No matter what sport, there's almost always some sort of moves made at the trade deadline. But there were a couple of moves during yesterday's NBA deadline that I was pretty shocked with.
Before I get into those, let me first bag on the Knicks again. Not only do they stink, but this week they lost their best player to surgery. Adding insult to injury, they couldn't do a damn thing at the trade deadline except unload Pablo Prigioni for a couple of 2nd round picks. "That doesn't seem so bad. Where's the insult?" The insult lies in the fact that Goran Dragic, a very good player, specifically stated that he would only sign a long term deal with 3 teams, and New York was one of them. "Ok, so they didn't land him. So what?" Well, person that keeps interrupting me, the reason they didn't land him is because the team is such a friggin' mess that they had nothing or no one of value to trade! Not only do they have players no one wants, but they had no draft picks to trade either. That infuriates me, but I'll save that for another post.
So Dragic ends up going to the Miami Heat in exchange for two 1st round picks. Damn. Another player that was in discussion for the Knicks was Reggie Jackson from Oklahoma City. He's now in Detroit. Double damn. Ok, that's enough about New York, I'm getting depressed.
Back to the trades that were somewhat mind-boggling to me. They were:
Brandon Knight to Phoenix
and
Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee
Williams is only in his 2nd year, but shows some bright flashes. He struggles with his shooting, but otherwise has a good all-around game. The Sixers have been in the tank for the last few years, so I can't say I'm shocked that they would trade away a good player like Williams. However, I think someone needs to remind Philly that the name of the game is winning. Not tanking every year for a top draft pick, then trading that pick, tanking all season again, getting another high draft pick, trading....you get it.
The Brandon Knight trade takes the cake as top shocker for me, though. Milwaukee has already doubled, doubled, it's win total from last year, and is currently in 6th place in the East. This is a young, up and coming team that already had a good young point guard. Brandon Knight was having a career year, averaging almost 18 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game. So this makes no sense to me. The only reason I think the Bucks made the deal is because they also got Miles Plumlee from Phoenix. They needed a center after apparently reaching a buyout with Larry Sanders, so I get it, but doesn't seem worth it to me.
There were a ton of other moves, but I'm not going to list them all. I'm just going to say that the Phoenix Suns cleaned up! They pretty much swapped good point guards, got three 1st round picks (they picked up the third in a move involving Isaiah Thomas) and a few role players. That's a hell of a haul. And that was a hell of a trade deadline!
This blog is dedicated to sports talk. Sports talk makes me happy (hence, rhapsody). I'm a huge football fan (Giants are my main dish, with a side of Jets), moderate baseball (Yankees) and basketball (Knicks) fan. But I don't limit myself to just those teams, especially when it comes to football. So come along on my magical sports journey. What? Too much? Fine, then just read the damn blog, please!
Friday, February 20, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
All Star Weekend Recap/Knicks and Stoudemire Reach Buyout
NBA All Start weekend has come and gone, and as usual, the Saturday night events outdid the actual game. Well, to be fair, I only watched about 5 minutes worth of the game, but they were a very boring 5 minutes.
Last week I posted my predictions for the entire weekend's worth of events, and as usual, it didn't turn out so well. Let's take a look.
Celebrity Game
My pick - East (Mike Greenberg)
Winner - West (Mike Golic)
0-1
Rising Stars Challenge
My pick - Team USA
Winner - The World
0-2
Shooting Stars
My pick - Team Curry
Winner - Team Bosh
0-3
Skills Challenge
My pick - Brandon Knight
Winner - Patrick Beverley
0-4
3 Point Contest
My pick - Kyle Korver
Winner - Steph Curry
0-5
Dunk Contest
My pick - Giannis Antetkounmpo
Winner - Zach LaVine
0-6
All Star Game
My pick - West
Winner - West
1-7
The 1 and only thing I got right, was the 1 and only event I had no interest in. Isn't that always the way? (sigh)
I didn't watch any of the Friday night games, and only a few minutes of the game on Sunday, but I did watch all of the Saturday night stuff. (Thank you DVR)
The Shooting Stars and Skills Challenge aren't mind blowing, but they're entertaining enough. Team Curry let me down big time, more specifically Dell Curry. Couldn't hit the straight-away three. Shame. However, I must say that Chris Bosh is a much better shooter than I thought. And in the Skills Challenge, Brandon Knight was thiiiis close to winning, but couldn't hit the jump shot at the end of the event. Beverley came down and hit it on the first try. Son of a.....
