Bleacher Report - Articles by Marcus Hagness

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Good, The Bad, The Uncertain

Marcus Hagness — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:56:29 -0400

The 2008-09 Minnesota Timberwolves finished their season with a record of 24-58.

This is two games better than the 22-60 mark they posted a year ago.

It doesn’t seem like much of an improvement, but they have gotten much better since last season.

The Good: Kevin Love, Foye’s return, the month of January

The addition of Kevin Love was huge for the Wolves to give Al Jefferson some help in the paint. Love posted 28 double-doubles this season and was ranked 17th in the NBA in total rebounds. He should be on the All-Rookie first team and one of the top vote getters for Rookie of the Year.

As Love gets more minutes, his numbers will increase. He only averaged about 26 minutes a game. Once he develops more strength and can handle the physical play longer, he could be a 20-10 player.

Randy Foye was able to play in 71 games for Minnesota putting up good numbers of 16 ppg, 4.5 apg, and shooting 36 percent from the three-point line. It was good to see him playing this year and improving from the previous season.

The start of 2009 was good for Minnesota, as they started off with a five-game winning streak and finished the month 10-4 with wins over New Orleans and Phoenix. Kevin Love averaged a double-double in the month putting up 12.5 PPG and 10 RPG, recording five double-doubles in the month.

The Bad: Injuries, Randy Whitman, the worst starting five of all-time

The injury to Al Jefferson really set this team back—right when they were starting to play better basketball this season. Although it is a terrible thing for the Timberwolves, it may end up helping them in the long run—if Jefferson can make a full recovery, that is.

Kevin Love became much tougher and more confident in himself knowing he was the man in the paint. He played great ball the rest of the year after Jefferson went down.

Corey Brewer, a promising player in the NBA, had a big setback in his young career when he had his ACL tear early in the season. I’m not sure he’ll be a star in the NBA, but I think he’ll be solid if he stays healthy as the team's potential defensive specialist.

Randy Whitman was fired not soon enough in the year, as he just wasn’t getting the job done. I know Minnesota didn’t have all the talent in the world, but it was definitely time for a change at the helm when McHale made that decision.

The last game of the regular season saw Minnesota start the following line-up: Kevin Ollie, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen, and Jason Collins. I know it was a meaningless game for both teams involved (Sacramento) but seriously, don’t put paying customers through that!

The Uncertain: What's next, Jefferson's health

I don’t like this year’s NBA draft class much at all for Minnesota. I am hoping they can work out a trade with their pick and maybe a player or two that just isn’t fitting for them (Mike Miller) before June’s draft.

Some unrestricted free agents available, according to an article Chad Ford wrote back in September, are Lamar Odom, Allen Iverson, Shawn Marion, and Ron Artest. The T-Wolves need a shot in the arm if they want to move forward in the very competitive Western Conference and there are some players out there that could do just that for the team.

Al Jefferson returning to form is really the biggest concern for the team at this time. If he can return to his 20/10 All-Star snubbed numbers, the T-wolves will be right on track. He and Kevin Love will be a dominant post combination if the team keeps them together.

Overall, I’d say the 2009 season ended up being a lateral move for Minnesota. They were starting to look good around mid-season, some injuries set them back, but a few good moves in the offseason would be a very big step forward for the T-Wolves.

NBA Draft Analysis: 2008 vs. 2003

Marcus Hagness — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:30:52 -0500

The 2008 NBA rookie class is going to go down as one of the best NBA drafts of all-time. The 1996 and 2003 drafts have been two of the best in recent memory. The ’84 draft probably has them both beat, but this class has the potential to be great.

The Top Five:

2008:

Derrick Rose. The ultra-athletic guard out of Memphis has been known to basketball fans for a few years now. He brings a dynamic to his position the way LeBron has to the swing man position. His natural ability to make plays is as unique as we have seen. He’s just as dangerous attacking the basket as he is passing the ball.

The holes in his game are fixable holes. He needs to improve his free throw shooting (just ask Justin Timberlake) and become a viable outside threat so teams can’t do the Rajon Rondo defense. He will be a great point guard for years to come.

2003:

LeBron James. I’m not saying Derrick Rose is going to be better than LeBron in any way here but the numbers aren’t that much different. LeBron: 21 ppg, 6 apg, and 5.5 rpg. Rose: 17 ppg, 6.5 apg, and 3.5 rpg. LeBron is a one-of-a-kind player that I don’t think we’ll ever see anyone comparable to LeBron again but Derrick Rose impact on the game will be as big as LeBron's years to come.

2008:

Michael Beasley is a match-up nightmare for teams. His problem right now is that he’s not big enough to defend the bigger posts in the NBA but not quite quick enough to guard the great perimeter players either. His athleticism is a big help to his “problems” physically. As far as talent goes he may be the most talented basketball player in this class.

He has the ability to go inside and outside, isn’t scared to have the ball late, and plays mature beyond his years. The best case scenario for him would be to play his career as a three and abuse people in the paint. He’ll probably end up being what Lamar Odom was supposed to be.

2003:

Darko Milicic. Well that’s about enough about that subject.

2008:

O.J. Mayo has perennial all-star written all over him. He’s going to average 20-25 points a game no problem and his uncanny offensive skill-set will make him a defensive headache his entire career. A thing great about his game is his willingness to play defense so early in his career.

He isn’t one of those guys that runs twice as hard on offense as defense. He plays tough on both. If Memphis can keep the core of Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley Jr., and Marc Gasol around they will be a team on the rise.

2003:

Carmelo Anthony. Like Mayo, Anthony came into the league right away and was a potent scorer. These two will be comparable because I think Mayo is going to put up numbers like ‘Melo he’s not going to be as known playing for Memphis as ‘Melo wasn’t when he was drafted to the Nuggets.

2008:

Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is a dynamic combo guard on a team full of young talent. The things he and Kevin Durant have the potential to do together are scary. If Jeff Green develops better and they can find a big man to hold his own for them, they won’t be a lottery team for long.

Westbrook has been compared to guys like Dwayne Wade and Gilbert Arenas already in his young career. If he gets to that level the Thunder will be a force in the NBA for years to come.

2003:

Dwayne Wade. Wade has been the most successful on the team level of any of the guys named. A big reason for that would be Kobe’s desire to get Shaq out of L.A. for peanuts and Wade’s incredible playoff performance in the 2006 NBA postseason.

Wade is short for the two at 6’4" but makes up for it with his deadly offensive skill and athletic ability. Wade flew under the radar of LeBron and Carmelo much like Westbrook will under Rose/Beasley/Mayo.

2008:

Kevin Love. Love was called undersized, not athletic enough, too slow, anything else you could say to fully reach his NBA potential and be better for Minnesota than O.J. Mayo. Love dropped weight before the season started, got quicker, earned his minutes and has been an absolute gem for a struggling wolves team.

Now more than ever he’ll have to prove his toughness with Al Jefferson going down for the season with a torn ACL. Love has a dynamic ability about him many post players don’t possess, passing. His ability to make passes and willingness to make passes are making him a popular teammate and one of the top rookies in this class.

It wouldn’t shock me to see him get serious Rookie of the Year consideration now that he’ll have a starting role for Minnesota, his numbers will flourish.

2003:

Chris Bosh. Bosh was a relatively unknown from this class, mainly because he played for the helpless Toronto Raptors. They were a weak team in a weak conference with Bosh as the only bright spot. Last year when they got into the playoffs after the put some players around him he finally started getting recognition. He’s an all-star caliber player with game changing ability and uncanny quickness for a power forward.

The edge in top five has to go to the 2008 class because of the giant bust of Darko Milicic. I don’t see any of these players becoming a bust short of an injury to one of them.

Best of the rest

2003: Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, T.J. Ford, David West, Boris Diaw, Travis Outlaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, Nick Collison, Keith Bogans, Maurice WIlliams, and Kyle Korver.

There are some definite players on this list and a few all-stars. David West didn’t burst onto the scene the way others did but he developed into a very good NBA player. Chris Kaman when healthy is a very formidable center given the NBA’s current lack of big men. TJ Ford, Kirk Hinrich, Barbosa are all game changing guards with unique skills.

Ford’s quickness, Hinrich’s shooting ability, and Barbosa’s blazing speed are great assets for any team to have. Travis Outlaw is still developing and should be a great player. Mo Williams was the second biggest all-star snub of this season next to Al Jefferson and is a very good point guard with scoring ability.

Others on this list are more important to their teams than people may have originally expected. Whether starting for the world champs (Perkins) or coming off the bench, (Korver) this draft was deep.

2008: Danilo Galinari, Eric Gordon, Joe Alexander, D.J. Augustin, Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, Brandon Rush, Anthony Randolph, Roy Hibbert, Courtney Lee, Donte Greene, Mario Chalmers, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Goran Dragic, Deandre Jordan.

This list is much longer, but we don’t know if these guys are busts just yet. I really think the first seven on this list have potential to be great players. Mario Chalmers and CDR are huge second round steals for any team. Chalmers has been the starting point guard for Miami almost all year and if CDR ever got on the floor for New Jersey they’d see he’s got the ability to be great in this league.

If Deandre Jordan and Roy Hibbert develop we may see two dominant big men on the rise. Brook Lopez is going to be a great center in the NBA and his brother Robin (not on the list) will be a defensive specialist at best. Eric Gordan may end up being the best player from this draft as he continues to improve.

I would say for right now I give the edge to the 2008 draft on the sole reason that there is so much potential for this class to have 20+ great players you can’t deny them. The great players from the 2003 draft are some of the best we’ve seen in a long time but I firmly believe the NBA forcing players to go to college for at least one year made this draft what it is.

Some of these guys got so much better from their college experience playing in big games, it made the jump to the NBA not as shocking.

Well there you have it. Now tell me everything that is wrong with what I just said.

Hagness, out.

Things That Happen on Video Games That I Wish Happened in Real Life

Marcus Hagness — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:49:09 -0500

I love sports. I love playing them, watching them, and on a video game. Games such as Madden, and NBA 2K are fun to play with the guys. Recently I’ve been playing Franchise mode on Madden and doing “The Association” on NBA 2k9 and have made some interesting trades, signings, etc.

