Buttaball Moving to the Front Office
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in Uncategorized on October 27th, 2009
If only it was as exciting as it sounds. For all 12 of my dedicated followers I want to update you and let you know that I will be joining the team at http://www.frontofficefans.com/. I’ll occasionally be updating the site here, but the majority of any new writing I do will be there. Thanks to everyone for helping me launch my fledgling career in the world of blogging.
NBA Preview 09-10: Atlantic Division
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NBA on October 14th, 2009
As the beginning of the 2008-2009 NBA season nears, it is time to preview every team’s season. While a few teams have their eyes on the ultimate prize, an NBA championship, others look to build upon their success from last year, qualify for the playoffs, or simply win more games. We’ll start by taking a look at the Atlantic Division, where the Celtics seem poised to dominate while the other four teams look likely to battle for one of the lower playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference.
1. Boston Celtics: With Kevin Garnett back from a season-ending knee injury and the addition of Rasheed Wallace to bolster their frontline depth, the Celtics motto for the year is simply championship or bust. With their Big Three of Pierce, Garnett and Allen leading the way the Celtics should easily clinch the division and will have one of the Eastern Conference’s top three seeds.
The development of Rajon Rondo is critical to this team’s success. As their superstar trio continues to age and the games they have play take a toll on their body, it will be up to Rondo to be more than simply a facilitator. Rondo must build upon the success he had in the playoffs last year and be able to carry the load at times offensively for this team.
Rajon Rondo must maintain his playoff performance for an entire season in order for the Celtics to win another championship.
Boston will also need bigger contributions from their bench particularly Glen ” Big Baby” Davis and offseason addition, Marquis Daniels. Davis, much like Rondo, must carry his impressive playoff form into this season to provide the depth they need in the frontcourt and help minimize the amount of time that Garnett spends on the floor. His ability hit jumpers will also be key in helping floor spacing and opening up the middle of the floor. Daniels will be expected to provide more scoring punch off the bench to spell both Pierce and Allen and along with Davis will be key to the Celtics’ playoff success.
Rasheed Wallace brings a valuable addition to the Celtics. Though his game is clearly in decline now at age 34, Wallace has a versatile offensive game, with the ability to stretch the floor and also score effectively out of the post. He is also an extremely good defender, both on the perimeter, but more notably in the post. While he cannot carry a team offensively anymore, which was apparent in Detroit last season, he can certainly chip in valuable contributions either off the bench or in tandem with Garnett in the starting lineup.
With an aging,veteran core, this season may be the best chance the Celtics have of reclaiming the title. Head coach Doc Rivers’ ability to manage his veterans minutes in the regular season, development of his younger players like Davis, Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, all while being able to work Wallace and Daniels into the rotation successfully will determine the Celtics’ playoff success.
2. Philadelphia 76ers: This team continues to have a number of talented players, without truly being able to address any of the problems that plague them. Last year’s team looked doomed to failure after their acquisition of Elton Brand. They couldn’t operate in the halfcourt effectively with Brand, with their lack of shooters to provide any kind of floor spacing and while the rest of the team could run the floor, Brand languished behind, being more suited to a slower game.
It looked a poor fit and a decision that was questioned by many. Without Brand, the team performed much better and in the playoffs extended the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic to six games before bowing out. This led to people questioning what they should do in the offseason. The Sixers responded by attempting to solve their shooting problems, but signing long-gunner Jason Kapono, a career 45.4% shooter from 3-point range.
While this certainly provides some relief, the loss of point guard Andre Miller is another setback. The plan is to start Louis Williams at the spot early in the season. Williams is a great scoring guard off the bench, but his ability to run the point and get the ball to Brand and Iguodala and generating scoring opportunities for the team remains a huge question mark.
Elton Brand's low-post game is a poor fit with the rest of the 76ers roster which is better suited to an up and down game.
Iguodala remains the same player putting up an impressive 18-5-5 last year. Unfortunately his game seems like a poor-fit alongside a low-post player like Brand. Iguodala needs the ball in his hands to be effective and lacks the ability to move off the ball for easy layups, while his inability to shoot the ball from anywhere outside of the paint means that teams can afford to leave him and double Brand in the post.
Both Thaddeus Young and Mareese Speights seem destined to be coming off the bench in relief for Brand and Dalembert though their talents seem a better fit with the rest of the Sixers’ roster. Their development will continue to be hindered in a situation where they are not being utilized to their maximum potential. Rookie Jrue Holiday has all the tools to develop into a top-flight NBA point guard, but he may take a year or two to develop into the caliber of player the Sixers are hoping for.
While the Sixers should once again clinch a playoff berth, their long-term success looks to be stunted by the team’s composition. They now face the decision of either changing the team to fit around Brand, which looks unlikely considering the rest of the team’s talents, or looking for a trade partner to take on his contract. Players with the ability of Brand can certainly be attractive to teams looking to contend immediately, but the Sixers must acquire pieces in return that will fit into an up-tempo running game, address their shooting woes and can elevate the team to the upper echelon of title contention.
3. Toronto Raptors: This team spent a lot of money in the offseason which should lead them to the playoffs this year, but may not be of great benefit in the long-run.
Turkoglu signed a contract with the Raptors in the offseason for 5 years, $53 million. The questions is whether Hedo was worth the long-term incestment the Raptors put into him. He will blend in seamlessly into the Raptors free-flowing offense and he provides matchup problems with his size and ability to pass and score off of pick and roll situations. Hedo and Chrish Bosh’s potential in that area of the game remains limitless as both players can score inside and have the touch to hit jumpers.
Andrea Bargnani's continued development will be necessary for the Raptors to become an elite team.
Bosh will continue his excellence and should average a double-double again this year. His areas for improvement must be his interior defense and it is imperative that Bosh become a better passer with more offensive options surrounding him this season. Jose Calderon will once again run the point this year and if he continues the production he has put up over the course of the past two season, he will remain among the league’s best.
