Face it sports fans, even though LeBron James’ “Decision” was made well over a week ago, all related stories about King James and the Miami Heat will continue to flow faster than obscenities out of Mel Gibson’s mouth.

The latest story is surrounding Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and the fact that he’s expressed interest in joining LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

This is NOT the Miami Heat trio that Penny Hardaway wants to play ball with - but it may be yours.

Upon hearing this tidbit of news, two thoughts immediately came to mind:

1. Well, DUH – who wouldn’t want to join these three superstars in Miami?
2. Wait, Penny Hardaway is still playing in the NBA?

The answer to the second question is, “No, actually.”

Hardaway hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2007-08 season where he managed to get into 16 games for – you guessed it, the Miami Heat.

In fact, Hardaway has only played in 57 total games dating back to the beginning of the 2004-05 NBA season.

Not only that, but Penny hasn’t been relevant since 2001-02, when he managed 12.0 points per game playing for the Phoenix Suns.

Hardaway also hasn’t been of superstar status since his 1996-97 campaign with the Orlando Magic, when he scored 20.5 points per game.

Throughout the ‘90’s in Orlando, Penny was a part of a talented team that once made the NBA Finals in 1995 and featured players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott, among others.

Does former NBA superstar Penny Hardaway want to ride the coat tails of the Miami Heat's elite trio of LeBron, Dwyane and Bosh?

Now, he wants to return to Miami to play for the Heat – in what many can only assess as being a desperate attempt to finally wear a ring and hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Only, when a player itches for something like this – I personally can only point out that winning a championship in this manner would feel completely and entirely watered down.

“Desperate” is the word that comes to mind.

Seriously, does a guy like Adam Morrison go around bragging about the fact that he’s wearing two rings – when any sports fan in their right mind would know that his butt is likely molded into the shape of the bench that he sits on all season long in Los Angeles?

As for the Miami Heat, it’s safe to say that Pat Riley and company are most certainly doing some “penny pinching” due to the fact that they already have three major contracts in place.

But that doesn’t mean that they would want to be doing some “Penny pinching”.

Miami has a number of other affordable options in NBA free agency that take the form of athletic 20-something bodies that are not injury prone or – gasp – washed up.

Even if the Heat wanted to think outside the box and search for seasoned veterans to ink a deal with, I would first consider players such as Reggie Miller or Allen Iverson before Hardaway.

My advice to Pat Riley: avoid the desire to consider Hardaway and instead focus on bench depth that would be able to provide valuable minutes over the course of a full season.

But hey, that’s just my TWO CENTS on PENNY – and you can take that to the bank.

LeBron James is headed to the Miami Heat, but there’s room in the state of Florida for another superstar – at least, there should be.

The Orlando Magic should aggressively counter Miami’s new and deadly trio of players (that have agreed to play for the Heat – with contract negotiations still pending).

LeBron is joining Bosh and Wade in Miami

The Magic now shift from being the 2^nd seed in the Eastern conference last season to arguably the 2^nd best team in the state.

That’s why Orlando needs to explore making a coiunter move – specifically adding a major piece that was mentioned in rumors around the time of the NBA Draft – and that was the talk of acquiring superstar point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets.

Again, it remains to be seen if Chris Paul is even available via trade, as a number of the reports could just be misguided rumors.

Still, amidst the rumors emerging, Paul did chime in with a few thoughts on the matter.

“I want to win now,” Chris Paul said to John Reid of The Times Picayune late last week.

In another story, Paul went on to profess his love for the city of New Orleans, but reiterated a similar point – and a willingness to play elsewhere.

With Miami's new trio, Orlando should counter by trying to acquire Chris Paul

“My first choice is New Orleans,” Paul said in a story by Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine.  “I just want to make sure we’re committed to winning.  If we’re not committed to winning and trying to get better so we can contend with the Lakers, the Celtics and all these other top teams, then I’m open to being traded.”

Queue the Magic.

Orlando is in a winning position, what with reaching the NBA Finals two seasons ago and the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.

However, with the new duo of Chris Bosh and LeBron James soon to join Dwyane Wade just a few hours south of O-Town, it’s possible that the Magic’s elite postion in the Eastern Conference may be slightly in jeopardy.

With the Heat playing in the same division as Orlando, the Magic may lose a lot of home-court advantage, if they were to make it to the 2011 NBA Playoffs – which many feel they will.

That’s why Orlando should make a counter move, by adding a superstar that can push Miami harder than even the current Orlando roster can.

Enter Chris Paul.

Paul is open to a trade and he’d fit in quite well with Dwight Howard and the rest of the team.

