Even though he just recently finished his sophomore season at the Wisconsin, Traevon Jackson comes across just like his game- confident, smooth and mature.

For being just 20 years old, he’s so calm and composed, you can’t help but think about where you were in life at 20….and then sheepishly quit punishing yourself.

Some of that confidence undoubtedly comes from his famous genetics and being the son of , but the greater part of it comes from his faith and approach to life, off the court.

“Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to.  Just the fact of me playing in the tournament was great because it’s the attitude of “loser goes home” and unfortunately we had to go home. But it really puts into perspective what you need to do to prepare for it going forward. And learning from that this year helps us next year.”

“Growing up, I felt it more than I do now, but now I don’t even think about it at all, actually. The pressure that I feel now the most is pleasing the Lord. That may sound cliché, but that’s an everyday type of task and the biggest thing for me. As long as I continue to grow in that aspect, there is no other question.”

“Oh, me of course (laughing). Easily. He can beat me in golf and all the other, cards, all that stuff, but he’s not beating me on the court.”

Read the .

following the backlash over Friday’s headline “Chink in the Armor,” which was either in reference to the Knicks losing their first game in 13 days or as a way to describe Asian-American Jeremy Lin. (Or both.)

Here’s ESPN’s statement, which is currently posted on the network’s official website:

I would rather believe that the headline was unintentional and just a massive oversight by ESPN employees because then that would mean racism never entered the minds of those involved. They simply posted “Chink in the Armor” because it served the purpose of describing that the Knicks finally displayed a weakness or a flaw since "Linsanity" started.

But then again I’m not that naïve. There are tons of other headlines that ESPN could have used to describe the loss. Here's one: “Flawed after all.” It’s short and sweet, it rhythms, and hey, it’s devoid of any ethic slurs, which I think is its best attribute. Win-win-win.

Even if this situation was just a bad mistake, how anyone could be that dim as to not think the headline would cause a stir is beyond me. so you’re telling me people at ESPN didn’t stare at that thing 20 times before posting it to the site? It’s almost more believable that someone posted the headline as a terrible crack at humor rather than foolishly thinking it wouldn’t create controversy. And to use the slur twice in one day (once in print and once out of an anchor's mouth) is brutal.

What’s done is done. ESPN took measures to correct the mistake and apologized, so it’ll take it’s medicine and hopefully learn from the experience.

This is crazy. Jeremy Lin drains a last-second three to beat the Raptors.

The Jeremy Lin story keeps getting more amazing. Naturally, some were whether this kid from Harvard could sustain his incredible run against the Los Angeles Lakers, and then Lin went out and on them.

This is a great story, though you have to wonder why Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni waited so long to play the kid. If it weren't for injuries, the kid would still be wasting away on the bench. Didn't he show off these skills in practice?

In any event, the NBA has a new star, at least for the moment. Let's see if the Lin show continues.

Chris Bosh must have been inspired by soccer players. This acting job was pitiful, but he did draw the foul. The NBA needs to crack down on the flopping.

Check out this s.

It's easy to hate these guys when you watch this lame video. It's almost as bad as the party they threw when the Big Three signed their contracts with the Heat last season. After choking last year against the Mavericks, you would think that a somewhat different tone would be in order.

But LeBron wants to have fun this year. He didn't do so well as the villain, so the dopey kid is back and his teammates are joining in on the fun.

That aside, however, after two games it does look like LeBron is taking the game seriously this year. He and Wade and shying away from three-pointers and they're focusing on transition baskets and post-up moves. It's a shame it's taken LeBron this long to figure it out, but I guess a humiliating meltdown in front of the world in the Finals will do that do you.

Now we shouldn't get carried away after two games, as the Heat ran past two older teams. The Mavs have new players and haven't had any time to work together. They have to win as a team like they did last year. Also, LeBron always looks good in the regular season. Sure, he's working on developing better habits, but we've seen him lose focus during crunch time before.

This team is talented, and they'll battle for the best record. But none of it matters. They have to win it all. Anything else is a failure.

recently published a , who has spent over 50 years photographing athletes and swimsuit models. The man has led an incredible life, and he also happens to be a great storyteller.

In this article, Iooss recounts stories of his favorite athletes and models, like Micheal Jordan, Reggie Jackson, Paulina Porizkova and Christie Brinkley. Sports fans should read the whole article and you'll get a real sense of the bravado and charisma of people like Reggie Jackson in his prime.

Iooss loves to tell stories of how he had to charm people like Tiger Woods. With Tiger, the swimsuit pictures got his attention right away, and Iooss could then get Tiger to do what was necessary to get the shot.

And then there were the difficult ones like Barry Bonds and the prima donnas like LeBron James. His story about LeBron is very telling:

It was obvious that this clown had a problem when he and those around him started referring to him as King James, but this episode demonstrates just how out of control LeBron's ego had become.

