Hasheem Thabeet never dreamed of becoming a basketball player and never did he imagined playing on the professional level but growing up in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Hasheem is always on the spotlight hovering among his peers with his 7-foot-3 height and his massive wingspan. An agent saw Thabeet competing in the East African games in Nairobi, Kenya and offered him a scholarship in the US and the rest was history.
He was the NABC defensive player of the year in 2008 and won the big East player of the year with DeJuan Blair in 2009 those accolades landed Thabeet the 2009 second overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. Many questioned the Memphis selection considering there are a lot of potential talents among the draft. Thabeet is such a raw player who doesn’t have the offensive arsenal compared to Blake Griffin, Jordan Hill or even DeJuan Blair he can rebound and block the ball well but still he is an unfinished project. Why would the Grizzlies pick Thabeet when they have a number of centers in their roster namely the 7-foot-1 starting center Marc Gasol, Steven Hunter (7-0) and second year center Hamed Haddadi (7-2), Thabeet who is the tallest player on the draft is hard to pass on he was a gamble and the Memphis are hoping there risk will pay off.
Thabeet intimidates driving players and can block with his outstretch arms but he was a foot slower to his counterparts and had limited offense. Haddadi is a much well rounded player and Hasheem who suffered a fractured jaw last November has to spend most of his time in the bench. He reminds me more of Dikembe Motumbo who is a solid defender but had only few offensive moves.
The Grizzlies decided to place Hasheem to the NBA developmental league this Feb. 25. It was a brave move by Memphis sending their no.2 overall pick to the NBDL. He needs to grow and play to his full potential and he could never do that in the bench.
Hasheem will eventually be back with the Grizzlies it’s just hard not to become aware of a 7-foot-3 center who has unlimited untapped potential. He might be a stone but he is a diamond in the making.

Juan Vasquez wanted his son Wilfredo to be a boxer but it took him 18 years before starting to lace up the boxing gloves. Juan never saw his son soar to greatness as he died two weeks after Wilfredo started training. Wilfredo Vasquez retired with a record of 56 wins 41 by KO with only 9 losses, 2 draws and 1 no contest and won championships in three divisional weights in the Bantam, Super Bantam and Featherweight divisions.
Wilfredo Jr. Wanted to be like his father while growing up. He drop law studies for boxing and wanted to pursue the sport his father is known for. But the road was not laid with a bed of roses for Wilfredo Jr. He fought mostly in the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico before he was given a chance to fight for a world title.
This February 28 will be Jr.’s first ever title fight for the vacant WBO superbantamweight title against Marvin Sonsona; the same fighter who dethroned fellow Puerto Rican Jose Carita Lopez in Ontario Canada. Wilfredo Jr. Knows this is his time and this is his moment to make history. Sonsona is not an easy fight and the Filipino who emulates Nonito Donaire Jr’s style and movement packs a powerful punch that could really knock anybody down. But Sonsona who fights as a flyweight move up three division up in a span of 9 months taking Lopez’s crown along the way is a stranger in the 122lb division compared to Vasquez who fought most of his career as a super bantam even moving up to 128lbs. When he fought Juan Camacho. Sonsona who is only 19 years old is gunning for history wanting to become the youngest Filipino to win two world titles in two different weight divisions while Vasquez is aiming for his first ever title right infront of his own people and his Father’s appreciation… There are no guarantees, this is anybody’s ball game… but for sure this would be fireworks in the making…
Wilfredo Sr. Would be very proud to see his own son fight for a world he could have done it when his father was still alive…but no matter what the outcome Juan Vasquez would definitely be all smiles in heaven.

