Good news everyone! The Cavs did not draft Z Jr. Bad news everyone! The Cavs promised trading for more picks in the first round... and they didn't! Bad news everyone! The Cavs had the thirty-second pick, and gave it to Orlando for two second round picks (starting in two years)! Bad news everyone! The Cavs picked some Serbian power forward (because that's an obvious need) with their last pick, but he won't be able to play over here for at least three years... if ever at all!
Good news everyone. The Cavs drafted Kyrie Irving, and paired him with a finesse power forward (Tristan Thompson) with shot blocking ability with strong offensive rebounding skills. I like this. I would have preferred Enes Kanter, but he wasn't available. You can argue that maybe we should have gotten Jan Vesely, a supposedly athletic (they tried to force this down our throats, but he's 6'11" and his dunks on video were not overly impressive, at all) power forward. But Vesely is weak, and plays no defense, and oh by the way, he's foreign. There have been exactly three good (sorry Z) big men from Europe in the NBA in the past, oh, ten years. Their names are Gasol and Nowitzki (there's two Gasol's). I'm tired of those players. This is the NBA, not the IBA. Once they start coming over here to develop their game in college (like Kanter tried to do, he'll be good), I don't want to hear from them. But Tristan Thompson is a tough player, who, combined with Anderson Verajoa, is a pretty above average front-line. I'm okay with it. You don't have to be able to score with your big men, but you need to at least be able to stop the other guys' big men. The league is shrinking (in physical size of players). 6'9" is an acceptable size for a power forward, and I'm okay with it.
Kyrie Irving is going to fit in well. Byron Scott likes young point guards. He helped develop Jason Kidd (remember when the Nets made it to the NBA Finals? How did that happen?) and Chris Paul (let's hope for that kind of development). He's a natural leader. He stepped into Duke University (ugh) and took over a team that had won a national championship the year before. (Gruden voice) "This guy right here, he can play." I'm relatively excited to buy NBA 2k12 this year, just so I can develop Kyrie Irving into an all-star. I don't think he'll be an all-star, at least not for a long time (we're in Cleveland, and look at the point guards in the East, and remember Chris Paul might be coming too). But since when did fan popularity put points on the scoreboard? He's going to average near double-digit assists, and well over double-digit points. Count on it. He's a good starting block for our rebuilding of the Cavs. Be excited for him.
Now, I may or may not speak for everyone, when I ask Chris Grant (again, because he obviously follows this blog closely) "What happened?" Feel free to fill in any expletives you would like in and around those words, but this is a family friendly blog. For the past two weeks, all we've heard is that the Cavs want to acquire more picks. We were going to be very aggressive with our trades. Now, this time period still has another week left in which Chris Grant could make some moves. But here's my biggest problem: We had two second round picks that we did absolutely nothing with. We gave away our 32nd pick for nothing. There is still value to be had at that pick, even in this weak of a draft. Or trade it to go up! Use both second rounders to jump into the end of the first and get, say, Marshon Brooks? A guy who can put the ball in the basket. A guy that could end up being a good second option off the bench once the roster is complete. Instead, we got the 2013 second round and 2014 second round picks from Orlando. Those picks are likely to be at the end of the second round both years. Sweet. And then we used our last pick on a Serbian power forward who won't be available to play in the US for a long time. And he's a power forward. Here's the breakdown of the Cavs Roster, as it stands now, with only Anthony Parker coming off the books:
PG: Baron Davis, Ramon Sessions, Daniel Gibson, and Kyrie Irving
SG: Alonzo Gee, Christian Eyenga, Manny Harris
SF: Joey Graham
PF: Luke Harangody, JJ Hickson, Antawn Jamison, Samardo Samuels, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Verejao
C: Semih Erden, and Ryan Hollins (has a player option, so he can decide to stay and we can't do anything about it)
That's no good. Remember when I said the Cavs aren't going to be very good next year? That's why.
The Silver lining? Here's the list of current players who will either be restricted free agents (meaning Cavs get first choice to bring them back) or unrestricted free agents in 2012:
Semih Erden
Alonzo Gee
Luke Harangody
Manny Harris
JJ Hickson
Baron Davis
Joey Graham
Antawn Jamison
Ramon Sessions (has a player option to decide on his own to come back)
That's a lot of players. That opens up a lot of room to bring in new talent, and draft new talent. That also means the Cavs can be very active in trades this season to acquire players under contract, because that's the best way to get new quality players to Cleveland (nobody really wants to willingly sign here). The future is bright for the Cavs, but it's still at least one year away.
*Note: Baron Davis has an early termination, so he could be an unrestricted free agent. See comments below.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
With the First Pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select....
Wait, what? Yes, the heading lists 2012. That wasn't a typo. You know that saying we have here in Cleveland? The saying that has been engraved in our souls as Cleveland fans? "There's always next year." Well, this is the earliest I have ever come to accept that fact, but I'm okay with it. You will be too at some point, it's all part of the plan. Alas, tonight is the night of the 2011 NBA Draft, and the Cavs have the #1 and #4 pick. What should they do? I don't even know if they know all the way. There's a lot of possible drama in play this year, which should make for a compelling draft... or there won't be any drama and this draft will be the worst draft in history.
Let me start this by telling naive Cavs fans a difficult truth: The Cavs, will not be good next year. Let me follow that with something that may shock you: You don't want the Cavs to be good next year. I don't need your permission to tell you anything, it's my blog. The Cavs won't be good next year, and we don't want them to. What is "good" for the Cavs anyway? We're gonna go from worst to 9th best? That's what you want? You want the #13 pick next year? That's not helping us rebuild. You have to understand that our rebuilding process is going to take awhile. Maybe 2-3 years. But it will be entertaining, and we'll have some excitement. But to get there, you got to embrace the stink that will be the Cavs. It's okay. Smell it. It's smells chocolate. It might look like crap, but it sure does taste good.
With the number 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select: Derrick Williams.
Maybe.
Why? Because I think it has to petrify Kahn in Minnesota. If I'm Chris Grant, I'm on the phone right now (meaning, all day, depending on when you read this) with Kahn, telling him:
"Hey Kahn, we're taking Williams, with or without you. I know you don't want to be the guy who drafted 3 point guards in 4 years. You only have to drop 2 spots, and we'll throw in our thirty-first pick, and Ryan Hollins. Haha, no just kidding. You don't have to take Ryan Hollins, but you can have whoever you want."
That has to be our play. At least up until about 7:13 pm tonight. Then our pick might change to Kyrie Irving at number one. I actually like Irving better (I think), because he's a solid point guard to build around. That doesn't mean he's going to be a franchise changer like #23 was. But we're not winning next year. There are going to be better wing players in the draft next year *cough* Harrison Barnes *cough* that we will have a shot at. So take the guy who is going to lead the team on the floor, get guys the ball in spots they can score from (like how Baron Davis actually got guys the ball in scoring position, and unlike how Ramon Sessions drives to the basket with his head down, jumps behind the basket, and throws it in an area around a teammate). Irving doesn't do anything great, but he does everything really well, and that's something you can build around.
If we do take Williams, I don't know how I'll feel. He's a PF, no matter how much he says he's not. We have JJ Hickson and Anderson Verajoa, who are both PF, who play as undersized centers. I don't like adding another PF to force our current PF's to play in an undersized position. That's why I don't want Williams, I don't think he plugs a hole. If anything, the only strength the Cavs have for the future, is at PF. Why do we need another one? We don't.... unless we could get Williams and Irving.
Minnesota needs to trade the #2 pick if the Cavs pick Williams, which may be why the Cavs pick Williams, because at worst case scenario, you get Williams at #1 and then try to pick up a guard at #4 (Brandon Knight). Best case scenario- Dan Gilbert threatens to write a Comic Sans letter and sign it David Kahn, and the Cavs move up to #2. If you told me the Cavs could move up to the #2 spot, but we had to lose (insert Cavs player here) I would say fine. There isn't one player on the team that would be heart-breaking to lose. I like JJ Hickson (kind of), but why not start two building blocks together?
Utah could mess everything up. If the Cavs take Williams, and Minnesota takes Irving (I know it's dumb.. but have you seen any moves that Kahn has made? Trust me, it's very possible), then it's up to Utah to let Brandon Knight slide. Word on the streets (internet) is that Utah favors Brandon Knight. If they pick him up, the Cavs are left between a rock and a hard place. They already drafted a PF, and the next best 3'ish players are PF's. You can't draft two in a row, and the players who aren't PF's aren't considered worthy of a #4 pick. So Utah could screw everything up if the Cavs take Williams, which is why I think the Cavs will end up with Irving, and then...
