Facing accusations of collusion by new head of the players’ union Michael Weiner, commissioner Bud Selig is standing his ground.

“That’s fine. They’re entitled to their opinion,” Selig said Tuesday at a meeting of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “Given the world we live in and what’s happened in the last 18 months, I think this is one sport where I can’t even fathom that anybody could think that. Player compensation hasn’t gone down. We have many clubs struggling, and even those that have done remarkably well, remember, are very aggressive in their marketing and their discounting,” he said. (ESPN)
While an investigation continues, suspicion is in the air. Players’ agents and union members believe that a planned and organized conspiracy to keep salaries down has taken place.

“There are too many things that need to be explained,” said Seth Levinson, who represented nearly a dozen free agents following the 2008 season. “In my experience, there are no coincidences in a monopoly.” (ESPN)

In a time of an economic downturn in this country, it seems very hard to believe that the issue of players salaries has to do with anything other than decreased revenues, which are prevalent across the board in all businesses in this country.

Still, so- called “superagent” Scott Boras has seized the opportunity to cry foul.

“I think the clubs uniformly felt they were taking the momentum of a national event — that being the economy — and suggesting that that was going to have an impact on their revenues,” Boras said. “I think they were attempting to leverage that into a belief structure that the value of players has gone down because there’s a perception that baseball will suffer because of the economy. After experiencing the biggest blow of the economy in the fall of 2008, we know that baseball has stood its ground and still has an extraordinary revenue base.”

I find it quite appalling that Boras would accuse anyone of using an economic downturn to their advantage.

The owners are feeling the pinch of the economy and it is being passed down to the players. It is that simple. There is no foul play taking place here.

Selig was quick to say as much, “Some of us, let me be as blunt as I can be, have to live in the real world, not in some make-believe little scenario that doesn’t exist. And I mean that very, very sincerely,” Selig said. “They can say whatever they want to say. I wouldn’t even waste my time reacting to that.” (ESPN).

I have never been much of a fan of Selig, but I believe he is dead- on in his assessment of the current events transpiring here. I am very happy to see that he is holding his ground against these baseless accusations.

I have little doubt that this will pass in time.

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Here we are, Wednesday, July 15th. Today is also known as the slowest day in the sports year.

Historically, the day after the MLB All- Star game is the slowest sports day of the entire year.

There are no major sports playing today. None.

Perhaps you care a lot about summer league basketball? Maybe European football (soccer)?

If you don’t, you’re left with tidbits of information from other sports.

If you tune in to ESPN you can see the same highlights of last night’s All- Star game (over and over), complete with the same over- analysis of a game with little significance in the first place.

Today actually isn’t as bad as it used to be. Some of the younger readers may not remember a time when we would anxiously sit around waiting for the big 3:30 Sportscenter (back when it wasn’t on all day long) where we would actually be looking forward to those highlights of the All- Star game.

It was really quite pitiful, but it was all we had.

Thanks to the emergence of the internet, we have stories that weren’t available to us several years ago.

We now have the ability to hear about the ongoing Brett Favre updates, which really don’t mean anything since it’s the same information we get almost every day.

We have a report about the Lakers and Lamar Odom being far apart in contract negotiations. This is hardly breaking news.

There are the reports about where Allen Iverson will play next year. Again, basically the same information that has been out there all week.

There is a report that Pedro Martinez is about to sign with the Phillies. One problem: this is also a story that has been reported for almost a week.

Oh wait, there is breaking news about Terrell Suggs getting a contract extension from the Ravens! This is information that changes everything! Oh wait… it’s just another story that effects our sporting lives in no way whatsoever, unless you’re a big Ravens fan I suppose.

Now there’s a story about the WNBA All- Star starters being announced. This raises the age- old question: if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it…. you get the point.

So, what can we do? I guess we’re left to tweak our fantasy team lineups, keep hitting refresh on our favorite websites, maybe spend the day on facebook or myspace.

Personally, I’d love to get outside. Unfortunately, here in the Sacramento valley, we have expected highs of over 100 degrees.

