Black people don’t usually watch the Academy Awards, aka the Oscars, unless their own are being nominated. Sunday night Facebook was buzzing, like it usually does on important awards or Obama night. We all were tuned into to see if supporting actress favorite Monique did the expected. The woman whose “fout filtt mouth” (as my mom would describe) was once the reason I couldn’t watch “The Queens of Comedy”, took the stage in Hollywood to accept the award most blacks were crossing their fingers for.

Beating out the likes of the foreign beauty Penelope Cruz and others, Monique, with her Baltimore-bred self, accepted the statue in style thanking her foremother Hattie McDaniels and gave her speech minus the Halle Berry sobs. Monique’s clean sweeping her category at other awards ceremonies over the last couple months and while I don’t remember any of those speeches, but this one stuck out. She opened up by thanking the academy for honoring the performance. Not being swayed by politics, she turned around, thanked Oprah and Tyler Perry. Had they not touched Precious, no one would have saw it. So with this brief speech I had to change my FB status to agree with Ms. Monique and her own contradiction because baby, it is about politics.

Just like sports.

Don’t worry the relevancy of the opening paragraph is coming.

So while Monique had to step outside her comfort zone of comedic movies to play an abusive mother in “Precious”, it was because of that performance that she received the notoriety. And it’s because of the recent loss of Shaquille O’Neal that Big Z aka Zydrunas Ilgauskas is much needed and will more than likely re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite GM Danny Ferry’s decision to up and trade the 7’3 center for Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards, it was a foregone conclusion that Z was going to return to the city of Cleveland. The plan has to be executed as planned by the big men in the bigger offices…or else the wheels will fall off the bandwagon before the NBA Playoffs begin. Either that or LeBron will be forced to put up 40 on a consistent basis. In a March 4th article Big Z’s agent, Herb Rudoy, admitted, “He’s got a big emotional investment in Cleveland, in the city and the team. Yet, on the other hand, he was not happy to be used as a pawn in the trade.” And what grown man, who’s comfortable being a valuable player on a team wouldn’t be (Note I didn’t say most valuable, so don’t get salty Cavs fans)? So Ilgauskas will do as secretly desired (after being traded by the Cavs and bought out by the Wizards) because the sports world knows the “King” wants a ring, Mike Brown needs a ring and Jay-Z and the New Jersey Nets are just one Roc signal away.

And it’s sad.

A man that once had worth to his team wasn’t immediately being missed as long as the paint was being covered by the only man in the league who gives himself nicknames. His absence wasn’t too much of an issue as the wins were racking up and the C’s stayed atop the league. Oh, but things change. This is the NBA for Christ-sake. Where season ending surgeries randomly happen or you can wake up in another color uniform two days after playing your heart out in DC. Just ask Jamison. (Sorry if that felt a little personal).

See, Jamison’s on court consistency was all the Wizards had left of late owner Abe Polin’s team that hadn’t been damaged by former franchise player Gilbert Arenas and his locker room gun foolery. And while Abe might be rolling over in his grave a little you can’t blame the deceased. Ilgauskas never suited up in a Wizards uniform after the trade on February 17. The Wizards didn’t benefit from the Cavs send off. Instead they had everybody’s favorite owner Mark Cuban to thank for sending Josh Howard East and providing Washingtonians with a little more breath to survive the rest of the season.

See, this hasn’t been tagged as the Wizards’ year, so the organization didn’t have much to lose or gain. Everyone wants to see LeBron and the Cavs take what could have been theirs last year. However, let’s keep in mind, it’s LeBron and the Cavs, not Ilgauskas and the Cavs. But in order for them to do damage against the West, aka the Lakers, all the pieces have to fit nice and snug.

No room for error. No room for adlibs or another take. This isn’t a movie.

This is the NBA where your feelings and love for a team and city really don’t matter, unless you’re being profiled in a soft news story. And waiting for the day when you finally get the award of the night is no laughing matter until your name is called and the movie critics are stunned you beat out the vets in the game. Teams are starting to bite at Zydrunas Ilgauskas but is he really biting back? Or is he teasing the Cavaliers, fans and the media for more than 15 minutes of fame? Big Z’s role was decent when he was sent packing by Cleveland…now it’s the role to portray when the real production and outcome of the movie’s success relies on you—the supporting actor/actress.

Please, by all means just ask Monique.

Because after all, it’s about the performance and not the politics, right?

