NBA Blog

With NBA camps a few weeks away, and my fantasy football teams currently in the tank, I thought I would return to some wonderful NBA talk.

Regarding the Spurs, when you’re the champs, and all you lose is Devin Brown (role-player replaced by Finley), Linton Johnson, and Mike Wilks, well I like your odds.

The Suns got a lot tougher.  Bell, Burke, Grant, and Thomas are all hardnosed players.  However, I’m torn as to whether or not they got better.  They lost a ton of shooting with Q and Joe Johnson.  When Johnson got hurt, their team struggled against the Spurs, which made me think that the MVP was the third best player on their team.  Amare and Johnson should have been the building blocks.  Now, Nash and Amare will still be able to run the pick-and-roll but Bell and Marion don’t quite knock down the threes like Q and J.J.  I was also disappointed when they traded Nate Robinson.  He would have been fun to watch in that offense.

The Sonics and Griz won’t be good this year.  Vlad isn’t happy.  Antonio Daniels is gone.  Reggie Evans may the be next to leave.  And worst of all, my coach of the year, Nate McMillan (Mr. Sonic) is now in Portland.  It doesn’t look good for them.  The Griz roster is about four years removed from being really good.  Bobby Jackson will get hurt and Eddie Jones looks older than ever.  And they lost a lot of their depth, which was what they relied on the last two seasons.  Pau Gasol better be able to do a whole lot in that division or their in trouble.  I’m going with the latter. 

Denver, with their added backcourt depth and tough defense, should win that division, despite their complete lack of shooting.  With Earl Watson in the mix, Boykins can get more minutes running around for shots.

I actually think Golden State (yes, that Golden State) could give Sacramento and Phoenix a run for the Pacific Division Title.

Texas still has the best professional basketball because all three teams WILL make the playoffs.

The Central Division in the East looks the toughest because I think all five teams have the potential to make the playoffs.  Unfortunately, I think Milwaukee is the odd man out.  Meanwhile, the Atlantic Division looks bad.

In the West, I’m predicting that these teams make the playoffs:
San Antonio Spurs
Denver Nuggets
Sacramento Kings
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns
Dallas Mavericks
Minnesota Timberwolves

In the East, things should unfold like this:
Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers
New Jersey Nets (division winner)
Detroit Pistons
Cleveland Cavaliers
Washington Wizards
Chicago Bulls
Boston Celtics

Let me know what you think about this list.  Obviously, I reserve the right to change my mind.  After all, teams aren’t even in camp yet.

So I missed a few things when I made my preseason picks for the NFL.  I decided to put together a few notes regarding the events through Week 3 of the season.  (Well, most of week 3, the Chiefs and Broncos still have to play tonight.)