I guess I’m lucky, I have a job I can work on all day. Wait, my job is working from home writing about and editing sports stories.

Darn, foiled again!

Well, the MLB season resumes tomorrow and there are at least four division races that may go down to the wire.

NFL training camps will be opening soon, as will NBA camps in two more months.

There is going to be a lot of excitement in the sports world in the second half of ‘09… and it just can’t get here fast enough for me.

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Josh McDaniels really knows how to win people over. First, the Broncos coach sent Jay Cutler packing to the Bears after the two weren’t able to work out their differences. Now, after meeting with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen Friday, Marshall wants out too. Of course, the Broncos don’t have to trade Marshall. He is one of the most talented young receivers in the league, and just letting him go because he wanted out is not a given. Marshall can ask Cardinals receiver Anquan Bolden about that.

Fans of the Broncos have to be scratching their heads at what has happened over the last few months to their team. The young tandem that had many thinking Cutler to Marshall would break records, now could both be gone before training camp opens. Marshall has put up over 100 catches, 1100 yards and 6 TDs in consecutive seasons, and is regarded around the league at the age of 25 as a top 5 wideout. What team would offer the most for his services? The Colts, Eagles, and Cowboys are three teams that come to mind for me. Stay tuned…

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I recently sat down with one of my favorite NFL players, and a fellow Central Michigan alum, Joe Staley, Left Tackle for the San Francisco 49ers.

Mr. Staley may not be a household name just yet, but true football fans appreciate what he has accomplished and he will be an elite offensive lineman before you know it, if he isn’t one already.

Here’s how the interview went down:

-You were a dominant Tackle in the MAC; how hard has it been to adjust to the NFL?

JS: “At first it was crazy. My head was spinning everyday. I think the biggest adjustment at first is the speed the game is played at this level. After you get used to that, the mental aspect comes into play. The blitz schemes, all the different plays and various packages you run them out of, and just grasping what it is to be a professional everyday. I am still working on being more mentally strong as well as technique and the physical aspect of the game.”

-In your rookie season you played with one of the all-time great O-Linemen in Larry Allen. What kinds of things did you learn from him?

JS: “Larry was a man of few words, but when he spoke everyone listened. I learned how to approach practice and as well as the physical nature you need to have to be successful. He was in his last season and he still showed up everyday, would ask questions and work on different little things. That impressed me because he is one of the best to ever play and he was always striving to get better.”

-What is is like playing for Coach Singletary? What are the best aspects?

JS: “Singletary is a very focused and driven coach. He has the respect of every guy on the team and I think that is huge for a head coach. He has played the game at a high level and understands what it takes to be successful. He is very demanding and challenging and I am really looking forward to playing for him.”

-Who is the toughest guy that you have had to block thus far in your career?

JS: “Michael Strahan my rookie season. Although I really struggled against him, I learned a great deal from that game. I got a quick lesson on what it means to be completely prepared for an opponent and the mental makeup it takes every Sunday to succeed. You must go into every game with the mindset that you are superior to anyone you play and almost need to be cocky. I have gone into every game after that believing that if I do what I do best, no one in the NFL can beat me.”

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Despite tendinitis, Rafael Nadal will play in the upcoming Wimbledon tennis event.

“I am going to give my 200 percent to be ready for the most important tournament in the world,” Nadal said. “I will not go out and play, especially on the Wimbledon Centre Court, if I am not 100 percent ready to play.

“I have two difficult weeks ahead of me, especially because I won’t be doing what I like doing most, which is to play tennis.” (ESPN)

Nadal has opted for a course of physical therapy in preparation for the tournament.

“His treatment will involve oral anti-inflammatories, physiotherapy, as well as muscular exercises for both quadriceps,” physical trainer Ruiz-Cotorro said.

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The following is an account of the events of tonights’ game two of the finals between the Lakers and Magic.

First quarter.

The game begins with Dwight Howard being double teamed from the start. On the second possession, Bynum overplays him and commits his first foul. Bynum will go on to be a non- factor in this game.

8:21, first quarter. Rashard Lewis is no match for Pau Gasol on the block.