The 3 point shootout was again the best event of the night. There are a lot of good shooters in the league now, and some of them were on display that night. As mentioned above, I chose Kyle Korver. He pretty much didn't show up. Didn't even make it to the finals. Not only did I get that wrong, but in my predictions post, I made a point of saying that Steph Curry wouldn't win and even explained why. What a waste of time. He was awesome. Flat out awesome. At one point he hit 13 shots in a row. Very impressive.
To me, the night could have ended there, but as always, it ends with...
The dunk contest. As is usually the case, there were no "superstars" in the field. However, there were young, athletic guys who sort of gave some hope. Turns out it was a 1 man show. Except for Victor Oladipo in the first round, Zach LaVine had no competition on his way to taking the trophy. While some say he resurrected the dunk contest, I absolutely won't go that far. I thought he was really good, and certainly breathed some life into what has become a stale event (that's me being nice). But unless some other high flyers start competing on a regular basis, the event will continue to lack.
My pick was Antetkounmpo, and apparently he and Kyle Korver were drinking from the same water bottle, because he was terrible. Unless he just froze or panicked, it looked like he put zero creativity or effort into his performance. The guy has a 27 foot wingspan, show me something crazy! Sheesh. Total let down. I hope LaVine defends his crown next year and brings along some stiff competition.
On to the game itself on Sunday....what do you want me to say? I already told you I only watched 5 minutes worth.
Before I go, I just wanted to make mention that Amare Stoudemire and the Knicks have agreed to a buyout. From what I've read, he'll clear waivers by Wednesday night and be eligible to sign with any team he wants. I say good for him.
While his salary hamstrung the Knicks for the last few years, I still think he deserves credit. He was the only superstar of the huge 2010 free agent class to sign with New York. He accepted and embraced the role of "savior" for the Knicks franchise, and was pretty much that the first year. Madison Square Garden chanted "MVP" almost every night for him, he was that good. Carmelo Anthony came over about half way through that season, but due to a lack of chemistry and injuries (Stoudemire's), they never were able to be the "dynamic duo" New York desperately wanted.
The Knicks took a huge risk by signing Stoudemire considering his injury history. And while it will probably go down as one of the worst contracts in Knicks history, I still tip my cap to him for not being afraid of the bright lights of New York. So, I hope he can latch on to a good team and get himself a ring this year. He deserves that after the years of mediocrity and down right lousiness he's suffered with the Knicks.
Last week I posted my predictions for the entire weekend's worth of events, and as usual, it didn't turn out so well. Let's take a look.
Celebrity Game
My pick - East (Mike Greenberg)
Winner - West (Mike Golic)
0-1
Rising Stars Challenge
My pick - Team USA
Winner - The World
0-2
Shooting Stars
My pick - Team Curry
Winner - Team Bosh
0-3
Skills Challenge
My pick - Brandon Knight
Winner - Patrick Beverley
0-4
3 Point Contest
My pick - Kyle Korver
Winner - Steph Curry
0-5
Dunk Contest
My pick - Giannis Antetkounmpo
Winner - Zach LaVine
0-6
All Star Game
My pick - West
Winner - West
1-7
The 1 and only thing I got right, was the 1 and only event I had no interest in. Isn't that always the way? (sigh)
I didn't watch any of the Friday night games, and only a few minutes of the game on Sunday, but I did watch all of the Saturday night stuff. (Thank you DVR)
The Shooting Stars and Skills Challenge aren't mind blowing, but they're entertaining enough. Team Curry let me down big time, more specifically Dell Curry. Couldn't hit the straight-away three. Shame. However, I must say that Chris Bosh is a much better shooter than I thought. And in the Skills Challenge, Brandon Knight was thiiiis close to winning, but couldn't hit the jump shot at the end of the event. Beverley came down and hit it on the first try. Son of a.....
