So you're not good enough...?

Above is the following analysis for then Davidson combo guard Stephen Curry prior to him being drafted in the NBA. As a matter of fact, it was the first point that scared the then-GM of the Minnesota Timberwolves David Kahn from drafting him when he instead chose two point guards ahead of Curry. While Ricky Rubio has emerged as a starting guard on a potential playoff team, the other, Johnny Flynn, is out of the league. And what happened to Mr. Curry, you may ask?

Well, that last point of him relying too much on his outside jump shot is one of the reasons he is the league's reigning MVP of the World Champion Golden State Warriors. Despite the doubts cast upon him by many that last year's title was a "fluke" (I'm looking at you Doc Rivers!) Curry has continued to defy the odds and has supplanted even LeBron James in the minds of many as the best player in the NBA. That said, if you just read the scouting report on Curry coming out of college you would think that he had no chance of being successful. He wasn't even offered a scholarship at his father's alma mater Virginia Tech, but did not allow that to deter him from reaching his goals. To this day he continues to demonstrate what one can do when they don't allow the views of others to get his way.

If you thought that report was harsh, take a look at this one...

"Very disingenuous — has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup.  Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them.  Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law — does not command respect from teammates and will always struggle to win a locker room . . . Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness — is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example.  Immature and has had issues with authority.  Not dependable.” 

Now I don't know what a "fake smile" has to do with being able to read a Cover-2 defense, but what I do know is that this was the scouting report about a quarterback facing his own questions about his ability to be a championship athlete at the highest level. Unlike Curry, he came in with a history of poor decisions (throwing a stolen laptop out of a window) and people wondered if he had the mental makeup that other great players of his ilk had...

It was Cam Newton, and the report was written by Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki. While many derided the report as racially motivated, Newton has taking his tremendous talent to the next level, and is largely considered the MVP of the league up until this point. Despite the naysayers, Newton continues to defy critics and in spite of some of his end zone antics (to which I respond, if you don't want to see him dance, don't let him score!) he has emerged as the unquestionable leader of the Carolina Panthers.

Curry and Newton are just two examples of what happens when people don't allow the views of others to impact their destiny. Whether it was Walt Disney (fired from his newspaper for having "no imagination) to Meryl Streep (called "too ugly" for the role in King Kong) you can't let what others think of you to get in your way. The only limit is in your mind, and the second you decide to remove those limits, watch how our life will change. Don't let the views and reports of others to limit your purpose in life. Besides, you never know when your paths will cross with someone who also hurdled over first impressions, no matter how wrong they were. Defy the odds!

Who are our rivals?

The final weekend of November has always been a special time for sports fans. Whether it's still recovering from Mom's Thanksgiving dinner, or exhausted from waking up at midnight to fight with millions of other shoppers on Black Friday, it becomes all worth it when you are able to sit on the couch and watch your favorite collegiate team take on their hated rival in what is billed "Rivalry Weekend." Growing up in Georgia this was always a great time for football fans in the south, as we would prepare to watch the Bulldogs take on the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (or billed "The Nerds on North Avenue, but I digress), and each year the fans on both sides would revel in the opportunity to talk trash to each other, hoping to have a full year of bragging rights throughout. Even on the local levels, we used to see a lot of battles take place when the Warner Robins football squad would take on their hated rival Northside. It would lead to parking lot fights which would extend onto the gridiron. Some call it passion, I always questioned the mindset of some of these people. I remember the famous story of Harvey Updyke Jr., who poisoned the iconic Toomer's Corner at Auburn University to show his love for the Alabama Crimson Tide. This was just one example of how angry people allow simple allegiances to carry their actions.

Rivalries have existed since the dawn of time. Israelis-Palestine, Christians vs. Rome, Republicans vs. Democrats, there have always been this extreme point of view which tears away at our very fabric as human beings in our need for companionship. What has happened in today's society is a need to seek companionship on the basis that "you must always agree with my point of view, and anyone who disagrees is the enemy." My father always says to me, "you can disagree as long as you are not disagreeable." That's a big difference in how we should treat one another.

We have seen the rhetoric spill over from our sports teams into the political realm. We have allowed an agenda-based media to direct the attention from unity to black vs. white. It has corrupted our thinking to the point where family members can't even come together at the dinner table without turning into a battle of philosophical differences. The question is, do we really know our enemy?

The "Art of War" teaches that concept, that we should 'know thy enemy.' However, we believe that our enemy wears the colors of a different college, or aligns themselves with a different party affiliation, or even has a different skin pigmentation. Our enemy is one that is not of flesh, but one in spirit. It is an enemy who's primary purpose is to destroy us because he knows his time is coming to an end, and we need to recognize that instead of allowing hate to be directed toward our fellow man.

