Bleacher Report - Articles by Josh B

Oklahoma City Thunder: The Pieces Are There, But Still Work In Progress

Josh B — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:18:57 -0500

The Thunder are proving it's possible for a 23-win team to play above .500 the next year and still be a disappointment. The love for them was too extreme towards the end of last season.

Sure, the playoffs are in sight, but it will take a few years before this team is anywhere near the top of the Western Conference.

They exhibited potential against Boston tonight but the Celtics taught them that with potential comes patience.

Although the Thunder are advanced on the defensive end (fifth in defensive rating), they allow great defensive teams to control the tempo of the game.

They run an undeveloped offense, one that lacks the creativity most NBA teams possess. Great defensive teams expose that and when opponents also have a greater range of offensive plays, they exploit them as well.

Their other fatal flaw is the need for a big man .

Nick Collison started tonight. Collison is a quality rebounder, especially on the offensive side. He's 6-9 but he's strong like a center and uses his strength to get through opposing big men for rebounds.

Collison is willing to do the dirty work, but it costs him at times and leads to foul trouble. When he's on the bench, they can't get inside because the opposing center will shut down the Thunder's small lineup.

Unfortunately, the Thunder lack quality big men outside of Collison and Nenad Krstic. As a result, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins had a field day, making 15 of 18 shots.

The bench is another problem . Krstic's injury forced Collison to start, which left them with even fewer quality players.

Rookie James Harden is their best guy off the bench. Harden is extremely raw right now, but he should start sometime during his natural progression this year.

Harden wasn't the third overall pick this year for nothing. He can handle the ball like a point guard, but he can shoot the three over shooting guards, sort of like Brandon Roy.

He provides skills that Thabo Sefolosha doesn't provide. But the rest of the Thunder bench doesn't have any other skills that they can't get out of the starting five.

The trio is legitamate, but not there yet. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook are talented, but they're still growing.

Westbrook has grown up quickly, but he too is still raw in his second year. As a defender, he sticks to the ball, which is good and bad.

He forces the opposing point guard to make an unproductive pass, which gives the offense less time to find a way to score. But he also follows the ball too much, which leaves his point guard open and provides him with more opportunities to foul than necessary.

Westbrook always looks unsure on offense. When he passes, he hawks the teammate who has the ball, as though he doesn't trust himself and he didn't set them up with a quality shot. With the ball, he misses open lanes because he thinks too quickly.

Green has been a team player. He's one of the best young players when it comes to setting up a pick and roll.

He has an athletic advantage on the majority of power forwards, but against athletic power forwards, he needs to find other ways to contribute besides his scoring. Kevin Garnett held him to only six points.

Durant is long and quick. He can shoot from almost anywhere. He's taller than his defenders, so he rarely has to significantly adjust his arch. But his team depends too much on him for scoring.

Durant has the court vision to be a strong passer. But the Thunder doesn't have enough good scorers to take less pressure off him.

On defense, Durant lacks the instincts to know when to use his length to his advantage. When he's not in the game, the team mostly plays small ball, but it's when they can't get inside when they lose

Still, the Thunder have a lot going for them. Despit being one of the NBA's youngest teams, they're winning more than they lose and forming a cohesive unit on offense and defense.

The expectations of making the playoffs were premature. Most people only get to see them when their team plays them, since they're rarely nationally televised. Therefore, they go by what the media tells them. On TV, you keep hearing, "Potential, potential, potential."

But with potential comes a period of development.

The Thunder are in that period. Not ready to contend, but before you know it, they will have gone from a 23-win team to the NBA's elite.

Forever Young: Failing Rebuilding Teams Can Learn From the Blazers

Josh B — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:50:12 -0500

A 118-90 loss to the Celtics spawned a potentially embarrassing season for the Bulls.

Last year, the Bulls looked like they were on the right track. They made the playoffs, won eight more games than the previous season, and they gave the Celtics a run for their money in a seven game thrill-a-minute series.

Looks like rebuilding could pay off for the Bulls...since they started rebuilding in 1998.

Chicago has a lot to look forward to. Second-year point guard Derrick Rose is great at getting to the hoop, and he shows occasional glimpses of great passing in traffic. He's the future superstar the Bulls were lacking when they won 49 games in 2007.

Rose leads an explosive offense, helped out by the smooth-scoring John Salmons and the talented Luol Deng. But there's a lot the Bulls need to do in order to get where they want to be.

First off, there's very little defensive intensity. Tyrus Thomas has the potential to make the all-defensive team, but too often he goes for the offensive board rather than transitioning down the court.

Joakim Noah is a big body, but he's too slow on the pick and roll. Rose is big for a point guard at 6'3", but he takes plays off on defense. Poor defense has made the Bulls inconsistent. It could make the Bulls a losing team, but coach Vinny Del Negro has allowed it since he started a year ago.

More teams than ever before are rebuilding. In a league where rookies at the top of the draft can make a team into a contender and when cap space is necessary for a big signing, rebuilding is sometimes more beneficial than winning (even more so when only six teams have won it all since 1984).

Teams usually get to this point with a combination of bad drafting, poor management, and piss-poor luck. Few teams are elite, so there's a deep hole to dig out of.

The Trailblazers are an example of a team which is out of that hole, but not all teams have the same basis of direction. In the Bulls' case, the rebuilding process can seem eternal. Here's a look at how some teams have dug themselves into the same hole as the Bulls.

The Bulls are used as an example only because I saw their game last Friday. You can take away the Bulls and replace them with any team that's not contending for a title right now.

Another example is the Bucks, who haven't won more than 42 games since 2000-2001. They also haven't had a winning season since they drafted Andrew Bogut first overall in 2005.

When they drafted Bogut, they left players such as Chris Paul and Deron Williams on the board. They've drafted poorly, and they're paying for it. They've only drafted six players on their roster.

Since 2005, in the first round they've selected David Noel, Yi Jianlian, Joe Alexander, and Brandon Jennings in the first round. Only two are in the starting five for a team that could finish close to last in the conference.

Perhaps the best drafting team in recent history has been the Trail Blazers. Nine of their current players were drafted by them, only three more than the Bucks, however the quality of their draft picks is top-notch.

Portland only has a 57.6 million dollar payroll, 26th in the NBA. Yet they were tied for the second best record in the Western Conference last year.

They've succeeded with their early picks: LaMarcus Aldridge (second overall) and Brandon Roy (sixth overall) are leading the team. Despite being drafted in 2006, they could lead the Trail Blazers to a championship as soon as this year.

But there are other rebuilding teams who have succeeded early in the draft who sit at the bottom of the league as of now. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook are all top five picks who are living up to the hype, but the Thunder won 23 games last year because they lack a supporting cast.

It's too early to call them a failure, but in the second year of Roy's career, the Blazers almost made the playoffs. In the second year or Durant's career, the Thunder were the worst team in the NBA at times.

Portland has created depth with its picks. Travis Outlaw (23rd overall) is one of the league's best players off the bench. He's a clutch shooter with the versatility to guard both power forwards and small forwards. Rudy Fernandez (24th) moved without the ball very well in his rookie year, a skill many rookies on good teams lack, which prevents success throughout their career.

But the reason why Portland is so good is not because of smart drafting but their young talent peaking at the same time. Other teams are in the same situation, and as a result, they're among the league's elite.

The last time the Lakers drafted a key player on their championship team was in 2005, when they drafted Andrew Bynum. However, Bynum has become a solid interior presence who can dunk against any defender and block shots. He has room to grow, but he became an important player during the primes of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, which helped make the Lakers a championship team.

The Celtics traded away most of the draft picks they were building around. In return they received Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Although these moves made them an aging team, youngsters such as Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins peeked in time for a title run in the season the Big Three were united.

A young core of talent is helping to lead the Magic, starting with Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and perhaps Ryan Anderson and JJ Redick this year (look at the numbers for both). All those players are close to their peaks, along with Rashard Lewis, who will return soon from a suspension. Vince Carter is a key component as well. He's past him prime, but still an above average swing-man.

Those are only three examples. But the same value applies to any team in the league: all the talent must be at their peak at the same time.

This can be hard for rebuilding teams. Money is a problem for some teams (Bobcats, Grizzlies). Others just don't have moveable parts (Kings, Knicks).

But the fact is that the Trail Blazers are a model franchise. In three years they went from the league's worst team to the second best record in their conference, all while maintaining a low salary for the players they've built around.

The Blazers were smart enough to gather players who are all reaching their peaks around now through intelligent drafting. Because most of their players still have their rookie contracts, the payroll is the fifth lowest in the NBA.

They created a plan when they were in the bottom of the hole, and they got out of it with commitment towards that plan. Other rebuilding teams need to take notes.

Please note: Teams mentioned in this article such as the Bucks, Bulls, and Thunder are only examples of rebuilding team. There are other teams you can replace them with.

Mike Scioscia: The Best Manager in Baseball

Josh B — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:13:05 -0400

Think to yourself: Who are the best general managers in baseball?

Households names such as Billy Beane and Theo Epstein always come to mind.

Think of a few more, if you will.

A name that's almost guaranteed never to come up is Tony Reagins. Go ahead and look up what team he's on. No one will blame you.

Reagins has been the Angels general manager since October of 2007. In his second offseason, he came under fire for not re-signing Mark Teixeira or adding any offense for that matter.

In fact, it didn't seem like the team made any upgrades.

In hindsight, the Angels didn't have such a terrible offseason. Bobby Abreu has a .858 OPS. Kendry Morales, taking over for Teixeira at first base, has 20 home runs in 92 games, saving the Angels $180 million.

The reason Reagins is never talked about is because he's not the Angels. The scouting, the talent, the strategy, and the chemistry all come from a single foundation.

That foundation is to listen to manager Mike Scioscia.

Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in the American League. In his first nine years with the Angels, Scioscia has led the team to six straight winning seasons and a World Series Championship in 2002.

He's not slowing down, either—Scioscia is signed through 2018.

"Winning and losing are both habits, and winning is a habit here because of Mike," pitcher John Lackey said.

The system is so recognizable. Run, steal bases, sacrifice, hit for contact at all costs. It's a system that many teams are shying away from recently, but a system that works for the Angels.

Before drafting a team, the scouts and executives always have to pick the players who fit the system. Clearly, it's working, as the Angels have a better record than any American League team over the past five years.

But Sciosia isn't just the manager of the Angels. He's the manager, the bench coach, the general manager, the scout, and the MVP. He's involved in all of those roles, and he's doing them all very well.

This season has been the most difficult for Scioscia, but the Angels are 59-40 and leading the AL West.

After last year's 100-win season, the Angels lost Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, and Garret Anderson in the offseason.

Not only did free agency hurt the Angels, but injury did as well. Over the course of the year, Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Scot Shields and Kelvin Escobar among others have seen time on the Disabled List.

The greatest loss came from the passing of Nick Adenhart in April. Some teams have disputes just because of playing time, but a death can ruin a team.

Scioscia kept the team together and has done so the entire season, keeping the team motivated after losing Adenhart.

Hunter calls Scioscia "the leader of the clubhouse, and he tries to be upbeat and up-tempo. When I saw the way he handled what we went through in April, I really gained a lot of respect for him."

Perhaps inconsistency from certain players has been the Angels' biggest problem. Brian Fuentes, Joe Saunders, Jose Arredondo have regressed significantly since last year.

But though all the struggles, Scioscia is now managing better than ever. His system is now implemented more than ever. The players are responding to him now more than ever.

