Nevermind

So never mind on the Rafael Soriano article I was going to put up. I typed it up, was going to post it today, but he signed with the Nationals (on a great deal for them by the way). The Nationals were 1 of 3 teams that I did mention in the article I was going to put up. They sign him for about the price I felt he could be signed for, with an even better deal for them with deferred money. The Nationals are a couple of left handed relievers away from being possibly the favorites to win the World Series. They have multiple avenues to pursue this and I expect that they will address that issue at some point soon. Meanwhile, the Tigers and Blue Jays are left with question marks in the back of their bullpen. The Tigers plan on going with top prospect Bruce Rondon. He throws 100 mph, but its unknown if he can jump up to the big leagues and immediately provide the team with a shut down closer. The Blue Jays will rely on a tandem of Sergio Santos coming off of an injury and Casey Janssen, who at 31 years old is coming off of arguably the best year of his career, when he accumulated 22 saves. It is not known if he can continue and perform like that for a full season. Santos, who has proven himself as a closer before, may take a setup role while he continues to recover from his injury. Brad Lincoln, Steve Delabar, and (if he doesnt retire) Darren Oliver look to have prominent roles in the middle to late innings. There are still options out there, but none the caliber of Soriano. It should be interesting to see how this signing will effect these 3 teams in particular

NBA 2012-2013 Preseason Predictions

Pre Season Picks (2012-2013)

EAST                              WEST
1. Miami Heat                 1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. New York Knicks        2. LA Clippers
3. Boston Celtics              3. Denver Nuggets
4. Indiana Pacers              4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Philadelphia 76ers        5. LA Lakers
6. Chicago Bulls               6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Brooklyn Nets              7. Utah Jazz
8. Atlanta Hawks              8, Dallas Mavericks
9. Milwalkee Bucks          9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10.Toronto Raptors          10.Golden State Warriors
11.Cleveland Cavaliers    11.New Orleans Hornets
12.Orlando Magic            12.Phoenix Suns
13.Washington Wizards    13.Houston Rockets
14.Detroit Pistons             14.Portland Trail Blazers
15.Charlotte Bobcats         15.Sacramento Kings

Eastern Conference Finals        Western Conference Finals
Miami Heat def. Boston Celtics    Oklahoma City Thunder def. LA Clippers
               
                                NBA Finals
          Miami Heat def. Oklahoma City Thunder   
           
            2013 NBA CHAMPIONS
                      MIAMI HEAT   

These were my preseason picks. I originally had slightly different choices for different spots, but after John Wall, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, and other players were injured, those changed. Obviously, many things have changed since the season started, including more injuries and a couple of teams playing worse than I might have thought they would. Amusingly, some of what has happened actually was in my original preseason picks. This year was very tough for me. It was hard to figure out who wouldnt be a decent team. The league is really deep and I didnt think there was going to be that one terrible team this year, barring injuries. I figured that there would be more teams closer to .500. The Western Conference was especially hard to figure out from 3-15 and I had a hard time separating some of the teams more than a game or 2. I wanted to put Memphis higher, but couldnt figure out who to put lower, so I went with this saying that the teams finishing in the 3-6 range would be close together. A similar thing can be said for the Eastern Conference as well. I didnt think the Celtics would finish too high in the regular season, but also didnt know where I would put them. I also thought Atlanta would be somewhere around the 5th or 6th seed, but didnt know who to drop. I felt like there was going to be a close range of games separating a lot of teams. Updated picks will come out during the All-Star break.