With the Fourth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select: Enes Kanter.
Chris Grant, I know you're reading this (haha). Please, please, do not draft Big Z Jr. (Jonas Valentino... or something... he's from Lithuania, so let's just call him Z Jr. from now on). We can not start a rebuilding process if we're not getting the second block of our foundation until next year. This is a time when "There's always next year" does not fly. We need our #1 and #4 players to play together for a year. They need chemistry. They need to play with the rest of the teams. We can't put our future on hold. Not because I think the Cavs are going to win next year, because they're not. But most of the players that will be available at #4 are going to be mostly raw (meaning they're not developed at an NBA level). They need time to develop, they need to get accustomed to the system, so the team can continue to grow, together. Together isn't together is one of them is in Lithuania.
Back to Kanter. (Jon Gruden voice): "This guy right here, Enes Kanter- I like this guy." Why? Because he tore up my boy Jared Sullinger in the Nike camp last year (courtesy of Chad Ford). Because he's 6'11", which is taller than Andy and JJ. He has a 7'2" wingspan and a 9'2" vertical reach. He could be our center. That would allow Andy and JJ to play their natural position. Kanter can score low, he's thick, and he can rebound. You're telling me that in this draft we can get our point guard of the future and our center of the future, and already (arguably) have our PF's of the future? Why don't we do this? The Cavs aren't going to be great next year. I'm hoping for the lottery next year. I'm hoping we can trade Antawn Jamison and/or Baron Davis at the trade deadline for some draft picks. I'm hoping we can manipulate the system and get another #1 pick next year. Why? Because our roster could be 1 piece away after next year.
With the First Pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select: Harrison Barnes, SF out of the University of North Carolina.
PG: Irving
SG: undecided
SF: Barnes
PF: Hickson
C: Kanter
6th man: Verajao.
That's a roster that's a spot up jump shooter away from the sixth seed in the playoffs. Why not? There's always next year.
Let me start this by telling naive Cavs fans a difficult truth: The Cavs, will not be good next year. Let me follow that with something that may shock you: You don't want the Cavs to be good next year. I don't need your permission to tell you anything, it's my blog. The Cavs won't be good next year, and we don't want them to. What is "good" for the Cavs anyway? We're gonna go from worst to 9th best? That's what you want? You want the #13 pick next year? That's not helping us rebuild. You have to understand that our rebuilding process is going to take awhile. Maybe 2-3 years. But it will be entertaining, and we'll have some excitement. But to get there, you got to embrace the stink that will be the Cavs. It's okay. Smell it. It's smells chocolate. It might look like crap, but it sure does taste good.
With the number 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select: Derrick Williams.
Maybe.
Why? Because I think it has to petrify Kahn in Minnesota. If I'm Chris Grant, I'm on the phone right now (meaning, all day, depending on when you read this) with Kahn, telling him:
"Hey Kahn, we're taking Williams, with or without you. I know you don't want to be the guy who drafted 3 point guards in 4 years. You only have to drop 2 spots, and we'll throw in our thirty-first pick, and Ryan Hollins. Haha, no just kidding. You don't have to take Ryan Hollins, but you can have whoever you want."
That has to be our play. At least up until about 7:13 pm tonight. Then our pick might change to Kyrie Irving at number one. I actually like Irving better (I think), because he's a solid point guard to build around. That doesn't mean he's going to be a franchise changer like #23 was. But we're not winning next year. There are going to be better wing players in the draft next year *cough* Harrison Barnes *cough* that we will have a shot at. So take the guy who is going to lead the team on the floor, get guys the ball in spots they can score from (like how Baron Davis actually got guys the ball in scoring position, and unlike how Ramon Sessions drives to the basket with his head down, jumps behind the basket, and throws it in an area around a teammate). Irving doesn't do anything great, but he does everything really well, and that's something you can build around.
If we do take Williams, I don't know how I'll feel. He's a PF, no matter how much he says he's not. We have JJ Hickson and Anderson Verajoa, who are both PF, who play as undersized centers. I don't like adding another PF to force our current PF's to play in an undersized position. That's why I don't want Williams, I don't think he plugs a hole. If anything, the only strength the Cavs have for the future, is at PF. Why do we need another one? We don't.... unless we could get Williams and Irving.
Minnesota needs to trade the #2 pick if the Cavs pick Williams, which may be why the Cavs pick Williams, because at worst case scenario, you get Williams at #1 and then try to pick up a guard at #4 (Brandon Knight). Best case scenario- Dan Gilbert threatens to write a Comic Sans letter and sign it David Kahn, and the Cavs move up to #2. If you told me the Cavs could move up to the #2 spot, but we had to lose (insert Cavs player here) I would say fine. There isn't one player on the team that would be heart-breaking to lose. I like JJ Hickson (kind of), but why not start two building blocks together?
Utah could mess everything up. If the Cavs take Williams, and Minnesota takes Irving (I know it's dumb.. but have you seen any moves that Kahn has made? Trust me, it's very possible), then it's up to Utah to let Brandon Knight slide. Word on the streets (internet) is that Utah favors Brandon Knight. If they pick him up, the Cavs are left between a rock and a hard place. They already drafted a PF, and the next best 3'ish players are PF's. You can't draft two in a row, and the players who aren't PF's aren't considered worthy of a #4 pick. So Utah could screw everything up if the Cavs take Williams, which is why I think the Cavs will end up with Irving, and then...
With the Fourth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select: Enes Kanter.
Chris Grant, I know you're reading this (haha). Please, please, do not draft Big Z Jr. (Jonas Valentino... or something... he's from Lithuania, so let's just call him Z Jr. from now on). We can not start a rebuilding process if we're not getting the second block of our foundation until next year. This is a time when "There's always next year" does not fly. We need our #1 and #4 players to play together for a year. They need chemistry. They need to play with the rest of the teams. We can't put our future on hold. Not because I think the Cavs are going to win next year, because they're not. But most of the players that will be available at #4 are going to be mostly raw (meaning they're not developed at an NBA level). They need time to develop, they need to get accustomed to the system, so the team can continue to grow, together. Together isn't together is one of them is in Lithuania.
Back to Kanter. (Jon Gruden voice): "This guy right here, Enes Kanter- I like this guy." Why? Because he tore up my boy Jared Sullinger in the Nike camp last year (courtesy of Chad Ford). Because he's 6'11", which is taller than Andy and JJ. He has a 7'2" wingspan and a 9'2" vertical reach. He could be our center. That would allow Andy and JJ to play their natural position. Kanter can score low, he's thick, and he can rebound. You're telling me that in this draft we can get our point guard of the future and our center of the future, and already (arguably) have our PF's of the future? Why don't we do this? The Cavs aren't going to be great next year. I'm hoping for the lottery next year. I'm hoping we can trade Antawn Jamison and/or Baron Davis at the trade deadline for some draft picks. I'm hoping we can manipulate the system and get another #1 pick next year. Why? Because our roster could be 1 piece away after next year.
With the First Pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select: Harrison Barnes, SF out of the University of North Carolina.
PG: Irving
SG: undecided
SF: Barnes
PF: Hickson
C: Kanter
6th man: Verajao.
That's a roster that's a spot up jump shooter away from the sixth seed in the playoffs. Why not? There's always next year.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Terrell Pryor, Sports Illustrated, and the NCAA
As the NBA Season has ended, and the NFL lockout is still in effect, there isn't much to blog about lately. It's hard to stretch for topics, and I highly doubt that you want to hear any of my political ideas (hint: Everyone involved in politics are really, really dumb). There's one looming topic that will need to be talked about, but I would prefer to wait until the last day possible to talk about the NBA Draft (hint: Tomorrow). So why am I blogging? Did I really just type 4 sentences to tell you that I have nothing to talk about? Did I just con you into clicking this link so it looks like my blog is more popular than it really is (maybe)? Did we really land on the moon? The answers: No, Maybe, and Yes (maybe). Then what, Mr. Baldwin, could you have gathered all of these innocent people here to read about?
For starters, Terrell Pryor. He's been officially out of Ohio State for a couple of weeks now. He's declared for the supplemental draft. He signed an outspoken agent. He can now trade merchandise for more tattoos without any fear of consequences (unless you count Hepatitis and AIDS, but he can't get those from the NCAA... or can he?). But there is one thing that he must fear, more than anything else. That thing, is Jon Gruden. Now, it's inevitable that Gruden is going to "like this guy," but will anyone else? I think Pryor will definitely get picked up in the supplemental draft, but not anywhere near where his agent says (first round... nice try Drew).