As previously discussed, plenty of rumors have been mentioned involving Paul and a number of teams (including Orlando) – although it remains to be seen how much the Hornets would consider dealing away their superstar point guard – if at all.

That doesn’t mean that Orlando shouldn’t continue to explore such an option – and perhaps they are doing just that, especially after LeBron’s announcement came out Thursday night.

Among the rumors that have floated around in recent weeks included names like Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter being moved in such a deal.

Right now though, it’s not the names or the players that are involved, as Orlando certainly has the pieces that could be moved to New Orleans in exchange for a player like Chris Paul.

My point is instead that while many critics aren’t sold on the Miami Heat just yet, I do think the Magic should consider a counter attack to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference – just in case the trio of James, Bosh and Wade flourish on South Beach.

The Magic’s current roster – albeit very talented and explosive at times – didn’t have all the pieces in place to be able to handle a Boston Celtics team that had moments where it showed its age throughout the majority of the regular season.

Dwight Howard and the Magic are one of many powers in the Eastern Conference

Quite often the biggest pieces aren’t just superstars, but the ability to have a big man that can be a dominating presence, along with a scrappy point guard that can run the offense, while peppering in some scoring.

Dwight Howard is both the dominating presence and a superstar.

Jameer Nelson is that point guard.

But Chris Paul is that point guard – and then some.

That’s why this writer would like to see the Orlando Magic make this NBA offseason that much more interesting – by trying to find a way to acquire Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets.

Then we’ll see who will have the most “magic” on the court during the upcoming season – Superman and Co., or “The King” and his merry men.

If anything, it would make for great theater – and further shift the power of the NBA over to the Eastern Conference.

Once the clock hits midnight and its July 1^st, the dominoes can officially begin to fall in what is arguably the best free agency pool in the history of the NBA – and possibly all of sports.

Of course, saying that a bevy of contracts will be inked immediately when the doorway opens is like saying that Mikhail Prokhorov is a penny pincher.

That also goes for the fact that we know what’s really going on – because the rumors are flying – and I mean REALLY flying.

So let me get this straight, one report has LeBron James and Chris Bosh both signing with the Heat to join Dwyane Wade as part of a “super team” in Miami – correct?

Will the Miami Heat have a "super trio", or is it just another rumor?

That’s correct, and Stephen A. Smith also mentioned it as “highly likely” on the Dan Patrick Show recently.

Yet, ESPN’s Chad Ford (via his Twitter account) stated earlier today that the “Nets believe they’re in the lead for LeBron.”

OK, hold the phone – so one rumor has King James in Miami and another has him headed to the New Jersey Nets?

What about the Bulls?  Weren’t there rumors about LeBron following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan in the Windy City?

Well, sure there were – but Chicago has their eyes on others as well.  As reported by both Doug Thonus on Chicago Now’s “Bulls Confidential” and Chicago Breaking Sports, the Bulls plan to meet with Chris Bosh first, and then Dwyane Wade on Thursday.

If your head is spinning, don’t fret – K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune puts the Chicago Bulls free agency situation in full perspective.

So wait, does that mean that Wade is not a certainty to remain in Miami, as many have speculated?

Hey, every guy has the right to weigh his options.

Man, my head hurts.

So who has the real answers to all these free agency questions?

Well, no one yet – it’s just the media fighting to get the answer right before the other guy – but Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer has a bunch of answers to a lot of Cleveland’s NBA free agency questions.

Will Joe Johnson be in Atlanta next season?

Imagine what will happen with all the teams that lose out – and there will be losers once the dust has settled.  It could be the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Clippers, the New Jersey Nets – heck, it could be anyone.

As for the Knicks, Marc Berman of the New York Post mentions a source stating that New York plans to meet with Mike Miller and Joe Johnson.

Speaking of Joe Johnson, he’s an interesting case – especially considering that Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Hawks plan to offer Johnson a max contract.

Offering a max contract with all these other big names available?  That may be too hard to pass up.  Cunningham chooses not to toss in his additional two cents – but if he shares my thoughts here, I think Atlanta would be crazy to do that – and I’m talking crazy like “Lady GaGa in the Yankees clubhouse crazy”.

Maybe a surprise team will come out of the woodwork – or a surprise trade will occur.  After all, there have been the recent rumors involving another NBA power, the Orlando Magic – who have emerged in rumors for players such as Gilbert Arenas from Washington and Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets.

Sure those rumors are fine and dandy – but Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel seems to discard all of them, hinting that the Magic are likely to only have a few minor changes to pull out of their hat.

