Athletes Piling in the Dough

  I wrote my first teaser for SportsTalkFlorida.com today! This means that I took bits and pieces of information from a larger article and wrote it my own way before leading readers to the original story. I'm really excited about that! Check it, and all the other posts I've done so far on our website, out now!

http://www.sportstalkflorida.com/sis-top-50-wealthiest-athletes/

P.S. I will try my best to get you all The Rundown tomorrow including some reaction to the two NBA playoff games tonight and my look ahead to each conference finals! 

Extra, Extra, Read All About it!

 Great news for you all! Today I started an internship with NBC Sports Talk Florida. I will be posting sports articles, strictly Florida sports for the most part, almost every day. Most of them will be short synopsis articles just to give an overview of a story but I will also atleast once a week be contributing my own original article. For the Heat fans out there definitely stay tuned; there is a chance that I can be a Miami Heat insider in which case I would cover all of the Heat news I can find. I have posted a few articles already today which I will provide the links to below.  Now for a brief Rundown!

Who's Expecting?

  Miami Heat star Chris Bosh is expecting yet another addition to his family. His wife Adrienne made the news public on Monday via Twitter. The Bosh family seems to associate playoff basketball with bundles of joy as their youngest son Jackson was born during the first round of last year's playoffs versus the New York Knicks.

  Phoenix Suns point guard Shannon Brown is also expecting a new addition to his family with his wife R&B artist Monica. Monica made the pregnancy public by posting pictures on her Instagram outlining her clearly pregnant belly this past weekend. This will be the couple's first child together.

  Congratulations to the Bosh and Brown family!

Kobe in the Courtroom

  Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has been making news these past few weeks for the legal drama he and his mother are involved in. Bryant is suing a New Jersey auction house to prevent them from conducting a sale to auction a collection of Bryant memorabilia including high school uniforms and autographed basketballs supplied to them by Bryant's mother. Things could get ugly because Kobe's father, Joe Bryant, and Kobe's grandmother are actually siding with Pamela Bryant, Kobe's mother, supporting that Kobe told his mother that she could have the items. U.S District Judge Renee Bumb set a court-guided mediation session for this Friday for the family in addition to setting the trial date for June 17th. Best of luck to the Bryant family in this sticky situation.

Defense Wins Championships

  LeBron James and Tony Allen each received the most votes en route to making this year's NBA All-Defensive First Team collecting 52 and 53 respectively. "We pride ourselves on defense here," said James. Upon hearing the news from Craig Sager following last night's Heat victory over the Bulls,  LeBron admitted he was indeed upset about not being named Defensive Player of the Year but he thanked the coaches, rather than the writers that decide the DPOY, for recognizing the work he does on that side of the ball. The Clippers' Chris Paul also made the team with 37 votes, the Thunder's Serge Ibaka with 46 votes, as well as the Bulls' Joakim Noah and the Knicks' Tyson Chandler both with 24 votes. This year's Defensive Player of the Year, Grizzlies Center Marc Gasol, did not make the Defensive First Team.

Jayhawks win the Prize

  Top ranked high school basketball player Andrew Wiggins has signed his national letter of intent to attend the University of Kansas. He had until Wednesday to sign it but he has done so early killing the hopes of Kentucky, Florida State, and North Carolina of adding him to their rosters. Wiggins averaged 23.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for Huntington Prep in West Virginia. Originally growing up in Toronto, he is the best Canadian prospect since Steve Nash. Some even say he is the best high school basketball prospect since LeBron James. Nice compliments for the kid. 

Links to my Sports Talk articles: Miami Dolphins News, Miami Heat News, Miami Hurricanes News, Florida Gators News

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Sources: NBA, ESPN

Knights Next Level

 NFL teams have officially started their rookie minicamps. You can find out about the progress and interactions that have transpired during some coveted draft picks like Geno Smith and Manti Te'o's experience on SportsCenter. However there are some very good players from my very own university, the one and only University of Central Florida, that have also recently gotten their first taste of NFL life.