One year later, LeBron is now a punch line after his embarrassing performance in the NBA Finals. He's gone onto ESPN to discuss how he should have done things differently when he left Cleveland last year and how he made the mistake of embracing the role of the villain. He's going back to having fun. We'll see about that. But more than anything he needs to get rid of the obscene entourage, and I don't see that happening.

The Dallas Mavericks acquired Lamar Odom from the Los Angeles Lakers, which will have ripple effects throughout the NBA as teams try to finalize rosters in this chaotic period following the NBA lockout. Above you see a photo of Odom battling Dirk Nowitzski last year in the NBA playoffs. Instead of working to get revenge for the Lakers, Odom will now be a crucial part of the Dallas effort to return to the NBA finals.

This trade signals the end of the bizarre saga surrounding the Chris Paul trade that was rejected by David Stern. That controversial decision has rocked the NBA, and now we'll be hearing about it over and over again as New Orleans tries to unload Paul to another team. The Lakers decided to back out of the talks rather than submit a new trade from Chris Paul to the league, and in dealing Odom put an abrupt end to that scenario. Meanwhile, the Lakers now seem to be focusing their attention on acquiring Dwight Howard in a deal that would involve Andrew Bynum.

As for the Mavericks, this trade for Odom became possible when they decided to work a deal with the New York Knicks when it became clear they would be losing center Tyson Chandler to the Knicks. That gave the Mavs an $11 million trade exception which they then used to acquire Odom. Odom made it clear he didn't want to leave LA, but the powers that be clearly decided to go in another direction.

Dallas has more moves to make as it reworks in roster in the wake of losing Chandler. Chandler was a very important piece of their championship puzzle, but he's the kind of player that can be replaced. Dallas is now one of the teams that might get a shot at landing Dwight Howard as the Orlando Magic have permitted them along with the Lakers and the New Jersey Nets. There's also buzz out there that Vince Carter will land in Dallas as well. Carter can still score, but he's not the kind of player one thinks of to help a championship team. Maybe he'll be better in a reduced role.

The Dwight Howard sweepstakes will be the next big story that will have ripple effects around the league. We'll see how serious Dallas is in that contest.

The to the Los Angeles Lakers has created a firestorm.

Stern got serious pressure from a number of owners, including Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who fired off a letter to Stern and other owners .

The teams are and they have appealed Stern's decision.

Meanwhile, Stern and the NBA are being savaged by commentators everywhere. Here's and .

It might be a long winter for NBA fans.

The NBA Players Association announced the players' rejection of the league's latest offer today along with the decision to begin disbanding the union. It looks like a move aimed at getting the owners to one last round of negotiations. If the owners sit down again, maybe this gets resolved soon. If the owners balk, then this likely goes to court and the season is likely lost.

Adrian Wojnarowski has the on the turmoil within the NBA players association, and the picture isn't pretty.

Jason Whitlock has a , putting more blame on Fisher.

Either way, the whole situation is a mess. I tend to think Fisher is right here, realizing that the players can only push this so far.

ESPN's Buster Olney is that the Atlanta Braves have traded Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians. WKNR in Cleveland is reporting that the Indians parted with minor-league pitcher Chris Jones.

This is a salary dump by the Braves. Olney reports that the Braves will cover $10 million of Lowe's 2012 salary of $15 million. So the Indians get an experienced starter for the bargain price of $5 million for next season.

Lowe didn't have a great 2011 season in Atlanta as he went 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA. He's also 38 years old. Yet Lowe eats up innings and his stats from 2005-2010 we excellent and then solid. The Indians have a strong pitching staff led by Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, with Josh Tomlin and Fausto Carmona as well (the Tribe picked up Carmona's 2012 option today for $7 million). But injuries have hurt their depth in the rotation, and Lowe gives them an experienced starter to add to the mix.

With his walk-off home run in game 6, David Freese etched in name in World Series lore, but he did .

Freese became the sixth player to win the MVP in the league championship series and then winning the World Series MVP award. He gets a black Corvette to remind him of this classic World Series.

He's also an example of the importance of having a short memory in sports. He had some tough plays in the field, and his errors cost the Cards some runs, but he came back and delivered in the clutch.

The NBA and the players are making progress towards a deal after a 15-hour marathon negotiating session yesterday. Talks will resume today at 2 PM.

Adrian Wojnarowski is that the sides are focusing on system issues and the salary cap, and the the split issues can be addressed once this formula is worked out.

The quotes cited in his article suggest that momentum is pushing both sides to a deal. I haven't lost any sleep over this, as the NBA isn't nearly as interesting or fun as the NFL, and the NBA season is way too long. I really wouldn't care if half the season was cancelled.

That said, in this economy, many people rely on the NBA for their livelihood, and I'm not referring to the players. The ripple effect is also important, as bar owners and hotels benefit from a full NBA season. With that in mind I'm hoping this gets wrapped up soon. Whatever they decide, I'm sure this will improve things for the owners and hopefully for the game as well.

Following his meltdown in last year's Finals, LeBron James is going to take a lot of heat from critics, and Magic Johnson is happy to pile on.