Bleacher Report - Articles by Dave Morgan

A Kobe-LeBron Final Would Be Great...Because?

Dave Morgan — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:28:24 -0400

It's the talk of the NBA world: The dream final of Kobe versus LeBron is in danger!

But would it really be that big of a loss?

I understood and accepted the fanfare that accompanied the possibility of a LeBron versus Kobe NBA Finals matchup. While I didn't embrace it, I could see why there was such a furore about the whole thing.

The Cavaliers, best team in the east, headed by LeBron James, versus the Lakers, best team in the west, headed by Kobe Bryant.

It all made sense. The allure was palpable. But this was a week ago...

Now, having seen how the Cavs stack up to a real team, and how the Lakers have apparently regressed, I'm left wondering whether the dream final would actually be that good at all.

The Lakers and Cavs have devolved into one-man teams, like the Cavs and Lakers of yesteryear, when were when they were mired in offensive mediocrity.

If Stern wants LeBron vesus Kobe, then he should set up a one-on-one tournament at next year's All-Star weekend.

But the playoffs aren't about stars; they're about teams. The Magic play as a team. The Nuggets play as a team. And they both play a more attractive brand of basketball than having LeBron/Kobe rebound, dribble the ball up the court, use a wide arsenal of jukes and spins to finally earn themselves a mid-range, heavily-contested jumpshot, which they'll still nail an impressive number of times'.

It all adds up to one question: What's so great about Kobe v LeBron?

Magic-Cavaliers: Game Four Preview

Dave Morgan — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:41:23 -0400

With Orlando leading a series that most thought they would be beaten, and playing at home, this is a huge game in the series.

A win all but condemns Cleveland to an exit, whereas a win puts them back in the driver's seat.

The key for Cleveland will be stopping the Magic's dominant frontcourt from taking over the game—leaving LeBron with a one-man, uphill battle.

Interestingly, the Cavs have opted to use LeBron to defend what is probably Orlando's weakest scoring option in the starting lineup—Rafer Alston (which says something of the depth of scoring ability that the Magic possess).

A similar ploy was used by the Lakers against the Celtics in last years finals. Kobe played a "sagging" defense on Rondo, taking away Rondo's only method of scoring (driving to the basket) and kept Kobe fresh on the offensive end.

This tactic doesn't work anywhere near as well in this matchup.

The first reason for this is the fact that Alston has a legitimate jumpshot. Rondo had nothing of the sort. LeBron also doesn't have the short-distance quickness that Kobe has (he's really too big to have that kind of quickness). And we've seen the result, which is Alston finding ways around LeBron much easier than he would West or Williams.

So in essence, the Cavs have taken one of the league's best one-on-one defenders and turned him into a defensive liability.

The other reason that it doesn't work for the Cavs is the fact that none of the Celtics' other players were genuine matchup nightmares. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are just great players. They're too prototypical for their positions to be considered matchup nightmares.

Orlando have two guys that create such issues—Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Rashard is basically Dirk Nowitzki with a post game. If he was given the keys to a team (which he never has, playing in the shadows of Ray Allen and Dwight Howard), he'd be considered one of the league's best.

Then you've got Turkoglu, who has the the length of a PF, the shooting range of a two-guard and the distribution skills of a point guard. He can cause the Cavs problems, even when his shots aren't falling—as evidenced by his 13-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist night, where he shot just 1-11 from the field.

If the Cavs want to slow these two down, they need to put LeBron on one of them. It'll tire him out—and while he might not be putting up 40 points a night, it gives the Cavs a much better shot at winning the basketball game.

The Expansion of the "Rooney Rule"

Dave Morgan — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:37:16 -0400

As some of you may have heard, the NFL is looking to expand the "Rooney Rule" to the hiring of GMs.

For those that aren't aware, the Rooney Rule means that NFL teams are required to interview at least one minority candidate for a coaching job.