The interesting part of this Gruden special, airing next Thursday at 9 pm on ESPN and then at 10 pm on ESPN2 (I don't even get paid by Disney to say that... I should though...), will be seeing how Pryor answers Gruden's questions. They have already released a clip of the interview, when Gruden basically just asks Pryor "This guy.. what's goin' on with this guy?" (paraphrasing). Pryor gives the answer he should, which isn't telling. He answers the way that anybody in his right mind (though that may be questionable for him) would answer. He's sorry, he messed up, he left for the benefit of his former team, he feels bad about getting the Vest fired, etc. It would be telling if he sat there and said "I just wanted some tats, and I had this s*** laying around, and thought some dudes might be interested in that. It's Jimmy's fault that he covered it up, he could have turned me in, and I would have been in the real NFL Draft. Am I sorry? Yeah, I'm sorry I got caught." That, would have been telling. But he didn't say that, so you have to read into how he says it. From what I've heard people say about the interview(I haven't watched the clip, just had audio), Pryor doesn't make a lot of eye contact with Gruden, but was enthusiastic and engaged. How are we supposed to feel about that? I don't know. I do know that I'll be recording the episode next week so I can watch Pryor like I'm Tim Roth in "Lie to Me" currently airing on Fox, Friday's at 9 pm (I'm not employed or compensated by Fox either...).
Should Pryor have left Ohio State? Yes. Is Ohio State better off without Pryor? Yes. Is Pryor an NFL quarterback? Probably not. Is Ohio State going to compete for a national championship anytime soon? No. Which bear is best? False. Black bears. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
-----------------------------
Hey! Remember when I wrote that blog about that guy who had this "ground-breaking" article in Sports Illustrated? Remember when I broke it down point by point giving reasons why it was full of weak arguments? Remember when a couple of the players listed as being involved with tattoo parlor came out and said/proved they didn't have any tattoos? Remember when the Ohio B.M.V. investigated the sale of 25 vehicles, and found that 24 of them were sold for a profit, and that none of the players listed had received any special discount, or had given any merchandise in return for deals on the car? Remember when the guy who wrote that article got fired? Oh wait, that didn't happen yet. But it should. Idiot.
----------------------------------------------
Hey! Remember when I listed a couple options for "fixing" the NCAA's problem with players receivng improper benefits? Well, after reading Jay Bilas' article on ESPN.com ( I swear, I'm not affiliated at all, I just read a lot of sports stuff), I got fired up again. This respectable analyst (seriously, he is respectable; he might be from Duke, but when it comes to on the court stuff, he knows what he's talking about) thinks that athletes should be able to profit from their likeness. He doesn't propose that players should be paid by the school, but that they shouldn't be prohibited to signing legal contracts to profit from their likeness. Let me say be the millionth person to say, that's stupid.
If that happens, then why go to college? I think the biggest thing people on Bilas' side forget is that these kids are in college. They get paid by the college to play a sport for them, and yes that does make the school a lot of money, sometimes. There are a whole lot of schools that don't make money off their sports. And it's only in men's football and basketball, so this is even more ridiculous. But the point of being a college student is to- get a degree. If Bilas' had his way, what is the difference between college sports and professional sports? What about the kids who can wait to earn their money? The kids who have these problems are the stars who will be in the NFL anyway. Why do they need a headstart on that money? Why do they deserve a head start? Their likeness would mean nothing if it weren't for the school they were attending. They will profit from their likeness when their preparation for their intended career path is complete, just like other college students.
BUT OTHER COLLEGE KIDS CAN HAVE A JOB! THEY CAN MAKE MONEY! Fine. Let the athletes get jobs on campus, like the other kids on campus. That's how it becomes "fair" and there's no more excuses. Kids on academic scholarships aren't signing contracts and trying to profit from their name. Yes, maybe they're going to be the top doctor in their field some day, but they're not signing a contract with the Cleveland Clinic to appear on a billboard, or show up and sign casts for money. They're probably working part-time, and studying their lives away, because when you're on a full-ride for academics, your GPA has to stay above about a 3.7... not a 2.0... so you can't skip class and breeze your way through it. The kids who don't have full-rides? They incur tens of thousands of dollars of debt, that will take maybe a fifth of their remaining lifetime to pay off. The athletes on the full rides? At worst, they don't go to the NFL, the get a degree from a high caliber university and have no debt to pay off. That's not fair? Cry me a river.
It is a business. The players are paid fairly, more than most college kids get in their college jobs. What job do you get paid based off of how much money your company brings in? Oh, none... unless you're on commission (and that's how much you sell, not the company's overall revenue) or you're self-employed. And the amount of revenue that colleges bring in doesn't vary based off what players are on the team, or how many passing/rushing/receiving yards they have. Football schools are football schools- they're going to bring in money regardless of who's under the helmet. I have a number 7 Ohio State jersey that I bought when Ted Ginn Jr. was on the team. But there's no name on it. Guess what? There is going to be a new player wearing number 7 every 4 years, maximum. Guess whose jersey is timeless? Not Ted Ginn's. But Adam Baldwin's #7 Ohio State jersey is.
For starters, Terrell Pryor. He's been officially out of Ohio State for a couple of weeks now. He's declared for the supplemental draft. He signed an outspoken agent. He can now trade merchandise for more tattoos without any fear of consequences (unless you count Hepatitis and AIDS, but he can't get those from the NCAA... or can he?). But there is one thing that he must fear, more than anything else. That thing, is Jon Gruden. Now, it's inevitable that Gruden is going to "like this guy," but will anyone else? I think Pryor will definitely get picked up in the supplemental draft, but not anywhere near where his agent says (first round... nice try Drew).
The interesting part of this Gruden special, airing next Thursday at 9 pm on ESPN and then at 10 pm on ESPN2 (I don't even get paid by Disney to say that... I should though...), will be seeing how Pryor answers Gruden's questions. They have already released a clip of the interview, when Gruden basically just asks Pryor "This guy.. what's goin' on with this guy?" (paraphrasing). Pryor gives the answer he should, which isn't telling. He answers the way that anybody in his right mind (though that may be questionable for him) would answer. He's sorry, he messed up, he left for the benefit of his former team, he feels bad about getting the Vest fired, etc. It would be telling if he sat there and said "I just wanted some tats, and I had this s*** laying around, and thought some dudes might be interested in that. It's Jimmy's fault that he covered it up, he could have turned me in, and I would have been in the real NFL Draft. Am I sorry? Yeah, I'm sorry I got caught." That, would have been telling. But he didn't say that, so you have to read into how he says it. From what I've heard people say about the interview(I haven't watched the clip, just had audio), Pryor doesn't make a lot of eye contact with Gruden, but was enthusiastic and engaged. How are we supposed to feel about that? I don't know. I do know that I'll be recording the episode next week so I can watch Pryor like I'm Tim Roth in "Lie to Me" currently airing on Fox, Friday's at 9 pm (I'm not employed or compensated by Fox either...).
Should Pryor have left Ohio State? Yes. Is Ohio State better off without Pryor? Yes. Is Pryor an NFL quarterback? Probably not. Is Ohio State going to compete for a national championship anytime soon? No. Which bear is best? False. Black bears. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
-----------------------------
Hey! Remember when I wrote that blog about that guy who had this "ground-breaking" article in Sports Illustrated? Remember when I broke it down point by point giving reasons why it was full of weak arguments? Remember when a couple of the players listed as being involved with tattoo parlor came out and said/proved they didn't have any tattoos? Remember when the Ohio B.M.V. investigated the sale of 25 vehicles, and found that 24 of them were sold for a profit, and that none of the players listed had received any special discount, or had given any merchandise in return for deals on the car? Remember when the guy who wrote that article got fired? Oh wait, that didn't happen yet. But it should. Idiot.
----------------------------------------------
Hey! Remember when I listed a couple options for "fixing" the NCAA's problem with players receivng improper benefits? Well, after reading Jay Bilas' article on ESPN.com ( I swear, I'm not affiliated at all, I just read a lot of sports stuff), I got fired up again. This respectable analyst (seriously, he is respectable; he might be from Duke, but when it comes to on the court stuff, he knows what he's talking about) thinks that athletes should be able to profit from their likeness. He doesn't propose that players should be paid by the school, but that they shouldn't be prohibited to signing legal contracts to profit from their likeness. Let me say be the millionth person to say, that's stupid.