The arrogance of Philadelphia Eagles President Joe Banner reminds me of a scene in The Usual Suspects where agent Kujan tells Roger “Verbal” Kent that he’s “Smarter than him”. In the end Kujan was outsmarted by a con man who used his office as a canvas to paint a story of deception and violence while playing the role of flunkie.

Are the Eagles taking this ho-hum approach because of the non-cap season?

As the NFL shopping season begins, the Eagles have decided to sit on their wallet, at least it looks that way for now. The Chicago Bears have signed big fish Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor, who brings depth and experience to an already effective running attack and tight Brandon Manumaleuna, who has the size of a second tackle. The rival Giants have nabbed safety Antrel Rolle while linebacker Karlos Dansby has been inked by the Miami Dolphins. You know where I’m headed with this?

When it comes to the Eagles using football sense coupled with common sense they can’t get out of their own way and in the end they only outsmart themselves. I’m sure the Eagles took the bait dangling out there regarding Peppers’ work ethic. Someone tell me who doesn’t take plays off. I’m pretty sure they knew they weren’t getting a hitter the likes of Andre Watters when they signed Asante Samuel two years ago. My guess is an NFL offense runs an average of 60-65 plays (35 passes 30 rushes) per game - Peppers may be on the field for about fifty. On each play he’s banging heads with a 300+lb. lineman and maybe a tight end or running back coming in low. Who in their right mind could go full bore each play and last 10 seasons? The Eagles don’t need Peppers to become Reggie White, just warrant an occasional double team and give us 8-10 sacks. I’ll sacrifice sacks for turnovers, a shorter field and 8-10 fewer points a game.

I’m hopeful that Stewart Bradley will come back and be what he was prior to the injury, but you know the cliche’, a player needs a full season to recover from any major knee injury. So why not bring in a Barrett Rudd or DeMeco Ryans at MLB and slide Bradley over to the WIL or SAM, just to take the pounding off of the knees. Maybe with Karlos Dansby (since signed by the Dolphins) on one side and Bradley on the other you can roll the dice on placing Akeem Jordan in the middle.

To know that the Eagles even allowed Antrel Rolle to make the trip to North Jersey considering the dire need for an upgrade at safety is disturbing to me. I like Quentin Mikell but he’s what I call a “feeder” meaning that he plays well when he has players around him that are in an equal or superior skill set -put him in any other situation and he struggles. Rolle would bring additional credibility to a secondary that has been knocked this season for a lack of physicality.

As I’m writing this, the Detroit Lions have released DT Grady Jackson, yes there is some wear on the big fella but I think you can bring him in for depth at the position. When the Eagles subbed for Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson, they went with a hyrid look that made them light in the cakes. I’m kinda surprised that the Arizona Cardinals shipped Anquan Boldin to Baltimore so quickly, Antonio Cromartie to the Jets. Even the Lions are making improvements.

Of course I didn’t expect the Eagles to make all of the aforementioned moves, one or two would’ve help out a great deal. Now they’re looking at the second wave of free agents which holds some very good players that can help them.

I’m looking for the Eagles to go after a running back hopefully Thomas Jones, LenDale White or maybe even Larry Johnson or LaDainian Tomlinson. Kerry Rhodes is going to be back with the Jets so they may look to the draft for safety help. There is plenty of defensive help still out there. If the Birds don’t do any thing significant by the end of next week expect their moves to come from the draft and roster cuts in July and August.

To me, the best revenge in sports or in anything in life is success or winning the next time you take the field or court. If you’re a team or an athlete and you feel aggrieved because you didn’t get the right ranking or your opponent talked too much trash when he slammed dunked on you or your opponent, who was already up by three touchdowns with one minute left, scores one more touchdown to run up the score, don’t get mad or complain.

The next time you take the field—defeat your opponent on the field, win the game, stop your opponent from slam dunking. Keep your opponent from catching the ball or scoring a touchdown. Folks become awfully quiet and have very little to say when they’re getting their butts kicked. When New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis shut down Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco in the 2009 AFC Wildcard playoff game, the silence from Mr. Ochocinco was deafening. Shhhhhhhhh!

Then you have the spring training “bean”ball incident involving San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder. Zito plunked Fielder in the back with a weak 78-mile an hour fastball apparently in retaliation for a staged celebration by Fielder after a walkoff win in a game last September

In that game, Fielder hit a game-winning homerun in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Brewers a 2-1 win over the Giants. With his jubilant teammates awaiting him at home plate, Fielder did a flying leap on to home plate. At that point, his teammates playfully fell to the ground in unison like bowling pins to complete the celebration.

