Stephen A. Smith

Feb. 8, 2009 Thoughts

Hope everyone’s enjoying their weekend. I know I am, after sitting around watching the LA Lakers complete a 6-game road trip undefeated and unblemished, ending things by holding LeBron James to 16 points, getting 28 points and 17 rebounds from Lamar Odom and ending the Cavs’ quest for a perfect home-record by handing them a 101-91 loss – their first in Cleveland this season.

After beating the Celtics on Thursday night, Kobe Bryant told me he was going to make me out to be a liar – knowing I said LA has absolutely no shot of winning the title unless Andrew Bynum returns to the lineup. And I’ve got to admit, he’s got me scratching my head a little bit.

The Lakers held the Cavs to 39 percent shooting the field, making LeBron look human in the process. When Odom is on his game, the Lakers can beat anybody. The thing is, Kobe will have to forgive me because I consider Odom’s performance a pure aberration. I know Pau Gasol is good for a double-double every night, but that’s all I know. And the bottom line is I have no faith in a consistent tenacious defensive effort on LA’s part. Sure, they can get the job done. But it’s the guys who do it night-after-night (i.e. Boston and San Antonio) that I place my faith in when it comes to defense. Not the Lakers.

Not yet, anyway.
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20 A-Rod:

Throw him to the Wolves. I honestly could not give a damn.

It’s not so much because of the Sports Illustrated report that revealed he tested positive for Steroids’ use back in 2003 as much as this reason: A-Rod knew he tested positive and never expected the results to be revealed. So instead of just denying it to reporters who showed up at his place of business and leaving it at that, his sorry backside sat down with CBS and not only categorically denied ever using steroids – he denied ever being tempted to use steroids.

It’s one thing for image to be so important to a player that it provokes him to protect himself, folks! It’s another thing entirely for that player to extend himself for the sole, express purpose of manipulating the masses.

This is what liars are made of. It doesn’t take away from A-Rod being a great player or a prolific hitter. But it should absolutely shred any benefit of the doubt once extended to him without a second thought.
   A-Rod, widely known as a man who cares very much about his image, should’ve sullied it permanently now. I know he has with me.
   And while I’m at it, I find myself feeling regret over one other thing:
   Too bad he was never forced to give testimony under oath. Judging by how well he apparently lies, who’s to say he wouldn’t be the while on trial next month instead of Barry Bonds.
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  Some more NBA notes:

1.) As I reported months ago, Amare Stoudamire wants out – and he’d love to come to New York. And guess who’d love to come with him?

Shaq!

2.) For those wondering what the hell is going on in Detroit, listen to Pistons’ President Joe Dumars: “We’ve got a rookie coach, a second-year point guard starting for the first time, a scorer who’s adjusting to an entirely different system and we’re still in play,” Dumars told me more than a week ago. “All I know is when the playoffs arrive, we’ll still be there. And this is after we saved a boatload of money for the future by making all these changes. We will be in the mix. What more can you ask?”

I can’t argue with that, folks!

3.) The Orlando Magic were beginning to convince me they could throw a monkey wrench into any plans that Cleveland and Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. That is….until Jameer Nelson went down. Then I stopped thinking such things.
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 Talk to ya’ll again soon.

Where would we be without the rabid fan? I never want to find out.

Please check out my latest column.

BOSHED TWICE!!!

 Ya know, fans are absolutely amazing. It's day two of all this bantering about my report that Chris Bosh wants out of Toronto and you'd think I reported the All-Star forward committing a crime.

   For the last time, I'll repeat what I reported: Bosh wants out of Toronto. He's not about to admit it because he's still in Toronto and doesn't want to bring unnecessary stress to his life. His agent, Henry Thomas, knows this to be true. So does Bryan Colangelo, despite his public denials. And I have absolutely no problem with them because --- guess what, people? -- they're doing exactly what they're suppose to do.

   If Bosh were to publicly express his desire to leave town, how exactly will that ingratiate him with the Raptors' fans he'll have to play in front of until he's traded? And how exactly would it benefit Colangelo if Bosh' desire to leave was verbalized by Bosh or anyone from the Raptors' organization? At the very least it would make life difficult for Colangelo, who no doubt is always working the phones diligently to try and improve his team. The same could be said for Thomas, who's job it is to facilitate best-scenario situations for his client.

