Silva vs. Sonnen II: It's a Love/Hate Thing

Why do we love certain athletes? They entertain us. They could be from your hometown. Maybe they got you into your favorite sport. Whatever the reason might be, our most beloved athletes are connected to us on an almost personal level. 

Don’t be fooled however, some can’t stand this kind of athlete. Why do we hate certain athletes? They cheat. They’re usually the “bad guy." They’re bad role models. They give the sport a bad name. Or the most common reason; we just flat out don’t like them. But then again, people may love those kinds of athletes for just those reasons.

This Saturday’s UFC 148's historic main event featuring Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen will highlight two athletes that you either love or hate. I have never seen a fight like this, featuring two polarizing figures that have divided fans straight down the middle. All of the predictions and picks by fans, analysts and fighters alike have gone either way.  Every fan has their opinion on why they either love/hate these fighters, but I can only speak for myself.

Leben had no chance against the Spider

Anderson Silva has been my favorite fighter since joining the UFC in 2006. His fateful dismantling of respected middleweight Chris Leben got me hooked to this sport. Silva is the reason why I’m even writing MMA articles to begin with. To top that all off, I had the pleasure to meet the champ himself. He was extremely nice and humble, as well as a class act to everyone he met. But more importantly than my love for the Spider is my undying hatred for Chael Sonnen.

Sonnen was the closest to beat Silva

Where do I start? Well let’s start with my most obvious reason for despising Sonnen; he was caught with elevated testosterone after his UFC 117 showdown with Silva. There is nothing I dislike more in sports than a cheat. Sonnen is known as the best trash talker in the game, but there are limits. Calling a man a coward or an amateur is one thing, but to disrespect a man's family and country is taking it too far. Here's one of Sonnen's many quotes that exemplifies his disrespect towards the champ.

“You tell Anderson Silva I'm coming over and I'm kicking down his backdoor and patting his little lady on the ass and I'm telling her to make me a steak, medium-rare just how I like it."

My biggest problem with may be that he’s a hypocrite. Sonnen recently argued with ESPN’s Dan LeBetard that he never said the quote above. In one interview he’ll say he lost to Silva fair and square and then in the next interview he’ll say he’s the reigning champ. He says he’s been the best in the world for the past ten years, but when you look at his splotchy record you would think otherwise.  He’s also unprofessional on radio/podcast interviews. He went as far as accusing one show host of beating his wife.

Some people might disagree with my opinion towards Sonnen despite the evidence I've laid out in this article. People love Chael for his realness and for saying things others are afraid to. Others hate Anderson because of his embarrassing performance against Demian Maia at UFC 112. Whatever the reason, there will always be a fan justifying their favorite fighter.

The entire UFC fan base has been divided over these two individuals and the rivalry has done wonders for the sport. If you think about it, this has never happened in any sport, period. This fight even has non-fans talking about Sonnen and Silva. 

The bottom line is that UFC 148 may not only break UFC 100’s record of PPV buys, but may also go down as the most important card in UFC history.

A close look at the Bulls off-season options

The Chicago Bulls made their first acquisition of the off-season on draft night, taking the once highly-touted recruit in Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague with the 29^thoverall pick. Most fans, including myself, were pretty satisfied with this pick. With C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver and even Omer Asik all possibly on their way out, the draft pick barely scratched the surface of the Bulls off-season. With news of Asik agreeing to a three-year, 25 million dollar offer from the Houston Rockets (which back loaded about $14-15 million in the final season), the Bulls have their hands full. As the Bulls front office awaits Derrick Rose’s arrival, let's take a look at the trade and free agent options Chicago could explore to revamp its roster. 

THE GOOD

Omer Asik, C (Sign him to a four-year, $25 million deal)

3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game; that doesn’t exactly scream All-Star center. In this new age of basketball analytics, you always have to look deeper. According to Synergy, Asik ranks as the 24^thbest player in points per play overall defensively and fifth best in points per play on spot up attempts on the defensive end. It isn’t typical to spend starter money on a backup center, but in Asik’s case it’s worth it. There was several times last season where Asik outplayed Noah and ended up terrorizing on the defensive end in the fourth quarter while Noah watched from the bench. As I will explain later, I think the Bulls should find a way to keep Asik, just not by paying him what Houston is offering.

