Monday, June 23, 2014

My Top 5 Sleeper Free Agents that would make an impact on a contender.

Everyone knows about Bron Bron and Melo, here is my list of the the top five free agents this summer not named Lebron and Melo. I based this ranking on the amount of impact to a championship contender each player would have.

5. Tim Duncan - In the midst of all the celebrating and the talk about Lebron's future did anyone remember that the big fundamental has a 10 million dollar player option for 2014 -15. Obviously I don't think he is leaving San An any time soon, but any hope of a repeat starts with getting Duncan resigned.

4. Eric Bledsoe - Sooner or later the rest of the country is going to wake up to the fact that Bledsoe Balls. He is going to command top dollar, luckily for the Suns they can match any offer sheet.

3. Lance Stephonson - Lance will make them dance, he is also going to make someone pay. Stephonson is and Unrestricted free agent this Summer. His decision will be the first domino in Indiana this Summer.

2. Greg Monroe - Quiet as kept he averaged a double double last year and would be a great 2nd option for a lot of contending teams.Forget Melo, the Heat should be trying to grab this guy.

1. Kyle Lowry - Why do I feel like he is going to end up in a Lakers Jersey next year he would be the perfect fit. I have the perfect solution for your starting Point Guard going MIA in the Finals... sign Kyle Lowry and Miami is a contender again.



Sunday, June 22, 2014

My Super Long Blog Response to David Ashley's Facebook Post

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One of my favorite social media friends to argue sports with is my boy Dave Ashley. In all honesty we agree more than we disagree when it comes to basketball. However when we do disagree he makes a pretty good argument. The day after the NBA finals he had a great post about  Lebron’s place in Basketball history.  As soon as I read it, I knew that I wanted to respond, but I didn't quite know what I wanted to say. My first thought was… well played Ashley, well played. I thought this particular post was even better because it's the only Social Media  post that I have ever read that I both strongly agreed and disagreed with. I tried to respond on my Monday show, but I hadn’t really had enough time to digest and articulately respond and I didn’t want my argument to sound contradictory. After struggling with what I was trying to say I decided to just lay out the post and make my points. The highlighted portion contains his post.

"LeBron gets a bad wrap. In a series that saw him raise his "all time great" stock, he also put a self imposed ceiling on that stock, with the "CRAMP GATE" and all.

Right off the jump I knew this post would be a good one. I thought you hit it on the head with the first sentence. In the Finals you could clearly see how great of a basketball player Lebron James is, however because he did not win there is a limit to how great he can be considered when doing all time comparisons. The two all time greats IMO Bill Russell and Jordan are great mainly because they never lost when everyone was watching. Make no doubt about it they both lost. Russell lost in ‘the 59 Finals to St Louis where he suffered from a sprained ankle and admittedly played poorly. At the time people in the Boston media questioned the 2nd year stars “Mental toughness” and ability to play through pain. As for Jordan we conveniently forget that he was 0-3 in his first 3 Playoff appearances, but that was because as the media put it at the time “A scoring Champion couldn’t win the NBA title” The key for these guys is that when everyone was watching them, no one saw them lose. In Russell’s case basketball’s popularity exploded in the 60’s, His Celtics were so dominant that by the end of his era no one even remembers the 59 series or the sprained ankle. As For Jordan he was his very best on the biggest stage, although he did lose his first “Biggest Game Ever” (Game 7 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals.) I always wonder what people would say in today’s world if they could see that happen. As a kid growing up in the Chicago area, I remember what they said back then, how he didn't know how to win, and that a scoring champ just couldn't lead his team to the title.

He's SOOO good, that a lot of folk wanted to (and was scared that he would) add on that MJ-GOAT status, but I'll say it again, THAT CROWN is WAAY TOO HEAVY.The moniker "KING JAMES" is merely a play on words.


This was one of the statement’s I agreed strongly with. I couldn’t have said it any better myself, you essentially said word for word, what I was thinking. Nothing to Add.

LeBron was born in the right era for his celebrity, but the wrong era for his abilities. I'd HONESTLY love to see how he'd fare with DENNIS RODMAN all in his grill, CONSTANTLY and RELENTLESSLY. 


