And down goes Livingston...

I feel your pain Clippers fans. I watched Amare Stoudemire, one of the most awe inspiring athletes I've ever seen be reduced to a moderate athlete that struggled to get his jump shot off against Jason Collins. Then again, I've watched him slowly get better and better. It's been a joy to watch this humbling experience transform him from cocky young player to confident leader.

The thing to keep in mind is that Shaun had a terrible injury but not the dreaded microfracture surgery. He's very young and in an elite class of point guards that jumped straight to the pros from highschool. He will only continue to get stronger and that jumper will slowly start to fall. His ability is too great to simply not have something special within himself. Just continue to be patient and pray the Clippers retain him. If they don't, an uptempo team will fully utilize his abilities at some point and then what the Clip show sees in practice every day will be on full display for the world. Keep your head up Shaun...

UPDATE...

Upon further testing, Shaun has tears within the ACL, MCL and PCL. On top of this, he suffered a patella dislocation. The initial word is that he is out eight to twelve months. In a game that requires such hard cuts, I would look for him on the later side of things. He has a long road back but this will say a lot about his patient, maturity and desire over the next year. I for one hope it makes him stronger.

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

When I heard this comment that Tim Hardaway made about John Amaechi today I could and couldn't believe it. You feel that we are becoming a forward thinking society that has a little more social consciousness about themselves. Then again, this is a slow process. While many African Americans are finally being treated equally, there are still many people that live in a time within themselves that can't tolerate something of that nature. While I understand one represents a people as a whole and another represents sexuality, regardless, they represent stereotypes and hate. Homosexuals within sports are thrown within a very damning atmosphere themselves.

Playing sports, you see a very macho community. It is full of testosterone and stories like Wilt's sleeping with 20,000 women is a perfect example of this. I can see why John would feel like an outcast even among friends. People don't need to fully agree with his lifestyle on a religious or moral level, but they should be able to understand that he is simply a teammate and not some sexual maniac that lusts for every man that walks. Hopefully this will put an idea out there that many athletes have either known about or thought about and open up some discussion. People also need to recognize that all athletes aren't like Tim and have a more open mind as well.

You can't surf the web for fifteen seconds without coming across some article that discusses whether or not Kevin Durant or Greg Oden should be the first pick in the draft. This really depends on whom is drafting and also the age of that person. By saying that, I mean that traditional, more old school thinking would suggest Oden is a no brainer. While people that are inspired by systems like those of the Suns would think that Durant could be a force of nature. I thought I could give my two cents on the subject and give the tale of the tape.




Kevin Durant: 6'9, 217 pounds, 11' wingspan

This kid is the living, breathing version of Mr. Fantastic. His arms go for days and when you combine that with his height and athletic ability, he can't be stopped on his jumper and could eventually be a terror on weak-side help defense. It is simply unreal to see someone his height crossing people over on the perimeter and then pulling up for a twenty-three foot three pointer. What is also rare for someone his age is his ability to post up. His basketball IQ is high and this is reflected in his ability to make the right decision and not loose his poise. In otherwords, he is a match up nightmare for any team he plays against because he is a shooting guard in a power forwards body.

Defensively, Durant is starting to show his weak-side help potential. He had a five steal game against Iowa State and has also had a few games with five blocks. While this is improving, his perimeter defense and post defense in one on one situations is where he is lacking. While he plays like a two guard, he can't move his feet quickly enough to keep other traditional two guards or even threes in front of him. While Kevin has put on weight, he still has a lot of room to grow and you can see this if a big boy gets him down low. He doesn't have the strength in his lower body to keep anyone from getting deep position on him in the paint. All of this can be improved upon with maturity and weight work as well as desire.


Greg Oden: 7'0 255lbs

I think the photo of Greg above was taken in 1967. Sorry, I was the only person that discusses bball that hadn't made an Oden age joke yet. I feel better now. Where's the peach basket?

Greg is the true definition of a traditional center. He is very much in the mold of centers of old like Bill Russell, Patrick Ewing (circa G Town), Alonzo Mourning, etc. I say this because his main task on every given night is to patrol the lane and that means blocking shots and cleaning the glass. He won't put on a dribbling display, a passing clinic or even show fifteen foot range on his J. He is a dirt worker that many, many NBA teams covet because they feel that defense wins championships. This leads to where I am on these two.

Being in Phoenix in recent years, you can't help but see the focus of the NBA shifting to athleticism and fast pace offense. I've seen time and time again where bigger centers struggle with high octane offense. Honestly, had the Mavs not choked in the Finals last year, Durant may be more of the consensus right now. While I agree that defense is important, Kevin has a chance to create an entire new position along the lines of shooting forward. Imagine a 6'10, 235 lb shooting guard that can do everything that someone like TMac can except he doesn't have a bad back or an on and off attitude. While I may eat my words down the road, Durant is the new breed of NBA player and I know teams like Phoenix and Dallas would covet him and see his vast potential. Oden may end up being the next Zo but I don't see enough in him offensively and from a hunger standpoint that I would pick him over Durant.