NBA Blog

That has to be what the New England Patriots are going to do if they do in fact trade Deion Branch in the next week and a half.  Have you looked at their receiving corps as of late without Branch?  Reche Caldwell, Troy Brown (well past his prime, yet I still like him), Chad Jackson, Kelvin Kight, and Bam Childress.  That ain’t pretty folks.  That makes Atlanta’s, Dallas’, San Diego’s, and Green Bay’s receiving crews look D E E P.  Look for a lot of passes to Ben Watson, Daniel Graham, and David Thomas (big fan of this guy; tremendous hands).

 Also, since it’s Friday and I don’t want to do any more work, I’ll give you a list of receivers that I absolutely think will have solid years that you can pick up in the middle rounds.

1.  Donald Driver - Green Bay’s clear-cut #1 (and the only guy Brett recognizes out there
2.  Derrick Mason - McNair’s boy in Nashville will become McNair’s boy in Baltimore
3.  Javon Walker - he looks healthy, Rod Smith can’t defy Father Time much longer, and he’ll have a couple of deep balls thrown to him per game on bootlegs by Plummer.  Jake absolutely LOVES to throw deep on the boot. 
4.  Andre Johnson - he’s finally healthy, and he’s a monster physically.  With talent opposite him, and a coach who is convinced he’ll be able to run the ball Shannahan-style, watch for Johnson to explode like he should have last year.
4.  The Clayton boys (Baltimore and Tampa Bay) - In Baltimore, there will be a lot of passes to catch if Jamal Lewis continues to stink it up, and Michael (Tampa) will benefit from being in much better condition, a year under Simms’ belt at the healm, and Joey Galloway drawing a second DB.
5.  Antonio Bryant - two excellent receiving tight-ends for Alex Smith will open up go routes for Bryant on the outside, and he’s still uber-talented if he can keep his mind right.
6.  Whoever ends up lining up opposite Roy Williams in Detroit (that’s assuming you won’t get Roy Williams, but if you can, take Williams) - this offense will open up, and Kitna should do exceptionally well in Martz’s circus-style, quick pass offense.  Somebody will put up Kevin Curtis style numbers as the number 2/3.    Watch.

Who to avoid:
1.  Any receiver in a Titans uniform.
2.  The Parkers - Samie and Eric.  They’ve done nothing and will continue to do nothing.

Watch on the Waiver Wire:
1.  Braylon Edwards - he’ll be 100% real soon, and with a consistent quality receiver in Jurevicius opposite him (along with a 100% healthy Kellen Winslow running up the seams) Edwards could benefit greatly if Charlie Frye can develop.

Yes, folks, I am alive.  I survived the bar exam.  I survived the 7-day party/vacation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  I’ve even survived my first week and a half of work.  (Although, I’m ready to retire now.)

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m excited about reasserting my role as the lead blogger on the NBA and all other relevant sporting events in my world.  For now, I’m going to share a little excerpt I read about Leon Powe earlier today.  Its an awesome little story about the Celtics’ rookie.  He would have completely obliterated the Pac-10 this year if he had stayed in school.  Instead, he jumped to the NBA after having a great season despite his knee completely rebuillt the year before in order to take care of all of his siblings since his crack addicted mother disappeared many years ago:

“Leon Powe is already out blowing his NBA money. He’s taking care of back-to-school expenses for his six siblings, ages 6 to 20. He’s traveling to basketball camps to prepare himself for his rookie season with the Boston Celtics. He’s kicking in the dough for a free kids basketball camp he’ll hold next month at Merritt College. He’s jet-setting. He flew to Colorado to personally thank Dr. Richard Steadman for doing such a great job rebuilding his knee. Powe and mentor/friend Bernard Ward are founding an agency to place foster children and group-home children in top-flight schools.”

Also, have you guys seen the new Charlotte Bobcats’ alternate uniform?  It’s pretty sweet, and much better than their home and away jerseys.

Who’s ready for some football?  I’m getting all kinds of jazzed about the upcoming season.  I just got an email from my former teammate letting me know that he has finally been cleared to practice, so I’m waiting to see which team he will sign with.  His name is Jerheme Urban, and if any of you hear where he signs before he emails me back, please feel free to hit me up with that info. 

I got to thinking about something the other day.  This site needs some added oomph for the football season.  I’ve already decided to provide some weekly picks for those of you who may like to wager on games, or have weekly pick’em leagues.  That means there will be more opportunities for me to try to show how smart I truly am, while you guys can continue to remind me how borderline retarded I am.

That’s all for now, let’s get the ball rolling.