The Point Guard Power Rankings

This might be the golden age for point guards in the NBA. Chances are if you have an NBA team then you have a pretty good point guard. The position is just really deep. The deepest position in the league in fact. So there are a ton of conversations about, “who is the best point guard?“ There are also a lot of very different top five lists for point guards.

The fundamental differences for people who make these lists are simple. Some believe the best point guards are traditional; get their teammates involved type of point guards. Others believe that the best player playing the point guard position is the best.

I am of the belief that the best player is the best player. I know Chris Paul is the poster boy for point guard play but that doesn’t mean he impacts the game or his team winning the most. The best point guard to me is the one that knows exactly what his team needs to win.  I decided to do a list of the top 30 point guards in the league.

The NBA point guard power ranking:

1.     Russell Westbrook. OKC Thunder	I know that Westbrook has only played 11 games but have you seen his stats for those 11 games? Dude is playing like the best player in the league. Period. His PER is a whopping 31, which is one of the highest in the league. Dude is a walking triple double and plays defense at a high rate. Nobody in the league can guard him and he has become a smarter player this year. He took almost 4 threes a game last year and has dropped his average to around 2. He is just being relentless going to the basket as well as getting his teammates involved. Not sure how he doesn’t win the MVP if he keeps this up and the Thunder get like the 6th or 5th seed after their bad start.
2. Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors	Steph Curry was playing like the best point guard in the league during Westbrooks injury and has kept that up for the most part. Most people like to pigeon hole him as a 3 point shooter but he has probably the second best handle in the league and has an array of floaters and layups he uses when he gets into the paint. His one flaw is that he is not a great defender at all. For the most part golden state has had to hide him on defense. Which makes it crazier that Golden state had the 1st ranked defense for a while.
3. Chris Paul, LA Clippers	Okay I couldn’t drop Chris Paul to low. He still is guy you want your point guard to play like because of his basketball IQ and he still has a more than great 25 PER. We are actually probably sleeping on a great year from him. He is being more aggressive and let the ball out of his hands more to grow the offense. The Clippers have struggled at times but it's not really his fault. Their lack of great wing players are.
4. John Wall, Washington Wizards	This guy deserves way more respect than he gets. He is a freak athlete and still is a true point guard. He is leading the league in assist and still dropping 17 points a game. He was always dangerous driving to the basket but now he has developed a jumper that has made him a legitimate threat on offense.
5. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors	I struggled to put Lowry this low because I love his game. What he is doing in Toronto is just amazing since Demar DeRozan went out. His splits this year is crazy. He is averaging the most points in his career (20.0 ppg) all while shooting the highest percentage he has ever shot on more shot attempts than ever. He is one of the main reason for Toronto’s emergence on top of The Eastern conference
6. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs	Tony Parker is still the Tony Parker we all know and we will remember how good he is once the playoffs roll around. So far in the season he has either been hurt or rested because Popivich openly doesn’t care about the regular season.
7. Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers	Lillard is one of the most clutch players I have ever seen. He lives for those moments and almost always comes through. If you don’t believe me then look at his numbers. The guy shoots 70% from the field in overtime in his career. 70! He also leads the league in 4th quarter points. His problem is his defense which isn’t terrible it just isn’t good enough to cover the other great point guards in the league.
8. Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies	Conley needs more respect and that is why he made my top ten. He does all the little things for the Grizzlies. Like making sure the offense runs through Zebo and Marc Gasol. He has also been crazy clutch as well. Hitting dagger 3’s in multiple games this year. He isnt’ the best point guard for many reasons but he more than holds his own.
9. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers	I love Kyrie. I really do. His handles are out of this world and he might have the best under the rim game and touch around the basket. My main problem with Kyrie has been his proneness to not make his teammates better. He has all the offensive skill in the world but that offense would hum a lot more if he was more of a willing passer. Score first point guard or not, you should not go a whole game without an assist. That goes for almost any position but the point guard specifically.
10. Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns	Bledsoe could definitely jump up this list in the next couple of years. He is physically imposing on defense. He is a freight train in transition and has really improved his shooting. Statistically he played better last year but he is picking up the pace in December. Averaging 17.7 points and around 6 assist and 6 rebounds.
11. Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks	Yeah we all need to start noticing what the Atlanta Hawks are doing. They basically are the Spurs east coast division. The Hawks are leading the league in assist and Jeff Teague is filling the Tony Parker roll perfectly as a penetrator. He is also assisting at a high clip with 7 a game. He should probably be higher on this list with the Hawks being first in the east now.
12.Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls	Derrick Rose is down here because we all high no clue what he really is until he gets pass his injury stigma. If he can get over that then he would be a top 5 point guard.
13. Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns	Dragic is up here too although he primarily plays shooting guard with Phoenix. We all know he is a point guard and he should have been an all-star last year. He is lower on this list because Phoenix hasn’t quite found their groove like last year. But he still has the splits of 16.3 ppg 4.1 ast and 4.3 rbs. Not playing on the same level as last year but I expect it to pick up.
14. Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets	He is averaging 15 and 10, which is pretty damn good, but this has translated into a ton of success for the Nuggets. Their offense usually looks discombobulated. I put some of that on the coach but the point guard is responsible too.
15. Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets	Remember when this guy was in the best point guard discussion? Yeah, me too. Dude just can’t drive the lane anymore. He even got benched for Jarrett Jack! In fact, I have him ranked too high. Drop this guy down 5 spots.
16. Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelican	Jrue should be a way better point guard. He still is a good point guard but he was a lot better in Philly. I will say that he is starting to ragain some of that mojo he had in philly though.
17. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets	The Hornets aren’t having a great season but Walker is still a top 20 point guard. Their bad play has a lot to do with Lance Stephenson and a little bit of a slump defensively.
18. Rajon Rondo, Dallas Mavericks	I know people see Rajon Rondo as a top 10 point guard but that is really unfounded. Rajon Rondo has never made an all-star team. He has never had a PER of more than 18 in his career. He gets a lot of assist but sometimes he can be a little too ball dominant. The Mavs offense should be good for him if he buys into giving up the ball early. That offense is very much dependant on ball movement.
19. Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder	Reggie Jackson should that he is capable of being a starting NBA guard while Westbrook was out this season. That was mainly just offensively. He has shown an ability to score at the rim but has been really bad on defense at times. It would be interesting to see how he would fair guarding the best point guards on a daily basis.
20. Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix Suns	Thomas proved to be a spark for the Suns early in the season and has put up numbers better than Kyrie Irving in his career. Obviously his size is a factor when it comes to defense.
21. Brandon Knight, Milwaukee Bucks	Brandon Knight is having a great year for the surprise Bucks. People had basically given up on him as a point guard and Jason Kidd deserves some credit for his turn around. He did average similar numbers last year but the difference is that he is shooting a lot better. Shooting almost 45% from the field and improving his 3 point shooting from 32% last year to 40% this year.
22. Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings	Collison has been an ok addition for the Kings. He is a solid point guard that can play some defense and get’s a solid number of assist.
23. Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat	Without LeBron, Mario Chalmers is taking more shots a game and shooting a worse percentage.
24. Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves	Yeah he is hurt again. Oh and he still needs to develop a jump shot to reach his potential.
25. Patrick Beverly, Houston Rockets	We are at the abyss portion of this article and Patrick Beverly is only in the league because of sheer toughness and gritt.
26. Dennis Schroeder, Atlanta Hawks	He is an underrated part of that Atlanta Hawks team. Averaging 8 points and 3 assist in only 17 minutes a game.
27.Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons	Woah this is my bad. I started this blog a week and a half ago. Jennings has been torching since Josh Smith left. Put him up to the 22 spot.
28. Jose Calderon, New York Knicks	The Knicks are bad at basketball.
29.Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks	A decent back up in the Mavs offense
30.Cory Joseph, San Antonio Spurs	Has filled in pretty will for Tony Parker to become a good two way player.

