FlyGuySports

Arizona has a better chance with Warner

2008-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

If you're a Matt Leinart fan, it would probably be difficult to find a reason for him to be the starter for the 08-09 NFL season. Sure you could say that "he's the future" and "he needs to play in order to get better," but that isn't the mindset that Ken Whisenhunt is in. With Leinart only in his 3rd year and yet to show signs of improvement, it's best to sit him for a minimum of this season.

Whisenhunt is showing that he wants to win now and his team is close to doing just that. After finishing with an 8-8 record last season, allowing Leinart to start this season would be a step back for this franchise. Warner has basically turned this team into a contender on his own, based upon what he was able to do last season without starting all 16 games. It's possible to make a case that last year was one of his best statistical seasons; Warner finished the season with 27 touchdowns and 3,417 passing yards--not bad for a 37 year old, right?

Leinart has been ineffective since being drafted and he has yet to show NFL fans the Leinart that led the USC Trojans to three National Championship games. This however, doesn't make him a bust like some would like to begin to label him as. Leinart is still young and has really been in some strange situations during his tenure as a Cardinal. He really had a lot of pressure on him by being looked upon as the future of the franchise. Leinart didn't have anybody to sit behind during his young career and that forced him to become the go-to-guy for this team. But when it comes to playing in the NFL, Leinart is still a bit immature on the field--and if you type his name in the google image search, he may be a little immature off the field as well. Nonetheless, Leinart just needs sometime to learn the NFL and he can do that behind Warner.

Leinart's a cool guy, and that makes everybody want to see him succeed in the NFL. That will happen eventually, but the truth is that it won't happen now. Everybody wants to see him become the quarterback that he is supposed to be, but it will take time for him. That's the mistake that some franchises make when developing a quarterback. They sometimes get selfish and want to shine the spotlight on their quarterback to better the image of the franchise. But if you're a GM, that's not the route to go if you want to have you're quarterback mentally stable for the future.

Fortunately, Whisenhunt has realized that and decided to make the best decision by starting Warner. With the organization realizing that they are "potential" contenders in the NFC West, they feel that they have a better chance at winning with Warner at the starting QB position. I mean, it's kind of hard to turn down a guy who was a Super Bowl MVP and has been selected to three Pro Bowls, especially when he's competing with a quarterback who still has yet to prove anything in this league.

FGS IS ON VACATION UNTIL AUG. 6

2008-07-09T15:59:00.001-07:00

2008 NBA Draft Grades: How'd your team do?

2008-06-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

Atlanta Hawks: Ineligible
The Hawks didn't have a pick in this draft due to the trade to Phoenix in getting Joe Johnson. Johnson has been a great asset to the Hawks so far in his tenure, so it has worked out so far for them.

Boston Celtics: B
With the Celtics coming off of an NBA Championship, they really didn't have a reason to get in depth into this draft. But they do have a lot of potential free agents, and they may need to find some players to replace the ones that may not come back. With them selecting J.R. Giddens, they were able to get a decent 2-guard, and that is a position that they may need help in with all of the potential free agents coming out of Boston. And even though Boston will most likely have two big men leaving in Scot Pollard and P.J. Brown, they were able to grab Bill Walker from Washington. He will be sitting behind Glen Davis, Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett, but he is somebody that could make an impact in the future for the C's. They may have taken a chance with him due to his knee problems, but when healthy, he could make a slight impact as a bench player. He's not really a steal though, and neither is Giddens, but they can make an NBA roster as good role players.

Charlotte Bobcats: C+
The pick of Alexis Ajinca is pretty decent by the Bobcats organization. He may not be a numbers guy, but he is big and lengthy. With Emeka Okafor playing the center position now, Ajinca could potentially come in and slide Okafor down the PF, which is his true position. The thing with Ajinca is that he is skinny and scouts say that he is a weak inside presence. The Bobcats will have to be patient with him because he will need to gain some pounds in order to be an impact in the middle. It will take him a couple of years, especially with Sean May in front of him. They also took D.J. Augustin who has more of an upside than Raymond Felton does. He is 5'11 and that makes him sort of a risky pick. Most players at his size really don't threaten the NBA. He can make a good back up point, but he is really a toss up. Depending on how Raymond Felton can manage Larry Brown's team later on down the line, Augustin may find himself playing the PG role on a potential playoff team; almost like Jameer Nelson does for the Orlando Magic.

Chicago Bulls: A
The Bulls made a solid choice with the No.1 overall pick. Many feel that Michael Beasley could've been the answer--and he may have been--but Derrick Rose has great basketball instincts at his position and he is an upgrade from Kirk Hinrich. Rose will have the pressure of playing in his hometown, but that is the last thing that he should be worried about. He also has great size for the PG position at 6'3. Rose has drawn comparisons from Chris Paul to Deron Williams; a great passer with scoring ability. The Bulls will do well with Rose running the point, whether it's this season or in the future.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B
The pick of J.J. Hickson gives the Cavs a little bit of hope for helping LeBron. He is a big man who could really replace the presence of Drew Gooden, who they truly miss in the paint. Hickson is more of a scorer than Gooden is, and he plays pretty good defense. With him next to Ben Wallace on the defensive end, it will be difficult for teams to drive the ball to the basket on those two. On the offensive end, he and Wallace are both tremendous rebounders and the Cavs could use that. He still has some mental growing to do, but he could make good use of his position in a Cavs uniform. Not the best pick, but a solid pick for Cleveland.

Dallas Mavericks: C-
Dallas shipped off their first round pick for Jason Kidd towards the last quarter of the season, and that hasn't really been the best fit for them. Their pick of Shan Foster was not bad though. He was the SEC player of the year for Vanderbilt...and he looks like Usher. Foster is a good defensive player with his 1.5 steals a game last year. Many scouts feel that he lacks a consistent mid-range game and that may be his downfall. His ball handling skills are also not where they should be for an NBA shooting guard, but he is an explosive scorer who can come out and take over a game. That may not be so for the NBA level, but it's always good to have a player who possesses that type of ability.

Denver Nuggets: Ineligible
The Nuggets traded away all of their picks so they aren't eligible to be graded for this draft.

Detroit Pistons: D
What many people see in the Pistons first pick, Walter Sharpe, is disillusioned. Sharpe's college career has been overshadowed by off-court issues. In his freshman year, he repeatedly missed practice and missed the team flight which left him out of the NCAA Tourney that year. He missed most of his sophomore season with academic problems and he ended up only playing 6 games that season. He transferred from Mississippi St. to UAB where he was shot, arrested and sat out his junior season. In his senior year, he played 12 games until he has considered academically ineligible for the rest of the season. Oh yeah--he also has narcolepsy. With a team looking for help at the big man position for the future, trading away the Big Ten player of the year (D.J. White) wasn't the right thing to do. They also passed up on some big names.

Golden State Warriors: B+
The Warriors were able to find themselves in the middle of the draft and they were able to pick up a solid player in Anthony Randolph. He is really skinny for his size (6'10, 194 lbs) and that may be his downfall. BUT, he may be the only legit PF who can fit into the running scheme of the Warriors. He is a solid big man, but don't expect him to body up against the opposing big man and put the ball up strong over them. He can take his defender out to the perimiter and be effective from the block by posting up his defenders and that is helpful for the Warriors. Randolph's length can also help defensively. He has the ability to deflect balls and block shots, comparable to Tayshaun Prince's defense. Their second pick of Richard Hendrix gives the Warriors a little bit of PF help off of the bench. He is a little undersized for a PF, but so is Jason Maxiell and look at his impact on the Pistons.

Houston Rockets: B-
The Rockets made a good decision to trade away Nicolas Batum. The Rockets traded Batum to the Blazers for the rights to the 27th and 33rd overall picks. Darrell Arthur was Portland's selection at No. 27 and Houston sent the rights to him to Memphis for Donte' Greene and the Grizzlies' second-round pick in 2009. Joey Dorsey was the 33rd overall pick and he will be a great energy player for Houston. They don't really have strength at the PF position and he could make a good bench PF for them. He is not a scorer, but he can crash the boards and intimidate players from driving the ball to the basket. Solid picks by Houston.

Indiana Pacers: C+
The trade of Jerryd Bayless wasn't really the best decision for the Pacers. The did manage to get Brandon Rush from Portland, but Bayless seems like he has more star potential than Rush has. But with the salary dump, and the addition of another point guard in T.J. Ford, there isn't a need for another one so I can understand that move. They also picked up Roy Hibbert who has flop written all over him. He needs a lot of work and a haircut.

Los Angeles Clippers: B+
The Clippers have fear in relying on Shaun Livingston as their point guard of the future due to all of his injuries. So picking up Eric Gordon was a smart pick from the front office. I feel that Gordon is a semi combo-guard and he could be used for the 1 and 2 spot, but with him on the team, they will have an explosive guard with great basketball instinct. The Clippers were also lucky to get DeAndre Jordan in the second round. He fell right in their lap because he was considered to be a high pick earlier in the month. His draft stock may have fallen, but his level of talent is tremendous.

Los Angeles Lakers: C
The Lakers really didn't have a good selection to choose from. They traded their first round pick for Pau Gasol and that left them with the 58th overall pick. With that, they decided to choose Joe Crawford. He isn't a potential all star, but the Lakers will probably just be taking a look at him to see what he has. I doubt he'll make the team.

Memphis Grizzlies: C+
When Memphis selected Kevin Love, it was a real good choice but they ended up trading him with a package to Minnesota and received O.J. Mayo. It's no secret that Mayo is an extreme talent, but the Grizzlies don't need another guard. With them already selecting Michael Conley in last year's draft and Rudy Gay running the SG position, the opportunity for Mayo to bloom as a player will take a little longer. Darrell Arthur was traded to Memphis and he has the potential to be pretty good there. He fell into their lap after teams continued to pass him up, but hopefully they don't waste his career. He is with a young team and he may be able to help out Memphis in the longrun.

Miami Heat: A
Surprisingly, the Heat took Michael Beasley with the 2nd overall pick (sarcasm). With Beasley in their rotation, the Heat will have a potential all star in the making and he will dominate in his position. Beasley was basically a pick for the future and with him combined with a healthy Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion, this team will look pretty good.

Milwaukee Bucks: A-
The Bucks did pretty good with this draft. They got rid of Bobby Simmons and they managed to get Yi Jianlian off of their hands for Richard Jefferson. Not a bad idea from Bucks management. With them going big in the draft by picking up Joe Alexander and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, they will look strong up front when both are able to start at those positions. Alexander is a great inside scorer who can grab boards with authority, and Moute is a tremendous defender. Milwaukee will have a bright future if these two happen to be starting later on down the line.

Minnesota Timberwolves: A
It really didn't matter if the Wolves were to select either O.J. Mayo or Kevin Love; both would've been helpful to this last place team. They picked O.J. Mayo but traded him to Memphis for Kevin Love, and I think that was the best alternative for the Wolves. Love is known for being a great inside scorer with the ability to take the ball outside and hit the three. He's decent in the post and he'll be good next to Al Jefferson. One thing he has to improve on is his defense but once he does that, there will be a strong inside presence in Minnesota. His offense isn't the problem. Kevin McHale was able to get rid of some junk when he sent Mayo to Memphis and he picked up a pretty decent Mike Miller who on the right team, could become a better player. So this was a good draft for Minnesota.

New Jersey Nets: B+
The Nets were able to get rid of Richard Jefferson's contract, and they picked up Yi Jianlian in a trade. The draft went pretty okay for them with the pick up of a solid Brook Lopez from Stanford. The big guy can do some damage on the inside to opposing teams and that is what the Nets need. But they already had a good center in Sean Williams and they will have to split time to get Lopez seasoned in the NBA the right way. They did make a great pick by selecting Chris Douglas-Roberts in the second round. He was really a steal for them. CDR can play the guard position but if he is needed, he has the ability to play the SF position with his 6'7 length. It will be interesting to see what he can do in the NBA.

New Orleans Hornets: Ineligible
The Hornets traded away their 27th pick for cash considerations, so they aren't eligible for grading.

New York Knicks: D
The Knicks didn't show much brain power by picking Danilo Gallinari in the first round. He is a tremendous player, but the Knicks could've done better than that. It would take him a while to mesh with the Knicks organization but I just don't see where they're going by picking up Gallinari.

Orlando Magic: B+
With the selection of Courtney Lee, this may be the end of J.J. Redick...at least in a Magic uniform. Lee has tremendous basketball instincts and he showed in college that he can drive the ball to the basket consistently. He is a good spot up shooter and he will be a good ball player coming off of the bench for Orlando. Solid pick by Orlando.

Philadelphia 76ers: B
The 76ers could've also done better than Marreese Speights, even though Speights isn't really a bad player. He is a strong player up front for them who can fill up space in the paint and handle the ball well for somebody his size. He is also a decent scorer which is something that Philly has been looking for. They really don't have somebody that they can really rely on in the paint to put the ball in the basket consistently and Speights will fill that hole. This is also a solid pickup for Philly, based on the fact that this was a position that they needed.

Phoenix Suns: C+
Robin Lopez is a pretty okay pick for Phoenix, but there is question why they opted to go that route with Lopez. They used to be a run-n-gun team, but Lopez wouldn't be somebody who could play that style especially at NBA speed. The good thing about Lopez though is that he can be taken under the wing by Shaq and learn a lot from him. And with the way that Phoenix was able to end the season by incorporating Shaq into their game plan without the run-n-gun style affecting him, they were able to look like a pretty good team. So whichever style Phoenix is aiming for, Lopez can learn from Shaq and easily fall into the same spot that Shaq did.

Portland Trail Blazers: A+
This team did a lot of trading and they made good use of each and every pick. A lot of bold moves came from this front office and they've either payed off or they will pay off. They got rid of Jarrett Jack and were able to snag Jerryd Bayless who could make a pairing with Brandon Roy. They really needed point guard help with players like Jack and Steve Blake usually running that spot. Nicolas Batum was their second round pick who is a slight risk due to his heart problems but he still may be a pretty solid player. The Trail Blazers really had the best draft out of all the teams by snagging a lot of young talent for a young team. This could possibly put them on the verge of becoming a true playoff team, especially with Greg Oden coming back.

Sacramento Kings: D
I really didn't know where Sacramento was trying to go by picking up Jason Thompson and Patrick Ewing Jr. Thompson is really not a lottery pick and that confused a lot of people. And the second pick with Ewing makes Patrick Ewing Sr. proud, but not many Kings fans.

San Antonio Spurs: B-
It's hard to question the Spurs' drafting ability because they got Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker from nowhere, so there pick of George Hill can't be all that bad. He is a true point guard, but he can come off of the bench to be a combo-guard. He is sort of like a Rodney Stuckey; somebody who can drive the ball to the basket and draw fouls. The Spurs could've probably picked up somebody better, but they must see something in Hill and they're usually right about things like these.

Seattle Supersonics: C-
The pick of Serge Ibaka has a lot of people puzzled because they need somebody with his talent, but he may end up playing overseas when it's all said and done. The Russell Westbrook pick was pretty good but there was no need to take him so high, especially with other players that have a better arsenal than him.

Toronto Raptors: C+
The Raptors picked up Jermaine O'Neal by trading away their first round pick and that is a little suspect with O'Neal having injury issues. With him, they can be strong inside with Chris Bosh and O'Neal, but they had the opportunity to select a guard to replace T.J. Ford. That may have not been the route they were trying to take, but that is what they should have done. Their other pick in Nathan Jawai has been compared to Shaq, but why bring another big guy in when you already have enough?

Utah Jazz: B-
With speculation of Carlos Boozer opting out of his contract next year, the Jazz tried to do as much as they could to find somebody to replace him. That isn't a bad idea by Utah, but the picks were questionable. Kosta Koufos has a lot of potential, but he doesn't have the components that Boozer has. If he was combined with the second-rounder Ante Tomic, it may be possible, but I haven't seen much from either. So it's hard to judge them without hearing or seeing much from either. I do respect the route that Utah took in looking in the future to replace Boozer if he opts out.

Washington Wizards: C
The Wizards elected to take JaVale McGee, a guy who comes from a family of basketball. McGee has a great build to his body, giving him the advantage to overpower his opposition but scouts say that he is weak. That doesn't bode well when you're a big man trying to make it in the NBA. The question is posed if he will mature well in the league and I think he will with the basketball background that he comes from. His defense has also been said to be atrocious and as a big man with his length and potential, that is something that he will need to improve on.

Euro08 coverage from Nabil Othman: Spain vs. Russia

2008-06-26T23:05:00.000-07:00

By: Nabil Othman

Today soccer fans witnessed a match much different match than the semifinal between Germany and Turkey. The Spanish easily defeated Russia by a score of 3-0.

The match saw few chances for the Russians who had their hands full stopping a lethal Spanish attack led by Cesc Fabregas, who came on as a 34th minute substitute for an injured David Villa.

Until Fabregas entered the match, both sides were evenly matched in possession and shots. However this would not stay the same. From the 34th minute on the Spanish relentlessly attacked the Russians resulting in goals from Xavi Hernández, Daniel Güiza and David Silva. Fabregas assisted on Güiza and Silva’s strikes. He also fed the ball to Andrés Iniesta, who assisted on Spain’s first goal scored by Xavi Hernández.

This was an uncharacteristic game for the Russians, who up to this point in the tournament showed they could contend with the traditional soccer superpowers. Today they came out flat, and were outplayed. Even though Russia has a very youthful squad, none of the energy they displayed against Sweden and Holland was shown. Russia is in no way subordinate to the Spanish, the Spanish simply came to play; the Russians did not. Although Russian was eliminated, their semifinal finish is the best the national team has achieved since the fall of the USSR. They defeated Sweden, Holland and Greece: the winner of Euro04. Euro08 undoubtedlytaught the young Russian squad a very important lesson: victory is earned by the team which plays the best on the day of the match, not given based on past accomplishments.

The finals between Germany and Spain will be played on Sunday, June 29th at 2:30 on ESPN.

