The Daily Bruh Review 12-9-14

Some how I was able to catch 3 different games on this Monday night. But first this night started with me deciding to eat pasta and clam sauce. Let me just say that somebody should have told me how smelly canned clam sause is man. It is stanky as hell. That has nothing to do with anything but I figured that I would warn you. Yeah I know, it is random so let's just go to some observations.

1.  Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets.

Yeah the Cleveland Cavaliers are good and the Brooklyn Nets are bad. That is pretty much the conclusion anyone would get from this game. What I took from it was that the Cavs are starting to look more and more like the team we expected. LeBron being the primary facilitator has kind of loosened up the offense and they are even playing slightly better defense. These dudes are also crazy good rebounding the ball. They out-rebounded the Nets 55 to 33. There was a point where I saw Tristan Thomas get 5 offensive rebounds in what seemed like a 2 minute span.

I still think this team can use a rim protector and the show "The Starters" on NBATV was talking about a scenario where the Cavs trade Dion Waiters to the Grizzlies for Kousta Koufas. Not sure why the Grizzlies would want Waiters but all option seem reasonable.

But of course Waiters has his best game of the season probably. He shot 50% and scored 26 points from the bench. If he just embracing his bench role like Tristan Thompson has then he could really help the team.

The Nets are just really bad which doesn't surprise me but does because Lionel Hollins is a good coach.

By the way Jay Z's reaction to a crazy turnaround jump shot by LeBron was priceless.

2. Toronto Raptors vs. Denver Nuggets.

Kyle Lowry has really been stepping up his game with DeMar DeRozan out but this game really showed how valuable he was to the Raptors success even in a bad shooting night. At the end of the game the Nuggets decided to try to double team Kyle Lowry and it lead to so many great looks for his teammates in crunch time. I really like watching this Raptors team and Lou Williams is going to be an important pick up during this stretch with DeRozan out.

3. Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons.

The biggest thing I took away from this game was that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are great Hall of Fame players for many reasons. But both have areas where they lack and they make up for it with their knowledge of the game. It seems as if Aaron Rodgers don't have many areas where he lacks AND he has the knowledge. The arm talent is there and he can also run. It is hard not to see what he is doing this year and not call him the best quarterback in the league.

Oh and I hate the Falcons for being within 5 yards of the touchdown 3 times and giving up on running it with Steven Jackson every time. I lost to the worst team in one of my fantasy football league for the 3rd time this year. This time I lost by 3.5 points. Yeah I'm salty. Wasn't in the playoffs but it was more of a pride thing.




Smaller Observations:

• Read an article that Washington QB Robert Griffin was punting balls to himself for 40 minutes after practice. Maybe he wanted to have fun like he did as a kid? Maybe he is just depressed as hell. Either way this is what the season has come to 2 years in a row.

• LeBron said that he was honored to play in front of Prince William and Duchess Kate. The Nets were probably embarrassed that they had to watch how bad they were. 

• Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varajao has one of the dumbest mustaches I have ever seen. 

• I can't believe Kansas City Chief defensive back Eric Berry has lymphoma. That is just sad. Prayers up.

• I was just about to write that maybe LeBron was going to embrace his hairline and then I saw a Sprite commercial with his hair fully there. So maybe he isn't.

• John Wall's what-would-be-the game winning layup was awesome but this crazy circus shot when he began to take over in overtime is better.


• Also John Wall getting emotional after the game because a little girl that was his good friend lost her battle with cancer was a great display of humanity and was extremely sad. RIP Miyah.

• Eric Bledsoe is a guard... blocking potential game winning shots.

• Also I love the Suns and I love the Thunder but right now the Thunder is gunning for the Suns current spot in the western conference playoffs. I'm going to need the Rockets or somebody else to fall off.

• This sucks there is 11 teams in the western conference that I would want to see play in the playoffs. In the east there are only 4 teams I want to see play in the playoffs. Maybe make it the 16 best records make the playoffs. 

• The Suns loss sucked so much but I loved that game winning three from Blake Griffin. Just crazy that it went in. Blake Griffin gets the Bruh award of the night for shooting a shot that teammate J.J. Redick said he thought was an air ball and it happened to win the game.

