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Love and Hate...an NBA Observation

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:18:12 +0100

By now we have all heard the praise and the criticism. We have seen the celebrations and the heads hanging low. We heard the arguments, rational and irrational, informed and ignorant. But believe it or not there is still a bit more to be said about the two players I am writing about:

Kevin Durant, Lebron James and their positions not only in this year’s playoffs but in the sports media spin cycle covering their careers.

I love them both and you won’t find any ESPN First Take style bashing in this piece. But when I watched Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder finish off a still very dangerous Spurs team that was being mentioned in the conversation of the BEST TEAMS OF ALL TIME just 4 games prior, it made me think. When I heard the Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr and company talk about seeing KD rise up and be anointed the next Great One and how he is growing up into “the man” before our eyes (all true by the way) it reminded me of a similar story.

Durant has indeed become not only an offensive nightmare (something many including myself saw coming when he unleashed that effortless jumper on the Big 12 in 2006) but a totally unstoppable force who is learning to flourish on the big stage. He can do it offensively from all over the court now and has become a reliable defender with his length and footwork. KD punishes smaller defenders with his size and blows by the bigs with his quickness and ball handling. Watching him take over in the second half of games 4 and 6 against the Spurs was just plain special.

But it was also reminiscent.

In 2006, Lebron James carried a MUCH less talented Cleveland team to the NBA Finals in the same fashion that Durant has against an equally formidable foe in the Detroit “We always win the East” Pistons. When I say much less talented, it may not be strong enough so let me clarify.

Kevin Durant gets to play with these 4 guys: Russell Westbrook (5^th leading scorer in the NBA this year), Serge Ibaka (NBA Defensive POY candidate), James Harden(6^th man of the year) and Kendrick Perkins. Pretty good right?

Here are the best guys Lebron dragged to San Antonio in June of 2007: Larry Hughes (he was the second leading scorer on the team…yeah), Zydrunas Ilglauskas, Drew Gooden and Anderson Verajao. Read it again if it didn’t make you chuckle the first time.

(Let it be understood that this is not to discredit KD’s performance at all because he has earned all the praise he’s gotten. It is more to illustrate the selective memory and voluntary ignorance of the sporting media. )

A 23 year old Durant’s numbers against the Spurs in the 2012 Western Conference Finals were fantastic. Here is a breakdown:

Game 1. 27pts, 10 rebs, 4asts and 2stls

Game 2. 31 pts, 5rebs, 5asts and 3stls

Game 3. 22pts, 6rebs, 5asts

Game 4. 36pts, 6rebs, 8asts (Durant went off for 18 of those 36 points in the 4^th quarter. He was unguardable)

Game 5. 27pts, 4rebs, 5asts and 3stls

Game 6. 34pts, 14rebs, 5asts

That’s just epic stuff for a 23 year old in his second trip to the Conference Finals. But before we get too caught up and bought in to the media narrative of how Durant is doing things young players haven’t done since Magic or that he is where Lebron should be, let’s pause. Take a breath, and then take a look at Lebron James against the Pistons in 2007 Eastern Conference Finals (with that squad listed above).

Game 1. 10pts, 10rebs, 9asts, 4stls

Game 2. 19pts, 6rebs, 7asts, 3stls

Game 3. 32pts, 9rebs, 9asts, 2stls

Game 4. 25pts, 7rebs, 11asts, 3stls

Game 5. 48pts, 9rebs, 7asts, 2stls (Durant’s 4^th quarter of Game 4 was a lower totaled carbon copy of this game, where Lebron single handedly destroyed the Pistons franchise for 25 straight points in a double OT victory.)

Game 6. 20pts, 14rebs, 8asts, 2stls

I made a mistake earlier. Now THAT is epic stuff for a 22 year old in his first ever trip to the Conference Finals. Lebron was aptly if not prematurely anointed “The Chosen one” and said to be the next MJ, Magic, Big O etc. The fact that the Cavs got swept in those NBA Finals was more a reflection of actual basketball and a glaring talent deficit between them and San Antonio. It was not yet “Lebron’s fault”.

Enter “The Decision” to go to the Miami Heat (It’s really hard to believe this is still talked about like a fresh occurrence.)

The difference now is clear. Lebron gets no credit, only blame. He plays the most complete floor game in the NBA on both ends of the ball (he is AVERAGING 30pts, 9rebs and 5asts in the playoffs)and he gets only criticism for shots he didn’t take (even in an All Star game) and even play calls he didn’t draw up. No matter what Lebron does, if he doesn’t make a last second shot from a designated spot over a designated defender, he is a failure. Nevermind that he’s done it before in both regular and post season. Unless James makes the exact play some talking head says needs to be made with the exact t seconds left on the clock, he hasn’t done anything.

That’s right, Lebron James is the most talented and complete player in the NBA and he is widely bashed and disliked for a press conference. By the way ESPN, you can’t play both sides. You cannot choose to air “The Decision” then totally disown and berate it 24 hours later and ever since. You are as much at fault as “The King’s camp”...and fire Bayless and Broussard. James is often called a great guy and a great teammate then massacred in the sports media for being unselfish, while the next article details how Kobe Bryant’s selfishness cost the Lakers a game.

Meanwhile Durant is praised for having a laid back low key way about himself, and for staying with a stacked OKC team. Those first two things are personality traits, and good ones. KD is by all accounts a good guy and I personally like the way he carries himself. That said, he also didn’t have his high school games aired by ESPN or have to deal with droves of press following him everywhere he went since he was 16 years old…the way Lebron James did. I’m just pointing out how that could possibly change a young man’s perspective a bit.

Take this away from what you’ve read. Durant is showing more flashes of what could be Day 0 of his ascension to NBA all time greatness, and I sincerely hope it is. But please don’t let the sports media’s agenda make you forget what he’s doing, can do and how much fun it is to watch even if OKC doesn’t win it all right now. Or if OKC doesn’t keep its core intact. Or if Durant does go play elsewhere.

The greats of the game are much more enjoyable to watch when we think for ourselves.

STOP....just stop

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:36:48 +0100

There are some misconceptions floating around the sports world right now that need to stop. The need to be called out. They need to be debunked. they need a swift kick in the ass from the boot of common sense. Sorry, got carried away. Here we go:

STOP...