For example, I was doing the fantasy draft on Madden and completely spaced on getting a quarterback. When I looked the best available Quarterback was Brian Brohm, So I took him. I had a team designed to have a quarterback with a bigger arm than Brohm and went to the trade menu hoping to upgrade.

I put Brian Brohm as well as a first and second round pick on my side. I started flipping through the available quarterbacks and seeing what trades would be accepted. The first quarterback I tried was Carson Palmer. It was accepted but I didn’t take it just to see what other quarterbacks were available.

Next I thought I’d try Romo. That worked. I went from Romo to Eli, McNabb, and Big Ben. All of these trades were accepted! I finally thought well if I can get all these guys I might as well go after the best QB in football, Peyton Manning.

So I had Peyton Manning on a team that I used my first three picks on skill position players. Peyton Manning had Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson to work with as receivers and a little running back by the name of Adrian Peterson to hand it off to.

That’s not even the worst of it.

I then noticed I could use an upgrade on my defensive line. Brian Robison was the weak link on the line. I traded him and a third and fourth round pick for Gaines Adams. Little things like that make me wish that could just work in real life.

In the NBA franchise one of my buddies and I took the Washington Wizards and in four seasons built them up to compile a record of 75-7. That is the reason for the picture of the article. We had three players over a 95 overall rating, the MVP, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, two first team all-NBA selections, one second-team All NBA selection (LeBron is first team), coach of the year, and executive of the year.

Maybe the other franchise we did when the Oklahoma City Thunder won 14 consecutive NBA championships by us simulating them. We turned Andrew Bynum into the most dominant center in NBA history. Six MVPs in a row during our span of championships and a career average of 14 rebounds per game support that statement.

One time I just wanted to see how dominant I could make Chris Paul and after the first three seasons he had three MVPs. His numbers went something like this: 32 ppg, 11 apg, 5 rpg, 3 spg. These are a few things that I wish could happen in real life that I see on video games all the time.

There is one thing that hppened on Madden to us that I never hope happens in reality. We did a fantasy draft with like four guys and each picked a team. After the first season was over the MVP of the league was current Titans back-up Quarterback Billy Volek. Coming in third place in the voting was Redskins back-up Todd Collins. I don’t understand how the game can let that happen.

Not much substance with this article, just kind of bored and thought I’d throw this together.

The 10 Best Super Bowl Games in NFL History

Marcus Hagness — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:48:28 -0500

Last Sunday’s Super Bowl is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. I didn’t think anything would come close to the epic finish of Super Bowl XXLII between New England and New York, but this definitely does that. I have prepared a list of the ten best games in the history of the game, in my opinion.

Begin Slideshow

Fedor by Fatality: Andrei Arlovski the Latest Victim

Marcus Hagness — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:48:48 -0500

Great moments come from great opportunity.

That’s what Andrei Arlovski had on Saturday night, as he was given an opportunity to take down the best fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.

A former UFC heavyweight champion, Arlovski needed to show the world that he hadn’t lost it, while Fedor was taking on a former champ for the second straight fight. His dominating 30-second knockout of Tim Sylvia led the “Maine-iac” to state, “It’s not even fair how good he is.”

This fight had the same result, but took about three more minutes.

Arlovski came out aggressive, trying to strike with Fedor standing up. They went back and forth for a few minutes before Fedor unloaded the right hand from hell on Arlovski’s face. There isn’t much to commentate on in terms of the actual action in the fight, because the fight wasn’t long enough to take anything away from it.

Fedor needs to fight Brock Lesnar or Frank Mir next, because there are no other heavyweights in the world who can hang with him in the ring/octagon. Especially Lesnar, who would give Fedor some problems in his first potential UFC fight.

The only way it will happen is if Dana White can manage to get Fedor over to the UFC, or if the two sides can come to an agreement and have a UFC/Affliction Pay-Per-View where they can fight to decide who the best heavyweight in the world is.

Everyone who has been saying that Fedor is overrated, hasn’t beat anyone good, or any of that other garbage can put their foot in their mouth now. In his last two fights he has made two former UFC heavyweight champions look like amateurs.

MMA fans worldwide deserve to see him fight Mir and Lesnar, and I hope that politics and money don't prevent those superfights from happening.

Tragedy, Triumph, and the Oakland Raiders

Marcus Hagness — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:15:59 -0400

The 2008 NFL season saw the legend look young again, a crippling injury to the NFL juggernaut New England Patriots, and many great finishes in between. Let’s start with the biggest story going into this week, Brett Favre. In his first start for the Jets, the old gunslinger looked great as he led the Jets to a 20-16 win over an upstart Dolphins team.

The play-action fake on the TD pass to Cotchery in the first quarter was absolutely sick. He didn’t take long to show Jets fans “Brett Favre magic” as some call it. The New England Patriots got off to a fast start on offense against Kansas City and a fumble on the opening drive was the only hiccup.

Then the play we’ve all seen a hundred times took place and Tom Brady’s season is over (just like my fantasy league season!). The Patriots are still good enough that they can bring in a Quarterback with no experience in the NFL, or college, and still come out with a win. It wasn’t pretty but they’ll take it.

The game of the week ended up being the Carolina Panthers shocking the San Diego Chargers 26-24 on a last second touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to second-year Tight End Dante Rosario. The only story bigger then Brett Favre starting his first game for the Jets would be Brett Favre not starting his first game for the Green Bay Packers.

The Monday Night Match-Up with Green Bay and Minnesota seemed to lose some of its mystique when old number four wasn’t behind center for Green Bay. The game was still great for the fans of both teams and came down to the last drive. Adrian Peterson looked impressive carrying the ball 19 times for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Packer fans took a deep breath in during the first quarter when Peterson took off on a 34 yard scamper that just about went to the house. We’re just not going to talk about the Oakland Raiders. I’ll say something I shouldn’t and probably have some angry Oakland fans mad at me so we’re just not going to say anything. 41-14. Ok, I’m done.

Week 2 looked like it might’ve been one of the biggest Quarterback showdowns in NFL history, which now instead has Brett Favre, matched up with Matt Cassel. This has got to be the first time in sports history when the reigning league MVP gets his season ended on the first day of the following season in any sport.

Imagine Kobe Bryant tearing his ACL going up for a dunk during the Lakers opener. It’s too bad for Patriots fans, but I’m sure the rest of us won’t be losing any sleep over it. Unless you’re a Brady fantasy owner, like yours truly.

When Should an Athlete Retire?

Marcus Hagness — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:55:55 -0400

It's back. I got the itch to write for Bleacher Report again. This time, I'm going to give my opinion on the topic of when an athlete should retire.

This is an easy answer for me.

Whenever an athlete wants to retire, they should retire. If Brett Favre suddenly felt out of place that he wasn't getting ready for training camp and wants to play again, he should. It's not up to anyone but the athlete and his/her family when they should retire.

If you are still good enough to play, enjoy playing, and ultimately want to play, then what's stopping you? You know if you feel up to the grind training and competing at the highest level better than anyone.

I'll look at Brett Favre's situation first.

When he decided he was going to retire, I wasn't shocked at the decision. He had a Pro Bowl season in Green Bay and ended the season in dramatic fashion. The Packers wanted an answer so they would know if they should build towards the future or rely on old No. 4.

He was physically and emotionally drained after the season, and he probably thought he'd done everything he can do.

After the NFL Draft saw Green Bay select two quarterbacks and name Aaron Rodgers the starter, he started second guessing the decision. He knows the Packers are ready to make a run at the Super Bowl if he is the QB.

Then summer comes along and he wasn't going through a routine that goes back 30 years. I would imagine that's tough for anyone who knows they can still play.

Brett Favre loves football and loves to compete. If the Packers are ready to move on without him, as crazy as that sounds, then that's up to them. Even though it's Brett Favre, it's still a business.

This goes for any sport.

Michael Jordan retired, came back, retired again, and came back again before he hung up his high tops for the last time. It's nobody's call but the athlete in question.

Just put yourself in their shoes.

Whether any of us went on to play in college or further, it was still tough when competitive sport was over. Imagine if that has been your job for 15+ years, and you have to decide right on the spot.

I admit I'm getting tired of hearing the same story about Favre everyday, but I can understand how it would be tough for him.

If Favre lines up under center for another team, it would be a big change for everybody. The Packers would have to just go on with their business and rally around Aaron Rodgers. Joe Montana spent the end of his playing days in Kansas City red after years of dominance with San Francisco.

However, some of these athletes do hang on for too long. If you are still playing, but aren't a starter or big contributor for the team, then I can't imagine going through everything is worth it. I don't think Jerry Rice liked the idea of being a fourth-string receiver for Seattle at the end of his era.

Ultimately, if you can still play, and play well, play as long as you can. We only get one chance to play sports in our life, so we might as well play for as long as we possibly can.

In light of the popularity and feedback received of one of my latest articles "Dear Media: Stop Reporting Scandal and Start Reporting Sports!", I'm going to end each of my articles with some of the meaningless dribble that I catch on sports networks with nothing to do with sports.

This time it starts with none other then ESPN.

Currently, they are doing a poll of which college football team has the coolest helmet. Wow, now that is some news! I'm sure any college coach would be proud to know his team straps on the coolest looking helmet, even if that all-important BCS bid doesn't work out for him.

I can already see Pete Carroll in the interview after the season is over when Jay Crawford asks him what happened down the stretch.

"Well Pete, your club lost a few key games at the end of the year that ultimately took you out of BCS contention."

"Yeah it was tough Jay, but our players are proud to know that we have the coolest helmets in all of college football. Maybe we'll figure out the football stuff next year."

The search for Titletown must be ending soon, at least I hope.

My Analysis of the Forrest Griffin-Quinton Jackson Title Match

Marcus Hagness — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:43:24 -0400

I just got done watching the controversial fight between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin. The first thing I'd like to say is what an amazing fight that was to watch. Despite the decision being second-guessed and questioned more then any other fight, this fight was good for the UFC.