The sooner we understand that there is a true enemy out there that wants nothing more than to prevent us from reaching our destiny in God, the sooner we must submit ourselves to God in order to have the power to resist the enemy's subtle plans. Life is not a game, and the opponent that designs himself to stand in our way can, and will be beaten.

What is Power?

They say that the love of money is the root of all evil, then what is the fear of losing it? Was that the primary decision in former University of Missouri president Tim Wolfe stepping down in the wake of pressure stemming from ignoring the signs of racial tension on the campus? Whether it was the regents pressuring Wolfe to resign (which he did) because it was in danger of losing up to $1 million had the football team skipped its game on Saturday or not, the point is that change had to come. The students, and more specifically, the football players, had enough of being looked upon as nothing more than weekend gladiators who entertained the Columbia faithful. They wanted their voices to be heard and went to an extreme that forced the administration to listen.

One can debate whether or not if they had a perfect record would this protest even have taken place, the point is that there was a line that these young men felt had been crossed by the actions of a heinous few. It drove one young man to declare a hunger strike until changes were made, and more players began to chime in. It led to a campus-wide protest that led to the president's ouster. However, it wasn't just the fact that these protests have changed the face of the campus, it had demonstrated that in this day and age, taking a stand for justice is still an option.

Sports is an arena in which we cheer for our favorite teams and jeer our opponents, and once the clock hits 0:00 we are supposed to return to our reality. There comes a point and time in which the battles that athletes face isn't on the gridiron, court, or diamond, but it's in society. If nothing else all athletes should take a look at what took place in Columbia and realize that they can speak out. We've seen it in the NFL with the stand against domestic violence, and to see it on a major collegiate football power demonstrates courage and sacrifice for the greater good.

This wasn't about money, or gaining more power, but it was about making a difference at any cost.

We're all going to go through it one day...

A few years ago, while Lamar Odom was being interviewed by CBS' Ken Berger, he was asked about how he was able to overcome dealing with such adversity. Here was Odom's response to Berger:

"Jesus went through a lot," he said. "This is easy for me, you know what I'm saying? Basketball?"

"He didn't have your handle," I said.

Odom appreciated the joke, and didn't miss a beat.

"No, he didn't," he said with a smile. "No, he had his hands around the world. But we all go through a lot. We're all going to go through it one day."

Right now he's going through another difficult obstacle, and while no one knows what will happen, one thing is for sure, it's tough to see this happen to someone who has a well-known reputation for being one of the NBA's nicer guys. I've read his background of how he lost his mother at 12 and his son to sudden infant death syndrome, two years to the day after losing his grandmother, who had raised him during his early years. He persevered to become one of the league's best jack-of-all-trades players who was always in demand for his skills. 

This isn't about what took place in Nevada, or to bring condemnation on any of his previous decisions. It's about what he said in the interview. Like it or not, we are all going to have to go through it one day. The question is, what will you do when "it" happens?  The money, the skills, the accolades, none of that will help sustain you as a Christ-centered foundation rooted in God's Word. I don't know if Odom has a personal relationship with Jesus, but my prayer is that in whatever condition he's in, he will come to know Him. 

If there is one lesson to take from Lamar Odom's life, it's that being knocked down is only one part of the equation. The other part is how quickly we get back up. We are all rooting for him to get back up.

#PrayForLamar

A second chance to make a first impression...

Remember the last time someone gave you a second chance to get it right? It could be a boss, giving you a chance to re-submit that project, or the wife letting you stop sleeping on the couch after one too many nights out with the boys. Either way, you were very careful about what you said and did, desperate to change the perception, and at no time would you ever mention anything about "the incident" or give others a chance to do the same. Someone should have given that memo to Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Greg Hardy, who is set to return from a year-long suspension on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

Hardy, who was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 after registering 15 sacks with the Carolina Panthers, spent 2014 on the Commissioner's Exempt List after his ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence and throwing her on a couch covered in guns during an altercation. The charges were dismissed when the accuser did not show up for the hearing. Whether guilty or not, Hardy has developed a reputation for being one of the league's most volatile players, and his recent comments in regards to his return Sunday did little to change those views. According to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News in an interview, Hardy responded to how long it would take for him to get back into his Pro Bowl shape with: "I hope I come out guns blazing."

Like it or not, life is about perception, and right now Hardy's is one of no contrition, as if his 'Kraken' persona will be enough to make people forget about past transgressions. Does he deserve a second chance? Absolutely, but when we've been forgiven we must do whatever is necessary to make it right. Now, I don't expect him to be a Rhodes Scholar, but at the very least he should be mindful of why he spent the past 19 games away from the gridiron. He should have a conversation with Michael Vick about how to take advantage of another opportunity to live out his dream, before it's taken away from him again, this time permanently.

