Bleacher Report - Articles by Jamaal Foster

Why Cincinnati-Georgia Tech Will Be the Best Matchup of Bowl Season

Jamaal Foster — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:59:47 -0500

As the Crimson Tide overtook LSU this weekend, it became very clear that the national championship game will go through Atlanta.

We know the national title game is a sham, especially if there are three or four undefeated teams standing at the end, but as a fan I want to see the best games possible.

With the absence of a true championship game, looking for real football entertainment has led me to explore other options. What will be the most compelling matchup of the bowl season?

The Orange Bowl

No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech (Does it sound like a Sweet 16 or is it just me?)

If you will only watch one game this bowl season, it should be this one. Not easy sledding for either team to make this happen though: Cincy has WVU and Pitt left on the schedule, while Tech will be troubled with an ACC Championship game, likely against a Clemson team that gave them all they could handle.

Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets prove, every week, that football is NOT rocket science and have left football prognosticators to ponder the age-old question, "If you can run, why pass?"

Georgia Tech is breaking all the rules that our newfangled offensive and defensive schemes developed by exploring the traditional option QB. Woody Hayes, Bear Bryant, and Bo Schembechler would be proud of this team, as they are "block and tackle" at its finest and would remind these legends of their beloved days in the military.

On the other side of the field, you have one of the best examples of the spread offense in college football today. It doesn't matter who is under center for the Bearcats because they execute the offense as efficiently as anyone. Zach Collaros has shown that his legs are as valuable as his arm, and Tony Pike's right arm has cut open defenses with the precision of the surgeon who put his left arm back together.

What will really make this game entertaining is what these teams lack on defense. The 3-4 defensive scheme that UC employs has shown some real kinks, and Josh Nesbitt and Jonathan Dwyer have been turning kinks into points all season.

That said, the 3-4 will put an additional set of eyes in the backfield to play assignment with the triple-option attack of the "Rambling Wreck." It still won't matter. Johnson has proven that he is the master of the in-game adjustment, and playing a team that runs the ball 40 times a game will slow your defense down to a crawl by the fourth quarter.

Georgia Tech's defensive inability has shown itself in several games this year, and it has been made obvious that a good offense can score a lot of points on them (see Miami, FSU, and second half of Clemson games). The Bearcat passing game is prolific on an average day, and the skill position athletes they have are artists in the realm of the acrobatic.

Besides the crowning of the BS Champion (not a typo), do not miss this game. It will be an epic battle between football tradition and its new nuances.

Steve McNair, Magic Johnson, Jim Brown and the First Amendment

Jamaal Foster — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:06:00 -0400

This has been an interesting and more than entertaining world of sports over the last week or so.

It started with Jim Brown proclaiming that Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan are a disappointment and ended with “Magic” Johnson proclaiming that Michael Jackson made him a better point guard.

What a wonderful country we live in that allows people to get on television or radio and say whatever they want, no matter how ridiculous it might sound.

More unsettling for me than the thoughtless words of our athletes is the heartless and scathing words of our media talking heads and any "Joe Public" given a microphone.

As Americans, we have the freedom of speech, but what are the responsibilities we hold that go with that freedom? Are we so diverse in our national history that there are no real folkways or mores to govern what is acceptable to say and what is not?

Speaking ill of the dead, I thought, is a folkway that was well entrenched into the American psyche. Our Puritan history has entrenched in our social dynamic that it is not acceptable to judge a person who has been called to be judged. The sentence for such an offense would be ostracised and maybe you'be be forced to appear on the next reality show as the has-been radio host.

Or maybe those are mores that were placed upon me by my Bible-belt parents or influence of superstitions borne of the slavery experience. I tend to forget which is which.

Unfortunately, our shock-jocks and shock-writers (Jason Whitlock) stoke the flames of non-conformity to the point of consuming these traditions that found refuge in the minds of our founding fathers and the hearts of our grandmothers.

What are the aims of the people who pronounce a deceased man, that they do not know personally, a bad father? People who do such a thing are coward.

To criticize a person’s life when they have no chance to defend or redeem themselves is an attack without reward or repercussion. What is anyone gaining from the commentary?

You are not making the statement with hopes that offending person may hear you and reform themselves. You are not warning others who may be ensnared by some sort of trap that this person could be setting.

What do you have to gain from this?