I'm Back (sort of)

After not posting for almost a year, I decided to put up 2-3 posts and go from there. I actually did write up a few things that I didnt post since my last posts, including NBA predictions for this year. The reason that I didnt put those posts up is that I didnt see any real need to. I decided that I dont wish to format my thoughts in formal write-ups, so my posts here will most likely be limited. My vision is the main hindrance in all of this and because of those issues, I have a hard time proof reading. I generally comment on everything that is going on in sports, but I do so on facebook so I dont have to organize everything too much and can ramble on about the topic. The Hall of Fame post I made was not very well organized, and I literally wrote down my thoughts in a few minutes. I'm not sure that the next 2 articles I put up will be like that, but it is still possible that it will be the direction I go in. The next 2 articles will be about the Marlins and a possible Giancarlo Stanton trade, and what I think about it as a Marlins fan (which I think will surprise everyone), and who I think should sign Rafael Soriano and why it might put them over the top as a contender. I've spoken about these topics more than several times and decided that they might be good topics to bring up here. I expect to put them up at some point in the next couple of days.

2013 Hall of Fame (non)Selection

Later today, the results of this year’s Hall of Fame voting will be in, and for the first time since 1996, it looks like nobody will be getting in. We have heard every reason thinkable from the many different writers who decided not to vote for certain players, or anyone at all. Those reasons range from “his stats aren’t good enough” to “he had a lot of back hair, so he was probably taking some kind of PED.” We’ve heard certain writers say that they would be handing in blank ballots as a protest for the players of PED use. This is my problem with the situation. How can we say with total certainty who did or didn’t do something, when there isn’t any evidence against them? How do we know who else was doing it during that era, whether it be a bench player, the starting pitcher giving up those HRs or anyone on the field? Personally, I think that there are at least 13 players on the ballot this year that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, and none of them getting in would be a disgrace. To me, it makes the Hall of Fame a joke if these players don’t get in, just as it looks like a joke with Pete Rose not being in the Hall of Fame, but that’s a different story for another time. The Hall of Fame is supposed to be one of the greatest foundations of story in sports. How can you have a Hall of Fame without its greatest players to tell your kids about. When I visited the Hall of Fame a few years back, I had an amazing time, and wished I went back for a second day b/c there wasn’t enough time to see everything before closing. I loved the experience, and it is something that I would think I could share later on in my life. Unfortunately, I don’t know what I would say if I’m asked why Barry Bonds isn’t in the Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Craig Biggio, Tim Raines, Mike Piazza, Jack Morris, Rafael Palmeiro, Jeff Bagwell, Alan Trammel, Curt Schilling, Fred McGriff, Edgar Martinez, and Mark McGwire all should get in. You can only vote for 10 per year, so 3 of these would have to be left off for another year. Still, they all should get in at some point. Those that speak of Bonds’ and Clemens’ PED use do so without merit in my opinion. Bonds was a no doubt, first ballot Hall of Fame player before he ever did any of it. He still would have hit over 600 HRs regardless, and some argue that he is the greatest player they ever saw play the game. Clemens also has a similar case. The accusations against Clemens suggest that he did his PED use in Toronto. Before his stint in Toronto began in 1997, Clemens had pitched for 13 years and accumulated 3 Cy Young awards, an MVP award, and an additional 2^nd and 3^rd place finish for the Cy Young award. He was already a Hall of Fame pitcher. Clemens is likely the greatest pitcher that I have ever seen and it would be a travesty if neither he nor Barry Bonds got into the Hall of Fame. There is also new speculation about Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza that has absolutely no merit and is only being brought on because of who their peers were. Mike Piazza is arguably the greatest offensive catcher in the history of the game. If he isn’t a Hall of Famer, then I don’t know what is. The argument against McGriff is ridiculous. Some say that he shouldn’t get in because he didn’t hit 500 HRs. HE HIT 493! Are you really telling me that you aren’t letting “The Crime Dog” into the Hall of Fame because of 7 HRs?! He could have easily hit those HRs if it wasn’t for the strike shortened season in 1994, and regardless, 7 HRs is such a small number to keep someone away from the Hall of Fame. Biggio came up as a catcher, moved to 2^nd base, to center field, and back to 2^nd base, and all he did during that time was collect more than 3000 hits and put his name in history as an all time Houston Astros great.. He played the game the right way and for him to be part of this whole “protest” is an absolute shame. Tim Raines is probably the 2^nd greatest lead-off hitter of all time, and to leave him out because he played at the same time as Ricky Henderson, is just plain stupid. Jack Morris was probably the greatest pitcher of the 1980s and is synonymous with winning. He was dominant during his time and just because his ERA is where it is, shouldn’t deny him his rightful spot in the Hall of Fame. This is a guy that averaged 7 1/3 innings per start. That means he literally pitched into the 8^th inning every time he pitched. If the objective of baseball isn’t winning, then what is the object of the game? I don’t think he should be held out for going out on the mound and trying to win every time he went out there. Curt Schilling’s big time moments also speak for themselves, and he should be a Hall of Fame pitcher. Palmeiro and McGwire also deserve to be in, even with the PED use. Palmeiro didn’t just have the HRs. He also has more than 3000 hits, and that gets him in the Hall of Fame for me. Meanwhile, McGwire wasn’t one-dimensional. He was always a high OBP guy, along with the HRs. As you can tell, I would be OK with putting PED users into the Hall of Fame because we don’t know, and will never know, enough about the whole situation. We don’t know who did or didn’t do them before or during this period of time. We don’t know how which specific PED effected things either.  Its just the way the game was and I don’t think we should keep the greatest players to play this game out of the Hall of Fame because of it. If you want to put up a wing dedicated to just this era, then that’s fine. Put up information explaining everything, so we can walk through those halls in Cooperstown and read about these players. On their plaques, “admitted or found PED user” can be written to show that they might not have done everything cleanly. Do whatever you have to do, but don’t rob the fans of seeing the greatest players in the Hall of Fame.