Euro08 Coverage from Nabil Othman: Turkey vs. Germany

2008-06-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

By: Nabil Othman

Despite a Turkish side that has made three impressive comebacks in the tournament, a 90th minute goal hit home by Germany’s Phillip Lahm was enough to elevate his side to a 3-2 victory.
To German and Turkish fans, the game was a cliffhanger. Around the 65th minute lightning struck at the site of the match in Basel, Switzerland, disabling the electronics that broadcasted the match to rest of the world. At that time the score was 1-1. While crews worked to fix the broadcasting problems, Miroslav Klose headed in a Bastian Schweinsteiger cross to put the Germans ahead in the 78th minute. Turkey, famous for their late comebacks, was not done just yet. In the 86th minute Semih Şentürk tapped a cross from Kazim Kazim past Jens Lehmann to even the score at two. Keep in mind that no one outside of Basel saw the goals. Although ESPN reported the goals on television, everyone, including myself, was on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if Turkey had one last trick up its sleeve; like the winning goal scored in the 92nd
minute by Turkish forward Nihat Kahveci against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal.

With everything on the line, and no way to know see the game, millions of people worldwide waited on the edge of their seat for ESPN to report any late goals--and it did. In the 90th minute Phillip Lahm slotted a shot past Turkish goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber. Everyone in the world waited for another Turkish comeback, but it never came. Turkey had used up the last of its magic in Euro08. Although Turkey’s tournament ended, they earned a special place in European Championship history as being the only team to come from behind three times--one to tie and two to win. It was also Turkey’s first trip to the semifinals of a major international tournament. Along the way they earned respect as a team who would never accept defeat.

The Germans advance to the finals, playing the winner of the other
semifinal game between Spain and Russia.

Spain v. Russia will be on June 26th at
2:30 pm on ESPN.

Why this year's USA Olympic team can win it all...

2008-06-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

The 2008 Men's Olympic Basketball team was announced on Monday and the team looks pretty damn good. Led by the '08 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, this team looks to make a run at the gold medal, especially since they've struggled to do so in the most recent tournaments. Here are the players and coaches of the 2008 Olympic team, and then my analysis.

Players -the positions aren't the primary positions of the players, but they are the projected positions for that player for the Olympics

* *Projected starter

**Kobe Bryant (SG- Los Angeles Lakers)

Dwayne Wade (SG- Miami Heat)

**Carmelo Anthony (SF, PF- Denver Nuggets)

Chris Paul (PG- New Orleans Hornets)

Carlos Boozer (PF, C- Utah Jazz)

Deron Williams (PG- Utah Jazz)

Tayshaun Prince (SF- Detroit Pistons)

**LeBron James (SF, PF- Cleveland Cavaliers)

**Dwight Howard (C- Orlando Magic)

Chris Bosh (C, PF- Toronto Raptors)

Michael Redd (SG- Milwaukee Bucks)

**Jason Kidd (PG- Dallas Mavericks)

Coaches

Mike Krzyzewski (Head Coach; Head Coach of Duke University)

Jim Boeheim (Assistant Coach; Head Coach of Syracuse University)

Mike D'Antonio (Assistant Coach; Head Coach of New York Knicks)

Nate McMillan (Assistant Coach; Head Coach of Portland Trail Blazers)

This is your USA Men's basketball team for the 2008 Olympics. It may not be the Dream Team, but it has the potential to be something close to it. It is a team full of high scorers, playmakers, veterans, and maturing youngsters. Out of the 12 players that were selected to this year's Olympic team, six of them were apart of the 2006 USA Men's World Championship team and eight of them participated on the '07 FIBA Americas Championship team that qualified for these Olympics. With most of them already having to work together on previous teams, this will give them an advantage in team chemistry and team cooperation. The most intriguing aspect of this year's Olympic team is the three point guards that were selected to the team.

Of the three, Jason Kidd will be one of the point guards that will bring the veteran presence to the team; especially to the other two point guards who were selected--Deron Williams and Chris Paul. The 35 year old Kidd was apart of the 2000 USA Olympic team that went 8-0 and won the gold medal in Sydney. Also on his resume, he has played on eight USA Men's basketball teams with a record of 44-0. That brings a lot to the team and even though he may not have the speed or outside shot that a typical point guard should have, Kidd is completely unselfish and that may be a reason why he could be the starting PG for a team full of superstars. With players like Chris Paul and Deron Williams sitting under him, the offense from the starting PG position won't be a concern for Krzyzewski because he has already made the decision to have scorers like Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James starting. He will be looking for more breaking down of the defense and passing from the starting point guard, and that is something that Kidd is capable of doing. Williams and Paul are both similar to each other in their style of play because they both know how to break down the defense like Kidd, but they are quicker and they can score easier. But when they are needed for scoring out of that PG position, then that's when they'll be used.

The addition of Michael Redd is key for this team because the past US teams have lacked the outside game and that reliable scorer coming off of the bench. Redd is capable of doing both of those things. He was a member of last summer's FIBA Americas Championship team and all while coming off of the bench, he put up 14.4 points a game while shooting a little over 50% from the field, and 45% from beyond the arch. His long range jumper will be a key component for this year's Olympic team and and his bench scoring will definitely be needed. Redd isn't a superstar, but he has the qualities of being close to one. With him sitting behind Kobe and company, I'm pretty sure he'll be the next 2-guard for Coach K to go to. With him being a backup SG with decent speed, he will be with a second unit that also consists of decent speed.

Whether it is Williams or CP3 being the first resort coming off of the bench, they both can run up and down the floor along with Redd which will call for a dangerous guard combo coming out of the second unit. Not to say that the starters aren't as quick as the bench (because that's not even close to the case), but it is always good to have speed on the bench. That way, they don't come in and slow things down. The speed on this team will give them success because they must run in order to wear down the opposition. It's really the case for most team's success.

Even though the team looks good in almost all aspects on the floor, there are a few flaws that could lead to trouble for this team. I feel that with them taking three point guards, they lack depth in the frontcourt. There really aren't enough big men that can really stop the opposition from driving the ball to the basket on them. With Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard being the only two players who can truly play the 5-spot, that may be a problem. Of course Carlos Boozer will see time at the center position, but he is not a TRUE center. If they are playing a team that has players that can run through the defense, there will be trouble for this team. They may have taken a risk by bringing opting to play more "small-ball". Defense will also be a problem for this team. Chris Paul is a guy who can force turnovers here and then, but he sometimes makes risky decisions by attempting to swipe the ball and that may be his downfall. If he doesn't come up with the steal, he gives the opposition an advantage on the floor when he's briefly out of the picture. I feel that the only players on the team that can play consistent defense is Bryant, Tayshaun Prince and if you want to, you can throw LeBron's name in there too. But other than Prince, there isn't really a true reliable defensive player that can come off of the bench and shut somebody down.

I do fear that even though Coach K says that this team won't be taking a numerous amount of jumpshots, the shortened three point line will be a Christmas present for these guys. It's understandable that if you're open for the three, take it and make it. But some of the players on this team has a knack for taking unnecessary shots. That may not be the type of problem that could cause this team to fall off, but it is one thing that Coach K will have to limit. When you don't have a team that is full of spot up shooters, than they all shouldn't be spotting up and shooting. But when they were in Athens and were hit with that zone, they didn't have the shooters to break that down. But with most international teams playing zone on a team of stars, the addition of the shooters this year can kill that off.

Despite the flaws that this team may have, they have too many strengths this year to blow this thing. This year's team consists of smart and determined players with some of them looking to get revenge from their previous failures. There may be a few close games that could scare the US team, but I don't see them allowing teams to run them over. There is a lot of pressure on them and they will be tested in these Olympics, but they have too many weapons to lose this thing.

Once the celebrating is done, Ainge has to get back to work

2008-06-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

While the Boston Celtics are still basking in the glory of their NBA Title, the off-season is basically here and Danny Ainge will have a few things to sort out. A successful off-season from last year brought home a title, and even though Ainge probably won't be looking to make any drastic changes like he did last year, he will still be looking to keep his team well-structured. Now that they are considered a championship caliber team, they must remain that way and depending on how the team looks at the beginning of next season, that will determine whether they still have what it takes to remain the championship caliber team that they are now. With many key Celtics becoming potential free-agents the off-season will be the Celtics only challenge going into next season.

A repeat isn't out of the question for this franchise. The Big Three are all signed up until 2010 and players like Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The core of this team won't be affected next season. But there are six players who become potential free agents over the off-season--Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown, James Posey, Scot Pollard, Tony Allen and Eddie House. All of these players have played a crucial role in the Celtics being able to bring a title back to Boston; whether it was in the regular season or the post-season. The only name that really doesn't really stick out at you in terms of importance to Boston's run at the title would most likely be Scot Pollard--no disrespect to Scot. The chances of him remaining in a Celtics uniform is very slim. He can be effectively used to take up space in the paint for another team, but the Celtics really don't show any need for him so he'll most likely be gone next season. Hell, retirement could be the next step for him if you consider his career not having an upside what so ever. If you look at P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell, their age is catching up to them as well and they may be pondering retirement. P.J. Brown was called out of retirement and his presence helped the Celtics in many ways, but he has his ring now and retiring may be his next option. It is tough to see Brown coming back, especially considering the talent that's on the bench with players like Powe, Davis, etc. He's 38 years old and winning the NBA Title maybe the icing on the cake for his career. The same standards apply for Sam. He's also 38 and he was basically called in to bring his veteran presence to the team, and guide Rajon Rondo in the post-season. That he did, and now it may be a wrap for his career. The Celtics will probably look to get younger rather than older, and Cassell wouldn't help out that case.

The most important name of the bunch is James Posey. Posey showed off his importance to this team by playing solid basketball throughout the season, and turning it up a notch in the playoffs. He was a constant threat on the floor for Boston as he was able to lock-down the offensive threats on the opposing teams, while he came up big offensively himself. He scored about 9 points a game in the Finals while playing about 25 minutes. He's a gamer and after helping teams like the Miami Heat and the Celtics win NBA Titles, he would be hot in the free-agent market if he were to opt-out of his two year contract with Boston. With this said, he most likely do just that. After teams see a guy like that come up big in his years of playing in the playoffs, they wouldn't mind having a piece like that on their team. He's not just a veteran presence--he contributes to his team by scoring, playing defense and he is sometimes reliable in crunch time. If he is open in the corner for a three and your team is in need of a big basket, Posey can hit it for you. James is important to the Celtics, but if he gets another offer from another playoff contending team that's hard to refuse, then I see him out of Boston next season. It's no secret that the team would love to keep him on the roster but his list of suitors may be pretty long.

Tony Allen and Eddie House are also two names among the ones mentioned in the list of potential free-agents coming out of Boston. House has hopped from team to team throughout his NBA career, and there is question to whether or not he will be a Celtic next year or not. He is a solid guard who is always prepared to play and can come in at any time to put up some quick points if you catch him on the right night. When Cassell injured his wrist and Rondo struggled in the playoffs, House came right in and made his presence felt. During the Finals, House saw 19 minutes a game and used them to his advantage by putting up 8 points a night. With his ability to quickly pull the the trigger from the perimeter, he can definitely help a team out with offense off of the bench. If I was Ainge, that would be a guy that I would look to bring back, for the fact that he brings so much more energy off of the bench than people think. He isn't a bad guy to have sitting on your bench. But with his history in not really having a home, he may not be back. Ainge may feel better knowing that he can do better than House with him earning about $1.5 million. And I feel that teams may be looking at him to lock him up for a couple years longer than the Celtics held onto him. In Allen's case, Gabe Pruitt may be ready to step in to take over the back up point guard position behind Rondo. That leaves Allen in a tough situation. But it's not like Allen didn't have any sort of presence on the court. He played his role as a reserve and though he made mistakes, those were only mental blunders that can only be fixed with experience. With only three years in the league and knee injuries that forced him to miss time in his career, he can only get better as a player. But the decision to bring him back sits on Ainge's shoulders. It's no secret that Ainge would like to see more out of Allen, but how patient will he be with him? He is a restricted free-agent and there is no telling how his situation will fair out. It's really a toss-up for him. For some reason, I believe that the Celtics will keep him for his consistent defense and his energy. But if a team offers him a deal that the Celtics are unwilling to match, then say bye-bye to him.

If/when the Celtics organization figures out what is going to happen with these potential free-agents, then there will be a lot of shoes to fill on the bench. They will have the last pick in the NBA Draft and whoever they choose will most likely be the next step in rebuilding the bench. Some minor off-season signings may help that out as well. But Ainge will have another busy off-season this year. He doesn't have to bring in anymore big names in order to win another NBA Title, but pending on the decisions made by those in the front office regarding the potential pool of free-agents coming out of Boston, there will be a search for role players who can come in and do what they are called upon to do. After all the celebrating is completed, Ainge will have to go right back to work and decisions by himself and the players will have to be made. It'll be an interesting off-season for the NBA Champs.

The future will be bright in L.A.

2008-06-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

By: Vince Vitale

Despite Boston's six game dominance of the Lakers, their future still looks bright. Especially considering the fact that they made it to the NBA Finals without Andrew Bynum. Drew was their starting center at the begining of the year and will be back next year, along with the all of other starters. Now close your eyes and imagine--Fisher pushing point, the closest thing to Michael Jordan at the other guard, and the versatile Lamar Odom becoming a dominant small forward. Pau Gasol will most likely slide down to the power forward spot where he belongs and Bynum will return to the starting line up. He will be the dominating inside presence that the Lakers lacked this year. He will compliment the frontcourt players so well, that the team can only become better. The Lakers will surpass Boston's bench because Cassel and PJ Brown will likely retire. Kobe will have another MVP type season and the Lakers will begin their quest to becoming a dynasty.

Now the important thing is keeping the pieces of the puzzle together. Look for Laker management to draft a scoring type combo guard to come off of the bench. As the West continues to get older, the Lakers can remain the favorite. Steve Nash is past his prime, so the Suns aren't the same threat that they used to pose. The same case can be made for Tim Duncan and the Spurs as well. The Mavericks have chemistry problems with their team and New Orleans is still one peace away from contending. Meanwhile in the East, Detroit should fall apart soon--for better or worse, and the Cavs need to find the Robin to Lebron's Batman.

With all this being said, a repeat of this year's Finals are very realistic as of right now, and I see the Lakers getting their revenge.

Minaya's firing of Randolph is pitiful

2008-06-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

Disgraceful, Pathetic, Classless.

These are words that can describe the way that Willie Randolph was fired from the managerial position of the New York Mets. It's really a shame that Willie had to hear his name in the air like this for these past several months; especially after the terrible collapse that the Mets suffered from the last 17 games of last season. They had a seven game lead in the NL East division with just 17 games to go but his players struggled to hold it by going 5-12 during those last few weeks and they ended up losing the division on the last day to the Philadelphia Phillies. But how much of that should be put on Willie? He had his team playing good baseball up until that point and they were arguably one of the best teams in the NL in 2007. They just happened to go into a funk during the last stretch of the season, causing them to lose the division. The fact of the matter is that they still finished at a 88-74 record, two games under 90 wins and 2nd in the NL East. Not a bad record for somebody who was in their 3rd career year as a manager.

Yes, it's understandable that New York wants their teams to be on top of things but it can't always happen. The way that the Mets got impatient with Randolph is ridiculous. Firing him when they were only one game under .500 (34-35) and winning 3 of their last 4 games was just classless. Randolph was literally a base hit away from the World Series in 2006, when Carlos Beltran had the opportunity to send the Mets to the promise land, but instead he decided to look at a two-strike pitch right down the middle of the plate. Ever since that, the Mets have had expectations that have been very high but they haven't been able to meet them. Is that the manager's problem or the players? If you've seen the way the Mets have played for the past 9 months, then it looks as though the players are responsible for that because they've looked like a mess at times this season. Just mental blunders that can only be fixed by the players, not the manager. We know that the Mets are a skillful team, but they haven't had their heads together since last years meltdown.

Whether or not it was Randolph's fault in not getting his team in the right mindset to battle with the NL East, the way he was fired was pathetic and classless. They waited until they got to the West coast to fire him so he can't at least be comforted by family when he recieved the news. The guy has been under scrutiny for the longest and he has had pressure on him since last year. If there was a right time to fire the guy, it was after last years meltdown. Therefore, he could of had the opportunity to find another job in the time that he was unemployed. But instead, he has to wait for the right job opening which we don't really know how long that will take. The Mets weren't playing terrible baseball when he was fired; they were just falling behind quickly. But Omar Minaya was just too impatient and he decided to hit the panic button, well before the season could have been decided. They have yet to fall out of contention and they still have the team that can get them right back in the race. With the Phillies running away with the division, they Wild Card spot is yet to be decided and the Mets have a chance to take that spot away. But for some reason, the Mets management feels that they should be like the Yankees and be the team that owns their division, but just because they're from New York doesn't mean that they have to be like the Yankees.

They could've waited until the all star break to see where they were at. Minaya should be gone because he is the one that put together this team who he thought would've been the "new" NY Yankees. Instead, it's full of a bunch of overpaid, overachievers who never showed any disliking of Randolph and they've continually stated that Randolph wasn't the problem with the Mets struggles. He has had their support over the past year or so, and Minaya still feels that it's Randolph's fault. Yeah Omar, you're real classy.

With this going on, I hope that the Mets go on to play terrible baseball and go on to finish under .500, just to show Minaya the mistake that he made. Karma will play a factor in this firing. I'm hoping an NL team will hire Randolph so that he can beat up on the Mets every year and knock them out of the playoffs. That is how much I am disgusted in the Mets management.

Boston takes Game 1, how can the Lakers rebound (no pun intended)?

2008-06-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Once again, the Boston Celtics are able to take the first game of a series on their home court in a 98-88 win over the L.A. Lakers. It seems like the Celtics are always able to play an energetic game in the opening game of whatever series that they're in and it seems to be a key win for them in every series in these playoffs. That Game 1 win is always important to them because they have yet to take complete control over a series as they were able to win each one in six games or more.

But how key was this one against the Lakers?

Well, the Lakers look like they are the only team that won't give Boston any stolen opportunities to allow them to take control of the series. The Lakers aren't like the Pistons who seem to be the only team in the NBA that can't take momentum into the next game, unlike the Lakers who can use momentum from a good win and use it to make the kill on their homecourt. It didn't show in the series against the Utah Jazz much, but they were still able to get the job done there. And don't forget the impressive, knocking off of the '07 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. In a series that was predicted by many to be the toughest for the Lakers by going six, if not seven games. But the hungry Lakers were able to take advantage of the fatigue shown by the Spurs from rounds one and two.

