Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Legend in the Making.....

Who is the best college basketball player?  Some would say Anthony Davis.  Others would say it is Thomas Robinson.  I'm going to take it to a whole different direction.  This person plays on the only undefeated team still playing.  That would be Baylor's Superstar center Brittney Griner. 


Before you guys start forming an opinion, let me hit you with some facts.  I'm going to compare her stats with the First Team All-American Men's selection.


Thomas Robinson 17.9 ppg  11.8 rpg    1.9 apg
Anthony Davis      14.3 ppg  10.1 rpg    4.6 bpg
Draymond Green  16.1 ppg   10.4 rpg   3.6 apg
Jared Sullinger      17.6 ppg     9.3 rpg   1.2 apg
Doug McDermott 23.2 ppg   8.2 rpg  1.1 apg


Brittney Griner  23.4 PPG 9.4 RPG 5.2 BPG  

This player is in a league of her own.  When have you seen a player dominate the game like she has been this year?  Her team as of today is 38-0.  That is what I call LEADING BY EXAMPLE.  She is a Naismith Player of the Year finalists and didn't take the easy way by going to Tennessee or Connecticut.  She put the Baylor Women's Team on the map and started her own legacy.  With the numbers she puts up, the NBA needs to start looking at her.  She can't be any worse than the players picked from overseas that never come over here. Everyone likes to talk about the men playing, but we really need to start appreciating this great player while she is still playing.  Just think, how often do you get to see a collegiate woman throw down a two hand dunk on another player. 

Enough Said!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

What happened to college basketball?


Growing up, I lived and breathed college basketball.  My earliest basketball memory was watching Keith Smart hit the game winner against Syracuse.  I remember when everyone was a Running Rebels fan. Does anybody remember that Fab 5 member that called the timeout against Carolina in the championship game, or number 32 for the Duke Blue Devils that hit the shot against Kentucky?  What memories do you have of the last 10 years of college basketball? Absolutely nothing!

In the '90s college basketball had great teams and great players to carry the sport.  Back then you actually watched the whole NBA draft to see your favorite player get picked.  Now we stop watching after the 5th pick.  The '90s were full of great college players like Larry Johnson, Christian Laettner, Chris Webber and Glen "Big Dog" Robinson.  There were actually great teams that you could remember the whole starting five.  You had the 1991 Duke Blue Devils, 1994 Arkansas Razorbacks, and the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats team.  I could name you the starting five of all those teams.


So, what happen to the sport?  I actually had to google who won the national championship last year.  Nobody is going to remember Kemba Walker or the other 4 players that played with him 10 years from now.  This year the media is predicting that Kentucky's freshman center Anthony Davis will win the Naismith Player of the Year.  I checked his stats and found out he averages 14.3 points, 10 rebounds and 4 block per game.  Are you kidding me.  I'm going to give you the stats of some of the Naismith Winners in the 1990s.


1991 Larry Johnson  22.7 pts 10.9 rbs 3 ast
1992 Christian Laettner 21.5 pts 7.9 rbs 2 ast
1994 Glen Robinson 30.3 pts 10.1 rbs 1.9 ast
1996 Marcus Camby 20.5 pts 8.2 rbs 1.8 ast
1997 Tim Duncan 20.8pts 14.7 rbs 3.2 ast


What has happened to college basketball when a FRESHMAN averages 14.3 points a game is our possible player of the year.  Nothing against Anthony Davis, but I have a problem with the lack of talent that is being produced in college.  We don't even draft from college anymore.  The majority of the players drafted come from overseas.  Reminds me of our economy.  MESSAGE!  Let me know what you think and how can we improve the talent we produce in college basketball.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Dwight Howard Story: Superman has left the building, or maybe not?


The big story around this years NBA season has been what team will Dwight Howard play for in the future.  At the beginning of the year, Dwight told the Orlando Magic's executives that he would like to be traded to the Lakers, Nets, or Mavericks.  The Orlando Magic listened to trade offers the first half of the season, turning them all down hoping Dwight would change his mind and stay with the team.  In the word of Jesse Jackson,  they were "keeping hope alive".

