What's Brewing for Braun?

  After all of the media speculation, and the investigation was placed on Milwaukee Brewer, left fielder Ryan Braun, he finally owned up to violating the illegal substance policy in baseball.

  Braun, who was the 2011 NL MVP, had confessed earlier this week to using illegal substances which he and a list of other major league players had been accused of doing, and they have an investigation pending against them by the MLB. Braun, who was one of the bigger names on the list, made a public speech in February of 2012. Saying repeatedly that he did not use any illegal substances and that he was innocent of all accusations. Now, in 2013 just after the all-star break, it has been confirmed that he is 100 percent GUILTY! After going public with this entire spill about not "doping" and almost acting as if he were offended that they would accuse him of such a thing actually makes me feel like he is just a big fraud, and doesn't deserve to play at the major league level. Braun is currently under suspension, by the MLB for the remainder of the season for now, going further they still haven't reached a verdict as to what to do with him. I feel that major league baseball needs to now make a point to all of the players, Braun who is a five time all-star has been one of the faces for the MLB for the back end of the decade (2007- present) and he was one of the fan favorites, just one of those guys you liked to root for. Obviously, his reputation has been tarnished for the remainder of his career. I am not judging him as a person, because I believe he could be an exceptional person but, what he has done on that field is disrespectful to all of the "clean" athletes and players, but also the Brewer organization and the fans as well who supported him throughout his career thus far. I know a lot of people now have been saying, "let Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame". NO! that has nothing to do with what Braun did, Pete Rose gambled on Baseball and got his penalty for that. Ryan Braun won't being going to coopers town for any reason but to visit now, so it's not like they were going to let him in and not Pete, and letting Pete in should not be Braun's punishment. If major league baseball wants to clean up the sport and have all of these doping cases out of their organization they need to make an example of Braun, they need to think about possibly taking away all of his trophies, and maybe even putting a(n) asterisk by all of his stats, because realistically there is no telling how long he has been using illegal substances and they need to treat it as if he has been using them since day one, in 2007, when he made his debut.

  People say that this issue is one that made people start losing interest in baseball, "because they're all "doping"" but I say if they can make an example of one of the most beloved players/athletes of the recent decade, maybe this is what can help to clean up the game and get those who are thinking about using away from that thought all together, this shows you that no matter who you are, you will be caught at some point in time and it's really not worth it. If you're a professional that means that you have the talent, you shouldn't want to cheat your way to the awards and outlandish stats, that's why people usually use the term "Hard work pays off." Next in line for Braun? Well, we don't know just yet, but, they currently still have an investigation going on with another big name, New York Yankee third baseman, Alex Rodriguez or "A-Rod" and if it comes out that he has also been doping, it will truly be a very sad time for major league baseball.

Ryan Braun Talks About Winning Appeal

Thank you to sportsguy716 for the Video. But now knowing what we know, can anyone really believe a word he has said about his career anymore? He needs to get the same treatment that Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong received.

"Hard Knock" Life for the Cincinnati Bengals

  The Cincinnati Bengals are getting ready for the start of their training camp, but also they're getting ready, once again, to bring in the camera's for the NFL "Hard Knock" series which they allowed in to camp just a couple of years ago. This group of Bengals is a much different team than the one from the last time that Hard Knocks captured back in 2009, for instance, in 2009 the Bengals had players on the team that seemed to be very profound of the camera and liked all of the media attention, such as, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (Johnson), who was undoubtedly the stand out star of that season.

  This years Bengal roster has people wondering. Who will be the "star" of this season? and how will this year on Hard Knock impact the teams season? This year the Bengals have a lot to play for, maybe more so than they have in the recent past, with the Steelers labeled as "old" and in a rebuilding stage, Baltimore looking like they've taken a step back or two with basically a depleted roster from the one they had just a season ago (mostly defense), and well, the Browns are still the Browns, even though they'll look to have a better season than last, they're still picked to finish last in the division. So, who does that leave at the top of the list? Oh yeah, the Cincinnati Bengals, who are coming off a roller coaster of a season in which they did make the playoffs but had yet another early exit at the hands of the Houston Texans, a lot of analyst believe that it will all fall on the play of quarterback Andy Dalton to carry this team to a playoff win and not just an appearance which he has done the past two seasons. Let's not forget, the last season of Hard Knocks the Bengals appeared in they were also picked to not only win their division but also go deep in the playoffs, with Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Carson Palmer leading the offense but we soon saw that the season would actually end up going in the opposite direction. Hopefully this season will turn out much different than it did in the past. AJ Green is a very hard working and humble young receiver who has had just as many touchdowns in the past two seasons as Calvin Johnson, Andy Dalton isn't much of a guy looking to get on the camera either, I believe that if it is one person that would be the "star" or stand out of this season it would be, Adam "Pacman" Jones, and that will only to show people how much he has growns as a person on the field and off, and this season may be one for the ages for the Cincinnati Bengals if they can have all of their pieces fall into place at the right time, they already have what looks to be a top 10 if not top 5 defense.