A few more hits on the Web page, a pat on the back from your far right cronies at Fox. Now they are talking about you on AM radio and everyone’s calling to get an interview. Maybe it is just a single way to be better than a person who is more talented, harder working, and who has accomplished more than you.

There is no righteousness in kicking a man that is down and there is only villainy in defaming a person’s life in the clear sight of those loved ones that have been left behind.

I send prayers out to the McNair family, the Jackson family, and any other family who has lost someone. May we all remember the reasons that we love the one’s we’ve lost and let those who would judge them harshly be judged with justice.

Joe Johnson or Josh Smith: Who Must the Atlanta Hawks Let Go?

Jamaal Foster — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:12:52 -0400

I can tell you the moment that all of you brainwashed followers began to think that Joe Johnson and Josh Smith couldn’t coexist. It was a gloomy afternoon, and the Hawks had just been swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers...

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith spouted off some nonsense about the Hawks needing to decide if they want to build around Josh Smith or Joe Johnson, and you bought it.

Brainwashing initiated and completed in less the 60 seconds.

The icing on the cake was when a local writer, Jeff Schultz, wrote the article, “Hawks should consider trading Johnson, not Smith.”

In 24 hours, a ridiculous debate was born.

First of all, neither Joe nor Josh has a complete enough game to build around.

Yes, I said it! Josh’s flaws are well documented, and if you need a reminder, call 790 “The Zone” or 680 “The Fan,” where they will be glad to spout off about on-ball defense, 20-foot jumpers, and the many boneheaded or lazy mistakes they’ve ever seen Josh make.

Joe Johnson’s problems are far less documented. Joe is as inconsistent as Atlanta weather. He’s an isolation ballplayer that can’t get to the basket. His game reminds me of Allan Houston after the microfracture surgery. He’s also rather slow for an off guard, and his only real talent is getting space for his own shot or hitting an open one.

I repeat, his only real talent is getting his own shot. He cannot dribble through or away from a double team, and when the double does come, Joe picks up the ball, and any offense that you were going to run is over.

However, the problem with the Atlanta Hawks is not the players—it’s the strategy.

Joe is not a facilitator, so he should never dominate the ball offensively at any time, unless he has proven that he is on fire that night. On most nights the opponent does not have to double him, and they almost never have to worry about him getting to the tin.

As a result of improper use of the isolation with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith will start to hunger for the ball, resulting in poor shot selection and his dribbling up the court after a defensive rebound.

Don’t get me wrong. Josh is actually one of the best open court passers that we have.

Yes, I said it! Josh Smith is the best open court decision maker on our team. He makes consistently good decisions on the break—when he doesn’t dribble the ball on his own foot.

The key to the balancing act is at point guard. The Hawks need a point guard that can facilitate the offense and dictate who gets how many touches on the court and where they will receive those touches.

If I’m the point guard, Josh Smith does not touch the ball unless he is within 15 feet of the basket, period.

The solution for Hawks fans is to keep them both and stop listening to Knarles Charkley, especially if they agree (and never, ever listen to Schultz either).

Atlanta Hawks, Dominant?

Jamaal Foster — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 09:49:52 -0400

In the shadow of march madness, the Atlanta Hawks have positioned themselves to go on a winning streak of dominant proportions, and could become the NBA's version of a Cinderella story.

The Hawks have won seven straight ball games all, but one, against playoff teams. In this stretch Atlanta’s defense has been stifling and has allowed only 88 ppg. After today’s game against the Cavs they have four more at home against the leagues elite.

This winning stretch is reminiscent of the 6-0 start they had at the beginning of the season when they beat Orlando and New Orleans in their respective buildings.

The question today is whether these high-flying Hawks are good enough to go into Cleveland and get a win. The continue to dominate at home? This is the pre-playoff test that could catapult the Hawks into national conversation. Can they come out on top?

As the saying goes, “The sun even shines on a dog’s...on some days.”

In order for these birds to pull off the March shocker they will need to solve the labyrinth that is LeBron James without their best on-ball defender in Marvin Williams. If Mike Woodson falls into the trap of putting “our best player on their best player” I may just turn off the tv.

The Hawks MUST commit to Mo’ Evans defensively and allow Joe Johnson to assert himself on offense, because penetrating dominant defenses is not something that will be done, by just swing the ball around the perimeter.

They will need to create mismatches and force the these teams to defend at a fast pace.

An up-tempo game will be in Atlanta’s advantage. Al Horford is far to fast up and down the floor to be contained by any center in the NBA and Josh Smith is just to athletic for any power forward in the league to keep pace with.

