NBA Western Conference Preview

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2007-08 NBA Sleeper Team of the Year, The Memphis Grizzlies! Believe it or not, but this team all of a sudden has the potential to be a very good team. Remember they made their first playoff appearance two years ago thanks mostly in part to Pau Gasol. All of a sudden, this roster is really deep. Here's a quick run through...

C/PF: Pau Gasol, Darko Milicic, Stromile Swift, Andre Brown, Brian Cardinal, Hakim Warrick
SF/SG: Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, Tarence Kinsey, Juan Carlos Navarro, Casey Jacobsen
PG: Damon Stoudamire, Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley Jr.

Throw this roster on the court to play "Phoenix Suns" style basketball and I'll give you a potential 6-8 seed in the playoffs. This roster is very well put together for the first year of this uptempo offense with new head coach Marc Iavaroni they should be a ton of fun to watch. I've always wanted to see one of my favorite collegiate players of all-time in Hakim Warrick play the Boris Diaw role and my wish might have been granted.

The reason of the success of this team will come through the point guard play. The Grizz have a great trio right now with a proven veteran in Damon Stoudamire, a 2nd year guy in Kyle Lowry(although he only played in 10 games due to injury), and the #4 pick in the NBA draft and my favorite college player from last year in Mike Conley Jr. Life will be made easy for whatever point guard is on the court with an array of weapons. In the post, it's one of the most reliable and underrated players in the Association in Pau Gasol. If you want to drive and kick to a shooter, you have Mike Miller (or Casey Jacobsen if he gets PT). You have athleticism all over the court with Hakim Warrick, Stromile Swift and Rudy Gay leading the way.

What might be the biggest addition to the Memphis roster is Gasol's Spaniard buddy, Juan Carlos Navarro. "La Bombas" adds an explosive scorer to the Memphis arsenal that might have head too much athleticism last year and not enough players with real skill. With Navarro, came comfort for Pau Gasol, which will add keep the all-star in Memphis (almost traded to the Bulls during the season and off-season).

You can expect to see the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs this season as a 6-8 seed thanks to Coach Iavaroni, Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, whatever point guard breaks out and yes, Darko Milicic.

Western Conference Contenders

The Cream of the Crop:
San Antonio Spurs-The best team in the Association. Not much has to be said about the Spurs. Tim Duncan leads the way with his right hand men Tony Parker-Longoria and Manu Ginobili. Watch Ime Udoka grow before our eyes into the next Bruce Bowen thanks to Bowen himself and the best coach in the Association (that includes Phil Jackson) in Greg Popovich. They might not leave the season as the one seed, but once no one will want to face this team come playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks-Can the Mavs get it together after their playoff meltdown against the Golden State Warriors? My guess is Dirk Nowitzki is going to come back better than ever and on a mission to show the league that the playoffs were a fluke. Returning the corp of their 67 win team with only a few additions, mainly second round rookies. If this team can play with a chip on their shoulder, they could return to the NBA Finals. If not, look for the Spurs or Suns to send the Mavs packing in the second round.

Phoenix Suns-I don't understand the moves that rookie general manager Steve Kerr made. When he traded Kurt Thomas I thought he must have a move up his sleeve to deal the only man on the roster who can remotely guard Tim Duncan. Turns out I was wrong. The Suns big man currently consist of Amare Stoudemire (great player, but can't slowdown Duncan), Boris Diaw, Sean Marks and Brian Skinner. Sure, Shawn Marion can guard some bigs, but without someone to guard Tim Duncan, can they really beat the Spurs? Can they stick around with a healthy Yao or Dirk? With the current state of this roster, you'll probably need a superhuman effort by Steve Nash to bring Phoenix the title. With that said, I wouldn't bet against an angry Suns team in the playoffs.

Denver Nuggets-This team all depends on how Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson have progressed as teammates. If they have learned to play together, you might have the highest scoring team in the league. A lot of experts are jumping on this team as potential Western Conference champions. With Melo, AI and Marcus Camby as their big three they also have J.R. Smith, Nene, Kenyon Martin (if hes healthy), Eduardo Najera, Chucky Atkins and Linas Kleiza helping them out. I see them as fifth best in the West behind the Spurs, Suns, Jazz and Mavericks, just ahead of the Rockets.

Utah Jazz-Love this team. They're probably still a little young and not quite as good as the Big 3. However, this team is a very good one as displayed in the playoffs last year. Led by Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, this is one of the more talented teams in the league. I think life will be easier on Williams this season as Ronnie Brewer should come into his own and rookie Morris Almond will help stretch the floor and fill a shooting role for the Jazz. There is a sticky situation with Andrei Kirilenko who is butting heads with head coach Jerry Sloan and Jazz management. A trade could be coming soon, but the Jazz won't trade him without good value in return.

