Recap of Wildcard Weekend in the NFL

1. TEBOW!!!!! How can you not love this guy? It seems like every week just when we’re ready to count him out, Tebow does something amazing. This week it was something no one thought he could do – look like an elite NFL quarterback. My biggest question, however, is this – What was Pittsburgh thinking in overtime?! One of the qualities every championship level team has to have is the ability to adapt to what their opponent is doing. Now, I like Mike Tomlin and Dick Lebeau a lot, but they dropped the ball yesterday. From the start, Denver’s plan was obvious; spread-option run the ball, and use play-action to attack the defense down the field. The short-to-intermediate passing game (where Tebow really struggles because he’s about as accurate as a blind sniper) was nonexistent. Watch the last play of overtime here, and click pause at the 0:04 second mark. Notice how the defense has no one deeper than 5 yards off the ball. In a league where a corner can’t even look at a wide receiver without drawing a flag, how are you supposed to stop the skinny post without safety help? Now, you could claim that Pittsburgh had no way of knowing Denver would run the skinny post, but in order to claim that you would have to not been watching the game. Denver ran some version of that play a half-dozen times! If you freeze that clip again at the 0:08 mark when Thomas catches the ball, he’s already behind the entire defense, and he’s only 20 yards down-field.

Considering the new overtime rules (if a team kicks a field goal on the opening possession the opposing team is allotted one opportunity with the ball) you should always have safety help over the top to protect against a big play. On that possession the only thing that can end the game is a TD. Why risk giving up an 80 yard bomb? I understand that there was run-action on the play, but has Denver’s rushing attack become so unstoppable that you need all 11 guys within the line of scrimmage to stop it? Also, consider this – What happens if Denver does run the ball and McGahee breaks one tackle and gets to the nonexistent third level? We’ve heard of teams playing prevent defense at the end of games at getting burned, but this time we saw the opposite – a defensive scheme that was too aggressive and in the end, cost Pittsburgh the game.

2. At what point are people going to point out that Matt Ryan doesn’t win big games? Yesterday, the Atlanta Falcons were embarrassed for the 2^nd straight year in the playoffs. Last season, after finishing with the number 1 seed in the regular season, Atlanta lost at home to Green Bay (the eventual champs) 48-21. The Falcons decided to take that game to heart and improve their offense in the offseason (they traded multiple picks to move up in the draft and take Alabama stud Julio Jones). The Falcons had clearly decided that to take the next step they would need to develop their passing game to be able to score with the likes of Green Bay. Fast-forward a year to yesterday. That prolific offense that Atlanta supposedly created scored a grand total of zero offensive points against the Giants (a team who Vegas made only a 3-point favorite, which essentially means equal – you get 3 points for being the home team typically).

Now, after watching yesterday’s game, I think it’s pretty clear that the Giants were the better team, are definitely one of the top eight teams in the league, and deserve to make the next round, but like the Pittsburgh game, what was Atlanta thinking?! Four times yesterday, yes FOUR, Atlanta had a 3^rd or 4^th and one or less on the cusp of the redzone. The plays in those situations were as follows – Michael Turner run (stuffed) full back run (stuffed), quarterback sneak (stuffed), quarterback sneak (stuffed). Rewind to what we earlier talked about – the lesson Atlanta took from the Green Bay playoff game last year was to win now you have to be able to score points. Does anyone here think that Green Bay put up 48 points running those plays? The ONLY part of the Giants’ defense that is elite (or really, even above average) is that defensive line. Why in the  Hell would the Falcons think in a critical moment, they would be able to push Osi, Tuck, JPP and others off the line? Then, to make it worse, why would they think they could do it the fourth opportunity after getting stuffed the first three? HELLO, MIKE SMITH?? YOU THERE?? Do you have dinner plans next weekend that you just can’t cancel? Why not ONCE try throwing to Julio Jones (you remember, that guy you traded 15 draft picks, your kidney, and your collector’s set of MASH DVD’s to draft). I’m not sure if Mike Smith or Matty Checkdown (hey, Matt, you know what happens when you throw 2 yard outs to Roddy White on 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd down? You punt) are going to get any heat for this loss because in Atlanta it seems Mike Vick set the bar so low electrocuting dogs that no one else can do wrong, but there needs to be some serious one-on-one time with a mirror for both of them.

3. I’m really excited for the Saints to lose. For me, they have gone from the lovable team that represented an unnecessarily beaten city to the 2007 New England Patriots, trying to score as many points as possible. On Saturday night, already leading by two scores with under 5 minutes to play, they Saints were still throwing the ball, trying their best to score one last “eff-you” touchdown. My question is who exactly are they saying “eff-you” to? The public, in general,  loves the Saints. At least in 2007 the Patriots were trying to prove to everyone that they didn’t need to cheat to win (spy gate had just happened). It isn’t like the Saints can’t run the ball. Pierre Thomas was breaking more tackles then Lindsey Lohan running out of a club when the police show up and Darren Sproles has been a monster all year round. I have to admit, there was a tiny part of me that wanted to see Ndamukong (you better believe I had to look that up) Suh sprain Brees’ shoulder there so I could yell “Hey, assholes, that why you don’t do that,” but alas, it didn’t happen. At some point Brees, who does throw his share of picks, is going to throw a pick-6 that flips a game. I’ll be right here smirking.

