I've been in a similar situation as a high school coach, but not with the same ramifications. The players I cut were not trying to feed their family with a job in football, and they were merely relegated to the junior varsity. They still had a chance to play and compete.

The stakes are much higher in this case, and I do not envy Cable one, little bit.

Several Raiders have already been cut. Fullback Chane Moline, wide receiver Paul Hubbard, offensive guard Allen Smith, and tight ends Tony Stewart and Eric Butler were all released earlier this week. However, this will not be the end of roster cuts.

There will be more. Many more—21 more to be precise.

Following the most recent cuts, there are currently 74 players listed on the Raiders' official website. The league requires that every team have only 53 players on the active roster when the regular season starts.

Some of the released players will be picked up by other teams, some will be signed to the eight man practice squad, and some will be out of work altogether.

Let's begin with some preliminaries...

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The 2010-11 Miami Heat, for example, are either destined to fulfill all the promise of their talented roster and ride their big three to playoff greatness, or be relegated as one of the most over-hyped and disappointing teams ever assembled.

There really is no middle ground in Miami.

Let's face it: We've all seen teams who failed to meet expectations. The Vegas Odds picked them as the favorites, their fans had stocked up on season tickets and league passes so as not to miss a single game and every Sportscenter analyst was glowing about how far ahead of the pack they were.

But the team comes out, faces a team that doesn't believe the hype and that favorite is sent crashing back down to earth with a decisive thud, deemed by NBA historians in the year's that follow as an also-ran.

These are the clubs whose hype never quite matched their games.

Here are the most disappointing NBA teams of all time.

Miami Heat, you all may want to take notes.

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(Satire)

Dear Adam Schefter,

I don't care if you heard Seabastien Janikowski just had a lap band surgery.

I don't care if you heard Richard Seymour's kid just got a D on a test.

I don't care if you heard Jason Campbell just named his new pet I Hate Snyder.

I don't care if you heard Darren McFadden is going star in 'The Wild Hogs 2'. 

I don't care if you heard Tom Cable switched to DirecTv. 

I don't care if you heard Al Davis got caught scouting a wide receiver that runs a 4.5. 

I don't care if you heard Asomugha was planning to run for President.

I don't care if you heard Lamarr Houston was entering Anger Management.

And I certainly don't care if you heard Matt Leinart was going to be traded to the Raiders. You know why?

Because the only "insiders" in the organization are Al Davis and John Herrera, any other information is false on principle.

The Raiders just released an official statement:

"ESPN’s Adam Schefter is once again making untrue statements about The Oakland Raiders, this time regarding Matt Leinart. The Raiders have never discussed trading for Leinart.

The Raiders are very happy about their quarterback situation."

Adam, you're better than that. I can't wait until the next time you report something false!

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

In other ways, the Raiders are still in transition.

Just how much transition are they in?

That largely depends on the result of the battles for positions on the team. I expect Thursday's game against the Seattle Seahawks to be played hard because some of these battles may come down to it.

Turn the page to have a look at them.

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If the trade happened, it would be three former first-round quarterbacks on the Raiders roster.

Leinart doesn't seem to fit what Oakland likes to do, so why would the Raiders be showing interest? Especially for a QB that has underperformed, yet still insists he should be a starter in the league and has a contract that goes vastly above his value next year. Plus, of all the offensive positions, quarterback seems to be set in stone for the Raiders.

Injury.

Last week Jason Campbell was taken out of the game for a stinger. It was later reported that Campbell also suffered a wrist injury. It didn't seem like a problem at first as Campbell was seen doing some light throwing on Monday.

If Campbell's injury might be worse than advertised and causes him to be out an extended period of time, the Raiders could be looking to find some insurance to presumably back up Bruce Gradkowski.

The Raiders could just be testing the waters. It doesn't make much sense to pick up Leinart who has expressed an unfounded sense of entitlement to the starting quarterback job in Arizona. The Raiders have made it a point to stay away from players who will cause problems.

If they Raiders really wanted Leinart, for whatever reason, it would be better to gamble on the chance he gets cut and pick him up in free agency. Either way, it looks like Leinart's time in the desert will be ending.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

Sometimes it might use a slightly less formal language, but the point still remains.

This article will simply pay tribute to the twenty greatest trash talkers in history.

On a side note, this list will contain two people who have never played a pro game in their lives, and never coached either. However, those are the only two exceptions.

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The Cardinals have reportedly shopped the tenth overall pick from 2006, after coach Ken Whisenhunt designated Derek Anderson as the starter for the Cards.

The Bills have denied any discussions or inquiries for Leinart.

In Oakland and New York, Leinart would be further insurance behind starters Jason Campbell and Eli Manning, because the backups for each starter, Bruce Gradkowski and Jim Sorgi, continue to have injuries.

The Bills however, hypothetically need someone to challenge Trent Edwards for the starting job.

The Raiders hypothetically need a washout quarterback with a Heisman Trophy to his credit.  Yet, it seems that owner Al Davis has already christened Jason Campbell as the next Jim Plunkett.

If the Raiders make any moves before the season, i pould personally prefer signing tailback Derrick Ward, or trading for guard Logan Mankins or tackle Jared Gaither.

Personally, I think New England would make the most sense for Leinart, as a backup behind Tom Brady.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

People will bring up all of the accolades Kobe Bryant has racked up over his NBA career, and there is no denying that. He is indeed a top 10 player of all time. The MVP award, the Finals MVP awards, the All-Star selections, the total points, Mr. 81, his clutch ability, five NBA championships—all great points and this is why he is a top 10 player. But none trump these five crucial reasons why Kobe will never be No. 1.

