Are You Kidding, Dumbest Move Ever! Tebow Idiocy!

I am so perplexed in so many different ways, its hard to know where to begin.

1) Why would the Jets bother trading for a guy who a) blows at QB and b) is at best a distraction or at worst a maniacally arrogant distraction?!?!?

2) If you just sign a sensitive guy Sanchez for a few more years (a likely dumb move to start with), why would he be given competition in camp? Causing a QB controversy is not what the Jets need right now!

3) According to King Adam (Schefter), Tebow had the choice of Jets or Jags. Why would he chose the Jets, who just signed their supposed Sanchize QB last week over the Jags? Is it because he wants to sit on the bench and potentially make the playoffs? But he could possibly start in his home-base of Jacksonville??? Or is it because he is a publicity hound (See 1(b) above)???

This deal makes no sense for either party. It blows my mind...and everyone else's!

Thank you Woody for caring more about beating the Giants in the publicity battle rather than on the gridiron! Just an FYI, having 2 QBs means you have none!!!

AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The Big Boys: NCAA Wrestling March Madness Part 2!

Author Joe Novetsky

In our previous installment, we covered the first five weight classes, now on to the next five and the team race.

165

165 is possibly the weakest weight in college. With Tyler Caldwell and Andrew Howe both redshirting this year to train for the Olympics, and Jordan Burroughs graduating, the weight class has lost some serious talent. This weight is also a one horse race, with David Taylor being virtually guaranteed to win the weight unless he loses some major extremity, and if that happens, he’ll probably win it anyways. Taylor, a sophomore from Penn State, went undefeated until the finals of last year’s tournament, and then got caught in a move and pinned by Bubba Jenkins. This season, Taylor has won by major decision or better in all but two matches, one to Brandon Hatchett early in the season, and the other to Mike Evans, the Big 10 runner-up. The toughest “competition” that Taylor will have to face, and I put that word in quotations since Tayor vs. any of those guys is a mismatch on the level of those early season college football games where LSU plays the likes of St. Mary’s School For the Blind, will be Shane Onufer, from Wyoming. Onufer has one loss this season, to Robert Kokesh, from Nebraska, but neither of them are any sort of match for Taylor. Evans, an Iowa freshman, has been impressive all year too, but he also got majored by Taylor in the Big 10 finals. Josh Asper, a junior from Maryland, was the presumed 2 or 3 seed heading into the ACC tourney, but a loss in the finals of the ACC tournament brought him down to the 7 seed while landing him a pigtail match (the equivalent of a play-in) in the process. He’s got an uphill road, getting Onufer in the quarters and a decently tough Cody Yohn in the second round. Evans has a pretty clerar road to the semis, where he’ll meet Taylor, Onufer has to get through Asper in the quarters and Andy Sorenson in the semis, but he should roll. Regardless, the take-home lesson from this weight is that Taylor wins. My AA choices are Taylor, Onufer, Andrew Sorenson, Evans, Kokesh, Pete Yates, Asper, and Hatchett.


174

This weight is the most top-heavy weight in college. We have three undefeated wrestlers, each with a group of supporters, and a pack of about five or six wrestlers who are a clear two steps behind the three undefeateds. To go in seeding order, at the 1 seed we have Ed Ruth. Ruth placed third last year, and this year has scored bonus points in all but three of his matches. He breezed through the Big 10 tournament, winning by 12, 8, and 11, and has the largest contingent of fans in his corner. The 2 seed is Chris Perry. Perry started the season at 184, until his uncle and coach, John Smith, needed him to move down for the match against Iowa, since Iowa is much stronger at 174 than 184. Perry proceeded to beat Ethen Lofthouse in a close match, and has continued his undefeated season at 174. The 3 seed is Nick Amuchastegui. Amuchastegui, a senior from Stanford, is the defending runner-up, was the top ranked wrestler at the weight, but he didn’t wrestle a particularly strong slate compared to Ruth and Perry, so he dropped to the 3 seed, despite having beaten Ruth in the quarters of last year’s tourney. I also really like Amuchastegui for entirely non-wrestling reasons, primarily being that he is carrying a 3.98 GPA while getting a masters in mechanical engineering and has a job at a national lab lined up for next year. Even though he doesn’t get the same amount of press as Ruth or Perry, he’s my favorite to win the weight. Other big wrestlers at this weight are Logan Storley and Ethen Lofthouse. Storley took 2 out of 3 from Lofthouse, en route to being the Big 10 runner-up, while Lofthouse is a good young wrestler who, despite a few odd losses, has wrestled really well all year. We also have Ryan DesRoches, from Cal Poly, who only has three losses, two of which are to Amuchastegui. Overall, this weight is a bit top-heavy, and my AAs are Amuchastegui, Ruth, Perry, Storley, Lofthouse, DesRoches, Jimmy Sheptock, and Jordan Blanton. My dark horses are Justin Zeerip and Lee Munster.

184

184 is arguably the deepest weight in the country. This weight is rock solid through about seed 10 or so, and the lower seeded and unseeded wrestlers are still pretty solid and have wins against good competition. The 1 seed is Joe LeBlanc, whose only loss comes to Chris Perry, and Perry isn’t at the weight anymore. The 2 seed is Robert Hamlin, or as Fretwell calls him, the Vermonster. His only loss is to Steve Bosak, the 4 seed. Ben Bennett, the 3 seed has two losses to Hamlin, but other than that he’s been scoring bonus points on pretty much all of his matches. Bosak split with Hamlin, but he has losses to LeBlanc and Quentin Wright. Kevin Steinhaus has losses to Bosak and Bennett, but beat Quentin Wright and won the Big 10. Quentin Wright is the returning national champion and is seeded 6, and even though he didn’t have the greatest of Big 10 tourneys, losing to Josh Ihnen, the fact that the returning national champion is seeded 6, despite having three losses all season is testament to how loaded this weight is. My personal AA predictions, and given the weight they should be taken with a massive grain of salt, are LeBlanc, Hamlin, Steinhaus, Bennett, Wright, Bosask, Austin Trotman, and Ihnen. My dark horses are Jake Swartz, Ryan Loder, Grant Gambrall, and Jonathan Fausey.

197

This weight is much more orderly than 184. Cam Simaz is your 1 seed, and he’s the favorite to win it all. He’s scored bonus in 21 matches, and he seems to be fully recovered from an injury that kept him out for all of December. Your 2 seed is Chris Honeycutt, possibly the most muscle-bound wrestler in the tournament with the possible exception of Molinaro. Honeycutt’s been dominant all season as well, with his only loss coming to Matt Wilps in the EWL finals. Despite this, there is virtual consensus that either Simaz or Honeycutt will win it all. Wilps is the 3 seed, and has two losses to Honeycutt and a loss to Matt Powless, but he avenged those losses by beating Honeycutt at EWL finals. Chris Boley has only one loss to some random guy from Wartburg, and he’s your 4 seed. Cayle Byers is the 5, and he’s got losses to Alfonzo Hernandez and Sonny Yohn. Overall, your AAs will be Simaz, Wilps, Honeycutt, Byers, Boley, Brent Haynes, Yohn, and Matt Powless. The dark horses are Mario Gonzalez, Alfonzo Hernandez, and Micah Burak.