  My biggest question going in to training camp is, can Andy Dalton make the "big" play and make less mistakes down the stretch to help put his team at the top of the AFC?

Is the Pressure on Josh Freeman in Tampa Bay?

 Quarterback Josh Freeman is going into his fifth NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a lot of critics and analyst believe that this is his year to show that he can win and be consistent, or else he won't get a contract extension like Joe Flacco, Tony Romo, or Matt Ryan.

  In the 2012 season Freeman passed for a career high 4,065 yards and 27 touchdowns, while also throwing 17 interception which is five less than he had the season before. His biggest problem seems to be that he can't be consistent with his game and last season I really began to think that he has found his groove in the pocket and was starting to breakout and be the elite quarterback that I know he can be. Freeman had a four week stretch in 2012 (week 5-9) where he had 13 touchdowns and only one interception, he had one interception  in the month of October, which came against the Kansas City Chiefs along with three touchdowns, in which they won that game 38-10. He had only eight interceptions on the season until the month of December came around, Freeman had nine interceptions in the last three games alone with only two touchdowns to show for them. It started out with four against the Saints, four against Rams and one in the last game versus the Falcons. He was able to keep the Bucs in fighting contention for the first 10 weeks of the season with a record of 6-4. Well, the last six games he wasn't that lucky or good for that matter, Tampa Bay went only 1-5 and they were on the outside of the playoffs looking in with a 7-9 record.

  In  the 2013 season, Freeman needs to pick it up on the back half of the season. I believe that in 2010 he showed that he can be an elite quarterback in the league when he had over 3,400 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions for the whole season and he was able to carry his team to a very good record of 10-6, in which he had more game winning drives than any other QB that season. Tampa Bay gave him pieces to work with last season when they signed all-pro receiver Vincent Jackson, veteran tight end Dallas Clark, and they have a running back that shows a lot of promise in Doug Martin who had an incredible rookie season who had over 1,400 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. It will really be up to Freeman to show everyone that he is a top tier quarterback in the NFL. I believe that with the addition of rookie, Mike Glennon out of North Carolina State who is projected to be his biggest competition, Freeman will show that he not only deserves to be the starting quarterback but also that he deserves to be the teams franchise quarterback. I hope that by this time next year we will see Josh Freeman sign a big contract extension with Tampa Bay and if not, hopefully someone else will be willing to give him the big pay day that I believe he deserves.

Russell Wilson In Line For A Sophomore Slump?

  Rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks jumped on to the seen last season out of nowhere. Wilson led the Seahawks to a record of 11-5, which was their best record since making it to the Super Bowl in 2007.

  In 2012, the Seattle Seahawks made a major move during the beginning of the off-season by signing Matt Flynn, former Green Bay Packer to a multi-year contract. Flynn was projected to be the future of the franchise and the new leader in town, until the NFL draft happened at least. With the 75th pick the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson, quarterback out of Wisconsin. Wilson was projected by a lot of reporters and analyst to go around the fourth round, he was highly skilled just seen as undersized by a lot of people, but we all know that Pete Carroll likes to take big risks. Going into pre-season Wilson was still third on the depth chart behind, Flynn and Tavaris Jackson (Starter the previous season). During the pre-season Wilson battled tough with Flynn and just out played Jackson, so going into the season Carroll had a decision to make between his two quarterbacks. Does he go with the guy that the franchise just signed to a multi-year contract, or does he go with the fresh Rookie who is more of a dual threat?

