Sporting Randoms

I guess I'll start off with the NBA All Star Rosters..for the most part I'd say that they got it right..this is who they are sending out

East
G-Dwyane Wade
G-Allen Iverson
F-Lebron James
F-Kevin Garnett
C-Dwight Howard
Well clearly KG and AI shouldn't be there this year..but its the fans and they vote of popular players..fine whatever..here are the reserves

G-Rajon Rondo
G-Derrick Rose
G-Joe Johnson
F-Gerald Wallace
F-Paul Pierce
F-Chris Bosh
C-Al Horford

Well..I don't think Horford should've made it..New Jersey's Brook Lopez or New York's David Lee play the same position and are playing better..but..the theme is "winning teams" instead of "best players" so I suppose thats fair all things considered(Even though AI is the anomaly here).I'm really happy Wallace got his due and was recognized making it,he's on my underrated list(noted for later)

And for the West?
G-Kobe Bryant
G-Steve Nash
F-Carmelo Anthony
F-Tim Duncan
C-Amare Stoudemire

Amare is the one here..given the options on the ballot yadda yadda..thats why he's here..he doesnt even play center for them this year,Robin Lopez or Channing Frye does..but I digress..oh yeah..I'm glad that David Stern put a freeze on Tracy McGrady's all star ballots so he wouldn't make it in(In your face China!)...onto the reserves...

G-Chris Paul
G-Deron Williams
G-Brandon Roy
F-Kevin Durant
F-Dirk Nowitzki
F-Zach Randolph
C-Pau Gasol

Again..only one player I would take out which would be Pau..the Clippers' Chris Kaman is my pick but it goes back to the rule of record over talent..so yeah.

I'll only touch on the Gilbert situation briefly..he was suspended for the rest of the season without pay...I can agree with that for the most part..dumb act..now if he can avoid any jail time there is an outside chance he could sail his way out of the miserable Washington franchise with a lowered buyout...or he could just come back for his $80 million.

Kurt Warner retired from the Arizona Cardnals..paging Matt Leinart...paging Matt Leinart...

Jim Zorn the much maligned former Redskins coach takes the job as the Baltimore Ravens QB coach...thats nice that he landed somewhere..

Here is a list a complied of some of the NBA's most underrated players


Gerald Wallace(Bobcats)-Has always been overlooked even back in Sacramento when he couldn't get any burn on those playoff squads..the guy plays a wing position but yet avg 10 boards a game.He's a statistical anomaly and he has really come a long way from coming into the league,his style of play is very reckless and gets injured a fair amount of times so thats the only thing that could set him back.

Rajon Rondo(Celtics)-Its hard to be overlooked on a championship level squad with 3 hall of fame level players..but I would argue in a way it is.Its very easy to overlook his skill and just blanket it with "he plays with the big 3" and be done with it but there are things that he was doing things before they got there.His defense at the point guard spot is on a elite level,his steal total is an accurate depiction of that..His jumper is coming along quite nicely..he reminds me of a version Jason Kidd the way he gets rebounds at his size

Taj Gibson(Bulls)-Now heres a sleeper of a rookie...he was underrated at college with the OJ Mayo show at USC and it wasn't until Tyrus Thomas went down with an injury that he was able to show what he had. He's not a sexy player but the most productive players in the post is the classic "overlooked" combo.He rebounds well,has a decent midrange game and can post..he fills Thomas' role almost seamlessly.

Carl Landry(Rockets)-If you are wondering who is scoring the ball with Yao hurt and Tracy sent home,this is one of those guys..he's a bruiser(he was the guy who got two teeth ripped out from a collision with Dirk's elbow,gross I know) and gets to the free throw line allllot..I believe he is a top 5 scorer in the 4th qtr..think about that one for a moment

Chris Kaman(Clippers)-This guy is constantly overlooked as a top center in the league as well as one who has a great array of post moves.He has been the only constant for the Clippers(Hard to do right?) But he's averaging over

Marc Gasol(Grizzlies)-As most of the pub gets hit on Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph for the surprising start for the Memphis Griz,Pau's younger brother should be getting some as well. From a talent standpoint he was a techical throw in in the trade to get Pau Gasol to the LA(LA had his rights..interesting right?)