1. Kurt Warner still sucks.  And because of this, and a complete lack of offensive line push at the line of scrimmage, the Cardinals offense has been unable to do anything.  Shipp and Arrington have minimal, if any, running room which has forced the Cardinals into longer 2^nd and 3^rd downs.  This is exactly what the Cardinals did not want.  Warner cannot make throws down field.  He needs to get the ball out quick or he gets happy feet.  Happy feet are not a good thing, especially with a quarterback who is waaay past his quality years.  With the wideout weapons that the Cardinals have, they should be able to get Fitz and Boldin the ball on the outside and let them make plays. 
2. Which brings me to my next point.  The quarterbacks in this league are terrible.  Orton, Harrington, Warner, Brunell/Ramsey, Boller/Wright, Dilfer, Griese, Frerotte, Rattay, Pennington (his bad shoulder puts him here), Bledsoe, Plummer (terrible decision making, look at his career numbers), Losman, and Brooks are all incapable of winning games for their team against a quality opponent.  Fourteen teams in this league are stuck with terrible quarterbacks, with David Carr on the verge of falling into this category.  That would mean that half the league has inept players at the most important position in the game.  That’s just sad. 
3. 1. There are players in their second year as a starter and are already leaps and bounds above the rest of the league.  These quarterbacks are:  Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Byron Leftwich (slightly past the second year mark), and Carson Palmer.  Others like Drew Brees and Kerry Collins are playing better than they actually are.  With Favre and McNair looking almost completely washed up, things do not look good for the league outside the likes of Brady, Manning, and McNabb.
   2. The new crop of football coaches are the complete opposite of the quarterbacks.  These guys are good.  Mike Nolan, Jim Mora (no Jr.), Nick Saban, Marvin Lewis, and even Romeo Crennel are quality coaches.  For more on Nolan, see below.  Jim Mora is already leaps and bounds beyond his father, who’s inability to win in the postseason and his ability to completely tighten up when the going got tough, made Marty Schottenheimer look like Vince Lombardi.  Saban is awesome, and he could be the coach to finally prevent the annual Dolphins-Channukah flop.  Lewis is still new, because he’s only in his third year, and might be the winningest coach in
      Bengal history (sarcasm).  The Browns stink, but Crennel had them in the game late against the Colts.  There is no reason that should have happened.
4. Speaking of Favre, this is sad.  The Packers are absolutely atrocious.  They’ve got nothing to offer the league at this point.  It’s quite sad, because I’m a Packers (and Favre) fan.  Their defense is siv-like.  Their running game is inept.  Their receivers have a case of the dropsies, probably because they keep drafting Texas A&M receivers.  My girlfriend went to A&M, and I always visited her during Trinity’s bye-week, so I had plenty of opportunities to watch the Aggies live.  Their receivers always dropped easy passes in games.  (I played receiver in college at a small college.  Trust me, I noticed these things.)  And now Brett has reached the point where he still thinks he can force those balls into tight spots, despite the fact that the arm isn’t quite as strong as it was, which leads to multiple pick games.  This team cannot afford turnovers, but Brett is averaging two a game.  This is a bad recipe.  And to make it worse, Mike Sherman is their head coach.
5. This leads me to my next point, with the exception of Mike Nolan, there are no good coaches in the NFL with a first name of Mike.  Look at the list.  Mike Sherman (game management skills are nonexistent), Mike Shanahan (no more Elway-T.D. gravy train to ride), Mike Martz (dumber than Brick Tamland – see Anchorman), Mike Tice (team discipline?), Mike Holmgren (hasn’t won a playoff game without Brett Favre).
6. 1. Some of you will try to argue that Shanahan doesn’t belong, but you’re wrong.  Sure he’s been to the playoffs each of the last two years.  But look at what the Colts have done to him in those playoff games.
   2. On the flipside, I like Mike Nolan.  His 49ers have played hard in each of their games.  The talent just isn’t there yet.  Nolan is fighting a losing battle with the team he walked into.  Yet, the 49ers have been playing tough, hardnosed football.  In a few years, this could be an extremely dangerous football team.
7. Numbers 3 & 4 can be referenced while reading this note.  As a 49ers and Packers fan, I’m disgusted.  These teams are killing me.  (I KNOW.  You can’t like two teams that are good, or have been in the very near future, who end up playing each other.  I’ve struggled with this for a long time.  But, I was born in San Francisco and when they beat the Dolphins (brother’s favorite team) and the Broncos (hated Elway) they became a mortal lock in my heart.  My mother raised me as a Packers fan, because it was her favorite team.  So, I’m torn.  It’s confusing, but I root for them both, despite the fact that it breaks my own rules as a fan.)

1.  I hope Jay Williams can regain some of his collegiate form.  He came to the Bulls and that mockery of a squad he was playing with helped him to turn into a headcase.  Hopefully, if he can go to a team and contribute this year, his career will be revitalized.  Do I think he can be as good as hyped out of college?  No, but I don’t want him to become Bobby Hurley either.  He’s a bright kid with tons of talent.  I’d like to see him succeed.

2.  All those things I said about the Big 10 after the first week of the season … um … I was lying.  Ohio State is clearly the best team in the conference.  Speaking of Ohio State, the Vince Young Heisman Bandwagon is rolling along with only one detour on October 8.  After they beat a down Oklahoma squad and handle a strong Texas A&M team, Vince SHOULD (but won’t) be a lock for the Heisman.  I know how good Reggie Bush is, and they try to get him the ball any way possible.  But Vince has the ball in his hands every play on offense, and with the way he played against Ohio State, he showed that he has the skills to win ANY game by running or throwing.  As the career completion percentage leader at Texas, with some lesser receivers, Vince has taken a bum rap for his funny release his whole career.  David Carr, Bernie Kosar, et.al. had funny releases, yet none of them could make the plays Vince does.

