Chris Bosh To Join D. Wade In Miami | LeBron Too??

D. Wade, easily one of the top five players in the league, unofficially has a fellow all-star joining him down in South Beach. Former Raptors PF, Chris Bosh, is rumored to become Wade's new "Robin."

Barely clawing their way to a playoff bid in the '09 - '10 season, the Miami Heat arguably will be in contention for an Eastern Conference crown during the upcoming season, and even title hopefuls.

But could there be a new "King" in Miami? While the city is undoubtedly Wade County, if perceivably the best player in the league in LeBron James decides to move ship down south, it could be one of the most impressive trios in the history of basketball. The question is, is LBJ willing to diminish his roll quite a bit and play along side a fellow perennial superstar and another all-star?

No doubt he is hungry for a ring, and as far as critics are concerned, it is a must to even be mentioned as a great. This year marked his seventh season as an NBA player, yet sill his Championship tally is zero. Jordan won his first of six titles during his seventh season, but instead of mirroring the greatest player to ever lace 'em up, LeBron further distanced himself from his airness, as well as his "nemesis," Kobe Bean Bryant.

As for my take on all this LeBron free agent madness: From day one, my inclination has been that he will remain a Cleveland Cavalier.  Of course, they will have to get him help, as they have attempted to do the past several seasons. But a washed up Shaquille O'neal and fairly lacking Antawn Jamison just won't cut it.

For the King to migrate down to South Florida it would be diminished his "brand" quite a bit. True, many of the greats have won with fellow all-stars, but to be paired with another top five player in the league, would belittle the titles if seized. I honestly do not see him taking that much of a back seat and joining Wade and Bosh in Miami. However, this IS the biggest decision of his career, and if he does not snag a ring in the next two or three seasons, he will be lumped into a category with the likes of Charles Barkley. Sorry Chuck.

For now, as a resident of the great 305, I am elated to discover the news of Bosh joining the club. No matter the outcome of LeBron, I have a legitimate Heat team to take pride in, and will definitely be hitting up AAArena several times this year. And who knows, the legendary Pat Riley might even step down and take hold of the reins. If this happens, watch out. Contenders for sure... -J.Sawyer

PS. What'd ya think? Ha!

Originality vs. Creative Development

What does it mean to be original? Is it strictly owning a thought, idea, creation, not even near ever dreamed of? Or is true originality all lost, and we are simply stuck with morphed views and convictions that in due lead to our current developments? Beethoven. Plato. Thomas Jefferson. Martin Luther. Can there even be unprecedented movements some hundreds and even thousands of years after the beginning of human life?

While moderately conflicted on this topic myself, I am tempted to respond with yes and no. To deem no possibility of turning one's sole dreams into reality is beyond pessimistic and in turn offers up such negativity to never even begin the process. But in 2010, can anything, in fact, be without one trace of an afore-conjured particle? 

Such innovative pioneers as mentioned above have had their concoctions, whether in tangible object or word, taken from since the beginning of time, and in this ongoing debate and investigative report, if you will, I plan to delve deep into certain "founders" of their craft and how their ideas have been modified through the hands of time. 

Stay tuned for my initial look into one of the single most important items in the history of, not only clothing, but travel, comfort, and protection; ie the "shoe."

With each subject and leading person, I will research as close as can be found on the beginnings of the topic or item and the modifications that have been made throughout history. Along the way, I will inform of branches from the original piece and how we see them in our current time period. There will also be a look into inventions and doctrines of modern day, to balance out both sides of the spectrum. Feel free to hit me with suggestions, feedback, or topics that you would like to see discussed. Now hop along for the ride. -J.Sawyer

South Florida Represented In World Cup

Now I know that we here in the good ole US of A do not truly embrace the brand of futbol that is played with a spherical object, but across the pond (well, actually everywhere but here), it is pretty much life. Not religion, nor employment, nor family can even compare to the intense, unconditional love most counties share for their soccer. With that being said, unless you have been hunkering underneath a rock these past few weeks, you are fully aware that the most popular sporting event on earth is taking place in South Africa, just as we speak. An event that rears is beautiful head merely every four years. Yes, that's right. I am speaking of the World Cup. A sporting event so illustrious and so highly anticipated that families gear their summer vacations around its happening, television networks redirect their programs do to its schedule, millions, even billions of fans deplete all of their accrued sick/vacation days at work just to view the games. If you still don't get my drift, just put it this way; as Ron Burgundy would say, it's kind of a big deal. 

