Thanks to those who weighed in on my post earlier in the week regarding NBA contenders. The conversation turned into more of a bashing of the 2007-2008 Celtics. People seem to think that last year's Boston team was the worst to win a title in 3 decades.
It is hard to compare NBA title winners over that long of time period, the game has just changed so much. If you go back to the 1979-1980 season there have been only 8 different franchises that have won it all. (Boston, L.A. Lakers, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio and Miami) The 4 best championship dynasties over the last 30 years without question, in no particular order are the Lakers and Celtics of the 80's, the Bulls of the 90's and the Lakers of the early 2000's. After those teams there is a drastic drop off. In no particular order I would throw together the "Bad Boys" Pistons who won back-to-back titles, and San Antonio who has never won back-to-back titles, but has won 4 rings. I would put Hakeem's Rockets after those grouping of teams. If Michael Jordan is in the league during their back-to-back championship seasons, I don't think Houston wins those titles. That leaves us with the one year teams at the bottom of the list, which includes the 1982-1983 76ers, the 2003-2004 Pistons, the 2005-2006 Miami Heat, and the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics. Here is my list of the who is the worst of these 4 teams, with my number 1 being the worst.
4. 82-83 76'ers-Dr. J was the man and this team swept a great Lakers team in the finals.
3. 07-08 Celtics-Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. This team was put together with great trades and we don't know yet how long their run will last. They struggled in route to this title because of their lack of experience in long playoff runs and poor coaching by Doc Rivers. Prior to winning the title Garnett, Pierce and Allen never made it past the conference finals.
2. 03-04 Pistons- A very well balance team, but lets face it, this team backed into a title because there was conflict taking place in the Laker's locker room.
1. 05-06 Heat-In my opinion, without a question the worst title team in the last 30 years. They were well coached with Pat Riley and had Dwayne Wade and an aging Shaq, but they just don't stack up with the rest. The Mavericks had this team burried until a miracle win by Miami in game 3 of the finals. Wade got way too many calls in the series and this NBA Final will be remembered more for the Dallas collapse then the Miami win.
Back to the original question, who are the top 5 contenders right now? You guys seemed consistant with your top 5's. The comments had the Lakers, Cavs, Spurs, Magic, Celtics, Nuggets, Hornets, Jazz and Hawks mentioned as contenders. Here is my list.
1. L.A. Lakers-This team in my opinion has to be the clear favorite to win it all, with or without Andrew Bynum
2. San Antonio Spurs-Let me make it clear that there is a SEVERE drop off between the Lakers and Spurs. However, it is evident that Greg Popovich is putting his team in the best position to make a long playoff run. He continues to rest his big 3 at a high rate, hence saving them minutes for the postseason.
3. Boston Celtics-They are the defending champs and still a threat, like it or not. Today the team added Stephon Marbury and Rondo has gotten much better this season at the guard position. Also, If Kevin Garnett comes back 100 %, he will be very well rested for their postseason run.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers-Lebron is like MJ in the late 80's, just trying to break through. I don't think Lebron has enough help around him and I don't think "King James" can win a title on his own just yet, but he is capable. Also, I have questions regarding their Head Coach. What has Mike Brown proved? Lebron is the only reason this guy has a job.
5. Denver Nuggets-All the ingrediants are there on paper, especially with Chauncey Billups running the point. Denver's success will be based on two things. 1. Can Nene and Kenyon Martin stay healthy down the stretch? Nene should return soon from a bruised knee. 2. Can Chauncey Billups make this team believe it can get past the first round with his leadership? Denver has the players, the coaching and the bench to be a contender. Don't even comment about Denver's blowout lost to Boston at home. The Nuggets came off a franchise long 8 game road trip and was playing on back to back nights, not to mention they were without Nene.
As for the rest of the teams mentioned in the comments, here are my thoughts.
Orlando-They lost their All-Star Point Guard, Jameer Nelson. They have brought in Rafer Alston to replace him, but they can't replace him. If your point guard goes down, you can't be a contender
New Orleans-I just get a strange vibe from this team. It almost looks like Head Coach Byron Scott is losing his guys. This team has just been too up and down all year.
Utah-This is a very dangerous team if they get healthy. I just don't think their health is going to hold up this season in order to make a good run in the playoffs.
Atlanta-Interesting. They are a cute story, but lets get real.
Sleeper not mentioned-Watch out for the Houston Rockets, who have quietely won 6 in a row. This team is better without Tracy McGrady. McGrady is extremely overrated and the Rockets will be better without him.
Thanks again to those who weighed in on this topic this week.
On to the PGA. Tiger's return was entertaining despite his 2nd round exit at the WGC Accenture Match Play. I watched Tiger's entire round on Wednesday and it was great to see him back. The guy is amazing, you think he would have been nervous having the long lay-off, and he starts his comeback with a birdie on one and eagle on two. I said it after last year's open and I'll say it again. Tiger winning the U.S. Open with a torn ACL and fractured leg was the greatest accomplishment in the history of sports.
NFL Free Agency opened last night, here is the latest.
-Albert Haynesworth goes to Washington for the price of 7 years-100 million (41 million guaranteed). This is typical Dan Snyder, he is always making a big splash in free agency, yet his moves never work. All I know is that is alot of money to pay a defensive tackle.
-Kellen Winslow Jr. gets traded to Tampa Bay. This is a good pick-up for the Bucs and it will help their passing game. Winslow had to get out of Cleveland and now that he is, he will become a better player.
-Bart Scott goes to the Jets. New Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan knows Scott from Baltimore and Scott will provide much needed leadership to a soft Jets defense.
-Fred Taylor to the Patriots. Why? Taylor is on his last leg.
-Mike Vrabel traded to the Chiefs. This is a good move for Kansas City. Vrabel will bring leadership to a young defense.
-Jonathon Vilma to the Saints. Nice pick-up for New Orleans, who can score but not defend.
-And this just in...Brian Dawkins to the Broncos. Since John Lynch broke down, Denver's secondary has been terrible. This signing will help that problem big time. This was a big time loss for Philadelphia.
Picks-49-29-1 overall ATS
NBA Plays Tonight
@Boston - 11 1/2 Indiana
@Atlanta -4 Miami
@Minnesota +6 Portland
@Phoenix -3 Toronto
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Austin Dufault and CU Hoops will Rebound
Last year, while working in North Dakota I broadcasted many high school basketball games in which "Mr. North Dakota Basketball" Austin Dufault played in. I have since left North Dakota and have watched his freshman season with the Colorado Buffaloes. I saw many of his games on TV, but last night I saw Dufault play in person for the first time since Killdeer High School went out in the 2008 District 7 Regional Tournament.
Colorado was blown out by Oklahoma State 76-55 and Dufault in his own words played the worst game of his life. Dufault played 24 minutes, scored 2 points on 1/6 shooting, had 2 rebounds and assists, went 0/4 from the foul line, and also fouled out for the first time in his college career.
Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik held a press conference afterwards, where one could say he was a little bit more then mad at his team. Here are some of the quotes from Bzdelik following the game courtesy of cubuffs.com
Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik
GENERAL— “The lack of passion and effort from a great majority of our team was embarrassing. Even though we haven’t won a lot of games we have played with a lot of effort and passion and a commitment to play the game the right way. Tonight that was absent from a great majority of the team. I know I am embarrassed, I would hope our team is embarrassed because I am. No excuses, we got our butt beat. We missed 12 layups, and at one point in second half, we were 1-7 from the foul line. Defensively we were chasing people instead of guarding people. Early on, we got sucked in on flat drives and didn’t locate shooters.”
“Everybody has to be collectively engaged with a commitment to playing hard and right for all 40 minutes for us to have a chance to win.”
ON AUSTIN DUFAULT BEING IN EARLY FOUL TROUBLE—“That shouldn’t have mattered. 90% of fouls are defensive mistakes, so his positioning wasn’t very sound.”
ON TEAM MAKEUP—“Defensively we are so soft; we’re just a soft team. We’re soft finishing layups, we don’t foul hard. There is a way to foul hard within the sportsmanship of the game so guys don’t get and-one’s. There’s a difference between chasing people and guarding people. They just take balls from us; they don’t finish at the rim. I recruited a bunch of nice, young men.”
ON BEING MOTIVATED TO PLAY A TEAM ON THE “BUBBLE”—“I told them before the game it is an honor and a privilege to play college basketball. People are paying to see you play, you are on national TV. Let’s compete, let’s battle, have fun and leave it all out there. You shouldn’t even have to be motivated.”
All of this sounds like a disasterous night in Boulder right? Well, I don't necessarily think so. Lets go back to Austin Dufault. Yes, he had a bad game and more bad games will come in the future. Looking at Dufault's season as a whole, it has been very good. In North Dakota he was the man, the leader and the best player in the state. Dufault lit up gyms across the state with his dominant height advantage and his terrific outside shooting and scoring. After arriving at Colorado, Dufault's game has changed and evolved. He no longer is the go to man for scoring, he doesn't get as many touches and he isn't looked at as a superstar. These are all good things for Austin Dufault. Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik has turned Dufault into a much better all around player. I noticed this on TV watching Colorado's games throughout the season, however seeing Dufault in person last night, it was even more confirming that Dufault's game has reached a different level. If you look at the statistics from last night Dufault played a bad game, but it's what doesn't go into the box score that is important in basketball. No matter what the score or his stats at the time, Dufault never takes a play off anymore. In high school he played hard, but the game came to him, now Dufault is coming to the game. Dufault's passing has been outstanding, he continues to pass up shots that he would knock down in high school in order to get his teammates involved. He is the best screener on the Colorado roster. Dufault is also twice the defender he was in high school and his hustle play has been great. Every time I speak with Dufault, he continues to say the right things. Dufault is all about getting stronger, becoming a better athlete, a better teammate and doing his part for Colorado Basketball to become successful. I also admire Dufault for playing within Coach Bzdelik's system. Dufault gets way less attention around the perimeter then he did in high school and much less touches, yet he doesn't complain. Dufault is averaging under 10 points per game, when he used to average close to 30 and he doesn't complain. Dufault has bought into Coach Bzdelik's plan to win rather then try to be the superstar he was in high school and you have to admire that.
Despite the losing season and the blowout loss last night, Colorado Basketball is in good hands. Coach Bzdelik is highley respected among his peers. I've been around many coaches at the high school, college and pro level and it is difficult to find a better coach then Bzdelik. His key stregnths are getting the absolute best out of each and every player, his defensive tactics and his ability to succeed with whatever players he has on the floor. Bzdelik was mad last night and had a right to be. He didn't get the best effort out of his players and I think that drives him more crazy then the loss itself.
I compare the 2008-2009 Colorado Buffaloes with 2002-2003 Denver Nuggets, both teams coached by Bzdelik. In that particular season with the Nuggets, Bzdelik won 17 games. It sounds like he did a terrible job, however it is the exact opposite. With the roster Denver had they would have been lucky to win 5 games that season. Jeff Bzdelik got the most out of each of his players and the team was competitive throughout the season despite only winning 17 games. The next season, Denver drafted well getting Carmelo Anthony and went on to make the playoffs under Bzdelik. The 2008-2009 Buffs are similar not because of the lack of talent but because of their youth. This is a very young team and I think Bzdelik is getting everything out of his kids. Colorado is 1-12 in conference and 9-18 overall, but they have been for the most part very competitive when many thought they wouldn't have been. Forget about Colorado's record for the moment and think about what kind of job Bzdelik has done. With all the youth on Colorado's roster, did you ever think they would take Oklahoma down to the final minutes on the road? Did you think they would take Texas to overtime? Did you think they would go to Kansas and only lose by 5? Colorado has also hung tight with tournament contenders such as Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas State. Jeff Bzdelik gets the most out of his guys and that is why he is a great fit for Colorado. Colorado is only going to get more experienced and add good recruits. Bzdelik is a very solid recruiter, the proof being in Austin Dufault. I don't know what other schools were looking into him, but Bzdelik tracked down just the 2nd athlete out of the state of North Dakota to attend CU. (Ozzie Carlson in 1960-61-Valley City) All in all, put last night's blowout aside and look forward to a bright future for Austin Dufault and the Colorado Buffaloes.
20 QUESTIONS WITH CU BUFF AUSTIN DUFAULT
Q-A year ago you were getting ready for the Region 7 Tournament in North Dakota and now you're coming up on the Big 12 Tournament. Describe the difference.
A-The talent level is the obvious difference. In both cases you are playing against desperate teams. In North Dakota, teams want to make the state tournament and now teams are wanting to get in NCAA Tournament. As for me, the motivation to play well has been the same in both cases, there is just a little bit more pressure at the college level
Q-CU has been competitive against some really good teams (Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas). You have been winning games your whole life, is it frustrating to be losing these types of games or are you looking it as a positive that CU is so young and you are still putting up a fight in these games?
A-As a young team it is a good feeling knowing we can compete with the best in the league, however it still hurts to lose. It's good knowing we are making steps to begin getting the wins
Q-As a team CU has been defensively sound pretty much all season. How do you guys get better on offense?
A-On offense we have times where we stray away from running our stuff. We have periods where we just don't execute the way we should. We also tend to become repetitive in our sets when things aren't going right.
Q-Since I last spoke with you, what part of your game has improved the most?
A-Finishing. I have worked with coaches that have helped me become a better finisher at the basket. In the past I would shy away from taking it to the hole and settle for a fade-away jump shot. Now, I'm better around the basket at scoring.
Q-Is the chemistry between you and your teammates still good?
A-Yes, despite the struggles and the losing we have stuck together. The relationships on the team are good.
Q-How is your relationship progressing with Coach Bzdelik? What is the most important thing you have learned from him?
A-Good. Coach is ok with my play on the floor. He has taught me toughness and hard work. He wants me to have a big offseason. He wants me to get stronger, more athletic and more hardworking.
Q-At Killdeer you were the man taking most of the shots, has it been difficult for you to adjust your game offensively and not take the amount of shots you had taken in the past?
A-I'm a better overall player for it. I like passing up shots I would have taken in the past in order to get my teammates involved. I've become better at setting screens and moving without the ball. College isn't like high school, I don't have to score 30 a night to help our team win, for me it is all about winning and I don't need to score big for us to win.
Q-The rest of your regular season games are all pretty much against "bubble teams". Does it give you extra motivation that you can wreck a team's season by beating them?
A-Yes it does. If we go out there with no motivation we get blown out, like last night. If we can beat teams that need wins down the stretch, it will only give us more confidence down the road.
Q-How excited are you for the Big 12 tournament coming up?
A-This is the biggest tournament of my life, I'm very excited.
Q-Can CU be a sleeper and knock off a few teams?
A-Yes, we have proven we can hang with the upper part of the conference, even on the road.
Q-What has been your best game this year in your opinion?
A-At Oklahoma (Stats: 13 pts. 3 reb. 2 assists) and home against Missouri (Stats: 15 pts. 5 reb. 1 assist)
Q-What has been your worst game this year in your opinion?
A-Last night against Oklahoma St. (Stats: 2 pts. 2 reb. 2 assists, 0-4 FT's, fouled out)
Q-You vs. Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. CU goes into Norman and almost pulls off the upset and you have a Big 12 best 13 points in Oklahoma. Can you describe that experience?
A-I was talking with friends back home about what it is going to be like going against a potential #1 overall NBA draft pick and it was exciting. Blake is the best athlete I've ever seen and is on a whole different level then the rest of us college players. As a team, we played them hard and never gave up, it just didn't turn out the way we wanted. I'm going to try to become a better athlete and get stronger and maybe someday be close to or at that level.
Q-Who is the best team in the Big 12?
A-I think it is Missouri. They created the most match-up problems for us. Going over the schedule we played in my head, I would have to say Missouri based on the way we play.
Q-Can anybody from the Big 12 win it all?
A-If Blake Griffin comes back healthy for Oklahoma, they have the right ingrediants to win the whole thing.
Q-What are you going to focus on during the offseason to make you a better player?
A-Getting stronger, becoming a better athlete and toughness.
Q-Have you had any basketball advice from your Dad? (Former Killdeer High School Boys Basketball Head Coach)
A-He has been very encouraging and it is nice to have my parents around to watch the games. In high school, as my coach, he was more intense and critical of my play. At Colorado, my Dad is all about encouragment.
Q-Do you still follow whats going on back in North Dakota? Is there anything that has surprised you?
A-Yes, I do. I thought Bowman would be a little better this season. I have also been surprised by the way Linton is playing.
Q-Tonight in North Dakota, the Girls Region 7 Championship takes place. Who do you got, Dickinson Trinity or Hazen?
A-I have to take Trinity. It always seemed like they have had Hazen's number.
Q-Final question, you almost have an entire season under your belt, do you have any regrets about coming to CU? Are you a Buff for the long run?
A-I have no regrets other then wanting more wins. I will be a Buffalo the next 4 years.
THANKS TO ANDREW GREEN FROM THE BUFFS SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BUFFS BASKETBALL VISIT http://www.cubuffs.com/
Colorado was blown out by Oklahoma State 76-55 and Dufault in his own words played the worst game of his life. Dufault played 24 minutes, scored 2 points on 1/6 shooting, had 2 rebounds and assists, went 0/4 from the foul line, and also fouled out for the first time in his college career.
Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik held a press conference afterwards, where one could say he was a little bit more then mad at his team. Here are some of the quotes from Bzdelik following the game courtesy of cubuffs.com
Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik
GENERAL— “The lack of passion and effort from a great majority of our team was embarrassing. Even though we haven’t won a lot of games we have played with a lot of effort and passion and a commitment to play the game the right way. Tonight that was absent from a great majority of the team. I know I am embarrassed, I would hope our team is embarrassed because I am. No excuses, we got our butt beat. We missed 12 layups, and at one point in second half, we were 1-7 from the foul line. Defensively we were chasing people instead of guarding people. Early on, we got sucked in on flat drives and didn’t locate shooters.”
“Everybody has to be collectively engaged with a commitment to playing hard and right for all 40 minutes for us to have a chance to win.”
ON AUSTIN DUFAULT BEING IN EARLY FOUL TROUBLE—“That shouldn’t have mattered. 90% of fouls are defensive mistakes, so his positioning wasn’t very sound.”
ON TEAM MAKEUP—“Defensively we are so soft; we’re just a soft team. We’re soft finishing layups, we don’t foul hard. There is a way to foul hard within the sportsmanship of the game so guys don’t get and-one’s. There’s a difference between chasing people and guarding people. They just take balls from us; they don’t finish at the rim. I recruited a bunch of nice, young men.”
ON BEING MOTIVATED TO PLAY A TEAM ON THE “BUBBLE”—“I told them before the game it is an honor and a privilege to play college basketball. People are paying to see you play, you are on national TV. Let’s compete, let’s battle, have fun and leave it all out there. You shouldn’t even have to be motivated.”