If that happens, then why go to college? I think the biggest thing people on Bilas' side forget is that these kids are in college. They get paid by the college to play a sport for them, and yes that does make the school a lot of money, sometimes. There are a whole lot of schools that don't make money off their sports. And it's only in men's football and basketball, so this is even more ridiculous. But the point of being a college student is to- get a degree. If Bilas' had his way, what is the difference between college sports and professional sports? What about the kids who can wait to earn their money? The kids who have these problems are the stars who will be in the NFL anyway. Why do they need a headstart on that money? Why do they deserve a head start? Their likeness would mean nothing if it weren't for the school they were attending. They will profit from their likeness when their preparation for their intended career path is complete, just like other college students.
BUT OTHER COLLEGE KIDS CAN HAVE A JOB! THEY CAN MAKE MONEY! Fine. Let the athletes get jobs on campus, like the other kids on campus. That's how it becomes "fair" and there's no more excuses. Kids on academic scholarships aren't signing contracts and trying to profit from their name. Yes, maybe they're going to be the top doctor in their field some day, but they're not signing a contract with the Cleveland Clinic to appear on a billboard, or show up and sign casts for money. They're probably working part-time, and studying their lives away, because when you're on a full-ride for academics, your GPA has to stay above about a 3.7... not a 2.0... so you can't skip class and breeze your way through it. The kids who don't have full-rides? They incur tens of thousands of dollars of debt, that will take maybe a fifth of their remaining lifetime to pay off. The athletes on the full rides? At worst, they don't go to the NFL, the get a degree from a high caliber university and have no debt to pay off. That's not fair? Cry me a river.
It is a business. The players are paid fairly, more than most college kids get in their college jobs. What job do you get paid based off of how much money your company brings in? Oh, none... unless you're on commission (and that's how much you sell, not the company's overall revenue) or you're self-employed. And the amount of revenue that colleges bring in doesn't vary based off what players are on the team, or how many passing/rushing/receiving yards they have. Football schools are football schools- they're going to bring in money regardless of who's under the helmet. I have a number 7 Ohio State jersey that I bought when Ted Ginn Jr. was on the team. But there's no name on it. Guess what? There is going to be a new player wearing number 7 every 4 years, maximum. Guess whose jersey is timeless? Not Ted Ginn's. But Adam Baldwin's #7 Ohio State jersey is.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Call me Canadian, but....
Shouldn't hockey be the most popular sport in America? I mean, outside of the fact that it's hockey, and most of us don't grow up playing it, if you just look at the dynamics of the sport, the story-lines, the structure... it is so much better than all of the other sports... but they play hockey instead of football. Outside of just the sports of hockey, let's look at the dynamics that make hockey better than all of the other major sports, shall we?
The fighting.
Who doesn't like the fighting? It's awesome. But even more than the fight itself, it's what it represents. Taking football out of the equation, because they self-police on the field, and wear a whole lot of pads, what other sport self-polices like hockey? I mean in baseball you can throw at batters, but that's no fun. Who gets excited over someone getting hit by a pitch? And then the dug-outs clear, oh boy, that's exciting. Not since Pedro Martinez threw down Zimmer by the head has there been a dug-out clearing event that was intriguing. It's actually kind of sad to watch. If I was in the bullpen I would be so pissed if I had to run all the way from the outfield to the infield, so we could stand there and yell at each other. There's no fighting in baseball, there's just a lot of empty threats and "Hold me back, You're lucky he's holding me back!" Baseball sucks for that.
And basketball is even worse! All of these players who think they're hard, getting up in players faces, literally touching noses, and nothing ever happens. Charlie Villanueva did threaten to kill Ryan Hollins last year, but who hasn't? The NBA is full of guys who want to be seen as tough, but when something happens, their first look is for someone to hold them back. The biggest sign of aggression in the NBA this past season was from Zydrunus Ilgauskus. He threw the ball at Joel Przybilla's back. Wow. Excessive fighting would be a problem, but hard fouls that send messages would be good, maybe a scuffle every now and then (like in the 90's, remember how awesome the bench clearings were? Jeff Van Gundy hugging Alonzo's leg? Where did that go?) In the NBA, if you even look at a player weird, or mumble a curse word, you get T'd up. Have you ever played basketball in a Church before? Do you know how terrible it is? Not because you're in a Church, but because cursing yourself becomes a natural habit for most players, and, I mean, you're in a Church. That is the only place that cursing should try to be controlled, because the whole cursing in a House of God just seems really, really bad (other than Middle School basketball and lower, you're kidding yourself if you think High Schoolers don't cuss... they do a lot worse than that nowadays). I say, let the players police themselves, I think a flagrant 1's should be the only penalty- Flagrant 2's would be for fouling to injure a defenseless player, that's just cheap.
The Respect
This goes right along with those fights. Hockey players fight more than any other professional athlete, and hit each other (with less padding) at least as much as any other athletes. The amazing thing? They shake hands after every game. Just like in high school sports, when you were forced to shake hands with the d-bags you just beat, or the d-bags that just beat you. You might not have liked it, but it was the right thing to do, and it helped instill respect in youngsters. In college, they continue that tradition (in basketball at least, I'm sure other sports as well, not usually football though). But once you get to the pros, they stop doing it. They are supposed to be role models, aren't they? I mean, whether they choose to or not, they are. That's why they're scrutinized for everything they do. So why does the respect stop? Basketball players walk off the court almost immediately at the end of basketball games. Baseball players shakes hands with their own teammates, while the losing team files back into the clubhouse. Football players kind of shake hands, but it's in mobs in the middle of the field, and not everyone does it, so it's less visible. Hockey players? They line up and shake hands one by one. Isn't that what we want our kids to see? No matter what happened in the game: cheap shots, fights, blow out wins- it doesn't matter! They show respect for each other, and set an example for the children, and isn't that what it's all about? The children?
The Story-lines:
Alleged rapists, dog killers, illegal gun carrying (and leg shooting), Decisions, steroids, gambling, retirements, un-retirements, re retirements, crying, coughing and owners. These are all common story-lines over the past couple of years in the NBA, NFL, and MLB. You know what these all have in common? None of them have anything to do with the actual playing of the sport. They have to do with individuals, outside of the sports themselves. Most of hockey's best story-lines, you know, the ones that people who don't follow the sport can catch onto (those are the big story-lines), have to do with the sport. There's rivalries in hockey. Rivalries between players (Sid the Kid and Ovechkin) and teams (Boston V Montreal, and probably a whole bunch of others). The story-line in the Stanley Cup Finals this year was how Timmy Thomas was a virtual brick wall, and the Canucks' goalie basically was about as porous as Swiss Cheese. Then the finger biting incident. FINGER BITING! Are you kidding me?! That's awesome! You don't get in-game story-lines (Why isn't story-line one word? I feel like it should be, I'm not referring to an actual line) in the other sports, at least not as often. Imagine if in the NBA Finals LeBron bit Dirks finger, and that's how Dirks finger got injured. So the entire series was LeBron vs Dirk, a showdown, like Bird vs Magic. Where did those days go?
The Competition
I can't speak for the regular season of hockey, or even most of the playoffs, but it feels like there is just more competition in the NHL. The #3 seed Bruins just won the Stanley cup. Yes, that's happened before in the NBA, and the Packers were the last wild-card spot in the NFL. But do you know how the Bruins won the cup? They had 3 7-game series. Three of them! That's more than all of the NBA playoffs series combined! We were all hoping that Miami-Boston would go 7, that Miami-Chicago would go 7, and even Miami-Dallas. I know we all would have been super angry, but how much more impressive would it have been if Miami had been taken to 3 7-game series in a row to win the championship? It's amazing. It just feels like the intensity of hockey, maybe because it's on ice, is a lot higher than the other sports, thus making the competition better. I don't know, because I probably watched about 45 minutes of hockey this year, but those 45 minutes were pretty exciting.
Hockey should be the most popular sport in the U.S. It has everything we want out of sports that our "major" sports leagues don't have. But I don't think it ever will. There's just no room in our busy lives for a fourth major sport. Personally, I'd trade baseball for hockey if hockey was played over the summer, which would be cool anyway because you could go to a hockey game to cool off on a 100 degree day. But alas, hockey will likely always play second-fiddle to the three first-fiddles that are the NBA, NFL, and MLB. I think maybe next year I'm going to start watching hockey, try to get it going.. until the NBA lockout is over.
The fighting.
