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One of the worst parts about being a professional sports fan is watching a former great player in the later part of his career struggle. When I say struggle, I mean struggle to find his old step, his old skill, his spot on the team, etc. This is what has inspired this post. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the situation for AI isn't as bad as it seems. Here is an explanation why.

Yeah, AI is coming off his worst statistical career, but he is an incredible athlete and can still make an impact on a team this year. It has already been reported that AI isn't going to the Knicks, but the Bobcats, Heat, Clippers, and Grizzlies are still on the table. However, AI's biggest offer is coming from Olympiacos in Greece for $10million over 2 years.

I'm all for AI going to Greece and joining Josh Childress, Linas Kleiza, and most recently, Von Wafer, but it won't be the same for AI as it is over here. The life of a Euroleague player is far from the royal treatment players get in the US, but if AI is looking for the money, Greece is the way to go. He'll most likely get a great house, a private car, driver, chef, etc. all paid for by Olympiacos, but the coaching will be much different than it is in the NBA. They will most likely run few plays for Iverson, and will look for Iverson to be a distributor first. That will definitely be a problem for AI's scorer's mentality. I think that the biggest problem for AI is his perception of the competition. AI believes that he can play at the highest level for a few more years. Is it really about the money for him now? The Euro ball will be a good experience, but Iverson believes he can help any NBA team he signs with compete for a championship. If I were Iverson, taking a Euro contract would be basically conceding that my career in the NBA is over and that I'm settling for second best. Not going to fly with AI (rhyme not intended). 

I think that AI's best opportunity is in Miami. They are a mid-level team in the East and have a core of young talent. The one thing that is preventing the Heat from pulling the trigger is salary cap. AI would cause the Heat to incur a harsher luxury tax penalty than they are currently paying. The only other way to avoid this would be to start cutting players. Udonis Haslem and his $7.1 million would probably be the first to go and then down the line from there. From a basketball standpoint, AI would give them a boost in the back court. It would allow Mario Chalmers one more year to develop into a solid point guard, and also allow Quentin Richardson to play with another guy who would open up space for Richardson to shoot. AI and D-Wade would be a nightmare for teams to match up against, and if Jermaine O'Neal could put together anything resembling a decent season, the Heat might be in good shape. I think it is something the Heat front office should seriously consider.

Before I leave, I just wanted to repost the "Stephon Marbury Barbie Girl" video because it is an instant classic.

Izzy

 
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2009 will be marked as the year social media networking became mainstream. Facebook has become one of the most popular websites on the internet and everyone is getting on the site to communicate with their network of friends. The more instantaneous communication bridge is twitter. Everyone from politicians, to athletes, to college professors are getting on  twitter to communicate to whoever will listen. As I've watched what NBA players are doing on social media these days, I've started to think about how it has revolutionized how fans are connecting with players in a new way. Whether these players know it or not, they have become pioneers of social media, and are becoming more accessible to fans than ever before. The mystique of the professional athlete is being slowly unveiled through the new options for creative exposure on the internet.

Lets start with Shaq. He is one of the most marketable athletes in the history of sports and it is due to his affable and unpredictable personality. Shaq's twitter is always a treat, but the reason I put Shaq at the top of this is because of his new reality show. His show is a great idea in theory, and we will all undoubtedly watch because watching Shaq step out of his element and challenge other top athletes is going to be hilarious. But lets really think about why we enjoy this, and why twitter has become so popular among celebrities. It is the connection that a common person can share with them. To know that Shaq is actually mortal in an athletic endeavor is a comforting and relatable thing. In essence, it is like Shaq is one of us. What Shaq will do on a field that is not a basketball court is very similar to what you and I would do against these athletes. We can appreciate that Shaq, the 7'1 325lbs Superman, is making himself vulnerable. (It is also worth noting that T.O's reality show is achieving the same effect as Shaq's show in opening up allowing us to relate to him better.)

