Saturday, January 29, 2011

NBA All-Star Fantasy Draft


Last night the NHL debuted a new twist in the all-star game format by having team captains select their teams like a fantasy draft. It was a great format and it was fun to break up the Sedin brothers, to join the Staal brothers and to see who was going to picked last (Phil Kessel of the Leafs).

Since the NHL all-star draft has already happened and the NBA all-star game is just around the corner, what would be better than drafting the NBA all-stars in a similar manner. So, I got basketball guru P-Double to draft the teams with me. We based the teams on the starters that were released by the NBA last week and the potential all-stars as we see them.

The two captains were named, Derrick Rose and Chris Paul because the point guards always run the show in a game like this. P-Double won the coin flip and selected Rose as the captain of his team. That left me with Paul and the first pick.

With the first pick, I chose the King - LeBron James. You can't pass up the best player. P-Double countered with the best young player and likely scoring champ, Kevin Durant. With the second pick in his back to back, the man who rejuvenated basketball in New York was chosen - Amar'e Stoudemire. The names are flying out fast and furious and I didn't want to be caught without a big man, so Dwight Howard was my next pick. Then, I had to go with the one player who will have the killer instinct no matter the situation, Kobe Bryant. P-Double then solidified his front line with Pau Gasol and Carmelo Anthony. For my fifth starter I chose the player who will make the all-star game fun again, human highlight reel Blake Griffin. That pick let out a huge groan from P-Double as he really wanted Griffin.

Blake Griffin in the all-star format will be magical, he'll be throwing down dunks left, right and center.

After Griffin went, the teams got rounded out with Rondo and then Westbrook going back to back. The big surprise was all-star starter Dwayne Wade slipping to round 8. For one of the best all-around players in the league to fall that far in this type of draft was a little surprising, but we have seen this year though that the hybrid type guards can be tough to play with. Teams that have an "alpha dog" point guard like Rose, Paul, and Rondo are all contenders while Tyreke Evans for example has floundered with the Sacramento Kings.

Since two Toronto guys were drafting the team it was no surprise who went last - Chris Bosh. Although Bosh probably wouldn't go last if players did the draft (or fans in other cities) but for our purpose it felt right. Bosh has played well when healthy, but for all the reasons he went to Miami - winning a championship, playing with friends and exposure are all falling short. The Heat have struggled lately and the dream of 70 wins went down the toilet quickly, playing with friends hasn't worked so well as the "big 3" have all been injured and haven't found their playing style together on the court and the exposure has dipped quickly. The "big 3" has quickly turned into "Wade and LeBron", both Wade and LeBron were also voted in as starters by the fans and Bosh is left to hope that the East coaching staff chooses him. If he stays in Toronto, and carrying the team to hopefully a .500 record, he would be a lock as an all-star. Just like China votes for Yao, Canada would have voted for Bosh.

It was a fun experiment and here are the full teams, starters in bold. Leave a comment and let us know who you think wins this fictional game;

Team P-Double                                                               Team BLT
Derrick Rose                                                                  Chris Paul
Kevin Durant                                                                  Kobe Bryant
Amare Stoudemire                                                          Blake Griffin
Pau Gasol                                                                        Dwight Howard
Carmelo Anthony                                                            LeBron James

Russel Westbrook                                                             Rajon Rondo
Dirk Nowitzki                                                                   Kevin Garnett
Kevin Love                                                                       Deron Williams
Paul Pierce                                                                        Dwayne Wade
Raymond Felton                                                                Manu Ginobli
Tim Duncan                                                                       Al Horfod
Chris Bosh                                                                         Joe Johnson

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Potential Star


We have reached the mid-way point of the NHL and NBA seasons and once again and the all-star games of both leagues are just around the corner.This game is a showcase for the immense talents that both leagues have and it gives sports fans in Toronto another chance to wallow.

The teams in Toronto - Leafs and Raptors are both struggling this season and neither squad boasts talent that gives the fan base hopes. The Leafs have one all-star, Phil Kessel, but only because they have to. The other players that were supposed to be all-stars have fallen well short and this will leave the Leafs on the outside looking in April again this season.