Telling us an NFL player is a "winner" based on college success. You know when you are a winner? When you are winning at what you are doing at that time. Tim Tebow. Great college career. Has done nothing in the NFL. Other recent "winners" include Vince Young, Jamarcus Russell, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Brady Quinn(inexplicably). Meanwhile guys like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers continue to thrive in the NFL despite modest college careers by comparison. Tebow may be good, but let's wait and see shall we?

Buying into the media's hype up/tear down routine. Minutes after Lebron James decided to join the Miami Heat, "experts" fabricated expectations out of thin air and proceeded to hold the Heat to their imaginary standard for the entire season. A joke was made about winning multiple titles, and it was immediately deemed a prediction that needed to be relived after every loss. They made the NBA Finals after less than one year together, and that was considered a failure. The same thing just happened with the Philadelphia Eagles. They are struggling (a lot) and suddenly they have failed to live up to their "Dream Team" moniker. Vince Young called them a "Dream Team"...consider the source people.

Blaming players for getting locked out. The NBA owners for example, lost a ton of money because they mismanaged horribly. They overpaid mediocre players. That's nobody's fault but their own, and they don't deserve sympathy for it. Any owner of a professional sports franchise who cannot turn even a modest profit in a time when more and more struggling Americans turn to sports for escape, doesn't deserve to own one.

Putting High School sports on mainstream television and in the ESPN top ten. Not only do I not care about a highlight run/dunk/pass/catch made against 15-16 year olds, but this may be the last time sports is truly a game to some of the more talented kids. Let them enjoy the purity of sports before they are shopped around and disenchanted.

Trying to justify Terrell Pryor's suspension. Sure he broke NCAA rules, but he broke NO NFL rules, and that's really where it ends. Goodell tried to say he damaged the integrity of the supplemental draft (what does that even mean?) by making himself ineligible to return to Ohio State, and he doesn't want players trying to escape NCAA punishment by jumping to the NFL. Sorry Roger, but that's none of your concern. And if he damaged your "draft lite" so much, you could have said "No. You are ineligible and cannot be drafted until next year". That would have solved the problem. Instead Roger moved the ENTIRE supplemental draft to allow Pryor to proven his ineligibility. Sounds to me like Goodell did more damage then Terrell. if you want to punish them for NCAA violations, you have to pay them for NCAA success. Which brings me to my next STOP...

Telling me we can't pay college athletes because we would have to pay ALL of them. When the women's water polo team signs a 5 year tv deal or pays for a new Athletic Complex, we can talk.

Acting like college sports aren't totally corrupt. While a player can get suspended for selling merchandise HE earned on the field of play, a school can uproot its entire athletic program with the sole goal of seeking a bigger payday in a different conference on the backs of those athletes. Slavery it isn't...but that doesn't make it right.

Listening to the NCAA. They care only about revenue, and will punish only those who draw enough spotlight. University of Miami sports had a booster pay for prostitutes, abortions, boat trips, clothes, jewelry etc. and they lost a few players for a few games. At the same time they made hundreds of millions from the football program. If the benefits of the crime far outweigh the punishment...why stop breaking the rules?

The Ryan brothers. Rex and Rob must not be paid enough, because they seem to continually write checks their large asses just can't cash. Rex Ryan has predicted Super Bowl victory for at least the past 2 years, but he hasn't been to one yet. Now his team is 2-3 and their only defense appears to be his mouth. Rob Ryan steps outside his mind and says Calvin "Megatron" Johnson would be the 3rd best receiver on the Cowboys. I know, hilarious. But it's even funnier because we all know the second best receiver on the Cowboys is usually one of the opposing team's defensive backs. How about they both shut up until they do something of consequence?

Skip Bayless. It's not funny. It's not clever. It's a tired, predictable act and it's old.

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Feels good to be back.

Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:13:22 +0100

If you are a repeat visitor to my blog then welcome back, I really appreciate the time. If this is your first time reading the Potpourri, I will provide a little background since I was away for a while.

I am a die hard sports fan with (currently) limited resources, meaning I won’t be in Cabo to get a quote from MJ at a golf tournament. But I do read an irresponsible amount of stories across numerous sports websites and I watch a mind numbing amount of sports on television. I am not a stat guru, though I do know a solid number of stats off the top of my head (For instance, the 1996 Bulls who went 72-10, lost 7 of those 10 games by less than 10 points…meaning they were that much closer to being 79-3). I am more about the story, about the conversation the game creates and the competition itself.

I am not one to fall into the TMZ style of sensationalism that seems to have taken over sports journalism and commentary. I have an intense dislike for the gossip passing as reporting in sports today and I try to stay away from it. I will however refute sensationalized stories and try to inject some reality into sometimes surreal reports.

You may not get an in depth story about the Pittsburgh Pirates AAA pitcher from my blog, but if I’m doing my job you will laugh a bit, think a bit and maybe go start a conversation based on what you read here.

That said, let’s get caught up.

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Get your Heat season tickets now.

When we last left the NBA, it had been turned on its ear by three 20 something guys who decided playing basketball together would be fantastic. One left a wasteland, one created a wasteland and one stood at the edge of South Beach with open arms. Bosh, Lebron and Wade. Yep, Miami is looking pretty nasty for the 2011 season.

Bosh’s exit from Toronto created little stir, since it was a foregone conclusion that he would go to a bigger market with better personnel and a better chance to win once his contract expired.The only question was where he would choose to go and it became clear early on that he wanted to play with wade and/or Lebron.

Lebron’s exit was just about the polar opposite. James announced his exit in an ill advised (yet profitable and newsworthy)press conference that left many calling him arrogant, heartless and selfish (sounds a lot like the description of a SG from Los Angeles). Cleveland will not recover for many seasons, part of that blame goes to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who kneecapped the team's future even more with his jilted lover/14 year old girl style rant after Lebron decided to leave. But at the end of the day Lebron owed them nothing more than 7 mostly great years of basketball, a serious boost to their economy and lots of highlights…all of which he provided prior to the end of his contract. He could have stayed and tried to play hometown hero, but he didn’t and that was his choice as a free agent.

