2007 Year in Review: Part II

I couldn't finish up my review of 2007 in one post. I left off on October, and I will go on from there and talk about some other things that happened this past year.

In October, Britney Spears lost her kids to Kevin Federline and they went back and fourth. The media was covering this story as if we really care about that. Another story was that George W. Bush got $10 billion more dollars to aid the surge in Iraq. It is ridiculous how much the United States is in debt. And our children and grandchildren are going to pay this off over what has been a lost cause. Since the War began, we have lost 3,902 American lives. Since the "Mission Accomplished" speech, there have been 3763 Americans dead. Since the capture of Saddam, there have been 3441 deaths. All of these facts are from antiwar.com. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself.

Later in the year, there was a mall shooting in Omaha. As I've said before, we have to reach out to our youth. However, what has been gaining all of the media coverage nowadays is that Britney Spears' sister got pregnant at 16 and now people are saying "Oh my god. How are you going to tell your kids that Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant?" We've got Americans dying in an unjust war and media coverage is focusing on Britney Spears' sister getting pregnant? Where are the Americans' priorities at?

I am also hearing that Chris Stokes is molesting some kids on B2K or something like that. We can't have child molester running around in the streets. If this is not true, we are going to have to check the source, but if it is true, then this man has got to be brought to justice. This cannot be taken lightly because one must pose the question, "What if it was your kid? Would you allow him to run the streets?"

A very sad thing that happened in 2007 was that there were a lot of deaths this past year. It started off with Anna Nicole Smith in February. It was sad how the media covered it because all she did was be herself and the media tried to turn it into a comical story for the funny-pages. Ike Turner, Evil Kenivel, Diego Corrales, Bill Pinkney and Sean Taylor all passed away this year as well.

One death that was very unnecessary was the passing of Donda West. That woman should still be with us today. It is very unfortunate that Kanye West had to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas without his mother. Staying in the Hip-Hop world, Pimp C also passed away, a rapper of the Underground Kings label.

Last but certainly not least, Yolanda King, the eldest of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s children, passed away. Yolanda King advocated stroke awareness and gay rights. King died very young, at the age of 51, so make sure she is in your prayers.

This has been one hell of a year. 2008 will be a very important year. It's an election year. Politicians are trying to vote in new laws that are going to take away our Constitutional rights. If you haven't checked it out already, research H.R. 1955 or S. 1959. Everyone was sleeping in '07, including myself. We have to wake up. It's time to flip the script.

I am going to have a lot of surprises for you in '08, so make sure you stay tuned. I would like to personally wish that you have a happy new year, and have fun. I look forward to talking to you in 2008. Thank you for making this year be a great year for this website, and hopefully there will be many more.

2007 Year in Review: Part I

Well, 2007 is finally coming to a close as people around the world eagerly await for 2008, a year in which I hope this website can achieve great success. In my first post regarding news and politics, I'd like to take a look back on the last 12 months, and providing outlooks for the future.

At the start of the year, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats took over the House and Senate. Right off the jump, the Democrats did not agree with George W. Bush on anything, and they had a very ambitious agenda. Despite their genuine goals, most would not come to fruition. Although some work has been made, such as raising the minimum wage, the Democrats did not achieve their main goal: bringing our troops home.

Months passed by and then suddenly, news broke out about a Virginia Tech school shooting. A troubled student killed over 30 people, including himself. This young man was obviously disturbed, but this society cannot keep letting this happen. We have to reach out to our youth. It was an unfortunate event, but hopefully it will be a warning to all parents to make sure your kids are in line. One of my philosophies is that if you don't deal with your kid today, someone else is going to deal with him or her tomorrow. We need to make sure we keep our youth in line.

As we headed into summer, the iPhone was released and the distribution of the final Harry Potter book had a lot of buzz too. In July, one of my friends told me about the Jena Six, and that really shocked me. It's 2007 and we shouldn't be having all of these injustices and these corrupt judges and District Attorneys. Speaking of corrupt DAs, Mike Nifong was disbarred for making ethically questionable decisions in the handling of the Duke Lacrosse case.