And that brings me to Drew Brees. I’ll admit, I used to be all in on him, but the Brees love has gone way too far. Yes, he broke Dan Marino’s passing record, but considering Rodgers, Manning, Stafford, and Brady were all within 500 yards of the record and it doesn’t seem as big a deal. The “Brees is MVP” stuff is absurd. While he did throw the most yards consider the following factors (I will compare him to Rodgers, Brady, and Manning who I think were all just as, if not more, deserving; FIRST. Brees played 11 games indoors this year, which is more than the other three combined – Rodgers (3), Eli (3), Brady (0). Indoors means 72 degrees and zero wind. I’ll go ahead and let you think about how often those are the conditions in Green Bay, Massachusetts, and New Jersey in November and December. SECOND. Brees threw for 46 TDs and 14 picks, Brady threw for 39 TDs and 12 picks, and Rodgers threw for 45 TDs and 6 (yeah seriously, 6) picks (and sat out the last game. Feels like he might have thrown a TD or two against that Lions secondary, right?) How many of Brees’ TDs (and yards) were from piling on versus crappy opponents? New Orleans won games this year by 28, 29, 22, 25, and 55 points (damn, Colts). It’s not out of the question to say that Brees picked up maybe 6-8 unnecessary touchdowns and probably 600-1000 garbage yards. In those situations Green Bay, New York, and even New England are trying to run the ball and get outta’ town. THIRD. Rodgers had zero games all year with multiple picks, Brees had 5 games with multiple picks (and 2 of those games he probably cost them a chance to win).

Look, I’m not saying Brees isn’t great, he obviously is. What I’m saying is Rodgers is the MVP, Brees did not have any better of a season than Brady, and Eli isn’t that far behind. **Also, here’s a personal message to Drew, I love how much charity work you do. Seems like you are a great guy and keep it up, but we don’t need to know every time you throw 50 cents into the Salvation Army bucket via your Twitter account. Calm down Drew.

4. I don’t have very many thoughts about the Bengals v. Texans game. It all basically played out how we thought it would. The two young QBs made some plays and made some mistakes, In the end, the Texans ran the ball really well and played lockdown defense, which is basically what they did all year.

My one thought is this – I’m not sure the Texans can’t win next week at Baltimore too. The Texans have two elite facets to their team (run-game and defense) and have a quarterback that is at least competent. Is that not the same way you feel about the Ravens? Honestly, I might take the Texans defense and run game over Baltimore’s. Is Joe Flacco really any better than T.J. Yates? If I’m a Raven’s fan, I’m at least nervous for this week.

What We Learned From Last Night

As everyone saw last night, the 49ers dismantled the Steelers in a 20-3 victory. Really, the score wasn’t even that close. Here are some of the things I think last nights game taught NFL fans.

– San Francisco is a legit title contender. Honestly, until yesterday I really wasn’t sold on the 49ers. I was under the belief that they had a good defense and had played an average schedule. The three best wins prior to yesterday came against a banged-up wishy/washy Giants team, a vastly overrated Eagles team, and a Ravens squad that really struggles on the road (yeah I don’t know where my brain went there. Ravens beat San Fran). Last night, the 49ers played a complete game against a (mostly) complete team. Look, I get that Rothesburger is hurt and his limitations greatly effected the offense, but what impressed me most was San Fran’s ability to move the ball against Pittsburgh’s own stingy defense. Frank Gore was able to run all over their front 7, and the secondary really made no plays all game long. (Did Troy Polamalu retire? Where’s he been the 2nd half of the year?) While the fact remains that the 49ers offense is going to give them trouble, San Francisco probably the best defense and special teams in football. Dominating 2 out of 3 phases can win you a title.

– Ben Rothesburger shouldn’t have been on the field last night. We all commend Big Ben for playing through injuries (by the way, high-ankle sprains are usually a 3-6 week injury) but at a certain point Mike Tomlin needs to make a decision that’s best for team, both now and down the road.  What’s the point of putting your fanchise quarterback out there against that pass rush when he literally cannot move. If the arguement is Tomlin thought Rothesburger gave the Steelers the best chance to win, then fine, but 20 minutes into the game a change should have been made. It was obvious Ben was really hurt. To make it worse, Rothesburger’s two dominating qualties – the ability to throw the ball down field and the ability to extend plays with his legs – were both completely negated by the high-ankle sprain. Ben sailed throws over open reciever’s heads all night, including twice on interceptions. Charlie Batch is by no means a good quarterback, but at a certian pont Pittsburgh needed to cut its loses.

 – If I were a 49ers fan, I’d be very concerned about the redzone offense. Even on a night where they dominated the opposition to the point that San Fran could really do whatever it wanted, they stalled multiple times inside the 20. ESPN flashed a statistic that the 49ers scored touchdowns on only about 35% of their redzone opportunities, placing them 31st in football. Against teams like Green Bay, New Orleans, or even Dallas, you have to get 7 when the opportunity presents itself. Who is going to step up and be the go to guy (Hey, Vernon Davis, can you hear me???)

 – California is so broke it can’t even pay its own electric bills.

