No Football? No Problem.
Who says the sports world goes silent after football season? I would say the last couple of weeks have been quite eventful with blockbuster trades, congressional hearings, big-time college basketball games, and of course the always I-can't-believe-this-is-exciting-but-it-is world of college football recruiting. But first, I gotta start with the Diesel in the desert.
Shaq Trade:
First off, say what you will about Pat Riley and these struggling Heat, but he pulled off one hell of a trade here - bringing in Shaq a few short years ago and giving up no all stars in return, winning a title, and then dumping Shaq's HUGE contract (and expiring body/performance) and getting Marion in return. I think Marion and Wade together can make this team 200% better. I'm not saying they'll be climbing out of the cellar or anything this year, but this was a good move - Marion's getting old himself, but he can definitely ball.
With that said, I must admit I'm scratching my head a bit on this one from Phoenix's perspective. I know the Lakers just pulled the Gasol move, but I think this is more about battling San Antonio down the stretch - the Spurs have been their demise of late. They want someone who can at least bang with Duncan down below and rebound. Unfortunately I think at this stage in Shaq's career Duncan can probably exert his will over the big fella. I love Shaq, but a body that big can't continue to take that kind of beating - it's obvious to everyone watching that there's not much left. Of course putting your mind to it and dropping about 75 pounds would help quite a bit, but how many years have we been saying that? Let's say there are about 45-47 games left in the year - I say Shaq plays in half of them.
I digress. To me, the largest impact to the Suns is not gaining Shaq and his size down low, rather it's losing Marion and his defensive skills - he's the only one on that team that can play defense for crap. The Phoenix organization has made some great moves/drafts over the years so you have to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I think this may be a gamble...a VERY expensive gamble (Shaq's set to make $20 mil/year the next 2 years).
Gasol to Lakers:
Now this move...this was a smart move. I can't recall if I touched on this at all in the past post, but I'll touch on it now. Of course we're only 5 games into it, but I'd say the Lakers are quite happy with the move thus far. Kudos to Kupcheck for pulling this off (and getting rid of Kwame too) - I've railed on this guy quite a bit, and deservedly so I believe, but this was a hell of a move. Lakers just finished a 9-game, east cost trip and went 7-2. That's fantastic. One of the losses was to the Pistons on a last-second shot and the other was a horrible loss to the Hawks. Either way, I'll take 7-2 on road trips any time. By the way, they closed out the trip last night with a win at Minnesota and Odom had a triple double - this guy is always about 2 boards or assists away from one so good to see him get it.
It will be interesting to see how they will use Bynum and Gasol together - if they can make that work, look out!
Kidd to Dallas....or not?
And here we have a "keeping up with the Jones" move here. Much like the Phoenix trade I'm a little curious about this one. I know it's not a done deal yet (more on that below), but I don't know if this really addresses the Mavs' issues. Don't get me wrong, having Kidd run your offense is great, but how much time does he have? Devin Harris is a good, young point guard who will be good for a number of years. And the point guard has nothing to do with their recent issues - Devin Harris is the one who stepped in against San Antonio (the year Dallas went to the finals) and shut down Tony Parker. No, I think this comes down to toughness, especially in the paint - Dirk simply doesn't have it. And they're also giving away Diop who is a big 7-footer who gives them depth and someone to contend with Duncan, Gasol, Bynum, Shaq, etc. in the west. This would hurt them in the very short term.
And before you say it, I'm sorry, Eric Dampier is not the answer. Yes, he's their starter, but now he's got no backup for when he gets in foul trouble. I think this trade may give Dallas a quick boost for the second half of the season, but this team can't compete with a healthy San Antonio, Phoenix or LA team - at least I don't think so.
By the way, you think all of the Western Conference GMs somehow got to Devean George and said if you block this trade we'll each give you $1 million? I do.
Quick Update here - I've been working on this post on and off for a couple of weeks (as you can probably tell), but now it appears this one will be "amended" to include Van Horn rather than George. Either way, it still doesn't make them the best team in the west and I think if you're going to ship your future point guard, you had better make sure it's going to make you the best team in your conference.
