Like A Bad Bag of Dope (Sports)

When we talk about a “bad bag of dope” we are not talking about players on dope (other than maybe Steve Francis & Shawn Kemp), but about players who disappeared or simply fell off the face of the earth or as we like to say “Fell off like a bad bag of dope”.
Sheldon Williams
Sheldon Williams – How your wife going to be the best baller in your house? If anybody remembers, Sheldon Williams was the 5th pick in the draft ahead of players like Rudy Gay, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo, and even his own college teammate J.J. Reddick. It seems like one year Williams was in the league and the next thing you know he’s gone from the league. Hey, at least he pulled Candace Parker…
Steve Francis
Steve Francis – Talk about a bad bag of dope. Back in the early 2000s “The Franchise” was a league-wide favorite. With flashy crossovers, high flying dunks, and streaky jumper it’s easy to see why Francis was looked at as “The Franchise”. After his first season in Orlando it went all down hill from there. First they traded his best friend Cuttino Mobley to the Kings, from there he became disgruntle and was on a downward spiral. He was paid by the Trailblazers to simply get away from them.
LeBron_vs_Jarvis_Hayes
Jarvis Hayes – Jarvis was actually in the same draft as Lebron, Carmelo, D-Wade, Bosh, and others. Jarvis started off pretty solid and was a pretty decent role player for Washington. It seems like he got injured and went to Detroit and from there his career withered away to point of no one ever mentioning his name again. You’d think he was signed by the Raiders.
joe-alexander
Joe Alexander – Talk about dropping the ball.  Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert, JaVale McGee, J.J. Hickson, Ryan Anderson, Serge Ibaka, & Nicolas Batum were all drafted after Joe Alexander. What’s crazy there are at least 15 players who were drafted after him who are currently solid role players in the league. His career averages is pretty much 4 points a game with 2 rebounds. Talk about a wasted pick…
May, McCants, Williams, Felton
Rashad McCants & Sean May – After a successful run in the NCAA tournament and winning it all while putting up solid numbers both Rashad McCants & Sean May were drafted in the 2005 NBA draft where they went  13 & 14 in the first round. May struggle with injuries and conditioning while McCants had a real solid third season, but had trouble repeating success.  Today neither one of them are in the league.

Adrien Broner: Boxing's Next Big Star?

BRONER-IN-RING-BRUSH
Flamboyant. Flashy.  Cocky. Arrogant. Exciting. These are just a few words to describe Adrien Broner. For those of you who don’t know Adrien Broner is  a 23 year old champion who’s held belts already in 3 different weight classes. In Adrien’s last fight he won in split decision against  welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Throughout the fight you could see Broner telling Malignaggi “You can’t hit me!” and shaking off whatever punches Malignaggi threw at him. It wasn’t just Broner’s in-ring tactics that got people’s attention. Throughout the promotional press conferences Broner & Malignaggi went back and forth including Broner stating claim that he slept with Malignaggi’s girl (or side piece according to Paulie).

Of course with the trash talking, money flashing, defensive shell of a fighting style AND being a young black male he has already been compared to Floyd Mayweather.  The only thing is that Broner is an offensive minded boxer who has good  defense compared to Floyd who seems to be in the business of defense first, then look for the knockout. This might actually be beneficial for Broner’s pockets because people love action and Broner brings plenty of that to the ring.
The comparisons really come to play outside the ring with the lavish lifestyle Broner lives. With his extravagant approach to the ring, large entourage, and his love for stun’n on camera you can see why he might get the Mayweather comparison.  Some people will  hate him and will portray him as a villain, while some (especially in the black community) will see him as a fan favorite. This  balance will allow for him to pull in great pay-per-view numbers.  Some will pay in hopes of seeing him get knocked out, while some will root him on to victory in hopes that he stays undefeated throughout his career. You can’t deny the entertainment level of his fights.

While some argue about the quality of opponents he’s faced he’s still only 23 years old with plenty room to grow. Between the 135 to 147 weight classes Broner has plenty of opposition to fight against. With him understanding the importance of a strong defensive base, solid punching power, and hopefully a similar work ethic like big brother Mayweather Broner can easily be one (if not the best) of the best boxers in the upcoming years.
Broner is also the CEO of the music label “Band Camp” which we will cover in the future.