 

– The NFC has the 3 best teams in football. Yes, yes, I’m painfully aware that Green Bay lost this weekend. They’re still 13-1 and have won 19 of their last 20 games. Let’s all try to be a little less reactionary. (Any by the way, Aaron Rodgers is the MVP, not Brees. Settle down, everyone.) After Green Bay, I’d take the Saints and 49ers over any teams in the AFC. Who would even be the top team in the AFC to compete? Please don’t try to sell me New England. Yes, their offense is impressive and those two tight ends are amazing. The question was never their offense. In Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, how many points would that swiss cheese defense give up on the field turf to Green Bay or the Saints? After watching the 49ers defense last night, I feel like this it would like watching Brady run from Alden and Justin Smith. You could try to sell me the Ravens, but they’re way to inconsistant. Honestly, I’d still take Pittsburgh over every AFC team, but Rothesburger needs to get healthy (I mean, he REALLY shouldn’t have played last night). According to sportsbook.com, the NFC is favored by 4.5 to win the Super Bowl, and that seems about right.

 – Alex Smith has become very comfortable managing games. I have to be honest, I was pretty impressed with some of the things Smith was able to do last night. For the most part, he threw the ball where he wanted to and kept the ball out of the other team’s hands. Obviously, with a defense as dominating as San Francisco’s, Smith’s priority is to keep the turnovers down. Last night, he made every right decision, didn’t really force any balls, and let his running game and defense do the work. Bonus thought – every time I watch Frank Gore play (admittedly not that often) I am reminded of how good he is. If Gore can stay healthy – big if – and is Smith stays away from the turnovers – medium size if- this team can beat anyone in football. The defense is that good.

5 NBA Youngsters to Watch

Below I have listed 5 players who I expect to take a large step forward this season. I listed the players in ascending order, with number 1 being the player I expect to increase the most in value. This step can be from role-player to difference-maker or even from difference-maker to star. If you play NBA2K think of it as a player increasing his value by 10 points – an overall 80 becoming a 90. It’s a big step, and here are the guys I’m looking at –  

 

5. James Harden, SG, Thunder – Many people thought the Thunder made a mistake drafting Harden over Tyreke Evans and Steph Curry. While that’s probably still up for debate, Harden at least made a case for himself towards the end of last season. In the minutes prior to the 2010-2011 trade deadline, the Thunder swung a Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins heist…I mean trade, that made a clear statement to Harden – he was going to be expected to provide consistant scoring off the bench. We get that there is a clear 1-2 punch in Oklahoma City, but not even young guns like Durant and Westbrook will be able to play 40 minutes a night in this crazy shortened season. Oklahoma City will need someone who they can count on to be a 15-point scorer every night, but also someone who can bail them out during back-to-back-back games where the big-two are slowed down. I expect Harden to be one of the top shooting guards in the west (and really, there aren’t many great SGs in the west outside Kobe).

4. Greg Monroe, PF, Pistons – Monroe was one of the surprise rookies in a relatively weak class last year. After being the number one recruit in the country coming out of high-school, Monroe somewhat underwhelmed at Georgetown. Last year, however, Monroe was one of the better young big men in the league. Monroe is a decent defensive player who averaged 10 boards a game after the all star break. The real place Greg excels is on the low-block, where he’s already and elite passer and has a decent set of post moves. Remeber, Monroe is doing all this without a true point guard, which is typically really challenging for a rookie big-man. (Btw, good call on giving Rodney Stuckey a 3-year deal. That’s what you need Detriot, another guard without a real position, can’t really pass or defend. Cough, Ben Gordon, Cough, Will Bynum, Cough, Cough.)  

3. Jrue Holiday (pronounced Drew. No, I don’t know why his parents did that to him), PG, 76ers – Another player who underwhelmed at college (UCLA) but has been really good his first two years in the pros. (I’m starting to think we should watch out for this. If you’re highly recruited going into college and struggle for a year or two, that understandable. Hey NBA scouts, IT’S COLLEGE! It’s the first time an 18-year old is on his own and really partying for the first time. Also, with the way college girls dress now, the guys who don’t struggle at first are the ones who really scare me.) Anyway, Holiday seems like the kind of player that really could be special. After his rookie season, Sixer fans were caustiously optimistic that Holiday could be a decent PG, but a strong 2010-2011 left expecations much higher. Holiday has the frame and size to be an elite defender, and shoots well enough to be a threat from deep. Jrue’s real gift, however, is his ability to see the floor, run the fast break, and get to the rim. Don’t be surprised if Holiday takes a huge step forward and leads the sixers in all relevant offensive stats (other than maybe FG percentage).

2. Tyreke Evans, SG, Kings – Maybe last years numbers were down from his rookie season (where he went crazy, like LeBron James rookie year crazy. I’ll wait while you compare the stats…) but I think Tyreke is going to get back to that level. Most people in the NBA know Evans was hurt most of the year, and the Kings were just a mess anyway. When you have young players like Evans and DeMarcus Cousins ( please take 30 seconds and look at all this stuff Cousins has been involved with) there are going to be bumps in the road. Hopefully, a year older and wiser (or saner) will do good for the Kings, and specifically Evans. Tyreke has the skills to dominate in the league, now if he can just stay healthy – physically and mentally.

