Kim and Kris’ Broken Pumpkin

NBA superstar Kris Humphries has been divorced by Kim Kardashian.  Just kidding… Kris Humphries is definitely not an NBA superstar, but he is still being divorced …maybe because Kim found out that Humphries is an average player at best.

This shocking story is not actually very shocking, but it is oh so juicy.  Apparently it only takes 72 days to have “irreconcilable differences” with the love of your life.  If I had to take a guess of why their marriage failed I would guess that it had to do with their Halloween costumes.

Kris probably wanted to dress up as his favorite football player, Reggie Bush, which prompted Kim to want to dress up as David Stern in order to keep the NBA lockout going.  How could a couple get through a fight of this colossal magnitude?

All kidding aside, any time a marriage fails it is a sad occurrence, no matter how you feel about the people involved.  Kim and Kris are prime examples of how the pressures of limelight can make stars lose a grip on reality.  As BonesBallers we know that the wrong mindset is a recipe for disaster in sports and in life.

Dennis Rodman comes to mind when thinking about the Kris-Kim split because of his frequent episodes under the spotlight of the media.  Plus Rodman seemed to always to be celebrating Halloween with his crazy hairdos and clothing styles.  Rodman seemed to always be performing to his audiences which got him into some precarious situations.  Rodman also had a very public marriage to Carmen Electra, which also came to a crashing halt in less than a year.

Moral of the story is that not everyone can handle the pressure.  Last year the New York Jets got caught up in living in the media instead of handling their business.  Winning a Super Bowl is tough enough and the extra external pressure does not help; same goes with marriage.  I’m not saying that the media exposure was the only reason for the divorce, but televising the wedding might not have been such a great idea in hindsight.

Happy Halloween Kim, Kris, and BonesBallers!

Writer: Hollen O’Kelley

Image Sourcehttp://media.photobucket.com/image/broken%20pumpkin/sekziichick/PB230601.jpg?o=1

Post to Twitter

The Best Names in Sports

Coco Crisp

What is in a name? That which we call awesome. We tend to remember names that are bizarre to us, known as the bizarre effect (knowledge is power). So when you’re watching a basketball game and you hear the announcer say, “…and entering the game for the Sacramento Kings, Pooh Jeter…”, one might crack up.

Some of the best names out there are downright funny (i.e. Dick Butkus), while other names are just awesome (i.e. Prince Fielder). Other names just role off the tongue perfectly and are a joy to formulate.

Categorizing “the best” anything is not an easy task, so we’ll break up the categories into 3 groups:
1. Simply Awesome
2. Coolest Sounding
3. Funniest

So without further adieu, here we go…

The Most Simply Awesome Names
5. D’Brickashaw Ferguson (“Da Brick” is a great way to start a football players name)
4. Milton Bradley (playin’ baseball games and makin’ board games)
3. Coco Crisp (simply delicious)
2. Prince Fielder (fits the stereotype)
1. Nana Papa Yaw Dwene “Pops” Mensah-Bonsu (could easily make the “Funnest to Say” category, but when your name means king while also eluding that the family kills whales then you got an awesome name)

Honorable Mentions: Cuttino Mobley, Chad Ochocinco, Babe Ruth, Metta World Piece, Hakeem Olajuwon, Manny Pacquiao (he packs-the-“OW”)

The Funnest Names to Say

5. Manu Ginóbili (you see how much fun Charles Barkley has yelling “Ginóbili”)

4. Tshimanga “Tim” Biakabutuka (“BEE-AWK-CA-BAA-TOOKA” sounds like bazooka)
3. Eugenio Vélez (“EHH-YOU-HAY-NIO”)
2. Brandon Manumaleuna (simply roles off the tongue “MAN-EWW-MAL-EE-UNA”)
1. Arvydas Sabonis (a sexy name and a sexy man)
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=arvydas+sabonis&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1440&bih=775&tbm=isch&tbnid=7-2A3Yj_03I1vM:&imgrefurl=http://fromtheperimeter.sportsblognet.com/2011/08/10/sabonis/&docid=U-iU9mnMpBoLyM&w=270&h=240&ei=5Wt0Trlh8taIAvfS7bMC&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=291&vpy=150&dur=2195&hovh=192&hovw=216&tx=106&ty=89&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=158&start=0&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0 (picture)

Honorable Mentions: Legedu Naanee, Ben Obomanu, Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Mookie Blaylock, Dikembe Mutombo, Fabricio Oberto

The Funniest Names

5. Fat Lever
4. Boof Bonser (BOOF)
3. Smush Parker (a few years ago his name was not funny, but Jersey Shore has definitely changed this)
2. Moran Norris (you better “get” this one…)
1. Dick Butkus (just has to be #1)

Honorable Mentions: Pooh Jeter, Doug Flutie, Pokey Reese, Bonzie Wells, Wang ZhiZhi

Written by Hollen O’Kelley

Image Source: mlive.com

Post to Twitter

Quit “Flopping” Around

Like most individuals, professional athletes can’t stand to lose in life or in sports. Some athletes, therefore, must do everything they can to win. That could mean practicing more, eating healthier, working to improve on weaknesses, and even changing the way they think about the game and how they study it. But, sometimes even then that is not enough to win.

NBA players like Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs and Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers are infamously known for being notorious floppers. For those who don’t know, flopping is a tactic where a player purposely exaggerates his response to little or no physical contact by the opposition to try to persuade the referees to make a call in his team’s favor. Flopping can occur on both the offensive and defensive ends shown here in these videos by Ginobili and Fisher respectively.

Flopping has grown increasingly popular. NBA players perhaps adopted the “flopping” technique from observing international soccer gameplay and understanding how crucial just one call in their team’s favor can make the difference between winning and losing.

When it comes down to the last few minutes of a close and important basketball game–such as Game 7 of the NBA Finals–wouldn’t you do everything in your power to win the championship for yourself, your team, and your city?
Most likely yes, but another question that may be just as important for the long-term aspects of the sport of basketball is whether or not flopping takes away from the genuine talent and spirit of the game. Prospective athletes and newcomers to the NBA try to find their niche. They look for ways to improve their game by seeking help from NBA players who are successful, and more often than not, these successful NBA players abuse the flopping tactic. Athletes also watch film but when they see a blatant flop by a five -time NBA champion like Kobe Bryant, they may follow suit and do the same.

My main concern is watching the NBA develop into a league of floppers. Not only does flopping take away from the spirit of the game, it encourages potential young stars to find ways to abuse rules and cheat. At the same time, it discourages fans of the NBA like me from watching it and expecting a good quality game. Perhaps a consequence of flopping is that it discourages youth from pursuing sports at a professional level. They may think that winning is not even about raw talent, heart, or how good you are at basketball, but rather about how good you are at acting.

We must keep the sea clean to allow the school of prospective athletes to swim into the game of purified basketball, a game played with integrity and passion. So quit flopping around.

Written by Brandon Lim
Edited by Sarah Gross  

Image Source: media.247sports.com

Post to Twitter