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!

NBA Future Team Power Rankings

The NBA Draft took place last week and we are in full swing of NBA free agency. Yes we have the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs who are trying to maintain rosters that are set up to win now but may not be set up to compete for a title 4 or 5 years in a row. 

Besides those teams and a few other contenders like the Clippers, Pacers, Rockets, Warriors and Thunder, the other teams are trying to build up for the future.

So I will rank the top 10 teams that aren't built to win now but have the brightest future based on acquired young talent and future cap flexibility.

So we might as well dive into it.

First let's mention the teams that didn't make it.

First the Atlanta Hawks don't make the list.

Although they made the playoffs without Al Horford and have a ton of salary cap space it would seem as though they don't have any real cornerstone pieces to their future. They continue to be mediocre in a so-so market. This means that they wont be bad enough to get good draft picks that could help turn things around. It also means that it would be hard to get free agents to sign there without grossly over paying semi-talented players. both seems like they kind of dampen their future.

The next team off the list is the Boston Celtics.

This is more because of the assets that they have now and the fact that tanking didn't really work out for them. I like Marcus Smart and James Young but both will need some time to develop. I like their upside but they might have a bigger curve than some of the other players that were drafted.

They have Rondo as a trade piece but Point Guard is a really deep position in the league. I also don't know if Rondo is the kind of trade asset that would field you a franchise player or a high draft pick. He seems like more of a great piece on championship team but not a player that makes a team great. The Celtics need a face of the franchise player at this point.

10. The Sacramento Kings

The Kings are last on this list because they have great talent on the team but they have to click to ultimately become something. The other thing that holds them back, which will be a theme for western teams, is how good their conference is. So the Kings have an uphill battle to become good again.

There have recently been talks of them trading for Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith which would make them a little better defensively. A lineup of Rondo, Ben McLemore/Nick Stauskas, Rudy Gay, Josh Smith and Demarcus Cousins sounds great talent wise but it could also be one of the most unpredictable and tumultuous teams in the league. Rondo has a knack for rubbing teammates the wrong way. Josh Smith is still in a gym somewhere chucking up long twos and threes that he's not making. Also Demarcus Cousins is still prone to making plays like this.

As off right now the team could receive a boost if Rudy Gay continues to play the way he did last year with the Kings and Cousins develops defensively. But they are a team that future looks promising from a far but real murky up close.

NBA Playoff Live Blog first weekend

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Highlights From Yesterdays Action:

Tony Parker: half man half washer machine #SpinCycle






Josh McRoberts puts Birdman on a poster!

Monday Spread Option 03-03-14

1) Just yesterday Mark Cuban took some shots at the current NCAA system that forces players to play at least one year at the college level before heading to the NBA. Cuban suggested players be able to go straight to the pros if they are able to and if not can even start out in the D League and work their way up. Do you agree with Cuban or should the NCAA continue to make a year in college the path to the NBA? 

Spencer-
I 100% am on the side of Mark Cuban. Why should a player be forced to go the college route if they believe they have the abilities to play at the professional level? In my opinion these guys can make the business decision for their life and career coming out of high school of where to go. If they think they can make it in the NBA like the Lebrons and Kobes of the world then they should be allowed to decide to do that. If they don't pan out then unfortunately you have to live with that decision. If that means getting caught up in the D League for a while then so be it. We all are forced to make that decision of where to go from high school whether it be college, start working or go into the armed forces. If these guys have the skill to make it to the NBA they should be allowed to choose that. And that isn't to say some of these guys maybe won't still go to college. I'm almost positive the college game will still be filled with guys who maybe aren't at the skill level of the NBA yet, looking to perfect their craft a little more first, and that is fine. But right now the NCAA basically requires these guys to go to school for a year so they can have these marquee players in their system to fill seats and make money. That's it. They NCAA might preach until they are red in face that their focus is to help guys become better players and get to the next level but that is crap. They don't care where these guys end up, they want to make their money. It's an unnecessary step for players to take and I think Cuban's system would work much better.

Ty-

I agree with Mark Cuban too. Although I am for them expanding the age to 20 for the NBA entry be cause I think the 1 year situation is stupid because people expect the players to be great in one year learning a system. Then that player has to learn another system and way to play in the NBA. If they stay 2 years, then at least they have something to build on from the first year. I do think that going to the D-league is a viable option. Sure some of the kids would be served better to get an education, but they would get a better professional experience in the d-league. Although college is really competitive only 1% of the players in college make it to the NBA. While in the D-league those players can go up against NBA calibar talent more often. The only downfall would be that some players would enter the d-league even though they weren't necessarily ready. But it would also groom them better than going to college because they would already be adapted to the NBA game.

2) Which team made out better with their free agent pick up this weekend, the Clippers with Danny Granger, or the Thunder with Caron Butler? 

Ty-

This is hard to do because neither of the players have played a game yet. I will say that Danny Granger should be the better player, given his age and ability to play at an all-star level a couple seasons ago. Granger has not played well recently though, which was the main reason the Pacers traded him. He could be helped by the fact that he could potentially start for the Clippers because their small forwards are average at best. The Clippers also need another scorer to take pressure off of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. But I think Granger has to play better for me to say he was a better pick up. As for the Thunder, Butler's signing may have come at the best time because of the injury to Thabo Sefalosha, that will sideline him for 4 to 6 weeks. Now Butler might actually start for the Thunder in his first game with the team. Butler was already playing well with the Bucks and might shoot better than Thabo was shooting and give the same effort on defense.