**Also, if Jimmer can even just be a good outsider shooter – and all signs point to him being elite – that’s going to spread the floor and give Evans more room to operate. I’m talking myself into the Kings right now. If I had any sort of money I think I might jump on the Kings +12,500 to win the West, and you know what, I might do it anyway. (All NBA future bets are located here if you’re interested.) 

1. John Wall, PG, Wizards – Wall was astoundingly good last year for a rookie, and it seems like a lot of people didn’t notice. I don’t like to make fun of players (well, that’s a lie) but the 2010 Washington Wizards may have had the dumbest collection of players in the history of the NBA . Rashard Lewis and Nick Young have more talent and less basketball IQ than anyone in the league not named JaVale McGee or Andray Blatche (FYI, all four of those guys are Wizards). Andray Blatche might be my favorie player to hate in the league. Andray is literally always ready to do something stupid, whether its going nuts to get a triple double or promoting his “lap-dance Tuesdays”. To John Wall’s credit, he still figured out a way to average 16 points 8 assits and almost 2 steals a game playing with this group. If he even improves on those numbers a little we’re talking about a player who can compete with Rondo for the backup PG in the East for the All-Star game, and that’s no slight to Rondo, I had him in my MVP post last week. In 2011-2012, expect a huge season for Wall, and more shananagins from Andray Blatche (and honestly, I really don’t know which I’m more excited for).

Week 15 Top 10

It was another week filled with madness in the NFL. Here are the things that stood out to me.

1. Six weeks ago, I thought the NFC West was worse than the SEC. Now, it might be the best division in the NFC. Can the Cards or Hawks seriously make it to the playoffs? No one else in the NFC seems to want that 6th seed. (Note to all teams playing Arizona. Devin Hester rules are now in effect. If you punt to Patrick Peterson bad things are going to happen.)

2. San Francisco HAS to win tomorrow night against the Steelers. The Saints look like there is no way they’re going to lose another home game in 2011-2012. Luckily for Niner fans, James Harrison has less self control than Lindsey Lohan at a frat party. If they 49ers have any hope in getting past Saints in the Divisional Round, it has to be outdoors. (Yes, I am assuming they both get there. The Saints, 49ers and Packers are a step above everyone else in the NFC – no Jerry Jones, I don’t care that your Cowboys neutered the Bucks on National TV. There’s a club for people who’ve done that to the Bucks called “Every Team That’s Played Them Since September Club”.

3. People are going to over-react to the Green Bay loss, but Arrowhead is a tough place to play. Let’s also not forget that the Chiefs fired Todd Haley this week, and there was a lot of noise that he was HATED in the locker room. Now Green Bay can rest its injured guys and prepare for the playoffs (they really need to get healthy on the offensive line to have any chance at repeating as Super Bowl champs).

4. People may say otherwise, but I think the Giants are the most consistent team in football. They compete with the elite teams, beat good and average teams, and lose trap games. Those things are sure as black-jack.

5. I’m okay with the Lions making the playoffs. They’re one of the top 6 teams in the NFC and should be there. I don’t, however, know if they’ll be able to keep their under control enough to make a playoff run, especially if this happens again.

6. Tebowwwww……oh wait. This is what’s going to happen if the Broncos play teams that can score. Detroit did what they wanted against the Broncos a few weeks back, and now New England has. Seems like a one-and-done playoff team to me.

7. Question for Jets fans – Should Rex Ryan’s seat feel a little warm? It really looks like this team is underachieving. Sanchez seems to get most of the blame, but how about the loud-mouth coach who is responsible for winning these games? Every year Rex comes out and guarantees they’re going to win the Super Bowl. Now, I’m not saying Jets fans are all geniuses, but I do believe they’re going to notice that you’re 0-3 on that guarantee, Rex. (I really am excited for him to get fired and hired by another team so we can have another season of “Hard Knocks” next year.)

8. Every Sunday at about 7:25 Central Standard Time I’m reminded that Faith Hill looks damn good for 44.

9. I feel like the Ravens or Chargers are always on national TV. I know almost as many of these players as I do players for my team. At least Flacco and Rivers are fun to watch. They both have a “good quarterback capable of winning or blowing a game” feel about them. FYI, I’m picking Baltimore to win 24-20.

10. To every New England fan who is celebrating their blowout win over the Broncos today, I would like to remind you of this – You made Tebow look like a good quarterback for most of that game. That secondary is going to be the death of you. I can already see Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown streaking down the sidelines.

Thanks for reading this week’s recap. See you again next week!

The 2012 NBA MVP Will Be…

I literally can’t wait for the start of the NBA season, and Santa’s bringing us 5 awesome games on Christmas Day. In preperation I’ve been thinking about who’s going to win the MVP in this strange, shortened season. In reverse order:

12. Deron Williams – After coming over from the Jazz, Williams averaged almost 13 assists a game for the Nets. While his scoring was down, I expect that to come up now that he’ll have training camp (well, sort of) to go through. If somehow the Nets land Dwight Howard, Williams might average 15 assists a game.

11. Steve Nash – One of the few stars who doesn’t seem to have a desire to order his way around, you have to love Nash. Even though he’s getting on the older side (37 years old) I think this season is built for him. He’s in phenominal shape, and  the Suns are used to running up and down the court. Team’s are going to be sucking wind against the Suns whenever they’re the 2nd game of a back-to-back.

