Putting the Jordan’s, the Shaq’s, the Barkley’s and (my personal collector addiction) the David Robinson’s aside, there was a group of flash in the pan guys who we all rushed to collect, only for them to be no more than ‘commons’ (I had to wiki that term as I had totally forgotten what we called it back in the day).

So…here’s a top 5 list of those 90s NBA players we secretly loved (and collected):

Number 5: Mark Price

Before Steph Curry was knocking down threes and shooting free throws consistently at 90%, there was….Mark Price. Now don’t get me wrong, Price is a legend whose jersey number is retired by the Cavs, but he was not the type of player we wanted to be seen collecting, but we did anyway.

Price spent 12 seasons in the NBA – his first nine with the Cavs before ending his career with single season stints in Washington, Golden State and Orlando. He ended his career with mind-boggling percentages of 40.2% from beyond the arc and 90.4% from the charity stripe. We all believed he held value so much so that we even decided to collect (his brother) Brent Price cards.

Number 4: Harold Miner

NBA All-Star Weekend was in its prime in the 90s – where they still played defense in the All Star Game, and when the dunk contest was pure without the use of theatrics and meaningless props.

Enter Harold Miner, the 12th pick in the 1992 NBA draft, the draft that yielded Shaq and Alonzo. Miner (unfortunately for him), dubbed ‘Baby Jordan’ lived up to zero hype, apart from being a two-time winner of the slam-dunk contest, which was pretty obvious due to the fact his trading card photos from the regular season always seemed to looked awkward.

Number 3: Isaiah (JR) Rider

While we’re on slam-dunk contest winners, there was no other (well in my mind) that I remembered better than JR Rider. Rider was a fantastic dunker, and between he and Miner, owned the contest in the mid-nineties.

Rider was a prolific scorer when he first came into the league (albeit on teams with shallow rosters), however his career was derailed by injuries and personal issues that ultimately resulted in him not fulfilling his potential. We collected his cards in droves regardless, arguably giving the Timberwolves their pre-Garnett identity (sorry Christian Laettner).

Number 2: Mookie Blaylock

Blaylock was the ultimate underdog, we loved that he was only 6 feet, we loved that he was a pest on defense, and we loved that his name (albeit his nickname) was Mookie.

As the Hawks transitioned from the post-Dominique era, Daron (his real name) was a mainstay of the Hawks throughout the nineties (even if he had to put up with those terrible Hawks jerseys) thanks to his defensive qualities which at the time, weren’t looked upon as fondly as those high scoring Centres. Blaylock was an ultimate ‘common’ guaranteed to be found in every second pack.

Number 1: John Starks

In a rarity for the 90s, John Starks was an undrafted player who made a name for himself. He began his Knicks career by twisting his knee in practice attempting to dunk over one Patrick Ewing. In a bizarre twist, the injury meant the Knicks had to retain Starks, who was only on a try-out at the time, and he went on to be a surprisingly key cog in the Knicks rotation throughout the 90s.

Perhaps best known for ‘The Dunk’ in the 1993 East Finals, Starks and the Knicks were ultimately victims of the rampant Bulls team of the 90s. Starks was one of those fringe players you collected in case he became an ultimate superstar, something that would not quite eventuate.

Honourable Mentions
Tom Gulgiotta, Detlef Schrempf, Dan Majerle, Scott Skiles, Stacey Augmon, Derek Harper, Jamal Mashburn, Nick Van Exel.

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Actually, that shouldn’t be a surprise at all. Tebow, the 29-year-old Heisman winner who is trying to forge a baseball career as a New York Mets minor leaguer, hasn’t played organized baseball since he was a junior in high school. That’s quite a lay-off, no doubt. So marching Tebow out as a spring-training sideshow attraction, as the Mets did on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox and reigning AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, is only setting him up to look foolish.

That’s exactly what happened, both in the small moments and the big ones. Tebow was 0-for-3 in the game, with a couple strikeouts. He grounded into a double play and was hit by a pitch, but was quickly doubled off first base on a line drive to second. But you shouldn’t expect a guy who just started a pro baseball career a few months ago to hit big-league pitching any more than you should expect him to know the unwritten rules and unspoken protocols that have been drilled into his fellow players for years.

Look no further than a moment before his first at-bat against Porcello when Tebow went to the wrong on-deck circle. Writes Scott Lauber over at ESPN:

Even simple baseball etiquette appears foreign to Tebow. Before his first at-bat, he walked to the Red Sox’s on-deck circle, presumably to get a better look at Porcello’s delivery as he warmed up. Mets manager Terry Collins and coach Tom Goodwin waved Tebow back toward the Mets’ dugout. Porcello later laughed off the faux pas, joking that he thought Tebow was the ballboy.

