Carmelo Anthony Should Be Commended For Using His Voice

Anthony marches in Baltimore during Freddie Gray protests

You can say what you want about Carmelo Anthony as a basketball player. He is a ball hog, he won't ever lead a team to a title, he took too much money to stay in New York, he acted like a baby when he demanded a trade from Denver, etc. However, whatever your opinions are of Anthony the player, his words this past week deserve respect for Anthony the man.

After a tumultuous week in America, marred by violence between African American men and white police officers in three different cities, Anthony took to Instagram to make sure his voice was heard.

“The system is Broken. Point blank period. It has been this way forever. Martin Luther King marched. Malcolm X rebelled. Muhammad Ali literally fought of US. Our anger should be towards the system. If the system doesn’t change we will continue to turn on the TVs and see the same thing. We have to put the pressure on the people in charge in order to get this thing we call JUSTICE right. A march doesn’t work. We tried that. I’ve tried that. A couple social media post/tweet doesn’t work. We’ve all tried that. That didn’t work. Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work. While I don’t have a solution, and I’m pretty sure a lot of people don’t have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time. We need each other. These politicians have to step up and fight for change. Go to your local officials, leaders, congressman, assemblymen/assemblywoman and demand change. There’s NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can’t worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. I’M all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE. Carmelo Anthony.”

Anthony is not obligated to speak up and as Charles Barkley so eloquently put it years ago: athletes don't have to be role models. Barkley was right that they don't have to act like it, but the reality is that athletes are. Anthony's voice will be heard by many and, regardless of whether or not his play is well-liked, it will be respected by many. There's a certain section of society that Anthony's voice can go where President Obama's and other suited political figures just won't. Quite frankly, the world needs everyone to step up at a time like this because everybody could be better and do better.

Anthony's post is just words, but he is a man who has shown he's more than that in the past. He marched in Baltimore with protesters after Freddie Gray's death. And his post this time asks those who have remained silent to step up to the plate. Speaking up is not for every athlete, but we do live in a generation where some of the biggest names (Anthony, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul) are not afraid to go beyond the court. Just because they can drop 25 points whenever they want does not mean they have to step out in times of tragedy, but it is refreshing to me that they do. It shows they understand that they can make a positive difference.

A positive change is needed in this country and any athlete who will have the ears of millions, and wants to use their voice in a positive manner, will earn my respect. Anthony, despite his flaws on the court, is a role model for everyone, including his peers in the NBA. His platform can be used for good and that's exactly what he's doing. Bravo.

2013 Western Conference Playoff Preview

The definition of must-see TV is quite simple. The answer lies with the Western Conference first-round playoff series and all four have the makings of being great. From top to bottom there are intriguing match ups and, while there may two favorites, it does appear that this could be the Wild West with an upset thrown in at some point. Oklahoma City and San Antonio finished neck in neck in the regular season and the Denver Nuggets weren't far behind. History was made in LA, but it wasn't from the Lakers. The Clippers were the ones making all the positive headlines and secured the fourth seed, which means they have an extremely difficult match up with Memphis. As for the aforementioned Lakers, they are sitting in the seventh spot with out Kobe Bryant, but don't blow them off. Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace still make a good squad. The young Warriors and Rockets teams are fresh to the playoff scene with these current rosters, but should give a good series. It's going to be a fun end to the season in the West so let's take a look at the first round.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Houston Rockets
The intriguing story line in this series is the Thunder going up against their old mate James Harden. It's not likely that the Rockets win this series, but they may steal a game or two depending on how Harden plays. The Rockets have no trouble scoring the basketball (2nd in the league), but the problem lies with the defense. Houston allows a 102.5 points per game which is 28th in the league. That won't win them the series against two of the most dynamite scorers in the league in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and the league's third best offense. In three games this season Harden averaged 29 points against OKC, but the surrounding cast of Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik must be a force all series long. If not, the Thunder will march right over Houston in dominating fashion. OKC lost in the Finals last year and it's well-recorded that teams must take their lumps before being crowned kings. The Thunder have been working towards that elusive title for a couple of years and this season looks like it might be the year. Prediction: Oklahoma City in 5

How They Stack Up
                  Points                          Rebounds                            Assists                              Points Allowed
OKC          105.7                              43.6                                   21.4                                      96.5
Houston      106.0                              43.4                                   23.2                                    102.5