It was the first good championship fight the UFC has had in a long time. Any fight in the Middleweight division is barely worth watching because of Anderson Silva's domination. When Rampage and Dan Henderson went all 5 rounds, there was no question Rampage won the fight in anyone's mind.

Before that, Rampage knocked out Chuck Liddell in under two minutes. Liddell's title defenses were short and dominant while he had the belt as well.

So although the decision was questionable to many, and conspiring to some, this fight was big for the UFC.

Onto my analysis of the fight.

First Round -

For the first couple minutes of the fight it was just a feeling out process. Neither guy did that much at the start of the fight besides Forrest landed a few kicks to Rampage. Rampage did get a good knockdown with a nice uppercut and after going for ground-and-pound Forrest defended him flawlessly. As they were getting up Rampage landed some good punches.

I score the round 10-9—Rampage.

Second Round -

The second round, as advertised was complete domination by Forrest Griffin. Forrest landed a good kick to start the round. Rampages takedown attempt was stopped quickly and led to a couple big knees by forrest leading to an easy takedown by Forrest. Forrest then was able to get side control and landed some good shots from within side control. Eventually he got the full mount on Rampage and was able to land some good short elbows and completely dominate Rampage the entire round.

I score the round 10-8—Forrest

Third Round -

There wasn't much action during the beginning of the third round. Rampage didn't seem too aggressive after being completely dominated in the second round. After a minute and a half of the round Rampage did land a good uppercut followed by a solid leg kick for his efforts from Forrest. Forrest stayed consistent with the leg kicks in this round as well.

For his consistent leg kicks and Rampages lack of interest I score the round 10-9 Forrest.

Fourth Round -

Rampage came out much more fired up in the fourth round, landing very good punches right away. Forrest went for a leg sweep and get Rampage into his full guard. Rampage was trying to ground-and-pound Forrest but wasn't able to land anything solid. Then Forrest locked in the triangle choke before Rampage slammed him to the ground as Forrest was losing his grip. Forrest did get a cut that I think he sustained in the first round opened up in this round as well. Forrest was able to control Rampages posture from the ground and finally stoop up with two minutes left. They stood and danced around for about a minute before Rampage landed a couple good punches.

I score this round 10-9 in favor of Rampage.

Fifth Round -

Forrest came out with the same game plan in the fifth round, keeping his distance, picking his shots and relying on kicks to the left leg of Rampage. This was the first round Rampage was fighting like he was in a championship fight with his title on the line. Forrest was pushing the issue for much of this round and if you didn't know any better, you'd think he was more confident standing up then Rampage. Rampage finally started to really go for it with 30 second lefts.

I score this round 10-10.

So therefore, at the end of this fight I have the scorecard reading a score of 48-47 in favor of Forrest. This fight was entirely too close for these two not to have a re-match. There wasn't a clear, 100% winner at the end of the fight but I will say Forrest fought a better fight then Rampage. Rampage didn't seem interested after all the hype and trash talking about whoopin' his ass during TUF 7.

If anyone out there that hasn't seen this fight would like to see it. You can find it here.

There is one other thing about this fight that could've altered the decision. In the first round after he was knocked down, Forrest grabbed the cage and pulled himself to a better position in an attempt to get off his back. Right there the referee could've taken a point away from Forrest which would've given that round to Rampage with the score being 10-8, and that would have altered the outcome as well. All in all, this was a good fight and there definitely needs to be a re-match. After the fight, Forrest said he'd want to do it again with Rampage and Rampage was gracious in defeat and vowed to never take time off again like he did after the Henderson fight.

Dear Media: Stop Reporting Scandals and Start Reporting Sports!

Marcus Hagness — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:19:57 -0400

I've finally had enough.

I can't stand back and watch these meaningless, empty stories circulate around the sports world anymore.

For almost all of today the big story on ESPN has not been about the incredible, five-set Wimbledon Final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. No, it's been about the "news" that Alex Rodriguez is getting a divorce.

Really?

A-Rod hit his 536th career home run yesterday, which ties him with Mickey Mantle on the all-time list. Who cares if he is getting a divorce? It's not like they found out he's on steroids, or anything related to the sport.

His wife is leaving him. Big deal.

This type of stuff is happening more and more, and it's just getting sickening. The people that are in charge at SportsCenter need to just stick to sports reporting.

Could anyone here imagine if people in the media were this bad when Mickey Mantle played? Mantle was an alcoholic, cheated on his wife religiously, and very often came to the ballpark sick from drinking the night before.

The reporters now would eat him alive.

How about Babe Ruth? Widely considered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest baseball player of all-time. He was drunk all of the time, ate horribly, cheated on his wife, yet treated like a Roman God.

Let's go to basketball with Wilt Chamberlain. He was with multiple women every night, but, when people talk about him, it's always about the 100-point game or his astronomical rebounding numbers.

When word spread about his "20,000 women under the sea" in his book, that is when the media started ripping into him, because it was just getting into the era of reporting about the private lives of players and not their playing career.

Then they tried to get Michael Jordan because he had a gambling problem. Is it really a big deal? He's human, he's flawed; leave him alone. The same thing happened to Charles Barkley, and he's not even a player anymore.

I know the world is different now than it was back then, but what players do in their private lives is no one's business but that of the man involved. If they are supposed to be role models, then don't report the negative stuff.

Most of the gutless robots that work at SportsCenter think the reason the Giants went to the NFC Championship game is because Tony Romo and Jason Witten went to Mexico during their week off.

No, the reason the Giants won that game is because their defensive line messed the Cowboys up.

They have to spend seven or eight segments talking about it for 5-to-10 minutes at a time. Oftentimes I try to avoid watching ESPN as much as I can when something like this is circulating around the media.

Reporting it just to get it out to the general public is one thing, but they can't just stop there. It's everything when it should be practically nothing.

What's Next for the Phoenix Suns? Part II

Marcus Hagness — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:38:14 -0400

Two months ago, after Phoenix was defeated by San Antonio in five games, I asked Suns fans what direction they'd like the team to go. I really only got feedback from three people, so for my sake, hopefully they read this article.

Greg G. thought the Suns should trade Leandro Barbosa for a serviceable veteran to play in the back court. He also commented that while Diaw was impressive at the end of their first round series, he could be a trading piece as well. In the NBA draft he was wishing for their first round pick to be a spark plug or defensive specialist.

Well Greg, you got your wish.

Robin Lopez, a defensive specialist and spark plug from Stanford, was the Suns selection at 15 overall Thursday night. I thought drafting Lopez at 15 was a bit of a stretch. The first round did feature three Centers picked after Robin. Marquees Speights to Philadelphia, Roy Hibbert to Toronto, and Kosta Koufos in Utah were selected.

They later acquired Goran Dragic out of Slovenia. I don't know much about this guy but something tells me he's not the point guard of the future in Phoenix.

Ian Zymarakis quickly informed us that with Shaq, Amare, and Nash's contracts taking up most of the room they won't be able to afford what they are in need of.

The Suns have the money to pay the luxury tax and go get someone this summer. That remains uncertain if they will go down that road.

The first thing they need to do is look at the list of undrafted rookies after one of the deeper drafts in recent memory.

Here is a list of active players in the NBA that were not selected on draft night.

Bo Outlaw, Darrell Armstrong, Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace, Troy Hudson, Chucky Atkins, Earl Boykins, Brad Miller, Raja Bell, Mike James, Matt Carroll, Marquis Daniels, Udonis Haslem, Ime Udoka, Andres Nocioni, Damien Wilkins, Jose Calderon, Fabricio Oberto, Ronnie Price, and Tarence Kinsey.

Now there are some All-Stars on that team, some solid role players, and many, many specialists. There are some of those left in this year's crop of new talent as well.

Monty Singh, a scribe here at Bleacher Report, wrote a very good article highlighting some of the players still available. You can read about that here.

Two guys that really caught my eye were Chris Lofton and DeMarcus Nelson.

Chris Lofton is the all-time leader in three point field goals made (346) in SEC history. That type of shooting ability would be helpful to ANY team in the league. He's got a calm and cool demeanor about him and is well known for clutch play. I still remember those bombs he made over Kevin Durant during that furious 17-point comeback win in 2006 like it was yesterday.

DeMarcus Nelson is just a solid player, period. He played significant minutes at Duke for four years and improved each year. He was able to double his points per game average from his Sophomore year (7.1) to his Junior year (14.1).

His defense was excellent throughout his career and would fit in perfectly in a defensive minded system. He was the 2008 ACC Senior player of the year and Defensive player of the year. Nelson also was the 2004 California Mr. Basketball.

I think either of these two could help the Phoenix Suns out. Both of them would be very inexpensive to sign and can give them things they can use effectively.

So, with the first half the offseason to do list out of the way, I now have two questions for Suns fans. What do you think about their choices in the NBA draft and where should they go from here?

- MH

Kevin McHale, You Just Might Be onto Something

Marcus Hagness — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:31:24 -0400

Timberwolves fans have now had just over two days to consider the news of the "blockbuster" trade that Kevin McHale launched after the NBA draft.

Speaking of that, let me veer off topic for just a second.

Why does the Mecca of sporting news, ESPN, refer to this trade as a blockbuster? It involves two rookies we are expecting to be solid players, one good shooter, an aging shot-a-holic, a foreigner who's best game is off the court (Adriana Lima), and three other guys just along for the ride.

I don't think this will have quite the effect of their trade last summer. Just because it involved eight players doesn't make it a blockbuster trade. Two teams with 44 combined wins, which wouldn't be enough to make it into the West Playoffs, swapped rookies and got rid of veterans they didn't want anymore. Settle down in Bristol.

Now, onto the actual draft night.

I don't have a problem with McHale shipping OJ Mayo to Memphis. I think Kevin Love is going to bring things to our offense that Mayo might've struggled with.

Love is going to realize that Al Jefferson is the man on this team and won't force shots to get his own offense. A very underrated part of his game is his passing ability. When he gets the ball extended, whether on the block or out on the free throw line, he'll be a threat to pass the ball just as much as to shoot it.

