One thing is clear: the Lakers need to shakeup their roster and GM Mitch Kupchak noted that today. After getting bounced in the second round of the playoffs for the second year in a row, the Lakers are looking for answers. They tried to acquire Chris Paul but the league denied it. They were “shopping” Andrew Bynum, but only for Dwight Howard. They ended up keeping Bynum and he had a very productive season. Despite having his best season of his career, Bynum might be on the move. But with his care-about-nothing attitude could probably care-less. So what could the Lakers get for him?

It was clear that Bynum never respected head coach Mike Brown. Bynum took three-point shots in a game earlier in the season and, afterwards, said that he was going to keep working on his jump shot. He lacks character, clear judgment, and brains. But he has all the potential in the world and teams would kill to have a center like Bynum, in a league that lacks centers. With that being said, Bynum is also the Lakers most valuable asset after Pau Gasol lost value with his post-season performance. Here are a few ideas of what the Lakers might try to get in-return for Bynum. Some of these are possibilities and some are realities.

1. Andrew Bynum heads to Brooklyn for Brook Lopez and Deron Williams – This would be a bit of a stretch and the Lakers would probably have to trade Pau Gasol, too. Deron Williams would have to do a sign-and-trade with the Nets in order for it to work for both teams. Brook Lopez would fill the center spot, but it would be a bit of a risk because he is hurt a lot. But Williams would be a major upgrade from Ramon Sessions.

2. Andrew Bynum heads to Orlando for Dwight Howard – This is the trade that the Lakers want but the trade that the Magic doesn’t want to do. Orlando loves Howard and Howard loves Orlando. The Lakers have been pursuing Howard for well over a year now but haven’t put together the right package to acquire Superman. It’s like the girl you are trying to impress but it just isn’t working out the way you want it to. Then before you know it, she is going out with a person you despise and Howard ends up in Brooklyn.

3. Andrew Bynum takes his talents to South Beach for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – If the Miami Heat doesn’t win a title this season, Pat Riley has said that a roster shake-up is coming. The Heat lacks size inside, and Bynum would fill that void. Wade is getting older and Bosh has been criticized for his play, at times. If Bosh arrives in L.A., then it’s certain that Gasol is going somewhere else. Wade and Bryant would be an interesting backup, but it still doesn’t solve their need for a point guard.

4. Andrew Bynum head to Sac-town for DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans – What’s worse: a headache or a migraine? The nice thing is both of these players have the ability to get on their coaches bad side. Cousins managed to get his coach fired. But you can’t deny Cousins talent. He is younger and, I think, is tougher than Bynum. He really improved this season (18 and 11). Bynum averaged 19 and 12. Once Cousins’ contract is up, he is going to demand a lot of money but it’s less of a burden on the black card than Bynum’s $16 million player option this next season. And the Lakers would also receive Evans, a combo-guard who can score and dish.

5. Bynum heads to Boston for Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett and a 1st round pick – Rondo would fill the Lakers need for a point guard and Garnett could be a fill-in-the-void center with Gasol at the PF spot and Kobe Bryant at the two-guard. That leaves the small forward spot up-for-grabs. With that first round pick, the Lakers could draft a rookie small forward and start him. Rondo would make it easier for Bryant to score because Bryant could come off of screens, instead of having to back his defender down from the three-point line.

Actress and former supermodel Brooklyn Decker will be a special guest at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600.

Decker, who is a Charlotte, North Carolina native, will also serve as honorary race director. Nascar is huge in Charlotte, it’s where the Hall of Fame is, the headquarters. Auto racing is BIG there, big just like Brooklyn Decker’s….

…personality. She’s got a really big movie star personality.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

It’s interesting how things work. Everything seems to come full-circle more times than not. Shaquille O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic way back in 1992. He spent four very productive years with the Magic before leaving Disney World for Los Angeles. Remember that O’Neal left for more money. Now, it’s reported that he might have an interview for the GM job of the Magic.