2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Los Angeles Lakers
Wouldn't it be exciting if Kobe was healthy?? Obviously it would be a totally different series and the Lakers would have a solid chance of advancing. They still have a shot, but it will be difficult without their heart and soul. Let us not forget though that Steve Nash is a two-time MVP, Dwight Howard carried a team to the Finals and a host of Lakers are champions. Still, this is the San Antonio Spurs we're talking about. Health is the key to both teams this series. Nash is expected to play in Game 1 and the Spurs expect to have everyone ready to go. If healthy there is no way a Gregg Popovich-led Spurs team loses in the first round. Tony Parker has had health concerns, but he will carry San Antonio. Tim Duncan will also be key as he will match up with Dwight Howard. If he gets Howard into foul trouble then LA has no chance. Dwight must be at his best for LA throughout the postseason as does Pau Gasol. No Kobe means it's everyone else's time to shine. Prediction: San Antonio in 6
 How They Stack Up
                  Points                          Rebounds                            Assists                              Points Allowed
San Antonio 103.0                              41.3                                 25.1                                      96.6
Los Angeles 102.2                              44.8                                 22.2                                    101.0

3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Golden State Warriors
Pay attention to this series because there are plenty of young stars that will be a joy to watch. The point guard match up of Ty Lawson and Steph Curry is the focal point of the series and the two have very contrasting styles of play. Lawson is a cat-quick floor general who can attack the rim at will while Curry is the premier deep threat in the NBA. Curry broke the record for three pointers made in a single season and he and the Warriors will be a tough game at home in Oracle Arena. The Nuggets will miss Danilo Gallinari due to injury, but Wilson Chandler is more than capable of taking on the extra burden. The inside game belongs to the Nuggets, but the backcourt match up is nearly even. This is a series that could go six or seven games, but at the end of the day the Nuggets are the better team. Prediction: Denver in 6
How They Stack Up
                  Points                          Rebounds                            Assists                              Points Allowed
Denver          106.1                            45.0                                   24.4                                    101.1
Golden State 101.2                            45.0                                   22.5                                    100.3

4. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5. Memphis Grizzlies
The high-flying, exciting Lob City will have a difficult first round match up against the grind-it-out Grizzlies. It's two conflicting styles of play and a series that should be tightly contested. Chris Paul is no stranger to playoff basketball, but the Clippers are still somewhat strangers to the playoffs. Last season they were defeated in the first round, but this year could be a different story. LA has played well all season and knocked down milestone after milestone, but it's time to perform in the postseason too. Many left Memphis for dead when they traded Rudy Gay, but they have been just as good and the inside tandem of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph could give Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan fits. That's where this series will be won -- in the post. Mike Conley has a massive assignment on Paul, but the Griz rely on their inside game. If LA can keep that in check then they will win the series. Prediction: Los Angeles in 7
How They Stack Up
                  Points                          Rebounds                            Assists                              Points Allowed
Los Angeles 101.1                              41.6                                   23.9                                      94.6
Memphis        93.6                              42.7                                   20.9                                      89.3

DeAndre Jordan Dunks All Over Brandon Knight

We don't normally do this at The World of Wadley, but there's no way to ignore DeAndre Jordan's dunk last night in the Los Angeles Clippers' win over the Detroit Pistons. Near the end of the first half Jordan streaked down the middle of the lane and caught an alley-oop from Chris Paul. What happened after that was an annihilation of Brandon Knight. For whatever reason, Knight jumped and attempted to block the pass, but Jordan would have none of it. With thunderous power Jordan slammed the ball home, sending Knight crashing to the floor and sending the arena into a frenzy.

Check out the little kids at the 13 second mark. The young fella on the right doesn't even know what to do with himself, but neither do the grown men on the Clips bench. Vinny Del Negro is trying his hardest to calm down Blake Griffin, but it's no use. Jordan's dunk turned every one into a little kid, if only for a moment. It blew up social media sites and it's going to be shown for quite some time.

For Knight, it's the second time he has become the victim of a ferocious move by an opponent. Less than a month ago he was all over Sportscenter after Kyrie Irving broke his ankles multiple times in the Rising Stars game and now his Wikipedia page has been edited to inform visitors that last night he died at the hands of Jordan. One thing is for sure: Brandon Knight won't be getting in the way of Lob City ever again.

Clips Dominate Lakers, But It's Only the Preseason

Finally the NBA season has started. It’s been a rough summer and fall for fans, players, and coaches as the lockout continually plagued the league. Yet now the preseason games have started and we’ve had a taste of what this shortened 66-game season will be like. CP3 looks to hang the Clippers’ first banner, Rip Hamilton will play alongside the reigning MVP in Chicago, and Lamar Odom will be leaving LA and teaming up with Dirk and the Mavs.