Per usual, our boys garnering the red, white, and blue are given a slim chance to contend for the top honor, but are there to fight nonetheless. Our nation's top scoring threat and bright, young star Jozy Altidore, hopes to provide for a longer stay than in recent years. Yes, it's quite alright if you do not recognize the name, but my hope is that at least some of you will become familiar in the upcoming days. 

While his birth certificate may not contain a Florida residence, United States forward Jozy Altidore is proud of his South Florida roots and considers it home. Being raised primarily in Boca Raton, Florida, roughly sixty miles from Miami and the 305, Altidore joins the likes of the Williams sisters as a few of the more recent star athletes to rise from the area. While most would argue that growing up in the States provides for an environment that contains much fewer quality soccer players, Jozy has some Haitian heritage on his side. Both his mother and father are natives of Haiti and grew up teaching their son the fundamentals of soccer. 

In 2006, the Florida native was selected seventeenth overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the New York MetroStars, later to be renamed Red Bull New York. Shortly there after, at the youthful age of 16, Jozy scored his first professional goal, and is now recognized as the youngest player to score in the MLS. From then on, Altidore's blossoming career began to take off as he flourished as one of the more talented youngsters in the game. 

After playing in the US for  a few years, as well as in Spain, in 2009 Jozy was then signed by English Premier League club, Hull City. While having a bit more difficulty breaking into the foreign futbol leagues, he did find himself as one of the fan favorites and continued to work hard for his shine. Still playing in the English Premier League, the soccer over there is extremely more competitive than here in the US. Jozy shows enormous amount of upside with his raw talent, especially at a young age. However, when it comes to the American futballers, Altidore is one of the best. 

Leading the team in goals during this years' World Cup qualifications, United States Coach Bob Bradley and the rest of the crew have been certain that he can carry that over to legitimate World Cup play. Still scoreless in the first round of action however, Jozy did provide for a crucial assist in the great American comeback against Slovenia just days ago. Now sitting in a do or die position, If Jozy our boys take care of business tomorrow against Algeria, we are on to the next round. 

So consider yourself educated, kids, and support our boys tomorrow at 9:30 am (EST) as we take on Algeria, in hopes of moving on to the next field of play.

*Feature* Mors Footwear

While surfing the web some time ago, I ran across a feature on someone's blog on a footwear brand that I had never heard of before. The brand was new and refreshing, with a captivatingly unique look. I definitely liked what I saw and was for sure intrigued. That brand is Mors Footwear. I decided to take a shot and connect with Jonathan from Mors, in hopes of getting a response with permission to do a feature myself on his dope brand. I am a firm believer and supporter in all things dope, no matter what it may be. Shoes, other types of fashion, music, art, writing, design, anything that showcases ones creative talents. I like to take it a step further and promote such things as I come across them, so here you go people. Open your eyes to the wonderful world of Mors Footwear. And again, I'd like to thank Jonathan Morss of Mors for this opportunity to showcase his excitingly new brand. -JS

New Footwear brand : mors

mors is a new footwear brand creating high quality, wearable sneakers with a fresh perspective.

London, England. 4 November, 2009:

Mors is a new sneaker brand creating high quality, stylish footwear with a fresh perspective. Future classics inspired by iconic individuals, stylish products and retro futurism. Mors offers a wearable and exclusive product handcrafted from premium materials. Crafted in Portugal by traditional factories, mors footwear is detailed to the best standard from the highest quality leather. Butter soft and strong arctic elk leather is used on many of the products. Mors has avoided the temptation to cut corners with cheap materials and cheap labour.

At first only two styles will be released in a selection of luxury leathers, ‘hoop’ high top sneaker and ‘net’ low cut tennis sneaker. The ‘hoop’ will be available in premium elk leather, soft elk suede and white premium calfskin, ‘net’ will be available in white premium calfskin. Both will be available from the mors online store. More inspirational materials and styles will follow.

Mors is the concept of Jonathan Morss. Jonathan is an experienced footwear designer and has worked for international brands including adidas and Nike. He found inspiration for mors within vintage science fiction, iconic personalities and classic products.

