In the suburbs of New York Metropolitan area in Teaneck New Jersey, Lawrence Frank was raised and graduated highschool in his home town. He knew he was destined for basketball but somehow never made it to the school’s basketball team. Playing as a player-coach for a Catholic Organization team, Lawrence developed a loved for coaching and ever since then he developed his craft until he landed as an assistant coach for the Vancouver Grizzlies.
His tenure with the Grizzlies landed him a job back to his home town New Jersey as an assistant coach to Byron Scott and the rest was history. Frank started his career with a 13-0 record which set an NBA record for most consecutive wins by a neophyte coach and not only in the NBA but for four major professional sports. Taking the New Jersey Nets to greater heights but since Jason Kidd’s departure the Nets failed to go to the playoffs and followed the 2007-08 record with an identical one in 2008-09 (34-48). Lawrence knows it will just be a few games left before his job will be declared vacant especially with some teams regularly firing coaches. This season Frank will once again make history with the Nets record at 0-16 one game away from tying the NBA’s worst start record. Frank may have something to do about it but the undermanned Nets have been an injury prone roster and aside from Devin Harris there is nothing much to say about their talent and depth. Frank will have to deal with all their weaknesses and he will have to carry the burden of having been blamed as the culprit for their disappointments. Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter are way above Devin Harris, second year center Brook Lopez, Bobby Simons, Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee. The truth is the Nets should stop hiding around the bushes and get some quality players who could really help this struggling franchise. As much as Rod Thorn the team’s president wants to keep his coach of 6 years but he just hate to see Frank labeled together with the 0-17 record and so Lawrence Frank was fired the morning before the Nets goes head to head with the NBA champions the LA Lakers.
From the suburbs of New York, Lawrence Frank is back to his hometown in Teaneck New Jersey drawing plays and having his time with his family. The pressure is off and somehow in Lawrence Frank’s mind he knows he will be back to coaching in the NBA… after all it was all destined for him.

I picked up a small stone along the way to the office. I threw the stone as high as I could and saw how it transcends above the small trees but in just a couple of seconds the stone was whirling down from the ground it made me wonder how it was to be airborne but like they say the higher you flew the harder you fall.

Marvin Sonsona became the second youngest boxer in the Philippines to be crowned a world champion but he also has the shortest reign with barely two months as a Super Flyweight champ. Still undefeated after escaping a split draw against the determined Mexican Alejandro Hernandez but no matter what the outcome is Marvin already lost his title in the scales coming to the fight two and a half pounds overweight against the 115 pound limit. He may outgrown the flyweight division in two months but still there are no excuses for failing to dispose an opponent who he thinks he will knockout in the early rounds. He said he injured his hands going to the third round then there was one lame excuse that he didn’t trained hard for that fight. He fought brilliantly in the first two rounds but when Alejandro changed shoes and got better tracking he gave Sonsona some neat lesson in boxing. As a boxer it is every fighter’s duty to tip on the scale for the contracted weight much would be expected for the defending champion. He fought mostly as a flyweight and won his belt against Jose “Carita” Lopez as a super flyweight and now he will be campaigning as a bantamweight he is still 19 years old and there is no substitute for discipline and hard work. He can train hard and get into the super flyweight limit easily because I don’t think he can take a bantamweight punch for now. I won’t put Fernando Montiel or even Gorres tormentor Melendez in front of him he would be eaten easily. Forget about all the hype and all the talks about how great you are or you are the next Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines. Those words or compliments don’t make you a better fighter but training, discipline and hard work makes you one. Marvin has still a bright future ahead of him. But I hope he remembers about the stone… the higher you throw it the harder it falls.

Playing in the NBA is not only a blessing but a fulfillment on every player’s dream. It is the Mecca of basketball, the final destination and the seventh heaven. To be an NBA player is once and lifetime opportunity. Many tried but end up playing as high as the developmental league. But here are the lists of players that not only wasted precious opportunity but wasted their God given talents. My top ten lists of NBA players who are talented but are unwanted.

Demetrius”Hook” Mitchell- Considered to be the one of the greatest player to never reach the NBA the 5-foot-9 Mitchell is a street ball legend in Oakland California. Many thought Mitchell would come out as one of the best NBA prospect with NBA stars all are overwhelmed by his skills including Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Antonio Davis, Drew Gooden and Brian Shaw but unfortunately drugs and crime hinders Mitchell from playing in the professional league.