10. Rajon Rondo – Here’s the thing, Rondo can the trade rumors two ways; 1. he acts like T.O. when talking about quarterbacks, or 2. he says, “eff-off Danny Ainge, I’m gonna show you how good I am.” If he goes with the latter, he might have a huge year. A running theme of this breakdown is young fresh legs helps, and Rondo is the only guy on Boston that qualifies. There will be nights where Rondo has to do it by himself, and I think he can.  

9. Kobe Bryant – I know he’s not young and I know his legs aren’t fresh, but he’s still Kobe F. Bryant. The Odom trade and the fossilization of Derek Fisher means Kobe is going to be asked to do more than last year. He’s still one of the top 5 scorers in the league, and a better than average defender. The only thing that hurts Kobe’s chances are there will be nights he doesn’t play because he’s “under the weather”. That’s just what we’re going to face in a 66 games in 120 day season.

8. Blake Griffin – Ironically, I feel like the Chris Paul trade probably hurts Griffin’s numbers, and therefore MVP chances (more on that later). Griffin is young, but are the legs fresh enough to make it through an entire season? This is the same guy who hurt his knee two years ago dunking on air. The biggest advantage Blake has over the rest of the league is he’ll have 1 or 2 “holy crap did you just see that” plays a night that’ll be run over-and-over on Sportscenter. People tend to remember stuff like this.

7. Dwight Howard – I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure where to put Dwight. He’s the most dominating defensive presence in the leauge, and can be dominant on offense as well when his teammates are keeping him involved. The problem is, how is pending free agency/trade situation going to affect him. TANGENT – Why do we have to have the words affect and effect in the English language? I had to go find an English major right now just to explain to me the difference. Isn’t the point of language to communicate, not befuddle? I vote we pick one and go with it.

6. Carmelo Anthony – A full year in D’Antoni’s system is going to be fun times for Knicks fans. Melo and Amare will probably both put up huge numbers, but Amare concerns me in the condensed season. If he plays 37 minutes a game like he did last year, Amare might not be walking on his 30th birthday. Melo is much better condititioned for this, and could average 30 points a game this year.

5. Dirk Nowitski – The reigning Finals MVP should have all the confidence in the world heading into the 2011-2012 season (is it even called that now? there’s like 3 games being played in 2011.) The Mavs added Lamar Odom who should take some defensive pressure off Dirk. Dirks also crazy durable, playing in 76 games or more 11 of the last 12 years (73 games last year).

4. Derrick Rose – Once you get to this level, a case can be made for any of the guys. Rose won the award last year, and typically writers don’t give back-to-back awards if they can avoide it. The thing I love about Rose (that LeBron avoided his first 7 years, and Bill Simmons has ripped him for) is that he comes back with a new part of his game every year. Last year, it was the 3-ball. If Rose can turn himself into an above average defender, he just might be the best player in the league.

3. Chris Paul – How many lobs is Paul going to throw this year? 100? 200? 300?!?!?! I’m getting excited just thinking about. Paul really might average 15+ assists a game on that team. They have have athletic freaks in the front-court and 3-point shooters on the wing (Bledsoe, Caron Butler). Would 18 points, 15 assits and 2.5 steals win Paul the MVP? –It better.

2. Kevin Durant – I went back and forth between Durant at 1 or 2. The thing that I couldn’t get over is his size/defensive ability. He still needs to get bigger to prevent himself from being pushed around by stronger small forwards. I don’t think you should win the MVP if you’re not consistantly bringing it on both ends of the floor (I’m not saying Durant isn’t giving effort, just that he’s not that good defensively). His offensive numbers would have to be out of this world to take home the trophy – which is completely possible given his talent for scoring the ball. All that being said, I think KD finishes 2nd.

 

 1. LeBron James – Let me start by saying this; I hated the Decision as much as anyone. LeBron’s ego had grown to unbearable levels. His lack of self-awearness was almost mindboggling. I was annoyed that the best player on the planet copped out and went to play with the 3rd or 4th best player on the planet. Here’s the thing though, that sentence still rings true. LeBron is still the best player on the planet. He passes like a point guard, can get to the rim from the 3 point line better than anyone in the league, and is a decent shooter (still needs work). If it’s true that LeBron made progress in his post game this summer by working with Hakeem, watch out. LeBron with a post game might average 10 assists a game due previously-stated passing ability. Take all that, and add it to the fact that James was one of the 5 best defensive players from last year, and there’s no denying what he is. He’s the best player in the league (even if he defers to Wade in the last 2 minutes).

Note – I really, and I mean REALLLYYYY wanted to find a place to put Russell Westbrook and John Wall on this list, but couldn’t.