The Pretender:
Houston Rockets-This team looks great on paper. With a roster that includes Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Steve Francis, Rafer Alston, Luther Head, Bonzi Wells, among others you would think I, like most people, would buy into the Houston hype for this season. Yao looked great last year up until his injury. For the first time in his career, he was dominating everyone. The emergence of Yao makes life easier on T-Mac and the others.

I don't know if it's just me, but this team is fatally flawed. Let's start off with the trio of point guards. I hate putting point in front of guard when describing your classic shoot first players in Mike James and Steve Francis (I don't see a difference in these players, except Francis is more athletic). I'm not big on playground legend Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston either. The second thing I dislike about this team is the fact that T-Mac and Yao, up until this point in their careers, have won nothing. In all fairness, if this team was in the East I would probably have them in the conference finals at least. In the West I'll take San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix everyday of the week. They might even get ran off the court by uptempo teams like Memphis and Golden State. I'm not giving this team any chance of making it out of the second round of the playoffs.

The Sleepers:
Memphis Grizzlies-As stated above. Like the Bucks in my Eastern Conference preview, I don't think they have any real shot of winning it all and will have a hard time getting out the first, but there is no doubt in my mind that they won't be in the playoffs (pending an injury to Gasol).

New Orleans Hornets: This team was 3 games out the playoffs last season. They didn't have Chris Paul for 18 games and Peja Stojakovic for 69 games. This is the year that Chris Paul will get his respect, as a lot of critics have seemed to side with Deron Williams (a fantastic player in his own right) as the better of the two young point guards because of what Williams did last season in the playoffs. Here's the thing, the Jazz have more talent then the Hornets. Chris Paul is the better point guard.

A front court of David West and Tyson Chandler is one I really like. West is more of the banger and scorer that compliments Paul. Chandler is there to play some defense, simple as that. The signing of Morris Peterson was a great one as insurance for another Peja injury. The bench isn't very deep, but I do like rookie Julian Wright. If some of you remember, I picked Wright as one of my prospects that I wasn't high on when I was talking about potential draftees. However, Chris Paul is one of the guys who makes everyone around him better, a truly special player. Julian Wright and all of that athleticism will benefit greatly from running alongside Paul and will have a successful rookie campaign catching oops from Paul.


Season Predictions:
NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs over the Boston Celtics in 6

MVP: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant, Seattle Sonics
Most Improved: Darko Milicic, Memphis Grizzlies
Sixth Man: Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors
Coach of the Year: Greg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs .If the Celtics get the #1 seed in the East, Doc Rivers will probably get the award even though Pops is a superior coach compared to Rivers (which is an understatement). The reason that the Spurs will beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals, if it were to happen, would be the coaching difference. Pops, one of the best coaches there is and Doc Rivers, who is not in any discussion regarding good coaches.

Off Topic: Ohio State beat Penn State 37-17. The game was never even scary. The way that Brian Robiskie shredded one of the best corners in the nation, Justin King was a thing of pure beauty. Chris "Beanie" Wells had his way with the Penn State rush defense and Todd Boeckman did what he wanted to do with the Penn State secondary. Keep hating America, please keep on hating. Tell us we're going to lose to Wisconsin. Tell us that the Juice will be let loose on the Buckeye defense. Tell us this is the year that Henne and Hart finally get a victory against the vaunted Buckeyes. Please, just keep hating because we love it. I love Ohio State football.

NBA Preview - Eastern Conference

Well, I haven't written in this blog in quite some time and frankly, I'm overdue. The NBA starts next week and I'm pumped (one of the few that still love the NBA). Since most of this blog is about the NBA, you probably know my NBA allegiance to the all mighty LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs aren't looking so hot headed into the season due to the Cavs major offseason move was trading David Wesley for Cedric Simmons. Simmons if anything is a project who won't contribute much this year. Probably the only way Cedric Simmons sees the floor is if Anderson Varejao doesn't re-sign. Sasha Pavlovic also is yet to re-sign and that doesn't leave me sad at all. Pavs does not pass the ball and takes some terrible shots. If he never plays a game for the Cavs again, I will probably forget he ever was a Cav.

That leads me to my next point. Whoever decided not making a move with a team that clearly has holes, whether it be General Manager Danny Ferry or owner Gordon Gund will give this team a very small chance of repeating as Eastern Conference champions. We couldn't even make a nice offer to Ime Udoka to come play some defense for us? Luckily for him he'll learn from one of the best defensive stoppers in the league in Bruce Bowen. LeBron can't put this team on his back again if his best teammates are an aging and broken down Zydrunas Illgauskas and the ever-so-hard-to-cheer-for Larry Hughes. We'll be one of the best teams in the East, but unless the Cavs make a trade to actually get players that fit the way LeBron plays (I'm still bitter the Cavs went harder after Larry Hughes then a player who would fit LeBron in Mike Redd). I think the Cavs will win about 52 games and be a top 4 seed in the playoffs.