All of this sounds like a disasterous night in Boulder right? Well, I don't necessarily think so. Lets go back to Austin Dufault. Yes, he had a bad game and more bad games will come in the future. Looking at Dufault's season as a whole, it has been very good. In North Dakota he was the man, the leader and the best player in the state. Dufault lit up gyms across the state with his dominant height advantage and his terrific outside shooting and scoring. After arriving at Colorado, Dufault's game has changed and evolved. He no longer is the go to man for scoring, he doesn't get as many touches and he isn't looked at as a superstar. These are all good things for Austin Dufault. Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik has turned Dufault into a much better all around player. I noticed this on TV watching Colorado's games throughout the season, however seeing Dufault in person last night, it was even more confirming that Dufault's game has reached a different level. If you look at the statistics from last night Dufault played a bad game, but it's what doesn't go into the box score that is important in basketball. No matter what the score or his stats at the time, Dufault never takes a play off anymore. In high school he played hard, but the game came to him, now Dufault is coming to the game. Dufault's passing has been outstanding, he continues to pass up shots that he would knock down in high school in order to get his teammates involved. He is the best screener on the Colorado roster. Dufault is also twice the defender he was in high school and his hustle play has been great. Every time I speak with Dufault, he continues to say the right things. Dufault is all about getting stronger, becoming a better athlete, a better teammate and doing his part for Colorado Basketball to become successful. I also admire Dufault for playing within Coach Bzdelik's system. Dufault gets way less attention around the perimeter then he did in high school and much less touches, yet he doesn't complain. Dufault is averaging under 10 points per game, when he used to average close to 30 and he doesn't complain. Dufault has bought into Coach Bzdelik's plan to win rather then try to be the superstar he was in high school and you have to admire that.
Despite the losing season and the blowout loss last night, Colorado Basketball is in good hands. Coach Bzdelik is highley respected among his peers. I've been around many coaches at the high school, college and pro level and it is difficult to find a better coach then Bzdelik. His key stregnths are getting the absolute best out of each and every player, his defensive tactics and his ability to succeed with whatever players he has on the floor. Bzdelik was mad last night and had a right to be. He didn't get the best effort out of his players and I think that drives him more crazy then the loss itself.
I compare the 2008-2009 Colorado Buffaloes with 2002-2003 Denver Nuggets, both teams coached by Bzdelik. In that particular season with the Nuggets, Bzdelik won 17 games. It sounds like he did a terrible job, however it is the exact opposite. With the roster Denver had they would have been lucky to win 5 games that season. Jeff Bzdelik got the most out of each of his players and the team was competitive throughout the season despite only winning 17 games. The next season, Denver drafted well getting Carmelo Anthony and went on to make the playoffs under Bzdelik. The 2008-2009 Buffs are similar not because of the lack of talent but because of their youth. This is a very young team and I think Bzdelik is getting everything out of his kids. Colorado is 1-12 in conference and 9-18 overall, but they have been for the most part very competitive when many thought they wouldn't have been. Forget about Colorado's record for the moment and think about what kind of job Bzdelik has done. With all the youth on Colorado's roster, did you ever think they would take Oklahoma down to the final minutes on the road? Did you think they would take Texas to overtime? Did you think they would go to Kansas and only lose by 5? Colorado has also hung tight with tournament contenders such as Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas State. Jeff Bzdelik gets the most out of his guys and that is why he is a great fit for Colorado. Colorado is only going to get more experienced and add good recruits. Bzdelik is a very solid recruiter, the proof being in Austin Dufault. I don't know what other schools were looking into him, but Bzdelik tracked down just the 2nd athlete out of the state of North Dakota to attend CU. (Ozzie Carlson in 1960-61-Valley City) All in all, put last night's blowout aside and look forward to a bright future for Austin Dufault and the Colorado Buffaloes.
20 QUESTIONS WITH CU BUFF AUSTIN DUFAULT
Q-A year ago you were getting ready for the Region 7 Tournament in North Dakota and now you're coming up on the Big 12 Tournament. Describe the difference.
A-The talent level is the obvious difference. In both cases you are playing against desperate teams. In North Dakota, teams want to make the state tournament and now teams are wanting to get in NCAA Tournament. As for me, the motivation to play well has been the same in both cases, there is just a little bit more pressure at the college level
Q-CU has been competitive against some really good teams (Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas). You have been winning games your whole life, is it frustrating to be losing these types of games or are you looking it as a positive that CU is so young and you are still putting up a fight in these games?
A-As a young team it is a good feeling knowing we can compete with the best in the league, however it still hurts to lose. It's good knowing we are making steps to begin getting the wins
Q-As a team CU has been defensively sound pretty much all season. How do you guys get better on offense?
A-On offense we have times where we stray away from running our stuff. We have periods where we just don't execute the way we should. We also tend to become repetitive in our sets when things aren't going right.
Q-Since I last spoke with you, what part of your game has improved the most?
A-Finishing. I have worked with coaches that have helped me become a better finisher at the basket. In the past I would shy away from taking it to the hole and settle for a fade-away jump shot. Now, I'm better around the basket at scoring.
Q-Is the chemistry between you and your teammates still good?
A-Yes, despite the struggles and the losing we have stuck together. The relationships on the team are good.
Q-How is your relationship progressing with Coach Bzdelik? What is the most important thing you have learned from him?
A-Good. Coach is ok with my play on the floor. He has taught me toughness and hard work. He wants me to have a big offseason. He wants me to get stronger, more athletic and more hardworking.
Q-At Killdeer you were the man taking most of the shots, has it been difficult for you to adjust your game offensively and not take the amount of shots you had taken in the past?
A-I'm a better overall player for it. I like passing up shots I would have taken in the past in order to get my teammates involved. I've become better at setting screens and moving without the ball. College isn't like high school, I don't have to score 30 a night to help our team win, for me it is all about winning and I don't need to score big for us to win.
Q-The rest of your regular season games are all pretty much against "bubble teams". Does it give you extra motivation that you can wreck a team's season by beating them?
A-Yes it does. If we go out there with no motivation we get blown out, like last night. If we can beat teams that need wins down the stretch, it will only give us more confidence down the road.
Q-How excited are you for the Big 12 tournament coming up?
A-This is the biggest tournament of my life, I'm very excited.
Q-Can CU be a sleeper and knock off a few teams?
A-Yes, we have proven we can hang with the upper part of the conference, even on the road.
Q-What has been your best game this year in your opinion?
A-At Oklahoma (Stats: 13 pts. 3 reb. 2 assists) and home against Missouri (Stats: 15 pts. 5 reb. 1 assist)
Q-What has been your worst game this year in your opinion?
A-Last night against Oklahoma St. (Stats: 2 pts. 2 reb. 2 assists, 0-4 FT's, fouled out)
Q-You vs. Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. CU goes into Norman and almost pulls off the upset and you have a Big 12 best 13 points in Oklahoma. Can you describe that experience?
A-I was talking with friends back home about what it is going to be like going against a potential #1 overall NBA draft pick and it was exciting. Blake is the best athlete I've ever seen and is on a whole different level then the rest of us college players. As a team, we played them hard and never gave up, it just didn't turn out the way we wanted. I'm going to try to become a better athlete and get stronger and maybe someday be close to or at that level.
Q-Who is the best team in the Big 12?
A-I think it is Missouri. They created the most match-up problems for us. Going over the schedule we played in my head, I would have to say Missouri based on the way we play.
Q-Can anybody from the Big 12 win it all?
A-If Blake Griffin comes back healthy for Oklahoma, they have the right ingrediants to win the whole thing.
Q-What are you going to focus on during the offseason to make you a better player?
A-Getting stronger, becoming a better athlete and toughness.
Q-Have you had any basketball advice from your Dad? (Former Killdeer High School Boys Basketball Head Coach)
A-He has been very encouraging and it is nice to have my parents around to watch the games. In high school, as my coach, he was more intense and critical of my play. At Colorado, my Dad is all about encouragment.
Q-Do you still follow whats going on back in North Dakota? Is there anything that has surprised you?
A-Yes, I do. I thought Bowman would be a little better this season. I have also been surprised by the way Linton is playing.
Q-Tonight in North Dakota, the Girls Region 7 Championship takes place. Who do you got, Dickinson Trinity or Hazen?
A-I have to take Trinity. It always seemed like they have had Hazen's number.
Q-Final question, you almost have an entire season under your belt, do you have any regrets about coming to CU? Are you a Buff for the long run?
A-I have no regrets other then wanting more wins. I will be a Buffalo the next 4 years.
THANKS TO ANDREW GREEN FROM THE BUFFS SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BUFFS BASKETBALL VISIT http://www.cubuffs.com/
Monday, February 23, 2009
You Vote
2/25/09-Keep the hoops comments coming. I will keep this discussion going until sometime tomorrow. 3-0 in picks last night, I have 2 more tonight. Overall record 51-28-1 ATS.
NBA
76ers - 4 1/2 @ Washington
NCAAM
@Colorado St. -2 Wyoming
2/24/09-I'm going to keep this post up until Thursday. The comments have been interesting and I want to see them keep coming in. Rank your top 5 NBA contenders (1-5). I will weigh in on what I think on Thursday. Also, to my followers back in No Dak and CU Hoops fans, I am courtside at CU/Oklahoma St tomorrow night and I will have an in-depth story on Austin Dufault and his first season with CU Hoops. I've seen him many times on TV and I'm finally going to get to see him up-close. I will have that on Thursday. Also on Thursday, I will get into Tiger's comeback. If there are good picks tomorrow I will post, otherwise I won't post again until Thursday. Keep the good NBA comments coming.
Tonight's Picks. Overall Record 48-28-1 Against the Spread.
NBA
@Phoenix -6 Charlotte
NCAAM
@Providence +9 Pittsburgh
Syracuse -4 @St. John's
I want to hear what readers think about the current injury situation in the NBA and its affect on the contenders.
Another NBA contender suffered a key injury yesterday. The Nuggets have listed Nene as day to day with a knee injury. I saw the play when he collided knees with Bucks F Richard Jefferson and it looked painful. I would say Nene will atleast miss Denver's 3 game homestand, especially since the injured knee is the same one that was operated on a few years ago.
Key Injuries to Contenders
Boston-Kevin Garnett-out 2-3 weeks (knee)
Orlando-Jameer Nelson-out for season (shoulder)
L.A. Lakers-Andrew Bynum-out 7-9 weeks (knee)
San Antonio-Manu Ginobili-out 2-3 weeks (ankle)
Utah-Carlos Boozer-expected to return tonight (estimated 15 minues)
Dallas-Jason Terry-out 1-3 weeks (hand)
Portland-Greg Oden-has missed games here and there due to various injuries
Houston-Tracy Mcgrady-out for season (knee)
Phoenix-Amare Stoudemire-out for possibly the season (eye)
Denver-Nene-out ? (knee) Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin also have had nagging injuries.
My question to readers-Name your top 5 NBA contenders (in order 1-5) based on what you know about the injuries and the teams' ability to play on and bounce back.
Picks-47-25-1 Against the Spread.
NBA
@Knicks -6 Indiana
@New Jersey +2 Philadelphia
NCAAM
@Georgetown +2 Louisville
@Oklahoma -2 Kansas (Blake Griffin has been ruled out)
NBA
76ers - 4 1/2 @ Washington
NCAAM
@Colorado St. -2 Wyoming
2/24/09-I'm going to keep this post up until Thursday. The comments have been interesting and I want to see them keep coming in. Rank your top 5 NBA contenders (1-5). I will weigh in on what I think on Thursday. Also, to my followers back in No Dak and CU Hoops fans, I am courtside at CU/Oklahoma St tomorrow night and I will have an in-depth story on Austin Dufault and his first season with CU Hoops. I've seen him many times on TV and I'm finally going to get to see him up-close. I will have that on Thursday. Also on Thursday, I will get into Tiger's comeback. If there are good picks tomorrow I will post, otherwise I won't post again until Thursday. Keep the good NBA comments coming.
Tonight's Picks. Overall Record 48-28-1 Against the Spread.
NBA
@Phoenix -6 Charlotte
NCAAM
@Providence +9 Pittsburgh
Syracuse -4 @St. John's
I want to hear what readers think about the current injury situation in the NBA and its affect on the contenders.
Another NBA contender suffered a key injury yesterday. The Nuggets have listed Nene as day to day with a knee injury. I saw the play when he collided knees with Bucks F Richard Jefferson and it looked painful. I would say Nene will atleast miss Denver's 3 game homestand, especially since the injured knee is the same one that was operated on a few years ago.
Key Injuries to Contenders
Boston-Kevin Garnett-out 2-3 weeks (knee)
Orlando-Jameer Nelson-out for season (shoulder)
L.A. Lakers-Andrew Bynum-out 7-9 weeks (knee)
San Antonio-Manu Ginobili-out 2-3 weeks (ankle)
Utah-Carlos Boozer-expected to return tonight (estimated 15 minues)
Dallas-Jason Terry-out 1-3 weeks (hand)
Portland-Greg Oden-has missed games here and there due to various injuries
Houston-Tracy Mcgrady-out for season (knee)
Phoenix-Amare Stoudemire-out for possibly the season (eye)
Denver-Nene-out ? (knee) Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin also have had nagging injuries.
My question to readers-Name your top 5 NBA contenders (in order 1-5) based on what you know about the injuries and the teams' ability to play on and bounce back.
Picks-47-25-1 Against the Spread.
NBA
@Knicks -6 Indiana
@New Jersey +2 Philadelphia
NCAAM
@Georgetown +2 Louisville
@Oklahoma -2 Kansas (Blake Griffin has been ruled out)
Friday, February 20, 2009
NBA D-Leaguer Gets 2nd Stint with Bucks
I know there are many injury notes to get to, but let me first congradulate Eddie Gill who just signed his 2nd 10 day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. Gill had been playing for the Colorado 14ers of the NBA D-League and was originally called up on February 9th. The 14ers have added John Lucas to fill out the teams' 10 man roster. For more on the 14ers, check out http://www.14ershoops.com/.
On February 5th, I had a chance to talk to Eddie Gill. You can revisit my interview with him by going to http://walshtalk.blogspot.com/2009/02/inside-look-at-d-league.html. Fans of Eddie Gill can see him take on the Denver Nuggets, Sunday at 3:00 Mountain in Milwaukee. The game will be televised on Altitude 2.
Thanks to Chad Andrus, who is the voice and head of media relations for the Colorado 14ers.
Now some very bad news for NBA teams. Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire is out a minimum of 8 weeks after having surgery to repair his retina. The injury was suffered early in the Suns blowout win at the Clippers Wednesday night. Stoudemire ended up going for 42, despite the injury in the game. What else can go wrong this season for the Suns?
Boston is awaiting MRI results on Kevin Garnett, who left in the first half after injuring his knee in a loss at Utah. Garnett went back to Boston for tests, meanwhile the Celtics still have 3 games remaining on their current 6 game roadtrip. I have heard this morning Garnett could miss anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks.
San Antonio's Manu Ginobili will miss 3 weeks due to ongoing problems with his injured ankle. The Spurs under .500 when Manu is out of the line-up.
What does this all mean? Phoenix was done anyway, I just feel bad for Amare. I hope he makes a full recovery and his management can start treating him with respect. For the Spurs and Celtics, this is a bad thing for playoff positioning. The loss of these players could very well cost these teams home court advantage throughout the playoffs. However, if you look long term both stars will be well rested come playoff time, which will turn into a major advantage. Based on all the injuries to contending teams, your top 3 teams right now in the regular season are the Lakers, Cavs and Nuggets.
Alex Rodriguez is in more trouble. Now it is reported that he was in contact for several years with a trainer who was banned from MLB clubhouses league-wide. He should have just told the truth to CBS 14 months ago or atleast to Peter Gammons a week and a half ago. Idiot.
Barry Bonds is looking better and better in his chances to avoid "Bubba" and prison. The Judge in his case has ruled that much of the damning evidence against Bonds is inadmissable in court.
A bad blow to the Colorado Rockies, Pitcher Jeff Francis will miss the 2009 season due to shoulder surgery. If Manny doesn't sign with the Dodgers, the NL West could be historically bad this season.
Picks...I dropped both last night, my bad. I'm now 47-24-1 against the spread. I have only one game tonight. The college board is made up of cupcake teams and the NBA is really messed up because of injuries and trades. The Bulls dismantled a good chunk of their team yesterday and I have no clue why they are just 1 1/2 point dogs in this game. Denver is well rested and didn't do anything at the trade deadline, and are focused on finishing this monster 8 game roadtrip in style.
NBA
Denver - 1 1/2 @ Chicago
Talk to you Monday, have a good weekend.
On February 5th, I had a chance to talk to Eddie Gill. You can revisit my interview with him by going to http://walshtalk.blogspot.com/2009/02/inside-look-at-d-league.html. Fans of Eddie Gill can see him take on the Denver Nuggets, Sunday at 3:00 Mountain in Milwaukee. The game will be televised on Altitude 2.
Thanks to Chad Andrus, who is the voice and head of media relations for the Colorado 14ers.
Now some very bad news for NBA teams. Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire is out a minimum of 8 weeks after having surgery to repair his retina. The injury was suffered early in the Suns blowout win at the Clippers Wednesday night. Stoudemire ended up going for 42, despite the injury in the game. What else can go wrong this season for the Suns?
Boston is awaiting MRI results on Kevin Garnett, who left in the first half after injuring his knee in a loss at Utah. Garnett went back to Boston for tests, meanwhile the Celtics still have 3 games remaining on their current 6 game roadtrip. I have heard this morning Garnett could miss anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks.
San Antonio's Manu Ginobili will miss 3 weeks due to ongoing problems with his injured ankle. The Spurs under .500 when Manu is out of the line-up.
What does this all mean? Phoenix was done anyway, I just feel bad for Amare. I hope he makes a full recovery and his management can start treating him with respect. For the Spurs and Celtics, this is a bad thing for playoff positioning. The loss of these players could very well cost these teams home court advantage throughout the playoffs. However, if you look long term both stars will be well rested come playoff time, which will turn into a major advantage. Based on all the injuries to contending teams, your top 3 teams right now in the regular season are the Lakers, Cavs and Nuggets.
Alex Rodriguez is in more trouble. Now it is reported that he was in contact for several years with a trainer who was banned from MLB clubhouses league-wide. He should have just told the truth to CBS 14 months ago or atleast to Peter Gammons a week and a half ago. Idiot.
Barry Bonds is looking better and better in his chances to avoid "Bubba" and prison. The Judge in his case has ruled that much of the damning evidence against Bonds is inadmissable in court.
A bad blow to the Colorado Rockies, Pitcher Jeff Francis will miss the 2009 season due to shoulder surgery. If Manny doesn't sign with the Dodgers, the NL West could be historically bad this season.
Picks...I dropped both last night, my bad. I'm now 47-24-1 against the spread. I have only one game tonight. The college board is made up of cupcake teams and the NBA is really messed up because of injuries and trades. The Bulls dismantled a good chunk of their team yesterday and I have no clue why they are just 1 1/2 point dogs in this game. Denver is well rested and didn't do anything at the trade deadline, and are focused on finishing this monster 8 game roadtrip in style.
NBA
Denver - 1 1/2 @ Chicago
Talk to you Monday, have a good weekend.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
NBA Trade Deadline, Tiger Back
Much hype, no action. Amare was supposed to leave Phoenix, Vince Carter was supposed to leave New Jersey and even Shaq was rumored to be shopped, and nothing big went down.
I think two things played into a fairly dead trade deadline in the NBA.
