NBA All-Stars: Best Pro Athlete Bowlers - Rankings posted by kellex

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It is always fascinating to find out what other things athletes excel at! We all know how good LeBron James is at basketball and how solid Terrell Owens is as a wide receiver in the NFL, but what we don't know is how good they are at the recreational activities we participate in like playing pool, volleyball or in this case, bowling.

The USBC (United States Bowling Congress) released their US Celebrity Bowler rankings and it just so happens that 3 NBA All-Stars highlight the list!

Check it out here.
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NBA All-Star Game: All About the Shoes! posted by kellex

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As a kid growing up watching the NBA All-Star game, one of my favorite things was always to see which shoes would be showcased by the stars that year. Michael Jordan always had a fresh color scheme on his current Air Jordan and Shaq even brought out the cell phone shoe one year.

This year could be one of the best All-Star shoe showcases ever with some very significant shoe lines out. This year marks the release of the Air Jordan 23 and the 100th anniversary of Converse. The biggest hit will obviously be the Jordan's with this possibly being the last year ever for the Air Jordan and with a very limited supply released to the public. Carmelo Anthony will be wearing a special color scheme known as the 'Air Jordan 23 All-Star' that should get all those Air Jordan collectors a little too happy.

And don't forget about Yao Ming! He'll even have on a signature pair of his Reebok ATR Elite II's and are rumored to feature a dragon. Dwyane Wade will also have a new shoe out with the release of the WADE 3 by Converse.

"The WADE 3 was designed around the No. 3 being significant in my life," Wade said. "It carries into this weekend with this being my third year in a row to be named an all-star starter."
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2500 'NBA Family' Members Rebuild New Orleans posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/02/2500-nba-family-members-rebuild

After last year's debacle in Las Vegas, the NBA for whatever reason decided to take on New Orleans for the All-Star game. Many players and fans were concerned that New Orleans might now be ready for such an event with Hurricane Katrina still fresh in our hearts and minds.

Las Vegas was a disaster for the league, so this year David Stern wanted to erase those frightening Vegas memories and make a positive statement. He has surely done exactly what he set out to do. This year in New Orleans, the NBA has brought together 2500 people to take part in the rebuilding of this great city.

For those who had concerns, be aware that the NBA has partnered with the state of Louisiana to create a season long rebuilding effort to assist over 30,000 children and build 40 places where families can learn, live and play.

NEW YORK AND NEW ORLEANS, February 7, 2008 – More than 2,500 people attending NBA All-Star 2008 will roll up their sleeves to participate in one of 10 service projects throughout New Orleans on Feb. 15, marking the largest single-day effort by the NBA Family in its ongoing support in rebuilding the city. The All-Star Day of Service, which will highlight a week-long schedule of community events impacting more than several thousand New Orleans-area residents, will include NBA All-Stars and participants, former players, NBA business and media partners and guests.

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Why Do We Have A NFL Pro Bowl? posted by Kenneth Watkins

This is something that I really am a lost for words. Every year the NFL stages a Pro Bowl where players are voted for and chosen to play in this annual event in Hawaii. Maybe it's because it's Hawaii is the reason the NFL continues to stage this ultimate boring game. They changed the rules so no one can get hurt, but they do. Many players seem to pass on it a couple of weeks before the time of the game. IT just seems like a waste of time anymore.

I think the NFL needs to do some tweaking to it to renew the interest in it. One move I suggest is to move it to the middle of the season instead of the last game. No one watches it because it's at the end of the season so moving it just makes sense to everyone involved. Secondly the winning side should get some kind of a perk. I don't know what that would be, but I'm sure the NFL could come up with something.

Fans vote some of these top stars into the game and when they decide they don't want to show up the fans lose out. It's a shame that players just don't like playing in this game anymore. Hopefully in the future the NFL will look at ways to change it and make it better.

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NBA Heading to India... posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/01/nba-heading-to-india.html

The NBA has most recently announced the division known as NBA China to conduct all of the league's business in Greater China. However, in its goal to become the ultimate global sport, the National Basketball Association has begun its development in a new country, India.

"India and China are two emerging markets in Asia . We have already set our foot in China , and India is our present target. It is a long term association that we are looking forward, to build the game of basketball in the country," NBA vice-president Mark Aronson said Monday night.

The NBA will start by setting up camps including an initial camp taking place July 3-6 for 50 young basketball players from all over Asia. The camp is named 'Basketball Without Borders' and is the 4th installment, with the first 3 taking place in China.

"During the camp we will have NBA players and coaches as mentors. We will also lay emphasis on health, HIV AIDS and similar issues. We are also exploring opportunities for girls as well," said Brooks Meek, director of international basketball operations of NBA.

This is an exciting time to be an NBA fan especially with the talent we are starting to accept from the rest of the world. The European players have made a major impact over the last 5-7 years and we are now seeing China's best performing at a high level. The Euroleague has become a fixture for the up-and-coming stars from overseas and has helped develop some American born players into NBA caliber players.

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NBA All-Star Starters Announced! posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/01/nba-all-star-starters-announced

The 2008 NBA All-Star game starters have been announced! Any surprises? Not really. However, there is one spot still open, the coach of the West All-Stars!


The West:

• Forward - Carmelo Anthony - Denver


• Forward - Tim Duncan - San Antonio


• Center - Yao Ming - Houston


• Guard - Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles


• Guard - Allen Iverson - Denver


• Coach - Byron? Mike? Phil?