The sacrifices we must make...

As I've learned in my Economics class, life is all about making rational choices once we realize we can't have our cake and eat it too. Should we really buy that luxury sedan when the kids need braces? What about taking that job that may give you a 25,000 dollar up-spike in salary yet move your family across the country? Is messing with that secretary during the weekend worth ruining 20 years of a great marriage? What are you willing to give up for complete piece of mind in the short term for the big picture?

Recently New York Yankees' pitcher CC Sabathia decided to make his own rational choice when he checked himself into a rehabilitation facility for alcohol on Monday, the day before his team was scheduled to take on the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card game, which they were eliminated from as of yesterday. There were numerous reports of Sabathia showing up inebriated at the Yankee clubhouse on Friday, unable to notice reporters and asking teammates to "take a sip" of a brown liquid in a paper cup during a workout. He was then ushered out of the building and into a cab by another teammate. Other reports were that he arranged for the "magnums of champagne" that were drank in the clubhouse celebration of Alex Rodriguez's 3000th hit. He went to management and asked them for help with his alcohol problem.

This goes beyond baseball, this is about life, and credit Sabathia for doing what was best for he and his family. Would his presence have made a difference in the Yankees' quest for another title? Should it matter? He could've just waited until after the playoffs, but he focused on the long term healing and didn't allow the pressure of being there in the lights of October to get in the way. Can we honestly saw we can make the same choice? Thoughts and prayers to Sabathia that he receives the healing and peace he needs in his life, and that he overcomes an opponent that can't be beaten with a 95 mph fastball: his inner demons.

Who are our enemies?

The history of sports has been littered with feuds between athletes and the press. Whether it was former New York Met Bobby Bonilla threatening to fight a reporter outside a locker room, or the infamous Jim Rome-Jim Everett "fight" (to this day I still think that was staged) the relationships between the stars who play the sport vs. the ones who cover it to make a living has always had this various shades of grey that escalate to the surface whenever someone feels they have been misquoted, or in the case of ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, called a straight-up liar.

Now, I don't know Mr. Smith personally, but I listen to his show 'First Take' as well as his show on Mad Dog Radio Sirius XM on a daily basis. He has been known to express his statements with a wide range of emotions, whether it's on the performance of athletes or on social issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement. He doesn't shy away from saying what he feels is on his mind. However, I believe that what he said on today's episode of 'First Take' crossed a barrier from which it may be challenging to recover.

By now we've all heard the rhetoric of his report that sources close to Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant mention that at the end of this upcoming NBA season he was "considering" signing as a free agent in Los Angeles as his preferred destination, along with Miami and Washington DC. Durant responded by saying that none of his friends and family spoke to Smith, and closed it by saying he was a liar. Smith, who has had feuds with NBA stars before, most notably Stephon Marbury during his days with the New York Knicks, didn't take too kindly to what was said and responded thusly...

Let's look at this from three points of view: Durant, Smith, and then the proper way to respond. Kevin Durant has profoundly expressed his faith in Jesus Christ for years, and was lauded by many for how he carried himself on and off the court for athletic brilliance as well as being a stand-up guy. Granted, he may have been perturbed at what was mentioned, but to go out and brand Mr. Smith as 'he's lying' is to question the man's credibility, which is the foundation for his career as a journalist. It's one thing to question a statement, but what Durant said went further than that, and in essence went after the integrity of Smith's work. He is engaging himself in a battle with a presence that he just can't win, go back to what happened during All-Star Weekend earlier this year. His expletive-laced rant at the media regarding his former coach Scott Brooks' job status was not the proper way to handle the situation. If we claim Christ as the head of our lives, then our speech should not be coarse to the point where it makes non-believers question us. A simple prepared statement would've prevented this issue from escalating.

Now to Mr. Smith. There is a fine line between professionalism and personal accountability, and making a statement to challenge KD was unprofessional at worst. I know he has also in the past claimed a relationship with Christ as well, and even praised Durant's character on the show, yet he apparently has forgotten what the true term 'enemy' really means. It is described as someone who opposes your lifestyle, and while certain temptations (money, power, success) can be viewed as the opposition, our true enemy is Satan. Smith was wrong in taking this approach, and the Bible tells us to strive to live in brotherly love with one another. Durant isn't his enemy, just a person that sees things from a different point of view.

When two people disagree and claim Christ as the center of their lives, they should look to solve it internally, not through the blogosphere or on national television. It creates unnecessary divisions and worse, affects our witness. I pray that they will come together in private and resolve this manner quickly. Also, we must be careful who we call our enemies. We don't wrestle flesh and blood, and there's nothing more that our true enemy would love nothing more than to let a simple misunderstanding create a lifetime of schisms.