Products are available from the Mors online store  here

Summary:

Mors is a new sneaker brand creating high quality, stylish footwear with a fresh perspective. Handcrafted in Portugal from premium materials, Mors is detailed to the best standard from high quality leather, including elk and calfskin. Mors is the concept of Jonathan Morss, an experienced footwear designer that has worked for adidas and Nike. The products are available from the Mors online store here.

*Feature* "Where Are They Now?" - UNC Edition

 For most, the transition from the collegiate level to mixing it up with the greatest athletes in the world, can be quite the daunting task. What can make it even more difficult is moving from a reign of utter dominance at the collegiate level to the National Basketball Association, where most of its athletes are "freaks of nature." The 2009 National Champion, North Carolina Tar Heels had one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory. From top to bottom, the team was basically chalk full of talented individuals, none more so than the trio of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington. That, mixed in with sixth man of the year Danny Green, the Heels had themselves several, sure first rounders for the draft. Hansbrough, being the first of the bunch to be scooped up at number 13 by the Indiana Pacers, he was succeeded by Lawson going number 18 to Minnesota, as well Ellington going number 28 to the Timberwolves of Minnesota. Danny Green was chosen in the second round by the Lebron's Cleveland Cavaliers. Shortly after being drafted, Ty Lawson was caught in a deal that sent him to Denver to play with Melo and company. Now maybe it's because I am an arrogant Carolina fan who ultimately bleeds Carolina blue, but I truly feel that all of these guys will have decent careers in the league.

Lawson's speed has allowed him to be the first to shoot out of the gates, looking quite impressive. He seems to be intricately involved in George Carl's game plan over in Denver.

Hansbrough has been sidelined with injury throughout the preseason, so we really haven't been able to see what kind of numbers he'll put up amidst the taller, more athletic big men of the league. He is expected back rather soon, however.

The smooth stroking Wayne Ellington has seen some decent action with the Wolves already, and as long as he continues to work on his ball handling and attacking ability, he should catch some additional burn for the struggling franchise.

Lastly, Green, who I think is the most athletic and versatile of the bunch, has not been able to get on the court much in Cleveland. He has great, raw talent that must be honed before he is out on the floor with Lebron, Shaq, and the gang.

There is your quick glimpse at the former Tar Heels of North Carolina who are already enjoying their rookie seasons in the NBA. -JS

They're Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!! (NBA Season Opener)

Yes indeed, ladies and gents. It is time, once again, for HOOPS! Okay Okay, so maybe I'm not the biggest advocate of the NBA regular season, but I gotta have my thirst for the hardwood quenched somehow. And for my viewing pleasure of choice, who else but the King himself. LeBron, Shaq, and company take on Ragin' Rondo, KG, and the gang at 7:30 eastern! Mission: a RING for the KING! Quest begins tonight. Stay tuned... -JS

Story Time With J - "Mesmerizing Performance"

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Oh, thank you thank you. You're far too kind." I project confidently in Jay-Z voice. Then with one last glimpse in the mirror, I scrape that pesky piece of leftover food from last nights dinner off my gum, and I'm good to go. Que my intro music. Oh wait, that's when I have to start humming. Is that the Beatles "Day Tripper" coming from my lips? Oh well, whatever works! Towel drops, boom! I ever so smoothly lift my right leg over the fifteen inch ledge, followed by my left. And I'm in. The crowd goes wild! A couple deep breaths as I adjust my overhang mic. One knob, two, knob, three knob. That's it; the water's just fine...

Okay okay. You guys are probably wondering what in the world is this dude talking about!? Sounds like wishful thinking of some sort of stage performance, huh? Well, something like that, but this is literal! I decided to give my readers out there my top 5 songs to belt out in the shower! Make sense now? Well here they are...

#5. "Gangster Nation" - Westside Connection

Sorry, guilty pleasure...

#4. "The Star Spangled Banner" - Francis Scott Key

I often enjoy honoring my native land while scrubba dub dubbin...

#3. "Rocky Top Tennessee" - Felice and Boudleaux Bryan

An old camping habit...

#2. "L.O.V.E" - Nat "King" Cole

Performed by many, none so great as... me! Who'd you think I was gonna say?!

#1. "Row Row Row Your Boat"

Greatest nursery rhyme of all time!!

And there you have it, ladies and gents! Please oh please, no scrutinizing my list. Simply take me for who I am, haha. Feel free to message me your top five, and maybe I can work out a new segment for the blog one day... -JS

"L.A. Gear - They're Baaaaack!!!"