• Check out this funny soccer video that Zach showed me. It's pretty damn funny

The Daily Bruh Review 12-5-14

Daily Bruh Report day 2! 

Daily Bruh Review Day 1?

So apparently there is a twitter account called the Bruh Report so I had to change the name a little bit. Bruh Report was catchy but Bruh Review kind of describes what I'm doing more since it's observations from last night. But I digress.

Had some good NBA games and the NFL. The best observation of the night was my girlfriend Katie noticing Anthony Davis' unibrow. I know she knew who he was and knew he had a unibrow at some point and forgot but yeah apparently it really surprised her. Me and Zach actually talked about how he has a girlfriend and that's not really surprising but people making fun of his eyebrows have to  know his life is significantly better than most.

I get that the brow is Anthony Davis' trademark now though but I would not be mad if he cut it. But that man can do what he wants obviously. Let's just get into my big observations.

1. OKC Thunder's playoff chances.

First sports story I read was from ESPN/ Daily Thunder's Royce Young (check out the article here) who took a look at how the Thunder's schedule looked and projected their record 10 games at a time. It was good stuff and he projected them to get to 51-31 playing about .700 basketball. I think he had a fair assesment of what they could do. I think though that he wasn't giving them enough credit.

I believe this team will be better because of this first month of woes and growth for young players. Their bench will be strong enough to where I think that in the middle of the season, probably January, the Thunder will rip off a 15-20 win streak. I really believe that because this team should and will be one if the best teams in the league. They are going to have to beat the elite teams in the west and they have done that the last few years so I don't see that changing.

I'm sure Scott Brooks is happy that Kevin Durant is back though.

Scott Brooks be like... pic.twitter.com/7iuNL3HEbL
— NBA Meme Team (@NBAMemeTeam) December 5, 2014

2. The Cavs vs the Knicks.

I loved Kyrie like everyone else before the season and I still like Kyrie but everything that is happening makes sense. Kyrie is more like a shooting guard playing point and maybe the Cavs would have benefited better if Kyrie was a little more pass first.

Actually I take back what I just said in a way. Kyrie could definitely be a scoring guard but it does seem like he doesn't make his teammates better at all times. I know a lot of people say this about Russell Westbrook but I think Russell Westbrook does make his teammates better on most nights. Westbrook just has stretched of poor decision making. The point is though that Kyrie can still be a scoring guard like Westbrook or like Tony Parker is. He just has to get better at knowing when it is better to pass or better to shoot in certain situations.

All that being said he is still really good and really clutch! Probably a good for LeBron because he and Love have a shaky record in clutch situation. But yeah Kyrie had 37 points and only 2 assist. Maybe it is better to have LeBron be the facilitator but still. 27 and 12 look a lot better in the stat line to me.

He is still really good though....


3. Cowboys vs. Bears.

The Cowboys aren't a great team but boy are the Bears a terrible team. Just all around bad and it is truely disappointing. The Cowboys finally get over the 8 and 8 hump but that wont mean much if they still don't make the playoffs. That's pretty much all I got to say.

This Brandon Marshall catch was awesome even my girlfriend Katie agreed.




 4. Warriors vs Pelicans

Obligatory statement that Anthony Davis is good. Everybody keeps beating the notion that Anthony Davis is good over everybody else's head. I knew he was good last year. Hell, we all knew he was going to be good when he was in college.

But yeah Anthony Davis is good. He had a double double in the first half.

The real story is how good the Warriors look. They were always fun to watch last year under Marc Jackson but didn't look this good. Jackson rode Steph Curry a little to much and it seemed like the right thing to do because he was so good.

Under Steve Kerr the Warriors offense looks absolutely amazing. They lead the league in assist and it shows when you watch them. They have multiple weapons on offense and they share the ball enough to let all those weapons flourish. The crazy part is that they move the ball around so much and Steph Curry stil score the bulk of the points. You can see how much his off the ball game has improved.

I think this will be great in the playoffs because the key to stopping the Warriors has always been stopping Curry because he dominated the ball so much. Now it will be a little harder to stop Curry when they don't need the ball in his hands to be dangerous.