Kemal Ishmael

  Kemal Ishmael, a strong safety from Miami, Florida, was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 7th round. Ishmael had 4 remarkable seasons while at UCF topped off with being named the Conference USA's Defensive Player of the Year this past season. The Falcons pick up a safety that also excels at tackling with Ishamael being just the third Knight in UCF history to lead the team in tackles three times in his career (2010-2012). Below Ishmael is running a drill at the Falcons rookie camp last weekend. 

Latavius Murray

  Latavius Murray, a running back originally from Nedrow, New York, was drafted in the 6th round by the Oakland Raiders. Murray made All C-USA First Team this past season, finished his college career second overall in UCF history in touchdowns with 44, and was named the team's MVP in 2011. Murray played for UCF from 2008-2012 receiving a red shirt his sophomore season (2009) to recover from knee surgery. The following season he made a major comeback by helping the Knights get to the Conference USA Championship in which he was named the 2010 C-USA Championship MVP. Already, Murray has made a great impression on the Raiders during rookie minicamp. At 6-3 and 230 pounds, he is bigger than most running backs and stronger than most receivers as Murray has also ran routes for the Raiders as a receiver. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said:

"He runs nice routes, he's extremely intelligent so he's picked up the offense really well, and he's got really soft hands so he does a nice job not only catching the ball but when you look at it he's done a nice job of picking up in pass protection."

  This week, the real pros will join the camp so of course Murray still has more to prove but first impressions are lasting impressions.

Quincy McDuffie

  Quincy McDuffie, wide receiver from Orlando, Florida, was signed as free-agent to the Denver Broncos. McDuffie finished his career as a Knight as the all-time leader in UCF history in kickoff return touchdowns, kickoff returns, and kickoff return yards. He has great speed and does a good job at keeping his speed even when having to change direction. McDuffie will have to continue to prove himself since he wasn't drafted but he definitely has the skill set, toughness, and mentality to do so. 

Ray Shipman

  Ray Shipman, offensive linebacker from Miami, Florida, was signed as free agent to the New Orleans Saints. This past season Shipman started in 12 games and recorded 91 tackles for UCF. He is listed at 6-5 and 242 pounds and with all the training Shipman put in prior to draft day I'm sure he will get his moment. The Saints minicamp commenced on Friday at their facility but unfortunately it was not open to any of the public so no photos have been released. However, I did recover this photo from Shipman's Instagram.

  Other former Knights including A.J Bouye and Troy Davis have also been signed to NFL teams, the Houston Texans and the New York Jets respectively, as free-agents. Knights always do work so I'm confident that all of these men will work hard to reach their goals and produce at the next level. No matter what team they play for now or in the future, we all know a little black and gold will still run through your veins. Congratulations gentlemen! 

Sources: Bleacher Report, UCF Athletics, SB Nation

Where Are They Now?

  What have some of major sports most polarizing figures, their teammates, and prospects been up to during their off-seasons you ask?

Robert Griffin III: RGIII has obviously been putting in a lot of work into the rehabilitation of his right knee in which he tore his ACL during the playoffs. Still, the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year has made time to give back to the community and support charitable causes. On Monday, RGIII attended teammate Brian Orakpo's charity golf event held at Trump National Golf Club. The event raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Griffin did not participate in the event but simply went out to support his teammate and a great cause. He updated these statuses on his Facebook account this week:

"Enjoyed WATCHING & meeting everyone at Orakpo's Charity Golf Tournament, especially my main man Tyler McMillian" 

"Tyler is 1 of 2 patient heroes at Orakpo's charity golf event. May the other patient hero, Brendan Kelly, Rest In Peace in the Heavens" 

"Great Week. Helped Raise money for Cancer. Team is laying foundation for the season & I'm feeling healthy #Blessed #TheGifted"

 You may or may not be a fan of his but there is no doubt that RGIII is a class act and is a great example of a franchise face. He also recently attended the Redskins FanFest during the NFL Draft.