Spencer-
It is only a few days into both signings so the immediate impacts are unmeasurable so far, but I think in the long run the Thunder made out better. Butler is a little older than Granger, and his best days are certainly behind him, but he provides a little offense and defense or OKC. I haven't had time to see how the Thunder plan to use him and he hasn't played a game yet so no one really knows yet, but I assume he'll come of the bench. I think that will provide them with some spark when they give guys like Durant and Westbrook some rest. He is averaging 11.3 points per game and 4.5 rebounds, which is around what Harden used to average in his sixth man role with the Thunder a couple years back. I don't think he will become the sixth man but one place the Thunder struggle is scoring when their best players are off the floor. I think this helps patch that weakness up a little bit.

3) Lots of controversy in the NFL regarding the Franchise Tag, and this past week teams really got into full swing using their tag on players. While some teams go the route of just tagging their kicker to keep everyone happy, others have the issue of guys wanting more money and a long term deal instead of risking injury for one season on the tag. What do you think about the Franchise Tag overall and is it something the NFL should keep around in the future? 

Spencer-
I love the concept of the Franchise Tag, unfortunately I think its meaning and favorability are a hard sell nowadays. To elaborate, I can see the point of it is to be able to keep a franchise player in your system for another year while you work out the ins and outs of an extension given your current pay roll. I can also see why it could be flattering for a team to dangle out there to a player like "Hey you are a franchise guy and we want to keep you here, that's why we want to tag you." However, as I said that isn't the business way of looking at it from a players perspective. For them they see it as a one year deal that could be their last baring injury. They also see it as taking less money for a year than they may really be worth to their franchise or other franchises. When you think about it like that you can see why players hate them and don't want to sign them and why I think they NFL should and will eventually get rid of them.

Ty-

The Franchise tag has always been a good thing and a bad thing. It is good because the non big market teams can keep their better players if they are free agents. The bad news is that they don't need to do that in the NFL because teams don't have a problem keeping players in certain markets. But it does buy time to help work out a deal with the player. This deal does duck for the player because the contract isn't guaranteed and they could jeopardize their future if they get hurt. As a redskins fan I think the Orakpo tag is an example of how the Franchise tag is bad. Orakpo wants to stay in D.C. but the Skins hit him with a franchise tag to save time. This sounds good but now Orakpo is overpaid for a linebacker who only had 10 sacks last year and only had double digit sacks in 2 years. So now it is hard to go back and get him to accept less money than the 11 million dollars he is getting with the franchise tag.

4) What do you think about Adam Silver nixing Lebron James's black protective facemask and making him wear a clear one? Is it a necessary measure taken by Silver or should it not matter what color facemask players wear? 

Ty-

This obviously should not have mattered to the league at all. I'm sure they did it because of how much the NBA relies on facial recognition to help expand the brand. But let's be real, everybody knows who LeBron . He wears the same number and is all over the place. The mask was also crazy because LeBron looked like a super hero. I'm sure Lebron will end up wearing a clear mask now but he is still going to be LeBron.

Spencer-
I've tried looking for the actual reasons the NBA gave James for why he couldn't wear the black mask, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. Either way I can't come up with any logical explanation in my mind as to why he was forced to change it so I disagree with Silver making him switch to clear. I don't think the color of any players protective facemask is detrimental to the game in any way, and I don't really see it as a distraction for him or the league either. If anything he helped the league out cause there were shirts being sold with James portrayed as Batman and Zorro on them and the NBA could of jumped on board in selling merchandise of their start player too. Regardless I think it is hard for league to explain the reason for the change and I think it was an unnecessary measure. In my opinion they should focus more on getting flopping out of the game than black protective facemasks.

5) What did you learn?  

Spencer- Syracuse was overrated, and Virginia is for real

Even as a Cuse fan I will firmly admit they aren't who I thought they were. At least not recently they aren't. The Orange are just struggling to play sound offense right now. One night CJ Fair is on, the next he goes cold. One night Cooney is knocking down threes the next he can't make a bucket. You can't win games when your best players can't score. I still believe they can play defense with anyone, but at a point they can't hold off teams with a number of good scorers and they start to cash in, while Syracuse can't keep up. I will say it right here and now, Syracuse doesn't deserve to be a number one seed and they are lucky to still be ranked in the top 10 cause I don't think they could beat any of those teams right now.

