Playmaker Mobile

Playmaker Roundup: Lolo Jones wins 1st place @ the IAAF in Zagreb, Osi Umenyiora apologizes to Giants' fans, Delonte West may become the newest Celtic and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

LOLO JONES: LJ took first place @ the IAAF World Challenge in Zagreb, Croatia in the Women's 100 meter hurdles, today. Jones posted a finishing time of 12.87 seconds. The Diamond League Finale is this Friday.

OSI UMENYIORA: Call OU 'The Riddler,' this according to Ed Valentine of SB Nation. Osi recently apologized to fans for the Giants' lackluster performance last season. Umenyiora said mediocrity will not be the Giants' theme for this upcoming 2010-2011 NFL season. 

STEVE NASH: Bruce Constantineau of the Edmonton Journal wrote that Steve Nash is all business off the court. Outside of basketball, Nash is involved with his charity foundation, social media business, MLS soccer team, and studying to become a Venture Capitalist.

GREG ODEN: IAMTraiBlazersFan.com hosts a poll to gage where NBA fans think Greg Oden ranks among the NBA's best Centers. 

MICHAEL ROBINSON: Matt Maiocco of CSNbayarea.com writes that Michael Robinson's job is secure with the 49ers.

RAJON RONDO: RR may have a new teammate soon. According to Rob Mahoney of NBC Sports, Delonte West is scheduled to sign with the Boston Celtics soon. We'll keep you updated.

JONATHAN VILMA: Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune questions if Jonathan Vilma will be ready to go for the season opener against the Vikings. According to the comments on Nola.com, Saints' fans don't want to rush him back to the field prematurely.

DONOVAN MCNABB: Jason Reid of The Washington Post writes that DM5 still feels uncomfortable in the Redskins' offense and that his injury will not help in easing his learning curve. Many of McNabb's teammates say Donovan will be ready by the start of the of season but Reid questions whether he'll be ready to go by then.

BRANDON JENNINGS: Click here to see video highlights of Brandon Jennings and other up and coming NBA starters from the Nike Championship Run pickup game in LA.   

Contest: Win Saints/Vikings tickets and meet Jon Vilma. Hurry contest ends September 6th @ Midnight!

Playmaker Roundup: Jonathan Vilma will NOT need surgery on groin, Brandon Jennings does Lady Gaga impersonation, Donovan McNabb misses Monday practice and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

JONATHAN VILMA: It looks like JV is going to be OK---this according to Dr. William Meyers who wrapped up a consultation on Vilma's groin injury today in Philadelphia. Coach Sean Payton has already decided that Vilma will be sitting out Thursday's pre-season game against the Titans.

YAO MING: It's "Yao Time!" Trey Kerby of Yao Sports has video of Yao Ming's first public practice session since his '08 season ending surgery. From the looks of it Yao seems ready to play this upcoming NBA season. Click here to see the video.

BRANDON JENNINGS: So according to JSOnline.com, Jennings lost a bet of some sort and had to 'dance' to Lady Gaga on video, LOL. YB, just stick to your day job bro.

DONOVAN MCNABB: According to Jason Reid of The Washington Post, DM5 did not participate in practice today and wore a protective sleeve on the lower half of his left leg.

RAJON RONDO: Throwback vid---Rondo's Top 10 Assists of his NBA Career thus far. Click here to see video.

LOLO JONES: The initial Diamond League track and field season ends this Friday in Brussels. Jones is tied with Priscilla Lopes-Schliep with 14 points in the women's 100 meter hurdles. The victor will sport a $80,000 four-carat diamond trophy and pocket $40,000 in cash USD. Not too bad.

Playmaker Roundup: Donovan McNabb will sit out against Jets, Brandon Jennings makes awesome alley-oop to John Wall, Yao Ming ready to play NBA season and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

DONOVAN MCNABB: DM5 will sit out Friday's exhibition game against the New York Jets to rest from his foot injury. McNabb will provide backup QB, Rex Grossman, with play call and Jets defensive analysis from the sidelines.

BRANDON JENNINGS: Young Buck dished out a nice behind-the-back assist to the NBA's 2010 #1 pick, John Wall, last night in Boost Mobile's Elite 24 midnight run in LA. See the video here.

OSI UMENYIORA: Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News reports that Giants' Defensive Coordinator, Perry Fewell, is currently using defensive packages to get Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka on the field at the same time. You may recall that Osi and Mathias are still competing for the starting spot on D but the Giants' lack of pass-rushing in pre-season has Fewell tinkering with his play book to allow his two stars to play together.