2005 was Zydrunas Ilgauskas year when he played in the All-stars and have missed just 9 games throughout the season after being in and out of the Cavaliers roster for most of his career due to injuries on top of all that he was offered a $55 million 5 year contract to extend his stay in Cleveland. Z has been with the Cavaliers since they drafted him in 1996 as the 20th overall pick. He had been with them when they are riding a 66-16 in the 08-09 season and he played all 81 games when they are in the bottom standing 17-65 in the 02-03 season. 5 years later Z has been limited to a backup center with the signing of Shaquille O’neal his minutes became limited and his foot injuries are starting to take its toll. He still commands double teams but his offense are not needed when they have Lebron James, Anthony Parker, Mo Williams and Shaquille O’neal. Z got traded to the Wizards in a six-player trade involving three teams sending Jamison to the Cavaliers, Al thornton to the Wizards, Drew Gooden to the Clippers and Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland. Z will not be playing with the Wizards and will be waiting for the 30-day grace period before the Cavaliers would sign him back but any teams can sign him once his contract is bought.
The Atlanta Hawks showed interest in signing the 7-foot-3 Lithuanian this season. Z is a perfect fit on the Hawks roster aside from not having 7-footers in the line up they need someone who is a good post up player and can shoot the perimeter. He can really help the Hawks deep in the playoffs with Horford in the power forward position and Josh Smith going down to small forward. Z still wants to play with the sure shot Cavaliers who is on the top standings right now and could go down all the way to the finals with a lot of firepower on their roster but he will have to spend more minutes in the bench playing as a backup center for the 37 year old O’neal. The Hawks can give Z the minutes he wants, he can demand the amount of money he needs to be signed and most of all he would be the focal offense on the Hawks roster. He could play with the Cavaliers for one last time for glory or with the Hawks guiding young athletes to their top potential.
It’s been almost 5 years since Z got a fat $55 million contract and an All-star…Maybe this time would be some reminiscin of that year… Z deserves it.

The 32nd President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt said “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
Amidst all the calling and pressure to retire; Gerry Penalosa remained mum about his future. He still has a lot of things to prove and a lot of gas left on the tank. The 37 year old Gerry fought Eric Morel last February 13 for Pinoy Power 3/ Latin Fury 13 in Hilton Las Vegas. The taller Morel gave Gerry some problems in the early rounds but as soon as Gerry settled down and found his range Morel was back pedalling most of the time as the seasoned veteran hound Morel’s body with vicious body shots around the ribs and kidneys. The blood that flowed around Gerry’s face look really serious after a series of accidental head butts but that did not deter Gerry in giving Morel a good fight. Gerry has been in that situation most of his championship fights he had been to a lot of questionable decisions twice to In-Joo Cho and then to Masamori Tokuyama which prompted Gerry to prematurely retire after series of heart aches. He wasn’t afraid to trade blows with Morel he has traded leathers with far more superior and heavier than him. He fought Daniel Ponce De Leon to 12 full rounds and withstand Juan Manuel Lopez’s onslaught for 10 rounds before Freddie Roach wave the fight off. Gerry knows this is not the time to give up and as Morel comes forward he greets him with one-two combination hitting Morel in the body and head with ”gusto”. It was clear that the fight was very close and that Gerry has done what he had to do to earn the judges nod. As the bell sounded in the last and final round both fighters raised their hands as they anticipate victory. The judges gave the win to Morel and Gerry once again suffered another heartbreaking loss with one judge giving Morel 4 rounds. It wasn’t how Gerry wants to end his career he has been on that road for such a long time and there was no justice given to him…
Gerry started doing some light exercises doing some running and managing his own boxing gym in the Philippines. It has been like that for most of his life and i don’t know how much heartaches could a 37 year old boxer could endure…
Gerry still can fight and he has always been in shape… He deserves to retire as a champion and he deserves a one last shot for glory…President Roosevelt couldn’t say it any better.. All Gerry got to do is to tie the knot and hang on.

Nearing trade deadline the Houston Rockets are trying to make a deal out of Tracy Mcgrady and his fat $23,239,561 contract. The Knicks acquired Mcgrady and Sacramento guard Sergio Rodriguez; Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries went to Sacramento while shooting guard Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong went to the Rockets completing a three-way trade right before the trade deadline.
The trade will put the Knicks as one of the top contender to land two key free agents this summer having to save more than $30 million below salary cap. They have a good chance of landing Lebron James together with Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh after Mcgrady’s contract ends in July 1 as well as Al Harrington’s $10 Million and Chris Duhon’s $6 Million contract. The Knicks are also trading Nate Robinson’s $4 million contract for Eddie House, Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens from the Boston Celtics with both House and Giddens going unrestricted free agents next year. Mcgrady can be resigned by the Knicks depending on his performance this season but they will be offering a much smaller salary. While the Rockets are getting a solid and consistent shooting guard in Kevin Martin giving Trevor Ariza his old position while playing with the Lakers as a defensive and scoring small forward.
The trade benefited all the teams involved with the Knicks clearing salary cap, the Rockets finding a consistent shooting guard and the Kings putting the right pieces to the puzzle for next season.
All eyes would be on Tracy Mcgrady this season. Many believed that Tracy is playing a chip on his shoulders. He was always the assumed scoring leader while he was in the Orlando Magic. He was the designated clutch shooter while he was in Houston and with series of injuries the people somehow lost faith in him. Houston learn to move on without Mcgrady and been winning games even taking the Lakers to a scary game 7. Tracy tried to fit in to the team but realized he was becoming the unwanted guest on the Rockets chemistry. This time with the Knicks he wouldn’t have to carry those chips that he had been carrying all career long. This isn’t his team anymore, he doesn’t have to produce bigger numbers or shoot unlikely shots. He will be playing with a team who doesn’t require isolation plays and most of all a team who has less expectations of him. The Knicks are looking beyond this season they are unloading those fat contracts starting with Larry Hughes $13 million and then Mcgrady’s.
Tracy Mcgrady is happy to be playing and without excess baggage. There is only one thing to fit in Mike D Antoni’s system… Run… run Tracy run…

