Brandon Marshall: NBA Aspirations

The Chinese philosopher Confucius once wrote, "A man who does not think and plan ahead will find trouble right at his door." Well Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall is sure following that train of thought as he's already considered a plan B just in case the NFL is forced into a lockout in 2011. Marshall who lettered three years as a high school basketball shooting guard, told the media last Thursday if the NFL is unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the players association by next year, he'll try to get a workout with the Denver Nuggets or the Miami Heat.

Marshall is perhaps Miami's most prized acquisition this off-season. The club gave up two second round picks and signed him to a hefty 47.5 million dollar extension. So the Dolphins' front office was probably unhappy upon hearing of Marshall's comments considering the rough time he gave the Broncos last summer admist concerns over his contract and Denver's medical staff's misdiagnosis of his hip injury which eventually required surgery.

Marshall smiled Thursday as he told the media of his hoop dreams. He talked about how great of a shooter he is and how he has a 37-inch vertical leap. The Dolphins however are only concerned about how he'll perform on the gridiron this season. He's the highest paid receiver in NFL history and is expected to be a deep threat-adding depth to a receiving core which ranked 29th in the league for total yards per catch last season. There's much to be admired of his desire to ensure job security considering if there is a lockout, more than 1500 NFL players will be out of work. Whether or not he actually makes it on an NBA team is an entirely different story.