Who doesn't like the fighting? It's awesome. But even more than the fight itself, it's what it represents. Taking football out of the equation, because they self-police on the field, and wear a whole lot of pads, what other sport self-polices like hockey? I mean in baseball you can throw at batters, but that's no fun. Who gets excited over someone getting hit by a pitch? And then the dug-outs clear, oh boy, that's exciting. Not since Pedro Martinez threw down Zimmer by the head has there been a dug-out clearing event that was intriguing. It's actually kind of sad to watch. If I was in the bullpen I would be so pissed if I had to run all the way from the outfield to the infield, so we could stand there and yell at each other. There's no fighting in baseball, there's just a lot of empty threats and "Hold me back, You're lucky he's holding me back!" Baseball sucks for that.
And basketball is even worse! All of these players who think they're hard, getting up in players faces, literally touching noses, and nothing ever happens. Charlie Villanueva did threaten to kill Ryan Hollins last year, but who hasn't? The NBA is full of guys who want to be seen as tough, but when something happens, their first look is for someone to hold them back. The biggest sign of aggression in the NBA this past season was from Zydrunus Ilgauskus. He threw the ball at Joel Przybilla's back. Wow. Excessive fighting would be a problem, but hard fouls that send messages would be good, maybe a scuffle every now and then (like in the 90's, remember how awesome the bench clearings were? Jeff Van Gundy hugging Alonzo's leg? Where did that go?) In the NBA, if you even look at a player weird, or mumble a curse word, you get T'd up. Have you ever played basketball in a Church before? Do you know how terrible it is? Not because you're in a Church, but because cursing yourself becomes a natural habit for most players, and, I mean, you're in a Church. That is the only place that cursing should try to be controlled, because the whole cursing in a House of God just seems really, really bad (other than Middle School basketball and lower, you're kidding yourself if you think High Schoolers don't cuss... they do a lot worse than that nowadays). I say, let the players police themselves, I think a flagrant 1's should be the only penalty- Flagrant 2's would be for fouling to injure a defenseless player, that's just cheap.
The Respect
This goes right along with those fights. Hockey players fight more than any other professional athlete, and hit each other (with less padding) at least as much as any other athletes. The amazing thing? They shake hands after every game. Just like in high school sports, when you were forced to shake hands with the d-bags you just beat, or the d-bags that just beat you. You might not have liked it, but it was the right thing to do, and it helped instill respect in youngsters. In college, they continue that tradition (in basketball at least, I'm sure other sports as well, not usually football though). But once you get to the pros, they stop doing it. They are supposed to be role models, aren't they? I mean, whether they choose to or not, they are. That's why they're scrutinized for everything they do. So why does the respect stop? Basketball players walk off the court almost immediately at the end of basketball games. Baseball players shakes hands with their own teammates, while the losing team files back into the clubhouse. Football players kind of shake hands, but it's in mobs in the middle of the field, and not everyone does it, so it's less visible. Hockey players? They line up and shake hands one by one. Isn't that what we want our kids to see? No matter what happened in the game: cheap shots, fights, blow out wins- it doesn't matter! They show respect for each other, and set an example for the children, and isn't that what it's all about? The children?
The Story-lines:
Alleged rapists, dog killers, illegal gun carrying (and leg shooting), Decisions, steroids, gambling, retirements, un-retirements, re retirements, crying, coughing and owners. These are all common story-lines over the past couple of years in the NBA, NFL, and MLB. You know what these all have in common? None of them have anything to do with the actual playing of the sport. They have to do with individuals, outside of the sports themselves. Most of hockey's best story-lines, you know, the ones that people who don't follow the sport can catch onto (those are the big story-lines), have to do with the sport. There's rivalries in hockey. Rivalries between players (Sid the Kid and Ovechkin) and teams (Boston V Montreal, and probably a whole bunch of others). The story-line in the Stanley Cup Finals this year was how Timmy Thomas was a virtual brick wall, and the Canucks' goalie basically was about as porous as Swiss Cheese. Then the finger biting incident. FINGER BITING! Are you kidding me?! That's awesome! You don't get in-game story-lines (Why isn't story-line one word? I feel like it should be, I'm not referring to an actual line) in the other sports, at least not as often. Imagine if in the NBA Finals LeBron bit Dirks finger, and that's how Dirks finger got injured. So the entire series was LeBron vs Dirk, a showdown, like Bird vs Magic. Where did those days go?
The Competition
I can't speak for the regular season of hockey, or even most of the playoffs, but it feels like there is just more competition in the NHL. The #3 seed Bruins just won the Stanley cup. Yes, that's happened before in the NBA, and the Packers were the last wild-card spot in the NFL. But do you know how the Bruins won the cup? They had 3 7-game series. Three of them! That's more than all of the NBA playoffs series combined! We were all hoping that Miami-Boston would go 7, that Miami-Chicago would go 7, and even Miami-Dallas. I know we all would have been super angry, but how much more impressive would it have been if Miami had been taken to 3 7-game series in a row to win the championship? It's amazing. It just feels like the intensity of hockey, maybe because it's on ice, is a lot higher than the other sports, thus making the competition better. I don't know, because I probably watched about 45 minutes of hockey this year, but those 45 minutes were pretty exciting.
Hockey should be the most popular sport in the U.S. It has everything we want out of sports that our "major" sports leagues don't have. But I don't think it ever will. There's just no room in our busy lives for a fourth major sport. Personally, I'd trade baseball for hockey if hockey was played over the summer, which would be cool anyway because you could go to a hockey game to cool off on a 100 degree day. But alas, hockey will likely always play second-fiddle to the three first-fiddles that are the NBA, NFL, and MLB. I think maybe next year I'm going to start watching hockey, try to get it going.. until the NBA lockout is over.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
When Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word...
I was driving to work today, listening to Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio as I always do, and I finally found a direct comparison between athletes and everyone else. It has to do with apologies, clarification statements, etc. As everyone already knows, LeBron made some, umm.... "questionable", comments in his post-game press conference. It angered a lot of people, and a lot of people shrugged it off, but it mostly angered a lot of people. The damage was done.
And then came Tuesday, during the exit interviews with the Heat players.
LeBron (courtesy of Brian Windhorst):
That's pretty nice, isn't it? When did the Mavericks win the championship? Sunday. When did he do all this? Tuesday. When did he further damage his image? Sunday. Ooooohhhhhh. So when Mike Greenberg brought up the fact that we, as a public, refuse to give guys we have decided to dislike a pass, it made sense. But anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows that there are ways to help yourself, especially in today's social media age.
Have you ever done something that you didn't think was a big deal, but your significant other did? And you refused to believe that you had done anything wrong, although it clearly upset him/her? And then it finally hit you, when you were sleeping on the couch for the second night, that maybe, it was a big deal. So when you go to apologize, you get into even more trouble because you waited so long to apologize? Timing is everything. If you had just seen that he/she was upset to begin with and apologized for it right then before it soaked in to either of you, everything would have been fine, and your back wouldn't hurt. But you waited, you're in trouble, and your back is crooked.
Now look at LeBron. How many times, in the past 12 months, has he clearly done something to upset his significant other (the fans), but refused to believe it was wrong. It started with "The Decision," which took him until the end of the regular season to apologize for. 10 months? Really? Then the celebration, "Not 2, not 3, not 4..." (I can't blame all of that on LeBron, because whoever the genius is who works for the Heat that thought a championship celebration was a good idea needs to be fired). LeBron wasn't scripted to say that, he chose his words. And then there were the tweets... the Karma tweet... the making a list tweet.... he used "it wasn't even my tweet, I just repeated it" for the Karma tweet. If that worked in anything, then it would be fine to tell everyone what you thought of them, and then just say somebody else said it. "Hey George, you're fat, stupid, and you smell like bleu cheese..... Oh you're mad about what I said? Don't worry, I didn't originally say that, I just repeated it to you." If you repeat something, without saying "He/She said," that means you said it. And then on Sunday, after he failed to start his tally of championships that he started last summer, LeBron called out hi
And then came Tuesday, during the exit interviews with the Heat players.
LeBron (courtesy of Brian Windhorst):
"Basically I was saying at the end of the day this season is over and -- with all hatred -- everyone else has to move on with their lives, good or bad. I do too," James said.
"It wasn't saying I'm superior or better than anyone else, any man or woman on this planet, I'm not. I would never ever look at myself bigger than anyone who watched our game. It may have come off wrong but that wasn't my intent."
