Last week, highly coveted Orlando Magic free agent Hedo Turkoglu visited the Portland Trail Blazers, and apparently left the Pacific Northwest after agreeing to a 5-year, $50M deal. Or so they thought.

Over the next 48 hours, Turkoglu backed out of his verbal commitment to Portland and instead agreed upon a five-year, $53M deal with the more Euro-friendly Toronto Raptors organization. But why this sudden change of heart?

Yahoo! Sports sources believe that Hedo’s wife may be the culprit for this blatant reneging of his deal in Portland. Apparently, his wife refused to accompany the talented small forward on his recruiting trip to Portland, sending him alone to make his own decisions.

Upon hearing that he had made an agreement to sign there, she insisted that he choose to sign in a more cosmopolitan city that is littered with European diversity that will provide the couple with a bevy of Turkish shops, restaurants, and fellow inhabitants.

Can you blame a guy for exercising his right to use free agency as an opportunity to move to a city where he’d rather live for five years? No.

But you can blame a guy for agreeing to be a key cog in a team’s quest to build a contender, then backs out of a deal with his tail between his legs, all because his wife stole his manhood and forced him to go to another city (of her liking) that he didn’t even visit on a recruiting trip!?  I think the answer is yes.

It’s not a Kobe/Lebron matchup as many fans (and NBA commissioner David Stern) may have pined for, but tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic square off in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. While the Lakers may be the favorite to win the series, they did come up short against the Magic during the regular season–dropping both meetings. So who will get their first NBA title…Adam Morrison or J.J. Redick? Let’s find out as we preview the 2009 NBA Finals. (more…)

We’ve come a long way since the Dream Team of 1992. Bird and Jordan have been replaced by Bryant and James. And just because they play in the NBA doesn’t mean they’re the best. But at the Summer Games in Beijing this year, we stand a good shot at taking gold. And what better way to celebrate our chances than with super hot chicks? (Hint: There is no better way.) The game doesn’t air until 2:30am Sunday morning (Saturday night, for most of you), so we suggest you check out the cheerleaders from all the starter’s home teams and call it a day.

Check out the Cheerleaders of the US Olympic Redeem Team Players after the break! (more…)