Smaller Observations:

• Demarco Murray ran the ball 32 times for the Cowboys. I get that riding him has helped the Cowboys win but they could have just ran the ball more and used a committee. Just not sure you can ride a guy this much in the NFL these days without him wearing down early.

• Remember when we though Austin Rivers was going to be good? Well I kind of didn't think he was going to be good but I thought he would be good off the bench but even the shooting stroke he had in college doesn't seem to exist anymore...

• HOW IN THE WORLD DID THAT UCF RECEIVER GET BEHIND 3 GUYS FOR A HAIL MARY TOUCHDOWN? I feel like I always say hail mary's don't work because you just have to stay in front of everybody but wow.

• I'm not sure if Andre Iguodala is hurt but it is crazy he is coming off the bench for the Warriors. He is kind of getting paid to much to come off the bench but Harrison Barnes is playing really well so I guess it's fine.

• Also who thought Draymond Green would be anything more than an energy guy coming out of Michigan State. He played power forward there and now he is spotting up and making threes. Crazy.
• There were some crazy suits tonight. Chauncey Billups wore a checkered suit but the worse was Barry Melrose in the Kool-aid suit. He looked like what I would imagine a Canadian pimp would look like.

Barry Melrose in the Kool-aid suit pic.twitter.com/9OSvF76iCq
— Tylante (@Tylante) December 5, 2014

• I watched some of that Peter Pan live thing and it was ok, I guess. My girlfriend made me watch it and I was more just surprised they casted Christopher Walken. He just talked like himself to me. 

NBA Season Preview

It's time for the NBA to start and that means we will get all the fast break dunks and full court alley-oop passes back! Every season includes some new story lines. Some of these story lines are predictable and some come out of no where. So now based on last season here is some questions and answers about the 2014-15 season.


Team categories:

First, what are the top 8 teams in each division?


East:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Toronto Raptors
4. Washington Wizards
5. Charlotte Hornets
6. Miami Heat
7. Brooklyn Nets
8. Atlanta Hawks

West:
1. San Antonio
2. LA Clippers
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. Houston Rockets
8. Phoenix Suns


The paper champs award! What team is most likely to be better on paper like last years Minnesota Timberwolves?

The Houston Rockets.
I really think that the Rockets will implode a little bit this year. Pretty much a gut feeling here because Dwight Howard and James Harden is so good but the loss of Chandler Parsons is pretty key. I don't know is Parsons is as big of an addition for the Mavs as he is of a loss for the Rockets. PAtrick Beverly wasn't really a point guard that made a ton of plays so Parsons was great because he took some of the playmaking responsibilities from Harden. They also lost Jeremy Lin so a lot of the scoring and playmaking responsibility will fall on Harden and it will be a little too much for them to stay in the elite class of the West.

What team is most likely to have the most all-stars?

Cleveland Cavaliers. 
They will probably get 3 for Irving, LeBron and Love. I could also see the Thunder getting Durant, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka with the PF spot being a little more open with Love on the East now.


What team will be on the Sportscenter top-10 the most?

Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers. 
It will be a tie between those two teams with the Thunder not far behind. Anytime you have the potential of Kyrie breaking some guys ankles, LeBron finishing a crazy dunk and Kevin Love throwing a bomb full court pass in the same game then you have to believe that team will be a staple on top-10. LA will be Lob City as long as they have Blake Griffin. But you also can't sleep on the ferocious dunks Westbrook is sure to have! like this one!



What team will be on the Sportscenter not top-10 the most?

Denver Nuggets.
I actually think that the Nuggets will be sneaky good this year but they are only winning this category because of the myth! The legend! Javale McGee!
Spencer-



What team will blow the most amount of games?

Houston Rockets.
This was a hard category because last year was automatically the Timberwolves. That team lost so many close games it was crazy. Now I think that the Rockets will lose a few games they should win because of the combination of Harden's poor defense and Dwight Howard's poor ability to shoot free throws


What team will win the most close games?

Portland Trailblazers.
Damian Lillard is as clutch as it gets and I really don't expect that to change at all.




What team will be this years Portland Trailblazers? Team to take the next step.