The 3 point shootout was again the best event of the night. There are a lot of good shooters in the league now, and some of them were on display that night. As mentioned above, I chose Kyle Korver. He pretty much didn't show up. Didn't even make it to the finals. Not only did I get that wrong, but in my predictions post, I made a point of saying that Steph Curry wouldn't win and even explained why. What a waste of time. He was awesome. Flat out awesome. At one point he hit 13 shots in a row. Very impressive.
To me, the night could have ended there, but as always, it ends with...
The dunk contest. As is usually the case, there were no "superstars" in the field. However, there were young, athletic guys who sort of gave some hope. Turns out it was a 1 man show. Except for Victor Oladipo in the first round, Zach LaVine had no competition on his way to taking the trophy. While some say he resurrected the dunk contest, I absolutely won't go that far. I thought he was really good, and certainly breathed some life into what has become a stale event (that's me being nice). But unless some other high flyers start competing on a regular basis, the event will continue to lack.
My pick was Antetkounmpo, and apparently he and Kyle Korver were drinking from the same water bottle, because he was terrible. Unless he just froze or panicked, it looked like he put zero creativity or effort into his performance. The guy has a 27 foot wingspan, show me something crazy! Sheesh. Total let down. I hope LaVine defends his crown next year and brings along some stiff competition.
On to the game itself on Sunday....what do you want me to say? I already told you I only watched 5 minutes worth.
Before I go, I just wanted to make mention that Amare Stoudemire and the Knicks have agreed to a buyout. From what I've read, he'll clear waivers by Wednesday night and be eligible to sign with any team he wants. I say good for him.
While his salary hamstrung the Knicks for the last few years, I still think he deserves credit. He was the only superstar of the huge 2010 free agent class to sign with New York. He accepted and embraced the role of "savior" for the Knicks franchise, and was pretty much that the first year. Madison Square Garden chanted "MVP" almost every night for him, he was that good. Carmelo Anthony came over about half way through that season, but due to a lack of chemistry and injuries (Stoudemire's), they never were able to be the "dynamic duo" New York desperately wanted.
The Knicks took a huge risk by signing Stoudemire considering his injury history. And while it will probably go down as one of the worst contracts in Knicks history, I still tip my cap to him for not being afraid of the bright lights of New York. So, I hope he can latch on to a good team and get himself a ring this year. He deserves that after the years of mediocrity and down right lousiness he's suffered with the Knicks.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
NBA All Star Weekend Predictions
This weekend is NBA All Star weekend. As I've mentioned before, the game itself doesn't appeal to me much, but I do enjoy the other events. I thought it'd be fun to try and predict the winners for all the events. So here I go.
FRIDAY
I don't usually watch the Friday night stuff, but since Mike and Mike (from Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN) are coaching the Celebrity Game, I have a little interest. Probably not enough to watch the whole thing, but at least, like, 2 minutes maybe. I think I know of 3 people participating in the game. Ok, I've already talked too much about the Celebrity Game. I'll say the team coached by Mike Greenberg will win. Why? I don't know. Why are you questioning me on this?
The other game on Friday is the Rising Stars Challenge. This is the game made up of 1st and 2nd year players. This year they're doing USA vs The World. I'll probably watch as much of this as I will the Celebrity Game. However, I do know who's playing in this game, and I would give a very slight edge to team USA. Even though this is an exhibition game, I won't be surprised if it comes down to the wire because the teams are so even.
Winner - Team USA
SATURDAY
The night starts off with with Shooting Stars Challenge. I'm going to keep with the Friday night flow on this one and keep it short. I'll pick Team Curry, which consists of Steph Curry, Dell Curry and Sue Bird. I can't say I know much about Sue Bird, but I do know that the Currys can shoot the rock, and that's what this contest is all about.
Winner - Team Curry
The next event is the Skills Challenge. This event is hard to predict because usually there's only 1 or 2 guys that actually try hard. This year there's no "super-star" in the group (John Wall dropped out due to injury). The defending champ, Trey Burke, is in it again, but I don't think he'll win. I'm going to go with Brandon Knight. He's having a great year and is a good all-around player, which is what you need to be in this event. Plus he got snubbed for the All Star Game. Motivation, thy name is snubbery. Look for Isaiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry and Jeff Teague to have respectable showings as well.