I know what the OJ Mayo lovers are going to say. He is a good passer (and he is), but his mentality is set to score first. He's going to Memphis where he's going to come in as a rookie and be their No. 2 scorer behind Rudy Gay. The Grizzlies aren't going to need him to be a high assist guy because they drafted Mike Conley, Jr. at No. 3 last year for that.

I've always liked teams that play from the inside-out which is why I really like this pick.

The Timberwolves can now take Kirk Snyder out of the starting lineup, and perhaps replace him with Mike Miller. Or Corey Brewer can start putting Miller in the sixth man role he's thrived in.

I don't know if the Timberwolves are done making transactions this summer either.

They've got a definite problem with the starting point guard situation. Foye and Telfair are 24 and 23, respectively. Both make about the same amount of money and both look like they can run an offense.

Foye is a little bigger and a better shooter, which makes me want to keep him more. But Telfair seems to be a more natural point guard. He has amazing passing ability and got great deal of experience this past season in Foye's absence.

I don't have a problem with keeping both of them, but I don't think whoever gets the short end of the stick is going to want to stick around knowing they aren't the PG of the future.

The starters for next year's squad as of today should look something like this

PG—Randy Foye
SG—Rashad McCants
SF—Corey Brewer
PF—Kevin Love
C—Al Jefferson
Sixth man—Mike Miller (Ginobili-esque minutes)
Seventh man—Sebastian Telfair
Eighth man—Craig Smith

They're still light years away from the playoffs, but that team should win 30-35 games.

Lakers-Celtics: Let's Go Back to Boston—Game 5 A Formality

Marcus Hagness — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:08:35 -0400

As much as it pains me to come to this conclusion, I must. The Los Angeles Lakers will win Game Five on Sunday.

I don't know if I would say the NBA is "rigged" all-around, but I do think, at times, it is looking to make money over just playing basketball.

Boston has proved it is the better team in this series, and soon Kevin Garnett will hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy over his head. The Lakers' time will be next year; if they can keep Andrew Bynum healthy all season they might win 70 games.

That being said, I don't think the NBA is going to let the 20-year reunion of the greatest rivalry in NBA history end in five games.

There are factors working against the Celtics in this game, too. Boston is uncertain how much Kendrick Perkins will be able to play, if at all. If he does play, he isn't going to be 100%.

Perkins has fit in well next to KG as these playoffs grow on and looks as if he's got All-Star potential. Remember, he's only 22, so the sky is the limit for him (although he needs to stop his "Spur-esque" reaction to the referees).

Another factor is that the game is in Los Angeles. I don't care what anyone says, the refs in the NBA do get swayed by the crowd. In Game Four, during the first five or so minutes of the game, the refs made ridiculous calls.

I saw Lamar Odom travel as blatantly as a human being could on a drive to the basket. I saw them call a loose ball foul on a free-throw box out on Kendrick Perkins. I also saw them call a travel on KG that was on a move that he's done a million times in his career. Obviously, these didn't matter, but how many people actually thought Boston had a chance in that game at halftime?

The greatest comeback in NBA Finals history thwarted the officials' judgement. I don't think David Stern wants to see Boston end this series in five games, which is why I think the Lakers will have one more night to celebrate this season before Boston gets ready for the 17th banner ceremony.

All the games of this NBA Finals have been a basketball fan's dream. If you are a neutral party, these games are great to watch. They have all been close finishes and keep you interested until the very end. Game Three was the disappointment so far, but even that game was within six points.

I wouldn't say this is even close to the great battles of the '80s, but it is fun to watch.

Kobe Bryant's MVP Solidifies 1996 Draft Class as One of the Best of All-Time

Marcus Hagness — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:17:45 -0400

Kobe Bryant won his first NBA MVP yesterday after a jaw-dropping regular season. That brings the total tally to four.

No, not four MVP's for Kobe. Four MVP's for the 1996 NBA Draft class. Allen Iverson won the award in 2001, Steve Nash won it from 2005-2006, and Kobe Bryant took home the award this year.

The only other draft class with three future MVP's is the class of 1984 with MJ, Hakeem The Dream, and Sir Charles. I'd say they are in pretty elite company.

The 1996 class has more than just these three MVPs, however. Some other notable players selected in this draft are: Ray Allen, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Ben Wallace*, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kerry Kittles, Antoine Walker, Peja Stojakovich, Jermaine O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilguaskas, and Derek Fisher.

Here are some accolades the draft class has piled up:

MVP
Steve Nash (2)
Kobe Bryant (1)
Allen Iverson (1)

All-Stars
Kobe Bryant (10)
Allen Iverson (9)
Ray Allen (8)
Steve Nash (6)
Jermaine O'Neal (6)
Ben Wallace (4)
Peja Stojakovich (3)
Antoine Walker (3)
Stephon Marbury (2)
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (2)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1)

All-NBA First Team
Kobe Bryant (5)
Steve Nash (3)
Allen Iverson (3)

All-NBA Second Team
Ben Wallace (3)
Allen Iverson (3)
Kobe Bryant (2)
Ray Allen (1)
Peja Stojakovich (1)
Jermaine O'Neal (1)

All-NBA Third Team
Ben Wallace (2)
Kobe Bryant (2)
Steve Nash (2)
Stephon Marbury (2)
Allen Iverson (1)
Jermaine O'Neal (1)
Ray Allen (1)

Defensive Player of the Year
Ben Wallace (4)
Marcus Camby (1)

All-NBA Defense Selectons
Kobe Bryant—First team (4) Second team (2)
Ben Wallace—First team (4) Second team (1)
Marcus Camby—First team (1) Second team (2)

NBA Scoring Titles
Kobe Bryant (2)
Allen Iverson (4)

Needless to say, the 1996 NBA draft is one of the deepest and most talented in NBA history. The only thing they are really lacking is NBA championships. Kobe Bryant, Ben Wallace, and Antoine Walker have 5 rings between them. I guess I'll count Walker for the 2006 Heat championship.

We may be calling this the best NBA draft of all-time in ten years, after this draft class has retired.

*Ben Wallace wasn't drafted in 1996 but signed a rookie free agent contract and began play in the 1996-97 season.*

LeBron James Struggles, Kevin Garnett Dominates, Celtics Take Game One

Marcus Hagness — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:39:29 -0400

In tonight's Eastern Conference Semi-Final game one the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers tipped off what looks to be a long, hard-fought series.

King James came into this series averaging about 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field. Tonights game was a different story for the Cavaliers superstar.

James was out of rhythm all night long going 2-18 from the field including 0-6 from the three point line. He comitted 10 turnovers en route to a lowly 12 point performance. LBJ couldn't get to the lane with the same regularity as he did during the Washington series.

Hard to believe considering all the personal tension between those teams.

The Celtic defense is the main reason for Lebron's struggle. They played great as a team, not allowing him to get to the lane for dunks. Lebrons inability to get to the lane also prevented the Cleveland shooters to find any room. As a team Cleveland shot 4-18 from beyond the arc.

If I was to tell you that the Celtics would comitt 21 turnovers, Allen and Pierce would combine for four points, and they would only score 76 points you'd probably think they got blown out, right?

Wrong.

KG saved the day for the Boston faithful. Garnett scored 28 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and wreaked havoc on defense all night. He was big down the stretch and willing to take big shots, something he's been ridiculed for in the past.

Ray Allen really looked out of it tonight. It didn't seem that he was into the flow of the game at all. He only attempted four field goals not converting on any of them. Boston should look to get him going early in game two.

The third member of the "Boston Three-Party" was out of rhythm as well. He picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, both within about twenty seconds of each other. Once he returned he wasn't aggressive on offense and often settled for jump shots.

A bright spot for the Celtics in tonight's game was the poise of point guard Rajon Rondo. He picked up the slack in the first half on offense during Pierce and Allen's struggles. The second year man earned his paycheck tonight scoring 15 points, dishing out 6 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds.

Sam Cassell was clutch for Boston tonight scoring 13 points in just 18 minutes. He hit big shots down the stretch in the fourth quarter to thwart Cleveland's attempt at stealing game one.

Boston definitely looked wore out from the unnecessary seven game series with Atlanta. They will need to win a game on the road in this series to avoid burnout.

The Lakers don't appear to be having much trouble with their Western Conference schedule and will be fresh when they reach the finals. If the dream Lakers-Celtics finals does take place Boston will need to close Cleveland out in 5 or 6 games to keep their legs fresh.

I have a slight hunch that tonights game will be the first, last, and only time Wally Szczerbiak outscores LeBron James in a playoff game.

So Long, Avery Johnson: Mark Cuban Gives Coach Pink Slip

Marcus Hagness — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:45:33 -0400

Mark Cuban has done some questionable things during his career. None may be more questionable than what he did this afternoon. After just three and a quarter seasons with the team, he's been fired.

Right now, Avery Johnson has the highest win percentage in NBA history (.735) with the minimum 250 games experience. It didn't take long after the 4-1 series loss to New Orleans for Cuban to make his decision.

I just don't understand the move. Who is Cuban going to look to hire now? He isn't going to find a better coach out there or one at Avery's level.

In four years with Dallas, Johnson compiled a regular season record of 194-70 and postseason record of 23-24.

"It is never easy to relieve a coach of his duties, especially one of Avery's caliber," Cuban said in response to the move. "He is a talented coach and I want to thank him for his efforts over the last four years and what he has done for this franchise."

Cuban can more blame himself for the Mavericks’ troubles by making the Jason Kidd trade. I thought this trade was stupid from the start.

They gave up far too much for Jason Kidd. Kidd is old and past his prime. The Kidd-Paul match-up was so one-sided, it didn't even seem fair. You can read about the Kidd trade here.

After the Kidd trade, the Mavericks were 17-17 counting the playoffs. Before the trade, the team was 35-18. I'm not going to say anything else about the trade.

Now the Mavericks are two years removed from their finals’ appearance and without a head coach. They have a 35-year-old point guard on the decline of his career and an All-Star that is just plain frustrated.