*Please excuse the lack of paragraphs in this write-up. It was meant to be a quick assessment of some of the issues in Hall of Fame voting this year, and who I think should get in on this year’s ballot. Other articles will generally be in a more professional format, with better organization.

The King to Claim What is Rightfully His

The King to Claim What is Rightfully His

Lebron James is arguably having the greatest season in the history of basketball. While playing fewer minutes than ever in his career and taking the fewest shots he ever has, Lebron James is leading the NBA in scoring (29.0 PPG), is shooting 55% from the field, grabbing the most rebounds he ever has (8.5), is dishing out 7 assists per game, has the highest Player Efficiency Rating in the history of basketball, and has the most Win Shares in the league to this point in the season. By the way, he also jumped OVER A HUMAN BEING. Why is it that Lebron hasn’t received any kind of positive attention for the amazing season he is having? This is something that should be the story in the NBA almost every day, but instead, we find that it’s all about Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, etc. Lebron James is the MVP of the league this year easily. We should not take what he does for granted and show our appreciation for the incredible talent he has. Instead of hating on Lebron James, we should enjoy every moment we are privileged to watch his greatness. Lebron is obviously determined to win a championship and I don’t see anything or anyone that can stand in his way of achieving that goal this season. Watch out sports world because Lebron James is out to prove that he is the best in the world. I think his play on the court this season says that louder than any words possibly can.

