Teams to Watch and Final Four Picks

Thought I'd give you an outlook on what I believe is the most wide open NCAA Tournament I've ever seen. I don't know about the rest of you but my bracket might go down to the midnight deadline that is how unsure I am of this whole tournament. So here are a few teams to maybe watch out for and maybe make you re-think your bracket entirely. Don't worry I'll give you my final four picks at the end as well.

South Region Teams To Watch:

Stephen F. Austin: I think going undefeated in your conference throughout the season is very impressive regardless of what conference it is. This is exactly what the Lumberjack's have done this season 18-0 in the Southland conference and a 31-2 overall record. One of those two losses coming to Texas who is the only team they played all year that is in this year's tourney. So you're probably thinking "Oh they only played bad teams, so they can't be that good" but couldn't the same be said for #1 Seed Wichita State? They are a solid all-around basketball team 4 out of their 5 started average double figures in scoring. I think that will be the reason they beat VCU they have so many scoring options and it will really spread out a really good VCU defense. I originally had the Lumberjack's as my double-digit seed to make the Sweet Sixteen but then I got my mind straight. This is VCU's game to lose and Stephen F. Austin might just take advantage of a team that did not look especially good against St. Joe's in the A-10 tourney.

Dayton: The Flyers are put up against the Buckeyes of Ohio State in the "Second" round setting up a battle for Ohio. I really haven't been impressed with Ohio St. all year and their lack of scoring options may prove fatal for them. I think Dayton takes advantage of this lack of scoring and uses their potent offense to beat the Buckeyes. The Flyers also have wins over 3 tourney teams as well (Gonzaga, George Washington, and Saint Louis).

Pittsburgh: They are 9 seed which would make it an upset if they beat Colorado, I'll pretend it's an upset even though Pitt is a better team than Colorado. Also Jamie Dixon scares me.

For all of you who are rooting for Tulsa to beat UCLA, it's obviously not impossible but I think the Bruins are still on a high after beating Arizona in the Pac-12 title that they won't lose to Tulsa.




East Teams to Watch:

Harvard: They're smart and they can play basketball? All five of their starters average double figures so they have a balanced scoring attack against a Cincinnati team that relies mainly on Sean Kilpatrick for scoring. If Cincy can't score watch the Crimson blow em out. I didn't pick them last year and I paid for it so this year I like the Crimson.

Providence: This match-up is tantalizing to say the least. The 11th seeded Friars are up against North Carolina which makes for a great guard match-up between Marcus Paige and Bryce Cotton. Despite the Friars having the lower seed they are an evenly matched team. The key for the Friars I think is getting James Michael McAdoo in foul trouble early and let their offense flow freely from there.

St. Joseph's: A-10 champs indeed but they get the lower seed as their matched up against the Huskies of UCONN. The Huskies leading rebounder is their point guard Shabazz Napier which shows the glaring weakness of no real inside play from the Huskies. The Hawks should be able to key in on this with Halil Kanacevic and Ronald Roberts Jr. That coupled with Langston Galloway the Hawks are in good shape to pull the upset.


Midwest Teams To Watch:

NC State: Yes I'm picking a play-in game team to upset a very good Saint Louis team. Also what is a Billiken? Anyway the Wolfpack have T.J. Warren the ACC player of they year who averages nearly 25 a game. Having that talent alone I think catapults them to the victory. Also the Billikens are 0-2 against AP Top 25 teams this season which doesn't bode well for them either.

Kentucky: Wait Nolan they're an 8 seed that doesn't make it an upset? Correct not in the "second" round but I firmly believe Kentucky will beat Wichita State in the third round and will advance to the Sweet Sixteen. A month ago I would not have said this but after watching the Wildcats in the SEC tournament and watching them almost beat Florida I think this team full of freshman is ready to play in this tourney. I also believe Wichita has not had the experience against exceedingly good competition this season to prove that they are one seed.

I know the Tennessee-Iowa game hasn't been played yet but whatever team wins that game will beat UMass who was overseeded by the selection committee.

West Teams To Watch:

Oklahoma State: This is the one team over a 5 seed that I can see making a Final Four run. They have been scorching hot since Marcus Smart's return from suspension. They are not afraid of any team they are faced with and their backcourt is impeccable. I personally don't have them making the Final Four (I have them losing to Arizona in the third round) but I am a firm believer that they can beat Arizona and anyone that is put in front of them. Who's laughing now Jeff Orr?

Nebraska: I love Nebraska and I think they can make a Sweet Sixteen I personally have them losing to Baylor just based on Baylor's size but I would love to be wrong on that pick.