The Chris Paul Trade

Later on, I’ll have a larger post about LeBron vs. the class in the 2012 MVP race. That being said, let’s take a quick minute to discuss the Chris Paul trade. A few days ago, I did an post about the LA Lakers/Clippers trades that never happened. It seems now, however, that the NBA has scared up a better trade for the Hornets from the LA Clippers (imagine being Jerry Buss’ therapist right now). The deal breaks down like this –

Clippers recieve – Chris Paul, 2 future 2nd round picks

Hornets recieve – Eric Gordon, Minnesota’s 2012 1st round pick, Chris Kaman, and Al-Farouq Aminu (the one thing I’ve learned the last few days is how to spell his name)

The Clipper’s also recieved insurances from Paul that he would not opt-out of his deal after this season, guaranteeing the Clips 2 seasons to convince Paul to stay long-term.

So, did the Clippers make the right move? My initial reaction, hesitantly, is no. Look, we all understand that more than any other sport, basketball is a game of stars. Fewer players are active at one time than any of the major sports, and therefore can have a much larger impact on the game. In the NBA right now there are 10-15 superstars and another 10-15 almost-superstars. You can’t compete without at least 1 of these guys, and can’t win a title without at least 2. Chris Paul gives the Clippers that 2nd star (along with Blake Griffin). All that being said, why did the Clippers cave now? What leverage does the NBA have? As I screamed about the other day, CHRIS PAUL WAS LEAVING NEW ORLEANS AT THE END OF THE YEAR. If I were running the Clippers (I’m not, Gary Bussy, I mean Donald Sterling is) I would have waited till about the all-star break, when it became real obvious to New Orleans that no better offer was coming (because it wasn’t) and resubmitted my Minny’s pick/Bledsoe/Kaman/Aminu offer. New Orleans would have to accept, or risk losing Paul for nothing.

All that being said, I still believe the Clippers are a better team today than the were yesterday. Chris Paul might be the best point guard of all-time, and he makes the Clippers more relevant in the city of Los Angeles than they’ve ever been (This is a big deal to the Clips. Imagine being the ignored little brother your whole life who suddenly dates a supermodel.). Paul throwing lobs to this guy (and this guy) is going to be awesome to watch.  Hopefully, they can lock up Griffin and Paul in a few years, and get a few more pieces around them. Like I said, I would have waited, but in the end the Clippers got Chris Paul, and that’s not so bad.

Derek Jeter – The Man, The Myth, The Legend

I don’t think I’ll ever forget where I was when Derek Jeter got his 3,000 hit. Living in Houston, Texas, my roommate and I were watching the game on my Apple TV (just like our grandfathers did). As Jeter came to the plate, about to face David Price, one of the premeir pitchers in baseball, I turned to my roommate and said “Imagine if Jeter hit it out right here” (hit it out means hit a home run, and if you didn’t know that, please leave). We both had a good laugh, because, come on, Jeter’s not a home run hitter. He’s never even had a 25-home run season in his career. People have joked that he’s probably the only player in 20 years who hasn’t used steriods, and it wasn’t a compliment.

I’ll admit I’m pretty new to this writing thing. I don’t have the capability to put into words what happened next, but then again, I’m not really sure even Shakespeare himself could. Instead of you listening to me seach for the proper adjectives, just watch this. I mean, can you believe that? I know we’ve all seen it now, that game is six-months old, but seriously, can you believe that. Go back and rewind to 0:28 and listen. Can you hear how loud that crowd is? The camera is shaking. Imagine yourself standing alone, in the batters box at Yankee Stadium, as 52,000 people chant your name in unison. Can you fucking imagine that? If you don’t have goosebumps when Jeter takes his most memorable swing, you’re probably dead. In one plate appearance, Derek Jeter had cemented himself as one of the five best Yankees to ever play.

Derek Jeter has always been about more than statistics. If you want to see them, click here, they’re ample, but it’s always been about much more. In New York, he’s simply known as The Captian. That’s not a throw away title used for the best player on the team, because truthfully, Jeter wasn’t the best player on the Yankees for most of those years. At the beginning it was Bernie Williams , Tino Martinez, or Paul O’Neill. Lately it’s been Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, or CC Sabathia. Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite have been, or were, just as valuable on the field as Jeter. That’s not the point.

Since the day Jeter first put on the pinstripes in 1995, Derek Jeter has had a presence about him. Jeter does things that the other players either don’t want to deal with, or can’t. After tough losses Jeter is always the one at his locker, ready to answer difficult questions. When controversy is in the air that never involves him (lately in NY, controversy is about as common as E! showing a Kardashian show). When George Steinbrenner was alive and ranting from the top office about his personal life, Jeter always knew how to de-escalate the situation. In the end, “the Boss” and “the Captian” even make this awesome Visa commercial together.

For Jeter, it has never been about the numbers, and always about that titles, which is really what Alex Rodriguez never figured out. The pursuit of baseball Gods and their numbers pushed players Alex Rodriguez and others to steriod and performance-enhancing drug use, or as 50 said “put Lamborghini doors on their Escalades.” That’s what these guys don’t understand. Bonds and Arod would have been Hall of Famers anyway. Numbers are never worth your integrity. An Escalade doesn’t need Lamborghini doors, and to be a legend you don’t need the best numbers.

Jeter always understood what The Sandlot taught us, “Heros get remembered, but legends never die”. We really only look for one quality in our heros; integriy. Jeter’s has never wavered. For all these reasons, and countless more (like this awesome Jeter story that broke yesterday, or this one ), I emplore you to embrace, and enjoy these last few years that we watch the Captian climb the career hits list (barring injury he’ll be at least 5th, and who knows from there). Baseball may be a dying sport, too dull for the younger generation, but even still, Jeter’s star has never shined brighter.

