Sħãlïq™

EDIT: Use these, please: Avy Pic: http://i.imgur.com/i4C8K.png ---------------------------- Sig Picture: http://i.imgur.com/LZyZ4.jpg Many thanks in advance!

Trust me, I know how it is....

^ Again.. what leaves you that tired?

I see. Yeah, I made that thread to track coach Mano Menezes 'cause I can't wait to see him fired.

I'd be very grateful if that happened.

For some reason, everyone thinks that -- just because I'm living in Brazil at the moment - that doesn't make a die-hard supporter of the Brazilian national soccer team. Anyway, so when you've never seen someone play - they're not good enough? I've never seen Wilt, Kareem, Bob McAdoo and Bill Russell play (to name a few). However, I wouldn't say Joe Johnson > them, for that reason.

ESPN LA -- How the Lakers match up: Los Angeles Clippers The Lakers aren't the only team in L.A. that has been busy this summer. The Clippers, despite working without a G.M. in the wake of Neil Olshey's leap to Portland, have also made a ton of moves, adding Lamar Odom, Grant Hill, Jamal Crawford and more. (Granted, only the purple and gold launched themselves into legitmate title contention.) We've examined how the new-look Lakers match up with Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Miami, and Denver. In the latest installment, we bring in TrueHoop and Clipper Podcast co-host Kevin Arnovitz to break down this year's version of the Hallway Series. Video style, because words are old technology and we live on the cutting edge. No surprise, there is unanimity in our little group that the Lakers are definitely the superior team, but (playoffs being all about matchups, after all) could the LAC give the LAL fits in a seven-game run? Full Story

INSIDER: MVP Challengers to LeBron LeBron James is going to be the best player in the league next season -- no doubt about it. Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant could each lay claim to being the league's best player for a few years, but they have just two MVP awards combined. That's the same number that Steve Nash has, and while he is good, he has never been regarded as the league's best player. History suggests there's a good chance James won't win this season's MVP award. That being the case, here's a look at seven candidates besides James and what needs to happen for each of them to be named MVP. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder Durant is the obvious choice outside of James. Few would have argued if Durant had been named MVP over James last season, so it's logical to think this is the season Durant finally takes home the award. He made great strides in several areas last season. A career .468 shooter, Durant raised his field goal percentage to a career-best .496. He also averaged career-highs in rebounds (8.0) and blocks (1.2). That's all well and good, but for Durant to win the MVP award, he needs to continue to improve on defense. While he is not strong and burly, with his length and athleticism, he could be a lockdown defender -- at least on perimeter players. Speaking of strength, he needs to get stronger so tough, tall, athletic defenders such as James and Stephen Jackson can't disrupt him and keep him from getting the ball where he likes it on the floor. While it was nice to see Durant grab eight boards a game -- he should always be around that number -- he actually had a drop off on the offensive glass. Early in his career, he would get you an offensive rebound per game, but last season, he averaged a career-low 0.6 offensive boards. The decline was indicative of Durant's decision to play outside more. I like him outside since he is such a great shooter, but he needs to be more aggressive in attacking the rim. Last season, he averaged just 7.6 free throws per game, his lowest average in three seasons. For Durant, who could very well lead the league in scoring for the fourth straight season, the MVP formula is to get more aggressive in the paint, both by driving and by rebounding, and to improve defensively. Leading OKC to the best record in the league will be a huge boost for his MVP chances as well. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers How long Howard sits out while recovering from back surgery will affect his MVP chances. But assuming he is back by December, he'll definitely be in the hunt. Expect Howard once again to be in the top two or three in rebounding and blocked shots, but we also should see an improved Howard on offense. With Nash dishing him the ball and Bryant and Pau Gasol drawing attention from the defense, Howard should receive more one-on-one coverage than he has had in years, perhaps ever. The question for Howard and the Lakers is how age affects Nash (3 and Bryant (34). If they show a decline, Howard will likely emerge as the club's top player and have a good shot at winning the MVP. But if both players are as good as they were last season, Bryant is likely to lead the Lakers in scoring and arguably be their best player, which could keep Howard from claiming the award. Voters could also hold Howard's handling of his exit from Orlando against him, as they might have done to James in his first season in Miami. But if Howard averages around 19 points, 15 rebounds and more than three blocks per game while leading the Lakers to the first- or second-best record in the West, the award could be his. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers CP3 was my preseason pick for MVP last season, and if Chauncey Billups weren't injured, maybe I would have been right. But Paul is still on the short list of candidates. He looked slimmer and more athletic during the Olympics than he did last season, so I'm expecting an uptick in his already terrific play. He is going to be around 20 points and nine or 10 assists a game, he is going to have several clutch moments late in games, and he is going to be among the league leaders (likely No. 1) in steals. For Paul to win the MVP award, though, it's all about the Clippers' record. If they end up in the mid-50s in terms of wins, perhaps good for third place or better in the West, he has a shot. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics Rondo is not typically on most people's list of MVP candidates, but it could happen. The Celtics are clearly his team, and I love what they did this offseason. They had a strong draft in getting Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo. They added Jason Terry as a free agent, and Jeff Green and Avery Bradley will return from injury. Boston is going to contend in the East, and Rondo will be its engine. To win the MVP award, he'll need to lead the Celtics to at least the second-best record in the East with a mark that is close to that of the Heat's. And he'll need to rack up several triple-doubles, lead the league in assists and score about 15 points a game, which would be a career-high. That's asking a lot, but if he can do it, he might be rewarded with the MVP award. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs Parker was a legitimate candidate last season, even though most people never think of him as an MVP. Guess what? Most people don't think of him as a Hall of Famer either, but he will be. If Parker does what he did last season, that could be enough to get him the award. If voters don't want to give the award to James and the Spurs finish with a better record than the Thunder out West, should Parker be denied? After all, with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in the twilight of their careers, Parker doesn't have teammates like Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Gasol or Dwyane Wade helping him out. Don't get me wrong, Duncan and Ginobili are still very good, but if the Spurs run to the league's best mark again, Parker has to be given the lion's share of the credit -- and serious consideration for MVP. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Bryant isn't likely to win the award. But he is coming off a historic individual season, so it would be a mistake not to include him on this list. You might have read this before, but it's worth repeating: In his 16th season, Bryant averaged 27.9 points a game. The previous best for a player in his 16th season or later was 23.4 points per game (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). The previous best for a guard was 14.8 ppg (Reggie Miller). What Bryant did was absolutely incredible. If he can duplicate that performance by averaging around 25 points while shooting in the high-40s percentage-wise -- he must shoot less and more efficiently this season -- he has a shot at winning the MVP award. With Howard, the Lakers should challenge OKC for the best record in the West, and if Bryant is more efficient and just as productive offensively, perhaps the voters will see fit to put him atop their ballots. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks For the bulk of his career, Melo hasn't been a strong defender nor has he made his teammates better. But he is tired of hearing that, and he is tired of watching James and other players to whom he feels equal earn all the laurels simply because their teams win. After being around James, Bryant Paul and others all summer at the Olympics, my guess is that we'll see an improved Melo this season. In addition, a bull's-eye sits squarely on his chest. Deserved or not, Anthony is viewed as the guy who didn't want Jeremy Lin in New York. If the Knicks struggle this season, Anthony -- regardless of how many points he averages -- is going to take the blame. But if he can mesh with Amare Stoudemire, play solid defense for coach Mike Woodson and lead the Knicks to a top-three finish in the East, his reward could be grand. Source