This was one of the trickier ones for me, I agree with the first sentence, however I believe that he is only in the wrong era for his abilities, because in an earlier era he would dominate even more. If Lebron played in the 60’s or 70’s when the offenses shot more frequently and defensive coaching had not yet evolved, he would have put up ridiculous numbers. It always cracks me up when people bring up stats from that era. Wilt’s 100 point game Oscar’s triple double season, etc. The fact of the matter is everyone from that era put up stupid numbers because the game and the rules were different. You had things like 3 to make 2, the lane was smaller, the 24 second clock was less than 20 years old. Think about, the first basketball game was played in the U.S in 1892 the first NBA game was played in 1946 and the shot clock wasn’t used until the 54-55 season. Essentially overnight teams went from 12 minutes to shoot to 24 seconds. It changed the entire strategy of the game if you look at the numbers from that era that is a key reason why so many are inflated. What if today’s Lebron played in that era. A 6’8 250lb athlete with handles and 6th sense passing ability? His numbers would look so stupid that the NBA would quickly be putting in more rule changes to make the game more competitive. Oh they don’t do that you say? What about  things like hand checking  5sec back to the basket, illegal defense, or any of the other thousand rules that have been put in to limit some players or enhance others. I remember listening to an interview one time with former Pistons great Bob Lainer and they asked him who he thought was the greatest player of all time. I don’t know the exact date, but I do know that it was taken after Jordan had retired the 2nd time. Lainer said that he didn’t know, the interviewer pressed him and brought up Jordan’s name. I’ll never forget what he said next, “It’s so hard to compare eras’s, you have to understand they changed the rules so that guys like Russell and Chamberlain couldn’t be more dominant. They changed the rules later so that guys like Jordan, and Magic could be more dominant. When I thought about it I realized he‘s right. It’s because of guys like Russell, Chamberlain and even Kareem that we have things like wider lanes, the half circle above the FT line. (When Wilt Chamberlain played the story goes that He was such a poor FT shooter that he would take a few steps behind the line run up and dunk the ball from the Free Throw line instead of shooting the Free Throw. That half circle started out as the furthest point that they thought Wilt could not Leap from to dunk the ball! Go to a basketball court and place both feet directly inside the circle with your heals touching the line… Wilt Chamberlain could dunk from there!) and Goaltending, It’s because of guys like Jordan that we have rules like hand Checking, Flagrant fouls, etc. The league wanted to protect there stars and limit physical play. When you say that you want to see what he would do against a defender like Dennis Rodman, my answer is that he is going to do the same thing that any great player does when being defended by a great defender, He going to kill him and force them to help. That’s all you can really do against any great scorer. People act as if guys like Dennis Rodman, or Bruce Bowen just shut everyone down… No they got torched many many times by a variety of great offensive players. What made them great defenders was that they stayed with it and competed every second they were on the floor. They constantly pressured and made you work, but make no mistake guys got buckets on them. Don’t believe me? Youtube every game of the 87 Eastern Conference Finals, Larry Bird goes HAM all over Dennis Rodman.

JORDAN didn't catch a cramp in the finals. He had the flu and played through it. Whether a cramp is not the same as the flu, is irrelevant, at this point. This was LeBron's FLU. The POINT is, it happened...lol And that, just like "the decision" or going to join another superstar's team, are just apart of a flawed, but GREAT legacy.
 