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Then, there’s the announcement by Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, who has stated that he will return to the bench next season.

What does this mean for “The Big 3” in Boston?

We know Garnett will be back, but Paul Pierce opted out of his contract and Ray Allen is a part of this uber-talented free agency pool.

Some expect Boston to keep the group intact and shoot for one last title run.

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe adds more proof to this theory, reporting that Danny Ainge and the Celtics will be making Paul Pierce “one of our top priorities.”

Meanwhile, the rumors continue to fly throughout other major cities of teams that have a pantload of cap space – and therefore hope to court any (or multiple) big names.

LeBron James - The King of NBA Free Agency in 2010

These are just a sampling of recent rumors to hit the basketball world hard like a LeBron James slam dunk – but who could expect anything less with a group headlined by James himself, and also including the likes of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Dirk Nowitzki – among others.

Where do you stand on NBA free agency?  I’ll say this – and this is my opinion (with no sources influencing me, but just my gut talking):

-   The most likely to be on a new team is Chris Bosh – count on that, actually.

-   The most likely to stay with his own team – and this is aside from Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki (who many believe will stay) – is Dwyane Wade, who I feel will stay with the Heat.  On top of that, I think Miami will add a major piece to its championship puzzle, but it won’t be King James.

-   As for LeBron, my prediction is that King James will either stay in Cleveland or sign with the Bulls.

When it’s all said and done – this will certainly be remembered as one of the more interesting and fascinating free agency periods in sports history… and that’s even if the majority of the players decide to stay put – which I think a number of them will.

Let the games begin.

In sports, athletes with spectacular performances earn all kinds of accolades – from MVP awards to trophies, and so on.

Here, at The Wife Hates Sports, gold stars are earned – kind of like a grade school teacher would place on a good student’s homework.

After another hot weekend in the world of sports, there were just too many great performances that yours truly had to break out the stars to honor some of the best…

Gold Stars: May 9, 2010

Dallas Braden

An extra gold star goes out to those who have even heard of the guy, as I’m willing to bet not everyone has.

Either way, Braden is a starting pitcher for the Oakland A’s, who not only shut down one of the best teams in baseball in the Tampa Bay Rays (second in runs to be exact) – but he threw a perfect game against them – the 19^th in MLB history.

On top of that, his grandmother – who raised him, was present to celebrate on Mother’s Day.

Congrats, young man.

Rajon Rondo

Honestly, Rondo is often overshadowed by a number of other point guards in the NBA – but you can’t ignore this ridiculous stat line in Game 4 against the top-seeded Cavs on Sunday:

29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists…

Yes, that’s a triple-double, and YES that’s 18 boards for a point guard.

Can we NOW put his name as one of the best, please?

Betty White

The WIFE has also put in high grades for White’s recent performance on SNL – and to be honest, I’m not a frequent viewer anymore, but the best thing that could have happened to the late-night skit show was the facebook press pushing for Betty to be host… because she was hysterical – and it was an SNL show that I laughed at consistently for the first time in a VERY long time.

Seriously… Betty may have joked that her “muffin hasn’t had a cherry since 1939”, but her performance on Saturday Night Live was the cherry on top of a few years of subpar late-night desserts.

If you haven’t checked out this Golden Girl’s performance, I’d recommend it – as a handful of SNL’ers were back to pitch in.

Orlando Magic

I’ve been saying it for days now – but amidst all the hype and desire for a Lakers vs. Cavs NBA Finals matchup, the Orlando Magic are a beast growing stronger and stronger.

Orlando remains unbeaten in the postseason, now taking a commanding 3-0 lead over the Atlanta Hawks, all of which were dominate victories.

The warning sign is this: the Magic could use some adversity.  After all, look at LeBron and Co. last year – who cruised into the Eastern Conference Finals, only to face adversity and bow out.  The same could happen if the Magic aren’t careful.

Tim Clark

Of all the other great stories this weekend, Clark’s story is right there at the top.

The PGA media is guilty of having a crush on Tiger and Phil – and deservably so as each has earned to be the talk of the town – but there needs to be more attention to the winners of the tournaments, too.

Clark, who put on a masterful performance at the TPC – earned his FIRST ever victory on the PGA Tour.

So congrats, Tim… it was a great weekend, and finally that monkey can hop off your back and take a friggin’ hike.

Mom on Mother’s Day

Finally, as this special day winds down, it’s important to acknowledge the mothers of the world.

In my case, Mom isn’t just a caring and fantastic family matriarch, but she’s grown into quite the sports fan – so much that she at times puts me to shame – which says something considering my obsession and aspirations to be more firmly cemented in the sports world.

