Cleaning Up the Mess...

It is that time of week to once again bring to you the lastest signings, trades, and quarterback controversies!

On with the cleanup...

NFL NEWS:
* The Miami Dolphins will name Chad Pennington opening day starter at QB
* The 49ers will name JT O'Sullivan their starting quarterback
* More quarterbacks news! The Cardinals are reportdely going to name Kurt Warner their starter
* Giants DE Osi Umenyiora will be out for the season, and talk of Michael Strahan coming back has already begun
* Bengals Wide Receiver Chad 'Ocho Cinco' Johnson has a partial labrum tear
* Tom Brady is expected to start opening week for the Patriots, and why wouldn't he?
* The Falcons have signed veteran tight end Marcus Pollard
* The Atlanta Falcons have named Matt Ryan their starting quarterback

NBA NEWS:
* The Phoenix Suns have traded guard DJ Strawberry to the Houston Rockets for Sean Singletary
* The Dallas Mavericks have re-signed swingman Devean George
* The 76ers signed big man Theo Ratliff
* OK City has waived sniper Donyell Marshall
* Nuggets have re-signed JR Smith to a multi-year deal
* The Celtics are taking a chance and signing Darius Miles
* Veteran guard Michael Finley has re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs

MLB NEWS:
* Eddie Guardado has returned to the Minnesota Twins because of a trade with the Texas Rangers
* Mets pitcher John Maine's season may be over
* Kip Wells has signed with the KC Royals
* Mets have signed reliever Al Reyes
* The Astros have signed infielder Jose Castillo
* The Braves are bringing starter Rodrigo Lopez in after almost a year off


Anything I missed?

NBA Free Agency!!

Surprises and Mini-Rivalries brewing!!

When Baron Davis opted out of his contract with the Warriors, the NBA was stunned and it immediately changed the landscape of the upcoming offseason. Soon there after, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette both opted out from their contracts with the Los Angeles Clippers setting up a decent crop of free agents, while also adding a few players to the list of teams with cap space this Summer. The Grizzlies, Sixers, Warriors, and Clippers were all now geared up to be the major players in the offseason.

To recap, there have been 3 significant moves so far in free agency.

The Los Angeles Clippers signed PG Baron Davis to a 5 yr - $65 Mil

The Philadelphia 76ers signed PF Elton Brand to a 5 yr - $82 Mil

The Golden State Warriors signed SF Corey Maggette to a 5 yr - $50 Mil

Soon after Baron aka B Diddy opted out of his contract, the Clippers thought they had made a big enough splash to not only retain Maggette and Brand, but to also become an instant contender in the West. With a starting 5 of Baron, Maggette, Thorton, Brand, and Kaman, that is a pretty legit lineup. Soon thereafter Brand decided to sign with the 76ers.

Even with Brand leaving, I still like the move by the Clips and it shows that they are ready and willing to spend the big bucks. I do not entirely blame the Clippers for Brand leaving, I feel that was more on Elton and his agent. Baron Davis gives the Clippers the true point guard they need to run a fast break offense and also impose his will at any point during a game. He will instantly make Kaman better, and also youngsters Thorton and Eric Gordon.

As a Sixer fan however, I am absolutely elated to have Elton Brand coming to Philly. A lot of people in town are doubting him and calling him the next Chris Webber (a busted trade that did not sit well with fans), but Brand is the perfect fit for a team who was exposed in the playoffs for not having a lost-post presence who can score in quantities, um hello Elton Brand fits that description. The Brand signing will significantly help Dalembert develop even further and become a better player. Also, Andre Miller and Brand have played together before with the Clippers and that year Brand was an All-Star. I don't think this move will make the Sixers the East favorites this year, but assuming everyone stays healthy they should be a top 4 seed in next year's playoffs.

Understandably, Clipper coach Mike Dunleavy was a bit ticked off by the recent events of the Brand situation and sounded off with displeasure on 710 ESPN in LA with the Mason and Ireland Show. This interview can be heard at their website on July 10th.

What do you think of the moves and the Brand/LA/Baron situation?

Top 10: Recent Rivalries

After today's epic showdown between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, I decided it was time for another top 10 and a countdown of the Top 10 rivalries in sports in the recent years.

10. Philadelphia Flyers v. Pittsburgh Penguins ~ NHL - This instate rivalry has intensified lately with the NHL's unbalanced schedule and with having both teams being relatively young and talented, although this year's playoff series was not very competitive.