I can only speak from my  basketball playing experiences in high school college, and attempts to play professionally.  I have finished games with a torn ACL, a broken ankle, lower back cramps, and a stress fracture in my leg. It is virtually impossible to play with severe leg cramps. In LBJ’s case I look at that as bad timing, much like life sometimes can be. I disagree with you about the flu and cramp issue being irrelevant, and this being Lebron’s Flu game. His flu game will be when he has to play with the Flu which probably has already happened in his career we just haven’t heard about it. While I do get your point. IMO I don't think even Mike (who I consider the greatest competitor of all time) could have finished game 1 if he happened to suffer from severe cramps. I do however believe Mike would have found a way to win this series even after giving away game 1. The rule of thumb as Bill Laimbeer said in the Bad Boy documentary is that you go until you physically have to be carried off the court. In Lebron’s case he did that so I am satisfied. As for the decision, this is probably the one point I disagree with the most and the one that had me the most infuriated. I have never understood this, people blame Lebron all the time for deciding to take less money to play for a better team, but no one blames Kobe for wanting to play for the Lakers instead of Charlotte, the team that originally drafted him. In the 96 draft High Schooler Kobe Bryant made it clear that he did not want to play for Charlotte and he really wanted to play in L.A, Charlotte ended up picking him and trading him for Vlade Divac and that's how Kobe became a Laker. The other thing that I don’t understand is the same people who criticize him for choosing Miami then turn around and say “Basketball is a team Game” Well if it’s a team game and you have a chance to play with a better team, then why wouldn’t you join the better team. Not to mention the fact that people act as if when Lebron went to Miami he was joining a current dynasty. Lebron got to Miami in the 2010 -2011 season, at the time the Heat hadn’t won a play\off series since their Championship year of 2006! You know what Lebron should get credit for that he is never going to get? Getting D-wade onto that first Ballot Hall of Fame list. If you remember after the Heat lost again in the first round in the 09 - 10 season D-wade made the statement “I’m not going out in the first round again” D-wade was the first guy from that 03 class to be compared with Jordan and I don’t remember anyone questioning his “Killer instinct” while his teams were getting bounced in the 1st round in the post Shaq era. They said “He plays so hard that his body breaks down”

My over all point is that although LeBron will NEVER EVER capture that GOAT status, we can't fault him for not being MJ, because MJ has done exceedingly and abundantly more, with less, than anybody else. That’s what made him the GOAT.


I agreed with most of the post except for the more with less part. I still believe that Lebron James leading the 07 Cavs to the NBA Finals is one of the top 3 feats in the history of the NBA. By almost any NBA standard that team is the worse team to ever play in the Finals. and a 22 year old kid got them 4 wins away from an NBA title! Drew Gooden, Sasha Pavolivich and Larry Hughes Started on that team. Illgaskus was a good center but he was toward the back end of his career. When Lebron left the floor Ira Newble came in for him. And before people start talking about how bad the Eastern Conference was back then, just remember to get to the Finals that year he stepped over both the Nets and Pistons the two teams that dominated the East up until then. During Jordan’s championship years he never had to deal with lack of talent like that, the closest thing he had to that 07 Cavs team was probably his 87- 88 team with a young Pippen and Grant, but they lost in the 2nd round.

I think the thing that strikes me the most when I hear how people talk about Lebron is how some things never change. We have a tendency in our society to remember the past fondly, everything was better when we were growing up. The players played for “The right reasons” and the guys playing back then were “tougher” The reality is that great players always have had to deal with critics and people undervaluing their contributions to the game. We like to think that our heroes were perfect and that they never failed us. In reality we forget that Magic was Swept in the Finals twice, We forget that Kobe Bryant was the Alpha on a team that had a 3-1 series lead and blew it. We forget that despite all the fancy numbers they put up that Wilt and Oscar only combined for 3 Championships, or 1 more than Lebron Currently has.

As for the last two points you make I agree but I look at it a little different. You don’t have to stop the comparison, just be fair in your comparison. The issue that I have is that when people compare Lebron they set the bar at Jordan, and stop. If your going to set the bar at the greatest player, then every player that has ever played is going to fall short. I love what Mark Jackson kept saying during these playoffs. Whenever he talked about Lebron he called him “ The greatest Small Forward to ever play the game” Conveniently people quickly hushed that up, because that statement is a positive one, and most people spend their whole life focusing on the negative. Whenever I hear people make statements like “Lebron Lacks Killer instinct or that he doesn’t fight through obstacles“. I chuckle. There are less the 500 players playing in the NBA, to even survive in the League for 10 plus years you need to have extraordinary killer instinct and will have to fight through many obstacles. To assume that the greatest player of the generation lacks these two things is laughable. What does it say about every other player playing? I also chuckle because I realize that 15 years from now I will probably be writing this same article when talking about  the guy who is the current Alpha. No matter who that guy is or what he does people will only talk about how he is not as good as Lebron. Will Lebron catch Jordan? Probably not but instead of looking at what he’s not, I prefer to look at what he is and what Lebron James is is a transcendent player, that comes along once a generation, a player so rare that scouts and gm’s have been looking for, another one like him for the past 10 years, and have failed. 