Cuban better have something good up his sleeve, or next year, it will be another first round exit for a new coach.

With the news that D'Antoni is walking out in Phoenix, there are potentially two great coaches on the market. The Bobcats are upgraded this week, hiring Larry Brown to mold that young team.

Mike D'Antoni and Avery Johnson have plenty of coaching left in them and hopefully they get picked up very soon.

The Mavericks are a veteran team and need some youth to shake up the roster. I like what Brandon Bass was able to provide for them this year, finally coming out of his shell.

Their starters for next year right now are:

Jason Kidd (turns 36)

Josh Howard (turns 29)

Jason Terry (turns 31)

Dirk Nowitzki (turns 30)

Erick Dampier (turns 33)

They only have three players on the roster under the age of 25. For Mavericks’ fans, I hope Mark Cuban knows what he is doing.

He just ran one of the best coaches in the NBA out of town for losing to the two seed in the first round and losing to the hottest team in NBA history the 2007 Golden State Warriors.

Good luck Cuban. You're going to need it.

NBA Draft: The All-Second Round Team

Marcus Hagness — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:11:26 -0400

The focus of this article is to highlight the gems teams can find in the second round of the NBA draft. I have looked at the last 10 NBA drafts (1998-2007) and compiled the best players taken onto one team.

The starters for this squad are:

Point Guard - Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards)

Arenas has developed into one of the best guards in the NBA since he finally cracked a starting line-up. He can score, drive, and is a clutch player.

Shooting Guard - Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)

Redd is one of the premiere shooting guards in the NBA. He has a smooth stroke and is deadly from downtown.

Small Forward - Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic)

Lewis is a very tough player to guard offensively. At 6'10 he can shoot the three ball and is capable of posting up smaller defenders.

Power Forward - Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)

Boozer is quietly becoming one of the best low-post scorers in the NBA. He is efficient in the paint and was one of the only players to end the year averaging over ten rebounds a game.

Center - Mehmet Okur (Utah Jazz)

Okur isn't a true center but he creates match-up problems with his shooting ability.

6th man - Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)

Ginobili has been the best 6th man in the NBA for the best team in the NBA for the past few years. He would be great in the role as sixth man on this team.

Reserves -

Guards - Monta Ellis, Chris Duhon, Cuttino Mobley, Kyle Korver

Ellis is more of a sixth man but he can't be the sixth man over Ginobili. Duhon is a serviceable back-up point guard with championship experience from his Duke days. Cuttino Mobley is a good veteran that has been on good NBA teams. Kyle Korver has came on as a good sixth man for the Utah Jazz. He stretches the floor well with his three-point range.

Forwards - Brandon Bass and Luis Scola

Bass has really emerged this year for the Mavericks. He has raised his averages in points and rebounds during these playoffs. He puts up about 11 PPG and 5 RPG while only playing 24 minutes per.

Luis Scola is a big factor for the Rockets success this season. He, like Manu Ginobili didn't come over to the NBA the season after he was drafted. Scola is a 28-year-old rookie but plays like a seasoned veteran.

Injured Reserves - Anderson Varejao, Craig Smith, Luke Walton and Carl Landry.

Varejao and Walton have playoff experience and are good role players. Craig Smith and Carl Landry are two young players that really came onto the scene this year.

This goes to show that although not every draft pick in the second round is going to hit, there is potential to find a great player after the first round. A big factor about these players is how their coaches develop them. Some players if drafted to the right team may turn out to be an all-star one way and a bust the other way.

Dealing with the Defeat of the Tar Heels: What Should I Do Now?

Marcus Hagness — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:06:48 -0400

After last night's disappointing performance against a tough Kansas team, it leaves me asking myself what do I do now?

I was ready to watch UNC win the National Championship on Monday and have all the bragging rights a fan could ask for, until the start of next season.

From the start of the game it just seemed that Kansas wanted it more. Ty Lawson was turning the ball over at an alarming rate as was the rest of the team. Every three the Jayhawks threw up found its home through the net, and UNC's transition game was nowhere to be seen.

So, now I must ask again: What am I going to do now?

If any of you have read my profile you would see the other teams I am a fan of.

We'll start with the Minnesota Timberwolves. They're current record of 19-56 doesn't give us fans much to cheer for. I have been excited to watch the NBA draft since December this season.

Now we have the Minnesota Twins. I know the season is very young but I don't know how optimistic to be with the unbelievably stacked AL Central this season. Cleveland and Detroit will be battling for the division all year with the White Sox right on their heels. Needless to say, the Twins prospects for the playoffs this year are not looking too bright.

The Minnesota Vikings are the next team I have to look forward too. The Vikes finished the season 8-8 and just missed the playoffs. Next season will depend on the development of basically one man, T-Jack. If he comes around, it could be a magical year for Minnesota.

If not, they will be again on the outside looking in.

Now on to my favorite sports team at any level: The Miami Hurricanes. The 'Canes have the best recruiting class in the country look like a team ready to make some noise again. They aren't at the level of a Georgia just yet but they are on the right path.

So, for now I will have watch the lifeless Timberwolves and rebuilding Twins until Brad Nessler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit dust off their headsets and Saturday afternoon's have meaning once again.

Jason Kidd—Time To Earn That Paycheck!

Marcus Hagness — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:27:26 -0400

The Dallas Mavericks are currently in seventh place in the Western Conference. Dirk Nowitzki is out with an ankle/knee injury and will not travel with Dallas during their three-game road trip. Five of their next six games are against playoff level teams. They play the Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers, and Suns all on the road in the next week.

The Mavericks current record of 45-26 has them just two games ahead of the ninth-place Denver Nuggets.

It's time for Jason Kidd to earn his $20 million.

Kidd's numbers this month are quite pedestrian for a $20 million dollar point guard. His stat line reads: 7.7 PPG, 8.5 APG, and 6.0 RPG. Kidd is definitely going to have to step up his game if he wants to make this trade look worthwhile.

In 18 games with Dallas, Kidd has only scored 10+ points six times and 20+ points once. He is doing a good job distributing the ball, but with Dirk out he's going to need to be more of a force scoring.

The Mavericks should take notes from the Houston Rockets.

When Yao Ming went down for the season they rolled off 10 straight wins in the midst of a 22-game win streak. The Rockets rallied around each other and played inspired basketball to keep their season alive.

The Rockets had it a little easier because they still had Tracy McGrady to rally around. The Mavericks must now look to Jason Kidd for that kind of leadership. I don't think Kidd needs to put up 20-25 points a night but he does need to be more assertive with his scoring.

Dallas is soon going to find out a couple of things: Is he worth the money? Is he worth all the trouble Dallas went through to get him?

Devin Harris, the young guard Mark Cuban gave up for Kidd, has been playing well since the trade. In 15 games he has been in double digits scoring all but three of them. In five games he scored 20+ for the Nets.

Harris, a 25-year-old rising star, is in his fourth year in the NBA. He has improved his point and assist totals every year he has been in the NBA.

Every team responds in their own way when faced with adversity. Every player has their own way to handle stress as well. It will be interesting to see how Jason Kidd handles the pressure of being "the man" again.

The Mavericks need to play well these last three weeks of the regular season or they will be on the outside looking in once the playoffs roll around.

NBA Playoff Preview: West Still the Best...But Is That a Good Thing?

Marcus Hagness — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:09:10 -0400

The NBA’s Western Conference is arguably as good as it has ever been. Ten teams are currently above .500, all fighting for the top eight spots. The Los Angeles Lakers are back at the top of the West with a 47-21 record, but are only two games ahead of the sixth-place San Antonio Spurs in the standings.

If the season ended today, the Greg Oden-less Trailblazers and Denver Nuggets would be on the outside looking in. Denver (40-28), would be the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and Portland (35-33) would be tied for sixth.

Even the Sacramento Kings (31-36) have a better record than the current eighth seed in the East, New Jersey (29-39).

Not to mention, if these three teams—Denver, Portland, and Sacramento—played in the East, their records would undoubtedly be better than they currently are.

That being said, I haven’t been this excited for the NBA postseason since I started watching basketball. Each first-round matchup is going to be competitive and could go either way.

The Golden State Warriors are currently the eighth seed and everyone knows they are capable of a first-round upset. That could be another wild No. 1 vs. 8 series.

No team in the West is safe.

The No. 2 vs. 7 matchup right now is Dallas vs. New Orleans. New Orleans could easily get beaten by an experienced Dallas team with a lot of recent success.

The No. 3 vs. 6 matchup would be a battle of Texas. Houston (3) vs. San Antonio (6) could see T-Mac go down in the first round once again.

The No. 4 vs. 5 matchup is the ultimate match-up of contrasting styles—the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz against the fifth-seeded Phoenix Suns. This series could go either way and be very entertaining.

By contrast, the Eastern Conference currently has no first round matchups that would be worth watching maybe one game. Here’s my breakdown of the Eastern Conference first round as of right now:

Boston Celtics vs. New Jersey Nets: No doubt in my mind this will be a sweep

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers: If Philadelphia scores over 75 points in one game, I'll be shocked. Sweep.

Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards: If Gilbert Arenas comes back, he could make this game interesting but he'll be out of shape and out of rhythm. I'll say this series goes five games.

Cavaliers vs. Raptors: The “good series” in the first round out East. I would be absolutely shocked if this series went further than five games. Cleveland 4-1.

The Eastern playoffs aren’t even going to be that good in the semifinal round. The Celtics-Cavaliers series will be as fun as LeBron wants to make it. If he goes off like he did last year sure, I might tune in.

Orlando-Detroit is going to be boring and uneventful. Sure, Dwight Howard might have some highlight-reel dunks, and they might push it to a game six but anyone watching will know it’s inevitable that Detroit will win.

The only round of the East playoffs I will watch is the conference championship. This should be one of the best series in recent memory. It’s been a long time since we’ve had the Pistons-Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This whole rant brings me to the point of this article: The Western Conference is so stacked that almost every series will go to six or seven games. The West has seven teams that could make a realistic run at the NBA Finals this year.