That is what the Lakers will need to do in order to top off the Celtics. It's safe to see that the Celtics are a team that you wouldn't want to face on their homecourt while they are up in the series because that's where they have done most of their damage throughout the regular season, and even the playoffs. They've only lost one game in the postseason at TD Banknorth. That was against the inconsistent Pistons who had the best chance to give the C's the most trouble, but they couldn't take the energy from Game 2 and send it back to their homecourt where they allowed the C's (a team who couldn't by a win on the road) to steal away TWO games on the road. Not cool at all.

The Lakers are similar to the Celtics when it comes to playing at home, but they've shown more consistency on the road than Boston has. That is really the one and only advantage that the Lakers have over the Celtics. The Celtics are too good to assume that the match ups that the Lakers have against the Celtics are an advantage because that's not true. It showed in Game 1 that the match ups may be a little difficult for the Lakers.

The Lakers will have to do what all of the other teams that faced the Celtics couldn't do, and that's actually STEAL a game at TD Banknorth. The Pistons didn't steal Game 2 away from Boston, rather more than they just won it because they didn't take advantage of that win. That is all the Lakers will have to do in order to make this series come out in their favor.

Lakers vs. Celtics Rivalry Renewed?

2008-06-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

By Jake Wessel

At the conclusion of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the whole NBA front office must have been high-fiving each other as their wish for Lakers-Celtics has finally come true. In a rivalry that captivated NBA fans in the 80’s and thrusted the NBA into prime time, it has also passed baseball as the second highest rated American sports league. Now in a two-decade long wait, the rivalry is renewed and the NBA can start counting its money as the advertising and the games themselves will rack up some major ratings and money. This is a rivalry that is one of the few that has transcended the sport by bringing in more viewers, by having two teams year in and year out playing for the championship. Bringing in two guys, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who were some of the first NBA players to gain advertising promos for McDonalds and such thus getting the NBA more spotlight and gaining a wider audience. The Lakers and Celtics were the ones that were in large part, responsible for the popularity increase in the NBA in the 80’s. It’s no secret that the actual rivalry itself ranks with the greatest rivalries of all time, like the Yankees/Red Sox, Michigan/Ohio State, Redwings/Avalanche etc.. So how does the Lakers/Celtics rivalry get to rank up there with aforementioned above? They had everything in terms of being an all time great rivalry.

They had prominent figures on their respective teams, which the casual NBA watcher would recognize. Thus, they were able to reach those viewers to get a larger audience that other teams might not have been able to draw. They were totally opposite teams in every aspect to their game plans, types of players they had, coaches, all the way to the actual cities they represented. On one side you have the blue-collar working class Boston Celtics that played great team defense ran traditional plays and were scrappy. O the other side, you have the Hollywood flash and flare, show time L.A Lakers that ran teams out of the building with lights out shooting and countless fast break points. Those attributes and description of the teams and cities can be added to their leaders, Larry Bird of the Celtics and, Magic Johnson of the Lakers.

On one side you have Larry Bird who was a country boy best noted by his lights out jumper and clutch abilities, while he was a quiet guy who led more by example than by words. He embodied his team image by hard work, getting loose balls, steals and rebounds; just plain and simple scrappiness. He also had the clutch shooting and plays that only Michael Jordan can compare to. Then you have Magic Johnson who was outgoing loved giving interviews talking to reporters, and possessed skills that the NBA hasn’t seen before and hasn’t seen since. I don’t feel bad saying that he was the most completely skilled basketball player the NBA has ever seen. It can be noted first that he was a 6’9 point guard which is unique in itself, then add that he was quick, made insane passes and could shoot from anywhere on the court; you really had the most dangerous player in the league. He could have played every position on the court and excelled at each. So when you have popular players conflicting game styles, players, and cities you have the makings of an all time great rivalry that dominated the 80’s.

So then fast forward 21 years and you can see why this is so huge in the fact the NBA’s greatest rivalry is renewed. Even with an obvious different roster and playing styles. You have Kobe Bryant who can solidify himself as the true best player in the league by winning his fourth championship ring. Then you have three players in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen That have been criticized in their career for not being able to get it done in the playoffs and win that all elusive NBA championship. Also being able to continue the legacies of the two most decorated and noted NBA franchises will provide everything needed to have successful and notable Finals series. This is just what the NBA needs in a time that ratings and popularity has leveled off and is in need of a spark that only a Celtics/Lakers Finals can produce.

Win or lose: Jobs are no longer safe in the NBA

2008-06-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

By: Vince Vitale

The most recent firing of Flip Saunders of the Detroit Pistons is just the latest case of how unfair this business really is. We’ll come back to Flip soon but first let us go to before Flip when this problem first started.

In 2004 the Pistons defeated the Lakers in 5 games. This led to a complete makeover for the Lakers. Such moves were made to send Shaq to Miami, let me add they won a championship the season after his arrival. The most shocking change was at the coaching spot. Phil Jackson was removed from his duties at coach. The same Phil Jackson that won 9 rings with the Bulls and Lakers throughout the past 20 years. I don’t think you can find anyone better than 9 rings on their fingers, or anyone more qualified for their job, but still he was released from his duties.

That was just the beginning.

A year after that Larry Brown himself would not be coaching for the Pistons anymore because Detroit management thought his health was inconsistent. The same guy who won them a championship and split apart the Kobe-Shaq combo just a season before was gone. He would go on to sign a massive contract with the Knicks and he gets fired a year after that job. You can’t blame anybody for him not doing well with the Knicks because nobody in the world can get that team to win. So who fills the spot of a legend like Larry Brown. Flip Saunders, the same guy who got fired in Minnesota a year after they made it to the Western Conference finals. So now the Pistons make it to several Eastern Conference championships throughout the next couple years.

All while having a great record in the regular season each and every year. This just wasn’t enough for Joe Dumars though. I mean this guy does know what he is doing after all. Look at his great drafting ability. He is the guy who picked Darko with the second overall pick. Meanwhile Wade, Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony all turned into perennial all stars.

Fast forward to this year, the Pistons have the second best record in the entire league and Flip gets fired. Instead of pointing the finger at Billups’s bad health, or Rasheeds complete insanity, or even Tayshauns vanishing act, we point the finger at Flip. Well this is just why the business is how cold hearted it is. Alongside with Flip, Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni are also gone from their respective ball clubs That’s right the Suns and Mavs who have been competing with the Spurs throughout this entire decade fire their coaches. Did anyone think that maybe the Jason Kidd and Shaq deals had an affect on the team by any chance. Anyhow with all this being said Mike D’Antoni now gets to coach the Knicks.

Only prayer can help you now Mike.

Meanwhile a guy who just won coach of the year last year in Avery Johnson doesn’t even have a job. There is no time in the NBA, you either win a ring or get fired. Anyhow, the Pistons will probably replace Flip with Michael Curry. A guy who used to play for the Pistons but hasn’t been the head coach in this league for a single game.

Good luck Detroit.

I rest my case with a simple point, management is cruel to coaches for no reason, this is the same league that allowed Scott Skiles to get fired this year on Christmas Eve.

FGS update: Flip Saunders out as Pistons head coach

2008-06-03T00:00:00.001-07:00

The last straw for Joe Dumars was when he saw his team get knocked out of the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season. Flip Saunders is no longer the head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

There were already rumors that Flip was already on the hot seat before the season even began and they wouldn't have died down until he had a successful season, or at least make it to the NBA Finals. But instead, he has failed once again to bring the Pistons back to the Finals after they made it there in the previous two seasons before Flip was the coach.

Those back-to-back finals appearances were credited to the former head coach, Larry Brown. There aren't that many comparisons that you can make between Saunders and Brown. The main reason why Brown was able to take a championship caliber teams to the Finals is because he had proven that he was a winner. Whether it was in the NCAA or in the NBA; Brown was the kind of coach that knew how to motivate his team. That seemed to be Saunders' main problem. There has always been talk regarding the chemistry between the Pistons and Flip, most recognizable Rasheed Wallace. There was a lack of respect for Flip and that is something that Brown demanded from his team. He was able to get that, partially because of his history as a successful coach and partially because...he was just that type of coach.

The question that surrounds this move made by Dumars is "was it the right move"? Was it the coach that reflected the players, or was it the players that reflected the coach?

Flip has had a championship caliber team for the past three seasons, but he hasn't been able to lead them to another championship. Motivation was a visible problem with this team and the coach is highly responsible for bringing the fire in their team. But at times, we saw the Pistons get cocky and play like they had nothing to prove. How much of that is their fault?

As much as people like to put everything on how Flip runs the team, some of it is not his fault and that is why the firing of Flip won't be the only move that Dumars will make. Expect to see some player movement over the Pistons offseason.

We will have more updates on this once we receive more information.

2008 Celtics-Lakers Finals have big shoes to fill

2008-06-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

The Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers...this is the way that it was supposed to be for the '08 NBA Finals. Conspiracy or not, that is the way that it has turned out and now we have a highly anticipated match up for the NBA Title.

This is a rivalry that was built in the early 60's and kept on until it died around the early 90's. Since then, every match up between these two teams haven't been as intruiging as the years of Bird, West, Johnson, Russell and all of the other stars who made this match up one to always watch. The years have gone by and now we find ourselves anticipating a series that hasn't been more hyped than the last time these two teams met in the NBA Finals--21 years ago. Yes it has been a long time since we've seen the Lakers and Celtics in action for something that is more important than just a regular season win--these are two of the most successful franchises in sport's history going against each other once again, for an NBA Title. It's way better than another Cavaliers-Spurs series, or a Pistons-Spurs series only because of the business aspect. With NBA ratings going down in the past couple of years, the NBA needs something like this to bring it back to where it's supposed to be. The interest level has plunged and now the chances of it skyrocketing are very high with this particular Finals match up.

Let's not get carried away with this though. With all the hype surrounding this series, it all comes down to the players.

Will they be able to make this an intruiging series?

Will the outcome of this series bring back the old days when the tension between the two teams was high?

This years Lakers and Celtics teams have HUGE shoes to fill. There is a lot of pressure on these two teams--not because they are playing for an NBA Title, but they are being relied on to bring back a rivalry that was once the face of the NBA. It seems like a lot of people, including David Stern, are depending on them for a boost in the interest level of the league. We've seen the commercials with highlights from the old games be compared with Kobe and Garnett to build up the anticipation of the series. But at what point does it get too "over-hyped"?

The pressure for this series to be similar to the ones in the 60's-80's is high and we don't know what to expect. As of now, there is no beef between the two teams that could make it more interesting. That is what was great about the former match ups between these two. We saw a lot of physical play on the court and it was fun to watch. But with a league that seems to be full of "softer" players these days doesn't make me look forward to a typical basketball game. The players on both teams don't seem to be the kind of players who would trash talk, in order to make the series more interesting to watch.

It is no secret that Boston is a much more physical team than the Lakers are and they've shown that all season (and a few times during the playoffs). What can we say about the Lakers being physical?

They tend to be more focused on winning the game rather than trying to make it more appeasing to others, which is a good mentality to have going into a highly anticipated series such as this. There is no need to make bad decisions because of what people want to see. That will just furthermore prove how much the NBA is staged. But with the Lakers being the way they are and the Celtics being the way that they are, how will this fair out with the rivalries from years ago when both teams had just about the same mentality?

It won't. These two teams can't allow the pressure of trying to be like the old guys get to their heads, because there is no need to fake it in order to make this an interesting series. They have to renew the rivalry rather than continue it. The days of Bird vs. Johnson, West vs. Russell is now over. This is a new era in the NBA where it is only right to play like you need to instead of play like you want to.

We definitely want to see the best possible series, but without the comparisons. With all of the comparisons being made between the two TOTALLY different era's, how dissapointed would everybody be if one of the team's were to be swept?

All of the unnecessary hype goes right out of the window and now we're looking forward for it to happen again. There is a pretty good chance that these two teams could meet in the NBA Finals again for the next several years, but let's not get too carried away in the hype. Not saying that this will be a great series because everybody on Earth should be tuning into every game of this series. It's just that we have to let the series play out to become its own rivalry, instead of trying to turn it into one that hasn't been around for over 20 years.

Pens waste opportunites, Wings one win from Stanley Cup

2008-06-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

The Detroit Red Wings bounced back from their Game 3 loss the other night with a win in Pittsburgh, snapping the Penguins 17 game home win streak. Nicklas Lindstrom scored for the Wings in the first period several minutes after the Pens struck with their first goal by Marian Hossa. After a long and physical second period, the score remained tied at 1-1. But Jiri Hudler came through for the Wings in the third period by shooting a backhand behind the Pens goalie, Marc-Andre Fluery. It looked like it could've been an easy stop, but Hudler found a way to get it to the back of the net and that is what happened to be the
difference in the game. If he made took the same shot with Fluery staying aware, there is a small chance that he would get the same results.

Chris Osgood bounced back by holding the Pens to 1 goal with 22 saves. He has arguably been one of the best players for the Wings throughout the postseason. He is now 13-3 in these playoffs and he is highly deserving of the Hart Trophy. Many Detroit fans have ripped Osgood for over the years, but this is a guy who has led the Wings to a Stanley Cup already and he arguably has HOF numbers. Osgood leads the Wings franchise in many of the goalie categories, and he has proven why he is one of the best in these playoffs. He's had his flaws, but when it comes to making stops in big moments, he does it. If you saw the 5 on 3 advantage that the Pens had last night, Osgood was able to stay focused and make the stops that were needed in order for the Wings to gain their men back. It was hard to believe that the offensive threat(s) that the Pens pose weren't able to come through at that time, considering that they had the advantage for almost two minutes.

The defense also deserves a ton of credit for that penalty kill. The way they were able to block off shots and clear the puck out on occasions to kill the penalty time was tremendous. Henrik Zetterberg was particularly the one who played outstanding on that penalty kill by competing the whole time. On the other side, the Pens didn't execute well at all; at least at that particular time.

The Pens didn't play all that bad throughout that game. There were a lot of missed opportunities, great shots and exceptional defense in that game. They just happened to run into Osgood when he was at his best (which seems to have been throughout this whole post season). The only time where you could point out a crucial moment for the Pens was on that 5 on 3. It was tough for them and they had their biggest opportunity during that advantage. They took some good shots and they took some bad shots, but most were bad shots. After that advantage was complete, the Pens wouldn't find a better time to score because it looked as though the Wings put their heads together and stopped committing unnecessary penalties, and also tried to keep the puck out of their zone for the most part of that third period.

The keys for the Pens to get it together is for their stars to get it together. Sure, Sidney Crosby had a good game in Game 3, but he was on the ice for the most part of that spoiled, 5 on 3 advantage. We've seen Crosby on the power play and it isn't a secret that he is dangerous in that situation. But when you have a 5 on 3 advantage, you can't allow three guys to crowd their sticks in the lane to hold you scoreless in that situation. He was really a non-factor in Game 4. Still, Crosby has contributed a hell of a lot more than Evgeni Malkin who has been more than a non-factor; he's been non-existent. He still remains scoreless and heartless. Malkin was a Hart Trophy finalist coming into this series, but that hasn't motivated him one bit in this series. It's
like watching Ray Allen when lost his touch in the some of the games of the NBA Playoffs, or watching Rick Ankiel when he lost his control in 2000 during the NLDS. The outcome will probably end up similar to Ray Allen because we won't see Malkin come back several seasons later in a goalie's uniform. Malkin won't remain in this mode, but he will need to show some kind of life in Game 5 in order to give the Pens a chance to win this. It's hard to call him a choke, but that may be exactly what he is doing.

With probably their best opportunity of the game (5 on 3), and possibly of the series being spoiled, and one of their best players who doesn't seem to have his head on straight, the Pens find themselves in a deep 3-1 whole to a veteran-poised team who have the home-ice advantage going into Game 5. A series that many were wishing to go in the Pens favor, or at least a little deeper than five games, may be wrapped all up at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Monday night. It will take 3 consecutive wins for the Pens to knock off the Wings, and history shows that the chances of that happening are the same as gas prices hitting $3.00 a gallon--very low.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not Living Up to His Own Expectations

2008-05-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

By: Jacob Wessel

Being a long time NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt fan, it was only right that after he passed that I started to look to Dale Jr. for someone to root for. But instead of him filling his dad’s shoes or at least put forth a good showing in the races. He’s come up short in recent years going out partying and being more worried about the appearance/business side of racing; instead of actually wining races and championships.

He has turned his back on D.E.I.; his fathers race team, turned his back on his step mother and his siblings, instead of after the dismal seasons he’s had since 2001 looking to improve his racing skill. He instead says that unless he has more than 51% ownership of the team he’s gone; thus him singing with his arch rivals Hendrick motor sports. Where he now plays third fiddle to Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson for what not a better chance to win the championship or an extremely better team no he leaves for more money. He has the potential to be a great driver and at the beginning of each season since his dad passed, he made comments about how he has matured. He has learned that from mistakes and will be solely focused on racing and that he will win the championship this year or be no lower than third. But with his performance in years since his dad death he has inconsistently and lackadaisically lost momentum, friends and fans for what more money more endorsements.

Now I’m not saying that’s bad I’m not against people getting their money, but when it takes away from the sport and you see them falter in their skill level and stop being a contender its where I draw the line. And it pains me to say this about Dale but it has to be said, I know its impossible to fill his father’s shoes no one ever will. But with that said it’s not too much to ask to be a contender for a championship, consistently win races. With that said I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves since 2001 he has 15 wins only 78 top five finishes in seven years (remember there are 34-36 races a year.) Most importantly, no championships.

Before 2001 when his dad was still alive finished second in rookie of the year voting in the then Winston cup series won back to back Busch series championships and 15 wins in 3 seasons. So you see where the fall from the top happened. Although it may seem like I don’t like dale jr., he was my favorite driver and I still pull for him because he has a tremendous potential but until he actually puts racing first and focuses solely on wining I’m sorry to say but he’ll just be a rich wasted talent.

The NBA Draft Lottery is a Joke

2008-05-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

After putting aside my beef with the NBA and its funny business, last night made me even more determined to believe that the NBA is a phony league. Ever since the NBA Draft Lottery began, it seems like there has been something wrong with it every year; or maybe it’s just me. You’ve seen what happened when Patrick Ewing went to the New York Knicks, and we see what’s happened with Tim Duncan when he went to the San Antonio Spurs. And don’t let me remind you about how the Toronto Raptors ended up getting the No. 1 overall pick in 2006. Who did they get? An international player, Andrea Bargnani. Wouldn’t that be great for a Canadian franchise to go out and get an international player? I mean, they don’t even show the ball being picked for goodness sake. I felt that the Boston Celtics would be the ones to take the #1 pick last year but the first two picks went to two struggling franchises out West who needed saviors. Those two saviors were #1 and #2 in last years draft. And for some reason, I can’t help but to believe that the Boston didn’t get those picks because the deal that brought the Big Three into town was already a done deal (that we didn’t know was going to occur). But that’s over now and this is the reason why the NBA is itching to see Boston in the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, and I gave my opinion on how those deals went down.

