Professional athletes are involved in a cutthroat business. In a profession where people believe too much is guaranteed, so much is not. Marquis Daniels is one of the recent players who fell tragically to the “what have you done for me lately” mentality. In a routine regular season game in February, Daniels collided with the Magic’s Agent Zero and the famed parquee floor of the Boston Garden. After being rendered temporarily paralyzed, doctors told Marquis that he bruised his spinal cord and, on top of that, was suffering from spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal cord. After it became apparent the Celts would lose a vital piece of their championship push, Marquis was shipped to Sacramento. Most people would look at this and be appalled, but Daniels never had this thought. He was Boston’s biggest fan during their stretch run, pulling for them and a possible championship just as the Celtics were pulling for him too, visiting in the hospital during his recovery. Marquis never chose to look back though, keeping an eye instead on the future. And if you are one of the 30,000 people who follow him on Twitter, you know what we mean … LeBron James has a new strategy for this upcoming season. As well as committing to play for the USA and staying on the mainland instead of pursuing money overseas, LBJ will also be gaining the instruction of former All-Star Hakeem Olajuwon. James wants to be the best player in the world, and he believes perfecting his all-around game will do this. Just like His Airness did in the later parts of his career, LeBron will look to the post for this expansion. Who knows if he would’ve gone this route had Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard not done it before? Does it really matter? The point is that he’s doing it, and hopefully it’ll add another dimension to his still-growing game. Imagine a 6’8 260-pound guard doing the “Dream” in the low post against inferior opponents? Can you say “unstoppable?” … You know what else would make LeBron better? If the Heat signed Michael Redd (presuming Redd can still play a lil’) … According to reports, Ron Artest will soon play for the Cheshire Jets in Britain. With Kevin Durant suddenly in negotiations with a team in Turkey (actually, the same squad trying desperately to get Kobe to pair with Deron Williams), are the floodgates about to open? … Yao Ming to the Hall of Fame by NEXT YEAR? It could happen. Our first thought was how can this be? He needs to be retired for five years. Well, the Chinese Basketball Association plans to nominate their greatest player ever as a contributor to the game, which in that case makes him eligible next year. Yao probably has a better chance in this avenue anyways, so it only makes sense … NBA TV and NBA.com will present live and exclusive coverage of this year’s Hall of Fame class enshrinement, a group that includes Teresa Edwards, Artis Gilmore, Chris Mullin and Dennis Rodman. Live coverage starts with the red carpet special at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, followed immediately by the ceremonies. In the meantime, NBA TV will air Hardwood Classics throughout the week, showcasing games like Rodman’s 34-rebound night and Mullin’s 41-point playoff game against L.A. … With this exciting achievement, we all can think of the crazy antics the Worm pulled since stepping into the NBA. But, Rodman promises there will be no special behavior during his special induction. So don’t expect the man who once dressed in a wedding dress to insult the prestige of the Basketball Hall of Fame. They’ve already been notified of what he will wear, so everyone seems to be happy (or breathing a sigh of relief) for now. At least we know he won’t go naked … We’re out like Rodman’s antics.
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