The Pistons and Celtics are going to coast through the first two rounds, before slugging it out to go to the Finals.

Whatever team survives out of the West is going to be very worn down, after possibly 21 games just to get there. I do think the Celtics are the best team in the NBA and having those extra days off for the Big Three is going to benefit them greatly in the postseason. I don’t think the Celtics are going to be “rusty” if they have a few extra days off.

Those teams are usually lead by young stars that need to keep playing when they’re hot. KG, Pierce, and Ray Allen are all experienced All-Stars that would benefit from a couple of extra days off.

The Western Conference Playoffs is going to be as fun as watching the NCAA tournament this season. It’s exciting to see the NBA finally “get it”. Teams are making trades for players that are good right now and not the guys that have potential to be that good.

NBA Draft Prospects: A Look at Arizona Guard Jerryd Bayless

Marcus Hagness — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:24:40 -0500

The top of this year’s NBA draft is full of 'tweeners, and Jerryd Bayless is the next I’d like to take a look at.

The 6’3” Arizona combo-guard is currently leading the Wildcats in scoring, with a steady 20.4 points a game. Offensively he brings everything you want in a scoring guard.

His height is a setback but like Mayo, Gordon, and Rose his athleticism will get him past it.

One thing that may hurt Bayless' draft stock is that the Wildcats are in danger of not making the big dance. They have lost six of their last eight games, and are currently sitting sixth in the Pac-10 standings.

Regardless, I do think Bayless will be guaranteed a top 10 pick, if not a top five.

If he does play the two-guard position in the NBA, defense is going to be a liability for him. His athleticism and quickness may not be enough to defend against the bigger SGs in the league.

Bayless is very good at coming off screens and getting to the free throw line. His form on his free throws look a little unorthodox, but he's shooting 80 percent from the charity stripe so far.

Bayless has NBA range on his jump shot and the go-to mentality that any great scorer needs.

I think it might benefit Bayless to stay in college for one more year, and he should try to talk Chase Budinger into staying, too. If these two players stay another year, Arizona will be a legitimate contender next season.

He will likely leave after this year, however, and become an immediate impact player for whichever team is lucky enough to draft him.

Bayless is a great talent and very fun to watch. It should be interesting to see where he ends up on draft day.

Chicago Bulls: Larry Hughes Plays for Himself

Marcus Hagness — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:36:19 -0500

"They wanted me to sacrifice things so we could win." That is the quote of the year so far from former Cleveland Cavalier, now Chicago Bulls swingman, Larry Hughes.

That sounds like one of the most selfish things a player could say. The most alarming thing about Hughes' comments is that he doesn't seem to realize that LeBron James is on the team roster he was a part of prior to February 21, 2008.

Did he think that LeBron should have been deferring to him? I just don't get where he was coming from with these comments. When he signed with the Cavaliers he had to know that LeBron is going to be the guy.

I don't have any problem that Hughes like to play to enjoy himself and have fun. I just don't think he should have released those comments to the public. If winning the NBA championship isn't your ultimate goal that's your prerogative, but what does that make his teammates think of him?

His teammates and coaches now must be ultra-confused. Knowing you have a guy who just wants to play for himself and to have fun while doing it.

Sounds like the kid's mentality in all of us that we'd like to see more, but he has to realize that the NBA is also a business. Each team wants to win a championship to bring in more revenue.

Now when you have a player that doesn't care if he wins one, what do you do?

Shawn Marion was happy to be traded from a Western Conference powerhouse in Phoenix to the ass of the NBA, Miami. What's going on here?

Why do these guys wish to be traded from good teams to bad teams? Larry Hughes just made it to the NBA finals last year, and now he's playing on one of the worst teams in the East.

Do guys like Marion and Hughes have their priorities out of whack or is there something to this?

Derek Fisher had to be separated from his sick daughter last year in the playoffs and wasn't happy with success. That's different. These guys seem to be unhappy because they aren't "the man."

I think everyone wants to win, but they want to do it their way. I believe Hughes does want to win a championship, but only if he is the MJ of that team. Problem with that, Hughes isn't talented enough to lead a team to a championship.

If Shawn Marion is looking for that, he's on the wrong team. Dwyane Wade has already been the man and lead Miami to a championship. If anyone on that roster would do it again, it'd be Mr. Wade.

Moral of the story:

Larry Hughes needs media training.

NBA Draft Prospects: A look at Indiana Guard Eric Gordon

Marcus Hagness — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:05:30 -0500

By the time Eric Gordon gets to the NBA he'll be prepared for anything the media can throw at him. With the investigation of his former coach, Kelvin Sampson, all over the sporting world, Gordon has gone through more negative media attention than most college freshmen.

Another thing that will help him in the NBA is his game.

Gordon is currently averaging about 21 ppg for the 12th ranked Hoosiers. Gordon is a dynamic scorer, whether it's attacking the rim or shooting from the outside. He's got a beautiful stroke, quick release, NBA range, and terrific follow-through.

He has great scoring instincts and the "go-to mentality" to aid his NBA development. Offensively, he's good at moving without the ball and coming off screens. He also is one of the few players his age that sets his feet as soon as he catches the ball so he's always ready to shoot.

He's got a very nice pull-up jumper, which at his height will only make things easier for him. He attacks the rim very well and is good at getting to the free throw line. He shoots free throws at a rate of 86 percent; NBA scouts love to see good free throw shooting. (Especially in this day and age!)

Gordon is a very quick, athletic guard with good intangibles. His style of play would fit him better if he was three inches taller, but his sheer determination and athletic ability should take him past that.

Eric Gordon will be a top five draft pick this year. Whichever team is lucky enough to land him should be thrilled to bring in the Indiana native.

However, one aspect of his game that needs work is his court vision and passing ability.

Gordon only stands 6'4", which is small for the two-guard in the NBA. If he can develop a better sense of where his teammates are on the court and can get the ball to them effectively, it would definitely benefit an offensive threat like him.

I can't wait to watch him play in the NCAA tournament to see how far this fabulous freshman can lead the Hoosiers.

Well, so far I am four players in. One thing they all have in common: age.

This NBA draft is going to be one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. The next player I will take a look at: Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless.

NBA Draft Prospects: A look at USC Swingman O.J. Mayo

Marcus Hagness — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:59:29 -0500

USC swingman OJ Mayo is another college Freshman we can put on the "one and done" list.

Mayo is going to be one of the more athletic guards that will declare for the NBA draft this year. At 6'4" he is going to be a 'tweener in the NBA.

Ben Gordon or Chauncey Billups are the types of players that come to mind when I see Mayo. Mayo's strengths as a guard are strength, quickness, athleticism, and a nice jumper. His leadership qualities seem to be questionable, however.

Mayo also needs to work on the intangibles of the game so he doesn't become the next Isaiah Rider. His ability to lead and improve the play of his teammates will grow as he adapts to a more phyisical game as well as develops better playing relationships with his teammates.

Mayo will play the 2-guard spot in the NBA which will make him one of the smallest shooting guards in the league. If he is able to hone his fundamental skills, his athleticism will make up for lack of height.

Mayo will be a lottery pick but it all depends on how the lottery ends up. He is turnover prone right now but he is being asked to do much more now on his USC squad then he will be relied on to do at the next level.

The major thing I think Mayo needs to work on is a team-first attitude. There are times where he will try to go 1-on-5 trying to make a highlight reel play, rather then finding a teammate for an open shot.

He also needs to make sure he doesn't get too passive in his shot selection by relying soley on his jump shot and forgetting to attack the rim.

Mayo has a great basketball IQ and is very confident with his skill as a player. This will definitely help him in the NBA to keep the rookie jitters away. He has the scoring ability and saavyness for his teammates to rely on him in clutch situations.

He also takes to the spotlight and will be willing to take and make big shots in the NBA.

NBA Draft Prospects: A look at Memphis PG Derrick Rose

Marcus Hagness — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:37:04 -0500

Memphis point guard Derrick Rose may be the best prospect in June's draft. He has good size for a point guard, great speed, and he is an athletic freak.

At this point Rose’s downfall is poor shooting, with 68 percent from the charity stripe and about 31 percent from beyond the arc. No one expects him to be much of a shooter for the NBA.

As much as I hate to say someone is "the next" someone else, I do see a lot of Gary Payton in Derrick Rose. He is bigger than most point guards and if he can develop a low post game, his NBA career will be much smoother.

Rose is roughly 6'3’’ or 6'4’’ just like Payton, and has great vision. He only averages about four assists per game, but that really is due to Memphis' offense. They spread the ball around so much that it's often taken out of Rose's hands.

Miami, Seattle, and New York seem most likely to take Rose from the bottom of the NBA standings. The Memphis Grizzlies just drafted point guard Mike Conley, Jr. and the Timberwolves are set with Sebastian Telfair and Randy Foye.

As a Timberwolves fan, I wouldn't be disappointed to see Rose play in Minneapolis. But they would first need to move Foye or Telfair to make room for him.

The Heat definitely need a new PG to run Pat Riley's offense. Jason Williams, at 32, is only getting older, slower, and ever more inconsistent. Back-up Chris Quinn doesn't seem to be the answer either, and someone needs to take the pressure off Wade and Marion on offense.

If the Heat do get the number one pick overall, they will have a tough choice between Rose and Beasley—both immediate impact players.

I predict Derrick Rose will win ROY honors next season. He won't have trouble with the transition from college to the NBA, and no one expects great things from his shooting so he will have time to develop that skill and all the physical tools he needs to be effective.

Rose’s court vision is uncanny, especially in the open court.

The Tigers suffered their first loss on Saturday, and now we’ll have a chance to see how Rose handles adversity.

The next prospect I will examine: USC swingman O.J. Mayo.

NBA Draft Prospects: A look at Kansas State's Michael Beasley

Marcus Hagness — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:17:49 -0500

With the second half of the NBA season getting underway, why not look ahead to the upcoming NBA Draft in June ?

All signs point to Kansas State's Michael Beasley being the No. 1 overall pick, if he decides to leave school.