I celebrate you, Mom – and thanks so much for everything you have done for me – and for talking sports with me, too.

And for that… the wife thanks you, too.

This has been Gold Stars… where there’s no back talk, because then we’ll have to wash our mouths out with soap.

The concept of a man hogging the remote is an old wive’s tale – literally.  Face it, the women get their hot little hands on the TV’s main life force just as much as we do – and that can result in a mean-spirited battle for couch potato domination… or maybe something not quite that dramatic.

Either way, every man could use a leg up on the wife when it comes to the TV – and if I can do my part to help the men of the world survive, then gosh darnit, well… I don’t know what.

Take these recent TV nuggets of advice – featuring the hockey and hoops playoffs (from Thursday May 6^th through the weekend) – and TAKE BACK the TV!!

Note: All times based off Eastern Time schedule – Check local listings for channel info

Disclaimer: To those women that love sports – I know you’re also out there.  We want to build statues for you – OK, maybe not – but hey, you’re pretty neat anyway.

Remote Controlling: May 6 – 9, 2010

Thursday May 6

7:00 PM – NHL Playoffs – Pittsburgh at Montreal (Game 4)

Penguins lead series 2-1

7:30 PM – NHL Playoffs – San Jose at Detroit (Game 4)

Sharks lead series 3-0 – and can clinch berth in Western Conference Finals with a win

8:00 PM – NBA Playoffs – Atlanta at Orlando (Game 2)

Magic lead series 1-0

SECURE THE REMOTE!

It’s going to be a tough night to get control of the TV, what with new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice during this window… plus My Big Fat Greek Wedding airs on ABC Family as well.

Better call for backup – that’s a triple threat.

Friday May 7

7:00 PM – NHL Playoffs – Boston at Philadelphia (Game 4)

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Bruins lead series 3-0 – and can clinch berth in Eastern Conference Finals with a win

7:00 PM – NBA Playoffs – Cleveland at Boston (Game 3)

Series tied 1-1

7:10 PM – MLB – N.Y. Yankees at Boston

Phil Hughes is slated to face off against Josh Beckett

9:30 PM – NHL Playoffs – Chicago at Vancouver (Game 4)

Blackhawks lead series 2-1

9:30 PM – NBA Playoffs – Phoenix at San Antonio (Game 3)

Suns lead series 2-0

WARNING:

If the wife isn’t into any of the above, you have some competition – as ABC Family is at it again, this time airing The Notebook.  Master the parental lock if you can – because perhaps the wife hasn’t yet.  Oh, and buy some tissues – I hear that one’s extra sappy.

Saturday May 8

3:10 PM – MLB – N.Y. Yankees at Boston

Boston has youngster Buchholz facing off against New York’s ace C.C. Sabathia

5:00 PM – NBA Playoffs – Orlando at Atlanta (Game 3)

The Magic head on the road to Atlanta

7:00 PM – NHL Playoffs – Montreal at Pittsburgh (Game 5)

Penguins at home and could have a chance to clinch series, depending on Game 4

8:00 PM – NBA Playoffs – L.A. Lakers at Utah (Game 3)

Lakers lead series 2-0

10:00 PM – NHL Playoffs – Detroit at San Jose (Game 5 – if necessary)

This game is off the map if Detroit can’t take Game 4

ESTROGEN COMPETITION:

How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days is on USA during the afternoon and during the evening games, you may get a fight from either The Bridges of Madison County or The Holiday – which could suit the wife’s fancy.

Sunday May 9

3:30 PM – NBA Playoffs – Cleveland at Boston (Game 4)

Boston will be going crazy with LeBron in town

8:00 PM – NHL Playoffs – Vancouver at Chicago (Game 5)

The Windy City is desperate for another title

8:00 PM – NBA Playoffs – Phoenix at San Antonio (Game 4)

The Spurs could be in a must-win situation depending on Game 3

8:05 PM – MLB – N.Y. Yankees at Boston

Two hot pitchers take the mound, as Boston’s Jon Lester faces off against New York’s A.J. Burnett at Fenway Park

RED ALERT:

50 First Dates is on during the day, and the wife may try and drag you in by mentioning Adam Sandler as a co-star.

For the nightcap, if you want to catch the playoff matchups, you should be on red alert, with tons of problem flicks and shows – such as Little Women (FLIX), 27 Dresses (FX) and an all-new Desperate Housewives (ABC).

If anything, catch yourself a good long-lasting glimpse of Eva Longoria Parker, and be on your merry playoff way.

That’s all for now… until next time – stay tuned – and happy watching.