Moving on to the other teams...

Eastern Conference Contenders (Let it be known that I don't think any of the Eastern teams can actually win the NBA title).

The Cream of the Crop:
Boston Celtics-They added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play alongside Paul Pierce. Pretty good off-season. Looks great on paper, right? This team has some major flaws. Let's start it off with one of the most incompetent coaches in the league in Doc Rivers. How is Rajon Rondo going to progress? Let it be known that I am not big on Rondo as a starting point guard. Not the distributing point guard I love (think Chris Paul or Jason Kidd). Am I supposed to believe Kendrick Perkins is a good player? Can a bench consisting of Brian Scalabrine, Eddie House, Big Baby Davis and James Posey really win in the playoffs? Can the Big Ticket, Jesus Shuttlesworth and the Truth take a cast of nobodies to the finals? In the East, they certainly can. Can they win it? I doubt it.

Cleveland Cavaliers-Everything stated above. As long as LeBron's healthy they have a chance to win in the playoffs since he's superhuman and whatnot.

Chicago Bulls-I'm still not believing in this team. I'm sorry Bulls fan (which most of the people who read this are, like all 5 of you) this team isn't a championship caliber team yet. Luol Deng is a great player. I love the way Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni play basketball. I think Joakim Noah is going to be great addition to the team. I think Ben Wallace was a terrible signing when you could've received similar, if not better production from the improving Tyson Chandler. I also think Ben Gordon is very, very overrated. Why is Gordon overrated? He's a one trick pony. He's got a jumper and that's about it. That's fine if you're 6'6" or taller. When you're 6'3" with sneakers on and don't have point guard skills this could become a problem. I'd be a big fan of Gordon if he was the 6th man again. Great 6th man in my opinion. He's just not a well rounded player and Bulls fan eat him up. You are NOT going to the NBA Finals with Ben Gordon. When Ben Gordon is who you look for in the clutch, you know something has gone wrong. Luckily for the Bulls, the East is so bad that they have a shot if all goes their way.

Detroit Pistons-The reliable squad. You know they'll at least make the second round. It's a given. A deep starting five and a good bench is the trademark of the 21st century Pistons. Although the Pistons are no longer improving as a team and probably on the downside of their Eastern Conference dominance, they still have one of the best corps, if not the best corp in the East. Rookie out of Eastern Washington, Rodney Stuckey, will miss the first six weeks of the season which will hurt the bench for a while since it will take Stuckey a while to get into the flow of the NBA game. I think Stuckey will be a great player for the Pistons.

The Pretender:
Miami Heat-I doubted this team last year and I'll continue to doubt. Shaq can still be a dominant force, but can he stay healthy? I don't and probably never will understand why the Heat willingly traded for Ricky Davis, a ballhog headcase and Mark Blount, an underachieving waste of space in the middle. I can't wait to see how the point guard trio of Jason Williams, Smush Parker and Chris Quinn do. That will be loads of fun to watch.

The Sleeper:
Milwaukee Bucks-People forget this team has talent because they were ravaged by injuries last year and were a miserable basketball team. If the starting five of Andrw Bogut, Charlie Villanueva, Bobby Simmons, Mike Redd and Mo Williams can stay healthy this will be a playoff team. The bench isn't very deep but with Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell, they have two proven role players off the bench. If Yi Jianlian can be effective in his guaranteed 20+ minutes a night, that bench could be very good with it only being three deep. I really like Ramon Sessions, but unsure if he can really contribute to an NBA team yet. Here's to the Bucks for getting a 6 or 7 seed in the playoffs.

Off Topic: Former pro wrestler and NCAA wrestling champion Brock Lesnar has signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a scary, scary man and is going to wipe up the mat with the heavyweights of the UFC. Can't wait for his first fight.

Ohio State Football Preview

Football is about a month away from kickoff and I'm extremely excited. I'd have no interested in watching sports right now if the Cubs weren't one game out of first place. But anyways, let's get to my favorite sports team, the OHIO STATE BUCKEYES.

Coming off the national championship loss to Florida, a lot of people seem to be doubting the Bucks because who they lost (Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Antonio Pittman). Troy will be a huge loss obviously. Troy was everything you would want in your college quarterback. Athletic, good enough arm, great leader and a winner. I'm going to have to think long and hard throughout the years whether or not I think I enjoyed the Troy Smith era more then the Craig Krenzel (my favorite Buckeye ever, closely followed by A.J. Hawk)era. Whatever happened to that phrase defense wins championships? I'll break that down a little later with position-by-position breakdowns.

