The Brooklyn Nets named recently retired Jason Kidd as their new head coach. The Nets met with Brian Shaw for 5 hours before choosing Kidd to be their head coach. Kidd convinced Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and his advisers that he is ready to jump directly into the lead seat on an NBA bench despite the fact that he has no prior coaching experience. The move reunites Kidd with the franchise he led to consecutive NBA Finals in 2002 and 03, when the Nets played in New Jersey. He spent 6 ½ seasons with the Nets, averaging 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. Kidd sold the Nets general manager Billy King on the idea that the presence of former Nets and Detroit Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank can provide him with a lead assistant who can help him compensate for his own lack of head coaching experience. One of the main draws to Kidd is the effect he has on Nets point guard Deron Williams. Kidd and Williams are close friends, with Kidd somewhat in the big brother role. The Nets believe that if Williams is engaged and playing his best, many of their problems are solved and the Nets are a far better team. With Kidd at the helm, they believe Williams will play at his optimum level.

I like this move by both Jason Kidd and the Brooklyn Nets. Kidd is a future Hall of Famer and looks like he will be a natural coach. Kidd gets to take over a team that made the playoffs and he does not have to start his coaching career with a rebuilding team. Kidd will be a good motivator for Deron Williams and will bring some excitement for the Nets fans. It will be weird to see Kidd just as a coach on the bench and not suiting up and getting in the game. The Nets like to go after the big names and their owner likes to spend big. Hiring Kidd as their head coach was a great move and if Kidd turns out to be a great coach, it would look like the perfect situation. The Nets have to make sure they surround Kidd with a great coaching staff so Kidd can get all the knowledge he can get. With Kidd as the Nets new coach I can see them being a place where players and free agents will like to come. The Golden State Warriors took a chance and gave Mark Jackson his 1st coaching job even without him having any head coaching experience as well. So I think this can work out for Kidd and the Nets too. I am excited for Jason Kidd and pulling for him to be successful as he starts a new journey in his career.

1 Cleveland Cavaliers Nerlens Noel C

2 Orlando Magic Ben McLemore SG

3 Washington Wizards Otto Porter SF

4 Charlotte Bobcats Alex Len C

5 Phoenix Suns Victor Oladipo SG

6 New Orleans Pelicans Trey Burke PG

7 Sacramento Kings Anthony Bennett PF

8 Detroit Pistons C.J. McCollum PG/SG

9 Minnesota Timberwolves Shabazz Muhammad SF

10 Portland Trailblazers Cody Zeller PF/C

11 Philadelphia 76ers Steven Adams C

12 Oklahoma City Thunder Michael Carter-Williams PG

13 Dallas Mavericks Shane Larkin PG

14 Utah Jazz Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SG

15 Milwaukee Bucks Dennis Schroeder PG

16 Boston Celtics Kelly Olynyk C

17 Atlanta Hawks Mason Plumlee C

18 Atlanta Hawks Tim Hardaway Jr. SG

19 Cleveland Cavaliers Reggie Bullock SF

20 Chicago Bulls Rudy Gobert C

21 Utah Jazz Gorqui Dieng C

22 Brooklyn Nets Glen Rice SF

23 Indiana Pacers Jeff Withey C

24 New York Knicks Allen Crabbe SG

25 Los Angeles Clippers Mike Muscala C

26 Minnesota Timberwolves Erick Green PG/SG

27 Denver Nuggets Jamaal Franklin SG

28 San Antonio Spurs Tony Mitchell PF

29 Oklahoma City Thunder Lucas Noqueira C

30 Phoenix Suns Ricky Ledo SG

The New England Patriots sign Tim Tebow. Tewbow is expected to participate in the teams mandatory minicamp tomorrow. The move reunited Tebow with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was the Denver Broncos head coach when the Broncos traded into the 1st round to draft the Heisman Trophy winner in 2010. Patriots coach Bill Belichick often spoken with admiration for Tebow’s versatility, intelligence and character. Belichick covets what he has described as tough, smart, versatile football players. Tebow’s last NFL start came with the Broncos in a blowout playoff loss in Foxborough to Tom Brady and the Patriots following the 2011 season. Tebow is 25 years old and will compete with Ryan Mallett for a backup job behind Brady. The Patriots also released reserve quarterback Mike Kafka. Tebow is one of the NFL’s most polarizing players, and was released by the New York Jets in late April following a disappointing season as a backup to Mark Sanchez. The Jets traded a pair of draft picks to the Broncos in the March 2012 deal to acquire Tebow but failed to establish a consistent role in the offense for the versatile quarterback, who attempted just 8 passes and rushed for 102 yards in 12 games. Tebow helped the Broncos win the AFC West in 2011 but was traded to the New York Jets when the Denver Broncos signed Peyton Manning.

