AGRI Biz

"There is always some specific moment when we become aware that our youth is gone; but, years after, we know it was much later." -Mignon McLaughlin That quote makes you wonder what's going on inside the head of Steve Nash, who, at 36, continues to play basketball at a high level despite being one of the NBA's old guys. Only nine players in the entire league are older than Nash. ...

"The Summer of LeBron" kicks off just 60 days from now, on July 1st, when NBA teams are allowed to start contract negotiations with free-agent players. The depth and quality of the 2010 star-studded free-agent class is well known and has dominated discussion in the basketball world for the past eight months. Will LeBron James stay in Cleveland? Will Chris Bosh join Dwayne Wade in Miami? Will Dirk Nowitzki walk ...

Judging by the number of shots Kobe Bryant fired Thursday night, one has to wonder if he knows if OKC stands for Oklahoma City and not OK Corral. Bryant took 29 shots, including 11 three-point attempts, in what resulted in a 101-96 Lakers loss to the Thunder. His attempts from downtown were just one short of matching Pau Gasol, who at 12 shots, put up the second-most attempts on the team. Therein ...

In 2001, the diminutive Tyronn Lue was a rarely used, backup point guard out of Nebraska who had amassed just 802 minutes of NBA court time in his first three regular seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lue continued to be a nobody through the first three rounds of the playoffs, in which he averaged just 5.8 minutes of action over 10 games. The Lakers would win all those games, sweeping ...

Ask any NBA basketball fan who isn't painting "Rip City" on his bald head this instant what he believes will come of the Blazers-Suns first round matchup, and most likely you'll hear some variation of the following response: "Brandon Roy isn't playing; forget it, the series is over." But the games haven't even started yet and... "I don't care what you have to say; without Roy, the Suns will sweep." Damn. And here ...

The deadline to declare for 2010 NBA Draft is still 12 days away and almost every potential first round pick has already thrown his hat in the ring, including seven underclassmen from Kansas and Kentucky programs that combined to go 68-6 this past season. Seven underclassmen from two schools. Five of them are freshmen. All of them could go within the top 20 picks. But where will they each end ...

His team currently has the best record in the NBA and appears to be the front-runner to win the championship. He's averaging 29.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.6 assists, and shooting over 50 percent from the field. He's the face of the NBA and the single most important athlete in America. And yet, LeBron James is no lock to win the Most Valuable Player award. Sad, isn't it? Unfortunately, the sportswriters who get to vote for ...

Sharman and the "Houdini of Hardwood." "Stumpy" and "Mr. Clutch." "Clyde" and "Black Jesus." All legendary, All-World, Hall of Fame, Championship-winning backcourt duos. The best ever? All in the discussion, no doubt. However, since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, there has been no guard tandem more talented, skilled or effective than Isiah and Joe. Unlike the greats who came before them, Thomas and Dumars did more with less. Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy had ...

It wasn't even a year ago when frenzied fans started talking about this summer's NBA free agent class as if it were Y2K or the pending apocalypse of 2012. "The Summer of LeBron is coming!" "The Summer of LeBron is coming!" "The Summer of LeBron is coming!" And with that, fans would reel off the names of potentially available players like 16-year-old girls who had just experienced their first discount shopping outlet. Like, Oh my ...