When Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith swung a deal to acquire the talents of former LSU Tiger Glen Davis for starting power forward Brandon Bass in a sign-and-trade, many fans were puzzled. Not only was Smith shelling out a four year, 26 million dollar cumbersome contract  to an unproven big man, but many were wondering what Davis brought to the table that Bass didn’t possess?

So far, its looks like extremely little.

In the first eight Orlando Magic exhibition games, Glen Davis is averaging a measly seven points and four rebounds per game. That is a considerable amount lower than last season’s averages of nearly 12 points and five rebounds per game.

Brandon Bass, on the other hand, is playing the role of consistent front-court contributor while averaging a career-high 13 points per game to go along with six rebounds per match.

Sure, “Big Baby” did put up a season-high 20 points on a fantastic 8-13 from the field versus the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, but Davis’ start to his first season with the Magic can be summed up by one word: inefficient.

Since being drafted in the second-round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Davis’ shot selection has been more than questionable. Even though the former Boston Celtic has a refined post-up game, the fifth-year veteran still insists on shooting his inconsistent mid-range jumper. With the Celtics, Davis averaged 10.3 shots off the bench, most of them coming from the outside. This season has been no different, as Davis is averaging an extremely poor 32 percent from the field.

Plus, it seems as if Davis is more interested in personal accolades than team achievements. A few months ago, the young power forward stressed his desire to make an All-Star team. Now that the big man has an increase in minutes, Davis is chucking up every shot in sight with hopes of earning that title.
Howard revives Davis

But if there is one reason that this transaction was horrible for the Magic, it is the sad fact that the Magic lost a ton of athleticism, hustle and leadership with the absence of Bass. It is quite obvious that Orlando lacks in the aforementioned areas and substituting in Davis was definitely not the answer. When Orlando added Davis to the roster, the Magic thought they obtained a player who could help crash the boards and do the “dirty work” with Howard. However, Davis has done the exact opposite and, instead, has been somewhat soft in the paint.

Despite being a back-up to one of the most hard-working, intense leaders in Kevin Garnett, Davis has shown little to none of the qualities that made KG one of the best power forwards of all-time.

The Orlando Magic’s Friday night game against the powerhouse Chicago Bulls was a perfect testament to Davis’ lack of hustle and leadership.

Going into the matchup against the 6-1 Bulls, the Magic knew they would have to come out with energy, determination and efficiency if they were to come away with the win. However, Glen Davis and the Magic accomplished none of these goals.

First of all, Davis shot a terrible 25 percent in the game and allowed countless offensive rebounds to the likes of Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson. In a league where rebounding is a necessity, giving up offensive rebounds is an absolute killer.

However, the real kicker of the night came when All-NBA center Dwight Howard jokingly acted like he was reviving teammate Davis after he fell going for a loose ball. Even though it was quite funny, would other championship-caliber teams be all smiles if there teams was losing by five in the fourth quarter?

In the end, Glen Davis is only 26 years old and still contains some potential to grow into a star in Orlando. But with each passing game, Magic fans miss more and more Brandon Bass and his smaller, more reasonable contract.

The Denver Nuggets took off some of the luster from Miami’s blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks by doing the same. Also, for the second game in a row, the Mavs made the game appear closer than it really was by trimming into the lead in the fourth quarter.

For the second straight game, they trailed by over 30 points at the end of three. Needless to say, Dallas is not going to defend its title playing like this.

To say they miss Tyson Chandler would be an understatement. Suddenly, the Mavericks are the worst defense in the league, surrendering 110 points per game, and that’s with their opponents sitting their starters in the fourth quarter.

Lamar Odom, who was supposed to be his replacement, has a field goal percentage of 12.5. That’s not points per game, that’s field goal percentage! Certainly they can get better than that form him, and will. That’s not the problem.

Vince Carter and Delonte West have been filling in at the shooting guard spot and have somewhat struggled, but not horrendously so, combining for an average of 14 points per game. While that could be improved upon, that’s not the problem either.

It’s not just the quality of play that’s of concern. To a degree, that’s excusable. With the brevity of the training camp and the preseason, it’s understandable.

What’s more disconcerting is the lack of intensity.

The Mavericks don’t have the same level of focus that they had last year when they were playing like a team possessed and were mowing down every team in their path.