Going back to the Jena Six, I was surprised that few rappers stood up after they heard about this. These are the same rappers that rap about how much ice, cars, and money they have, but they can't spend their money and invest in some important stuff like bailing out the Jena Six. If I had that kind of money, I'd invest it in that right there. These kids are our future.

Another big story was the bridge in Minnesota collapsing. Several people died that day in a tragic occurrence. I was happy that immediate aid came to in Minnesota, but where was the immediate aid for the victims down in Katrina? Those kinds of things have me scratching my head.

As 2007 started to undergo its steady decline in August, there was a big story about how there were poisonous toys coming in from China. Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time home run record in the Fall as well. But who cares about that? This man was on steroids. He doesn't deserve to be in that record book. Hit homers the fair and legal way and then come talk to me.

Karl Rove announced his resignation from the White House in late August. The bolting of the Deputy Chief of Staff was similar to Donald Rumsfeld's resignation as Secretary of Defense in 2006. Senator Larry Craig pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct in a public bathroom in an airport and then asks to withdraw his guilty plea. I am not going to speculate as to what Craig's sexual orientation is, but he claimed he pleaded guilty to not have the story escalate, when it blew up in his face.

Michael Vick pleaded guilty as well, and was sentenced to over a year in prison. I cannot condone that action and he is going to have to pay for it. However, I was wondering why this got so much media coverage. The NFL is probably better without Vick, and news started to die down about the War in Iraq, a terrible miscalculation costing America a myriad of lives.

In late September, thousands of people gathered in protest of the injustice from what conspired with the Jena Six. This was a great step as we yelled and America heard us, but everything went back to normal in Jena a few days later. But I was glad to hear when Mychal Bell would be able to be a free man.

In October, there were a bunch of fires in California. That was an unfortunate event. Also, on October 24, the House passed H.R. 1955, a bill that could take away our freedom of thought. If you haven't heard about it, look it up; because our Constitutional rights are being stripped from us. We can't be apathetic to this in 2008.

Al Gore also won the Nobel Peace Prize in October, and I was glad that happened. After watching his movie An Inconvenient Truth, I was really shocked and I wrote letters to local Congressmen. It's funny that Gore can win the Nobel Peace Prize but he can't beat George W. Bush in an election.

There was a lot of useless media coverage of no importance, such as Britney Spears shaving her head, Paris Hilton going to jail, etc. We need to be focused on more important issues than Britney Spears being pantyless. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion. If you and I have a difference of agreement, I would love to have a conversation with you. Also, keep in mind that this is only Part I. I'll get to more things in Part II. Stay tuned. And remember, whether you like it or not, the truth is the truth.

48 Reasons to Lose...

Poof! And the Heat have disappeared. Despite tying a career-high 48 points from Dwyane Wade, the Heat could not pull out a victory against the Orlando Magic, and Stan Van Gundy's first return to the AmericanAirlines Arena after resigning in late 2005.

Wade scored 48 points on 21 attempts. And those 21 attempts were sans any three-point attempt. He made it to the free throw line 23 times, missing seven, but that was pretty much the only glitch in Wade's game last night. Seven rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, and three blocks were numbers for this man. However, Miami still found a way to flatline in overtime.



As usual, the Heat built up a big lead, this time a 10-point lead, before watching it melt away. However, after staying in the game for over three quarters and making a run late in the fourth to make it 99-91 with 3:37 to go, one loose defensive rebound turned the corner on a team that simply cannot close out a game.

One positive for Miami (other than Wade, of course) was Daequan Cook. While playing 30 minutes off the bench, Cook made some clutch shots. After inbounding the ball to Wade, Flash passed it right back to Cook, and he hit a deep three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to tie the game. In the extra period, Cook converted on a three-pointer with 1:18 left to go to tie the game at 114 all. However, Orlando would go on a 7-0 run to close out the game.