285

I was considering not looking at the heavyweights for three reasons. First, I didn’t really follow heavyweight. Second, I find heavyweight wrestling to be boring, and third, due to a combination of the first two reasons, I don’t really know much about the heavyweights. Even so, I’ll do my best and give you the rundown of who’s up there. Your 1 seed is defending runner-up Ryan Flores, he’s undefeated for the season and beat defending champion and 4 seed Zach Rey in the EIWA finals. Tony Nelson is your 2 seed, and his main loss is to Gelogaev, who’s out with a torn pec. The 3 seed is Clayton Jack, who’s just enormous. His sole loss is a 2-0 decision to Nelson, and he’s just been rolling over and through people. Rey is your defending national champ at the 4 seed and he has losses to Levi Cooper and Flores. Bobby Telford is the 5 seed and has been a bit inconsistent, but still has wins against some really serious guys. My AAs are Nelson, Rey, Flores, Jack, Cameron Wade, Telford, Cooper, and Tucker Lane


Team Race

This year’s team race is really interesting. Penn State is the clear favorite, bringing three undefeated wrestlers to St. Louis, but they do have some holes in their lineup. Megaludis can be counted on to win one match, and after that he’s out of his depth, Frank Martelotti has a first round date with Jordan Oliver, they have nobody at 141, and McIntosh has a second round appointment with Cam Simaz. Basically, PSU is relying on Molinaro, Taylor and Ruth to bonus into the finals, and preferably to win, though Ruth is far from a sure bet to win 174. Oklahoma State was the presumed contender with the best chance against PSU, but then Gelogaev tore a pec at National Duals. They have a tough spot at 125, where Morrison has a second round match with Zach Sanders, and 141 is an absolute disaster, with Kindig having a first round match against Mangrum, Penn State has a similar situation wih Martelotti vs. Oliver, but they also have a lot more room for error. Also, the guy they’re trotting out at heavy in place of Gelogaev has only four matches against tournament-bound competition, including a shellacking by Tony Nelson, means that their unseeded and low seeded wrestlers like Dallas Bailey and Albert White, really have to wrestle out of their minds in order to keep the Cowboys in the hunt. Iowa only has one probable national champion in McDonough, and they’re really thin in the upper weights, though the return of Derek St. John, and his getting the 2 seed have boosted their chances exponentially. McDonough, Ramos, and Marion are solid and should all go deep. Marion has a quarters match with Novachkov, but that should be fine. Ramos should breeze to the semis and McDonough should win. St. John should be able to make it to the finals. He seems healthy, and he’s wrestling against people he’s beat already. Evans should breeze to the semis and then get massacred by Taylor, and Lofthouse should be able to make it to the quarters. Iowa’s problematic weights are 149, where they have nobody, 184, where they have Grant Gambrall, and 285, where they have a streaky Bobby Telford. Cornell, the defending runner-up is in deep trouble. They only have four seeded wrestlers, and while I think two of those will win national titles, and a third is in the hunt, they also got some terrible draws from their unseeded wrestlers that do not help a team with zero margin for error. Chris Villalonga has a first round match with Molinaro, and Mike Nevinger has a second round match with Kendrick Maple. Before the brackets came out Cornell had a slim shot, now, particularly with Villalonga’s situation, if the Cornell unseededs wrestle way above their level, the team might get third, or fourth. Minnesota is the team with the best shot to stop Penn State from repeating. Even though they don’t have any great shots at individual national titles, since Sanders is 0-7 vs. McDonough, and the rest of their higher seeds are in very tough weights, Minnesota has the most consistent team top to bottom. Pretty much every Minnesota wrestler should be able to make it to the quarterfinals, and every one of their wrestlers is seeded in the top 10. Outside of nobody representing them at 157, Minnesota’s lineup is rock solid. Penn State might have the studs, but they also have far more holes than Minnesota. I’m personally pulling for the Golden Gophers to take the crown, but it’ll be an uphill climb. They could very well repeat their story from ten years ago. No national champions but a national title. My final standings for the team race are

1. Penn State
2. Minnesota
3. Iowa
4. Oklahoma State
5. Cornell

Matches start at 12 PM ET, sit back and enjoy.

Dwight in NJ on Thursday Night?

My gut feeling is that Orlando will make a dramatic move by Thursday's trading deadline - either bringing in a top tier player (issue being they have limited pieces to offer so would have to be creative) or dumping Dwight Howard.

Where Mr. Howard ends up is another story. It's hard to see the Nets obtaining Howard via trade because of a lack of talent. Who would be sent over in the deal...

Marshon Brooks?
Lopez?
Humphries? Note that he has veto power

There is nothing else to offer and that bag of crap (considering the prize) would be absolute theft! Further, the money going to Orlando doesn't work if both Hedo and Howard are included in the deal.

So who else? Dallas? Lakers?

It's all up in the air, but based on league rumblings, it would be ill-advised for the Magic to believe Dwight and his Orlando love affair as all signs point to a Brooklyn address for Mr. Howard come September 2012.

The Real March Madness

Author Joe Novetsky

Joe is our resident NCAA Wrestling specialist - say what!!!!!!

Imagine the NCAA basketball tournament crunched up and concentrated into a three-day extravaganza, with the arena packed to the rafters with fans screaming nonstop. That’s what will happen this coming Thursday, March 15, when the NCAA wrestling tournament gets underway at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. So here I am, a former high school wrestler who still loves his sport, to give you the lowdown on what will happen on Thursday through Saturday in St. Louis, and on ESPNU, ESPN, and WatchESPN for those of us who can’t make it out to St. Louis for the weekend.

This year’s tournament promises some very interesting weights as well as an interesting team race. Penn State, the defending national champion, is the clear favorite, but Oklahoma State should not be counted out, despite an injury to Alan Gelogaev. Minnesota could also win the team race. They won national duals, beat Penn State in a dual meet early in the season, and are a more consistent team top to bottom than the Nittany Lions. As always, Iowa can’t be counted out, but it looks like they have an uphill climb, since despite Derek St. John’s return from an injury, they have some gaping holes in their lineup, particularly at the 149, 184, and 197 pound weight classes. Another team that can make it interesting is Cornell, which has four probable All-Americans in the tournament, including two who are favored to win their weights.

A quick primer on tournament wrestling: Tournament wrestling is a double elimination event, so the brackets are a bit trickier than the NCAA basketball brackets. So, for a 32-man bracket, everybody wrestles. The 16 victors advance, and the 16 losers go down to the consolation bracket. Then, everybody wrestles again. The losers in the consolation bracket are eliminated; while the losers in the top bracket go down to replace the losers in the consolation bracket. So after round 1 there are 16 in the consolation bracket and 16 in the top bracket, and after round 2 there are 8 in the top bracket and 16 in the bottom bracket. If you have trouble following this explanation, click on the link to see what the brackets actually look like. This goes on until there are eight place winners. These place winners are the all-Americans, and coming from a biased opinion, the all-American title is more meaningful in wrestling than in football or basketball, since it has an objective meaning, while in basketball or football it means some AP or Sporting News beat writer likes you. Finally, before I get on to predicting the weights and All-Americans, I must give the following disclaimer. All predictions wrong, or your money back.

For those of you who want to look at the brackets and the seedings, the link is here. And now, on to the predictions.



125

125 has sorted itself out remarkably well. With Alan Waters losing a close match to Zach Sanders in National Duals, Sanders solidified his position as the 2 seed behind last year’s runner-up and this year’s clear favorite, Matt McDonough. Jesse Delgado has the only win against McDonough this season, but has also lost to him twice, as well as losing to Sanders and Nic Bedelyon. Bedelyon is lucky to have the 5 seed after losing the MAC title to Joe Roth, but was able to hold it despite Frank Perrelli’s very impressive EIWA tournament. This weight, unlike the next two, is a nice and easy weight to work with, since the talent has sorted itself out remarkably well. The only real wildcard in this weight is Ryan Mango. The Stanford junior dropped from the minefield that is 133, won the PAC-12, and secured an 8 seed. Since he’s mainly wrestled 133 this year, our best indication of how he’ll do is last year results, which still don’t look so promising for him, since he got majored by McDonough twice, lost to Sanders, and split with Waters, who is a far better wrestler this year than last. In any event, if Mango gets to wrestle McDonough in the quarters, he’ll see McDonough. For my AA picks, in order, I have McDonough, Sanders, Waters, Delgado, Perrelli, Mango, Bedelyon, and Levi Mele. Some wrestlers who, in the chaos and unpredictability of the tournament, could make some noise and AA are Jarrod Patterson, Steve Bonnano, Nico Megaludis, and Matt Snyder.