Apparently that didn’t sit too well with the Giants who thought Fielder was being disrespectful and showing up their team. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Brewers manager Ken Macha even apologized to San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy at this year’s winter meetings saying he didn’t approve of the celebration.

And in that time-honored code of baseball that says if you show up a pitcher then you must expect a ball to come flying at your head or back. It’s something that we’ve seen in baseball for a million years or so. It’s apart of the tradition and heritage of the game.

To me, it is a whiney, wimpy, crybaby tradition that needs to go the way of the dinosaur. Don’t blame Fielder and his teammates for celebrating a win. Don’t get mad at Fielder if your relief pitcher serves up a gofer ball in an extra-inning game that you need to win to get into the postseason. Take the loss and the other team’s celebration like a man. Again, you want to stop Fielder from celebrating, how about striking him out or getting him to ground out. We’re not even having this discussion if the Giants pitcher keeps Fielder from getting a hit.

Throwing the ball at the batter’s back in retaliation for your pitcher’s failure to stop the other guy from going yard on you is just petty, childish and makes you look like an old punk.

Meanwhile, Fielder showed no indication that he had no remorse for what he did and nor should he. He told a Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel reporter that getting hit in the back was worth him doing that celebration: “Hell yeah, that’s something I did with me and my teammates. It has nothing to do with them. You’re damn right it was worth it.”

To Fielder’s credit he didn’t charge the mound or point his finger at the pitcher. In fact, he casually tossed the ball back to Zito like it was no big thing.

Another sour grapes incident this year was with Dallas Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking who bitched and moaned about Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings running up the score with a late touchdown when the game was already out of reach.

My question to Brooking would have been where was all that passion and anger when Favre was picking your defense apart throughout the entire game? How about stopping Favre and the Vikings within the allotted 60-minute time-frame. Don’t wait until you get in the locker room and don’t wait until the game is out of hand to complain about other team’s lack of class for putting an emphatic butt whuppin’ on you.

The way to get even with somebody who conducts a planned celebration in the end zone or after a walk-off homerun is to simply beat them. Your opponent is not going to do much styling and profiling when you’re giving them a butt whuppin during the course of a game. Winning and stopping your opponent is the best way to establish field justice.

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

A.E. Houseman ‘To An Athlete Dying Young’

For twenty springs, I have remembered the man, the moment and his memory. Embracing who he was and what he meant to a neighborhood, a city and a university. Every year I seem to hold on a little tighter.

I hold on because I can’t let go of Hank Gathers.

Eric “Hank” Gathers was a comet - explosive, radiant, inspiring, to the point where you stood and marvelled at his brilliance.

And suddenly before you knew it, like that comet - Hank was gone.

Named for his boyhood hero Hank Aaron, (hence the number 44), Gathers was a player that could turn teammates into spectators as he was the fuel in Loyala Marymount’s rocket floor attack. In 1989, Gathers had the entire nation watching as he became the second player in the modern NCAA to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding in the same season.

If Rocky Balboa is Philadelphia’s story - Hank Gathers is North Philadelphia’s Story. A place where dreams abound -  so does failure. Here the snares of life occur more frequently than most places. To make it through this concrete minefield, you’d better come from a strong home, have strong people in your corner and have an even stronger heart.

Gathers had all of the above - especially heart.

“Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchallenged.” - Louisa May Alcott

I had a conversation over two years ago with Hank’s mother Lucille Cheeseboro, it lasted all of a minute but my nerves coupled with the emotion on the other end of the phone made it seem like an eternity. It was my desire to work on a compilation of stories on Hank from the people that knew him best and I went to Ms. Cheeseboro for her blessings. After introducing myself and my reason for the call, she respectfully declined to speak about “anything regarding Hank right now.”  I could hear the emotion in her voice. If she was having a good day prior to my call, I felt like I’d just ruined it - at that point I decided not pursue the book.

The passing of Hank Gathers serves as a point of reference in my life, it happened during my senior year at Northeast High School - basketball was a big part of my life and even bigger in Philadelphia. During this time Philly was sending two or three teams to The Big Dance every year. Temple was the class of the city as coaching legend John Chaney was just hitting his stride in his Hall of Fame coaching career. In his midst was Mark Macon, an explosive junior guard from Saginaw, MI., who may have been Chaney’s greatest recruit. Macon was in his junior season, trying to lead the Owls to the Final Four. Further up North Broad Street on Olney Ave, one of the best stories in college basketball was unfolding as Lionel Simmons was leading the LaSalle Explorers to a NCAA bid while on his way to winning the Naismith Award.