The Raptors helped out Calderon in the offseason, by signing Jarret Jack to back him up. Jack will give Calderon much needed relief and his steady play gives them a valuable option off the bench and he is an underrated player in end-of-game situations with his propensity for making big shots. Marco Belinelli was a steal for the Raptors and his otherworldy outside shooting ability will certainly make him a valuable cog in the rotation.
The biggest question mark for the team and player that could elevate them to an elite status is Andrea Bargnani. He showed signs last year of becoming a legitimate scorer. Bargnani averaged 19.4 points and 1.6 blocks over his last 20 games of the season. If he can continue that play and also become nastier rebounder, paired with Bosh they could develop into one of the NBA’s most feared frontcourts.
Though the signing of Turkoglu and Jack helps them going into the season, questions remain around if Bosh will remain in Toronto and even if he does, will Turkoglu be able to sustain his play as he ages into his early-to-mid thirties.
4. New York Knicks: Does my love for the Knicks cloud my ability to judge them? Yes, but in all honesty I believe this team has players with enormous potential that is getting overlooked by analysts and writers who would prefer to continue to use the team as a punchline.
In the Knicks' uptempo system, Danilo Gallinari's unique talents could be maximized to great effect.
First and foremost is Danilo Gallinari who coach Mike D’Antoni claimed was the best shooter he had ever seen. While this is certainly an exaggeration, Gallinari has a high skill-level that translates well to the running game the Knicks will be playing. He is a 6′10 forward who can handle the ball, shoot and has shown an increasing ability to pass the ball. He must continue to get into game shape and get his legs underneath him. Once that happens Gallinari could easily put up 18-20 points a game this year. The key to his success lies in allowing the game to come to him, rather than forcing shots or deferring to teammates when he should shoot.
Wilson Chandler also provides another hope for the team and could provide an excellent complement to Gallinari. Chandler must first realize that while it is important for him to improve his outside shooting, that his greatest strength offensively is his ability to drive strong to the hoop. Chandler will be able to draw fouls and get to the line, where he is a good shooter. This will eventually force teams to lay off of him, giving him better looks from the outside, rather than the contested and forced shots he is taking right now.
While Chris Duhon is certainly not the long-term solution at point guard, he provides steady play and leadership. The key is for D’Antoni to also provide time for Nate Robinson and rookie Toney Douglas at the guard positions. Robinson and Douglas would be a good tandem off the bench, with Douglas’ ability to play the point on offense and defend effectively against bigger shooting guards on defense. This will allow Nate to play off the ball, where he thrives offensively and also minimizes the defensive liability he is by matching him up against point guards.
David Lee has shown an ability to hit the occasional jumper now which he must continue to make more consistent, but his knack for rebounding and increased effort on the defensive end makes him a key part of the team’s frontcourt rotation.
Al Harrington can score in a number of ways, but must learn to do so in the context of the offense, rather than holding the ball and ruining the offensive flow that the Knicks’ system is predicated upon. His renewed focus on the defensive side of the ball and role as a leader on the team make him one of the most important pieces to any success the Knicks hope to have.
Both Jared Jeffries and Darko Milicic have the same role. They are athletic big men, that are in the game primarily for their defense. Milicic’s knack for blocking shots combined with his size, strength and ability to run the floor ensure he will see plenty of time on the floor while Jeffries’ defensive rotations will be helpful in getting the team to be respectful on the defensive side of the ball. Both players must be able to hit outside shots in order for the Knicks’ offense to operate at full efficiency this season.
This team has a lot of question marks, but their increased effort on the defensive side of the ball should lead to more wins and I full expect this team to contend for a playoff seed in the 6-8 area all season long.
5. New Jersey Nets: The Nets have a number of talented young players on the roster, but their success will be limited this season as progress should be based not on their record, but on the development of their youth.
Brook Lopez' emergance as the premiere young center in the NBA brightens New Jersey's long-term outlook.
Devin Harris is one of the league’s best young point guards and he has flourished following his move to New Jersey with head coach Lawrence Frank running the offense through him. His blistering speed is impossible to defend and when he gets into the lane it creates defensive nightmares for the opposing team. While Harris leaves much to desire in terms of his playmaking ability for others around him, he has become a top-5 NBA point guard capable of carrying his team on any given night.
Brook Lopez has had a great impact since he was drafted and his rapid development into the league best young center gives the Nets an extremely valuable commodity. With the lack of quality big men, Lopez’ rugged post game and imposing defense is an anchor for this team to build on for years to come.
Trading Vine Carter and Ryan Andersen, netted the Nets a potential long-term shooting guard in Courtney Lee. In his rookie season for Magic, Lee was routinely assigned to defend the opposition’s best perimeter player which he did to great success. As the season continued, Lee began to demonstrate an ability to score from the outside and also slashing to the hoop. If he continues improving, the Nets may have found a perfect backcourt mate to pair with Harris for years to come.
Second-year guard, Chris Douglas-Roberts has shown flashes of becoming a consistent contributor so far in training camp in preseason. Douglas-Roberts may be able to develop into a good scoring option off the bench for this team as the season progresses. Rookie Terrence Williams has a world of potential, but must continue to work on his game. He needs to develop a better handle and a more consistent outside shot. If he can maintain his focus Williams can become a two-way player who could be a nightmare on defense for opposing teams’ perimeter players.
This team certainly is not built to win now, but Lawrence Frank has made a habit of turning his club into overachievers. While the loss of Carter hurts it should be offset by the further development of their young players as the season progresses. The Nets will end up on the short end of the scoreboard more than not in 09-10, but they will be competitive and look to have a bright future.
The NFC Four Weeks In
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NFL on October 8th, 2009
Much like the AFC, the NFC has also had surprises during the first four weeks of play.
NFC East:
On top of this division so far has been the New York Giants. Relegated to almost second team status as the rest of the New York and national media fawned over the Jets and rookie Mark Sanchez, the Giants have taken advantage of their surprising anonymity and sprinted to a 4-0 start. Two division wins including one at Dallas will be key for them as they target the division crown and home-field advantage in the playoffs. The defense looks superb and with the depth available to them they have been able to allow players to recover from injury completely before coming back into the lineup. As long as Eli Manning can stay healthy and keep the offense rolling, this is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
If Eli Manning can stay healthy, the Giants could be on the road to another Super Bowl in January.