7:54 Bynum commits his second foul. Howard makes one of two free throws. Lamar Odom comes in and the Lakers instantly get better.

7:44 Kobe still has the look of a man who has something to prove and will not let his team lose no matter what. Courtney Lee picks up his second foul and Pietrus comes in to guard Bryant. Kobe goes right after him.

6:20 The Magic are now 2/9 from the field early on. Like game one, open shots are being missed like crazy.

5:34 Lewis guarding Gasol is still a huge problem for Magic.

5:22 Pietrus picks up his second foul on a dumb play guarding Derrick Fisher at half court. Who the heck is going to guard Kobe now? I smell a J.J Redick sighting coming.

Early on and I’m already being bombarded by commercials for “wipeout” on CBS.

5:09 Turkoglu is now guarding Kobe. After two possessions it is clear he has no chance in this endeavor… or does he?

4:47 The Magic spacing on offense is terrible, especially when Gortat is in the game.

3:37 On a Lakers three on one break, they end up with an Ariza 17 foot jumper. That can’t happen. You’re telling me they can’t get a better shot than that?

3:10 The Magic already have six turnovers, two less than in all of game one.

2:56 We hit a “mandatory timeout.” I believe in Latin, the term actually means “advertising quota.” Lakers lead 11-10.

During timeout Stan Van Gundy calls out entire team except for Rashard Lewis. His brother Jeff disagrees and says they are off to a solid start.

2:38 Odom hits a jumper to give him five quick points off the bench. He is playing like a guy who will be a free agent this time next month.

2:20 Howard misses at the line again. This is just not good enough.

Redick is now in the game in the first quarter. I don’t even have a joke for this. Orlando is in trouble.
2:26 Holy cow! Howard is called for an illegal screen on the wing, a play that occurred about 947 times in game one without a single whistle.

End of first quarter, game is tied at 15. This is the lowest combined score in a quarter in NBA finals history.

Lewis, Pietrus and Lee all have two fouls early. SVG is bent about his team’s offense, which is well, offensive.

Second quarter:

11:20 Magic have Gortat and Battie in the frontcourt at the same time. Am I the only one who sees a problem here?

10:03 Magic are leaving Odom WIDE open. I think they are trying to get his free agent value up as some kind of backwards logic or something.

9:58 Jordan Farmar, the only Jewish American in the league, makes his only appearance in the game.

9:20 The officials have already called three offensive three second calls. My best guess is that they called the first one and knew it was dumb, so they called a make- up call. Then, a different official, not realizing the make- up call was already made, called another one. This might sound crazy, but this IS the NBA, where atrocious officiating happens.

9:04 Officials call that same illegal screen on the wing again. Did these guys read my game one blog or something?

I see a commercial featuring the Jackson 5 song, “I’ll be there.” Some things are just timeless.

8:48 Redick’s corpse is getting abused at both ends of the court repeatedly. In a related story, today the sun rose in the East and set in the West.

The cameras found a whole new set of celebrities to scan through for game two… and Mark Whalberg.

Jeff Van Gundy is openly plugging the new movie, “The taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3.” Is he getting an additional stipend for plugging movies and products during this series?

8:14 Jeff V. G points out the current Magic lineup has played less than 100 minutes together all season. Ya, the Magic are in great shape here.

6:36 Bynum steps through the lane with a Kareem- like hook shot. This is actually quite impressive… but probably the only time this series we’ll see it.

5:54 Game is tied 26-26.

5:00 When Trevor Ariza is open enough, he is actually a decent three point shooter.

4:14 Kobe goes one on three on a break and gets an assist on a Fisher three- ball.

2:57 Pietrus gets called for his third foul, bringing us one step closer to Redick having to guard Kobe in crunch time. This has to happen!

Mark Jackson is fantastic on the telestrator. He clearly illustrates Howard’s inability to consistently get back on defense.

2:12 The Magic still have ATROCIOUS spacing on offense. The Lakers extend lead to 36-29.

Lewis comes right back with a three… then another, just like that, game changed.