Going into week one Wilson was named as the starter, and that's exactly where he would stay the remainder of the season. In 2012, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were the first two draft picks overall, and were getting all of the media attention going into the season, Wilson went out and played and didn't complain about not getting much attention. During the Season he had 3,118 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns with just 10 interceptions (which was lower than Luck), he also had four rushing touchdowns to go along with that. What was most impressive to me is that Wilson didn't have to go out and throw the ball 40 times a game, nor did he try and do to much. There were four games where he threw the ball 20 times or less! In those four game the Seahawks went 4-0.  He simply just went out and played the game that he knows and loves and did his best to help his team win. It does help having one of the best defenses in the NFL but it was times where Wilson was called upon and he had to prove himself as well, like the Green Bay game for instance, with the last seconds on the clock and the Seahawks needed a touchdown, he found wide receiver Golden Tate in the back of the end zone to win the game, it was a very questionable and controversial call but they did rule it a touchdown and the Seahawks won the game. He also came up huge against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, throwing three touchdowns with no turnovers, and again late in the season when the division rival San Francisco 49ers traveled into town, Wilson passed for a season high four touchdowns, also while completing 71 percent of his passes against the number one defense in the league (according to a lot of analyst).  After beating the Washington Redskins, led by Robert Griffin III in Wild Card game of the Playoffs, Wilson and the Seahawks came up short against a highly talented Atlanta Falcons team that is led by their high powered offense.

  In the 2013 season, Wilson will have one more year of experience with this offense than he had last season and I believe that his numbers will only improve, a lot of people talk about a sophomore slump which plagued Cam Newton just last season. I don't think Russell Wilson will suffer from any slump or setback in his second season, he seems to be a very confident and mature young professional who is willing to give 100 percent every game. I think that his passing yards will improve next season, he may have a couple of more turnovers but I believe he will be as consistent in 2013 as he was in 2012. With a receiving core that has a healthy Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin (who was acquired in a trade from Minnesota) and Golden Tate, who had a breakout season in 2012, Wilson can look forward to putting up great numbers once again, and avoid a sophomore slump.

Top 5 Quarterbacks going into the 2013 NFL season

 The NFL season is getting closer, we're already a couple of weeks away from pre-season action. I've been thinking a lot about who we should be looking for this season to take their teams to the next level and which Quarterbacks will make their teams front runners, but which ones will produce the most on the field.

I took time to create a list of who I feel will be the top five Quarterbacks going into this years NFL season, I hope you enjoy it.

1. Peyton Manning- Coming off of his neck surgery, a lot of people wondered how he would hold up. Well, I believe after last year he proved he was 100 percent. In 2012, Manning passed for 4,695 yards, 37 TD's and only 11 Interceptions (INT). With another year under his belt in this offensive I expect his numbers to improve in yardage, and Touchdowns(TD) and stay around the same for INT's. Remember he did have Willis McGahee who rushed for over 700 yards last year but recently got released from the team, but they made a great addition to the team with former Patriot superstar receiver, Wes Welker. Manning is already known for making good players great, just imagine what he can do with Welker on a team where he has Eric Decker, and Demaryius Thomas who had an amazing season last year with over 1,000 receiving yards and double digit touchdowns. I expect this Denver team to go far this season and Manning to put up outstanding numbers.
2. Tom Brady-
   
   The Patriots have had a wild off-season beginning with the loss of Wes Welker who signed with the Broncos, to their stud tight-end Rob Gronkowski who has undergone a major back surgery, and also the Aaron Hernandez case. Through all of that however, they still have Tom Brady. In 2012, Brady passed for 4,827 yards, 34 TD's and only 8 INT's, and if you think that's impressive what about him throwing for a combined 109 TD's over the past 3 season with only 24 INT's, WOW! I am a big believer in Tom Brady and with the addition of former Rams wide out Danny Amendola, I think the Patriots will have a prety good receiving group still. through everything I believe that he and the Patriots offense will make proper adjustments and continue to be on the top of this AFC east division. This season I expect his Touchdowns to stay around the same area (30-35) but I think his Interceptions will have an increase. Overall, Brady is still Brady and is the second best QB going into the season.