If this rumor is true, what could be in-store for current Magic big-man Dwight Howard? There are a lot of difference between Shaq and Howard, and Shaq has had no problem saying it publicly. Shaq has taken many shots at Howard, calling himself the original Superman and has said that current Lakers’ center Andrew Bynum is the best center in the NBA.

Despite the war-of-words between these two big-men, they have more in common than they might know. They are bad free-throw shooters, play the center position, give themselves nicknames, try to be funny with the media, and, well that’s about it. I have a feeling that Shaq will always have the better career. He has four titles and has scored over 28,000 points. He was the most dominant player to ever play basketball and played up to his potential. Howard has more than talent than 99% of the league, but he doesn’t know what to do with it. He has been dominant at times, but he has been inconsistent more times than he has been consistent.

Here’s an interesting fact though: Shaq was a 52.7% free-throw shooter throughout his career. If he had been a 60% free-throw shooter, Shaq would have scored 816 more points in his career. If he had been a 65% free-throw shooter, he would have scored 1378 more points, and if he had been a 70% free-throw shooter, he would have scored 1941 more points.

OK, back to Shaq possibly becoming a GM.

It’s well documented that Howard was pissed-off at former head coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith. Howard and Van Gundy had their awkward spat almost two months ago. Smith said he would put viable pieces around Howard and that didn’t happen. Two days ago both Van Gundy and Smith were fired, leaving the head coaching and GM seats unattended, and Howard at the top of the pyramid.

I think it would be very interesting if Shaq became the GM for the organization that drafted him.

It would certainly make next year more interesting, as Howard will have the option to become a free agent or sign a new contract with the Magic next summer.

Racing on Memorial Day weekend will be nothing new for Danica Patrick. But for 2012, the car, location, track length and distance will be brand new for the Go Daddy Girl.

For the past seven years on Memorial Day weekend, Patrick has competed in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And nowhere did Patrick perform better than in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” She burst onto the scene at Indy in May 2005 when she stunned the world by leading three times for 19 laps and finishing fourth in her first “500” – becoming the first woman to lead laps and score a top-five finish in the historic race.

She set numerous records during her Indianapolis 500 debut and set the tone early when she posted the fastest lap on the opening day of practice. She went on to set the fastest practice lap five times throughout the month – more than any other driver – including Pole Day and Carburetion Day.

Patrick’s practice lap of 229.880 mph on Pole Day was the fastest of any driver during the month and the fastest turned by any woman in the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During her qualification attempt, Patrick made an impressive save as her car bobbled in turn one on her first lap, earning her rave reviews for her car control by longtime Speedway observers. She ended up qualifying fourth, the best-ever starting position for a woman in the race.

On race day, with 11 laps remaining in the 200-lap event, Patrick blew past leader Dan Wheldon and held the point until lap 194, when she was forced to slow down in order to conserve fuel to make it to the finish. Her efforts earned her Rookie of the Year honors.

Patrick scored six top-10 finishes in seven starts at Indianapolis and qualified 10^th or better five times. Her third-place result in 2009 is the best finish ever for a woman in the history of the Indianapolis 500.

This Sunday will be different for Patrick, though, as she’ll watch the start of the Indianapolis 500 on television from her motorhome as she prepares to drive in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet will compete in a race that is 100 miles longer than the Indianapolis 500, starts six hours later than the “500” and takes place on a 1.5-mile high-banked oval rather than a 2.5-mile nearly flat rectangle.

It will be part of the continuing education for Patrick as she transitions from INDYCAR to NASCAR, much like Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) owner-driver Tony Stewart did more than a decade ago.

And while it will be different for Patrick, she’s hoping the success she had at Indianapolis follows her south.

DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet:

Can you talk about your season thus far in the Nationwide Series and your limited Sprint Cup Series schedule?