LA-Lafayette: My favorite team in the tourney. They have the potential to be this years Florida Gulf Coast, a very high powered offense. However they are matched up against Doug McDermott and Creighton which is a tough draw. Look for Shawn Long and the RAGIN' CAJUNS to try and run the Jays out of the gym. If they can somewhat neutralize McDermott maybe hold him to 20 or even 25 they have a serious chance in beating this team.

North Dakota State: Got to rep my state. I don't think Oklahoma knows what they're up against here, an very athletic team with TrayVon Wright and Kory Brown. They have an inside presence with Marshall Bjorkland and they have their stud in Taylor Braun a very balanced, smart team that always seems to find a way to win. Boomer Sooner is going down at the hands of the Bison.

I was going to feature New Mexico State just because they have a 7'5" center but I decided to save you some time.



Final Four Picks:

South- Syracuse: Apparently someone forgot about them. Yes they have struggled recently with the loss to NC State in the ACC tournament but, I just can't see a Jim Boeheim team that is not ready to play in an NCAA tournament plus they have a pretty talented group of players. They have a tough road ahead no doubt they have the possibility of facing Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen and then Florida in the Elite Eight. I will be honest I'm not 100% on this selection so I may change it before midnight but for now I got the Orange in Arlington.

West- Arizona: I'm very squeamish when picking Arizona they are just one of those teams that can come out flat and make you look stupid for picking them. Another pick I may have to change before midnight but Arizona is the only sure-fire team I can see going to Arlington. Maybe Wisconsin.

Midwest- Louisville: The fact that they're a 4 seed makes me want to vomit while writing this, what an atrocity. That being said that is the perfect motivational factor for the Cardinals to succeed in this tourney and Rick Pitino will use that as a motivating factor to get this team past Duke, Michigan, Kentucky, Wichita State. There too seasoned as a team to not have them make it to the title game.

East- Michigan State: They're healthy which means they're set to go for the tourney. They looked so good in the Big Ten tourney and that should carry over into the NCAA tourney.



For the championship I got Michigan State v. Louisville with Michigan State winning by a score of 75-65.

There you have it now that you've read this you should be able to win the billion dollars. Or maybe not. Either way may the probabilities be ever in you favor or however that line goes I never saw that movie or read the book for that matter.

-NS(@NolanPSchmidt)

All Generation Team

I thought of this idea the other night and I cannot stop thinking about it. What if I could come up with 12 names from the 2000-2010 and call it the All Generation Team (I call it that compared to All-Decade Team because I'm going to base it off of players I enjoyed watching while growing up and players that have had success as well)? I know hold your applause it's genius (Even thought I'm sure it's been done before) but regardless should be interesting am I right? Now the down-side to this is only picking 12 or 13 names for this list some I'm going to try and pick names that I are deserving hopefully I don't ruffle any feathers with this one but I'm sure I will.

Let's start with the starting 5 shall we....

Point Guard- Allen Iverson: Yes I know AI normally would play shooting guard but hey it's my team, plus he is only 6 ft. tall which is good point guard height. Iverson averaged roughly 27ppg and 6apg for his career. That stat jumped out at me 6 assists per game for his career? I will always remember Allen Iverson as a pure scorer and more of a "pass-second" type of player. I don't blame him for this however when you look at the starting five for the  2001 Philadelphia 76ers (That made the finals) there is no one to write home about in terms of talent besides Iverson such names as: Eric Snow, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, and "Finger Wag" Mutombo all of those players failed to average double figures in points for their careers. The bench for the Sixers that year wasn't much better either with players like Aaron Mckie and Todd MacCulloch (He plays professional PINBALL now [S/O to Jax]). So do I blame Iverson for being a shoot first players not at all. Awards include an 11x All-Star, Rookie of the Year, 4x Scoring Champion and the 2001 MVP. LeBron James even went on to say Iverson was "Pound for pound the greatest of all-time". The crossover was kind of nasty too I guess.

Shooting Guard- Kobe Bryant: Kobe has got rings and that's while I'll give him the starting nod. As of now he has averaged 25 ppg for his career and averaged 35ppg in 05-06. Awards include 5x NBA champ, 2008 MVP, 16x All-Star, and 2x scoring champ. I like to think of #8 "mini-fro" Kobe that's my favorite Kobe when him and Shaq were dominating the NBA in the 00s and that's the main reason why he's in the starting spot.

Small Forward- LeBron James: Do I really need to explain myself on this one??? I didn't think so either.

