| NFL | |
|
NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
|
| NBA | |
|
Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
|
|
Ranting and Raving, Vol. 1: 7/24/08 By Ron Jumper When it comes to this time of the year, there are always a lot of things going on. However, most of them just really aren’t worth dedicating an entire article, so I will just hit on all the high notes in one article. Also, just so everyone is perfectly clear, not one of these topics will be about Brett Favre so read easy knowing there won’t be any boring, repetitive material. (With most of my time being devoted to Fantasy Football, Handicapping, and Mock Drafts, I don’t have as much time to crank out as many articles as I would like. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have strong opinions on a lot of topics so I felt this would be the easiest way to express my thoughts on a regular basis.)  For starters, I have to give a lot of love to Jerryd Bayless for winning MVP of the Vegas Summer League. A lot of people were doubting the former Arizona stud, as he fell down the draft board. I think those teams will regret passing on him a few years from now, and may already be. Bayless was able to get to the rim at ease and shot a solid 43% from three. Even with all the good, the same criticism was given: he isn’t a point guard. My reply: who cares. If you watched the Vegas Summer League closely, he was the scoring guard on the floor most of the time, as Petteri Koponen was usually the floor general. So, just so I have this straight, he played shooting guard and averaged just under 30 but people are complaining because he isn’t a point guard? Does it matter? I’m confused… Besides, look at the Trail Blazers roster. Their offense runs through Brandon Roy and he even brings the ball up a solid portion of the time. All Bayless has to do is be able to defend NBA point guards and provide perimeter shooting. Check and check. Taking it a step further, the future of that franchise lies inside with LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. This isn’t going to be a run-and-gun, wide-open team despite what their youth suggests. They will play smart, inside-out basketball, and be very solid defensively. That kind of offense doesn’t require a facilitator at the point guard position, this is the NBA in 2008 people! The Atlanta Hawks are always fun to talk about. Just when you thought they had become relevant again, they went back to square one. The Bulls and Heat added potential franchise players in Rose and Beasley. The Bucks added Richard Jefferson. Philadelphia added Elton Brand. Toronto added Jermaine O’Neal. Meanwhile, the Hawks had no draft picks and lost Josh Childress to Greece. What? Yes, that is correct. Greece! That really says it all. Your entire coaching staff and front office should be fired if you lose your 6th man to Greece. He is an American! It isn’t like he wanted to return to his home country, the Hawks are just a terribly run organization. To put this in perspective, they are having trouble resigning Josh Smith and he has no other options. The 76ers, Clippers, and Warriors no longer have the cap space to acquire Smith and the Grizzlies don’t want to go after any free agents this off-season. That leaves Charlotte if they don’t re-sign Okafor and a long shot of going to Chicago if they can’t get a deal done with either Gordon or Deng. When you throw in Smith is a restricted free agent, it seems like a no-brainer Smith should be back in Atlanta. Only the Hawks front office could screw this up. Keep your fingers crossed Hawks fans. Speaking of Childress going to Greece, this is opening up a huge issue in the NBA. Players may start leaving the NBA and going to Europe much more often than one would think in the coming years. One of the key reasons is simple. Childress’ contract was much more lucrative because Greece offered to cover his taxes. Could you imagine making millions of dollars tax free? That makes his deal almost double the value, with taxes around 30-35 %. Taking that concept a step further, what if Europe steals one of the faces of the NBA in the next decade? It could be done. With the tax loophole, not to mention no salary cap, Europe could offer a ridiculous deal and change the landscape of basketball as we know it. Granted, it could also be somewhat like what happened when David Beckham came to the U.S., which was absolutely nothing. Just for argument’s sake though, what if a team in Spain lured away LeBron James by offering a tax-free 10-year $200 million deal? The NBA, with the way the CBA is currently set up, could not match the deal. Before you call me crazy, think about your current job. Now imagine being offered twice your current salary is to go