1. Teams are setting themselves up for the free agent class of 2010
2. The status of the economy in the U.S is taking its toll on the NBA.
The most interesting rumor all day was Shaq to Cleveland for Sasha Pavlovich and Wally Sczerbiak. Well, the deal didn't happen, here is what did.
1.The Bulls and Knicks cleared contracts to put themselves in position to land Lebron in 2010.
2.The Hornets put themselves in a bad position. Oklahoma City's doctor who examined Tyson Chandler after he was aquired from New Orleans recently, notified the team to send him back to New Orleans because of a bad toe. Ironically enough, this was the same doctor who did surgery on Chandler's toe earlier in his career. As a result of this, Tyson Chandler who is a very respectable big man, has to return to New Orleans knowing the team had previously dealt him. Bottom line, there could be some hard feelings that could lead to some chemistry issues in New Orleans.
3.Orlando aquired PG Raefer Alston from Houston in a 3 team deal. This trade wasn't a blockbuster, however it did keep Orlando's contention hopes on life support. The team needed a PG after Jameer Nelson went down. Recently the Magic aquired Tyrone Lue, with all due respect he is not the guy to lead that team to any type of run in the playoffs. By aquiring Alston, the Magic atleast have a respectable point guard that will keep fans interested in Orlando's chances.
4.Phoenix didn't do anything. The Suns are living in a dream world if they think a coaching change and two blowout wins against the Clippers are suddenly going to make them a contender in the west.
Sticking with the NBA, Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman has to be pissed. He learned Tracy McGrady was going to be out for the season by reading the morning newspaper. T-Mac has been around long enough to let the orginization know about his condition before he passes the info off to the media. I think T-Mac is about done with his career, he will of course play again but never be what he once was.
Tiger Woods has announced on his website that he will return to the PGA Tour next week. Woods will play in World Match Play Championship that begins on the 25th.
OF Ken Griffey Jr. passed up on joining the Atlanta Braves and rejoined the Seattle Mariners. Seattle has a terrible team and Griffey has had some bad luck since leaving Seattle. Hopefully this reunion will boost both the Mariners and Griffey.
NFL teams are beginning to place the hated "Franchise Tag" on its players. One man who is not happy is Carolina's Julius Peppers. Peppers had demanded a trade after the Panthers tagged him and Carolina can't afford to lose him.
Titans' DL Albert Haynesworth is entering free agency. Don't be surprised if this defensive standout lands in Denver. The Broncos just axed half their defense and have a great need for a real defensive lineman.
I don't touch on the NHL much, but Alexander Ovechkin's goal last night was absolutely amazing. Ovechkin now has 42 goals and is leading the Washington Capitals to a possible Cup.
Picks....3-1 last night. How does Providence have a 1 point halftime lead at Louisville while shooting 75 % and end up losing by 18? Anyway, I'm now 47-22-1 Against the Spread.
NBA
Boston -1 @Utah
NCAAM
Duke -10 1/2 @ St. John's
I think two things played into a fairly dead trade deadline in the NBA.
1. Teams are setting themselves up for the free agent class of 2010
2. The status of the economy in the U.S is taking its toll on the NBA.
The most interesting rumor all day was Shaq to Cleveland for Sasha Pavlovich and Wally Sczerbiak. Well, the deal didn't happen, here is what did.
1.The Bulls and Knicks cleared contracts to put themselves in position to land Lebron in 2010.
2.The Hornets put themselves in a bad position. Oklahoma City's doctor who examined Tyson Chandler after he was aquired from New Orleans recently, notified the team to send him back to New Orleans because of a bad toe. Ironically enough, this was the same doctor who did surgery on Chandler's toe earlier in his career. As a result of this, Tyson Chandler who is a very respectable big man, has to return to New Orleans knowing the team had previously dealt him. Bottom line, there could be some hard feelings that could lead to some chemistry issues in New Orleans.
3.Orlando aquired PG Raefer Alston from Houston in a 3 team deal. This trade wasn't a blockbuster, however it did keep Orlando's contention hopes on life support. The team needed a PG after Jameer Nelson went down. Recently the Magic aquired Tyrone Lue, with all due respect he is not the guy to lead that team to any type of run in the playoffs. By aquiring Alston, the Magic atleast have a respectable point guard that will keep fans interested in Orlando's chances.
4.Phoenix didn't do anything. The Suns are living in a dream world if they think a coaching change and two blowout wins against the Clippers are suddenly going to make them a contender in the west.
Sticking with the NBA, Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman has to be pissed. He learned Tracy McGrady was going to be out for the season by reading the morning newspaper. T-Mac has been around long enough to let the orginization know about his condition before he passes the info off to the media. I think T-Mac is about done with his career, he will of course play again but never be what he once was.
Tiger Woods has announced on his website that he will return to the PGA Tour next week. Woods will play in World Match Play Championship that begins on the 25th.
OF Ken Griffey Jr. passed up on joining the Atlanta Braves and rejoined the Seattle Mariners. Seattle has a terrible team and Griffey has had some bad luck since leaving Seattle. Hopefully this reunion will boost both the Mariners and Griffey.
NFL teams are beginning to place the hated "Franchise Tag" on its players. One man who is not happy is Carolina's Julius Peppers. Peppers had demanded a trade after the Panthers tagged him and Carolina can't afford to lose him.
Titans' DL Albert Haynesworth is entering free agency. Don't be surprised if this defensive standout lands in Denver. The Broncos just axed half their defense and have a great need for a real defensive lineman.
I don't touch on the NHL much, but Alexander Ovechkin's goal last night was absolutely amazing. Ovechkin now has 42 goals and is leading the Washington Capitals to a possible Cup.
Picks....3-1 last night. How does Providence have a 1 point halftime lead at Louisville while shooting 75 % and end up losing by 18? Anyway, I'm now 47-22-1 Against the Spread.
NBA
Boston -1 @Utah
NCAAM
Duke -10 1/2 @ St. John's
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Comparing Selig to the Other Commissoners
In light of Bud Selig taking no responsibility what so ever yesterday for the steroid scandle, I have put together a comparison between Selig and the other major commissoners in sports. To refresh readers memories, Selig told Newsday yesterday that he was not to blame for the steroid era. Here is the list of major flaws between Selig and the other commisoners.
MLB Commissoner-Bud Selig
-MLB had a strike in 1994, because of that there was no World Series.
-Another MLB strike could very well have happend in 2002.
-An All-Star Game ended in a tie, hence Bud makes up for it by making a new rule that the winner would have home-field advantage throughout the World Series, despite record.
-Introduced interleague play, which is interesting but changes outcomes of division races
-Introduced that each league would have a wild card team. This idea was fine, but make the first round in the playoffs a true 7 game series.
-During the period of reallignment, in some way he allowed 6 teams to be in the NL Central and only 4 teams in the AL West, basic math says that is hard to do.
-Turned his back on the steroid problem, even though he denies it. He lost such control of his league Congress had to get involved.
-He went along with the "Mitchell Report". In the end, people will look at ruined legacies rather then how the report got the game a little cleaner.
-Ultimately allowed an anonymous list of 104 players to get leaked, that he promised would be sealed. Yes, the other 103 names besides Rodriguez will be released eventually.
-Has yet to set a standard for Hall of Fame voting.
-Under Selig's tenure the league has been too predictable. We see the same teams in the playoff virtually every season and that is boring for fans in smaller markets.
NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell
-The punisher, Roger has shown no patience. If you screw up in his league you will have it handed to you.
-Early in his tenure, the verdict is still out. Roger's legacy will hend on whether or not he can fix the NFL's upcoming labor and free agency issues.
NBA Commisoner David Stern
-The NBA had a strike in 1999 and the season was limited, but the league did have a champion in that season. The strike however led to a #8 seed to make the NBA Finals. In a full season and #8 seed would never accomplish that.
-Stern put in a rule that won't allow players straight out of high school to enter the NBA Draft. If you are 18 and can fight a war, you should be able to try to play in the NBA. Stern's two leading MVP candidates are both straight out of high school in Lebron and Kobe.
-A little error, but mis-pronounced the Minnesota Timberwolves as the Minnesota North Stars during an NBA draft.
-Stern has let the All-Star festivities tank when they were once very popular.
-Stern has been weak when it comes to putting his foot down on organizations like the New York Knicks. When a team has management that bad the commish has to step in.
-It is arguable that Stern has over-expanded the league. Hence the organization of the D-League.
-A ref gambling scandal surfaced during Stern's tenure.
NHL Commissoner Gary Bettman
-He let an entire season get wiped out because of a lockout
-He has killed the popularity of the NHL by making horrible television deals
-Has had too many teams and relocated them into different cities. Some have worked, many other moves haven't.
Decide for yourself. I think the idiot of the bunch in Selig, he just had so much going for the game and it has turned into this debacle. I would put Bettman 2nd. He messed up but the NHL wasn't nearly as popular as the MLB. Stern has been a survivor and it is just too early to decide on Roger Goodell.
Other Notes....
Dwight Howard just abused Emeka Okafur and Bobcat's Head Coach Larry Brown last night. "Superman", went for 45 points, 19 rebounds and 8 blocks. It was one of the best lines statistically put together ever in an NBA game. Brown made a terrible decison by deciding to single cover Howard and shut the other Magic players down. It was a close game, but that decison humiliated Brown's big man and gave Dwight Howard even more confidence.
T-Mac is gone for the season because of microfracture knee surgery. Houston, you have a problem. The Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Hornets, Blazers and Jazz are safe to make the playoffs. The Suns put up a rediculous 140-100 win over the Clippers last night, but in the end it will now officially be Phoenix, Dallas and Houston fighting for the 2 final playoff spots out west.
The Broncos continued their dismantling of players, the lastest to go is CB Dre Bly. Bly lost a step once he arrived in Denver. He was not the Pro-Bowler he used to be for the Lions and Rams, and he was not arguably the best CB in ACC history that he used to be. In all fairness, Bly played opposite of Champ Bailey during his tenure in Denver. It is a rare occasion that an opposing QB throws to Bailey's side of the field, hence Bly was always the one being posterized for getting beat on the long TD completions. Bly is on the downside of his career, but he was not as bad as cameras' showed during his tenure with the Broncos.
And the Picks...4-0 last night, puts me at 44-21-1 against the spread.
NBA
Denver -1 @Philadelphia
@Dallas -7 New Jersey
NCAAM
@Florida State - 2 1/2 Miami, FL
Providence +14 @ Louisville
MLB Commissoner-Bud Selig
-MLB had a strike in 1994, because of that there was no World Series.
-Another MLB strike could very well have happend in 2002.
-An All-Star Game ended in a tie, hence Bud makes up for it by making a new rule that the winner would have home-field advantage throughout the World Series, despite record.
-Introduced interleague play, which is interesting but changes outcomes of division races
-Introduced that each league would have a wild card team. This idea was fine, but make the first round in the playoffs a true 7 game series.
-During the period of reallignment, in some way he allowed 6 teams to be in the NL Central and only 4 teams in the AL West, basic math says that is hard to do.
-Turned his back on the steroid problem, even though he denies it. He lost such control of his league Congress had to get involved.
-He went along with the "Mitchell Report". In the end, people will look at ruined legacies rather then how the report got the game a little cleaner.
-Ultimately allowed an anonymous list of 104 players to get leaked, that he promised would be sealed. Yes, the other 103 names besides Rodriguez will be released eventually.
-Has yet to set a standard for Hall of Fame voting.
-Under Selig's tenure the league has been too predictable. We see the same teams in the playoff virtually every season and that is boring for fans in smaller markets.
NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell
-The punisher, Roger has shown no patience. If you screw up in his league you will have it handed to you.
-Early in his tenure, the verdict is still out. Roger's legacy will hend on whether or not he can fix the NFL's upcoming labor and free agency issues.
NBA Commisoner David Stern
-The NBA had a strike in 1999 and the season was limited, but the league did have a champion in that season. The strike however led to a #8 seed to make the NBA Finals. In a full season and #8 seed would never accomplish that.
-Stern put in a rule that won't allow players straight out of high school to enter the NBA Draft. If you are 18 and can fight a war, you should be able to try to play in the NBA. Stern's two leading MVP candidates are both straight out of high school in Lebron and Kobe.
-A little error, but mis-pronounced the Minnesota Timberwolves as the Minnesota North Stars during an NBA draft.
-Stern has let the All-Star festivities tank when they were once very popular.
-Stern has been weak when it comes to putting his foot down on organizations like the New York Knicks. When a team has management that bad the commish has to step in.
-It is arguable that Stern has over-expanded the league. Hence the organization of the D-League.
-A ref gambling scandal surfaced during Stern's tenure.
NHL Commissoner Gary Bettman
-He let an entire season get wiped out because of a lockout
-He has killed the popularity of the NHL by making horrible television deals
-Has had too many teams and relocated them into different cities. Some have worked, many other moves haven't.
Decide for yourself. I think the idiot of the bunch in Selig, he just had so much going for the game and it has turned into this debacle. I would put Bettman 2nd. He messed up but the NHL wasn't nearly as popular as the MLB. Stern has been a survivor and it is just too early to decide on Roger Goodell.
Other Notes....
Dwight Howard just abused Emeka Okafur and Bobcat's Head Coach Larry Brown last night. "Superman", went for 45 points, 19 rebounds and 8 blocks. It was one of the best lines statistically put together ever in an NBA game. Brown made a terrible decison by deciding to single cover Howard and shut the other Magic players down. It was a close game, but that decison humiliated Brown's big man and gave Dwight Howard even more confidence.
T-Mac is gone for the season because of microfracture knee surgery. Houston, you have a problem. The Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Hornets, Blazers and Jazz are safe to make the playoffs. The Suns put up a rediculous 140-100 win over the Clippers last night, but in the end it will now officially be Phoenix, Dallas and Houston fighting for the 2 final playoff spots out west.
The Broncos continued their dismantling of players, the lastest to go is CB Dre Bly. Bly lost a step once he arrived in Denver. He was not the Pro-Bowler he used to be for the Lions and Rams, and he was not arguably the best CB in ACC history that he used to be. In all fairness, Bly played opposite of Champ Bailey during his tenure in Denver. It is a rare occasion that an opposing QB throws to Bailey's side of the field, hence Bly was always the one being posterized for getting beat on the long TD completions. Bly is on the downside of his career, but he was not as bad as cameras' showed during his tenure with the Broncos.
And the Picks...4-0 last night, puts me at 44-21-1 against the spread.
NBA
Denver -1 @Philadelphia
@Dallas -7 New Jersey
NCAAM
@Florida State - 2 1/2 Miami, FL
Providence +14 @ Louisville
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Updates
T-Mac is out for the year for Houston. McGrady will undergo microfracture surgery on his knee. Any deal between Houston and New Jersey is dead, unless Ron Artest's name is in discussions.
The Broncos have released CB Dre Bly.
Coming up tomorrow....Why Bud Selig is even a bigger ass then I've wrote about, Dwight Howard goes crazy, the Rockets are done, Phoenix puts it on the Clipps, and more about Bly's stint with the Broncos. Plus the picks....4-0 on Tuesday night.
The Broncos have released CB Dre Bly.
Coming up tomorrow....Why Bud Selig is even a bigger ass then I've wrote about, Dwight Howard goes crazy, the Rockets are done, Phoenix puts it on the Clipps, and more about Bly's stint with the Broncos. Plus the picks....4-0 on Tuesday night.
Idiots in High Places
Alex Rodriguez finally held his press conference and the guy is still not telling the entire truth. Rodriguez used performance enhancers and the only reason he is upset and humiliated is because he got caught. I'm glad Rodriguez finally got that off his chest, or so he thinks. He will have to live with this and the questions from people until he goes to his grave.
Rodriguez wasn't the idiot of the day, that honor again goes to Commisoner Bud Selig. The commish tells Newsday that he is not to blame for the steroid era. Ahh...this is your league Bud, who else is there to blame? You call the shots, you oversee things and you make the ultimate decisons. If your not responsible for this Bud, then who is? Selig is such a donkey-dick that he is starting to make Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and other cheats look like good people.
I said in a post last week that the true clean players of the game should unite and just sit out the entire 2009 season to make a statement, well maybe there is a better way to get past the steroid era. I was out with a buddy on Saturday night, who said to just get rid of Selig and hire a new MLB Commissoner. He said that would be a good way to get past this ugly era, by removing the head guy from the game. I think my buddy is right after what Selig said today. I mean give me a break, Bud says he's not to blame for this crap in baseball, what a crock of you know what. Bud, just get the hell out the game and disapear where nobody can hear your nonsense and see your ugly dome ever again.
There is an interesting rumor going on in the NBA. The Nets looking at shipping Vince Carter and Trenton Hassel to the Rockets for Tracy McGrady. If this happens it would be great for Houston. The Hornets saved some cash today dumping Center Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City for Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith and some scrub.
The new Denver Broncos staff isn't wasting anytime. Last night management released 6 players, most of them on the defensive side of the ball. If Denver decides to take the field next season with just 5 defenders, it would be a better effort then what I saw from the 11 that were out on the field last season.
Other notable releases in the last day and a half.......
Jags RB-Fred Taylor
Saints RB-Duece McCallister
Bucs QB-Jeff Garcia
Power Ranks
NBA
1. Lakers
2. Cavs
3. Celtics
4. Nuggets
5. Spurs
NHL
1. Bruins
2. Red Wings
3. Sharks
4. Capitals
5. Flames
NCAAM-The 4 most likely to get to the "Final Four"
1. North Carolina
2. Oklahoma
3. Pittsburgh
4. UCONN
Sleepers: Michigan State, Louisville, Wake Forest
And the Picks.....I lost the UCONN/PITT Game last night. DeJuan Blair is an absolute beast for Pittsburgh. The kid kind of reminds me of a young Charles Barkley. Overall I'm now 40-21-1 against the spread.
NBA-Don't play, games right after the All-Star Break can get a little unpredictable and there is nothing that jumps out as a great play tonight.
NCAAM
Seton Hall +14 @Marquette
@Purdue - 2 1/2 Michigan State
@Clemson -10 Maryland
@BYU - 6 1/2 New Mexico
Rodriguez wasn't the idiot of the day, that honor again goes to Commisoner Bud Selig. The commish tells Newsday that he is not to blame for the steroid era. Ahh...this is your league Bud, who else is there to blame? You call the shots, you oversee things and you make the ultimate decisons. If your not responsible for this Bud, then who is? Selig is such a donkey-dick that he is starting to make Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and other cheats look like good people.
I said in a post last week that the true clean players of the game should unite and just sit out the entire 2009 season to make a statement, well maybe there is a better way to get past the steroid era. I was out with a buddy on Saturday night, who said to just get rid of Selig and hire a new MLB Commissoner. He said that would be a good way to get past this ugly era, by removing the head guy from the game. I think my buddy is right after what Selig said today. I mean give me a break, Bud says he's not to blame for this crap in baseball, what a crock of you know what. Bud, just get the hell out the game and disapear where nobody can hear your nonsense and see your ugly dome ever again.
There is an interesting rumor going on in the NBA. The Nets looking at shipping Vince Carter and Trenton Hassel to the Rockets for Tracy McGrady. If this happens it would be great for Houston. The Hornets saved some cash today dumping Center Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City for Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith and some scrub.
The new Denver Broncos staff isn't wasting anytime. Last night management released 6 players, most of them on the defensive side of the ball. If Denver decides to take the field next season with just 5 defenders, it would be a better effort then what I saw from the 11 that were out on the field last season.