Earl “The Goat”Manigault- What’s with these streetball legends? They are one helluva player but yet they are uncoachable. Earl could have been one of the hall of famer NBA legends but he was more of a showtime rather than pass first type of player. Drugs and addiction once again barred this street legend to play in the NBA.

Kenny Anderson- He was one of the most decorated college player helping Georgia Tech all the way to the final four in 1990. He played 16 seasons in the NBA but never lived up to his expectations but still he was one of the most sought out point guard because of his skills. When he was traded to the Raptors for Damon Stoudamire he refused to report to Toronto because he doesn’t want to play in Canada. That proved to be vital in evaluating Kenny’s game attitude. He was traded again for Boston and was waived he played in Europe and was released after 2005-06 season. He made some TV appearance but would have loved to see Kenny ended his career in a good note.

Shawn Kemp –A 6-foot-10 power forward with the athletic ability and handles of a swing man combined with the power of a center. He was called the reign man who made the Seattle Supersonics all the way to the NBA finals. He had some weight problems and was hook on cocaine and alcohol. He was once a franchise player but now he was nowhere the shadow of himself. Eventually teams waived him and Shawn is still battling his addiction.

Isaiah Rider- I could remember Isaiah crying in front of the camera asking teams to give him one more chance. But the NBA has enough of him. He was always late for practice, he was uncoachable , arrested for misdemeanors and drugs possession, quarrel with management and he was not worth the trouble to sign in. Now retired, Rider have already had multiple arrests and charges. I wonder if he has some future of being a dramatic actor.

Dennis Rodman- His in and off court misdemeanor made him a risk for teams to sign him in. Phil Jackson was successful in some ways of controlling him but it was a case to case basis. Rodman could have prolonged his career since many teams are interested on this rebounding demon but at least he is now playing abroad with some NBA legends.

Latrell spreewell- He disagreed to sign an extension for the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 3-year $21 million contract saying he has a family to feed. Famous for his slashing moves and choking his former coach PJ Carlesimo now Spreewell is facing mountains of credit card bills and unpaid taxes. He still feels he can play on the professional level but at age 39 he will be lucky if he can play even in the developmental league.

Steve Francis- Stevie “Franchise” was the face of the Houston Rockets franchise but when the NBA moves forward Steve stayed behind. Long are the days when we see a lot of isolations and one on one plays… He wasn’t effective throughout the teams he has been with. He was paid $19,814.480 without playing in a single game as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies until he was waived. If only Francis made some adjustment and stop dribbling the ball too much.

Stephon Marburry- Eating petroleum jelly won’t do you any good. He was an overpaid point guard who gives up on his team when everything doesn’t go the way he wants. He is selfish and egotistic and now he is paying the price. No team ever wanted to have him and when Boston offered him a reserved role he was below expectations and after the season ended his career also ended. He still can play but I doubt if there are teams willing to take the risk.

Allen Iverson- The former MVP who is part of the top 30-50 greatest NBA players that ever played the game and not even a single team wanted him. The Memphis Grizzlies gave Allen Iverson a contract but he wasn’t prepared to sit on the bench. He wanted out and so the Grizzlies release him. There were some talks about the New York Knicks interest on AI but they were quick to dismiss the possibility. Memphis was supposed to be AI’s new lease in life but his ego comes in the way.

21-0, that was Rodel Mayol’s record early part on his career he was destined to be a champion the road he has taken has been cleared from all the distractions that barred Rodel from a title he was more than tested having fought mostly foreign fighters and have dominated most of his fights by knockout. He was not rushed to a championship match and he was the perfect fruit that was taken rightfully when he was ripe and ready for a belt. Ernesto Rubillar fought gallantly against Mayol but failed and when it was time for Mayol to fight for a belt he went for an eliminator fight just to be fully ready against the champion Eagle Kyowa. But when it was his time to fight Kyowa the champion outpointed him by moving and boxing technically against a raging Mayol. That was his first setback and strings of losses followed after. He fought Ulises Solis for the IBF title with a short notice and had to fight with less food and a malnourished body because of promotional issues but still caught Solis with some good shots but failed to finish him in which Solis returned the favor sending Mayol to the canvass in the eighth round.
Last Saturday it was Rodel Mayol’s fifth crack of the elusive world title. His first setback gave him the experienced of fighting a technical fighter, Ulisses Solis showed him how to deal with a power puncher and the fight with Ivan Calderon wherein he salvage a draw and lost to a technical decision on their rematch gave him the experienced on how to deal with speed and footwork. It was all part of the blue print of being a champion. Unfortunately Edgar Sosa got the end of the beating. Rodel disposed Sosa with only two rounds he knew this was his last chance. He knew he can match Sosa’s speed, power and intensity if he failed to win this time then I think he might call it a career.
It took 4 losses with two of those losses by knockout for Rodel Mayol to earn a belt. There are no bed of roses the road we take and the path we chose has always has a corresponding consequence. For Rodel for every setback, for months being inactive and for all the frustrations it was all worth it because that’s what it has to take for being a true champion.