Shane Mosley won against Antonio Margarito by a spectacular fashion. He was basically an underdog going to the fight and dominated Margarito onward to a round nine TKO win right in front of the cheering crowd in Staples Center. His reward was one year and four months layoff. Nobody wants to fight Mosley. He was always the runner up for big fights and his name is always mentioned for failed negotiations but there was never a contract always the bridesmaid never been the bride. This is the downside of being the best so here are my lists of the top 5 high risks low reward boxers or the most avoided boxers of today.
5. Ali Funeka
- “Rush Hour” Funeka is a genetic anomaly with a 6-foot-1 height that fights in the 135 lb. division or the lightweight division. He knocked out the prima donna Zahir Raheem in round 4 and had two controversial decisions against Nate Campbell and Joan Guzman in his last two fights which for me Funeka won those fights. Ali is going to have a rematch with Joan Guzman this March 27 for the IBF title. This time my money will be on Funeka you can’t be wrong if you have a 4 inch height and a 5 inch reach advantage.
4. Nonito Donaire Jr.
-Vic Darchinyan was dominating everybody until he was stop cold by Nonito Donaire Jr. He wanted to unify the flyweight titles but his Japanese counterparts fell in deaf ears. After dominating Luis Maldonado, Nonito had been in a long layoff for almost a year before he defended his title. If not a rematch with Darchinyan the only logical thing to do is to go up and fight challenging fights in the Bantamweight division. How about a ring date with Fernando Montiel?
3. Edwin Valero
- His perfect KO ratio is one factor but Edwin Valero has more to offer. He was criticized before for his lack of legitimate opponents but his win against Demarco not only put a dot but an exclamation point on Valero’s greatness. He is the exact definition of a high risk low reward fighter. He will go up north at 140 pounds and I don’t hear any of the 140lb fighters calling up his name with the exception of a game Timothy Bradley. A fight with Juan Diaz is on negotiations. That would be fireworks in the making.
2 Timothy Bradley
-He was a clear underdog when he fought Junior Witter but he dominated Witter right on his own turf and brought home the WBC light Welterweight title. He defended his title against Edner Cherry and grab Kendall Holt’s WBO title along the way. He schooled the undefeated Lamont Peterson in his last outing and now nobody wants a piece of Bradley. If Paulie Malignaggi, Devon Alexander and Amir Khan want to be the best then fight the best fighter in the light welterweight division. Timothy Bradley rightfully holds that title.
1. Paul Williams
- The fight between Sergio Martinez was very exciting after both boxers traded knockdowns in the 1st round. The 6-foot-1 Williams had a scary 82 inch reach who could dominate any fighter with his jabs. He was supposed to fight Kelly Pavlik but Pavlik got injured. The terrifying part would be is that Williams is contemplating in competing in the Welterweight division going down from light middleweight shedding 10 pounds to compete against Pacquiao, Clottey, Mayweather and Mosley. But I don’t think any of those four wants to fight him. A fight with Pavlik would be good for Williams or a rematch with Martinez is even better.