overseas. With it being tax-free, it is really like getting triple what you were making before. Also, the money is guaranteed because it is a long-term contract. As the last kicker, there is a buyout clause at the end of each and every year, just in case you decide you want to come back to the US. Are you really going to say you wouldn’t think about it? Taking it a another step forward (I know we are pretty much walking at a steady pace by now), think about everyone else in your industry. Can you really not think of anyone that would take that kind of pay raise to go overseas? I find that hard to believe if your answer is no. How do we address this issue? It starts with the NBA draft, as NBA rookies get very little compensation unless you are a top five pick. International players have no motivation to come to the NBA, as they actually receive more money by staying in Europe. With Brandon Jennings, he was struggling to qualify academically so he just said I’ll make some cash for a year then go pro. I’m not a mathematician or a fortune-teller, but if you have more guys leaving then you do coming in there just might be a problem. Make the rookie contracts more lucrative and international players will come (a la Field Of Dreams). This isn’t earthshaking, but it was good for the Warriors to add Marcus Williams as their backup point guard. I think he is a very good young point guard. It was also good because they weren’t going to have to give a big contract to get Louis Williams away from the 76ers. Not a big move, but with them adding Williams, Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf, and drafting Anthony Randolph, they are trying to forget about losing Baron Davis. It is so rare that there are meaningful trades on back-to-back days in the NFL. I have always felt that NFL teams should make more trades, as they all 52 players and 7 draft picks to work with. Could you imagine if NBA GMs had that many pieces to work with? It would be insane. There would be 3-team, 25 player deals involving no telling what. It would be like a video game come true. That being said, we have Jason Taylor and Jeremy Shockey to discuss. Jason Taylor will help the Redskins, period. People act like he is ancient history, he is only 33! He was never great at stopping the run, but he is an elite pass rusher. He had 11 sacks last season on a pitiful Dolphins team. Obviously, this trade came to fruition because DE Phillip Daniels injured his knee and has been placed on IR. In my opinion, Taylor would have been a substantial upgrade even if Daniels was healthy. Daniels has never had more than 9 sacks, and that was back in 2001. As for Taylor, he has had at least 9 sacks all but one time since 2000, including a high of 18.5 in 2002. I think the Redskins could be the team that comes out of nowhere this season to be a pretty darn good football team. If that offense can get on the same page, they have plenty of weapons for Jason Campbell to use: RB Clinton Portis, RB Ladell Betts, TE Chris Cooley, TE Fred Davis, WR Santana Moss, WR Antwaan Randel El, WR Malcom Kelly, and WR Devin Thomas. If Campbell and new head coach Jim Zorn get on the same page, look out. As for the other trade, Jeremy Shockey will make the Saints better this season. As for the long haul, he will probably resort back to his troublesome old habits. In the meantime, expect Shockey to be a drastic upgrade at TE. Not that Eric Johnson wasn’t serviceable, but Shockey can give Brees a perfect safety valve and red zone target. This could really help complete their offense, as Shockey will work the intermediate routes and middle of the field. When looking at their passing game last year, everything was either a deep ball to Colston or in the flats to Bush. Shockey should add a new dimension to this offense. With the additions of Vilma and Ellis on defense, the Saints could be legit. From the other side, the Giants have to feel great about how this worked out as well. When you consider Randy Moss went for less, getting a 2nd and 5th round draft pick for a disgruntled, injury-prone tight end is a steal. In all honesty, the Giants shouldn’t even be thinking about repeating. They have a lot of issues on the depth chart so additional draft picks is perfect for them. As for Kevin Boss, he has to be pinching himself, going from an unheralded rookie out of Western Oregon just last season to the starting tight end for the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Quick Hitters: -Jordan Farmar is awesome (Here is why) -The WNBA is a joke (Here is why) -No seriously, the WNBA is a joke (Here is why)  July 24, 2008 |
| NCAA Football | |
|
Be Careful What You Wish For
|
| NCAA Basketball | |
|
Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
|