The Charlotte Hornets.
I really wanted to pick the New Orleans Pelicans but they play in the west so it would be a mini-miracle for them just to make it to the playoffs. I really think that the Hornets will take a pretty big leap in the east. They may even be a top 4 seed. I realistically think they will be the 5 seed in the east and will look like a legitimate contender at times. There defense was a force last year even with Al Jeffesrson's poor defense. You then couple that with Lance Stephenson joining the team, which should help the offense take off.



What team will be good in a couple of years?

Orlando Magic.
They have crazy young talent that will make them pretty good in 2 or 3 years. I really like Elfrid Payton with Victor Olidipo in the back court. They also locked up Nikola Vucevic, a guy with multiple 20 point 20 rebound games longterm. Tobias Harris is underrated. Also Andrew Nicholson, Channing Frye, and Aaron Gordon will make the power foward position crazy versatile.

The St. Bonaventure product Andrew Nicholson said he is going back to the post this year!



Whos is going to win the West?

Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder will start the year in a tough spot. Not only did they lose Kevin Durant but the injuries have pilled up. They will currently only have 4 bench players on opening day. But when this team becomes full strength in December they will get on a roll. Anthony Morrow will prove huge in the long run with his added shooting ability. Morrows shooting will help make the Thunder unstoppable. Thunder coach Scott Brooks put in a new system that will focus on ball movement a little more. I also expect Reggie Jackson to have a great year and average 14 points. Also Serge Ibaka will finally be the 20-10 guy that he is capable of. One of the more important things is that Stevan Adams has been named the starting center and I think he has a chance to average somewhere close to 12 and 10. His pick and rolls with Westbrook in the preseason looked amazing. I also don't think San Antonio will have the motivation it had last year to return to the finals.

Who is going to win the East?

The Chicago Bulls.
I am not so easily putting my eggs in the Derek Rose basket. I honestly think the Cleveland Cavaliers will have more talent than the Bulls but that will only matter in the regular season. In the playoffs I don't know if the Cavs will have the defensive ability to perform in the playoffs. I hate trusting Derek Rose but I have a very gut feeling about this. But man trust Derek Rose and betting against how well that Cavs team fits together offensively.

Yeah I'll be regretting this pick in about 3 weeks if Rose gets hurt again.


Who is going to win it all?

Oklahoma City Thunder. 
 It is their year. I feel it.

Player categories:

Who is most likely to get dunked on by Blake Griffin multiple times?

Everybody.
Nobody is safe when it comes to Blake Griffin. But honestly he will probably dunk over Timefey Mozgov 6 times this season. I'm low balling it.


Never forget.


The KD award! Who is the player most likely to steal or press Lebron for the MVP award?

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors.
He probably should have been higher in the MVP discussion last season but I really think the Warriors will be great this season and Steph Curry is going to be lights out and I don't just mean shooting the ball. I expect Curry to be among the league leaders in scoring as well as in assist. I loved Marc Jackson but I think Steve Kerr will be a better coach at using Curry effectively and make the pieces around him fit a little bit better.


The CP3 award! What player is the most likely to end up in a commercial?

Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
The Brow is blowing up! Rightfully so. I think that he will get way more recognition after staring in the FIBA world championship. The Brow is unique and will be in some commercial for nike this year.

Over or under? Kobe averages 20 shots a game?

Over.
Definitely over. Especially with Swaggy P out. By the way, is it just me or did we all just accept the name "Swaggy P" for Nick Young. I mean what an accomplishment.

Who is the most likely to have a 20 minute video about their bad defense? The James Harden award.

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving will obviously be great on offense but man will his defense be exposed because he is going to have to guard guys like Derek Rose, Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Chris Paul and all the great point guards in the spotlight now. The spotlight part is key. Kyrie has always had defensive woes but nobody thought about it because the Cavs weren't good. But expect a lot of this from Kyrie.




P.S.
That is the Derek Rose we want to see!

Who will have a break out year?