On the night of March 4, 1990, these men wept like children. John Chaney, was told the news after winning the A-10 Championship but the victory offered little solace in the wake of Hank’s passing. “When everything is said and done, Hank Gathers epitomizes so much of what life is all about,” Chaney said. “This basketball game meant nothing. To hear that news just devastates me. How unfair.” Simmons wept openly and had to be pulled from their MEAC Tournament final. Simmons would spend the rest of the game with a towel over his head, shoulders heaving.

Of everything that was said that night across America, his former coach at USC George Raveling may have summed it up best. “I know the neighborhood that he came from,” Raveling said. “And it was a tough neighborhood. And here’s a kid just about ready to reward himself and his family and give him some of the comforts of life, he’s about 10 months away, and it’s over. It’s hard to comprehend.”

That was the feeling of everyone who came in contact with Hank’s story. It took me back to the Len Bias tragedy - how a family went from euphoria to sorrow in a matter of hours. Larry Bird called it “the cruelest thing ever.” On that day cocaine extended its demographic from rich, White and suburbia to any price to anyone, anywhere. What was once taboo was alive in technicolor, making Bias a public service announcement no one wanted to see.

Before Marcus Liberty, Nick Anderson and Kenny Battle, there was Benji Wilson. Wilson didn’t experience the pleasures of college like Gathers or Bias. The Chicago prep phenom had his life snuffed out before he began his senior season at Simeon Vocational High School. Wilson had just signed days before to the University of Illinois and was the Windy City’s first National Player of the Year. To give you an idea of Wilson’s dominance; he was playing in front of NBA scouts since 9th grade. Former teammate Nick Anderson wore Wilson’s number throughout his collegiate and NBA career.

Wilson and Bias were tragic examples of what happens when sports and the ills of society collide.

“We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its place in impotence.” - Joseph Roux

Over the years I’ve heard that the relationship between Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble wasn’t as solid as advertised. I don’t believe that. When you travel 3,000 miles away as a package deal to two different schools you’re the best of something. I ran into Kimble at a club about 5 years back and all I could say to him was thanks for that moment, he said that he can’t believe how many people still hold on to it. I told him how I was a huge UNLV fan but I was pulling for Loyola Marymount that day and how I cried when Loyola Marymount’s run was ended by the Runnin Rebels.

Last September, I endured something Kimble, Simmons, Daryl “Heat” Gates and others who considered Hank their friend and brother, had been dealing with for two decades. I buried my brother James “Geech” Thompson, we weren’t brothers in blood, but you couldn’t tell us that. Wherever he was I tried to be and for the better part of 25 years he was the big brother I never had - at times father-like. When James passed, in some ways it was like losing my father all over again. Death robs us all of something, it’s what we chose to replace that loss with that will set the tone for the remainder of our lives.

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst” - William Penn

I remember a psychology class in high school where we were talking about coping with death. My teacher talked about how his father passed when he was in his 40’s and how he would visit his gravesite two, three times a year. One day it dawned on him that he had surpassed his father in age, time stopped for his father but his continued on. It’s something I never paid much attention to, but when you think about it, it’s deep.

I was seventeen when Hank passed at age twenty-three. Ages where you think that all you have is time, but you never have time - time has you.

Even when you’re a comet.

This was a great battle. As I said on Twitter, it basically came down to a charge called on Kobe that changed the game’s complexion when it seemed the Lakers would at least trade buckets with the Heat. Kobe was spectacular, but he played 47 minutes. Do you agree with Phil playing him so much on the road?

TNT’s NBA Thursday coverage continues Thursday, March 11 at 8 p.m. ET with a doubleheader featuring the Chicago Bulls @ Orlando Magic followed by the Portland Trail Blazers @ Golden State Warriors.

TNT’s Charles Barkley made his 2010 Academy Award predictions

Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz in “Inglorious Basterds”
Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo’Nique in “Precious”
Best Picture: “The Blind Side”

Here’s a video from NBA TV’s Fan Night. This upcoming Tuesday will be Toronto @ Los Angeles Lakers. Rick Mahorn gets a good shot on McHale.

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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber

Barkley on the news that the Celtics will sign 37-year-old Michael Finley: “Boy, (the Celtics) are going to be big at Denny’s. They are signing all the old guys. I love Michael Finley, but they just get older!”

