Thought #1

Life is filled with moments where reality sets in and you realize something needs to happen, something needs to change. Take that day you realize you're going to be reduced to wearing your swim trunks for underwear again, that day you realize it's time to do laundry. Or what about day three of vacation when it hits you that swimming in the ocean can only substitute as a shower for so long before creatures start living in your hair. Yeah, every now and then it hits you that somethings got to change.

That's about the way I felt reading that J.J. Redick was going to make $19 million over the next three years for the Orlando Magic. Now, nothing against the guy, and I know plenty of guys are banking more than that in the league, but really? J.J. Redick is going to make 19 million bucks? That's more milions than minutes J.J. has averaged off the bench in his career (17) and almost 10 million more than his points per game last season. (9.6)

And that's the reality of the NBA today. Guys getting paid millions to sit on the bench and watch the same game the fan paid $50 to watch from the upper deck. Oh the irony.

Thought #2

Add Penny Hardaway's name to the list of guys who want to hop on the Miami Heat train, hoping they can hold on to a spot long enough to get a championship ring. Penny has made it public knowledge that he thinks he can contribute the the Heat this coming season, even at the age of 39 and even though he hasn't seen the court since 2008.

Now before Miami blows off the veteran, realizing they could no doubt pick up several other better players at the local Y, they need to consider what Penny brings with him that no other baller can. Of course I'm talking about sweet sweet Lil' Penny commercials. Never before and very likely never again will the world of professional basketball have a better ambassador to the world of puppets than Lil' Penny. Sure LeBron and Kobe have tried, but they got nothing on Lil' Penny. After all, he did go to school with KG. Word is they were in the science club together.

Penny may not be worth bringing out of retirement, but Lil' Penny defiantly is and is long over due.

Thought #3

Anytime you buy something at a yard sale it is kind of unsaid but yet understood rule that each object has a history, which you are buying along with the object. Hence why you should never buy underwear at a yard sale.

Vaneisha Robinson is learning this rule of yard sales the hard way. Vaneisha, who is 19, claims she bought a LeBron James pendent at a yard sale four years ago for 5 bucks. Maverick Carter, James' boy, claims that same pendent was stolen from him. After appearing on TV with the pendent Vaneisha says she was contacted by Carter's people, who pretended to be interesting in buying it and invited her over to their house. She then claims they went eleventh grade bully on her, forcing her to give up the jewelry.

Now I'm not sure which part of this whole deal is more unbelievable; the fact that Maverick Carter's 8 member gang would bully a girl into giving up the jewelry or the idea that a 15-year-old girl was hanging out at a yard sale. I mean seriously, do you ever see anyone under the age of 50 walking around those things checking out ugly lamps and sifting through Kenny Rogers tapes?

Like I said, when you buy items at a yard sale, you are buying whatever baggage they have as well. Unfortunately for Vaneisha she didn't know LeBron jewelry comes with a side of Maverick Carter and he's bullying friends.

Oh, Vaneisha is also an amateur boxer. That really has nothing to do with this, it just adds to the bizarre nature of the whole story and makes me picture her sifting through those Kenny Rogers tapes while wearing boxing gloves.