I have said that one of the few things Riles has done right in the last 18 months was draft Daequan Cook. He is just a rookie, but he is showing the ability of a clutch player. He will probably be a star in this League someday, but he can't be relied on at this moment.

On the other hand, one blemish for Miami was Ricky Davis. Davis took many quick shots late in the game, which could have ended up costing the Heat the game. With 52 seconds left, Davis committed an ill-advised foul on Hedo Turkoglu which started Orlando's late game run. These are the little things that a savvy veteran would be wise not to commit.

Shaquille O'Neal missed his first game of the season in what he is calling a "sore knee." Despite O'Neal's annual injuries at the start of the season, it is a good sign that Shaq isn't taking a month off now. His stats are diminishing, but he can still be effective in spurts for Miami. Jason Williams also missed the game after MRI results came back negative.

This was another off night for Luke Jackson, who seemingly can't get his rhythm for the Heat. While he may have been better than this in the D-League, LJ is consistently proving why he shouldn't have been signed by the Heat. After all, Dorell Wright's jump shoot is looking smoother than Luke's.

Some Heat fans are waiting for the swing of the pendulum. Personally, I'm just waiting for a press conference. A press conference that will tell me that things are going to get better. Ever since the second game of the season, the Heat have shown a lack of ability to close out games. It was expected to get better with the addition of Wade, but nothing changed. Under normal circumstances, it would be sad for a team to commit the exact same mistake for 30 games without adjustment. Besides, if 48 points from Wade doesn't do it, then what will?

Another Day, Another Loss

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it can't get much worse than this. With a 96-85 loss to Philly, Miami dropped to 8-21, the worst in the Eastern Conference. There is a lot to say about this team, but the bottom line is that this team is not very good and whoever put this team together should be fired.

I'm starting to doubt the Luke Jackson-Penny Hardaway swap the Heat made recently. I didn't like Penny Hardaway leaving the team, and it is becoming evident where he could become of use to the Heat. With Jason Williams dressed to play but not playing due to what the team is calling a "sore knee", Chris Quinn injured, and Smush Parker exiled from the team, the Heat would at least have a reliable ballhandler in Penny. Hardaway was also better than most of Miami's perimeter defenders and had his outside shot going for him, as he shot 42.1% in 16 games he appeared in. He was tentative when he started, but I don't know what Pat Riley was telling him. Maybe he was telling him to be a facilitator.

Well, Miami could certainly use a facilitator. Luke Jackson, meanwhile, shot 0-4 from the field and 0-2 from downtown. He has done nothing for Miami thus far. Pat Riley unwittingly played Luke Jackson in the fourth quarter, a quarter in which the Heat trimmed a 21-point lead into three with 5:08 remaining. I understand that the Heat have nothing to lose, but you also want to win games. Jackson should not have even been signed in the first place, and to play him in the final stanza of play was criminal.

Dwyane Wade opened up at point guard and Daequan Cook played point off the bench. Cook didn't do a bad job of directing the offense, but it compromised his scoring -- as Cook struggled offensively, going 0-7 from beyond the arc. Going back to Wade, I'm not going to blame this on him. He's working hard as hell to give this Heat a win. But the thing is, you're only as strong as your weakest link. And there's not much to do when you when you are fighting off a double-team while your other four teammates apathetically walk towards a timeout huddle.



This Heat team has no idea what they want to do. Whether they want to give it to Shaq, run an up-tempo game, or give it to Dwyane Wade. A couple of years ago, the Heat developed a great sense of spacing the floor and swinging the ball around, which gave Wade the opportunity to free himself up and Shaq to find open shooters or take it in himself.

The Miami Heat's offense may be in disarray with what happened, but what suffered most was defense. Pat Riley's style of defense is based on help defense and knowing one's assignment. With guys like Ricky Davis -- who is a horrible defender -- and inexperienced guys such as Daequan Cook, Dorell Wright, and Earl Barron, Philadelphia got open shots and easy paths to the bucket.

