The NBA has been a complete mess this year. The owners and players have finally settled the lockout, but we still see all sorts of controversy as they muddle through this shortened free agency period, with David Stern nixing trades and players with egos making all sorts of demands.

But that doesn’t take away from the fun of basketball, particularly for kids who love to play the game, and in this holiday season that’s something to keep in mind when shopping for gifts. It’s also great because basketball gets kids and adults moving. In this time of obesity problems, stuff like this can be a life-saver as well.

So one great gift idea to consider is a basketball hoop for the home. Basketball is one of the best games out there for cardio health and people of all ages can play. Kids love the sport and many will play for hours with their friends. That sure beats having them sitting around playing video games or just watching NBA games.

If you shop around you find all sorts of great options for top basketball goal systems. The key is doing research. It’s obviously easier if you’re buying this for yourself or your own kids, as you know what best fits your home. But if you look around you can find out what best fits for your grand kids or others on your list.

So don’t let the NBA drama get in the way of enjoying one of the best games out. Strap on some shoes and get out there yourself. It’s a great option for those of us who are now older who struggle to find the time to get our cardio exercise time. It’s so easy to just pick up a basketball and start playing, whether it’s with kids or old friends who used to love to play when they were younger. Of course you need to be careful as you get older. Make sure you put on good basketball shoes and remember to stretch and warm up. But once you start playing regularly you’ll feel so much better. Then you can sit back and watch the millionaires play on TV.

Sports Illustrated put out this list of what it believes to be the Top 20 all-time sportscasters. Some of these guys are before my time, but unfortunately, most of them are not. Anyway, here is the list and a snappy comment or two, as well as who they missed and who I’m glad is not on here:

1. Jim McKay—The Bob Costas of his time. McKay hosted ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” as well as The Olympics. It’s hard to argue with putting him on top here, but it’s also easy to argue for a few of these others to be #1.

2. Vin Scully—If I hear ol’ Vin doing a game on TV, and with the MLB package it’s nice to still hear him doing Dodgers’ games, I don’t care who is playing….I stop and watch, and listen. It’s just comforting to hear the guy’s voice, which was made for broadcasting baseball.

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With the NBA Finals quite possibly ending in a few hours, I thought I’d better stick with a basketball theme tonight. There’s been a bit of hubbub over Derrick Rose, the Bulls’ star point guard and Chicago native, after a college party photo surfaced of him flashing a gang sign, prompting Rose to issue a public apology. Tommy Craggs and Deadspin has this to say:

Did anyone out there actually think Derrick Rose was or is in a gang? Or that he’s some sort of Gangster Disciples emissary because he once threw their sign in front of a camera and because he’s from … the South Side? That he’s endorsing a lifestyle? With a white player, it should go without saying, this would all be chalked up to nothing more sinister than youthful indiscretion.

While I’m no longer a part of the MTV demographic these days, I’ve been to enough parties and bars and sporting events and grocery stores to know that flashing a gang sign outside of the general context of a turf-war isn’t exactly cause for fear. My little sister showed me how to make like I was a Blood. I guess I should make a public apology if anyone ever finds out I might have been starting a new chapter in Okemos, Michigan.

I share Craggs’ annoyance at the situation here. If you hadn’t noticed by now. Anyway, I suppose to try and see the other side of this would be to make an argument that these kinds of pictures give youngsters (Jeez, I’m only 26 and I said “youngsters”) carte blanche on their own behavior. “If my hero Derrick Rose likes gangs, maybe I should join one too.” So there’s that. But come on, really? In that case, I’d like to request a public apology from Chris Andersen for letting kids think that showing up to a basketball game looking like this is OK.

There’s been a lot of talk flying around after last night’s ousting of the Cavaliers by Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. One of the most common lines has been about Lebron James’ behavior following the game. Refusing to shake hands and subsequently skipping the post-game press conference has put all kinds of opinions out there as to the ups and downs of his reaction to the loss. Coupled with recent comments by Lebron (which you’ll find below) and a congratulatory e-mail he reportedly sent to Howard, blogs have been burning up with comments. Robert Littal from Black Sports Online had this to say:

From NBA.com

“It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”

Someone needs to tell Lebron James to grow the hell up. You win like a Champion you lose like a Champion no matter how hard it is. I am very disappointed in him. A competitor and winner respects his opponent regardless of the outcome.

Lebron sounds like a spoiled rich kid who when he lost “took his ball and went home”. He has a long way to go in his maturity to be considered The King of the NBA. Wasn’t even man enough to call Dwight Howard. An email? Seriously Lebron? You would have been more successful on Twitter.
Once again I am very disappointed in his behavior.

Well, I can’t deny that LeBron acted a little bit poorly after the game. As “The King” I guess he should really be able to act like one. However, perhaps this just goes to show that he’s human. Let’s remember that he spent his whole season with his eye on the championship, racked up the NBA’s best record, won the league MVP award, and swept his previous playoff opponents. That’s quite a bit to see go up in smoke in one night.

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