I like this move by the New England Patriots. This is a low risk high reward for them. Everybody knows that Tim Tebow will bring a circus around him and one coach, Bill Belichick is one of the few coaches that can control that. I think for Tebow’s career this is the best option for him if he wanted to continue his career as a quarterback. He gets to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time Tom Brady and he gets to play for Josh McDaniels again, who Tebow knows and had success with. It will be interesting to see Tebow in a Patriots uniform when they play division rivals the New York Jets. As a football fan I am glad that Tebow got another chance to play.

Jason Kidd announced his retirement after 19 season as 1 of the best passing and rebounding point guards in NBA history. Kidd is 40 years old and leaves the game as sure fire Hall of Fame point guard. The 10 time All Star led the NBA in assists 5 times and finished 2nd all time in assists and steals behind John Stockton. Kidd had 2 years remaining on his contract at just over 3 million a year, leaves with a legacy that includes an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks and 2 Olympic gold medals with Team USA. Grant Hill also is 40 years old and announced his retirement on Saturday. During his prime, Kidd was like an instant fast break due to his uncanny court vision, instincts and ability to rebound. The 6 foot 4 Oakland, California native, who was 1 of the most hyped high school prospects of his generation, had more triple doubles (107) than anyone outside of Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. Kidd averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 1,391 regular season games. Kidd was the 2nd overall pick out of California in the 1994 draft and entered the league as part of the “Three J’s” with Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn in Dallas. Kidd helped the Mavericks to a 36 win season, a 23 game improvement from the season before and earned a co Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill. After being dealt to the Suns 2 ½ season later, Kidd led the team to a 16 game improvement in his 1st full season in Phoenix in 1997-98. And then after being traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2001, Kidd transformed the Nets into instant contenders. With Kidd playing at an MVP level, the Nets won 52 games. It was the Nets 1st 50 win season in their NBA history. Kidd also lifted the franchise to the 1st of 2 consecutive NBA Finals appearances. After losing to Shaquille O’Neal and Time Duncan in back to back NBA Finals, Kidd finally got his coveted championship ring as a Maverick. Teaming up with Dirk Nowitzki, Kidd topped LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 6 games in 2010-11. In his 19th and final season, Kidd signed with the Knicks and helped them win 54 games. Kidd retires after making the playoffs in 17 consecutive seasons. He finished with a playoff average of 12.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 158 career postseason games.

This is a sad day for the NBA. Jason Kidd is one of the greatest players to ever play the game and one of my All Time favorite players to watch. No matter what team Kidd played for he was always a player I would cheer for. Kidd also is one of the players that always made his team better and was always a professional and a player that everybody wanted to play with. There is no doubt that Kidd will be in the Hall of Fame and it will be weird to watch an NBA game and not see Jason Kidd make one of his highlight passes.

UFC 160 was held this past weekend live from Las Vegas and in the main event, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez defends his title against Antonio Bigfoot Silva. In the co main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will square off against Mark Hunt. Here are the results of the entire fight card of UFC 160.

Main Card

Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Silva via (1st round TKO)

Junior dos Santos def. Mark Hunt via (3rd round KO)

Glover Teixeira def. James Te Huna via (Submission: guillotine)

T.J. Grant def. Gray Maynard via (1st round TKO)

Donald Cerrone def. K.J. Noons via (Unanimous decision)

Undercard

Mike Pyle def. Rick Story via (Split decision)

Dennis Bermudez def. Max Holloway via (Split decision)

Robert Whittaker def. Colton Smith via (3rd round TKO)

Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Abel Trujillo via (Unanimous decision)

Stephen Thompson def. Nah-Shon Burrell via (Unanimous decision)

George Roop def. Brian Bowles via (2nd round TKO)

Jeremy Stephens def. Estevan Payan via (Unanimous decision)

Brian Urlacher announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons, ending what many believe was a Hall of Fame career as an iconic Chicago Bears linebacker. The Bears parted ways with Urlacher after last season when the 2 sides couldn’t agree on a new contract. Urlacher became a free agent and had said he still had some football left, but chose to retire after briefly testing the free agent market. Urlacher was the 9th overall pick in 2000 and was named NFL defensive rookie of the year after posting 123 tackles, 8 sacks and going on a 5 game sack streak, the 3rd longest rookie streak in NFL history and tied for the longest rookie streak in Bears history. He was the NFL defensive player of the year in 2005 and an 8 time Pro Bowler. Urlacher finished his final season having contributed 68 tackles and an interception returned 46 yards for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. Urlacher’s 180 starts streak ranks #3 in franchise history. A sprained MCL in the 2011 season finale at Minnesota played at least a small role in Urlachers value diminishing to the Bears. Urlacher injured his left knee when he collided with teammate Major Wright in the end zone during the 4th quarter against the Vikings. Urlacher became a free agent in March for the 1st time in his career.