ABC’s camera coverage is horrific. They don’t show the score heading into commercials, they zoom in on Lewis sitting on the bench while (apparently) Gasol brings the house down with a dunk, then top it off by not showing the clock with just 20 seconds left in the half. If you work for ABC’s camera crew, please do us all a favor and quit… now.

Lakers lead 40-35 at the half. The Magic are hanging in despite the Lakers’ basically dominating the first half. Lewis has 20 of the Magic’s 35 points. Kobe has taken just five shots, for six points and five assists. Magic are in this game for one reason only: the power of the three.

Halftime commercials are loaded with Kobe- LeBron ads. How bad did Nike need the Cavs to be playing right now? And ABC and ESPN for that matter?

During the half, SVG says his team must get out in transition… exactly what his brother just Jeff just said.

Third quarter:

11:28 Howard starts the half with a strong half hook in the lane.

10:33 Orlando gets their first fast- break points… OF THE SERIES!

8:40 Apparently, Howard can only go to his right.

8:16 Magic take the lead 47-46… the lead lasts for six seconds.

7:26 Alston airballs a wide open three.

6:17 Kobe is starting to get after it. Is he starting to realize it’s his time to take over?

5:24 Jeff V.G channels Bill Walton by calling the Magic break, “the worst fast break I’ve ever seen.”

4:37 Ariza steal, Lakers break, Kobe dunk, house falling down.

3:50 Turkoglu 3 ties game at 54.

3:23 Do we actually have any evidence that Rafer Alston and Jameer Nelson are not the same player? Has anyone seen them in the same room at the same time? Any DNA around? Someone should get on this.

1:38 Odom gets tackled by three Magic players… and called for a foul.

The Zen master is either telling his team they blow, or something about flow… it doesn’t really matter, as both statements translate to, “give Kobe the ball and get out of the way.”

End of third quarter, Magic lead 65-63. I know that L.A should win, but I’m getting that feeling in my gut that the Magic could actually steal this thing away.

Between quarters coach Jackson is interviewed. The reporter asks him some random question about guarding Turkoglu. He responds with some nonsense about guarding Howard. She asks another question about strategy and he responds that they need to pass more. Even my girlfriend asks me why the heck they interview coaches during the game, noting, “why would they say anything meaningful at all?” I couldn’t have said it better.

Fourth quarter:

11:27 Odom is playing out of his mind. He can smell the free- agent dollars, and candy money already.

9:07 Gortat and others are playing tight. Is Orlando scared?

8:49 Bynum picks up his fifth foul by standing next to Howard as he’s running into his own teammate.

6:20 Kobe makes the most exciting turnover in history by dribbling out of bounds, stepping back in and making a fall- away three as he falls out of bounds again.

6:04 Lewis three gives Magic a two point lead.

5:15 Fisher layup ties game at 77. This thing is going down to the wire.

4:30 Gasol scores over Lewis in the post, 79-79.

3:35 Lakers are playing five man defense to go with their one man offense.

3:08 Pietrus fouls out, Kobe to explode?

2:49 Mark Jackson mentions that Turkoglu said before the game that he wants to guard Kobe in crunch time. I’m fairly certain Kobe wants that too.

I just realized that this is the first finals in memory that didn’t have a theme song. No, “get this party started”, no “hey baby”, no “fighter”, no “this is how a heart breaks.” Ok, I’m done, back to the game.

2:40 Turkoglu mugs Kobe. Trying to take him out of his game or just bad defense?

2:19 Redick three- ball ties game at 84. I give Redick a lot of crap because, well, he sucks, but this was a big shot.

1:33 Lewis goes one on three on the block and somehow scores.

1:11 Kobe comes right back with a jumper in Turkoglu’s face.

47.7 Turkoglu makes a long jumper with his foot on the line (right after he stepped out of bounds). Orlando leads 88-86.

9.1 Courtney Lee misses an open layup, Odom rebounds, Lakers take time- out.

Kobe goes one on four and gets blocked from behind by Turkoglu, who has stepped up huge. Ariza, Odom and Fisher are all wide open at the arc.

0.6 Lee ends up with a layup attempt falling out of bounds, which just misses. Technically, Gasol gets away with a goal-tend when he touches the rim as the ball is on it.