Barkley on the Lakers being a better team than the Cavaliers due to their supporting cast: “(Kobe Bryant) doesn’t have to play well for the Lakers to win. LeBron James has to play well for the Cavaliers to win. Kobe can sit out and they can still beat most of those teams. That’s how good they are with (Pau) Gasol, (Andrew) Bynum and (Lamar) Odom.”

Barkley on the strong reaction from Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley to his comment that Heat guard Dwyane Wade plays with a bunch of “Tito Jacksons”: “They are so sensitive down there in Miami.”

Smith: “There are a couple of Jacksons that didn’t even make the Jackson 5. He could have said one of their names. He could have been Rebbie.”

Barkley: “Michael Beasley had one point and one rebound in a game last week. If we had been on I would have called him Rebbie.”

Smith on how Heat guard Dwyane Wade has to play great for Miami to win: “The issue is (Dwyane Wade) can play great and they can still lose. They don’t have enough in a lot of different areas where he can still get 28 points tonight, eight rebounds and seven assists and lose by 10 points. That would never happen with Kobe Bryant. If he gets 28 points or over, that’s pretty much a given because of what they have around them.”

Barkley on the Miami Heat: “I love Dwyane Wade, but he’s playing with Rebbie, Randy, Marlon, Jermaine.”

Smith: “You can’t say Jermaine. He had his own album, he was the first to break out.”
Barkley: “He’s not even playing with a Janet.”

Barkley on how defense is helping the Phoenix Suns: “(I’m excited about) the Phoenix Suns. They are actually playing real basketball. They got rid of that little sissy ball they were playing. They are playing with a center in (Robin) Lopez, they moved Amare (Stoudemire) to his natural position which is the power forward, they are actually trying to play defense and they have a conventional lineup. I’ve got to give a shout out to Alvin Gentry, they are playing very well. They are actually playing defense and rebounding. I know those are foreign words in Phoenix, but they are actually playing basketball.”

Smith on why the Utah Jazz are the most underrated team in the NBA: “(The Utah Jazz are) the most underrated team in basketball. Give me a point guard that you’d rather have Deron Williams. Not many. What power forward is playing better right now than Carlos Boozer? Not many or any. You’ve got two guys who are the best for their position for this month and this part of the season and you’re going into the playoffs and no one even says they are a contender.”

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Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers (111) @ Miami Heat (114) – in Overtime
Announcers: Marv Albert, Mike Fratello and Reggie Miller with Marty Snider reporting

Miller on the number of fans that support the Lakers when they are on the road: “We heard the ovation for the Lakers during (player) introductions and it’s very much the same way as when (the Pacers) played the Bulls with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman when they would come (to Indianapolis). They would take over our building. Early on, when Larry Bird was playing with the Boston Celtics and they would take over our building. That’s just the nature of the beast when you have some of these superstar, marquee players. They are going to get the benefit of the doubt and people are going to come out and support them.”

Miller on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant trying to recover from his injuries: “Working with a series of injuries, the back spasms, the finger, the ankle…it’s going to take you a while to get your rhythm back. If there is one thing I know about Kobe Bryant, he’s putting in extra work and extra time, coming early, staying late, coming to the gym on off days to get that rhythm back.”

Miller on wanting the Miami fans to rally behind Dwyane Wade for MVP: “You’ve got Dwyane Wade, who is an NBA Finals MVP. Even though his team is 30-31, he’s won an NBA ring, shouldn’t these great Miami South Beach fans be shouting a little MVP? Where’s a little bit of loyalty?”

Miller on the tough defense of Lakers forward Ron Artest: “People always ask me what makes Ron Artest a great defender? He has the three t’s, tenacity, timing and toughness. Look at the defense, look at the roaming arms, he is here to lock down the shooting guards and small forwards on the opposing team. Since the All-Star break he has done a fabulous job of shutting down some unbelievable scorers and he relishes in this position.”

TNT’s Marty Snider interviewed Lakers center Andrew Bynum at halftime.

Bynum on having a good first half: “We’re winning it in the trenches and we’ve got to keep it up. We’ve got to keep attacking the offensive boards and everything.”

Bynum on the recent defensive performance of teammate Ron Artest: “Lately his defense has really stepped up. He’s been locking guys down all throughout the game.”

