This blog is to showcase my love of sports and give my opinion on who I like and why I like them. You do not have to agree with me, although I will think much less of you if you do. However, I am open to other people's thoughts and ideas...as long as they don't belong to a UNC, Red Sox, Phillies, or Patriots fan. Feel free to comment and enjoy.
Jason Kidd has decided to leave Dallas and head to New York. And no, not Brooklyn where the Nets will begin playing their home games. Instead, Kidd will be playing for the New York Knicks, the team that had practically lost all hope in getting him to play for them. And after news of Steve Nash joining Kobe in L.A., it almost seemed as if the Knicks would have to rely on more Linsanity.
If you look at the Knicks last seasons issues, a few come to mind right away:
1) Mike D’Antoni
2) Defense (aka Mike D’Antoni)
3) Problems at the Point Guard position
The first problem was fixed once Mike Woodson became the head coach. Fortunately, he was able to fix problem 2, and actually make Carmelo Anthony play defense. In addition, they also got Tyson Chandler last off-season, so defense did pick up even though D’Antoni is such an offense heavy coach.
But problem 3 seemed to be the big issue. The Knicks were set with an offensive talent both at the perimeter and the block, but struggled to find someone to distribute the ball. (Enter Jeremy Lin). Linsanity spread like wildfire and made Knicks’ fans smile again. However, the glory was only temporary due to a knee injury. They struggled in the Playoffs, but in their defense, they did have to play the eventual Champions.
So with all that said, the Knicks desperately needed some veteran leadership, a distributor, and winner. (Enter Jason Kidd).
Now I know that J-Kidd is almost 40 years old. But the Knicks aren’t looking for him to play every minute of every game. Let’s switch things to the NFL for a second. Aaron Rodgers, the NFL MVP, sat behind one of the greatest QBs in history. Without getting into detail I think it worked out pretty well for him. Now, back to the NBA.
Jason Kidd is one of the best PGs in NBA history. He’s scored over 17,000 points, 425 blocks, 8,402 rebounds, and has collected 11, 842 assists. With him being in the end of his career, Jeremy Lin can continue to grow as a player, while still being able to watch and learn from Kidd. He can talk to him, practice with him, and watch his decision making in action (which is one thing Lin struggled with greatly).
The Knicks also benefit from this becasuse they didn’t have to trade Iman Shumpert, which they most likely would have had to do to get Steve Nash. Now I’m not going to say that Shumpert will be the best player on the team or anything like that. But if he continues to rehab his knee and come back healthy, he’ll give the team the luxury of having a quality defensive player. Although I think the Heat still would have won the series, it might have taken them a little longer if Iman never got hurt. Regardless, Shumpert proved he was a solid defender, as well as an aggressive attacker to the bucket. Give him some time and I believe he’ll be making a lot of noise in years to come.
Overall, I believe this is a good thing for the New York Knicks. I’m not saying that they’re a definite to win the whole thing. But I do believe they’ve increased their chances of getting out of the first round. There is no reason they shouldn’t win at least 50 games, and be in the top 5 of the Eastern Conference. The whole team will be able to have a full training camp together to get acquainted with each other’s styles. Once the season starts, look out for the Knicks. They might just make Madison Square Garden seem like 1969…
Ok, I know it’s been far too long since I last posted. I’ve been busy and what not and I’ll explain what I’ve been up to recently. But that can wait. For now, let me not get too far behind and give you my views on LeBron James winning his first title.
If you’ve followed me from the beginning (or at least since “The Decision”) you know how I feel about LeBron James. But, just in case you don’t follow me or hang on my every word, I’ll explain it again.
LeBron James was my second favorite player in the NBA. I read about him since he was in 8th grade, watched his High School games on ESPN, and stayed up late to watch his entire first NBA game against the Kings. I bought a “WITNESS” t-shirt, rooted for him with the Cavs, and had a dream LeBron, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and I went out to dinner and became good friends.
Things have changed pretty drastically since he left Cleveland. Now, I root desperately for him to fail. I laughed hysterically last year when the Mavericks beat them in the Finals. I posted pictures of LeBron looking stupid and had “LeBron Jokes” posted, as well. No matter how hard I yelled, or laughed, or begged, LeBron James won. He showed up when it counted (at times) and got his ring. But still, there seems to be no real sense of completeness. I don’t think of him as a Champion, however, he is.