“I think it’s been an up-and-down season. There have been times where we caught some bad luck, there have been times where we’ve had disappointing races, and there have been some times where we’ve been good and things just didn’t happen right. I think there also have been times where some great things have happened but, unfortunately, all the great things that happened haven’t materialized into a great result in the race. Sometimes it’s a good qualifying effort, sometimes it’s being really good in practice, just doing things I wasn’t doing before.”

Two weeks ago at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, one of the toughest tracks on the circuit, you finished both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races and gained valuable seat time. How important was that for your confidence and development?

“I think Darlington was one of those weekends that could have confirmed opinions, or sort of developed new ones for people. And I think it ‘developed new ones’ more than it confirmed if someone didn’t think I was doing a good job. I think just the difficulty of the race, being there for the first time and putting a doubleheader on top of it in addition to the Nationwide race – I went into it basically knowing it was going to be difficult. I was plenty worried and disappointed after the first practice in Cup because I was last. A lot of people said ‘good job’ and I appreciate it because, let’s face it, I had a 12^th and a 31^st. But I appreciate it and it means that a lot of people with experience are watching, and it did go well for the circumstances, so it was a little bit of a confidence-booster.

Thoughts on missing the Indianapolis 500 this year after seven consecutive years of racing in the event?

“I watched qualifying last weekend when I had the chance during down time at Iowa. I’m happy for James Hinchcliffe and the GoDaddy team for qualifying second. It’s obviously great to see the GoDaddy car up front. I always want my sponsor to win. That’s the most important thing for me is that they are finding benefit in the things that they do and business is growing. I’m happy to see the green up front and I’m sure GoDaddy is, too.”

What’s it like not being at Indianapolis this month?

“The first time I really thought about it was last weekend. I was curious what was going on with Pole Day. Of course I was curious. I spent my whole childhood watching open-wheel racing. I went to England to race open-wheel and then came back to the States and raced open-wheel. So, it was my world for 20 years. I’ve been watching it for most of my life. I watch it and I think, ‘I know how to do it.’ I feel like I know Indy, I know what it takes to be fast. Every year I learned valuable lessons about how to be better next time and I felt like I learned a really big one last year. Hopefully that means sometime in the future I’ll get to use that.”

Can you talk about Tony Stewart since you both have experience in IndyCar racing?

“We don’t talk a lot about IndyCar and NASCAR. They’re very different worlds. I think it’s nice that I know he has the reference and can understand where I’m coming from, perhaps, with some feelings and certain ways I describe the car. But we don’t speak specifically about Indy cars because of the difference in cars. So, for me, it’s nice to have a guy like Tony, who is confident and will help me and give me answers and be honest and want to see me get better. And the IndyCar references are just nice from a background standpoint that he understands what I’m talking about.”

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

Monday night was a great night for the Oklahoma City Thunder organization. They took another step in the right direction, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals to advance to the WCF. But I am not writing about Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook or how well the Thunder played against the Lakers. I am writing about the aftermath of the Thunder’s win on Monday night.

The Thunder has one of the coolest things outside of their arena that takes place in “Thunder Alley”. Thunder Alley is a pre-gaming area for people to buy food, drinks, and jerseys, or play games. However, for the playoffs, they take things up a notch. People, who don’t have a ticket, can sit outside the arena and watch the game (going on inside) on a big screen (the picture at the top shows what Thunder Alley looks like for the playoffs). It was a cool way for fans to mingle, eat, and watch the game (I don’t know how Thunder Alley is set-up and whether they charge a cover fee to watch games). It was something that nobody else had, until Monday night.

It was business as usual on Monday. After the Thunder dispatched the Lakers, people filed out of their seats and the arena after a little post-game celebration for their team’s most recent success. But shortly after, a fight broke-out resulting in gunshots being fired. According to police reports, eight people were injured, one is nor in critical condition, and a pregnant woman was injured in the assault. The police have also said that the fight and gunfire had absolutely nothing to do with the game.

Due to the events of Monday night, the Thunder organization and Oklahoma City police have concluded that Thunder Alley is to shut down right before the game starts.