Kobe Bryant: Kobe has become quite the active social network user lately. This past season in addition to joining Twitter, he also made an Instagram just a day after he endured his season ending torn Achilles tendon injury. Bryant recently celebrated his 12th year of marriage to his wife Vanessa as well as his wife's birthday when Bryant flew the chef from Vanessa's favorite restaurant in Milano to LA to cook her favorite dishes. He even showed a little of his sense of humor today by participating in the weekly #ThrowbackThursday trend on Instagram and uploaded a picture of him being fitted for his mask he had to wear for a small stretch of last season after taking a shot to the nose from Dwyane Wade in the All-Star game. I don't know about you but I am loving this new personable, down-to-earth, fun Kobe Bryant. If you don't follow him already you should. He's sure to entertain you in some way.

Trey Burke: After losing the National Title Game, it seems the world stopped buzzing about this year's AP College Basketball Player of the Year Trey Burke. Burke officially went public with his decision to enter the NBA Draft this June after the tournament was over. His Twitter account was also verified after NCAA Tournament. He recently uploaded a picture of a high priced car on his Instagram account, leaving the implication that it was his, but he eventually deleted the photo. He is a minimal tweeter and the majority of his Instagram photos lately have just been shots of his outfits and face shots to tease the ladies, in my opinion. He recently attended Game 7 of the Bulls/Nets series and tweeted that Rihanna looked "very good in person". Not shy at all huh Trey? Don't let Chris find you. Then again I'm not sure Chris should worry because Trey's sister recently uploaded a picture on her own Instagram account of what appears to be subtle publicizing of Trey and his girlfriend. Sorry ladies. 

Colin Kaepernick: San Francisco 49ers breakout quarterback Colin Kaepernick has trademarked his in-zone move, kissing his muscle, calling it "Kaepernicking". On Tuesday he got the opportunity to meet FLOTUS Michelle Obama. He uploaded this photo to his Instagram; I would say it's catching on.

Metta World Peace: It just isn't a normal year when Metta World Peace, the former Ron Artest, doesn't do something to make us all shake our heads. Most recently, last night during Game 2 of the Warriors/Spurs series he tweeted:

"Curry gets the #Twinhearts co sign...I think Steve Curry is Top 10 in the NBA. If he world on his defense, he will be MVP next year."

After the game STEPH Curry's teammate Jarrett Jack retweeted World Peace adding: " I think his name is steph". Of course being the true sport that Steph is he closed it out last night by tweeting:

"Back to Oakland. Ready to get back to work already. Steve Curry...out!"

It all made for a good laugh. About an hour ago, MWP corrected himself on the misspelling of Curry's name and added that he's still a potential MVP with Curry simply replying "appreciate it bro!"

The Missing: It is worth noting that Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, as well as Lakers Center Dwight Howard haven't tweeted much of anything in days. Howard hasn't posted anything on his Facebook or Twitter account since April 30th. Paul thanked his fans earlier this week for the birthday wishes but that has been about it. Each, Paul and Howard, are free agents this summer and have big decisions to make. Don't worry though, as soon as I get the news, so will you!

Sources: Bleacher Report Washington Post

Weigh-in Wednesday

  It's only noon on the East Coast and already the rumor mill is buzzing and news has hit the deck in the Sports World. I want you all to weigh-in on these topics today. Tweet me @RealRundown or comment below.

Rose to Return?

