Shaq for Shawn Marion?

Is what's floating around the league since uhh today. Shaq just can't let Kobe have a ring. When the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol that was almost a guaranteed NBA championship. The Lakers would have the most athletic and talented front court in the Western Conference when Andrew Bynum came back from injury. Andrew Bynum at the 5 spot, Pau Gasol at the 4, Lamar Odom at the 3, Kobe at the 2, and Derek Fisher at the 1. Are you kidding me? Shaq is going to be more motivated than ever to play his heart out. Kobe is more motivation than anything. I just don't know if Shaq can play anymore and can he run in the Suns' offense? I don't think he can but that remains to be seen.

I know Shaq made this happen. He saw what the Lakers were doing, they're gearing up for a championship run and here comes hater Shaq. It's all good though. The NBA playoffs are about to be great this year. The league has never been loaded with so many Superstars. I wish the Sonics would go after some of these guys but they don't have the assets to acquire any of the Top 50 players in the league. Well they have Kevin Durant but they're not giving him up.

I'm still sticking with my Preseason prediction of a Lakers championship. I don't know who's coming out of the east yet but I don't think it's going to be Boston.

Shaq for Marion article on ESPN.com.

Athletics being the theme for this post I'm going to big up Muhammad Ali today. The greatest boxer in the greatest era of Boxing. In fact, he's the greatest ever. You think this years Superbowl was a huge upset? I wasn't alive when he knocked out Sonny Liston but no one had the 22 year old Cassius Clay defeating the proven and powerful world champion Sonny Liston. Boxing has been on such a decline since Mike Tyson never panned out to be the great champion he was supposed to be and going to be until he went to prison. I think that more than anything killed boxing. Mike Tyson was larger than life and when he fell so did Boxing. Ali was what Mike Tyson should have been.

Muhammad Ali was also very influential socially. Refusing the go to Vietnam and literally being ostracized from his sport and his country of birth was worth what he believed in. Ali is the perfect example of what a man should be. Uncompromising, making sacrifices for a cause. Not taking the money or the comfort, not being a chump and doing what this shitty country was forcing him to do. He wasn't blind with Patriotism like so many people were back in 2002 when we entered this ridiculous war and like Hilary was in 2002 when she voted for this war. He took a stand like Obama took a stand and voted against this meaningless war. We need more men and women in this society. Ali is one of the few men we do have.

Ali VS. Liston II. Probably the most infamous knock out of Ali's career.