Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks have watched Josh Smith grow from a teenage headache to a reliable player. Smith is having his best season as a pro and should've been recognized as an All-Star this season. Despite all the good the team has done this year, with injuries to Al Horford and Joe Johnson, Smith wants out of Atlanta. If not by the March 15 trade deadline then he could possibly walk in free agency.

That puts the Hawks in the unenviable position of trying to find themselves the best deal or just outright losing Smith for nothing. The reasons Smith wants to be traded are that he thinks he needs a fresh start elsewhere and believes the Hawks aren't committed to winning a championship. I would have to agree with Smith on the latter opinion. Smith also has said that he could reach his potential on and off the court by playing for another team.

Let me translate that last sentence. I want to play for a winning franchise and get some of the endorsement money being handed out.

Smith has been the subject of trade rumors before and he brushes all of it aside when asked about it.

“I really don’t pay any attention to it,” he said. “I just go out there and play the way I play and not worry about anything else. I know this is a business. Whatever happens, happens in the long run. But I know as long as I’m with the Hawks, I have to put my best foot forward.”  


If Smith is unhappy, he's not showing it and is giving his best effort which should help him on the open market if he doesn't sign an extension.

Teammate Jerry Stackhouse believes it would be a mistake if the Hawks trade Smith.


“His talent, that’s what you can’t give up on with Josh,” Stackhouse said. “It’s easy to say, ‘All right, let’s just move him.’ And then he goes and clicks at the next stop and you’ve got to look at that every night and you had it in house. That’s kind of the dilemma with Josh. You know you are going to get some uneasy moments from time to time but, for the most part, he’s really about winning. He wants to win. He’s competitive. I relate to that.


“How he handles his emotions and frustrations, sometimes he rubs people the wrong way and bruises them. But I think he’s happy-go-lucky. He thinks, ‘It was just heat of the moment’ and we can move on from it but he can bruise people. I think he’s learning that. He is learning to control his emotions a little better and it’s good for our team. The better Josh Smith is, the better the Atlanta Hawks are.”


If Smith is traded it would hurt the Hawks in the short term. It all depends on who they get in return. If they can get a good haul for Smith they might be better off for it, but all in all this is a risk that I think Hawks management doesn't really want to take.

Rasheed Wallace works out for Miami

Rasheed Wallace was once rumored to be joining the Los Angeles Lakers, but that didn't exactly happen. Now there is a report circulating saying that Wallace has worked out for the Miami Heat.


A source close to the situation confirmed Rasheed Wallace has worked out with Heat, but source said he hasn't decided if he'll play again. Source on whether Rasheed Wallace would be interested if Heat wanted to sign him: "It’s something he may consider.’'
    
Source said Rasheed Wallace staying quiet on if he might play again because "doesn't want to cause a lot of hoopla'' if decides against it.

Ever since the rumor of a comeback has came out, not much has materialized since then. It's no secret that Wallace would rather play for a contender than anywhere else. With the Heat lacking quality big men behind Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem, they're always looking to add another big. Hence the interest in Joel Przybilla.

In the event that Wallace did sign with the Heat he would be the most colorful character in the locker room. I personally think Miami could be a good fit or Oklahoma City, who still need a little more outside of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.  

Freddie Mitchell might be doing some hard time

I know the name Freddie Mitchell might elicit some laughs from hardcore NFL fans. If you're a Philadelphia Eagles fan you might get a stream of expletives. Mitchell, the former Eagles first round pick and receiver was a colossal bust, sans the playoff game against Minnesota during the Eagles' Super Bowl run.

After the Eagles let him go, there hasn't been too much news regarding good ole Fred X. You know what they say no news is good news. Well, Mitchell has gotten himself in a bit of trouble with the IRS and it isn't for tax evasion. Mitchell is facing some serious prison time for federal tax fraud charges.