Dwyane Wade said that it's not his job to find the right mix of guys. The Captain, Udonis Haslem, refused to speak to the media. Miami is pointing the finger at each other at the expense of the team. Instead of controversy bringing the Heat together (a Wade-Payton bickering scene in the playoffs), the Heat are falling apart. Shaq is getting out-scored by people named Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth.

I've said this before, but I want to emphasize this. You are only as strong as you're weakest link. The Heat have a lot of weak links right now. And although this season is irretrievably broken, you might as well try to get some trades in right now to build some momentum going into next season. Miami can't have anybody holding them down. Everyone that is holding this franchise down needs to go. The Heat need an overhaul. If not, it may be years if not decades before the Heat return to contending status.

Heat get Lump of Coal

The Miami Heat played on Christmas for the fourth consecutive time, and have gone 3-0 in their previous three meetings. But this time, LeBron James spun by Dorell Wright to score the first bucket of the game. Apparently, that was an omen of the game for Miami, who dropped to 8-20 earlier today in a 96-82 loss.

Cleveland dominated the Heat in the entire second half, and the Heat did virtually nothing right in the last 24 minutes. After opening with a 10-point lead in the opening minutes, the Cavs took full command, capitalizing on Miami's 11 turnovers in the third quarter to turn what was once a double-digit deficit into a six-point lead going into the fourth.

I cannot stress the turnovers enough for the Heat. Miami was up by 10 in the third quarter, and they had an opportunity to get a comfortable win on Christmas day. However, the Heat got complacent and only scored 14 points in the third period. You have to give credit to the defense of Cleveland, but a lot of it was (I'll use the tennis term here) unforced errors. At one point, Miami was in transition and Jason Williams passed the ball to a bumbling Shaquille O'Neal, who could not handle the pass. The decision making for Miami needs to improve.

Cleveland virtually lived inside the paint for the first quarter, on their way to taking an eight-point advantage going into the second period. However, Miami gave Cleveland mixes of zone and man-to-man defense, which discombobulated the Cavs. And good defense leads to easy offense, as the Heat shot 56% from the field in that 30-point second quarter.

Unfortunately, Miami's lead quickly evaporated in the third quarter and Cleveland never looked back, making it a double-digit lead with nine minutes to go in the game. The Heat were unable to respond, and Dwyane Wade simply could not take over. Wade may have some lingering knee and/or shoulder problems, but he simply did not have the explosion that you usually see out of him. Another glaring weakness was Wade's free-throw shooting. Again, Wade's injuries may have something to do with it. Wade, a good free-throw shooter, was eight-of-16 from the line, which is unacceptable.

It will be arduous for Miami to salvage a season already 1/3 through. The Miami Heat need an overhaul, plain and simple. They let good players and All-Stars go and essentially got nothing in return. Where is the three-point shooter? Where is the defensive stopper? Where is Udonis Haslem's backup? It's tough to fathom Pat Riley going in to the season with no answers for these questions. Although Earl Barron is becoming the charge-taker for Miami.

One surprising move by Pat Riley was letting Mark Blount and Luke Jackson play today. I don't know what Riles saw in Luke Jackson, but whatever it is, he doesn't have it now. After missing crucial shots in his first game, being glued to the bench, Jackson air-balled his first three-point attempt. He's not the consistent three-point shooter the Heat need. He's not a consistent shooter at all.

I do not mean to be all "Bah, Humbug" today, but I would just like to wish everyone a merry Christmas.

Miller Time for Miami?

Okay, you don't have to groan about Pat Riley interested in signing another oldie for his team. The Heat aren't interested in signing Reggie Miller. Apparently, the Andre Miller rumors have even cooled off. The New York Daily News reported today that the Heat are interested in acquiring Mike Miller.

"Desperate to give Dwyane Wade a long-distance shooter on the perimeter, where Miami misses Jason Kapono and James Posey, the Heat is looking at making a deal for Memphis' Mike Miller. With Alonzo Mourning suffering what figures to be a career-ending knee injury, the Heat might also expand the deal to include Stromile Swift."