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Halftime
Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber

Barkley on the Cavaliers needing center Shaquille O’Neal more than they need center Zydrunas Ilgauskas: “The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best team in the East, but forget about (Zydrunas) Ilgauskas. They’ve got no chance of beating the Lakers without Shaquille O’Neal. They need to quit sleeping on Shaq, he’s a big body, he’s active, he’s a tough match-up. That’s the only way they can beat the Lakers in a championship.”

Webber on why Cleveland needs both centers Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas: “You have to look at what Ilgauskas brings to the table. When you come off the pick and roll with Shaq it’s easy to converge because he’s not as athletic as he used to be and you know where he’s going. One thing that (Ilgauskas) does do is that now Dwight Howard has to step out and make sure that he watches for (Ilgauskas’) jump shot off the pick and roll. How many options does the best player in the game in LeBron James have? So when you know his option to go around the post and around the dotted circle, it’s easy to converge on guys like that. Not easy to stop him, but easy to have a game plan and having (both) Ilgauskas and Shaq mixes it up. They can’t win without Shaq and they can’t win without Ilgauskas either.”

Barkley on Chris Bosh being the most underrated player in the NBA: “The most underrated player in the NBA to me is Chris Bosh, he’s a quiet superstar. If you can, get him. If not him, get Amare Stoudemire.”

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Miller on the Lakers taking this game for granted: “When are the Lakers going to wake up? It’s almost like they are out here just coasting. This Miami Heat team has been up and down, there have been a lot of changes in the line-up and the Lakers thought they were just going to walk in here and get a ‘W’.”

Lakers forward Pau Gasol on being involved with Hoops for St. Jude, meaning he will donate one dollar for every point he makes this season: “It does a great job in research and treatment of cancer patients, especially children, not just in the state but internationally as well. It’s got a great outreach program. I’ve been a witness for years in Memphis so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of this program.”

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Game 2: Utah Jazz (116) @ Phoenix Suns (108)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins with Craig Sager reporting

Collins on Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko: “When (Andrei Kirilenko) was healthy we were talking a few years ago about Defensive Player of the Year with his shot blocking, his steals and all. He’s bigger and stronger this year and Jerry Sloan said that’s really helping. He’s trying to finish much more with strength around the basket.”

Collins on Suns forward Grant Hill: “Grant Hill will sacrifice his body. For a guy who missed seven seasons with all the ankle problems he had, staff infections all the things he struggled through, he will step in there and take the contact. He takes the hardest falls of any great player I’ve ever seen.”

Collins on a close knit team being an important element to Suns guard Steve Nash’s game: “Friendship is very important to (Steve Nash), the camaraderie of being a part of a team that is connected. He feels very connected to this team. I think you can see that in his play, he’s very happy and the team has responded this year. Many people felt this team might be an eighth, ninth or tenth seed. If they take care of business at home and continue to do the things that they are doing, who knows? Maybe they can get up into that four spot and get home court advantage.”

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Halftime
Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber

Barkley on why he has stopped criticizing the Phoenix Suns lately: “I criticized that little sissy ball (the Suns have) been playing for the last few years where you just try to outscore people. That’s never going to work. I want to take my hat off to Alvin Gentry, he’s changed their mindset. He brought in (Robin) Lopez and I love watching Lopez, he’s just plays defense and rebounds. If I’m going to look at a stat after every game for a good team, it’s turnovers and rebounds. The Suns turn the ball over way too much and they don’t rebound the ball. They went to a conventional lineup so Amar’e can cheat a little on rebounding. Lopez does a great job on the board. When you try to play small, you give up a lot of shots and a lot of shots around the basket. But the main thing you can’t do is you can’t rebound the ball. I take my hat off to Alvin, it’s about time he stopped playing girlie ball. The toughest team in Phoenix was the (WNBA’s) Mercury, but not anymore!”

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Collins on Suns guard Steve Nash’s off court conditioning: “Steve really prides himself on his conditioning, no one works harder off the court on his conditioning. The core strength of his back, he has a condition in his back that he had to be very careful if he gets a little bit out of synch, he gets muscle pain and pain his hips. These Suns doctors and strength and conditioning coaches have done a wonderful job with him. If you could just go and see the things he does off the court with this strength and his balance and that’s a really big part of his game.”

Collins on Jazz center Mehmet Okur making two three-pointers, including a crucial shot near the end of the game: “Where has that been all year for Okur? That is two threes here tonight. The weight of the world has to be off his shoulders now, he’s such a proud guy.”