Winner - Brandon Knight
Now is my favorite event of the weekend; the Three Point Contest. Unlike the Slam Dunk Contest, big named players do participate here. And this year has some good ones with Steph Curry and James Harden leading the way. Here's the rest of the roster:
J.J. Redick
Kyrie Irving
Klay Thompson
Kyle Korver
Marco Belinelli (defending champ)
Wesley Matthews
Not gonna' lie, I didn't know Matthews was a good shooter. But as for the rest of the lineup, it's legit, which makes this anyone's game. I could cop out and go with Curry since he's possibly the best shooter in the NBA, but I don't think he's going to win. I think he's more of an off the dribble/shot creator type of shooter. That doesn't work well here. I'm going to go with Kyle Korver. His form, unlike Curry's, is perfect for this. He's a "catch and shoot" guy, and that's essentially what this contest is. It also helps that he's on pace to break the NBA single season 3-point percentage mark. He's shooting almost 53% from deep. Take a minute to drink that in. There are guys who can't shoot 53% from the free-throw line. So that's why I'm taking Korver. Pretty good reasons. I think Harden, Redick and Thompson will also put on a good show.
Winner - Kyle Korver
Now onto what used to be the premiere event of the evening, but has recently become actually quite boring; the Slam Dunk Contest. Before I get into the event itself, I want to give a special thanks to fantasy basketball for allowing me to know who the hell these guys are that are participating. Ok, here are the contestants:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Zach LaVine
Victor Oladipo
Mason Plumlee
I'll be shocked if 1 of those guys wins, and that's Plumlee. He's a center/power forward, and aside from Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard, these guys don't have a tendency to be too agile or nimble.
No knock on Oladipo, but I think this will come down to Antetokounmpo and LaVine. The reason for LaVine is because a lot of people have said that this is his to lose. I only know him as the 2nd string point guard in Minnesota, so I'll have to assume all of these people know what they're talking about. And the reason for Antetokounmpo is because of his length. He's athletic with crazy long arms. Those will come in handy, because he won't have to be right on top of the rim to stuff it down, unlike some other guys (cough, Oladipo, cough).
In the end, I'll pick:
Winner - Giannis Antetokounmpo
As for the boring All Star Game itself, I'll go with the West to win because they're stacked with quality scorers. And since there's no defense played, guys like Harden, Curry, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will put on a scoring clinic.
Winner - West...I guess
That's it for now because I'm out of things to say, and I'm suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome from typing Antetokounmpo so many times. Enjoy the weekend.
FRIDAY
I don't usually watch the Friday night stuff, but since Mike and Mike (from Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN) are coaching the Celebrity Game, I have a little interest. Probably not enough to watch the whole thing, but at least, like, 2 minutes maybe. I think I know of 3 people participating in the game. Ok, I've already talked too much about the Celebrity Game. I'll say the team coached by Mike Greenberg will win. Why? I don't know. Why are you questioning me on this?
The other game on Friday is the Rising Stars Challenge. This is the game made up of 1st and 2nd year players. This year they're doing USA vs The World. I'll probably watch as much of this as I will the Celebrity Game. However, I do know who's playing in this game, and I would give a very slight edge to team USA. Even though this is an exhibition game, I won't be surprised if it comes down to the wire because the teams are so even.
Winner - Team USA
SATURDAY
The night starts off with with Shooting Stars Challenge. I'm going to keep with the Friday night flow on this one and keep it short. I'll pick Team Curry, which consists of Steph Curry, Dell Curry and Sue Bird. I can't say I know much about Sue Bird, but I do know that the Currys can shoot the rock, and that's what this contest is all about.
Winner - Team Curry
The next event is the Skills Challenge. This event is hard to predict because usually there's only 1 or 2 guys that actually try hard. This year there's no "super-star" in the group (John Wall dropped out due to injury). The defending champ, Trey Burke, is in it again, but I don't think he'll win. I'm going to go with Brandon Knight. He's having a great year and is a good all-around player, which is what you need to be in this event. Plus he got snubbed for the All Star Game. Motivation, thy name is snubbery. Look for Isaiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry and Jeff Teague to have respectable showings as well.