1st and Goal – Thoughts From Around the NFL

Here are 4 things I’ve been thinking about this week (and feel free to click the links, they add to the story).

1st – Has there ever been a more important battle for home field than the one between New Orleans and San Fransisco? Typically, Vegas gives the home team a 3-point advantage when calculating lines, but in this matchup, I’d argue that home field is worth more like 10 points.

Think about it, if San Fransisco gets the 2 seed and home field in the second round, where would you put the line? Probably something like 49ers by 4 1/2. Anything under that and you’re definitely taking San Fran’s defense out doors in January, you basically have to. I can picture Drew Brees under throwing a shivering University of Miami grad Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles epeatedly getting blasted in the backfield by Patrick Willis already.

Now let’s pretend the Niners lose this week to Pittsburgh, the Saints win out to get the 2nd seed, and that game is played inside in New Orleans. Where would you put that line? I’d probably flip it to New Orleans by 4 and 1/2, and honestly that even seems a little low. All the problems for the Saints of playing outdoors would be eliminated, and in this scenario its pretty easy to picture New Orleans putting up 30 points, even against that 49er defense. Can San Fran get to 30 without some sort of weird special teams play? I don’t really think so.

2nd – The Cowboys line blocking was so offensive (get it?) that it thrust Jason Pierre Paul (who will now be referred to as JPP) into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. JPP didn’t just beat the Cowboys o-line, he destroyed them in a way that only Julius Peppers usually can. Click here to see a Yahoo! link of JPP’s 2011 stats.

Who is JPP’s primary contention; you have Revis Island (4 picks, 1 TD, shutting people down like AT&T cell-reception), Jared Allen (quietly in serious contention to break the sack record, hunts buffalo with a bow and arrow in spare time) Charles Woodson (one pick-6 away from the all-time record) DeMarcus Ware (don’t see how he could get it over Allen), and even Von Miller (more valuable to the Broncos than Tebow). I think in that group I go Allen, but it’s damn close. If JPP keeps his play at the level its been the last few weeks, and the Giants make the playoffs, he’s going to (and should) get a serious look at DPOY.

3rd – If Tim Tebow shot-puts all over the Patriots on Sunday, we can go ahead and start blaming Bill Belichick for not doing a better job drafting on defense. We all know the story, the Pats have a boatload of picks every draft, and then trade back to pick up more. At one point I was convinced they were trying to have every pick in the 2043 draft.

Last year, however, they actually used a bunch of those picks, but only one of the first 7 was on defense (CB Ras-I Dowling, 2 games, 3 tackles, 0 picks, injured reserve). Think New England could use a pass rusher, corner, or safety right about now? Is anyone ever going to question the moves that Bill Belichick makes? Without question, this is a championship level offense that is going to get held back by a defense that has more holes than Charlie Sheen’s memory bank.

4th – The two most dangerous teams in the NFL (other than the elite teams) reside in New Jersey. If I’m Green Bay, I want no part of the Giants. Eli Manning now sits at the big boy table at the Manning family Christmas, and seems to have epic TD drives every Sunday. If Osi gets healthy for the playoffs, that three headed Tuck/JPP/Osi d-line is horrifing, especially to the pass-happy offenses in Green Bay and New Orleans. The G-men can score with almost anyone and rush the passer probably better than anyone.

If I’m New England or Baltimore I want nothing to do with the Jets (I don’t necessarily think Pittsburgh is a good matchup for them, unless of course James Harrison loses his mind and does this to a QB between now and then). That defense is playing well, and Shonn Greene has looked really good the last few weeks. If, wait I should capitalize/bold that for effect, IF Mark Sanchez can make a few plays and keep the turnovers down, a third straight AFC ship could be on the way (where they get spanked by the Steelers. In case you’re duller than Lindsey Lohan, I really like the Steelers).

Those are my thoughts, feel free to debate, and thanks for reading!

Has David Stern Lost His Mind?

By now everyone has heard about the Chris Paul to the Lakers trade that wasn’t. It’s been disected by sports outlets across the country. In case you’ve been living under a rock, here are the main points:

1. Lakers agree to trade Odom (to the Hornets) and Gasol (to the Rockets)

2. Rockets agree to trade Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, a 1st round pick, and Daryl Morey’s first born son to the Hornets

3. Hornets trade Chris Paul to the Lakers

Many analysist agree that the Hornets were the big winners and that the Lakers greatest strength (overwhelming size), had now become a weakness. Considering Chris Paul is definitely leaving New Orleans after the season – wait, let me say that again CHRIS PAUL IS 100% LEAVING AFTER THE SEASON – this was a great trade for the Hornest franchise. Del Demps should have be commended for getting this haul. If I told you I was leaving my car with the keys in the ignition 6 months from now at the junk yard, would you give me the 75% of the sticker price for it right now? (Maybe a bad example if you’ve seen my car…ugh.)  That’s what the Hornet’s were getting in this deal, 75 cents on the dollar.