Dallas has been a huge disappointment so far and their problems have been far more than Tony Romo’s underwhelming play. While Romo’s 3 interceptions certainly were a major cause for their 33-31 defeat at home to the Giants the defense looked atrocious being carved up through the air by Manning and his young receiving corps, specifically on the final drive of the game.
Their inability to come up with key stops continued in Denver, where after being dominant for the majority of the game they allowed Brandon Marshall to make a huge run for a touchdown with under 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter. While Romo certainly needs to come through in end-of-game situations, it would be nice if the defense was also held to the same standard. DeMarcus Ware has yet to get his first sack this year.
The Redskins showed a pulse in a comeback against Tampa Bay last week. Then again it was Tampa Bay and though they sit on a 2-2 record, their two wins came against teams with a combined 0-8 record so far. One of their losses was to the 1-3 Lions who hadn’t won a game in 19 weeks. Jason Campbell receives a ton of criticism, but outside of his nightmarish first half against the Bucs in which he threw 2 first half picks, he’s been fairly solid. Head coach Jim Zorn looks like a dead man walking and if owner Dan Snyder’s past history is any kind of indication, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t fired at the conclusion of the year.
In Philadelphia the Eagles are 2-1 coming off of a bye week. With 3rd year quarterback Kevin Kolb starting the past two games in place of the injured Donovan Mcnabb the Eagles are 1-1 and Kolb has looked very good, throwing for over 300 yards in each. Their loss came to New Orleans who steamrolled them for over 400 yards, but in the other two contests the defense has looked very good. If the offense can continue to put points on the board and also get a healthy Donovan McNabb, the Eagles can make a run at the Giants for the division and could be a real Super Bowl contender.
NFC North:
Minnesota has started off the season strong and their defense has been outstanding so far, with Jared Allen piling up the sacks by taking advantage of both Kevin and Pat Williams’ ability to collapse the pocket on the opposing team’s quarterback. Adrian Peterson continues to lead their dominant running attack and Brett Favre has played superbly the last two weeks while still gaining a rhythm with his wide receivers. Minnesota looks and has played like a possible Super Bowl contender.
If Jay Cutler can avoid making costly mistakes, the Bears could make some noise in the playoffs.
Chicago is sitting nice at 3-1, but they are making a habit of getting off to a slow start which could become a problem as the season goes on. Jay Cutler has been tremendous after his forgettable 4 interception debut in Green Bay. Cutler must continue to make good decisions, take care of the ball and not force it into tight windows. The Bears defense has been solid even in the absence of linebacker Brian Urlacher.
The key to their success will be to get the run game going, which they were able to do last week against Detroit. Then again it was Detroit. The Bears will challenge for a playoff berth, but their ability to pass Minnesota in the division hinges on the legs of Matt Forte.
Green Bay is 2-2 and were it not for Cutler’s Week 1 stink bomb could easily be tied with the Lions at the bottom of the division at 1-3. Their biggest problem so far has been their inability to provide Aaron Rodgers with any kind of protection. Against the Vikings on Monday night they gave up 8 sacks. Unless they can give Rodgers more time it is going to be a struggle for them to qualify for the playoffs given that they use the pass to set up their running game.
Detroit is once again destined for a top-10 pick, but this team bears little resemblance to Lions teams of past. The scores in their losses so far have not been indicative of how competitive this team has been. They had a 10-7 lead on the Vikings at the half in Week 2 and last week were tied with the Bears in Chicago to start the third quarter after beating Washington in Week 3. While things won’t turn around this year, Stafford has shown he certainly has the ability to become a top-5 NFL quarterback. The Lions must address both their offensive and defensive lines this off-season in order to continue to make progress.
NFC South:
New Orleans has emerged as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Their offense has shown that not all rests on the shoulders of Drew Brees as both Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell have run the ball very effectively this season. With the emergence of a defense that has so far been successful in creating turnovers and in the last two weeks has demonstrated the ability to shut teams down. If they can continue their surprising defensive play, big things are in store for them.
The Falcons need to get RB Michael Turner going in order to get back to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Atlanta started off the season strong, with wins against Miami and Carolina, but dropped their Week 3 game on the road in New England. Matt Ryan has been impressive throwing only 1 interception so far this year, but it is critical they get Michael Turner going. Unless teams are forced to stack the box against them, they will begin to find it harder to put up points on the board through the air and while their defense has been solid, they are certainly not capable of carrying the Falcons to victories without any support.
Tampa Bay and Carolina have been terrible this season. Tampa Bay now has Josh Johnson starting for them at quarterback after Byron Leftwich failed to impress. They have not been able to run the ball, putting them in deep holes to begin games which they lack the ability and talent to come back from. Their only competition is Carolina who must be regretting re-signing Jake Delhomme this off-season. The Panthers have been awful on both sides of the ball and head coach John Fox may finally get the boot after this season.
NFC West:
The 49ers look like they are well on their way to reclaiming the division title. They possess a dominating defense led by linebacker Patrick Willis and an offense that has been carried so far by running back Frank Gore with help from Shaun Hill and tight end Vernon Davis, who looks like he is ready to deliver on his pre-draft hype. San Francisco would be undefeated were it not for Favre’s miracle at the end of their clash with the Vikings, but their performance in Minnesota opened eyes and while they may lack explosiveness, this is a team that will not beat itself.
WR Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals will need to catch lightning in a bottle again if they want to defend their NFC crown this year.
Following up on their surprising run to the Super Bowl last year, the Cardinals have been anything but impressive. They shot themselves in the foot in their opening game against the 49ers with turnovers and have continued to be careless with the ball already committing 7 turnovers on the season. It would be great if that was the extent of their problems, but they have also been unable to stop the run and like last year they have not been able to run the ball on their own. Their run to the Super Bowl last year was miraculous and while they still have time, it does not look like they will be able to catch lighting in a bottle twice.
