Monday Spread Option 08-11-14

1. Over the weekend sports fans were focused on a place very familiar to us, Western New York, where Tony Stewart hit and killed Kevin Ward Jr. on Saturday night on a dirt track race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. There was speculation that Stewart purposefully hit Ward

who got out of his car angry at Stewart who had spun him out on the previous lap. Do you think Stewart intended to hit Ward, or was it an accident all around? Should Stewart have raced yesterday at Watkins Glenn? 

Spencer- 

I  don't think Stewart intentionally hit Ward, but I can see why some people think otherwise. In the video you can clearly hear Stewart speed up as he get's close to Ward and obviously he made Ward spin out in the first place, adding to the suspicion. Regardless I don't think there is enough evidence to say Stewart did it on purpose though, which is why he won't be charged or get in any legal trouble. I was happy to see he decided not to race at Watkins Glenn yesterday though. It should of been obvious from the start that racing was a bad idea after the accident the night before. I know he is a competitor and wants to race but it was obvious what the right decision was. Glad he made the right one.

Ty-

 I don't think Stewart wanted to intentionally hit Ward. This story is tragic but it could have possibly been prevented if Ward remained in his car. Once he left his car and stood in the middle of the track he lost all of the safety afforded to him. It was also reported that several other cars almost hit Ward as well. The story just looks really bad because Stewart caused the spin out in the first place. But to think that Stewart intentional hit him with his car then you are questioning Stewart's morals. Either way he has to live with it the rest of his life. Stewart was right to not race the next day, But I'm sure it would have made the situation much worse.

Monday Spread Option 07-14-2014

1. LeBron James left the Miami Heat and decided to go home to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Can the Cavs win a championship next year with the way the roster is currently constructed?

 

Ty-
I would like to gloat first and say that I thought that after the season I definitely thought that there could be a possibility of LeBron going back. I didn't say it was definitely going to happen by any stretch but most people were steadfast on LeBron staying and thought he would consider going back. But that's besides the point. I think that people are somewhat jumping the gun on the Cavs being surefire title contenders.



I think they will be a top 5 seed in the east but a lot has to happen. Kyrie Irving has to stay healthy and Wiggins as well as Bennett need to grow as players. I do believe that they will grow because LeBron has the ability to elevate other players games. He also takes the pressure off of the other guys. Instead of Wiggins having to live up to an insane amount of hype he will help the team if he plays the elite defense he is capable of and improves his 3 point shooting. Tristan Thompson is a good big man and Anthony Bennett just has to be a serviceable big man backup but he does have the potential to be a big man that can run the floor and shoot 3 pointers. 

If Bennett becomes a good stretch 4 than he is perfect for a system around LeBron James as it allow James to operate with space. Kyrie Irving in a way is a better Dwayne Wade because he can penetrate like D-Wade could but he is a far better 3 point shooter than Wade so it means that he can space the floor as well. The biggest challenge will be for a young team and new head coach to establish championship level defense and learn a winning offense in crunch time. So I think they could in theory but I would say it is extremely doubtful as of right now.  

Spencer-
I think with LeBron James on your team you can at least put them in the discussion as a championship contender, but personally I don't think they can win it as soon as next year. A lot of the Cavaliers' success hinges on the development of their young talent. We already know what Kyrie Irving can do, but can Tristan Thompson get even better? Can Anthony Bennett, whose been said to be making progress this summer, be more effective than he was in his rookie year? Can Andrew Wiggins develop into the talent he has the potential to be? Those are the questions that decide the Cavaliers future. I don't think that is all going to happen in one season but I do think they will make progress. LeBron makes everyone better so you know he will be able to mentor a guy like Wiggins and help him compete at a high level. That's why I at least give them a shot at it this year though because if things can fall into place I don't see why they couldn't. Nonetheless they will have some tough teams in the East to compete with in the Bulls, the Pacers, the Heat will still be good. And in the West, well we know how good many of those teams are. My prediction is they make a deep playoff run and don't win it this year, but long term will have a shot at multiple championships when this young team grows. 