Other notable releases in the last day and a half.......
Jags RB-Fred Taylor
Saints RB-Duece McCallister
Bucs QB-Jeff Garcia
Power Ranks
NBA
1. Lakers
2. Cavs
3. Celtics
4. Nuggets
5. Spurs
NHL
1. Bruins
2. Red Wings
3. Sharks
4. Capitals
5. Flames
NCAAM-The 4 most likely to get to the "Final Four"
1. North Carolina
2. Oklahoma
3. Pittsburgh
4. UCONN
Sleepers: Michigan State, Louisville, Wake Forest
And the Picks.....I lost the UCONN/PITT Game last night. DeJuan Blair is an absolute beast for Pittsburgh. The kid kind of reminds me of a young Charles Barkley. Overall I'm now 40-21-1 against the spread.
NBA-Don't play, games right after the All-Star Break can get a little unpredictable and there is nothing that jumps out as a great play tonight.
NCAAM
Seton Hall +14 @Marquette
@Purdue - 2 1/2 Michigan State
@Clemson -10 Maryland
@BYU - 6 1/2 New Mexico
Monday, February 16, 2009
What a Terrible Weekend
As a sports fan, what was good about this weekend? The answer is, despite a few tight college games, nothing. Lets put a side the weather for one second, even though it shortened the Daytona 500 and the golf at Pebble Beach. By the way, congradulations to Matt Kenseth for his shortened Daytona win, and to Dustin Johnson for winning Pebble without hitting his final shot. Lets also put a side the Phoenix Suns, who fired Head Coach Terry Porter when they should have fired General Manager Steve Kerr. Lets also put a side one of the Suns' players in Jason Richardson, who is charged with going 90 mph in a 35 mph zone with his kid in the car, not in a car-seat. The worst thing about the weekend was NBA All-Star Weekend.
1. The Celeberty Game was bad. I watched it and it is no fun watching T.O. dunk on has beens and TV show stars. Dominique Wilkins is so fat he can't jump. Wilkins did not dunk once in this game and had trouble with bunny lay-ups.
2. The Rookie/Sophomore game was the best thing about All-Star Weekend. This gave fans a chance to see how good the league will be in upcoming years, and it will be good.
3. The H.O.R.S.E. Event was a bust from what I heard. I thought it was part of "All-Star Saturday Night", so I missed it. I wanted to watch it, but TNT and the league didn't do a good job of promoting what time it was on. Also, why would the event be outside and not in the arena?
4. The "Shooting Stars Competition" was OK. The event will always just be OK and the same thing every single year.
5. The "Skills Challenge" was terrible. It looked like every competitor wasn't even trying. I couldn't believe how slow all these guys went through the course, it was embarassing.
6. The "3 Point Challenge" was humiliating. I don't think I've ever seen a 3 point contest with such horrible shooting. The crowd was not excited and it hurt my eyes watching these guys shoot. Forget building a house with all of those bricks, you could have built a damn skyline with the amount of bricks the contestants were putting up.
7. The "Dunk Contest" had its moments. I was entertained when Dwight Howard brought out the 12 foot rim and dunked on it. Nate Robinson was also impressive, dunking over Howard. Lebron James has verbally committed to compete in the next "Dunk Contest", so that should improve this event for the upcoming season. The NBA has to change the format for this event and get some real judges, every dunk does not deserve a 50.
8. The game was a blowout and pretty boring. The choice of Shaq and Kobe being Co-MVPS' was lame and a bad attempt to get those two more publicity. Shaq and Kobe are never going to reunite, Kobe won't let it happen.
That about covers my opinion of the weekend, with the exception of one of the more disrespectful things I've seen in sports. At halftime, Jerry Colangelo presented All-Star members of the 2008 Olympic Gold Winning Basketball Team rings. If you are going to do this presentation, is it too much to ask to fly in the other members of the team to join the others on that stage? Colangelo says he will present the other members of the team their rings at a later date in their city. If you are going to make that kind of presentation, everyone on the team should be on that stage, with the exception of the college coaches who are currently in the middle of their seasons.
I've got to stick-up for my man Carmelo Anthony, who got the worst of it. During the offseason, everybody said Melo had to be a better all around player. Anthony's scoring is down but he is putting up career high numbers in rebounds, assists and steals. Melo has also played his best defense of his career this season. Anthony also put up one of the best quarters in NBA history, scoring 33 points in one quarter. Melo has missed games this season due to injury and suspension, but to not have him in the All-Star Game was a joke. I'm sure Melo was disapointed, but got over it. However, leave it to last night's halftime presentation to pour more salt in Melo's wound. Anthony was one of the captains' of "Team USA", a starter and a key contributor for the team that won the gold medal and he wasn't on stage. I thought keeping Melo out of the All-Star game was bad, but not having him be a part of the halftime presentation last night was just wrong and disrespectful. The NBA really shot itself in foot on this one. Terrible.
Note: Allen Iverson cut his dome. No more corn-rows for "The Answer".
PICKS-40-20-1 against the spread. The NBA returns tomorrow night, so I will start picking more games. Tonight, I won't shy away from the best college game.
@UCONN -3 Pittsburgh
1. The Celeberty Game was bad. I watched it and it is no fun watching T.O. dunk on has beens and TV show stars. Dominique Wilkins is so fat he can't jump. Wilkins did not dunk once in this game and had trouble with bunny lay-ups.
2. The Rookie/Sophomore game was the best thing about All-Star Weekend. This gave fans a chance to see how good the league will be in upcoming years, and it will be good.
3. The H.O.R.S.E. Event was a bust from what I heard. I thought it was part of "All-Star Saturday Night", so I missed it. I wanted to watch it, but TNT and the league didn't do a good job of promoting what time it was on. Also, why would the event be outside and not in the arena?
4. The "Shooting Stars Competition" was OK. The event will always just be OK and the same thing every single year.
5. The "Skills Challenge" was terrible. It looked like every competitor wasn't even trying. I couldn't believe how slow all these guys went through the course, it was embarassing.
6. The "3 Point Challenge" was humiliating. I don't think I've ever seen a 3 point contest with such horrible shooting. The crowd was not excited and it hurt my eyes watching these guys shoot. Forget building a house with all of those bricks, you could have built a damn skyline with the amount of bricks the contestants were putting up.
7. The "Dunk Contest" had its moments. I was entertained when Dwight Howard brought out the 12 foot rim and dunked on it. Nate Robinson was also impressive, dunking over Howard. Lebron James has verbally committed to compete in the next "Dunk Contest", so that should improve this event for the upcoming season. The NBA has to change the format for this event and get some real judges, every dunk does not deserve a 50.
8. The game was a blowout and pretty boring. The choice of Shaq and Kobe being Co-MVPS' was lame and a bad attempt to get those two more publicity. Shaq and Kobe are never going to reunite, Kobe won't let it happen.
That about covers my opinion of the weekend, with the exception of one of the more disrespectful things I've seen in sports. At halftime, Jerry Colangelo presented All-Star members of the 2008 Olympic Gold Winning Basketball Team rings. If you are going to do this presentation, is it too much to ask to fly in the other members of the team to join the others on that stage? Colangelo says he will present the other members of the team their rings at a later date in their city. If you are going to make that kind of presentation, everyone on the team should be on that stage, with the exception of the college coaches who are currently in the middle of their seasons.
I've got to stick-up for my man Carmelo Anthony, who got the worst of it. During the offseason, everybody said Melo had to be a better all around player. Anthony's scoring is down but he is putting up career high numbers in rebounds, assists and steals. Melo has also played his best defense of his career this season. Anthony also put up one of the best quarters in NBA history, scoring 33 points in one quarter. Melo has missed games this season due to injury and suspension, but to not have him in the All-Star Game was a joke. I'm sure Melo was disapointed, but got over it. However, leave it to last night's halftime presentation to pour more salt in Melo's wound. Anthony was one of the captains' of "Team USA", a starter and a key contributor for the team that won the gold medal and he wasn't on stage. I thought keeping Melo out of the All-Star game was bad, but not having him be a part of the halftime presentation last night was just wrong and disrespectful. The NBA really shot itself in foot on this one. Terrible.
Note: Allen Iverson cut his dome. No more corn-rows for "The Answer".
PICKS-40-20-1 against the spread. The NBA returns tomorrow night, so I will start picking more games. Tonight, I won't shy away from the best college game.
@UCONN -3 Pittsburgh
Friday, February 13, 2009
Big NBA Names Switching Places and NBA All-Star Grades
The Miami Heat are making a big move for the second consecutive season. Last year Shaq left town and now Shawn Marion is on the move. The Heat have agreed to trade Marion and Marcus Banks to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon.
This is a better deal for the Heat, who now have a big man to complement Wade and Beasley. Miami also saved themselves some cash, getting Marion off their books. As for Toronto, I don't see the team improving any because of this deal. The combination of Shawn Marion and Chris Bosh doesn't excite me and it just doesn't make Toronto any better.
NBA All-Star Grades
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Divison
Boston Celtics-44-11-This team still has the same fire but now has serious competion in the East with Cleveland. Grade A
Philadelphia 76'ers-27-24-This team is still looking like it will make the playoffs despite losing Elton Brand for the season. They have picked up the pieces well in Philly. Grade B
New Jersey Nets-24-29-A very young team that needs to learn how to win on the road. This team got the better of the Kidd/Harris deal, but shouls still be closer to .500. Grade C
New York Kincks-21-31-Head Coach Mike D'Antoni has brought a new look to this team that is much better then what Isiah Thomas was doing. The front office has to deal with Steph Marbury. This distraction is taking its toll on this organization. This team is still bad, but now tollerable. Grade C +
Toronto Raptors-21-34-After a very good season last year, this team has collapsed. They fired Head Coach Sam Mitchell and just traded away Jermaine O'Neal. This team has turned into a trainwreck. Grade D-
Central Divison
Cleveland Cavaliers-40-11-A 23-0 start at home before being knocked off the Lakers is incredible. Lebron James is the leading candidate for MVP and now he has help around him with Mo Williams. This team has a chance to win an NBA Championship. Grade A
Detroit Pistons-27-24-I knew Joe Dumars wanted to blow this team up, but he did it the wrong way. Why he traded Billups for Iverson other then salary cap reasons is beyond me. Detroit was known as a team that played under control and Allen Iverson, as great as he is, doesn't mix with that system. I think the coaching change also hurt them. Detroit's streak of Eastern Conference Finals apperances will end this year. Grade D
Milwaukee Bucks-26-29-With injuries to Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut, this team has really hung in there and has a chance to make the playoffs. In Milwaukee, I guess that is all that you can ask for. Grade B+
Chicago Bulls-23-30-The main piece is there for Chicago in Rose, the guy is a stud at the PG position. The other parts of the team have failed and this team as a whole has under-achieved. Chicago has a slim shot at making the playoffs if they make a deal at the deadline, but don't count on it. Grade C-
Indiana Pacers-21-33-This team is obviously in the rebuilding stage, but they found a star in Danny Granger. Right now, I think this team is playing the best they can with the players they have. Indiana has also beaten Boston and Cleveland already this season. Grade B
Southeast Division
Orlando Magic-38-13-Forget about their record. This team a few weeks ago was in contention, but no longer with the loss of Jameer Nelson. Even with Dwight Howard as your big man, a team can not go deep in the playoffs without their All-Star Point Guard. It's a bad break, but this is not Orlando's year. Grade A-before injury C-after injury
Atlanta Hawks-31-21-The Hawks are establishing themselves nicely after taking the Celtics to 7 games in their first round series last year. With Orlando's injury to Nelson, don't be surprised if Atlanta catches Orlando and takes the division. Grade A
Miami Heat-28-24-Miami has comeback nicely from that terrible season a year ago. If the Heat were real contenders, Dwayne Wade would get serious MVP consideration. It will be interesting to see how Wade and Jermaine O'Neal play together after the trade. Grade B
Charlotte Bobcats-21-31-I thought this team was on their way to drafting to success, and would one day make the playoffs with their home grown talent. That idea is out the window, this team has made too many trades and Head Coach Larry Brown is going to lose his mind. I don't know what the Bobacats are doing and I don't think they really know either. Grade D
Washington Wizards-11-42-The Wizards are the best D-League team in the NBA. This team can't stay healthy and fired Head Coach Eddie Jordan for no reason. Washington is headed for the most ping pong balls in the lottery. Grade D-
Western Conference
Southwest Division
San Antonio Spurs-35-16-Tony Parker and Manu lost a lot of games due to injury and this team is still very much alive. Tim Duncan is quietely having one of his best seasons. San Antonio struck gold again with the emergence of rookie Roger Mason. This team will compete again. Grade A
Houston Rockets-32-21-A respectable record, but Houston has problems. McGrady can't stay healthy and many players are talking about fellow teammates behind their backs. The Rockets have the talent on paper, but not the health and chemistry. Grade C-
New Orleans Hornets-30-20-New Orleans would have a better record if it weren't for injuries to Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler. I expect New Orleans to have a great second half and be a pain for whoever they hook-up with in the playoffs. Grade B
Dallas Mavericks-31-21-This team is on its last leg and could easily miss the playoffs. They are recovering from that terrible trade they made last season for Jason Kidd and now have to deal with the injury to Jason Terry, who could be gone for the season with a broken hand. Dirk has kept the Mavs in the playoff race, but Dirk is not Kobe or Lebron. Grade C
Memphis Grizzlies-15-37-Memphis is kind of like Charlotte. They have all these lottery picks and now are trying to deal them away. The bottom line is this team shot themselves in the foot last season by trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers for nothing. This team will never give itself a chance to be successful. Grade D
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets-36-17-The Nuggets got exactly what they needed when they traded for Chauncey Billups. Billups has organized this team and helped them turn into a pretty good defensive team. If Kenyon Martin and Nene, who are both having outstanding seasons can stay healthy, the Nuggets streak of first round exits will end this year. Grade A
Portland Trailblazers-32-20-I thought this team would be improved, but Portland has taken it to a new level. I thought they would be only a few games over .500, not 12. However, this team is still very young. The Blazers will make the playoffs, but be an easy out. Grade A
Utah Jazz-30-23-The Jazz have caught the injury bug. Carlos Boozer hasn't played since November, Andre Kirilenko is really banged-up and Deron Williams is finally beginning to show signs that he is back to 100 %. With the injuries, Utah has found a solid player in Paul Millsap. This team could be the wildcard in the West if it can get healthy. Grade A
Minnesota Timberwolves-17-34-After Kevin McHale took over as Head Coach, this team has been on a terror. The hot-streak will be slowed nowthat Al Jefferson will be out for the season. If Minnesota was a playoff contender, Jefferson would have been an All-Star. This is a rebuilding team that was doing great things, but this Jefferson injury just kills the Wolves. Grade A-before injury...Grade C+- after injury.
Oklahoma City Thunder-13-40-Coming into the season I thought this team could set the all-time mark for fewest wins in a season. The Thunder have already broken that number and are competitive in most games, despite their 40 losses. Moving from Seattle, this team has been put in an impossible situation and are making the best of it. Grade B
Pacific Division
Los Angeles Lakers-42-10-Andrew Bynum went down and this team continues to roll. They are good, they are deep and they have Kobe Bryant. Grade A+
Phoenix Suns-28-23-Steve Kerr should be fired. He continues to make terrible trades and he brought in a terrible Head Coach in Terry Porter. With Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shaq this team should be in contention in the West. Instead, they are competing for the 8 spot in the West and exploring options to dump Stoudemire. Horrible. Grade F
Golden State Warriors 19-35-The Warriors are this decade's version of the Nuggets of the 90's. They shock the world as an 8 seed upsetting a 1 seed and then fall off the map. Golden State didn't address any needs during the offseason. This team had to improve it's defense and did nothing. It is time for Don Nelson to go. Grade D-
Los Angeles Clippers 13-40-At the beginning of the season NBA experts picked the Clippers as a possible dark horse in the West, after LA brought in Baron Davis and Marcus Camby. Well, they still suck. Grade F
Sacremento Kings 11-43-The Kings are horrible and might be the next franchise to relocate. Sacremento has a potential All-Star in Kevin Martin, but he has no supporting cast. The Kings will challenge Washington for the league's worst record, but atleast Washington has an excuse with their injuries. Grade F
My Post-All-Star Game NBA Power Ranks
1. L.A. Lakers
2.Cleveland Cavaliers
3.Boston Celtics
4.Denver Nuggets
5.San Antonio Spurs
6.Atlanta Hawks
7.Orlando Magic
8.New Orleans Hornets
9.Houston Rockets
10.Portland Trailblazers
11.Utah Jazz
12.Dallas Mavericks
13.Miami Heat
14.Philadelphia 76'ers
15.Phoenix Suns
16.Detroit Pistons
17.New Jersey Nets
18.Milwaukee Bucks
19.Chicago Bulls
20.New York Knicks
21.Indiana Pacers
22.Toronto Raptors
23.Charlotte Bobcats
24.Minnesota Timberwolves
25.Golden State Warriors
26.Memphis Grizzlies
27.Oklahoma City Thunder
28.L.A. Clippers
29.Washington Wizards
30.Sacremento Kings
Outlook
The worst record will belong to either the Kings or the Wizards. The Eastern Conference Playoffs have 8 teams, but only Boston and Cleveland have a chance to go to the NBA Finals. One team with a very good record will be left out of the playoffs in the West, probably Phoenix. The Nuggets will finally win a first round playoff series, but fall to San Antonio in the West-Semifinals. The Spurs will then go on to beat the Lakers for the West Crown. Whoever gets home court advantage between the Celtics and Cavaliers will end up losing to the Spurs in 6, in the NBA Finals. Popovich and the Spurs get it done for the last time with this core of players.
Rumor I just heard.......Amare Stoudemire may end up in Chicago or Miami...interesting.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists were just announced. Among the finalists are Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton and Chris Mullin.
9 All Star Weekend predictions
1. Sophomores beat the Rookies tonight
2. JR Smith upsets Dwight Howard in the Dunk Contest
3. Tony Parker wins the Skills Challenge
4. Joe Johnson wins the H.O.R.S.E. event
5. Team San Antonio wins the Shooting Stars Competition
6. Jason Kapono again takes the 3 Point Competition
7. The East wins the game
8. The game goes over the total, no matter what it is
9. Dwayne Wade wins the MVP
Enjoy the weekend.
This is a better deal for the Heat, who now have a big man to complement Wade and Beasley. Miami also saved themselves some cash, getting Marion off their books. As for Toronto, I don't see the team improving any because of this deal. The combination of Shawn Marion and Chris Bosh doesn't excite me and it just doesn't make Toronto any better.