Seattle appears lost and with Matt Hasselbeck stuck on the sidelines nursing injuries that trend should continue. They have ran the ball effectively when they have had the chance too, but have had to abandon it in two of their losses as they fell behind early. The defense has been decent, but the combination of a mediocre offense and defense does not point to any kind of long-term success. It may be time to officially begin rebuilding at the conclusion of the season for the Seahawks.
St. Louis is a team in dysfunction. The only certainty on their team is Stephen Jackson who is killing fantasy teams around the country (including mine) in his search for his first touchdown of the year. Their passing game is non-existant, the line play on both sides of the ball has been atrocious and looking up and down the roster, their seems to be little hope for any immediate improvement. Marc Bulger, much like Hasselbeck in Seattle, may be nearing the end of the road and St. Louis looks like an early favorite to land the top pick, where Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford could well be the pick.
With a quarter of the season gone, the NFC looks top-heavy with little depth. It will be interesting to see which teams prove themselves in the coming weeks in a conference with little parity.
The AFC Four Weeks In
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NFL on October 6th, 2009
Two weeks into the NFL season, Jason Whitlock revealed some “truths”.
One of them was this gem.
8. Tom Brady is never going to mentally get over his knee injury.
Whitlock’s belief was shaped by the fact that after he tore his ACL in college, he has struggled to recover mentally from it. Maybe it’s just me, but Brady’s mental make up is something I’m not confident that Whitlock is qualified to diagnose and after the past two weeks, Whitlock would probably lose his license to practice.
Tom Brady looks like he is rounding back into form after two impressive victories over the Ravens and Falcons.
Two weeks ago Brady struggled mightily against the Jets’ pass rush in one his career’s worst performances. This was also one week removed from an incredible fourth quarter performance against the Bills in which Brady went 12-14 on the last two New England touchdown drives in a spectacular comeback.
Maybe it’s just me, but maybe it was possible that Brady just had a bad game, couple with his recovery from a major knee surgery. However, since the debacle against the Jets, Brady has shown that he is returning to his pre-injury form in leading the Patriots to two impressive victories over the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens.
6. Indy’s victory over the Dolphins raised far more questions about the Colts than it answered.
Whitlock goes on to state his belief that the Colts’ defense has no chance of stopping the run and then went on to say that “Tennessee is going to smoke Indy”. First of all, even if the Titans beat the Colts I have a feeling, based on the Titans’ 0-4 start, it will be a tight game.
The Colts were atrocious in their Week 2 game against the Dolphins, giving up 239 yards on 49 carries. In their other 3 weeks the Colts have given up a total of 187 rushing yards on 76 carries for an average of 2.46 yards per carry. While the quality of their opposition can be called into question, the overwhelming evidence at this time suggests that at the least the Colts are an above average defense against the run.
This isn’t an attack on Whitlock as much as an example of why drawing conclusions on the week-to-week performances of teams is foolish. Even after four weeks it seems hasty to be coming to conclusions about the fate of teams and individuals.
Even after their Week 2 loss at home that dropped them to 0-2, nobody predicted that the Titans would drop to 0-4 with an abominable performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Two weeks ago most were predicting that Jacksonville had given up on head coach Tony del Rio, but now after two consecutive victories that opinion has shifted once again with two victories against divisional opponents.
Other than there Week 2 stink bomb against the Cardinals, the Jaguars have played extremely well, including their Week 1 loss to Indianapolis on the road in which they had a chance to tie the game on a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter. Fortune is fickle and in the NFL every game can change the course of a team’s season. That’s why it is better to judge the season in quarters, 4 games at a time.
Here are a few things we know for certain after 4 weeks in the NFL season about the AFC.
AFC East:
The Patriots and Tom Brady look like they will once again be a huge factor come playoff time and have a good chance to win another AFC East crown. The Jets are going to be good as long as their defense continues to dominate and they can run the ball effectively. As long as rookie Mark Sanchez is not asked to win games for them through the air, the Jets will be tought for anyone to beat. Think the Baltimore Ravens from last year.
The Dolphins with Chad Henne in now for the season will take their lumps, but their future outlook should be improved with their young signal caller now getting experience. In the long-run Chad Pennington’s injury will be a blessing when they look back.
The Buffalo Bills are hopeless and as a Bills fan I think it’s officially time we end Dick Jauron’s coaching tenure. If the Bills could actually hire someone with creativity that can utilize our talent at the skill positions that would be a start. No team with Lee Evans, Terrell Owens, Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson should struggle like this to put up points.
AFC North:
The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t make anything easy and their inability to run the ball consistently may be their Achilles heel. Playing in a division with the Ravens and the rejuvenated Bengals, making the playoffs will be no lock.
Can Ed Reed cover up for the rest of Baltimore's porous secondary?
The Ravens are a complete team and Joe Flacco has the potential to be top quarterback in the league. If I were the Ravens though my main concern would be how exceedingly porous the secondary has looked. It certainly looked like a problem against the Chargers in Week 2 and was exposed again by the Patriots yesterday.
The Bengals with Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco and an improved defense look dangerous, but can they sustain this for 16 games? I’m not completely sold yet, but as a fan of both Palmer and Ochocinco I hope they can get back to the playoffs. On the brighter side of things they are the best in Ohio now that it’s confirmed Eric Mangini is clueless and the Brown with him at their helm are hopeless.
AFC South:
The Colts look like world beaters, with Manning making his no-name receivers blend in seamlessly into the offense. Their defense, as I addressed earlier, looks good and Bob Sanders is yet to play this season. The Texans are dangerous with their potent offense led by Matt Schaub and all-world wide receiver Andre Johnson, but their defense is still prone to giving up big plays.
The Jaguars have certainly reversed their fortunes after a poor start, but an overall lack of explosive playmakers makes me doubtful of any real success. Can you really win with David Garrard as your franchise quarterback?