133

Unlike 125, where we have clear gradations between the wrestlers and we know pretty well how the talent sorts out, 133 is a zoo. Most people, myself included, are picking the defending champ Jordan Oliver to win it all, especially after his dismantling of Logan Stieber at National Duals. Stieber, the 2 seed, and a redshirt freshman, is a crowd favorite and a very strong wrestler from neutral and top, is turning Ohio State into a force to be reckoned with in the Big 10 with the assistance of his younger brother, Hunter. The 3 seed, Tony Ramos, is brutally effective on his feet, and has the sole win against Oliver, though he has two losses to Stieber. Two wrestlers who seem to be flying under the radar now, but could make some noise are Nick Soto and Chris Dardanes. Soto, a Freshman from Chattanooga, surprised the world when he took second place at the Southern Scuffle beating a heavily favored David Thorn in the process, while Dardanes, Thorn’s teammate, catapulted himself into Minnesota’s starting lineup by winning the Southern Scuffle and beating Logan Stieber on the following weekend. Other wrestlers to watch out for are Cashe Quiroga from Purdue and Nate McCormick, from Missouri. My All-Americans, in order, are Oliver, Stieber, Ramos, Joe Colon, Devin Carter, BJ Futrell, AJ Schopp, and Aaron Kalil. My dark horses for AA are Dardanes, Soto, Quiroga, McCormick, and Zach Zehner.

141
This weight, if possible, is a bigger mess than 133. While 133 has a reasonably solid favorite in JO, nobody has emerged at the head of the pack for 141. The 1 seed, defending national champ and two time defending Big 10 champ, Kellen Russell, can’t shake the rap that he doesn’t score enough, and lost to Hunter Stieber. Kendric Maple has a loss to Luke Goettl, an inferior opponent, and other than a win against Montell Marion, hasn’t wrestled anyone seeded in the top 10. Montell Marion has never been able to beat Kellen Russell, and got crunched up by him in the Big 10 finals. Mike Mangrum has lost to Marion and split with Novachkov. Novachkov, like Marion has never been able to beat Kellen Russell, and has two losses to Mangrum. Hunter Stieber, Logan’s little brother, got beaten by Mangrum at the Vegas tournament, and lost to Marion at the Big 10 tournament, but he is the lone wrestler to beat Russell. So, to make a long story short, the champion will be one of the following six wrestlers, Russell, Maple, Marion, Mangrum, Stieber, or Novachkov, with nobody as a favorite, and with each wrestler having a coterie of supporters who believe him to be the eventual champion. Personally, my money is on Mangrum. He beat Novachkov for the Pac-12 championship, outclassed Stieber to win Vegas, and won the Southern Scuffle. He’s a phenomenal athlete, has a great motor, and can put lots of points up really quickly. However, despite my shameless promotion of Mike Mangrum, I would not be surprised if any of the six I listed won the weight. A few other wrestlers to watch out for are Nick Nelson, Jake Sueflohn, Darius Little, and Nick Dardanes, Chris’s twin brother. My personal list for All-American is, in this order, Mangrum, Maple, Russell, Novachkov, Marion, Stieber, Nelson, and Sueflohn. My dark horses are Dardanes, and Darius Little

149

This weight is much cleaner than 141. Despite the fact that seeds 4-10 are incredibly close and could shake out in God knows how many ways, there are two clear favorites that people have. First, Frank Molinaro, or as Cliff Fretwell calls him, the Gorilla Hulk, is the defending runner-up and favorite in most people’s eyes. Also, this year he doesn’t need to be afraid of taking bottom, since Dake moved up. But more on that when we get to 157. Molinaro won his second Big 10 championship with a pin and two tech falls without giving up a point. The other wrestler that people like is Jamal Parks from Oklahoma State. Parks is undefeated, and has a weird style that’s tough to wrestle against, but he suffers from the same problem as Kellen Russell, in that he wins his matches close. Cole VonOhlen is the 3 seed, he’s a really exciting wrestler to watch, he’s brutal on top, and bonused his way through the whole schedule. He lost to Parks, but it was close. He’s a dark horse to win. I have him upsetting Parks in the semis and losing to Molinaro, but that’s just me. Donnie Vinson is the 4 seed, he wrestled Parks close, but got pinned by Gorilla Hulk and VonOhlen. After Vinson you just have a whole mess of people. Tyler Nauman, Dylan Ness, and Eric Grajales are the best of them, but after Molinaro, Parks, and VonOhlen, the weight is just really murky and hard to predict. My personal AA list is Molinaro, VonOhlen, Parks, Vinson, Nauman, Ness, Scott Sakaguchi, and Taylor Walsh. Sakaguchi is unseeded, but I really like him, so I have him upsetting a few people. The dark horses to AA are David Habat, Grajales, Cam Tessari, and Kyle Bradley. Overall, it will be really interesting to see how this weight shakes out.

157

This year’s 157 pound weight class is the epitome of a one horse race. Kyle Dake has been dominant from the first match of the season, is impossible to take down, and is the most brutal wrestler on top in the country. Last year at nationals, Dake gave up one bogus penalty point, the only point he gave up all tournament, en route to an 8-1 beatdown of Molinaro, due to Molinaro being stupid enough to take bottom. This year, Dake is at his natural weight, so he isn’t getting tired in the 3rd period, and he’s also started to open up a bit more in neutral, so we don’t see as many 4-0 with 4:25 of riding time box scores from him. The 2 seed, Derek St. John, suffered a brutal injury early in the season, but came back at the end, and won the Big 10 championship as a 6 seed, beating Dylan Alton and James Green in overtime en route to a one-point victory over the 3 seed, Jason Welch. Welch is a very solid wrestler, though he hasn’t had the toughest of schedules. Walter Peppelman pushed Dake hard in the EIWA finals, but still couldn’t score. Dylan Alton is also someone to watch out for, though he has losses to Welch and St. John, and he also go hammered by Dake at the Southern Scuffle. Frank Hickman and Justin Lister could also make some noise, though they both have losses to inferior opponents and both got manhandled by Dake. The take-home lessons from this weight are that Kyle Dake will win the weight unless he loses some major extremity, and even if he does then he’ll probably win the weight anyways, and under no condition should anybody ever take bottom. My AAs in order are Dake, St. John, Welch, James Fleming, Peppelman, James Green, Alton, and Roger Pena. My dark horses are Hickman, Lister, and Ganbayar Sanjaa, and once again, DON’T TAKE BOTTOM! Trust me, it’s a bad idea.

To be continued with part 2 ...

Trading Melo: A Radical Approach

The Knicks are spiraling back towards the failure of the 8-15 start as a result of offensive stagnation, pitiful help defense and horrific coaching decisions.

The center of the failures seems to be the inability of the Knicks offense to move the ball via the pass when Carmelo Anthony is in the game.  The Iso for Anthony on the wing has brought failure, brutal shots and booing crowds during the latest 2-5 stretch since Carmelo’s return.  Melo is shooting 40.8% from the field during the stretch. 

Beyond the offensive incompetence, the defense has brought boos and high criticism from analysts across the board.  This has all occurred since Carmelo Anthony returned from injury.  He is a poor defender, a ball hog – albeit a talented one – and he simply doesn’t win games!

So what to do?  Coach ‘em up is not the answer because Coach Mike is a defensive liabilty himself and designed the Iso offense. 

…

Trade Carmelo?  What? Are you nuts? 

Wait, hold up, is Dwight Howard in the deal? 

Yes, he is…But, he is not coming to the Knicks. 

Ok, stop yelling at the screen, here is the idea:

I’ve included the ESPN Trade Machine screenshot because it lays the deal out nicely and proves that it works under the cap.

The Knicks get Jason Terry and Shawn Marion from the Mavs and suffer the rough contract of Hedo that the Magic would love to get off the books.  The Knicks lose Carmelo, the recently benched Landry Fields and J.R. Smith’s expiring contract in the deal.

This works well for the Knicks.  First,they remove their issue, Carmelo, but manage to replace his scoring.  Additionally, the Knicks will lose J.R. Smith, who has been good in his short stay but is clearly not a deal stopper, and Landry Fields, who seems to play much worse when Anthony is in the lineup.

The Knicks get a prolific scorer in Terry and an elite defender in Marion in this deal.  Taking on Hedo’s contract is part of the cost of doing business – although he does have some talent left in his old tank. 