 

Power Forward- Tim Duncan: I'll say it once and I'll say it again TIM DUNCAN IS THE BEST PF OF OUR GENERATION AND WILL BE THE GREATEST PF OF ALL-TIME ONCE HE RETIRES. Nothing get's me more riled up then when people say that they hate to watch Tim Duncan play because he is "boring" YOU ARE IGNORANT. He doesn't play boring he plays the game the way it should be played: fundamentally and smart. That's my rant I'll be willing to defend Tim Duncan on any level of basketball argument. Ok back to the facts awards include 4x NBA Champ, 2x MVP, Rookie of the Year, 14x All-Star. He's the Spurs all-time leading scorer which is wildly impressive when you look at the players that once played for the Spurs (David Robinson and George Gervin for example). For his career he averages a double-double 21ppg and 12rpg he can still do that on a nightly basis now at the age of 37. Let me say this one last thing since being drafted by the Spurs in 1997 they have won over 50 games every season except one (That one was in 98-99 when there was a lock-out) and they have never had a win percentage under .600 during Duncan's tenure. Apparently winning is boring.

Center- Shaquille O' Neal: The most dominant player I have ever seen play the game of basketball, give that man the ball on the block and he will score with no question asked a true pioneer at the center position. Averaged 24ppg and 11rpg for his career. He is a 4x NBA Champ, 2000 MVP, 15x All-Star, 2x Scoring Champion, and Rookie of the Year. The one and only man that made Kobe Bryant a secondary scoring option which is the hardest thing to do. An unreal talent and an unbelievable personality pick one NBA player that you would want to spend the day with and I would pick Shaq. CAN YOU DIG IT?!


Now time for the bench....

Sixth Man- Tracy McGrady: I've went over my love for T-Mac and his game in a previous blog so I'll keep this one short. Kobe Bryant who is my starting shooing guard once said "The player that gave me the most trouble was Tracy McGrady". Out of all the great players Kobe has played against he picks T-Mac as the one that gave him the most headaches. I think I've made my point.

Back-up PF- Kevin Garnett: Is this a biased pick? Maybe Is it a good pick? Yes. Averages 19ppg and 10rpg for his career. Has one NBA title, one MVP, 15x All-Star Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, and a 4x rebounding champion. Growing up watching KG I know dominant he was in Minnesota and I'm sure most of you know too. He carried those Wolves teams to the playoffs every year they went, even the years they had Cassell and Sprewell he still put the team on his back and got the job done. When The Big Ticket retires I may cry because I feel as though I know him on a personal level after watching him for so long. Wow I just got really emotional with you guys.........

Back-Up C- Dwight Howard: Again another familiar name, so is in depth analysis really necessary? There is just such a small market for good centers in our generation. Who do you want me to put on here? Vlade Divac, Yao Ming there's really only two deserving names here Diesel and DH.

Back-Up PG- Steve Nash: Pretty difficult pick here I mean I could've picked Chris Paul, Tony Parker (Trust me it was hard to leave him off), or even Jason Kidd. I picked Nash because of his passing ability and underrated scoring ability. Has averaged 14ppg and about 9apg for his career. Back to back MVP in 2005 and 2006, 8x All-star, and 5x NBA assist champion. I've never seen a more unstoppable offensive play than Nash and Amare Stoudemire's pick and roll it seemed so easy to stop in theory but yet NOBODY COULD STOP IT.


Back-Up SG- Vince Carter: I'll admit this is a personal pick. He has had a very respectable career however with 20ppg and 8 All-Star appearances. If I can get the Vince Carter that played for the Raptors and the Nets I will be happy. Best Dunker of All-Time

Reserve- Dirk Nowitzki: It's hard putting Dirk as a reserve but there are just better Power Forwards then him. I do love him however: 2011 NBA Champ,2007 MVP, 12x All-Star, 26ppg and 10rpg for his career, and will be the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history probably for the rest of my lifetime.

Reserve- Paul Pierce: 2008 NBA Champ, 10x All-Star a 21ppg scorer for his career. I think I'd be crazy to leave him off.



Reserve- Mark Madsen: Every team needs a motivator and a guy that will be the first one off the bench to give high fives during a time-out and Mad Dog is the Greatest of All-Time in that respect.

 













Well that's all I got for today. If I forgot someone you think is deserving honestly let me know I'm sure I did. Thanks for reading

-NS (@NolanPSchmidt)
 

The Emergence of Blake Griffin

I said a while back I'd do a full blog on Blake Griffin and I completely apologize for not getting to it I kind of forgot about it. I'm sure all of you were so eager to read my thoughts and were let down when I did not post anything (In reality it's the complete opposite I'm sure) but none the less here it goes.