The Angels sit second in the majors in runs scored, despite placing only 15th in home runs. However, they're second in the majors in stolen bases and fifth in sacrifice flies, which Scioscia is all about.

The pitching is 27th in ERA. That's understandable, considering they've never had the Lackey, Shields, Saunders, Santana, Adenhart, Fuentes, or Arredondo they were expecting.

Nonetheless, it's a miracle that the Angels are in it right now. Not only are they in it, but they have the third best record in the majors while being led on the field by Hunter and Jered Weaver.

You can truthfully say that Joe Torre is the second-best manager in Los Angeles right now. After losing Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez for 50 games, the Dodgers have the top record in the West.

However, the Dodgers aren't great just because of Torre. They're great because of progression from younger players and depth.

Scioscia is the only manager in baseball who truly represents everything that's great about his team.

Free agency losses, injury, and regression of talent continue to plague the Angels, even as they start 12-3 after the All-Star break without Guerrero and Hunter.

Scioscia has fixed the Angels' problems with depth and talent along with preventing problems with chemistry.

The Angels came into this year with a completely different team than last year, but they are on pace for 97 wins, which is only three less than last year.

Scioscia is currently the best manager in baseball—if only for now.

Data and quotations in this article were used from the following websites: baseballreference.com, Wikipedia, Cott's Baseball Contracts, sportingnews.com, star-telegram.com, ESPN, and sportsnet.ca.

What Other Numbers Should The Red Sox Retire?

Josh B — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:28:20 -0400

Tonight, the Red Sox honored Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice by retiring his #14. He played for the Red Sox in all of his 16 years.

The Red Sox used to have strict rules for retiring numbers. A player used to have to play for the team at least ten years, retire with the team, and make the Hall of Fame.

These rules were set by previous ownership and aren't officially enforced anymore, as shown with the retiring of Johnny Pesky's number last year. However, it's clear that the Red Sox still consider these rules before retiring numbers.

Here are the numbers the Red Sox should retire.

#21 Roger Clemens: Let's face the facts. Clemens is the greatest pitcher in Red Sox history. In a Red Sox uniform, Clemens recorded 192 wins and 2,590 strikeouts. He also won three Cy Young Awards and the 1986 AL MVP during his years in Boston.

Of course, the retiring Clemens's number now would be awful timing. If Clemens becomes a Hall of Famer, that would be a good time. Or just when people get over all the wrong things he did.

#24 Dwight Evans: Evans might have been even better than Rice, as they shared the outfield. He beats Rice in OBP, home runs (by three, to be fair), has more than twice as many walks, and has eight more Gold Gloves than Rice.

Sorry Manny Ramirez, but if #24 is retired, it will be because of Evans.

#26 Wade Boggs: Boggs' number is unofficially retired because he fits the criteria above. Boggs played 11 seasons with the Red Sox, and they were some of the best years a leadoff hitter ever had.

Boggs had an OBP over .400 in each of his first seven years. He hit .338 with the Red Sox. He was one of the American League's most feared hitters, leading the league in intentional walks six years in a row.

Other names have been in the discussion for number retirement, but these are the players who don't deserve it.

Nomar Garciaparra: In the Red Sox current unofficial criteria, the only thing that really makes sense is the ten years with the team. Garciaparra didn't have that.

Pedro Martinez: See Nomar.

Trot Nixon: Nixon is considered by some to be the last "dirt dog" of the Red Sox. He was on the team for ten years, but all that's exceptional is his longevity. It wouldn't look that great if the Red Sox were able to develop many of their players. He was just a bright spot on a team that was terrible at developing talent.

David Ortiz: Ortiz's career will be defined by five monster years where he finished in the top five in AL MVP voting from 2003-2007. But that's his fifteen minutes (or five years) of fame. In an organization that values ten valuable years in its criteria, Ortiz just didn't have the longevity.

Manny Ramirez: See Nomar.

Jason Varitek: Varitek gave the Red Sox stability at catcher for about a decade, which is impressive. He just wasn't an exceptional player, though. There wasn't a long period of time where he was one of the best catchers in the game.

Tim Wakefield: Wakefield has started more games than any pitcher in team history, but like Varitek, he just wasn't that great. A mid-four's ERA isn't worthy of retirement.

And in the future...?

Jonathan Papelbon: Perhaps Papelbon won't be on the Red Sox past 2011. But at this rate, he could be one of the greatest closers of all time. He's made four All-Star teams in his first four years, and he'll make many more if he maintains his dominance.

Dustin Pedroia: Pedroia is signed until 2015, which would give him ten seasons. Already an MVP, a ROY, a Gold Glover, a Silver Slugger, and a World Series champion, Pedroia has already stepped up as a leader for the Red Sox.

Perhaps he's a future captain.

Red Sox, Take Chris Snyder Over Victor Martinez

Josh B — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:40:48 -0400

The Red Sox interest in the Indians' Victor Martinez is well-known, even after acquiring Adam LaRoche.

Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder is reportedly expendable due to the recent breakout and promotion of their other catcher, Miguel Montero.

Snyder may not be available until the offseason. Either way, Snyder is a better option for the Red Sox than Martinez.

Martinez is the superior player.

He's hitting .287/.368/.467 with 14 home runs this season. He's behind only Joe Mauer and Brian McCann in catcher OPS.

His fatal flaw is his defense. He's played only 50 out of 95 games at catcher due to superior defense from Kelly Shoppach. Martinez has only thrown out 13 percent of runners this year and has only thrown out 24 percent in his career. He's allowed 39 stolen bases this year.

Snyder is the opposite.

When he received consistent playing time last year, he threw out 31 percent of base runners, a more significant difference than it looks like. It's only four percent less than Yadier Molina last year, who won the Gold Glove.

Although he struggles with the bat, hitting .224/.354/.381, the Red Sox need the defense. Jason Varitek has allowed 73 stolen bases in 73 games, and he's only thrown out 15 perecnt of runners.

That looks even worse when you see the high-velocity pitchers he's caught for such as Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Brad Penny, who has reached 96 MPH recently.

The need for offense comes from a seemingly underachieving and inconsistent lineup. Despite being currently seventh in runs in the majors, Jason Bay, JD Drew, David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia aren't as good as they were last year.

However, the core of the lineup isn't as bad as it looks.

Bay has an OPS+ of 123. Drew is on pace for 100 walks, which could make him one of the league's better lead-off hitters. Ortiz is coming out of his slump. Pedroia, who improves as the year progresses, has an OPS of 1.034 in July.

Adding LaRoche improves the offense, but Snyder would improve the defense a lot more than Martinez.

The Rays and Phillies were the best defensive teams last year, which led them to the World Series. Superior defense and stolen bases put the Rays above the Red Sox in the ALCS last year. Defense is a need.

Snyder is a much lower risk and would also come cheaper than Martinez. An AL East team would rather send prospects to the NL West than the AL Central. Snyder also has lower trade value than Martinez.

I'm not against building an all-star team. But Snyder brings the defense that the Red Sox need, which Martinez doesn't have.

Stats provided by www.fangraphs.com.

MLB All-Stars as Pokemon

Josh B — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:58:14 -0400

Bulbasaur is a good Pokemon for an inexperienced trainer. Starting out with quick attacks, Bulbasaur eventually evolves into a Venusaur, a much more powerful Pokemon. Adam Jones is a good player for an inexperienced team. Starting out as a quick player, Jones will eventually evolve into a superstar with much more power.

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How Great Is Halladay: A Closer Look at the Numbers

Josh B — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:31:58 -0400

In the past offseason, I thought about who were the top five pitchers in baseball. A while later, I realized there was a major omission in my list. Roy Halladay is not only undoubtedly in the top five, but he might be the best. At one point, Halladay was extremely underrated. With all the talk of Cliff Lee making an unlikely run at the Cy Young award, Halladay was performing to his usual standards, finishing a close second. Everyone knows that Halladay is good, but just how good is he?

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Swing and a Miss: Ariza Better than Artest According to Plaschke

Josh B — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:40:25 -0400

This is the start of what I hope to be a series that breaks down all the stupid basketball articles I can find. (BR articles are immune. Don't worry. And I know, the series has a baseball name and it's about basketball. Shut up.)

The first column is from Bill Plaschke of the LA Times. You may recognize him as the guy on "Around the Horn" with the egg-shaped head who says the Dodgers are better without Manny Ramirez.

This is not to suggest that all who share Plaschke's view are stupid or even wrong, but the way he goes about arguing his point is not too smart.

"Less than three weeks after the parade, the NBA champion Lakers have already met the biggest threat to their throne.

Themselves.

What are they thinking? What are they doing?"

Well, I'm just a blogger so what do I know? But from the looks of it I'd say that the Lakers are trying to improve.

"They just won a title that would not have been possible without the strong defense and stunning shooting of a 24-year-old kid with a limitless ceiling."

Plaschke is referring to Trevor Ariza, who was just signed by the Rockets. There are many good things to say about Ariza, but "limitless ceiling" is not one of them.

"Yet they send the kid packing for an aging nut whose greatest hits have occurred on the heads of fans."

Ron Artest is 29, a year and three months younger than Kobe Bryant. As for being a nut, are people really still talking about an incident that occurred five years ago?

Come on. Michael Jordan hit Steve Kerr in practice. Randy Johnson hit a teammate to get out of Seattle. Unless you were hit by Artest, you need to get over it.

"They just won a title with a locker room bathed in the soothing light of unselfishness, teamwork and a quiet temerity."

And that's exactly how you could describe Artest with the Rockets. In fact, Artest might be better than Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming when you take his defense into account.

"Yet they cut the power and added the darkest of moods, a guy who has made a career out of hoarding the ball, the attention, and the anger."

Hoarding the ball? Artest is usually the guy who wants to assist the top scorer, the guy who wants to guard the other team's best player, and he does both of those very well. The only times he's angry seems to be when he's the main guy on a losing team, which won't be the case with the Lakers.

"Tell me again, why did they get rid of Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest?"

Because Artest is better and comes with a cheaper contract.

"Explain to me, please, why they wouldn't even negotiate further with Trevor Ariza before quickly agreeing to sign Ron Artest?"

They negotiated with Ariza and offered him the same contract as Artest, but Ariza wanted more. Why sign an inferior player for more money?

"Artest is a better player,"

Exactly.

"but that's not the point."

I'm not sure if there is a point in this article. There certainly hasn't been so far.

"Ariza was a better fit, and that's what wins championships."

What about two Finals ago when Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom were inconsistent and Bryant didn't have a secondary player to help him. Isn't that a bit more important than having Ariza, who at best is the fifth best player on a championship team?

"Artest is a strong defender, but if the Lakers need someone to quietly hound a guy during a routine inbounds pass and be willing to make a small play to win a big game, that's Ariza."

Who's better at hounding a guy on an inbound pass than Artest?

"Artest is a good shooter, but if the Lakers need someone willing to stand in the shadows for three quarters and emerge to make a big three-pointer before disappearing again, that's Ariza."

I've never heard of "disappearing" as a good quality of a basketball player, but then again, that might be why I'm not paid to write.

"Artest will supposedly make the Lakers tougher, but what is tougher than showing up every day and playing hard every play and fighting your way to a championship?"

So does Ariza disappear or does he "play hard on every play?" First of, kudos on the word choice in that quote. Second of all, Artest might be the hardest working defender in basketball.

"Ariza has a ring, Artest does not, so the Lakers are giving up wins."