Titans look to be feeling the prolonged affects of losing a devastating home playoff game to the Ravens. Their ability to consistently shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers in that game is only outdone by their ability to sustain that throughout the first four weeks of this season. That defense looks like a sieve as well this season after losing Albert Haynesworth and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz this offseason.
AFC West:
This division barely maintains the semblance of an NFL division. The Broncos have at least done their part starting 4-0, though two of those were against the Browns and the Raiders. A miracle play against the Bengals accounts for their third victory and a home win against an overrated Cowboys team barely qualifies as an impressive resume. However, you can only beat who you play and when you give up 26 points in 4 weeks, regardless of who you play its impressive. Having Brandon Marshall on the same page as head coach Josh McDaniels has certainly helped the Broncos.
WR Brandon Marshall and the Broncos stellar defense has helped lead them to a surprising 4-0 start.
The Chargers inability to play defense, has shrouded the fact that they also cannot run the ball and that Tomlinson looks like he’s over the hill. It’s also meant that Philip Rivers will once again suffer the consequences as he continues to put up amazing numbers while he attempts to carry the Chargers virtually by himself into the playoffs once again.
The Raiders and Chiefs are both franchises that at the moment look hopeless. While the Chiefs at least were able to sign Scott Pioli as their GM and still have an owner with fully functional mind, the Raiders lose in both of those departments as Al Davis continues to tarnish his legacy.
The JaMarcus Russel experiment in Oakland looks like it’s a failure once again showing why you should be very careful in drafting quarterbacks when the most positive thing on their resume is their strong arm. Being a quarterback in the NFL also involves your ability to read defenses, accurately deliver the ball and being in shape for most of the part. Russell fails in all four of these criteria.
After four weeks, the AFC looks like it could be wide open with a number of teams in contention for playoff berths. As the season progresses look for the playoff picture to clear as more questions are answered and we are able to discern more effectively the contenders from the pretenders.
The Knicks’ Future Does Not Hinge On Lebron
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NBA on September 30th, 2009
I was in the car today listening to Michael Kay and Don La Greca on 1050 ESPN Radio in NY when they began discussing the Knicks’ plan of pursuing Lebron James in the summer of 2010. Both commentators stated that the Knicks putting all their chips on the table, and going all in for the Lebron Summer of 2010 sweepstakes was a flawed plan and that Knicks fans were the one suffering the consequences last year and will be this year as well.
Lebron isn't the only option available to the Knicks next summer.
Now I agree with both on a few of the statements they made. I agree that Lebron is more likely to stay in Cleveland than to come to New York. I also agree that the Knicks have mortgaged their immediate future in order to be a player in free agency during the summer of 2010.
That is the extent to any of the claims they made that I agree with. Let’s take a look at the fallacies behind their arguments.
1. Lebron will make more money in Cleveland than by coming to New York because the Cavaliers can offer a bigger contract.
This is true only on the surface. Cleveland has the advantage of being able to offer Lebron a sixth year on a contract, while the Knicks can only offer him a max contract over five years. Comparing the max contracts both teams could offer over the initial five years, Lebron would make a grand total of 4.14 million less if he came to the Knicks. When you’re making over $40 million a year including $28 million a year in endorsements I doubt that giving up a little less than $1 million a year over five years will matter much.
They also both went on to claim that since Lebron is already one of the most prominent athletes in the world, moving to New York would gain him little monetarily or in terms of recognition.
Coming to New York would certainly boost Lebron’s profile internationally to a level it is not at right now considering that his jersey sales in China rank No. 7. Lebron himself has stated he wants to become the first billionaire and certainly stands a better chance of accomplishing this is in New York with its large market and the exposure both nationally and internationally that it provides.
2. Lebron has a championship contender in Cleveland, something that the Knicks are far from being.
Once again on the surface there is nothing wrong with this statement. Last year the Cavaliers won 66 games and contended for an NBA Finals berth, while the Knicks went 32-50 and missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season.
Lebron's supporting cast in Cleveland is negligibly better than the Knicks' current roster.
Then again last year according to Basketball Prospectus Lebron was worth close to 27 wins to his team. Doing some simple math, that would mean that without Lebron James, the Cavaliers would have won 39 games last year. Even if you question the validity of advanced statistics, use some common sense and think to yourself how good Lebron’s supporting cast really is. It is slightly better than the Knicks’ roster, though they also lack some of the talented youth the Knicks have on their roster.
The Knicks are also in much better position to add talent immediately looking at their overall cap situation. It is true that with the salary cap slated to come down again next year the Knicks will most likely not be able to add another max contract player to their roster next summer. What many fail to realize is come around the summer of 2011 the Knicks will again have significant cap room with Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries both having their contracts expire after the 2010-2011 season.
The Knicks can even use both those expiring contracts to acquire another player to put next to Lebron before the trade deadline if they want. Simply put long term the Knicks cap situation looks better than the Cavaliers cap situation in the long-term.
3. If the Knicks fail to land Lebron, the entire plan for rebuilding will be a failure.
To expand on this, Kay even went on to claim that if the Knicks landed Miami superstar Dwayne Wade, it would have been a failed strategy. Even if I tried to ignore the stupidity of that statement Kay then decided to say that point guards can not lead a team to a championship.
Knicks fans would be more than happy if Dwayne Wade came to New York instead of Lebron.
Two things. Dwayne Wade is a shooting guard and last time I checked he did lead the Miami Heat to a championship in the 2006 NBA Finals where he was named Finals MVP.
Wade is on record saying that he can’t see himself in New York, but if he did come I doubt any Knicks fan would be devastated with that result.
Even if Lebron does not come, the Knicks would still have the cap space to sign say perhaps a combination of Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire, two player who have played and thrived under Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix. With those two players, the expected development of the Knicks’ young players and the ability to sign another big free agent in the summer of 2011, the Knicks’ future would look very promising.