The thing about LeBron is not whether or not he’s good or not. Clearly, he is. In fact, statistically, he’s one of the best and will most likely go down as the best to play professional basketball. Statistically.
No one can deny that he’s talented. No one can deny that he’s a freak of nature. 6’8, 250 lbs., faster than everyone, stronger than everyone, and more athletic than everyone. We’ve never seen someone do the things he does so easily, because we’ve never seen a player like him. Sure, Magic was close considering he could (and did) play every position on the floor. But even the great Magic Johnson would say LeBron is better.
So what does it come down to? Why do we hate LeBron James? After all, didn’t he do what anyone else would do? Yes, he in fact DID do what millions of people would do. And that is why we hate LeBron James. Michael Jordan didn’t do what others did. Kobe Bryant doesn’t do what everyone else does. None of the greats do. And that’s what makes them great. It’s what sets them apart from every other player on the court. Did Michael and Kobe play on teams with great players? Absolutely, even Hall of Fame players. But Michael and Kobe didn’t join those teams. Those players joined them (or had already been on the team). The reason I lost so much respect for LeBron is because he took the easy way out. He joined a team that had two great players and who looked most ready to win a championship.
Folks, I used to root for the Yankees. It pains me to say it, but I did. When they had players like Scott Brosius and Chad Curtis, I identified with them. But then, all the “average” players were kicked out to make way for the high priced phenoms.
People look at LeBron James, talented, athletic, and so physically better than everyone else. We enjoyed watching him use all of his strength and will when he was with Cleveland. But once he joined the team in South Beach, we thought, “Doesn’t he already have it all? Isn’t he faster, and stronger, and better? Why does he need help?”
The point I’m trying to make is LeBron is not an average man. He’s a man among boys with more money and talent than you or I will most likely ever see or have. However, he took the road the average man takes; the road that says, “EASIER”. I end with this: What if Rocky had a tag-team partner, Rudy was 6’4, 240, and Jimmy Morris was 24? Kind of makes them less heroic, don’t you think?
If any of you know me well at all, you know I’m a die hard Duke fan. So last night, right before tip off, I took all my shirts, hats, sweatshirts, slippers, Crocs (yes, I have Duke Crocs) and any other Duke apparel I have and strategically placed each article throughout the living room. If you’ve been lucky enough to see my living room before a Duke game you will know it gets pretty intense.
But sadly, the shirts were folded early. The sweatshirts were hung behind my bed-room door. My slippers were placed back in their designated spot. And my Duke painting was taken down and replaced by the normal painting hanging on the wall.
I didn’t cry, I didn’t yell, I didn’t throw a fit. In fact, I was almost impressed with how well I took the absolute blow out that was the Duke vs. Ohio St. game last night. I guess partially, as I grow up, I use my head more than my heart. Going into the game I felt confident, knowing that a win would be possible, but certainly not easy. I believed that with the tough schedule Duke has had so far, and the incredibly easy schedule of Ohio St., I thought Duke might edge them enough for the win. Obviously, I was wrong.
Now I’m not going to rant and rave and say Duke was horrible or that Duke got robbed or anything like that. Did Duke play to the best of their abilities? No. Were the some questionable calls? Maybe a couple. But the reason that Ohio St. beat Duke by 22 points was simple; Ohio St. played almost perfect basketball.
Ohio St. had everything they wanted. Home court, a packed house, and former Buckeyes/NBA players watching. The number 2 team in the land played remarkably well, shooting 59.3% from the field and 57.1% from behind the arc. There were periods of time that I felt like Ohio St. couldn’t miss. And Duke, although Austin Rivers played well, had no answer.
I think Rivers has a lot of upside. He might pull a Kyrie Irving and go pro after this season. But I think he would only be hurting himself. He does a lot of great things but his lack of maturity shows up periodically throughout the game. He can get to the basket better than anyone else in the country, but as he showed early last night, he has a hard time finishing. He also needs to work on his jumper, free throws, and bulk up.
Duke was exposed last night. Dick Vitale said it perfectly, “Duke doesn’t have athletes. They’re basketball players, but not athletes.” And unfortunately, basketball nowadays is all about athletes (cough cough Kentucky cough cough). I think Duke has a decent shot to go deep in the tourney and even win it all. But it’s going to be a long, hard road before they can cut down the net. But there are a few quality teams along they way. It should make for a great college basketball season…
It’s been a very long time since I last posted anything on here. I’ve had some things on my mind and I’ve even tried a few more video blogs (sorry people) but to no avail (you’re welcome, people). I’m actually in the process of starting a YouTube account so I can post more videos (once again, sorry people).