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks.
Nobody really knows who this kid is but man I love everything about his game. He is a guy that has the potential to be very similar to Kevin Durant. Now I don't think he will be that good but he will be good. Yeah most people will focus on Jabari Parker in Milwakee, and rightfully so, but the "Greek Freak" will be the other reason that the Bucks will push for a playoff spot. Giannis really picked up his play later in the year last season and in the summer league he averaged 17 points and 5 rebounds while playing some point guard as well. This dude is 6-10 and capable of playing point guard!

The Mario Chalmers award! The guy most likely to get yelled at by LeBron the most.

Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Dion Waiters is going to be Dion Waiters, which means he will probably be yelled at by LeBron and multiple Cavs fans.

Who is the most likely to end up on TMZ?

Nick Young, aka Swaggy P, LA Lakers.
Two words. Iggy Azalea.




"It's a shame what happened to D'Antoni."


Can't wait for the season to start!

The Best Backcourt in the NBA?

In the upcoming days I will be starting my NBA season preview hopefully giving a look at all the teams, conferences, best storylines, best league pass teams and bold predictions.

So to hold everybody over I figured that I would dive in to this new debate over who has the best backcourt in the league. I heard the beef between Dion Waiters and John Wall and it really got me to thinking about who was truely the best backcourt in the league.

If you didn't hear the background on the story, here is an article that describes the situation in detail. Essentially Bradley Beal proclaimed that the Wizards had the best backcourt in the NBA and Dion Waiters called it, "Nonsense". Waiters believes that he and Irving hold that title.

Now I love Kyrie Irving but Dion Waiters seems like a random person to make lofty statements like that. I get the confidence but do the numbers really support this?

Now I needed somewhere to start so I decided to look at the rosters of all the teams in the league. The biggest thing that made this somewhat easy was the talent discrepancy at the two different guard positions. Most basketball fans know that point guard is one of the deepest positions in the league so finding a team with a good point guard is really easy. The shooting guard position is the one that is a little more talent challenged in terms of star power. So it narrowed down the choices a little bit.

Also be aware that some situations are in flux. The Thunder don't know who their starting shooting guard will be. I think if Reggie Jackson were to get that nod then he and Russell Westbrook would get at least some consideration in terms of a position on this list.

The top backcourts that I found in no particular order include:

Washington Wizards: Point guard John Wall and Shooting guard Bradley Beal.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Point guard Kyrie Irving and Shooting guard Dion Waiters.

Golden State Warriors: Point guard Steph Curry and Shooting guard Klay Thompson.

Brooklyn Nets: Point guard Deron Williams and Shooting guard Joe Johnson.

Toronto Raptors: Point guard Kyle Lowry and Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.

Charlotte Hornets: Point guard Kemba Walker and Shooting guard Lance Stephenson.

San Antonio Spurs: Point guard Tony Parker and Shooting Guard Manu Ginobili.

Phoenix Suns: Point guard Goran Dragic and Point guard/Shooting guard Eric Bledsoe.

Those are mainly the only teams with formidable players at both guard spots. Most other teams have great point guards and specialist at shooting guards. This include the Clippers with Chris Paul at point guard and J. J. Redick, a shooting specialist at shooting guard. You also have the teams like the Heat and the Rockets that have an all-star shooting guard and an average or below point guard.

Now I can break out all the stats and we could count how much each back court scored and assisted compared to the others but that might not be a good indication when you try to factor in shooting percentages, defense, and how often they get to the foul line or create opportunities for their teammates.

The best way to look at all of those combined is to look at the win shares and efficiency ratings of each back court. Win shares is the estimated amount of wins that this person (or 2 people in this case) adds to the team. The player efficiency rating is the all encompassing statistic for how well a person plays. The average PER is 15. Kevin Durant posted a 29.8 PER for reference.

My gut and eyes told me that the Warriors were the best back court in basketball but here are the numbers:

Wizards: 11.9 win shares and 33.8 cumulative PER. (Beal only added 14.3).

Cavs: 8.3 win shares and 34.1 cumulative PER (Waiters only added 1.6 win shares and 14 PER).

Warriors: 20.1 win shares and 38.4 cumulative PER (Klay added 6.7 ws and 14.3 PER).


Nets: 10.3 win shares and 33.1 cumulative PER (Both had similar PER and ws).