Winner - Brandon Knight
Now is my favorite event of the weekend; the Three Point Contest. Unlike the Slam Dunk Contest, big named players do participate here. And this year has some good ones with Steph Curry and James Harden leading the way. Here's the rest of the roster:
J.J. Redick
Kyrie Irving
Klay Thompson
Kyle Korver
Marco Belinelli (defending champ)
Wesley Matthews
Not gonna' lie, I didn't know Matthews was a good shooter. But as for the rest of the lineup, it's legit, which makes this anyone's game. I could cop out and go with Curry since he's possibly the best shooter in the NBA, but I don't think he's going to win. I think he's more of an off the dribble/shot creator type of shooter. That doesn't work well here. I'm going to go with Kyle Korver. His form, unlike Curry's, is perfect for this. He's a "catch and shoot" guy, and that's essentially what this contest is. It also helps that he's on pace to break the NBA single season 3-point percentage mark. He's shooting almost 53% from deep. Take a minute to drink that in. There are guys who can't shoot 53% from the free-throw line. So that's why I'm taking Korver. Pretty good reasons. I think Harden, Redick and Thompson will also put on a good show.
Winner - Kyle Korver
Now onto what used to be the premiere event of the evening, but has recently become actually quite boring; the Slam Dunk Contest. Before I get into the event itself, I want to give a special thanks to fantasy basketball for allowing me to know who the hell these guys are that are participating. Ok, here are the contestants:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Zach LaVine
Victor Oladipo
Mason Plumlee
I'll be shocked if 1 of those guys wins, and that's Plumlee. He's a center/power forward, and aside from Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard, these guys don't have a tendency to be too agile or nimble.
No knock on Oladipo, but I think this will come down to Antetokounmpo and LaVine. The reason for LaVine is because a lot of people have said that this is his to lose. I only know him as the 2nd string point guard in Minnesota, so I'll have to assume all of these people know what they're talking about. And the reason for Antetokounmpo is because of his length. He's athletic with crazy long arms. Those will come in handy, because he won't have to be right on top of the rim to stuff it down, unlike some other guys (cough, Oladipo, cough).
In the end, I'll pick:
Winner - Giannis Antetokounmpo
As for the boring All Star Game itself, I'll go with the West to win because they're stacked with quality scorers. And since there's no defense played, guys like Harden, Curry, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will put on a scoring clinic.
Winner - West...I guess
That's it for now because I'm out of things to say, and I'm suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome from typing Antetokounmpo so many times. Enjoy the weekend.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
NBA All Star Game Snubs and Plubs
I have no idea what a plub is, but I needed something that rhymed with snub, and figured it was weird enough to maybe reel in some more readers.
The NBA All Star game is by far my favorite of the 4 major sports (3 for me, since I don't like hockey). Actually, I just like the Saturday night events, not the game itself. However, if the dunk contest keeps getting worse, my interest will be even more limited. But for now, I want to get a couple of things off my chest as far as the rosters go.
Like any All Star game, there are always going to be snubs, and apparently plubs. Hey wait, maybe a plub can be guys who aren't deserving, yet still got voted in. Boom, just made up a word. So here's a couple of snubs and plubs that stood out to me this year.
Why in the hell did Kobe Bryant still get voted in? Well, America? Why? After all it's your fault! The guy has played in 8 games since December 21st. That's it. Listen, I'll give him credit. He was playing well this season, especially considering his age, averaging 22-5-5. Very good numbers. If this were some other year, then yeah, I'd obviously buy into him being selected as a starter. But what's really making me crazy, is that he got voted in this year over James Harden! Harden has only played in every single game, leads the NBA in scoring (27-6-5 is his stat line), and with Dwight Howard missing so much time, has solely carried his team to the 3rd seed in the West (currently) with a 35-16 record. The guy will probably win the MVP award this year, but don't vote him as a starter for the All Star game. Ridiculous.
Two other snubs to me were Damian Lillard and Zach Randolph. Lillard has gotten in as a reserve (due to Blake Griffin's injury), but Randolph is still out. I don't think either should be starting, but both belong on the team, more so than Kobe, Tim Duncan, or even, wait for it, Kevin Durant. Dun, dun, DUNNNN! Before any of you start berating me, hear me out. Yes, he's having another great year. But my beef is in the fact that he's played in less than half of his team's games so far. In addition to that, the Thunder are currently out of the playoffs. Memphis and Portland (Randolph and Lillard's teams) are very much in the playoffs, sitting as the 2nd and 4th seeds, respectively.