09. University of Southern California v. Notre Dame ~ College Football - This has been a relatively storied rivalry with the game pitting Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush versus Brady Quinn immediately coming to mind as an all-time classic.

08. Cleveland Cavaliers v. Washington Wizards ~ NBA - These teams seem to meet every year in the playoffs with the Cavs primarily getting the upper hand. After this year's fiasco with Soulja Boy, Deshawn Stevenson and Lebron James, these two will surely continue to battle.

07. Philadelphia Phillies v. New York Mets ~ MLB - Up until the past few season, these two teams never seemed to be good at the same time, but recently every game has been heavily contested and the crowds at these games are second to none.

06. Ohio State v. Michigan ~ College Football - This famous rivalry will always be intact and it seems like every year these two teams play on the final weekend of Big 10 football and it usually involves the conference title being on the line. It should be interesting how new coach Rich Rodriguez fits into the rivalry.

05. Chicago Cubs v. Chicago White Sox ~ MLB - This is one of the few situations in which interleague play has helped enhance this cross-town rivalry. These two teams have been involved in several potentially volatile situations, ejections, and brush-backs. With 6 games taking place every season and both teams on the up and up, it should be a very entertaining rivalry.

04. Duke v. North Carolina ~ College Basketball - Duke and UNC always put on a great show every year when they matchup and it is more often than not a matchup of two top-10 teams in college basketball. With the quick turnover of many players and programs in college hoops, UNC and Duke are always two constants.

03. Rafael Nadal v. Roger Federer ~ Tennis - Federer and Nadal have been ranked 1 and 2 for almost 3 years now, respectively. Head to Head Nadal leads 12 to 6 overall, and also leads 4 to 2 in Grand Slam Finals. After today's epic 5 set match in the Wimbledon's final, Nadal was finally able to defeat Federer on his own game on the grass. The next step is for Federer to take one from Nadal at the French Open.

02. Boston Red Sox v. New York Yankees ~ MLB - This rivalry pretty much speaks for itself with everything from epic playoff series to players switching sides in the rivalry. It's tough to imagine either one of the teams letting themselves slip out of contention and spoiling this rivalry.

01. New England Patriots v. Indianapolis Colts ~ NFL - In a matchup of two teams who seem to play at least once, if not twice annually even though they are not division rivals, these two teams always deliver. In the beginning the Pats owned the Colts, with recent history showing the Colts starting to even up the series a little bit. This also features the classic rivalry of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

Honorable Mentions: Eagles v. Cowboys, Texas v. Kansas (MBB), Texas v. Oklahoma (CFB), Tiger Woods v. Phil Mickelson, San Antonio Spurs v. Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers v. Detroit Pistons.

Agree? Disagree? Do Comment Below.

Top 10: Drafted Players in Best Situations

Come one, come all ... it's time for another edition of Top 10! This time we'll be looking at the 10 drafted players in the NBA Draft who landed in the best situations in terms of having the opportunity to get playing time and succeed as an individual and team.

Onward and Upward to the Top 10!

10. DeAndre Jordan (Texas A&M) - Los Angeles Clippers - The Clippers were able to land a legit big man prospect in the 2nd round who could help soften the blow if Elton Brand is either traded or becomes a free agent.

09. DJ White (Indiana) - Detroit Pistons - The Pistons have a history of taking chances on players and having them succeed in their system (a la Antonio McDyess). Perhaps once McDyess is done, White could fill in nicely in that role.

08. JJ Hickson (NC State) - Cleveland Cavaliers - Hickson can provide an instant boost of the bench for an aging frontcourt for the Cavs. He reminds me of a Maxiell type on the Pistons.

07. Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky) - Orlando Magic - The Magic need a peremeter shooter and a legit 2 guard, sorry Mo Evans. Lee should have every opportunity to succeed and play in Orlando.

06. Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis) - New Jersey Nets - CDR will have a chance to play along with the likes of Devin Harris, Marcus Williams and Vince Carter in the backcourt. CDR should have every chance to make the team and have a great chance to play some significant minutes. I think he may be one of the steals of the draft.

05. Russell Westbrook (UCLA) - Seattle Supersonics - Come on now, having the opportunity to distribute to two young guns in Jeff Green and Kevin Durant is very enticing. These three young guys should have a great chance to grow together and flourish whether it is in Seattle or Oklahoma City.

04. Mario Chalmers (Kansas) - Miami Heat - Chalmers slipped in the draft and many had him projected as a first round pick. The Heat may have lucked out with a steal here and Chalmers go eventually work his way into the starting lineup. In the mean time he will be a great sub for Wade and Jason Williams aka White Chocolate.

