2013-2014 Washington Wizards' Success

In the 2013-14 NBA season, the Washington Wizards reached the Playoffs for the first time since 2008. But after that season, the Wizards have struggled. Since 2008-09, the Wizards became a laughingstock of the NBA. Before that, they were really good with The Big 3, which consisted of  point guard Gilbert Arenas and forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. From 2004-2008, they were Playoff contenders. Their only Championship victory was in 1978 when they were the Washington Bullets.

In the 2004-05 season, the Wizards won their first ever Playoff series as the “Wizards” as they beat the Bulls in 6 games in the 1^st round of the NBA Playoffs, but they were swept by the Miami Heat, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, 4-0 in the next round. For the next four years, they reached the postseason but never managed to get past the 1^st round.

This year, guards John Wall and Bradley Beal were on fire this season. Last season, the No. 1 pick from 2010, Wall, would have began the season playing with rookie Beal, but he had stress in his knee which kept him out until January. Before January, Beal was pretty much by himself when he did not get enough help from the other players as they started the season 0-11. But when Wall came back they started to play well. However, they were not able to make the postseason as they finished 29-53.

The next year, Wall started the regular season and the Wizards played well even though they started the season 2-9, but then started winning more games. This season, Wall averaged 19.3 points per game and 8.8 assists per game and Beal averaged 17.1 points per game.

Another key player was center Marcin Gortat, who they acquired from the Phoenix Suns when they traded Emeka Okafor. Gortat proved that he was an All-Star caliber center. Another key player was forward Trevor Ariza. He proved that he was an elite defender and a lethal three-point shooter. Randy Whitman established himself as a formidable head coach.

In February, John Wall made the Eastern Conference roster and played in the All-Star Game in New Orleans. He also participated in the Slam Dunk Contest. However, the Dunk Contest was in a new format. Rather than individual vs. individual, it was 3 players from the East vs. 3 players from the West. Luckily, the East won and Wall was crowned "Dunker of the Night." It would have been better if Wall was considered "Slam Dunk Winner." But at the end of the day, Wall still won the Slam Dunk Contest.

On April 2nd, the Wizards clinched a Playoff birth for the first time since 2008 and later clinched the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished the regular season 44-38, 2nd in the Southeast division.

The Wizards faced the 4-seeded Chicago Bulls, the team they previously beat in the Playoffs in 2005, in the 1st round. They went on to win the series against them again 4-1. Next, they faced the 1-seeded Indiana Pacers, a team that had been struggling towards the end of the season but still got the 1 seed. It looked good for the Wizards as they took Game 1 in Indianapolis. However, Indiana went on to win the next 3 games, including Game 4 where the Wizards gave up a 19-point lead at home. The Wiz went on to win Game 5, but it wasn't enough as Indiana won Game 6, eliminated Washington and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat.

Even though the season had to end with another professional D.C. sports team failing to make the conference finals, it was still a good season for the Wizards. There are some offseason decisions that the front office must do. Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza will be free agents after this season and hopefully they'll be back. WIth $16-20 million cap space, the Wizards must use this money wisely to improve next year.

But when it's all said and done, the Wizards were still able to do things they hadn't done in a long time like getingt over the .500 record hump, having an All-Star on their roster, and being tied the best road record in the Eastern Conference. It was definitely a good time to be a Wizards fan again. The league is now on notice that this Wizards team is for real and is no longer the Wizards of old.

Controversies in Sports

 

There are many controversies in sports. There were plenty of them in 2013. The scandals included Lance Armstrong admitting that he was doping in all of his Tour de France victories, the Biogenisis scandal involving various Major League Baseball players, most notably Alex Rodriguez, and New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez getting accused of murdering his friend Odin Lloyd.

These sports controversies have been crazy over the years, and they can be costly, too. Most recently, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life by the NBA for saying racist remarks about Magic Johnson in an audio tape recording. He’s been filled with controversy over the years as the owner of the Clippers, and now he’s finally gone.

There have also been other controversies involving racism, such as the Washington Redskins name being offensive because the word “Redskin” is a derogatory term for Native Americans. But owner Dan Snyder is defending the name, one thing Redskins fans DO like about him. He even enlisted a highly suspect tribal “chief” to defend the “heritage” of the Redskins moniker.

Last June, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murdering his friend Odin Lloyd, a former semi-pro football player, in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. He also faced 5 gun-related accompanying weapon charges. However, he was ruled “not guilty” in September 2013. But that’s not the only murder he has been involved with. He has been ruled a suspect in a July 2012 double murder in Boston. On May 15, 2014, he was indicted on the charges. He currently is being held without bail at the Bristol County Jail. He was released by the New England Patriots.