This is why I always say to keep the fan vote out. I don't care that the NBA, or any other league for that matter, wants to keep the fans interactive by allowing them to pick the starters. Like many things in life, it merely turns into a popularity contest. Kobe Bryant is the perfect example. He's still a popular name, especially overseas. That's why he was selected over James Harden, because people like or know certain players, and that's it. They don't care to look at who's actually doing well, or is deserving to play in the game. It's a joke. Let people (coaches, league officials, whomever) who actually know the players and the league vote. Although even they screwed Damian Lillard this year. Hmm. Ok, scratch all of that. Just let me vote!
I'll be back soon to give my predictions for the Saturday night events and I suppose the game on Sunday, too. Oh, and congratulations to Kobe Bryant for being my first ever plub.
The NBA All Star game is by far my favorite of the 4 major sports (3 for me, since I don't like hockey). Actually, I just like the Saturday night events, not the game itself. However, if the dunk contest keeps getting worse, my interest will be even more limited. But for now, I want to get a couple of things off my chest as far as the rosters go.
Like any All Star game, there are always going to be snubs, and apparently plubs. Hey wait, maybe a plub can be guys who aren't deserving, yet still got voted in. Boom, just made up a word. So here's a couple of snubs and plubs that stood out to me this year.
Why in the hell did Kobe Bryant still get voted in? Well, America? Why? After all it's your fault! The guy has played in 8 games since December 21st. That's it. Listen, I'll give him credit. He was playing well this season, especially considering his age, averaging 22-5-5. Very good numbers. If this were some other year, then yeah, I'd obviously buy into him being selected as a starter. But what's really making me crazy, is that he got voted in this year over James Harden! Harden has only played in every single game, leads the NBA in scoring (27-6-5 is his stat line), and with Dwight Howard missing so much time, has solely carried his team to the 3rd seed in the West (currently) with a 35-16 record. The guy will probably win the MVP award this year, but don't vote him as a starter for the All Star game. Ridiculous.
Two other snubs to me were Damian Lillard and Zach Randolph. Lillard has gotten in as a reserve (due to Blake Griffin's injury), but Randolph is still out. I don't think either should be starting, but both belong on the team, more so than Kobe, Tim Duncan, or even, wait for it, Kevin Durant. Dun, dun, DUNNNN! Before any of you start berating me, hear me out. Yes, he's having another great year. But my beef is in the fact that he's played in less than half of his team's games so far. In addition to that, the Thunder are currently out of the playoffs. Memphis and Portland (Randolph and Lillard's teams) are very much in the playoffs, sitting as the 2nd and 4th seeds, respectively.
This is why I always say to keep the fan vote out. I don't care that the NBA, or any other league for that matter, wants to keep the fans interactive by allowing them to pick the starters. Like many things in life, it merely turns into a popularity contest. Kobe Bryant is the perfect example. He's still a popular name, especially overseas. That's why he was selected over James Harden, because people like or know certain players, and that's it. They don't care to look at who's actually doing well, or is deserving to play in the game. It's a joke. Let people (coaches, league officials, whomever) who actually know the players and the league vote. Although even they screwed Damian Lillard this year. Hmm. Ok, scratch all of that. Just let me vote!
I'll be back soon to give my predictions for the Saturday night events and I suppose the game on Sunday, too. Oh, and congratulations to Kobe Bryant for being my first ever plub.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Knicks are vying for top spot...
In the draft! They stink. They really do. And they're not going to get better with Phil Jackson's plan of bringing in top free agents this summer. Nobody is coming. LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, hell, even LeBron James. Not. Coming. The Knicks need to do what they should have done last summer instead of re-signing Carmelo Anthony: spread the money around.
