Work Ethic. It is imperative to have good morals and apply them to your ambitions and career to truly succeed in anything in life. Don’t you agree?

Recent conversations, movies and discussions I have had the last two weeks really have me diving deep into the importance of morals and work ethic; Especially in the realm of sports. As we know, raw talent is a special gift, however when it’s coupled with positive, good work ethic, there is no stopping that person. However, when it is simply raw talent… well you are only as strong as your weakest link and not having a good head on your shoulders or playing bad politics in any industry will only hurt you, and most people around you, in the end. 

The “Official Home of Nets Basketball” on Twitter recently started a discussion on which is more important. I immediately, without hesitation, go with work ethic. Not only can you use this in every area of your life, but you can also improve upon a skill easier than improving your morals. Do you agree? Would you personally rather have raw talent or naturally practice positive work ethics?

If you pay any attention to me at all you may know I'm a little overzealous when it comes to Duke and Penn State. That being said, a month or so ago when I heard this rumor that ESPN was going to do a special on Joe Paterno and Mike Krzyzewski I about went through the roof. What a grand idea! Well the time has come for this special to air. This is something that will only happen once in our lifetimes. the two greatest coaches in the history of their respective sports together at once (JoePa is pretty accepted as being the best, Coach K can be argued but in the end I'm sure he'll win).

One thing I truly love about the Orlando Magic Organization is the solid fondation that is behind it year in and year out.  No matter the players or the win/loss ratio, they have a team that is backed by a huge heart and character and that is the DeVos family. Rich DeVos has owned the Orlando Magic since '91 and his family continues to have a huge hand in the entire organization.  However, not only do they run the back-end side of things (stuff the normal fan may not pay attention to) but they make it a personal goal to reach out to the players and motivate them for team and personal benefit.

Bill Vasko (@CoachBook) is one of the first sports contacts I made on twitter.  We always chatted about sports and personal struggles and lessons.  He is extremely caring, dedicated and intelligent.  He is the brainchild behind http://www.mycoachbook.com which is a social networking site fo

Lately, I've been doing some thinking about the way professional athletes make their career decisions. I was having lunch yesterday with CB when she said, "Did you hear Shaq might be going to..." and I said, "Boston? Yeah..." For some reason, I'm beginning to realize that I have been wearing rose-colored glasses for a long time in relation to my assumptions about people in general.

What is considered too far? What's considered good for sports? What's considered bad for sports? We sit here and we praise the athlete who is a good role model, while we banish the ones who are not so good. Does it stop at the athlete or does it continue? Is it the referees job to be a good role model? Is it an expectation of the fan to be a role model? In case you haven't guessed yet, I'm pondering the incident between veteran referee Joe DeRosa and Orlando Magic fan, Franz Hanning, that occured on Tuesday night during game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Ok... Just a warning that this might end up being a bit of a ramble from me. But here are my thoughts on the Magic in the Playoffs.

Last year, I remember being upset by the LeBron/Kobe puppet Nike commercials. While they were funny, it bothered me that everyone assumed from the very beginning that we were going to have a Lakers vs. Cavs final. And of course, our Magic boys proved everyone wrong and shut the Cavs out.

This year, I feel like when we make it to the finals and when we win the championship, critics will say, "Well, the Magic didn't have the competition in the first two rounds that everyone else did. The Cavs/Celtics were so tired by the time they got to the EC Finals that they just didn't have the energy. It wasn't a fair matchup. LeBron's elbow, blah blah blah."

I'm going to say what I said last year... I feel that the Magic have the HEART that no other team does.

LeBron: "Coach, I've gotten us this far this season, can I have recess?"

Mike Brown: "Of course sir, whatever you wish my magesty."

After the stunt LeBron pulled during the last match-up of the best two teams in the East, I completely agree with Tim Povtak of FanHouse:

"It's why James never will earn the respect that was once given to Michael Jordan. Maybe James should think again about that number change to honor him.

It's why he just lost my vote for NBA Most Valuable Player. If he doesn't think it's important enough to play all 82 -- or at least try -- then he isn't good enough to be the MVP."