NBA All-Star Grades
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Divison
Boston Celtics-44-11-This team still has the same fire but now has serious competion in the East with Cleveland. Grade A
Philadelphia 76'ers-27-24-This team is still looking like it will make the playoffs despite losing Elton Brand for the season. They have picked up the pieces well in Philly. Grade B
New Jersey Nets-24-29-A very young team that needs to learn how to win on the road. This team got the better of the Kidd/Harris deal, but shouls still be closer to .500. Grade C
New York Kincks-21-31-Head Coach Mike D'Antoni has brought a new look to this team that is much better then what Isiah Thomas was doing. The front office has to deal with Steph Marbury. This distraction is taking its toll on this organization. This team is still bad, but now tollerable. Grade C +
Toronto Raptors-21-34-After a very good season last year, this team has collapsed. They fired Head Coach Sam Mitchell and just traded away Jermaine O'Neal. This team has turned into a trainwreck. Grade D-
Central Divison
Cleveland Cavaliers-40-11-A 23-0 start at home before being knocked off the Lakers is incredible. Lebron James is the leading candidate for MVP and now he has help around him with Mo Williams. This team has a chance to win an NBA Championship. Grade A
Detroit Pistons-27-24-I knew Joe Dumars wanted to blow this team up, but he did it the wrong way. Why he traded Billups for Iverson other then salary cap reasons is beyond me. Detroit was known as a team that played under control and Allen Iverson, as great as he is, doesn't mix with that system. I think the coaching change also hurt them. Detroit's streak of Eastern Conference Finals apperances will end this year. Grade D
Milwaukee Bucks-26-29-With injuries to Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut, this team has really hung in there and has a chance to make the playoffs. In Milwaukee, I guess that is all that you can ask for. Grade B+
Chicago Bulls-23-30-The main piece is there for Chicago in Rose, the guy is a stud at the PG position. The other parts of the team have failed and this team as a whole has under-achieved. Chicago has a slim shot at making the playoffs if they make a deal at the deadline, but don't count on it. Grade C-
Indiana Pacers-21-33-This team is obviously in the rebuilding stage, but they found a star in Danny Granger. Right now, I think this team is playing the best they can with the players they have. Indiana has also beaten Boston and Cleveland already this season. Grade B
Southeast Division
Orlando Magic-38-13-Forget about their record. This team a few weeks ago was in contention, but no longer with the loss of Jameer Nelson. Even with Dwight Howard as your big man, a team can not go deep in the playoffs without their All-Star Point Guard. It's a bad break, but this is not Orlando's year. Grade A-before injury C-after injury
Atlanta Hawks-31-21-The Hawks are establishing themselves nicely after taking the Celtics to 7 games in their first round series last year. With Orlando's injury to Nelson, don't be surprised if Atlanta catches Orlando and takes the division. Grade A
Miami Heat-28-24-Miami has comeback nicely from that terrible season a year ago. If the Heat were real contenders, Dwayne Wade would get serious MVP consideration. It will be interesting to see how Wade and Jermaine O'Neal play together after the trade. Grade B
Charlotte Bobcats-21-31-I thought this team was on their way to drafting to success, and would one day make the playoffs with their home grown talent. That idea is out the window, this team has made too many trades and Head Coach Larry Brown is going to lose his mind. I don't know what the Bobacats are doing and I don't think they really know either. Grade D
Washington Wizards-11-42-The Wizards are the best D-League team in the NBA. This team can't stay healthy and fired Head Coach Eddie Jordan for no reason. Washington is headed for the most ping pong balls in the lottery. Grade D-
Western Conference
Southwest Division
San Antonio Spurs-35-16-Tony Parker and Manu lost a lot of games due to injury and this team is still very much alive. Tim Duncan is quietely having one of his best seasons. San Antonio struck gold again with the emergence of rookie Roger Mason. This team will compete again. Grade A
Houston Rockets-32-21-A respectable record, but Houston has problems. McGrady can't stay healthy and many players are talking about fellow teammates behind their backs. The Rockets have the talent on paper, but not the health and chemistry. Grade C-
New Orleans Hornets-30-20-New Orleans would have a better record if it weren't for injuries to Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler. I expect New Orleans to have a great second half and be a pain for whoever they hook-up with in the playoffs. Grade B
Dallas Mavericks-31-21-This team is on its last leg and could easily miss the playoffs. They are recovering from that terrible trade they made last season for Jason Kidd and now have to deal with the injury to Jason Terry, who could be gone for the season with a broken hand. Dirk has kept the Mavs in the playoff race, but Dirk is not Kobe or Lebron. Grade C
Memphis Grizzlies-15-37-Memphis is kind of like Charlotte. They have all these lottery picks and now are trying to deal them away. The bottom line is this team shot themselves in the foot last season by trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers for nothing. This team will never give itself a chance to be successful. Grade D
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets-36-17-The Nuggets got exactly what they needed when they traded for Chauncey Billups. Billups has organized this team and helped them turn into a pretty good defensive team. If Kenyon Martin and Nene, who are both having outstanding seasons can stay healthy, the Nuggets streak of first round exits will end this year. Grade A
Portland Trailblazers-32-20-I thought this team would be improved, but Portland has taken it to a new level. I thought they would be only a few games over .500, not 12. However, this team is still very young. The Blazers will make the playoffs, but be an easy out. Grade A
Utah Jazz-30-23-The Jazz have caught the injury bug. Carlos Boozer hasn't played since November, Andre Kirilenko is really banged-up and Deron Williams is finally beginning to show signs that he is back to 100 %. With the injuries, Utah has found a solid player in Paul Millsap. This team could be the wildcard in the West if it can get healthy. Grade A
Minnesota Timberwolves-17-34-After Kevin McHale took over as Head Coach, this team has been on a terror. The hot-streak will be slowed nowthat Al Jefferson will be out for the season. If Minnesota was a playoff contender, Jefferson would have been an All-Star. This is a rebuilding team that was doing great things, but this Jefferson injury just kills the Wolves. Grade A-before injury...Grade C+- after injury.
Oklahoma City Thunder-13-40-Coming into the season I thought this team could set the all-time mark for fewest wins in a season. The Thunder have already broken that number and are competitive in most games, despite their 40 losses. Moving from Seattle, this team has been put in an impossible situation and are making the best of it. Grade B
Pacific Division
Los Angeles Lakers-42-10-Andrew Bynum went down and this team continues to roll. They are good, they are deep and they have Kobe Bryant. Grade A+
Phoenix Suns-28-23-Steve Kerr should be fired. He continues to make terrible trades and he brought in a terrible Head Coach in Terry Porter. With Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shaq this team should be in contention in the West. Instead, they are competing for the 8 spot in the West and exploring options to dump Stoudemire. Horrible. Grade F
Golden State Warriors 19-35-The Warriors are this decade's version of the Nuggets of the 90's. They shock the world as an 8 seed upsetting a 1 seed and then fall off the map. Golden State didn't address any needs during the offseason. This team had to improve it's defense and did nothing. It is time for Don Nelson to go. Grade D-
Los Angeles Clippers 13-40-At the beginning of the season NBA experts picked the Clippers as a possible dark horse in the West, after LA brought in Baron Davis and Marcus Camby. Well, they still suck. Grade F
Sacremento Kings 11-43-The Kings are horrible and might be the next franchise to relocate. Sacremento has a potential All-Star in Kevin Martin, but he has no supporting cast. The Kings will challenge Washington for the league's worst record, but atleast Washington has an excuse with their injuries. Grade F
My Post-All-Star Game NBA Power Ranks
1. L.A. Lakers
2.Cleveland Cavaliers
3.Boston Celtics
4.Denver Nuggets
5.San Antonio Spurs
6.Atlanta Hawks
7.Orlando Magic
8.New Orleans Hornets
9.Houston Rockets
10.Portland Trailblazers
11.Utah Jazz
12.Dallas Mavericks
13.Miami Heat
14.Philadelphia 76'ers
15.Phoenix Suns
16.Detroit Pistons
17.New Jersey Nets
18.Milwaukee Bucks
19.Chicago Bulls
20.New York Knicks
21.Indiana Pacers
22.Toronto Raptors
23.Charlotte Bobcats
24.Minnesota Timberwolves
25.Golden State Warriors
26.Memphis Grizzlies
27.Oklahoma City Thunder
28.L.A. Clippers
29.Washington Wizards
30.Sacremento Kings
Outlook
The worst record will belong to either the Kings or the Wizards. The Eastern Conference Playoffs have 8 teams, but only Boston and Cleveland have a chance to go to the NBA Finals. One team with a very good record will be left out of the playoffs in the West, probably Phoenix. The Nuggets will finally win a first round playoff series, but fall to San Antonio in the West-Semifinals. The Spurs will then go on to beat the Lakers for the West Crown. Whoever gets home court advantage between the Celtics and Cavaliers will end up losing to the Spurs in 6, in the NBA Finals. Popovich and the Spurs get it done for the last time with this core of players.
Rumor I just heard.......Amare Stoudemire may end up in Chicago or Miami...interesting.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists were just announced. Among the finalists are Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton and Chris Mullin.
9 All Star Weekend predictions
1. Sophomores beat the Rookies tonight
2. JR Smith upsets Dwight Howard in the Dunk Contest
3. Tony Parker wins the Skills Challenge
4. Joe Johnson wins the H.O.R.S.E. event
5. Team San Antonio wins the Shooting Stars Competition
6. Jason Kapono again takes the 3 Point Competition
7. The East wins the game
8. The game goes over the total, no matter what it is
9. Dwayne Wade wins the MVP
Enjoy the weekend.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Enough
Today, not a word about Brett Favre because he is done and I will leave that as that. However, Major League Baseball is not done. MLB Commissoner Bud Selig and his league keep clogging up my televison and it's starting to piss me off.
The week has been crazy enough, first Alex Rodriguez, yesterday Miguel Tejada and today the soap opera continues. Selig now is thinking of punishing Rodriguez for coming out and admitting to taking performance enhancers. What are you going to punish him for Bud? You are the "Commissoner" of the league and knew the test results were supposed to be sealed, and more importantely you are the one who didn't put your foot down earlier to prevent this from happening. How can Selig hand down a punsihment when he and his league had no penalties for the crime Rodriguez committed when the crime was committed. The only one who should be punished is Bud for being the jackass idiot he has always been.
The best comment I've heard all week is from Houston Ace Roy Oswalt. He said that he felt cheated by Rodriguez and others who have admitted to using performance enhancers. Roy continued his rant by saying that others that cheated the game could have cost him wins on the mound and money in his contract. Roy is absolutely 100 % correct and if he really feels this way, he needs to gather with other clean members of baseball.
Right now, all MLB Players are looked down upon and all of them in some way are perceived guilty just by association. I want to see the true clean players of the game get together and just walk away from the game in 2009. It would be great to see the truly clean players sit out 2009 and cause the rest of the league a huge disaster, even if the disaster is big enough to cancel the 2009 season. If you are clean, stand up for yourself and your game, don't let the public think you are like the cheaters. This is what I want, I don't want to keep seeking out the cheaters, I want the clean players to just stand up for themselves and not play the game for a year. No message will be heard louder then that message.
Other Notes.....
Is South Carolina police really doing this? They have made arrests in relation to the Michael Phelps "Bong Photo". From where I am sitting, this looks like a plot to scare college kids into saying something about Phelps in order to bring a case against him. This is obviously a ploy for somebody or someones to get attention. It's hard to believe that if this was just a photo of an"average Joe" hitting a bong, this wouldn't be happening. Phelps shouldn't have put himself in this position, however what's happening right now isn't exactly fair to him.
Finally, what are the Phoenix Suns thinking? It's reported that Memphis rejected a trade that would have sent Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick and Mike Conley Jr. to Phoenix for Amare Stoudamire. After just writing that sentence, what is Memphis thinking too? Memphis is terrible and with that trade, they could have had a very solid player to build their young team around. As for Phoenix, you see how bad Memphis is. Why would you want to trade your best asset for 3 of the Grizzlies' best players. This makes no sense on both parts.
Picks
2-1 last night. I'm now 40-20-1 ATS overall.
Don't play tonight. It is the last set of NBA games before the All-Star Break and nothing looks good. The College board is also hard to play tonight.
The week has been crazy enough, first Alex Rodriguez, yesterday Miguel Tejada and today the soap opera continues. Selig now is thinking of punishing Rodriguez for coming out and admitting to taking performance enhancers. What are you going to punish him for Bud? You are the "Commissoner" of the league and knew the test results were supposed to be sealed, and more importantely you are the one who didn't put your foot down earlier to prevent this from happening. How can Selig hand down a punsihment when he and his league had no penalties for the crime Rodriguez committed when the crime was committed. The only one who should be punished is Bud for being the jackass idiot he has always been.
The best comment I've heard all week is from Houston Ace Roy Oswalt. He said that he felt cheated by Rodriguez and others who have admitted to using performance enhancers. Roy continued his rant by saying that others that cheated the game could have cost him wins on the mound and money in his contract. Roy is absolutely 100 % correct and if he really feels this way, he needs to gather with other clean members of baseball.
Right now, all MLB Players are looked down upon and all of them in some way are perceived guilty just by association. I want to see the true clean players of the game get together and just walk away from the game in 2009. It would be great to see the truly clean players sit out 2009 and cause the rest of the league a huge disaster, even if the disaster is big enough to cancel the 2009 season. If you are clean, stand up for yourself and your game, don't let the public think you are like the cheaters. This is what I want, I don't want to keep seeking out the cheaters, I want the clean players to just stand up for themselves and not play the game for a year. No message will be heard louder then that message.
Other Notes.....
Is South Carolina police really doing this? They have made arrests in relation to the Michael Phelps "Bong Photo". From where I am sitting, this looks like a plot to scare college kids into saying something about Phelps in order to bring a case against him. This is obviously a ploy for somebody or someones to get attention. It's hard to believe that if this was just a photo of an"average Joe" hitting a bong, this wouldn't be happening. Phelps shouldn't have put himself in this position, however what's happening right now isn't exactly fair to him.
Finally, what are the Phoenix Suns thinking? It's reported that Memphis rejected a trade that would have sent Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick and Mike Conley Jr. to Phoenix for Amare Stoudamire. After just writing that sentence, what is Memphis thinking too? Memphis is terrible and with that trade, they could have had a very solid player to build their young team around. As for Phoenix, you see how bad Memphis is. Why would you want to trade your best asset for 3 of the Grizzlies' best players. This makes no sense on both parts.
Picks
2-1 last night. I'm now 40-20-1 ATS overall.
Don't play tonight. It is the last set of NBA games before the All-Star Break and nothing looks good. The College board is also hard to play tonight.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Done Again
For the 2nd time in less then a year QB Brett Favre has called it a career. Favre notified the Jets this morning that he was done. Many people still think that Favre will still play again in the NFL, however in all probability he is done.
The loss against the Giants in the 2007-2008 NFC Championship game destroyed Favre and the thought of getting back to that point was overwhelming to him, hence his retirement last year. A few months had passed and his normal aches went away and he decided he wanted another shot. There was one problem with that idea, the Packers had moved on to Aaron Rodgers and wanted no part of it. This led to bitterness between Favre and the Packers and Green Bay traded Favre to a terrible Jets team, who finished 4-12 the year before. If you are going to trade somebody of that talent, I can understand not trading him within the division or even the conference, however I can't understand why Green Bay made the deal with the pathetic Jets, that was just an insult.
Favre then had a chip on his shoulder when he arrived in camp. Favre was out to make sure the Jets would finish with a better record then the Packers. He had to meet his new coaches and teammates, learn a whole new system and most importantely get himself back into playing shape.
When it was all said and done, Favre did a pretty good job considering all of the circumstances. New York finished with a 9-7 record in a very competitive division, while the Packers finished just 6-10 in a terrible division that included the 0-16 Lions. At one point in the season the Jets were 8-3 and looking like a contender before losing 4 out of their last 5 to miss the playoffs. Favre had much to do with the 8-3 start and the 1-4 finish. He rejuvinated the Jets and made them believe they could win, then Favre hurt his throwing arm and was terrible the last 5 games.
Favre is done not because he wants to be done, he is done because he has no other choice. The man that started 291 consecutive games (including postseason games) is breaking down physically. Favre is smart enough to know that at his age, he has to committ to the game full time in order to be Favre. At the end of the Jets season, I believe the injury was severe enough that Favre knew that he couldn't make that kind of offseason commitment and knew it was time to retire for sure.
Favre also didn't ask the Jets for his release, making it impossible for Favre to seek out any other teams. Brett Favre will not play in the NFL next season for sure, however maybe he could come back after taking a year off if he still has the passion for the game. The idea seems rediculous, but when you are talking about Favre nothing remains out of the question.
If this really is it, Favre is the NFL QB All-Time leader in passing yards, attempts, completions and touchdowns. Favre played the game like few others, with his passion and joy for the game. Favre is without a doubt a first ballot Hall of Famer, unfortunately he falls into the one year to many category. Favre in a Jets uniform now falls into the category of Montana in Chiefs gear, Joe Namath in a Rams uniform, Johnny U wearing the Charger lightening bolt, and Franco Harris pounding the rock for a bad Seahawks team. Favre still is easily one of the top 10 quarterbacks of all-time and one of the top 3 most entertaining to watch play. Say what you want about Favre, but when you look back on his career down the road you will miss watching him play.
Other Notes.....
An ex-congressman says that official charges are coming soon against Roger Clemens. Maybe Roger can use the term "misremembered" as a defense.
Did anybody catch the end of the Cavs/Pacers game last night? The Pacers were up by 2 with .08 left to play and the refs callled a foul on an ally-oop attempt. The call was terrible. Lebron James then made his two free throws to tie the game at 95. After an Indiana timeout, the Pacers ran the exact play Clevleand did with .04 left and again the refs blew the whistle, making another terrible call. Danny Granger made his first free-throw for the Pacers and then intentionally missed the second with .01 left, giving Indiana a 96-95 win. When there is less then a second left, unless there is obvious hard contact, swallow the whistle and let the teams play to decide the game. The Cavs and Celtics are in a dog fight for home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs and the refs whistle may have cost Cleveland a very important win. No whistles should be blown with less then a second to go in the NBA.
The Picks....4-0 last night and I'm now 10 for my last 10 and 38-19-1 overall.
A very difficult board tonight, but I will throw out a few. I'm not touching the UNC/Duke game, North Carolina is better but the game is in Duke where anything can happen. UCONN should cover the 12 against Syracuse, but the rivalry could play a factor in the outcome. Xavier and Wake Forest could also be upset tonight. Here is what I will go with for tonight.......
NBA
Denver @ Orlando UNDER 210
@Detoit -2 1/2 Atlanta
NCAAM
@BYU -18 Colorado St.
The loss against the Giants in the 2007-2008 NFC Championship game destroyed Favre and the thought of getting back to that point was overwhelming to him, hence his retirement last year. A few months had passed and his normal aches went away and he decided he wanted another shot. There was one problem with that idea, the Packers had moved on to Aaron Rodgers and wanted no part of it. This led to bitterness between Favre and the Packers and Green Bay traded Favre to a terrible Jets team, who finished 4-12 the year before. If you are going to trade somebody of that talent, I can understand not trading him within the division or even the conference, however I can't understand why Green Bay made the deal with the pathetic Jets, that was just an insult.
Favre then had a chip on his shoulder when he arrived in camp. Favre was out to make sure the Jets would finish with a better record then the Packers. He had to meet his new coaches and teammates, learn a whole new system and most importantely get himself back into playing shape.