Personally, I believe the rule to be unnecessary and belittling to minority candidates. I can't imagine a minority candidate would be thrilled at the idea of being interviewed purely because they are a minority and the team is being forced to, not solely on merit.

I also don't really understand what people think this rule achieves. I don't believe that there are any white supremacists in power positions in the NFL (considering minorities make up over half of every roster in the NFL), so to force them to interview a minority candidate even when they don't think that guy is right for the job is wrong.

Even if an owner was a racist, and harbours ill-will towards a minority, he'll just interview a guy from a different minority. Not that i'm suggesting any NFL owners are racist towards any minority, merely speculating from a hypothetical standpoint.

It also fails to be politically correct, despite being an absurdly politically correct rule. There's no rule to say that all candidates cannot be from one minority, and in the name of political correctness, isn't that exactly the same thing?

Also, it would appear to me that any owner that is failing to select the best candidate, minority or not, isn't going to be very successful in this league, and will eventually find that they aren't fit to be an owner. So the system sort of cleans itself up in that respect

I'm really interested to see what you all think of the Rooney Rule.

Why the Magic Want Kevin Garnett to Play in the Magic-Celtics Series

Dave Morgan — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:40:41 -0400

You may think that a team would do anything they could to avoid having to play Kevin Garnett...ever.

But the Magic might just be hoping that KG pulls off a miracle and gets healthy in time to play some part of the Magic-Celtics second round match-up.

That's right. I think KG playing makes the Magic a better team.

And that's because he is 1 of 1 men who can capably guard Dwight Howard for the 40 minutes that he's on the court. Though it might sound like a bad thing for the Magic and their most dominant offensive weapon, if you've watched the Magic at their best this and last year, then you might be able to understand why it's not.

The Magic have the capability to shoot any team out of the arena and the World Champion Celtics are no different. If they run up and down the court and find open looks (which they will, if they run) they can blow out any team.

But the Magic are all too often reluctant to, as Rafer Alston puts it, 'run past your best offense [Howard].' What this can create is a slow, stagnant offense. Sure, Dwight will put up monster numbers, but the shooters will be ice cold and Dwight will be too tired to be a genuine presence on the defensive end—where Dwight can make the biggest impact on the game. Hardly a formula victory.

A common justification for this tactic is that the Magic are trying to play Inside-Out basketball, which is all well and good. But because D-12 has the ball distribution skills that he does, any attempts to get the ball back out to the perimeter is more likely to find it's way into the hands of shifty Celtic Guards Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen than it is into those of knockdown shooters Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu.

How Kevin Garnett fits into all this is that he can actually shut down Dwight Howard on his own, an ability that appears entirely unique to him. In this scenario, the Magic will quickly learn that they need to play small, push the ball up the court and take open jumpers, as apposed to leisurely plod the ball up-court and heave a high pass into Howard in the post, so that he can be rejected by Garnett.

And having Howard reduced to a passenger on offense will come in very handy when he, in turn, is fresh and patrolling the paint, making the Celtics play from outside, where they are able, but not as comfortable as Orlando.

It also creates match-up problems elsewhere for the Cs. With KG on D-12, Perkins would be forced to shift down to Rashard Lewis, who he simply doesn't have a hope in hell of guarding which most likely sends him to the bench. Glen Davis would have similar issues guarding Lewis. The most sensible defender to assign to 'Shard would be Pierce, although he could also be useful in guarding Turkoglu (Lewis And Turkoglu are very similar in stature and fairly similar in skill set).

And so, in conclusion, though it may seem like a ridiculous suggestion, there is some method to the madness.

Ravens to look out for in '09

Dave Morgan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:13:58 -0400

After experiencing somewhat of a return to glory last year, the Baltimore Ravens lost some key contributers from last years team that advanced all the way to the conference finals, something exceptionally few predicted of them. But if they hope to build on what they did last year, they're going to need some players to step up. Here are some guys that I think are going to do just that. Remember the names.

