Sunday, October 31, 2010

10/31: CFB Wrap-Up, Rangers Alive, etc.

Let's put a bow on Saturday's action... First with college football..
  • Iowa ends the dream for Michigan State... in otherworldly fashion... even though I liked Iowa in the game... 37-6? Didn't see that coming... they dominated from the jump, made all the plays (did anyone see the Pick-6 that featured the insta-lateral? Crazy...), and MSU couldn't get back... I took a little pleasure in this one... between Dantonio reinstating Chris L. Rucker fresh out of jail, and the overall dislike I have for Sparty... it was nice...
  • Nebraska lays the wood to Mizzou... another one most people saw coming, but Nebraska jumped out to a huge lead behind Roy Helu Jr. and his 307 yards rushing... 307!... and Mizzou couldn't get it back in gear in time... NEB is my favorite to win the Big 12 title...
  • Oregon passes another massive test... USC was geared up for this one and its been referenced everywhere as their "bowl game"... Oregon was having no part of it... they scored at will all night, and after this win, the schedule kind of opens up... @Cal is a winnable game, and then they finish with Arizona at home (no slouch, but they are dominant at Autzen) and @Oregon State in what is obviously a huge game... nobody can stop this offense it seems though... how much will the road win at USC help them in the computers?... and as an interesting sidebar, if Cam Newton falters against Alabama... Does LaMichael James get the nod? 200+ yards yet again here (238 yards, 3 TDs), and no signs of slowing down...
  • Utah dodged a huge bullet... as, by far, the most underappreciated undefeated team, they got a big test from Air Force on the road and came out unscathed... setting up the giant showdown with TCU for the Mountain West title and a BCS shot next week... maybe they'll actually get some buzz now...
  • Auburn puts up 51... Ole Miss is pretty bad this year.. but 51 is 51 in the SEC and that offense keeps plugging along... Auburn got a breakout day from freshman RB Michael Dyer, and Cam Newton was crazy good as usual... I still don't trust that secondary at all but it's all setting up for the Alabama game...
  • Georgia & Florida played a big-time game... I'd be the first person to say that anyone without vested interest probably wasn't watching, but any time you play an OT game in a major rivalry, it's good stuff.... Florida gets the bounceback W behind a Chaz Henry FG even though he had significant trouble all day... UF ran for 231 yards and that tells the story... Freshman QB Aaron Murray had a nice day at times for UGA, but 3 picks, including the game-loser in OT plagued him... he's the real deal though...
  • Penn State 41, Michigan 31 - Penn State came in as the 100th ranked offense in the country scoring about 20 ppg... they put up 41... and Michigan loses their 3rd straight game, and brings a 2009-like collapse even further into play... the defense is an atrocity talent-wise and the scheme isn't helping... from the moment Mike Martin left the game with injury, there wasn't a single impact-type player on the field at any time for Michigan defensively... I could rant about this all day... but I won't... Rich Rodriguez better beat someone soon though, or he'll be run out with a screaming pitchfork wielding mob...
Other stuff...
  • The Rangers got back into the series behind Colby Lewis' strong performance and a huge 3-run bomb by Mitch Moreland... who is Mitch Moreland you ask? lol... the rookie first basemen for the Rangers had the biggest hit of his life... but he's been big for them through the playoffs... at any rate, Texas needed a spark and they got it from Lewis... they're a different team at home, and that lineup never stops coming at you, especially with Vlad at DH...
  • Brett Favre will reportedly start for the Vikings... if he starts, and then limps off early in the 1st quarter, can we stop referring to this streak? Please...?
  • Greg Oden will be a restricted free agent after the season... can't blame the Blazers for not being willing to extend him based upon his injury record... and it won't be magnified much if he comes on strong because they have the right to match any deal... but it's newsworthy that he'll be "available" post-season...
  • The Hawks got another win last night... it was an ugly win... but a win nonetheless... the big story though? John Wall took things over in the 2nd half, and finished with 28/9/5... he was unguardable (at least by the Hawks) late... but Larry Drew is driving me nuts already... just a few things here... I can't handle him benching Al Horford for 20-ish minutes straight at the end of the first half with 2 fouls... this isn't college... and also, Josh Powell and Zaza Pachulia played a full 10-minute stretch together in the front court... into the 4th quarter... I can't rant this much this early... moving along...
  • Box Score Check - Derrick Rose went ballistic for Chicago... 39 points, 6 boards, 7 dimes in leading them to a 34-9 fourth quarter dominance and a 10-point win... Luis Scola continues to light people up... 28 points, 10 boards, but Houston lost, yet again, to Denver... I can't figure them out... Brandon Jennings threw up a 20/10/10 triple-double... nothing to sneeze at... and finally... Free Kevin Love!...
What to watch for...
  • NFL - All Day - Check out the NFL Preview for the full breakdown...
  • World Series Game 4 - 8:20 pm on FOX - Hunter vs. Bumgarner - battle of the young pitchers here... Obviously the crucial game in the series for Texas, and a virtual must-win with Lincecum and Cain still looming...
  • BCS Standings Revealed - 8:00 pm ESPN - If you're into that kind of thing...
There it is... Happy Sunday!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

10/30: Rondo, Heat/Magic, etc.

Greetings everyone... Just some quick notes from Friday night...
  • Rajon Rondo is an elite point guard... 10/10/24... that was his line against NY last night... and yes, that says 24... as in 24 dimes... he doesn't always get the love because he's not a scorer, but he's an elite player in this league, the best player on a title contender, and he does it all...
  • Magic/Heat - This one got ugly in a hurry in the 2nd half... an 18-4 run out of the halftime break ended the competitiveness... Dwight Howard had a monster first half (19 points) and ended with... 19 points... oh... he did show off a fairly nice arsenal of post moves in the 1st half, and was saddled with foul trouble in the 2nd... but that's inexcusable nonetheless... I buried Rashard Lewis on twitter... but he's been a non-factor... and Miami did all of this despite subpar numbers from Lebron... gotta be nice to see Wade coming on strong for Heat fans though...
  • Hawks 104, Sixers 101 - It shouldn't have been that close... there was a return of the "Iso-Joe/Jamal" offense (aka cover your eyes in shame) in the 4th quarter and the Hawks managed to blow a double-digit lead before holding on... Josh Smith was masterful on defense (6 blocks, countless shot redirections) and equally maddening on offense (attempting 2 threes, both early in the shot clock, and countless long jumpers)... Also, Mike Bibby is slow... done... but it was nice to see Al Horford throw up the kind of game he's capable of with 20 and 12...
  • Box Score Check - Andre Iguodala had one of the better offensive games I've ever seen him play (27/10/6) and played within himself... Brook Lopez (29 points) is the 2nd best center alive... Say hello to Michael Beasley!... 21 and 10 to go along with blog favorite, Kevin Love, and a ho-hum 17 and 16... and keep your eye on OKC's best big, Mr. Serge Ibaka, who threw up a 16/10/2 blocks off the bench...
  • Break up the Nets!... Nothing?.... Okay, they are 2-0.... that's the team that was flirting with all-time futility from last year... we can build on this...
  • Toronto 101, Cleveland 81 - Mark my words... that will be the biggest margin of victory for the Raptors all season... you heard it here in October...
What to watch for...
  • College Football - All day - Check out the CFB Preview for a schedule of the games... but I'd be going with Purdue/Illinois on ESPN at Noon (obviously a pathetic noon slate), toggling MSU/Iowa and Missou/Nebraska at 3:30, and locking in on Oregon/USC at 8:00 pm... well, I'd be watching Michigan/Penn State at 8:00, but I'm alone on the island there...
  • Wizards/Hawks - 7:00 SportSouth - Hawks home opener... I'll be in the building....
  • And don't forget... NBA League Pass FREE Preview until November 2nd... watch any NBA game on TV or broadband for free... a must-see...
Enjoy the slate...