03. Brook Lopez (Stanford) - New Jersey Nets - The Nets were elated when Brook slipped to them at the number 10 pick. It was a big day for NJ after grabbing Yi, Brook Lopez, and CDR. Lopez should start in the frontcourt alongside Sean Williams and Yi, with Vince Carter and Devin Harris in the backcourt.

02. Jerryd Bayless (Arizona) - Portland Trail Blazers - Bayless has to stoked to be leading the up and coming Blazers. The options he will have on offense to distribute the ball to, Roy, Webster, Oden, and Aldridge just to name a few. The Blazers have a very bright future ahead of them and the swap for Bayless was a key move.

01. Michael Beasley (Kansas State) - Miami Heat - It's tough to argue with the number 2 overall pick and what he will do for Miami. Beasley appears to be an instant 20 and 10 guy and will help provide a potent offense for the Heat with Shawn Marion and Dwayne Wade.

Celtics are Champs

Congrats to the Boston Celtics for winning the title, and big props go to Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce for getting their rings (and oh yes you too Sam Cassell). But first thing is first, and I must eat some crow.



On a post dated 11/01/2007, I wrote the following...



"Green Kool*Aid
Don't Sip the Kool*Aid on the Boston Celtics this year!Before the Celtics tip off their season, I just want to put it out there that I am not going to sip on that green kool-aid, celtic flavor. I do not think the Celtics will win the NBA Championship, nor do I think they will win the East. Sure, the Celtics will be a tough team to play against, but they draw similar comparisons to the '03-'04 LA Lakers. The Lakers team that included Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone,and Gary Payton."





Boy, was I wrong.



Not only was this team the complete real deal composed of 3 superstars who each scaled back their egos and games to compliment each other, but their role players were ideal for this team. Savy Vets like Cassell and PJ Brown, lock-down defender like James Posey, 3-point threats like Eddie House and Tony Allen, and young big men like Leon Powe, Big Baby, and Kendrick Perkins and oh yes an ever improving point guard in Rajon Rondo all contributed significantly to the title run.



I did predict the Celtics to win the finals and I did feel that they were not receiving enough credit against the Lakers, and the C's basically exploited every Laker weakness and forced Kobe into countless uncomforatable offensive situations.

These are the finals the NBA wanted and I do not think it is to far-fetched to predict a repeat finals next year. This was one of the most compelling NBA seasons in recent memory with the parity in the West, the return on Celtic basketball, the Hornets, Chris Paul emerging, Lebron continuing to improve, new stars like Kevin Durant and Brandon Roy, and oh yes the NBA still has a guy named Greg Oden waiting to debut.

More thoughts on the Finals to come. But for now, I wanna hear your thoughts on the Finals!

NBA Finals Preview!

LAKERS VS CELTICS

So, I am going to take a break from my 4-part series for a moment to take a look into the NBA Finals which kicks off tonight! As I am sure everyone knows by now, the Finals wil pit the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers with Boston having the home-court advantage in a 2-3-2 format.

After doing some research, it appears a lot of the so-called experts are predicting the Lakers to win in either 5 or 6 games. Did I miss something? Did the Celtics not have the best record in all of basketball this past season? Sure, they have played 5 more playoff games than the Lakers and absolutely did the Atlanta Hawks make the Celtics look pretty damn vulnerable. But if you want to compare previous playoff matchups, I would have the say the Lakers had a bit of an easier task than did the Celtics. The Nuggets play absolutely ZERO defense, and seemingly backed their way into the playoffs. Let's be serious, the Jazz were never a legitimate contender in the West and failed to offer any real offensive threat. The Lakers did make the Spurs look like anything but a defending champion to their credit.

Let's take a brief look, position by position at the matchups going into Game 1...

POINT GUARD:
Derek Fisher v. Rajon Rondo
Fisher definitely provides the experience and the clutch shooting, while Rondo provides explosiveness and has impressed a lot of people by how much he has improved his game through out the season. However, I think Fisher with the Finals experience will be the better player in the series. Advantage: Fisher

SHOOTING GUARD:
Kobe Bryant v. Ray Allen
Well Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league right now, basically enough said. Ray Allen is a classic sniper and when his shot is on, he's one of the best shooters of all time from beyond the arc. The problem is IF Allen is on, and even then Kobe is not the league MVP for nothing.
Advantage: Bryant