STEVE NASH: Austin Burton of DIME Magazine recently wrote that Arkansas Razorback, Rotnei Clarke, patterns his game after the best PG in the NBA, Steve Nash. Clarke is one of the best outside shooters in the country and he's a candidate for All-SEC.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Throwback---HC sits down with Forbes.com Jim Clash. See video here.

YAO MING: According to the Associated Press, Yao Ming is confident he will be ready to play this upcoming NBA season. *Cross fingers.*

RAJON RONDO: HoopsVibeNews.com writes that Rondo's 'poor outside range and inconsistent free-throw shooting' would have been a liability for Team USA. Agree or disagree?

GREG ODEN: Same comment, different day. New Trail Blazer's GM, Rich Cho, recently addressed 1080 AM The Fan stating that Greg Oden's knee is making progress, however no timeline is set for his return on the court.

Playmaker Roundup: Rajon Rondo cut from Team USA roster, Ray Lewis dislikes 18 game season, Lolo Jones looks to rebound at Diamond League finale and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

RAJON RONDO: Team USA and Rajon Rondo part ways. Before being officially cut from the roster, Rondo asked to be dismissed due to lack of playing time. Rondo had started for Team USA's first two exhibition games but surprisingly did not play against Spain. The final roster for Team USA is: Durrant, Rose, Gay, Odom, Billups, Granger, Westbrook, Gordon, Curry, Love, Chandler and Iguodala. The World Championships start this Saturday and run until September 12th.

RAY LEWIS: RL52 is not a fan of the NFL's proposed 18 game season. Lewis states that the 18 game season will put extreme wear and tear on its football players.  A schedule change would require the approval of the National Football League Players Association as part of the collective bargaining agreement. 

BRANDON JENNINGS: Post Jennings and his Under Armour shoes to your computer's background with this new wallpaper from Brandon's photo shoot with SLAM magazine. Click here..

YAO MING: Yao is ready to play basketball. Team doctors recently proclaimed that Yao's foot is fully healed and he'll be ready to play this upcoming NBA season.

OSI UMENYIORA: OU says he's happy playing for the Giants this year. Osi made two key stops in Saturday's game against the Steelers. 

Playmaker Roundup: Earl Boykins rejoins Bucks, Helio Castroneves finishes third in Sonoma, Rajon Rondo sits out during Team USA's win over Spain and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

BRANDON JENNINGS: The Milwaukee Bucks recently signed veteran guard Earl Boykins to a one-year $1.35 million dollar deal. The 5'5 Boykins will join Jennings and Keyon Dooling to form the Bucks' trio at PG. Boykins played with the Bucks during 2006-2007 season.

GREG ODEN: Art Garcia writes that this upcoming season is crucial to Greg Oden in establishing his future in the NBA.

RAY LEWIS: From creating a workout plan to starring on Sports Science, Ray Lewis has done it all. Add real estate guru to that list. Lewis has formed the RL52 Realty company that will be a commercial real estate advisory firm stationed in the South Florida market. 

OSI UMENYIORA: Ernie Polladino questions whether Osi has made the necessary improvements to be an adequate run-stopper and three-down lineman. Umenyiora made a great stop in the first quarter against the Raiders' Rashard Mendenhall in pre-season. 

LOLO JONES: According to DesMoinesRegister.com Jones finished sixth in the Women's 100 meter hurdles in 12.90 seconds at the ISTAF World Challenge in Berlin on Sunday.

RAJON RONDO: RR takes 'em back to school. See Rondo's cameo in the new Foot Locker commercial. In another note, Rondo did not see action in Team USA's thrilling win against Spain, Sunday. Rondo will be alright though; he's earned the trust of Coach K, according to Alan Siegel of The Hub.

MICHAEL ROBINSON: SF Gate writes that Robinson continues to excel. Robinson straight blasted a defender on the opening kickoff and then made a nice tackle along with Reggie Smith on the first punt return. The 49ers beat the Vikings, 15-10, bringing their record to 2-0 in the preseason. 

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Will Powers won the IZOD Grand Prix at Sonoma on Sunday. Castroneves finished in third place.

JONATHAN VILMA: The Saints beat the Texans, 38-20.