February 13, 2012

LIN-SANTIY is Just LIN-CREDIBLE

LIN-SANTIY is Just LIN-CREDIBLE

The New York Knicks have had a very controversial season. I have to admit that the start to their season caught me off guard. I had New York as a possible top 5 seed in the East. Instead, they have dealt with injuries to Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. When they have been on the court, they haven’t shown that they can mesh together. I still believe that the Knicks can work. I don’t think they can contend for a championship because they don’t play defense, but they should be able to be in the upper class of the Eastern Conference. Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system requires a competent point guard. This year, they were relying on Tony Douglas and rookie Iman Shumpert, both 2-guards, to play the point. So far, Melo has taken on the role of Point-Forward and that isn’t something that should be happening if the Knicks are to win. Enter “LIN-SANITY.” Jeremy Lin has come from out of nowhere and has taken the league by storm in the past week. His jersey is the highest selling jersey in the league. Just about everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and the city of New York is “Lin-fatuated” with their new starting point guard. Why wouldn’t they? All he does is “Lin.” The Knicks are currently on a 5 game winning streak and have done so without Melo and Amare. Lin turned in a sensational performance against the Lakers and if there were doubters before that, those doubts quickly left everyone’s minds. Still, we must be realistic about this situation. The Knicks haven’t played against a good team during the win streak, and won’t for at least the next three games. Bottom line is that the Knicks aren’t going to win with Lin or Melo or anyone taking more than 25 shots a night. Lin has scored a lot during this run, but he has also shot the ball a ton and he turns the ball over a ton. He also looks like he is dying on the court at times, most likely because he isn’t used to the minutes he is getting and he isn’t used to having to carry a team like this. Lin is a good option for D’Antoni’s offense. He is good at running the pick and roll and can shoot the three decently. If the Knicks wish to win when Melo and Amare get back, which I still believe will happen, they will need Lin to run a ton of pick and rolls with Tyson Chandler, Amare, and Melo. At times there should be more combinations between these players. Their whole offense should be about the pick and roll and then they can utilize the shooters they have to spread the floor a bit. In this scenario, I can see them being a good team, though they still would need to learn how to play defense. Tyson Chandler, Landry Fields, and Iman Shumpert should help in that category. If Lin can average 8 points per game and do the things I mentioned, with Melo taking somewhere between eighteen and twenty two shots per game, Amare taking 15-18 shots per game the Knicks could end up back where I predicted they would be before the season. This is another great example of how deep this league is. There are a lot of guys in this league who can perform very well if given the opportunity. Lin won’t have to stay on anymore couches for a good while. Great story and good for Jeremy Lin.

February 13, 2012

Reasons for NBA predictions through 2/13/12

As this shortened NBA season has moved forward, many things have changed. There have been many impactful injuries to the top teams in each conference, and with those injuries we have seen the emergence of many talented, young players. We have also seen these injuries take the usual negative effect that they would, for example, the Memphis Grizzlies. They lost Zach Randolph early on to an MCL tear and haven’t performed to their full potential. You see the possibilities with that young team when they are healthy. They now have playoff experience after their amazing run last year, and they added depth to their front court off the bench; and let’s not forget the most important thing. They have Rudy Gay back, healthy, and playing like an All-Star. The Grizzlies have played well in Randolph’s absence, but you can still see the hole left by him. I think that when he comes back, the Grizzlies should be able to make a move in the playoffs this year. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if they were to lose in the first round. The West is really deep this year and anything can happen.

The LA Clippers are another great example of a team being limited by injuries. They have a lot of depth at the guard positions that can play both the point and the 2-guard. Their main issue is their lack of depth in the front court. After Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan, they don’t really have anything. They did pick up Kenyon Martin, which should help, but I still don’t see it being enough. I felt that they still had a chance to go deep into the playoffs, but then, in my opinion, their season was lost when Chauncey Billups fell to the floor with that Achilles injury. Chauncey looked to be in great shape, and he brought great leadership to the Clippers. Even playing a new position this year, he seemed to adjust really well. Obviously, he also has a lot of playoff and big game experience. I think that the Clippers have to make some sort of move to get back into contention. Maybe they go after JR Smith. If they do that, I will put them back into the same consideration I had them in before. Otherwise, don’t expect the Clippers to get past the second round of the playoffs, if they get that far.

The Denver Nuggets have also suffered the wrath of injury. They are the highest scoring team in the NBA, but unfortunately Danillo Gallinari is out with a seriously sprained ankle. The Nuggets have incredible depth and that is what makes them a force in my opinion. If they can hold things down until Gallinari comes back, I feel like they will make a lot of noise in this year’s playoffs. They will get Wilson Chandler back from China, which should add even more talent to an already deep team. Bottom line, this injury should hurt them for awhile, but they will recover and go deep into the playoffs.

Golden State continues to have an unfortunate streak of luck with injuries to their back court and big men. Stephen Curry can’t seem to stay on the court. Monta Ellis has been carrying them lately, but they won’t do anything playing like that. They have a lot of young talent and should be better over the next couple of years. Mark Jackson has been doing a very good job trying to install a new culture there.