Shane Mosley won against Antonio Margarito by a spectacular fashion. He was basically an underdog going to the fight and dominated Margarito onward to a round nine TKO win right in front of the cheering crowd in Staples Center. His reward was one year and four months layoff. Nobody wants to fight Mosley. He was always the runner up for big fights and his name is always mentioned for failed negotiations but there was never a contract always the bridesmaid never been the bride. This is the downside of being the best so here are my lists of the top 5 high risks low reward boxers or the most avoided boxers of today.
5. Ali Funeka
- “Rush Hour” Funeka is a genetic anomaly with a 6-foot-1 height that fights in the 135 lb. division or the lightweight division. He knocked out the prima donna Zahir Raheem in round 4 and had two controversial decisions against Nate Campbell and Joan Guzman in his last two fights which for me Funeka won those fights. Ali is going to have a rematch with Joan Guzman this March 27 for the IBF title. This time my money will be on Funeka you can’t be wrong if you have a 4 inch height and a 5 inch reach advantage.
4. Nonito Donaire Jr.
-Vic Darchinyan was dominating everybody until he was stop cold by Nonito Donaire Jr. He wanted to unify the flyweight titles but his Japanese counterparts fell in deaf ears. After dominating Luis Maldonado, Nonito had been in a long layoff for almost a year before he defended his title. If not a rematch with Darchinyan the only logical thing to do is to go up and fight challenging fights in the Bantamweight division. How about a ring date with Fernando Montiel?
3. Edwin Valero
- His perfect KO ratio is one factor but Edwin Valero has more to offer. He was criticized before for his lack of legitimate opponents but his win against Demarco not only put a dot but an exclamation point on Valero’s greatness. He is the exact definition of a high risk low reward fighter. He will go up north at 140 pounds and I don’t hear any of the 140lb fighters calling up his name with the exception of a game Timothy Bradley. A fight with Juan Diaz is on negotiations. That would be fireworks in the making.
4. Timothy Bradley
-He was a clear underdog when he fought Junior Witter but he dominated Witter right on his own turf and brought home the WBC light Welterweight title. He defended his title against Edner Cherry and grab Kendall Holt’s WBO title along the way. He schooled the undefeated Lamont Peterson in his last outing and now nobody wants a piece of Bradley. If Paulie Malignaggi, Devon Alexander and Amir Khan want to be the best then fight the best fighter in the light welterweight division. Timothy Bradley rightfully holds that title.
5. Paul Williams
- The fight between Sergio Martinez was very exciting after both boxers traded knockdowns in the 1st round. The 6-foot-1 Williams had a scary 82 inch reach who could dominate any fighter with his jabs. He was supposed to fight Kelly Pavlik but Pavlik got injured. The terrifying part would be is that Williams is contemplating in competing in the Welterweight division going down from light middleweight shedding 10 pounds to compete against Pacquiao, Clottey, Mayweather and Mosley. But I don’t think any of those four wants to fight him. A fight with Pavlik would be good for Williams or a rematch with Martinez is even better.

Marcus Camby will have to finish the remaining games this season in Portland after being traded by the Clippers for Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and some cash considerations. It was a senseless trade with Camby one of the best defensive player on the team for a backup point guard in Blake and an injured Outlaw who likely will not play for the remainder of the season. Portland needs a Marcus Camby after Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla got injured he will team up with former power-forward turned center Juwan Howard which will give the Blazers a big boost on the defensive side. Camby is a former defensive player of the year and a two time NBA-all defensive team member which give the Blazers a shot blocking presence and a decent perimeter shooting. Travis Outlaw played just 11 games this season broke his left foot and was a key reserve for the Blazers since Portland drafted him in 2003 but with the emergence of Forwards Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum and Martel Webster he was the odd man out and will likely spend more time in the bench healthy or not. Steve Blake is a good backup point guard and even took the starting role before Andre Miller stole his starting position. The 6th year veteran who will turn 30 this 26 is likely to find more time in the bench because the Blazers opted to use more of their 2008 1st round pick Jerryd Bayless who is showing some good potentials. With respect to both Blake and Outlaw the Clippers traded the no.6 shot blocker in the league for role players who had limited playing time or in the case of Outlaw none at all it was like trading a dollar for a penny. There was no future draft picks involved just expiring contracts and some $3 million cash. Portland got what they wanted and for the Clippers it’s still mind boggling.
Donald Sterling had only one intention to save as money as much as he can for his depleted franchise. It’s starting to make sense now trading Camby who makes $7.6 million this year for Blake and Outlaw’s combine expiring contract for $8.9 million. Blake has a possibility to be back as a Clippers next year and Outlaw would be shopping for teams who might used his versatility so granting they will resign Blake for his current salary the Clippers will still have $6 million to gain. The bad thing about NBA these days is that it’s beginning to be more like business than basketball… Next stop the 6-foot-8 forward Al Thornton.