LeBron returns home: My take on a once in a lifetime story

Alright, Alright. I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. If you had asked me a week ago if I thought a return to Cleveland for LeBron James was possible, I would have told you it was a fantasy that not even Disney could turn into a movie. I truly believed after watching LeBron be so comfortable and dominant as a player in Miami over the last four seasons that despite being outmatched in the NBA Finals, he would return with a revamped team to South Beach. When he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all opted out it seemed even more likely, figuring that the trio would take less money to free up the cap space to build a younger, more competitive team. When things took a turn though for me, was when the news came out that James wouldn't settle for another pay cut, and wanted a max deal with whomever it was he decided to sign with.

Monday Spread Option 06-23-14

1. With the NBA Finals over attention now turns to the draft, which is this Thursday, June 26. Obviously the Cavaliers have the first pick but with Joel Embiid getting foot surgery last week there is a lot of speculation on what Cleveland will do with the first pick...what do you think they will do, and what do you think the should do? 

Spencer-  
I think that Cleveland will end up using the pick in some kind of trade, but they should take Andrew Wiggins. Obviously the Cavaliers favored Embiid over everyone after his work out with the team and I respect that. Unfortunately though taking him at number one now would be just a Cleveland move. I don't think they are going to do that, but I've heard so many rumors about them trading down so they can take him at four or five, which fuels my speculation that they trade the pick. I've said all along though Wiggins, in my mind, is going to be a great player. He was ready for the pros out of high school in my opinion and had he been able to come out then, he would have. I just think you don't want to be the team that passes on Wiggins, so in my mind you have to take him.

Ty- 
Joel Embiid's injury is just untimely for him and it also sucks for the Cavs. I still believe that Joel Embiid can be a difference maker in the NBA but now it ruins a lot of things. Honestly what they probably should do is either trade the pick and draft Embiid later or draft Andrew Wiggins and trade Dion Waitors. I think there is a good chance that the Cavs do the second option and draft Wiggins but i don't know if they trade Waitors. I saw a few mock drafts that had them picking Jabari Parker and that wouldn't be bad if he plays small forward but if Parker is more like a power forward than they don't need another young guy to add to the roster in that spot.

Monday Spread Option 03-24-14

1) Another fantastic first weekend of March Madness is in the books and after a number of upsets, buzzer beaters and instant classics we have out Sweet 16. Which game was your favorite from the weekend and is there any team you are pulling for now? 

Spencer-
There were so many great games this weekend it really is hard to pick just one, but for me I think it was Wichita State and Kentucky yesterday. That game was so awesome, it was like a heavyweight fight. One team would throw a knockout punch, the other would swing right back. It was back and forth down to the wire and it sums up what the tournament is about because despite everyone doubting Kentucky's ability to make a run, they stepped up when it mattered most and took down a great team in Wichita State. As far as who to cheer for I kind of have two options really. Despite Dayton taking down my Orange I think I'm pulling for them as my Cinderella story team, but also my bracket isn't dead yet with all my Final Four picks remaining so I obviously have to cheer for my pick to win it all, Florida.

Monday Spread Option 01-20-14

1. Saving for the Superbowl predictions what team do you think should be the Favorite to win the Superbowl after yesterday.

Ty-

The Broncos were probably the more impressive team in how they looked yesterday, which was dominant. Nobody ever really felt as if the Patriots had a chance to win the game. That being said, it was a little more impressive the way that the Seahawks came back on the Niners after being down 10 points. Also the Seahawks played a better team. The Niners are better than the Patriots by far. But either way the Broncos looked like the best team yesterday. I'm excited to see how this Superbowl plays out between these 2 teams.