Collins on the Jazz keeping the games close with a Suns team who played better for most of the game: “This would be a huge win for the Utah Jazz because I thought of the first three quarters that Phoenix had dominated the game but Utah hung around enough.”

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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber

TNT’s Marty Snider interviewed Heat guard Dwyane Wade following their win over the Lakers

Wade on the Heat playing well and needing to be consistent: “If we play with that resolve and that fight, we’d be a pretty good team. We have to do that and be consistent. That is a good Lakers team that gave us every shot but we didn’t want to lose tonight.”

Webber on Kobe Bryant being the only Laker playing with a sense of urgency: “To me, it looks like Kobe (Bryant) is the one with the most passion (on the Lakers). (Head coach) Phil (Jackson) is a little laid-back. That’s why I think that when Kobe got hurt, it was good for this team. They are very talented but maybe it’s the zen-factor of Phil Jackson and maybe he keeps them calm but it looks like the only one with a sense of urgency is Kobe with the way he is playing. Maybe that’s because everyone else knows they’ve got that big, bad man behind them.”

Smith on the arrogance of the Lakers being an advantage and disadvantage: “(The Lakers) are almost arrogant. They have an arrogance that is sometimes annoying and sometimes it’s intimidating. I think at the same time, you look at the way they play and the way that they approach the game, they don’t have that sense of urgency and it’s because of their arrogance.”

Webber on how to shut down the Phoenix Suns: “As great as Steve Nash is, if he doesn’t get you the ball, these guys aren’t one-on-one players. When teams recognize that, they can shut them down late in the game.”

Smith on how the Utah Jazz could get the #2 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs: “Best regular season team out of all of them. They are going to play consistently the entire (season). Dallas might have nine wins (in a row), then falter. Denver goes up and down. Utah just keeps coming. They can get the two (seed) because they are a better regular season team. They might not be a better playoff team but they are definitely a better regular season team.”

1984. Shock becomes distaste.

In a crazy best of five first round series, the Sixers are ousted three games to two by Micheal Ray Richardson, Otis Birdsong and the New Jersey Nets a year after sweeping the Lakers and claiming their first championship since the days of Wilt and Hal Greer. The city goes mad and the organization searches for a fall guy. Inexplicably, Harold Katz pulls the trigger on a trade that sends TWO FIRST ROUND PICKS, Moses Malone and Terry Catledge to the Washington Bullets for oft-injured Jeff Ruland and shooting forward Cliff Robinson. Robinson becomes the key cog in the trade as Ruland plays a total of 7 games for Philadelphia. Moses puts in 50 in his Philadelphia return and is considered one of the best centers of all time. Trust there are a heap of Sixers (Barkley, Brad Daugherty) trades that still boils the blood but I will not stab myself in the back with the same old knife. Cough, cough…Wilt…cough cough. See, I’m still sick.

Of course I have many dubious transaction horrors screaming in and out of my mind over the years but what are yours? Here’s Okori’s thoughts. He breaks it down more thoroughly:

My one ground rule for this was as follows: You had to be able to reasonably proclaim that your guy was the face of the franchise.

10. Montreal Canadians trade Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko.

Hockey jumps in at #10 on this list. Keep this in mind: Patrick Roy had won 2 Stanley Cups (the Playoffs MVP each time incidentally) as a member of the Yankees of hockey, the Montreal Canadiens. He was a French-speaking star for a team who LOVES their french-speaking stars. And the Habs dismissed him out of the door after the coach of the team, Mario Tremblay, humiliated him by leaving him in to get shelled with 9 goals at home in the venerable Montreal Forum. End Result: Roy wins 2 more Cups in Colorado, Mike Keane settles into his role as tough guy, and Tremblay gets fired.

9: Atlanta Hawks trade Dominique Wilkins and a 1st-round pick to the Clippers for Danny Manning.

‘Nique. Just the name conjures up images of the duel between him and Larry Bird at the Boston Garden, the two Slam Dunk Contests, the multiple vicious put-back dunks (and Mike Fratello’s perm if you are so inclined.) But what it always represented was the Atlanta Hawks. Close your eyes right now. You see ‘Nique in the Pac-Man Hawks uniforms of the 80’s don’t you? So imagine how you felt, hell how I felt as an inveterate Hawks fan, when they traded him and a 1st-round pick to the Clippers for Danny Manning. It was like being stabbed in the stomach. ‘Nique, the guy who we had all grew up loving, was gone. End Result: Danny played 11 games with the Hawks, and then signed with Phoenix.