Friday, October 29, 2010

NFL Preview Week 8

QB Injuries... Falcons bye week... not exactly the most inspiring weekend of action for this guy... alas.. let's get to it... Winners in Bold!

  • Miami @ Cincy - 1:00 - Interesting game here... I think the Bengals are dead and bureid already in that division with Baltimore and Pitt, but Miami is playing for something still and they were within an eyelash of knocking off the Steelers... Ronnie and Ricky get going here, and Cincy's offense can't be trusted (still) with Palmer at the helm...
  • Green Bay @ NY Jets - 1:00 - Very nice matchup here... bad matchup for GB though... road spot against a team with enough DBs to match up with their weapons... the Jets will make Brandon Jackson beat them (and he won't)... unless Sanchez lays an egg, I like the Jets...
  • Washington @ Detroit - 1:00 - Upset special of the week... I like Detroit at home... they're feisty in that building, and Stafford is back... add in the bye week to rest and Washington playing that crazy game against Chicago? All adds up to me... (Ed: Detroit is favored... not an upset anymore, but I like them)
  • Denver vs. San Fran (In London) - 1:00 - What a flat-out dreadful game for the London matchup... Denver got flat-out embarrassed against Oakland last week, and San Fran lost to the hapless Panthers... By default, I'll take the team with the healthy (and better) QB in Orton... but who really cares?
  • Buffalo @ Kansas City - 1:00 - Buffalo played better in Week 7.. Fitzpatrick showed some flashes (400+ yards will do that) and their playmakers made plays... but I'm not sure if it translates, and KC is pretty decent, esp. at home... I think Jones and Charles run wild and that's enough...
  • Jacksonville @ Dallas - 1:00 - This basically comes down to whether you think Dallas has any pride left... I'll take Kitna... always been a fan of his, and he'll the be the best QB in this game (laughably)... Dallas should try and pound the rock a bit, esp. vs. that bad Jacksonville defense... MJD doesn't look right for Jacksonville, and he's all they got...
  • Carolina @ St. Louis - 1:00 - I think I'm all-in on St. Louis being decent lol... they had the game won (on the road) against Tampa last week, and Bradford continues to play well... and oh, I wouldn't pick Carolina against anyone (Buffalo included) on the road... seems easy...
  • Tennessee @ San Diego - 4:00 - Not your typical 5-2 team vs. 2-5 team matchup... this is an utter must-win for San Diego with the division suddenly looking semi-bleak with KC at 4-2 and favored to win this week... Tennessee coming off a physical battle with Philly last week and with SD in a must-win at home, I like them...
  • Seattle @ Oakland - 4:00 - That Oakland/Denver game was an aberration... at least that's the stance I'm taking... Seattle has impressed me, and I've always said they'd be competitive as long as Hasselbeck was upright... he is and they are... look for Lynch to go off in this one, and the Oakland offense to crash to Earth...
  • Minnesota @ New England - 4:00 - As of this writing, we don't know if Favre plays... it'd help them if he did, but they aren't beating the Pats in Foxboro regardless IMO... this could be the death blow to the Vikes, and while they need the game alot more (always a red flag), NE is in a season-long duel with the Jets, so it's not as though they'll be coasting... give me Brady at home vs. the hobbled Favre/Tarvaris combo...
  • Tampa Bay @ Arizona - 4:00 - This is a terrible game... comedy of the week award goes to Raheem Morris for stating his Bucs are the best team in the NFC... really Raheem? The best team you've beaten is Cincy.. and Cincy isn't good... I do kinda like Josh Freeman, but they're due for a road letdown and this is it... upset special with the Cards and my man Max Hall...
  • Pittsburgh @ New Orleans - 8:00 - Game of the week obviously... I default to the Saints at night... coming off a bad loss, that crowd will be jacked, and I think the Aaron Smith loss is a big one for the Steelers... there's no conviction in the pick for me, because I think Pitt is the best team in the league... but with the uncertainty that the Smith loss provides and the crowd, I'll go NO
  • Houston @ Indy - MNF 8:30 - Not a word about Indy this week... weird, huh? Well, Peyton Manning doesn't lose at night... Indy owns Houston (and owe them for the early season loss) and they're playing at home... off a bye week no less... the Dallas Clark loss hurts them from a matchup standpoint, but I don't think the drop-off from him in the slot to an actual receiver in the slot is THAT immense... it also helps them to get a healthy Garcon in there too... take the Colts...
THE PICKS! (17-21 Entering CFB)
  • St. Louis -3 over Carolina.. I'll bet against Carolina on the road any chance I get...
  • Seattle +1.5 over Oakland
  • Indy -5 over Houston
Done and done...

10/29: Blowout City...

Full force...
  • Giants 9, Rangers 0 - Well... this is getting ugly for Texas... the Giants have exploded for 20 runs in two nights, and led by Edgar Renteria (huh!?!?), they beat up on CJ Wilson... Already hearing buzz that this series is over, and IMO that couldn't be further from the truth... going back to Texas for 3 games, and the Rangers have the better lineup (especially in the AL park with Vlad DHing), and a fighting chance...
  • Florida State goes down in a heap... Christian Ponder fumbled with under a minute to go for a what seems to be a typical FSU Thursday night loss (remember Tiki/Ronde Barber beating them in 1995 on a Thursday night when it felt like the sky was falling? Oh... well, I do)... Russell Wilson put up 4 touchdowns (3 rushing) and NCSU did enough to get the win... the ACC is so wide-open it's frightening...
  • The John Wall experience hits its first bump.... in the form of the Orlando Magic... 6 of 19 shooting for 14 points, 9 assists (a nice start), and a hilariously bad -31 +/-... you'll note that I don't put a ton of stock into individual game +/- ratings so we'll give that a pass... but he wasn't good... It's a rough position without Gilbert, where he is suddenly relied upon as the prime offensive option... but wow... Orlando looked sharp.. Dwight was dominant, their depth shined through, and they got efficient offense from Lewis/Carter/Nelson...
  • Allen Iverson is going to Turkey for 2 years... that's gotta be a reality show in the making, yes?...
  • Phoenix pounds Utah on the road... any time Phoenix nearly wins the rebounding battle (lost 45 to 44), it's a great sign for them... they got 43 points combined from Frye, Warrick, and Dragic (fantastic production), and were able to contain Deron Williams, who normally serves as a Suns killer b/c Nash simply can't even try to cover him... pretty impressive, although I loved the boo-birds already appearing in Utah... passionate fans...
  • Marc Dantonio, HC of Michigan State, reinstates his All-American DB Chris L. Rucker after a drunken driving arrest and 8 days in jail... this despite instituting a "zero tolerance" policy on player misconduct... but it's not okay to rip him because he's had health problems this year... well, I'm going to rip him... Does anyone actually think if they weren't undefeated and it wasn't a top-3 player on his team that this kid would be playing? Come on...

