Fandom Free Agency - #21 Los Angeles Lakers

Ah heck, while I'm at it I might as well just eliminate an entire city.

I think anyone who knows me knew that I wasn't going to end up picking the Lakers as my team when this was all said and done. However, the least I could do was give the Lakers the respect of letting them survive past the Clippers. So now that the Clippers are gone, I feel free to eliminate the team that shares the Staples Center with them.

The reason I knew I wouldn't end up a Laker fan? I hate frontrunners.

I think the worst thing about sports are people who just cheer for the teams that win championships. Sure I don't get nearly the joy out of winning all the time, but trust me, the victory is oh so much sweeter when you have to wait and you can claim you've been cheering for a while.

During All-Star weekend I heard an interview with LeBron talking about how he was honored to play in Cowboy Stadium because "he loved" the Cowboys while growing up. The interview made me sick. We already know that LeBron is a Yankee fan so he's frontrunning in baseball and we now know that he did it for football as well.

Really LeBron? Were the Browns and the Indians just not on TV in Cleveland growing up?

I'll make a leap here and say this has something to do with why LeBron hasn't won a championship yet. The guy doesn't know how rare championship opportunities really are. All of his championships came often and he never really had to wait for them. So while I respect the heck out of LeBron, I can't respect his choices for sports teams.

So therefore, you will not find me rooting for the Lakers. In fact, in almost any situation I end up rooting against teams like the Lakers, Yankees and Cowboys. It's not really a knock on their teams, I really respect any players and team management that can continuously win championships. It's the fans of these teams that make me root against them.

From my experience fans of teams like this seem to think they are entitled to things. I don't know any Laker fans, but I've heard stories and I think I can easily compare them to teams like the Yankees and even St. Louis Cardinals who's fans can never fathom rooting for a team like the Royals.

Losing sucks. Anyone will tell you that, but it also makes you stronger and often a better fan for it. I can appreciate a good struggle. I can appreciate a good underdog. I can't appreciate bandwagoners.

Be a Laker fan! Everyone's doing it!

Fandom Free Agency - #22 Los Angeles Clippers

Almost a week late on my trade deadline reaction but if this year's trade deadline proved anything to me it's that there is no possible way to root for the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers made 2 different trades in the week leading up to the trade deadline and both gave me the obvious impression that the team has quit and as usual is just trying to save money for their owner Donald Sterling (a noted cheapskate and racist.)

The first trade, swapping Marcus Camby for Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw. On the face of it, it's not a terrible deal... Camby is an expiring contract and Steve "The Eliminator" Blake and Outlaw aren't terrible players. But Outlaw has been hurt most of the season and will likely never play a minute for the Clippers.

Because of that the trade brought out some serious emotion from the Clippers players. Camby was actually upset to leave LA, presumably because of the town not his team, and one Clipper rightfully pointed out, "All the guys are upset because our best defensive player got traded for basically a backup point guard and some money."

The Clippers then completed the trade deadline by moving Bassy Telfair (a former favorite T-Wolf of mine) and Al Thornton for Drew Gooden. Drew is one of my all-time favorite Jayhawks, but even I can't see him having any positive impact for the Clip Show and the got rid of two young pieces to get him.

The team did make one good move prior to the deadline though when GM Mike Dunleavy relieved himself of his coaching duties. I won't get into Dunleavy's coaching downfalls, they're well documented. But when Mike Dunleavy showed up at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday I wasn't happy to see an NBA executive in the building, I was just hoping to God he would stay away from the Jayhawks.

I understand what the Clippers are doing. They've cleared cap space and now have an open coaching position that they can use to lure new players for next season. But if the Clippers think the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are coming to play for them they're dreaming. I'll throw out the prediction right now that during this upcoming offseason the Clippers will give out a max contract to Rudy Gay after their turned down by everyone else. Just way too predictable.

The Clippers have some good young talent, but honestly what team that has been in the lottery the last 4 years doesn't have talent. I actually hope that the likes of Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon can turn them into contenders in the near future. A good Clippers team is always an intriguing story.

However, if this past trade deadline has proven anything to me it's that there is no reason you can ever root for the Clippers. Year after year they continue to make moves that infuriate both their fans and their own players.

Maybe someday he'll even wear the jersey!