   

   Brees has have three consecutive seasons with over 4,500 passing yards 

3. Drew Brees- In 2012 the New Orleans Saints had a lot of struggle, first with bounty gate and losing their head coach and when the season started, well it started slow for these Saints who lost their first four games of the season, but they had one consistent piece through it all, Drew Brees. In 2012, Brees passed for more yards than anyone and had a NFL best 43 TD's but had 19 INT's to follow. They didn't have any major additions to the offense this off-season but they did manage as a team to get head coach, Sean Peyton back for next season and that alone may be the best addition to any team this off-season. With the receiving group getting one more year of experience with Brees I think they will only get better, and Lance Moore coming to his own, will continue to get better and help Brees out. I expect his passing yards to go down slightly, but believe his touchdown number will be about the same (38-45) and I think his interception number will drop down to the (10-13) range. I rank him third because I believe he will have a much improved team but this division will be extremely close and competitive this season, with  both,Tampa Bay and Carolina getting better, and Falcons who were four minutes away from going to the Super Bowl last season. It will be interesting to see what Brees can do.
4. Aaron Rodgers-
   
   Green Bay fans have a lot to be excited about, Rodgers is a great talent to follow Brett Favre, which he has proved that the past five season or so, he took this team to the Super Bowl and has them on the top of their division every season. In 2012, Rodgers passed for 4,295 yards. 39 TD's and only 8 INT's, with a very young wide receiver group. Greg Jennings who was injured majority of last season, has signed with  the division rival  Minnesota Vikings, but Rodgers has a young stud by the name of Randall Cobb who showed last season that he can step and make big plays when he's called on. I look for Rodgers to pass for more yards, throw less TD's maybe between 30-34 (That's only because I believe they will run the ball more) and have about the same number of interceptions. My only concern about Rodgers is his ability to stay healthy, he has been sacked and hit more than any Quarterback the past two seasons, I just want to know how long he can stay standing. I still believe that he is a fierce competitor and will lead his team to the top of that division once again.
5. Matt Ryan-
   
   The Atlanta Falcon had an amazing season last year as a team, they set a franchise record with wins, by going 13-3 last season and they also got some pressure off of them since winning their first playoff game in nearly a decade. In 2012, Ryan passed for 4,719 yards, had a career best 32 TD's and 14 INT's. Every season since coming into the league his Touchdown numbers have gone up and his passing yards as well, with the Falcons being able to convince Hall of Fame tight end, Tony Gonzalez to re-sign with the team and you add the fact that he has two of the top ten receivers already on his team (Roddy White and Julio Jones). Matt Ryan is a sure pick to put up big numbers in 2013, I believe that his passing yards goes up (5,000) I believe that he throws more TD's than last season maybe between (35-40) , I believe that his INT numbers stay about the same, somewhere between (10-15). The Falcons made a tough decision when they released former pro bowl running back, Michael Turner but in return I believe they helped the team more with picking up former Rams pro bowl and veteran running back, Steven Jackson who I believe will show that he still has a lot in the tank and could help this team make a magical run to New York, for the Super Bowl in 2013 ( I could be reaching with that prediction!). However, I believe that his numbers will continue to grow and I honestly think that he is the fifth best Quarterback going into the 2013 season.  

  I hope that you all enjoyed reading this list, and if you have any changes you would make to the list make sure you leave a comment letting me know if you agree or not, I would like to hear who you all think are the top five Quarterbacks going into the 2013 NFL season. I can't wait for the start of the season!

Jay-Z Takes It To Another Level....

  Music and Hip-hop icon, Shawn Carter, or better known as Jay-Z has reached a new height in the entertainment world. He has went platinum on his 12th album titled "Magna Carter Holy Grail" before it was released in stores on July 9, 2013.

  Carter announced that he was going to be releasing his album during half-time of the NBA finals, game five. Crazy thing is, he partnered up with Samsung for this album and they had purchased over 1 million copies themselves, for  their phone users. People who owned a Samsung Galaxy S4 or SIII and note II could download and application for the album and would be able to purchase it from their phone(s) on July 4, before it came out to the public the following Tuesday.

  This album is one that Jay-Z has been thinking about doing for a while, and for the announcement he had some heavy hitting producers in the studio with him such as: Rick Ruben, Swiss Beats, Pharrell Williams, and Timberland. The announcement  for it was almost like a short film, but it was one of almost one of those things where you didn't want it to end because  you wanted to hear and see more. He definitely got a lot of buzz going around his album after that. He made people want this album like a pair of retro Jordans, and I believe it has lived up to the buzz. He has some of thought provoking songs such as, "Heaven",  and "Tom Ford" to name a couple. The album also has a couple of songs that may be a little different than what Jay-Z usually does, like "Oceans", overall I find it to be a very good album.