“I thought you walk around [to the first-base side of the field] because you’re a left-hander,” Tebow said. “I found out that you don’t do that.”

That example proves something that Mets teammates are saying about Tebow: He doesn’t grasp the nuance of the game — and that applies whether we’re talking about pre-at-bat regimens or how to not look foolish against a big-league breaking ball.

“He’s so far behind on the nuances of the game,” said Mets outfielder Jay Bruce, who joined veteran Curtis Granderson in counseling Tebow over lunch and in the dugout during the game. “It’s not like he wasted his time. He’s been doing other worthwhile things. Just not playing and understanding the game of baseball at a very, very high level.”

This isn’t necessarily a knock on Tebow. Like Bruce says, it’s the reality of adapting to pro baseball 10 years after the people you’re playing against. The learning curve is steep. And thus the challenge for Tebow is immense.

The Mets are giving him a chance to prove himself, though. He’ll be back in the lineup Friday, and he’ll be playing the outfield too. That’s another chance to learn and, conversely, another chance to potentially embarrass himself. It might sound cruel, but it’s true.

And it’s what Tebow signed up for.

According to a report from ESPN, the Cowboys expect to shop the longtime Dallas quarterback to either the Texans or Broncos. Originally, Dallas was expected to release Romo so he could choose which team to play for next.

Romo will enter 2017 with a $14 million base salary, though Dallas will still take a $10.7 hit to their cap space from bonus money they owe him.

The Texans in 2016 had poor play from quarterback Brock Osweiler, who completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,957 yards and 15 touchdowns — to 16 interceptions. The Broncos got serviceable play from Trevor Siemian, who completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 3,401 yards and 18 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

Both the Texans ($21.4 million cap space) and Broncos ($36.4 million) have young quarterbacks waiting in the wings in Tom Savage and Paxton Lynch, respectively.

#5 – Damian Lillard

If you watched Lillard without knowing his age, you would assume he’s a seasoned NBA veteran. It’s amazing to see a player only two years into their NBA career play with such poise. Lillard improved across the board in his second NBA season, posting a chunky stat line of 21 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists per night. Lillard’s ability to knock down the three allows him to get to attack the rim with ease, as the crafty guard went to the charity stripe five times per game last year, 5th most among NBA point guards.

#4 – John Wall

Wizards coach Randy Wittman constantly criticized Wall in the media coming into the 2013 season and the franchise player responded by nabbing his first All Star nomination. Wall took the Wizards to another level as the Washington Wizards made the playoffs for the first time in six years.

#3 – Russell Westbrook

Russell may be listed at three on this list, but he possesses the tools to be the best point guard in the league. Westbrook blends strength with elite athleticism, which gives him a physical advantage over many point guards. Russell also loves to mix it up in the paint, pulling close to six rebounds a game last season that made him 2nd best in the NBA among point guards.

#2 – Chris Paul

Chris Paul is the key cog in “Lob City”, the most exciting offense in the NBA. Paul seemed to have eyes in the back of his head this past NBA season, logging a whopping 10.7 assists per game. While the North Carolina native is only 185 pounds, Paul is an intimidating defender, swiping close to three steals per game in 2014.

#1 – Stephen Curry

Many people marginalized Stephen Curry upon entering the league. Scouts questioned his durability and foot speed, causing him to drop in the 2009 NBA draft. Curry has improved each year in the NBA and shows a great understanding of the point guard position. The crafty point guard averaged 24 points and 8.5 assists, making him the only player in the NBA to finish top 10 in both points and assists.

 
Read more at http://www.pbh2.com/sports/top-nba-point-guards/5/#vWMCjK4h6rbrMOy0.99

As the excitement of the season draws near, we take a look at nine amazing stats about the Spurs dominant run to the 2014 NBA championship.

1. Only eight teams, including the Spurs, have won 30 of the past 31 NBA titles.

Since 1984, only eight teams — the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks and Heat — have won an NBA championship. The NFL has seen 17 winners over the same stretch, compared to 19 for Major League Baseball. Each of those NBA title teams, with the exception of the Mavericks, has won more than one title in that span. With a more narrow gaze, the Spurs, Lakers and Heat have won 10 of the past 13 titles.

2. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have the most playoff wins of any threesome in NBA history.

The 118 playoff wins for San Antonio’s Big Three is better than Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper who had 110 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

3. The Spurs’ 14.5-point margin of victory was the highest in NBA Finals history.

The Finals was more of the same for San Antonio, which showed historical dominance during the 2014 postseason. In 12 of its 16 playoff wins, the Spurs won by 15 points or more. Not surprisingly, that’s the most in NBA history. (After narrowly defeating Dallas for its first three wins of the playoffs, San Antonio actually won 12 of its final 13 playoff games by 15+ points.) Also not surprising: The Spurs outscored opponents in the playoffs by 214 points, the largest margin in NBA history.