The Raptors are in a similar situation. They lost their all-star in free agency and currently none of the 20 players that have seen time for the Raps this season could crack the top 12 of an all-star roster. Unlike the Leafs, there may be some hope for the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani has developed into a scorer who can hit the big shots, but unfortunately he can't play any defense. This holds him back from cracking the top echelon. If he did play a lick of defense and rebounding just a bit, there is no way he could be held off the all-star team. He would be a younger KG. Demar DeRozan should have a place in the all-star game - dunk contest. As DeRozan matures he might have a chance to crack an all-star line-up, but right now the position is just too loaded, he is making the leap. One other unlikely all-star candidate for the Raptors in the years to come might surprise you - Jarryd Bayless.

One reason we might have to start paying attention to Bayless is because of Kevin Love. The Timberwolves rebounding machine was on the Bill Simmons Podcast this week and was asked about players from his generation that could still make the jump into the NBA elite. He only had one answer - Jarryd Bayless. What made Kevin Love think of Bayless? He talked about other players from that 2008 draft class like himself, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley and Russel Westbrook who he has played against and with since he was 15. He mentioned that all these players, and he lumped Bayless in with them, have an intense desire to be great and to leave a legacy when they leave the NBA.

Now I understand that just because a player has a desire to be great doesn't mean that he will be. But, as Love mentioned, he hasn't been wrong too many times when he has evaluated talent. He picked out Westbrook and Griffin at the age of 15. So besides effort and finally a chance to play what does Bayless have going for him.

Bayless plays fast and hard, gets to the rim, can definitely run the team and he has the right attitude to be a team leader and an all-star. Here's hoping that Kevin Love's prediction comes true.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Friday Night Lights



It is not often that MLB can take the spotlight away from the NBA and NFL in the months of January and February, but for one Friday night people were talking baseball.

On Friday, there were 3 major transactions. The first was the Toronto Blue Jays trading former all-star and face of the franchise, Vernon Wells to the Anaheim Angels for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera. Before the blogs and tweets could analyze that deal, the Tampa Bay Rays made a splash by signing not one, but two former AL East rivals - Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon.

The Ramirez and Damon deals seems to smell like a little bit of desperation on the Rays part. The Rays want to be part of the great rivalry conversation in the AL East and what better way to do that then by adding two former rivals to your roster. The Rays don't want to be looked at as third fiddle in the division and by adding the centre of attraction that is Ramirez they will certainly be featured more often in the national media.

What the Rays probably considered before signing the two players and then dismissed the idea was that they have built their team based on draft picks, young talent and smart trades that brought more young talent to Tampa. Signing two veteran players who are on their last legs seems very odd. Ramirez will only be able to DH for this team. His legs won't hold up on the turf at Tropicana Field and the past couple of seasons his hitting hasn't made it worth while to put him in the line-up everyday as the DH. Damon has struggled in New York and Detroit since leaving Boston and that is because what made him dangerous, his speed and recklessness in the outfield are no longer there for him. Damon is not going to be able to replace Carl Crawford and Rays fans should be worried that even though they will get the media attention, they are falling further from the conversation at the top of the AL East.

The "other" team in the AL East, the Toronto Blue Jays seem to be going in the opposite direction. After a surprising 2010 season, Jays fans are hopeful that the team is moving in the right direction and the pieces are in place to make a run at the division or at least the wild card title.

Lots of stars in the making seem to be peppering the Jays line-up, but one position was being held down by a former star - Vernon Wells. Wells and his bloated contracted was holding the Jays hostage. He was deemed un-tradable by many publications, not because of his performance, but because of how bad the contract was. Although, his recent performances didn't help his cause any, Toronto GM Alex Anthopolous still found a trading partner in the Anaheim Angels. The Angels were interested in the inconsistent Wells because they lost out on the big name free agents this winter and apparently have money to burn. The Jays got catcher Mike Napoli who will fill the void as a veteran catcher while JP Arencibia becomes more comfortable in the big leagues and utility man Juan Rivera will be able to play a number of position (OF, 3B, 1B, DH) and wouldn't be considered a liability if he has to play everyday due to injury.