Robert Horry has seven championships. Michael Jordan has six. Adam Morrison has a ring. LeBron James has none. Horry > Jordan and Morrison > James.

"Ariza is young 24, Artest is an old 29, so the Lakers are giving up age."

Now you're just repeating the age argument, which is easily proven wrong. Unless of course, Bryant is now past his prime.

"Ariza shot 48% from the three-point line in the playoffs while Artest shot 28%, so the Lakers are giving up clutch."

The Lakers usually go to Bryant or Derek Fisher before relying on Ariza for a clutch shot. Ariza scores his points when Bryant is double-teamed. In fact, Bryant will be double-teamed less frequently with Artest, giving Bryant more opportunities for clutch shots.

"The one thing the Lakers are absolutely gaining here is money, which is exactly what you will be paying them in increasing increments next season."

Real professional. Now you're discouraging people from going to Lakers games.

"Artest will sign a three-year deal for about $18 million, roughly the same annual salary that the Houston Rockets gave Ariza.

But Ariza was given two more years by the Rockets, pushing his total closer to $33 million."

You've already admitted that Artest is a better player. Now you're saying that Ariza is more expensive. This isn't really helping your argument.

"Heaven forbid you would want to give a rising young star two more years, or spend some of your roughly $1 million-per-game playoff bounty to do it!"

Is there a dictionary nearby? Look up "star." Bryant is a star. Dwight Howard is a star. Gasol is not a star. This would lead most to believe that Ariza will definitely never be a star.

"Jerry Buss should have opened the pockets a little wider. And Mitch Kupchak should have jogged the memory a little deeper."

The Lakers are currently on the top in payroll. And if any memory needs to be jogged, it's your's, Plaschke. Have you watched a single game with Ariza?

"Remember the last time the Lakers made a postseason acquisition of an aging star that appeared to give them an embarrassment of riches and render them unbeatable?

The year was 2004, and they signed two of them, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, and you know what happened next. By the end of the season, the fractured chemistry imploded in a Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons that was so awful, afterward seemingly half the team either quit or was traded."

Malone and Payton didn't hurt the Lakers. The Lakers missed the Finals in the previous year and got there the next year. Without Malone and Payton, they're eliminated by the Spurs again, and this time in the second round.

"Like Malone and Payton, Artest is a great acquisition in a fantasy league. But this is reality, and nothing in NBA history has ever been quite like Artest's reality."

So what makes him worse than Ariza? All I see in here is that Ariza can do some sort of disappearing act that helps the Lakers.

"Everyone knows how, as an Indiana Pacer, he was suspended for 73 regular-season games and the postseason after going into the stands to confront fans and later punching one on the floor.

A long time ago, huh? Yeah, all of five years."

A real long time ago. Back when the Suns, Pistons, and Heat were great. When the Hornets sucked and the Cavaliers were irrelevant. When Steve Nash was MVP and Emeka Okafor was the next big thing.

"Did you know that he has also once shown up for practice in a bathrobe, asked to take a month off because he was tired, and been jailed for 10 days for domestic assault?"

What does this have to do with basketball?

"Everyone said he was a changed man when he was traded from the Pacers to the Sacramento Kings, but he was suspended for a playoff game in 2006 for a flagrant elbow, and the Kings lost that series to the San Antonio Spurs in six games."

This was the same year that Artest took a team that wasn't expected to make the playoffs to the sixth game as the eight seed. Bryant was also suspended from a playoff game and he's a year older than the "aging" Artest. What good is he? All he did was lead the Lakers to a championship.

"Everyone said he changed again when he joined the Rockets, but in this spring's playoff series against the Lakers, he was thrown out of two games while finishing the series hitting 17 of 61 shots in the last four games."

He also kept the Rockets in that series with the help of really only Shane Battier.

"And Trevor Ariza has done what, exactly? Agree to come off the bench? Agree to guard the team's best shooter? Agree to take that shot when Bryant couldn't?"

Artest won't need to come off the bench, he has always guarded the team's best shooter, and it's not like he'll decline to take shots.

"Ariza's only NBA mistake occurred this week, when he followed the lead of his misguided agent, David Lee. By joining the Rockets as a miscast free-agent star, the kid now faces the possibility of a career filled with disillusionment and mediocrity, not to mention anonymity."

Artest joins the Rockets and they're championship contendors. Ariza joins the Rockets and he's destined for mediocrity. I thought this guy had "limitless potential."

"Ariza was more valuable to the Lakers than to anyone else. This was his home, his comfort zone, the perfect spot for a supporting actor to shine from the wings."

So he's a role player, rather than Artest who could play a major role if Bryant is injured or if Gasol isn't reliable.

"Why didn't Ariza realize this? And why couldn't the Lakers have given him more time to realize this? This agreement occurred within two days of the start of the free-agent period.

Couldn't the Lakers have given him a chance to come to his senses?

Couldn't they have met somewhere in the middle?"

Yes, and they could have spent more on a player destined for mediocrity rather than on a player who will make them better.

"But, no, a flashy guy in a funky haircut beckoned, and the Lakers bit, trading heart for Hollywood, quiet strength for false bravado, a rock for a hard place."

As I said earlier, Artest is happiest when he's out of the spotlight, like with the Rockets. And that's exactly what he is with the Lakers. He's not flashy at all. Artest is a scrappy, hard-working player. Are we really using haircuts to judge players?

"While Lakers fans are now faced with an unsettled title defense, there is a shining word of certainty for every other fan who recently watched the NBA's next dynasty while shouting "Break up the Lakers."

Done."

I would have suggested a different approach to this article. I would have written more than a few lines about why Ariza is better than Artest. But maybe that's just not possible.

This article can be found on mvn.com/celtics17.

NBA Free Agent Rankings and Predictions Corrections

Josh B — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:54:17 -0400

If you haven't read my previous article, then you won't understand this one. My previous article was the top 25 NBA free agents and where I thought they'd end up and their price.

It's received a lot of criticism, which I don't mind. In fact, I encourage it as long as it's constructive.

I'm not going to change any of my opinions in this, but what I got were some comments saying that some of the signings I predicted would be salary cap infractions. After looking closely at salary cap rules, here are the updated predictions that couldn't have occurred before.

3. Carlos Boozer

My previous article had the Cavs signing him for $90 million over five years. This is actually possible if the contract is structured correctly.

Boozer just has to make $13 million or less in the first year of the contract, which is equal to the greatest salary that the Cavs are losing, Wally Szczerbiak.

5. Ben Gordon

Gordon was listed receiving a three-year deal, worth $45 million from the Thunder in my previous article. To not go over the soft cap, it would have to be more like three years, $40 million.

7. Allen Iverson

He won't get as much as $15 million as I stated earlier. To sign with the Pacers, $10 million seems more reasonable.

9. Al Harrington

The Suns are already over the cap. However, I could see the Knicks re-signing him for the money I suggested earlier: a three-year deal worth $36 million.

16. Marvin Williams

He will most likely receive less money than I suggested earlier. With the Timberwolves, he'd get, at most, a five-year deal worth $45 million. He will probably receive a back-loaded deal, but around $35-40 million seems more likely.

17. Trevor Ariza

Ariza actually can't sign with the Heat. The Heat actually can't really sign anyone unless they were on the team at season's end.

The Hawks seem like a reasonable team for him to end up signing with.

18. Raymond Felton

This is the one opinion I'll change. He should be making half of what I suggested.

Those are my changes from the old ones. To the critics of that article, I thank you. Some of my facts weren't straight and I needed to fix them. I stand by my opinions (besides Felton), but I just changed the deals that couldn't work.

Apply these deals to the old rankings and I hope it becomes a more enjoyable article.

NBA Free Agent Rankings and Predictions

Josh B — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:31:46 -0400

1. Kobe Bryant (Early Termination Option)

Bryant may be the best player in the game—in the top two, at least. The reason why no one talks about him as a free agent is because most assume he'll use his option for next year worth $23 million.

The Lakers are winning and Bryant wants to win, so it's safe to say he'd at least wait another year before free agency.

Prediction: Exercises $23 million option with Lakers. He could probably make more by testing the market, but Bryant is happier than ever before in Los Angeles.

2. Ron Artest

Although the Rockets didn't make the championship run they envisioned, they can't say that the Artest experiment failed. The Rockets made it the farthest they've been in 12 years.

Artest was on his best behavior, and it seems like he's never been happier.

He's most likely looking for a winning team. He wants to re-sign, but many teams need a swing-man. The Rockets, Cavaliers, Lakers, Magic, and Mavericks should all consider Artest. If the Rockets trade Tracy McGrady, count on Artest to re-sign.

Prediction: Three years, $45 million with Rockets. The Rockets are likely to trade McGrady, which gives them a lot of money to re-sign the player who said he wants to re-sign.

3. Carlos Boozer (ETO)

Boozer should expect a big pay raise since the market is thin on big men. He'll get a lot of offers, so it's difficult to determine if he'll follow the money, go for a championship, or stay with the Jazz.

The Jazz, at $72 million next year, won't be able to re-sign him without exceeding the luxury tax, and they'll need more than Boozer to contend for a championship.

So, they'll likely go for Paul Millsap instead.

Many teams could use Boozer's services. The Cavaliers, Hawks, Knicks, Pistons, and Warriors may make offers.

Prediction: Five years, $90 million with Cavaliers. Cleveland is losing $20 million in salaries, and, with barely anything to trade, a free agent could convince LeBron James to stay in Cleveland.

4. Shawn Marion

Marion's numbers were down last year due to playing small forward. His natural position is power forward because of his rebounding abilities. The Raptors are unlikely to re-sign Marion because they acquired Marion for his expiring deal.

His hometown of Chicago, the Grizzlies, Jazz, Knicks, Magic, Pistons, and Warriors could all make offers.

Prediction: Two years, $25 million with Grizzlies. Second to last in attendance and with only $34 million committed next season, the Grizzlies with Marion would have the talent to attract more fans.

With Marion and the second overall pick, the Grizzlies could contend for the playoffs.

5. Ben Gordon

Gordon has been consistent in his five years with the Bulls, but they don't seem willing to pay Gordon. As a former sixth man of the year, Gordon can fit in with a lot of teams, despite rumors of bad relationships with the Bulls.

He provides great shooting and energy.

The Bobcats, Cavaliers, Celtics, Jazz, Raptors, Timberwolves, Thunder, and Wizards should take a look.

Prediction: Three years, $45 million with Thunder. They need three-point shooting and a good sixth man. Gordon could make the Thunder respectable.

6. David Lee (restricted)

Lee picked a good time to have a breakout season, finishing second in rebounding and scoring 16 per game at 25-years-old. He's still unproven, but it's unfair to say he can't be a defensive presence since he played center this year rather than his natural position.

Because Lee hasn't played a lot of big games, younger teams will probably be interested in him. The Bobcats, Bulls, Hawks, Jazz, Raptors, and Thunder would all improve with Lee. Although the Knicks want cap space, they could use the depth for their future blockbuster signings.

Prediction: Five years, $50 million with Knicks. LeBron James won't want to sign with the Knicks if he has to be a one-man team.

7. Allen Iverson

Iverson's reputation took a hit this year in Detroit, but he still remains valuable.

In Iverson's defense, he played in one of the league's slowest offenses with a roster that was set to decline. Iverson was put on the bench at one point this year, so he needs a team where he can play a major role, and a team that runs the floor well.

The Knicks, Nets, and Pacers seem like good fits.