I have been known in the past to have a strong dislike for Blake Griffin's basketball ability, as recently as this past November or so I've been vocal in saying that Blake Griffin does nothing but dunk, sure he's a terrific athlete but he has no ability besides dunking the basketball and I'm sure others would agree with me in saying that. This is because ESPN and other sports media outlets focus only on the "highlight plays" rather than the games themselves. This is good to a degree but can also be a fault as well and in Blake Griffin's case it is a fault. I started to really focus on Blake Griffin and his whole body of work as a basketball player once Chris Paul went down due to injury. I started noticing astounding "ticker stats"(Stats you would see on a ticker on ESPN for example: Points, rebounds, assists) from Griffin after Paul got injured. This surprised me because as an ignorant fan of Blake Griffin's I wondered how he could score 34 in a game just based on dunks? I then decided to dig a little deeper into Blake Griffin and I came to the realization that maybe this man that I once thought could only dunk improved in various facet's of his game. However when I looked at his season statistics they are not that different from his previous season, a slight increase in points per game 24 this season from 18 the previous year, also a small improvement in his rebounds per game roughly 10 per game this season compared to 8 last year. So on paper not a super improvement so what was causing these great statistics? I had to find out for myself.

I sat down one Thursday evening and watched a Warriors-Clippers game on TNT just to see how Blake could be doing what he had been doing recently. Then I finally found out, I was no longer an "ignorant" Blake Griffin fan. He had indeed improved in nearly every area of his game. He had become a much better post defender(which is good considering he was an awful defender throughout his first 3 seasons) for one but it wasn't his defense that caught my eye it was the fact that he had developed a jump-shot ranging to about the top of the key. He had also developed post moves that would make Kevin McHale proud (or maybe not since he coaches a team looking up at the Clippers in the West). I was now enlightened into how much he had improved and then I also looked how much of a catalyst he had become for the Clippers in Paul's absence. Let's just take a gander at Blake Griffin's statistics during Chris Paul's absence:

January: 26ppg, 8rpg on 56% shooting

February: 30ppg, 11rpg on 55% shooting....wait what?

Games in which Chris Paul missed: 28ppg, 9rpg

Impressive February is it not? Now stats do not matter if the team doesn't win which makes this even more impressive. In the 19 games that Chris Paul has missed this season the Clippers are 14-5 (41-20 overall) and those 14 wins included a 6 game winning streak. How could this be? How could the Clippers succeed with out their leader and best player Chris Paul? Who could they rely on? DeAndre Jordan? Jared Dudley? HEDO TURKOGLU???????? None of the above Blake Griffin is the main reason the Clippers succeeded and continue to succeed this season. I think Blake Griffin finally matured as a player and because of this the Clippers are still a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. If Griffin would've played like the Blake Griffin of his first 3 seasons the Los Angeles Clippers would be fighting for a playoff spot and would not be in the position they are now. He took the leadership position on that team and was able to keep them afloat.





With all this being said I believe Blake Griffin has molded himself into a superstar in the NBA something NBA fans have been waiting to see since he came out of Oklahoma in 2009. Once he gets more exposure and ESPN starts showing his overall game rather than just his highlight plays people will start to realize that he is force to be reckoned with. I know either Kevin Durant or LeBron "The Dark Knight" James (I would love to rage on the topic of SportsCenter reporting on THE TYPE OF MASK LEBRON IS GOING TO WEAR FOR THE HEAT'S NEXT GAME but I'll hold my comments) will win the MVP but I leave you with this question: Does Blake Griffin after all he's done for the Los Angeles Clippers this season deserve MVP considerations? Just something to ponder as you wait patiently for my next blog entry.....

-NS(@NolanPSchmidt)

Stars Everyone Forgot About

I love to reminisce about the NBA (preferably the years 2000-2008) and I got to thinking about this last night when me and a couple friends were thinking of some players we liked back in the day. So this blog is dedicated to some players that were good in the 2000s or maybe some guys you may have forgot about. NBA junkies will love reading this and I think it's a fun and entertaining way to end the week. I'm basically blogging like the fan that I am compared to my previous blogs where I attempt to be some type of sportswriter. So here's to you "The Stars That Everyone Forgot About".



Ricky Davis: Otherwise known as "Cornrow-Mutton Chops". Ricky Davis was future of the Cleveland Cavaliers before LeBron arrived he averaged 20ppg the year before LeBron was drafted. If you remember he attempted to get a triple double vs. the Jazz by intentionally missing a lay-up on the opposing basket and getting the rebound (I'm serious YouTube it) unfortunately for Ricky it did not count. After being shipped out of Cleveland after LeBron's rookie season he went to Boston where he was the secondary option to Paul Pierce (by the way those Celtics teams were awful). He then went on to play for the T'Wolves, Heat, and Clippers it wasn't that he was not good the league just got better around him I think and thus he has been forced to play overseas the past few years. Now however he plays for the D-League's Erie Bayhawks (New York Knicks affiliate) looking for one more shot at the league (The Knicks have nothing to lose at this point in my opinion may as well give him a 10-day contract). WE WANT RICKY!