Mitchell and two other people, Jamie Russ-Walls and Richard Walls, face federal charges in the case in Florida, in an indictment obtained by Fox 29.


The indictment filed by the U.S. attorney in Orlando, Fla., says a company set up by Mitchell, Chameleon Enterprises, was involved in the alleged scam.


The target of a scheme was a professional athlete with the initials A.G., who investigators said had no knowledge of the scheme, but paid for a firm connected with Mitchell to do his taxes.


According to the indictment, the plan was to file for false federal tax returns electronically.


Jamie Russ-Walls and Richard Walls allegedly filed the tax returns, claiming refunds ranging from $170,000 to $1.9 million. The two men also attached false documents to support the refund claims, the indictment says.


The men enlisted Mitchell to recruit professional athletes as tax-return customers.


That is something serious and Mitchell could wind doing some hard time if he's convicted of the charges. Mitchell might really have to become Fred X if he winds up having to do some time in the pokey.

Somewhere there are some Eagles fans laughing hysterically.



   
  

Lay off of LeBron

In the past I've been critical of Miami Heat forward LeBron James. Mostly because of the clouded judgement which many sports fans have viewed him with since he signed with the Heat. I didn't have a dislike of James because he signed with Miami, it's just the way he did it.

Since then his game has been scrutnized. Since James has become part of the 'big 3' in Miami, everyone has talked about how he disappears in the fourth quarter or how he defers to Dwayne Wade or passes to a lesser player for a key shot. You know what I think? I think everyone needs to lay off of James and just let him play his game.

I've never seen a player having an MVP type season get picked on so much for what he doesn't do. Everyone wants James to take over in key moments. He has to a certain extent in his career. But James has always looked to make his teammates better. That's just how he is. He was like that in his first NBA game and he is now. He is clearly the most talented player on the court so there are many who view James as a disappointment sometimes.

I don't view him as a disappointment. I view him as a player that wants his teammates to shine just as much as he does. When he came into the league, I saw that in his game. He played a little like Magic Johnson, always looking for his teammates. I also saw that he didn't have a killer instinct. It just wasn't in his makeup. But he is so supremely talented that it doesn't matter.

I get tired of hearing about how he passes to his teammates at key junctures of the game. Like against the Atlanta Hawks Friday night he passed off to Udonis Haslem for the game winner. Haslem missed the shot and James was criticized yet again. Think about it, maybe Haslem had an easier shot than the one he might've taken. Haslem was the open man, but if James takes the shot and misses then you'd hear how he fails in the clutch. No one was criticizing Michael Jordan for passing to John Paxson in the Finals. Paxson nailed the shot,  but everyone would've said it was Paxson's fault for not making the shot rather than Jordan passed up a game winner.

Look at James for what he is. A one of a kind basketball player. A player that is so much better than everyone but looks to get everyone involved. A team player. He'll never be the cold blooded assassin type player. He leaves that role to Wade. Just let James play his game and watch how good he truly is instead of dissecting his every move and picking him apart.

Cousins says he wants to stay in Sacramento

For all the headaches he provides, DeMarcus Cousins is a good basketball player. To me he's a younger version of Zach Randolph as troubling as that might sound. He does come with less off court baggage. The young big man can flat out play and provided that he's surrounded by a good team he'd probably less of a headache. Instead he's in Sacramento with teammates just as young as he is and not much veteran leadership. Good thing head coach Keith Smart appears to have broken through to the young man.

Earlier this year there was a reported rift between Cousins and former coach Paul Westphal. Then there was Lakers center Andrew Bynum saying he felt bad for Cousins for having to play in Sacramento. Reports were saying he was trying to force himself out of Sactown. Despite the troubling season Cousins has continued to perform and says he wants to remain in Sacramento.

“Sacramento is where I want to be,’’ he said. “I want to bring the organization back, help the organization get started back winning. I love the city of Sacramento. That’s where I want to be. End of story.