Even if the Knicks fail to sign a significant free agent next summer they will be in a much better situation than they were under the reign of former GM’s Isiah Thomas and Scott Layden. While I do believe there are some things current GM Donnie Walsh could have done better in his time in New York, overall he has delivered on his promise to get the Knicks under the cap sooner rather than later.
Perhaps this is why they say you can’t rebuild in New York. The most significant part of the Knicks’ rebuilding plan is not to sign Lebron James, but that they even have the ability too after a decade of poor cap management. Both Kay and La Greca fail to grasp several keys to the Knicks’ entire plan.
I hate to pile on both, because I generally enjoy their commentary, but when it comes to understanding the Knicks’ plans and what they have to entice Lebron neither Kay or La Greca come close.
The Real Carson Palmer Returns
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NFL on September 29th, 2009
At the close of the third quarter yesterday, with the Bengals trailing the Steelers 20-9 things looked like they were finished. They had been unable to move the ball effectively all day and their lone touchdown came from a Roethlisberger interception returned by cornerback Jonathan Joseph for a touchdown.
Even in the stadium you could feel the fans reconciling themselves to another painful loss to their division rival as it has been for the most part over the course of this decade. The Steelers had won 6 consecutive games against the Bengals and had won 8 straight times in Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium.
Carson Palmer led the Bengals on a game-winning fourth quarter drive against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
In fact I was watching the game with a friend and we both remarked how Bengals quarterback, Carson Palmer, had not looked like the player he was during his breakout 2005 season where he led the Bengals to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Consequently it was against the Steelers in the playoffs that Palmer suffered his knee injury.
In 2006, Palmer passed for 4,000 yards and had a QB rating of 93.3, threw for over 4,000 yards with 28 touchdowns, but the team missed the playoffs again. 2007 he once again put up similar numbers, but the Bengals once again failed to make the playoffs. It was something not in the numbers however which was missing.
Palmer did not exude the confidence he had previously. The Bengals offense was not scoring as many touchdowns and the team seemed to lack a spark and confidence in critical situations.
This season, the Bengals are one miracle play form being 3-0 and tied with Baltimore at the top of the division, but it was not until the fourth quarter yesterday that the real Carson Palmer arrived back on the field.
The Bengals offense, led by Palmer, stepped out onto the field down 20-15 with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter, 71 yards away from the Steelers endzone. In need of a touchdown and facing one of the NFL’s top defenses I figured this game would end with the Steelers on top.
That was until I saw Palmer drop back on the second play of the drive and hit Laverneus Coles on a pass that hit him perfectly in stride with a Steeler defensive back right on him, that allowed him to turn up the field for a 17-yard gain. It was more than the pass, it was the power in the throw, the situation and the opposition that he was facing that made Palmer’s pass impressive.
The rest of the drive was simply a resurrection of the Palmer that was once considered the great young quarterback of his generation. Every time he dropped back, the offensive line was able to give him enough protection to plant his feet and throw the ball and Palmer fit the ball into tight windows, putting the ball in positions where only his receivers could catch the ball. The coverage on the plays was outstanding, but Palmer was on fire.
He had so much zip on his passes, that most were actually impossible to see while watching the game on TV. Palmer looked more like the player he was during that 2005 season, making throws only a handful of quarterbacks in the league can make and making them in critical situations for his team.
On Sunday we saw the real Carson Palmer and the rise of a Bengals team that with Palmer at his best can compete for a playoff berth.
Exercising Caution Early In the Season Is Best When Evaluating Players And Teams
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NFL on September 21st, 2009
After sitting on my couch all of Sunday and watching Week 2 NFL action, including the Jets victory over New England at the Meadowlands, something became apparent to me. NFL analysts and columnists are way too quick in evaluating individual players and teams outlooks for the season from week-to-week.
It is too early to assume Sanchez's success continues even after two impressive regular season starts.
During the second half of the Jets game, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was thoroughly impressive, making a number of critical throws into open zones in the New England defense. He also demonstrated his ability to make plays happen, when he nearly threw a touchdown pass to WR Chansi Stuckey in the corner of the endzone before replays showed that Stuckey failed to get both feet inbounds and the play was eventually overturned.
Throughout the second half and during postgame analysis many were quick to point to Sanchez’s impressive performance and the Jets’ ability to shut down the Patriots offense as an indication of the team’s chances to compete right now. Looking at SI.com’s Peter King’s power rankings he has the Jets ranked as the fourth best team in the league.
Not only is this an absolute exaggeration, but history shows that while rookie QB’s may have a few stunning performances and may even lead their team into the playoffs, very rarely does it amount to any championships. Last year two rookies, Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, led their teams to the postseason.
Ryan lost a wild card game to the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals, looking overwhelmed in the second half and Flacco after dismissing an inferior Miami Dolphins team in the wild card round, was thoroughly undone by the Super Bowl champion Steelers.
Both the Steelers and Cardinals had veteran quarterbacks whose experience has helped prepare them for such situations. Almost every young quarterback goes through a growing process before he can truly elevate his game to the point where he can carry his team at times. Very few are the Tom Brady’s and Kurt Warner’s who step in immediately (albeit after being able to observe the game from the bench for a time) and lead their team to Super Bowl glory.
So instead of being presented with the reality that as impressive as Sanchez was yesterday, the likelihood is that teams will catch on to his tendencies and habits through film study and will expose them as the season goes along. That isn’t to say Sanchez will never be successful, but that it will be a gradual process rather than an immediate one.
One of the reasons this tends to happen is the lack of perspective when viewing team and player performances. Sanchez was as I stated earlier extremely impressive and showed that he certainly has the talent and ability to be a top NFL signal caller in years to come, but the reality is he also played a Patriots defense that looks nothing like the Bill Belichick defenses we have become accustomed too throughout the Patriots decade of supremacy.
They are without their best linebacker, Jerod Mayo, and traded Richard Seymour, perhaps their best defensive lineman, last week to the Raiders for 2011 first round pick. They have also lost Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison to retirement and traded Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs. Needless to say this defense will at best this year be a mediocre unit, susceptible to big plays, particularly in the passing game.