Jason "White Chocolate" Williams: Real life example of a black guy trapped in a white guys body. He was the Kings' point guard of the future before he was traded for Mike Bibby, an unreal passer and ballhandler  he does not get the credit he deserves for that. Stats aren't terrific but he's one of those players that you just need to watch to appreciate his game. Quite the journey-man played for the Kings, Grizzlies, Heat, Magic. He also won a title in 2006 with Shaq and D-Wade in Miami. Kudos to Jason Williams he's that guy everyone forgets about....... but I don't.

             

Peja Stojakovic: Let me say this: If you wanted to win games on NBA Live 02-08 for PS2 you used whatever team Peja was on. End of Story. Peja is the definition of an International player-pure uncut shooter. He was the most underrated player on those Sacramento teams that were so good in the early 2000s. Shot 40% from beyond the arc for his career and is a career 17ppg scorer. I was going to put up a YouTube video like the other ones but do you really want to watch 4 minutes of a guy only making threes? All in all you want Peja on your pick-up team.








Steve "The Franchise" Francis: Find one person on this planet that didn't enjoy watching Franchise play.......Have you found one yet? Didn't think so. So much energy, so much passion, so much talent, so much everything. Those years where he was with the Rockets were just some of the best ever, I feel so bad for him however because after he got traded to Orlando for Tracy McGrady his career just went downhill, he couldn't stay healthy and he lost all of his explosiveness because of his injuries. I'll always love Franchise a truly unreal talent.

Tracy McGrady: Yeah I know did everyone really forget about T-Mac? I would argue yes after he left the Rockets besides a select few. This man was UNREAL in Orlando and Houston he averaged 32 a game 2003! I can't really put into words how much I loved T-Mac back in the day. He gets a bad rap because he couldn't win in the playoffs. Please stop and respect T-Mac because he did stuff like this...

 

The second video is appropriately titled "The Lost Legend"


I mean I could go on and on and on and on and on with players that were once some of the best at the time but go unnoticed now. My main goal was to get you "the fan" thinking about some of your favorite players from back in the day and just reminisce about the NBA you grew up with. Feel free to comment or tweet at me some of your favorites as well I could talk for days (and I mean Days) about this stuff. Hope you enjoyed.


-NS(@NolanPSchmidt)




                           

 

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

Welcome to Tuesday, hope you had a great weekend. I had a pretty good weekend, including a big win for the NDSU basketball team on Saturday over rival SDSU. ESPN projects them as a 12 seed for the NCAA tournament, which is right around the corner it seems. Hopefully the herd keeps it rolling through the Summit League Tournament. On to this week's topics...

2014 Sochi Winter Olympics

I'll bet a lot of you are like me when it comes to the Olympics. I caught Olympic fever for the two weeks before the games, and when they started, I realized I didn't care whatsoever. Well, the two week event has finally ended in Sochi. Medals were won, hopes were dashed, and nations were lifted. Here's the final medal count in case you were curious.

 

The U.S. put out a good effort racking up the second most medals in the games, but were edged out by the host nation. There were many controversies about this Olympics being in Russia, like the fact that Sochi is actually a summer paradise. The actual Olympics were held in a near by town up in the mountains. The living conditions for the athletes were quite poor. The opening ceremony was a failure, and Vladimir Putin has probably currently locked himself in his home and will drink these games away. Although the Russians won the total medal count, their hockey team was a huge disappointment. Russia should be really embarrassed by how unprepared they seemed to be. Enough with the news, how about my top 5 favorite events from this year.

1. Snowboard cross- This is where five athletes race down a hill around turns, over bumps, and over kickers. It is very intriguing to watch as the racers move very fast and there is high likelihood of wiping out. 
2. Luge/Skeleton/Bobsled- They go really really fast and it looks like they are going to go off the top of the turns everytime.
3. Downhill Skiing- The goal is to get down the hill as fast as you can. A big time wipeout can happen at any time. 
4. Hockey- I hate hockey, but with the U.S. pulling off some impressive victories early, I couldn't help but root Team USA on.
5. Ski Jumping- Scariest sport out there, I can't believe they almost always land these jumps.

 New Home Plate Rule in MLB

This has been a hot topic ever since Buster Posey was trucked by Scott Cousins a few years ago. For 2014, the MLB has instituted this experimental rule change:

"A runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate). If, in the judgment of the umpire, a runner attempting to score initiates contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate) in such a manner, the umpire shall declare the runner out (even if the player covering home plate loses possession of the ball). In such circumstances, the umpire shall call the ball dead, and all other baserunners shall return to the last base touched at the time of the collision.