The score is tied at 88 going to overtime. Overtime in a finals game? Holy Crap!

3:37 in overtime. The Lakers look poised. Everyone on the Magic besides Turkoglu looks scared to death.

2:24 A ridiculous Kobe drive and score makes the game 92-91, Lakers. Kobe and Hedo have officially moved from boxing gloves to steel knuckles. The refs are letting them play, which is absolutely the right thing to do.

1:53 Jeff V.G all but says that Redick and Alston are afraid to shoot.

1:31 A Turkoglu jumper rattles in and out on a HUGE possession. At the other end, Gasol gets fouled, resulting in a three- point play. The score is 97-91. I am thinking this was the sequence that decided this game.

28.2 Lewis misses from 3. Howard pushes off Gasol on the rebound. The Lakers go up 99-93.

26.2 A Lewis fade- away three on the ensuing out of bounds play keeps the Magic alive… but still on life support.

The Magic fail to steal the inbounds pass and have to foul Odom. He makes his free throws and the Lakers hold on to win 101-96.

The Magic go down two games to one. I stand by my belief that the Magic will get no more than one game in this series. They basically played as well as they possibly can play and still came up short.

This was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen. My girlfriend slept through the fourth quarter and overtime… I love this game!

And that is how I saw it.

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On Thursday night, there were very few positives to take from the Orlando Magic’s 100-75 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the 2009 NBA Finals.

They shot less than thirty percent from the field. Their star center made just one field goal. They couldn’t seem to hit an outside shot to save their lives.

But the emergence of point guard Jameer Nelson, after four months of downtime because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder, has Orlando feeling optimistic.

Playing twenty-three minutes off of the bench, Nelson had six points and four assists while taking care of the ball and running the offense smoothly.

But even with this success, there is no doubt in head coach Stan Van Gundy’s mind who his starter is going into game two.

“I cannot imagine — although I’ll never say never — that I would get to a point where I would be comfortable starting [Nelson] after he just missed four months. I’ve got no issues going forward with regards to who I start,” Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy plans on playing the All-Star in six to seven minute stretches throughout the rest of this series so that he can impact the game without risking further damage to his shoulder.

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The following is an account of tonight’s Lakers- Magic massacre.

For some reason, Kobe only gets a lukewarm reception from the L.A fans during pre-game introductions. I don’t understand this at all.

Mike Breen declares the Lakers are tougher than last year’s team that lost to the Celtics… tonight will prove to not be enough evidence to determine this. Within two weeks we should have a definitive answer to this question.

Adam Morrison is in street clothes. I wonder if the Lakers would rather have Radmanovic right now. More importantly, I wonder if Morrison will be in the league next year.

Andrew Bynum gets the best of Howard on the first two possessions. Bynum has six points and three boards in the first three minutes. This is a very bad sign for Orlando.

5:30, first quarter. This is the first stoppage in play. The refs are letting them play so far. Bynum is absolutely owning Howard.

Tony Battie just shot two 17 foot jumpers. If this is in the Magic game- plan, someone needs to lose their job. If it’s not, Battie should lose his. No way this should ever happen. Ever.

Howard, Battie and Gortat are getting away with the same moving screen on the wing every single play. This would be an issue if the Magic could hit an open jumper.

End of first quarter, Orlando leads 24-22.

There is a WNBA commercial reminding us that their season is starting soon. This raises the age- old question: if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

As I say every game, interviewing coaches between quarters is wrong, ridiculous and stupid on so many levels I don’t even know where to start.

The second quarter begins with Lamar Odom running free to the rim for an easy put- back dunk. No Magic defender is within five feet of him.

The Magic are getting good, open looks from beyond the arc and are doing a decent job on the offensive glass. If this continues, it could be a problem for L.A.

8:32 left, second quarter; Magic lead 33-28. The Lakers take a rare timeout.

ABC’s coverage of this game leaves something to be desired. I just had to wait four minutes to see the score. This is insane.

4:21 left, second quarter: Bynum gets called for a foul on Howard. By itself this isn’t noteworthy, except that on the previous play at the other end Howard was not called for a foul on nearly the exact same play.