An interesting thing to remember about this year's draft, is that the Suns get Atlanta's first round pick from the Joe Johnson trade in 2005.

Michael Beasley is making his case to be the second consecutive Freshmen to win the National Player of the Year award. Currently, he averages 25.7 PPG, 12.6 RPG while shooting 55 percent from the field, and 74% from the free throw line for the 18-6 Wildcats.

Beasley has posted 21 double-doubles this season in just 24 games.

He has range to shoot the ball from the outside and plays very physical inside. Beasley is a scoring machine and would be a great addition to whomever wins the NBA draft lottery.

The top three candidates to win the lottery are Miami, Minnesota, and Seattle.

We'll start with Miami.

Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, and Michael Beasley. Sounds like a potential "big three" for the Heat. After getting rid of Shaquille O'Neal earlier this month, they could use a post player capable to score down low.

The Heat could also look to draft a point guard such as Derrick Rose out of Memphis. I have to believe they would go with Beasley with the number one overall pick, however.

On to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves have an established big man in Al Jefferson, but no one to really complement him.

Craig Smith has played well for Minnesota this year—but isn't as dynamic of a player as Beasley.

Minnesota should draft Beasley if they receive the number one pick, and if not look to trade the pick.

They could also trade Randy Foye or Sebastian Telfair in favor of taking Derrick Rose if available.

Finally, the Seattle Supersonics.

Seattle has their scorer of the future in Kevin Durant, and is in more need of a center then the 6'9 Beasley.

Beasley and Durant could turn into a great duo. Beasley is comparable to someone like Carmelo Anthony for his NBA transition.

He will probably play small foward in the NBA and look to abuse the smaller forwards in the paint.

Durant could play shooting guard in Seattle if Beasley winds up there. Seattle also could look to strengthen the point guard or center position if they don't land Beasley.

I plan to take a more in depth look at the other potential prospects of this years NBA draft in the near future. Guys such as Eric Gordon, Derrick Rose, and O.J. Mayo.

National Signing Day: Miami Hurricanes Claim Top Recruiting Class

Marcus Hagness — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:51:15 -0500

Randy Shannon's first season as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes did not go too well.

The long-time defensive coordinator went 5-7 this past year, much to the dismay of the Hurricane faithful.

Shannon’s first time going through the recruiting process is a much different story.

He’s been able to stack his defensive unit and improved the quarterback position. The top three linebacker prospects: Arthur Brown, Sean Spence, and Ramon Buchanon have signed with the 'Canes. The top defensive tackle in the country, Marcus Fortson, will be in green, orange and white next year too.

Everyone knows the 'Canes have had their problems with quarterbacks since Ken Dorsey left. Brock Berlin was supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread and he was a flop. Kyle Wright is as inconsistent as they come but when he's good he's great.

They are bringing in two quarterbacks with contrasting styles to bring stability to that position.

Hometown hero Jacory Harris is a mobile quarterback with upside to become a good passer. He was Florida's Mr. Football award winner and a class 6A first team all-state selection.

Harris stands 6'4", weighs about 170 pounds and is the No. 21 ranked Quarterback recruit. Harris has potential to be a Troy Smith type quarterback.

The other quarterback coming to south beach next fall is Taylor Cook from Eagle Lake, Texas. Cook is 6'6", 210 pounds and ranked No. 9 among quarterback prospects. Cook is an imposing physical specimen with surprising athleticism, like former Arkansas QB Matt Jones—a legit dual-threat. He has a canon for an arm and is quite mobile in the pocket. He is an excellent prospect.

Two ESPN 150 receivers, Aldarius Johnson and Davon Johnson, look to strengthen a relative weak group of receivers currently on the roster.

Aldarius Johnson is one of the most explosive receivers out there and has good size at 6'2" and 188 pounds. Johnson's only fault is at times he tends to rely on his natural ability and play "street ball".

Davon Johnson is a smooth route-runner with amazing speed and great change-of-direction ability. Small receiver with big play abilities should fit in well in Miami. Johnson stands 5'11", weighs 161 pounds and will benefit greatly from a collegiate weight training program.

As a Hurricane fan I am excited to see Shannon do such a great job recruiting great talent. It really speaks his ability as a recruiter to bring in the top class after last year's dismal season.

The Florida sun suddenly looks brighter for the Hurricanes.

The Greatest Rivalries in Sports

Marcus Hagness — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:14:16 -0500

The last article I wrote about the UNC/DUKE rivalry got a lot of positive feedback, although many people disagree that it's the best rivalry in sports.

Now I'm not one to think my opinion is better than anyone else's, so I'm going to list some of the top rivalries in the world of sports in no particular order.

College Football

Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gators

Few, if any, match the intensity and impact of a Florida Gators vs. FSU Seminoles game in NCAA football. Why you ask?

Could it be the sweltering Florida heat? Might it be the fact that this game often determines one team’s national championship hopes? The Sunshine Showdown for the Governors Cup is always a close, hard-fought game.

Let's not forget about the other Florida football powerhouse—the Miami Hurricanes—involved with these two programs either.

Ohio State vs. Michigan

"The Game" is probably the most recognized rivalry in college football. In 2006, history was made when these two teams were the top two in the country at 11-0 each. Ohio State won the game 42-39 to win the outright Big Ten Championship.

Michigan is currently on a four-game losing streak to the Buckeyes and six of their last seven overall. There is a reason why this is referred to as "The Game."

College Basketball

Other then the obvious Duke-Carolina rivalry here are some other hate-filled basketball games.

Kentucky vs. Louisville

This is a much storied rivalry in the world of college basketball, although it did take a break from 1959 to 1983 because of one man—Adolph Rupp. He hated Louisville so much and was convinced Kentucky was the superior program so he refused to schedule Louisville.

The rivalry resumed and shortly after Rick Pitino was named head coach in Kentucky. From 1989-1997 he lead the Wildcats to basketball prowess and won the National Championship in 1996. Four years after he left Kentucky he is back in the rivalry, although this time as the Louisville coach.

Kansas vs. Missouri

"The Border War" between Kansas and Missouri is very heated. Missouri always seems to be looking up at Kansas and is usually given the underdog status.

Quinn Snyder, a protégé of Mike Krzyzewski, has really added some fireworks to this rivalry. During his first season as the Missouri head coach they throttled the then-No. 7 Jayhawks.

NBA

NBA rivalries come and go as some teams lose their competitive edge. Therefore, these rivalries usually go by era.

1980's Lakers vs. Celtics

This is possibly the best NBA rivalry of all time. The teams met in the NBA finals four times during the decade with the Lakers winning three of them. The ever famous "BEAT LA" chant was always bellowed at Boston Garden when Magic and the boys came to town.

If you have ESPN Classic, keep an eye out for the marathons of old Lakers-Celtics games and be sure to tune in.

Late 80's Detroit Pistons vs. the NBA

Everyone they played absolutely hated the original "Bad Boys of basketball." Isaiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, and Joe Dumars were extremely physical, arguably dirty players. They were able to win the NBA finals two years in a row cementing their status as one of the great teams in NBA history.

NFL

Cowboys and Redskins

This rivalry is coming up on its 50th year of existence. Between the two teams they have eight Super Bowl wins. This is one of the most competitive rivalries in pro sports. In the down years of either team, the games are always within a touchdown.

Packers and Bears

The oldest rivalry in the NFL has maintained the same level of pure hatred between two franchises since 1921. The Bears are ahead in the all-time series 85-76-6. Fifty Hall-of-Famers have competed in the rivalry.

The Brett Favre era in Green Bay has been good for the Pack although they were swept this year by a 7-9 Bears team.

NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens

Yikes! This is the Packers-Bears rivalry of the NHL. The oldest and by far most bitter rivalry in the NHL is always physical and full of pure hatred. They have met in the playoffs 12 times and in the Stanley Cup Finals five times.

The on-ice competition is intense but maybe not as intense as the deeper rivalry in Canadian society between the English and the French-Canadians.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Detroit Red Wings

This rivalry was originally between the Detroit Red Wings and the Quebec Nordiques. The Nordiques were moved to Denver, along with the rivalry and a new set of fans for the Red Wings to get booed from. This rivalry has been linked to the success of both teams in recent memory.

From 1996-2002 they have met in the playoffs five times, three of which were in the Western Conference Finals. However, in recent memory the rivalry is kind of on the back burner. Many of the memorable characters have relocated or retired.

MLB

YANKS vs. SOX

This is the rivalry I believe many people will say is better than Carolina-Duke, however, only in recent memory has it been a true rivalry.

There is no questioning each team’s undying hatred of the other and the passion put into every game. But, for what many consider the best rivalry in sports, it has been quite one-sided up until the 2004 New York meltdown. There isn't another rivalry between two teams that has involved a curse based on one player. The teams have won 30 World Series championships between them, however the Yankees hold 27.

Since the addition of the wild card team and added divisional series, the Yanks and the Sox have faced off in the ALCS three times. The Yankees won the first two meetings in 1999 and 2003 and the Red Sox come back from an improbable 3-0 series deficit in 2004 to win.

This rivalry has also seen two middle infielders hit game-winning home runs changing their middle names to "effin." Bucky effin' Dent in 1978 and Aaron effin' Boone in 2003.

Dodgers vs. Giants

This rivalry started out as the battle of New York.—the Brooklyn Dodgers in Ebbets Field and New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. After the 1957 season the Dodgers owner relocated to Los Angeles for financial reasons. Obviously the Giants didn't want to kill the rivalry so they packed up and headed to the West Coast also.

The heat of this rivalry was never as evident as in the famous 1951 season. This was the original "spy gate" controversy in pro sports. The Dodgers held a 13.5 game lead over the Giants on Aug. 11. Lead by rookie Willie Mays, the Giants just rolled through the last six weeks of the season to tie the Dodgers for the pennant.

The teams played in the three game playoff ending with Bobby Thomson's famous home run "Shot Heard 'Round the World."

These are just a few of the rivalries I wished to write about. I mean, I didn't even include the Tennessee-UConn Women's basketball Rivalry. There are many more out there and I would love to hear what you all think about: 1.