"One of these kids is not like the others..." because he is on suicide watch in New York.

Dwyane Wade came out of this free agent bonanza looking like the most powerful player in the NBA. After all he was able (with Pat Riley’s help) to get 2 of the top 3 free agents of 2010 to join his team in Miami, where he has already won a championship. He is in a win/win situation, regardless of what over the top expectations the analysts make up on the spot.

“This team has to win MULTIPLE rings, not just 1 or 2; they have to win 3 or more.”

No they don’t. I’m sure they want to, but they don’t HAVE to. I personally think this new Heat team will win at least 2 rings, but I also understand the NBA season is always full of surprises. If they end up with 2 rings they will have 2 more rings than a lot of Hall of Fame players and only the most biased, controversy driven media will see them as "failures" for not living up to the hype that same media created. The new Heat have been dissected by analysts, ex players and bloggers alike since the evening of July 9^th when this “super team” became a reality. Here are a few of the more visible criticisms and my take on them:

There’s no way Lebron and Wade can play together, they are too similar and both have to have the ball.

- Lebron averaged 30 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists last year; Wade came it at 27 points, 5rebounds and 7 assists. Bosh doesn’t get mentioned here because he is not a guard but a power forward and is widely expected to have an absolute field day in the paint with this lineup. We are supposed to believe that 2 guys who are THIS good, like to share the ball and now have better teammates than they have ever had, won’t be able coexist? C’mon son. Ed Lover could do a whole episode on how silly that sounds.

There’s no way they will be able to get any quality players to play with these three. They are now strapped for cash and guys are going for the big bucks before the NBA faces a possible lockout next summer.

- Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilglauskas, Jamal Magloire. 3 of those 4 quality names took less money to play in Miami with Bosh, James and Wade. I think the lesson here is twofold: 1. Veteran players still care about winning more than money in some cases and 2. Don’t underestimate Wade and Riley. If they can get Lebron to leave the only home he’s ever known, I’m pretty sure getting Mike Miller went down as easy as a “Call a Cab” from Wet Willie’s on Ocean Drive.

This team will be all offense, and we all know defense wins championships. You can’t outscore everyone.

- I can only say this; I agree that defense wins championships. That is why having 2 guys in Wade and Lebron who have been seriously considered in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation is yet another advantage. Both Wade and James are known as lockdown defenders and regularly had to go all out on both ends of the court to keep their team in the game. Now one of them gets to roam free a bit more or take more chances on defense every night.

The “new big 3” will have to play a ton of minutes. They will be burned out by the time the playoffs start.

- This may be the most ridiculous argument of all. Lebron, Bosh and Wade all played with sub-par to terribly horrible teams and coaching staffs, and each of them already logged a ton of minutes (36+ minutes per game or “MPG” each) trying to drag those teams to the playoffs. Why would we possibly think that they would have to play MORE minutes when they are all on the same team? Honestly, they could alternate who takes a night off for the entire season and still put the 2 best players on the floor almost every night. It is that serious.

Now before we get a little too carried away like Mr. Bosh up there, understand that I am a die hard Chicago Bulls fan. I would have loved nothing more than to see Lebron, Bosh or Wade (Dwyane has been my favorite player to watch since he entered the NBA from Marquette. My father gets all the credit for putting me onto him before he blew up) come to Chicago and team up with Rose, Noah and Boozer. But the world doesn’t end just because that didn’t happen. I will enjoy watching my Bulls scrap their way into the playoffs and I will enjoy watching the unbelievable display of talent the Heat put on the floor each night. See it’s possible to be a fan of a team without totally isolating yourself from the rest of the game. Take note Texas sports fans.

Even though none of the main arguments against this new Heat team hold water, the media has kept the ball rolling. Now they say Lebron will tarnish his legacy by going to “Wade’s team” and that he will always be “Scottie Pippen”. The GOAT himself, MJ, even answered a question about James’ move this past weekend. When asked what he thought about Lebron teaming up with such great potential rivals, Jordan said:

"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry [Bird], called up Magic [Johnson] and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team…But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."

Notice MJ didn’t mention the next guy the media asked. Charles Barkley had this to say on Miami radio this week:

"He'll never be Jordan. This clearly takes him out of the conversation. He can win as much as he wants to. There would have been something honorable about staying in Cleveland and trying to win it as 'The Man' ... LeBron, if he would've in Cleveland, and if he could've got a championship there, it would have been over the top for his legacy, just one in Cleveland. No matter how many he wins in Miami, it clearly is Dwyane Wade's team."

Ok, First of all Pippen is one of the 50 greatest players ever, and Lebron is better than him right now. I agree with what MJ is saying, it is a different era. These kids have watched Jordan, Bird and Magic not only on the court but off of it where they set the table to get rich off of their talent. Super teams and unnecessary press conferences are in a way the next chapter after sneaker contracts and McDonald’s ads. MJ would have never called Larry or Magic because he is the most competitive human being ever in the NBA if not on the planet. No shock there. What’s also not shocking although it seems like it should be a surprise, is that Barkley is right.

Lebron James will NEVER be Jordan. And, he reiterated my earlier statement that for Wade, this is a win/win.

This would have been true even if James stayed in Cleveland and won 3 straight rings. This would have been true if Lebron went to New York, New Jersey or Chicago and won several rings. There will NEVER, EVER be another Jordan. The closest we have seen is Dwyane Wade surgically removing the Mavericks heart and holding it in front of them before squeezing the life out of it and Texas in the 2006 NBA Finals. And that was only 4 games at the end of the year. No there will never be another Jordan and part of the reason why is because guys feel comfortable doing what Wade, Bosh and Lebron have done.

If any of us had the opportunity to take our jobs to South Beach when we were single 20 somethings and work with our best friends or even general acquaintances, we would do it without a second thought. Only when millionaires do it does it become an issue. Fan bases expect the players to be loyal, even when it’s obvious that the management isn’t. We expect them to despise each other from October to June and have the competitiveness of NBA generations past, and that may be asking too much in today’s NBA. I don’t know if I like guys being quite as friendly with opposing players as they are today, but in this case the bright side is that the whole Miami team now gets to play the villain in a lot of cities.

And we will all be witnesses, whether we like it or not.