Now I just don’t understand it. I would love to believe that it was a coincidence of what goes down in the NBA but last night gives me a reason not to. How the hell do the Chicago Bulls win the No.1 overall pick with a 1.7% chance of winning? Jumping from No.9 to No.1? This is ridiculous. With Chicago already being a halfway decent team, they probably played a little lackadaisical towards the end of the season in order to obtain a better chance in the NBA Draft Lottery. But even with less than a two percent of winning, they end up with the No.1. I can’t do anything but question that.

So with that said, lets take a look at the choices that Chicago has. The top two players (in my opinion) in this year’s NBA Draft are the two freshman stars, Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose. Both are NBA ready and both can help Chicago. Beasley can play either the PF or SF spot, and that’s where the Bulls have strength at. They have seven forwards on their roster and adding another would be silly. With Beasley being a guy who loves getting rebounds and isn’t afraid to go in to take them, the Bulls don’t necessarily need that. They were pretty strong in that department too because they were in the top ten in rebounding with 43 a game.

Now let’s take a look at Rose. This is a guy who showed us what he can do in college; break down the defense, drive to the basket, create plays and open shots, etc. With Chicago only having two true point guards on their team, Rose could fit in easily and run the offense just as good as Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon, if not better. Hinrich will need to have a better season that he did last year in order to be trusted by whoever their next head coach will be. If he can’t accomplish that, then he may see limited time. If Rose were to come into Chicago (which I feel will most likely happen), then he has the perfect situation into his lap.

It’s funny to me though, how this works out because Rose is a positional player that they could really use and he would make a great fit in Chicago. They need a go-to guy who is an excellent ball handler and if anybody, Rose is their guy. But even with him possibly being the first one taken in this draft, it gives me reason to believe that this is a conspiracy because THE GUY IS FROM CHICAGO!!!

Coincidence? Naw, I don’t think so.

Put that puzzle together yourself if you still don’t understand how that is working out. More notes from this, David Stern lives in Chicago with a place right down the street from Jerry Reinsdorf. If you don’t know who that is, he is the majority owner of the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls. These are two guys who have a history of having a good relationship, so it’s not surprising to me at all how this went down.

Maybe none of this would’ve occurred if Mike D’Antonio weren’t to go to New York over Chicago. I feel that the reason why New York didn’t get the No.1 pick is because they’re too deep in a whole to have the bounce back season that they need in order to revive the New York basketball scene. With Chicago, they already have the decent team and with the right coach, they may have already been on pace for a bounce back season. Now with the No.1 overall pick, I’m sure they will.

David Stern's dream is still intact

2008-05-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

If you’re an NBA fan, you should’ve realized by now that the commissioner David Stern will do anything to improve the marketing aspect of the league. Anything that could help the image of the NBA will be done if necessary. Even if that means letting things go off of the hook in order to allow the best match ups in the future.

This case can be made for the recent situation that occurred in Game 4 in Atlanta in Game of the 1st round match up between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics. After taking an obvious elbow from Kevin Garnett, Zaza Pachulia had his beef with Garnett and got in his face to let him know what’s up. After everything was close to being broken up, Garnett finally decided to get tough after the altercation was just about over and attempted to make his way back to Pachulia which is when he started getting held back by the official, Ed Rush. The mindset of Garnett may have been blocked out by his own self because the adrenaline possibly got to his head, which may have caused him to rip Rush’s arms off of him and clearly shove him out of the way. To top it off, Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, clearly took a couple of steps off of the bench and he looked to be walking further out until one of the coaches held him back from going any further. The same came from the other side with Atlanta, when Marvin Williams had his foot on the floor. The difference between Williams and Perkins was that Williams only had his momentum moving him onto the floor unlike Perkins, who clearly looked as if though he was planning on stepping further if his coach weren’t to hold him back.

Now with David Stern in attendance of this game, the look on his face looked as if he might take at least a little bit of action and at least bring some discipline among somebody out on the court. But who would be the one to receive the consequences?

Well, Pachulia didn’t do anything deserving of consequences as all he did was basically stick up for his team by letting Garnett know that he wasn’t going to be throwing out those cheap shots to his team. Garnett didn’t do anything wrong when he exchanged words with Pachulia, even though he may have been wrong for throwing the elbow which started the whole situation. The main thing that he was wrong for is shoving the official out of the way in order to escalate the situation that was going on out on the floor.

Other questions that may be asked is if Williams or Perkins made a bad choice by barely stepping out onto the floor. No, they weren’t wrong for doing that because as a player, there are a few things running through your head if you see something like that…break it up, go out and stand up for your team or try and sit back so you don’t get into trouble. Most of the time, the first and second scenarios are mainly chosen by players. There is definitely nothing wrong with that either because a lot of people think that way. The problem came from the office of David Stern.

The first issue with Garnett shoving the official out of the way to escalate the beef on the court was looked at without a problem. Garnett doesn’t receive any consequences for it. Whether it’s because he is a highly respected player in the NBA, or the “referee wasn’t harmed in the shoving”, it’s hard to see that situation and hit Garnett with a suspension or at least a fine. But yet in the previous game when rookie Al Horford showed his (dis)respect for Paul Pierce by yelling at him while he was on the ground, Pierce walks towards the Atlanta bench and throws up some type of symbol that nobody knows except Pierce and he’s fined for it. Pierce stated that it stood for Blood, Sweat and Tears. I thought he was throwing up a 3, just basically telling Horford that it was only Game 3. Whatever it was, Pierce was fined and he apologized for it telling the NBA that he is not for promoting any type of gang violence.

Garnett is let off the hook, but the other issue involves with what happened with Marvin Williams and Kendrick Perkins. The rule in the NBA states that if any player leaves their bench in order to address an altercation on the court, they will receive some type of discipline. We saw what happened in last years playoffs when Steve Nash was shoved into the scorers table by Robert Horry in the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw were both suspended for stepping off of the bench after the situation started getting heated within a matter of seconds. As many people believe, those suspensions heavily affected that series as Phoenix was without some key performers. When you look at when Perkins and Williams stepped out onto the floor, it is similar to what happened last year. With Diaw, he looked as if he was just taking momentous steps when the situation in Phoenix got hot; that looks exactly like what Marvin Williams did. But with Stoudamire last year, he looked like he wanted to address the situation with some sort of retaliation, whether it was exchanging words or whatever. That may not have been Kendrick Perkins’ EXACT intentions but his steps towards the situation looked as if he was looking to do something before he realized that he may have took one step too many and it could result in a disciplinary action.

Whether it’s just a lean off of the bench or intentions to take action in the situation, the NBA wasn’t consistent about it. Williams and Perkins should’ve been suspended for what they did, even if it was just an inch onto the court. Consistency is key for the NBA and they didn’t show it in this particular situation.

Let’s take a look at the shove Garnett gave to Ed Rush. Now tell me if that wasn’t somebody like Rasheed Wallace, Al Horford or even Stoudamire, they wouldn’t get suspended either? I highly doubt that they would be playing in the next game.

This puts a big question mark over the NBA and David Stern. It’s obvious that he wants to see Boston and the Lakers in the NBA Finals and anything that could step in the way of that would break his heart. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see that again? Boston and L.A. just like the good ol’ days. I can understand Stern’s motivation but all he is doing is raising more suspicion and losing respect for the NBA. When disciplinary action needs to be made, nothing should stop you from making those actions even if it requires you “ruining your dream” (Stern’s dream is to see L.A. and Boston in the Finals of you didn’t get that one). It’s hard to tell if it would’ve affected the outcome of the series anyways, but there is still a level of consistency that needs to be kept. With this situation, there wasn’t any shown at all.

But even with no suspensions made, the series went to 7 games which was something I’m sure we all didn’t expect to see. Stern’s dream may be crushed within the next round or so. Atlanta basically exposed Boston and the next two rounds can bring problems for the Celtics. For now, Stern is happy. As long as the Lakers keep rolling, his dream season may still be a possibility. I’m not gonna lie…I would love to see a Celtics-Lakers Finals because I wasn’t able to see it back in the old days. Who wouldn’t want to see it? But situations like this show how phony the NBA can get and then you have to question other things that go on around the league. Stern just lost some of the little respect I had for him, and probably not just from me. I’m pretty sure plenty of Atlanta fans are pissed as well. Stern still has his dream intact, but his integrity will always be questionable, at least to me.

Memo to Mark Cuban: Sports aren't like the internet

2008-05-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

By: Ray Dunseith

I'll start with my putting down of Mark Cuban by saying a few things about the guy. He is a genius. He made money off of very smart investments, and it’s not like he started off rich. He was born middle class and worked his way up to 10-digit status. He's from Steel City, and his dad was an auto-upholsterer. Cuban did well in school, got into college, held some smaller jobs to get by, and then when he saw computers were getting big he invested and made off big.

His smartest move was starting up broadcast.com and selling it to Yahoo for $6 bil. in stock. But what was his worst move? Was it letting Nash go? Was it making enemies with Davis Stern? Was it believing that Dirk Nowitzki can lead a team to a championship or was it trading for Jason Kidd?

None of the above. I think that his biggest mistake was firing Avery Johnson. He is the Mavericks. Why would you fire someone who got you to the NBA Finals 3 years ago? Sure they've been bounced first round two years in a row. But, in his (and the organization's defense), last year the Warriors were a completely different team after the trade deadline and were basically given two incredibly talented players for nothing (Dunleavy...yeah...). This year, they struggled because he had an ineffective trade made for Jason Kidd. All that did was lose your point guard of the future and give J-Kidd somewhere warm to spend his last days in the NBA (though I could see him playing well into his 60's). Avery Johnson is a talented coach. He learned from Greg Popovich (who must be doing something right. I think that for Cuban, losing Johnson is like losing Nash.

He can sign Flip Saunders if he gets fired from Detroit or go after another assistant coach (I would look for Terry Porter from the Pistons to wind up coaching somewhere in the near future) or offer some college coach a ridiculous amount of money, but it’s not going to matter. The teams’ problems aren't a coaching issue. Avery Johnson can't do anything about an owner who likes plying with around his roster (and the million dollar contracts of its players) like a fantasy team.

So until Cuban lets a GM do the work that they get paid and know how to do (well, as long as its not Isiah or Steve Kerr), expect this to continue Mavericks fans. Now Cubs fans, don't you wish that Marky-Mark had your payroll to play with?

Detroit vs. Orlando: Scrap City

2008-05-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

By: Ray Dunseith

For a series where most articles that I read prior to it focused on how the starting shooting guards for each team are great friends (one even gave the other one their dog as a gift), the match up of the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons seems to be headed in a rather violent direction. Both teams are scrappy and very hungry. Dwight Howard is one of the most physical players in the NBA, and Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess aren't quick to back down from fights. There were numerous pushing matches throughout the whole game, but what really tells me this is going to be a brawler was when Walter Herrman and Pat Garrity (yes that’s right that guy Pat Garrity) were about to fight playing the garbage minutes in the fourth quarter. I don't like it.

I love it.

It shows what heart both players have and how much they support their teammates (not that either one is really considered an enforcer on their team). Anyway, the point being made here is that don't let the Piston's 20 point lead fool you. This is going to be an exciting series for all of you NBA fans outside of Central Florida and the Mitten that didn't catch game one to come check out (even for you Western Conference fans that are used to 1,000,000 point games. I mean hey, this should be more exciting than Tim Duncan and those boring-a#$ Spurs).

Besides, if Boston gets upset by Atlanta (it is possible guys, just ask Mark Cuban about those kind of upsets), than this will be better than Hawks/LeBron and some other guys.

Patience, Perseverance and Determination rewards Danica Patrick

2008-04-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

It took 50 starts to win her first open-whel series but Danica Patrick was able to get the job done. Many would question her racing skills and think of her as just somebody who is on the circuit only because she's a woman. But her determination and her perseverance enabled her to make history by becoming the first woman to ever win a major series race.

As a woman, it was easy for her to accomplish other milestones in her racing career. These feats include being only the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500 and grabbed the highest pole position for a woman, the first woman to ever lead a lap in the Indy 500, and the first woman to win Rookie of the Year. Danica has showed much patience throughout the few years that she's been a part of the IRL and has raced farely well since she's been on. The level of respect for her was high from the fans, but it wasn't shown by her opponents on the race track.

Its almost like the being new kid in school.

When she came in the IRL and didn't show any legitimate skills, she was basically being ripped by many. Sexist remarks were made on occasion, she was labeled as "overrated", and many felt that she just didn't have what it took to compete on the track. But the win on April 20, 2008 at the Indy Japan 300 has finally taken the pressure off of her. With all of the monkeys off of her back now, will she be able to race consitently year in and year out? She could be a one race wonder, or she could be on the verge of breaking out and accomplishing all of the success that she was expected to pull off when she first came onto the IRL. Of course she is the sexiest racer to ever hit the track, but that's all people would look at her as. Just a model.

But this story is just an example of how patience and perseverance will eventually get you what you want. Danica showed us that it may take a while in order to get you what you want, but with a little bit of patience, it will all happen.

Congrats to Danica Patrick on her first when on the IRL circuit, on behalf of FGS.

NBA Playoff Match-ups: Western Conference

2008-04-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

The Eastern Conference Playoff Preview may have been boring because…well, it’s the Eastern Conference. But the West is looking very strong and a lot of great match ups look to make this year’s playoffs very interesting. So with that said, here is a look at the match ups in the West.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
Both of these teams have two things in common…they both consist of stars. The team that has proven that they can use them right is the Lakers. Lakers coach, Phil Jackson has had star powered teams like the Lakers, so he knows how to coach them. On the other hand, Denver coach, George Karl just doesn’t have the same resume as Jackson does. He may have made a lot of playoff appearances with some really good teams, but his coaching criteria don’t stand up to what Jackson has done. Let’s take a look at the teams. The Lakers has really made an unexpected run into the No.1 seed in the West. The Kobe Bryant drama was the main focus going into this season, but all that has been buried and they’ve made a tremendous run. The explosion of Andrew Bynum has probably been a tremendous amount in Kobe urging to stay put in L.A. and try to succeed there. When he went down, Pau Gasol became a Laker and it seems like all they’ve done is just win. Gasol was the best thing to happen to this team since Kobe, and the two together just make opponents look weak in every aspect of the floor. They can dominate inside with Gasol who is putting up almost 19 points a game and shooting 58% from the floor since he became a Laker. They have a terrific outside game as they ranks amongst the top 10 in three point shooting with 37%. And who else but Kobe would you love to have on your playoff roster. The way Bryant has played this season, it’s not hard to tell that he is hungry for that championship ring. He is in the running for the MVP award and has put up staggering numbers this season. He is well deserving of the award. Denver has not showed the consistency that you’re typically looking for in a championship caliber team. Their losses that they suffer are sometimes questionable and it’s hard to tell if this team deserved a playoff spot over the high energy Golden State Warriors. But that won’t stop them from competing. Denver is a high scoring team with superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. They are second in the league in overall scoring with 111 points a game, and they will be going against a team that gives up a significant 101.3 points a game. The problem is that Denver is ranked at the bottom of the list when it comes to the opposition scoring…2nd to last to be exact. And the Lakers rank among the top of the NBA in scoring. It is obvious that defense has been an issue for the Nuggets, and it would be hard to pick them over the Lakers. Denver does have the potential to give Los Angeles a fight but their season play has yet to prove that they are a legitimate playoff contender, rather than a playoff appearance. L.A. is just too powerful for Denver; from the starters to the bench. It will take defense for Denver to pull off an upset but that is not their game. Locking down the big man Gasol can give them a chance. A potential Defensive Player of the Year winner, Marcus Camby may have to complete that task. We’ve seen Kobe by himself and that makes the Lakers nothing but an average (Western) team. If you shut down one of the weapons like Gasol, that’s what they’ll become. One problem is that the Nuggets are just an average Western team. So that still wouldn’t give them an automatic series win. The Lakers look to take this one.