Here's a look (and my predictions) of the schedule for this season.

Sept. 1st Vs. Youngstown State
-Easy win. This game is essentially Jim Tressel allowing a team his used to coach to make some dough and play against the big boys.

Sept. 8th Vs. Akron
-Another easy win. Helping out the surrounding Ohio schools and keeping them in their place is what the Bucks do.

Sept. 15th @ Washington
-Some are calling it a potential slip-up, but I'm not seeing it. We give new QB Todd Boeckman enough time through practice and the first two games to catch up to game speed. Plus, who is going to stop the beast named Beanie Wells at running back? Simple answer: Not going to happen.

Sept. 22nd Vs. Northwestern
-Another game that will be won and be won handily. Sure, Northwestern has a great little running back in Tyrell Sutton, but we have the Legion of Doom (the OSU linebacking corp led by James "The Animal" Larianitis). It'll be a cold day in hell before the Wildcats beat the Buckeyes in the Shoe.

Sept. 29th @ Minnesota
-The easy schedule continues. Like Northwestern, Minny has a good runningback in Amir Pinnex, but lack fire power and I'm sure those Gopher fans are going to miss Bryan Cupito, I know I sure will.

Oct. 6th @ Purdue
-Kirk Herbstreit said this could be a potential upset. I forget his complete words, but I know he's expecting the Buckeyes to roll into Sappy Valley undefeated. This should be another win and more confidence boaster to Boeckman (pronounced Beckman apparently. Silent O? He'll always be Bo-eckman or Bo-Bo for now on to me anyhow).

Oct. 13th Vs. Kent State
-Easy win. See Akron/Youngstown State for the rest.

Oct. 20th Vs. Michigan State
-MSU sucks. It's as simple as that. I look forward to watching this game with one of my roommates who's an MSU fan. Mark, this one is going to get bad.

Oct. 27th @ Penn State
-The scariest game on the schedule for me. I remember sitting in my dorm room two years ago watching the last time the Bucks traveled to Sappy Valley. I've never been so angry after a football game in my life. I've been depressed plenty of times (see: last BCS National Championship and Super Bowl), but never have I been this angry. When you can barely hear the announcers because of how loud the stadium is, that's pretty damn impressive, so kudos to the boys and girls in Sappy Valley. If Anthony Morelli can actually play to his potential and same with Derrick Williams, the offense should be highly effective. Not to mention Dan Connor on the other side of the ball scares the crap out of me. If Boeckman can handle the pressure of playing in front of a huge and rowdy crowd, the Bucks will pull it off. If he wilts under pressure, this will be 2005 all over again.

Nov. 3rd Vs. Wisconsin
-I'm not buying this Wisconsin hype. Who exactly did they beat? Arkansas? A one-dimensional team with an atrocious (that's putting it nicely) QB? Iowa? Penn State? They played one very good team and that was Michigan, who was in control of that game from start to finish. How people have them ranked above the Bucks is beyond me. They lost the best player on their team by light years in Joe Thomas. If P.J. Hill thinks he's going to be able to run for days this year, he'll probably be sadly mistaken. If you think I'm wrong, go watch clips of P.J. Hill on YouTube but keep your eye on the mammoth of a man in Joe Thomas clear the way. Wisconsin is NOT better then Ohio State. Anything less then a win here and I'll be shocked.

Nov. 10th Vs. Illinois
-Illinois gave the Buckeyes a scare last year making the game intense in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter. It's hard to predict the Illini this year because it really all depends on the growth and maturation of Juice Williams and how all the freshman Ron Zook brought in will contribute as freshman. Namely Arrenlious Benn, one of the top receivers in his high school class. If Benn can become Juice's safety net, the offense might light up a few scoreboards. The Illini also have RB Rashard Mendenhall and TE Jeff Cumberland are also playmakers. CB Vontae Davis (brother of TE Vernon Davis, SF 49ers)is one of the best up-and-coming CB's in the nation. In the Shoe, this game should be a double digit Buckeye win since the Illini are still probably two years away from the success they had during Kurt Kittner's senior season.

Nov. 17th @ The Big House, Michigan
-The best rivarly in college football. Let's get this out in the open. There is no college athlete in any sport ever that I have the hatred that I do for QB Chad Henne. Unless Chad Henne beats Ohio State, finishes in the Heisman Top 5 and leads Michigan to the National Championship I'll refuse for the rest of my life to believe he's a good player. I'd say he could redeem himself by winning a Super Bowl or two, but he'd better be hoped to be drafted by the Bears, Colts, Saints or Patriots so he can be a third string QB and pick up the glory that comes with being a third string QB. Chad Henne will never be a successful NFL QB or human being. But enough of my ranting about him. One man that scares me on scUM is tackle Jake Long, who is the definition of brute strength. He'll likely be matched up with "The Incredible Hulk" Vernon Gholston, which will make a very entertaining battle in the trenches. I will never pick Michigan over Ohio State for a few reasons. One, I'm a huge Ohio State homer. Two, Chad Henne is 0-3 vs. the Buckeyes. Three, Lloyd Carr is 1-5 vs. Jim Tressel. Until these trends stop the Bucks could have my little brother playing QB and I'd pick the Buckeyes to win. Tressel is Ann Arbor's worst nightmare.