3.  This is going to be my rant.  I haven’t broken one of these out in a while, but after the travesty that happened two nights ago, this is looooong overdue. 
     I went to Wendy’s after a late flag football game.  We lost in the last second of the game, and I played terribly, making me feel like I cost us the game.  (That’s how far my athletic life has fallen.  Beer league softball is right around the corner.)  I didn’t feel like cooking something because it was close to 11:00 at night and I still had to read.  The quick-fix: Wendy’s right down the street.  When you are looking for some quick food on the cheap, Wendy’s always has the answer.  However, as I roll up to the drive-thru something disturbed me.  THEY CHANGED THE STINKING PRICES FOR THEIR $.99 MENU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers (quite possibly the best fast food item ever created that doesn’t belong to Arby’s) now cost $1.09.  I know that Wendy’s has been gradually shrinking the sizes of their Biggie fries and Biggie drinks for years hoping that no one would notice.  That didn’t bother me, but why the hell would they do this.  The 1/4 Double Stack (1/4 Texas Double for my Texas readers) is now $1.29.  I mean, this is absolute insanity.  Sure the Nuggets and Chili is still $.99, but a man also needs a Junior Bacon to fill his gullet. 
     This complete and total disregard for its loyal customers is so disheartening, I almost didn’t eat there.  (Keep in mind it was 11:00 at night, and there was no way in Hades that I will go to Taco Bell).  I’m still hurt by this, and I’m hoping that it is only my Wendy’s that has lost sight of what matters.  Not since the disappearance of Jello Pudding Pops (and possibly the Houston Rockets changing from the red and yellow championship uniforms to the navy-pinstriped-prison-monstrocity-uniform) has a franchise stabbed its customers in the back.  First Subway stamps go, and now there are no $.99 items on the $.99 menu.  WTF?

I’d like to thank Green Bay for participating in the 2005-2006 NFL Season.  No more Javon Walker, a decidedly aged Brett Favre who now forces WAAAAAY too many balls into bad spots, a defense that is best described as siv-like, and a coach that only looks intelligent when standing next to Mike Martz does not a playoff team make.  Speaking of which, Joey Harrington stinks worse than the fat o-lineman’s locker that was next to me my freshman year of college.  Wow, the Lions should have put 40 on the Pack.  And no, I’m not ready for the Pack to go into another 25-year drought.

The young coaching in the NFL is awesome.  Jim Mora (keep the Jr. out of it), Nick Saban, and Mike Nolan are already leaps and bounds ahead of Martz, Sherman, Shanahan, Tice, and company. 

Where are decent quarterbacks when you need them?  Harrington, Boller/Wright, Griese, Ramsey/Brunell are all starters in this league.  Why?

The Chargers organization is the dumbest in sports.  They lowballed their second best player all offseason when he was clearly underpaid.  And then when they managed to get him on the cheap, they still suspended him.  Does anyone actually think that the Chargers lose that game if Antonio Gates is playing.

On the verge of the NFL season, I thought it necessary to make some predictions for the season:

AFC Division Winners:
East: New England - staying up there until somebody proves me wrong
North: Pittsburgh - ditto
South: Indianapolis - Peyton will probably throw like 35 one-yard touchdowns this year, but ultimately will be yanking on his chinstraps and throwing his hands up in disbelief  as he loses (yet again) to the Pats in the postseason.
West: Kansas City
Wild Cards: New York Jets (cannot get past the Pats, but still a good team) & Jacksonville (bold prediction.  Good coach.  Good, young QB.  Solid defense.  Middle of the Road Record.  New open-it-up offense.)

Left watching come postseason:  San Diego.  Last year was a fluke, much like the Bears a few years ago.  I think they come back to earth this year with a 9-7 or 8-8 season.

NFC:
East: Philadelphia - they are too much for anyone in the NFC.  How can anybody say anything bad about Donovan McNabb?  It’s impossible.
North: Minnesota (Much to my chagrin.  I would prefer it if I could throw in my Packers here.)
South: Carolina - Injuries last year killed them.  John Fox and a healthy backfield will have them bounce Atlanta off their chair.
West: Arizona - they have the best defense in this division.  They also have a quarterback good enough to not make mistakes against this watered-down division.
Wild Cards:  Atlanta (still good enough to make the postseason) & Green Bay (you cannot keep Brett Favre out of the playoffs.