New York will have plenty of money to play with this summer. They've already dumped a lot of salaries with trades and cuts during the first part of the season, but guys like Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani will be coming off the books as well. I believe that's somewhere around $34-35 million dollars. But instead of throwing most of that at one guy, stretch the money out. Listen, I'm not saying that if LaMarcus Aldridge flatly comes out and says, "I want to be a Knick", that New York shouldn't go get him. But I can't see that happening, so it seems like a waste of time to recruit the All-Stars of the summer. If my research is correct, these are some guys who will be free agents this summer (restricted and unrestricted):
DeAndre Jordan
Goran Dragic
Greg Monroe
Reggie Jackson
Paul Millsap
Brandon Knight
Thaddeus Young
Wesley Matthews
Tobias Harris
Of course, if it wasn't for fantasy basketball, I'd have no idea who half these guys are. But my point is, if you were to sign a few of those guys, you instantly have a competitive team. Especially in the Eastern Conference. Speaking of which, can we talk about the disparity between the Eastern and Western Conference? It's unreal! Currently there are 10 teams above .500 in the West, and only 6 in the East. This happens pretty much every year, but it always boggles my mind how much better the West is. Ok, getting back to my previous point, you don't need a team full of all-stars to win. It helps, don't get me wrong (hello Miami Heat), but it's not imperative. Just look at the Atlanta Hawks this season. They don't have 1 guy with a max contract, and they're sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 41-9. 41-9! That's unbelievable.
There's the proof, Phil Jackson. Winning can be done with a solid all-around team. If I were him, I'd cut bait on Carmelo, too. Get some draft picks, or role players, or even an extra bus for away games. Just ditch that salary and give yourself more room to breathe and rebuild. Speaking of rebuilding, let's not forget that the Knicks are very much in contention for the number 1 pick in the draft. That's always a good way to turn around a franchise, unless of course they pick the wrong guy and he turns out to be a bust. No pressure, Phil.
New York will have plenty of money to play with this summer. They've already dumped a lot of salaries with trades and cuts during the first part of the season, but guys like Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani will be coming off the books as well. I believe that's somewhere around $34-35 million dollars. But instead of throwing most of that at one guy, stretch the money out. Listen, I'm not saying that if LaMarcus Aldridge flatly comes out and says, "I want to be a Knick", that New York shouldn't go get him. But I can't see that happening, so it seems like a waste of time to recruit the All-Stars of the summer. If my research is correct, these are some guys who will be free agents this summer (restricted and unrestricted):
DeAndre Jordan
Goran Dragic
Greg Monroe
Reggie Jackson
Paul Millsap
Brandon Knight
Thaddeus Young
Wesley Matthews
Tobias Harris
Of course, if it wasn't for fantasy basketball, I'd have no idea who half these guys are. But my point is, if you were to sign a few of those guys, you instantly have a competitive team. Especially in the Eastern Conference. Speaking of which, can we talk about the disparity between the Eastern and Western Conference? It's unreal! Currently there are 10 teams above .500 in the West, and only 6 in the East. This happens pretty much every year, but it always boggles my mind how much better the West is. Ok, getting back to my previous point, you don't need a team full of all-stars to win. It helps, don't get me wrong (hello Miami Heat), but it's not imperative. Just look at the Atlanta Hawks this season. They don't have 1 guy with a max contract, and they're sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 41-9. 41-9! That's unbelievable.
There's the proof, Phil Jackson. Winning can be done with a solid all-around team. If I were him, I'd cut bait on Carmelo, too. Get some draft picks, or role players, or even an extra bus for away games. Just ditch that salary and give yourself more room to breathe and rebuild. Speaking of rebuilding, let's not forget that the Knicks are very much in contention for the number 1 pick in the draft. That's always a good way to turn around a franchise, unless of course they pick the wrong guy and he turns out to be a bust. No pressure, Phil.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Baseball coming soon!
Pitchers and catchers report very shortly, which means I'll soon be ranting and raving about another sport. :) Check back soon.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Great Super Bowl! Except for that last play and all...
What a great game. Came right down to the wire. Comebacks, big plays, drama. It had it all, including quite possibly the worst call I've ever seen in a football game, let alone the Super Bowl. What in the holy hell was Pete Carrol, Darrell Bevell and/or Russell Wilson thinking? I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here, but that play couldn't have been more bone-headed than if they kicked a field goal in that spot. You're at the 1 yard line and you have a top 5 running back in the backfield, whose nick name is beastmode for goodness sake. Run the ball down their throats! The excuse by Pete Carrol was that they didn't like the formation the Patriots were in. New England had their goal-line personnel in, because, well, they were on the goal-line! What the hell were the Seahawks expecting? Listen, a part of me can live with them throwing down there, because there are usually mismatches when the defense is in goal-line formation. But don't throw the ball in the middle of the friggin' field where everyone is!