Rule 7.13 comment: The failure by the runner to make an effort to touch the plate, the runner's lowering of the shoulder, or the runner's pushing through with his hands, elbows or arms, would support a determination that the runner deviated from the pathway in order to initiate contact with the catcher in violation of Rule 7.13. If the runner slides into the plate in an appropriate manner, he shall not be adjudged to have violated Rule 7.13. A slide shall be deemed appropriate, in the case of a feet first slide, if the runner's buttocks and legs should hit the ground before contact with the catcher. In the case of a head first slide, a runner shall be deemed to have slid appropriately if his body should hit the ground before contact with the catcher.

Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the catcher without possession of the ball blocks the pathway of the runner, the umpire shall call or signal the runner safe. Notwithstanding the above, it shall not be considered a violation of this Rule 7.13 if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in order to field a throw, and the umpire determines that the catcher could not have fielded the ball without blocking the pathway of the runner and that contact with the runner was unavoidable."

A lot of verbage, but I'll break it down for you. I think they got this spot on. Runners can no long intitiate contact unless the catcher has the ball and is in front of home plate. However, he can not use arms, elbows, or lower a shoulder to do so. It pretty much has to be incidental contact. The catcher on the other hand, can no long block the plate without the ball. The only problem I see with the rule change is judging whether or not the catcher was blocking the plate, whether there was intent for contact, and other judgement calls. But with the expanded instant replay rules that go into effect this year as well, this rule will be reviewable, so hopefully with the replay option everything will be called properly.

Boeheim, Michael Sam/Jason Collins, and Jadeveon Clowney

These guys are grouped together because I will only briefly touch on them.

Jim Boeheim was in the news after his rage session after the Cuse-Duke game. Syracuse lost the game on a charge call which was probably not a charge, looked like a no call to me. I don't really care though because I love when coaches go off like this.

Michael Sam and Jason Collins started what I can see being a string of athletes deciding to come out of the closet. This is more of a news story, not a sports story. Let NBC or CNN cover this and focus on their athletic abilities ESPN.

I think Jadeveon Clowney solidified himself as the number one pick in this year's NFL draft. He has impressed at the NFL combine and has my attention. Here is his 40 yard dash finish compared to Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick.

Pretty shitty picture, but the black blur is Clowney, first red blur is Newton, and the last red blur is Poppke (Kaepernick). Clowney is a DE! He is faster than a couple of the fastest QB's in the NFL. Can you imagine J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney coming after you? I would be surprised if he isn't the first pick.

Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson/Angels Pitching

Sorry guys, I ran out of time today. I need to budget time more efficiently (I know I told myself that last blog). Expect these last two pieces of what I was going to cover to come out later this week.

-Austen Stewart

 

NBA's Worst Franchises

I've been thinking for a while about who the worst NBA franchises are and I've finally come up with a list of 5 teams that I think have been the worst NBA franchises of my generation which I'll consider since 2000 roughly. This list was compiled based off of business decisions/contracts and of course the team's success. If your favorite team is on here (and don't feel bad mine is) I apologize but some fans need to face the facts. There are clearly more than 5 bad NBA franchises but these 5 I feel are the worst of the worst. Perhaps some honorable mentions are in order:

Cleveland Cavaliers: I apologize in advance to my good friend Tom Fraase for this bit he has always been a loyal Cleveland sports fan and I very much admire that. The only reason they are not in the 5 worst is because of LeBron's tenure from 2003-2010. If you look at those teams LeBron was a part of they would struggle to win 30 games with the roster they boasted without LeBron. LeBron is the reason they're on the honorable mentions list, Cleveland got him to leave! Every kid dreams of playing for his hometown team and LeBron was no different but, they failed to give him the pieces to win a championship so HE LEFT HIS HOMETOWN TEAM. I don't blame LeBron one bit for leaving, if I were as good as him and I was forced to play with such names as Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall, Eric Snow, and Drew Gooden I'd leave too. Maybe the city of Cleveland wasn't meant to have sports teams.

Milwaukee Bucks: Seattle is waiting for you...... Yes they've had playoff appearances with Ray Allen, Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, Michael Redd and recently Brandon Jennings but, they honestly haven't been relevant since Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson played there in the 70s. Also let me map this out for you they lost Ray Allen (to the Sonics), they lost Glenn Robinson (to the Hawks), so what should they do? Sign a 19ppg for his career player (Michael Redd) to a 6 year deal worth 91 million!! What? Yes they may have been right in signing him long-term (unfortunately for the Bucks he couldn't stay healthy) but 91 million?

Alright now onto the worst of the worst...