Ciso Morales went down all the way to the bantamweight level to fight Fernando Montiel and taste the consequence.. It took only one round to stop him with a precise body shot to the gut that sprawled Morales to the ground in pain…Moral lesson is to fight your natural weight instead of draining yourself down.. Watch the fight in High definition.. Click the image to download…

Pinoy Power 3 / Latin Fury 13 featured five Filipinos against their Latino counterparts. It’s a big event but definitely not a pay per view value promotion. It could have garnered more views if it was shown for free with people don’t want to spend their hard earned money for matches that don’t strike interest to the public. It could have been great to see Nonito Donaire against equally talented Fernando Montiel but instead they fought with different opponents who look more like sacrificial lambs. Mark Melligen started the affair against the undefeated Raymond Gatica. The same Melligen who fought 2 months ago on the same card with fellow boxer Z Gorres who was taken to the hospital after collapsing in the ring. He was unfocused and eventually lost to Michel Rosales via a split decision but last Saturday Mark was all business sending Gatica to the canvass and the fight was eventually stop by Kenny Bayless in round 6 of the scheduled 8 round duel.
The Bernabe Concepcion featherweight duel against Puerto Rican Mario Santiago was one of the most exciting fight of the night. Both fighters fought Steven Luevano to a draw but Santiago fought the intelligent fight compared to Concepcion’s disqualification. Concepcion started the fight bombing away hard rights to Santiago… He had good defense and in and out movement. Concepcion knocked Santiago out in the 6th round but failed to dispose the sturdy Puerto Rican. Santiago came back in the later rounds but it was a case of too little too late. Concepcion won the fight and will face the formidable Juan Manuel Lopez as his prize for winning. Manny Pacquiao, Concepcion’s manager said he will personally supervise Bernabe’s training for his fight with Juanma. I still have doubts in Concepcion’s chances but having Pacquiao in the corner definitely gives him a big boost.
It was a sad fairy tale ending for Gerry Peñalosa’s boxing career as he failed to get the judges nod after 12 full rounds exchanging blows with Eric Morel. Morel who uses his head literally was taller and bigger than Penalosa was quick and had good lateral movements was blazing Gerry on the opening bell but as soon as Gerry’s punches found its range Morel was running and holding Gerry. His one two combination is greeted with precise body punching that hurt Morel. I thought Gerry had done enough to win the fight but the judges saw it differently awarding Morel with a split decision win. Maybe the fight with Juanma took its toll on Gerry I do believed it’s time to hang up his gloves he has nothing to be ashamed of he gave us one helluva fight.
Ciso Morales is a natural super bantamweight fighter and had to go down all the way to 118 just to fight Fernando Montiel’s title. I would have given Morales a slight chance to upset Montiel but news going to the fight is that Morales is having a hard time to get to the 118 pound limit. With barely two weeks before the fight he only had soda crackers to eat having a hard time to sweat the excess pounds in the cold weather which resulted to a cracker diet. It is reasonable to go up to your comfortable weight than going down draining your body squeezing it to a much lower division. It took only one liver shot for Montiel to stop Morales and the young 22 year old boxer learned his lessons the hard way.
The main card was supposed to be Nonito Donaire Jr. against Gerson Guerrero but after Gerson failed his medical test he was replaced by Manuel “Chango” Vargas who was scheduled to fight on the same day in Mexico. It was Vargas’s big break but the only problem would be is that Vargas who recently fought Donnie Nietes is campaigning in the minimum weight division which is the 105 lbs. He had to move up 10 lbs. heavier to fight a taller and bigger Donaire who had a hard time fitting his body to the 115lb. limit. It was clearly evident of the size disparity when the two met in the ring it was not only a mismatch but it was disaster in the making. Donaire ended Vargas’s misery with a left uppercut angling Vargas chin. There was no way a former 105lb. fighter could withstand a 125lb hydrated fighter’s power.
The Filipino’s won against the Latinos with a 3-2 standing but other than the close standings there isn’t much excitement on the fights.
Thanks for Morel-Penalosa and Concepcion-Santiago fights for making Pinoy Power 3/ Latin Fury 13 an average fight promotion if not for them it would be an utterly mismatch.