  But once again recapturing the number one spot in the music industry is not all that Jay-Z has going on these days. A couple of months ago, Jay-Z had sold his share of the Brooklyn Nets and started up a sports agency, Roc Nation. Right from the start he made noise by signing New York Yankee star, Robinson Cano'. Not impressed? Well, just after that he signed WNBA superstar Skylar Diggins, Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver, Desean Jackson and New York Jets quarterback, Geno Smith. Nobody could envision a rap artist getting into the realm of sports like Jay-Z has done. Most recently this summer, he has got the attention now of a lot of people with this sports agency after signing New York Giant, Victor Cruz, and Oklahoma City Thunder Mega-Star, Kevin Durant!

  He has gone by a couple of different names, people know him as Jigga, Jay-Z, HOV,  and S.Carter. Now people should probably get ready to start calling him the ultimate business man (If you haven't done so already).

  Now over the age of 40, Jay-Z has done a lot in his career and continues to grow it seems every single year, but I always find myself asking "What will he do to top the last accomplishment?". Well, he did sign Durant out of out of the blue. Jay-Z is known friends with another well known NBA superstar, Miami Heat Forward, Lebron James. Could it be possible that Jay-Z gets him to sign over to Roc Nation? Who Knows.......

Jay Z Magna Carta Holy Grail Samsung [Official Commercial]

The Giants are in "Cruz Control"

  It's been a long time coming but the New York Giant's finally made their biggest move of the off-season, which was to re-sign their all-star wide receiver Victor Cruz. 

 Cruz, 26, became a free agent at the end of last. After having seasons like his last two the Giants would have been foolish not to give him a big contract. We're talking about a guy who in the past two seasons has had 168 receptions, over 2,600 receiving yards,  and recorded 19 touchdowns. Oh yeah, did I mention he helped them to defeat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. According to numerous sources, Cruz will be getting $46 Million over the next five years.  

  Earlier in the off-season Cruz fired his agent and signed to Hip-Hop icon and New York native, Shawn Carter's (Jay-Z) sports agency-Roc Nation- this made a lot of fans wonder what that would mean for Cruz's future in New York, some believed that it would make him more likely to re-sign with the Giants (which he did), while others were thinking that it might make him go after a maximum contract with another team, if the Giants weren't willing to offer him what he was asking for. Well as of July 9, Giants fans you once again have something to cheer about, your young stud receiver is coming back to the big apple! Cruz had said according to sources,  that he was tired of going through all of the trouble with getting a deal done, he had said that he knew that he wanted to play with the Giants all along and he believes the contract is enough to take care of him and his family for the rest of his life.

  Now that Cruz has signed his new contract he can get back to focusing on football, and help this Giants team who had come up short on making the playoffs last year, get back to the postseason. So, Giants fans get your chips ready because hopefully Cruz can give you a lot of "salsa" to go along with them while he's scoring touchdowns this season. The next line of business for New York will be to focus on Hakeem Nicks, who will a free agent at the end of the 2013-2014 season. Who know's, maybe they'll have their newly re-signed wide receiver help to try and convince him as to why he should stay.

Are the Lakers done?

    Finally! It has been confirmed, Friday after telling sources that he would be leaving the L.A. Lakers for the Houston Rockets, and then throwing both teams through a loop, Dwight Howard announced on twitter to the public that his decision had been to indeed leave the Lakers and go play along side of James Harden in "H-Town" like sources had reported earlier in the day.

  Everyone now wants to know where this puts the Lakers at for the upcoming season. Kobe Bryant, who will be 35 years old at the start of next season, is coming off of a very serious Achilles injury, which he suffered in April, is expected to miss six to nine months of action which could rule him out the first month of the regular season. Bryant, sent out a series of tweets after hearing Dwight's decision and he also posted a picture on his instagram of him and Laker teammate, Pau Gasol, the Picture was posted to show that Gasol was his true "side-kick" the guy who will go to battle with him through the up's and downs.