I am all for safety and it’s good that they are shutting this down before the game starts. The Thunder plays the San Antonio Spurs in the WCF and I could only imagine some crazy fan going off on an innocent group of people if his or her team loses. Oklahoma City has already had enough on its plate. When the federal building was blown up in 1995, it did two things to Oklahoma City. 1. It hurt and killed thousands of people and 2. It brought the city closer together. This is a city that really cares about its citizens and its citizens really care about its citizens (that’s not a typo). This shooting can’t compare to the federal building travesty in any way, shape, or form, but it’s still an act of violence and it’s sad to see this happen.

It’s a shame to see such a cool thing be shut down, but it’s for the better.

I did a paper on the Murrah Federal Building when I was a junior in high school.

And I still have it.

Charlotte Motor Speedway was- at one point- jokingly referred to as “Jimmie’s house.” While Jimmie Johnson never used the moniker himself, others found justification for the reference. During a stretch in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career there was no denying that Johnson certainly owned the 1.5-mile oval. Beginning with a win at the 2003 All-Star Race, Johnson won six of nine consecutive races. (He didn’t win the Oct. 2003 race and 2004 and 2005 All-Star Races.)

It appears another streak could be starting as Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s team has rattled off some impressive wins over the past two weeks. Starting with the historic 200^th win for Hendrick Motorsport at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 12, the team has been on a tear, winning the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge the following Thursday and culminating with a record tying third win (Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon) in the Sprint All-Star Race this past Saturday. Johnson’s win in the first segment and his dominance of the final 10-lap segment, may be a sign for what could be another strong showing at this weekend’s 600-mile race, the sport’s longest of the season.

This is welcome news to the 48 team who had their worst career showing at the track in 2011. Both races Johnson ended the night early due to an accident in May and an engine issue in Oct. But it would seem that these cracks in the foundation may be patched up and if the past few weeks are any indication, Johnson may once again be in residence at Charlotte this Memorial Day weekend.

You normally run a patriotic paint scheme. What is the background of that, and what does it mean to you?

“I really have to give Lowe’s the credit for it. Of course I would want to, but it’s really their paint job that goes on the car. They have the final say. They have done some amazing paint jobs over the years, really saying ‘Thanks.’ I am just fortunate to have a cool sponsor that wants to say thank you to all the men and women who have served.”

What does it mean to win a race like the 600? What does it take in terms of endurance?

“It is a very long race on a tough track.  It’s not only from the driver’s perspective, but the teams go through a lot to get prepared for that race.  Staying alert and focused, properly hydrated all the things that the driver has to go through so do the guys that go over the wall.  They change a lot of tires during that race.  It’s a very tough event on everyone but I think everybody enjoys it.  I know my guys do.  I know I do.  I love that challenge.  I love it especially when you are going to victory lane.  I hope to do that again.”

What does winning a race like that mean to you?

“Just that weekend with all the racing that takes place world-wide that weekend.  It’s Memorial Day, there is a very special part in me because both of my Grandfathers’ served.  That means something.  We are in all of our backyards.  Hendrick Motorsports is literally a mile-and-a-half, two miles away.  I start stacking up a lot of cool reasons to win that race and I hope to do it.”

Did you bring the same car back that you raced in the All-Star Race?

“No. Not with the way things are today. The cars go to the tech center and they don’t get back in time to turn them around in a couple of days. I think we have an equally good car for the 600. I said it the other night, but track position at the end of the 600 is going to be key, I think. You are going to have start thinking about strategy and a couple of pit stops or so from the end, making the right calls is going to be important- whether you take fuel, tires or no tires. It’s going to get interesting. We learned a lot the other night thought that I think we will be able to apply this weekend.”