Fandom Free Agency - #23 Charlotte Bobcats

First off, let me say this decision was reached on two nights ago. So please don't read anything into Charlotte's home loss tonight to the New Jersey Nets as a reason for their elimination. New Jersey's 2nd road win of the season is an embarrassing loss for the Bobcats, but it is not the reason for the elimination.

As you may or may not have noticed two nights ago was the NBA All-Star Game, or as Kobe Bryant rightly coined it, "The World's Greatest Pickup Game." The All-Star Game in my mind accomplishes two good things for the NBA: 1) It gives a great spotlight for the games greatest players, 2) It proves that the NBA is actually capable of playing defense.

Stick with me here, I'm not saying the NBA All-Star Game is a great spokesperson for NBA defense. In fact there is little to no defense played at all. But what it does prove is that on any given night a team filled with NBA players can go out and score 150 points if they're faced with the All-Star Game type defense. In reality NBA teams average a little under 100 points a night and this is a testament to the type of D the NBA has. To keep these supremely talented players under 100 in 48 minutes is actually quite a defensive accomplishment and shows just how hard these teams do play.

Which brings me to the Bobcats... Charlotte was represented this All-Star weekend by one man, Gerald Wallace. Wallace was scheduled to compete in both the All-Star game and the dunk contest, and although I watched most of both events, I'm still not sure whether Wallace made it through the snow in Dallas in time for those events.

Wallace was a no-show during the dunk contest. Putting up uninspired dunk attempts and eventually getting eliminated in the first round. Say what you will about the dunk contest (and it was terrible) but at least the young kids they have in it appear to care. DeMar DeRozan had the best creativity of any dunker this year and even a young Gerald Wallace came up with great dunks when he was in it 8 years ago.

LeBron, Kobe and D Howard would be great in the dunk contest. I would watch and they'd get great ratings but really the young kids are they ones who will come up with the more creative dunks. Give me the players who have something to prove when they get to the dunk contest and if you need an example just look at the difference between 2002 Gerald Wallace and 2010 Gerald Wallace.

Now on to the actual All-Star Game. I made the decree on Sunday night that the player with the worst All-Star Game performance would have his team eliminated. Gerald Wallace was again scheduled to appear but showed up with only 2 points and 3 rebounds in 16 minutes. He was also a depressing -12 on +/- for the game but I'm not going to use All-Star +/- as a statistic to judge someone. It probably just means that Wallace didn't get to play with LeBron on the court at the same time. Heck Dwayne Wade won the MVP but finished with a -2.

The point is, I'm eliminating the Bobcats because Gerald Wallace is the first All-Star they've ever had and he showed up like he didn't understand why he was in Dallas. Bill Simmons made the joke earlier today that Wallace should claim he got roofie'd on Friday night after his All-Star performace. I'd have to agree with him.

If I'm going to follow a team it's because there star player shows up on the biggest stage. I want a player who shines the lights are bright and doesn't act like he's there just to enjoy the after parties.

I don't dislike the Bobcats. I sang the praises of Captain Jack in a previous post. Raymond Felton is solid contributor on my fantasy team. D.J. Augustin while at Texas was kind enough to treat me to two of my favorite games as a KU fan.

Lots of potential for the Bobcats, and I think they're a big time bandwagon team when this year's playoffs come. But Gerald Wallace's performance this weekend has kept me off of that bandwagon.

Obviously giving Dallas casino advice and not dunk contest tips.

Player Profile - Latrell Sprewell

New feature here on The Blingdom, player profiles. We'll start off with a good one, Latrell Sprewell.

Note: This post is a mixture of opinions and facts, I'll leave it up to you to find the difference.

Fast Facts:

- Latrell was drafted 24th overall in the 1992 draft by Golden State.

- Latrell made his first All-Star game in just his 3rd year in the league.

- Latrell averaged 18.8 ppg for his career with a high-water mark of 24.2 ppg in 1996-97.

- Latrell still holds the record for most 3 ptrs in a game without a miss (9)

- Latrell rarely ever dunked with one-hand. Almost any Spree dunk you can find is a two-handed throwdown.

- Latrell went to Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, MO.

- Poplar Bluff only has one river that runs through it.