The biggest piece of this deal is Marion – he completely changes the defensive personality of the team.  He immediately becomes the guy who can defend the Pierce/LeBron/Deng crowd – Melo could not guard Pierce if Paul put his headband in front of his eyes. 

Terry could maintain his 6^th man spot or slide into the shooting guard spot in the starting lineup.  Having 2 dominiant defenders (Marion and Chandler) along with Lin, Terry and Amare would create a really strong lineup. 

Does this deal make sense for everyone else?

I think the answer is a resounding yes.  The Magic give up Howard in the deal which is obviously a major short term loss, but the Magic need to come to the realization that he is not signing in Orlando.  If they can get a relatively cheap replacement at center in Haywood and a scorer like Anthony, albeit with all his flaws, for the next few years, while also getting Hedo’s bad contract off the books – I think they would say Yes to the deal.

Lastly, the Mavs.  Why trade 3 critical pieces – Haywood, Marion and Terry?? 1 reason, HOWARD!!! Cuban wants him so bad he’d give up anyone not named Dirk for the guy.  This deal would need to involve Howard extending with the Mavs long-term, but I think that could be worked out as Dallas is on Dwight’s short-list.

This deal is crazy.  All the Carmelo commercials on MSG Network would end.  All of the “I’m coming Home…” crap would end.  The Carmelo era would be a huge bust.  But, defense and movement on offense are needed for the Knicks to actually compete for a championship.  All the excitement at MSG is now gone – the exhuberance of the fans is gone and the frustrated phone calls to local radio stations are in full force.  For all of Carmelo Anthony’s talents, he is a lazy defender and a ball hog, trading him would bring the magic back to the Garden.  

Give Novak the Minutes

Author: Jack Ganchrow

       Steve Novak is a player not many people knew before Lin-sanity. He was a 2nd round pick out of Marquette by the Rockets.  Despite winning the college 3-point shootout in 2006, he never really got the minutes. He played only 5 minutes per game in his rookie year and then was up and down between the D-league and the NBA. He finally found a home this year in New York.

         He signed for the league minimum on December 21. When Iman Shumpert got hurt on Christmas Day he played a couple of games, but never really did anything to make himself stand out. Then Carmelo got hurt. As an avid Knicks fan I was happy because even with the “great Melo” in the lineup, they weren’t winning or playing like a team. Melo was shooting way too much and he wasn’t getting anyone else involved.

         As we all know when he got hurt the “Lin-sanity” started and Novak was under the radar playing extremely well. He was scoring 15 every other night. He was getting minutes that they were missing from Melo.

         The Knicks are showing they are 10 players deep at least and definitely have enough talent to make a run in the playoffs. Steve Novak should be playing at least 20 minutes a game. He has proven to be a tremendous shooter and as he showed in the Heat game 2 weeks back he can get hot and be a game changer. He hit 3 threes in a row and the Knicks were back in the game. Steve Novak in 19 minutes a couple weeks back against (most in garbage time) shot 4-5 all being threes and had 12 points. He can play the 2, 3 or 4 and hasn’t shown to be a defense liability (like Melo).

When the Knicks were winning they were playing great team defense and Lin was distributing the ball evenly. Novak was a key part in this. In the first four games without Melo, Novak played in 100 minutes and scored 64 points. He was hitting shots and was proving why he should be playing 20-25 minutes a game.

         Watching the Knicks Heat game a couple of weeks back on TNT was so frustrating. Carmelo was most cold, Amare was up and down, and Lin was just bad. Novak came in; hit 3 threes as I said before.  He was on the bench the rest of the half and the third quarter and came in when it was a blowout. When Melo was struggling why not bring in Steve? Why keep your superstar in when you have an awesome shooter waiting to play on your bench? I don’t understand why you have to force Melo back from his injury. 

1 City, 2 Mannings?

Mind numbing ramifications, that’s what.  Insane media coverage!

The potential for #18 wearing green and white is fairly remote because it would effectively demand admission of defeat by Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan.  Mark Sanchez would either be cut or put in the bizarre spot of a pricey clipboard holding headset wearer.

Bottom line, Manning’s ability to release the ball quickly and accurately would resolve many of the Jets offensive line and wide receiver problems from the past year; he would also help the running backs because of his at-the-line play-calling ability and general abilities as a passer.

But…the Jets have virtually no shot

1) The Jets are too invested in Mark Sanchez.  Look at Eli, he was considered very mediocre after 3 years.  If the Jets move on from Sanchez at this point they will have either looked dumb for drafting him too early or look really dumb if he excels with another team after being cut.

2) Peyton is not the type to try to upstage his brother.  Neither Manning has a particularly ‘New York’ personality, and the constant circus that would surround a cross-city rivalry is simply not Manning-esque.

 

We can all look forward to another season of costly fumbles, some promising moments and many Same Old Jets stomach aches.

RIP, KID #8!

Author: Chaim Sussman.  Sussman is a teacher and sports fanatic.  He also plays in an intense fantasy baseball league.            


Growing up in the mid-1980s was a great time to be a Mets fan. I was 6 years old in 1986, and my favorite player was most definitely Gary Carter. Carter was the rugged catcher who loved to get dirty. Runners barreled into him, and he would hold onto the ball, proudly showing it to the umpire. He had a unique batting stance, which my friends and I enjoyed mimicking.

            Carter famously got the leadoff single to start the famous 10^th inning rally in Game 6 against the Red Sox. People are often quick to (incorrectly, but that is a whole separate matter) blame Bill Buckner for that game, but the Mets were dead. Down 5-3, 2 outs and nobody on. The game was over. The Shea Stadium scoreboard flashed “Congratulations Boston Red Sox”. But Gary Carter refused to be the answer to a trivia question. He lined a sharp single in front of Jim Rice in left, turned to Bill Robinson the 1^st base coach, and said, “There was no way I was going to make the last %$&@ing out of the World Series!” Carter was the “choir boy” on a team of partiers, druggies, and drunks; a player who never swore; this exception just shows his intensity in the moment. We all know what happened next.

            Watching Carter play the game, one could see the genuine love he had for the sport, and more importantly the joy he had in being able to play. Watch Carter’s last hit here:

As a member of the Montreal Expos. How often do you ever see players display that level of pure joy on the field?

            Carter’s death a few weeks ago touched me in a way I didn’t expect. After all, I never met him. But like all Mets fans, I felt like I knew him, and he was in fact an important part of my childhood. Watching highlights of Carter, wearing those classic blue and orange pinstripes from the 1980s, makes me feel like I’m 6 years old again, and that the Mets in the World Series will be an annual event. (So naïve!!!)

            What was especially touching was the reaction of fans, teammates, and opponents. If one ever reads Internet message boards, there are always obnoxious trolls with sad, pathetic lives, who feel better about themselves by knocking down others. You didn’t see that with Carter. His teammates who mocked his goody-goody nature, were genuinely heartbroken. Keith Hernandez, the last player you’d expect to see emotion from, broke down crying. But the most touching tribute, I my opinion, came from Darryl Strawberry. Everyone knows about Darryl’s struggles in life, and it seems now as if has his life in order. That is what makes these comments so poignant: “Gary Carter smiled because he was free. He was free inside. He loved playing the game, and he played the game the right way. … He would get in your face if he had to. He was very vocal and said what he had to say, and you respected him for that. … I always listened to Gary. I always loved him. I’ve always had nothing but respect for him. … He was an example of what a professional athlete was supposed to be. Mookie was the same way. … He would never talk about you in the press or backstab you. … Gary was real. The rest of us screwed up. He was real. When I look back and think about what he meant to us, not just as a player, but as the character of a man, that’s what you live for. … What a tremendous man. I always respect him more for his character than as a baseball player.”

            RIP, KID #8!

All About the D – Knicks/Celts Preview

Boston has been highly inconsistent this season, and to be expected.  The average age of the opening day starting lineup is 33 and each starter has missed at least 3 games (Rondo and O’neal have missed 10 – and O’neal is washed up as a side point).