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

Cleveland Cavaliers franchise point guard Kyrie Irving has a Pepsi Max commercial which is set to become one of the best viral videos you’ll ever see. The next big thing in the NBA plays Uncle Drew, an old man how can ball better than you might expect. Watch all five minutes and pass the link on.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

When you see what destruction the San Antonio Spurs have done this season, and so far in the playoffs, it’s not crazy to admit that this team is very good. Actually, they are great. Gregg Popovich has managed a roster filled with veterans and youth. They have depth, experience, talent, and leadership. So just how great is this team?

Since Tim Duncan arrived on the scene 15 years ago, the Spurs have been one of the most consistent and competitive small-market franchises in all of pro sports. It also helps when coach Popovich has been around for 16 years. The nice thing about the Spurs is that they have never relied on just one player to get them through games. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parkerhave been around for a long time, too. All three players have been major contributors in the three championships they have won together (Duncan has four; won one with David Robinson).

But the Spurs have always been more than just three players.

When they won the title in 2003, “Capt. Jack” Stephen Jackson averaged 13 points per game in the playoffs.

In 2005, the Big Three got the majority of the attention, but “Big-Shot Bob” Robert Horry averaged nearly 10 points per game.

And finally, in 2007, when the Spurs dismantled LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Finley averaged 11 points per game.

Those teams won 60, 59 and 58 games, respectively, in the regular season.

In a 66-game season, this Spurs team won 50. Parker played like an MVP while Duncan and Ginobili rested. But you would expect those three play at a high level. Here’s where “greatness” comes into the equation.

Popovich is one of the greatest coaches to ever coach in basketball, whether it’d be pro, college, high school, or traveling. Do you remember when Boris Diaw was fat and Danny Green couldn’t even play for the Cavaliers? OK, both of them start on this team and Green is averaging 10 points per game in the playoffs. They drafted Kawhi Leonard and he has turned into a very solid player in his rookie season. He, too, starts and is becoming the next Bruce Bowen, but a better scorer. The Spurs acquired Stephen Jackson because Richard Jefferson wasn’t working out the way they had hoped. And Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal are tremendous role players. Lastly, Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair hardly play, but they are better than any 11th and 12th man in the league.

Popovich has been known as a defensive coach in his career, but he has seemed to flip the script this season. His team stills plays defense (96.5 papg) but the offense has been amped-up (103.7 ppg). They are the best three-point shooting team in the league (42%), score the second-most points per game and have a point-differential of 7.2. They have had two 11-game winning streaks this season and have currently won 18 games in a row (including playoffs; 8-0). They have only won 11 games by 20 or more points this season, but 22 games by 10 or more points (not counting the 11 games won by 20 or more points). This has been one of the most-efficient teams the NBA has ever seen. The Spurs are averaging 1.25 points per shot and have an effective-shooting percentage of 52.8% (effective-shooting percentage is adjusted for 3pt shots).

So is this one of the greatest teams ever?

When you talk about greatest teams ever, the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls come to mind. That team went 72-10 with Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen. They are considered the greatest team in the history of the NBA. They scored 105.2 points per game and allowed 92.9 points per game. Their team offensive rating was 115.2 (that’s a team’s points scored per 100 possessions) and defensive rating was 101.8 (points allowed by a team per 100 possessions). Three players averaged double-figures in the playoffs (Jordan, Pippen, and Toni Kukoc) and seven players, in total, averaged more than six points per game. They managed to string together winning streaks of 13 and 18 games throughout their record-breaking season and won 25 games by 20 points or more. They won also have a nine-game winning streak in the playoffs (two against the Knicks, four against the Orlando Magic, and two against the SuperSonics).

The 1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers are considered among the greatest teams in NBA history, too. They averaged 117 points per game in the regular season and had six players averaged between 24 and 11 points per game in the playoffs. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy were the drivers behind the wheel. They steam-rolled their way through the playoffs, en-route to a 15-3 postseason mark. They didn’t play the greatest defense, however. They gave up 108.5 points per game, and in today’s game, I don’t think you’re going to get away with that kind of defense. They won 18 games by 20 points or more and had two winning streak that lasted atleast 10 games (10 and 11). In the playoffs, the Lakers won their first six games before they lost a game. Then they pulled-off a seven game winning streak, sweeping the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals.