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Monday, June 2, 2014

My thoughts immediately after the Conference Finals




1. A lot of the problems in OKC are Scott Brooks fault - This team should have played a lot better against the Spurs, the fact that they could never run a successful offensive set ended up being the downfall of the team. Loads of talent, but until they have some sort of structure OKC will never be a Champ.

2. It is hard to imagine either of the two teams left loosing - There are a lot of Hall of Famers, Champions and all time greats in this game. In fact many say that Lebron is the best 3 ever and Timmy is the best 4 ever. This will be a great series to watch as each champion will have to show resolve and get off the mat.

3. Lebron’s MJ chase - Say what you want but if Lebron wins this title it is officially only him and MJ left, with Bill Russell somewhere in the mix as the greatest players of all time. A third title combined with 4 straight trips to the finals would move him past everyone else IMO.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014

All time Glass Ceiling teams: These teams came close for many years but never could win the title.





1. 1980 - 1987 Milwaukee Bucks - Won 6 straight division titles, got to the Conference semi’s or finals for 7 straight years and lost to either Celtics or Sixers

2. 1998 - 2001 Indiana Pacers - Got to 3 conference finals and one NBA finals but could not win it all.

3.1992 - 1994 Knicks - Great team that challenged the MJ Bulls and then beat them while Jordan was retired. Pat Ewing and led one of the scariest most talented supporting cast of all time. 


Friday, May 23, 2014

5 Reasons why Ultimate Poker will Ultimately fail



I recently had a conversation with a dealer friend of mine that works for stations casinos. The first thing that came up was Ultimate Poker and it’s lack of success. Initially he gave me the company line about Nevada being a small state and not having enough traffic. However after a little pressing we got down to the root of some of the problems and at the end of the day despite several different excuses, the fact is the site has made some major mistakes that have lead to it’s decline.

1. No all in Chat Disabled - Why do they not have this? IMO this is the most egregious mistake that they could have made simply because it opens them up to questions of cheating. Poker players will put up with a lot, but one thing that they do not want to put up with is issues of cheating. So many times at the final table of these tournaments I have had my money all - in while someone else was tanking. Meanwhile some Jerk off is busy chatting about what he just folded. This wouldn’t be allowed in a card room, so why should it be allowed online?

2. Tournament Structure - This is the part that I don’t understand, does it cost more money to make a good tournament? In my way of thinking if I had a online poker site I would like to run the best structured tournaments that I could. In fact I would have gone to 20 min levels instead of the standard 15 min that many online tournaments used. I mean why wouldn’t I it’s not like the players can play only one tournament at a time. Wouldn’t the site benefit more by having people playing longer in deeper structured tournaments?

3. More Tournaments - While we are on the subject of tournaments, why are there so few. Typically on Ultimate Poker the guarantee tournaments start at about 4:30 and then are spaced out throughout the night. Why don’t they just run consistent small guarantee tournaments throughout the day just to keep the action going, like they do on Sunday’s?

4. Heads Up Cash Games - You would think that a site that only has a little traffic could really benefit from having heads up cash tables, especially considering that it is a local site. Think of how many Who’s a Better Player arguments could be solved simply by logging onto the site and playing heads up for rolls.

5. Cage Sign ups - This one I still don’t understand, so your going to operate the first ever online site, and you need poker players to play on that site, but your not going to use the live poker rooms on you property? This makes absolutely no sense to me. What they should have done from the start is make the online sign ups available right in the poker room. Every player that wanted to make a deposit or cash out should have had to walk through that poker room. This would have been a perfect way to kill two birds. However they made it indistinguishable by lumping the online poker transaction in with every other transaction that the casino makes. I’m no expert, but I would think that more people visiting the poker room is a good thing.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

My thought after the Conference Semi’s



1. The Thunder are better off without Serge Ibaka - I like him as a player, but I feel that Ibaka’s injury will give Steven Adams a chance to play more. This works perfectly for the Thunder because Westbrook and Durant get more shots.

2. The Donald Sterling issue caught up to the Clippers - It had to fatigue these guys, I felt like the collapses in gave 5 and game 6 was more a result of mental than physical fatigue.