3:48 Howard gets double- teamed on the block and goes right through for an easy dunk.

2:50 Kobe is heating up. He has 16 points and made the last three scores. Pietrus is defending him as well as any human can. He is all over him and has a hand in his face every shot he takes. It makes no difference, as Kobe is “not human, he is like a piece of iron.”

1:49 Lakers lead 45-39. The intensity is rising and the Lakers defense is suffocating. There is blood in the water.

Odom has a 6/6 at the moment and is all over the offensive glass.

Jameer Nelson is playing ok, but Alston was doing just as well in the first quarter. I don’t really see that Nelson is adding anything to his team.

Lakers lead 53-43 at the half. Orlando can do little right. Bynum is outplaying Howard. The Magic can’t make a three- pointer. Lewis and Lee have been invisible. Kobe is running an 18/6… other than that the Magic are in great shape.

-Halftime-

I have to admit, I was impressed with Kobe in his interview with Magic Johnson.

Early into the third quarter, the Magic are getting to the rim frequently, but can’t finish anything.

9:38 Bynum gets called for his fourth foul. Odom comes in and the Lakers actually get better.

6:49 The Magic are 5/16 from the three- point line. Considering that their only chance in this series is to dominate from there, this is VERY bad news.

The Magic bigs are still getting away with that same illegal screen, but it doesn’t matter since they still can’t make a shot.

6:13 Kobe and Odom make consecutive three- point plays on ridiculous conversions. The lead is 16 and the Magic are close to done.

The Magic are just standing around watching Howard go one on five in the post. They have bad spacing and bad shooting to boot. This is no way to get back into a game.

5:48 left, third quarter. The Lakers lead by 18. The Magic take a timeout. If they are going to have any chance at all, they better do something drastic immediately.

The Lakers are now on a 40-17 run, going back to the second quarter.

3:17 Kobe is out of his freaking mind. He is getting double- teamed every play and still getting to the rim and converting. The lead is now 23.

The Magic are shooting so bad now that they are passing up open looks and seem to be afraid to shoot. This is like the 03′ Sacramento Kings where Chris Webber literally refused to make eye- contact with his teammates in crunch time to avoid getting the ball.

End of the third quarter, Lakers lead 82-58. Kobe had 18 points in the quarter and now has 36 for the game. It doesn’t matter what the Magic do, Kobe is out to prove something and won’t be stopped.

During the break they show a commercial featuring Magic’s running baby hook over the entire Celtics team in the classic finals game. Has anyone ever noticed that on that play Kareem is standing under the rim wide open?

Did I mention how ridiculous interviewing coaches between quarters is? It makes no sense whatsoever.

Jeff Van Gundy is talking non- stop about how Kobe has destroyed the Magic in every way and that the game is over. He has taken the liberty of promoting Verizon on his own in an attempt to avoid their commercial. He seems to be the most lucid person in the building.

10:13 left in the fourth. Gortat is no match for Gasol… or Bynum… or any other big man on the Lakers… in a month he will somehow get the midlevel exception from some desperate team. I love this game!

Every loose ball is going to the Lakers. The lead is 88-62.

Jameer Nelson had an ok first half, but is now really hurting his team.

7:20 We have a J.J Redick sighting. This is like being struck by lightning while being attacked by a shark during a solar eclipse.

5:13 The Lakers are finally having a cold streak… if only they weren’t up by 24 points this might mean something.

The Lakers close it out and win 100-75.

Kobe finishes with a line of 40/8/8 and didn’t play much in the fourth quarter.

This is just one game, but it was ugly and exposed the Magic as mismatched pretenders. Their only hope of winning even one game in this series is to get hot and make a lot of three’s in one of these games. I’m gonna say the Lakers end this thing in five games.

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Tomorrow night the Lakers and Magic start what could be an epic battle for the NBA title.

As I look at the Magic roster, I see many parallels to another great team: the Houston Rockets of the mid 90’s.

The first and most obvious similarity begins with the dominant big man in the middle.