To me, it is entirely possible that the Buckeyes run the table and potentially head to another championship game. If there are two or more undefeated teams, the Bucks could be on the outside looking in though with a weak schedule that includes 2 MAC teams, 1 D-1AA team and probably only 3 teams worth any sort of consideration of being in the Top 25. Anything less then a BCS game appearance would be a disappointment. Here's to Boeckman putting on his best Craig Krenzel impersonation.

Next Update: Position-by-Position Breakdown

Kevin Garnett to the Celtics

Well, one of my favorite players in NBA history was officially traded today. Kevin Garnett is going to the Boston Celtics to join Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Timberwolves received Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff and two first round draft picks. Garnett immediately makes the Celtics one of the top teams in the East and easily the most star studded. To me this deal had to be done. The Ray Allen for the number 5 pick, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West made no sense on draft day. Sure, that made the Celtics better and a potential playoff team, but it didn't make them Eastern Conference contenders. This deal could make them the favorites regardless of what they do the rest of the off-season.

A lot of people talk about the Celtics won't win the East because of their weak supporting cast, so I'm going to break down the roster as it is right now.

At center, they have no true centers (but how many teams in the NBA can say they have an effective center?). Kendrick Perkins will likely be the starter at center next season. Rookie Glen "Big Baby" Davis will likely see time behind Perkins playing alongside Garnett. Davis is very athletic for a 6'9", 280 pound guy but experts question how good he can be in the NBA, especially in his rookie season. Garnett should help both young players develop and if the Celtics are lucky will be able to hold down the 5 spot for this season. Second year big Leon Powe could see time here too.
Potential free agent signing: P.J. Brown. Not a true center either, but a tough player who like Garnett, Allen and Pierce is championship hungry and could come to Boston for cheap.

Power forward is obviously locked down by Garnett. Garnett will get a lot of minutes here. Davis and Powe could see time here as well.

The small forward position will be held by Paul Pierce. Like the PF position, the small forward position is pretty well in place with Pierce. Pierce isn't the best defender in the world and the C's could look to pick up a free agent like Ime Udoka or Bean personal favorite Matt Barnes. Undrafted rookie Brandon Wallace now more likely to make the team due to four roster spots opening up could get some playing time early on in his career. That would probably be a scary thing for C's fans seeing as Wallace didn't exactly have a great summer league (averaging 4.2 PPG in 22.4 MPG during his 5-game summer league).
Potential free agent signings: Ime Udoka, Matt Barnes

Shooting guard looks pretty well locked down with Ray Allen and Tony Allen. Ray Allen, as probably known by most people, is a 3-point specialist and has one of, if not the best jumpshot in the league. Playing with Pierce and Garnett should help him immensely find open jumpers. Like Pierce, Ray Allen isn't a great defender, but where he lacks Tony Allen picks up. Tony Allen should help the other Allen play tough defense against tough shooting guards. Tony Allen is a little undersized at 6'4", but should be fine. The big worry facing Tony Allen how he will fare coming off a torn ACL. I don't see the C's making a move to add another shooting guard because I think they're very confident in Tony Allen.

Point guard is a tough position for the C's. Their starter for the season will be second year man Rajon Rondo. Rondo is known for his quickness and defense. He's not much of a playmaker at this point in his career, but three of the guys on his team can make plays and make Rondo look better then he is. This is a position where Danny Ainge needs to go out and get someone to play behind Rondo. The obvious choice is Brevin Knight (who I want the Cavaliers to sign very badly), who can makes plays and will take a pay cut to play for a team like the C's that can win it all. Knight can also teach a thing or two about the fine art of playing the point guard position to Rondo. At this moment, the C's backup PG would be rookie out of USC, Gabe Pruitt. Pruitt is a big PG (6'4") and extremely quick. The knock on him is that he's not much of a pass first point guard. If Pruitt sees time early on in his career, he could learn very quickly how to distribute with the C's big three.
Potential free agent signings: Brevin Knight, Earl Boykins