Rivalries discussed in this article; 2. Other rivalries not mentioned; 3 Rivalries involving smaller schools, such as high schools or lower levels of collegiate athletics.

Duke-North Carolina: The Greatest Rivalry in Sports

Marcus Hagness — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:30:32 -0500

The University of North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke University Blue Devils share the best rivalry in the world of sports.

These two powerhouse programs have the first of two regular season meetings this Wednesday in Chapel Hill.

The Tar Heels are currently ranked No. 3 in the country and the Dukies are No. 2.

This is the first time they have both been ranked in the top five during a regular season meeting in many years.

The Tar Heels starting point guard Ty Lawson went down with an injury during the Heels win against Florida State on Sunday.

Roy Williams isn't optimistic about Lawson's chances of playing in the anticipated rivalry game. He said they will evaluate Lawson's condition after Tuesday's practice.

The Tar Heels have already lost backup guard Bobby Frasor for the season so the PG position is thin.

Third stringer Quinton Thomas will have to go for UNC if Lawson is unable to play.

The Tar Heels strategy should be a healthy dose of Tyler Hansbrough, Deon Thompson, and Alex Stephenson. The Dukies don't have much for size in their bigs and the Heels have an obvious advantage in the paint and should look to exploit it.

Duke will need to have a good night shooting the rock from the outside to stay with the up-tempo Tar Heels offense. My prediction for this year's series is a season split with the home team winning during the regular season.

They will likely meet again in the ACC championship game and wherever the game is played should have an impact on the winner. To win the ACC, UNC might have to sweep the Blue Devils to pull ahead of them in the conference. I don't see Duke losing during conference play to anyone but UNC so if they can split with the Heels they will likely win the ACC.

The game on Wednesday is much bigger for UNC then Duke, however.

If they can overcome Lawson's injury and pull out a win it will set a up huge match-up in Durham on March 8, the last game of the regular season.

It will be interesting to see how Duke's freshmen Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith play in the first "big game" of their careers.

Singler is going to have a tough task if he's asked to defend one of the Tar Heels' big men.

My favorite part of the sports year is almost ready for Act One.

This is going to be one of the best UNC/Duke series in a long time. With both teams ranked in the top three, who is going to step up? Who is going to fall to the pressure of "Thee Rivalry" in sports?

Tar Heel and Blue Devil fans across the country will be watching attentively on Wednesday in the biggest game of the NCAA basketball season thus far.

Minnesota Timberwolves Draft History: Not So Good

Marcus Hagness — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:47:49 -0500

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft. This is one of the few times they've made a pick that made sense since I have been a fan of my beloved T'Wolves.

In 1996, they first selected shooting guard Ray Allen out of Connecticut. This looked like it would be a good year right away. But then they decided to trade him for point guard Stephon Marbury, trying to give KG a dynamic point guard so they would be a great duo.

They were a great duo—for two and a half seasons. The Wolves traded away Marbury just as soon as he hit his stride in the NBA. Two perennial All-Stars and MVP candidates, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, were taken later in the first round.

In 1997, they selected Paul Grant. I'm not exactly sure what he does now, but his career numbers as a power forward are not stellar (1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds). Stephen Jackson and Bobby Jackson were still on the board at this time.

The following draft they selected Rasho Nesterovic over Al Harrington, Rashard Lewis, and Cuttino Mobley. Rasho has been named by many NBA analysts as one of the worst centers in the NBA every year. Al Harrington has been an improving Power Forward since he's been in the NBA, and Rashard Lewis has All-Star level talent.

The 1999 draft; this one stings. Wally Szczerbiak is selected tenth overall. Later that round: Richard Hamilton, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Corey Maggette, and Andrei Kirilenko were selected. In the second round they chose Louis Bullock. I don't think Bullock ever saw the floor. Manu Ginobili was taken later on that round.

In the 2000, 2001, and 2002 draft the Timberwolves didn't get any first round picks because they signed Joe Smith to an illegal contract, so not even they could screw it up. They had late second round picks each time and none of the players selected would have mattered.

In 2003, one of the deepest drafts ever, they selected Ndudi Ebi from Westbury Christian School with the 26th overall pick. Two picks later the Phoenix Suns selected Leandro Barbosa. Right after Barbosa, the Mavericks went with ACC Player of the Year Josh Howard. Two All-Stars right in their grasp.

In 2004 they held the second to last pick as this was the last year of the 5 year first round pick ban. They received the Ebi pick due to a trade.

2005 was when things started to look up for fans of the Timberwolves. They picked Junior guard Rashad McCants out of the University of North Carolina. He was the right man at the time, and if he continues to develop could be quite a steal for Minnesota.

In 2006 they selected Brandon Roy only to trade him to Portland for Randy Foye. Now I know they are both still young but as soon as they traded Roy, I was upset. Roy was the NBA Rookie of the Year, and this year should be on his way to the All-Star game. He is also on his way to lead Portland to the playoffs without number one overall pick Greg Oden. Foye still has time to develop and prove to the fans why he was traded for Roy.

The 2007 draft brought in Corey Brewer from the University of Florida. I liked this pick a lot, and it's far too early to tell who is going to develop. The Timberwolves currently have a record of 8-36 which means, yes, they are worse then the Miami Heat.

They should have one of the top two picks in the draft after the lottery the way this season is going. This means there is going to be a good chance of Minnesota selecting a great superstar for the future.

However with the team’s youth and potential, I wouldn't be disappointed if they traded the pick for an established star already. We will have to see when the season reaches a close.

The Minnesota Vikings and the NFL Draft: An Endless Disappointment

Marcus Hagness — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:36:50 -0500

My favorite NFL franchise, the Minnesota Vikings, love to make the diehards suffer during the NFL draft.

Since 1995, they have passed up on a lot of great talent.

Imagine the Vikings' defense with stars such as Ty Law, Ray Lewis, Dwight Freeney, or Lofa Tatupu.

Those are just a few players they have not selected on draft day.

Let's go back to 1995. The Vikings drafted defensive end Derrick Alexander who didn't pan out. Ty Law was picked later that draft. So was a man by the name of Warren Sapp.

Let's move on to 1996.

This was one of the many screw-ups the Vikes have had. Duane Clemons was the man they went with. Three pretty good receivers were selected later: Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, and Muhsin Muhammed.

A linebacker from the University of Miami (FL) by the name of Ray Lewis was also taken after Mr. Clemons. A bruising fullback from Purdue named Mike Alstott was also available. Lawyer Milloy is the last man on this list of missed opportunities.

The next two years they actually did well. Dwayne Rudd and Randy Moss were the two players they selected.

Then we have the 1999 draft.

They decided to draft Daunte Culpepper with the 11th overall pick. Daunte was solid for a couple years but they weren't even in need of a quarterback at the time. They passed on Jevon Kearse (later known as "The Freak") who became a driving force on the Titans defense—leading them to the Super Bowl.

They had two first round picks that year. The second one was used on Demetrius Underwood. I don't even want to get into that story right now. After Demetrius Underwood was selected, so were Patrick Kearney, Al Wilson, Mike Peterson, Jon Jansen, Mike Rucker, and Dre Bly.

2000 was the year everyone missed out on Tom Brady, six times. I can't hold that against Minnesota because every other team but New England missed him. The Vikings went with Chris Hovan, who was good for a couple years but eventually fizzled out and went to Tampa Bay. They could have drafted Keith Bullock to beef up the weak linebacking core the Vikes have suffered from for years.

The 2001 season saw the Vikings taking a track star from the University of Wisconsin by the name of Michael Bennett. Two Pro Bowl receivers by the names of Reggie Wayne and Chad Johnson were later taken. Defensive tackle Chris Jenkins was taken shortly after. Quarterback Drew Brees was taken early in the second round. The Baltimore Ravens picked up tight end Todd Heap late in the first round.

Bryant McKinnie was selected the next year for the Vikings—which was a smart pick to help out their offensive line. However, they also had a chance to take Dwight Freeney, Ed Reed, Roy Williams, or Jeremy Shockey. In the second round of this draft, they chose Raonall Smith. Shortly after that, another Miami Hurricanes alum,Clinton Portis, was selected.

They did well in 2003—Kevin Williams is an animal.

However, this pick was quite the no-brainer for them. It could've been fun to watch Larry Johnson or Willis McGahee running in the Vikings system. Troy Palamalu and Nick Barnett are two other defensive stars that were available. I am happy with the Williams selection, however.

Kenechi Udeze was selected with the 20th overall pick the next year. Stephen Jackson and Julius Jones were later selected.

2005 is possibly the worst year the Vikings have had in the draft.

For starters, they traded Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders. Now, if you're going to trade Randy Moss you should get quite a package deal for him, right?

The Raiders offered their first round pick (number 7 overall) and linebacker Napoleon Harris. For whatever reason, the Vikings thought this was the right deal for them. So when the Vikings were on the clock that day they were looking to replace Randy Moss with a young, talented receiver.

Well they got the young part right.

They draft Troy Williamson from South Carolina. Williamson had good speed and looked to be a possible deep threat for the Vikings. Well, he was a deep threat to get open; the part where he catches the ball seems to get away from him.

Later in the first round, Shawne Merriman and Antrelle Rolle were selected. In the second round, the Seahawks took Lofa Tatupu and the 49ers nabbed Frank Gore in the third round.

In 2006, Chad Greenway was the player they went with. Now Greenway is still young and had a good year this season. However Manny Lawson, Greg Jennings, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Devin Hester were picked after him.

This past year was the best draft pick the Vikings have had since they took Moss in 1998. Adrian Peterson out of Oklahoma was an MVP candidate for much of the year until he missed a few games due to an injury.

I almost forgot to mention the years when the Vikings decided to let the clock run all the way out and let teams move ahead of them because they weren't prepared.

Seriously, you have all the time in the world to scout and make charts of the players you want. How hard can it be to get the pick in on time?

So now with the NFL Draft just three months away, one might wonder what future Pro Bowlers, MVP's, or Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks they will pass on.

Oh Minnesota, please don't put us through this anymore.