What to watch for...
  • Magic/Heat - ESPN 8:00 - Another prime matchup for Miami... and my money says they'll look crisper than they did against Boston... but this is the one matchup everyone consistently points to as a blowup opportunity for Miami... assuming Mr. Howard commands the rock...
  • Lakers/Suns - ESPN 10:30 - Always fun...
  • Hawks/Sixers - SportSouth 7:00 - Another road game... and another opportunity to see athletic point guards run wild against the Hawks "ole!" backcourt...
  • CFB - West Virginia @ UConn - 8:00 ESPN2 - If you don't like the NBA... reasonably decent Big East football?... Yeah...
Stay tuned for the NFL Preview later this morning... and be sure to check out the College Football weekend preview, all the Braves content, and more... Thanks for your patronage!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Braves Offseason Series: Part 2

Editor's Note: This continues the guest writing series on the Braves off-season progress from resident Braves historian, Taylor... Check out Part 1 here http://bradsportsfix.blogspot.com/2010/10/braves-offseason-series-part-1.html

Do you remember when Chipper Jones was the starting left fielder for the Atlanta Braves? It's been awhile, hasn't it? You have to go all the way back to 2003. Coincidentally enough, 2003 was the last time the Atlanta Braves fielded an OF of everyday, consistent, formidable Major Leaguers. Since Chipper, Andruw, and Gary Sheffield patrolled the outfield we, as Braves fans, have had to painfully sit through various platoons, hackers, and reclamation projects. For the most part, it's all been a total fail. This year was no different. In fact, the 2010 Atlanta Braves OF was probably the worst display of OF play (collectively) for a playoff team in the HISTORY of the game. They weren't just bad, they were atrocious (as evidenced by the fact that the worst player in baseball (Ed: Numerically and aesthetically) played over ONE THOUSAND innings in the Atlanta Braves OF). So, here we are, looking to fix this same problem that has plagued the franchise for over 7 years. Will it be done? In short, no. Nate McLouth will still play plenty of OF (at least for the first few months of the season). The upside is, however, we can sure as hell do a lot better than we did this year.

I mentioned in the previous installment that the Braves are essentially looking for ONE everyday, starting player. This is the major focus of the offseason for Frank Wren. We just need to find that missing piece. Defensively speaking, we have some flexibility. Left field is the easiest position to play in the game, so if the guy can play average outfield at any outfield position, he can play for the 2011 Atlanta Braves. We also have the option (as unlikely as it seems) to move Martin Prado into LF if a viable 2B option opens up. In regards to offense, the missing piece is clearly a right handed power bat. The SF Giants showed just how easy it can be in the playoffs to shut down a lefty-filled lineup like the Phillies by just bringing in your lefty specialist from the bullpen late in the game and have him go to work for an inning. The 2011 Braves absolutely need the balance a right handed hitting power bat would provide. With Heyward, Freeman, McCann, and McLouth all hitting from the left side, it's imperative that this missing piece be a right handed hitting option. There are three left handed exceptions to this (Carl Crawford and Colby Rasmus being two of them) and one is unattainable due to his price tag this offseason (Crawford) and the other is likely unattainable because his team just isn't going to actually ever trade him (Rasmus). I'll bring up the third one in a bit.

The Braves are expected to maintain payroll this season. This means that with the money coming off the books from Wagner, Glaus, Saito, Hinske (Ed: Maybe), Melky, and possibly all or part of Kawakami's $6.3m (more on that when I deal with pitching), the Braves should have about $15-20m to work with. Now, keep in mind the Braves are going to need to add some pieces to the bullpen and the bench as well, so realistically we are looking at $5-7m for this "missing piece". What does that mean? Go ahead and end the Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth pipedream unless Chipper and his $13m salary retire tomorrow. So, now that that's out of the way, let's get a bit more realistic. Unfortunately for the Braves, the drop off in available talent via free agency after Crawford and Werth is enormous. We are dealing with names like Pat Burrell, Vlad, Magglio, Marcus Thames, and even the 1998 Gold Club Customer of the Year Andruw Jones. All of these options are very…mediocre. The best hitter of the bunch, Vlad, isn't really able to play enough OF on a day to day basis to play in the National League. The best defensive player of the bunch (keep in mind from a defensive standpoint, ranking these 5 is like ranking your top 5 Big East BCS Championship contenders) is someone who's highest BA in the last 4 years is .230 (Andruw has lost some weight, though!). As you can see, the FA market is, in a word, thin.

From there we explore the options of upgrading by trade. Historically, the Braves seem to make their major acquisitions via trade, and I believe the same thing will happen this offseason. With a plethora of young, top of the rotation starting pitching in the organization, I see the Braves moving a few guys to acquire this "missing piece". It's tough to tell at this moment who will be available this Winter via trade. With that said, there are a few names floating around now that may end up possibilities.

One name is Matt Kemp. He had a breakout out year in 2009, but struggled in every facet of the game this past season including defense (which he has been very strong at in the past). He isn't a favorite of the Dodger front office, and they may just try to move him. (Ed: My favorite of all the possibilities, Werth/Crawford included) Another Dodger who might just wind up available is the 3rd left handed hitting outfielder exception I alluded to earlier, Andre Ethier. Now, it seems very unlikely that the Dodgers would shop him, but it is more realistic than Colby Rasmus being dealt in my opinion because Ethier has 1) a higher salary and 2) less years under team control. Ethier is a beast at the plate, and plays good corner outfield defense. A package for him or Kemp would probably start with a major league ready starter (Hanson, Jurrjens, Minor, Beachy) and from there you'd probably have to throw in a top 20 prospect and possibly Omar Infante. The price tag is heavy from the trade standpoint, but also they both will earn a bit too much for the Braves payroll so we'd need the Dodgers to pick up a bit of their salary as well. I'd rate those two Dodger trade possibilities as extremely unlikely.

Next up we have Josh Willingham. The Nationals may look to move him this offseason. It appears he would make for a pretty good fit for the Braves. He hits for good power (20-25 HRs/year), and has a very impressive career OBP of .367. He's an average defensive LFer. I'd think a package for him would start with one of our top SP prospects not named Teheran or Delgado (Specifically: Vizcaino, Beachy, or Minor) and likely end right about there. I'd rate this trade possibility as certainly possible. It's definitely not a betting favorite to happen, but I wouldn't be shocked to see it done.

Shifting gears a bit, we move to another unlikely but in the realm of possibility trade option in Dan Uggla. Uggla is a power hitting 2B for the Florida Marlins who is due for a bit of an arbitration raise and will be a free agent after the 2012 season. This, along with the Marlins desire for a young, shutdown closer may just mean Uggla is on the trading block. This would obviously move Martin Prado out into LF. There is only one name that would make any sense in this deal for the Marlins and that name is Craig Kimbrel, the flame throwing youngster who is set to inherit the closer's job from Billy Wagner in 2011. A few roadblocks stand in the way of this happening even if Uggla is on the market. One is the fact trades within the division just rarely happen. You hate to get beat over and over by someone you just traded. Second, it's very possible the Marlins front office has no desire to work amicably with the Atlanta Braves. Remember, this is the ONLY ORGANIZATION that didn't give Bobby Cox a proper send off via gift or jumbotron montage because they were furious with his comments after Fredi Gonzalez was fired. Grudges in baseball tend to span decades; just something to think about. I'd rate this trade possibility is very unlikely.

As you can see, the task is far from easy. More trade options will inevitably open up as the offseason prolongs so, while this is definitely a down year for FA's and trades, it's still possible Frank Wren can find a diamond in the rough. I was planning on addressing the bench, and Omar Infante, in this post, but it's getting a little long so I'll cut it off here. Next time we examine the bench, in which I will inevitably create an uproar when I so vehemently proclaim that it will be a huge mistake if Brooks Conrad isn't in a Braves uniform come Opening Day 2011.