When it was all said and done, Favre did a pretty good job considering all of the circumstances. New York finished with a 9-7 record in a very competitive division, while the Packers finished just 6-10 in a terrible division that included the 0-16 Lions. At one point in the season the Jets were 8-3 and looking like a contender before losing 4 out of their last 5 to miss the playoffs. Favre had much to do with the 8-3 start and the 1-4 finish. He rejuvinated the Jets and made them believe they could win, then Favre hurt his throwing arm and was terrible the last 5 games.
Favre is done not because he wants to be done, he is done because he has no other choice. The man that started 291 consecutive games (including postseason games) is breaking down physically. Favre is smart enough to know that at his age, he has to committ to the game full time in order to be Favre. At the end of the Jets season, I believe the injury was severe enough that Favre knew that he couldn't make that kind of offseason commitment and knew it was time to retire for sure.
Favre also didn't ask the Jets for his release, making it impossible for Favre to seek out any other teams. Brett Favre will not play in the NFL next season for sure, however maybe he could come back after taking a year off if he still has the passion for the game. The idea seems rediculous, but when you are talking about Favre nothing remains out of the question.
If this really is it, Favre is the NFL QB All-Time leader in passing yards, attempts, completions and touchdowns. Favre played the game like few others, with his passion and joy for the game. Favre is without a doubt a first ballot Hall of Famer, unfortunately he falls into the one year to many category. Favre in a Jets uniform now falls into the category of Montana in Chiefs gear, Joe Namath in a Rams uniform, Johnny U wearing the Charger lightening bolt, and Franco Harris pounding the rock for a bad Seahawks team. Favre still is easily one of the top 10 quarterbacks of all-time and one of the top 3 most entertaining to watch play. Say what you want about Favre, but when you look back on his career down the road you will miss watching him play.
Other Notes.....
An ex-congressman says that official charges are coming soon against Roger Clemens. Maybe Roger can use the term "misremembered" as a defense.
Did anybody catch the end of the Cavs/Pacers game last night? The Pacers were up by 2 with .08 left to play and the refs callled a foul on an ally-oop attempt. The call was terrible. Lebron James then made his two free throws to tie the game at 95. After an Indiana timeout, the Pacers ran the exact play Clevleand did with .04 left and again the refs blew the whistle, making another terrible call. Danny Granger made his first free-throw for the Pacers and then intentionally missed the second with .01 left, giving Indiana a 96-95 win. When there is less then a second left, unless there is obvious hard contact, swallow the whistle and let the teams play to decide the game. The Cavs and Celtics are in a dog fight for home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs and the refs whistle may have cost Cleveland a very important win. No whistles should be blown with less then a second to go in the NBA.
The Picks....4-0 last night and I'm now 10 for my last 10 and 38-19-1 overall.
A very difficult board tonight, but I will throw out a few. I'm not touching the UNC/Duke game, North Carolina is better but the game is in Duke where anything can happen. UCONN should cover the 12 against Syracuse, but the rivalry could play a factor in the outcome. Xavier and Wake Forest could also be upset tonight. Here is what I will go with for tonight.......
NBA
Denver @ Orlando UNDER 210
@Detoit -2 1/2 Atlanta
NCAAM
@BYU -18 Colorado St.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Do you believe him? Tuesday's Top 5's and Tonight's picks
After my post yesterday I got a chance to see the complete interview that Alex Rodriguez did with ESPN's Peter Gammons. I thought Rodriguez was doing what his agent told him to do. I think he was in-part truthful in the interview. However, I do not think he came totally clean and I do not think he would have ever came out with this if he wasn't caught. How do you say you were "naive, young and stupid" after all those years in Seattle? How do you not know what you put into your body to cause a positive test? Rodriguez kept reffering to a "grey" area in the game, which caused him to experience performance enhancers because of the pressure he was under after signing a record breaking contract, but I would have to think you either know you are doing something wrong or you don't, no matter what the rules are. Rodriguez will not be punished by baseball, but his legacy and chance to be a Hall of Famer are in serious doubt. My question to readers........Did you believe everything Rodriguez said yesterday was true? I think he is holding much more back. I also think he didn't have to blast Sports Illustrated for their report, it only made him look worse. Rodriguez would have made himself look much better if he had let his people do that for him.
Astros SS Miguel Tejada has been charged with lying about steroid use and is expected to take a plea later today. Tejada will avoid jail time. Idiot.
Charles Barkley will make his return to the TNT set after the All-Star break. Barkley took a leave of absence after a DUI arrest on December 31st. Hopefully, Barkley has everything under control because he is hands-down the most entertaining NBA Analyst on television.
The NBA will announce a new event at this year's All-Star Game. Kevin Durrant, OJ Mayo and Joe Johnson will compete in a game of H-O-R-S-E. I like the idea, however this game could take forever.
This Week's Top 5 Teams
NBA
1. LA Lakers
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Boston Celtics
5. Denver/Orlando/New Orleans-I want to see how Orlando and New Orleans respond because of injuries and I can't put Denver in the top 5 alone after their 44 point loss in New Jersey.
NHL
1. Boston Bruins
2. Detroit Red Wings
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Washington Capitals
5. New Jersey Devils
NCAAM
1. UCONN
2. North Carolina
3. Oklahoma
4. Pittsburgh
5. Memphis
PICKS
2-0 last night, 6 wins in my last 6 picks. 34-19-1 overall ATS
NBA
Denver -1 @ Miami
Oklahoma City +14 @LA Lakers
NCAAM
@Villanova - 4 1/2 Marquette
@Texas - 8 1/2 Oklahoma St.
Astros SS Miguel Tejada has been charged with lying about steroid use and is expected to take a plea later today. Tejada will avoid jail time. Idiot.
Charles Barkley will make his return to the TNT set after the All-Star break. Barkley took a leave of absence after a DUI arrest on December 31st. Hopefully, Barkley has everything under control because he is hands-down the most entertaining NBA Analyst on television.
The NBA will announce a new event at this year's All-Star Game. Kevin Durrant, OJ Mayo and Joe Johnson will compete in a game of H-O-R-S-E. I like the idea, however this game could take forever.
This Week's Top 5 Teams
NBA
1. LA Lakers
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Boston Celtics
5. Denver/Orlando/New Orleans-I want to see how Orlando and New Orleans respond because of injuries and I can't put Denver in the top 5 alone after their 44 point loss in New Jersey.
NHL
1. Boston Bruins
2. Detroit Red Wings
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Washington Capitals
5. New Jersey Devils
NCAAM
1. UCONN
2. North Carolina
3. Oklahoma
4. Pittsburgh
5. Memphis
PICKS
2-0 last night, 6 wins in my last 6 picks. 34-19-1 overall ATS
NBA
Denver -1 @ Miami
Oklahoma City +14 @LA Lakers
NCAAM
@Villanova - 4 1/2 Marquette
@Texas - 8 1/2 Oklahoma St.
Monday, February 9, 2009
It's True
Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. Sports Illustrated reported Saturday that Rodriguez tested positive for two steroids in 2003.
What does this mean?
First of all, Barry Bonds and Michael Phelps are happy. They can take a break today since the media won't be all over them.
Rodriguez made the right move, he stepped up and admitted using the drugs. Historically that is the way to go. Yankees Pitcher, Andy Petite is an afterthought, while the American public continues to look down upon Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens who both denied using. Rodriguez also said he was under pressure from his record-breaking contract and he hasn't used since 2003. A-Rod absolutely did the right the thing today and that is the only thing nice I have to say.
Hank, I think your home run record is safe. Bonds obviously used the juice and the man that will break Barry's number just admitted to taking steroids. There was no doubt in my mind that Rodriguez would be the all-time leader in career home runs, but he has now become an *. Can anybody else get to that 800 career home run mark? The answer is maybe two players. Manny Ramirez is currently at 527 and if he ever grows up he can approach the record. The other player is Ryan Howard, who is early in his career, but has tremendous power. The greatest number in baseball has turned out to be a joke. I'm sure when Hank left the game he imagined his record would turn into this type of circus. Screw Alex Rodriguez. Screw Barry Bonds. Screw Mark McGwire and screw Bud Selig.
How does MLB Commissoner Bud Selig let this happen? After the strike in 1994 the game was at a very low point until Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa raced their way to #61 in 1998. Don't tell me Bud Selig and the owners didn't know what was going on. The game had become the talk of the world again and they decided to turn their heads and make a profit, while knowing all along about performance enhancers. Selig felt pressure from Congress to clean his game up, and in 2003 he did drug tests to detect the use of steroids with the promise to his players that the results would be sealed. Ahh...woops, the game's most recognizable name just got leaked out. If Selig had made sure this was taken care of Rodriguez wouldn't be in this situation, he would just have to look himself in the mirror everyday knowing he was a cheat and a liar. It was also Selig's idea to come up with the "Mitchell Report". What did that do? It may have made the game cleaner but it also ruined the legacies of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and plenty of other less known names. Selig has shot himself and his game in the foot too many times.
Back to Alex Rodriguez. His ego is shot, he is humiliated, he is still the game's highest payed player in the game's most popular city and he is not going to be able to get over this. Since arriving in New York, Rodriguez has been the focal point of all the Yankees problems and he hasn't dealt with it very well. How do you think New York fans will react to this? Rodriguez is not the Barry Bonds type. He cares about what other people think about him and this will have an affect on his play this upcoming season. Rodriguez has to be the man and he has to have the love of the fans in order to produce. It's hard to imagine that he will have that support in a city like New York. I hope the guy tanks after this. He is a pretty boy, a liar, a cheat and a fraud. Rodriguez lied on "60 minutes" saying he never used performance enhancers at the same time other big names in the league were dealing with the "Mitchell Report". After Barry Bonds broke Hank's record, I didn't care about whether or not he was using steroids because I figured a clean Rodriguez would be the all-time home run king anyway. It turns out I was wrong, Rodriguez is anything but clean and I will never say a good word about him again.
The bottom line is wheter it's Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or Mark McGwire it all goes back to one man letting it all happen and that man is Bud Selig. The players are responsible for what goes into their body, but it should have never gotten to that point. As Commissoner of Baseball, Bud Selig had a responsibility to stop this when he first knew about it and don't tell me that he first knew about it in 2003, because that is non-sense. It is simple math, if you have an A-Hole running a league, it's going to produce A-Hole players. So forget about A-Rod because that guy is gone, let me present to you the new A-Hole, Mr. Alex Rodriguez, a true product from a league run by Bud Selig.
Alex Rodriguez isn't the only one feeling like an idiot today. Former Falcons Running Back, Jamal Anderson was just released from jail this morning on $ 6,000 bond. Anderson was charged with cocaine and marijuana possession. I just saw the guy the other day on ESPN's "First Take". Anderson was asking if he could host the show. I wonder if he was "coked" up on that set? Its too bad, I had a lot of respect for Anderson when he played.
I'll make the transition of talking about all the bad things in sports to the good by saying that the Dallas Cowboys have finally released Adam "Pacman" Jones. Hopefully now we can finally close the book on this idiot.
What the Los Angeles Lakers did on their 6 game road trip was amazing. They lose Andrew Bynum and go 6-0. Kobe goes for 61 against the Knicks and then LA knocks off Boston and Cleveland back to back, becoming the first team in NBA history to score back to back road wins against both teams with a winning percentage of .800 or greater. Also with their win in Cleveland yesterday, it snapped the Cavs 23-0 home record.
Steelers QB, "Big Ben" might have topped what the Lakers did. It turns out Roethlisberger played the entire Super Bowl with fractured ribs. The injury was not noticed prior to the game, but x-rays showed that the Steelers QB did have fractured ribs while helping his team win its 6th championship.
On a side note, Lawrence Taylor will be on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars". Really? LT dancing, could be interesting.
The picks....4-0 on Friday night. Overall record ATS is 32-19-1.
NBA
@Charlotte -1 LA Clippers
NCAAM
Kansas + 4 1/2 @ Missouri
What does this mean?
First of all, Barry Bonds and Michael Phelps are happy. They can take a break today since the media won't be all over them.
Rodriguez made the right move, he stepped up and admitted using the drugs. Historically that is the way to go. Yankees Pitcher, Andy Petite is an afterthought, while the American public continues to look down upon Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens who both denied using. Rodriguez also said he was under pressure from his record-breaking contract and he hasn't used since 2003. A-Rod absolutely did the right the thing today and that is the only thing nice I have to say.
Hank, I think your home run record is safe. Bonds obviously used the juice and the man that will break Barry's number just admitted to taking steroids. There was no doubt in my mind that Rodriguez would be the all-time leader in career home runs, but he has now become an *. Can anybody else get to that 800 career home run mark? The answer is maybe two players. Manny Ramirez is currently at 527 and if he ever grows up he can approach the record. The other player is Ryan Howard, who is early in his career, but has tremendous power. The greatest number in baseball has turned out to be a joke. I'm sure when Hank left the game he imagined his record would turn into this type of circus. Screw Alex Rodriguez. Screw Barry Bonds. Screw Mark McGwire and screw Bud Selig.
How does MLB Commissoner Bud Selig let this happen? After the strike in 1994 the game was at a very low point until Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa raced their way to #61 in 1998. Don't tell me Bud Selig and the owners didn't know what was going on. The game had become the talk of the world again and they decided to turn their heads and make a profit, while knowing all along about performance enhancers. Selig felt pressure from Congress to clean his game up, and in 2003 he did drug tests to detect the use of steroids with the promise to his players that the results would be sealed. Ahh...woops, the game's most recognizable name just got leaked out. If Selig had made sure this was taken care of Rodriguez wouldn't be in this situation, he would just have to look himself in the mirror everyday knowing he was a cheat and a liar. It was also Selig's idea to come up with the "Mitchell Report". What did that do? It may have made the game cleaner but it also ruined the legacies of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and plenty of other less known names. Selig has shot himself and his game in the foot too many times.
Back to Alex Rodriguez. His ego is shot, he is humiliated, he is still the game's highest payed player in the game's most popular city and he is not going to be able to get over this. Since arriving in New York, Rodriguez has been the focal point of all the Yankees problems and he hasn't dealt with it very well. How do you think New York fans will react to this? Rodriguez is not the Barry Bonds type. He cares about what other people think about him and this will have an affect on his play this upcoming season. Rodriguez has to be the man and he has to have the love of the fans in order to produce. It's hard to imagine that he will have that support in a city like New York. I hope the guy tanks after this. He is a pretty boy, a liar, a cheat and a fraud. Rodriguez lied on "60 minutes" saying he never used performance enhancers at the same time other big names in the league were dealing with the "Mitchell Report". After Barry Bonds broke Hank's record, I didn't care about whether or not he was using steroids because I figured a clean Rodriguez would be the all-time home run king anyway. It turns out I was wrong, Rodriguez is anything but clean and I will never say a good word about him again.
The bottom line is wheter it's Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or Mark McGwire it all goes back to one man letting it all happen and that man is Bud Selig. The players are responsible for what goes into their body, but it should have never gotten to that point. As Commissoner of Baseball, Bud Selig had a responsibility to stop this when he first knew about it and don't tell me that he first knew about it in 2003, because that is non-sense. It is simple math, if you have an A-Hole running a league, it's going to produce A-Hole players. So forget about A-Rod because that guy is gone, let me present to you the new A-Hole, Mr. Alex Rodriguez, a true product from a league run by Bud Selig.
Alex Rodriguez isn't the only one feeling like an idiot today. Former Falcons Running Back, Jamal Anderson was just released from jail this morning on $ 6,000 bond. Anderson was charged with cocaine and marijuana possession. I just saw the guy the other day on ESPN's "First Take". Anderson was asking if he could host the show. I wonder if he was "coked" up on that set? Its too bad, I had a lot of respect for Anderson when he played.
I'll make the transition of talking about all the bad things in sports to the good by saying that the Dallas Cowboys have finally released Adam "Pacman" Jones. Hopefully now we can finally close the book on this idiot.
What the Los Angeles Lakers did on their 6 game road trip was amazing. They lose Andrew Bynum and go 6-0. Kobe goes for 61 against the Knicks and then LA knocks off Boston and Cleveland back to back, becoming the first team in NBA history to score back to back road wins against both teams with a winning percentage of .800 or greater. Also with their win in Cleveland yesterday, it snapped the Cavs 23-0 home record.
Steelers QB, "Big Ben" might have topped what the Lakers did. It turns out Roethlisberger played the entire Super Bowl with fractured ribs. The injury was not noticed prior to the game, but x-rays showed that the Steelers QB did have fractured ribs while helping his team win its 6th championship.
On a side note, Lawrence Taylor will be on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars". Really? LT dancing, could be interesting.
The picks....4-0 on Friday night. Overall record ATS is 32-19-1.
NBA
@Charlotte -1 LA Clippers
NCAAM
Kansas + 4 1/2 @ Missouri
Saturday, February 7, 2009
A-Rod Tests Positive for Steroid Use
According to Sports Illustrated, Yankees 3rd Baseman Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids during the 2003 season. In 2003 Rodriguez won the American League MVP in his final year with the Texas Rangers.
Alex Rodriguez didn't commment on the allegations, he just said for people to talk to the union. Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras and the MLB Union have not retruned phone calls from reporters. The Yankees and Rangers also haven't issued any statements or returned any phone calls.
In 2003 steroid use was not illegal in baseball, it was the year the league did testing on players to determine if they had to start mandatory testing and evoking a penalty for use. The results of a test, if positive, was supposed to be sealed and the information leaked out. Rodriguez was one of 104 players who tested positive in 2003. Also, according to reports Barry Bonds name was not on the list of those who had tested positive in 2003.
Alex Rodriguez didn't commment on the allegations, he just said for people to talk to the union. Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras and the MLB Union have not retruned phone calls from reporters. The Yankees and Rangers also haven't issued any statements or returned any phone calls.
In 2003 steroid use was not illegal in baseball, it was the year the league did testing on players to determine if they had to start mandatory testing and evoking a penalty for use. The results of a test, if positive, was supposed to be sealed and the information leaked out. Rodriguez was one of 104 players who tested positive in 2003. Also, according to reports Barry Bonds name was not on the list of those who had tested positive in 2003.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tennessee Making Noise but Not All is Good
Congradulations to Tennessee Women's Basketball Head Coach Pat Summitt,who won her 1,000th career game last night by blasting Georgia by 30. Summitt is the first to reach the 1000 plateau in any gender of College Basketball. Out of the 1,000 wins Summitt now has, 8 of those are for National Championships, which makes the milestone even more impressive. Summitt will not win another title this season, but if she remains at Tennessee until she retires, it wouldn't surprise me if she gets 11-13 total national championships. Here is the question in regards to Summitt, can she be a successful men's Head Coach? I think yes.
What is new Tennessee football Head Coach Lane Kiffin thinking? First, he guarantees that his team will go into the "Swamp" and beat defending champ Florida next season and then he calls out Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer for a recruiting violation when the violation wasn't even a violation. Kiffin shot his mouth of saying when one of his star recruits was on campus the recruit recevied a phone call from Meyer. Kiffin continued his rant by saying Florida attempted to cheat and the recruit still chose Tennessee. In the end it was Kiffin who was in violation of SEC rules by calling out a coach of another school in public on a false aquisation. Meyer was cleared of any wrong-doing because there is no rule saying other schools can't contact a recruit when he is doing an on-campus tour. Kiffin needs to pipe down before he gets on the bad side of all the other SEC schools. Idiot.