Now let me first say... really? I get the whole, "I didn't give myself this nickname" for being called the Chosen One and The King. But to refer to yourself as that, to put it on license plates, to wear a wrist band that says "King James" rather than "Livestrong," that kind of seems like you look at yourself bigger than everyone else. But that's not the point. Let's say we give him a pass, and take the apology for what it is. We also have to couple this apology with his congratulatory message to the Dallas Mavericks, posted on his webpage:
"Congratulations Mavericks on the championship ... especially Dirk, J. Kidd, & Terry who have done so much for our league and worked so hard to get here. They deserve all the credit for what they have accomplished ..."That's pretty nice, isn't it? When did the Mavericks win the championship? Sunday. When did he do all this? Tuesday. When did he further damage his image? Sunday. Ooooohhhhhh. So when Mike Greenberg brought up the fact that we, as a public, refuse to give guys we have decided to dislike a pass, it made sense. But anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows that there are ways to help yourself, especially in today's social media age.
Have you ever done something that you didn't think was a big deal, but your significant other did? And you refused to believe that you had done anything wrong, although it clearly upset him/her? And then it finally hit you, when you were sleeping on the couch for the second night, that maybe, it was a big deal. So when you go to apologize, you get into even more trouble because you waited so long to apologize? Timing is everything. If you had just seen that he/she was upset to begin with and apologized for it right then before it soaked in to either of you, everything would have been fine, and your back wouldn't hurt. But you waited, you're in trouble, and your back is crooked.
Now look at LeBron. How many times, in the past 12 months, has he clearly done something to upset his significant other (the fans), but refused to believe it was wrong. It started with "The Decision," which took him until the end of the regular season to apologize for. 10 months? Really? Then the celebration, "Not 2, not 3, not 4..." (I can't blame all of that on LeBron, because whoever the genius is who works for the Heat that thought a championship celebration was a good idea needs to be fired). LeBron wasn't scripted to say that, he chose his words. And then there were the tweets... the Karma tweet... the making a list tweet.... he used "it wasn't even my tweet, I just repeated it" for the Karma tweet. If that worked in anything, then it would be fine to tell everyone what you thought of them, and then just say somebody else said it. "Hey George, you're fat, stupid, and you smell like bleu cheese..... Oh you're mad about what I said? Don't worry, I didn't originally say that, I just repeated it to you." If you repeat something, without saying "He/She said," that means you said it. And then on Sunday, after he failed to start his tally of championships that he started last summer, LeBron called out hi
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
My Brain was Swelling...
I've been slacking, I know, but sometimes, it isn't easy to find time to write when you've got a job. But my brain has been swelling with thoughts, so this shall be my ice to reduce that swell.
NBA Thoughts
-When the New York Yankees go to World Series, the Boston fans who root against them draw no criticism. If the Dallas Cowboys go to the Superbowl, the Giants, Eagles, and Redskins fans who root against them, draw no criticism. When the Lakers go to the Finals, the Boston Celtics fans draw no criticism.
But when the Miami Heat, who are fronted by a player who jilted the Cleveland Cavaliers and more importantly the Cleveland Cavaliers fans, make it to the finals, and Cleveland fans root against them, it's an atrocity. Why? Why is it such a terrible thing to root against a team? When did being a fan become not being a fan? There were only 2 teams in the NBA Finals. That leaves 28 other teams' fan bases that had no vested interested. The ratings were huge for the finals. A lot of people were rooting against the Heat, and against LeBron. Why is this terrible? The media wants to make it about Clevelanders rooting against LeBron- that's wrong. EVERYONE who has a spine and is not from Miami was rooting against the Heat. They broke the rules. They thought they found a loophole.
It's like in the movie Dogma, when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were angels banished from Heaven. Then they found a loophole to get back in. God can't be proven wrong- there are no loopholes. Had they gained re-entry to Heaven, the entire universe would have imploded, and there would be nothing. Had Miami won the championship this year, combined with the pending lockout, the NBA would have taken a huge hit in ratings, because a lot of people (like me, and the frequent commenter "W") would stop watching. Thank goodness Dirk thwarted that possibility.. now we get to relive this torment next year... and the next year...
-How awesome is Dirk Nowitzki? He is everything that's right and just in professional sports. He paid his dues. He endured tireless criticism, failed repeatedly, but kept working and eventually that work paid off. He had an owner who was determined to help him win, not an owner who was determined to win for himself. Not since The Dream won the championship in 1994 has a 1 star team won the title. The Pistons in 2004 don't count- they didn't have any stars. Dirk is awesome. Now we'll spend the next 8 months debating if he belongs in the top 10 players of all time, or top 20... what a dumb issue. Let's just enjoy what we have now, and that is an NBA Championship team.
-Did you guys know that LeBron is rich and most of us aren't? I had started to forget about that until he reminded us after he lost game 6. Thank you LeBron. Not only did you remind us how wealthy you are, but you also reminded us all who self-centered an unaware you really are. But let's think about what he said, in perspective. He reminded us (as in, all those rooting for him to fail- that's important) that we all have to wake up with the same lives, and the same problems, and he's going to continue living how he wants. Am I supposed to draw from this, that had I been rooting for him to succeed, that I would have woken up Monday morning without my personal problems? Is that all it takes?
And in perspective, he was implying that his life is so much better than everyone else's, because money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a lot of things that can make you happy. But if you think about it, he works in a controlled workplace, told everyone what he was going to do 7 months before he would have a chance.. and then failed. Kind of like how you don't say you're going to win the lottery, throw a party on a credit card thinking you'd be able to pay it off.. and then you don't win the lottery. Or in sales, you tell your boss you're going to land this big contract, go buy yourself a new car, and then don't make the sale. Basically, you told everyone you're going to achieve the highest level of excellence that you can achieve, and then when you had your chance, you failed, miserably. Yes, miserably.
-Dwayne Wade is a bad influence on LeBron. There's no way to explain it. It's not that me makes him worse as a player, or encourages LeBron to do drugs or something. But he makes LeBron complacent. LeBron thinks (I think) that he doesn't have to perform all the time, because he's got Dwayne to back it up. That's no way to play. When LeBron was in Cleveland, he was the man. He knew it, we knew it, and the other teams knew it. But he thrived. Remember when the Cavs lost to the Celtics in game 7 in 2008? LeBron put up 47. That was inspired play. Remember when LeBron scored more than 30 in the finals this year? Neither do I. He doesn't want to be the man, but he plays better when he is. That's the problem with having two players with the identical style, and almost the identical skill set- LeBron is more gifted physically. LeBron doesn't think he has to be the man so he let up. That's no good. Maybe if we're lucky he won't take notice and fix it, and he won't spend the summer working in the post... but I doubt it.
-Poor Chris Bosh. Yes he may or may not look like a dinosaur. But he was quietly the most consistent player in these playoffs, but he will ultimately play the role of scapegoat on the team. If this Big 3 ever gets blown up, he will be the one to go. I don't think he should be. Imagine Dwayne Wade being replaced with, say, Chris Paul. You're telling me a LeBron with a post-game, a Chris Boshosaur with a mid-range jumper, and Chris Paul distributing, they're not better than this Miami Heat team? And you're telling me the Hornets wouldn't trade Paul on an expiring contract for a Wade who would be theirs for 5 years? Shhhh... don't tell Pat Riley.
-Finally, can we all move on now? The Heat didn't win this year, LeBron failed miserably, can we go back to the normal level of craziness that comes with being a Clevelander? The Indians were in first place for awhile, but I think we dropped the ball, and focused too much on rooting against LeBron and forgot about a bright-spot that we had going. Now they're one game away (tonight) from being in 2nd. In 9 days, we have the NBA Draft, a new future will start for the Cavs, there's something to be excited for in 2013. Oh yeah, the lockout is happening, don't expect anything good next year, other than maybe another top 3 draft pick, which after a shortened season, why not? Here's you choices: Have the 9th best team in the East, maaaaaybe squeak in to the 8th seed only to be destroyed in the first round, and get like the 15th pick in the draft; OR you can suffer through a shortened (probably 40-50 games) and be the worst team in the league, or close to it, and get high draft picks again. AND there's still the possibility of trading the likes of Jamison and Davis for even more draft picks. For a lockout shortened season, I'd rather take the draft lottery. It worked for the Thunder, why not us?
The NCAA Sucks
-Shocking, I know. I really hate when the government gets involved in sports, like how they did with baseball and steroids. But can they get involved and force the NCAA to completely clean house and start over. How is there a business that can be run so poorly? It'd be one thing if stuff happened behind closed doors and nobody knew how ludicrous a company was run. But the NCAA does it in front of everyone, and we can't do anything about it. Obama, please, nuke the NCAA.