The Magic’s Dwight Howard is arguably the best center in the game today. Like the Rockets’ Olajawon, the Magic’s success begins with the man in the middle.

Both teams use the Center to start the offense and surround him with as many shooters as possible. This is what is known as the, “inside- outside offense.” The ball goes into the post, cutters make their way through and shooters spot up behind the arc. As the defense is drawn to the big man, inevitably shooters become open. A pass out of the post and strong ball movement leads to a clean look for three point shots. Both teams have proven prolific in this strategy.

The Rockets were better on the inside part of this equation, while the Magic have better shooters.

Olajawon was a much more dominant force offensively and one of the great post players of all time (anyone remember the ‘dream shake’)?

Howard is still more than serviceable in his role in the offense. Even when he’s not getting touches, he is on the offensive glass, getting easy dunks on put- backs and drawing a crowd at all times.

The similarities continue.

At the point guard position the Magic are led by Rafer Alston and, until his injury, Jameer Nelson. Alston has taken over the reigns and provided stability and great outside shooting.

The Rockets were led by the veteran Kenny Smith and exciting young rookie Sam Cassel. They were able to run the offense and shoot from distance. Both were also adept at getting to the rim and drawing away defenders from the shooters.

The shooting guard position is incredibly similar as well.

The Magic feature the young slasher Courtney Lee and the defensive minded outside shooter Michael Pietrus.

The Rockets first had sharpshooter Vernon Maxwell. Later, they added one of the greatest offensive weapons of all time in Clyde Drexler.

At the forward positions, the Magic have Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. These are two multi- skilled, great shooting match-up nightmares for opponents. Their ability to play in the post and behind the arc, and still play adequate defense is perfect in what the Magic are trying to do.

The Rockets had similar forwards.

A young forward with an outside touch named Robert Horry took the league by storm in the playoffs and parlayed his performance into a huge paycheck two years later (before being traded to the Suns for one Charles Barkley).

They also featured unsung hero and three- point specialist Matt Bullard, who made many key shots during their championship runs (a la Turkoglu for the Magic).

This leads to the one major difference between these teams: the Head Coach. While the two coaches share the same philosophy, they go about it in very different ways.

Stan Van Gundy is an outspoken and boisterous coach who takes pressure off of his players by drawing attention to himself.

Rudy Tomjanovich was the exact opposite. He was the calm and cool voice of reason who led his players by setting an example of professionalism.

Both coaches have had success at what they do. They simply go about it in different ways.

With just over a decade between these teams, their similarities prove that the NBA is cyclical. Trends, styles and philosophies change in the short term, but over time, successful strategies are eventually recycled.

The Magic of this era and the Rockets of yesteryear are proof of this phenomenon.

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With the Sacramento Kings choosing fourth in this year’s draft there will be numerous options and players to choose from. The one option they should rule out is a center or power forward.

For one, the Kings have taken players at those two positions in the last two drafts. Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson look to be the front- court of the future in Sacramento.

Secondly, the big men potentially available at their draft spot have far to many questions to go that route.

Coveted Center Hasheem Thabeet would not be a good fit here. This is because Thabeet’s strengths do not fit the Kings preference in a big man.

Thabeet’s strengths are his rebounding, shot- blocking, and defensive skills. While these are skills not currently on their roster, there is a very good reason for that: they don’t want them.

Time after time, the Kings have shown that they do not covet a defensive minded big-man. They have shown over time that they prefer multi-skilled big men that can shoot from mid range, pass, and take their man away from the rim. These are all skills that thrive in the Kings’ high post offense. The last two big men they have added, Hawes and Thompson, fit this profile perfectly. Thabeet does not.

The other big man that could be considered is Jordan Hill. The problem there is that he seems to have almost the same game as Thompson. Drafting Hill could prove to create redundancy at the power forward position. On a team with so many needs, that is not an option.

If the team wishes to add another big man, they should consider taking a flyer on someone raw, with a lot of potential. This could be done later in the first round with their pick acquired from Houston in the Ron Artest trade last summer.

With their top pick, the Kings must look to the perimeter with either a point guard or swing man.

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