Omar Casspi(Kings)-I won't stop singing this guy's praises..Tyreke is the big rookie we all know but Casspi isn't too far off..he's another form of Rudy Fernandez in that he was a standout overseas playing for a big team so when he gets over here, his adjustment curve is much shorter than what people gave him initially.He has no problem taking and hitting big shots,not having much fear..he deals with contact quite well and is the anti-euro in that is aggressive on defense

Jerryd Bayless(Blazers)-Arizona's own...I won't gush too much on the guy but I knew he was going to be a player but it was just in what context on what team...Portland had too many young guys to really play him and the signing of Andre Miller seemed like the next progression of a guy on his way out.With the rash of injuries to almost everyone on the roster,they had no choice but to player the young guy and he exploded onto the scene. When he has everything going offensively he's almost unstoppable because of his quickness,ability to to get to the rim and mid-range jumpshot.Portland is going to have a real interesting decision to make when everyone gets healthy again.I don't think you can bury talent like that for very long.

Eran Ilyasova(Bucks)-What do you know about Turkey?...if you are like me then the answer is not too much..but Eran took an interesting route..being drafted...sucking...going back to europe..then coming back to the NBA and being a contributing starter..most don't get that 2nd chance. He can shoot the lights out when given a chance for the Bucks and he's aggressive offensively and thats always a plus for a 6-10 player.

NFL Picks

Colts over Jets
Saints over Vikings

Enjoy!

NBA Hitters

Its almost the midpoint in the NBA season and its about time to start acknowledging some surprises as well as disappointments thus far.

The Goods

-Houston-You would be hard pressed to find a person who would say this team would be 22-18 without Yao Ming and an exiled Tracy McGrady. They are the anti-notion that you need star players to be moderately successful and it shows.They have alot of pieces that can shoot(Battier,Brooks,Budinger) mix it up defensively(Landry,Lowry,Ariza,Scola) and you aren't sure where the scoring will come from next. That's how they get you.

-Sacramento-They were widely considered the worst team in the league coming into this year for various reasons(I didn't buy it but would be in the bottom 5) but the emergence of Tyreke Evans even without Kevin Martin playing for any length of time has pleasantly surprised the league. Evans is going to be an elite talent and the pieces of Martin,Hawes,Thompson and Cassipi all complement him pretty well.They won't push for the playoffs in the deep west, but they are on a higher curve than people considered them earlier.

-Memphis-Another team that had some talent but not many thought that they would piece it all together for the better. The Allen Iverson experiment never got off the ground to "work" and so I think that helped the younger players(Conley/Mayo) not have to look over their shoulders for playing time. OJ Mayo,Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay have all taken a collective step forward and anytime that happens you will see the results quickly.Also another risk that has worked out quite well is the signing of Zach Randolph. He has always had the 20pts/10rebs, but it has been the bad plays and lack of defense that has killed him in many circles and thus far he has shook that stigma and turned it into a positive with a 20-18 record

The Bads

-New Jersey-I thought they would be bad..sure..3-36 bad?...never..that is so bad its almost painful to watch.They've been relatively competitive in their games so its not a lack of talent technically.Brook Lopez and Devin Harris are good young players but they are misused. Also the surrounding pieces aren't really working at all..Bobby Simmons,Trenton Hassell and Jarvis Hayes shouldn't be seeing the floor at all when you have Chris Douglas-Roberts,Terrence Williams and Courtney Lee..doesn't add up at all.

-Washington-Yeah...yeah...the Gilbert Arenas situation isn't helping but they weren't winning when he was playing.The team is poorly constructed and no one plays defense.Caron Butler is in love with taking bad shots and the funny thing about taking those are,more than likely you won't hit them.The only people who are producing and giving real effort are Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood and only Jamison is truly producing to his capabilities. This team needs to be blown up as soon as possible.

-Portland-Not for a underachieving standpoint..they are doing quite well in that aspect..just in terms of luck.This team is soooo unlucky in terms of injuries its almost funny...heres a list of injuries this year.

-Nicolas Batum-Torn Shoulder
-Rudy Fernandez-Leg/Back pain(returned)
-Greg Oden-Knee
-Joel Pryzbilla-Knee
-Steve Blake-Pneumonia(returned)
-Brandon Roy-Hamstring
-Travis Outlaw-Foot
-Nate McMillian(Coach)-ACL
-Paul Allen(Owner)-Cancer

Yeah..wild stuff..