The Kansas City Chiefs have named former Arizona Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley as the team's new Head Coach. Keep an eye on what happens with Tony Gonzales and Larry Johnson. Both supposedly want out of Kansas City. Johnson is the one who should go, with his bad attitude and slowing legs, however it will be hard to trade Johnson since he is due 5 million bucks next season. Gonzales is the more likely candidate to leave the Chiefs. He is 33 but still is regarded as one of the best tight ends in the game. It is rumored that the Bills, Packers and Giants are interesed in Tony, and some of those teams may be willing to give up a 4th round draft pick to get him.
What will it take to make Arizona WR Anquan Boldin happy? Larry Fitzgerald said he would restructure his contract if it would help Boldin stay in Arizona, and Boldin is still going to leave anyway. Boldin said the relationship between him and the front office was unrepairable. This is a true example about a guy that is in the NFL for the dollars and not for winning. How do you put up with Arizona for so long and now that the team has finally reached a Super Bowl bolt out of town?
It is clear now that Ray Lewis will not play for a discounted price just to stay in Baltimore. According to reports, Lewis has interest in the Cowboys and the Jets, with the condition that Brett Favre returns next season as the teams QB. I never thought I would see it, but Baltimore you are about lose one of the best Linebackers' of all time.
Last night the Lakers/Celtics game went into OT, with the Lakers pulling it out by 1 to end Boston's 12 game win streak. LA has now swept the Celtics this season and is currently 5-0 on their East Coast road-trip that wraps up Sunday in Cleveland. The Lakers are really showing some heart since Andrew Bynum went down.
Tonight the #1 and #2 2007 NBA draft picks will finally play against one another. It took a while, but we finally get to see Greg Oden go against Kevin Durrant. Should be interesting.
The picks....2-1-1 last night....it would have been 3-0-1 if Boston's Kevin Garnett doesn't foul out in the 4th quarter on a ticky tac call. Overall I'm now 28-19-1 ATS.
NBA
Denver -6 @ Washington
Utah -2 1/2 @ Sacremento
Golden State +11 @ Phoenix
NCAAM
@ South Florida +10 Marquette
What is new Tennessee football Head Coach Lane Kiffin thinking? First, he guarantees that his team will go into the "Swamp" and beat defending champ Florida next season and then he calls out Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer for a recruiting violation when the violation wasn't even a violation. Kiffin shot his mouth of saying when one of his star recruits was on campus the recruit recevied a phone call from Meyer. Kiffin continued his rant by saying Florida attempted to cheat and the recruit still chose Tennessee. In the end it was Kiffin who was in violation of SEC rules by calling out a coach of another school in public on a false aquisation. Meyer was cleared of any wrong-doing because there is no rule saying other schools can't contact a recruit when he is doing an on-campus tour. Kiffin needs to pipe down before he gets on the bad side of all the other SEC schools. Idiot.
The Kansas City Chiefs have named former Arizona Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley as the team's new Head Coach. Keep an eye on what happens with Tony Gonzales and Larry Johnson. Both supposedly want out of Kansas City. Johnson is the one who should go, with his bad attitude and slowing legs, however it will be hard to trade Johnson since he is due 5 million bucks next season. Gonzales is the more likely candidate to leave the Chiefs. He is 33 but still is regarded as one of the best tight ends in the game. It is rumored that the Bills, Packers and Giants are interesed in Tony, and some of those teams may be willing to give up a 4th round draft pick to get him.
What will it take to make Arizona WR Anquan Boldin happy? Larry Fitzgerald said he would restructure his contract if it would help Boldin stay in Arizona, and Boldin is still going to leave anyway. Boldin said the relationship between him and the front office was unrepairable. This is a true example about a guy that is in the NFL for the dollars and not for winning. How do you put up with Arizona for so long and now that the team has finally reached a Super Bowl bolt out of town?
It is clear now that Ray Lewis will not play for a discounted price just to stay in Baltimore. According to reports, Lewis has interest in the Cowboys and the Jets, with the condition that Brett Favre returns next season as the teams QB. I never thought I would see it, but Baltimore you are about lose one of the best Linebackers' of all time.
Last night the Lakers/Celtics game went into OT, with the Lakers pulling it out by 1 to end Boston's 12 game win streak. LA has now swept the Celtics this season and is currently 5-0 on their East Coast road-trip that wraps up Sunday in Cleveland. The Lakers are really showing some heart since Andrew Bynum went down.
Tonight the #1 and #2 2007 NBA draft picks will finally play against one another. It took a while, but we finally get to see Greg Oden go against Kevin Durrant. Should be interesting.
The picks....2-1-1 last night....it would have been 3-0-1 if Boston's Kevin Garnett doesn't foul out in the 4th quarter on a ticky tac call. Overall I'm now 28-19-1 ATS.
NBA
Denver -6 @ Washington
Utah -2 1/2 @ Sacremento
Golden State +11 @ Phoenix
NCAAM
@ South Florida +10 Marquette
Thursday, February 5, 2009
An Inside Look at the D-League
I always wanted to check out an NBA D-League game and see what the atmosphere, competition, skill level and the basic life of a player was like. Working in North Dakota, I followed the Dakota Wizards and did a few interviews, but I never went to any games. Last night I got an opportunity to go to the Broomfield Events Center and watch the Austin Toros take on the Colorado 14ers.
The game was entertaining as Colorado beat Austin 121-119, however other things impressed me besides the game. The crowd was very energized throughout the game and it was a pretty good turnout. This surprised me because it showed that the 14ers really do have a loyal fan base, which I didn't expect because they are a D-League team in a big metro area. The Nuggets were televised last night playing on the road at virtually the same time this D-League game was going on and the turnout was still very respectable. The Broomfield Events Center, not taking into account traffic is only about a 15 minute drive to Pepsi Center. In Denver, there are people that obviously care more about the 14ers then the Nuggets and that was a surprise for me.
The skill level of a D-League game is great. These players are much more skilled then Division 1 college players and the players play with more intensity and heart then most NBA players do. The D-League is a combination of players that for one reason or another are just short of being in the NBA. Some are 2nd round draft picks that didn't pan out, some are pieces of a trade that the receiving team didn't have room for, some are international talent polishing thier skills and some are talented enough to be in the NBA but are just a few inches or a few pounds smaller then they need to be. These players are not only playing for championships and success but also to make it to the NBA, so there is rarely a lack of effort.
Sticking around after the game, it was great to see how much the 14ers are involved with their fan base. All players had no problems signing autographs, taking pictures or chatting with fans. This is something you don't get in the NBA and rarely get in college.
The Broomfield Events Center is obviously much smaller then Pepsi Center but still provides a great facility to see a game. The technology is up to date with a huge scoreboard and the arena does a good job keeping fans up to date with player stats and NBA scores. It is much like the Bismarck Civic Center, which is the home for the Dakota Wizards. I have only seen 2 venues for D-League teams, but the two I have seen have been pretty much top quality.
Overall, I would reccomend going to see a D-League game if you have a team in your area. It doesn't create the media buzz of the NBA, College Basketball or even the WNBA, but it really is good basketball. The only thing that concerns me is if D-League franchises can survive in big metro areas. It is very hard for teams like the 14ers to get attention because of all the other pro and college teams in the area. In smaller places like Bismarck it is much easier to market a D-League team then in a place like Denver or Los Angeles. Regardless of whether or not D-League teams will be able to survive in big cities, the D-League will continue to prosper and expand. The league is entertaining and a great asset to NBA teams.
To clear up any confusion here is how the D-League works. Any NBA team can call up any D-League player, regardless of affiliation. The affiliation only matters in the sense that when an NBA sends a player down it has to do so to its D-League affiliate. For example, if the Nuggets or Nets want to send a player down it would have to be to the 14ers because of the affiliation. If the Nuggets or any other team want to add a player to their roster, they can bring anybody up from any team in the league.
For a look at what the D-League is like for a player, I caught up with 14er's Point Guard Eddie Gill.......
Q & A WITH COLORADO 14ERS STANDOUT GUARD EDDIE GILL.
Eddie Gill graduated Overland High School in 1996 in Aurora, Colorado. Gill played his college ball at Weber State. Gill began his NBA career in the 2000-2001 season, playing 8 games for the Nets. In 2001-2002 Gill played 23 games for Memphis and in 2002-2003 hooked up with Portland for 22 games. Gill then had a 2 year, 114 game stint with the Indiana Pacers during the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. Gill returned to the NBA during two separate occasions during the 2007-2008 season, playing 13 games with the Nets and 1 game for the Soncis. Gill now is currently playing in his 2nd season in the D-League for the Colorado 14ers. Last season Gill averaged 18 points a game and this season is averaging just below 17 points per game at the point guard position.
Q-YOU WERE A STANDOUT PLAYER AT OVERLAND HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT WENT INTO THE DECISON OF PLAYING YOUR COLLEGE BALL AT WEBER STATE?
A-OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL I WENT TO JUNIOR COLLEGE AND MY HEAD COACH THERE ACCEPTED A JOB AS AN ASSISTANT AT WEBER STATE AND TOOK ME WITH HIM.
Q-LOOKING BACK, WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK BACK TO PLAYING AT WEBER STATE?
A-THE FAN SUPPORT AT WEBER STATE WAS GREAT. IT IS ALSO A GREAT MEMORY I HAVE KNOWING WE UPSET NORTH CAROLINA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. I THINK WE WERE A #14 SEED AND THEY WERE A #3 SEED.
Q-WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER IS THEIR ANY CERTAIN PLAYER YOU MODELED YOUR GAME AFTER?
A-I NEVER REALLY MODELED MY GAME IN REGARDS TO ANYBODY, I ALWAYS JUST LET THE GAME COME TO ME. GROWING UP, WITHOUT A DOUBT MY FAVORITE PLAYER WAS MICHAEL JORDAN.
Q-YOUR FIRST SEASON IN THE NBA WAS 2000-2001. YOU PLAYED 13 GAMES WITH THE NEW JERSEY NETS. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT THAT YOU WERE GOING TO JOIN THAT TEAM?
A-I WAS PLAYING MINOR LEAGUE BASKETBALL AND I GOT A CALL FROM MY AGENT SAYING THAT NEW JERSEY HAD INJURY ISSUES. STEPH MARBURY WAS HURT AND ONE OF THEIR OTHER GUARDS. THE NETS ENDED UP SIGNING ME TO FILL THEIR INJURY VOID.
Q-DESCRIBE THE FEELING YOU HAD ONCE YOU STEPPED ON AN NBA COURT FOR THE FIRST TIME...
A-IT WAS OVERWHELMING, I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS AT FIRST BUT ENDED UP CALMING DOWN. IT WAS CRAZY PLAYING IN FRONT OF THAT MANY PEOPLE AND LOOKING ACROSS THE COURT AND KNOWING THAT YOU WERE ABOUT TO PLAY AGAINST SOMEBODY YOU GREW UP WATCHING ON TELEVISION. I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT PLAYING IN THE NBA IN HIGH SCHOOL, IT WAS AT JUNIOR COLLEGE I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT IT.
Q-2004-2006 WAS A PRETTY BIG TIME FOR YOU, PLAYING 114 REGULAR SEASON GAMES OVER THE COURSE OF 2 SEASONS WITH THE PACERS AND YOU ALSO GOT INTO THE POSTSEASON BOTH OF THOSE SEASONS.....WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU?
A-THAT EXPERIENCE WAS REALLY GOOD. IT WAS GOOD TO KNOW THAT I WAS A CONTRIBUTOR AND HAD A ROLE WITH THE TEAM. BEING IN INDIANA 2 YEARS YOU GET MORE CHEMISTRY WITH OTHERS ON THE TEAM.
Q-THIS IS YOUR 2ND SEASON WITH THE COLORADO 14ERS. YOU HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL HAVING RECEIVED THE CALL-UP TO THE NBA TWICE LAST SEASON. WHAT HAS PLAYING IN THE D-LEAGUE DONE FOR YOU AND YOUR GAME?
A-PLAYING EXPERIENCE AND HAVING A SIGNIFFICANT ROLE ON A TEAM HAS BEEN GOOD. YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE YOUR GAME AND IT IS EASIER TO DO THAT WHEN YOU ARE PLAYING MORE MINUTES.
Q-HAS COMING BACK TO THE DENVER AREA BEEN A GOOD THING FOR YOU?
A-YES IT HAS. IT HAS BEEN GOOD TO BE AROUND FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS, FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO BEING CLOSE TO MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL.
Q-HOW IS LIFE IN THE NBA DIFFERENT FROM LIFE IN THE D-LEAGUE?
A-THE D-LEAGUE HAS BEEN EASIER IN REGARDS TO TRAVEL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL NEARLY AS MUCH IN THE D-LEAGUE. IN THE NBA YOU GET CERTAIN ATTENTION THAT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY GET IN THE D-LEAGUE. AS FAR AS PRESSURE GOES, I GO OUT AND PLAY MY GAME REGARDLESS OF THE LEVEL I'M AT.
Q-YOU ARE WITH THE 14'ERS RIGHT NOW, DOING EVERYTHING TO GET YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATES A CHAMPIONSHIP. IS IT A DISTRACTION KNOWING THAT YOU ARE ALSO PLAYING FOR ANOTHER SHOT TO GET INTO THE NBA, AND AT SOME POINT YOU MAY NOT BE AROUND TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CHAMPIONSHIP RUN? HOW DO YOU BALANCE BOTH GOALS?
A-IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU BALANCE, IT JUST IS WHAT IT IS. EVERYONE ON THE TEAM IS PLAYING FOR AND KNOWS THE CALL TO THE NBA COULD COME ONE DAY. KNOWING I MIGHT GET CALLED UP IS NOT A DISTRACTION BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY IT IS FOR EVERYONE IN THE LEAGUE.
Q-THE D-LEAGUE ALL STAR GAME IS COMING UP IN PHOENIX. ARE YOU DISAPOINTED THAT YOU WEREN'T SELECTED. WATCHING YOU PLAY LAST NIGHT AGAINST AUSTIN IT LOOKS LIKE YOU SHOULD BE IN THAT GAME.
A-I'M A LITTLE DISAPOINTED THAT I'M NOT THERE BUT I DON'T LET IT GET TO ME. IN REGARDS TO MY CAREER AND POTENTIALLY GOING BACK TO THE NBA, I DON'T THINK IT HAS ANY AFFECT.
Q-THE 14ERS ARE CONTENDERS THIS YEAR ONCE AGAIN. FOR FANS THAT AREN'T REAL FAMILIAR WITH THE D-LEAGUE, WHO ELSE DO YOU SEE AS A THREAT TO YOUR TEAM DOWN THE ROAD?
A-AUSTIN, THE TEAM WE PLAYED LAST NIGHT IS REALLY GOOD, ALSO IDAHO IS GOOD AS WELL. I THINK THOSE TWO TEAMS ARE AMONG THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE.
Q-HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY INDICATIONS OF A CALL-UP THIS YEAR TO THE NBA?
A-YOU HEAR RUMORS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT YOU NEVER NO FOR SURE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. YOU JUST GOT TO WAIT AND SEE.
Q-I SAW YOU PLAY LAST NIGHT AND IT LOOKS LIKE BASKETBALL IS STILL FUN FOR YOU AND YOU STILL HAVE THAT LOVE FOR THE GAME. WHETHER IT IS IN THE NBA OR THE D-LEAGUE, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU WILL STAY IN THE GAME? AND ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE THE GAME ON YOUR OWN TERMS OR ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE TO LET YOU GO KICKING AND SCREAMING?
A-RIGHT NOW I CAN'T REALLY PUT A TIME TABLE ON HOW LONG I WILL PLAY. THE GAME IS STILL FUN FOR ME AND I LOVE IT, THE SAME WAY I DID IN HIGH SCHOOL. I DON'T SEE MYSELF AS A PERSON THAT WILL HOLD ON AS LONG AS I CAN TO STAY IN THE GAME, BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME IT IS JUST TO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
THANKS TO EDDIE GILL FOR DOING THIS INTERVIEW AND TO CHAD ANDRUS, WHO IS THE VOICE OF THE COLORADO 14ERS AND HEAD OF MEDIA RELATIONS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLORADO 14ERS AND THE NBA D-LEAGUE VISIT www.nba.com/dleague/colorado
Other Notes.......
It is getting pretty hard to figure out the ACC in College Hoops this year. I thought Clemson was garbage and they put it on Duke last night. I thought UNC would run away with this conference at the beginning of the season but now it looks like it is a true 4 horse race between UNC, Duke, Wake and Clemson.
How do the Knicks let this happen to themselves? On Monday night they let Kobe Bryant go for 61 points and last night they got even worse. Lebron James dropped 52 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. How does a team let that happen two games in a row?
Sixers big man Elton Brand is done for the season. Brand has decided to have surgery on his bad shoulder. That move in the offseason has really worked out for fans in Philadelphia.
I'm going to finally weigh in on the Michael Phelps debacle. Over the weekend pictures surfaced, showing Phelps hitting a bong. I might of mis-spelled that but I've honestly never written the word before. Phelps is a role model and he is looked up upon by youth acorss the world. Like it or not, he needs to conduct himself in an appropriate manner. I'm not going to tell a guy who won 8 gold medals in 1 Olympics what to do, but smoking the weed in a place where people can photograph you is not smart. It sends a bad message to kids and infuriates sponsors. I'm more mad at the media for blowing this up and making jokes about it then I am at Phelps for doing it. It's not a funny thing, it's not a cool thing, it's a bad decison a guy made that doesn't deserve to be blown up in the public eye. The more you put the story on TV, the more kids are going to be exposed to one of their heroes hitting the pipe and that is not the message that needs to be getting out.
The Celtics and Lakers are going at it again tonight for the final time in the regular season. I don't see both these teams in the finals again this year, I just don't.
Here are the pickes........2-2 last night, puts me at 26-18 ATS overall
3 NBA Games on the schedule tonight-I like all the home teams.
@Philadelphia -5 Indiana
@Boston -5 1/2 LA Lakers
@Utah -3 Dallas
NCAAM
@Wisconsin -3 Illionois
The game was entertaining as Colorado beat Austin 121-119, however other things impressed me besides the game. The crowd was very energized throughout the game and it was a pretty good turnout. This surprised me because it showed that the 14ers really do have a loyal fan base, which I didn't expect because they are a D-League team in a big metro area. The Nuggets were televised last night playing on the road at virtually the same time this D-League game was going on and the turnout was still very respectable. The Broomfield Events Center, not taking into account traffic is only about a 15 minute drive to Pepsi Center. In Denver, there are people that obviously care more about the 14ers then the Nuggets and that was a surprise for me.
The skill level of a D-League game is great. These players are much more skilled then Division 1 college players and the players play with more intensity and heart then most NBA players do. The D-League is a combination of players that for one reason or another are just short of being in the NBA. Some are 2nd round draft picks that didn't pan out, some are pieces of a trade that the receiving team didn't have room for, some are international talent polishing thier skills and some are talented enough to be in the NBA but are just a few inches or a few pounds smaller then they need to be. These players are not only playing for championships and success but also to make it to the NBA, so there is rarely a lack of effort.
Sticking around after the game, it was great to see how much the 14ers are involved with their fan base. All players had no problems signing autographs, taking pictures or chatting with fans. This is something you don't get in the NBA and rarely get in college.