There’s been plenty of offseason excitement and a lot of hypothetical talk about how each team will perform in the coming season, but the preseason is always a time of frustration for me. The media affects the world more than any other aspect today. When it comes to sports, the minute a team that should be one of the best plays a mediocre game, sportswriters everywhere begin to say that that certain team isn’t what it used to be. It’s one game and a preseason one at that. Take last night’s Lakers/Clippers game; the Lakers have to adjust to a new coach, six new players on the roster, and their best player dealing with a divorce. Not exactly ideal conditions to start your year, especially when Mike Brown is now walking the sideline. Phil Jackson left a legacy that few if any coaches have. To replace him with a man that has not enjoyed even a tenth of his success, much less had any time to gel with his new players, and expect a win right away is senseless.

The lockout held teams from playing together and learning each other’s styles. The first few minutes of last nights’ Lakers/Clippers game was purely a run-and-gun, street ball-esque game. There was little organization on offense and it was easy to see that the players were not yet comfortable with one another. That’s exactly why the NBA has preseason games, they’re considered a tune-up for when it really matters beginning on Christmas day. However, the media is constantly looking to nit-pick every little fault and blows the whole situation way out of proportion.

In no way am I attempting to make an excuse for anyone, but there comes a point in time where you can’t take everything so seriously. The season is long for a reason and if you watch sports at all you know that anything can happen. Each day, each game is different. If we were to make our predictions based on preseason games, the St. Louis Rams would be playing in the Super Bowl this year after enjoying a 4-0 preseason record.

My point is this, it’s the first week that the players have been in a game environment since June at the latest, don’t jump to conclusions on any team. The Lakers are the Lakers, regardless of who’s on the court; Kobe is one of the best leaders and executers the NBA has to offer and won’t suffer through a losing season. For those of you saying that “Kobe’s lost his touch” or “It sucks Kobe’s gotta go out like this”, just be patient. Would I pick the Lakers to win the Finals this year? No. It’s somewhat of a rebuilding year; they’ve got a lot of spots to fill and a lot of guys need to take more responsibility and step up. However, the media needs to chill out with the talk of the Clippers suddenly owning LA. It’s one game. There are still 66 real ones left to be played.

Stern Stops CP3 to Lakers Deal

Still Enemies: Paul and Bryant will continue to play against each other
in the West after Stern vetoed the trade

For a little over an hour last night their was excitement among NBA fans everywhere. News broke that New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three team deal that also sent Lamar Odom to New Orleans and Pau Gasol to Houston. For weeks it had been rumored that LA wanted Paul and Orlando big man Dwight Howard. Along with Kobe Bryant, the trio would create a Big 3 that would dominate the West and challenge Miami for the NBA title year after year. With the deal last night, LA moved one step closer to assembling the team they and their fans have been dreaming of. Social media sites blew up and ESPN was in a frenzy...and then David Stern stepped in.

The Hornets, as of last year, are league owned yet Stern and the league never interfered with the trade negotiations. However, minutes after the deal was done, Stern put his foot down and stopped the deal. Chris Paul tweeted, "WoW" and Lamar Odom tweeted, "When a team trades u and it doesn't go down? Now what?" Paul was reportedly working with NBPA head Billy Hunter and sources say he may take legal action against the NBA. The buzz around the league is that several owners, Dan Gilbert and Mark Cuban have been named, complained to Stern about the deal. Owners in small markets do not want their teams raided for their superstars by large market franchises such as LA, New York or Chicago. New Orleans, being from a small market, would be losing their best player to Los Angeles. Since Stern technically owns the team, owners complained that he shouldn't give up the team's best player. What this sounds like is a bunch of whiny babies not getting their way.

The small market owners and Stern are not in favor of "superpowers" and that's exactly what they think is happening here with Paul being dealt. However, there are so many things wrong with Stern's decision to stop the deal it's not even funny. Owners, and some fans, are acting like the Lakers are getting Chris Paul gift wrapped to them without giving up much. That couldn't be further from the truth. If the trade ever goes through, LA is losing two of it's top three scorers, the Sixth Man of the Year, 33.2 points and 18.9 rebounds per game. Gasol and Odom have won two titles with the Lakers and been major contributors to those teams. The Hornets and Rockets weren't getting a couple of bums in the deal.