Quick Picks

NFL picks(I went 1-3 last week lol)

Colts over Ravens
Cardinals over Saints
Vikings over Cowboys
Chargers over Jets

Quick Coaching Hits

I'll start with the random one with USC..

Lane Kiffin bounces from Tennessee after one 7-6 season..random..but not really that random..only out of the blue because no one thought he was on the list to leave..again after one season. But he was under Pete Carroll for around 5-6yrs so he's familiar with the school..he's also been a questionable guy..he has Tennessee under alot of NCAA violations and oddly enough..the whole Al Davis thing in Oakland was weird but still..an alright coach overall though.He also somehow lured the offensive coordinator Norm Chow from UCLA(who was at USC prior..big rivalry eh?) back to USC..Kiffin can't stop pissing people off lol.

The man that Kiffin is replacing has gone to the NFL..the team being my Seattle Seahawks and the coach is Pete Carroll.I like the move personally..Jim Mora was not the answer(ahem..like I knew all along,but I digress) and I think trying something new is always appreciated rather than running the tread off of the same NFL coaches again and again. For Pete I really feel that if he was going to leave it would have to be a west coast city and the run at USC was kinda closing faster than he would've like to.Regardless he had a wonderful run with USC and I think he'll be okay in the pros..he won't be a savior of a franchise..if so not right away..but with anyone coming in you need consistency and patience.

NBA All Stars

With the All Star game coming in about a month..I would like to add my lineups..

East:
PG-Rajon Rondo-Easy pick..his jumper is improving and already plays defense and rebounds really well..I think he and Jason Kidd are in the same mold.
SG-Dwyane Wade-He is carrying the Heat...the entire team..for the most part lol..top 5 scorer
SF-Lebron James-He's carrying the Cavs lol...averaging 7.7 assists is ridiculous..anyone who is a top 10 assist guy and isn't a point guard..wow..
PF-Chris Bosh-Best power forward right now..Duncan is on the downside..somehow he's still overlooked..I'm sure its the Canada thing..but whatever..24 pts and 11 rebs is nothing to shake at
C-Dwight Howard-He takes alot of crap from people's expectations but the coach wants jump shooters instead of working it inside..if 17pts,13rebs and 2.5blk is a down year..maybe you should take a step back and think about that again.

West
PG-Chris Paul-You can't keep him out..Nash..Williams..his numbers are too good..he's the reason New Orleans is whatever they are at this point..putting up MVP numbers.I really feel like he is the new KG..great player on a bad team that refuses to get better...shame
SG-Kobe Bryant-Leading scorer in the NBA..most clutch..arguably the best in the game now..2nd best SG all time?...all that..thats what I'll end it,yeah
SF-Carmelo Anthony-2nd leading scorer in the NBA..he's finally taken "the" step where he can take over games consistently..defense is another story..
PF-Dirk Nowitzki-Remember when I said Bosh was the best PF?..uh..this guy might have something to say about that...he's been pouring it in this year and quietly carrying the Mavs more than before..they go as he goes
C-Tim Duncan-I cheated..he doesn't play center per se' but whatever....play by your own rules..even as the Spurs aren't that great thus far,Tim still is penciled in with 20 and 10..still dominate..still consistent..never changed..

NFL Stuff

The NFL playoffs will be starting later today and I'll give you a few thoughts on how I think things will shake out.

Jets vs Bengals
This is the game that has too much working against it.The Jets have the defense and the running game to dominate,but the rookie QB Sanchez is just that....a rookie...and that will work against any team.If they can keep him handing the ball off instead of throwing it deep,it has to increase their chances.
The Bengals have decades and decades of history working against them..they hadn't been to the playoffs since 2005(Palmer knee injury) and hadn't won a playoff game since 1990...yikes..but they have top 10 QB in Carson Palmer,a hard running back in Cedric Benson and an elite(and comical) receiver in Chad Ocho Cinco. I think the run defense could be a bit better but I don't think the Jets will mind but ultimate I think that the Bengals pull it out..

Eagles vs Cowboys
This one will be a tough one..any time division rivals play each other it will get messy, but these teams played last week and the Cowboys smashed them 24-0.I really feel that the Eagles will make the proper adjustments to slow the Cowboys offense down but I think that the lack of running game will hurt more than any pass by Tony Romo.I will take the Eagles but theres a real chance for the Cowboys to win.