There have also been numerous betting scandals. For example, former baseball player Pete Rose bet on baseball in 1989. Three years after he retired, he admitted to gambling on baseball games as player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds. As a result, he was banned for life by Major League Baseball. He has also been ruled “permanently ineligible” to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tons of baseball players have cheated using performance-enhancing drugs like steroids. Players who have used it include Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, and Melky Cabrera. The Biogenisis scandal became a huge story in 2013. Alex Rodriguez was the most notable player involved. Because of this, he was suspended for 250 games (including the 2^nd half of the 2013 season and the 2014 season). However, that suspension was appealed, so arbitrator Fredric Horowitz upheld the suspension to the entire 2014 season, including the postseason.

In college, there has been question about whether student-athletes should get paid or not, as they are not allowed to. But some have tried to. They have even received improper benefits and gotten in trouble for it. For example, in 2011, the University of Miami football and men’s basketball teams were investigated for NCAA rules violations that were alleged to have taken place from 2002 to 2010, centering around improper benefits given by booster Nevin Shapiro, and were reported by employees at Yahoo Sports. Nevin Shapiro is currently in jail for running a Ponzi scheme at Miami.

It just seems like these athletes and owners can do whatever they want and get away with it. And then they end up getting arrested, suspended or banned and everything backfires.

A player can be still controversial and not get arrested. And Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is that guy. He likes to talk a lot of trash. On the field and off it. He became a household name this past January in his NFC Championship post-game interview when he called out 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree yelling, “I’M THE BEST CORNER IN THE GAME! WHEN YOU TRY ME WITH A SORRY RECEIVER LIKE CRABTREE, THAT’S THE RESULT YOU’RE GONNA GET! DON’T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT ME!” Sherman had made the play of the game when he tipped a Colin Kaepernick pass to Michael Crabtree in the end zone and linebacker Malcom Smith got the interception.

I think these players, coaches, and owners need to think about what they are doing and control themselves. That way, they can keep doing what they are supposed to do in sports. A lot of them are making tons of money. They shouldn't get too carried away by getting in trouble. 

Why Donald Sterling was not a good owner for the Clippers

On Saturday, April 26^th, 2014, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was recorded by an audio tape using racial remarks toward African-Americans, mostly toward former Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson. He basically said to his girlfriend V. Stiviano that he “does not mind her associating with black people as long as she does not bring them to Clippers games.”

It sounds like Donald Sterling didn’t just see himself as any owner, but a “slave owner.” He does not really care about black people. Not even the fact that 75% of the team is black, including star players like Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan. Blake Griffin is half-white and half-black, even though he looks white. It seems like he is fine with white shooting guard J.J. Redick on the team.

Well, now we do not have to worry because on Tuesday, April 29^th, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned 80-year-old Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million. Sterling had owned the Clippers since the 1979-80 season.

Sterling has had a history of controversy. In 1982, he was fined $10,000 by the NBA after he said he would accept the Clippers finishing in last place in order to draft an impact player like Ralph Sampson. In 1984, Sterling moved the Clippers from San Diego to L.A. However, the move was not approved by the NBA, which fined him $25 million. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination in using race as a factor in filing some of his apartment buildings. In February 2009, Sterling was sued by former longtime Clippers executive Elgin Baylor for employment discrimination on the basis of age and race.

Basketball wise, Sterling and his Clippers suffered through many lackluster seasons. They did not have a winning season until the 1991-92 season, 11 years into his ownership. In Sterling’s 33 years of owning the Clippers through 2013-14, they lost 50 or more games 22 times, 60 or more on eight occasions, and 70 games once.

Donald Sterling was, in my opinion, one of the worst sports owners ever, along with Dan Snyder, the Redskins owner. And it’s not just me saying that. Sporting News called Sterling the “worst owner in basketball for decades,” while The New York Times and Forbes called him the “worst owner in sports.” In 2009, ESPN the Magazine named the Clippers the worst team in professional sports.

The Clippers finally became a contender in the 2005-06 season, winning 47 games, with players like Elton Brand and Chris Kaman. They got better in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

But it’s not just Sterling’s ownership of the Clippers that caused controversy, it’s also his personal life. He has a wife named Rochelle “Shelly” Smith but also had two girlfriends as his wife didn’t care. Both he and his wife are scum for this.

Recently, Sterling spoke publicly for the first time since his ban from the NBA in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. He said, “I’m not racist. I made a terrible, terrible mistake.” I’m not buying it. He also said that Magic Johnson, the person he used racist remarks towards in that audio tape recording, “hasn’t done anything for the black people because he has AIDS.” Look at all the organizations that Magic has founded over the years: The Magic Johnson Foundation, Magic Johnson Enterprises, Magic Johnson Theaters, etc. He even purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team. Not only was Magic Johnson an All-Star NBA player, he is a huge businessman.

With Sterling gone, Clippers fans are happy and will not have to worry. Although, Sterling’s wife Shelly could become the full-time owner of the team. In an interview, Shelly and her lawyer, Pierce O’Donnell vowed to fight the league if it tried to force her out. But in their minds, she is collateral damage.