   Rumors from several sources have been surfacing this morning of Derrick Rose possibly suiting up for Game 3. It is not clear if this means he will actually play, or how many minutes he would get, but the speculation is out there. I personally think this is a questionable decision. On one hand it would seem to put the Bulls in a better position to win the series. On the other hand, if Rose was going to return I thought the best time table would have been sometime in the first round series against the Nets. To come back after over a year of not playing and jump into the mix against the defending champions who are clearly pushing to repeat seems to be a little more high risk than high reward. The Miami Heat, especially after losing Game 1, aren't going to go easy on Rose because he's just getting back into the swing of things. If anything I would think they would turn up the pressure on him to test that "mental readiness" he's been trying to regain. Which leads me to my next question: What about Friday makes him so mentally ready more than he would be Wednesday? If Rose is ready to play shouldn't he get back out there as soon as the next opportunity presents itself? I mean in theory that would give Chicago a better chance to take a more dominant lead in the series, right?

Who's Ring is it Anyway?

  Mario Williams, defensive end for the Buffalo Bills, signed a 6-year $96 million contract last year. Now his second year into the contract, that he thus far hasn't lived up to, his latest magic number is $785,000. He is now suing his ex-fiancee Erin Marzouki over a 10-carat engagement ring worth $785,000 that she refuses to give back after the engagement was called off in January. The engagement was allegedly called off by Marzouki. Williams lawyers argue that since the ring was obtained in Texas, a no-fault gift state, he has a "right to recovery". Simply speaking, the giver of the ring is legally allowed to ask for it back in the case of the "breach of the marriage engagement by the donee". I think she for sure should give the ring back. The engagement is off and if she indeed called it off I see no argument she can use to justify keeping it. Even in the case that he cheated on her, as a woman if you are fed up with a situation you cut ties, seeing as they have no children, and move on. 

Questionable Coaching?

  This morning the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, George Karl, was named the 2012-2013 NBA Coach of the Year. I love George Karl as a coach and his story of battling multiple cancers but remaining a solid and inspiring coach is amazing. Denver finished the season 57-25 with an NBA best 38-3 home record. They were the 3rd seed going into the playoffs but got knocked out in the first round by a fierce Golden State team. After the All-Star break, a superstar-less Nuggets team gave us all a bit of a wake-up call as to just how tough they were. They went on a franchise record setting 15-game winning streak and were 24-4 post All-Star break. Karl received 62 of 121 1st-place votes but did he deserve the award? Miami's head coach Erik Spolestra finished in 2nd-place with only 24 1st-place votes, New York's Mike Woodson finished in 3rd place, Golden State's Mark Jackson in 7th place, and Chicago's Tom Thibodeau in 8th place. I was actually a little shocked when I heard the news. I personally thought either Mark Jackson, Mike Woodson, or Erik Spolestra should have won, leaning more toward Jackson. Mark Jackson has done a phenomenal job with Golden State this year leading them into the playoffs and growing this young talented roster over these past two years. Mike Woodson has really stabilized this Knicks team and made great decisions to elevate their performances. I don't see how anyone can discredit Spolestra because he has been tried, tested, and proven on multiple occasions. Getting this superstar roster to effectively work together, remaining poised even when it doesn't look good for his team, guiding them through a 27-game winning streak and the list goes on. A strong argument can also be made for Thibodeau who has led a tough and resilient Chicago team who has endured injury after injury this season and short-handed from the start into the conference semifinals with a puncher's chance to come out victorious. 

  What do you all think? I want to hear from you NOW!

Sources: Bleacher Report, ESPN

Don't Call It A Comeback!

  Hello lovely readers! I know that a lot has happened since the last time I posted from the NFL Draft, to Jason Collins coming out, the postseason ending injuries of Russell Westbrook and David Lee, as well as some NBA Playoff drama in the first round. I assure you all that this wasn't my intent and I really wish I could have gotten some posts out for you all. If you saw the video I attached the link to in the post prior to this one, I briefly explained what was going on. Unfortunately last week my grandfather did indeed pass away so just as school ended I had to be with my family and get through that tough time. Nonetheless, I'M BACK! I obviously cannot cover all of the ground I've missed but I cannot ignore the hype of the NBA Playoffs right now. At this point all Game 1's have been played. What forecasts do I see as the pressure rises in the Playoff Sea? Let's very briefly go through my predictions.