“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail”
As David Stern announced the first overall pick Brandon Jennings shrug it off like it was totally expected Blake Griffin rightfully deserved to be on top with a sure double-double performance that comes with a wide and NBA ready body. Brandon is pretty sure he will get on the top five draft pick this season but as David Stern one by one call the draft picks from 2 to 5 there was no Jennings being mentioned in fact top five belongs to Ricky Rubio the Spanish guard who isn’t expected to play in the NBA this year and had some intense moments with Brandon in the Euro league. Then there was Flynn then Stephen Curry and when everybody thought that the Knicks would pick Jennings they went for Jordan Hill a rebounder who has a great amount of untapped potential. Brandon slid down all the way to no.10 as the Milwaukee Bucks were surprised to see him go all the way down to their spot.
Brandon was the top college prospect after averaging 32.7 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game on his senior year as a member of the Oak Hill Academy in highschool but when he failed to join the University of Arizona Wildcats after failing to pass the entrance exam even on multiple attempts Brandon set his eyes in the NBA. But the NBA requires players to be at least 19 years old and so he played in Europe becoming the first player to play in Europe after highschool. It was his dream to play in the NBA and the risk paid off when the Bucks drafted him.
He created stir around the league on his youtube scandal lambasting the Newyork Knicks for not drafting him then turned his ire on two teammates saying he is way better than them.
He wasn’t reprimanded because of his unwanted rant he was called off because of his ignorant and childish comments. He was setup by a so called friend and what comes to my mind is that this kid really has balls to show off just like Kwame Brown bragging that he can be the next Jordan on his draft day maybe this is just a kid who just talk the talk but after 2 to 3 season games he can’t walk the walk.
But I was solely mistaken this kid can play and after two instance where in he was just a rebound and an assist away from a triple double I am slowly now a believer. Last November 16, Brandon Jennings scored a record-breaking 55 point outburst and became the youngest player to score 50 or more points in NBA history.
There are no impossible for Jennings… and as early as now he has achieved more than any of those top 9 draft picks have done… one by one Jennings made those teams look stupid.

He smiled while I took a picture of him in one of the malls here in Cebu. He look small and lanky on his 5-foot-4 frame but his fist was a chunk bigger than mine and while I aimed my camera on him he positioned himself on a familiar boxer pose a confident face with fist up on the air that looks like an uppercut. It was ZC Gorres fight with Roberto Carlos Leyva his first fight in the Bantamweight division when his body can no longer fit as a Super flyweight making him drained and powerless as evident on the Darchinyan fight when he salvage a Draw. Z pass his initial test scoring a TKO win in the 7th round and Z looks upbeat and confident on his new found division but good things never last I never thought that was the last time I saw Gorres as a boxer when Luis Melendez forced him to retire after knocking Gorres out with just 15 seconds left in the fight. Z had to undergo surgery to relieved pressure on his brain and has been in coma for days now. He is now in stable condition but his boxing career is now put to an end. He was only 14 years old when he joined the ALA stable fighting as an amateur raking wins after wins and was believed to be one of the most technical fighter in the Philippines today. He can go 12 full rounds without being hit he has the defensive skills and he has the right arsenal to score a win the only problem was that Z was so engrossed in developing his technical skills as an amateur he forgot to develop his power. On his 35 fights he won 31 with only 17 knockouts people are watching him not for his knockout but for his boxing prowess dismantling opponents in a methodological way. Z had two prominent fights on his career his draw against Darchinyan was very controversial when Z had some dangerous rounds when his knees are wobbly and unstable. His bout with Fernando Montiel was also controversial because Z dominated the Mexican from every angle everyone saw the fight and it was crystal clear that Gorres won that fight but instead lost to a split decision by Montiel.
Now Gorres is fighting a different fight he needs to survive with his four small children and a loving wife waiting for his return.
If only Z evaded Melendez’s knockout punch he only needs 15 seconds to put his guard up and get a ring date with Fernando Montiel. But while Gorres was relaxing putting his hands unprecedentedly down or not his usual defensive stance Melendez took advantage. It took only 15 seconds and finally the dream is over… We would never see Z Gorres fight again but there’s always life after boxing.
Keep on punching Z life is too precious to give up.

