The Power of the Woman

What's going on blog world? I hit kind of a dry spell with the blogs but I received a good topic to write about from one of my friends on Facebook to address how women today are struggling with individuality and simply conforming to negative aspects. A quite interesting topic so I decided to take my time with this one rather than simply responding right then...

To begin, I think all women need to be reminded that they are beautifully created and it is up to them to maintain that image in their minds no matter what society, men, or other women may want to influence them to believe. God makes no mistakes so you all have been created to be wonderful and productive individuals in this world. If you don't believe that about yourself, however, no one else will believe it. It is hard enough getting other people to see the inner and outer beauty that you possess, so it is surely most efficient to realize that you are ALL BEAUTIFUL. Not half the population, not 1/4, not 3/4, ALL are. It is time for women to become united in the effort to support all of their sisters in this world and for men to realize the wonderful aspects of women...

Chris Rock's movie "Good Hair" has taken a lot of heat lately because it supposedly releases a lot of secrets of their hair techniques that African American women to hold on to in our society. While I do agree that it is key that women have a sense of privacy in the area of their personal hygiene and their body as a whole, hair should not be so major of an issue. If you have female friends or even worse, male friends, that complain about your hair, you surely don't need them. With so much going on in this world, hair should not be as major of an issue as it is. If a man doesn't like you because of your hair, you do not need someone that petty in your life, because at the end of the day, he is not going to do your hair for you and should be much more concerned about how you all mesh rather than how your hair meshes with your appearance. And if that is the primary issue a man has with you, then there is a deeper problem that you may need to have with that man. *SUSPECT*. But that is for another discussion....

And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

Pac couldn't have more eloquently worded the plight of the woman greater. The future of our world is dependent on women because they create the babies, so if for nothing more than that, they should be placed on a high pedestal for that. Men must realize that they are inherently emotional beings so what is wrong with practicing a little bit of patience? We all want our mothers and sisters and daughters and cousins and nieces and aunts to be uplifted, so how is it possible that you do not extend that same courtesty to all women? Though men must hold the women up to a high pedestal, women have to continue to build their pedestal and keep it clean as well...

Respect must be given in order to be earned and no one is greater than that rule. If women desire to be treated as the queens they deserve to be, they must carry themselves as such. Don't follow trends that aren't true to your heart just to remain in a clique. Never be afraid of branching out because God will always be there with an extended arm. In this life, we are basically judged for what we do, so remain focused towards constantly DOING things that represent the positive aspects you desire rather than simply TALKING about them. It's nothing more frustrating than seeing women with statuses that say they are the classiest, best, most intelligent, best dressed, 5 Star Bitch. If you are willing to call yourself a bitch, live like a hoe, and dress like a slut, how can you expect people to see you in a different light? No one can see what goes on inside of you, so while many women that dress seductively are some of the most classiest women, they are presenting two different images. If the man can see your panties or all of your cleavage, how you can expect him not to say something sexually explicit. In all of your efforts, I implore all women to represent themselves as the queens they are because not only will that attract that one special man that will treat you right but it will also make your outward beauty match the wonderful personalities that you all have the capability of possesing...

God Bless...PromoDave Signing Out...

Western Conference Preview

What's going on blog world? Took a lot longer break in between writing my preview for the Western Conference following my Eastern Conference preview but I still wanted to at least get it in before the season started, so when I'm right, I'll have proof lol. Looking at all of the offseason moves, I think that the Western Conference will probably feature a lot of the same from last year with a few changes here and there.

1. LA Lakers- Until somebody defeats them, they are still the champs and the addition of Ron Artest may have just strengthened their hold on at least the Western Conference, if not the NBA as a whole. The Lakers still feature the deepest and most talented roster in the NBA but they have a great chance of falling prey to hungry teams such as San Antonio, Denver, and Dallas if they don't remain focused and if they allow issues to begin in their locker room. If they play the lock down defense that they have the capability of, teams will be hard pressed to knock them off.

2. San Antonio Spurs- Even though I have never been a fan of the Spurs, their talent is unquestioned. The additions of Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess and healthy Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli make the Spurs the prime team to challenge the Lakers for Western Conference supremacy. If they are healthy, they just may be tied at the end of the season with the Lake Show.

3. Denver Nuggets- My favorite team to watch and play with on the 360. Though they were kind of quiet in the offseason, Aaron Afflalo will surely help assist in the production of their bench and the experience that JR Smith and Carmelo Anthony gained from playing against the Lakers will surely help in keeping them in the top half of the standings and if their defense improves greatly, they may be able to run right past the Lakers.

4. Dallas Mavericks- I was really surprised when a lot of teams passed on Shawn Marion in the offseason and I think that he will really mesh will with the Mavericks and especially with him being reunited with Jason Kidd, he will be able to be able to make a quick transition. Though the Mavericks are top heavy with talent (Kidd, Marion, Dirk, Josh Howard, Jason Terry), I still think they are a step beneath the top 3 teams. Marion will help greatly though in closing that gap.