Western Conference

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Golden State Warriors: As much of a Stephen Curry fan I am and despite the great deal of promise I see in this Golden State team, I am going to go with the Spurs in 6 games. When it comes down to it, Golden State's talent will make each game interesting but their youth and inexperience is what will cost them. The mistakes they made against Denver cannot be made against San Antonio and end in a series victory. If the Spurs continue to get their health back the way they have seemed to be doing, the Warriors will not be able to withstand this veteran and disciplined squad. In my opinion, Golden State is the latest, and arguably better, model of the old OKC before they boldly emerged (like the OKC of 2010-2011). They're extremely talented, young, athletic, confident, and have the makings of a future elite team in the West. But they have trouble closing out games which we saw last night in Game 1 against the Spurs as well as Game 6 against the Nuggets. The only difference is that Denver couldn't capitalize on the Warriors collapse, San Antonio did. If players like Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Jared Jack remain on this roster I expect to see them at this same level again next year, hopefully with more favorable odds. Let's not forget the impact having a healthy David Lee would have had on this series either. 

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies: Although OKC took Game 1, I have questions about how powerful they'll be able to be without Westbrook against a rough and tough team like Memphis. Zach Randolph, as Stan Verrett says time and time again, doesn't bluff. He is aggressive, skilled, and can easily stand out to make himself look like the man amongst boys. The homecourt advantage OKC gets from their electric crowd is powerful but I can easily see this one going to 6 or 7 in Memphis' favor. I have no doubt that Kevin Durant is great enough to lead his team to victory because he's one of the best in the league but my question is: Will he? Durant is used to delivering that 1-2 punch with Westbrook in tow. All of a sudden the load of pressure builds from not only getting back to the NBA Finals but doing so by virtually putting the team on his back and going through some very serious Western Conference competitors. Let's see how "Not Nice" KD can become. 

Eastern Conference

(1) Miami Heat vs. (5) Chicago Bulls: There is no doubt that the Bulls deserve credit for not only their performance last night in Game 1 but the entire season. They have been short-handed from day 1, constantly counted out, yet very frequently rise to the occasion and come out victorious. With that being said however, I still do not believe they have the will and strength the beat Miami in a 7-game series. If the Bulls first round series, the last playoff Game 1 Chicago and Miami played in 2011, or even last year's Game 1 of the NBA Finals should have taught us anything it should have been not to read too deeply into Game 1. Miami are the defending champs and had just come off of 7 days of rest, which clearly turned into a bit of rust. No excuses because they still could have gotten it done but LeBron wasn't even in double digits going into the 4th quarter. That's not typical. Expect adjustments on Wednesday night. Miami in 6 games.

(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Indiana Pacers: In my opinion, neither one of these teams have enough 48 minute consistency for me to think that this series can't easily go to 7 games. This one kind of has me stumped but in the end I will take the Knicks in 6 or 7. I think they will adjust the mistakes they made in game 1 and Carmelo Anthony will come out more focused and efficient. He went for just 10-of-28 from the field in Game 1. He's made it out of the first round but now is not the time to get complacent. If Anthony wants to undoubtedly recognized as the superstar that many feel he is, he must prove what he can do when the pressure is on and his team, now that he has further matured as a player, is actually a contender. On the other hand, the world was put on notice last postseason that the Pacers are not a team that folds when they are supposed to be "afraid". The hype doesn't hinder them from stepping up to the challenge. Indiana is a just below .500 road team on the season but has an almost identical home record to New York at 30-11 (to the Knicks' 31-10). Being that they have already stole one on the road, they are too in good position to win the series. Though I'm calling it in favor of New York, this can be either team's series. 

  If there is anything you want me to post about regarding the playoffs, incidents around the Sports World, or major news I missed while I was gone, contact me on Twitter, Facebook or via e-mail. It feels good to be back! 

R.I.P Pop <3