Jermaine O’neal was the only legit center in the rotation and he is out with a lagging wrist injury that needs surgery at some point … and he is washed up.  As a result, the Celts have played with a small lineup with KG at center and Brandon Bass at the power forward spot.  This alignment creates a mismatch for the Knicks and really hurts the Celts bench.

Jeremy Lin has been plagued by 2 issues during his time as a starter – 1) turnovers – everyone knows about those, 2) his defense against quick point guards.  There is a reason he wasn’t selected in the draft, he is not super-athletic.  The persona of a new-age NBA point guard is a blazing athletic freak – think Derrick Rose, Rondo, John Wall.  (Oh, and please don’t email me with ‘well Yaros, what about Steve Nash, hasn’t he been halfway decent in his career?’ -  ANSWER: its called potential; teams don’t look for the next Steve Nash because he is viewed as an enigma.  Of course he’s great (except on D because he lacks the athleticism to play D), but he is 1-of-a-kind, not your typical point guard prospect.  BOTTOM LINE: if a team is looking for a point guard in the late first/second round of the draft, the team always takes the quick, athletic guy (see Avery Bradley, Boston’s backup PG, as an example.  He was drafted #19 in the Lin Non-draft (2010)).

Lin will have a really difficult time if Coach Mike has him defend Rajon Rondo, because he can’t keep with him.  Could the Knicks have Lin give Rondo lots of space at the top of the key, constantly go under picks on the pick-n-roll and simply make Rondo shoot his way to a Boston victory – something he probably can’t do?  The Knicks will likely do that; however, giving Rondo so much space will allow him to distribute the ball very easily as his line of sight will not be impaired.  Alternatively, the Knicks should have Shumpert guard Rondo down the stretch because Shumpert can match the athleticism (almost) and guarding Ray Allen doesn’t take all that much athleticism – just get in his grill!.

So there is idea #1, have Shumpert guard Rondo down the stretch with Lin on Ray Allen.

Here is where things get tricky, how do the Knicks guard Paul Pierce?

In a word, Coach Mike needs to pull Melo over at about quarter to 1 this afternoon and demand effort, demand focus and tell Melo to use all his energy on defense (2 reasons: the Knicks will not need his points because of the comparative numbers the benches will produce – see below, AND because this will result is Melo giving 40% of his effort on D, #LazyDefenderAward).  It’s really that simple, Melo can guard Pierce, but he needs to want to. 

Garnett has played well this year and has only missed 3 games thus far.  The Knicks should begin with Tyson Chandler on Garnett and I expect Jared Jeffries to get some minutes this afternoon in an effort to piss off Garnett.  Jeffries is an annoying defender and should help today.

 If Amare actually tries to box out Brandon Bass, that will limit Bass’ productivity.

Lastly, the bench should really help the Knicks today.  The Celtics are very short and, as discussed in the 2^nd half preview, the Knicks have tremendous depth.  Outscoring the Celtics bench by 15 is a reasonable goal and necessary to secure a Knicks victory.

Both games have come down to the wire between these teams this year.  Both teams have won by a single basket at home.  This game will come down to big shots in the last 3 minutes of the game.  Limiting Pierce and Allen and forcing Rondo to create against a long, athletic defender (Shumpert) should give the Knicks the edge when it counts.

Deep, But Do the Big Boys Have the Goods? Knicks 2nd Half Preview

I’ve been sucked in!  I just can’t get enough of the chaotic spin moves, flip shots and wild dunks.  The threes, the defense, the crowd.  The undeniable exhilaration is there – in the stands, on the bench and on the court itself.  The childish excitement of grown men, the copycat Discount Double Check with the exuberance of the Green Bay faithful.  It’s all real and its infectious…but can it last?

The short answer, it will last into the playoffs, once there, the big boys need to produce.

The borderline pathetic first third of the season focused on iso for Melo, horrible point guard play and no defense. 

The Knicks biggest strength since the Lin-mergence (is combining Lin and emergence taking it too far?  I hate stupid combo words so Lin-sanity was too much for me, but the proverbial cat has a thousands of miles away from the bag at this point so screw it – Lin-mergence it is) has been the newfound excitement and success.  However, the most lasting value of the Lin experience is the depth that it has generated.  The following players should have some role in the Knicks rotation:

Melo
Amare
Tyson
Lin
Fields
Baron Davis
Iman Shumpert
J.R. Smith
Steve Novak
Jared Jeffries???

It’s virtually unheard of to have 9 players who need to see action.  Oh, and that doesn’t include Jeffries who plays good D but is brutal offensively and has thus far been a part of the rotation OR Bill Walker who has lost his spot due to injury/J.R. Smith’s return from China. 

Is this good depth or bad depth – remember, not all depth is good.  Having 4 shooting guards and 3 small forwards means no rhythm for anyone.  But the beauty of the Knicks’ depth is the role-player mentality of these guys. 

A Closer Look:

The Defense Group – This group is led by Tyson and Shumpert.  Tyson’s defensive superiority is well-established and has a ring attached to it that he picked up in Dallas.  Shumpert has been the shutdown guy off the bench.  He can take guys off the dribble, but he uses the majority of his energy defensively.  That in your grill style is cheered as emphatically in the Garden as Novak 3s and Lin And1s.  Jeffries, if he remains in the rotation is also part of this group.  He is long and the best the Knicks have on the Dirks of the world.

Instant Offense – Novak and J.R. just fire fire fire and the drive and kick to those guys has been working beautifully.  Both are averaging 11 to 12 PPG in approximately 25 minutes a game.  They ignite the team and the crowd which is precisely the objective of Instant Offense.  Side Point: Smith makes some dumb plays and can’t hit a free throw at the moment; however, he deserves props for his defense.  Novak has become a face – shooting 48% on 3 since Coach Mike said to hell with this and put Lin and Novak in the game.  He and Lin clearly bonded on the bench during the borderline pathetic period noted above.  The admiration and awareness of each other makes the drive and kick so effective.

Run and Gun Group – most of this group plays D, but is notable for lots of fast break dunk opportunities.  They create and give away turnovers regularly, but they are exciting and can wreak havoc for a while.  Lin or Baron (an effective backup who can be good in short spurts) at the point, Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Melo filling the lanes and Amare or Jeffries as the trailer.  Coach Mike throws em out there and they know the role, just Go, Go, Go until the shift is over (yikes, a hockey reference – but it’s really a good one, this group sprints until they can barely breath).

The Core – Here is where trouble starts, by trouble I mean awful defense.  Fields and Tyson play D; Lin tries his best but just is not very good at it.  The big boys…the ones with mega-contracts, well they are awful at defense.  Amare makes the occasional nice block, but he is lazy on rebounds and is terrible at clogging the lane.  Amare should never watch a guard dribble by him in the paint, but time and again he just gets out of the way. 

And Melo, he refuses to make defense a priority.

Let’s talk about the offense.  I maintain the value of Melo dribbling the ball up court (see my previous post at http://www.talkingnysports.com/2012/02/how-to-save-carmelo-let-him-dribble.html).  The restlessness of the crowd is palpable when Melo is jabbing his foot with the ball on his hip, standing at the wing, in the dreaded isolation.

Amare may very well be hurt.  He has the burst on occasion, but he lacks the consistent burst of his early days as a Knick. 

Success in the NBA demands relentlessness.  If Amare and Carmelo can’t mentally commit to defense, the Knicks can’t make a playoff run.  If Carmelo tenaciously, aggressively and relentlessly moves the ball quickly (via drive, shot or pass) when Lin passes him the ball on the wing, the stagnancy of the offense will not exist. 

Playoff Outlook: The Knicks are certainly a playoff team.  The ability to manage minutes as a result of the depth is helpful.   However, simply, the Knicks have far more talent than the teams in the 9^th through 12 slots in the conference (Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, and Toronto).  Expectations are well beyond making the playoffs and avoiding Miami/Chicago in Round 1 is a key component to a lengthy Knicks run.  Keep an eye on that 6^th seed (currently Atlanta) as that is the golden ticket to Indiana and a manageable round 1 opponent.