You can tell that the Celtics roster is thin and needs a veteran or two this season to make them a legit contender to win it all. If they do this, I don't really see a team in the East who will take the 1-seed a way from them. The Bulls and Pistons are deep, but the Bulls may still be a year or two away from contending and still lack that inside presence they most desperately need on the offensive end. The Pistons look like a team slightly on the decline (from championship caliber team to 2nd-3rd best team in the East with no real shot of beating the powers of the West), but the rookie acquistions of Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo could pay immediate impacts. Then there's always my favorite team, the Cleveland Cavaliers who refuse to make roster moves. Right now, the Cavs will return the same exact team (but there are words on the street of a Drew Gooden for nothing deal, Goooo Cavs!). Also, you can never count out the Miami Heat. The season for the Heat will fall on the shoulders of Dwyane Wade's surgery. If he comes back fine, the Heat will easily be a top 5 team in the East (with the four aforementioned teams).

With that said, the Cubs just beat the Phillies 7-3 and sit .5 games behind the Brewers who are tied with the Mets 2-2 in the 9th inning in Milwaukee. Let's Go Mets! Can the Cubs keep losing championship losing streak alive (incase you don't know, I've lost four different championship games this year. Ohio State football and basketball, the Bears and the Cavs. I've never been so certain the Cubs would make the World Series, but winning it is another thing).

NBA Mock Draft

Well, I'm bored and decided to do my mock draft a couple days before the draft with hopes that not too many pre-draft trades happen. Anyways, let the fun begin.

1. Portland Trail Blazers: C Greg Oden, Ohio State University
No brainer. Blazers add a franchise big man that they hope can duplicate the success that Shaq, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan have had in their careers.

2. Seattle Sonics: F Kevin Durant, University of Texas
Durant, the 1b to Oden's 1a in draft rankings will either come into Seattle to replace Rashard Lewis or wreck havoc with him and Ray Allen.

3. Atlanta Hawks: F Al Horford, University of Florida
As I told people all year, the best prospect of the Gators. Once he reaches his peak he could very easily become an Elton Brand/Carlos Boozer like player. The Hawks don't quite need a big like Horford more than a point guard like say Michael Conley Jr., but they take the most NBA ready of the players available.

4. Memphis Grizzles: F Joakim Noah, University of Florida
I don't agree with this pick, but if the Grizzlies don't move Pau Gasol (which I don't think they will) they will want someone NBA ready to put aside of him, which Noah could do. Noah will also give the Grizzlies a very recognizable name and they desperately need to put fans in the seats. Brandan Wright has a lot of upside, but the Grizzlies I don't think will want to wait on him. They also have a hole at point guard and Conley would fit there, but freshman point guards rarely make a big impact in their rookie season.

5. Boston Celtics: F Yi Jianlian, China
Ultimately this pick could be dealt in the Celtics attempts to put another All-Star next to Paul Pierce, but if they can't move it I expect the Celtics to go for Yi. I hear Ainge loves the Chinese big man and if is as good as they say, a Jianlian/Jefferson duo could be a very good one for years to come.

6. Milwaukee Bucks: G Michael Conley Jr., Ohio State University
This pick could be someone like Corey Brewer (who I believe is the best player on the board at this point), but if the Bucks don't have faith in their ability to re-sign Mo Williams, my personal favorite player in the draft (from his one season at Ohio State, Go Buckeyes) will be pushing for a starting job from his rookie season.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves: F Corey Brewer, University of Florida
Brewer has potential to be a superstar if he can improve his offensive game. He can step in immeadiately and help whether or not KG is still in a T-Wolve jersey. He may not be able score many points his rookie season, but his defense is second to none.

8. Charlotte Bobcats: F Brandan Wright, University of North Carolina
The Bobcats add another Tar Heel to their roster and finally make a decision to make an upside selection. With his athleticism Wright could make an impact that is similar to the one Tyrus Thomas made in Chicago.

9. Chicago Bulls: C Spencer Hawes, University of Washington
Although I'm unsure if Hawes can contribute right away, he fills a need of a low post scorer. He's also a very good passing big man. This pick could be dealt to a team like the Lakers to get Kobe. If Conley falls to here, the Bulls could take him and trade him to the Blazers for Zach Randolph which would make the Bulls probably the pre-season favorite for the Eastern Conference.

10. Sacramento Kings: F Jeff Green, Georgetown University
Best player on the board. He's somewhat of a combo forward who could fight for a starting spot with the rumors Ron Artest is on his way out.

11. Atlanta Hawks: G Acie Law IV, Texas A&M University
Javaris Crittenton would be a higher value pick since his upside is higher, but like the Horford pick and the Shelden Williams pick the year before, they go with the most NBA ready player on the board and finally taking a point guard after years of passing on players like Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

12. Philadephia 76ers: F Al Thornton, Florida State University
The Sixers need some front court help, but it doesn't appear they are willing to reach on someone (ex: Jason Smith). A potential duo of Thornton and Igoudala could be a very athletic, scary duo.