SMALL FORWARD:
Vladimir Radmonavic v. Paul Pierce
Radmonavic is an outside shooter, who should not be more than a 3-point specialist off the bench role player, does not offer much for the Lakers. Pierce aka "The Truth", has undoubtably been the emotional leaders of the Boston Three Party and the Celtics. Pierce provides great defense and seems to be the go to guy when the game is on the line for the Celtics.
Advantage: Pierce

POWER FORWARD:
Lamar Odom v. Kevin Garnett
I do believe that Odom is one of the most underrated players in the NBA, and could basically be labeled as the X Factor for the Lakers. Odom can provide 20 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists on any given night with some sound defense. Garnett is much the same in that he provides everything for the Celtics and that also includes top flight defense and a presence that scares many from coming through the paint.
Advantage: Garnett

CENTER:
Pau Gasol v. Kendrick Perkins
Gasol was arguably the biggest steal of the season and has been the perfect compliment to MVP Kobe Bryant. Kendrick Perkins has improved by leaps and bounds this year and has given the Celtics exactly what they needed from a young player like him. Gasol will prove to be one of the key players in the series.
Advantage: Gasol


After breaking down the series position by position, it would appear the Lakers have the edge, not to mention when you factor coaching and Phil Jackson versus Doc Rivers. I think it terms of a bench, the group of Turiaf, Farmar, Vujacic, and Walton compare similarily to Posey, Brown, Big Baby and Cassell. I will have to also note that the Celtics bench does have some Finals experience to help compensate for the lack of experience from the big three.


FINALS PREDICTION: CELTICS IN 7.

Why 7 games? Well I think this has been one of the most entertaining and best NBA seasons in a while and I figure why not end the season on a classic historical 7 game matchup, with the Celts prevailing (And yes I was not sipping the green kool-aid early on).


Who do ya got in the Finals? Comment Below.

Top 10: NBA Players I would Pay to see...

As part of a 4 part series, in which I will rank NBA, NFL, and MLB players in terms of who I think would be worth the price of admission to go see play live...I have assembled my list for the NBA version.

This list is purely opinion and for the sake of argument, the price of admission is defined as paying for front row seats to see these visiting players come to play your home team on a given night.

TOP 10 NBA PLAYERS I WOULD PAY THE PRICE OF ADMISSION FOR...

10. Chris Bosh F/C Toronto Raptors (Just a favorite player of mine)

09. Greg Oden C Portland Trail Blazers (even though he has not played a professional game, I can't wait to watch his game)

08. Chris Paul G New Orleans Hornets

07. Shaq O'Neal C Phoenix Suns (yes...still worth the price)

06. Dwayne Wade G Miami Heat (Flash)

05. Tracy McGrady G/F Houston Rockets

04. Kevin Garnett F Boston Celtics

03. Allen Iverson G Denver Nuggets (another personal favorite of mine)

02. Kobe Bryant G L.A. Lakers (yes, I am warming up to Kobe)

01. LeBron James G/F Cleveland Cavaliers



There you have my list. Feedback would be appreciated and I would love to hear your list in the comment section.

Derek Fisher Brent Barry Foul

OK, so I had to comment a bit on the Barry/Fisher "foul" because of the latest developments that took place last night. Initially, I was just going to let it go and brush it off as another over-analyzed play in the playoffs, but then I heard the statement...

"The league office on Wednesday reviewed the final play of the San Antonio Spurs' 93-91 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals and acknowledged that a two-shot foul should have been called on Derek Fisher for impeding Brent Barry"

...from the league's front office. Yikes.

At first glance, Myself along with a plethora of others, felt as though a foul should have been called on Derek Fisher for bumping into Barry with a second left in the game. Shame on me for not recalling how many team fouls there were at the time, but the Spurs should have had posession and maybe would have a shot at getting Ginobli the ball.

Sidenote: Is it ironic that many analysts and experts are criticizing Barry for not selling the foul enough, but at the same time criticize Tony Parker and Ginobli for "flopping" all the time?

I did not get really annoyed with the situation until the Association made this statement, basically saying that the referees were wrong. My question is, what do they get out of making this statement?? David Stern and the NBA should be standing behind their refs and basically say, what they saw is what they called or did not call and we support and trust their calls. There is nothing to gain out of doing this! Actually, coincidentinally enough Joey Crawford was reffing the game, the same guy who threw Tim Duncan out of a playoff game before, and this could further any conspiracy theories against the Spurs in the Finals and for the Lakers in the finals.

What are your thoughts on the situation?

Do comment below (no need to be a member to do so).