The positives about Mike Miller is his three-point shooting and his willingness to crash the boards. Miller, 27, is shooting 43.2% from beyond the arc. He is also averaging seven rebounds per game this season. The Heat should jump on the chance to acquire Mike Miller. This is a guy who has the potential for huge games if he is on fire. Miller's consistent stroke is exactly what Wade and Shaq need to kick out of double-teams.


The drop off is that Miller is not a good defender. Over the course of the past 11 games, Miami has scored 100 or more nine times. Yet the Heat have been 4-7 in those games. The need for a consistent third option is imperative, but the immediate need is defense. This could be the deciding factor in going for Miller as opposed to a more defensive-oriented player, such as Mikael Pietrus, who has recently shown interest in the Heat.

Stromile Swift is a player who is extremely talented and is an amazing athlete, but has failed to live up to the hype after being drafted second overall in the 2000 NBA Draft. However, that doesn't mean he can't help Miami. With no backup for Haslem and Alonzo Mourning out for the year, Miami is in dire need of some help in the front-court. Swift could provide the Heat with some shot-blocking, as well as a solid eight to 10 points off the bench.

Obviously, I would love for the Heat to make this trade. It may not fix everything wrong with the Heat, but it could provide them with a building block going into next season. The question now is who they will give up. Ricky Davis is an obvious option with his expiring contract. Mark Blount could also be an option, but his contract is not exactly a sight to see. Smush Parker and Jason Williams may also be discussed, but the Grizzlies already have a logjam at the point guard position with Damon Stoudamire, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Kyle Lowry.

Wade Delivers at End

Despite the fact that Dwyane Wade has given Heat fans a few nights of prolific scoring, he has been yet to deliver down the stretch, during crunch time -- until tonight. Wade sunk a 20-foot jumper at the end of regulation to give Miami a 104-102 win over the Utah Jazz.

As usual, the Heat blew a fourth quarter lead. Miami had an 11-point lead going into the final period. At that point, you have an opportunity to blow the game out of the water and really make a statement against a quality team. However, Utah went on a run and even took a lead with a pair of free throws from Matt Harpring with 46.3 seconds to go.

At this point, I am not mad about the near loss. If you are the worst team in the East, you need to get all of the wins you can get. Besides, the Jazz are a tough team and they are not going to give up. Miami was able to gut out a win and that is all that matters.

One of the Heat's bright spots has been Daequan Cook. And with 28.2 seconds left, Cook delivered. He hit a three-pointer to give Miami a 102-100 lead. Cook showcased plenty of gallantry for a rookie, and is even not timid to take a shot in the clutch. This young man can develop into a really nice player in his career.

Some may be wondering how Cook and Wade can be the one-two punch the Heat need if the two play the same position. Well, one thing that Riley can consider is to put Cook at the point guard. Of course, in the middle of a season, it will be difficult for Daequan to learn the nuances of the position. However, Cook can dedicate his summer to learning the point guard position. Nonetheless, Riley may be forced to put Cook at the point with Chris Quinn and Smush Parker inactive.

After Carlos Boozer hit a fade-away jumper to tie it, it was Wade's time to step up. He, like everyone else, watched the ball softly bounce on the front rim before falling into the net. In the words of Flash himself, "Finally, we got a bounce around here."

Surprisingly, Shaquille O'Neal took the most shots, 16, out of anyone on the Heat. O'Neal would register 17 points and 10 rebounds for Miami while going eight-of-16 from the field. Shaq had a huge break with Mehmet Okur sidelined, but it could not stop Shaq from fouling out. For the fifth consecutive game, the Diesel fouled out, as the string of ejections keeps on snowballing. However, Pat Riley reported that O'Neal has lost 10 pounds over the past two weeks.

The most surprising performance was Earl Barron. Barron scored 11 consecutive points in the second quarter and finished with 13 points on five-of-six shooting. While this was a great night for the young man, it is imperative to take this game with a grain of salt. Apparently in the rotation for the remainder of the season, Barron must take advantage of this opportunity.