Unfortunately for the Milwaukee Bucks, Andrew Bogut is hurt and out for the season yet again. There have been reports of Brandon Jennings already planning his exit there, so we’ll see how the future goes for this team.

Now we get to the injuries that have actually affected teams in a non-negative way. The San Antonio Spurs are once again quietly having a great season. When Manu Ginobli went down early with a wrist injury, we wrote off the Spurs, especially since they traded George Hill to the Indiana Pacers. That was a mistake. Greg Popovich has done an incredible job, as always, coaching this team with young players such as Kawai Leonard, Danny Green, and Gary Neal doing a great job filling in and playing a lot of important and productive minutes. Tiago Splitter looks much better than he did last year and he has done a good job coming off the bench. Tim Duncan’s production has dramatically fallen, but we have seen that he still has some left. The main reason, however, for the success of the San Antonio Spurs? His name is Tony Parker. The 29 year old point guard is having an All-Star year, leading his team after there was a little doubt towards him before the season after the George Hill trade. He has been a real spark, getting to the basket, making great passes, and even carrying the scoring load at times. Now that Manu is back, we see that the Spurs have good depth and those young players have some game experience. I look for them to be a possible sleeper team in the playoffs, but at the same time, I currently have them losing in the first round again.

The Atlanta Hawks unfortunately lost Al Horford to a torn pectoral muscle, but they have still played well without him. He says that he is hopeful to return by the end of the season, so it will be interesting to see if the Hawks can keep it up until he gets back. My feeling is that they will. They are a deep team and they are really motivated to get past the second round. We shall see what happens with the Hawks.

The Boston Celtics are a very interesting team this season. They have had a couple of injuries and they lost Jeff Greene before the season started. They made a couple of nice pickups and I really like their rookie Forward JuJuan Johnson. I feel that picking up Mickael Pietrus for such a low cost was a steal and potentially can end up being a huge move for them. Pietrus can shoot the three and he is a good defender, showing in the past that he can guard Lebron James in the playoffs. The Big 3 obviously aren’t the same guys they were in the past, but Paul Pierce has played very well since returning from injury and Rajon Rondo is slowly proving to be the real leader of this team. They have a lot of experience and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do something in the playoffs against an Indiana, Philadelphia, or even, the Chicago Bulls. They will have to hold up through this rough season, but if they do, they can make it very interesting.

Finally we come to the New York Knicks. I have to admit that the start to their season caught me off guard. I had New York as a possible top 5 seed in the East. Instead, they have dealt with injuries to Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. When they have been on the court, they haven’t shown that they can mesh together. I still believe that the Knicks can work. I don’t think they can contend for a championship because they don’t play defense, but they should be able to be in the upper class of the Eastern Conference. Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system requires a competent point guard. This year, they were relying on Tony Douglas and rookie Iman Shumpert, both 2-guards, to play the point. So far, Melo has taken on the role of Point-Forward and that isn’t something that should be happening if the Knicks are to win. Enter “LIN-SANITY.” Jeremy Lin has come from out of nowhere and has taken the league by storm in the past week. His jersey is the highest selling jersey in the league and just about everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Why wouldn’t they? All he does is “Lin.” The Knicks are currently on a 5 game winning streak and have done so without Melo and Amare. However, the Knicks have also not played against a good team in that span, and wont for at least the next three games. Bottom line is that the Knicks aren’t going to win with Lin or Melo or anyone taking more than 25 shots a night. Lin has scored a lot during this run, but he has also shot the ball a ton and he turns the ball over a ton. He also looks like he is dying on the court at times, most likely because he isn’t used to the minutes he is getting. Lin is a good option for D’Antoni’s offense. He is good at running the pick and roll and can shoot the three decently. If the Knicks wish to win when Melo and Amare get back, which I still believe will happen, they will need Lin to run a ton of pick and rolls with Tyson Chandler, Amare, and Melo. At times there should be more combinations between these players. Their whole offense should be about the pick and roll and then they can utilize the shooters they have to spread the floor a bit. In this scenario, I can see them being a good team, though they still would need to learn how to play defense. Tyson Chandler, Iman Shumpert, and Landry Fields should help them in that category. If Lin can average 8 points per game and do the things I mentioned, with Melo taking somewhere between eighteen and twenty two shots per game, the Knicks could end up back where I predicted they would be before the season. This is another great example of how deep this league is. There are a lot of guys in this league who can perform very well if given the opportunity, Great story and good for Jeremy Lin. I will be taking a look into this whole situation in another post later.