The biggest opponent the Mavericks have right now is complacency. They have the personnel, but they need to dig down and find the desire. Until they do, they won’t scare anyone, even if they are the defending champs.

One of the new features in the agreed-upon NBA collective bargaining agreement is an amnesty clause that allows each team to release one player whose salary will count just 25 percent against the cap. It appears as though the Portland Trail Blazers are ready to exercise that clause by dumping Brandon Roy.

Roy, who is a three-time All Star, struggled mightily with a significant knee injury last season, and spent much of the year as a reserve. He showed signs of life in the playoffs, but it appears as though the Blazers are ready to be rid of his $15 million-per-year contract.

While the move may make sense for the Blazers fiscally, it is terrible from a public relations sense and a basketball sense as well. According to the report by John Canzano of The Oregonian, Portland is ready to cut ties with Roy as soon as possible, without so much as giving him an opportunity to prove that he’s healthy.

Knee injuries have been the deathblow for many NBA players, and that may prove to be the case with Roy. But it seems in bad taste to simply discard a player that has carried the franchise for the past few seasons and been considered one of the best players in basketball.

Roy has had an extended offseason to rest his troublesome knee, and he is just 27 years old, so he conceivably has a lot of good years left, provided his knee holds up over an extended period of time. With that being said, there is a very good chance that Roy will come back to bite the Blazers if he is given his walking papers.

It is rumored that the Golden State Warriors, a Western Conference foe, would be very interested in Roy, especially since Roy’s former agent, Bob Myers, is the Warriors’ assistant general manager. This means that Roy would have the benefit of facing the Blazers a couple times per year and showing them exactly what they gave up on.

Aside from basketball, though, Roy has been the team’s most popular player by far among fans since entering the league. Regardless of whether he can still play effectively or not, cutting Roy will likely be looked upon as a cheap, cost-cutting move by Blazers management, as it should be.

Portland has a decent skeleton outside of Roy, but the Blazers are never going to be a true contender without him, or without a player like him at the very least. The Blazers will still be a solid team, but if the ultimate goal is to win an NBA Championship, then this is the wrong move.

It may not be apparent whether the Blazers cutting Roy is the right move or not for another few years. What is apparent, however, is that Portland’s front office cares much more about saving money than it does about pleasing the fans and fielding the best team possible.

Roy is as competitive as they come, and I firmly believe that he will do everything in his power to battle back from this knee injury in order to prove the Blazers wrong. I ultimately think he will succeed in that regard.

NFL
Eli Manning threw four touchdown passes, including two to Victor Cruz , and the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Eagles 29-16 Sunday.  Michael Vick started despite suffering a concussion in last week’s 35-31 loss at Atlanta. He left with a broken right hand in the fourth quarter after helping the Eagles overcome a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to take a 16-14 lead.  It’s uncertain how long the left-handed quarterback will be out. He’ll have a CT scan Monday.  The Giants made several big plays in the passing game even with the Eagles vaunted secondary, and Philadelphia’s weakness was exposed; their tackling is horrendous.  With Vick being injured, Vince Young’s status uncertain, and Mike Kafka’s playing pedestrian football it’s not looking good for the so called dream team in Philadelphia.

NFL
When the New England Patriots jumped out to what appeared to be an insurmountable 21-0 second-quarter lead, the Buffalo Bills never panicked. They just gathered themselves after the early New England scoring flurry, and went to back to work, eventually scoring 34 of the game’s final 44 points.  This lead to their eventual 34 – 31 win over the New England Patriots, and with the New York Jets losing vaulted them to the top of the AFC East standings.  The Bills look like a different team, and they have learned how to finish games unlike last season where they lost all of the close ones.

MLB
The Atlanta Braves lost to the Washington Nationals 3 – 0 on Sunday, shrinking their lead over the Cardinals for the National League Wild Card slot to one game.  The Braves have a tough challenge with their last three games against the Philadelphia Phillies, while the Cardinals finish the season playing the Houston Astros.  If the Braves want to make it to the post season they are going to have to beat the team with the best record in baseball at least two times, so it won’t matter what the Cardinals do.  The Astros have the worst record in baseball, so the Braves can’t expect much help from them.