New Orleans Hornets vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Hornets have made an improbable run to become one of the elite teams out in the West, thanks to MVP candidate Chris Paul. What he has done for this franchise is give it hope for years to come. The Hornets are really a good team when you compare them to other teams out in the West. They pretty much have all of the weapons to be an all around good team. Paul is just the dream point guard to have. He is able to do so many things with his skills; drive the ball to the basket, shoot the three pointer, set up and create plays, distribute the ball and play superb defense. Tyson Chandler is Paul’s right hand man. Chandler lurks in the paint, waiting for somebody to drive the ball in on him as he has the ability to intimidate people. He is the go-to guy in the paint who really helps Paul’s assist total by being able to score easy baskets. Peja Stojakovic is one of the best three point shooters in the NBA, shooting a stellar 44% from outside. With Paul creating open looks on a nightly basis, Stojakovic can sit all day from beyond the arch and knock down the three. And David West is sort of like the professional version of Michael Beasley (note: I said “sort of”). He really is an underrated player and he has all type of skills that is significant to the Hornets success this year. His 20 points and 9 rebounds a game really goes under the radar. This is almost like an all fantasy team. You won’t be finding it difficult to lose your weekly match ups with this squad. The Dallas Mavericks have struggled with the addition of Jason Kidd, but they seemed to have turned it around towards the end of the season. It all looked bad when Dirk Nowitzki went down and they were in danger of missing the playoffs. Dallas went 5-3 in his return and it helped them motor themselves to a 7th seed. Only to face the Hornets really look like they have the better team. The experience is one thing that will DEFINITELY play a role in this one. The Mavs really have the edge in that category, and so does Dallas coach, Avery Johnson. This may not have been the type of season that he pictured, but it still is a respectable one. But the Mavs are itching to make it deep into the playoffs this year, especially after and early exit last season in favor of the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets are a way better team than last years Golden State team. But Johnson has a nag in turning up the intensity level in the playoffs. So when it comes down to it, the Mavs have the mental edge over New Orleans. That is not a reason that they will win though. This series will go tight and both teams will play hard. Even though Jason Kidd hasn’t looked is sharpest in a Dallas uniform, he is eager to get to the championship this year. The match up between both teams may delay Kidd and co. eagerness until next year. This will be a great match up that could possibly go all seven games, but New Orleans is physically too strong on the floor. Maybe the story would be different if the Mavs still had Devon Harris.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
This is one of the greater match ups in the Western Conference playoffs. Both teams went strong to finish the season and strengthened their seeding. San Antonio ended the season winning 12 of their last 14 games. Phoenix turned around their dreadful slump winning 5 of their last 8. After making the trade which brought Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix, the Suns looked pretty good. The problem was that they played pretty weak. But Phoenix coach, Mike D’Antonio looks like a genius because he was able to take the slow moving Shaq, and incorporate him into a fast, running team. How he was able to do it is beyond many, but he did it. But instead of making Shaq play with the type of offense that he isn’t really used to running with, D’Antonio has basically turned him into a role player to play in the paint. He is now relied upon for defense, rebounding and easy baskets. He has been shooting better from the floor at 61% and has become a better rebounder with 10.6 a game. Despite the record with Shaq in the lineup, they’ve really become better than what the numbers say. They now look like a team that can contend with all of the other Western Conference teams again. But the San Antonio Spurs are coming off of a championship and they still have the mindset in getting another one. As much as it has been said, we all know that experience plays a humongous role in a team’s ability to perform come playoff time. That’s why the Spurs are heavily favored in this first round match up. They have the most experience in winning which is something that they can take into this series against Phoenix. But what does Phoenix have that San Antonio doesn’t? They have experience in losing. Unlike the Spurs, the Suns have yet to exceed their expectations in the playoffs. And unlike the Suns, the Spurs have exceeded people expectations. This seems to be the year where nobody is expecting the Suns to make a run deep into these playoffs. With the tough playoff losses that they’ve suffered over the past couple of years, D’Antonio should have finally learned the thing he needs to do in order to accomplish what he needs done. And the magic piece is really Shaq. He has the most playoff experience and he can really get this team mentally prepared for this match up against San Antonio. With him finally able to play better with his new team, their new look can get them past the Spurs this year. Let’s not call it an upset though. These two teams are basically evenly matched. If anything, Phoenix has the better all around performers. Experience plays a role on San Antonio’s side. But the experience from losing with the same team (in Phoenix’ case) has enabled them to learn from their mistakes in the past couple of years, and this is the time that they can capitalize on them. The Suns should be able to knock off the defending champs. (BTW: Suns took season series 3-1)

Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets
With all the hype surrounding the Western Conference playoffs, this will probably be the one that goes under the radar. It’s hard to tell if this will end up being a boring series, or an intriguing one. Houston really has the storyline in this one due to all of the ups and downs to their season. The bad start, the Yao Ming injury, the 2nd longest winning streak in NBA history, the struggles after that, then the clinching of the 5th seed. Then you have the Utah Jazz who started off the season hot, then played mediocre ball, then got hot again…so on and so forth. So both teams tended to show inconsistency this season, more from the Rockets. Houston really hasn’t been shown any respect from their great season, but that gives reason why they can be make their opponents eat it in the playoffs. When it comes to Tracy McGrady, he has yet to win a playoff series in his NBA career. As much as it would be a sight to see him cry again, he won’t allow that to happen again. The Rockets proved that they didn’t need Yao Ming to compete in the West. When everybody wrote them off after the injury to Ming, they decided to not let that bother them and they wound up becoming playoff contenders. They were able to knock off tough opponents during their improbable 22 game win streak. They now have that on their resume but the Jazz have gone under the radar in the several weeks. They are one of the best home teams in the NBA (37-4), but their road record is pitiful (17-24). So that goes to show that home-court advantage will play a part in this series. Luckily for the Jazz, they have home court advantage in this one. As much as the Houston story may touch a lot of people, the Jazz really have a terrific team; they just tend to underachieve at some times. That is no reason to count them out of this one because if you look at all of the match ups in this series from position to position, Houston really can’t touch Utah. Utah is sort of like New Orleans when it comes to depth and weapons. They have the watered down version of Chris Paul in Deron Williams, their outside game constantly remains a threat with shooters like Okur, Kirilenko, Williams and Korver, and their inside man Carlos Boozer just knows how to dominate as an undersized power forward. Will Houston make this one close though? Most definitely. Houston has the mental game down pact, but Utah coach Jerry Sloan is the veteran in this one. Going up against the first year coach, Rick Adelman of the Rockets gives the Jazz an advantage going into this series. We might be blessed to see another emotional press conference from T-Mac this year.

Get ready for these matchups because every one of these WILL be fun to watch!

NBA Playoff Match-ups: Eastern Conference

2008-04-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks were able to squeeze themselves into a playoff spot within the last week and a half. They have managed to finish the season under .500 and still clinch the eighth seed. But that just means that they will have to face the No. 1 seed in Boston. It may not be fair for people to write off the Atlanta Hawks against the rejuvenated Celtics, but that just may be the case. The Hawks are 0-3 against the Celtics in their season series and in those games, Atlanta showed no kind of trouble for the C’s. In all three games against Boston, Atlanta lost by 10 or more points. Paul Pierce has been scoring 22.3 points a game against Atlanta in his match up against Hawks forward, Marvin Williams. Williams isn’t the right defender for Pierce for obvious reasons. Pierce’s strength and ability to drive the ball to the basket is too much for Williams and Doc Rivers knows that. So he tends to run plays that involve Pierce going straight to the basket. And with Pierce being the good ball handler that he is, he has no problem with setting up the play himself and trusting himself to do the right things. This is Doc Rivers’ fourth appearance in the playoffs as a head coach and he has not had success at all. All four appearances resulted in a loss in the first round but if there is a year to change all of that, it’s now. He has a hungry team in all stars like Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen. These three were the best on their respected teams but once they all got together in Boston, they’ve done nothing but show their strength in the NBA. All if them have basically been having fun and boosting the confidence of the rest of the team by leading them to the best record in the NBA. We all see that they are comfortable playing with each other. And there may be a lot of star power on this team, but they don’t let that affect how they play unlike some other teams would allow (cough-Denver-cough). Atlanta is eager to knock Boston out of their place but the numbers just don’t convince enough people to choose them over the C’s. This is a team that doesn’t possess a lot of playoff experience and even if they did, would it be enough to upset Boston? Mike Woodson has yet to accomplish anything in the NBA as a head coach, even though he’s only been coaching for 4 seasons. No disrespect, but it’s obvious that Atlanta doesn’t have enough weapons to overcome the powerful C’s.

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers

If an upset were to occur in the playoffs, this would be the logical pick. Philly has been one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs, believe it or not. Throughout February and March, the 76ers were able to compile a record of 19-9 which included a couple of “mini” win streaks. These hot runs surprised many and now they see themselves holding down the 7th seed in the East which leads them to face the veteran team in the Detroit Pistons. One bonus that the Pistons DO consist of are veteran players which enables them to know how to play come playoff time. They’ve been to the Eastern Conference Finals four seasons in a row. The last two seasons have been failures under the head coach, Flip Saunders as this might be his last year to retain his position in the Pistons organization. Many blame him for the weak playoff losses in the past couple of seasons and feel that he is not capable of guiding a championship caliber team into the Finals. That may be true but there is a lot you can learn from being booted out of the playoffs two years in a row, especially since he still has the same team. The Pistons have gone through the first round without a problem over Saunders’ tenure in Detroit and this is the time where it seems like the Pistons have their heads on straight. Saunders will usually rest his starters towards the end of the season and this gives them time to relax before the playoffs begin. So as soon as the first round comes, they come out with a lot of energy and tend to treat their opponents as no problem. The thing for Philadelphia is that they’ve been using their starters in the last couple of weeks of the season in order to retain a playoff spot and fight their way into a higher seed. Detroit on the other hand already had clinched the 2nd seed and they had nothing to worry about, therefore giving the starters the opportunity to rest and letting the bench develop over the last couple of weeks. Philly is no pushover though. The season series is tied at 2-2 giving Philly a confidence boost going into the playoffs against them. Andre Iguadola is averaging almost 20 points a game against the Pistons and he has been the strength of their success. But Detroit just may have too much for Philly, even though Philly is playing the role as the underdog.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors
Orlando has taken the season series between these two teams, 2-1. And if you want honesty, the Raptors 41-40 record is a fluke. The Raptors have a really young, energetic team that hasn’t showed their full potential yet this season. So the chance of it showing in the playoffs just doesn’t favor them. Orlando on the other hand, has showed their potential throughout the 07-08 season. They were able to get off to a hot start and play consistent, team basketball which has led them to clinch the 3rd seed in the playoffs. Not many would have picked the Magic to do what they’ve accomplished this year, but their team is amongst the top in the East. The Raptors still show weaknesses in their lineup and many question their toughness. They do have Chris Bosh who has put together another solid season, scoring 22.5 points and grabbing 8.7 boards a game. But they don’t have anybody that can replace him off of the bench. So Bosh could easily get into foul trouble and the middle would basically be open for Dwight Howard. The match up between Howard and Bosh will be a fun one to watch because they are both the big men whom which their franchise is revolved around. They are dangerous scorers inside, Bosh is probably the most versatile and Howard is probably more intimidating. Both are excellent defenders and they bring a lot to the table when it comes to leadership. But when it comes to the all around team aspect, Orlando has a lot more. Hedo Turkoglu is one of the most underrated players in the NBA who can do things like hit clutch three’s, to drive the ball to the basket. Another threat that Orlando has is Rashard Lewis who is among the best at the small forward position. He compliments the team in all aspects of the court. And since coming to Orlando, Maurice Evans has been a key for the Magic’s success by both, coming off of the bench and contributing to starting on the floor. There are just too many threats on the floor for Orlando…at least when it comes against playing Toronto. Both teams rank among the top five in the NBA in shooting the three ball, but Orlando is mediocre at protecting the perimeter. That shouldn’t be a main problem for Orlando because they are among the best when it comes to scoring in the paint; something that is needed in playoff time because you can’t win off of jump shots all day. Orlando is the favorite for this series.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
This should be one of the most intriguing match ups in the Eastern Conference. This has showdown has a lot of significance to it because of the trash talking that has already occurred on the Washington side. Wizards guard, DeShawn Stevenson had the nerve to say that the NBA’s leading scorer, LeBron James is overrated. And superstar Gilbert Arenas went on to say that he doesn’t believe that the Cavs can beat the Wizards in the playoffs three years in a row. In saying that, Arenas does have a point. The Cavs have entire different look to their team with the additions of Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Sczerbiak. So it will be interesting to see how head coach, Mike Brown can get them to run well in the playoffs. It shouldn’t be any different than the regular season, but the energy level will have to be turned up a notch if they want to dominate the 1st round. On the other side, Washington didn’t have Gilbert Arenas in last years 1st round against the Cavs, so they have a different look to their lineup that Mike Brown didn’t see in last years playoffs. Since Arenas has returned from that knee injury that sidelined him for most of the season, he has been held to limited minutes for precautionary reasons. In only about 21 minutes per, Arenas has been able to come off of the bench for the last part of this season and put up 14.6 points a game. That is an encouraging sign for the Wiz going into the playoffs. The only thing that concerns people is that the Washington “Big Three” haven’t all played that much together in a while. Caron Butler has been bothered by injuries over the last several of weeks of the season and he’s basically been on and off of the court. Antawn Jamison will be the key going into this series for plenty of reasons. Jamison possesses all kinds of abilities on the floor. He knows how to play exceptional defense, he can make cuts to the basket and his jumper is a threat. This has been one of his best seasons thus far, averaging 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. The Cavs are coming into this match up with questions still surrounding their ability to play team basketball. Lebron is the pure star on this team, but they tend to get the job done when it needs to be accomplished. And with all of the recent trash talking that has been going on in the Washington locker room, the Cavs feed off of that. We all know LeBron loves it, as he showed it a couple of times this season when he had fans taunting them and he went on to take over those games and lead the Cavs to victory. If he is on the court with the same people who were talking trash about him and his team, imagine the possibilities. This looks like a match up that is truly evened out on all sides, and it looks like it will go deep. But the Cavs may be the ones that take this one away for the third consecutive year. As you can see, there are a few terrific match ups coming out of the first round in the Eastern Conference. There will likely be a lot of series going to deep, so the great match ups indicate that it will be difficult for a sweep to occur in this first round.

Do the Spartans have what it takes?

2008-03-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

It's no secret that the Michigan State basketball squad have underachieved this season. Don't confuse that statement with me saying that they're not a good team because that would be false. The Spartans are equipped with talent at all positions but their young minds aren't capable of using all of that talent when it is needed the most. This is a team that started off the season strong and showing that they had a chance to bring home a NCAA Title back to East Lansing. But some minor slip-ups around midseason may have caused others to give MSU a second look and ask, "Is this team really championship bound?" It's not like they were automatically picked to have a big season but with only little competition surrounding them, it's kind of hard not to give them the title as "favorites".

The Spartans showed some of their bad habits and their inconsistency by losing to teams that should've been easy wins. Teams like Iowa, Northwestern and even Ohio State. It kind of reminded me of some of the bad habits that the Michigan Wolverines football team had. I don't know if it was cockiness or just a sign of mental flaws. Whatever it was, it showed the weaknesses of the Michigan State Spartans.

This really was the year that State should've won the Big Ten, and if not that, they had a great shot at winning the Big Ten Tournament. They only came minutes...seconds from pulling off a close game against the Wisconsin Badgers, but costly fouls and immature play led them to basically blow that game. The Spartans had four key players foul out within a span of two and a half minutes and that led to a 65-63 loss in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Not to mention, they had a fourteen point lead with about 8 minutes to go in that game. With that, Wisconsin was able to take the title home after an easy win against the Illinois Fighting Illini; a team that I'm sure the Spartans would've been able to beat. Don't get it twisted though because I'm not ripping the Spartans. This is a talented team with mental flukes in the regular season. They are capable of knocking off tough opponents, but losing at the wrong times. One of the wrong times was in the Big Ten Tourney.

Despite that, the Spartans still have a #5 seed in the NCAA Tourney and they have to face off against Temple. As much as people want to yell out "Upset Alert, Upset Alert!", I highly doubt that it'll happen. Why is this? Tom Izzo is one of the smartest coaches in the NCAA and he knows how to prepare his team for a run in the tournament. It may seem like the Spartans haven't gone deep in the tourney in the past couple of years, but that is only because they've ran into tougher opponents. For instance, last season they were knocked out by a pretty good North Carolina team. They did make it a close game, but the youth couldn't find a way to get past them. And since 1999, they've made the Final Four four times.

So State has shown that they knows what it takes to make it to the Final Four. One of those players who has experienced the thrills of going deep into the tourney is star senior, Drew Neitzel. Neitzel was on the team that made the Final Four in his freshman year along with stars like Maurice Ager, Paul Davis and Shannon Brown. This year is different because there aren't any stars like that on this years team. And as much as college basketball analysts like to be superstitious about seedings and little things like that, the last time Sparty made the Final Four was when they were a five seed and they are a five seed in this years tourney. State plays team basketball and Izzo is good at talking players into what roles they will play in each game. The closest Spartans to stars are Neitzel and Raymar Morgan. Morgan is probably one of the most underrated players in the NCAA. He's played solid all season long and hasn't gotten the recognition that he deserves. But this is his time to shine. Neitzel has already done his shining in the green and white, and this will be his last season. Morgan however may have another year left and this gives him the chance to show teams who he is. Neitzel may be capable of putting up 20+ points in a game, but he's not even the leading scorer on this team; Morgan is with 14.5 a game. Morgan plays consistent basketball, and Sparty will need consistency throughout the tournament. Neitzel is the go to guy during clutch time, so that is what Izzo will rely on him for.

The region that they are in gives them a better chance of going deep into this tournament as well. Notable teams include Texas, Pittsburgh, Kentucky and Memphis. Kentucky and Pitt has shown inconsitency throughout the season and even though Texas is a good team, State has already beaten them once this season when the Longhorns were ranked #6 in the country. So MSU most likely has the edge over them mentally. Memphis...we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Right now, their main focus is on Temple. State needs to take it one round at a time and not look ahead because there is no need to believe that the first round will be given. It's win or go home right now and anything can happen in this tournament.

Freshman Flurry: Freshmen to watch in the NCAA Tourney

2008-03-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

There may not be a lot of fun stories coming into the NCAA Tournament, but we do have a lot of things to look forward to. You can call the Georgia Bulldogs little "run" into the tournament a big story, but I highly doubt that it will be a Cinderella. The main thing that I'm looking forward to in this tournament is all of the big-name freshman that is looking to bring a title home to their school. Right now, we have six big name freshman that have the oppurtunity to go deep into this tournament.

Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon and Jerryd Bayless are among the most talked about freshman in the NCAA. Beasley is just considered "Beastly" when it comes to the court. He's the most popular guy at Kansas State and he has showed us all of his scoring capabilites as he's put up 26.5 points a game and snags 12.4 rebounds. As one of the front runners against Tyler Hansbrough for Player of the Year, he is probably the second best player in the NCAA. The only problem is that he seems to be the only guy that can step it up on his team.

O.J. Mayo has proved that he is all of the hype. As a freshman this year, he has been among the top of the Pac 10 scoring 20.8 points. Similar to Beasley, he is probably relied upon the most to take over the game if it is necessary. And the battle between Beasley and Mayo in the first round of the tournament is already turning heads. Not to be disrespectful, but the USC Trojans and Kansas State aren't really the best in the NCAA, just mediocre if you ask me. But the two freshman going at it will make this an interesting game to watch, especially coming out of the first round. This gives us a chance to see the tournament kick off with a bang! This is an attractive matchup and there would be no reason to miss out on this one.

Eric Gordon is Indiana's star at the moment. Unlike Beasley and Mayo, Gordon has help around him and his team can excel at least a little without him (not too much though). Gordon may have been surrounded by contreversy since his tenure began as a Hoosier but that doesn't stop him from being a dangerous guy. With the whole situation at Illinois when he was heckled at and ripped by the fans, he was able to come through in crunch time and hit a couple of big shots to send them home with a win. And the whole Kelvin Sampson ordeal hasn't hurt him as a player. Gordon is still doing what he's done before that whole situation imploded. He is definitely the Big Ten's top freshman and maybe even one of the best overall in the Big Ten. Gordon shows consistency and he will be a major part in whether or not the Hoosiers go big in the tourney.