Brian Urlacher had a great career and he was one of the best linebackers to ever play the game. Urlacher will never be forgotten. When you are a player like Urlacher and have played so great for so long its hard to see them play and they lose a step or just not as good as they once were. As a fan of Urlacher, I am happy that he retired, he might not of retired from the game the way he wanted to but at least he did not sign with another team and not play good. It would be hard to see Urlacher play for another team other than the Bears. I know that Urlacher will make the Hall of Fame, just as he deserves too. Congrats Brian Urlacher and thanks for all of the great memories.

Free agent defensive back Charles Woodson has signed a 1 year contract with the Oakland Raiders to return to his original team. Woodson’s deal is worth a maximum of $4.3 million and includes a $700,000 signing bonus. Woodson spent his 1st 8 NFL seasons with the Raiders after being selected with the 4th overall pick in 1998. The Raiders haven’t had a winning season or a playoff berth since, adding to the fans desire to bring back Woodson and a connection to the past successes. Woodson is 36 years old and was released by the Green Bay Packers in a salary cutting move, with 2 years remaining on his contract. He said he wanted to join a contender and visited with the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos but ended up signing with a rebuilding Raiders team coming off a 4-12 season. Woodson won the Heisman Trophy in 1997 at Michigan, is an accomplished cornerback and safety who will bring veteran leadership to the Raiders secondary. The Raiders have a void at free safety after letting Michael Huff go in the offseason and also would like Woodson to tutor 1st round cornerback D.J. Hayden. Woodson is an 8 time Pro Bowler and 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, missed 9 games during the regular season for the Packers last year because of a broken right collarbone.

This is a big surprise to me. I am surprised that more teams did not try to sign Charles Woodson, who is one of the best defensive backs in the league when healthy. Woodson is a victim of age and he can prove everybody wrong if he has a big season for the Raiders. This is a win win for both Woodson and the Raiders. Its good to see Woodson back in the silver and black where he started his career. Woodson will provide great leadership to a young rebuilding team. I can’t wait to see how Woodson plays for the Raiders and hopefully he can help turn the team around. I’m just glad that Woodson finally got a chance to play this season.

Head coach George Karl led the Denver Nuggets to their best season in team history, earning him coach of the year honors. He received 62 1st place votes, followed by Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat with 24 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. New York Knicks Mike Woodson finished 3rd and San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich, who won the award last season was 4th. The Nuggets went 57-25, the leagues 4th best record, and captured the number 3 seed in the western playoffs. But the Nuggets were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors. It’s the 1st time Karl has won the award in 25 seasons, he joins Doug Moe as the only Nuggets coaches to earn the honor. The Nuggets surged down the stretch, winning a team record 15 straight games and going 24-4 after the All Star break. They also won a franchise best 38 games at home the Pepsi Center. Karl has been criticized by fans after a 4th straight 1st round exit. After the Nuggets postseason elimination, Karl called it one of the most disappointing defeats in his 9 seasons in Denver. Karl has a 1,131-756 record with the Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. He also has 21 straight non losing seasons, which is tied with Phil Jackson for the longest streak in league history.

If I had a voted for this years NBA Coach of the Year my vote would of went for Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra. I felt that he deserved it more and led the Heat to the best record in the NBA and also had the 2nd highest winning streak in NBA history. But George Karl also did a great job with his team the Denver Nuggets. I don’t think coming into the season many expected the Nuggets to be so good. Too bad for the Nuggets that one of their best players Danilo Gallinari got injured and couldn’t play in the playoffs. I think they would have had a better chance to go further with him in the lineup. Karl is a great regular season head coach and always comes up short during the playoffs. I also think that the Coach of the Year should be awarded after the playoffs are over, just to see how far they advance. I also feel that Spoelstra got over looked because many people feel that he has a great roster to work with and don’t wanna reward him for it. Congrats to George Karl for winning the Coach of the Year and hopefully he has a better year next season. Karl is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.