Western Conference Power Rankings:
1. San Antonio - I know these guys typically take the every-other year approach to winning titles, but if their 100% healthy come playoffs I have to go with them until they lose.
2. Los Angeles - I'm making these projections as of right now, today...and as of right now, today, these guys look to be the second-best team in the west. Of course a lot of this is the fact that they just finished that 9-game road trip going 7-2, but the team seems to be playing so well and there seems to be a skip in their step. This is also a HUGE opportunity for Kobe, who's still the man mind you, to step up and play the leader role and get them to the finals. I think he can do it whether it's this year or next, I think it's coming.
3. Phoenix - They still have Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire and that's a lot. Just to clarify/reiterate what I said - having Shaq by no means hurts this team, rather losing Marion really hurts this team. If Shaq can play his role, groom Stoudamire and stay healthy they can certainly contend.
4. Utah - The silent giants. These guys are damn good. People get caught up in the Dallas loss in last year's first round to forget that Utah played in the conference finals and they could certainly do it again. The best thing they've got going for them is the fact that LOTS of people are paying no attention to them.
5. Dallas - Cuban will be happy this move didn't happen in about a year or 2 (if it doesn't). Rather than bringing in Kidd, focus on going after tough-minded veterans who can rebound and bang around down low. And, you've still got the great Lebron James lottery coming in a year or two that you're sure to be a key player in. Until then, come playoff time, these guys have some tough roads ahead.
6. New Orleans - The fairy-tale has come down to earth just a bit since their monster winning streak. No doubt Chris Paul is a super star, but let's see how they do down the stretch and come playoff time. Although they've got the best record in the west right now, there are plenty of other teams I would not want to face come playoff time.
7. Houston - These guys have been on quite a tear lately. There's a lot of games left, but these guys cold easily displace a couple of teams just above them come playoff time. I wouldn't bet on it with someone else's money, but they could do it. I still say they should seriously consider shopping McGrady - he's hugely talented and clearly not excelling in this system - this offense needs to be built around Yao. I still say he's waaaay to soft for a big man with his skills, but he's clearly performing right now. I think you could get a lot for T-Mac - draft picks or veteran talent.
8. Golden State - The magic is gone.
But let's not forget one thing - there's about 4 or 5 games separating the 8th seed and the first seed - that's going to make for some very interesting basketball come April.
Boy what a week for these Horns - H-U-G-E win over the Kansas Jayhawks which, barring a complete meltdown, will likely bring a guaranteed 2 or 3 seed for the big tourney. If the Horns can win the Big 12 regular season, where they have the edge as of now over Kansas, and win one game in the conference tourney I'll guarantee a minimum of a 2 seed and quite possibly a 1 seed should we see some upsets in the coming 2 weeks.
But let's back up for a second and be real. Although this team played tremendous team ball (especially on defense) against Kansas and secured yet another win over a top 5 or 6 team, these guys are playing without any consistency. The overtime win over a bad Iowa State team and then blowing a double-digit lead in the last couple of minutes against Baylor on Saturday are some areas of concern. Granted, they won those games, but you can't turn the ball over 3 times in 30 seconds and subsequently miss 3 consecutive 1-and-1 attempts - that's horrible.
Big game tonight against the Aggies at home and I just hope Barnes is hammering home how badly they destroyed these horns just a couple short weeks ago. Texas really needs a big blowout win here to keep this momentum going. And DJ, my Lord, needs to break out of this slump - we saw this last year and it never got better. Luckily Atchley is stepping up and shooting tremendously well and DJ is getting his assists, but he missed those 3 aforementioned 1-and-1 attempts and his percentages are in the tank - he's got to get his shooting percentage up.
Lot to go, but 4 of the last 6 at home with the toughest games coming tonight (aggies at home) and in a week on the road against Kansas State - they're set up quite well after the big win over Kansas.
