My "Dream Team"

With the US National Basketball Squad practicing and preparing for the upcoming '08 Olympics, I decided to put together my own squad that I think would be the best for the USA to regain it's dominance we used to have in international basketball. Let me make it clear that I don't think these are the top 15 players in the NBA, but the 15 that can make the best "team". Here is my Dream Team '08:

Kobe Bryant: Clear choice right here. Great shooter, scorer, and an underrated defender. Some might question his ability to play with a real team, but when he had a great team with Shaq and all the other dynasty era Lakers, he had no problems at all playing as a team. Also a veteran leader who can make the great play in the clutch.

Tim Duncan: Another obvious choice. One of the greatest big men to ever step on the court and an excellent team player. Dominant on both sides of the ball and has the fundamentals that most big men now-a-days are lacking. A true champion who knows how to win.

LeBron James: Although he's not a great shooter (or even good), he can get to the bucket at will and is just a matchup nightmare. Too fast for small forwards, and too big and strong for most guards, you can't keep him off this team.

Kevin Garnett: I always believed KG was made for teams like these. He doesn't demand the ball and that might be great for a team that can score like this one, but bad for an NBA team where he is expected to be "the man". Great passer for a big man and an excellent rebounder. Perhaps even better, he plays with heart, which has been missing since '96.

Carmelo Anthony: A very good scorer and an above-average shooter who led last year's FIBA team in scoring. For that, he has shown he can play internationally and in the FIBA's, he was determined to prove himself. If he stays determined, there's no doubt in my mind that 'Melo deserves to be on this team.

Greg Oden: A true big man who can play defense with the best and keeps defenders out of the paint. Not a tremendous scorer, but keeping other teams out of the paint and off the boards will more than make up for it.

Jason Kidd: A tremendous passer and that is much needed on this team. A streaky shooter, but knows when to shoot, and when not too. Another veteran leader who makes all of his teammates better.

Kevin Durant: This is another guy who is perfect for international basketball. He is a great shooter/scorer and his defense is good enough. His size is what sets him apart though. He's tall and long so he can get a hand in the face of those tall Dirk Nowitzki-type players who are bigs can't defend on the perimeter.

Bruce Bowen: Exactly what the US needs, a tough/defensive forward who can guard anyone on the team and knock down the 3 consistently. This would be the key to the US winning it all.

Chris Bosh: A fundamentally sound player who can step out and make the mid-range shot. Pretty good defender and passer.

Gilbert Arenas: A great scorer who can do it all offensively. A very,very good shooter who always finds a way to stay motivated. Not a great passer, but this team could use a shooter.

Baron Davis: Athletic, great player who can play at any pace. A leader at the point and a very good passer. Not as good of a scorer as Arenas, and not as good of a a passer as Kidd, but a little bit of both.

Deron Williams: Underrated young player who doesn't have a huge weakness. Great passer. Pretty good shooter who will knock down the 3 if you give it to him. Smart player who creates plays for others and doesn't force anything.

Ray Allen: Veteran who can consistently hit a jumper with or without a man guarding him. Plays with pride.

Jason Kapono: Yeah, I know, he can't do much but shoot. But he's such a great shooter that his shooting makes up for everything else. Plays hard. And someone has to hit an open shot when the zone collapses on LeBron or Kobe or whoever.



Honorable Mentions: Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudamire, Dwight Howard, Michael Redd, Elton Brand, Paul Pierce.

(And no, I'm not anti-Suns. I love the Suns, but Amare can't play man defense and that was shown against Duncan and if I could put on a 16th man, I'd put Shawn Marion on the squad.)
I want opinions if you agree or disagree with my choices for Team USA.

Who Is The Worst Sports Personality On TV?

I am on a mission to find the worst sportscaster in sports. There are more than enough candidates now that the main sports media outlets(yes, that's you ESPN) continue to get dumber and dumber. They are all trying to make a new catchphrase and none of them work. Yeah, Dan Patrick and Stuart Scott were somewhat cool 10 years ago, but now they are just annoying. They all try to buy into stupid cliches and end up sounding just dumb. Here are my nominees (feel free to add your own nominations). By the way, I am only taking major media sportscasters so that "Boom, goes the dynamite!" kid doesn't count.

-Skip Bayless
Why: He will disagree with anything and makes no sense on about 95% of his comments.

-Stuart Scott
Why: I will admit, Stu was cool back in the day, but now he is a shell of his former self. He is always trying to use terms that aren't necessary and often will try to sound "street".

-Chris Berman
Why: Some of his stuff is good, but most of it is annoying and stupid. Does every NFL player need a nickname? How many times does he say "Back, back, back" at home run derbys? It's getting old, Swami.

-Jim Rome
Why: I used to like Jim, but now he is trying to live up to the character he created. He is trying to hard to be that hard-hitting, smack talker he was when he first came up.

Screamin A. Smith
Why: I like that he actually voices his opinions but he does it too strongly. Does he always have to yell? No matter who he is talking to, he tries to be the star of the conversation and that is one of the reason his talk show got cancelled. What good is an interview if you hardly let the other person talk?

Get Ready For The Boston Era

It's looking more and more like the 3 major sports could be headed towards "the Boston Era". Boston's MLB, NFL, and NBA teams are all legit contenders to win a championship in their sports. The Patriots were already among the NFL's elite, but now they are back after getting Randy Moss, Dante Stallworth, Adalius Thomas, and a healthy defense this upcoming year. We all know about how the Celtics are back at the top of the NBA. After missing out on the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant lottery, they went out and got Ray Allen and then later on the offseason, Kevin Garnett. And they did all that without giving up star swingman Paul Pierce. And then we got the Red Sox. They are the team Bostonians care the most about. They were contenders before the season and as of today, have the best record in baseball. As if Sox fans weren't already sold on the postseason hopes, they made a deal to grab Eric Gagne to bolster an already stellar bullpen. It is very possible that Boston could pull the trifecta and win all 3 championships. Bodog has the Celtics as 5-1 favorites to win it all, the Pats are 8-5, and the Sox are 7-2. Boston fans sure do have a lot to look forward to in the next few years.