Lebron James the Best Player in the NBA

Lebron James has the dribbling skills of a point guard and the physical grit of a power forward. He can dunk from almost the free throw line, and also drain the threes. There are few players in that category in the NBA. Kevin basketball may be in that small list. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson would be they are retired.

He was drafted out of high school and paid 90 million basketball for a Nike shoe contract. He was one of the last great players to be drafted straight from High School since they created the 19 year old/one year in college rule.

Lebron carried his team to the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs. They lost but that is to be expected when your teammates aren't there for you. He is the main talent, he doesn't have a Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, or Tony Parker to help him. In the Eastern Conference Finals he carried his team against the Pistons. He scored 50 points in one game to keep them alive.

He has been wanting a trade to Dallas or New York, but neither deal went threw. It seems no one has enough cap room to pay for him. He would easily win a ring in Dallas or Chicago, but no such luck. He better hope he gets some better talent around him. He can ask Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett about that miserable feeling. Just look at what happened once Garnett got surrounded by stars--a championship that's what!

I mean this guy took his team to the playoffs in his third year with the Cavaliers. He was averaging 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assist in the playoffs that year. Talk about earning your money's worth.

James will get a better point guard this year in Mo Williams. Mo was averaging 17.2 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.2 steals a game last year. If he can keep those stats up and dish it to James enough, the team will be doing much better. They still have Ben Wallace on defense to scoop up the boards. They could still use a better shooting guard because Sacha Pavlovic is not very good. They could trade both draft picks for an good shooting guard like Mike Miller from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

I think the Cavaliers will get to the Eastern Conference Finals again this year. It will take a lot of grit and determination to get past the Boston Celtics, who are looking to repeat from last year.

Clarke Baldwin is a journalist who has worked for Dallas Morning News and other publications. You can find his site at Super Media Blog and this article at Lebron James the Best Player in the NBA.

Protecting Your Mouth When Wearing Braces

Although mouth protection is important at all times and even more so when involved in athletic competition, care should always be taken when wearing braces.

Mouth guards provide very important protection to the mouth when engaged in athletic competitions. Research has shown that even basketball and soccer, which are considered non-contact sports, produce a large number of facial traumas due to blunt basketball contact. The mouth guard provides protection against mouth trauma from blunt force contact by enclosing the teeth with a protective barrier that adsorbs and redirects the force. When a person is wearing braces or has had recent dental work, the risk of injury is even greater. The mouth guard offers protection not only from damage to the appliances, but also shields the soft tissue of the lips and inner mouth from contact with the braces themselves.

There are three major types of mouth guards available. The stock mouth guards are preformed and factory made. They are simply removed from the containers and placed in the mouth. Although they are by far the cheapest of all mouth guards, you do not always receive a good fit which limits their ability to provide protection. The second type is called the boil and bit. This mouth guard is warmed first and then it is fitted to your mouth. The warming makes the guard malleable and it usually conforms to the shape of your mouth to provide much a much better fit and consequently more protection, than the stock variety. Despite the name, actually boiling the mouth guard is not necessary; it simply needs to be warmed to a flexible state.

The third type of mouth guard is called the custom guard. These are made by the orthodontist or a dentist specifically for basketball individual patient. Of course, they are much more expensive than the other types, but they do provide the maximum amount of protection. Custom mouth guards are recommended for athletes engaged in any type of sport that could produce mouth trauma while wearing braces. In most cases, full participation in sports is allowable when wearing braces or retainers as long as mouth guards are always used. Remember, this would include participation in sports such as basketball, soccer, or even baseball and softball, that are not generally considered contact sports. In a contact sport like football, nothing less than a custom mouth guard should be used for maximum safety.

There are other products designed to protect the mouth while wearing braces or other orthodontic appliances. These are designed more for the prevention of sores and infections and not for protection from trauma. These include such things as dental wax and oral antiseptic rinses. In the United States, silicone has largely replaced common dental wax as a protective substance. It provides a barrier between the edges of the metal braces and the soft tissue of the mouth and gums. Other types of gels are used to provide further protection and to help keep the mouth clean and free from infections.

The most serious risk to your mouth comes from blunt force trauma that can be the unexpected side effect of engaging in sports. This is why mouth guards are recommended when playing any sport where the possibility of contact exists. When you are undergoing orthodontic treatment and wearing braces or retainers, this becomes more than a recommendation and more of a necessity. The possibility of damage to the appliances themselves is bad enough, but the damage that broken or smashed metal or ceramic braces can do to the soft tissue of the mouth is even worse. Although stock mouth guards do provide protection and boil and bite guards offer even more, custom mouth guards made by your dentist are the best when wearing braces.

Aazdak Alisimo writes for the orthodontist directory at OrthodontistWeb.com.

Winning With the Dribble

Isn't it funny how the game of basketball evolves and changes like the tide? One of the area's continuously questioned basketball the use of the dribble within the a winning basketball program. Years ago coaches could be heard telling their players to use the dribble as a safety mechanism, "Don't beat the air out of the ball" my high school coach would say. However, now the tide has changed with the invent of the attacking point guard and wing positions as established in the popular dribble drive motion offense. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dribble drive motion series, sit down and follow the Memphis Tigers through the NCAA championships. Memphis should be credited with the popularity of the offense and winning with the dribble, but motion offenses like those in popular E-books such as the 'Sting Attack' plays home to the dribbles biggest fan.

Coaches looking to gain an edge in today's hybrid basketball strategy must understand the importance of using the dribble to win basketball games. The dribble shouldn't be looked upon as the passes evil twin sister, but rather a technique if implemented well, to score points and more importantly win games. The dribble can be used in various forms to produce positive outcomes; here is my list of ways to use the dribble to win the perimeter and control the conference:

Zone breakdown. There are many ways to beat a zone defense including beating it down the floor (transition), side to side rotation (execution), screening, and the two-thirds rule. What is the two-thirds rule? If you understand the zone defense no matter what its mid-point alignment will basketball be a 2-3 scheme when the ball is on the wing, simply using the dribble to penetrate past two of the three defenders on ball side will open up a plethora scoring opportunities at the rim or assist opportunities for points.

Rim Value. I have always told my teams to attack the mid-line or hoop line as we'd refer to it with the dribble and receive a payoff from the rim. There is value in the game for those who can reach the rim. I need not say more, but I will. If you can get to the rim on the dribble you can score (isn't the name of the game to outscore you opponent). By attacking the 'hoop line' with the dribble you put players in a position to score, get fouled, or pass for points. Now that is value!

Tempo Control and Breakdown. Many of the rules governing continuity offenses such as the dribble drive motion or the offensive patterns included in Coach Mac's Continuity Offenses from Oregon Small School Programs provides coaches and players alike the chance to control the game with the dribble. Tempo control is really everything in the game of basketball. You control the tempo in your favor, and you win the game. Simple right? Not really. First you must leave old traditional values in the influential folders in your mind and understand the value of the dribble. Teams can win their share of league titles when they win with the dribble.

To find Coach McKinnis' "Coach Mac's Continuity Offenses from Oregon Small School Programs" visit http://www.coachmac-basketball.com/Mac_s_Basketball_Plays.html

Visit Coach at http://www.squidoo.com/High-School-Basketball-Offenses