,” Barkley said.

When the rest of the “NBA on TNT” panel, including Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, questioned that statement, Barkley continued: “They’ve got some idiots on that team. They’ve got some talented players who are not going to ever get it.”

In my opinion that was a shot to Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith. While the duo is talented they still possess the knucklehead factor and aren't winning players. The team lacks cohesion which is displayed when the team has many of it's 4th quarter collapses.

Barkley's talking about the lack of team play,"buddy ball in the back court", and no leadership on and off court. He's right this team doesn't understand good shots and mental toughness. Making the playoffs would help teach about possessions and finishing games.

Memphis' Dominic Woodson suspended for foul language

The Memphis Tigers beat UCF Wednesday night at home, but they lost a player for at least one game. No the player didn’t get hurt, he cussed. Freshman Dominic Woodson will not play against the No.24 UConn Huskies Saturday because he apparently used foul language while sitting on the bench.

After hearing his language coach Josh Pastner sent him to the locker room.

“If you are going to use that, you are going to go use it in the locker room,” Pastner said in his post game press conference via 247Sports.com. “You are not going to to use it on my bench, so I said ‘see ya.’ He definitely won’t travel to UConn.”

Woodson, according to Pastner, is suspended indefinitely.

"He will be suspended indefinitely until I decide to bring him back," Pastner said. "No one is bigger than the program. That's just the bottom line."

Woodson, according to Pastner, is suspended indefinitely.

Pastner apparently doesn’t cuss and doesn’t want the women and young fan to hear his players use it. This apparently not the first time Woodson has upset his coach with his language.


The 6’10″, 300 lbs. Woodson did not score Wednesday night, but played three minutes. He is averaging 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while playing 7.5 minutes.

It is refreshing to see a coach help mold a player. I am sure Woodson isn’t too excited about it, but he needs to learn to be a man. You cannot go around throwing foul language around like that. Good for you Coach Pastner. Now leave Louisville fans alone.

"It Girl" of the week: Mary Balint

The Just Sports & Just Us "It Girl" of the week is Mary Balint.