The Broomfield Events Center is obviously much smaller then Pepsi Center but still provides a great facility to see a game. The technology is up to date with a huge scoreboard and the arena does a good job keeping fans up to date with player stats and NBA scores. It is much like the Bismarck Civic Center, which is the home for the Dakota Wizards. I have only seen 2 venues for D-League teams, but the two I have seen have been pretty much top quality.
Overall, I would reccomend going to see a D-League game if you have a team in your area. It doesn't create the media buzz of the NBA, College Basketball or even the WNBA, but it really is good basketball. The only thing that concerns me is if D-League franchises can survive in big metro areas. It is very hard for teams like the 14ers to get attention because of all the other pro and college teams in the area. In smaller places like Bismarck it is much easier to market a D-League team then in a place like Denver or Los Angeles. Regardless of whether or not D-League teams will be able to survive in big cities, the D-League will continue to prosper and expand. The league is entertaining and a great asset to NBA teams.
To clear up any confusion here is how the D-League works. Any NBA team can call up any D-League player, regardless of affiliation. The affiliation only matters in the sense that when an NBA sends a player down it has to do so to its D-League affiliate. For example, if the Nuggets or Nets want to send a player down it would have to be to the 14ers because of the affiliation. If the Nuggets or any other team want to add a player to their roster, they can bring anybody up from any team in the league.
For a look at what the D-League is like for a player, I caught up with 14er's Point Guard Eddie Gill.......
Q & A WITH COLORADO 14ERS STANDOUT GUARD EDDIE GILL.
Eddie Gill graduated Overland High School in 1996 in Aurora, Colorado. Gill played his college ball at Weber State. Gill began his NBA career in the 2000-2001 season, playing 8 games for the Nets. In 2001-2002 Gill played 23 games for Memphis and in 2002-2003 hooked up with Portland for 22 games. Gill then had a 2 year, 114 game stint with the Indiana Pacers during the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. Gill returned to the NBA during two separate occasions during the 2007-2008 season, playing 13 games with the Nets and 1 game for the Soncis. Gill now is currently playing in his 2nd season in the D-League for the Colorado 14ers. Last season Gill averaged 18 points a game and this season is averaging just below 17 points per game at the point guard position.
Q-YOU WERE A STANDOUT PLAYER AT OVERLAND HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT WENT INTO THE DECISON OF PLAYING YOUR COLLEGE BALL AT WEBER STATE?
A-OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL I WENT TO JUNIOR COLLEGE AND MY HEAD COACH THERE ACCEPTED A JOB AS AN ASSISTANT AT WEBER STATE AND TOOK ME WITH HIM.
Q-LOOKING BACK, WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK BACK TO PLAYING AT WEBER STATE?
A-THE FAN SUPPORT AT WEBER STATE WAS GREAT. IT IS ALSO A GREAT MEMORY I HAVE KNOWING WE UPSET NORTH CAROLINA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. I THINK WE WERE A #14 SEED AND THEY WERE A #3 SEED.
Q-WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER IS THEIR ANY CERTAIN PLAYER YOU MODELED YOUR GAME AFTER?
A-I NEVER REALLY MODELED MY GAME IN REGARDS TO ANYBODY, I ALWAYS JUST LET THE GAME COME TO ME. GROWING UP, WITHOUT A DOUBT MY FAVORITE PLAYER WAS MICHAEL JORDAN.
Q-YOUR FIRST SEASON IN THE NBA WAS 2000-2001. YOU PLAYED 13 GAMES WITH THE NEW JERSEY NETS. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT THAT YOU WERE GOING TO JOIN THAT TEAM?
A-I WAS PLAYING MINOR LEAGUE BASKETBALL AND I GOT A CALL FROM MY AGENT SAYING THAT NEW JERSEY HAD INJURY ISSUES. STEPH MARBURY WAS HURT AND ONE OF THEIR OTHER GUARDS. THE NETS ENDED UP SIGNING ME TO FILL THEIR INJURY VOID.
Q-DESCRIBE THE FEELING YOU HAD ONCE YOU STEPPED ON AN NBA COURT FOR THE FIRST TIME...
A-IT WAS OVERWHELMING, I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS AT FIRST BUT ENDED UP CALMING DOWN. IT WAS CRAZY PLAYING IN FRONT OF THAT MANY PEOPLE AND LOOKING ACROSS THE COURT AND KNOWING THAT YOU WERE ABOUT TO PLAY AGAINST SOMEBODY YOU GREW UP WATCHING ON TELEVISION. I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT PLAYING IN THE NBA IN HIGH SCHOOL, IT WAS AT JUNIOR COLLEGE I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT IT.
Q-2004-2006 WAS A PRETTY BIG TIME FOR YOU, PLAYING 114 REGULAR SEASON GAMES OVER THE COURSE OF 2 SEASONS WITH THE PACERS AND YOU ALSO GOT INTO THE POSTSEASON BOTH OF THOSE SEASONS.....WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU?
A-THAT EXPERIENCE WAS REALLY GOOD. IT WAS GOOD TO KNOW THAT I WAS A CONTRIBUTOR AND HAD A ROLE WITH THE TEAM. BEING IN INDIANA 2 YEARS YOU GET MORE CHEMISTRY WITH OTHERS ON THE TEAM.
Q-THIS IS YOUR 2ND SEASON WITH THE COLORADO 14ERS. YOU HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL HAVING RECEIVED THE CALL-UP TO THE NBA TWICE LAST SEASON. WHAT HAS PLAYING IN THE D-LEAGUE DONE FOR YOU AND YOUR GAME?
A-PLAYING EXPERIENCE AND HAVING A SIGNIFFICANT ROLE ON A TEAM HAS BEEN GOOD. YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE YOUR GAME AND IT IS EASIER TO DO THAT WHEN YOU ARE PLAYING MORE MINUTES.
Q-HAS COMING BACK TO THE DENVER AREA BEEN A GOOD THING FOR YOU?
A-YES IT HAS. IT HAS BEEN GOOD TO BE AROUND FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS, FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO BEING CLOSE TO MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL.
Q-HOW IS LIFE IN THE NBA DIFFERENT FROM LIFE IN THE D-LEAGUE?
A-THE D-LEAGUE HAS BEEN EASIER IN REGARDS TO TRAVEL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL NEARLY AS MUCH IN THE D-LEAGUE. IN THE NBA YOU GET CERTAIN ATTENTION THAT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY GET IN THE D-LEAGUE. AS FAR AS PRESSURE GOES, I GO OUT AND PLAY MY GAME REGARDLESS OF THE LEVEL I'M AT.
Q-YOU ARE WITH THE 14'ERS RIGHT NOW, DOING EVERYTHING TO GET YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATES A CHAMPIONSHIP. IS IT A DISTRACTION KNOWING THAT YOU ARE ALSO PLAYING FOR ANOTHER SHOT TO GET INTO THE NBA, AND AT SOME POINT YOU MAY NOT BE AROUND TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CHAMPIONSHIP RUN? HOW DO YOU BALANCE BOTH GOALS?
A-IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU BALANCE, IT JUST IS WHAT IT IS. EVERYONE ON THE TEAM IS PLAYING FOR AND KNOWS THE CALL TO THE NBA COULD COME ONE DAY. KNOWING I MIGHT GET CALLED UP IS NOT A DISTRACTION BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY IT IS FOR EVERYONE IN THE LEAGUE.
Q-THE D-LEAGUE ALL STAR GAME IS COMING UP IN PHOENIX. ARE YOU DISAPOINTED THAT YOU WEREN'T SELECTED. WATCHING YOU PLAY LAST NIGHT AGAINST AUSTIN IT LOOKS LIKE YOU SHOULD BE IN THAT GAME.
A-I'M A LITTLE DISAPOINTED THAT I'M NOT THERE BUT I DON'T LET IT GET TO ME. IN REGARDS TO MY CAREER AND POTENTIALLY GOING BACK TO THE NBA, I DON'T THINK IT HAS ANY AFFECT.
Q-THE 14ERS ARE CONTENDERS THIS YEAR ONCE AGAIN. FOR FANS THAT AREN'T REAL FAMILIAR WITH THE D-LEAGUE, WHO ELSE DO YOU SEE AS A THREAT TO YOUR TEAM DOWN THE ROAD?
A-AUSTIN, THE TEAM WE PLAYED LAST NIGHT IS REALLY GOOD, ALSO IDAHO IS GOOD AS WELL. I THINK THOSE TWO TEAMS ARE AMONG THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE.
Q-HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY INDICATIONS OF A CALL-UP THIS YEAR TO THE NBA?
A-YOU HEAR RUMORS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT YOU NEVER NO FOR SURE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. YOU JUST GOT TO WAIT AND SEE.
Q-I SAW YOU PLAY LAST NIGHT AND IT LOOKS LIKE BASKETBALL IS STILL FUN FOR YOU AND YOU STILL HAVE THAT LOVE FOR THE GAME. WHETHER IT IS IN THE NBA OR THE D-LEAGUE, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU WILL STAY IN THE GAME? AND ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE THE GAME ON YOUR OWN TERMS OR ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE TO LET YOU GO KICKING AND SCREAMING?
A-RIGHT NOW I CAN'T REALLY PUT A TIME TABLE ON HOW LONG I WILL PLAY. THE GAME IS STILL FUN FOR ME AND I LOVE IT, THE SAME WAY I DID IN HIGH SCHOOL. I DON'T SEE MYSELF AS A PERSON THAT WILL HOLD ON AS LONG AS I CAN TO STAY IN THE GAME, BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME IT IS JUST TO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
THANKS TO EDDIE GILL FOR DOING THIS INTERVIEW AND TO CHAD ANDRUS, WHO IS THE VOICE OF THE COLORADO 14ERS AND HEAD OF MEDIA RELATIONS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLORADO 14ERS AND THE NBA D-LEAGUE VISIT www.nba.com/dleague/colorado
Other Notes.......
It is getting pretty hard to figure out the ACC in College Hoops this year. I thought Clemson was garbage and they put it on Duke last night. I thought UNC would run away with this conference at the beginning of the season but now it looks like it is a true 4 horse race between UNC, Duke, Wake and Clemson.
How do the Knicks let this happen to themselves? On Monday night they let Kobe Bryant go for 61 points and last night they got even worse. Lebron James dropped 52 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. How does a team let that happen two games in a row?
Sixers big man Elton Brand is done for the season. Brand has decided to have surgery on his bad shoulder. That move in the offseason has really worked out for fans in Philadelphia.
I'm going to finally weigh in on the Michael Phelps debacle. Over the weekend pictures surfaced, showing Phelps hitting a bong. I might of mis-spelled that but I've honestly never written the word before. Phelps is a role model and he is looked up upon by youth acorss the world. Like it or not, he needs to conduct himself in an appropriate manner. I'm not going to tell a guy who won 8 gold medals in 1 Olympics what to do, but smoking the weed in a place where people can photograph you is not smart. It sends a bad message to kids and infuriates sponsors. I'm more mad at the media for blowing this up and making jokes about it then I am at Phelps for doing it. It's not a funny thing, it's not a cool thing, it's a bad decison a guy made that doesn't deserve to be blown up in the public eye. The more you put the story on TV, the more kids are going to be exposed to one of their heroes hitting the pipe and that is not the message that needs to be getting out.
The Celtics and Lakers are going at it again tonight for the final time in the regular season. I don't see both these teams in the finals again this year, I just don't.
Here are the pickes........2-2 last night, puts me at 26-18 ATS overall
3 NBA Games on the schedule tonight-I like all the home teams.
@Philadelphia -5 Indiana
@Boston -5 1/2 LA Lakers
@Utah -3 Dallas
NCAAM
@Wisconsin -3 Illionois
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Popobitch
I thought that last night we were supposed to see a key Western Conference match-up between San Antonio and Denver. Both teams are well behind the Lakers for the #1 seed in the West, however going into the game San Antonio was just 2 games ahead of Denver for the #2 seed, with the season series between the two teams even at 1 game a piece. The stage was set for both teams to compete being as healthy as they have been all season. The stakes were high, especially with the news that the Lakers could be caught in the West, having lost Andrew Bynum 8-12 weeks with a torn MCL.
Shortly before tip word spread that San Antonio Head Coach Greg Popovich would sit out his 4 best players. Thats right....Manu, Timmy, Tony Parker and Michael Finley were all benched for the game. The only player with even an excuse to miss the the game was Manu, who was banged up with a hip contusion, however all the others were good to go.
I can't completely bash "Pop" for doing this because the man does have 4 NBA titles, but it just made no sense. It was like he was trying to prove a point that the Spurs could beat the Nuggets on their home court with their bench players. San Antonio is currently on their rodeo roadtrip and were coming off a long game the night before in a win against the Warriors, but that is still not an excuse. Popovich knew the schedule before-hand and I'm sure he has looked at the Western Conference standings. The Nuggets played one of their worst games all season and still beat the Spurs. The Nuggets were without a key player in Kenyon Martin because of strep-throat. Martin is a huge presence in the match-up for defensive purposes and his ability to slash through the paint on offense. Guess what? The Nuggets still beat the Spurs. The Nuggets lost their All-Star Chauncey Billups for the game in the 2nd quarter with a sprained ankle and yep, the Nuggets still beat the Spurs.
I don't know exactly what was going on last night, but I do know Greg Popovich was trying to make a point. What the point was? I really don't know. Did he want to give his bench confidence? Did he really think his big 4 were that burned out? Well, that can't be because the Spurs have 4 days off in a row now. The only logical explanation is Popovich was trying to show the Nuggets up by doing this and it didn't work. Not only did the Spurs lose the game, but they lost to a Nuggets team that was shorthanded 2 of their better players and a Nuggets team that played absolutely terrible. San Antonio also lost a game in the West standings and guaranteed themselves at best a split against the Nuggets in the season series, which could end up being used against them in a tiebreaker situation. Finally, San Antonio lost momentum because the loss snapped a 4 game winning streak. I know Greg Popovich is the best Head Coach in the NBA but his ego got in the way last night and that cost his team a lot. If he plays his big 4 or even 2 of them, San Antonio blows out Denver last night with the way the Nuggets played. Instead, Denver now leads the season series 2-1 and are only 1 game back of San Antonio in the West. It will be interesting to see how the Spurs bounce back, especially their big 4 who know they could have won that game last night and that their Head Coach cost them that opportunity
I have just been writing about how "Pop" screwed his team but the best Head Coach in the league also made a lot of people very unhappy. Lets start with Vegas, the game opened with Denver being a 4 point favorite and when Vegas got the info about the benchings, the point spread moved to Denver -13, a 9 point increase. Sportsbooks are much lighter in the register because of Popovich. If you bet the game 2 hours prior to tip you would have won and late betters wouldn't have touched that game with a 9 point jump. "Pop" also angered NBA-TV. It was fan night and the fans' voted to see San Antonio at Denver, so NBA-TV put that game on its network last night. Most importantley, "Pop" angered the true fans of the game that deserved to see a key West match-up with both teams at full stregnth. "Pop" didn't care about that though, he wanted it his way and I lost a lot of respect for him because of it. In this bad economy, I wonder how many people went out of their way last night to get tickets for the game? I hope it wasn't many because they would have wasted their money. People and players wanted to see San Antonio at Denver last night, not the Austin Torros of the D-League at the Denver Nuggets.
The picks.......I picked nothing last night....I had a feeling things were going to be strange....so I stayed away so the record ATS remains at 24-16....Tonight the board is a little better for picks.
NBA
@Minnesota +1 Atlanta
@Dallas -3 1/2 Portland
NCAAM
@Syracuse -1 1/2 West Virginia
Duke - 3 1/2 @ Clemson
Shortly before tip word spread that San Antonio Head Coach Greg Popovich would sit out his 4 best players. Thats right....Manu, Timmy, Tony Parker and Michael Finley were all benched for the game. The only player with even an excuse to miss the the game was Manu, who was banged up with a hip contusion, however all the others were good to go.
I can't completely bash "Pop" for doing this because the man does have 4 NBA titles, but it just made no sense. It was like he was trying to prove a point that the Spurs could beat the Nuggets on their home court with their bench players. San Antonio is currently on their rodeo roadtrip and were coming off a long game the night before in a win against the Warriors, but that is still not an excuse. Popovich knew the schedule before-hand and I'm sure he has looked at the Western Conference standings. The Nuggets played one of their worst games all season and still beat the Spurs. The Nuggets were without a key player in Kenyon Martin because of strep-throat. Martin is a huge presence in the match-up for defensive purposes and his ability to slash through the paint on offense. Guess what? The Nuggets still beat the Spurs. The Nuggets lost their All-Star Chauncey Billups for the game in the 2nd quarter with a sprained ankle and yep, the Nuggets still beat the Spurs.
I don't know exactly what was going on last night, but I do know Greg Popovich was trying to make a point. What the point was? I really don't know. Did he want to give his bench confidence? Did he really think his big 4 were that burned out? Well, that can't be because the Spurs have 4 days off in a row now. The only logical explanation is Popovich was trying to show the Nuggets up by doing this and it didn't work. Not only did the Spurs lose the game, but they lost to a Nuggets team that was shorthanded 2 of their better players and a Nuggets team that played absolutely terrible. San Antonio also lost a game in the West standings and guaranteed themselves at best a split against the Nuggets in the season series, which could end up being used against them in a tiebreaker situation. Finally, San Antonio lost momentum because the loss snapped a 4 game winning streak. I know Greg Popovich is the best Head Coach in the NBA but his ego got in the way last night and that cost his team a lot. If he plays his big 4 or even 2 of them, San Antonio blows out Denver last night with the way the Nuggets played. Instead, Denver now leads the season series 2-1 and are only 1 game back of San Antonio in the West. It will be interesting to see how the Spurs bounce back, especially their big 4 who know they could have won that game last night and that their Head Coach cost them that opportunity
I have just been writing about how "Pop" screwed his team but the best Head Coach in the league also made a lot of people very unhappy. Lets start with Vegas, the game opened with Denver being a 4 point favorite and when Vegas got the info about the benchings, the point spread moved to Denver -13, a 9 point increase. Sportsbooks are much lighter in the register because of Popovich. If you bet the game 2 hours prior to tip you would have won and late betters wouldn't have touched that game with a 9 point jump. "Pop" also angered NBA-TV. It was fan night and the fans' voted to see San Antonio at Denver, so NBA-TV put that game on its network last night. Most importantley, "Pop" angered the true fans of the game that deserved to see a key West match-up with both teams at full stregnth. "Pop" didn't care about that though, he wanted it his way and I lost a lot of respect for him because of it. In this bad economy, I wonder how many people went out of their way last night to get tickets for the game? I hope it wasn't many because they would have wasted their money. People and players wanted to see San Antonio at Denver last night, not the Austin Torros of the D-League at the Denver Nuggets.
The picks.......I picked nothing last night....I had a feeling things were going to be strange....so I stayed away so the record ATS remains at 24-16....Tonight the board is a little better for picks.
NBA
@Minnesota +1 Atlanta
@Dallas -3 1/2 Portland
NCAAM
@Syracuse -1 1/2 West Virginia
Duke - 3 1/2 @ Clemson
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