Without Marvin Williams the Hawks will still be too athletic for the teams to get the ball to the cup. This is why they are the eighth ranked defense in the NBA. They force teams to rely on perimeter shooting. If they continue to rebound well we will see them emerge as the NBA’s BEST defense.

When the Cavs came to Atlanta a couple weeks ago, Bibby was fighting the flu and was badly bested as Mo Williams lit the Hawks up from outside. Today’s game will have a not-so-hot Mo and a healthy Bibby. I'm predicting a Hawks win, 89-81.

The Hawks have a great opportunity to get to eight straight and then come home for four more. Those next four will be against Minnesota, the Spurs, the Celtics, and the Lakers.

If the Hawks can manage 12-straight through this gauntlet or even to win four of the next five, they will have established themselves as a dominant force in the NBA and the Eastern conference discussion will need to include four teams, not three.

Why NBA Eastern Conference Is Better Than the West

Jamaal Foster — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:25:48 -0400

I got a text from my college roommate saying “8 seed in east 30 wins, 8 seed in west 40 wins! haha” I’ve seen the articles and heard the talk and like a coward, I’ve been silent. No longer!

The NBA’s Eastern conference is better than the Western conference. Yes, I said it!

Let’s start with the simple argument: who is reining NBA Champs? Some Eastern Conference team in green (Boston Celtics) that was taken to seven games twice by Conference opponents (one of which had a losing record), and made short work of the Western Conference Champs.

Exhibit B. Yes, the eighth seed in the Western Conference has a better win total, but the assumption many people are making is that they are feasting on Easter Conference foes. This is incorrect.

The Western Conference teams’ win columns are padded by the presence of five teams that currently couldn’t beat a dog with a stick, even if their initials were Mike Vick. Clippers, T’Wolves, Kings, Grizzlies, and Oklahoma City are horrible.

Put these teams against Charlotte and you will see that the lowly Bobcats have beat all of these team on their own home courts that they have played (only haven’t played the T’wolves in Minnesota).

If you get to play the likes of those scrubs four times a year (which the western conference teams do), then that is an automatic 20 wins.

You get 62 more games. Go .500 in those and you have just won a total of 51 ballgames folks. All you need to do is beat the worst teams in the NBA consistently.

Now that we’ve handled the argument with numbers and logic, let’s get into the subjective.

When you compare what the teams really “are” that are below the eight-seed today. In the East, you have teams that are actually close to contention and on the rise.

In the West, you have teams that have flat-out thrown in the towel (Kings, Clippers) or are two and three positions away from being an average NBA team (OKC, Minnesota, Memphis).

I don’t think anyone would argue that the Bulls, Raptors, and Pacers were expected to be contending for the eight-seed in the East.

Surprise, they all are within two games of the eight-slot, and all these teams are one player away from being pretty good.

If I said that any of the bottom seven in the West would contend or even be .500, you would’ve laughed your butt off. Be honest. Clippers let Brand go to the 6ers, Golden State let Baron Davis go to Clippers, and the others just suck.

If you put any of these five teams (six if you count Golden State) in the Eastern Conference, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. They would still finish with about 20-25 wins.

Lack of equal competition is why the Western Conference looks to be dominant to the untrained eye. But our highly educated Bleacher Report audience now knows better.

Why You Don't Watch the NBA Anymore

Jamaal Foster — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:01:52 -0500

It is after the all-star break and the NBA season is revving up to full-blown action. If you listen to AM radio, you could hardly tell.

I'm sure David Stern is not happy about this, and neither am I.

I listen to people talk all the time about how they "used to" like the NBA, but now don't care for it. The reasons sound good, but many are ill-conceived and some are only the result of suburban gang-mentality—a sort of "keeping up with the Joneses" for a person on the far left.

5) The players are not as good as they used to be...

This is garbage. The players are better than they used to be. Period.

The game has nuances to it that make it different. Offense-friendly rules are the biggest of those differences.

The athletes of the day are totally different than those of any era before now.

The thing that separated most of our great NBA players from there contemporaries has always been their freakish athleticism; Wilt, Kareem, Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Shaq, and LeBron are all players who changed, not only the game, but changed what we look for in basketball players.

And before anyone says "they can't even shoot free throws" the NBA avg. free throw percentage has been 75 percent for the last 20+ years and has not changed.

4) They make too much money...