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Love him or hate him, Stephon Marbury is doing some great stuff online. His 24 hour webcam was outrageously entertaining. For all of the flak Marbury was taking in the last few years, we have to respect a guy who opens up his life to us and unabashedly entertains us for no good reason other than to be a clown.  As fans, we want that exposure and connection to an athlete. It is more than a chatroom that some PR rep for the player is undoubtedly responding on while the player is watching a movie on a 60+ inch flat screen tv. Marbury was not only responding to chatroom messages, but honoring requests from chatters. In one instance, a chatroom messager told Marbury that his chains were making too much noise and Marbury playfully removed the chains. It was a stunt by Marbury that I hope catches on around the league.

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The last player who I can't get enough of recently is Ron Artest. Artest has taken this social media deal to another level. The guy posts his phone number on twitter and starts taking calls from fans. How great can it get? Can't we take comfort in the fact that Artest willingly did a telethon with fans without being forced by his agent? Artest used a bit more of an innovative way to connect with fans, but it isn't for everyone.

The bottom line is increased exposure and willingness to connect with fans translates into more marketing potential for the player. These players get it. Put yourself out there and people will start to look at you as more than a basketball player and one of their friends. That is how you move your brand. I won't be surprised if this becomes more mainstream among athletes who decide to become more innovative in the way they use social media. These campaigns by these players are a way for them to show us a side of them off the court in a setting where the player isn't trying to sell us a product. They are just showing us who they are, and that is something we can hang onto.

Izzy

 
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The Lakers finally retaining Lamar Odom with a 4 year deal that could be worth as much as $33 million when it is all said and done is a huge piece for the Lakers as they start their journey for a back-to-back title run. I was a huge pessimist about keeping Odom, and I said that if the Lakers did not keep Odom, the Lakers would not have a chance at winning the championship. LO's signing instantly propels the Lakers to the favorite to win the championship, but besides the championship implications of LO, I started thinking about what kind of impact this is going to have on the Lakers as a whole, but Ron Artest specifically.

LO and Artest go back to their childhood days in Queens on the AAU court together. Few have stopped to ponder what kind of chemistry that could bring to the Lakers. The type of chemistry and understanding LO and Artest have cannot be taught. It is a rare type of chemistry that is always unintentional and never detrimental.

Lamar Odom is the most versatile player in the NBA. As Vic "The Brick" Jacobs says, "He is the walking mismatch." Lamar can shoot, pass, drive, rebound, and play defense. He may not always put all the effort in throughout the season to do all these things, but when the time comes, he has shown that he can step up. Artest has a tendancy to start getting trigger happy or going one-on-one. LO is going to be able to help facilitate anything for Artest. If LO drives, he can dish it out to Artest for his 15-17 foot deadly jumper or LO can stay on the perimeter to help create space for Artest to go one-on-one. It really doesn't matter what Artest wants to do because Odom will be a key player in helping Artest's production go up. Artest is going to feel a new freedom that he has never had in his career. 

I was unsure of what Artest's impact was going to be without Lamar, but I'm optimistic about what Artest is going to do. Artest may not be as good a fit as Ariza, and we all know what overloading your team with stars can do, but LO is the glue that will make Artest work in the triangle. I usually explain some statsitics and make predictions as to what will happen to statistics in the next season, but that isn't how LO's impact should be valued. Lamar brings so much to the game that can't be quantified on the stat sheet.

There is one thing we can be sure of about Lamar Odom's impact, and that is it will be a very big positive for the Lakers. Ron Artest seems to have the most to gain individually from LO's acquisition. With a roster that boasts 4 legitimate scoring options in Kobe, Pau, Artest, and LO and a host of supporting role players, the Lakers will be the team to beat this season. The LO signing really does show us as basketball fans how valuable one player can be to a championship contending team. The expectations for the Lakers are no different than last year, and it seems like a lot of the pressure has been shifted from Kobe onto Lamar Odom.

Izzy

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