13. New Orleans Hornets: G Nick Young, University of Southern California
Chris Paul needs a running mate and he will get it in this years best shooting guard prospect, Nick Young. Young always impressed me when I was actually able to catch a USC game, which I guess they don't like airing Pac-10 games that don't include UCLA in the midwest. A nucleus of Paul, Young, Tyson Chandler, David West and the hopes that Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons progress, they could be a good team and a perennial playoff team in a few years.

14. Los Angeles Clippers: F Julian Wright, Kansas University
I'm not as high on Julian Wright as most are (although it seems the word is that his stock is falling due to poor workouts), but at 14 he could be a good value. The best I think Wright could possibly be is a second banana and with Elton Brand on the team he could possibly be that one day.

15. Detroit Pistons: G Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington University
A combo guard who (if the Pistons re-sign Chauncey Billups) can learn from Billups. Stuckey is the real deal and a potential multi-time All-Star. The Pistons are said to love him and I think it could be a mistake to go in any other direction.

16. Washington Wizards: F Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech University
The Wizards don't fill a need since they have Caron Butler in Young's spot, but it is never a bad idea to take the best player on the board. Had Young stayed one more year at GTech, he could have been a surefire lottery pick. Wizards could get a real steal here with Young.

17. New Jersey Nets: C Jason Smith, Colorado State University
One of the most intriguing prospects in the draft. I've never seen him play a live game, but has anyone outside the state of Colorado? Seems to be a Brad Miller clone by all accounts. From what I've read saw nothing but double and triple teams in college and could be a very good player. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Chicago Bulls trade down to take Smith.

18. Golden State Warriors: C Sean Williams, Boston College
Extremely tough one to predict especially with the Warriors relentlessness of trying to trade up to get Yi Jianlian, so I assume this pick would go in a package with Jason Richardson and others. So, at this point I'm just putting my best player available here. That within was a tough decision between Daequan Cook (who from what I've heard GM's are very high on) and Sean Williams (who should by talent alone by gone by this point, but off-court issues have him going lower then he probably should).

19. Los Angeles Lakers: G Daequan Cook, Ohio State University
Taking Cook here could be a planning for the future pick for the Lakers. As a Buckeye fan, it was frustrating to see Cook fall out of favor with Coach Thad Matta, as I fully expected Cook to emerge as my favorite player on the team. Could he have benefited from staying an extra year in the Buckeye state? Of course he could've. Could he have stayed locked in Matta's doghouse and see his stock fall?

20. Miami Heat: G Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech University
The Heat want a point guard so they play Dwyane Wade where they prefer to play him, at the 2. Crittenton could go as high as 11 to Atlanta, so the Heat getting him here could be huge. He's another player who had he stayed a year could've been a surefire lottery pick (just like teammate Thaddeus Young), but the 2008 draft could be insanely deep at point guard (future articles about this and mainly Derrick Rose will be coming around college basketball season). A Wade/Crittenton backcourt could wreck havoc for years.

21. Philadelphia 76ers: F Josh McRoberts, Duke University
The 76ers pick up versatile big man McRoberts here. McRoberts could turn out to a Chris Webber type (probably not as good, but hey, you never know). He has amazing passing skills for a big man (3.5 APG/2.4 TPG). Only Duke PG Greg Paulus had more assist per game then McRoberts (by a measly .3 APG). Had McRoberts come out as a freshman, he most likely would've went in the lottery. Falling into this Philly situation isn't bad though. This team with Allen Iverson was one of the worst in the league, when AI was dealt to Denver, they made a playoff push led by a core of young, athletic players. With 3 first rounders, this team could be making another playoff push in the 2007-08 season.

22. Charlotte Bobcats: G Morris Almond, Rice University
The Bobcats could use a shooter to replace Matt Carroll who could leave via free agency. My hope is that the Bobcats sell this pick to the Cavaliers and the Cavs select Morris Almond to be the beneficiary of LeBron drive and kicks. For either team it would be a good pick.

23. New York Knicks: F Wilson Chandler, DePaul University
Word on the street is that Chandler has a promise from the Knicks. As much as I'd like to criticize Isiah Thomas because he rarely knows what hes doing, he always seems to be a fairly talented draft evaluator. With the likes of Channing Frye, David Lee and Renaldo Balkman (I thought he was a good pick at the time, maybe early too early, but still a good pick) they have a foundation of young, athletic guys upfront. I hate the Knicks backcourt situation, but that's for another blog.