DONOVAN MCNABB: DM5 wore a walking boot to practice Monday morning after suffering an injury in Sunday's game against the Ravens. McNabb expects to be fine. The Redskins will probably sit him during their next preseason game against the Jets, Friday night.

Playmaker Roundup: Greg Oden likely to miss Trail Blazer's home opener, Steve Nash talks about his MLS team, video of Brandon Jennings playing a pickup ball game in New York and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

GREG ODEN: Should Blazer fans get used to seeing Oden out of uniform? According to Joe Freeman of Oregon Live, Oden's status on his knee is unclear. Expectations have definitely been lowered as Blazer trainers are currently unsure whether Oden's left knee will be fully healed by October 26th, opening day. We'll keep you updated on Greg Oden's progress.

STEVE NASH: Marc Weber of The Gazette recently conducted a Q & A session with the PHX Sun's PG. In the interview, Nash discusses his part ownership of the Vancouver White Caps, which enter the MLS in 2011.

BRANDON JENNINGS: YB recently balled it up at The Cage aka the West 4th Street basketball court in New York. See video here.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Here's a picture of HC and his crew on the historical trolleys in The City by the Bay. Castroneves is in San Francisco for the IZOD IndyCar Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma this weekend. 

LOLO JONES: According to RunBlogRun Jones got beat with a late surge by Lopes Schleip, who posted a word leading time of 12.52 in the woman's 100 meter hurdles @ Weltklasse, Zurich, today.

RAJON RONDO: RedsArmy.com writes an interesting article about why they want Rondo to play for Team USA in the World Championships.  Read it here.

DONOVAN MCNABB: Jason Reid of The Washington Post writes that Donovan knows that his team still needs to improve to be competitive this year. The Redskins ended training camp today and have three pre-season games remaining before the start of the NFL season.

YAO MING: The Rocket's center recently surprised kids from the quake-hit Sichuan area of China with a cameo appearance. Yao is still touring his home country in order to raise money for his charity.

Playmaker Roundup: Stoudemire determined to star in New York without Nash, Brandon Jennings debuts kicks with SLAM Magazine, Osi & Giants' Defense look to dominate again and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

STEVE NASH: Dan Miranda of The Knicks Fan blog asks "Is Steve Nash Essential to Amare's success?" Miranda claims NBA fans are in for a rude awakening, in that, Stoudemire will be a beast in NY without having Nash at PG. We'll see if he's right in a few months.

BRANDON JENNINGS: Young Buck debuts his new Under Armour sneakers on the cover of SLAM magazine.  The Black Ice line hits store shelves this November. 

RAY LEWIS: FanLine followers discuss "Who's better, Ray Lewis or Troy Polamalu?"

OSI UMENYIORA: Mike Silver of Yahoo Sports writes that the Giants' defense hopes to become bullies again. Osi and Justin Tuck combined for 13 sacks last year. 

GREG ODEN: Sean Meagher of OregonLive caught up with Oden earlier this month for an interview. According to Meagher, Oden is close to being 'in-shape' and ready to go for the upcoming NBA season. 

HELIO CASTRONEVES: HC signed up to participate in the Gold Coast 600 series which starts this October.

MICHAEL ROBINSON: The 49ers FB called Glen Coffee his 'brother' and was sad to see him retire.

JONATHAN VILMA: JV talked to members of the media yesterday after practice and mentioned that his Saints' defense must be versatile and healthy in order to continue to dominate. See video of the interview here.

DONOVAN MCNABB: DM5 is feeling Washington, DC. And according to Donovan, he'll be with the Redskins for years to come. 

RAJON RONDO: RR talks about shoes and rap as he kicks it with the folks at 6Magazine during the Nike World Basketball Festival.

Playmaker Roundup: Team USA wins against France in New York, Steve Nash putting in work directing a documentary, Michael Robinson and Niners beat the Colts and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

RAJON RONDO: Team USA beat France 88 to 65 Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York.  For most players on the squad this game marked their first international experience. Coach K. went with Billups, Durant, Chandler, Rondo, and Iguodala as the starting squad. Rondo dropped six points and six assists. Team USA's next opponent is Lithuania in Madrid, Spain, next Saturday. 

RAY LEWIS: RL mentioned to James Walker on the Morning Take that he's pumped to play in the most intense season-opener against the Jets.

MICHAEL ROBINSON: The Niners beat the Indianapolis Colts in pre-season, 37 to 17 on Sunday. Even though fumbling on the 49ers first play, Robinson managed to score a touchdown on a 3-yard run in the second quarter. Coach Mike Singletary mentioned that his team did a "good job.