College Football Weekend Preview Volume 9

Greetings... Let's get to the big matchups...
  • Florida State @ NC State - 7:30 Thursday ESPN - This gets top billing because, well, the game is tonight... FSU has been pretty impressive sans the blowout loss to Oklahoma, but they go on the road and encounter one of the most under-discussed great players in college football in NC State's QB Russell Wilson... the guy can flat-out play...
  • Michigan State @ Iowa - 3:30 Saturday ABC/ESPN - The last remaining big test for MSU... and I think they flunk it... Iowa is a very good home team historically, and they have the personnel to slow down the MSU offense... it's really on Ricky Stanzi in the end though... and btw, Iowa is a 6.5 point favorite... against an undefeated top-5 team... lol...
  • Missouri @ Nebraska - 3:30 Saturday ABC/ESPN - The biggest remaining test for Missouri until the Big 12 title game... and I think they flunk it too (sensing a trend?)... Nebraska is the more physical team, the more talented team, and they have a lock-down corner in the Prince to take TJ Moe out of the game...
  • Oregon @ USC - 8:00 Saturday ABC - USC isn't the USC of old... but any time you have to go to the Coliseum at night, it's a test.. I think USC can score 30 on Oregon... that's not the issue b/c Matt Barkley is very, very good, but can USC slow Oregon down? I say no...
  • Michigan @ Penn State - 8:00 Saturday ESPN - I know that no one cares... but I do... fresh off the bye week to get Denard healthy, this is an almost must-win coming off back to back losses... PSU's offense is pretty bad, but I'm sure it'll be a white-out and it'll be a hostile environment in Happy Valley...
  • Georgia vs. Florida - 3:30 Saturday CBS - Both teams unranked... wow... Florida owns the matchup for the last 20 years or so and that can't be ignored... also, Aaron Murray in his first cocktail party... I like Florida in the game, but Georgia is definitely playing better football... should be entertaining at least (but if you watch this game in the 3:30 timeslot rather than MSU/Iowa or Nebraska/Missou, you have a problem... or you're a Florida or Georgia fan)
THE PICKS! (17-21 entering... kill me)
  • Northwestern -3 @ Indiana - Bounceback for NW...
  • Florida +3 vs. Georgia - Will pick Florida in this matchup every year until it shifts
  • Auburn - 7 @ Ole Miss - Ole Miss is bad... Auburn scores 40...
  • Texas -7.5 vs. Baylor - Mack Brown and the boys will get right against Baylor... gotta believe that...
  • Oregon State -2.5 over Cal... always good at home... Rodgers brothers go off...
Enjoy the slate!

10/28: World Series Shootout, Hawks opener, etc.

Aloha...
  • Ok... Who had Giants 11, Rangers 7 in their office pool?... Cliff Lee got roughed up, Lincecum got roughed up (although less so), and the Ranger bullpen was the opposite of effective... It's surprising Lee is/has been as dominant as he's been in the playoffs without a performance like this... My mind immediately goes to Greg Maddux when I think of Lee (no, he's not as good as Maddux, but thanks for asking) in that he's a pure control pitcher.. you always hear the attage the "power" pitching wins in the playoffs... and Lee has bucked that, but if you have a control guy who is missing his spots (i.e. Wednesday night), it can get ugly in a hurry... Kind of a big blow to the Rangers who suddenly are in a hole and facing a better pitcher than the one they are trotting out in every game (save possibly game 4) from here out...
  • The Hawks got a road win in their opener last night in Memphis... hurray for road wins!... Anyway, I plowed through this game on DVR at about 2 am, so forgive me... I have a few thoughts... 1) The offense was impressive... Joe Johnson was rhythmic offensively, the ball didn't bog down for long stretches, and the overall efficiency was nice to see (1.24 points per possession, which is outstanding)... 2) I'm already a little wary of Larry Drew's substitution patterns... he buried Al Horford in the first half with 2 fouls (Woodson-like), and came with Josh Powell early in the 2nd half despite ZaZa playing his best half of basketball in 2 years.... 3) Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford still can't defend... at all... Bibby puts out effort (FWIW) but he's dreadful... I love Mike Conley but he shouldn't be putting up 23 points on 15 shots and doing whatever he wants... and 4) If last night is any indication, Marvin Williams is in for a bounce-back this season...
  • Box Score Check: Monta Ellis put up a 46-point effort in GS's opener... and no, that doesn't make him efficient or particularly good... Luis Scola is a beast... 36 and 16 (albeit against GS), and he's done work for 2 solid years... Reggie Evans had 15 boards last night... nothing to see here... Chris Paul is back! 17 points (on 11 shots), 16 dimes, only ONE turnover and a game-high +/-.... welcome back kid... Roy Hibbert for MIP? Lots of early buzz for him pre-season and he followed up with a 28 and 9... and of course, Blake Griffin debuts with 20 and 14 despite Vinny Del Negro (who still isn't a good basketball coach), and Baron Davis (who still makes bad decisions) conspiring to freeze him out in the 2nd half...
  • The Heat won a game!...
  • Boston goes down... in Cleveland?... Definitely the most surprising end result last night... typical Celtics though... 2nd night of a back-to-back... on the road, and the old guys come out an lay an egg... nothing to really take from it... except for the surprising fact that Antawn Jamison only got 21 minutes for Cleveland.. I had some illusions he was their #1 option offensively... is he just done?...
  • Brett Favre... may play?... If there's one thing I'll never kill Favre on, it's this... the guy is legitimately tough... and that's probably the last nice thing I'll say about him...
What to watch for...
  • World Series Game 2 - Wilson vs. Cain - 7:57 FOX - Big spot for CJ Wilson here... would be a big hole to get down 2-0, and Cain has been absolutely dealing...
  • Wizards/Magic - 8:00 TNT - The debut of John Wall... but Washington is in a rough spot here... no Gilbert, and a serious mismatch up front....
  • Suns/Jazz - 10:30 TNT - Can I get Al Jefferson to attempt more than the SIX shots he got in their opener?
  • CFB - Florida State @ NC State - 7:30 ESPN - Tough spot on the road for FSU... worth watching just to see Russell Wilson play for NCSU...

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

10/27: Reviewing Opening Night, etc.