The Miami Heat had six players register double figures tonight. Those are great numbers for any team, but no one can deny the obvious glaring weakness the Heat have. There are needs for trades. Eight days have passed since Smush Parker became available to trade and nothing has been made. I do not know why Pat Riley expects a GM to take a player who has not played a game in two months. Riles was able to get rid of Antoine Walker because the only baggage he was carrying was some weight problems. If I was Riles, I would activate Parker. He would at least be playing for his own contract, which would give him some motivation.

Tough Enough

On December 19, all Heat fans got a saddening vision of Alonzo Mourning tearing his patella tendon in his right knee and rupturing two of his tendons in that leg. Zo's season is over and his career is likely done as well. And although his career did end on a sour note, Mourning was certainly tough enough.

Zo was initially put on a stretcher, but did not take the easy way out. He bit his lip, climbed to his feet, and limped off the court. This was certainly not the storybook ending for the career of a man's life that was remarkably saved four years ago and made one of the most memorable comebacks in NBA history. However, Zo at least left the court his way: fearless down to the last step.

On October 3, 2000, Alonzo Mourning was diagnosed with a severe kidney ailment and would have to sit out the entire ensuing season and the entire 2002-03 season. His life was saved by his cousin, whose donated kidney was a perfect match for Zo. Some may have been pleased just to get out of that ordeal alive. But it wasn't enough for Zo. He resumed his championship chase.

Mourning signed with the Miami Heat again on March 1, 2005. He helped them secure the first seed in the East and breeze through the first two rounds, especially having to fill O'Neal's size 24-shoes in the final two games of the second-round series against the Washington Wizards. In the Eastern Conference Finals, Zo's tenacious defense and leadership helped Miami win two of the first three games against the Pistons. However, the then-defending champions would then push it to a deciding Game 7. In a nail-biter in the Triple A, the Heat came up short.

Zo contemplated retirement throughout the summer, but ultimately decided to come back for a championship run. However, the Heat would start the season at a disappointing 10-10 and finished the season with a 52-30 record, respectable but hardly invincible. After making it all the way to the NBA Finals, Zo would not let his team waste an opportunity this great. After trailing big in the opening minutes of Game 6, Zo registered five blocks in the title-clinching game and finally got what he wanted: a championship.

Zo could've retired right then and there. No one would have blamed him. However, Zo never took the easy way out. Even after a dismal season of title defense, Zo still believed the Heat had a shot to go for a title. But look at the Heat now. They're 7-19, the worst in the East.

Mourning has still been touched by the poverty of Miami. His Foundation is considered by many to be a model for professional athletes, giving millions and millions to local charities. He even has been encouraged to find a cure for kindey disease. In 2005, Mourning gave his entire salary to charities to find a cure for kidney disease.

Even at the curtain call of his 15-year NBA career, Mourning delivered a lesson on the court. His knee got torn up, but beyond the anger and hopelessness, he found a way to direct the final scene. He got up.

He's always gotten up.

New Beginnings

Heya folks! If you're a big enough fan of the Miami Heat, you'll probably know me as Diego on the official Heat Message Boards. I've also kept a blog on the Heat on another web site, but I was compelled to move for a few reasons:

First, and perhaps most importantly, my old blog didn't allow readers to post their own comments. Surely, over the years, I've received emails from a few dedicated fans, and we've been able to discuss our favorite basketball team. But now, with comments, it is much easier to post a short thought that everyone can see.

Second, thanks to Blogger I can now archive old posts. This is extremely beneficial to both myself and readers who can read up on old posts of mine.

Of course, Blogger provides many other benefits, and I couldn't possibly name them all. But I'm confident that this decision is a step in the right direction.

On another note, the content of this blog will probably change from being almost entirely about the Miami Heat, to including topics about politics, and maybe even a few personal posts.

Anyways, I appreciate the continued support, and I hope you enjoy reading this blog.