Raptors: 20.5 win shares and 38.5 cumulative PER (Lowry added almost 12 ws, DeRozan almost 9).

*Hornets: 12.5 win shares and 31.5 cumulative PER (Lance had the higher ws, Walker had higher PER. Also played on separate teams last year so no as valid).

Spurs: 11.6 win shares and 38.9 cumulative PER (The low ws not surprising because the Spurs share the ball but man their PER is amazing).

*Suns: 14.4 (18.5 for full season) win shares and 41.0 cumulative PER (Keeping in mind Bledsoe only played 43 games. So he only had 4 win shares which would give him around 8 win shares in a full season)

Based on the numbers it looks like the Toronto Raptors had the best back court. I actually thought that they were underrated coming into this article. The numbers prove that to be incredibly true because they had more win shares than any other team and posted the 3rd highest PER. The Warriors were not far behind and I put them at second. The numbers rank out the teams:

1. Raptors

2. Warriors

3. Suns

4. Spurs

5. Wizards

6. Nets

                                                                                                        7. Cavs

                                                                                                         8.Hornets (only because they have yet to play with each other.)

So the two teams disputing this title were relatively low on the list. It should be noted that Bradley Beal was also hurt at times last season and increased hi playoff production to 19 points per game and a PER of 17. So he'll most likely get better and that coupled with John Wall's progression should jump the Wizards ahead of the aging Spurs.

The Cavs on the other hand was not surprisingly carried by Irving and I don't see that getting better with LeBron and Kevin Love in Cleveland to take away opportunities from Waiters (which is obviously justified). Their low ranking is also not surprising because of the reports the had issues last years.

The Suns are a team that might have had a chance to take the number one spot if they were healthy the whole year. Their PER was amazing. Also Bledsoe's ability to play defense at a high levels and the Suns system allows for both guards to flourish in the pick and roll.

The Warriors were great offensively and although they were carried a lot by Steph Curry, Klay scored at a great clip and added more defense than Steph Curry ever could. I still think this is the best back court to watch.

Once I started doing this blog I suspected that the Raptors would rank high because of their combined
scoring ability and their fairly underrated defensive abilities. Lowry is a hard nosed strong defender and DeRozan can be really scrappy as well. Imagine also how much higher their stat totals would have been if they traded Rudy Gay before last season. Seeing as their stats improved after Gay was traded to the Kings last December.

Everybody will have their own opinion but the Raptors might have the best back court in the NBA. Get those boys in Toronto more national TV games!!!!

Monday Spread Option 08-25-14

1. It's back! College football finally returns this week with the same great rivalries and a new postseason format. What week one match-up are you most looking forward to watching? 

Spencer- 

Usually Week 1 of the college football season pairs a lot of mismatches, but there are still some intriguing games to look forward to. The one I am looking forward to most is probably No. 16 Clemson vs. No. 12 Georgia on Saturday. These two teams play each other every year and it is always a competitive game. Look at last years 38-35 Clemson win in Week 1. The Tigers however lost all their biggest offensive play-makers from 2013-14 and although they have new ones, such as Cole Stoudt at quarterback, I think a Georgia front seven will give them trouble. On the other side of the ball Georgia's offense will go through running back Todd Gurley who is a freak of an athlete and can take it to the house with every touch. Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley, who has great NFL potential, has other plans though. In last year's game he was a headache for the Bulldogs' backfield and will make his presence felt again.

Ty- 
Can I say none? I'm joking of course but I really am not overly excited for the first week. The teams I'm most excited to watch are UCLA and Florida State and they are both playing games that will be blowouts in all likelihood. There are some games that should be good, like Texas A&M vs South Carolina, 16 Clemson at 12 Georgia and 14 Wisconsin vs 13 LSU. But with no Johnny Manziel I'm not that compelled to watch A&M. There is also nobody on any of the teams that I stated earlier that draws me to the games. I will be watching the games though because this is where stars start to emerge and maybe a player will make me want to watch his team in week 2. But I probably will just watch my boy "Crab legs" Winston tear up Oklahoma State.

2. Staying with the college football discussion, what four teams do you predict will make the first ever college football playoff? 

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.