Congratulations! You are a certified hater! If this is your reasoning I hope you don't watch any television because they all make more money than you.

3) College basketball is better...

Not really.

College basketball games are far less competitive as a whole. Memphis hasn't lost a conference game in two full seasons!

There are about two or three teams in each conference that are high caliber (except the ACC) and the rest are mid-level schools or just plain trash.

I grant you this, the fan fair is better, but that's the nature of the college experience. We can say the same about football or any other sport.

The college game is more fundamental is an acceptable answer in this. There aren't superior athletes at every position of every college hoops team, but doesn't that mean the NBA game is really better?

2) There's just not enough people that look like me...

I almost never hear this one, but it would be refreshingly honest.

The majority of America is middle-class and white. There are no Larry Birds, no John Stocktons, no Jeff Hornaceks.

The white Americans that are left in the NBA are so tatted-up, if you said they were "colored" it would be an accurate statement. I hope our country (black, white, and all between) matures enough to have that conversation.

It is not racist, or prejudicial to say such a thing. The pull of sports is largely the ability of the spectator to project themselves onto the field of play. If neither the players, nor the coaches look like you it makes that projection just a bit more difficult.

1) The NBA is fixed...

Evidence? Okay, the Akron kid landed in Cleveland, Josh Smith and Shareef Abdur-Raheem landed in hometown Atlanta.

Why is there a lottery behind closed doors again? Donahey...why isn't there a fourth referee?

The Lakers had how many free-throws against the Kings that time in the playoffs? Why is David Stern at the Hawks vs Celtics playoff game?

Did you say it had something to do with Turner Broadcast and Atlanta spirit trying to generate a buzz in a growing city? Did you say it was because Atlanta ticket prices don't matchup to the other NBA cities with similar economic demographics?

Should I say again, that two franchises have won over 50 percent of all NBA titles.

Since David Stern has been commissioner, the NBA title has never gone to a "small-market" city. Never.

The smallest market to win a NBA title since 1984 was San Antonio. Being in Texas, I'd hardly call them small market though.

Hmm...you may have a point?!

The Missing Link To The Atlanta Hawks

Jamaal Foster — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:02:25 -0500

Watching the Hawks face the league’s top two scorers in back-to-back games gives us a great chance to evaluate who this team is. Though coaching and poor free-throw shooting let the Cavs off the hook last night, I like what I see.

There is one thing that is sure about the Hawks: They can defend. Atlanta has something that you rarely see, that being extraordinary athletes that commit on defense. Both LeBron and D-Wade took fewer shots than usual, as the athletic advantages they hold over most opponents while going to the basket did not exist against the Hawks.

Hence, they had to defer to other players.

The Hawks have length and athleticism, which allows them to close those gaps that players usually get through. A great example came on Sunday night against the Cavaliers.

LeBron managed to shake free of Marvin Williams and launched himself from the baseline, like the beast that he is, to throw down a dunk. But he was met in the rare air that that few mortals ever find by a helping Josh Smith. The result was an awkward double-clutch and a poor foul call.

The key for this team’s defense is consistent physicality. Smith is certifiably soft, and Horford falls into lulls at times as well.

Countless times, you will see Hawks (especially Smith) stand and look at the basket when the ball goes up instead of finding an opponent to push out of the way (or at least stand in front of).

The Hawks give up 11.9 offensive rebounds per game, which is second-worst only to the Bulls in the Eastern Conference. They average a net –2.4 boards per game as well.

When the Hawks master the art of the defensive rebound, they will become the best defensive team in the Eastern Conference. Yes, I said it!

Offensively, this team has Joe “Slik” Johnson who (on the right night) can score against anyone in the NBA at will.

But he's just the beginning, as when Mike Bibby is healthy and Marvin Williams is confident, there are real offensive threats at all five positions.

Coming off the bench is potential NBA Sixth Man of the Year Flip Murray, and he's what will make the Hawks dangerous in the Playoffs. We watched him abuse everyone the Cavs threw at him that wasn’t named LeBron.

His numbers from last night don’t show it, because his layups just wouldn’t go down, but he dominated in the second half and should be proud of his performance (except at the free-throw line, that is).

Which brings me to our simultaneously most exciting and upsetting offensive player, Josh Smith. He is basketball bi-polar; he's either making reverse put-back dunks or shooting air-balls from 23 feet. Josh will catch an alley-oop on one possession and, on the next possession, dribble the ball off his own knee.