Spencer-

Have to believe the Broncos are favorites heading into the Super Bowl mostly because of how electric and deep their offense is. Seattle certainly has their hands full covering all the weapons Denver has at receiver and running back and obviously with Peyton at the reigns. Denver is highest scoring offense in the league, and their defense has been above average in the postseason, considering how bad they were in the regular season, so it makes sense to have them as the favorite. However you know Seattle is going to come ready to play and their defense will be ampted up to stop the Broncos. Regardless of who the favorite is, the game will be very close.

2. The Probowl is this Sunday. Will you watch the new draft format? Or should they scrap it?

Ty-

It is actually a good thing that the NFL is trying to spice up the pro-bowl. It is like the NHL did last year with their all-star game. We have also seen the NBA do this with their Rookie-Sophmore game. So I'm willing to give it a chance under this new format. I don't know if this will fix the problems with the pro-bowl though, Football is a sport that is played with passion and fierce because the games matter. It's hard to get players to play hard in a sport that risks there lives and career on every play in an exhibition game.

Spencer-

I actually like the draft format and feel it is a great idea for the NFL to step out of the box and try to make the Pro Bowl more relevant to fans. I usually watch bits and pieces of the Pro Bowl every year but I think this makes it a little more intriguing at least for the beginning of the game to see how different players from different conferences and teams play together. I don't know if it is enough to make it a fan favorite or anything, but I think it is a step in the right direction to making it more watchable.

3. Its still somewhat early but what college basketball player do you think should be the #1 overall.

Ty-

I think people have now started to back down on how good they thought this freshman class was going to be. Andrew Wiggins lost some footing early but he has played well enough to still be considered as a potential number one pick. But I think that if I'm an NBA general manager I would go with Joel Embiid. Mainly because he is a 7 foot center with raw athletic ability, He has a natural feel for the game and great feet for a guy as big as him. Although he is more of a project, it is amazing how far he has come in this last year and how much of an impact he has on the game averaging only 18 minutes a game. Although he has only been playing basketball for a few years it is easy to see how naturally gifted he is already and he is only going to get better. Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins have been the flashy name but the Center position is too weak in the NBA to pass on a guy with this much potential.

Spencer-

Tough to say obviously so early, and a lot of it depends on who has the first pick and what the need. But regardless of how he has played so far, you have to think Andrew Wiggens is still a very likely number one pick. He is a freak athlete and is starting to come on strong here as of late. He is still leading the Jayhawks in scoring with 15.1 ppg, and adds about six assists a game so his numbers are solid and seems like they are only going up. If the team that gets the number one overall pick needs a point guard you can obviously make a great case for Jabari Parker as well or even the dark horse in my opinion Tyler Ennis, who sneakily could be the best point guard in college this year.

4. The NBA mvp race is starting to look like a 2 man race. Who do you think is in the MVP lead? LeBron James or Kevin Durant?

Ty-
I think this is the year that Kevin Durant might finally beat LeBron for the MVP award. Although LeBron is averaging 58 % shooting he has had the benefit of having a better team. Kevin Durant did have a great team as well but Russell Westbrook was still finding his footing before he had a second knee surgery. Durant has been steady all year but with Westbrook out again he has taken his game to another level. He has scored more than 30 points in the last 7 games straight, highlighted by a 54 point game on only 28 shots against the Golden State Warriors. He has also posting career highs in rebounds and assists finding ways to help his team win besides scoring. Now after starting off a little rough right after Westbrook's injury he has helped the Thunder win 3 games in a row and two against western conference contenders.

Spencer-
Obviously Lebron James is great, will be his whole career and makes a tremendous case for the MVP year after year. But I think this year the award belongs to Durant if he keeps doing what he is doing and avoids injury. He is averaging 30.6 ppg and Carmelo is the next closest over four points behind him at 26.1. He also grabs 7.8 rebounds a game and dishes out 5.1 assists a game. For all the criticism Durant took last year in the playoffs for not being able to exist and be dominant without Westbrook he has proved this year he can just take over games. Since Westbrook went down on Christmas day, the Thunder are 8-4 and he has scored below