Greetings all...
  • 7 for 27... that's what Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade combined to shoot from the field last night... You hear alot of "sky is falling" type of reports from the media on Miami this morning, and almost none of it is justified... Wade looked rusty (as he should've), Bosh looked lost (eh), and Arroyo was bad... There's not a whole lot you can take from it... Boston is good... esp. at home, and they can lock up a team that has no offensive identity (yet)... oh.. Lebron... he was... good? Not particularly careful with the ball so far... but he went into "hero" mode late and got them back in it when it became clear he needed the ball in his hands... I agreed with one thing I heard... Miami can't play Carlos Arroyo major minutes... there's no reason for him to be out there... on Boston's end? Rondo was Rondo... 17 dimes?... and here's my rant for the day... stop with "The Big 3" graphics for Boston... how can you have a big 3 and not include their best player?...
  • LA gets their rings... and a W... 35 points in the 4th will do that... Gasol was fantastic (29 and 11), Kobe was Kobe (27, 7, 5), but the unquestioned key IMO was the production they got out of Steve Blake and Shannon Brown off the bench... 26 points out of those 2 in 42 combined minutes, and 7-9 from distance... they won't lose with that kind of role player contribution... Houston was great though... really impressed by them already with Brooks and Martin wheeling and dealing (50 points combined), and their rotating door of bigs led by Scola (who's a beast)... Yao looked rusty, but if they can get 11 boards and 2 blocks from him every night? 55 win team....
  • The forgotten game... thanks to League Pass's annual free preview, I caught almost all of Portland/Phoenix.. The 31-11 4th quarter spread for the Blazers kind of tells the story... they went small with 4 perimeter guys and Aldridge and out-Phoenixed Phoenix... That's as good as I've ever seen Nic Batum play offensively, they got alot from Wes Matthews (liked the fit through one game), and Brandon Roy looks healthy... alot to like from Portland even on a night where they got 8 points from Aldridge... for Phoenix? We knew the issues were gonna be there... Outrebounded 48-30... that's not even competitive... but that's what happens when Hedo plays the 4 for you.. speaking of Hedo... he was lustily booed all night by Portland fans... shouldn't they be clapping? He saved them that atrocity of a contract... anyway, it's always fun to watch Steve Nash... but maybe he was right about them missing the playoffs (I think so)....
Other stuff.....
  • World Series begins tonight... not a TON of hype here... but anytime you can get Lee vs. Lincecum in Game 1 it's worth watching... I like the Rangers in 7.... too many bats, and I think CJ Wilson has a big series...
  • Tony Romo out 6-8 weeks... can we agree that he should be out for the year? Barring a miracle they'll be out of it by then, and there's no reason to rush that guy with a broken collarbone... RIP Cowboys..
  • The New York Mets set to announce Sandy Alderson as their GM... that's a big step up from the catastrophe of Omar Minaya... Alderson is respected league-wide both for his great work as Oakland's GM in the 80s and 90s, and for being in MLB's front office since then... a nice hire...
  • Boise State played last night... and won by 29... thought you should know...
What to watch for tonight...
  • World Series Game 1 - Lee vs. Lincecum - 7:57 pm on FOX - Can't really have a better pitching matchup... worth the price of admission even without a dog in the fight....
  • Hawks/Grizzlies - 8:00 SportSouth (Unless you have Dish Network, ugh!) - The Hawks opener... decent spot for a win here against Memphis... watch for how Jeff Teague looks...
  • Bulls/Thunder - 8:00 ESPN - Rose vs. Westbrook should be fun...
  • Blazers/Clippers - 10:30 ESPN - Blake Griffin!!! Blake Griffin!!!
  • As I mentioned earlier... NBA league pass is doing a free preview until November 2nd on TV... so if there's a game you want to see that's not on "regular" tv... hit it up! It's free! Houston/GS... Utah/Denver... Indy/SA... beautiful thing....
Enjoy a busy sports night!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Braves Offseason Series: Part 1

Greetings all... I was asked if I would share this space with my close friend, Taylor, who would like to share his thoughts on the Braves offseason, and I jumped at the chance... Enjoy his work, he knows his stuff...

It's been a little over two weeks since the Atlanta Braves ended their season with a disappointing defeat in the NLDS. Since then we've been able to replace the freshly retired Bobby Cox and released the worst everyday position player in the major leagues (literally, sort by WAR for 2010 and scroll to the bottom of the list). So, with Fredi in and Melky gone, what's next? Since Brad is going to be salivating on the NBA for the next few days (read: weeks…err months) (Ed: I resemble this remark!), he is so graciously letting me attempt to solve that problem for all the loyal blog readers. In this multi-part series that will run throughout this week I will address what the Braves pressing offseason needs are and how I think they should move forward given their current payroll restrictions.

In the first few parts of this series I will closely examine the position players for the 2011 season. First and foremost, I will look at what the Braves WILL have going into 2011:

There are THREE absolute certainties (barring a serious offseason/spring training injury) going into the 2011 season. They are: Brian McCann will be the opening day starting catcher; Jason Heyward will be the opening day starting RFer; and finally, David Ross will be on the bench opening day as the backup catcher. Other than that, there are no guarantees.

From there we have our near certain, but not quite 100%, positional alignments for opening day 2011: Martin Prado will be in the opening day lineup playing somewhere; Freddie Freeman will be the opening day starting first baseman; Alex Gonzalez will be the opening day starting shortstop. Despite some offseason rumors already being spread (emphasis on rumor) that Martin could be packaged in a deal that would land Colby Rasmus (more on this later), I don't see him going anywhere. Whether or not he's the opening day second baseman, third baseman, or left fielder (yes, LFer) remains to be seen. I do, however, almost guarantee he will be in the opening day lineup hitting somewhere between leadoff and second in the order. Frank Wren has already publicly stated that Freddie Freeman will be the starting first baseman for the Atlanta Braves in 2011, so there is no reason to think that won't happen. He was recently (as in yesterday) shut down from the Arizona Fall League because of a minor thumb injury, but this is of little to no concern on his 2011 season. As much as Alex Gonzalez seemed to hack at pitches out of the zone ala Frenchy at his worst, he will most definitely be returning as the starting SS for the Atlanta Braves in 2011. When the deal to exile Yunel Escobar to Canada was done, it was done with the intention of picking up Alex Gonzalez's very reasonable option for the 2011 season. I don't see any reason why the Braves would deviate from that plan at this point. There are really no other options available (unless you think Jeter would come to the Dirty South for $5m/year) this offseason at this price, and there is absolutely no shortstop in the organization close to major league ready.

From this, we then move to two guys who I'd bet would be in a Braves uniform in 2011, but wouldn't lay you any odds. I'm talking specifically about Chipper Jones and Nate McLouth. For Chipper, it's all about if he can rehab his knee and get back into good enough playing shape that he thinks he can produce for the Braves. There really is no reason to think Chipper won't be able to do this. He appears to already be ahead of schedule in his rehab, and is determined to not end his career with an injury. One thing to keep in mind regarding the Chipper situation: if he thinks he can play, but not up to the level he is accustomed to, he'd likely just retire. For Nate, it's all about the fact that he has such a bad contract there is really nothing the Braves can do but retain him and hope he can revert back to his 2008 numbers (or anywhere remotely close, for that matter). If the Nationals starting pitcher vs. the Braves on Opening Day 2011 is a RHP, I'd expect Nate McLouth to be hitting 7th in the order playing either LF or CF (more to come on this as well).

Wrapping that up, we field an opening day team that looks a bit like this:

C - McCann
1B - Freeman
2B - Prado (more than likely)
SS - Gonzalez
3B - C. Jones
LF -
CF - McLouth (possibly LF)
RF - Heyward

As you can see, assuming Chipper rehabs, that leaves one position wide open. For what it's worth, I will just assume Chipper will be the starting third baseman come opening day for the rest of my offseason analysis since, let's face it, that's what Frank Wren will be doing as well. Okay, so we have one position open, but we actually have some flexibility with that position. We can look to fill either LF, CF, or 2B and adjust accordingly. Martin Prado has played a substantial amount of LF in Winter Ball in the past few years (Ed: This is extremely underrated as a subplot), so there is no reason to think he cannot provide average defense in the easiest position to play defensively.

In the next post, I will attempt to address options that the Braves will look at for that open starting position. I will also address what to do with the bench, and specifically the All-Star super-sub, Omar Infante.

NBA Season Predictions

Greetings all... Check out all 30 of the Team Previews (big-ups to the other contributor, Ryan)... here's what I came up with... First? The standings... (Ed: Ryan's thoughts added)

WEST
  1. LAL (61-21) Ryan: LAL
  2. Dallas (55-27) Ryan: DAL
  3. OKC (54-28) Ryan: POR
  4. San Antonio (52-30) Ryan: SA
  5. Houston (50-32) Ryan:OKC
  6. Portland (49-33) Ryan: HOU
  7. Utah (49-33) Ryan:UTA
  8. Denver (46-36) Ryan: PHX
  9. New Orleans (44-38) Ryan: DEN
  10. Phoenix (44-38) Ryan: NO
  11. LA Clippers (39-43) Ryan: MEM
  12. Memphis (36-46) Ryan:LAC
  13. Sacramento (27-55) Ryan: SAC
  14. Golden State (25-57) Ryan:GS
  15. Minnesota (14-68) Ryan: Minny
EAST
  1. Miami (60-22) Ryan: MIA
  2. Orlando (55-27) Ryan:ORL
  3. Boston (53-29) Ryan:BOS
  4. Chicago (51-31) Ryan:CHI
  5. Atlanta (49-33) Ryan:MIL
  6. Milwaukee (48-34) Ryan: ATL
  7. Indiana (41-41) Ryan:NY
  8. New York (38-44) Ryan:IND
  9. Washington (35-47) Ryan: CHA
  10. Philly (32-50) Ryan: WAS
  11. Charlotte (30-52) Ryan: PHI
  12. New Jersey (26-56) Ryan: NJ
  13. Detroit (22-60) Ryan:DET
  14. Cleveland (21-61) Ryan: CLE
  15. Toronto (17-65) Ryan: TOR

Now... to the Individual stuff....