“We can dig a hole, throw that topic in there, cover it with dirt, pack it down. I want to be in Sacramento. End of story.’’  


Don't worry Sacramento, DeMarcus is in it for the long haul. Now about those Tyreke Evans rumors.  

Epstein blames Chicago bars and nightlife for past failures

Anyone that has been to the city of Chicago knows that there is a bustling nightlife there. Apparently new Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein knows it as well.

Epstein has credited the local bars and nightlife for ruining the careers of players of Cubs past. He also blamed it for the team's inability to win. I'm sure the billy goat, black cat, and Leon Durham might have something to say about it. Epstein is trying to change the culture there and bring a title to the Cubs and end the long suffering curse, just like in Boston.

Epstein says he's not going to tolerate Cubs players hanging out into the wee hours of the night.

"It's been a factor in ruining some careers," the team president said. "And I'm sure it's been an impediment to the Cubs in winning. ... The approach we're going to have is the opposite of laissez faire. We're not just going to say, 'Oh, that's the way it is. This is Chicago. Boys will be boys. I'm sure they're going to get enough sleep and I'm sure they'll show up the next day ready to play.'


"That's a failure on the organization's part. We have to take a very proactive approach in setting a high standard." 


Sheriff Epstein will be laying down the law. Hey at least outfielder Reed Johnson has his back.


"It's important for young players to recognize that you need to get your sleep," veteran outfielder Reed Johnson said. "This is your career. This is what you do for a livelihood. You need to treat it that way, especially in our park. You don't have that extra 10 hours when you wake up in the morning to get ready for that 7 o'clock night game.


"You've got to be able to get into that routine. ... I know I'm in bed probably by 9, 10 o'clock at night to get ready for that day game."

"If you do it year after year after year, it's definitely going to catch up with you," Johnson said. "You've got to nip that in the bud and get it under control. It's the best thing, not only for the player's career but for the team as well. We're going to need everybody at their best to put up as many wins as we can get."

For Epsteins sake he better hope this translates into more wins or some of the players who are having their "off field activities" taken away from them will be grumbling saying it doesn't make a difference if their out partying or getting a good night's sleep. 

Mayweather says he offered Pacquiao $40 million for fight

There is a lot of talk about how Floyd Mayweather is ducking Manny Pacquiao, but if you ask Mayweather he'll tell you he's done all he could to make it happen in the past few months. Mayweather seems to be over the drug testing flap that initially put the superfight out to pasture. Now it's all about the money.

Mayweather won't give Pacquiao a 50-50 split and told Bob Costas that he offered $40 million to Pacquiao for a May 5th date. Manny balked and now Mayweather will fight Miguel Cotto instead.


"I tried to get it done. I tried to get it done for May 5th," Mayweather told NBC Sports' Bob Costas on "Costas Tonight." 


"It would have been Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, but, I got turned down."


Mayweather explained why he won't give Manny the 50-50 split. The main reason is that he feels Pacquiao's buy rates aren't high enough to garner a split.




"Absolutely not. I'm not giving up the split. I'm not. I can't. I can't afford to," Mayweather said. "I gave this sport my whole life. I have record-breaking numbers that I've done. He has no record-breaking numbers.

"I had done my homework, seen what he was used to making in big fights. I offered him $40 million. I told him I would wire him $20 (million) within 72 hours. I keep 100 percent of the revenue. So why would I even give a guy 50-50? 


"I'm not just the highest paid guy in the sport of boxing. I'm the highest paid athlete."

To Mayweather's credit he's trying to do something, so all the chatter about him ducking Pacquiao should quiet down. I think Mayweather has seen enough of Pacquiao to find some weaknesses to exploit. People tend to forget that Mayweather is a top notch ring general.

If the hold up id over money it would be a shame that it would be the reason why this fight doesn't happen. Is $40 million not enough. Please. You never saw Roberto Duran or Marvin Hagler say that enough wasn't being offered to take a fight.