Normally, there'd be more teams who would want Iverson, but there's not a lot of demand for backcourt help this offseason.

Prediction: One year, $15 million with Pacers. Iverson needs an explosive offense, and the Pacers need an upgrade in the backcourt for a playoff run.

8. Hedo Turkoglu (ETO)

Turkoglu has already opted out, but the Magic and Turkoglu want to reunite. He was essential in the first three rounds of the playoffs, guarding arguably the two best small forwards in the NBA.

His outside shooting is necessary for the Magic's offense.

Prediction: Three years, $42 million with Magic.

9. Al Harrington (player option)

It seems probable that Harrington will decline his $10 million option after averaging 20.7 points per game. The Knicks acquired him for his expiring contract, and it doesn't seem to make sense for them to re-sign him.

The Knicks are in the running for superstars, and Harrington has struggled when he's not one of the main options on the team. However, he'd generally be the fourth best player on a championship team.

He doesn't seem like a good fit with James or Dwyane Wade.

Prediction: Three years, $36 million with Suns. Harrington is athletic and still has a few good years ahead of him.

The Suns are a more athletic team with him.

10. Jamal Crawford (ETO)

Crawford has never made the postseason, and probably won't if he stays with the Warriors next year.

He's guaranteed $19.4 million if he doesn't opt out, and that seems likely. Teams are looking to reduce payrolls. There are many players better than Crawford who are free agents next year, and he won't be guaranteed much money on the open market.

Prediction: Exercises option.

11. Andre Miller

Miller is the engine of the 76ers, and they've made the playoffs the last two seasons. There are also many teams looking for a point guard.

Prediction: One year, $11 million with Mavericks. Mark Cuban will be willing to outbid the 76ers, and they could use another ball-handler with Jason Kidd a free agent.

12. Mehmet Okur (ETO)

Okur's option is worth $9 million.

He's worth about that much, but could get around that much for multiple years. The Jazz, with a payroll of $72 million next year, will make a power forward their top priority, so Okur will likely sign elsewhere.

Prediction: Three years, $25 million with Bobcats. They have plenty of cap space, and they need another scorer for a playoff push.

13. Nate Robinson (restricted)

The Knicks could re-sign Robinson. He fits perfectly into the run-and-gun system. He's usually an energy player, but he's proven to be an above-average point guard, which will attract other teams.

Prediction: Four years, $24 million with 76ers. Philadelphia could use Robinson's shooting, and he gives the 76ers a quality young core with Andre Iguadola and Thaddeus Young.

14. Lamar Odom

The Lakers will probably re-sign either Odom or Trevor Ariza. Odom was the third option of the championship team, but some think the Lakers prefer Ariza due to his defense and youth.

Prediction: Two years, $16 million with Lakers. Odom was a key part of the playoffs and the Lakers can afford to re-sign him for a pay-cut because of the depth at small forward in free agency.

15. Paul Millsap

Due to salary cap troubles, Millsap is more likely to re-sign with the Jazz than Boozer. Millsap is younger than Boozer, a better defender, and as good of a rebounder. He was a consistent double-double threat.

Prediction: Four years, $32 million with Jazz. The power forward position is key with Sloan.

Millsap is proven in the system.

16. Marvin Williams (restricted)

Williams, often labeled a bust, is the most interesting free agent. He's athletic, but solely relies on said athleticism to produce. Whatever team signs him needs to make him the fourth or fifth option.

The Hawks will either not re-sign him, or sign and trade him because of low revenue.

Prediction: Five years, $50 million with Timberwolves. Most of the T-Wolves' young players have reached close to their potential or won't improve.

Williams would be an interesting project.

17. Trevor Ariza

As mentioned before, Ariza is a great role player and a very good defender. At 24, he's very athletic and could help the team for a long time.

Prediction: Four years, $28 million with Heat. Loosing Jamario Moon, Ariza will make up for the lost athleticism and defense. With improvements from Ariza, Michael Beasley, and Mario Chalmers, Wade might be convinced to stay in Miami.

18. Raymond Felton (restricted)

Felton averaged 20.1 points in his last five games. Even with D.J. Augustine, the Bobcats need to upgrade the bench.

Prediction: Four years, $40 million with Bobcats.

19. Charlie Villanueva (restricted)

The Bucks traded Richard Jefferson in an effort to cut salary to re-sign Villanueva and Ramon Sessions.

Villanueva averaged 16.2 points per game this year.

Prediction: Four years, $30 million with Bucks

20. Anderson Varejao

Varejao might be the best backup center in the league. He finished eighth in DPOY voting and provided a spark on offense. With Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Joe Smith, and possibly Ben Wallace gone, the Cavaliers need a more athletic frontcourt.

Prediction: Two years, $12 million with Cavaliers.

21. Jason Kidd

Kidd needs to go to the Eastern Conference where there are slower guards to defend. Due to his age, he should expect a one year deal.

Prediction: One year, $7 million with Hawks. The slow offense is a good fit for him.

Plus, they're the only winning team in the Eastern Conference that really needs a point guard.

22. Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Ilgauskas is aging and relies too much on his jumpshot to be a major contributor at this point. But, he could still be a good role player providing shooting and rebounding.

Prediction: Two years, $9 million with Nets. Ilgauskas on the Nets could give James incentive to sign.

23. Mike Bibby

Bibby is a good shooter, but has lost a lot of athleticism. The Hawks should be interested in re-signing him, but should keep their options open with the point guards available.

Prediction: One year, $5 million with Knicks. Bibby is especially hurt by the economic circumstances this offseason. The Knicks, without Robinson, would take on another expiring contract.

24. Rasheed Wallace

Wallace is more of a spot-up shooter at this point, but he could be a good fit returning to Portland. They were exposed in the playoffs for a lack of experience, but Wallace is a champion.

Prediction: One year, $4.5 million with the Trailblazers.

25. Ramon Sessions

The Bucks will be sorry if they don't re-sign Sessions.

He's a smart passer, and he's definitely an upgrade over Luke Ridnour. He averaged 9.7 assists in his last five games and shows flashes of scoring potential.

Prediction: Three years, $12 million with Bucks.

The Cavaliers Couldn't Have a Better Coach Than Mike Brown

Josh B — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:06:11 -0400

Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry focuses on more than star power to surround LeBron James. He focuses on who's the perfect fit.

Ferry, often criticized for not surrounding James with enough, has been able to find players suitable for helping James without the risk of giving out a Gilbert Arenas or Elton Brand-sized contract.

In Cleveland's first and only Finals in 2007, James wasn't surrounded by players who fit well. The frontcourt of Zyndrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden, although not very effective, was the team's strong-point. The backcourt was even worse, led by the injury-prone Larry Hughes and the aging Eric Snow.

Although Cleveland missed the Finals this year, they have a much better team, winning 66 games over the 50 they won two years ago. The backcourt has the range and the depth to free up space for James, and LeBron may have a good enough second option, Mo Williams.

The greatest improvement of the team has not been a player, but coach Mike Brown. Despite winning Coach of the Year this season, Brown is still disrespected. Rumors, although they're quickly dying, of the Cavs finding a replacement for Brown are quickly circulating.

One candidate includes Pat Riley. Already a Hall of Famer, Riley has coached five championship teams: four Lakers teams in the 80's and the Heat in 2006.

Brown is only 39, he's never played a minute of NBA action, he looks more like an accountant than an NBA coach, and his only rings come from being a Spurs assistant coach. Even so, the Cavaliers are better off with Brown than the guy who was named a Top Ten Coach in NBA History.

Even with less experience than Riley, Brown is developing into an incredible coach.

In his first four years, the Cavaliers have a record of 211-117. No team in the past four years has been that good under the same coach besides Greg Popovich's Spurs. And Popovich is the one who guided Brown in the NBA.

The Cavaliers haven't only succeeded in the regular season. They have won seven rounds of the postseason. When Cleveland is eliminated, you can rarely say that Brown was out-coached.

In his first year, the Cavaliers lost to the Pistons in seven games in the second round. The Pistons had arguably the best starting five in the league.

After that, he took Cleveland to the Finals where Cavaliers were swept by the Spurs. Although Brown is partly to blame, the Spurs were a team with three all-star caliber players with many championships and a coach who taught Brown everything he knew.

In Brown's third year, the Cavaliers were the only team to take the champion Celtics to seven games and it took an overtime Game Seven to make the Cavs go away.

Cleveland was expected to make the Finals in the 2009 season but lost in the Conference Finals, and you can't say Brown wasn't a part of the downfall. He couldn't motivate most of the players enough.

However, one year doesn't ruin what he's worked for.

Although Brown coached his worst series this past season, the Cavaliers didn't improve just because of the Williams addition.

The Cavaliers ranked No. 1 in defense, giving up 91.4 points per game. There isn't a single player on the team who hasn't improved defensively under Brown.

James learned to be an elite helping defender, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting after his defense was criticized a few years ago. Anderson Varejao finished 13th. Even Ilgauskas and Wally Szczerbiak look good under the system.

Although some would describe the relationship of Brown and James to be one where Brown doesn't interfere with James, Brown has made him into a better player. Not only James has improved, but it's hard to find someone who hasn't.

The number one reason why the Cavaliers would fire Brown is to bring in an elite coach such as Riley. But why should they get an elite coach when they already have one?

James has one year left on his contract. They could keep Brown and have another winning season. A new coach could jeopardize the team's success and make James less likely to re-sign.

Riley has coached losing teams before and who knows if the complex system of team defense and offense around James would remain as effective with any other coach?

Brown isn't the best coach in the NBA, but he's the best coach that the Cavaliers could have.

Dwight Howard: A Superhero Emerges in the Midst of the LeBron Criticism

Josh B — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:59:55 -0400

Most NBA fans, whether they're aware of it or not, believe in manifest destiny. Whether it was their aversion to refs or their belief in puppets, everyone thought the Finals would be a Kobe-LeBron duel.

A new hero put himself on the map with a Magic 103-90 victory over the Cavaliers Saturday.

This playoff series may be remembered for LeBron James' failure to reach to Finals, but it should be remembered for his counterpart.

James scored 25 points off of 20 shots. Dwight Howard scored 40 points off of 21 shots. No matter how you slice it, Howard has taken a city's faith in Cleveland and put it in Orlando, where it has rarely been seen.

The Magic have one Finals appearance in their 20 years. Two on Thursday. Their last appearance was in 1995, with a team led by Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal was an emerging center. At 22, he finished second in MVP voting, and led the league in scoring. Since then, O'Neal has won four championships, three Finals MVPs, two scoring titles, and now he sits at second on the all-time field goal percentage list behind only Artis Gilmore.

He represented everything that everyone loved in the NBA. He was a smack-talker who could fulfill his words and yet, a comedian. Now 14 years later, Howard has become the same figure.

O'Neal may be the most dominant offensive center of all time. Howard is establishing himself on the defensive end, leading the league in rebounding twice in a row, and winning Defensive Player of the Year.

Greg Oden once said, "Who says a big man can't sell?" Nike said so in its "Most Valuble Puppets" commercials with Kobe and LeBron. The faces of the NBA are ball-handlers. After Steve Nash's consecutive MVPs, the NBA has been led by James, Bryant, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade.

In the midst of three rounds of playoff action, only two superstars have survived. And now Howard has the chance to put big men back on top as they have been throughout NBA history.

Living in Boston, I've been able to see how it feels when your team sucks and they finally win it all, and when your team unexpectedly wins it all. There's no feeling quite like an athlete giving you faith down the stretch.