MVP - Dwight Howard, C Orlando... Calling my shot here... Lebron will have the better year... and Durant is getting the preseason hype (deserved btw) but Howard has a different look about him this year from what I've seen (probably helps to have Hakeem work with you on post moves, good lord!), he's the best defender/rebounder alive, he'll finally average 20+ this year, and Wade will steal votes from King James... Runner-up? Kevin Durant...
Ryan: Kobe Bryant... Durant isn't ready... nothing for Lebron this year...

DEFENSIVE POY - Dwight Howard, C Orlando... never a doubt... Ryan: Dwight, I wouldn't know who else to give it to

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Blake Griffin, PF LAC... Yes, he still qualifies... and yes he'll be better than Wall and Cousins... Ryan: John Wall, PG Washington...he's electric, and I don't think anyone will have more opportunities

COACH OF THE YEAR - Rick Adelman, Houston... Call it a hunch.... Ryan: Whoever is Miami's coach (Ed: Erik Spoelstra)... big improvement from last year (duh)

1st Team All-NBA (with positions mattering) - Howard, Dirk, Lebron, Kobe, Paul

1ST TEAM ALL-NBA (how they actually vote, i.e. C-F-F-G-G) - Howard, Durant, Lebron, Kobe, Paul

1ST TEAM ALL-ROOKIE - Splitter, Cousins, Griffin, Johnson, Wall (notice the lack of Turner), Ryan: Cousins, Monroe, Johnson, Turner, Wall

OFF-THE-RADAR ROOKIE SLEEPER - Eric Bledsoe (no way they get more 60 games out of Baron), Quincy Pondexter, Jordan Crawford (if Jamal gets dealt), Devin Ebanks (wayyy deep sleeper), Damion James, Ryan: Pondexter and Lance Stevenson (Indy)

ROOKIE BUSTS - Evan Turner (carrying the torch), Ekpe Udoh (hurt, bad situation), Al-farouq Aminu (see Turner, Evan), Paul George, Ryan: Derrick Favors, NJ

BREAKOUT POY - Kevin Love (18 and 12 this year), Derrick Rose (makes the leap), Brook Lopez (continues the leap), Russ Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Andrea Bargnani (averages 20+ on that team), OJ Mayo, Ryan: Danny Granger, alot to prove and plays in a small market... watch out for him...

GUYS WHO WILL REGRESS A BIT - Tim Duncan (sigh... it has to happen sometime for the GOAT at PF), Kobe (just a little more), Monta Ellis (this is Curry's team now, change in system), Joe Johnson (say goodbye to Iso-Joe), Chauncey Billups

And this will be fun... Top 5 at each position!

C - Howard, Lopez, Jefferson, Bogut, Horford
PF - Dirk, Gasol, Bosh, Duncan, Amare
SF - Lebron, Durant, Carmelo, Granger, G. Wallace (Note: It falls off the cliff after 3 and then again after 4)
SG - Kobe, Wade, Roy, Joe Johnson, Tyreke Evans (Pretty wide-open for the #5 spot IMO)
PG - Paul, D. Williams, Nash, Rose, Curry, Rondo, Westbrook (Okay, I had to do 7.. I have no idea after the top 2... Does Nash regress? How much of a leap does Rose make? This could be it's own column)

The lesson here... is that I'm an idiot... so if there's a glaring omission... hit me in the comments...

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

West

LA over Denver in 5, Ryan: LA over Denver in 4
Dallas over Utah in 7, Ryan: Dallas over Utah in 5
OKC over Portland in 7, Ryan: Portland over Houston in 6
San Antonio over Houston in 6, Ryan: SA over OKC in 6

LA over San Antonio in 6, Ryan: LA over SA in 6
OKC over Dallas in 7, Ryan: Portland over Dallas in 7

LA over OKC in 6, Ryan: LA over Portland in 6

East


Miami over New York in 4, Ryan: Miami over Indy in 4
Orlando over Indiana in 4, Ryan: Orlando over NY in 4
Boston over Milwaukee in 6, Ryan: Boston over ATL in 6
Chicago over Atlanta in 7, Ryan: Chicago over MIL in 6

Miami over Chicago in 6, Ryan: Miami over Chicago in 7
Boston over Orlando in 6, Ryan: Boston over ORL in 6

Boston over Miami in 6, Ryan: Boston over Miami in 7

Finals

LA Lakers over Boston in 7... seems.. redundant?.... Ryan: Ditto!

That will do it for me... as always... the NBA is FANNNN-tastic! I love this game...

Monday, October 25, 2010

NBA 30-Team Preview #30: Miami Heat

You knew it was coming...

ROSTER

C - Joel Anthony, Jamal Magloire, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
PF - Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Juwan Howard
SF - Lebron James, James Jones, Da'Sean Butler
SG - Dwyane Wade, Mike Miller (injured), Jerry Stackhouse
PG - Mario Chalmers, Eddie House, Carlos Arroyo

ANALYSIS

Brad: Aside from having 3 of the top 15 players in the league (that's weird enough), this is one of the most hilariously interesting roster makeups I've ever seen... this team has 5 guys competing to play alongside Bosh (all 3 centers plus Howard and Haslem) in the crunch time 5, AND an open competition to how they'll play the backcourt without any semblance of a starting NBA point guard combined with the fact that they wouldn't need a primary ball-handler at that spot anyway with Lebron and Wade... it's really a mad house... There's so much to go through about whether James and Wade can co-exist... I think they can... but only if Lebron takes the playmaker role... there will be enough shots to go around, but Wade is the more "pure" scorer of the 2, and Lebron is the better distributor despite being significantly bigger... Bosh is a nice fit as the 3rd wheel b/c he's never been that guy to demand the ball with authority, and he'll get wide-open looks alot of the time... it's what he was made for... the Mike Miller injury hurts them early... as he's their 4th best player by any estimation, and would certainly be in their crunch time 5 when healthy to spread people out and do what he does best (shoot)... You're not in the 70-win thought process, are you?

Ryan: Noooooooo waaaaaaaay man...70 out of 82 has to have the right kind of luck and It may be a while before that ever happens again..Outside of the big 3...uh..this is a big patchjob for the Heat here...of the two point guards(Arroyo/Chalmers) I'd rather have Eddie House start and just have Lebron be the creator on offense..neither one of them do anything really offensively and defense is always comparable. But anyway that supporting cast even with Mike Miller is so.....average...I really don't think Bosh/James/Wade can coast on any night. They can out-hustle you sure...but man..injuries may play a factor here(already) and its not looking good. Lucky for them like you said you have 3 of the top 15 players out there so that is unheard of and will be a tremendous advantage...its hard to predict how good they'll be because its all philosophical in that we hadn't seen anything like this (2 was the max) before.. so it could go really well..or really bad...