Ravens vs Patriots
I like this matchup alot..Tom Brady and Randy Moss vs the Ravens D...while it sounds sexy,the defense for the Ravens hasn't been the memories that we all attach to them. But Joe Flacco is no pushover and the Pats defense hasn't been anything to write about so the game could be closer than most would think.And I think that the loss of Wes Welker will hurt..Tom Brady has had years of spreading the ball around and it wouldn't be much different than that.Pats over Ravens

Packers vs Cardinals
This is the other good matchup..both have potent offenses and active,aggressive defenses.If Anquan Bolden plays I feel that this will give the Cards the edge in the offensive category and I think the key for the Packers is keeping the penalties to a minimum..throughout the year they've shot themselves in the foot in big spots..I will take the Cards

Welcome Back?

386 days later?..hi there..welcome back reading..I haven't done this in a while..well sort of..just individually with people verbally..but this recent Gilbert/gun thing has me crawling out of my own head and here it goes..

Was Gilbert dumb in playing a "joke" on Crittenton?..very
Was he careless in having unloaded guns in the arena or in the DC area?...also very

But don't make it into this super huge thing crossing his personality+the incident+on court performance because it doesn't add up..not all of them..the incident has more to do with his personality than on the court stuff..

His personality is one that is rare in terms of the public visibility..the "off-beat" one..the one who kind of plays by his own rules but not in a threatening to the establishment kind of way..more entertainment than purpose.They don't give you the general cookie cutter answers..they do different things..sometimes refreshing..sometimes frustrating..

Look around the the leagues..they are out there..Gil is one..Clinton Portis..Manny Ramirez...Chad Ochocinco.. Ron Artest...the kind of people you are never really sure if they are completely serious even when they smile..

Now these guys are all well and good..but here's a variable that is like the unwritten rule in any kind of job..salary..Gil signed a 6yr $111-million deal last season..thats a lot of money..and in sports..rare air..

Only the elite(in theory) are signed to $100-million deals..Kobe Bryant money..Kevin Garnett money...Shaq money..Alex Rodriguez money..

Its alot of pressure...as an athlete you are already under tremendous pressure as is..to get a bigger contract..stuff like that..now picture getting what you've worked for all your life...now what?..there aren't too many stories of what to do when you get to the top of the mountain...

Sidebar..still not justifying what he did..just getting all the perspectives out

Now..he has that money pressure to live up to the contract..he's coming back from repetitive knee surgeries..the team was awful last year..the blanket reasoning is because he wasn't there..locked into that money..everything will be fine..right?

All that pressure is there it makes it a little hard to be carefree these days..with money comes expectations and no one is expecting him to be the same guy..the money is there..get serious and get us winning..

That seems rational because any non-rich person given a boatload of money would be the best person to be well adjusted right?..

"Well with all that money,they need to figure it out" they say...it makes zero sense..when has money ever made anything clearer than before?..in history?..very few times..

Perfect example of this that I followed closely is Barry Zito of the SF Giants..he was just like Gilbert..carefree..had his own set of idiosyncrasies playing for the Oakland A's..

then he signed the $126 million deal with San Fran..all that pressure I was talking about earlier..same thing..he lost himself in a way..the people expected it in an indirect way.

Again that doesn't translate into on the court success..Gilbert isn't the complete reason why the Wizards are underachieving thus far..people fail to realize that its a team game win or loss..the "star driven" ideology is only set up to sell more tickets because of recognition off of the combination of number and face...ask Alex Rodriguez what the difference of playing for the Texas Rangers then the New York Yankees is like...the checks are the same..his numbers are around the same too..he won the World Series with what team again?

Same with Kevin Garnett..and Kobe Bryant..very very very very rarely can a scrub team be strapped onto a back of one guy..Dwyane Wade this year is a good example of that..Kevin Garnett in Minnesota is another..can't be done often if at all..

So let that idea go..thanks..

Collectively that team is underachieving..Caron is..Antawn is..Brendan is..Nick is..Flip is..Gilbert is..

But since the pay isn't distributed evenly..blame isn't either...that I can understand..but there isn't an relationship between check amount and leadership..that team doesn't have one at all..everyone is at a loss there..but he is their best player...for what its worth..

Guns aren't a joking matter..but...no one knows where the line is not to cross..until after you cross it

I think I covered everything..I feel better now...