The trade of Wells also opens the door for several other moves. Recently acquired Rajai Davis (from the Oakland A's) will take over in centre field and fans are now anticipating the rapid development of prospect Anthony Gose who was acquired last year from the Astros.

The Jays are on the path that made the Rays successful for the past couple of seasons. Develop your young players, let them mature at the major league level (even if it means some losing) and it will pay off. Now it seems the Rays have forgotten what got them into the conversation in the AL East and it is the Jays who are following the blue print that they created to make themselves into contenders.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Un-Lucky



With the NFL finishing its regular season, the teams on the outside looking in have the NFL draft to prepare for rather than their next opponent. The Carolina Panthers are the team that have the first selection in the draft. Since they finished last in the NFL they obviously have lots of needs, but throughout the college football season one player has stood out and would definitely help the team that drafts him - Stanford QB Andrew Luck.

Andrew Luck has the all the talents to be a great NFL QB and that is what made him so appealing to the Panthers who struggled through this season with a rookie QB who doesn't seem to have the moxie to be a starter in the NFL. Luck is a player who could have turned the franchise around similar to a Peyton Manning or Sam Bradford. Unfortunately for the Panthers and their fans, Luck being a college sophomore didn't have to declare for the NFL draft and decided this week that he would rather spend another year in college than turn pro. This has created a bunch of discussions and the majority of them didn't revolve around who the Panthers will now be taking in April's draft, they were about Luck's decision not to leave Stanford.

There are two sides to this argument, either he was right to stay in college or he should have turned pro. Those that say he was right to stay in college do so because Luck would have been drafted into a bad situation in the NFL (by going to Carolina) and therefore never would have reached his potential. Therefore he made the right decision by staying and waiting for the 2012 draft. The other argument for him staying in college was the uncertain NFL labour situation faces going into next season. With that cloud hanging over the league Luck would actually get to play next fall instead of hoping the league and the players association can come to an agreement.

The side arguing that he should have declared for the NFL draft has a much more compelling argument in my opinion. First, if you are ever the first overall pick in any draft, you are going to a bad team. Many players have turned franchises around whether it was the aforementioned Manning or Bradford in the NFL or players like LeBron James in the NBA or Sidney Crosby in the NHL. Going to Carolina wouldn't have been that bad for him. He would have had the patience of management and fans, also he would have been out of the media spotlight and therefore the pressure of playing in NY doesn't apply.

Luck says he decided to return to Stanford instead of pursuing the NFL because he wanted to finish his degree. This is an absolutely ridiculous statement. Many players have left school to play pro sports. The ones that do want to complete their education do so during the offseason. The prime example that comes to mind is Vince Carter. Carter returned to North Carolina to complete his education after getting drafted by the Toronto Raptors. There is always time to return to school. Even if Luck waited until he was done in the NFL (age 30-35), Stanford would still be there for him, its not like he was attending some online school.

If Luck really did stay for his education, he really needs to take some business courses. Since there is a good chance this NFL draft will be the last before some type of rookie wage scale is put in place (similar to the NBA), Luck is forfeiting approximately $22 million by staying at Stanford if the rookie cap gets put in place. He is also turning down a guaranteed $50 million dollars (approx) by staying at Stanford. No degree is worth that kind of money. With his first NFL contract he could have started a university and printed himself a degree.

So now that we know Luck really does need the education, why else should he have turned pro? His team will be worse than the Carolina Panthers next season. The Cardinals are losing several starters on offense and defense and won't be the same team that was 12-1 this season. Also, he is losing his coach - Jim Harbaugh who has decided to become the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh was a former NFL QB himself and without that tutelage there is a big question whether Luck can have the same success without Harbaugh. The precedent for a QB staying and having success the following year is not good - look at the Matt Leinart situation. Leinart would have been the first overall pick in the draft, the following season at USC he struggled and dropped to number 10 in the draft, costing him millions. The potential for Luck to struggle next season is always there and not only struggle, but what if he gets injured? Playing with less talent around him it is always a possibility or if he tries to do too much and puts himself in harms way. Then he would really need his education and could only dream about how $50 million would have changed his life.

The window to be a professional athlete is very small and very few people have the chance to play at that level. If you are one of the lucky few, you need to take the opportunity when it presents itself.