At the last moment, the David Stern at the pressure of some small market owners, nixed the trade (he was able to do this because the NBA owns the Hornets right now until they can find a buyer – nah, not a conflict of interest at all. FYI, it’s not good for your league when you have franchises that your league has to take over because an adequet buyer can’t be found.) All the fans heard about during the lockout was competitive balance – Hey, Stern, how is it competitive if you don’t let teams trade where they want to? The NBA – where dictatorship happens.

Fast forward to today, (Monday, 12/12). The Lakers have moved on and the every GM/team is horrified to trade with New Orleans. Why risk having a trade fall through and pissing off half your team when they find out they were almost shipped out? New Orleans shouldn’t get anything for Paul, except Del Demps somehow found another suiter, this time being LA’s ugly step sister, the Clippers. Reports were circulating (loudly, like a tornado) that some combination of Eric Gordon (damn g00d), Minnesota’s 1st round pick next year which is currently owned by the Clippers (possibly the best/deepest draft in a generation), Chris Kaman (former all-star), Eric Bledsoe (promising sophmore), Al-Farouq Aminu (promising sophomre), and choice of Kardahain sister were being offered for Paul. If you get any 3 of those its fair. I’d argue New Orleans is a better team with Bledsoe, Gordan, and Kaman than just Paul – Again, CHRIS PAUL IS LEAVING AFTER THE SEASON, THE NBA HAS NO LEVERAGE.

Of course, David Stern again said no, instead asking for all of those pieces for Paul. I get that most of you probably haven’t done much math since high school, so I’ll take the time to do it for you. Chris Paul (lets say worth 100 points, although he has a bad knee) for 3 or 4 of: Gordon (70 points, with the potential to get better), Minny’s draft pick (50 points at least), Bledsoe (10 points, decent potential as a 3rd guard on a good team), Aminu (20 points, lots of potential), Kaman (10 points). All this for a player WHO IS GOING TO LEAVE THE HORNETS 6 MONTHS FROM NOW.

My question is simple – Has David Stern lost his mind? I’m really starting to think yes. Both trades mentioned above (again, these were reported all over ESPN, CBS, NBC, Hell I pretty sure sources were calling in to Entertainment Tonight to report this) were completely fair. If I’m a Hornets fan, I’m livid that the NBA rejected both, because I know 6 months from now when Chris Paul is signing a max contract with the Brooklyn Nets, the Hornets will be getting nothing except an expidited ticket towards contraction.

Maybe thats the endgame here. Maybe the NBA has realized what we all know, that there are too many teams. If you let Chris Paul walk in a year, that franchise is dead in 5. Is this David Stern’s master plan, or has the old man simply over-stayed his welcome?

NFL Week 14 Top 10

Every week I’ll do a wrap up of 10 things I found important in the NFL. If you take issue, leave a comment!

10. The time for the 49ers to start worrying is now. Once a forgone conclusion to get the 2nd bye in the NFC, they’ll need to beat the Steelers on Monday Night Football next week to keep pace with New Orleans. Alex Smith did his “Pre-2011 Alex Smith” impersonation with an uninspiring 18/37 175 yards. Is San Fransisco really going to sign this guy to an extension in the offseason?

9. The Cards are about to have the most expensive backup QB in the league. Kevin Kolb is so bad that when he gets injured Cards fans think thank goodness, John Skelton is in. Even Kevin Kolb’s Mom thinks that.

8. Hey San Diego, remember the last few years when you would show up fashionably late the party, make everyone drool all over how “hot” you are, only to be a tease and lose in the first round. Well, I have good news! No worries about losing in the first round this year.

7. If the Raiders were a dog, it would roll over and play dead better than any dog out there.

6. Either Atlanta or Detriot is going to make the playoffs, and then lose the the Saints by 25 in the first round. Book it.

5. It’s nice to see Shonn Green live up to the hype we’ve all heard for 2 years now. As bad as they’ve been all year, I don’t want any part of the Jets in the first round if I’m Houston. I can already hear “Yates, who looked so good filling in for Shaub during the regular season, just threw his third pick to Revis.”

4.  Green Bay is going to have some real questions about resting starters after they beat Kansas City by 40 next week to wrap up home field. Jennings was the latest to go down (too early to tell for how long) and they need to get healthy both on the offensive line and in the line backing core. McCarthy and Rodgers don’t seem like the type to sit when history is there to be made, but is going for history worth a shot at back-to-back Super Bowls?

3. Dallas and the Giants are probably 2 of the best 5 teams in the NFC, but unfortunately they play each other twice down the stretch and probably can’t both make the playoffs. That’s the price you pay for losing winnable games in the first half of the season. (As I’m typing this Demarcco Murray is laying down on the turf. Stay tuned.)

2. Congrats Eagles on your inspiring win today. Every NFL fan-base is rooting for you to win-out so you get a worse draft pick. Man you guys have had a bad year, you’re even screwing up how to lose in the NFL.

1. TEBOW!!!!! I can’t help it. We need no more proof that there really is a God, and he loves football (according to my friend Justin, he also hates Marion Barber for some reason). The most amazing thing about Tebow aren’t his passes farting on the way to the wide receivers, or his clumsy runs that somehow gain yards, its when he literally removes his soul from his own body, and places it in the leg of Matt Prater, enabling him to kick game-tying 59 yard field goals.