Florida Sentinel Bulletin

One of the rising faces of the NBA, Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin, is now one of the faces of the Jordan Brand according to CBS Sports. Joining Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Russell Westbrook, Griffin joins the sneaker brand which bears the names of the game’s greatest player.

Griffin debuted in Jordan Brand kicks last night in a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies by  sporting a sharp pair of cobalt blue Super Fly Jordans. The Clippers’ high-flying forward and two time NBA All-Star  has become the latest NBA star to join Nike’s Jordan Brand joining teammate Chris Paul, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, Nets guard Joe Johnson, Heat guard Ray Allen and more.

It’s a question not often posed when discussing today’s NBA: are certain teams too white? The inverse — are teams, or the NBA for that matter, too black — has been raised several times in recent years. In a league where black players have made up at least 75 percent of team rosters since the 1991-92 season — the idea of a team being too white seems somewhat  out of place.

But this week, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on the overwhelming number of white players on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster.  Reporters Jerry Zgoda and Dennis Brackin call the team’s roster the “whitest since the Boston Celtics teams of the 1980s.”

On Sunday at 4 p. m., the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take the field at the Oakland Coliseum to face the Raiders without a key offensive player.

Starting left guard Carl Nicks has been lost for the season with a toe injury. Another starter, Davin Joseph, was also lost for the season with an injury. The Bucs are coming off a thrilling victory over the Minnesota Vikings, and are now 3-4 in the lethargic NFC South.

At the beginning of the season, the Buccaneer offensive line was considered the strength of the team, and the factor behind their selection of running back Doug Martin with their first pick. The offensive line has seen the benching of Jeremy Trueblood, who was replaced by Demar Dotson. That was followed by the benching of Joseph’s replacement, Ted Larsen, who was replaced by journeyman, Jamon Meredith. On Sunday, two of the Bucs’ five projected offensive line starters will line up (left tackle Donald Penn and center, Jeremy Zuttah).

Both quarterback Josh Freeman and running back Doug Martin are coming off record-setting performances last week, and are expected to put up big numbers against a suspect Raider defense. The Buccaneers also announced that the NFL may suspend cornerback Eric Wright for his alleged use of the banned substance, Adderall.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid released a statement on Wednesday confirming that Michael Vick will remain the team’s starting quarterback.

The Eagles visit the New Orleans Saints next Monday night, so the team will not be practicing — or meeting with the media to discuss the decision to remain with Vick at quarterback — until Thursday. The Saints have the NFL’s worst defense, one that is on pace to set an NFL record for yards allowed in a season, so it makes some sense for Reid to maintain the status quo at the quarterback position and hope for a win to pull even at 4-4.

CHICAGO – The Carolina Panthers suffered yet another frustrating loss and, given the events leading up to it, may have opened wounds that run all the way to the top of the organization.

But the one thing that may have come out of the latest letdown is that their most important player hit rock bottom and seemed to cope with it. In the aftermath of a 23-22 loss to the 6-1 Chicago Bears on a game-winning field goal as time expired, there were plenty of guesses about which emotional state Cam Newton might put on display.

Newton responded with determination in the face of his team falling to 1-6, five of the losses by six points or less. On display was a leader who hinted at his emotions, but never put them on display. And make no mistake, he showed himself to be a leader.

“There are a lot of emotions I have right now, but I’m not going to get into that,” Newton said following Carolina’s fifth-straight loss. “I could care less what they decide to do. My job is to be the best player that I can be, whatever they put in. I’m just going to go back doing the things they coach up on. Whether it is [offensive coordinator Rob] Chudzinski, [head] coach [Ron] Rivera, [quarterbacks] coach [Mike] Shula, and get prepared for Washington.”

PHILADELPHIA — Jrue Holiday is set to run the show for the Philadelphia 76ers for years to come. Holiday signed an extension with the Sixers just before the midnight deadline and hours after he led them to an 84-75 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

A person familiar with the deal said that the extension was for four years and worth at least $41 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because it is team policy not to disclose contract terms. The Sixers had until midnight to strike a deal or risk Holiday becoming a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers this month lost cornerback Aqib Talib to a four-game NFL-imposed suspension for Adderall use. He might not be alone.

Bucs cornerback Eric Wright faces a similar four-game ban for using the same substance, which violates the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The NFL has yet to announce an official punishment for Wright, but losing the sixth-year veteran would further weaken Tampa Bay’s secondary on a defense that ranks 31st against the pass.

We’ve seen a rash of Adderall-related suspensions this season, and Bucs’ owner, Glazer emphasized that some players take the drug to cope with attention deficit disorder.

If Wright is lost, cornerbacks Brandon McDonald and Myron Lewis will see increased snaps across from E.J. Biggers, who has stepped in for the exiled Talib. It’s a headache this young team could do without.

DETROIT — Emanuel Steward, the owner of the legendary Kronk Gym and a trainer for boxers including Thomas Hearns, Evander Holyfield and Oscar De La Hoya, died Thursday. He was 68. Victoria Kirton, Steward’s executive assistant, said Steward died at a Chicago hospital. She did not disclose the cause of death.

Steward trained, helped train or managed some of the greatest fighters of the past 40 years out of the Kronk, a dingy, overheated basement gym that produced world champions like Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard and Lennox Lewis.

Steward, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, also worked closely with Lewis during his title run, and current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko as recently as July. Klitschko has trained recently without Steward for his fight against Mariusz Wach next month in Germany.

“His spirit is always here,” Klitschko said. “I can hear his voice in sparring while doing things, whispering in my ear. As the famous saying goes, ‘The show must go on,’ and that’s exactly the case.” Steward also worked since 2001 as a boxing analyst for broadcaster HBO.

“Manny was a respected colleague who taught us so much not only about the sweet science but also about friendship and loyalty,” HBO Sports President Ken Hershman said. “His energy, enthusiasm and bright smile were a constant presence. Ten bells do not seem enough to mourn his passing.”

A lawsuit has been filed against NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson by his former flight attendant on his private plane, Lanita Thomas.

The 45-year-old had been employed by Johnson since 2004, but was recently let go after arriving late to work.  Thomas is now suing, claiming that the Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner fired her because he wanted a “substantially younger woman” to service him in the air.

The former employee filed a wrongful termination suit in the L.A. County Superior Court. While admitting she was late for work one day, Thomas claims she was late because she was picking up fresh turkey meat for the former NBA superstar who insists all flights be supplied with only fresh snacks.

Johnson has yet to comment on the lawsuit.