Los Angeles has seen Bryant win it three times before. Even if Howard doesn't win it, Orlando will have enjoyed the ride and will know for years to come that as long as they have Howard, they are championship contenders.

Two years ago, Orlando didn't have anything close to this confidence. The Magic, 40-42 were nowhere near what they now are.

Howard, not yet a superstar, was a member of the third all-NBA team. Hedo Turkoglu was a year away from becoming the NBA's Most Improved Player. Rashard Lewis, on the Sonics, finished off a second consecutive losing season. Mickael Pietrus was on the Warriors' bench. Rafer Alson made it past the first round once.

Stan Van Gundy, now the coach of the Magic, had resigned from the Heat for family-related reasons, as he said. Rumors had been circulating all year about Pat Riley wanting to come out of the front office to coach the Heat and he coached them to the championship that year.

Two years later, Riley has quit coaching after the Heat finished dead last in the NBA. Now Van Gundy is coaching a division rival in the Finals.

Howard has taken the NBA by surprise after fans were tricked into believing in a Kobe-LeBron Finals. Now Orlando, if only for a moment, is on top of the world.

With great power comes great responsibility. James was expected to save Cleveland, but the real hero has emerged.

Howard has led the Magic to the Finals. O'Neal, the self-proclaimed Superman, may have some competition. With Howard signed through 2013, the Magic can be confident that Howard, unlike O'Neal when he left, will be dominating the NBA and giving Orlando a championship-caliber team for years to come.

Why Michael Jordan Is Not the Greatest Player in NBA History

Josh B — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:49:04 -0400

Call it blasphemy if you wish, but I don't think that Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history. Let me just clear up some things.

1. I'm not a Jordan hater.

2. I'm completely aware of Jordan's contributions.

3. I'm also aware of the achievements of other legends and a closer look shows that Jordan is not undoubtedly the greatest of all time.

In fact, there are five players that I think are in the argument for GOAT. There's only one player I'd put over him though.

This player doesn't have Wilt's numbers, Russell's rings, or Magic's popularity, but when it comes down to it, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest player in NBA history.

When you compare Kareem and Jordan at face value, it's easy to think that Jordan is better. While I disagree, Jordan couldn't be a closer second. For a while, I thought that Jordan was the greatest, but here's why Kareem is the GOAT.

The Numbers

When you're only looking at basic stats, Kareem probably isn't in the top five. But one reason why people have forgotten Kareem's greatness is his longevity.

Mainly because of his debt (and I'm sure a love of the game had to do with it as well), Kareem played until he was 41, when he was way passed his days of being an elite player.

Kareem played 1560 games. Jordan played 1072 games. When you look at Kareem's numbers through that same number of games (okay, so through 1090 games, but I had to round it off at the end of a season), the numbers are comparable.

Points per game

Kareem sits at 24.6 points per game, 11th all-time. Through 1090 games, Kareem averages 27.3 points per game, fifth all-time behind Jordan, Chamberlain, LeBron James, and Elgin Baylor.

Chamberlain (who played 1045 games) averages 2.8 more points per game than Kareem, but Kareem played in slower offenses.

Rebounds per game

Currently 24th at 11.1. In 1090 games, he's 10th at 13.2. He's third behind only Wes Unseld and Dave Cowens in terms of post-60's players.

Assists per game

4.6 per game in 1090. This is first among all centers. Bill Walton, considered by most to be the greatest passing big man ever, had one season where he averaged more.

Defense

Of course, it's not all about numbers when it comes to greatness. But there is evidence that Kareem is at least in the top five when it comes to defense.

Back to 1090 games defense, Kareem averaged 3.7 blocks per game, first all-time. Of course, there's most likely still players above him. Bill Russell most likely holds the record, but blocks weren't a stat when he played.

Kareem also averaged more fouls than blocks in that time. Mark Eaton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning, Ben Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Dwight Howard this year, all Defensive Player of the Year winners, can't claim the same numbers.

In fact, these are the kind of defensive numbers Dikembe Mutombo averaged when he won three DPOY's in four years.

Kareem led the NBA in blocks four times. In three of those years, he averaged more blocks than fouls, with a ratio of 1.27, far more than anyone else at the time. The DPOY wasn't around at the time, but Kareem should have won it.

In the first year, Kareem led the NBA in rebounds and blocks. In the second year, he led the NBA in rebounds per game and blocks per game. In the third year, Kareem was deservedly voted to the all-defensive first team over the defensively overrated, foul-prone Dave Cowens.

If he had good relationships with the media and had DPOY been around at the time, Kareem probably would have won it those three times.

Winning Ability

In the 69-70 season, Knicks center Willis Reed had one of the most accomplished seasons any player has ever had. He was all-NBA, all-defensive, an NBA champion, finals MVP, and the NBA's MVP.

Even in his rookie year, Kareem deserved that MVP. The Bucks, coming off a 27 win season, acquired Kareem and Bob Dandridge, and the two led the Bucks to 56 wins, only four games behind the Knicks where Reed was surrounded by great players like Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Cazzie Russell.

Kareem deservedly won MVP in his second year with one of the greatest seasons anyone has ever had. He led the NBA in scoring, averaged 16 rebounds per game, and won finals MVP. The Bucks won 66 games, most in the NBA.

In his remaining four seasons with the Bucks, they won less than 59 games once. The Bucks were 34-31 with Kareem and 4-13 without him.

Kareem would have been able to take just about any group of players and make them into an elite team. Flynn Robinson became an elite point guard worthy of a trade for Oscar Robertson, but scored seven less per game in Cincinnati.

He opened up the lanes for John McGlocklin better than anyone could have. Oscar Robertson rejuvenated his career with the Bucks.

In his Laker days, Kareem was an NBA finalist eight times and he's a six-time NBA champion.

As possibly the greatest passing big man and helping defender ever, Kareem inspired his team win more than anyone, despite what his relationships with the media would lead one to think.

I know what you're thinking; Jordan has six championships. Yes he does. And it also wouldn't be fair for me to say that Kareem won six as well after highlighting the years where he only won three. However, during most of those years, Kareem didn't have an elite sidekick like Jordan.

With the Bucks, Robertson was an elite talent for only his first two years. With Robertson, the Bucks won the NBA championship and lost the finals to the Lakers, who won 69 games. Magic Johnson and Kareem were united for four of the seasons I mentioned earlier and made the finals twice and lost the finals another time.

Jordan didn't win a championship in his first six years because of a poor supporting cast. The Bulls finished under .500 in his first three years and didn't contend until Scottie Pippen became an elite talent in Jordan's sixth season.

Pippen is Underrated

Jordan is 5-15 without him in the postseason. To say that Pippen doesn't compare to Jordan is absurd. In the Bulls games I've watched, Pippen is often the one rotating quickly on defense, helping out everyone. Not to say Jordan wasn't a great defender, Pippen was just better in that aspect.

In the two years played mainly without Jordan, the Bulls were still a very good team under Pippen's leadership. In 1994, the Bulls won 55 games and lost to the NBA finalist Knicks in seven games in the second round. The Bulls won 47 games the second year, losing to the Magic, also NBA finalists, in six games in the second round.

Kareem Also Played in a Tougher NBA

The 70's are often a forgotten era in NBA history for two reasons; the lack of star power and because the NBA doesn't like talking about the league's drug problems.

But the 70's were an era with half as many teams as the 90's and greater talent concentration. In that decade, the fifth best team in the league would only win around 45 games. It would sometimes be a team like the Knicks or the Warriors with Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond. The 80's were the toughest era in NBA history.

Who's better? The 80's Lakers, the 80's Celtics, the 90's Bulls? Perhaps a 76er's team led by Moses Malone and Julius Erving?

If Jordan's Bulls played in the 80's, they wouldn't have won six championships. It's possible that Jordan was a greater winner than Kareem and a player's winning ability is all that really matters when it comes down to it.

But a closer look at history shows that the players are neck-and-neck. Perhaps if Kareem had a Pippen-like talent in the first half of his career, the Bucks would be up there with the Bulls.

Conclusion

As I said before, Jordan was an amazing player. He couldn't be any closer to the greatest ever. He's not overrated. Others are just underrated.

Kareem, along with his great individual accomplishments, was a winner. He took the Bucks, a 27 win team, and made them into NBA champions in two years.

With a supporting cast lacking superstars, Kareem led the Bucks to 60 win seasons. In his second season with the Lakers, without Johnson and after losing Gail Goodrich, Kareem led the Lakers to 53 wins. With Magic, the Lakers dominated the most difficult era in NBA history.

Kareem, a six-time MVP, a six-time NBA champion, the all-time leader in points, a 19-time all-star, and possibly the greatest passing big man and one of the greatest interior defenders of all-time, is the greatest player in NBA history.

Jordan has six rings and he's the all-time leading scorer, but a closer look shows that he's not the undeniable GOAT.

Why Do NBA Fans Still Underrate Defense?

Josh B — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:58:05 -0400

Two quick questions for all NBA fans: Should Allen Iverson be a Hall of Famer? Should Dennis Rodman be a Hall of Famer?

Well, 99 out of 100 NBA fans would decisively answer "yes" then "no", in that order. How much more sure are you that Allen Iverson should be a Hall of Famer? Is there an obvious difference in greatness?

This is not an article meant to attack Iverson or praise Rodman, but it's meant to cite a trend in NBA fans and the media.

Any NBA fan who knows Iverson is great is completely aware that he is one of the greatest scorers of all time. He has led the league in points per game four times, and he is fifth all-time in points per game, but he is an awful defender.

Rodman is a different kind of player. He led the league in rebounding six times, made seven first All-NBA teams, and he won five championships. He wasn't the go-to guy for any of those titles by any means, but he did hold them. What held him back from greatness was his offense. He only scored in double-figures one season during his career.

Clearly, Iverson is one of the greatest offensive players ever and Rodman is one of the greatest defensive players ever. But in today's NBA, Iverson is obviously considered the superior player. Even I have trouble putting Rodman in the same class as Iverson.

They say defense wins championships, but players who are only great at defense aren't considered great players. This is a trend that has occurred throughout NBA history for various reasons.They do all of the hard work, and recieve none of the glory. By the same token, they aren't nailed by the media if they fail.

1. The Stats

When you look at a player's numbers, the first place you probably look is his points, then rebounds, and finally assists. You might look at their field goal percentage and perhaps their steals and blocks.

There simply aren't any good mainstream statistics for defense. A player can easily accumulate steals by guarding over-aggressively or only guarding the passing lanes. A player can accumulate blocks just from not getting fouls called on them.

This isn't always true. Ron Artest and Dwight Howard are both great defenders, however, this fact is misleading for the Iversons and the Marcus Cambys out there.

John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating sometimes shows good defense. For instance, it regards Shane Battier as one of the best in the league. But it can also mislead in telling you that Leon Powe is a top 20 player.

The only way you can really judge defensive ability is by watching basketball.

2. The Media

It's impossible for a highlight reel to be objective. What is truly a highlight is the network's decision.

Check out this YouTube video to see SportsCenter's Top 10 from Feb. 3.

The basketball plays consist of a Randy Foye block on Danny Granger, a reverse layup from someone on Mississippi State, a LeBron James block on Chris Bosh, a Mo Williams alley-oop to James, a Tony Allen dunk, a Tracy McGrady dunk, and a Ray Allen three-pointer.

The two plays on defense were thought of as highlights because those plays had a smaller player blocking the shot of a bigger player.