Left outside looking in:  New Orleans (Hurricane Katrina and the traveling will do too much to their psyche) & Seattle (no D kills them).

Playoffs:  Nobody beats the Pats in the AFC.  The NFC is going to be a little more cloudy.  Carolina and Minnesota both have the skill players to make a run at the Eagles.  I’m going to have to go with S.I. on this one and pick the Panthers to win the NFC.  Every aspect of this team is quality.  I think that the Eagles will eventually get hurt by their lack of depth at running back, because Brian Westbrook has to do too much on the team.  Although, I reserve the right to change my mind, because Donovan McNabb is rapidly approaching Brett Favre-Joe Montana-John Elway status.  (You don’t want to pick against them; no matter where they are playing.)

Ultimatelly, the Panthers will have what it takes to beat the Pats, and the Carolina Blue will hoist the trophy in Detroit.  Their previous Super Bowl game against the Pats will help this time around.

There you have it, I’ve outlined the entire season for you.  Now there is no reason for you to waste your each and every Sunday sitting in front of the television wasting your day.  YEAH RIGHT.

In other news:  Damon Jones has signed with Cleveland.  I think an I told you so is in order here.

The college football season is well underway, and there were a few things worth noting in week one.

Typically the powerhouses play teams that cannot hold their jocks during the week one games, as evidenced by the shellacking that Ball State, Louisiana
Lafayette, and Hawaii took at the hands of Iowa, Texas and USC respectively.  Both teams did look impressive because they came out and handled their business. 

A few teams struggled, throwing some doubt as to how effective they will be against better competition.  Tennessee did not show up at all, and they could be in serious trouble when they play Georgia and Florida, who both came out and handedly whipped two small conference powers.  Wyoming and Boise State should not be pushovers. 

Another team that did not sufficiently handle their business was Louisville.  They came out and dominated in true Petrino fashion, but completely shut it down in the second half.  Petrino’s Cards have not done that for two years, and certainly should not have laid such a big egg in the second half.  Maybe Kentucky’s receivers really were that good, and if that is the case, look for them to surprise some teams in the SEC (read Tennessee who always fails to blow out UK).

With an extremely impressive running game, Wisconsin showed that they could slug it out with one of the top offenses in the country.  They could once again be in the running for the Big 10 title.  With Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue’s fluff schedule, and Penn State’s young athletes, it appears as though the Big 10 has been hooked up to the juvenation machine (Many apologies, Mr. Simmons).

Teams with young quarterbacks are going to struggle in big games.  Auburn, Miami, Florida State all showed that they are extremely vulnerable because of inept offenses.  FSU snuck out the win last night despite being completely undisciplined and playing fundamentally poor football.  I don’t think either of these teams will win the ACC.  Virginia Tech and NC State both looked better with their swarming defenses and quarterback play.  Marcus Vick struggled, but in the end he made the plays that were necessary to win in a difficult stadium against a solid defense.

I’m officially never rooting for Texas A&M again.  I never liked them.  My girlfriend went there, and I’ve had to endure several complaints from her because I constantly rooted against them.  The only times I have rooted for them in the near future were, losses to Virginia Tech two years ago, a loss to Utah last year, a blowout loss to Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl (I was there and continuously threw up in mouth watching that atrocity), and Saturday night when they lost to Clemson.  This is going to end badly when my girlfriend starts complaining again, but what can I do?  Hook ‘em Horns.  Get your guns up Red Raiders.  A&M sucks.

Charlie Weiss is a genius.  Brady Quinn will become a darkhorse Heisman candidate by the end of the year at this pace.

That is the sound of the rest of the NBA crying.  The Spurs added Michael Finley to an already stacked roster.  And they think they can still re-sign Devin Brown for cheap.  The only question is, which player is going to win the 6th Man of the Year Award?

Starters:
1. Parker
2. Ginobili
3. Bowen
4. Duncan
5. Nazr

Bench:
1. Finley
2. Van Exel
3. Oberto
4. Udrih
5. Rasho
6. Horry
7. Possibly Devin Brown
8. Romain Sato
9. Sean Marks

Um. Well, that’s fantastic.  I’m so elated by this news that I will forget the fact that the Baltimore Orioles have completely ripped my heart out by going in the tank for the second half of the season.  Needless to say, there is VERY little room on the repeat bandwagon right now.