CUP HALF EMPTY

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:15:42 +0100

The World Cup ended Sunday with Spain salvaging a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the 116^th minute. I’d love to be able to tell you I was the diehard blogger who watched the entire match, but I got up early Sunday morning, played multiple 2 on 2 games of basketball in the Texas heat, got home and slept through most of the match’s first half. When I woke up I quickly realized I hadn’t missed a thing (still 0-0) so I showered at halftime and settled in for what I thought would be a more wide open second half.

Nope.

Instead I watched Spain waste multiple breakaway attempts and the Netherlands abandon their game plan in favor of fouls. The second half ran out with very little intrigue and the first extra period did the same. By the time Spain’s Andres Iniesta found the back f the net, I (and just about anyone who was not a Spaniard or Dutch supporter) was more relieved that the game was going to end than excited to see what was a good goal.

The game was too long, too sloppy and TOO LONG, to be enjoyable. There were too many (as there often are) phantom fouls to have sympathy for how exhausted the players must have been after over 2 hours of soccer. Alexi Lalas justified the ill feelings toward the match when he openly said multiple times that the game was “ugly” and “boring”. Not exactly what you want from the “world’s most important championship”.

Which brings me to my view on why soccer isn’t as popular in the USA as it is around the world.

There are several schools of thought as to why soccer has not caught on more here in the United States, one of which is that it is boring. I don’t totally agree with this, but it’s an argument with merit. In America we like our sports to be high scoring, or at least have the threat of a high score. In baseball, even if the game ends 1-0, we have the threat of the guy at the plate getting a big hit or hitting a homerun and that suspense keeps us interested. In football we have the constant threat of the “deep ball” if the defense makes just one small error in their read. With basketball we know we are going to see scoring, and it is predominantly scoring or the threat of it that keeps the American sports fan watching. Even if we miss the game, we can check the score and get a sense of how it went; this is not the case with soccer. I can sum it up easiest by saying:

Americans prefer their sports resemble checkers, and soccer is more like chess.

Soccer can go long stretches and sometimes entire games with no scoring, only a chess match of sorts played out on a gigantic field with stars we don’t recognize. America generally does not follow the nuance of the game; we don’t sit around the water cooler talking about that point that was ALMOST scored.

Another part of soccer American fans don’t take to is the flopping. When a guy slides past your ankle without touching it and you launch yourself into the air then come down like you were shot by a sniper, you tend to lose some credibility, if not all your cool points. In America we are big on cool points in our sports. Especially today in the age of replay, we can see that you not only didn’t get hit, but we see your lack of integrity frame by frame…and it’s ugly. Yes there is flopping in the NBA, but it was actually introduced by European players who came from a soccer inspired background (Vlade Divac may be the godfather of flop). Because flopping wasn’t part of the NBA’s foundation, fans can overlook it to a certain extent while still enjoying the game. When we watch soccer, because it isn’t one of our “home” sports, we are easily disgusted by what is an accepted part of the game across the globe.

The last aspect is that soccer is indeed not one of America’s home sports. We either created or adapted the most popular form of baseball, football and basketball and they are part of our culture because of that. The rest of the world embraces soccer first, then possibly cricket before they get to basketball or baseball (football is not globally adopted at all, no matter how many games you play in London Mr. Goodell). We like what we know, as does the rest of the world.

So, until America decides soccer is a game worth embracing enough that we create a worthwhile league (MLS just doesn’t count. It’s like the farm league of the developmental league soccer), we will never love soccer enough to legitimately compete with the Germanys, Argentinas and Brazils of the world.

When that day comes (maybe my son will be playing) I will give up 2 on 2 basketball to watch. I actually enjoy watching a good soccer match; it’s just too bad the World Cup final didn’t provide us one.

I never said it was unwatchable, you never heard me say that....

THE HEAT OF 3 SONS

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:17:21 +0100

So it’s the Heat.

Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane “The most powerful player in the NBA” Wade will team up next season to terrorize opponents, if not win it all. I said early on that Chicago is the best fit and I still believe that, but it doesn’t mean Miami can’t work. Of course it can, when you put 3 of the best players in the NBA together and they already show their willingness to make sacrifices by taking less money to play together. Wade will be able to focus more on offense instead of doing everything but fly the team plane. Lebron may become more of a facilitator than he was able to be in Cleveland and Bosh will be able to take everything that’s left. All three guys will enjoy life without constant double teams and the burden of entire cities on their shoulders.

Lebron’s announcement was actually classier and better handled than I thought it would be, and it was clear that while he was excited, he was not happy about leaving the only home he’s ever known in both basketball and life. However, the Cavaliers ownership was happy to cover the classless portion and help ease Lebron’s pain. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made it abundantly clear that Lebron James made the right decision to leave Cleveland tonight. He wrote a letter to Cavs fans after James’ press conference stating he felt “personally betrayed” by Lebron and the Lebron “quit” during the playoffs. But the best part was when he said:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

Now seriously, if Danny had any idea how to do that, I feel like it would have happened by now. At some point Dan is going to learn that making guarantees with no way of backing them up is almost as poor as surrounding a once in a generation talent with mediocre to no talent and expecting him to stay just because he was born nearby. You really have to wonder if a guy flies off the handle this way if Lebron’s “narcissistic” and “self promoting” conference ended with him returning to Cleveland. By the way the letter in its entirety can be read here:

http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html

But seriously, can you blame a guy for leaving an owner who behaves like this? When Gilbert says “the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.” Does he mean they are going to spend some actual money on some actual talent? Or by “never betray you” does he mean that the fans can expect a continued diet of Anthony Parker caliber players cycling through Cleveland for chump change? It’s confusing because they never brought in a player better than Antawn Jamison the ENTIRE time James played there. And the odds are they won’t get many better players, since their owner just made it clear that he is a vindictive 14 year old girl in disguise.

If Cavs fans are savvy, Lebron is still more popular than Dan Gilbert in Cleveland. Lebron packed up and left Cleveland fans, Gilbert just promised to continue disappointing you for years to come. Enough of that, Cavs fans are upset enough without Gilbert rubbing failure in the wound.