Other Random Thoughts from the sports world:
So I watched about 45 minutes to an hour of the Daytona 500 on Sunday - which exceeds my previous watching experiences combined. Here are my thoughts:
Shaq Trade:
First off, say what you will about Pat Riley and these struggling Heat, but he pulled off one hell of a trade here - bringing in Shaq a few short years ago and giving up no all stars in return, winning a title, and then dumping Shaq's HUGE contract (and expiring body/performance) and getting Marion in return. I think Marion and Wade together can make this team 200% better. I'm not saying they'll be climbing out of the cellar or anything this year, but this was a good move - Marion's getting old himself, but he can definitely ball.
With that said, I must admit I'm scratching my head a bit on this one from Phoenix's perspective. I know the Lakers just pulled the Gasol move, but I think this is more about battling San Antonio down the stretch - the Spurs have been their demise of late. They want someone who can at least bang with Duncan down below and rebound. Unfortunately I think at this stage in Shaq's career Duncan can probably exert his will over the big fella. I love Shaq, but a body that big can't continue to take that kind of beating - it's obvious to everyone watching that there's not much left. Of course putting your mind to it and dropping about 75 pounds would help quite a bit, but how many years have we been saying that? Let's say there are about 45-47 games left in the year - I say Shaq plays in half of them.
I digress. To me, the largest impact to the Suns is not gaining Shaq and his size down low, rather it's losing Marion and his defensive skills - he's the only one on that team that can play defense for crap. The Phoenix organization has made some great moves/drafts over the years so you have to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I think this may be a gamble...a VERY expensive gamble (Shaq's set to make $20 mil/year the next 2 years).
Gasol to Lakers:
Now this move...this was a smart move. I can't recall if I touched on this at all in the past post, but I'll touch on it now. Of course we're only 5 games into it, but I'd say the Lakers are quite happy with the move thus far. Kudos to Kupcheck for pulling this off (and getting rid of Kwame too) - I've railed on this guy quite a bit, and deservedly so I believe, but this was a hell of a move. Lakers just finished a 9-game, east cost trip and went 7-2. That's fantastic. One of the losses was to the Pistons on a last-second shot and the other was a horrible loss to the Hawks. Either way, I'll take 7-2 on road trips any time. By the way, they closed out the trip last night with a win at Minnesota and Odom had a triple double - this guy is always about 2 boards or assists away from one so good to see him get it.
It will be interesting to see how they will use Bynum and Gasol together - if they can make that work, look out!
Kidd to Dallas....or not?
And here we have a "keeping up with the Jones" move here. Much like the Phoenix trade I'm a little curious about this one. I know it's not a done deal yet (more on that below), but I don't know if this really addresses the Mavs' issues. Don't get me wrong, having Kidd run your offense is great, but how much time does he have? Devin Harris is a good, young point guard who will be good for a number of years. And the point guard has nothing to do with their recent issues - Devin Harris is the one who stepped in against San Antonio (the year Dallas went to the finals) and shut down Tony Parker. No, I think this comes down to toughness, especially in the paint - Dirk simply doesn't have it. And they're also giving away Diop who is a big 7-footer who gives them depth and someone to contend with Duncan, Gasol, Bynum, Shaq, etc. in the west. This would hurt them in the very short term.
And before you say it, I'm sorry, Eric Dampier is not the answer. Yes, he's their starter, but now he's got no backup for when he gets in foul trouble. I think this trade may give Dallas a quick boost for the second half of the season, but this team can't compete with a healthy San Antonio, Phoenix or LA team - at least I don't think so.
By the way, you think all of the Western Conference GMs somehow got to Devean George and said if you block this trade we'll each give you $1 million? I do.
Quick Update here - I've been working on this post on and off for a couple of weeks (as you can probably tell), but now it appears this one will be "amended" to include Van Horn rather than George. Either way, it still doesn't make them the best team in the west and I think if you're going to ship your future point guard, you had better make sure it's going to make you the best team in your conference.
Western Conference Power Rankings:
1. San Antonio - I know these guys typically take the every-other year approach to winning titles, but if their 100% healthy come playoffs I have to go with them until they lose.