The Teams

- Golden State (traded away for John Starks, Chris Mills and Terry Cummings)

- New York (traded away for Keith Van Horn, Glenn Robinson and Terrell Brandon)

- Minnesota (not re-signed)

The Story

Just saying that Spree moved along from Golden State, New York and Minnesota really doesn't do the man any justice. Spree had a real knack for wearing out his welcome on the teams he played for, and each time his exit begins with a one of a kind story.

In Golden State, Spree infamously tried to choke his coach P.J. Carlesimo during a practice. The alleged story is that Carlesimo told Sprewell to put "a little more mustard" on his passes, Sprewell was not in the mood for criticism, told his coach he would kill him and then dragged him to the ground.

A subsequent suspension cost Spree $6.4 million but it appeared to change him as a man. Sprewell remorsefully told 60 minutes "I wasn't choking P.J. that hard. I mean, he could breathe."

In New York, things went a little better for Spree, he led the team to an NBA finals and appeared to have rewarded the Knicks for taking a chance on him. Then in 2002, Spree proceeded to break his wrist and then lie to the Knicks by telling them he did it by slipping and falling on his yacht. The real story... he was in a fight on his yacht. We'll get to more on the yacht later on though.

In Minnesota, Spree performed well and led the team to a Western Conference Final. He averaged nearly 20 ppg and was understandably upset when the team offered him only $7 million a year for his services after the season. What wasn't understandable however was Spree's claim that he turned down the deal because, "He has kids to feed." Certainly a guy could feed his kids on $7 mil per season.

Which leads us to Latrell's life after basketball. Latrell had chances to sign with several teams after he was spurned by the T-Wolves but never accepted a contract. His agent told Sports Illustrated that Spree had turned down all of his offers because "Latrell doesn't need the money that badly." Not only does that directly contradict Spree saying that "He has kids to feed," but it's also a downright lie.

You see, Spree really, really needed the money. In August 2006, Spree was having a grand old time on the lakes of Wisconsin, riding around on his 70-foot yacht named "Milwaukee's Best." Yes, the same yacht that he was fighting on when he got in trouble with the Knicks.

So, as the story goes Spree reportedly tried to combine two of his favorite activities (yacht fighting and choking) when he choked a woman he was reportedly getting it on with on his yacht. No charges were filed against Spree in the incident but it was apparently enough to put a strain on his relationship with his "life companion" who later sued Latrell for a reported $200 million.

But the curse on "Milwaukee's Best" didn't end there. Latrell also once accidentally grounded the yacht in shallow waters. It eventually took several boats to help get the gigantic yacht back into the water after Spree refused to call to get the boat professionally salvaged.

The yacht was obviously only causing problems for Sprewell at this point. So he did what any honest man would do in the situation. He stopped making payments on it and had it repo'd.

Spree's boat was auctioned off to the highest bidder and soon afterwards his Milwaukee home was foreclosed and sold to the highest bidder as well. You see people, Latrell not only had kids to feed, he also had a lavish lifestyle to live and $7 million a year just wasn't going to make that work.

Let's by honest though, Latrell going bankrupt doesn't make him all that different from other professional basketball players. He's not the first and won't be the last to do it. NBA players typically live well beyond their means and do so while supporting just about everyone else around them. But Spree's bankruptcy story isn't just about "boats and hoes." It's a story of failed investment ideas as well.

You may remember that Latrell became famous for more than just his time on the basketball court during his prime. Latrell was also a businessman, and his business venture centered on selling "Spinners."

Times were good for Spree's Spinning Rims. They were shouted out in rap songs, appeared on numerous MTV Cribs episodes, and put Spree on the cover of magazines. But in the end "Spinners" passed out of consciousness faster than any of Spree's choking victims and this failed investment has to have led to Spree's current financial problems.

Latrell Sprewell: An all-Star, a businessman, a father and above all a choke artist.

Please tell me he's not gambling now... Wait?! Is that KG and Sam Cassell next to him?

Fandom Free Agency - #24 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are the first team that I actually had to be convinced to eliminate. Don't get me wrong, they probably would have been eliminated eventually but I actually had no intentions of doing it this early until I heard a couple of compelling arguments for why I shouldn't root for Golden State.

The reason I wanted to keep them around is selfishly I kind of like the Warriors. Even if you haven't ever played NBA 2k10 you can probably imagine what it's like to play with Steph Curry in a video game.