It took me hours before my eyes slid down after witnessing Manny Pacquiao’s amazing victory my heart was still pumping with adrenaline rush and when I finally settled down for a long slumber a familiar tune came up on the radio “ I don’t wanna talk about the things we’ve gone through…” and so I keep my ears glued….

Manny Pacquiao personifies the term undisputed boxer of this era by winning the WBO belt of Miguel Cotto for his 7th title in 7 different divisions it isn’t just a win but Manny do it in a convincing manner that made any nonbeliever a believer after 12 compelling rounds which Kenny Bayless had to stop the fight to save Cotto from further beating. So who’s next for Manny? The Mosley-Berto winner? Paul Williams? Juan Manuel Marquez or Edwin Valero? No matter who or what it is no denying the people wants a Floyd Mayweather fight. It was a match-up that people are clamoring for months or since Pacquiao started dominating Oscar and Hatton. After Floyd went into retirement Manny has rightfully claimed his pound per pound status by defeating the legends of the game. Team Pacquiao have been luring Floyd out of retirement and he could have taken Pacquiao’s offer but instead sign up to fight a small and flat footed lightweight in Juan Manuel Marquez. If he wanted to fight Manny he could have waited a day after Manny disposed Ricky Hatton but Floyd wanted an easy route but after Manny’s victory it was inevitable that Floyd will have to face Manny Pacquiao next year. There won’t be any excuses this time. He can talk all he wants and lambast people for their weaknesses but at the end of the day Mayweather has to fight Pacquiao in any other way. If he wants his throne back then he has to earn it if he thinks he is the best then there is only one way he could shut the critics up. This would be Manny’s most difficult fight but after taking Cotto’s punches you have to wonder if Mayweather can knock Manny out. Mayweather should make it happen and Pacquiao knows it’s their destiny in the ring. The two best fighters in the planet fighting for supremacy… and the winner takes it all.

The song came into an end… and the band Abba says it all… “But you see… The winner takes it all… the winner takes it all”… amen.

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Two days before fight night I usually give my fearless forecast in any big fights but the Cotto-Pacquiao fight I already made mine months before, even days before each fighter went to training camp. I wrote about the Pacquiao-Cotto aftermath the two what ifs (http://sportsalchemist.com/?p=409) and I wrote about each fighter sparring partners which eventually made a difference. No disrespect to Kenny Abril and Fred Tukes but the two with only a combine winning record of 16 wins is far out different from bigger and much experienced fighters such as Jose Luis Castillo, Urbano Antillon and undefeated middleweight Shawn Porter who sometimes rock Manny during hard sparring sessions. The coach spells a lot of difference and so Manny made history.
I thought if Manny wins he will have a hard fought split decision win against Cotto but the manner he slowly dismantled a legitimate Welterweight was very shock and astonishing. The early rounds saw Cotto with some great punches and quick defense against Manny. Miguel won the first round but after the feeling out round Manny took the fight all the way to the 12th round with two knockdowns in round 3 and 4. The last few rounds saw Cotto on survival mode deciding to back pedal rather than to engage against Manny’s onslaught. This is a validation for Manny’s greatness he did not only win against a legitimate and bigger fighter he won it in an astounding fashion. There are no excuses anymore of being dehydrated or tailor made fights we are not talking about an ordinary 147 pound fighter we are talking about a fighter who fought the whos who of boxing such as Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito. Manny is not only the best Asian boxer but belongs as one of the top echelon of boxing’s greatest boxers of all time.
The fans applaud Manny with some chants “We want Floyd” referring to the self proclaimed pound per pound great Floyd Mayweather Jr. A fight with Floyd will be the biggest fight in boxing in our generation but from the looks of it Floyd will just continue to duck Manny as well as other great boxers who he feels could stain his legacy. What legacy?
Manny made history grabbing his 7th championship title in 7 weight divisions a feat no other boxer has achieved. This isn’t a coincidence or pure luck this is what we call hard work and discipline and Manny epitomized all of that. Manny made history by fighting Barrera, Morales, De La Hoya, Hatton and Cotto it is pure hard work and determination and he is now reaping the fruits of his labor.
Congratulations Manny you deserved it. Bring on Floyd… “We want Floyd…We want Floyd…”