But it’s finally come time for me to say something. It’s not about the Jets playing the Patriots this Sunday. It’s not about Coach K being two wins away from tying the record for most wins in D-1 Mens Basketball history.
It does deal with a legend of college football. Someone that almost seemed even bigger than the state of Pennsylvania. I’m talking of course, about Joe Paterno. But unfortunately I’m not talking about him as a legend or really anything positively.
If you haven’t heard already, a huge scandal has been discovered at Penn State. Jerry Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator for PSU, has been charged with molesting multiple boys over a 15-year period.
In my opinion, Sandusky doesn’t deserve anymore press about it. All I will say is it sickens me to think about what this monster did and I hope and pray that the young men he so disgustingly hurt, will be able to find some comfort knowing he will pay for what he did.
It seems like the more I look at this scandal, the worse and worse I feel about it. It’s bad enough that Sandusky did this. It’s really bad that Paterno, knowing about what Sandusky did, didn’t go through with the necessary actions to get this man out of the school and into prison. But what really upsets me is watching the clips of countless Penn State students/fans cheering and yelling for Paterno to stay.
I for one will admit that I was saddened to hear about this because I’ve respected Paterno and his legacy. However, once I found out he knew about it, I wanted nothing more than for him to be fired. It stinks that he’ll be forever remembered by this, especially since he holds the record for most wins by a college football coach.
But the bigger picture is not how many wins he has, or how many games he’s coached. It’s not about what he’s done for that program or how many players he helped get to the NFL. It’s about the voices he helped silence by not reporting the acts to the police. It’s about the pain and suffering he helped continue to worsen by looking the other way.
Students, fans, and alumni of Penn State; please stop cheering for this man. I’m not saying you should hate him or throw objects at his house. All I’m asking is that you stop and look at what this man did. Imagine yourself, or your brother, or in my case, my 4-year-old nephew. Now imagine, that you’ve entrusted that person to someone (Sandusky), only to have that person molest you or a loved one. Obviously, you would be angry, hurt, even embarrassed about what happened; no one would question your feelings toward that man. But how would you feel if you knew someone that you trusted knew about what happened to you, but didn’t really do anything about it. You can’t honestly tell me that you would be alright with that person.
People, I love sports so much. I’ve dedicated most of my life playing sports, watching sports, and even studying sports. But please, never lose focus of what’s really at hand. This story is not about a legend or a University. It’s about kids who had so much taken from them and people passing them by. When you start to put wins and games ahead of the safety of human lives, you’ve lost any decency you may have had. Never, ever think that a program is bigger than its parts, especially when those parts are people.
My heart goes out to those men who have had to relive the nightmare that occurred to them many years ago. I hope and pray that in time, they can be complete again.
There’s an old saying that goes something like this: All bark and no bite. Yes, this pretty much always is in regards to a small dog that barks a lot, but when tail is pushed to the wall, it simply won’t bite. Well my friends, there’s something near and dear to me that seems to be all bark and no bite- the New York Jets.
First off, I want everyone to know that with each word I type, my heart sinks deeper and deeper into my stomach. I’m obviously a Jets’ fan, but I have to be honest. In the off-season, aside from all the lock-out talk, Rex Ryan and others were talking about how the Jets were the team to beat. A loaded team with a hard-nosed defense, offensive weapons, and a young QB coming into his own. Ryan even guaranteed a Super Bowl this year (big surprise).
And I can understand why these words were uttered. I too, partially sipped the Green Kool-Aid, and had high, HIGH hopes of finally seeing Gang Green win the Super Bowl. The team has assets on both sides of the ball, back to back years going deep into the playoffs, and enough swag to make anyone proud to wear Jets’ apparel out in public.
But this season has so far exposed the Jets for what they are. A talented team with very good players that have a lot of work ahead of them to get where they want to be. Now this post is not saying that the Jets have no chance at the Super Bowl, or even the playoffs. If they get hot at the right time who knows what could happen (last year’s Packer team ring a bell?). But I for one will not be placing any bets on the Jets winning the whole thing…at least not yet.