Also, Monta Ellis is a big time player for my fantasy team. Say what you will about Monta playing basketball (and I will say some things later on...) but fantasy wise his 25.8 ppg, 5.5 assists and 2 steals translate very well. It doesn't much mater to me if he's shooting 30% from 3, I want him to keep shooting and he does.

Lastly, I have some great memories of the 2007 Warriors and their run in the playoffs. Those Warriors were must see TV and even though the players who dominated that series in Captain Jack, Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus (back when his name was pronounced Mic-KAY-ul), and of course Baron Davis have moved on I still have a soft spot for that team.

(Because I have to, a quick side note on that Baron Davis dunk I just linked... That is an unbelievably underrated moment in sports. It's a fantastic dunk but the reaction to it is just as fantastic. The roof almost comes off at Oracle Arena which you rarely see in the NBA, Adonal Foyle's face is priceless at the end, Captain Jack's natural reaction is to start brushing the dirt of Baron's shoulders and then there's Baron's reaction to it.

For some unknown reason Baron's first reaction was to untuck his shirt in celebration. It's a rarely seen reaction and it's just pure excitement from Baron at what he had just done. The only other time we see the shirt untuck move is in baseball after a walk-off home run. Just a great celebration in my book.)

Now, onto the reasons I will not be rooting for the Warriors at any point in the future.

Currently, my other professional sports teams are the Royals and Chiefs. These are two teams that have coaches who can be described as shaky at best. However, there can't be a coach in professional sports who is worse right now than Don Nelson of the Warriors.

Nelly has always had an odd coaching style. Sure, he has won in a few places but he basically did it by throwing a bunch of talented guys out on the floor and just letting chaos reign supreme. That 2007 Warriors team was a lot of things, but well-coached was not one of them.

Nowadays, it's a wonder if the most talented players even make it out on the floor for the Warriors. Captain Jack demanded out. Anthony Randolph may have more potential than anyone in the NBA, but Nelly has almost brought the kid to tears a couple of times. Then, when I watched a good portion of the Warriors vs. Thunder game on Sunday night I noticed just how absurd the Warriors rotations are this season. I wasn't the only one who noticed either, you have to watch this rant about the Warriors from NBA.com (Thanks to John Krenger for the assist on this one.)

I won't rehash everything in that rant but basically the Warriors have a guy in Andres Biedrins who once looked like an all-star and is now sharing time with former D-league players and the disgrace that is Ronny Turiaf.

While watching the Warriors vs. Thunder I actually witnessed on multiple occasions where Ronny Turiaf would hand the ball of to Monta Ellis and then just stand still with his hands on his hips. No attempt at a rebound, no picks or movement for him. Just hands on his hips watching Monta work. Turiaf isn't completely to blame for this. Monta had no intention of giving up the ball to anyone else so it really may have been a waste of Turiaf's time to continue working.

That's the biggest problem with the Warriors, they represent everything stereotypical of the NBA. The league really isn't all about selfish players who don't play D. There are several teams who thrive on great ball movement and defense, but you would never know it if you only watched the Warriors. He's some recent performances they had:

1/31 @ Thunder - Monta Ellis 9/24 for 24 pts, 2 asts, 5 TOs.

1/26 @ Kings - Corey Maggette 3/22, 13/16 fts for 19 pts, 4 TOs.

1/24 vs. Suns - Maggette and Ellis combined 20/48 for 52 pts.

1/20 vs. Nuggets - Ellis and Steph Curry combined 18/45 for 54 pts.

There's no arguing that those are a lot of points but it's really not that effective when you take so many shots. Also, that last game I listed against the Nuggets is the most worrisome of them all. I fear that Steph Curry could be catching on to how Monta plays ball. Curry could be a fantastic player some day but he has a high potential to be poisoned by Monta before that happens.

Monta is obviously playing for himself. Nelly has either lost his mind or this team is trying to tank and get John Wall. One can only imagine what Monta Ellis would do if he had to play with John Wall next season. I suggested on twitter that he may try to steal the ball from him on offense, but fighting him isn't out of the question either.

The Warriors are just a disfunctional team on too many levels. There's no reason to keep them around in my quest any longer.

Yes, that is a set of praying hands holding a gun on Jack's chest.

He's just one of the many big guns that voted himself off the Warriors.