Other Lakers teammates and fans made comments on Howard's decision, like Lakers guard, Jodie Meeks. Meeks posted a picture on Instagram that was a sight to see, lets just say i'm sure Howard heard about it. It was a picture of Howard in a blond wig, and wearing a WNBA uniform, soon after Meeks had taken down the picture.

Lakers General Manager, Mitch Kupchak, said in a press conference after hearing about Howard choosing Houston over returning to L.A, that they Lakers would continue on without him, they were highly disappointed in his decision, but they would build a team that the Lakers fans would be proud of.


The Lakers right now have a very mediocre team on paper besides a couple of aging All-Stars such as, Kobe Bryant (34), Steve Nash (39), and Pau Gasol (33). There are no other real stand out players on the team accept Metta World Peace (Ron Artest), and well, his name right now may be the only thing that makes him stand out the most right now, other than that he can't really add much to an offense that struggled last season when Kobe wasn't on the court.

With Howard choosing to go his separate ways with the Lakers, it may really give the organization its' lowest expectations maybe since the 05-06' season (7th seed in Playoffs). On the other hand they still have a man by the name of Kobe "Bean" Bryant, who maybe the most competitive player in the league and is all about over coming obstacles and doubt of others. They said he was too old this past season and would take a step back, how did he answer? by averaging almost 28 points per game.

Is this a great Lakers team like we're use to seeing them have, no, but they have Kobe, and Gasol still, and if Nash can stay healthy this year and give them one good season, they may have a chance to compete. They now have a significant amount of salary cap space to work with as well, since they were able to save some money with Howard leaving and all, so maybe they bring in some nice pieces to work with. There are still a lot of good free agent pieces out there, i'm sure a handful of them would like to play for the Lakers, I mean they are still the Lakers.

Dwight Howard to Houston?

   Finally, it's over....... Not so fast! "The Decision" of Dwight Howard's future team is getting close. It was reported earlier in the week that Dwight would be making his big decision on Friday July 5th, and he was down to 5 teams, The Lakers (current team), Houston, Golden State, Dallas, and the Hawks. Late Friday afternoon reports had come out that Dwight had decided to take his talents to H-Town (Houston) but later sources have come out and said he is "50-50" on the Lakers.

 Are the Rockets better off with Howard? Well, they're replacing 10 points, 11.7 rebounds,1 block per game that they got from Omer Asik (2012-13 stats), with 17 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game from Howard(2012-13 stats with Lakers). Not a bad upgrade.

Are the Rockets favorites in the Western Conference with Howard? A team that was a 7 seed just this past season that took the Oklahoma City Thunder to the edge and back with a very sub-par roster, minus "The Great Beard" James Harden who had a spectacular season. I believe this gives them the boost that they are looking for, and help Howard out as well. He doesn't have to be under the pressure of the "Laker greats" and fans anymore, he doesn't have to play with a coach which he was clearly having issues with. He now gets to play with a younger group led by Harden, Chandler Parsons who showed signs of greatness during the season, but one thing that concerns me is Jeremy Lin.

 Lin had a good story in New York, they were having a pretty up and down season, the team had been plagued by injury and they needed someone to step up and that person was Jeremy Lin "Lin-sanity". He played outstanding for all of two weeks and I believe he is a good player but he's no All-Star in the NBA, sorry! I believe that if Howard was to go play in Houston they would still need one more piece to be a top 3 team, OKC will be the favorites with Westbrook coming off of his injury, the Clippers look to be in the top 3 in the west after bringing over Doc Rivers from the Celtics, also while re-signing their number one off-season priority PG, Chris Paul. And you have to go with the Spurs who are coming off of a tough loss in the NBA finals and have been able to retain the same nucleus   . At best the Rockets even with Howard would be a 5 seed in this tough western conference. So are they really getting a good deal with him?

Howard has been taking a lot of criticism since asking to be traded from Orlando after getting his coach (Stan Van Gundy) removed from his position. He suffered a very serious back injury just two season ago and has had shoulder issues as well, but when healthy Howard is still the best center in the league, he led the league in rebounds 4 seasons, blocks 2 seasons, Field goal percentage 1 season, he is also a 3 time Defensive Player of the Year. Howard, who is still in his physical prime has a big decision to make and one that could indeed change his NBA legacy. Does he stay side by side with Kobe in LA or go to play with the young talent with Harden in Houston? I think only Howard knows the answer at this point.