On the other end props to Virginia for taking it to them. How many people saw this team winning the ACC at the beginning of the year? Not me. Regardless they are a well rounded and great basketball team. They aren't the fanciest team and they don't have these house hold name guys that we all talk about but they just play hard and more importantly play together. The scariest part is other than their sharper shooter Joe Harris who is the second leading scorer on the team and has a .417 three point percentage, they won't lose much in terms of talent after this season. They have a handful of sophomores and juniors on their roster. I don't necessarily know if they will win it all in the big dance, but they have got the worlds attention and I wouldn't be surprised if they shock the world again by making a run at the title.

Ty- People still want to trade Russell Westbrook?

After last year's playoffs I thought that people were finally beginning to understand how valuable Westbrook was the the Thunder success. Every year before last years playoffs, people would continue to call for Westbrook to be traded for a more pass-first point guard to help supplement Kevin Durant. When Westbrook got hurt in the playoffs people began to see just how important he was. 

Now less than a year later, people have jumped back on that bandwagon after Durant scorching January, many started jumping on the trade Westbrook band wagon again. Although Kevin Durant played out of his mind in January but he needs Westbrook in order to win a title. In the playoffs one player can't always carry you through an entire seven game series. Kevin Durant would have to play at an absurd level to beat top notch opponents in the western conference. It is unfair to count on a player for that much production.

The Westbrook hate was added too by the fact that the Thunder went 0-3 in his return, although the team played two really good teams (Miami, and the L. A. Clippers). The whole thing was blew out of proportion but now the Thunder is 2-3 since Westbrook's return. Yesterday Westbrook dropped a 10-1 2  shooting night for 26 points and 5 assists. Would you still trade Russell Westbrook?

Monday Spread Option 2-24-14

1. The weeks AP ranking was shaken up by last weeks events. Florida now stands at #1. Who do you think is the best team?

Ty-
It's tough to argue against Florida right now. They have won a lot of games purely based of the strength of their great defense. In that way they are a lot like Syracuse. Although they too have flaws offensive, their defense will probably not be as vulnerable to great shooting like Syracuse is. But they did have their scare against Ole Miss. I honestly think that come tournament time the best team will be the Kansas Jayhawks. They have played the hardest schedule in basketball both because of their non-conference schedule and how good the Big 12 conference is. They had a lot of hype going into the year because of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid but they have clawed their way into the top 5. Their combination of good defense and solid offense will be formidable against any opponent.

Spencer-
I think the AP rankings got it right after last weeks upsets. Florida was number two last week, and despite having a near scare against Auburn, they pulled it out and showed even in close games they can keep their composure. That is, in my opinion, a necessary characteristic for a number one team to exemplify. The Gators are playing solid basketball right now.  They haven’t lost since December, they recently got a win over a solid Kentucky team and they play really great team basketball. They have several guys who can score and unlike a lot of these top ranked teams don’t have a popular star freshman running the show but three experienced seniors in Casey Prather, Patrick Young and Scottie Wilbekin. Quick note though I think Wichita rightfully stays at second because of the strength of their schedule. I understand they are the only unbeaten team left but they haven’t played most quality opponents. The Shockers are a great team and will be a number one seed in the tournament especially if they finish undefeated. Unfortunately I can’t hand them the number one ranking based on just that.

2. The NFL Combine has begun and there has already been scrutiny over Johnny Manziel's height being 1/4th of an inch shorter than 6 feet. Does it really matter?

Spencer-
No, no and no. If you think 1/4th of an inch dictates whether a player will succeed in the NFL you’re ignorant. As part of my argument I will give you exhibit A: Drew Brees and Exhibit B: Russell Wilson. Brees stands at an exact 6 ft tall, 1/4 of an inch taller than Manziel, has thrown for over 5,000 yard for three consecutive seasons, previously held the single-season passing yard record until this year and has a Super Bowl ring. Russell Wilson is only 5 ft 11 in. and although he isn’t breaking passing record through his first two seasons has become a franchise QB for Seattle and won the Super Bowl. These are two prime examples of why it shouldn’t matter at all that Johnny Manziel is less than 6 ft tall. If the kid can play football, he can play football. He has been doing it at a high level in college at the height he is and I can see him doing it in the NFL. Makes me wonder what the NFL really learns fro the combine, which segues perfectly into my rant for for what I learned this week. Keep reading...

