Bleacher Report - Articles by Darrius Singleton

Reasons the MVP Voting Is All Hype

Darrius Singleton — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:46:15 -0400

I have been watching the NBA since I was five and I am currently 19. I have seen every NBA MVP since the Jordan era. I can honestly say that in most seasons the MVP of the league is chosen off hype.

I could go back to the 2005-2006 season when Stave Nash won the MVP. His stats were 18.8 ppg, 10.5 apg, 4.2 rpg, and 0.8 spg. In my opinion, Kobe Bryant should have won it that year. He put up an unheard of 35.4 ppg along with 4.5 apg, 5.6 rpg, and 1.8 spg but, because of the hype, Nash won.

I agree averaging 10 assists a game is pretty note worthy, but Kobe nearly doubled Nash's points per game. The only reason Nash won the MVP was because of the media and hype everyone put on the Suns. Later in the playoffs, if I recall correctly, the Lakers beat the Suns that year, so who should the MVP really have been?

The following season it could be argued but, I believe Dirk Nowitzki deserved to be the MVP because of his teams record.

The season that really ticks me off is '07-'08. I will admit I might be a little bias because I'm a huge LeBron fan but, really now!

Most people didn't pay much attention to the MVP voting that season due to the big trades that happened, especially with the Lakers. The Lakers trade to acquire Pau Gasol stole the media limelight.

Here is my problem: that season, Bryant averaged 28.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.4apg, 1.8 spg, and 0.5 bpg. With stats like that, it is pretty hard to argue against him, especially since the Lakers went 57-25.

Here is the problem: King James averaged 30.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 7.2 apg, 1.8 spg, and 1.1 bpg. He had better or even stats in every statistical category. Not to mention he had worse people surrounding him and still managed to go 45-37.

If the MVP is supposed to be the most valuable player in the league, why are guys with better stats and who are more important to their respective teams, not getting the MVP award when they deserve it?

The way I view it, the MVP award is it should go to the player with the best stats and who willed their team to win close games.

I also think the media should not be the people who vote on the MVP. I believe the coaches and players should have a vote. The fans should have a percentage of the vote count. Then, and only then, will I not think the MVP voting is basically who the media hyped up the most.

Timberwolves Trade For No. 5 Pick

Darrius Singleton — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:04:47 -0400

The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to trade guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and Oleksiy Pecherov.

The Timberwolves are looking to rebuild through this years draft. They now own the No. 5, 6, 18, and No. 28 in the first round of this years draft.

The Wizards are totally different then other lottery teams in the league. Habachi, Agent Zero or whatever you want to call him will be back next season so, they are already adding a game changer back to their team. Unlike most lottery teams, they feel they can afford to deal a high first-round draft pick because they're already adding a major impact player next season.

I think the Wizards did the right thing.

The only person they could have gotten early in the draft that would help their team would have been Hasheem Thabeet. So, why not trade down in the draft and get proven talent to add to your team.

The Wizards also have a plentiful supply of youngsters who are supposedly up-and-coming including Nick Young, JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche, Dominic McGuire. They were in strong need of veteran players.

The Wizards will be surprising championship contenders next season and the Eastern Conference playoffs will be very unpredictable.

Now that the Timberwolves have shaken things up it leads the world to wonder can they turn this into a great decision. Who will they draft? What is their personnel plans?

Those are good question that only GM Jim Stack knows.

I believe they can use this trade to turn things drastically around. They already have to big men in place in Al Jefferson and Kevin Love and with this guard friendly draft I wouldn't be surprised If they picked up a decent point guard and shooting guard.

If the right choices are made, the T-wolves will look like the present day Trailblazers in three years.

San Antonio Spurs: Out with the Old, In with the Young

Darrius Singleton — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:57:03 -0400

This trade seems like it came out of no where. There were no trade rumors, no one probably could have seen this coming!

In case you haven't heard, the San Antonio Spurs are trading with the Milwaukee Bucks for Richard Jefferson in exchange for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto. The trade is not official until a call later Tuesday.

This trade could very well work of for both teams. It gives Tony Parker and Tim Duncan a little offensive help. Jefferson gives San Antonio a scoring threat it sorely lacked last season.

Jefferson was an offensive force for Milwaukee last season. He averaged 19.6 points and shot a career-high 39.7 percent from the three-point arc. He started all 82 games, which proves he is durable.