5. Portland TrailBlazers- Over the past couple years, each season I've thought that Portland would easily win the West because they are so deep and every year, they make a big run and then fade into the dust. Andre Miller will help plenty in facilitating the offense for the Blazers and if they work well together, they may move up in the rankings, but I remain weary of them until I can see that they show they can handle the pressure of the playoffs.

6. Utah Jazz- The Jazz are nearly in the same boat as the Portland TrailBlazers because though they have an abundance of talent, the success of the regular season has not been able to translate into the postseason. If Carlos Boozer is able to put all of the confusion about getting traded this offseason, and this team remains healthy, they can be a scare for any Western Conference teams in the playoffs.

7. New Orleans Hornets- Though the Hornets basically traded for another David West when they taded for Emeka Okafor, Chris Paul still gives them a chance to win every night and will win plenty of games for them. I think it may just be time to start over in N.O. and I believe the team started to show signs of that with the trade of Tyson Chandler.

8. LA Clippers- I went back and forth in my mind about this pick and finally decided on the Clippers because they are the deepest team left, other than perhaps the Golden State Warriors. With some older players on their roster, health and rest will remain a concern, but with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, Al Thornton and Chris Kaman, they have plenty of offensive weapons to throw at teams.

Teams that may sneak into the playoffs: Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Sun.

Lottery Bound Teams- Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves

God Bless...PromoDave Signing Out...

NBA Season Preview

What's good blog world? Even though I haven't went to go and get my copy of NBA 2K10 yet, I still have a good general idea of how the ratings should be looking for the teams. I'm going to just talk about the top 8 teams in each conference, on paper at least, and talk about my end of season predictions. The Eastern Conference will be the first part of this series.

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics- As long as their whole squad is able to stay healthy, the Celtics should return right back to the top of the Eastern Conference. Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels help bring back some of the toughness that they lacked last season as they struggled against the Bulls and the Magic in the playoffs.

2a. Cleveland Cavaliers- The off seasons of the Cavs and the Magic have me viewing them as being in the same boat but not in the same league as the Celtics. The Cavaliers needed another versatile scoring option to go along with Lebron James such as Trevor Ariza, Ron Artest, or even Shawn Marion and not getting any of those guys will hurt them greatly. Anthony Parker will provide some spark but he is still not the elite level sidekick for LBJ. The addition of Shaq will really just provide the Cavaliers with a more mobile offensive form of Big Z in the paint, so while the Cavs may improve slightly they surely took a step back this year.

2b. Orlando Magic- The addition of Vince Carter to the team will help spread the floor for Dwight Howard better and the return of a healthy Jameer Nelson will help the offense more but I still believe that losing their best facilitator and end of game scorer in Hedo Turkoglu will ultimately push the Magic out of the league of the Cavs and the Celtics.

4. Toronto Raptors- Gaining Hedo Turkoglu was a great move for them and depending on how succesful a season Demar Derozan has, and how much Chris Bosh is willing to take on, the Raptors could possibly sneak up a little higher in the rankings.

5. Atlanta Hawks- Though the Hawks were kind of quiet in the off season market, the addition of Jamal Crawford is huge as he will assist Joe Johnson with a lot of end game decisions and taking the big shots but I still think they are a true center and perhaps a true point guard away from dethroning Boston, Cleveland or Orlando.

6. Washington Wizards- Even though the Wizards had one of the worst records in the NBA last season, a healthy big three (Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison) and the addition of Randy Foye and Mike Miller will put them towards the top of the NBA in scoring and keep their season interesting enough to help them get into the playoffs. If they are able to pick up a true post player sometime during the season, they could easily move past the Raptors and Hawks.

7. Chicago Bulls- Ahh my Bulls, my Bulls...I really wanted to put the Bulls higher on this list but the loss of Ben Gordon combined with not picking up any other major players in the free agent market made me at least start off the season with them right here. Other then perhaps the Wizards, the Bulls have the highest ceiling and the lowest ground, because depending on the production of their players, the Bulls could either be fighting for home court in the playoffs or a lottery pick. Derrick Rose needs to have a 20 and 10 season and Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Kirk Hinrich, and John Salmons must help him in keeping the floor spread by attacking the basket strong and knocking down open shots. Quick growth by the rookies Taj Gibson and James Johnson could also lead to the Bulls being boosted a few spots.

8. Miami Heat-The Heat suffered the same problem as the Bulls as they made no really noticeable changes from their roster last season, but as long as they have a healthy Dwayne Wade on the team, they will win some games and probably still sneak in the playoffs. Watch out to whoever meets them in the first round though.

*Right On The Edge* - Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats, Philadelphia 76ers
*Still Dreaming*- New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks

Part 2 on the way...

God Bless...PromoDave Signing Out....