Here are two general ideas on how to fix the NCAA amateur issue:
From W:
What if you did kind of like major league baseball… a player can commit to the nfl at any time during his college career or after high school. Goes in to the draft and is drafted whenever or not at all… but keep the rule that they have to be in school at least 3 years or 21 years of age. If they commit early, they are stuck with whatever contract they get when they are drafted and they go back to school to continue playing until they are eligible… if they fail out they still cant play til they are 21… which would make them try harder to stay in school. If they take money from a booster or do something against rules they are suspended and fined if they have a contract with the NFL… or possibly kicked out of school. And they can lose their contract for breaking the rules.
From Me:
Give the kids, as part of their scholarship money, which is probably more than they need anyway, a prepaid visa for an amount. Say it gets reloaded every quarter (since OSU is on quarters, not semesters) with an amount similar to having a part-time job- for food, drinks, going out, small shopping trips. That gets rid of the "I'm poor, so all I could do was take make/sell stuff." Also, it has to be mandatory for athletes to live in college housing. This eliminates the need for rent, and fully utilizes what's involved in their scholarship anyway. Also, make it part of the scholarship, that the student-athlete has to sign, that says if he violates his amateur status, and it is found at within any point, that said student-athlete must repay the entire scholarship + interest (like if you have a Reggie Bush situation where you find out years later). It will be legally bound contract that will at least pose some sort of threat to the student, especially if they're a borderline NFL player. If they're going to make it to the league anyway, it at least gets money back to the school that can be given to students who aren't unethical.
Finally, and this is where the government comes in, make it a felony to provide substantial benefits to an amateur athlete, specifically directed at agents and boosters. The NFL needs to be involved to where if an athlete does accept moneys and is found out, he can be fined in the NFL, but at an exponentially higher amount than what he received. Also, make selling items awarded for personal and team achievements fair game, but set a general market value for them, to determine what an excessive amount would be considered. It seems like a lot of work, but I don't think it would actually take all that much work, and could work without the NFL and government's involvement.
Anyone agree with either theory?
NBA Thoughts
-When the New York Yankees go to World Series, the Boston fans who root against them draw no criticism. If the Dallas Cowboys go to the Superbowl, the Giants, Eagles, and Redskins fans who root against them, draw no criticism. When the Lakers go to the Finals, the Boston Celtics fans draw no criticism.
But when the Miami Heat, who are fronted by a player who jilted the Cleveland Cavaliers and more importantly the Cleveland Cavaliers fans, make it to the finals, and Cleveland fans root against them, it's an atrocity. Why? Why is it such a terrible thing to root against a team? When did being a fan become not being a fan? There were only 2 teams in the NBA Finals. That leaves 28 other teams' fan bases that had no vested interested. The ratings were huge for the finals. A lot of people were rooting against the Heat, and against LeBron. Why is this terrible? The media wants to make it about Clevelanders rooting against LeBron- that's wrong. EVERYONE who has a spine and is not from Miami was rooting against the Heat. They broke the rules. They thought they found a loophole.
It's like in the movie Dogma, when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were angels banished from Heaven. Then they found a loophole to get back in. God can't be proven wrong- there are no loopholes. Had they gained re-entry to Heaven, the entire universe would have imploded, and there would be nothing. Had Miami won the championship this year, combined with the pending lockout, the NBA would have taken a huge hit in ratings, because a lot of people (like me, and the frequent commenter "W") would stop watching. Thank goodness Dirk thwarted that possibility.. now we get to relive this torment next year... and the next year...
-How awesome is Dirk Nowitzki? He is everything that's right and just in professional sports. He paid his dues. He endured tireless criticism, failed repeatedly, but kept working and eventually that work paid off. He had an owner who was determined to help him win, not an owner who was determined to win for himself. Not since The Dream won the championship in 1994 has a 1 star team won the title. The Pistons in 2004 don't count- they didn't have any stars. Dirk is awesome. Now we'll spend the next 8 months debating if he belongs in the top 10 players of all time, or top 20... what a dumb issue. Let's just enjoy what we have now, and that is an NBA Championship team.
-Did you guys know that LeBron is rich and most of us aren't? I had started to forget about that until he reminded us after he lost game 6. Thank you LeBron. Not only did you remind us how wealthy you are, but you also reminded us all who self-centered an unaware you really are. But let's think about what he said, in perspective. He reminded us (as in, all those rooting for him to fail- that's important) that we all have to wake up with the same lives, and the same problems, and he's going to continue living how he wants. Am I supposed to draw from this, that had I been rooting for him to succeed, that I would have woken up Monday morning without my personal problems? Is that all it takes?
And in perspective, he was implying that his life is so much better than everyone else's, because money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a lot of things that can make you happy. But if you think about it, he works in a controlled workplace, told everyone what he was going to do 7 months before he would have a chance.. and then failed. Kind of like how you don't say you're going to win the lottery, throw a party on a credit card thinking you'd be able to pay it off.. and then you don't win the lottery. Or in sales, you tell your boss you're going to land this big contract, go buy yourself a new car, and then don't make the sale. Basically, you told everyone you're going to achieve the highest level of excellence that you can achieve, and then when you had your chance, you failed, miserably. Yes, miserably.
-Dwayne Wade is a bad influence on LeBron. There's no way to explain it. It's not that me makes him worse as a player, or encourages LeBron to do drugs or something. But he makes LeBron complacent. LeBron thinks (I think) that he doesn't have to perform all the time, because he's got Dwayne to back it up. That's no way to play. When LeBron was in Cleveland, he was the man. He knew it, we knew it, and the other teams knew it. But he thrived. Remember when the Cavs lost to the Celtics in game 7 in 2008? LeBron put up 47. That was inspired play. Remember when LeBron scored more than 30 in the finals this year? Neither do I. He doesn't want to be the man, but he plays better when he is. That's the problem with having two players with the identical style, and almost the identical skill set- LeBron is more gifted physically. LeBron doesn't think he has to be the man so he let up. That's no good. Maybe if we're lucky he won't take notice and fix it, and he won't spend the summer working in the post... but I doubt it.
-Poor Chris Bosh. Yes he may or may not look like a dinosaur. But he was quietly the most consistent player in these playoffs, but he will ultimately play the role of scapegoat on the team. If this Big 3 ever gets blown up, he will be the one to go. I don't think he should be. Imagine Dwayne Wade being replaced with, say, Chris Paul. You're telling me a LeBron with a post-game, a Chris Boshosaur with a mid-range jumper, and Chris Paul distributing, they're not better than this Miami Heat team? And you're telling me the Hornets wouldn't trade Paul on an expiring contract for a Wade who would be theirs for 5 years? Shhhh... don't tell Pat Riley.
-Finally, can we all move on now? The Heat didn't win this year, LeBron failed miserably, can we go back to the normal level of craziness that comes with being a Clevelander? The Indians were in first place for awhile, but I think we dropped the ball, and focused too much on rooting against LeBron and forgot about a bright-spot that we had going. Now they're one game away (tonight) from being in 2nd. In 9 days, we have the NBA Draft, a new future will start for the Cavs, there's something to be excited for in 2013. Oh yeah, the lockout is happening, don't expect anything good next year, other than maybe another top 3 draft pick, which after a shortened season, why not? Here's you choices: Have the 9th best team in the East, maaaaaybe squeak in to the 8th seed only to be destroyed in the first round, and get like the 15th pick in the draft; OR you can suffer through a shortened (probably 40-50 games) and be the worst team in the league, or close to it, and get high draft picks again. AND there's still the possibility of trading the likes of Jamison and Davis for even more draft picks. For a lockout shortened season, I'd rather take the draft lottery. It worked for the Thunder, why not us?
The NCAA Sucks
-Shocking, I know. I really hate when the government gets involved in sports, like how they did with baseball and steroids. But can they get involved and force the NCAA to completely clean house and start over. How is there a business that can be run so poorly? It'd be one thing if stuff happened behind closed doors and nobody knew how ludicrous a company was run. But the NCAA does it in front of everyone, and we can't do anything about it. Obama, please, nuke the NCAA.
Here are two general ideas on how to fix the NCAA amateur issue:
From W:
What if you did kind of like major league baseball… a player can commit to the nfl at any time during his college career or after high school. Goes in to the draft and is drafted whenever or not at all… but keep the rule that they have to be in school at least 3 years or 21 years of age. If they commit early, they are stuck with whatever contract they get when they are drafted and they go back to school to continue playing until they are eligible… if they fail out they still cant play til they are 21… which would make them try harder to stay in school. If they take money from a booster or do something against rules they are suspended and fined if they have a contract with the NFL… or possibly kicked out of school. And they can lose their contract for breaking the rules.