Ty-
Didn't we already know that Manziel was shorter than the average quarterback? Are NFL executives still using the old school mindset of draft grades after all 5' 11'' of  Russell Wilson just led his team to a Superbowl victory. Russell Wilson had all the intangibles and talent coming out of the draft as anybody but slipped in the draft because of his size. Size is important in some cases but it shouldn't handcuff people. Johnny Manziel is probably more prolific than Russell Wilson was coming out of college so I think the size issue is an overreaction. This is why the combine is a joke for the most part. They measure a lot of things that wont tell you how good a player will be. What they should worry about is wether or not Manziel can make all the throws you want an NFL quarterback to make and if he can lead your team to more victories.

3. Give your top 5 list of serious contenders for the NBA Championship.

Ty-
This NBA Season might be as wide open as any for the championship. There are a lot of teams that can challenge the Heat for the Title. So I can really see any of these teams winning the championship if everything breaks right for them.


Top 5 NBA Contenders:
1. Miami Heat (If Dwayne Wade is healthy)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Indiana Pacers
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Houston Rockets

I think that Dwayne Wade wont be able to stay healthy throughout the playoffs which will be the downfall of the Heat. So my pick to win the championship is Oklahoma City right now. The other teams behind them all have a chance. The teams that I left out, Portland and San Antonio, where left out because they have huge weaknesses. The Trail Blazers aren't just a bad on defense but they are borderline terrible. I have no faith the Blazers can beat any of the top 5 teams in a seven game series. The Spurs, on the other hand, can beat one of the top teams because of their experience. Yet they haven't been able to beat any of the contending teams beside the Clippers. They have been to injured and it's tough to see them in the Finals again.

Spencer-

1) Indiana Pacers: Despite everyone talking about the Heat gaining on them in the standings, I think from top to bottom they are still the most solid team. You have Paul George, Roy Hibbert, David West, Lance Stephenson kind of running the show. Then they have depth with guys like George Hill and Luis Scola who give get good minutes and produce for Indiana. Then add in the recent acquisition of Evan Turner as well. This team isn’t missing much. They have lost a few games here in the last couple weeks but I see them finishing on top of the east. I also think they are a better team than the Heat and they have a guy in George who can actually guard Lebron and a guy in Hibbert who plays right into Miami’s biggest weakness which is a down low presence.

 2) Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant is going to be the MVP this year and he is going to continue putting up ridiculous numbers. With Westbrook now back for them the team will get familiarized to a lineup with him on the floor and they will be fine. I don’t think one loss to Miami speaks to how good or bad this team is. They will be more than fine and look like a team on a mission this year.

 3) The Miami Heat: People wanted to write them off early and say they were coasting, well coasting or not the Heat proved they are still a team to beat in the league with their blowout win over the Thunder. Again I don’t think they got the Thunder’s A game, but it at least showed that they are going to play with the other top teams. Even with an often injured Dwayne Wade and Lebron’s broken nose, they will be right there.

4) Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers were missing Chris Paul for nearly a month, and dropped some winnable games in his absence but Blake Griffin seemed to have a coming out party while Paul missed time as well and now with him back and healthy they are in the mix. They got a big win yesterday over the Thunder, which definitely made a statement in the tough Western Conference. They have dropped some silly games against opponents like Cleveland and Charlotte and they have struggled against the leagues top teams. Despite all that though I think they have proven they can hang with those teams and with Paul back and in usual form, I expect a playoff run from them.

 5) San Antonio Spurs: I know they are old, and have lost to some teams they should be beating, such as the Knicks, I just can’t not put the Spurs on this list. They, like the Clippers, have also been hit or miss against some of the best teams in the league but they have hung in those games as well. Every year we count these guys out and then they surprise us. Last year they were a play away from being NBA champs. Got to believe that Pop and the boys still have some gas in the tank, and if they make it again this year, I now won’t have to be so surprised.