Charlotte Bobnets: Yes I combined Bobcats and Hornets what of it? They've only been a team since 2004 but they haven't been the best regardless. As I've stated before Michael Jordan is the GOAT when it comes to playing but clearly it doesn't translate to the front office. They've had only 1 playoff appearance in their franchise's history and that was in the "Gerald Wallace Era", that's when you know you're an awful franchise when you have an era devoted to GERALD WALLACE. The upside you would think to having bad teams is good draft picks but apparently they're not good at that either here is a list of draft picks made by the Charlotte Bobcats:

Gerald Wallace
Primoz Brezec
Jason Kapono
Zaza Pachulia
Emeka Okafor
Raymond Felton
Sean May (shout-out to Jaxon)
D.J. Augustin
Gerald Henderson
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Kemba Walker
Cody Zeller
oh yeah I almost forgot..........ADAM MORRISON. Anyway how many of those draft picks have been successful NBA players? All of them except MKG and Kemba (who were drafted recently) have played for more than 2 teams so that should tell you something. Maybe changing their name to the Hornets will help.....

Detroit Pistons: Wait but Nolan they've won a title? Indeed they have in 2004. Now I'm not saying those mid-2000s Pistons teams were bad because they weren't but what was bad was their President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars. After they won their title everybody on that team got paid and paid substantially Rasheed Wallace (5-year, 57mil.), Chauncey Billups (4-year, 46mil.), Tayshaun Prince (5-year, 49mil.), Rip Hamilton (3-year, 34mil.). Those are some big figures people and the thing is besides Prince they all left before those contracts were up. This didn't help the Pistons on the floor either they haven't made the playoffs since 2009. They also overpaid Ben Gordon (5-year, 55mi.) and Charlie Villanueva (5-year, 35mil.), they also traded their best player Chauncey Billups for a washed up Allen Iverson. They have also signed Tracy McGrady and Chris Weber in the past so maybe Dumars just thinks their still good even though their past their prime. Now he's faced with a team with tons of talent (Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond, Josh Smith, and Brandon Jennings). Apparently Joe Dumars was the only person on Earth who didn't know that Smith and Jennings wouldn't mesh and he paid them both rather well. This team need better management and they need it NOW.

New York Knicks: They've made playoff appearances yes but haven't had the tools to win a title since Patrick Ewing and John Starks were there. Another instance where management has put this team where it is at today. Remember when they could have drafted Rajon Rondo but instead they drafted RENALDO BALKMAN. It's not that they haven't had good players to win games either their rosters have boasted such names as Stephon Marbury, Latrell Sprewell, Antonio McDyess, and of course Carmelo Anthony. It's a matter of coaching and front office people a few coaches to note are Isaiah Thomas and Mike D'Antoni both horrible coaches if I do say so myself. Also I cannot forget the atrocious contract they gave Amar'e Stoudamire (5-years, 100mil.) yes you see that right 100 million dollars, within the next two years Amar'e will make 45 million dollars! He has only played 76 games in the past two years! Unbelievable really all I know is the Knicks need a complete overhaul in some facet of their organization. Maybe let Spike Lee run the team?




New Orleans Hornicans: Combined names again hahaha I'm too funny. New Orleans changed it's name and it hasn't essentially worked out for them quite yet but they are in their first year so I'll cut them a break. Best thing this franchise ever did was draft Chris Paul in 2005 he led them to a few playoff births but nothing major and then what do they do with their franchise cornerstone that is supposed to be New Orleans' savior? Trade him of course to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, and then what should you do? Overpay Eric Gordon sounds good (3-year, 44mil.). Now what else can we do.....of course sell the team to the owner of the New Orleans Saints yeah let's sell it to a guy who only knows football. They did draft The Brow which is terrific he is their franchise player for years to come. Then a few questionable moves trade for and sign Tyreke Evans (4-years, 44mil.) and trade your draft rights (Nerlens Noel) and future picks to Philadelphia for Jrue Holiday. As of now Evans, Noel, and Holiday are not meshing well together but only time will tell. I truly want the Pelicans to succeed they have all the right pieces but I think they should've kept Nerlens and the picks and kept Greivis Vasquez as their point guard.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Oh boy here we go......I've been a Wolves fan for as long as I can remember there were no better days when KG, Wally, Spre, and Cassell were taking the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals, those were actually some of my best basketball memories to date. Unfortunately I have to put my favorite team on the list of worst NBA franchises and they are no doubt deserving and here is why. Yes those teams in the early 2000s were terrific they could keep pace with any team in the league and always gave Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers good runs in playoff series. They haven't made the playoffs since the 04-05 season and there are a multitude of reasons because of this mainly management and coaching. I feel as though they had the talent to win games up until KG left(which I'll get to later) but they couldn't find the right pieces to put around the Big Ticket. Here is a rundown of the T'Wolves draft picks from 2005 till now:
Rashad McCants (Another shout-out to Jax)
Bracey Wright
Brandon Roy (traded for Randy Foye on draft day)
Corey Brewer
O.J. Mayo (traded for Kevin Love on draft day)
Mario Chalmers (traded on draft day)
Ricky Rubio
Jonny Flynn
Ty Lawson (traded on draft day)
Wayne Ellington
Wesley Johnson
Nikola Pekovic
Lazar Hayward
Derrick Williams
Robbie Hummel
Gorgui Dieng
Trey Burke (traded for Shabazz Muhammad on draft day)
Lot of guards right? Why would the Wolves need that many guards? You're right THEY DIDN'T NEED THAT MANY GUARDS. Also a few trades to look at just see if they look good on paper:

• Traded Sam Cassell for Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers
• Traded Wall Szczerbiak and two ham sandwiches (Dwayne Jones and Michael "The Candy Man" Olowokandi) for Ricky Davis. Mark Blount, Justin Reed, and Marcus Banks
• Traded KEVIN GARNETT for Al Jefferson (before he was good), Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, and two picks
• Traded Ricky Davis and Mark Blount for Antoine Walker, MICHAEL DOLEAC, and Wayne Simien

Is your blood boiling yet? Here is what will set me over the edge THEY TRADED FOR DARKO MILICIC AND GAVE HIM A 4 YEAR 20 MILLION DOLLAR EXTENSION. Who in their right mind would give that much money to Darko Milicic the biggest bust in NBA history? If you're a Wolves fan you probably know that David Kahn thought it was a good idea to give Darko that much money, and draft 3 point guards in the first round in 2009. Here are some other great moves by Mr. Kahn

• Hired Kurt Rambis as head coach
• Traded Corey Brewer and Kosta Koufos for Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph
• Signed a washed-up Brandon Roy, Lou Amundson, and Josh Howard.

Luckily Kahn left the Wolves at the end of last season which means things can only go up for the Wolves. Unfortunately there record hasn't shown any improvement even after the signing of Kevin Martin in the offseason. I think I'm the only one that sees the vicious cycle the Wolves go through, have you ever heard the phrase "history is bound to repeat itself", this is what is going on in Minnesota right now with their cornerstone Kevin Love he is the equivalent of Kevin Garnett in the mid-2000s after the Wolves started losing games he wanted out and he got out and won a title in Boston. Love's contract is up at the end of next season and if the Wolves don't make a turn around and make the playoffs this season or next season they will lose yet another franchise cornerstone in Kevin Love.

I better stop before I have a brain aneurysm.

-NS(@NolanPSchmidt)

Controversy at Cameron

Before the offensive player (with the ball) becomes airborne, the defender must have two feet on the floor, be facing the opponent and be stationary to draw a charge. Otherwise, it should be a blocking foul. (http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/60143/ncaa-shores-up-block-charge-definition)

The call made against C.J. Fair at the end of the Duke-Syracuse game last night was wrong. Plain and simple. Whether or not it cost Syracuse the game, we will never know. However, Syracuse would have at least tied the game with about 10 seconds remaining and even could have gone up by one point if the play were to have been called a block like it should have. As a former athlete, I know how it feels to lose a game because of a blown call. I feel terrible for the Syracuse Orange.

 

That being said, something needs to be done about the block/charge call in NCAA basketball. Apparently the 2013-2014 season was supposed to be the season that the NCAA cracked down on defensive fouls, particularly the block/charge call. The NCAA strongly defined the block/charge call, and the officials are supposed to be able to differentiate between the two. Obviously that is not the case, and there needs to be a further understanding and enforcement of the block/charge call in NCAA basketball.

I understand that officials are human. No matter how strongly the block/charge call is defined, there will not always be a correct call. However, at the end of a close game, as an official, you need to get close calls correct. Blowing a call and possibly costing a team the game is unacceptable.  Leave it at a no call if it cannot be determined.

 

What can be done so that officials can make correct calls at the end of a game? The only thing that makes sense to me is instant replay. If the officials would have had instant replay in the Duke-Syracuse game, they could have reviewed the play, gotten every officials opinion, and made the correct call. I think that because officials are human and it is impossible for them to get every call right, instant replay MUST be available at the end of close games. Taking an extra 3 minutes to evaluate a close play is well worth the time so that the correct call can be made.

 

Something MUST be done in college basketball so that teams do not lose the game because of an incorrect call. Period.

 -Jaxon Fitterer

@Fitterer_Jaxon

 

Note: Opening paragraph source is in parentheses right after the word "foul". Courtesy of ESPN.com and Eamonn Brennan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr9m7xS8NeU See for yourself, Rodney Hood was not completely set before Fair starts his upward motion.