For one, they can’t afford to lose Nick Mangold for anymore games. His absence clearly proved that without him at center, the Offensive Line is out of sync. They need to somehow figure out how to strengthen the O-line just in case he can’t return due to his injury.
Secondly, this team’s philosophy has been “ground and pound” meaning they rely heavily on the run game. Sadly, it’s been none existent. Until they’re able to establish the line of scrimmage, LT and Shonn Greene will continue putting up low numbers.
But for me, the biggest problem is Mark Sanchez. I know he’ll be the first one to blame himself but it’s not necessarily his fault. He’s not an elite quarterback yet. He’s done well because the running game has allowed him to set up his passes in each series. Against the Ravens, he seemed scared, rushed, and worn out. The Ravens are very good and have a scary defense, but they’re beatable. The Jets once again, simply got out-played and play after play, left Sanchez on the ground. Brian Schottenheimer needs to stress how important running the ball is for the team’s success, and Mark Sanchez’s maturation as a quarterback.
They just squeaked by an average Cowboys team. Beat up on a poor Jaguars team. They got out-played by an up and coming Raiders team, and got crushed by a solid Ravens team. No one in those games made me think this team was capable of winning a Super Bowl.
For the Jets to be successful, they need to get back to the basics. They need to beef up upfront, establish the run game, and open up the lanes for Sanchez to pass the ball. And Plaxico Burress needs to wake up. He’s been away from the game for a while, but he might as well just go back to prison if he continues to fade into obscurity on the football field. He’s much better than he’s been playing, just like the rest of his teammates who seem to just come up well short of their expectations.
I’m excited to see how the Jets handle themselves as they head up to Foxborough and play the Patriots this Sunday. And I say excited like I’m excited for my first prostate exam.
I don’t feel confident going to play the Pats, but I will say this: If they’re able to beat the Patriots in Foxborough, I’ll start thinking a little bit more like I did at the beginning of the season….
I honestly can’t remember the last time I posted something. I guess I’ve been a little too busy with creating my senior project, graduating from college, moving out, and finishing my internship with MLB Network. I apologize to those of you who actually look forward to my posts. So sorry, Mom and Meg.
Now obviously, a LOT has taken place in sports since I last posted. And while I’d love to catch everyone up on all that’s happened, I don’t have that time. So I’m going to stick with the NBA Finals.
First and foremost, it’s been great to watch exciting and well played professional basketball. If you are unlike the majority of people who have written off the NBA then you were in for a treat. Series after series was intense, exciting, and played the way basketball should be played.
It was also great to see teams that shouldn’t have won a game, take an entire series. As much as I love the Thunder, the Lakers should have won that series. They were the better team…at least on paper. And sadly, I didn’t get to see my Knicks play 4 complete games. It was all over after game 2.
But while Kobe was packing up after the season, and the Knicks were sent home, LeBron and the Heat were getting closer and closer to the place everyone said they would be: the Finals. Yet, they played the Mavericks? That’s right, the team I said had no business getting out of the first round. And once again, my predictions were not even close. But fortunately, it was Dirk, J-Kidd, Jason Terry, and the rest of the Mavs holding up the Larry O-Brien trophy.
Sure, you can call me a LeBron hater. That’s fine by me, I basically have become one. Do I admire the way he plays? How can you not…besides his performance in the Finals. But I also hate the Yankees, Patriots, and Phillies and admit when they are good or should win or whatever the topic may be. I don’t let my hatred distort my knowledge of the game(s).
And as much as I can rip LeBron about his 4th quarter performance, his actions after signing with the Heat, and how he handled himself after game 6, I can’t do that. I’m no different than the person who knows nothing about basketball, just hates LeBron for the obvious reasons. As I said before, he had every right to leave. It was just HOW he did it, that made me lose respect for him.
But let’s be honest with ourselves; LeBron helped get them to the Finals. Was his performance in the 4th horrific? Yes. But I can’t say he’s no good or talentless or any other negative adjective. He’s still top 5 players in the game right now.
But shame, shame, shame on you Dwayne Wade. I used to have nothing but love and respect for this guy. But after his “mocking” of Dirk before game 5, I wanted the Heat to lose more than I’ve ever wanted. It’s one thing to mock someone’s toughness behind closed doors, but to mock the dude who’s basically beating you on his own, in front of a Dallas News camera…well that’s just stupid. And to see that it was him, and not LeBron starting it made it even worse. I’m just glad the good guys won.