STEVE NASH: Canada's own, Steve Nash, is directing a short documentary about famous runner Terry Fox, titled Into the Wind. Nash's documentary has been selected by the Toronto International Film Festival.

DONOVAN MCNABB: DM5 enjoyed a nice pre-season debut Friday night as the Redskins routed the Bills 42-17. McNabb completed five of eight passes for 58 yards and TD connect with WR, Anthony Armstrong. 

BRANDON JENNINGS: According to Basketball Fiend, Young Money plans to win at least 50 games this season, pass the first round of the playoffs and make the starting squad for the All-star game this upcoming NBA season; all goals that are quite possible. 

LOLO JONES: Women's 100 meters hurdler, Jones, came in third place in London at the World Championships on Saturday with a time of 12.66 seconds.

JONATHAN VILMA: The Saints lost a close one to the Patriots on Thursday, 27 to 24. Coach Payton mentioned that his team played "sloppy." Vilma has already shaken off the loss, stating that his Saints will be ready for the next game against the Houston Texans.

OSI UMENYIORA: According to Mike Garafolo, OU is determined to rebuild his reputation as a top defensive end.

GREG ODEN: Scott Carefoot of the Blazersedge tells basketball fans not to sleep on Greg Oden this upcoming season. 

Playmaker Roundup: Jerry Jones says Eagles are better off with Kolb, Rajon Rondo misses practice, Brandon Jennings to have another break-out year and many more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

DONOVAN MCNABB: Jerry Jones thinks the Philadelphia Eagles are better off without McNabb at QB. I'm sure McNabb will be pulling a LeBron James and filing Jones' opinion into his mental Rolodex for motivational purposes.

BRANDON JENNINGS: Adam Figman of SLAM magazine writes that Young Money is slated to have another break-out year.

LOLO JONES: Throwback vid---The Lolo Jones Story on Iowa Public Television.

STEVE NASH: According to The Gazette, the Toronto Raptors will look to score in Steve Nash country. The Raptors will play Nash and the PHX Suns in an exhibition game on October 6th in Vancouver.

YAO MING: HoopsVibe state the obvious---Yao Ming will not participate in the World Championships in order to stay healthy for the upcoming NBA season.   

OSI UMENYIORA: Mike Garafolo writes that Osi Umenyiora showed flashes of his old self at Giants' practice on Tuesday.

GREG ODEN: Basketball fans at RealGM discuss how the 76ers could land Greg Oden and Anthony Randolph.

RAJON RONDO: RR missed practice on Wednesday due to a death in the family. He's expected to be in Boston today.

JONATHAN VILMA: According to the News Star, JV and the Saints hope to emulate the Patriots' Super Bowl Championship runs. The Saints versus Pats pre-season game is tonight @ 7:30pm in New England.

Playmaker Roundup: Donovan McNabb gets pranked, Keyon Dooling eager to mentor Brandon Jennings, Lolo Jones takes third at Stockholm and more...

Louis Ceaser IV, Playmaker Intern

DONOVAN MCNABB: DM5 gets a good scare from teammate Chris Cooley in a locker room prank. Click here to see video of McNabb's reaction. His reaction is priceless.

JONATHAN VILMA: Mike Triplett writes that Jonathan Vilma is a master at making calls on defense.

LOLO JONES: Olympian Lolo Jones finished third at the women's 100 meter hurdles in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday. Lolo posted a finishing time of 12.70.

RAY LEWIS: So what's the story behind Ray Lewis' new T-shirt that he's sporting at training camp?

BRANDON JENNINGS: New Bucks' backup PG, Kenyon Dooling, recently mentioned to Slam Online that he's willing to mentor Brandon Jennings about anything and everything. 

OSI UMENYIORA: According to NJ.com, Giants' Umenyiora says playing this season is more important than surgery to correct his hip injury. 

YAO MING: Yao will team up with numerous other Chinese celebrities in television commercials that will be aired worldwide in hopes of improving China's global image. 

RAJON RONO: CelticsLife featured Rajon Rondo as their video of the day. Click here to view Rajon Rondo's video/mix tape featuring Drake's single Over. 

GREG ODEN: The Trailblazers' center recently showed some love to people of his hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana. Oden was in town to visit family and to attend the Travis Smith golf outing.