Dwight Howard Will Never Play For The Heat

Everyone knows Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is a big kid and everyone knows it. Howard recently attended the Comic Con in San Diego and let out some of his inner child. There is one thing Howard doesn't kid about and that's his NBA future.

Howard wants to win a ring in the worse way, even though from the outside looking in some may not know it. He'll be a free agent after the 2012 season and he really doesn't care to discuss it. There is one team that won't be on his destination list though. The Miami Heat.

When the Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James formed the "Big Three" in South Beach, Howard knew that basketball supremacy in the state of Florida left the Magic Kingdom. Howard has gone on to mock James' hairline, the chalk toss, and "The Decision" just to name a few examples.

When asked about who he's thinking of playing for it was no laughing matter regarding the Heat.

What about the Lakers? "That's everybody's question," he told the "Kick" audience. "I am wearing purple … but that's Rock's outfit."



The Heat? "Never."

Now the Heat would be the quickest way of getting to his goal of being an NBA champion, but he wants to blaze his own trail and be a leader of a team and not a follower.

Asomugha Planning For Life After Football

Free Agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will be the most sought after free agent when the spending frenzy begins. There might be one small nugget that could limit his suitors. Asomugha wants to be an actor when his playing days are over.

"You keep hearing that Nnamdi wants to go somewhere where he can begin to focus on his post-player career — even though he'll give his all as he's playing — and he has a great interest in being an actor," ESPN's Chris Mortensen said Tuesday on ESPN's "Mike & Mike Show."

Well, Nnamdi's going all O.J. Simpson on us. You know how it is everyone that's not an actor wants to try their hand at it. He'll definitely have to give his all given the amount of money he'll be making. Word is that the New York Jets might be moving to the top of the list given the large media market there.

This is something to keep an eye on, but my gut says he lands with the Philadelphia Eagles.    

Spencer Hawes' Message To The NBA

The city of Seattle held an NBA sanctioned charity basketball game between some NBA players and Seattle's finest.

After the 2 1/2 hour exhibition, former Washington Husky and Seattle Prep star, Spencer Hawes, stepped to the microphone with a message to the NBA about bringing basketball back to Seattle and a unique haircut to relay the message.

"I just want to leave y'all with one last thing," Hawes shouted. "Come home, Sonics! Come home, Sonics!"


Well the Sonics aren't coming home. I don't know if David Stern will bring the NBA back to Seattle. Personally I would like to see that happen, because it seems strange without a team in Seattle.

Four Players Still Getting Paid During The NBA Lockout

The NBA lockout doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. You know what that means. There will be players that won't be getting paid. That also means they'll have to stretch those millions for an undisclosed amount of time.

But if your Ben Gordon, Zach Randolph, Al Farouq Aminu, and Caron Butler the checks will keep rolling. That's because their agent, Raymond Brothers who spread their 2010-11 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months in case the lockout forces the cancellation of games.

Smart move by their agent and the players for co-signing the deal.

"They will not know financially that they're in a lockout," Brothers told USA Today.
"If there is a lockout, you'll able to pay your bills."

So while there will be players grumbling about paying child support and car insurance, it won't be from any of these guys.

Luc Robitaille's Son Launches Music Career

Luc Robitaille enjoyed a very successful NHL career. He was one of the most prolific scorers with the Los Angeles Kings and won a Stanley Cup championship with the Detroit Red Wings. His 16 year old son Jesse plans on making it to the big time in a different way.

Jesse is launching a music career and is going by the name Jesserae. Although he is young he says he doesn't do the Justin Bieber style (sugary pop) and sings "rock, soul, and groove". He plays the guitar and is more acoustic rock than teeny bop. Even though he hasn't hit it big, he has garnered around 40,000 hits on Youtube. Jesserae will be taking a tour of the Midwest and Robitaille is supportive of his son's choice of career.

"It's totally fine by me," Robitaille said. "As long as I see him working hard, which he is doing, I'm a happy man and I'll do everything to support him."


Sounds like he won't be getting by on the family name. This isn't the first child out of the family to make it in another line of entertainment work. Luc's stepson, Steven R. McQueen went into the acting field and Robitaille advised him not to take the Robitaille name. McQueen is the grandson of Steve McQueen. The R is a tribute to Robitaille.





 

Is Yao Ming A Hall Of Famer?

In a recent article in the Houston Chronicle, former Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy declared that recently retired Yao Ming was a Hall of Famer.

“No. 1 to me, he’s a Hall of Famer,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t care if you put him in as player, as a contributor or put him in with his own heading. This guy definitely gets in for the greatness as a player when healthy or what he did as ambassador.”

“People forget,” Van Gundy said, “just how good he was.”

True, when Yao was good he could be very good. He did improve his scoring average each of his non injury years in the league. We really don't know how good he could've been due to injuries and and his abrupt retirement. That sentiment seems to be echoed by his former teammates and coaches.

“I don’t think people remember how dominant he was,” former Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “He was a great offensive player and a very effective defensive player. You couldn’t guard him one-on-one. Shaq (O’Neal) was like that. Yao was like that. They were just too good. You had to send help against them. And if you fouled Yao, he was an 89 percent free-throw shooter.


“He became a very effective defensive player. He knew how to use his size to get in position that guys had a hard time finishing at the rim.”

“I feel gypped I wasn’t able to see Yao and play with Yao with an opportunity to maximize his potential,” former Rockets forward Shane Battier said. “I would have loved to play with a healthy Yao at 31 , 32 years old with nine or 10 years of seasoning under his belt. I don’t think anyone would have stopped him. That’s the tragedy from a basketball sense. We were not able to see what could have been basketball-wise.”


“There is no doubt if he stayed healthy, we’d be talking about one of the top centers to ever play the game,”Rick Adelman said. “He’s right there in the top 10. He had such unbelievable scoring touch. He was so dominant.”

On stats alone I would say no. No disrespect, but if Drazen Petrovic can get in so can Yao. He did increase the NBA's visibility in China after entering the NBA and became an international ambassador for the game. I believe if he could've stayed healthy he might be the most dominant force in the league right now. Just check the head to head stats against the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard. He developed a full low post arsenal and developed off hand and drop step moves.

I do think Yao Ming will be a Hall of Famer just not right now. Or maybe in the next five years. But he will get there. Of course there is a lot of 'what if' involved here, but if you look at the big picture I think he does belong. And no he shouldn't be penalized for playing on inferior teams in a loaded Western Conference.





 

Quote Of The Week: Dean Lombardi

After some alledgedly shady dealings with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi had some words for the Oilers organization. This all comes on the heels of the Ryan Smyth trade, where Lombardi initially agreed to take forward Gilbert Brule in exchange for left wing Ryan Smyth but balked when he said the Kings’ lawyers determined Brule had not been procedurally cleared following a concussion. Unwilling to void the trade because Smyth had asked to leave Los Angeles -- and because Smyth’s departure would take a huge burden off the Kings’ salary cap -- Lombardi agreed to instead take center Colin Fraser and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft.

Fraser had yet to be medically cleared to play, but Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini led Lombardi to believe Fraser was close to being cleared. However, Lombardi said the Kings’ doctors found not only an unhealed fracture but an alarming cyst in Fraser’s foot and a blood disorder. Lombardi said Fraser will require surgery that would keep him out four months.

Talk about getting robbed. Of course Lombardi wasn't too pleased about this.

“The bottom line for me, I would have rather invested my money with Bernie Madoff than invest in Edmonton’s word.”

Of course Tambellini happened to be traveling and has no response.