The East:

• Forward - Kevin Garnett - Boston


• Forward - Lebron James - Cleveland


• Center - Dwight Howard - Orlando


• Guard - Jason Kidd - New Jersey


• Guard - Dwyane Wade - Miami


• Coach - Doc Rivers - Boston

We may not have any surprises but we definitely have our disappointments which is not unlike any other year. The east team looks to be just about right except for maybe Wade. He's had a decent year, but his team is so pathetic that the Heat should be banned from any All-Star activities. If you asked me to find a replacement for him at starting guard though, I can't say there is one one out there that just roles off of my tongue.

KG, Lebron and Howard are all MVP candidates and will have spots on this starting team until they retire. And Jason Kidd is the best point guard out east and has been doing it for so long that no one can take his spot. The man keeps aging, and also keeps getting better.

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NBA Season Half Over: Top 5 Stories posted by kellex

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It has been a fantastic first half to this NBA season and you can feel that buzz starting to creep in as the All-Star break approaches. Critics have moved on from their hatred of the NBA and young stars and feel-good stories are taking over. As a basketball fan, you cannot help but love what you are seeing and will most likely continue to see in the second half and on into the playoffs.

We're giving you our top 5 story lines of the first half of the season. Tell us what you think!

5. The Knicks.

One of the most historic franchises in all of sports has turned into a complete joke. The New York Knicks have us all shaking our heads in disgust, but also laughing in shock. The downfall of the Knicks began last year with the contract extension of Isiah Thomas as coach when he had his team in position to possibly make the playoffs. James Dolan forgot however, that the season is longer than 40 games and of course the Knicks weren't close to a playoff bid as the season wound down.

The off-season gave us some great insight as to how much of an idiot Isiah Thomas truly is. We listened in to the updates of the Anucha Brown-Sanders trial and the eventual embarrassment sustained by the Knicks once the juicy details slipped on out. We realized how crazy Stephon Marbury is through his whack-o interviews and love of limousine sex. We envisioned the termination of Thomas, but then decided that was never going to happen and that he most likely has some great blackmail material on James Dolan.
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Are You Kidding Me: H-O-R-S-E is back? posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/01/are-you-kidding-me-h-o-r-s-e-is

Are you kidding me?!? I've been waiting for this for sooooooo long! It's time to bring those trick shots to life! This year, at the NBA All-Star game in New Orleans, we will finally get professional basketball players dropping their slickest moves to a classic game of H-O-R-S-E! How amazing could this actually be?

Well try not to get your hopes up too high. You will not see the likes of Kobe or Lebron throwing behind-the-back-off-the-scoreboard-bank shots any time soon, but you will get your fabulous D-leaguers attempting this.

From True Hoop’s Henry Abbott:

I talked to the head of the NBA’s D-League, Dan Reed, today (more on that later), and he told me the excellent news that this All-Star Weekend’s Friday night festivities will include a D-League H-O-R-S-E competition.

An official role of the D-League is to experiment with things the NBA is considering doing.

If done right this should be a ton of fun, but let's just wait and see what actually happens. There are definitely some solid players in the NBDL and if they actually come prepared with a bag of tricks, this could be really entertaining. Come on D-league, do this one right! I want Dwight Howard and Baron Davis doing this next year!

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Hall Of Fame Or Hall Of Shame posted by Kenneth Watkins

Withh all the things going on in Major League baseball maybe they should rename it the Hall of Shame. Baseball's Hall of Fame could be without some great players depending on how the voters vote after the Mitchell report came out and talk about steroid use as the main problem in the last ten years in baseball. Some of the game's biggest stars were implicated in the drug scandal. Names like Bonds, Petitte, Clemens were just a few of the names that surfaced. I wonder how many people have used it but never caught. Bet that would be a very intersting number.

The real big question is what do we do with all these players that have set records and are wanting to be their only to find out they are a user. Should they be in the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Shame? I vote to open a Hall of Shame to properly honor these people who cheated the game and the fans who paid their hard earned money to watch them. Now it makes me sit back and laugh because Pete Rose isn't allowed in because he bet on baseball and lied, but Mark McGwire and others are on the ballot who cheated the game. Hmm  very interesting indeed.

I guess in the end though we won't have a Hall of Shame as these players will make it to the Hall of Fame eventually as keeping them out honestly brings more press to them than if there in the first place. I would include them in a room title the Steroid room.  That way everyone would know how they got in and the inflated numbers they produced.

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Stars sign former Panthers D Skrastins (AP)

The Dallas Stars have signed free agent defenseman Karlis Skrastins to a two-year deal worth $2.75 million. The Stars gave the 34-year-old Skrastins $1.1 million for the 2009 season and $1.65 million for 2010. Skrastins played in 80 games for the Florida Panthers last season and had four goals, 14 assists, 18 points and led the team with 171 blocked shots. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Stars re-sign Lehtinen to 1-year deal

The Dallas Stars re-signed Finnish right wing Jere Lehtinen to a one-year deal on Tuesday.The Stars gave the 36-year-old Lehtinen, who has spent his entire career with Dallas, a contract with a base salary of $1.5 million and the possibility of as much as $1 million in incentives.Lehtinen had eight goals and 16 assists in 48 games last season. He missed 34 games because of injury. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Stars re-sign RW Lehtinen to 1-year deal (AP)

The Dallas Stars have re-signed right wing Jere Lehtinen to a one-year deal. The Stars gave the 36-year-old Lehtinen, who has spent his entire career with Dallas, a contract with a base salary of $1.5 million and the possibility of as much as $1 million in incentives. Lehtinen had eight goals and 16 assists in 48 games last season. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Stars' Modano still plans to come back (AP)

Mike Modano was caught off guard when the Dallas Stars fired coach Dave Tippett this week. Yet, the surprising move by former teammate and new Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk isn't changing Modano's mind. Modano, the face of the franchise and the highest-scoring American-born player, is still returning for his 20th NHL season. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Stars hire Crawford as coach (AP)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports