Marion Dealt to the Mavs

Dallas, Toronto, Memphis and Orlando combined in a massive trade Thursday that included eight players, a draft pick and loads of cash. Without getting into too many details, basically this deal sent Shawn Marion to Dallas, Stackhouse to Memphis and helped seal the transaction that moved Hedo Turkoglu from Orlando to Toronto. After Orlando signed Vince Carter, Turkoglu opted out of his deal and became a free agent. The Raptors get Antoine Wright and Devean George in the trade as well. The Mavericks are also close to re-signing Jason Kidd, and likely to ink Gortat from Orlando as well. It's already been a frenzied free agent signing period, and it looks as if there are still a few more deals left in the works. We'll keep an eye on it and see what else goes down on the NBA.

NBA Trades and Wimbledon Finals

It's the middle of trading season in the NBA, and already there have been some blockbuster moves. It started with Shaq going to Cleveland to play alongside the King. Then Ben Gordon jumped ship and landed in Detroit. Now it appears that Ron Artest is going Hollywood to play next to Kobe Bryant. There are also reports swirling that Turkoglu will be joining Portland shortly, and Rasheed Wallace is in negotiations with the Celtics.

In tennis news, Andy Roddick won the battle of Andy's in England today. The home favorite, Andy Murray, just didn't have enough firepower to outlast the American. However, Roddick will now have his work cut-out for him as he advances to play Roger Federer. On the women's side, the Williams' sisters will face off tomorrow in the Grand Slam final to decide the best female tennis player in the world.

Have a Happy 4th of July!

Pistons Grab Gordon

With free agency starting up today, the Detroit Pistons wasted no time in going after superstar Ben Gordon. Multiple sources are now reporting that Gordon has agreed on a deal to leave the Bulls and head north to Detroit. It's being reported that his deal is for 5 years and over $50 million. Gordon had a great year, and was almost able to single-handedly defeat the Celtics in the 1st round of playoffs. However, Gordon and the Bulls came up short and lost to the Celtics in Game 7. Gordon averaged over 24pts a game in the playoffs. It's also being reported that Detroit has agreed in terms to a deal with Charlie Villanueva. His deal is 5 years and $35 million.

Yao's Career Over?

The word on the street isn't good. Yao's injury is bad, and well frankly it has worsened. Rockets team physician, Tom Clanton, said that the injury could be season-ending and even career-threatening. Right now, the Rockets have no idea exactly how long Yao will be out. Most of it will depend on the course of treatment that Yao chooses, and how his foot responds to that treatment. Clanton said that a CT scan revealed that Yao's foot failed to heal as expected, and he now may have to go into surgery. Yao was suppose to be the centerpiece of the Rockets franchise for years to come, yet now all of that is in jeopardy. The NBA free agent season is set to open tonight, and it's possible now that the Rockets will have to go looking for a replacement. It'll be interesting to see what the Rockets do, and if they try to replace Yao, if only for a season.

La Pistola and the NBA

In a seaside village, just miles outside of Barcelona lives one of the best point guards that no American has ever heard of...well for now. His name is Ricky Rubio, yet the people of Spain call him La Pistola, Spain's version of Pistol Pete Maravich. However, he will most likely become the 2nd overall pick in this years NBA Draft behind Blake Griffin. Why do we know so little about him...why haven't we heard more? Mostly because the kid never spoke much, or granted any interviews. His parents and his club team wouldn't allow it. For the most part, he's been kept in a bubble and hardwired for basketball since a very young age. Marc Calderon, his U14 coach, said "He reads basketball at a velocity very few can achieve." He reads the court like a veteran, yet distributes the ball with the flair and elegance of a youthful Magic Johnson. An Eastern exec said "He's the European LeBron James. He's not so crazy strong, but he does other things: the creativity, the Maravich-type stuff. He brings people out of their chairs, and he'll put them in your stands. He's a top-three pick." A couple of big-market European teams have already offered him NBA-type money, up to 2.5 million euros (nearly $4 million) to play for them. Yet, Rubio is too competitive to pass up the chance to play night after night against the world's best. He's coming to the NBA in 2009, let's see if he can live up to the hype.