2. Los Angeles - I'm making these projections as of right now, today...and as of right now, today, these guys look to be the second-best team in the west. Of course a lot of this is the fact that they just finished that 9-game road trip going 7-2, but the team seems to be playing so well and there seems to be a skip in their step. This is also a HUGE opportunity for Kobe, who's still the man mind you, to step up and play the leader role and get them to the finals. I think he can do it whether it's this year or next, I think it's coming.
3. Phoenix - They still have Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire and that's a lot. Just to clarify/reiterate what I said - having Shaq by no means hurts this team, rather losing Marion really hurts this team. If Shaq can play his role, groom Stoudamire and stay healthy they can certainly contend.
4. Utah - The silent giants. These guys are damn good. People get caught up in the Dallas loss in last year's first round to forget that Utah played in the conference finals and they could certainly do it again. The best thing they've got going for them is the fact that LOTS of people are paying no attention to them.
5. Dallas - Cuban will be happy this move didn't happen in about a year or 2 (if it doesn't). Rather than bringing in Kidd, focus on going after tough-minded veterans who can rebound and bang around down low. And, you've still got the great Lebron James lottery coming in a year or two that you're sure to be a key player in. Until then, come playoff time, these guys have some tough roads ahead.
6. New Orleans - The fairy-tale has come down to earth just a bit since their monster winning streak. No doubt Chris Paul is a super star, but let's see how they do down the stretch and come playoff time. Although they've got the best record in the west right now, there are plenty of other teams I would not want to face come playoff time.
7. Houston - These guys have been on quite a tear lately. There's a lot of games left, but these guys cold easily displace a couple of teams just above them come playoff time. I wouldn't bet on it with someone else's money, but they could do it. I still say they should seriously consider shopping McGrady - he's hugely talented and clearly not excelling in this system - this offense needs to be built around Yao. I still say he's waaaay to soft for a big man with his skills, but he's clearly performing right now. I think you could get a lot for T-Mac - draft picks or veteran talent.
8. Golden State - The magic is gone.
But let's not forget one thing - there's about 4 or 5 games separating the 8th seed and the first seed - that's going to make for some very interesting basketball come April.
NFL Notes:
- Seeing rumors of the Giants putting feelers out for a Shockey trade. As much as I've enjoyed watching Shockey play you can't deny how well Eli has been playing without him in the lineup. He's kind of a psycho from what I hear (and who knows really), but he's still in the top 5 at his position - if they can get some good value from it, gotta pull the trigger.
- Should be a very interesting free agency market this year. Some key names: Asante Samuel, Albert Haynesworth, Randy Moss, Dante Stallworth, Terrell Suggs and more. Notice there's a few Patriots in there? Look for New England to fill some of those holes (and Seau and Bruschi could retire) in an active free agent season - will be interesting see if they're able to reload, although I'm reading that Stallworth wants to stay in New England.
- Titans have a big opportunity to go after Stallworth (if he bolts) or Moss here, although I will say you should focus on locking up Haynesworth, or put the franchise tag on him so you can have more time to give him his due. But, if they're able to go after Stallworth and get a solid weapon for VY that would be huge.
- Soooo the Redskins go through this exhaustive search for a head coach and they end up promoting the Offensive Coordinator....that they just hired a week before. Huh...good luck with all that Danny.
- What a huge move for Spagnuolo to stick with the Giants - the team has to feel good about that.
- Welcome to the Pro Bowl Adrian Peterson - honestly, I didn't watch one snap of this game...didn't even know it was on to tell you the truth, but I'm not surprised he dominated.
- So the Patriots have been filming games since 2000? Wow. Not sure how big of a deal this is, but it sounds to me like they have been breaking a rule for 8 years - the question is this: how severe is this particular rule? Did it really give a competitive advantage? I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. Either way, why in the world did Goodell burn those tapes?
Boy what a week for these Horns - H-U-G-E win over the Kansas Jayhawks which, barring a complete meltdown, will likely bring a guaranteed 2 or 3 seed for the big tourney. If the Horns can win the Big 12 regular season, where they have the edge as of now over Kansas, and win one game in the conference tourney I'll guarantee a minimum of a 2 seed and quite possibly a 1 seed should we see some upsets in the coming 2 weeks.