Four of those plays were dunks. At most, a dunk is a tempo changer and two points, but ESPN has highlighted them as the best plays.

The blocks and the dunks are highlighted because they're visually appealing, not because they are more affective than the other plays.

3. What You Like To Watch

The media knows what you like to watch and they have given that to you in highlights.

NBA fans aren't aroused by a 24-second violation on the team they are rooting against, but they love the excitement of fastbreaks and crossovers. A fan's mind eventually associates entertainment with effectiveness.

For example, the Spurs are known as a boring team. However, I do not think their fans think championships are very boring.

No NBA fan would say that they think offense is more important than defense, but deep down they truly want the offense. The NBA should be loved for its entertainment value.

I can't tell you what to find entertaining, but have respect for the great defenders of the NBA. Put Battier in the same sentence as Tracy McGrady. Remember the Spurs like you would the high-tempo Lakers of the '80s.

Defense is half the game and NBA fans, including myself, need to realize that it's still underrated.

Only Three Teams Have a Chance of Winning the NBA Finals

Josh B — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:55:20 -0400

I don't like the idea of putting an opening picture for slideshows. I feel like they make me reveal what's in the slideshow. But I always feel obligated to put one in each slideshow I make. Here you have the Sacramento Kings logo, a team completely irrelevant to the content of this article, but still relevant because they are a team that I think has no chance of winning the NBA Finals, as bold as that may sound. This slideshow only goes into eight teams still in the postseason. There are only three at this point who I think can win it. Throughout NBA history, most championship teams have had a player who is capable of being the first guy on a championship team and a championship-caliber supporting cast. That last sentence sounds sort of Tim McCarver-ish, but it's the truth and most people forget that when trying to reasonably pick a championship team. Now that this mostly irrelevant intro is over, here are the three teams with a chance to win the finals and why the other five don't have a chance.

Begin Slideshow

Boston Celtics Game Three Recap: Boston Needs More Intensity

Josh B — Sat, 09 May 2009 11:14:42 -0400

In Game Three, the Magic beat the Celtics 117-96. One thing that really sticks out about that score is the Magic couldn't stop scoring and the Celtics weren't able to keep up.

Even without a respectable point guard with Rafer Alston suspended, the Magic were able to compensate by adjusting their offense in the way they had to before Jameer Nelson found his groove.

Throughout the regular season, the Magic played in an offense where they didn't have to find a shot immediately. They'd thrive off of either openings on the perimeter with Dwight Howard double-teams or too much perimeter defense, leaving Howard open.

Last night, the Magic ran a fast break offense where they were able to find open shots quickly. The Celtics' transition defense was weak and the Magic were able to get their men back before the Celtics could set up on defense.

Anthony Johnson, the Magic point guard, was able to thrive in this offense. Johnson focused solely on getting to the offensive end after the shot, with Rondo generally close to the basket. Johnson was able to score 13 point off these fast break opportunities.

Rajon Rondo was not able to get into his groove with Howard keeping him a safe distance away from the hoop. Rondo scored 15, shot 7 for 17 and only had six assists with the Celtics shooters unable to adjust quickly on offense.

Another bad matchup for the Celtics was Paul Pierce vs. Hedo Turkoglu. The 6'10" Turkoglu was able to get his shots over Pierce, scoring 24 and shooting 8 for 12. Pierce was unable to get his shots over Turkoglu, but didn't become a ballhandler until the second half. Pierce only made three shots in the first half, but scored 27.

The problem with this matchup is that Turkoglu has a four inch height advantage on Pierce, which interferes with Pierce's shot, limiting him to the dribble. When Pierce is on defense, Turkoglu can easily get his shot over Pierce for the same reason.

The key match up of the series has been Howard vs. Kendrick Perkins. Due to foul trouble, Perkins only played 29 minutes. Howard was efficient, scoring 17 and shooting 7 for 8.

With 14 rebounds, 12 on the defensive side, Howard was the key to the fast break. Compared to the Celtics' 29 rebounds, Howard was dependable on the defensive boards, allowing for his other teammates to transition on offense.

Eddie House extended his hot streak, scoring 15 in 21 minutes. House has given the Celtics a stable sixth man this series and has taken advantage of the Magic's lack of backcourt depth in the series. House brought the energy that the Celtics didn't have for most of the game.

Why the Celtics played such a slow style of basketball really puzzles me. They're best suited for the offense that the Magic played yesterday.

The Celtics don't have a lot of good improvisers on offense. When Rondo and Ray Allen aren't getting scoring opportunities, they just slump and keep doing what isn't working. The only really good improviser is Pierce.

To make up for this, the Celtics must get back on offense and defense quickly. They need to take less time to set up their plays. They need to find their shots more quickly. This is not to say that Doc Rivers should take after the Nuggets' George Karl, but the Celtics need to exceed the intensity of their opponent to win.

Offense doesn't win championships. Defense doesn't win championships. The transition game and control of the tempo wins championships. The Celtics lacked the competitive drive of a champion last night and they need to step up their game the way they did in last year's finals to survive in the playoffs.

This article can be found on mvn.com/celtics17/.

Chicago, You Need Ben Gordon

Josh B — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:12:12 -0400

The rumor mill was crazy in Chicago last summer. Coming off a 33-49 season, the Bulls and the high-scoring Ben Gordon couldn't agree on a contract.

Gordon was a restricted free agent. Chicago refused to give Gordon the long-term deal he demanded. This offseason, he will be an unrestricted free agent in a scarce free agent market.

Chicago seems prepared to replace Gordon, trading for John Salmons in February. Salmons, averaging 18.3 points per game this season, gives Chicago the scoring that Gordon brings them.

But Gordon gives more than that. Gordon is the glue that holds the Bulls together on the court.

Gordon is what gave Chicago hope in the post-Jordan era. He's giving Chicago hope against the Celtics.

In Game 2 of the first round, Gordon scored 42 to lead the Bulls. Despite losing 118-115, Gordon over-matched the Celtics on defense, giving them too many great scorers to guard.

Derrick Rose only scored 10 due to foul trouble. Salmons shot 6-of-17.

Rajon Rondo is stuck on Rose. Paul Pierce is on Salmons. Beyond that, the Celtics aren't very good on perimeter defense without Kevin Garnett, who keeps most perimeter players out of the post.

It leaves Gordon on Ray Allen, who is generally a mediocre defender. Gordon completes a trio of explosive offensive players consisting of himself, Rose, and Salmons that overpowers most defenses.

When a fan thinks of Gordon, they usually think of a whiner. Someone who puts himself above the team due to his issues with the front office last year. But Gordon has always helped his teams win.

Gordon was a cornerstone of Connecticut's 2004 championship team. He scored 81 in the Big East Tournament, the most in tournament history. He won Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four.

Picked third overall by Chicago, Gordon had to fill Jamal Crawford's shoes. The Bulls won 24 more games and Gordon was the first rookie to win sixth man of the year.

Gordon isn't just a spot-up shooter. He's a great energy player. When he's slumping, he can dribble. While he's not great at finding shots away from the perimeter, he's good at getting fouled, as he's guarded heavily when he gets closer to the basket.

The Bulls were the surprise team in Gordon's rookie year, winning 47 games. A young nucleus led by Gordon and point guard Kirk Hinrich gave Chicago the winning attitude they lost when Jordan's Bulls were broken up.

In Gordon's second season, the Bulls lost to the Heat, who eventually won the championship. Gordon averaged 21 points per game after averaging 16.9 that season.

The Bulls looked like contenders at the end of 2007. They won 49 games and nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Pistons in the second round.

Only winning 33 games in 07-08, everything fell apart in Chicago. The sub-.500 record mainly occurred due to regression in Hinrich and Luol Deng.

Gordon has been a constant for the Bulls. He's always ready to change the tempo. He's always a great scorer. He's been the best player for the Bulls in the playoffs. The Bulls also wouldn't win without him.

The Bulls are a team that revolves around offense. They're an explosive team with a lot of proven scorers. Without Gordon, they lack range. No one is there to open up the court.

Gordon creates the energy for the high-tempo Bulls. Without him, they won't be a winning team next year. Despite off-court issues, re-signing Gordon is necessary for the Bulls to win.

Celtics Game One Analysis: How Boston Can Prevent More Losses

Josh B — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:17:23 -0400

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Bulls are a tough opponent. They won nine of their last 12 games, going from an inconsistent team to a playoff-worthy team.

It's no sign of the apocalypse that the Bulls beat the Celtics 105-103 in Boston today.

The Celtics didn't walk to the NBA Finals last year. They lost at least two games in every round. But here are some things they'll need to do to tame the Bulls:

1. Create the tempo.

Boston can match anyone's tempo, but they have trouble exceeding it in the playoffs. This should not happen against Chicago.

Chicago has an explosive offense, ninth in the NBA at 102.2 points per game. Their transition defense is their Achilles heel, 21st with 102.5 points allowed per game.

The only particularly good defender in the starting five is Tyrus Thomas, who averaged three blocks per game in his last ten games and 1.9 on the season.

Beyond Thomas, center Joakim Noah is a decent defender, but Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, and John Salmons are easy to drive through.

The Celtics took too long to set up their plays and need to play a faster offense.

2. Try Eddie House and Tony Allen at the two guard.

Ray Allen scored four in the game, only making one shot. This is not unusual, as he held back the Celtics against the Hawks and Cavaliers in the last postseason.

The Celtics need to rely on him less and take advantage of their depth. When Allen was used as more of an energy player against the Pistons and Lakers, he was a much more consistent shooter, and he gained confidence in getting to the basket.

Allen played 39 minutes against Chicago. House played 17 minutes and Tony Allen played eight minutes.

On a good night, House can shoot as well as Ray Allen, shooting .444 this year from three point land. They need his energy when Ray Allen is slumping.

Tony Allen's stat line is blank, but he was underplayed. He's more athletic than Ray Allen or House and a better perimeter defender, which is useful against Salmons and Gordon.

3. Rotate Kendrick Perkins.

Glen Davis and Leon Powe aren't satisfactory when it comes to interior defense. Perkins is the X-Factor.

But Perkins doesn't need to guard the Chicago big men heavily. Boston can win if they allow Brad Miller and Joakim Noah to combine for 20 points, as long as Rose, Gordon, and Salmons only combine for about 40.

Rose and Salmons had an easy time dribbling through the defense, while Perkins was focused on his man.

Miller and Noah aren't leading the Bulls. Defending the lanes is more important.

4. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce need to move.

The Celtics ran a pretty slow offense today, a result of taking too long to set up plays.

When Rondo had the ball, Allen and Pierce weren't moving. They took about 10 seconds on each possession to get open.

As the two primary scorers, Allen and Pierce need to do a better job of creating their own shot.

As mentioned earlier, Gordon and Salmons are weak defenders. Their offensive performances are easily exceeded by their opponents.

Data from espn.com and basketball-reference.com was used in this article.

A Tribute to All the Athletes Who Died Young

Josh B — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:42:19 -0400

Yesterday, we heard of the death of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others who were with him. Adenhart was only 22 and he leaves a world of potential behind him among things. He was a victim of vehicular manslaughter, and these kinds of accidents sadly happen all the time. In my sophomore year of high school, I heard from the principal over the PA system that someone in my grade was hit by a car on his bike. He lived, but he was unconscious for weeks and only his helmet saved him. It made me realize how often these tragic accidents happen. I can't possibly honor every athlete who died too young, but I can certainly honor some. Here are some of the greatest athletes ever to die too soon in reverse-chronological order.