4. San Antonio had the highest field-goal percentage in NBA Finals history.

Since the advent of the shot clock, the Spurs’ 52.8 field-goal percentage was the best in Finals history, breaking the record of the 1991 Chicago Bulls.

5. Tony Parker led San Antonio in scoring with the fewest points per-game of any leading scorer on a championship team.

According to Elias, Parker’s 17.4 points per game in the Finals, which led the Spurs, was the lowest for any leading scorer on a title team since the shot clock was introduced. Four Spurs players (Parker, Duncan, Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard) averaged 14 points or more.

6. The Spurs have only had five 30-point scoring games in their six Finals appearances.

7. San Antonio has won a title in four, five, six and seven games.

This was actually true prior to this series, but it’s still amusing. The Spurs swept LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007, went five with the Knicks in 1999, were pushed to six against the Nets in 2003 and went the distance versus Detroit in 2005. They win in all sorts of ways.

8. Tim Duncan is the only player to start on a championship team in three different decades.

Duncan won his first title in 1999, had three championship in the aughts and capped it off with a title in 2014. The only other player to be on the roster for a title team in three different decades was John Salley, the sixth man on the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons teams of 1989 and 1990 who was also on the end of the Lakers bench for the team’s 2000 championship.

9. The Spurs have won 50 games or more in each of the last 14 seasons.

This is the stat that sums up San Antonio’s dominance the best. In each of the past 14 years, the Spurs have 50 wins or more, including their 50-16 record in the lockout season of 2011-12. If not for another lockout, Duncan would be able to boast that he was always on a 50+ win team. The Spurs went 37-13 in Duncan’s lockout-shortened rookie season, a winning percentage that would equate to 60 wins in a full 82-game schedule.

Five titles in 15 years speaks for itself. But never having an off-year is a tribute to the consistency and tenacity of the San Antonio Spurs.

This article was compiled by, and originally appeared on USA Today

NFL – Can the Seahawks repeat?

The Seattle Seahawks have been our top selling team for almost a year now and their gear will continue to fly out of the warehouse this season. They have a very talented team on the field and with personalities like Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, and Marshawn Lynch they get plenty of media attention off the field as well. Teams like the Packers, Broncos, Saints, Patriots, Eagles, Bears, and Niners won’t make it easy but any way you cut it you are looking at an awesome season this year.

College Football – Seminoles looking sharp again

Florida State looks to be in a great position to defend their championship but there are plenty of other teams that should be in the playoff mix at the end of the year. Teams like Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon, Auburn, Michigan State, South Carolina, and UCLA should all be in the mix this year.

Have your say on the upcoming Football season!

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“It’s just an unbelievable feeling, it still hasn’t sunk in,” said Exum during a first ever NBA Draft Cisco Telepresence session with the Australian media, “Tomorrow I’m going to be heading to Utah; I think that’s when it’ll start to sink in.”

Exum hasn’t met the Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder but is showing faith in the proposition of teaming up with Trey Burke in the backcourt, likening it the Australian national team. ?”The Australian team is built around on having two point guards in Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova,” Exum said. “It’s a good opportunity to play similar type basketball, sure going to bring that Australian flavour to them.?”

Exum will arrive in Utah for the first time today not knowing what to expect – he was invited to workout for the Jazz during the pre-draft but timing didn’t allow it, and it didn’t seem beneficial at the time.

It’s safe to say that the Jazz now boast one of the best young teams in the league, with an array of talent that possess an unlimited ceiling of potential.

Last year’s first-round pick, Trey Burke, struggled in his rookie campaign. He had trouble gettin to the free-throw line (1.8 attempts per 36 minutes) or score at the rim (51.1 percent between zero and three feet from the basket), and he shot an unenviable 38% from the floor.

Despite these struggles, Burke managed to average 13 ppg and 6 apg throughout his rookie season – numbers that are encouraging for a rookie point guard. Another reassuring component is how Burke finished the season – averaging 15.6 ppg, 9 apg in the month of April to finish the regular season.

Expect Exum’s inclusion in the backcourt, most likely at the starting 2-spot, to be extremely beneficial for Burke as the ball-handling duties can be shared. Both players have the ability to play both backcourt positions so both would benefit from playing off the ball from time to time – something that will help improve Burke’s woeful shooting last season.

However, it’s not expected that Exum will be gifted one of those starting backcourt spots right away – it’s something he has to earn, especially due to the emergence of Alec Burks. Burks had his breakout year last year after being inserted into the starting line-up for the month of April. The 22-year old averaged 15.6 ppg while shooting 53% from the field and 36% from 3-point range.