3. Both Conference Finals series are going 7 - As a bettor I’m looking to play the ziz-zag and the dog heavy in this round. The four elite teams in the League are left and while all have questions each has a complete resume explaining why they can win the title.

(a) Pacers - Lost in 7 last year to the Heat. Lost last two year to the Heat. Have survived the 1st two rounds despite not playing their best.
(b) Thunder - Lost in the Finals in 2012. Have the reigning League MVP. Have survived the 1st two rounds despite not playing their best.
( c) Spurs - Are the Spurs
(d) Heat - See spurs answer

Not only are the resume’s compelling but each team is extremely familiar with their opponent. I’m looking forward to two 1980 type series were Home court is vital but either team is capable of winning in a must win situation.

4. Pacers Heat feels like Lakers Kings 2002 - I remember that year, we all got seduced by the Kings fancy passing and rocking arena. It felt like the Lakers run would end at two because they would have to play a game 7 on the road. In the end the best player in the world was on the Lakers at the time and the Kings just weren’t ready, I feel as we are going to be saying the same thing at the end of this series.



Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Club Fortune Casino Review



My Club fortune experience was much more enjoyable than I originally thought it would be. Located in Henderson, from the outside Club Fortune looks like the standard hole in the wall poker room. I played their 2:00pm double deuce tournament a $30 buy -in with a $10 Add - On. There were not a lot of spring chickens in the two tournaments that I played in. Most of the players were men over 50. However instead of the grumpy old man experience these old guys were actually fun and seemed to genuinely be having a good time. In My opinion the star of this game is a player named Rocky a elderly gentleman who really likes his short shorts. These guys were all pretty good natured, a rare quality to see in a local card room in the middle of the day. My one major criticism was the bar service, the second time I went, I brought a few friends with me so that they could learn to play poker. and have some drinks, we went to two different bars and got absolutely zero service. Once the tournament started our poker waitress was more than capable, but I don‘t remember even seeing her while we were waiting for the tournament to start? Overall I wouldn’t make this room part of my regular grind, because of the limits, but I would definitely use it as a place to take some buddies, have some beers and splash some chips. The staff was helpful and even provided a demo tournament for my friends that were new to the game. It was a great way to ease any apprehension that new players might have when playing live poker for the first time and helped make the entire experience enjoyable.




Monday, May 5, 2014

Four Thoughts After Round 1 of the Playoffs




1. Anyone can win the West - I can easily make a case for all four teams left to win the West.
(A) Spurs - Tony Parker needs to play better, and they need scoring from Kawai Leonard
(B) Blazers - Need their Bench to give them anything and have their stars play keep playing like stars.
(C) Thunder - Less shots from Westbrook,need someone from their Bench to be consistent
(D) Clippers - Need to play hard at all times, and get consistent Low Post Scoring from Blake 

2. The Rockets need a new coach -I thought Mchale blew the series, it was a terrible idea to start Terrence Jones and it took him 2 full games to make the adjustment, and then you lose the series because you can't defend for 0.9 seconds? I know fans who saw Damian Lillard's shot think it was  great, and it was, but real Hoop Heads know that you are supposed to switch all screens in that situation. What the hell is Chandler Parsons doing?

3. Pacers might be out of Jail - I thought it was tough Match -up for the Pacers in Round 1. Their not really that deep and they weren’t able to play their best lineup together because Hibbert couldn’t stay on the floor. In the next round against Washington I think they have a much better match up and should play a lot more free. 

4. The Champs are vulnerable. - I don’t think Miami is nearly as good as they have been the last 3 years. They have no real depth, no Point guard and no Big Men, this is going to be the King’s biggest challenge this year. If he can do it the chase for MJ’s greatest ever spot officially begins.


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Top 5 Fan Bases in the NBA



If you play for one of these teams you have a huge home court advantage. Here is my list of the top 5 fan bases in the NBA. The criteria that I used to come up with this list is

1. What crowd is with there team win or lose: Sorry Laker and Heat Fans but you guys are good at being seen when the team is winning, but are absent when the team is struggling

2. Knowledge of the game - Do you understand when and what you should be cheering for?

3. Crowd intensity - I think that a good crowd is capable of swinging a game by 2 - 3 points per simply by their energy.

4. Longevity - This is aimed at OKC while they do have an amazing crowd, their team has not been around long enough for me to judge them. Also they have endured far more good times than bad times since taking the team over from Seattle.