Now the question is who will play with these guys? The Heat traded Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight (Minnesota is trying this new approach to the game, where 9 of your 15 players are either power forwards or centers. GM David Kahn is determined to make Danny Ferry look good) presumable to clear enough space to sign all 3 superstars. But who do the Heat bring in to fill out the roster? I’ve got a couple ideas:

Jordan Farmar PG

Brad Miller C

Raymond Felton PG

Nate Robinson PG

Zydrunas Ilglauskas C

Craig Smith SF

Ronnie Brewer SG

Udonis Haslem PF

All of those guys are unrestricted free agents and that’s not it. At least a few of those guys would take less money to play with “The Heat’s 3 Sons” get a shot at a ring and certainly get more attention than they would get otherwise.

So the sun has set on the Lebron era in Cleveland and it is a bit shocking. I feel for all Cavs fans who genuinely loved Lebron and enjoyed what he did for the team, city and state of Ohio. This Heat team is going to be SO much more fun than watching Amare Stoudamire suffering through $100 million in New York! Well that will be fun too…

Settle down Dan...settle down.

THE DECISION

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:32:09 +0100

Ok, NBA free agency is out of control at this point and we WILL get to that, but I need to touch on a few stories unrelated to basketball. I'll make it quick, I promise.

MLB
Bill Hall and Darnell McDonald. Sounds more like the guys who announced the Red Sox game than who is playing second base and right field for Boston. The Red Sox have not been bitten by the injury bug, they have been run down by his car and beaten with the injury bat.

Dustin Pedroia
Jacoby Ellsbury
Josh Beckett
Clay Bucholz
Jason Varitek
Jeremy Hermida
Hideki Okajima
Manny Delcarmen

The Sox are playing with NONE of these guys right now and will be without some of them for more than a month. If any MLB team was without 3 everyday guys, 2 starting pitchers and 2 bullpen staples, we would expect them to struggle….unfortunately the Sox are no different. There is a lot of baseball left, which for Boston could actually mean a lot more time to get hurt this season.

Meanwhile the Cincinnati Reds are having a resurgent season, leading the NL central at 47-36 and boasting the current National League HR leader, get ready….Joey Votto. Yup, Joey Votto has more homeruns than Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Adam Dunn.

WORLD CUP
Spain vs. Netherlands

The World Cup has been very good. That’s really all I can say because the level of play hasn’t been great, and the household names (Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka etc.) did not deliver on their names this time around. Spain’s defense has them in the final after they shut down a German team who had put up 8 goals in its previous 2 matches. It will be interesting to see if the Netherlands can overcome that.

We are keeping the soccer portion of the blog short today (I will dedicate a full post to why we don’t care about soccer enough in the US soon) because some guy in the NBA has changed the free agency game…

NBA

Ground zero. there is going to be some angry "old money" in CT tonight.

Lebron James.

That name is synonymous with great play, the NBA and arguably the best player in said NBA. After tonight, it may also be synonymous with arrogance, ego and traitor.

Lebron James will have his own ONE HOUR SPECIAL tonight on ESPN, to let the sporting world know where he will play basketball for the next 3-6 years. Yep, his people pitched this idea to ESPN and ESPN said yes. The event will be televised from the Boys and Girls club in Greenwich CT. with all proceeds of the broadcast going to the Boys and Girls club of America.

(Before you jump on the “Greenwich is close to NY" bandwagon, understand that ESPN studios is also in Connecticut and the Greenwich B&G club may be the biggest in the area. And, Carmelo Anthony is getting married in the area this weekend. Just saying)

So the question immediately following “What team will Lebron choose?” is whether making his choice in this fashion is ego-maniacal or savvy business? I’ve given my answer to several friends and I’ll restate it here.
Yes.

It is by all means an ego trip, and why shouldn’t it be? We have put Lebron James on a pedestal above proven NBA stars since he was a senior in high school (playing high school games on ESPN in prime time…first ever to do that). The media has been telling the world he is the next “greatest player ever” since he dropped 25 pts, 9 asts and 6 rebs on the Sacramento Kings the first time he ever stepped on an NBA floor. The Magic comparisons began. The Big O comparisons began. And of course the obligatory MJ comparisons began.

(Truth be told, he is closest to Oscar Robertson, but when a kid is the same size as Karl Malone and as fast as Allen Iverson…it’s hard to find a mold to fit him)

So over the course of 7 years, the media and the basketball world have anointed Lebron James “The King” of the NBA and repeatedly stated it’s just a matter of time before he is the best player who ever lived. Meanwhile this kid from Akron has additional plans, he wants to be one of the richest too.

Lebron has never been shy about his money making aspirations, stating he wants to become a billionaire and pulling in the endorsement offers as easily as he does alley oops. Warren Buffet and Jay-Z are just two self made million/billionaires James calls friends. By all counts he is doing it the right way, right?

As of 7/7/2010, wrong. Fans, writers, players and coaches alike are outraged that Lebron would make his free agent decision into a reality show of sorts. They say it’s arrogant and he should be more humble or low key.

I say WHY?

I totally understand the move coming off as arrogant because it is, but WHY should he do it differently? All the basketball world has talked about for the past 2 plus years is “What will Lebron do in 2010?” We’ve been reading articles from sports writers about this summer, since 2 summers ago. The New York Knicks destroyed their team and roster just for the chance to have a shot at maybe getting Lebron James. ESPN has created entire web pages dedicated to “Courting the King” along with recurring segments of the same name and even a "Lebron tracker" that updates you with a perceived free agent status. They pushed the WORLD CUP to the side to update us on what team was meeting with Lebron at the moment. But NOW Lebron James is considered arrogant by writers and fans because he acknowledges the status he has been given and decides to use it to further push his “brand”? NOW Lebron is wrong for cashing in on Lebron?

C'mon son, that’s just good business.

Why not cash in a bit on the hype your name and play created? Why not get paid off of the saturation of coverage that is going to be there whether you decide via press release or prime time TV? In a country where capitalism and hypocrisy know no limits, Lebron is the culmination of both. He has used the media in the same way they have used him, for monetary gain. The hypocrisy comes in when writers who have been trying to scoop his destination of choice for 2 years, now write stories about how arrogant he is to think it’s “all about him”.