LeBron James was at his best this season, and the voters tasked with selecting the NBA’s Most Valuable Player took notice. Every voter except one, that is. The NBA still doesn’t have a unanimous MVP, though no one has come closer than LeBron did this season. The Miami Heat star was presented the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for the 4th time in his career, collecting 120 of the 121 1st place votes, with Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks picking up the lone remaining top choice. A panel of 120 sports writers and broadcasters cast ballots in the NBA MVP voting, with a combined online fan vote also being taken into account. Shaquille O’Neal got every 1st place vote but 1 in the 1999-2000 season, when 1 person cast his ballot for Allen Iverson, who finished 7th that year. This season, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder finished 2nd, well ahead of Anthony, who was 3rd and didn’t even appear on 9 of the ballots cast. LeBron was the only player listed on all 121 ballots, Durant was omitted from 2. LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists this season, leading the Miami Heat to a league best 66-16 record while shotting a career high 56%. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 6, Michael Jordan with 5, Bill Russell with 5 and Wilt Chamberlain with 4 have as many MVP awards, only Russell won 4 in a 5 year span, and only Abdul-Jabbar went back to back twice, like LeBron did with trophies in 2009 and 2010 and now again in 2012 and 2013. LeBron was the only player in the NBA to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists per game this season, had a record 6 straight game of scoring at least 30 points while shooting at least 60%, became the youngest player in league history to break the 20,000 career point plateau and won 5 of the 6 Eastern Conference player of the month awards. LeBron is now the 2nd player in NBA history to post at least 2,000 points, 600 rebounds, 500 assists and 100 steals in a season twice, joining Larry Bird, who did it 3 times. The only other player to do it once was Jordan.

There was no doubt that LeBron James was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season, and should have been the 1st unanimous MVP in NBA history. It is amazing to see that LeBron continues to get better pretty much every season, but you know it all comes down to championships. LeBron and the Miami Heat had a great season and LeBron will have to have another great post season as he did this regular season. As a fan of the NBA weather you like LeBron and “the decision” you can’t deny that he was the best NBA player this season. Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant both had a great season, but LeBron took it to another level and was clearly the best player and deserved the MVP award. It will be interesting to see if LeBron and go for a 3 peat and win 5 MVP trophies in 6 years, but I’m sure he is more focused on winning another NBA title.

The defense was back, just like it used to be. Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s dad was back, too, just like he used to be and Mayweather was a winner once again, just like he always is. Mayweather fought as if he never left the ring, coming back from a year’s absence Saturday night to win a unanimous 12 round decision over Robert Guerrero in their welterweight title fight. Mayweather is 36 years old and coming off a yearlong layoff, put on a clinic in a high accuracy win over Robert Guerrero. The game plan was defense, and Mayweather followed it perfectly. With his dad directing from the corner after a 13 year absence, he dominated Guerrero in a performance not totally expected at the age of 36. Mayweather was masterful at times, landing right hands and bloodying Guerrero’s face in a performance that mimicked some of his best fights. Mayweather hurt Guerrero on several occasions, including a series of right hands near the end of the 8th round that buckled Guerrero’s knees. All 3 judges scored the bout 117-111 and the Associated Press had it 119-109. Mayweather was a 5-1 favorite coming into the fight, but Guerrero was considered dangerous coming off a big win over Andre Berto. Guerrero hadn’t lost in 8 years and vowed to be the 1st to beat Mayweather, who now has a record of 44-0. By the 5th round Mayweather’s confidence was growing and he began landing some heavy right hands to Guerrero’s head. Guerrero kept plodding after him, but paid the price as Mayweather shot counter right hands through his defenses. Mayweather was faster and strong than Guerrero, who was fighter for only the 3rd time at 147 pounds. Mayweather said he hurt his right hand while going after the knockout in the 8th round, but still managed to control the fight round after round. Guerrero’s record is now 31-2-1 and was cut over his left eye in the 8th round, when Mayweather seemed on the verge of stopping him.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is back. He didn’t show any ring rust, or sign that he is getting old after a year away from the ring. Mayweather did what he did best against Robert Guerrero and was used his defense and then countered him and went on attack mode later in the fight. Money Mayweather dominated most of the fight, and looked like the same Mayweather that we all grown to love. It was great seeing him and his dad work together again, and the training and team worked paid off. Mayweather brought his A game and proved to the world that he is the best pound for pound boxer in the world. Mayweather improves his record to 44-0 and remains as one of boxings most exciting fighters to watch. Love him or hate him Mayweather always puts on a good show.