Brad: Got a point there... it's all conjecture to a point... we think we know that 3 great players = great team... but do we? I've heard comparisons to that first Boston team when the Big 3 got together... but it's not the same thing... those 3 were in their late prime, and were semi-grizzled vets plus they had young Rondo and Perkins... and even then, were people penciling them in for greatness? Definitely not... I think it's a mortal lock that they'll be a homecourt team in the East if even 2 of the 3 stay healthy all season, but anything further? It's totally dependent on health, i.e. Wade's health IMO... Lebron has never been hurt, and Bosh is pretty durable (never played less than 67 games), but Wade has always been and will always be an injury risk... they can't afford a loss... but with all the bashing, they still have Lebron, who carried Cleveland to 60+ wins multiple times with semi-lackluster help, and that's the great equalizer... fans and media have to be careful in discussing Lebron with hate-colored glasses because of the antics of the offseason... the guy is still an unmitigated monster, and we've never seen anything like him physically... put it all together? I see 60-ish wins, but we're all guessing... Prediction: 1st in the East

Ryan: All good points but I have one thing to ask.....how is Lebron's elbow?...lol..anyways I think if 2 of them stay healthy for the season then I'll give them the #1 seed..but there are some bad movable pieces that could be exposed as the year goes on...regardless... Prediction: 1st in the East

10/25: Weekend Football Wrap...

Greetings all... Just an overview of the impactful weekend action... Starting in college...
  • Auburn slides past LSU... Cam Newton is a beast... pure and simple... and LSU is coached by Les Miles.... I can stop now right? lol... anyway, Auburn wasn't terribly flashy outside of Mr. Newton, but they got their best looking D-line performance of the year, ran for 440 (!) yards on the day, and LSU failed to take advantage of Auburn's lone weakness (secondary)... and Les Miles is still a bad football coach...
  • Oklahoma goes down in a heap... count me among those who undervalued Missouri and overvalued OU... Missou's offensive line dominated throughout the game, and they had the better QB (Gabbert) since Landry Jones was pretty much a trainwreck in big spots... another questionable (to be nice) coaching night for Bob Stoops... several curious decisions... alas, I still think Missouri isn't going through the slate unscathed with Nebraska looming and a potential OU rematch in Dallas on the horizon, but it's fun to think about...
  • Wisconsin is on fire... back to back wins over Ohio State and Iowa put Wisconsin back into the BCS top 10... best coaching call of the week? Bret Bielema who called a flawless fake punt after seeing that Iowa was only rushing 2 guys (both to the outside) on every punt return all night, so he called a fake punt run down the middle and he was untouched for 20+ yards... it won them the game...
  • I have no idea how Michigan State won that game... that was the thought I had after Northwestern imploded this weekend... but week after week, MSU seems to find a way and they are now one big win (@Iowa) away from a potential undefeated run... they conveniently miss Ohio State this year, so it would hurt them schedule-wise if there are multiple undefeateds, but it's a nice story... oh, I should mention I think Iowa beats them anyway....
  • The BCS Standings are out... and Auburn tops them... it's a bit of a curious decision with Oregon (again) #1 in both polls and fresh off a 47-point win over a reasonably decent conference opponent... but the computers are spitting out body of work results, and they felt the LSU win put Auburn over the top... alas, it won't matter... if Oregon runs the table, I don't see a scenario where Boise/TCU/Michigan State would pass them... Missouri? That would be interesting...
To the NFL...
  • Brett Favre throws 3 second-half INTs... always a pleasure really... the Vikings seemed to be the better team last night... except for at the QB position... and even with Rodgers not playing exceptionally well, Favre handed the game over late.... and subsequently got blasted by Brad Childress in the postgame presser... fun for the whole family... one positive for Minny? Adrian Peterson is just electric man...
  • Tennessee scores 27 in the 4th quarter to knock off Philly... Kenny Britt, in trouble of his own, throws up a 225 yard, 3 TD performance, and Kevin Kolb craps the bed a bit... ho hum.... insert Vick...
  • Buffalo had Baltimore on the ropes... and couldn't hold on... but a valiant effort from the Bills, and especially Ryan Fitzpatrick and company in the passing game... 374 yards and 4 TDs including a comeback late to tie the game and force OT... there's a little life there....
  • New Orleans loses... to Cleveland...at home... trouble in the Big Easy? I say yes... Brees doesn't look right, and they aren't stopping anybody... add in the Falcons with a default 2-game lead because of the head-to-head victory... and you never know...
  • Speaking of Atlanta... despite a ridiculously bad 3rd quarter implosion, they were able to hold on and beat Cincy on the back of Roddy White and Matt Ryan... is Roddy White the best receiver alive? It's easy to make that judgment with Andre Johnson hurt but White's been amazing... big win to get without Dunta Robinson and Weatherspoon as well... going into the buy 5-2 and a home game vs. Tampa looming... great spot...
  • Washington and Chicago set the game back 20 years yesterday... that's my only thought on the game other than the relative anger that Deangelo Hall made more plays yesterday than he did in multiple years as a Falcon... thanks D-Hall....
  • New England tries to drive the stake into Norv Turner's heart... lol... the Chargers lose a home game (big news), and Tom Brady and company look to be getting right... look out AFC...
  • Break up the Seahawks!....
  • Oakland hung 59... 59!... points on Denver... Oakland! This is the single most baffling score I've seen this year... having not seen the game, but having seen Oakland play offense... I can't figure it out... but McFadden went nuts, they got good QB play for once, and Denver was the perfect storm of suck.... it all came together...
THE PICKS! (Entering 15-17)
  • Wisconsin +6... winner!
  • Oklahoma -3... loser!
  • Indiana +14... Loser!
  • Dallas -3 (Pending)
  • St. Louis +2.5... winner!
  • Baltimore -13... Loser!
Yikes... 17-20 with the Dallas game pending tonight... it's getting ugly folks... anyway... do me a favor and hit up the NBA previews as well... Thanks for your patronage!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

NBA 30-Team Preview #29: Orlando Magic

Oh... they still have Vince?...

ROSTER

C - Dwight Howard, Marcin Gortat, Daniel Orton
PF - Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Malik Allen
SF - Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Quentin Richardson
SG - Vince Carter, JJ Redick,
PG - Jameer Nelson, Chris Duhon, Jason Williams

ANALYSIS

Brad: As you'll see in my final "predictions" column, I'm high on Howard this year... he looks more polished in the post in the preseason, and I think this is the year he cracks the 20 ppg ceiling... the big question for this squad is whether they elect to go "traditional" with Rashard Lewis at the 3, or whether they continue to go with the charade that he can play the 4 with Pietrus at the 3... In losing Hedo before last season, they gave away their chief non-Howard advantage, which was the ability to play with those 2 6'10 versatile forwards and out-matchup everyone... without Hedo, Lewis got exposed regularly at the 4 on defense, and there wasn't another option at the 3 that could make up for it... my question was: Why go out and get Brandon Bass if you were going to try and play non-traditional still?... I think, judging from the preseason and what SVG has said, that Anderson and Bass will get minute bumps, and they'll play Lewis more at the 3... anyway... the ceiling with this team stems from Vince Carter as the #2 option... I've stated (and it played out last year) that no one with Vince as this significant a part will ever win the title.. I just can't see it... especially without a dominant #1 offensive option... Jameer took a step back in 2009-10 too, and they need him to be as good as he was pre-injury two years ago...

Ryan: Hm...I think in my mind if Dwight is poised to breakout then you can't really have someone like Bass there to clog up the post..having Pietrus and Lewis at the 3 and 4 works for the philosophy that they have been doing the last few years.I'd feel more comfortable with Bass being a non-starter personally. Also Lewis got used in vs Boston partly because he didn't make shots..he had opportunities to make them pay and pull KG away from the basket but he didn't convert.I think if he hits those people wouldn't be so hard on him (although it wasn't the only reason they lost)... and of course Wince Carter is the real key to how far Orlando will go..but with that said...its Wince..I think the best part of his whole game is hearing all the media types on TV dance around calling him soft..which he is...