Kevin Martin, SG (Sign-and-trade Omer Asik and Kyle Korver for Kevin Martin)

If the Bulls are forced to part ways with Asik, it would be smart to avoid letting him leave for nothing. If Chicago threatens to match the Rockets offer, Houston may be willing to give up one of its big salaries to assure they can sign Asik. Enter Kevin Martin. K-Mart may not be the most realistic option, but Bulls fans all over forums are hoping Chicago can swing this deal. He gets paid $12.5 million next season in the final year of his contract, so the Bulls would need to get creative to free up cap space for him. K-Mart is injury prone and coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro, but if he returns to form and can average 15 to 20 points per game while shooting 40 percent for threes, he’ll be a steal.

Courtney Lee, SG (Unrestricted Free Agent)

With the recent news of the Rockets withdrawing his qualifying offer, Courtney Lee will officially be an unrestricted free agent. His game isn’t flashy, but he’s a combo guard, plays hard and made a career-high 87 three-pointers (in a lockout season mind you) at a 40 percent clip last season. Lee has been on the Bulls radar for a couple of years and he’d be a perfect fit in Coach Thib’s system. And to the delight of Jerry Reinsdorf, the Bulls can get him cheap.

Brandon Rush, SG (Sign-and-trade C.J. Watson or Kyle Korver to the Warriors)

This might be another tricky move for the Bulls to make, but if it works, man would it pay off. Rush is a big 6’6” shooting guard who can play on both ends and is a stellar three-point threat (shot 45 percent from downtown last season). In addition to his incredible three-point accuracy, Rush shot 50 percent from the field, which is unheard of for a guard who shoots so many three's. Rush gets some slack for his lack of a driving game. He also tends to fall asleep during games and is too passive at times. Rush fits several needs for us and would be a nice addition.

THE BAD

Omer Asik, C (Matching Houston’s offer of three-years, $25 million)

Why did I have Asik under the good and the bad? Well, because I want the Bulls to keep him, but not if they’re paying him upwards of $15 million in the 2014-2015 season. Giving a backup center that much bread isn’t a very smart idea, especially when you already have two elite defensive big men in Noah and Gibson. Since Asik hasn’t officially signed the dotted line on the Rocket’s offer sheet, the Bulls can still give him another offer without having to match it. I don’t want the Bulls to lose Asik, but things are looking pretty dim right now.

Brandon Roy, SG

No, this isn’t the same guy that once averaged 23 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. This is actually a shell of that man, who has undergone multiple surgeries on his knees and sat out an entire season after announcing his retirement. I wouldn’t mind the Bulls giving him a shot at a low-ball contract in the range of $1-2 million, but it’s looking like he can command close to the mid-level exception. Keep in mind he was never a stellar shooter either, which is something the Bulls would desperately need if Korver didn’t return. I would love to see Roy return to full form, it’s just extremely doubtful, if not impossible. I’ll root for him, just not on the Bulls hopefully.

THE UGLY

Kirk Hinrich, PG/SG

Here’s another player that I used to love that is far from the man he once was. There have been rumblings that the Bulls are very close to a deal with Hinrich, much to my dismay. I wouldn’t be so against this acquisition if he were to be a backup combo guard and defensive specialist, but it’s looking like he would be Chicago's starting point guard until Rose returns. Hinrich averaged 10.2 points and 4.3 assists per game in 48 games last season... per 40 minutes. Yeah, pretty ugly numbers there. I’d rather see C.J. Watson return as our starting point guard, and don’t get me started with that guy.

Derek Fisher, PG

When reports surfaced that the Bulls have shown interest in Derek Fisher, I threw up in my mouth a bit. Don’t get me wrong, he has five titles for good reason, he’s the ultimate role player and floor leader. He’ll also be 38 years old next season and coming off a campaign where he put up a measly 8.02 player efficiency rating. I don’t think he provides enough instant offense for the Bulls and he definitely wouldn’t make it as a starter. I’d rather see the Bulls take their chances with John Lucas III or Marquis Teague at the backup point guard spot. 

THE MIRACLE

Dwight Howard, C (Trade Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Marquis Teague and the Bobcats protected future 1st round pick for Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu)

This one is a major stretch, but it’s the dream of every Bulls fan, so it’s at least worth mentioning. It might be even more doubtful then thought of previously since J.A. Adande reported that Howard specifically listed two teams that he did NOT want to play for; the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls. Not only are the Bulls off his short list of teams, but they’re on his list of teams that he wants to stay far away from. By some miracle chance that he could be had and would agree to a sign-and-extention, the Bulls could have the best offer. The offer listed above would trump any other offer and would probably keep the Magic in playoff contention. The Bulls will wait and see how the Howard situation works out and will hope that he would lighten up to the idea of becoming a Bull.