Don’t get me wrong, Josh Smith is a big reason we beat Boston three times in the Playoffs last year. He is also a big reason we got blown out in Game Seven. He is the East Coast version of Lamar Odom: a guy with all the tools, but none of the consistency to be an All-Star.

While we were a struggling team, he was all you came to Philips Arena to see. Now that we are a playoff team, he may be holding the Hawks from elite status.

The Hawks are the team you will not want to play in the Playoffs. They defend, they are younger and stronger than you, and you can’t guard Joe Johnson (sometimes).

The team needs to mature (Josh Smith), be more consistent (Josh Smith), and be more physical (Josh Smith). Then, as Josh Smith predicted, they can “Shock the World” and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Best Non-Lakers vs. Celtics Rivalry in the NBA

Jamaal Foster — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:27:08 -0500

Rivalry. What does a rivalry mean in the NBA? Kevin Garnett recently dismissed the Celtic vs Hawks “rivalry” from this pantheon due to one-sidedness. Is that really how it works? And what makes anyone call a matchup in the NBA a rivalry anyway?

The most indisputable rivalry in the NBA is the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. This goes back to when there were only eight teams in the NBA and they met in the 1959 championship. A history of the game and of the games best players can be made just from these two teams. It has West, “Magic”, Bird, Wilt, Cousy, Auerbach, Baylor, Bryant, and the list goes on. These two teams have won half of all NBA championships, and more than half of these two fan bases are phonies who jump on with whatever team is hot.

Outside of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, the NBA is virtually without one of real historic significance. The NBA’s rivalries are fleeting at best, and born out of things other than historical impact. The Bulls-Pistons rivalry died once Jordan put on a Wizards jersey. The Lakers-Heat rivalry was really a Shaq vs. Kobe rivalry and I dare you to come up with another NBA match-up that means anything to you at only a quarter of the way in the season.

I give you Hawks vs Celtics. The Boston Celtics very first NBA Championship was against the St. Louis Hawks in 1957. These two teams matched up 4 times in the NBA title game before the conferences were realigned. The Hawks (.250) also have a better championship-series winning percentage than the Lakers (.181). You can’t turn on sports-classic without seeing Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins in “the Duel” of the 1988 Playoffs.

Fast forward 20 years and you have on of the most entertaining basketball series we’ve seen in a while. The lowly sub-.500 Hawks take the dominating highly pedigreed Celtics seven games and the intensity of the match-up has carried over into this season.

We’ve seen two games between these teams this year and there have been clutch shots, tempers boil, body’s fall, and a two-point average margin of victory. Someone forgot to tell these teams it isn’t after the all-star break yet and these games don’t mean as much!

A rivalry is built on what it brings out of its fans and the players. On both sides, players have said that this game requires and brings their best out. Twice more we have seen it bring the passion of the fans out.

In a thin cupboard of NBA rivalries the Celtics vs Hawks is as good as any you can name (that’s not Celtics vs. Lakers).

Cleveland Cavaliers Replaced by Atlanta Hawks: Confessions of an NBA Traitor

Jamaal Foster — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:31:21 -0500

On the night the Atlanta Hawks broke the 11-game winning streak of the Cleveland Cavaliers, I was stuck at a company holiday dinner.

I drove past Philips Arena, turned on my radio, and heard Ludacris do the pre-game PA Announcements for Ryan Cameron as the 'Atl-iens' went crazy in 'Black-Hollywood'. I then turned up I-75 and continued on to One Mid-Town Kitchen in Buckhead (The calamari is great!).

I was periodically checking my Blackberry for the score and getting text messages from my Ohio friends; who were sitting somewhere between Rihanna and Jermaine Dupree. I then suddenly realized that I was pulling for the Hawks and not my (old) hometown Cavaliers.

I’m originally from Cincinnati, a city that has long been without an NBA team (Kansas City stole our team, the Royals, and changed their name to the Kings – who’ve since moved on to Sacramento). Consequently, I have pulled for the Cavaliers since the Brad Daugherty/Mark Price days; although this felt sort of like a consolation prize.

While I was a Cavs fan, I also cheered for Dominique Wilkins, Rameel Robinson, Moses Malone, and Kevin Willis. I went to college only 90 minutes away from Atlanta, and remember the Shareef Abdur-Raheem billboards that were on I-85. This was when he was the hometown-Atlanta product that reigned supreme.