Milwaukee also gets a nice deal out of the trade. They get some financial freedom along with a reliable set of veterans. I think this was a step in the right direction. They won't make a run for the NBA Championship, but it ensures them a nice win percentage until they get the right personnel in.

I personally think she Spurs got the sweet end of the deal. They might be a scary team next season. Think of their starting lineup: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Drew Gooden, and Tim Duncan.

The Spurs might make a run a back to prominence next season, not to mention they still have the draft and the rest of the offseason .

The Houston Cougars Have a Strong Chance to Surprise the Nation

Darrius Singleton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:38:18 -0400

Houston has a very good chance of getting some national attention this season. The Cougars will play against a couple of big name schools and other good football programs.

They play Oklahoma State at Oklahoma and Texas Tech at home. The Texas Tech game is very big. As a student at the University of Houston, I will definitely be rooting for them to win.

I feel if they can win those two games, it is very likely they could go undeafeated.

Houston has a very high powered offense that almost reminds me of the Colts because any play could be a touchdown.

With quarterback Case Keenam—who threw for over 5,000 yards and 44 TDs in 2008—along with wide receiver Tyron Carrier and running back Bryce Beall, the Cougars will be a force to be reckoned with.

I expect the Cougars to be much better in their second year under Coach Sumlin.

After a tough loss to Oklahoma State, I think they will be fired up and ready to go this year. I also think they will again win against Texas Tech.

If they do win in those two weeks, I think they will carry the momentum with them the whole year and go undefeated. They could quite possible go to a BCS Bowl game for the first time in many years.

Surprise Standings in the AFC South

Darrius Singleton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:41:00 -0400

Every year the AFC South is one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL. The Colts are usually the with the best record in the divisions. Last year the Titans had a breakout season with a 13-3 record. Now the question in some fans mind is who will be team on top at the end of the season?

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Indiana Pacers Face Huge Decisions in the Offseason

Darrius Singleton — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:14:35 -0400

Danny Granger has been the life of the Indiana Pacers for this past season, putting up superstar numbers. There is no doubt in my mind he is and should be the franchise player the Pacers should build around.

I recently have been thinking to myself they have some pretty good players, but they just can't get over the hump and become one of the elite teams as they were in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Now, I am a real Pacers fan. I grew up being a Pacers fan and no matter what I will stay a Pacers fan. Before I get started with my suggestions for helping the franchise push through the seal of mediocrity, I'm asking you to bear with me as a die-hard fan.

First and most importantly, get Jamaal Tinsley out of town. Trade him for anybody, it doesn't matter. If no one wants him, then just pay him his money and get rid of him. He is a total distraction and a waste of a roster position.

If they don't trade him, they will still have $20 million to work with this offseason.

From an illogical and unreasonable standpoint, I would love for them to try and snag Carlos Boozer or Mehmet Okur, if either player decides to leave Utah. Logically speaking, that's probably not going to happen, so their best bet is to resign Rasho Nesterovic, because there are no quality or even average centers in the draft or free agency.

Here is where things get tricky. They could resign Jarrett Jack and in the draft pick up Gerald Henderson, who I think would be a good complement to Granger on the floor.

The other scenario they could do would be to resign Marquise Daniels and take the hometown kid Jeff Teague in the draft. I'm not too hot on this decision, but I went to Pike High School with him, and I know that would be perfect for him to be back home playing in the NBA.

The third scenario that could happen is the Pacers resign Jarrett Jack and Marquise Daniels and draft a power forward in the draft like James Johnson or DeJuan Blair. I really don't think they should go in that direction though.

No matter what they do, they need to improve their team defense and get some better play out of Roy Hibbert. He needs to be a presence down low, which will improve Indiana's overall defense. He doesn't need to score 15 points a game, he just needs to pull down at least 10 rebounds and give them a block or two.

If they develop their young talent and hopefully get some type of down-low presence, the Pacers should be a quality team in the Eastern Conference next season.

Top 10 NFL Players You Must Have on Your Fantasy Team

Darrius Singleton — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:52:34 -0400

Wondering, who your going to pick when your in the driver seat for your first pick in your fantasy draft? Well, I'm going to give you a little advice on who will definitely put up big numbers for the 2009 season. I don't consider myself an expert but, in my fantasy leagues for the past 5 years I have finished in the top 3, so I know a little something about Fantasy Football.

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