In 1979, Lonnie Britton founded L.A. Gear with dreams of marketing and renting roller skates in Venice Beach, California. To Britton's surprise, this dream quickly shifted into a different direction, athletic footwear. In the mid 1980's, L.A. Gear burst onto the scene with its primary focus centered around young women. The earliest models were high top fashion models which featured a velcro strap. In no time, L.A. Gears became known for their distinct, colorful schemes and two pairs of laces offered with each model.

 Other than being targeted to young females, L.A. Gear also gave a run at NBA endorsements. Being as the earliest shoe models were primarily made for basketball, the company managed to lure Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon to represent the brand. To this day. Karl Malone's Gears are considered one of the ugliest shoes of all time. (And I can't say that I disagree)

Probably the most memorable component that was featured on many of the L.A. Gear shoe models was the flashing lights. To this day, I can remember the first time I saw a kid with a pair of L.A. Gears walking through the mall. Initially, I was frozen in astonishment, then almost immediately I jerked on my mom's arm and excitedly asked her to buy me a pair. Pretty soon thereafter, you weren't one of the "cool kid" unless you had a pair of light up L.A. Gears. And what can we say... How ingenious, shoes that lit up with every step!

Well, I've got news folks... They're baaaaaack! As of last year, L.A. Gear decided to relaunch in attempts of a triumphant return. The new line features the old school "Unstoppable" model, the "Fire High," the "Star Shooter," and the "K.A.J. I've visited the L.A. Gear website and some of the styles actually aren't that bad. The bulky, high top sneaker is actually an "in" item right now, so I can see why the compnay chose to make a comeback. Don't just take my word on the new kicks. Take a look for yourself!

The Lights making a return as well!! Oh snaps!! HaHa....

L.A. Gear

Q & A with Tony Logan

Tony Logan is the promotional directer for Solediction, an online magazine covering sneakers, art, and fashion. Solediction was founded by a few cool dudes with dreams of becoming a premiere, one-stop daily news source for internet savvy sneaker enthusiast. I came across Tony while I was networking on twitter, and as I began to chat with him and learn more about his work, I was truly impressed. After getting my blog off the ground, as well as getting to know Tony a bit, I approached him in regards to doing an interview on Solediction. He was more than eager to jump on the opportunity, and I truly thank him as well as the rest of the Solediction fam! Tony is a super genuine cat, with a good head on his shoulders and a great heart for his work. He, along with the rest of the Solediction crew, is a true inspiration to young, up and comers in the industry, as well as myself. As I was typing up this feature, my mind went to the track "So Ambitious" by Jay-Z and Pharrell. "If you can conceive it, you can achieve it!" Again, a special thanks and shout out to Tony and the rest of the guys with Solediction: Angelo, Taevon, and Ralph! Be sure to check out Solediction daily, and don't be afraid to give Tony a shout!

-For those who don’t know, what is Solediction?

Solediction is an online magazine dedicated to everything related to sneaker culture, including: sneakers, art, fashion, designer toys and more. Existing since November of 2007, Solediction has evolved into a one-stop daily news source for many internet savvy sneaker enthusiast.

-Where did the idea for Solediction come from and how did you decide on the name, Solediction?
Me, Tae, and Angelo came up with the name simply by brainstorming. We tried to come up with a name that was short, catchy, and easy to remember. I think it was Taevon who actually came up with Solediction that we all agreed on.

-Tell us about the latest edition to the Solediction fam.

We have a guy who goes by the name of Ralph Larne who was our intern not too long ago and now moved his way on up to senior editor. He def has a passion for writing and is a great addition to the Solediction family.

-What site would you say is comparable to Solediction?

That is a tough one. I really couldn’t tell you because I think Solediction is too broad to be compared to any other site. If we were just a sneaker site or fashion site then we could name names, but since we do so much more than that I couldn’t say.

-What was the biggest obstacle in getting Solediction up and
running?

I think getting people aware that Solediction even existed was probably the biggest obstacle, but because we came up with Solediction around the time a lot of social networks took off, getting the word out about Solediction became less of a problem.

-Where or who did you pull your inspiration from for Solediction?

Me personally, I pull it from our readers. I think we have the
best/loyal readers in the world. I get inspired when our readers
participate in our giveaways because it lets me know that people are
still coming to Solediction and showing us love and that’s what keeps
me motivated.