So without further ado here is my Top 5 list.

1. Golden State - The Dubs have a huge home court advantage, the crowd decked out in gold with the dim lights makes it feel like something special is happening on every play. These guys show up to support their team no matter what the record

2. Chicago Bulls - The madhouse on Madison has seen it’s share of great basketball, but it also has seen some mediocre b-ball. Overall Chicago is home to some of the most knowledgeable fans in the game.

3. Portland Trailblazers - Blazer fans come out in droves for their team providing an energy and a spark that makes their arena one of the toughest to play in the L

4. Boston Celtics - No list of NBA fan bases would be complete without the Celtics, the tradition combined with their knowledge of the game make them one of the most passionate fan bases in the game. In fact their so famous that even their fans have become famous (Bill Simmons)



5. You name the 5th .................

Thursday, April 17, 2014

NBA Regular Season Awards



NBA Season Awards

MVP: Kevin Durant- Won his 4th scoring title while carrying OKC to 2nd in the west.

Rookie of the year: Victor Olidipo- Lot of people like MCW but Olidipo's consistency gets him the nod.

Defensive Player of the year: Jakim Noah - What a year for Noah who has emerged as a top 15 player in the League

6th Man of the year: Jamal Crawford - J-crossover just gets buckets. Averaged 18 a game providing the Clippers with serious offensive fire power off the bench.

Most improved: Gerald Green - Who knew he had it like that? Green took his game to a new level this year having a breakout season with Phoenix

Coach of the year: Tom Thibodeau - Tibbs is the best in the biz, making no excused he once again has lead an oft injured Bulls squad into the playoffs.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

My Thoughts Immediately after the National Semifinals.



1. John Calipari is one of the elite coaches in college basketball. He has been to 5 final fours, and three Championship games. If you are one of those that believe he is not elite. Then you should check yourself into the nearest psychiatric facility to you.

2. Kevin Ollie is a rising star - You can tell that his players love to play for him, and IMO his adjustment of going to 5 guards was the difference in the game. It will not be long before NBA teams will be wanting him.

3. Deandre Daniels is the guy who made himself the most money during the tournament. - I had never heard of this guy before the tournament now he is a projected Lottery Pick. A 6”9 Stretch 4 that has crazy athletic ability is a nice commodity in the NBA.

4. Wisconsin played one of the best basketball games I ever saw…. And Lost - The Badgers shot %46 from the Field %40 from the 3, went 19-20 from the line and had only 8 turnovers. In my entire lifetime of watching basketball I have never witnessed a game where I felt the Loosing team was the best team on the floor.

5. If Kentucky wins the title it will be the greatest run to the title ever. They beat a good Kansas State team in the first round, an Undefeated Wichita State Team, in the 2nd the defending Champs and Runner ups in the Next two and then a number 2 seed Wisconsin in the Final Four. Before the tournament people talked about the Midwest Region being the toughest bracket ever and Kentucky Outlasted them all and is now playing for the Chip.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

5 Players who made themselves money during the NCAA Tournament

This is a big draft everyone knows about the top of the list but what about the guys who are using the tournament to make a name for themselves. 




1. Kyle Anderson  - The more and More I watch Kyle Anderson the more I start thinking he could actually steal the #1 pick spot. I honestly feel that most GM’s would prefer to have him then some of the more hyped Freshman. His skill set combined with the success that Michael - Carter Williams has been having makes him an attractive choice for the top spot. I really think that a few teams sitting around the middle of the lottery will actually be happy to have him fall to them.

2. Adrean Payne - At the beginning of the season I thought he had a chance to play in the League. Now I see him being a solid contributor right away for a playoff team. I think where he goes is extremely important because he works better as a second option type player.

3. TJ Warren - I am conflicted about Warren, on one hand the guy can flat out score, but I kind of feel like I’m watching a Anthony Bennett clone here. He shoots it well, but his range is only to the college 3 and he doesn’t really have a post game, some team will fall in love with his numbers though.