But let's back up for a second and be real. Although this team played tremendous team ball (especially on defense) against Kansas and secured yet another win over a top 5 or 6 team, these guys are playing without any consistency. The overtime win over a bad Iowa State team and then blowing a double-digit lead in the last couple of minutes against Baylor on Saturday are some areas of concern. Granted, they won those games, but you can't turn the ball over 3 times in 30 seconds and subsequently miss 3 consecutive 1-and-1 attempts - that's horrible.
Big game tonight against the Aggies at home and I just hope Barnes is hammering home how badly they destroyed these horns just a couple short weeks ago. Texas really needs a big blowout win here to keep this momentum going. And DJ, my Lord, needs to break out of this slump - we saw this last year and it never got better. Luckily Atchley is stepping up and shooting tremendously well and DJ is getting his assists, but he missed those 3 aforementioned 1-and-1 attempts and his percentages are in the tank - he's got to get his shooting percentage up.
Lot to go, but 4 of the last 6 at home with the toughest games coming tonight (aggies at home) and in a week on the road against Kansas State - they're set up quite well after the big win over Kansas.
Other Random Thoughts from the sports world:
- What a complete debacle the "Clemens" hearings have been. I really, truly hate to say it, but to me, Clemens has come as nothing more than pathetic. He took the HGH/Roids, but more important than that - ALL of them are. Well, maybe not all of them, but why in the world are we putting so much focus on Clemens when he's not the problem, he's just a a piece of the problem. When are owners, Selig and the player's union going to be called to congress? Selig must be ousted before anything is going to get done. He's a joke.
- Kelvin Sampson should not be allowed to be considered for a head coaching job at any level in college for 5 years. Why would anyone give this guy a shot...or believe anything that comes out of his mouth.
- Kobe's finger....could put a damper on the Lakers' season....I'm not sure I wouldn't have the sugery. With Bynum, Gasol, Fisher and Odom they should be able to get into the playoffs without him. Tough decision though...very tough.
- And Ryan Perilloux has been suspended indefinitely from the LSU football team...again. I'm a proponent of second chances, but I'm not a fan of fourth chances - cut his ass and move on. Still glad the Horns missed that boat.
- I'm pretty upset Texas didn't get Darrell Scott, but I admit I made up my mind that we were going to get them. It would be nice to see Mack get a 4 or 5-star player out of state (Stoops is taking more and more top talent from the state of Texas every year). BUT, he did sign a lot of top defensive talent on the D-line and in the secondary. Also got a great crop of receivers. I'll take it, but I'm worried about the running back position and the youth at secondary, but the talent is there....as it always is.
- Belichick aside, Goodell is in danger of looking pretty shady himself in this whole spygate puppet show.
- With the movement of talent we're seeing in the NBA, it's setting up for a situation where every single series in the west will be great and every single series in the east (except, hopefully, Boston vs. Pistons) will be lame and irrelevant.
- I wish the NBA would go back to the all-star games where the players wore their team jerseys (home and away obviously) - that was cool and those jerseys were lame.
So I watched about 45 minutes to an hour of the Daytona 500 on Sunday - which exceeds my previous watching experiences combined. Here are my thoughts:
- I have no idea what the strategy is for a driver - I get making the cars faster/more efficient, but what is a driver's strategy?
- What the hell do all the flags mean?
- I don't know how they keep track of the standings of the drivers with all the pit stops
- I can't imagine watching an entire race - it's like the NBA, why would you watch anything other than the final 30 laps....at least NBA has some sense of lead exchanges, etc.
- Fox's promos are horrible....really horrible.
- Am I crazy or does Tony Stewart look like he's gained about 80 pounds? I thought he was stung by a bee - he's huge.
- What I loved you ask? I loved it when Fox would just cut from camera to camera (and there are thousands it seems) without any commentary - there was no talking/commentary for like 3 or 4 minutes and they would just go from shot to shot. It was great, very cool.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 4:35 PM
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