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What Ray Lewis' Return Means for the Ravens

Dave Morgan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:15:27 -0500

As I'm sure you are all aware, Ray Lewis has signed a three-year deal worth $22 million with the Baltimore Ravens. This is the culmination of weeks of speculation about where Ray would play the 2009 season.

Ray's return has drastically changed both the Ravens' expectations and their offseason to-do list. Replacing Ray, for a franchise that has been so dependent on him for so long, would be the equivalent of bringing in a new QB. It would be a franchise-altering change.

But fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your viewpoint, this change has been averted. Ray is back in purple, where he unquestionably belongs. There was little doubt before the messiness of this offseason that Ray would have a statue proudly positioned next to that of Johnny Unitas.

Ray's unwillingness to declare himself "purple" from the beginning of the offseason has left some fans skeptical about Ray's commitment to the team. But I have little fear that once he's back on the field, performing the heroic acts of toughness and commitment (such as playing through a torn tricep in the Cincinnati game that I'm sure we all remember), all will be forgiven and forgotten—and he will once again be assured of immortality, alongside Unitas.

But Ray's return bears a far greater significance than just sentimental and political. The man can still play, and his presence still appears to be key to the performance of the Ravens' perennial powerhouse defense.

There are Ravens fans that will tell you that Ray is surplus to their needs. They'll tell you that another ex-Miami Hurricane No. 52 (Tavares Gooden) is ready to fill the void.

But the truth is Tavares Gooden is one year removed from a rookie season that was spent almost exclusively on injured reserve. Other candidates to fill the void include Nick Griesen, Prescott Burgess, and Jameel McClain. Griesen is smart, but lacks athleticism and leadership. Burgess has shown little and has very little experience. McClain isn't a natural ILB, but he's made plays when he's been on the field, whether it's on defense or special teams.

But one must also consider that Ray has always been more than just his Tackle, Sack, and Pick totals. He has inexplicable intangibles that have thrust the Ravens' defense into the upper echelon for more than a decade. Extremely few teams have enjoyed such consistency in the salary cap era.

If you look at the teams that have preceded this one, and you look to explain why the Ravens' defense is consistently so good, there are two constants that could explain it. One is Ray Lewis. The other is Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens GM. He has assembled many a great defense in his time with the Ravens, but they have all included Ray Lewis.

By signing Lewis, Ozzie hasn't bet the farm on himself. He realizes that Ray has been integral in his success.

He was right not to bet the farm on himself. When "great" defenders have left Baltimore, they've never reached the heights they did while in purple. Ed Hartwell has been largely ineffectual in his post-Raven career. Adalius Thomas is an athletic marvel, but has never been utilized properly in New England, and Bart Scott may still face a similar fate in New York.

Were all these players made great by Ray?

It's impossible to say, but it's not outlandish enough a notion to be ignored by Newsome and the rest of the Ravens' front office. If they wanted to all but secure their continued defensive dominance, they needed Ray.

In closing, it should be noted that the Ravens ARE going to have to deal with life without Ray Lewis. But while he can still play and get his dogs fired up on game day, the smart thing to do is to squeeze every last drop of Ray Lewis out of him before he leaves.

It appears they are intent on doing that.

Five Reasons That New York Jets Fans Will Love Bart Scott

Dave Morgan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:02:52 -0500

Bart Scott plays with unrivaled passion. A hatred, even. A hatred who isn't in green (formerly purple). He has often said that if he played against his mother, he would do whatever was necessary to knock her off her feet. That passion comes from his path to glory. An undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois, Bart was offered a contract by two teams. The Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens. He selected the Ravens and signed for the league miminum and a signing bonus of just $500. He had little chance of making the team. He soon realized that to get himself recognized, he had to be vicious, and he had to be ferocious. And that ferocity remains in full force today, and I assure you it will remain even after signing a contract larger than the ones in his dreams coming out of So. Illinois.

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