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The Top 10 Players in ACC Basketball

Josh B — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:56:09 -0400

Alright, I'll admit it. The ACC isn't the best conference in college basketball. It took me a while to come to this, being a Boston College fan. But from watching the conference closely, I got to see some of the bests in the game on a regular basis. One thing I realized is that there's a lot of great playmakers and a lot of experience. Six players on the list are point guards and eight of them are upperclassmen. Here are who I feel are the top ten players in the ACC, in order.

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Five Kinds of People in Your Bracket Pool

Josh B — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:25:44 -0400

You find at least one of these in every pool. You associate yourself with one of these and you think everyone else is stupid for being another one of these kinds of people.

Heading into the elite eight, now you can figure out which one you are.

The Know-Nothing

This is the person who doesn't follow college basketball, but participates in a tournament pool every year just because everyone else they know is doing it. This is about 70 percent of the population.

They generally pick all the No. 1 seeds, maybe a No. 2 if it's a school they like for non-basketball related reasons.

Last year, they dominated your pool. In fact, they seem to finish close to the top just about every year. Makes you really question what filling out a bracket is all about.

The Homer

There are two kinds of homers. The first kind is associated with a mid-major school. They're the one who lives near a Missouri Valley school and feels that their team will be in the elite eight.

The second kind is the one who's put Duke as their champion for the last three years, or any other major basketball school.

Generally, they don't do well, since they have no knowledge of the other 64 teams.

Mr. Upset

This is the guy with a final four that went along the lines of Utah, Chattanooga, Virgina Commonwealth, and Western Kentucky.

You have to respect their boldness, but you feel bad that they usually finish last every year and never seem to learn that their method is not working and end up, you know, upset.

However, you stop feeling bad once they make fun of you for putting a one seed in your final four.

The Know-it-all

The Bill James of college basketball. This person thinks they're smart because they can name a player on each mid-major or they know how each team's defense matches up against their first-round opponent.

They fill out four or five brackets before they're satisfied with their result. You know, they're one of a few guys who watched college basketball during the regular season.

I guess I'm guilty of this since I'm one of a few people in the world who can write an entire article about Cleveland State, but I can tell you that it's nothing to be ashamed of.

ESPN's Biggest Fan

I filled out my bracket the night they came out last year. The next morning, ESPN had all my upsets. I was angry, but I didn't change a thing. Four days later, all my upsets are wrong.

Maybe ESPN copied everything from me, or maybe I fit into this category last year.

ESPN's biggest fan is the one who gets their advice from the analysts, who are mostly pretty good. But it's sad that this person can't decide for themselves.

They pick all the fashionable upsets like VCU over UCLA or Western Kentucky over Illinois. This person also thinks that Davidson should be in the tournament and if they were, they'd be in their sweet 16.

Generally this person finishes in the middle of the pack, but they should hang their head in shame.

Curt Schilling Shows How Boring All Other Athletes Are

Josh B — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:47:15 -0400

Curt Schilling has retired, as you've probably heard. Some will remember him for his career accomplishments, some for a bloody sock.

But most might remember him as obnoxious.

Why do people hate him for speaking?

We hear the term "class act" thrown around all the time, as if your facial expressions and your word choice define you as a player.

But face it. Your friends aren't class acts. Your family isn't full of class acts. We really only call someone a class act when it's someone we never get to know personally.

Do you really watch sports to see class? Personally, I watch sports for entertainment, but maybe that's just me.

Is it not entertaining when people are opinionated?

Athletes and coaches give boring answers all the time. Often times, I wonder why reporters even try.

You ought to watch a press conference and count the times someone says that their team did some bad things and some good things.

When you hear the occasional bad-mouther, they're not a bad person. They're just human.

Sports is a secretive business. Teams keep secrets about scouting, signals, etc. Hell, even fantasy baseball websites keep their beginning dates a secret from each other. The last thing a team usually wants to do is tell the media everything they know.

But that's the problem. The media is all you have unless you're a season ticket holder. That brings us back to Schilling, who will tell you everything he thinks about the most controversial issues we think about.

Let's take steroids, for example. Jose Canseco has written about Schilling. Schilling has spoken against this. Canseco has responded saying that he knows nothing about Schilling.

Schilling is what makes athletes human in a secretive business. In the book God Save the Fan by Will Leitch, Leitch writes, "Derek Jeter could molest kittens and we'd never know." He's right.

Leitch also wrote a chapter called "You're More Interesting Than an Athlete." And unless you always say the right thing, you are more interesting.

Schilling should not be criticized for saying his opinions. Criticize all the other athletes who make sports boring.

Cleveland State Vikings: Why They Could Ruin Your Bracket

Josh B — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:03:00 -0400

I'm sure you've heard of Butler by now. But do you know what conference they're in? Or the name of one other team in their conference?

Well, I guess you can answer the second question from the headline, but realize that the Cleveland State Vikings are no scrubs.

They were the winners of the Horizon League, beating Butler 57-54. They had lost to Butler in the two previous meets, but only by two points in each of those games.

Butler and Cleveland State are similar teams. They both play great defense and are able to control the tempo by slowing it down, much like the San Antonio Spurs.

Both are so impressive at those aspects that they are always competitive against opponents from major conferences. The Vikings were just never ranked.

They will face Wake Forest in the first round. The Demon Deacons are the fourth seed, the Vikings the 13th.

Wake Forest has won games with an explosive offense that overpowers teams that can't keep up with them. They average 81.4 points per game.

However, they are vulnerable against a team that can stop the tempo. When held under 75 points, Wake Forest is just 5-4 this year.

That task isn't very unrealistic for Cleveland State, as they've gained experience from tough competition this season.

West Virginia averaged 72.4 points and Cleveland State held them to 53. Syracuse averaged 81.1 points and they were held to 69. Butler never scored more than 58 in their three games.

The Vikings are a team that can stop anyone's tempo. Perhaps they can do that to the Deacons.

Tom Brady: Worst Quarterback in The NFL (Humor)

Josh B — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:46:49 -0400

Last year, Tom Brady came off one of the worst seasons in NFL history. It's become a universal fact that he is terrible. 2007 didn't help too much either.

Don't believe the media. Brady sucks and you know it.

Here's some reasons that will hopefully convince you that he sucks.

He had great receivers.

Seriously, would Brady have ever accomplished anything without Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Troy Brown, David Givens, or Reche Caldwell?

Here's a clue: Did he ever?

If it weren't for great receiving corps that included guys like Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney, Brady wouldn't be very good.

Peyton Manning, on the other hand, has been great without Marvin Harrison and he's been great without Reggie Wayne.

Look at Matt Cassel.

When Brady went down with an injury, I couldn't have been more happy. It would either prove that Brady was a system QB or that Belichick completely depended on Brady. There were no other possibilities.

However, neither of those possibilities are particularly evident with the 11-5 record. Therefore both must be the case.

Brady was a sixth round pick. Cassel was a seventh round pick. It would seem that anyone you find could succeed in Belichick's system.

Brady sucks in the postseason.

Brady has lost three playoff games in his career. Yet people can't seem to comprehend how bad that really is...

That's more combined playoff losses than Joey Harrington, David Carr, JaMarcus Russel, the aforementioned awful quarterback Matt Cassel, Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, and Matt Leinart.

Don't even get me started on Super Bowl losses. Most quarterbacks are at least able to go a whole career without losing in the Super Bowl. Not to mention incomplete passes in the playoffs.

He cheated!

I saved the biggest reason for last.

The Patriots videotaped other teams' signals and I don't understand why they haven't been kicked out of the NFL.

Spygate is something that only the Patriots have been caught doing and they won every game because of it.

Anyone else notice that the only game they lost in the 18-1 season was the one after senator Arlen Specter spoke against Spygate?

That must mean that they won every game that season because of it.

Conclusion

How can you put this guy in the same sentence as Manning when you can't put him in the same sentence as Joey Harrington?

Brady was one of the worst QB's in the NFL last year and was never very good in the first place.

He'd probably lose every game if he didn't cheat and he'd probably lose even more than that if you took away his great receivers.

I don't know about you, but if I'm building a team, I want a quarterback who doesn't lose in the Super Bowl.

The Celtics Rebuilding Process: What if Everything Had Gone Right?

Josh B — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:09:44 -0400

After the 2007 draft lottery, Celtics fans couldn't have felt worse. You know the story. The Celtics received the fifth pick overall after fooling themselves into thinking they'd have the first pick. Sporting News released an article called "The Dynasty That Wasn't" after that lottery. On the cover was Tim Duncan in a Celtics jersey. It uncovered the history of the 1997 draft and beyond. The Celtics ended the year with 15 wins. The Spurs had 20. Tim Duncan was undoubtedly going to be the number one pick after coming off one of the greatest college careers ever. The Spurs got the pick, of course. The article then gets pretty crazy, talking about Steve Nash and Tracy McGrady on the Celtics, which also assumes that they still have Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Joe Johnson, and somehow Chauncey Billups despite using that pick on the one they would have used for Duncan. But this is a more realistic team. Well, not exactly realistic. But the Celtics were closer than you think to having even better talent than they do now. This is the All-Celtics team that could have been in the past five years.

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A-Rod Injury Shows That Yankees Need to Add Depth

Josh B — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:56:15 -0500

Who would have thought that a team could struggle with Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, AJ Burnett, Mariano Rivera, Johnny Damon, and the rest of the all-star roster?

The answer is a void at third base that sets the team back about as far as their off-season haul sets them forward.

And what did the Rays, Angels, and Red Sox have in common last year? The answer is one word: DEPTH.

The Rays had enough talent to compensate for injuries to key players such as Carl Crawford, Scott Kazmir, Jason Bartlett, and Troy Percival.

The Angels were able to win with early injuries to John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Chone Figgins.

The Red Sox stayed competitive with injuries to David Ortiz, JD Drew, and Mike Lowell.

The Yankees cannot blame their failure to make the playoffs to injuries to Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Chien-Ming Wang, and Hideki Matsui.

The problem was replacing their starters with players who most teams wouldn't feel comfortable playing every day.

The Yankees may have addressed rotational depth by signing Sabathia, Burnett, and re-signing Andy Pettitte. They won't be surprised if any young pitchers struggle to find consistency.

The position players are the problem. The Yankees shouldn't have to count on Jose Molina and Angel Berroa to make big contributions.

Now this situation is more than hypothetical. Alex Rodriguez isn't healthy and he could be missing a lot of games.

Unless the Yankees feel like losing more games, they won't replace his production with Cody Ransom or Alberto Gonzalez.

However, the Yankees were smart enough to acquire versatile players such as Teixeira and Nick Swisher over the off-season. Therefore, they could acquire a player not only third base, but just about every position.

Third Base Possibilities

Bobby Crosby: The former rookie of the year is a free agent after this season and Orlando Cabrera has all but won the shortstop position in Oakland. Crosby hit 39 doubles last year, which is more pop than most players coming off the bench.

Bill Hall: Hall hit 35 home runs in 2006, but since then his power has regressed with a 125 OPS+. Last year, he hit 15 HR's with a 79 OPS+. Although he's a below average defender, he can play third base, shortstop, center field, and second base.

In AA last year, Brewers' stud prospect Mat Gamel hit .329/.395/.537 and is likely to be the Brewers' third baseman soon.

Miguel Tejada: In today's economy, it's hard to find a team not looking to cut salary, and Astros GM Ed Wade has admitted that he doesn't want to raise payroll.

