Mario Chalmers' Scorching Defense Keeps Miami Heat's Future Bright

Jimmy Lawrence — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:34:27 -0500

I caught the Phoenix-Miami game last night for the sole reason of seeing Shaq play against his former team, the Heat, for the first time. By the end of the game, the most surprising aspect was not Wade exploding for 43 points, or the Nash-less Suns committing 19 turnovers, but instead what caught my eyes was the spectacular play of Mario Chalmers.

While his stats may not blow anyone away, he proved to me last night that he has all the makings of an elite player.

As a fantasy basketball player, I was aware of his nine-steal game earlier this year, but I figured it was just a fluke and let some other poor sap in my league waste a roster spot on him. But that was before I had seen him play. That was before I understood just exactly what kind of player Chalmers is.

After watching last night’s game, Chalmers could get 20 steals and it wouldn’t surprise me at all— he is everywhere on the court. He harasses point guards as they bring the ball up the court and has the most uncanny ability to jump passing lanes that I have ever seen before.

Normally, I strongly oppose using steals and blocks as a barometer of a player's defense (just look at Allen Iverson, who has never played a solid game of defense in his life but always ends the year near the top in steals), but in watching Chalmers, it is evident that his steals don’t come from the risky gambles that can often lead to an easy basket for the other team.

His steals come from the fact the he is blessed with freakishly long arms and never stops working on the defensive end of the court. That’s what makes him so special. He has the motor of a hustle player, the skills to be an All Star, and the clutch shooting to be a champion (don’t tell me that three to end the half was not reminiscent of his buzzer beater against Memphis).

While his defense is the most notable aspect of his game right now, and rightfully so (he currently sits at seventh in the NBA with 2.12 per game), he has all the tools to be a stud on both ends of the court.

His assists are at 4.4 per game right now, but as the season goes on, expect that number to rise as the Heat become more confident in him and allow more of the offense to run through him.

The future certainly looks bright not only for Chalmers but for the Heat as well, who currently sit at 8-8 despite being in a rebuilding year. Aside from the blistering play of Wade, much of their success can be attributed to the youngsters on the team, who are stepping up and playing well—and no one is stepping up more than Mario Chalmers.

He may not be in the conversation for rookie of the year, but as the 34th pick, no one will argue that he was the steal of the draft.

Brett Favre Eyeing Fourth MVP?

Jimmy Lawrence — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:29:06 -0500

Let's go back to last summer for a second. The Packers were willing to pay Brett Favre a reported $20 million NOT to play football. Ted Thompson, along with the rest of the Packers' management, had deemed Favre unworthy of the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback position.

And let’s face it—so did many of the Packers faithful.

Despite his brilliant '08 campaign, no one could forget how it all ended. It was a cynic's dream. Favre, sometimes considered overrated and over the hill, ended his career on a poorly thrown ball that ended up being intercepted.

Favre had been a god in the city of Green Bay. But, during his power struggle with the Packers, support for Favre grew increasingly thin.

Now, fast forward to present day. Brett has the Jets soaring atop the AFC East. The Packers, following a beat down at the hands of the Saints, find themselves in a state of free fall as they plummet down the standings in the NFC North.

By no means am I suggesting this is all coming about as a result of Favre being traded to the Jets. But let's face it—Favre is playing great, dare we say MVP worthy?

While a fourth MVP for Favre is far from a lock, it's hard to argue against him being a front runner for the award this year.

I understand that Drew Brees is on pace to break Marino's passing yards in a season record, Kurt Warner's playing is reminiscent of his days as a member of the greatest show on turf, and Kris Jenkins is making the case that Favre might not even be the most valuable player on his own team.

However, it’s hard to argue against the impact that Favre has had on the Jets this year.

If you had to guess, who would you wager is leading the AFC in scoring this year? The Broncos? Chargers? Colts? Patriots? Titans? Unless you named the Jets, you are quite mistaken. Not only are they tops in the AFC, but nearly top the entire the NFL (they only trail the Giants).

That alone should put Favre as the front runner for the MVP. Last year, they were sitting at 25th in the league averaging 16.8 ppg average. Now, they find themselves second, averaging an exceptional 29.4 ppg.

I'm aware of their free agent signings on the offensive line, but make no mistake about it—this is the effect Favre has. Favre is working with essentially the exact same offensive weapons that Pennington had and getting far better results.

You can say what you want about the revived running game that was basically non-existent a season ago, but Pennington is no Favre. I have all the respect in the world for Pennington, and the success he is having with the Dolphins this year, but defenses can put eight in the box against him and not worry about the deep threat.

In having Favre under center, opposing defenses know that any play can be a deep strike. That opens up lanes for the running game. Do you think it's merely a coincidence that, with Favre out of Green Bay, there has been a steep drop off in Ryan Grant's numbers?

The point is that while Favre's numbers might not be quite at the level of Kurt Warner or Drew Brees, 20 touchdowns, a 70.6 completion percentage, and a 94.1 passer rating aren’t shabby. However, the most important stat is wins, and that is the one thing that Favre holds over the other popular MVP choices.

With an 8-3 record, the Jets are widely regarded as the team to beat in the AFC these days. There is no denying that Favre is a big reason for the Jets' surprising success.

This is why the Jets made the bold move to go out and get him. This is why he's always in the conversation for the greatest of all time. And this is why, if the season ended today, Favre would get my MVP vote.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Jimmy Lawrence

Mario Chalmers' Scorching Defense Keeps Miami Heat's Future Bright

Brett Favre Eyeing Fourth MVP?