8: Chicago trades D Chris Chelios to Detroit for D Anders Ericksson and two 1st-round picks.

Full Disclosure: I am a Blackhawks fan. And this one gutted me. Absolutely gutted me. I cried into my pillow for a whole night when I heard about it. You see, I was raised on two things as a Hawks fan. Hate the Red Wings, and show some respect for the Canadiens. But mainly…. HATE THE RED WINGS.
If you told me that Steve Yzerman was the right hand of Satan, and that Nicklas Lidstrom masterminded an attempt to blow up Wrigley Field, I would believe it. We all would. We hate the Red Wings. That stupid winged wheel, their crappy little arena in that crappy part of a crappy city. I could go on for hours.

So imagine what it felt like to come home one day and have my world rocked by the knowledge that Chelly, my team’s captain for god’s sake, was being traded not just to anyone but to Satan’s hockey team. Imagine the Yankees trading Don Mattingly to the Red Sox and that’s what this was like. End Result: Chelios won 3 More Cups with Detroit, and I think is still playing.

7: Knicks trade Patrick Ewing to Seattle as part of 4-team, 12-player deal.

He wasn’t what they thought he would be. Let’s get that out of the way right now. He wasn’t the force of nature at Georgetown. But he was still theirs. And he had served their franchise with class and grace from the time he put on the orange and blue until the time he was traded shamefully. The fact that Patrick Ewing, a man who set almost every meaningful statistical record in Knicks history, could be shipped out like he was Jon Koncak killed the Knicks in a way that they haven’t recovered from since.

6. Mariners trade OF Ken Griffey Jr. to Cincinnati for P Brett Tomko, OF Mike Cameron,
P Jake Meyer and IF Antonio Perez

This one hurt more than you realize. See, for Mariners fans, Junior was the guy. He hit massive tape-measure home runs, made spectacular catches, and scored the winning run on the team’s first-ever postseason series win. He was the guy so many believed would break the HR record, and he was going to do it as a Mariner. That’s why, when he was traded to Cincinnati, it hurt in a way that nothing has before or since.

5. Boston trades D Ray Bourque and
LW Dave Andreychuk to Colorado for F Brian Rolston, Martin Grenier, Sami Pahlsson and a 1st-round pick (Martin Samuelsson)

This is one of, if not the only, time where the franchise is so inept that the fanbase begs their franchise guy to go somewhere else where they can go get the ring. Think of what that must have been like. What they must have had to have known would happen just to be willing to see their guy finally win one.

4. N.Y. Mets trade P Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Steve Henderson, P Dan Norman, IF Doug Flynn and P Pat Zachry.

I don’t even know where to begin. This was an absolute travesty on all levels. Tom Seaver never wanted to leave. Never imagined he would leave. And yet, with the assistance of that old bastard Dick Young, he was shipped out of town. And now here we all stand, wondering why Seaver could not have stayed a Met like he should have been.

3: Sixers trade Allen Iverson to Denver for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and 2 first-round draft picks.

He wasn’t perfect. But with Allen Iverson perfection was never the point. The fact that he could stay upright, and continue to score in the manner that he had, that was the point. Also, you got the sense that AI completely understood what it meant to be a Sixer. It’s an underrated all-time great franchise. Greer, Wilt, Billy C, Bobby Jones, Dr. J, Moses, McGinnis, Barkley. And AI was the next guy who could keep the tradition going. The truth is that he wasn’t going to get the chance.

AI got sent out of town for Andre Miller, who provided stability and solid professionalism, Joe Smith, who was nowhere near as good as he should have been, and 2 first-round draft picks. In a fitting coda, AI was never the same. It’s almost as if finally being forced out killed him.

2. New York Mets trade Nolan Ryan and 3 others to California Angels for IF Jim Fregosi.

Ryan was a .500 pitcher before he got traded to the Angels and largely was a .500 pitcher for the entirety of his career. There is just one small problem.

Ryan became the all-time career leader in no-hitters and strikeouts. Meanwhile Jim Fregosi was gone as quick as he came in.

1. Oilers trade C Wayne Gretzky, LW Mike Krushelnyski and D Marty McSorley
to Los Angeles for C Jimmy Carson,
LW Martin Gelinas, three 1st-round picks and cash

This one is so clearly the number one that to imply it isn’t is an insult.

To sum up: It changed the way Canada viewed sports, destroyed a dynasty, changed the entire demographics of a league, and robbed Canada of a national hero. Other than that it’s pretty simple.