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It’s nice to have superstars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose on your team. But you can’t have a team of 12 superstars. It’s not possible, at all. You need tough guys on your team, guy that will help motivate their teammates to take their game to another level or guys that will play limited minutes and give unlimited effort. Here are 12 players that I would want on my team, in no particular order.
Kristina Akra is currently the sideline reporter for SEC college football on Fox Sports South. While covering SEC football, Kristina is also the social media host for FS South’s college football preview show “SEC Gridiron Live.”
From her bio page on the official site:
Today, I am doing players 10-6. There might be some surprising names in today’s list, but you shouldn’t be that surprised. These are guys are the best for a reason. Here we go! 
This is my first mock draft, post-NCAA tournament. Keep in mind that none of this official and the lottery draft order has not been determined yet. All of these opinions are my own, but feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
It was another third quarter.
Just one that meant so much more — monumentally more.
The Indiana Pacers, who have built quite a reputation for themselves as a third-quarter team during the 2011-12 season, used another strong effort in that period, and by extension in the second half, to escape AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday with a 78-75 win against the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, evening the series at 1-1. The win broke the Heat’s streak of consecutive home playoff wins at 13.
The grit the Pacers displayed in churning out a powerful second half and a win gives them home-court advantage in the series beginning Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Year two of the Toronto Raptors’ post-Chris Bosh re-building effort yielded a similar result as year one. The Raps once again finished well out of the playoff picture and now enter the off-season in need of an influx in talent. They will Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas, their 2011 first round pick, but what else can Toronto do to improve their roster and get themselves back as a relevant Eastern Conference team?
Just minutes ago, the Chicago Bulls concluded a press conference discussing the surgery and recovery time table of their franchise player Derrick Rose. The reigning NBA MVP tore his ACL, and today was an opportunity for a post-surgical update. Answering questions from the media were Bulls GM Gar Forman, trainer Fred Tedeschi and the orthopedic surgeon who performed Rose’s operation: Dr. Brian Cole.
A lot was said, but this exchange says the most, in just a few words:
Some of the best athletes in the world became great because they could dedicate their childhoods and adolescence to training in the best gyms with the best coaches. Their parents invested in their careers and they succeeded. But other stories are far more inspiring, showing that talent, determination, and maybe a bit of luck can take you farther than a fat bank account can. These athletes may have started out with nothing, but now they’re raking in the cash, being honored by their countries, and providing motivation for kids out there with big dreams.
This is the third installment of my five-part series of ‘Top 25 Toughest Players to Guard in the NBA. Today, players 15-11 are unveiled. Feel free to leave a comment!
On paper, the Golden State Warriors don’t appear to be that far off from competing for a spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. Adding a couple pieces this off-season and getting Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut, and David Lee 100% healthy will certainly be crucial if Mark Jackson‘s team is going to take that next step.
This is the second installment of “25 Toughest Players to Guard in the NBA“. Here are players 20-16. Take a look and feel free to leave a comment!
The New Jersey Nets… err… Brooklyn Nets will have a new home next season, moving across the Hudson River to their new home at the Barclays Center. As the franchise enters a new era, they have plenty of question marks regarding their roster. Priority number one this off-season for the Nets will be re-signing their star point guard, Deron Williams.
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