If you look at what the Spurs don’t have and what these two teams did have, the answer is simple: a superstar. But not having a superstar is what makes this Spurs team so unbelievable. I guess you could say that either Parker or Duncan is a superstar, but I would just say that they are very good players. In today’s game, look at all the teams that have two or more superstars on their roster: Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Miami really has two and a half superstars but Chris Bosh is injured. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are struggling against the Indiana Pacers right now. Indiana is a very good, well-balanced team and plays great defense. The Knicks were bounced out of the first round because of injuries, poor play, and Amar’e Stoudemire being stupid and punching a glass case. Not to mention Carmelo Anthony will go down as one of the most DE-ficient players in NBA playoff history, for 2012 anyway. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin is all the Clippers have on offense because Chauncey Billups is out, recovering from a torn Achilles. The Spurs made Paul look like a high school basketball player out on the court. The Oklahoma City Thunder has Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, two players who are capable of playing at the highest level at the same time. James Harden is the third-wheel and will be ever so important against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

But none of the teams I just named have what the Spurs have: depth, leadership, basketball immortality (Duncan), or coaching experience.

I asked you earlier and I will ask you again: Do you think this is one of the greatest teams ever?

I think so.

Right now Kate Upton is considered the hottest woman in the world; and perhaps rightfully so. Since the 19-year-old Michigan native and Wolverines fan was named the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl, the entire media has been buzzing over, wanting to know more about here…like if her boobs are real or not.

Upton has been making a huge splash on the internet since last year, when she debuted as a rookie in SI. Making us wonder, which rookie of the 2012 SI swimsuit class will emerge as the next Kate Upton.

Check out Crystal Renn, and see if she fits the bill.

In 2011, Crystal Renn became the face of the spring/summer campaign for Jimmy Chooand the spring/summer MR Denim Collection by Marina Rinaldi, a plus-size jeans collection.

Obvioulsy, Renn is anything but plus size. But this is interesting from her Wikipedia page. As it comes from her Wikipedia page, take it with not just a grain, but a whole truckload of salt.

Renn started her modeling career in high fashion at the age of 14 after being spotted by a professional scout in her hometown in Clinton, Mississippi.

Renn was told she would need to lose almost a third of her total body weight if she wanted to become a model. Later, after years of anorexia nervosa, Renn reassessed her diet and exercise habits. After gaining 70 pounds (32 kg) and re-emerging as a U.S. size 12, she was re-marketed by her agents as a plus-size model. Renn has authored a book, Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves, about her experiences in the fashion industry in relation to her several body type transformations.

Renn’s first book, Hungry, was co-authored by Marjorie Ingall and released on September 8, 2009.During an on-camera interview at an Australian industry functionRenn’s agent Gary Dakin noted that her total income would now be “close to 7 figures”.

Renn reported for Glamour at New York Fashion Week 2010 on the fall collections.

Other SI Swimsuit rookie class reviews:

Jessica Perez

Nina Agdal

Crystal Renn

Michelle Vawer

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

NHL Network personality Carrie Milbank is yet another example of a cheerleader turned media personality. She captained the Houston Texans squad for four years.

From NHL.com The Hockey Show profile:

She was discovered by NFL Films in 2003 when she auditioned as a Guest Host on NFL Under The Helmet (FOX), revealing her Number One passion as an on–camera entertainer. She quickly became a Correspondent for NFL Under The Helmet as well as a Co–Host for the NFL Cayman Challenge (NFL Network).

In 2004, Carrie hung up her boots and pom-poms to pursue a full–time career in television. She was hired as the Producer, Writer, & Host for Houston-based lifestyle program Hot On! Houston (KPRC–TV, NBC), and in less than a year was promoted to Hot On! D.C. to kickoff the newly expanded show in the Washington Metro area (WUSA–TV, CBS).

Carrie Milbank’s Twitter

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.