Knick playoff success will rely heavily on the offensive output of Melo and Amare.  Can Amare stop taking jump shots and use his athleticism to make plays at the rim.  He has always caught the ball on the pick and roll 15 feet from the hoop – the old Amare would drive, but it’s been happening less and less.  Can Carmelo recognize that he is now a cog in Jeremy Lin’s wheel?  Carmelo will be given time to settle in and realize who runs the show.  If Carmelo realizes that he will still get his 20 with Lin controlling the offense, and molds into the elite scorer who drives the basketball and uses his jump shot as a switcheroo on the defense, this team can take Miami or Chicago to a game 7. 

The Knicks should plan for a round 1 win and hope for a trip to the Eastern Conference Championship.  I can’t see this team beating Chicago and Miami in succession (barring injuries), but the insanity at MSG is phenomenal and, if the big boys leverage the depth, use the energy the depth saves them advantageously and maintain relentless aggressiveness – a deep April run is not inconceivable.  

Was Passing on Nash the Right Non-Move?

Author: Ariel Rotenberg

Ariel founded a blog devoted to hockey talk called HockeyOnWashburn

Consensus is the Rangers general manager Glen Sather made the smart and responsible move in not giving into the inexplicably high demands by the Columbus Blue Jackets for perennial 30 goal 65 point man Rick Nash.  There is no doubt about the talents of Nash and what they could have done for this year's Ranger team.  The guy can flat out score.  He has a high quality shot, premier size and by escaping the purgatory that is Columbus Blue Jacket hockey, he would likely play his heart out down the stretch.  

Nevertheless, there are three main reasons why Sather's decision not to make the trade for Nash was the smart one.

1) The Price - Ultimately, this is, in fact, what stopped the trade from being made.  While a very good player, Nash neither has the stats nor the proven leadership abilities to garner a package that included Ryan McDonough or Michael Del Zotto, Derek Stepan or Carl Hagelin, Brandon Dubinsky, top prospect Chris Kreider and a 1st round pick, which according to New York Post writer Larry Brooks was the asking price for Nash.  While that trade would have been absurd to anyone who has watched this year's Rangers team and what they seem capable of, looking at Sather's history and his penchant for trying to acquire the Big Fish,  I have no doubt Sather considered the high demand by Columbus.

2) Nash's Cap Hit - This is not your father's NHL.  With the hard salary cap in place and the upcoming CBA negotiations, there is so much more that comes into play during trade discussions than the abilities of the players involved.  In reality, you are only as good as you are, relative to your cap hit.  This is especially true with a team like the Rangers that has no issue handing out big contracts and therefore generally gets less bang for their buck.  At 7.8 million for many more years, Nash has the fourth highest cap hit in the NHL.  Nash has never scored 80 points and has a career plus/minus of -75.  His cap hit is higher than Malkin, the Sedins, Toews, Stamkos, Perry, Backstrom, Datsyuk, Giroux and everyone else in the league not named Crosby, Ovechkin or Eric Staal.  For a cap hit of that magnitude for a player with Nash's production, Columbus has no business demanding from the Rangers what they did.  Nash's cap hit makes him less valuable than he already is.  This is something GMs fail to see; you aren't just trading Rick Nash, you are trading for his bloated contract as well.

3) The "He Is the Best Player on a  Bad Team in a Small Market so He Must Be Underrated So Much So That He Becomes Overrated" Syndrome - This idea takes hold in many sports.  A guy plays for a bad team for years and puts up great numbers.  He isn't really publicized much in the national media and his team's games are rarely nationally televised. He is a former 1st overall pick.  He is flashy. He scores highlight real goals.  He is a hulking winger.  He has no talent around him which accounts for his low assist totals. And so on.  All of these play into the media making Nash out to be a star in the NHL when his true stats do not back up that idea.  He has been viewed as a figure stuck in a bad situation in Columbus all the while his "stock" has risen while his talents have not.

Don't get me wrong, I would love Nash on the Rangers.  But for that price and for that cap hit, I'll pass.

Beware Yoenis Cespedes

In an offseason market which featured an all-time great (Albert Pujols) and another over-hyped Japanese posting process (Yu Darvish), perhaps the most intriguing and mysterious character was Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. After making a name for himself at the 2009 World Baseball Classic, he mostly disappeared for a couple of years before landing where everyone goes to get famous: YouTube.

Author: Dovid Dobin

On November 9, just a couple of weeks after Pujols and his Redbirds doused themselves in champagne (I wonder if Bobby V would have allowed that), a 20-minute demo reel came to light. In it, Cespedes showed his potential as a baseball star by watching his home runs, squatting two people and roasting a pig.

In January, Cespedes established residency in the Dominican Republic, and was subsequently granted free agent status by Major League Baseball. This touched off a bidding war during which at least 10 teams were mentioned as favorites at one point or another. One team that was never really part of that was the Oakland Athletics. So, of course, they ended up signing him to a four-year, $36M contract on February 13.

Cespedes is coming off a remarkable season in Cuba’s Serie Nacional de Béisbol. His .424 OBP and .667 SLG are both otherworldly, the kind of performance that earns you landslide MVP victories in the majors. But these numbers were not put up in The Show. And that’s where I lose track of Billy Beane’s thought process.

A 2005 study by Baseball Prospectus concluded that the level of play in Serie Nacional de Béisbol is roughly equivalent to that of the short-season Class A New York-Penn League. Viewed in that light, Cespedes was essentially a 25-year-old playing for the Staten Island Yankees or Brooklyn Cyclones. For reference, Cyclones SS Daniel Muno posted a .980 OPS at age 22 last year- and he’s the #43 prospect in the Mets’ system.

With a contract of just 4 years at $9M per, the A’s likely will not want to waste any of that time with Cespedes in the minors. He’ll get plenty of playing time in Spring Training (once he gets his visa), and then be thrust directly into the heat of big league competition. No AA. No AAA. Not even Advanced A-ball. The outfielder who has faced competition that is barely better than the Gulf Coast League will be staring out at Felix Hernandez on Opening Day.

Baseball Prospectus is a site dedicated to the sort of statistical analysis upon which Moneyball was founded. Now, it is possible that Beane is a genius who came up with some slightly different calculations and found the BP study’s flaws. But it’s more likely that the A’s are taking a huge gamble. They’ve been drawing flies in Oakland and are desperately vying for a move to San Jose, and this move (and the mostly meaningless signing of Manny Ramirez) may have been intended to spark the fan base. Perhaps this is Oakland finally recognizing that as other teams in better financial situations adopt more scientific approaches to team-building, Moneyball is no longer possible without money. But no matter the reasons for the acquisition, the AL representatives of the Bay Area may be in for a very rude awakening this summer.

But hey, at least they’ll have a designated barbecuer.

Dovid Dobin is the host of The Dovid Dobin Show, Mondays at 6 PM on www.MTRRadio.com

The Nets Prospects

ESPN reported that Deron Williams and Brooke Lopez are convinced that the team has a shot at the playoffs… queue Jim Mora – ‘PLAYOFFS!’  You can’t be serious????

This team has been horrific, especially at home where they are 3-13.  Mind you, home is a relative term.  Calling The Rock home for the Nets is like calling a random nice hotel you stayed at on your business trip to Des Moines home.  The Rock is a sweet place, but the Nets are just visiting.  New York Red Bulls MLS tickets are outselling the Nets tickets in late March (about $30 vs. about $1.50 for cheapest StubHub ticket) which is comical.  You know you have no home court advantage when the stubhub fee for the ticket is higher than the actual selling price.

Moving on…

Let’s talk players.  For real, is there an ice cube’s chance in hell they are making the playoffs? Hmmm, highly unlikely.  Why, not because they are way out of it in terms of games and not because they are getting some offensive talent back in the lineup, but because the teams ahead of them are way way way better than them.  Boston is the 8^th seed right now; they are leagues ahead of the Nets.