NBA Champions Crowned and the CWS

The Lakers finished off the Magic tonight, with a 99-86 victory in Orlando. The Magic came out fast and jumped on the Lakers early in the 1st quarter of Game 5. However, the Lakers were not to be denied as they took the lead in the second quarter and never relinquished it. With the win tonight, Phil Jackson garnered his tenth NBA Championship, one for every digit. He now stands alone in the pantheon of great NBA coaches, as he surpassed Auerbach and his nine titles. Not only did Phil cement his legacy as the greatest NBA coach tonight, but Kobe also was able to step outside the shadow of Shaq and win a championship without him. Kobe was able to get his 4th championship tonight, and I'm betting this one was sweeter than the first three. Kobe wants to be the greatest player of all time, and he is at least in the argument now. He's still no Michael, and I'm not sure he ever will be. However, he is a tremendous player and talent, and was able to prove that again this year.

In Omaha today, Texas took down Cinderella with a 7-6 victory. Southern Miss put up a valiant effort, but in the end Texas found a way to win again. Arizona State and UNC ended up in a pitchers duel thru 9innings, and were tied 1-1. However, in the tenth inning Arizona State was able to score 4 runs and hang on for a 5-2 win. Tomorrow, CS Fullerton will take on Virginia in an elimination game, and Arkansas will battle LSU for the lead spot in their grouping. Let's see if CS Fullerton can bounce back after being considered the favorite going into the CWS. Virginia won't go away easily though, so that should be fun to watch.

Lakers win or Magic lose?

Lakers knocked off the Magic 99-91 in OT of Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. However, it wasn't the Lakers that won this game. It was the Magic that lost it. The Magic was up 5 late in the 4th quarter and basically gave the game away. Derek Fisher hit a big 3pt shot with less than 5 secs to go to tie the game and send it into OT. It was all Lakers in the OT period, and they pulled away late. However, the Magic can only blame themselves for this loss. They had 19 turnovers in the game and 15 missed freethrows, including two huge freethrows that Howard missed late in the 4th that could have sealed the game. Give the Lakers credit though, they took advantage of a young Magic team that hasn't found a way to close games out yet. With the loss, this will put the Magic's back against the wall. Every game from here on out will be an elimination game, so let's see the Magic react. My guess is they'll come out hard and probably take Game 5, but the Lakers should close this thing out in Game 6.

NBA Finals Preview

Game 4 of the NBA Finals will be played Thursday night in Orlando, and this game will go a long way in deciding who will win this year's NBA title. If the Magic can continue to make Kobe a passer instead of a scorer, then they'll have a chance to pull off another close victory. However, if they let Kobe get his points then he could very well put the nail in the coffin Thursday night. Quite frankly, the best closer in the game (Kobe) choked in Game 3 as he committed key turnovers down the stretch to give Orlando the win. However, give Ron Jeremy....I mean Stan Van Gundy credit for making the correct adjustments and sending multiple double teams at Kobe. Kobe tried to force his way through the double teams rather than giving up the ball to his teammates, and that ultimately cost them the victory in Game 3. It'll be interesting to see how Phil Jackson counters and what adjustments the Lakers will make in order to free Kobe up more.

Basketball and Baseball....oh my!

It was a great day to be a sports fan! You had the 3rd Game of the NBA Finals, some good MLB action on the diamond, and the first day of the MLB draft as well. First off, Dwight Howard and the Magic held on to win over Kobe and the Lakers 108-104. The Magic shot the ball much better at home, and led basically the entire way. However, the Lakers did make a run at the end of the game only to come up a little short. This was a huge W for the Magic as it closed the series to 2-1. Now, if the Magic can come up with another home win, next time out, they'll make this thing a series after all.

Just a little news concerning the MLB draft that kicked off today, Stepen Strasburg, the 103mph throwing phenom, was taken first overall by the Washington Nationals. The Nationals had the first pick last year and couldn't come to terms with Aaron Crow because of Crow's $4 million request. If they think they're going to sign Strasburg for less than $4 million, then they're sadyly mistaken. Look for this kid to set a new bar in terms of money because of his flame-throwing ability. Speaking of Aaron Crow, he was drafted 12th overall this year, by the KC Royals. He looks to be ready to pitch by 2010, and should be a helpful arm for the Royals in years to come.