   So to all those people who've summarily dismissed my report, knock yourself out. Keep wasting your time and energy.

   I've covered the NBA for 13 years now. It's not the first time I've been accused of making stuff up and it won't be the last. That goes for a bunch of my colleagues, too.  It goes with the territory when you're an insider, which I've been for 10 years.

   I've said what my sources have told me. I've echoed the Raptors' denials. I never once said they were looking to trade him; only that he wants out of Toronto. Two days later, nothing has changed.

   You all will see what happens down the line. I don't need to. Neither does anyone else with sense.

  Michael Phelps...........

    Someone asked for my opinion on this matter, so I'm giving it: LEAVE THE KID ALONE.

    In no way am I condoning his apparent pot-smoking tendencies. But the man is fresh off of capturing 8 Gold Medals -- after spending four years dedicating himself in unfathomable ways, depriving himself and making sacrifices most of us wouldn't even think about. So after capturing Gold eight-times over in Beijing, and all the fame that come with being an Olympic Champion, Phelps, just 23 years old, by the way, went out and had a good time.

   Yes, it was wrong. But it's forgivable. Everyone deserves a break sometime.

  Let's give Phelps one.

  Lakers.........

   Just in case anyone doubts it, the Lakers will NOT win the NBA title without Andrew Bynum. They had better get him back.

  Twitter

I now have a twitter feed. Check it out at www.twitter.com/stephenasmith.

Boshed

 Sorry it's been a while, but I've been extremely busy. That's the truth. But maybe I've been stupid all this time and should make it a point to use my very own website much, much more. If for no other reason than just to address the nonsense that's been disseminated to the masses over the past 24 hours -- regarding Chris Bosh, the Toronto Raptors and my assertion that everyone should keep their eyes on him regarding any potential trades in the future.

   In case anyone didn't comprehend what I reported first on ESPNews Sunday morning, then SportsCenter Monday night, let me be clear: My sources tell me Chris Bosh wants out of Toronto. Preferably before 2010, when he's free to opt out of his contract. They've also informed me Bosh has quietly made the Raptors aware of this, that he wouldn't mind interest from Miami or Dallas, at all, and that he's hopeful his days as a Raptor will come to an end sooner than when the LeBron James' Sweepstakes hits the fan in 2010.

   Essentially, these things qualify as one of the worse-kept secrets in the NBA.

   Both Bosh and Raptors' President, Bryan Colangelo have emphatically denied Bosh has made the Raptors aware of anything. Feel free to believe them if you want to. And while you're at it, feel free to to conveniently forget that Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter all echoed similar sentiments before they skipped town, too.

  It doesn't change the reality.

   The Raptors are 19-30 at the time I'm writing this. They're the second-worse team in the Eastern Conference. Speedster point guard, T.J. Ford is gone. Supposedly, they were suppose to run better with Jose Calderon and that hasn't happened. And that's not even touching on the flagrant acrimony that's witnessed by observers some nights, along with the fact that, thus far, the Jermaine O'Neal trade just hasn't worked out. Combine all of those realities with Bosh' star status and the fact it's not about to generate the sort of marketing buzz he covets as he looks towards a prosperous career, and I really don't get what all the fuss is about!

   The kid is class personified. So much so I actually felt bad and apologized to him face-to-face during the NBA Finals in Boston when he took offense to my joke -- that he was "Manute Bol with dreads!" from weeks earlier.

   Bosh thought I was talking about his game when I was only talking about the fact that he was skinny. But being the sensitive lad he is, I felt the need to apologize.

   This is different, though. I don't make up stories. Never have in my professional career. Never will. I heard what I heard. I wasn't even the first to report it, but I mentioned his desire to leave Toronto, nevertheless.

   One can only surmise that having the city of Toronto upset at him -- BEFORE HE LEAVES -- has him in denial mode. I don't blame him, nor Colangelo, one bit. Let them say what they will, but it still doesn't make my report false.

   Any doubts? Let's see where Bosh will be in 2010, if not sooner. I guarantee no one is willing to definitively say Bosh will be in Toronto. Not even Bosh, himself.

  I'll leave it at that and be nice. For now.

  So long as no one pushes me.