The big rumor surfacing the league was Dwight opting out of his deal and joining Deron Williams in New Jersey.  This was the obvious plan for the last three months.  Orlando even believed this was the plan since Dwight would not accept a max contract with them that would pay him
$109 million dollars.




As the trade deadline started approaching, you heard a new rumor on Dwight every hour of the day.  Dwight wants to go to the Lakers.  Dwight is going to team up with Derick Rose in Chicago since they are both with Team Adidas.  Dwight is going to New Jersey with D-Will.  You never heard Dwight wanting to stay in Orlando.  He even told management that he was not going to stay.

So Orlando management starting fielding offers from the league to see the best deal they could get for Dwight Howard.  In the 11th hour, Dwight Howard developed a conscience and decided to opt-in to one more year with the Orlando Magic for
19 million cause he felt like he owed his teammates and the fans of Orlando since he showed such a lack of loyalty through the season.  What is he thinking?  Dwight Howard is that guy who breaks up with his girlfriend and asks her back at the end of the day cause he started feeling bad.

People always want to give Lebron a hard time, even myself, but one thing I can respect about Lebron is he did exactly what he wanted to do and didn't give a damn what anyone else thought.  By Dwight staying one more year for $19 million dollars, he risks being hurt and getting paid a whole lot less next summer.  If he wanted to stay in Orlando, in the words of DMX in Belly, "GET THE  MONEY YO".  He could have signed a max deal for $109 million dollars.  If he is staying one more year to be nice to the people of Orlando, that is dumb since you will be a free agent next year and have to go through the same media circus again.


In concluding, Dwight, if you want be the MAN OF STEEL, start first by trying to be a MAN!




B.Mac

Friday, March 9, 2012

Where Should Peyton Go?



On Thursday afternoon, the Indianapolis Colts released Peyton Manning from their team due to health reasons, 28 million dollars that would have been owed to him, and because they aquired the #1 pick in the 2012 draft.  There are many teams that would love to pay for Mr. Manning's service this year.  Looks like the main players in the Peyton sweepstakes are the Dolphins, Cardinals, Redskins, Jets, and Chiefs.  I'm going to breakdown each option for Peyton.


Miami Dolphins

Pros:  You would be playing in a great climate.  You would have Brandon Marshall who is a top 5 receiver in the league.  You would have a great offensive tackle in Jake Long who could protect your back since you just had a neck surgery.

Cons:  You would have to play Tom Brady twice a year and the chances of you winning the division would be slim.  You would have to go against Rex Ryan's defense twice a year.  You would be married living in Miami.  LeBron James inability to win the big game might rub off on you.

Cardinals

Pros: You would be playing with the best receiver in the league.  Your eight home games would be played in a dome.

Cons:  Your team would not be able to get past San Francisco to win the division.   The rest of your team sucks.  Arizona is the last state to observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Redskins

Pros:  The owner has a lot of money and has no problem spending it.  You would live close to President Barack Obama.

Cons:  Nobody likes your coach other than John Elway.  Your best receiver is the same height as Kevin Hart.  You would play against the NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS twice a year along with the Cowboys and Eagles.

Jets

Pros:  You would have a defense that could cover up inconsistencies on the offensive side.  You would be in freaking NEW YORK.  You would have Santonio Holmes to pass the ball to.

Cons:  Rex Ryan would be your head coach.  I like Rex, but he is not a leader.  You would play second fiddle to the best Manning.  That would be Eli.  This is the same city that gave Plaxico Burress a two years prison sentence for shooting HIMSELF in the leg!

Chiefs

Pros:  You would have offensive weapons consisting of Bowe, Baldwin, Breaston, Moeaki.  You would have a top 5 runnning back with Jamal Charles that every defense would have to game plan against.   You would have a young and talented defense that could hold the opponent to low scores.  You have a new unproven offensive coordinator that would allow you to run your system.  You would enjoy the Best BBQ and tailgating in the country.  You would easily win the AFC West going against Tebow, Rivers, and Palmer.

Cons:  Cold weather in the winter.

After weighing the pros and cons, it think it is obvious what your choice should be.  I'll give you a hint.