College Football
Another decisive victory away from home pushed LSU to No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time since 2007.  The Tigers bumped Oklahoma from the top spot Sunday after winning 47-21 at West Virginia the night before.  The Sooners had been No. 1 since the preseason. They stayed unbeaten with a 38-28 victory at home against Missouri.  LSU received 42 first-place votes from the 60-member media panel and 1,471 points. Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes and 1,422 points.  Last week, Oklahoma had 37 first-place votes and LSU had 14.  No. 3 Alabama received five first-place votes and No. 4 Boise State had one.  Oklahoma State jumped two spots to No. 5 after winning at Texas A&M.  In the USA Today coaches’ poll, Oklahoma is still No. 1, with LSU and Alabama tied for second.  The Tigers haven’t been No. 1 since winning the national championship in 2007. The Tigers held the top ranking for four weeks during the regular season that year.  LSU (4-0) added the victory against West Virginia to wins over Oregon at Dallas Cowboys Stadium and at Mississippi State.

Of all the things weird and bizarre I have seen in the sports world, the oddest has to be Ron Artest shifting from villain to lovable goof. With his appearance on “Dancing with the Stars,” I can assume that the nation is indeed ready to love him.

This is a man who once had the words “deplorable” and “villain” follow him wherever he went. Now he is labeled as goofy, zany and on the wrong side of wacky.

On Monday, Ron Artest, who is now legally Metta World Peace, will take to the national stage on one of the hottest TV shows in the last few years.

“Dancing with the Stars” is a show received by all sorts of people, through all walks of life. This is a show that will be seen by millions, a good portion are sports fans, while even more couldn’t tell you what Ron Artest does for a living.

If they know anything about the Lakers forward, it’s that he was once involved in something horrible. They may have overheard that Artest is self-certified, calling himself just as wacky as his fans would.

The great part about Metta World Peace is that he doesn’t take himself seriously. Those with the same issues that he has would cower from the spotlight, but Peace just wants to have a good time.

That is the first thing you will notice about him. When he gives interviews or is asked a question, there is forever a glint in his eye and a smirk on his face.  This is a guy who thought he would forever be defined by the day he rushed the stands at The Palace in Auburn Hills.

He now has a renewed image to go along with his altered name. That image of class clown is a far cry from the man that almost tore the NBA asunder.

At that time, I never would have guessed Artest would star on a network TV show watched by millions of viewers crossing a whole swath of cultures and ideals.

I guess it is not so weird when you consider that he is no longer Ron Artest. Metta World Peace changed his name, but altered his image a long time ago. Now America can enjoy the best kept secret in the NBA. Enjoy all the laughter, because there will be plenty.

The 2011 NBA lockout has quickly become an ugly battle between the owners and players.  New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is one of the stars of the league and is widely considered one of the best ambassadors for the game. So when he says a quote like this, it really gets your attention:

Obviously, everyone knows that we are very far apart right now. I’m hoping like everyone else that something turns and happens. But if not, we’re prepared.  The players are not stupid, they know the whole negotiating process is no joke and it must be taken very seriously. After getting a resounding “W” in the 1999 labor dispute, the players are obviously reluctant to give up all of the benefits they have been reaping for the last 12 years.

So when the owners constantly talk about the hundreds of millions of dollars they are losing (the approximate number has still yet to be found), they are doing so to get leverage. They are trying to sway the fans opinions in the dispute. It’s their way of controlling the media’s message and that’s their biggest bargaining tool…how can a league be successful when over half the league is in the red?  Yet the players aren’t going to sit back and let the owners sway the fans.

Their latest bargaining idea is telling the media they will begin to explore options for playing overseas. Deron Williams made headlines last week when he announced a deal with a team in Turkey to play with if the lockout were to bleed into the regular season.  Now the floodgates have opened and stars like Kobe Bryant, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant and Ron Artest have all openly suggested they will strongly consider perusing a team overseas. Nate Robinson even has talked about trying out for an NFL team.

But will they actually consider the move?

Probasketballtalk.com writer Kurt Helin talks about the bluff the players are currently pulling off:

The players union has threatened to take action to make sure players can go overseas now. Of course they are, they want the leverage. Which is why you see this coordinated “I’ll consider playing overseas” line from so many stars. We’re still skeptical many will follow, but the players would love to tell the owners they have other legitimate options (even if those options pay a lot less).