-Have you had the opportunity to work with or feature any “famous” people in any way?
Famous... hmmmm... Important, yes! Actually our senior editor Ralph Lorne had the privilege of interviewing Mickey Factz a while back. If you haven’t had a chance to peep it, go check it out. We def. deal with the people in charge when it comes to our features and I think that’s cool that those people take the time out their busy schedule to deal with us.

-If you could have one celeb put a plug for Solediction, who would it be and why?

Pharrell hands down. Because I know if he supports Solediction it must be something special because he has an eye for things. That would def. be dope if he dropped a quick shout out to us or Curren$y too.

-If Solediction had a theme song, what would it be?

Umm this is a hard one... Prob umm "Can’t tell Me Nothing" by Kanye West cause at this point, you can’t tell nobody from Solediction nothing because we on our grind.

-So what’d you guys fill your time with when you’re not making moves to become the premiere online magazine?
For me studying, but then probably hanging with the cousins, shopping, or hitting the movies. Nothing major, I’m a real boring dude.

-What do you see for Solediction five years down the road?

Five years I could see Solediction being one of the top fashion sites
out there and a whole staff full of motivated, hungry writers working
for us.

-As there become more and more young, aspiring entrepreneurs, what would be your main piece of advice for them?

Just put your mind to it, that’s it. We started with an idea, and the result is Solediction. So if you want something, go for it period.

"Jay-Z's Coronation"

With his latest album The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z has earned his 11th number one album on the Billboard Charts. The rap mogul surpasses Elvis Presley(10 number one albums)
and is now only second to arguably the greatest band of all time, the Beatles.
This being Jay's 11th number one album, he currently trails the Beatles(19 number one albums) by 8. No other hip hop artist is even in the top ten. Can Jay-Z now forever engrave his status as the "King of Hip Hop?"

10 number 1 albums in a row,
who better than me?
Only the Beatles nobody ahead of me,
I crush Elvis in his blue suede shoes,
Made the rolling stones seem sweet as coolaid 2,
96, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 2001 and beyond,
02, 03, 04, 05, 06 and 7, 08, 09
Back to back double plat, I did what you want,
men lie women lie, numbers don’t.

Jay-Z "Reminder"

"The Jordan Dynasty - On and Off the Court"

Being that his Airness (Michael Jordan) is being inducted into the hall of fame today, with one of the greatest classes ever, I knew that I had to do a feature on him. In my opinion, the greatest baller of all time, Jordan could take over any game whenever he chose to. Not only when he was on the court, but off the court he is still a household name. His Jordan brand continues to take over the top 100 sneaker list year after year, years since he has even stepped on the court. So instead of doing the "Greatest Moments" article that every other blog, magazine, or TV show is gonna do, I decided to honor MJ from a different angle - the Jordan sneaker.

Air Jordan 1. This is where it all began. The 1's were released in 1985, and they continue to be one of the most popular Jordans to this day, due to the legacy that the shoe created.

Air Jordan 3. These babies came out in 1988 and were the first Jorands that Michael himself had a hand in designing. The Air Jordan 3 also had the inaugural Jumpan on the tongue of the shoe, solidifying the symbol for MJ. To this day, in many polls, the Jordan 3's remain the greatest sneaker of all time.

Air Jordan 11. Ahhhhhhh. My favorite Jordan sneaker of all time. Released in 1995, the 11's are the most famous in the long line of Jordans. Jordan averaged 30.4 ppg while wearing the 11's and 40 or more in nine games during that season. Coincidence?? I think not!! HAHA!

Air Jordan 13. These were released during the 1997-1998 season and were Mike's last Air Jordans as a Chicago Bull. While wearing these, he broke Kareem's scoring record by scoring double digits for 788 straight games! Jordan also snagged his sixth ring while sportin these bad boys.

Air Jordan 16. Released on Jordan's 38th birthday in 2001, this design took on a new look for the Jordan sneaker. Not one of the more popular Jordans, but believe it or not, they're my second all time fave.

There have been 23 Air Jordans in all. It is uncanny that even after Jordan's retirement (both retirements), the shoe still flies off the shelf like it does. There have been many re-creations and retro styles of Air Jordans, and I'm sure will continue to be many more. So today, let's not only bow down to the greatest basketball player of all time, but also, the greatest sneaker brand of all time.