IT IS all about Lebron! ESPN, "The worldwide leader" even dubbed this “The summer of Lebron”!

So it’s no wonder ESPN also picked up the hour long special and will not apologize for the ratings it receives.

Now, where will Mr. James play next year? That’s even more interesting if you ask me. The teams in play are Cleveland, New York, Chicago and Miami.

(I’m a diehard Bulls fan and I‘m not paid to be objective, so there’s your grain of salt before you read on)

Cleveland still has the hometown factor, but it’s pretty clear that’s all they have. The Cavs have been in a holding pattern since free agency began, waiting for James to decide their fate. Not a good way to run an NBA team. Now Cleveland is at the point where if Lebron comes back, they are pretty much the same team as last year…but If Lebron leaves, they are dead. Again.
I see the hometown factor playing a big role tonight, but it may not overpower the “I know I can’t pass the ball to ANY of these guys in April/May” factor.

New York is desperate. They cleaned house (or took out the garbage in the case of their roster) for 2 seasons hoping to get the jump on Lebron this summer. Now they have paid Amare Stoudamire $100 million to come to NY, not play defense and prove he can do it without Steve Nash. Not what Donnie Walsh had in mind so much. There is a chance they get their wish tonight, but basketball knowledge says a roster with Danilo Gallinari and Toney Douglas on it isn’t as appealing as the Bulls, Heat or even the evil James does know in the Cavaliers.

Chicago is the perfect fit. They have a roster aching for a plug and play SG/SF to put them over the hump. Elite PG in Derrick Rose, solid play at the SF from Luol Deng, the newly signed production of PF Carlos Boozer and the X factor intangibles guy on the inside, Joakim Noah. Add in the fact that Chicago just showed Lebron that outside of him, the Bulls are better than his Cavs in the first round of this year’s playoffs, and you have a tantalizing choice in the windy city.
There is the “Jordan factor” (lots of factors in this blog) but I think that is overrated. Every great franchise has its great players who made the team what they are. Franchise Faces let’s call them. Chicago’s just happens to be the best player who ever lived. That fact isn’t going to stop Lebron from winning multiple rings, if anything it should drive him.
BUT, what if Lebron isn’t the type to be driven by the desire to fill shoes that big?

Wouldn't you rather play WITH this guy than against him?

That leads us to Miami. They have Dwyane (closest competitive fire to MJ) Wade and Chris Bosh. That’s 2 perennial All Stars, one of whom already brought a ring to the city. If Lebron goes here it will be because these three guys decided this a long time ago (say around Beijing Olympics time), AND because Lebron knows that teams win rings, not individuals.
Maybe James doesn’t want all that pressure on him to do it all every night? Can we blame him? He has carried that burden for 7 years and it’s gotten him 2 MVPs and no rings. In Miami (ideally) he can play amongst great guys instead of stand alone as THE guy. I can’t knock this logic, I do feel however that Wade and Lebron will have to make adjustments to their game that would be unnecessary if Lebron went to say, Chicago.
If the Heat pull this off, Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley are the most powerful player/GM tandem in the NBA right? I say right.

So tonight we get “The Decision”. It’s the culmination of media over-hype, greed and opportunistic thinking…and we’ll even get to find out what the NBA will look like next year.

Sounds like must see TV.

Free Has Never Cost So Much

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:38:48 +0100

They call it free agency because the players are no longer contractually obligated to their current team, but it is anything but free. This summer's free agency period is especially "un-free" because of the looming chance of a lockout and possible work stoppage next summer unless the NBA and Player's Association can agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. Because of this, players are looking to cash in as much as possible. Cases in point:

- John Salmons and Drew Gooden just signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for $39 and $32 million respectively. That’s right, those two names will make those two salaries.

- The Atlanta Hawks are going to resign Joe Johnson to a maximum contract of 6 years, $119 million. Yes, the same Joe Johnson who has disappeared “Mo Williams” style in the playoffs and then criticized the ATL fans…for criticizing him. Chemistry is only a science class I guess.

- DARKO MILICIC will be stealing $20 million dollars from the Minnesota Timberwolves over the next 4 years, after agreeing to an indefensible deal on July 1st. This is the same Darko who was drafted # 2 in the 2003 draft, behind Lebron James and AHEAD of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, hell even Kirk Hinrich. You may say it’s not Darko’s fault he was drafted that high and this is true, that blame falls on Joe Dumars shoulders. However, it is solely Darko’s fault that he is terrible, and by terrible I mean averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds….for his 7 year career. Twenty million dollars.

A scene from episode 22 of "How Darko can pay back on his contract"

"Yeah, actually I would love to see him go to the Lakers," the world's top golfer said. "I'm an L.A. guy, can't help it. That would be interesting, wouldn't it?" - Tiger Woods

``I think he should stay in Cleveland because he's from Ohio…He's built such a great franchise there with the Cavaliers. It's such a popular team now. Obviously, I like Miami but I think it's cool if he stays in Cleveland.'' - Serena Williams

Lebron said he wants to be a “global icon”. Well when top athletes in totally unrelated sports are being asked about YOU during their press conferences (for Serena, it was after she won Wimbledon for the 4th time), I think it’s pretty much mission accomplished. He never had to leave Cleveland to become the biggest name in the NBA today, even without a championship.

James won’t share his decision on where he will play next season until late this coming week, and while the media has made this such a frantic assault that it may feel like we should know by now, this is really not out of the ordinary. No way a guy should rush this decision based on media expectations, this choice will shape not only the rest of Lebron’s career, but the career’s of numerous other NBA players….take your time young man.