4. Cleanthony Early - He is nice, I feel like he is one of those guys who is going to better in the L than college. I see how Wichita State went undefeated for so long. He was a beast all year and in the Kentucky Game he was the best player on the floor on a floor full of pro’s. He had 31 in the game, and they never went to him once the game got under 4 minutes.

5. Xavier Thames - He’s going to play in the League for sure. On the low SDSU has been producing players the last few years, Kawi Leonard, Jamal Franklin to name a couple. He already has a NBA type game. I don’t think he will ever be a regular rotation guy, but he will carve out a 4 or 5 year career.



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

My Bold Predictions For this years NCAA Tournament.

It's Christmas for basketball fans. March Madness has started, and I want to give you some predictions that will help to keep your bracket from busting. 


Tony Bennett will become the hottest coaching commodity in College Basketball- He is the son of a coach and one of the 5 best coaches in the game today. Don’t believe me? This is the same guy that turned Washington state into a winning basketball program nuff said.

 Kentucky will either lose to K-state or get hammered by Wichita State -
I really hope they play Wichita State. This team has underachieved all year. The Harrison twins are and always have been over rated.. They play selfishly, and as individuals, and when they run up against a team that plays together and unselfishly they are going to get a hard lesson in winning basketball 101. For all the pros that people think they have, the reality is that besides from Julius Randle, the rest of these guys will be on a basketball Milk Carton in the next 3 years

St Joes will advance to the sweet 16 and Phil Martili’s Grandson is going to become a superstar overnight
. - If you are not a hardcore basketball fan then you probably haven’t seen this. Phil Martili is the head coach at St. Joes but his grandson is the star. He mimics his grandson when he is on the sideline, he wears a suit and tie, and has the exact same mannerism’s as his grandpa. I have a guy feeling that we will be seeing a lot of this kid this weekend.

People will be shocked how good the Atlantic 10 is -
The talk all year was which conference was better, Big 12 or Big 10, IMO the Atlantic 10 is just as good as both of them. They got 6 teams into the tournament and I believe that St Joes, VCU and Dayton can make a serious Final Four run.

Bryce Cotton Vs Marcus Paige is must see T.V -
Neither one of these guys is considered a lottery pick, however it is my opinion that they have had the two best seasons by PG’s. They meet in a first round match - up in the East Region

14th seeded ULL will bust someone’s bracket -
This is my upset special. ULL has talent, McDermott might be the name that everyone knows, but Elfrid Payton is the NBA star in this game. They will battle Creighton all day and with a little luck they will pull off the upset.

Monday, March 3, 2014

5 athletes from different era’s that I wish played today.



1. Randall Cunningham - He came along to early. In today’s game with the Pistol offense and the Zone Read Randall Cunningham would be the Ultimate Dual Threat. A faster version of RG3 combined with a Laser arm. In his day coaches were still hung up on 3 yards and a cloud of dust. With today’s wide open spread offenses he would be pretty much unstoppable.

2. Isaiah Thomas - I am still made about a comment that I heard earlier in the year stating that Jason Kidd had a better Career than Isaiah Thomas. In his prime Zeke was un-guardable 1 on 1, was money from 18 and in and made everyone on his team better. In today’s NBA without hard fouls and where he wouldn’t have to worry about getting his head bashed in by the likes of Karl Malone, Zeke would be putting up a cold 30 and 10 a night book it.

3. David Thompson - The main reason that he is on this list is because I am hoping that he manages to stay clean in this era. The man was an absolute freak of nature. A 6’4 shooting guard with a however high I need to go Vertical. He should have won the first Slam Dunk Contest against Doc. I today’s game his above the rim style would flourish.

4. Lynn Swann - Did they even have Slot Receivers in the 70’s? I just imagine every team lined up in 2 tight with a fullback halfback and 2 ends. Did you know he only had 51 career TD’s it feels like half of them came in the Super Bowl. He would be perfect in today’s game with 3 and 4 wide sets allowing him to get free underneath on quick pick and rub routes.


5 Greg Maddox - Seriously if all these guys were on steroids and he wasn’t he was a serious Bad Ass. Maddux dominated the mid to late 90’s at the height of the Steroid Era. He finished with a 3.16 ERA and 355 total wins. Can you imagine what his numbers might look like if he wasn’t facing contestants from the 1988 Summer Olympics every game?





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