The Jets victory in Week 1 came over the Texans, who in Week 2 made the Titans offense look like the Super Bowl Rams “Greatest Show on Turf” with Chris Johnson assuming the role of Marshall Faulk. The Jets have a great chance of winning their division or getting one of the wild card berths if their defense can keep this up, but perspective is required before we label Sanchez as already being one of the top-NFL quarterbacks.
While the hyperbole for the Jets has been more restrained this year, perhaps in the wake of their incredible collapse at the end of last year, the same cannot be said for the reactions to the Baltimore Ravens after two weeks. Last night after watching Ray Lewis stop Darren Sproles and the Chargers on a critical fourth down late in the game, NFL analyst and ex-coach Steve Mariucci declared the Ravens as the team to beat in the AFC.
What? This coming off wins against two teams that play in what is one of the worst divisions in the NFL, the AFC west. The Ravens last week were trailing the pathetic Chiefs, 14-10 late in the third quarter before pulling away for a 38-24 victory. This week they barely escaped the Chargers, a team that finished 8-8 last year while sneaking into the playoffs. Granted the game was on the road and winning is all that matters, but their certainly is cause for some concern.
Baltimor's offense has looked impressive, but so far only against two of the NFL's worst defenses.
Foremost, the Ravens defense, while stout in the red zone, looked far from being an elite defensive unit. Philip Rivers threw for 436 yards yesterday and looked poised to lead another fourth quarter comeback before Lewis stuffed Darren Sproles’ run on fourth-and-two. I am inclined to the give the Ravens the benefit of the doubt, because of their prolonged defensive excellence, but I am less willing to do the same for the offense.
That sounds foolish after they gained 501 yards in Week 1 against the Chiefs and won a close game in San Diego yesterday, but a closer looks reveals that it is better to be cautious in evaluating the progress of their offense. Last year the chiefs ranked 31st out of 32 NFL teams in terms of yards allowed and 29th in points allowed. The Chargers ranked 25th in yards allowed and 16th in points allowed. Suffice it to say these are not two of the elite NFL defenses, perhaps not even middle of the pack.
So before we jump to the conclusion that the Ravens offense has finally turned the corner and can now be depended upon to win games on days when the defense is struggling, more proof is needed. There is no need at this point, merely two weeks into the season to rush to conclusion on players and teams. In fact, to do so is irresponsible and misleading.
In the NFL it is better served wait until at least a quarter of the way into the season before picking Super Bowl favorites and Pro Bowl quarterbacks. Many times it seems that analysts and writers get caught looking at the box score of a game, rather than searching for what those numbers truly mean. When it comes to early season prognostications it is better to cautious rather than changing opinions from week-to-week.
Media Gives Goodell, NFL Owners Pass on Collusion Allegations
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NFL on September 17th, 2009
Reports have confirmed by the NFLPA that the U.S. Department of Labor is investigating allegations of racketeering and other illegal activities by the union. The lawsuit alleges that some top NFLPA representatives, certain NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell met in advance of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. It further alleges that the NFLPA representatives gave the commissioner and owners access to information critical to the negotiations at this meeting.
The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating racketeering allegations against commissioner Goodell, NFL owners and players reps.
The informant for the Department of Labor was the NFL’s director of human resources Mary Moran, who named former NFLPA President Troy Vincent and Texans’ owner Bob McNair as two of the individuals present at the meeting.
Moran, who is Jewish, alleges further that Vincent called her a “Jezebel” repeatedly, a derogatory term for Jewish women. She also claims that after exposing Vincent she received death threats. Moran is filing the lawsuit, after she claims that she was wrongfully removed from her job as the director of human resources.
The most significant thing is what this lawsuit alleges in terms of collusion and what that actually means for the NFL. The fact that Goodell, the NFL’s commissioner, is being named as being present in the meeting Moran references in the lawsuit is a startling development. It would mean that he has taken an active part in colluding against players with the aid of owners and certain NFLPA representatives in advance of collective bargaining agreement talks.
Even more damning is the allegation against NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. Moran states that Smith met with a Department of Justice official in a bid to stop the investigation in April. This came only a few weeks after Moran began cooperating with the investigation.
What makes this story such a surprise is how the media has focused no time at all on this story. No ESPN investigative reports, no columns denouncing the perpetrators of such an act, no talking heads discussing if these allegations are true what actions should be taken against Goodell and the others involved.
The question is simple. How can this not be a major story? We have a commissioner who rode in on his high horse two years ago, with the sole purpose of cleaning up the image of the league, now accused of colluding against the players association. We have owners of NFL teams being accused of being present at the meeting and we even have NFLPA representatives stabbing their own in the back to provide information to Goodell and the owners in a bid to gain more support when NFLPA officials are selected.
This has all the makings of a story ready to be busted wide open, but the sports media would rather point our attention away from anything that could detract from image of both the NFL and commissioner Goodell. So instead we are bombarded with stories about Tom Brady’s knee and Brett Favre’s comeback. These stories pump the NFL up, create intrigue and generate ratings and ticket sales, the opposite of what reporting a federal probe into collusion allegations against commissioner Goodell, owners and NFL players reps would do.
This is what this story actually means. In a league where a player can have his contract voided and cut at any time by his team, the league’s top officials attempted to collude with NFLPA reps in advance of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. These allegations essentially point to an attempt to give even more power to the NFL and its owners while the players continue to give up any remaining leverage they have.
Sounds like a story that should be reported, but expect ESPN and the rest of the major sports media to continue to give Goodell and the owners a pass while they continue to get record ratings from the NFL.
Archaic NCAA Rules Create Scandals
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in College Basketball, College Football on September 1st, 2009
The latest NCAA “scandal” involves the University of Michigan’s college football program. In reports stemming from interviews with current and former players in the program, the Detroit Free Press has written that the Michigan Wolverines’ football program is guilty of breaking NCAA rules that stipulate a player should spend no more than 20 hours every week on mandatory football practices and activities.