Since everyone else seems to feel like they should share their free agent scenario, I’ve got a few of my own. Check out the free agent‘s and their possible destinations, broken down by where they are most likely to end up down to the most unrealistic location:

Lebron James SG/SF
Most Likely: Cleveland
Good Chance: Chicago
Longest Shot: Miami

Dwyane Wade SG
Most Likely: Chicago
Good Chance: Miami
Longest Shot: New York

Chris Bosh PF
Most Likely: Chicago
Good Chance: Miami
Longest Shot: Clippers

David Lee PF
Most Likely: Clippers
Good Chance: Chicago, Miami
Longest Shot: New Jersey

Carlos Boozer SF/PF
Most Likely: Miami
Good Chance: New Jersey
Longest Shot: New York

Amare Stoudamire PF
Most Likely: New York
Good Chance: Miami
Longest Shot: Chicago

Ray Allen SG
Most Likely: Cleveland
Good Chance: New York
Longest Shot: Chicago

Each of those breakdowns has some rationale behind it, for example:
Chris Bosh fits in perfectly in the Bulls lineup and will be more likely to sign somewhere he can play with Wade or Lebron. The Cavaliers cannot afford him so if Lebron stays in Cleveland then Bosh can’t go there, leaving him to lean toward where Wade goes. Dwyane is reportedly torn between Chicago (his home) and Miami (where he won a ring). This makes Chicago and Miami the two most likely destinations for Chris Bosh. Easy enough to follow right?

Nobody really knows how this will shake out, but it’s fun to speculate. Some guys even get paid to guess/speculate and while that may sound crazy, remember Darko...

1 BIIIILLION DOLLARS!! (pinky up)

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:10:35 +0100

So maybe you haven’t heard, but Lebron James is a free agent. It’s a pretty big deal, and 6-12 NBA teams are all but cutting their janitorial staff to clear salary cap space to sign Lebron. One of those teams is the New York Knicks, who want (read: NEEEEEED) Lebron. So badly that they hired a marketing consultation company called Interbrand to "analyze" James' chances of becoming a billionaire based on his free agency decision. Lebron has not been shy about his goal of becoming a billionaire businessman/player.

While Interbrand makes a compelling case (you can read it here):

http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2010/07/lebron-james-what-the-knicks-told-lebron-new-york-and-make-billion-dollars/

There are a few glaring arguments against their expert analysis.

1. Michael Jordan made more than any other NBA player ever, and did it in Chicago. He didn’t need the boost that New York and Los Angeles claim they provide to stars and business folk.

2. The company was hired by NEW YORK, to help convince Lebron to come to NEW YORK. Obviously the best option to make a billion, based on their "expert analysis", would be NEW YORK. I may be reaching, but I’m just going to go ahead and say there is a little bias in the research. I mean they don't even mention New Jersey in their analysis, and the Nets met with Lebron immediately before the Knicks.

3. Lebron will make a billion dollars regardless of where he goes, if he makes smart business decisions. The smartest of which would be choosing a team that gives him the pieces he needs to win now. Interbrand agrees that winning an NBA championship is the most important piece in building the brand Lebron and other players want to build. This is where New York falls short. The Knicks roster boasts David Lee as its best player, and Lee is looking for a new team. Lebron would set his quest for a ring back about 4-5 years while he waits for New York to find the right guys for a championship team, even if the Knicks brought in another max superstar. That, and current NY coach Mike D’Antoni is deathly allergic to defense.

The Knicks are one of several teams that can pay Lebron the Max salary of 15+ million/year, but James' NBA salary will be high each year no matter where he goes. Lebron is already selling sneakers, Vitamin Water, laptops etc. and his endorsements will increase as his NBA success and exposure do, no matter where he goes.

David Faulk, who knows a bit about billionaire NBA players since he used to be MJ's agent, said it best on WFAN when he said:

"As big as New York is, this is not 1996 anymore. Twitter, Facebook and all of the social media, I think you can be on Neptune and be a brand if your name was LeBron James. ... New York offers New York. I think it is a really nice place but I don't think the marketing advantages like you had ten or fifteen years ago are as relevant as today."

Exactly. You can't tell a guy who is good friends with Warren Buffet that he needs YOU to be a success, especially when your best player next year may be Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks desperately need Lebron to save their franchise as well as the jobs of coach Mike D'Antoni and team President Donnie Walsh, Lebron doesn't need New York.....or New Jersey, sorry Mr. Carter.

Don't get me wrong, I can't say Lebron WON'T go to the Knicks or Nets, I can only say it won't be because he needs them to accomplish what he wants to accomplish.

It's been a LONG time...I shouldn't have left you

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:10:23 +0100

Hey sports world, sorry I've been away... you look good though. You had a few setbacks but we all do, then we learn and move forward.

We've got a new look, some new features (the subscribe button works!) and I'm on my way back to where this blog needs me to be. Soon we will be talking about:

US World Cup and why Soccer won't matter to us in 3 weeks.

NBA Free Agency (you knew that was coming)

Sports, money, disenchantment and me

If you have hung in there with me, thank you. You won't regret it.

....Go to Chicago Chris Bosh....sorry, see ya in a few days!

NFC 2009: Standings, Predictions and Real Talk

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:39:09 +0100

We’ve looked at the AFC, now let’s take a look at how the NFC is shaping up a quarter of the way through.

NFC East- Projected Winner: New York Giants

New York Giants (4-0): The Giants look like a well oiled machine so far this year. Eli Manning is getting all his young receivers involved and the running duo of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw has been bullying opposing defenses. The New York defense appears to have returned to its 2007 status, shutting down most teams’ offenses with ease.

If there is a knock on the Giants, it is durability. They have lost a wideout to injury so far and Manning missed time in the last game with newly diagnosed plantar fasciitis. Seeing as I “play” through this everyday…I would think Eli will be okay for the stretch run.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1): When your two best offensive players are held together with duct tape, you know things can get ugly quickly. The Eagles have been lucky that Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook are tough enough to play through injury, even when they probably shouldn’t.

Philly is also lucky they drafted and kept Kevin Kolb and LeSean McCoy. Kolb and McCoy have filled in well for the franchise quarterback and running back and the Eagles have only faltered against a ridiculous Saints assault.

With McNabb and Westbrook returning this weekend, Philly should continue to improve. Look for McCoy to suck more and more work away from Westbrook.

Dallas Cowboys (2-2): Some teams need a bulleted list…

- Tony Romo is a decent QB. Not great by any stretch. He struggles with pressure and accuracy and decision making. Nevermind I take that back, he is an OK quarterback. The media is suddenly acting like he is not what he was supposed to be, when THEY hoisted him up onto that pedestal before he had done anything. Well he still hasn’t done anything.

- Cowboys receivers are not elite. Jason Witten is clearly the best receiver. He is a tight end.