I’ve suffered through many a draft debacle with my ‘old’ hometown team, the Cavs. I’ve watched them draft Dajaun Wagner, who was supposed to be the next Allen Iverson (and who instead turned out to be the next Harold Miner).

I’ve also watched them draft All-Star-caliber talent and let it slip away through their fingers; such as Carlos Boozer, Andre Miller, Kevin Johnson, and Jamal Crawford.

With my ‘new’ hometown team, the Hawks, I’ve also suffered. I had to watch Rasheed Wallace come and go just as quickly as Dr. J did in the '70s.

Yes, the Hawks have sucked, and I’ve watched it year after year on TBS and FOX Sports South. However, for many years after the Brad Daugherty/Mark Price years, so did the Cavs.

I remember watching LeBron’s first game at a TGI Friday’s in Anniston, AL. I was excited and happy we had a hometown hero who had his roots in Ohio. Hopeful that in a few years I might have a team worth cheering for, and that might actually go somewhere.

However, at the tip-off of the Cavs vs. Hawks game last Saturday, I once again found myself pulling for my 'new' hometown team, the Hawks, rather than my 'old' hometown team, the Cavs.

Both my sons were born on Peachtree Street, right across from Gladys Night’s Chicken and Waffle. My oldest (a three-year-old) yells, “LET'S GO HAWKS!” when he sees basketball.

He loves waving the white towel I saved for him when the Hawks forced the Celtics to seven games last year. When that gets boring for him, he asks me to pin the towel to his back so he can play Superman.

Only a year ago I caught the Cavs v. Hawks and didn’t know whom I’d cheer for and fell into rooting for LeBron and cringing when Larry Hughes touched the ball (just like a good Cavs fan should do).

One year and three home playoff wins later, I find have a place in my heart for the Cavs, but as my address proves, I have a new home. I’m now a Hawks fan through and through.

Cincinnati Bengals May Be NFL's Doormat, but They're No Pushover

Jamaal Foster — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:17:27 -0400

Anything that can be said about a bad football team can be said about the Bengals. I can espouse any cliché about blocking and tackling, winning the turnover battle, being tough up front, and/or running the ball—and I’d be right.

Football is a simple game. So how does a team that is 0-5 turn things around?

The bye week is too far for a season-saving makeover, but the second half of the game in Dallas may be the subtle turning point. The Rudi “tip-toe” Johnson era officially came to a close when Cedric Benson dove into the line full blast, knowing that three yards per carry can put you in position to win football games.

The emergence of Benson could bring back two words that have seemingly been left out of the Bengals playbook: Play action. Not since Rudi Johnson was trying to earn his way into the starting lineup have Bengals fan seen a running back run with reckless abandon, and we got 10 doses on Sunday. It was refreshing and long overdue.

Cedric Benson is playing for his career, and we need urgency like that on this team.

Needless to say, Benson is not ready to shoulder the load of the playbook, let alone 20 carries a game.

Marvin Lewis needs to step up to the plate on TV and say what he means, or turn in his clipboard. If you’ve ever read How to Win Friends and Influence People, you know that it is important to keep score for motivational reasons.

(See Chad Johnson’s checklist: Every week he’s putting a defensive player’s name in lights. The knowledge that the defensive player will be at his best helped Chad to be at his own best. Crazy, but crazy like a fox.)

As motivation, it is important to put the score in a public place so that bad actors can be exposed. This is one of Lewis’ biggest problems. Marvin Lewis’ comment a season ago about players being “selfish” was aimed at THE DEFENSE, not Chad Johnson.

The media and many others assumed he was talking about Johnson, but defensive greed is what Marvin was talking about, being out of position and not playing in the system. His “coach-speak” set off a chain of reaction based on assumptions that turned into an offseason without Chad Johnson.

There is a line between treating your players with respect and covering for them. Your job and the success of the team are on the line, Marvin Lewis—expose the weak links for who they are.

Go deep young man! If you are not calling plays with a deep option early in the progression, how will you get it deep? I’m no Bill Walsh or anything, but I do know that you don’t get what you don’t ask for. The big plays don’t just happen—they are made.

In the words of Kenny Smith on NBA 2K8, “Good offenses take what they want.” Let your playmaker make plays. Just ask Brett Favre how that works out.

A good offensive scheme uses the instincts of a defense against it. Bob Bratkowski seemed like a savant a couple of years ago—now he just seems like an idiot. This is the NFL, so you cannot keep coming in season after season without evolving what you do, especially on offense.