Kevin Love out of UCLA is a surprise to me. I didn't expect him to be the player that he is now. He doesn't get a lot of respect, but neither does his top-seeded team. That's the reason why UCLA is dangerous. The respect factor motivates people and Love who has performed at a consistent level all year, is the guy to watch. We all know what the Bruins are capable of doing and Love is their "goto" guy in the paint who still has the ability to knock down the short jumper. 17.1 points and 10.6 rebounds a game just shows that he is a major role in the UCLA gameplan. He is a factor in the playbook, but he is not the most depended on. UCLA plays team basketball and Love doesn't want to be the star on the team (not saying that the other freshman do, but their actions sort of show it).

Derrick Rose may not be among the talked about freshman in the NCAA, but he has capabilities that can be put to use at any time. But the Memphis Tigers are similar to the Bruins because they play team basketball as well. Especially with Chris Douglas-Roberts complimenting Rose in the lineup, Rose doesn't need to worry about putting up numbers like all of the other top freshman. But we do know that Rose has the ability to put up consistent numbers and if he's needed, coach will put it in his hands towards the end of the game if Douglas-Roberts isn't on that night. Don't sleep on Rose because he is on one of the top teams of the country and he may not be one of the high scoring freshman, but that because it isn't necessary.

Jerryd Bayless out of Arizona is another surprise to me. He basically came out of no where and he puts up 20 points a game. Bayless is a constant threat at the three point line because he is shooting 41% from beyond the arch. A dangerous threat at Arizona, but Arizona is not a dangerous threat in the tourney. So his name may not be as big as the other teams. Arizona was a bubble team so Bayless doesn't get the same amount of respect as the other freshman who are on big teams.

This years crop of freshman is a pretty decent set, but this may be your last chance to get a look at them. With more and more freshman going to the NBA every year, it's hard to enjoy them in their NCAA career. This years tourney has us looking hard at them though because these are good freshman on good teams. So we may have the chance to see them go deep into the tournament.

Sorry Phoenix fans, it's just not gonna work!

2008-03-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

By: Byron Parker

"If it works, I'm a genius. If it doesn't, I'm a moron, I guess." -Steve Kerr

Those words were spoken by Suns GM Steve Kerr after he made the trade that brought Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix.

Sorry to break it to you Phoenix fans, but your team isn't looking very sharp right now. Ever since the front office traded away Shawn Marion for Shaquille O'Neal, your team hasn't looked like the championship caliber team that you hoped it would be. There are many reasons why this trade isn't working, but I don't have that sort of time to name them all.

I'm gonna keep it real with you guys. Shaq doesn't fit the team in any way, shape, form or fashion. The only thing that he would be good at is coaching Amare Stoudamire into becoming a better defender and a better rebounder; something that Stat already posseses. Cheerleading could be his best chance of succeeding there. Not being the starting center. We all know that he is old and aging and he doesn't have the ability to run up and down the floor like he did in his former days...hell, even two seasons ago he was looking pretty good. And as much as you Phoenix fans want to believe that Shaq will come together for you guys and you'll end up right back on top of things, you're just gonna have to admit it. Your team is not as good with Shaq as they were with Marion.

How many times have you heard this one?

"Shaq can't keep up with such a fast paced team."

That isn't the only problem people. If anything, that is the least of their problems. There are a lot of assets that Marion possesed that Shaq doesn't, and vice versa. When Phoenix got Shaq, they were hoping for better defensive play and more rebounding. They would find themselves out-rebounded by their opponents very often, and who else but Shaq could help that factor out. That looks like its not showing because the last 10 games, Phoenix has NOT been a better rebounding team since he's got there. Over the last 10 games, they rank 25th in rebounding with 40.7 a game. Defensively, there's a little more help...well just when it comes to blocking. They now average 6.7 blocks a game with Shaq in the paint, but they are still giving up more points than ever.

Shaq is no longer a threat when it comes to scoring. It showed this year in Miami, and it really hasn't gotten any better in Phoenix. He's averaging 11.1 points in a Suns uniform; almost three less than when he was in Miami. Rebounding has increased by 3 a game, but that doesn't help when they no longer have the presence of Marion who can score from all over the floor.
With Shaq there, Stat is now back at power forward, something that he hasn't been used to playing. He may be able to perform well there, but he was better defensively at the center position. When Marion was at power forward, he was a threat all over the floor. He could hit the three, he could post up, and he could body up in the paint and score near the basket. Nash was better with Marion. When Nash would penetrate to the hole, he had the option of dishing the ball out to a wide open Marion, and Marion had the ability to hit the wide open jumper. You can't do that with Shaq. Mike D'antonio is still trying to find a role for Shaq to play, but it's hard when your team already had a gameplan when Shaq wasn't there. He doesn't want to have to reconstruct the whole offensive gameplan just so Shaq can be a weapon.

A lot feel that the reason why Marion was dealt out was because he was a jerk. That may be true, but ESPN writer, John Hollinger made a great observation about that...

Theory: The Suns have better off-court chemistry without Marion.

Reality: The Suns had better on-court chemistry with Marion.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!

Thanks Hollinger for that statement. Phoenix's playoff chances could possibly cut short because of what? Because Marion wasn't the best guy off the court? But in reality when he was on the court, we all saw what he was capable of doing? At this point, I'm thinkong f**k team chemistry, we need to make the playoffs. I believe that the Suns will miss the playoffs in a highly contested Western Conference. Their only hopes could be an emergency relocation that could put them in the Eastern Conference.

Sorry Phoenix fans.

I'd rather be truthful than misleading.

Notes from the UNC-Duke game

2008-03-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

By: Byron Parker

First and foremost, FGS would like to extend our deepest thoughts for the family of Eve Carson, a member of the student body at North Carolina who was murdered this past week. Keep your heads up and we will continue to pray and support you through your difficult times...

No it's not #1 vs. #2, but it still was a decent game to watch between the #1 North Carolina team and the fifth ranked Blue Devils on Duke's floor, surrounded by the "Cameron Crazies". Duke's last home game of the season ended on a bad note on Saturday night. In a losing effort to the North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke didn't perform at the same playing level as they did when they beat UNC in their last meeting. When three's were needed, Duke couldn't buy one as they went 10-29 from behind the arch. A rugged 32% shooting percentage from the floor wasn't going to get the job done either. And the outside threat for Duke in Greg Paulus put up a solid performance; just not the same as the last meeting. Tyler Hansborough is doing nothing but continuing to prove his dominance in the NCAA by playing a decent game and putting up 16 points and 15 boards and at the same time, becoming apart of UNC history by reaching 2000 points in his college career.

It may have not been an exciting game when it came to crunch time, but a game with as much significance as this one didn't need excitement for Roy Williams' team. The Tar Heels held Duke scoreless in the last 5 minutes of the game, which is something that Duke excels in; playing big in the final minutes. It's always great to see two rivals such as these to go at it for a prize. The prize for these two teams was the ACC title and UNC was able to take it home.

Sure, it may have not been a game that went to the final play like many of the other games on Saturday. But this right here is giving us a taste of March Madness; something that we are all hungry for. We've seen from Saturday's game that UNC plays better with Ty Lawson in the lineup because even if he doesn't contribute a lot offensively, he has the ability to hold down other players who are capable of going off, like Paulus. In the previous meeting between these two teams, Paulus and the rest of the team nailed 13 three pointers. But with Lawson in the lineup being one of the best perimeter defenders that UNC has, he was able to help hold them down a little bit more.

So we see the impact that Lawson has on this team. With Tyler Hansborough down and around the basket, he is Lawson best resort to get a quick and easy two. These two are dominant together and they will be a force to be reckoned with come tournament time. If you stop Lawson's playmaking...plays, then you have a chance to stop North Carolina. The reason this is true because in the last Duke-UNC meeting, Hansborough put up 28 points and 18 rebounds and the Tar Heels still lost. The offense wasn't balanced out as Hansborough seemed to be relied on the most, and the other threats in Danny Green and Wayne Ellington struggled and went a combined 4-24 from the floor. They lacked open looks in that game, and Lawson is the guy who can create those open looks.

Duke is a balanced team and they don't operate well unless they have a balanced attack. There are no stars on this team which is sort of a bonus for them. If your the opposing team trying to prepare to play Duke, who do you know who to control? Paulus isn't the leading scorer on this team, so he's not really the guy you have to pay attention to. But the leading scorer is DeMarcus Nelson, who is a very underrated guard and controls the tempo of most games. The freshman Kyle Singler is a guy who needs to be watched because he is the teams leading rebounder and people take him for granted sometimes. There really isn't one person to focus your attention an a lot because Duke has an array of threats on their team. It requires smart coaching, such as the coaching that we saw from Roy Williams to beat the Blue Devils. If I knew what it took to knock Duke off like UNC did, then I'd probably find myself coaching somewhere in the NCAA. That's why I'm just a writer.

The "Big Three" now a Big Team?

2008-03-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

By: Vince Vitale

Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan.

Three names that used to be considered the big three.

But only until blockbuster trades landed Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. Allen and Garnett along with Paul Pierce created a new “Big Three”. This Big Three is different though. None of the members of this triangle have championship rings. San Antonio’s success has been well documented throughout this decade. Boston hasn’t seen a competitive fight since Pierce and Antoine Walker were a dynamic duo. Now three hungry players are assembled together to bring Boston another title. But what’s truly special about this “Big Three” is its not just three people…

The question for the Celtics coming into this season was would the supporting cast be able to hold their own. The answer is yes. Rajon Rondo has turned into a nightmare for opposing defense because of his ability to break down the D. His ability to get to the rack and his lockdown defense along with his great athleticism has allowed him to exceed expectations. Boston now has a developed a steady point guard and if one wasn’t enough they added a proven veteran in Sam Cassell. It wasn’t to long ago when Garnett had his MVP season and Cassell was right along side of him. This chemistry is great but let’s not forget that Cassell played along Ray Allen’s side back in the Milwaukee Bucks days. Cassell has championship experience with the Rockets and adds depth to the Celtics.

Speaking of experience P.J. Browns presence adds just that. Once he gets back into game shape, Brown will provide depth at the center position. Tony Allen and Leon Powe add energy into the mix. Their exciting plays and ability to block shots will help give Pierce and Garnett breaks when they come off the bench. James Posey is a tough defender who is not shy to take a foul. He adds a defensive strength to the best defensive team, along with good 3 point shooting ability. Speaking of three point shooting Eddie House can provide a scoring spark with his shooting off the bench. Glen Davis has probably made the most dramatic improvement since the off-season. He is a good low post threat and helps bring depth to the frontcourt. The biggest surprise to this team would have to be the maturity of Kendrick Perkins game. He is now a legit center in the NBA. His shot blocking and inside scoring has improved dramatically this year and along side with Garnett adds a formidable frontcourt.

As you can see this team is no longer the Big Three; they are slowly but surely developing into the “Big Team”.

756(*) will be displayed in HOF by opening day

2008-03-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

By: Byron Parker

Cooperstown is a place filled with history and you must have accomplished a lot in your MLB career to get there. It contains historical people, historical memorablia and historic events. Some baseball players may not have made the Hall of Fame yet, but events that may have had something to do with them have made it.

That is how the conversation of Barry Bonds comes up. Forget about the "is he a HOFer" questions. That will be determined in the future. One thing that deserves to be put in Cooperstown is 756(*). It's your choice whether or not you want to place an asterisk next to that number, but that number is an important past of history. Call it tainted, but it still is remembered in baseball in some sort of way. 756 home runs is a lot to hit in your professional career, cheating or not. But that still is no excuse for it not to be visible for everybody to see.

It may be one of the most contreversial things to ever occur in baseball, but there is significance to it on both sides of the plate.

If you're considering the record to be tainted (like 95% of you), then there's nothing wrong with that. That is the reason for it to be in Cooperstown. It is a record that was tainted due to the whole steroid scandal. The steroid era has been one of the most magnified era's in baseball. So what was one of the biggest events to occur during the whole scandal? Other than the infamous Barry Bonds home run, I can't seem to think of anything else. Well, maybe the Clemens/McNamee situation which seems to get more attention than anything else going on.

If you don't consider the record tainted, than the obvious reason why 756(*) belongs in Cooperstown is because he is the home run king. There would definitely be a sense of stupidty if he was thought of as the home run king and the record breaking ball wasn't place in Cooperstown.

The asterisk that was placed on the ball doesn't mean that it shouldn't be visible to the world. A lot will talk about how it will be placed so no one can see the asterisk on it, but if anything it should shown. Just to show the important and the significance of the home run. Everything that it went through.

The MLB made a smart decision to display the ball in the HOF. Even with the arrogance of Mark Ecko' decision to brand it with an asterisk, it will be available for people to see. It is a piece of history people, and no matter how it is looked at, there is way too much significance for it NOT to be displayed.

Packers: Time for the New Era

2008-03-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

By: Ray Dunseith

For the Green Bay Packers, it would be very ignorant to announce that an era has ended. Along with Brett Favre’s throwing arm leaving, so does the career and history behind it.

So what does it leave in Green Bay?

Well, it starts with a new arm. That would be Mr. Aaron Rodgers. What is known about the youngster that’s been watching Brett from the sidelines three years in a row (besides the fact that he spells his name with a d)? Well, he was drafted the same year behind Alex “Little Hands” Smith, who has proven to be a decent NFL quarterback. This is about all that we know about him. He was dubbed the “future” of the Packers, and the future has started.

So, is this going to be a good thing for Cheese heads? It’s a pretty hard to tell, since we really haven’t seen much of him without a headset and a ball cap on. One would think that having Brett Favre, one the greatest to ever toss the pigskin as a mentor would make you a great player. But, I remember back when A-rodg was drafted hearing an ornery Brett Favre say that he wasn’t there to teach, only to play. Hopefully, things didn’t pan out that way and Rodgers got to spend some quality time with number four soaking it all in.

But I have hope in this guy. I could see him being pretty successful here. He has to remember a few things (as should all dose fans up in Wisconsin). He will NOT be as good as Favre was. It’s just not going to happen. There will NEVER be another Brett Favre. The only guy coming close right now has a horseshoe on his helmet, and even he isn’t proven to be that great yet. He has decent receivers and a solid line. The running game has a lot of potential in Ryan Grant (fantasy team sleeper anyone?). But this is pretty much his first year, so it might not all click at once.

Just take it easy on this California boy, Green Bay and maybe be you’ll get a quarter back that can make you as proud and sad as the one that just called it a career this week.

Earnhardt Jr: Is he really a stud driver?

2008-03-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

By: Ray Dunseith

What? Am I second-guessing an Earnhardt?

That never would have happened if the intimidator were still alive.

But what also would have never happened? His own son turning on the race team that he created. Dale Junior was supposed to inherit Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, and he decided to leave (whether it was because of problems with his step-mother running it or other reason) for Hendrick Motor Sports.

So, it shouldn’t matter what team he’s on if he’s that good of a driver, right? Well, if you ask me, Junior’s true colors are shining through (albeit through the black and green Amped car and not the good old number 8 Budweiser). He’s really not that great of a driver. Or at least he hasn’t really proven it.

Take last race. Yeah, he got second. But in the position he was in going onto lap 5, he could’ve had the race. Carl Edwards out-drove him. His wheels spun out going into the turn and he just couldn’t keep up. He f***ed up, and the one who really suffered from it was his teammate Jeff Gordon who ended up getting into a crash with Kenseth, both of whom could have caught up with Edwards.

Face it Junior. You’re not going to be number one on a team with Jeff Gordon (who might I add is supposed to be the enemy) and Jimmie Johnson (who just came off of winning the then-Nextel Cup Championship).

He’s either going to have to step it up skill-wise big-time or just face the fact that he’s not as great as Senior was and is just an above average driver today, not a Superstar.

Oh well. At least he’s still driving a Chevy (unlike those Joe Gibbs bums).

Don't get it twisted, the Red Sox are still the team to beat!

2008-03-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

By: Byron Parker

What's with people naming other MLB teams to be the so-called "team to beat"? When in all actuality the Boston Red Sox are still the World Champs which enables them to remain "the team to beat". A lot of people tend to get excited about off season moves that were made by other teams, but we have to remember one thing. Moves are made to win championships. The Boston Red Sox already have a championship caliber team. They still have the same team that won the World Series last year and they didn't really have to make a lot of moves because of that. But people tend to get excited when they see another organization make moves that will give them a "potential" championship caliber team.

This goes for teams like the Detroit Tigers, the New York Mets, and any other organizations who may have made a big splash in the off season. All of a sudden, teams that weren't in the playoffs a season ago are now the favorites in the league. It's okay to be “favorited”, but it gets ignorant when they become the team to beat. It's understandable for fans to call their own team the team to beat because that is what they want to believe. But it's really not true, no matter how much you want to believe it. There is a major difference between being a favorite, and being a team to beat. Favorites are...well, favorites. But most people will look at the most heavily favored teams and consider them to be the team to beat. Why does everybody count out the champs? It doesn't make any sense to me.

These new and “favorited” teams still haven't proven anything to anybody yet. The Red Sox...well, they've proven that they are built with championship caliber players. People need to learn how to show respect. You may want your team to be the new champions, but that doesn’t mean that you can go around calling your team the best team. If nobody has seen those teams mesh together yet, then there is no reason why they should be the team to beat.

We see this in a lot of sports. When the L.A. Galaxy got David Beckham, why were people so quick to jump on the bandwagon? You see where they got with him. Everybody may have set high expectations for L.A. but they were too quick to call them a better team. Same goes for Shaquille O’Neal when he went to Phoenix. As soon as Phoenix acquired him, many people may have been quick to name Phoenix a better team (even though there were a few people who disagreed). And now, everybody is riding on the Boston Celtics because they have the best record in the NBA right now. So what? You’re just going to call them the team to beat because of that when in actuality, the World Champion San Antonio Spurs are among the top in the Western Conference and they are no longer picked to defend their title? That is ridiculous.

What I’m really ranting about is that there is no reason to call off the Boston Red Sox because they haven’t lost any of the players from the ’07 World Series team; they could most likely be better. So don’t get it twisted folks, Boston is still the team to beat.

PS: Favorited is not a word

LT's backup gets a starting job

2008-03-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

By: Ray Dunseith

San Diego knew that they had something special at the running back position. Power, speed, the moves and a nice swagger make this guy special. Wait, you think I’m talking about La-.... Nope. I’m talking about Michael Turner, his former back-up that just signed a 6 year $34.5 million dollar contract according to sportingnews.com.