(Note: these slides are in no particular order and are not meant to take away from Kobe Bryant's NBA accomplishments.)

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The guest host for the day was none other than Los Angeles Lakers point guard, Derek Fisher.

So DFish scored the interview, getting his buddy, running mate, and teammate to appear. It was definitely a nice treat for both Laker fans and haters.

The video is below but I’ll highlight the major takeaways and comments to read between the lines, so to speak, from the clip.

Summertime

What makes this summer so different than in years past for Kobe is that he isn’t playing basketball. He’s been able to truly get some rest and “recharge the batteries” as he calls it.

It’s a good thing because the list of injuries on Kobe’s body last year looked like a team injury report, not one player.

Earlier this summer, Kobe had knee surgery on his bum right knee, the one that limited his lift for nearly half of last season. This was only one of the key injuries the superstar endured on the run to the title. 

Kobe also broke the index finger to his shooting hand, which was the nagging injury of all injuries. Kobe not only played in pain but had to significantly adjust his shot to compensate for the finger.

Lastly, Kobe had a sore ankle after rolling it in a game last February. Remember, he even had to sit out some Lakers games as well as missing the All-Star game. While the other injuries limited his full potential, the ankle actually cost him games.

The key aspect of the battery recharge is that Kobe was not even close to full strength last season. He was a shadow of himself, yet still carried the team to the title. A well rested and healthy Kobe is the No. 1 key component for a three-peat. 

Think about last season's playoff run.

At the beginning, everyone counted the Lakers out, weren’t even sure if they could get by the young and promising Oklahoma Thunder. But, as the playoffs continued, Kobe pushed through the injuries, changed his game enough to compensate for the loss in lift and shot accuracy and drove them to the Finals.

Battery recharge will equal title again as long as Kobe remains healthy all year. 

The significant aspect of resting his body is that it helps prepare it for the long haul. Over the past years, Kobe has not rested in the summer and as a result, his body probably never fully recovered from the prior season's stress, and therefore, was more susceptible to injury. 

This season should be far different.

Boston, Miami & The East

The other major part of Derek Fisher’s questioning involved discussing comments that Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers made recently. 

Rivers said that the Lakers’ starting five had not beaten the Celtics starting five for a ring. 

Kobe and DFish both chuckled and didn’t take the bait too much. They simply reminded everyone that Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza were injured for the 2008 Finals when the Celtics beat the Lakers in six. 

Kobe nor Fisher even mentioned the fact that for this year’s Finals, Bynum was also injured and was a shell of himself even when he played. Doc Rivers must of forgotten that part when he said his five, alluding to the injury to Kendrick Perkins in Game 6 of the Finals, had never lost to the Lakers. 

If memory serves, Bynum played sporadically throughout this year's Finals and was never at full strength. A healthy Bynum changes all the match-ups between the Celtics and Lakers.  

Fisher and Kobe also chatted about the new Miami Heat trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. 

In a funny, cool, and metaphor loaded moment, Kobe went so far as to compare the three Heat players who joined forces to a well-known cartoon. Kobe said, “They basically formed Voltron.”

For those who don’t know, Voltron was an animated TV series in the mid-eighties called Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Voltron was five young pilots who combined forces to create Voltron. Interesting take on the new Miami Heat, courtesy of Kobe.

Regarding the entire East, Kobe said the conference was super tough, with Boston adding key players like Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal, but he cautioned not to forget the Orlando Magic. Kobe gave props to Dwight Howard who he said was working hard this summer and getting ready.

This section of the interview ended with Kobe saying the East is a beast but he is more focused on what the Lakers need to do and get out of the Western Conference, than worry about the East teams. 

Finally, Kobe also reminded everyone that the Lakers are the Champs until dethroned.

Laker for Life

At the end of the interview, which DFish conducted extremely well and bodes well for his post-hoop career, Kobe all but guaranteed he will remain a Laker his entire career, saying he would “absolutely” retire a Laker.

He did leave a crack for the unknown, saying he was “99.999 percent” sure he would only play for the Lakers.

It doesn’t matter. As DFish noted, himself, Kobe, Gasol and the rest of the Laker crew are signed up pretty much for the same period of time, the next three years. That’s the window of opportunity for more rings. Period.

After that, who knows. 

But right now, there is no reason why the team currently assembled won’t compete for a championship in each of those years.

Straight Backyard

While Derek Fisher dressed runway polished in a slick business suit, Kobe appeared very relaxed in the interview, doing a favor for his friend, showing up to the interview in what he called his “straight backyard” outfit of a t-shirt, shorts, and shoes.

This is good news for Lakers fans and bad for the rest of the league. A rested and relaxed Kobe equals a healthy Kobe. And that spells trouble for the competition. 

That wasn’t the case last season, still Kobe and his team overcame all obstacles to hoist the NBA trophy.

The Lakers improved their bench from last year and will enter the 2010-2011 campaign the defending champions. But the Lakers won last year’s title with a weakened Kobe, an injured Bynum, and other banged up players.

If the Lakers can enter next year's playoffs reasonably healthy, meaning no serious or nagging injury to a key player, there is no reason they don’t walk away with another title.

And, a fully recharged Kobe on max battery power is the keystone for that title defense.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

Tom Cable said that for the Raiders there will be some very difficult decisions to make, unlike previous years.  Whilst there will no doubt be one or two of those, many of the positions are set, if not necessarily as starters, but certainly as roster spots.

So who will be in and who will be out for Oakland when the deadline comes this year?

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