Why do we throw so much on first down in our own territory? There is a very simple strategy for losing the field position battle. Get the ball on the 20 and throw an incomplete pass on first down. Now you are almost forced to run on second down attempting to “ensure” that you won’t see third and long.

Since I know you are about to run, here come seven in the box (eight is not needed against the Bengals). You get two yards, and now who doesn’t know you are about to pass on 3rd-and-8? PUNT.

It’s really simple. The Bengals have become so enamored with the thought that they have a top-flight passing game they have forgotten what got them to a division title—accountability, playmaking on both sides, and ability to run the ball to set up third and short instead of third and long.

Football is about as easy as avoiding the police blotter. Maybe that’s why the Bengals suck so bad.

LeBron James and "Redeem Team" Beat Michael Jordan and "Dream Team"

Jamaal Foster — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:00:11 -0400

Leave your emotions at the end of this paragraph. You don’t like Kobe’s ego, Carmelo’s braids, or Dwight Howard’s free throw percentage, but the facts are the facts. It is sacrilegious to say it, but it is the truth. At this high level of basketball skill, athleticism will win out, and Michael Jordan is the reason that the ‘92 Olympic team could not beat the ’08 Olympic team in a seven-game series.

It all started on a sunny day in May. Michael Jordan hits “The Shot” in front of Craig Ehlo as a 4-year-old LeBron James watches his Cavaliers from Akron and a 7-year-old Dwayne Wade cheers in Chicago. Little did Jordan know, the killer instinct and will to win he showed in that game would mold a generation of basketball players that would drive the NBA in years to come.

Michael Jordan was not the first athlete of his type to play professional basketball. He was the first player that we saw use his athleticism to physically dominate championship basketball games. Today’s “Redeem team” is the product of that sort of athletic ruthlessness and modern training methods.

I present to you the “Redeem Team”; Kobe Bryant (aka, Jordan with a better perimeter game), Dwayne Wade (aka, smaller Jordan), Lebron James (aka, bigger Jordan who shoots free-throws poorly at times), and Carmelo Anthony (aka, older Jordan with a lot less defense).

The matchup problem that Jordan caused for his contemporaries on offense is the same matchup problem that these four players will cause for the ’92 Dream Team no matter who guards them including Jordan and Pippen.

Dwight Howard (aka, giant Jordan who can’t shoot free-throws or dribble) will dominate the middle against David Robinson and Patrick Ewing with his whopping 44-inch vertical (as reported by SI.com) and freakish strength. Dwight Howard’s strength is comparable to a young Shaq’s (who dominated both Robinson and Ewing in his early NBA years) and he has much more vertical leap. Those attributes would make him the king of the paint in any era.

Remember, Hakeem Olajuwon was NOT on the “Dream Team”! Hakeem played on the 1996 Olympic Team.

Chris Bosh playing the 4 & 5 position will also make the “Redeem Team” very hard to penetrate defensively. His level of quickness at 6’10” is something you simply don’t see often, and he is very capable offensively. Think John Salley plus 20 points per game.

Like any series with NBA players, the difference maker will be the matchups. The athleticism of the “Redeem Team” is going to be a real problem for the “Dream Team” in a seven-game series.

The “Redeem Team” will be able to guard the “Dream Team” better than the “Dream Team” will be able to guard the "Redeem Team”. No matter what five players the “Dream Team” puts on the court, the ’08 Team will be able to matchup well with them defensively and have the advantage offensively. It simply is not the case the other way around.

The “Dream Team” will win in the first game without doubt. Just like the ’02 Finals, Jason Kidd will be laid off of and forced to score, and the ’08 Olympic Team will lose because he doesn’t want to shoot and is only a good shooter on some nights.

“Magic” hanging back in the lane will get an easy triple-double because he will rebound and start the “Showtime” for his team without effort. “Magic” will also cause problems for wing players attempting to penetrate off the dribble, because he’s guarding an offensive non-threat.

The early lead they gain will not be surmountable after Jordan takes over late. If these teams played one time, I don’t begrudge you that the “Dream Team” will win with Jason Kidd starting at the point, but it will only be because of “Magic”.

After the adjustments are made and Coach K settles on playing Chris Paul and Deron Williams at the point, the series will make a quick turn, and the “Redeem Team” will make light work of the team that we thought was unbeatable, the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal “Dream Team”.

In this battle of basketball era’s, the now beats the then, thanks to Michael Jordan.