Turner, coming to his fifth year in the NFL out of Northern Illinois is a stud back. He’s going to be the Frank Gore in your fantasy draft next year.

Now, as one man moves up on a team, another must move down.

As part of the Falcon’s recent cutting spree that has left Alge Crumpler and Byron Leftwich out of jobs there (but don’t expect much unemployment checks to be collected for these two, especially Crumpler), speedster Warrick Dunn is “dunn” with the Falcons. This is going to be a guy to watch in free agency. It’s not likely that the 11 year veteran will land another starting job, but he could defiantly be a guy to split with a power back, similar to what the Falcons used to do with him and TJ Duckett.

Shaq taking over the Southwest? Not quite!

2008-03-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

By: Ray Dunseith

So, Phoenix fans, how’s that Shaq-Marion deal treatin’ ya?

Not so well, huh?

On paper, that deal might have made sense to the twisted mind of Steve Kerr, but in reality, it didn’t help the Suns much at all. Adding Shaquille O’Neal just slowed down their offense like a fresh pair of Callahan break pads on a Cadillac (that’s right Callahan Auto Parts, from Tommy Boy). Now, this is pretty obvious (especially to Phoenix fans). Its just one less option Steve Nash has to feed on the break. Sure, Diesel’s going to get them some rebounds, but is that going to be much of an upgrade over Shawn Marion’s beastly 10 per game?

What about the half-court offense that Shaq opens up for the Suns? Haven’t seen it yet. Personally, I wouldn’t have called the Suns a playoff contender before the trade and I won’t even joke about it now.

As for Shaq’s comments about making Amare Stoudemire a better player, I can’t see it happening. Sure, it would seem like matching him up with opponents’ power forwards instead of centers would help him offensively, but that doesn’t mean opponents won’t just put the PF on Shaq and let Amare deal with the big guy. As a coach, where would you put your defensive stopper, on the young, quick athlete or the large, slow guy that can’t hit a free throw to save his life?

Obviously Phoenix had a reason to get rid of Marion. The guy wanted to be a focal point like that of Nash and Stoudemire, and it just wasn’t going to happen. But in reality, he was the rice of the Phoenix burrito that held the team together. Boris Diaw can step it up and fill Marion’s role a little, but with Shaq around it’s not really going to matter. It seems like if dealing Marion was a must, they could have found a better deal.

A couple seasons we were all wondering whether the Suns’ up tempo game could be successful, and in the regular season it was. But they couldn’t get a championship (despite ABC and ESPN slurping it all up and definitely hoping this type of team would catch on). It just doesn’t work in the NBA.

Adding Shaq also isn’t going to make them contenders. Kerr’s going to have some work this off-season, and as for the West, the Spurs still got my pick for the Finals in ’08

"Bulls"eye

2008-02-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

By: Vince Vitale

The Chicago Bulls are a dynasty, if there is a team that fits that term...

Well at least they were.

But in the 2007-2008 season, they are nowhere close to that term. This years Bulls are closer to the term, “joke”. Not anymore though, thanks to a recent deal that sent their frontcourt to Cleveland which may have a new outlook on this team. Ben Wallace underachieved to say the least in the windy city so his so called “presence” will not be missed. Joe Smith was a great midrange scorer, but he is replaced with Drew Gooden, an overall better player than Smith. The Bull’s are going through a new phase, something the city of Chicago has never seen before.

They have been through the “Beautiful Bulls” days with Michael Jordan. They went through the “Boring Bulls” days with Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. Then they went through the “Baby Bulls” days with the young backcourt of Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, along with small forward Luol Deng. Now their going through a new phase, the one I like to call the “Blooming Bulls”. They’re a team that has not yet realized their potential.

The Bulls have a streaky backcourt with Kirk and new edition Larry Hughes, assuming Ben Gordon will come of the bench. Kirk Hinrich still isn’t playing as well as he can and Hughes will provide great perimeter defense. Ben Gordon is an incredible scorer but has a streaky shot. The Bulls frontcourt will improve when Luol Deng comes back from injury and Drew Gooden steps up at the power forward position. Deng will start to get back into his pre-injury form, which consists of the ability of having a great midrange shooter and an athletic driver. His defense is great as he usually checks the opponent’s best scorer. Gooden, a physical mid range scorer will also bring a new look to this team. His rebounding and inside presence will be needed tremendously, especially with the departure of Ben Wallace. The only toss up for this team is the center spot. That spot may be filled in by two rookies, Aaron Gray or Joakim Noah. Both need work and they’ll have to step up in games to get better if the Bull’s are to reach the postseason.

The bench along with Gordon includes backup point guard Chris Duhon. He is a solid backup point guard and provides depth to the Bulls guard position. Thabo Sefolosha is a guard/forward whose game is streaky. He has the tools and athletic body to be talented in the league but his turnovers set him back. He is not as streaky as electric forward, Tyrus Thomas who has been questioned since he got traded to the Bull’s on draft day. Thomas is a game changing player who blocks shots and dunks on people almost every night. But Thomas’ inconsistent play has often led him to watch the game from the sideline. The Bull’s best bench player besides Gordon would have to be forward Andres Nocioni. He is a physical player with a great jump shot along with an amazing drive. He is important to the Bull’s success.

All and all the Bulls can be very dangerous if they can learn to use their talent in the right way. I can only see things looking up from this point on. As they bloom into what could be the start of something beautiful.

Detroit Tigers' MEGA Spring Training Preview

2008-02-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

By: Byron Parker

The 2008 MLB season couldn't get underway any sooner, so we're going to have to look forward to Spring Training so it can hold us over until March 31st gets here. With that said, the Detroit Tigers regular season doesn't start until March 31st and they are already down in Lakeland, Florida preparing for opening day. Now even though everything looks set in place for the Tigers because of their major acquisitions over the off season, but there is always room for improvement. That is what the Tigers hope to accomplish while they are in Lakeland. As much as it's tempting to call Detroit a championship built team, you can't because we haven't even seen them play yet. Regardless, we still know that Detroit has the potential to be one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the MLB. So offense is the least of the Tigers' worries. The only improvements that can be made on offense only come from the players, and hopefully those improvements will be made over Spring Training. Everything that is/will be going on in Lakeland is what will be a part of the Spring Training preview. What needs to be done in ST, what can we look forward to, so on and so forth.

The state of the new guys

Miguel Cabrera
Bringing a superstar to a new team can sometimes be troubling because we don't know how comfortable he'll be in a new environment. But according to the Detroit Free Press, Cabrera thrilled to be a Detroit Tiger. With a locker in the same row of Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, Edgar Renteria and Carlos Guillen, Cabrera feels like this is a dream.

"I'm very excited to see those names. It's like it's my first day in the big leagues," Cabrera said.
But not only is Cabrera impressed with his team; they are impressed with him as well. Many people were expecting him shave of some of that weight before the season started, and he has done more than that. He looks tremendous and all of his off season work has gotten him in shape for the 2008 season. He may still look a little big people, but don't confuse that with muscle. Cabrera is killing two birds with one stone by shaving off all of the weight and building up his muscle. Miggy has performed consistently throughout his whole career so at the moment, there aren't any worries about how Cabrera will perform this season. He will most likely be focused on getting comfortable with his new teammates and try not to do more than what he's been doing. Cabrera is arguably the best hitter on this team but Cabrera won't let the aspects of his star-power conflict with the way he fits in with the team. Detroit has already accepted him, so there is no reason to panic about chemistry problems. The 24 year old is still young when it comes to baseball even though his statistics show otherwise, so he'll be looking at veterans like Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez to understand the American League. Cabrera hasn't faced many AL pitchers, nor has he played in many of the AL parks. So in order for Cabrera to be successful this season, he will be taking notes from the old heads that have already learned the AL pitchers.

Dontrelle Willis
Word on the street is that Willis has already made his presence felt in the clubhouse. Different statements made by different players expressed their liking of having Willis on the team. So there is no doubt that the chemistry is already working between everybody on the pitching rotation. Everybody knows that Willis is a terrific pitcher, but his numbers didn't show it last season. Regardless, the previous seasons give you reason to believe that Willis just ran into a bad season in 2007. And many Tigers fans are really hoping that the '07 season was a fluke for Willis because of everything that was invested in the deal that brought Cabrera and Willis here to Detroit. Don't trip though because this Spring Training will give Willis the opportunity to brush off his bad season and prepare to be the 2nd man in the rotation that can give Jim Leyland some quality starts and some quality wins. There's no need for him to focus on being "the man" anymore because of the strong pitching rotation that the Tigers already possess. Right now, Willis just needs to relax and not worry about have to perform under pressure in all of his starts because as soon as he has a bad start, somebody else from the strong rotation should be able to pick up his slack. Building up his arm for the season is all that Willis has to do, for now. Leyland stated that he didn't want to draw a lot of attention to him just because he's a new guy. His role isn't any different from any of the other pitchers on the squad. Willis is sliding into his comfort zone right now and as always, he is just showing himself down in Florida. The team is very excited to have Willis on the team, as is Leyland.

"The guy's got energy. I think he's really worked hard to accomplish the things he's accomplished and I think he wants to accomplish more. I mean, he's a treat to be around," Leyland said on Willis.
For Willis, there is nothing better than having your whole team enjoy your presence in the ball club before they've even seen you pitch a game. That just shows that Willis has respect from these guys and this bring Willis closer and closer to his comfort zone.

Edgar Renteria
Renteria coming to the Tigers organization was a big deal, but not after the big Willis-Cabrera trade occurred. His acquisition has been slightly covered up by that but that's no reason to forget about him. It won't be hard for Renteria to adjust back to the AL on a count of two things. He used to play in the AL so he's familiar with the playing style. And the second thing is that he already has played under Jim Leyland back when they were both in the Florida Marlins organization. So there won't be a problem with Renteria gelling with the team. Just like Cabrera and Willis, Renteria is a player that the team is super-excited to have on the ball club because of his experience in the league and the extra threat that he brings to the already dangerous lineup. He's the perfect guy to have in a hit-and-run situation; something that Leyland called a multiple number of times last season. The .300 hitter also has the heart of Carlos Guillen. Earlier in the off season, Guillen stated that if the Tigers were going to move him to first base, then he wants a shortstop that is better than him. And look who they got! Renteria is a solid defender with a solid and consistent bat. He doesn't have a lot of "pop" in his swing, but he does have a lot of plate coverage giving him the ability to make contact with the ball when he needs too. Renteria did have problems with injuries last season but hopefully he won't be haunted by them this season. There is no need to work him more than he needs to be worked in Spring Training; they just need to be careful with him and let him fall into his place.

Jacque Jones
The same goes for Jones when it comes to the popular moves over the off season. Jones was a small pickup for the Tigers when they traded away their go to utility man, Omar Infante. The expectations for Jones are to platoon out in left field along with Marcus Thames who has basically been a platoon his whole career. He seems to be the guy that everybody is writing off but there is no need to do that. People forget that he hit 28 homers two seasons ago and he is a career .282 hitter. His numbers weren't big last season but he does have the potential to compliment this dangerous lineup. And he could definitely compliment Curtis Granderson is some games. Granderson has emerged into such a tremendous hitter and there were talks about moving him further down in the lineup to boost his numbers, but that was said when Cameron Maybin was supposed to develop as a Tiger. But with Jones, he could possibly leadoff in a couple of games and have Granderson somewhere in the middle of the lineup. Spring Training will be a help for Jones because this will give him time to learn his role on the team, unlike when he was in Chicago getting tossed around.

What's with Inge?
After the acquisition of Miguel Cabrera over the off season, the former third baseman Brandon Inge was the odd man out. There were talks about him being traded for the prospects that the Tigers gave up for Cabrera and Willis. He didn't want to be the backup of an all star third baseman when he felt that he could be an al star himself. So the rumors were going around to plenty of teams that Inge would be available to be traded if a team was looking for a decent man at third. Things started cooling down eventually and there weren't any trade talks involving Inge for a while. Sooner or later, Inge would accept his role as a super utility man; playing third and catcher. So Inge is down in Lakeland suited up in his catcher gear, but he still is upset about his new role. He has accepted it, but he's accepted it bitterly. Many benefits could come for Inge if he were to stay at the catcher position and not complain about it, but that seems like that's what he's been whining about since he got down to Florida. Inge continues to tell reporters that he is upset but he won't make a big deal of it. But the more he talks about it, the bigger deal it's becoming.

Most would call him selfish for stating how he wants to be an everyday player, but it's not really selfish more than it is truthful. Everybody wants to be an everyday player and being in Inge's position, it's hard to go from being a starting everyday third baseman to a utility backing up almost every position on the field. With the attitude of Inge right now, there is talk about him being traded again. But the Tigers have been trying ever since they acquired Cabrera and they've had no success. It's hard to trade a .241 hitter who only hit 14 homeruns last season. So while he's in Spring Training, he'll be doing what he's supposed to do and wait for something good to pop up. He is thankful for still having a role in the Tigers organization, but he's still bitter about it. Regardless of all of the negativity surrounding Inge, he stated that he's been working on his swing over the off season and he will strive to have a better season by cutting down his strikeouts and make better contact with the ball. That shows that Inge isn't stopping from bettering himself. More word on Inge will be reported soon.

Coming from injuries
The biggest injury on this team has already occurred before the season began. Joel Zumaya "supposively" hurt himself moving boxes from his parent’s house in California during the wildfires. So the bullpen doesn't look to be any better than it was last season, especially since there weren't any big off season moves made in order to establish some strength in the pen.

Gary Sheffield started off last season slow, but then he went on a tear between the months of May and mid-September and at one point he was hitting around .320. Then while he was logging some time out in the outfield, he collided with second baseman Placido Polanco causing him to hurt his shoulder. That led to him ending off the season with just a .265 average. So there is no question that his shoulder affected the way he swung the bat, forcing him to bypass the cortisone shots and go into surgery over the off season. [According to the Detroit Free Press,] Sheffield isn't expected to do much over the next couple of days. The Tigers want to take it easy with Sheffield and hope for him not to bring last season’s slump to Spring Training. But Gary has stated that he feels fully recovered now and he is ready to get the season starter.

Pitcher, Jeremy Bonderman is also coming off of the off season with an injury to his elbow. It is believed that he had an elbow injury after the all star break and he tried to play through it. This caused the injury to get worse and allow him to have a terrible stretch in his last several starts finishing off at 11-9 after starting the season with a tremendous 10-1 record. Bonderman was a key to where Tigers would have been able to go last season, but he didn't work. This season, the Tigers hope to have him return to his form from the beginning of last season. He won't rush things for the first couple of weeks in Florida but when camp breaks, he'll be ready to go. Bonderman just needs to get back into the feel of the game after missing a significant amount of time at the end of last season. Hopefully, Spring Training will allow him to accomplish that.

Vance Wilson is the backup catcher for the Tigers who didn't play a game last season due to an injury to the elbow, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery. There is no telling whether or not he'll be fully recovered for opening day, but he will keep working over Spring Training to prepare him for a comeback. Reports at came claim that he's throwing the ball okay, but not like he really needs to be. Wilson is a solid catcher behind Pudge, but with Inge revolving around the field in almost every position, there is no telling if this year will promise Wilson a couple more years in Detroit. He is now 35 and his career is on the downside. So Detroit can only expect a little from him, especially after coming off of such a crucial injury.

The Tigers Spring Training is full of stories right now, but they won't allow the pressure to affect the way that they prepare for the season. This is just a ST preview so that means that there will be more to come before the season begins.

NBA MVP Watch: FGS' Candidates

2008-02-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

The NBA has reached its midway point and that means it's time to look at the potential MVP candidates so far for this season. You can look at the MVP any way you want to; most valuable to the team, most valuable to the league, etc. I look at it as how would their team look without them? So your opinions may differ from mine. But these are my top 5 MVP candidates for this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers- LeBron James
Points a game- 30.3
Rebounds a game- 7.8
Assists a game- 7.3

When it comes to being the MVP, you have to be your teams "most valuable player." LeBron James has definitely been the most valuable player on his team, maybe even in the whole league. Cleveland has now put away a disappointing start to the season and now they find themselves sitting pretty with a 29-23 record and in second place behind Detroit in the Central division. But you can thank LeBron for the turnaround. Nobody has been able to do what LeBron has done this season. How many times have you seen Cleveland down in the fourth quarter and then see LeBron literally take over the game? He's been the go to guy for this Cleveland team and he leads the league in fourth quarter scoring with 9.1 points. That actually is a record that he set this season that has gone unnoticed. That just shows you how clutch of a guy that LeBron is. When it comes to crunch time, LeBron is depended on the most and most of the time he delivers. But scoring isn’t the only thing that James is good at doing. While he is leading the league in scoring with 30.3 points, he also is an everyday threat at getting a triple-double. 7.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists says it all. As much as people want to count him as being the only guy on the team that does all of the work, he does know how to get the team involved. He’s only had 4 triple doubles this season but he’s been close to getting way more than that. He could either be only one rebound or one assist away from achieving a triple-double. So LeBron is a threat everywhere on the floor. Right now, LeBron should be the front runner for the MVP award because he is just having a career year. I’ve never seen better play come from this guy in all of his previous seasons as a Cavalier. As of February 15, LeBron has scored over 20 points in 22 straight games; a feat that nobody is even close to. Everybody knows that the pressure is on LeBron to perform well in every game, but he handles that pressure very well and performs great under it. He’s valuable to his team in so many ways and without him, where would Cleveland be at? In the games that LeBron was injured in earlier this season, the Cavaliers went 0-6. That just shows you how much LeBron means to this team. It’s hard to admit it if you’re a Cleveland player, but it really is the truth. He has given Cleveland hope in his four seasons in the league. MVP considerations for this guy should be on everybody’s list.

