EJ’s Notepad: Melo On The Move

•First getting traded to the Atlanta Hawks then days later being waived by the same team while keeping all $28 million he is owed for the upcoming 2018-19 campaign, Carmelo Anthony has decided to take his talents to the Houston Rockets. If we’re talking about the best available situation for him in terms of winning an NBA championship or just getting to the NBA Finals in general, Houston might’ve been the best available option. It will be interesting to see how the Rockets do use him moving forward with now a hole at small forward with the departures of both Trevor Ariza and underrated defensive stalwart Luke Mbah A Moute.


•If you noticed that both of my podcast feeds have been relatively quiet for the back half of July, there’s a reason for it. Recently I decided to take the remainder of July off from the podcasts. Now to be fair I was already running light on shows most of the summer but here’s some behind the scenes stuff no one knows. It’s been hard booking guests not because I can’t get any. I’ve never had that problem. It’s that whenever I set a tentative date, home life rears it’s ugly head. We all know where priority number one lies. My five year old is about to start kindergarten in a few weeks so it just makes sense to put everything on pause for a few weeks then come back strong once the schedule opens up again. Best time for me to record has always been while he is in school. Plus it’s not a big deal now seeing that the sports calendar is relatively quiet outside Major League Baseball (which I love by the way). Might as well take advantage of the down time and reads some books. Catch up on podcasts I’m behind on. Maybe write a book. Who knows. The door is open.

•The Lakers might have the most interesting roster in modern history and that’s not necessarily a good thing either.

Michael Beasley
Rajon Rondo
JaVele McGee
Lance Stephenson

If I was granted one wish from God it would be to have all access to the 2018-19 Lakers solely to see how these personalities gel both on AND off the court.

•I need to see the Whitney Houston movie in theatres. Sadly I probably won’t because by the time I get the availability to do so it’ll already be pressed for DVD/Digital.

•Is Jimmy Garoppolo dating a porn star a big deal? Maybe. But it’s also July where sports takes are so far and few that virtually anything is a headline just to to keep interest till football starts.

•I see many people are critical of Kevin Love and his new extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the tune of 4 years $120 million. I say fuck it, pay him. There are but so many stars in the Association. Love may not be the same guy that he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves a few years back but with LeBron James going Hollywood this summer, I expect Love to be a easy 20-10 guy next season and beyond. Plus he can still be a relatively decent trade asset too.

•One of my proudest things I think I’ve done in my five years as a father and two kids is that both my wife and I are raising them with good music. Culturally in some aspects Lauren and I grew up differently when it comes to what we were exposed to but the bridge to the present remains with quality. For me it was always Michael Jackson (THE GOAT), Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross. Then in my later years I become a hard rock enthusiast where Metallica owned my soul and countless other bands I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. For my wife it was always The Beatles, Steely Dan and others. My boys are covered greatly in that department.

•So sick of fans getting pissed for no reason with NFL players wanting to hold out for more financial gain. It’s not your money. If you were in their situation I guaran-damn-tee-you that each person would operate the same way and try to use whatever leverage necessary to gain more financial security. So why is it wrong for athletes to do the same.

With Respect,

‘EJ’

✊🏾🤘🏾🤙🏾