- Dallas’ defensive secondary is masquerading as solid. They give up big plays to decent wideouts regularly. They blow assignments regularly.

- Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice had been a great running trio until: Jones got hurt again, again. Barber got hurt and teams figured out what I just said about the Cowboy QB and receivers.

- Head Coach Wade Phillips looks like a fan who won really good seats. I am convinced he doesn’t know hot to turn his headset on and doesn’t want to learn.

- All Dallas' wins have come against teams who have won ZERO games.

That many bullet points without a fully positive comment equals mediocre.

Washington Redskins (2-2): Jim Zorn. Head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Yes Zorn wears a lot of hats, and they are all too big. Zorn has the look of a guy who has run out of ideas, and that was in week 1. Jason Campbell needs to spend a full practice learning the names of his receivers and playing catch with them. Clinton Portis has not been healthy since early 2007, and he’s not Brian Westbrook. The redskins are a bunch of individual messes who ear the same uniform. That said, I expect them to finish ahead of Dallas.

NFC North- Projected Winner: Chicago Bears

Minnesota Vikings (4-0): If you have read my blog, you are aware of my feelings on Brett Favre. I used to love him. Not so much now, is an accurate if not politically correct summary.

That said, he is using the weapons he has and he has a lot of weapons. Adrian Peterson is the best RB in the NFL, by a lot. Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice are better than the Cowboys and Jaguars receivers combined. The Vikings defense is stifling to say the least.

All Favre has to do is stay consistent down the stretch and not turn the ball over. Oh wait…

Chicago Bears (3-1): After what could be described as a “slow” start (4 interceptions for Jay cutler and LB Brian Urlacher lost to injury) the Chicago Bears have found their rhythm. The defense is playing strong without its leader Urlacher. Jay Cutler has lived up to the billing by leading the offense and spreading the ball around to wide receivers previously thought to be dead weight. The drafting of electric rookie receiver Johnny Knox hasn’t hurt either.

While they may bend, I don’t see the bears breaking down on their way to winning this division.

Green Bay Packers (2-2): A very good QB in Aaron Rogers. A very good RB in Ryan Grant. A very good defense. Sounds like the Packers should be considered among the best teams in the league right? Wrong.

When the offensive line gets hurt, everybody gets hurt. Green Bay’s offensive line is allowing Aaron Rogers to get pummeled if not chased around the field way too much to think they will be able to compete. Unless they find a way to stop the bleeding (almost literally) up front, they will be out of the running for the playoffs and in the running for a new QB.

Detroit Lions (1-3): See that 1 in their record? That 1 means this season is a win, regardless of what is said about them here. On the positive side, they have a better running back (Kevin Smith) and #1 receiver (Calvin Johnson) than most teams.

NFC South- Projected Winner: New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints: Has there been a more balanced and terrifying team than the Saints this year? No, no there hasn’t. The Saints have scored 144 points so far this year, with the defense contributing on the scoreboard more effectively than many expected.

An assassin of a QB in Drew Brees, with at least 4 legit deep threats at wide receiver and a better than expected running game has propelled New Orleans to the top of the NFL in my opinion. People thought the Eagles would stop them, the Saints put up 48 points. People thought the Jets would stop them. The Saints scored 2 defensive touchdowns and beat up the Jets offense.

It’s rare that a team is both wildly entertaining and extremely effective. It’s even rarer when that team wins it all. That could happen this year.

Atlanta Falcons (2-1): The Falcons have all the weapons a team needs to compete. Their problem so far is distributing the load among those weapons. Atlanta has only mustered 57 points this year but they have the potential to explode at any point. Michael Turner needs more carries and that opens up the field for second year QB Matt Ryan and the receiving corps. We will see if they are able to play to their strengths or if they falter like the…

Carolina Panthers (0-3): RUN THE BALL! Jake Delhomme threw 5 INTs and lost a fumble in the playoffs last year. The Panthers decided that performance was good enough for a $30 million extension. To celebrate, Delhomme came out in week 1 and threw 4 more INTs…and lost another fumble. That’s 9 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles and $30 million worth of question marks.

The next time Steve Smith decides to punch out a team member, he should look for offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson. Davidson has managed to do what whole defenses could not last season…totally neutralize DeAngelo Williams. Williams ran for over 1500 yards last season and has become the forgotten man this year. If that doesn’t change, the 0 in the win column may not either.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4): Not much to say here. Bad defense. Bad QBs. Bad receivers. Mediocre RBs. Add that together and you get yet another winless team. Basically all that was true about the other 0 for the season teams applies here, except that the Bucs are hurt. A lot.

NFC West- Projected winner: Seattle Seahawks

San Francisco 49ers (3-1): A once proud team from the Bay Area hires an ex-player to coach. He comes in and changes the culture, instilling a hardnosed mentality to a young team in need of an identity. Mike Singletary has made the 49ers believe they can beat anyone and even if they can’t, the teams they play will know they were in a fight. The Niners are hitting this year, hard. It will be tough sledding in the NFC West where only the Rams look to have quit, but San Francisco will have something to say about the outcome of the division.

Arizona Cardinals (1-2): Early on it looks like the Cardinals offense has returned from last year’s Super Bowl run, but the defense is still mourning the loss. With health issues at the receiver positions (Steve Breaston and Anquan Boldin not 100%) Arizona has come out of the gate a little slow. Look for them to get it going once they get healthy and make a serious run at the NFC West.

Seattle Seahawks (1-3): No Hasselbeck = no shot in Seattle. The Seahawks QB went down with broken ribs in week 1 and the team struggled without him (to say the least) mustering only 74 points in 4 games. Once he returns, look for Seattle to return to its NFC West dominating ways. This division looks more interesting than it has in a loooong time.

St. Louis Rams (0-4): The Rams suck. I know you read things like this to look for some analysis or breakdown of strengths and weaknesses, so here ya go. The Rams have no strengths and outside Stephen Jackson there is no other legitimate NFL starter on the Rams roster.

That’s how the NFC looks through 4 weeks. What’s clear early on in the NFL season is that bad teams seem to have no interest in turning things around. Poor tackling, stupid penalties and lethargic offenses abound.

ENJOY!