Los Angeles Lakers- Kobe Bryant
Points a game- 28.0
Rebounds a game- 6.1
Assists a game- 5.3

What’s an MVP race without Kobe Bryant in it? Kobe will always be nominated as an MVP as long as he’s been doing what he’s always done in his career; score. It’s not a career year for Kobe, but it still is an MVP type season. Kobe’s worst season could be another’s best season. Shooting at a 45% clip, the L.A. man has put all trade rumors aside and performed like he always has. From the first game of the season to this day, Kobe still has no problem being a Laker especially with the new addition of Pau Gasol who can compliment Bryant on the floor. No, he hasn’t scored 50+ points in four straight games yet nor has he put up 81 in a game. But Bryant doesn’t need to do that in order to deserve MVP considerations. Bryant is playing much different this year. He shows only a little bit of inconsistency on occasions, but he still plays his role. When he is needed, he comes thru at the end of games similar to LeBron James. When it comes to crunch time, there is nobody else you would want to have the ball other than Kobe Bryant. He’s proven it in the past and he’s still proving it now. But sometimes it’s hard to put Bryant among the best in the NBA because the expectations are set so high for him, so 28 points a game isn’t anything new for him. He hasn’t been spectacular like LeBron has because we all know that Kobe is capable of scoring 30 points a game. It seems like when Kobe puts up 35 in a game, it won’t be headlined rather than it would be for other younger players. But regardless, Bryant will always put up MVP numbers. The crazy thing is that he has never won an MVP award despite his tremendous career. So what makes this year so different from all of the other years? Before the season began, there was so much talk surrounding Bryant and him being traded but Bryant has played as if none of that was even being talked about. Bryant was criticized for whining and complaining and being selfish but he hasn’t showed any of that since the first game of the season. Bryant has had to adjust at times as well. He finally got some help when Andrew Bynum emerged as a player but he wasn’t around for long because he got injured. So Bryant had to go for a short period of time without any help until the Lakers acquired Gasol from Memphis. Now Bryant has help that could potentially boost his MVP campaign. But when it comes to being the leagues most valuable player, I think Kobe has that in a bag. When I think of the most “valuable” player, I think of who would people pay to go see every night. Who else but Kobe has that ability to draw in fans from different cities? So Kobe has a legit shot at the MVP title this year but it’s hard to tell it when you’ve been playing at the same level that you’ve played at your whole career.

New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul
Points a game- 20.5
Rebounds a game- 4.0
Assists a game- 10.9

Some may think of Chris Paul as overrated and over hyped but why? If you look at where he’s brought this team, it’s too hard to count him out as an MVP candidate. There is no reason why Paul doesn’t deserve to be in the MVP race because the way he is playing ball is tremendous. The Hornets have a chance to win the division over teams like the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs; two very good teams. But the Hornets are a team that basically came out of the woodwork, all led by their all-star point guard, Chris Paul. The way that Paul can dish the ball out to his team is ridiculous as he averages a double-double a game. Every season, he has improved his level of playing ability and this season is something special for him. Paul is only in his third season and he has been playing like a veteran. He is reliable in crunch time, he shoots a respectable 47% from the floor, he can hit the wide open three pointers, he knows how to take the ball to the rim and draw the foul, and he definitely knows how to get his teammates involved. Those 10.9 assists aren’t a joke because he’s basically been doing that throughout his whole career. And don’t disregard his defensive skills either. The man is averaging about 2.6 steals a game so he knows how to play on both sides of the floor. When it comes to team basketball, nobody delivers like Paul does. The Hornets revolve around Paul and as a third year player, he’s basically the backbone to this organization. It’s easy for Paul to get MVP considerations but it’s difficult to win it over players who are championship material. Kobe and LeBron both have playoff experience and many would believe that if Chris Paul won the MVP award, then it would be a fluke in the playoffs. But we can’t say that because we haven’t seen him in the playoffs yet. Regardless, Paul is really the only reason why this team is as successful as it is right now. They hold the best record in the Western Conference right now and Paul is the best player on the best team. So why not have him in the race for the MVP. If he doesn’t win it this year, there is definitely a chance for him to win it in the future. But if this team goes on further into the season and finish off with a tremendous record, why not give the MVP award to Paul?

Orlando Magic- Dwight Howard
Points a game- 21.7
Rebounds a game- 14.6
Assists a game- 1.4

There is only one guy in the league who doesn’t have a jumper at all that can still average 21.7 points a game and that’s Dwight Howard. Howard isn’t your average big man in the paint. He does everything that a big man is supposed to do, such as grab rebounds, block shots, put the ball in the basket and intimidate others from driving the ball to the basket. As a 6’11 guy who stands in the paint, are you really going to try and go one-on-one with him straight to the basket? That’s what Howard brings to the table when it comes to Orlando. There isn’t anybody else on that team that they can depend on more to get the job done than Howard. Nobody else in the NBA is a bigger threat in the paint than Howard is. He averages a double-double in almost every game and he brings a lot of energy onto the floor. The only thing that affects his scoring is his ability to shoot free throws. He is the first person to foul when it comes to the opposition because he only shoots 59% from the line. So if a team doesn’t want to give up the easy basket, they go to Plan B and immediately foul him. But the same thing was with Shaq. It didn’t bother his career though because he has turned into a Hall of Fame player. The same could possibly happen with Howard. Without Howard, I believe that Orlando would be a perennial lottery team looking for somebody like Howard, but they have him now and he’s given the Magic a shot at a playoff run. It may be difficult as a 22 year old to be the one that is depended on the most, but he puts the Magic in contention for the playoffs every year. As long as Howard is in a Magic jersey, then there is no doubt that he could lead this team to a title one day; it’s just a matter of patience and time. Howard is still young though so he does have some flaws that he needs to work out of his game. Like head Coach Stan Van Gundy said earlier in the week; Howard needs to stop worrying about scoring so much and he needs to focus more on playing better defense and rebounding better. In order for Dwight to be an MVP, he doesn’t need to be a selfish player by scoring so much and try to be a star because he has been successful by NOT doing that. So once Howard re-adjusts to what he’s used to doing, he will always be deserving of the MVP. The main reason why the Orlando Magic has been so successful this season is because of the way Howard was dominating on the boards. But this Howard is having a career year this season and his numbers are MVP material.

Phoenix Suns- Steve Nash
Points a game- 17.4
Rebounds a game- 3.5
Assists a game- 11.7

Steve Nash is still an MVP candidate as long as his team is playing good basketball around him. The double-double machine is playing just as good as he did when he won his other previous two MVP awards so that still puts him in the MVP race. This franchise is basically revolved around their point guard who has been selected to another all star game this season. Nash is the main guy on this Suns team that they can rely on to get the job done. Nash is still shooting tremendous from behind the arch with a 46% shooting percentage and a 50% field goal shooting percentage which ranks him among the top 5 in shooting percentage for a guard. But the reason why Nash is ranked fifth on my MVP list is because he’s already won two MVP awards but hasn’t been to the NBA Finals. So these MVP awards aren’t helping him and his team out come playoff time. Not like it’s a fluke for Nash, it’s just that he’s basically had his chance even though he still continues to put up MVP numbers consistently. Nash has Chris Paul talent (or it may be the other way around) and he can do things from taking the ball to the paint, penetrating and dish the ball out to an open player, hit open shots and create open looks. For a guy that is complimented with the team that he has, I don’t believe that they would be as successful without Nash rather than they are with him. That is what Nash is to this team and this organization. He is one of those rare point guards that can almost do everything without trying to grab all of the attention and try being a superstar like many other selfish athletes. He plays for the team and that is why he has won the MVP award twice already in his career. This season may not result as it did two years ago for Nash, but even if he doesn’t win it, he still is an MVP type player.
Other notable MVP candidates: Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett

Kobe only scores six, and the Lakers still win?

2008-02-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

By: Byron Parker

If Kobe Bryant only scores six points in a game, how will the Lakers win? Bryant is basically the backbone for the Lakers organization and holding him down to low numbers would cause the team to somewhat struggle, depending upon who's in the lineup. With Andrew Bynum in, there would still be hope. The big man has finally developed into his role in the paint and he's done a tremendous job. Bynum has the potential to be an every night double-double man for the team, so if Kobe struggles, Bynum is the next resort. What about the team without Bynum? Who are they gonna depend on now?

Last night was Pau Gasol's debut in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey. Gasol had a huge night, putting up 24 points, 12 boards and 4 assists. He immediately showed his impact to the team in just one night. Gasol gave us a sign of things to come later on in the season. Yeah, it helped that Fisher put up 28 last night but that's almost a once a month thing. You can't expect him to contribute offensively like that on a regular basis. You can expect it from Kobe and Gasol. There's nothing better than to have a reliable big-man in the paint waiting for the ball so he can put it in the basket. Gasol did a lot of that last night against the New Jersey Nets. And taking all of the pressure off of Kobe gave this team a new look. Most people will say that the Lakers won't work without Kobe. They're right. But would the Lakers work with just Kobe on his own? Not exactly. Relying on one man night in and night out is not how a team wil become successful because if Kobe were to have a bad night and the team lost the game, will you blame him because he didn't have anyone to support him? That just puts more pressure on him to perform better in the next game. You saw that with the few games that Kobe didn't have Bynum. But with Bynum complimenting Bryant in the lineup, Kobe didn't have to put up big numbers and he sometimes even found himself outscored by his teammate. That is what Bynum brought to the table.

Next to him was Kwame Brown. Due to the circumstances of Brown being a "not-so-good" player, I will not go off on a tangent about him. What I will do is compliment the Lakers front office for bringing that extra piece to the team that they needed. Pau Gasol.

I don't believe that he will be a one night wonder because we all know the skills that Gasol posesses. He's a rebounding machine, a go to guy in the paint, and he even has a short jumper in his arsenal. The guy can score and there's no doubt that he will give the Lakers another threat on the floor. If an NBA team has the ability to hold a star like Kobe to just six points and still lose, then that doesn't mean that they suck. It just means that the Lakers are no longer worried about depending on Kobe to get the job for them.

As much as I would like to write the Lakers up as the favorite to win the West, I still can't. Remember, we've only seen Kobe and Gasol; not Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. It should be no problem with these three finding a way to mesh with each other, but they'll have to learn quickly. With Bynum out for several more weeks, he'll return around crunch time. This is when the Lakers will need to get serious and prepare for the playoffs. It seems as if they're already serious but once again, all of them will have to be able to work with each other, especially Gasol and Bynum. Gasol is coming in for the moment to play the same role as Bynum did when he was in. When Bynum comes back, will he go back to his old role or will Phil Jackson find a different role for him? Hopefully for the Lakers, it won't take that long to get these two acclimated to their spots. It really shouldn't though. Since Bynum hasn't yet to establish his short jumper and Gasol has, there is a definite chance that Bynum will remain at the center position and Gasol will goto power forward. Working around the ball to these two will be a little difficult. Since Kobe has learned how to not be a selfish player, there's no worrying about what his job will be. As one of the best clutch shooters in the game, he'll most likely be the one the Phil depends on to set the tone at the beginning of the game and finish out the game. Bynum and Gasol will be the big men that Derek Fisher and Bryant can rely on to get the ball to for some scoring down low.

Gasol is great for this team. I can say that over and over again. I will be excited to see what he can do for this team for the rest of the season. This team is already playoff bound but with Gasol, they're now championship bound.

Bob Knight leaves Texas Tech

2008-02-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Bob Knight, one of the most respected coaches in sports history resigns from his head coach position at Texas Tech University. Knight spoke with the athletic director of Tech, Gerald Myers on Monday morning to inform him that he would step down from his spot. Bob Knight's son, Pat Knight will immediately take over the team. This is Knight's seventh season at Texas Tech, and his 42nd season in Division I basketball. The 67 year old will leave his legacy at Tech with 902 career wins, placing his name atop the list in most career wins as a college head coach. He won his 900th game less than three weeks ago. Knight is arguably one of the most polarizing, contreversial head coaches in sports history, but he still was a great coach. In all of his years of coaching, Knight has never been sanctioned by the NCAA for any coaching or recruiting violations. He keeps a clean program and keeps his players in check; thus the high number of graduate players from his program. He could possibly be named as one of the greatest in NCAA sports.

Knight has left us so many memories in the sports world, from him throwing out chairs onto the middle of the court, slapping up his players (literally), and showing us the unusual side of coaching. There had already been rumors that this would be Knight's last season, but the timing threw most people off. The end was near, but it all seems like it came too soon. Knight is known for all of his shenanigans and his entertaining anecdotes. The 900 win mark seems like that is what his goal was to reach, but I don't think so. Knight never mentioned that feat because all he focused on was his team.

Knight hasn't won the NCAA Championship since 1987, but that still doesn't ruin his legacy. He's won it three times along with one NIT Championship and 11 Big Ten Championship titles. The guys resume is remarkable. Knight has won many Coach of the Year awards making him highly deserving of getting into the Hall of Fame.

The details of this will be released soon, and when they do, FGS will be here to cover it. Keep checking in for any updates for this.

Figuring out the NBA...

2008-02-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

By: Byron Parker

We all know that the NBA is such a predictable league. Things that happen year in and year out seems like thay are just conditioned to occur. The NBA has not yet found a way to obtain the same ratings that they once had back in the dynasty days of the Lakers, the Celtics and the Bulls. So it seems like things are set up purposely to try to bring the NBA back to its silver and golden days. Many don't want to believe that, but it's somewhat true. You can see it from the way the officials make calls in tight playoff series, the way schedules are set up, and even the way trades are made.

The NBA has a habit of trying to turn the league into what it doesn't need to be. And David Stern isn't really the one to blame for that. Stern has done a tremendous job dealing with issues in the league, whether you don't want to believe it. The Tim Donaghy betting scandal has been put under the radar, and Stern has dealt with that issue with pure proffesionalism. He didn't let it get out of hand like many others expected it to.

But I personally think that there is a conspiracy in the league, involving the GM's. Many general managers are former NBA players; either ex-teammates or ex-rivals.

Take a look at the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin McHale. Former Celtic who played in the 80's along with players like Larry Bird and Robert Parish. These three were known as the "Big Three" of their time. McHale was active during the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 80's. If it wasn't for the Lakers, the Celtics would've had the best starting five in the NBA at that time. Their starting lineup consisted of himself, Bird, Parish, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. Guess where Danny Ainge is at now. He's the GM of the NBA's best, Boston Celtics. Now as former teammates, Ainge and McHale has to have some sort of relationship outside of their playing career.

So it's understandable how the trade of Kevin Garnett to Boston was worked out. Maybe Ainge wanted to re-live the glory days in Boston by bringing KG there. But something had to be done in order to bring Garnett there, right? Garnett was complaining that he didn't want to play for Boston. Look at him now though. He's in a Celtics jersey enjoying life, and now he's been talking about how he's always wanted to be a Celtic. I don't know how he automatically changed his mind, but he did. It may have had something to do with the communication of the two front offices. So now with the emergence of Garnett in Boston, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA. Thanks to the whole trade deal between two former teammates from the glory days.

Pop Quiz: Which NBA team just made a trade that now has them picked as favorites in the Western Conference by a new gang of bandwagon fans?

Correct, the Los Angeles Lakers (don't take credit if you didn't get that one right). The Lakers basically traded away a bunch of bums/potential bums for an all star in Pau Gasol. We all know Gasol will definitely be a help for the Lakers, and with the development of Andrew Bynum, the Lakers are now an elite team in the West. We haven't seen them play together yet, so we still can't write the Lakers up for anything, even though lots of people, including myself are ready to give them the title in the West.

So who's behind the whole trade?

Jerry West who was a former Laker, is now the President of Basketball Operation for Memphis. A former superstar in the NBA who has been the cornerstone for what the NBA stands for. West was also the general manager for the Lakers in the Celtics-Lakers days. These were the days when McHale and Ainge were playing. The rivalry was heated at this time, and a key player for the Lakers was Mitch Kupchak. He was on the Lakers team, along with Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Byron Scott. Wonder what Kupchak is doing now? He is the general manager of the Lakers!

So while Jerry West was the GM of the Lakers, Kupchak was playing for his team. There had to be chemistry between West and Kupchak in order to bring Gasol to L.A. This deal went down, similar to the KG trade in Boston. A whole bunch of garbage players went to a team that now have a chance at the NBA title. Garnett was traded to Boston in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash considerations, Boston's '09 first round draft pick, and the '09 first round pick that Minnesota traded to Boston in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade of '06. Gasol was traded to Los Angeles for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Marc Gasol and two first round draft picks. Sounds like Boston and Los Angeles gave up about the same.

The Gasol trade has me thinking that Mitch Kupchak wants to re-live the same glory days that Danny Ainge is trying to re-live in Boston. Something tells me that the NBA wants this to happen as well. Hey, I'm sure a lot of people want this to happen too. Who else wouldn't want to see the Lakers-Celtics renew their rivalry? Imagine both teams, fully healthy in the 2008 NBA Finals. Sounds sweet doesn't it? The ratings would boost to an all-time high, and the NBA could possibly have a chance to become what it once was. Let's face it. When the San Antonio Spurs are in the Finals, it's flatout boring to watch, because who most likely is going to win? But Kobe, Bynum and Gasol vs. Garnett, Allen and Pierce...that's something to watch!

I know what you're thinking at this point...
"Where the hell are you going with this?"

Isn't it a coincidence how the NBA works nowadays? They wonder why people don't care much for it anymore. Stuff like this is making the NBA false. It's almost becoming like a ''staged act''. Former NBA players are attempting to re-live their lives through their players. People want things to be what they once were, but the more they try, the stupider it looks. Look at last year's playoffs. Everybody wants LeBron James to be "the next Michael Jordan." Not saying that this played the entire role in the Cavs ability to get past Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the refs did give LeBron a lot of calls that weren't really necessary. It is a shame that refs base calls on the amount of respect that they have for that certain player. It's true. But as soon as LeBron gets to the finals, the refs can't LeBron those calls because they were facing the "well-respected" Spurs. So the Cavs ended up getting swept. What a disaster. The NBA found themselves in a whole on that one, and they ended up getting nothing out of those playoffs. Is it a conspiracy? Yes it is! I promise you that. The NBA is almost at ESPN's level. The level of self-promotion has gotten ridiculous.

If GM's have to make trades to their former teams in order to liven up the NBA, then that's pitiful. If referee's have to lean their calls towards a specific team/player to liven up the NBA, then that's pitiful.

Maybe it will all work out for the NBA in the long-run, but when it does, I will know that it is all just for the ratings. The NBA no longer has the integrity that it once had. It's nobody's fault either. Like I said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the recent trade that just went down because it could possibly be a reset button for the NBA. They might be able to re-capture all of the fans and we may have something to look forward to every season. Every season will be different, no matter who goes on which team.

Regardless of all the bull, I am and will forever be an NBA fan. I just won't respect some of the things that goes on in the league. The NBA is funny now, and I can do nothing but laugh.