Brad: Yeah, my original idea for breaking down Orlando's title chances was to simply state "Vince Carter is their crunch-time scorer"... lol... says it all, huh? It's gotta be a frustrating ideal for that fan base considering the stockpiling of talent, and the best big in the game, but having that glass ceiling b/c they've somehow done it all without acquiring a go-to-scorer (partially due to paying Lewis the league's biggest contract, yikes)... I think it's the same old story... fantastic regular season team that gets bounced by Boston in Round 2... seems simple enough? Prediction: 2nd in the East

Ryan: Yeah I think that was the best summary of any team either of us has done..unless Wince acquires something he hasn't had ever(go-to mentality) the team will get bounced in round two by either Miami or Boston... sad really because I'm favorable towards everyone else on the team except him...ah well... Prediction: 2nd in the East

NBA 30-Team Preview #28: Boston Celtics

Cream of the crop from here on out..

ROSTER

C - Kendrick Perkins (injured), Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal
PF - Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Luke Harangody
SF - Paul Pierce, Marquis Daniels
SG - Ray Allen, Delonte West
PG - Rajon Rondo, Nate Robinson, Avery Bradley

ANALYSIS

Ryan: In my eyes..this is the standard of the East..this is the team to beat...and at the end of the day I feel that this Boston team will be returning to the finals this year (There....I said it). Rondo is still emerging and may have a chip on his shoulder over being "excused" from the FIBA USA team over the summer. The Big Three is still here... Allen,Pierce and Garnett need to be healthy for this thing to go but KG is the motor and from all accounts I've heard early, he's healthy again. And in a surprising move they brought in Shaq to fill the void left by Kendrick Perkins' injury from the finals. I think that he's an upgrade offensively and a bit of a shrug defensively. I don't know if you can account for ego but I'm sure Shaq will feel he needs more touches, blah blah..but I think that this vet team will quiet all of that. The bench is alot deeper this year where they only lost Tony Allen.. but they added rookie Avery Bradley, Jermaine O'Neal and Delonte West (who I'm high on). Mix in Nate and Big Baby... bam..thats a legit 10 (or 9) to go to battle with..talk me down here lol..

Brad: I'm really high on them too... the funny thing is... after the Perkins injury last year, they were empty of talent on the front-line... now they have too much? Perkins is supposed to return midseason, and they signed Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal (who everyone forgets about)... JO seems like the odd man out there... except they gave him the entire mid-level exception... explain that one... anyway, they are loaded up front, still have Pierce and Allen on the wing, and Rondo gets some help now with West coming back, and the rook Bradley being a lockdown defender when need be... I have them 2nd because I think they'll limit the Big 3's minutes (again), but in the end I'm with you on the East title thing... Care to explain how the frontcourt rotation works out down the stretch?...

Ryan: Well I can't..but I also can't predict drama either..I think that it'll work either way because Perkins won't be 100% right when he comes back... he'll have to work his way into the lineup.. and depending how he plays he'll get his minutes..he's a free agent after the year so it's not like there's a long-term ramification of not playing him..and JO is very benchable..they're trying to win so they can't be bogged down with little stuff like minutes when a ring is on the table...

Brad: I'm with you on all accounts... I just don't think it's out of the question for Shaq to cause havoc if he doesn't get minutes/touches, and there's a real possibility of that here... it helps to have the vets around him (mostly KG), but Shaq has submarined things everywhere he's been at some point... It's a small concern, and we're nitpicking here because of the roster... the only personnel question is pure age... Shaq/JO/Pierce/Allen/Garnett are all ancient by NBA standards and that doesn't go away... KG is the real key, he's supposedly looked limber/spry so far this year, and he had it going a bit down the stretch last year, but he's certainly not the same KG... It's a team that won't push it in the regular season, but they match up well with anyone in a playoff series, and with Rondo joining the elite, they have so many options... Prediction: 3rd in the East

Ryan:Uh I try not to look at the bombing of Shaq and the team he's with but you can't overlook it...Phx,Orlando,LA,Cleveland,Miami...right..all had issues somewhere.. history is history.. I don't think they push hard in the regular season either because of their ages but they'll be fine... just fine... Prediction: 3rd in the East

NBA 30-Team Preview #27: Chicago Bulls

Rose makes the leap...

ROSTER

C - Joakim Noah, Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik
PF - Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, Brian Scalabrine
SF - Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, James Johnson
SG - Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans
PG - Derrick Rose, CJ Watson

ANALYSIS

Brad: I'm on record that I think Derrick Rose makes the leap this year... to what, you ask? Well I haven't thought he was a top-5 PG to this point... I think he makes that leap, and then I think he's on the verge of challenging the "Big 2"... there's nothing he can't do on a basketball court, and his physical tools are scary... the Boozer injury hurts a bit early, but I see them treading water (it's really close to the same team as last year, who wasn't bad) until he gets back... I'm glad (if I'm a Bulls fan) that they wouldn't deal Noah for Carmelo... Noah is their glue... he doesn't need the ball, and he's an excellent rebounder/shot-blocker/defender that they can't replace internally... Brewer and Korver were brought in to supplement the wing after JJ Redick's restricted free agent offer sheet was matched by Orlando, and I kinda like the combo... Brewer can defend his behind off, and Korver is obviously a knockdown shooter... the bench is decent... Korver, Gibson, Thomas, Scal, Bogans, and Watson are all NBA players, and can play significant minutes and not murder you... Oh yeah... the hate on Luol Deng has gone too far... all you hear is people killing Deng... and yes, he's overpaid wildly with that 70 million dollar deal... but he's a consistent 17 per game scorer, and now he's their 3rd option on offense... he's fine... good even...

Ryan: I'm with you on one thing..the hate on Luol Deng has gone of enough..okay he might have maximized his potential but 17 and 7 is nothing to down. I like that they got far deeper than they were a year ago at all positions... I mean they added depth behind Rose with CJ Watson, added Brewer and Korver at the wing..and oh yeah..added the low-post scorer they've been lacking for almost 8 years now in Carlos Boozer. He's hurt (get used to that) but when he's in he's legit and they need that. Signing Kurt Thomas was an underrated signing too... I do think that Rose is a tad overblown though..he's good..very..I think he rounds out my top 5 PGs but his skills as a point guard don't do it for me..and offensively sure hes athletic and can get to the rim but that jumper is eh to me..as well as defensive output...geez..I might be hating here lol

Brad: Slight hate, but valid... he doesn't have the straight "PG" skill set that I so highly value (i.e. he's shoot-first), but he's nice... I love, love, love the Kurt Thomas move... not so much for the regular season, but they'll need him in the playoffs against Boston or Orlando if they face them... badly... Boozer is the crucial thing... I think the fit is a good one next to Noah because of what I said earlier about Noah being the dirty work guy, and Boozer being a pick/pop jump shooter, and a guy who's capable of giving them interior scoring they've never had in this era... I think it's a team that could be a year away, with that year being used to get used to each other, but it could easily be a team that challenges the top-3... they certainly have the talent in that top 4 of Noah/Rose/Deng/Boozer... that's very, very good... I'll keep them out of the "elite of the elite" but they're right there... Prediction: 4th in the East

Ryan: I agree with them being a year away but they will definitely push the top 3 teams in the East which is very promising for this team. Being setback by the Boozer injury will slow the gelling process of their optimal playing level, but I think that they will challenge one of the big 3 East teams in the 2nd round of the playoffs.. Predictions: 4th in the East