From Me:
Give the kids, as part of their scholarship money, which is probably more than they need anyway, a prepaid visa for an amount. Say it gets reloaded every quarter (since OSU is on quarters, not semesters) with an amount similar to having a part-time job- for food, drinks, going out, small shopping trips. That gets rid of the "I'm poor, so all I could do was take make/sell stuff." Also, it has to be mandatory for athletes to live in college housing. This eliminates the need for rent, and fully utilizes what's involved in their scholarship anyway. Also, make it part of the scholarship, that the student-athlete has to sign, that says if he violates his amateur status, and it is found at within any point, that said student-athlete must repay the entire scholarship + interest (like if you have a Reggie Bush situation where you find out years later). It will be legally bound contract that will at least pose some sort of threat to the student, especially if they're a borderline NFL player. If they're going to make it to the league anyway, it at least gets money back to the school that can be given to students who aren't unethical.
Finally, and this is where the government comes in, make it a felony to provide substantial benefits to an amateur athlete, specifically directed at agents and boosters. The NFL needs to be involved to where if an athlete does accept moneys and is found out, he can be fined in the NFL, but at an exponentially higher amount than what he received. Also, make selling items awarded for personal and team achievements fair game, but set a general market value for them, to determine what an excessive amount would be considered. It seems like a lot of work, but I don't think it would actually take all that much work, and could work without the NFL and government's involvement.
Anyone agree with either theory?
Monday, June 6, 2011
I may be stoned for saying this, but...
The back-up quarterback on your favorite NFL team....
The white guys on the North Carolina basketball team (not named Zeller)...
Rudy....
Any Junior Varsity team...
The last players off the bench in any sport at any level...
What do all of these have in common? At least two things: 1) they probably suck (in perspective to their surroundings) at their respective sport and 2) we don't boo them.
No, you don't boo players who suck. It's just mean. They know they're probably not very good, so what good would booing do? In fact, most of these players are cheered. It's kind of a back-handed complimentary cheer, but a cheer nonetheless. If, say for instance, on of those UNC kids makes a 3? The crowd goes insane- the game doesn't mean anything at that point, so the 3-pointer isn't of significance, but they cheer anyway. You overreact to the achievements of these players, because they're important to the chemistry on the team (you've gotta have your Mark Madsen and Brian Scallibrini on every team). But one thing you don't do, is boo them.
Your football team is having a terrible season. The back-up gets sent in during the second quarter. What do we do as fans? We cheer... loudly.. like a savior has come to take your team to the top. At that moment, we usually choose to overlook the fact that there's probably a reason he was a back-up on a losing team- he's not very good. You don't boo the back-up. You boo the starter, who gets paid more money than he deserves, who was the starter for a reason- he's probably pretty good.
You don't root against the guys who suck. They're the David's of every story. It's mean, and distasteful. You root against players and teams who are good. You root passionately against players who are really, really good. You might go as far as to say that you, mistakenly, "hate" a great player. Why? Because they don't play on your team, and they've probably made your team look bad at some point. Do you see where I'm going with this?
I might be stoned by civilians in my home state, but it needs to be said.
This has to stop. You're all making of us (Ohioans/Clevelanders) sound and look stupid. It's okay to root against him, he deserves that. But we all know that LeBron James doesn't suck. You might think he decisions suck (pun intended), but his basketball playing ability does not. Do you actually watch the games? Does South Beach steal the ability of players like Rogue? No. LeBron didn't go from a two-time MVP to a player who sucks. All of this nonsense about him sucking needs to stop. "He can't finish" is done. You've watched the playoffs. You saw what he did in Boston and Chicago. He can close.
You can look at the series so far in the finals and say he hasn't done much. You're not watching the game. He was 0-4 last night in the 4th quarter, but also had 4 assists (equivalent to at least 8 points for you math wizzes) and held Jason Terry scoreless. LeBron, unfortunately, has the ability to control the game without scoring a single point. He can do it by distributing and by locking down the other team's best scorer.
I know, I know. The Decision sucked... and it was really stupid. We all wanted him to stay, and he didn't, we've gotta move on. All of his PR moves are actually really, really dumb. You can say his acting sucks, his press conferences suck, his commercials suck (they do), his shoes suck (they really do), but you can't say he sucks... at least not at basketball. You can try to justify it all you want, about how it's Wade's team, and that he doesn't have the killer mentality... that doesn't mean he all of a sudden forgot how to play basketball. All of your arguments against his basketball ability have been disproved. It's okay.
We boo him because he's great and because he doesn't play for us anymore. He deserves to be booed. Many great players are booed. The Yankees have like 27 World Series wins, and they're booed, quite frequently. Why? Because they suck? No, but we like it when they fail.
But don't try to argue to people about his ability, you're making Ohio look bad. We've got enough on our plate right now, we don't need to look like idiots too, if we haven't already.
You can say it sucks- the possibility of LeBron winning a championship- because it does.... but he doesn't. I'm sorry, but it's true.
The white guys on the North Carolina basketball team (not named Zeller)...
Rudy....
Any Junior Varsity team...
The last players off the bench in any sport at any level...
What do all of these have in common? At least two things: 1) they probably suck (in perspective to their surroundings) at their respective sport and 2) we don't boo them.
No, you don't boo players who suck. It's just mean. They know they're probably not very good, so what good would booing do? In fact, most of these players are cheered. It's kind of a back-handed complimentary cheer, but a cheer nonetheless. If, say for instance, on of those UNC kids makes a 3? The crowd goes insane- the game doesn't mean anything at that point, so the 3-pointer isn't of significance, but they cheer anyway. You overreact to the achievements of these players, because they're important to the chemistry on the team (you've gotta have your Mark Madsen and Brian Scallibrini on every team). But one thing you don't do, is boo them.
Your football team is having a terrible season. The back-up gets sent in during the second quarter. What do we do as fans? We cheer... loudly.. like a savior has come to take your team to the top. At that moment, we usually choose to overlook the fact that there's probably a reason he was a back-up on a losing team- he's not very good. You don't boo the back-up. You boo the starter, who gets paid more money than he deserves, who was the starter for a reason- he's probably pretty good.
You don't root against the guys who suck. They're the David's of every story. It's mean, and distasteful. You root against players and teams who are good. You root passionately against players who are really, really good. You might go as far as to say that you, mistakenly, "hate" a great player. Why? Because they don't play on your team, and they've probably made your team look bad at some point. Do you see where I'm going with this?
I might be stoned by civilians in my home state, but it needs to be said.
This has to stop. You're all making of us (Ohioans/Clevelanders) sound and look stupid. It's okay to root against him, he deserves that. But we all know that LeBron James doesn't suck. You might think he decisions suck (pun intended), but his basketball playing ability does not. Do you actually watch the games? Does South Beach steal the ability of players like Rogue? No. LeBron didn't go from a two-time MVP to a player who sucks. All of this nonsense about him sucking needs to stop. "He can't finish" is done. You've watched the playoffs. You saw what he did in Boston and Chicago. He can close.
You can look at the series so far in the finals and say he hasn't done much. You're not watching the game. He was 0-4 last night in the 4th quarter, but also had 4 assists (equivalent to at least 8 points for you math wizzes) and held Jason Terry scoreless. LeBron, unfortunately, has the ability to control the game without scoring a single point. He can do it by distributing and by locking down the other team's best scorer.
I know, I know. The Decision sucked... and it was really stupid. We all wanted him to stay, and he didn't, we've gotta move on. All of his PR moves are actually really, really dumb. You can say his acting sucks, his press conferences suck, his commercials suck (they do), his shoes suck (they really do), but you can't say he sucks... at least not at basketball. You can try to justify it all you want, about how it's Wade's team, and that he doesn't have the killer mentality... that doesn't mean he all of a sudden forgot how to play basketball. All of your arguments against his basketball ability have been disproved. It's okay.
We boo him because he's great and because he doesn't play for us anymore. He deserves to be booed. Many great players are booed. The Yankees have like 27 World Series wins, and they're booed, quite frequently. Why? Because they suck? No, but we like it when they fail.
But don't try to argue to people about his ability, you're making Ohio look bad. We've got enough on our plate right now, we don't need to look like idiots too, if we haven't already.
You can say it sucks- the possibility of LeBron winning a championship- because it does.... but he doesn't. I'm sorry, but it's true.
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