Tejada is still an above-average hitting shortstop, but his range will put him at third base sometime in the near future.

Jack Wilson: He's a free agent after 2009. Wilson is an above average defender and decent at making contact, never striking out more than 74 times in a season.

However, he has very little power and has struggled to find consistency working with the Pirates' incompetent hitting coaches.

First Base Options (if Teixeira moves to third)

Ryan Garko: If Victor Martinez plays first, Garko will either play outfield or be traded at some point. He's only 28 and hit 21 home runs in 2007. The Indians might not have a place for him, but he's cheap enough to come off the bench.

Nick Johnson: Adam Dunn will likely play first with the Nationals, and one lucky team may be able to take the low risk of Johnson for the season.

In his last healthy season, he hit .290/.428/.520 with 110 walks. He's played 38 games in the past two seasons, but he might be able to get his team a draft pick if he's healthy this season.

Adam LaRoche: Going into a contract year, LaRoche has hit 20 HR's the past four years. Hinske should be able to carry the load for the Pirates if it even matters. And there won't be room for LaRoche once Pedro Alvarez reaches the majors.

Max Ramirez: Ramirez could be up for trade with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden at the catcher spot of the Rangers, but Ramirez projects to be a first baseman in the future.

Ramirez hit .354/.450/.646 in AA. He can play first base, play catcher if Posada's injured, catch in the minors, or be an upgrade over Molina.

Center field (if Teixeira moves to third and Swisher moves to first)

Rick Ankiel: Ankiel's 25 home runs could be lessened with more playing time to Chris Duncan and Colby Rasmus. The Cards now have five outfielders worthy of being everyday players. Hell, maybe Ankiel could even help out the pitching depth.

Marlon Byrd: The versatile outfielder could be shopped along with Ramirez if the Rangers are confident with an outfield with Josh Hamilton, Daniel Murphy, and Nelson Cruz. He hit a .380 OBP last season and is moving into a contract year.

Delmon Young: Hold in your laughter, but the Twins realize their surplus of outfielders and have put Young in trade discussions. They'd probably have to give up Phil Hughes, but they'd be getting equal upside in return.

Those are the top candidates. None of near the player that A-Rod is, but the Yankees need an upgrade on the bench if they want to win it all.

Data from baseballreference.com, cbssports.com, mlbtraderumors.com, and scoutingbook.com was used in this article.

Why You Should Care about the World Baseball Classic

Josh B — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:14:55 -0500

Sports fans live to complain.

Whether it's about why they don't like any commissioner, how the referee made a wrong call, or why we care about some guy using steroids 15 years ago, complaining is the name of the game.

The World Baseball Classic is a perfect target for complaints. But, Bud Selig has done something right, baseball fans.

Here's why you should watch the WBC.

It's Not Like This Is the Only Time When the Best Players Didn't Represent their Country.

Is Michael Redd one of the world's elite shooting guards? No, but did that stop people from rooting for U.S. men's basketball?

It's a testament to character when a guy is willing to use his time to represent his country and that's what you get from every single participant in the WBC.

Herbs Brooks, the coach of the 1980 Olympic Champion U.S. men's hockey team, once commented about the duty of the individual to the team.

"All-Star teams fail because they rely solely on the individual's talent," he said. "The Soviets win because they take that talent and use it inside a system that's designed for the betterment of the team."

When was the last time you even watched the MLB All-Star Game? The fact is that it takes more than being the most talented team to win and that's what the WBC shows us.

What Else Are You Gonna Do with Baseball?

You know you're desperate when your Cy Young prediction is the ERA leader of the preseason.

Does anyone actually like hearing about Spring Training? These days, even the team's equipment truck makes the news.

If you want to see the Pirates' minor league pitcher own your team, watch the preseason.

But if you want to see the world's greatest players play for international glory, watch the WBC.

The U.S. Has Something To Prove

It seems like when the U.S. isn't great at something, they don't care about it. This is evident in the World Cup, the Winter Olympics, and eating contests, which just haven't been as fun since that Asian guy came in.

Part of America's disinterest in the WBC came when the U.S. was eliminated so early in 2006.

Had they made the finals, Americans would have been cheering for their team. But don't be a front-runner. Cheer for your team all the way through.

Almost Every Other Country Cares

Japan stops playing professional baseball so they can put their best team forth in the WBC, and their people couldn't be happier.

The U.S. doesn't show that kind of dedication, as shown by the MLB not allowing its players in the Olympics.

During the offseason, Latino countries face each other in international competition, and their fans show more passion than you see at most Major League games.

America simply doesn't show the passion that other countries do. Compare the passion of the World Cup to the WBC. By watching the WBC, you share the passion that the rest of the world has for their teams.

Whether You Think So or Not, the Game Is Becoming International

Baseball is nearly impossible to internationalize. It's expensive, it takes a lot of equipment, you can't play one-on-one.

But it has become known to the foreign world enough for us to know that the U.S. has strong competition.

The 2005 Home Run Derby serves as an example of how diverse baseball has become. In that competition, each participant was from a different country.

We saw someone from the U.S., Canada, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Korea, Panama, and Curacao.

There's a broader pool of talent and that will be showcased in the WBC. So quit complaining. You have reason to watch.

Player Profile: Tim Hardaway

Josh B — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:51:56 -0500

Basketball-reference.com recently started a blog called Keltner's List, which examined the careers of past and current players to determine their legacies. They've inspired me to start my own list of players to examine.

The first player is Tim Hardaway, who will unfortunately be remembered more for his homophobic comments than excellent play.

One of the top players of the 90's, Hardaway was left off the list of Hall of Fame contention in his first year of eligibility, but here's some things to consider when assessing his career.

Let's start with some basic information:

position: point guard
height: 6' weight: 175
born: September 1, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois
college: University of Texas at El Paso
years played: 1989-2003

Career stats:

17.7 points per game
8.2 assists per game (ninth all-time)
3.3 rebounds per game
1.6 steals per game
.431 field goal percentage
.355 three point percentage

Questions:

Was he ever regarded as the best player in basketball?

Definitely not. It's pretty difficult to be close to the best player when you play in Michael Jordan's era.

Was he ever the best player on him team?

Certainly. On the Warriors, his main competition was Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. He was the best player on the team from 1990-1994. He'd often score a bit less than Mullin, but Hardaway was the top playmaker in the team's fastbreak system.

Upon arriving to the Heat, Alonzo Mourning was the team leader, averaging around 20 points and 10 rebounds while being one of the league's best shot blockers and all-around defensive stoppers. But in the 97-98 and 00-01 seasons, Mourning suffered injuries and Hardaway stepped up as the leader.

Was he ever the best player at his position?

Although you could argue he was the best point guard of 96-97, his only first team all-NBA appearance, but I give the edge to Gary Payton that season due to defense.

Other than that, usually Payton, John Stockton, or Jason Kidd would be on over the course of Hardaway's prime.

Did he ever make an impact in the Conference Finals or NBA Finals?

Hardaway may have had a greater legacy had he not had to miss playoff games with injury, as he only made the conference finals once, in 97 with the Heat, arguably his best season.

The Heat lost in five games to Jordan's Bulls. In the one win, Hardaway scored 25 points and seven assists to lead the team.

Was he good enough to play regularly after passing his prime?

Hardaway's decline started after 98, when his scoring and assist numbers kept decreasing. He was able to start for three more years with the Heat.

The next year, he was a top player off the Mavericks bench and started for the Nuggets.

The next year with the Pacers, he only played 10 games with the Pacers and then retired.

Are his numbers comparable to other hall of famers?

Hardaway is one of six players with career averages of 17 points and eight assists per game. Three are in the Hall of Famer: Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and Isiah Thomas.

The three who haven't made it are Hardaway, Kevin Johnson, and Chris Paul, who is obviously not eligible yet.

Is there any reason to suggest the player was better or worse than their statistics?

A couple of reasons that some consider him worse. Playing in a fastbreak offense elevated his numbers with the Warriors, although he proved he could produce in a slower Heat offense.

The other reason is his defense. He was undersized and overaggressive, similar to Allen Iverson. He was a ball snatcher, averaging 1.6 steals per game, but had a hard time blocking shots and often let his opponent dribble by him.

Any impact on NBA history?

He made the crossover famous.

If he were the best player on his team, would that team be likely to win a championship?

Probably at least one. Unfortunately for Hardaway, the Bulls dominated the decade and many great players went without a chance at a championship.

Should he be a Hall of Famer?

Yes. Hardaway is ninth all-time in assists and was able to be a dominant scorer. As you saw with his number comparisons, the only people who haven't made it with his numbers are Kevin Johnson and Chris Paul. Paul should make it after he retires and many argue that Johnson is one of the most underrated players in NBA history.

Data from basketball-reference.com and hoopedia.nba.com was used in this article.

Five Headlines to Expect in the Next Decade

Josh B — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:19:43 -0500

Remember Robert "Tractor" Traylor? The fat guy the Mavs traded for Dirk Nowitzki? The one who had to retire due to obesity? Well, you haven't heard the last of him. He is just one of the five news stories that are guaranteed for the next decade. Don't be surprised when the sports media jumps all over these.

Begin Slideshow

Getting O'Neal and Moon Helps, But the Heat Need to Do More to Retain Wade

Josh B — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:03:31 -0500

Dwyane Wade has done everything for the Heat this year, whether it's offense or defense. He leads the NBA in points, but he is able to incorporate his teammates with seven assists per game.

On defense, no opponent's shot is unblockable when Wade is guarding them, averaging 1.4 per game.

But Wade may be doing too much for his own good. He's taken the Heat into playoff contention after a last-place finish.

He's done it with an inexperienced supporting cast in which rookies Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers, plus sophomore Daequan Cook, have played major roles.

But while Wade is the least of Miami's problems, he's also their biggest problem.

The problem: How will Miami keep Wade after he can become a free agent in 2010?

The Heat have tried to contend, and their X factor was Shawn Marion, who couldn't find his way in the Heat system.

Miami struggled to find success for both Marion and Beasley, never finding a way that Marion could play small forward and play like he did in Phoenix without hurting Beasley's development.

Marion was expected to be the Heat's second scoring option behind Wade, but at only 12 points per game and the Heat's ranking of 24th in points per game, he wasn't working out.

Marion along with Marcus Banks were sent yesterday to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon.

Marion's contract expired after this season. The Heat slightly opened up their window of contention with this trade as O'Neal's contract expires in 2010. While Moon's expires after this season, he's not much worse than Marion.

But Wade still lacks anything close to a championship caliber supporting cast.

O'Neal is the inside presence the Heat were lacking, but he's still not enough. As a center, his field goal percentage of .479 and seven rebounds per game have disappointed the Raptors.

Moon is more than good enough to make the Heat forget about Marion's defensive presence. He's a good dunker and his range is developing.

Unfortunately, Moon would generally be the fifth or sixth best player on a championship team.

Wade is in the same situation as LeBron James in 2010. Although the Heat only have $17 million committed for the 2010-11 season, what's to stop Wade from going to a team like the Pistons or Knicks?

Winning is what could keep Wade in Miami, and it will be hard for him to win with this team.

He has no suitable second scoring option. There is no interior defense. Many of his teammates have never seen the post-season, just to name a few flaws.

If Wade can get another team to the finals in the next two seasons, there would be more incentive for him to stay. But don't bank on it, considering the rest of the team.

Miami Heat, don't take Wade for granted. Get this guy more help.