Exum told us that he knows that although he knows he was a highly sought after talent, he still has to put in the work, “The things that have got me here might work but I’m playing against the best players in the world now so everything has to get better. I’ve also got to keep working on my shooting; everyone has to work on that because you can never shoot perfectly.”

The Jazz has the make-up of a team that now has a lot more balance and will be able to run the floor, attacking teams in transition. Gordon Hayward has been labelled as a future all-star in this league and, with the Jazz likely to match whatever offer he receives in restricted free agency this summer, will likely be the primary scoring option for this team. Although he struggled from the field last season, the penetrating ability that Exum brings to the floor, as well as his distribution, will likely help get Hayward some easy looks.

Look for Utah’s other 1st-round draft pick this year, Duke sophomore Rodney Hood, to be able to contribute right away. Hood had arguably the most consistent season for the Blue Devils last season and will be able to be effective with a reliable outside jumper and NBA-level athleticism. Hood was named to the 2014 All-ACC second team. In 35 games, he averaged 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 32.9 minutes per game. His outside shooting will open up lanes for Exum, the 2 rookies likely being mutually beneficial on the court due to their differing styles of play.

The luxury of playing with 2 skilled, athletic big-men will also be at Exum’s disposal. Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, 2 of the most talented young big-men in the league, will benefit greatly from Exum’s inclusion into the squad. Exum’s passing game is extremely underrated and will be on show as he teams up with 2 big-men with great hands that can finish well around the rim. Jeremy Evans is also an athletic big-man off the bench that Exum will connect with from time-to-time. The former slam-dunk champion will undoubtedly be the recipient of several alley-oop passes from Exum throughout the season.

Exum has the luxury of playing his first NBA season under a point guard, with head coach Quin Snyder playing the point for Duke from 1985-1989. He’s also joining an organisation where he’ll be able to consult with the great John Stockton, something that he’s looking forward to.

As Dante Exum becomes the record 5th Australian to join the NBA, he’s determined not to let his success change who he is. “My family have been there since day one, to have them on the table supporting me is great, I thank them every day.”

The young Aussie has also commented on how he’ll be able to help the future stars of Australian basketball through their progression, “I’m really good friends with both Ben [Simmons] and Jonah [Bolden] and I’m always willing to give help on how to improve on what I didn’t do in the draft process.”

Exum is extremely well-spoken and, with the commitment he’s given, and will continue to give, to the Australian Boomers, will undoubtedly prove to be a worthy ambassador for basketball in Australia.

Original article courtesy of pickandroll.com.au

Talking LeBron and the Heat with host Jemele Hill, Rondo didn’t mince words in sharing his opinion on the state of matters in Miami.

I definitely think he should have some doubts [about the Heat], especially the way they played in the Finals. It doesn’t look to great how they ended the season. It’s not about making the Finals for those guys, it’s about winning them…

If I was LeBron I might have some doubts about staying in Miami… I don’t think he had any help in the Finals. How good do they get from now? Where do they go now? As far as the cap room, if everybody opts in everybody’s making $20 million next year as far as the Big Three. You have two or three million dollars to spend; who wants to go play for a minimum-level [contract]? It’ll be tough to get guys there to play.

The way [Dwyane Wade] showed up in the Finals, I might have some doubts if I were LeBron. My sidekick guy, my go-to guy [playing poorly], if I don’t have the ball rolling who can I defer to? It didn’t look like Wade – or even Chris Bosh – were [that guy] in the Finals.

To be fair, Rondo’s concerns are common, realistic, and even nuanced. James has much to think about in deciding his future, and the play of his teammates in the Finals is certainly something to consider. After a spry Eastern Conference Finals, Wade was consistently sluggish against San Antonio, and Bosh was too easily and frequently lost in the shuffle as a secondary scorer. Miami won’t have meaningful cap space to add impact players unless the Big Three take sizable pay-cuts, either.

Rondo’s words, however, still deserve to be met with a giant grain of salt. As a competitor in the Eastern Conference, he has every reason to stir the pot by suggesting that it’s prudent for LeBron to part ways with Miami this summer. Remember, the Heat dispatched Rondo’s Celtics during the postseason in both 2011 and 2012 and made history this season by becoming the first team since 1987 to reach the Finals four consecutive seasons. Rondo has an individual history with Wade and James, too.

So while we’re grateful for Rondo’s opinion and it certainly makes for fun offseason fodder, excuse LeBron if he hasn’t been swayed to leave South Beach by his rival from Boston. Wherever he ends up, though, Rondo’s words will certainly make for an even more fun match-up when the two players meet in 2014-2015.

Original article courtesy of dimemag.com