Brooke Lopez – A 7 footer should grab 10 rebounds without trying.  A 7 footer should really control the painted area.  Lopez does neither, the reason, he is kinda, wait don’t say the most evil word in sports…I can’t say it.  Uch, I’m stuck here, I just can’t say the word…(bell rings in head), I’ll use a dollar sign so it can’t be google searched… BROOK LOPEZ IS KINDA $OFT.  There, it’s kinda out there because he kinda is IT.  Lopez clearly deteriorated last year defensively and especially on the boards, there is an argument to be made that Kris Humphries is a great rebounder and essentially stole Lopez’s rebound, but I say there were enough to go around. 

Bottom Line: I think the guy should be traded for 75 cents on the dollar as soon as possible.  If he shows signs of getting it back together the remainder of this year, get the KINDA $OFT 7 Footer who grabbed 6 boards a game last year and has a back  foot problem out of town at the first opportunity. 

What the Nets actually have:

Given that every GM in the NBA realizes that Lopez is not actually that valuable (sort of reminds me of Mark Sanchez.  Looks like he’s got the goods, but you can’t win because of him…maybe with him if you assemble the perfect team, but not as a number 2 option, number 3 = maybe), here is what the team looks like for the remainder of the season:

Deron Williams: PG – Top 5 in the business.  Has the size and skill to dominate every night. 

MarShon Brooks : SG – I really like this kid.  He’s got great length for a 2 guard (I think he needs to play the 

2 to take advantage of his skills).  He has nice touch and has a fairly advanced understanding of shooting angles for a rookie.  He is also a solid rebounder.  The bad is that he is a rookie and he makes a few dumb mistakes every game … stupid fouls, cross court passes become turnovers, standing out of bounds waiting for a pass in the corner – guess what the call is going to be when he gets the ball … whistle, out of bounds!  He has a bright future, definitely a piece to build with.

Small Forward – This is a revolving door.  They occasionally start both Anthony Morrow and Brooks, but a 6’5” guy ends up getting torched by an NBA sized small forward when that happens.  This is the 'we made dumb move after dumb move' spot on the Nets.  Last year Travis Outlaw robbed the Nets and was asked to close the door behind him last summer.  To replace him, the Nets signed the elite Shawne Williams (having an extra E in your first name doesn’t make you a starter) and decided to promote Damien James to the starting role.  This plan has failed miserably – not shockingly though – because both replacements have been terrible and are now hurt.  Wonderful!  This is still a work in progress.  They do have DeShawn Stevenson but he is undersized at SF, an offensive liability/chucker and he is hurt – a piece, but one that belongs on the bench.

Kris Humphries: PF – Knows his role and plays it really well.  A beastly rebounder with limited offensive skill, but he doesn’t take dumb shots. 

Brooke Lopez: C – See above.  Just to add, Humphries is the kind of guy for Lopez to play with because their games complement each other; however, he is still KINDA $OFT.

Bench (as in guys who should actually play off of it):

Anthony Morrow: SG – this guy is a great shooter with very limited abilities other than his 1 skill.  Not a strong defender and can’t create off the dribble.  Is he really that much better than Steve Novak?  Probably not.  A bit more athletic, but about as 1 dimensional.  A nice bench player because he can score in bunches.

Jordan Farmer: PG – definitely the Nets deepest position.  This guy is a legitimate back up point guard.  He can shoot and distribute well enough to play the minutes D-Will needs to rest.  He happens to be having a spectacular year shooting the ball. (48%,47%,93% is outrageous – not really sustainable, but outrageous).

Sheldon Williams: PF/C – a solid rebounder and that’s about it.  He is a terrible offensive player.  This really hurt the team this year because of his increased roll due to injuries to Lopez and Okur (who is over the hill and should be enjoying his retirement right now).  He and Humphries playing together is essentially watching the Nets participate in the 3 point shooting contest because everyone knows that nothing is going to happen inside.  I don’t see him as a rotation guy on an elite team.

Jordan Williams/Johan Petro: PF/C – this 9^th and final spot should go to Williams.  He is a rookie and should be given a chance to show what he has to offer.  He has earned some playing time lately which is good for his development. We all know what Petro is.  He is a poor man’s Mikey Moore.  I see his career going in the same direction.  In about 5 years, when he has perfected that 18 footer from beyond the foul line on the pick and pop, some idiot GM will sign him for 5 years/30 mil to start at center.  Just a warning to the idiot GM – DON’T DO IT!      

Everyone Else – (Sundiata Gaines, Andre Emmett and especially Okur) – just assume you don’t need to put on shorts underneath your athletic pants, cuz they aren’t coming off.

What will happen?

This team will make a run at some point.  I think that they have a nice core with D-Will, Hump and MarShon.  Lopez and Morrow can help in limited capacities as well. 

Will it be enough to have a chance at the playoffs come April? No Way.  They are lacking the skill players needed to get there.  It says something when, aside from Deron Williams, no Nets starter would start for Boston, New York, Atlanta or Orlando (the teams that occupy seeds 5 through 8 at the moment). 

The Nets have all their marbles in the Dwight Howard basket and I think he will sign with Deron Williams in Dallas (not an original idea). 

Looking to 2013, the Nets will be in a spankin new arena with a group of awful players – have fun filling that place Nyets!

Huge Hughes Conundrum

Does the Yankees season depend on Phil Hughes?

Of course not!  

For Phil Hughes, this year should be much more about his personal success.  Why? This is the most important year of his career up until this point.  

The Yankees did not Joba his arm, he pitched well in 2010, after the whole bullpen rendezvous. (term used for instances when Brian Cashman destroys arms via the flip-flop between the pen and the rotation.  Side note: I have no idea where the name came from.  Someone told me the first time it ever happened was to this guy named Justin Chamberlain, but who knows where he is these days).

Hughes is going into year 6 of his career.  If he pitches well, he will be handed a nice chuck of change as a first year free agent (likely from the Yankees).  Hughes has the 'stuff' to be a starter -  solid fastball, very good curve and cutter/change as secondaries; however, he is not a front of the line guy because he generally hangs out around 92 MPH on the fastball and that doesn't get it done unless you have pinpoint control.  Bottom line, he is not a strikeout pitcher and gives up too many baserunners to be an ace.

Even if Hughes is not ace material, he and Nova could be the Yanks 3/4 starters for the next 5 years (after CC and Pineda).  Coming out of spring training, the Yankees will need to decide whether Hughes or Freddy Garcia will become the 5th starter.  Hughes should be given every opportunity to get the spot.  Garcia's upside is limited by his age, walk rate and inability to strike guys out.  He fizzled down the stretch in September and his tenure as a Yankee will likely end before the 2015 season.  

The most cogent argument I've heard for making Hughes a middle reliever and giving Garcia the 5th starter's spot is Hughes' prior experience in the pen.  This is augmented by Garcia whopping 2 career relief appearances.  This issue is that long term, Hughes value is as a starter.  Hughes will be a 6th or 7th inning guy if he moves to the pen (Robertson, Soriano and some guy named Mo are ahead of him) and a 25 year old guy who has the potential to be a 3 starter has no business pitching in the 6th inning.  

Hughes' fastball speed in late March will be quite telling.  Will he be the 93-95+ guy who won 18 games in 2010, or will he be the 89-90 MPH guy who pitched to a 5.79 ERA last year.

The 5th starter spot can often be skipped and the Yankees have 4 strong arms ahead of Hughes/Garcia.  The spot can be played with and Hughes should be starting for the Yankees in mid-April.  If he can't pitch, send him to the minors, but wasting him away in middle relief is very short-sited.

Have an opinion? Add a comment!

How to save Carmelo: Let Him Dribble More!

Carmelo Anthony has been pretty brutal this year. He can clearly score a ton of points, but I look at his field goal % and see brutal, stagnant basketball. In theory, the Knicks have the best front court is the NBA (allegedly 2 of the top 15 players in the world at forward and certainly a top 6 or 7 center in basketball – efficient, great D, knows his place offensively). Granted their backcourt situation has been fairly weak, but Carmelo is below .500 as a Knick – that’s ridiculous.
Since mid-January the Knicks are 5-9 when Melo plays and he is shooting a weak 36% from the field (including a pathetic 22% from 3).