24. Phoenix Suns: G Rudy Fernandez, Spain
The Suns may not even have this pick, since they are in deep negotiations to move into the lottery (and last I heard the #1 team to get this done with was to move up to the #4 slot with Memphis). If this happens, it will make the draft more interesting and could mess my mock up, but that's how the draft is yearly. If the Suns keep the pick, I expect them to go foreign. Fernandez is a risky pick because he's getting big offers to stay in Europe, more then he can make as a rookie in the NBA. Rudy has made it known he wants to play in the NBA, but money is money to some people. If the Suns could keep Rudy in Europe for a season and bring him to Phoenix in the 2008-09 season, the Suns could find themselves with a lights out shooter.

25. Utah Jazz: G Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt University
Another one of my favorite guys in the draft. If he finds his way to Utah, he may find his way into a starting lineup. Byars is commonly referred to as one of the more NBA ready players (which is kind of surprising since he really wasn't a factor until his senior year of college). Put him alongside of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko and Byars could fit in quite well. A Williams/Boozer/Byars core could be a dominant force in the Western conference for quite sometime.

26. Houston Rockets: F Nick Fazekas, University of Nevada-Reno
They drafted a player somewhat similar to Fazekas last year in Steve Novak. Novak doesn't have the post skills that Fazekas has. Fazekas has a tremendous skill set and if he were athletic, he'd be a Top 5 player in this draft. He's one of the best shooters in this draft and easily the best shooting big man. He's one of my favorite players in this draft and I think he's a steal at this point.

27. Detroit Pistons: F Tiago Splitter, Brazil
They could buy out Splitter's contract and have him in the NBA now or could wait a year and could help probably more. Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Dale Davis (if re-signed) are aging. That leaves them with undersized Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson for the future.

28. San Antonio Spurs: C Marc Gasol, Spain
Another spot the Cavs have been rumored to buy a pick and also pick up PG Beno Udrih. If the Spurs keep the pick, I see them adding front court depth and taking Marc Gasol.

29. Phoenix Suns: G Aaron Brooks, University of Oregon
Lightning quick point guard who was a tremendous player his senior year despite being undersized. Brooks could come in right away and be Steve Nash's backup. The thought of a backcourt with Brooks and possibly the quickest man in the NBA, Leonardo Barbosa would make the opposition winded.

30. Philadelphia 76ers: C Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukraine
Fesenko is a guy I don't really know anything about except that he's picking up steam on his draft stock. Supposedly a real aggressive post. The Sixers wouldn't have to bring him over yet and keep him off the payroll for a year or two.

Best Players Left:
F Jared Dudley, Boston College (Whom I love and hopes goes in the first)
G Gabe Pruitt, University of Southern California
F Glen Davis, Louisiana State University
C Kyle Visser, Wake Forest University
G/F Marcus Williams, University of Arizona
G Arron Afflalo, University of California-Los Angeles
G Taurean Green, University of Florida
G Zabian Dowdell, Virginia Tech
G/F Alando Tucker, University of Wisconsin
G D.J. Strawberry, University of Maryland
F Herbert Hill, Providence University
G Ramon Sessions, University of Nevada-Reno

The Worst Year of My Life

Well, it's official. 2007 is the worst year I'll ever live. For those who don't know I'll list four of my favorite sport teams and how they ended their season.

Ohio State Football-Lost to Florida in the National Championship game 41-14.
Chicago Bears-Lost Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts 29-17.
Ohio State Basketball-Lost the NCAA National Championship 84-75 to the Florida Gators.
Cleveland Cavaliers-Got swept (4-0) vs. the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

As you can see by my previous post, I said the Cavs would win the NBA Finals in seven games. Clearly, I was blinded by the greatness that is LeBron James and I refused to believe anyone could possibly lose four championship games in a year, but I did it. The only team of mine that has completed a season that has not played for the championship was the Chicago Blackhawks, who instead locked up the #1 pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft. I'd like to thank Bill Wirtz and the Blackhawks organization for not getting my hopes this season, although I was hoping for a playoff push, but when can you do when your one offensive weapon (Marty Havlat) had injury problems throughout the season. Oh well, Patrick Kane will be the savior!

Here's my bold prediction for the rest of 2007 (seeing as I'm the unlucky charm of 07): Chicago Cubs win the NL Central, win the Pennant and drop the World Series to the AL representative, Cleveland Indians (continuing the AL Central's dominance of the AL).

It's 1:30 AM and I'm not tired and have nothing to do so I'm going to blog about something. Give me a minute to think, I'll probably talk about my second favorite June event (behind my birthday), the NBA draft.

Okay, so I got sidetracked by a bratwurst and an amusing chat about McGruff and frogs. Good times Dale, good times.

I have decided to stop the blog here for the night. Family Guy is on in seven minutes. NBA draft write-ups will follow in the coming days. Drafts on June 28th.

NBA Finals Prediction

Cavs 4, Spurs 3.

Book it.

RISE UP!