4. Does Jason Williams' warm reception translate to how Michael Sam will be treated in the NFL?

Spencer-
I don’t know if it translates completely but I think it is a step in the right direction for all sports. Unfortunately a lot of people see football as the “Ultimate man’s game” and I think have a hard time imagining a gay player in locker rooms and on the field.  I think that is extremely sad, but I think Sam could face harsher scrutiny from fans than Collins. Also all eyes are on the NFL, from media to spectators worldwide so for the attention Collins got for his appearance last night, double it for Sam. Nonetheless I have always thought sports has this unbelievable ability to unite people, so if the highest level of sports can make a statement with openly gay players being accepted and participating I think it can have an astronomical impact on the way society accepts homosexuals in general. At least I hope it does. This is something that goes beyond the lines on a field or a court and I think it can be a huge step toward equality. 

Ty-
It should give some sense to how the athletes will embrace an openly gay player. But in this case it is different. The NBA has always prided itself on being ahead of the other sports in social problems of this nature. But Adam Silver said it best, "No one in sports should be too proud. Sports has led society in so many critical areas. [Here] we fell behind." The NFL is one of those sports who have lacked the hardest in this issue. In this day and age it shouldn't be a problem and for most in the NFL I suspect it wont be a problem. This will be big because this is the first in the sport but most of society has been okay with this for a while now. But we are being Naive if we think everybody will accept this and that there wont be some hiccups along the way.

What we learned last week?

Ty-

The NFL and the N-word.

Let me try to do this without diving into the merit of the word and wether I feel as if people should be able to say it or not. This word only has the power to hurt one group of people in the world. African-Americans had to live with the word, the history, and the racism so it seems weird for others to tell them how to use that word. The biggest thing that needs to e realized is that if your not apart of a certain race, than it becomes pretentious to try to tell people how to feel about a word and wether or not they should use it. That goes the same for any race and any derogatory term. The word is one thing but it's not everything. A person can be extremely overtly or covertly racist and not use that word at all. It's more of a symptom than the disease that racism is and this hip hop/ n-word use debate seems to be shifting the blame back on African-Americans instead of looking at racism as a whole. I'm not saying anybody should or shouldn't say it, but that should be left up to those people the word hurts.

This is a tough situation to tackle for society as a whole, let alone the NFL. I just don't get why this is being done. I'm not sure what effect it has on the way the NFL is played. Will the NFL outlaw profanity as a whole? Because that would make more sense. If they use the logic of, "This is a work place, profanity should not be allowed in the work place." In this case it seems like they are creating a rule that doesn't need to happen and would be hypocritical to how the rest of the NFL operates. There isn't a need for the NFL to police this word only. I think that it would be hard for the NFL to enforce this rule. The players will also be against the rule for the most part and hopefully this doesn't come to fruition.

Spencer-
The NFL Combine Measures Nothing. 

Look I understand sports networks are reaching for the NFL topics to increase viewership, but the NFL Combine is so overblown and doesn’t really tell us anything about players headed to the NFL. That’s great that Jadeveon Clowney ran a 4.53 forty time. I’m glad a 266 lb guy has that much force behind him, but the question isn’t how much force he has, but how he uses it. The only way to really gage that is by seeing them in a game or game like scenario. Clowney will literally never be lining up and be able to run forty yards clear down the field, full speed with no one in his way like he did in the forty today. He is going to be getting blocked, double teamed, held, pushed around, ran into etc. by ruthless lineman whose job it is to put him on his butt. Not to mention he is going to have pads on for all of this as well. If you put any of these guys in pads no way they are running 4.53 forty times.

 Before you tell me “Well that isn’t all they make them do,” and other nonsense I want to say this doesn’t just apply to Clowney and that I’m not saying he or other potential players won’t pan out in the NFL. All I’m saying is that these drills shouldn’t hold so much weight in a guys draft status.

 If you think a quarterback throwing to wide-open guys tells me he is has NFL potential then you are delusional. Just like if you think a guy only bench pressing a set weight a certain number of times tells you that too. First of all if a guy has made it that far to where he has a chance to try out for an NFL team, I think he knows the potential ability is there. You could have the best arm in the world as quarterback, but if you can’t read NFL style defenses then you’ll never make it. Sorry. Same with the strength thing, I knew guys that played football that couldn’t bench 225 17, 18, 19 times but were tremendous football players. Being strong is important but playing any position in football takes more than strength. It takes thinking, and aggressiveness. Maybe these drills measure a guy’s potential aggressiveness? I don’t know. But potential doesn’t mean a sure thing. All I’m saying is the combine doesn’t necessarily translate to this guy or that guy is going to be a great NFL player. It barely even scratches the surface. There needs to be less emphasis on those tests and more on what they do in a game situation, and the reality of it is you never truly know how a guy is going to pan out in the pros.