Best US Men's National Team GK Ever? IMO, it's a close call between Tony Meola, Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel. I gotta go with the latter, though. I like Kasey but he made some terrible mistakes in the game against Iran (1998 FIFA World Cup) that cost us the game (not only his fault, defense was horrible too). So my choice is Friedel - the third most-capped goalkeeper in U.S. national team history. He was the first choice goalkeeper for the 1992 Olympic team but was unable to beat out Tony Meola as 1st choice GK for the 1994 World Cup. His chance came, and Friedel made his World Cup debut in the 1998 World Cup where he conceded one goal as the U.S. lost to Yugoslavia 1-0. He lived up to his growing reputation in the 2002 World Cup as the U.S. went on a surprising run to the quarterfinals, which included a 3–2 victory over Portugal in group play and Friedel's shutout in a 2:0 second-round win over arch-rival Mexico. http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38080000/jpg/_38080511_friedel301.jpg Friedel (right) was inspirational for the USA at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. USA eventually lost to Germany (the runner-up). Friedel is also the first keeper to save two penalty kicks (during regular play) in a World Cup finals tournament since 1974. During that spectacular 2002 World Cup run, he was dubbed "The Human Wall" for a reason! Tim Howard still has to prove me a lot. P.S. Brad's game-tying goal for Blackburn from a few years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGkxvL65Tt4

We talkin' 'bout 4 championships here. We ain't talkin' 'bout a 'practice'.

I guess the rehab is over: http://socialitelife.com/photos/blake-griffin-goes-skins-on-vacation/blake-griffin-relaxes-on-vacation-2 Blake Griffin was forced to miss the Olympics after he suffered torn cartilage in his left knee and had surgery, but at this time it's feeling good. "I came back after surgery and started rehabbing and getting back into it. I've been shooting and lifting [weights] and all that for a while now," Griffin tells the Los Angeles Times. "So, I'm pretty much back at 100%, been back at 100% for a little bit. So I'm good." Griffin has been working in the gym and he should be fully fit when training camp opens on Oct. 1. "We're kind of taking our time with it and really making sure we meet every single area and making sure that my strength is 100% back to where it needs to be," said Griffin. "But it's been there for two or three weeks now. So, really, I'm just kind of working myself into condition and still getting my basketball work in and getting my lifts in." -- Nick Borges http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors/_/date/20120825#26776

How much time would she have... or it HAS to be within the same day?

HBD, Mentch!

http://i.imgur.com/Rq1KW.jpg " I ain't saying she's a gold digger. But she ain't messin with no broke Mario!"

http://i.imgur.com/JRSkc.jpg

True. CTRL+F 'Brooklyn' from now on should help tho'.

Link

NEW ORLEANS — Tom Benson sat on stage at the New Orleans Arena on Monday afternoon, his wife Gayle to his right and NBA commissioner David Stern to his left and in front of a blue banner with the NBA logo scattered on it. And while Stern and the other dignitaries around him were content to discuss Benson’s acquisition of the New Orleans Hornets, the new owner had other plans. Specifically, a name change for the city’s professional basketball team. “We want to change the name from the Hornets to something that means New Orleans, La.,” Benson said, unprovoked by questioning. “The Hornets don’t mean anything.” Stern, his face firmly planted in his hands, responded immediately, saying that Benson doesn’t technically own the team yet since the NBA Board of Governors has yet to approve the sale. The name change was just one thing Benson and the NBA announced, including the awarding of the 2014 All-Star game to New Orleans, a prerequisite in accordance to the negotiated lease that was announced in March. Source

http://espn.go.com/espn/playbook/story/_/id/8298718/uni-watch-power-rankings-rates-nba-uniforms-1-30 'a graphic representation of a five-on-five basketball game'? Never thought of that.

Source Nooooo...

Michael Jackson - "Bad" vs. Weird Al - "Fat" Michael Jackson's "Bad" music video compared to Weird Al Yankovic's "Fat" music video. Check out the amazing similarities!

Unforgettable...