Money is always the root of any decision an athlete makes and European teams simply can’t compete in this department. The contract of Williams would be worth $200,000 a month in addition to a personal driver and other various perks.  If the lockout ends in time, Williams will make $16.6 million with the New Jersey Nets. That’s the equivalent of playing for his Turkish team 12 months a year for the next seven.  The gap in salary is far too great for the big name players to risk their bodies and the odds of a star going to Europe are slim to none.

Sure the love of the game will be weighing heavily on the players, but protecting the greatest asset—their body—is the most important thing here and ultimately their agents will remind them of that.  It’s a great idea in theory to stay in shape and get a taste of overseas ball…but money talks and it’s loud and clear on this issue. This is the player’s best way of scaring the owners into thinking they don’t need the NBA. Yet in reality, if they want their Hummers and mansions—they need the league badly.

So when you read the latest story of a star player going overseas, remember they are bluffing. The players aren’t holding a full house…they have a two and a four.

NBA

Deron Williams has a new agent, though Nets fans hope that doesn’t mean a new address. Williams has two seasons left on his current contract but has the ability to opt out of the $17.7 million he’s due in the 2012-13 season to become a free agent.  Williams has made no firm promises about staying in New Jersey but has said he likes the direction of the franchise under new owner Mikhail Prokhorov. The 27-year-old has likewise expressed optimism about the team’s scheduled move to Brooklyn starting with the 2012-13 season and his potential role in luring other top players to the Nets. The Nets, sources said, intend to make a hard push for Howard in an attempt to convince Williams to commit long term.

College Football

The Florida State Seminoles most reliable receiver is leaving school to pursue a professional baseball career.  Taiwan Easterling, a three-year starter for the Seminoles who had at least one catch in each of his last 24 games, signed a professional contract with the Chicago Cubs and is foregoing his final year of football eligibility.  Easterling caught 43 passes for 551 yards and five touchdowns last season at Florida State.  He finished his career with 108 catches for 1,315 yards and eight touchdowns. His 108 catches rank 18th all-time at Florida State, one ahead of former Seminole Jesse Hester.  Easterling hit .296 for the Seminoles this season highlighted by a 4-for-4 performance in the NCAA Regional baseball tournament.

Tennis

Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon yesterday over the best tennis player in the world Rafael Nadal, Djokovic won the matches 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, and 6-3 only losing the one set to Nadal.  The victory prevented Nadal from winning his 11^th grand slam title, and his third title at Wimbledon; it was also the first time that Djokovic beat Nadal in a major tournament.  Being that the outcome of a tennis match can be influenced by many factors including the surface, this was Djokovic’s fourth straight win over Nadal on hardcourt surfaces.  Nadal plays best on the clay surfaces, although he is very formidable on hardcourt as well.

NBA

The NBA has now gone into lockout as the players and owners have failed to reach an agreement on a new CBA while the July 1^st deadline passed.  Instead of building upon the recent success, the league is risking cancellation of the entire 2011-12 season.  At the root of the disagreement is the fact that the owners claim 22 NBA teams are losing money because they are spending too much money on player contracts, the league has been losing money for years and the owners feel that the trend cannot continue.  It seems the owners are ready to dig in and possibly lose an entire season if that means they will come out of it with a system  that will make sure the league grows for the foreseeable future.  The players want things to stay the same with a soft cap and guaranteed contracts, but in the end those things will doom the league to failure.  The owners will prevail in the end because they are more equipped to deal with a long term work stoppage than the players are.

NFL

Nike re-signed Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick to an endorsement deal Friday, nearly four years after dropping him amid his legal troubles.  Nike, which signed Vick as a rookie in 2001, terminated his contract in August 2007 after he filed a plea agreement admitting his involvement in a dogfighting ring. Vick spent 21 months in prison on those charges, and came back last season to post a near MVP campaign.  Vick has re-established himself as one of the most electric and exciting players in the NFL.  This would be one of the greatest comeback stories in the history of sports if Michael Vick were to continue his work to rehab his image on and off the field.  Nike is investing in the Vick enterprise before it gets fully back on track hoping to cash in, but how profitable it will be is dependent on Vick staying out of trouble.