If anything, the Hornets are smart for dealing Paul now. They saw the cloud of drama that hung over Denver last year while the Nuggets tried to figure out what to do with Carmelo Anthony. Eventually Melo would be traded to New York, but Denver had to deal with the constant rumors and media scrutiny for half of the season. No organization wants that and CP3 has made it known he will be catching the first train out of New Orleans if he reaches free agency. The man simply doesn't want to be there. He is going to do the same thing Melo did and demand a trade all year long. The Hornets are wise to move him now and avoid the drama and controversy that will surely come their way. Also, the Hornets were going to get something for Chris Paul. Stern, who probably thinks he is doing the right thing, just failed miserably. What if the Hornets can't come up with a deal to trade Paul? Then he leaves in free agency and the Hornets get nothing for him. Then they can thank David Stern for that one.

Stern has not had a very good six months as the
commissioner of the NBA

What does this mean for the other teams? Today Dwight Howard has requested a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. If that happens then the fantasy of he, Paul and Kobe playing together in LA will probably never happen. For at least an hour it looked like a strong possibility but now it seems impossible. David Stern didn't accomplish anything positive by blocking the trade. He kept a disgruntled superstar in New Orleans who will basically hold the team ransom until he gets what he wants and he caused problems for LA. They now have two stars who feel unwanted and aren't sure of where they stand in the organization. Even Houston is angry with the commissioner because they needed Gasol to replace the spot left by Yao Ming's retirement.

David Stern has had one of the worst six months anyone could possibly have. He did a miserable job handling the lockout and, in my mind, came out as the loser of that situation. Now, he has angered at least three teams in his own league and has made three stars unhappy. I have no idea what he thought he would accomplish but he has put a lot of people in an awkward spot. What's he going to do now? Stop Dwight Howard from going to the Nets? Stern made one of the most foolish decisions ever. Howard will most likely be in Brooklyn by the end of the week and Paul, Odom and Gasol will be at home, avoiding training camp. The three organizations have one man to thank for that: David Stern.

NBA Keeps the Madness Coming

By: Nate Wadley

Everybody loves college basketball and this year’s NCAA tournament was arguably one of the best. Upsets came early and often with Cinderellas, VCU and Butler, playing in Houston for the Final Four. Butler defeated the Rams and would proceed to face the Huskies of Connecticut in the championship. UConn won, Butler lost, and March Madness came to an end. Or so we all thought. With the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs coming to a close, upsets have been abundant and the lower seeds aren’t playing around.

For starters, the eight seeds in both conferences now have a right to assume that they can advance to the second round. In the East, the Indiana Pacers had the Chicago Bulls with their backs to walls for nearly the entire game until Kyle Korver’s clutch three gave the Bulls their first lead of the game with just under a minute to play. However, despite the heartbreaking loss, the Pacers revealed that this seven game series won’t be a walk in the park for the league’s best team.

Moving to the eight vs. one matchup in the West, the Memphis Grizzlies recorded their first playoff win in history against the Manu Ginobli-less San Antonio Spurs. Yet that can’t be the excuse for the Spurs. The Grizzlies failed to give in to one of, if not the, most dominant team in the past decade. With Zach Randolph leading the charge with twenty-five points and fourteen rebounds, the Grizzlies shocked the Spurs in a 101-98 win in San Antonio.

The two vs. seven game followed the same story line. The Los Angeles Lakers lost by nearly double-digits to the New Orleans Hornets.  Behind Chris Paul’s thirty-three points, fourteen assists, and seven rebounds, the Hornets took down the defending champs and quieted the Staples Center, racking up an impressive 109-100 win. Many had debated if the Lakers would turn it on now that the playoffs are upon us, and they played fairly well. But there comes a time where reputation and history doesn’t matter anymore. The teams that show up to play will win, and the fact that the Lakers are defending champs gives New Orleans that much drive to win this first round series.

And yet the Lakers weren’t the only two seed that struggled in their first game. The 76ers jumped out to an early 31-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Miami Heat, surely anxious because the world has both high expectations and unbelievable hatred for them, settled down and allowed the “Big 3” to carry them to a 97-89 win over Philly.

Yes, it is a seven game series. However, teams that can make their presence felt early and show that they will not be intimidated stand a good chance against the powerhouses. The lower seeds have now let the league know that despite being a sub-.500 team, they can hang with the NBA’s best. With top seeds falling already, it’ll be interesting to see just how many games each series will need for a team to advance.

Nate Wadley is the brother of Zach Wadley and is a contributor to the World of Wadley site. He is a junior in high school.