The Knicks need to find a way to get Carmelo to drive to the hole a lot more. Nothing can get under Coach Michael’s skin more than the back down to that awkward spot Duncan banks from and then turn right into the defender to take a tough shot.
Melo didn’t have much luck last night; he did try to drive a decent amount (getting blocked 5 times is evidence) but he just didn’t get the calls.

Here is my theory:

Have Melo bring the ball up court. He is a strong dribbler for a forward and the move would solve the above problem…let me explain. Classically, Jeremy Lin has been bringing up the ball like the typical point guard. He waits for a big guy to come set a pick at the top of the key and then tries to run the pick and roll with that big. Carmelo and shooter x (Fields, Novak, Shumpert, Smith etc.) work the wings. In this scenario, if the pick and roll breaks down and Lin passes to Carmelo, everyone just sits around and Carmelo shoots the ball.

If…Carmelo brings the ball up court and Lin starts on the wing (shooter x starts in the corner), then more activity will occur. Option 1 – Melo picks up steam as he dribbles up court and drives on his man, Option 2 – Carmelo dribbles up court, crosses the half court line, keeps moving towards the basket and Lin curls towards the top of the key. Melo dribbles to just inside the top of the key and hands the ball off to Lin. At this point 1 of 2 new things can happen:

(a) Melo slips past his defender towards the hoop and looks for a lob pass from Lin for a layup/dunk

(b) Melo can’t get to the hoop and moves to the wing. The big guy comes up and runs pick and roll with Lin.

In either case, Lin is closer to the hoop (basically at the 3 point line) to start the play. Teams have been trying to make him run pick and rolls from much further distances from the basket. This forces Lin to dribble more into traffic and creates a whole lot of turnovers. When Carmelo brings the ball up court, teams are less likely to press him because of his driving ability and size.
Bottom Line: Carmelo needs to move more without the ball; he also NEEDS to touch the ball a lot. Bringing the ball up court allows him to touch the ball and limits his stagnancy.

Carmelo has elite skills and can certainly create off the dribble, giving him the ball at the wing or in the high elbow post is motionless and clearly not very successful.

Last night against Miami was a matter of a better team winning the game. The Knicks held their own and were in the game for the better part of 3 and a half quarters.
Knicks fans, the team is close to an elite level. Minor tweaks can/will get them over the top.

LeBron on Lin

Miami will absolutely demolish the Knicks if they use this strategy. To start the game, have Wade play Melo (Knicks play horribly when he hogs the ball and Wade is strong enough to guard him) and have Chalmers take Landry. Up front Bosh on Amare (who has not done anything lately) and Joel Anthony on Tyson. Once LeBron or Wade take over the point and Battier/Miller come in, Wade shifts to the 2 on D and Battier/Miller takes Melo. The Heat should force the Knicks to play through Melo, its effective – he shoots 39% from the field. Make him a chucker and Dexter Pittman (who?...12th guy on the bench) will play in the fourth quarter. LeBron could take everything Lin does away and is quick enough to stay in front of him. No need for big man help which means no lob dunks to Tyson and Amare. Let’s wait and see what happens…

Manny Being Manny = Dumb

I don't understand what Manny was thinking. Hmmm, I have a 100 game suspension I need to serve if I ever what to play this game again. I can sit out the next 100 games as my suspension and then retire; therefore, if I get bored of watching movies/yachting/fishing/sleeping all day, I can call my agent and find a sucker of a team to take me for the 2012 season. OR... I can retire now and, when I call my agent, I can't play at the start of the 2012 season. Conclusion: Manny being Dumb

Braun Wins on Technicality

The real question here is, what does it mean for the next guy. Here is the good news, based on the current reports, Braun won on a chain of events issue - where/how/when his urine moved from a cup in his hand to the lab.

That means his win can not apply to past positive tests because the circumstance was unique. Problem, bottom line, his urine tested positive. Unless it was tampered with (evidently the chain of events leads to that possibility) but, cmon, its unlikely, so he, likely, had the high testosterone.

Hopefully some secret foreign agent who happens to hate the Brewers dumped some juice in Braun's cup, because otherwise, justice still needs to be served.

What are the odds of Braun being knocked out of action with Flu-Like-Symptoms for 50 games?

MLS CUP!

So...I was watching Sports Center last night before the Bears vs. Eagles game because I can't stand the number of commercials on the NBC Pre-game. I continued to watch ESPN and the MLS Cup Pre-game was on. (Must have been a huge TV audience). What I found hilarious was the fact that the pregame team had to run through the entire season's happenings because no one cares about MLS Soccer. Imagine Joe Buck needing to explain what happened during the baseball season to the watchers of the World Series. What a joke! Until those with the athletic skill of Kobe and LeBron start playing goalie and the likes of Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew and others play striker will soccer have any meaning in this country. I hope that day will come - but it wont anytime soon.

Yaros

Nets and Wind Up

As many of you know, I will be working in the "real world" for the next 40 years and will be unable to consistently publish.

One last comment on the New Jersey Nets:
They have a dearth of talent!

They will enjoy a good draft pick in a strong draft in 2010.

Yaros

Yanks Win! Sox Steal Game!

The Yankees won another game in walk-off style. It is remarkable who often the Yankees destroy a bullpen. It is so often a role player that gets the winning hit. Gotta love it! It feels like the late 90s again.

Up in BeanTown, the Red Sox stole a game from Brian Fuentes and the Angels. Granted, Fuentes put 3 guys on base with 2 outs and up 1 run; however, with 2 strikes on Nick Green Fuentes threw a pitch that Green gave a half swing at. Green thought he swung and so did anyone with half a brain; however, because the game was in Fenway (and I will take that opinion to the grave) the first base umpire said no swing. Then on a 3-2 count, Fuentes threw a pitch right down the pipe and a few inches above the knee. It was K-Zoned and was deemed well in the strike zone. What an abomination!

Rick Reed really screwed up this game - he was the Home Plate Ump, he also got an assist from First Base Ump Jeff Kellogg. They didn't lose the game for the Angels, but they really screwed it up!

Yaros

NFL Hindsight Week 1!

-This is one of the luckiest, most bizarre plays you will ever see. It could only happen to the Bengals. Why would a safety not stay back in that situation? How idiotic! But hey, it is the defense-less Bengals!

Take a look:


Stokely's decision to run along the goalline is a genius play. Those are the intangible plays guys learn playing with Peyton Manning.

I have one other comment on the situation. The prior play should have been challenged by the booth. A DB on Cinci picked a ball off along the sideline that was called out of bounds. I didn't get enough looks at it to determine if both feet were in, but it was definitely close.

-The Colts are clearly not the same offensive juggernaut of years past. Reggie Wayne is the same and obviously Peyton is the same; however, Harrison is gone and Gonzalez is already injured. The issue I believe is most key is the lack of production from Joseph Addai. Addai has been a product of Peyton Manning and he simply is not that good. He has run for over 78 yards once in his last 21 games - pathetic!

-Brett Favre didn't have to do much to win today - think Adrian Peterson! Not impressed with him, I can't stand his ego, but, if he plays well I'll admit it!

-The Jets really dominated defensively - 0 points allowed. Mark Sanchez allowed the defense to run the show, and the offense gradually became more comfortable. Sanchez was really solid - I liked the Jeff Garcia comparison - and the running game eventually beat down the pretty solid defense of the Texans.

-Drew Brees and Jay Cutler are having completely opposite games this week. Brees had the most TDs by a QB in Week 1 since 1950 (aside from Week 1 of my flag football league in which I through 8 and aside from my Backyard Football season when, in Week 1, I clicked away as Pablo Sanchez through for 7 - good luck next year Drew, I still beat you!) I am writing this during half time of the Bears/Packers game (it's ugly), Cutler is having a nightmare! 3 picks and a 36.4% completion percentage.

-Brodie Croyle played about as well as one could have imagined today against the Ravens defense. It is unlikely that Matt Cassel would have done better. The Chiefs defense just happens to stink. It's good to see an old Rutgers guy - Ray Rice - play really well in the NFL. Hopefully his success will attract guys to East Rutherford - yes, I'm a sad closet Rutgers football fan!

Yaros