The NBA is so deep this season, especially in the West, and it was difficult to make some of the picks that I made. Dallas is still deep and they are starting to show that they are just as good as they were last year if Dirk is himself. Vince Carter has turned out well for them, as has Delonte West, and Roddy Beaubois looks like he can be a good guard for them as well. Shawn Marion is apparently “The Matrix” again and Lamar Odom is slowly, but surely, coming back to reality. I look for them to be another interesting team in the playoffs, and I won’t be surprised if they actually get back to the Western Finals.

I still like Portland, as I do every year. They are actually healthy. Lamarcus Aldridge is finally being recognized as the All-Star that he is. I like the addition of Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton and it has worked out well for them. Gerald Wallace is having another solid year and Nicolas Batum is doing what he does: defend, hit the three, and just show that great athleticism. Not much else is needed to be said about them. They will quietly get into the playoffs and they have great possibilities, again, to go deep.

Unfortunately for Utah, Minnesota, and Houston, I don’t see them making the playoffs this year. The future is bright though. The Jazz are a year ahead of where I thought they would be, as are the Wolves. Devin Harris simply needs to play more like the guy he was in New Jersey. He just hasn’t been the guy that they traded for. Luckily for them, Earl Watson has been great. I personally like their style and think that they have great potential in the future with that great front court depth. The Wolves have a lot of depth at the forward positions and they are learning how to win as a young team.  The Wolves should be good the next couple of years. As for Houston, it’s all about Kyle Lowry, period. He is a very good player, underrated, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is talked about a lot more next season. Kevin Martin is still a good scorer and Luis Scola is still a good player, himself. Another couple of pieces over there, and they have a good future.

The Los Angeles Lakers had a strange off season. They got worse. They lost Lamar Odom for absolutely nothing and they lost Shannon Brown. I like the job Mike Brown has done over there, implementing a more defensive style. They brought in guys like Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy and they have been nice acquisitions. The Lakers still have Kobe, Gasol, and Andrew Bynum so I will not count them out. I have them getting in at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The Indiana Pacers have done exactly what I predicted they would do before the season started. They have incredible depth and a very good young core. They have playoff experience from last year, and were actually close to winning a couple of the games they ended up losing to the Bulls. I have them going deep into the playoffs and possibly pulling off an upset over the Bulls. I also see possibilities of the Celtics beating them, should they play each other in the first round. Bottom Line for the Pacers is that they are just going to get better and have a lot of potential to do some damage in this year’s playoffs.

Philadelphia is another team that has surprised me. They are at least a year ahead of where I thought they would be, but I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that Doug Collins has them focused the way they are. There defense looks to be very good, as they are at the top of the league in that category. The 76ers have a lot of depth, as well. They have six players averaging in double figures. I see them getting into the second round of the playoffs.

I personally think that the Cavaliers should have chosen Derrick Williams as the number one pick and Brandon Knight as the fourth pick. I have nothing against Kyrie Irving or Tristan Thompson. I just feel like Derrick Williams was the best player in the draft, and the combination of he and Knight is better than Irving and Thompson. They will miss the playoffs this year, but in the Eastern Conference, it’s not difficult to get yourself back into the playoffs quickly. Look for them to do something next year.

I say again, this league is incredibly deep. Winning a championship is all about depth and matchups nowadays. There are at least ten teams in the West that could easily be a playoff team and many of these teams have potential to go deep. Anything can happen. However, there is one thing that I feel is a constant this year. The Miami Heat will win the NBA championship.

February 13, 2012