Any college football writer or analyst, who believes players at major Division I programs spend no more than the NCAA mandated 20 hours per week average should re-evaluate their chosen career. Let’s assume Michigan head coach, Rich Rodriguez is lying and the Wolverines’ football players are spending more than 20 hours a week. The culprit in this latest NCAA rules transgression is none other than the NCAA governing body.
The rules which govern college sports programs are archaic and unrealistic. These rules and regulations that have been in place controlling the actions of players and programs in football and other major sports belong in a past era and have no grip on the current environment in major college sports.
When millions of dollars in donations from universities, donors and boosters are being pumped into major sports programs, results are expected. Results have lead to far more pressure, which has led to programs searching for ways to circumvent the rules in an attempt to reach expectations.
NCAA football, meanwhile continues to suffer from the belief that 20 hours is sufficient time in a week for players to know their game plan, implement it in practice, study game film of themselves and their opponent, do conditioning work and lift weights. Back in the 1940’s twenty hours was enough, but the extent to which the game has developed at present it is absolutely absurd to expect players and coaches to be able to follow this rule.
The unreal expectations with which college sports are governed is certainly not strictly limited to football.
Does anyone really think it was a crime for O.J. Mayo to take some money from a sports agent when he was busy reviving a USC basketball program, helping them fill the stands?
Are we going to forget that Memphis reached the Final Four with Derrick Rose leading the team and that they won 38 games or are we too devastated by the knowledge Rose may have had somebody take the SAT for him to get a qualifying score?
NCAA basketball has become an absolute joke with the NBA forcing players to attend school for one year before they become eligible for the draft. It has created scenarios where players such as O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose and others who grew up expecting and preparing to enter the NBA after high school had to change plans for a year and attend a university, because of a rule that was forced upon them.
These are just a few instances which show that though college sports are now a major business, they are still governed like local youth recreational leagues. What really needs to be examined and re-evaluated here are these ridiculous rules and regulations that nearly every program needs to violate in order to be able to compete.
Meanwhile any real story of substance that should cause a national uproar such as the case involving Daniel Hood, receives little national press. If you aren’t familiar with the story, Hood is a tight end who has received a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee, though he was tried as a juvenile at the age of 13 and found delinquent in a case where he stood watch as a 17 year-old friend, raped his 14 year-old first cousin.
There are a number of issues with college sports that I could delve into, but they all stem from the same problem; the NCAA’s inability to adjust to the times and change their rules and regulations accordingly. Instead we are stuck now with college sports scandals that create no sense of controversy among the general public in the current college sports environment.
Phoenix Suns Offseason: Stuck In Mediocrity
Posted by Ashwin Ramnath in NBA on August 27th, 2009
When the 2008-2009 NBA season came to a close the Phoenix Suns failed to gain a playoff berth for the first time since Steve Nash came to Phoenix before the 2004-2005 NBA season. The addition of Shaq at the previous season’s trade deadline proved to be a failure as the Suns offense stagnated in Terry Porter’s halfcourt, grind it out system.
When Porter was fired and replaced by Alvin Gentry midway through the season, the Suns reinstated their running game and again became one of the league’s best offenses, though continuing to be an ineffective defensive squad.
Steve Nash and Grant Hill are both past their primes and can't push the Suns to a championship level.
Heading into the offseason, the Suns needed to find a new identity. Nash is 35, Shaq, 37 and Grant Hill, 36. They promptly traded Shaq to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, who they waived, Sasha Pavlovic, who they will buy out soon, cash and a 2010 second round pick.
With Shaq gone, the Suns turned their attention to both Grant Hill and Steve Nash. With Hill being an unrestricted free agent and getting an offer from New York, Phoenix decided to extend a two-year, $6 million offer, which Hill accepted. The Suns followed this move shortly thereafter by giving Steve Nash’s a two-year, $22 million extension.
For fans looking for any hope of a return to glory in the near neither of these moves delivered. Nash is still an effective point guard, capable of setting up teammates for a number of easy shots with his pinpoint passing, not to mention his ability to score, but at 35 it is clear he is now slowing down. He was never a good defensive player to begin with, but over the last 2 seasons it has gotten even worse, with Nash incapable of stopping nearly any opposing point.
Hill put up solid numbers last year, but has not been a true difference maker since prior to the multiple surgeries he’s underwent on his knees. To make matters worse, the Suns only other addition this offseason has been former first round pick, Channing Frye who’s only skill, perimeter shooting, will be useful in playing with Nash, but once again will not give the Suns a serious boost to make them any kind of contender in the West.
Additionally, Amare Stoudemire has been hinting at leaving from Phoenix after his failed attempt this offseason to get a contract extension. GM Steve Kerr has stated they want to see how Amare holds up after undergoing serious surgery on the retina in his right eye last season.
Amare Stoudemire may be looking to get a new contract elsewhere after negotiations with Phoenix for an extensions proved futile.
Looking to the future, the only player who they can hope to develop into a star would be this year’s first-round pick, Earl Clark. Both Leandrinho Barbosa and Jason Richardson at this point in their careers are know quantities as prolific scorers, that provide little else. Even if the Suns were to keep Stoudemire, with the Lakers and Spurs on top in the West and a number of teams that figure to make big moves in the upcoming seasons in Portland and Oklahoma City, it figures to be awhile before the Suns rise again as a power.
This is disappointing, because going into this offseason, the Suns were poised to free up cap space in the summer of 2010 and armed with an expiring contract in Steve Nash that could have fetched them some youth or expiring contracts and draft picks at the deadline. Now the Suns merely look like a team doomed to be too competitive to lose enough to be at the top of the lottery, but not good enough to make the playoffs.
Two years ago re-signing Nash and Hill would have been prudent, but with the decline in both players’ skills and abilities, the Suns look to be stuck in the middle of the pack. The Suns will still run and put up well over 100 points a game next year, especially with Stoudemire looking to up his value on the open market, but with Nash, the engine of their offense getting older the Suns figure to be stuck in mediocrity.