There's a few big reasons why that play was extra stupid to me. First, aside from being a terrible call, in my opinion the throw wasn't good either. This guy Butler is claiming that he knew the play was coming, and that's why he got a great jump on the throw. Be that as it may, that throw was not out in front of the receiver enough. The old adage is to put the ball where only your receiver can catch it. That didn't happen. It was toward the back shoulder, which is why Butler was able to make a play on it. Second, if Seattle felt it absolutely necessary to throw the ball, at least throw a fade to that Matthews guy who's 6'5"! By the way, let me just say kudos to that young man. He was working at Foot Locker during the season, and Sunday night looked like one of the best receiver's on the field. Pretty cool. But back to my angry rant. He's huge, throw it up to him!
My last reason as to why it was moronic to throw and not run, is not only did you still have a timeout, the Patriots weren't using theirs! Bill Belichick wasn't calling a timeout, instead letting the clock run all the way down. He was practically giving up! Getting off topic for a second, how the hell do you not call a timeout there to preserve some time for your offense to tie/win the game if need be? He got bailed out big time by that interception and the Seahawk's stupidity. Ok, getting back on track, that should have been more of a reason for Seattle to run the ball there. Time's winding down, and New England is relying on their defense to not let you gain 1 measly yard.
But in the end, that's exactly what happened. Seattle never got that measly yard. To make matters worse, New England couldn't even kneel down, but instead had to attempt to push the ball forward from the 1 yard, or even 1 inch line. There was a very legitimate chance of a safety in that situation. But keeping with the bone-headedness (just pretend that's a word), the Seahawks got nailed for encroachment, thus adding more salt to their huge wound. And for the cherry on top, they decided to be total punks and start throwing punches and fighting in the last few seconds. Way to look like complete sore losers and babies, guys.
So, congratulations to the Pa-cheat-ots (sorry, it was just too easy to pass up).
Now that the season is over, I'll be in a deep dark depression, causing me to rock back and forth in the fetal position while ranking players for next year's fantasy draft. Ah, good times.
There's a few big reasons why that play was extra stupid to me. First, aside from being a terrible call, in my opinion the throw wasn't good either. This guy Butler is claiming that he knew the play was coming, and that's why he got a great jump on the throw. Be that as it may, that throw was not out in front of the receiver enough. The old adage is to put the ball where only your receiver can catch it. That didn't happen. It was toward the back shoulder, which is why Butler was able to make a play on it. Second, if Seattle felt it absolutely necessary to throw the ball, at least throw a fade to that Matthews guy who's 6'5"! By the way, let me just say kudos to that young man. He was working at Foot Locker during the season, and Sunday night looked like one of the best receiver's on the field. Pretty cool. But back to my angry rant. He's huge, throw it up to him!
My last reason as to why it was moronic to throw and not run, is not only did you still have a timeout, the Patriots weren't using theirs! Bill Belichick wasn't calling a timeout, instead letting the clock run all the way down. He was practically giving up! Getting off topic for a second, how the hell do you not call a timeout there to preserve some time for your offense to tie/win the game if need be? He got bailed out big time by that interception and the Seahawk's stupidity. Ok, getting back on track, that should have been more of a reason for Seattle to run the ball there. Time's winding down, and New England is relying on their defense to not let you gain 1 measly yard.
But in the end, that's exactly what happened. Seattle never got that measly yard. To make matters worse, New England couldn't even kneel down, but instead had to attempt to push the ball forward from the 1 yard, or even 1 inch line. There was a very legitimate chance of a safety in that situation. But keeping with the bone-headedness (just pretend that's a word), the Seahawks got nailed for encroachment, thus adding more salt to their huge wound. And for the cherry on top, they decided to be total punks and start throwing punches and fighting in the last few seconds. Way to look like complete sore losers and babies, guys.
So, congratulations to the Pa-cheat-ots (sorry, it was just too easy to pass up).
Now that the season is over, I'll be in a deep dark depression, causing me to rock back and forth in the fetal position while ranking players for next year's fantasy draft. Ah, good times.
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